The Buzz — Sunday, August 16

Joshua Báez

The take Historic three homers in first three MLB at-bats

More than 23,000 players had debuted in the major leagues before this weekend. None of them did what Joshua Báez did. He homered in each of his first three career at-bats — a true all-time first — and he did it in a rivalry game the Cardinals won 8-4 at Wrigley Field, not in a blowout where the stat line was the only thing left to watch.

The first one came on the first pitch he saw, a 93.4 mph fastball from Matthew Boyd that left the bat at 108.6 mph and traveled 449 feet. The next two went 382 and 368, all off Boyd, the last to the opposite field. Báez, 23, was leading Triple-A with 34 home runs when the Cardinals brought him up from Memphis, and what he did was extend that production into the majors without a gap.

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Francisco Lindor

The take Lindor walk-off single beats Nats, sparks Mets win party

The Mets have won eight of their last eleven, and Francisco Lindor's walk-off single this weekend — a liner over a drawn-in Dylan Crews to cap a two-run ninth — was the loudest moment of that run. It was the team's sixth walk-off of the season, and it came after Lindor had been thrown out advancing on a wild pitch the inning before, which is the kind of detail that makes a redemption swing feel earned rather than convenient.

The broader context: Lindor's season line sits at .244 with 12 home runs, 32 RBI, and a .774 OPS in 258 at-bats, numbers depressed by calf and other injuries that cost him games. The walk-off is the highlight. The surge underneath it — eight wins in eleven — is the signal.

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Ronald Acuña Jr.

The take Acuña leadoff HR nears 200 career total

The leadoff shot was Acuña's 13th of the season and the 199th of his career, putting him one away from a round number that will stop the ballpark when it arrives. The Braves lost 10-3, so the homer was cosmetic in the box score — but 199 is the number driving the buzz, and it is not going to survive the week. A hitter with 13 already this season does not need long to find one more.

Ronald Acuña Jr. cards on eBay →(paid link)

Reid Detmers

The take Detmers dominates Royals with 11-K shutout gem

Eleven strikeouts, two singles, zero walks, 92 pitches — 68 strikes — and eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 Angels win. Reid Detmers faced one batter over the minimum and drew 18 swings-and-misses using all four pitches. Kurt Suzuki called it ace work afterward, and the line backs him up.

The number that reframes the night: it was Detmers' first home win as a starter since April 12, 2024. He had been 0-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 13 home starts this season, a drought that reads like failure until you learn the Angels scored two or fewer runs in 14 of his 25 starts overall. The pitching was there. The support was not. Since the All-Star break he has a 1.83 ERA over six starts, and this weekend the lineup finally handed him one.

Reid Detmers cards on eBay →(paid link)

Tarik Skubal

The take Skubal traded to Dodgers; debuts and rotation fit hype

The Dodgers traded Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith to Detroit for Tarik Skubal at the deadline, and the premise was straightforward: add a two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner to a rotation already built for October. Skubal brought a 2.79 ERA and a 7-5 record in 16 starts with the Tigers, ace-level production off an elbow procedure.

Two starts in, the results are still catching up to the stuff. His Dodgers debut at Wrigley Field was a quality start — six innings, two earned, six strikeouts in a 5-1 loss — but his first outing at Dodger Stadium was scratchier: five innings, three earned, a two-run homer, 95 pitches in a 6-5 win. Dave Roberts pointed to what he saw on the bench, not the line: "Sometimes when it doesn't go well, people kind of hide. It's a tell when you can still show your face and be around."

The rotation fit is the real argument, and it is not really an argument. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are working back from the injured list, and Shohei Ohtani's pitching timeline remains unresolved. Skubal does not displace anyone — he joins a staff that could run multiple Cy Young winners out in a series. The early starts have been serviceable, not dominant. What matters is whether the command tightens by October, and a pitcher with his track record earns the benefit of the doubt.

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