CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:
GUARDS EARLY OFFENSE SEALS FINALE VS. PADRES
The Guardians won their sixth straight series finale (15-7 overall), grinding out a hard-fought 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night at Petco Park…at 3:09, marked just the third time this season for Cleveland to play a 9.0-inning game that eclipsed 3 hours – all road wins (also March 31 at Seattle & May 31 at Baltimore)…the series loss to the Padres marked the club’s first since May 22-24 vs. Chicago-AL and ended a stretch of 5 consecutive series with a win or a split (4 wins, one split).
The Guardians and Padres traded early body blows, chasing starters LOGAN ALLEN (3.0IP, 4H, 5R-ER, 4BB, 2SO, HR, WP, 77 pitches) and Ryan Weathers (1.2IP, 7H, 6R-ER, 0BB, 2SO, HR, 43 pitches) before the start of the 4th…Allen surrendered a 3-run homer to Manny Machado (8) in the 1st and gave up 2 more tallies in the 3rd, which both scored on a flukey infield putout…Cleveland’s opening 5-run salvo in the 1st inning began with singles from the first 3 batters of the contest and gave way to a 2-run single from JOSH NAYLOR and DAVID FRY’s (1) first career MLB homer, a 3-run drive tucked inside the LF corner…making his first career MLB start behind the plate, Fry also scored Cleveland’s final run on a 2-out RBI-single by ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ in the 8th after leading off the frame with a double that nearly became his second career home run before being batted down by former teammate Trent Grisham in CF…Naylor finished the game with 2 hits, extending his hit streak to 14 consecutive games…JOSÉ RAMÍREZ delivered an RBI-double in the 2nd and an infield RBI-single in the 4th… Cleveland’s ‘pen held the Padres to a single tally across 6.0 innings of relief, which included a 4-out save by EMMANUEL CLASE (21).
Cleveland (32-36) sits in 2nd place in AL Central standings, 2.5 games behind 1st-place Minnesota (35-34) & 3.0 games ahead of 3rd-place Chicago-AL (-5.5G, 30-40)…Guardians have won 7 of 11 and 10 of last 17, though have also dropped 30 of last 53 overall since starting the year 9-6…club is 1-2 halfway through a 6-game road trip through San Diego (1-2) and Arizona (3 games).
DUEL IN THE DESERT
This is the ninth series and 23rd overall matchup between Cleveland and Arizona, and also the fifth time the Guards have traveled to Chase Field…the two sides are gridlocked at 11-11 in the all-time series record with the D-backs holding a +4 run differential…Arizona has won 4 of the last 6 matchups between the two clubs, but Cleveland took 2 of 3 games played (6-5, 3-6, 7-4) last season from August 1-3 at Progressive Field…Cleveland’s most recent trip to Chase Field was from April 7-9, 2017, a series that saw the Diamondbacks earn a 3-game sweep (3-7, 2-11, 2-3)…the club is 4-7 all-time Chase Field…overall this season, the Clevelanders are 7-11 in Interleague play and 2-4 in Interleague series.
CLEVELAND ROCKS
Since May 28, the Guards rank highly among MLB offenses (see table below)…Cleveland’s offense leads MLB with 179 hits, ahead of Atlanta (112)…the Guards also lead the league with 11 games of 10+ hits during that span, ahead of Texas and Atlanta (9)…the club has double-digit hits in 7 of its last 10 games…since May 28, the Guards rank 2nd among MLB teams in batting average (.293), doubles (45), and BABIP (.344)…the club’s .344 OBP ranks 3rd and 61 extra-base hits rank T3rd, while their .261 expected batting average ranks 4th and 270 total bases ranks 5th during the span… both the D-backs and Guardians have been two of MLB’s most prolific offenses since May 28.
CLEVELAND VS. ARIZONA SINCE MAY 28 (MLB RANK)
TEAM AVG R H TB XBH
CLE .293 (2nd) 87 (8th) 179 (1st) 270 (5th) 61 (T3rd)
ARI .270 (5th) 95 (2nd) 154 (8th) 263 (T6th) 61 (T3rd)
TOUGH AS NAYLS
JOSH NAYLOR is riding a career-long 14-game hitting streak, including multiple-hit efforts in 7 of his last 9 games and 9multi-hit efforts during the streak…he currently possesses the longest active hit streak in MLB, ahead of Los Angeles AL’s Shohei Ohtani (12)…is slashing 464/.484/.643 with one home run and 18 RBI during this period…he has struck out just 4 times in 56 at-bats over this stretch, a 7.1% strikeout rate…Naylor’s 24 RBI in the 7th-inning-or-later is tied for MLB lead with STL’s Nolan Gorman…he leads all MLB first basemen with 50 RBI, ranking ahead of NYM’s Pete Alonso (49) and ATL’s Matt Olson (46).
During his 14-game hit streak, Naylor ranks among American League hitters in game-winning RBI (T1st, 3), go-ahead RBI (T2nd, 4), times on base (T2nd, 30), OPS (3rd, 1.127), AB/RBI (3rd, 3.11), runs scored (T3rd, 12), total bases (4th, 36) and SLG (5th, .643).
YOU KNOW, BRO…
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ currently has an 8-game hitting streak, joining Naylor as one of 7 active MLB hitters and one of 3 active AL hitters with a hitting streak of 8-or-more-games…during his 8-game hit streak, Ramírez ranks among MLB hitters in batting average (2nd, .457), home runs (T2nd, 4), total bases (3rd, 31), hits (3rd, 16), runs (T4th, 9), RBI (T4th, 10), OBP/SLG/OPS (5th, .513/.886/1.399), extra-base hits (T5th, 8) and singles (T5th, 9)…since the start of his 8-game hit streak on June 6, he and Arizona’s Corbin Carroll have been two of baseball’s most effective hitters.
RAMÍREZ VS. CARROLL SINCE JUNE 6 (MLB RANK)
RAMIREZ (CLE) CATEGORY CARROLL (ARI)
.457 (2nd) Batting Average .424 (7th)
9 (T4th) Runs 13 (1st)
16 (3rd) Hits 14 (T6th)
4 (T2nd) Home Runs 4 (T2nd)
.513 (5th) On-Base % .500 (T6th)
.886 (5th) Slugging % .970 (2nd)
Ramírez’s 56 2-hit, 2-RBI games since 2020 are the most among all MLB hitters, ahead of New York-AL’s Aaron Judge and St. Louis’ Paul Goldschmidt (54)…in last night’s victory, he passed Ken Keltner for 12th-most runs in franchise history (736), putting him 23 runs away from passing Hal Trosky (759) for 11th in club history… he also tied Julio Franco for 14th-most 3-hit games (91) in club history…Kenny Lofton (136) and Omar Vizquel (110) are the only Cleveland hitters with more 3-hit games since 1959.
TONIGHT’S STARTER – 56 TOUKI TOUSSAINT RHP
TOUSSAINT ON THE ROAD
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2022 0-0 5.87 3 1 7.2 6 5 5 7 10
Career 3-3 6.12 27 11 75.0 72 57 51 44 81
TOUSSAINT’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2022 1-1 4.62 8 2 25.1 15 13 13 19 26
Career 10-7 5.34 57 23 170.1 147 110 101 104 181
TONIGHT’S START
The 26-year-old right-hander is scheduled to step in and make his 2023 season debut in tonight’s opener of a 3-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Toussaint is a former first-round pick by Arizona, taken 16th overall in the 2014 MLB Draft…was traded to the Braves with Bronson Arroyo in exchange for Phil Gosselin.
Owns a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA (17ER/37.2IP) in 20 appearances at Triple-A Columbus this season…in his lone start this season, he allowed one earned run on 2 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks across 3.2 innings on June 3 at Iowa…worked up to 67 pitches in his last relief appearance on June 10 vs. Louisville, a season-high…is pitching on 5 days of rest; holds a 1-1 record with a 3.92 ERA (18ER/41.1IP) in 9 career MLB starts on 5 days rest.
Totaled 49 games (21 starts) across parts of 4 seasons with the Atlanta Braves (2018-2021), going 9-6 with a 5.46 ERA (88ER/145.0IP)…spent the latter half of the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Angels, recording a 4.62 ERA (13ER/25.1IP) in 8G/2GS.
DEALING IN THE DESERT
Tonight will mark his second start against the Diamondbacks with the other coming on September 9, 2018, his third career start…he allowed 2 earned runs over 5.2 innings with 5 strikeouts and 5 walks while opposing hitters went 2-for-19 (.105)…has made 8 appearances/4 starts against the NL West, owning a 1-1 record with a 4.50 ERA (12ER/24.0IP)…his .209 opposing average against the NL West is his lowest against any National League Division…he’s 2-3 with a 9.76 ERA in 8 appearances/6 starts in Interleague play.
TOUKI’S ARSENAL
In 2022, Toussaint’s four-pitch arsenal relied primarily on his sinker, utilized a curveball and splitter as secondary offerings, and occasionally mixed in a 4-seam fastball:
Pitch #pitches RHB/LHB %usage AVG. velo BAA Sinker 171 138/33 39.7% 91.9 .273 (9-for-33) Curveball 142 93/49 32.9% 75.6 .115 (3-for-26) Split Finger 87 24/63 20.2% 86.6 .059 (1-for-17) 4-Seam FB 31 7/24 7.2% 93.1 .222 (2-for-9)
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
BEST IN THE WEST
♦ The D-backs are first place in the NL West (+2.0) and have the Majors’ fifth-best record, behind the Rays (50-22, .694), Orioles (43-25, .632), Braves (43-26, .623) and Rangers (42-26, .618).
- Arizona has spent 38 days in/tied for first place in the NL West this season.
♦ Entering this series, Arizona is 7-3 in its last 10 series.
VS. GUARDIANS
♦ The D-backs face off vs. Guardians for the first time in the regular season @ Chase Field since 2017…Arizona swept the 3-game series vs. Cleveland from April 7-9, 2017, outscoring them 21-7.
INTERLEAGUE IMPRESSIONS
♦ The D-backs are 9-5 (.643) in Interleague Play this season (Tigers, Royals, Rangers, Athletics and Red Sox), the fifth-highest win percentage in the Majors.
♦ Corbin Carroll ranks among MLB leaders in interleague play in SLG (2nd, .826), OBP (3rd, .455) and AVG (4th, .370) and has 6 extra-base hits (2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR) in his last 4 AL matchups.
THE RUNNING GAME
♦ The D-backs’ 84.4 stolen base pct. (65-for-77) is the highest in the Majors among teams with 50+ stolen bases, while their 65 stolen bases are the fi fth most in MLB, behind the Rays (91), Reds (70), Pirates (70) and Athletics (69).
♦ Corbin Carroll’s 19 total stolen bases are tied for second in the NL (also: Starling Marte/NYM and Ji Hwan Bae/PIT), behind Ronald Acuña Jr./ATL (29).
♦ Defensively, the D-backs have allowed the fewest stolen bases (31) in the Majors while Gabriel Moreno’s 48.3 caught-stealing pct. (14-of-29) is second in MLB, behind James McCann/BAL (56.3, 7-for-16).
BATTLE OF THE YOUTH
♦ The D-backs’ 28.4 roster age is the fourth youngest in the NL while the Guardians feature the youngest roster in the Majors at age 26.4, ahead of the Reds (27.2), Nationals (27.8) and Rays (27.8).
TOP DEFENDERS
♦ The D-backs’ .990 fielding pct. is tied for the best in the Majors (also: Padres) while their 26 errors are second fewest, behind the Padres (24).
BWAR LEADERBOARD (BASEBALL REFERENCE)
♦ Corbin Carroll’s 3.3 offensive bWAR (fi elding excluded) is tied for the highest in MLB (also: Ronald Acuña Jr./ATL) while his overall bWAR is tied for third highest among MLB position players (also: Bo Bichette/TOR), behind Wander Franco/TB (3.8) and Ronald Acuña Jr./ATL).
♦ Gabriel Moreno’s 1.4 defensive bWAR is the highest by a catcher in the Majors and tied for second highest overall (also: Wander Franco/TB and Dansby Swanson/CHC), behind Ha-seongKim/SD (1.9).
DANGEROUS TRIO
♦ Corbin Carroll (17 2B, 14 HR, 35 RBI, 27 BB), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (17 2B, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 15 BB) and Christian Walker (17 2B, 13 HR, 42 RBI, 24 BB) mark the only trio of teammates in the Majors with 15+ doubles, 10+ homers, 30+ RBI and 15+ walks.
STARTING PITCHER – RHP ZAC GALLEN ♦ #23
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: His 3.1 fWAR (FanGraphs) leads the Majors: Zac Wheeler/PHI (3.0), Kevin Gausman/TOR (2.9), Framber Valdez/HOU (2.7), Nathan Eovaldi/TEX (2.6).
- His 0.96 home ERA leads the Majors (min. 20.0 IP @ home).
- In 7 home starts, is 6-0 with a 0.96 ERA (5 ER in 47.0 IP), 60 strikeouts, a .198 opponent average and 0.85 WHIP.
- In his last 4 starts (team is 2-2), is 1-0 with a 3.47 ERA (9 ER in 23.1 IP).
- The D-backs are 9-5 in his 14 starts…6-1 @ home.
HOME COOKIN: In his last 4 home starts, is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA (5 ER in 26.2 IP) with 26 strikeouts.
- In 13 home starts since the 2022 All-Star break, is 10-1 with a 0.84 ERA (8 ER in 85.1 IP).
- In innings 1-3 at home, has allowed 2 runs (1 earned) with a .178 opponent average, 4 walks and 22 strikeouts.
LAST START: Posted a no-decision on June 11 @ Tigers (5 ER in 5.2 IP)…struckout Miguel Cabrera in the second inning for his 600th career strikeout.
VS. GUARDIANS: Won his lone start on Aug. 2, 2022 @ Progressive Field (3 ER in 5.2 IP)…making his fi rst home start.
INTERLEAGUE INSIGHT: Is 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA (40 ER in 95.2 IP) with 110 strikeouts in 16 starts against AL opponents.
- Is 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA (16 ER in 43.0 IP) with 49 strikeouts, in 7 starts vs. AL Central teams.
NL RANKINGS: Ranks among NL leaders in home runs allowed (2nd, 4), wins (T-2nd, 7), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd, 4.89), walks (6th, 19), strikeouts (T-6th, 93) and ERA (8th, 3.09).
AHEAD IN THE COUNT: His .133 opponent average (16-for-120; 45K) when ahead in the count is sixth among starters (min. 10 GS) behind Michael Kopech/CWS (.119), Marcus Stroman/CHC (.123), Kevin Gausman/TOR (.124), Yu Darvish/SD (.125) and Edward Cabrera/MIA (.125).
