SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Snell gets the win and Gary Sanchez homers twice as Padres complete sweep over Rangers
- Blake Snell got the win on Sunday afternoon in San Diego, tossing 5.0 IP and allowing 1 unearned run…he allowed 4 hits and 4 walks with 9 punchouts.
- Gary Sánchez had his 16th-career multi-homer game (his 1st since 2021 with the Yankees), and Juan Soto added a double for the Friars…the club went 3-for-12 with RISP.
- Ha-Seong Kim, who’s .451 OBP in the month of July leads all of baseball, suffered a jammed right shoulder in a play at the plate in the 3rd inning yesterday…he is day-to-day.
Blake Snell amidst a historic 13-start stretch
- In Blake Snell’s last 13 outings, he’s allowed 6 ER and punched out 108, becoming the 2nd player in MLB history (since 1913, when ER’s became official in both leagues) to allow 6-or-fewer ER and punch out 100-or-more batters in any 13-game stretch, joining Jacob deGrom when he went on a 13-start stretch in 2021 with 6 ER allowed and 122 K’s (Elias).
Padres sweep Rangers, look for their 1st 4-game winning streak this season
- The Padres sweep of Texas was just their 2nd series sweep this season of at least 3 games (took all 3 against the Angels from July 3-5)…the Friars’ 3 straight wins marks the 7th time they have won 3 straight, and they’re in search for their season-high 4th straight today in Denver….the Friars are within 2 games of .500 for the 1st time since June 23 (were 37-39).
- San Diego’s win on Sunday was their 11th consecutive victory when playing the Rangers, setting a new club record for consecutive wins against a single opponent…it’s the 2nd-longest active winning streak of any team over a single opponent, behind the Rangers’ own 12 G streak over Philadelphia.
- San Diego’s 5.52 runs per game in July is their highest in a month since May of 2021 (5.54 r/g). Machado & Snell: July’s player and pitcher of the month?
- Manny Machado’s 11 homers and 29 RBI this month are the most in MLB, his .692 SLG ranks 2nd in the NL behind Cody Bellinger (.698), and his 63 total bases tie with Freddie Freeman for 2nd, behind Bellinger’s 67…Machado is 1 HR shy of tying his career-most in a month (hit 12 HR in August of 2017).
- After winning June’s NL Pitcher of the Month honors, Blake Snell has posted the lowest ERA of any pitcher in July (0.56 ERA with 2 ER allowed in 32.0 IP) in 6 starts, holding opponents to a .196 clip and 2 extra-base hits (both doubles)…his 0.56 ERA is the lowest of any Padre pitcher in a month in team history (min. 23.0 innings pitched).
- Snell has, however, allowed an MLB-most 26 walks (next most are Justin Verlander’s 16 BB), and he’ll become the 1st pitcher in MLB history (since 1913, when earned runs became official in both leagues) to have an ERA of 0.56 or lower and 26+ walks in a single month, and he’ll be the 1st pitcher to ever lead the Majors in both ERA and walks in a month (min. 30 IP), per Elias.
- If both Machado and Snell win their respective categories, it’d be the 1st time a Padre won both Player and Pitcher of the Month honors in the same month…only once before have the Padres have players claim both honors in the same season: Dave Winfield won NL Player of the Month in June 1978 and Gaylord Perry won NL Pitcher of the Month in September 1978.
Pads messed with Texas, didn’t allow a HR in the series
- In their last 3-game series against the Rangers, San Diego batters hit .320, the 2nd highest clip in the Majors since July 28 behind the Braves’ .406 average…San Diego pitchers didn’t allow a single home run in the series, and the 3-game streak is tied for the 2nd longest of the season (went 4 games from April 8-11 without allowing a long ball).
STARTING PITCHER – #67 SETH LUGO
Lugo set for 2nd start of season vs. COL
Lugo’s 2nd start of the season tonight vs. the Rockies marks the 2nd time he has faced an opponent twice this season (also: May 3 and June 30 vs. CIN)…he started SD’s 4th game of the season in SD’s Opening Series vs. the Rockies on April 2, tossing a season-high-tying 7.0 IP of 4-hit, 1-run ball w/ 7 SO vs. 0 BB in SD’s 3-1 victory…he is 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA (9 ER, 30.2 IP) with a 0.98 WHIP and .205 opp. AVG across 10 career appearances (3 starts) vs. COL. Lugo matches career highs in IP (7.0) and strikeouts (8)
last Wed vs. PIT
Lugo tossed 7.0 innings for the 2nd time this season and the first since his first start of the campaign against tonight’s opponent, the Rockies on April 2 at Petco Park…it was the 5th time in his career he reached the 7.0 inning mark and the first time he was tagged with the loss, having earned the win in all 4 of his previous 7.0 inning outings…the 8 punchouts tied his career-high (4 times, most recently: Sept. 5 vs. PHI)…he’s now quality in 4 of his last 5 outings since June 30, and the 9 quality outings tie with Wacha for 2nd-most on SD’s staff, behind only Snell (11) and Musgrove (11).
Lugo gets win in first career app vs. DET, leaving Mets as only team yet to face
Lugo picked up his 1st winning decision since May 3 two starts ago on Fri, July 21 @ DET…he is the only pitcher in baseball to have made at least 9 starts with a sub-4.00 ERA since May 10 and only earn 1 winning decision…his 3.35 run support average is 4th-fewest in the Majors since May 10 (min. 9 starts)…the Tigers were his 29th team to face, and he’s now sqaured off against every ML club except his former squad, the New York Mets.
Limiting the free passes
Lugo has walked 2-or-fewer in 13 of 15 starts in ’23, including 6 starts with 0 free passes… the 6 starts with 0 walks allowed over 5.0+ IP is T-2nd most among all NL pitchers this season…he ranks in the 93rd percentile in BB%, and his 4.7 BB% is lowest rate in his career.
First time through
The Padres have 3 right-handed pichers ranking in the top 6 in opponent batting average the first time through the order (NL RHP – min. 15 starts), with Yu Darvish (.180) and Michael Wacha (.184) ranking 2nd and 3rd, respectively, and tonight’s starter, Seth Lugo (.208), ranking 6th…after the first time through the order, opponents are hitting .289 against him.
Inside the curve
Just like in 2022 (99th percentile), Lugo ranks in 1 of the 2 top percentiles in curveball spin rate (100th), averaging 3,248 rpm, but opponents are hitting .279 against it compared to the .159 clip against it last season…he is averaging 61.0 inches of vertical drop on his curve – which is the 5th-highest vertical drop – and an average of 7.8 inches and 15% more drop – of all ML curveballs.
COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
No team release available.
