MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today play the first of three games at the Dodgers to begin a six-game West Coast road trip that concludes with a three-game set at the Padres from Monday-Wednesday. Miami is coming off an off-day on Thursday that followed a six-game homestand vs. the Yankees (2-1) and Astros (1-2).
- Due to the forecast related to Hurricane Hilary, MLB announced that Sunday’s Marlins at Dodgers game will become the earlier game of a split doubleheader on Saturday with Game 1 at 3 p.m. ET and Game 2 at 9:10 p.m. ET.
FISH BYTES
- Miami ranks 2nd in the NL with 1,085 hits (3rd in MLB behind Texas and Atlanta), and ranks 3rd in the Majors in batting average (.262), behind Atlanta (.271) and Texas (.274).
- The Marlins own 48 games in which the offense has collected 10+ hits. Is tied with Boston for the 4th-most 10+ hit efforts in MLB behind Texas (58), Atlanta (54), and St. Louis (50). In 2022, the Marlins collected 10+ hits just 43 times.
- The Marlins pitching staff leads the National League with 1,150 strikeouts (2nd most in Majors behind MIN-1,164).
- Miami has gone just 3-11 on the road since the All-Star Break. Had gone 23-21 prior.
ENTER SANDMAN
Tonight’s starter, RHP Sandy Alcantara, recorded his MLB-leading 3rd complete game of 2023, and 12th of his career, last Saturday, Aug. 12 vs. NYY. Since the start of 2018, his 12 complete games are the most in MLB and are double the amount of any other pitcher.
- Alcantara is tied with Kevin Brown for 3rd in Marlins history with 10 complete-game wins, trailing only A.J. Burnett (12) and Dontrelle Willis (13). He also ranks 3rd with his 12 complete games as a Marlin, behind A.J. Burnett (14) and Dontrelle Willis (15).
- With 10 strikeouts on Aug. 12 vs. NYY, recorded a season-high and moved into 3rd place on the Marlins all-time strikeouts list (763), trailing Josh Johnson (832) and Ricky Nolasco (1,001). His 13 career double-digit strikeout games are tied for the 2nd most in Marlins history with Ricky Nolasco, trailing only Jose Fernandez (18).
- Over his last 4 starts, Alcantara has posted a 1.69 ERA, allowing 6 earned runs over 32.0 innings pitched with 4 walks and 29 strikeouts (7.25 K/BB).
CROSS-COUNTRY RIVALS
During his Cy Young campaign in 2022, RHP Sandy Alcantara made 2 consecutive starts against the Dodgers. Allowed a season-high 10 hits in just 3.2 innings at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 21, before bouncing back to keep the Dodgers to 1 run on 6 hits with 10 strikeouts in what his 4th complete game of the year on Aug. 27 at loanDepot park.
HOLLYWOOD HORRORS
The Marlins return to Dodger Stadium this weekend, where they have gone 45-60 all-time against the Dodgers and just 1-8 in the last three trips here. Overall, Miami is 96-119 against the NL-West leading Dodgers.
WEDNESDAY’S RECAP
Miami dropped the rubber match against Houston on Wednesday, 12-5. LHP Jesus Luzardo allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits with 3 walks over 3.2 innings, including 3 home runs in the 1st inning. The offense rallied to nearly erase the early 5-run deficit before a bullpen implosion in the 7th inning that allowed 6 runs to score on 4 walks and 3 hits. 3B Jake Burger went 3×4 with 2 RBI.
BURGER KING
3B Jake Burger is hitting .340 (18×53) with 5 doubles, 1 home run, and 8 RBI through his first 14 games since being acquired by Miami from the White Sox on Aug. 1. Has reached base safely in 13 of the 14 games.
- Extended his hitting streak to 8 straight games with his 3×4 effort on Wednesday, matching his career-long hitting streak from June 4-12, 2022. Has 4 multi-hit games in this span, batting .438 with a 1.048 OPS.
RING THE BELL
1B Josh Bell has reached base safely in 13 of 14 games since joining the Marlins, batting .309 with 11 runs scored, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, and 10 RBI. In reaching base in his first 12 games with the club, it marked the second longest on-base streak by a Marlins’ mid-season acquisition behind only Gary Sheffield (13 G, 1993) – Elias Sports Bureau.
GREAT SCOTT
Marlins reliever LHP Tanner Scott leads all National League relievers with 81 strikeouts (5th in MLB) and is tied for the most relief appearances (55) in MLB. His 26 multi-strikeout appearances also lead the National League and are the fifth-most such outings in baseball.
- Is 9 strikeouts shy of his career-high 90 strikeouts in 2022 which rank as the 3rd-most strikeouts by a reliever in club history. Only Robb Nen (92, 1996) and Kyle Barraclough (113, 2016) have struck out more batters in relief.
LA REGADERA
2B Luis Arraez leads MLB with his .361 AVG (164×454) and 164 hits. Is tied for the highest AVG and the most hits by a Marlin through his first 116 games of a season (Hanley Ramirez, 2009).
- 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 .455 (40×88) with RISP, also the best mark among qualifiers. The Marlins record for average with RISP (min. 100 ABs) is held by Miguel Cabrera’s .378 mark in 2006.
FALSE STARTS
Miami has gone just 15-24 in the first game of a series in 2023, including dropping 6 consecutive series openers on the road.
DUCKS ON THE POND
The Marlins are batting just .199 (49×246) with runners in scoring position since the All-Star break, the 2nd-worst mark in MLB ahead of only Oakland (.192). Batted .266 with RISP prior to the break, the 4th-highest in the National League.
ON DECK
Of Miami’s remaining 40 games, 21 are against teams currently in playoff position (53%).
HOME OF BEISBOL
Attendance at loanDepot park is up nearly 25% through the first 64 home games compared to the 2022 season. The Marlins are coming off the largest attended series in ballpark history, when they hosted a total of 100,001 fans at the three game set vs. the Yankees last weekend. Last year’s attendance total (907,487) is expected to be surpassed during the next Marlins home game.
STARTING PITCHER – #22 SANDY ALCANTARA
- The reigning NL Cy Young Sandy Alcantara will make his 25th start of the season today. Will mark his sixth career start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Last faced the Dodgers on Aug. 27, 2022 at loanDepot park. Tossed the 4th complete game of his NL Cy Young campaign, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks with 10 strikeouts.
- In his most recent start vs. New York-AL on August 12, tossed his MLB-leading 3rd complete game of the season (12 career), allowing 1 run on 5 hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters.
- Since the start of 2018, his 12 complete games are the most in MLB and is double the amount of any other pitcher (Gerrit Cole, Adam Wainwright, and Framber Valdez each have 6)
- His 10 strikeouts on Aug. 12 marked his 13th career double-digit strikeout game. Is tied with Ricky Nolasco for the 2nd most such starts in Marlins history trailing only José Fernández (18).
- Is tied with Kevin Brown for 3rd in franchise history with 10 complete game wins, trailing A.J. Burnett (12) and Dontrelle Willis (13). Ranks 3rd with 12 complete games as a Marlin, behind A.J. Burnett (14) and Dontrelle Willis (15).
- His 763 strikeouts with Marlins rank 3rd on the Club all-time list behind Josh Johnson (832).
- His 158.1 innings pitched this season rank 3rd in MLB behind ARI’s Zac Gallen (162.0) and SF’s Logan Webb (163.0).
- Has gone at least 7.0 innings in 10 of his 24 starts; tied for the third-most starts in the NL.
- Has 866.0 IP w/ Marlins (4th on Marlins all-time list behind Josh Johnson – 916.2). Is just the sixth player with 800+ innings pitched as a Marlin.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
THE DIRTY DOZEN?: The Dodgers won their season-high 11th consecutive game last night, completing the sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers with a thrilling 1-0 victory. Los Angeles is now 15-1 in the month of August and are a Major League best 23-8 (.742) in the second half of the season. This evening, the Boys in Blue can win their 12th straight contest for the first time since winning 12 in-a-row from July 31-Aug. 13, 2022, as they continue their 10-game homestand (7-0) with the first of three against the Miami Marlins at 7:10 p.m. Following the weekend series, the Dodgers will travel to Cleveland on Monday and begin a six-game road trip against the Guardians (Aug. 22-24) and Red Sox (Aug. 25-27) on Tuesday night. The Dodgers hold a season high 10.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West following their win last night. The Giants were idle. The Dodgers improved to 41-20 (.672) at home this season, which is the best home mark in the National League. Los Angeles has won 10 games in-a-row at Chavez Ravine, matching a season high (also April 28-May 15). Overall, the Dodgers own the second-best record in baseball (.617), trailing just the Braves (.650). The Dodgers won six of seven contests vs. the Marlins last year, including a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium. Since 2017, the Dodgers are 12-4 vs. Miami at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles is 11-7 vs. the NL East this season. Tonight is Women’s Night at Dodger Stadium and those that purchased their seats through a special ticket pack will receive an exclusive Women’s Night sherpa blanket. During pregame ceremonies, the Dodgers will highlight several women who have had a lasting and inspirational impact on our organization.
PREPONE: In an unprecedented move in Dodger history, the club has rescheduled Sunday’s 1:10 p.m. game to tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. as part of a spilt doubleheader at Dodger Stadium. Tomorrow night’s game will take place as scheduled at 6:10 p.m. Tickets and parking for the Sunday, August 20 game will be honored at the 12:00 p.m. contest tomorrow. Tonight will mark the 1,872nd game without a rainout. The last one was April 17, 2000.
THE BARNESY GAME: The Dodgers recorded their 12th shutout of the year in a fantastic pitcher’s duel that ended in a 1-0 victory for the Boys in Blue. Austin Barnes ripped his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning, leading Los Angeles to their 10th sweep of the season, this one of the three-game variety, over the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Barnes had two of the Dodgers’ four hits (Mookie Betts had the other two) and recorded his first multi-knock game of the season (2-for-3). In his last seven games since July 26, Barnes is hitting .316 (6-for-19). On the mound, Lance Lynn was brilliant, firing a Dodger season-high tying 7.0 innings of shutout baseball while giving up just four hits. Lynn is now 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA (4 ER/25.0 IP), 25 strikeouts and a 0.88 WHIP since making his Dodger debut on August 1. LA. has won all four of his starts. Evan Phillips recorded his 18th save of the season (18-for-20) and this season, opponents’ are hitting just .171 (27-for-158) with a 0.83 WHIP. That WHIP ranks first in the Majors among pitchers who have thrown at least 35.0 innings.
TONY, TONY, TONY: Right-hander Tony Gonsolin will take the mound tonight looking to win his fourth consecutive start. In his last outing, he gave up just one run to the Rockies over 6.0 innings. Gonsolin has made one start vs. the Marlins in his career, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings on July 6, 2021 at loanDepot park. Dodger starters have posted a 1.97 ERA (19 ER/87.0 IP) this month, which is the best in baseball. In August, the starters’ WHIP in 0.93, which is also the best in baseball. The Dodger bullpen fired 2.0 more scoreless innings last night and have allowed just one run in their last 25.0 frames, dating back to Aug. 9. This month, the ‘pen has allowed a .577 OPS (1st, NL) while posting a 2.57 ERA (2nd, NL). Overall, the Dodger pitching staff leads the National League with a 2.20 ERA (35 ER/143.0 IP) this month.
THE MAN: All-Star Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 last night and is now slashing .377/.478/.728 with 12 homers, 34 RBI, 41 runs scored and 29 walks in his last 39 games since June 28. Betts ranks third in the NL in home runs with 31 while ranking third in slugging (.579), fourth in OPS (.973), third in runs (98) and fifth in walks (70). Betts is hitting .410 (25-for-61) in the month of August. Since May 1, the 2018 American League MVP is hitting .313 (108-for-345) with 27 homers, 70 RBI and a 1.030 OPS. During that span, he is tied for third in the Majors in homers, tied for second in runs (81), third in OPS, tied for fourth RBI and tied for third in extra-base hits (52). Betts is hitting .366 (34-for-93) with RISP, which ranks fourth in the Major Leagues. The Dodgers are 35-19 when Betts drives in a run and 19-8 when he hits a home runs this season.
SUPERMAN: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman went 0-for-2 with two walks last night and is slashing .405/.481/.694 with 12 doubles, six homers and 20 RBI in his last 28 games since July 17. Freeman was the first player in Dodger history with at least 20 homers and 35 doubles before the end of July and ranks second in the Majors with 102 runs scored, trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr. (109). He also leads the Majors with 44 doubles is tied for first with 69 extra-base hits. Freeman ranks third in hits (160) and second in average. His career best in runs scored is 120, established in 2021.
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. MARLINS: RHP TONY GONSOLIN (8-4, 4.24 ERA in 19 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Earned his eighth win of the season against the Rockies on August 12, tossing six innings, of one-run ball, giving up three hits while striking out six
- 2022 All-Star got his first win of the season on May 14th against San Diego after firing five scoreless innings and giving up two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts
- In his rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 20th, he hurled three innings, allowing one hit, two earned runs, two walks while sitting down seven
- Made one Spring Training start, tossing 2.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out two
- Gonsolin is 34-10 in his career and is tied for the second fewest decisions all-time among pitchers to reach 30 victories. In addition, his 27-6 (.818) record as a starter is the best in the modern era through 60 games started.
VS. MARLINS:
- Will face Miami for just the second time in his career…is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/5.1 IP)
- First faced the club on July 6, 2021, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out three in the no decision
