MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today conclude a three-game series at the Dodgers with a split doubleheader. Will continue this six-game road trip with a three-game set at the Padres from Monday-Wednesday. Miami is coming off an off-day on Thursday that followed a six-game homestand vs. the Yankees (2-1) and Astros (1-2).
- Due to the forecast related to Hurricane Hilary, MLB announced that Sunday’s Marlins at Dodgers game will be played the earlier game of a split doubleheader on Saturday, August 19, with Game 1 at 3:10 p.m. ET and Game 2 at 9:10 p.m. ET.
DOUBLE DIPPING
The Marlins today play the 63rd doubleheader in franchise history. Have swept 12 doubleheaders, including their most recent rain-induced doubleheader on April 22 at Cleveland, when the club won 6-1 in Game 1 and 3-2 in Game 2. Is their first-ever doubleheader against the Dodgers.
HOLLYWOOD HOPEFULS
The Marlins return to Dodger Stadium this weekend, where they have gone 46-60 all-time against the Dodgers. Overall, Miami is 97-119 against the NL-West leading Dodgers.
- The Marlins today look to win their first series in LA since April 23-25, 2018, when they took 2 of 3.
FISH BYTES
- Miami ranks 2nd in the NL with 1,094 hits (3rd in MLB behind Texas and Atlanta), and ranks 4th in the Majors in batting average (.261), behind Boston (.262), Atlanta (.271), and Texas (.274).
- The Marlins pitching staff leads the National League with 1,159 strikeouts (2nd most in Majors behind MIN-1,177).
- Have hit 24 homers overall in the month of August, tied for 4th most in NL and just 4 HR off their high for a month this season (28 in May).
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami took the series opener at the Dodgers, 11-3, behind a season-high 5 home runs by the Marlins offense. DH Jorge Soler smashed 2 solo home runs, including his 3rd career lead-off homer to start the night. 3B Jake Burger and CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. each added 3-run homers, while C Jacob Stallings hit a 2-run shot for his 2nd homer of the year. RHP Sandy Alcantara allowed 3 solo home runs over 6.0 innings with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts to earn his 6th win of the year.
DESERT DINGERS
The Marlins last night hit a season-high 5 homers, marking the club’s first 5-homer game since July 3, 2012 at Milwaukee and just the 8th in club history. Were one home run shy of the club record, 6 home runs, set on April 11, 2008 at Houston.
- Miami had one 4-homer game earlier this season, on June 11 at Chicago-AL (Soler, 2x; Cooper, and Segura).
TRES LECHES
RF Jorge Soler, 3B Jake Burger, and C Jacob Stallings each homered in the 3rd inning last night as the team combined to score 6 runs in the frame. It marked the second time this week (also, Aug. 14 vs. HOU) that the Marlins hit 3 home runs in an inning and just the 19th time in club history.
- It is also only the fourth year in Marlins history that the club has accomplished the feat more than once in a season (2003, 2, with 1 additional time in the Postseason; 2004, 2; and 2017, 2).
- The club has homered 4 times in an inning just once – Aug. 26, 1998 at St. Louis (also the first ever occurrence of back-to-back-to-back homers).
HIGH FIVES
Miami has scored at least 5 runs in each of their last 5 games, matching its longest-such stretch of the season, done previously from June 3-7 (vs. Oakland and vs. Kansas City). The last time the Marlins scored 5-or-more runs in 6 straight games was April 29-May 4, 2014.
CUBANO GIGANTE
DH Jorge Soler recorded his 4th multi-HR game of the season (14th of his career) last night and his first since June 11 at Chicago-AL, and became the 9th player in club history to have at least 4 multi-HR games in a single season and the first since Marcell Ozuna (4) and Giancarlo Stanton (10) in 2017.
- Is now tied for 4th in MLB with 32 home runs (T-3rd in NL), and are the most by a Marlin since 2017 (Marcell Ozuna, 37, and Giancarlo Stanton, 59).
- Soler’s last 4 hits have been home runs, and 6 of his last 9 hits have gone for home runs.
- With 2 home runs last night, has 165 career home runs, surpassing Yoenis Cespedes for the 9th-most homers by a Cuban-born player in MLB. Yasmani Grandal ranks 8th with 185 home runs in his career.
LEADING OFF AND TEEING OFF
DH Jorge Soler hit his 3rd career lead-off home run last night and his first as a Marlin, also marking Miami’s first leadoff home run of 2023 (last, Jazz Chisholm Jr., June 10, 2022 at Houston).
- Became the 8th player in franchise history (18th occurrence) to go deep twice from the lead-off spot, and the first since Jazz Chisholm Jr. in that same game against the Astros.
BURGER KING
3B Jake Burger is hitting .333 (19×57) with 5 doubles, 2 home run, and 11 RBI through his first 15 games since being acquired by Miami from the White Sox on Aug. 1. Has reached base safely in 14 of the 15 games.
- Extended his hitting streak to a career-long 9 straight games last night, surpassing his previous career-long hitting streak from June 4-12, 2022. Has 4 multi-hit games in this span, batting .417 with a 1.086 OPS.
- Burger has homered in each of his 4 games against the Dodgers this year, and owns 6 home runs against the Dodgers since in 6 games; tied for the 5th-most homers against the Dodgers by any opposing player since his debut in 2021.
FALSE STARTS
Miami had dropped 6 consecutive series openers on the road prior to last night’s 11-3 victory. Have gone 16-24 in the first game of a series this year, while going a combined 45-32 in games two and three.
ON DECK
Of Miami’s remaining 39 games, 20 are against teams currently in playoff position (51%).
GAME 1 STARTER – #39 EURY PEREZ
- Eury Rafael Perez, 20, will make his 14th career start today and his first against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- In his most recent start vs. New York-AL on Aug. 13, allowed 4 runs on 4 hits (1 home run) and 2 walks over 4.0 innings. Struck out 5.
- In 2 starts since being recalled from Double-A Pensacola, has a 8.31 ERA (8.2/8) while holding batters to a .257 AVG (9×35). In previous 11 starts, had a 2.36 ERA (53.1/14) while holding batters to a .208 AVG (41×197).
- Was optioned to Double-A Pensacola on July 7. Made 2 starts with the Blue Wahoos – a start of 2.1 innings on July 26 and a 3.0-inning start on Aug. 1.
- Among rookie pitchers in MLB with at least 50.0 innings pitched prior to the All-Star Break, Perez posted the lowest ERA (2.36), ranked 2nd with his 1.09 WHIP, and was tied for 3rd in wins (5).
- Had a 21.0-inning scoreless streak before allowing 6 runs at Atlanta on July 1. Allowed just 1 ER in 6 starts (33.0 IP) from May 28 to June 25, holding opponents scoreless in 5 of the 6 starts.
- Made his Major League debut on May 12 vs. Cincinnati and became the youngest pitcher in Marlins history and youngest Dominican-born starting pitcher (20 yrs, 27 days). Pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks.
GAME 2 STARTER – #29 BRAXTON GARRETT
- Braxton Garrett, 26, will make his 24th start (25th app.) of the season today. Will mark his first career start (second app.) against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- HIs only appearance against the Dodgers came in relief on May 15, 2021. Tossed 3.0 innings and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts.
- In his most recent start vs. Houston on Aug. 14, allowed 4 hits and 2 walks over 5.0 scoreless innings. Struck out 1. Recorded a second consecutive win for the first time in his career.
- The Marlins are 18-5 in Garrett’s starts this year, including 8 consecutive wins from May 31 – July 8. Have won the last 4 games started by Garrett (July 28, Aug. 2, Aug. 8, Aug. 14).
- Ranks second among NL pitchers with a 6.00 (126/21) K/BB ratio (min. 100.0 IP).
- Has allowed 3 runs of fewer in 8 of his last 10 starts. Has held opponents to 1 or 0 ER in 12 of his 23 starts; tied for the most such starts among NL starters.
- Career, RHB vs. Garrett: .277 AVG (207×746), .335 OBP, .793 OPS. LHB vs. Garrett: .230 AVG (53×230), .306 OBP, .641 OPS. Has allowed only 4 HR in 224 AB vs. LHB.
- In 12 starts (13 apps.) at loanDepot park this season, owns a 4.98 ERA (65.0/36) and has gone 3-2 with 69 strikeouts. In 11 starts away, is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA (57.0/17) and 57 strikeouts.
- In 26 career starts (27 apps.) at loanDepot park, owns a 4.07 ERA (132.2/60) and has gone 6-8 with 151 strikeouts. In 23 starts away (24 apps.), is 6-5 with a 3.93 ERA (119.0/52) and 105 strikeouts.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
THE PARTY’S OVER: The Dodgers fell behind early and weren’t able to battle back, losing to the Miami Marlins, 11-3. The loss brought the club’s season high 11-game winning streak to an end, but the Boys in Blue are still 15-2 in the month of August and a Major League best 23-9 (.719) in the second half of the season. Today is the rare Dodger Stadium split doubleheader as Sunday’s game was moved to 12:00 p.m. this afternoon in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary rolling through Southern California tomorrow. The two games with the Marlins today will close out the Dodgers’ 10-game homestand (7-1) and the squad will enjoy an off day tomorrow, before flying to Cleveland on Monday. On Tuesday night, Los Angeles begins a six-game road trip against the Guardians (Aug. 22-24) and Red Sox (Aug. 25-27). Despite last night’s loss, the Dodgers still hold a season high 10.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. The Dodgers are 41-21 (.661) at home this season, which isthe second best home mark in the National League, trailing only the Braves (.672). Los Angeles saw its season-high tying 10-game home winning streak snapped last night. Overall, the Dodgers own the third-best record in baseball (.612), trailing the Braves (.653) and Orioles (.615). The Dodgers won six of seven contests vs. the Marlins last year, including a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium. Since 2017, the Dodgers are 12-5 vs. Miami at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles is 11-8 vs. the NL East this season. Today’s matinee is also Native American Heritage Day, presented by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The first 20,000 ticketed fans will receive a special Native American hat. In the nightcap at 6:10 p.m., the first 40,000 fans will receive a LeBron James Dodger bobblehead.
SHAKE IT OFF: The Dodgers gave up 11 runs, including five home runs, and saw their 11-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Marlins last night by a final score of 11-3. Tony Gonsolin had the worst start of his career, allowing a career-high 10 runs while yielding eight hits and four walks in a season-low tying 3.1 innings. At the plate, the Dodgers scored all their runs via the homer as Mookie Betts (32), Max Muncy (29) and James Outman (15) each cracked solo home runs. The Dodgers’ 192 home runs ranks second in the Major Leagues and are already the ninth most in L.A. Dodger history. James Outman became the fifth rookie in Los Angeles Dodgers’ history to record at least 15 homers and 10 stolen bases in a campaign, joining Cody Bellinger in 2017 (39 HR, 10 SB), Yasiel Puig in 2013 (19, 11), Raul Mondesi in 1994 (16, 11) and Billy Grabarkewitz in 1970 (17, 19).
LET’S PLAY TWO: In an unprecedented move in Dodger history, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball yesterday preponed Sunday’s 1:10 p.m. game, moving it to 12:00 p.m. this afternoon and creating a split doubleheader due to the increasing chances of Hurricane Hilary bringing wet weather to the L.A. area. While the game isn’t technically a rainout in the traditional sense, the cancellation of Sunday’s contest snaps a record string of 1,872 regular season games without a weather-related postponement. The last washout was April 17, 2000 and, in a spooky coincidence, the club’s only August rainout in Dodger Stadium history took place exactly 40 years ago yesterday on Aug. 18, 1983 vs. the New York Mets.
JULIO AND THE ‘PEN: Dodger left-hander Caleb Ferguson will get the start in the first game as the “opener” and it will be his ninth-career bug league start and second this season. Behind Ferguson, the Dodgers to have a bullpen game and a move will be made later on to add the “27th man. In the nightcap, Julio Urías gets the ball as he looks to record win No. 11 on the season. Urías is 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA (6 ER/23.0 IP) in his last four starts. The southpaw is 2-1 with a 4.70 ERA (8 ER/15.1 IP) in three career starts vs. the Marlins (2017, 2021, 2022). He hasn’t faced Miami at home in more than six years, when he gave up seven runs (six earned) in 2.1 innings on May 20, 2017. The Dodger bullpen allowed just one run over 5.2 innings last night and have now allowed just two runs in their last 30.2 frames, dating back to Aug. 9. This month, the ‘pen has allowed a .554 OPS (1st, NL) while posting a 2.48 ERA (2nd, NL).
THE MAN: All-Star Mookie Betts went 1-for-2 last night and cracked his Major League leading 11th leadoff home run of the season and his 26th as a Dodger, putting him two behind Davey Lopes for the most in franchise history. Betts is now slashing .379/.478/.745 with 13 homers, 35 RBI, 42 runs scored and 29 walks in his last 40 games since June 28. Betts is tied for third in the NL in home runs with 32 while ranking second in slugging (.586), fourth in OPS (.980), third in runs (99) and fifth in walks (70). Betts is hitting .413 (26-for-63) in the month of August. Since May 1, the 2018 American League MVP is hitting .314 (109-for-347) with 28 homers, 71 RBI and a 1.038 OPS. During that span, he is third in the Majors in homers, second in runs (82), second in OPS, tied for fourth RBI and third in extra-base hits (53). Betts is hitting .366 (34-for-93) with RISP, which ranks fourth in the Major Leagues. The Dodgers are 35-20 when Betts drives in a run and 19-9 when he hits a home runs this season.
SUPERMAN: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman went 0-for-2 last night and is slashing .398/.473/.681 with 12 doubles, six homers and 20 RBI in his last 29 games since July 17. Freeman was the first player in Dodger history with at least 20 homers and 35 doubles before the end of July and ranks second in the Majors with 102 runs scored, trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr. (110). He also leads the Majors with 44 doubles, ranks second with 69 extra-base hits, third in hits (160) and tied for second in average. His career best in runs scored is 120, established in 2021.
TODAY’S STARTER vs. MARLINS: RHP RYAN PEPIOT (3-0, 3.47 ERA in 9 G, 7 GS in 2022)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Will make his season debut today after being sidelined since March with a left oblique strain
- Started in six games during his rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City, he went 0-2 with a 3.97 ERA (10 ER/22.2 IP), striking out 26 batters against five walks
- Awarded PCL Pitcher of the Week on August 13 after spinning 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up only one hit while punching out 11 batters
- Made six starts in Spring Training, going 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA (10 ER/17.1 IP) with 24 strikeouts against nine walks
VS. MARLINS:
- Will face Miami for just the second time in his career…is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (2 ER/6.0 IP)…first faced the club on August 21, 2022, tossing six innings, giving up four hits, two runs and two walks while striking out seven in the win
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. MARLINS: LHP JULIO URÍAS (10-6, 4.35 ERA in 18 GS)
- In his last start against the Rockies on August 13, he fired seven innings, giving up four hits, three runs and one home run while striking out a season-high 12 batters in the win
- Earned his first ERA title in 2022 after leading the National League with a 2.16 ERA, becoming the first Mexican born pitcher to accomplish the feat
VS. MARLINS:
- Will face Miami for the fourth time in his career…is 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA (8 ER/15.1 IP) and 16 strikeouts against nine walks
- Last faced the club on August 28, 2022, spinning six innings and giving up one hit, one run and four walks while striking out seven in the win
