The Baseball Buffet for 8/17/2025

Issue #369

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 143rd day of the season featured a full slate of Saturday games:

• TEX 2, TOR 14 - The Rangers couldn’t get much going against Eric Lauer (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) and the three Toronto relievers who succeeded him. The Blue Jays on the other hand jumped on Patrick Corbin in the second inning (2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) and then continued the assault on Jon Gray as well. Down 11-1 through six, Texas resorted to Rowdy Tellez as a pitcher for two innings, and yes he did give up five more hits and 3 more runs. Overall the Jays tallied 18 hits, including Myles Straw 4-5 with 2 HR and 5 RBI; Davis Schneider 3-4 with a HR, a walk, and 4 RBI; and Daulton Varsho 3-3 with a HR, a double, a walk, and 3 runs.

• PHI 0, WAS 2 - Taijuan Walker pitched fairly well (6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but the two runs he allowed was all it took as Nats rookie Cade Cavalli was solid through seven (7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and Jose Ferrer combined for the shutout. The two Washington runs came in the bottom of the fifth when James Wood doubled to right driving in Dylan Crews and Brady House.

• PIT 1, CHC 3 - Tommy Pham hit a HR in the fourth inning, but otherwise Shota Imanaga did well (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). Andrew Kittredge struck out two in the 8th and Brad Keller struck out three in the ninth, earning his first save on the year. With the game tied 1-1 through seven, the Cubbies scored two in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead, with Seiya Suzuki hitting a single to drive in Kyle Tucker, and then with two outs Nico Hoerner hitting a double to drive in Suzuki.

• SEA 1, NYM 3 - 24-year old rookie Mets starter Nolan McLean did very well in his major league debut, striking out 8 in 5.1 innings (5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K). Bryan Woo only allowed one run over six innings (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), but then the Mets added two more and took a 3-0 lead in the seventh. Edwin Díaz pitched a scoreless 8th, and then let up a HR to Eugenio Suárez in the ninth, his 38th of the year. But that was all the Mariners would get, as Díaz shut the door for his 24th save.

• MIA 5, BOS 7 - Marlins rookie 1B Troy Johnston hit his first major league HR in the fifth inning, and then fellow rookie Agustín Ramírez hit his 18th HR in the seventh. Miami would score three more in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as Boston had jumped on Cal Quantrill early in this one (3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), including Trevor Story hitting a 3-run HR in the third inning. Roman Anthony went 2-4 with a double and 2 runs, and Alex Bregman was 2-3 with a walk.

• MIL 6, CIN 5 - Reds starter Zack Littell pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and Brewers starter Quinn Priester did also (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), until giving solo homers to Ke’Bryan Hayes and Spencer Steer in the sixth inning. Milwaukee scored in the top of the ninth to tie the game 2-2 and force extras, and then both teams scored a run in the tenth to keep it tied 3-3. The Reds brought in Joe La Sorsa for the top of the 11th, and with no outs and runners on first and third, Andruw Monasterio hit a pinch-hit, 3-run HR. Having already used Trevor Megill in the 10th inning, the Brewers brought in Nick Mears for the bottom of the 11th, and he gave up two runs, including a HR by Noelvi Marte, but was able to hold on to extend the Brewers winning streak to 14 games.

• BAL 4, HOU 5 - Astros starter Jason Alexander gave up both a triple and a HR to Dylan Carlson, but otherwise pitched pretty well (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). For the Orioles, Rico Garcia served as an opener, and then Cade Povich came in and struck out 10 in 5 innings, though he also gave up three runs. Jose Altuve hit a HR in the seventh inning, and then Jackson Holliday hit a 2-run HR in the 8th to tie the game 4-4. The game went into extras, and finally in the bottom of the 12th inning the Astros scored a run when they loaded the bases with only one out and Ramón Urías hit a grounder to third and beat out the attempted double-play, allowing Carlos Correa to score.

• ATL 10, CLE 1 - Brayan Rocchio hit his second HR of the year in the third inning, but Joey Wentz otherwise pitched well through six (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). Hunter Stratton threw three shutout innings from there, earning his first save of the year. The Braves did most of their damage off Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi (4.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), including Michael Harris II hitting a 3-run HR in the fifth.

• CHW 2, KCR 6 - The Royals spread their six runs across five different innings, tallying 10 hits including solo HR by Mike Yastrzemski and John Rave. Michael Lorenzen pitched four scoreless innings in a short start (4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K).

• DET 8, MIN 5 - Casey Mize struck out 10 in 6.1 innings, but ultimately allowed 4 runs too. The Tigers had 12 hits, with Kerry Carpenter going 1-3 with a HR and 2 walks, and Trey Sweeney going 2-5 with a double and 3 runs. After they scored two more runs in the ninth as added insurance, Kyle Finnegan came in and struck out two in the bottom of the frame to notch his 24th save.

• NYY 12, STL 8 - Both starters struggled in this one: Max Fried (5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and Sonny Gray (5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). On offense, the top Yankee performers were Ben Rice 3-5 with a HR, a double, a walk and 7 RBI; Aaron Judge 2-3 with a HR, a double, 2 walks; Trent Grisham 4-5 with a walk and 4 runs; and José Caballero 2-4 with 3 runs and 2 SB, giving him an MLB-leading 39 at this point. The Cardinals got HR from Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, and Pedro Pagés. Devin Williams struck out three in the 6th, and when Mark Leiter Jr. ran into trouble in the ninth, so David Bednar came on to get the last out and his 20th save on the year.

• AZ 7, COL 10 - Ketel Marte went 2-5 with 2 doubles and 2 runs, and Adrian Del Castillo was 2-4 with a HR and a double. The D-Backs were ahead 7-4 through seven innings, but then the Rockies scored six in the bottom of the eighth, including a 2-run HR by Tyler Freeman. Victor Vodnik came on for the ninth, and secured his 6th save.

• TBR 2, SFG 1 - This was a good pitchers duel, as Adrian Houser through five scoreless innings (5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), but Justin Verlander did the same for seven (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). Down 1-0, in the top of the eighth the Rays hit a series of singles to score two. They later brought in Pete Fairbanks for the bottom of the ninth and he struck out three to earn his 22nd save.

• SDP 0, LAD 6 - The Dodgers scored five off Dylan Cease in the first two innings as he struggled with his command walking six in just 3.1 innings (3.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 2 K). Meanwhile Blake Snell did well (6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and three Dodgers relievers combined for the shutout. Teoscar Hernandez hit his 20th HR of the year.

• LAA 2, ATH 7 - Athletics rookie starter Luis Morales pitched well (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and they got homers from Colby Thomas, his 3rd of the year, and Brent Rooker, his 25th.

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 Phillies lost and the Mets won, so New York is now five games back in the NL East.

• The Dodgers have taken two from the Padres, so are now back in front by one game in the NL West.

• Current Wild Card Leaders: In the AL it is SEA and BOS tied, and then NYY; in the NL it is CHC/SDP/NYM.

Today’s Trivia Question

Nolan McLean struck out eight, didn’t allow any runs, and earned the win in his major league debut for the Mets yesterday. Who is the only other Mets hurler to accomplish this?

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

• ATH SS Jacob Wilson

• STL RP John King

🤕 Placed on the IL

• TBR 1B Jonathan Aranda - 10-day IL (left wrist fracture)

• MIL RP DL Hall - 15-day IL (right oblique strain)

• MIN LF Alan Roden - 10-day IL (left thumb sprain)

MLB Debut

• BAL OF Dylan Beavers - The 24-year old played RF and batted sixth, going 1-5 with a double and two strikeouts in the Orioles 5-4, 12-inning loss to the Astros. Before the call-up, Beavers had 18 HR and 23 SB with a .304/.420/.515 slash line with AAA Norfolk. He was the Orioles first-round (33rd overall) draft pick in 2022.

• NYM SP Nolan McLean - As noted above, the 24-year old did well (5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K) in his debut start, getting the win as the Mets beat the Mariners 3-1. Before the call up, McLean had a 2.45 ERA with 127 K in 113.2 IP between AA/AAA this year.

League Leaders

I don’t think I’ve shared out the on-base percentage (OBP) leaders all year. Checking in on the leaderboard now, there are only two guys over .400, one in each league. And Juan Soto is only at .383, which would be the lowest of his career and only the second time he’s been under .400 so far:

• .445 - NYY Aaron Judge

• .413 - LAD Will Smith

• .399 - AZ Ketel Marte

• .397 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• .394 - TBR Jonathan Aranda

• .392 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• .386 - AZ Geraldo Perdomo

• .383 - NYM Juan Soto

• .383 - TOR George Springer

• .377 - CHC Kyle Tucker

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.

📅 On August 17…

• 1894: Jack Wadsworth gives up 28 singles. “Jack Wadsworth of the Louisville Colonels sets a National League record giving up 28 singles in one game.”

• 1933: Lou Gehrig sets a new consecutive games played streak. “On his way to establishing the mark of playing in 2,130 consecutive games, Lou Gehrig quietly surpasses Everett Scott's previous record of 1,308 games. The first baseman's single and triple don't prevent the last-place Browns from beating the Yankees in ten innings at Sportsman's Park, 7-6.”

• 1948: Tommy Henrich hits his fourth grand slam of the year. “A day after Babe Ruth dies, Yankee Tommy Henrich hits his fourth grand slam of the season tying one of the Bambino's records. The hit, off the Senators' Sid Hudson, allows him to join Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Rudy York - and, later, Al Rosen and Ray Boone - for the American League record. Henrich, who broke in with the Yankees in 1937, had never hit a grand slam before this season. Bob Porterfield wins for New York, 8-1.”

• 1957: Richie Ashburn was a dangerous foul ball hitter, in more ways than one. “Richie Ashburn, known for his ability to foul pitches off, hits spectator Alice Roth twice in the same at bat. The first one breaks her nose, and the second one hits her while she is being removed from her seat on a stretcher. Ironically, she is the wife of Earl Roth, the sports editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin. The Phils win, 3-1, over New York.”

• 1973: Willie Mays hits his final HR. “At Shea Stadium, 42-year-old New York Mets outfielder Willie Mays hits the 660th and final home run of his career off Reds lefty Don Gullett. Third-string catcher Hal King belts a pinch-hit homer in the top of the 10th inning giving Cincinnati a 2-1 victory.”

• 1980: Al Oliver has a great double-header. “Al Oliver belts four home runs - one in the opener and three in the nightcap - as the Rangers sweep a doubleheader from the Tigers, 9-3 and 12-6. He is the second American League player to hit four home runs in a doubleheader this season. Al also adds a double and triple in the opener and his 21 total bases for the two games is a record.”

• 1992: Kevin Gross throws a no-hitter. “Dodgers P Kevin Gross tosses a no-hitter in defeating the Giants by a score of 2-0. It is the eighth no-hitter in L.A. Dodgers history. Gross throws 99 pitches, 71 for strikes. The only threat is an 8th-inning liner by Robby Thompson that SS Jose Offerman snares. Eric Karros hits his 17th home run to provide the margin.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

• Boog Powell (1941) had a 17-year major league career that spanned from 1961-1977, mostly with the Orioles. He started in the minors at the age of 17 in 1959 and crushed his way through class D, B, and AAA. By 1964 he was a star in the American League, hitting 39 HR with 99 RBI and a .290 average. That was the first of four seasons with 30+ HR, and he would top 100+ RBI in the other three. A four-time All-Star, he came in third in the AL MVP vote in 1966, then second in 1969 when he hit 37 HR with 121 RBI and a .304 average, then took home the award in 1970 after hitting 35 HR with 114 RBI and a .297 average. Powell played LF early on, but then switched to 1B for most of his career. Overall, he had 339 HR, 1,187 RBI, a .266/.361/.462 slash line, and a 134 OPS+.

• Dustin Pedroia (1983) had a 14-year major league career, entirely with the Red Sox. Drafted by Boston in the second round in 2004, he took home AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2007 after batting .317 with 39 doubles and 86 runs. The following year he was AL MVP after hitting .326 with 17 HR, 20 SB, and leading the AL with 118 runs, 213 hits, and 54 doubles. A four-time All-Star, he earned four AL Gold Glove Awards at 2B. Overall, Pedroia had 140 HR, 138 SB, a .299/.365/.439 slash line, and a 113 OPS+.

• Jorge Posada (1970) had a 17-year major league career, spanning from 1995-2011, entirely with the New York Yankees. He was drafted in the 24th round in 1990, but then worked his way up through the minors and finally played an important role with the Yankees in 1997. The latest in a long line of great New York backstops (Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson), Posada went on to hit 20+ HR in eight seasons and make five All-Star teams. He saw plenty of post-season action, and although he overall only hit .248 with 11 HR in 416 at-bats, his bigger contribution was behind the plate helping the Yankees win three consecutive World Series from 1998-2000, and then again in 2009. Overall, Posada had 275 HR, 1,065 RBI, a .273/.374/.474 slash line, and a 121 OPS+.

• Rudy York (1913) had a 13-year major league career that spanned from 1934-1948, starting out as a catcher but then switching to playing mostly 1B. He spent the majority of his seasons with the Detroit Tigers, hitting 25+ HR five times, with 100+ RBI six times. A seven-time All-Star, he often received down-ballot MVP consideration and in 1943 lead the AL with 34 HR and 118 RBI. Overall, York had 277 HR, 1,149 RBI, a .275/.362/.483 slash line, and a 123 OPS+.

Currently active players who were born on August 17 include LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto, HOU Victor Caratini, COL Kyle Farmer, and NYM Jesse Winker.

Today’s Matchups

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

• PHI vs. WAS is interesting because it sees the return of Aaron Nola, who has been on the IL and last pitched in the majors on May 14. He was struggling before that also (6.16 ERA, 52 K in 49.2 IP in 9 starts), so it is important for the Phillies post-season aspirations if he can bounce back strong. The Nationals will counter today with Mitchell Parker (5.55 ERA, 84 K in 128 IP) who has struggled in his last several starts.

• MIL vs. CIN is the final game of this series, and a chance for the Reds to end the Brewers 14-game winning streak. Going today are two lefties in Jose Quintana (3.44 ERA, 69 K in 99.1 IP) and Andrew Abbott (2.41 ERA, 105 K in 123 IP).

• SDP vs. LAD is the final game of this important NL West series, and features Yu Darvish (5.61 ERA, 29 K in 33.2 IP in 7 games) vs. Tyler Glasnow (3.08 ERA, 64 K in 52.2 IP in 11 games).

• SEA vs. NYM is also the final game of this important inter-league series, and features pitchers with the same ERA so far this year in George Kirby (3.71 ERA, 90 K in 85 IP) and Clay Holmes (3.71 ERA, 101 K in 126 IP).

Also on the mound today are BOS Garrett Crochet, TEX Nathan Eovaldi, HOU Cristian Javier, 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:

• LAD Freddie Freeman, 11-43 with 3 HR and 3 doubles vs. SDP Yu Darvish

• AZ Ketel Marte, 17-48 (.354) with 3 HR, a triple, and 5 doubles vs. COL Kyle Freeland (if pitching TBD)

• TEX Rowdy Tellez, 3-11 with 2 HR vs. TOR José Berríos

• COL Mickey Moniak, 5-12 with 2 HR and a double vs.

• KCR Vinnie Pasquantino, small sample but is 3-7 with 2 HR vs. CHW Davis Martin

• NYY Giancarlo Stanton, small sample but is 3-6 with 2 HR vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• SFG Casey Schmitt, small sample but is 2-2 with 2 HR vs. TBR Ryan Pepiot

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:

• TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 10-24 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• TOR Ty France, 7-14 with a HR a 3 doubles vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• HOU Jose Altuve, 7-14 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. BAL Dean Kremer

• TOR Alejandro Kirk, 6-11 with 2 doubles vs. TEX Nathan Eovaldi

• COL Ezequiel Tovar, 6-13 with a HR, a triple, and a double vs. AZ Zac Gallen (if pitching, TBD)

• NYY Ryan McMahon, 6-15 with a HR vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• LAA Mike Trout, 5-11 with a double vs. ATH Jeffrey Springs

• ATH Brent Rooker, 5-10 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. LAA José Soriano

• ATH Shea Langeliers, small sample but is 4-7 with a HR and a double vs. LAA José Soriano

• DET Kerry Carpenter, small sample but is 4-8 with a HR and a double vs. MIN Joe Ryan (if pitching, TBD)

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 15 - ATH Tyler Soderstrom

• 9 - ATL Michael Harris II

• 9 - NYM Juan Soto

• 8 - CIN Miguel Andujar

• 8 - TOR Andrés Giménez

• 7 - MIL William Contreras

• 7 - CIN Noelvi Marte

• 7 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 7 - STL Pedro Pagés

Active HR Streaks

• 2 - BAL Dylan Carlson

• 2 - LAD Teoscar Hernandez

• 2 - ATH Colby Thomas

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:

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, 1-11 with 5 K vs. SDP Yu Darvish - interesting that the veteran countryman has usually gotten the better of Ohtani!

• NYY Cody Bellinger, 2-20 with 5 K vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• SEA Randy Arozarena, 2-12 with 8 K vs. NYM Clay Holmes

• COL Brenton Doyle, 1-11 with 6 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen (if pitching, TBD)

• SDP Ramón Laureano, 1-9 with 6 K vs. LAD Tyler Glasnow

• BAL Gunnar Henderson, 1-8 with 6 K vs. HOU Cristian Javier

• DET Javier Báez, 2-15 with 6 K though one hit was a HR vs. MIN Joe Ryan (if pitching, TBD)

• HOU Jeremy Peña, 1-10 with 2 K vs. BAL Dean Kremer

• LAD Miguel Rojas, 2-17 though only 2 K vs. SDP Yu Darvish

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Nolan McLean struck out eight, didn’t allow any runs, and earned the win in his major league debut for the Mets yesterday. The only other Mets pitcher to do this has been Matt Harvey on July 26, 2012 when he pitched 5.1 innings, didn’t allow any runs and struck out 11 earning the win as the Mets beat the Diamondbacks 3-1 (same score as the Mets win over the Mariners yesterday).

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.

• 5 Baseball Cards Begging to Be Defaced, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 8/17/2025

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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