HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: Today is the finale of this 3-game set here at Truist Park in Atlanta…RHP Cristian Javier (2-0) will start today for the Astros in what will be his 2nd career app. vs. ATL in the regular season as he takes on Braves LHP Max Fried (1-0)…Javier last faced the Braves on 8/20/22, allowing 1 run on just 2 hits in 6.0 IP with 8 punchouts in an eventual, 5-4 Astros loss (had ND)…Javier also made 3 relief app. vs. ATL in the 2021 World Series.
SWEEPSTAKES: A win today would give the Astros their 1st series sweep of the season and their 1st since taking a 3-game set over the Rays at Tropicana Field, 9/19-21 of 2022…the last time the Astros swept a series from the Braves was a 2-gamer, 7/4-5 of 2017…the last time they swept ATL in a series of 3 or more games was a 3-gamer, 6/2-4 of 1995 at Fulton County Stadium.
VS THE BRAVOS: The Astros have won 8 of their last 10 reg. season games vs. the Braves…they were 1-2 vs. ATL in 2022 as the Braves took two of three, Aug. 19-21 here at Truist Park… WS Rematch: The Braves defeated the Astros in six games to capture the 2021 World Series, going 2-1 both in ATL and HOU.
MR. CRISTIAN: RHP Cristian Javier is coming off a stellar 2022 season as a key member of the Astros WS championship run…in the regular season (11-9, 2.54), among pitchers with 140+ innings pitched, he posted the lowest opponent batting average in the AL (.170) and also ranked 2nd in K’s per 9.0 (11.74) and 4th in WHIP (0.95)…his 11.74 K’s per 9.0 ratio trailed only RHP Shohei Ohtani (11.87) (min. 140 IP)…Javier
was then dominant in the postseason, going 2-0 with an 0.71 ERA (1ER/12.2IP) and combining on just the 2nd no-hitter in WS history in Game 4 at PHI (6 IP, 0 H, 9 SO).
LAST NIGHT’S RECAP: A 4-run rally in the 6th inning helped lead the Astros to a 6-3 win over the Braves last night in Atlanta…key blows in the inning were 2-run HR by both Yordan Alvarez (#6) and Kyle Tucker (#5)…LHP Framber Valdez (2-2) hurled 7.0 strong innings to earn the win (3 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO)…RHP Bryan Abreu hurled a scoreless 9th to earn his 1st save of the season…Jeremy Peña was 3×4 with a SB… Mauricio Dubón singled in the 9th to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.
ROAD WARRIORS: Today is the 3rd game (2-0 thus far) of a 6-game road trip in which the Astros will visit two first-place opponents in ATL (14-7) and TB (18-3), who have a combined record of 32-10 (.762)…HOU is 5-3 on the road thus far in 2023…ROAD SUCCESS: The Astros were an AL-best 51-30 (.630) on the road last season and are 100-70 (.588) on the road since the start of the 2021 season, which also is tops in the AL.
VS. THE BEST: The Astros are 8-6 this season vs. clubs that are at .500 or above, which continues a trend of recent years…in 2022, the Astros were an AL-best 42-27 (.609) vs. opponents that were .500 or better and were 35-20 (.636) in the regular season vs. opponents that qualified for the playoffs…additionally in 2022, HOU ended up with an 11-2 (.846) mark in the 2022 postseason (3-0 vs. SEA, 4-0 vs. NYY, 4-2 vs. PHI).
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 3 straight games, 4 of their last 5, and 8 of their last 12 games, all vs. clubs with above-.500 records…the Astros last 5 opponents have a combined record of 65-40 (.625)…their next opponent is TB, who are an MLB-best 18-3.
FAMILIAR PACE: Currenlty at 11-10, the Astros have a similar record to the 2022 and 2021 clubs after 21 games…they were 11-10 at this point in 2022 and went on to win 106 games and the WS, and were 10-11 in 2021 and went on to win 95 games and the AL Pennant.
FAMILIAR FACE: New Astros General Manager Dana Brown returns to Atlanta this weekend, where he served as the Braves Vice President, Scouting, for four seasons (2019-22)…Brown was named Astros GM on Jan. 26.
STREAKER: Mauricio Dubón singled in his final AB last night, extending his career-long hitting streak to 16 games…that is the longest hitting streak in the AL this season and the longest active streak in the Majors…he is 24×69 (.348) during the streak with just 4 strikeouts…overall, Dubón is hitting .333 (24×72) on the year, which ranks 4th in the AL…Dubón, who started most of his games at shortstop and center field in 2022, has made all 17 of his starts at second base this season while filling in for the injured 2B Jose Altuve.
MORE MAURICIO: Mauricio Dubón leads the AL in road batting average with a .452 clip (14×31, min. 30 PA)…he has played in 7 of the Astros 8 road games in 2023, hitting safely in all 7 of them with 4 doubles.
Highest AL Road Batting Avg. (min. 30 PA)
- Mauricio Dubón: .452 (14×31)
- Jorge Mateo: .429 (12×28)
- Randy Arozarena: .394 (13×33)
UNDER THE RADAR: RHP Phil Maton and RHP Bryan Abreu have been outstanding in the early going this season…Maton has allowed just 2 hits and no runs in his first 8 appearances (9.2 IP) with 11 K’s…opponents are just 2×31 (.065) vs. him (RHH are 0x14, LHH are 2×17)…Abreu has tallied 18 K’s in his 11.1 IP while allowing just one run for an 0.79 ERA (opp. are 5×37, .135 opp. avg).
BRANTLEY REHAB: OF Michael Brantley is scheduled to begin an injury rehab assignment today with Triple A Sugar Land…Brantley has been sidelined thus far this season while recovering from right shoulder surgery.
RACKIN’ UP RBI: LF Yordan Alvarez’ 25 RBI are the 2ndmost ever by an Astros player in the first 21 team games of a season…Lance Berkman owns the club record with 26 RBI
in 21 games in 2002.
Most RBI in First 21g – Astros Franchise History
- Lance Berkman: 26 in 2002
- Yordan Alvarez: 25 in 2023
- César Cedeño: 24 in 1974
CLEAN GETAWAYS: Entering today, the Astros have won on 15 consecutive ‘getaway’ days, dating back to last season…their last loss on a getaway day was on 8/7/22 at CLE (1-0 loss)… getaway day is defined as the final game before traveling after a homestand or during/after a road trip.
TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP CRISTIAN JAVIER’
LAST START – 4/18 vs. TORallowed 1 run on 3 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
• Javier is on a career-high 6-game winning streak through his last 10 starts…in those 10 outings, he recorded a 2.11 ERA (13ER/55.1IP) with 63 strikeouts, a 0.90 WHIP and a .179 opponent batting average.
JAVIER IN ‘23: has allowed just 4 walks through his 4 starts this season (22 IP) and his 1.64 walks-per-nine innings ratio is the 8th-lowest from an AL starters this season.
INVISiBALL: has held opponents to a .183 average (213×1162) throughout his MLB career…it’s the lowest opponent’s batting average (min. 300 IP) of any MLB pitcher since entering the league in ‘20…the next-closest players are CLE Triston McKenzie (.196) and MIL Corbin Burnes (.196).
NO-NO: contributed seven innings to a combined no-hitter vs. the Yankees on June 25 at Yankee Stadium…it was the 14th no-hitter in Astros history and the third combined no-hitter…Javier struck out a then-career high 13 batters…it was just the 2nd no-hitter tossed against the Yankees since 1959, with the Astros also delivering the other one (2003).
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: finished 3rd in the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year voting after leading all AL rookies in ERA (3.48)…marked the highest finish by an Astros rookie pitcher since Roy Oswalt finished second in the 2001 National League Rookie of the Year voting.
• was named the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…recorded a 1.74 ERA (22ER/113.2IP) with a career-high 170 strikeouts between three levels in the Astros system.
VS. THE BRAVES: will make his 2nd career regular season start against the Braves in his career…in his lone start on Aug. 20, 2022, he allowed 1 run on 2 hits with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
• made 3 appearances against the Braves in the 2021 World Series…he recorded a 12.00 ERA (4ER/3IP) with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
No Sweeps – Atlanta has dropped the first two games of this series to Houston, and needs a win today to avoid the sweep. The Braves have not been swept since September 14-15, 2021, when Colorado took two games here at Truist Park and the third was rained out with no makeup. The Braves went the entire season without being swept last year, becoming just the sixth team since 1990 to go an entire season without being swept and the first team in a full season to do so since the 2004 Braves. Atlanta has not been swept in a three-game series at home since May of 2021, losing all three to Toronto.
TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Astros today conclude a three-game interleague series in what is scheduled to be the only meetings between the two clubs this season.
• Houston has won each of the first two games of this series, including a 6-3 victory last night.
• Atlanta and Houston are meeting in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011 & 2012, the Astros’ final two years in the National League… Atlanta took two-of-three games from Houston here at Truist Park last year.
• The two clubs have met 11 times in interleague play, with Atlanta going 4-7 in those games.
• This series matches up the previous two World Series winners, with Atlanta taking the 2021 title over Houston before the Astros rebounded to win a year later over the Phillies…Both series were decided in six games.
• Atlanta manager Brian Snitker skippers against his son this weekend, as Troy Snitker serves as a hitting coach for the Astros.
• LH Max Fried has never faced Houston in the regular season, but made a pair of starts against them in the 2021 World Series…The 6-foot4, 190-pound left-hander pitched 6.0 scoreless innings in Game 6 of that series to earn the win and clinch the championship for Atlanta…In two starts this season, Fried is 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 8.1 innings.
• RH Cristian Javier has made one career start against Atlanta, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing just two hits and one run here at Truist Park on August 20 last season…The 6-foot-1, 213-pound native of the Dominican Republic pitched in three games during the 2021 World Series against Atlanta, all in relief, and combined to allow four runs and three homers in 3.0 innings…He took the loss in Game 4 after allowing back-to-back game-tying and go-ahead home runs to Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler in the seventh inning.
LOSS: Atlanta lost to Houston, 6-3, last night and has dropped a season high-tying three straight games…Sean Murphy and Ozzie Albies both homered for Atlanta.
• Last night’s loss was the first of the season for the Braves when they homered multiple times…The Braves were 52-12 (.813) when hitting at least two homers last year.
• With last night’s loss the Braves fell to 4-5 (.444) at Truist Park this season, compared to 10-2 (.833) record in road games…Atlanta has a -12 run differential in nine games at Truist Park, while posting a +40 differential in 12 games as visitors.
• The Braves went 55-26 at home last season, winning at least 55 home games in a season for the seventh time in franchise history…Atlanta’s .679 winning percentage tied for the third-best home record in the majors with Houston…The Dodgers and Yankees both went 57-24 (.704).
NO LONG LOSING STREAKS?: Atlanta has lost three straight games, matching its longest losing streak of the season and its longest for all of last year…The Braves have not lost four straight games since dropping two apiece to Colorado and San Francisco, August 14-18, 2021.
• The Braves also lost three straight to San Diego, April 7-9, in games No. 8-10 of the season.
• Atlanta was the final team in the majors to suffer through a three-game skid last year, with the club’s first coming August 6-7, games No. 108-110… Last season marked the deepest a team has gone into a season without a three-game skid since 2001, when the Mariners did not suffer through their first until games No. 147-150 (a four-game streak).
• Last season marked the deepest by games played the Braves had ever gone into a season without losing three games in a row.
• The Braves did not have a losing streak longer than three games last season, and only lost three straight four times… The last Braves team without a losing streak longer than three games was the 2004 club.
STOLEN BASES: Ronald Acuña Jr. went 2-for-4 last night and stole a career most three bases, giving him a major league-most 11 steals on the season.
• He is one of three players with multiple games of two-or-more stolen bases this season, joining Arizona’s Corbin Carroll (2) and Baltimore’s Jorge Mateo (2).
• Acuña Jr. is the first Braves player to reach 10 stolen bases prior to May 1 since Ender Inciarte (13 in 2018) and the sixth Braves player in the Modern Era (since 1900) to accomplish that feat, joining Inciarte, Kenny Lofton (11 in 1997), Jerry Royster (11 in 1978), Otis Nixon (10 in 1993) and Deion Sanders (10 in 1994).
• Additionally, he is the first player to steal 10 bases in his teams’ first 21 games in a season since Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton in 2017 and the first Brave to do so since Lofton in 1997.
MAX FRIED INTERLEAGUE: Max Fried makes his first interleague start of the season this afternoon, and in 11 career turns against the opposing league is 9-1 with a 1.69 ERA (13 ER/69.1 IP)…Atlanta is 9-2 in his career in interleague starts.
• His only career loss in interleague play came in his last such start, September 10 of last season at Seattle, despite allowing just two runs in 6.0 innings.
• Prior to the loss to Seattle, he opened his career 9-0 with a 1.56 ERA (11 ER/63.1 IP) over the first 10 starts of his career against the American League.
• His nine-game winning streak in interleague play was the longest in history to open a career, besting an 8-0 start by Justin Verlander from 2006-2008.
• In six interleague starts in his home park, he is 5-0 with a 1.67 ERA (7 ER/37.2 IP).
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #54 Max Fried LHP
Today’s Game
• Set to make his third third start this season and first career regular season appearance against Houston.
• Pitched to a 4.91 ERA in two starts against the Astros in the 2021 World Series.
• Earned the win in the championship-clinching Game 6 victory for Atlanta.
• Pitched 5.0 scoreless innings against San Diego in his first start back off the IL.
• His 53 wins over the past four seasons are most in the National League, and most by any left-hander in baseball.
• Only one pitcher, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, has more wins than Fried since the start of 2019…Cole has 56 wins.
• Additionally, the Braves have 72 wins in games started by Fried since the beginning of 2019, the most such wins by a pitcher in the National League… Only Cole again, whose teams have won 75 of his starts, has more in the majors.
2023 Recap
• Fried was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring on March 30 and activated from the IL on April 17.
• Made his third career Opening Day start after he also started the opener in each of the last two seasons.
• Fried was the first Braves lefty to make consecutive Opening Day starts since Hall-of-Famer Warren Spahn started six straight, 1957-1962.
• Prior to Fried, the last Braves lefty to start Opening Day was Tom Glavine in 2002.
