The Baseball Buffet for 9/2/2025

Issue #385

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 159th day of the season featured a nearly full slate of Monday games:

• MIA 0, WAS 2 - There were only five total hits in this game. 26-year old Andrew Alvarez made his major league debut for the Nationals and did very well (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), with four Washington relievers combining for a 2-hit shutout. Of note, Alvarez’ batterymate, 28-year old CJ Stubbs, was also making his MLB debut, and caught the entire shutout. The only runs came in the bottom of the second, when Daylen Lile hit a triple and drove in Luis Garcia Jr., and then Andrés Chapparro drove in Lile with a sacrifice fly.

• NYM 10, DET 8 - The Tigers outhit the Mets 14-8, but were only 2-14 with runners in scoring position. They had early HR by Jahmai Jones and Wenceel Pérez, and continued to score runs in six different innings. But the Mets also got to Charlie Morton early (3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K), with two runs in the second and then a Juan Soto grand slam in the fourth. Soto was 2-3 with a triple, 2 walks, 6 RBI on the day, and Luis Torrens was 3-3 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.

• TOR 4, CIN 5 - Hunter Greene had a great game (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), but Red’s closer Emilio Pagán struggled in the ninth inning, giving up HR to Daulton Varsho and Bo Bichette, who was 4-4 on the day with 2 doubles (he now leads the majors with 42 two-baggers). Now ahead 4-2, the Jays bullpen allowed a series of hits in the bottom of the ninth, including a 2-run, walk-off single by Noelvi Marte.

• CLE 4, BOS 6 - After two good starts to begin his major league career, 24-year Parker Messick ran into the Red Sox at Fenway, giving up nine hits in less than four innings (3.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). Trevor Story was 3-4 with a HR, a walk, and 2 RBI, and Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 28th save.

• LAA 3, HOU 8 - Luis Garcia made his first major league start since 2023 after a long comeback from Tommy John surgery. He did fairly well, striking out six and only allowing three hits over 6 innings. Two of those hits were HR by Zach Neto, his 25th of the year, and Jo Adell, his 31st. Meanwhile, the Astros’ hitters kept chipping away at Yusei Kikuchi (5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), scoring one run in each of five consecutive innings. Jose Altuve added a 2-run HR in the eighth, and veteran Craig Kimbrel gave up two hits but also struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to close it out.

• CHW 6, MIN 5 - The White Sox leveraged a bullpen day for a close win, coming from behind with two runs in the eighth inning, and then Jordan Leasure eventually securing his 5th save. Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth each had a HR, and Brooks Baldwin was 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs.

• ATH 11, STL 3 - Athletics’ rookie Luis Morales again pitched pretty well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), giving up a solo HR to Iván Herrera in the fourth inning. Veteran Sonny Gray did not have a good day, surrendering 10 hits and 7 runs over 6 innings (6 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). That included 2 HR by JJ Bleday, and one by Zack Gelof. Jacob Wilson was 3-4 with a double and 2 runs, and Tyler Soderstrom was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI.

• ATL 6, CHC 7 - The Braves were up 3-0 after three, and 5-2 after five. But the Cubs battled back and Carson Kelly hit a 2-run HR in the eighth that tied the game 6-6. Neither team scored in the ninth, and Andrew Kittredge struck out two and kept Atlanta off the board in the top of the tenth. Having already pitched the ninth, the Braves brought John Brebbia back out for the bottom of the tenth, and after getting two outs he gave up a walk-off single to Kelly that drove in Seiya Suzuki from third.

• SFG 8, COL 2 - The Rockies outhit the Giants 13-11, but were only 2-12 with runners in scoring position and left 8 guys on base. Meanwhile, San Francisco had HR by Rafael Devers in the first, Drew Gilbert in the third, and Willy Adames in the seventh. Gilbert in particular had a big day, going 4-4 with 3 runs and 2 RBI.

• PHI 10, MIL 8 - The Brewers jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings, in part by solo HR by Brice Turang and Caleb Durbin. Their rookie starter Jacob Misiorowski ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings (4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), including a solo HR by Bryce Harper, his 23rd on the season. The game was tied 6-6 after six, and then 8-8 after eight. In the top of the ninth a series of Philadelphia hits produced two runs, and then closer Jhoan Duran closed out the game for his 25th save.

• BAL 4, SDP 3 - Dylan Cease struck out 7 in 4 innings, but also allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. With the game tied 3-3, the Orioles scored a run in the seventh, with usually reliable Padres’ reliever Jason Adam getting the loss. The bigger loss for the Padres though is Adam injuring his leg, and apparently being out for the rest of the year.

• SEA 2, TBR 10 - Tampa starter Shane Baz pitched six shutout innings (6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), and the Mariners only scored in the final inning when Leo Rivas hit a pinch-hit 2-run HR, the first homer of his career. Meanwhile, the Rays’ hitters did well against Luis Castillo (4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and also Seattle’s bullpen late in the game too. Nick Fortes was 2-4 with a 3-run HR, and Tristan Gray hit a 2-run HR. Junior Caminero was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI, and Jake Mangum was 3-4 with a double and a run.

• TEX 7, AZ 5 - Arizona jumped on Patrick Corbin (5.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) early, with back-to-back HR to leadoff the bottom of the first by Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo, and then Tyler Locklear adding a solo HR in the second. But the Rangers battled back with HR by Cody Freeman and Wyatt Langford, and the game was tied 5-5 after nine. In the top of the tenth, with two outs and runners on second and third, Alejandro Osuna hit a sharp line drive that deflected off pitcher Juan Burgos and drove in two runs. The second of these, Ezequiel Duran, involved a close slide/tag play at home, where the initial umpire ruling was overturned by replay review. Shawn Armstrong then came in for the bottom of the frame, and struck out two to earn his 6th save.

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 Rangers won again, and now have a 6-game streak going, having nine of their last ten.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

Riley Greene recently topped 100 RBI for the Tigers. Who is the last player for Detroit to have 100+ RBI in a season?

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

• MIA SP Edward Cabrera - 15-day IL (right elbow sprain)

• KCR 2B Jonathan India - 10-day IL (left wrist sprain)

👋🏻 Claim off Waivers

• ATL SS Ha-Seong Kim - claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay Rays

📝 Signed as a Free Agent

• CHC 1B Carlos Santana - that didn’t take long… he was most recently with Cleveland.

League Leaders

This came up in conversation today, so I figured I’d share out a different type of leaderboard… those leading in lowest strikeout-% so far this year (amongst plate appearance qualifiers). Luis Arraez really is a throwback!

• 2.7% - SDP Luis Arraez

• 7.2% - CHC Nico Hoerner

• 7.4% - ATH Jacob Wilson

• 8.7% - CLE Steven Kwan

• 10.1% - LAD Mookie Betts

• 10.2% - TOR Alejandro Kirk

• 10.7% - CLE José Ramírez

• 10.9% - TOR Ernie Clement

• 11.1% - AZ Geraldo Perdomo

• 11.4% - SFG Jung Hoo Lee

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 2…

• 1880: The first night baseball game… anywhere? “Using three towers illuminating light 100 feet above the playing field, teams from the department stores of Jordan Marsh and R.H. White stage the first night game in history.”

• 1960: Like father, like son. “Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams homers off Senator right-hander Don Lee. At the beginning of his career Williams hit several home runs off Lee's dad, Thornton.”

• 1972: Milt Pappas throws a no-hitter. “Milt Pappas of the Cubs hurls a no-hit game in beating the Padres, 8-0. Pappas has a perfect game until pinch-hitter Larry Stahl walks with two outs in the 9th inning. Pappas and C Randy Hundley both say of the pitches to Stahl, "They were so close I don't know how Stahl could take them, but they were balls." Pappas later comments on the plate umpire: "he had a chance to become famous as the umpire in the twelfth perfect game in history, but he blew it." Pappas retires former Cub Garry Jestadt to finish the game.”

• 1975: An inside-the-park HR in first MLB at-bat. “Johnnie LeMaster homers in his first major league at bat for the Giants during a 7-3 win over the Dodgers. In 12 years and 3,191 at bats, LeMaster will hit only 22 home runs, but this first hit is a record - an inside-the-park homer.”

• 1987: Kevin Bass homers from both sides of the plate… again. “In a game in which the Astros beat the Cubs, 10-1, Kevin Bass becomes the first National Leaguer to homer from both sides of the plate twice in one season.”

• 1990: Dave Stieb finally gets his no-hitter. “Blue Jay Dave Stieb pitches the ninth no-hitter of the season - a major league record - beating the Indians, 3-0. Stieb had previously lost three no-hit bids after two outs were recorded in the 9th.”

• 1992: Terry Mulholland sets single-season pick-off record. “Phillies P Terry Mulholland sets a major league record with his 14th pick-off of the season, as he catches Pete Incaviglia of the Astros off base in the 6th inning. Houston wins the game, 3-2.” [Question: Why was Inky leading off at all?]

• 1996: Mike Greenwell sets mark by driving in all nine runs. “Mike Greenwell of the Red Sox, who has spent much of the year on the disabled list, drives in all nine runs in Boston's ten-inning, 9-8 win over the Mariners. No other player has ever driven in nine or more runs for his team's total score.”

• 1999: Wells, wells, wells… “Starter David Wells of the Blue Jays is opposed by Bob Wells of the Minnesota Twins who strikes out Jays rookie Vernon Wells. Toronto wins, 6-1.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

• Al Spalding (1850) is a Hall of Famer, primarily as an early 19th century pioneer of the game. He started out as one of the star pitchers of the National Association, leading the league in wins five times (1871-1875), and then leading the NL in wins in 1876. This was a different time of course, as he twice posted 50+ wins and had 40+ wins in two other seasons. His overall record was 251-65, which is a very impressive .794 winning percentage. His ERA was 2.13, which translates to a more relatable 132 ERA+. He was a fairly capable batsman too, sometimes playing 1B or CF when not pitching, and hitting . 313 over 1,959 at-bats. Spalding worked with William Hulbert to create the National League, and was the primary pitcher for the Chicago team that won the first NL pennant. Around that same time, in partnership with his brother, he co-founded the Spalding sporting goods company.

• Willy Adames (1995) has played SS thus far for eight seasons, starting with the Rays, then the Brewers, and then signing as a free agent for 2025 with the Giants. He has posted 20+ HR in six seasons, including in 2024 when he had career highs of 32 HR, 112 RBI, and 21 SB. Although he strikes out a lot and isn’t a high average hitter, he has collected 175 HR and is only now turning 30.

• Rich Aurilia (1971) had a 15-year major league career, spanning from 1995-2009, and mostly with the Giants. He started out as SS before shifting to playing more 3B and 1B late in his career. He had some pop, hitting 20+ HR four times, including in his one All-Star campaign in 2001 when he led the NL with 206 hits while providing a .324 average, 37 HR, 97 RBI, 37 doubles, and 114 runs. Overall, Aurilia had 186 HR and a .275/.328/.433 slash line.

• Jeff Russell (1961) had a 14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1983-1996, starting out with the Reds but then spending most of his time with the Rangers. He began as a starter and was an All-Star in 1988 though ended the year with a modest 10-9 record and 3.82 ERA. He became the team’s closer in 1989 and saw immediate success, leading the AL with 38 saves while posting a tidy 1.98 ERA. That would be the first of four seasons with 30+ saves, and he retired with 186 saves, a 3.75 ERA, and a 112 ERA+.

In addition to Willy Adames, currently active players who were born on September 2 include DET Kerry Carpenter, MIL Oliver Dunn, COL Ryan Feltner, and NYM A.J. Minter.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a nearly full slate of Tuesday games (14), so there are lots of possibilities. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• NYY vs. HOU is game one of this intriguing series between two likely playoff-bound clubs. Max Fried (3.06 ERA, 154 K in 162 IP) is up against Framber Valdez (3.18 ERA, 158 K in 164.1 IP).

• SEA vs. TBR has two solid starters throwing in Bryan Woo (2.95 ERA, 166 K in 164.2 IP) and Drew Rasmussen (2.64 ERA, 113 K in 129.2 IP).

Also on the mound today are LAD Clayton Kershaw, BOS Garrett Crochet, CHC Shota Imanaga, and SFG Logan Webb.

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:

• LAA Luis Rengifo, small sample but is 3-8 with 2 HR vs. KCR Michael Lorenzen

• NYY Giancarlo Stanton, 6-15 with a HR and a double vs. HOU Framber Valdez

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:

• NYY Austin Slater, 6-15 vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• NYY José Caballero, 5-12 with a HR and a double vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• HOU Christian Walker, 6-16 with a double vs. NYY Max Fried

• HOU Jose Altuve, 5-11 with a HR and a double vs. NYY Max Fried

• HOU Jesús Sánchez, 5-13 with a HR vs. NYY Max Fried

• COL Ezequiel Tovar, 6-16 with a HR vs. SFG Logan Webb

• KCR Adam Frazier, small sample but is 5-7 with 2 doubles vs. LAA José Ureña (if pitching, TBD)

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 12 - BAL Jeremiah Jackson

• 11 - MIL Andruw Monasterio

• 9 - TEX Josh Jung

• 8 - NYM Brandon Nimmo

• 7 - LAD Andy Pages

• 7 - STL Iván Herrera

Active HR streaks

• 2 - SFG Rafael Devers

• 2 - CHC Ian Happ

• 2 - CHW Colson Montgomery

• 2 - MIL Brice Turang

• 2 - NYY Aaron Judge

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:

• PIT Tommy Pham, 4-24 with 7 K vs. LAD Clayton Kershaw

• COL Orlando Arcia, 0-11 though only 1 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

• HOU Mauricio Dubón, 1-11 though 0 K vs. NYY Max Fried

• COL Brenton Doyle, 2-13 though only 1 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Prior to this year and Riley Greene having 100+ RBI, the last five Tigers players to do so have been:

• 2017 - Nick Castellanos (101)

• 2016 - Miguel Cabrera (108)

• 2015 - J.D. Martinez (102)

• 2014 - Miguel Cabrera (109)

• 2014 - Victor Martinez (103)

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.

• Uh Oh: Here Come the Rangers, by Joe Posnanski at Joe Blogs, 8/31/2025

• What's at stake in September? There's plenty, by Brent Maguire at MLB, 9/1/2025

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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