The Baseball Buffet for 7/3/2025

Issue #324

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 98th day of the season had an overflowing slate of Wednesday games, with several double-headers due to the bad weather on Tuesday:

• ATH 5, TBR 6 - Brent Rooker hit a solo HR in the first inning, and Max Schuemann did the same in the second inning, but then Ryan Pepiot settled in and pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K). Meanwhile the Rays hit three HR off Mitch Spence, including solo HR by Jake Mangum and Josh Lowe, and a 2-run HR by Yandy Diaz. Down 6-2, the Athletics mounted a comeback in the top of the ninth by scoring three runs, including a HR by Max Muncy, but they came up short as Edwin Uceta struck out both Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz with the bases loaded.

• DET 11, WAS 2 (Gm 1) - The Nationals had nine hits but could only manage two runs as they went 2-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners overall. Meanwhile the Tigers pounced on Trevor Williams, scoring 6 runs in the first inning and collecting nine hits off him in three innings (3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). They continued to hit Washington’s bullpen, until finally Andry Lara, making his major league debut, pitched three scoreless innings. The Tigers had 15 hits overall as Riley Greene went 2-5 with 2 HR and 6 RBI, Zach McKinstry was 4-5 with a double, Colt Keith was 3-5 with a double, and Spencer Torkelson and Jake Rogers each had homers.

• DET 4, WAS 9 (Gm 2) - MacKenzie Gore allowed four walks and had an uncharacteristically low two strikeouts, but overall did fine (5.1, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). The Tigers scored two more runs in the seventh and had a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the eighth. But then Detroit reliever Tommy Kahnle really struggled, allowing a walk and four hits leading to five runs without getting anyone out. For the Nationals, Nathaniel Lowe was 2-4 with a triple and 4 RBI, and Josh Bell was 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI.

• SDP 6, PHI 4 (Gm 1) - The Phillies out hit the Padres 12 to 5, but could only muster four runs. Kyle Schwarber hit his 26th HR of the season, but Nick Pivetta otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). Although Robert Suarez allowed three of those Philadelphia hits in the ninth inning, he only allowed one run and recorded his 24th save. Meanwhile the Padres took advantage of rookie Mick Abel’s wildness (1.2 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) and scored all six of their runs early in the game, including a bases loaded double by Manny Machado.

• SDP 1, PHI 5 (Gm 2) - Cristopher Sánchez pitched well (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm struck out four Padres in two final scoreless innings. Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh each had a HR off San Diego starter Dylan Cease (6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER 0 BB, 4 K).

• MIL 7, NYM 2 (Gm 1) - Freddy Peralta pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and two Milwaukee relievers didn’t allow any hits or runs over the final three innings. Sal Frelick went 2-5 with a HR, Isaac Collins was 4-4 with a HR and a double, and Joey Ortiz hit a grand slam in the sixth inning off Mets reliever Reed Garrett.

• MIL 3, NYM 7 (Gm 2) - Both rookie pitchers had some struggles in this one, with Jacob Misiorowski giving up back-to-back HR to Brandon Nimmo (a grand slam) and Francisco Lindor, and then later Blade Tidwell giving up back-to-back HR to Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich. Eventually Mets closer Edwin Díaz was called upon and he delivered three strikeouts, notching his 17th save of the year.

• CIN 3, BOS 5 (Gm 1)- This game had been suspended after three innings the day before, so yesterday they picked up with Sam Moll (CIN) and Brayan Bello (BOS) taking the mound. A two-run HR by Spencer Steer gave Cincinnati a 3-2 lead, but then Boston scored one in the sixth and two in the eighth. Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth and picked up his 15th save.

• CIN 8, BOS 4 (Gm 2) - Wilyer Abreu hit a 2-run HR in the sixth which put Boston up 3-0. But then the Reds scored five in the top of seventh, including a grand slam by Christian Encarnacion-Strand. They scored another three runs the next inning, and the Reds bullpen didn’t allow any further damage.

• STL 0, PIT 5 - Sonny Gray pitched well… until the bottom of the seventh when he allowed three of the four runs the Pirates would score in that frame. Meanwhile Mitch Keller was excellent (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) and two Pittsburgh relievers combined for the shutout. That means they shutout the Cardinals in all three games of the series. What is going on with the Pirates? First they beat the Mets 30-4 over three games, then they beat the Cardinals 13-0 over three games.

• MIN 2, MIA 1 - Kyle Stowers hit his 15th HR of the year, but Simeon Woods Richardson otherwise pitched well (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and four Minnesota relievers held Miami scoreless the rest of the game, with Jhoan Duran notching his 13th save. Marlins’ starter Janson Junk did fairly well too (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), but the runs he allowed in the first and fourth is all it took.

• NYY 9, TOR 11 - Toronto scored seven runs off Will Warren (4 IP, 10 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) in the first inning, including homers by Addison Barger and Davis Schneider (who would add a second HR later in the game). Down 8-0, the Yankees scored six runs in the fifth, including Giancarlo Stanton hitting his first HR of the year. Aaron Judge was 3-4 on the day, with a double and a 2-run HR in the top of the eighth which tied the game 9-9. But then Devin Williams struggled in the bottom of the frame, walking two batters, allowing a run in on a wild pitch, and then giving up a single to Barger which drove in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for a two-run lead. Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman then pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save.

• LAA 3, ATL 8 - Jorge Soler hit a HR in the first inning, the 200th of his career. But the Angels couldn’t get much else going on offense, while the Braves erupted for 7 runs in the sixth inning with Sean Murphy hitting a 3-run HR and Matt Olson hitting a grand slam. Jurickson Profar, in his first game back from suspension, went 2-4 with a solo HR in the seventh.

• BAL 0, TEX 6 - Nathan Eovaldi did well in a short start (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and two Rangers relievers combined for a 5-hit shutout. Josh Smith went 3-4, and Marcus Semien and Corey Seager each had a HR.

• CLE 4, CHC 5 - Cleveland hit three HR off Shota Imanaga to go up 3-0, all solo dingers from Carlos Santana, Lane Thomas, and David Fry. But the Cubs quickly came back and scored five runs in the third and fourth innings, with Seiya Suzuki going 2-3 with two walks, a double, and 3 RBI, and Pete Crow-Armstrong going 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBI.

• HOU 5, COL 3 - Mickey Moniak hit a 2-run HR off MLB ERA-leader Hunter Brown in the second inning. But Brown otherwise pitched well (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), and the Astros tallied 16 hits, including Cam Smith going 3-5 with 2 RBI, and Shay Whitcomb hitting his first HR of the year.

• KCR 2, SEA 3 - Noah Cameron didn’t allow any runs in a short start (4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), but then the Mariners scored three off the Royals’ bullpen, including a HR by Randy Arozarena, his third in consecutive games. Logan Gilbert also did well in a short start (4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), and Seattle closer Andrés Muñoz pitched a scoreless ninth for his 19th save.

• SFG 6, AZ 5 - Mike Yastrzemski led off the game with a HR against Arizona starter Merrill Kelly. Jung Hoo Lee, who has been struggling for many weeks, went 3-5 with a triple and a double. The Giants built up a 5-3 lead going into the ninth, when Ketel Marte hit a 2-run HR off Camilo Doval to even the score. In the top of the tenth, with Lee on second as the ghost-running Manfred Man, pinch-hitter Heliot Ramos singled up the middle to move Lee to third. Patrick Bailey then delivered a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run. Doval was given the ball again for the bottom of the tenth, and he closed the door, striking out two for the win.

• CHW 4, LAD 5 - Clayton Kershaw allowed four runs early (6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), with Austin Slater hitting both a triple and a HR off him. But those three strikeouts were all Kershaw needed to reach the 3,000 career K milestone. After Brandon Eisert pitched the first inning as the opener, Sean Burke pitched well for Chicago (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). Down 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers leveraged some walks, a sac fly, and ultimately a single by Freddie Freeman to score three runs for the comeback win.

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 noted above, Clayton Kershaw notched the three strikeouts he needed to become the 20th pitcher in history to record 3,000 K. Justin Verlander (3,471) and Max Scherzer (3,419) are the two other active pitchers on that list. Which two active pitchers are next in line after Kershaw?

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

• CHW RP Jared Shuster

• WAS RP Mason Thompson

• CLE RP Paul Sewald

• CLE RP Trevor Stephan

• STL OF Jordan Walker

• MIL SP Nestor Cortes

• ATH OF Miguel Andujar

🤕 Placed on the IL

• DET RF Kerry Carpenter - 10-day IL (right hamstring strain)

• HOU 3B Luis Guillorme - 10-day IL (right hamstring strain)

• ATL SP Spencer Schwellenbach - 15-day IL (fractured right elbow)… looks like he will be out until September, and this news comes after learning Chris Sale will be out until August!

• BAL RP Keegan Akin - 15-day IL (left shoulder inflammation)

• MIN SP Bailey Ober - 15-day IL (left hip impingement)

• DET SP Sawyer Gipson-Long -15-day IL (next stiffness)

📝 Signed as Free Agent

• AZ SP/RP Jake Woodford

• BAL SS Jose Barrero

⬇️ Notable Players Optioned

• TEX 3B Josh Jung - he was hitting .237 with 8 HR and 4 SB in 279 at-bats

• SEA SP Emerson Hancock - he had a 5.47 ERA in 77.1 IP

❌ Designated for Assignment

• ATL OF Alex Verdugo - he was hitting .239 with 0 HR and 1 SB in 197 AB

• BAL RP Matt Bowman - he had a 5.79 ERA in 23.1 IP

League Leaders

Houston’s Hunter Brown was leading MLB in ERA going into this start yesterday, and although it rose a little, he retains the top spot:

• 1.82 - HOU Hunter Brown

• 2.03 - PIT Paul Skenes

• 2.13 - NYY Max Fried

• 2.13 - TEX Jacob deGrom

• 2.15 - DET Tarik Skubal

• 2.25 - KCR Kris Bubic

• 2.27 - PHI Zack Wheeler

• 2.34 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 2.51 - LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

• 2.52 - ATL Chris Sale

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 3…

• 1913: 15 hits off a legend but still lose. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Red Sox tally 15 hits off Washington's Walter Johnson, but lose, 1-0, in 15 innings. This is a major league frustration record for most hits in a shutout. Ray Collins takes the loss.”

• 1925: Milt Stock has 4 hits for the 4th game in a row. Brooklyn 2B Milt Stock sets a modern National League record by getting four hits in his fourth consecutive game.

• 1966: Tony Cloninger, a pitcher, hits two grand slams and drives in nine runs. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Cloninger is the first National League player to slam two in a game, and the first pitcher ever, and his nine RBIs are a major-league record for pitchers, breaking Vic Raschi's mark of seven. The National League record for pitchers was five, held by several; the last hurler to collect five RBIs in a game was Cloninger himself, who had five on June 16th against the Mets.”

• 1968: Luis Tiant has 19 K in 10 innings. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Luis Tiant registers 19 K's in ten innings, as Cleveland beats Minnesota, 1-0. Tiant sets two modern major league records - most strikeouts in a ten-inning game; and 32 strikeouts in consecutive games - and ties the modern major-league record of 41 strikeouts in three successive appearances.”

• 1970: Clyde Wright throws a no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “In pregame ceremonies, California's Clyde Wright is inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame for his pitching while at Carson-Newman College. He then hurls a 98-pitch no-hitter against Oakland, winning, 4-0, in one hour and 51 minutes. Reggie Jackson's 400-foot shot to dead center in the 7th is caught.”

• 1973: Perry vs. Perry for the first and only time. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Brothers Gaylord Perry (Indians) and Jim Perry (Tigers) pitch against each other for the only time in their careers. Neither finishes the game, but Gaylord is charged with the 5-4 loss as two Norm Cash home runs help Detroit. The two brothers will be teammates with Cleveland next year.”

• 1974: Mike Marshall pitches in 13th consecutive game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Pitching in his major league-record 13th consecutive game for the Dodgers, Mike Marshall saves Tommy John's 4-1 win over the Reds in the first game of a doubleheader. Marshall will get a rest in the second game, but will pitch in a record 106 games this year.”

• 1977: Frank Tanana records 14th straight complete game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “On his 24th birthday, Angel Frank Tanana records his 14th straight complete game in beating the A's, 6-4, and raising his record to 12-5. His overworked arm will plague him for the rest of the season, and he will wind up 15-9.”

• 1980: Ken Landreaux has three triples in a game. Ken Landreaux ties the modern major-league record with three triples in Minnesota's 10-3 win over Texas.

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Frank Tanana (1953) was a first-round (13th overall) draft pick of the Angels in 1971. The young southpaw was up in the majors for four starts in 1973 and then proceeded to have a 21-year career, pitching an impressive 4,188.1 innings. He was a 3-time All-Star, won 15+ games six times, led the AL with 269 strikeouts in 1975, and led the AL with a 2.54 ERA in 1977. Overall he had a nearly even 240-236 record, a 3.66 ERA, and a 106 ERA+.

• Moisés Alou (1966) is a member of the Alou baseball family, the son of Felipe Alou, nephew of Jesús and Matty Alou, and cousin of Mel Rojas. Drafted by the Pirates in the first round (2nd overall) in 1986, he spent a few years working his way up through the minors and then was traded as part of a package to the Expos for pitcher Zane Smith. After playing for Montreal for parts of six seasons, he joined the Marlins for one year in 1997 and hit 23 HR with 115 RBI. He then continued to increase his power production with several good seasons for the Astros and Cubs, before finishing his career with the Giants and Mets. A six-time All-Star who played a mix of LF and RF, Alou hit 20+ HR nine times, and posted 100+ RBI five times. Overall he had 332 HR, 1,287 RBI, a .303/.369/.516 slash line, and a 128 OPS+.

• Greg Vaughn (1965) also had baseball in his blood as he was a cousin of major leaguers Jerry Roster and Mo Vaughn. Mostly a left fielder, he spent the first half of his 15-year career with the Brewers and the remainder spread between the Rays, Padres, Reds, and Rockies. Vaughn was a power hitter who had 25+ HR six times, including highs of 41 in 1996, 50 in 1998, and 45 in 1999. A four-time All-Star, he struck out 100+ times in nine seasons and wasn’t a high average hitter (.242 for his career). But he retired with 355 HR and 1,072 RBI with a 113 OPS+.

• César Tovar (1940) had a 12-year major league career from 1965-1976, and was perhaps best known for his versatility on the field, including once in 1968 becoming the second player in history to play all nine positions in a single game. Over his career he played 200+ games at five different positions (2B, 3B, and all three OF spots). Tovar was also a capable batsman, leading the AL with 36 doubles and 13 triples in 1970, and then with 204 hits in 1971. He could also run the bases well, as he had five seasons with 20+ SB with a high of 45 in 1969. Overall for his career he had 226 SB, 834 runs scores, and a .278/.335/.368 slash line.

Today’s Matchups

A partial slate of Thursday games (10), as per usual some teams are travelling today or otherwise have a day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• NYY vs. TOR is the final game of this AL East four game series (TOR is up 3-0), with Clarke Schmidt (3.09 ERA, 72 K in 75.2 IP) facing Chris Bassitt (4.29 ERA, 93 K in 94.1 IP).

• MIL vs. NYM is the final game of this series between two competitive teams, with Jose Quintana (3.30 ERA, 41 K in 60 IP) against David Peterson (3.30 ERA, 83 K in 95.1 IP).

• KCR vs. SEA features two good pitchers in Seth Lugo (2.74 ERA, 76 K in 88.2 IP) and Bryan Woo (2.93 ERA, 96 K in 101.1 IP).

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:

• LAD Will Smith, small sample but is 2-2 with 2 HR vs. CHW Aaron Civale

• MIL Rhys Hoskins, 7-16 with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. NYM David Peterson

• HOU Christian Walker, 12-35 with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. COL Kyle Freeland

• HOU Mauricio Dubon, 5-14 with a HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. COL Kyle Freeland

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:

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

• AZ Eugenio Suárez, 4-11 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. SFG Robbie Ray

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:

• 18 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 13 - LAA Jo Adell

• 11 - PIT Ke’Bryan Hayes

• 10 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 9 - MIA Kyle Stowers

• 9 - ATL Matt Olson

• 8 - TEX Corey Seager

• 8 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 8 - TEX Marcus Semien

• 7 - TEX Evan Carter

• 7 - MIL Caleb Durbin

• 7 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 7 - PIT Andrew McCutchen

• 7 - TBR Jake Mangum

• 7 - AZ Jake McCarthy

• 7 - STL Yohel Pozo

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:

• NYM Francisco Lindor, 3-22 with 6 K vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• NYY DJ LeMahieu, 0-14 though only 2 K vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• NYY Anthony Volpe, 2-12 with 6 K vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• AZ Josh Naylor, 1-10 with 2 K vs. SFG Robbie Ray

• NYM Juan Soto, 1-10 with 2 K vs. MIL Jose Quintana

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw are the active leaders in pitching strikeouts. Up next are Chris Sale with 2,528, and then a bit of gap as Gerrit Cole rounds out the top five with 2,251.

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.

• 12 facts behind Kershaw's march to 3,000 strikeouts, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 7/3/2025

• 2025 All-Star Game starters revealed, by Brent Maguire and Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru at MLB, 7/2/2025

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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