The Baseball Buffet for 7/31/2025

Issue #352

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 126th day of the season featured a full slate of Wednesday games:

• PIT 2, SFG 1 - Logan Webb struck out 11 (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 11 K) and along with four Giants relievers held the Pirates to just one run through nine innings. But the Pirates staff did the same, led by starter Mike Burrows (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). In the top of the tenth, with runners on first and third and one out, a failed double-play attempt allowed Oneil Cruz to score. Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson, who had pitched a scoreless ninth, did the same in the tenth by striking out the final two batters for the win. The Buccos were victorious despite striking out 14 times, going 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position, and stranding 13.

• TOR 9, BAL 8 - The Orioles scored three in the first, including a 2-run HR by Ryan O’Hearn. The Jays came back with two in the second inning from a 2-run HR by Myles Straw. Baltimore added two more with a HR by Jordan Westburg in the fifth, but then Toronto had a big 5-run top of the seventh, including a 3-run HR by Nathan Lukes. The game was 9-5 at the stretch, and the Orioles scored three more in the bottom of the inning to come within one—but the scoring ended there, and Jeff Hoffman eventually pitched a quiet ninth for his 25th save.

• AZ 2, DET 7 - Chris Paddack did well in his first game with the Tigers (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Kerry Carpenter went 2-3 with a HR, a triple, a walk, and 3 RBI; Jake Rogers was 11-4 with a HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; and Colt Keith was 3-3 with 2 runs.

• BOS 13, MIN 1 - Matt Wallner hit his 13th HR of the year in the second inning, but Brayan Bello otherwise pitched well (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). The Red Sox hitters meanwhile tallied 16 hits, with Jarren Duran going 3-5 with a HR, a double, 3 runs, and 4 RBI; Trevor Story was 2-3 with a HR, a double, a walk, and 2 runs; Romy Gonzalez was 2-4 with 3-run HR; and Masataka Yoshida was 2-5 with a HR and 3 RBI.

• WAS 1, HOU 9 - Ryan Gusto pitched well through six innings (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and three Astros relievers kept the Nationals off the board the rest of the way. Meanwhile Houston got to Nationals starter both early, and then again in the sixth (5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER 1 BB, 4 K). Jose Altuve led the way going 4-4 with a HR, 3 runs, and 3 RBI; Cooper Hummel added a 2-run HR; and Yainer Diaz had a 3-run HR.

• ATL 0, KCR 1 - Atlanta starter Joey Wentz was outstanding (6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), and three Braves relievers kept the Royals from scoring as well. Kansas City went with a bullpen day and used nine different pitchers to keep zeroes on the board through ten innings. In the bottom of the tenth, Daysbel Hernandez came in to pitch, and veteran Salvador Perez hit a walk-off, line drive single to right which drove in MJ Melendez, who was on second as the ghost-running Manfred Man. (I continue to not be a fan of these freebie, extra-inning runners.)

• PHI 3, CHW 9 - The White Sox rung up 17 hits in this one, and scored 8 of their 9 runs off homers by Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, and Edgar Quero. Mike Tauchman also went 3-5 and Luis Robert Jr. was 3-4 with his 27th SB of the year.

• CHC 10, MIL 3 - William Contreras, who generally does well against lefties, hit homers in the first and fourth innings off lefty Shota Imanaga (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). But four Cubs relievers shut out the Brewers for the final four innings, while Chicago’s lineup tallied 11 hits and 10 runs, including solo HR by Ian Happ and Michael Busch, and Pete Crow-Armstrong going 3-4 with 2 doubles.

• NYM 0, SDP 5 - Yu Darvish did very well (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), and Jason Adam and Robert Suarez combined for a 3-hit shutout. Meanwhile the Padres didn’t struggle against Clay Holmes (3.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), including Gavin Sheets hitting a 2-run HR.

• COL 0, CLE 5 - Kolby Allard (3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and five Cleveland relievers combined for a 3-hit shutout. Guardians DH David Fry hit a 2-run HR in the first inning, and José Ramírez and Carlos Santana each went 2-4 with a double.

• TBR 4, NYY 5 - Both starting pitchers did fairly well: Zack Littell (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) and Will Warren (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). The Yankees scored two, including a Trent Grisham solo HR, in the bottom of the eighth to go up 2-1. But then Josh Lowe hit a 2-run HR off Devin Williams in the top of the ninth to give the Rays the lead back. Anthony Volpe tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a HR of his own, and the game was 3-3 and headed into extras. Both teams scored a run in the tenth, and then Tim Hill kept the Rays off the board in the top of the 11th. In the bottom of that inning, Rays reliever Kevin Kelly balked to advance Jazz Chisholm to third and Jasson Dominguez to second. Recently acquired Ryan McMahon then singled to center to drive in the winning run.

• LAD 2, CIN 5 - Freddie Freeman hit a 2-run HR in the fourth inning, but that would be the Dodgers only time on the scoreboard in this one. Nick Martinez pitched well otherwise (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and four Reds relievers pitched shut out ball over the last three innings. Shohei Ohtani let up several runners and left after three innings with cramps (3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). With the game tied 2-2, Cincy scored three in the bottom of the eighth, including a 2-RBI triple by Spencer Steer.

• MIA 2, STL 0 - Miles Mikolas pitched fairly well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), but the 2-run HR he allowed to Jesús Sánchez in the third inning was all it took in this one. Cal Quantrill (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and three Marlins relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout, with Calvin Faucher notching his 10th save on the year.

• TEX 6, LAA 3 - Both starting pitchers did well over seven innings: Jose Soriano (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R , 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) and Nathan Eovaldi (7 IP, 6 H, 1 Er, 2 BB, 4 K). But then the Rangers scored four in the top of the eighth, including a 2-run HR by Adolis Garcia. The Angels countered with a 2-run HR by Nolan Schanuel in the bottom of the frame, but that wouldn’t be enough as Robert Garcia came in and struck out two in the ninth for his 9th save on the year.

• SEA 4, ATH 5 - Almost all of the runs in this one came via HR, with Bryan Woo (6.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) giving up four of them: Miguel Andujar had two, and Brent Rooker and Darell Hernaiz had one apiece. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Springs pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), allowing a first-inning HR to Julio Rodriguez. Jorge Polanco hit his 17th HR in the seventh inning, and Randy Arozarena hit his 21st HR in the 9th, but it wouldn’t be enough as Jack Perkins closed out the game for his 3rd save.

Standings

I am providing current standings as part of The Baseball Buffet (regular standings by division most days, wild-card standings on Wednesdays.) 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.

Notes:

• The Tigers have rebounded lately with four straight wins, after having had a six-game losing streak, and losing 12 of 13.

• The Cubs avoided a sweep by their NL Central rivals the Brewers, and so are just one game behind at this point.

• The Padres are surging in the NL West, winning five in a row to climb to just three games back of the Dodgers.

Today’s Trivia Question

Should Dodgers catcher Will Smith continue to play enough, he could qualify for the batting title in the National League. He currently does, and has a healthy lead with a .325 mark well ahead of Manny Machado who is at .302. Who are the only two Los Angeles Dodgers to win batting titles? (Hint: One of them won two with the Dodgers.)

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

• LAA 2B Christian Moore

• BAL SP Tyler Wells

• CHW 1B Tim Elko

• STL LF Lars Nootbaar

🤕 Placed on the IL

• TEX RP Jacob Webb - 15-day IL (back spasm)

• SEA RF Luke Raley - 10-day IL (back spasm)

• STL RP John King - 15-day IL (left oblique strain)

🚼 Placed on the Paternity List

• CIN CF TJ Friedl

➡️ Traded

• The Colorado Rockies traded RHP Tyler Kinley to the Atlanta Braves for RHP Austin Smith (A, AA levels).

• The Pittsburgh Pirates traded LHP Caleb Ferguson to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Jeter Martinez (A level).

• The Pittsburgh Pirates traded 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds for LHP Taylor Rogers, SS Sammy Stafura (A-level), and cash.

• The Minnesota Twins traded RHP Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Mick Abel and C Eduardo Tait (A level).

• The St. Louis Cardinals traded RHP Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets for SS Jesus Baez (A-level), RHP Frank Elissalt (A-level), and RHP Nate Dohm (A-level).

• The St. Louis Cardinals traded LHP Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox for IF Blaze Jordan (AAA/AA).

• The Washington Nationals traded LHP Andrew Chafin and RHP Luis Garcia to the Los Angeles Angels for LHP Jake Eder and 1B Sam Brown (AA level).

• The Washington Nationals traded RHP Mike Soroka to the Chicago Cubs for SS Ronny Cruz (Rookie level) and OF Christian Franklin (AAA).

• The San Francisco Giants traded RHP Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets for RHP Blade Tidwell (AAA), RHP José Buttó, and CF Drew Gilbert (AAA).

• The Chicago White Sox traded LF Austin Slater to the New York Yankees for RHP Gage Ziehl (AA level).

• The Tampa Bay Rays traded RHP Zack Littell to the Cincinnati Reds for LHP Adam Serwinowski (A-level) and RHP Brian Van Belle (AAA).

• The Atlanta Braves traded RHP Rafael Montero to the Detroit Tigers for IF Jim Jarvis (AA).

League Leaders

Corbin Carroll had another triple recently and so now is up by six in the NL, and two overall:

• 14 - AZ Corbin Caroll

• 12 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 8 - SFG Jung Hoo Lee

• 8 - DET Zach McKinstry

• 7 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 6 - ATL Michael Harris II

• 6 - COL Mickey Moniak

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 31…

• 1935: Two pitchers each hit two HR on the same day. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Two American League pitchers each hit two home runs in a game. Wes Ferrell clouts a couple against Buck Newsom of the Browns and knocks in four runs in a 6-4 win for Boston. Mel Harder hits two for Cleveland but loses, 6-4, to the White Sox. No other hurlers will hit two homers this season.”

• 1954: Joe Adcock hits four HR with 18 total bases. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Using a borrowed bat, Dodger killer Joe Adcock hits four homers and a double for 18 total bases in the Braves' 15-7 victory at Ebbets Field. The 18 total bases is a major-league mark and, combined with the seven total bases from the day before, gives him a two-day tally of 25. The two-game total ties him with Ty Cobb.” As noted recently, only three players have 18 or more TB in a game since then: Shawn Green with 19 in 2002, Josh Hamilton with 18 in 2021, and then Nick Kurtz just recently this year with 19.

• 1968: Dick McAuliffe scores all four runs in a 4-0 game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Detroit's Dick McAuliffe becomes the only player in major league history to score all four runs in a 4-0 shutout against Washington. McAuliffe hits two homers, a double and a single in Denny McLain's 21st win of his 31-6 season.”

• 1972: Dick Allen hits two inside-the-park HR. As described at baseball-reference.com, “White Sox slugger Dick Allen becomes the seventh major leaguer to hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game. The homers pace the White Sox over the Twins, 8-1.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Larry Doyle (1886) had a 14-year career from 1907-1920, mostly spent as a 2B with the New York Giants. He led the NL with an impressive 25 triples in 1911, and then paced the league with 189 hits, 40 doubles, and a .320 average in 1915. He provided speed on the bases too, with five consecutive 30+ SB seasons from 1909-1913. Overall, Doyle had 123 triples, 298 SB, a .290/.357/.408 slash line, and a 126 OPS+.

• Hank Bauer (1922) had a 14-year major league career spanning from 1948-1961, all with the Yankees except his last two seasons with the Kansas City Athletics. Primarily a RF, Bauer had only modest power with two 20+ HR seasons. From 1950-1954 he hit .301 and was an All-Star three times. Overall, Bauer had 164 HR, a .277/346/.439 slash line, and a 113 OPS+.

• Leon Durham (1957) was the first-round (15th overall) draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1976. He was in the majors by 1980, but then was traded to the Cubs, along with Ken Reitz and Ty Waller, for All-Star reliever Bruce Sutter. Durham blossomed in Chicago, was an All-Star in both 1982 and 1983, and hit 20+ HR five times. He only played 10 years in the majors as substance abuse issues arose that led to an early retirement. Overall, Durham had 147 HR, 106 SB, a .277/.356/.475 slash line, and a 125 OPS+.

• Neil Robinson (1907) was a star CF in the Negro Leagues, playing first in semi-pro and various non-major leagues until playing in the Negro American League from 1937-1948. The data available at baseball-reference.com from that time is limited, but it indicates Robinson was a strong hitter with a .301/375/.455 slash line and 142 OPS+. According to Wikipedia, “Throughout his career, he was known as a power hitter and ranks as the greatest hitter in the history of Memphis Red Sox franchise.”

A currently active player who was born on July 31 is DET Reese Olson.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a very short slate (3), as many teams are travelling or otherwise have a day off (and it is trade deadline day too). The three games are:

• TBR vs. NYY with Ryan Pepiot (3.42 ERA, 124 K in 126.1 IP) vs. Marcus Stroman (6.09 ERA, 23 K in 34 IP)

• ATL vs. CIN with Carlos Carrasco making his first appearance since joining the Braves and the Reds going with Andrew Abbot who has been great this year (2.09 ERA, 95 K in 103.1 IP).

• TEX vs. SEA with Kumar Rocker (5.73 ERA, 53 K in 59.2 IP) vs. George Kirby (4.50 ERA, 68 K in 66 IP).

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 13 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 9 - PIT Tommy Pham

• 9 - TEX Josh Jung

• 9 - CLE Kyle Manzardo

• 9 - NYM Mark Vientos

• 8 - SDP Manny Machado

• 8 - CLE Steven Kwan

• 7 - KCR Maikel Garcia

Active HR streaks

• 2 - HOU Yainer Diaz

• 2 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 2 - PHI Brandon Marsh

• 2 - ATH Brent Rooker

• 2 - BOS Trevor Story

• 2 - NYY Anthony Volpe

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:

• NYY Trent Grisham, 1-11 with 3 K though the one hit was a HR vs. TBR Ryan Pepiot

• Jazz Chisholm Jr., 0-11 with 2 K vs. TBR Ryan Pepiot

• TBR Yandy Díaz, 1-10 with 3 K vs. NYY Marcus Stroman

• TEX Marcus Stroman, 3-24 though only 3 K and one hit was a HR vs. SEA George Kirby

• TEX Corey Seager, 0-13 with 2 K vs. SEA George Kirby

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Will Smith of the Dodgers is currently leading the NL with a .325 batting average. The only two Los Angeles Dodgers to win NL Batting titles have been:

• 2021 - .328, Trea Turner who started the season with the Nationals but was traded to the Dodgers before the deadline.

• 1963 - .326, Tommy Davis

• 1962 - .346, Tommy Davis

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.

• What to watch with each team on Trade Deadline Day, by MLB writers, 7/31/2025

• Twin brothers, both relievers, both traded on same day, by Jeffrey Lutz at MLB, 7/30/2025

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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