The Baseball Buffet for 9/9/2025

Issue #392

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 166th day of the season featured a partial slate of Monday games:

• KCR 2, CLE 10 - Slade Cecconi had a no-hitter going into the 8th inning (8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), and Cleveland’s hitters tallied 16 hits on the day. Royals’ starter Ryan Bergert gave up 11 of those hits, including five doubles (3.1 IP, 11, 8 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). Kyle Manzardo was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI; Daniel Schneemann was 3-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI; Brayan Rocchio was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs; and C.J. Kayfus was 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs.

• WAS 15, MIA 7 - This game started out a reasonably low-scoring affair at 2-1 through four innings. But then the Nats scored six in the top of the fifth, and the offensive floodgates were opened with them tallying 19 hits, and the Marlins managing 10 of their own. Josh Bell had a big day, going 4-6 with 2 HR and 6 RBI; James Wood was 3-5 with 2 doubles; Luis Garcia Jr. was 2-4 with a HR, 2 walks, and 3 runs; and Dylan Crews was 3-5 with a HR and 4 RBI. Of note, Miami rookie Victor Mesa Jr. hit his first major league HR in the eighth inning.

• NYM 0, PHI 1 - Aaron Nola had a strong and very encouraging start (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and three Phillies relievers combined for a five-hit shutout, including Jhoan Duran striking out two in the ninth for his 28th save. Mets’ rookie Nolan McLean pitched well again (5.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), but the one run allowed was enough to get tagged with his first major league loss in five starts.

• CHC 1, ATL 4 - Bryce Elder did well (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), and three Atlanta relievers kept the Cubs’ offense off the board the rest of the way, with Raisel Iglesias notching his 25th save. Ozzie Albies hit his 16th HR in the first inning, and Matt Olson hit his 23rd HR in the eighth.

• MIL 0, TEX 5 - Jacob Latz rose to the challenge and threw five shutout innings (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) against the team with the best record in baseball. Three Rangers’ relievers combined for the shutout, while rookie Michael Helman was the hero on offense, hitting a grand slam in the fifth inning.

• MIN 12, LAA 3 - Simeon Woods Richardson let up three runs in the second inning (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), but then he and three Twins relievers didn’t allow anyone else to cross home the rest of the game. Angels’ rookie Caden Dana struck out 9 in 4.2 innings, but also walked 5 and allowed 5 runs including two HR by Royce Lewis. James Outman was 2-5 with a HR, and Luke Keaschall was 3-6 with a double and 2 RBI.

• CIN 3, SDP 4 - The Reds built-up a 3-0 lead, backed by homers from TJ Friedl and Austin Hays, and good pitching from Nick Lodolo (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). But the Padres came back with 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game up. It went into extras, and in the bottom of the tenth, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a sacrifice fly for the walk-off win.

• STL 2, SEA 4 - Alec Burleson hit a 2-run HR in the top of the fourth, but Bryan Woo otherwise did well (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K). Miles Mikolas had been pitching well, but Seattle finally got on the board with four in the sixth. Three Mariners’ relievers pitched scoreless innings, with Andrés Muñoz striking out two in the ninth for this 33rd save.

• AZ 5, SFG 11 - Logan Webb did well enough (6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) to earn his 14th win of the year, as the Giants backed him with five HR from Jung Hoo Lee, Dom Smith, Heliot Ramos, Matt Chapman, and Patrick Bailey.

• BOS 7, ATH 0 - Garrett Crochet was outstanding, striking out 10 in 7 innings (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K), with two Boston relievers combining for the shutout. Trevor Story and Carlos Narváez were each 2-4 with a HR.

• COL 1, LAD 3 - The Dodgers again had a no-hitter going late, but Ryan Ritter broke it up with a double in the ninth. Nonetheless, Tyler Glasnow was great (7 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K) and Tanner Scott secured his 21st save. Rockies’ rookie Chase Dollander did well through five innings (5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), with the Dodgers only managing three runs on four hits overall.

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:

• Houston was idle, while Seattle and Texas both won and so gained a half game in the AL West.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

Ketel Marte, the 31-year old 2B for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was an All-Star this year and is again having a pretty good season with 25 HR, a .283/.386/.520 slash line, and a 146 OPS+. This is his ninth season with the team, and given their relatively short history, he has risen up several of their leaderboards by now. In fact, he currently ranks third in D-Backs history in HR, Doubles, Runs, RBI, Hits, BB, and Total Bases. He is behind the same two guys in all of these categories… can you name them?

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

• NYM C Luis Torrens - 10-day IL (right forearm contusion)

• ATL C Sean Murphy - 10-day IL (right hip labral tear)

• AZ 1B Tyler Locklear - 10-day IL (left elbow inflammation)

• CHC RP Daniel Palencia - 15-day IL (right shoulder strain)

League Leaders

Three players have 100+ runs, with several more knocking on the door:

• 128 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 114 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 109 - NYM Juan Soto

• 99 - NYM Francisco Lindor

• 98 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 96 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 96 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 95 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 95 - SEA Julio Rodríguez

• 94 - PHI Trea Turner

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 9…

• 1922: Baby Doll Jacobson hits three triples. “Baby Doll Jacobson collects three triples to lead the Browns to a 16-0 whitewash of the Tigers. The victory, the most lopsided in Browns history, goes to pitcher Elam Vangilder. St. Louis totals 20 hits with Ken Williams hitting a homer in his fifth straight game, his 37th of the year. George Sisler has three hits to keep his hitting streak alive, as the Browns keep pace with New York, winners in ten innings against Washington.”

• 1953: Mickey Mantle gets in trouble for blowing bubbles. “Mickey Mantle's two-run home run off Chicago's Billy Pierce caps a seven-run 5th inning, as New York wins, 9 - 3, at Yankee Stadium. Returning to CF after the 5th, Mantle is photographed blowing a huge bubble with a wad of gum. Manager Stengel will publicly rebuke the Mick, who will apologize for the indiscretion. However, Mantle does get an endorsement fee from the Bowman Gum company.”

• 1965: Sandy Koufax throws a perfect game. “Sandy Koufax's perfect game against the Cubs bests Bob Hendley's one-hit effort, 1-0. It is the Dodgers southpaw's record fourth no-hitter.”

• 1977: The great Detroit SS/2B combo makes their debut. “In the second game of a doubleheader loss in Boston, Tiger rookies Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell debut together. They will hold down the 2B and SS jobs in Detroit for a record 19 years. Boston prevails today, 5-1 and 8-6.”

• 1992: Robin Yount collects his 3,000th hit. “Milwaukee OF Robin Yount gets the 3,000th hit of his career in his team's 5-4 loss to the Indians. He also becomes only the second player in history to record 200 home runs, 200 stolen bases and 100 triples, duplicating Willie Mays' feat.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Frankie Frisch (1897)

• Hall of Famer

• 19-year major league career as a 2B and 3B, spanning from 1919-1937, with the Giants and Cardinals

• NL MVP in 1931, and came in second in MVP vote in 1927 and 1930

• 100+ Runs six times, 100+ RBI three times

• Led NL in SB three times, and had 25+ SB seven times

• 1,532 runs, 2,880 hits, 138 triples, 105 HR, 419 SB, .316/369/.432 slash line, 110 OPS+

• Key member of the famed "Gashouse Gang" Cardinals of the early 1930s, Frisch was their player/manager for five seasons, including 1934 when they won the World Series

• Later managed the Pirates (1940-1946) and Cubs (1949-1951)

Waite Hoyt (1899)

• Hall of Famer

• 21-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1918-1938, with 10 years with the Yankees, and the remainder with six other clubs

• Won 15+ in eight seasons, including leading the AL in wins with 22-7 mark in 1927

• More of a control artist, Hoyt didn't strikeout many hitters (only 1,206 K in 3,762.1 IP).

• 237-182 (.566) record, 3.59 ERA, 112 ERA+

• 6-4 with 1.83 ERA over 83.2 innings across 12 games in seven World Series

Frank Chance (1876)

• Hall of Famer

• 17-year career, spanning from 1898-1914, almost all with the Cubs

• Good defensive 1B and part of the famed Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double play combination

• High-average hitter with little power (20 HR in 5,138 plate appearances)

• Nine seasons with 25+ SB, including leading the NL with 67 in 1903 and 57 in 1906

• 403 SB, .296/.394/.394 slash line, and 135 OPS+

Todd Zeile (1965)

• 16-year major league career, spanning from 1989-2004, with seven years for the Cardinals but also spending time with 10 other clubs

• Initially a catcher before playing mostly at 3B

• Four seasons with 20+ HR, including a high of 31 in 1997 for the Dodgers

• 253 HR, 1,110 RBI, .265/.346/.423 slash line, 104 OPS+

Mike Hampton (1972)

• 16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1993-2010, with seven years with the Astros and the rest with five other clubs

• Two-time All-Star, including in 1999 when he came in second in the NL Cy Young Award vote after going 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA

• Good fielding pitcher, winning a Gold Glove Award in 2003.

• Good hitting pitcher, batting .246 with 16 HR and 79 RBI in 725 AB.

• 148-115 (.563) record, 4.06 ERA, 107 ERA+

Alvin Davis (1960)

• 9-year major league career as a 1B, from 1984-1992, almost all with the Mariners

• Won AL Rookie of the Year Award and was an All-Star in 1984 with 27 HR, 116 RBI, .284/.391/.497 slash line.

• Hit 17+ HR in seven seasons, including 29 HR and 100 RBI in 1987.

• 160 HR, .280/.380/.450 slash line, 127 OPS+

Currently active players who were born on September 9 include PHI Otto Kemp, BOS Nick Sogard, CHC Ben Brown, STL JoJo Romero, and COL Jimmy Herget.

Today’s Matchups

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

• DET vs. NYY is a matchup of two teams looking for playoff positioning, and features Casey Mize (3.87 ERA, 110 K in 125.2 IP) up against Will Warren (4.28 ERA, 153 K in 141 IP).

• CHC vs. ATL is an interesting pitching matchup, with Cubs’ rookie Cade Horton (2.78 ERA, 87 K in 103.2 IP) taking on Spencer Strider (4.97 ERA, 106 K in 101.1 IP), who has been inconsistent this year.

Also on the bump today today are KCR Noah Cameron, PHI Ranger Suárez, SEA George Kirby, 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:

• LAD Max Muncy, only 8-34 (.235) but with 4 HR and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 6-21 with 3 HR and a double vs. NYM Sean Manaea

• HOU Yordan Alvarez, only 3-16 (.188) but with 2 HR vs. TOR José Berríos

• TOR George Springer, small sample but is 3-7 with 2 HR and a double vs. HOU Luis Garcia

• MIA Augustín Ramírez, small sample but is 3-6 with 2 HR vs. WAS Mitchell Parker

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 Edmundo Sosa, 6-12 with a HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. NYM Sean Manaea

• PHI Bryce Harper, 6-16 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. NYM Sean Manaea

• SDP Manny Machado, 4-9 with a triple and 2 doubles vs. CIN Zack Littell

• NYY Aaron Judge, small sample but is 5-7 with 2 doubles vs. DET Casey Mize

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 11 - BOS Romy Gonzalez

• 9 - SFG Dominic Smith

• 8 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 8 - MIN Luke Keaschall

• 8 - DET Wenceel Perez

• 8 - BAL Emmanuel Rivera

• 7 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - is 15-29 (.517) during this streak

Active HR streaks

• 2 - WAS Josh Bell

• 2 - LAA Jo Adell

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:

• CIN Gavin Lux, 0-11 with 4 K vs. SDP Michael King

• PHI J.T. Realmuto, 1-11 with 6 K vs. NYM Sean Manaea

• SFG Willy Adames, 2-21 with 6 K though one hit was a HR vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• SFG Matt Chapman, 0-10 with 3 K vs. AZ Zac Gallen

• PIT Tommy Pham, 1-12 with 5 K vs. BAL Kyle Bradish

• TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1-11 with 5 K vs. HOU Luis Garcia

• NYM Brandon Nimmo, 3-27 with 5 K vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• NYM Juan Soto, 0-12 with 4 K vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• HOU Jeremy Peña, 0-11 with 3 K vs. TOR José Berríos

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Ketel Marte is signed through at least 2030 with the Diamondbacks, so it would seem he’ll keep accumulating numbers on their franchise leaderboards. He is currently in third place in many categories, such as HR, Doubles, Runs, RBI, Hits, BB, and Total Bases—behind only Luis Gonzalez and Paul Goldschmidt.

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.

• 60 years later, Vin's Koufax call is still perfect, by Sweeny Murti at MLB, 9/8/2025

• Yes, Kurtz really is having one of the best debuts you've ever seen, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 9/8/2025

• After quitting baseball 5 years ago, Raquet realizes big league dreams in debut, by Doug Miller at MLB, 9/9/2025

• 2025 Miami Marlins Surpass 2024’s Win Total, by Scott Morganroth atHere's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 9/8/2025

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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