CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:
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CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
RED HOTS
• TJ Friedl and Jonathan India each has appeared in all 33 Reds games, and each has amassed 36 hits…Joey Votto (33g, 39h) was the last Reds player to produce those numbers, in 2013…Friedl and India comprise the first pair of teammates to produce at least 36 hits while appearing in each of the Reds’ first 33 games since the 1990 World Series championship season, when Barry Larkin (33g, 46h), Todd Benzinger (33g, 39h) and Paul O’Neill (33g, 37h) did it.
• This weekend, the 25th Flying Pig Marathon races surrounded Great American Ball Park…a shelter in place order was issued about 30 minutes into today’s full and half marathons because of severe weather… the order lasted about an hour…the race clock did not stop for those who sought shelter…organizers estimated 21,000 participants today.
TODAY’S GAME
• Is Game 3 (1-1) of a 3-game series vs super fan Bob Rosenberg’s White Sox and Game 3 (1-1) of a 6-game homestand that concludes, following tomorrow’s off day, with a 3-game series vs the Mets.
• The Redlegs are coming off a 3-3 road trip (2-1 at Oak, 1-2 at SD), the first of their 3 visits to the West Coast.
• Following this homestand the Reds hit the road again for 3-game series at Mia’s loanDepot Park and at Col’s Coors Field.
SERIES NOTES
• The teams are meeting for the first time since 2021, when the Sox earned a 3-1 series win with a 1-1 split at Great American Ball Park and a 2-0 series sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field.
• The White Sox lead the series, 22-10, while winning 9 of 16 games at GABP and 5 of 6 games at Cinergy Field.
• The Reds won 2 of the previous 3 season series vs WSox following an 0-6-1 start to the rivalry…from 2000-2006 the Sox swept all 3 series, the only season series sweeps between the teams.
• Beginning in 2003, Great American Ball Park (4,218) and Guaranteed Rate Field (4,001) rank first and third, respectively, in home runs allowed by ballpark (Camden Yards 2nd with 4,092)…@EliasSports.
• The Reds beat the White Sox the 1919 World Series, 5 games to 3.
• Before the interleague schedule expanded this season to include games vs all 15 American League teams, from 1997-2022 the Redlegs went 188-
247 vs the American League, at .432 the lowest interleague winning percentage of any Major League team…in 2022 the Reds went 12-8 vs AL teams (0-2 vs Cle, 2-0 at Cle, 1-2 at Tor, 1-1 at Bos, 3-0 vs TB, 2-1 at NYY, 2-1 vs Bal, 1-1 vs Bos)…last season’s was their first winning record vs the American League since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs AL teams (.381).
METS UP NEXT
• The Mets won last season’s 6-game season series, 5-1, including their first sweep in New York since 4/25-4/27, 2016.
• Beginning 9/24/13, the Reds are 15-38 vs NYM, including a 14-game losing streak from 9/7/14 – 9/7/16 that ranks as Cin’s longest ever vs the Mets and its longest vs any team since a 16-game skid vs Ari from 5/8/01 – 8/13/03.
Today’s Pitcher – #51 Graham Ashcraft, RHP
• This afternoon is making his first career appearance vs the White Sox…never has faced any of the White Sox batters.
• Leads National League pitchers in bWAR (2.2), third-best among all players in the Major Leagues (Gerrit Cole 2.5, Ronald Acuña Jr. 2.2).
• Enters today’s start with a 32.0-inning homerless streak, the longest of his career and 21st-longest active streak in the Major Leagues…allowed his only home run on 4/2 vs Pit in his season debut, a solo HR to Bryan Reynolds in the fourth inning.
• Is the first Reds pitcher to begin a season with 6 starts without allowing more than 2 earned runs in any of those starts since Luis Castillo began the 2019 campaign by allowing 2 ER or fewer in each of his first 7 starts.
• In his first 3 starts (19ip, 3er) became the eighth Reds pitcher, since 1901 and including Nick Lodolo in 2023, to begin a season with at least 17.0 innings while allowing 4 earned runs or fewer.
• Produced 5 of the Reds’ 8 quality starts.
• Became the first Reds pitcher to begin a non-COVID season with 3 consecutive quality starts since Amir Garrett in 2017 (3qs).
• Started the third game of the season and on 4/2 earned the 3-1 win vs the Pirates…following 2 rainouts, didn’t pitch again until 4/10 at Atl.
• In the 5-3 walkoff win on 4/26 vs Tex, was pitching 2 days after the death of his 82-year-old grandmother, Ann Ashcraft, a Rangers fan who lived in Fort Worth… the next day went on the bereavment list…in his next start, on 5/2 at SD, allowed 1 run in 6.0 innings.
• In his last start of spring training, on 3/22 vs SD, allowed 1 hit while recording 10 strikeouts without a walk in 6.0 innings…time of game was 1:52.
• In 2022, in his Major League debut ranked among the National League rookie pitching leaders in starts (T3rd, 19gs), innings pitched (4th, 105.0), ERA (7th, 4.89), strikeouts (11th, 71), opponents’ BA (8th, .281) and WHIP (1.42, 8th).
• From 8/23-9/23 missed 32 days and 31 games while on the 15-day injured list with right biceps soreness.
• In 16 starts prior to the injury went 5-3, 3.97…in his last 5 starts prior to his injury went 1-1, 2.67 (33.2ip, 32h, 10er, 8bb, 24k, 3hr, .252baa), lowering his ERA from a season-high 4.70 to 3.97.
• After 2 rehab apps for Chattanooga and Louisville (5.2ip, 15h, 10r, 5er, 1bb, 11k, 123 pitches), finished the season 0-3, 12.00 in his last 3 starts for the Reds.
• Hunter Greene threw 7.0 scoreless innings (0bb, 8k) in the 7-0 win on 6/6 vs Ari and Ashcraft followed with 6.0 scoreless innings (0bb, 4k) in the 14-8 victory on 6/7 vs Ari…for the first time since 1900, Major League rookie starting pitchers in consecutive games threw at least 6.0 shutout innings without a walk.
• In 2021 was an MiLB.com Organization All-Star, MLB.com’s Reds Pitching Prospect of the Year, the Reds’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June and a 3-time league Pitcher of the Week.
• His fastball, slider and curveball all have been rated by Baseball America the best among Reds minor league pitchers
