The Baseball Buffet for 5/28/2025

Issue #288

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 62nd day of the season had a full slate (15) of Tuesday games:

• LAD 9, CLE 5 - Daniel Schneemann hit a 3-run HR in the fourth inning, but otherwise Dustin May pitched well including striking out nine in five innings. The Dodgers banged out 13 hits, including homers from Shohei Ohtani (his MLB-leading 20th HR of the year), Michael Conforto, and Max Muncy.

• SFG 1, DET 3 - A little déjà vu here, as this is the same score as yesterday’s game between these two teams. Logan Webb struck out ten in six innings, but let up three runs and that was all it took to get the loss as Jack Flaherty was excellent (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). Riley Greene went 3-4 with two doubles, and CF Wenceel Pérez had a HR in his first MLB game of 2025 after working his way back from injury.

• STL 7, BAL 4 - Ryan Mountcastle went 3-4 with two doubles, and Ryan O’Hearn hit a 3-run HR, but the Orioles offense otherwise struggled by going 1-14 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men on base. Meanwhile the Cardinals had 14 hits including HR by Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Arenado, and went 5-12 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Helsley struck out two in ninth to secure his 11th save.

• ATL 0, PHI 2 - This one had the setup as a possible pitchers duel, and it largely was as each team only managed five hits. Spencer Strider had a short outing and was a little wild (4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K), but overall was far stronger than in his first game back from injury against the Nats. Ranger Suárez was excellent (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K), and three Philadelphia relieves combined on the shutout, with Jordan Romano pitching the ninth for his 7th save.

• MIN 4, TBR 2 - Kody Clemens hit his fifth HR of the season, but Taj Bradley otherwise pitched well (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Joe Ryan did even better (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and three Twins relievers contained the Rays the rest of the way with Jhoan Duran notching his 9th save.

• CHW 4, NYM 6 - Miguel Vargas went 2-5 with a HR and a double and drove in all three White Sox runs. But the Mets got to Jonathan Cannon early (5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), including HR by both Pete Alonso and Jared Young in the first inning. Tylor Megill pitched well enough for the win (5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K), and Reed Garrett pitched the final 1.2 innings to get his second save of the year.

• CIN 7, KCR 2 - Brady Singer pitched well against his former team (7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and the Reds had three HR, including two by Elly De La Cruz, and one by Tyler Stephenson.

• PIT 9, AZ 6 - Corbin Carroll hit his 16th HR of the season, and Corbin Burnes pitched well (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), giving the D-Backs a 6-2 lead after seven innings. But the Pirates erupted for seven runs in the 8th innings, and then Dennis Santana and David Bednar pitched scoreless 8th and 9th innings, with Bednar securing his 6th save. Bryan Reynolds was 4-4 with a HR and a double, and Henry Davis was 2-3 with a HR and a double after entering the game when starting catcher Joey Bart disturbingly had to leave with nausea (unclear cause).

• BOS 1, MIL 5 - Aaron Civale pitched well (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) but so did a combination of several Boston pitchers, with the Brewers finally scoring a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game 1-1. Boston couldn’t score in the top of the 10th, and Liam Hendricks struggled in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases and then surrendering a walk-off grand slam to Christian Yelich. Readers of The Baseball Buffet might have seen a link at the end of yesterday’s edition to the article “9 players who need to step up to boost disappointing clubs” by Jared Greenspan at MLB. Yelich was one of the nine players discussed!

• COL 3, CHC 4 - Both starting pitchers did well: Germán Márquez (6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and Cade Horton (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). The game remained tied at two after nine and also ten innings. In the top of the 11th the Rockies scored one, but then in the bottom of the frame Michael Busch tied the game at three with a single that drove in Pete Crow-Armstrong who was on base as the ghost-running Manfred Man. Later with runners on first and second, Matt Shaw singled to drive in the winning run.

• TOR 0, TEX 2 - Nathan Eovaldi left after only two innings as a precaution after suffering from triceps tightness. But five Rangers relievers picked up the slack and combined for a shutout, with Robert Garcia notching his third save on the year. For Toronto, Bowden Francis was excellent (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but the Jays were 0-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 total runners on base.

• ATH 1, HOU 11 - Lawrence Butler hit his 8th HR of the year, but Hunter Brown otherwise pitched very well (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). The Astros pounded J.P. Sears (3.1 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), with Jeremy Peña hitting a HR, and Jose Altuve going 4-4 with two HR on the day. Christian Walker add a 2-run HR, his seventh of the year.

• NYY 3, LAA 2 - Ben Rice hit his 11th HR, but Tyler Anderson otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Carlos Rodón was excellent (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K), but the Angels threatened (but ultimately came up short) in the bottom of the ninth as Devin Williams again struggled, giving up two runs off three hits, including a HR to veteran Yoán Moncada.

• WAS 1, SEA 9 - Other than letting up a HR to James Wood in the fourth inning, Mariners rookie Logan Evans was strong over eight innings (8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Seattle’s offense got going early with HR in the first inning by Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh, who would later hit a second homer giving him 19 on the season.

• MIA 6, SDP 8 - The Marlins jumped on Stephen Kolek early, scoring all six of their runs in the first inning. To his credit, Kolek settled in after that and continued into the sixth inning without allowing any more damage. Meanwhile the Padres scored in each of the first five innings, building up a 7-6 lead. Luis Arraez and Xander Bogaerts each had three hits, and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill each had a HR in this one.

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted, Christian Yelich has largely struggled this year but yesterday hit a walk-off Grand Slam, the first walk-off HR of his career. Yelich is no stranger to great performances however, as he has hit for the cycle three times in his career. Can you name any of the other four players in the modern era (since 1901) who have hit for the cycle three times?

Trivia answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

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

• MIL SP Jose Quintana

• MIA CF Dane Myers

🤕 Placed on the IL

• ATH 1B Nick Kurtz - 10-day IL (strained left hip flexor)

• DET CF Matt Vierling - 10-day IL (right shoulder inflammation)

📝 Signed as Free Agent

• TEX SS Alan Trejo

• TEX OF Billy McKinney

• AZ 3B Nicky Lopez

League Leaders

It has been two weeks since I checked the OPS leaderboard, and at this point there are only three players over 1.000 (though Aaron Judge is far above that mark):

• 1.234 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 1.053 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 1.046 - LAD Freddie Freeman

• .986 - BAL Ryan O’Hearn

• .975 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• .967 - LAD Will Smith

• .963 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• .938 - BOS Alex Bregman

• .932 - NYM Pete Alonso

• .931 - BOS Rafael Devers

• .927 - WAS James Wood

• .923 - CHC Kyle Tucker

Interesting to see Ryan O’Hearn coming in fourth at this point—he has been hitting great lately, raising his average to .340 with a .428 OBP and 9 HR on the year. And congrats to Rafael Devers for overcoming such a horrible start to 2025.

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 28…

• 1951: Willie Mays has his first National League hit. After going 0-for-12, Willie Mays connects for his first hit in the National League, a home run off Braves pitcher Warren Spahn.

• 1956: Dale Long hits a HR in his 8th consecutive game. Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Dale Long sets a major league recording by hitting a HR in his eighth consecutive game. Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey, Jr. will later tie this record.

• 1957: Sad day for New York-based baseball fans. As described at baseball-reference.com, “With a unanimous vote, National League owners grant permission to both the Dodgers and Giants to relocate their clubs to the West Coast if they so desire.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Craig Kimbrel (1988) is one of the greatest relief pitchers of all time, given his career totals of 440 saves, a 2.59 ERA, and 158 ERA+. With his signature starting stance on the mound, Kimbrel has had eight seasons of 30+ saves, and another four with 20+. Kimbrel first showed what was to come in 2010 when he came up with the Braves and posted a 0.44 ERA with 40 K in 20.2 IP, and then pitched well in four appearances in the NLDS. He took home NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2011, leading the league with 46 saves to go with a 2.10 ERA and 127 K in 77 IP. His next three seasons were some of the most dominant ever by a reliever, as he combined for 139 saves, a 1.27 ERA, and 309 K in 191.1 IP. A nine-time All-Star, after playing for eight different clubs Kimbrel has returned to the Braves organization where his career began is trying to make his way back to the majors at the age of 37.

• Kirk Gibson (1957) was an outstanding all-around player who played hard but also suffered from frequent injuries. One of the best (and certainly most talented players) to never play in an All-Star Game, he was drafted in the first round (12th overall) by the Tigers in 1978. With perhaps unfairly high expectations, Gibson was already in the majors by the next year, but didn’t play over 100 games for the Tigers until 1983. Gibson was a key part of Detroit’s World Series Championship team in 1984 when he hit 27 HR with 91 RBI and a .282 average, and performed well in the post-season too, including taking home ALCS MVP honors. Over his career he hit 20+ HR six times, and also stole 25+ bases six times. While he played the majority of his career with the Tigers, he is perhaps best known for his epic 1988 World Series HR with the Dodgers—which he hit while suffering with a leg injury, off the A’s elite closer Dennis Eckersley. Over his career Gibson had 255 HR, 284 SB, a .268/.352/.463 slash line, and a 123 OPS+.

• Bill Doran (1958), like Gibson, was never an All-Star, but he nonetheless had a solid 12-year major league career, including getting down-ballot MVP consideration in three seasons. Doran was a 2B who played most of his career with the Astros, and a little time at the end with the Reds and Brewers. He had modest power, with highs of 14 HR in 1985 and 16 in 1987. But he had 20+ SB in six seasons, including a high of 42 in 1986. Overall Doran had 209 SB, a .266/.354/.373 slash line, and a 106 OPS+.

• Jhonny Peralta (1982) was a three-time All-Star who played a mix of SS and 3B with the Indians for the first half of his career, and then the Tigers and Cardinals in the second half. He hit 20+ HR five times, with 202 career HR, a .267/.329/.423 slash line, and 102 OPS+.

• Duane Ward (1964) was a reliever for the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1980s and early 1990s, at first playing the role of dominant setup man for Tom Henke, and later becoming the team’s closer. He posted a 1.95 ERA in 101.1 IP in 1992 and then led the AL with 45 saves to go with a 2.13 ERA the following year. He also played an important role in the team’s post-season success in 1993, as he saved two games in the ALCS, and then saved two more in the World Series. Unfortunately, injuries struck after that year and he struggled pitching mostly in the minors from 1994-1996, before retiring with 121 saves, a 3.28 ERA, and a 124 ERA+.

• Jim Thorpe (1887) had a modest 6-year major league baseball career that spanned from 1913-1919. He had 7 HR and 29 SB in 289 career games, with a .252/.286/.362 slash line and a nearly league average 99 OPS+. While his major-league baseball career was perhaps nothing special, Thorpe was of course a very talented overall athlete who won two Olympic gold medals (classic pentathlon and the decathlon) and played professional football and basketball in addition to baseball.

Today’s Matchups

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

• PIT vs. AZ features Paul Skenes (2.36 ERA, 70 K in 68.2 IP) against Zac Gallen who has struggled more than expected this year (5.25 ERA, 63 K in 61.2 IP).

• MIN vs. TBR has two pitchers who are doing well in Pablo López (2.31 ERA, 54 K in 50.2 IP, 0.97 WHIP) and Drew Rasmussen (2.60 ERA, 43 K in 52 IP, 1.00 WHIP).

• CHW vs. NYM also has two pitchers off to good starts in 2025: Shane Smith (2.36 ERA, 49 K in 53.1 IP) vs. Griffin Canning (2.83 ERA, 47 K in 50 IP)

• CIN vs. KCR has two 25-year olds, with an established ace in Hunter Greene (2.54 ERA, 63 K in 49.2 IP) facing Noah Cameron who has been solid in his first three MLB starts (0.93 ERA, 14 K in 19.1 IP)

Also on the bump today are LAD Clayton Kershaw, DET Jackson Jobe, MIL Freddy Peralta, PHI Zack Wheeler, TEX Tyler Mahle, and SEA George Kirby.

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:

• ATL Ronald Acuña Jr., only 13-51 (.255) but with 4 HR and 4 doubles vs. PHI Zack Wheeler

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, 3-13 with 2 HR and a triple vs. CLE Kolby Allard

• HOU Yainer Diaz, small sample but is 3-7 with 2 HR vs. ATH Luis Severino

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 Manny Machado, small sample but is 6-9 (all singles) vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

• SDP Xander Bogaerts, small sample but is 4-9 with a HR vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

• COL Kyle Farmer, small sample but is 4-7 vs. CHC Matthew Boyd

• SEA Julio Rodríguez, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR vs. WAS Trevor Williams

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:

• 20 - CLE Jose Ramirez

• 13 - ATH Miguel Andujar

• 12 - ATL Ozzie Albies

• 12 - KCR Maikel Garcia

• 10 - BAL Ramon Urias

• 10 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 9 - AZ Ketel Marte

• 9 - ATH Lawrence Butler

• 8 - WAS Amed Rosario

• 8 - TBR Curtis Mead

• 8 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 8 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 8 - MIN Kody Clemens

• 7 - BAL Ryan O’Hearn

• 7 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 7 - CLE Carlos Santana

• 7 - NYY Paul Goldschmidt

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:

• CLE Austin Hedges, 1-20 with 7 K vs. LAD Clayton Kershaw

• CHW Luis Robert Jr., small sample but is 0-6 with 5 K vs. NYM Griffin Canning

• SDP Jake Cronenworth, 1-13 with 3 K vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

There have been five players in the modern era (since 1901) who have hit for three cycles in their careers:

• Christian Yelich

• Trea Turner

• Adrián Beltré

• Babe Herman

• Bob Meusel

Cincinnati Red Stockings 1B John Reilly also had three cycles, but those all came by 1890.

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.

• These April surprises have held up in May, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 5/28/2025

• May's hottest pitching prospects -- one for each organization, by Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra at MLB, 5/27/2025

• Tarik Skubal and the New Math, by Joe Posnanski at JoeBlogs, 5/25/2025

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

Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newslette/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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