SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Giants and Blue Jays meet tonight for their final matchup of the year…SF will look to capture its fifth consecutive series with a win today and fourth straight series win on the road…the Giants are 13-3 over their last 16 games dating to June 11 and have averaged 6.3 runs per game with a +38 run differential in the stretch…SF is 3-5 in rubber games this year.
WAY TO GO A-RAY!: Giants Head Athletic Trainer Anthony Reyes will serve as one of two athletic trainers for this year’s National League All-Star squad skippered by Phillies manager Rob Thomson, MLB announced today…Reyes is in his 12th season on the Giants training staff and 20th season overall in the Giants organization.
JUNE BUG: SF is 17-7 (.708) in June, tied for the third-best record in MLB behind the Braves (20-4, .833) and Marlins (18-7, .720)…the Giants’ winning percentage so far in June is currently their best performance in a single month since going 23-7 (.767) in September/October of 2021…it’s also the team’s best winning percentage in the month of June in SFera and their best winning % since finishing the month 24-4 (.857) in 1954.
WORTH MENTIONING…: The Giants have won 10 road games so far this month with two left to play and is on pace to have one of their best road winning percentages in a month in team history…SF’s best road winning percentage in a single month (min. 10 games) in franchise history came back in 1916 when the club went 19-1 (.950) in May of that year.
GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD: Much of the Giants recent success has come on the road, where they’ve won 10 of their last 11 and 15 of their last 18 games…since May 22, SF’s .833 (15-3) winning percentage on the road is tied with the Reds for tops in the Majors…overall, the Giants have a 22-16 (.579) record on the road this season, fourth-best in MLB behind Atlanta (26-12, .684), Arizona (24-14, .632) and Baltimore (23-15, .605).
ON A ROLL: C Patrick Bailey is riding a career-best nine-game hitting streak entering tonight’s contest…if he manages to get a hit in his next game, Bailey would become the first Giants rookie to record a 10-game hitting streak since Buster Posey in 2010…Bailey’s nine-game hitting streak is the third-longest active such streak by a rookie, trailing STL’s Jordan Walker (16) and COL’s Ezequiel Tovar (11) (Stats, LLC).
THREE’S COMPANY: With last night’s defeat, the Giants dropped to 1-19 this year when scoring two runs or fewer… SF’s .050 winning percentage when failing to reach the three-run threshold is the second-lowest in MLB behind Colorado (1-20, .048)…in contrast, the Giants are 44-16 (.733) when scoring at least three runs this year, sixth-best in MLB and ranking third in the NL behind the Braves (52-13, .800) and Brewers (39-11, .780).
YOU SHALL NOT PASS: Giants pitchers have yet to walk a batter through the first two games of this series despite striking out 25 (17 on Monday, eight last night)…SF’s last three-game set without issuing a walk came in 1976 against the Montreal Expos, when they stuck out just 10 opponents over the three contests…curiously enough, the last team in MLB to strike out at least 25 batters without issuing a walk in a three game series was Toronto, who struck out 30 Tampa Bay batters on September 13-15, 2021 here at Rogers Centre.
IN IT TO WINN IT: Taking the hill for SF tonight is RHP Keaton Winn, who’s slated to make his first career start…Winn is the Giants’ #13 prospect on MLB Pipeline and has been serving as a long reliever for SF since his debut on June 13…the rookie threw 4.0 innings of relief in his debut and became the third Major Leaguer to pitch as many innings and earn the save in his MLB debut since since saves became an official stat in 1969… the other two were STL’s Zack Thompson (June 3, 2022) and BOS’ Bob Stanley (April 16, 1977) (Elias).
BULL’S EYE: The Giants have been one of the best teams in baseball over the last two months, posting a 34-19 record since May 1…SF’s .642 winning percentage in that stretch is the second-best in the Majors just behind the Braves (35-18, .660) and ahead of the Rangers and Diamondbacks (both at 32-20, .615)…this recent success is in part due to the bullpen, who’s sporting a MLB best 2.62 ERA while striking out 252 batters in that stretch, 30 more than second place Kansas City (222)
TODAY’S STARTER – KEATON WINN RHP #67
2023 RECORD: 0-0, 3.75 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: In his first year at the Major-League level for SF…was selected by the Giants in the fifth round (136th overall) of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Iowa Western Community College.
MEET THE ROOK: One year prior to being drafted and signing with SF, Winn was selected by the Giants in the 20th round of the 2017 MLB Draft…he opted to return to college…Winn missed two years of MiLB action, first with the 2020 season cancellation, and next by missing the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery…he is currently the Giants’ No. 13 prospect on MLB.com.
TODAY’S GAME: Today marks Winn’s first career start, and second career outing on the road.
LAST OUTING: Pitched in a bulk-inning role vs. Arizona on June 24, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out three across 3.0 innings.
VS. TORONTO: Today marks Winn’s first career game vs. an American League team.
IS THIS HEAVEN?: The rookie told the media prior to his MLB debut that he had never been inside an MLB stadium before…his first Major League stadium would be the Cardinals’ Busch Stadium, earning the save while striking out two and allowing one run in 4.0 innings of relief on June 13…Winn’s second MLB stadium was Oracle Park…the Rogers Centre is set to the third ballpark Winn’s visited.
IT’S IOWA: Winn grew up in Ollie, IA, which had a population of 201 people in the 2020 census…Over 30 friends and family members drove four-plus hours from Ollie to St. Louis to see Winn’s debut on June 13.
SAVE YOUR TEARS: He became the third MLB pitcher since 1969 (when saves became an official stat) to pitch at least 4.0 innings and earn the save in his MLB debut (Elias)…the other pitchers to achieve the feat were St. Louis LHP Zack Thompson (June 3, 2022) and Boston RHP Bob Stanley (April 16, 1977).
WINN THE DAY: Despite this being his first MLB start, Winn has pitched at least 3.0 innings in all three MLB outings…he threw a career-high 5.0 innings vs. San Diego on June 19 to set-up SF’s comeback win, which ended on a walk-off, three-run home run by OF Mike Yastrzemski.
HEY ROOK: Winn is one of eight rookies on the Giants active roster, three being pitchers (Winn, RHP Tristan Beck, RHP Ryan Walker, C Patrick Bailey, C/OF Blake Sabol, IF Casey Schmitt, OF Bryce Johnson and OF Luis Matos)…Walker is the only Giants rookie to start a game on the mound this year…the last SF rookie to start, and pitch at least 2.1 innings was LHP Sam Long on Aug. 24, 2021 at New York-NL.
TRUST THE TURF: The rookie’s 62.9% ground ball rate would be best in the Majors had Winn qualified…teammate RHP Logan Webb leads MLB with a 61.7% ground ball rate…Toronto hits ground balls at a 43.0% rate, which is 12th in MLB.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays used a five-run 1st inning to earn a 6-1 win over the Giants last night…Was their highest scoring opening frame this season. Toronto has gone 15-10 over its last 25 games and is 18-12 over the last 30…Toronto’s .600 win% over that span (since May 26) is tied with Cleveland for the best in the AL.
SPRING-ING UP: George Springer doubled in the 1st inning last night before singling in the 2nd and plating a run with an RBI single in the 9th…Finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, his 5th game with at least three hits this season…Over his last 17 contests, is batting .364 (24-for-66) with six doubles, two home runs, and nine RBI (.948 OPS).
GOING STREAKING: Bo Bichette plated the 1st run of the game with an RBI single in the 1st inning, finishing the game 1-for-4… Extended his hitting streak to a career-high-tying 13 games (also June 27-July 8, 2022), currently the 2ndlongest active streak in the Majors (Jordan Walker – 16G)…Has gone 19-for-54 (.352) with nine doubles and five RBI over that span (.882 OPS). The shortstop currently leads the AL with 110 hits, 14 more than any other batter, trailing only Luis Arraez (114) for the most in the Majors…His .323 batting average leads the AL (2nd: Yandy Díaz – .322), while he sits 2nd in total bases (174), 6th in SLG (.510), 6th in OPS (.861), T-8th in XBH (35), T-9th in doubles (20), and T-13th in home runs (14).
THIS BRAND-ON OF BASEBALL: Brandon Belt doubled in a run in the 1st inning as part of a 1-for-4 evening…Marked his 16th double and 20th extra-base hit…Over his last 35 contests, has batted .321 (35-for-109) with 12 doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, and 22 walks (.950 OPS)…His .436 OBP over that span (since May 4) is the highest in the AL (min. 100 AB), trailing only Juan Soto’s .438 for tops in the Majors.
GET A WHIFF OF THIS: Trevor Richards made his 3rd start of the season last night…Tossed 3.0 frames of shutout ball, giving up a hit and a walk with five strikeouts on 40 pitches (28 strikes)…Induced 13 swing-and-misses, his 2nd most in a start this year (16 on June 10 vs. MIN)…His 10 whiffs in the 1st inning were tied for the most in a single frame in the Majors this season (Andrew Heaney, Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore)…Fanned Patrick Bailey in the 1st inning to reach 500 career strikeouts.
TAKE A BOWDEN: Bowden Francis earned his 1st career win last night, tossing a career-high 4.0 frames of one-run relief, scattering four hits with no walks and two punchouts… Now owns a 2.92 ERA (4 ER/12.1 IP) across his five appearances with the Blue Jays this year.
DANNY’S DAMAGE: Danny Jansen singled twice and drove in a run as he finished 2-for-4 last night…Over his last 24 games, has gone 22-for-83 (.265) with six doubles, seven homers, and 18 RBI for a .590 SLG and a .881 OPS.
BIG-GIO TIME STUFF: Cavan Biggio doubled and scored a run in a 1-for-3 night…Over his last 24 contests, has gone 17-for-62 (.274) with 12 runs scored, three doubles, five homers, and 12 RBI (.912 OPS).
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are on a nine-game, 10-day homestand (3-2 so far)…Have gone 22-15 this season at Rogers Centre…The .595 win% at home is 4th best in the
AL…After this series with the Giants, will wrap up the homestand with a Canada Day weekend set vs. the Red Sox (40-41). Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home AVG (.266), 4th in home OBP (.336), 6th in home OPS (.754), and 7th in home SLG (.417)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among all MLB teams with 3.30 home ERA and
a .211 home opponents’ average…Are sitting 2nd with a 1.12 home WHIP, percentage points back of Seattle (1.12).
LET’S GO HALFSIES: The Blue Jays are 44-37 at the mid-way mark this year…Is the 14th time in club history to have 44+ wins after 81 contests…Were 44-37 at the halfway point last season and 43-38 in 2021.
OFFENSIVE THINGS: The Blue Jays got hits from all nine starters in the lineup last night…Marked the 3rd time this year, also doing so on May 17 vs. NYY and May 23 at TB. Toronto batters have now notched 739 hits this season, 3rd most in the Majors…Are currently 2nd in the AL in team AVG (.264), 5th in OBP (.330), 5th in OPS (.752), 5th in extra-base hits (253), and 6th in SLG (.421).
STARTING SOMETHING: Toronto pitchers have combined for 39 quality starts, tied for 2nd most in the Majors (SEA – 40)…The starting rotation has tossed 444.1 innings, 4th most in MLB…Also rank 3rd in the AL in strikeouts (454), 6th in ERA (3.99), 7th in AVG (.243), and 8th in WHIP (1.28).
INTERTAINMENT: Toronto is playing its 8th interleague series of the year…Has gone 15-7 vs. NL clubs so far…The .682 win% is 3rd best among MLB teams (MIA – .731, NYY – .706)…Have set a club record with 15 interleague wins (14 in 2021)…Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Toronto’s .677 win% in Interleague Play
(42-20) is the best among all MLB clubs (2nd: TB – .652). The Blue Jays have hit 661 home runs all-time in Interleague Play, the most among all 30 teams.
VS. THE GIANTS: All-Time: 11-14
2023: 1-1 Home: 6-6
Home: 1-1 Rogers Centre: 6-6
The Blue Jays last met the Giants in 2019, splitting the two-game series in California while dropping both contests here at Rogers Centre…Are now 11-14 all-time vs. SF while amassing a +1 run differential (104 runs for; 103 runs against).
Brandon Belt was drafted by the Giants in 2009 and debuted with the club in 2011…Went on to play 12 seasons for the Giants before signing with Toronto in January…Batted .261 with 175 home runs and 584 RBI during his 1,310 games as a Giant, making an All-Star Game appearance in 2016 and helping the team to two World Series Titles.
Kevin Gausman pitched for the Giants in 2020 and 2021 before he joined the Blue Jays in 2022… Combined to go 17-9 with a 3.00 ERA in 45 games (43 starts) by the bay, and represented the club at the 2021 All-Star Game.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is facing San Francisco for the first time since his rookie season in 2019…Hit his first two career home runs on May 14 at SF, becoming
the youngest player in team history to record a multi-homer game (20 years, 59 days old).
STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 17th start of the season and his 8th at Rogers Centre…Gave up 4 runs over 5.0 frames his last time out, on 6/23 vs. OAK (5H, 2BB, 4K). Has held opposing RHH to a .183 AVG, good for 6th best in the Majors. Over his last 15 starts, has gone 7-4 with a 3.59 ERA (36 ER/90.1 IP) and a 1.14 WHIP.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Took a no-decision on 6/18 at TEX, giving up 5R/3ER on 7 hits and 3 walks over 3.2 frames with a pair of strikeouts. Took the loss on 6/13 at BAL, giving up 8 runs on a career-high 11 hits over 3.0 innings with a walk and 5 strikeouts. Picked up the win on 6/7 vs. HOU, tossing 8.0 frames of 2-run ball with 4 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts on just 81 pitches (58 strikes)…Marked his 10th quality start of the year. Earned his 6th win of the year on 6/2 at NYM, throwing 7.2 frames of shutout ball with 3 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts…Returned home immediately after his start for the birth of his son, Colson, and was placed on the Paternity List from 6/3-6/5. Allowed 6 runs (2 earned) across 6.1 frames of work on 5/22 at TB…Had his career-best scoreless innings streak ended at 28.0…Marked the 2ndlongest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens: 33.0 IP from 8/15-9/5/98), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb: 34.0 IP from 9/13/88-4/5/89). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 5/17 vs. NYY, giving up 3 hits, a walk, and a hit batter with 7 strikeouts…Became just the 4th non-opener in Blue Jays history to throw 3 consecutive scoreless starts in a single season, joining Roger Clemens (1998), Al Leiter (1995), and Dave Stieb (1988). Threw a complete game shutout on 5/12 vs. ATL, the 2nd CG SO of his career (also: 5/27/21 vs. LAA), and the 1st nine-inning complete game shutout by a Blue Jay since Mark Buehrle on 6/3/15 at WAS…Scattered 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out a season-high 8 on 103 pitches (70 strikes). Improved to 4-2 on the year on 5/5 at PIT…Threw a then season-high 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Logged 6.1 innings of work on 4/24 vs. CWS, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 3 and recording 4 strikeouts…Left the game in the 7th with right lower back tightness…Was his 4th straight quality start, going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA (6 ER/24.2 IP) over that span.
