ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
No team release available.
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat St. Louis last night, 6-4, as club has a 5-0 record entering the finale of this 6-day, 6-G homestand vs. SEA (3-0) and STL (2-0 + tonight)…Rangers have won a season-best 5 straight (see below)…club has won 7 of 8, 11 of 13, 14 of 17, 19 of 25, and 22 of last 29 games…TEX is an MLB-best 26-9 (.743) in last 35 G beg. 4/28…most wins in any 35-G span for TEX since 5/25-7/1/16 (also 26-9)…just 5th season in TEX history w/ 26+ wins in a 35-G span (1977, 1978, 2011, 2016, 2023)…TEX is 32-14 in last 46 G and 36-16 in last 52 G beg. 4/9.
- At 40-20 (.667), TEX owns the 2nd-best record in MLB to only TB (44-19, .698)…club’s 40 wins rank 2nd in A.L. and MLB (44-TB).
- The 40-20 start is the Rangers’ best 60-G start to a season in WSH/TEX franchise history, 3 G ahead of the next-best start (37-23, done in 1996, 1998, 2016).
- TEX is season-high 20 G above .500 for the 1st time since end of 2016 (95-67)…this is just the 8th season in TEX history to be 20-over at any point, and the earliest date/fewest games (6/6 and 60 G) to do it (prev. 6/19 and 70 G in 2016).
STREAKING: The Rangers have won a season-best 5 straight games, longest single-season win streak since a 5-0 span from 7/31-8/5/19…since that last 5-G Rangers win streak in 2019, every other MLB team had produced at least one win streak of 5+ G…only win streak of 6+ G since start of
2019 was 6-0 span, 6/22-28/19.
- Texas has won 8 straight home games as well, longest win streak ever at Globe Life Field and longest overall in Arlington since an 8-0 span 5/10-18/17 at Globe Life Park…last home win streak of 9+ G was 9-0 run, 7/4-23/11, which is one of 6 Arlington streaks of 9+ G in club history (record is 11-0, 5/26-6/22/96).
ON THE LINE: Texas has gone 5-0 on this homestand entering tonight’s finale…team is seeking its 1st undefeated homestand of 6+ games since going 8-0 from 5/10-18/17 vs. SD (2), OAK (3), PHI (3).
- TEX enters tonight having gone undefeated in 4 different series in ’23 (3-0, 3/30-4/2 vs. PHI; 3-0, 4/17-19 at KC; 3-0, 5/19-21 vs. COL; 3-0, 6/2-4 vs. SEA).
SERIES STUFF: After securing a series win vs. STL, Texas has now won a season-high 6 consecutive series, longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16…club is now 11-1-1 in last 13 series and 14-2-1 in last 17…team is 15-4-1 overall in series this year, going 7-2-1 at home and 8-2-0 on the road…TEX is now 6-1- 1 in last 8 series at GLF.
AT HOME: Rangers are 21-8 (.724) at home, 2nd-best home record in A.L. and MLB (TB-.818, 27-6)…have won 8 straight (see above), 9 of 10, 13 of 16, 18 of last 24 at GLF beg. 4/5… TEX has a 107-114 all-time record at Globe Life Field (2020- 23), but are 27-15 last 42 G here (beg. 9/11/22)…TEX leads MLB in R (203) and R/G (7.00) at home in 2023…last 14 home games (11-3 record) beg. 4/30: .327/.387/.574/.960, 27 HR, 111 R (7.93 R/G) with 11+ R on 5 occasions.
ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE: Marcus Semien extended his career best and MLB high 25-G hit streak last night…it is T2nd-longest hit streak in club history and 3 shy of club-record 28 G hit streak by Gabe Kapler (7/17-8/15/00)…his only hitless game since the start of May came on 5/9 at SEA
- Semien has slashed .327/.367/.564/.930 (36-110) w/ 4 HR, 2 3B, 10 2B, 22 RBI, 26 R, and 7 BB/13 SO over the course of the streak (beg. 5/10).
LONGEST HITTING STREAKS IN TEXAS RANGERS HISTORY
Games Player Span
28 Gabe Kapler 7/17-8/15/00
25 Ian Kinsler 6/17-7/13/08
25 Michael Young 9/2-29/05
25 Marcus Semien 5/10/23-current
ALL HAIL ADOLIS: Adolis García went 4-for-4 with a HR and 3 singles last night, his team-high 3rd game with 4+ hits in 2023 (career-high 5 H, 4/22 vs. OAK)…his 15 HR and 15.13 AB/HR ratio both rank 4th in the A.L. behind only Aaron Judge (19 / 9.21), Yordan Alvarez (16 / 12.31), and Shohei Ohtani (16 / 14.50)…the 2021 All-Star has a 7-G hit streak at .467 (14-30).
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY: TEX relievers Cole Ragans (0.2 IP), Josh Sborz (1.2 IP), and Will Smith (1.0 IP) combined for 3.1 SHO IP with no hits allowed to close out last night’s victory…it was just the 2nd home win since the 1st series of the season in which the bullpen compiled 3.1+ SHO IP (also 5/2 vs. ARI – 3.2 SHO IP).
- Will Smith pitched a perfect 9th last night for his 11th save, T7th-most in the A.L…it was Smith’s 7th 1.0-inning save in ’23 without allowing a baserunner, 4th-most in MLB to a trio with 8 such saves: CLE’s Emmanuel Clase, TOR’s Jordan Romano, SEA’s Paul Sewald.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE: With yesterday’s win, the Rangers now have a season-best +155 run differential, easily highest in MLB (2nd: TB, +132; 3rd: ATL, +65)…in fact, the only other time in Rangers history the the club had a run differential as high as +155 came in late Sept. 2011…TEX went 14-2 to end that year, including a 3-G sweep in Anaheim to finish the campaign, as season-ending +178 run diff. in 2011 is highest figure at any point in any season in TEX history.
BING BONG: TEX has scored an MLB-high 386 runs this season…it marks the most runs scored thru 1st 60 games in WSH/TEX franchise history, and most by any ML club over 1st 60 G of a campaign since 2001 COL (386 R).
- TEX owns an MLB-leading 16 games with 10+ R this season, tied for the most such games by any team over the first 60 G of a season in the Modern Era beg. 1901 (also 1901 STL, 1936 NYY, 1999 SEA).
NOW THE WHOLE TEAM HERE: Texas players hold the top 4 spots in the A.L. in runs scored: 55-Semien, 48-García, 44-Lowe, 43-Jung…Texas players own 3 of the top 5 spots in the A.L. in RBI: 52-García (2nd), 50-Semien (3rd), 46-Heim (5th)…Texas players have 3 of the top 5 spots in MLB in BA with RISP: .511-Heim (2nd), .475-Semien (4th), .433-Seager (5th).
VS. ST. LOUIS: TEX has won 3 straight and 10 of last 11 G vs. STL, this after going 1-2 in 1st series all-time 6/11-13/04 at GLPIA…St. Louis had been one of 7 clubs to have never played a regular season game at Globe Life Field (CHC, CIN, MIA, MIL, NYM, PIT).
SHORTS: TEX is scheduled to fly to Tampa/St. Pete after tonight’s game ahead of tomorrow’s off day before Friday’s series opener at The Trop…series should feature teams with 2 best records in MLB…TEX has won franchise-record 6 straight road series, taking 10 of 14 and 13 of last 18 G on road…over last 4 G, Rangers have a .373 BA, 1.073 OPS, 8 HR, and 38 R (9.5 R/G).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #22 Jon Gray, RHP
(6-1, 2.51)
TONIGHT: The 31-year-old right-hander is set to make his 12th start and appearance of the season in tonight’s series finale against the Cardinals…spun 7.0 shutout innings on Fri. vs. SEA, picking up his 5th win in as many starts (5-0)… became the first Texas pitcher to record 5 straight winning starts since Lance Lynn from 6/17-7/11/19…marked his 2nd-longest scoreless app. of ’23 (8.0 SHO IP on 5/13 at OAK) and his 4th ultra-quality start (7.0+ IP, 2-or-fewer ER) of the season, now tied with Nathan Eovaldi for the club lead…Gray has quality starts (6.0+ IP, 3-or-fewer ER) in 4 of his last 5 outings, and has gone 5-0, 0.79 ERA (3 ER/34.0 IP) over his last 5 starts to lower his season ERA by just under 2 full runs from 4.40 to season-low 2.51…his .208 opp. BA ranks 8th in the A.L… produced 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings from 5/8-20, longest span of his career and 2nd-longest by a Ranger in ‘23 (Eovaldi-29.2 SHO IP)…has logged at least 5.0 innings in 10 of 11 starts, as 64.2 IP are 3rd-most on club (80.1-Eovaldi, 68.0-Pérez)…7 of Gray’s 8 HR allowed in ‘23 have been solo shots…this is Gray’s 2nd season with Texas after signing a 4-year free agent contract with the club on 12/1/21…was hindered by several injuries last season, but still managed to post a 7-7 record, 3.96 ERA (56 ER/127.1 IP), and 134 strikeouts over 24 starts…prior to joining the Rangers, the right-hander had spent his entire pro career with Colorado, ranking 3rd in Rockies history with 849 strikeouts while also placing among the all-time team leaders with 151 starts, 829.1 innings, and 53 wins from 2015-21…was the 3rd overall selection by Colorado in the 2013 MLB Draft after pitching 2 seasons at the U. of Oklahoma…is a native of the Oklahoma City area, growing up in nearby Chandler…Texas is 7-4 in Gray’s 11
starts in 2023.
SCORELESS STREAK / RECENT RUN: Gray enters tonight having won a career-high 5 consecutive starts for the 1st time…Gray is the 1st Ranger to win 5 consecutive starts since Lance Lynn from 6/17-7/11/19…has QS in 4 of last 5 outings…Rangers went 5-0 in his 5 May starts, with Gray going 4-0, 1.95 (7 ER/32.1 IP) over 5 GS in May, 2nd-lowest monthly ERA of his career (min. 4 GS) to only a 1.89 figure over 5 G/GS in July 2016…finished last month ranking among A.L. leaders (min. 25.0 IP) in wins (T1st, 4), ERA (T2nd, 1.95), and opp. BA (12th, .205)…produced a career-best scoreless streak of 17.0 SHO IP from 5/8 (2nd inn.)-5/20 (3rd inn.), the 7th-longest scoreless span in the A.L. this season and 2nd-longest by a Ranger (29.2 IP by Eovaldi, 4/24-5/27)…is also riding a career high 6 game win streak dating back to 4/9 at CHC (6 W, 4 ND).
LAST START: Threw 7.0 shutout innings on Fri. vs. Seattle (2 H, 1 BB, 5 SO), picking up his 5th win in as many starts (5-0)…marked his 2nd-longest scoreless app. of ’23 (8.0 SHO IP on 5/13 at OAK) and his 4th ultra-quality start (7.0+ IP, 2-or-fewer ER) of the season…notched the win with only 1 R of support (his 6.40 RSA ranks 4th for TEX starters).
VS. ST. LOUIS / INTERLEAGUE: Owns a 1-1 record with a 7.47 ERA (13 ER/15.2 IP) in 3 G/GS vs. St. Louis in his career…it will be his 1st time facing the Cardinals at home, as all 3 of his career starts against them have been at Busch Stadium… owns a 2-0 record with a 4.09 ERA (10 ER/22.0 IP) in 4 starts against Interleague opponents this season (2 of those starts have been against the N.L. Central).
AT HOME / GLF: Gray is 2-1, 3.10 (10 ER/29.0 IP) in 5 home starts in ‘23, earning wins in his last start on Fri. vs. SEA and on 5/20 vs. COL (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R-ER)…has just 13 total home starts in his Rangers career spanning 2022-23: 6-2, 3.25 (26 ER/72.0 IP), and he has yet to make consecutive starts in Arlington in 2023…in 2022, made twice as many starts on the road (16) than at Globe Life Field (8)…started the 2nd-ever game at this facility on on 7/25/20 at TEX w/ COL (4.2 IP, 1 R-ER), a 3-2 Rockies win…has seen far more success in 6 starts on the road (4-0, 2.02 ERA).
1,000 K’S: Gray recorded a pair of strikeouts 4/26 at CIN to reach 1,000 career strikeouts and become one of 46 active Major League pitchers with 1,000+ career strikeouts…he joined fellow Ranger teammates Jacob deGrom (1,652), Jake Odorizzi (1,172), and Nathan Eovaldi (1,137) as one of 4 pitchers on the Rangers’ 40-man roster with 1,000+ career strikeouts.
- Danny Duffy, who is on Triple-A Round Rock’s Injured List while rehabbing from a left elbow injury, ranks 40th among active ML hurlers with 1,048 career SO’s.
2023: Has allowed 3-or-fewer runs in 9 of his 11 starts…has 9 BB/36 SO last 7 starts after 11 BB/15 SO in 1st 4 starts…opponents are batting .208/.282/.341/.622 (47-254)…13 of 20 BB have been issued to LHB (7 BB/26 SO vs. RHB)…opp. BA by time thru the lineup: 1st (.209, 19-91), 2nd (.241, 19-79), 3rd (.164, 9-55), 4th (0-1)…Jonah Heim caught 1st 6 starts, Sandy León caught last 5 starts…made early exit in start on 4/15 at HOU (ND, 2.0 IP, 1 R-ER) after he took a liner off his right forearm during Yainer Diaz at-bat to lead off 3rd inning…was removed from the game after attempting warm-up throws…X-rays were negative and was diagnosed with a right forearm bruise…earned 1st win on 4/9 at CHC (5.2 IP, 2 R-ER), when Will Smith stranded bases loaded in the 6th inning…began start 5/13 at OAK w/ 6.2 hitless innings before a Jace Peterson 2-out single to RF in the 7th… it was the longest no-hit bid by a TEX starter since 4/15/18 at HOU, when Bartolo Colon retired the first 21 Astros…Gray surpassed 1000.0 career innings during the start (on 2nd out in 6th inn.)…in starts on road trip from 5/5-5/14: 5/8 at SEA (73 game score) and 5/13 at OAK (79 game score), produced 2 of the 5 highest games scores of his Rangers career…in win on 5/20 vs. COL, escaped a 27-pitch 1st inning in which the Rox loaded the bases with no outs and did not score… marked Gray’s 1st career meeting against the team that drafted him and served as his home for 1st 7 MLB seasons.
