MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (58-28) at Tampa Bay Rays (57-33)

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Tampa Bay Rays

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTEES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Rays are set to open a three-game series tonight in what is the only scheduled meetings between the two teams this season…Atlanta and Tampa Bay are playing for the first time since 2021.

  • This series set the best record in the National League (Atlanta, 58-28, .674) versus the best record in the American League (Tampa Bay, 57-33, .633)…These are the only two teams in baseball with winning percentages over .600.
  • The Braves and Rays have played 39 times since Tampa Bay was awarded a franchise for the 1998 season, with Atlanta going 24-15 (.615) all-time against the Rays…Atlanta has lost the season set in just three of the 12 seasons in which the clubs have met.
  • Atlanta last played here at Tropicana Field during the 60-game 2020 season, and last played here with patrons attending in 2018…The Braves are 13-8 (.619) all-time in this stadium, but were swept in two games here in 2020.
  • RH Charlie Morton has made six career starts against Tampa Bay, compiling a 2-3 record and a 3.44 ERA (14 ER/36.2 IP)…The 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander pitched two seasons for the Rays, 2019-20, and went 18-8 with a 3.33 ERA in 42 starts, including an All-Star selection in 2019…. In 16 turns this season, he is 8-6 with a 3.57 ERA (36 ER/90.2 IP) and 105 strikeouts.
  • RH Tyler Glasnow has made two starts in his career against Atlanta, and has not recorded a decision despite a 2.70 ERA (3 ER/10.0 IP)…He last faced the Braves in 2020, and fanned nine over 4.0 one-run innings…The 6-foot-8, 225-pound native of Newhall, CA, is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA (18 ER/36.0 IP) through seven starts this season.

WIN: Atlanta collected 19 hits and scored eight runs in a win, 8-1, over Cleveland on Wednesday night… The win clinched the series for the Braves, their 10th consecutive series victory.

  • The Braves moved to 21-5-2 in series play on the season, including a 12-2-0 record in series on the road…Atlanta has not dropped a set since losing two-of-three to Oakland, May 29-31.
  • Atlanta moved to 7-0 in rubber games on the season, the most such rubber-game wins without a loss since the 1994 Expos went 9-0 in such games…Tampa Bay went 5-0 in rubber games in 2020…Research courtesy the Elias Sports Bureau.
  • The Braves’ 19 hits tied the second most the club has collected this season, behind just a 20-hit effort on May 28…Atlanta is one of just three teams in baseball with three games of at least 19 hits, and all three are in the NL East…Miami and Philadelphia also have three such games.
  • All nine members of Atlanta’s lineup collected at least one hit, the sixth game this season in which the Braves starting lineup did so.

HOMER STREAK: Atlanta hit three home runs on Wednesday night, and the Braves have now homered in each of their last 23 games dating to June 11…The club has hit 61 total homers during these 23 games (2.7 per game).

  • Atlanta’s run is the longest active homer streak in baseball, and stands as the longest such run this season following Wednesday night…Tampa Bay homered in 22 straight to open the season.
  • The Braves have hit multiple homers in each of their last six games, also the longest such active streak in the majors.
  • Atlanta has just one longer homer streak in modern era franchise history, doing so in 25 straight games in 1998…This is just the fifth 20-game run for the club since 1900…The 2006 club homered also homered in 23 straight, the 1956 Milwaukee Braves had a 22-game run, and the 1973 team did so in 20 consecutive games.
  • Atlanta has 166 total homers on the season, 27 more than any other team in baseball (Dodgers, 139)… The Braves are on pace for 312 home runs this season, which would establish a new single-season MLB record.

ONE THROUGH FIVE: Atlanta’s first five hitters in the batting order combined to go 13-for-25 with eight runs, four extra-base hits, three homers and five RBI on Wednesday night…Those spots in the order are batting .279/.352/.527 for Atlanta this season.

  • The Braves 1-5 hitters lead all of baseball in OPS (.879) and homers (107), rank third in runs (309) and RBI (297), and fourth in stolen bases (57).
  • During Atlanta’s 23-game homer streak the Braves’ first five batters have homered in 21 of those games, including multiple homers in 11 of them.

FIRST INNING: Atlanta scored four first-inning runs on Wednesday night, the third time in the last six games that the club has scored at least four times in the opening inning…The Braves’ 91 first-inning runs are by far the most in baseball.

  • No other team has scored more than 69 runs in the first (Dodgers, 69).
  • Wednesday night marked the 11th time this season that Atlanta has scored at least four runs in the first inning…No other team has done so more than five times (Angels, 5).
  • Atlanta’s 91 runs, 29 home runs and 128 hits in the first are the most in each category by any team in any inning this season, per MLB’s Sarah Langs…The Braves’ plus-66 run differential in the first is also better than any other team in a single inning.
  • The Braves are on pace for 171 first-inning runs this season, which would stand as a modern era major league record…The 1950 Boston Red Sox hold the current mark, scoring 160 first-inning runs in just 145 games…The current Braves franchise record is 127 first-inning runs, set by the 1999 club.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #50 Charlie Morton RHP
2023 Record: 8-6, 3.57 ERA • 2022 Record: 9-6, 4.34 ERA
vs. RHB: .276 (50-181), 4 HR • vs. LHB: .241 (41-170), 5 HR
Home: 4-3, 4.12 ERA (20/43.2) • Away: 4-3, 3.06 ERA (16/47.0)

Today’s Game

  • Set to make his 17th start of the season and first against Tampa Bay since 2021.
  • Morton is one six active pitchers with at least 15 starts in 13 different seasons.
  • Trails only Zack Greinke (17), Clayton Kershaw (15), Justin Verlander (15), Max Scherzer (14), and Cole Hamels (14).
  • Earned his eighth win of the season after scattering four hits over 5.2 scoreless innings against Miami.
  • Has won each of his last three outings.
  • Morton struck out Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz for 1,800 on his career.
  • Is now one of 13 acitve pitchers in baseball with as many punchouts.
  • Morton has struck out 344 hitters with his curveball since the beginning of the 2020; the most in the majors.
  • During that span hitters are missing on 52.8% of curveballs thrown, the second highest rate in the majors…The MLB average is 11.7% (among QS).
  • Utilizing his curveball on 44.9% of pitches thrown this season.
  • Morton’s 1009 strikeouts since the 2018 season are the fourth most in baseball.
  • Prior to the 2018 season, Morton threw his curveball on 21.3% of pitches throughout his career.
  • Since the beginning of 2018 he has thrown his curve on 36.4% of pitches.
  • Hitters are registering a .342 batting average on balls in play against Morton in ’23.
  • The MLB BABIP this season is .302 for qualified starters.
  • Hitters are averaging a 8.00 launch angle against Morton; MLB average is 12.10.
  • In his age 39 season, Morton is the sixth-oldest active pitcher in the majors.

2023 Recap

  • Snapped a streak of 11 consecutive games with a decision in his last start against New York (NL); at the time it was the longest active streak in 2023.
  • Became the sixth pitcher in franchise history to pitch at least 6.0 innings and strikeout nine or more in an outing at age 39 or older.
  • Passed R.A. Dickey and Hall-of-Famer Cy Young with three such games.
  • Trails Hall-of-Famers Phil Niekro (10), John Smoltz (8), and Warren Spahn (4).
  • Struck out 10 hitters over 6.2 scoreless innings in his win against Texas on May 15.
  • Has now struckout at least 10 hitters in six games since turning 38, passing Hall-of-Famer Cy Young for the ninth most such games dating to 1901.
  • Morton is the first player with at least six games of 10 or more strikeouts at his age since Hall-of-Famers Randy Johnson and John Smoltz.
  • Struck out Cincinnati’s Will Benson on June 25 to record his 1,800th career SO.
  • Is one of 13 active pitchers in baseball with as many strikeouts.

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

FRESH START — The Rays lost their season-high fifth straight game on Thursday night at Tropicana Field, falling to the Phillies by a 3-1 final in 11 innings…RHP Shawn Armstrong (3.0IP, 3H, 0R, 5SO) started and matched career highs in innings (4x, last 9/4/22 vs. NYY) and strikeouts (2x, last 4/13/17 vs. CWS)…3B Isaac Paredes (1-for-4, HR) knotted the game at 1-1 with a solo home run in the fifth inning and has now reached base safely in 17 of 18 games since 6/13.

RHP Kevin Kelly threw 2.0 scoreless relief innings, allowing no hits or walks while striking out a career-high four batters…he extended his scoreless inning streak to 19.1 innings spanning 20 games since 5/14.

LHP Jake Diekman recorded one out in the fifth inning before allowing a solo home run to 1B Darick Hall…the homer ended Diekman’s 13.2 scoreless inning streak spanning 16 games dating back to 5/26.

Last night’s loss marked the first series sweep suffered by Tampa Bay this season… the Rays entered play yesterday as one of three clubs (AZ and BAL) not to have been swept…later in the evening, Arizona suffered a 9-0 loss vs. New York-NL, marking its first series sweep of 2023.

DEVIL RAY MAGIC — When donning the throwback Devil Rays uniforms on Friday home games this season, Tampa Bay is 7-0 while outscoring opponents 51-25 (+26).

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY — Tampa Bay is on its first losing streak of 5+ games since a five-game skid to conclude the 2022 season (10/1-5, 2022)…the Rays have lost eight of 13, nine of 15, and 11 of their last 17 games…their 6-11 (.353) record since 6/17 is tied with Oakland for fourth worst in the majors in the span, ahead of only Colorado (4-12, .250), Los Angeles-AL (5-12, .294) and Pittsburgh (6-13, .316).

Tampa Bay is looking to avoid its first losing streak of six games since dropping seven straight from 6/15-22, 2021.

After winning 30 of its first 36 games at Tropicana Field to open the season, Tampa Bay has gone just 4-7 over its last 11 home games dating back to 6/10.

NUKE RALEY — Luke Raley has reached base safely in 35 of his last 39 starts since 5/6, slashing .308/.396/.600 (40-for-130) with 10 doubles, two triples, 8 HR and 20 RBI…his .993 OPS overall in that span ranks third in the AL (min. 150PA) behind LAA Shohei Ohtani (1.117) and TEX Corey Seager (1.045)…he has recorded an RBI in six of his last seven games, going .333/.448/.792 (8-for-24) in that span with two doubles, three homers and 8 RBI.

BATTLING THE BEST — This weekend’s series marks the seventh time the Rays have faced a club that is leading or tied for first in its division at the beginning of the series (5/2-4 vs. PIT; 5/19-21 vs. MIL; 5/26-28 vs. LAD; 6/6-8 vs. MIN; 6/9-11 vs. TEX; 6/27-29 at AZ)…they have won each of the previous six series, going a combined 14-4 (.778).

RUNNING WILD — Tampa Bay has stolen an MLB-best 109 bases, ahead of Cincinnati (106SB) and Oakland (89SB)…the Rays are the only club in the majors with two players with 20+ steals (Wander Franco – 28SB and Taylor Walls – 20SB).

Franco is one of eight players at the age of 22 or younger in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) to steal at least 25 bases before the All-Star break, joining Carl Crawford (38SB in 2004), Jimmy Rollins (28SB in 2001), Edgar Renteria (28SB in 1998), Mike Trout (26SB in 2012), Elvis Andrus (26SB in 2011), Hanley Ramirez (26SB in 2006) and José Reyes (26SB in 2005).

Walls recorded his fifth game with 2+ steals last night and is one of six players in the majors to have five or more games with 2+ steals, joining OAK Esteury Ruiz (7), ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. (7), ARI Corbin Carroll (6), PIT Ji Hwan Bae (5) and BAL Jorge Mateo (5).

BATS AT THE TROP — In their last five home games since 6/24, Rays batters are slashing .195/.253/.311 (32-for-164) with four doubles, 5 HR and 13 runs scored (12RBI)…in their previous five games at Tropicana Field from 6/11-23, Rays batters slashed .333/.401/.471 (58-for-174) with nine doubles, 5 HR and 36 runs scored (35RBI).

Tampa Bay has homered in 40 of its 47 home games this season, including in eight straight (9HR overall) since 6/21…it is the longest active such streak in the AL and the third-longest active run in the majors behind Atlanta (12G) and Cincinnati (9G).

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS — Tampa Bay is 34-13 (.723) at Tropicana Field this year, the best home winning pct. in MLB ahead of Atlanta (30-15, .667) and Miami (28-17, .622).

Since becoming the Rays in 2008, Tampa Bay is 714-499 (.589) at Tropicana Field, the third-best home winning pct. in the majors during that span, trailing only Los Angeles-NL (754-454, .624) and New York-AL (755-458, .622).

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING — The Rays concluded June with the most home runs (128) and stolen bases (102) in the AL…they became the 10th team all-time to lead the AL in both categories at the end of June, including the first since the 2015 Houston Astros (Elias).

Tampa Bay is now looking to become just the sixth team in AL history to lead the league in homers and steals at the All-Star break since the Midsummer Classic’s inception in 1933…they would join the 2015 Astros, 1984 Oakland Athletics, 1962 Detroit Tigers and both the 1955 and 1956 New York Yankees.

BRING ON THE BRAVOS — The Rays and Braves kick off a three-game set tonight at Tropicana Field…the two clubs last met in 2021, with Tampa Bay taking two of three from Atlanta at Truist Park from 7/16-18.

The Rays last hosted the Braves at Tropicana Field from 7/27-28, 2020 and swept a two-game series…on 7/27/20, Tampa Bay won 14-5, recording its most runs against Atlanta in franchise history across 39 all-time matchups.

Atlanta won each of the first seven contests between the two clubs from 6/30/98- 7/16/00.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP TYLER GLASNOW (2-2, 4.50)
TONIGHT’S START — The right-hander makes his final start before the All-Star break this evening, his eighth of the season and fifth at Tropicana Field…has fanned 11+ batters in each of his last two starts, recording a 51.5 pct. strikeout rate in that span…will be searching for his first win since 6/14 at Oakland after going 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA (15.0IP, 10ER) over his last three starts; he fanned 30 batters and walked only four in that span (7.50 SO/BB), but received only 1.80 runs of support per 9.0 IP.

LAST TIME OUT — Worked deep into the sixth inning of Tampa Bay’s 8-3 loss at Seattle on 7/1 (5.2IP, 7H, 3ER, BB, 11SO, HR, HBP)…permitted one run in the second, third and sixth frames, including a J.P. Crawford solo homer in the third…threw four changeups in the outing, his first time using the offering this season…he utilized his changeup 4.1 pct. of the time from 2016-21, but did not throw the pitch in two starts last season.

BATTLING THE BRAVES — Glasnow will be making his third career start against the Braves, having pitched to a 2.70 ERA (10.0IP, 3ER) with 11.70 strikeouts per 9.0 IP in his previous two outings…has made one start opposite Atlanta since being acquired by the Rays, holding the Braves to a solo homer over 4.0 frames while fanning nine of the 15 batters he faced in his 2020 season debut, a 14-5 win on 7/27/20 at Tropicana Field (4.0IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 9SO).

Glasnow is 3-3 with a 4.97 ERA (83.1IP, 46ER) in 21 career outings (13GS) against the NL East, but has pitched to a 1.98 ERA (41.0IP, 9ER) in his last eight games (6GS) against the division dating back to 7/10/18…since 2020, he has a 2.23 ERA (36.1IP, 9ER) in six starts against NL East opponents.

He is 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA (46.2IP, 12ER) and a 0.81 WHIP while holding opponents to a .168/.215/.317 (28-for-167) line in eight Interleague starts (5 QS) as a member of the Rays…has made one start opposite an NL club this season (5/27 vs. LAD).

OCEAN’S ELEVEN — Glasnow has fanned 11+ batters in each of his last two outings, his first time turning the trick in consecutive starts in his career…the last Rays pitcher to accomplish the feat was Blake Snell from 4/2-8, 2019… the longest streak of consecutive 11+ strikeout starts in Rays history belongs to Chris Archer, who did so in in three straight starts (5/27-6/7, 2015).

Despite missing most of the 2021 campaign and almost the entire 2022 season, Glasnow’s nine games with 10+ strikeouts since the beginning of 2021 are tied for sixth most in the AL in that span.

LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT — He is holding right-handed batters to a .175 (11-for-63) average, allowing just three extra-base hits (3 2B) and a .222 SLG…lefties have seen greater success against Glasnow through his first seven starts, posting a .293 (22-for-75) average with 14 XBH (6HR) and a .653 SLG.

Since 5/27, his .175 AVG against right-handed hitters is ninth lowest in the AL (min. 50AB)…in the same timeframe, his .653 SLG vs. lefthanded batters is second highest in the AL (min. 75AB) behind TOR Chris Bassitt (.674).

For his career, Glasnow has been effective facing batters on both sides of the plate, holding righties to a .221 average compared to a nearly identical .222 vs. lefties.

WHIFF AND ONLY WHIFF — Glasnow’s 39.2 pct. whiff rate ranks second in the majors since his season debut on 5/27 (min. 200 pitches swung at), behind SD Blake Snell (41.2%)…his 36.4 pct. strikeout rate in that span leads the AL, trailing only Snell (41.9%) in all of baseball (min. 100BF).

Opposing hitters have missed on 51.7 pct. of their cuts against his curveball, the third-highest whiff rate on any MLB pitcher’s curve (min. 50 pitches swung at) behind Snell (60.0%) and MIA Eury Pérez (58.8%).

On 6/25 vs. Kansas City, he collected a season-high 26 whiffs, third most in any game of his career (most: 27, 2x, last: 6/8/21 vs. WSH)… it tied the second-most whiffs by any pitcher through the first five innings of a game in the Pitch Tracking Era (since 2008), trailing only Shane McClanahan earlier this season (28 on 4/22/23 vs. CWS).

ON THE CLOCK — Despite not making his season debut until 5/27, Glasnow’s six pitch timer violations are tied for third most in the majors, trailing only PHI Craig Kimbrel (11) and TOR Chris Bassitt (9)…has committed at least one violation in five of his last six outings, including two on 6/9 vs. Texas.