COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
No team release available.
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
Matt Olson drove a 3-0 first-inning pitch out to left-center yesterday afternoon for the sixth grand slam of his career. Atlanta leads the majors with three homers, two doubles and 11 RBI in 3-0 counts this season, and its five total hits in such situations is tied with San Francisco for most in baseball. The Braves have had 119 total plate appearances reach a 3-0 count this season and have swung 25 times (21%), most in the majors. Eight of these swings have put the ball in play, and Atlanta is batting .625/.926/2.000 with a 2.926 OPS in 3-0 counts for the year.
TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Rockies today conclude a four-game weekend series with the fourth of seven total games between the clubs this season…. Atlanta and Colorado will next meet for three games at Coors Field, August 28-30.
- The Braves beat the Rockies, 10-2, yesterday afternoon and have won each of the first three games of this series…Atlanta is also 9-1 in its last 10 games against Colorado dating to last year.
- 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…With last night’s win Atlanta improved to just 7-11 (.389) against Colorado here, and the Rockies’ .611 winning percentage in this building is best of any National League team.
- RH Charlie Morton has made 12 career starts against the Rockies, and is 4-2 with a 3.89 ERA (31 ER/71.2 IP) in these turns…In one start last season, June 5 at Coors Field, he allowed four runs over 5.0 innings to earn the win…The 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander has made 13 starts for Atlanta this season, and is 5-6 with a 3.60 ERA (30 ER/75.0 IP).
- RH Chase Anderson has never lost to Atlanta, going a perfect 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA (12 ER/32.0 IP) in six career starts…He last faced the Braves in 2019 while with the Brewers, when he allowed just one unearned run over 9.2 innings in a pair of starts…The 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Wichita Falls, TX, has a 2.72 ERA (11 ER/36.1 IP) in eight games between Colorado and Tampa Bay this season.
WIN: Atlanta hit four home runs yesterday afternoon to power the win, 10-2, over Colorado…The Braves moved to a season-best 19 games over .500 with the win.
- The Braves have won each of their last five games dating to Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Detroit…It’s the third separate instance of Atlanta collecting five consecutive wins this season, including its second such run in the last 13 games.
- Atlanta outhit Colorado, 13-6, yesterday, and the Braves are 35-3 (.921) this season when collecting more hits than their opponent.
- The Braves improved to 32-13 (.711) against N.L. teams yesterday, the best such record in baseball.
OFFENSE: Atlanta scored 10 runs and tallied 13 hits yesterday, and has combined to score 42 runs and collect 52 hits in its last five games.
- Atlanta has scored at least six runs in each of its last five games, its longest such streak this season…The Braves have not had a longer such streak since 2020, when they scored at least six runs in six straight games through late August and early September.
- The Braves’ .896 OPS in the month of June is best in baseball, and Atlanta leads the majors in average (.305), on-base (.367), slugging (.529), home runs (30), runs (99) and runs per game (6.60) for the month.
- Atlanta as a club has combined to produce a majors-best wRC+ of 139 for the month of June, meaning the team as a whole is producing 39 percent above league average this month…That wRC+ is 15 points better than any other club (San Diego, 124).
- Atlanta has scored at least five runs in 12 of its 15 games this month, and is 11-1 when doing so.
- When scoring at least five runs in a game this season Atlanta is 37-3 (.925), the best such record in baseball…San Diego is 27-4 (.871) to rank second… Just two teams in the majors have scored at least five runs more often than Atlanta, with the Dodgers (44 times) and Rays (42) the only ones to do so.
FIRST INNING: The Braves scored four runs in the first inning yesterday, and Atlanta’s 66 first-inning runs on the season are by far the most in baseball…Only two other teams, the Dodgers (59) and Astros (52), have scored even 50 runs in the frame.
- The franchise record for first-inning runs is 127, set by the 1999 club…This year’s team is on pace for 151 runs in the opening frame.
- Atlanta has scored at least one first-inning run in 31 games this season, most in the majors…The Braves have plated multiple runs in 16 of those innings, matching Los Angeles (NL) for the most such occurrences this season.
- The Braves improved to 23-8 (.742) in games in which they scored in the first inning – the best mark among National League clubs.
AT HOME: With yesterday’s win, the Braves improved to 9-1 in their last 10 home games, dating to an 11-4 win over the Phillies on May 28…Atlanta is 23-15 (.605) overall at home this season.
- Over their first 28 home games of the season, the Braves played to just a 14-14 record.
- Atlanta played to a 55-26 (.679) record at Truist Park last season, tied for the third-best home record in baseball for the year…The club won at least 55 home games for just the seventh time in history.
JUNE BOON: Yesterday’s win moved Atlanta to 12-3 (.800) in the month of June, the best record in baseball… Since 2018, the Braves’ 80-43 (.650) record for the month is best in the majors
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #50 Charlie Morton RHP
2023 Record: 5-6, 3.60 ERA • 2022 Record: 9-6, 4.34 ERA
vs. RHB: .262 (39-149), 4 HR • vs. LHB: .255 (36-141), 4 HR
Home: 2-3, 4.64 ERA (17/33.0) • Away: 3-3, 2.79 ERA (13/42.0)
Today’s Game
- Set to make his 14th start of the season and first against Colorado.
- Morton has struck out 331 hitters with his curveball since the beginning of the 2020; the most in the majors.
- During that span hitters are missing on 53.4% of curveballs thrown, the second highest rate in the majors…The MLB average is 11.6% (among QS).
- Since 2022 he has thrown his curve on 40.5% of pitches, also the second most in baseball among qualified starters.
- Utilizing his curveball on 46.2% of pitches thrown this season.
- Morton’s 989 strikeouts since the 2018 season are the fourth most in baseball.
- Prior to the 2018 season, Morton threw his curveball on 21.3% of pitches throughout his career.
- Since the beginning of 2018 he has thrown his curve on 36.3% of pitches.
- Enters play with only 22% of balls put in play against him registering as line drives this season.
- Tied for the second lowest mark in the National League.
- Hitters are registering a .335 batting average on balls in play against Morton in ’23.
- The MLB BABIP this season is .302 for qualified starters.
- Hitters are averaging a 8.00 launch angle against Charlie; seventh lowest in the NL.
- In his age 39 season, Morton is the sixth-oldest active pitcher in the majors.
2023 Recap
- Snapped a streak of 11 consecutive games with a decision in his last start against New York (NL); at the time it was the longest active streak in 2023.
- Became the sixth pitcher in franchise history to pitch at least 6.0 innings and strikeout nine or more in an outing at age 39 or older.
- Passed R.A. Dickey and Hall-of-Famer Cy Young with three such games.
- Trails Hall-of-Famers Phil Niekro (10), John Smoltz (8), and Warren Spahn (4).
- Struck out 10 hitters over 6.2 scoreless innings in his win against Texas on May 15.
- Has now struckout at least 10 hitters in six games since turning 38, passing Hall-of-Famer Cy Young for the ninth most such games dating to 1901.
- Morton is the first player with at least six games of 10 or more strikeouts at his age since Hall-of-Famers Randy Johnson and John Smoltz.
- Made his first start of the season against St. Louis.
- Only struck out one hitter through 5.1 innings pitched against the Cardinals, marking just the ninth time in his career Morton pitched at least 5.0 frames while failing to record at least two punchouts and the first since June 5, 2015 against Pittsburgh.
- Struck out San Diego’s Jake Croneworth on April 8 to record his 1,700th career punchout.
- Is one of 16 active pitchers in baseball with as many strikeouts.
