ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Tigers tonight continue a three-game series in what is the only scheduled meetings between the clubs this season… The two teams are meeting for the first time since the 2019 season.
- Detroit rallied with three runs in the ninth and one in the tenth to walk off with a win, 6-5, over Atlanta last night.
- Atlanta took two-of-three the last time these two met, and won the series by the same margin in 2016…The Braves have not lost a series to the Tigers since 2013…Atlanta needs to win the final two games to win this series.
- The Braves and Tigers have met 25 times since the advent of interleague play in 1997, with Atlanta going just 10-15 (.400) against Detroit all-time… The two clubs have split eight all-time series, 4-4, although Detroit has the only two sweeps between the teams.
- The Braves are just 1-6 here at Comerica Park all-time, and have lost each of their last six games here after winning their first…Atlanta has been outscored by Detroit, 45-22 (-23), in this building.
- RH Spencer Strider has never faced Detroit, and is 1-1 with a 2.78 ERA (10 ER/32.1 IP) in six career games, five starts, against the American League…The 6-foot-0, 205-pound right-hander has made 13 starts for Atlanta this season and the Braves are 11-2 when he pitches, including wins in three straight.
- RH Reese Olson is set to make just the second start and third appearance of his major league career, and is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA (3 ER/10.0 IP) in his first two games…The 6-foot-1, 160-pound native of Gainesville, GA, is rated as Detroit’s No. 1 prospect by MLB.com, and attended North Hall High School prior to being drafted, located just 60 miles from Atlanta’s Truist Park.
LOSS: Atlanta held a four-run lead entering the bottom of the eighth inning, but allowed five unanswered runs to fall to Detroit in 10 innings, 6-5…The Braves suffered a walk-off defeat for the third time this season, joining losses at Toronto and Oakland.
- The loss was the second this season for Atlanta when leading by at least four runs in the eighth inning, joining a defeated to Miami on April 27… The Braves are one of just two teams in baseball with two such losses this season, along with Texas.
- The defeat was also Atlanta’s first in extra-innings on the season…The Braves were 3-0 in extra-inning games entering play, the most wins without a loss in baseball.
- Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth, the most he has allowed in a game since joining the Braves last season… It marked the most runs he allowed in the ninth inning since also surrendering three on July 8 of last season at Baltimore while with the Angels.
STRIDER STRIKEOUTS: Spencer Strider enters tonight’s start with 121 strikeouts on the season, most in the majors…No Atlanta pitcher has led the majors in strikeouts since John Smoltz in 1996 (276).
- Through 13 starts and 73.2 innings, he is on pace to fan 297 batters on the season and established a new modern-era franchise record…Smoltz’s 276 strikeouts in 1996 stand as the current mark.
- Strider eclipsed 100 strikeouts in his start on May 28, reaching the mark in 61.0 innings on the season…Per Elias, he became the fastest starting pitcher in baseball since 1893, when the mound was set to its current distance, to reach 100 strikeouts…Jacob deGrom held the previous record, reaching 100 strikeouts in 61.2 innings in 2021.
- Strider has induced 270 swings-and-misses this season, easily the most in baseball and 49 more than any other pitcher…TB’s Shane McClanahan ranks second with 221…Strider has done so on 1,286 total pitches, and generates a swing-and-miss on 21.0% of his offerings.
- He induced 32 swings-and-misses in his start on May 12 at Toronto, a new career high…The 32 swings-and-misses are the most by a Braves pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), and Strider now owns four of the top six swing-and-miss performances for Atlanta in that span.
STARTING PITCHING: Charlie Morton pitched 5.2 scoreless innings for Atlanta last night, fanning eight… Atlanta’s starters on the season have combined to go 22-15 (.594) with a 3.78 ERA (146 ER/348.0 IP).
- The Braves 3.78 ERA from their starting rotation is best in the National League, their 38 home runs allowed are tied with the Cubs for the fewest, and their 362 strikeouts trail just the Marlins (368) for most in the N.L.
- Atlanta starters have compiled 5.2 fWAR on the season, fifth most in the National League…Max Fried and Kyle Wright, who finished second in N.L. Cy Young voting and lead the majors with 21 wins last season, respectively, have combined to make just 10 starts for the Braves this season.
SUMMER MONTHS: Despite losing two straight games to Washington and Detroit, Atlanta’s 7-3 record (.700) is the fifth-best in baseball in the month of June… Only Arizona (8-2), Toronto (8-3), Tampa Bay (8-3), and Miami (8-3) have been better.
- Since the Braves began their streak of five straight N.L. East titles in 2018, their .610 winning percentage from June-October is third-best in the majors, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers (.661) and Houston Astros (.620).
- In June specifically, Atlanta’s .636 winning percentage since 2018 is the best in baseball.
- Before June, however, the club has played to a .533 winning percentage since 2018, the eighth-best in baseball.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #99 Spencer Strider RHP
2023 Record: 6-2, 3.79 ERA • 2022 Record: 11-5, 2.67 ERA
vs. RHB: .196 (26-133), 5 HR • vs. LHB: .191 (26-for-136), 4 HR
Home: 2-1, 4.62 ERA (20 ER/39.0) • Away: 4-1, 2.83 ERA (11/34.2)
Today’s Game
- Strider is set to make his 14th start this year and first career appearance against Detroit.
- Is 1-1 with a 2.78 in six interleague appearances.
- Leads the majors with 121 strikeouts.
- Leads all qualified starters with a rate of 14.78 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
- Dating to 1901, his 15.14 K/9 rate is the highest of any player through 10 starts to open a season.
- His swing and miss rate of 39.4% is the highest in the majors (among QS).
- Strider’s 55.8% rate of pitches in the zone is the third highest among qualifiers; trails only Seattle’s George Kirby and Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller.
- Surrendered a career-most eight runs in his last start against New York (NL).
- Owns a career 7.23 ERA against the Mets.
- Sporting a combined 2.54 ERA against all other opponents.
2023 Recap
- His 10 games of at least 10 strikeouts are third most in MLB history (since 1901) through a player’s first 32 starts.
- With his strikeout of Nick Castellanos in the fourth inning on May 28, he became the fastest starting pitcher, by innings pitched (61.0), to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893…Jacob deGrom, then of New York (NL) was the previous record-holder, doing so in 61.2 innings in 2021…Strider bested his own franchise record, set last season in 64.2 innings.
- Struckout J.T. Realmuto to reach 300 on his career.
- Strider became the 13th player in major league history to record at least 300 strikeouts in 44 career appearances or less and first since Shane Bieber in 2018.
- Of the other 12 pitchers, Strider is the only one to have more than two relief appearances in his first 44 outings.
- Snapped a streak of 12 consecutive games with at least eight strikeouts on May 17.
- Tied Hall-of-Famers Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson for the seventh longest such streak in the live ball era.
- Only Hall-of-Famers Ryan, Johnson, Pedro Martínez and active pitchers Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber have longer streaks.
- Struck out 12 hitters on May 12 at Toronto, giving Strider nine games of at least 10 strikeouts; the most through a player’s first 41 appearances in franchise history(1901).
- The next closest were Brandon Beachy, Tommy Hanson, and Julio Teheran with three each in their first 41 outings.
- Tied with Noah Syndergaard, Kerry Wood, and Al Downing for seventh most in MLB history (dating to 1901) through a player’s first 41 games.
- On May 1 against New York (NL) Strider snapped his streak of nine consecutive games with at least nine strikeouts that begun on September 1, 2022.
- It is tied for third-longest such streak in the modern era (since 1900).
- Passed Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz for the longest streak in franchise history.
- Carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in his last start against Miami until he lost his bid on a Matt Olson error.
- Maintained a no-hitter through 7.1 innings; broken up on a single by Jean Segura.
- Struckout a season-high 13 hitters and finished with two hits allowed over 8.0 innings pitched.
DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:
No team release available.
