Issue #627
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!
⚾ Welcome! ⚾
Yesterday’s action featured a full slate of games (15). Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
ARI 5, CHC 6 - The Cubs scored three right away in the first inning, and then another three in the fourth against ARI SP Zac Gallen (3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). Meanwhile, CHC SP Colin Rea scattered eight hits (5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) before giving way in the sixth inning to Ryan Rolison, who allowed three more hits including a 3-run HR by Geraldo Perdomo. Phil Maton and Jacob Webb didn't allow any further D-Backs scoring, with Webb earning his first save of the year. Of note, hot-hitting Ildemaro Vargas went 4-4 with four singles and a walk, raising his MLB-leading batting average to .404.
CWS 8, SDP 2 - The White Sox roughed up SDP SP Germán Márquez (5 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 2 K), with Munetaka Murakami hitting his MLB-leading 13th HR, and Colson Montgomery connecting for his 9th of the year. Chicago's rookie SP Noah Schultz pitched six shutout innings (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), while Fernando Tatis Jr. went with a walk and a triple in the losing effort.
MIL 6, WSH 1 - MIL SP Jacob Misiorowski had a no-hitter going into the sixth, but he had reached 85 pitches when a hamstring cramp forced him out of the game (5.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). The Brewers collected 12 hits, with William Contreras leading the way by going 4-5 with 3 RBI. Tyler Black was 2-3 with 2 doubles, and David Hamilton was 2-4 with a walk.
TEX 5, DET 4
BAL 2, NYY 7
HOU 1, BOS 3
SFG 0, TBR 3
CIN 1, PIT 9
PHI 6, MIA 5
TOR 7, MIN 3
LAD 2, STL 7
ATL 8, COL 6
NYM 4, LAA 3
CLE 8, ATH 5
KCR 7, SEA 6
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys is Hall of Famer Eddie Collins. His 741 stolen bases ranks sixth all-time for players in the modern era (1901 to present). How many of the five players ahead of him can you name? Bonus points if you can name them in order.
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Row 1: Eddie Collins, Edgar Wesley, Clay Carroll
Row 2: Neftalí Feliz, Larry Cheney, Jonathan Villar
Currently active players who were born on May 2 include NYM Luis Torrens, Penn Murfee (free agent), Ian Anderson (free agent), and Erasmo Ramírez (free agent).
See what you are missing!
What you are reading are just some highlights from the full Baseball Buffet newsletter. Paid All Star subscribers receive all of the following, every day:
Game summaries for every game
Current MLB standings
Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.
Rotating statistical leader lists
Current hitting streaks of seven or more games
On this day in baseball history…
Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys
Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?
Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers
… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!
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Today’s Matchups
Today we have another full slate of games (15), with the following being some particularly interesting matchups (see also full list):
MIL Kyle Harrison vs. WSH Foster Griffin - both pitchers did very well in their last starts
LAD Roki Sasaki vs. STL Michael McGreevy - few would have predicted that the Cardinals (19-13) would have almost as good of a record as the Dodgers (20-12) this late into the season
KCR Seth Lugo vs. SEA Emerson Hancock - both pitchers are doing well so far this year
Other starting pitchers of note include TOR Dylan Cease, CHC Shota Imanaga, BOS Connelly Early, PHI Andrew Painter, SFG Landen Roupp, ATL Chris Sale, SDP Michael King, NYM Nolan McLean.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, so here are two quotes about him:
"(Eddie) Collins sustained a remarkable level of performance for a remarkably long time. He was past thirty when the lively ball era began, yet he adapted to it and continued to be one of the best players in baseball every year...his was the most valuable career that any second baseman ever had." - Historian / Author Bill James
"Eddie Collins was one of the most accomplished all-around ballplayers ever to play the game. They called Collins "Cocky," not because he was arrogant, but because he was filled with confidence based on sheer ability." - Author Jack Kavanaugh
⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.
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