COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
JOES
- The Colorado Rockies continue their seven-game road trip today with the second of three games against the Kansas City Royals.
- Following this series and an off-day on Monday, the Rockies return to Coors Field for a six-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
- The Rockies are in the midst of 17-straight days without an off day … also in a stretch of 33 games in 34 days from May 19-June 21 … have gone 6-9 so far through this stretch.
- Colorado has gone 17-14 (.548) since April 30, tied for the third-best record in the NL over that span with the Giants, behind the Dodgers (20-10, .667) and Diamondbacks (19-11, .633).
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
- The Rockies scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning last night to overcome a 2-1 deficit, the first time this season Colorado won a game when trailing after seven innings … were one of three teams, along with the Mets and Rangers, who had not won a game when trailing after seven.
- On Thursday, the Rockies lost via walk-off at Arizona 5-4 … had been the only team in the Majors to have an undefeated record when leading after seven.
RETURN OF THE MAC
- Third baseman Ryan McMahon hit his ninth home run of the season Friday night, his fifth in his last nine games … has gone 17-for-34 (.500) with 10 runs, three doubles, one triple, five home runs, 14 RBI and six walks (.575 OBP) over that nine game span.
- McMahon is the first Rockies player to have at least 17 hits, nine extra-base hits, five home runs and 14 RBI in a nine-game span since Charlie Blackmon in 2019 … McMahon is only the third player in franchise history to sport those numbers plus at least six walks in a nine-game span, joining Todd Helton (April 29-May 9, 2000) and Larry Walker (April 5-16, 1997).
- McMahon’s 1.8 WAR (Baseball Reference) is second-best among all NL third basemen … his eight defensive runs saves at third base are tied for the most in baseball among third basemen.
HI, MY NAME IS
- The Rockies have used 26 total pitchers this season, the third-most in baseball behind Oakland (29) and Tampa Bay (28) … the Rockies used 25 total pitchers in 2022, 26 in 2021 and have used more than 30 pitchers just once since 2016 (31 pitchers, 2019).
- Colorado has also used 11 starting pitchers in 2023, tied for the third-most in the Majors … entering the season, the Rockies had used 22 total starting pitchers from 2017-22, Bud Black’s first six years as manager, the fewest starters in the Majors.
ROYALTY
- Rockies Manager Bud Black returns to Kansas City, his second time managing against the Royals in Kansas City (also: 2017 with Colorado) … Black pitched for parts of seven seasons with the Royals from 1982-88 and ranks 14th in franchise history in innings pitched (977.2) and wins (56) … made 33 starts for the 1985 World Series Champion Royals, including one start and one relief appearance in the World Series … was also the Royals’ starting pitcher in the “Pine Tar Game” on July 24, 1983.
- Mike Moustakas played the first eight seasons of his career with the Royals after Kansas City selected him with the second overall pick in the 2007 Draft … ranks ninth in Royals franchise history in home runs (139) and 14th in games played (934) … two-time All-Star with the Royals in 2015 and 2017 and member of the 2015 World Series Champion team … has appeared in two games at Kauffman Stadium as member of the visiting team, going 1-for-4 in two games with the Reds Aug. 19-20, 2020 … also returned to Kauffman July 5-7, 2021 as a member of the Reds but did not play while on the injured list.
LITTLE TOE
- 21-year-old shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is slashing .327/.377/.531 with seven doubles and one home run over his last 14 games and his hitting .276 (35-for-127) over his last 36 games since April 23, raising his average from .172 to .241 on the season.
- Has started 55 games at shortstop, tied for the third-most in the Majors … his seven defensive runs saved are tied for the second-most among all shortstops.
BABY GOT BACKSTOP
- Rockies catcher Elias Díaz’s .318 batting average (56-for-176) ranks fifth in the Majors, fourth in the NL … his .374 average (34-for-91) average at home is the second-highest in the Majors while his .429 (21-for-49) average with runners in scoring position is the sixth-highest the Majors.
- Has appeared in 49 games at catcher, the second-most in the Majors … his 11 catcher caught stealing are tied for the second-most in the Majors … 1.2 dWAR tied for the second-highest mark among all players, the best in the NL.
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #26 AUSTIN GOMBER LHP
HI, I’M AUSTIN
- Winter Garden, Fla., native is in his 10th professional season, his fifth in the Majors and his third with the Rockies.
- Acquired by Colorado, along with four other players including INF Elehuris Montero in exchange for 3B Nolan Arenado.
- Originally selected by St. Louis in the fourth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida Atlantic University.
HOW THE TURNTABLES…
- Has gone 4-0 with the Rockies logging a 6-1 record over his last seven starts since April 24 … has posted a 4.78 ERA (37.2 IP, 20 ER) over that span with 36 hits, 13 walks and 22 strikeouts.
- Tossed three-straight quality starts between April 30 and May 12 … adding up 18.2 innings and three runs on 13 hits and four walks.
- His 47.5 ground ball percentage ranks ninth in the NL since April 24.
- Was on the losing side of each of his first four starts of the season, the eighth time a Rockies starter has started 0-4 through their first four starts of a season … first since Roy Oswalt (five straight, June 20-Sept. 14) and Jeff Manship (four straight, Aug.8-24) in 2013.
KING OF QUEENS
- Did not receive a decision in his last start on May 28 against the Mets, an 11- 10 Rockies win … went four innings and allowed six runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts … allowed all six of his runs in the fourth inning, leaving with the game tied 6-6.
WHO WEARS THE CROWN?
- Is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA (18.2 IP, 3 ER) in his career against Kansas City … was scoreless in his first three career outings (two starts) against the Royals across 12.2 innings … allowed three runs on four hits, including two home runs, across six innings vs. the Royals at Coors Field on May 15 of last season, an 8-7 Royals win.
- Has not allowed a run in two career starts in Kauffman Stadium, going 2-0 in 11 innings while walking one and striking out six.
- Royals hitters are slashing .179/.247/.328 with the lefty on the mound.
ON YOUR LEFT
- Left-handed hitters have hit .341 (14-for-41) off Gomber this season … since joining the Rockies, has held left-handed hitters to a .238/.291/.399 slash line with 11 home runs allowed.
- Held opposing left-handed hitters to a .221 average in 2022 (30-for-136), the lowest mark by a Rockies left-hander since Kyle Freeland in 2018 (.185) and the ninth-lowest in a single season in franchise history (min. 140 batters faced).
HAPPY HOME
- In 56 career home games (31 starts) with both St. Louis and Colorado, is 13-9 with a 4.72 ERA (198.1 IP, 104 ER).
- Since joining the Rockies, has gone 10-7 with a 5.01 ERA (152.2 IP, 85 ER) at Coors Field with 41 walks and 106 strikeouts … in 2021, went 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA (47.1 IP, 11 ER) in nine starts at home, posting a 0.95 WHIP.
WON FOR THE ROAD
- Has won each of his past two road starts, allowing two total runs on eight hits across 11 innings.
- Is 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA (20.2 IP, 10 ER) overall in four road starts … went 6-11 with a 6.07 ERA (105.1 IP, 71 ER) in 22 road starts in his first two seasons with the Rockies from 2021-22.
- Went 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA (46.0 IP, 13 ER) in his first nine career road starts with the Cardinals.
HEART OF THE ORDER
- So far this season, opposing number 2-3-4 hitters are hitting .223 (19-for85) against Gomber, striking out 14 times.
- Conversely, the number one spot in the order is 13-for-29, slashing .448/.500/.690 off the southpaw.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
THE FATEFUL 8TH: The Royals suffered their Majors-most 19th blown lead loss of the season in last night’s 7-2 defeat to the Rockies, in which Colorado’s 6-run 8th inning erased a 2-1 Royals lead…Jordan Lyles allowed a season-low 1 run on a season-low 2 hits and exited with a 2-1 lead thanks to solo home runs by Edward Olivares in the 2nd and Drew Waters in the 3rd…the bullpen held that lead until the 8th, when Carlos Hernández retired just one of the five batters he faced and was charged with 4 runs on 3 hits, including the go-ahead RBI single by Ryan McMahon…Elias Díaz and Nolan Jones both had 2-run doubles off Nick Wittgren to extend the lead, which gave them extra breathing room in the 9th, when the Royals loaded the bases and had the tying run on deck, but Jackie Bradley Jr.—who entered the game on defense in the 8th—struck out to end the game.
The Royals fell to 0-7 following off days this season and have been outscored 46-22 in those 7 games.
LEADS LOST: Last night marked Kansas City’s 19th blown lead loss of the season, matching the Athletics and White Sox for the most in the Majors…on the bright side, 14 of their 19 blown lead losses have been just 1-run leads, and their largest blown lead loss is 3 runs…in fact, they’re one of only five teams in the Majors this season that has yet to suffer a blown lead loss of more than 3 runs, along with the Astros, Tigers, Twins and Nationals.
The Royals have held a lead in 21 of their last 28 games since the start of last month, but they’re just 10-18 during that stretch with 11 blown lead losses…last night’s loss was just their 3rd this season when leading after the 7th inning, following May 4 vs. Baltimore and April 9 at San Francisco.
SOUTHPAW STORY: Today marks the fifth time in the Royals last 9 games that they’re facing a left-handed starting pitcher, a streak that will run to 6 games out of 10 including tomorrow…this comes on the heels of a 15-game stretch from May 7-22 in which they faced all right-handed starters…the Royals are 4-9 vs. southpaw starters this season, but have won 2 of their last 4 games after losing 4 straight…today the Royals are facing left hander Austin Gomber, who is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA (3 ER in 18.2 IP) in 4 career outings (3 starts) vs. Kansas City.
The Royals are throwing a left-handed starter today in Daniel Lynch for his 2nd start of the season…it’s only the 9th game out of 58 in which the Royals have started a left hander, 3rd fewest in the Majors ahead of Cleveland (8) and Baltimore (4)…today marks the Royals 3rd lefty-lefty matchup of the year, following last Sunday when Lynch faced MacKenzie Gore and April 4, when Kris Bubic faced Yusei Kikuchi.
Maikel Garcia is 10-for-25 (.400) with 4 doubles vs. left-handed pitchers since his May 2 recall…Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 14 hits and 5 home runs vs. left handers, and is batting .292 against them.
Left-handed batter Michael Massey has fared especially well vs. left-handed pitching, batting .345 (10-for-29)…in fact, Massey’s .345 average vs. southpaws is the 3rd best among left-handed batters in the American League (min. 25 at-bats), trailing only Anthony Rizzo (.391) and Corey Seager (.375).
Salvador Perez leads all primary catchers with 12 homers and ranks 2nd among American League catchers with 32 RBI…Perez, a seven-time All-Star, is batting .279 in 51 games this season with an .832 OPS.
Bobby Witt Jr. has 10 HR, including 9 as a shortstop, 2nd most in the AL at the position to Bo Bichette (12).
VS. ROCKIES: The Royals are welcoming the Rockies to Kauffman Stadium this weekend for just the fifth time and first time since Aug. 22-24, 2017…the Royals are 16-13 (.552) all-time vs. Colorado, which is now their 4thbest win percentage vs. any opponent…they’re also 8-4 all-time vs. the Rockies at Kauffman Stadium, where they’ve outscored them 56-44 (+12)…in 29 overall games vs. Colorado, the Royals have batted .295 and averaged 5.9 runs/game, both of which are their highest marks vs. any opponent…the Royals are 6-3-0 in nine series vs. the Rockies and haven’t lost a set since 2011 at Coors Field…the Royals have not lost a series at home to the Rockies since May 21-23, 2010, something they’ll attempt to avoid with a win today.
Rockies Manager Bud Black played seven of his 15 big league seasons with the Royals from 1982-88, including a World Series championship in 1985.
Mike Moustakas was drafted 2nd overall by Kansas City in 2007 and spent the first eight seasons of his 13-year career with the Royals, and was a World Series champion in 2015…Moose also set the single-season club record with 38 HR in 2017, a mark that’s been passed twice since.
Last night marked Kansas City’s 21st Interleague game of the season, setting a new single-season franchise record, thanks to the new balanced scheduled that will see the Royals play 46 games vs. National League teams…their previous high was 20 games, done every year from 2013-22… the Royals are 7-14 in Interleague play this season (after going 7-13 in 2022) but have split their last 8 games vs. NL opponents after starting 3-10.
Salvador Perez is Kansas City’s all-time leader in Interleague play in home runs (36) and RBI (110), and his 193 hits rank 2nd to Alex Gordon (210)…Salvy has recorded at least 1 RBI in 6 of his 9 career games vs. the Rockies, in which he’s batting .297 (11-for-37) with 2 homers and 8 RBI.
AFTERNOON DELIGHT: Today’s 3:10 p.m. CT start will mark the Royals 1st of back-to-back day games this weekend, including a 1:10 p.m. CT first
pitch tomorrow in the series finale…the Royals 26 day games this season (including today) are 5th most in the American League, and the Royals are scheduled for 64 day games this season, which would match 2021 for their 2nd most in a single season, trailing only the 2022 Royals (69)…the Royals are just 8-17 in day games this year, but have won 5 of their last 9 matinees—including each of the last 2—after starting the season 3-13 in day games.
HOME: The Royals last night began a 3-game homestand vs. the Rockies, which marks their only home games during an 11-game, two week stretch from May 29-June 11…the Royals are 8-22 at Kauffman Stadium, but have split their last 12 home games, in which they’ve outscored opponents 62-54 (+8).
The Royals have had 2 walk-off wins in the 9th inning in their last 8 home games, including May 11 vs. the White Sox and Sunday vs. the Nationals.
They have hit 35 HR in 30 home games and are on pace for 94 HR at home, which would shatter the club record of 88 HR done in 1997, 2002, 2017.
Following tomorrow’s finale vs. the Rockies, the Royals will fly to Miami to begin a 3-game series vs. the Marlins starting Monday night…that will conclude a run of four straight series vs. National League opponents, as that trip will continue to Baltimore for 3 games vs. the O’s next weekend.
TODAY’S STARTERS: LHP DANIEL LYNCH (0-0, 3.38)
DANIEL LYNCH is making his 2nd start of the season and 44th of his career today vs. Colorado…it’s his 2nd career start vs. the Rockies, 6th career Interleague start and 2nd straight, following Sunday vs. Washington…Lynch, 26, was selected by the Royals in the 1st round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia.
Lynch ended last year with 11 straight winless starts, in which he went 0-6 with a 5.73 ERA (35 ER in 55.0 IP) and received only 22 runs of support, for an average of 3.6 runs per 9.0 innings…his last win was last Aug. 1 at the White Sox.
STRONG 2023 DEBUT: Making his season debut, Daniel did not figure into the decision of Kansas City’s 3-2, walk-off win on Sunday vs. the Nationals, in which he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 5.1 innings, with 6 strikeouts…Lynch stranded two in the 1st inning and pitched scoreless frames in the 2nd and 3rd, before the Nationals recorded 3 straight hits in the 4th, including a 2-run double by Ildemaro Vargas…Lynch went 1-2-3 in the 5th inning and exited with 1 out in the 6th, in favor of Josh Staumont, who stranded a runner for Lynch.
ROAD TO RECOVERY: Lynch was returned from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the 15-day Injured List on Sunday after missing the first 53 games of the season due to a rotator cuff strain…his rehab process took him all over the country, as he made 2 starts at Extended Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz., in which he pitched 5.0 innings with 9 strikeouts, before being promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he made 1 start on May 2 vs. Wichita and struck out 6 batters in 2.1 innings of work…from there, he joined Triple-A Omaha, where he made 4 starts and combined to go 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA (7 ER in 18.0 IP) with 18 strikeouts to just 3 walks.
All stops included, Lynch recorded 25.1 innings and struck out 33 batters with just 4 walks across 7 rehab appearances from April 23-May 23.
FIRST THING’S FIRST: Daniel surrendered 79 runs in 27 starts (131.2 IP) last year, and 19 of those runs came in the 1st inning (24.0%)…this trend was an improvement from 2021, when he allowed 20 1st-inning runs in 15 starts, accounting for 43.5% of the 46 runs he allowed for the season…all told, 39 of the 127 runs he’s allowed in 43 Major League starts have come in the 1st frame (30.7%), in which he owns a 7.80 ERA.
From the 2nd inning on in his career, he owns a 4.57 ERA (83 ER in 163.1 IP).
SOUTHPAW STORY: Lynch has faced 935 batters in his first 43 career starts, but only 118 of them have been left-handed batters (12.6%), a group that he held in check through his first 33 starts, in which lefties were 11-for-61 (.180) with only 2 extra-base hits for a .246 slugging percentage…the tide has turned in his last 10 starts, during which left handers have gone 15-for-43 (.349) with 5 extra-base hits for a .928 OPS.
Daniel has not faced a left-handed batter in 12 of his 43 career starts (27.9%).
Only 2 of the 30 HR he’s allowed have been hit by lefties: Boston’s Alex Verdugo on Aug. 6, 2022 and Minnesota’s Nick Gordon on Sept. 15, 2022.
On the other hand, right handers are hitting .295 (214-for-726) with 28 HR in his career, including a .287 clip (135-for-470) and 19 HR last year.
INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: Daniel is making his 2nd appearance vs. the Rockies, including an 8-7 win on May 15 of last season at Coors Field, where
he allowed just 3 hits over 5.1 scoreless innings…in 5 career starts vs. National League teams, Lynch is 0-2 with a 4.21 ERA (12 ER in 25.2 IP), but has recorded at least 5.0 innings in all 5 starts and has help opponents scoreless twice…half of the 12 runs he’s allowed came on April 12, 2022 at St. Louis.
HOME: In 12 starts at Kauffman Stadium last season, he was 1-5 with a 5.84 ERA (37 ER in 57.0 IP) and he hasn’t won in this ballpark since April 20, 2022 vs. Minnesota, a 2-0 victory in which he pitched 5.0 scoreless innings…he’s 0-5 with a 6.12 ERA (39 ER in 57.1 IP) in 12 home starts since, but the Royals have won 5 of his last 8 home starts, and they’re 10-11 in his 21 career starts at Kauffman Stadium dating back to his 2021 debut season.
