HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros begin their 10-game, 3-city road trip tonight at Dodger Stadium with the 1st of a 3-game series vs. the Dodgers…rookie RHP J.P. France (2-2) will make his 1st career app. vs. the Dodgers as he takes on Dodgers rookie RHP Emmet Sheehan (0-0).
ABOUT J.P.: Tonight will be the 9th start of the season for RHP J.P. France, who made his MLB debut in a start on May 6 at SEA…he is 2-2 overall in his 8 starts with a 3.42 ERA…Road Warrior: France is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA (5ER/24IP) in his 4 road starts this season with 22 strikeouts while allowing just 4 extra-base hits (2 HR, 2 2B)…France’s 1.88 road ERA since May 6 ranks 2nd in the AL.
Lowest Road AL Road ERA (since 5/6)
- J. Gray: 0.82
T2. J.P. France: 1.88
T2. Nathan Eovaldi: 1.88
ASTROS-DODGERS: Tonight will be the 723rd meeting all-time between the Astros and Dodgers…the two clubs last met in 2021, splitting 2-game sets both at Minute Maid Park and Dodger Stadium…
TWO OF THE BEST: Since 2017, the Astros and Dodgers have been the most successful clubs in the Major Leagues, combining for 7 pennants and 3 WS titles in that span…LAD has played in 3 World Series in that span (2017, 2018, 2020) and the Astros have played in 4 WS in that span (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022), including 3 WS appearances in the last 4 seasons.
Since 2017
Best Win Pct.-Reg. Season Most Postseason Wins
- LAD: 603-642 (.638) 1. HOU: 53-33 (.616)
- HOU: 582-363 (.616) 2. LAD: 40-30 (.571)
- NYY: 559-386 (.592) 3. ATL: 23-18 (.561)
ROOKIE RUMBLE: Five of the six scheduled starting pitchers in the current Astros-Dodgers series are rookies.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 19-15 (.559) on the road this season, which is 3rd-best in the AL…they have finished at .500 or above on 4 of their 5 road trips…HOU’s 70-45 (.609) road record since the start of 2022 is tops in the AL and 2nd in the Majors to the Dodgers’ 73-46 (.613) mark in that span… for the current trip, after this 3-game set in LA, the Astros will play 3 at STL (Tues.-Thurs.) and 4 at TEX (Fri.-Mon.).
WEDNESDAY’S RECAP: In a see-saw battle, the Astros topped the Mets on Wednesday afternoon, 10-8…RHP Phil Maton (1-2) earned the win in relief…RHP Ryan Pressly earned his 14th save with a scoreless 9th…Alex Bregman (3 H, 2 RBI) and Corey Julks (1×3, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB) contributed on offense.
ASTROS SELECT MADRIS: Effective today, the Astros have selected OF Bligh Madris to the Major League roster…Madris has joined the club in LA (C César Salazar was optioned to Triple AAA)…Madris, 27, has played his entire 2023 season at Triple A Sugar Land, where he was hitting .249 (58×233) with 10 HR, 36 RBI and 10 SB with an .809 OPS (.363 OBP/.446 SLG) in 60 games…vs. RHP, he posted a strong slash line of .272/.389/.538, hitting 9 of his 10 HR against RHP…Madris made 36 starts at the corner OF positions, 19 at 1B and 14 at DH…in 2022, Madris made his MLB debut with 2 stints in the Majors with the Pirates, appearing in 39 games overall.
TODAY’S TRANSACTIONS: The Houston Astros have acquired RHPSpenser Watkins from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations…Watkins has been optioned to Triple A Sugar Land…additionally, today, the Astros transferred OF Michael Brantley and RHP José Urquidy to the 60-day IL.
ON THE STAND: The Astros ended up with a 4-5 record on their recent, 9-game homestand, taking 2 of 3 from both the Mets and Nationals, with a sweep at the hands of the Reds in between…THE GRIND: On Wednesday, the Astros completed a stretch of playing 26 games in 27 days (since May 26), going 13-13 in that span… the Astros played on 17 consecutive days (May 26-June 11) and on Wednesday finished a run of playing on nine consecutive days (June 13-21).
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.51) in the Majors…the Astros starters rank third in the Majors in ERA (3.49), while the bullpen checks in at fourth (3.54).
NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: In the month of June, rookie C Yainer Diaz is hitting .333 (19×57) with 5 doubles, 5 HR and 10 RBI with a .684 SLG pct. and a 1.023 OPS, the latter ranking 6th in the AL.
iNJURY UPDATES: The Astros have been working through several injuries…below are a few updates on their sidelined players:
- LF Yordan Alvarez is expected to be sidelined for four-plus weeks with a right oblique strain…earlier this week, Alvarez began running on the field and throwing in the cage…the Astros are monitoring his progress this week to see when he can begin hitting activities.
- OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) has progressed to hitting and throwing on the field during Astros BP as he continues to ramp up his baseball activities…his progress over the coming weeks will clear up the timeline for his return.
- RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder discomfort) on Wednesday, threw from the bullpen mound (17 pitches) for the 2nd time in his rehab process…Urquidy will throw another bullpen session during the current road trip and must progress to live BP before going out on a rehab assignment
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP J.P. FRANCE
LAST START – 6/16 VS. CIN: allowed 2 runs on 4 hits through 6.2 innings, striking out 3 batters and surrendering 1 walk…logged his 3rd consecutive quality start…has completed 6+ innings in 4 straight starts and 5 of the first 8 starts of his career.
ROOKIE LEADERBOARD: amongst AL rookie pitchers, he ranks 1st in ERA (3.42), 2nd in opponent batting average (.230) and 3rd in WHIP (1.20). (min. 8 starts).
THE FIRST FRANCE: rookie right-hander made his Major League debut with his start on May 6 at Seattle…allowed 1 earned run in 11.2 IP through his first two MLB starts…he became the 4th pitcher in club history to work 5.0-plus innings, allowing 1-or-fewer runs in each of his first 2 Major League starts…joining LHP Dallas Keuchel (2012), LHP Carlos Hernández (2001) and RHP Manny Hernández as the only other Astros pitcher to record this feat.
ON THE ROAD: has posted a 1.88 ERA (5ER/24IP) through the first 4 road starts of his career…has held opponent’s to a .209 batting average (18×86) and .591 in those starts.
PROGRESSION: In the month of June, he’s recorded a 2.66 ERA (6ER/20.1IP) with 12 strikeouts and a .197 opponent batting average, which is an improvement from May…during the month of May, he recorded a 4.00 ERA (12ER/27IP) with 26 strikeouts and a .252 opponent batting average.
REVERSE SPLIT: has held left-handed hitters to a .192 batting average (14×73) and .539 OPS this season…against right-handed hitters, he recorded a .257 opponent batting average (27×105)…also 7 of his 8 home runs allowed have come against right-handed hitters.
PITCHING ARSENAL: he relies on 5 pitches (four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, changeup and curveball).
- his four-seam fastball has a 2,425 spin rate, which is in the 92nd percentile… opponents are batting .275 against the pitch.
- the best pitch for France is his slider, which has a 2,614 spin rate…opponents are batting .152 against the pitch and he mainly throws it against right-handed hitters.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
THREE’S A STREAK: The Dodgers, fresh off a two-game sweep of the Angels, look to win their third consecutive contest this evening as the club welcomes in the reigning World Champion Houston Astros. This series will mark a short, three-game homestand for the Boys in Blue, before heading back out on the road for a six-game trip against the Rockies (June 27-29) and Royals (June 30-July 2). The two-game sweep over the Angels gave the club a 13-10-1 record in their 24 series this season and they posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since doing so vs. Arizona on Sept. 12-13, 2022 at Chase Field. The Dodgers are in third place in the NL West, 4.0 games behind the division-leading Diamondbacks and 0.5 games in back of the Giants for second place. The Dodgers eight shutout victories this season are tied with San Diego for second in the NL, trailing only the Cubs (9). The Dodgers will face the Astros for the first time since 2021, when the clubs split a pair of two-game home-and-home series. Los Angeles is 6-5 vs. Houston since the start of the 2018 season. The Boys in Blue are 8-6 in Interleague games this year and have played the fewest amount of Interleague contests in the Major Leagues thus far.
BULLPEN REVENGE: The Dodgers beat the Angels, 2-0, on Wednesday, pulling off the incredibly difficult, “bullpen shutout,” as seven pitchers combined to two-hit the Halos in the culmination of the Freeway Series. Brusdal Graterol started the game and went a game-high 2.0 innings while recording three strikeouts. Evan Phillips nailed down the ninth for his ninth save of the season and his fifth consecutive scoreless outing. At the plate, Los Angeles took the lead on a solo homer by Freddie Freeman in the fourth and tacked on some insurance with a ninth-inning solo shot by Miguel Vargas. Tonight, the Dodgers turn to Emmet Sheehan as the rookie looks to follow up on is historic first Major league start last week. Sheehan (6.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 SO) joined former Dodger Ross Stripling (April 8, 2016 at SF) and the Cardinals’ Daniel Ponce de Leon (July 23, 2018 at CIN) as the only pitchers in history to fire 6.0 or more no-hit innings in their big league debuts. Stripling went 7.1 innings and Ponce de Leon went 7.0. All three pitchers saw their teams lose the game after they departed. Sheehan was the 11th Dodger starting pitcher this season and third to make his big league debut (Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone).
THE FANTASTIC FOUR AT 50!: On this date exactly 50 years ago, the legendary Dodger infield of third baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell, second baseman Davey Lopes and first baseman Steve Garvey started the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds, beginning an 8 1/2 year run together in Los Angeles. The infield officially split up in 1982, when Lopes was traded to Oakland on Feb. 8, 1982. Tonight, the quartet will be celebrated during pregame ceremonies to commend their achievement. Cey, Garvey and Russell will make ceremonial first pitches to current Dodgers at their respective positions while Lopes is unfortunately not able to attend. The pregame event will also include a tribute video recognizing the group, who made a combined 21 All-Star Game appearances while Los Angeles won four National League West titles, four National League pennants (1974, 1977, 1978, 1981) and a World Series championship in 1981.
STEADY FREDDIE: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman went 1-for-4 with a solo homer on Wednesday night, his 14th of the season. He’s third in the Major Leagues with 60 runs scored, trailing Marcus Semien (61) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (64). Freeman is tied with Matt Chapman for the Major League lead with 25 doubles, is second with 40 extra-base hits, third in batting average (.323) and third in total bases (164). He is just two hits shy of 2,000 for his career.
PROVIDING THE POP: The Dodgers’ offense continues to sizzle towards the top of the National League in various categories, ranking second in walks (306), runs per game (5.31), runs scored (393-tied), extra-base hits (259), home runs (118), slugging (.443) and OPS (.769-tied)
ON TO THE NEXT ONE: Yesterday, Major League Baseball announced the finalists for the AL and NL All-Star starters on MLB Network and the Dodgers have four players vying for a starting spot on the National League squad. Freddie Freeman cruised into the finalist phase as the second-leading vote getter overall in the NL and will now square off with Atlanta’s Matt Olson. J.D. Martinez enters the finalists phase as the top vote-getter at the NL DH position and will take on Bryce Harper in the next round. Mookie Betts will battle it out with Corbin Carroll, Michael Harris II and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for two spots in the outfield after receiving nearly two million votes in the first round of voting. Finally, Will Smith finished second in the NL catcher vote and will go head-tohead with Atlanta’s Sean Murphy for a starting spot in Seattle. The second phase of voting, which begins on Monday, June 26 at 9:00 a.m., features the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders in the AL; next four outfielders in the NL) in each League based on vote totals from Phase 1, which ran from May 31-June 22. Phase 2 voting, which is available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club web sites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App, will give fans the opportunity to vote among the finalists at each position during a four-day window that concludes at 9:00 a.m. (PT) on Thursday, June 29. Later that night, the winners will be announced on ESPN. Fans have the opportunity to vote once per day during this second phase of voting, with daily voting limits resetting each day. During Phase 2, vote totals will reset (i.e., vote totals from Phase 1 do not carry over).
YEAH!: Last night’s Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s 10th annual Blue Diamond Gala raised a whopping $3,555,112 and in the past decade LADF has raised over $90 million and is on track to reach a staggering $100 million by 2024. Eight-time Grammy Award winner Usher wowed the attendees at Dodger Stadium, playing an electrifying private benefit show. For those unable to attend the 2023 Blue Diamond Gala and who want to contribute, there are two ways to give, text LADF to 41623 to donate, and an online auction (dodgers.auctions.mlb.com) that runs until June 29, with over 70 items to bid on, including exclusive Dodger experiences, Autographed sports memorabilia, and hotel stays.
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. ASTROS: RHP EMMET SHEEHAN (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- New York native made his Major League debut versus the Giants on June 16, spinning six no-hit innings, only giving up two walks while striking out three in the no decision
- Owns a 4-1 record across 12 games (10 starts) with Double-A Tulsa with a 1.86 ERA (11 ER/53.1 IP) with 88 strikeouts and 23 walks…has limited the opposition to a
.131/.246/.235 slashline - He led the Texas League in ERA, strikeouts, batting average against (.131) and WHIP (0.88)
- Currently ranked as the Dodgers’ 13th ranked prospect
VS. ASTROS:
- Will face Houston for the first time in his career
