The Baseball Buffet for 9/16/2025

Issue #399

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 173rd day of the season featured a partial slate of Monday games:

• CHC 4, PIT 0 - Jameson Taillon threw six shutout innings against his old club (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), and three Cubs’ relievers combined for a 3-hit shutout. Michael Busch hit his 28th HR of the season, while Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 29th, making him just one short of joining the 30/30 HR/SB club.

• ATL 11, WAS 3 - Daylen Lile hit a solo HR in the second inning, but Spencer Strider otherwise did very well (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). The Braves were quiet at first but started scoring off Mitchell Parker (5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) in the fourth inning and then kept going. Overall Atlanta’s batsman collected 16 hits, with Matt Olson going 4-5 with a HR, 2 doubles, and 4 RBI; Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-4 with a HR, a walk, and 2 runs; and Drake Baldwin 3-5 with a HR and 4 RBI.

• TOR 2, TBR 1 - As I had noted yesterday, Toronto’s number one prospect Trey Yesavage made his major league debut today. Last year’s #20 overall draft pick struck out 9 in 5 innings, and only allowed one run (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). Tampa’s starter Joe Boyle also did well (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) in his first major league start since August 21. The Blue Jays tied the game 1-1 in the eighth inning, and it eventually went into extras. Neither team scored in the tenth, and then in the top of the eleventh, George Springer singled to left to drive in Ernie Clement for the go-ahead run. Brandon Fisher, who had already pitched the tenth inning, came back again and closed out the game for the win.

• BAL 4, CHW 1 - Kyle Bradish struck out 9 in 5 innings (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K) and two Orioles relievers kept the White Sox off the board the rest of the way, including Dietrich Enns recording a three-inning save. With the game tied 1-1, Colton Cowser hit a 3-run HR in the sixth inning, his 15th HR of the season.

• NYY 0, MIN 7 - Brooks Lee hit a HR in the fifth inning, but Yankees’ starter Carlos Rodón otherwise did fairly well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). But Luke Weaver succeeded him and had no success, giving up 3 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs while only managing to get one out in the seventh. Meanwhile, Simeon Woods Richardson was outstanding against the formidable Yankees’ lineup (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K) and three Twins’ relievers combined for a 2-hit shutout.

• CIN 11, STL 6 - Down 4-3 through six innings, the Reds scored eight in the final three frames. They tallied 13 hits in all, with rookie Sal Stewart leading the way going 3-5 with a HR, 3 runs, and 2 RBI. Tyler Stephenson was 2-4 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI, while Matt McLain was 2-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.

• TEX 3, HOU 6 - The Rangers outhit the Astros 10-6, but only managed three runs all in the fifth inning, with two coming from a HR by Josh Jung. After that, four Houston relievers kept Texas off the board, with Bryan Abreu picking up his sixth save. Jeremy Peña was 2-4 with a double and 3 runs, and rookie Zach Cole who came in for an injured Yordan Alvarez, hit a go-ahead 2-run HR in the bottom of the fifth, and then later added an RBI single.

• SFG 1, AZ 8 - Casey Schmitt hit a HR in the third inning, but Zac Gallen otherwise did very well through six (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), and two Arizona relievers kept the Giants off the board from there. With the game tied 1-1, the D-Backs scored six in the bottom of the sixth, including a 2-run HR by catcher James McCann. Geraldo Perdomo had a good game, going 3-3 with a triple, a double, 2 walks, and 2 RBI.

• PHI 6, LAD 5 - Anthony Banda didn’t get far as a Dodgers’ opener, including giving up Kyle Schwarber’s NL-leading 53rd HR in the first inning. Emmet Sheehan came in and did very well (5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), and the Dodgers got solo homers from Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, and Andy Pages. The Phillies had additional dingers from Weston Wilson and Bryce Harper, and the game was tied 5-5 after nine. Blake Treinen came in for the top of the tenth, but with one out and runners on second and third, J.T. Realmuto hit a sacrifice fly and Harrison Bader scored the go-ahead run. Veteran David Robertson came in for the bottom of the tenth and closed it out for his first save on the year.

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 Mariners were off, and the Astros won, so they are now just a half game back in the AL West.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

Without looking again at this year’s pitching strikeout leaders, which pitcher is (and will be) the only one to have 200+ K in each of the past five years?

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).

🤕 Placed on the IL

• BAL SP/RP Albert Suárez - 15-day IL (right elbow discomfort)

League Leaders

We are in the final stretch, and for the HR leaderboard Cal Raleigh is ahead by six in the AL, and Kyle Schwarber is up by four. With Schwarber’s HR yesterday, they are now just one apart for the overall MLB lead:

• 54 - SEA Cal Raleigh*

• 53 - PHI Kyle Schwarber*

• 49 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 48 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 45 - SEA Eugenio Suárez

• 44 - TBR Junior Caminero

• 40 - NYM Juan Soto

• 36 - LAA Jo Adell

• 34 - DET Riley Greene

• 34 - NYM Pete Alonso

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 16…

• 1924: Jim Bottomley goes 6-6 with 12 RBI. “Jim Bottomley goes 6 for 6, including two homers, and a record 12 RBIs as the Cardinals beat the Dodgers, 17-3. The previous mark of 11 RBIs in one game was established in 1892 by today's opposing Dodger manager, Wilbert Robinson.”

• 1960: Warren Spahn throws a no-hitter. “At the age of 39, Warren Spahn pitches a no-hitter, beating the Phillies, 4-0. The crafty lefty sets an all-time Braves record with 15 strikeouts.”

• 1975: Rennie Stennett went 7-7 in a 22-0 blowout. “Rennie Stennett ties a major league mark established in 1892 going 7 for 7 in a nine-inning game. The Pirates' second baseman gets two hits in one inning twice (in the 1st and 5th innings), helping make the game the most one-sided shutout since 1900, as the Bucs crush the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 22-0.”

• 1979: Speedster Willie Wilson hits his fifth inside-the-park homer of the year. “Willie Wilson hits his fifth inside-the-park homer this season in a 6-3 loss to Seattle at Kansas City. It is the most inside-the-park homers hit in a season since Kiki Cuyler hit eight for the Pirates in 1925.”

• 1983: Tim Teufel has a big day early in his career. “Minnesota's Tim Teufel goes 5 for 5 with a triple and the first two home runs of his major league career in an 11-4 win over the Blue Jays.”

• 1988: Tom Browning throws a perfect game. “The Reds' Tom Browning pitches a perfect game against the Dodgers, striking out eight and allowing only eight balls to be hit out of the infield in his 1-0 victory. Over three starts including the perfect game he retires 40 consecutive batters - one shy of a major league record.”

• 1993: Dave Winfield has his 3,000th hit. “At the age of 41, the Twins' Dave Winfield becomes the 19th major leaguer to collect 3000 hits as he singles to left off A's ace Dennis Eckersley in a 5-1 home victory over Oakland.”

• 1996: Paul Molitor has his 3,000th hit. “A 5th-inning triple off Royals pitcher Jose Rosado gives the Twins' Paul Molitor 3000 hits. He will become the first major leaguer to accomplish this milestone in a season in which he collects 200 hits. It is the first time a three-bagger is a career 3000th hit.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Robin Yount (1955)

• Hall of Famer

• First-round (3rd overall) draft pick by the Brewers in 1973, and was already in the majors by age 18 in 1974

• Played entire 20-year career with Milwaukee, from 1974-1993

• Played SS for a little over half of his time, earning a Gold Glove Award in 1982, but then switched to CF. Earned an AL MVP as a SS in 1982, and as a CF in 1989

• Scored 100+ runs five times, and had 100+ RBI three times

• Hit 20+ HR four times and had 15+ SB nine times

• Led the AL with 49 doubles in 1980 and 46 doubles in 1982, and led the AL in triples in both 1983 and 1988

• Oddly, was an All-Star only three times

• Overall had 3,142 hits, 251 HR, 271 SB, 1,632 runs, 1,406 RBI, a .285/.342/.430 slash line, and a 115 OPS+

Tim Raines (1959)

• Hall of Famer

• 23-year major league career, spanning from 1979-2002, with 13 seasons for the Expos, and the rest for the White Sox, Yankees, and three other clubs

• Seven-time All-Star

• Was the NL's answer to Rickey Henderson, leading the NL in stolen bases each year from 1981-1984, with six consecutive seasons with 70+ SB and 12 consecutive seasons with 30+ SB

• Led the NL with a .334 average in 1986, and led the league with 133 runs in 1983 and 123 runs in 1987

• Overall had 1,571 runs, 170 HR, 808 SB, a .294/385/.425 slash line, and a 123 OPS+

Orel Hershiser (1958)

• 18-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1983-2000, mostly with the Dodgers

• Was 19-3 with a 2.03 ERA in his second full season in 1985

• Three-time All-Star, including in 1988 when he won the NL Cy Young Award after going 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA

• That season he also set a new record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings, span which started on August 20th and ended on September 28th

• Generally did well in the postseason, winning both the NLCS MVP (1.09 ERA over 24.2 IP) and World Series MPV (1.00 ERA over 18 IP) in 1988. Was also ALCS MVP in 1995 for the Indians with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings

• Overall had a 204-150 (.576) record, 3.48 ERA, and 112 ERA+

Mickey Tettleton (1960)

• 14-year major league career, spanning from 1984-1997, playing with the A's, Orioles, Tigers, and Rangers

• Primarily a catcher, he switched to RF and 1B late in his career

• Two-time All-Star, he was a power hitter with six 20+ HR seasons, including four with 30+ HR

• Struck out a lot, but also drew a lot of walks with 100+ BB in five seasons, including leading the AL with 122 in 1992

• Overall had 245 HR, a .241/369/.449 slash line, and a 122 OPS+

Currently active players who were born on September 16 include DET Matt Vierling, MIL Quinn Priester, and CLE Jakob Junis.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a full slate of Tuesday games (16), including an ATL/WAS doubleheader, so there are lots of possibilities. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• CHC vs. PIT features likely NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes (1.92 ERA, 203 K in 178 IP) facing the likely playoff-bound Chicago Cubs. They will counter with rookie Cade Horton (2.70 ERA, 89 K in 110 IP).

• SDP vs. NYM will include two generally solid starters in Michael King (2.87 ERA, 67 K in 62.2 IP) and Clay Holmes (3.75 ERA, 122 K in 151 IP)—both former relievers with the Yankees.

• PHI vs. LAD is again a matchup of these two NL division leaders, with Cristopher Sánchez (2.57 ERA, 192 K in 182.1 IP) taking on Shohei Ohtani (3.75 ERA, 49 K in 36 IP).

Also taking the mound today are DET Casey Mize, SEA Logan Gilbert, NYY Cam Schlittler, MIL Freddy Peralta, CIN Andrew Abbott, TEX Merrill Kelly, and Chris Sale.

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 Randy Arozarena, only 4-19 (.211) but with 3 HR and a double vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• SEA Eugenio Suárez, 17-38 (.447) with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• TEX Jake Burger, 5-10 with 2 HR vs. HOU Hunter Brown (if pitching, TBD)

• BOS Rob Refsnyder, small sample but is a 3-8 with 2 HR vs. ATH Jeffrey Springs

• ATL Matt Olson, 4-12 with 2 HR vs. WAS Trevor Williams

• ATL Ronald Acuña Jr., 8-17 with 2 HR vs. WAS Trevor Williams

• LAD Teoscar Hernández, 5-9 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. PHI Cristopher Sánchez

• KCR Salvador Perez, 6-16 with 2 HR and a double vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

• CLE José Ramírez, small sample but is 4-7 with 2 HR vs. DET Casey Mize

• ATL Michael Harris II, 3-12 with 2 HR vs. WAS MacKenzie Gore

• AZ Corbin Carroll, only 2-10 but with 2 HR vs. SFG Justin Verlander (if pitching, TBD)

• AZ Pavin Smith, 3-9 with 2 HR vs. SFG Justin Verlander (if pitching, TBD)

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:

• SFG Matt Chapman, 8-21 with a HR and 4 doubles vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• SEA J.P. Crawford, 7-17 with a HR and a double vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• KCR Bobby Witt Jr., 6-12 with a HR vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

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:

• SFG Willy Adames, 0-13 with 6 K vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• SEA Cal Raleigh, 0-12 with 3 K vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• CHC Michael Busch, 2-12 with 6 K vs. PIT Paul Skenes

• STL Jordan Walker, 0-10 with 4 K vs. CIN Andrew Abbott

• STL Lars Nootbaar, 1-10 with 5 K vs. CIN Andrew Abbott

• AZ Ketel Marte, 2-19 with 5 K vs. SFG Justin Verlander (if pitching, TBD)

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The only pitcher to have 200+ strikeouts each year from 2021-2025 is Dylan Cease (2021-2023 with the White Sox, and 2024-2025 with the Padres).

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.

• Predicting the 2025 Gold Glove Award winners, by Jared Greenspan and Jason Foster, 9/15/2025

• Bob Watson's Life in Baseball, by Bill Pruden at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 9/15/2025

• Revisiting a new baseball stat - Bases Created Per Plate Appearance, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 9/15/2025

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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