TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
COMING UP SHORT — Tampa Bay dropped game two of the three-game set with Texas by a 5-3 final…RHP Taj Bradley took the loss after working 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts…trailing 2-0 in the seventh frame, C Francisco Mejía (1-for-4, 2B, RBI) brought the Rays within a run of the lead with an RBI-double…following a three-run homer by SS Corey Seager in the home half of the seventh, the Rays responded with solo homers from LF Randy Arozarena (2-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI) and 2B Brandon Lowe (1-for-4, HR), but the late comeback bid ultimately fell short.
Bradley became the first Rays rookie to have 7+ strikeouts in seven of his first 14 career starts…Jake Faria was the next closest with six such games in 2017…since
2018, Bradley is one of only five pitchers to accomplish the feat, joining CLE Shane Bieber (2018), MIA Zac Gallen (2019), CIN Nick Lodolo (2022) and NYM Kodai Senga (2023).
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY — Tampa Bay is looking to avoid just its second sweep of the season (7/4-6 vs. PHI)…the Rays have not been swept on the road since dropping three straight at Boston from 10/3-5, 2022.
Texas last swept the Rays from 4/13-15, 2021 and last swept Tampa Bay at home from 8/14-16, 2015.
CLOSE CALLS — Of Tampa Bay’s 38 losses this season, 24 have been decided by two runs or fewer, including 17 by one run…among teams currently above .500, the 24 losses by two runs or fewer are tied with Houston for second most in MLB, trailing only Minnesota (25).
Conversely, the Rays 23 wins by 5+ runs are tied with the Dodgers for second most in MLB, trailing only the Rangers (24).
RIDIN’ ON THE RALE-ROAD — Luke Raley has hit safely in 10 straight road games, batting .389 (14-for-36) with three doubles, two homers, 10 RBI and four multi-hit games in that span…it is the second-longest such streak by a Ray this season, trailing only an 11-game run by Yandy Díaz from 4/18-5/14.
The only longer active streak in the majors belongs to HOU Kyle Tucker (15G)… Raley has reached base safely in 14 straight road games and recorded a hit in 16 of his last 18 since 6/4.
Raley has reached base safely in 41 of his last 46 starts overall since 5/6, slashing .308/.390/.564 (48-for-156) with 12 doubles, two triples, 23 RBI and 10 steals…his .946 OPS in that timeframe ranks fifth in the AL (min. 175PA).
ROLLING AGAINST THE RANGERS — In 26 career games against Texas, Yandy Díaz is slashing .351/.425/.457 (33-for-94) with five doubles, one triple, one HR, 7 RBI and 10 walks…min. 90 AB, his .351 AVG against the Rangers is second highest among all active players, trailing only DET Miguel Cabrera (.381).
HOLDING IT DOWN — RHP Kevin Kelly has thrown 20.1 scoreless innings spanning 21 appearances since 5/14, holding opponents to an .092 (6-for-65) batting average…it marks the second-longest streak by a rookie in club history, behind Álex Torres (25.0IP, 9/24/11-6/22/13)…Kelly has begun his career with 41.2 homerless innings, the second-longest such streak by a Rays rookie behind Torres (42.2IP).
LHP Jake Diekman has allowed just one earned run over his last 15.1 innings since 5/26, striking out 24 hitters while limiting opponents to an .096 (5-for-52)
average during that span.
In 17 appearances since 5/31, LHP Colin Poche is 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA (16.1IP, 3ER) while holding opposing batters to a .132 (7-for-53) average.
RHP Jason Adam owns a 1.86 ERA (19.1IP, 4ER) with five saves while posting a .141 (9-for-64) opponent average over his last 19 appearances since 5/26.
SIRI-OUS POWER—Since 5/1, Jose Siri has recorded 16 home runs in 49 games…the 16 long balls in that timeframe are tied with TEX Adolis García (68G) for third most in the AL, trailing LAA Shohei Ohtani (28HR, 66G) and CWS Luis Robert Jr. (22HR, 65G)…over that stretch, 44.4 pct. (16HR, 36H) of his hits have been homers.
CRUNCH TIME — Tampa Bay is batting .285 with runners in scoring position, the second-highest mark in the majors behind today’s opponent, the Texas Rangers (.300)…the Rays are also batting .279 with RISP/2 outs, the second-highest such average in the majors behind Houston (.284).
Josh Lowe is hitting .438 (14-for-32) with five doubles and 20 RBI with RISP/2 outs…his .438 AVG in such situations is the second-highest mark in the majors (min. 30AB), trailing only TEX Jonah Heim (.500).
Luke Raley is batting .500 (7-for-14) with one double, one HR and 10 RBI with runners in scoring position since 6/24.
BEST OF THE BEST — Tampa Bay is an AL-best 33-26 (.560) against teams currently at or above .500, ahead of Baltimore (35-28, .556), while trailing only Atlanta (33-19, .635) and San Francisco (27-21 .563).
Despite owning the best overall record in the AL, Tampa Bay has seen its lead in the AL East diminish to 1.0 game over Baltimore…Tampa Bay is 12-18 over its last 30 games while Baltimore has gone 17-13 in its last 30.
BRILLIANCE ON THE BASEPATHS — The Rays 114 stolen bases are tied with Cincinnati for the MLB lead…it marks the third-most steals through 98 games in club history, behind the 2009 (140SB) and 2010 (120SB) squads.
Tampa Bay has an MLB-best three players with 20+ steals, including Wander Franco (28), Josh Lowe (20) and Taylor Walls (20)…Arizona is the only other club in the majors with multiple players having 20+ steals (Corbin Carroll – 28 and Jake McCarthy – 20).
Tampa Bay is second in the majors behind Atlanta (50.0%) with a 49.0 pct. extra-base taken percentage, which is defined as the percent of times a runner advances more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double, when possible.
Rays baserunners have gone from first to third on singles an AL-leading 57 times, fifth most in MLB behind Atlanta (65), Colorado (63), Cincinnati (58) and Miami (58)… they have scored from first base on doubles 28 times, tied for second most behind Texas (33).
TEXAS TWO-STEP — Tampa Bay and Texas conclude a three-game set today in Arlington…the Rays took two of three from the Rangers from 6/9-11 at Tropicana Field.
The two clubs last tied a season series in 2019 (3-3)…the Rays won the 2022 season series 4-3, while Texas’ last season series victory came in 2021 (4-3).
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP ZACK LITTELL (0-1, 6.05)
TODAY’S START — The sixth-year veteran makes his seventh career start in today’s series finale at Texas, including his third this season…has pitched to a 4.50 ERA (4.0IP, 2ER) while fanning five of the 17 batters he has faced (29.4%) across his two previous starts in 2023 (6/29 at AZ; 7/5 vs. PHI); the Rays are 1-1 in those games.
TALKIN’ TEXAS — Has turned in a 2.16 ERA (8.1IP, 2ER) and a 1.20 WHIP over six career games (1GS) against the Rangers, with his most recent outing coming on 6/9/21 (1.0IP, BB, SO) as a member of San Francisco, signaling his only career appearance at Globe Life Field…Littell signed a minor league deal with Texas during the offseason and pitched in eight games with Triple-A Round Rock to open the season before eventually being traded to Boston in May.
THIS AND THAT — Littell struck out multiple batters in five straight games from 6/21-7/5, the longest streak of his career — he turned in a 0.92 WHIP and .235 (8-for-34) opponent average in that span…has held the first three spots in the opposing order to a .152 (5-for-33) average, but 4-9 hitters are batting .408 (20-for-49) against him.
He has held lefties to a .237/.310/.421 (9-for-28) line compared to .364/.378/.546 (16-for-44) against right-handed hitters…his career splits are more even, holding righties to a .264 average and lefthanded batters to .259.
Littell primarily relies on a fastball/slider combination, throwing one of those two offerings 73.5 pct. of the time…added a sweeper to his arsenal this season and has yet to allow a hit on the pitch, generating a 66.7 pct. whiff rate.
SEASON RUNDOWN — Littell signed a minor league contract with Texas on 2/3 and was a non-roster invitee to Rangers Spring Training…made eight Cactus League appearances before opening the season with Triple-A Round Rock, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA (12.0IP, 3ER) in eight relief outings, striking out 16 and walking a pair…was dealt to Boston in exchange for cash considerations on 5/5 and subsequently added to the 40-man roster the following day…after pitching in only two games for the Red Sox, he was designated for assignment on 5/10 before being claimed by the Rays off waivers on 5/12.
Made four appearances between 5/16-22 before the Rays placed him on the 15-day injured list on 5/24 with right shoulder fatigue… completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham from 6/6-11 before being activated on 6/14…has recorded a 4.85 ERA (13.0IP, 7ER) since returning from the IL compared to an 8.10 ERA (3.1IP, 3ER) in four games as a Ray prior to his IL stint.
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat the Rays last night, 5-3, and club now owns a 5-0 record to begin this 9-G, 10-day homestand against CLE (3-0), TB (2-0 + today) and LAD (3 G), with an off day tomorrow…Texas joins SF (both 5-0) as the only undefeated clubs in MLB since the All-Star Break… current 5-G win streak matches season best (see below)… team is 6-2 in last 8 G…club is still 7-6 in last 13 G and 8-8 in last 16 G…team is 17-19 (.472) beg. 6/7, a stretch which came after club reached season high point at 20-over on 6/6 (40-20)…team’s 43-28 (.606) record since 4/28 is still best in A.L. and 4th-best in MLB over that span…TEX is 47-33 in last 80 G and 52-35 last 87 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 57-39 (.594), TEX owns the 3rd-best record in the A.L. and 4th-best in MLB (ATL: .656, 61-32; TB: .612, 60-38; BAL: .606, 57-37)…57 wins rank 3rd in A.L. and T3rd-most in MLB (61-ATL, 60-TB, 57-TEX/BAL).
- The 57-39 mark matches the best 96-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
FIVE ALIVE: The Rangers’ current 5-G win streak is the only active streak longer than 2 G among A.L. clubs, and is the 2nd-longest active win streak in MLB (7-SF)…it is tied for the longest win streak by Texas in ’23 (also 5-0, 6/2-6)…those are the club’s only 2 win streaks of at least 5 G since 2020, and the only win streak of 6+ G since start of 2019 was 6-0 span, 6/22-28/19.
- The 5-0 span to open the 2nd “half” is T2nd-longest post-break win streak in Rangers history (6-1977, 5-2011/2023).
WITH A WIN TODAY, Texas would:
- Win all games of consecutive series (3-0 vs. CLE last weekend) for the 1st time since club produced an 8-0 homestand from 5/10-18/17 with series wins vs. SD (2-0), OAK (3-0), and PHI (3-0).
- Record 1st 6-G win streak since 6/22-28/19 (6-0).
- Match best 97-G start in franchise history (58-39 in 2012).
- Match longest win streak to open 2nd “half” in TEX history (6-0 in 1977).
STANDINGS: TEX owns a 4.5-game lead in A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU, gaining 2.5 G over the last 4 days, as this is largest division lead since 7/1 (+5.0 GA)… current division lead is the largest in A.L. and 2nd in MLB (ATL is 9.5 GA of PHI)…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 74 straight, 81 of 82, and 94 of the last 96 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 110 of the season’s first 111 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: Texas has secured back-to-back series wins to open the 2nd “half”, this after a span in which club had gone 0-3-0 in last 3 series and 0-4-1 in prev. 5…team is now 4-6-1 in last 11 series following a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19-6/7, longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16…club is 19-10-2 overall in series this year, going 10-4-2 at home and 9-6-0 on the road…is 15-7-2 in last 24 series and 18-8-2 in last 27…TEX has gone 9-3-2 in last 14 series at GLF.
- TEX enters today having gone undefeated in 5 different series in ’23 (3-0, 3/30-4/2 vs. PHI; 3-0, 4/17-19 at KC; 3-0, 5/19-21 vs. COL; 3-0, 6/2-4 vs. SEA; 3-0, 7/14-16 vs. CLE).
VS. TAMPA BAY: TEX has 3-2 edge, seeking to win season series for just 2nd time in last 5 tries (last 4-3 in 2021)…TEX has lost 6 of 10, going 10-9 in last 19 and 12-12 last 24 G.
SPEAS IN THE BIGS: RHP Alex Speas had his contract selected from Round Rock (AAA) today and he will be seeking his MLB debut…the 25-year-old reliever has combined to go 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA (4 ER/36.0 IP) over 28 relief app. for Frisco (AA) and Round Rock, averaging 14.8 SO/9 (59 SO) while allowing just one HR…the Georgia native was the Rangers’ 2nd round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft…he would be the 4th Ranger to make his ML debut in 2023, joining fellow pitchers Grant Anderson, Cody Bradford, and Owen White.
WINNING: Nathan Eovaldi recorded his 11th win last night with 6.0 SHO IP…the 11 wins are tied with 4 other pitchers for most in MLB…it is already the 2nd-highest win total by any Texas pitcher since the start of 2020, trailing only 12 wins by Martín Pérezin 2022…it is also T2nd-highest single-season win total in Eovaldi’s career: 14 in 2015 w/ NYY, 11 in 2021 w/BOS, 11 in 2023 w/ TEX.
- Last night was Eovaldi’s 6th start this season with 6.0+ SHO IP, tied with 2 other pitchers for most such starts in MLB in 2023: TOR’s Chris Bassitt, SD’s Michael Wacha…the 6 such starts are already T2nd-most in a single season in WAS/TEX franchise history behind only Yu Darvish in 2013 (7).
200 CLUB: Marcus Semien hit career HR no. 200 in the 3rd inning last night, as his 3 H were most in a game since 7/1 vs. HOU…Semien over his current 8-G on-base streak since 7/7: .333/.457/.630/1.087 (9-27) with 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 9 R, and 7 BB/2 SO.
TRAV TIME: Travis Jankowski has a current 8-G hit streak (.414/.452/.552/1.003), one shy of his career high (9 G, 7/31- 8/10/16)…it is the 5th-longest active streak in the A.L…Jankowski’s current .331 batting average is the 5th-highest in MLB among players with 145+ AB, trailing Luis Arraez (.376), Corey Seager (.348), LAA’s Mickey Moniak (.336), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (.334).
SEAGS: Corey Seager’s 3-R HR in the 7th last night gave Texas a 5-1 lead and provided what proved to be the winning runs…it was the 1st 3-R HR by a Ranger since Mitch Garver on 7/4 at BOS, and 1st 3-R HR or grand slam by TEX in the 7th-or-later since 6/3 vs. SEA (Semien 3-R HR in 7th)… among players with 290+ PA’s in 2023, Seager’s 4.49 AB/ RBI ratio ranks 2nd in MLB to only CLE’s Josh Naylor (4.20).
PLAYING CLEAN: The Rangers have yet to commit an error in the 2nd “half”, and the team has committed multiple errors in just 2 of the team’s last 72 G beg. 4/27…team has more than 2 errors just once all year: 5 E on 4/8 at CHC…the Rangers’ .988 (41 E/3451 TC) ranks 3rd in the A.L. and 5th in MLB for the season, with a .990 (25 E/2612 TC) fielding pct. since 4/27 ranking 1st in MLB.
- TEX has 36 defensive runs saved in ’23 according to Baseball Info Solutions, 2nd-most in MLB to only TOR (47)…the only position at which BIS has the Rangers with a negative figure is pitcher (-5), as TEX and MIL are only MLB teams without a negative figure at any regular position.
DODGERS FOR WEEKEND: Texas will host the Dodgers for 3-G series this weekend, L.A.’s first visit to Globe LIfe Field since 2020 (8/28-30/20 at TEX; also 2020 NLDS, NLCS, and WS)…will also mark the 1st time for Corey Seager to ever face his former team in the regular season…Rangers are 2-9 in last 11 G vs. LAD, dropping 4 straight series since Rangers took 3 of 4 in home-and-home series in 2015.
SHORTS: Rangers have at least one double in 26 straight (beg. 6/18), T3rd-longest doubles streak in WSH/TEX franchise history (34 in 1996, 27 in 2015, 26- 990/2023)…TEX has played 13 weekday day games in ’23, going 7-6…have lost 3 of last 4 weekday day tilts…team is 2-3 in home weekday day games, losing 3 straight, including most recent on 7/3 vs. HOU (12-11 loss).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #22 Jon Gray, RHP (6-5, 3.45)
TODAY: The 31-year-old right-hander is set to make his 18th appearance/start of the season in today’s series finale against the Rays…is currently on a 3 G losing streak, and has losses in 4 of his last 6 starts (0-4)…has allowed 20 R-19 ER in his last 5 starts (25.1 IP) to spike his season ERA from 2.32 to 3.45, still 11th-lowest among A.L. qualifiers…despite his recent struggles, Gray has still gone 5-4, 3.03 ERA (24 ER/68.1 IP) over his last 11 starts (beg. 5/8) to lower his season ERA from 4.40…in his last start on 7/14 vs. CLE (his 1st start post-All-Star Break), he exited trailing 4-3 after completing 6.0 innings, but avoided suffering his 4th loss in as many starts when Corey Seager produced a game-tying RBI double in the 7th (ND, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R-ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 88 pitches/54
strikes)…this is Gray’s 2nd season with Texas after signing a 4-year free agent contract with the club on 12/1/21…was hindered by several injuries last season, but still managed to post a 7-7 record, 3.96 ERA (56 ER/127.1 IP), and 134 strikeouts over 24 starts…prior to joining the Rangers, the right-hander had spent his entire pro career with Colorado, ranking 3rd in Rockies history with 849 strikeouts while also placing among the all-time team leaders with 151 starts, 829.1 innings, and 53 wins from 2015-21…was the 3rd overall selection by Colorado in the 2013 MLB Draft after pitching 2 seasons at the U. of Oklahoma…is a native of the Oklahoma City area, growing up in Chandler…TEX is 9-8 in Gray’s 17 starts in 2023.
LAST START: In his last start on 7/14 vs. CLE (his 1st start post-All-Star Break), he exited trailing 4-3 after completing 6.0 innings, but avoided suffering his 4th loss in as many starts when Corey Seager produced a game-tying RBI double in the 7th inning (ND, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R-ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 88 pitches/54 strikes).
HELP ME, PLEASE: Gray has received a total of 9 runs in support from the Rangers’ offense over his last 7 starts (1.96 RSA), including a span of 3 straight outings in which he received zero run support from 6/7-24…his 4.91 RSA this season is still 17th-highest among A.L. qualifiers, but is the lowest among current Texas rotation members: Pérez (7.82), Eovaldi (6.70), Heaney (5.81), Dunning (5.36).
STILL ROLLING: Despite taking losses in 4 of his last 6 starts (0-4), Gray is still 5-4, 3.03 ERA (24 ER/68.1 IP) over his last 11 starts (beg. 5/8)…opponents are batting .214/.280/.333/.613 (52-243) with just 15 XBH (7 HR, 8 2B) in that span, incl. opp. BA’s of .153 (18-115) vs. LHB and .266 (34-128) vs. RHB.
VS. TAMPA BAY: Gray is 0-1 with a 2.38 ERA (3 ER/11.1 IP) in 2 GS for his career against the Rays, with both outings coming during the 2022 season… on 6/1/22 vs. TB at GLF, Gray did not factor into the decision after tossing an ultra-quality start (7.0 IP, 1 R-ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 12 SO).
AT HOME: Has seen far better results in 8 starts on the road (4-2, 2.31 ERA) than in 9 starts at home (2-3, 4.47 ERA) this season…has allowed 15 R-ER over his last 3 starts (14.1 IP) at Globe Life Field to spike his home ERA from 2.84…opponents are batting .247/.324/.411/.735 (47-190) with 9 HR vs. Gray in Arlington vs.
.207/.276/.323/.599 (34-164) with 4 HR in his away outings.
COMPLETE GAME: Was tough-luck loser in start on 6/7 vs. STL, a 1-0 Rangers defeat (CG, 9.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 0 BB, 12 SO, 1 HR, 100 pitches/76 strikes)… according to Stathead, it marked just the 2nd time in modern MLB history that a pitcher took the loss despite 9+ IP, 12+ SO, 4-or-fewer hits, 1 R allowed, and zero BB…the other instance?: TB’s James Shields on 10/2/12 vs. BAL…the lone run in Gray’s loss to the Cards was a solo HR by Alec Burleson in the 8th inning…it was the 23rd instance of a TEX starter taking a 1-0 loss in a CG, 1st since Matt Harrison on 9/22/12 at SEA…produced 2nd-highest game score of his career (87), trailing only CG SHO on 9/17/16 vs. SD (95 game score).
SCORELESS STREAKS: Has produced 2 longest scoreless streaks of his career since the start of May: 20.0 IP (5/26-6/7) and 17.0 IP (5/8-20)…Gray’s loss on 6/7 vs. STL ended spans in which he won a career-best 5 consecutive starts (5/8-6/2) along with a career-high 6-G win streak (4/9-6/2)…Gray was the 1st Ranger to win 5 consecutive starts since Lance Lynn from 6/17-7/11/19…Rangers went 5-0 in his 5 May starts, with Gray going 4-0, 1.95 (7 ER/32.1 IP) over 5 GS in May, 2nd-lowest monthly ERA of his career (min. 4 GS) to only a 1.89 figure over 5 G/GS in July 2016.
2023: Has allowed 3-or-fewer runs in 11 of his 17 starts…opp. BA by time thru the lineup: 1st (.230, 32-139), 2nd (.252, 31-123), 3rd (.205, 18-88), 4th (.000, 0-4)… number of GS in ’23 by starting catcher: 10-Heim, 6-León, 1-Garver…Rangers went 5-0 in his 5 May starts, with Gray going 4-0, 1.95 (7 ER/32.1 IP) in 5 GS for the month, 2nd-lowest monthly ERA of his career (min. 4 GS) to only 1.89 over 5 G/GS in July 2016…recorded 1,000th career strikeout on 4/26 at CIN (Spencer Steer)…made early exit in start on 4/15 at HOU (ND, 2.0 IP, 1 R-ER) after he took a liner off his right forearm.
