PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES: opened their four-game road trip with a 6-4 last at-bat loss Thursday against the Marlins…Have lost each of their last two road games in the last at-bat…Have lost a season-high 10 straight games…Have had four separate winning streaks of at least four games this season, including a season-high sevengame winning streak from 4/17-23.
ROSTER MOVES: The Pittsburgh Pirates today selected the contract of infielder Nick Gonzales from Triple-A Indianapolis…Gonzales was hitting .257 with 14 doubles, five triples, six home runs and 27 RBI in 57 games with Indianapolis at the time of his promotion to the big leagues (his five triples were tied for the second-most in the International League)…Gonzales, who has no previous big league experience, will wear uniform No. 39…Outfielder Cal Mitchell has been optioned to Indianapolis to make room on the 26-man active roster, while right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez has been transferred from the 15- to 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.
IT TAKES TWO: The Pirates organization entered the 2023 season as the only one in all of baseball with two players ranked in the top eight among prospects at second base according to MLB Pipeline…Termarr Johnson was rated as the No. 1 prospect at second base, while Nick Gonzales ranked eighth…Gonzales made 33 starts at second base this season with Indianapolis while recording a 1.000 fielding percentage (157 total chances/0 errors).
FEELING THE DRAFT: Nick Gonzales will become the third player since last Friday to make his Major League debut this season after being drafted by General Manager Ben Cherington…In addition to Gonzales, Carmen Mlodzinski (31st overall in the 2020 draft) and Henry Davis (No. 1 overall in 2021) have each been promoted to Pittsburgh in the last week.
CRUSH DAVIS: Henry Davis connected for his first big league home run with a 407-foot shot leading off the eigthth inning last night…Davis’ 11 home runs between Altoona and Indianapolis were tied for the second-most among Pirates minor leaguers when he was promoted to the big leagues on Monday…Davis was also tied for fourth in the Eastern League with 10 home runs when he moved up to Triple-A on June 6.
K IS FOR KELLER: Mitch Keller struck out five batters in 7.0 innings in his 16th start of the season last night…Keller’s 113 strikeouts are the second-most in the National League and fourth-most in MLB coming into today…The only three pitchers with more strikeouts are Spencer Strider (136), Kevin Gausman (127) and Shohei Ohtani (117).
ON THE MEND: First baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi went 1-for2 with a double in his first game on rehab Thursday night with Double-A Altoona…Choi, who is currently on the 60-day injured list with a left Achilles tendon strain, started and played five innings at first base.
YOUTH: When he makes his Major League debut, Nick Gonzales will become the 13th player age 24 or younger to appear in a game this season for the Pirates…That’s the most in all of MLB (Guardians have the second-most with ten)…Special thanks to the Elias Sports Bureau.
ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Luis Ortiz gets the start tonight in the second game of this series against the Marlins…Ortiz allowed one run in 4.2 innings in a no-decision in his last start in the team’s 5-2 last at-bat loss at Milwaukee Sunday afternoon…Ortiz played for the Dominican Republic in this year’s World Baseball Classic, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings of relief against Israel here at loanDepot park on March 14.
STARTING PITCHER – 48 – RHP LUIS ORTIZ
LUIS ORTIZ: The 24-year-old righthander will be making his ninth appearance (eighth start) of the season tonight…He allowed one run in 4.2 innings in his last start at Milwaukee in the team’s 5-2 last at-bat loss…He earned his first big league win in his start on 5/22 vs. Texas after allowing two runs in 7.2 innings of work.
vs. MIAMI: Has never faced the Marlins.
MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today open a 4-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the second leg of their sixth homestand of the year. Dropped the opening series vs. Toronto, 1-2. Following an off-day on Monday, Miami will play at Boston for three games from June 27-29 before heading to Atlanta for a three-game set from June 30-July 2.
FISH BYTES
- With a 13-6 record in June, Miami is tied for the 4th-most wins in MLB this month, behind Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Francisco.
- Miami ranks 4th in the NL in win percentage at home (.595, 22-15) this season and is tied for 4th in wins at home.
- Miami is 99-115 all-time against Pittsburgh… would become the 8th team the franchise has won at least 100 G against, and the second NL Central team (109 W vs. CHC).
UP THE RANKS
At 42-33, Miami has its second-best start to a season through the club’s first 75 games in franchise history, behind the 1997 World Series team. See chart to right for the top starts.
PARTY IN THE U.S.A.
The Marlins will get the Independence Day party started in South Florida with a post-game fireworks show following the Monday, July 3 game vs. the Cardinals.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami dropped the series vs. Toronto with a 6-3 loss on Wednesday afternoon. RHP Sandy Alcantara tossed 7.0 innings in the contest but suffered the loss after allowing 5 runs in the second inning. Miami got on the board with 3 consecutive hits to lead off the fourth inning, including a 2-RBI double from 1B Garrett Cooper, but the offense went 2×9 with RISP and grounded into 2 double plays. 2B Luis Arraez recorded his 31st multi-hit game.
PUT IT IN THE BOOKS
RHP Sandy Alcantara has made his way into Marlins’ record books, ranking amongst the top in various categories. After yesterday’s start, Alcantara reached the 800.0 inning plateau and trails Brad Penny by just 4.1 innings for the fourth-most in club history. Alcantara has made 55 starts of 7.0 innings or more dating back to 2018, the 5th-most by a Marlin ahead of Ryan Dempster (54) and behind Josh Johnson (57) for 4th-most.
- Alcantara has made 56 starts of 7.0 innings or more dating back to 2018, the 5th-most all-time by a Marlins pitcher, ahead of Ryan Dempster (54) and behind Josh Johnson (57) for 4th-most.
ONE TOO MANY
LHP Braxton Garrett has held opponents to 1 or 0 ER in 8 of his 13 starts which is tied for the most among National League starting pitchers, alongside SF’s John Brebbia, ATL’s Bryce Elder, ARI’s Zac Gallen, and CHC’s Marcus Stroman.
- In his last 7 starts (since May 14), owns a 2.13 ERA (38.0 IP/9 ER) with 49 strikeouts. Has only allowed more than 2 runs in one of these outings. The Marlins have won 6 of these 7 starts, including 4 straight. Miami is 10-3 in 2023 in Garrett’s starts.
LA REGADERA
2B Luis Arraez leads MLB with his .398 AVG (105×264), .447 OBP, and 105 hits. Also leads MLB with 31 multi-hit games, including an MLB-most five 4+ hit games. Has struck out just 15 times in 291 PA (.051 K/PA), the lowest mark in MLB among qualifiers.
- Is also tied for most I-BB in the NL with 6 (also, Freddie Freeman) and ranks 6th in MLB with his .932 OPS. Is the only player in the top 10 without at least 10 HR.
- His .398 AVG is the highest through a player’s first 69 games in club history.
- Becomes first player in MLB to record three 5-hit games in a season since Ender Inciarte did so in 2017 with Atlanta. Only four players have recorded four 5-hit games in a season, the last being Ichiro Suzuki in 2004. Sets club record for most 5-hit games in a season; Juan Pierre had two 5-hit games in 2005.
- Arraez’s 31 multi-hit games prior to the All-Star break is the most by a Marlin since Dee Strange-Gordon had 32 in 2015. Miguel Cabrera owns the Marlins record, with 36 first-half multi-hit games in 2006.
BABY GOAT
RHP Eury Perez’s 1.54 ERA through his first 8 career starts is the 3rd-lowest for a pitcher his age or younger (20-066) since 1913, when ERA became an official MLB statistic, trailing only Jack Bentley’s 1.11 ERA from 1913-14 and Frank Shellenback’s 1.41 ERA in 1918 (credit: Elias).
CATCHING UP
C Nick Fortes is hitting .438 (7×16) over his last 6 starts since June 12 with 2 doubles, 1 home run, 3 RBI, and a 1.156 OPS.
CHASING 21
With 20 consecutive outings without allowing an earned run, LHP Andrew Nardi is 1 shy of tying Anthony Bender (2021) and Kyle Barraclough (2018) for the 6th-longest such streak in club history. LHP Randy Choate owns the Franchise mark with a 30-game streak without an earned run, done from April 14 to June 25, 2011, in which he pitched only 11.2 innings.
SEND THE FISH TO THE SEA
Major League Baseball on Tuesday released the second balloting update for the 2023 Scott’s All-Star Game, featuring Marlins 2B Luis Arraez who leads all National League Second Basemen in voting (1,056,439), ahead of Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies (884,328). In winning the fan vote at the position, Arraez would solidify back-to-back National League All-Stars for the Marlins at second base. Phase 2 of voting is set to begin at 12 p.m. on Monday, June 26 and go through 12 p.m. on Thursday, June 29. Fans are able to vote once per day at www.mlb.com/vote.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY
The Marlins this weekend will continue their 30th anniversary celebration with their next Flashback Friday when the club hosts Marlins alumni Robb Nen and Preston Wilson. Nen, the Marlins’ all-time save leader, and Wilson, who leads multiple categories for all Marlins’ centerfielders, will be available for pictures with fans in the Marlins Museum presented by Fanatics at 5:45 p.m.
TODAY’S STARTER – #29 BRAXTON GARRETT
- Braxton Garrett, 25, will make his third career start against the Pittsburgh Pirates and 14th start (15th app.) of the season today.
- In last outing at Pittsburgh (July 22, 2022), pitched 6.0 innings, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits with 7 strikeouts to earn the win. In 2 starts last season against Pittsburgh, allowed just that 1 run over 12.0 innings (0.75 ERA) and 18 SO, including a career-high 11 strikeouts on July 14.
- His last start on Saturday, June 17 at Washington, marked his eight start of the season with 1 or fewer runs allowed. Tossed 6.0 innings, allowing just 4 hits, with 8 strikeouts.
- Recorded a season-high 9 strikeouts on June 11 at Chicago-AL in his third scoreless start of the season.
- Has allowed 1 run or fewer in 8 of 13 starts this season (leads Marlins starters). Has a 2.13 ERA dating back to May 14 (7 starts).
- In 19 career starts (20 apps.) at home, owns a 4.13 ERA (96.0 IP/44 ER) and has gone 4-7 with 112 strikeouts. In 20 starts away (21 apps.), is 4-5 with a 3.92 ERA (103.1 IP/45 ER) and 95 strikeouts.
- In 8 starts away this year, owns a 2.18 ERA (41.1 IP/10 ER) with a 2-1 record. In 5 starts (6 apps.) at home, owns 6.35 ERA (28.1 IP/20 ER) with a 1-1 record.
- Career, RHB vs. Garrett: .284 AVG (158×557), .347 OBP, .817 OPS. LHB vs. Garrett: .240 AVG (42×175), .318 OBP, .649 OPS. Has allowed only 3 HR in 175 AB against lefties. Has allowed only 3 HR in 177 AB against lefties during career.
