The Baseball Buffet for 7/11/2025

Issue #332

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 106th day of the season had a partial slate of Thursday games:

• NYM 1, BAL 3 (Gm 1) - Both starting pitchers did well: David Peterson (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) and Charlie Morton (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). The difference in the game was a 2-run, pinch-hit HR by Gunnar Henderson in the eighth inning, his 11th of the year. Felix Bautista pitched the ninth for his 18th save.

• NYM 3, BAL 7 (Gm 2) - Jordan Westburg hit a 2-run HR in the second inning, and Gunnar Henderson continued his good day by going 3-5 with a double. Newly acquired catcher Alex Jackson went 2-4 with two doubles, though he should be careful lest he fall to injury like so many other Baltimore backstops have lately.

• CHC 8, MIN 1 - Kody Clemens hit a HR in the fifth inning, but Colin Rea otherwise pitched a good game for the Cubs (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). Their lineup tallied 14 hits, with Pete Crow-Armstrong leading the way going 3-4 with two HR, and double, and a walk. Seiya Suzuki was 3-5 with two runs scored, and Dansby Swanson, Carson Kelly, and Nico Hoerner had two hits apiece.

• MIA 0, CIN 6 - Nick Lodolo pitched well (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) and four Reds relievers combined for the 4-hit shutout. Spencer Steer hit his 11th HR of the year, Elly De La Cruz went 2-4 with 2 runs and a SB, and Austin Hays went 2-3 with 3 RBI.

• TBR 3, BOS 4 - Taj Bradley pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), and the Rays got homers from Ha-Seong Kim and Junior Caminero, his 23rd on the year. They were up 3-1, but then in the bottom of the seventh Marcelo Mayer doubled to drive in one run, and Caddanne Rafaela singled to drive in two. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman each struck out two in one inning each, with Chapman securing his 16th save.

• SEA 5, NYY 6 - The Mariners built up a 5-0 lead through seven innings, including Jorge Polanco hitting a 3-run HR. Bryan Woo had a no-hitter going through seven, but finally let up two in the eighth (7.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and then Giancarlo Stanton hit a 2-run HR off reliever Matt Brash. New York tied the game 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth to force extras. Devin Williams kept Seattle off the board in the top of the tenth, and then in the bottom of the frame Mariners reliever Gabe Speier loaded the bases and Aaron Judge hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Anthony Volpe for the win and the series sweep.

• WAS 1, STL 8 - Miles Mikolas had a good game (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), and the Cardinals broke the game open by scoring five in the bottom of the sixth to go-up 7-0. Willson Contreras was 2-4 with a HR, and Masyn Winn was 2-4 with two doubles.

• ATL 4, ATH 5 - Spencer Strider struck out 11 in 6.2 IP, but also allowed 3 runs including a HR by Tyler Soderstrom, his 16th on the year. The Braves had two homers of their own, from Jurickson Profar and Ozzie Albies, and had a 4-3 lead until Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz hit a solo HR in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game and eventually force extras. A’s reliever Justin Sterner pitched two scoreless innings in the 10th and 11th, while Braves reliever Aaron Bummer, in the bottom of the 11th, allowed a walk-off single to Soderstrom, which drove in Brent Rooker for the winning run.

• TEX 11, LAA 4 - The Angels had 10 hits including homers by Taylor Ward and Zach Neto, but the four runs they produced weren’t nearly enough. The Rangers jumped on Jack Kochanowicz (2.2 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) and tallied 13 hits overall, going 7 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Marcus Semien was 4-5 with 3 runs scored and Adolis Garcia wet 2-5 with a HR.

• AZ 3, SDP 4 - The Padres had 13 hits in this one, with both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado hitting their 16th HR of the year. With only a one-run lead, San Diego closer Robert Suarez came in for the ninth and locked down his MLB-leading 27th save.

• CLE vs. CHW - 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 of now Pirates starter Paul Skenes leads MLB with a 1.94 ERA (he pitches today, so we’ll see if retains that top spot or not). Who are the only two Pirates hurlers to win National League ERA titles in the post-integration (1947) era?

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

• STL C Iván Herrera

• LAD SP Blake Snell

• CHC RP Eli Morgan

• MIL SP Nestor Cortes

➡️ Traded

• The Orioles traded relief pitcher Bryan Baker to the Rays in exchange for the No. 37 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft (a Competitive Balance Round A selection). So far this year Baker has a 3.52 ERA with 49 K in 38.1 IP.

League Leaders

Aaron Judge is back on top of the overall RBI lead, but there are four others who could over take him quickly:

• 78 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 77 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 76 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 76 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 75 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 72 - DET Riley Greene

• 70 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 69 - WAS James Wood

• 68 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 67 - SFG Rafael Devers

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 11…

• 1914: Babe Ruth makes his Boston debut. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Babe Ruth breaks in with Boston, striking out in his first at bat, but pitching a 4-3 win over Cleveland. With the score 3-3 in the 7th, Duffy Lewis pinch hits for Ruth, singles, and later scores the winning run.”

• 1927: Taking small ball to the extreme. The White Sox tie a major-league record with eight sacrifice bunts in a 7-6 win over Boston.

• 1962: The Aaron brothers each hit a HR. As described by baseball-reference.com, “For the first time since 1938, when the Waner brothers pulled the trick, brothers Hank Aaron and Tommie Aaron homer in the same inning. Both homers are hit in the last of the 9th, and Hank's grand slam provides the winning margin in an 8-6 Braves win over the Cards.”

• 1972: Billy Williams goes 8 for 8. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Cub Billy Williams goes 8 for 8 in a doubleheader split with the Astros. The Astros win the opener, 6-5, and the Cubs take the nightcap, 9-5. Williams is 5 for 5 in the second game to raise his average to .328. He'll go 3 for 5 and 4 for 5 in his next two games as part of a 22 for 38 tear.”

• 1987: It is a Ripken family affair. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Billy Ripken, 22, joins his brother Cal Ripken Jr. in the Orioles' starting lineup in Baltimore's 2-1 loss to the Twins. Orioles manager Cal Ripken, Sr. is the first to manage two sons in the majors.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Bob Allison (1934) had a 13-year major league career, entirely with the Senators/Twins franchise, spanning from 1958-1970. He played RF and LF, and was a power hitter with eight seasons of 20+ HR and three with 30+ HR. He was AL Rookie of the Year in 1959, after leading the league with 9 triples to go with 30 HR, 85 RBI, and 13 SB. A three-time All-Star, Allison had 256 HR, a .255/.358/.471 slash line, and a 127 OPS+.

• Andy Ashby (1967) had a 14-year major league pitching career, primarily with the Padres, but spending parts of 7 seasons with four other clubs. A two-time All-Star, Ashby posted a 2.94 ERA in 1995, and went 17-9 with a 3.34 ERA in 1998. He is also the uncle of current Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby, who is doing well so far this year with a 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings.

• Javier López (1977) had a 14-year career as a relief pitcher, spanning from 2003-2016. A sidearm lefty specialist, he pitched half his career for the Giants, and the other half spready between the Red Sox, Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Pirates. He had low ERA marks in several seasons, such as 2.43 in 2008, 2.34 in 2010, 1.83 in 2013, and 1.60 in 2015, his age-37 season. He retired with a 3.48 ERA and 121 ERA+, and went on to become a color commentator as part of the Giants broadcast team.

Currently active players who were born on July 11 include COL Ryan Rolison, BAL Daniel Johnson, CHC Justin Steele, and MIA Griffin Conine.

Today’s Matchups

A full slate of Friday games (16), including one make-up game from yesterday, so we have lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• PIT vs. MIN is a solid pitching matchup, with Paul Skenes (1.94 ERA, 125 K in 116 IP) taking on Joe Ryan (2.76 ERA, 116 K in 104.1 IP).

• SEA vs. DET is also an interesting potential pitchers duel featuring Luis Castillo (3.31 ERA, 87 K in 103.1 IP) and Tarik Skubal (2.02 ERA, 148 K in 116 IP).

• LAD vs. SFG is an important NL West series, with the game 1 pitchers being Dustin May (4.52 ERA, 84 K in 89.2 IP) and Logan Webb (2.62 ERA, 133 K in 120.1 IP).

Also on the mound today are NYY Carlos Rodón, CIN Chase Burns, TBR Drew Rasmussen, NYM Kodai Senga, ATL Grant Holmes, PHI Ranger Suárez, and TOR Max Scherzer.

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:

• AZ Ketel Marte, 13-30 with 2 HR and 6 doubles vs. LAA Tyler Anderson

• LAD Mookie Betts, 15-38 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• NYY Aaron Judge, small sample but is 3-6 with 2 HR and a double vs. CHC Chris Flexen

• PIT Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, small sample but is 3-5 with 2 HR vs. MIN Joe Ryan

• CIN TJ Friedl, small sample but is 2-3 with 2 HR vs. COL Germán Márquez

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 Freddie Freeman, 15-40 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

• TEX Marcus Semien, 9-23 with a double vs. HOU Lance McCullers Jr.

• SDP Jose Iglesias, 6-10 with 2 doubles vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

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:

• 15 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 14 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 13 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 11 - SEA J.P. Crawford

• 9 - HOU Mauricio Dubón

• 9 - CHC Dansby Swanson

• 8 - COL Tyler Freeman

• 8 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 7 - BOS Roman Anthony

• 7 - BOS Ceddanne Rafaela

• 7 - NYY Jazz Chisholm Jr.

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:

• TOR George Springer, 3-31 with 12 K, though the hits were 2 HR and a double vs. ATH Luis Severino

• CHC Carson Kelly, 0-10 with 5 K vs. NYY Carlos Rodón

• DET Gleyber Torres, 1-13 with 5 K vs. SEA Luis Castillo

• AZ Jake McCarthy, 1-11 with 4 K vs. LAA Tyler Anderson

• PIT Adam Frazier, 1-11 though 0 K vs. MIN Joe Ryan

• SDP Manny Machado, 2-13 with 2 K vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Paul Skenes currently leads the NL (and all of MLB) with a 1.94 ERA. The only two Pirates pitchers to win National League ERA titles in the post-integration (1947) era have been:

• 1977 - John Candelaria, 2.34 ERA (which led both leagues)

• 1955 - Bob Friend, 2.83 ERA (Billy Pierce led the AL with a 1.97 ERA)

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.

• 169 players have suited up for both Yankees and Mets, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 7/9/2025

• Midsummer mash: Best All-Star Game blasts, by Matt Kelly and Andrew Simon at MLB, 7/10/2025

• Need pitching? Here are 20+ starters who could be traded, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 7/10/2025

• Stats of the week: Cruz's cannon, inside-the-park fun and more!, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 7/10/2025

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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