SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: Winners of seven straight after picking up a pair of wins yesterday, the Giants will look to secure a series victory in the third game of this four game series tonight…the Giants seven-game winning streak is their second-longest win streak of the season behind only a 10-gamer from June 11-21…SF enters play today a season-high 13 games over .500.
REMEMBERING EDDIE: The Giants are saddened to learn of the passing of former Giants infielder Eddie Bressoud, who away peacefully last Thursday, July 13 at the age of 91… Bressoud played for the New York and San Francisco Giants from 1956 – 1961.
IT’S TWO SAVES IN ONE DAY IN OUR BOOK…: Despite the fact that RHP Camilo Doval did save two games on the same day yesterday, it will go down in the official record books as saves on two separate days since the first game started on July 17…per Elias, the last pitcher to earn two saves in games that ended on the same day was Seattle’s Paul Sewald at Washington on July 13, 2022…the last Giants pitcher to do that was Robb Nen vs. Colorado on July 4, 2000.
THE (D)OVAL OFFICE: RHP Camilo Doval became the first pitcher in the Majors this year to reach the 30-save mark with his two saves yesterday…the 26-year-old leads the Majors in that category (four more than both CIN’s Alexis Díaz and TOR’s Jordan Romano who each have 26)…his 45 appearances are now tied for second-most in the Majors…only Houston’s Bryan Abreu has appeared in more games (46)…the last three Giants closers to reach the 30-save mark in a season were: Jake McGee (31, 2021), Will Smith (34, 2019) and Santiago Casilla (31 in 2016 and 38 in 2015).
FLO MOTION:IF Wilmer Flores logged his eighth career multi-homer game in yesterday’s regularly-scheduled contest and now has 11 homers on the year (tied for second-most on the team)…per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Flores became the first Giant to record 8+ total bases in consecutive games since Barry Bonds did so April 2-3, 2002…in 12 games this month, Flores is 18-for-41 (.439) with four doubles, three homers, six RBI, seven runs scored and two walks…since June 1, Flores has posted a 1.157 OPS in 25 games with seven doubles, five homers, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored and nine walks.
EXTRA SPECIAL: According to Sports Info Solutions the Giants have now played in the 10th inning eight different times this season…the Giants have allowed a run in the 10th inning only once all year (one total run) while scoring a total of five runs in their half of the 10th inning.
CENTRAL PERK: The Giants are 18-7 (.720) against the NL Central this season, which is the best winning percentage against that division (min. 10 games), and the second-most wins, behind Milwaukee (20-9)…SF pitchers have a 3.29 ERA vs. the NL Central, which is third-best among teams with 10 games played against NL Central foes this year.
WE WANT ‘BAMA: The Giants have lived up to the moment when facing MLB’s best teams this year…based on teams’ current records, SF ranks second in MLB (second-best in
the NL) with a .571 win percentage (28-21) in games against opponents with winning records this year…only Atlanta (33- 19, .635) has been better
GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE: The Giants scored late again in both games yesterday…their 111 runs in the 8th inning or later are second-most in the Majors behind Toronto’s 119…furthermore, the Giants have 26 come-from-behind wins this season, fifth-most in the Majors…20 of those 26 wins have come since May 15, second-most in the Majors in that time behind only the Reds, who have 21 such wins…12 of the Giants 20 comeback wins since May 15 have come on the road.
SADDLE UP, BOYS: This 11-game trip is SF’s longest of the season and one of two trips this year where they will visit three or more cities…the other three-city, 10-game trip this year comes in September when SF visits Colorado (four games), Arizona (two games) and the Dodgers (four games) from September 14-24…below is a look at some of SF’s recent three-city trips and how they’ve done.
ROAD RULEZ?: SF has won each of the first five games of this road trip to improve to 28-19 (.596) on the road this season… the Giants .596 road winning percentage is fourth-best in the Majors entering play today (third-best in the National League)…only Atlanta (30-14, .682), Baltimore (28-17, .622) and Arizona (27-18, .600) have better winning percentages on the road…since May 15, however, SF is 21-6 (.778) on the road, the best winning percentage in the Majors.
THE FUTURE IS NOW: Both the Reds and the Giants have received plenty of production from their rookies…Cincinnati leads the Majors with 105 RBI from rookies while the Giants are right behind them with 104.
MIKEY! HE LIKES IT!: OF Michael Conforto has driven in at least one run in each of his last five games, tying a career-high…it’s the second time in his career he’s driven in a run in five-straight games with the only other time being April 9-15, 2017 with the Mets…the Giants are 27-4 this season when Conforto drive in at least one run.
DOUBLE MINT GUM: The Giants have turned 80 groundball double plays this season, third-most in the Majors behind Colorado (85) and Washington (81)…there are seven
teams that have turned a double play in 12% of double play opportunities (the highest rate)…SF is one of the seven.
TODAY’S STARTER – ROSS STRIPLING RHP #48
2023 RECORD: 0-2, 6.11 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: The 33-year-old right-hander inked a two-year Major League contract with the Giants this past December… the deal included an opt-out following this season.
TODAY’S GAME: Today marks Stripling’s ninth start and 14th appearance this season…as a starter this year, Stripling is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA (20er, 32.0ip), 25 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP in eight starts.
LAST OUTING: After allowing just two baserunners with four strikeouts through the first 4.0 innings, Stripling gave up a solo homer to PIT’s Ji-Man Choi and balked in a run in the 5th inning to start this road trip last Friday in Pittsburgh…his 4.2 innings pitched were his most since 5.0 innings on May 7 vs. Milwaukee.
VS. CINCINNATI: Stripling will make his third start and fifth appearance against Cincinnati in his career…each of his last two outings vs. Cincy have come here at the GABP…in those outings (one start, one relief outing) he’s permitted one run in 4.1 innings (2.08 ERA) with five strikeouts…Stripling has not pitched in this ballpark since 2019 with the Dodgers.
FEW AND FAR BETWEEN: Cincinnati’s C Curt Casali (1×1), C Luke Maile (0x3, k) and IF Joey Votto (2×6, 2k) are the only Reds on the active roster who have faced Stripling in their career.
BACK IN ACTION: Stripling will make his fifth appearance since he missed 35 games with a low back strain, which he sustained against the Phillies on May 17…he made three rehab outings, the final of which he struck out 10 in 4.0 innings for Single-A San Jose on June 22…while on the IL, Stripling told the SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he was using his time on the IL to tweak things in his delivery…more specifically, he was working on standing taller through his delivery.
ON THE UPSWING?: Since returning from the IL Stripling has a 3.38 ERA (5er, 13.1ip) in four games (three starts) with 14 strikeouts and one walk.
MINIMIZE THE FREEBIES: Stripling has just one walk over 52 batters faced (1.9 BB%) in his four games since returning from the injured list…Stripling had walked 10 of the 146 batters he faced (6.8 BB%) in his nine games prior to his stint on the IL.
SLIDE ON OVER: The damage vs. Stripling has been rather spread out between his three primary pitches (slider, four-seam fastball and changeup)…the three pitches all have usage rates of at least 23%, yet also have opposing slugging percentages of at least .435…Baseball Savant also shows a notable change in production from Stripling’s slider, which had an impressive +7 run value last year, and currently is 0 in 2023.
CHANGE IT UP: Sports Info Solutions noted a statistical drop off this season in Stripling’s changeup…opponents hit .203 vs. his changeup in 2022…they are batting .333 vs. the pitch this year… SIS also noted that Stripling’s changeup, which had a +2 run value last year, is now -7, and is tied for the second-worst-performing changeup in MLB this year behind SEA RHP Luis Castillo (-9) and ARI’s RHP Zach Davies (-9) Baseball Savant (min. 50 PA).
THEY KEEP FINDING THE BARREL: The righty currently has a 11.6% barrel rate and a 27.4% line drive rate, both of which are the highest marks of his career…Stripling’s four-seamer is getting hit the hardest at a 53.3% rate, yet he has a 18.1% put-away rate and 25.7% whiff rate with the pitch, both the best amongst his three main pitches.
LAST YEAR: Stripling completed his seventh big league campaign last season and set career bests in wins (10), starts (24), innings pitched (134.1), ERA (3.01) and WHIP (1.02).
REUNITED: Stripling is a familiar face for Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi, whose time as the Dodgers GM overlapped with Stripling’s time in LA…he was originally selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft…he spent nine years with the Dodgers organization before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline in 2020… Stripling was an All-Star with Los Angeles in 2018.
CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
TRANSACTIONS
- The Reds today recalled from Louisville RHP Levi Stoudt (#58) and optioned to Louisville RHP Daniel Duarte.
- Is Stoudt’s fourth stint with the Reds this season (3g, 2gs, 0-1, 9.90, 10ip, 15h, 11r, 11er, 7bb, 8k, 1hr, 2.20whip, .341baa).
- In 13 starts for the Bats went 2-3, 5.56 (45.1ip, 45h, 30r, 28er, 31bb, 29k).
TONIGHT’S GAME
- Is Game 3 (0-2) of a 4-game series vs Anthony DeSclafani’s Giants and Game 6 (0-5) of a 10-game homestand (0-3 vs Mil, 0-2 vs SF, 3g vs Ari).
- Will follow this homestand with an 11-day, 10-game road trip (3g at Mil, off day & 3g at LAD, 4g at Chc)…won 7 of their last 8 road series.
SERIES NOTES
- In 2022, the Reds earned a pair of 2-1 series wins vs the Giants, their first series wins August 2018.
- Beginning with the 2008 season the Reds are 53-42 vs SF, at .558 the best winning percentage of any Giants opponent since then (minimum 50g).
- Beginning 6/29/12 and including the 2012 season’s National League Division Series, the Redlegs have won 21 of the last 35 meetings at beautiful Oracle Park to improve their all-time record there to 40-39.
FIRST PLACE NOTE
- The Reds haven’t been in first place this late in a full season since the end of the 2012 season, when they most recently won the Central Division (97-65, +9.0).
- Last season, the Reds were 37-59 after 96 games & 38-59 after 97 games.
RUNNING MEN
- The Reds and Rays are tied for the Major League lead with 113 stolen bases…is the Reds’ highest total since 2017 (120sb)…recorded 58 stolen bases all of 2022…are trying to lead the National League in stolen bases for the first time since 2015 (134sb).
- With Elvis Peguero pitching, Elly De La Cruz on 7/8 at Mil became only the fourth Reds batter ever to steal second, third and home in the same inning (Hans Lobert 9/27/1908, Dode Paskert 5/23/1910, Greasy Neale 8/15/1919)…became the first Major League batter to steal second, third and home in the same inning since Mia’s Jon Berti did it on 8/25/2020 at NYM…became the first Reds batter with a straight steal of home since Brandon Phillips did it on 7/10/2009 at NYM.
- The Reds recorded 50 stolen bases in June, their highest steals total in a calendar month since September 1912 (53sb).
- 5 times this season recorded at least 5 stolen bases in a game (6sb on 6/2 vs Mil, 9sb on 6/3 vs Mil, 5sb on 6/25 at Bal, 6sb on Tue at Wsh, 5sb on 7/8 at Mil)…prior to 6/2, the Reds hadn’t recorded 5 stolen bases in a game since 4/10/17 at Pit.
- Their 9 stolen bases on 6/3 vs Mil (Jake Fraley 3, Spencer Steer 2, Jonathan India 2, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild) was their highest single-game total since 5/30/1976 vs LAD (9sb)…the Reds’ single-game record since 1900 for stolen bases in a game remains 10 (5/29/1913 at StL).
BIG ROAD MACHINE
- The Brewers’ 2-1 series win to end the season’s first half snapped a streak in which the Reds won 7 consecutive road series…won 7 straight road series for only the third time in their history…won 8 straight road series in 1976 (6/25-8/12) and 1923 (7/2-8/25)…courtesy @EliasSports.
- Beginning 5/26, the Reds are 20-5 over their last 4 road trips covering 8 road series.
- The Reds’ 27 road wins (27-20) was their highest total prior to the All-Star Game break since 1999 (29-13).
- Went 8-1 on their road trip to StL (2-1), KC (3-0) and Hou (3-0)…for only the second time ever, won 8 games on a road trip of 9 games or fewer (8-0, 9/21-9/27, 1964)…was their first road trip of any length with at least 8 wins since 5/28-6/9, 1999 (9-3)…courtesy @EliasSports.
- The 10-3 loss on 6/26 at Bal snapped the Reds’ 8-game road winning streak, tied for the second-longest streak in the Major Leagues this season.
RED HOTS
- The Reds’ 12-game winning streak from 6/10-6/23 tied their modern club record (5/16-5/27, 1939 & 4/30-5/12, 1957).
- From 6/14-7/8 Reds batters established a new franchise record for consecutive games with at least 1 home run (22g, 45hr), a streak snapped in the 1-0 loss at Mil in the final game heading into the All-Star Game break…the 1956 Reds held the team record by homering in 21 consecutive games.
- Reds baserunners in 70 attempts have scored 69 runs from second base on singles…both lead the Major Leagues.
- The Reds are the first team in Major League history to move into first place alone in 9 games or fewer after falling 5 or more games under .500 while facing a deficit of at least 5 games…on 6/9 were 29-35 and trailed the first-place Pirates by 5.0 games…beginning 6/10 won 9 straight games to move into first place alone on 6/19…courtesy @OptaSTATS and @EliasSports.
- The Reds went 18-9 in June, their highest victory total in any month since June 2014 (18-10).
- Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer on 7/4 at Wsh became the first set of rookie teammates in Major League history to finish in the same game 4-for-4 with at least 1 RBI (since RBI became an official statistic in 1920)…courtesy @EliasSports.
- The Reds have used 52 players…in 2022 used a club record 66 players. • 12 Reds players have made Major League debuts this season, the most in the Major Leagues (RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Levi Stoudt, IF Matt McLain, LHP Brandon Williamson, RHP Eduardo Salazar, OF TJ Hopkins, LHP Andrew Abbott, IF Elly De La Cruz, RHP Ricky Karcher, RHP Randy Wynne, RHP Jake Wong, IF Christian EncarnacionStrand)…16 rookies played in at least 1 game for the Reds.
Tonight’s Pitcher – #51 Graham Ashcraft, RHP
- Tonight is making his third career appearance and start vs the Giants…made his previous 2 starts vs SF in 2022.
- In his first 6 starts through 5/2 went 2-0, 2.00 (.202baa).
- In his first 3 starts (19ip, 3er) became the eighth Reds pitcher, since 1901 and including Nick Lodolo in 2023, to begin a season with at least 17.0 innings while allowing 4 earned runs or fewer.
- Became the first Reds pitcher to begin a non-COVID season with 3 consecutive quality starts since Amir Garrett in 2017 (3qs).
- Became the first Reds pitcher to begin a season with 6 starts without allowing more than 2 earned runs in any of those starts since Luis Castillo began the2019 campaign by allowing 2 ER or fewer in each of his first 7 starts.
- In his next 8 apps from 5/7-6/24 went 1-6, 12.82 (.386baa).
- In the 17-4 loss on 5/7 vs WSox allowed a career-high 8 runs in 1.2 innings…was the shortest start of his career and the shortest start by a Reds pitcher to that point in the season…was charged with all 8 runs in the second inning after throwing a perfect first…entered that 5/7 start leading all National League pitchers in bWAR (2.1), the third-best bWAR among all players in the Major Leagues (Gerrit Cole 2.5, Ronald Acuña Jr. 2.2).
- In his last 3 starts beginning 6/30 went 1-1, 1.45 (.227baa)
