ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Royals tonight open a three-game interleague series in what is scheduled to be the only meetings between the two clubs this season.
• Atlanta and Kansas City have not played since 2019, when the Royals won three of four games between the clubs, including a two-game sweep at Truist Park.
• The Braves have played just seven total games here at Kauffman Stadium, last in 2019, and have compiled a 3-4 record in the park…Atlanta has never won a series here; the Braves and Royals split two games in 2013 and 2019, and Kansas City won two of three in 2016.
• Atlanta and Kansas City have played just 17 times since the advent of interleague play in 1997, with the Braves going 8-9 in these games…Atlanta’s 17 games versus the Royals are its second fewest against any A.L. team, just two more than the Braves have played against Cleveland…For comparison, Atlanta has played Boston 86 times in interleague play.
• RH Charlie Morton has made just four career starts against the Royals, compiling a 1-2 record with a 4.44 ERA (12 ER/24.1 IP)…He has faced just two teams in baseball less than he has Kansas City, making three starts against the White Sox and just one against the Pirates…The 6-foot-5, 235- pound right-hander has made 40 career interleague starts, going 12-11 with a 3.64 ERA (93 ER/229.2 IP) and fanning 242.
• RH Brady Singer has never faced Atlanta, but has pitched against four members of the Braves’ current roster…OF Eddie Rosario is 4-for-11 with a home run, while C Sean Murphy is a perfect 2-for-2… The 6-foot-5, 210-pound native of Leesburg, FL, has made a pair of starts in 2023, going 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA (6 ER/11.0 IP), and Kansas City has won both of his turns.
WIN: Atlanta beat Cincinnati, 5-4, on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep of the Reds…Eddie Rosario’s eighth-inning, go-ahead home run was his first homer of the season.
• Atlanta trailed in all three games versus Cincinnati, and has four come-from-behind victories this season…That total is tied for fifth most in the majors, and two off the major league lead of Arizona and Toronto.
• The Braves are also one of just five teams in baseball to be .500 or better in games in which they trail at any point…Tampa Bay (3-0), Toronto (6-5), Arizona (6-5) and Pittsburgh (5-5) all have non-losing records when trailing.
• All three games against Cincinnati were decided by just one run, and Atlanta improved to 4-1 in one-run games following Wednesday night.
• Atlanta’s four one-run wins are tied for the most such victories in the majors.
ROSTER MOVES: The Braves today recalled INF Vaughn Grissom from Triple-A Gwinnett and placed INF Orlando Arcia on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist fracture.
• Initial X-rays on Arcia’s wrist came back negative following a hit-by-pitch during Wednesday’s game, however an MRI and CT scan yesterday revealed a microfracture.
• The club also announced yesterday that RHP Ian Anderson underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, TX…Anderson was on Gwinnett’s injured list.
• Grissom has appeared in 10 games with the Stripers this season, and is batting .366/.458/.585 with two doubles, two triples and a home run…In 71.0 innings at shortstop for Gwinnett, he has committed just one error.
RONALD ACUÑA JR.: Had three more hits Wednesday night, going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI…He is batting .370/.452/.537 on the season.
• He doubled leading off the bottom of the first inning, and his eight first-inning hits are two more than anyone else in baseball…He is batting .667/.692/1.083 with a 1.776 OPS in the inning.
• Among hitters to bat leadoff in at least 10 games this season, Acuña Jr. ranks first in average (.370), OBP (.452), OPS (.989) and hits (20).
• He is one of just seven players in baseball, regardless of batting order position, with at least 20 hits this season, and the only player with 20- or-more hits and five-or-more stolen bases.
ROAD TRIP: Atlanta embarks on its second road trip of the season tonight, after going 5-1 to open the year at Washington and St. Louis.
• The Braves’ .833 winning percentage on the road this season is best in the National League, and trails just the undefeated Rays (3-0) for the best road mark in the majors.
• Atlanta’s five wins away from home are tied for second most in baseball, trailing just Toronto’s six.
• The Braves went 46-35 (.568) on the road last season, tied for the fourth-best road record in the majors…Since Atlanta’s streak of division titles began in 2018, the Braves’ 207-153 (.575) mark on the road is third best in baseball, behind just the Dodgers
(221-140, .612) and Astros (211-151, .583).
PITCHES SEEN: Atlanta batters are seeing an average of 4.07 pitches per plate appearance this season, fifth most in the majors…The Braves have seen 2,064 total pitches this season, more than all but three teams in baseball.
• Matt Olson paces the club by seeing an average of 4.41 pitches per plate appearance, seventh most in the National League.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #50 Charlie Morton
Today’s Game
• Set to make his third start of the season and fifth career appearance against Kansas City.
• His 4.44 career ERA against the Royals is the third highest among American League opponents.
• Is 12-11 with a 3.64 ERA in 40 inter-league starts throughout his career.
• Scattered six hits, three runs, two earned runs, three walks and a home run through 5.0 frames in his last start against San Diego.
• Struck out Jake Croneworth to record his 1,700th career punchout.
• Became the 15th active pitcher to record as many strikeouts…Max Scherzer leads active hurlers with 3,207.
• Made his first start of the season against St. Louis.
• Allowed three runs and nine hits through 5.1 innings pitched while earning his first win of the season.
• Only struck out one hitter through 5.1 innings pitched against the Cardinals, marking just the ninth time in his career Morton pitched at least 5.0 frames while failing to record at least two punchouts and the first since June 5, 2015 against Pittsburgh.
• Entering his age 39 season, Morton is tied for the fifth-oldest active pitcher in the majors.
• Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Morton has thrown his curveball on 37.2% of pitches, the second highest rate in baseball among qualified starters.
• During that span hitters missing on 51.8% of curveballs thrown, the second highest rate in the majors…The MLB average is 11.9%.
• Only Chicago’s Drew Smyly’s throws a curveball more often (42.6%.)
2022 Recap
• Made 31 starts during his 15th major league season and went 9-6 with a 4.34 ERA (83 ER/172.0 IP) and 205 strikeouts…Compiled 1.6 bWAR on the year.
• His 205 strikeouts on the season were tied for ninth most in the majors…Since June 1, his 159 strikeouts were fifth most in baseball.
• Morton’s 205 strikeouts last season were fifth most in the National League, and he is one of just three pitchers in Atlanta franchise history to log at least 200 strikeouts in multiple seasons…He struck out 216 last year…Hall-of-Famers John Smoltz (five seasons) and Phil Niekro (three seasons) were the only others to do so
• Since the start of the 2018 season, Morton’s 904 strikeouts are fifth most in the majors…Only Gerrit Cole (1,207), Max Scherzer (1,050), Aaron Nola (1,011) and Robbie Ray (931) have more.
• Started on August 21 vs. Houston, and allowed five hits and two runs over 6.0 innings…Walked two and struck out 11…Took a no-decision after the Astros rallied for a 5-4 win.
• Fanned 12 in his previous outing, and had double-digit strikeouts in back-toback games for the fourth time in his career…He last did so in 2019, and has never fanned 10+ in three straight games.
• Had 45 total strikeouts in June, most in the National League and tied for tops in the majors…The White Sox’ Dylan Cease also had 45.
• Morton had never previously struck out 45+ batters in five or fewer starts in a single month…His previous high was 40 strikeouts, done over five starts in May of 2018.
• Furthermore, since the mound-to-plate distance was first set at 60’6” in 1893, Morton is the only Braves pitcher to fan at least 45 batters in five or fewer starts in a single month.
• Research courtesy the Elias Sports Bureau.
• With his start on May 25, became the 10th active pitcher in the majors to make 300 career starts.
• Over his first 150 career starts, from his debut through August 20, 2015, Morton compiled a 44-65 record and a 4.46 ERA…In his next 150 starts, he went 66-33 with a 3.61 ERA.
• Struck out Wil Myers in the third inning of his start, April 14 at San Diego, for the 1,500th strikeout of his career.
• Became the 18th active pitcher to reach 1,500 career strikeouts, with Max Scherzer’s 3,043 strikeouts pacing active players.
Career Recap
• A 15-year major league veteran, has compiled a 116-101 record and a 4.03 ERA (805 ER/1797.0 IP) across 323 games, 322 starts…Has fanned 1,697 and pitched a pair of shutouts.
• Has pitched for Atlanta (2008, ‘21-22), Pittsburgh (2009-15), Philadelphia (2016), Houston (2017-18) and Tampa Bay (2019-20).
• Is a two-time All-Star (2018 & 2019) and won the 2017 World Series while with Houston and 2021 World Series with Atlanta.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
HIT PARADE: One night after a heartbreaking loss in extra innings, the Royals exploded for a 10-1 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night in Arlington…Brad Keller allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk in 6.2 innings, with 7 strikeouts, lowering his ERA through 3 starts to 2.12 (4 ER in 17.0 IP)…the offense pounded out a season-high 14 hits and scored 3 runs in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th and 4 in the 7th to make for a happy flight home.
Bobby Witt Jr. went 6-for-13 (.462) in the 3 games in his home state of Texas, including 3 hits and a career-high 3 steals on Wednesday night, making him the youngest player in Royals history with a 3-hit, 3-steal game…in fact, he became the sixth different American League player since World War II to record a 3-hit, 3-steal game at age 22 or younger, following Elvis Andrus (Aug. 15, 2009), Álex Rodríguez (June 24, 1998), Rickey Henderson (twice in 1980), Al Kaline (Sept. 23, 1957) and Luis Aparicio (Sept. 22, 1956).
TRIP TRACKER: After going 1-6 on the season-opening homestand, the Royals went 3-3 on the trip to San Francisco (2-1) and Texas (1-2)…as has been the case through the first two weeks, Kansas City’s starting pitching was its strength on the trip, as the starters posted a 3.53 ERA (14 ER in 35.2 IP), .229 opponents’ average (30-for-131) and yielded only 7 walks (1.8 BB/9)…but the offense improved dramatically on the trip, scoring 4.5 runs per game while batting .243, after scoring 2.4 runs per game while batting .167 on the first homestand.
ROSTER MOVES: Following Wednesday night’s win in Texas, the Royals optioned right-handed pitcher Dylan Coleman to Triple-A Omaha…today, the Royals recalled right-handed pitcher Josh Staumont, who recorded 4.0 scoreless innings in 4 appearances with the Storm Chasers, with 7 strikeouts and only 1 walk.
HBD, HOOV!: Royals Bench Coach Paul Hoover is celebrating his 47th birthday today…Hoover had a 14-year playing career, including parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, but maintained his rookie status during his final season in the Majors in 2010 at age 34…he shares this date of birth with former Royal Brandon Finnegan (30), 1995 World Series champion Steve Avery (53), three-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner, Brad Ausmus (54), Hall of Famer Greg Maddux (57) and two-time World Series champion David Justice (57).
STARTING SOMETHING: Brad Keller continued the Royals run of strong starting pitching with 6.2 innings of 1-run ball in Wednesday night’s win, becoming the second straight Royals starter to pitch into the 7th inning, following Jordan Lyles’ 6.1 innings on Tuesday night…in fact, Royals starting pitchers have completed at least 5.0 innings in 12 of their 13 games (92.3%), which trails only the Twins, whose starters have lasted 5.0 innings in all 13 of their games…last season, Royals starters went 5.0 innings 107 times in 162 games (66.0%), which ranked tied for 18th in the Majors…Keller’s start on Wednesday night also marked the ninth time in 13 games that a Royals starter has allowed 2 runs or fewer, which are the 3rd-most such starts of any team, trailing only the Rays and Twins (10 each)…the Royals ranked 28th in that category last season with 70 such starts…and after ranking 27th in the Majors in 2022 with a 4.76 starter’s ERA, the Royals rotation through 13 games this season has posted a 3.47 ERA (28 ER in 72.2 IP), 5th best in the Majors behind the Rays, Twins, Giants and Astros.
HOME: After flying home from Texas Wednesday night and enjoying an off day yesterday—which snapped a run of 12 straight days with a game—the Royals will begin their second homestand of the season tonight vs. the Braves…this stay will end with 3 games vs. Rangers next Monday through Wednesday, and the Royals will enjoy another off day next Thursday, April 20 before hitting the road for a season-long 10-game trip to Anaheim (3 games), Arizona (3) and Minnesota (4) to end the month of April.
STEALING STRIKES: Pitch framing was an area of emphasis during Spring Training, and new Bench Coach Paul Hoover—who also works with the catchers—and new Pitching Coach Brian Sweeney brought some fresh ideas to the Royals, who ranked among the worst last season in pitch framing metrics…in particular, the Royals were 27th last season in “stealing strikes,” or called strikes that were outside the zone…but through the first 13 games this season and with the same two catchers, the Royals rank tied for 6th in the Majors in this category.
Last season, Salvador Perez ranked 27th out of 40 catchers (min. 500.0 innings caught) with -4 Defensive Runs Saved…he’s already made dramatic improvements by this measure this season, as he ranks tied with Christian Vázquez, Gabriel Moreno and Connor Wong for 1st among catchers with 3 DRS.
VS. BRAVES: The Royals are 9-8 all-time vs. the Braves, however the two teams have not faced off since 2019, when Kansas City went 3-1, including a 2-game sweep in Atlanta from July 23-24, 2019…this weekend’s series marks Atlanta’s fourth trip to Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals have won a 3-game series vs. the Braves in 2016 and split a pair of 2-game sets in 2013 and 2019…entering tonight, the Royals 17 regular season games vs. the Braves are their 4th fewest vs. any team, more than only the Mets (16), Phillies (15) and Dodgers (15).
The Braves are one of seven National League teams the Royals own an all-time winning record against (.529)…despite having only faced off in five of Kansas City’s last 19 seasons since 2004, the Royals have gone 3-1-3 in series play, with their only loss coming in a 3-game series sweep in Atlanta in 2010.
Royals Executive VP and GM J.J. Picollo worked for the Braves from 1999-2005 and served as the Director of Minor League Operations in his final year before joining Kansas City in 2006…while with Atlanta, he also held positions as the Assistant Director of Player Development and as an Area Scouting Supervisor for Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Peter Moylan, who pitched for the Royals from 2016-17, returns to Kansas City this week as part of the Braves Bally Sports crew…following a 12-year big league career, Moylan is now in his fifth season appearing on the Braves Live pregame and postgame shows, and is in his second season calling games in the booth.
PACE OF PLAY: The new pitch timer rules implemented for 2023 have already produced dramatic results through the first 15 days of the regular season…through 178 games that have ended in 9 innings, the average game time has been 2 hours, 37 minutes, and only 19 of the 178 games (10.7%) have lasted at least 3 hours… the Royals 13 games have averaged 2 hours, 28 minutes, which is 9 minutes below the league average and is the 2nd-fastest average time this season, longer only that the Twins (2:27)…compared to 9-inning games across the Majors last season, average time of game is down 26 minutes, while batting averages are up from .243 to .249, runs per game are up from 8.6 to 9.4 and stolen base success rates have jumped from 75.4% to 81.3%…the current success rate of steals would shatter the Major League record set in 2021 at 75.7%.
TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP BRADY SINGER (1-0, 4.91)
BRADY SINGER is making his 3rd start of the season and 66th of his career tonight vs. Atlanta…it’s his 9th career Interleague start and 1st vs. the Braves…Singer is in his fourth season in the Majors and was selected by Kansas City in the 1st round (18th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Florida.
LAST START: Singer did not figure into the decision of last Saturday’s 6-5 comeback win in San Francisco, in which he allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and no walks in 6.0 innings, with 4 strikeouts…he retired the first nine batters before yielding a HR to LaMonte Wade Jr. to begin the Giants 4-run 4th inning, in which he allowed 5 hits, including RBI singles by Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford…he went on to retire six of the next seven, but allowed back-to-back 2-out hits in the 6th, including an RBI single by Crawford…that put Kansas City in a 5-1 hole, which they overcame with a run in the 7th, 3 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to mark the most thrilling win of the young season.
HIGH NOTES: Over his last 12 starts dating back to Aug. 9, 2022, Singer is 7-1 with a 2.93 ERA (24 ER in 73.2 IP) and .238 opponents’ average (64-for-269)…the Royals are 10-2 in those outings and he has held opponents to 1 run fewer in 7 of those 12 starts.
A STAR IS BORN: Singer pitched a career-best 153.1 innings in 2022 in a career-high-tying 27 appearances (24 starts)…he began the season in the bullpen, but only pitched in 3 of the Royals first 16 games before being optioned to Triple-A on April 28…he returned on May 17 and made a team-high 24 starts from that point on.
Upon joining the starting rotation last May 17, Singer went 10-5 with a 3.11 ERA (51 ER in 147.2 IP), 8th best in the American League from May 17 through season’s end…his 10 wins were the most by a Royal since Jason Vargas tied for the Majors lead with 18 in 2017…Singer’s 3.23 ERA (55 ER in 153.1 IP) for the season was the 5th best by a Royal (min. 150.0 IP) in the Wild Card Era (since 1995), trailing only Zack Greinke in his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season (2.16), James Shields in 2013 (3.15) and 2014 (3.21) and Yordano Ventura in 2014 (3.20)…the last Royal with a lower ERA than Singer’s and a higher win percentage (.667) was David Cone during his 1994 Cy Young Award-winning season, in which he went 16-5 (.762) with a 2.94 ERA (56 ER in 17.12 IP).
Singer made 7 starts last season in which he pitched at least 7.0 innings and allowed 1 run or fewer, which tied for the 4th-most such starts in the American League, trailing Martín Pérez (9), Justin Verlander (8) and Shohei Ohtani (8)…it was the most such starts by a Royal since Edinson Vólquez had 7 in 2015, and the last Royal with more such starts was Shields (10) in 2014.
He had a career-high 12 strikeouts last July 23 vs. Tampa Bay, a game in which he did not allow a hit until the 6th inning…his 12 strikeouts were the most by a Royal in three years, and he followed that start with 10 strikeouts over 7.0 scoreless innings—with just 1 hit allowed—on July 28 at Yankee Stadium…in doing so, he became the seventh Royal with back-to-back 10-strikeout starts, joining Nate Karns (May 8-13, 2017), Ventura (Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2015), Greinke (April 18-24, 2009), Bret Saberhagen (July 4-9, 1989), Bill Butler (July 15-20, 1969) and Kevin Appier, who had a franchise-record three straight such starts in 1996.
Brady recorded 7.0 scoreless innings in back-to-back starts last May 17 and May 22 upon his return from Omaha, and extended his scoreless streak— which began on April 10—to 18.2 innings before it was snapped on May 28 in Minnesota, marking the longest scoreless streak by a Royal since Wade Davis recorded 22.0 consecutive scoreless innings in 2015.
CHANGE OF TUNE: Brady threw 182 changeups in 24 starts in 2022, which accounted for 8.0% of his 2,273 pitches after returning from Triple-A Omaha on May 17…that total was more than double the 88 changeups he threw in 27 starts in 2021, which equaled 3.8% of his pitches thrown…after returning from Omaha on May 17 with a focus on mixing in the changeup, Singer went 10-5 with a 3.11 ERA (51 ER in 147.2 IP), after going 9-15 with a 4.67 ERA (103 ER in 198.1 IP) in his previous 42 career appearances (39 starts)…from May 17 through season’s end, opponents went 8-for-34 (.235) vs. the changeup.
Through 2 starts this season, the changeup has accounted for 9.0% of his pitches, but opponents are 2-for-3 in at-bats ending on the changeup.
CASTING CALLS: In 24 starts after his May 17 recall last year, Brady induced a called strike on 478 of his 2,273 pitches (21.0%), 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Adam Wainwright (519)…Singer’s rate of 21.0% called strikes led the Majors after his recall (min. 1,500 pitches), ahead of Wainwright (20.8%)…since his 2020 debut season, Singer’s called-strike rate of 21.0% ranks 2nd in the Majors (min. 3,000 pitches), trailing Wainwright’s rate of 21.2%.
WALK THIS WAY: Singer issued 35 walks in 153.1 innings in 2022 for a 2.05 BB/9, a significant improvement on the rate he recorded in his first two seasons from 2020-21, when he issued 76 walks in 192.2 innings for a 3.55 BB/9…Singer’s walk rate in 2022 was the best by a Royal (min. 150.0 IP) since James Shields posted a 1.74 BB/9 in 2014…Singer’s 4.29 K/BB ratio (150 K/35 BB) tied Nestor Cortes for 10th best in the American League in 2022 (min. 150.0 IP) and was the 4th-best mark in franchise history, trailing only Zack Greinke (4.75 in 2009), Bret Saberhagen (4.49 in 1989) and Danny Duffy (4.48 in 2016).
Since the start of last season, Singer has recorded at least 5.0 innings without issuing a walk in 10 of his 26 starts—including his start last week in San Francisco—which are tied for the 3rd most in the American League during that span, trailing only Corey Kluber (13) and Jameson Taillon (12).
INTERLEAGUE INTERLUDE: Brady is making his 1st career start tonight vs. the Braves, but it’s his 9th career start vs. a National League opponent… he’s 3-2 in his 8 previous starts with a 4.12 ERA (20 ER in 43.2 IP), and both of his losses came as a rookie in 2020…in his last 6 Interleague starts since 2021, he’s 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA (13 ER in 35.2 IP) and .220 opponents’ average (28-for-127), including wins over the Pirates, Dodgers and Diamondbacks.
HOME: Since the start of last season, Singer is 9-2 with a 2.71 ERA (30 ER in 99.2 IP) in 16 appearances (15 starts) at Kauffman Stadium, and has not lost here since last June 26 vs. Oakland, a game in which he pitched a career-high 8.1 innings…in 10 starts since his last home loss, he’s 7-0 with a 1.68 ERA (12 ER in 64.1 IP) and has held opponents to 1 earned run or fewer eight times out of 10, leading the Royals to a 9-1 record during that span.
