ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Pirates tonight continue a four-game series in what is the second of seven scheduled meetings between the clubs this season…Pittsburgh is slated to visit Atlanta for a three-game set, September 8-10.
- The Pirates beat the Braves, 7-6, last night to take the opening game of the series.
- Last night’s loss snapped an eight-game winning streak in the series for Atlanta, which dated to July 7, 2021…The winning streak tied the third longest by the franchise all-time versus Pittsburgh… Atlanta won 11 straight over the Pirates from 1980- 1981, and the Boston Braves beat Pittsburgh in 10 straight in 1915.
- The Braves went a perfect 7-0 against the Pirates last season, just the second time in the franchise’s modern era they swept a season series of seven or more games with an opponent…The 1993 Braves went 13-0 against Colorado.
- Atlanta has won the season set with Pittsburgh every year since 2018 in which they have played, going a combined 21-7 (.750) in that span…In addition to last year’s perfect mark, the Braves went 4-3 in 2021, 5-2 in 2019 and 5-1 in 2018 versus the Pirates…The two did not meet in 2020.
- RH Yonny Chirinos has never faced the Pirates, and has pitched against just one member of Pittsburgh’s current roster in his career…Andrew McCutchen is 0-for-1 with a walk against him…The 6-foot-2, 225-pound right-hander has made a pair of starts for the Braves since Atlanta claimed him off waivers from Tampa Bay on July 23, combining to allow seven earned runs in 8.2 innings…Atlanta has won both games.
- RH Mitch Keller has never beaten the Braves, compiling an 0-2 record and a 10.03 ERA (13 ER/11.2 IP) in three career starts against them… The 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of Cedar Rapids, IA, made one start against Atlanta last season, August 24 here at PNC Park, and allowed seven hits and seven runs over 3.2 innings.
LOSS: Atlanta dropped its third consecutive game last night, falling to Pittsburgh, 7-6…The Braves have lost three straight on the road for just the second time this season.
- Atlanta was swept in three games in Toronto, May 12-14, for its only other three-game skid on the road this season…The Braves have not lost four straight on the road since June 6 to June 12 of 2021, when they dropped two each in Philadelphia and Miami.
- Atlanta outhit Pittsburgh, 10-9, last night, and lost for just the sixth time this season when collecting more hits than its opponent…The Braves are 54-6 (.900) when outhitting their opponent this year.
- The Braves and Pirates sat through a rain delay of one hour, 18 minutes in last night’s sixth inning.
MATT OLSON: Went 2-for-4 with two more RBI last night, and has a majors-most 99 on the year…He has driven in a run in each of Atlanta’s last 10 games, the longest active RBI streak in baseball.
- Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, Olson is just the third player in franchise history to drive in a run in 10 straight games…Sid Gordon first did so in 1951, and Freddie Freeman matched the mark in 2019…No player in franchise history has driven in a run in 11 straight games.
- Olson is looking to match the mark for the fastest Braves player, by team games, to reach 100 RBI franchise history…Wally Berger holds the current mark, reaching 100 RBI in Boston’s 111th game in 1935…Hank Aaron holds the Atlanta-era mark, doing so in 114 games in 1970.
- In the Live-Ball Era (since 1920), 10 players (15 instances) have reached both 40 home runs and 100 RBI by their club’s 111th game in a season…Since 1962, that number shrinks to five players; Mark McGwire (1998-99), Sammy Sosa (1998), Luis Gonzalez (2001), David Ortiz (2006) and Chris Davis (2013).
- Olson is on pace for 57 homers and 146 RBI, both of which would stand as single-season franchise records in the modern era (since 1900).
OZZIE ALBIES: Opened the scoring for Atlanta last night with his 26th home run of the season, and drove in a pair of runs on the game…Among primary second basemen, his 26 homers and 79 RBI are both most in baseball.
- He also leads all qualified second basemen in slugging percentage (.512), extra-base hits (51) and total bases (218).
- Dating to his first full season in 2018, Albies leads all N.L. second basemen in hits (723), homers (118), runs (436), RBI (397), extra-base hits (307) and total bases (1,290).
- Albies’ home run last night came batting lefthanded, and 21 of his 26 homers this season have come from that side.
- He is batting just .228/.302/.477 left-handed this season…However, in his last 63 games dating to May 23, he is hitting .267/.342/.576 from the left side, with 16 homers and 45 RBI.
SINCE THE BREAK: Atlanta’s loss last night dropped the club to 10-11 (.476) in 21 games since the All-Star break, including a 3-4 mark in series play.
- Braves pitchers have compiled a 5.02 ERA (102 ER/183.0 IP) since the break, fourth highest in baseball…However, Atlanat’s staff has a 4.20 FIP in that span, and the club’s 0.82 difference in FIP and ERA is the largest gap in the N.L. and the third biggest in the majors.
- Atlanta has scored 126 runs since the break, fourth most in the majors, and its 44 homers in that span are most in baseball.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #56 Yonny Chirinos RHP
2023 Record: 5-4, 4.42 ERA • 2022 Record: 1-0, 0.00 ERA
vs. RHB: .270 (38-141), 6 HR • vs. LHB: .246 (32-for-130), 4 HR
Home: 2-2, 6.25 ERA (22/31.2) • Away: 3-2, 2.95 ERA (13/39.2)
Tonight’s Game
- Set to make his third start for Atlanta.
- Was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on July 23.
- Went 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA in four starts and 11 relief appearances for the Rays.
- Is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA over his last seven games.
- Went 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in his first eight appearances this season.
- Earned his first win with Atlanta after scattering six hits and three runs over 5.0 innings pitched against Los Angeles (AL) in his last start.
- Chirinos recorded 18 swing in misses between both starts for Atlanta; the most in a two-game span for him this season.
- Only pitched in two games last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
- Missed the enitre 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on August 24, 2020, performed by Dr. Koco Eaton in St. Petersburg.
- Underwent surgery on September 30, 2021 after he fractured his elbow.
- On September 7, 2022 made his first appearance in the maors since August 16, 2020; 1…Went 751 days between apps and 1,129 days between wins.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:..opened their seven-game homestand with a 7-6 win last night against the Braves…Have gone 10-7 in their last 17 games since losing each of their first five games following the All-Star break…Are in a stretch that has the team playing 16 straight days until their next scheduled off day on August 17…Have gone 2-0-2 in their last four series.
ROSTER MOVES: Right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto on Sunday, has joined the Major League roster…The Pirates have also recalled right-handed pitcher Colin Selby from Triple-A Indianapolis…Right-handed pitchers Osvaldo Bido and Yerry De Los Santos have been optioned to Triple-A to make room for Hatch and Selby on the active roster.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: Thomas Hatch has spent a majority of the 2023 season with Triple-A Buffalo (he also made six relief appearances for the Blue Jays)…Hatch made his big league debut in 2020 and posted a 3-1 record and 2.73 ERA (26.1ip/8er) in 17 appearances (one start) while also being named Toronto’s Rookie-of-the-Year by Baseball America.
FEELING THE DRAFT: Colin Selby was Pittsburgh’s 16th round selection in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Randolph-Macon (VA) College…When he makes his debut he will become the third Randolph-Macon alum to play in MLB along with Frank Walker from 1917-25 and Paul Gilliford in 1967.
ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Mitch Keller comes into today ranked seventh among all National League pitchers with 150 strikeouts…Last year JT Brubaker paced the Pirates with 147 strikeouts…The last Pirate with more than 150 strikeouts in a year was Joe Musgrove, who had 157 in 2019.
CASHING IN AT PNC: The Pirates opened their seven-game homestand with a 7-6 win last night against the Braves…Pittsburgh is 4-1 in the last five games at PNC Park decided by one or two runs and 18-7 this season along the banks of the Allegheny River in games decided by one or two runs.
CALL TO THE PEN: Pittsburgh’s bullpen allowed two runs over the final 5.0 innings of Monday’s game while Carmen Mlodzinski earned his second career win with 1.1 scoreless innings…Since July 22, Pittsburgh’s bullpen has the sixth-lowest ERA (2.92) in MLB…The only five teams in MLB to record a lower bullpen ERA in that time are the Yankees (2.10), Mariners (2.17), Orioles (2.42), Nationals (2.50), Phillies (2.74).
PLAY RENEGADE: David Bednar recorded his 23rd save of the season in Monday’s game against the Braves…Bednar’s 23 saves are the most by a Pirates righthander since Mark Melancon had 30 in 2016…Bednar’s 1.54 ERA coming into today is the third-lowest among all National League relievers, trailing only San Diego’s Josh Hader (0.89) and Milwaukee’s Devin Williams (1.49).
AGAINST THE EAST: The Pirates are 3-1 in series against teams from the National League East this season…The Bucs took two of three against the Nationals in Washington from April 29-30, won two of three against the Mets at PNC Park from June 9-11, lost three of four in Miami from June 22-25, and beat the Phillies twice in three games at PNC Park from July 28-30.
FOUR YOUR INFORMATION: The Pirates are 1-2-2 in their first five four-game series of this season…Pittsburgh split its most recent series on the road in Milwaukee this past weekend…Prior to this series, Pittsburgh’s only other four-game series at PNC Park this year came in a sweep against Reds from April 20-23…This is Pittsburgh’s first four-game series at PNC Park against Atlanta since winning three of four from May 16-19, 2016.
GO JOE: Connor Joe led off the fourth inning last night with his ninth home run of the season after also going deep Sunday in Milwaukee…It’s the second time in Joe’s career that he has gone deep in back-to-back games after also doing so earlier this year from April 27-29 (game one)…Joe has now hit safely in each of his last six games, going 7-for-21 with a double and two home runs.
ANDREW ON THE BASES: Andrew McCutchen enters today with a 12-game on-base streak (it’s the fourth time this season McCutchen has reached base safely in at least 12 straight games)…McCutchen’s 16.0 percent walk rate is the sixth-highest in MLB behind Juan Soto (20.0%), Lamonte Wade Jr. (16.3%), Ian Happ (16.3%), Kyle Schwarber (16.2%) and Max Muncy (16.1%)…Teammate Jack Suwinski ranks eighth in MLB with a walk rate of 14.4 percent…As a team the Pirates rank fifth in all of MLB with a 9.2 percent walk rate according to FanGraphs.
STARTING PITCHER – 23 – RHP MITCH KELLER
MITCH KELLER: The 27-year-old righthander will make his 24th start of the season tonight…He lost a 14-1 decision (5.0ip/8er) to Milwaukee’s Adrian Houser in his last start Thursday night.
vs. ATLANTA: 0-2 with a 10.03 ERA (11.2ip/13er) in three career starts…Went 0-1 in one start in 2022 after allowing seven runs (2er) in 3.2 innings on 8/24 at PNC Park…Lost a 6-1 decision (5.0ip/5er) to Bryse Wilson on 5/22/21 at Truist Park…Allowed a pair of homers in the game on a leadoff shot by Ronald Acuna Jr. and a two-run blast to Ozzie Albies in the fifth inning…Also allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3.0 innings but had a no-decision on 6/12/19 at SunTrust Park.
