BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox have lost back-to-back games following their 5-game winning streak from 7/22-28. The Sox still own MLB’s best record since 6/30 (16-7) and the AL’s best since 6/14 (23-14, 3rd in MLB). At 56-49 (.533), Boston is tied with PHI for MLB’s 12th-best record.
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Sox lost on a walk-off in the 11th inning yesterday at SF…They trailed 2-0 through 6 innings before taking a 3-2 lead in the 8th. Adam Duvall hit a solo HR in the 7th inning to cut the deficit to 2-1…Justin Turner hit a 2-run HR in the 8th inning to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. Red Sox pitchers stranded a season-high 14 runners on base, holding SF to 4-for-18 with RISP.
WALK-OFF WOES: Boston has lost on a walk-off in each of its last 2 games…They were walked off by SF in the 11th inning yesterday, and the 9th inning on Saturday.
Prior to this stretch, the last time the Sox lost on a walk-off in back-to-back games was 9/20-21/19 at TB. The last time Boston was walked off in 3 consecutive games was from 7/17-18/1921 (doubleheader on 7/18).
EXTRA, EXTRA: Yesterday at SF was the Red Sox’ 7th extra-inning game of the season…The only AL teams to play fewer are TEX, TB, and KC (5 each). The Sox won each of their first 3 extra-inning games, through 6/11, but have lost each of their 4 games in extras since then (6/12, 6/13, 6/21, 7/30).
SERIES BUSINESS: The Sox are 19-13-2 in series play, including 8-7-2 on the road (11-6-0 at home). They are 6-2-0 in their last 8 series, beginning 6/30. BOS has lost consecutive road series for the 1st time this year (1-2 at SF from 7/28-30, 1-2 at OAK from 7/17-19). The Sox are 20-14 in series openers and 14-5-1 in series when they win Game 1.
SOX & M’s: Boston took 2 of 3 games from Seattle during their 3-game set at Fenway Park from 5/15-17. The Sox have won 10 of their last 12 games against the Mariners, beginning 9/14/21. BOS is 8-2 vs. SEA since the start of 2022, winning each of their 3 series during that span.
BEST WESTERN: The Red Sox are 11-8 against AL West teams this season and 36-16 since the beginning of 2022, the best record of any AL team over the last 2 seasons. The Sox have won their 4 home series against AL West teams and lost their 2 road series (3-1 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. SEA, 0-3 at LAA, 2-1 vs. TEX, 3-0 vs. OAK, 1-2 at OAK).
TOUGH TEST: The Red Sox are 3-2 so far in a stretch of 11 straight games against teams who currently have a winning record (2-0 vs. ATL, 1-2 at SF, 3 at SEA, 3 vs. TOR). The Sox are 43-35 (.551) this season against teams currently at or above .500, the 2nd-best record in MLB (ATL-.631, 41-24) and 2nd most in wins behind BAL (44).
BACK TO THE GRIND: The Sox are currently in a stretch of 32 games in 34 days, from 7/28-8/30…They played just 5 games in the previous 8 days coming into the series vs. SF. Boston is on a 6-game road trip (3 at SF, 3 at SEA). This is the first time since June 2007 that the Sox fly to the West Coast on consecutive road trips.
SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox lead MLB in doubles (233)… They rank 2nd in the AL in AVG (.264) and XBH (365), 3rd in OBP (.331), and T-3rd in runs scored per game (5.0). In July, the Sox lead MLB in AVG (.287), rank 2nd in SLG (.487) and OPS (.830), and rank 4th in OBP (.343). The Sox have hit 28 HR in their last 16 games since 7/8, 3rd most in the AL over that span (HOU & LAA-29 each).
RED SOX OFFENSE BY DATE
Dates Record AVG OPS Runs/G
3/30-5/6 21-14 .273 .800 5.9
5/7-6/13 12-21 .243 .704 3.8
6/14-7/27 22-12 .281 .803 5.4
7/28-pres. 1-2 .208 .612 2.7
PICK YOUR POISON: Red Sox players own 6 of the AL’s top 15 batting averages and 4 of the top 15 OPS marks during July (min. 50 PA, see boxes on right). Triston Casas’ 7 HR since the All-Star break are tied with Shohei Ohtani for 2nd most in MLB (Austin Riley-8). Since the start of June, Justin Turner leads MLB in RBI (49).
With RISP, Justin Turner ranks 2nd in the AL in AVG (.352) and Rafael Devers ranks 3rd (.317), behind CLE’s Josh Naylor (.353) (min. 100 AB).
HIGH FIVE: The Sox are an AL-best 45-7 (.865) when scoring 5+ runs, the 3rd-best record in MLB. Boston is 37-8 (.822) when recording 10+ hits, having won each of their last 10 (beginning 7/5 vs. TEX). The Sox have scored 3 runs or fewer in their last 3 games, after scoring 4+ runs in 18 of their last 20.
PITCHING IN: Boston has allowed 14 runs in its last 6 games (1, 1, 3, 2, 3, 4), their fewest over any 6-game span this season. The Red Sox ranked 27th in MLB with a 5.09 ERA at the end of play on 5/15, but they rank 2nd in the AL and 4th in the majors with a 3.65 ERA since then… Overall, the Sox rank 16th in the majors in ERA (4.23). During that stretch that began 5/16, the Red Sox’ ERA leaders are Chris Murphy (1.59), Chris Martin (1.61), and Brennan Bernardino (1.90) (min. 20.0 IP).
WHAT A RELIEF: Red Sox relievers allowed just 1 earned run in 9.0 innings yesterday at SF…In 11 games since 7/17, Sox relievers lead MLB with a 1.37 ERA (9 ER/59.1 IP) and 68 SO. Boston ranks 3rd in MLB with a 3.63 relief ERA (172 ER/426.0 IP)…They ranked 14th in the AL and 26th in MLB last season with a 4.59 mark.
RUNNIN’ RED SOX: The Red Sox rank T-2nd in the AL with 23 steals in July (23-for-29)…Overall, the Sox rank 4th in the AL and 10th in the majors in stolen base % (80.6, 75-for-93). The Sox’ top 3 leaders in steals are a combined 36- for-40 (90.0%): Jarren Duran (21-for-23), Masataka Yoshida (8-for-8), and Rob Refsnyder (7-for-9).
LOCK IT DOWN: The Red Sox own MLB’s best record when leading after 6 innings (42-2, .955)…In 2022, they ranked 18th in MLB when leading after 6 (63-10, .863). 7 pitchers have earned a save for Boston, tied for 2nd most in MLB behind NYY, CIN, and LAD (8)… Kenley Jansen ranks T-5th in the AL with 23 saves.
LATE SURGE: The Red Sox have scored 203 runs in innings 6-8, 2nd most in the AL and 3rd in MLB (LAD-206, TEX-204). Boston leads the AL and ranks 3rd in MLB in hits
during those innings with 336 (MIA-343, COL-339).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: 37 NICK PIVETTA – RHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 7-5 4.11 25 8 81.0 37 12 34 100 1.17 .203
CAREER 47-55 4.93 183 144 822.0 450 136 325 884 1.37 .255
Is making his 1st start since 5/16 vs. SEA…17 out of his 25 outings have been in relief. Tossed 5.0 scoreless innings of relief on Tuesday vs. ATL (3 H, BB, 5 SO)…Has an active 12.0-inning scoreless streak. In his last 6 outings, has pitched 3.0+ innings 5 times, striking out 40 batters while allowing only 5 ER over 24.1 IP (1.85 ERA). 7/17 at OAK, became the 1st pitcher in ML history to record 13 SO and allow 0 H in relief…Became the 6th pitcher in ML history with 13+ SO in relief, 1st since Randy Johnson on 7/18/2001 at SD with ARI (16 SO). In 17 relief outings this season, has a 1.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and .128 opponent AVG (41.0 IP, 12 R/9 ER, 18 H, 15 BB, 58 SO).
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners begin a 3-game home series tonight with the first of 3 games against the Boston Red Sox before hitting the road for a 4-game series at the Los Angeles Angels (8/3-8/6)… the Mariners are coming off a 6-game road trip (4-2) in which they won a pair of series at the Minnesota Twins (2-1) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2-1)…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM).
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Diamondbacks by a 4-0 score yesterday at Chase Field to capture the series victory…Seattle is 4-1 over its last 5, 7-3 over its last 10, 12-8 over its last 20 and 16-9 over its last 25 games…the Mariners are 42-17 when scoring at least 4 runs and 12-34 when scoring 3-or-fewer…the Mariners are 29-25 at T-Mobile Park and 25-26 on the road this season…they are 19-19 in day games and 35-32 at night.
- Water Mark – Seattle would reach a season-high 4 games above-.500 with a win tonight.
- Series Openers – The Mariners are 19-15 in series openers (9-8 at home) this season.
- Final Game of July – Seattle is 48-26 (.649) in July contests since 2021 (16-9 this season).
- Clash of the Titans – The Mariners and Red Sox are 2 of the 3 best teams in the Majors during the month of July.
- Blank Space – Seattle recorded its 10th shutout victory of the season yesterday, tied for 4th-most shutout wins in the Majors.
- J-Rod Hitting Streak – Julio Rodríguez has hit safely in 8 consecutive games (7/22-c), 1 game shy of his career-high 9-game hitting streak from June 27-July 5, 2022.
SERIES-LY AWESOME…the Mariners have won each of their last 3 series and 6 of their last 8, owning a 6-1-1 series record since June 30…Seattle took 2 of 3 vs. Tampa Bay (6/30-7/2), 2 of 3 at San Francisco (7/3-7/5) and 3 of 4 at Houston (7/6-7/9) heading into the All-Star Break…the Mariners lost 2 of 3 vs. Detroit (7/14-7/16) and split a 4-game series vs. Minnesota (7/17-7/20)…in their last 3 series, they have won 2 of 3 vs. Toronto (7/21-7/23), 2 of 3 at Minnesota (7/24-7/26) and 2 of 3 at Arizona (7/28-7/30).
J.P. STANDS FOR JUNE AND JULY POP…J.P. Crawford went 2-for-3 with 3 runs, a double, home run and 2 walks in yesterday’s win…over his last 39 games (6/10-c), Crawford is batting .306 (45×147) with 25 runs, 14 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 RBI and 29 walks, getting on base at a .421 clip, slugging .524 with a .945 OPS…during that span, he has reached base safely in 34 of 39 contests…overall this season, J.P. leads the Mariners with 3.5 bWAR and ranks 4th among American League shortstops.
JULIO HEATING UP EN JULIO…Julio Rodríguez has reached base safely in 24 consecutive games (7/1-c), the longest active on-base streak in the Major Leagues…during that span, Julio is batting .294 (30×102) with 15 runs, 7 doubles, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, 7 walks, 3 hit-by-pitches and 6 stolen bases, getting on base at a .357 clip, slugging .480 with an .838 OPS…the 24-game on-base streak surpasses Julio’s previous-high on-base streak of 22 games (June 27-July 29, 2022) and is Seattle’s longest on-base streak within a single season since Mitch Haniger reached base safely in 25 consecutive games from April 3-June 14, 2017…if Julio reaches base in his next contest, he would match Ken Griffey Jr. (25 G, June 16- July 15, 1990) and Alex Rodriguez (25 G, July 16-Aug. 10, 1996) for longest on-base streak by a Mariners player age 22-or-younger in franchise history.
DOMINATE THE ZONE…the Mariners starting rotation is 17-10 with a 3.37 ERA (89 ER, 237.2 IP) with 57 walks and 229 strikeouts in 41 games since June 12, best ERA in the AL during that span…they trail only San Diego (3.02 ERA) in the Majors in that span…Luis Castillo is 3-3 with a 3.13 ERA (19 ER, 54.2 IP) with 16 walks and 57 strikeouts in 9 starts…Logan Gilbert is 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA (17 ER, 50.2 IP) with 8 walks and 40 strikeouts in 8 starts…George Kirby is 4-3 with a 3.49 ERA (19 ER, 49.0 IP) with 6 walks and 51 strikeouts in 8 starts…Bryan Woo is 1-2 with a 4.04 ERA (19 ER, 42.1 IP) with 13 walks and 43 strikeouts in 8 starts…Bryce Miller is 4-0 with a 3.44 ERA (14 ER, 36.2 IP) with 10 walks and 38 strikeouts in 7 starts during that span.
DOUBLE-DIGIT HITS…the Mariners have recorded 10+ hits in 5 consecutive games (7/25-c), their longest streak of games with 10+ hits since doing it in 6 consecutive contests from April 6-11, 2019, going 6-0 in that stretch…the longest 10+ hit-game streak in the Majors this season belongs to the Red Sox, who did it in 7 consecutive games from July 1-8.
KING GEORGE…tonight’s starter George Kirby leads the Majors in both walks-per-9 innings (0.9) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.33) this season…no Mariners pitcher has ever led the Majors in both categories at season’s end, while Marco Gonzales (2020) is the only Seattle pitcher to lead the American League in both at season’s end…Kirby has walked just 12 batters through 20 starts (123.2 innings) this season, striking out 112 batters…Seattle’s franchise record for highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (min. 100 IP) is held by Cliff Lee (14.83) in 103.2 innings in 2010…the franchise record in a qualified season is held by Hisashi Iwakuma (7.33) in 179.0 innings in 2014.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN…Mariners catchers have been worth 3.1 fWAR this season, 4th-most in the Majors, trailing only Atlanta (4.5 fWAR), Milwaukee (3.9) and Texas (3.4)…Seattle catchers hold a 117 wRC+ this season, trailing only Atlanta (130) for the Major League lead…Cal Raleigh has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games (7/22-c), batting .333 (9×27) with 7 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBI and 1 walk in that span…Tom Murphy has also hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games (7/19-c), batting .333 (8×24) with 5 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs and 6 RBI during that span…Murphy’s .577 slugging percentage leads MLB catchers (min. 100 PA), while his .906 OPS leads the American League and ranks 3rd in the Majors.
HOME SWEET HOMESTAND…the Mariners begin a 3-game home series tonight with Harry Potter Night, followed by Seattle University Night on Aug. 1…Seattle’s recent homestand (July 14-23) drew 349,024 fans to T-Mobile Park, the most fans attending a single homestand since June 20-30, 2017 when the Mariners drew 351,272 over a 10-game ‘stand.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…the Mariners are batting .249 (210×844) with 58 doubles, 32 home runs and 114 RBI in the month of July, scoring 4.72 runs per game (118 runs in 25 games), but…DID YOU KNOW?… that Seattle has a chance to record its highest team batting average in a month since 2019?…the last Mariners team to record a batting average higher than .245 in a calendar month came in July 2019, when they hit .254 (195×768) as a team with 37 doubles, 8 triples, 28 home runs and 97 RBI.
MARINERS STARTER – RHP GEORGE KIRBY
2023 MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 9-8 3.49 20/20 123.2 121 50 48 12 112 14
Home 6-3 3.38 10/10 61.1 53 24 23 5 64 8
Road 3-5 3.61 10/10 62.1 68 26 25 7 48 6
vs. BOS 1-0 1.35 1/1 6.2 8 1 1 1 6 0
Career MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 17-13 3.44 45/45 253.2 256 104 97 34 245 27
Home 9-6 3.32 23/23 132.2 130 53 49 15 141 17
Road 8-7 3.57 22/22 121.0 126 51 48 19 104 10
vs. BOS 1-1 4.86 3/3 16.2 22 11 9 3 13 4
ABOUT KIRBY…
- 25-year-old right-hander is making his 21st start of the season, 2nd against Boston…he is also making his 46th career start, and 4th career start against the Red Sox.
- Selected by the Mariners in the first round (20th overall) of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Ty Holub.
- Played 3 seasons (2017-2019) at Elon University (NC), going 19-8 with a 3.30 ERA (88 ER, 240.0 IP) in 45 games (34 GS) with the Phoenix.
- Became the first rookie in MLB history to record a save in the postseason in his first career relief appearance.
- Graduated from Rye HS (Rye, NY) where he was named to the all-metro, all-state, all-section and all-league baseball teams 3 times.
LAST TIME OUT…ND in last start on 7/25 at MIN…allowed 5 runs on 7 hits (1 HR) and 1 walk with 9 strikeouts through 4.0 innings pitched.
THESE BOOTS WERE NOT MADE FOR WALKING…leads all qualified pitchers in the Majors with a 9.33 strikeouts-to-walk ratio, ranking ahead of Zach Eflin-TBR (6.82).
WALK AWAY…Kirby’s 12 walks allowed this season are tied for the fewest walks allowed through a pitcher’s first 20 starts in a season in franchise history…he is tied with Hisashi Iwakuma who achieved the feat in 2014…his 12 walks also rank tied for the 17th fewest in the first 20 starts in a season in Major League history.
