TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost yesterday’s road opener to the Cubs, 2-0, and club now has a 1-3 record in last 4 G after a 3-0 start…need a win today to avoid falling to a season low point at .500…the current 4-3 record is still the Rangers’ 2nd-best 7-G start in the last 10 years beg. 2014, as only other winning mark over that span came in 2019 (5-2 start)… TEX lost next game in 2019 for a 5-3 start after 8 G…team opened the 2023 campaign with a 3-0 record for just the 9th time in Rangers history, longest season-opening win streak since 2011 (6-0).
• Texas was at a season-high 3 G above .500 (3-0) with win on Sun. vs. PHI, 1st time to be 3-over since a 58-55 mark after losing the 1st game of a doubleheader on 8/7/19 at CLE.
STANDINGS: The Rangers enter today’s slate tied with the Los Angeles Angels (also 4-3, .571) for the A.L. West lead, sitting +1.5 GA of 3rd-place HOU/SEA (3-5, .375)…Texas has been alone or tied atop the division for each of the last 9 days, as this marks the latest date for the club to own even a share of 1st place in the West since the final day of team’s division-winning season in 2016 (10/2/16)…from 2017-22, the Rangers had one day in which it held, or was tied for, 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).
SERIES STUFF: Rangers are 1-1-0 in series this season after a series loss against the O’s this week…the 3-0 finish vs. PHI to open the season marked the 1st time for Texas to win the 1st series of a season since 2019 (won final 2 G of 3-G series 3/28-31 vs. CHC), and the 7th time in club history to open a campaign with a sweep in a series of 3+ G (last 3-0 in 2011 vs. BOS).
• Rangers went 0-5-2 in final 7 road series in 2022, as a 3- finish from 8/20-22/22 at MIN was last away series victory entering this weekend.
VS. CUBS: The Rangers are playing 3 G at Wrigley this weekend to open club’s road slate…this is the 1st of 2 trips to Chicago this season for Texas, also playing White Sox on the South Side from 6/19-21…TEX is 9-10 all-tme vs. Cubs, last matching up in a season-opening series 3/28-31/19 at the former Globe Life Park in Arlington (TEX won 2 of 3 G)… Rangers have not visited Wrigley since dropping 2 of 3 out of AS break, 7/15-17/16…team is 4-6 all-time at Wrigley Field.
INTERLEAGUE: The Rangers have won 3 of 4, 5 of 7, and 13 of last 19 Interleague games beg. 4/30/22…club was 11-9 (.550) vs. N.L. in 2022 after 4 straight losing seasons from 2018-21…TEX has gone 9-6 in road Interleague games since 6/12/21, this after a club-record 11-G road Interleague losing skid from 8/16/20-6/11/21…as a result of this year’s balanced schedule for all 30 clubs – a first since Interleague play was introduced in 1997 – the Rangers are slated to play a record 46 Interleague contests in 2023.
ON THE ROAD: Dating back to 2022, Texas has dropped 6 straight away games, going 4-15 on the road beg. 9/1/22… team was 34-47 (.420) overall in away games last year, winning back-to-back road games just twice over the season’s final 3 months.
• Rangers’ loss yesterday dropped club to 20-32 all-time in 1st road game of a season, losing 4 straight, 10 of 11, 11 of 13, 17 of 20, and 20 of last 24 road openers.
I WILL BE RIGHT HERE WAITING FOR YOU: In winning the 1st 2 G of the season against Philadelphia, the Rangers batted .375 with 5 HR and 27 R, posing a 1.080 OPS figure… in the 5 G since that start, TEX is batting .183 (28-153) with 4 HR and 9 R, posing a .518 OPS figure…club has scored 2-R-or-less in 4 of those 5 games.
BLANKED: TEX has been shut out in back-to-back series openers (Mon. vs. BAL and yesterday at CHC), matching a club record for most SHO suffered within the 1st 7 G of a season (2x in 1972, 1991, 2015, 2023)…team sustained 3rd SHO in 8th game in 1991.
TOUGH LUCK EOVALDI: Nathan Eovaldi fell one out short of a quality start yesterday, as Adolis García nearly made a lunging catch to end the 6th inning…Eovaldi (5.2 IP, 2 R-ER) ended up tagged with the 2-0 defeat, the 2nd time in 4 G for a TEX starter to take a 2-0 loss with 5.2+ IP and 2-R-or-less allowed (also Jon Gray on Mon. vs. BAL: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER).
BULLPEN AGAIN: With 2.1 SHO IP yesterday, the Texas bullpen has now posted a streak of 23.2 consecutive scoreless innings since a run against Jonathan Hernández in the 7th inning on Opening Day, 3/30 vs. PHI…according to STATS LLC, it is the 4th-longest scoreless streak by TEX relievers dating to at least 1974.
• The Texas bullpen leads MLB in relief ERA (0.67), opp. BA (.133), and WHIP (0.74), remaining one of 2 teams whose relievers have yet to allow a HR (also BOS).
LONGEST SCORELESS STREAKS
BY TEXAS RELIEVERS SINCE 1974
IP Dates
28.1 5/1/08 (9th inn)-5/10/08 (2nd inn)
26.1 9/9/90 (6th inn)-9/17/90 (8th inn)
25.1 7/12/13 (4th inn)-7/23/13 (8th inn)
23.2 3/30/23 (8th inn)-current
STARTERS TOO: In 3 G this season in which the TEX rotation has received more than one run of support, starters have posted a 3-0 record…yesterday’s effort by Eovaldi was the 5th time in the 1st 7 G for a Texas starter to pitch 5.0+ IP while allowing 3-or-fewer runs…team had not seen 5 such instances over a season’s 1st 7 G since 2016 (7x in 7 G).
DOESN’T THAT MAKE IT OUR TIME?: Since opening the year with games lasting 3:04 and 3:10, Texas has played 5 consecutive games in 2:30-or-less…according to Stathead, this is the 1st time TEX has played 5 straight games lasting 2:30-or-less since September 1984 (5 G, 9/26-30/1984)…
club also had a 7-G streak of that kind in ‘84 (7 G, 8/25- 9/1/1984)…TEX had a total of 9 G in all of 2022 lasting 2:30-or-less.
THESE DAYS: With 3 day games this weekend at Wrigley, the Rangers are in a span of playing 4 consecutive day contests…club also had 4 straight day games in 2022 (6/3-7/22), as a doubleheader on 6/7/22 at CLE had a pair of games categorized as day tilts…last instance of 4 day games over
4 separate days for Texas came to open the 2021 season:
4/1-4 at KC and 4/5 vs. TOR.
• TEX is 3-1 in day games in ‘23, as team had scored 5+ R in each of 1st 3 day tilts prior to yesterday’s shutout.
THE WEATHER’S FINE: Yesterday’s 43-degree first pitch matched the coldest start for any Rangers game since the beginning of 2019…the only other game with that cold of a start for TEX in that span was also an April contest here in Chicago, a 43-degree start on 4/25/21 at CWS.
ON YOUR TV: While today’s game will be carried as a regular Bally Sports Southwest broadcast in the Rangers’ TV market, an additional national broadcast will be available on FS1, with Kenny Albert and Eric Karros calling the game remotely.
LEODY TAVERAS went 0-for-3 over 7 innings in CF last night on rehab assignment with Frisco (AA)…see today’s minor league report for more info on the farm system.
SHORTS: Bruce Bochy has 2007 career wins as a manager, one shy of tying Hall of Famer Leo Durocher (2008 wins) for 11th place on the all-time list…it was announced yesterday that RHP Jake Odorizzi had a debridement procedure on his right shoulder on Wednesday morning, with the season-ending surgery performed by Rangers Team Physician Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington…Martín Pérez enters today with a 59.0-IP homerless streak that is the 3rd-longest active streak in MLB (61.2 IP-Jose Quintana, 60.0 IP-Shohei Ohtani)
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #54 Martín Pérez, RHP (1-0, 1.59)
TODAY: Pérez, who turned 32 years old on Tues., is scheduled to make his 2nd start of the season today in game 2 of 3 here on the North Side…will work on extra 5 days’ rest after he earned the win in his 2023 debut on Sun. vs. PHI (5.2 IP, 1 R-ER), a 2-1 Rangers’ victory that completed a season-opening series sweep of the Phillies (3-0)…no home runs allowed in last 9 starts (beg. 8/24/22), tied with LAA’s Shohei Ohtani for the longest active homer-less streak among MLB starting pitchers…made 2 starts for Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting no record and a 9.82 ERA (4 ER/3.2 IP)…after returning to the Rangers on a one-year free agent deal for 2022, he elected to stay with Texas in 2023 on a oneyear deal after accepting the club’s qualifying offer in November…spent the first 11 seasons of his professional career with the Rangers (2008-18), and has now been with the organization for 12 of his 15 years as a pro…left the club for 3 years for brief stints with Minnesota (2019) and Boston (2020-21)…has a 56-57 record with a 4.26 ERA over 174 games/161 starts in his Rangers career, ranking among club’s all-time leaders in starts (7th), wins (11th), and strikeouts (12th, 638)… since 2016, his first full campaign after returning from ‘Tommy John’ surgery, has the 2nd-most starts (176) and 3rd-most innings (1012.1) of any American League pitcher…saw two seasons cut short in 2014-15 following ‘Tommy John’ ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow on 5/19/14…also missed time in 2018 after suffering a broken right (non-throwing) elbow.
SEASON DEBUT: Earned the win in his 2023 debut on Sun. vs. PHI (W, 5.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R-ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 98 pitches/60 strikes), guiding Texas to a 2-1 victory which finished off a season-opening series sweep of the Phillies (3-0)…allowed 8 hits and 3 walks while recording 7 strikeouts, which would have been his T3rd-highest strikeout total of the 2022 campaign…was scoreless thru 3.0 innings before Nick Castellanos scored on a double play grounded into by Josh Harrison in the 4th, one of 2 GIDPs induced by Pérez on the day…allowed just 3 batted balls with exit velo. of 95.0+ mph (Statcast)…became the first Ranger to throw 98+ pitches in a season debut since Mike Minor on 7/25/20 vs. COL (98 pitches, 5.0 IP).
I GOT FIVE ON IT: Has logged at least 5.0 IP in each of his last 31 starts (beg. 4/23/22), the longest such streak ever by a Texas left-hander and 6th-longest in club history overall: 56-Yu Darvish (2012-14), 41-Lance Lynn (2019- 20), 37-Nolan Ryan (1989-90), 32-Colby Lewis (2003-10)/Kevin Brown (1991- 92), 31-Pérez (2022-23)…2nd-longest active streak of 5.0+ IP to a 33-start run by Max Scherzer (beg. 8/15/21)…has gone 13-6, 2.69 ERA (58 ER/194.0 IP) during the streak, ranking among A.L. leaders over that span in IP (5th) and wins (T9th).
VS. CHICAGO-NL / INTERLEAGUE: Today’s start will be just the 2nd of Pérez’s career against the Cubs, with the other coming in a 6-0 Rangers’ defeat here at Wrigley Field on 7/15/16 (L, 5.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R-5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 89 pitches/58 strikes)…permitted just one run through first 5.0 innings of that outing before the Cubbies sent 10 men to the plate in a 5-run 6th inning.
• Pérez, who has spent his entire 12-year Major League career in the American League, owns a lifetime 13-12 record and 4.13 ERA (100 ER/218.0 IP) over 41 G/36 GS in Interleague play…went 3-1, 1.82 (6 ER/29.2 IP) in 5 starts vs. National League clubs in 2022, earning wins in each of his last 3 outings against teams from the Senior Circuit…matched the Texas single-season record for Interleague wins (11x, last 3-0 by Jonathan Hernández in 2020).
KING OF THE ROAD: Saw slightly better results in 16 road starts (7-4, 2.86 ERA) than in 16 starts in Arlington (5-4, 2.92 ERA) last season…ranked among A.L. road leaders in quality starts (T4th, 12), ERA (6th), and wins (T11th)…opened the 2022 campaign with club-record 25.0 consecutive scoreless innings on the road…Rangers went 10-0 in Pérez’s first 10 away outings last season, tied for the longest season-opening road undefeated streak by a starting pitcher in WSH/ TEX franchise history (also 10, A.J. Griffin from 4/8-8/9/16)…Pérez’s career ERA splits are nearly identical on the road (4.41) vs. at home (4.43), though his home win pct. (.532, 41-36) is significantly higher than his road mark (.461, 35-41).
2022: Pérez produced career bests in ERA (2.89), strikeouts (169), and WHIP (1.258) while being selected to the All-Star Game for the first time…just 3rd MLB pitcher since 2013 to post first career qualifying sub-3.00 ERA in his 11th-orlater MLB season, joining José Quintana (2.93 in 2022) and John Lackey (2.77 in 2015) – credit Elias Sports Bureau…posted his 4th career CG and 3rd career CG SHO on 5/20 at HOU, 1st CG SHO by a Ranger since Kyle Gibson on 9/16/20 at HOU…over 15 starts from 5/10-7/29, produced a career-best streak of 9 straight winning decisions, T4th-longest win streak in Rangers history (12-Cole Hamels, 2015-16; 12-Bobby Witt, 1990; 11-Fergie Jenkins, 1978-79; 9-Pérez, 2022; 9-Kenny Rogers, 2005)…from 4/23-8/3, had streak of 19 consecutive starts without taking a loss, which is tied for longest run in WSH/TEX franchise history (also Hamels in 2015-16).
CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:
OPEN AND SHUT CASE: The Chicago Cubs today play the second of three games against the Texas Rangers after winning yesterday’s series opener 2-0 as Marcus Stroman tossed 6.0 shutout innings, Cody Bellinger had a two-out RBI-single in the fourth and Ian Happ delivered a two-out RBI-double in the sixth … Mark Leiter Jr. picked up a hold with a shutout seventh inning while Michael Fulmer recorded the team’s first save of
the season with 2.0 shutout innings.
With a shutout of the Brewers on Opening Day (4-0) and yesterday’s blanking of the Rangers, the Cubs have recorded two shutouts within their first six games of the season for the first time since 1938, and for just the fourth time since 1901 … besides this year and 1938, the Cubs also recorded two shutouts within their frist six games in 1929 and 1908.
Following this three-game set vs. Texas the homestand continues with three contests against the Seattle Mariners.
The Cubs open the season with 15 of their first 24 games through April 27 at Wrigley Field … of those first 24 tilts, just five are against their own division, the N.L. Central: the season-opening Brewers series and the abbreviated two-game set against the Reds … in fact, the Cubs now play 29-straight games outside of the division until hosting the Cardinals for three games, May 8-10.
RISPY BUSINESS: Chicago is hitting .327 (18-for-55) with runners in scoring position, the fourth-best mark in the majors behind Tampa Bay (.388), Texas (.349) andMilwaukee (.333) … Cody Bellinger is 5-for-13 with RISP, Eric Hosmer is 3-for-6 and Trey Mancini is 3-for-7.
Cubs pitching has allowed a .286 opponent batting average, the fourth-highest mark among N.L. pitching staffs.
INTERLEAGUE INTERLUDE: With MLB’s new schedule format for the 2023 season, the Cubs will play every A.L. club this regular season, totaling 46 games … Chicago is 217-219 (.498) all-time against the A.L. since interleague play began in 1997 … the team was 6-14 (.300) in interleague play last season. © Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom are tied for 10th among Cubs hitters all-time with 11 home runs apiece in interleague play … Derrek Lee is ninth with 12.
AGAINST THE RANGERS: Cody Bellinger has hit .355 (11-for-31) with three homers and eight RBI in nine career regular season games against the Rangers, posting a .487 OBP and .774 slugging mark … Eric Hosmer has the most extensive experience among Cubs position players against Texas, having played 58 games against the Rangers (has hit .255, 54-for-212 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI).
THIS AND THAT: Cody Bellinger is 5-for-12 with two runs scored, a homer, five RBI and two walks in his last three games since April 3 after starting the campaign 0-for-11 with a walk in his first three games.
Eric Hosmer has reached safely seven times in 13 plate appearances in his last three games with five hits and two walks, driving in four in that span.
Ian Happ’s .556 OBP in the season’s early going is second in the N.L. behind only Milwaukee’s Brian Anderson (.593) … Dansby Swanson’s .500 OBP is tied for fifth.
Happ’s 1.256 OPS is sixth in the N.L. while Patrick Wisdom’s .737 slugging mark is eighth.
RUCK ON THE BUMP: Cubs reliever Michael Rucker has stranded all five runners he’s inherited thus far … he’s one of just three major league relievers to not allow an inherited runner to score while also stranding at least five on base … he joins Pittsburgh’s Dauri Moreta (5 IR/0 IRS) and Arizona’s Drey Jameson (5 IR/0 IRS).
WORKING OVERTIME: Michael Fulmer yesterday recorded the team’s first save of the season while tossing 2.0 shutout innings to preserve a 2-0 victory over Texas … it marked Fulmer’s first save with at least 2.0 innings pitched since Sept. 15, 2021 while with Detroit over the Brewers.
WE’LL NEED THIS IN TRIPLICATE: The Cubs had four players record three-hit games Tuesday night in Cincinnati: Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger and Patrick Wisdom … it’s just the fifth time since 2015 Chicago had four or more players each record three or more hits in a game – previously done June 30 of last season against the Reds (Higgins, Hoerner, Morel and Wisdom).
DISHING ON DANSBY: Dansby Swanson has hit .417 in the season’s early going, the seventh-best average in the N.L. … Swanson is 5-for-11 when dealing with a two-strike count … since the start of last season, his 77 hits with two strikes in the count is tied for third most in the N.L.
WAY TO GET ON THE BOARD: Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger snapped a season-opening 0-for-11 with a three-run first-inning home run Monday night in Cincinnati … he’s the first player to homer to end a drought of at least 11 at-bats to open his Cubs career since, well, just two years ago – Joc Pederson collected his first hit, a home run, on April 7, 2021, vs. Milwaukee after going hitless in his first 15 at-bats as a Cub.
WORD TO THE WISE: Patrick Wisdom on Sunday recorded his sixth career multi-homer effort, going 2-for-4 with two solo shots against the Brewers at Wrigley Field … since the start of the 2021 season, Wisdom has averaged one home run every 15.02 at-bats, the third-best rate among N.L. hitters with at least 900 plate appearances (Kyle Schwarber, 11.96, and Pete Alonso, 14.68). © Wisdom’s 55 homers since the start of the 2021 season are 13th-most among N.L. hitters.
Starting Pitcher – #35 LHP Justin Steele (0-0, 0.00)
Last Time Out
Justin received his sixth-straight no-decision, but made a quality start, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and just three hits allowed … he has made a quality start in four of his last five outings on the mound, has tallied five-plus strikeouts in seven-straight starts since July 28, 2022 (53 total).
Justin is making his second start of the 2023 season after his season debut, April 1 vs. Milwaukee (0 ER/6.0 IP) … has posted a 0.84 ERA (4 ER/42.2 IP) since July 22, 2022, the lowest ERA in the majors during the run (min. 6 GS). Went 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA (4 ER/13.2 IP) with 13 strikeouts in four Cactus League starts in 2023 … started and tossed the first 2.0 innings of the Cubs combined nohitter, March 3 at San Diego.
2022 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 3-4 2.78 14 14 71.1 62 24 22 28 70
Road 1-3 3.78 10 10 47.2 49 29 20 22 56
AVG vs. LHB: .232 (23-for-99) / AVG vs. RHB: .248 (88-for-355)
Justin in 24 starts in 2022 went 4-7 with a 3.18 ERA (42 ER/119.0 IP), 50 walks and 126 strikeouts … finished among the team leaders in strikeouts (1st), strikeouts per batter faced (1st, 4.06), HR per 9.0 IP (1st, 0.61) and innings pitched (2nd, 119.0).
His season was cut short when he was put on the Injured List Sept. 2 with a low back strain.
Posted a 2.78 ERA (22 ER/71.1 IP) at Wrigley Field, allowing two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 14 starts.
Became the first Cub draftee with a 10-strikeout game since Jeff Samardzjia (May 16, 2014 at San Francisco).
On Aug. 5 vs. Miami, became the second starter in Cubs history to record 10-ormore strikeouts in 4.2-or-fewer innings pitched (also Bill Caudill, August 17, 1979 vs San Diego) … also joined Miami’s Trevor Richards as the only pitchers in MLB history to allow no runs and strike out 10 batters in 4.2-or-fewer innings.
Became the 11th lefthander in Cubs history to strike out nine-plus batters in consecutive outings, May 15-21.
© In July and Aug. combined, made nine starts and posted a 1.46 ERA (8 ER/49.1 IP), which leads the majors in the stretch (min. 45.0 IP) … his 0.96 ERA (3 ER/28.0 IP) in the month of August was fourth-lowest in the majors during that span.
Career Notes
Justin is in his 10th season in the Cubs organization … is 8-11 with a 3.41 ERA (69 ER/182.0 IP) in 45 games (34 starts) after making his MLB debut in 2021.
Owns a career 18-23 minor league record with a 3.44 ERA (133 ER/348.0 IP) over 89 outings (80 starts).
Was added to the Cubs 40-man roster Nov. 20, 2018.
Received Carolina League mid-season All-Star honors in 2017, as he went 6-7 with a 2.92 ERA (32 ER/98.2 IP) over 20 starts with Single-A Myrtle Beach.
Was named a MiLB.com Cubs Organizational All-Star in both 2015 and 2017.
Selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of George County High School in Lucedale, Miss.
Was named 5A Player of the Year in Mississippi by coaches in 2014 and won the Mississippi Hall of Fame Award for High School Baseball the same season.
Was committed to the University of Southern Mississippi before signing with the Cubs.
