BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:
THIS IS 4-0: The O’s beat the Blue Jays, 4-2, last night to win the series opener, improving to 4-0 in Toronto this season…Kyle Gibson earned his 10th win of the year and 99th of his career after allowing one run over 6.0+ innings…Félix Bautista secured his AL-leading 29th save with 1.2 scoreless frames…Ryan Mountcastle doubled twice and drove in three runs, including a two-out, two-run double in the first inning…Gunnar Henderson hit his 17th home run in the victory.
The Birds moved 24 games above .500 for the second time in 2023, joining July 24 following their win at Philadelphia.
SWEEPLESS IN BALTIMORE: With last night’s win, the Orioles have now gone 74 consecutive series without being swept…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most consecutive series of at least two decisions (no ties) without getting swept in Orioles history (since 1954), ahead of 46 consecutive sweepless series from 1971-72…It is tied for the fifth-longest such streak in MLB history with the 1904-06 Philadelphia Athletics, trailing the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals (124), 1906-09 Chicago Cubs (115), 1903-05 New York Giants (105), and 1922-24 New York Yankees (83).
WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won three of their last four games, eight of 12, 16 of 22, and 17 of 25…At 65-41 (.613), the Orioles have the best record in the AL and second-best in MLB, and are one of only two teams with a .600 winning percentage (see box at right)…The Birds are 127-90 (.585) since June 2022, the second-best record in the AL and fourth-best in MLB during that time…Had a season-best eight-game winning streak from July 5-16, Baltimore’s longest since a 10-gamer from July 3-13, 2022.
The O’s hold a 1.5-game lead over the Rays in the AL East.
The Orioles have two winning streaks of at least seven games this year; Atlanta (4x), San Francisco (2x), and Tampa Bay (2x) are the only other teams with multiple win streaks of at least seven games this season.
FIND A WAY: Baltimore is 35-10 (.778) when scoring first, the best record in MLB…The 45 such games are tied for the second-fewest this season…The O’s are 44-23 (.657) in games decided by three runs or fewer, the most wins and best winning percentage in MLB…They are also an MLB-best 33-17 (.660) in games decided by two runs or less…The Orioles are 26- 15 (.634) following a loss, the second-best record in MLB behind the Dodgers (30-14, .682)… The Birds have won 35 games after trailing, tied with the Reds for the most in MLB…Since the start of last year, Baltimore’s 71 comeback wins are second-most in MLB behind the Dodgers (73).
FLY BY: The Orioles continue a brief four-game road trip in Toronto through Thursday before returning to Baltimore to host a six-game, seven-day homestand against the Mets (August 4-6) and Astros (August 8-10)…The Birds had a short three-game homestand over the weekend, taking two of three games from the Yankees.
AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: The Orioles and Blue Jays are meeting for the third time this season in a four-game series that runs through Thursday…Baltimore is 6-1 against Toronto this season, including 4-0 north of the border, and 15-11 (.577) against the Jays since the start of 2022…The O’s swept a three-game series at Rogers Centre from May 19-21 and took two of three at Oriole Park from June 13-15…The teams meet for the final time in the regular season at Camden Yards from August 22-24.
Baltimore has gone nine straight sets against AL East opponents without losing a series for the first time since doing so in 11 straight series from August 1 to September 30, 2012, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
ROAD WARRIORS: Baltimore is 33-20 (.623) away from Oriole Park this season, the best road record in the AL and second-best in MLB behind Atlanta (32-17, .653)…The Birds are 71-63 (.530) on the road since the beginning of 2022, the third-best record in the AL and fifth-best in MLB during that time…The Orioles have scored 280 runs away from Camden Yards in 2023, the third-most road runs in MLB.
SCORCHIN’ JULY: The Orioles finished last month with a 17-9 (.654) record, tied with the Mariners for the best record in MLB…The Birds faced the Yankees (7x), Twins (5x), Rays (4x), Dodgers, Marlins, and Phillies (3x), and Blue Jays (1x), all teams currently above .500… Since the All-Star break, the O’s 11-6 (.647) record is tied for second-best in MLB behind the Angels (11-5, .688).
The Birds have posted a 3.61 ERA (93 ER/231.2 IP) in July, the third-best mark in the AL and sixth-best in MLB.
AY, TONE: Anthony Santander tallied the game-winning RBI in both wins against the Yankees over the weekend…His eight such RBI are tied for the team lead with Austin Hays, Adley Rutschman, and Ramón Urías…Since the beginning of May, Santander is slashing .270/.345/.507 (80-for-296) with 20 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, 47 runs scored, 47 RBI, 30 walks, four hit-by-pitches, and three stolen bases in 77 games…During that time, he ranks among AL leaders in extra-base hits (4th, 37), homers (7th), and total bases (7th, 150).
This season, he ranks among AL leaders in doubles (T-5th, 28), and extra-base hits (T-6th, 47).
His 51 homers since the start of last season are the most among MLB switch hitters.
TOP GUNN: Gunnar Henderson is slashing .277/.337/.561 (48-for-173) with seven doubles, three triples, 12 homers, 29 runs scored, 31 RBI, 15 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and four stolen bases in 45 games since the start of June…During that time, he’s among AL leaders in home runs (T-5th), slugging percentage (8th), and total bases (10th, 97)…He ranks among AL rookies this season in bWAR (1st, 3.0), triples (1st, 5), fWAR (T-2nd, 2.5), RBI (3rd, 45), OPS (3rd, .805), and extra-base hits (3rd, 36)…His 92.4 mph average exit velocity leads MLB rookies and his 54.2 percent Hard-Hit rate leads MLB rookies, ranks ninth in the AL and 13th in MLB, per Statcast.
MOUNTAIN TIME: Félix Bautista leads the AL and ranks third in MLB with 29 saves this season…He has secured a win or save in 35 of his 47 appearances (74.5%) this year…That would be the fourth-highest such percentage in O’s history (since 1954), behind Jim Johnson (74.6%, 53-of-71) in 2012, Randy Myers (77.0%, 47-of-61) in 1997, and Lee Smith (82.9%, 34- of-41) in 1994, per the Elias Sports Bureau…Bautista is looking to become the eighth Oriole in team history to lead the league in saves and the first since Zack Britton locked down 47 games in 2016…Johnson has the team record of 51 saves set in 2012.
His 101 strikeouts are more than 15 qualified pitchers, per STATS.
Bautista’s 17.59 K/9 (101 K/199 BFP) would be the fourth-best by a qualified reliever in MLB history; Cincinnati’s Aroldis Chapman (2014), Cleveland’s James Karinchak (2020), and Milwaukee’s Devin Williams (2020) are tied for the record with a 17.67 mark.
He is the seventh O’s reliever to reach 100 strikeouts in a season and the first since B.J. Ryan fanned 100 in 2005; Ryan holds the Orioles record for strikeouts as a reliever in one season with 122 in 2004.
STARTING PTICHER – #39 KYLE BRADISH RHP
QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his 20th start of the season, 12th on the road, and seventh career start against the Blue Jays tonight…Made 23 starts in his rookie season with the Orioles in 2022…Went 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA (64 ER/117.2 IP) with 111 strikeouts to 46 walks…Was one of 13 O’s players (7 pitchers) to make their debut in 2022…Started on the bump for Adley Rutschman’s debut on May 21 vs. Tampa Bay…Tossed 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings across four starts from August 26 to September 6…Acquired by the Orioles along with RHP Kyle Brnovich, RHP Zach Peek, and RHP Isaac Mattson from Los Angeles-AL in exchange for RHP Dylan Bundy on December 4, 2019…Originally drafted by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of New Mexico State…Teammates at NMSU with INF Joey Ortiz.
LAST TIME OUT: Dealt his sixth loss of the season on July 26 at Philadelphia after allowing five runs on seven hits (1 HR) with two walks and three strikeouts in 6.2 innings…Marks his first start with more than two runs since June 8 (7 GS) and with more than three runs since May 23 (10 GS); only third start allowing four or more runs this season…Threw 84 pitches, 55 strikes.
CAREER AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: Making his seventh career start against the Blue Jays tonight…Dealt the loss in his last start against Toronto at Oriole Park on June 14…Allowed one run on four hits (1 HR) with one strikeout in 7.0 innings… Threw 98 pitches, 59 strikes…Sports an 0-3 record with a 5.59 ERA (18 ER/29.0
IP) in six outings, all starts, against Toronto.
CAREER AGAINST THE AL EAST: Slated to make his 21st career start against the AL East…Was dealt the loss in his last outing against the division on July 21 at Tropicana Field…Allowed two runs on six hits (1 HR) with one walk and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings…Threw 93 pitches, 61 strikes…Owns a 2-10 record with a 6.35 ERA (67 ER/95.0 IP) in 20 career outings against the AL East.
ROAD TRIPPIN’: Making his 12th road start of the 2023 campaign tonight… Through his first 11 outings away from Oriole Park this season, Bradish has pitched to a 3-3 record with a 4.09 ERA (25 ER/55.0 IP) and three quality starts… The O’s own a 6-5 edge in his road starts this season.
SHIFTING SPEEDS: Bradish is holding opposing hitters to a .174/.194/.265 (23-for-132) slash line against his slider this season…His 49 punchouts via his primary pitch are the ninth-most among MLB starting pitchers entering play today…In 2022, opposing batters slashed .212/.278/.343 (29-for-137) against the off-speed pitch.
HITTING HIS STRIDE: Has pitched to a 5-5 record with a 2.82 ERA (28 ER/89.1 IP) and nine quality starts in his last 15 outings since May 6…Has allowed three earned runs-or-fewer in 13 of those games…Tossed a season-high 10 strikeouts on June 8 at Milwaukee…Did not allow a home run in a career-high-tying three straight starts from May 28 to June 8 (also: 10/2/22-4/19/23)…Completed 7.0 innings in two of those outings (6/14 vs. TOR & 6/25 vs. SEA)…Has won four of his
last seven starts since June 20.
LIMITING THE DAMAGE: Bradish has surrendered one or no home runs in each of his last 34 starts since June 13, 2022; the O’s own a 20-14 edge in those games…Marks the third-longest active streak among MLB starting pitchers and longest by an O’s starter since Ubaldo Jiménez accomplished the feat in 36 straight starts from July 23, 2015 to September 10, 2016.
SWING AND A MISS: Bradish registered 16 swings and misses on May 12 vs. Pittsburgh, his second-most in a game in his career behind the 17 he recorded on August 26, 2022 at Houston.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays got the tying run on base in the 9th inning last night but were unable to complete the comeback as they were doubled up, 4-2, by the Orioles…Are now 18-17 in series openers. Toronto has still won five of its last eight games, 14 of its last 22, and is 33-23 over its last 56 contests… Its .589 win% over that span (since May 26) is the highest in the AL (2nd: BAL – .571)…Is currently holding the 3rd Wild Card spot, one game back of Houston (60-47) for the 2nd spot, and 2.5 games up on Boston.
WHITTING FOR POWER: Whit Merrifield led off the 8th inning last night with a solo shot into the home bullpen…Was his 9th home run of the campaign and his 7th in the last 20 games… Extended his hitting streak to a season-high-tying 10 games (3rd time)…Has batted .409 (18-for-44) over the current streak, notching two doubles, three homers, and eight RBI (1.072 OPS). The three-time All-Star has reached base safely in 20 of his last 21 contests with a plate appearance while hitting .372 (32-for-86) with three doubles, seven home runs, and 20 RBI (1.042 OPS)…Is now batting .303 on the season, good for 6th among AL hitters (9th in MLB), while his 21 stolen bases are 9th most…His 32 hits in the month of July were tied for 4th most in the AL while he ranked 5th with a .356 batting average and 13th with a .997 OPS.
MULTI-TALENTED: Bo Bichette singled in each of his two at-bats last night before leaving the game in the 3rd inning with right knee discomfort…Was his AL-best 42nd multi-hit game…Also leads the AL with 144 hits, 23 more than any other batter in the junior circuit, trailing only Luis Arraez (149) for the most in the Majors. The shortstop is now batting .321 to top all AL batters (2nd: Yandy Díaz – .318)…Is also 3rd in the AL in total bases (222), 10th in SLG (.494), T-12th in
doubles (25), and T-12th in extra-base hits (43)…His 144 hits before August tied John Olerud (1993) for the most in team history (courtesy Stats Perform).
KIRK CLICKING: Alejandro Kirk singled and drew a walk as part of a 1-for-3 evening…Over his last 10 games, has batted .464 (13-for-28) with a double, three homers, and six RBI (1.367 OPS).
HOUNDING INNINGS: Chris Bassitt allowed four runs over 6.0 innings on a season-high 113 pitches last night…Completed at least 6.0 frames for the 15th time, tied for 3rd most in the AL…His 132.2 innings pitched for the year are 3rd most among AL pitchers.
WALK THIS WAY: Matt Chapman drew a walk last night to extend his on-base streak to 17 games, the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors (Julio Rodríguez – 25G)…Has gone 15-for-57 (.263) with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, five RBI, and a 15BB/17K ratio for a .425 OBP and a .916 OPS over that stretch…His 53 walks on the year are 7th most in the AL.
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are in the midst of a seven-day, seven-game homestand (2-2 so far)…Have gone 29-22 this season at Rogers Centre…The .569 win% at home is 4th best in the AL…After this series with the Orioles, will head out to Boston (56-50) for three games over the weekend, followed by four in Cleveland (53-54).
Toronto batters rank 3rd in the AL in home AVG (.260), 3rd in home OBP (.334), 6th in home OPS (.747), and 7th in home SLG (.413)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among MLB teams with 3.27 home ERA, while sitting 2nd in the AL with a .220 home opponents’ average and 3rd with a 1.17 home WHIP.
R-YU READY FOR THE RETURN: Hyun Jin Ryu makes his return to the mound tonight, his first start since June 1 of last season…Was placed on the injured list a day later and underwent surgery for a revision UCL reconstruction with a flexor tendon repair on June 17…Has gone 21-12 with a 4.07 ERA over 49 starts since joining the Blue Jays in 2020.
PITCHING IN: Toronto pitchers have combined for an AL-best 3.76 ERA this season, trailing only San Diego (3.68) for tops in the Majors…Are tied for 1st in MLB in
strikeouts (1,027) while ranking 7th in opponents’ average (.240), and 11th in WHIP (1.26)…The rotation has 50 quality starts, tied for 3rd most in the AL (T-4th
in MLB).
HITTING IT: Toronto batters have notched 960 hits this season, tied for 3rd most in MLB…Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.261), 4th in OBP (.331), 5th in SLG (.419), 5th in OPS (.750), and 7th in extra-base hits (324).
DIVISIONAL DOWNTURN: The Blue Jays have now gone 7-21 against divisional opponents this season (5th among AL East clubs), tied for the 2nd fewest intra-division wins in MLB (OAK – 5)…Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006 (43-31).
THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 53 Defensive Runs Saved, the most in the Majors (2nd: MIL – 40).
VS. THE ORIOLES: All-Time: 221-226
2023: 1-6 Home: 117-105
Home: 0-4 Rogers Centre: 80-66
The Blue Jays are 1-6 vs. Baltimore so far this season…Were swept in their other series here at Rogers Centre in May, and dropped two of three in Baltimore in June…Have not lost a season series to the O’s since 2017 (7-12).
Bo Bichette has gone 10-for-28 (.357) with a pair of doubles and two RBI in the seven games against the Orioles this year…In 53 career meetings vs. Baltimore, is 72-for-218 (.330) with 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and 36 RBI (.903 OPS).
Danny Jansen is 6-for-20 (.300) across seven games vs. the O’s this season, including three homers and four RBI (.750 SLG)…Has batted .252 (39-for-155) with 10 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, and 28 RBI in 49 career games vs. the O’s (.858 OPS).
Whit Merrifield has hits in all seven games vs. Baltimore this year, going 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI…Holds a career .264 (52-for-197) average with 12 doubles, four home runs, and 20 RBI in 52 contests (.690 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Hyun Jin Ryu, LHP #99
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his season debut and his 50th career start in a Blue Jays uniform… Marks his 1st start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2022… The Blue Jays have won 32 of his 49 career starts as a member of the franchise, the 2nd-most thru a pitcher’s first 50 starts for the club, trailing only Alek Manoah (33) and Juan Guzman (33). His 3.14 ERA since the start of 2018 is the 12th-best mark in the Majors (min. 500 IP)…Among active pitchers with 1000+ IP, his career 3.27 ERA
is 8th best.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Began the season on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2022. Was sent on a rehab assignment to the FCL Blue Jays and made one start on 7/4, pitching 3.0 innings of one-run ball on 4 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts. Made one start with Single-A Dunedin on 7/9, tossing 4.0 shutout innings with 3 hits, no walks, and a strikeout. Started for Triple-A Buffalo on 7/15, going 5.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits while walking none and recording 5 strikeouts. On 7/21, made a 2nd start with Buffalo, tossing 6.0 innings of 2-run ball, scattering 3 hits and a walk with 5 punchouts.
