The Baseball Buffet for 5/2/2025

Issue #263

What follows is a new feature for 2025 at Now Taking the Field. The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day! Let me know what you think of each issue… leave a comment on the post or send me an email at [email protected].

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 36th day of the season had a partial slate of 11 games:

• CHC 8, PIT 3 - Paul Skenes was not dominating but was doing OK until the fifth inning when he let up three solo HR to Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki (who would hit another HR in the 7th inning too). Meanwhile the Pirates could not get much going offensively, other than a solo HR by Bryan Reynolds in the first inning.

• STL 1, CIN 9 - After the Cardinals beat the Reds 9-1 in game two of their double-header yesterday, the Reds returned the favor by winning 9-1 today. Jose Trevino and Spencer Steer each homered, and starter Andrew Abbott and four relievers combined to 3-hit the Cards.

• AZ 4, NYM 2 - Zac Gallen pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8K) and Geraldo Perdomo and Tim Tawa had HR for the D-Backs. Juan Soto hit two solo HR for the Mets, but they didn’t have much offense otherwise.

• KCR 8, TBR 2 - Yandy Diaz hit a HR in the first inning, but after that Seth Lugo pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). The Royals figured out Shane Baz (5.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) in the game’s middle innings, and ended up with 15 hits overall, including Bobby Witt Jr’s third HR of the year.

• MIN 3, CLE 4 - Ben Lively pitched well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 K), and Jhonkensy Noel hit his second HR of the year for the Guardians. This was an odd game in that Minnesota was outhitting Cleveland (13-6 in the end), but the game was tied 2-2 after nine innings. The Twins scored one in the top of the 10th, but then singles by Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez each drove in a run in the bottom of the 10th.

• MIL 0, CHW 8 - Only the Brewers’ 8th and 9th hitters were able to get one hit each, as Sean Burke (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 K) and three Chicago relievers combined on a 2-hit shutout. Miguel Vargas hit a 3-run HR, and Luis Robert Jr. went 2-4 with a double, 4 RBI, and his 13th SB of the year (ties for the MLB lead).

• ATH 3, TEX 0 - Tyler Mahle pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but Jeff Springs (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER 1 K) and four Athletics relievers combined on a 3-hit shutout. Mason Miller notched his 10th save on the year, and now has a 1.50 ERA with 23 K in 12 IP.

• WAS 4, PHI 2 - The Phillies outhit the Nationals 9-6, but that didn’t translate into more runs. Rookie Brad Lord pitched well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and Kyle Finnegan notched his 10th save on the year.

• BOS 2, TOR 4 - Tanner Houck pitched well (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), but so did José Berríos (6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). The difference in the game was Vladimir Guerrero’s 3-run HR in the bottom of the 8th off Boston reliever Justin Slaten. For Toronto, Yimi García recorded his second save and now has a 0.00 ERA over 14 IP in 14 relief appearances on the year.

• DET 10, LAA 4 - Logan O’Hoppe and Jorge Soler hit two early HR off Casey Mize (7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), but the Tigers had two HR early and two HR late from Javier Baez, Gleyber Torres, Dillon Dingler, and Spencer Torkelson (his ninth on the season).

• COL 4, SFG 3 - Heliot Ramos hit a HR in the first inning, but then Kyle Freeland (6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) settled in until letting up two more runs in the sixth. Down 3-2 in the top of the 8th, Jordan Beck hit a ground-rule double to drive in Brenton Doyle, and then Hunter Goodman singled to drive in Beck for what would be the winning run.

Today’s Trivia Question

Yesterday Cleveland’s José Ramírez became only the 24th member of the 250/250 club (250 HR and SB). At only 32 years old, barring something dramatic he shouldn’t have a problem joining the 300/300 club. As I noted recently in an “On this day in baseball history” item, the first four members of that club were Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Andre Dawson, and Barry Bonds. But since then four others have joined them with 300 HR and 300 SB in their careers… who are they?

Who’s on the move?

In this section I won’t list 26th-man moves, or every time a team shuttles relievers back and forth to AAA to keep a stock of fresh arms in the bullpen. I’ll focus on the biggest, more impactful demotions, promotions, and injury list changes (for a full list, see all the latest MLB transactions).

➕ Starting Rehab Assignment

• MIA C Nick Fortes

• STL C Ivan Herrera

🤕 Placed on the IL

• SFG 2B Tyler Fitzgerald - 10-day IL (left rib fracture)

• TEX C Kyle Higashioka - 10-day IL (mild left intercostal strain)

• CHW 3B Gage Workman - 10-day IL (right hip flexor strain)

• AZ RP Justin Martinez - 15-day IL (right shoulder inflammation)

📄 Claimed off Waivers

• NYY claimed OF Bryan De La Cruz off waivers from Atlanta Braves

• LAD claimed RP J.P. Feyereisen off waivers from Arizona Diamondbacks

League Leaders

I haven’t reported on OPS leaders yet this year, so let’s do that today. Not surprisingly, Aaron Judge is at the top since he is leading in all three slash line categories (BA, OBP, and SLG):

• 1.282 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 1.124 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 1.074 - AZ Pavin Smith

• 1.011 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• .990 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• .978 - BOS Alex Bregman

• .958 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• .958 - NYY Ben Rice

• .950 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• .950 - CHC Kyle Tucker

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history (for a longer list, see the feature at the Baseball Almanac or the Bullpen feature at Baseball-Reference.com):

📅 On May 2…

• 1876: First HR in National League history. According to baseball-reference.com, “Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings hits the first home run in National League history off the Cincinnati Reds' Cherokee Fisher. According to the Chicago Tribune, ‘Barnes, coming to bat with two men out, made the finest hit of the game straight down the left field to the carriages, for a clean home run.’”

• 1917: Opposing pitchers both throw no-hitters through nine. According to baseball-reference.com, “At Wrigley Field, Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitch a double no-hitter for nine innings, but the Reds win, 1 - 0, on two hits in the top of the 10th. Jim Thorpe drives in the winning run, scored by Larry Kopf, and Toney retires three Cubs in the bottom half of the inning, completing the fourth ten-inning no-hitter to date.”

• 1939: Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak ends. According to baseball-reference.com, “Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees does not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending at 2,130 his streak of consecutive games played. An ailing Gehrig removes himself from the lineup, telling his manager Joe McCarthy that he cannot play because of continuing weakness. Doctors will later diagnose Gehrig with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal disease that affects the muscles. Gehrig will never play again.”

• 1954: Stan Musial hits five HR in a doubleheader. According to baseball-reference.com, “Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals hits five home runs in a doubleheader split against the New York Giants. The Cardinals win the first game, 10-6, but lose the second, 9-7. In a strange twist, one of the fans in attendance at Sportsman's Park is a young boy named Nate Colbert. In 1966, Colbert will make his major league debut. Six years later, he will tie Musial's record by hitting five home runs in a doubleheader.”

• 2012: Jered Weaver throws a no-hitter. Jered Weaver throws the tenth no-hitter in Angels franchise history, defeating the Twins 9-0.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Eddie Collins (1887) is a Hall of Famer who played parts of 25 seasons in the majors and is one of the all-time greatest 2B. A consistently good hitter of the deadball era, Collins didn’t hit for power but had a career .333 average and .424 OBP. He had 3,315 hits, 438 doubles, and 187 triples. He had seven seasons of 100+ runs, including leading the AL in runs three years in a row from 1912-14. He was also outstanding on the basepaths, leading the AL in SB four times, including his career high of 81 in 1910. He had 12 seasons with 30+ SB and 741 total for his career.

• Edgar Wesley (1891) was a 1B who played 8 seasons in major Negro Leagues from 1920-27. According to the numbers available at baseball-reference.com, Wesley led the Negro National League in HR with 11 (64 games) in 1920, and later had 15+ HR three times. He also led his league in batting average with a .404 mark (60 games) in 1925. His career slash line was .324/.391/.532 with a 150 OPS+ over 2,105 plate appearances.

• Clay Carroll (1941) was primarily a relief pitcher in his 15-year big league career (1964-1978). He pitched for five teams, but is best known for his work with the Reds during the early 1970s, including being a key member of the Big Red Machine’s bullpen in their 1975 World Series championship season. From 1970-75 Carroll had 95 saves, a 2.62 ERA, and 135 ERA+. He was also good during the postseason for the Reds, posting a 1.39 ERA in 32.1 IP. A two-time All-Star he led the NL with 37 saves in 1972, and overall retired with 143 saves, a 2.94 ERA, and 121 ERA+

• Larry Cheney (1886) was a major league pitcher from 1911-19, playing for four teams. He won 20+ games for the Cubs each year from 1912-14, including a league-leading 26 wins in 1912 (tied with Rube Marquard). Later in 1916 he went 18-12 with a 1.92 ERA for the Brooklyn Robins. Overall for his career he had a 2.74 ERA which given his time period translates to a 109 ERA+.

Today’s Matchups

A nice Friday full slate (15) of games, so we have lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• LAD vs. ATL has Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1.06 ERA, 43 K in 34 IP) facing the Braves who are trying to recover from their horrible start to the season. Grant Holmes (4.50 ERA, 26 K in 28 IP) faces the formidable Dodgers lineup.

• SEA vs. TEX is game one of an important AL West series, with the 18-12 Mariners and Bryan Woo (3.09 ERA, and 30 K in 32 IP) up against the 16-16 Rangers and Jack Leiter (2.03 ERA and 13 K in 13 IP in 3 starts). The fortunes of these two teams are recently going in opposite directions, as Seattle is 8-2 in their last ten, and Texas is 3-7.

• COL vs. SFG is exciting as the Rockies are in the midst of an epic two-game winning streak! They look to extend their good fortune with Antonio Senzatela (with his impressive 5.22 ERA, 13 K in 29.1 IP) facing off against Robbie Ray (3.73 ERA, 33 K in 31.1 IP).

Other noteworthy starting pitchers taking the mound include SDP Dylan Cease, CIN Hunter Greene, PHI Jesús Luzardo, NYY Max Fried, TOR Chris Bassitt, MIN Joe Ryan, NYM Clay Holmes, STL Sonny Gray, and DET Tarik Skubal.

HR Watch

Predicting who might hit a HR on any given day is a challenge. But here are a few to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• BAL Ryan Mountcastle, 10-22 with 3 HR and a triple vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• BAL Cedric Mullins, 9-23 with 2 HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• PHI Kyle Scharber, 3-13 with 2 HR vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

• CLE Carlos Santana, 3-11 with 2 HR and a double vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

Also of note, SEA Julio Rodríguez is 2-5 with 2 HR (but 3 K) vs. TEX Jack Leiter, and LAA Jorge Soler is 2-4 with 2 HR vs. DET Tarik Skubal.

Hits Watch

If you play MLB’s Beat the Streak mobile game, or otherwise bet on/parlay players to collect hits, I’ll try to provide some good options in this section. In addition to the HR Watch guys listed above, here are some others to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• PHI Trea Turner, 11-28 with HR and 3 doubles vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

• LAA Tim Anderson, 12-23 with a HR and 6 doubles vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• BOS Alex Bregman, 6-13 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. MIN Joe Ryan

• SDP Jason Heyward, 6-20 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• NYM Juan Soto, 5-10 with a HR and 4 BB vs. STL Sonny Gray

• TEX Marcus Semien, 5-11 with a HR and a double vs. SEA Bryan Woo

Who is streaking?

These are players on active hit streaks and who for this reason (if playing) might also be interesting picks to get a hit today:

• 22 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr

• 11 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 11 - DET Zach McKinstry

• 11 - BOS Alex Bregman

• 9 - LAD Teoscar Hernandez

• 9 - SEA J.P. Crawford

• 8 - ATL Eli White

• 8 - CHW Miguel Vargas

• 8 - LAD Andy Pages

• 7 - WAS CJ Abrams

• 7 - LAA Zach Neto

Who might struggle today?

Betting against any given player to not get a hit is tough, as guys in the starting lineup get at least one hit in a game more often than not. That said, here are some guys who clearly have struggled against their opposing SP today:

• NYY Jazz Chisholm Jr, 0-11 with 2 K vs. TBR Ryan Pepiot

• BAL Gunnar Henderson, 1-14 with 5 K vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• BOS Rafael Devers, 2-15 with 4 K vs. MIN Joe Ryan

• PHI Bryce Harper, 1-10 with 3 K vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Yesterday Cleveland’s José Ramírez became only the 24th member of the 250/250 club (250 HR and SB). The 300/300 club was started by Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Andre Dawson, and Barry Bonds. The four most recent members have been Álex Rodríguez, Carlos Beltrán, Reggie Sanders, and Steve Finley.

Good Reads

New Feature! Here I will provide one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• Execs dish on biggest surprises, disappointments so far, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 5/2/2025

• Your favorite team in 1st entering May? Here's what that means, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 5/1/2025

• 7 burning questions as May gets underway, by Will Leitch at MLB, 4/30/2025

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