The Baseball Buffet for 6/8/2025

Issue #299

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 73rd day of the season had a full slate of Saturday games:

• CHC 6, DET 1 - The Cubs scored all six of their runs from five HR: two by Seiya Suzuki, and one each from Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matt Shaw. Meanwhile, Jameson Taillon pitched well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and the two Chicago relievers held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way.

• AZ 3, CIN 4 (Gm 1) - This game had been suspended yesterday at 3-3 after six innings. The Reds had gotten HR from TJ Friedl and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and the D-Backs had two HR from Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo. Today neither team could get any scoring going through the end of nine innings, and Arizona didn’t score in the top of the tenth either. In the bottom of the tenth, with one out and Jake Fraley on second as the ghost-running Manfred Man, Encarnacion-Strand doubled to center to drive him in for the win.

• AZ 1, CIN 13 (Gm 2) - The Reds scored all 13 of their runs in the first four innings off Ryne Nelson (3 IP, 4 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) and Kendall Graveman (1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K). That barrage included a 3-run HR by Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and a grand slam by Gavin Lux. Eugenio Suárez hit his 17th HR of the year, but Nick Martinez otherwise pitched well for Cincinnati (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K).

• PHI 1, PIT 2 - Kyle Schwarber hit a HR in the first inning, but Andrew Heaney otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Ranger Suárez also let up a run in the first inning, but then settled in (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), until allowing a go-ahead solo HR to Pirates catcher Henry Davis. Three Pirates relievers shut out the Phillies for the final three innings, with David Bednar recording his 8th save.

• TOR 5, MIN 4 - Chris Paddack pitched fairly well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) and both Matt Wallner and Kody Clemens hit homers for Minnesota. But Toronto also had two HR, by Tyler Heineman and George Springer.

• LAD 1, STL 2 - The Dodgers had nine hits, but they were all singles, and they went 0-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 baserunners overall. That was unfortunate as Yoshinobu Yamamoto was once again excellent (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). The Cardinals finally scored a run in the 8th, and then again in the bottom of the ninth when Nolan Gorman hit a ground-rule double, and Nolan Arenado eventually singled to drive in the winning run.

• TEX 5, WAS 0 - Mitchell Parker pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), but Jacob deGrom was outstanding (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), and two Texas relievers combined for a 3-hit shutout. Leadoff hitter Sam Haggerty went 3-5 with 2 runs, and the Rangers tried Marcus Semien in the cleanup spot and he responded by going 2-3 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI.

• ATL 2, SFG 3 - Michael Harris II hit his 4th HR of the season, and Bryce Elder was outstanding (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K). Logan Webb pitched well also (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K), and the Giants came back in the bottom of the ninth when Matt Chapman hit a walk-off, 2-run HR off Pierce Johnson.

• KCR 1, CHW 4 - Michael Wacha allowed two HR to White Sox rookies Tim Elko and Chase Meidroth. Meanwhile, Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 10th HR of the year, but Adrian Houser once again pitched well (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) giving him a tidy 1.48 ERA across 4 starts and 24.1 IP. Three Chicago relievers held Kansas City scoreless the rest of the way, with Dan Altavilla notching his first save of 2025.

• MIA 11, TBR 10 - There were a lot of runs early in this one, with the score being 4-4 after three innings and 10-9 after six innings. The Rays had five HR, including two by Christopher Morel, and one each from Danny Jansen, Taylor Walls, and Brandon Lowe. The Marlins only had one HR, from Jesús Sánchez, his 5th on the year. But they were otherwise very productive, collecting 13 total hits and going and amazing 9 for 13 with runners in scoring position. The game was tied 10-10 after nine innings, and in the top of the tenth Heriberto Hernandez singled to center to drive in Otto Lopez who was the ghost-running Manfred Man on second. Cade Gibson then came back out for a second relief inning in the bottom of the tenth and held the Rays scoreless to secure the win. Gibson now has a 1.06 ERA in 10 appearances and 17 innings pitched.

• BOS 10, NYY 7 - Garrett Crochet struck out 9 in 6 innings, but also allowed 5 earned runs, including a 3-run HR by Austin Wells, his 10th on the season. But the Red Sox offense jumped on Ryan Yarbrough (4 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) who recently had been pitching very effectively. Boston tallied 14 total hits, with 1B Romy Gonzalez going 3-4 including his first HR of the season, and Trevor Story going 3-5 with a double and 5 RBI. Aroldis Chapman came in for the ninth and secured his 10th save.

• SDP 3, MIL 4 - Stephen Kolek pitched well (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K), but so did Jose Quintana (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). The Brewers built up a lead later in the game, but the Padres’ Luis Arraez hit a double off Trevor Megill in the top of the ninth which drove in two runs to tie the game 3-3. In the bottom of the ninth, the first batter up, Caleb Durbin, hit a walk-off solo HR to win it.

• SEA 6, LAA 8 - The Mariners out hit the Angels 14-11 in this one, including getting two more HR from catcher Cal Raleigh, who now has an MLB-leading 26 on the year. But Luis Castillo (5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) allowed three homers, two by Jo Adell and one from Chris Taylor, his first with the team. Los Angeles spread their scoring around, having at least one run in each inning except the first and eighth. They also used seven pitchers, with Kenley Jansen finally pitching the ninth of this 14th save.

• NYM 8, COL 1 - The Rockies collected 10 hits but were 0-8 with runners in scoring position. Ryan McMahon had a solo HR, but Clay Holmes otherwise pitched well enough (6 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). Germán Márquez again struggled, giving up three HR to Ronny Mauricio, Jared Young, and Jeff McNeil.

• BAL 7, ATH 4 - The Athletics’ hitters collected 8 hits and 8 walks, but also left 12 runners on base. Meanwhile, Luis Severino (5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K) allowed HR to Ramon Laureano and Colton Cowser. After Charlie Morton allowed four runs in the first inning (2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K), six Orioles relievers shut out the Athletics the rest of the way, with Felix Bautista striking out three in the ninth for his 12th save.

Today’s Trivia Question

Pete Alonso is currently leading the NL in RBI with 57 (he is also one up on Rafael Devers who has 56, so is leading all of MLB at present.) Alonso led the NL with 131 RBI in 2022 as well. Who is the only other New York Mets hitter to lead the NL in RBI?

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

• ATH 1B Nick Kurtz

🤕 Placed on the IL

• PIT 1B/C Endy Rodriguez - 10-day IL (right elbow inflammation)

• PHI 1B Bryce Harper - 10-day IL (right wrist inflammation)

• AZ RP Cristian Mena - 15-day IL (right shoulder strain)

• LAD SP Tony Gonsolin - 15-day IL (right elbow discomfort)

Also of note, the Dodgers bullpen got a boost as both Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech are back from the IL.

And in the department of “Well that didn’t last long,” after only one appearance back in the majors, reliever Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves. As Mark Bowman at MLB describes, after working hard in the minors to get the call back up, Kimbrel was released as his stuff wasn’t particularly strong on Friday, and no doubt Atlanta can fill the spot with a lower-cost option. I wonder if another team in need of bullpen help will take a chance on the 37-year old Kimbrel?

MLB Debut Yesterday

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

• PHI 3B Otto Kemp - The 25-year old 3B went 0-3 with two strikeouts in his first MLB game. He had been hitting very well at AAA, with 14 HR, 19 doubles, and 11 SB in 58 games, with a .313/.416/.594 slash line.

• Christian Montes De Oca - As noted above, Ryne Nelson and Kendall Graveman allowed 13 runs in four innings yesterday. So 25-year old Christian Montes De Oca’s major league debut was essentially mop-up duty. But he did well, pitching 2.2 innings, not allowing any hits or runs, walking one, and striking out two. At AAA he had a 4.07 ERA in 17 appearances with 26 K in 24.1 IP.

League Leaders

With Boston’s Garrett Crochet’s nine strikeouts yesterday we at least temporarily have a new MLB leader:

• 110 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 108 - WAS MacKenzie Gore

• 105 - DET Tarik Skubal

• 101 - SFG Logan Webb

• 98 - NYY Carlos Rodón.

• 96 - ATL Chris Sale

• 94 - PHI Zack Wheeler

• 93 - HOU Hunter Brown

• 87 - SFG Robbie Ray

• 86 - LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

• 85 - SDP Dylan Cease

• 85 - PIT Paul Skenes

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 8…

• 1920: Edd Roush falls asleep in center field. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Edd Roush of the Cincinnati Reds falls asleep in center field during a long argument in the infield. Heinie Groh goes out to wake him, but the chief umpire ejects Roush for delaying the game.”

• 1935: An injury almost ends Gehrig’s streak. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Lou Gehrig collides with Carl Reynolds on a play at first base and leaves the game with arm and shoulder injuries. His consecutive games streak is preserved, in part, by a rainout of the next day's game and an open date.”

• 1961: The Braves hit four consecutive HR. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Milwaukee Braves set a major-league record with four consecutive home runs in the 7th inning against Cincinnati. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron hit back-to-back home runs off starter Jim Maloney; Joe Adcock greets reliever Marshall Bridges with another home run, and Frank Thomas sets the record. When these four teammates end their major-league careers, they will have hit a combined total of 1,889 homers. For all the bombardment, the Braves lose, 10-8.”

• 1965: Rick Monday is drafted first. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Arizona State star sophomore Rick Monday, selected by the Kansas City Athletics, is the first player chosen in the initial major league free-agent draft of high school, college, and sandlot players. Picking second, the Mets take pitcher Les Rohr. In the 10th round, they finally take Nolan Ryan. Cincinnati picks Johnny Bench in the second round.”

• 1977: Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 batters again. Nolan Ryan had his fourth career 19-strikeout game, hurling the first 10 innings of a game against Toronto.

• 1982: Satchel Paige dies of a heart attack at the age of 75. Paige was arguably the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues, and is one of the greatest overall in major league baseball history.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Van Mungo (1911) pitched in the majors for 14 years, spanning from 1931 to 1945. A four-time All-Star, he played mostly for the Brooklyn Dodgers, with his last three years for the New York Giants. He was a bit wild, leading the NL in walks three times, but also led the NL with 238 K in 1936. He retired with a 120-115 record, 3.47 ERA, and 110 ERA+.

• Del Ennis (1925) had a 14-year major league career as a LF and RF, mostly with the Phillies. A 3-time All-Star, Ennis had some power, hitting 25+ HR seven times and posting 100+ RBI seven times, including leading the NL with 126 RBI in 1950. He received down-ballot MVP consideration eight times, and retired with 288 HR, 1,284 RBI, a .284/.340/.472 slash line, and a 117 OPS+.

• Mark Belanger (1944) had an 18-year career as a great defensive SS, playing all but his final season with the Orioles. As such, he combined with 3B Brooks Robinson to make for a very good left side of the infield. Unlike Robinson, Belanger was a very light hitter, with a .228 career batting average and only 20 HR in 2,016 games played. He could run a bit, and stole 10+ bases nine times, with a high of 27 in 1976, his one All-Star campaign. But he took home eight AL Gold Glove Awards and frequently led or was amongst the leaders in various defensive statistics.

Players who are currently active and were born on June 8 include MIA Connor Norby and ATH T.J. McFarland.

Today’s Matchups

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

• PHI vs. PIT features a nice pitching matchup with Christopher Sánchez (3.15 ERA, 74 K in 65.2 IP) taking on Paul Skenes (2.05 ERA, 85 K in 83.1 IP).

• CHC vs. DET is interesting as two of the best teams in baseball have split the first two games of the series 1-1. The Cubs have Cade Horton (3.51 IP, 19 K in 25.2 IP) and the Tigers will go with Jack Flaherty (3.72 IP, 76 K in 65.1 IP).

Also on the hill today are TBR Drew Rasmussen, MIL Freddy Peralta, MIN Joe Ryan, LAD Clayton Kershaw, ATL Spencer Strider, and NYY Carlos Rodón.

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, 22-74 (.297) with 5 HR and 4 doubles vs. LAD Clayton Kershaw

• CHC Kyle Tucker, small sample but is 2-6 with 2 HR vs. DET Jack Flaherty

• TEX Jake Burger, small sample but is 2-6 with 2 HR vs. WAS Trevor Williams

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:

• SEA Julio Rodríguez, 6-11 with a HR and a double vs. LAA Tyler Anderson

• CHC Dansby Swanson, 5-14 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. DET Jack Flaherty

• BOS Rob Refsnyder, 4-12 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. lefty NYY Carlos Rodón (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:

• 13 - HOU Jeremy Peña

• 9 - MIN Brooks Lee

• 8 - CHC Michael Busch

• 8 - ATH Jacob Wilson

• 8 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 7 - CLE José Ramírez

• 7 - COL Tyler Freeman

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 Garrett Hampson, 0-12 with 3 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• CIN Gavin Lux, 2-16 with 5 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• SEA Dylan Moore, 2-13 with 6 K vs. LAA Tyler Anderson

• SFG Dominic Smith, 0-9 with 5 K vs. ATL Spencer Strider

• LAA Logan O’Hoppe, small sample but is 0-7 with 5 K vs. SEA George Kirby

• AZ Josh Naylor, 3-26 though only 3 K and two of the hits were a HR and a double, vs. CIN Brady Singer

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Pete Alonso is currently leading the NL (and all of MLB) in RBI with 57. He also led the NL with 131 RBI in 2022. The only other New York Mets hitter to lead the NL in RBI was Howard Johnson with 117 in 1991. That was his third and final 30/30 season, as he led the NL with 38 HR and stole 30 bases.

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.

• Ranking the most compelling first-time ASG starter candidates, by Brent Maguire at MLB, 7/7/2025

• Which contenders could use bullpen help at Deadline?, by Theo DeRosa at MLB, 7/7/2025

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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