HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: Tonight, the Astros and Rangers resume their quest for the 2023 Silver Boot with the 1st game of a 4-game set here at Globe Life Field…Astros rookie RHP Ronel Blanco (1-0) will make his 5th start of the season as he takes on Rangers RHP Jon Gray (6-3)…Blanco has faced the Rangers 3 times in his young career, all in relief (last: 4/16 at Minute aid Park – 2 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO).
THE SILVER BOOT: The Astros have claimed the Silver Boot/ season series vs. TEX in each of the last 6 seasons, with a combined record of 70-35 (.667) in that span (since 2017)… the Astros are 1-2 vs. TEX thus far in 2023, dropping 2 of 3 at Minute Maid Park, 4/14-16…Swinging Pendulum: These two Texas teams each have had stretches of dominance in the Silver Boot series, which began in 2001…in the first five seasons (2001-06), the Astros held the upper hand with a 20-16 record…that was followed by a long stretch of dominance by the Rangers, who went 79-33 vs. HOU from 2007-16…in 2017, the Astros reversed that trend and are 70-35 vs. TEX since then.
HOW THE WEST WAS WON: The Astros are 13-6 (.684) vs. AL West opponents this season, which is tops within their division (TEX is 15-8, .652)…since the start of 2022, the Astros are 64-31 (.674) vs. their AL West opponents, and since 2017, the Astros are a combined 284-155 (.647) vs. their AL West opponents.
THE SKIPPERS: Astros manager Dusty Baker and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy have a long history together with the two facing off against each other as managers in 194 total games entering tonight…all-time, Baker owns the advantage, posting a 111-83 record against Bochy’s squads (source: Elias)… Baker currently ranks 8th all-time in wins (2,137) while Bochy ranks 10th with 2,052 wins.
ROOKIE RUMBLE: RHP Ronel Blanco is one of three Astros rookies to be a part of the starting rotation in 2023…HOU enters tonight having received 29 starts from rookie pitchers this season, ranking third in the Majors behind OAK (42) and CLE (37)…Homegrown: all 8 starting pitchers used by the Astros in 2023 are products of their minor league system.
LAST NIGHT’S RECAP: The Astros erupted for 14 runs on 18 hits last night at Busch Stadium, taking the rubber match of that series, 14-0…RHP J.P. France (3-3) hurled 7.0 scoreless frames to earn the win…Kyle Tucker (2×3, HR, 5 RBI) and Alex Bregman (3×5, HR, 4 RBI) led the way on offense…Yainer Diaz (3×6) and Corey Julks (3×5) each had 3-hit games.
GRAND SALAMIS: Alex Bregman’s grand slam last night at STL was his 2nd of the current road trip and his 3rd of the season, which is tops in the Majors…additionally, his 7 career grand slams tie the franchise record, which he now shares with Jose Altuve and Carlos Lee…the Astros now have 9 grand slams in 2023, which is 2 shy of the franchise single-season record of 11 set in 2019.
RUN PRODUCTION: The 14 runs tallied in last night’s win were the most for the Astros since a 21-5 victory on 8/18/22 at CWS…HOU has scored 24 runs in the last 2 games combined, hitting .363 (28×80) with 9 2B, 4 HR and 16 BB (1.094 OPS).
BLANKINGS: Last night’s 14-0 win was the Astros 5th shutout of the season and their 1st since a 2-0 win on 5/21 vs. OAK…in that game, Framber Valdez went the distance for the CG shutout.
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 3 of 4 and 5 of their last 8 games.
LONG TRIP: The Astros current, 10-game road trip is their longest of the season (3-3 thus far)…on this trip, they’ve gone 1-2 at LAD and 2-1 at STL, respectively.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 22-18 (.538) on the road this season, which is T-3rd in the AL…they have finished at .500 or above on 4 of their 5 previous road trips…HOU’s 73-48 (.603) road record since the start of 2022 is tops in the AL.
JUNE BUGS: Alex Bregman (24) and Jose Abreu (21) rank 3rd and 5th, respectively, in the AL for RBI in the month of June… Bregman has tallied his 24 RBI in 25 games played.
Most AL RBI – June
- S. Ohtani – 28
- C. Seager – 25
- A. Bregman – 24
- J. Ramirez – 23
- J. Abreu – 21
EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: On Wed. night at STL, Jose Abreu became the 14th active player to reach 900 RBI…his 904 RBI since entering MLB in 2014 rank 2nd only to Nolan Arenado’s 970 RBI in that span…Paul Goldschmidt is 3rd with 851.
MOST RBI – Since 2014
- Nolan Arenado: 970
- Jose Abreu: 904
- Paul Goldschmidt: 851
ROADIES: RHP Hector Neris has allowed just 1 ER and 6 hits in his 17 road appearances for an 0.63 ERA (1ER/14.1IP) and .128 opp. avg…prior to Saturday’s game (2 ER), RHP Phil Maton had not allowed a run in his 1st 14 road appearances… he hurled a perfect 1.0 inning of relief Tues. night, striking out two batters, and has a 1.04 ERA in 17 road app. (2ER/17.1IP).
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.58) in the Majors, just above TB (3.59).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB
- Houston: 3.58
- Tampa Bay: 3.59
- New York (AL): 3.62
INJURY UPDATES: The Astros have been working through several injuries…below are a few updates on sidelined players:
- LF Yordan Alvarez (right oblique strain) has been hitting in the batting cage off the tee (and soft toss) and has been running on the field…he was placed on the IL on 6/9 and is expected to be out for approx. 4 weeks or longer
- OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) has been hitting on the field and in the batting cage in recent days…he has also been throwing and running on the field as he continues to ramp up his baseball activities…he could face live pitching in the upcoming days if he continues to progress.
- RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder discomfort) last threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, which was his 2nd of the current road trip (also Sat. at Dodger Stadium)…if he continues to progress, he could throw live BP in the upcoming days.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP RONEL BLANCO
LAST START – 6/24 AT LAD: logged his 2nd career quality start, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits with 2 walks…recorded a career-high 6 strikeouts and tied a career-high with 6.0 innings pitched…has logged a quality start in 2 of his 4 career starts… threw 99 pitches on Saturday, which are his most in a game in the Majors and his most since 7/24/17 for Class A Quad Cities (100 pitches)…was his first 6+ IP outing in which he has allowed 2 or less hits.
ABOUT BLANCO: Dominican rookie is making his 4th turn in the Astros rotation since joining the group on June 1…prior to this season, had predominantly served as a reliever through the first 8 seasons of his professional career…entering the 2023 season had made just 21 starts at the minor league level, with the last coming in 2019…none of those starts were above the Single A level.
- made the Astros Opening Day roster as a reliever this season and made 9 appearances before being optioned to Triple A on May 6…at Triple A, he worked to get extended, before being recalled on June 1…Blanco’s transition to a starter can be credited to Astros GM Dana Brown, who identified Blanco in Spring Training as a potential starter.
- worked as a starter toward the end of Spring Training, making 2 starts out of his 6 appearances…had a fantastic Spring Training, recording a 0.64 ERA (1ER/14IP) and did not allow a run through his 2 starts (6.1IP).
ON THE ROAD: his 2 quality starts as a starter has come on the road and has a 3.75 ERA on the road (5 ER/12 IP) vs a 5.73 ERA (7 ER/ 11 IP) at home as a starter.
STARTING DEBUT: picked up the 1st winning decision of his career in his 1st career start on 6/1 vs. LAA…became the 20th pitcher in Astros history to go 5+ IP while allowing 2-or-less runs in his starting debut…was the 2nd to do so this season, joining RHP J.P. France (5IP, 3H, 0R, 1BB, 5SO, 5/6 at SEA).
VS. THE RANGERS: will be making his fourth career appearance (1st start) against the Rangers…has posted a 3.24 ERA in his three appearances (1 start) against
an AL West foe this season.
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost to the Tigers yesterday, 8-5, and club has a 2-2 record on this 8-G, 8-day homestand vs. DET (2-2) and HOU (4 G)…TEX has won 2 of last 3 G after a 3-G losing streak, but is still 4-5 in last 9 G…team is 7-5 in last 12 G after a 2-7 span from 6/7-16…have a 9-12 record last 21 G beg. 6/7…team is still 14-12 in June, T5th-best in A.L., and has won 20 of 34, 23 of 38, and 31 of last 50 G (beg. 5/6)…team still has A.L.-best 35-21 (.625) record since 4/28, T2nd in MLB to only ATL (36-18, .667)…TEX is 41-26 in last 67 G and 45-28 last 73 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 49-32 (.605), TEX owns the 4th-best record in MLB to TB (.667, 56-28), ATL (.663, 53-27), and BAL (.608, 48-31)… club’s 49 wins rank 3rd in MLB (56-TB, 53-ATL, 49-TEX).
- The 49-32 mark is the T3rd-best 81-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
- TEX is 17 G above .500, 3 shy of matching season high point of 20-over (40-20 after win 6/6 vs. STL).
STANDINGS: Rangers enter today with a 5.0-game lead in the A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU, the 11th straight day to have a lead of at least 5.0 G in the division…had a season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win last Fri. at NYY, which was largest division lead since winning the West by 9.0 G in 2016…the current 5.0-G lead is 3rd-largest division lead in MLB to ATL (+6.0 GA in N.L. East) and TB (+5.5 GA in A.L. East)…TEX has had sole possession of 1st place in the West for 54 straight, 61 of 62 and 74 of the last 76 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 89 of the season’s first 90 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: TEX has gone 2-3-1 in last 6 series after a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19-6/7…those 6 straight series wins marked longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16… club is 17-7-2 overall in series this year, going 8-3-2 at home and 9-4-0 on the road…is 13-4-2 in last 19 series and 16-5-2 in last 23…TEX has gone 7-2-2 in last 11 series at GLF.
AT HOME: TEX is 26-15 (.634) at home, 3rd-best home record in MLB: TB (.773, 34-10), ATL (.643, 27-15)…marks TEX’s best 41-G start at home since 2019 (26-15), and T6thbest mark after 41 home games in team history (see chart)… club has won 4 of 6 and 5 of last 9 G at GLF, but is 5-7 in last 12 G here…has still won 13 of 20, 14 of 22, 18 of 28, and 23 of last 36 at GLF (beg. 4/5)…TEX owns a 112-121 all-time record at GLF (2020-23), 32-22 last 54 G here beg. 9/11/22.
- TEX leads MLB in R (262) and R/G (6.39) at home in 2023…club has scored 36 R (7.2 R/G) last 5 G in Arlington.
VS. HOUSTON: Texas is 2-1 against the Astros to open the 2023 Lone Star Series for the coveted Silver Boot…this is the 2nd series of ’23, as TEX took 2 of 3 from 4/14-16 at Minute Maid Park, the team’s 1st series victory in Houston since 7/27-29/18 (3-0)…TEX has lost season series in 5 of last 6 years (tied 5-5 in 2020)…TEX is 3-2 in last 5 G vs. HOU, but has lost 3 of 9, 15 of 21, and 25 of last 34 G (beg. 6/15/21).
- Rangers lead in the all-time series (132-124) and all-time games in Arlington (69-57), but trail all-time at GLF (10-13).
- Texas is 15-8 (.652) against A.L. West opponents in 2023, tied for the most wins by any team against the division (also LAA)…TEX is 6-3 in last 9 G vs. A.L. West foes.
AROLDIS IN ARLINGTON: Prior to tonight’s series opener vs. Houston, the Rangers announced that club has acquired LHP Aroldis Chapman from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for LHP Cole Ragans and OF Roni Cabrera…please see seperate release for additional details on the transaction.
ROSTER MOVES: The Rangers also announced the following roster moves prior to tonight’s game:
• RHP Glenn Otto activated from 60-day Injured List
• INF/OF Brad Miller activated from 10-day Injured List
• LHP John King optioned to Round Rock (AAA)
• RHP Yerry Rodríguez optioned to Round Rock (AAA)
• C Sam Huff optioned to Round Rock (AAA)
HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR: It was announced last night that 4 Rangers have been elected as starters for the American League at the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game: C Jonah Heim, 3B Josh Jung, 2B Marcus Semien, and SS Corey Seager…Texas is the 1st MLB team with at least 4 elected All-Star Game starters since 2016, when both the Chicago Cubs (5) and Boston Red Sox (4) had 4+ elected…it also marks the 1st time the Rangers have ever featured 4 elected starters for an All-Star Game, surpassing the previous high of 3 in 2012 (3B Adrian Beltre, OF Josh Hamilton, C Mike Napoli)…prior to 2023, no Ranger had started in the Midsummer Classic since that trio in 2012.
MEET ME HALFWAY: The Rangers have gone 49-32 over their first 81 G of the season, as club has now played exactly half of its 162 scheduled games in 2023…Texas’ MLB-leading +157 run differential (483 RS-326 RA) this season is T5th-highest by any ML club over its first 81 G in the Expansion Era (beg. 1961)…the last 2 teams with such a RD thru 81 G were the 2022 New York Yankees (+159) and 2018 Houston Astros (+173)…according to Stathead, 14 of the 18 previous teams in the Modern Era (beg. 1901) with a RD of +157-or-higher thru 81 G went on to reach the World Series, with 11 of those 14 going on to win the title.
WHAT’S YA NAME?: Ezequiel Duran has homered in a career-high 3 straight G (3 total HR), matching the longest HR streak by a Ranger in 2023 (5x, last Adolis García from 6/26- 28)…he has multiple hits in 5 straight, 7 of 8, and 9 of his last 11 G (beg. 6/18), batting .444/.457/.844/1.301 (20-45) with 4 HR, 4 2B, 6 RBI, and 10 R over the longer span.
- He is batting .367/.412/.658/1.070 (29-79) with 5 HR, 3B, 6 2B, and 11 RBI over 22 G in June, ranking among A.L. qualifiers for the month in SLG (4th), OPS (4th), BA (5th), OBP (5th), total bases (T7th, 52), and extra-base hits (T8th, 12).
BABY BOPPERS: The Rangers have 3 position players age 25-or-younger who have produced 2.0+ bWAR (baseball-reference) this season: Leody Taveras (2.4), Josh Jung 2.2), and Ezequiel Duran (2.1)…no other MLB club has more than two 25-or-younger pos. players with 2.0+ bWAR in 2023…this is just the 3rd season in WSH/TEX history in which at least three 25-or-younger pos. players have accumulated 2.0+ bWAR…others: 1974 (5 – Jeff Burroughs, Mike Hargrove, Toby Harrah, Lenny Randle, Jim Sundberg) and 1993 (4 -Juan González, David Hulse, Dean Palmer, Iván Rodríguez).
SCORING CHANGE: Major League Baseball today announced that Josh Jung’s error in the 8th inning of Texas’ game on 6/19 at CWS has been changed to a hit…Jung now has just 3 errors in 207 TC (.986) this season, good for the highest fielding pct. among qualified A.L. third basemen.
SHORTS: Texas leads MLB in Defensive WAR (3.6)…TEX is 7-2 in Jon Gray’s last 9 starts…Corey Seager has reached base safely via H/BB in 18 consecutive games (beg. 6/10), the longest active on-base streak in the American League… Texas is expected to wear its Nike City Connect uniforms both tonight and tomorrow.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #22 Jon Gray, RHP
(6-3, 2.89
TODAY: The 31-year-old right-hander is set to make his 15th appearance/start of the season in tonight’s 4-game series opener vs. Houston…was saddled with his 3rd loss in his last start on 6/24 at Yankee Stadium despite scattering 1 R/ER on 3 H over 5.0 innings…has not won in his last 3 starts after earning victories in each of his 5 previous starts from 5/8-6/2 (5-0, 0.79 ERA in span)…was scratched from his scheduled start on 6/13 vs. LAA due to a blister on his pitching hand… suffered a 1-0 loss despite his 2nd career complete game on 6/7 vs. STL…has gone 5-2, 1.97 ERA (11 ER/50.1 IP) over his last 8 starts (inc. 5 QS) to lower his season ERA from 4.40 to 2.89, 7th-lowest in the A.L…has logged at least 5.0 innings in 12 of 14 starts…also ranks among A.L. qualifiers in pitches-per-IP (4th, 4.7), opp. SLG (4th, .346), opp. BA (6th, .212), and opp. OPS (8th, .633)…this is Gray’s 2nd season with Texas after signing a 4-year free agent contract with the club on 12/1/21…was hindered by several injuries last season, but still managed to post a 7-7 record, 3.96 ERA (56 ER/127.1 IP), and 134 strikeouts over 24 starts…prior to joining the Rangers, the right-hander had spent his entire pro career with Colorado, ranking 3rd in Rockies history with 849 strikeouts while also placing
among the all-time team leaders with 151 starts, 829.1 innings, and 53 wins from 2015-21…was the 3rd overall selection by Colorado in the 2013 MLB Draft after pitching 2 seasons at the U. of Oklahoma…is a native of the Oklahoma City area, growing up in nearby Chandler…Texas is 8-6 in Gray’s 14 starts in 2023.
LAST START: Shouldered his 3rd loss of the 2023 campaign on June 24 at Yankee Stadium (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R-ER, HR, 2 BB, 4 SO, 82 pitches/51 strikes)…rebounded nicely from his prev. start on 6/18 vs. TOR (6 R-ER), tossing 5.0 IP of one-run ball against the Pinstripers…the right-hander began his outing with 3.0 scoreless frames, including a 3rd inning in which he maneuvered out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Anthony Rizzo…the lone blemish against him was a Billy McKinney solo homer in the 4th which broke the stalemate…Gray recovered to retire each of the final 5 batters he faced and exited after 5.0 complete with TEX down, 1-0…that scoreline would hold, as the Rangers were shut out in the second game of three in The Bronx.
OF LATE: The right-hander is in the midst of an impressive 8-start stretch (beg. 5/8) over which he’s gone 5-2, 1.97 ERA (11 ER/50.1 IP)…leads A.L. hurlers in that span (min. 30.0 IP) in ERA, WHIP (0.83), opp. BA (.180), opp. OBP (.245), opp. SLG (.279) and opp. OPS (.520).
- Has permitted one-or-zero runs in 7 of his 8 starts in the aforementioned span, with the only exception being a 6 R-ER outing on 6/18 vs. TOR (2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 BB,
2 SO); TEX still won that game, 11-7.
VS. HOUSTON / A.L. WEST: Gray has gone 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA (9 ER/26.0 IP) across 5 career G/GS opposite Houston, including a no-decision in a 8-2 Texas defeat on 4/15/23 at Minute Maid Park; he exited that outing after just 2.0+ innings after taking a line drive off his right forearm…is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 IP) in 2 career home starts against the Astros (both w/ COL), notching quality starts in both outings on 7/25/18 (7.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R-1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO) and 4/20/21 (6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R-ER, 4 BB, 6 SO).
- Is 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA (5 ER/29.1 IP) in 5 G/GS against A.L. West foes this season, including wins in each of his last 3 such starts (5/8 at SEA, 5/13 at OAK, 6/2 vs. SEA)…is 1-0, 2.19 ERA (3 ER/12.1 IP) in 2 G/GS in home starts opposite divisional competition in 2023…for his career, Gray is 9-5, with a 3.94 ERA (58 ER/132.1 IP) in 23 G/GS vs. A.L. West opponents.
AT HOME: Tonight marks Gray’s 8th start at home this season, having posted a 2-2, 3.79 ERA (17 ER/40.1 IP) in his previous 7 starts here…has performed better on the road in ’23, going 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA (9 ER/40.2 IP) in his 7 road starts… fanned a season-high 12 batters in a complete-game loss on June 7 vs. STL.
- Despite calling hitter-friendly Coors Field home for the first 7 years of his MLB career (2015-21), Gray still owns better lifetime marks at home (37-21, 4.37 ERA) than on the road (29-38, 4.39 ERA).
