The Baseball Buffet for 5/7/2025

Issue #267

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 41st day of the season had a full Tuesday slate (16) of games, including one double-header:

• CLE 9, WAS 10 (Gm 1) - The Guardians outhit the Nationals 14-10, but Washington was an impressive 7 for 15 with runners in scoring position so came out on top. James Wood hit his 10th HR of the year, and Kyle Finnegan notched his 12th save.

• CLE 9, WAS 1 (Gm 2) - The Guardians scored 9 runs in game 2 as they had in game 1, but this time the Nats could only muster 4 hits and 1 run. Ben Lively pitched well (5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K), and Cleveland had homers from Carlos Santana, Daniel Schneemann, and Austin Hedges.

• LAD 4, MIA 5 - Tony Gonsolin pitched pretty well (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), but so did Cal Quantrill (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani each homered in the 6th inning, but the game was tied 4-4 after nine. But recently acquired reliever J.P. Feyereisen let up singles to Agustín Ramírez and

  Jesús Sánchez, scoring Xavier Edwards for the win.

• PIT 1, STL 2 - A nice pitcher’s duel in this one, with Matthew Liberatore (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K) winning out over Paul Skenes (6 IP 3, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K). The Cardinals, and particularly Alec Burleson, don’t seem to be intimidated by Skenes: they have beaten him four times (no other team has multiple wins against him yet), and Burleson is now 6-15 and tonight had the decisive two-run double in the sixth inning against Skenes.

• TEX 6, BOS 1 - Nathan Eovaldi pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and the Rangers got loads of hits off Lucas Giolito (3.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 K), with 16 overall—14 singles with doubles by Corey Seager and Joc Pederson. Nice start for new hitting coach Bret Boone!

• PHI 8, TBR 4 - Yandy Diaz hit a HR, but otherwise Zack Wheeler was outstanding (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K). Trea Turner was 2-5 with 2 SB, and the Phillies got HR from Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos.

• SDP 3, NYY 12 - The Padres had 10 hits, but they were mostly singles and they were only 1-7 with runners in scoring position. The Yankees had 10 hits, with 3 doubles and two HR (Aaron Judge, Austin Wells) and they were an impressive 6-12 with runners in scoring position. San Diego was actually winning 3-2 at the seventh inning stretch, but then New York scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh (their biggest inning since 2015).

• CIN 1, ATL 2 - Andrew Abbott pitched well (5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), but so did Chris Sale (6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K), such that the game was tied 1-1 through nine. Raisel Iglesias struck out two and kept the Reds from scoring in the top of the 10th, and then Marcell Ozuna singled to left to drive in ghost runner Manfred-Man Alex Verdugo in the bottom of the 10th for the win.

• BAL 1, MIN 9 - Pablo López pitched very well (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K) and veterans Carlos Correa (3-4, 3 RBI) and Byron Buxton (2-4, 4 RBI) each homered to drive the Twins offense.

• CHW 3, KCR 4 - Both starters did well: Seth Lugo (6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 K) and Sean Burke (6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K). The White Sox had a 3-2 lead but in the bottom of the ninth but the Royals won via small ball with a White Sox error, a bunt hit, and two singles with the bases loaded.

• HOU 3, MIL 4 - The Brewers scored four runs in the first inning, including a 2-run HR by Jake Bauers. Brendan Rodgers hit a 3-run HR in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as Trevor Megill would later shut the door with his fourth save of the year.

• SFG 14, CHC 5 - This game was going along, minding its business, with Miguel Amaya and Jung Hoo Lee hitting homers and each team using various relievers, until it was 5-5 through nine and even ten innings. But then in the top of the 11th, the usually effective Ryan Pressley entered with his 2.08 ERA on the season. And he he gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, 9 runs, and 8 ER without getting any Giants out. Now his ERA is 7.62 on the season… yikes!

• TOR 3, LAA 8 - George Springer had his 4th HR of the year, but Tyler Anderson pitched well otherwise (6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). Anthony Santander hit a HR later in the game, but the Angels had three HR of their own from Taylor Ward, Yoan Moncada, Jo Adell.

• NYM 1, AZ 5 - Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was 3-4 with a HR and a double, and Zac Gallen had his second consecutive good start (7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K).

• SEA 5, ATH 3 - Julio Rodriguez hit his 6th HR of the year, and Emerson Hancock pitched pretty well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 K), but the Athletics had the lead 3-2 through eight innings. In the top of the ninth, Randy Arozarena was was hit by a pitch to load the bases for pinch-hitter Cal Raleigh who then hit a line drive to right scoring Jorge Polanco and Julio Rodriguez. Carlos Vargas came in for the bottom of the ninth and let up two hits, but also struck out two to secure his first save of the season.

• DET vs. COL - postponed

Today’s Trivia Question

Who was the first African American player inducted into the Hall of Fame who had not played in the Negro Leagues?

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).

➕ Starting Rehab Assignment

• NYM SP Paul Blackburn

• PIT RP Dauri Moreta

• MIL SP/RP Aaron Ashby

• SDP 2B Jake Cronenworth

• BAL RF Tyler O’Neill

• TBR RF Josh Lowe

• MIL SP Brandon Woodruff

• PIT 1B Spencer Horwitz

• NYY 3B DJ LeMahieu

🤕 Placed on the IL

• LAD RF Teoscar Hernandez - 10-day IL (left groin strain)

📝 Claimed off Waivers

• SEA claimed CF Leody Taveras off waivers from TEX

League Leaders

It has been 10 days since I reported on the HR leaderboard, and as noted above both Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber homered yesterday… giving them each 12 on the year:

• 12 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 12 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 12 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 10 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 10 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 10 - DET Spencer Torkelson

• 10 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 10 - WAS James Wood

• 9 - an amazing 11 guys are tied!

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 7…

• 1917: Babe Ruth outdueled Walter Johnson on the mound. Babe Ruth of the Red Sox allowed only two hits as he outpitched Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, 1-0. Ruth knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.

• 1922: Jesse Barnes throws a no-hitter. Jesse Barnes of the New York Giants pitches the only no-hitter of the year, beating the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-0, at the Polo Grounds.

• 1940: The Dodgers take flight. According to baseball-reference.com, “The Brooklyn Dodgers become the first National League team to fly when they travel by air to Chicago from St. Louis.”

• 2011: Justin Verlander throws a no-hitter. According to baseball-reference.com, “Justin Verlander pitches the second no-hitter in the majors in less than a week, following Francisco Liriano's gem on May 1st, when the Tigers shut down the Blue Jays, 9-0. Only an 8th-inning walk to J.P. Arencibia, who is then erased in a double play, keeps Verlander from a perfect game. Verlander becomes the 28th pitcher in major league history with two no-hitters.”

• 2019: Mike Fiers throws his second no-hitter. Mike Fiers of the Athletics pitches his second career no-hitter, defeating the Reds 2-0.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Dick Williams (1929) had a 13-year career as a player for five teams, including the Orioles, Dodgers, Athletics, Red Sox, and Indians. He was a bit of a utility player, spending time at LF, CF, 3B, and 1B. He had modest power, with a high of 16 HR and 75 RBI in 1959. What he is best known for, and why is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, was his managing career which spanned 21 seasons from 1967 to 1988, and again involved time with many clubs including the Red Sox, Athletics, Angels, Expos, Padres, and Mariners. Highlights including an AL Pennant with the Red Sox in his very first year in 1967, then World Series titles with the Athletics in 1972 and 1973, and then a NL Pennant with the Padres in 1984.

• Tom Zachary (1896) had a 19-year career that spanned from 1918-1936, with about half of his time spend with the Washington Senators, and the other half spread across six other clubs. Arguably his best season came in 1924 with the Senators when he posted a 15-9 record and 2.75 ERA, and won two games in helping the Senators beat the Giants in the World Series. Zachary also had an interesting campaign in 1929 for the Yankees when he pitched in both starting and relief roles, and had a 12-0 record and 2.48 ERA across 119.2 IP. Known as a control pitcher who relied on accuracy and deception instead of velocity, Zachary only had 720 strikeouts in 3,126.1 IP. Overall he retired with a 186-191 record, 3.73 ERA, and 107 ERA+.

• James Loney (1984) was drafted in the first round (19th overall) by the Dodgers in 2002, and by 2006 was in the majors. He spent the first half of his 11-year career with LA, and the second half with three other teams. Loney had only modest power for a 1B, hitting 10-15 HR in six seasons, but had a career .284/.336/.410 slash line and 104 OPS+.

Today’s Matchups

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

• SEA vs. ATH features Bryan Woo (2.58 ERA with 38 K in 28.1 IP and a 0.83 WHIP) up against Gunnar Hoglund who did well in his major league debut (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 7 K).

• SDP vs. NYY is once again a matchup of strong teams, with the Yankees going with red hot Max Fried (6-0 with a 1.01 ERA and 39 K in 44.2 IP) and the Padres with Dylan Cease, who has been less effective or consistent this season (5.61 ERA, 39 K in 33.2 IP).

Also taking the hill today are STL Sonny Gray, SFG Robbie Ray, HOU Framber Valdez, NYM Kodak Senga, TEX Tyler Mahle, and CIN Hunter Greene.

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:

• TEX Jonah Heim, small sample but is 4-7 with 3 HR and a double vs. BOS Tanner Houck

• TEX Adolis Garcia, small sample but is 4-8 with 2 HR and a double vs. BOS Tanner Houck

• NYM Pete Alonso, 5-16 with 3 HR and a double and only 1 K vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

• PIT Bryan Reynolds, 7-21 with 3 HR and 2 doubles vs. STL Sonny Gray

• LAA Yoán Moncada, 12-39 (.308) with 3 HR and 3 doubles vs. TOR José Berríos

• STL Nolan Gorman, 4-17 with 2 HR and a double vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• CHC Kyle Tucker, 4-10 with 2 HR vs. SFG Robbie Ray

• CHW Andrew Vaughn, 5-21 with 2 HR and a 2 doubles vs. KCR Michael Wacha

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:

• TOR George Springer, 7-16 with a triple vs. LAA Yusei Kikuchi

• SDP Luis Arraez, 6-10 vs. NYY Max Fried (though usually Arraez doesn’t hit LHP as well, and Fried is off to a great start this year)

• LAA Luis Rengifo, small sample but is 5-7 with a HR, a triple, and a double vs. TOR José Berríos

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:

• 14 - SEA J.P. Crawford

• 11 - LAA Zach Neto

• 11 - LAD Freddie Freeman

• 8 - MIN Harrison Bader

• 8 - CHC Dansby Swanson

• 8 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• 8 - MIN Ryan Jeffers

• 7 - DET Riley Greene

• 7 - DET Javier Baez

• 7 - COL Hunter Goodman

• 7 - HOU Mauricio Dubón

• 7 - CIN Santiago Espinal

• 7 - SDP Manny Machado

• 7 - HOU Jake Meyers

• 7 - STL Victor Scott II

• 7 - STL Brendan Donovan

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:

• ATH Brent Rooker, 1-14 with 7 K (though the hit was a HR) vs. SEA Bryan Woo

• ATH Lawrence Butter, 1-13 with 4 K vs. SEA Bryan Woo

• CHW Andrew Benintendi, 2-14 with 5 K vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• TEX Corey Seager, 1-12 with 3 K vs. BOS Tanner Houck

• ATL Eddie Rosario, 1-11 with 3 K vs. CIN Hunter Greene

• SDP Manny Machado, 2-18 with 3 K (though the two hits were a double and a HR) vs. NYY Max Fried

• BOS Trevor Story, 2-16 with 4 K vs. TEX Tyler Mahle

• MIN Christian Vázquez, 3-22 with 9 K (though 2 doubles and a HR) vs. BAL Charlie Morton

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Who was the first African American player inducted into the Hall of Fame who had not played at all in the Negro Leagues? The answer is the great Bob Gibson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981. Unlike Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and other Black Hall of Famers who made their MLB debuts in the 1940s or early 1950s, the Cardinals’ pitching legend did not get his start in professional baseball until 1957.

Good Reads

New Feature! Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• 8 slow-starting teams that shouldn't give up on October dreams, by Will Leitch at MLB, 5/7/2025

• The most runs scored in each inning, from the 1st to the 26th(!), by Theo DeRosa at MLB, 5/7/2025

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