The Baseball Buffet for 8/28/2025

Issue #380

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 154th day of the season featured a full slate of Wednesday games:

• WAS 2, NYY 11 - Max Fried pitched a good game (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), and Paul Blackburn gave up a HR to Andrés Chapparo but closed out the last two innings. The Yankees’ hitters meanwhile pounded Cade Cavalli (2.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), first with Trent Grisham leading off the bottom of the first with a HR, but then with three guys hitting homers in the third: Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Ryan McMahon. Shinnosuke Ogasawara succeeded him, but had little success giving up HR to Ben Rice and Austin Wells.

• TBR 3, CLE 4 - Brandon Lowe hit a 2-run HR in the third which gave the Rays an early 3-1 lead. Drew Rasmussen pitched fairly well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). But in the ninth, closer Pete Fairbanks allowed a HR to Nolan Jones which tied the game 3-3 and forced extras. Cade Smith kept Tampa off the board in the tenth, and then in the bottom of the frame, with runners on second and third and two outs, Kyle Manzardo hit a single to center to drive in Angel Martínez for the walk-off win.

• ATL 12, MIA 1 - Joey Wentz did well (6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and Hunter Stratton kept the Fish off the board the rest of the way. The Braves’ hitters pounded out five HR, including Jurickson Profar hitting one to leadoff the game, then adding a second dinger later in the seventh. Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II had the other homers, and the Braves also benefitted from 10 free passes: three for Profar, four for Ronald Acuña Jr., and three for Drake Baldwin.

• SDP 3, SEA 4 - Yu Darvish gave up four runs in four innings, including a 3-run HR by Eugenio Suárez, his 42nd of the year. Bryan Woo did well (5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), and although Andrés Muñoz let up two hits and a run in the ninth, he was able to close it out for his 31st save.

• PIT 2, STL 1 - Carmen Mlodzinski did fine for the first three innings (3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K), but he was the opening act for prospect Bubba Chandler’s second major league appearance, which again did not disappoint (4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana pitched scoreless innings to close it out, with Santana earning his 10th save. Sonny Gray had a good game (7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), but the two runs allowed in the sixth were all it took.

• BOS 3, BAL 2 - Roman Anthony led off the game with a HR, and Brayan Bello pitched fairly well (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). The Orioles had a 2-1 lead through eight, but then Ceddanne Rafaela hit a 2-run HR in the top of the ninth. That would be decisive as Aroldis Chapman struck three for his 26the save, lowering his ERA on the year to 1.04.

• MIN 8, TOR 9 - This game’s numbers have some interesting symmetry to them: each team had 12 hits, and each team had 4 HR (and all eight were solo homers). The way it played out was the Twins building up an 8-6 lead through six innings, but then the Jays coming back with three in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead, and Jeff Hoffman pitching a scoreless ninth for his 29th save. For Minnesota, Byron Buxton had 2 HR, and Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee had one apiece. For Toronto, Davis Schneider had 2 HR, and Andrés Giménez and Ty France had one apiece.

• PHI 0, NYM 6 - The Mets completed the sweep of this important series with the Phillies, as 24-year old rookie Nolan McLean had another strong performance (8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) in just his third major league start. On offense, New York tallied 12 hits, with Mark Vientos going 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBI; Brett Baty 2-4 with a double; and Brandon Nimmo 3-4.

• KCR 12, CHW 1 - Andrew Benintendi hit his 15th HR of the year in the fourth inning, but Royals’ starter Ryan Bergert otherwise pitched well over six (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). Three KC relievers threw scoreless innings, and the Royals erupted for eight runs in the fifth, and added three more in the sixth. Overall they had 16 hits, with Salvador Perez going 2-4 with a HR, a double, and 3 RBI; Mike Yastrzemski 2-5 with a HR, a double, a walk, 3 runs, and 3 RBI; Adam Frazier 3-5 with a double; and Michael Massey 2-5 with 2 doubles.

• AZ 3, MIL 2 - The Brewers outhit the D-Backs 10-9, but were only 1-12 with runners in scoring position. Arizona scored their runs from a 2-run HR by Blaze Alexander and a solo HR by Geraldo Perdomo. Ryne Nelson did well over six innings (6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). William Contreras hit his 16th HR in the bottom of the eighth, but it wouldn’t be enough as Andrew Saalfrank came in for a five-out save, his 3rd of the season.

• COL 0, HOU 4 - Rockies’ rookie starter Chase Dollander did well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K), but Framber Valdez was even better (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and two Astros’ relievers combined for a four-hit shutout. Cam Smith hit a HR in the 7th inning, and Yordan Alvarez hit a 2-run HR in the eighth, his first since coming off the IL.

• LAA 3, TEX 20 - The Rangers pounded LA starter Jack Kochanowicz (3.1 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 3 BB, 1 K), including HR by Adolis García, Joc Pederson, and Corey Seager. Overall they had 22 hits to go with their 20 runs, though those numbers are inflated by the Angels having position player Oswald Peraza pitch in the seventh and post bad, little-league like numbers (0.1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 0 K).

• CIN 1, LAD 5 - Shohei Ohtani had his best start of the year so far, striking out 9 in 5 innings (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). Four Dodgers’ relievers added another 10 strikeouts, with the total of 19 being a franchise record for nine-inning games going back to 1901. Meanwhile LA’s hitters scored four in the fourth and then Michael Conforto added a solo HR in the eighth, his 10th on the year.

• CHC 3, SFG 12 - Nico Hoerner hit a 3-run HR in the top of the second to give the Cubs an early 3-1 lead, but that would be all the scoring they could muster. Rafael Devers had a big game going 4-4 with 2 HR, a double, a walk, 4 runs, and 5 RBI. Matt Chapman was 3-4 with a HR, and Heliot Ramos was 2-4 with HR and 3 runs.

• DET 0, ATH 7 - Athletics’ rookie hurler Luis Morales was outstanding in his fifth game in the majors (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and two relievers combined for the 2-hit shutout. Meanwhile, Detroit’s starter Casey Mize struggled early (3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), including giving up a HR to Zack Gelof, his first of the season.

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 Mets sweep of the Phillies cuts Philadelphia’s lead in the NL East to only 4 games.

• The Dodgers now have a 2-game lead in the NL West.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

In a recent “On this Day in Baseball History…” item I noted that Joe Morgan was the first player to get 200+ HR and 500+ SB in his career. Can you name the three other players who did so after him?

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 a Rehab Assignment

• LAA CF Chris Taylor

• DET CF Parker Meadows

• TBR CF Jonny DeLuca

• NYM CF Jose Siri

• NYM C Francisco Alvarez

• NYM LF Jesse Winker

• HOU CF Jake Meyers

• CHC RP Eli Morgan

🤕 Placed on the IL

• CHW CF Luis Robert Jr. - 10-day IL (left hamstring strain)

• STL RP John King - 15-day IL (mid-back strain)

• TEX SP Nathan Eovaldi - 15-day IL (right rotator cuff strain)… apparently he is out for the season, which is a huge blow to the Rangers!

• MIA SP Janson Junk - 15-day IL (right ulnar nerve irritation)

• CIN RP Graham Ashcraft - 15-day IL (right forearm strain)

• HOU C Victor Caratini - 7-day IL (concussion)

• ATH SP Joey Estes - 15-day IL (herniated disc in lower back)

• MIL RP Trevor Megill - 15-day IL (right flexor strain)

📝 Signed as a Free Agent

• MIL SP Erick Fedde

League Leaders

We now have four guys who have 100+ RBI so far, with over a month of games left:

• 110 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 107 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 106 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 104 - SEA Eugenio Suárez

• 99 - DET Riley Greene

• 95 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 94 - TBR Junior Caminero

• 94 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 94 - LAA Taylor Ward

• 90 - MIL Christian Yelich

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 28…

• 1921: Babe Ruth begins nine-game extra-base hits streak. “Despite three doubles by Babe Ruth, the Tigers drop the Yankees, 7-3. Ruth starts a record streak in which he gets at least one extra-base hit in nine straight games. Into the record books go his 119 extra-base hits, 177 runs, and 457 total bases. His .846 slugging average is one point behind that of a year ago.”

• 1925: Kiki Cuyler hits two inside-the-park HR. “Although the Baker Bowl is considered a bandbox by some, the aggressive Kiki Cuyler of the Pirates hits two inside-the-park home runs there in a victory over the Phils.”

• 1926: It worked the first time, so… “The Indians use the same lineup in two victories over the Red Sox, including Dutch Levsen, who pitches the 6-1 and 5-1 sweep. He strikes out none.”

• 1958: Nellie Fox sets record for most games without striking out. “White Sox 2B Nellie Fox sets a record for consecutive games without striking out (98).”

• 1990: 2B Ryne Sandberg hits 30+ HR for second season in a row. “Ryne Sandberg homers to become the first second baseman to hit 30 home runs in consecutive seasons as the Cubs beat the Astros, 5-2.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

• Ron Guidry (1950) was drafted in the third round in 1971 by the New York Yankees. He went on to have a 14-year major league pitching career with them, spanning from 1975-1988. A four-time All-Star, Guidry won 20+ games three times, including 1978 when took home the AL Cy Young Award after having one of the best pitching seasons ever with a 25-3 record, 1.74 ERA, and 248 strikeouts. He led the AL with a 2.78 ERA again the following year, and was also a fine fielder on the mound, taking home five Gold Glove Awards. Nicknamed “Louisiana Lightning” and “Gator”, overall he had an impressive 170-91 (.651) record, a 3.29 ERA, and a 119 ERA+.

• Lou Piniella (1943) played mostly in the Orioles and Indians farm systems from 1962-1968, and was then drafted by the expansion Seattle Pilots. In early 1969 the Pilots traded him to the Royals, and Kansas City made him their regular LF that season. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award after batting .282 with 11 HR and 68 RBI, and then played four more years with the Royals before they traded him to the Yankees after the 1973 season. In New York, Piniella played a mix of LF, RF, and DH from 1974-1984, and was a generally solid contributor in their many post-season appearances with a .305 average in 141 at-bats. Over an 18-year major league playing career he had 102 HR, a .291/.333/.409 slash line, and a 109 OPS+. Soon after his playing days were over he became a manager, first with the Yankees, but then with the Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays, and Cubs, with 23-seasons at the helm overall spanning from 1986-2010. He led the Reds to a World Series championship in 1990, and has a career 1,835-1,713 record as a skipper.

• Mike Torrez (1946) had an 18-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1967-1984, spending time with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Expos, and four other clubs. He won 15+ games in seven seasons, with his high mark being a 20-9 record for the Orioles in 1975. A bit wild, he had almost as many walks (1,371) as strikeouts (1,404) and led his league in walks three times. Overall, Torrez had a 185-160 (.536) record and a 3.96 ERA.

• Charlie Grimm (1898) had a 20-year major league career as a 1B spanning from 1916-1936, mostly with the Cubs and Pirates. He didn’t have much HR power, but did hit 10+ triples five times, including a high of 17 in 1921. A high-average hitter, Grimm hit over .300 five times, including a .345 mark in 1923 and .331 in 1931. Overall, he had 2,299 hits, 1,077 RBI, and a .290/.341/.397 slash line. Grimm also had a lengthy career as a manager, starting as a player-manager and leading the Cubs from 1932-1938 and 1944-1949. He won three NL Pennants with Chicago, and then went on to manage the Boston/Milwaukee Braves from 1952-1956. Overall he had a 1,287-1,067 (.547) record in a 19-year career as a skipper.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a partial slate of Thursday games (8), as many teams are either travelling or otherwise have the day off. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• CHC vs. SFG features two solid pitchers in Shota Imanaga (3.03 ERA, 90 K in 110 IP) and Logan Webb (3.13 ERA, 180 K in 166.2 IP).

• BOS vs. BAL is of interest because Garrett Crochet (2.38 ERA, 207 K in 166.1 IP) is pitching and he’s in the AL Cy Young Award race. The Orioles will counter with Cade Povich (5.13 ERA, 95 K in 86 IP).

Also toeing the rubber today are MIL Jose Quintana, PHI Aaron Nola, and NYM Clay Holmes.

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:

• ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. , 20-55 with 4 HR and 6 doubles vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• ATL Michael Harris II, 7-30 with 3 HR and 2 doubles vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, only 3-19 but with 3 HR vs. ATL Cal Quantrill

• PHI Harrison Bader, small sample but is 5-7 with 3 HR and a double vs. ATL Cal Quantrill

• PHI Trea Turner, 5-11 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. ATL Cal Quantrill

• HOU Christian Walker, 12-38 with 2 HR and 3 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:

• PIT Bryan Reynolds, 15-42 (.357) with a HR, a triple, and 4 doubles vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• HOU Mauricio Dubón, 6-16 with a HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. COL Kyle Freeland

• AZ Ketel Marte, 5-12 with a HR and a double vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• CHC Ian Happ, 4-11 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. SFG Logan Webb

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 16 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 12 - TOR Bo Bichette

• 10 - MIL Brice Turang

• 10 - PHI Bryce Harper

• 10 - NYM Mark Vientos

• 10 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 7 - TEX Joc Pederson

• 7 - MIL Andruw Monasterio

• 7 - BAL Jeremiah Jackson

Active HR streaks

• 4 - CHW Colson Montgomery

• 2 - ATL Ozzie Albies

• 2 - SFG Matt Chapman

• 2 - MIL William Contreras

• 2 - TEX Kyle Higashioka

• 2 - MIN Luke Keaschall

• 2 - NYY Ben Rice

• 2 - TEX Corey Seager

• 2 - SEA Eugenio Suárez

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:

• BOS Jarren Duran, 1-12 with 4 K vs. BAL Cade Povich

• PHI J.T. Realmuto, 2-12 with 5 K vs. ATL Cal Quantrill

• AZ Ildemaro Vargas, 1-10 with 3 K vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• CHC Nico Hoerner, 1-10 but with 0 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 3-28 with 4 K vs. STL Miles Mikolas

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The four players with 200+ career HR and 500+ career SB are:

• Barry Bonds: 762 HR, 514 SB

• Rickey Henderson: 297 HR, 1,406 SB

• Joe Morgan: 268 HR, 689 SB

• Paul Molitor: 234 HR, 504 SB

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.

• The hottest pitching prospects right now -- one for each team, by Sam Dykstra and Joe Trezza at MLB, 8/27/2025

• 10 stars who need to finish strong going into free agency, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 8/27/2025

• Time traveling, broken bats and headers: The quirkiest HRs in history, by Jason Foster at MLB, 8/27/2025

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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