The Baseball Buffet for 8/14/2025

Issue #366

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 140th day of the season featured a full slate of Wednesday games:

• WAS 8, KCR 7 - The Nationals scored five in the top of the first, including a grand slam by Nathaniel Lowe. CJ Abrams added a solo HR in the fourth, and then Vinnie Pasquantino hit a 3-run HR in the bottom of the fourth to bring the Royals within one, 7-6. They would score one more in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game, but then closer Carlos Estévez let up a run in the ninth when Daylen Lile singled to right to drive in Luis Garcia Jr. from third. Jose Ferrer kept the Royals off the board in the bottom of the ninth for the Nats victory.

• PIT 5, MIL 12 - Both teams had 12 hits, but the Pirates were only 2-9 with with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. Brandon Woodruff pitched four solid innings (4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), but then Bryan Reynolds hit homers in the fifth and sixth innings to get the Bucs on the board. He was 3-4 with 5 RBI on the day, but the hot Brewers were 8-14 with runners in scoring position, with standouts being Sal Frelick 2-3 a double, 2 walks, and 4 runs; William Contreras 2-3 with 2 walks and 4 RBI; Christian Yelich 2-5 with 3 RBI; and Joey Ortiz 2-3 with a walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBI. This was Milwaukee’s 12 consecutive win.

• DET 1, CHW 0 - Troy Melton pitched five strong innings (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) and three Tigers relievers combined on the 2-hit shutout, including Will Vest who recorded his 18th save. That was needed because Detroit didn’t do a lot of hitting either, as Shane Smith did well (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) with the Tigers scoring their lone run when they loaded the bases in the sixth and Wenceel Pérez hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Kerry Carpenter.

• COL 6, STL 5 - The Cardinals managed nine hits off Austin Gomber (5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER 1 BB, 2 K), including HR by Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson. But then four Rockies relievers threw scoreless innings, including Victor Vodnik who notched his 4th save. Colorado was down 5-4 through eight, but then pinch hitter Hunter Goodman hit a 2-run HR in the top of the ninth and that would end up being decisive.

• AZ 6, TEX 4 - Geraldo Perdomo hit a HR in the 5th, but Merrill Kelly otherwise pitched fairly well (6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). Jake Burger hit a 2-run HR and the Rangers scored two other runs to build a 4-2 lead through eight. But in the ninth Phil Maton gave up a solo HR to James McCann and a 3-run HR to Ketel Marte, who was 4-5 with 4 RBI on the day. Arizona brought in Andrew Saalfrank for the bottom of the ninth and he didn’t allow any hits or runs for the win.

• SDP 11, SFG 1 - The Padres got to Kai-Wei Tang in the second inning (1.2 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 0 K), and then Ramon Laureano hit a 2-run HR in 5th, his 17th of the season. Overall, San Diego tallied 14 hits in this one, while Nick Pivetta pitched well (6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and two Padres relievers kept the Giants off the board the rest of the way.

• PHI 0, CIN 8 - Hunter Greene did very well (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) in his first start since June 3. Four Reds relievers combined for a 3-hit shutout, while Cincy scored four off Cristopher Sánchez (6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and then Miguel Andujar added four more with a grand slam off Jordan Romano.

• SEA 3, BAL 4 - Logan Gilbert finally gave up a HR to Ryan Mountcastle in the seventh, but otherwise did pretty well (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). Trevor Rogers was great yet again (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), keeping his ERA at 1.43 over 11 starts so far this year. Seattle scored two in the top of the ninth to tie the game 3-3, but then with two outs and a runner on first, Matt Brash gave up a double to Jackson Holliday which drove in Dylan Carlson for the game winner.

• MIA 13, CLE 4 - Xavier Edwards led off the game with a HR, only his second of the season. That was just the beginning of the Marlins outburst yesterday, as they tallied 17 hits including Jakob Marsee going 4-5 with 2 HR, a double, and 7 RBI, and Graham Pauley going 4-4 with a HR and a walk. Eury Perez had 8 K in 5 IP, though he let up homers to Steven Kwan and Gabriel Arias. But that didn’t matter for the outcome, as three Marlins relievers pitched four shutout innings, while Miami scored off all four Guardians pitchers—only failing to score off non-pitcher Austin Hedges (usually a catcher) in the ninth.

• MIN 4, NYY 1 - Cody Bellinger hit a solo HR in the third, but otherwise Joe Ryan did well 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) and two Twins relievers didn’t allow any further damage. Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler did well too (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), but then Yerry De Los Santos allowed three runs in the sixth without retiring any batters. Four other New York relievers came in and pitched scoreless innings, but the damage was done.

• CHC 4, TOR 1 - Cubs rookie Cade Horton pitched another good game (5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) and four Chicago relievers held back the Blue Jays, including Daniel Palencia who earned his 16th save. Kevin Gausman did fairly well (7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), but gave up homers to Michael Busch and Matt Shaw.

• BOS 1, HOU 4 - Boston outhit Houston 8-4, but they were only 1-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 8 runners overall. Meanwhile Walker Buehler let up a leadoff HR to Jeremy Peña in the bottom of the first, and then a 2-run HR to Yainer Diaz later in the sixth. Hunter Brown did pretty well (6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K), and Bennett Sousa and Bryan Abreu struck out 5 in 2.1 innings of relief.

• ATL 11, NYM 6 - The Mets scored six runs off Carlos Carrasco in the first two innings (2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), including a 2-run HR by Juan Soto. But then five Braves relievers kept the Mets off the board the rest of the game. David Peterson held the Braves in check for three innings, but then they erupted for nine runs in the fourth, including six credited to Peterson (3.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 5 K) and three to Reed Garrett. Three Atlanta players provided the bulk of the offense on the day: Michael Harris II 2-5 with a grand slam HR; Marcell Ozuna 2-4 with a HR, a walk, and 3 RBI, and Jurickson Profar 3-5, with a double and 3 RBI.

• LAD 5, LAA 6 - The Dodgers scored three in the top of the first, including a 2-run HR by Will Smith. Shohei Ohtani struck out 7 in 4.1 innings, but also let up 5 hits and 4 runs, including a HR by Taylor Ward, his 29th of the year. Ahead 5-4, Justin Wrobleski allowed two Angels runs to cross in the bottom of the eighth, when Logan O’Hoppe singled with the bases loaded to drive in Ward and Christian Moore. Longtime former Dodger Kenley Jansen then entered for the ninth, and picked up his 23rd save.

• TBR 8, ATH 2 - Tampa scored six in the first two innings off J.T. Ginn (2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), including Brandon Lowe hitting a 2-run HR, his 24th on the year. Drew Rasmussen allowed a HR to Lawrence Butler in the 3rd, but otherwise did well (6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Three Rays relievers pitched scoreless innings, and Junior Caminero was 2-5 with a HR, a double, and 3 RBI.

Standings

I am providing current standings as part of The Baseball Buffet, with the image being a modified version of the text-based standings at Plain Text Sports. Here also is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Notes:

• The Brewers won big again, extending their streak to 12. They have today off before visiting Cincinnati.

• Houston won and Seattle lost, so the Astros went back up by one in the AL West.

• And with a Padres win and a Dodgers loss, San Diego is now in the lead in the NL West.

• Current Wild Card Leaders: In the AL it is SEA/BOS/NYY; in the NL it is CHC/LAD/NYM

Today’s Trivia Question

Yesterday we looked at all-time HR-leaders for each franchise, focusing on the low-end. At the high end, the three all-time highest franchise HR leaders are fairly easy to guess: 733 by Hank Aaron of the Braves, 659 by Babe Ruth of the Yankees, and 646 by Willie Mays of the Giants. Who are the next highest four, the only other four franchise HR leaders with 500+ HR?

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

• TOR SP Alek Manoah

🤕 Placed on the IL

• AZ SP Anthony DeSclafani - 15-day IL (right thumb inflammation)

• TEX RF Adolis Garcia - 10-day IL (left ankle sprain)

• PIT CF Oneil Cruz - 7-day IL (concussion)

📝 Signed as a Free Agent

• SFG RP JT Brubaker

League Leaders

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Shohei Ohtani’s lead (30?!) in runs scored in the NL is really getting ridiculous at this point. I’ll need to check what the record is for the biggest differential between first and second place in runs scored in a league in a season, but for now here is the current MLB runs leaderboard:

• 115 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 94 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 85 - NYM Juan Soto

• 84 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 84 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 81 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 80 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• 79 - SEA Julio Rodriguez

• 78 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 78 - NYM Francisco Lindor

• 78 - SEA Cal Raleigh

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 August 14…

• 1912: Tris Speaker has third 20+ hitting streak of the season. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Tris Speaker runs his hitting streak to 20 games, lining a hit in the first game of today's twin bill with the Browns. This is Speaker's third long streak of the season; earlier he had streaks of 20 games and 30 games, the only player in history to have three such streaks in a year. In the nitecap, Smoky Joe Wood wins his 25th, beating the Browns, 8-0. He allows four hits and strikes out nine.”

• 1933: Jimmie Foxx hits for the cycle with 9 RBI. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Jimmie Foxx hits for the cycle and drives in nine runs to break the American League record, as the A's beat the Indians, 11-5. A record eight players will hit for the cycle this year.”

• 1935: Schoolboy Rowe collects the win and goes 5-5 at the plate. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Schoolboy Rowe beats the Senators, 18-2, and also goes 5 for 5 at the plate. His hits include a double and a triple, and he scores three and knocks in three.”

• 1937: The Tigers score 36 runs in a doubleheader. As described at baseball-reference.com, “In a doubleheader against the Browns, the Tigers set a major league record scoring 36 runs. The Tigers take the first game, 16-1, behind Elden Auker pitching a complete game four-hitter while hitting two homers. The nightcap sees Detroit win handily, 20-7, while slugging six homers. Pete Fox tallies eight times in the double dip.”

• 1958: Vic Power steals home twice in one game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Vic Power of the Indians steals home twice in the same game; he will only have a total of three stolen bases for the entire season.”

• 1971: Bob Gibson throws a no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Thanks to outstanding defensive plays by outfielder Jose Cruz and third baseman Joe Torre, Cardinal fireballer Bob Gibson no-hits the Pirates, 11-0.”

• 1987: Mark McGwire sets a new record for HR by a rookie. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Oakland's Mark McGwire slugs his 39th home run of the season, off Don Sutton in the 6th inning, in a 12-inning, 7-6, win over California, breaking the major-league record for rookies shared by Wally Berger and Frank Robinson. McGwire will finish the season with a whopping 49 homers.”

• 2021: Tyler Gilbert throws a no-hitter in his first big-league start. As described at baseball-reference.com, “In his first major league start, Tyler Gilbert of the Diamondbacks tosses a no-hitter defeating the Padres, 7-0. The last pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first start had been Bobo Holloman back in 1953, and today's is the eighth of the season, matching the all-time single season record set in 1884.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

• Mark Gubicza (1962) was drafted in the second round by the Royals in 1981 and went on to have a 14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1984-1997. He was an All-Star in 1988 when he posted a 20-8 record and 2.70 ERA, and then again in 1989 when he was 15-11 with a 3.04 ERA. Overall, Gubicza had a 132-136 record, 3.96 ERA, and a 109 ERA+.

• Juan Pierre (1977) had a 14-year major league career, spanning from 2000-2013 and playing for the Rockies, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, White Sox, Phillies, and Marlins. He started his career in CF and then shifted to LF over time. Pierre was a speedster, leading his league in SB three times and having 40+ SB in nine seasons. He hit over .300 six times, scored 100+ runs three times, and twice led the NL in hits with 221 in 2004 and 204 in 2006. He didn’t have much power, hitting only 18 HR in 8,280 plate appearances. He had over 30 doubles in a season only once, though again, given his speed, he did have 10+ triples four times. Very durable for much of his career, he played in 162 games in five consecutive seasons from 2003-2007. Overall, Pierre had 1,075 runs, 614 SB, and a .295/.343/.361 slash line.

• Josh Bell (1992) was drafted in the second round in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit for a solid average as he rose through the minors, but it took some time for his power to develop. After a short initial stint with the Pirates in 2016, he posted 26 HR with 90 RBI in his full rookie season in 2017. He had his career year in 2019 and was an All-Star in hitting 37 HR with 37 doubles, 116 RBI, and a .277 average. He has so far had four 20+ HR seasons, and after five seasons in Pittsburgh has jumped around playing for five other clubs. Currently with the Nationals for a second time, he has 15 HR so far in 2025. Overall, Bell has 186 HR, a .256/.342/.443 slash line, and a 114 OPS+.

• Mark Fidrych (1954) was drafted by the Tigers in the 10th round in 1974. He had a solid but not overpowering season in the minors in 1975, and then took the majors by storm in 1976, earning the AL starting pitcher spot on the All-Star team, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and coming in second in the AL Cy Young Award voting after going 19-9 with an AL-leading 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. Nicknamed “the Bird,” it wasn’t just his numbers that enthralled fans that year, it was his approach and antics on the mound, such as talking to the ball, walking in circles after every out, and patting down the mound. Unfortunately, injuries came as soon as spring training of the following season, and he would only pitch a total of 27 games from 1977-1980.

In addition to Josh Bell, other currently active players who were born on August 14 include CIN TJ Friedl, DET Colt Keith, MIA Eric Wagaman, PHI Johan Rojas, MIL Chad Patricks, TBR Joe Boyle, and WAS Cade Cavalli.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a short slate of Thursday games (7), as many teams are travelling or otherwise have the day off. The only pitching matchup that looks particularly interesting is:

• CHC vs. TOR is a matchup of two teams currently on their way to the playoffs and with interesting pitchers in Matthew Boyd (2.45 ERA, 121 K in 135.2 IP) and Max Scherzer (4.21 ERA, 49 K in 47 IP).

Also on the hill today are PHI Jesús Luzardo, NYM Kodai Senga, and DET Tarik Skubal.

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:

• CHC Justin Turner, 7-20 with 4 HR vs. TOR Max Scherzer

• MIN Byron Buxton, only 2-15 but with 2 HR vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• DET Gleyber Torres, small sample but is 2-6 with 2 HR vs. MIN Bailey Ober

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:

• DET Zach McKinstry, 7-16 with a HR and a 3 doubles vs. MIN Bailey Ober

• MIN Francisco Lindor, small sample but is 4-7 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. ATL Bryce Elder

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 13 - ATH Tyler Soderstrom

• 12 - LAD Shohei Ohtani - is batting .422 with 5 HR

• 10 - AZ Geraldo Perdomo - is batting ,410

• 8 - MIA Xavier Edwards - is batting .447

• 8 - LAD Mookie Betts

• 8 - ATH Gio Urshela

Active HR Streaks

• 2 - CIN Miguel Andujar

• 2 - COL Hunter Goodman

• 2 - AZ Ketel Marte

• 2 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 2 - LAA Taylor Ward

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:

• MIN Ryan Jeffers, 1-21 with 9 K though the one hit was a HR vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• DET Javier Báez, 1-15 with 9 K vs. MIN Bailey Ober

• DET Wenceel Pérez, 1-12 with 3 K vs. MIN Bailey Ober

• CHC Ian Happ, 1-11 with 7 K vs. TOR Max Scherzer

• WAS Luis García Jr., 2-16 though only 2 K vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo

• WAS CJ Abrams, 1-9 with 5 K vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The franchises with all-time HR leaders with 500 or more HR are:

• 733 - Braves, Hank Aaron

• 659 - Yankees, Babe Ruth

• 646 - Giants, Willie Mays

• 559 - Twins/Senators, Harmon Killebrew

• 548 - Phillies, Mike Schmidt

• 545 - Cubs, Sammy Sosa

• 521 - Red Sox, Ted Williams

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.

• How the Trade Deadline could impact Hot Stove season, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 8/13/2025

• 6 players who could tilt the playoff chase, by MLB and Yahoo! Sports writers, 8/13/2025

• Baseball Math for Dummies (Like Me!), by Joe Posnanski at Joe Blogs, 8/12/2025

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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