The Baseball Buffet for 7/23/2025

Issue #344

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!

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 118th day of the season featured a full slate of Tuesday games:

• DET 5, PIT 8 - The Pirates tallied 14 hits, including an impressive 8 doubles, with two each by Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz, and Tommy Pham. Mitch Keller allowed a 3-run HR to Jake Rogers in the fifth, but otherwise pitched well enough, and David Bednar provided a scoreless ninth for his 15th save.

• BAL 3, CLE 6 - Ramón Laureano homered for the second day in a row, but the Orioles couldn’t get much else going as Joey Cantillo pitched well (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). Angel Martinez was 3-5 with a double, and José Ramírez was 1-2 with a HR, 3 walks, and his 30th SB of the season. Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase came in for the ninth and notched his 22nd save.

• SDP 3, MIA 4 - Edward Cabrera pitched well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) and the Marlins had 11 hits to build-up a 4-1 lead through eight. Doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill were part of a threatening top of the ninth by the Padres, but then Marlins reliever Ronny Henriquez got three consecutive outs to earn his 6th save.

• CIN 1, WAS 6 - The Reds out hit the Nats 10-7, including Gavin Lux going 4-4 on the day. Rookie Chase Burns struck out 10 in only 5.2 innings, but also allowed 7 hits and 6 runs (5 earned), including a HR by Josh Bell.

• BOS 1, PHI 4 - Cristopher Sánchez was outstanding pitching a complete game with 12 strikeouts (9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K), with the only run he allowed coming from a HR by Rob Refsnyder in the fourth inning. Meanwhile the Phillies scored their four funs in the first two innings, including HR by Max Kepler and Kyle Schwarber, his 33rd of the year.

• CHW 3, TBR 4 - White Sox rookie Colson Montgomery hit his first major league HR, but Chicago couldn’t overcome the four runs that Tampa scored in the second inning. Rays closer Pete Fairbanks pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.

• NYY 5, TOR 4 - Toronto out hit New York 11-6 in this one, but they were only 3-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 total runners on base. Of the six Yankees hits, five went for extra bases, including Cody Bellinger going 3-4 with a HR and 2 doubles, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting a 3-run HR. The game was tied 4-4 in the ninth, when Ben Rice who had been 0-3 thus far, hit a go-ahead HR. Devin Williams then came in and struck out two in the bottom of the ninth to secure his 15th save.

• LAA 2, NYM 3 - Similar to the NYY/TOR game, the Angels out hit the Mets 11-5, with Nolan Schanuel going 4-5 and Jorge Soler hitting his 12th HR. But they came up short as they stranded 10 runners, while the Mets scored three runs in the fifth include two from a HR by Francisco Alvarez. Ryne Stanek pitched the ninth inning and recorded his 3rd save.

• SFG 9, ATL 0 - Landen Roupp pitched a good game (5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and three Giants relievers combined for the shutout, ending the Giants six game skid. Casey Schmitt had a HR in the second inning, and Wilmer Flores hit a 3-run HR in the seventh. Of note, Rafael Devers went 2-5 with a double and 2 runs scored, and played his first game of the year at 1B.

• KCR 0, CHC 6 - 45-year old Rich Hill pitched his first major league game of the year, and did fairly well (5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). But Matthew Boyd was outstanding (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and two Chicago relievers combined for the shutout. The Cubs had nine hits—one double, eight singles—and ran wild on the bases with seven SB in this one.

• ATH 2, TEX 6 - Lawrence Butler led off the game with a HR, his 14th of the year. But Jacob deGrom wasn’t rattled and pitched great the rest of the way (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). J.T. Ginn also did well over five innings (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), with the lone run he allowed coming from a HR by Adolis Garcia. Marcus Semien added a HR in the sixth, and then Corey Seager broke things open with a 3-run HR in the seventh.

• STL 4, COL 8 - Erick Fedde struggled (3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), giving up homers to Mickey Moniak and Ryan McMahon. Brenton Doyle went 3-4, and Adael Amador was 2-3 with 2 doubles, a walk, and 2 RBI.

• HOU 3, AZ 1 - Both starters did pretty well: Framber Valdez (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and Eduardo Rodriguez (6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). Down 1-0, rookie Brice Matthews hit a 2-run HR in the top of the eighth, and the Astros tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. The D-Backs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but with one out Jose Herrera grounded into a double play to end it.

• MIL 0, SEA 1 - What looked like a potential pitchers duel delivered exactly that. Though he came out early, Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski struck out 7 in 3.2 innings (3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), while Logan Gilbert was outstanding (6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K). Four Mariners relievers combined with him for a 2-hit shutout, with Andrés Muñoz securing his 22nd save. The lone run of the game came from a HR by Cal Raleigh in the sixth inning, his MLB-leading 39th of the year. The loss ended the Brewers 11-game winning streak.

• MIN 10, LAD 7 - Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched fairly well (5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), but the Twins scored 3 runs each in the second, sixth, and seventh innings. Losing 10-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Shohei Ohtani hit a 2-run HR, his fourth homer in as many days, but it wasn’t enough.

Of note… as I checked in on a half-dozen games on MLB TV last night, I heard various Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne songs being played at ballparks around the country. This is not unheard of at ballgames, but clearly the volume of it yesterday was in tribute—RIP, Ozzy.

Standings

I am providing current standings as part of The Baseball Buffet (regular standings by division most days, wild-card standings on some days.) The image below is a modified version of the text-based standings at Plain Text Sports, and here also is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Today’s Trivia Question

By pitching yesterday for the Royals, Rich Hill has now pitched for 14 major league teams, tying the all-time record. What pitcher’s record did he tie? He also set a new Royals record as the oldest player to appear in a game—whose record did he beat?

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

• TBR LF Richie Palacios

• BAL C Adley Rutschman - perhaps the Orioles’ woes at the catcher position will soon be over

• DET RF Kerry Carpenter

• NYM SP Paul Blackburn

• KCR 2B Michael Massey

• CHC C Miguel Amaya

• TOR RP Paxton Schultz

• MIL RP Rob Zastryzny

• CLE SP Shane Bieber

🤕 Placed on the IL

• MIA CF Derek Hill - 10-day IL (left middle finger sprain)

• TBR 2B Brandon Lowe - 10-day IL (left ankle/foot tendinitis)

• NYM RP Brandon Waddell - 15-day IL (right hip impingement)

• PHI RP Joe Ross - 15-day IL (back spasms)

• ATH CF Denzel Clarke - 10-day IL (right adductor strain)

• HOU SP Lance McCullers Jr. - 15-day IL (right finger blister)

• ATH 3B Max Muncy - 10-day IL (right hand fracture)

• LAD RP Tanner Scott - 15-day IL (left elbow inflammation)

League Leaders

With Paul Skenes’ six shutout innings on Monday he lowered his below 2.00 and retained his MLB lead:

• 1.91 - PIT Paul Skenes

• 2.19 - DET Tarik Skubal

• 2.19 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 2.20 - CHC Matthew Boyd

• 2.28 - TEX Jacob deGrom

• 2.38 - KCR Kris Bubic

• 2.39 - PHI Zack Wheeler

• 2.40 - PHI Cristopher Sánchez

• 2.43 - NYY Max Fried

• 2.55 - LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

• 2.57 - HOU Hunter Brown

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 23…

• 1964: Bert Campaneris hits two HR in his MLB debut. As described at baseball-reference.com, “A's rookie Bert Campaneris sends Minnesota to defeat, 4-3, with two home runs in his major league debut. The first comes on the first pitch thrown to him, by Jim Kaat, making him just the second American League player to debut like that. And the 21-year-old Cuban joins Bob Nieman as the only player since 1900 with two home runs in his first major league game.”

• 1985: Oddibe McDowell hit for the cycle. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Oddibe McDowell becomes the first Texas Ranger to hit for the cycle, going 5 for 5 in an 8-4 win over Cleveland.”

• 1991: The number of the day was 308. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Texas's Nolan Ryan notches his 308th career win in a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox. Rich Gossage garners his 308th career save in relief.”

• 2002: Nomar Garciaparra ties record with five HR in two games. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Celebrating his 29th birthday by hitting three homers in Boston's 22-4 rout of the Devil Rays, Nomar Garciaparra ties a major league record, becoming the 26th player to hit five home runs in two games. It is the Red Sox shortstop's second three-homer game; he also accomplished the feat against the Mariners on May 10, 1999. Garciaparra drives in eight.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Don Drysdale (1936) is a Hall of Famer who pitched 14 years in the majors from 1956-1969, all with the Dodgers. He was up with Brooklyn at the young age of 19, and went 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA as a rookie, and then 17-9 with a 2.69 ERA in his first full season in 1957. Drysdale was an All-Star in eight seasons, winning the NL Cy Young Award in 1962 after posting a 25-9 record with a 2.83 ERA and 19 complete games. He led the NL in strikeouts three times, and hit relatively well for a pitcher with a .186 average and 29 HR in 1,169 AB. Overall, Drysdale had a 209-166 (.557) record, a 2.95 ERA, and a 121 ERA+.

• Pee Wee Reese (1918) is a Hall of Famer who played 16 years in the majors spanning from 1940-1958, missing three years to World War II military service. A 10-time All-Star and great defensively at SS, Reese played his entire career for the Dodgers. He had some speed on the bases, with five seasons of 20+ SB including leading the NL with a modest career-high 30 SB in 1952. Not a power hitter, Reese did manage to hit 10+ HR in seven seasons. He led the NL with an impressive 132 runs in 1949, and although only a career .269 hitter, he had a good eye and so had a more impressive .366 OBP.

• Nomar Garciaparra (1973) was the first-round draft pick (12th overall) of the Boston Red Sox in 1994, and was AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 after leading the league with 209 hits and 11 triples, while also providing 122 runs, 44 doubles, 30 HR, 98 RBI, 22 SB, and a .306 average. He was runner-up for the AL MVP Award the following season after hitting 35 HR with 122 RBI and a .323 average. He won consecutive AL batting titles with a .357 mark in 1999 and .372 in 2000. A 6-time All-Star, Garciaparra played SS for much of his career, but then injuries slowed him down and led to a shift to 3B and ultimately 1B once he left the Red Sox for the Cubs, Dodgers, and A’s. Overall, he had 229 HR, a .313/.361/.521 slash line, and a 124 OPS+.

• Ginger Beaumont (1876) had a 12-year major league career as a CF from 1899-1910 with his best seasons coming with the Pirates. He led the NL with a .357 average in 1902, and then led the league with 137 runs in 1903, his fourth consecutive season with 100+ runs. He led the NL in hits an impressive four times, and stole 20+ bases eight times. Born Clarence Howeth Beaumont, his nickname Ginger came from his thick red hair.

A currently active player who was born on July 23 is CHW Chase Meidroth.

Today’s Matchups

A full slate of Wednesday games (15), so we have lots of possibilities. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• SFG vs. ATL is an interesting pitching matchup, with future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander going for the Giants and looking for his first win on the season (0-8, 4.99 ERA, 67 K in 79.1 IP), and the Braves countering with Spencer Strider (3.59 ERA, 82 K in 67.2 IP) who has found his stride lately.

• NYY vs. TOR is game three of this important AL East series (1-1), and features Max Fried (2.43 ERA, 113 K in 122 IP) who is having a fine season but hasn’t been quite as good in his last three starts, and Toronto countering with Chris Bassitt (3.89 ERA, 109 K in 113.1 IP) who allowed 10 hits but 0 earned runs in his last start.

• MIL vs. SEA is game three of this interesting inter-league series (1-1) between two winning teams, with Quinn Priester (3.33 ERA, 80 K in 94.2 IP) coming off an 10-K performance against the Dodgers his last time out, and Luis Castillo (3.21 ERA, 100 K in 115 IP) having pitched 6.2 scoreless innings in his previous outing against Houston.

Also on the hill today are SDP Dylan Cease, KCR Seth Lugo, and LAD Tyler Glasnow.

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:

• LAA Mike Trout, 9-21 with 3 HR and a triple vs. NYM Sean Manaea

• PHI Max Kepler, 12-43 with 3 HR, a triple, and a double vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• PHI Trea Turner, small sample but is 2-4 with 2 HR vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• BOS Alex Bregman, 3-11 with 2 HR vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo

• DET Javier Baez, small sample but is 3-3 with 2 HR vs. PIT Bailey Falter

• NYY Trent Grisham, 4-14 with 2 HR vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• ATL Matt Olson, 6-24 with 2 HR and a double vs SFG Justin Verlander

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:

• SDP Manny Machado, 7-12 vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

• SDP Xander Bogaerts, 5-11 with a HR vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

• LAD Mookie Betts, 6-9 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. MIN Chris Paddack

• NYY Jasson Dominguez, small sample but is 5-6 with a triple and a double vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• NYY Paul Goldschmidt, 4-9 with a HR and a double vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• STL Nolan Arenado, 5-10 with 2 doubles vs. COL Kyle Freeland

• ATH Miguel Andujar, 6-14 with a HR and a double vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 16 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 10 - HOU Victor Caratini

• 9 - ATH Nick Kurtz - he is 16-32 (.500) with 5 HR during this streak!

• 8 - CHW Luis Robert

• 8 - CIN Matt McLain

• 7 - MIA Xavier Edwards

• 7 - COL Mickey Moniak

HR streaks

• 4 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 2 - WAS Josh Bell

• 2 - BAL Ramón Laureano

• 2 - HOU Brice Matthews (3 total HR)

• 2 - LAD Andy Pages

• 2 - CLE José Ramírez

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:

• ATL Jurickson Profar, 1-18 with 4 K vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• CHC Dansby Swanson, 2-18 with 4 K vs. KCR Seth Lugo

• MIN Carlos Correa, 1-12 with 7 K vs. LAD Tyler Glasnow

• TEX Adolis Garcia, 4-26 with 7 K vs. ATH JP Sears

• TEX Corey Seager, 2-13 with 5 K vs. ATH JP Sears

• TEX Wyatt Langford, 1-11 with 2 K though the one hit was a HR vs. ATH JP Sears

• PHI Brandon Marsh, 1-11 with 6 K vs. BOS Lucas Giolito

• SFG Dominic Smith, 0-11 with 5 K vs. ATL Spencer Strider

• SFG Wilmer Flores, 1-10 with 5 K vs. ATL Spencer Strider

• STL Willson Contreras, 0-10 with 4 K vs. COL Kyle Freeland

• SDP Jake Cronenworth, 2-14 with 3 K vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

• LAD Freddie Freeman, 1-10 though 0 K vs. MIN Chris Paddack

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Rich Hill has now pitched for 14 major league teams, tying the all-time record set by Edwin Jackson (2003-2019).

The 45-year old Hill also set a new Royals record as the oldest player to appear in a game, surpassing Gaylord Perry who pitched in 14 games for Kansas City in his final season in 1983.

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.

• 13 players with impressive feats on the line in the 2nd half, by Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru at MLB, 7/23/2025

• How will division races impact Deadline moves?, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 7/23/2025

• Much has changed in 10 years. MLB's fastest players haven't, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 7/23/2025

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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