The Baseball Buffet for 6/27/2025

Issue #318

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 92nd day of the season had a partial slate of Thursday games:

• ATH 0, DET 8 - 34-year old Dietrich Enns had been pitching well at AAA Toledo (2.89 ERA in 14 starts) when he was called up to Detroit. He hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2021, but did very well yesterday (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), with four Tigers relievers combining with him on a 3-hit shutout. Offense for Detroit came from HR by Gleyber Torres and Spencer Torkelson, and Zach McKinstry who went 3-4 with a triple, a double, a SB, and 2 RBI.

• TOR 6, CLE 0 - Tanner Bibee pitched pretty well (6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) but his Cleveland mates couldn’t get anything going against Kevin Gausman who was outstanding (8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Chad Green pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the 2-hit shutout, with Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk providing two RBI apiece.

• SEA 1, MIN 10 - After a four-hour rain delay, Simeon Woods Richardson finally took the mound and pitched well (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Trevor Larnach hit a 2-run HR in the fifth to chase Emerson Hancock (5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) from the game. Zack Pop relieved him and was crushed (1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) including HR by Brooks Lee and Matt Wallner.

• TBR 4, KCR 0 - The Rays had back-to-back HR in the sixth inning from Brandon Lowe, his 16th of the year, and Junior Caminero, his 20th. Meanwhile Shane Baz was excellent (8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), and Paul Gervase and Pete Fairbanks completed the shutout, with Fairbanks earning his 15th save.

• PHI 1, HOU 2 - I suggested yesterday this one looked like a pitchers duel, and sure enough both Cristopher Sánchez (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K) and Hunter Brown (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K) were great. The Phillies finally scored in the top of the 8th to tie the game. In the bottom of the frame, with runners on first and second, Cam Smith singled to drive in Isaac Paredes for the go-ahead run. The lead would hold as Bryan Abreu, who had struck out the final Philadelphia hitter in the eighth, came back and struck out three more in the ninth.

• CHC 3, STL 0 - Michael Busch went 2-4 with a HR, and Shota Imanaga did very well (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) in his first start back from the IL. Four Cubs relievers combined with him for the 3-hit shutout, with Daniel Palencia striking out three in the ninth for his 8th save.

• LAD 3, COL 1 - Brenton Doyle hit a HR, but Clayton Kershaw otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). Shohei Ohtani hit his NL-leading 28th HR of the year, and three Dodgers relievers pitched scoreless innings, with Tanner Scott securing his 17th save.

• MIA 12, SFG 5 - The Giants out hit the Marlins 12-11, but they were only 2-9 with runners in scoring position while Miami hitters were 7-12 in that situation. Rafael Devers was 3-4 with a HR and a double, but the Marlins got homers from both Kyle Stowers and Agustín Ramírez who was 3-5 on the day.

• ATL 0, NYM 4 - Grant Holmes pitched fairly well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K), but the Mets evened this four-game set at two games each by shutting out the Braves. Five pitchers combined to allow only three hits, while striking out 11 (the increased bullpen use was due to starter Griffin Canning leaving in the top of the third inning with a left Achilles injury). Pete Alonso was 3-4 with a double, and Jeff McNeil was 1-3 with a walk and 2 RBI.

I plan to start including the current standings in some form here, but until then… here is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Today’s Trivia Question

Finally wrapping up my position-by-position series, which player has played in the most career games as a DH? And bonus points for each of the rest of the top five that you can name.

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

• TOR RP Yimi Garcia

• MIA CF Derek Hill

• BAL SP Cade Povich

• MIL CF Blake Perkins

📝 Signed as a Free Agent

• PIT RP Génesis Cabrera - the 28-year old Cabrera was recently released by the Cubs after giving up 9 ER in 9.1 IP in 9 relief appearances this year. He owns a 4.03 career ERA in 292.2 IP going back to 2019.

• AZ OF Albert Almora Jr. - the 31-year old last played in the majors with the Reds in 2022, but played a full season at AAA last year, and thus far in 2025 had played in 44 games at AAA Jacksonville (MIA).

League Leaders

We are essentially at the half-way point in the season, as a quick glance at the standings indicates teams have variously played between 79-82 games each. As noted above, Shohei Ohtani hit his 28th HR yesterday, to lengthen his lead in the NL. But he remains four behind MLB leader Cal Raleigh:

• 32 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 28 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 28 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 25 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 24 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 22 - WAS James Wood

• 21 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 21 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 20 - TBR Junior Caminero

• 20 - AZ Corbin Carroll

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 27…

• 1973: 18-year old David Clyde makes his debut for the Rangers. As described at baseball-reference.com, “David Clyde, 18 and fresh out of Houston's Westchester High School, makes his much hyped debut with the Rangers, before 35,698, the largest Rangers crowd of the year. Clyde, the number one pick in the 1973 amateur draft, walks the first two Twins batters he faces, then gets Bobby Darwin, George Mitterwald and Joe Lis on swinging third strikes. Clyde goes five innings and gives up only one hit - a two-run home run by Mike Adams - walks seven and strikes out eight. He is the winner, 4-3.”

• 1980: Jerry Reuss threw a no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Dodgers' Jerry Reuss pitches a 8-0 no-hitter against the Giants at Candlestick Park. Reuss, who strikes out only two but doesn't walk a batter, is deprived of a perfect game when SS Bill Russell throws wildly to first base on Jack Clark's easy grounder in the 1st inning.”

• 1993: The first major league Sausage Race takes place. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Milwaukee Brewers introduce the first Sausage Race during the 6th inning of their game at Milwaukee County Stadium. To everyone's surprise, physical characters dressed as cartoon sausages replace the "dot race" that had been a feature on the scoreboard for a few years already and make a dash from left field to home plate. The race is a huge success with fans and is made a permanent fixture, while copycat races will be introduced around baseball as a result.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Jim Edmonds (1970) had a 17-year career, mostly with the Angels and Cardinals. He was both a power hitter and an outstanding defensive CF. He hit 25+ HR ten times, scored 100+ runs four times, and posted 100+ RBI four times. A four-time All-Star, Edmonds took home eight Gold Glove Awards. Overall for his career he had 393 HR, 1,251 runs, 1,199 RBI, a .284/.376/.527 slash line, and a 132 OPS+.

• Rico Petrocelli (1943) had a 13-year major league career, splitting time between SS and 3B, all with the Red Sox. A 2-time All-Star, he hit 25+ HR three times, with his best season coming in 1969 when he hit 40 HR with 97 RBI, and a .297/.403/.589 slash line. Overall he had 210 HR, a .251/.332/.420 slash line, and a 108 OPS+.

• Yordan Alvarez (1997) is the current DH and occasional LF for the Houston Astros. Just turning 28 he is still in the prime of his career, which has already included winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2019, the first of his five seasons with 25+ HR. A three-time All-Star thus far, Alvarez has 167 HR, a .295/.387/.573 slash line, and an impressive 163 OPS+.

• Gus Zernial (1923) had an 11-year major league career which spanned from 1949-1959 and included time with the Athletics, White Sox, and Tigers. He hit 25+ HR five times, leading the AL with 33 HR and 129 RBI in 1951, and then his career high of 42 HR in 1953, his one year as an All-Star. Overall he had 237 HR, a .265/.329/.486 slash line, and a 116 OPS+.

• Jeff Conine (1966) was originally drafted by the Royals in 1987, but was then taken by the Florida Marlins in the 1992 expansion draft. He had a 17-year major league career, including two stints in Florida which earned him the nickname “Mr. Marlin” (though he also spent time with five other franchises, most notably the Orioles and Royals). He provided some power, with three seasons of 20+ HR, and he also hit for a pretty good average, with four seasons over .300. A 2-time All-Star, Conine played a mix of 1B and LF, and retired with 214 HR, 1,071 RBI, a .285/.347/.443 slash line, and a 107 OPS+.

• Jim Johnson (1983) was a relief pitcher with a 13-year major league career, mostly spent with the Orioles, but then five years spread between the Braves, Angels, A’s, Dodgers, and Tigers. He was a good setup man early on, and then had two strong seasons as Baltimore’s closer, leading the AL with 51 saves in 2012 and 50 saves in 2013. Overall he retired with 178 saves, a 3.79 ERA, and a 111 ERA+.

In addition to Yordan Alvarez, other currently active players who were born on June 27 include TEX Jonah Heim and ATH Nick Martini.

Today’s Matchups

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

• SEA vs. TEX is a matchup of two AL West teams that are trying to contend but currently have records around .500. Two solid pitchers face off in this one: Logan Gilbert (3.12 ERA, 60 K in 40.1 IP) and Nathan Eovaldi (1.56 ERA, 73 K in 69.1 IP), who is making his first start since May 27th.

• CHC vs. HOU is a matchup of two first-place teams with identical records at 48-33 each. Cade Horton (3.73 ERA, 31 K in 41 IP) will face Brandon Walter (3.80 ERA, 25 K in 23.2 IP).

• LAD vs. KCR is another good test for Kansas City rookie Noah Cameron who has a 2.08 ERA in 8 starts, but will have to face the daunting Dodgers lineup. LA will counter with Dustin May (4.46 ERA, 72 K in 78.2 IP).

Also on the mound today are NYM David Peterson, SDP Dylan Cease, STL Sonny Gray, and AZ Merrill Kelly.

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:

• BOS Jarren Duran, 10-21 with 3 HR and 5 doubles vs. TOR José Berríos

• TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 10-24 with 2 HR and 4 doubles vs. BOS Brayan Bello

• PHI Nick Castellanos, small sample but is 3-6 with 3 HR vs. ATL Bryce Elder

• COL Michael Toglia, small sample but is 2-3 with 2 HR vs. MIL Jose Quintana

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:

• STL Brendan Donovan, small sample but is 5-6 with 2 doubles vs. CLE Luis L. Ortiz

• CIN Gavin Lux, small sample but is 4-7 with a double vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• TOR Addison Barger, small sample but is 4-8 with 2 doubles vs. BOS Brayan Bello

• NYM Juan Soto, 4-10 with a double vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• TOR Bo Bichette, 5-13 with a double vs. BOS Brayan Bello

• SEA Jorge Polanco, 5-11 with a triple vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• SDP Xander Bogaerts, 5-13 with a HR vs. CIN Nick Martinez

• SDP Manny Machado, 4-11 with 4 doubles vs. CIN Nick Martinez

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:

• 13 - AZ Josh Naylor

• 13 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 12 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 11 - TBR Jonathan Aranda

• 10 - MIL Brice Turang

• 9 - MIL Christian Yelich

• 8 - LAA Jo Adell

• 8 - MIA Eric Wagaman

• 7 - COL Hunter Goodman

• 7 - MIA Otto Lopez

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:

• NYM Pete Alonso, 0-12 with 3 K vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• TEX Josh Jung, 0-12 with 3 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

• TEX Marcus Semien, 3-32 with 6 K though one hit was a HR vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

• COL Orlando Arcia, 4-35 with 7 K vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• SEA Randy Arozarena, 4-29 with 10 K vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• SEA J.P. Crawford, 2-16 with 3 K though one hit was a HR vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• MIL Christian Yelich, 2-16 with 8 K vs. COL Kyle Freeland (if he is pitching, TBD)

• DET Javier Báez, 1-15 with 9 K vs. MIN Bailey Ober (if he is pitching, TBD)

• DET Spencer Torkelson, 2-19 though his hits were a HR and a double vs. MIN Bailey Ober (if he is pitching, TBD)

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 2-16 with 5 K though one hit was a HR vs. NYM David Peterson

• NYM Francisco Lindor, 2-13 with 6 K vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• NYM Jeff McNeil, 2-15 with 2 K though one hit was a HR vs. PIT Mitch Keller

• BOS Wilyer Abreu, 1-11 with 5 K vs. TOR José Berríos

• TEX Ezequiel Durán, 1-11 with 5 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

• TEX Josh Smith, 2-14 though only 1 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

• COL Ryan McMahon, 1-10 with 5 K vs. Jose Quintana

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

The career leader in games played as a DH is David Ortiz. Here are the top five:

• 2,027 - David Ortiz

• 1,643 - Harold Baines

• 1,426 - Hal McRae

• 1,403 - Edgar Martinez

• 1,310 - Frank Thomas

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.

• Finalists to start 2025 All-Star Game set; voting resumes Monday, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 6/26/2025

• Busch goes yard at Busch! Here are some quirky name-ballpark combos, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 6/26/2025

• Stats of the week: Ohtani's two-way feats, Raleigh's power and more!, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 6/26/2025

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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