CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:
No team release available.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: Fresh off a three-game sweep of Colorado, the Giants return home to kick off a three-game set against the Cubs…the series marks SF’s shortest homestand of the year as the team leaves town again on Sunday to head to St. Louis and Los Angeles-NL…the Giants enter play today having won 15 of their last 22 games (.682) dating to May 15, matching the Marlins for the second-highest winning percentage in MLB in that span, trailing only the Rangers (15-6, .714).
GAME RECOGNIZE GAME: Though their matchup history dates back to 1883, SF has fared exceptionally well against the Cubs in recent years…since 2021, the Giants are 11-3 against Chicago-NL, outscoring them 75-42 (+33 run differential) while averaging 5.4 runs per game…SF pitchers have a 2.59 ERA in that span and have limited Cubs hitters to a .203 average in the stretch.
I GOT FIVE ON IT: SF has allowed five or fewer runs in 15 consecutive games against the Cubs, one of the longest active such streaks in the Majors…the streak is the Giants’ longest vs. the Cubs since also limiting them to five runs or fewer in 16 straight games as the NY Giants from July 1920 to May 1921.
SAME SQUAD: SF swept the Rockies despite trailing by at least three runs in each of its last two games…it was the first time in almost 25 years the Giants won consecutive games after trailing by 3+ runs in each…SF has never come back from a three-run deficit in three straight games in franchise history.
TELL ME WHEN TO GO: SF’s comeback victories are partly due to their pinch-hitting success in those games…Giants pinch hitters went 3-for-4 with two RBI in their last two games and are 4-for-7 with a .625 OBP and .714 slugging percentage since June 3…prior to that stretch, SF hitters were just 1-for13 with eight strikeouts as PH over their previous 12 games.
NO LIMIT: Prior to yesterday, the Giants were 1-26 when trailing after 8.0 innings…SF’s only other win when trailing after 8.0 innings was April 25 vs. St. Louis when SF was trailing 4-2 entering the ninth inning and scored three times to win, 5-4….the Giants won that game on a two-run, walk-off homer by C/OF Blake Sabol.
FEELIN’ MYSELF: IF Brandon Crawford has enjoyed playing against the Cubs throughout his career, posting a .302 average and .402 OBP against them (57 games)…his .402 OBP is his best figure against any opponent and the seventh-highest OBP vs. the Chicago-NL among active players.
HIT ‘EM UP: Giants relievers have been dominant since the start of May, converting a league-leading 16 saves while posting the second-lowest ERA (2.29) in the Majors in that span behind the Padres (2.21).
ALL EYEZ ON ME: RHP Anthony DeSclafani has been at his best when going through the order a second time this season… the veteran is limiting batters to a .190 average and .491 OPS in his second time through the lineup, the second-lowest OPS in MLB (min. 100 BF)…in his first time through, hitters have a .272 average and .759 OPS
CAN’T TOUCH THIS: When facing a pitcher for the first time in a game this season, IF/OF LaMonte Wade Jr. is posting an NL-leading .489 OBP…the figure is second-highest in MLB, trailing only NYY’s Aaron Judge (.521)…last season, Wade had a .271 OBP when facing a pitcher for the first time in a game, which ranked 394th among the 504 MLB hitters with at least 50+ such PA (Stats, LLC).
RETURN OF THE MIKE: After a slow start to the season, OF Michael Conforto has been on a tear the last month with eight homers and a .692 slugging percentage since May 10… through games of May 9, Conforto was slugging just .297, which ranked 190th of 199 batters with 100+ PA
TODAY’S STARTER – ANTHONY DeSCLAFANI RHP #26
2023 RECORD: 4-5, 3.97 ERA
TODAY’S OUTING: Gets the nod to make his 13th start of the season tonight against the Cubs…the veteran, who returns from an injury-plagued 2022, is in his ninth Major League season and third in a Giants uniform.
LAST TIME OUT: Suffered his fifth loss of the season on Sunday as the Orioles beat the Giants 8-3…allowed six runs on five hits with two strikeouts, three walks and a hit batsman…the three walks were his most since also walking three on September 3, 2021 vs. LA…DeSclafani threw just 3.0 innings in the outing, his shortest start since exiting his June 26, 2022 game with a right ankle inflammation that led to season-ending surgery…his 68 pitches were also his fewest since that outing, when he left after just 53.
VS. CHICAGO-NL: Is slated to face the Cubs for the 14th time in his career and first since 2021…the veteran has a 5-3 record and 3.84 ERA in 13 starts vs. Chicago-NL…most recently, DeSclafani is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA in his last three starts against them dating back to 2019…he’s limited Cubs hitters to a .206 average and struck out 15 in 17.2 innings of work in that span.
IN THE ZONE: Despite walking nine batters over his last six starts, the veteran still has issued 12 walks in his first 12 starts this year…
his 4.1% walk rate and 1.54 walks-per-nine average are both fourth-lowest in MLB.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Both of DeSclafani’s two strikeouts in his last outing came with his knuckle curve, a pitch he’s been increasingly relying on lately…the right-hander has thrown 30 knuckle curves in his last three starts, compared to 25 such pitches over his previous nine outings…he’s found a lot of sucess with the pitch this year, limiting batters to just two hits (both singles) in 17 atbats (.118) ending with his curveball with seven strikeouts…since May 24, the veteran has held batters hitless in seven at-bats off the pitch, retiring all seven batters he faced while striking out five…in his last full season in 2021, batters were .224 (11×49) with two HRs and 13 strikeouts off the pitch.
AT THE RIGHT TIME: His curveball has been particularly effective against right-handers, who are hitless in 10 at-bats ending with the pitch with five strikeouts…DeSclafani’s knuckle curve has been his putaway pitch 21.7% of the time against righties as opposed to a 10% mark vs. lefties.
RIGHT THIS WAY: Is limiting right-handers to a .192 average (25×130) with 33 strikeouts early this season, the lowest opposing average in the NL and seventh-lowest in MLB…DeSclafani’s .245 OBP vs. righties is third-best in the NL behind ATL’s Spencer Strider (.236) and PHI’s Zack Wheeler (.244).
