COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
DEEP IN THE HEART OF
- The Colorado Rockies begin their final road trip of the first half this afternoon with the first of two games in Houston … will have an off day on Thursday before playing three in San Francisco Friday-Sunday.
- The Rockies finished 4-5 over their season-long nine-game homestand with a run differential of -38, taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels before dropping two of three to both the Dodgers and Tigers.
- Have lost eight-straight road games dating back to June 14, the longest road losing streak of the season and longest since dropping nine straight away from Coors Sept. 15-30, 2012.
HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR
- Major League Baseball announced Sunday that Elias Díaz was selected as a reserve for the National League in the 2023 All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. … the selection marks the 32-year-old’s first Major League All-Star appearance, and the first time in franchise history a Rockies catcher has been selected to the game.
- Díaz has appeared in 69 games at catcher this season for the Rockies, the second-most in the National League. … when playing as a catcher, his 68 hits are the most in the NL, 40 RBI are second and 15 doubles are third … overall this season, Díaz is slashing .284/.337/.452 with 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 45 RBI.
- His 13 catcher caught stealings are the second-most in the National League while his 28.6 caught stealing percentage ranks third (min. 50 GS) … his 0.9 dWAR is tied for 11th in the National League and ranks third among all catchers.
TWENTY-TWENTY TWO HALVES
- The Rockies went 20-24 at Coors Field in the first half, being outscored by opponents 303-223 for a run differential of -80 … in 2022, were 28-23 at Coors Field at the All-Star break with a run differential of +23.
- In 44 home games this year, slashing .278/.334/.442 as a team with 42 home runs and a team ERA of 6.35 (397.0 IP, 280 ER) … in 2022, slashed .287/.352/.464 with 61 home runs at home in the first half while posting a team ERA of 4.87 (464.0 IP, 251 ER).
- Have gone 13-29 on the road so far in 2022, pitching to a 5.22 clip (351.2 IP, 204 ER) and slashing .235/.300/.363 … 15-27 on the road at the break last year, posting a team ERA of 4.90 (356.0IP, 194 ER) while slashing .233/.292/.340 and averaging 3.0 runs per game.
THE ROOKIE, THE FATHER
- Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has hit safely in a career-best 15 straight games (.350, 21-for-60), the longest active streak in baseball and the longest of the season for Colorado (last: 12 games by Randal Grichuk from April 29-May 15) … tied for the fourth-longest hit streak by a Colorado rookie (also: Juan Pierre, Sept. 6, 2000 – Sept. 21, 2000).
- The shortstop has a hit in 28 of 31 since May 27, batting .333 (40-for-120) through this span … his batting average over this period leads the Rockies, is ninth in baseball, sixth in the NL and first among rookies … over this span, has raised his season average from .223 to .269.
- Tovar’s 1.2 defensive WAR (Baseball Reference) is the highest mark among Major League rookies, while his 1.8 overall WAR is tied for the sixth-best among ML rookies … his total WAR is currently the seventh-highest for a rookie in franchise history.
- Since coming off the paternity list on June 22, is slashing .361/.410/.611 with two home runs and 11 RBI in nine games (1.021 OPS).
BLAME IT ON THE RAIN
- After going 15-13 in May the Rockies went 9-18 in June, tied with Detroit for the third-worst winning percentage in the Majors in June … were outscored 187-113 (-74) during the month… the Rockies have won fewer than 10 games in June four times in franchise history, most recently in 2014 when they went 8-20 in the month (.286).
- Rockies pitchers posted a 6.84 ERA (235.2 IP, 179 ER) in June … the only time the Rockies have finished a month with a higher ERA in a calendar month was May 1993 (7.03 ERA) … the next-lowest ERA in a single month was a 6.74 ERA posted in July, 1999.
- The starters went 2-13 (Austin Gomber picking up both wins) with a 7.51 ERA (124.2 IP, 104 ER) in June, the third-highest starters’ ERA in a month in franchise history (8.20 ERA, April 2004 and 7.57 ERA, June 2012).
BIG MAC
- 3B Ryan McMahon has slashed .328/.416/.612 with seven doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 24 RBI in his last 34 games since May 25 … over that span, ranks among NL leaders in OPS (1.028, 3rd), OBP (6th), average (7th), total bases (82, T-4th), hits (44, 7th) slugging (5th) and extra-base hits (18, T-9th).
- McMahon’s 2.8 WAR (Baseball Reference) is the second-highest among NL players with at least 75% of their games at third base, trailing Jeimer Candelario by .1 … his 13 defensive runs saved at third base are the most at the position (Sports Info Solutions).
- Since moving to third base full time for the 2021 season, McMahon’s 5.5 dWAR is the second-highest in the Majors among third basemen with at least 75% of their games at the position … his 36 DRS and 29 outs above average are both the second-most through this span.
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #21 KYLE FREELAND LHP
DENVER KID
- Kyle Freeland will make his team-leading 18th start of the season today, his eighth on the road.
- The 30-year-old Denver native graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, 15 minutes south of Coors Field … selected in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft (eighth overall), the third player in University of Evansville history to be drafted in the first round.
- The Rockies announced on April 19, 2022 that they agreed to a five-year contract extension with Freeland covering the 2022-26 seasons … the extension includes two arbitration years and three years of free agency.
GEORGE WASHINGTON ALSO STARTED 0-2
- Has made two career starts on July 4th, losing both outings … lost at Dodger Stadium in 2022, allowing four runs over 5.2 innings in a 5-3 Rockies loss … lost his first July 4 in 2017, his rookie season, allowing five runs in 5.1 innings to the Cincinnati Reds.
LAST TIME(S) OUT
- Did not factor into the Rockies’ 9-8 come-from-behind win over the Dodgers last Wednesday at Coors Field, allowing six runs on four hits with five walks and seven strikeouts … all six runs came in the fourth inning … the five walks tied a career high (2x, first: Aug. 20, 2017 vs. Milwaukee).
- Has not earned a win since May 14 vs. Philadelphia, dropping four consecutive decisions across his last eight starts … has posted a 7.15 ERA (39.0 IP, 31 ER) with 17 walks and 22 strikeouts over this span … allowed 54 hits (.331 opp. average) with seven home runs).
BY THE NUMBERS: THIS VS. THAT
Season K/9 BB/9 HR/9
2021 7.83 2.83 1.49
2022 6.75 2.73 0.98
2023 5.98 2.89 1.49
Career 6.87 3.08 1.19
SUPPORT SYSTEM
- Has averaged 3.49 runs of support, the fifth-lowest mark among qualified NL pitchers.
- Has received a total of 10 runs of support in his seven road starts, a 2.37 average that is the third-lowest on the road in the Majors … has received no runs in four of seven starts.
- 4.18 RSA since 2020 is the seventh-lowest among qualifying pitchers … 4.71 career RSA is the third-lowest in franchise history (min. 50 GS).
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
- Gone 3-2 with a 4.13 ERA (52.1 IP, 24 ER), 18 walks and 46 strikeouts in 10 home starts.
- Career record of 31-26 (Rockies 52-36) with a 4.70 ERA (465.2 IP, 243 ER) in 88 appearances (85 starts) at Coors Field … ERA sixth all-time at Coors Field among pitchers with at least 40 starts, 31 wins tied for fourth with Jon Gray and Jason Jennings.
DONUT
- Has six games this season in which he has tossed at least five scoreless innings, tied for the second-most such games in a single season in franchise history … his next game of five-plus scoreless innings will tie him with Ubaldo Jiménez in 2010 for the most in franchise history.
- His seven quality starts this season lead the club and are tied for 15th in the NL.
ROAD WARRIOR
- Has lost each of his last six road starts, allowing 25 runs across 32.0 innings (7.03 ERA) … he is the second pitcher in franchise history to lose at least six-straight road starts, joining John Thomson, who lost 10-straight road starts from Sept. 19, 1998-Aug. 8, 2001.
- Has gone 5-11 with a 3.94 ERA (125.2 IP, 55 ER) in 22 starts on the road over the past two seasons.
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
HAPPY FOURTH!: The Astros will celebrate July 4 today by opening a six-game homestand, which will complete their first-half schedule…the Astros enter this homestand having won five of their last six games, while going 8-4 in their last 12…on the mound today for the Astros will be RHP Brandon Bielak, who was just recalled from Triple A yesterday, as he takes on LHP Kyle Freeland and the Rockies.
JULY FOURTH FIREWORKS: The Astros have won five straight July 4 games (2016-18, 2021-22), which followed a streak of nine straight losses on the Fourth of July (2007-15)…last July 4 was a memorable win for Houston, as they downed the Royals, 7-6, on a walkoff homer by DH Yordan Alvarez.
IN THE DAYTIME: Today is the fourth of five consecutive scheduled day games for the Astros, which will be their most consecutive day games since playing five straight from Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2007 (source: Elias).
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: The Astros have hit 31 doubles and 24 homers, while scoring 90 runs in their last 15 games (6.0 runs per game)…Houston has homered in all 15 of those contests, a streak that ties as the seventh-longest in club history…the last time they had a streak of this length was back in 2021, when they homered in 18 straight games from July 19-Aug. 8.
YESTERDAY’S WIN: The Astros and Rangers played a wild one in Arlington yesterday, with Houston emerging with a 12-11 win, which gave the Astros a series victory, three games to one…the Astros had many heroes, with the final shot being hit by CF Chas McCormick (2×5, HR, 2RBI), who hit a go-ahead double for the club in the 9th…RF Kyle Tucker (4×4, HR, 4RBI) and 1B José Abreu (2×5, HR, 4RBI) each drove in four RBI, while rookie DH Yainer Diaz (1×5, HR, RBI) connected for his 8th homer on the season.
SALAMI SEASON: RF Kyle Tucker connected for the Astros eighth grand slam of the season yesterday, which matches the Dodgers for the most in the Majors…their eight grand slams also matches their season totals in 2021 and 2022 and is just three shy of the franchise record, which stands at 11, set in 2019… for Tucker, yesterday’s grand slam was the fourth of his career.
HOW THE WEST WAS WON: The Astros took three of four from the Rangers over the weekend, cutting the Rangers lead in the AL West to just 3.0 games…this marks the closest the Astros have been to first place in a month, as they were 2.5 games out after a victory on June 3…the Astros are now 16-7 (.695) vs. AL West opponents this season, which is tops within the division (TEX is 16-11, .592)…the Astros are now 4-3 vs. the Rangers thus far in 2023.
ROAD WARRIORS: Yesterday, the Astros wrapped up a season-long, 10-game road trip, in which they went 6-4, going 1-2 at LAD, 2-1 at STL and 3-1 at TEX, respectively…on the season, the Astros are 25-19 (.568) on the road this season, which is third in the AL…including the last trip, they have finished at .500 or above on five of their six road trips in 2023.
PITCHING IN: The Astros rank second in the Majors in ERA (3.64), trailing only the Twins (3.61)…they also rank fourth in the Majors in starter’s ERA (3.71) and fourth in the Majors in bullpen ERA (3.51).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB Lowest Bullpen ERA – AL
- Minnesota: 3.61 1. New York: 2.83
- Houston: 3.64 2. Cleveland: 3.10
- Atlanta: 3.64 3. Houston: 3.51
BRANDON BE-BACK: RHP Brandon Bielak is returning to the Astros rotation today after a one-start stint at Triple A Sugar Land, where he tossed 6.0 innings of two run ball (one earned) on June 24 at Salt Lake…prior to that stint, Bielak made eight consecutive turns in the Astros rotation after stepping in for the injured RHP José Urquidy…in his Astros career, which spans parts of the last four Major League seasons (2020-23), Bielak has made 54 appearances (16 starts), posting a 4.89 ERA.
ROOKIE RUMBLE: Of the nine starters the Astros have used this season, four are rookies, including tomorrow’s scheduled starter RHP J.P. France…Houston has received 32 starts from rookie pitchers, ranking third in the Majors behind Oakland (44) and Cleveland (39)…all nine starting pitchers used by the Astros in 2023 are products of their minor league system.
URQUIDY TO THROW LIVE BP: RHP José Urquidy, who’s currently on the 60-day IL with right shoulder discomfort, is scheduled to throw live BP today, which is tentatively scheduled for 11:15 a.m…Urquidy has been sidelined for over two months since being placed on the IL on May 1.
ABREU’S REBOUND: 1B José Abreu has rebounded after a tough first couple months in an Astros uniform to post a .303 (33×109) average with eight doubles, six homers, 25 RBI and an .866 OPS in 27 games since June 1…Abreu ranks tied for third in the AL in RBI and tied for seventh in the AL in extra-base hits (14) since that date
TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP BRANDON BIELAK
LAST MINOR LEAUGE APP – 6/24 AT SALT LAKE: allowed 2 runs (1 ER) on 5 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts in 6.0 innings…marked his first start of at least 6.0 innings in the minors this season.
LAST MLB START – 6/17 VS. CIN: allowed 5 runs (4 ER) on 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
BACK IN THE BIGS: was recalled from Triple A Sugar Land prior to yesterday’s game; Houston optioned RHP Shawn Dubin to Triple A Sugar Land to make room for Bielak on the 26-man roster.
- is making his 2nd stint in the Majors this season and has appeared at the MLB level in each of the last 4 seasons (all with the Astros)…has settled into a starting role this season after serving in a hybrid starter-relief role through the first 3 seasons of his career…prior to his start on May 1, he had not made a start at the Major League level since Sept. 24, 2021 at OAK.
AGAINST THE ROCKIES: is making his 3rd appearance (2nd start) against the Rockies in his career…has recorded a 3.38 ERA (3ER/8IP) with 6 strikeouts and a .185 opponent batting average against the Rockies.
- in his lone start against the Rockies, he allowed 1 run on 1 hit with 4 strikeouts an 4 walks in 6.0 innings on Aug. 17, 2020 at Minute Maid Park.
ABOUT BIELAK: selected by the Astros in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB June draft from Notre Dame…pitched 3 years at Notre Dame, earning ACC All-Freshman honors in 2015 after leading the Fighting Irish in starts (14) and IP (88.2)…pitched 3 full seasons (2015-17) with the Fighting Irish, going 11-11 with a 3.85 ERA in 47 games.
- will be making his 16th career start in what is his 53nd career MLB appearance…has gone 4-6 with a 5.05 ERA (37ER/66IP) as a starter vs. going 5-4 with a 4.56 ERA (36ER/71.0IP) as a reliever…of his 38 appearances as a reliever, has tossed at least 2.0 IP on 18 occasions.
WHAT A RELIEF: came on in relief on May 1 vs. SF after RHP Luis Garcia was removed in the 1st inning after 8 pitches..struck out 6 batters, tossing 4.0 IP and allowing 2 runs, 2 hits and 3 walks… was the longest relief outing from an Astros pitcher this season and was the longest from an Astros pitcher since RHP Peter Solomon on Sept. 29, 2021 vs. ARI.
