The Baseball Buffet for 5/26/2025

Issue #286

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 60th day of the season had a full slate (15) of Sunday games:

• MIL 6, PIT 5 - Logan Henderson pitched well (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), with the only run he gave up being a HR by Oneil Cruz—a 122.9 MPH blast that set a new statcast-era record. The Pirates later built up 5-3 lead, but then in the top of the 8th the Brewers scored three runs off Pirates reliever Ryan Borucki.

• CLE 0, DET 5 - Tarik Skubal was masterful, pitching a complete game (first CG of his career), two-hit shutout (9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 K). The Tigers scored all of their runs in the fourth inning, including a 2-run HR by Zach McKinstry.

• BAL 5, BOS 1 - The Red Sox out hit the Orioles 10-7, but all of their hits were from just four guys, including Jarren Duran who was 4-5 on the day. Dean Kremer pitched well over five shutout innings (5.1 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), and Dylan Carlson and Ryan O’Hearn each had solo HR for Baltimore.

• SFG 3, WAS 2 - Giants catcher Sam Huff hit his second HR of the year, Robbie Ray pitched well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), and Ryan Walker overcame two hits and a run to notch his 10th save.

• CHC 11, CIN 8 - As can happen in Cincinnati, lots of offense in this one with 24 hits and 19 runs. The Reds did all of their run scoring against Chicago starter Ben Brown (4.1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), but then five Cubs relievers pitched shut out ball the rest of the game. The Cubs spread their scoring across five different innings, and had two solo HR from catcher Reese McGuire, and a 3-run HR from Seiya Suzuki, his 14th on the year.

• TOR 0, TBR 13 - The Rays got to Chris Bassitt in both the first and fifth innings (4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), and continued to hit and score runs off the Toronto bullpen too. They tallied 15 hits in all, with every starter getting at least one. Junior Caminero was 2-5 with two doubles, and both Brandon Lowe and Curtis Mead hit homers. Meanwhile Ryan Pepiot was excellent (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and two Rays relievers combined on the four-hit shutout.

• SEA 3, HOU 5 - There were 24 hits in this one, but both teams stranded lots of runners on base. With the game tied 3-3, Christian Walker hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the ninth, his 6th long ball of the season.

• KCR 2, MIN 1 - The Twins scored a run in the first inning, but then Kris Bubic settled in and pitched really well (7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), lowering his ERA on the year to 1.45. Bailey Ober also pitched well (6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and the game was tied 1-1 after nine. With two outs but the ghost running Manfred Man (Nick Loftin) still at second, Maikel Garcia singled to left to drive in what would be the winning run.

• TEX 5, CHW 4 - Davis Martin pitched pretty well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), and both Miguel Vargas and Austin Slater hit solo homers for the White Sox. But the Rangers scored three in the top of the ninth to take the lead, powered by doubles from Jake Burger and Adolis Garcia.

• AZ 3, STL 4 - The D-Backs outhit the Cardinals 10-8, but they left 9 runners on base. Masyn Winn had his 6th HR in the third inning, and the decisive St. Louis run came in the 7th when Victor Scott II hit a single to drive in Jordan Walker.

• PHI 4, ATH 5 - Trea Turner was 2-3 with a HR and 3 RBI, and Jesús Luzardo struck out 10 in 7 innings (7 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K). Both Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker went 3-4, with Wilson connecting for his 6th HR on the year. The Athletics were down 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th, when Lawrence Buter tripled to drive in Logan Davidson from first. Then catcher Willie MacIver, in his MLB debut, singled to drive in Butler for what would be the decisive run—snapping the A’s 11-game losing streak.

• MIA 3, LAA 0 - Miami scored a run in each of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, and that is all it would take as Edward Cabrera was outstanding (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K) and three Marlins relievers combined for the 3-hit shutout.

• SDP 5, ATL 3 - Spencer Schwellenbach struck out 11 in 7 innings, but also allowed two HR to Gavin Sheets and Jake Cronenworth. Manny Machado connected for his 5th HR late in the game, Dylan Cease struck out 8 in 5 innings, and Robert Suarez collected his 17th save of the year.

• NYY 5, COL 4 - Will Warren did well (4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) in a short start as there was a lengthy rain delay in this one. Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge each had two hits, and catcher J.C. Escarra was 3-4 with two RBI.

• LAD 1, NYM 3 - Both Shohei Ohtani and Pete Alonso hit homers in the first inning, and for Ohtani it was his 18th which ties him with Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead. Kodai Senga pitched well enough for the win (5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K) and Reed Garrett struck out two in the ninth to get his first save on the year, lowering his ERA further to 0.82 in 23 appearances.

Today’s Trivia Question

Bobby Witt Jr. is currently leading the AL (and all of MLB) with 20 doubles. If ends up leading the AL in doubles, he will be the seventh different Royals player to do so. How many of the other six can you name?

Trivia answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

MLB Debut Yesterday

New section! Here I’ll try to keep up with players who just made their MLB debut the day before!

• CLE RP Nic Enright (28 years old) - With the Tigers down 5-0, Enright pitched the last two innings (2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). Long road to the majors, as he was drafted in the 20th round by the Guardians in 2019, and has had to overcome a cancer diagnosis over two years ago.

• ATH C Willie MacIver (28 years old) - As noted above, he drove in what would be the winning run late in the game… and as the catcher also threw out Johan Rojas for the final out of the game. Literally winning the game for your team on both sides is not a bad way to start your MLB career! Drafted in the 9th round out of college by the Rockies in 2018, MacIver had modest hitting numbers in the minors… until this year when he was hitting .389 in 35 games at AAA Las Vegas.

• TEX OF Alejandro Osuna (22 years old) - Went 0-3 with a walk and was caught stealing in his debut batting sixth and playing LF. The Rangers offense has certainly struggled so far this year, so perhaps some young blood can help get things going?

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

• CIN 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand

• KCR SP/RP Kyle Wright

• TOR RP Ryan Burr

🤕 Placed on the IL

• TEX 1B/OF Joc Pederson - 10-day IL (right hand fracture) - likely out six weeks or more

• SDP SP Michael King - 15-day IL (right shoulder inflammation)

• TOR C Tyler Heineman - 7-day IL (concussion)

⬆️ Notable Prospect Call-Up

• BOS SS Marcelo Mayer - the 22-year old was hitting with 9 HR and 43 RBI in 43 games at AAA

League Leaders

As noted above, Seiya Suzuki had a 3-run HR yesterday, and that puts him atop of the MLB leaderboard for RBI:

• 49 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 48 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 48 - BOS Rafael Devers

• 47 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 43 - SFG Wilmer Flores

• 41 - LAD Teoscar Hernandez

• 40 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 40 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 40 - AZ Eugenio Suarez

• 40 - DET Spencer Torkelson

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 26…

• 1959: Harvey Haddix tosses 12 perfect innings, then loses. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches one of the most remarkable games in major league history. Haddix tosses 12 perfect innings, retiring the first 36 Milwaukee Braves batters he faces, before losing the perfect game in the 13th inning when Felix Mantilla reaches first base on an error. After a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to Hank Aaron, Haddix surrenders an apparent three-run home run to Joe Adcock. Aaron leaves the field, and Adcock passes him on the basepaths. Adcock's blast is called a double as Mantilla scores the winning run. Lew Burdette of the Braves goes all the way for a 12-hit, 1-0 shutout.”

• 1997: Two inside-the-park HR in the same inning. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa and Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Tony Womack hit inside-the-park home runs in the 6th inning of the Cubs' 2-1 win. It's the first time two inside-the-park homers have been hit in the same inning in 20 years.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Darrell Evans (1947) had a 21-year major league career from 1969-1989, mostly playing 3B and 1B, and spread between the Braves, Giants, and Tigers. He was a power hitter, with 10 seasons of 20+ HR and highs of 41 in 1973 and then in 1985 he led the AL with 40 HR in his age-38 season. Evans was an all-star twice, and received down-ballot MVP consideration in four seasons. He had a good eye and so walked a lot, including leading the NL with 124 BB in 1973 and 126 BB in 1974. His career batting average was only .248, but his OBP was a more robust .361, so his OPS+ was a solid 119.

• Ben Zobrist (1981) had a 14-year major league career, mostly spent with the Rays and Cubs. He was very versatile, playing most of his games at 2B, but also playing 200+ games each at SS, RF, and LF. A three-time All-Star, Zobrist provide a nice combination of power and speed, with three seasons of 20+ HR, and three seasons of 15+ SB. In 2016 he was an All-Star with the Cubs, and though he didn’t hit well in the NLDS or NLCS, he took home the World Series MVP award after going 10-28 with a .357 average with two doubles and a triple. Overall for his career he posted a .266/.357/.426 slash line with a 113 OPS+.

• Paul Sewald (1990) is a reliever, currently with the Cleveland Guardians, and in his 9th year in the majors. His two best seasons so far have been with the Mariners in 2022 when he posted 20 saves with a 2.67 ERA, and then the following year split between the Mariners and Diamondbacks when he had 34 saves and a 3.12 ERA.

• Rob Murphy (1960) had an 11-year career as a reliever, spending his first four seasons with the Reds but then playing for eight teams overall. He was a lefty who would sometimes finish games (30 career saves) but was often used as a setup man or when a lefty matchup was needed. His best numbers arguably came in 1989 when he had 9 saves and a 2.74 ERA over 105 innings.

In addition to Paul Sewald, other currently active major leaguers born on May 26 include TEX Sam Haggerty and PIT Endy Rodríguez.

Today’s Matchups

A partial slate of Monday games (12), as a few teams are travelling or otherwise have the day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• TOR vs. TEX features Kevin Gausman (4.03 ERA, 55 K in 58 IP) who has been inconsistent this year but was great in his last start against the Padres, taking on Jacob deGrom (2.33 ERA, 62 K in 58 IP).

• LAD vs. CLE is game one of an interesting inter-league series between the NL West leading Dodgers, and the Guardians who are fighting it out with three other teams in AL Central. The starting pitchers are Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1.86 ERA, 68 K In 58 IP) and Gavin Williams (3.94 ERA, 57 K in 48 IP).

Two others of note who are taking the mound today are BOS Garrett Crochet and NYM Clay Holmes.

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:

• AZ Ketel Marte, 4-10 with 2 doubles and a HR vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• NYM Brandon Nimmo, small sample but is 4-7 with a HR and a double vs. CHW Adrian Houser

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:

• AZ Josh Naylor, small sample but is 4-8 with 2 doubles vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• AZ Lourdes Gurriel Jr., small sample but is 4-8 vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• LAA Taylor Ward, small sample but is 4-8 with a double vs. NYY Ryan Yarbrough (if he is pitching, TBD as of this writing)

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:

• 18 - CLE Jose Ramirez

• 12 - CHW Chase Meidroth

• 12 - ATH Miguel Andujar

• 11 - ATL Ozzie Albies

• 10 - KCR Maikel Garcia

• 10 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 9 - DET KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 8 - DET Dillon Dingler

• 8 - MIA Connor Norby

• 8 - AZ Ketel Marte

• 8 - WAS Amed Rosario

• 8 - ATH Lawrence Butler

• 8 - PIT Isiah Kiner-Falefa

• 8 - BOS Abraham Toro

• 8 - BAL Ramon Urias

• 8 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 7 - BOS Carlos Narváez

• 7 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 7 - MIN Ryan Jeffers

• 7 - TEX Josh Jung

• 7 - TBR Curtis Mead

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:

• TEX Josh Smith, 0-10 with 2 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• AZ Eugenio Suárez, 0-9 with 6 K vs. PIT Andrew Heaney

• LAA Luis Rengifo, 1-10 with 1 K vs. NYY Ryan Yarbrough (if he is pitching, TBD as of this writing)

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Bobby Witt Jr. is currently leading the AL (and all of MLB) with 20 doubles. The other Royals players who have led the AL in doubles are:

• Whit Merrifield (42 in 2021, tied with J.D. Martinez and Jeimer Candelario)

• Alex Gordon (51 in 2012)

• George Brett (45 in 1990, tied with Jody Reed; and with 45 in 1978)

• Hal McRae (46 in 1982, tied with Robin Yount; and with 54 in 1977)

• Amos Otis (40 in 1976; and with 36 in 1970, tied with Tony Oliva and Cesar Tovar)

• Lou Piniella (33 in 1972)

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 longtime stars who might be having their best season yet, by Jeffrey Lutz at MLB, 5/25/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards of the Mandela All-Stars, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 5/25/2025

• Crushed! 10 seasons in, here are Statcast's hardest-hit balls, by Theo DeRosa at MLB, 5/25/2025

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

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