CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:
CIV’S STELLAR PERFORMANCE LEADS GUARDS TO WIN
The Cleveland Guardians departed Chicago with bookend victories in a 4-game set on the Southside, blanking the White Sox by a 5-0 final on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field…Cleveland’s 11 shutouts are tied with Toronto for AL-best, T2nd in the Majors behind only Milwaukee (12)…coming off a 4-2 homestand, the club is 2-2 on this 7-game road trip thru Chicago-AL (2-2) and Houston (3G)…Cleveland has gone 11-5-2 over last 18 series (32-25 record since May 26). » JOSÉ RAMÍREZ headlined the victory with his 23rd career multi- homer game – 3rd this season – drilling a one-out solo blast (17) off Michael Kopech (5.0IP, 4H, 3R-ER, 5BB, 2SO, 2HR, WP, 93 pitches) in the 5th inning ahead of his 2-run shot (18) off Declan Cronin in the 7th…STEVEN KWAN also led off the 5th inning against Kopech with his 5th homer of the year…the Guardians drew 4 walks against the Sox right-hander in the 2nd inning, including a bases-loaded free pass to ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ that produced Cleveland’s first tally…AARON CIVALE turned in another exemplary effort, hurling 6.0 shutout frames to earn his 5th win (6.0IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB, 4SO, 81 pitches)…retired 8 of the first 9 batters he faced, scattering 3 singles on the afternoon…bottom 5 spots of the Sox order went 0-for-8 against Civale…ENYEL DE LOS SANTOS, TREVOR STEPHAN and EMMANUEL CLASE each turned in 1.0 scoreless frame of relief to preserve the shutout.
Cleveland (53-53) sits in 2nd place in the AL Central standings, one half-game behind 2nd-place Minnesota (54-53) and 6.0 games ahead of 3rd-place Detroit (-6.5G, 47-59)…Guardians have won 8 of 13, 21 of 36, 28 of 49 and 31 of last 55, though have also dropped 47 of last 91 overall since starting year 9-6.
WELCOME TO ASTROWORLD
The Cleveland Guardians are visiting Houston to take on the Astros for the second matchup between the clubs in 2023… the Guards took 2 of 3 from Houston from June 9-11 earlier this season at Progressive Field…Cleveland won the first game 10-9 in a back-and-forth, 14-inning affair, ending in a walkoff hit from WILL BRENNAN…the Astros won the second matchup 6-4, before Cleveland took the final game, 5-0, behind 7.0-shutout innings from SHANE BIEBER…the Guards have won 4 of the last 5 contests between the clubs.
During the Terry Francona era (since 2013), Cleveland is 16- 13 at Minute Maid Park and 36-29 against the Astros overall…the club’s .554 winning percentage against Houston over that span is the best of any American League team, ahead of Tampa Bay (36- 30, 545)…overall, the Guards are 44-39 all-time against Houston.
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ owns a .291 batting average (51-for-175) with 5 home runs and 19 RBI in 50 career games against the Astros… one third of his hits against the club are doubles (17)…JOSH BELL is hitting .302 (13-for-48) with 3 home runs and 6 RBI in 12 games against Houston…in 9 games against his former club, MYLES STRAW is 9-for-34 (.265) with 3 doubles.
CITY OF ROCK AND ROLL PLAYING THE HITS
Since June 1, Cleveland has out-hit their opponents in 35 games, 6 more than any other MLB team (Boston, 29)…the Guardians 25 wins in those 35 games are tied for most in MLB with Boston and Atlanta…however, Cleveland’s 10 losses when out-hitting their opponents since June 1 are more than any other MLB team, ahead of Texas, Houston and Los Angeles-AL (9).
The Guardians lead MLB with 27 double-digit hit games in 50 games since May 30, ahead of Boston and Texas (24)…in Cleveland’s 53 games before May 30, the club had just 10 double-digit hit games…the club’s 520 hits since May 30 are most in MLB during the stretch, ahead of Texas (508)…the Guards also lead the American League with a .277 batting average since May 30, ahead of Texas (.274), and only trail Atlanta (.282)…Cleveland has 3 players ranking in the top-5 in hits since May 30; no other team has more than one player in the top 10…JOSH NAYLOR (74) is 2nd, behind MIA’s Luis Arraez (78)…JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (66, 4th) and STEVEN KWAN (66, T5th) round out the trio in the top 5.
LET’S GET IT STARTED
Cleveland’s starting pitchers have had a strong start to the second half, holding opponents to 2-or-fewer earned runs in 13 of the rotation’s 16 outings…they have lasted 5.0-or-more innings in 11 of their 16 starts since the All-Star break, with 3 of those 5 outings being XZAVION CURRY’s spot starts…the rotation’s 2.57 ERA (24ER/84.0IP) to start the second half is the lowest in MLB, 6 points lower than the next-best team (Cincinnati, 2.63)…Guardians starters also have the lowest opposing batting average (.209) and opposing slugging percentage (.332) along with ranking 2nd in fewest hits allowed (63), behind Boston (47) in the second half.
AARON CIVALE’s 1.45 ERA (6ER/37.1IP) in July leads the American League and is 2nd in MLB, behind SD’s Blake Snell (0.56)…he’s currently T1st in MLB innings pitched in July with NYM’s Justin Verlander…TANNER BIBEE’s 1.78 ERA (6ER/30.1IP) this month ranks 2nd in AL/6th in MLB.
NO STRIKEOUTS HERE
JOSH NAYLOR and WILL BRENNAN currently have 2 of the 3 longest streaks of plate appearances without a strikeout in MLB… Naylor leads MLB with 32 plate appearances, the longest such streak of his career…Brennan (26 PA) is 3rd in MLB and 3 shy of tying his career-high…NYM’s Jeff McNeil (29) is 2nd in MLB.
Cleveland has struck out 732 times in 2023 and has a plate appearance per strikeout rate of 5.47, both the best marks in MLB ahead of Washington (750, 5.31)…the Guardians have struck out 5-or-fewer times in 32 games this season, the most of any MLB team ahead of Washington (27)…JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (10.16, 3rd) and STEVEN KWAN (9.19, 4th) both rank in the top-5 in PA/SO rate, while Naylor (6.77) ranks 21st MILESTONE MANIA
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ went 2-for-4 with 2 home runs in yesterday’s contest…his second 2-home run performance in the past 5 games… with his second home run, he achieved multiple milestones as a Clevelander…he passed Manny Ramírez for 4th-most multi-home run games (23) by a Cleveland hitter, tied Jim Thome (97) for 5th- most multi-extra-base hit games in franchise history and passed Julio Franco (1,273) for 13th-most hits in club history. » With his victory yesterday, Terry Francona (1,927) passed Hall- of-Famer Casey Stengel for 13th-most wins by a manager in MLB History…he is 82 wins away from 12th place, held by Hall-of-Famer Leo Durocher (2,009)…Francona has the 3rd-most wins by an active MLB manager behind Bruce Bochy (2,063) and Dusty Baker (2,152)…through his 11 seasons with Cleveland, he is currently 898-724 (.554), leading the Guardians to 4 AL Central Titles (2016- 18, 2022) and the American League Pennant in 2016…Francona won AL Manager of the Year in 2013, 2016 and 2022.
EMMANUEL CLASE needs one save to pass Michael Jackson (94) for 6th-most saves in franchise history…he is 10 saves away from José Mesa (104) for 5th-most in club history…he ranks among relievers this season in saves (28, T1st in the AL/T3rd in MLB) and appearances (50, T2nd in the AL/MLB).
TONIGHT’S STARTER – #34 NOAH SYNDERGAARD RHP
SYNDERGAARD ON THE ROAD
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 0-2 10.96 6 6 23.0 37 28 28 3 14
Career 22-25 3.95 73 73 406.0 413 198 178 99 413
SYNDERGAARD’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-4 7.16 12 12 55.1 71 44 44 9 38
Career 58-45 3.65 158 156 908.0 877 399 368 206 910
TONIGHT’S START
The 29-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his Cleveland Guardians debut in tonight’s opener of a 3-game set with the Houston Astros…owns a 1-4 record with a 7.16 ERA (44ER/55.1IP) in 12 starts with Los Angeles-NL this season…is pitching on extended 9 days of rest; is 0-0 with a 6.30 ERA (7ER/10.0IP) in 3 starts on 6+ days of rest this season and 18-13 with a 3.30 ERA (95ER/259.0IP) on 6+ days of rest in his career.
GREETINGS, ASGUARDIANS
Syndergaard is a former first-round pick by Toronto, taken 38th overall in the 2010 MLB Draft…was traded to New York-NL with John Buck and Travis d’Arnaud for R.A. Dickey and 2 other players in December 2012…signed as a free agent with Los Angeles-AL in November 2021, then was traded from the Angels to Philadelphia at the 2022 trade deadline for Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez… signed as a free agent with Los Angeles-NL in December 2022 before being traded on July 26 to the Guardians for Amed Rosario and cash considerations.
The 2016 NL All-Star totaled 121 games (120 starts) across 6 seasons with the Mets (2015-2021), going 47-31 with a 3.32 ERA (265ER/718.0IP)…ranked among NL pitchers in 2016 in FIP (2.29, 1st), HR/9 (.539, 1st), SO/BB (5.070, 2nd) and ERA (2.60, 3rd)… went 5-8 with a 3.83 ERA (34ER/80.0IP) for the Angels and 5-2 with a 4.12 ERA (25ER/54.2IP) with the Phillies for a combined record of 10-10 and 3.94 ERA (59ER/134.2IP) in 2022…has pitched in the World Series for both the 2015 Mets and 2022 Phillies.
LAST TIME OUT
Syndergaard’s most recent MLB start was June 7 at Cincinnati… he did not factor in the decision after 3.0 innings with 7 hits, 6 runs (earned), 2 home runs and 3 strikeouts on 66 pitches/44 strikes… in the 1st, a Matt McLain single led to an Elly De La Cruz 458- foot 2-run home run…after a scoreless 2nd inning, McLain led off the 3rd with a triple before a Jonathan India sacrifice fly…De La Cruz tripled in the next at-bat before Spencer Steer hit an RBI-single and Tyler Stephenson hit a 2-run home run in consecutive at-bats…his outing ended after retiring the final 2 hitters in the 3rd.
Syndergaard last pitched on July 21 for AAA Oklahoma City vs. El Paso in a rehab start…he pitched 5.0 innings with 6 hits, 4 runs (earned) and 2 strikeouts on 77 pitches/58 strikes…retired 15 of the first 17 hitters he faced in the outing…also pitched on July 15 at Sacramento (5.0IP, 4H, 2R/ER, 1HR, 6SO, 52 pitches/41 strikes)… Syndergaard hit the 15-day Injured List with a blister on his right index finger following the start.
SYNDERGAARD IN SPACE CITY
Tonight will mark the second start against the Astros in his career, both of which took place last season…in 2 combined starts vs. Houston, he is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA (3ER/9.1IP)…in his most recent outing against the Astros on July 12, 2022, he did not factor into the decision after working 4.0 innings and allowing 3 runs (earned) on 3 hits, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts…marks his 6th career start against the AL West, owning a 3-1 record with a 3.75 ERA (10ER/24.0IP)…is holding AL West hitters to a .202 average, the lowest of any MLB division in his career.
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The homestanding Astros will open a three-game series with the Guardians tonight behind rookie RHP J.P. France, who defeated the Guardians earlier this season on June 10 at CLE (3ER/6.2IP)…he’ll be opposed by the veteran RHP Noah Syndergaard, who’s making his Guardians debut… the Astros last saw Syndergaard as a Phillie in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series (2ER/3IP).
VIVE LA FRANCE!: RHP J.P. France has been one the top rookie starters in the Majors this season following his promotion in early May…he enters tonight ranking first among Major League rookies in ERA (2.87) and fourth in opponent batting average (.248) (min. 75 IP)…in his 14 starts, France has amassed nine quality starts and has 10 starts of 6.0-plus innings.
TOUGH STRETCH: The Astros are six games (3-3) into a stretch of playing nine consecutive series against opponents that currently have a .500-or-better record…during this stretch, the Astros will see the Rangers (2-1), Rays (1-2), Guardians, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Marlins, Mariners and Red Sox.
THE DIVISION RACE: The Astros are just 1.0 game out of first place in the AL West and can close that gap tonight with a win…the Rangers are off tonight before opening a three-game series against the White Sox beginning tomorrow night…the Astros have not been within a half game of first place yet this season…the Astros are 10-6 since the All-Star break, which is 1.0 game better than the Rangers (9-7).
VS. THE GUARDIANS: The Astros and Guardians are matching up for their second and final series of the season this week… the two teams saw each other from June 9-11 in Cleveland, with the Guardians taking two of three…that series featured a 14-inning game in the opener, won by the Guardians 10-9.
CONGRATS!: The Astros will recognize the Magnolia West HS baseball team in a pregame ceremony tonight celebrating their 2023 5A state title…coincidentally, Guardians reliever RHP Trevor Stephan is a 2014 alum of Magnolia West.
THE SUNDAY SCARIES: The Astros lost the rubber game of their three-game series against the Rays yesterday by a score of 8-2…the Rays scored four runs in the 1st inning (three unearned) en route to the victory…the offense picked up 10 hits in the loss, including nine singles…2B Jose Altuve (3×4) and SS Jeremy Peña (2×4) both had multi-hit efforts.
TRADE WINDS: On Friday, the Astros acquired RHP Kendall Graveman from Chicago (AL) in exchange for minor leaguer C Korey Lee…Graveman posted a 3-4 record with eight saves and a 3.48 ERA (17ER/44IP) in 45 appearances with the White Sox this season…this is his second time to be acquired by Houston, who also picked him up at the 2021 trade deadline.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have made several roster moves prior to tonight’s game:
- RHP Jake Cousins has been claimed off waivers from Milwaukee and subsequently optioned to Triple A Sugar Land.
- LHP Matt Gage has been recalled from Sugar Land.
- RHP Brandon Bielak has been optioned to Sugar Land.
- LHP Blake Taylor has been designated for assignment.
- BIG RETURNS: On Wednesday, the Astros reinstated 2B Jose Altuve and LF Yordan Alvarez from the Injured List…those two have only been in the same Astros starting lineup together on 17 occasions this season, with the Astros going 10-7 in those contests…a few notes on their returns:
- Altuve went 0x3 in his first game back, but rebounded to hit safely in his last three games, hitting .462 (6×13) with a triple and a homer in those contests.
- Alvarez has hit safely in all four games since being activated from the IL, hitting .400 (6×15) with a double, a walk, a home run, an RBI and four runs scored over that stretch.
STALKING 200: After hitting his 199th career homer on Saturday vs. TB, 2B Jose Altuve now needs just one homer to reach 200 for his career, a mark only four other players have reached in club history…that list consists of Jeff Bagwell (449), Lance Berkman (326), Craig Biggio (291) and Jimmy Wynn (223).
BREGGY BOMBS: 3B Alex Bregman is on a home run barrage, connecting for six homers in his last 13 games, while hitting .367 (18×49) with 13 RBI those contests…he’s up to 69 RBI on the season, which ranks eighth in the AL.
SPEED AND POWER:RF Kyle Tucker leads the Astros with 19 steals and owns a share for the club lead with 18 homers…he’s one of four MLB players with 18-plus steals and homers on the year, joining OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (51 SB, 24 HR), OF Corbin Carroll (32 SB, 21 HR) and SS Bobby Witt Jr. (29 SB, 18 HR).
SECOND TO NONE: SS Jeremy Peña has hit second in each of the last five games, which is the spot in the batting order where he’s had his most career success…in 76 regular season games, Peña is a .285 (90×316) hitter with 18 homers and an .824 OPS hitting second, while leading the club to a 57-19 record in those games…he also hit second throughout the Astros 2022 postseason run, eventually earning MVP honors for both the ALCS and World Series (11-2 record).
CHAS’ CHOMP:OF Chas McCormick, the AL Player of the Week for July 14-16, is having a huge month offensively, in which he’s hitting .351 (27×77) with four doubles, two triples, six homers, 23 RBI and a 1.128 OPS in 22 games…among AL players this month, McCormick ranks second in the AL in RBI, fifth in OBP (.440), fifth in SLG (.688) and sixth in OPS.
INJURY UPDATES: The Astros are down to four players on the IL, with RHP Luis Garcia and RHP Lance McCullers Jr. out for the year…they currently have two players working their way back:
- OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) has progressed back to taking BP on the field, which he’s done so several times over the last two weeks, including yesterday…Brantley has missed the entire season and has not played since June of 2022.
- RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder discomfort) made his fourth rehab start yesterday, tossing 5.0 innings and 76 pitches for Double A Corpus Christi at San Antonio…Urquidy has been sidelined since April 30, missing approx. 14 turns in the rotation.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP J.P. FRANCE
LAST START – 7/25 VS. TEX: allowed 1 run (0 ER) on 5 hits with 3 strikeouts in 7.0 innings…lowered his ERA on the season to 2.87 (27ER/84.2IP), which ranks 1st among MLB rookies (min. 80 IP)…matched his single-game career high with 7.0 innings and has hit that mark in back-to-back starts, as well 3 times overall this season…has logged 8 quality starts through his last 9 starts, recording a 2.34 ERA (15ER/57.2IP) with 32 strikeouts during that span…completed 6.0 innings for the 10th time through the first 14 starts of his career…is 1 of 4 players in Astros history with at least 10 starts of .0 innings through the first 14 appearances of their career, and is the first to do so since RHP Brian Williams (11, 1992).
ROOKIE LEADERBOARD: among AL rookies (min. 80 IP), ranks 1st in ERA (2.87)…is also 1st in walks-per-9-innings (2.55), 2nd in WHIP (1.22) and 2nd in opponent OPS (.676).
QUALITY STUFF: logged 6 consecutive quality starts from June 4-July 5 and logged 6+ innings in 7 straight starts from May 29-July 5…the last Astros rookie with 7 straight starts of 6.0+ was RHP Chris Sampson, who had a 9-game streak in 2007…the last Astros rookie with a streak of at least 6 straight quality starts in a single season was also Sampson, who went on a 7-game streak (May 11, 2007-June 13, 2007)…the only other Astros pitcher with a longer quality start streak this season was a 7-game streak from LHP Framber Valdez (April 4-May 9)….is tied for the most quality starts (9) through his first 14 career outings in Astros history with Dan Larson and Brian Williams…is 2nd of MLB rookies with 9 quality starts this season, trailing only teammate RHP Hunter Brown (10).
SOLID START: his 2.87 career ERA is the lowest by an Astros pitcher through their first 14 career appearances (min. 80 IP), directly ahead of Dan Larson who recorded a 2.96 ERA in his first 14 career appearances. VS. CLE: will be making his 2nd career appearance against the Guardians… in his only start vs. CLE, he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 6 walks with 6 strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
