The Baseball Buffet for 8/7/2025

Issue #359

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 133rd day of the season featured a full slate of Wednesday games:

• SFG 4, PIT 2 - Andrew Heaney pitched fairly well in a short outing (4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K), finally letting up a HR to Jerar Encarnacion in the fifth. Robbie Ray also had a good game (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), and three Giants relievers pitched scoreless innings while the Giants scored three over the final two frames.

• BAL 5, PHI 1 - Trea Turner was 3-4 with a triple and a double, but the Phillies couldn’t get much going as they were 1-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine guys on base overall. Trevor Rogers scattered those various runners (6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and Orioles relievers held the Phils scoreless for the final three innings. Meanwhile, Ranger Suárez allowed nine hits and 5 runs (6.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), including a 3-run HR by Coby Mayo.

• CLE 4, NYM 1 - Gavin Williams had a no-hitter through eight innings, but then with one out in the ninth let up a HR to Juan Soto, his 26th on the year. Meanwhile, the Guardians built an early lead via HR by David Fry and Angel Martinez.

• MIN 9, DET 4 - The Tigers scored all four of their runs from HR early in the game by Spencer Torkelson, Zach McKinstry, and Kerry Carpenter. But then the Twins bullpen silenced Detroit’s bats for six innings, while Minnesota hit three HR of their own, including one by Brooks Lee off Jack Flaherty (4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and the others by Austin Martin and Alan Roden off reliever Tyler Holton.

• CIN 1, CHC 6 - Cade Horton pitched very well (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) and the Cubs had 11 hits, including three homers from Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ.

• NYY 3, TEX 2 - The Rangers outhit the Yankees 8-6, and they were given 7 free passes as well, but they couldn’t convert more than two runs as they left 11 guys on base. Meanwhile, with the game tied 2-2, Paul Goldschmidt hit a go-ahead solo HR in the top of the seventh. The Yankees bullpen finally came through after several recent disasters, with three relievers keeping the Rangers off the board for two and a third innings, and then David Bednar allowing a hit and two walks but getting five outs via strikeouts to earn his 18th save.

• TOR 20, COL 1 - OK, so 8 of those 20 runs came in the ninth inning off non-pitcher Austin Nola. But still, 12-1 would have been mighty ugly too. Kevin Gausman pitched well in the tough ballpark (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), and two Jays relievers pitched shutout innings, so clearly it wasn’t the environment that was the sole cause of Colorado’s pitching woes. Toronto’s batsmen had 24 total hits, with 13 extra-base hits: 5 HR, 8 doubles, and 1 triple. Davis Schneider was 3-7 with 2 HR, a double, and 4 RBI; Ernie Clement was 4-7 with a HR, a double, and 4 runs; Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was also 4-7 with a HR, a double and 4 runs; Bo Bichette was 2-6 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI; and Ty France was 4-4 with 3 doubles and 4 runs.

• TBR 5, LAA 4 - The Angels scored all four of their runs in the third inning, including a 3-run HR by Mike Trout. But Tyler Anderson (4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) gave up three HR, two by Junior Caminero and one by Nick Fortes. With the score tied 4-4, Christopher Morel hit a go-ahead solo HR in the top of the seventh. Five Rays relievers pitched scoreless innings, including closer Pete Fairbanks who locked down his 19th save.

• STL 5, LAD 3 - Shohei Ohtani pitched well (4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) and hit a 2-run HR in the third inning, his 39th of the season. But the Cardinals tallied 12 hits, and scored four runs off the Dodgers bullpen. Meanwhile, St. Louis’ relievers pitched five scoreless innings and 30-year old Riley O’Brien notched his first major league save.

• HOU 4, MIA 6 - Plenty of hits in this one: Houston had 12 and Miami had 14. Spencer Arrighetti struggled in his first start back from a long stint on the IL (3.2 IP, 11 H, 5 ER , 1 BB, 5 K), with standout Marlins hitters including Xavier Edwards going 4-5 with a double and 2 runs; Heriberto Hernandez hitting 2-3 with a HR, a walk, and 2 RBI; and Graham Pauley going 1-3 with a HR.

• ATH 1, WAS 2 - Former first-round draft pick Cade Cavalli (22nd overall in 2020) made his first major league start of the year, and second of his career. He last pitched in the majors in 2022, but then needed Tommy John surgery and has had a long road back to The Show. Now 26, there were signs of why he was such a big prospect in the past, striking out 6 in 4.1 innings (4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Tyler Soderstrom finally got the Athletics on the board with a HR in the top of the sixth, while Jeffrey Springs had a no-hitter through five innings (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) before giving up a HR to Riley Adams in the bottom of the sixth. The game remained 1-1 until the bottom of the ninth, when Robert Hassell III doubled and then CJ Abrams singled to left to drive him in for the walk-off win.

• KCR 7, BOS 3 - Dustin May’s debut for Boston didn’t go so well (3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) and the Royals added more runs later in the game, including a 3-run HR by Jonathan India. Michael Wacha pitched pretty well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Carlos Estévez struck out two in the ninth to close it out. In other Red Sox news, Roman Anthony has signed an 8-year, $130 million extension.

• MIL 5, ATL 4 - Spencer Strider struck out six, but also allowed 11 hits and 5 runs, including 6 doubles and 2 HR, a solo-homer by the hot-hitting Andrew Vaughn, and a 2-run HR by Blake Perkins. The Braves came back later with a solo HR by Jurickson Profar in the sixth and another Michael Harris II in the ninth, but it wouldn’t be quite enough.

• SDP 3, AZ 2 - Corbin Carroll hit a HR in the first inning, and the D-Backs scored again in the second. But those were the only runs they’d put on the board. The Padres came through late with a HR by Xander Bogaerts in the seventh, and then another by Ryan O’Hearn in the ninth. Three San Diego relievers pitched shutout ball for over four innings, including Mason Miller striking out three in the ninth for his 21st save.

• CHW 6, SEA 8 - The Mariners jumped on Jonathan Cannon early (1.2 IP, 4 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K), including a 2-run HR by Josh Naylor in the first and a 3-run HR by Julio Rodriguez in the second. George Kirby pitched well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), and although three White Sox hit HR late in the game (Mike Tauchman, Lenyn Sosa, and Michael Taylor), Andrés Muñoz was able to close it out for his 26th save.

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:

• The two AL East streaks were ended, with Boston losing a game and the Yankees winning one.

• The Brewers continue to surge, now on a 6-game winning streak, 9-1 in their last ten games, and the first team with 70 wins this year.

• Current Wild Card Leaders: BOS/SEA/NYY and CHC/SDP/NYM

Today’s Trivia Question

Which division-leading team this year is ranked dead last in total team stolen bases?

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 Rehab Assignment

• NYM RP Brandon Waddell

• ATH SP/RP Brady Basso

• MIA 2B Jack Winkler

🤕 Placed on the IL

• COL 2B Thairo Estrada - 10-day IL (rihgt hamstring strain)

📝 Signed as a Free Agent

• LAA IF Cavan Biggio

👋🏻 Released

• SDP C Martin Maldonado

League Leaders

As noted above, Shohei Ohtani had a good game both hitting and pitching. And he continues to score plenty of runs, sitting atop the Dodgers generally strong offense:

• 106 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 90 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 80 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 79 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• 79 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 79 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 78 - NYM Juan Soto

• 75 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 75 - CHC Kyle Tucker

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 7…

• 1907: Walter Johnson earns his first win. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Senator hurler Walter Johnson wins his first major league game beating the Naps, 7-2. The "Big Train" will tally 416 victories during his 21-year career.”

• 1907: Ed Killian finally gives up his second career HR. As described at baseball-reference.com, “The A's Socks Seybold socks a homer off Ed Killian to beat the Tigers. Killian had not given up a homer since September 19, 1903 - 1001 innings. He lost that game as well, and will tee up just nine homers in his short career.”

• 1930: A pitching duel with 44 strikeouts. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Chet Brewer and Smokey Joe Williams duel in one of the most famous Negro League games ever. Brewer fans 19 and allows 4 hits, while Williams whiffs 25 and gives up one hit in a 12-inning, 1-0 victory.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Mike Trout (1991) was the first-round draft pick (25th overall) of the Angels in 2009. He got a taste of the majors in 2011 and then took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2012 after batting .326 with 30 HR and leading the AL with 129 runs and 49 SB. That was his first of eight season with 25+ HR, and his first of four years leading the AL in runs scored. His running on the bases would continue for several more years, with four more seasons of 20+ SB. From 2012-2019 the CF was considered the best player in baseball, taking home three AL MVP Awards, and coming in second in the voting another four times. An 11-time All-Star, Trout has been hampered by injuries for much of the past five seasons, so it will be interesting to see if at age 34 he can rejuvenate his career. Overall, Trout thus far has 397 HR, 1001 RBI, 1,170 runs, 214 SB, a .296/.408/.575 slash line, and a 170 OPS+.

• Édgar Rentería (1976) had a 16-year career that spanned from 1996-2011 and included time with the Cardinals, Marlins, and five other clubs. A good fielder at SS, he took home Gold Glove Awards in 2002 and 2003. A five-time All-Star, Rentería had six seasons with 20+ SB, including a high of 41 in 1998. He had modest but consistent power, hitting between 10-16 HR in nine seasons. Overall, he had 140 HR, 294 SB, 1,200 runs, and a .286/.343/.398 slash line. Rentería is also a post-season hero, as he gave the Marlins their first World Series title with a walk-off single in the 11th inning of game 7 in 1997. Later, in 2010 with the Giants, he was World Series MVP after going 7-17 with 2 HR, 6 runs, and 6 RBI, including the series-winning HR in game five.

• Bill McKechnie (1886) had an 11-year major league playing career, spending six years with the Pirates at the beginning and end of his career, with the rest spread between five different teams. He mostly played 3B, but got into some action at the other three infield positions as well. But he is in the Baseball Hall of Famer not due to his playing career, but rather his success as a manager. He was a major league manager for 25 years, spanning from 1915-1946, with the majority of that time spent with the Pirates, Braves, and Reds. He won four pennants and two World Series Championships, one with the Pirates in 1925 and the others with the Reds in 1940—becoming the first manager to win the World Series with two different teams.

• Don Larsen (1929) had a 14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1953-1967, spending five years with the Yankees and the rest with six other teams. He only won 10 or more games twice, and became more of a reliever during the second half of his career. He was known a as a good hitting pitcher, as he batted .242 with 14 HR and 25 doubles in 596 career at-bats. His best season of course came in 1956 while with the Yankees, when he was 11-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts and 18 relief appearances. That post-season he famously pitched the sixth perfect game in MLB history, doing so in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

Currently active players who were born on August 7 include TEX Josh Smith and DET Tommy Kahnle.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a very short slate of Thursday games (4), as many teams are travelling or otherwise have the day off. The one game that intrigues me is:

• CIN vs. PIT is a good pitching matchup between Brady Singer (4.36 ERA, 111 K in 115.2 IP) who struck out 10 in his last outing, and Paul Skenes (2.02 ERA, 154 K in 138 IP) who remains the MLB leader in ERA.

The other three games are ATH vs. WAS, CHW vs. SEA, and MIA vs. ATL.

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 12 - MIL Andrew Vaughn - .435, 5 HR, 16 RBI

• 11 - SFG Dominic Smith

• 9 - CHW Lenyn Sosa - .438, 4 HR, 8 RBI

• 9 - MIN Ryan Jeffers

• 8 - BOS Trevor Story - .483, 3 HR, 12 RBI

• 8 - CHW Luis Robert Jr.

• 8 - CIN T.J. Friedl

• 8 - MIN Luke Keaschall

• 7 - ATH Shea Langeliers - .484, 5 HR, 6 RBI

• 7 - TOR Bo Bichette - .424, 3 HR, 13 RBI

• 7 - SFG Heliot Ramos

• 7 - ATH Tyler Soderstrom

Active HR Streaks

• 2 - SDP Xander Bogaerts

• 2 - SFG Jerar Encarnacion

• 2 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• 2 - SEA Josh Naylor

• 2 - CHW Lenyn Sosa

• 2 - MIN Trevor Larnach

• 2 - TOR Daulton Varsho

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The Detroit Tigers are leading the AL Central division but aren’t winning because of speed on the bases. They have 49 SB this year, one less than the Giants with 50 and two less than the Braves with 51. The Rays are leading all thirty teams with 148 SB, followed by the Brewers with 127 and the Cubs with 121.

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.

• 1 big question facing each team down the stretch, by MLB writers, 8/6/2025

• Pawol to make history as MLB's first female umpire, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 8/7/2025

• Is it possible we're ... underrating Paul Skenes?, by Mike Petriello, 8/5/2025

• Nathan Eovaldi's 14-Year Evolution, by Joe Posnanski at JoeBlogs, 8/5/2025

• Billy-Ball’s Believe It Or Not, by Bill Chuck at Billy-Ball, 8/6/2025

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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