LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
TODAY’S STARTER at REDS: LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (7-4, 3.25 ERA in 12 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Over 11 starts, the Texas native owns a 7-4 record with a 3.25 ERA (25 ER/69.1 IP) with 75 strikeouts against 17 walks and has generated a 1.10 WHIP
- Notched his 200th career win in his start on April 18 against the Mets, making him the only Los Angeles Dodger to win 200 games with the same franchise…joins Don Sutton (233) and Don Drysdale (209) on the Dodger all-time list…
- Currently 21st all-time on the Major League strikeout list with 2,891…he needs 109 more to become the 20th player in Major League history
with 3,000 strikeouts • Has fired 6.0+ strikeouts in 10 out of his 12 starts this season - He was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April after posting a 5-1 record with a 1.89 ERA (8 ER/38.0 IP) and 41 strikeouts and a 0.76 WHIP
VS. REDS:
- Will face Cincinnati for the 15th time in his career…is 6-2 with a 2.25 ERA (24 ER/96.0 IP) and 107 strikeouts against 24 walks
- Last faced the club on June 23, 2022, tossing 6.0 innings of one-run ball while giving up seven hits, one walk and seven punchouts en route to the win
CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
RED HOTS
- This afternoon’s game is the 1,600th at Great American Ball Park (813- 785-1, .509)…the ballpark opened in 2003.
- Reds baserunners in 55 attempts have scored 54 runs from second base on singles…both lead the Major Leagues.
- Reds batters are tied for third in the Major Leagues with 62 stolen bases (TB 82, Pit 68, Ari 62), their highest total since 2019 (80sb)…recorded 58 stolen bases all last season…have been successful on 22 of their last 23 attempts, including an active streak of 4 straight successful steals.
- The Reds rank 26th in the Major Leagues with 51 HR, their fewest in 62 games since 1989 (51hr)…from 4/18-4/25, this year’s team did not produce a home run in a season-high 8 consecutive games, their longest team homerless streak since 1992.
TODAY’S GAME
- Is Game 3 (2-0) of a 3-game series vs Juan Dorado’s Dodgers and Game 7 (3-3) of a 7-game homestand that included a 3-1 series loss to the Brewers.
- This afternoon the Reds are looking for their first series sweep of the Dodgers since a 4-game sweep in May 2018 at Dodger Stadium and their first series sweep here since 9/6-9/8, 2013 (3g).
- Following this afternoon’s game, the Reds hit the road again for a 10-day, 9-game road trip to StL (3g), KC (3g) and Hou (off day, 3g).
SERIES NOTES
- Tue’s dramatic 9-8 win snapped the Reds’ 9-game losing streak to the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park…the Reds last beat LAD here in a 3-1 win on 9/17/21.
- The Dodgers’ .606 winning percentage at Great American Ball Park (40-26) is the second-best by any National League team (NYM, .619).
- Last season’s 7-0 series win by the Dodgers was only the third season series sweep by either team, all won by LAD (6-0 in 2006, 6-0 in 2017).
CARDINALS UP NEXT…
- This weekend the Reds and Cardinals will meet for the second time this season, including a 2-2 series split from 5/22-5/25 at GABP.
- In 2022, the Cardinals won 12 of the 19 games and 5 of the 6 series.
- From 7/15-7/24 and surrounding the 2022 All-Star break, the Reds and Cardinals played 5 straight games for the first time since 9/7-9/11, 1962.
- From 9/15-9/18, 2022 at Busch Stadium, the Reds and Cardinals faced off in a 5-game series (3-2 Cardinals series win) for the first time since 7/25-7/27, 1958 (3-2 Reds series win).
…FOLLOWED BY THE ROYALS
- The Redlegs are 14-18 all-time vs KC, including a 2-1 series win at KC in their most recent meeting (2021).
- The Reds’ first appearance at Kauffman Stadium, a 3-game sweep here in June 1999, was their first appearance in Kansas City since the Red Stockings and Cowboys of the American Association met in 1889.
- The first game of that June 1999 series was postponed because of a power failure…the Reds swept the next day’s doubleheader, 9-4 and 7-4 in 10 innings, before winning the series finale, 14-3…was the first doubleheader in interleague history.
INTERLEAGUE NOTES
- Before the interleague schedule expanded this season to include games vs all 15 American League teams, from 1997-2022 the Redlegs went 188-
247 vs the American League, at .432 the lowest interleague winning percentage of any Major League team…in 2022 the Reds went 12-8 vs AL teams (0-2 vs Cle, 2-0 at Cle, 1-2 at Tor, 1-1 at Bos, 3-0 vs TB, 2-1 at NYY, 2-1 vs Bal, 1-1 vs Bos)…last season’s was their first winning record vs the AL since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs AL teams (.381).
Today’s Pitcher – #51 Graham Ashcraft, RHP
This afternoon is making his first career appearance and start vs the Dodgers.
- Produced 5 of the Reds’ 14 quality starts.
- In his first 6 starts through 5/2 went 2-0, 2.00 (36ip, 8er, .202baa)…in his last 6 starts beginning went 1-4, 12.99 (26.1ip, 38er, .380baa).
- In Sat’s 10-8 loss vs Mil allowed a career-high 10 runs…allowed 2 home runs, tying his career high.
- Became the first Reds pitcher to begin a season with 6 starts without allowing more than 2 earned runs in any of those starts since Luis Castillo began the 2019 campaign by allowing 2 ER or fewer in each of his first 7 starts.
- In his first 3 starts (19ip, 3er) became the eighth Reds pitcher, since 1901 and including Nick Lodolo in 2023, to begin a season with at least 17.0 innings while allowing 4 earned runs or fewer.
- Between a solo HR by Pit’s Bryan Reynolds in his season debut and a 2-run HR by WSox’ Hanser Alberto’s on 5/7 in his seventh start, Ashcraft recorded a career-high homerless streak of 33.0 innings.
- In the 17-4 loss on 5/7 vs WSox allowed a career-high 8 runs in 1.2 innings…was the shortest start of his career and the shortest start by a Reds pitcher to that point in the season…was charged with all 8 runs in the second inning after throwing a perfect first…entered that 5/7 start leading all National League pitchers in bWAR (2.1), the third-best bWAR among all players in the Major Leagues (Gerrit Cole 2.5, Ronald Acuña Jr. 2.2).
