The Baseball Buffet for 9/20/2025

Issue #403

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 177th day of the season featured a full slate of Friday games:

• CHC 4, CIN 7 - Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw hit HR for the Cubs early, but the Reds had five homers in this one, with Spencer Steer hitting two, and Miguel Andujar, Matt McLain, and Elly De La Cruz with one apiece. Reds’ relievers pitched over four innings of shutout ball, including Emilio Pagán earning his 28th save.

• ATH 4, PIT 3 - The Pirates scored three in the bottom of the first, but then overall their offensive woes continued as they were 2-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 guys on base overall. The Athletics scored one in the fourth from a Jack Kurtz HR, and then Lawrence Butler hit a 3-run HR in the fifth. Four A’s relievers threw scoreless innings, including Michael Kelly who notched his 2nd save.

• ATL 10, DET 1 - The Braves scored three runs in both the first and second innings, including Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting a 2-run HR, his 18th of the year. Ha-Seong Kim and Drake Baldwin added 2-run homers in the 8th and 9th innings, respectively. Meanwhile, Spencer Torkelson hit his 30th HR of the year, but Bryce Elder otherwise pitched a good game (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K).

• NYY 2, BAL 4 - Trevor Rogers was once again outstanding, (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), lowering his ERA on the year to 1.35 over 106.2 innings. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit his 30th HR of the year in the seventh inning, joining the 30/30 HR/SB club for the first time. Ryan Mountcastle hit a HR for Baltimore; Gunnar Henderson was 2-3 with a double and a walk; and Keegan Akin struck out two in the ninth to secure his 8th save.

• WAS 6, NYM 12 - Washington had an early 4-2 lead, but then the Mets scored six in the bottom of the fourth, including a 3-run HR by Juan Soto, his 42nd of the season. CJ Abrams went 2-4 with a HR and a double, but New York’s offense tallied 13 hits, with Francisco Lindor going 3-4 with a double, a walk, and 4 runs.

• BOS 11, TBR 7 - Garrett Crochet struck out 9 in 6 innings, but also allowed three runs, including homers by Carson Williams and Yandy Díaz. The Rays were up 3-2 through six innings, but then Boston scored two in the seventh from a Jarren Duran HR, and unloaded for seven more runs in the eighth to pull away. Tampa came back with a two-out grand slam by Everson Pereira in the bottom of the ninth, but it wouldn’t be enough.

• TOR 1, KCR 20 - George Springer led off the game with a HR for Toronto, but from there this one was all Kansas City. Michael Lorenzen settled in and did well over 7.2 innings (7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). And the Royals’ batsmen unloaded for 27 hits and 20 runs, starting by knocking Max Scherzer out of the game in the first inning (0.2 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). The overall numbers were admittedly bloated by catcher Tyler Heineman taking the mound and getting smashed (1.1 IP, 13 H, 10 ER, 0 BB, 0 K). 10 different KC batters had two or more hits apiece, with Salvador Perez going 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBI; Michael Massey 4-5 with a HR, a double, and 3 RBI; Jac Caglianone 2-5 with a HR and 4 RBI; Vinnie Pasquantino 4-4 with 2 doubles; and Carter Jansen 3-7 with 3 doubles as the leadoff DH.

• SDP 3, CHW 4 - Miguel Vargas hit a 2-run HR for the White Sox in the bottom of the first. San Diego tied the game in the top of the fourth, but then the Sox scored two more in the bottom of the frame. Three Chicago relievers kept the Padres off the board over the final three innings, including Grant Taylor who struck out two in the ninth for his 5th save.

• MIA 6, TEX 4 - This game was a pitchers’ duel early, with Jansen Junk throwing seven strong innings (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), and Tyler Mahle (4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and the Rangers’ bullpen doing well also. The game was tied 1-1 through nine, the Marlins scored two in the top of the tenth, and then pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez hit a 2-run HR to tie it again. Neither team scored in the 11th, and then the Rangers brought in Patrick Corbin, usually a starter, as their ninth pitcher of the game and he allowed three hits and three runs (two earned). Texas scored one in the bottom of the 12th, but it wasn’t enough as George Soriano closed out the game for the win.

• LAA 6, COL 7 - The Rockies scored two in the bottom of the first, but then the Angels scored three in the top of the second from homers by Christian Moore and Denzer Guzman. Colorado tied it in the bottom of the frame and it stayed 3-3 through four innings. LA scored three in the fifth, but the Rockies came right back with four of their own. Both bullpens did well from there, with four Colorado relievers throwing scoreless innings, including Victor Vodnik securing his 9th save.

• SEA 4, HOU 0 - Bryan Woo did very well (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), but exited early with pectoral tightness and in need of an MRI. Hunter Brown did fairly well (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), but allowed solo homers to Julio Rodríguez, his 31st of the year, and Eugenio Suárez, his 47th. Victor Robles and Josh Naylor later added solo HR of their own, and three Mariners relievers combined with Woo for a 3-hit shutout.

• CLE 6, MIN 2 - Cleveland rookie starter Parker Messick struck out 9 in 5 innings (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). Steven Kwan was 2-5 with a double and 2 runs; Bo Naylor was 2-4 with 4 RBI; and José Ramírez was 2-3 with a double, a walk, and 2 runs.

• MIL 1, STL 7 - Sonny Gray let up nine hits, but also struck out seven over his six innings of work (6 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K). Two Cardinals’ relievers kept the Brewers off the board the rest of the way, while St. Louis’ batters scored two early, and then five in the fifth inning to run away with it. Overall they collected 14 hits, with Alec Burleson 3-4 with a double; Brendan Donovan 2-4 with a double and 2 runs; and Thomas Saggese 1-2 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 runs.

• PHI 8, AZ 2 - The Diamondbacks scored two in the bottom of the first, including a HR by Ketel Marte, his 26th of the year. He was 3-4 with a double on the day, but Arizona couldn’t plate any more runs. Meanwhile, the Phillies had 13 hits with Harrison Bader 3-5 with a HR and a double; Nick Castellanos 3-2 with a HR and 3 RBI; Alec Bohm 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI; and Bryce Harper 2-3 with 2 walks.

• SFG 3, LAD 6 - Clayton Kershaw struck out 6 over 4.1 innings (4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K), with this being his final regular season start at home at Dodger Stadium since he recently announced he will retire after this season. The Dodgers tagged Robbie Ray (4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) for three HR by Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani, his 52nd of the year. Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless eighth, and Tanner Scott did the same in the ninth while striking out two and earning his 22nd save. With this win the reigning champs clinched their 13th consecutive postseason birth.

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 won and the Astros lost, so Seattle reclaimed the AL West division lead.

• Cleveland won its eighth in a row, but so did Boston, so the Guardians remain 1.5 games behind in the wild card race. Amazingly, given a four-game Tigers losing streak, they are now only 2.5 games behind in the AL Central division.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted above, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a HR yesterday, and it was his 30th of the year. He also had 30 SB so far this year, making him the third New York Yankees player in the 30/30 HR/SB club. 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

• MIN RP Anthony Misiewicz

• NYM CF Tyrone Taylor

• HOU LF Zach Dezenzo

🤕 Placed on the IL

• HOU LF Yordan Alvarez - 10-day IL (left ankle sprain)

• CHW SP Martín Pérez - 15-day IL (left shoulder strain)

• DET 2B Colt Keith - 10-day IL (right rib cage inflammation)

• LAD RP Michael Kopech - 15-day IL (right knee inflammation)

• KCR RP Lucas Erceg - 15-day IL (right shoulder impingement syndrome)

• MIN RF Matt Wallner - 10-day IL (right oblique strain)

League Leaders

It had been a while since Corbin Carroll hit a triple, but he had his 17th recently and at this point it seems very likely he’ll be our MLB leader for 2025:

• 17 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 13 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 11 - SFG Jung Hoo Lee

• 11 - DET Zach McKinstry

• 11 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 8 - COL Mickey Moniak

• 8 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

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 20…

• 1907: Nick Maddox throws a no-hitter at only 20 years and 10 months of age. “Nick Maddox of the Pittsburgh Pirates no-hits the Brooklyn Superbas, 2-1. At the age of 20 years and ten months, Maddox becomes (and still is) the youngest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues.”

• 1908: Frank Smith throws his second no-hitter. “Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox throws his second career no-hitter for a 1 - 0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.”

• 1953: Ernie Banks hits his first major league HR. “Second baseman Gene Baker, the other half of the Kansas City Monarchs double play duo along with shortstop Ernie Banks, joins his former Negro League teammate making his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs three days after Ernie. Banks hits his first major league home run against Gerry Staley, but the St. Louis Cardinals win, 11-6.”

• 1958: Hoyt Wilhelm throws a no-hitter. “Recently-acquired Orioles knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm pitches a 1-0 no-hitter against the New York Yankees at Memorial Stadium, with the only run coming on a home run by battery-mate Gus Triandos. It will be the last time in the 20th century the Yankees will fail to get a hit in a game.”

• 1968: Mickey Mantle hits his last HR. “Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees hits the 536th and final home run of his major league career, a solo shot against Jim Lonborg of the Boston Red Sox in a 4-3 loss at Yankee Stadium.”

• 1992: Mickey Morandini makes an unassisted triple play. “Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Mickey Morandini makes the first unassisted triple play in the National League in 65 years, just the ninth in major league history, in the Phillies' 3-2, 13-inning loss to Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. Morandini catches Jeff King's line drive, steps on second doubling up Andy Van Slyke and tags Barry Bonds to complete his feat.”

• 1998: Cal Ripken ends his consecutive games played streak. “Cal Ripken, Jr. takes himself out of the starting lineup and does not play in the Baltimore Orioles' loss to the New York Yankees, ending his consecutive games played streak at 2,632. After nearly 16 years, Ripken says he decided the time was right to end the streak, which began on May 30, 1982.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Jason Bay (1978)

• Drafted in the 22nd round by the Expos in 2000, and then traded twice while still in the minors, finally making a brief major league debut with the Padres in 2003 before being traded again in late August to the Pirates in a package for slugger Brian Giles

• Won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2004 after hitting 26 HR with 82 RBI and a .282 average

• Three-time All-Star over 11-year major league career

• Had four seasons with 30+ HR, 100+ RBI, and 100+ runs

• Overall had 222 HR, .266/.360/.481 slash line, 121 OPS+

Zeke Bonura (1908)

• Had a relatively short 7-year career, spanning from 1934-1940, split between the White Sox, Senators, Giants, and Cubs.

• A good defensive 1B, hit 20+ HR three times, and had 100+ RBI four times

• Overall had 119 HR and 704 RBI with a .307/.380/.487 slash line and 122 OPS+

• His major league career was cut short by time in the military for World War II, after which time he was a player/manager in the low minors, and not surprisingly put up very good hitting numbers.

Tom Tresh (1938)

• 9-year major league career, spanning from 1961-1969, mostly with the Yankees

• Versatile defensively, he played all three OF positions, SS, and 3B

• Hit 20+ HR four times, including when he won the Rookie of the Year award in 1962 after hitting 20 HR with 93 RBI and a .286 average

• Overall had 153 HR, a .245/.335/411 slash line, and 113 OPS+

Ian Desmond (1985)

• 11-year major league career, spanning from 2009-2019

• Hit 20+ HR six times, and had 20+ SB six times, including five 20/20 seasons

• Two-time All-Star, once as a SS for the Nationals and once as a CF for the Rangers

• Overall had 181 HR and a .263/.315/.427 slash line

Currently active players who were born on September 20 include ATH Jeffrey Springs, CHC Zach Pop, and LAA Gustavo Campero.

Today’s Matchups

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

• SEA vs. HOU is game two of this important AL West series, and features George Kirby (4.46 ERA, 120 K in 115 IP) and Framber Valdez (3.59 ERA, 173 K in 180.1 IP).

• TOR vs. KCR involves an interesting pitching matchup between veteran Shane Bieber (3.72 ERA, 30 K in 29 IP over 5 starts) and rookie Noah Cameron (2.98 ERA, 103 K in 127 IP).

Also on the mound today are NYM Nolan McLean, NYY Carlos Rodón, LAD Tyler Glasnow, and MIN Joe Ryan.

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:

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, 4-14 with 3 HR vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• PHI Bryce Haper, 10-20 with 2 HR and a double vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• KCR Salvador Perez, 6-24 with 3 HR vs. TOR Shane Bieber

• BAL Gunnar Henderson, only 2-9 but with 2 HR vs. NYY Carlos Rodón

• SFG Wilmer Flores, 3-8 with 2 HR vs. LAD Tyler Glasnow

• AZ Ketel Marte, 5-15 with 2 HR, a triple, and a double vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• AZ Jake McCarthy, 5-11 with 2 HR, a triple, and a double vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• SEA Randy Arozarena, 5-15 with a HR, 2 triples, and a double vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• CLE José Ramírez, 8-26 with 2 HR and 2 RBI vs. MIN Bailey Ober

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:

• SEA Jorge Polanco, 12-25 with a HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• MIL William Contreras, 7-16 with a double vs. STL Miles Mikolas

• MIN Ryan Jeffers, 5-13 with a double vs. CLE Gavin Williams

• AZ Gabriel Moreno, 5-9 vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• CLE Daniel Schneemann, small sample but is 4-6 with a HR and a double vs. MIN Bailey Ober

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:

• AZ James McCann, 1-11 with 5 K vs. PHI Aaron Nola

• CIN TJ Friedl, 1-11 with 4 K vs. CHC Javier Assad

• MIN Royce Lewis, 1-12 with 3 K vs. CLE Gavin Williams

• CLE Steven Kwan, 2-20 but only 1 K vs. MIN Bailey Ober

• CLE Brayan Rocchio, 1-13 with 6 K vs. MIN Bailey Ober

• CLE Bo Naylor, 1-12 with 5 K vs. MIN Bailey Ober

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

In addition to Jazz Chisholm Jr. this year, the other New York Yankees members of the 30/30 HR/SB club are:

• 2003 - Alfonso Soriano, 38 HR, 35 SB

• 2002 - Alfonso Soriano, 39 HR, 41 SB

• 1975 - Bobby Bonds, 32 HR, 30 SB

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.

• These 7 rookies are poised to break out in 2026, by Jason Foster at MLB, 9/19/2025

• Stats of the Week: Judge passes Joe, Kurtz's monster slam and more, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 9/19/2025

• Many Rookie Catchers Have Had an Impact This Season, by Nate Kosher at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 9/19/2025

• Top five starting pitchers in Houston Astros history, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 9/19/2025

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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