The Baseball Buffet for 5/29/2025

Issue #289

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 63rd day of the season had a full slate (15) of Wednesday games:

• PIT 10, AZ 1 - Paul Skenes pitched very well (6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) and for a second day in a row the Pirates offense at a certain point came alive and produced some runs. In particular, Oneil Cruz hit his 12th HR and had 3 RBI, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 3-4 with two doubles and three runs scored.

• LAD 4, CLE 7 - Clayton Kershaw pitched well (5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but the Dodgers bullpen allowed six runs late in the game, including from a 3-run HR by Angel Martinez. Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase came in for the ninth and notched his 11th save on the year.

• SFG 3, DET 4 - Heliot Ramos hit his 10th HR, and the Giants out hit the Tigers 10-7, but they also were only 1-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 baserunners overall. Meanwhile Detroit scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning, with Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy each having two RBI. Tommy Kahnle pitched the last two innings for his 7th save.

• MIN 0, TBR 5 - Pablo López (5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) let up HR to Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero, while Drew Rasmussen pitched great (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and three Tampa relievers combined for the shutout.

• CHW 9, NYM 4 - The Mets only had five hits (including a 3-run HR by Mark Vientos), but they were walked eight times so did have plenty of base runners. Unfortunately they were only 2-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners overall. The White Sox collected 12 hits (and were walked six times too), with Andrew Benintendi going 3-5 with a HR and a triple, Mike Tauchman hitting 2-5 with two doubles, and Lynyn Sosa going 3-5 with a double.

• BOS 5, MIL 6 - Ceddanne Rafaela hit a HR early for Boston, and Jake Bauers did the same for Milwaukee. Wilyer Abreu tied the game 4-4 with a HR in the 7th, and the game remained tied through the end of nine. The Red Sox scored one run in the top of the 10th, but then the Brewers came back with two in the bottom of the frame using a single, a fielder’s choice, a Boston error, and a sacrifice fly.

• ATH 3, HOU 5 - Jacob Wilson was 2-3 with a HR and a double, raising his average on the year to .353. Down 3-2, Houston scored three in the bottom of the 7th, including a HR by Zach Dezenzo. Lance McCullers struck out 12 in 6 innings, and three Astros relievers shut out the Athletics the rest of the way.

• MIA 10, SDP 8 - Sandy Alcantara once against struggled (4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 0 K), but this time the Marlins offense showed up with 13 hits and 10 runs. Agustín Ramírez was 4-5 with a HR, Eric Wagaman was 3-5 with a double, Otto Lopez was 3-5 with a HR, and Jesús Sánchez also hit a HR. For the Padres, Gavin Sheets went 2-3 with a HR, a walk, and 3 RBI.

• STL 6, BAL 4 - Both teams had 12 hits, but the Orioles were only 3-17 with runners in scoring position and left ten runners on base. Cade Povich had 9 K in 4.2 IP, but also allowed 8 hits and 5 ER. Brendan Donovan was 3-5 with a HR, Masyn Winn went 4-5 with two doubles, and Ryan Helsley allowed two hits in the ninth but secured his 11th save.

• CIN 2, KCR 3 - Tyler Stephenson and Spencer Steer both were 3-4, but Noah Cameron (6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) outpitched Hunter Greene (5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) in this one, with Carlos Estévez getting the final four outs for his 15th save. Of note, Noah Cameron apparently has done something only one other pitcher has ever done since 1893. In four starts, Cameron has posted a 1.05 ERA, pitching 6.1 or more innings in each, and allowing run or less in each. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one other pitcher has ever done that in their first four MLB appearances: Cody Anderson for Cleveland in 2015.

• COL 1, CHC 2 - Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 15th HR, Matthew Boyd pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), and three Cubs relievers shut out the Rockies the rest of the way, with Daniel Palencia pitching the ninth and securing his 4th save.

• TOR 2, TEX 0 - Tyle Mahle again pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), lowering his ERA to 1.64 on the year. But the Rangers offense continued to struggle, striking out 13 times and managing only one hit against five Blue Jays pitchers, including Jeff Hoffman who came in for the ninth to get his 12th save. The game was actually scoreless until the top of the ninth when Bo Bichette hit a pinch-hit 2-run HR.

• NYY 1, LAA 0 - Yusei Kikuchi was a bit wild, but pitched well overall (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K), with four Angels relievers then blanking the powerful Yankees lineup in one inning each. But New York scored one run in the top of the first inning (Anthony Volpe driving in Paul Goldschmidt), and that is all it took as Clarke Schmidt also pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 0, 1 BB, 4 K) and three Yankees relievers combined for the 5-hit shutout. Mark Leiter Jr. struck out two in the ninth and recorded his 2nd save.

• WAS 9, SEA 0 - The Nationals hit three HR off Seattle’s George Kirby (5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), with the sluggers being Luis Garcia Jr., Josh Bell, and James Wood. 23-year old Robert Hassell III went 3-5 and had his first major league HR later in the 8th inning. Meanwhile Trevor Williams pitched well (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) and three Washington relievers combined on a five-hit shutout.

• ATL vs. PHI - postponed

Today’s Trivia Question

The Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki currently leads the NL and all of MLB with 51 RBI. His teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong is currently tied for second with Boston’s Rafael Devers with 50 RBI. Who is the last Cubs player to lead the NL in RBI? And who is the last Cubs player to lead all of MLB in RBI? (Hint: the years are 2018 and 2001, respectively.)

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

• TOR 2B Andrés Giménez

🤕 Placed on the IL

• PIT C Joey Bart - 7-day IL (concussion)

📝 Signed as Free Agent

• COL SS Orlando Arcia

• TBR SP Kyle Gibson

Also of note: less than two weeks after the Astros lost SP Hayden Wesneski to season-ending Tommy John surgery, the same is now true for another of their starters, Ronel Blanco.

League Leaders

Bobby Witt hit a double yesterday after the Reds ace Hunter Greene, further distancing himself from the rest of the pack on the MLB doubles leaderboard:

• 21 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 18 - STL Brendan Donovan

• 17 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 17 - BOS Alex Bregman

• 17 - NYY Anthony Volpe

• 16 - TOR Bo Bichette

• 16 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 16 - SDP Manny Machado

• 16 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

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 29…

• 1971: George Foster is traded from the Giants to the Reds. This is one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. 22-year old OF George Foster was a promising slugger, but hadn’t yet blossomed. The Giants traded him to the Reds for SS Frank Duffy and minor league pitcher Vern Geishert. Duffy only played briefly for the Giants the rest of the season (28 AB, .179 average) and Geishert never made it back to the majors (he had pitched one year for the Angels). After the 1971 season was over, Duffy was added to 33-year old star pitcher Gaylord Perry and sent to the Indians for Cleveland’s starting pitcher Sam McDowell. Perry promptly won the AL Cy Young Award in 1972, while McDowell didn’t end up doing much for the Giants and was purchased by the Yankees during the 1973 season. Back to Foster, while it took a few years for him to develop, by 1975 he was a star, led the NL in RBI each year from 1976-1978, and was NL MVP in 1977 when he led the league with 124 runs, 52 HR, and 149 RBI.

• 1976: Joe Niekro hits his only major league HR… off his brother. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Houston Astros pitcher Joe Niekro hits the only home run of his 22-year major league career. Strangely enough, Niekro enjoys his feat against his brother, Phil, the ace pitcher of the Atlanta Braves. With his unexpected home run, Joe leads the Astros to a 4-3 victory over Atlanta.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Eric Davis (1962) had a 17-year major league career as an outfielder, the first half with the Reds, and the second half split between several other teams. Like Kirk Gibson, whose birthday was yesterday, Davis had elite talent but often missed playing time due to injuries. Davis had a strong combination of power and speed, posting 27 HR and 80 SB in 132 games in his first full season in 1986, and then 37 HR and 50 SB in 129 games in 1987. Overall he had eight seasons with 20+ HR, and seven seasons with 20+ SB. Davis was an efficient base-stealer, with a career success rate of 84%. Early in his career he was also outstanding defensively in CF, taking home three consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards from 1987-1989. Overall for his career Davis had 282 HR, 349 SB, a .269/.359/.482 slash line, and a 125 OPS+.

• George McQuinn (1910) had a 12-year major league career spanning 1936-1948, mostly as a 1B for the St. Louis Browns. He had modest power, regularly hitting over 10 HR a year and a high of 20 in 1939. A six-time All-Star, McQuinn scored 100+ runs twice, and retired with a .276/.357/.424 slash line and 110 OPS+.

• Paul Skenes (2002) turns just 23 today, but has already established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Drafted out of LSU by the Pirates with the overall #1 pick in 2023, Skenes dominated at AAA in 2024 and then was called up in May. He was the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star game, and went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year award after posting an 11-3 record, 1.96 ERA, and 170 K in 133 IP in 23 starts. So far this year he is doing well again, with a 2.15 ERA in 12 starts.

In addition to Paul Skenes, other currently active major leaguers born on May 29 include SFG Patrick Bailey, STL Steven Matz, DET Brenan Haniffee, and MIL Connor Thomas.

Today’s Matchups

A very short slate of Thursday games (5), with many teams travelling or otherwise having the day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• ATL vs. PHI is a doubleheader to make up for yesterday’s postponement, and features some good pitching, with AJ Smith-Shawver (3.67 ERA, 41 K in 41.2 IP) vs. Cristopher Sánchez (3.17 ERA, 65 K in 54 IP) in game 1, and Chris Sale (3.36 ERA, 78 K in 61.2 IP) vs. Zack Wheeler (2.42 ERA, 88 K in 70.2 IP) in game 2.

• WAS vs. SEA includes the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore 3.47 ERA, 93 K in 62.1 IP), who is the current MLB leader in strikeouts. Seattle counters with Emerson Hancock (5.95 ERA, 28 K in 39.1 IP) who has been inconsistent this year.

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

• ATL Matt Olson, 4-12 with 2 HR and a double vs. PHI Cristopher Sánchez

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 4-9 with 2 HR and a triple vs. ATL Chris Sale

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:

(NOTE: Due to the short slate of games many of the below will not be playing today.)

• 21 - CLE Jose Ramirez

• 13 - KCR Maikel Garcia

• 12 - ATL Ozzie Albies

• 11 - BAL Ramon Urias

• 11 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 9 - AZ Ketel Marte

• 9 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 8 - WAS Amed Rosario

• 8 - TBR Curtis Mead

• 8 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 8 - BAL Ryan O’Hearn

• 8 - CLE Carlos Santana

• 8 - NYY Paul Goldschmidt

• 7 - AZ Josh Naylor

• 7 - WAS Jose Tena

• 7 - HOU Mauricio Dubón

• 7 - LAD Teoscar Hernandez

• 7 - MIN Ty France

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 Michael Harris II, 1-10 with 7 K vs. PHI Cristopher Sánchez

• ATH Brent Rooker, 1-9 with 6 K vs. TOR José Berríos

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

The Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki currently leads the NL and all of MLB with 51 RBI. His teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong is currently tied for second with Boston’s Rafael Devers with 50 RBI. The last Cubs player to lead the NL in RBI was Javier Báez with 111 in 2018, and the last Cubs player to lead all of MLB in RBI was Sammy Sosa with 160 in 2001.

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.

• The All-Quarter Century Phillies Team, by Matt Veasey at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 5/29/2025

• 6 slow-starting clubs that still have playoffs in sight, by MLB.com writers, 5/28/2025

• 5 intriguing prospects from the NL East, 1 from each team, by Joe Trezza, 5/28/2025

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 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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