BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
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SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
RED (SOX): After yesterday’s long-awaited off day, the Giants welcome the Red Sox for a three-game series today, with a chance to make it three wins in a row…SF is 7-12 all-time against Boston with a -35 run differential…at Oracle Park, the Giants have won five of 11 meetings, splitting the last two-game series in June, 2016.
‘TIS THE DAMN SEASON: The Giants continue their nine-game homestand with the first of three against the Red Sox (today/Sunday) and a four-game set against Arizona (July 31-August 3)…SF has won each of its last four games (and five of their last six) at Oracle Park dating to before the All-Star break…SF has won four of its last five series at Oracle overall…13 of SF’s next 18 games after this series are at Oracle Park.
LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO: The Giants went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday after entering the game 2-for-31 in their previous seven games…the RISP success on Wednesday led to eight runs after totaling 11 runs during the seven-game slump…taking advantage of runners on has been key to the Giants’ success this season…their .273 average ranks sixth in MLB, and their .811 OPS is fifth-best.
ONLY THE YOUNG: Today’s matchup includes two of the most rookie-fueled teams in MLB this season…the Giants have 109 RBI by rookies in 2023, which trails only Cincinnati’s 120, while Boston is tied for third with 102…per Stats, LLC, this is the third time since 2000 that the Giants have had at least 100 RBI by rookies, with the others coming in 2015 (135) and 2008 (163). 22: SF OF Luis Matos’ 30 hits prior to turning 22 are the eighthmost by a Giant since 1965 (Stats, LLC)…the January-born Matos has two more months to add to his total as shown in the chart below.
Giants, Most Hits by Players 21 and Younger – Since 1965 (Stats, LLC)
Year Player (Age) RBI
1971 Chris Speier (20-21) 141
1977 Jack Clark (21) 104
1982 Tom O’Malley (21) 80
1972 Chris Speier (21) 73
Year Player (Age) RBI
1987 Matt Williams (21) 46
1973 Gary Thomasson (21) 42
1967 Ken Henderson (20-21) 34
2023 Luis Matos (21) 30
YOU’RE (NOT) ON YOUR OWN, KID: Yet to join the rookie RBI party is newly-promoted IF Marco Luciano, who is SF’s No. 2 prospect, and MLB’s No. 15 prospect…Luciano, paired with Matos, became the first SF duo to start a game under the age of 22 since May 9, 1982 (Elias). The last time the Giants had any two players under the age of 22 appear in the same game:
October 2, 1982 vs. Los Angeles-NL RHP Scott Garrelts & IF Tom O’Malley The last time the Giants had any two POSITION players under the age of 22 appear in the same game:
May 30, 1982 at Pittsburgh IF Tom O’Malley & C Jeff Ransom The last time the Giants had any two POSITION Players START a game and were under the age of 22:
May 9, 1982 at New York-NL IF Tom O’Malley & C Jeff Ransom
THE MAN: IF Wilmer Flores is batting .387 (24×62) this month with 11 runs, six doubles, five home runs, eight RBI and a 1.169 OPS (19 games)…the .387 average trails only Chicago-NL OF Cody Bellinger’s .425 mark for best in MLB during July, while his 1.169 OPS is tied with Los Angeles-NL IF Freddie Freeman for fourth-best in MLB this month.
UNTOUCHABLE: The Giants extended their streak to 33 consecutive wins when leading by two or more runs in the game…since 1901, the 33-game win streak is tied for the franchise’s sixth-longest, with the most recent streak of this length being 35 from July 31 to Sept. 28, 2012 (Stats, LLC)… the 33-game streak is also the longest active in MLB, with the next closest team being Chicago-NL with 11 (Stats, LLC).
SHAKE IT OFF: Coming off his shortest start of his MLB career, RHP Logan Webb is set to make his first start at Oracle Park since tossing his first career shutout on July 9 vs. Colorado… Webb has logged a quality start in all nine home games this season, which is the longest active streak in the Majors (Stats, LLC)…Webb’s home quality start streak is also the longest by a Giant to start the season since LHP Madison Bumgarner’s 13 in 2016.
FEARLESS: RHP Camilo Doval saved his 31st game of the season on Tuesday, striking out the side in the 9th inning…his 31 saves are most in the Majors while his 46 appearances are tied for 12th-most in MLB…the last Giants reliever to notch 31 saves was LHP Jake McGee in 2021…the last Giant to save more than 31 games was LHP Will Smith in 2019 (34)…the last Giants righty to save 31 or more games in a season was RHP Santiago Casilla (31 in 2016).
END GAME: The Giants as a whole have converted saves at a league-leading clip…their 81.3% save rate (39/48) leads MLB, and is the franchise’s second-best mark since 1969, trailing 1973’s 83.0% (44/53) mark (Stats, LLC).
CRUEL SUMMER: The Giants’ have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule per MLB, with only two games out of their next 30 coming against teams with records below .500 (Oakland, Aug. 5-6)…SF’s been at its best against winning teams, however, with its 29-25 (.537) record vs. teams that are currently .500 or better, ranking fifth-best in the Majors.
I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE: OF Austin Slater hit his second pinch hit home run of the season on Wednesday, and the eighth of his career…since his debut in 2017, Slater’s eight pinch-hit homers are tied with teammate IF Wilmer Flores for the most in MLB.
HITS DIFFERENT: IF J.D. Davis hit his 13th home run of the season on Wednesday, tying OF Michael Conforto and IF Wilmer Flores for the team lead…Davis would be just the sixth Giants third baseman to lead the team in home runs since 1958
TODAY’S STARTER – LOGAN WEBB RHP #62
2023 RECORD: 8-8, 3.48 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: Is in the midst of his fifth season with SF…made his fourth career Opening Day roster and his second consecutive Opening Day start with his outing on March 30 at the Yankees… signed a five-year, $90 million extension on April 14 that keeps him in a Giants uniform through 2028…the contract bought out his final two arbitration years and first three years of free agency.
LAST TIME OUT: Had the shortest start of his young career last Saturday in Washington, working only 1.1 innings and allowing a season-high six runs on five hits…Webb couldn’t put Nationals hitters away in the 2nd inning, throwing 41 pitches in the frame that forced him to exit after allowing all five runs, the last of which came on a two-run homer by C.J. Abrams.
ON THE LEADERBOARDS…: Webb enters today with 134.1 innings pitched, third-most in the Majors behind ARI’s Zac Gallen (136.2) and MIA’s Sandy Alcantara (135.1ip)…his 136 strikeouts are sixth-most in the NL while his 1.12 WHIP is fifth-best among qualified NL pitchers.
ON THE SHORES…: He’s been terrific at home this season, posting a 2.02 ERA (14er, 62.1ip) in nine starts including his first career shutout in his last start here on July 9 before the break vs. Colorado…in fact, Webb has logged nine straight quality starts here at home to begin the year, the longest such streak in MLB this year… furthermore, the last Giant to have a longer streak to open a season was LHP Madison Bumgarner to start the 2016 season (13 straight)
A GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP…: Webb has made (four appearances) three starts with tonight’s home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott calling the balls and strikes…in those 25.1 innings Webb has a 1.07 ERA (3er), 27 strikeouts and six walks…last season, Webb threw 14.0 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts in two starts with Wolcott behind the dish…Webb and the Giants were 2-0 in those games (Sports Info Solutions).
I WATCHED A CHANGE…IN YOU: Through his first four starts this year opponents hit .344 with a .563 slugging % off his changeup… in his last 16 starts, hitters have gone 43-for-209 (.206) against the pitch with 10 extra-base hits, 58 strikeouts and 10 walks….the Nationals were 3-for-6 on his change last time out with one of those three hits going for a homer by C.J. Abrams..he’s allowed a homer on the changeup in each of his last two starts after not allowing a homer on a changeup in his previous seven outings (SIS).
GOTTA MAKE WEBB DAY A WIN DAY…: Over the last 2+ seasons the Giants as a team are 49-30 (.620) in games that Webb has started since 2021… SF is 10-11 in his 21 starts this year…going back a bit further, SF is 15-15 in his last 30 starts dating to August 13, 2022… in those 30 starts, Webb has received two or fewer runs of support 18 times (SF is 4-14 in those games)…he has a 3.12 ERA in those 30 starts while posting an 8.97 K/9ip ratio and a 5.11 K/BB ratio.
SUPPORT SYSTEM: As mentioned, the Giants have given Webb two or fewer runs of support in 18 of his last 30 starts dating to August 13, 2022…boiling it down to just this year, SF has given him two or fewer runs of support in 13 of his 21 starts…Webb’s 3.35 run support average in 2023 is second-lowest in MLB…only Colorado’s Kyle Freeland has gotten fewer average runs of support (3.06).
VS. BOSTON: Has faced the Red Sox only once in his career back on September 17, 2019 at Fenway Park…he allowed three runs on three hits in 5.0 innings as SF won 7-6 in 15 innings.
NOT AN EARLY RISER?: Webb has allowed 23 runs in the first two innings of games this season (41.1 innings total)…in innings 3-6, he’s allowed 22 runs in 77.1 total innings.
LIMITING THE FREEBIES: Entering today’s start Webb’s 4.5% walk rate would be the lowest of his career (his best season was a 6.0% walk rate in 2021)…overall, Webb’s career walk rate is 6.3%…he’s walked only 24 of the 536 batters he’s faced so far in 2023.
THE HOMERS…: He’s allowed 16 homers this year in 134.1 innings, already five more than he allowed all of last season in 192.1 innings…his 3.0 HR% would be the highest of his career ahead of his 2.9 HR% from his rookie year in 2019…for reference Webb’s HR% rates the last three seasons were 1.4% (2022), 1.5% (2021) and 1.6% (2020).
STAYING GROUNDED: His 59.9 groundball percentage this season is up from last year’s 57.4% mark and above his career average of 58.4%…entering play today the 59.9 groundball % is best in the Majors.
