The Baseball Buffet for 6/4/2025

Issue #295

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 69th day of the season had a full slate of Tuesday games:

• HOU 3, PIT 0 - As I suggested yesterday could happen, this one was quite a pitchers duel. Paul Skenes was excellent (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8K) but did allow one solo HR to Christian Walker in the seventh inning. Isaac Paredes hit a 2-run HR in the ninth to give the Astros some insurance. Meanwhile Lance McCullers Jr. continued his string of strong outings (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and Shawn Dubin, Bryan Abreu, and Josh Hader combined for the four-hit shutout, with Hader notching his 16th save.

• COL 3, MIA 2 - Sandy Alcantara really needed an easy matchup to help right his ship, and sure enough he had one of his better starts of the year (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). The game was tied 2-2 through seven innings when Hunter Goodman hit his 10th HR of the year, and then Colorado relievers Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen held the Marlins scoreless in the final two innings.

• CHC 8, WAS 3 - Cubs 1B Michael Busch provided the big hitting in this one, going 3-4 with a HR, a triple, a walk, and 3 RBI. Pete Crow-Amstrong was 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, 2 SB, and 2 runs scored.

• CLE 2, NYY 3 - Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe each had a HR off Tanner Bibee (6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), while Carlos Rodón was excellent (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). With Luke Weaver ailing, the Yankees returned to Devin Williams in the ninth. He allowed two hits and a run, but ultimately secured his 6th save on the year.

• PHI 8, TOR 3 - The Phillies scored six runs off Bowden Francis in the first inning, including back-to-back HR by Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. Turner would add a second HR later in the game, and Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). The Jays scored their three runs from homers by Davis Schneider and Addison Barger, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Of note, Barger has now had a HR in each of his last four games.

• LAA 4, BOS 3 - Ceddanne Rafaela went 3-5 with a HR and a double, and Jarren Duran was 2-5 with two doubles. But the Red Sox overall were 1-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. The Angels had scored three in the second inning from a series of singles, but then nothing after that so the game was tied 3-3 through nine. In the top of the tenth Taylor Ward came up with the bases loaded and no one out. He grounded into a double play, but Zach Neto scored. Having already used closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, Reid Detmers was called upon for the bottom of the tenth. He struck out two and secured his first save on the year.

• MIL 2, CIN 4 - Freddy Peralta struck out 9 in 6 innings, but allowed a 2-run HR to Tyler Stephenson. Meanwhile Sal Frelick had a HR, but Hunter Greene otherwise pitched well (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), and four Reds relievers shut out the Brewers the rest of the game, with Emilio Pagán recording his 15th save.

• AZ 8, ATL 3 - Rookie Drake Baldwin had a HR, but Zac Gallen otherwise pitched well (7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Spencer Strider struggled and gave up three homers, two to Ketel Marte, and one to Corbin Carroll (who later matched Marte by hitting his second of the game in the 9th inning).

• TEX 1, TBR 5 - Kameron Misner and Junior Caminero each had a solo HR, while Drew Rasmussen was excellent on the mound (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). The Rangers hitters again disappointed by striking out 12 times and only getting four hits.

• DET 1, CHW 8 - Michael A. Taylor hit a 3-run HR and the White Sox tallied 10 hits off six different Detroit pitchers. Meanwhile Shane Smith did well once again (5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), finally earning his second win of the year (he has a 2.45 ERA with 60 K in 62.1 IP).

• KCR 10, STL 7 - There were 25 total hits in this one, with neither starting pitcher doing particularly well: Andre Pallante (4.1 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) and Michael Lorenzen (2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). The Royals had HR from Bobby With Jr. and Nick Loftin, while St. Louis had HR from Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson. Things calmed down after the sixth inning, with no further scoring by either team, and Carlos Estévez striking out two in the bottom of the ninth for his 17th save.

• BAL 5, SEA 1 - Rowdy Tellez hit his 9th HR of the year in the second inning, but Tomoyuki Sugano otherwise pitched well (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). Adley Rutschman was 3-5 and scored twice, and Colton Cowser hit a HR in his first game back after two months on the IL.

• SDP 3, SFG 2 - Heliot Ramos hit a 2-run HR in the third inning, but Ryan Bergert otherwise pitched well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Manny Machado was 4 for 4 on the day, including a bases loaded single in the top of the ninth which tied the game at 2-2. In the top of the tenth, with Jackson Merrill as the ghost-running Manfred Man having already advanced to third, Jake Cronenworth hit a two-out single to right to drive him in. Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada then got three ground outs in the bottom of the frame to notch his second save on the year.

• MIN 10, ATH 3 - After Grant Holman got the first four outs as the Athletics’ opener, Jacob Lopez came in and struck out 9 in 4.1 innings—but also allowed five runs off three HR (two by Willi Castro and one by Trevor Larnach.)

• NYM 5, LAD 6 - The Dodgers scored four in the first inning, including a 2-run HR by Max Muncy. The Mets came back and had a 5-4 lead when Muncy hit a another HR in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. Tanner Scott struck out two for a scoreless top of the tenth, and then in the bottom of the inning Freddie Freeman doubled to left to drive in Tommy Edman who was on second as the ghost-running Manfred Man.

Today’s Trivia Question

It is good to see Mike Trout healthy and playing again. He recently climbed into second place in hits (1,676) on the All-Time Angels franchise leaderboard. Can you name who is their all-time career hits leader? And bonus points if you can name any of the other three Angels players who have had 1,500 or more hits.

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!

• KCR 1B/OF Jac Caglianone - The 22-year old, first round (6th overall) pick from 2024 debuted yesterday as the Royals DH, going 0-5, but with four hard-hit outs and no strikeouts. Before being called up he had hit 15 HR with 56 RBI and a .322/.389/.593 slash line combined between AAA/AA this year.

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

• WAS CF Jacob Young

• LAA RP Garrett McDaniels

• NYM SP Frankie Montas

• ATH RP T.J. McFarland

🤕 Placed on the IL

• MIA SP Max Meyer - 15-day IL (left hip impingement)

• CHW SP Jonathan Cannon - 15-day IL (lower back strain)

• NYM 3B Mark Vientos - 10-day IL (right hamstring strain)

• SFG SP Jordan Hicks - 15-day IL (right great toe inflammation)

• AZ SP Corbin Burnes - 15-day IL (right elbow inflammation)

• NYY RP Luke Weaver - 15-day IL (left hamstring strain)

• BOS RP Nick Burdi - 15-day IL (right foot contusion)

League Leaders

Aaron Judge is still in the BA lead, but has been coming back down to Earth a bit… while Freddie Freeman has been on the rise:

• .387 - NYY Aaron Judge

• .369 - LAD Freddie Freeman

• .355 - ATH Jacob Wilson

• .335 - BAL Ryan O’Hearn

• .330 - CLE José Ramírez

• .327 - NYY Paul Goldschmidt

• .324 - TBR Jonathan Arranda

• .323 - LAD Will Smith

• .321 - STL Brendan Donovan

• .315 - SDP Manny Machado

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 4…

• 1950: Ernie Banks makes his professional debut. Ernie Banks debuts with the Kansas City Monarchs, going 3 for 7 in a doubleheader against the Memphis Red Sox.

• 1964: Sandy Koufax threw a no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Sandy Koufax becomes the fourth pitcher to hurl three no-hitters by blanking the N.L.-leading Phillies 3-0 at Connie Mack Stadium. Koufax strikes out 12 and walks one.”

• 1967: Curt Flood finally makes an error. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Curt Flood’s record string of 568 straight chances without an error ends when he drops a fly ball during a 4-3 win over the Cubs at St. Louis. The Cardinals center fielder had played an NL-record 227 straight games without an error beginning Sept. 3, 1965.”

• 1990: Ramon Martinez strikes out 18. Dodgers 22-year old Ramon Martinez strikes out 18 Braves in a 2-0 win. He ties Sandy Koufax's club record and is one short of the N.L. mark.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Darin Erstad (1974) was the first overall pick in the 1995 draft, and was up with the Angels for part of the 1996 season. A high average hitter with some speed on the bases, Erstad had 20+ SB five times with a high of 28 in 2000. That was by far his best season overall, as he led the AL with 240 hits, scored 121 runs, and had career highs of 25 HR, 100 RBI, and a .355 average. He played a mix of 1B, LF, and CF throughout his career, and was excellent defensively at all three, winning three Gold Glove Awards. A two-time All-Star, overall for his 14-year career he had 124 HR, 179 HR, and a .282/.336/.407 slash line.

• Tony Peña (1957) was a catcher for 18 years in the majors, playing his first seven seasons for the Pirates, and the rest for the Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. He was a capable hitter early in his career, hitting 10+ HR six times, and batting .285 from 1981-1986. A five-time All-Star, Peña was best known for his outstanding defense, with eight seasons in his league’s top-5 in runners caught trying to steal (including leading his league three times). Peña adopted an unorthodox squat behind the plate when there were no runners on base, extending his left leg straight out while squatting on his right leg. What he did worked, as he led his league in catcher fielding percentage twice and was in the top-5 in five other seasons. After his playing career, Peña was the manager of the Royals from 2002-2005, and was most recently the first base coach for the Yankees.

• Terry Kennedy (1956) was a contemporary of Peña, having a 14-year major league career spanning from 1978-1991. He was the first round pick (sixth overall) of the Cardinals in 1977, and had limited major league playing time in 1978-79. He had his first of four All-Star campaigns in 1981, and then posted 21 HR, 97 RBI, and a .295 average the following year. Overall he had six seasons with 10+ HR and 113 HR for his career, along with a .264/.314/.386 slash line.

• Aaron Nola (1993) was the first round pick (seventh overall) of the Phillies in 2014 after dominating hitters at LSU. After a year and a half rising up through the minors, Nola debuted with Philadelphia in 2015, going 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 starts. He was an All-Star in 2018 and finished that year with a 17-6 record, 2.37 ERA, and 224 strikeouts. He has thus far had five seasons of 200+ strikeouts, and received down-ballot Cy Young Award consideration four times. Nola is looking to rebound as he has thus far struggled in his age-32 season, going 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA in nine starts.

• Freddy Peralta (1996) is now in his eighth season as a pitcher with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was an All-Star in 2021, and over his career thus far has a 58-39 (.598) record, 3.71 ERA, 113 ERA+, and 1,015 K in 819.1 IP.

Today’s Matchups

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

• AZ vs. ATL features two good starters in Merrill Kelly (3.78 ERA, 64 K in 69 IP) and Chris Sale (3.06 ERA, 86 K in 67.2 IP).

• KCR vs. STL is interesting given how well Noah Cameron has done in his first four major league starts (1.05 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 16 K in 25.2 IP). The Cardinals will counter with veteran Miles Mikolas (3.90 ERA, 34 K in 55.1 IP).

• PHI vs. TOR features 23-year old rookie Mick Abel making his second major league starter, after doing quite well in his first game by striking out 9 in 6 innings and not allowing any runs. Toronto will go with veteran José Berríos (3.86 ERA, 65 K in 70 IP) who also struck out 9 in 6 shutout innings in his last start.

Also on the bump today are CIN Andrew Abbott, WAS MacKenzie Gore, SDP Nick Pivetta, and NYM Griffin Canning.

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:

• LAA Jorge Soler, 7-26 with 3 HR and 2 doubles vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• LAA Taylor Ward, 3-12 with 2 HR vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• KCR Jonathan India, 8-25 with 3 HR and a double vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• AZ Randal Grichuk, 6-25 with 2 HR and a double vs. ATL Chris Sale

• CLE Kyle Manzardo, small sample but is 3-5 with 2 HR vs. NYY Clarke Schmidt

• COL Mickey Moniak, small sample but is 4-7 with 2 HR and a double vs. MIA Cal Quantrill

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:

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 8-21 with a HR and a double vs. TOR José Berríos

• NYY Paul Goldschmidt, 7-10 with 2 doubles vs. CLE Luis L. Ortiz

• CLE Steven Kwan, 6-12 with a double vs. NYY Clarke Schmidt

• NYM Juan Soto, 6-15 with a triple and 2 doubles vs. LAD Tony Gonsolin

• CLE José Ramírez, 6-14 with a HR and two doubles vs. NYY Clarke Schmidt

• SFG Willy Adames, 5-11 with a HR and four doubles vs. SDP Nick Pivetta

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 - CLE Carlos Santana

• 10 - MIL Christian Yelich

• 9 - DET Colt Keith

• 9 - AZ Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

• 9 - HOU Jeremy Peña

• 9 - MIA Jesús Sánchez

• 8 - WAS Amed Rosario

• 8 - TOR Jonatan Clase

• 8 - LAD Andy Pages

• 7 - BOS Ceddanne Rafaela

• 7 - MIN Trevor Larnach

• 7 - ATH Brent Rooker

• 7 - SFG Heliot Ramos

• 7 - LAA Mike Trout

• 7 - TOR Bo Bichette

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:

• ATL Alex Verdugo, 0-12 with 1 K vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

• ATL Matt Olson, 0-10 with 2 K vs. AZ Merrill Kelly

• AZ Eugenio Suárez, small sample but is 0-9 with 6 K vs. ATL Chris Sale

• LAD Max Muncy, small sample but is 0-9 with 5 K vs. NYM Griffin Canning

• KCR Bobby Witt Jr., small sample but is 0-9 with 4 K vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• SDP Elias Díaz, small sample but is 0-9 with 3 K vs. SFG Kyle Harrison

• KCR Mark Canha, 1-12 with 2 K vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• CHC Nico Hoerner, 1-11 with 2 K vs. WAS MacKenzie Gore

• AZ Ketel Marte, 2-15 with 2 K vs. ATL Chris Sale

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Mike Trout recently climbed into second place in hits (1,676) on the All-Time Angels franchise leaderboard. Here are their top five players in career hits:

• 2,378 - Garret Anderson

• 1,676 - Mike Trout

• 1,674 - Tim Salmon

• 1,588 - Brian Downing

• 1,505 - Darin Erstad… who as noted above turns 51 today… Happy Birthday!

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.

• 7 teams that look way better than last year -- but will it last?, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 6/4/2025

• How does Cags stack up against some of the best power-hitting prospects ever?, by Joe Trezza at MLB 6/3/2025

• Here are 6 candidates to be next No. 1 overall prospect, by Sam Dykstra at MLB, 6/3/2025

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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