LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S STARTER at BRAVES: RHP BOBBY MILLER (1-1, 5.65 ERA in 4 GS in AAA)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Illinois native looks to make his Major League debut tonight against the Braves
- Owns a 1-1 record across four starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City with a 5.65 ERA (9 ER/14.1 IP) with 12 strikeouts and just 6 issued walks…has limited the opposition to a .212/.295/.385 slashline
- Was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training…did not appear
VS. BRAVES:
- Will make his Major League debut today against Atlanta
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Dodgers tonight continue a three-game series in what is the first of seven scheduled meetings between the clubs this season…Atlanta will travel to Los Angeles, August 31 to September 3, for a four-game set at Dodger Stadium.
- Los Angeles beat Atlanta, 8-6, last night to win the opener of the series.
- The Braves and Dodgers played six times last season, with Atlanta going 2-4 in these games… Los Angeles won two-of-three at both Dodger Stadium and here at Truist Park.
- Atlanta has not won the season set against Los Angeles since 2013, when it went 5-2 over seven games…Since the 2014 season, the Braves are just 16-36 (.308) in 52 regular season games versus the Dodgers, and have been outscored 248-174 (-74).
- The Braves and Dodgers have played 17 total games here at Truist Park since the facility opened in 2017, with Atlanta going 7-10 (.412) against Los Angeles in that span.
- Since the 2018 season, Los Angeles (488-270, .644) and Atlanta (440-313, .584) are the two winningest teams in the N.L…The two clubs have met in three of the last five postseasons, including twice in the NLCS, with Atlanta going 8-9 in 17 playoff games against Los Angeles…The clubs enter tonight with the two best records in the N.L. this season.
- RH Spencer Strider has made one career appearance against the Dodgers, pitching 6.0 shutout innings with seven strikeouts here at Truist Park on June 26 of last season…He took a no-decision in Atlanta’s 11-inning loss…The 24-yearold leads the majors with 86 strikeouts this season, and is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA (17 ER/51.2 IP) in nine starts.
DEBUT VS. ATLANTA: RH Bobby Miller is set to make his first major league start tonight, and is the second starting pitcher to debut against Atlanta this season…Miller is ranked by MLB.com as the Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect and as the No. 19 prospect in baseball.
- Miller is 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA (9 ER/14.1 IP) in \four starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, and is 10-10 with a 3.79 ERA (77 ER/183.0 IP) in 45 career games in the minors.
- LH Cody Bradford made his debut for the Rangers earlier this season, April 15, against Atlanta, and allowed seven hits and six runs in 5.0 innings to take the loss.
- Since 2000, 34 pitchers had made their debuts with a start against Atlanta…They have combined to go 7-17 with a 6.16 ERA (117 ER/171.0 IP), and their teams are just 13-21 in these games.
- Miller is just the second Dodgers pitcher to debut with a start against Atlanta since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, joining Shawn Hillegas who did so in 1987…Hillegas earned the win in that
FIRST INNING PT. II: Atlanta’s 41 first-inning runs this season are the most in baseball, three more than the Dodgers and Rays…The Braves have scored at least one first-inning run in 21 games this season, including seven of their last nine home games and each of the last four.
- Atlanta owns the best record in the National League in games in which its scores in the first inning, going 16-5 (.762)…Only Minnesota (12-0, 1.000), Detroit (11-2, .846), Tampa Bay (16-4, .800), Texas (12-3, .800) and Houston (13-4, .765) have been better in baseball.
- Atlanta has scored at least four runs in the first inning four times this season, tied for most in the majors, but is just 2-2 in these games following last night’s loss…The Braves also lost to Houston, 6-4, after scoring four in the first on April 21.
- Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled on the fifth pitch of the first inning and Sean Murphy singled him home four pitches later, and Atlanta led Los Angeles, 1-0, nine pitches into the first inning yesterday.
- The Braves have scored 19 runs this season within the first 10 pitches of the game, most in the majors… Atlanta also leads the league in average (.436), on-base (.460), slugging (.840), OPS (1.300), hits (41) and home runs (9) in that span.
- Atlanta is on pace to score 141 first-inning runs this season…The Braves have scored 100 first-inning runs just five times since 2000, including 121 in 2003.
AUSTIN RILEY: Doubled in last night’s fifth inning for his 500th career hit…He also has 298 career RBI, and collected his 100th career home run earlier this season.
- Riley needs just two RBI to have 500 hits, 100 homers and 300 RBI for his career, and tonight plays his 498th major league game.
- Per the Elias Sports Bureau, just three players in franchise history have reached 500/100/300 in fewer games than Riley…Fred McGriff did o in 412 games after making his Braves debut, Bob Horner needed 429, and Hall-of-Famer Eddie Mathews did it in 456 games.
- Since his debut on May 15, 2019, just 11 players in the majors have 500 hits, 100 homers and 300 RBI, including teammate Matt Olson (506 hits, 134 homers, 380 RBI).
LOSS: Atlanta took a four-run lead into the second inning last night, but Los Angeles rallied to come back and beat the Braves, 8-6.
- Entering play, Atlanta had been 17-1 (.944) in games in which it led by four-or-more runs at any point… The four-run blown lead matches the Braves’ largest of the season…Atlanta led 4-0 entering the ninth inning on April 27 vs. Miami, before losing, 5-4.
- Eddie Rosario homered for Atlanta in last night’s first inning, and the Braves have hit at least one home run in nine straight games, dating to May 13 at Toronto… The run is tied with Minnesota for the longest active streak in MLB…For Atlanta, it is the longest run since a 12-game stretch from July 5-16, 2022.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #99 Spencer Strider RHP
2023 Record: 4-1, 2.96 ERA • 2022 Record: 11-5, 2.67 ERA
vs. RHB: .176 (18-95), 3 HR • vs. LHB: .176 (16-for-91), 1 HR
Home: 1-0, 3.13 ERA (8 ER/23.0) • Away: 3-1, 2.83 ERA (9/28.2)
Today’s Game
- Strider is set to make his 10th start this year and second of his career against LA.
- Gave up a season-most four runs and a career-high two home runs while fanning seven hitters in his last start against Texas.
- Snapped the longest active streak in baseball of 12 consecutive games with at least eight strikeouts in his last outing.
- Tied Hall-of-Famers Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson for the seventh longest such streak in the live ball era.
- Only Hall-of-Famers Ryan, Johnson, Pedro Martínez and active pitchers Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber have longer streaks.
- Leads all qualified starters with a rate of 14.98 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
- Dating to 1901, his 15.24 K/9 rate is the highest of any player through eight starts to open a season.
- The next closest were Tyler Glasnow (’20), Jacob deGrom (’21), Kerry Wood (’98), and Corbin Burnes (’21) through their first eight starts in a season dating to 1901.
- His swing and miss rate of 40.4% is the highest in the majors (among QS).
- Strider’s 57.2% rate of pitches in the zone is the third highest among qualifiers; trails only Seattle’s George Kirby and Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller.
2023 Recap
- Struck out 12 hitters on May 12 at Toronto, giving Strider nine games of at least 10 strikeouts; the most through a player’s first 41 appearances in franchise history(1901).
- The next closest were Brandon Beachy, Tommy Hanson, and Julio Teheran with three each in their first 41 outings.
- Tied with Noah Syndergaard, Kerry Wood, and Al Downing for seventh most in MLB history (dating to 1901) through a player’s first 41 games.
- On May 1 against New York (NL) Strider snapped his streak of nine consecutive games with at least nine strikeouts that begun on September 1, 2022.
- It is tied for third-longest such streak in the modern era (since 1900).
- Passed Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz for the longest streak in franchise history.
- Carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in his last start against Miami until he lost his bid on a Matt Olson error.
- Maintained a no-hitter through 7.1 innings; broken up on a single by Jean Segura.
- Struckout a season-high 13 hitters and finished with two hits allowed over 8.0 innings pitched.
- Started the second game of the season for Atlanta and earned the win, fanning nine hitters while pitching 6.0 scoreless innings against Washington.
