The Baseball Buffet for 5/21/2025

Issue #281

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 55th day of the season had a full slate (15) of Tuesday games:

• CHC 14, MIA 1 - Ryan Weathers pitched well (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), but then the Marlins hopes were dashed when Calvin Faucher came in and gave up 5 hits and 6 runs without recording any outs, followed by Lake Bachar finishing the 6th inning but also allowing 2 runs. (An additional five Cubs runs came in the ninth, but those were off 2B Javier Sanoja who took a turn on the mound.) While the Cubs were padding their stats with 21 hits, including HR by Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki, Jameson Taillon pitched well (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) and Chris Flexen pitched two innings of shutout relief.

• NYM 0, BOS 2 - Clay Holmes pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) except he gave up solo homers to Carlos Narvaez and Rafael Devers and that was all it took as eight Boston pitchers combined on a 4-hit shutout. Walker Buehler had 4 K in a short 2.1 IP start (he was ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes), and Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 8th save.

• ATL 3, WSH 5 - Both teams scored early, including Matt Olson hitting his 10th HR and Dylan Crews hitting his 7th. Spencer Strider’s second start of the year, and first since coming off the IL again, didn’t demonstrate his previous dominance (4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), so we’ll have to watch how he does next time out. Four Nationals relievers combined for almost four innings of shut out work, including Kyle Finnegan pitching the ninth for his 15th save of the year.

• HOU 2, TBR 3 - Isaac Paredes had a HR early in the game, and 28-year old Brandon Walter pitched well in his 2025 debut (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) after dominating in AAA this year. But the Rays came back with a 2-RBI single by Jonathan Aranda in the 8th, and then with runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Walls hit a walk-off sacrifice fly for the win.

• TEX 2, NYY 5 - Will Warren was outstanding (5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K), and after Ian Hamilton struggled in the ninth, Luke Weaver came in for the final out and his 6th save. Ben Rice hit his 10th HR and Aaron Judge hit his 16th to power the Yankees’ offense.

• SDP 0, TOR 3 - Dylan Cease pitched well (7 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but two of the three hits he allowed were HR by Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santender which produced all three Blue Jays runs. Meanwhile Chris Bassitt was solid (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and three Toronto relievers combined for the five-hit shutout, including Jeff Hoffman who secured his 10th save.

• DET 5, STL 4 - Nolan Arenado hit a 2-run HR, but Tarik Skubal otherwise pitched pretty well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). Kerry Carpenter hit his 10th HR of the year, Riley Greene was 3-4 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI, and Tommy Kahnle notched his 6th save.

• BAL 2, MIL 5 - Logan Henderson pitched well (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and the Brewers had three HR by Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, and Rhys Hoskins. Brewers reliever Abner Uribe, who has been excellent this year (1.19 ERA, 32 K in 22.2 IP in 24 appearances), struck out three in the ninth for his first save of the year.

• CIN 0, PIT 1 - Nick Martinez pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) but the one run he allowed was all it took as Bailey Falter was excellent (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and Dennis Santana and David Bednar combined with him for a 5-hit shutout. Oneil Cruz was 0-2 but walked twice and stole two bases to take over the MLB SB lead with 18.

• SEA 0, CHW 1 - This one was a pitching duel of sorts. Adrian Houser had been pitching well at the Ranger’s AAA, but was released on May 15th. He signed a one year deal with the White Sox, and hours later made a nice 2025 MLB debut (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), with four Chicago relievers combining on the four-hit shutout. Seattle used Casey Legumina as a first-inning opener, and then Casey Lawrence was the long-man and did well (5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) but the one run he allowed was all it took. (And yes, both of those pitchers are named Casey and have a last name starting with L.)

• PHI 7, COL 4 - The Phillies logged 17 hits in this one, including ten off Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela (6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). This included three hits each by Bryson Stott, Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh, plus Kyle Schwarber hitting his 17th HR of the year. Meanwhile Jesús Luzardo didn’t have any trouble pitching in Colorado (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K), improving his record to 5-0 and lowering his ERA on the season to 1.95.

• KCR 2, SFG 3 - The Giants scored three runs off Royals starter Michael Lorenzen and that is all they needed as Hayden Birdsong pitched well (5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) and four relievers did well the rest of the way with Ryan Walker securing his ninth save.

• LAA 7, ATH 5 - Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz each had a HR for the Athletics, but the Angels also had two homers, from Logan O’Hoppe and Yoán Moncada. In the ninth Kenley Jansen allowed two hits and a run, but also struck out two and notched his 10th save.

• AZ 3, LAD 4 - Yoshinobu Yamamoto was outstanding (7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), but with a 1-0 lead in the ninth, Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott let up a HR to Gabriel Moreno. Then in the top of the 10th he let up a 2-run HR to Corbin Carroll, his 15th dinger on the year. Shelby Miller, who had been solid so far this season, got into trouble in the bottom of the the 10th. Tommy Edman doubled to drive Kiké Hernández who was the ghost-running Manfred Man. The sound strategy then was to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani to setup force outs and a double-play possibility, but Mookie Betts flew out to center and advanced both runners. Again, intentionally walking Freddie Freeman seemed to make sense, but with the bases loaded Miller hit Will Smith so that tied the game 3-3. With the bases still loaded, Max Muncy lifted a ball to center and Ohtani scored the game-winner on the sacrifice fly.

• CLE vs. MIN - postponed

Bonus: Photos from the Braves-Nationals Game

No trivia question today. My wife and I have been in Washington DC the past several days, each of us speaking at the annual Association for Talent Development (ATD) conference. Last night I stepped away from conference activities and went to the Atlanta/Washington game with a friend, Brandon Vaughan. We sprang for the Terra Club section, which includes a great buffet food spread and of course great seats—we were at field level, only four rows back behind home plate. This was particularly good because Brandon is an amateur (and quite talented) photographer, with a nice camera. Here are four of the many pics he took… enjoy!

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).

➕ Sent on a Rehab Assignment

• SDP SP Matt Waldron

• SDP RP Bryan Hoeing

• MIA SP Eury Perez

• CHW LF Andrew Benintendi

• TBR RP Kevin Kelly

• TBR RF Jake Mangum

• LAA RP Robert Stephenson

• AZ RP Justin Martinez

• DET CF Parker Meadows

🤕 Placed on the IL

• TEX RP Chris Martin - 15-day IL (right shoulder fatigue)

• PIT RP Colin Holderman - 15-day IL (right thumb inflammation)

• CHC RP Porter Hodge - 15-day IL (left oblique strain)

• ATH SP J.T. Ginn - 15-day IL (right quadriceps strain)

League Leaders

As noted above Pittsburgh’s Oneill Cruz stole two bases to recapture the MLB SB lead:

• 18 - PIT Oneil Cruz

• 17 - CHW Luis Robert Jr.

• 16 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 16 - KCR Bobby Witt

• 14 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 13 - TBR Jose Caballero

• 13 - STL Victor Scott II

• 13 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 13 - MIL Brice Turang

• 12 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 12 - CLE Jose Ramirez

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 21…

• 1943: Fastest AL night game ever. The White Sox defeated the Senators, 1-0, in 89 minutes, making the contest the fastest night game in American League history.

• 1996: Larry Walker has 13 total bases to set a Rockies record.. According to baseball-reference.com, “In a 12-10 defeat of the Pirates, Larry Walker sets a Rockies club record with 13 total bases. The right fielder drives in a six runs with a pair of two-run homers, a triple and a double. Colorado tallies 20 hits. The following day, Walker will get a double and consecutive triples to set a new National League record by getting extra-base hits in six straight plate appearances. He will also tie the major league record for most extra-base hits (seven) in two consecutive games.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Earl Averill (1902) is a Hall of Famer who played 13 years in the majors from 1929-1941, mostly as a CF with Cleveland. He had four outstanding seasons prior to the birth of the annual All-Star game, and then was an All-Star each year from 1933-38. He hit 25+ HR four times and had 100+ RBI five times, including a high of 143 RBI in 1931. He scored 100+ runs nine times and received down-ballot MVP consideration in eight seasons. He retired with an impressive .318/.395/.534 slash line and 133 OPS+.

• Josh Hamilton (1981) was the number one draft pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999. He had some success in the minors, but then was derailed for a few years due to injuries sustained in a 2001 car accident and a struggle with drug addiction. But then in 2008 he took the majors by storm with the Rangers by hitting 32 HR with an AL-leading 130 RBI. In 2010 he was AL MVP after hitting 32 HR with 100 RBI, and a league-leading .359 batting average. Two years later, in his fifth consecutive All-Star season, Hamilton slugged 43 HR with 128 RBI. Overall in nine major league seasons he had 200 HR, a .290/.349/.516 slash line, and a 129 OPS+.

• Kent Hrbek (1960) had a 14-year career, entirely with the Minnesota Twins. He hit 20+ HR in 10 seasons, was an All-Star in his first full season, and was the AL MVP runner-up in 1984. He retired with a .282/.367/.481 slash line and a 128 OPS+.

• Matt Wieters (1986) was a catcher from 2009-2020, mostly with the Orioles, but spent his last four seasons with the Nationals and Cardinals. A four-time All-Star, he hit 20+ HR three times, and took home two Gold Glove Awards.

Today’s Matchups

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

• SEA vs. CHW features two young pitchers off to good starts in 2025 with Logan Evans (2.57 ERA, 14 K in 21 IP) vs. Shane Smith (2.05 ERA, 43 K in 48.1 IP)

• NYM vs. BOS has Tylor Megill (3.74 ERA, 56 K in 43.1 IP) facing off against Garrett Crochet (2.00 ERA, 73 K in 63 IP)

Also taking the hill today are HOU Hunter Brown, SFG Logan Webb, ATL AJ Smith Shawver, TEX Jacob deGrom, and AZ Corbin Burnes.

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:

• LAA Yoán Moncada, small sample but is 3-4 with 3 HR vs. ATH JP Sears

• HOU Yainer Diaz, small sample but is 2-7 with 2 HR vs. TBR Taj Bradley

• CIN Austin Hays, 5-12 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• KCR Mark Canha, 5-11 with 2 HR vs. SFG Logan Webb

• SDP Manny Machado, 6-20 with 2 HR vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• SDP Fernando Tatis Jr., 8-17 with 2 HR and a double vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

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:

• SDP Luis Arraez, small sample but is 7-9 with a double and 0 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• PIT Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 5-12 vs. CIN Brady Singer

• KCR Jonathan India, 4-10 with a HR and a double vs. SFG Logan Webb

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, small sample but is 4-8 with a HR vs. AZ Corbin Burnes

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:

• 14 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 10 - STL Ivan Herrera

• 9 - CIN Spencer Steer

• 8 - AZ Geraldo Perdomo

• 8 - MIA Kyle Stowers

• 8 - CHW Chase Meidroth

• 7 - CIN Will Benson

• 7 - BAL Jackson Holliday

• 7 - ATH Miguel Andujar

• 7 - ATL Ozzie Albies

• 7 - SDP Luis Arraez

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:

• ATL Austin Riley, 2-20 with 9 K vs. WAS Trevor Williams

• NYY DJ LeMahieu, 3-19 with 8 K vs. TEX Jacob deGrom

• SDP Martin Maldonado, 0-11 with 5 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• SDP Jake Cronenworth, 1-14 with 3 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• LAD Max Muncy, 1-13 with 3 K vs. AZ Corbin Burnes

• LAD Michael Conforto, 2-14 with 5 K vs. AZ Corbin Burnes

• LAD Will Smith, 1-11 with 4 K vs. AZ Corbin Burnes

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Good Reads

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• 7 players who could win their first MVP this season, by Will Leitch at MLB, 5/21/2025

• These 10 prospects should be called up to the big leagues, by Jim Callis at MLB, 5/20/2025

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

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