The Baseball Buffet for 6/3/2025

Issue #294

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 68th day of the season had a short slate (7) of Monday games:

• COL 6, MIA 4 - Miami unsurprisingly jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two innings, and Germán Márquez gave up 9 hits, including 6 doubles, over five innings. But then the Rockies came back, powered primarily by Hunter Goodman going 3-5 with 2 HR and 3 RBI. Colorado finally won their 10th game on the year, as Zach Agnos pitched a scoreless ninth to convert on the rare save opportunity.

• LAA 7, BOS 6 - The Angels pounded Richard Fitts in the first inning for three HR (Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jo Adell) and six runs (5 earned). Tyler Anderson allowed four doubles and five earned runs (4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5K) to let Boston get back into it. But in the top of the sixth Jo Adell hit his second HR of the game, and that would end up being the decisive run as Kenley Jansen locked down the ninth for his 12th save.

• MIL 3, CIN 2 - The Reds scored two in the bottom of the first, but the Brewers quickly came back with three by the third inning, including Christian Yelich hitting his 13th HR of the year. Pitching took over after that, with Trevor Megill eventually securing his 12th save on the season.

• DET 13, CHW 1 - Jonathan Cannon and Bryse Wilson were pounded for 16 hits and 13 runs, including five HR: Kerry Carpenter had three, and Dillon Dingler and Wenceel Perez had one each. Meanwhile Jack Flaherty pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) for his fourth win on the year.

• SDP 1, SFG 0 - This one was a pitchers duel, with both starters doing well: Stephen Kolek (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and Logan Webb (8 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K). The bullpens didn’t allow any runs during regulation either, so it was still scoreless through nine. The lone run scored because the ghost running Manfred Man, Jake Cronenworth, who had advanced to third, crossed home when Jose Iglesias hit a sacrifice fly. 🙄

• MIN 10, ATH 4 - The Twins jumped on Luis Severino for six runs in the second inning, and added two more later (5.2 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). Byron Buxton was 2-5 with a double and 5 RBI, and Ty France was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI. Lawrence Butler was the highlight for the Athletics by going 2-2 with a HR, a double, and three walks.

• NYM 4, LAD 3 - Francisco Lindor led off the game with his 14th HR, but then Dustin May settled in and did well (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). Paul Blackburn also pitched well in his 2025 debut (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Shohei Ohtani got the Dodgers on the board in the 7th with his 23rd HR, one that ties him with Cal Raleigh for the MLB lead. In the bottom of the ninth, with LA down 2-1 and runners on first and third but only one out, Ohtani came through again with a sacrifice fly to drive in Tommy Edman. In the top of the tenth, Francisco Alvarez doubled on a line drive to right and drove in the ghost running Manfred Man (Luisangel Acuña). Starling Marte pinch-ran for Alvarez, and promptly scored when Lindor singled to left. In the bottom of the frame Andy Pages singled to right to drive in Teoscar Hernandez, but that was all the Dodgers could get.

Today’s Trivia Question

The Athletics’ rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson is hitting .355, second in the AL behind only Aaron Judge (.391). He might not win the AL Batting Title, but if he can hit .350 or higher he will be only the second rookie in the expansion era (1961-) to do so. Who is the other rookie that did this? (Hint: he did win a batting title that year.)

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!

• DET RP Dylan Smith - At 25 years old Dylan Smith entered in the 7th inning with a 10-1 lead, and pitched two scoreless innings, giving up one walk and one hit, but no runs. A third round draft pick of the Tigers in 2021, Smith had been working mostly as a starter in the minors, until this year when he switched to the bullpen and has excelled at AAA/AA for a combined 1.61 ERA in 22.1 IP, allowing only 9 hits and striking out 32.

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

• CIN 3B Jeimer Candelario

🤕 Placed on the IL

• LAA 3B Yoan Moncada - 10-day IL (right knee inflammation)

• LAA RP Robert Stephenson - 15-day IL (right biceps inflammation)

• ATH SP Gunnar Hoglund - 15-day IL (left hip impingement)

• ATH LF Miguel Andujar - 10-day IL (strained right oblique)

League Leaders

It has been nearly two weeks since I reported on the stolen bases leaderboard, so here we go:

• 21 - CHW Luis Robert Jr.

• 20 - PIT Oneil Cruz

• 20 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 19 - TBR José Caballero

• 19 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 19 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 17 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 16 - STL Victor Scott II

• 16 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 16 - PHI Trea Turner

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 3…

• 1888: Casey at the Bat is first printed. According to baseball-reference.com, “The poem Casey at the Bat is first printed in the San Francisco Examiner under the pen name "Phin". Its author will later be revealed to be Ernest Lawrence Thayer.”

• 1918: Dutch Leonard threw his second no-hitter. Dutch Leonard of the Boston Red Sox pitches his second career no-hitter, beating the Detroit Tigers, 5-0.

• 1932: Lou Gehrig hits four HR. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Lou Gehrig hits four consecutive home runs and narrowly misses a fifth, and Tony Lazzeri hits for the cycle as the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 20-13. The Yankees set a major league record for total bases with 50 and both teams set a still-standing record for extra bases with 41.”

• 1952: Nine player trade between Boston and Detroit. As described at baseball-reference.com, “In a blockbuster trade, the Boston Red Sox send Walt Dropo, Don Lenhardt, Johnny Pesky, Fred Hatfield and Bill Wight to Detroit for George Kell, Hoot Evers, Dizzy Trout and Johnny Lipon.”

• 1971: Ken Holtzman threw his second no-hitter. Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs pitches his second career no-hitter, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0.

• 1980: The Mets draft Darryl Strawberry with their #1 pick. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The New York Mets select 18-year-old Darryl Strawberry from Los Angeles's Crenshaw High School with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft. The Blue Jays then pick shortstop Garry Harris.” (Alas, Harris will never get above AA.)

• 1995: Pedro Martinez is perfect… until he isn’t. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos pitches nine perfect innings against San Diego before giving up a leadoff double to Bip Roberts in the 10th inning of the Expos' 1-0 win. Martinez becomes the second pitcher in history, after Harvey Haddix, to have a perfect game broken up in extra innings.”

• 2017: Edinson Volquez threw a no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Edinson Volquez of the Marlins throws the first no-hitter of the year, defeating the Diamondbacks, 3-0. He allows a pair of walks, but both baserunners are erased on double plays, so he faces the minimum 27 batters in his masterpiece. He almost leaves the game after one batter, after he collides with Rey Fuentes at first base and turns his ankle, but he stays in and pitches the game of his life.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Jim Gentile (1934) came up through the Dodgers minor league system, hitting ample HR at most levels. But after struggling in his first two short stints in the majors, he was traded after the 1959 season to the Orioles. He was an All-Star immediately for Baltimore, hitting 21 HR with 98 RBI and a .292 average while coming in second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote. In 1961 he had his best season, slugging 46 HR and tying for the AL lead in RBI with 141, while posting a .302/.423/.646 slash line. That was good enough to come in third in the AL MVP vote behind only Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle of course. He never reached such lofty levels again, but did hit 20+ HR the next three seasons. His playing time and numbers then declined rapidly and he bounced between a few teams and ultimately back to the minors for the 1967-68 seasons. Overall Gentile had 179 major league HR along with a .260/.368/.486 slash line and a 136 OPS+. He had even more games played in the minors, where had a total of 245 HR over 11 seasons.

• Travis Hafner (1977) played a little 1B but was primarily a DH during his 12-year major league career, almost all of which came with the Indians. A dangerous slugger from 2004-2007, he posted 20+ HR and 100+ RBI each year, with his best numbers coming in 2006 when he hit 42 HR with 117 RBI and a .308/.439/.659 slash line. His production declined significantly for the second half of his career, and he retired with 213 HR, a .273/.376/.498 slash line, and a 134 OPS+.

• Carl Everett (1971) had a 14-year major league career, that started by being the Yankees first round draft pick (10th overall) in 1990. The Marlins took him in the 1992 expansion draft, but he had limited playing time for them in 1993 and 1994. He was traded to the Mets where he played for three seasons, but really fulfilled his potential later with the Astros, Red Sox, Rangers, and White Sox. Everett provided power, with four seasons with 20+ HR and a high of 34 HR in 2000, and some speed, with four seasons of 10+ SB with a high of 27 in 1999. A two-time All-Star, Everett retired with 202 HR, 107 SB, a .271/.341/.462 slash line, and a 107 OPS+.

Currently active major leaguers born on June 3 include MIN Harrison Bader, MIN Ryan Jeffers, BAL Ramón Urías, ATH Luis Urías, TOR Eric Lauer, NYY Luis Gil (injured).

Today’s Matchups

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

• HOU vs. PIT includes Paul Skenes (2.15 ERA, 77 K in 75.1 IP) for the Pirates up against Lance McCullers Jr. in the midst of his comeback season, and who had 12 K in 6 IP in his last start, and 8 K in 4.1 IP the one before that.

• MIL vs. CIN features two strong pitchers in Freddy Peralta (2.77 ERA, 66 K in 65 IP) and CIN Hunter Greene (2.63 ERA, 66 K in 54.2 IP).

• AZ vs. ATL also features two strong pitchers, though they don’t have particularly good-looking ERA numbers this season so far: Zac Gallen (5.54 ERA, 66 K in 66.2 IP) and Spencer Strider (4.50 ERA, 15 K in 14 IP) making his fourth start of the year.

• TEX vs. TBR on the other hand involves two pitchers with very strong ERAs so far: Tyler Mahle (1.64 ERA, 48 K In 66 IP) vs. Drew Rasmussen (2.33 ERA, 48 K in 58 IP).

• NYM vs. LAD is game two of this interesting series, with Tylor Megill (3.52 ERA, 72 K in 53.2 IP) facing Clayton Kershaw (4.91 ERA, 6 K in 11 IP in three starts).

Also on the mound today are NYY Carlos Rodón, PHI Cristopher Sánchez, CHW Shane Smith, and MIN Pablo López.

And further… Sandy Alcantara (2-7 record, 8.47 ERA, 1.67 WHIP) is pitching at home against the woeful Rockies. Maybe this can be a turning point for him?

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 Rafael Devers, only 4-18 but with 2 HR vs. LAA Yusei Kikuchi

• MIL Christian Yelich, 4-15 with 2 HR and a double vs. CIN Hunter Greene

• STL Willson Contreras, 4-15 with 2 HR and a double vs. KCR Michael Lorenzen

• CLE Carlos Santana, 15-42 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. NYY Carlos Rodón

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 Max Muncy, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR and a double vs. NYM Tylor Megill

• BAL Gunnar Henderson, 4-10 with a HR and a double vs. SEA George Kirby

• BOS Rob Refsnyder, 5-11 vs. lefty LAA Yusei Kikuchi… and Refsnyder hits LHP well

• ATL Austin Riley, 6-16 with a HR, a triple, and a double vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• CIN TJ Friedl, 6-16 with a HR, a triple, and a double vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

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

• 9 - MIL Christian Yelich

• 9 - DET Colt Keith

• 8 - WAS Amed Rosario

• 8 - TOR Jonatan Clase

• 8 - AZ Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

• 8 - HOU Jeremy Peña

• 8 - MIA Jesús Sánchez

• 7 - LAD Andy Pages

• 7 - SEA Cal Raleigh

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:

• CIN Matt McLain, small sample but is 0-6 with 5 K vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• STL Nolan Arenado, 1-12 but only 1 K and the hit was a HR vs. KCR Michael Lorenzen

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

The Athletics’ rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson is hitting .355, second in the AL behind only Aaron Judge (.391). The only other rookie since 1961 (expansion era) to hit .350 or higher (in a batting title qualifying season) was Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 who led the AL with a .350 average (and also paced the AL with 56 SB and 242 hits).

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.

• 8 key Trade Deadline questions: Sellers, trade chips & more, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 6/3/2025

• Newest MVP poll shows runaway in both leagues, by Jason Foster at MLB, 6/3/2025

• Get to know these relievers -- and their elite pitches, by Theo DeRosa at MLB, 6/3/2025

• Introducing the Blyleven, by Joe Posnanski at JoeBlogs, 6/2/2025

• Rockie Mountain Lows, by Joe Posnanski at JoeBlogs, 6/2/2025

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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