Issue #650
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 schedule included a nearly-full slate of Monday games (13). Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
HOU 9, TEX 0 - Three Astros pitchers combined for a no-hitter, beginning with HOU SP Tatsuya Imai (6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Then Steven Okert threw one inning, and Alimber Santa pitched the last two--making his MLB debut, no less. Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez hit his 14th HR of the year in the fourth inning off TEX SP Kumar Rocker (5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and Christian Walker hit a 3-run HR, his 15th HR, later in the seventh inning. For Walker it was his fourth HR in the past three games.
WSH 10, CLE 2 - The Nationals jumped on CLE SP Tanner Bibee right away (3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), with 5 HRs in the first three innings from James Wood, Curtis Mead, Jacob Young, Luis García Jr., and CJ Abrams. Mead hit a second HR later in the fifth inning off Matt Festa, and Washington had 15 hits overall on the day. Meanwhile, PJ Poulin pitched two innings as an opener, giving up a solo HR to Rhys Hoskins in the second inning. Then Zack Littell came in and did well for the remaining seven innings (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K).
TBR 7, BAL 9 (13) - This game started out calmly enough, with both starting pitchers doing well: TBR SP Shane McClanahan (5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and BAL SP Kyle Bradish (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). The one run allowed by Bradish was a HR by Jonathan Aranda in the sixth, and then two squads exchanged runs such that it ended up 2-2 through nine innings. Neither team scored in the 10th, then both teams scored two in the 11th, with the two by the Rays coming from a 2-run HR by Victor Mesa Jr. Both teams scored one in the 12th, making the score 5-5. The Rays went up 7-5 in the top of the 13th, and then brought Jesse Scholtens, who had pitched the 12th for them, back out for the bottom of the 13th. A double by Leody Taveras drove in the automatic runner, then a single and a sacrifice fly drove in Taveras. With one out, Colton Cowser then hit a walk-off 2-run HR, his second walk-off HR in as many days.
CHC 1, PIT 2
MIN 1, CWS 3
STL 1, MIL 5
NYY 4, KCR 3
CIN 7, NYM 2
ARI 6, SFG 2
PHI 3, SDP 0
MIA 8, TOR 2
COL 3, LAD 5
SEA 9, ATH 2
Chris Taylor retires
As described in an article by Rhett Bollinger at MLB, veteran utility player Chris Taylor has retired. Taylor was a fifth-round draft pick by the Mariners in 2012, but after a few partial seasons as a SS with Seattle, he was traded in 2016 to the Dodgers. In 2017 he hit .288 with 21 HR, 17 SB, and 85 runs, while playing a mix of LF, CF, 2B, SS, and 3B. That postseason he was NLCS MVP after going 6-19 with 2 HR, a triple, and a double in helping the Dodgers get past the Cubs.
Taylor continued to provide position versatility for the Dodgers for many more years, and had 20 HR with 13 SB and 92 runs in 2021, his one All-Star campaign. His offensive production dropped off in the years since then, and after a brief stint with the Angels last year and playing at their AAA affiliate this year, Taylor has called it a career at age 35. He retires with 110 HR, 91 SB, a .248/.327/.419 slash line, and a 102 OPS+. He played 200+ games at CF, LF, and SS, plus 182 games at 2B and 94 games at 3B.
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Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is Darrell Evans. In 1973 he was one of three players with the Atlanta Braves who hit 40+ HR. Who were the other two players, and which of the three had the most HRs that year?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Darrell Evans, Ben Zobrist
Currently active players who were born on May 26 include ARI Paul Sewald, TEX Sam Haggerty, PHI Garrett Stubbs, CLE Petey Halpin, and NYY Jonathan Ornelas.
Today’s Matchups
Today we have a typical full slate of Tuesday games (15). Here are two of the more interesting matchups (and here is the full schedule):
ATL Spencer Strider vs. BOS Ranger Suarez - two quality starting pitchers facing off in this one
STL Michael McGreevy vs. MIL Kyle Harrison - McGreevy allowed 10 hits in his last outing, but still owns a 2.40 ERA on the year, while Harrison is doing even better with a 1.77 ERA so far
Some other starters who are toeing the rubber include MIA Sandy Alcantara, CIN Chase Burns, MIN Joe Ryan, NYY Cam Schlittler, and ARI Eduardo Rodriguez.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Darrell Evans, so here are a few quotes from him:
"Most players who don't make it said they couldn't hit the curveball. No, it's because you couldn't hit the fastball... I looked for the fastball in my hitting zone."
"No better feeling in the whole world. It is what you live for. Sometimes it is what you die for. You put one up there and it makes you feel young again."
"In a crucial situation you have to be able to say, 'I hope the ball comes to me.'"
⚾ 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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