The Baseball Buffet for 6/10/2025

Issue #301

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… I can be reached at [email protected].

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 75th day of the season had a partial slate of Monday games:

• MIA 3, PIT 10 - Otto Lopez hit his 6th HR of the year, but rookie Mike Burrows otherwise pitched well in a short outing (4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K). The Pirates woke up their bats to greet Eury Pérez (3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) back to the majors after he missed all of last year to recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Bucs then hit reliever Janson Junk even more (4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), with veterans Andrew McCutchen and Adam Frazier each collecting three hits, and Bryan Reynolds going 2-5 with 3 RBI.

• CIN 7, CLE 4 - The Reds had 16 hits, and scored their seven runs in seven different innings, including solo HR by TJ Friedl in the third and Jake Fraley in the fourth. The Guardians scored three runs early, and Bo Naylor add a HR late, but it wasn’t enough as Emilio Pagán pitched the ninth for his 16th save on the year.

• CHC 3, PHI 4 - Kyle Tucker hit a HR in the first inning, but then Zack Wheeler settled in and pitched well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). Ian Happ hit a HR in the 8th that tied the game 2-2, and neither team scored in the ninth or tenth. The Cubs scored one in the top of the 11th, but then in the bottom of the frame J.T. Realmuto singled to drive in Nick Castellanos, the ghost-running Manfred Man. Bryson Stott then bunted to advance Realmuto, but ended up reaching first himself too. Otto Kemp did the same, thereby loading the bases. With no outs still, Brandon Marsh singled to center to drive in Realmuto for the win.

• TBR 10, BOS 8 - 22 hits and 18 runs in all, but no homers in this one. The scoring started in the fourth inning, with the Rays then leading most of the way, until the Red Sox scored two in the bottom of the ninth to tie it up 7-7 and force extras. Both teams scored a run in the 10th, and then in the top of the 11th, Tampa worked to get the bases loaded and Junior Caminero drew a walk to score a run. Jake Mangum then singled to drive in Josh Lowe to give them a 10-8 lead. Rookie Ian Seymour, who made his MLB debut by pitching the 10th inning, came back out for the 11th and got two line outs and a strikeout for the win.

• ATL 7, MIL 1 - Chris Sale was excellent (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K), and the Braves scored five of their seven runs from HR by Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Eli White.

• TOR 5, STL 4 - Both José Berríos (6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) and Andre Pallante (6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)) pitched well in this one. Alejandro Kirk hit a HR in the top of the eighth to put the Jays up 3-0, but then the Cardinals scored four in the bottom of the inning including a 3-run HR by Iván Herrera. Toronto responded with a HR by Jonatan Clase in the ninth to force extras. In the top of the tenth, Alejandro Kirk came through again, this time with a double to drive in Addison Barger who was on second as the ghost running Manfred Man. Jeff Hoffman then came in and held St. Louis scoreless for his 16th save.

• ATH 4, LAA 7 - JJ Bleday and Max Muncy each hit a 2-run HR late in this one, but it wasn’t enough as Yusei Kikuchi had pitched one-hit, shutout ball through seven (7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and the Angels were efficient by scoring seven runs off their eight hits. Jo Adell had the lone HR for LA, his 12th on the year.

• LAD 8, SDP 7 - There were a lot of baserunners and scoring early in this one, with the Padres up 6-5 after three innings. The Dodgers tied the game and it remained that way through nine. In the top of the 10th, Andy Pages hit a double to drive in Max Muncy who was on second as the ghost-running Manfred Man. Still with no one out, Tommy Edman then singled to drive in Pages, giving the Dodgers a two-run cushion. That would be important, because in the bottom of the tenth Jackson Merrill also doubled to drive in their ghost-running Manfred Man, Luis Arraez. But then LA closer Tanner Scott induced a pop-out and a fly-out to end the game.

• SEA 4, AZ 8 - Corbin Carrol led off the bottom of the first with his 19th HR of the year, and Merrill Kelly was excellent (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). Down 4-0, the Mariners came back in the ninth to tie the game, including a 2-run HR by Dominic Canzone, who had just been recalled from AAA (where he’d hit 13 HR in 45 games.) Jalen Beeks held Seattle scoreless in the top of the tenth, and then in the bottom of the frame Arizona loaded the bases for a walk-off grand slam by Josh Naylor, his 8th HR of the year.

Today’s Trivia Question

Who currently leads the majors in fielding errors in 2025? Interestingly, he is a two-time former Gold Glove Award winner, and has previously led his position in fielding percentage three times. (Hint: His position is 3B.)

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

• CHC SP Shota Imanaga

🤕 Placed on the IL

• BOS RF Wilyer Abreu - 10-day IL (left oblique strain)

• AZ RP Kendall Graveman - 15-day IL (right hip impingement)

• MIA SP Ryan Weathers - 60-day IL (left lat strain)—not because his catcher, Nick Fortes, hit him in the head with his warm-up throw down to second… though that looked nasty!

MLB Debut Yesterday

New section! Here I’ll try to keep up with players who just made their MLB debut the day before!

• BOS OF Roman Anthony - considered by many (including MLB Pipeline) to be the #1 prospect in baseball right now, Roman Anthony got the call as Wilyer Abreu went on the IL. The 21-year old went 0-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a strikeout in an extra-inning home game at Fenway. Prior to coming up, Anthony had hit 10 HR in 58 games at AAA, with a .288/.423/.491 slash line.

• TBR RP Ian Seymour - In the same game in Boston, as noted above 26-year old Ian Seymour, the second round pick of the Rays in 2020, made his MLB debut by pitching the last two innings and getting the win. As he’s climbed through the minors, Seymour has worked as a starter and this year at AAA had a 2.95 ERA with 84 K in 61 IP.

League Leaders

Lawrence Butler has been climbing the doubles leaderboard, with six in nine June games thus far:

• 22 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 22 - ATH Lawrence Butler

• 21 - LAD Freddie Freeman

• 20 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 20 - STL Brendan Donovan

• 18 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 18 - BOS Rafael Devers

• 18 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 18 - SDP Manny Machado

• 18 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 18 - NYY Anthony Volpe

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 June 10…

• 1944: 15-year Joe Nuxhall pitches in the majors. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Joe Nuxhall, at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days, becomes the youngest player in major league history when he pitches two-thirds of an inning for the Cincinnati Reds in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He manages to give up five walks and two hits before Bill McKechnie takes him out.”

• 1959: Rocky Colavito hits four consecutive HR. Cleveland’s Rocky Colavito hits four consecutive home runs in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium to lead the Indians to an 11-8 win. Colavito joins Lou Gehrig and Bobby Lowe as the only major-league players to hit four consecutive four-baggers. And he would go on to lead the AL in HR that year with 42.

• 1966: Sonny Siebert threw a no-hitter. Sonny Siebert of the Indians pitches a no-hitter against the Senators, winning 2-0.

• 1997: Kevin Brown threw a no-hitter. Kevin Brown just misses a perfect game by hitting a batter in the 8th inning. His Florida Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-0.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Ken Singleton (1947) was drafted by the Mets in the first round (3rd overall) in 1967. He was up in the majors by 1970, but then after the 1971 season was traded to the Expos along with Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen for Rusty Staub. Singleton blossomed in 1973, hitting 23 HR with 103 RBI, a .302 average, and an NL-leading .425 OBP given his impressive 123 walks. That was the first of four seasons that Singleton had 100+ walks, and the first of five in which he hit 20+ HR. A three-time All-Star, after his fives years with the Mets and Expos he played the rest of his career, from 1975-1984, with the Orioles. In 1979 he was AL MVP runner-up after having career highs of 35 HR and 111 RBI along with a .295 average to help Baltimore win the AL Pennant. Singleton retired with 246 HR, 1,065 RBI, a .282/.388/.436 slash line, and a 132 OPS+.

• Johnny Edwards (1938) was a catcher for 14 years in the majors playing the first half of his career with the Reds, and most of the second half with the Astros. He won two Gold Glove Awards and was an All-Star three times from 1963-65. He had a little pop, with a career high 17 HR in 114 games in 1965.

• Floyd Bannister (1955) had a 15-year major league pitching career which spanned from 1977-1992. The Astros chose him first overall in the 1976 draft, but after two mediocre initial major league seasons he was traded to the Mariners for SS Craig Reynolds. In 1982 he was an All-Star for Seattle and ended the year with an AL-leading 209 strikeouts. Seattle traded him to the White Sox where he pitched for five seasons before finishing his career with the Royals, Angels, and Rangers. Overall he had a 134-143 record, 4.06 ERA, and 102 ERA+. Floyd Bannister is also the father of Brian Bannister, who was a starting pitcher in the majors from 2006-2010, most with the Royals.

Today’s Matchups

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

• CHC vs. PHI is game two of this important series, this time featuring Colin Rea (3.59 ERA, 43 K in 57.2 IP) up against rookie Mick Abel making this third MLB start (0.79 ERA, 11 K in 11.1 IP).

• WAS vs. NYM features two pitchers having good seasons in MacKenzie Gore (2.87 ERA, 108 K in 75.1 IP) and Griffin Canning (2.90 ERA, 57 K in 59 IP).

• NYY vs. KCR is a very interesting matchup with the Yankees’ Max Fried looking to keep rolling (1.78 ERA, 77 K in 81 IP) and the Royals rookie Noah Cameron facing a big test in his 6th MLB start against the tough Yankees lineup (0.85 ERA, 19 K in 31.2 IP).

• CHW vs. HOU has rookie Shane Smith (2.45 ERA, 60 K in 62.1 IP) taking on Lance McCullers Jr. who has 27 K in 16.1 IP over his last three starts.

Also taking the hill today are CIN Andrew Abbott, TEX Tyler Mahle, TOR Chris Bassitt, and SDP Dylan Cease.

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:

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, 6-19 with 3 HR and a double vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• PIT Adam Frazier, 7-15 with 2 HR and a double vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara (if pitching, TBD)

• KCR Mark Canha, 5-18 with 2 HR and a double vs. NYY Max Fried

• WAS Nathaniel Lowe, only 3-15 but with 2 HR vs. NYM Griffin Canning

• LAA Zach Neto, 5-10 with 2 HR vs. ATH JP Sears

• LAA Logan O’Hoppe, small sample but is 3-9 with 2 HR vs. ATH JP Sears

• CIN Will Benson, small sample but is 4-8 with 2 HR and a double vs. CLE Slade Cecconi

• MIN Harrison Bader, small sample but is 4-9 with 2 HR vs. TEX Tyler Mahle

• SDP Manny Machado, small sample but is 2-6 with 2 HR vs. LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto (if pitching, TBD)

• STL Nolan Gorman, small sample but is 2-2 with 2 HR vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

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:

• NYM Jeff McNeil, 7-10 vs. WAS MacKenzie Gore

• LAD Kiké Hernández, 6-13 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• LAD Freddie Freeman, 5-11 with a double vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• PIT Ke’Bryan Hayes, 5-12 vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara (if pitching, TBD)

• TOR George Springer, small sample but is 5-9 with a HR vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• PHI J.T. Realmuto, 4-10 with a HR and a double vs. CHC Colin Rea

• ATH Brent Rooker, small sample but is 4-7 with a HR and a double vs. LAA José Soriano

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:

• 10 - MIN Brooks Lee

• 9 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 9 - CLE José Ramírez

• 8 - COL Tyler Freeman

• 7 - SDP Manny Machado

• 7 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 7 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 7 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 7 - SFG Matt Chapman

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:

• LAD Will Smith, 1-11 with 6 K vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• LAD Teoscar Hernández, 2-14 with 6 K vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• TBR Brandon Lowe, 0-12 with 5 K vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 1-13 with 5 K vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara (if pitching, TBD)

• PIT Bryan Reynolds, 1-11 with 2 K vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara (if pitching, TBD)

• LAA Luis Rengifo, 1-10 but only 1 K vs. ATH JP Sears

• COL Ryan McMahon, 1-10 with 2 K vs. SFG Kyle Harrison

• COL Brenton Doyle, 1-10 with 3 K vs. SFG Kyle Harrison

• MIA Jesús Sánchez, 0-11 though with 0 K vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• MIA Kyle Stowers, small sample but is 0-6 with 5 K vs. PIT Mitch Keller

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Who currently leads the majors in fielding errors in 2025? Padres 3B Manny Machado, who at age 32 has 11 errors thus far, one ahead of both Giants SS Willy Adames and CIN SS Elly De La Cruz.

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 trade candidates have seen their stock start to soar, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 6/10/2025

• Skenes takes NL lead, Skubal paces AL in latest Cy Young poll, by Jared Greenspan at MLB, 6/9/2025

• Is Major League Baseball Seeing More Early-Season Debuts?, by Benjamin Chase at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 6/9/2025

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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