The Baseball Buffet for 7/14/2025

Issue #334

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 109th day of the season had a full slate of Sunday games, the final day before the All-Star break:

• PIT 2, MIN 1 - Mitch Keller pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), and three Pirates relievers kept the Twins off the board the rest of the way, including closer David Bednar who struck out two in the ninth for his 13th save. Tommy Pham hit a HR in the second inning, but Simeon Woods Richardson pitched well otherwise (4.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). The game was tied 1-1 though eight, when in the top of the ninth and facing Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran, the Pirates loaded the bases and Spencer Horwitz grounded out to second but drove home Ke’Bryan Hayes in the process for what would be the winning run.

• TBR 1, BOS 4 - Brayan Bello followed up his 10 strikeout complete game with another good performance (6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and three Red Sox relievers kept the Rays from scoring the rest of the way, with Aroldis Chapman striking out three in the ninth for his 17th save. Trevor Story was 2-3 with a run and an RBI, and Ceddanne Rafaela was 1-3 with a 2-run HR.

• MIA 11, BAL 1 - Ramon Laureano went 2-3 with a HR and a double, but that was the only highlight Baltimore had in this one. Miami pounded Orioles rookie starter Brandon Young (4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), including three HR by Kyle Stowers (against his former team) and one HR from Otto Lopez. Eury Pérez pitched very well (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), overall the Marlins tallied 18 hits, with Stowers going 5-5 and Liam Hicks going 3-4.

• CHC 4, NYY 1 - Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo HR in the second inning, but otherwise Shota Imanaga was excellent (7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Drew Pomeranz and Daniel Palencia threw scoreless innings with the latter picking up his 12th save. The Cubs had 10 hits, including HR by Michael Busch, his 19th of the year, and Dansby Swanson, his 16th.

• COL 2, CIN 4 - TJ Friedl led off the bottom of the first with a HR, and the Reds scattered three other runs in three separate innings. Nick Martinez pitched pretty well (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and four Cincinnati relievers kept the Rockies off the board the rest of the way, with Emilio Pagán securing his 20th save.

• SEA 8, DET 4 - Jack Flaherty struck out 7 in 5 innings, but also allowed homers to Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena. The Mariners had more dingers later from Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco, and Cole Young, and Seattle starter Logan Gilbert pitched a good game (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K).

• NYM 2, KCR 3 - Royals rookie Noah Cameron had another good start (6.2 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). Clay Holmes pitched the first five innings (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), and then Sean Manaea made his first appearance of the year and impressively struck out 7 in 3.1 innings. Unfortunately with the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Manaea gave up a single to Nick Loftin which drove in Tyler Tolbert for the winning run.

• TEX 5, HOU 1 - Hunter Brown struck out 8 in 5 innings, but he also allowed 4 runs, including a solo HR by Adolis Garcia. Marcus Semien added a HR later in the game, while Nathan Eovalid had a strong performance for Texas (7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K).

• CLE 6, CHW 5 - The White Sox scored first, from a HR by Austin Slater in the fourth inning. The Guardians took the lead 4-3 in the top of the sixth, powered by a 3-run HR by Kyle Manzardo. But then Andrew Benintendi hit a solo HR in the bottom of the sixth to tie it up 4-4. Both teams scored in the 8th, and the game remained tied to force extras. In the top of the tenth David Fry singled to advance Angel Martinex, the ghost running Manfred Man, to third. With still only one out, Steven Kwan hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Martinez. Emmanuel Clase, who had pitched the ninth, came back out for the bottom of the tenth and got the win.

• WAS 1, MIL 8 - The Brewers scored three runs early, and then added another five in the eighth including homers by Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang. Freddy Peralta pitched a good game (6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and three Milwaukee relievers kept the Nats off the board the rest of the way.

• ATL 4, STL 5 - Braves starter Davis Daniel (4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) were both having good games but rain delays cut them short. The relievers who entered both let up runs immediately, with Atlanta’s 41-year old Jesse Chavez particularly struggling (2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), including allowing José Fermín to connect for his first HR in the majors. With a 5-4 lead, Cards closer Ryan Helsley held back the Braves in the ninth to secure his 19th save.

• LAD 5, SFG 2 - Miguel Rojas hit a HR in the fifth inning, but Robbie Ray otherwise pitched fairly well (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). Yoshinobu Yamamoto was excellent (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), but then Dodgers closer Tanner Scott allowed a 2-run HR to pinch hitter Luis Matos in the bottom of the ninth which tied the game 2-2 and forced extras. Neither team scored in the tenth, and in the top of the eleventh, with two runners on and two outs, a series of singles by Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, and Andy Pages drove in three. Ben Casparius came back out for the bottom of the frame and kept the Giants from scoring.

• TOR 3, ATH 6 - Jeffrey Springs allowed homers to Davis Schneider and Addison Barger, but otherwise pitched well enough (6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) as the A’s had three, 2-run HR of their own from Austin Wynns, Tyler Soderstrom, and Nick Kurtz. The Athletics bullpen kept the Jays off the board the rest of the way, including Mason Miller securing his 19th save.

• AZ 5, LAA 1 - Merrill Kelly walked four batters, but only allowed one hit (5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K). Three Arizona relievers shut out the Angels the rest of the way, and the D-Backs scored enough in the middle innings to cruise to a win.

• PHI 2, SDP 1 - Both starters did well in this one: Cristopher Sánchez (7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) and Nick Pivetta (6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). The game was tied 1-1 through seven, then Bryce Harper doubled in the eighth and with two outs J.T. Realmuto doubled to drive him in. That would end up being decisive, as Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless ninth for his 6th save.

Standings

I am tinkering with how to provide current standings as part of The Baseball Buffet (full each day or rotating through divisions, what data and format to provide that works for both large and small screens, and so on.) Here also is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Of note to me:

• The Red Sox (10) and Brewers (7) are going into the break with nice winning streaks.

• Two divisions (AL East and NL Central) have four out of five teams over .500 at the break. One division, the AL Central, has just one team over .500, the Tigers, who still have baseball’s best record even after losing their last four contests.

Today’s Trivia Question

In a somewhat surprising first pick in yesterday’s draft, the Nationals went very young by selecting SS Eli Willits, son of former Major Leaguer Reggie Willits. At 17 years, 216 days old, he is the third youngest number one draft pick ever—can you name either of the two top picks who were younger?

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

• BAL SP Zach Eflin

• DET SP Sawyer Gipson-Long

• MIN SP Zebby Matthews

• NYY SP Luis Gil

• BAL SP Cade Povich

• TBR SP Shane McClanahan

🤕 Placed on the IL

• BAL RP Scott Blewett - 15-day IL (right elbow discomfort)

• STL LF Lars Nootbaar - 10-day IL (left costochondral sprain)

• MIA 3B Connor Norby - 10-day IL (left wrist inflammation)

🚼 Placed on the Paternity List

• SDP LF Gavin Sheets

League Leaders

We are at the All-Star break, and here are the players who are at .900 or better in OPS:

• 1.195 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 1.010 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• .987 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• .965 - LAD Will Smith

• .925 - CHC Michael Busch - interesting to see him this high on the list!

• .925 - MIN Byron Buxton

• .923 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• .915 - WAS James Wood

• .911 - MIA Kyle Stowers - same here, though going 5-5 with 3 HR yesterday helps!

• .908 - NYM Pete Alonso

• .905 - NYM Juan Soto

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 14…

• 1946: Birth of the Boudreau Shift. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Player-manager Lou Boudreau of the Cleveland Indians hits four doubles and one home run, but Ted Williams wallops three homers and drives in eight runs, as the Boston Red Sox top the Tribe, 11-10. In the Sox's second-game win, the famous Boudreau Shift is born. Boudreau shifts all his players, except the 3B and LF, to the right side of the diamond in an effort to stop Williams. Ted grounds out and walks twice while ignoring the shift.”

• 1956: Mel Parnell throws a no-hitter. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Boston Red Sox lefty Mel Parnell pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, winning 4-0. It is only Parnell's third win against two losses and is the sixth straight loss for second-place Chicago. The no-hitter is the first for the Red Sox since 1923. Parnell will go 4-4 before a torn muscle in his pitching arm ends his career as the Red Sox's winningest southpaw.”

• 1991: Kip Gross loses two games, 1,100 miles apart. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Pitcher Kip Gross loses two games, in two different leagues, 1,100 miles apart. The Cincinnati Reds hurler takes the loss in the Reds' 10 - 6 defeat by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and also becomes the loser of a game played by the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. It is the completion of a game in Denver which had been suspended by rain back on May 15th.”

• 1992: Ken Griffey Jr. joins Sr. with ASG HR and MVP honors. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. homers off Chicago Cubs hurler Greg Maddux, making it the first time in history a father and a son have hit All-Star home runs. His dad hit one off the New York Yankees' Tommy John in the 1980 All-Star Game. The American League pounds out a record 19 hits in defeating the National League by a score of 13-6 in the 1992 All-Star Game. It's the AL's fifth straight win. Griffey Jr., who strokes a single, double, and home run, is named the game's MVP, 12 years after his dad won the same honor.”

• 1995: Ramon Martinez throws a no-hitter. As described by baseball-reference.com, “Ramon Martinez no-hits the Florida Marlins, 7-0. The Los Angeles Dodgers' hurler was perfect before walking Tommy Gregg after getting the first out in the 7th inning.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Robin Ventura (1967) was the White Sox’ first round draft pick (10th overall) in 1988. By 1990 he was an everyday player in the majors, and in 1991 he hit 23 HR with 100 RBI and a .284 average, along with his first of six Gold Glove Awards at 3B. Ventura had a 16-year career, ten with the White Sox and the others spread between the Mets, Yankees, and Dodgers. He hit 20+ HR nine times and had 100+ RBI three times. A 2-time All-Star, he retired with 294 HR, 1,182 RBI, a .267/.362/.444 slash line, and a 114 OPS+.

• Tim Hudson (1975) had a 17-year major league pitching career, playing his first six seasons with the A’s, then nine with the Braves, and his final two for the Giants. He was 11-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 21 starts as a rookie in 1999, and then went 20-6 in his first full season the following year. That was Hudson’s first of four All-Star campaigns, and the first of eight seasons in which he had 15+ wins. Overall he had a 222-133 (.625) record, a 3.49 ERA, and a 120 ERA+.

• Jesse Tannehill (1874) had a 15-year major league pitching career which spanned from 1894-1911. He spent six years with the Pirates, five with the Red Sox, and the remainder with three other clubs. He had 20+ wins six times, and led the NL with a 2.18 ERA in 1901. Overall Tannehill had a 197-117 (.627) record, 2.80 ERA, and 114 ERA+.

• Bob Purkey (1929) had a 13-year major league pitching career from 1954-1966, mostly with the Reds and Pirates. He had 15+ wins four times, including an impressive 23-5 record and 2.81 ERA for Cincinnati in 1962, his third and final All-Star campaign. Overall, Purkey had a 129-115 (.529) record, a 3.79 ERA, and a 103 ERA+.

• Steve Stone (1947) had an 11-year major league pitching career from 1971-1981, playing a few years each with the Giants, White Sox, Cubs, and Orioles. He was effective but not outstanding for most of his career, until 1980, his age-32 season with the Orioles, when he went 25-7 with a 3.23 ERA and nine complete games. He was an All-Star that year, and took home the AL Cy Young Award. Stone threw a significant percent of his pitches as curveballs, and that might have been a cause of arm trouble that afflicted him in 1981, and led to his early retirement mid-way through that season. He quickly became a baseball broadcaster, and worked with the Cubs from 1983-2004, and then joined the White Sox in 2005.

• Johnny Murphy (1908) had a 13-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1932-1947, missing two years due to military service in World War II. Pitching all but his final season with the Yankees, Murphy was almost exclusively a relief pitcher, before that role became the specialty that it is today. Nicknamed “Fireman” he was quite effective in the late innings, with a 93-53 record, 107 saves (before that was an official statistic), a 3.50 ERA, and a 117 ERA+. He also did well for the Yankees across six World Series, posting a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 IP. He later became a baseball executive with the Red Sox and Mets, and was instrumental in helping build the expansion Mets including the 1969 championship “Miracle Mets,” with The Sporting News naming Murphy winner of its Executive of the Year Award that year. Sadly he died just two and a half months later after suffering a heart attack at the age of 61.

Currently active players who were born on July 14 include CHC Carson Kelly, MIL Joey Ortiz, BOS Lucas Giolito, CHW Tyler Alexander, MIA Rob Brantly, PIT Isaac Mattson, and LAD Justin Wrobleski.
 

NOTE: Several newsletter sections including HR Watch, Hits Watch, Who is streaking?, and Who might struggle today? will return after the All-Star Break!

⚾ Enjoy the All-Star Break!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, and as reported by Anthony Castrovince at MLB, the only two number one draft picks younger than Eli Willits (taken yesterday as the top overall pick by the Nationals) are Tim Foli in 1968 (17 years, 180 days) and Ken Griffey Jr. (17 years, 193 days).

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.

• A Review of the First Round of the 2025 MLB Draft, by Benjamin Chase at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 7/14/2025

• Stunners at the top, shortstops galore and more takeaways from Draft Day 1, by Anthony Castrovince at MLB, 7/14/2025

• Draft Day 1: Pick-by-pick rundown, analysis, by Jonathan Mayo at MLB, 7/14/2025

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.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv, an outstanding platform for creating email newsletters and blogs. If this might be of interest for your own creative work, get a 30-day trial and 30% off your first three months!