PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:
GAME #66 RECAP: The Phillies lost a wild one in the desert, falling 9-8 to the Diamondbacks … J.T. Realmuto hit for the cycle and Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm & Josh Harrison each had multiple hits … Down 9-8 in the 9th, Kody Clemens just missed a go-ahead two run home run that went foul.
A REAL UNICORN: Last night, J.T. Realmuto became only the eighth player in Phillies franchise history to hit for the cycle as he did so for the ninth time in franchise history (last: David Bell, 6/28/04 vs MTL) … Fittingly, Realmuto is the first catcher in club history to accomplish the feat … The last ML catcher before Realmuto to hit for the cycle was MIL’s George Kottaras on Sept. 3, 2011 at HOU … Per Elias, last night marked just the 16th cycle by a player batting as a catcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) – over the last 80 years, Realmuto is just the 10th catcher to do it (Kottaras, Bengie Molina on 7/16/10, Chad Moeller on 4/27/04, Jason Kendall on 5/19/00, Rich Gedman on 9/18/85, Carlton Fisk on 5/16/84, Charlie Moore on 10/1/80, Randy Hundley on 8/11/66 and Bill Salkeld on 8/4/45).
JUST TREMENDOUS: Per Elias, J.T. Realmuto is only the 10th player in MLB history to have a 20-home run/20 stolen base season and then hit for the cycle in the next season – he is the first player to do so since Mookie Betts, who did so from 2017-18 … Others: Wil Myers (2016-17), Alex Rios (2012-13), Mike Trout (2012-13), Vladimir Guerrero (2002-03), John Valentin (1995-96), Kevin McReynolds (1988-89), Eric Davis (1988-89) and Chuck Klein (1932-33).
STATCAST SAYS: If last night’s game was played at Citizens Bank Park, J.T. Realmuto would have made history, but not for the cycle … Of the four balls he put in play last night, three would have been home runs at CBP – 2nd inn. HR (101.1 MPH, 387 feet), 3rd inn. triple (108.6 MPH, 424 feet) and 9th inn. double (108.0 MPH, 410 feet).
CATCHER ON THE FLY: Catcher J.T. Realmuto ranks T-2nd among all MLB players this year with four triples – he trails only PIT’s Ke’Bryan Hayes (5 3B) for the ML lead … Since 2021, Realmuto has 13 triples which ranks T-6th among all MLB players – the next closest catcher to him since 2021 is a group of six who are all T-2nd with three triples (Elias Diaz, Ryan Jeffers, Franciso Mejia, Dom Nunez, Jake Rogers, Will Smith) … Also, since 2021, Realmuto is 43-for-50 in stolen base attempts – his 43 steals rank 20th among all position players since 2021 and his 86.0% success rate ranks 5th among all players with at least 50 attempts (best: Trea Turner, 89.5%) … Last postseason, in Game 4 of the NLDS against ATL at CBP, Realmuto became the first catcher in MLB history with an inside the park home run in the postseason – he sprinted around the bases in 15.4 seconds … Per Statcast, Realmuto’s sprint speed of 28.5 feet/second this year ranks in the 84th percentile among all MLB players.
TOLLS OF BRILLIANCE: Last season, catcher J.T. Realmuto was named All-MLB First Team, took home his third Silver Slugger Award and second Gold Glove Award and finished 7th in NL MVP voting … Additionally, he finished with 6.5 fWAR, 3rd in MLB history for a catcher aged 31 or older, led MLB with 1281.2 innings at catcher (regular and postseason combined) which was 240.0 innings more than HOU’s Martin Maldonado who ranked 2nd at 1041.2, and, finally, became only the second catcher in MLB history with 20 HR and 20 SB, joining Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez (1999).
WHEELS UP: Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, scheduled to make his first start since reaching 10 years of ML service time on Saturday, took a no-hitter into the 8th inning in his last start on June 8 vs DET … This season, Wheeler has a 2.74 FIP which is lower than his 2.89 mark last season when he posted a 2.82 ERA – this year, Wheeler has a 3.91 ERA and the 1.16 difference from his ERA to FIP is the second biggest discrepancy among all pitchers in MLB (most: Lance Lynn, 6.72 ERA, 5.30 FIP, 1.42 difference) … Wheeler’s 2.74 FIP ranks 2nd among all NL pitchers and 5th in MLB behind only Zac Gallen (2.39), Sonny Gray (2.42), Kevin Gausman (2.57) and Nathan Eovaldi (2.61) … His 2.74 FIP would be the second lowest of his career, short of only a 2.59 FIP he posted in 2021 when he finished 2nd in National League Cy Young voting.
LET THE GOOD VIBES ROLL: The Phillies have won seven of their last nine games (6/3-current) and just took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers who have the second-best run differential in the National League at +62 (best: ATL, +68) … Over the last three seasons (2021-23), the Phillies are 38-24 in the month of June and their .613 winning percentage ranks 4th among all MLB clubs behind only BOS (.652), ATL (.631) and HOU (.625) … Over the last two seasons (since 2022), the Phillies are 26-12 in June and their .684 winning % ranks 3rd in MLB, trailing only ATL (.757) and NYY (.703).
REMEMBER THE FIGHTINS: In the month of June, the Phillies have scored 56 runs in 11 games (5.1 runs per game) and are slashing .274/.342/.454 with a .796 team OPS (4th in MLB) in 418 combined plate appearances … The Phillies have a 90.8 MPH average exit velocity on balls in play during the month which ranks 4th among all clubs in MLB, trailing only STL (92.4), ATL (91.3) and LAD (91.0) and they are running a 45.0% hard hit rate which ranks 7th in MLB during June … As evidenced in the chart below, the Phillies have seen their offensive numbers and quality of contact increase from May to June.
TONIGHT’S STARTER – ZACK WHEELER RHP #45
2023: 4-4, 3.91 ERA Career: 78-61, 3.45 ERA
LAST START: 6/8 vs DET (ND, W, 3-2): 7.1 IP, H, R, 0 ER, BB, HB, 8 SO, 26 batters faced, 108 pitches, 75 strikes … Wheeler carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning and was five outs away before Tyler Nevin singled to right to break up the no-hit bid … Down 2-1 in the 9th, Bryce Harper led off with a double, Trea Turner walked, Bryson Stott singled, Brandon Marsh scored Harper on a sacrifice fly and Kody Clemens doubled to right to score Turner and secure the three-game sweep for the Phils.
TONIGHT’S START:
Got That Right: Wheeler has faced 168 right-handed hitters this season and limited them to a .244 OBP and .289 SLG – among the 76 pitchers in baseball this year who have faced at least 150 RHH, Wheeler’s .533 opponent OPS ranks 2nd behind only Chris Bassitt … Over his last eight starts (since 4/29 at HOU), Wheeler has limited RHH to a .176/.192/.245 slash line with 34 strikeouts to 1 walk.
Luck Be A Ball In Play Tonight: Wheeler has a 2.74 FIP this season which is lower than his mark last year (2.89) when he posted a 2.82 ERA … This season, Wheeler has a 3.91 ERA and his 1.16 difference between ERA and FIP is the 2nd-largest of any pitcher in MLB (most: Lance Lynn, 1.42) … Wheeler’s 2.74 FIP ranks 2nd among all NL pitchers and 5th in MLB behind only Zac Gallen (2.39), Sonny Gray (2.42), Kevin Gausman (2.57) and Nathan Eovaldi (2.61) … His 2.74 FIP would be the second lowest of his career, short of only a 2.59 FIP he posted in 2021 when he finished 2nd in National League Cy Young voting.
Whiffs: Wheeler is running a whiff rate of 30% or greater on three different pitches this year: Sweeper (38.9%), 4-seam fastball (33.5%) and Slider (30.2%) – Wheeler also has a 29.2% whiff rate on his curveball
The Ace Club: Since 2018, Wheeler ranks 4th in MLB (Nola 5th at 23.0) in fWAR among all pitchers at 24.7 – he trails only Jacob deGrom (27.1), Max Scherzer (26.6) and Gerrit Cole (24.8)
Statcast Rankings: 97th percentile in extension, 89th percentile in average exit velocity, 88th percentile in walk rate, 86th percentile in fastball spin, 84th percentile in fastball velocity, 82nd percentile in barrel rate
ROAD:
2023: 3-2, 5.18 ERA (19 ER, 33.0 IP) 42 SO, 5 BB in 6 starts
Career: 41-28, 3.57 ERA (243 ER, 612.0 IP) in 103 starts
2023 SEASON:
Took a no-hitter into the 8th inning on 6/8 vs DET which was the longest no-hit bid of his career (previous: 6.1 innings on 7/30/13 vs MIA)
Reached 10 years of ML service on Sunday (6/11) vs LAD
Recorded his 18th career double-digit strikeout game and 10th as a Phillie on 5/27 at ATL
Racked up a career-high 23 swings and misses on 4/23 vs COL
Made his 200th career start on 4/23 vs COL
On 4/12 vs MIA extended his streak of home starts without allowing a HR to 4 and his streak of 5 or fewer hits allowed at home to 9
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
BEST IN THE WEST
♦ The D-backs are first place in the NL, ahead of the Braves (40-26, .606) and Dodgers (37-29, .561), and have the Majors’ fourth-best record, behind the Rays (48-21, .696), Rangers (41-24, .631) and Orioles (41-24, .631).
- Arizona has spent 35 days in/tied for fi rst place in the NL West this season.
♦ Arizona last held a 4.0+ game lead in the NL West on April 27, 2018.
♦ The D-backs are 16 games above .500 for the first time since finishing 2017 with a 93-69 record (that season’s high was 25 games over, 92-67, on Sept. 27)…last time the club was exactly 16 games above .500 was Aug. 29, 2017.
♦ The D-backs have a season-high-tying 6 straight wins (also: May 28-June 2)… their last streaks of winning 7 straight games fell within a 13-gamer from Aug. 24-Sept. 6, 2017.
♦ Entering this series, Arizona is 7-2 in their last 9 series.
♦ The D-backs are 24-12 vs. Phillies since 2017 (not 2020).
CASTRO’S SPECIAL OUTING
♦ Miguel Castro’s 30th outing and seventh save of the season last night held special meaning as it was the first time his parents, who are visiting the United States for the first time from his native Dominican Republic, watched him pitch in the big leagues.
ELIAS SAYS
♦ Courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau, Corbin Carroll’s triples in back-to-back games tied a club record for the 31st time (23 different players), sixth time by a rookie: David Dellucci (Sept. 7-8, 1998), Doug DeVore (Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2004), Scott Hairston (June 5-6, 2004), Gerardo Parra (May 15-16, 2009), Rusty Ryal (Sept. 22-23, 2009).
♦ The last Major League rookie to triple in 3 straight games was Eddie Rosario/MIN (July 28-30, 2015).
SEATTLE IS NICE IN JULY
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll rank third and fifth, respectively, among outfielders in NL All-Star voting: Ronald Acuña Jr./ATL (1,086,537), Mookie Betts/LAD (676,491), Lourdes Gurriel Jr./AZ (367,348), Juan Soto/ SD (339,009) and Corbin Carroll/AZ (232,565).
ANSWER-BACKS
♦ The D-backs’ 20 comeback wins are tied for fourth in the Majors, with the Marlins, behind the Orioles (22), Angels (22) and Reds (21).
SETTING THE TONE LAST NIGHT
♦ The D-backs 1-3 hitters last night – Ketel Marte, Emmanuel Rivera and Corbin Carroll – combined to hit .583 (7- for-12)/1.433 OPS with 1 double, 1 triple and 3 RBI.
♦ Add in Jake McCarthy at No. 9 and the No. 1-2-3-9 hitters batted .625 (10-for-16)/1.569 OPS with 1 double, 2 triples and 3 RBI.
ACTION WITH 2 OUTS
♦ The D-backs offense had 7 RBI with 2 outs last night… among NL teams with 2 outs, the team ranks third with a .254 average, .427 slugging pct., 184 hits and 128 runs and fourth with 27 home runs.
HOME SWEET HOME
♦ The D-backs’ 21-14 (.600) home record is fourth-best in the NL behind the Dodgers (20-10, .667), Phillies (19-11, .633) and Marlins (21-13, .618).
JUST GET ‘EM ON BASE
♦ Over the last month, since May 13, the D-backs with runners on base rank among NL teams in extra-base hits (T1st, 49), OPS (2nd, .837), SLG (2nd, .496), runs (2nd, 130), home runs (3rd, 20) and OBP (T-5th, .341).
STARTING PITCHER – RHP ZACH DAVIES ♦ #27
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Is making his sixth start of the season and fourth at home.
- Is 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA (7 ER in 15.2 IP) since returning from the 15-day injured list on May 27…the D-backs are 2-1 in his last 3 starts.
LAST START: Earned his first win in 2023 (first since May 13, 2022 vs. Cubs) on June 7 vs. Nationals (2 ER in 6.2 IP)… struckout a season-high 8 batters.
VS. PHILLIES: Is 2-1 with a 4.84 ERA (12 ER in 22.1 IP) in 4 starts… went decision-less in his last start on July 5, 2021 (2 ER in 5.0 IP).
- Making his fi rst start as a D-back.
VS. NL EAST FOES: Has gone 14-8 with a 4.76 ERA (93 ER in 176.0 IP) in 32 career starts vs. NL East opponents.
VS. RIGHTIES: Is limiting righties to a .214 average (9-for-42) with 12 strikeouts.
PITCH TRACKING: Opposing batters are hitting .071 (1-for-14) with 2 strikeouts on his cutter and .200 (1-for-5) with 1 strikeout off his curveball. 2 OUTS, RISP: Owns a .143 average (1-for-7) with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.
ATTACKING EARLY: Is limiting batters to a .194 average (6-for31) with 11 strikeouts when he gets ahead in the count.
WORKHORSE: Is 1 of 11 MLB pitchers with 27+ starts in 5 of the last 7 seasons since 2016.
