The Baseball Buffet for 7/10/2025

Issue #331

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 105th day of the season had a full slate of Wednesday games:

• TOR 1, CHW 2 - Adrian Houser once against pitched well for Chicago (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), lowering his ERA on the year to 1.56 across 57.2 IP. Two White Sox relievers pitched scoreless innings, with Jordan Leasure picking up his second save of the year. The offensive sparkplug in this one was catcher Edgar Quero who went 2-3 with two doubles.

• LAD 2, MIL 3 - Tyler Glasnow pitched well in his first game back from the IL (5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), and that is a good sign for the rest of the Dodgers’ season. Jose Quintana also pitched a good game (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K), and all 13 hits in this game were singles leading to a low-scoring, 2-2 tie through nine. Brewers closer Trevor Megill struck out three in the top of the tenth, while Kirby Yates allowed a single to Jackson Chourio which drove in Sal Frelick in the bottom of the tenth.

• PHI 13, SFG 0 - Jesús Luzardo had another strong performance (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and two Phillies relievers combined with him on a 4-hit shutout. Meanwhile, Justin Verlander struck out 7 in 6 innings, but also allowed 4 runs (2 earned). Philadelphia had 17 hits overall, with Bryce Harper having a big day, going 4-6 with a HR and 3 doubles. J.T. Realmuto was 3-5 with a double, and Kyle Schwarber hit a 3-run HR, his 29th of the season.

• TBR 7, DET 3 - The Rays banged out 16 hits in this one, with Junior Caminero going 2-5 with a HR, and Jonathan Aranda going 3-4 with a double. Zack Littell allowed three runs in 5.2 innings, but then four Rays relievers held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way.

• PIT 3, KCR 4 - The Royals scored all four of their runs from HR, with Salvador Perez hitting two solo dingers, and Jac Caglianone hitting a long 2-run HR. The Pirates scored three runs in the sixth off Kris Bubic (5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), but three Royals relievers held them scoreless after that, with Carlos Estévez recording his 25th save of the year.

• SEA 6, NYY 9 - Cam Schlittler made his major league debut and struck out 7 in 5.1 innings, but also allowed 3 runs including two HR by J.P. Crawford and Jorge Polanco. Seattle tagged Jonathan Loaisiga for two HR as well, coming from Randy Arozarena and rookie Cole Young, his first in the majors. But the Yankees hit rookie Mariners starter Logan Evans early and often (4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), with Jazz Chisholm doing the most damage with two HR. Overall New York had 13 hits on the day, with Jasson Dominguez going 3-4 with a walk and a double, and Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells collecting two hits apiece.

• COL 2, BOS 10 - Lucas Giolito had another good start (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), and the Rockies only scored late from an 8th inning 2-run HR by Kyle Farmer. Meanwhile Boston tallied 15 hits including four HR by Carlos Narváez, Wilyer Abreu, Romy Gonzalez, and Jarren Duran. Also of note, after coming off the IL, DH Masataka Yoshida made his 2025 debut and was 3-4 with a double.

• MIA 2, CIN 7 - Andrew Abbott pitched well again (7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), lowering his ERA on the year to 2.07 over 91.1 innings. The Marlins scored two runs late, including a HR by Connor Norby, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Reds had homers from Noelvi Marte and Will Benson, and Elly De La Cruz went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. Miami’s starter Sandy Alcantara struggled yet again (5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), and at this point you really have to wonder what trade value the 29-year old will (or won’t) provide to Marlins at the deadline.

• CHC 2, MIN 4 - David Festa pitched fairly well (5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), and four Twins relievers kept the Cubs off the board the rest of the way, with Jhoan Duran pitching the ninth and locking down his 14th save. Carlos Correa was 2-4 with a double and a RBI, and Matt Wallner was 2-3 with a solo HR.

• WAS 8, STL 2 - MacKenzie Gore pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and the Nationals had HR from Nathaniel Lowe, Amed Rosario, and James Wood, his 24th of the season.

• CLE 4, HOU 2 - Both starters did well in this one: Slade Cecconi (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) and Brandon Walter (6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K). José Ramírez hit his 17th HR of the year, and Paul Sewald notched his second save.

• TEX 8, LAA 11 - Both teams scored early and throughout in this one, with the Rangers getting HR from Marcus Semien and Kyle Higashioka, and the Angels getting two from Mike Trout, one from Travis d’Arnaud, plus a go-ahead 2-run blast by Jorge Soler in the bottom of the eighth. As the 14th pitcher called upon between the two teams, Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to earn his 16th save.

• AZ 8, SDP 2 - Gavin Sheets hit a HR for the Padres, but Brandon Pfaadt otherwise pitched a good game (8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K). Dylan Cease struck out 8 in 6 innings, but also allowed three HR to James McCann, Eugenio Suárez (his 29th of the season), and Geraldo Perdomo (a grand slam). After striking out four times, Corbin Carroll hit his 21st HR of the year in the ninth.

• ATL 9, ATH 2 - Bryce Elder spread out the hits he allowed (6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) and he was backed by an onslaught of five Braves HR against Athletics starter Mitch Spence (6 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Ronald Acuña Jr. had two, and Drake Baldwin, Austin Riley, and Marcell Ozuna had one apiece.

• NYM vs. BAL - postponed

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

As I noted recently in League Leaders section of this newsletter, the National League’s batting average leaderboard is not looking strong at the moment. Dodgers catcher Will Smith is batting .326—but he is dangerously close to not qualifying as he doesn’t play every day, and any time on the IL could easily take him off the list. His teammate Freddie Freeman has been over .300 this year, but currently sits at .299 as the second highest in the NL. Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves is batting .336, but after his late start he might not end up with enough plate appearances to qualify at the end of the season.

So today’s question is: what is the all-time lowest AL or NL batting average champion?

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

• TEX SP/RP Jon Gray

• CHW SP Davis Martin

• LAD RP Blake Treinen

🤕 Placed on the IL

• CHW LF Brooks Baldwin - 10-day IL (lower back strain)

• CHC RP Porter Hodge - 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement)

❌ Designated for Assignment

• NYY 2B DJ LeMahieu - I’m assuming the 36-year old, two-time batting champion will be picked up by someone. His first two seasons in NY were good, the next two OK, but the last two and half quite disappointing. What does he have left is the question? One value is versatility, as he can be play 1B, 2B, or 3B.

MLB Debut Yesterday

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

• NYY SP Cam Schlittler - As noted above, the 24-year old started for the Yankees against the Mariners and did well enough to earn the win (5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). Before the call-up he had a 2.82 ERA, with 99 K in 76.2 IP across both AA and AAA this year.

• AZ 1B Tristin English - The 28-year old batted seventh and went 0-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts. Before the call-up he was hitting quite well at AAA with 9 HR, 23 doubles, and a .338 average in 58 games.

League Leaders

Bobby Witt Jr. hit another double in the Royals 4-3 win over the Pirates, further distancing himself from the pack on the doubles leaderboard:

• 31 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 25 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 24 - ATH Lawrence Butler

• 24 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 24 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 24 - KCR Maikel Garcia

• 24 - KCR Salvador Perez

• 23 - SFG Rafael Devers

• 23 - LAD Freddie Freeman

• 23 - ATL Matt Olson

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 July 10…

• 1920: Tris Speaker’s consecutive hits streak ends at 11. As described at baseball-reference.com, “After banging out 11 straight hits, Tris Speaker is stopped by Tom Zachary of Washington. It's the record until Pinky Higgins of the Red Sox racks up 12 in a row in 1938.”

• 1932: Tough times, but it is generally best to bring more than two pitchers to each game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Indians flychaser Johnny Burnett collects a record nine hits in 11 at-bats in an 18-inning game in which the A's outscore the Tribe, 18-17. Jimmie Foxx hits three home runs, and has 16 total bases and eight RBI for the A's. After Philadelphia starter Lew Krausse is knocked out in the 1st inning, Eddie Rommel is forced to hurl 17 innings in relief as manager/owner Connie Mack, trying to save train fare, has brought only two pitchers; Rommel gives up a record 29 hits.”

• 1934: King Carl’s famed All-Star game accomplishment. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The second annual All-Star Game produces Carl Hubbell's amazing feat of striking out five future Hall of Famers in a row. Off to a shaky start with two on base in the 1st inning, Hubbell uses his screwball to fan Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. He adds Al Simmons and Joe Cronin to start the 2nd. After three scoreless innings he leaves with the National League ahead, 4 - 0. The American League rallies, scoring nine runs off Lon Warneke, Van Mungo and Dizzy Dean, while Mel Harder pitches five shutout innings in relief of Red Ruffing to hold the lead. Frankie Frisch and Joe Medwick hit homers. Earl Averill's three RBI are decisive for the AL's 9-7 victory.”

• 1936: Chuck Klein his four HR. I had always assumed Klein’s 4-HR game occurred at his home park, the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, where he batted .395 with a .705 slugging percentage over his career. But as described at baseball-reference.com, “At Forbes Field, Chuck Klein hits four home runs in one game, including the tie-breaker in the 10th, helping the Phillies defeat the Pirates, 9-6. The Indianapolis, Indiana native barely misses hitting an additional homer in the 2nd when right fielder Paul Waner catches his drive against the wall. At 36, Klein is the oldest player ever to accomplish the feat, and the first National Leaguer in the 20th century to do so.”

• 1982: Larry Parrish hits his third grand slam in a week. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Rangers' Larry Parrish hits his third grand slam of the week in a 6-5 win over the Tigers, tying the major-league record set by Detroit's Jim Northrup in 1968. Parrish also hit grand slams on July 4th against Oakland and July 7th against Boston.”

• 1999: Carlton Fisk’s famed World Series HR ball is sold at auction. As described at baseball-reference.com, “At Leland's ‘Hero's Auction' of sports memorabilia held in New York, the ball batted by Carlton Fisk in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series which hit the Fenway Park foul pole, ending one of the most dramatic games in World Series history, is sold for $113,273. George Foster, the Reds' left fielder who retrieved and kept the historic home run ball, decided to sell the souvenir after realizing its potential value after Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball sold for almost $3 million.” If both balls were sold again today, would the Fisk ball fetch the higher price, given the difference in sentimentality and nostalgia around the two events?

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Andre Dawson (1954) is a Hall of Famer who played in the majors for 21-years, mostly as a RF and CF for the Expos and Cubs, with his final four season with the Red Sox and Marlins. He was NL Rookie of the Year in 1977 after hitting 19 HR with 21 SB and a .282 average. An 8-time All-Star, Dawson won eight NL Gold Glove Awards and was well-known for his strong throwing arm. He had a nice combination of power and speed, hitting 20+ HR in 13 seasons with 20+ SB in seven seasons. He was NL MVP runner-up in both 1981 and 1983, and then took home the award in 1987 after leading the NL with 49 HR and 137 RBI. Overall, Dawson had 2,774 hits, 438 HR, 314 SB, 1,591 RBI, a .279/.323/.482 slash line, and a 119 OPS+.

• Hal McRae (1945) was drafted by the Reds in 1965 and played his first several partial seasons in the majors in Cincinnati. After the 1972 season he was traded to the Royals where he played the rest of his 19-year career. McRae spent some time in LF but was primarily a DH, usually hitting at or above .300 and with some power, including 21 HR and a league-leading 54 doubles in 1977, and then a career high 27 HR and AL-leading 133 RBI and 46 doubles in 1982. A 3-time All-Star, McRae ended up with 191 HR, 1,097 RBI, a .290/.351/.454 slash line, and a 123 OPS+.

• Bobby Lowe (1865) had an 18-year major league career which spanned from 1890-1907, spent mostly with Boston in the National League, with a few seasons with the Cubs and Tigers. He primarily played 2B, but also saw action at 3B and LF. Lowe had six seasons with 20+ SB, including a high of 43 in 1891. He scored 130 runs in 1893 and 158 in the high-offense season of 1894. Overall he had 1,135 runs, 1,934 hits, 303 SB, and a .273 average.

Currently active players who were born on July 10 include ATH Lawrence Butler, TBR Taylor Walls, TBR Johnny DeLuca, AZ Jalen Beeks, and SFG Scott Alexander.

Today’s Matchups

A short slate of Thursday games (11), which includes one make-up game from yesterday. Some games that jump out to me are:

• NYM vs. BAL is a doubleheader due to the rainout yesterday. The Mets are neck-and-neck with the Phillies in the NL East, so winning a DH would be huge for them. David Peterson (3.18 ERA, 87 K in 102 IP) faces Charlie Morton (5.47 ERA, 84 K in 77.1 IP) in game 1, with an as of now undetermined started going in game two against the Orioles’ Tomoyuki Sugano (4.44 ERA, 57 K in 93.1 IP).

• SEA vs. NYY features Bryan Woo who is having a good season thus far (2.77 ERA, 104 K in 107.1 IP), with the Yankees going with Marcus Stroman who has looked better in his two starts since coming back from the IL. If he can be counted on for the rest of the year, that would be a big lift for the Yankees given the loss of Clarke Schmidt from the rotation.

• ATL vs. ATH is a series that to me feels like do or die for the Braves. They won yesterday, and have Spencer Strider (3.93 ERA, 63 K in 55 IP) going today, with the A’s countering with JP Sears (4.76 ERA, 73 K in 92.2 IP). If they can get a sweep in this series, then given the talent on their roster, I’d say the Braves’ season is still alive, if obviously a longshot for the playoffs. They are 13 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, and 9.5 games behind the Giants for the final Wild Card spot. To quote Jim Carrey, “So you’re telling there’s a chance?!”

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:

• NYM Juan Soto, 8-12 with 3 HR vs. BAL Charlie Morton… ouch!

• WAS Josh Bell, 10-34 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• TEX Adolis Garcia, small sample but is 2-4 with 2 HR vs. LAA Jack Kochanowicz

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:

• LAA Travis d’Arnaud, 9-20 vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• LAA Taylor Ward, 4-10 with a double vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• AZ Corbin Carroll, 5-10 with 3 doubles vs. SDP Randy Vásquez

• WAS CJ Abrams, 5-13 with a HR vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• SDP Jose Iglesias, 5-14 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

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:

• 14 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 14 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 13 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 13 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 10 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 10 - SEA J.P. Crawford

• 9 - HOU Mauricio Dubón

• 9 - BOS Romy Gonzalez

• 8 - COL Tyler Freeman

• 8 - CHC Dansby Swanson

• 8 - MIL Jackson Chourio

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 Manny Machado, 6-39 with 7 K vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• LAA Jorge Soler, 2-21 with 6 K vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• WAS Luis García Jr., 2-14 with 2 K vs. STL Miles Mikolas

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Any league batting average champion below .320 I’d say is notably low, but by far the record is Carl Yastrzemski’s .301 average in the AL in 1968, the “Year of the Pitcher”. Pete Rose hit .335 that year in the NL, but only Yaz managed to get past the .300 mark in the AL. The only other batting champion below .310 has been Elmer Flick with a .308 average in 1905 in the AL.

Of course, Luis Arráez is lurking with a .289 average after a slow start to the season. He has won three batting titles in a row and owns a .319 career average, so perhaps he can get things going in NL?

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.

• Each team's best Draft pick of the past decade, by Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra at MLB, 7/9/2025

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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