COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
WICKED
- The Colorado Rockies continue their 10-game road trip tonight with the first of four games in Atlanta … following this series, will travel to Cincinnati for three games … this is the first of two 10-game road trips for the Rockies this season (also: Aug. 4-13).
- Captured the series win over the Red Sox 2-1 despite dropping last night’s contest 6-3 … was just the second series win at Fenway Park in franchise history, joining the 2007 club who took two out of three June 12-14.
- The Rockies won three consecutive games Sunday-Tuesday with the winning run scoring in their last at-bat, the first time they’ve had three-straight last at-bat wins since July 4-7, 2010.
- The Rockies are in a stretch of 16-straight days with a game, and 33 games in 34 day overall from May 19-June 21 … are 10-16 through the first 26 games of this stretch.
THAT’S A LOTTA BASEBALL
- Won each of the first two games in Boston in extra innings, their first time playing back-to-back extra innings games since Aug. 20-21, 2022 vs. San Francisco … was their first time winning consecutive extra-innings games on the road since June 14-15, 1998 at San Francisco and at Los Angeles-NL … entering the series, the Rockies had gone a franchise-record 78-straight games without extra innings since Sept. 23, 2022 … their 67 games to begin a season without an extra-inning game marked the third-longest such stretch since 1901, trailing Boston in 2005 (98 games) and the White Sox in 2002 (69 games).
- On Sunday at Coors Field, snapped their six-game losing streak and avoided a winless homestand with their walk-off win over the Padres Sunday … tied the game in the eighth on a Coco Montes two-run home run in his Major League debut, tied it again in the ninth on a Ryan McMahon home run, and then walked it off two batters and an 85-minute rain delay later on a Nolan Jones solo home run … it’s the first time in franchise history that the Rockies hit game-tying home runs in both the eighth and ninth innings and followed with a walk-off home run, and the first time any team in the Majors has done this since San Diego on May 25, 2008 vs. Cincinnati.
MAC ATTACK
- Ryan McMahon has reached base in 20 of his last 22 with 10 multi-hit games since May 23 … is slashing .361/.459/.711 (30-for-83) with seven doubles, two triple, six home runs, 20 RBI and 14 walks over that span … since May 23, tied for first in the NL in RBI, ranks second in OPS (1.170), tied for second in hits and extra-base hits and is third in batting … his 20 doubles on the season are fourth in the NL.
- McMahon’s 2.4 WAR (Baseball Reference) ranks first among NL players with at least 50% of their games at third base this season … his 10 defensive runs saved at third base are tied for the most among third basemen (Sports Info Solutions).
- Since moving from second base to third base on April 18, McMahon has slashed .288/.370/.518 with 17 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 30 RBI.
JONES JIVING
- Since his recall from Triple-A on May 26, Nolan Jones is slashing .339/.397/.613 with five doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI and four stolen bases while hitting in 13 of 17 … ranks ninth in the NL in slugging and eighth in OPS (1.016) over that span.
- The 25-year-old’s walk-off home run Sunday vs. San Diego was the first of his career, and the first walk-off home run by a Rockie since Elias Díaz on Sept. 9, 2022 … measured at 472 feet, it’s the longest walk-off home run in baseball in the Statcast Era (since 2015) and the eighth-longest overall in the Majors this season.
- Jones also hit a 483-foot home run on June 7, the second-longest home run in the Majors this season … is the only player in the Majors with two of the 10 longest home runs in baseball this season.
- The home run on June 7 was measured at 114.2 mph off the bat, the third-hardest hit home run by a Rockies player in the Statcast Era (since 2015), trailing two Carlos González home runs hit in 2016 (117.4 mph, June 4 at Arizona) and 2018 (114.4 mph, July 31 at Cincinnati).
- Jones also stole a base in four-straight games June 6-9, the longest stolen base streak for a Rockies player since Charlie Blackmon stole a base in five-straight June 11-15, 2011.
BABY GOT BACKSTOP
- Rockies catcher Elias Díaz’s .295 batting average ranks ninth in the National League and is the highest among all MLB catchers … his .336 (36-for-107) average at home is the seventh-highest in the Majors while his .371 (23-for-62) average with runners in scoring position is the sixth-highest in the NL.
- Has appeared in 56 games at catcher, the second-most in the Majors … his 12 catcher caught stealing are third-most in the Majors.
D-FENCE
- Catcher Elias Díaz’s 1.2 defensive WAR (Baseball Reference) is tied for the sixth-highest among all players … 3B Ryan McMahon’s 1.1 dWAR is the eighth-best among all position players, second-best among third basemen … SS Ezequiel Tovar’s 1.0 dWAR is the seventh-best the NL.
- Brenton Doyle’s outfield assist Tuesday night was recorded at 99.2 miles per hours via Statcast, the second fastest throw on an outfield assist in the Majors this season … Doyle has three of the top five fastest throws among all outfields assists in MLB in 2023.
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #21 KYLE FREELAND LHP
DENVER KID
- Kyle Freeland will make his 15th start of the season today, his seventh 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 played 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(S) OUT
- Tossed five innings and allowed one run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts last Saturday vs. the Padres at Coors Field … lone run came in the first inning before exiting after the fifth with 90 pitches … departed with the Rockies up 2-1.
- Seventh loss of the season two starts ago, June 4 at Kansas City despite allowing two runs across seven innings … took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before a one-out double by MJ Melendez … second time pitching at least seven innings this season, the only Rockies starter this year to pitch seven innings.
SOMETHING FOR THE EFFORT
- Has received 26 runs of support while in the game, a 3.08 run support average that is the second-lowest in the Majors.
- The Rockies have scored just three runs while he was in the game over his last five starts overall.
- Has not received a run of support over any of his last four road starts.
BE BRAVE
- Is 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA (36.0 IP, 19 ER), 14 walks and 30 strikeouts in six career starts against Atlanta, four of them quality.
- Made one start against the Braves last season, June 4 at Coors Field … allowed one run on five hits across seven innings in the 6-2 Rockies loss.
- Has made two career starts in Atlanta, most recently in 2018 … 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA (12.0 IP, 5 ER).
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
- Gone 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA (42.1 IP, 15 ER), 11 walks and 36 strikeouts in eight home starts.
- Is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA (21.0 IP, 3 ER) over his last four home starts and 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA (27.0 IP, 6 ER) over his last four.
- Career record of 31-26 (Rockies 50-36) with a 4.62 ERA (455.2 IP, 234 ER) in 86 appearances (83 starts) at Coors Field … ERA sixth 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.
- His seven quality starts this season lead the club and are tied for ninth in the NL.
ROAD WARRIOR
- Has lost each of his last five road starts, allowing 18 runs across 27.2 innings (5.86 ERA).
- Has gone 5-10 with a 3.56 ERA (121.1 IP, 48 ER) in 21 starts on the road over the past two seasons … posted a 3.23 road ERA (75.1 IP, 27 ER) in 13 road starts since last year’s All-Star Break, the sixth-lowest road ERA in the NL over that span (min. 60 IP).
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
Offense
Atlanta combined to score 16 runs and collect 21 hits in yesterday’s doubleheader, including five home runs between the games. The Braves .867 OPS in the month of June is best in baseball, and Atlanta leads the majors in average (.300), slugging (.507), home runs (22) and runs per game (6.08) for the month. Atlanta as a club has combined to produce a majors-best wRC+ of 131 for the month of June, meaning the team as a whole is producing 31 percent above league average this month.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Rockies tonight open a four-game weekend series with the first of seven total games between the clubs this season…. Atlanta and Colorado will next meet for three games at Coors Field, August 28-30.
- Atlanta went 6-1 in seven games with Colorado last season, the Braves’ most wins in a single season versus the Rockies since winning six in every year from 2011-2013.
- Last season marked the first time the Braves won the season set with the Rockies since going 4-3 in 2014…From 2015 through 2021, Atlanta played to just a 12-28 (.300) record versus the Rockies… Colorado played to a .700 winning percentage versus Atlanta in those years, but just a .477 winning percentage overall.
- The Braves won two-of-three with the Rockies here at Truist Park last season, their only series win here since the park opened in 2017…Atlanta is just 4-11 (.267) against Colorado here, and the Rockies’ .733 winning percentage in this building is best of any National League team.
- RH AJ Smith-Shawver is set to make just the second start and third appearance of his major league career, and his first against the Rockies… The 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hander made his first career start on June 9 vs. Washington, and allowed just two unearned runs over 5.1 innings in a no-decision.
- LH Kyle Freeland has made six career starts against Atlanta, and is 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA (19 ER/36.0 IP) versus the Braves…In his only such start last season, the 6-foot-4, 204-pound Denver native pitched 7.0 one-run innings, but was left without a decision in Colorado’s 11-inning loss, 6-2…In 14 starts this season, he is 4-7 with a 3.91 ERA (33 ER/76.0 IP).
WIN(S): Atlanta swept a doubleheader from Detroit yesterday, winning the opener by a 10-7 score and taking Game 2, 6-5…It was the Braves’ first sweep of a doubleheader since taking both games from Miami, August 13 of last year.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. homered in both games yesterday, and has homered in three of his four doubleheader games this season…He has homered in both games of a doubleheader four times in his career.
- In 29 career doubleheader games, Acuña Jr. is batting .381/.459/.928 with a 1.387 OPS…He has 15 homers, 27 runs and 28 RBI in these games.
- Atlanta’s bullpen combined to pitch 9.0 innings between the two games yesterday, and allowed just two runs in relief…Braves’ relievers are 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA (12 ER/46.2 IP) in the month of June, the fourth-best bullpen ERA in baseball.
- The Braves moved a season high-tying 16 games above .500 with the wins, and have the best record in the National League…Only the Rays (49-22, .690), Orioles (42-25, .627) and Rangers (42-25, .627) have been better
AJ SMITH-SHAWVER: Makes the second start of his major league career, and does so at 20 years, 207 days old…Is currently the second-youngest player in the majors, older than just the Marlins’ Eury Pérez (20 years, 61 days).
- In his debut start, June 9, became the youngest pitcher (20 years – 201 days) to make his first start for Atlanta since Julio Teheran made two starts in May 2011 (20 years – 100 days and 20 years – 111 days).
- Both of the runs he allowed in his first start were unearned…Since earned runs became official in 1912, he is one of just five Braves pitchers, aged 21-or-younger, to pitch at least 5.0 innings without allowing an earned run in their first career start…He joined Bryse Wilson (August 20, 2018 at Pittsburgh), Kyle Davies (May 21, 2005 at Boston), Odalis Perez (April 4, 1999 vs. Arizona) and Joey Jay (September 20, 1953 vs. Cincinnati).
MICHAEL HARRIS II: Collected the third four-hit game of his career in Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader, going 4-for-4 and falling just a triple shy of the cycle.
- In his last eight games, dating to June 7, he is batting .452/.469/.839, going 14-for-31 with three homers…He has raised his batting average by 58 points during the run (.163 to .221), and his OPS by 100 points (.552 to .652).
- His average exit velocity during the last eight games is 93.3, which would rank ninth in the majors for the full season…His exit velo during his first 38 games of the season, when he hit .163/.246/.244, was 89.8.
ACUÑA JR. HARD HIT: Ronald Acuña Jr. homered in the third inning of Game 2 yesterday afternoon, and the ball left the bat at 114.5 miles per hour…He has 36 batted ball events over 110.0 mph this season, easily the most in baseball and 16 more than any other player.
- The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both have 20 such batted balls to rank second.
- Acuña Jr.’s 36 such balls in play are more than 23 teams have in total this season.
SUMMER MONTHS: After yesterday’s sweep,
Atlanta’s 9-3 (.750) record is best in the majors for June… The club went 21-6 (.778) in June last season.
- Since the Braves began their streak of five straight N.L. East titles in 2018, their .612 winning percentage from June-October is third-best in the majors, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers (.660) and Houston Astros (.622).
- In June specifically, Atlanta’s .642 winning percentage since 2018 is the best in baseball.
- Before June, however, the club has played to a .533 winning percentage since 2018, the eighth-best in baseball.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #62 AJ SMITH-SHAWVER RHP
2023 Record: 0-0, 0.00 ERA • MiLB Record: 2-1, 1.09 ERA
vs. RHB: .111 (1-for-9), 0 HR • vs. LHB: .125 (2-for-16), 0 HR
Home: 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0 ER/5.1) • Away: 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0/2.1)
Today’s Game
- Smith-Shawver is set to make his second career start and third appearance tonight against Colorado.
- Scattered three hits over 5.1 innings pitched while allowing two unearned runs and fanning two hitters against Washington in his first career start on June 9.
- Became the youngest pitcher to make his first start for Atlanta since Julio Teheran on May 7, 2011.
- Just one pitcher in baseball this season has started at a younger age, with Eury Pérez making five such starts for the Marlins.
- Prior to his debut, Smith-Shawver had 33.0 professional innings pitched.
- Atlanta selected his contract on May 30.
- Smith-Shawver is rated by MLB.com as Atlanta’s No. 4 overall prospect.
- Went 2-1 with a 1.09 ERA in seven starts across three levels of Atlanta’s farm system.
- Was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three starts with High-A Rome.
- Went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two start with Double-A Mississippi.
- Finished 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts for Triple-A Gwinnett.
