HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champions, will play their first rubber game of the 2023 season today in Pittsburgh behind RHP José Urquidy, who’s making his third start of the young season…this series is the Astros first visit to Pittsburgh since the 2016 season, meaning since their last visit, the Astros have won two World Series championships (2017, 2022) and have played in the ALCS on six occasions (2017-22).
ABOUT URQUIDY:RHP José Urquidy is entering his third start in what is his fifth Major League season (2019-23) and is looking to build upon a solid 2022 campaign in which he set many career highs, including wins (13), starts (28), innings pitched (164.1) and strikeouts (134)…he also had a solid showing this Spring Training at the World Baseball Classic, pitching twice for Team Mexico, including a 2.1-inning appearance (1ER) in Mexico’s semifinal game vs. Japan.
CLEAN GETAWAYS: Going back to last season, the Astros have won 13 straight regular season games on ‘getaway days’ (travel days), including two this season…the last time they did not win on a getaway day was on Aug. 7, 2022, at CLE…looking at the 2022 postseason, the Astros also won all six of those getaway days, two in each round.
AT THE HELM: Astros skipper Dusty Baker is in his 26th season as a manager and his fourth at the helm in Houston…Baker, who ranks ninth all-time in managerial wins with 2,098 wins, has an outside shot of moving up to sixth all time by seasons end…en route, he’d have to surpass Joe McCarthy (8th, 2,125), Bucky Harris (7th, 2,158) and Sparky Anderson (6th 2,194).
IN THE BOX: This season is the first for the Astros under Dana Brown, who was named the 14th GM in club history in January… this season is also the 12th for the Astros under Owner & Chairman Jim Crane, who purchased the club in November of 2011.
RIVALRY RENEWED: The Astros and Pirates are renewing their former NL Central rivalry this week…it’s been a minute since these two teams saw each other, with that last series falling from June 25-27, 2019, a three-game series in Houston (PIT won two of three)…only three players that played in that series are currently active for the Astros: LF Yordan Alvarez, 3B Alex Bregman and LHP Framber Valdez.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros rallied for two runs in the 9th to tie the game at 4-4, but allowed a walkoff three-run homer to 2B Ji Hwan Bae in the bottom half to end it in a 7-4 defeat… SS Alex Bregman (2×5, 2B, HR, RBI) and RF Kyle Tucker (2×3, HR, RBI) both hit solo homers for the offense, while CF Chas McCormick plated the Astros two runs in the 9th on a double down the left field line…RHP Cristian Javier (4ER/6IP) started for Houston but did not factor into the decision.
EARLY LEAGUE LEADERS: LF Yordan Alvarez ranks second in the Majors in RBI (16), trailing only Ryan Mountcastle (18)… RF Kyle Tucker ranks tied for third in the AL in homers (4), tied for third in walks (9) and seventh in OPS (1.074).
STREAKING: 1B José Abreu is one of four players in the Majors this season to reach base safely in all 12 of his games played, joining Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Kris Bryant…this is the longest start of season streak by an Astro since 3B Alex Bregman matched the club record by reaching base safely in his first 25 games of the 2020 campaign.
BOMBS AWAY: RF Kyle Tucker leads the club with four home runs on the young season, which ranks tied for third in the AL… Tucker is looking to improve upon his career high of 30 homers, which he reached in 2021 and 2022.
THE 300: LF Yordan Alvarez enters today’s game with 299 career RBI and will become the 36th player in club history to reach the 300-RBI plateau…among players that began their careers with the Houston franchise, Alvarez will become the fastest to reach 300 RBI, in terms of games played (he enters today with 379 career games), besting 1B Lance Berkman (417g)…if you account all players in franchise history, OF
Moises Alou owns that record, reaching 300 RBI in his 352nd career game as an Astro after joining the club via trade.
LEADOFF SPICE: CF Chas McCormick has made 14 starts hitting leadoff and 19 total appearances at the first spot in the batting order in his career…in those 19 games, he’s hitting .286 (20×70) with 11 runs, six doubles, one triple, two homers, 10 RBI and an .806 OPS…on Sunday at MIN, McCormick became the Astros first leadoff hitter, other than 2B Jose Altuve and CF George Springer, to record four RBI in a single game since LF Robbie Grossman had a four-RBI game as the Astros leadoff hitter on Aug. 23, 2013 vs. TOR.
MISSING PIECE: The Astros are playing without their leadoff man, 2B Jose Altuve, who suffered a right thumb fracture while playing in the World Baseball Classic…Altuve is expected to be sidelined from baseball activity for approximately two months… in his stead, the Astros have started IF Mauricio Dubón (8g) and IF David Hensley (4g) at the keystone, while SS Jeremy Peña (8g) and OF Chas McCormick (4g) have shared leadoff duties.
FILLING IN NICELY: 2B Mauricio Dubón is off to a strong start to the season, as he’s hitting .355 (11×31) in eight games, which includes an active seven-game hitting streak…Dubón, who started most of his games at shortstop and center field in 2022, has made all eight of his starts at second base this season while filling in for the injured 2B Jose Altuve.
BOTTOMS UP: The six through ninth place hitters in the Astros batting order have combined to hit .320 (16×50) with nine runs scored over the club’s last three games…2B Mauricio Dubón has been the primary culprit, as he’s gone 6×12 with four runs scored and an RBI over the last three games.
TAYLOR REINSTATED, OPTIONED: Prior to last night’s game, the Astros reinstated LHP Blake Taylor from the 15-day IL and optioned him to Triple A Sugar Land…Taylor was on the IL while recovering from a left elbow strain.
TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP JOSÉ URQUIDY
LAST START – 4/7 at MIN: got the nod in the opener of the road trip in Minnesota and allowed 1 run through 5.1 IP and struck out 6 batters to take a no-decision in a 3-2 loss to the Twins.
AGAINST THE PIRATES: will be making his first career appearance against the Pirates…is one of 4 pitchers in the current Astros rotation who entered the series without having made a career appearance against the Pirates…is making just his 2nd career appearance against an NL Central team, with the other coming in a start at St. Louis in 2019.
THE 2022 CAMPAIGN: reached career-highs in appearances (29), starts (28) wins (13) and strikeouts (134), while posting a 3.94 ERA (72ER/164.1IP)
• posted a 2.08 walks per 9.0 ratio (38 BB in 164.1IP) this year…ranked 9th in AL.
• was moved to the bullpen prior to his final start of the season and made his lone relief appearance in his final outing on 10/3 vs. PHI…prior to 10/3’s relief outing, made only 2 regular season relief appearances, which both came in Sep. 2019 (2ER/7IP)
• pitched in 1 game in the ‘22 postseason, appearing in relief in Gm 3 at Philadelphia… delivered 3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out 4 batters to 1 walk…helped the Astros bullpen cover important innings in the 7-0 loss as the team went on to win the next 2 games and seal the World Series title…the Astros bullpen allowed just 2 runs through 13 innings beginning with Urquidy’s appearance
POSTSEASON RECORD BOOKS: holds numerous postseason records of foreign-born players…leads all foreign-born players in MLB history with 3 World Series wins…has gone 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA (2ER/14.2 IP) in 5 World Series games…also just the 2nd Mexican-born player to receive a winning decision as a starter in the World Series, joining LHP Fernando Valenzuela (LAD, ‘81)
• through 12 career postseason games, has gone 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA (15 ER/36.1IP). WBC: was a member of Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic…picked up the win in a 10-3 victory over Team Canada to advance Team Mexico past pool play, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and striking out 5 batters to 1 walk in the start • made a relief appearance in the semifinal loss to Samurai Japan, allowing 1 run on 2 hits through 2.1 IP…it was Team Mexico’s 1st trip to the WBC semifinals in its 4th appearance in the tournament.
WITH THE ‘STROS: was originally signed by the Astros as an international free agent from Mexico on March 2, 2015…made his MLB debut on 7/2/19 with a start at Colorado… since his debut, he ranks 6th amongst AL pitchers (min. 325 IP) by averaging 1.90 walks per 9 IP.
• last name is pronounced “urr-KEE-dee”
• is on 11 Mexican-born players to appear in a game with the Astros…his 351.1 IP in his career is the most of any Mexican-born pitcher in Astros history, directly ahead of RHP Aurelio Lopez, who pitched 116.0 innings for the Astros in the 1986-87 seasons…his 24 career wins are 2nd-most of any active Mexican-born player in MLB, trailing only Dodgers LHP Julio Urías (51)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:…Are off to their best start (7-4) after 11 games since going 8-3 to begin the 2018 season…Won in walkoff fashion for the first time this season Tuesday night…Have won six of their last eight games…Won a season-high four straight games from 4/3-7…Have not lost back-to-back games since dropping the final two games of their season-opening series in Cincinnati.
BAE DAY: Ji Hwan Bae recorded the first walkoff of his big league career last night with his three-run home run in the ninth inning to lift the Pirates to a 7-4 win…The Pirates recorded 10 walkoff wins in 2022, including three that ended with a home run (Bryan Reynolds was the last Pirate to hit a walkoff homer on August 3 against the Brewers)…Bae and Ji Man Choi also became the first Korean-born teammates to homer in the same game last night.
JACK’S JACKS: Jack Suwinski connected for his first home run of the season last night with a two-run shot in the second inning…Seventeen of Suwinski’s 20 home runs have come at PNC Park, including each of his last eight…Suwinski’s last home run on the road came on June 25 at Tampa Bay.
JUMP FOR CHOI: Ji Man Choi went deep for the straight game last night with a 418-foot shot leading off the sixth inning… Choi has now gone deep on back-to-back occasions six times in his career…Prior to last night, the last time he homered in two straight games came on April 12-13, 2022, while playing for the Rays.
CANNONBALLS COMING: The Pirates are 4-0 this season when recording multiple home runs in a game…Tuesday was the second three-homer game for the Pirates this season (also April 3 in Boston)…Pittsburgh’s 15 home runs are tied for the fourth-most among all National League teams (the Dodgers lead the National League with 21 homers).
ABOUT TODAY’S STARTER: Rich Hill gets the start this afternoon in the finale of this three-game series against the Astros… Hill started Pittsburgh’s Home Opener Friday against the White Sox but had a no-decision (4.0ip/7er) in a 13-9 comeback win.
COMING INTO HIS OWN: Mitch Keller allowed two runs in 6.0 innings while also striking out seven batters in last night’s game against the Astros…Keller enters today tied for first in the National League in strikeouts (22) along with San Francisco’s Logan Webb…Keller’s 22 punchouts are also tied for the fifth-most in all of MLB.
HITTIN’ THE ROAD: Tomorrow night the Pirates will open a four-game series in St. Louis as part of a seven-game road trip…The trip will conclude with three games at Coors Field beginning Monday night…It will be the first of two road trips to St. Louis this year (also September 1-3).
REYNOLDS ON A ROLL: Bryan Reynolds has hit safely in 10 of his first 11 games coming into today (his only hitless game came on Monday)…Reynolds enters today tied for the National League lead in home runs (five), first in slugging (.778), RBI (14) and total bases (35), tied for second in extra base hits (eight), fourth in OPS (1.145) and tied for eighth in batting (.356).
AGAINST THE JUNIOR CIRCUIT: Today’s game wraps up a stretch of nine straight contests for the Pirates against the American League…Pittsburgh’s next series against an American League team will come next month from May 2-4 against the Tampa Bay Rays…The Pirates are 6-2 against the American League this season.
GETTING ON: Andrew McCutchen has reached base safely in nine of his first 10 games and enters today tied for second in the National League with a .500 on-base percentage…McCutchen also ranks ninth among all qualified hitters in the National League with a 1.036 OPS and seventh with a .357 batting average.
PIRATING: The Pirates enter today second in the National League and tied for fifth in all of MLB with 12 stolen bases..The only National League team with more stolen bases coming into today are the Diamondbacks (17).
MAKE THAT A DOUBLE: Andrew McCutchen enters today with 294 career doubles as a member of the Pirates, which is tied with Bill Mazeroski for the eighth-most in club history…Dave Parker ranks seventh (296).
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Saturday night Andrew McCutchen’s ninth inning home run was his first as a member of the Pirates since going deep twice on September 26, 2017, against the Orioles…McCutchen’s 94 career home runs at PNC Park are the most in the ballpark’s history…McCutchen ranks fourth in Pirates history with 204 home runs, trailing only Willie Stargell (475), Ralph Kiner (301) and Roberto Clemente (240).
44 – LHP RICH HILL
RICH HILL: The 43-year-old lefthander is making his third start this afternoon…Had a no-decision (4.0ip/7er) in his last start on Friday in Pittsburgh’s 13-9 win vs. the White Sox.
vs. HOUSTON: 3-2 with a 3.11 ERA (46.1ip/16er) in 12 appearances (eight starts)…Allowed four runs in 3.0 innings in his only start of 2022 on 8/3 at Houston.
