MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today play the second of a three-game series at Wrigley Field as the beginning of a two-city, six-game road trip that finishes with three at Arizona from May 8-10. Just completed a six-game homestand yesterday in which they swept a three-game series against the Cubs before a day off on Monday and then suffered a three-game sweep against the Braves from Tues-Thurs.
• After starting the year 1-4, the Marlins have gone 15-13 since.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami dropped the series opener, 1-4, at Chicago-NL tying a season-high with four straight losses. RHP Edward Cabrera struck out 8 batters and allowed 3 runs (1 home run) in 5.0 innings. 2B Luis Arraez recorded his fifth 3-hit game of the season, tied for 3rd most in MLB. SS Jon Berti had a second consecutive multi-hit effort, going 2×4 and scoring on a sacrifice fly by 1B Yuli Gurriel (1×3, 1 RBI).
DAY DREAMING
The Marlins are in the midst of playing four consecutive day game from May 4-7. Marks their longest stretch of daytime starts since playing five in-a-row from May 28-June 1 last year, which included a straight doubleheader in Colorado.
SIT EM DOWN
After a career-high 12 strikeouts in 5.0 innings against the Cubs on Apr. 29, Cabrera struck out 8 Cubs in 5.0 innings in yesterday’s start. The combined 20 K’s in back-to-back starts that lasted 5.0 innings each are the most in a 10.0 inning span in his career.
• Last week, tied record set by LHP Jesus Luzardo with 12 strikeouts in a start that lasted no more than 5.0 innings. 20 strikeouts in two starts of 5.0 innings or less is also a club-most.
GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
2B Luis Arraez leads MLB with his .437 batting avg. (45×103) and .491 on-base pct., ranks t-2nd with 45 hits, t-4th with 12 multi-hit games, and 5th with his 1.035 OPS. Is coming off of the best April in club history, setting club history with his .438 avg. and .500 on-base pct. in 23 gms, becoming one of only two Marlins players to own a .400 avg. entering May (also, Dee Strange-Gordon, .409 in 2015).
• Trails Dee Strange-Gordon (54, 2015)) for the most hits in club history by a Marlins player through their first 28 gms of a season. • Became the first player to finish the month of April with a batting average of .435 or better and an OBP of .500 or better since Barry Bonds (.472 AVG and .696 OBP) in 1994 (min: 50 AB) – courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau.
• His .437 batting avg. is the highest through 29 gms into a season for any Major Leaguer since MIA Dee Strange-Gordon’s .439 mark to start the 2015 season with Washington.
• Has struck out 6 times in 116 PA (.051 K/PA), the lowest mark in MLB among qualified batters.
WINNING START
The Marlins’ 15 wins in the month of April tied the second-best mark in franchise history (also; 1997, 2004, 2008) and marked the most wins in April since the team moved to Miami (club record set of 16 April wins set in 2011).
• Miami secured a winning record in April for a second straight year – prior to last year’s April, the Marlins had not had winning record in April since 2016. Marks the first time the Marlins recorded back-to-back seasons of winning records in April since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
ONE-RUN WONDERS
The Marlins are 10-0 in one-run games in 2023, marking the most consecutive wins in games decided by one run to start a season in franchise history. Are the only team yet to lose a one-run game this season.
• Marks the most consecutive wins in games decided by one-run to start a season since the 2004 Los Angeles Dodgers also went 10-0. The last team to start a season with a better stretch in such games was the 1972 New York Mets, who own the all-time record (courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau).
• Miami played 64 games decided by one run in 2022, the most such games in the Majors last season. Miami’s 40 one-run losses were the most in a season in club history, the most since the 1975 Astros (41), and just three shy of the single-season record for one-run losses during the Live Ball Era (since 1920) held by the 1968 White Sox (44).
JAZZ HANDS
CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. has stolen 11 bases this season (in 13 attempts), leading the team and tying for fourth in MLB behind only Ronald Acuña Jr. (15), Ji Hwan Bae (13) and Esteury Ruiz (13). HIs 11 steals in April tied the club record for most steals in the month of April (also, Luis Castillo, 1997).
• In his last 9 G, is batting .313 (10×32) with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, and 4 SB. Prior to this stretch, was hitting .207 (17×82).
CATCH US IF YOU CAN
The Marlins have stolen 28 bases this season, seventh most in the Majors (third in NL). Have been caught just six times, the third-best SB pct. in the NL (82.4%) behind the Braves (85.7%) and Mets (83.9%).
WIN-DY CITY
The Marlins are facing the Cubs just a week after sweeping them in a three-game series in Miami. During the 2020 COVID-shortened season, the Marlins swept the Cubs in a best-of-three Wild Card series at Wrigley Field. Beginning with those two games, the Marlins have won 12 of the last 17 meetings between these two teams.
TODAY’S STARTER – #32 MATT BARNES
• Matt Barnes will make his third career start and first since 2015, when he made two consecutive starts for the Boston Red Sox.
• In those 2 starts, combined to go 0-2 and allowed 11 runs on 14 hits with 4 walks and 9 strikeouts in 10.1 innings.
• Went 0-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 44 appearances in his ninth season with the Red Sox organization in 2022. Missed time from June 1 – Aug. 4 with right shoulder inflammation.
• From August 4th through the end of the season, Barnes had a 1.59 ERA in 24 appearances, allowing just 4 runs in 22.2 IP.
• Was teammates and friends with George Springer at UConn and in the Cape Cod Baseball League (Wareham Gateman). They were both selected in the first round of the 2011 FirstYear Player Draft and each found out together.
• Wrigley Field is 1 of 2 ballparks that Barnes has never pitched in.
CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:
Cubs vs. Marlins
The Cubs and Marlins play six games spanning two series this season … the clubs met in Miami last weekend, with the Marlins sweeping the three-game set … dating to 2016, the Cubs have won four of the last five regular season series against Miami.
SATURDAY AT THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: The Chicago Cubs today play game two of a six-game homestand after yesterday’s 4-1 win over the Marlins, in which Chicago improved to 8-3 in series openers in 2023 … Justin Steele became the fifth major league pitcher to win at least five games this season, Ian Happ hit his fourth home run of the season, Seiya Suzuki extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying eight games and Mark Leiter Jr. earned his first save of the season.
The Cubs went 10-3 in 13 games from April 4-19, but have gone 5-10 in their last 15 dating to April 20.
Today is the ninth game (2-6) of a stretch that sees the team on the road for 16 of 22 contests through May 21.
IT’S ALL SMYLES: Drew Smyly since April 10 has allowed two runs or fewer in all five of his starts … the lefthander has posted a 1.48 ERA (5 ER/30.1 IP) during the run, the third-lowest ERA in the N.L. and the fourth-lowest in the majors.
Since the beginning of the 2022 campaign, Smyly has a 2.17 ERA (15 ER/62.1 IP) in 12 starts at Wrigley Field … since the beginning of 2022, Smyly’s 2.17 home ERA is the seventh-lowest in the N.L. (min. 12 GS).
IT’S TIME TO MASH: Matt Mervis yesterday became the second Cub to make his major league debut this season (also Miguel Amaya) .. Mervis went 1-for-4 with an RBI-single in the eighth inning for his first career major league hit.
Mervis yesterday became the 15th Cub since 2000 to record a hit and an RBI in his major league debut (previously done by Narciso Crook, June 30, 2022) … thanks to Ed Hartig for his research assistance!
The left-handed hitting first baseman is batting .286 (26-for-91) with seven doubles, six home runs, 27 RBI and a .962 OPS in 24 games with the I-Cubs this season … he has walked 18 times, compared to only 19 strikeouts.
Mervis last season was named the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after batting a combined .309 (158-for-512) with 40 doubles, two triples, 36 home runs and 119 RBI, rising from High-A South Bend to Iowa.
MAN OF STEELE: Yesterday, Justin Steele tossed a career-high-tying 7.0 innings, allowing two or fewer runs for the 14th-straight start since July 22, 2022, the longest active streak in the major leagues … Steele has posted a 1.24 ERA (11 ER/80.0 IP) since July 22, 2022, the lowest ERA in the majors during the run (min. 14 GS).
Steele’s run of 14-straight starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed are the longest by a Cubs since Jake Arrieta did so in 14 consecutive outings from July 30, 2015-April 4, 2016.
NOT A WALK IN THE PARK: Cubs pitching has not walked a batter in four of their last
five games since Monday in Washington … during 42.0 innings in the five-game span,
the Cubs have only walked three batters total.
Prior to this week, the Cubs pitching staff hadn’t issued three or fewer walks in a five-game span since allowing two in 44.0 innings over five games from Sept. 23 (gm. 1) through Sept. 29, 1984.
The last time Cubs pitching went three-straight games without allowing a free pass was Sept. 23 (gm. 2) through Sept. 25, 1984, at St. Louis and at Pittsburgh.
SAVED BY THE BELL-INGER: Cody Bellinger since April 4 has hit .333 (32-for-96) with 24 runs, seven doubles, a triple, six home runs, and 14 RBI in his last 25 games, reaching safely in 23 of those contests … has scored a run in 18 of his last 22 games.
Since April 4, Bellinger’s 1.009 OPS is sixth among N.L. qualified hitters, while his .615 slugging mark is seventh.
ABOUT THE BATS: Chicago’s .269 team batting average (296-for-1,099) ranks third in the majors behind Tampa Bay (.277) and Boston (.273), however, the Cubs have batted .237 (101-for-427) in their last 13 games since April 22 (along with a .313 OBP and .391 SLG in that span) … Chicago’s .340 season on-base percentage ranks fifth in the majors while its .435 slugging mark is tied for sixth. © Nico Hoerner’s 43 hits are fourth-most in MLB … his 11 steals are tied for third in the majors.
ABOUT THE ARMS: Cubs pitching has surrendered 26 home runs this season, tied for the fewest in the N.L. and third-fewest in the majors.
Chicago’s pitching staff has held the opponent to a .226 average against (234- for-1,035), the lowest in the N.L. and fifth-lowest in the MLB.
Javier Assad on Thursday became the first Cubs reliever since Marcos Mateo (June 30, 2011 vs. San Francisco) to toss at least 5.0 scoreless innings, while allowing two or fewer hits and walking none.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cubs have scored at least one run in each of their first 32 games in 2023, just the sixth time in the expansion era (since 1961) the team has gotten on the board in each of its first 32 contests … the longest season-opening streaks in this span: 47 G in 1995, 43 G in 2020, 40 G in 2012, 35 G in 1975 and 34 G in 1991.
Starting Pitcher – #11 LHP Drew Smyly (3-1, 2.83)
Last Time Out
Drew earned his third win of the season at Washington on May 1, allowing just one run on six hits and one walk across 7.0 innings tossed … was the seventh time in his career throwing 7.0-plus innings and allowing one or fewer runs and walks … has allowed two runs or fewer and completed at least 5.0 innings in five-straight starts.
Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
5/1 @WAS W, 5-1 7.0 6 1 1 0 2 84-56 4-1
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 1-0 1.53 3 3 17.2 7 3 3 2 21
Road 2-1 4.15 3 3 17.1 19 9 8 4 8
AVG vs. LHB: .324 (11-for-34) / AVG vs. RHB: .161 (15-for-93)
Drew is scheduled to make his seventh start of the season today, his fourth at Wrigley Field … has a 1.48 ERA (5 ER/30.1 IP) in his last five starts, allowing two runs or fewer in all five outings … his 1.48 ERA since April 10 is the fourth-lowest in the majors … has a 2.17 ERA (15 ER/62.1 IP) at Wrigley Field since the start of 2022 … is holding opponents to a .205 (26-for-127) average with a 0.91 WHIP this season … opposing batters are hitting .185 (12-for-65) with 22 strikeouts against his curveball.
April 21 vs. Los Angeles (N.L.) retired the first 21 batters of the game, becoming the first Cub to take a perfect game bid into the eighth inning since José Guzmán (April 6, 1993 vs. Atlanta) … was the first Cub to record a start of 7.0-plus innings with one hit, no runs, no walks and at least 10 strikeouts since Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game (May 6, 1998 vs. Houston).
Went 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA (11 ER/16.1 IP) with a 13:2 SO:BB ratio during Cactus League play
