The Baseball Buffet for 9/3/2025

Issue #386

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 160th day of the season featured a nearly full slate of Tuesday games:

• NYM 12, DET 5 - The Tigers jumped to 2-1 lead in the first inning, but then Mets’ rookie Nolan McLean settled in and did well, running his record to 4-0 so far (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K). Pete Alonso hit a HR in the first inning, and then Juan Soto and Alonso hit back-to-back HR in the seventh. Catcher Luis Torrens also had a good game, going 2-5 with a 3-run HR.

• TOR 12, CIN 9 - The Reds outhit the Blue Jays 15-12, but came up short as Toronto scored 10 runs in the first four innings. Six Cincy hitters had 2 hits apiece, including TJ Friedl 2-5 with a HR, and Austin Hays 2-5 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI. But Toronto had four homers, with George Springer 3-4 with 2 HR, and Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho with one HR each. Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless ninth for this 30th save.

• LAD 7, PIT 9 - The Pirates scored four in the first inning off Clayton Kershaw (5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K), and then spread out another five runs in innings six through eight. The Dodgers actually outhit the Buccos 12-8, but were only 2-10 with runners in scoring position. Shohei Ohtani was 3-5 with two doubles and a HR, his 46th of the season. Andy Pages also hit a HR, his 24th of the year.

• CLE 7, BOS 11 - The Red Sox were up 5-1 through five, but then the Guardians pounded Garrett Crochet (6 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) in the sixth with HR by light-hitting catcher Austin Hedges, David Fry, and Brayan Rocchio. Boston came back with four in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game 7-7, as Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi struck out 8 but gave up 11 hits (5.1 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), including HR by Nathaniel Lowe and Ceddanne Rafaela. In the bottom of the eighth, Cade Smith gave up four hits and the Red Sox scored four to pull away.

• MIA 2, WAS 5 - Cade Cavalli pitched fairly well (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), and five Nationals’ relievers kept Miami off the board the rest of the way, with Jose Ferrer earning his sixth save. James Wood was 2-5 with a 2-run HR, and Daylen Lile was 2-4 with a double.

• SEA 5, TBR 6 - Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez hit back-to-back HR in the fourth inning, and then a few batters later Jorge Polanco added one too. The Rays scored two runs in each of the first, sixth, and seventh innings, led by Junior Caminero who was 3-4 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI. The homer was his 40th of the year, making him only the second member of the Rays franchise to reach that level (Carlos Peña had 46 in 2007).

• LAA 5, KCR 1 - Michael Lorenzen pitched fairly well for the Royals (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), but gave up a 2-run HR to Jo Adell in the sixth. That, along with three more runs the Angels would tack on, is all they’d need as 24-year old Mitch Farris did well in his MLB debut (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), and four LA relievers pitched scoreless innings.

• ATL 3, CHC 4 - Ozzie Albies and Eli White each had a HR off Cubs’ starter Shota Imanaga (6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), but three Chicago relievers pitched scoreless innings including Daniel Palencia earning his 22nd save. The Cubs did all of their damage with four runs in the third inning, including a 3-run HR by Kyle Tucker.

• CHW 12, MIN 3 - Minnesota had a 3-1 lead early, but then Chicago scored 11 runs from the fifth inning onward. Andrew Benintendi had a big game, going 4-5 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Kyle Teel and Lenyn Sosa also had homers, and Brooks Baldwin was 3-4 with a walk.

• ATH 1, STL 2 - Luis Severino pitched five shutout innings (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), but then the Athletics’ bullpen allowed a couple of runs including a HR by Cardinals’ catcher Iván Herrera in the sixth. That was all the support Miles Mikolas needed (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K), and JoJo Romero pitched a scoreless ninth for his 6th save.

• NYY 7, HOU 1 - Max Fried had a great game (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), and Paul Blackburn struck out four in two innings of scoreless relief. Meanwhile, Framber Valdez struck out eight in five innings, but also allowed eight hits and six runs, including a 2-run HR by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a grand slam by Trent Grisham. Chisholm was 3-4 on the day, with a second HR coming in the eighth.

• SFG 7, COL 4 - Hunter Goodman hit his 27th HR in the seventh, but that came after Logan Webb had done enough 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER 2, BB, 7 K) given the strong offense the Giants displayed in this one. They tallied 13 hits, including four HR by Rafael Devers, Casey Schmitt, Wilmer Flores, and Patrick Bailey.

• BAL 6, SDP 2 - Luis Arraez hit a 2-run HR in the third, but Tyler Wells otherwise did well (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) in his first big league appearance since April 12, 2024. Four Orioles’ relievers kept the Padres from scoring, Jeremiah Jackson had a HR, and Emmanuel Rivera was 2-5 with 4 RBI.

• TEX 3, AZ 5 - Both teams had 10 hits in this one, but the Rangers were 0-9 with runners in scoring position. Nabil Crismatt pitched pretty well for Arizona (6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and Ketel Marte led the offense by going 2-4 with a HR, a double, and 3 RBI.

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:

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

Today’s Trivia Question

Yesterday in the League Leaders section I listed the hitting leaders this year with the lowest strikeout rate, noting what a throwback Luis Arraez is. As relatively rare as he is today, his career AB per SO of 15 only ranks him 299th all-time. That is just how much the game as changed over the years. Even Tony Gwynn, the low-strikeout leader of the 80s and 90s, had 21.4 AB per SO and that ranks 92nd all-time. Who are the three All-Time leaders in AB per SO ratio (minimum of 3,000 plate appearances)? I’ll note that all three are Hall of Famers.

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

• TEX RP Cole Winn

• CLE CF Lane Thomas

• DET SP Alex Cobb

• MIA SP Janson Junk

• LAD RP Kyle Hurt

• TEX SP Tyler Mahle

• BOS RP Luis Guerrero

• LAD 2B Tommy Edman

• WAS C Keibert Ruiz

• NYM CF Jose Siri

🤕 Placed on the IL

• AZ LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - 10-day IL (right ACL tear) - out for the rest of the season

• NYM CF Tyrone Taylor - 10-day IL (left hamstring strain)

• SDP RP Jason Adam - 15-day IL (left quadriceps injury) - out for the rest of the season

🚼 Placed on the Paternity List

• ATL LF Jurickson Profar

League Leaders

Similar to yesterday where I listed the hitting leaders this year in lowest strikeout rate, here are the leaders in highest walk rate. I could have guessed Soto and Judge would at the top, but I didn’t realize Marcell Ozuna would be third on the list, or that Mike Trout would be fourth (or that Trent Grisham would round out the top-10!).

• 18.7% - NYM Juan Soto

• 17.0% - NYY Aaron Judge

• 16.5% - ATL Marcell Ozuna

• 16.1% - LAA Mike Trout

• 15.3% - SFG Rafael Devers

• 14.8% - LAD Will Smith

• 14.7% - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 14.7% - CHC Kyle Tucker

• 14.6% - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 13.8% - NYY Trent Grisham

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 3…

• 1901: Joe McGinnity throws two complete games in double-header. “Baltimore P Joe McGinnity hurls two complete games against Milwaukee, winning, 10-0, and losing, 6-1. The Brewers manage 15 hits on the afternoon off McGinnity, who will set a 20th-century record for most hits allowed during a season (401).”

• 1917: Grover Cleveland Alexander throws two complete games in double-header. “Phillies hurler Grover Cleveland Alexander goes the distance in both games of a doubleheader as Philadelphia sweeps the Robins, 5-0 and 9-3.”

• 1924: Wilbur Cooper sets new hitting streak for pitchers. “Pitcher Wilbur Cooper of Pittsburgh has two hits to set a record 16-game hitting streak for pitchers. During the streak from June 23rd through today, Cooper goes 23-for-58 for a .397 batting average. There are three games during this streak in which Cooper pitched but didn't have a plate appearance.”

• 1928: Ty Cobb collects his final hit. “The A's are set back as the Senators stop them twice, 6-1 and 5-4. Bump Hadley wins the opener, scattering six hits and striking out eight. Ty Cobb makes the last of his 4,191 hits, the 724th double of his career, as an A's pinch hitter in the 9th inning against Hadley.”

• 1947: Rookie Bill McCahan throws a no-hitter. “Rookie Bill McCahan of the Philadelphia Athletics no-hits the Washington Senators, 3-0. McCahan, the former Duke University star, was the losing pitcher when Don Black threw his no-hitter on July 10th. The Senators had not suffered a no-hitter since Ernie Shore pitched his 26-out "perfect game" in 1917.”

• 1974: Pitcher John Montefusco has a great debut. “The Giants' John Montefusco making his major league debut, homers in his first official time at bat, off Charlie Hough, and pitches nine innings of relief to earn a 9-5 victory over the Dodgers.”

• 1986: Terry Mulholland thinks fast and tosses his glove to first base. “Pitching in the 3rd inning against the Mets, Giants rookie Terry Mulholland snags a hard grounder off Keith Hernandez but can't retrieve the ball from the webbing of his glove. Thinking fast, Mulholland runs towards first and tosses his mitt to 1B Bob Brenly for the out. The Giants come up short, losing, 4-2.”

• 2001: Rookie Bud Smith throws a no-hitter. “On Labor Day, in just his 11th start, Cardinals freshman hurler Bud Smith no-hits the Padres, 4-0. The 21-year-old becomes the 18th rookie since 1900 to throw a complete game without giving up a hit.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

• Luis Gonzalez (1967) had a 19-year major league career, spanning from 1990-2008, mostly spent with the Astros and Diamondbacks, but with some time with four other clubs. Gonzalez was a LF who provided both modest power and speed early in his career, but starting hitting more HR once he joined the Diamondbacks. He had seven seasons with 20+ HR, including a career year in 2001 when he had 57 HR, 128 runs, 142 RBI, and a .325 average. A five-time All-Star, he had 100+ runs three times and 100+ RBI five times. Overall, Gonzalez had 2,591 hits, 354 HR, 1,439 RBI, 128 SB, a .283/.367/.479 slash line, and a 119 OPS+.

• Ed Konetchy (1885) had a 15-year major league career, spanning from 1907-1921, mostly spent in the NL with St. Louis, Boston, and Brooklyn. He was a 1B with triples power and who could steal some bases, with 10 seasons of 10+ triples, and six seasons with 20+ SB. Overall, Konetchy had 182 triples, 992 RBI, 255 SB, a .281/.346/.403 slash line, and a 123 OPS+.

• Eddy Stanky (1915) had an 11-year major league career, spanning from 1943-1953, and spread out between five NL clubs: Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, New York, and St. Louis. He didn’t have much power or speed on the bases, but he had a great eye and drew a ton of walks. A three-time All-Star at 2B, he led the NL three times in walks, with 148 in 1945, 137 in 1946, and 144 in 1950, while getting 100+ walks another three times. Overall, Stanky had a .268/.410/.348 slash line and a 109 OPS+.

Currently active players who were born on September 3 include NYM David Peterson, CHW Jacob Amaya, and MIA Javier Sanoja.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a nearly full slate of Wednesday games (15), so there are lots of possibilities. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• NYM vs. DET features two likely playoff teams, with usually solid starters in Clay Holmes (3.60 ERA, 111 K in 142.1 IP) and Casey Mize (3.95 ERA, 107 K in 120.2 IP)

• PHI vs. MIL is game two of this important three-game series between NL division leaders, and involves Aaron Nola (6.47 ERA, 66 K in 64 IP) trying to turn his season around, and the Brewers countering with lefty Jose Quintana (3.69 ERA, 77 K in 114.2 IP).

Also on the hill today are LAD Shohei Ohtani, SEA George Kirby, CHC Cade Horton, and SFG Robbie Ray,

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 Eugenio Suárez, 7-22 with 2 HR and a double vs. TBR Adrian Houser

• KCR Adam Frazier, 13-34 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. LAA Kyle Hendricks

• SFG Matt Chapman, 3-10 with 2 HR vs. COL Germán Márquez

• SFG Willy Adames, small sample but is 2-7 with 2 HR vs. COL Germán Márquez

• MIA Augustín Ramírez, small sample but is 2-3 with 2 HR vs. WAS Mitchell Parker

• TEX Jake Burger, small sample but is 3-5 with 2 HR vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• PIT Henry Davis, small sample but is 3-3 with 2 HR vs. LAD Shohei Ohtani

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 Wilmer Flores, 6-14 with a HR and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

• TOR Bo Bichette, 5-11 with a double vs. CIN Zack Littell

• DET Javier Báez, 4-10 vs. NYM Clay Holmes

• PHI Edmundo Sosa, 4-11 with a double vs. MIL Jose Quintana

• TOR Vladimir Guerrero, small sample but is 4-7 with a HR vs. CIN Zack Littell

• TOR Daulton Varsho, 4-9 with a HR and a double vs. CIN Zack Littell

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 13 - BAL Jeremiah Jackson

• 11 - MIL Andruw Monasterio

• 9 - NYM Brandon Nimmo

• 8 - LAD Andy Pages

• 8 - STL Iván Herrera

• 7 - CHC Ian Happ

• 7 - COL Mickey Moniak

• 7 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

Active HR streaks

• 3 - SFG Rafael Devers

• 2 - MIL Brice Turang

• 2 - LAA Jo Adell

• 2 - TOR Bo Bichette

• 2 - STL Iván Herrera

• 2 - BAL Jeremiah Jackson

• 2 - AZ Ketel Marte

• 2 - NYM Juan Soto

• 2 - BAL Daulton Varsho

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:

• TEX Jonah Heim, 0-16 with 8 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• TEX Josh Jung, 1-11 with 3 K vs. AZ Zac Galen

• BAL Gunnar Henderson, 1-10 with 6 K vs. MIL Nestor Cortes

• TOR George Springer, 0-10 though with 0 K vs. CIN Zack Littell

• PHI Weston Wilson, 0-10 with 2 K vs. MIL Jose Quintana

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Luis Arraez with a 15 AB/SO ratio, and Tony Gwynn with a 21.4 ratio, are both relatively impressive to be sure. But the three All-Time leaders in AB per SO ratio (minimum of 3,000 plate appearances) are these Hall of Famers:

• 63.17 - Willie Keeler (1892-1910)

• 62.56 - Joe Sewell (1920-1933)

• 44.92 - Lloyd Waner (1927-1942, 1944-1945)

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.

• Which MLB teams are primed for a September to remember?, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 9/3/2025

• The players who could help MLB set a power-speed record this season, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 9/2/2025

• Are O's or Braves the better rebound pick for '26? Let's dig in, by Will Leitch at MLB, 9/2/2025

• Nobody Can Hit Aroldis Chapman, by Joe Posnanski at Joe Blogs, 9/1/2025

• Can Anyone Fix Walker Buehler? Anyone? by Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs, 9/2/2025

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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