Issue #631
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 was a full slate of games (15), but two ended up getting rained out. Here are the results (link to all game box scores):
BOS 10, DET 3 - Brayan Bello has struggled so far this year, so the Red Sox decided to go with an opener first. Jovani Morán struck out three in the first inning, but also allowed three hits, two walks, and two runs, including a lead-off HR by Matt Vierling. Bello did then have a solid outing (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), while Boston's hitters got to DET SP Framber Valdez early and often (3 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and he eventually was ejected after hitting a batter. Ceddanne Rafaela went 3-5 with a HR and 4 RBI; Willson Contreras went 1-4 with a walk, a HR, and 2 runs; and Wilyer Abreu was 3-4 with a walk, a HR, and 2 runs.
CIN 2, CHC 3 (10) - JJ Bleday hit a HR in the first inning, but then CHC SP Jameson Taillon settled in (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), before again coughing up a solo HR to Nathaniel Lowe in the sixth. Meanwhile, CIN SP Andrew Abbott did fairly well (5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) before the Reds bullpen allowed a couple of runs, including a game-tying HR by Michael Busch in the eighth. Neither team scored in the ninth, and Cubs reliever Ryan Rolison struck out two for a scoreless top of the tenth. In the bottom of the frame, with Dansby Swanson on second as the automatic runner, Busch hit a walk-off single to give the Cubs their 7th win a row, and 13th straight victory at Wrigley.
SDP 10, SFG 5 - Both veteran starters struggled in this one: SDP SP Walker Buehler (5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and SFG SP Logan Webb (4 IP, 7 H, 6 K, 0 BB, 4 K). Casey Schmitt and Jesus Rodriguez hit HRs for the Giants, while Xander Bogaerts had a HR for the Padres. In addition, Jackson Merrill went 3-5 with a double, a SB, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Miguel Andujar was 3-5 with a triple and a double; and 2B Sung-Mun Song went 2-4 with a double, a SB, 2 runs, and 2 RBI in his major league debut.
ATH 1, PHI 9
TOR 3, TBR 4
BAL 9, MIA 7
MIN 11, WSH 3
TEX 4, NYY 7
CLE 3, KCR 5
LAD 1, HOU 2
ATL 3, SEA 2
PIT 0, ARI 9
CWS 3, LAA 4
MIL vs. STL - postponed (makeup game on May 7)
NYM vs. COL - postponed (makeup game on May 7)
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Today’s Trivia Question
One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is Jose Altuve. He has three of the top five highest single-season batting averages for the Astros: .346 in 2017, .341 in 2014, and .338 in 2016. Which two players have the highest single-season batting averages for the Astros?
(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Willie Mays, Jose Altuve, Bill Hands, Larry Andersen
In addition to Jose Altuve, other currently active players who were born on May 6 include BOS Matt Thaiss, PIT Yohan Ramírez, KCR Mitch Spence, and ATH Joey Meneses.
Help yourself to more of The Baseball Buffet!
What you are reading are just some highlights from the full Baseball Buffet newsletter. Paid All Star subscribers receive all of the following, every day:
Game summaries for every game
Current MLB standings
Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.
Rotating statistical leader lists
Current hitting streaks of seven or more games
On this day in baseball history…
Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys
Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?
Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers
… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!
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Today’s Matchups
We have another full slate of games today (15), with these two games featuring ace starters (see also full list):
LAD Tyler Glasnow vs. HOU Lance McCullers Jr. - Glasnow has had 9 K in each of past two starts
PIT Paul Skenes vs. ARI Michael Soroka - Skenes is always interesting to see
Other notable starters tossing today include TBR Shane McClanahan, PHI Zack Wheeler, NYM Freddy Peralta, and KCR Cole Ragans.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is Hall of Famer Willie Mays, so here are some quotes from him (curated from The Baseball Almanac):
"Baseball is a game, yes. It is also a business. But what it most truly is, is disguised combat. For all its gentility, its almost leisurely pace, baseball is violence under wraps."
"I can't tell you about moments because I wasn't into that. I just played every day and enjoyed what I was doing. When I made a great catch it was just routine. I didn't worry about it. Winning was important. Winning."
"I didn't think like that, about best seasons. What if you thought '97 was your best year — what would you do now? I never looked back. I couldn't dwell on last year's season. I always looked forward. I never worried about what other people were doing — except the guy I was playing against."
"Youngsters of Little League can survive under-coaching a lot better than over-coaching."
"In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this."
"I don't compare 'em, I just catch 'em."
⚾ 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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