COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
WHAT’S GOING ON
• The Colorado Rockies finish a three-game set in Seattle today before heading back to Coors Field for three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday-Wednesday … the Rockies look to avoid the sweep with a win today.
• RHP Noah Davis gets the ball today for the Rockies for his first Major League start … the 25-year-old debuted for the Rockies on the last day of the season in 2022, appearing in relief … the right-hander holds no record with a 4.26 ERA (12.2 IP, 6 ER) through three starts with Triple-A Albuquerque this season.
AS DÍAZ DOES
• Elias Díaz has reached base in a career-best 12-straight games (.421/.476/.684) and 13 of 14 games with a plate appearance this season (.370/.431/.587).
• His active nine-game hitting streak (.500/.533/.786) is also the longest of his career, surpassing and eight-game stretch from July 11-27, 2022 (.467/.543/.800).
• His .370 average (17-for-46) is the fourth-best in the National League, the sixth-best in the Majors … his 17 hits are the second-most among Major League catchers trailing Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman (20 hits).
HOME RUN OR GO HOME
• The Rockies are 0-10 this season when allowing at least one home run and 5-0 when not giving up a long ball … this is the deepest any team has gone into a season with their results entirely parallel to whether they allowed a home run since the 2002 Giants did so in 15-straight to begin the year … the only team in baseball history to record a longer streak to begin a season were the 1959 San Francisco Giants, who set the record with a 17-game stretch (via Stats Perform).
THIS N’ THAT
• Since allowing one earned run in his first outing of the season, LHP Brad Hand has put together five consecutive scoreless appearances (3.2 IP), striking out seven through this span.
• Elias Díaz’ .400 (6-for-15) batting average with runners in scoring position is tied for the fourth-highest in the Majors (min. 15 at-bats).
• Brent Suter was tagged for four unearned runs last night but has allowed just two earned runs through 10.1 inning (six games) this season, good for a 1.74 ERA while tied for the most innings of relief in the NL …the left-hander has fanned nine while walking three and giving up seven hits.
UNEARNED
• The Rockies have been outscored 89-63 this season while allowing 14 unearned runs to score, their most through the first 15 games of a season in franchise history, surpassing the previous record of 11 set in 1994 and matched in 2012.
• Colorado’s unearned run total is tied with San Francisco for the most in baseball … their -26 run differential ranks 26th in the Majors … it is the fifth-worst run differential through the club’s first 15 games in franchise history, the worst since a franchise-record -36 run differential in 2019.
• 11 errors on the season are tied with Boston and Oakland for the third-most in baseball trailing the Angels and Giants with 12 each.
KBOOM
• Kris Bryant’s on-base streak was snapped last night at 20 games (since July 24, 2022 at Milwaukee) … the outfielder hit safely in 18 of 20 games across this span (.346/.414/.513) and has reached base in 50 of his 56 games played with the Rockies.
• Has hit safely in 12 of 14 games to begin the season (.298/.355/.404) while making 11 starts in right field, two as the designated hitter and one in left field.
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #63 NOAH DAVIS RHP
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Twenty-five-year-old Noah Davis makes his first career Major League start, his second appearance, taking the spot of Germán Márquez in the rotation who was placed on the injured list last week with a right forearm strain … the Newport Beach, Calif. native was acquired by the Rockies along with RHP Case Williams in a trade with Cincinnati in exchange for RHP Mychal Givens on July 28, 2021.
• Originally selected by the Reds in the 11th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of UC Santa Barbara … had his contract selected by
the Rockies on Nov. 19, 2021 as protection from the Rule 5 draft.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
• Made three starts for Triple-A Albuquerque prior to his promotion, going 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA (12.2 IP, 6 ER).
• Allowed three earned runs through three innings at Round Rock in his first start on March 31 … since, has allowed five runs, three earned,
through 9.2 innings across two starts.
• Made five Cactus League appearances (four starts) for Colorado this spring, going 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA (13.0 IP, 6 ER) … allowed two runs though 8.1 innings across his final three outings.
ONE YEAR AGO
• Pitched across three levels in the Rockies’ system in 2022 … made 26 starts for Double-A Hartford, one start for Triple-A Albuquerque and
made one relief outing for Colorado.
• Made his Major League debut Oct. 5, the final game of the 2022 season … allowed a home run to the first batter he faced (Cody Bellinger) … finished the outing allowing two runs on three hits, walking one and striking out two … struck out Joey Gallo for his first Major League strikeout.
• Recalled from the taxi squad Oct. 4 when Chad Kuhl was placed in the injured list, his second stint on the active roster … first recalled from Double-A Hartford on Sept. 16, his first stint on an active Major League roster, but did not make an appearance before being optioned on Sept. 24.
• Made one start for the Isotopes on Sept. 26, allowing one run over 4.2 innings, striking out two and walking two, his only career appearance in Triple-A at the time.
• Made 26 starts with Hartford, going 8-8 with a 5.54 ERA (133.1 IP, 82 ER), 60 walks and 152 strikeouts … finished tied for second in the Eastern League in starts and wins, ranked third in strikeouts and innings pitched.
• Combined, held right-handed hitters to a .232/.306/.372 slash line, allowing 10 home runs to righties in 293 at bats, compared to 17 home runs to left-handed hitters in 240 at bats.
2021
• Posted a combined 3.60 ERA (100.0 IP, 40 ER) in 19 starts between High-A Dayton (13 starts) and High-A Spokane (six starts).
• Pitched to a 3.60 ERA with both clubs, allowing 26 earned runs in 65 innings with Dayton and 14 earned runs across 35 innings with Spokane.
• Tossed a complete game in his first start of the season with Dayton May 6, allowing one run on one hit across five innings with two walks an eight strikeouts before the game was called off due to weather.
• Recorded a second complete game with Spokane in Game 2 of an Aug. 22 doubleheader, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts in seven innings.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TODAY’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 9-game, 10-day homestand with the last of 3 games against the Colorado Rockies (2-0)…Seattle will also host Milwaukee (3 G, 4/17-19) and St. Louis (3 G, 4/21-23) at T-Mobile Park during the current homestand…today’s game against the Rockies will be televised live on
ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Dan Wilson on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Rockies by a 9-2 score last night to capture their second series win of the season and first home series victory…Seattle has won a season-high 3 consecutive games and with a win today have a chance to improve to .500.
• Room For Broom – Seattle goes for its first series sweep of 2023 today…last season, the Mariners recorded 10 series victories via sweep.
• MLB Debut – Jose Caballero made his Major League debut last night, playing shortstop for Seattle in the 9th inning.
• Luis Luis – Luis Castillo’s 0.8 fWAR is tied for 2nd-best among all Major League pitchers.
• Comeback Win – Seattle earned its fourth comeback win of the season last night.
• Yesterday’s Roster Moves – INF Jose Caballero was selected from Triple-A Tacoma…LHP Tommy Milone was designated for assignment to make room on the Major League, 40-man roster.
LA PIEDRA ‘ROCKS’…today’s starting pitcher Luis Castillo has shined through 3 starts this season…in his 3 outings to begin the year, he is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA (2 ER, 17.2 IP) with 4 walks and 17 strikeouts… the right-hander did not allow a run in either of his first 2 starts to begin the season, becoming just the third Mariners pitcher to do that, joining Félix Hernández (2007) and James Paxton (2017).
KELENIC EXTENDS HIT STREAK…Jarred Kelenic went 1-for-4 with a run scored last night, extending his career-high hitting streak to 9 games (4/5-c)…during the streak, he is batting .438 (14×32) with 8 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 7 RBI, 3 walks and 1 stolen base, while reaching base at a .486 clip, slugging .938 with a 1.423 OPS…while Jarred extended his hitting streak, he did not homer in last night’s game…
before last night, he homered in 4 consecutive games, the first Mariners player to homer in 4+ consecutive games since Tom Murphy from Aug. 13-20, 2019, and the first Mariners player age 23-or-younger to homer in 4+ consecutive games since Ken Griffey Jr. homered in 8 consecutive at the age of 23 from July 20-28, 1993, tied for an MLB record.
YOU GOT ME SAYING TEOOOOO…Teoscar Hernández went 2-for-5 with an RBI last night, extending his hitting streak to 6 games (4/9-c)…the outfielder is batting .357 (10×28) with 3 runs, 1 double, 1 home run and 5 RBI in that stretch, slugging .500 with an .857 OPS.
FRANCE-ING IN THE MOONLIGHT…Ty France had his 11-game hitting streak snapped last night, but still managed to get on base twice with a walk and hit-by-pitch…France’s 11-game streak was tied for 2nd-longest active hitting streak in the Majors going into last night…over Ty’s last 12 games (4/2-c), he is batting .333 (17×51) with 12 runs, 6 doubles, 8 RBI and 5 walks, getting on base at a .424 clip, slugging .451 with an .875 OPS…he’s also been hit by a pitch 3 times this season and in each of his last 2 games, picking up right where he left off after being hit a Major League-leading 27 times in 2021, as well as 21 times in 2022.
SUÁVE SUÁREZ…Eugenio Suárez crushed an opposite field, solo homer to begin a 5-run bottom of the 4th inning for Seattle in last night’s 9-2 victory…the Mariners third baseman has reached base in 12 consecutive games (4/2-c)…during that stretch, Geno is batting .320 (16×50) with 6 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 13 RBI and 4 walks, getting on base at a .375 clip, slugging .480 with an .855 OPS.
MARINERS WIN BIG ON JACKIE ROBINSON DAY…the Mariners won by a 9-2 score last night… Eugenio Suárez homered, while Julio Rodríguez drove in 4 runs…Julio’s 3-run triple in the 4th inning was Seattle’s first bases-clearing triple on the anniversary of Jackie’s Major League debut (April 15, 1947) since Ken Griffey Jr. did it on April 15, 1994 in a 9-1 win vs. Milwaukee…George Kirby tossed 6.1 innings in his start and recorded his first win of the season.
JULIO WITH THE BASES LOADED…Julio Rodríguez in his career with the bases loaded is batting .385 (5×13) with 10 runs scored, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 grand slam, 15 RBI and 1 walk, slugging .846 with a 1.313 OPS…his grand slam came on July 15, 2022 at Texas.
FINE FROM ONE TO NINE…the Mariners had each of their 9 starters reach base last night, with 6 players (Julio Rodríguez, Eugenio Suárez, Cal Raleigh, Teoscar Hernández, Jarred Kelenic and J.P. Crawford) hitting safely and 8 different players scoring at least one run…last night marked just the second time over the last 3 seasons (2021-c) that all 9 Mariners starters reached base and 8+ starters scored a run (other: Oct. 4, 2022 Game 2 DH vs. Detroit).
DE-FENSE…according to FanGraphs, Seattle has registered the 6th-most Defensive Runs Saved (8) in the Majors, trailing Milwaukee (17 DRS), Arizona (11), Toronto (10), Minnesota (9) and New York-NL (9)… according to Baseball Savant, Seattle has recorded 2 Outs Above Average, which are tied for 6th-most in the Majors.
WELL-ATTENDED…Seattle has drawn a total of 279,106 fans through 9 games of action at T-Mobile Park this season…the 279,106 ranks 3rd in the American League and 6th in the Majors so far…the Mariners average home attendance of 31,011 ranks 4th in the AL and 11th in the Majors.
ON THE HOMESTAND…the Mariners still have 7 games remaining on the 9-game homestand (2-0) at T-Mobile Park, including the following events: Little League Day (tonight, April 16), Rally Cap Night Ticket Special (April 17), Hello Kitty Night (April 18), Weather Education day (April 19), All-Star Hat Night (April 21) and more…for more information, visit Mariners.com/Promotions or Mariners.com/Tickets.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…J.P. Crawford reached base 4 times in last night’s win, going 2-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and 2 walks…it was the 14th multi-hit, multi-walk performance out of the 9-spot in Mariners history and the first since Luis Torrens did it on May 14, 2022 at New York-NL, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that J.P. has both hit safely and drawn at least one walk in each of his last 4 games since April 11?…it makes him the first Mariners player to do that in 4+ consecutive games since Crawford did it himself from April 21-24, 2022.
TONIGHT’S MARINERS STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO
ABOUT CASTILLO…
• The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 4th start of the season and 1st against the Rockies this season…he is also making his 52nd Major League start and 4th career start against Colorado.
• Has been named an All-Star in 2019 and 2022.
• Originally signed as an international free agent by the San Francisco Giants on 12/23/11.
• Made MLB debut on 6/23/17 vs. Washington (w/ Cincinnati)
• Signed a 5-year contract extension with the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 24, 2022 after being acquired in a trade with Cincinnati on July 30, 2022.
LAST TIME OUT…ND in last start on 4/10 at Chicago-NL…allowed first 2 runs of the season on 6 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts.
KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has only allowed 13 runners to reach base safely through 3 starts this season, ranking among Major League leaders in opponents average (7th, .148/9×61) and WHIP (6th, 0.74)
HOT START… did not allow a run in either of his first 2 starts to begin the season, becoming just the third Mariners pitcher to do that, joining Félix Hernández (2007) and James Paxton (2017)…Castillo is scheduled to take the mound again on Sunday vs. Colorado.
PREVIOUSLY ON OPENING DAY…became just the 3rd Mariners starter to hold the opponent scoreless in an Opening Day start, joining Félix Hernández (2007, 2013 & 2018) and Randy Johnson (1995)…he is the first player in franchise history to toss 6.0+ scoreless innings while allowing 1-or-fewer hits on Opening Day…his game score of 76 was the highest of any Opening Day starter this season.
FOR OPENERS…made his 3rd career Opening Day start on 4/30 vs. CLE and his first with the Mariners, becoming the 18th different pitcher to start on Opening Day in franchise history.
PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE…made 2 postseason starts in 2022…earned the win in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series at Toronto…tossed 7.1 scoreless innings allowing 6 hits while striking out 5…was tagged with the loss in his final start of the postseason on 10/13 at HOU in G2 of the ALDS…allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (2 HR) while striking out 7.
OFF TO A GOOD START…his 83 strikeouts through his first 12 Mariners starts are the most in Mariners history through a pitchers first 12 starts, ranking ahead of Cliff Lee’s 78 and Robbie Ray’s 77 strikeouts through their first 12 Mariners starts.
THE STONE WAS ROLLING…began his start on 9/7/22 vs. Chicago-AL by striking out the first 7 batters he faced, setting a franchise record for most strikeouts to begin a start, passing Michael Pineda (5 on 7/9/11 at LAA)…the 7 strikeouts also tied the AL record for most strikeouts to begin a game (done 4x, last: Blake SnellTB, 6/3/18 vs. SEA).
A PERFORMANCE FOR THE AGES…ND on 8/9 against New York-AL in his home debut after being acquired by the Mariners on 7/30/22…tossed 8.0 scoreless innings allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 on 110 pitches, 72 for strikes…marked the 5th time in his career he has thrown 8.0+ innings, and just the 2nd time he has tossed 8.0+ scoreless innings (also: 9/21/18 at MIA)…induced 20 swingsand-misses, the third most he has induced in a game this season.
MAIDEN VOYAGE…struck out 8 in his first start with the Mariners on 8/3/22 at New York-AL…8 strikeouts are tied for the 3rd-most in a Mariners debut (also: Cliff Lee), trailing Andy Benes and Enrique Romo who struck out 9… Benes and Castillo both made their Mariners debuts on Aug. 3, after being acquired by the Mariners at the trade deadline.
NOW THAT’S QUALITY…recorded 8-consecutive quality starts from 6/28-8/15/22, a career-best streak (previous: 5, 2x (8/14-9/5/21 and 6/15-7/6/21 w/CIN)…tossed a quality start in each of his first 3 starts with Seattle (8/3- 8/15).
AMONG THE GAME’S BEST…after he made his season debut on 5/9/22, Castillo ranked among the MLB leaders in ERA (26th, 2.99), strikeouts (16th, 167), batting average against (20th, .212/118×557), SO/9 (16th, 10.0) and fWAR (T10th, 3.7).
LA PIEDRA…tossed 7.0 innings and allowed 1 run in 3-consecutive starts from 7/3-7/14/22, striking out 22 batters over the 3 starts…3-consecutive starts of 7.0+ innings while allowing no more than 1 run was tied for the longest streak in the Majors with 7 other pitchers…marked the 1st time in his career he has tossed 7.0+ innings in 3-consecutive starts.
SEASON-HIGH PUNCHIES…struck out a season-high 11 batters on 6/28 at Chicago-NL over 6.0 scoreless innings (with CIN)…marked the 2nd-time he struck out 10+ in 2022, and the 14th time in his career…induced 23 swings-and-misses according to Baseball Savant, tied for the 6th-most he has induced in a game in his career (most: 26, 2x 7/15/19 and 8/5/19).
HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR…was named to his second All-Star team last season (also: 2019)…tossed a scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts at Dodger Stadium in last year’s Mid-Summer Classic.
COMPLETELY DOMINANT…threw his first career complete game on 9/11/20 at St. Louis with the Reds…allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts over 9.0 innings, earning the win for his efforts.
RARE AIR…from 3/28-4/9/19, Castillo became the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to record 3+ consecutive starts with at least 8 strikeouts and no more than 2 hits allowed, joining Rube Marquard for the 1911 New York Giants and Randy Johnson for the 1997 Mariners.
