The Baseball Buffet for 9/11/2025

Issue #394

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 168th day of the season featured a full slate of Wednesday games:

• MIL 3, TEX 6 - Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio hit back-to-back leadoff HR in the first inning of Merrill Kelly (5.2 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K). But then Jake Burger hit two HR off Freddy Peralta (5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). Three Rangers’ relievers pitched scoreless innings, including Phil Maton who secured his 4th save.

• BOS 4, ATH 5 - The lead went back and forth in this one, with Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz hitting homers early on. The score was tied 4-3 in favor of the Athletics through five and remained that way until Boston scored in the top of the ninth to tie the game. In the bottom of the inning, Langeliers hit a double, and then with one out Lawrence Butler hit a walk-off single to drive him in.

• AZ 5, SFG 3 - The D-Backs jumped on Carson Seymour early (1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER 0 BB, 1 K), including Geraldo Perdomo hitting his 18th HR of the year. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well (6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), evening his record to 8-8 on the season.

• MIN 3, LAA 4 - Zach Neto hit a 2-run HR in the third inning, his 26th of the year. Down 3-1, the Twins’ Byron Buxton hit a 2-run HR in the sixth to tie the game. In the bottom of the eighth, Bryce Teodosio hit a triple, and then Mike Trout hit a sacrifice fly to drive him in. That would be the winning run, as Kenley Jansen struck out two in the ninth for his 27th save.

• PIT 1, BAL 2 - This one was a pitchers’ duel with both starters doing really well: Tyler Wells (6.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and Paul Skenes (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K). Spencer Horwitz had a HR for the Bucs in the fourth inning, but they only managed one other hit the entire game. Tied 1-1 through nine, Albert Suárez kept the Pirates from scoring in the top of the tenth, and then the Orioles loaded the bases and rookie RF Dylan Beavers hit a walk-off single for the win.

• KCR 4, CLE 3 - The Royals scored one in the top of the first, but then Kyle Manzardo hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the frame. The Guardians were up 3 -2 through six, but in the top of the seventh Nick Loftin singled to drive in a run, and Maikel Garcia hit a double to drive in Loftin. Three KC relievers pitched five scoreless innings, including Carlos Estévez earning his 39th save.

• WAS 3, MIA 8 - This game was only 1-0 in favor of Washington through five innings. But then both starters ran into trouble in the sixth, and the Marlins kept piling on runs from there while their bullpen held the Nationals scoreless over the final three innings. Xavier Edwards was 3-5 with a HR, 3 runs, and 3 RBI; Jakob Marsee was 4-5; and Otto Lopez was 2-5 with 2 RBI.

• NYM 3, PHI 11 - Juan Soto was 3-5 with a HR and a double, but the Mets otherwise couldn’t get much going as Cristopher Sánchez (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) had another good start. Bryce Harper hit his 25th HR, and Max Kepler was 3-5 with a HR and 5 RBI. Brandon Marsh was 3-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Harrison Bader was 2-5 with a double and 2 runs; and J.T. Realmuto was 2-4 with 2 runs.

• DET 11, NYY 1 - Jack Flaherty struck out 7 over 5 innings (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), with the only New York run coming from a solo HR by Austin Wells in the eighth. Carlos Rodón did fairly well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but once again the Yankees’ bullpen struggled mightily with Camilo Doval, Tim Hill, and Like Weaver each giving up a HR and multiple runs. (Non-pitcher Austin Slater got the last two outs without giving up a run, so maybe get him into more games?) The Tigers’ homers came from Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Colt Keith, while Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler were each 3-5.

• HOU 3, TOR 2 - Houston’ starter Jason Alexander did very well (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and the Astros got homers from Carlos Correa (the 200th of his career), and Yainer Diaz. Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless ninth for his 5th save.

• CHC 3, ATL 2 - Chris Sale struck out 9 in 5 innings, but also allowed 7 hits and 3 runs, including a HR a Carson Kelly, his 17th of the year. That is all it would take as as the Cubs bullpen that succeeded Jameson Taillon (4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) kept the Braves off the board, with Andrew Kittredge earning his 3rd save.

• TBR 5, CHW 6 - Yandy Diaz hit a HR in the top of the first, but then Chicago came back with five in the bottom of the second. Andrew Benintendi added a HR in the third, his 19th of the year. The Rays fought back with two HR in the fifth inning from Carson Williams and Junior Caminero. But the White Sox used eight pitchers to limit the damage there, with Tyler Gilbert eventually recording the final out for his first save of the year.

• CIN 2, SDP 1 - Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 21st HR of the year, but Andrew Abbott otherwise did very well (8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). Nick Pivetta threw seven scoreless innings (7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), but then San Diego’s bullpen allowed two runs in the top of the eighth, and that would be the difference as Tony Santillan pitched a scoreless ninth for his 6th save.

• STL 2, SEA 4 - Logan Gilbert struck out 8 in 4.2 innings (4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), while Michael McGreevy pitched six strong innings too (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K). The game was tied 1-1 through nine, and then both teams scored in the 11th. Emerson Hancock put up zeroes for both the 12th and 13th innings, and then with no outs in the bottom of the 13th, Leo Rivas hit a walk-off 2-run HR.

• COL 0, LAD 9 - Blake Snell was the latest Dodgers’ starter to have an outstanding game, striking out 11 in 6 innings (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K). Four LA relievers combined for the 2-hit shutout, while the Dodgers scored four in the second, and then added five more in the eighth from a Mookie Betts grand slam followed immediately by a solo HR from Teoscar Hernández.

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 Dodgers won and the Padres lost, so the gap in the NL West widened to three games.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

Paul Skenes topped the 200 strikeout mark in yesterday’s game. The Pirates haven’t had a lot of pitchers reach that level. Since 1901 five have done so once each, but can you name the Pirates’ pitcher who had 200+ K four times?

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

• DET RP Paul Sewald

• MIA 3B Graham Pauley

• STL RP John King

• BAL C Gary Sánchez

• STL 3B Nolan Arenado

🤕 Placed on the IL

• HOU SP Luis Garcia - 15-day IL (right elbow discomfort)

👋🏻 Retired

• 1B Anthony Rizzo has announced his retirement. He was drafted by the Red Sox, and then while still in the minors was traded to the Padres in a package for slugger Adrián González. After one season in San Diego he was traded to the Cubs, where he’d become a key star for 10 years, including their 2016 World Series Championship team. Later traded to the Yankees at the deadline in 2021, Rizzo overall had nine seasons with 20+ HR and four with 100+ RBI. A three-time All-Star, he’s also been a good fielder at 1B, taking home four Gold Glove Awards. For his career, Rizzo had 303 HR, a .261/.361/.467 slash line, and a 123 OPS+.

League Leaders

José Caballero is still leading in SB, even though he’s only had 281 at-bats this year. (* leads league):

• 43 - NYY José Caballero

• 39 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 37 - PIT Oneil Cruz

• 37 - CLE José Ramírez

• 36 - PHI Trea Turner

• 35 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 34 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 34 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 33 - CHW Luis Robert Jr.

• 32 - STL Victor Scott II

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 September 11…

• 1912: Eddie Collins steals six bases. “Eddie Collins steals six bases as Philadelphia beats the Tigers. 9-7. The A's second baseman will steal six bases again on September 22nd.”

• 1966: Nolan Ryan records his first major league strikeout. “Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis becomes the first of Nolan Ryan's 5,714 career strikeout victims.”

• 1974: The Mets and Cardinals play a 25-inning, 7-hour game. “At Shea Stadium, the Mets lose a 25-inning night game to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3. Ken Reitz's two-strike, two-out home run ties the game in the 9th. Two Mets errors lead to the Cardinals' winning run, starting with an errant pickoff throw from Hank Webb that allows Bake McBride to score all the way from first. The Mets go to the plate 103 times, the only time the century mark has been reached in a major league game; the Cards are not far behind with 99 plate appearances. A record 175 official at-bats are recorded, with a major-league record 45 runners stranded. The seven-hour, four-minute marathon is the longest game played to a decision in major league history. Only a thousand fans are on hand when the game ends at 3:13 a.m.”

• 1985: Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record. “Pete Rose becomes baseball's all-time hit leader, singling to left-center off Eric Show in the 1st inning of the Reds' 2-0 win over San Diego. His 4,192nd career hit breaks Ty Cobb's record before 47,237 fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. Rose had tied the record at Wrigley Field on September 8th with a single off the Cubs' Reggie Patterson in a game that was later suspended due to darkness, enabling Rose to break the record at home.”

• 1987: HoJo joins the 30/30 club. “Howard Johnson steals his 30th base of the season in the Mets' 6-4, 10-inning loss to the Cardinals, becoming the eighth player ever to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season. Mets starter Ron Darling tears ligaments in his thumb while fielding a Vince Coleman bunt during the game and will miss the rest of the season.”

• 1991: Three Braves combine for a no-hitter. “Atlanta's Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena combine to toss a 1-0 no-hitter against San Diego. It is only the second no-hitter in Atlanta history, following Phil Niekro's 1973 masterpiece over the same Padres.”

• 1999: Eric Milton throws a no-hitter; many attend in their pajamas. “The Twins defeat the Angels, 7-0, as Eric Milton hurls the third no-hitter of the season. The young lefthander fans 13 and allows just two walks in his masterpiece. There are just 11,222 fans to see the game, the third smallest crowd to witness a no-hitter in the majors since 1986. The 11:05 a.m. start time is to accommodate a University of Minnesota football game at the Metrodome and the Twins offer free admission to anyone attending the game in their pajamas.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Ellis Burks (1964)

• Drafted in the first round (18th overall) in 1983 by the Red Sox

• 18-year major league career, spanning from 1987-2004, mostly as a CF for the Red Sox and Rockies, and later RF for the Giants and DH for the Indians

• 2-time All-Star, and won a Gold Glove Award in 1990

• Had four seasons with 20+ SB

• Hit 20+ HR eight times, and by far his best numbers came in 1996 for Colorado when he led the NL with 142 runs, to go with a .344 average, 45 doubles, 40 HR, 128 RBI, and 32 SB. (He hit far better at home than on the road that year.)

• 352 HR, 1,253 Runs, 1,206 RBI, 181 SB, .291/.363/.510 slash line, 126 OPS+

Jacoby Ellsbury (1983)

• Drafted in the first round (23rd overall) in 2005 by the Red Sox

• 11-year major league career as a CF for Red Sox and Yankees (final four years)

• Led the AL in SB three times with 50 in 2008, 70 in 2009, and 52 in 2013.

• Didn't have much power, except in his one All-Star campaign in 2011 when he suddenly belted 32 HR with 104 RBI, 46 runs, 212 hits, 119 Runs, 39 SB, and a .321 average (came in second in the AL MVP vote, winning a Gold Glove Award that year)

• 104 HR, 343 SB, .284/.342/.417 slash line

Mike Moustakas (1988)

• Drafted with the #2 overall pick by the Royals in 2007

• 13-year major league career, spanning from 2011-2023, as a 3B mostly with the Royals, but with time spent with the Reds, Brewers, Angels, and Rockies.

• Hit 20+ HR five times, with highs of 38 in 2017 and 35 in 2019

• 3-time All-Star

• 215 HR, .247/.307/.431 slash line

Currently active players who were born on September 11 include PHI Weston Wilson, TEX Shawn Armstrong, and LAD Evan Phillips.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a partial slate of Thursday games (9), as many teams are either travelling or otherwise have the day off. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• HOU vs. TOR, is the final game of this division-leaders series, with Cristian Javier (4.43 ERA, 20 K in 20.1 IP) making his sixth start of the year, facing off against Kevin Gausman (3.63 ERA, 162 K in 168.2 IP).

• NYM vs. PHI is final game of this NL East series, and features David Peterson (3.72 ERA, 140 K in 157.1 IP) vs. Jesús Luzardo (4.01 ERA, 190 K in 161.2 IP).

Also on the mound today are CLE Gavin Williams and NYY Cam Schlittler.

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:

• SEA Julio Rodríguez, 6-12 with 2 HR vs. LAA José Soriano

• PHI Alec Bohm, 9-28 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. NYM David Peterson

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:

• PHI Bryce Harper, 9-24 with a HR and a double vs. NYM David Peterson

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 7-17 with 2 doubles vs. NYM David Peterson

• PHI Edmundo Sosa, 5-7 with a HR vs. NYM David Peterson

• COL Ezequiel Tovar, 6-11 with a double vs. SDP Randy Vasquez

• KCR Salvador Perez, 6-12 with a doiuble vs. CLE Gavin Williams

• NYM Juan Soto, 6-17 with a HR and a double vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo

• HOU Jose Altuve, 5-14 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 12 - BOS Romy Gonzalez

• 10 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 8 - SEA Jorge Polanco

• 8 - CIN Austin Hays

• 7 - LAD Mookie Betts

• 7 - CLE José Ramírez

• 7 - SFG Matt Chapman

Active HR streaks

• 2 - LAD Mookie Betts

• 2 - LAD Teoscar Hernández

• 2 - HOU Carlos Correa

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:

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 3-24 with 12 K though one hit was a HR vs. NYM David Peterson

• PHI J.T. Realmuto, 3-22 with 4 K vs. NYM David Peterson

• NYM Pete Alonso, 4-27 with 12 K though one hit was a HR vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo

• NYM Mark Vientos, 1-12 with 5 K vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo

• SEA Luke Raley, 0-10 with 3 K vs. LAA José Soriano

• HOU Yordan Alvarez, 0-12 with 8 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• HOU Christian Walker, 1-10 with 7 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• HOU Jeremy Peña, 1-11 with 6 K vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• LAA Zach Neto, 1-11 with 4 K vs. SEA Bryce Miller

• KCR Michael Massey, 0-11 though with 0 K vs. CLE Gavin Williams

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Paul Skenes topped the 200 strikeout mark yesterday, and so joined Oliver Pérez, Mitch Keller, A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, and Gerrit Cole as Pirates’ pitchers who have had 200+ K in a season (since 1901). Their career leader in such seasons is Bob Veale, who did it four times: 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1969.

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.

• 6 veterans turning back the clock in the playoff race, by Jared Greenspan at MLB, 9/10/2025

• Rizzo, 2016 WS champ, calls it a career after 14 seasons, by Jordan Bastian at MLB, 9/10/2025

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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