LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:
LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the seventh (4-2) of nine games on a road trip against the Detroit Tigers (3-0), Toronto Blue Jays (1-2) and Atlanta Braves (July 31-Aug. 2)…Halos went 6-3 on last homestand against the Astros (1-2), Yankees (3-0) and Pirates (2-1)…LAA was 0-5 on last road trip against the Padres (0-3) and Dodgers (0-2) just prior to All-Star Break.
HALO AGAIN: Last night, the Angels acquired INF C.J. Cron, OF Randal Grichuk and cash considerations from Colorado in exchange for minor league LHP Mason Albright and RHP Jake Madden…In corresponding 40- man roster moves, OF Taylor Ward was transferred to the 60-day injured list and INF Kevin Padlo was designated for assignment.
ROSTER MOVES: Prior to today’s game, INF C.J. Cron and OF Randal Grichuk reported to the Angels active roster…In a corresponding 26-man roster move, INF Trey Cabbage was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
LONG TIME COMING: After being selected by the Angels in the first round (24th overall) in the 2009 Draft, Randal Grichuk is set to make his Halos debut…Per ELIAS, the 14 years between being drafted by the Angels and his Angels debut would set a franchise record (see chart below):
YEARS BETWEEN ANGELS DRAFT SELECTION & DEBUT
Player LAA Draft Year LAA Debut Span
- Randal Grichuk 2009 2023 14 years
T2. Martín Maldonado 2004 2017 13 years
T2. Jim Barr 1966 1979 13 years
THE INJURED LIST: Angels currently have 17 players on the injured list and have used the IL a total of 26 times this year for 24 different players…The 17 players
currently on the IL are the most in the Majors.
PUSHING 40: Shohei Ohtani is one home run shy from recording his second career 40+ HR season (he hit 46 HR in 2021)…Would become the third player in Angels history with multiple 40+ HR seasons, joining Troy Glaus (2000 & 2001) and Mike Trout (2015, 2019 & 2022).
VS. ATLANTA: The Angels are making their second ever visit to Truist Park…Braves won two of three head-to-head games last season at the ballpark…All-time series
vs. Braves is tied 9-9 (Angels are 4-5 in Atlanta).
SO EXTRA: Following yesterday’s 3-2 victory in 10 innings at Toronto, the Angels have now won each of their last five extra-inning contests (started the year 1-4 through first five extra-inning games)…This is Halos longest extra inning win streak since a five-game streak from Aug. 4, 2012 – April 23, 2013.
STRANDED: During the last series in Toronto, Halos went 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position and left 35 runners on base…First time Angels had three consecutive games with 11+ runners left on base since June 16-18, 2007…LAA has never had a four game streak.
THE MICK: Since July 2, Mickey Moniak is batting .341 (29/75) with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI…His .341 average is tied for fifth-highest in the A.L. in that span…He had his career-high 18-game hit streak snapped on Saturday at Toronto BACK ON TRACK: Angels have won nine of their last 12 contests and are have the best record in the American League since the All-Star Break.
BEST RECORDS SINCE THE ALL-STAR BREAK
- Cubs 11-5 (.688)
- Angels 10-5 (.667)
- Orioles 10-6 (.625)
T4. Astros 9-6 (.600)
T4. Blue Jays 9-6 (.600)
HOME RUN LEADERS: Angels lead the American League and rank third in the Majors with 163 home runs this season…Only the Braves (199) and Dodgers (168) have homered more.
LEAGUE LEADER: As a hitter, Shohei Ohtani leads the Majors in home runs (39), total bases (266), XBH (63), slugging percentage (.680) and OPS (1.083) and is tied
for the MLB lead in triples (7)…On the mound, he leads the Majors in opponent batting average (.185), is tied for fourth in strikeouts (156) and is ninth in WHIP
(1.07).
RECORD SETTING PACE: Shohei Ohtani’s 39 home runs through the first 106 team games of the season are the most in Angels history (Ohtani held the previous record with 37 HR through 106 (and 107) team games in 2021).
SPARKPLUG: With Zach Neto in the starting lineup, the Angels have a 35-25 record, including a 13-4 record in his last 17 starts.
ESTÉVEZ ENDING: Carlos Estévez is pitching to a 1.88 ERA (43 IP – 9 ER) and has converted all 23 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).
SHO BUSINESS: Thursday at Detroit, Shohei Ohtani pitched his first career complete game and shutout with a one-hitter against the Tigers in Game 1 of the doubleheader…That day, he also recorded his 16th career multi-HR game (fourth this season) in Game 2… He became the first player in MLB history to throw a shutout in one game of a doubleheader and homer in the other (ELIAS).
LATE COMEBACKS: Halos have four wins this season when trailing after eight innings, which is the highest total for the Club since 2017, when the Angels had five wins when trailing after eight frames.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP CHASE SILSETH
2-1, 4.44 ERA
Making third Major League start of the season
- TODAY’S GAME: Making 11th Major League appearance (third start) of the season and sixth road outing (second start) of 2023.
- BACK IN THE BIGS: Recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on July 19 for second stint of season with Angels…Began year with Salt Lake, was recalled by Angels on April 26 and optioned back to Salt Lake on June 3.
- FROM THE ‘PEN: In eight games as a reliever for the Angels, is 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA (15.1 IP – 7 ER) and 10 strikeouts…Worked 5.0 scoreless innings across first three games, allowing no hits and three walks…Pitched 2.0+ innings in six of the eight relief outings.
- LAST TIME OUT: Earned second win of the season in last start on July 19 vs. New York (A.L.) after tossing 5.2 innings and allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
- DOUBLE DIGITS: Set a new career high with 10 punchouts against the Yankees on July 19.
- VS. ATLANTA/AT TRUIST PARK: Today is first career appearance vs. Braves and first game at Truist Park.
- INTERLEAGUE: Is 0-1 with a 9.53 ERA (5.2 IP – 6 ER) in four career games (one start)
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
Home Runs
Atlanta hit four more home runs yesterday against Milwaukee, and combined to total 11 homers in the three-game series. There have been nine instances this season of a team hitting at least 11 homers in a three-game span, and the Braves are responsible for four of those. Atlanta hit 12 homers over three games from June 27 to June 30, and had 11 from June 16 to June 18 and June 30 to July 2. The Braves’ 199 home runs this season are most in the majors, 31 more than any other club. With a home run tonight, Atlanta can become the second team in history with 200 home runs before August (2019 Twins).
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Angels tonight open a three-game series in what is the only scheduled meetings between the clubs this season… Atlanta and Los Angeles last met here at Truist Park last year.
- The Braves took two-of-three from the Angels last season, in what was their first series since 2017… This marks this first time in history that Atlanta and Los Angeles have met in consecutive seasons.
- Atlanta and Los Angeles have met just 18 times since the advent of interleague play in 1997, with the teams splitting those games, 9-9 (.500)… Neither club has ever swept the other, and the two have alternated series wins, two-games-to-one, in each of the six total series they have played.
- The Braves’ series versus the Angels here at Truist Park last year was the only set between the two clubs here since the stadium was built in 2017…Atlanta is 5-4 all-time in its home stadium against Los Angeles.
- RH Charlie Morton is set to make his 11th career start against the Angels, and is 4-1 with a 3.83 ERA (22 ER/51.2 IP) over his first 10 turns…The 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander last faced them last season here at Truist Park, and pitched 6.0 scoreless innings in a no-decision…Morton has made 20 starts for Atlanta this season and is 10-8 with a 3.57 ERA (45 ER/113.1 IP), including a 3-2 record and a 2.86 ERA (9 ER/28.1 IP) in five starts this month.
- RH Chase Silseth has never pitched against Atlanta, and has faced just one member of the Braves’ active roster…C Sean Murphy is 1-for-4 against him…The 6-foot-0, 217-pound native of Farmington, MI, has made 10 appearances and two starts for the Angels this season, compiling a 2-1 record with 4.44 ERA (12 ER/24.1 IP).
WIN: Atlanta scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a tie and beat Milwaukee, 8-6, yesterday afternoon…The win completed the three-game sweep of the Brewers.
- The sweep was the 10th of the season for Atlanta, and the club’s first since taking all three from Miami, June 30 to July 2.
- Atlanta and Milwaukee were tied, 6-6, entering the bottom of the eighth inning yesterday, and the Braves moved to 8-3 (.727) this season when tied after the seventh…Just two teams in baseball have been better when tied that late…Tonight’s opponent Los Angeles is an MLB-best 9-3 (.750), while St. Louis is 11-4 (.733).
- The Braves improved to 24-6 (.800) against Central division opponents this season, the best mark across the majors…Atlanta has gone 13-2 (.867) against the N.L. Central and 11-4 (.733) against the division in the American League.
- Michael Harris II singled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to an MLB-best 12 games.
MATT OLSON: Connected on a pair of home runs yesterday afternoon, including a go-ahead, two-run blast in the eighth inning…Olson’s 35 home runs are the most in the National League and trail just the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (39) – who Atlanta will see this series – for most in the majors.
- Olson now has six multi-homer games this season, most in the majors…The Dodgers’ Max Muncy is second with five…The single-season Atlanta-era record for the Braves is nine such games, done by Andruw Jones in 2005.
- Olson’s second homer of the game yesterday served as the game-winner, and was the eighth homer of his career to give his team the lead in the eighth inning or later…It was his second such homer since joining Atlanta, with his first coming on June 28 of last season in Philadelphia.
- With his two home runs yesterday, Olson’s 35 on the season stand as the most before August in Atlanta-franchise history…Andrés Galarraga held the previous record with 33…Olson is pacing for a franchise record 55 home runs this season.
- In 35 games since moving out of the No. 2 spot in the batting order, Olson is hitting .319/.388/.778 with 17 homers (most in the N.L.) and 43 RBI (most in the majors)…The Braves are 25-10 (.714) since that date, June 15, and have averaged 6.51 runs per game.
FIRST INNING RONALD: Ronald Acuña Jr. singled to lead off yesterday’s first inning, the 52nd time he has reached base safely leading off a game for Atlanta… He has come around to score 32 times in the first, the most such runs in the majors.
- Acuña Jr. is batting .424/.500/.663 in the first inning, the best average and on-base in baseball… His 1.163 OPS in the innings trails just teammate Matt Olson (1.203).
- Atlanta is 26-12 (.684) when he records a hit in the first inning this season.
FIRST INNING TEAM: Austin Riley drove a two-run home run out to left-center in yesterday’s first inning, and the Braves’ 109 first-inning runs lead the majors this season…Atlanta’s total stands as 27 more than any team has scored in the opening frame (Dodgers, 82).
- Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, Atlanta’s 109 runs, 32 home runs and 147 hits in the first inning are the most by any team in any inning this season…The Braves have outscored their opponents by 72 runs in the first inning, the best single-inning run differential in the majors.
- Atlanta is on pace to score 171 runs in the first inning this season…If that 171-run pace is maintained, the Braves would break the first-inning run record for both the N.L. and MLB…The 2000 Cardinals scored 147 runs in the first inning to set the N.L. record, while the 1950 Red Sox set the MLB record with 160 opening-frame runs.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #50 Charlie Morton RHP
2023 Record: 10-8, 3.57 ERA • 2022 Record: 9-6, 4.34 ERA
vs. RHB: .274 (63-230), 4 HR • vs. LHB: .234 (47-201), 6 HR
Home: 5-4, 3.83 ERA (24/56.1) • Away: 5-4, 3.32 ERA (21/57.0)
Today’s Game
- Set to make his 21st start of the season and first against Los Angeles (AL).
- Suffered his eighth loss of the season after allowing four runs, six hits and five walks over 3.2 innings pitched in a rain-delayed start in Boston.
- Finished the first half of the season with a 3.43 ERA; the fifth lowest ERA prior to the All-Star break in a single season of his 15-year MLB career.
- Earned his 10th win of the season spinning 7.0 shutout-innings against CWS.
- Morton has now won at least 10 games in six different seasons.
- His 10 wins are tied for fifth most in the National League.
- Became the first Braves pitcher since R.A. Dickey in 2017 to toss 7.0 scoreless frames and get the win age 39 or older.
- Joined Justin Verlander and Adam Wainwright as the only active pitchers in baseball to win at least 10 games at the age of 39 or older in a season.
- Became just the fifth pitcher in the Braves franchise history to record 10 wins in a season after turning 39 (Niekro [5], Spahn [4], Smoltz [2], Dickey [1]).
- Morton has struck out 357 hitters with his curveball since the beginning of the 2020; the most in the majors.
- During that span hitters are missing on 53.0% of curveballs thrown, the second highest rate in the majors…The MLB average is 11.6% (among QS).
- Utilizing his curveball on 44.6% of pitches thrown this season.
- Morton’s 1024 strikeouts since the 2018 season are the fourth most in baseball.
- Prior to the 2018 season, Morton threw his curveball on 21.3% of pitches throughout his career.
- Since the beginning of 2018 he has thrown his curve on 36.6% of pitches.
- Morton’s 30.5% swing and miss rate is the fifth highest among qualifiers in the NL.
- Teammate Spencer Strider leads league with a rate of 40.0%
- Hitters are registering a .329 batting average on balls in play against Morton in ’23.
- Since the beginning of June, Morton owns a .315 BABIP.
- Had a .337 battting average on balls in play through his first 10 starts.
- Hitters are averaging a 7.40 launch angle against Morton; MLB average is 11.40.
- Fifth lowest rate in the National league.
- In his age 39 season, Morton is the sixth-oldest active pitcher in the majors.
2023 Recap
- Morton is one six active pitchers with at least 15 starts in 13 different seasons.
- Trails only Zack Greinke (17), Clayton Kershaw (15), Justin Verlander (15), Max Scherzer (14), and Cole Hamels (14).
- Morton struck out Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz for 1,800 on his career.
- Is now one of 13 acitve pitchers in baseball with as many punchouts.
- Became the sixth pitcher in franchise history to pitch at least 6.0 innings and strikeout nine or more in an outing at age 39 or older.
- Passed R.A. Dickey and Hall-of-Famer Cy Young with three such games.
- Trails Hall-of-Famers Phil Niekro (10), John Smoltz (8), and Warren Spahn (4).
- Struck out 10 hitters over 6.2 scoreless innings in his win against Texas on May 15.
- Has now struckout at least 10 hitters in six games since turning 38, passing Hall-of-Famer Cy Young for the ninth most such games dating to 1901.
- Morton is the first player with at least six games of 10 or more strikeouts at his age since Hall-of-Famers Randy Johnson and John Smoltz.
