WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
WE’RE IN THE ROCKIES
The Washington Nationals embark on their first road trip of the 2023 season on Thursday afternoon…It is a seven-game trip that starts with a four-game series against the Rockies before moving on to Los Angeles for a three-game set against the Angels…Thursday’s tilt serves as Colorado’s 2023 home opener.
• Washington went 4-3 against Colorado in 2022.
ROLLIN’ ROBLES
Through the first six games, Victor Robles leads qualified Nationals in on-base percentage (12th in NL, .476) and batting average (.353).
• Robles has hit safely in four of six games and has posted back-to-back multi-hit efforts…He is 6-for-17 (.353) with a double, RBI, four walks and three runs scored this season.
HITTERISH
Some notes on a few hitters early in the 2023 season:
• Alex Call has driven in at least one run three of his four starts this season…He is tied with Lane Thomas for the club lead with four RBI, despite playing in four of the six games…Call has reached base safely in seven of 16 plate appearances with three hits and four walks.
• Keibert Ruiz has reached base safely in all five games he’s played and in seven of 16 plate appearances (5 H, 2 BB, HBP)…He is behind Victor Robles for second on the club with a .400 on-base percentage.
• Lane Thomas is 8-for-24 (.333) with two doubles, four RBI, two walks and one run scored through six games this season…He’s reached safely in five of six games.
BULLPENNING
Washington’s bullpen has held opposing batters to a .222 batting average through the first six games.
• Carl Edwards Jr. (2.0 IP, BB, SO), Hobie Harris (1.2 IP, H, BB, 2 SO) and Erasmo Ramírez (4.0 IP, 3 H, BB, SO) have all tossed scoreless relief so far this season.
• Mason Thompson has tossed 5.0 innings of two-hit, one-run relief across two outings…He threw 2.0 innings on March 30 vs. Atlanta (2.0 IP, H, 3 SO) and matched a career-high with 3.0 innings on April 3 vs. Tampa Bay (3.0 IP, H, ER, HR, SO)…He has yet to issue a walk this season.
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
The Nationals are one of six teams with at least three players in the top 50 youngest players in Major League Baseball to start the season…The Arizona Diamondbacks (5), St. Louis Cardinals (5), Detroit Tigers (3), Pittsburgh Pirates (3) and Seattle Mariners (3) also have three players in the top 50.
• CJ Abrams (22) is the third-youngest player in Major League Baseball, while Luis Garcia (23) is 15th and Keibert Ruiz (24) is 50th.
KUHL AND THE GANG
MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams each made their Nationals debut on April 2 and 3 and Chad Kuhl made his Nationals debut on April 4…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the second time in Nationals history (2005-pres.) that at least three starting pitchers made their club debut on consecutive nights.
• Elias notes that the other time it happened was Washington’s first four games of the 2005 season: Livan Hernandez, Zach Day, Esteban Loaiza and Tomo Ohka.
OPPONENT – COLORADO ROCKIES
The Nationals and Rockies will meet seven times this season (4 in COL, 3 in D.C.)…Nationals bullpen coach Henry Blanco played in Colorado during the 1999 season…First base coach Eric Young Jr. was drafted by the Rockies in th 30th round of the 2003 Draft and went on to spend five Major Leagues seasons (2009-13) with the Rockies…Chad Kuhl pitched for Colorado in 2022
STARTING PITCHER – #40 JOSIAH GRAY
Right-hander was acquired by the Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 Trade Deadline…Was Los Angeles’ No. 2 prospect entering 2021 and its Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…Was originally selected by Cincinnati in the second round (No. 72 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York…Was acquired by the Dodgers on his 21st birthday, Dec. 21, 2018…Is the Player Ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy
vs. COLORADO
Gray made his first Major League start against the Rockies on July 25, 2021 (4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, HR, 4 BB, 6 SO).
• He is 2-0 with a 5.03 ERA and a .188 opponents’ average in four career starts against Colorado.
• On May 29, 2022 at Nationals Park, Gray allowed one earned run on three hits in 5.0 innings of work to earn the win.
2023 SPRING TRAINING
Gray led Major League Baseball with a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1 IP) in five starts…He struck out 14 batters, walked two and did not allow a home run.
2022
In his first full Major League season, ranked ninth in the National League (min. 135.0 IP) with 9.32 SO/9.0 IP…Led the Nationals with 154 strikeouts…Ranked eighth in MLB in slider whiff percentage (38%)…Recorded three 10+ strikeout games…Went 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA (4 ER/29.0 IP), 31 strikeouts, three homers and .155 opponents’ average in five starts from May 29-June 25…Tossed 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings from June 3-25, the second-longest streak on the Nationals behind Erasmo Ramírez (18.0 IP)…Tossed a career-high 7.0 innings on June 25 at Texas…Struck out a career-high 11 batters on July 6 at Philadelphia…In his final start of the season, allowed one earned run on two hits in 6.0 innings on Sept. 28 vs. Atlanta…2022 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam Fastball (39.2%) Slider (29.5%) Curveball (24.8%) Sinker (3.7%) Changeup (2.8%).
2021
Was acquired by the Nationals at the Trade Deadline and reported to D.C…Made his first start with Washington on Aug. 2 vs. Philadelphia (5.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO)…Struck out a career-high 10 batters in his second start on Aug. 7 at Atlanta…Became just the second pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to record at least 10 strikeouts in one of his first two starts with the team (Stephen Strasburg, first start on 6/8/2010 vs. PIT)…Earned his first career win on Sept. 22 at Miami (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 SO)…Finished the season strong, going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA (6 ER/17.1 IP), a .203 opponents’ average, 19 strikeouts and six walks in his final three starts of the season…Allowed just two home runs in his final four starts after surrendering 17 home runs in his first 10 outings of the season…With Los Angeles, had his contract selected on July 20 and made his Major League debut that day against the San Francisco Giants…Tossed 4.0 innings out of the bullpen behind an opener (4 ER, 4 H, 7 SO)…Gray made his first Major League start on July 25 vs. Colorado (4.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 SO)…2021 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam (51.7%) Curve (25.1%) Slider (20%) Changeup (3.2%).
COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
WEST COAST SWING
• After a 2-4 road trip to San Diego and Los Angeles to begin the season, the Colorado Rockies return home to Coors Field for their first homestand of 2023.
• The Rockies enter today’s game on a four-game losing streak after winning each of their first two games of the season … lost 5-3 at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday to conclude the road trip.
LUCKY NUMBER 31
• The Rockies are 16-14 all-time in their 30 Home Openers, but 1-4 over their last five and 2-5 over their last seven … lost last year’s Home Opener (and Opening Day) 5-3 vs. Los Angeles-NL … three of the Rockies’ last four and four of their last six Home Openers have come against the Dodgers.
• In 30 years of Home Openers in Denver the average temperature has been 58 degrees at first pitch … the highest was an 87 degree temperature on July 31, 2020, the only Home Opener played outside of April … the highest temperature April Home Opener came in 2017, when the temperature hit 72 degrees at first pitch … the coldest Home Opener was the following year, when the Rockies hosted the Braves in 27 degrees.
TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN
• Through six games the Rockies have an average game time of 2:33, three minutes below the league average of 2:36 … through the first six games of last season, the Rockies’ average game time was 3:15.
• Sunday’s game time of 2:03 ranked as the 12th-shortest game in Rockies’ history, the shortest since a 1:58 time of game on July 1, 2008 … in that contest, Aaron Cook tossed a 79-pitch complete-game shutout against the Padres at Coors Field, one of only nine CGSO tossed at Coors Field at the time.
• The shortest game in franchise history came on June 30, 2006 at Seattle when the Rockies topped the Mariners 2-0 in 1:52.
• The Rockies suffered their first pitch clock violation Tuesday when Elehuris Montero was called for an automatic strike after requesting time for the second time in his at-bat … batters are permitted one time out per plate appearance.
NATIONAL TREASURE
• The Rockies went 3-4 against the Nationals in 2022, taking two of three at Coors Field May 3-5 while dropping three of four at Nationals Park May 26-29.
• Colorado has gone 122-95 all-time vs. the Nationals/Expos, a .562 winning percentage that is their best against any single opponent in franchise history.
• The Rockies have won each of their last four home series against the Nationals since 2018, going 8-4 over that span (the two teams did not play in 2020).
• Colorado’s first home series in franchise history was against the Expos, April 9-11, 1993 … the Rockies took two of three vs. the Expos in the series, highlighted by an 11-4 inaugural Home Opener win at Mile High Stadium on April 9 in front of 80,227 fans … second baseman Eric Young Sr. led off the first home game in franchise history with a home run off Expos starter Kent Bottenfield.
CRON ZONE
• C.J. Cron was named the National League Player of the Week Monday by Major League Baseball, the second time in his career that he has earned the honor (also: Aug. 8, 2021) … in four games to begin the season through Sunday, Cron hit .467 with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI.
• Cron recorded seven hits through the first three games of the season, becoming the eighth player (ninth time, Dante Bichette twice) in franchise history to begin a season with at least seven hits through the team’s first three games, the first since Carlos González went 8-for-15 across the first three games of the 2015 season.
• Cron also became the first player in franchise history with at least seven hits and three home runs through the first three games of a season … the last player in the Majors with at least seven hits and three home runs through a teams first three games was Cody Bellinger with the Dodgers in 2019.
OPEN BOOK
• On Thursday, Charlie Blackmon made his 10th career Opening Day start, surpassing Troy Tulowitzki (nine) and Carlos González (nine) for the second-most Opening Day starts behind Todd Helton’s 16.
• The 2023 season is Blackmon’s 13th on the Rockies’ Major League roster, the second-most seasons in Rockies history behind Todd Helton’s 17.
STARTING PITCHER #21 KYLE FREELAND LHP
DENVER KID
• The 29-year-old Denver native and graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School will make his third career Home Opener start today at Coors Field.
• Started Opening Day at Coors Field last season, April 8 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers … pitched 3.2 innings and allowed five runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts … all five runs came in the fifth inning of the 5-3 Rockies loss.
• Made his Major League debut in the Rockies’ Home Opener in 2017, April 7 vs. the Dodgers … allowed one run across six innings in the 2-1 win.
HOPE OPENER x3:
• With today’s start, Freeland will have started the most Home Openers for the Rockies in franchise history with three (also: 2017 and 2022 both vs. Los Angeles-NL).
• In his first career start, Freeland started the Home Opener in 2017, getting the win after allowing one run over six innings.
• Last year, Freeland took the loss to LA, allowing five runs over 3.2 innings.
A HOT START
• Tossed six scoreless innings in his first start of the season, last Friday in San Diego … allowed just three hits while walking one and striking out one.
• Became just the ninth Rockies pitcher to toss six scoreless within the first five games of a season, the first since Kyle Kendrick pitched seven scoreless in Milwaukee on Opening Day, 2015.
LAND OF THE FREE
• Appeared in two games for the USA in the World Baseball Classic, allowing two runs on three hits over 6.0 innings (3.00 ERA), striking out five and walking two.
• In the Championship Game vs. Japan, struck out WBC MVP Shohei Ohtani … Freeland’s 41 pitches in the game were the most by any pitcher who
appeared during the contest.
• In three Cactus League starts, went 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA (9.1 IP, 6 ER) with one walk and five strikeouts.
THIS ‘N THAT
• Finished fourth in 2018 NL Cy Young Award voting going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA (202.1 IP, 64 ER) … became the second pitcher in Rockies history to ever finish in the top five in Cy Young voting (also: Ubaldo Jiménez, third place in 2010).
• Pitched 8.1 no-hit innings on July 9, 2017 vs. Chicago-AL, the longest no-hit bid for a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field in franchise history.
THE YEAR TWENTY THOUSAND AND TWENTY-TWO (2022)
• Finished the season posting a 4.53 ERA across 31 starts … of those 31 starts, 13 of them were quality, his most in a full season since logging 24 quality starts in 2018 … set career-highs in runs allowed (96), earned runs (88).
• The Rockies announced on April 19, 2022 that they agreed to a five-year contract extension with Freeland covering the 2022-26 seasons … the extension includes two arbitration years and three years of free agency.
• The 29-year-old Denver native graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, 15 minutes south of Coors Field … selected in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft (eighth overall), the third player in University of Evansville history to be drafted in the first round.
GNATS
• Has made seven career starts against the Nationals, going 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA (40.0 IP, 12 ER), 14 walks and 28 strikeouts.
• Has won both of his career starts against the Nationals at Coors Field, allowing three runs across 12.2 innings combined … last start vs.
Washington at home came in 2021.
• Made one start against Washington in 2022, losing at Nationals Park on May 29 … allowed five runs on seven hits with four walks across 5.2 innings.
SWEET HOME COLORADO
• Went 5-6 (Rockies 8-8) in 16 starts at home in 2022, posting a 6.00 ERA (87.0 IP, 58 ER) with 25 walks and 59 strikeouts … opponents hit .303 (107- for-353) against him with 31 doubles, seven triples and 11 home runs … second-highest home ERA in the Majors and sixth-highest opponent batting average.
• Holds a career mark of 28-24 with a 4.77 ERA (413.1 IP, 219 ER) in 78 career appearances, 75 starts, at Coors Field.
• Colorado is 44-31 all-time in his 75 starts in Denver … has worked six or more innings 44 times at home with 38 quality starts … three relief appearances at home (3.0 IP, ER), all coming in September, 2017.
• In 2018, went 10-2 with a 2.40 ERA in 15 starts at Coors Field, the lowest in a full season in franchise history … second starter in franchise history to record 10 wins at home (Jorge De La Rosa, three times).
• In his first 31 starts at Coors Field in 2017-18, went 16-10 with a 3.04 ERA (177.2 IP, 60 ER) with the Rockies going 20-11 … since 2019, has gone 12- 14 with a 6.11 ERA (232.2 IP, 158 ER) in 44 starts at home (Rockies 24-20).
NOT SO ROCKIE ROAD
• Went 4-5 (Rockies 6-9) across 15 road starts last year, pitching to a 3.08 ERA (87.2 IP, 30 ER) with 28 walks and 72 strikeouts … opponents hit .257 against him (86-for-334) with 16 doubles, one triple and eight home runs … tossed six or more innings in seven of 15 road starts (six QS) … 3.08 road ERA was the sixth-lowest in Rockies history (minimum 13 road starts).
• Allowed a road season-high six runs July 9 at Arizona … in seven road starts following this outing, went 3-1 while posting a 1.94 ERA (41.2 IP, 9 ER) with 14 walks and 36 strikeouts.
• Received 35 total runs of support on the road for a 3.59 RSA … received two or fewer in 10 other starts, including no runs three times.
• 7-10 with a 3.39 ERA (148.2 IP, 56 ER) in 27 road starts over the past two seasons … has allowed 17 total home runs on the road that span, five of them coming on June 11, 2021 at Cincinnati … road run support average of 3.21 over that span the third-lowest in the Majors (min. 25 starts).
YOU’RE GROUNDED
• Since his debut in 2017, Freeland ranks second in the Majors and leads the National League with 103 GIDP (Kyle Gibson leads the Majors with 109) … 1.11 GIDP/9 is the second-highest in the Majors across that same span trailing teammate Antonio Senzatela (1.14).
FINISHED STRONG
• Has allowed three or fewer runs in 11 of his last 14 starts since July 25 of last season, compiling a 6-4 record with a 3.65 ERA (79.0 IP, 32 ER) … posted a 4.15 ERA (128.0 IP, 59 ER) in 22 starts since June 4.
• Spun five or more frames in 19 of his last 22 starts and six or more innings 14 times through this span.
THE HOME RUN HIGHWAY
• His 19 home runs allowed in 2022 were his fewest since 2018 (17) … his 0.98 HR/9 was the 13th-lowest in the National League this season … his HR/9 rate is his lowest since he posted a 0.76 clip in 2018.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Allowed 22 of his 96 runs in the first inning (23 percent) in 2022, tied for the 8th-most in the Majors … opponents slashed .328/.382/.492 in the first frame … 42 hits allowed in the first inning were the third-most in the Majors.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FEELS
• Making the 152nd start of his career today, passing Jon Gray for the sixth-most starts in franchise history … Jason Jennings ranks fifth with 156 starts.
• His 50 career wins rank ninth in franchise history, three behind Jon Gray and Pedro Astacio with 53 each.
• Recorded the 600th strikeout of his career Aug. 10 vs. St. Louis, the eighth pitcher in franchise history to reach the mark … his 641 strikeouts are the seventh-most in franchise history … trails Jeff Francis in sixth with 742 strikeouts.
• Career 4.27 ERA ranks fourth all-time among Rockies starting pitchers (min. 75 starts) … 102 career opponent grounded into double plays are the fourth-most in franchise history (min. 50 GS).
