HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros will begin a quick three-game road trip tonight as they face the Marlins…they’ll do some behind their ace LHP Framber Valdez as he takes on Marlins starter LHP Braxton Garrett.
ABOUT THE NO-NO: LHP Framber Valdez tossed the 15th regular season no-hitter (16th overall) in franchise history in a 2-0 victory over the Guardians on August 1st…Valdez was masterful, as faced the minimum 27 batters, allowing a walk in the 5th, which was erased on a double play…Valdez needed only 93 pitches and per Sarah Langs, this ranks as the third-lowest total in a no-hitter since pitch counts started being tracked in 1988…Valdez’ gem was the 1st by a southpaw in franchise history…per STATS, the Astros have thrown five no-hitters in five years (2019-23), including the postseason… that’s the most no-hitters by any team over a five-year span in MLB history.
IN THE RANKINGS: LHP Framber Valdez once again has the best groundball pct. rate in the AL at 55.4%, a distinction he has held in each of the last 3 seasons (2020-22)…Valdez is also T-1st in AL in CG (2), 8th in opp. avg. (.230), 7th in innings pitched (142.0), 9th in WHIP (1.09), 10th in ERA (3.30) and T-11th in wins (9).
WINNING WAYS: The Astros are 17 games over .500 by going 27-15 since June 25…since then, the Astros own the best record in the AL and are just a game and half game back on the Dodgers (28-13) in the Majors.
UP TO THE CHALLENGE: The Astros are 12-7 thus far while in the midst of a month-long stretch of games (July 24-Aug. 24) in which seven of their nine scheduled opponents are currently at .500 or better…in this stretch, the Astros will see the Rangers (2-1), Rays (1-2), Guardians (3-0), Yankees (2-2), Orioles (2-1), Angels (2-1), Marlins, Mariners and Red Sox.
VS. THE FISH: This is the Astros and Marlins only matchup of the 2023 season…the Astros faced the Marlins in 2022 at Minute Maid Park and lost the series 1-2…The Astros are in Miami for the first time since 2017 when they swept the Marlins in a three-game series…Houston will see a familiar face in Marlins 1B Yuli Gurriel, who played for the Astros from 2016-22.
YESTERDAY’S GAME: The Astros lost the Angels, 2-1, in a matinee matchup at Minute Maid Park yesterday…RHP José Urquidy made his second start since returning from Injured List… Urquidy allowed one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in five innings…3B Alex Bregman (2×4) and CF Chas McCormick (2×4, SB) contributed offensively for the Astros.
TUVE-METER: 2B Jose Altuve, who has an active 15-game on-base streak, is closing in on 2,000 career hits, as he enters tonight’s game just seven hits shy of the mark…Altuve is also nine doubles shy of 200 and 10 stolen bases shy of 300 for his career…on Tuesday at BAL, Altuve (723 RBI) surpassed Jimmy Wynn (719 RBI) for seventh-place in club history in RBI and connected for his 200th career home run.
BIG RETURNS: On July 26, the Astros reinstated 2B Jose Altuve and LF Yordan Alvarez from the IL…since that date, the Astros are 10-7, while the offense has posted an .804 OPS…a few notes on both of their returns:
- Altuve has hit safely in 14 of his 16 games since being activated, over those 16 games, he’s hitting .406 (26×64) with 18 runs scored, three homers and an 1.134 OPS.
- Alvarez has hit safely in 12 of his 16 games since being activated, hitting .262 (16×61) with two doubles, four home runs, nine RBI, 11 runs scored and an .840 OPS over that stretch.
A TON OF RUN: On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Astros scored 11-plus runs in consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 20-21, 2021 vs. SEA (12-3 win, 15-1 win)…after the 22-run barrage, the Astros have moved into third place in the AL in runs scored with 580…they’ve done their damage over the last 45 contests, scoring 258 runs since June 20, which leads the AL in that time span, topping the Rangers (233).
TUVE-METER: 2B Jose Altuve, who has an active 15-game on-base streak, is closing in on 2,000 career hits, as he enters tonight’s game just seven hits shy of the mark…Altuve is also nine doubles shy of 200 and 10 stolen bases shy of 300 for his career…on Tuesday at BAL, Altuve (723 RBI) surpassed Jimmy Wynn (719 RBI) for seventh-place in club history in RBI and connected for his 200th career home run.
ALL AROUND TUCK: RF Kyle Tucker is in the MVP discussion this season, as he currently ranks second in the AL in RBI (88), third in OPS (.896) and third in slugging percentage (.519)… he’s also the only AL player and one of just two players in the Majors with 22-or-more home runs and stolen bases, joining NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. (26 HR, 53 SB)… defensively, Tucker, the reigning AL Gold Glove winner, has more starts (113) than any other AL player in right field, and has committed just one error in his 225 total chances.
VIVE LA FRANCE!: In what was his 17th career appearance (16th start), Astros rookie RHP J.P. France made his fourth straight start of 7.0-innings on Saturday night vs, the Halos, which upped his innings total to 102.0 for the year…he is now just the fifth player in Astros history to record 100+ IP through the first 17 appearances of their career, joining RHP Brian Williams (103 IP, 1991-92), RHP Mark Lemongello (107.1 IP, 1976-77), RHP Tom Griffin (101 IP, 1969) and RHP Don Wilson (102 IP, 1966-67).
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: LHP FRAMBER VALDEZ
LAST START – 8/8 AT BAL: was able to work 7 IP despite matching season highs with 6 runs and 8 hits allowed…also struck out 3 batters to 2 walks…took a no-decision as Astros orchestrated dramatic 7-6 comeback victory in Baltimore…allowed just 1 run over his final 5 frames after surrendering 5 runs through the first 2 innings.
ABOUT THE NO-NO: tossed the 1st no-hitter of his career and the 15th regular-season (16th overall) in Astros franchise history on 8/1 vs. CLE…allowed just 1 baserunner via a walk and struck out 7 batters through the 9 shutout innings…was his 6th career complete game and his 3rd complete-game shutout.
- Valdez’s no-hitter was the Astros’ first since a combined no-hitter started by RHP Cristian Javier in Game 4 of last year’s World Series at PHI. It was also the first Astros no-hitter by a single pitcher since RHP Justin Verlander’s on September 1, 2019, at TOR.
- the last Astros regular-season no-hitter was also a combined effort started by Javier, which came on June 25 of last season at NYY.
- was the first Astros no-hitter tossed by a LHP.
- Valdez needed only 93 pitches and per Sarah Langs, this ranks as the third-lowest total in a no-hitter since pitch counts started being tracked in 1988…the others were tossed by the Astros RHP Daryl Kile (83) on Sept. 8, 1993, and the Yankees RHP David Cone (88) on July 18, 1999.
- per STATS, the Astros have thrown five no-hitters in five years (2019-23), including the postseason… that’s the most no-hitters by any team over a five-year span in MLB history.
- became the ninth Dominican-born player to throw a no-hitter in Major League history, with the last being NYY RHP Domingo German’s perfect game earlier this season.
- Valdez faced the minimum of 27 batters, which is the first time that’s been achieved out of all the Astros no-hitters.
- was the 3rd no-hitter thrown in the Majors this season, along with German’s perfect game on June 28 at OAK and a combined no-hitter by DET on July 8 vs. TOR.
- is the only player in the Majors to throw two complete-game shutouts this season, also doing so on May 21 vs. OAK.
LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: ranks 10th in the AL in ERA with a 3.30 ERA (52 ER/142IP)…in the AL, also ranks 1st in groundball percentage (55.4), 6th in pitching WAR (3.6), 6th in opponent OPS (.641), 6th in quality starts (14), 7th in innings pitched (142.0) and T-9th in strikeouts (144).
VS. MIA: will be making just his 2nd career start vs. MIA, with the other coming last season, and will be his first at MIA after allowing 4 runs (2 ER) through 6 IP in a start last season.
K-DAY: struck out 13 batters on July 15 at LAA, which are T-2nd for most in a single game in the Majors this season, trailing only a 16-strikeout game from RHP Lance Lynn on June 18 at SEA…they were the most strikeouts in a game from an Astros pitcher since his previous 13-strikeout effort on July 3, 2022 vs. LAA
MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today begin their final series of the homestand and of Interleague play this season, with the first of three games against the Astros. Miami is coming off a weekend series victory (2-1) against the Yankees. Following this ‘stand, will head to the West Coast, for an off day on Thursday before playing three at the Dodgers and three at the Padres.
HOMEBOYS
The Marlins are 36-25 at loanDepot park this season. The .589 home winning pct. is the 3rd-highest in the NL (6th in MLB), while the 36 wins are the 3rd-most by any National League team behind the Braves (37) and Dodgers (38).
- Entered the second half 30-18 at home. Have gone 6-7 in 13 games at loanDepot park since the Break.
FISH BYTES
- Miami ranks 2nd in the NL with 1,061 hits (4th in MLB behind Texas, Atlanta, and Toronto), and ranks 3rd in the Majors in batting average (.262), behind only Atlanta (.274) and Texas (.271).
- The Marlins own 48 games in which the offense has collected 10+ hits. Is the 4th-most 10+ hit efforts in MLB behind Texas (55), Atlanta (52), and St. Louis (49). In 2022, the Marlins collected 10+ hits just 43 times.
- The Marlins pitching staff leads the National League with 1,133 strikeouts (2nd most in Majors behind MIN-1,146).
INTER-MIAMI
The Marlins have gone 25-16 in Interleague play thus far in 2023, tied with Philadelphia for the most wins in such games in all of MLB. Their .610 winning pct. in Interleague games is tied for the 4th best in MLB, behind the Dodgers (.618), Reds (.630), and Blue Jays (.657). Heading into this season, the Marlins owned a 103-148 record in Interleague play dating back to 2012, which ranked as the worst in MLB.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami took the rubber match over the Yankees, 8-7, overcoming a season-high 6-run deficit and scoring 5 in the bottom of the 9th inning for a historic walk-off victory. The Marlins, who entered the 9th trailing by 4 runs, started their rally on 1B Yuli Gurriel’s leadoff double. 2B Luis Arraez tied the game at 7 with 2-RBI triple and then 3B Jake Burger became Miami’s hero, driving in Arraez to seal the wild walk-off win.
WALK IT LIKE I TALK IT
The Marlins recorded their 8th walk-off win of the season yesterday, the most in the National League and tied for the most in MLB alongside Minnesota. San Francisco, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia rank tied for 2nd in the NL, each with 6 walk-off victories.
- Miami yesterday improved to 8-3 in walk-off games. In 2022, the Marlins suffered 11 walk-off losses, tied with the Yankees and Diamondbacks for the most in the Majors.
BURGER KING
3B Jake Burger yesterday recorded his 3rd career walk-off hit, his second this year (walk-off grand slam on June 4 vs. DET w/ the White Sox), and his first as a Marlins player. His 9th-inning RBI-single marked his 3rd hit of the day, matching a career high in hits (done 4x previously, last on May 30, 2023 vs. LAA).
- Through his first 11 G with Miami, has gone 13×41 (.317) with 4 runs scored, 4 doubles, 1 home run, 6 RBI, and 3 walks. Has reached base in 10 of the 11 G, including his last 9. Went 7×12 this past weekend vs. NYY with 3 multi-hit games.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Marlins’ comeback walk-off win yesterday came after the team entered the 9th inning trailing by 4 runs, 7-3. With the team scoring 5 runs in the frame, it marked the largest deficit overcome for a walk-off win in the 9th inning in club history.
- Miami erased a once 6-run deficit to record their 31st comeback victory of the season, marking their largest deficit overcome in a win this season (previous high, 5 runs on Aug. 2 vs. PHI). Is one off the club’s largest ever come-from-behind win (7 runs, Aug. 23, 2019 vs. PHI).
RING THE BELL
1B Josh Bell has reached base safely in all 12 games since joining the Marlins. His 11-game on-base streak since joining the club is the tied for the second longest by a Marlins’ mid-season acquisition, with Carlos Lee (11 G, 2012) and behind only Gary Sheffield (13 G, 1993) – Elias Sports Bureau.
- Is slashing .310/.396/.643 with 9 runs scored, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 RBI, and 6 walks since in the 11 G span.
LA REGADERA
2B Luis Arraez leads MLB with his .367 AVG (162×441) and with 162 hits. Marks the highest AVG by a Marlin and is tied for the most hits (Hanley Ramirez, 162 H, 2007) through the first 113 games of a season.
- His 45 multi-hit games are 3rd-most in MLB. Is tied for 1st in MLB with 17 games of at least 3 hits. Owns 6 games with at least 4 hits this year, most in the Majors and most by a Marlins player in a single season.
- Is hitting .447 (38×85) with RISP, also the best mark among qualifiers.
- His 3-hit effort yesterday included his game-tying 2-RBI triple in the bottom of the 9th inning. Marked his 3rd triple this year and first since July 22 vs. COL.
FALSE STARTS
Miami has gone just 15-23 in the first game of a series in 2023. Are a combined 45-30 in games two and three.
CLOSE CALLS
The Marlins have had 17 of their 27 games since the All-Star Break decided by 2 runs or less. Overall this season, have played 61 games decided by 2 runs or fewer (2nd most in NL). Included is a 27-10 record in one-run games – the highest winning pct. in such games this season in MLB (.730). Miami played 64 one-run games last year, going 24-40 – the most one-run losses in a season since the 1975 Astros (41).
TALKIN’ SPACE
The Marlins are welcoming the reigning World Series champion Astros to Miami for the first time since May 15-17, 2017 when Houston took all 3 games. Have gone 80-83 all time against the Astros, including a 48-33 clip at home. The Marlins took their three-game set in Houston last season, 2-1.
- 1B Yuli Gurriel spent 7 years with the Astros, winning two World Series in 2017 and 2022. Gurriel hit .284 in his career with Houston, including a .319 mark in 2021 when he won the American League batting title. Astros Manager Dusty Baker will present Gurriel with his 2022 World Series ring prior to Tuesday’s game.
TODAY’S STARTER – #29 BRAXTON GARRETT
- Braxton Garrett, 26, will make his 23rd start (24th app.) of the season today. Will mark his second career start against the Houston Astros.
- In his only career start against Houston on June 11, 2022 at Minute Maid Park, allowed 1 unearned run on 6 hits and 1 walk over 5.2 innings pitched. Struck out 5.
- In 8 Interleague starts this season, has gone 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA (27.0/1) and 29 strikeouts.
- In his most recent start at Cincinnati on August 8, earned the win, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 6.0 innings in a 3-2 Marlins victory. Struck out 3.
- Leads all NL starting pitchers with a 6.58 (125/19) K/BB ratio (min. 100.0 IP).
- The Marlins are 17-5 in Garrett’s starts this year, including 8 consecutive wins from May 31 – July 8. Have won the last 3 games started by Garrett (July 28, Aug. 2, and Aug. 8).
- Has allowed 3 runs of fewer in 8 of his last 10 starts. Has held opponents to 1 or 0 ER in 11 of his 22 starts; tied for second among NL starting pitchers.
- Career, RHB vs. Garrett: .277 AVG (203×734), .334 OBP, .794 OPS. LHB vs. Garrett: .237 AVG (53×224), .310 OBP, .654 OPS. Has allowed only 4 HR in 224 AB vs. LHB.
- In 11 starts (12 apps.) at loanDepot park this season, owns a 5.40 ERA (60.0/36) and has gone 2-2 with 68 strikeouts. In 11 starts away, is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA (57.0/17) and 57 strikeouts.
- In 25 career starts (26 apps.) at loanDepot park, owns a 4.23 ERA (127.2/60) and has gone 5-8 with 150 strikeouts. In 23 starts away (24 apps.), is 6-5 with a 3.93 ERA (119.0/52) and 105 strikeouts.
