BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Orioles fell to the Padres last night, 10-3, in the second game of the three-game set at Petco Park.
Austin Hays went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run, his 11th long ball of the year; marked his first game with multiple extra-base hits since June 20 at Tampa Bay (2-2B).
Ryan O’Hearn went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI; has recorded back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time since July 30-31.
James McCann worked a scoreless eighth inning on two hits in his first career pitching appearance; became the third position player to pitch for the Orioles this season, joining Josh Lester on June 23 vs. Seattle and Ryan McKenna on May 26 vs. Texas, and the first primary catcher to do so since Austin Wynns on August 14, 2021 at Boston.
BURNING RUBBER: The Orioles and Padres square off in a rubber game in tonight’s series finale…The Orioles have gone 10-6 in rubber games this season, including wins in their last two, after going 11-11 in such games last year.
SWEEPLESS IN BALTIMORE: The Orioles have gone 78 consecutive series of at least two decisions (no ties) without being swept…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most consecutive series without getting swept in Orioles history (since 1954), ahead of 46 consecutive sweepless series from 1971-72…It is the fifth-longest such streak in MLB history, 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)…The Birds have not been swept in a series of at least two games since May 13-15, 2022 at Detroit (0-3), and have not been swept at home in a series of at least two games since August 27-29, 2021 vs. Tampa Bay (0-3).
WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won three of their last four games, four of six, six of 10, 11 of 16, 12 of 18, 25 of 36, and 26 of 39…At 74-46 (.617), the Orioles have the best record in the AL and second-best in MLB (see box at right)…The Braves (77-42, .647), Dodgers (72-46, .610), and Rangers (72-48, .600) are the only other teams with at least 70 wins and a .600 winning percentage this season…The team 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 Birds are 136-95 (.589) since June 2022, the second-best record in the AL and fourth-best in MLB during that time.
The O’s hold a 3.0-game lead over the Rays in the AL East.
AGAINST SAN DIEGO: The Orioles and Padres are meeting for the first and only series of the season this week…Prior to the current series, the Birds and Friars had not faced each other since 2019, when the O’s were swept in two games in Baltimore from June 25-26 and split a two-game set in San Diego from July 29-30…The O’s hold a 12-11 advantage over the Padres since the teams first met in 2002, including a 9-5 edge in San Diego.
O THE PLACES YOU’LL GO: The Orioles are in the middle of a nine-game, 10-day road trip, which began with three games in Seattle (2-1) over the weekend and continues with three games each in San Diego (1-1, through today) and Oakland (August 18-20)…The O’s have scheduled off days on Thursday, August 17 and Monday, August 21 before beginning a nine-game homestand from August 22-30…The current trip is tied for Baltimore’s second-longest of the season with another nine-game, 10-day tour from September 1-10, which features three games each in Arizona (September 1-3), Los Angeles-AL (September 4-6), and Boston (September 8-10)…Baltimore’s only longer trip this season was a 10-game, 11- day expedition from April 27 to May 7, during which the O’s went 6-4 in Detroit (3-1), Kansas City (2-1), and Atlanta (1-2).
Baltimore is 38-23 (.623) away from Camden Yards this season, the best road record in the AL and second best in MLB, behind Atlanta (38-22, .633).
The Orioles’ .623 road winning percentage would be the second best since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954, behind only the 1997 team that went 52-29 (.642) away from home.
MOUNT UP: Ryan Mountcastle has reached base safely in a career-high 22 straight games since July 21, tied for the second-longest active streak in MLB (see box at right)…It is the longest on-base streak by an Orioles batter since Trey Mancini reached safely in 23 straight games from September 5, 2019 to April 2, 2021, and the longest in a single season since Mancini reached safely in his final 22 games of the 2019 campaign…Mountcastle has recorded a hit in 16 of the last 17 games since July 28…His 12-game hitting streak, the second-longest of his career, was snapped on Friday night in Seattle…Mountcastle is slashing .420/.492/.580 (21-for-50) with two doubles, two home runs, nine runs scored, eight RBI, eight walks, and one stolen base in 14 games this month…Entering today’s games, he ranked among MLB leaders for the month in batting average (2nd) and on-base percentage (3rd)…He’s reached base safely in all 25 of his starts since returning from the Injured List on July 9.
MOUNTAIN TIME: Félix Bautista ranks tied for the AL lead and tied for third in MLB with 32 saves…Bautista has secured a win or save in 39 of his 52 appearances (75.0%) this year… That would be the third-highest such percentage in O’s history (since 1954), behind 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 seventh Oriole (eighth time) 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 108 strikeouts are more than 12 qualified pitchers, per STATS.
Bautista’s 16.95 K/9 (108 K/57.1 IP) would be the fourth-best by a qualified reliever in MLB history in a full season; Cincinnati’s Aroldis Chapman holds the record with a 17.67 mark set in 2014.
ELECTRIC AVENUE: Cedric Mullins earned his fourth career Play of the Week Award for his home run robbery in the bottom of the ninth inning on August 13 at Seattle (watch it here)… Mullins leaped at the wall to bring back a potential game-tying home run for the second out of the inning, and later hit the game-winning homer in the 10th…Mullins becomes the first player to win Play of the Week four times since the award was introduced in 2019… This marks the ninth Play of the Week Award overall for the Orioles since the award was introduced, the most of any Major League team…Baltimore earned its fifth Play of the Week Award for 2023, marking the most single-season honors dished out to a club in the history of Play of the Week Award.
STARTING PITCHER – #64 DEAN KREMER RHP
QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his 25th start of the season, 11th on the road, and first career start against the Padres tonight…Set a career high with 22 appearances (21 GS) in 2022, 11 appearances at home (10 GS), and 11 on the road…Owned an 8-7 record with a 3.23 ERA (45 ER/125.1 IP) and 87 strikeouts…Made six starts of 5.0-or-more scoreless innings, tied for seventh-most in the AL…Acquired by the Orioles along with INF Breyvic Valera, OF Yusniel Diaz, RHP Zach Pop, and INF Rylan Bannon in exchange for INF Manny Machado on July 18, 2018…Originally selected by the Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of UNLV.
LAST TIME OUT: Earned his 11th win of the season in his last outing on August 10 vs. Houston…Allowed two runs on six hits (2 HR) with two walks and five strikeouts in a season-high-tying 7.0 innings (4x, last: 7/24 at PHI)…Marked his 11th quality start of the season…Has pitched to a 2-0 record with a 3.71 ERA (14 ER/34.0 IP) in his last six starts since July 14…Threw 91 pitches, 60 strikes.
HOTEL CALIFORNIA: Is scheduled to make his first career start against the Padres and third against the NL West tonight…Did not factor into the decision in his Last outing against the division on July 19, 2023 vs. Los Angeles-NL…Allowed five runs on four hits (2 HR) with four walks and one strikeout in 4.2 innings…Left with one runner on, who was stranded…Threw 91 pitches, 53 strikes…Owns a 1-0 record with a 5.91 ERA (7 ER/10.2 IP) and one quality start in his first two career assignments against the NL West.
CUTTING DOWN: Kremer has recorded 33 strikeouts via his cutter this season, the fourth-most in MLB entering today’s game…Opposing hitters are slashing .231/.299/.500 (31-for-134) against his secondary pitch…In 2022, Kremer punched out 27 batters with his cutter, while opponents slashed .259/.292/.356 (45-for-174).
ROAD WORK AHEAD: Making his 11th road start of the season tonight…Has pitched to a 5-2 record with a 3.70 ERA (23 ER/56.0 IP), five quality starts, and 56 strikeouts in his first 10 assignments away from Oriole Park this season.
SWEET VICTORY: Kremer’s 11 wins this season are tied for the team lead (Gibson), tied for second in the AL, and tied for seventh in MLB entering play today…His 11 victories are also a career high, surpassing his eight victories in 2022…The Orioles own an 18-6 edge in his 24 assignments this season, including victories in seven in a row and in 10 of his last 11 starts since June 13.
ENJOYING THE NIGHT LIFE: Kremer owns a 9-2 record with a 3.98 ERA (37 ER/83.2 IP) and eight quality starts in 15 night assignments this season…His nine victories after dark lead the AL and are tied for the most in MLB entering today’s game…The Orioles own an 11-3 edge in his night starts, including wins in his last four.
SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Gary Sánchez hits the Padres’ 1st salamie this season & Padres plate 10 in Wacha’s return from the IL
- In the 1st inning, Gary Sánchez hit a 2-out grand slam (his 16th homer of the season), giving the Friars a 5-run lead.
- At the plate, the Padres combined for a season-high 8 doubles: Ha-Seong Kim, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr., Garrett Cooper, Xander Bogaerts, Ben Gamel, Jake Cronenworth, and Jose Azocar…the 8 doubles were the most any Padre team had logged at home in San Diego, and it was just the 5th time in club history that the Padres had an 8-double game, trailing just the club record of 9 doubles on August 12, 2007 @ CIN.
- Michael Wacha made his return from the Injured List, and he got the win (now 9-2) in 5.0 innings of scoreless, 3-hit ball…he fanned 5 with a walk allowed.
Bump day: MLB’s ERA leader gets the rock
- Starter Blake Snell’s 2.63 leads the Majors, and he is 1 of 3 qualifying pitchers with a sub-.200 opp. AVG (.199, 2nd), behind just Shohei Ohtani (.185 AVG, 1st) and ahead of Corbin Burnes (.198 AVG, 3rd).
In search of their 1st series W since their series @ Colorado
- San Diego hopes to snap a 3-series losing streak and win their 1st since taking 2 of 3 from the Rockies from July 31-August 2…since their last series win, they’ve won 3-8.
Padres playing 13 games in 13 days & 19 games in 20 days
- Today is the 12th game of the Padres playing 19 games in 20 days, and their sole off day in the span from August 4-23 was on August 10…they’re also in a stretch of playing 32 games in 34 days (from August 4-September 6).
- Since Aug. 11, the Padres also began playing 13 games in 13 days, with 7 of those 13 games vs. Arizona. In wins & in losses
- In wins, the Padres have scored 6.95 runs per game, the 5th best R/G average in all of the big leagues…in losses, however, the Friars have scored just 2.46 runs per game, ranking 29th in the Majors ahead of just the Pirates’ 2.42 R/G.
- In wins, Manny Machado is hitting .340, Juan Soto is hitting .337, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .322… in losses, however, Machado is hitting .172, Soto is hitting .198, and Tatis is hitting .209…Ha-Seong Kim’s .272 clip in San Diego losses is the highest on the club.
Friars plate 10 runs for 13th time this year
- The Padres have scored 10 runs in a single game 13x this season, ranking as the T-5th most games with double-digit runs with the Rays (13), Dodgers (16), Braves (17), Cubs (18), and Rangers (23).
- The last 3 occasions in which the Padres have plated 10+ runs, the Padres have lost the next game the last 3x (last win in the game following a 10+ run performance was on July 4 vs. LAA)…in games following the 12 prior times in which they scored 10+ runs, SD is 4-8.
STARTER – BLAKE SNELL 4
Snell, MLB’s ERA leader, set for 8th career start vs. BAL The 30-year-old left-hander enters today’s matchup as MLB’s ERA leader (2.63) and is 1 of 3 qualifying ML hurlers with a sub-.200 opp. AVG (.199, 2nd) — also: Shohei Ohtani (.185 AVG, 1st) and Corbin Burnes (.198 AVG, 3rd)…he’ll face the Orioles for the first time as a member of the Padres and for the first time since the shortened 2020 campaign w/ TB.
Snell continues dominance vs. Snakes last time out
He took the mound for his 8th career start vs. AZ, and 7 of the 8 have been in a SD uniform since ’21…among all pitchers who have made at least 8 career starts vs. the D-Backs, he owns the lowest all-time ERA (1.11), WHIP (0.76) and opp. AVG (.139) vs. the club…his ERA has now gone up in consecutive starts for the 1st time since his first 2 starts of ’23 (6.73 to 7.88) after lowering it in 14 straight from May 19-July 30…he’s allowed 5 ER over his last 2 starts (4.09 ERA) after allowing 5 across his previous 12 starts from May 31-July 30 (0.65 ERA).
Shutouts/Punchouts/Quality Starts/100+ Pitch Outings
Snell has posted 8 outings w/ 0 ER allowed across 5.0+ frames – the most such starts in the Majors…all 8 of those starts have come in his 14 outings since May 31…he’s reached the 100 pitch plateau 13 times this season, T-most 100+ pitch outings this season w/ 4 others… he’s posted quality outings in 9 of his last 15 outings since May 25, having his quality start streak snapped at a career-high-tying 6 in a row on July 3 vs. LAA…he’s punched out 10+ in 5 of his last 12 outings (13.50 SO/9 IP)…since 2018, he’s posted the most double-digit SO games (28) among all ML left-handers, ahead of Chris Sale (27) and Robbie Ray (26).
Leader of the pack since May 25
Among all qualifying pitchers since May 25, Snell ranks 1st in ERA (1.15 – next closest is Jordan Montgomery’s 2.47 ERA), strikeouts (123) opp. AVG (.165), H/9 IP (5.08) OPS (.515)…he also ranks 2nd in SO/9 IP (13.02) and FIP (2.81).
When it matters most
With RISP, opponents are hitting .167 (19-114) and with RISP/ 2 out, they are hitting .098 (5- for-51)…in his 14 bases loaded situations, opponents are hitting .077 (1-13) with 1 BB.
Longest scoreless streak by Friar SP since 2010
Snell posted a career-high 22.0 consecutive scoreless innings across parts of 5 starts from June 28-July 20…it was longest scoreless-inning streak by a Padre SP since Kevin Correia’s 23.1 consecutive scoreless IP in ’09.
