The Baseball Buffet for 6/2/2025

Issue #293

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 67th day of the season had a full slate (15) of Sunday games:

• STL 1, TEX 8 - The Cardinals couldn’t get much going as Jacob deGrom pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K), and three Texas relievers shut them out the rest of the way. For the Rangers Josh Smith had a big game going 3-5 with a HR, 2 doubles, and 4 RBI, and Marcus Semien was 2-2 with a double, 2 walks, and 3 runs scored.

• BOS 3, ATL 1 - All four runs were scored in the first inning in this one. Marcel Ozuna homered, but then Garrett Crochet was outstanding in this one (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 12 K), and Aroldis Chapman came in for the ninth for his 9th save. Offensively, the big hit was a bases loaded double by Trevor Story that drove in those three early runs for Boston.

• CHW 2, BAL 3 - Chicago’s Mike Tauchman continued his recent hot hitting by going 2-4 with a HR and a triple, raising his average to .372 in 43 AB this year. 41-year old Charlie Morton pitched well (6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), continuing his recovery from a rough start to the year.

• MIL 5, PHI 2 - The Phillies scored their two runs in the first two innings, but then Jose Quintana and four Brewers relievers shut them out the rest of the game, with Trevor Megill notching his 11th save. Ranger Suárez pitched well (6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) but then the Phillies bullpen let up the additional runs that gave the Milwaukee the series sweep (and their seventh win in a row).

• ATH 4, TOR 8 - Rookie Jacob Wilson went 4-4 to raise his average to .357 on the year, and the Athletics had a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth. But the Jays scored six in that inning, including a 3-run HR by Addison Barger—his third consecutive game with a homer.

• LAA 2, CLE 4 - José Ramírez hit his 11th HR of the year, Gavin Williams pitched well (6.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), and Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth to secure his 13th save.

• COL 3, NYM 5 - Newly acquired infielder Orlando Arcia had a solo HR for the Rockies, and Tyler Freeman hit a 2-run HR. Carson Palmquist was doing well for a few innings and struck out 8 overall in 4.2 IP, but Pete Alonso hit a 3-run HR off him and Francisco Lindor added a solo HR. Later in the game Juan Soto added his 10th HR, and Edwin Díaz struck out three in the ninth to record his 13th save.

• SFG 4, MIA 2 - Marlins leadoff hitter Xavier Edwards went 5-5 but Maimi failed to capitalize as they were 2-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. For the Giants Luis Matos had the big hit, a 3-run HR in fourth inning. Hayden Birdsong pitched well (5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and Camilo Doval got the last four outs for his 7th save.

• DET 1, KCR 0 - The Royals out hit the Tigers 9-5, including a 3 for 4 game by veteran catcher Salvador Perez, but they just couldn’t bring any runs across. Kris Bubic was excellent as he has been all year (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), with one exception—he allowed a triple to Zach McKinstry in the third inning and then threw a wild pitch that let him score. That lone run was all it took, as Keider Montero (4.2 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) and four Detroit relievers combined for the shutout, with Will Vest getting his 9th save.

• TBR 0, HOU 1 - Taj Bradley pitched well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K), but Christian Walker singled to drive in Jeremy Peña in the first inning and that would be the only run of this game. Hunter Brown was strong again (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K), and Bryan King, Bryan Abreu, and Josh Hader once again shut things down in the last three innings, with Hader collecting his 15th save.

• CIN 3, CHC 7 - Elly De La Cruz hit his 12th HR, but otherwise Jameson Taillon pitched well (6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner had three hits each, and Michael Busch was 2-2 with a HR, 2 walks, and 3 RBI.

• WAS 1, AZ 3 - The Diamondbacks only managed to get three hits in this game, but one was a 2-run HR by Eugenio Suárez in the first inning. Corbin Burnes pitched well in a short start (4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but is headed for an MRI with right elbow tightness. Four Arizona relievers shut out the Nats the rest of the way, with Justin Martinez notching his 4th save.

• MIN 1, SEA 2 - Luis Castillo pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and Chris Paddack did as well (8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K) with the one run he allowed being a solo HR by Cal Raleigh—his MLB-leading 23rd on the season and fourth in three days. The Twins scored a run to tie the game in the top of the ninth, but then Julio Rodriguez singled, stole second, and advanced to third on catcher Ryan Jeffers’ throwing error. Randy Arozarena then singled to center to drive him in for the win.

• PIT 4, SDP 6 - Manny Machado hit his 7th HR of the year in the first inning, but then the Pirates built up a 4-2 lead through six innings, including homers by veterans Andrew McCutchen and Adam Frazier. Unfortunately, reliever Tanner Rainey allowed a single, three walks, and four runs in the bottom of the 7th, while the Padres bullpen was excellent including Robert Suarez getting his MLB-leading 19th save.

• NYY 7, LAD 3 - The visiting Yankees avoided a sweep and came back from their 18-2 thrashing on Saturday by hitting Yoshinobu Yamamoto pretty well (3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), including Ben Rice with a 2-run HR. DJ LeMahieu went 4-5 with a double and 2 RBI, while Ryan Yarbrough used his several off-speed pitches to quiet the Dodgers lineup (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Jonathan Loáisiga allowed homers to Andy Pages and Max Muncy in the seventh inning, but then Devin Williams and Tim Hill shut out LA in the 8th and 9th.

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted above, Andrew McCutchen hit a HR in the Pirates’ losing effort yesterday. That was HR number 240 for him as a Pirates player, which ties him with Roberto Clemente for third on the all-time Pittsburgh Pirates HR leaderboard. Who are the two Pirates sluggers with the most HR while playing in Pittsburgh? Bonus points if you can also name any of the next four on the Pirates HR leaderboard after McCutchen and Clemente.

Trivia answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

MLB Debut Yesterday

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

• HOU CF Jacob Melton - 24 years old, batted 8th, went 1-3 with a single, one of the Astros only four hits in their 1-0 win over the Rays. Was drafted in the 2nd round by the Astros in the 2022 draft. Last year had 15 HR and 30 SB with a .253 average in 105 games between AA/AAA. So far this year was hitting .254 with a .371 OBP, 2 HR and 3 SB in 17 games, at AAA Sugar Land.

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).

🤕 Placed on the IL

• BOS RP Justin Slaten - 15-day IL (right shoulder inflammation)

• LAD RP Luis Garcia - 15-day IL (right adductor strain)

• TOR CF Daulton Varsho - 10-day IL (left hamstring strain)

• HOU LF Zach Dezenzo - 10-day IL (left hand inflammation)

• TEX SP Nathan Eovaldi - 15-day IL (right posterior elbow inflammation)

Also of note, it seems the Royals power-hitting prospect Jac Caglianone is about to get called up, sources told MLB.com. The 22-year old 1B/OF was drafted in the first round (6th overall) just last year, after hitting .419 with 35 HR in 66 games in 2024 at college (Florida). So far this year between AA and AAA he has hit 15 HR in 50 games with a .322/.389/.593 slash line.

League Leaders

I haven’t yet checked in on the runs leaderboard, and I probably should once in a while since it is the objective of the game after all. So here we go… Ohtani is far ahead, and Judge is securely in second place:

• 63 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 55 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 46 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 45 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 44 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 44 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 44 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 42 - LAD Mookie Betts

• 40 - SDP Manny Machado

• 40 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 40 - MIL Brice Turang

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 2…

• 1935: Babe Ruth retires. As described by baseball-reference.com, "Babe Ruth of the Boston Braves announces his retirement from baseball. Struggling with a .181 batting average at the time, he retires with 714 home runs, by far the most in major league history. Ruth will gain election to the Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class next year."

• 1941: Lou Gehrig dies at the age of 37. As described by baseball-reference.com, "Lou Gehrig dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the age of 37 in New York. From that time on, the illness will be known in North America primarily as ‘Lou Gehrig's Disease’. Gehrig saw his major league record of 2,130 consecutive games played end because of the disease. It was on this day exactly 16 years ago that he broke into the Yankees' starting line-up."

• 1987: The Mariners draft Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners select Cincinnati high schooler Ken Griffey, Jr., the son of Braves outfielder Ken Griffey, with the first overall pick in the 1987 free-agent draft.

• 1990: Randy Johnson threw a no-hitter. Seattle's Randy Johnson pitches the first Mariners' no-hitter, a 2-0 win over the Tigers.

• 2010: Armando Galarraga threw a one-hitter mired in controversy. As described by baseball-reference.com, "Armando Galarraga throws a one-hitter in a 3-0 win over Cleveland but in the eyes of most observers, he has pitched a perfect game: the only baserunner he gives up comes with two outs in the 9th inning, when Jason Donald is called safe on an infield hit by umpire Jim Joyce. However, replays show that the throw from 1B Miguel Cabrera to Galarraga beat Donald to the bag. The Tigers starter thus comes agonizingly close to pitching the third major league perfect game in only a month."

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Larry Jackson (1931) had a 14-year major league career, pitching his first eight seasons with the Cardinals, and his final six with the Cubs and Phillies. An All-Star in four seasons, his most impressive numbers were a 2.55 ERA in 1963 and then a 24-11 record in 1964 when he came in second in the NL Cy Young Award vote. He retired with a 194-183 record, 3.40 ERA, and 113 ERA+.

• Jim Maloney (1940) had a 12-year major league career, all with the Reds except his final season with the Angels. He posted a 23-7 record with a 2.77 ERA in 1963 and then was an All-Star in 1965 when he went 20-9 with a 2.54 ERA. Maloney had four seasons with 200+ strikeouts, and retired with a 134-84 (.615) record, 3.19 ERA and 115 ERA+.

• Raúl Ibañez (1972) had a long 19-year career, including three stints with the Mariners, two stints with the Royals, plus some time with the Phillies, Yankees, and Angels. He had eight seasons with 20+ HR and four with 100+ RBI, including a high of 123 RBI in 2006. Oddly, Ibañez was an All-Star only once, in 2009 when he had a career high 34 HR. Primarily a LF, he retired with 305 HR, 1,207 RBI, a .272/.335/.465 slash line, and 111 OPS+.

• Mike Stanton (1967) was a left-handed relief pitcher who played in the majors for 19 seasons, spending most of his time with the Yankees and Braves, but also seeing action for six other clubs. He was only a closer in 1993 when he had 27 saves for the Braves. He was more often a setup man or lefty specialist, but was so useful that he ranks second in all-time games pitched (1,178), behind only Jesse Orosco (1,252). He retired with a 3.92 ERA and 112 ERA+.

Currently active major leaguers born on June 2 include TEX Chris Martin and MIA Liam Hicks.

Today’s Matchups

A partial slate of Monday games (7), as many teams are travelling or otherwise have the day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• SDP vs. SFG is game one of a four game series, important tant NL West battle between teams with almost identical records: the Padres are 33-24 and the Giants are 33-26. The Padres have Stephen Kolak (4.11 ERA, 24 K in 30.2 IP) and the Giants have Logan Webb (2.82 ERA, 84 K in 73.1 IP).

• NYM vs. LAD is also game one of an interesting four game series, with the Dodgers now hosting the other strong NY team. Paul Blackburn is lined up to make his first MLB start of 2025, with the LA countering with Dustin May (4.20 ERA, 58 K in 55..2 IP).

Also pitching today are DET Jack Flaherty and MIN Joe Ryan.

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:

• DET Kerry Carpenter, 4-7 with 2 HR and a double vs. CHW Jonathan Cannon

• DET Colt Keith, 4-7 with a HR vs. CHW Jonathan Cannon

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, 4-9 with a HR and a double vs. NYM Paul Blackburn

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:

• SDP Luis Arraez, 8-13 vs. SFG Logan Webb

• SDP Manny Machado, 13-35 with a HR and a double vs. SFG Logan Webb

• SDP Jackson Merrill, 5-7 with 2 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• SDP Gavin Sheets, 5-10 with 2 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• BOS Rob Refsnyder, small sample but is 3-5 with a double vs. lefty LAA Tyler Anderson… and Refsnyder hits LHP well

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:

• 11 - CLE Carlos Santana

• 8 - WAS Amed Rosario

• 8 - MIL Christian Yelich

• 8 - AZ Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

• 8 - HOU Jeremy Peña

• 8 - DET Colt Keith

• 8 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 8 - TOR Jonatan Clase

• 7 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 7 - MIA Jesús Sánchez

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:

• SDP Elias Díaz, 3-24 with 5 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

• CHW Luis Robert Jr., small sample but is 0-8 with 5 K vs. DET Jack Flaherty

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Andrew McCutchen is now tied with Roberto Clemente for third on the all-time Pittsburgh Pirates HR leaderboard with 240. Willie Stargell ranks first with 475 HR, and Ralph Kiner is second with 301 (he had 68 more HR with the Cubs and Indians). After those four, the next four on the Pirates HR leaderboard are: Barry Bonds (176), Dave Parker (166), Brian Giles (165), and Frank Thomas (163).

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.

• 1 quick fix that would benefit each team, by MLB.com writers, 6/1/2025

• 20 amazing Lou Gehrig facts, by MLB.com writers, 6/1/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards that Really Hit 'Home', at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 6/1/2025

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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