The Baseball Buffet for 7/5/2025

Issue #326

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 100th day of the season had a full slate of Friday games:

• BOS 11, WAS 2 - Boston had many base-runners against Michael Soroka (4 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), and tallied 16 total hits in this one. Standouts were Trevor Story 4-5 with a HR and 4 RBI and Jarren Duran 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI. Meanwhile, Lucas Giolito pitched well (7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K) against the team that drafted him in the first round back in 2012.

• PIT 0, SEA 6 - Pittsburgh ended their 6-game winning streak, as only Nick Gonzalez, who went 3-4 with a double, did much on offense. Bryan Woo pitched well for the Mariners (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), and Cal Raleigh hit two more HR to extend his MLB-leading total to 35. Seattle also had homers from Dylan Moore and Randy Arozarena, his fifth in the past five days.

• CIN 9, PHI 6 - The Phillies out hit the Reds 14-11, but they left 11 runners on base, while the Reds were 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position and only stranded 5. The only HR in this game came from Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos, while the Reds got two hits each from TJ Friedl, Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, and Tyler Stephenson. Cincinnati used seven pitchers, with Emilio Pagán pitching a scoreless ninth for his 19th save on the year.

• STL 3, CHC 11 - Brendan Donovan hit a HR in the fourth inning, but that was the only hit that Colin Rea allowed (6.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). The main story was the Cubs’ offense, as they hit eight homers in this game, including six off Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (6 IP, 10 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 4 K). Michael Busch had 3 HR, Pete Crow-Armstrong had 2 HR, and Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, and Dansby Swanson had one apiece.

• NYY 5, NYM 6 - The Yankees scored all five of their runs off homers, with two by Jasson Dominguez, and one each by Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger. But the Mets had a few HR of their own, including Juan Soto, Brett Baty, and then Jeff McNeil hitting a 2-run HR off Luke Weaver that gave the Mets the lead in the 7th inning. Reed Garrett then came in and shut out the Yankees for the final two innings, earning his 3rd save.

• TBR 3, MIN 4 - Zack Littell pitched well for the Rays (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), with the only run he allowed coming from a HR by Twins’ ninth hitter Harrison Bader. With the game tied 3-3 after seven, Minnesota’s Louis Varland pitched two scoreless innings, while the Ray’s Kevin Kelly allowed a walkoff HR to Bader, his second of the day.

• TEX 2, SDP 3 - Texas scored two runs early, but Randy Vasquez otherwise pitched fairly well (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K). Manny Machado hit a solo HR in the fourth inning, and then the Padres tied the game in the sixth. It remained 2-2 through nine, and San Diego reliever Adrian Morejon pitched a scoreless tenth. Robert Garcia came in for the Rangers, and he struck out two but also loaded the bases with Jake Cronenworth eventually hitting a single to right field that drove in Jackson Merrill for the win.

• LAA 3, TOR 4 - Toronto scored first with three runs in the sixth inning, but then the Angels finally got to Eric Lauer (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) in the seventh and tied the game. The score remained 3-3 through nine, and Chad Green held the Angels scoreless in the top of the tenth. In the bottom of the frame, with runners on first and second and no outs, Ernie Clement hit a sacrifice bunt into the awkward area between 3B and the pitcher’s mound. Reliever Sam Bachman sailed his throw over 1B, allowing Myles Straw to score the winning run.

• DET 2, CLE 1 - Cleveland out hit Detroit 9-7, but left 10 runners on base, with a solo HR by José Ramírez in the first inning being their only score. After allowing that homer, Reese Olson pitched fairly well in a short start (4.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 Bb, 3 K), his first after a stint on the IL. Wenceel Pérez and Zach McKinstry each had a solo HR for the Tigers, and Will Vest got the last four outs for his 14th save.

• MIL 6, MIA 5 - Connor Norby and Otto Lopez each had a HR for the Marlins, but this game was tied 5-5 after seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Jackson Chourio hit a double off Cade Gibson to drive in Christian Yelich for what would be the decisive run. Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill held Miami scoreless in the ninth to record his 19th save.

• BAL 3, ATL 2 - 41-year old Charlie Morton pitched well (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) until 24-year old rookie Drake Baldwin finally tagged him for a 2-run HR in the sixth inning. Spencer Strider struck out six in six innings, but also allowed three runs from homers by Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins. Three Baltimore relievers held the Braves scoreless, with Felix Bautista securing his 17th save.

• CHW 3, COL 2 - White Sox rookie catcher Edgar Quero hit his first major league HR, and Adrian Houser once again pitched quite well (8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). Grant Taylor struck out two in ninth and notched his 3rd save.

• HOU 18, LAD 1 - Baseball is a long season, so even really good teams get crushed once in a while. Will Smith was 2-2 with two walks and a HR, but he was the lone bright spot for the Dodgers. Other than that homer, Lance McCullers Jr. pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K), and Jason Alexander held LA scoreless for a three-inning save. The big story was the Astros pummeling Dodgers pitchers, with Ben Casparius (3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Noah Davis (1.1 IP, 6 H, 10 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) bearing the brunt of the attack. Jose Altuve was 3-3 with 2 HR, a double, 2 walks, and 5 RBI, and Christian Walker was 4-5 with a HR and 4 RBI. Isaac Parades hit a solo HR, and Victor Caratini was 3-4 with two doubles and a grand slam.

• KCR 9, AZ 3 - The Diamondbacks scored two in the first inning and Eugenio Suárez added a solo HR in the sixth, but Kris Bubic (7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) otherwise held them in check. The Royals on the other hand lit up Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez (4.1 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), including two HR by Vinnie Pasquantino, and a solo HR Mark Canha.

• SFG 2, ATH 11 - JP Sears pitched six innings of shutout ball (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and the Athletics tallied 12 hits going 7 for 17 with runners in scoring position. Justin Verlander struggled (3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and then rookies Nick Kurtz and Denzel Clarke each hit 2-run HR off reliever Mason Black. Max Muncy was 2-4 with 2 doubles, and Brent Rooker was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

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

Clayton Kershaw recently notched his 3,000th strikeout, becoming the 20th pitcher in that club. But there are two subsets of that group that Kershaw also is a member of. Who are the only other two members of the 3,000 K club who played their entire major league careers with just one team? And who are the three other left-handed pitchers in the 3,000 K club?

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

• SFG 3B Matt Chapman

• HOU LF Chas McCormick

• LAA 3B Yoán Moncada

• CIN RF Connor Joe

• BOS SP Tanner Houck

• NYM RP Brooks Raley

🤕 Placed on the IL

• NYM RP José Buttó - 15-day IL (illness)

• WAS SP Trevor Williams - 15-day IL (right elbow sprain)

• ATH 2B Luis Urías - 10-day IL (right hamstring strain)

• NYY SP Clarke Schmidt - 15-day IL (right forearm tightness)

• CHC SP Jameson Taillon - 15-day IL (right calf strain)

📝 Signed as Free Agent

• AZ LF Seth Brown

• NYY RP Joel Kuhnel

• HOU RP Taylor Scott

MLB Debut Yesterday

Here I’ll try to keep up with players who just made their MLB debut the day before!

• CHW SS Colson Montgomery - The 23-year old SS went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout (and reached base once via catcher’s interference) while batting seventh in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Rockies in Colorado. He also made a very good defensive play, an over-the-shoulder, full-extension diving catch on a looper to left field. Montgomery was the first-round, 22nd overall pick (out of High School) by the White Sox in 2021. He has been climbing up through the minors, displaying some power (18 HR in 130 AAA games last year, 11 HR in 55 AAA games so far this year), but has not always hit for a high average, with a .214 mark last year and .215 this year. Strikeouts have been an issue, with 164 at AAA last season, and already 86 this year.

League Leaders

As noted above, Cal Raleigh had two more HR yesterday, and Aaron Judge had one too.

• 35 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 32 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 30 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 28 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 26 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 24 - CHC Seiya Suzuki

• 23 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 23 - WAS James Wood

• 21 - TBR Junior Caminero

• 21 - DET Riley Greene

• 21 - 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 5…

• 1947 - Larry Doby is the first African-American player in the American League. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Striking out as a pinch hitter in an Indian 6-5 loss to the White Sox, 22-year-old Larry Doby becomes the first African-American to appear in the American League. The former Newark Eagles standout will play in the major leagues for 13 years, amassing 1,515 hits, just three less than Jackie Robinson. Tomorrow, he will go 1 for 5 in his first full game at 1B.”

• 1953: Robin Roberts throws his 28th straight complete game. As described at baseball-reference.com," “Blanking the Pirates at Forbes Field, 2-0, Robin Roberts hurls his 28th consecutive complete game. The Phillies right-hander has finished every game he started since beating the Cardinals on August 28, 1952.”

• 1993: Rickey Henderson hits a leadoff HR twice in one day. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Oakland OF Rickey Henderson leads off both games of the A's doubleheader against the Indians with home runs. It is the first time this has happened since 1913, when Harry Hooper performed the feat for the Boston Red Sox. The Athletics win the first game, 6-5, but the Indians come back to take the nightcap, 6-2.”

• 2001: Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon steals a base. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon is fined $1,000 for walking off the field with the first base bag in the June 26th game against the Brewers. It's the first time a manager has been fined for "stealing" a base.”

• 2002: Ted Williams dies at the age of 83. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Baseball legend Ted Williams, considered by many the greatest hitter in the history of the game, dies of cardiac arrest at the age of 83. The first-ballot Hall of Famer, who was a lifetime .344 hitter, won the Most Valuable Player Award and the Triple Crown twice, led the American League in batting six times, and hit .406 in 1941 during his 19-year career with the Boston Red Sox.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Shohei Ohtani (1994) is a unique player in today’s game, being both an outstanding hitter and a very good pitcher. He won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2018, and has thus far been an All-Star four times and has already won three MVP Awards. His hitting really broke out in 2021 when he had 46 HR and 26 SB, but then in 2023 he led the AL with 44 HR while raising his average to .304. Last year with the Dodgers he created the 50/50 club by leading the NL with 54 HR while also stealing 59 bases. He led the league with both 134 runs and 130 RBI, while batting .310. So far this year he leads the NL with 30 HR and is far ahead in runs scored with 86. On the pitching side he has had some injuries, but went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and 219 K 166 IP in 2022, owns a 3.00 ERA and 143 ERA+ overall, and is ramping back up recently this year.

• Rich Gossage (1951) is a Hall of Famer who had a 22-year major league career and is considered one of the greatest relief pitchers of all-time. He first came up with the White Sox in 1972 and had his first All-Star season in 1975 when he posted a 1.84 ERA with an AL-leading 26 saves. A nine-time All-Star, he led the league in saves three times, often pitching two innings instead of the one expected of more recent closers. An intimidating presence on the mound, from 1977-1985 the Goose had a 2.10 ERA and 182 ERA+. Overall for his career he had 310 saves, a 3.01 ERA, and a 126 ERA+.

• Gary Matthews (1950) was the first-round draft pick (17th overall) of the San Francisco Giants in 1968, and played for them from 1972-76, including winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1973 after hitting 12 HR, with 10 triples, 17 SB, and a .300 average. He had a 16-year major league career, with the rest of his seasons spent with the Braves, Phillies, Cubs, and Mariners. Playing mostly LF and RF, Matthews hit 15+ HR in eight seasons, with career highs of 27 HR and 90 RBI in his one All-Star campaign in 1979. He had some speed on the bases as well, stealing 15+ bases five times. Overall he had 234 HR, 183 SB, a .281/.364/.439 slash line, and a 118 OPS+.

In addition to Shohei Ohtani, other currently active players who were born on July 5 include TBR Junior Caminero and SEA Jorge Polanco.

Today’s Matchups

A full slate of Saturday games (15), so lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• NYY vs. NYM is game two of this New York City series, with Carlos Rodón (2.95 ERA, 123 K in 106.2 IP) going for the Yankees vs. Frankie Montas making his third start of the year for the Mets.

• HOU vs. LAD is game two of this matchup between Western division leaders, and we have Framber Valdez (2.72 ERA, 108 K in 109 IP) on the mound for Houston, and Shohei Ohtani perhaps looking to stretch beyond just two innings this time for the Dodgers.

Also toeing the rubber today are SEA Luis Castillo, TOR Max Scherzer, PHI Ranger Suárez DET Casey Mize, and SFG Logan Webb.

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:

• AZ Eugenio Suárez, 15-36 with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• LAD Kiké Hernández, 6-19 with 2 HR vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• NYM Francisco Lindor, 10-38 with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. NYY Carlos Rodón

• LAA Travis D’Arnaud, only 7-35 (.200) with 2 HR, a triple, and 3 doubles vs. TOR Max Scherzer

• LAA Logan O’Hoppe, small sample but is 3-3 with 2 HR vs. TOR Max Scherzer

• MIN Matt Wallner, small sample but is 2-5 with 2 HR vs. TBR Taj Bradley

• CLE José Ramírez, small sample but is 3-5 with 2 HR vs. DET Casey Mize

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:

• PHI Edmundo Sosa, 7-16 with 3 doubles vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• PHI Alec Bohm, 5-13 with 2 doubles vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• PIT Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 5-11 with a HR and a double vs. SEA Luis Castillo

• SDP Jose Iglesias, 6-15 with 2 doubles vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• SDP Fernando Tatis Jr., small sample but is 5-9 with a double vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• CHW Mike Tauchman, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

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:

• 19 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 15 - LAA Jo Adell

• 12 - PIT Ke’Bryan Hayes

• 11 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 10 - NYY Cody Bellinger

• 9 - TEX Corey Seager

• 9 - TEX Marcus Semien

• 9 - MIL Caleb Durbin

• 8 - TEX Evan Carter

• 8 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 8 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 8 - DET Spencer Torkelson

• 7 - AZ Jake McCarthy

• 7 - LAA Taylor Ward

• 7 - WAS CJ Abrams

• 7 - DET Colt Keith

• 7 - MIA Xavier Edwards

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:

• SFG Rafael Devers, 3-22 with 7 K vs. ATH Luis Severino

• LAD Esteury Ruiz, 1-11 with 6 K vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 1-11 with 5 K vs. SEA Luis Castillo

• PIT Bryan Reynolds, 0-11 with 4 K vs. SEA Luis Castillo

• PIT Tommy Pham, 1-10 with 2 K vs. SEA Luis Castillo

• CLE Carlos Santana, 2-20 with 5 K vs. DET Casey Mize

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 2-13 with 5 K vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• MIN Ty France, 1-10 with 2 K vs. TBR Taj Bradley

• NYY Paul Goldschmidt, 1-10 but only 1 K vs. NYM Frankie Montas

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

In addition Clayton Kershaw (so far), the only other two members of the 3,000 K club who played their entire major league careers with just one team are Walter Johnson (Senators) and Bob Gibson (Cardinals). In addition to Kershaw, the three other left-handed pitchers in the 3,000 K club are Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and CC Sabathia.

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.

• Remember These '80s League Leaders?, by Paul Semendinger at

  Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 7/5/2025

• Who could start on the mound for AL, NL in ASG?, by Theo DeRosa at MLB, 7/4/2025

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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