OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: Were swept in a three-game series at Miami to start the road trip and have now been swept nine times…are 2-17-0 in series play…have lost four straight, 11 of the last 13 and 23 of the last 27 games…are 12-49 (.197) overall, which is the third worst record after 61 games by an AL, NL or FL team since 1900…the worst is the 1932 Red Sox (11-50, .180) and the 1904 Senators, with a mark of 11-47 (.190) are second worst (had three games called with the score tied)…it is the worst over any 61-game stretch since the 2021 Diamondbacks went 12-49 from May 12-July 20, 2021… snapped an 11-game losing streak a week ago today, which tied for fourth longest in Oakland history…snapped a six-series losing streak last Tuesday.
HOME AND AWAY: The A’s have a 14-game road losing streak, which is one short of the Oakland record of 15 (May 24-June 23, 1986)…are 0-3 on this nine-game road trip to Miami (0-3), Pittsburgh (three games) and Milwaukee (three games)…it is the first of two three-city road trips this year…went 0-7 on the last road trip to Houston (0-3) and Seattle (0-4)…it was the eighth time in Oakland history the A’s went winless on a road trip of seven or more games, the first time since Aug. 11-17, 2015 when they went 0-7 against Toronto (0-3) and Baltimore (0-4)…are 5- 5 (.167) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors…went 2-4 on the last homestand against Houston (0-3) and Atlanta (2-1) and are 7-24 (.226) at home, which is the lowest home winning percentage in the majors.
OFFENSE: The A’s have scored two runs or fewer in 13 of their last 16 games and are batting .182 (91-for-499) with 33 runs scored over that span (2.06 runs per game)…have scored 206 runs for the season (3.38 per game), which is the fewest in the majors…have the lowest OPS (.644), batting average (.217) and slugging percentage (.347) in the majors and second lowest on-base percentage (.297)…rank second in fewest extra base hits (142), fourth in fewest doubles (79) and most strikeouts (570) and eighth in fewest home runs (57)…have 12 sacrifice hits, which is tied for second most to the Pirates (14)…are tied for second in hit by pitches (34)…have been shut out eight times, which is tied with the Mets and Royals for the most in the majors…A’s pinch hitters lead the majors in hits (14), are tied for the lead in walks (9) and rank third in plate appearances (64).
PITCHING: The A’s have a 6.70 ERA, which is the highest in the majors…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the highest ERA by an AL or NL team since the earned run became an official stat is 6.70 by the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies…also have the highest opponents OPS (.863), batting average (.280), on-base percentage (.370) and slugging percentage (.493) in the majors this year…lead the majors in most walks (275), home runs (101) and hit batters (42), have the second most wild pitches (31) and the fourth fewest strikeouts (457)…have surrendered six grand slams, which are the most in the majors and tied for fifth most in a season in Athletics history (8 in 1993 and 1999, 7 in 1954 and 1997).
STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 0-16 with a 6.26 ERA (83 er in 119.1 ip) in the 25 games since recording their only two wins of the season on May 5 and 6 at Kansas City…went 0-16 over the first 32 games and are 2-32 with a 7.19 ERA for the season…the ERA is the highest in the majors and no other team has fewer than nine wins from its starters…the fewest wins from a starting rotation in a full season in Major League history is 21 by the Pirates last year…the A’s have the fewest innings pitched this year (281.2).
FOR OPENERS: The A’s have used an opener four times this year, all in the previous 11 games…A’s openers are 0-2 with a 11.25 ERA (4.0 ip, 8 h, 5 r, 5 er, 4 so) and the “main” pitchers in those games are 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA (18.0 ip, 21 h, 12 r, 12 er, 7 bb, 22 so)…have lost all four games…used an opener nine times in 2018 (all in September) and three times in 2019 (none after June 5).
THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen is 0-for-1 in save opportunities over the last 27 games…the streak of 27 consecutive games without a save is fifth longest in A’s history since the save became an official stat in 1969…it is the longest since a 28-game streak from May 14-Aug. 10, 1981…the A’s last save was on May 6 at Kansas City…the pen is 4-for-14 (28.6%) in save opportunities for the season…has the lowest save percentage and fewest saves in the majors and the 10 blown saves are tied for 10th most…has the highest ERA in the majors (6.16) and the second most innings pitched (251.1)…has allowed 47- of-111 (42.3%) inherited runners to score, which is the third highest percentage…has the fourth most inherited runners.
ON THE BASES: The A’s are 57-for-71 (80.3%) in stolen base attempts…rank fourth in the majors in stolen bases and attempts…opponents are 44-for-62 (71.0%), which is the fifth lowest success rate in the majors…the 18 caught stealings are second most…A’s pitchers are tied for second in the majors in pickoffs (6).
WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in eight of their 12 wins…have five walk-off wins, which is tied with the White Sox and Yankees for the most in the majors…have six wins when tied after seven innings, three when trailing after seven innings and three when leading after seven innings…are tied for the third most wins in the majors when tied after seven innings and are tied for ninth in wins when trailing after seven innings…however, no other team has fewer than 14 wins when leading after seven innings…are 3-4 (.429) in extra inning games…are tied for third in the majors in extra inning losses and tied for seventh in wins and games (7).
RUN DIFFERENTIAL: The A’s are 8-10 (.444) in one-run games…are tied for ninth in the majors in one-run losses and tied for ninth in games (18)…are 4-39 (.093) in games decided by two or more runs, including 0-14 in games decided by six or more runs…have a run differential of -212, which is the lowest in the majors…had a run differential of -202 all last year, which was second lowest in Oakland history (-287 in 1979).
A’s IN MAY: The A’s went 6-23 (.207) in May after going 5-23 (.179) in April… both records were the worst in the majors…set an Athletics record for losses in May after setting a Major League record for losses in April…the 23 losses this May matched the A’s total from April this year for second most in any month in Oakland history (24 in June, 1979)…it is the 16th 20-loss month in Oakland history, the fourth in the last two years…it is the second time since 1954 the A’s had back-to-back 20-loss months…the other time was in May and June last year when they had 21 each month…the May winning percentage was second lowest in May in Athletics history (4-17, .190 in 1919) and fourth lowest in any month of 10 or more games in Oakland history…compiled a 5.54 ERA in May after posting a 7.97 ERA in April, both of which were the highest in the majors…surrendered 49 home runs, which is second most in May in Athletics history (57 in 1964) and second most in any month in Oakland history (50 in April, 2023)…batted .208, which was the lowest mark in the majors and second lowest for any month in Athletics history (.207 in Aug. 1906)…struck out 264 times, which is the most in May in Athletics history and fourth most for any month…scored 87 runs, which was second fewest in the majors and third fewest in May in Oakland history…it was the fewest since 1978 (79)…stole 25 bases, which tied for fifth most in the majors and was the most by an A’s team in May since 1992 when they had 39.
THIS AND THAT: The A’s have a season-high seven-game errorless streak but have 35 errors for the season, which is tied for eighth most in the majors… have 12 outfield assists, which is tied for the most…are 11-24 (.314) in night games, 1-25 (.038) in day games…have employed 45 players, which is the most in the majors (Brewers, 44)…have used 29 pitchers, which is second most (Rays, 30).
A’S VS. PIRATES
- The A’s and Pirates meet for the first time since 2019 when Oakland lost two of three at Pittsburgh.
- Have lost two straight and six of the last seven games after winning each of the first 11.
- Have dropped three of the last four games in
Pittsburgh.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-0 0-0 0-0
2019 0-0 1-2 1-2
Oakland History: 12-6
at the Coliseum: 6-3
PNC Park: 6-3
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Ryan Noda leads Major League rookies in walks (37), ranks second in on-base percentage (.393), fifth in OPS (.828), tied for seventh in runs (28) and doubles (11), eighth in slugging (.435) and extra base hits (18), tied for ninth in home runs (6) and tied for 10th in RBI (19)…Esteury Ruiz leads ML rookies in stolen bases (28) and hit by pitches (12), ranks second in hits (63), tied for fourth in doubles (14), seventh in batting (.267), tied for seventh in RBI (25), ninth in on-base percentage (.329) and tied for ninth in extra base hits (16).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: JP Sears (0-3, 4.37 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his 12th start of the season…has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts but has no decisions, a 2.42 ERA (6 er in 22.1 ip) and .624 opponents OPS over that span…went 0-3 with a 5.54 ERA and .748 OPS over his first seven starts…has eight no decisions, which are tied for the most in the majors among starters.
OPPONENTS BATTING: Has a .218 (39-for-179) opponents batting average and .761 OPS against right-handed hitters compared to .311 (14-for-45) with a .693 OPS against left-handers…has allowed 21 of his 22 extra base hits to righties for a .492 slugging percentage (.333 vs. lefties)…has yielded 38 of his 42 career extra base hits to righties, including all 21 of his home runs…has a .311 (28-for-90) opponents batting average the first time through the order, .187 (25-for-134) after that…has not allowed a hit to the opponents number eight hitter (0-for-21) but the seven hitter is 11-for-21 (.524)…opponents are 0-for-22 on an 0-2 count.
WALKS AND STRIKEOUTS: Has walked two batters or fewer in each of his 11 starts, including three starts with no walks and five with one…has issued 11 free passes in 59.2 innings for the season, an average of 1.66 per nine innings…that is eighth lowest in the majors among pitchers with 50 or more innings pitched.
THIS AND THAT: Is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA (8 er in 28.0 ip) in five starts in Oakland and 0-3 with a 5.97 ERA (21 er in 31.2 ip) in six starts on the road…has allowed 11 of his 30 runs in the first inning for a 9.00 ERA (11 er in 11.0 ip)… has allowed just one run in the second inning (11.0 ip, 0.82 ERA)…has started the season 0-3 and is now 0-4 with a 4.54 ERA (35 er in 69.1 ip) over his last 13 games dating back to Sept. 25, 2022…went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA over the first 24 games of his career…has allowed at least one home run in nine of his 11 starts and has 13 home runs overall, which is tied for eighth most in the majors…has tossed six innings or fewer in all 11 of his starts this year and all 22 in his career.
2023 DAY-BY-DAY: Allowed a career-high tying eight hits in his first start on April 4 against Cleveland but had a no decision in the A’s 4-3 win…tossed a career-high tying 6.0 innings in the A’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to New York (NL) on April 16…struck out a career-high 11 batters in a career-high tying 6.0 innings on April 21 at Texas but had a no decision in the A’s 5-4 win…also had a career-high 101 pitches and walked two, his first of three games in 2023 with two walks (April 27 at Los Angeles-AL and May 3 vs. Seattle)…allowed a career-high tying six runs in a season-low 4.1 innings in an 8-7 loss at Los Angeles (AL) on April 27…finished April with an 0-2 record, a 6.23 ERA and .846 opponents OPS in five starts…then went 0-1 with a 2.94 ERA and .669 opponents OPS in six starts in May…tossed a career-high tying 6.0 innings and did not allow a run on May 3 against Seattle but had a no decision in the A’s 7-2 10-inning loss…left with 2-0 lead but the pen allowed one run in the seventh and one in the ninth for the blown save…it was the first of two times he left with the lead only to have the bullpen blow the save (May 25 at Seattle)…surrendered a career-high tying three home runs in a 7-2 loss at New York (AL) on May 8…tossed a career-high tying 101 pitches in 5.1 innings on May 14 against Texas…allowed two runs in a career-high tying 6.0 innings in a no decision at Houston on May 20.
LAST START: He had his fourth straight no decision in the A’s 2-1 win over Atlanta last Tuesday in Oakland…allowed one run in a career-high tying 6.0 innings and it came on a Pillar leadoff home run in the third…the A’s tied the game with a run in the fifth and he was relieved by Pruitt to start the seventh with the scored tied 1-1.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:..have won five straight games since falling under .500 (26-27) following their loss on 5/29 (the first time the team was under .500 since 4/2)…Have
four separate winning streaks of at least four games this season, including a season-high seven-game winning streak from 4/17-23, their longest winning streak
since 2018 (11 games)…Are 0.5 game behind the first place Brewers in the National League Central coming into today.
GIMME FIVE: The Pirates bring a five-game winning streak into today (the longest active win streak in MLB)…Pittsburgh’s
pitching staff has recorded a 2.80 ERA (45.0ip/14er) during this five game stretch, highlighted by an 0.82 ERA (22.0ip/2er)
by the bullpen…The Pirates won a season-high seven straight games earlier this year from April 17-23…The Pirates have
not had two winning streaks of at least six games since 2016.
WINNING STARTS HERE: Pittsburgh’s starting rotation has compiled the most wins (23) among all National League teams
and fourth-most in all of MLB…The only three starting rotations in MLB to record more wins this season are the Rangers
(28), Astros (26) and Rays (25).
POWER OF THE PEN: Pittsburgh’s bullpen has the second-lowest ERA (3.55) among all National League teams behind
the Padres (3.15)…Pittsburgh’s bullpen has allowed a Major League low 18.5 percent of its inherited runners to score this
season (the Guardians are second at 21.0 percent).
ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Johan Oviedo is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA (21.0ip/6er) in his last
four starts since allowing six earned runs on May 6 vs. Toronto…Oviedo also ranks seventh
in MLB and second in the National League in run support average (6.83) this season…
Atlanta’s Spencer Strider leads the NL in run support average per game (7.11).
ROOKIES ON THE RUN: Ji Hwan Bae recorded his National League rookie leading 16th and 17th stolen bases in yesterday’s game against the Cardinals…Bae ranks first in the National League and second in all of MLB among rookies in stolen bases (Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz leads with 28)…The last Pirate to lead National League rookies in stolen bases was Jose Tabata with 19 in 2010.
BAE, BAE, BAE: Ji Hwan Bae is hitting at a .372 clip (16-for-43) in his last 14 games… Bae’s .372 average since May 19 ranks second among all rookies in MLB, trailing only Texas’ Josh Jung (.414).
THE HOT CORNER: Ke’Bryan Hayes has hit safely in each of his last four games, going
9-for-16 with a double, triple, home run and seven RBI…Hayes ranks fifth among all
National League third basemen in total bases (85) behind Austin Riley (103), Jeimer
Candelario (98), Max Muncy (96) and and Nolan Arenado (86).
SOUTHPAW SUCCESS: Rodolfo Castro has hits in nine of his last 18 at-bats against left-handed pitchers…Castro comes
into today fourth in the National League in slugging percentage against lefties (.683) and seventh with a .367 average
against southpaws…The Pirates are 10-6 in games started by opposing lefthanders this
season after going 22-33 in 2022.
THE RENEGADE: David Bednar earned a save in each of the three games in this past weekend’s series sweep against St. Louis…Bednar is one of just seven different Pirates to record three saves in a three-game series since saves became an official statistic in 1969… Mark Melancon was the last Pirate to accomplish three saves in a three-game series from June 1-3, 2015, while Jose Mesa accomplished it twice in 2004…Courtesy of @OptaStats.
STARTING PITCHER – 24 – RHP JOHAN OVIEDO
2023 3-4 4.50 11 11 0 0 58.0 60 32 29 30 53
JOHAN OVIEDO: The 25-year-old righthander is making his 12th start tonight…He allowed one run in 4.1 innings but had a no-decision in his last start in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 at San Francisco on 5/30.
vs. OAKLAND: Has never faced the A’s.
7:07 PM ET
Houston Astros (35-24) at Toronto Blue Jays (33-27)
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros will open a seven-game road trip tonight with the first of four against the Toronto Blue Jays… tonight’s pitching matchup is between RHP Brandon Bielak and RHP Alex Manoah.
GRINDERS: Tonight is the 11th day in a streak of 17 consecutive days with a game for the Astros, with Houston going 7-3 in their last 10…prior to this streak, the most days the Astros had played in a row was seven, a streak that opened the season from March 30-April 5.
ABOUT BIELAK: RHP Brandon Bielak is making his sixth turn in the rotation while subbing for the injured RHP José Urquidy… Bielak has allowed two-or-fewer earned runs in four of his five starts and is coming off another solid start on Tuesday against Minnesota (1ER/5.2IP)..Bielak has pitched in parts of the last four Major League seasons (2020-23) with the Astros, making 51 appearances, including 13 starts…he began his 2023 season at Triple A Sugar Land, posting a 4.12 ERA (9ER/19.2IP) with 19 strikeouts and a .216 opponent batting average in five games (three starts) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
VS. THE JAYS: The Astros and Blue Jays, two perennial contenders, will match up for their final series of the 2023 season this week in Toronto…the Astros won the series, 2-1 in Houston in April…the Blue Jays won the season series last year, 4-2, taking both three-game series played…this series is a reunion between the Astros and OF George Springer, who played his first seven years (2014-20) in an Astros uniform… IF Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, also plays for the Blue Jays.
YESTERDAY’S GAME: The Astros fell to the Angels yesterday, 2-1 at Minute Maid Park…RHP J.P. France recorded another solid start (1ER/7IP), while logging a single-game career-high in innings…1B Yanier Diaz produced the Astros only run of the contest on a solo home run in the 5th inning.
EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: on Saturday, 3B Alex Bregman became the fourth player in Major League history to record four walks and a grand slam in the same game…he joined Detroit’s J.D. Martinez (May 16, 2017 vs. BAL), Cleveland’s Bobby Bonds (Sept. 9, 1979 vs. TOR) and Boston’s Ted Williams (May 18, 1946 at STL) on that exclusive list.
STUFF OF NIGHTMARES: LF Yordan Alvarez has been at his \best in the big moments in his career, especially this season… he’s hitting .409 (18×44) with RISP, .500 (10×20) with RISP and two outs, .600 (6×10) with the bases loaded, and .370 (10×27) in close and late situations.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros selected the contract of IF Grae Kessinger from Triple A Sugar Land…Houston optioned C César Salazar to Triple A Sugar Land following yesterday’s game…additionally, the Astros have transferred RHP Luis Garcia on 60-day IL to make room for Kessinger on the 40-man roster.
RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros are 18-6 in their last 24 games dating back to May 9, placing them 11-games over .500… since May 9, the Astros have the best record in the Majors, immediately ahead of the Rangers (17-7).
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.22) and have allowed the fewest runs (209) in the Majors…the Astros starters rank tied for second the Majors in ERA (3.20) and have allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in 11 of their last 16 games…also, the Astros bullpen ranks fourth in the Majors in ERA (3.25).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB Runs Allowed – MLB
- Houston: 3.22 1. Houston: 209
- Minnesota: 3.42 2. Minnesota: 222
- Texas: 3.65 3. Texas: 224
HECTOR’S HOT STREAK: RHP Hector Neris has not allowed a run in his last 19 appearances (16.2IP), which is the longest scoreless appearance and innings streak of his career…the streak also is the longest scoreless inning streak by an Astro this season.
AMERICAN LEAGUE RANKINGS: LF Yordan Alvarez is tied for lead in the Majors in RBI (51), while ranking third in the AL in SLG (.568), tied for second in homers (15), third in OPS (.957), tied for fifth in walks (31), seventh in OBP (.389) and ninth in runs scored (38)…3B Alex Bregman ranks fourth in walks (34) and first in walk to strikeout ratio (1.26).
HOT CORNER HEATER: 3B Alex Bregman, who’s on a season-long, 11-game hit streak, is hitting .337 (32×95) with three doubles, four homers, 21 RBI and a .923 OPS in his last 25 games, dating back to May 8…since that date, he’s raised his season batting average from .195 up to .256.
SECOND TO NONE: SS Jeremy Peña has hit second in nine straight games, with the Astros going 6-3 in those games, and has hit second 14 times in 2023 (8-6)…over the last two years, including the postseason, the Astros are 61-15 when he hits second…Peña is hitting .327 (17×52) with five homers and a 1.109 OPS in his 14 games hitting second this season.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP BRANDON BIELAK
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023: 2-2 3.19 6 5 31.0 33 12 11 12 28
CAREER: 8-9 4.67 51 13 125.1 131 72 66 54 112
vs. TOR W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB S
LAST START – 5/30 VS MIN: allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts in 5.2 innings…tossed a single-game career high in pitches with 91 …has allowed 2 runs-or-less in 4 of his 5 appearances since being recalled from Triple A Sugar Land.
SLIDE PIECE: is generating a career-best 42.4 whiff percentage with his slider this season, which is the higest whiff percentage of any pitch throughout his career…his slider accounts for 19.2 percent of his pitches this season.
WHAT A RELIEF: came on in relief on May 1 vs. SF after RHP Luis Garcia was removed in the 1st inning after 8 pitches…matched his career-high with 6 strikeouts, tossing 4.0 IP and allowing 2 runs, 2 hits and 3 walks… was the longest relief outing from an Astros pitcher this season and was the longest from an Astros pitcher since RHP Peter Solomon on 9/29/21 vs. AZ
WHIFF THERE IT IS: has the highest whiff rate (27.6%) this season of his 4-years with the Astros…his 28 K’s in his 1st 6 appearances this season is the most strikeouts he has had in a span of 6 outings at the Major League level.
BACK IN THE BIGS: is making his first stint in the Majors this season and has appeared at the MLB level in each of the last 4 seasons (all with the Astros)… has settled into a starting role this season after serving in a hybrid starter-relief role through the first 3 seasons of his career…prior to his start on May 1, he had not made a start at the Major League level since 9/24/21 at OAK.
STARTER VS. RELIEVER: will be making his 14th career start in what is his 52nd career MLB appearance…has gone 3-5 with a 4.80 ERA (29ER/54.1IP) as a starter vs. going 5-4 with a 4.56 ERA (36ER/71.0IP) as a reliever…of his 38 appearances as a reliever, has tossed at least 2.0 IP on 18 occasions…is set to make his 6th start of the year, it will tie his career high for starts in a season, which he accomplished in 2020.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays took the final contest of their three-game road trip to Queens by a score of 6-4 yesterday…Completed their 4th sweep of the season and their 1st ever three-game sweep of the Mets…Now own a 12-5 record vs. NL teams for a .706 win%, 2nd best among AL clubs (NYY: 11-4, .733). Toronto has now won four straight games, six of its last seven, and seven of its last nine contests, all coming on the heels of a 2-9 stretch…Has won three straight series and is now 12-7-0 in series play (6-5-0 on the road).
BELT-ED: Brandon Belt broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the 7th yesterday with a two-run homer to the batter’s eye in center…Was his 3rd home run of the campaign and his 2nd go-ahead shot. The first baseman had a .235 OBP on May 1 but has since boosted that to .379 for the season, 9th best in the AL (min. 150 PA)…Over his last 25 contests, has batted .342 (25-for-73) with eight doubles, two homers, nine RBI, and 19 walks (.484 OBP, 1.018 OPS).
VLAD TO THE BONE: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined a solo shot to the left-field seats in the 3rd inning yesterday…Marked his 9th longball of the campaign, and his 1st off a non-position player since May 4. The 24-year-old added a single and walked to finish the day 2-for-4…Has gone 8-for-24 (.333) with two extra-base hits and three RBI across his last six games (.407 OBP)…His 65 hits are tied for 5th most in the AL…Has recorded an AL-leading 107 hardhit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr. (109) for the most among MLB batters.
WORKING DOUBLE TIME: Matt Chapman walked, doubled, and scored a pair of runs as he finished 1-for-3…Marked his AL-leading 22nd double (2nd in MLB) and his AL-best 30th extra-base hit (T-2nd in MLB). The third baseman currently sits 2nd among MLB hitters with a 61.1 hard-hit percentage (1st: Aaron Judge – 62.6) while ranking 3rd in barrel rate (12.7%), 4th in hard-hit balls (96), and 5th in average exit velocity (94.4 MPH).
JUST GO WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield drove in Toronto’s first two runs yesterday via a 2nd-inning double…Also walked and singled for a 2-for-3 afternoon…Was his 15th multi-hit game and his 4th in the last six days…Over his last 16 games, is hitting .386 (22-for-57) with three doubles, a homer, seven RBI, and four walks (.426 OBP, .917 OPS)…Has upped his season average to .299, 8th best in the AL. The utilityman also stole his 16th base in what was his 18th attempt…The 16 swipes are tied for 4th in the AL while the 88.9% success rate trails only Taylor Walls (15/15) for the best in the AL (min. 15 attempts).
SAVE IT: Jordan Romano locked down his 15th save of the year yesterday…Has picked up a save in each of his last five appearances (1 ER/5.0 IP)…The 15 saves are tied for 2nd most in the Majors (1st: Emmanuel Clase – 19).
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are kicking off a seven-day, seven-game homestand…Have gone 15-10 this season at Rogers Centre…The .600 win% at home is 3rd best in the AL…After these four games with the Astros, will welcome in the Twins (31-29) for three contests over the weekend.
Toronto batters rank 3rd in the AL in home AVG (.266), while also 4th in home OBP (.335), 7th in home OPS (.735), and 10th in home SLG (.400)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among MLB teams with a 3.10 home ERA and a .203 home opponents’ average, and sits 3rd with a 1.15 home WHIP.
HITTING IT: Bo Bichette enters today with an MLB-high 85 hits (2nd: Luis Arraez/Freddie Freeman – 80)…Are tied for the 2nd most hits all-time by a Blue Jay through his first 60 games of a season. The 25-year-old also leads the AL with 134 total bases, trailing only Freeman (135) for the most in MLB…His .329 batting average ranks 1st in the AL (4th in MLB) while he is currently 5th in SLG (.519), 6th in OPS (.883), T-8th in home runs (12), and T-10th in RBI (39).
AVOIDING THE DONUTS: The Blue Jays have notched 555 hits this season, behind only Texas (563) for the most in the Majors… Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.265), 4th in OBP (.333), 5th in OPS (.755), 5th in extra-base hits (184), and 6th in SLG (.422). The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have gone 78 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 61G)…Is their longest such streak since scoring in 85 consecutive games from May 19-Aug. 23, 2000.
TOUGH SCHEDDING: The Blue Jays are in the midst of playing 30 games over the course of 31 days…All opponents during this stretch are currently at .500 or better…Are 12-11 through 23 contests.
VS. THE ASTROS: All-Time: 30-38
2023: 1-2 Home: 18-14
Home: 0-0 Rogers Centre: 17-12
The Blue Jays lost two of three to the Astros when the teams met in Houston in April…Went 4-2 in their six meetings with the Astros last season, taking two of three games at each ballpark. Matt Chapman went 3-for-11 (.273) with a double and two homers in Houston in April…In 75 career meetings, has gone 64-for-273 (.234) with 19 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, and 35 RBI (.789 OPS). Whit Merrifield had a pair of hits in each of his two games in Houston earlier this year…Is batting .308 (44-for-143) with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 21 RBI for an .823 OPS across 34 career matchups. George Springer played seven seasons for Houston and hit .270 with 137 doubles, 13 triples, 174 home runs and 458 RBI (.852 OPS)…In his eight games against them, has gone 5-for-29 (.172) with a double, three homers, three RBI, and three walks (.790 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Alek Manoah, RHP #6
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 13th start of the season and his 7th at Rogers Centre… Dropped to 1-6 on the year his last time out, on 5/31 vs. MIL, surrendering 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks over 4.0 innings with 2 strikeouts. Since entering the league in 2021, has held opposing righthanded hitters to a .174 AVG, trailing only Cristian Javier (.154) for the best mark among qualified hurlers.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Took a no-decision on 5/20 vs. BAL, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk over 5.2 frames with 5 strikeouts. Lasted 4.0+ innings on 5/15 vs. NYY, surrendering 5 runs on 6 hits… Struck out a trio of batters while issuing a career-high 7 walks. Took the loss on 5/3 at BOS, giving up 5R/2ER over 5.0 innings with 8 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts on a season-high 103 pitches (63 strikes). Landed a no-decision on 4/28 vs. SEA, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks over 5.0 frames with a season-high 7 strikeouts. Threw 7.0 shutout frames on 4/22 at NYY, scattering just 2 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts…Was his 2nd outing with 7.0 scoreless innings this season (also: 4/5 at KC). Took a no-decision in the team’s Home Opener on 4/11 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks over 4.1 innings with 3 strikeouts…Became the 5th pitcher in team history to pitch the club’s Season Opener and then their Home Opener, joining Jim Clancy (1981), Jimmy Key (1989), Marcus Stroman (2016), and Hyun Jin Ryu (2020). Earned his 1st win of the year on 4/5 at KC, tossing 7.0 frames of one-hit, shutout ball with four walks and five strikeouts. Was the Opening Day starter for the Blue Jays on 3/30 at STL…Took a no-decision that day, giving up 5 runs on a career-high 9 hits and 2 walks over 3.1 innings with 3 strikeouts… At 25 years and 80 days old, became the 4th-youngest Opening Day starter in team history (Drew Hutchison – 24.227 in 2015; Todd Stottlemyre – 24.324 in 1990; Marcus Stroman 24.338 in 2016).
