ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Red Sox tonight open a two-game series with the third of four games between the clubs this season…Atlanta and Boston played a pair of games at Truist Park in Atlanta, May 9-10.
- The Braves and Red Sox split the two games at Truist Park, with Atlanta outscoring Boston, 11-8.
- The Braves and Red Sox have met in each of the last three seasons, with Atlanta going 8-6 against Boston in 14 total games from 2020-2022…In four games last year, Atlanta went 3-1.
- Atlanta swept both games here at Fenway Park last season, and has lost just one game here over the last three seasons…The Braves are 6-1 here since the start of the 2020 season, and are 25-18 (.581) here all-time…Atlanta’s .581 winning percentage here is the best of any National League team.
- Since the advent of Interleague Play in 1997, Atlanta has played Boston far more than any other American League team…The two clubs tonight will play for the 89th time…For reference, the Braves have not played any other A.L. team more than 64 times (Toronto), and have played Cleveland and Los Angeles just 18 times.
- RH Charlie Morton has made 14 career starts against Boston, going 8-1 with a 3.95 ERA (35 ER/79.2 IP)…The 6-foot-5, 235-pound righthander pitched against the Red Sox earlier this season, May 9 at Truist Park, and allowed just two runs over 6.0 innings to earn the win..Morton’s .889 winning percentage against Boston is best among active pitchers in baseball to make at least 10 starts vs. the Red Sox.
- RH John Schreiber is set to make his fourth career appearance and first start against Atlanta after throwing 3.0 scoreless innings of relief against the Braves last season…Tonight’s start is the first of Schreiber’s major league career after making his first 111 appearances out of the bullpen…The 6-foot-2, 224-pound native of Wyandotte, MI, is 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA (4 ER/17.0 IP) in 18 relief appearances for Boston this season.
WIN: Atlanta rallied with three runs in the top of the eighth inning on Sunday to beat Milwaukee, 4-2…The win snapped the Braves’ two-series losing streak.
- The win was Atlanta’s ninth this season when trailing in the eighth inning, tied with San Francisco for most in the majors…However, the Giants’ nine wins have come in 52 such games, while the Braves have done so in just 36 games… Atlanta’s .250 winning percentage (9-27) when trailing in the eighth is best in the majors.
- Since Brian Snitker took over as interim manager on May 17, 2016, Atlanta is 64-419 (.133) when trailing in the eighth inning…That record is third-best in baseball since that date, and the Braves’ 64 such wins are most in the National League.
TRADES & ACQUISITIONS: The Braves yesterday acquired RHP Pierce Johnson from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor-league pitchers RHP Tanner Gordon and RHP Victor Vodnik, as well as LHP Taylor Hearn from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations
- On Sunday, the Braves claimed RHP Yonny Chirinos off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Chirinos, Johnson and Hearn have all joined Atlanta for tonight’s game.
- To make room on the rosters, Atlanta designated RHP Seth Elledge, LHP Lucas Luetge and RHP Dereck Rodríguez for assignment, and optioned RHP Michael Soroka to Triple-A Gwinnett.
- Johnson, 32, has appeared in 43 games for Colorado this season, compiling a 1-5 record with a 6.00 ERA (26 ER/39.0 IP), 58 strikeouts and a 4.57 FIP… Among pitchers with at least 40 appearances this season, his 13.38 strikeouts per 9.0 innings are sixth most in baseball.
- Hearn, 28, has played his entire five-year major league career with the Rangers, compiling a 12-15 record with a 5.11 ERA (130 ER/229.0 IP) over 92 career games, including 25 starts…In four appearances with Texas this season, all in relief, he has pitched to a 10.29 ERA (8 ER/7.0 IP) and struck out seven.
- Chirinos, 29, is 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA (28 ER/62.2 IP) through 15 games and four starts this season, and owns a career record of 19-14 with a 3.64 ERA (123 ER/304.0 IP) in 64 games, 33 starts. ON THE ROAD: Atlanta took two-of-three games from Milwaukee this weekend, and has won seven consecutive series away from home…The Braves last dropped a set on the road in Oakland, losing two-of-three from May 29-31.
- The Braves are a majors-best 32-15 (.681) on the road this season, and their 32 wins away from home are tied with Baltimore for most in the majors.
- Atlanta’s current winning percentage of .681 on the road stands as the single-season franchise record in baseball’s modern era (since 1900)…The 1993 Braves played to a 53-28 (.654) record away from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to set the current mark.
- The Braves 3.45 ERA (157 ER/409.0 IP) on the road is lowest in baseball, and their 5.43 runs per game trail just the Dodgers (5.77) and Rangers (5.45).
FOUR RUNS: Ozzie Albies’ eighth-inning home run gave Atlanta a 4-2 lead on Sunday afternoon, and the Braves have scored at least four runs in a majors-most 72 games this season.
- Atlanta is 58-14 (.806) when scoring at least four runs this season, the third-best record in baseball behind just Houston (50-10, .833) and Milwaukee
(46-10, .821)
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #50 Charlie Morton RHP
2023 Record: 10-7, 3.36 ERA • 2022 Record: 9-6, 4.34 ERA
vs. RHB: .267 (61-223), 4 HR • vs. LHB: .223 (43-193), 6 HR
Home: 5-4, 3.83 ERA (24/56.1) • Away: 5-3, 2.87 ERA (17/53.1)
Today’s Game
- Set to make his 20th start of the season and first against Boston.
- Suffered his seventh loss of the season after allowing four runs, six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings pitched.
- Morton is one six active pitchers with at least 15 starts in 13 different seasons.
- Trails only Zack Greinke (17), Clayton Kershaw (15), Justin Verlander (15), Max Scherzer (14), and Cole Hamels (14).
- Finished the first half of the season with a 3.43 ERA; the fifth lowest ERA prior to the All-Star break in a single season of his 15-year MLB career.
- Earned his 10th win of the season spinning 7.0 shutout-innings against CWS.
- Morton has now won at least 10 games in six different seasons.
- His 10 wins are tied for fourth most in the majors.
- Became the first Braves pitcher since R.A. Dickey in 2017 to toss 7.0 scoreless frames and get the win age 39 or older.
- Joined Justin Verlander and Adam Wainwright as the only active pitchers in baseball to win at least 10 games at the age of 39 or older in a season.
- Became just the fifth pitcher in the Braves franchise history to record 10 wins in a season after turning 39 (Niekro [5], Spahn [4], Smoltz [2], Dickey [1]).
- Morton has struck out 356 hitters with his curveball since the beginning of the 2020; the most in the majors.
- During that span hitters are missing on 53.0% of curveballs thrown, the second highest rate in the majors…The MLB average is 11.6% (among QS).
- Utilizing his curveball on 44.9% of pitches thrown this season.
- Morton’s 1023 strikeouts since the 2018 season are the fourth most in baseball.
- Prior to the 2018 season, Morton threw his curveball on 21.3% of pitches throughout his career.
- Since the beginning of 2018 he has thrown his curve on 36.6% of pitches.
- Hitters are registering a .324 batting average on balls in play against Morton in ’23.
- Since the beginning of June, Morton owns a .302 BABIP.
- Had a .337 battting average on balls in play through his first 10 starts.
- Hitters are averaging a 7.70 launch angle against Morton; MLB average is 11.70.
- Fifth lowest rate in the National league.
- In his age 39 season, Morton is the sixth-oldest active pitcher in the majors.
2023 Recap
- Morton struck out Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz for 1,800 on his career.
- Is now one of 13 active pitchers in baseball with as many punchouts.
- Became the sixth pitcher in franchise history to pitch at least 6.0 innings and strikeout nine or more in an outing at age 39 or older.
- Passed R.A. Dickey and Hall-of-Famer Cy Young with three such games.
- Trails Hall-of-Famers Phil Niekro (10), John Smoltz (8), and Warren Spahn (4).
- Struck out 10 hitters over 6.2 scoreless innings in his win against Texas on May 15.
- Has now struckout at least 10 hitters in six games since turning 38, passing Hall-of-Famer Cy Young for the ninth most such games dating to 1901.
- Morton is the first player with at least six games of 10 or more strikeouts at his age since Hall-of-Famers Randy Johnson and John Smoltz.
BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox have won back-to-back games following a 3-game losing streak from 7/18-21. The Sox own MLB’s best record since 6/30 (13-5) and the AL’s best since 6/14 (20-12). At 53-47 (.530), Boston is tied with NYY and PHI for MLB’s 13th-best record…They’re 2.5 games back from the AL’s 3rd wild card position.
HIT PARADE: The Red Sox took the rubber match vs. the Mets on Sunday, 6-1…They recorded 15+ hits for the 8th time, tied for 2nd most in MLB (TEX-10). The Sox connected for 7 straight hits in the 3rd inning, their most in a row since the 2nd inning on 5/20/21 at TOR (also 7 consecutive hits). 6 of the Red Sox’ 9 batters recorded multiple hits.
HOME COOKING: The Red Sox have won 7 of their last 8 home games, outscoring opponents 53-29 in that span. In 9 home games during July, the Sox are batting .321 with an .881 OPS (32 XBH: 19 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR). At home, the Sox lead the majors in AVG (.292) and OBP (.358)…They also rank 3rd in runs scored per game (5.6), OPS (.828) and SLG (.470).
SOX & BRAVES: The Red Sox and Braves split their previous 2-game series from 5/9-10 at Truist Park…The Sox are 47-41 vs. ATL all time and 5-5 since the start of 2021…At Fenway Park, however, BOS is 1-6 since the start of 2020. The Red Sox are an MLB-best 303-215 (.585) all-time in Interleague play…They’re in a stretch of 8 straight games against NL teams (3 vs. NYM, 2 vs. ATL, 3 at SF). The Sox are 6-5-1 in Interleague series this year, including 5-0-1 on the road and 1-5-0 at home…They are 15-20 in games vs. NL clubs (11-6 road, 4-14 home).
GET YOUR REST: The Red Sox are in a stretch of only 5 games in 8 days, with off days 7/20, 7/24, and 7/27…Following this stretch, the Sox will play 32 games in 34 days from 7/28-8/30. The Sox’ next road trip will feature 3 games at SF and 3 at SEA…This will mark the first time since June 2007 that the Sox fly to the West Coast on consecutive road trips.
AT THE CENTURY MARK: The Sox are 53-47 through 100 games…They crossed the century mark with a record of .500 or better for the 7th straight 162-game season (2016-19, ‘21-23). Through 100 games, the 2021 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves were 49-51 and the 2019 World Series Champion Washington Nationals were 54-46.
RED SOX THROUGH 100 GAMES
Stat 2023 2022
W-L 53-47 50-50
Runs scored 504 456
AVG .265 .254
OBP .332 .316
SLG .436 .411
OPS .768 .727
SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox lead MLB in doubles (225)… They rank 2nd in the AL in AVG (.265), OBP (.332), and XBH (350) and 3rd in runs scored per game (5.0).
In July, the Sox lead MLB in AVG (.298), SLG (.506), and OPS (.859), and rank 3rd in OBP (.345). The Sox have hit 21 HR in their last 11 games, since 7/8, T-2nd most in MLB over that span behind SD (22).
RED SOX OFFENSE BY DATE
Dates Record AVG OPS Runs/G
3/30-5/6 21-14 .273 .800 5.9
5/7-6/13 12-21 .243 .704 3.8
6/14-pres. 20-12 .279 .798 5.4
HIGH FIVE: The Sox have scored 5 or more runs in 12 of their last 18 games (107 total runs, 5.9 runs/game)… They are 43-7 (.860) when scoring 5+ runs, the 2nd-best record in the AL and 4th-best in MLB. BOS has recorded 10+ hits in 44 games, 2nd most in MLB (TEX-51)…The Sox are 36-8 (.818) in those games.
PICK YOUR POISON: Since 6/30, Red Sox players own 6 of the AL’s top 15 batting averages (min. 50 PA), including Jarren Duran (1st, .404) and Masataka Yoshida (3rd, 397). Since the All-Star Break, Triston Casas ranks T-2nd in MLB with 5 HR (1st: ATL’s Austin Riley-6). The Sox have 4 players with 30+ multi-hit games, most in MLB (Yoshida-38, Turner-32, Verdugo-30, Devers-30)…No other team has more than 2.
PITCHING IN: The Red Sox ranked 27th in MLB with a 5.09 ERA at the end of play on 5/15, but they rank 2nd in the AL and 5th in the majors with a 3.78 ERA since then… Overall, the Sox rank 17th in the majors in ERA (4.33). During that stretch that began 5/16, the Red Sox’ ERA leaders are Chris Martin (1.35), Brennan Bernardino (1.64) and Chris Murphy (1.80).
WHAT A RELIEF: Since making his 1st relief appearance of 2023 on 5/21, Nick Pivetta leads the majors (min. 30.0 IP) in opponent AVG (.121) and WHIP (0.81)…In that time, he leads the AL in strikeout rate (38.1%) and ranks 2nd in ERA (2.25). Chris Martin has made 15 consecutive scoreless relief appearances (13.1 IP), the AL’s 2nd longest active streak (TOR’s Tim Mayza-14.0 IP in 19 games).
RUNNIN’ RED SOX: The Red Sox are tied for the AL lead with 20 steals in July (20-for-23)…Overall, the Sox rank 2nd in the AL and 6th in the majors in stolen base % (82.8, 72-for-87). The Sox’ top 3 leaders in steals are a combined 34- for-36 (94.4%): Jarren Duran (19-for-20), Masataka Yoshida (8-for-8), and Rob Refsnyder (7-for-8).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: 46 JOHN SCHREIBER – RHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 1-0 2.12 18 0 17.0 4 1 8 21 1.29 .233
CAREER 7-5 3.25 111 0 113.2 41 9 36 133 1.18 .233
Was reinstated from the 60-day IL prior to tonight’s game…Missed 58 games since 5/16 with a right teres major strain…Is making his 1st career start. Allowed only 1 run over 5.2 IP across 6 rehab outings between Triple-A Worcester (4) and Double-A Portland (2). In 3 career outings vs. ATL, has tossed 3.0 scoreless innings with 4 SO. Has allowed 0 runs in his last 6 outings (5.0 IP, 6 SO, BB). Has a 1.91 ERA in his last 35 outings dating back to 8/24/22 (7 ER/33.0 IP)…28 of those outings were scoreless. Has allowed 2 HR in 48.1 IP since the 2022 All-Star break (0.38 HR/9.0 IP). From 2022-23, has held righties to a .205 AVG/.565 OPS (38-for-186, 2 HR) and lefties to a .200 AVG/.661 OPS (21-for-105, 2 HR).
