HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Astros and Rangers will wrap up this 4-game set this afternoon at Globe Life Field…RHP Cristian Javier (7-1) will start for the Astros as he takes on Rangers LHP Martin Perez (7-3).
MR. CRISTIAN: Today will be the 14th appearance and 10th career start vs. TEX for RHP Cristian Javier…he is 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA (19ER/59IP) in his career vs. TEX with .175 opp. avg. (36 H in 59 IP)…Javier is also 4-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 6 career app. (5 GS) at Globe Life Field…his 5 career wins vs. the Rangers and Angels are his most vs. any opponent.
THE SILVER BOOT: In the Lone Star Series, the Astros have claimed the Silver Boot/season series vs. TEX in each of the last 6 seasons, with a combined record of 70-35 (.667) in that span (2017-22)…the Astros are 3-3 vs. TEX thus far in 2023…Swinging Pendulum: These two Texas teams each have had stretches of dominance in the Lone Star Series, which began in 2001…in the first six seasons (2001-06), the Astros held the upper hand with a 20-16 record…that was followed by a long stretch of dominance by the Rangers, who went 79-33 vs. HOU from 2007-16…in 2017, the Astros reversed that trend and are 71-36 vs. TEX since then…at Globe Life Field: The Astros have won 6 of 7, 9 of 11 and 11 of their last 14 at Globe Life Field.
HOW THE WEST WAS WON: The Astros are 15-7 (.682) vs. AL West opponents this season, which is tops within the division (TEX is 16-10, .615)…since the start of 2022, the Astros are 66-32 (.673) vs. their AL West opponents, and since 2017, the Astros are a combined 286-156 (.647) vs. their AL West opponents.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP: The Astros rallied for 3 runs in the top of the 8th inning, snapping a 1-1 tie en route to a 5-3 victory…Chas McCormick had the key blow in the game, a 2-out, 3-run triple in that 8th inning…RHP Hector Neris (4- 2) earned the win in relief…RHP Ryan Pressly earned save #17 with a scoreless 9th inning…rookie RHP Shawn Dubin hurled 4.0 strong innings (3 H, 1 R) in what was his 1st ML start…Jose Altuve (2X6, HR #6) and Jose Abreu (3×5) also contributed on offense.
ROOKIE RUMBLE: Yesterday’ starter RHP Shawn Dubin was the 4th Astros rookie hurler to start a game in 2023…HOU enters today having received 32 starts from rookie pitchers this season, ranking third in the Majors behind OAK (43) and CLE (38)…Homegrown: All 9 starting pitchers used by the Astros in 2023 are products of the minor league system.
IN THE DAYTIME: Today is the 3rd of 5 consecutive scheduled day games for the Astros, which will be their most consecutive day games since playing 5 straight, 8/30-9/3 of 2007 (source: Elias).
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 4 of 5, 5 of 7 and 7 of their last 11 games.
ROSTER MOVE: Effective today, the Astros recalled RHP Brandon Bielak from Triple A Sugar Land…RHP Shawn Dubin was optioned to Triple A (postgame yesterday).
VS. THE BEST: The Astros have had success on the road vs. the three clubs currently with the best records in the Majors (ATL, TB, TEX)…HOU is a combined 7-2 vs. those 3 clubs in their respective home ballparks, going 3-0 at ATL, 2-1 at TB and 2-1 at TEX.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 24-19 (.558) on the road this season, which is 3rd in the AL…including the current trip, they will have finished at .500 or above on 5 of their 6 road trips in 2023…HOU’s 75-49 (.605) road record since the start of 2022 is tops in the AL.
LONG TRIP: This afternoon, the Astros wrap up their sea- son-long, 10-game road trip…they are 5-4 on this trip thus far, going 1-2 at LAD, 2-1 at STL and 2-1 at TEX, respectively.
HOME-COOKIN: Following today’s game, the Astros will return home for a 6-game homestand leading up to the All-Star Break…they will host COL (2g) and SEA (4g) respectively during the ‘stand…HOU is 22-19 at home this season.
RUN PRODUCTION: The Astros have scored 53 runs in the 1st 9 games of the current road trip (5.9 per game) with 13 HR and 19 doubles (.803 OPS)…HOU is 3rd in the AL in runs scored since the start of the trip (6/23).
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.57) in the Majors, just ahead of MIN (3.60).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB
- Houston: 3.57
- Minnesota: 3.60
- Atlanta: 3.66
ROADIES: Road success continued yesterday for both RHP Hector Neris and RHP Phil Maton, who each hurled a scoreless frame… Neris has allowed just 1 ER and 7 hits in his 19 road appearances for an 0.55 ERA (1ER/16.1IP) and .130 opp. avg… Maton has posted an 0.93 ERA (2ER/19.1IP) in his 19 road appearances , allowing just 8 hits for a .129 opp. avg.
LEADING MAN: Jose Altuve’s leadoff HR Fri. night was his 1st of the season and the 34th of his career…it was also his 13th since the start of the 2022 season, which is T-1st in the AL and T-2nd in the Majors in that span…his 34 career leadoff HR rank T-14th all-time and are 3rd in franchise history.
Career Leadoff HR – Astros Most Leadoff HR-Since 2022
- Craig Biggio – 53 1. Mookie Betts – 16
- George Springer – 39 T2. Jose Altuve – 13
- Jose Altuve – 34 T2. George Springer – 13
TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP CRISTIAN JAVIER
LAST START – 6/28 AT STL: allowed 6 runs and matched his career high by allowing 8 hits through 4.0 IP, striking out a batter and surrendering a walk…took a no-decision as Astros went on to a 10-8 come-from-behind victory vs. the Cardinals.
BACK ON TRACK: outside of his last 2 outings, has gone 7-1 with a 2.90 (26ER/80.2IP) and a .219 opponent’s batting average (27×297) in 14 starts this season.
ABOUT JAVIER: Dominican hurler has made 16 starts in 2023…the Astros have gone 12-4 in his 16 starts this season and are 18-4 in Javier’s last 22 starts dating back to Aug. 31, 2022…in his those 22 starts, he’s recorded a 2.99 ERA (40ER/121.1IP) with 122 strikeouts, a 1.06 WHIP and a .209 opponent batting average.
- is riding an active 5-game winning streak, which dates back to May 10…is the longest winning streak by an Astro this season…the streak is Javier’s longest single-season streak in his career and trails only a 6-game streak that spanned parts of the 2022-23 seasons.
LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: has pitched primarily as a starter over the last 2 seasons (2022-23)…among qualifying AL pitchers over that span, ranks 3rd in opponent average (.196), 7th in WHIP (1.03), 5th in strikeouts per 9.0 (10.39), 8th in ERA (2.98), 9th in strikeouts (271) and T-9th in wins (18).
INVISIBALL: has held opponents to a .192 average (269×1402) throughout his MLB career…it’s the lowest opponent’s batting average (min. 375 IP) of any MLB pitcher
since entering the league in 2020…the next-closest players are RHP Corbin Burnes (.199) and RHP Shohei Ohtani (.200).
SUPPORT SYSTEM: is averaging 6.10 runs of support per nine innings, which is tops on the Astros and ranks 6th in the AL.
VS. TEX: is set to make his 14th career appearance (10th start) against the Rangers, which are his most appearances against any opponent…has been superb in his career against the Rangers, posting a 2.90 ERA (19ER/59IP) and holding them to a .175 opponent’s batting average (36×206)…the Astros have gone 10-3 in Javier’s career outings vs. the Rangers…his .175 opponent’s batting average vs. the Rangers is tops of active players and his 2.90 ERA ranks 5th (min. 50 IP)
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost to the Astros yesterday, 5-3, as the club has a 3-4 record entering the finale of this 8-G, 8-day homestand vs. DET (2-2) and HOU (1-2 + today)… TEX has lost 3 of 4, now 2-4 in last 6 G and 5-6 in last 11 G… team is 8-7 in last 15 G after a 2-7 span from 6/7-16…have a 10-14 record last 24 G beg. 6/7…team has won 21 of 37, 24 of 41, and 32 of last 53 G (beg. 5/6)…team still has A.L.-best 36-23 (.610) record since 4/28, T2nd in MLB w/ ARI to only ATL (39-18, .684)…TEX is 42-28 in last 70 G and 46-30 last 76 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 50-34 (.595), TEX owns the 4th-best record in MLB to ATL (.675, 56-27), TB (.655, 57-30), and BAL (.598, 49-33… club’s 50 wins rank T3rd in MLB (57-TB, 56-ATL, 50-TEX/ARI).
- The 50-34 mark is T2nd-best 84-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
- Saturday marked the earliest date for the Rangers to reach 50 wins in a season since 6/27/16 (50-27)…last season, TEX did not reach the 50-win mark until 8/13 vs. SEA…high point this season was 20-over after win 6/6 vs. STL (40-20).
WITH A WIN TODAY, Texas could:
- Earn a series split with HOU and exit the series with the same 5.0-game lead in the A.L. West as when the series began.
- Finish the homestand with a 4-4 record, and avoid a 2nd consecutive homestand with a losing record (3-4 from 6/12- 18 vs. LAA/TOR…TEX had winning records in each of 1st 6 homestands in 2023.
- End span in which TEX has dropped 3 of last 4 series finales at Globe Life Field.
STANDINGS: Rangers enter today with a 4.0-game lead in the A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU, 2nd time in last 14 days to have a lead of less than 5.0 G (also 4.0 GA after loss 6/30 vs. HOU)…had a season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win 6/23 at NYY, which was largest division lead since winning the West by 9.0 G in 2016…TEX has had sole possession of 1st place in the West for 57 straight, 64 of 65 and 77 of the last 79 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 92 of the season’s first 93 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: TEX has gone 2-3-1 in last 6 series after a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19-6/7…those 6 straight series wins marked longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16… club is 17-7-2 overall in series this year, going 8-3-2 at home and 9-4-0 on the road…is 13-4-2 in last 19 series and 16-5-2 in last 23…TEX has gone 7-2-2 in last 11 series at GLF.
AT HOME: TEX is 27-17 (.614) at home, 4th-best home record in MLB: TB (.773, 34-10), ATL (.667, 30-15), LAD (.615, 24-15)…marks TEX’s best 44-G start at home since 2019 (28-16)…club has lost 3 of 4 and has a 6-9 mark in Arlington beg. 6/7…has still won 14 of 23, 15 of 25, 19 of 31, and 24 of last 39 at GLF (beg. 4/5)…TEX owns a 113-123 all-time record at GLF (2020-23), 33-24 last 57 G here beg. 9/11/22.
- TEX leads MLB in R (273) and R/G (6.20) at home in 2023…club has 3-R-or-less in 7 of last 15 G in Arlington, going 0-7 in those contests.
VS. HOUSTON: Texas is 3-3 vs. HOU to open the 2023 Lone Star Series for the coveted Silver Boot…TEX has lost season series in 5 of last 6 years (tied 5-5 in 2020)…TEX is 4-4 in last 8 G vs. HOU, but has lost 8 of 12, 19 of 27, and 27 of last 37 G (beg. 6/15/21)…Rangers are 11-15 all-time at GLF, 5-14 in last 19 G here vs. HOU.
THEY NUMBER SIX: RHP Nathan Eovaldi and OF Adolis García were announced as All-Star selections yesterday, as the Rangers have 6 All-Stars this season for the 3rd time in franchise history (8-2012, 6-2010 and 2023)…the 6 All-Stars are most of any A.L. club to this point, 2nd-most of any MLB club to only ATL (8)…Eovaldi and García were both selected to the A.L. roster via player voting…this year’s ASG is slated for Tues., July 11 in Seattle.
THE DEBUT: Aroldis Chapman made his Texas debut yesterday, becoming the 1st player to appear for the Rangers in ’23 that was not with the club in Spring Training…had 2 SO in a scoreless 7th inning yesterday…his 101.6 mph fastball to whiff Martin Maldonado yesterday is T2nd-fastest pitch by a Ranger since the Statcast era began in 2015 (behind Emmanuel Clase, 101.8mph, 9/14/19 vs. OAK)…Chapman has whiffed 43.7% (55/126) of batters faced in 2023, 2nd-highest SO pct. in MLB (min. 100 BF) to only BAL’s Felix Bautista(51.3%, 79/154).
NOT ENOUGH: Andrew Heaney posted 5.0 SHO IP in yesterday’s loss, just the 2nd time in 11 instances for the Rangers to lose in 2023 when receiving a start of at least 5.0 scoreless innings (also 5/5 at LAA, Dunning 5.0 SHO IP)…it was the 2nd time this season for Heaney to post a start of 5.0 SHO IP against the Astros (also 4/16 at HOU), the only pitcher to do that in ’23, and he did not earn a win in either start.
STILL SEAGER: Corey Seager singled, doubled, and scored 2 of the Rangers’ 3 runs in yesterday’s loss…since his return from the IL on 5/17, Seager is slashing .349/.404/.621/1.026 with MLB highs in RBI (45) and 2B (19), and his 1.026 OPS in that span ranks 2nd in Majors to only Ohtani (1.203)…Seager has 49 RBI in 52 G overall in 2023…Seager enters today 24 PA’s shy of qualifying for league leader status, a mark that will take multiple weeks to reach.
ALMOST BACK AT .300: Leody Taveras has opened July with back-to-back multi-hit games, as his .299 BA is highest among Texas qualifiers and 7th-best in the A.L…Taveras since the start of May: .325/.368/.523/.891, 10 2B, 9 HR,
THESE DAYS: Today’s homestand finale continues a stretch in which the Rangers are scheduled to play 4 consecutive day games, as tomorrow’s Independence Day tilt in Boston is also a day contest…the 4 straight day games matches the Rangers’ longest stretch in 2023, as club played 4 day games in a row from April 5-9 earlier this year.
4TH OF JULY, (FENWAY) PARK: The Rangers are scheduled to fly to Boston after today’s game and begin a 6-day, 6-G road trip with the opener of a 3-G set at Fenway…Red Sox are one of 3 A.L. teams that Texas has yet to face in 2023 (also CLE/MIN)…TEX was 1-6 vs. BOS in 2022, losing season series for 5th time in 6 chances (4-3 in 2021)…has dropped 7 of 8 and 8 of 10 dating to ’21, 10-24 since start of 2017…have gone 3-15 at Fenway beg. 7/6/16, losing 5 straight and 8 of 9.
- The Rangers are 25-27 all-time on the Fourth of July, losing 7 of the last 8 G since 2014…only win during that span came on 7/4/19 vs. LAA…club had walk-off 10-inning loss on 7/4/22 at BAL, losing 7-6..club is 5-11 since 2006, but still 18-13 beg. 1991…TEX will be facing BOS on the Fourth for a 4th time, 2nd in Boston (6-5 win on 7/4/05 at TEX, 12-5 loss on 7/4/16 at BOS, 11-4 loss on 7/4/17 at TEX).
SHORTS: Texas is in a stretch of playing 30 games in 31 days leading up to the All-Star break (10-13 in that span)…Nathaniel Lowe’s HR yesterday ended his 16-G HR drought…Aroldis Chapman was the only one of 4 TEX relievers to post a scoreless outing yesterday…TEX has MLB-high 73 doubles since the start of June and rank 2nd in MLB with 185 2B in 2023 (190-BOS)
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #54 Martín Pérez, LHP (7-3, 4.28)
TODAY: The 32-year-old southpaw is slated to make his 17th start of the season in today’s series finale against HOU…did not factor into the decision in his last start on Tues. vs. DET, despite turning in his 3rd quality start in as many outings (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 88 pitches/53 strikes)…it marked his 8th quality start of the season, which ranks 2nd on the team (10-Eovaldi)…has lowered his season ERA in his last 3 starts from 4.67 to 4.28…opponents are batting .278/.332/.436/.769 (98-353) in 2023, 9th-highest opp. BA and 13th-highest opp. OPS among A.L. qualifiers…has already allowed 13 HR (1.30 HR/9) this season, 2nd-most on club (14-Heaney), this after permitting just 11 HR (0.50 HR/9) in all of 2022…made 2 starts for Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting no record and a 9.82 ERA (4 ER/3.2 IP)…after returning to the Rangers on a one-year free agent deal for 2022, he elected to stay with Texas in 2023 on a one-year deal after accepting the club’s qualifying offer in November…spent the first 11 seasons of his professional career with the Rangers (2008-18), and has been with the organization for 12 of his 15 years as a pro…left the club for 3 years for brief stints with Minnesota (2019) and Boston (2020-21)…since 2016, his first full campaign after returning from ‘Tommy John’ surgery, has the 2nd-most starts (191) and 2nd-most innings pitched (1097.0) of any pitcher in the American League…saw two seasons cut short in 2014-15 following ‘Tommy John’ ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow on 5/19/14…Texas has gone 11-5 in his 16 starts this season.
LAST START: Did not factor into the decision in his last start on Tues. vs. DET, despite turning in his 3rd quality start in as many outings (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 2
BB, 4 SO, 88 pitches/53 strikes)…it marked his 8th quality start of the season, which ranks 2nd on the team (10-Eovaldi)…both runs allowed came in a 2nd inning that started with 4 straight singles, but went on to hold DET hitless (0-for-11, 2 BB) over final 4.0 frames to exit with a 3-2 lead…was removed from the ledger
after Josh Sborz allowed a game-tying solo HR to Spencer Torkelson in the top of the 8th
FOREVER RANGER: Has a 62-60 record with a 4.28 ERA over 189 games/176 starts in his Rangers career, ranking among club’s all-time leaders in starts (7th), innings (8th, 1048.0), wins (T9th), and strikeouts (11th, 691)…his 62 wins are the T2nd-most ever by a Texas left-hander (also Derek Holland), trailing only Kenny Rogers (133)…Pérez and Rogers (1909.0 IP) are the only lefties in Texas history to log 1000.0+ IP with the club.
- Since returning to Texas prior to the start of the 2022 campaign, Pérez has gone 19-11, 3.33 ERA (106 ER/286.2 IP) in 48 G/GS…ranks among qualified A.L. pitchers over that span in innings (4th), quality starts (4th, 31), starts (T5th), ground ball pct. (5th, 48.8%), HR/9 (6th, 0.75), and wins (T7th)…the only other A.L. hurlers with 30+ quality starts over the last 2 seasons? HOU’s Framber Valdez (38), CLE’s Shane Bieber (34), and NYY’s Gerrit Cole (33).
VS. HOUSTON: Has gone 10-8 with a 3.24 ERA (46 ER/127.2 IP) in 20 G/GS over his career vs. the Astros, including 0-1, 4.50 (6 ER/12.0 IP) in 2 G/GS at Globe Life Field…notched his 2nd win of the season on 4/14 at Minute Maid Park, his 1st time facing the Astros in ’23 (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R-ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 SO)… has lasted at least 5.0 IP in 6 consecutive starts vs. HOU (since 4/28/22)…is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA (23 ER/53.2 IP) in 9 G/GS at home for his career against HOU.
- Faced HOU in 5 of Rangers’ 6 series in 2022: 1-3, 3.82 (14 ER/33.0 IP)…in 5 GS vs. HOU in 2022, posted a 7.0+ IP with one-or-zero runs allowed an MLB-high 3 times against the eventual World Series champs…one of those was his lone win in CG SHO on 5/20/22 at HOU (9.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R), the only CG SHO against the Astros in MMP in 2022…Pérez has 10 career wins vs. HOU, his most wins against any opponent.
AT HOME / GLOBE LIFE FIELD: Has seen far better ERA results in his 6 starts at home this season (3-1, 1.91 ERA) than his 10 starts on the road (4-2, 5.98 ERA)…has quality starts in 4 of last 5 at home…just one of 13 HR allowed in 2023 have come at Globe Life Field (Danny Jansen on 6/16 vs. TOR)…over his last 20 starts in Arlington (beg. 4/28/22), has gone 8-3 with a 2.36 ERA (32 ER/122.0 IP) with 16 quality starts…is 8-6, 2.59 (39 ER/135.2 IP) in 23 career games/starts at Globe Life Field, and ranks among the all-time leaders at this facility (incl. 2020 postseason) in strikeouts (2nd, 126), starts (2nd, 23), and wins (T2nd, 8)…opponents have batted .236/.308/.323/.631 (120-508) with just 6 HR against Pérez in his career here at GLF.
HOW SUPPORTIVE: Has received an average of 8.17 runs of support per 9.0 innings this season, easily the highest qualified mark in MLB (2nd is 7.54 by ATL’s Charlie Morton)…Derek Holland currently owns the highest full-season qualified RSA ever by a Ranger, boasting a 7.64 mark in 2011.
- TEX has backed up Pérez with 5+ R of support in 9 of his 16 starts this season, including double-digit runs of support twice (14 RS on 4/30 vs. NYY, 11 RS on 5/7 at LAA).
2023: Opponents have batted .278/.332/.436/.769 (98-353) with 29 extra-base hits (13 HR, 3B, 15 2B), incl. opp. BA’s of .298 (14-47) vs. LHB and .275 (84- 306) vs. RHB…3.63 pitches per batter faced is lowest mark in A.L…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.256, 33-129), 2nd (.276, 35-127), 3rd (.319, 30-94), 4th (0-3)…Jonah Heim has caught all 16 of Pérez’s starts…has logged at least 5.0 IP in 13 of 16 starts, and has season-high 7.0 IP four times (last 6/21 at CWS)… in win on 5/24 at PIT, recorded season-high 15 ground balls, 2 of which resulted in GIDP’s…held Buccos scoreless over final 5.0 frames…had season-high 104 pitches in ultra-quality start on 5/19 vs. COL (7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 7 SO).
