HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros continue their 4-game series here in Toronto tonight with RHP Ronel Blanco (1-0) taking on Jays RHP Chris Bassitt (6-4)…tonight will be Blanco’s 1st career app. vs. the Blue Jays…the Astros will face Bassitt for the 13th time in his career…Bassitt has tallied a 3.90 ERA (29ER/67IP) in his 12 career appearances against the Astros.
GRINDERS: Tonight is the 13th day in a streak of 17 consecutive days with a game for the Astros, with Houston going 8-4 thus far in that stretch…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 BLANCO:RHP Ronel Blanco will be making his second Major League start tonight in what will be his 18th career appearance…Blanco made the Astros as a reliever out of Spring Training this season and made nine appearances before being optioned to Triple A on May 6…at Triple A, he worked to get extended, making appearances of 2.1 innings, 3.1, 5.0 and finally 5.1 in his last appearance on May 26…he had huge success in this role, going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA (1ER/16IP) and an .098 opponent average (5×58)…Blanco’s transition as a starter can be credited to Astros General Manager Dana Brown, who identified Blanco in Spring Training as a potential starter.
LAST NIGHT’S RECAP: The Astros fell to the Blue Jays, 5-1, last night at Rogers Centre…RHP Hunter Brown (3ER/6IP) tallied his sixth quality start of the season despite suffering the loss…2B Mauricio Dubón (2×4, HR) recorded his first career leadoff home run…LF Corey Julks (2×3) also contributed offensively for the Astros.
VS. THE JAYS: The Astros are 3-2 vs. the Blue Jays thus far this season, taking 2 of 3 in Houston in April…Familiar Faces: Two members on the Jays roster have ties to the Astros…OF George Springer played his first seven years (2014-20) in an Astros uniform while IF Cavan Biggio is the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.
HOT CORNER HEATER: Since May 13, 3B Alex Bregman is batting .330 (29×88) with three doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI, 14 runs and an .894 OPS…has raised his season batting average from .201 to .254 in that span…also recorded a 12-game hitting streak from May 24-June 5, batting .400 (18×45) with 2 HR, 13 RBI and 6 BB, while posting a 1.048 OPS (.471 OBP/.578 SLG).
MR. CLUTCH: LF Yordan Alvarez leads the Majors in RBI with 53 in just 55 games played…he has been at his best in the big moments in his career, especially this season…he’s hitting .422 (19×45) 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.
MLB RBI Leaders
- Y. Alvarez – 53 3. M. Semien – 50
- A. Garcia – 52
TEXAS STRONG: Over the past month or so, the Astros and Rangers have been the two best teams in baseball…since May 9, the Astros are an MLB-best 19-7 tied with Rangers who are also 19-7…with an overall record of 36-25, the Astros would be in first place in three of the six MLB divisions.
Best Win Pct. Since May 9 – MLB
- Houston: 19-7 (.731)
- Texas: 19-7 (.731)
- NY Yankees: 17-9 (.654)
VS. THE BEST: The Astros are 19-15 (.559) vs. teams that are currently at .500 or above…the Astros have played 5 of the 6 clubs currently in first place in their respective divisions, going a combined 10-8 vs. those teams.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 18-11 (.621) on the road this season, which ranks 3rd in the Majors behind ATL (20-10, .667) and BAL (20-11, .645)…since 2021, the Astros are a combined 113-78 (.592) on the road, which is tops in the AL.
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.25) and have allowed the fewest runs (218) in the Majors…the Astros starters rank third in Majors in ERA (3.24) and have allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in 11 of their last 18 games…also, the Astros bullpen ranks third in the AL in ERA (3.27).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB Runs Allowed – MLB
- Houston: 3.25 1. Houston: 218
- Minnesota: 3.48 2. Minnesota: 229
- Tampa Bay: 3.60 3. Texas: 231
HECTOR’S HOT STREAK: RHP Hector Neris has not allowed a run in his last 16.2 innings of work, which is the longest scoreless streak of his career and is the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors…the streak, which spans 19 apps., also is the longest by an Astro this season.
SECOND TO NONE: SS Jeremy Peña has hit second in 11 consecutive games, with the Astros going 7-4 in those games, and has hit second 16 times overall in 2023 (9-7)…over the last two years, including the postseason, the Astros are 62-16 when he hits second…Peña is hitting .306 (19×62) with five homers and a .999 OPS in his 16 games hitting second this season.
ON THE LEADERBOARD: In addition to leading the Majors in RBI with 53, Yordan Alvarez also ranks tied for second in the AL in HR (16), second in SLG (.574), third in OPS (.962) and fifth in walks (32)…Alex Bregman ranks third in the AL in walk/strikeout ratio (1.10), fourth in PA/SO (8.68) and 4th in walks (34).
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP RONEL BLANCO
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023: 1-0 4.15 10 1 17.1 23 11 8 10 21
CAREER: 1-0 4.94 17 1 23.2 31 16 13 14 28
VS. TOR W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023: – – – – – – – – – –
CAREER: 0-0 0.00 1 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0
LAST START – 6/1 VS LAA: made his first career MLB start and tossed 5.1 IP, while striking out 5 batters and allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks.
RELIABLE RONEL: picked up the 1st winning decision of his career…became the 20th pitcher in Astros history to go 5+ IP while allowing 2-or-less runs in his starting debut…was the 2nd to do so this season, joining J.P. France (5IP, 3H, 0R, 1BB, 5SO, 5/6 at SEA).
FROM THE START: is set to make his second career start in the Majors after appearing predominantly as reliever through the first 8 seasons of his professional career…moves to the Astros rotation to form a six-man starting staff with the team amidst a stretch of 17 games in 17 days (5/26-6/11)…entering the ‘23 season had made just 21 starts at the minor league level, with the last coming in ‘19 and none above the Single A level.
VS TOR: is set to make his 2nd career appearance against TOR…has faced C Alejandro Kirk and OF George Springer in his 0.2 IP of relief vs TOR in 2022… will be his 3rd career appearance against an AL East team, also faced @TB (4/24) this season.
WHERE IT STARTED: worked as a starter toward the end of Spring Training, making 2 starts out of his 6 appearances and working up to 50 pitches…had a fantastic Spring Training, recording a 0.64 ERA (1ER/14IP) and did not allow a run through his two starts (6.1IP).
WHIFF: has generated a 51.5 percent whiff rate on his slider while in the Majors this season, which he’s thrown 55.8 percent of the time…ranked in the 94th percentile in whiff percentage in the Majors this season.
WITH THE ‘STROS: has made the Astros’ Opening Day roster in each of the last two seasons, with last year’s appearance serving as his Major League debut… made 7 appearances in ‘22 before spending the majority of the season with Triple A Sugar Land and made 9 appearances in relief this season prior to being optioned to Sugar Land on 5/6…has recorded a 4.94 ERA (13ER/23.3IP) in his MLB career…averaging 10.65 K’s-per-nine-innings throughout his MLB career.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays took the 2nd match of this four-game series vs. Houston by a score of 5-1 last night… Improved to 5-1 in June. Toronto has won five of its last six games, seven of its last nine, and eight of its last 11 contests…Is now 28-13 vs. non-division rivals.
LOOKING GEORGEOUS: George Springer gave Toronto a 2-1 lead in the 3rd inning last night with a two-run homer…Marked his 9th home run of the campaign and his 187th while batting 1st, currently 4th most all-time…Has gone 35-for-122 (.287) with four doubles, a triple, six home runs, 15 RBI, and 13 walks during his last 31 contests (.360 OBP, .844 OPS).
VAR-OUT, MAN: Daulton Varsho connected for a solo shot in the 4th inning last night, his 11th longball of the year…Has homered in consecutive games for the 2nd time this season (9th career), also doing so from May 2-3 at BOS. The outfielder has extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games (9G, 2x), currently tied for the 2nd-longest active streak in MLB…Is 11-for-38 (.289) with a double, four homers, and six RBI over that span (.957 OPS).
BO-ING FOR DISTANCE: Bo Bichette led off the 8th last night with his team-leading 13th home run of the season…His 13 homers lead all shortstops while his 41 RBI are one back of Francisco Lindor (42) for the most. The 25-year-old leads all MLB hitters with 88 hits (2nd: Luis Arraez – 85)…Also leads the Majors with 140 total bases, one up on Freddie Freeman (135)… His .332 batting average ranks 1st in the AL (trailing only Arraez’s .401 for the best in MLB) while he is currently 5th in SLG (.528), T-5th in home runs, 6th in OPS (.884), 9th in RBI, and 10th in OBP (.366)… His 103 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) trail only Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 110 for the most in the AL.
ANOTHER GAUSOME OUTING: Kevin Gausman tossed 7.0 frames of one-run ball, scattering four hits with no walks and a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts (also: April 29, 2023 vs. SEA)… Became the 4th player (8th time) in franchise history to punch out at least 13 batters without any walks in a single game (last: José Berríos on July 12, 2022 vs. PHI)…Marked his MLB-leading 6th game with double-digit strikeouts this season…His 113 strikeouts for the year are tied with Spencer Strider for the most in the Majors. The righty now leads MLB with 82.0 innings pitched (2nd: Aaron Nola – 81.2)…Among AL pitchers, is currently 1st in FIP (2.28), 3rd in SO/BB (6.28), and 8th in ERA (2.63).
BBRANDON BBELT: Brandon Belt doubled and walked last night…Had a .235 OBP on May 1 but has since boosted that to .382 for the season, 8th best in the AL (min. 150 PA)…His 6.35 PA/BB is 5th best…Over his last 26 contests, has batted .342 (26-for-76) with nine doubles, two homers, nine RBI, and 20 walks (.485 OBP, 1.024 OPS).
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are on a seven-day, seven-game homestand (1-1 so far)…Have gone 16-11 this season at Rogers Centre…The .593 win% at home is 3rd best in the AL…After these four games with the Astros, will welcome in the Twins (31-30) for three contests over the weekend.
Toronto batters rank 3rd in the AL in home AVG (.265), while also 4th in home OBP (.336), 7th in home OPS (.746), and 8th in home SLG (.410)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among MLB teams a .211 home opponents’ average (2nd: PHI – .212)…Are sitting 2nd among AL clubs with a 3.31 home ERA and 3rd with a 1.16 home WHIP.
THE 300 CLUB: Whit Merrifield doubled, walked, and drove in a run for a 1-for-3 evening…Over his last 18 games, is hitting .381 (24-for-63) with four doubles, a homer, eight RBI, and five walks (.435 OBP, .927 OPS)…Has upped his batting average to .300 for the season, good for 8th among AL hitters.
A HOUND ON THE MOUND: Chris Bassitt starts tonight, coming off 7.2 shutout frames in his return to Citi Field last Friday before returning home for the birth of his son, Colson… Allowed three hits while recording a season-high-tying eight strikeouts without a walk…His four starts of 7+ shutout innings this season are tied with Alex Cobb and Eduardo Rodriguez for the most in the Majors…His .198 opponents’ batting average for the year is 3rd best among AL pitchers (6th in MLB) while his 74.0 innings pitched are currently 9th most.
LAYING OFF THE DONUTS: The Blue Jays have notched 572 hits this season, behind only Texas (586) for the most in the Majors… Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.265), 4th in OBP (.333), 4th in OPS (.759), 4th in extra-base hits (193), and 5th in SLG (.426). The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have gone 80 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 62G)…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 have been over .500 at game time…Are 13-12 through 25 contests.
VS. THE ASTROS: All-Time: 31-39
2023: 2-3 Home: 19-15
Home: 1-1 Rogers Centre: 18-13
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 76 career meetings, has gone 65-for-276 (.236) with 19 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, and 35 RBI (.787 OPS).
Whit Merrifield had a pair of hits in each of his two games in Houston earlier this year…Is now batting .309 (46-for-149) with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 22 RBI for an .831 OPS across 36 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 10 games against them, has gone 6-for-37 (.162) with a double, four homers, five RBI, and three walks (.775 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 13th start of the season and his 6th at Rogers Centre…Earned his 6th win of the year his last time out, on 6/2 at NYM, throwing 7.2 frames of shutout ball with 3 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts…His 5 scoreless starts this year are tied for the most among MLB hurlers
(5 others)…Returned home immediately after his start for the birth of his son, Colson, and was placed on the Paternity List from 6/3-6/5.
Ranks 3rd in the AL with a .198 opponent average this year…Has held opposing RHH to a .151 AVG, the lowest mark in the Majors. Over his last 11 starts, has gone 6-3 with a 2.42 ERA (19 ER/70.2 IP) and a 0.98 WHIP.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Took the loss on 5/27 at MIN, giving up 7 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks over 4.0 innings with 5 punchouts. Allowed 6 runs (2 earned) across 6.1 frames of work on 5/22 at TB…Had his career-best scoreless innings streak ended at 28.0…Marked the 2ndlongest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens: 33.0 IP from 8/15-9/5/98), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb: 34.0 IP from 9/13/88-4/5/89). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 5/17 vs. NYY, giving up 3 hits, a walk, and a hit batter with 7 strikeouts…Became just the 4th non-opener in Blue Jays history to throw 3 consecutive scoreless starts in a single season, joining Roger Clemens (1998), Al Leiter (1995), and Dave Stieb (1988).
Threw a complete game shutout on 5/12 vs. ATL, the 2nd CG SO of his career (also: 5/27/21 vs. LAA), and the 1st nine-inning complete game shutout by a Blue Jay since Mark Buehrle on 6/3/15 at WAS…Scattered 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out a season-high 8 on 103 pitches (70 strikes). Improved to 4-2 on the year on 5/5 at PIT…Threw a then season-high 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Logged 6.1 innings of work on 4/24 vs. CWS, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 3 and recording 4 strikeouts…Left the game in the 7th with right lower back tightness…Was his 4th straight quality start, going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA (6 ER/24.2 IP) over that span. Picked up his 2nd win of the year on 4/18 at HOU, throwing 6.1 innings of shutout ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts…Marked his 3rd straight quality start, and his 1st scoreless outing of the season. Earned his 1st win as a Blue Jay on 4/7 at LAA, allowing 3R/2ER on 2 hits and 5 walks over 6.0 frames with 5 strikeouts. Took the loss in his Toronto debut on 4/2 at STL, giving up career highs in runs (9) and homers (4) over 3.1 innings (10H, 0BB, 0K).
