HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros are set to begin the second half with a three-game series vs. the Angels at Angel Stadium this weekend…Houston will turn to the superb rookie RHP J.P. France, who finished the first half with a 3.26 ERA (24ER/66.1IP)…coming off his third All-Star selection, two-way star RHP Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for the Halos, making his third start against the Astros this season…Ohtani has gone 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA (7ER/13IP) in his first two starts vs. Houston in ‘23…the Astros have gone 7-5 all-time in games started by Ohtani.
THE FRENCHMAN: RHP J.P. France has been one the top rookie starters in the Majors this season following his promotion in early May…his 3.26 ERA (24ER/66.1IP) ranks first among Major League rookies (min. 60 IP) and his .238 opponent batting average ranks third…he has tossed six straight quality starts, as well as seven straight starts of 6+ IP…those are the longest streaks by an Astros rookie pitcher since RHP Chris Sampson delivered seven straight quality starts in 2007.
VS. THE ANGELS: The Astros and Angels meet for their third series of the year, which is the first time either club has faced an opponent for a third series this season…the Astros are 5-2 to begin the season vs. their AL West rival and have won both series, including winning three-of-four at Minute Maid Park in early June…IF Alex Bregman has been phenomenal vs. the Halos in ‘23, batting .391 (9×23) with a triple, homer and eight RBI…LHP Framber Valdez and RHP Cristian Javier, who are scheduled to start in this series, have each set their season high in strikeouts vs. LAA…Valdez struck out 12 batters on May 9 at LAA and Javier struck out 11 batters on May 10 at LAA.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The three-game set in Anaheim kicks off a nine-game, three-city road trip for the Astros…they will next head to Denver for a two-game series against the Rockies starting Tuesday, and will finish out the road trip with a four-game series vs. the A’s beginning next Thursday.
ROOKIE RUMBLE: Of the nine starters the Astros have used this season, four are rookies…Houston has received 36 starts from rookie pitchers, ranking third in the Majors behind Oakland (45) and Cleveland (41)…all nine starting pitchers used by the Astros in 2023 are products of their minor league system. PITCHING IN: The Astros rank second in the Majors and lead the AL in team ERA (3.66)…they’re third in the AL in bullpen ERA (3.53).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB Lowest Bullpen ERA – AL
- Atlanta: 3.63 1. Cleveland: 3.09
- Houston: 3.66 2. New York: 3.11
- Minnesota: 3.68 3. Houston: 3.53
THIEVERY: Since June 9, the date the Astros placed LF Yordan Alvarez on the IL, the Astros have 34 stolen bases in their 28 games, which ranks second in the Majors in that time span, trailing only the Reds (49)…prior to Alvarez’s IL stint, the Astros had 32 stolen bases in their first 63 games.
URQUIDY’S REHAB ASSIGNMENT: RHP José Urquidy is set to begin an MLB Rehab Assignment tonight in a start with Triple A Sugar Land, beginning at 7:35 p.m. CT at Constellation Field in Sugar Land…Urquidy has been on the IL since May 1 with right shoulder discomfort.
INJURY UPDATES: The Astros have been working through several injuries…below are a few updates on sidelined players:
- OF Yordan Alvarez (right oblique discomfort) was scheduled to start a rehab assignment tonight with Triple A Sugar Land but that assignment has been delayed due to illness.
- 2B Jose Altuve, who was placed on the 10-day IL on July 6 (retro to July 4), has been diagnosed with a left oblique strain… Altuve is hoping to return shortly.
- OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) was shut down from hitting prior to the All-Star break, but continued to throw and run on the field…prior to this, Brantley had progressed to taking BP on the field.
THE 2023 DRAFT: The Astros made 20 selections in this year’s MLB Draft, which ran from last Sunday through Tuesday of this week…of their 20 picks, 16 came from the collegiate ranks and four from high school…positionally, the Astros selected eight pitchers, six infielders, four outfielders and two catchers…below are highlights from this year’s selections:
- the Astros selected IF Brice Matthews from the University of Nebraska with the No. 28 overall pick…Matthews is an alum of the Astros Youth Academy and graduated from Atascocita H.S. in the Houston area…Matthews became the highest-selected and 10th overall alum of the Astros Youth Academy to be taken in the draft…Matthews hit .359 (74×206) with 20 homers, 76 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 54 games with Nebraska this year.
- in the 11th round, the Astros selected OF Nehomar Ochoa Jr. from Galena Park H.S. in the Houston area.
- the Dodgers selected IF Kendall George (No. 36 overall) from Atascocita H.S., becoming the second player selected in this year’s draft who was a member of the Astros Youth Academy.
SLAMMING THE DOOR: Astros closer RHP Ryan Pressly is on an incredible run, having tossed 11.0 consecutive hitless and scoreless innings over his last 10 appearances dating back to June 18…since that date, Pressly owns a 1-0 record and is eight-for-eight in save opportunities.
FRAMTASTIC: All-Star LHP Framber Valdez has once again been one of the top hurlers in all of baseball in 2023 as he finished the first half sporting the best ERA in the Majors (2.51)…among AL starters, he also ranks first in opponent OPS (.603), second in home runs per 9.0 (0.57) and second in pitching WAR (3.5)…the last Astros pitcher to enter the All-Star Break with the lowest ERA in the Majors was RHP Roger Clemens in 2005 (1.48 ERA).
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP J.P. FRANCE
LAST START – 7/5 VS COL: allowed 3 runs on 6 hits through 6.0 innings, striking out 4 batters and surrendering 1 walk…marked his 6th consecutive quality start and his 7th straight start of 6+ IP…logged his 1st winning decision at Minute Maid Park.
QUALITY STUFF: logged his 6th consecutive quality start in his last start and has completed 6+ innings in 7 straight starts…the last Astros rookie with 7 straight starts of 6.0+ was RHP Chris Sampson, who had a 9-game streak in 2007…the last Astros rookie with a streak of at least 6 straight quality starts in a single season was also Sampson, who went on a 7-game streak (May 11, 2007-June 13, 2007)…the only other Astros pitcher with a longer quality start streak this season was a 7-game streak from LHP Framber Valdez (4/4-5/9)….is T-3rd for most quality starts (7) in first 11 career MLB outings among Astros pitchers, just 1 behind RHP Dan Larson and RHP Mark Lemongello.
ROOKIE LEADERBOARD: among AL rookies (min. 50 IP), ranks 1st in ERA (3.26), 2nd in WHIP (1.21), and 3rd in opponent OPS (.692).
VS LAA: will be the first time in France’s career he has faced an opponent for the 2nd time in the Majors…allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 3 strikeouts in 7.0 innings
on June 4 vs. LAA.
THE FIRST FRANCE: rookie right-hander made his Major League debut with his start on May 6 at Seattle…allowed 1 earned run in 11.2 IP through his first two MLB starts…he became the 4th pitcher in club history to work 5.0-plus innings, allowing 1-or-fewer runs in each of his first 2 Major League starts…joining LHP Dallas Keuchel (2012), LHP Carlos Hernández (2001) and RHP Manny Hernández as the only other Astros pitcher to record this feat.
ON THE ROAD: has posted a 1.95 ERA (8ER/37IP) through the first 6 road starts of his career…has held opponent’s to a .611 OPS in those starts…is the lowest road
ERA from an AL starting pitcher (min. 30 IP).
REVERSE SPLIT: has held left-handed batters to a .212 opponent batting average (22×104) and a .555 OPS this season…against right-handed batters, he recorded a .257 opponent batting average (37×144) with a .791 OPS…also 9 of his 10 HR allowed have come against right-handed hitters.
ABOUT FRANCE: was selected in the 14th round by the Astros in the 2018 draft out of Mississippi State…the 2023 season is his 6th in the Astros system.
- spent the entire 2022 season with Triple A Sugar Land, going 3-4 with a 3.90 ERA (48ER/110.2IP) in 34 games (15 starts)…struck out 136 hitters in his 110.2 innings, while allowing a .233 opponent average.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:
LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the first of nine games on a homestand to begin the second half of the season against the Houston Astros (July 14-16), New York Yankees (July 17-19) and Pittsburgh Pirates (July 21- 23)…Angels went 0-5 on last road trip before the break against the Padres (0-3) and Dodgers (0-2)… Halos went 3-4 on last homestand against the White Sox (2-2) and Diamondbacks (1-2).
TODAY’S TRANSACTIONS: Today the Angels reinstated LHP Matt Moore and INF Zach Neto from the injured list, recalled INF Michael Stefanic from Triple-A Salt Lake and selected the contract of INF Trey Cabbage…In corresponding moves, INF Anthony Rendon (left shin contusion) and OF Jo Adell (left oblique strain) were placed on the 10-day injured list, RHP Sam Bachman (right shoulder contusion) was placed on the 15-day injured list and INF David Fletcher was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.
WINS AND LOSSES: Angels enter tonight’s game looking to snap a season high five game losing streak… This is the Halos losing streak since a six game streak from Aug. 20-25, 2022.
ESTÉVEZ ENDING: Carlos Estévez is pitching to a 1.85 ERA (34 IP – 7 ER) and has converted all 21 of his save opportunities this year…He set the franchise record for consecutive save chances converted to begin a season (previously Lee Smith converted his first 19 chances in 1995)…The only player in Angels history with a longer save streak without a blown save at any point in a season is Francisco Rodriguez (25 game streak in 2008 and a 22 game streak spanning 2005-06).
THE INJURED LIST: Angels currently have 15 players on the injured list and have used the IL a total of 24 times this year for 22 different players…The 15 players currently on the IL are tied with Dodgers for the most in the Majors.
LEAGUE LEADER: As a hitter, Shohei Ohtani leads the Majors in home runs (32), triples (6), total bases (226), XBH (53), slugging percentage (.663) and OPS (1.050)…On the mound, he also leads the Majors in opponent batting average (.189) and is tied for fourth in strikeouts (132).
SHO OFF: Tonight, Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to make his 18th career pitching start (fourth this season) for the Angels while also leading the Majors in home runs as a batter…In 2021 he became the first player with multiple pitching starts in a season while leading Majors in homers since Babe Ruth in 1919.
FIRST HALF HR KING: Shohei Ohtani was the Major League home run leader at the All-Star Break for the second time in his career (also, 2021)…According to ELIAS, he is the fourth player since 2000 to lead MLB in homers at the Break in multiple seasons, joining Barry Bonds, José Bautista and Aaron Judge.
GETTING BACK TO .500: With a 45-46 record, the Angels are under .500 for the first time since April 24 (11-12)…One game under .500 matches low water mark for the year…With a win today, Angels would be back at exactly .500 for a 13th time this season (previously 1-1, 5-5, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 14-14, 22-22, 30-30 & 45-45)…Halos finished the first half within one game of .500 for the fourth time in the last five full seasons (see list below):
RECENT ANGELS (FULL SEASON) FIRST HALF FINISHES
2023: 45-46 (.495)
2022: 39-53 (.424)
2021: 45-44 (.506)
2019: 45-46 (.495)
2018: 49-48 (.505)
VS. HOUSTON: Astros lead the 2023 season series 5-2 after taking two of three in first series of the year at Angel Stadium from May 8-10 and three of four games in Houston from June 1-4.
SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL: Sunday’s game vs. Houston will air on ESPN for “Sunday Night Baseball”…It will mark the first visit to Angel Stadium for Sunday Night Baseball since June 12, 2022 vs. New York (N.L.).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP SHOHEI OHTANI
7-4, 3.32 ERA
Making 18th career pitching start while leading Majors in home runs
- SHO TIME: Making 18th pitching start of the year and 10th at home…Third pitching start of 2023 vs. Houston…Is in sixth Major League season with LAA.
- 3x ALL-STAR: Was selected to the A.L. All-Star team as a pitcher in addition to starting nomination at DH…Third consecutive season being selected to the All-Star team as both a pitcher and position player.
- LEAGUE LEADER: Enters today’s start leading the Majors in opponent batting average (.189) and ranks fourth in strikeouts (132).
- UNDER ONE: Has allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in nine of 17 starts this season.
- LAST TIME ON THE MOUND: Took the loss in last start on July 4 at San Diego after tossing 5+ innings and allowing five earned runs on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts…He was removed from the game in the 6th inning with a right middle finger blister.
- 10 K: Since start of 2022 season, leads MLB with 16 games with 10+ strikeouts (has six this season – tied for second-most in MLB)…Recorded 10+ strikeouts in 10 starts last season, which was the most such games in the A.L; joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in franchise history with 10+ strikeouts in at least six consecutive games.
- UNFAMILIAR: This season, is holding opponents to an .108 (14/130) average the first time through the order, a .258 (31/120) average the second time through the order and a .210 (21/100) average the third time through.
- VS. HOUSTON: In 12 career starts vs. Houston, is 3-5 with a 3.75 ERA (62.1 IP – 26 ER) and 81 strikeouts…This season, is 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA (13 IP – 7 ER) in two starts…Last year, was 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA (29.2 IP – 4 ER) and 45 strikeouts in five starts vs. Astros; carried a perfect game into 6th inning of start vs. Houston on April 20 at Minute Maid Park…Was one of two pitchers with three wins against Astros last year, (also Cole Irvin).
- AT ANGEL STADIUM: In 42 career starts at The Big A, is 19-7 with a 2.10 ERA (253.1 IP – 59 ER) and 331 strikeouts… This season, is 4-2 with a 2.35 ERA (57.1 IP – 15 ER) and 79 strikeouts after nine starts…In 14 starts last season, was 7-4 with a 1.82 ERA (89 IP – 18 ER)…In 2021, went 6-0 with a 1.95 ERA (78.1 IP – 17 ER) and 93 strikeouts after 13 home starts.
- HOME SWEET HOME: Has a career 2.10 ERA (253.1 IP – 59 ER) in home games, which is the second lowest total of the last 100 years (min. 40 GS)…Only Miami’s José Fernández (1.49 ERA; 272.1 IP – 45 ER) has a lower home ERA.
- 500K: Reached 500 total MLB strikeouts for career with a 13 strikeout performance on May 3 at St. Louis…Fourth game in MLB history where a pitcher recorded 13+ strikeouts in 5.0-or-fewer innings (also, Jacob deGrom in 2022, Alex Cobb in 2013 and Zack Greinke in 2012).
- HEY BABE: Babe Ruth and Ohtani are the only players with 500+ pitching strikeouts and 100+ home runs in a career… (according to ELIAS, Ruth had 501 career pitching strikeouts).
- OFF THE BOARDS: Had franchise record streak of 12 straight pitching starts allowing two-or-fewer runs snapped on April 27 vs. Oakland (Nolan Ryan had previous record with nine game streak across the 1972-73 seasons)… Overall, has yielded two-or-fewer runs in 21 of last 26 starts and one-or-fewer runs in 18 of last 26 starts.
- CAN’T HIT THIS: Had streak of 10 straight pitching starts allowing three-or-fewer hits from Sept. 17, 2022 – April 27, 2023…The streak was snapped May 3 at St. Louis and finished tied with Jacob deGrom (10 game streak for Mets in 2021) for the longest streak all-time (excluding Openers).
- SCORELESS AT THE BIG A: Had streak of 35.0 consecutive scoreless innings pitched at Angel Stadium snapped April 27 by A’s…Finished as second longest streak in ballpark history, behind a 36.2 IP streak by Mark Clear in 1979.
