The Baseball Buffet for 5/8/2026

ATH 12, PHI 1 - The Athletics pounded PHI SP Andrew Painter (3.2 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), and then kept scoring off the Phillies bullpen. Shea Langeliers, just back from the paternity list after his wife gave birth to their first child, got things going with a 2-run HR in the first inning. Brent Rooker was 2-4 with a walk, a HR, and 3 RBI; Zack Gelof was 2-5 with a HR, a triple, and 3 RBI; and Jacob Wilson hit a 2-run HR. Meanwhile, J.T. Ginn pitched very well (8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), only giving up a solo HR to Kyle Schwarber in the fourth, his 12th HR of the year.

CIN 3, CHC 8 - CHC SP Shota Imanaga was outstanding again (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K), only allowing a solo HR to Sal Stewart in the sixth inning, his 10th on the season. Meanwhile, CIN SP Rhett Lowder had some control issues and left early with shoulder discomfort (3 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K). Connor Phillips relieved him, but together they allowed seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Michael Conforto went 3-3 with a walk, a HR, a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI to lead the Cubs' offense. The Cubs extended their winning streak to 9, while the Reds extended their losing streak to 7.

NYM 2, COL 6 - The Mets scored two runs in the second inning, but COL SP José Quintana otherwise did fairly well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). NYM SP Christian Scott had 6 K in 4.2 IP (3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB), and the game was tied 2-2 after seven. The Mets entrusted the eighth to Craig Kimbrel, but he allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases. Jake McCarthy then hit a barely-fair grand slam HR to right. Antonio Senzatela, who had pitched a scoreless eighth, did the same in the ninth to secure the Rockies' win.

TEX 2, NYY 9 - The Yankees scored one in the bottom of the first, and then scored six in the sixth, most of them coming off TEX SP MacKenzie Gore (5.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). Cody Bellinger went 3-4 with a walk, a triple, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Trent Grisham was 3-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 3 RBI; and Paul Goldschmidt was 1-3 with 2 walks, a triple, and 2 runs. With Ryan Weathers being scratched due to illness, the Yankees pivoted and went with a bullpen day. That generally worked out well, aside from hot-hitting Ezequiel Duran hitting a HR in the third inning.

MIN 5, WSH 7 - Both teams spread their scoring throughout this game, and the catchers for both squads led their respective offenses with eerily similar batting lines: Ryan Jeffers went 3-4 with a HR, 2 doubles, 3 runs, and 1 RBI; and Keibert Ruiz was 3-4 with a HR, 2 doubles, 3 runs, and 4 RBI. Gus Varland struck out two in the ninth to earn his 4th save.

CLE 8, KCR 5 - The Guardians scored early against KCR SP Seth Lugo (4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K), and then Bo Naylor added a 3-run HR in the seventh. All nine hitters in Cleveland's lineup had at least one hit, CLE SP Slade Cecconi did fairly well (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), and eventually closer Cade Smith came in and struck out two in the ninth for his 10th save. Both Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino had HRs in the losing effort, with Witt Jr. going 4-4 with a walk on the day.

PIT 4, ARI 2 - The Pirates scored four off ARI SP Zac Gallen (6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), including solo HRs by Brandon Lowe and Joey Bart. Meanwhile, Corbin Carroll hit a solo HR in the third inning, but PIT SP Mitch Keller otherwise did well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). Four Pirates relievers kept the D-backs off the board, including Gregory Soto who earned his 3rd save.

BAL 3, MIA 4 - Miami scored first with a 2-run HR by Liam Hicks off BAL SP Cade Povich (3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). MIA SP Max Meyer did well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), but Baltimore eventually tied the game 3-3 in the top of the eighth when Pete Alonso singled in Taylor Ward. The game was still knotted in the bottom of the ninth when rookie Joe Mack hit a double, and then Javier Sanoja reached due to a throwing error by Orioles 3B Coby Mayo that allowed Mack to score.

TBR 8, BOS 4 - Both teams scored three runs in the second inning, but the Rays went on to add several more later, including Junior Caminero hitting a late 2-run HR, his 10th of the year. He was one of five Tampa hitters that had two hits on the day, including Yandy Díaz, Jonny DeLuca, Ben Williamson, and Chandler Simpson.

STL 2, SDP 1 - The Padres scored a run in the bottom of the first, but then STL SP Matthew Liberatore settled in and did well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K). Three Cardinals relievers threw scoreless frames, including closer Riley O'Brien in the ninth to notch his 11th save. Meanwhile, Michael King only allowed one hit over six innings (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), a HR by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning. The go-ahead run came in the seventh, when Jordan Walker hit a double and then Masyn Winn hit a triple to drive him in.

If the playoffs started today, two teams with losing records (Tigers and Mariners) would make it as wildcards in the AL

In the NL, the Pirates would earn the sixth and final playoff spot, but just barely over the Brewers

BOS LF Roman Anthony - 10-day IL (right wrist sprain)

PIT RP Chris Devenski - 15-day IL (undisclosed illness)

SDP C Luis Campusano - 10-day IL (left toe fracture)

14 - WSH Nasim Nuñez

14 - CLE José Ramírez

13 - NYY José Caballero

13 - PIT Oneil Cruz

12 - TBR Chandler Simpson

12 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

11 - NYY Jazz Chisholm Jr.

10 - MIA Jakob Marsee

9 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

8 - Five players are tied

11 - CLE Chase DeLauter - he is batting .487 during this streak!

11 - ATH Jacob Wilson

10 - MIA Otto Lopez

10 - CIN Spencer Steer

9 - NYY Cody Bellinger - he is batting .471 during this streak!

9 - PHI Brandon Marsh

8 - ATH Shea Langeliers

8 - LAD Andy Pages

8 - BAL Pete Alonso

7 - MIL Brice Turang - he is batting .480 during this streak!

7 - CWS Chase Meidroth

7 - COL Kyle Karros

7 - SFG Rafael Devers

1906: Pitcher Charles Bender hits two inside-the-park HR. "Shorthanded because of injuries, Connie Mack puts pitcher Charles Bender in left field in the 6th inning in a game against the Boston Americans. Bender, who banged his first homer on May 5th, responds with two round-trippers, both inside the park, off Jesse Tannehill, in the A's win. Bender will hit just three more homers in his 16-year career."

1907: Frank Pfeffer throws a no-hitter. "Frank Pfeffer of the Boston Doves pitches a 6 - 0 no-hitter against the Reds. He will be known as "Big Jeff" until his younger, and bigger, brother Ed "Jeff" Pfeffer becomes a star hurler for Brooklyn in 1913."

1935: Ernie Lombardi hits four doubles, in four consecutive innings. "Reds backstop Ernie Lombardi equals the major-league record with four straight doubles, all in consecutive innings (6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th) and each off a different pitcher: Syl Johnson, Orville Jorgens, Euel Moore and Frank Pearce. The slow-footed Lombardi also has a "long single" in the 23-hit, 15 - 4 win over the Phillies in the first game. The Reds collect seven doubles and two homers. In the nightcap, the Phils snap their nine-game losing streak with a 5 - 4 victory."

1946: Johnny Pesky scores six runs in a game. "Hot-hitting Boston SS Johnny Pesky becomes the first player in American League history to score six runs in one game, as the Red Sox beat the White Sox, 14 - 10. Mickey Harris is the winner, despite giving up 17 hits in 8 2/3 innings. Boo Ferriss retires Taffy Wright for the last out and the Sox have now won 13 straight."

1961: The name "Mets" is for the new NL team is announced. "The new National League entry in New York is officially named the "Mets." Not Metropolitans, just Mets. At a ceremony at the Savoy Hilton, owner Joan Payson swings a bottle of champagne and, after three unsuccessful whacks, turns the job over to a waiter who uses a bottle opener. The "Mets" was the choice among the ten finalists: Continentals, Burros, Mets, Skyliners, Skyscrapers, Bees, Rebels, NYBs, Avengers, and Jets. The original list was 644 names from 9,613 suggestions. The Metropolitans nickname had been used by the New York American Association team in the 1880s."

1966: Frank Robinson hits a HR completely out of Memorial Stadium. "Orioles outfielder Frank Robinson hits the only ball ever completely out of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The shot clears the left-field single-deck grandstand's rear wall, 451-feet away, going an estimated 541 feet. The hit comes off Indian hurler Luis Tiant. Tiant had pitched 27 scoreless innings in a row prior to the shot. Baltimore wins, 8 - 3, to tie Cleveland for first place."

1966: The Giants trade Orlando Cepeda. "In a controversial trade for San Francisco, St. Louis acquires popular 1B Orlando Cepeda from the Giants for P Ray Sadecki. Sadecki will go 3-7 this year, and Cepeda will win the MVP Award for St. Louis in 1967."

1968: Jim "Catfish" Hunter throws a perfect game. "Oakland's Catfish Hunter pitches a perfect game against the Twins, winning 4 - 0. The 22-year-old righthander hurls the first American League regular-season perfecto in 46 years. He strikes out 11, including Harmon Killebrew three times, and drives in three of the A's four runs, the other coming on a two-out, bases-loaded walk to 1B Danny Cater in the 8th inning. Only 6,298 fans are in attendance."

1973: Willie Stargell hits one out of Dodger Stadium... again. "For the second time in his career, Pirate Willie Stargell poles one out of Dodger Stadium. His blast off Andy Messersmith hits the right field pavilion roof 470 feet away. His first home run, a 506-foot shot, came off Alan Foster on August 5, 1969. No other player has hit a fair ball out of the stadium. Los Angeles wins, 7 - 4."

1984: Kirby Puckett makes his MLB debut. "Twins rookie Kirby Puckett hits four singles in his first major league game, helping Minnesota beat the Angels, 5 - 0. He is the ninth player in history to collect four hits in his first nine-inning game."

2018: James Paxton throws a no-hitter. "James Paxton of the Mariners becomes only the second-ever Canadian-born pitcher to throw a no-hitter, after Dick Fowler in 1945, turning the trick against the Blue Jays in a 5 - 0 win. The three no-hitters pitched so far this season have been accomplished in three different countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada, and no Canadian pitcher had ever pitched one on Canadian soil before Paxton."

Hall of Famer

19-year major league career, spanning from 1879-1904, playing 1B for 10 different clubs

Won five batting titles, and also led the NL in hits three times, doubles three times, runs twice, RBI twice, and triples once

We only have SB data from 1886 forward, but during that time he had 25+ SB six times

Overall had 1,529 runs, 1,301 RBI, 206 triples, a .342/.423/.520 slash line, and a 171 OPS+

Hall of Famer

18-year major league career as a CF in the Negro Leagues, spanning from 1923-1940

According to the data available at baseball-reference.com, Stearnes won two batting titles, and led his league in HR several times, including 19 HR with 126 RBI in 94 games in 1925, and 24 HR in 80 games in 1928

Over 993 games and 3,807 at-bats he had a career slash line of .348/.417/.616 which is a 177 OPS+

Born Norman Stearnes, as described at Wikipedia "There are two versions as to how he acquired the nickname 'Turkey'. The most common version is that the name came from his unusual style of running the bases while flapping his arms. The second version, advanced by Stearnes himself, was that he gained the nickname due to a pot belly he had as a child."

Hall of Famer

18-year major league career, spanning from 1913-1931, spent mostly as a CF with the Reds, but with some time with three other clubs

Led the NL with a .341 average in 1917 and then a .321 mark in 1919

Led the NL in doubles once and triples once, and had 20+ SB six times

Overall had 1,099 runs, 182 triples, a .323/.369/.446 slash line, and a 126 OPS+

Overall #1 draft pick in 2000 by the Marlins

15-year major league career, spanning from 2004-2018, mostly with the Padres and Dodgers, but with some time spent with three other clubs

Five-time All-Star, and winner of four Gold Glove Awards at 1B

Had 25+ HR seven times, with a high of 40 in 2009, and had 100+ RBI seven times, including in 2014 when he led the NL with 116.

Overall had 317 HR, 1,202 RBI, a .287/.358/.485 slash line, and a 129 OPS+

15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1959-1977, mostly with the Astros and Orioles

Four-time All-Star

Had 20+ wins four times, including in 1969 when he went 23-11 and won the AL Cy Young Award, and then in 1970 when he led the AL in wins with a 24-8 record

Overall had a 185-130 (.587) record, a 3.14 ERA, and a 109 ERA+

12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1974-1986, all with the Royals

Had 20+ wins three times, in 1977, 1978, and 1980, but strangely was never selected to an All-Star team roster

Injuries led him to missing a lot of playing time from 1982-1985. He came back and started 30 games in 1986, but retired after that season

Overall had a 144-106 (.576) record, a 3.70 ERA, and a 107 ERA+

9-year major league career, primarily playing 2B in the early days of professional baseball from 1871-1881 when the seasons were much shorter

He led his league in batting average three times, with impressive marks of .430, .431, and .429

Led the National Association with 43 SB in 60 games in 1873, while also leading the league that year in runs, hits, doubles, and triples

Overall had a .360/.389/.468 with a 167 OPS+

WSH Foster Griffin vs. MIA Robby Snelling - this will be 22-year old Snelling's MLB debut. He was a late first-round draft pick in 2022, had a 2.85 ERA over 25 minor league starts last year, and has an impressive 1.86 ERA with 44 K in 29 IP at AAA so far this year. Also of note, Griffin has done well so far this year with a 2.27 ERA over seven starts.

NYY Max Fried vs. MIL Jacob Misiorowski - an outstanding pitching matchup here

ATL Chris Sale vs. LAD Emmet Sheehan - game one of a series between two outstanding teams, it features the veteran Sale who has been great this year, up against 26-year-old Sheehan who has had mixed results so far

DET Riley Greene, 4-9, triple, double vs. KCR Kris Bubic

NYM Juan Soto, 3-12, 2 HR, triple vs. ARI Ryne Nelson

LAD Freddie Freeman, 3-9, HR, 2 doubles vs. ATL Chris Sale

HOU Isaac Paredes, 1-9, 1 K vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

LAA Jorge Soler, 1-23, 13 K vs. TOR Dylan Cease... ouch!

LAA Mike Trout, 1-9, 6 K vs. TOR Dylan Cease

TOR George Springer, 0-9, 6 K vs. LAA Reid Detmers

PIT Brandon Lowe, 2-14, 7 K vs. SFG Robbie Ray

TOR Dylan Cease, 81 AB, 4 HR, 32 K, 4 BB, .185/.231/.331 vs. LAA hitters

ATL Chris Sale, 65 AB, 2 HR, 19 K, 5 BB, .169/.234/.341 vs. LAD hitters

50 - Greg Vaughn (1998)

42 - Fernando Tatis Jr. (2021)

41 - Phil Nevin (2001)

40 - Ken Caminiti (1996)

40 - Adrián González (2009)

Which of these surprise contenders have the best playoff chances?, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 5/7/2026

Behind the trend that breaks the No. 1 rule of 'Moneyball', by Anthony Castrovince at MLB, 5/7/2026

Stats of the Week: Miz, M&Ms, Mickey making history, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 5/7/2026

Díaz becomes 20th Cuban-born player to reach 1,000 hits, by Bill Ladson at MLB, 5/7/2026

Top Five Starting Pitchers in Padres History, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 5/8/2026