The Baseball Buffet for 7/20/2025

Issue #341

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! Free subscribers get daily game summaries and the current standings—supporters get a wealth of additional daily features!

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 115th day of the season featured a full slate of Saturday games:

• SFG 3, TOR 6 - Willy Adames hit two solo HR, but the Giants couldn’t get much else going in this one. Toronto starter Eric Lauer pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), and ultimately Jeff Hoffman came in for the ninth to record his 23rd save. Meanwhile, the Jays had 14 hits, including 11 off Logan Webb (6 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), with Addison Barger going 4-4 and catcher Tyler Heineman going 2-3 with a HR and a double.

• CIN 5, NYM 2 - Brett Baty hit his 10th HR in the second inning, but Nick Martinez otherwise pitched fairly well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and five Reds relievers kept the Mets off the board the rest of the game, with Emilio Pagán securing his 21st save.

• KCR 1, MIA 3 - Both starting pitchers did well: Cal Quantrill (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Michael Wacha (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). Salvador Perez hit his 14th HR in the top of 8th inning to tie the game 1-1, but then Otto Lopez doubled with the bases loaded and drove in two in the bottom of the frame. Anthony Bender pitched a scoreless ninth for his 3rd save.

• LAA 5, PHI 9 - The Angels out hit the Phillies 12-9 in this one, and had HR from Taylor Ward, Joe Adell, and Yoan Moncada. But they were all solo homers, whereas Philadelphia got a 2-run HR from Bryce Harper and a grand slam from Kyle Schwarber, his 32nd dinger of the season.

• CHW 10, PIT 4 - Both teams tallied 13 hits, but the Buccos were only 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. Pirates starter Mike Burrows did fairly well (5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), but the bullpen let up 10 hits and 8 runs in four innings. Miguel Vargas went 2-5 with 2 doubles, and Lenyn Sosa was 3-3 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI.

• SDP 2, WAS 4 - Mitchell Parker pitched well enough (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and three Nationals relievers pitched scoreless innings, including Kyle Finnegan striking out two in the ninth for this 19th save. The Nats already had a 3-2 lead, and then Nathaniel Lowe hit the only HR of the game, his 15th on the year.

• BAL 3, TBR 4 - It continues to be a rough year for the Orioles. For example, in this game they out hit the Rays 11-5 but still lose as they were only 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Dean Kremer pitched well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K), but the Rays scored three in the eighth off Seranthony Dominguez.

• DET 1, TEX 4 - Kumar Rocker had his best start of the year (6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and the Tigers only got on the board with a solo HR by Riley Greene in the ninth inning. Rowdy Tellez made an impact in his second game since being called up, hitting a 3-run HR in the second inning of Keider Montero.

• ATH 8, CLE 2 - José Ramírez hit a 2-run HR in the third inning, but otherwise Athletics starter Luis Severino did pretty well (5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). It was a close game at 3-2 through seven innings, but then the A’s scored five runs late, all from HR by Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, and Nick Kurtz.

• BOS 0, CHC 6 - Shota Imanaga was excellent (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and two Cubs relievers combined for the shutout. Meanwhile Chicago hit five solo HR, including Michael Busch, Kyle Tucker, Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ.

• STL 1, AZ 10 - Ryne Nelson pitched a good game (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), finally allowing a HR to Alec Burleson in the sixth inning. But equally important was the D-Backs offense, which clobbered St. Louis starter Sonny Gray (3.1 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), including Eugenio Suárez 2-3 with 2 HR and a walk, Corbin Carroll 3-5 with 2 triples and a double, and Geraldo Perdomo 3-5 with 4 RBI.

• NYY 12, ATL 9 - The Braves built up a 5-0 lead through four innings, powered by HR from Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies. But after Joey Wentz had held the Yankees in check (4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), the Braves bullpen most certainly did not. Anthony Volpe hit two HR, including the game tying dinger in the top of the eighth. Trent Grisham then hit a grand slam in the ninth, his 17th HR of the year.

• MIN 6, COL 10 - Twins starter Zebby Matthews got six strikeouts but otherwise struggled in his first game back from the IL (4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Colorado tallied 15 hits, including HR from Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, and Hunter Goodman.

• MIL 8, LAD 7 - Shohei Ohtani hit a 2-run HR in the third inning, and Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas added solo homers in the 8th. But it wasn’t quite enough as the Brewers had 13 hits with every one in the lineup getting at least one. Isaac Collins and Joey Ortiz each hit a HR, and Trevor Megill pitched a clean ninth inning for his 23rd save.

• HOU 6, SEA 7 - Seattle jumped out to a 4-1 lead through three innings, but then Houston came back and was up 5-4 through seven. The Mariners tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, it went into extras, and both teams scored a run in the tenth. Finally in the bottom of the 11th, with Dominic Canzone as the ghost-running Manfred Man having advanced to third, Cole Young singled to drive him in for the win.

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 Brewers extended their winning streak to 9 games, with one more game with the Dodgers today.

• With another Tigers loss (6 in a row), and another Cubs win (4 in a row), we now have a new overall top team.

• The AL West is tightening between the Mariners (W5) and the Astros (L3).

Today’s Trivia Question

There are only four players in the 20-20-20-20 club, that is 20 HR, 20 triples, 20 doubles, and 20 SB in a single season. Can you name any of them? (Hint: the years involved were 2007, 1957, and 1911).

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