The Baseball Buffet for 6/13/2025

Issue #304

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 78th day of the season had a short slate of Thursday games:

• WAS 3, NYM 4 - All four of the Mets’ runs came from a 3-run HR by Jeff McNeil in the first inning, and then a solo HR by Brandon Nimmo in the fifth. Meanwhile, Kodai Senga once again was outstanding (5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), lowering his ERA to 1.47 on the year (though he strained his hamstring and so will unfortunately land on the 15-day IL). Ryne Stanek got into trouble in the ninth, allowing 3 runs (2 ER), so closer Edwin Díaz entered and secured his 15th save.

• TEX 16, MIN 3 - After losing yesterday, the Rangers reverted to the offensive output they had in game one of this series on Tuesday, winning this game by almost the same score. They hit Bailey Ober very hard (4.2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 6 BB, 3 K) including four HR from Josh Smith, Jake Burger, Wyatt Langford, and Evan Carter. After Ober left the game, Adolis Garcia and Sam Haggerty added 3-run HR of their own.

• SFG 7, COL 8 - Mickey Moniak hit a HR, but Hayden Birdsong otherwise pitched fairly well (6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). The Giants had 7-3 lead after six innings, in part thanks to a 3-run HR by Dominic Smith off Antonio Senzatela who yet again struggled (4 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K). However, the Rockies came back and scored five runs in the final three innings, with the game winning hit being a single by Orlando Arcia with the bases loaded that drove in two runs for the come-from-behind victory.

• DET 4, BAL 1 - The Tigers scored all four of their runs in the fourth inning from HR by Dillon Dingler and Parker Meadows. Tarik Skubal once again pitched well (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) and Will Vest struck out two in the ninth for his 12th save.

• NYY 1, KCR 0 - Each team only managed five hits, as Will Warren (5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and Seth Lugo (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) both pitched well. The only run came from a wild play in the eighth inning, when with two on and two out Paul Goldschmidt lined a single off the glove of leaping first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. He tracked down the ball behind him and threw to reliever Lucas Erceg who was covering first, but Goldschmidt beat the play. Pablo Reyes, who had been on second, lost his balance coming around third, changed direction twice, and then slid home safely when Erceg made a throwing error. Jonathan Loaisaga and Devin Williams came in to pitch scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, with Williams recording his 9th save.

• PIT 2, CHC 3 - Andrew Heaney struck out seven in six innings, but also allowed HR to Pete Crow-Armstrong (his 18th) and Seiya Suzuki (his 17th). Meanwhile, former Pirate Jameson Taillon pitched well (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) and three Cubs relievers held the Pirates scoreless the rest of the way, with Ryan Pressly notching his 5th save.

• STL 0, MIL 6 - The big story coming in to this one was highly-touted Brewers pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski making his major league debut. He didn’t disappoint, walking four but throwing no-hit ball through fiving innings (5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K), hitting 102 on the radar gun. Two Milwaukee relievers combined on a three-hit shutout, while the Brewers ran Sonny Gray out of the game in the fifth inning, including a 2-run HR by Jackson Chourio.

• CHW 3, HOU 4 - Framber Valdez let up some hits, but also struck out 12 in just 5 innings of work (5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K). Isaac Paredes hit his 15th HR, and the Astros leveraged their Bryan King-to-Bryan Abreu-to-Josh Hader combo for the final three innings. Hader let up a solo HR Mike Tauchman, but it wasn’t enough as Hader struck out two and recorded his 18th save on the year.

Today’s Trivia Question

Aaron Judge remains the AL (and overall) leader in batting average with a .392 mark. Rookie Jacob Wilson of the Athletics continues to impress with a .366 average, so if Judge comes down to earth, Wilson could win the AL batting title. Who is the last member of the Athletics to lead the AL in batting average?

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

• ATL RF Stuart Fairchild

• STL RF Jordan Walker

• TOR RP Nick Sandlin

• SEA RF Luke Raley

📝 Free Agent Signing

• The Texas Rangers have signed veteran relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (minor league contract).

MLB Debut Yesterday

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

• STL RP Andre Granillo - Yesterday, the 25-year old made his major league debut in relief of starter Sonny Gray who gave up 6 runs through 4.1 innings. Granillo pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two hits but no runs, with no walks or strikeouts. He was called up after doing very well at AAA Memphis, with a 1.82 ERA over 18 relief appearances, with 46 K in 29.2 IP.

• MIL SP Jacob Misiorowski - See above for how the hard-throwing Misiorowski did in his debut start for the Brewers. As noted in yesterday’s Baseball Buffet, prior to his call up he had a 2.13 ERA with 80 K in 63 1/3 IP at AAA Nashville.

League Leaders

It has been over ten days since I reported on the MLB runs scored leaders, but it remains the case that Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are really far ahead of the field (with Judge very far ahead of anyone else in the AL):

• 68 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 64 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 53 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 51 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 50 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 50 - NYM Juan Soto

• 48 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 48 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 47 - LAD Mookie Betts

• 47 - SDP Manny Machado

• 47 - PHI Trea Turner

• 46 - BOS Rafael Devers

• 46 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

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 13…

• 1905: Christy Mathewson threw his second no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitches his second career no-hitter, beating the Chicago Cubs and Mordecai Brown, 1-0. Mathewson and Three Finger Brown match no-hitters for eight innings. The Giants get two hits in the 9th for the win, and a pair of errors committed by Bill Dahlen at shortstop prevent Mathewson from hurling a perfect game.

• 1912: Christy Mathewson wins his 300th game. Exactly 8 years after tossing his second no-hit game, Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants wins his 300th career game and once again the Cubs are his victim. During his 17-year major league career, Mathewson will compile a 373-188 record.

• 1948: The Yankees retire Babe Ruth’s number. As described at baseball-reference.com, “An ailing Babe Ruth makes his final appearance at Yankee Stadium. With the crowd of 49,641 singing Auld Lang Syne, and members of the 1923 Yankees team (the first to play in the stadium) looking on, the New York Yankees retire Ruth's uniform number 3 during ceremonies that also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Stadium. Fewer than two months later, the 53-year-old Ruth will die from throat cancer.”

• 1973: The beginning of the 1970s Dodgers infield. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Los Angeles Dodgers infield of Steve Garvey (1B), Davey Lopes (2B), Ron Cey (3B) and Bill Russell (SS) plays together for the first time in a 16 - 3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. The infield quartet will set a major league record for longevity by playing 8 1/2 years together.”

• 1984: The Cubs acquire Rick Sutcliffe. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians engineer a blockbuster trade. Chicago sends outfielders Joe Carter and Mel Hall, pitcher Don Schulze and a minor leaguer, Darryl Banks, to Cleveland in exchange for pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and George Frazier and catcher Ron Hassey. Sutcliffe will go 16-1 over the balance of the season, winning the Cy Young Award, and helping the Cubs to the National League East crown.” Of course the Indians did fine in this trade too, as Mell Hall had several productive seasons and Joe Carter matured into a major slugger, giving the Indians several solid years and then netting them Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carlos Baerga when they traded him to San Diego.

• 2003: Roger Clemens gets his 300th win and 4,000 strikeout in the same game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Roger Clemens reaches his 300th win and becomes the third pitcher in major league history with 4,000 strikeouts, leading the New York Yankees over the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Mel Parnell (1922) pitched in the major leagues for ten seasons, all with the Boston Red Sox. He won 15+ games five times, including in 1949 when he led the AL in both wins with a 25-7 record and in ERA with a 2.77 mark. That was one of two All-Star seasons for Parnell, with the other being in 1951 when he’d end up 18-11 with a 3.26 ERA. For his career Parnell had a 123-75 (.621) record, 3.50 ERA, and 125 ERA+.

• Ernie Whitt (1952) played in the majors as a catcher for 15 years, spanning from 1976-1991. He spent most of his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, but also briefly played with the Red Sox, Braves, and Orioles. He was a good defensive catcher, and had a little pop as he hit 10+ HR in eight consecutive seasons with a high of 19 in both 1985 and 1987.

• Jonathan Lucroy (1986) was drafted in the third round by the Brewers in 2007, and went on to play 12 years in the majors, mostly as a catcher. He spent the first half of his career with Milwaukee, but the second half with eight different clubs. A 2-time All-Star, Lucroy led the NL with 53 doubles in 2014, and then posted a career high 24 HR in 2016.

Players who are currently active and were born on June 13 include ATL James McCann, ATH Drew Avans, and DET Tyler Holton.

Today’s Matchups

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

• PIT vs. CHC has Paul Skenes (1.88 ERA, 92 K in 91 IP) going against the the first-place Cubs, who will put up Cade Horton (4.11 ERA, 25 K in 30.2 IP) against the Buccos.

• TOR vs. PHI involves the surging Blue Jays with Kevin Gausman (3.87 ERA, 73 K in 76.2 IP) going against the equally strong Phillies with Ranger Suárez (2.70 ERA, 38 K in 43.1 IP).

• NYY vs. BOS is the start of another series in this great rivalry, this time hosted in Boston. Ryan Yarbrough (4.17 ERA, 43 K in 45.1 IP) will take on Garrett Crochet (2.35 ERA, 110 K vs. 88 IP).

• SFG vs. LAD has two good starting pitchers in Logan Webb (2.58 ERA, 101 K in 87.1 IP) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.20 ERA, 86 K in 73.2 IP).

Also taking the hill today are NYM Clay Holmes, KCR Michael Wacha, and MIL Freddy Peralta.

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:

• STL Nolan Arenado, 10-36 with 4 HR vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 3-12 with 3 HR vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 9-27 with 2 HR and 4 doubles vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• LAD Max Muncy, 9-27 with 3 HR and 2 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• LAD Mookie Betts, 15-36 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• MIL William Contreras, 8-14 with 2 HR vs. STL Erick Fedde

• MIL Rhys Hoskins, 10-34 with 3 HR and a double vs. STL Erick Fedde

• KCR Salvador Perez, 4-15 with 2 HR and a double vs. ATH Luis Severino

• SDP Xander Bogaerts, 4-9 with 2 HR and a double vs. AZ Ryne Nelson

• ATL Ozzie Albies, 6-14 with 2 HR vs. COL Germán Márquez

• STL Willson Contreras, 7-24, 2 HR and a double vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• STL Pedro Pagés, small sample but is 2-2 with 2 HR vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

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:

• LAD Freddie Freeman, 15-37 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• MIL Christian Yelich, 8-15 with 2 doubles vs. STL Erick Fedde

• ATL Matt Olson, 6-13 with 2 doubles vs. COL Germán Márquez

• MIL Sal Frelick, small sample but is 4-6 with a triple vs. STL Erick Fedde

• LAD Enrique Hernández, small sample but is 4-7 with a double vs. SFG Logan Webb

• BOS Romy Gonzalez, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR and two doubles vs. NYY Ryan Yarbrough

• NYY Cody Bellinger, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR vs. BOS Garrett Crochet

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:

• 12 - MIN Brooks Lee

• 12 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 11 - José Ramírez

• 9 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 8 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 8 - KCR Freddy Fermin

• 7 - SFG Matt Chapman

• 7 - TOR Alejandro Kirk

• 7 - TOR George Springer

• 7 - SEA Jorge Polanco

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:

• CHC Michael Busch, 1-10 with 5 K vs. PIT Paul Skenes

• WAS Luis García Jr., 2-15 with 3 K though one hit was a HR vs. MIA Edward Cabrera

• STL Brendan Donovan, 2-16 with 2 K vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• STL Alec Burleson, 2-15 though only 1 K vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• BOS Jarren Duran, small sample but is 0-7 with 5 K vs. NYY Ryan Yarbrough

• MIA Otto Lopez, small sample but is 0-9 with 2 K vs. WAS Mitchell Parker

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Rookie Jacob Wilson of the Athletics is currently second in the AL (and all of MLB) with a .366 average. No member of the Athletics, while they have been in California, has led the AL in batting average. No one did so when they were in Kansas City either. The last member of the franchise to do it was Ferris Fain of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952 when he led with a .327 average. He also led the year before with a .344 average too. Before that, Jimmie Foxx led the AL with a .356 mark in 1933, and Al Simmons led with .390 and .381 averages in 1931 and 1930, respectively.

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.

• Could this team shake up the Trade Deadline?, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 6/12/2025

• Stats of the week: Webb's dominance, Caglianone's four-hit day and more!, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 6/12/2025

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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