COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
I THINK WE’VE MET BEFORE
- The Colorado Rockies continue their seven-game road trip this evening with the second of four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks … travel to Kansas City for three games Friday-Sunday, the club’s first games at Kauffman Stadium since 2017.
- The Rockies are coming off of a 5-2 homestand against the Miami Marlins (3-1) and New York Mets (2-1) … beat the Mets 10-7 on Saturday and 11-10 on Sunday, the second and third times this season the club has logged a win despite allowing at least seven runs (3-17).
- The Rockies have gone 5-6 so far in their 17-game stretch without an off-day since May 19, their longest stretch without an off day this season … their next off day will come following this road trip on June 5.
DRY HEAT
- Colorado has won six of their last eight series since May 2 and seven of their last 10 series since April 24 … had lost or split each of their first seven series of the season prior to this stretch.
- The Rockies have gone 16-11 (.593) since April 30, the third-best record in the NL over that span behind the Dodgers (18-9, .667) and Giants (17-11, .607) … the Diamondbacks rank fourth in the NL over that span with a 15-11 record (.577).
- Coming off of a 7-20 April in which they slashed .243/.304/.367, the Rockies are slashing .278/.340/.445 in May while going 15-11 this month … are hitting .369 (77-for-214) with runners in scoring position in May after they hit .251 (61-for-243) with runners in scoring position in April.
WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER HERO
- Sunday’s win was the 441st of Bud Black’s Rockies career (2017-2023), passing Don Baylor for the second-most managerial wins in franchise history … Baylor, the Rockies’ first manager in franchise history, went 440-469 in six seasons at the helm from 1993-98 … Clint Hurdle holds the Rockies record for managerial wins, holding a 534-625 record in parts of eight seasons from 2002-09.
RETURN OF THE MAC
- Ryan McMahon has hit a homer run in a career-best four-straight games, the longest streak by a Rockies player since Elias Díaz homered in four-straight June 28-July 2, 2021 … only four players in franchise history have homered in at least five-straight games, with David Dahl achieving the feat most recently in 2018.
- McMahon also has an extra-base hit in five straight games, the longest streak by a Rockies player since Trevor Story put together a five-game streak Sept. 6-11, 2021.
- McMahon has gone 12-for-20 with two doubles, one triple, four home runs and 12 RBI over his last five games … he’s the seventh player in franchise history to have a five-game stretch with at least 12 hits, 12 RBI and seven extra-base hits, the first since Carlos González in 2015.
- The third baseman went 4-for-5 on Monday, matching his career-high hit total (also: April 6, 2021 vs. Arizona) … fell a double shy of the cycle, his second time in his last two games falling either a double or triple shy of the cycle.
BABY GOT BACKSTOP
- Rockies catcher Elias Díaz ranks third among NL position players with 2.4 WAR (Baseball Reference), trailing Ronald Acuña (3.0) and Freddie Freeman (2.5) … his 1.1 defensive WAR ranks fourth in the Majors, second in the NL.
- Díaz’s .335 batting average (54-for-161) ranks third in the Majors, second in the NL … his .374 average (34-for-91) average at home is the highest in the Majors while his .444 (20-for-45) average with runners in scoring position ranks fourth the Majors.
- Has appeared in 46 games at catcher, the second-most in the Majors … his 10 catcher caught stealing are third in the Majors, while his 35.5 caught stealing percentage ranks third (min. 20 games).
THE VALLEY
- The Rockies are facing Arizona for the second time this season, the first time in Phoenix … dropped two of three to the Diamondbacks at Coors Field April 28-30.
- Colorado is 11-12 against Arizona over the last two seasons, 21-21 since 2021, 26-26 since 2020 and 64-64 since 2016.
- The Rockies went 5-5 at Chase Field in 2022, including taking three of four here July 7-10.
THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER?
- Outfielder Jurickson Profar holds an active 36-game on-base streak since April 15, the longest active streak in the Majors and tied for the longest streak in the Majors this season (also: Yordan Álvarez, 36 games) … it is the seventh-longest streak in franchise history, the longest since DJ LeMahieu’s 38-game streak Aug. 9-Sept. 22, 2016 … LeMahieu’s streak is tied with a Matt Holliday 38-game streak in 2007 for the fifth-longest streak in franchise history.
- Profar is slashing .264/.345/.417 through the streak with 19 walks … over his last 18 games since May 7, is slashing .311/.366/.527 with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 12 RBI and eight multi-hit games
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #21 KYLE FREELAND LHP
DENVER KID
- Kyle Freeland will make his 12th start of the season today, his fifth on the road.
- The 30-year-old Denver native graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, 15 minutes south of Coors Field … selected in the first round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft (eighth overall), the third player in University of Evansville history to be drafted in the first round.
- The Rockies announced on April 19,2022 that they agreed to a five-year contract extension with Freeland covering the 2022-26 seasons … the extension includes two arbitration years and three years of free agency.
LAST TIME OUT
- Didn’t factor into the Rockies’ 7-6 walk-off win over the Marlins last Thursday at Coors Field … pitched five innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts … allowed one run in the third and one in the fourth, exiting the game after five with the Rockies trailing 2-1.
SNAKES
- Facing Arizona for the second time this year … on the losing end of a 9-1 Rockies loss on April 28 at Coors Field … pitched six innings and allowed three runs on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts … faced two batters in the seventh inning with the game tied 1-1 with both reaching base and scoring.
- Has made 18 career starts against the Diamondbacks, going 3-7 with a 5.34 ERA (97.2 IP, 58 ER) … has not logged a win against Arizona since Sept. 23, 2018, going 0-5 with a 6.55 ERA (55.0 IP, 40 ER) in his last 10 starts.
- Is 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA (41.0 IP, 22 ER) in eight career starts at Chase Field … 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA (20.0 IP, 15 ER) over his last four starts in Phoenix since 2019.
- Made two starts against the Diamondbacks in 2022, both at Chase Field, allowing six runs across 12.2 innings … tossed six scoreless on May 7, 2022 but did not receive a decision in the 4-1 Rockies win.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
- Has gone 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA (37.1 IP, 14 ER), nine walks and 31 strikeouts in seven home starts … is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA (16.0 IP, 2 ER) over his last three home starts and 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA (22.0 IP, 5 ER) over his last four.
- Career record of 31-26 (Rockies 50-35) with a 4.65 ERA (450.2 IP, 233 ER) in 85 appearances (82 starts) at Coors Field … ERA eighth all-time at Coors Field among pitchers with at least 40 starts, 31 wins tied for fourth with Jon Gray and Jason Jennings.
DONUT
- Has six games this season in which he has tossed at least five scoreless innings, already tied for the second-most such games in a single season in franchise history … his next game of five-plus scoreless innings will tie him with Ubaldo Jiménez in 2010 for the most in franchise history.
ROAD WARRIOR
- Has tossed at least six innings in three of his four road starts this season, going 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA (21.0 IP, 11 ER) … held a 2.84 ERA (19.0 IP, 6 ER) through his first three road starts before allowing eight runs (five earned) in two innings in his last road start May 20 at Texas.
- Has gone 5-8 with a 3.40 ERA (108.2 IP, 41 ER) in 19 starts on the road over the past two seasons, the seventh-lowest road ERA in the NL over that span (min. 100 IP).
- Posted a 2.87 road ERA (62.2 IP, 20 ER) in 11 road starts since last year’s All-Star Break, the third-lowest road ERA in the NL over that span (min. 60 IP).
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FEELS
- His 53 career wins are tied for seventh in franchise history with Jon Gray and Pedro Astacio … Ubaldo Jiménez ranks sixth with 56 wins.
- Ranks fifth in franchise history with 161 career starts, 12 shy of tying teammate German Márquez for fourth … passed Jason Jennings (156) for the fifth-most starts in franchise history in his May 3 start vs. Milwaukee.
- His 683 strikeouts are the seventh-most in franchise history … trails Jeff Francis in sixth with 742 strikeouts.
- Career 4.24 ERA ranks fourth all-time among Rockies starting pitchers (min. 75 starts).
THE HOME RUN HIGHWAY
- Ten of his 25 earned runs this year have come off of home runs, with six of them being solo homers.
- Has now allowed a home run in three-consecutive starts, and has allowed only two home runs over his last six.
- His 19 home runs allowed in 2022 were his fewest since 2018 (17) … his 0.98 HR/9 was the 13th-lowest in the National League in 2022 … his lowest HR/9 rate since he posted a 0.76 clip in 2018.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
- Began his season with two scoreless outings, the first pitcher in franchise history to toss at least six scoreless innings in each of his first two appearances of the season … allowed his first run of the season in the first inning of his third start, ending a 13.0 inning scoreless streak to begin the season, tied with Jason Jennings (2001) for the second-longest streak to begin a season in franchise history, behind Jhoulys Chacín (14.1 IP, 2010).
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
HERE’S THE STORY
♦ Since May 12, the D-backs’ 11-5 (.688) record is tied for the third best in the Majors (also: Rangers), behind the Astros (12-4; .750) and Yankees (12-5; .706).
♦ The D-backs’ 31 wins are the third most in the NL, behind the Dodgers (33) and Braves (32)…the D-backs’ 25 wins vs. NL opponents are second behind the Dodgers (30) and ahead of the Rockies (22) and Braves (22).
♦ The D-backs are second in the NL West (23 days in/tied for first place from April 2-30).
♦ The D-backs are 6-3 in their last 9 games vs. Rockies.
♦ Ketel Marte is hitting .324 (12-for-37; 4 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI) while Evan Longoria is hitting .306 (11-for-36; 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI) vs. Kyle Freeland.
GURRIEL MAKING A FRANCHISE STATEMENT
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s .374 average in the month of May is the highest by a D-back since AJ Pollock in 2014 (.375) and tied for the fourth highest ever by a D-back in May (also: Shawn Green/2006), behind Paul Goldschmidt/2013 (.376), Luis Gonzalez/1999 (.376) and Pollock/2014 (.375).
♦ Since May 1, Gurriel ranks among MLB leaders [min. 80 PA] in SLG (2nd, .771), OPS (2nd, 1.212), XBH (T-2nd, 16), AVG (3rd, .374), OBP (6th, .441) and homers (T-7th, 8).
♦ Overall, Gurriel ranks among MLB leaders this season in SLG (6th, .566), AVG (7th, .319) and OPS (7th, .935).
THE ANSWER-BACKS STRIKE AGAIN
♦ The D-backs’ 16 comeback wins are tied for the most in the NL (also: Dodgers, Reds and Mets).
♦ The D-backs’ 8 comeback wins in May are tied for third in the NL (also: Dodgers and Reds), behind the Rockies and Mets.
KETEL LOOKING TO EXTEND
♦ Ketel Marte’s career-best 27-game on-base streak (since April 26) is the second longest active on-base streak in the Majors, behind Jurickson Profar/COL (36), and tied for the third longest by a D-back since 2014 (also: Paul Goldschmidt/2015, David Peralta/2017, Nick Ahmed/2019)… in the span, is hitting .295 AVG/.369 OBP with 1 double, 2 triples, 5 homers, 15 RBI, 12 walks and 2 HBP.
SNAKE BITES
♦ Emmanuel Rivera is hitting .347 (10-for-29)/.835 OPS with 3 doubles, 6 RBI and 2 walks in his last 9 games.
♦ Corbin Carroll is hitting .314 (11-for-35)/.956 OPS with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBI, 4 BB and 4 SB in his last 9 games.
♦ Ketel Marte is hitting .314 (11-for-35) with 1 triple, 2 homers, 4 RBI and 2 SB in his last 8 games.
MOUND NOTABLES
♦ Since May 20, D-backs starters’ 3.61 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) leads the NL, ahead of the Cubs, Padres and Cardinals while allowing the fewest homers (4) [also: Cubs and Cardinals] and third-fewest runs (24) [also: Mets].
FIP is a statistic meant to measure a pitcher’s effectiveness, taking balls in play out of the equation, focusing solely on events a pitcher has the most control over – strikeouts, unintentional walks, hit-by-pitches and home runs.
♦ Since May 20, the D-backs’ bullpen boasts a 2.06 ERA (8 ER in 35.0 IP), third best in MLB, behind the Giants (0.45) and Guardians (1.40), while their 4 saves are tied for third (also: Cardinals and Rays), behind the Nationals (5) and Giants (5).
D-FENSE! D-FENSE!
♦ The D-backs’ .990 fielding pct. is tied for the best in the Majors (also: Mets and Padres).
♦ The D-backs’ 10 Outs Above Average (OAA) as a team are tied for third (also: Brewers), behind the Padres (17) and Mariners (11).
♦ Christian Walker’s 5 OAA leads all first basemen, ahead of Nathaniel Lowe/TEX (4) and Josh Naylor/CLE (4).
RHP ZAC GALLEN ♦ #23
AT A GLANCE: Is in his fifth season with the D-backs.
- Fifth in the 2022 NL Cy Young Award voting.
- 2022 D-backs Most Valuable Pitcher by the Arizona Chapter of the BBWAA after going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is 5-0 with a 0.77 ERA (3 ER in 35.0 IP), 0.66 WHIP, .158 opponent average and 47 strikeouts in 5 home starts this season.
- His 0.77 home ERA leads the Majors (min. 25.0 IP).
- His 2.14 ERA (39 ER in 163.2 IP in 26 starts) since July 13, 2022 is the lowest in the Majors (min. 120.0 IP).
- In innings 1-3, has allowed 6 runs, held opponents to a .171 average, walked 3 and struckout 33.
VS. ROCKIES: Is 5-1 with a 2.66 ERA (21 ER in 71.0 IP) and 85 strikeouts in 12 career starts…won his last start on Sept. 11, 2022 (3 ER in 6.0 IP, 11 K).
- Is 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA (11 ER in 34.0 IP) and 45 strikeouts in 6 starts @ Chase Field…the D-backs are 4-2 in that span.
NL RANKINGS: Ranks among NL leaders in wins (T-1st, 6), strikeouts (3rd, 72), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd, 5.36), walks (T-3rd, 14), WHIP (4th, 1.02) and ERA (8th, 2.97).
LIMITING THE LONG BALL: His 57.0 consecutive homerless innings are the second-longest active streak in MLB behind Sonny Gray/MIN (0 HR in 60.1 IP).
- Has yet to allow a home run (125 BF) at home this year.
THE SCORELESS STREAK: Tallied the D-backs fourth-longest scoreless streak (28.0 IP) in franchise history from (April 4 [final inning]-April 26, 2023).
- From April 10 to April 26, went 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 27.0 IP), 0.44 WHIP, .112 opponent average, 1 walk and 41 strikeouts.
