SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue the road trip (2-0) today with the series finale at the San Francisco Giants (2-0)…Seattle will also travel to Houston (4 G, July 6-9) during the current 7-game road trip…Seattle is coming off a 3-3 homestand vs. the Nationals (1-2) and Rays (2-1)…today’s game will be televised live on ROOT Sports with Dave Sims and Aaron Goldsmith on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners won yesterday’s game 6-0 to secure the series win…Seattle is 33-16 when scoring at least 4 runs and 9-26 when scoring 3-or-fewer…the Mariners are 24-20 at T-Mobile Park and 18-22 on the road this season…they are 13-18 in day games and 29-24 at night.
- W4 – The Mariners have a matched their season-high winning streak of 4 games, which they have done three times; April 12-16, April 30-May 4 and May 22-25.
- On Shutouts – The Mariners recorded their 7th shutout win of the season in yesterday’s game.
- Once in a (Mariners) Blue Moon – Yesterday marked the first time the Mariners had a player record a 4+ hit game and their starter throw a shutout since May 30, 1994, when Rich Amaral & Mike Blowers both had 4-hit games and Randy Johnson tossed a complete game shutout in a 12-0 win at Minnesota.
- When the Calendar Turns – The Mariners are 36-17 in July since 2021, including going 18-7 in July last season…Seattle is off to a 3-0 start in July this season.
NOT A BAD WAY TO CELEBRATE…Mike Ford celebrated his 31st birthday in style yesterday, going 4-for-5 with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 home run and 1 RBI, his first career 4-hit game…over his last 9 games (6/24-c), Ford is batting .464 (13×28) with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 7 RBI, getting on base at a .516 clip and slugging .857 (1.373 OPS)…overall this season, Ford is batting .279 (19×68) with 12 runs, 2 doubles, 7 home runs and 13 RBI, getting on base at a .324 clip and slugging .618 (.942 OPS)…since he was selected on June 2, Ford’s 158 wRC+ ranks 11th-best in the American League (min. 50 PA) and since June 24 his 284 wRC+ leads the Majors (min. 20 PA).
RUNNIN’ DOWN A DREAM…the Mariners have scored 119 runs over their last 22 games (6/9-c), averaging 5.17 runs-per-contest which leads the American League over that span, ranking ahead of Houston (5.13) and Los Angeles-AL (5.13)…Seattle’s 1.52 home runs-per-game over that span also ranks 3rd in the AL, trailing Los Angeles (1.88) and Texas (1.56).
J.P. THE CATALYST…J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 with 1 walk, 1 run and 1 double in yesterday’s win… over his last 8 games out of the leadoff spot, Crawford is batting .571 (4×7) with 3 doubles, 1 home run and 1 walk in the first inning…over his last 19 games since June 10, Crawford is batting .292 (21×72) with 13 runs, 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 RBI and 16 walks, getting on base at a .416 clip and slugging .542 (.957 OPS).
HANDMADE QUALITY STUFF…the Mariners starting rotation has 43 quality starts this season, 2nd-most in the Majors to Minnesota (44)…in 19 games since June 12, Seattle’s starting rotation is 8-5 with a 2.78 ERA (37 ER, 120.0 IP) with 33 walks and 116 strikeouts…the 2.78 starters ERA leads the Majors, ranking ahead of Philadelphia (2.93) and San Diego (3.32)…the Mariners have put together 10 quality starts in that span, with their starters allowing 3-or-fewer runs in 18-of-20 games and 2-or-fewer in 13 of the contests.
EVERYBODY SAY TEO…Teoscar Hernández went 1-for-5 in yesterday’s win…he’s hit safely in 7 of his last 8 games (6/26-c)…over his last 28 games (6/2-c), Teo is batting .306 (33×108) with 19 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 21 RBI and 12 walks, getting on base at a .372 clip, slugging .546 with a .918 OPS… over his last 46 games (5/13-c), he is batting .290 (51×176) with 24 runs, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 32 RBI and 15 walks, getting on base at a .342 clip, slugging .494 with an .836 OPS.
JULIO AMONG TOP AL OUTFIELDERS…Julio Rodríguez, who is participating in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and was announced as an All-Star yesterday, went 2-for-5 with 1 RBI in yesterday’s game, his 17th multi-hit game over his last 38 games since May 22…Rodríguez has 16 doubles, 13 homers and 20 stolen bases in 82 games this season, currently on pace for about 31 doubles, 25 homers and 39 steals over the team’s 162 regular season games…among American League outfielders, Julio ranks T7th in fWAR (2.3) with Yordan Alvarez-HOU, Kyle Tucker-HOU and Leody Taveras-TEX, trailing Luis Robert Jr.- CWS (3.8), Mike Trout-LAA (3.1), Adolis Garcia-TEX (3.1), Randy Arozarena-TB (2.8), Aaron Judge-NYY (2.8) and Luke Raley-TB (2.5).
J-ROD TO PARTICIPATE IN 2023 HOME RUN DERBY…Julio Rodríguez will participate in the 2023 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 10 at T-Mobile Park…it will be the second Derby for Rodríguez, who hit a contest-high 81 home runs in last year’s event at Dodger Stadium, finishing in 2nd place to Juan Soto… Julio is set to be the first Mariners player to appear in the event in back-to-back years since Ken Griffey Jr. did it in 3 consecutive seasons (1997-99), winning the contest in both the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
KIRBY, RODRÍGUEZ ADDED TO AL ALL-STAR ROSTER…Major League Baseball announced yesterday that OF Julio Rodríguez and RH George Kirby were added to the AL All-Star Game roster as injury replacements for OF Yordan Alvarez-HOU and LH Shane McClanahan…they join RH Luis Castillo who was named to the All-Star Game on Sunday…Mariners manager Scott Servais will also serve as a coach on the AL staff, while Mariners Head Athletic Trainer Kyle Torgerson will be one of the athletic trainers for the 93rd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard held on July 11 at T-Mobile Park.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…Logan Gilbert turned in his first career complete game shutout in yesterday’s 6-0 win, allowing 5 hits and striking out 7 without walking a batter, and…AS YOU MAY ALSO KNOW…it marked the first CGShO thrown by a Mariners pitcher since LH Yusei Kikuchi on Aug. 18, 2019 at Toronto, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that Gilbert became the first Mariners pitcher since Taijuan Walker on Sept. 13, 2016 at Los Angeles-AL to throw a CGShO without issuing a walk?…Gilbert also became the first Seattle
MARINERS STARTER – LHP TOMMY MILONE
ABOUT MILONE…
- 35-year-old left-hander is set to make his 2nd appearance of 2023…he will also make his 198th career appearance and 3rd career start against the Giants.
- Signed as a minor league free agent with the Seattle Mariners on April 1, 2022…reported to Triple-A Tacoma.
- Drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 10th round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA).
- Made MLB debut on 9/3/12 with the Washington Nationals, starting and going 4.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits with 2 strikeouts against the New York Mets.
- Is a veteran of 11 MLB seasons with Washington (2011, 2018), Oakland (2012-14), Minnesota (2014- 16), Milwaukee (2017), New York-NL (2017), Seattle (2019, 2022), Baltimore (2020), Atlanta (2020) and Toronto (2021).
LAST TIME OUT…ND in last Triple-A start on 6/30 vs. Salt Lake, tossed 4.2 innings and allowed 8 runs on 10 hits (3 HR) and 2 walks while striking out 5.
LAST MLB START…ND on 4/14 against Colorado, tossed 4.2 innings and allowed just 1 run on 3 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks while striking out 3.
LAST RELIEF APPEARANCE…pitched the 6th inning at Houston on 7/29/22, allowing 4 runs on 3 hits (2 HR) in his inning of work.
INTERLEAGUE PLAY…is set to make his 26th interleague appearance and 18th start…is 11-4 all-time in interleague play with a 4.91 ERA (117.1 IP, 64 ER) with 77 strikeouts and 37 walks…tonight’s game marks Milone’s 3rd start against the Giants.
WHAT A DEBUT!…hit a 3-run home run in his first career PA in his MLB debut with Washington on 9/3/11…he is the first starting pitcher since 1914 to hit a home run in their first career PA in their MLB debut… only 7 starting pitchers have hit a HR in their MLB debut: Jack PowellSTL (1901), Bobby Locke-CLE (1959), Denny McLain-DET (1963), Paul Moskau-CIN (1977), Jason Jennings-COL (2001), Milone-WAS (2011) and Kenta Maeda-LAD (2016).
BULK PITCHER…made 24 relief appearances of 3.0 innings-or-more, including 3 in the 2022 season: 6/18 (2) vs. LAA, 6/27 vs. BAL, and 7/13 (2) at WSN…he has made 19 relief appearances of 4.0+ IP, 18 of them coming with the Mariners…in 2019 he recorded a 6 game streak of relief appearances with the Mariners where he pitched 4.0+ innings… the streak lasted from 7/28-8/26/19 and he pitched 28.0 innings over that span.
YOU COMPLETE ME…has thrown two complete games in his career, both with Oakland…first came on 6/20/12 vs. Los Angeles-NL going 9.0 innings allowing just 1 run on 3 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts…the second came in a weather-shortened game against Detroit on 8/27/13 when he tossed 5.0 innings allowing 3 runs (2 ER) on 3
hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts.
TWO-STINT MARINER…became the 49th player to have two different stints with the Mariners (2019 and 2022-23)…he was one of three two-stint Mariners to appear in a game last season, joining Roenis Elias (3 stints, 2014-15, 2018-19 and 2022) and Kevin Padlo (2021-22).
HE’S SEEN A THING OR TWO…has played for nine different franchises in his career, 1 of only 5 pitchers who appeared in an MLB game last season to play for nine-or-more teams (also: Rich Hill, Jesse Chavez, Mark Melancon and Ross Detwiler)…only Rich Hill (11) and Ross Detwiler (10) have played for more franchises than Milone.
AS A MARINER…made Mariners debut on 5/21/19 at Texas (5.0,3,2,2,1,6)…made 23 appearances (6 starts) for the Mariners in 2019, going 4-10 with a 4.76 ERA (59 ER, 111.2 IP) with 94 strikeouts and 23 walks…made 7 appearances in 2022 going 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA (16.2 IP, 10 ER) with 5 strikeouts and 6 walks…pitched behind an “opener” in the majority of his relief appearances with the Mariners.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Giants look to snap a four-game losing streak this evening in the final game of this three-game series with Seattle before tomorrow’s off day…the Giants have dropped four straight games for a third time this season with the last time being April 27-May 1…the Giants’ longest lonsing streak this year is a five-gamer from April 12-18…SF has also lost three straight series with yesterday’s defeat (at Toronto, at New York-NL and this series)…the only other time that has happened this season was when they lost four consecutive series in early April (1-2 vs. Kansas City, 1-2 vs. Los Angeles-NL, 0-2 at Detroit and 1-2 at Miami).
TOUGH STRETCH: During this tough 12-game stretch where SF has gone 4-8 the Giants have been outscored 62-37 (-25) while logging a .595 OPS offensively…they’ve averaged 3.1 runs per game but have done okay with runners in scoring position, posting an. 821 OPS in those spots…below is a breakdown of the Giants last 12 games versus their 10-game win streak that preceded this stretch…SF had been without a few of its key offensive contributors during this recent stretch with OFs Michael Conforto and OF Mike Yastrzemski each missing some time and now IF Thairo Estrada has hit the IL.
THE FUNK…: The Giants .595 OPS since June 22 is second-lowest in the Majors ahead of only the Oakland A’s .590 OPS in that time…SF’s strikeout rate of 28.4% is also second-highest in the Majors in that run just behind Boston (29.5%)…lastly, their 3.08 runs/game are second-lowest in the Majors ahead of Boston (2.73)…on the pitching side, SF’s 5.11 team ERA is 23rd of 30 MLB teams in this stretch while the 111 hits they’ve allowed are fifth-most in MLB.
STRONGER COFFEE?: Since June 1 the Giants have scored 35 runs in innings 1-4, the fewest of any team in the Majors…the Yankees have scored the second fewest at 44 runs…that wasn’t so much the case in the season’s first two months as SF logged 130 runs in innings 1-4 through May 31, 10th-most in MLB…the flip side of this has been that the Giants lead the Majors in runs scored from the 5th inning on since June 1 (114)…the next closest team, Cincinnati, has 96 in that time.
KEEP GRINDING…: Despite this tough stretch, the Giants have still been one of the best teams in baseball over the last 2+ months, posting a 35-24 record since May 1…SF’s .593 winning percentage in that stretch is the fourth-best in the Majors behind the Braves (39-19, .672), Reds (35-23, .603) and D-Backs (34-23, .596)…that success is in large part due to the bullpen, who’s sporting a 2.93 ERA (second in MLB behind NYY’s 2.77 ERA) with an MLB-high 273 strikeouts in
that stretch.
IT’S NOT HOW YOU START IT’S HOW YOU FINISH…: SF will try and grab a win in the finale of this series today, something that has been elusive at times to the Giants this season…they’ve lost their last four series finales dating to a June 22 loss to San Diego…overall, the Giants are 11-16 in the final game of a series this season.
WE WANT A COBB-STOPPER: RHP Alex Cobb aims to be the Giants stopper this evening and is making his second start since being activated off the IL last Friday in New York when facing the Mets…SF is 11-4 when Cobb takes the ball this year, winning each of his last four starts and eight of his last nine outings dating to May 6…the Giants (and Cobb’s) only loss in that span came on May 28 at Milwaukee.
ACE-LIKE: Since joining the Giants, Cobb has posted a 2.30 ERA (32er, 125.0ip) in 22 starts here at Oracle Park, the 10th-best home ERA among qualified starters since 2022… furthermore, Cobb has a 1.75 ERA (20er, 103.0ip) in his last 17 starts here dating to June 24 of last season…in six home starts this year he has a 1.43 ERA (6er, 37.2ip).
PATTY CANNON ARM:C Patrick Bailey caught Seattle’s Jarred Kelenic stealing yesterday for his 12th caught stealing in 31 stolen base attempts (38.7%)…since making his MLB debut on May 19, Bailey’s 12 caught stealings are tied for most in the Majors with Oakland’s Shea Langeliers, who’s caught 12 of 27 base-stealers in that time…in his 36 games thus far, Bailey has been worth 1.8 fWAR, already fourth-best on the team behind Thairo Estrada (2.6), J.D. Davis (2.1) and LaMonte Wade Jr.
(2.0)…each of those other three have played in at least 70 games this year compared to Bailey’s 36.
I’D RELAX, I WOULD DO NOTHING…: After a brutal week plus of travel, the Giants will enjoy a much needed off day tomorrow before welcoming in the Colorado Rockies for the final three games before next week’s All-Star break…the Giants swept the Rockies at Coors Field June 6-8 and will be facing them here at Oracle for the first time this season…since 2021, SF has gone 15-4 vs. the Rockies here at Oracle Park with a +50 run differential (101-51).
ZIP, ZILCH, NADA: Four Giants prospects combined on a no-hitter down at High-A Eugene last night in the Emeralds’ 3-0 win over Tri-City…RHP Hayden Birdsong started, struck out 11 batters and walked one over his 5.0 hitless innings…he was followed by RHP Mat Olsen (2.0ip, 5k), RHP William Kempner (1.0ip, 2k) and RHP Sam Delaplane (1.0ip, 2bb, k).
TODAY’S STARTER – ALEX COBB RHP #38
2023 RECORD: 5-2, 3.12 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: Is in his 12th Major League season and his second with the Giants…he’s in his second year of a two-year contract (with a third-year team option) with the Giants that he signed on November 30, 2021.
LAST TIME OUT: Threw 5.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks with three strikeouts in the Giants 5-4 victory over the Mets on Friday, June 30…he hasn’t allowed a home run over his last four starts (21.2 innings).
TIME ON THE IL: Was activated from the IL prior to his last start on June 30 in New York-NL…he was placed on the Injured List on June 18 with a left oblique strain and missed the minimum 15 days (13 games)…his IL placement was SF being cautious as he felt some tenderness in his left side after his start at STL and in his bullpen in Los Angeles…he made a rehab start on June 24 with Single-A San Jose and struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings of work, while allowing one earned run on three hits and no walks.
ELITE STATUS: Cobb has been one of the Giants most reliable pitchers this year…he’s allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of his 15 starts, posting a 3.12 ERA…the Giants have an 11-4 record when Cobb takes the mound and have won eight of the last nine games he’s started.
VS. THE MARINERS: Is slated to face the Mariners for the 13th time in his career and the first time since 2021…has posted a 5-4 record with a 5.37 ERA and a .280 opponents average over his 12 starts… he last faced them on July 17, 2021 with the Angels and earned the win as he threw 6.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits and four walks with six strikeouts in the Angels 9-4 victory.
NOTHING LIKE YOUR OWN PILLOW: Has pitched much better at home this year going 3-1 with a 1.43 ERA (6er, 37.2ip) in six starts, compared to the road where he’s 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA (23er, 46.0ip) over nine starts…however the Giants play well when he starts on the road or at hame having posted a 7-2 record when he starts on the road and a 4-2 record when he starts at home.
DAYS OF REST: Has pitched much better on five days of rest then when he pitches after only four days of rest…he’s posted a 4.21 ERA (17er, 36.1ip) with a .381 OBP over seven starts on four days of rest this year…in comparison, he’s posted a 1.69 ERA (2er, 26.2ip) with a .262 OBP over four starts on five days of rest.
BANANA SPLITS: Opponents are hitting .323 (10-for-31) off his curveball and .375 (6-for-16) off his slider, compared to a .245 average (40-for-163) off his split finger and .298 (37-for-124) off his
sinker.
STAY GROUNDED: Cobb has failed out of the qualified league leaders because he missed time on the 15-day IL but if you lower the minimum to 80.0 innings pitched, Cobb’s 58.0% groundball rate would be third-best in the Majors behind his teammate Logan Webb (60.9%) and CHC’s Marcus Stroman (59.7%).
IN PRIME FORM: Similarly, if you look at the NL league leaders with a minimum of 80.0 innings, Cobb ranks among them in ERA (3.12, 7th), FIP (3.20, 5th), WAR (1.8, T-13th) and home runs per 9.0 innings (0.65, 5th-lowest).
(DON’T) WALK THIS WAY: Walked four batters over his first six starts of the season (1.08 BB/9.0), but has now walked 17 batters over his past nine starts (2.83 BB/9.0)…he’s now averaging 2.16 walks per 9.0 innings overall this season.
RISP MANAGEMENT: Opponents are hitting .296 (58-for196) off him with 13 extra-base hits with no one on base…he’s holding opponents to a .186 average (16-for-86) with runners in scoring position…the Mets went 0-for-6 with RISP against Cobb last Friday at Citi Field.
IT’S AN AMBUSH!: Opponents are batting .375 (15-for-40) with five extra base hits off him on the first pitch of an at-bat.
