The Baseball Buffet for 8/4/2025

Issue #356

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 130th day of the season featured a full slate of Sunday games:

• PIT 9, COL 5 - The Pirates jumped to an early lead with five runs in the first two innings, including a 2-run HR by Tommy Pham, and a 2-run HR by Spencer Horwitz, who would end up 3-6 with 2 HR, a double, and 6 RBI overall. Mitch Keller was doing pretty well, until the sixth inning when he allowed back-to-back-back homers to Mickey Moniak, Hunter Goodman, and Jordan Beck. That outburst wasn’t enough, in part because four Bucs relievers came in and pitched four scoreless innings.

• HOU 1, BOS 6 - Carlos Correa hit his 8th HR of the year, and his first since returning to the Astros at the trade deadline. But Lucas Giolito otherwise pitched very well (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), while Framber Valdez uncharacteristically allowed 6 runs (4 earned), all in the fourth inning.

• LAD 3, TBR 0 - Joe Boyle pitched five shutout innings (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), but Yoshinobu Yamamoto did just as well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). Four Dodgers relievers combined for a shutout, while LA’s lineup did some damage against Tampa’s bullpen, with Shohei Ohtani going 2-3 with a double and two walks on the day, and Freddie Freeman going 3-5 with a double.

• ATL 4, CIN 2 - This was the big game at the Bristol Motor Speedway, which was suspended on Saturday after one inning due to ongoing bad weather. Eli White provided the offense for the Braves, going 2-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI, and Raisel Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth for his 14th save. The spectacle did indeed have a big attendance number of 91,032 fans.

• MIL 14, WAS 3 - Logan Henderson was called back from AAA and did well in a short start (4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), Brice Turang had a big game going 2-6 with 2 HR and 4 RBI, and the Brewers overall had 16 hits with seven players collecting two hits each.

• KCR 7, TOR 4 - Chris Bassitt only allowed one hit in six innings of work (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). The game was tied 2-2 through nine innings, but the Royals scored five runs (three earned) against Seranthony Dominguez in the top of the tenth. Carlos Estévez gave up two runs (one earned) in the bottom of the tenth, but was able to close it out eventually.

• SFG 12, NYM 4 - Francisco Lindor hit a HR in the first inning, but otherwise rookie Giants rookie Carson Whisenhunt pitched pretty well (5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). San Francisco tallied 13 hits, with Rafael Devers going 3-4 with a HR, a walk, and 4 RBI; Casey Schmitt was 2-5 with a 3-run HR, and Jung Hoo Lee was 4-4 with a double and two runs scored.

• MIN 5, CLE 4 - José Ramírez hit a 2-run HR in the first inning, his 23rd of the year. Guardians starter Joey Cantillo let up four runs in the first inning, but then went on to strike out 9 in 5.2 innings. Cleveland was down 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth, and had runners on second and third when Brayan Rocchio singled to left and drove them both in. The Twins changed pitchers, and 35-year old Erasmo Ramírez got the last two outs in his first major league appearance this season.

• NYY 3, MIA 7 - Trent Grisham hit a HR in the first inning, his 20th on the year, but Edward Cabrera otherwise pitched well for the fish (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). Luis Gil struggled in his 2025 debut (3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K), and Kyle Stowers hit a 3-run HR, his 25th of the year for Miami. The loss means the Yankees were swept by the Marlins, who are on a five-game winning streak and have won 8 of their last 10.

• BAL 3, CHC 5 - The Cubs were up 3-2 after eight in this one, but the Orioles tied the game in the top of the ninth after Colton Cowser led off with a double, and then with two outs Ryan Noda singled to drive him in. But in the bottom of the ninth veteran Justin Turner hit a 2-run, walk-off HR for the Cubs victory.

• AZ 6, ATH 4 - Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday, who was recently called back, had a good day going 4-4 with a HR and 3 runs scored. But that wasn’t enough as the Diamondbacks had scored four runs early, and then added two more late including a HR from Blaze Alexander.

• CHW 5, LAA 8 - The White Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, including a 3-run HR by rookie Colson Montgomery. Sean Burke pitched well through five, but then let up three runs in the sixth (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), including a HR by Zach Neto, his 16th on the year. The Angels scored another two in the seventh, and then in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Ward hit a 3-run walk-off HR for the win.

• STL 3, SDP 7 - There had been some trade rumors about Dylan Cease, but the Padres clearly are going for it and saw Cease as part of what they want to do this year. He came through nicely in this game, striking out 9 in 5 innings (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). After Adrian Morejon struggled in the ninth, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs, Robert Suarez came in and locked up his MLB-leading 32nd save. Meanwhile, Jackson Merrill was 1-3 with a triple, a walk, and 3 RBI, and both Jake Cronenworth and Ramon Laureano hit homers.

• TEX 4, SEA 5 - Corey Seager hit his 16th HR of the year, and Adolis Garcia went 3-3 with a double, a walk, and his 16th HR of the year as well. Unfortunately Jacob deGrom wasn’t his usual self, allowing three HR over five innings to Jorge Polanco, Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford. Seattle closer Andrés Muñoz secured his 25th save of the year.

• DET 0, PHI 2 - Charlie Morton pitched well (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but Detroit couldn’t get much going as Cristopher Sánchez was solid through eight (8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). New closer Jhoan Duran combined for the shutout and notched his 18th save on the year. Kyle Schwarber went 2-3 with a double and a HR, his 38th so far.

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:

• Boston now has a 5-game winning streak, and gained another game on the AL East leading Blue Jays.

• Conversely, the Astros lost all three in Boston this weekend and are slumping with a 2-8 record over their last ten games.

• The Phillies and Mets keep flip-flopping atop the NL East.

Today’s Trivia Question

Julio Rodríguez hit his 100th career HR yesterday. That makes him only the third player to top both 100 HR and 100 SB in his first four seasons. Can you name the other two?

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

• CHC SP Jameson Taillon

• PIT RP Chase Shugart

• CIN RP Ian Gibaut

• BAL SP Kyle Bradish

• DET SP José Urquidy

• SDP SP Mike King

🤕 Placed on the IL

• KCR RP Steven Cruz - 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement)

• MIL SP Jacob Misiorowski - 15-day IL (left tibia contusion)

• CHW 3B Miguel Vargas - 10-day IL (left oblique strain)

• NYY RP Jonathan Loáisiga - 15-day IL (right mid back tightness)

• COL RP Seth Halvorsen - 15-day IL (right elbow strain)

League Leaders

The MLB leader in stolen bases changed teams at the deadline, as José Caballero is now with the Yankees. That might limit his playing time, so this leaderboard is one to watch:

• 35 - NYY José Caballero

• 34 - PIT Oneil Cruz

• 32 - CLE José Ramírez

• 32 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 30 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 29 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 29 - CHW Luis Robert Jr.

• 29 - STL Victor Scott II

• 29 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

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 4…

• 1884: Future Hall-of-Famer Pud Galvin throws the most lopsided no-hitter ever. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Pud Galvin pitches the most lopsided no-hitter in major league history as the Buffalo Bisons stampede over the Detroit Wolverines, 18-0. It is the second career no-hitter for future Hall of Famer Galvin.”

• 1910: Coombs and Walsh duel for 16 innings. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The Athletics' Jack Coombs and Chicago's Ed Walsh duel 16 innings to a 0-0 tie. Coombs gives up just three hits and strikes out 18 in what he calls his best game. Walsh gives up just six hits in 16 innings but the woeful Sox offense provides no support. Working with little rest, Walsh will win 18 of 19 starts in July, August, and September, finishing 30-9 with a 1.30 ERA. His 13 shutouts are the American League record; in 12 other games he gives up just one run.”

• 1945: Two remarkable debuts in a losing effort. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Two remarkable debut pitching performances by Senators' rookies make the 15 - 4 loss to Boston a most memorable contest. The game which features Tom McBride tying a major league record by driving in six runs with a bases-loaded double and triple during the Red Sox's 12-run 4th inning, sees Joe Cleary, the last major leaguer born in Ireland to debut in the 20th century, give up seven runs on five hits and three walks in his only big league appearance to finish with a career ERA of 189.00. In mop-up work, World War II veteran Bert Shepard, with an amputated leg as a result of being wounded in combat, hurls 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one run on three hits in his only major league appearance.”

• 1945: Catcher Bill Salkeld hits for the cycle, but records no putouts or assists. As described at baseball-reference.com, “At Pittsburgh, Pirate catcher Bill Salkeld is 5 for 5, including hitting for the cycle, and drives in all five runs, but his Bucs lose, 6-5, to Cardinals reliever Harry Brecheen. Salkeld hits his only triple of the year in the cycle, half his career total. His offensive effort offsets a curious defensive stat: he has no putouts or assists in the game.”

• 1953: Pitcher Vic Raschi sets record with seven RBI. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Yankees hurler Vic Raschi sets the record for RBI by a pitcher with seven, as the Yanks roll over Detroit, 15-0. Raschi singles in two in the 2nd, doubles home three in the 3rd, and singles home the last two in the 8th. His teammates fill his locker with bats after the game.”

• 1982: Joel Youngblood gets a hit for two teams in different cities on the same day. As described at baseball-reference.com, “After driving in the winning run in a Mets 7 - 4 victory over the Cubs, Joel Youngblood is traded and later in the day flies to Philadelphia and singles for the Expos, becoming the first player to have a hit for two different teams in different cities on the same day.”

• 1992: Charlie Sheen acquires the Mookie Ball. As described at baseball-reference.com, “At an auction, actor Charlie Sheen pays $93,500 for the "Mookie Ball" which went through Bill Buckner's legs, capping the miraculous Mets comeback in Game 6 of the Fall Classic in 1986. Arthur Richman, the team's traveling secretary, who was given the ball that night by right field umpire Ed Montague, gives all the proceeds of the sale to charity.”

• 1993: Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura. In what is presumably a record, White Sox 3B Robin Ventura is hit by a pitcher seven times in one at-bat. As described at baseball-reference.com, he “charges Nolan Ryan after a pitch hits him in the 3rd inning. Ryan gets Ventura in a headlock and throws six punches. Ventura is suspended two games for his actions, while Ryan is not disciplined.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Roger Clemens (1962) had a 24-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1984-2007, with over half spent with the Red Sox, and the rest with the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros. Clemens led his league in wins four times, ERA an impressive seven times, and strikeouts five times. This includes winning the AL Pitching Triple Crown in both of his seasons in Toronto in 1997/1998. Along the way he won a record seven Cy Young Awards, and also took home the AL MVP Award in 1986, his first full season in the majors. Overall, Clemens had a 354-184 (.658) record, 3.12 ERA, 143 ERA+, and 4,672 strikeouts which ranks third all-time behind only Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. He would clearly have been an overwhelming first ballot Hall of Famer if not for controversies over his alleged use of PEDs late in his career.

• Jake Beckley (1867) is a Hall of Famer who had a 20-year major league career, spanning from 1888-1907, with the bulk of his time spent as a 1B for the Pirates, Reds, and Cardinals. A very capable batsman, Beckley led his league in triples with 22 in 1890, and then amazingly had exactly 19 triples every year from 1891-1895. He scored 100+ runs five times, had 100+ RBI four times, and stole 20+ bases eight times. He came very close to the 3,000 hit milestone, with 2,938 over his career, to go along with 244 triples, 315 SB, 1,603 runs, 1,581 RBI, a .308/.361/.436 slash line, and a 125 OPS+.

• Dolf Luque (1890) had a 20-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1914-1935, entirely in the NL and primarily with Cincinnati, but with some time throwing for Boston, Brooklyn, and New York. He led the NL in losses in 1922 with a 13-23 record, but then did much better in 1923 leading the NL with a 1.93 ERA and in wins with a 27-8 record. He led the league in ERA again two years later with a 2.63 mark. Overall, Luque had a 194-179 record, a 3.24 ERA, and a 118 ERA+.

• Luke Easter (1915) played some semi-pro ball during his 20s, but then an auto accident that fractured his leg, and time in the military and the defense industry, kept him away from baseball. By 1947 he was with the Homestead Grays, a major league Negro Leagues team. After two seasons he had attracted the attention of Bill Veeck, owner of the Cleveland Indians, who signed him and sent him to AAA San Diego for his age-33 season. He excelled there, hitting 25 HR with 92 RBI and an impressive .363 average. He hit between 27-31 HR each year from 1950-52 for the Indians, but then ongoing knee and ankle problems, plus his advancing age, led to an early end to his major league career. He continued to play professionally at the AAA level until 1964, his age-48 season. Overall, Easter had 104 major league HR, along with a .276/.356/.481 slash line, and a 128 OPS+, while also clouting 247 minor-league HR in 13 seasons.

• B.J. Surhoff (1964) was the number one overall draft pick by the Brewers in 1985. He started his career primarily as a catcher, then switched to 3B, and eventually LF. He played mostly the Brewers and Orioles, but had parts of three seasons for the Braves also. Early on he had more speed than power, with seven seasons of 10+ SB including a high of 21 in 1988. He later developed some power, with three seasons of 20+ HR. His best overall numbers came in 1999, his one all-star campaign, when he had 28 HR, 38 doubles, 207 hits, 104 runs, 107 RBI, and a .308 average. Overall in his 19-year career, Surhoff had 188 HR, 1,153 RBI, 141 SB, and a .282/.332/.413 slash line.

Currently active players who were born on August 4 include CIN Brady Singer, LAA Kevin Newman, COL Orlando Arcia, LAA Brock Burke, DET Jahmai Jones, CHC Michael Soroka, and SDP Jason Adam.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a nearly full slate of Monday games (13), so there are lots of possibilities. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• NYY vs. TEX is game one of an important series as the Yankees try to catch the Jays, and the Rangers do the same with the Astros in the AL West—with both teams also competing for wildcard spots. Pitching in this one are Max Fried (2.62 ERA, 125 K in 134 IP) and Patrick Corbin (3.78 ERA, 93 K in 109.2 IP).

• STL vs. LAD features two generally good pitchers in Sonny Gray (4.38 ERA, 133 K in 121.1 IP) and Tyler Glasnow (3.38 ERA, 49 K in 40 IP).

Also on the hill today are SFG Justin Verlander, DET Casey Mize, NYM Sean Manaea, MIL Quinn Priester, and CIN Nick Lodolo.

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:

• MIL William Contreras, 9-16 with 2 HR and a double vs. ATL Erick Fedde

• LAD Teoscar Hernandez, only 4-21 (.191) but with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. STL Sonny Gray

• NYY Austin Slater, 8-21 with 2 HR and a double vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• NYY Giancarlo Stanton, 9-27 with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

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:

• SDP Luis Arraez, 10-19 with 2 doubles vs. AZ Brandon Pfaadt

• NYY Cody Bellinger, 10-25 with a double vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• LAD Tommy Edman, 9-21 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. STL Sonny Gray

• MIL Christian Yelich, 8-16 with 2 doubles vs. ATL Erick Fedde

• MIL Sal Frelick, small sample but is 6-9 with a triple vs. ATL Erick Fedde

• MIL Joey Ortiz, small sample but is 4-10 with 2 doubles vs .ATL Erick Fedde

• SDP Jake Cronenworth, 8-19 with a double vs. AZ Brandon Pfaadt

• PIT Tommy Pham, 8-15 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• CHC Nico Hoerner, 6-15 with a double vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• CHC Seiya Suzuki, 5-13 with 3 doubles vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• HOU Christian Walker, 5-11 with a HR and a double vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 16 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 11 - PIT Tommy Pham

• 11 - NYM Mark Vientos

• 9 - TEX Josh Jung

• 9 - MIL Andrew Vaughn

• 9 - NYY Giancarlo Stanton

• 8 - BOS Roman Anthony

• 8 - SFG Dominic Smith

• 7 - CHW Lenyn Sosa

Active HR Streaks

• 2 - COL Jordan Beck

• 2 - CLO Hunter Goodman

• 2 - CLE José Ramírez

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:

• TBR Brandon Lowe, 0-12 with 6 K vs. LAA Yusei Kikuchi

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 4-27 with 7 K vs. Justin Verlander

• CHC Dansby Swanson, 2-14 with 7 K though one hit was a HR vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• NYY Amed Rosario, 3-35 (.086) with 5 K though two of the hits were HR vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• MIN Ryan Jeffers, 1-12 though with 0 K vs. DET Casey Mize

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

According to an article at MLB yesterday by Josh Kirshenbaum, Julio Rodríguez joins Bobby Bonds and Darryl Strawberry as the only players to top 100 HR and 100 SB in their first four seasons.

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 that Watched What They 8, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 8/3/2025

• Jackson to Jackson to ... Jackson? O's first-of-its-kind trio turns nifty play, by Jake Rill at MLB, 8/3/2025

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.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv, an outstanding platform for creating email newsletters and blogs. If this might be of interest for your own creative work, get a 30-day trial and 30% off your first three months!