ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Nationals continue the 2023 season this afternoon with the second of a three-game series…The teams will play 13
total games this season, with the next series coming at Truist Park in Atlanta from June 9-11.
• The Braves went 14-5 against the Nationals last season, the second consecutive season in which Atlanta won 14 of the 19 matchups between the
clubs…The Braves are 29-10 against the Nationals since the start of 2021.
• Atlanta has won the season set with Washington in each of the last five seasons dating to 2018, combing to go 55-31 versus the Nationals in that span.
• Atlanta scored 116 times in its 19 games against Washington last season, a year after outscoring the Nationals 101-73 (+28) in 2021…Last year marked the 11th time the Braves scored triple digits against a single team in a season since the turn of the century…The 2004 team has the most in that span, scoring 128 runs against the Expos.
• In Atlanta’s last 39 games against Washington, it has scored at least five runs in 25 of those games and is averaging 5.7 runs per contest.
• RH Spencer Strider has pitched in three career games and made two starts against the Nationals, all of which came last season, and compiled a 1-1 record with a 5.54 ERA (8 ER/13.0 IP)…In his most recent start against Washington, July 17 here at Nationals Park, he allowed four hits and five runs over 4.0 innings, one of just two starts in his career in which he allowed at least five runs.
• RH Josiah Gray has made four career starts against Atlanta, pitching to a 1-1 record with a 2.05 ERA (5 ER/22.0 IP), while Washington has gone 3-1 in his turns…He collected the first double-digit strikeout game of his career versus Atlanta, fanning 10 Braves on August 7, 2021 at Truist Park…Gray’s 2.05 ERA against Atlanta is his lowest against any team he has faced multiple times.
SUCCESS IN WASHINGTON: The Braves win at Nationals Park on Thursday moved the club to 26-7 (.788) in Washington since the start of the 2019 season.
• Atlanta has outscored Washington, 202-124, here in that span, and outhomered the Nationals, 68-25.
• The Braves pitching staff has compiled a 3.47 ERA (113 ER/293.1 IP) here in that span, and is allowing the Nationals to bat just .233/.315/.355 with a .670 OPS against them.
• The Braves 26-7 record here since 2019 ties the best mark in the National League by any team in a single road city…St. Louis has also played to a 26-7 record at PNC Park in Pittsburgh in that span.
• From 2014-2018, Atlanta went just 16-33 (.327) here at Nationals Park, including going winless in 10 games here in 2015.
DESIGNATED HITTER: Travis d’Arnaud went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI as Atlanta’s DH on Thursday…The Braves had just one four-hit game from their designated hitter all of last season.
• William Contreras went 4-for-5 in an 11-4 win over the Cardinals on August 26.
• Since the introduction of Interleague Play in 1997, just six Atlanta designated hitters have collected at least four hits in a game…Gary Sheffield was the first to do so in 2002, Chipper Jones did so in 2003, and Marcell Ozuna had two such games in 2020 before Contreras last year and d’Arnaud on Thursday.
• Braves’ DHs combined to bat .230/.290/.369 with 67 RBI last season, and their .659 OPS was seventh lowest in the majors…Just two NL teams, the Cubs and Marlins, had fewer RBI from their DH spot than Atlanta.
• Dating further, since the 2010 season, Atlanta’s designated hitters have combined to total just 150 RBI, third fewest in the National League
WIN WITHOUT A HOMER: Of Atlanta’s 12 hits on Thursday, 10 were singles and two went for doubles… The Braves beat the Nationals, 7-2.
• Atlanta won just 10 games last season in which it did not hit a home run, fewest in the majors…The Yankees had the next fewest, collecting 14 wins without hitting a home run.
• Cleveland led the majors with 31 wins in games it did not hit a home run last season.
• Since the start of the 2020 season, Atlanta has just 27 total wins without a home run, also the fewest in baseball…In that same span, the Braves lead all of baseball with 585 homers.
DAY GAMES: All three games of this series against Washington, and four of the six games on the road trip, are scheduled to be played in the daytime.
• The Braves went 24-27 (.471) in day games last season, the 12th worst such record in the majors… In night games, however, the Braves led the majors with a .694 (77-34) winning percentage.
• Atlanta had a .778 OPS in night games in 2022, percentage points behind Toronto’s .778 major league-leading mark…The Braves’ daylight OPS
was just .724.
BULLPEN: Five Atlanta relievers combined to allow just four hits and one earned run over 5.2 innings on Thursday, pitching to a 1.73 ERA…LH Lucas Luetge earned the win in his debut with the club.
• The Braves’ 3.03 ERA in relief last season was fourth best in the majors, behind just the Astros (2.80), Dodgers (2.87) and Yankees (2.97).
• From the start of September through the end of 2022, Atlanta’s 2.11 ERA (26 ER/110.2 IP) in relief was best in baseball.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #65 Spencer Strider
Today’s Game
• Set to make his third start and fourth appearance against Washington.
• Last faced the Nationals on July 17, 2022 at Nationals Park, surrendering four hits, five runs, two walks and a home run through 4.0 innings pitched.
• His 5.54 career ERA against Washington is the fourth highest against any opponent.
• Pitched to a 1.69 ERA in five appearances, four starts, with 21 strikeouts through 16.0 innings pitched in Spring Training.
• Went 4.0 scoreless innings with four punchouts while scattering two hits and a walk in his last outing of the Spring on March 26.
2022 Recap
• Pitched his first full major league season and went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA (39 ER/131.2 IP) and 202 strikeouts…Led rookie pitchers in the majors with 4.9 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR.
• Fanned 202 and allowed just 86 hits on the season.
• Is the only pitcher in baseball history to record at least 200 strikeouts and allow fewer than 100 hits in a year.
• Became the quickest pitcher in baseball history to ever reach 200 strikeouts in a single season, doing so in his 130.0th inning…Hall-of-Famer LHP Randy Johnson held the previous record, reaching 200 strikeouts in 130.2 innings in 2001.
• Was the third rookie in franchise history to strikeout 200 in a season, and the first in the modern era…The other rookies to reach 200 strikeouts were RHP Kid Nichols, who struck out 222 in 1890, and Bill Stemmyer, who fanned 239 in 1886. ..Just 16 rookies have done so in history, with Yu Darvish being the last to do so (221 strikeouts in 2012).
• His 13.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings is the highest by a rookie pitcher in MLB history (min. 12 starts)…Chicago’s Kerry Wood held the previous mark with 12.6 K/9.0 IP.
• No pitcher in Braves franchise history has pitched at least 100 innings in a season and fanned even 11.0 batters per 9.0 innings…In fact, just two pitchers, Brandon Beachy with 10.7 in 2011 and Charlie Morton with 10.5 last year, have been above 10.0.
• Ranked 11th in the majors with 202 strikeouts…However, did so in just 131.2 innings…Each of the 10 pitchers with more threw at least 166.0 innings on the season.
• Among pitchers to throw at least 100.0 innings on the season, Strider’s 13.81 K/9.0 IP were easily most in the majors, over 1.5 strikeouts more than the closest pitcher…Blake Snell fanned 12.02 batters per 9.0 innings to rank second.
• Opened the season pitching out of the bullpen, and moved into the rotation on May 30 at Arizona…Made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and went 1-1 with a 2.22 ERA (6 ER/24.1 IP)…In 20 starts, went 10-4 with a 2.77 ERA (33 ER/107.1 IP).
• Prior to his move into the rotation, Atlanta was 23-25 and its starters had pitched to a 4.38 ERA…From the date of Strider’s first start, May 30, to the end of the season, the Braves went 78-36 and the starters pitched to a 3.46 ERA.
• Started on September 1 vs. Colorado and pitched a career-most 8.0 innings, holding the Rockies to just two hits and no runs in the effort…The Braves beat the Rockies, 3-0, to give Strider his ninth win of the season.
• Set the single-game, Atlanta-era record with 16 strikeouts in the game, which also ranks second in all-time franchise history…John Smoltz previously held the Atlanta-era record, punching out 15 on two occasions: May 24, 1992 at Montreal and April 10, 2005 versus the New York Mets…Warren Spahn holds the all-time Braves record with 18 punchouts on June 14, 1952 versus the Chicago Cubs.
• Strider’s 16 strikeouts are the most in a single game by a Braves rookie in franchise history.
• He became the fourth different rookie in the modern era to strike out at least 16 batters in a game without issuing a walk…Dwight Gooden had exactly 16 K’s in two consecutive starts in 1984 (9/12 vs. PIT, 9/17 @ PHI)…Kerry Wood struck out 20 against Houston on May 6, 1998, and Jon Gray fanned 16 Padres on September 17, 2016.
• Was named NL Rookie of the Month for July…Went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA (8 ER/26.2 IP) over five starts in the month.
• Five of the eight runs came in one start, July 17 at Washington…In his other four turns, went 2-0 and pitched to a 1.19 ERA (3 ER/22.2 IP) with 37 strikeouts.
Career Recap
• Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft.
• In three seasons with Clemson, went 5-2 with a 4.71 ERA (33 ER/63.0 IP) in 26 appearances, 10 starts.
• Struck out 89, an average of 12.7 per 9.0 innings.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
MOVING ON
The Washington Nationals opened their 2023 season with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Braves on Thursday afternoon.
• Keibert Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a double, marking the second consecutive Opening Day in which he recorded at least two hits…He also went 2-for-4 with a double on Opening Day 2022 vs. New York (NL).
• Joey Meneses (2-for-5, RBI) and Dominic Smith (2-for-3, BB, R) also posted multi-hit efforts.
• Outfielder Alex Call, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, right-handed pitcher Hobie Harris, first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses and right-handed pitcher Thaddeus Ward made the Opening Day roster for the first time in their careers.
BACK IN BLOOM
The Nationals popular cherry blossom-themed City Connect uniforms debuted last season and return in 2023 with on-field wear dates scheduled for every Friday and Saturday home game with the exception of Jackie Robinson Day on April 15.
• The City Connect design is a celebration of the beautiful gift of cherry blossom trees from the people of Japan to the city of Washington, D.C.
• Just as the cherry blossoms are sewn into the city’s culture, they are threaded into the uniforms themselves.
• The bold lettering across the chest echoes the District’s chiseled monuments and takes inspiration from the iconic W shape of the 1924 World Series champion Washington Senators.
OPENING DAY ROSTER
In addition to announcing their 26-man Opening Day roster, the Nationals made the following roster moves: • Selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda, infielder Michael Chavis, right-handed pitcher Hobie Harris and right-handed pitcher Chad Kuhl
• Placed right-handed pitchers Víctor Arano (Right Shoulder Strain), Cade Cavalli (Tommy John Surgery), Tanner Rainey (Tommy John Surgery) and Stephen Strasburg (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) on the 60-day Injured List
• Placed third baseman Carter Kieboom (Right Shoulder Impingement) and catcher Israel Pineda (Right Finger Fracture) on the 10-day Injured list (retroactive to 3/27)
SPRING TRAINING RECAP
The Nationals went 13-12-3 in Grapefruit League action…Some strong performances included:
• Josiah Gray led Major League Baseball with a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1 IP) in five starts…He struck out 14 batters, walked two and did not allow a home run.
• Lane Thomas ranked third in the Grapefruit League with 11 walks
• Alex Call ranked among Grapefruit League hitters in batting average (T6th, .302) and on-base percentage (7th, .381).
• Non-roster invitee Hobie Harris allowed just one earned run on three hits in 10.0 innings (.100 opp. AVG)…He struck out seven batters and issued two walks.
LIKE CLOCKWORK
The Nationals’ average time of game this Spring was just 2:27 in 28 Grapefruit League contests…Washington’s average time of game during Spring Training in 2022 was 3:05…Across all of Major League Baseball, 9.0 inning game time decreased by 26 minutes in 2023 Spring Training compared to 2022 Spring Training.
• The club’s shortest game was a brisk 2:06 in its final game on March 26 at Miami, while its longest was a 10-7 win over New York (NL) on March 11 that was completed in 3:00.
TODAY’S STARTER – #40 JOSIAH GRAY
Right-hander was acquired by the Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 Trade Deadline…Was Los Angeles’ No. 2 prospect entering 2021 and its Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…Was originally selected by Cincinnati in the second round (No. 72 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York…Was acquired by the Dodgers on his 21st birthday, Dec. 21, 2018…Is the Player Ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
vs. ATLANTA
Gray’s 2.05 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta is his best mark of any division opponent… He’s allowed one earned run or less in three of the four outings.
• In two starts against the Braves in 2022, Gray posted a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP) and a .088 opponents batting average (3-for-34, HR).
• Gray recorded the first 10+ strikeout game of his career on Aug. 7, 2021 at Atlanta (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 10 SO) in Washington’s 3-2 victory.
2023 SPRING TRAINING
Gray led Major League Baseball with a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1 IP) in five starts…He struck out 14 batters, walked two and did not allow a home run.
2022
In his first full Major League season, ranked ninth in the National League (min. 135.0 IP) with 9.32 SO/9.0 IP…Led the Nationals with 154 strikeouts…Ranked eighth in MLB in slider whiff percentage (38%)…Recorded three 10+ strikeout games…Went 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA (4 ER/29.0 IP), 31 strikeouts, three homers and .155 opponents’ average in five starts from May 29-June 25…Tossed 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings from June 3-25, the second-longest streak on the Nationals behind Erasmo Ramírez (18.0 IP)…Tossed a career-high 7.0 innings on June 25 at Texas…Struck out a career-high 11 batters on July 6 at Philadelphia…In his final start of the season, allowed one earned run on two hits in 6.0 innings on Sept. 28 vs. Atlanta…2022 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam Fastball (39.2%) Slider (29.5%) Curveball (24.8%) Sinker (3.7%) Changeup (2.8%).
2021
Was acquired by the Nationals at the Trade Deadline and reported to D.C…Made his first start with Washington on Aug. 2 vs. Philadelphia (5.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO)…Struck out a career-high 10 batters in his second start on Aug. 7 at Atlanta…Became just the second pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to record at least 10 strikeouts in one of his first two starts with the team (Stephen Strasburg, first start on 6/8/2010 vs. PIT)…Earned his first career win on Sept. 22 at Miami (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 SO)…Finished the season strong, going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA (6 ER/17.1 IP), a .203 opponents’ average, 19 strikeouts and six walks in his final three starts of the season…Allowed just two home runs in his final four starts after surrendering 17 home runs in his first 10 outings of the season…With Los Angeles, had his contract selected on July 20 and made his Major League debut that day against the San Francisco Giants…Tossed 4.0 innings out of the bullpen behind an opener (4 ER, 4 H, 7 SO)…Gray made his first Major League start on July 25 vs. Colorado (4.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 SO)…2021 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam (51.7%) Curve (25.1%) Slider (20%) Changeup (3.2%).
