MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
No team release available.
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
Day Games
Atlanta is set to play its second day game of the weekend this afternoon, and the Braves’ win yesterday moved the club to 20-9 (.690) in the daytime this season. That is the best such record in the National League, and behind just the Yankees (22-8, .733) for the best mark in baseball. Atlanta won 101 games and had the third-best overall record in the majors last year, but went just 24-27 (.471) in day games. The Braves have won eight consecutive daytime games dating to June 14 at Detroit, outscoring their opponents by a 63-28 (+35) margin. It is the longest active day-game winning streak in the majors.
TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Marlins today conclude a three-game weekend series in what is the 10th of 13 games between the teams this season…The two next meet for the final three games of the season set, September 15-17, in Miami.
- Atlanta is 8-1 against Miami this season, outscoring the Marlins, 77-26 (+51)…The Marlins are 1-8 with a -51 run differential against the Braves, and 47-28 with a +32 run differential against all other teams.
- With Friday’s win, the Braves clinched the season set versus the Marlins…Atlanta has won the season set against Miami for nine consecutive years now, dating to 2015…Moreover, the Braves have won double-digit games over the Marlins in 17 of the last 19 full seasons…They went 9-10 in 2014 and 8-10 in 2009…Since 2015, the Braves are 99-52 (.656) against Miami.
- Atlanta is 307-202 (.603) all-time against the Marlins franchise since it was founded in 1993… The Braves’ 307 wins versus Miami since the start of 1993 are its most against any one team in baseball…Per Elias, since 1993, only one MLB club has beaten another club more times than Atlanta has beaten Miami…The New York Yankees have beaten the Baltimore Orioles 311 times since that year.
- RH Spencer Strider is set for his fourth appearance and second start against Miami, and is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP) versus the Marlins…In his only such start, April 24 earlier this season, he pitched 8.0 scoreless innings with two walks and 13 strikeouts…The 6-foot-0, 195-pound righthander is 9-2 with a 3.73 ERA (38 ER/91.2 IP) in 16 starts for Atlanta this season, and leads the majors with 146 strikeouts.
- RH Sandy Alcantara has made 12 career starts against Atlanta, compiling a 4-3 record and a 2.67 ERA (5 ER/10.2 IP)…In two starts versus the Braves this season, the reigning NL Cy Young award winner is 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA (5 ER/10.2 IP), and in 16 total turns for the Marlins this year he is 3-6 with a 4.82 ERA (55 ER/102.2 IP).
WIN: Five Atlanta pitchers combined to throw a six-hit shutout as the Braves blanked the Marlins, 7-0, yesterday afternoon…Atlanta’s win (55-27, .671), coupled with Tampa Bay’s loss (57-29, .663), gives the Braves the best record in baseball.
- Atlanta pitched its seventh shutout of the season yesterday, tied for fourth in the National League and sixth in baseball.
- The win yesterday clinched the 20th series victory of the season for Atlanta, moving the Braves to 20-5-2 in series play on the year.
- The Braves have won each of their last nine games at Truist Park and 15 of 16, overall, dating to May 28…Their nine-game home winning streak is their best run at Truist Park this season, and their longest here since collecting 10 straight wins from August 21 to September 20 of last year
FIRST INNING: Atlanta scored six runs and hit two homers in the first inning yesterday afternoon, and its 87 first-inning runs on the season are most in the majors… No other team has more than 66 runs in the first.
- The Braves have combined for 11 first-inning runs in the first two games of this series, and have scored at least five runs in the first frame four times this year…No other team has done so more than twice.
- Atlanta’s 87 runs, 29 home runs and 121 hits in the first are the most in each category by any team in any inning this season, per MLB’s Sarah Langs… The Braves’ plus-62 run differential in the first is 22 runs better than any other team in a single inning.
- The Braves are on pace for 172 first-inning runs this season, which would stand as a modern era major league record…The 1950 Boston Red Sox hold the current mark, scoring 160 first-inning runs in just 145 games…The current Braves franchise record is 127 first-inning runs, set by the 1999 club.
- Each of Atlanta’s first six batters recorded a hit in yesterday’s first inning, the first time the club has done so September 22, 2017 vs. Philadelphia…The Braves are batting .343/.384/.674 as a team in the first inning, with a 1.058 OPS.
VS THE NL EAST: Atlanta is set to play its final intra-division game prior to the All-Star break this afternoon, and the Braves are 21-6 (.778) against NL East division opponents this season.
- No other NL East team is above .500 in intra-division games…The Mets are 13-13 (.500), Miami is 11-14 (.440), Philadelphia is 8-12 (.400) and Washington is 8-16 (.333).
- Atlanta’s .778 intra-division winning percentage is by far the best mark by a team against its own division this year…Houston and Milwaukee, with 14-7 (.667) and 12-6 (.667) marks, respectively, against their divisions, rank second.
- Since the Braves’ run of consecutive division titles began in 2018, Atlanta has played to a 233-138 (.628) mark against the NL East…Only the Dodgers (241-129, .651) and Astros (235-130, .644) have been better inside their own divisions.
- Atlanta has not lost a series to an NL East club this season, going 8-0-1 in series play…The Braves last lost an intra-division series in the final set of last season, dropping two-of-three to Miami.
GOOD OPPONENTS: Atlanta improved to 24-15 (.615) against opponents with a winning record yesterday afternoon, the best such mark in baseball…The Yankees rank second with a 24-18 (.571) record.
- Since June 20, Atlanta has played Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Miami, all of which are .500 or better, and combined to go 9-1.
- Furthermore, the Phillies were 13-2 in their previous 15 games prior to playing Atlanta, Cincinnati had won 11 straight, Minnesota sat in first place in the AL Central, and Miami was 11-3 in its prior 14 games.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #99 Spencer Strider RHP
2023 Record: 9-2, 3.73 ERA • 2022 Record: 11-5, 2.67 ERA
vs. RHB: .200 (34-170), 8 HR • vs. LHB: .213 (36-for-169), 5 HR
Home: 3-1, 3.35 ERA (21/46.0) • Away: 6-1, 3.35 ERA (17/45.2)
Tonight’s Game
- Strider is set to make his 17th start this year and second against Miami.
- Leads the majors with 146 strikeouts.
- Would become the first Braves pitcher to enter the All-Star break leading the National League in Strikeouts since Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz in 1996.
- Strider needs three strikeouts to tie Smoltz’ pre-All-Star strikeout total of 149.
- Riding a five-game winning streak; tied for the second longest active streak in the majors.
- Struck out 10 hitters while holding Minnesota to three hits, two walks and a solo home run through 7.0 innings pitched of one-run ball in his last turn.
- Leads all qualified starters with a rate of 14.33 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
- Dating to 1901, his 15.14 K/9 rate is the highest of any player through 10 starts to open a season.
- The next closest were Tyler Glasnow (’20) and Jacob deGrom (’21), through their first 10 starts in a season dating to 1901.
- His swing and miss rate of 39.7% is the highest in the majors (among QS).
- Strider’s 53.6% rate of pitches in the zone is the fourth highest in the National League among qualifiers.
2023 Recap
- Strider joined Cy Young award winner, Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers in the modern era to reach 300 strikeouts in their first 35 career starts.
- Through the 35 starts, Gooden recorded 302 strikeouts in 248.0 innings pitched while Strider logged 301 punchouts in 192.0 frames.
- His 136 punchouts are the mosth in Braves franchise history through a pitcher’s first 15 games to start a season…HOF’er John Smoltz struck out 125 in 1996.
- His 10 games of at least 10 strikeouts are third most in MLB history (since 1901) through a player’s first 32 starts.
- Struckout Nick Castellanos in the fourth inning on May 28 to become the fastest starting pitcher, by innings pitched (61.0), to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893…Strider bested his own franchise record, set last season in 64.2 innings. (Research courtesy of Elias)
- Struckout J.T. Realmuto to reach 300 on his career.
- Strider became the 13th player in major league history to record at least 300 strikeouts in 44 career appearances or less and first since Shane Bieber in 2018.
- Of the other 12 pitchers, Strider is the only one to have more than two relief appearances in his first 44 outings.
- Snapped a streak of 12 consecutive games with at least eight strikeouts on May 17.
- 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.
- 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.
- Recorded a streak of nine consecutive games with at least nine strikeouts between 9/1/22-5/1/23; it is tied for third-longest such streak in the modern era (1900).
- Passed Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz for the longest streak in franchise history.
- Carried a perfect game into the seventh inning on April 24against Miami until he lost his bid on a Matt Olson error.
- Struckout a season-high 13 hitters.
