MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
Completed their fourth sweep of the season with a 5-4 win in Oakland yesterday afternoon…tonight, the Twins will play the first of four games against the Mariners in Seattle… after the series with Seattle, Minnesota will return home this weekend for three games against division rival the Chicago White Sox (July 21-23) and host the Mariners for three games (July 24-26)…the Twins have gone 26-22 at home and 22-24 on the road.
Twins have now won each of their first three games after the All-Star break for the first time since winning four straight after the 2007 break. The Twins completed the sweep of the Oakland Athletics yesterday, winning the series finale 5-4 while completing their 20th comeback victory of the season…the A’s took an early 3-0 lead but Minnesota bounced back, scoring a pair of runs on solo homers by Christian Vázquez and Alex Kirilloff in the fifth…Twins then took the lead on Kirilloff’s bases-loaded double in the seventh; AK finished the day 2-for-4 with a career-high-tying four RBI…Joe Ryan was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on five hits (1 HR), with three walks and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work…the Twins won despite being out-hit, 6-7, just their 12th such win this season. AThe three-game sweep marked the Twins’ first such sweep of the A’s in Oakland since July 18-20, 1997.
The Twins and Mariners are playing each other for the first of seven meetings this season…after this four-game series at T-Mobile Park, the two teams will face off for three games at Target Field next week from July 24-26…Twins went 4-3 against the Mariners in 2022, including 2-1 at T-Mobile Park and 2-2 at Target Field; Minnesota won the season series over Seattle for the first time since going 5-2 in 2019…Twins have gone 11-9 vs. Seattle since the start of the 2019 season, after going 12-14 against the M’s from 2015-18.
Tonight’s starter, Sonny Gray, is 5-3, 2.73 ERA (89.0 IP, 27 ER) with 26 walks, 85 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP in 14 career starts against the Mariners, including 3-1, 1.40 ERA (45.0 IP, 7 ER) with a .190 (30-for-158) opponent batting average in seven career starts at T-Mobile Park.
Carlos Correa has an active nine-game hitting streak here, dating back to July 26, 2021; he’s hitting .359 (14-for-39) with five doubles, three RBI, three walks, seven runs scored, a .405 on-base percentage and an .892 OPS during the streak…his 53 career hits at T-Mobile Park are tied with his total at Oakland Coliseum for his most in a visiting ballpark in his career.
Donovan Solano is a career .375 (15-for-40) hitter with three doubles, one triple, four RBI, one walk, eight runs scored and an .890 OPS in nine games vs. the Mariners…he has multiple hits in each of his three career games at T-Mobile Park, going 7-for-14 with two doubles, two RBI and four runs scored in those games.
Byron Buxton is slashing .375/.457/.925 (15-for-40) with four doubles, six home runs, 11 RBI, three walks, 10 runs scored and a 1.382 OPS in his last 10 games against the Mariners, since April 8, 2021.
Twins starters have struck out 581 hitters, most in the majors and 28 more than the next-closest team (CWS – 553)…they are on pace to fan 1,001 batters, which would shatter the club record of 870, done in 1967…below are Twins starting pitching ranks among the other MLB teams:
INNINGS ERA BAA BB/9.0 FIP WHIP K’s OPS
MIN – 531.0 TB – 3.64 MIN – .232 SEA – 2.05 MIN – 3.58 SEA – 1.11 MIN – 581 SEA – .663
TEX – 530.1 TEX – 3.72 SEA – .232 SF – 2.43 TB – 3.65 MIN – 1.15 CWS – 553 MIN – .671
HOU – 526.1 MIN – 3.76 TB – .234 MIN – 2.44 SEA – 3.78 TB – 1.18 TOR – 535 TB – .680
SEA – 518.1 SD – 3.78 MIL – .237 PHI – 2.54 MIA – 3.85 LAD – 1.20 MIA – 519 PHI – .704
TOR – 515.2 SEA – 3.79 LAD – .240 CHC – 2.61 PHI – 3.96 PHI – 1.21 LAA – 509 SD – .705
The Twins’ bullpen is 4-1 with a 1.60 ERA (39.1 IP, 7 ER), 14 walks, 41 strikeouts, a .156 (21-for-135) opponent batting average and a .482 opponent OPS in the club’s last 12 road games, since June 23…overall, Twins relievers have combined for a .271 road wOBA and a .209 road opponent batting average, both tops among major league bullpens away from home, and a 3.35 road ERA (150.1 IP, 56 ER), the third-lowest ERA on the road among ‘pens this season, trailing only New York-AL (3.09) and Atlanta (3.22).
Twins bullpen has posted a 3.66 ERA (310.0 IP, 126 ER) overall this season, the sixth-best ERA in the majors.
Since being inserted into the leadoff spot on June 30, Carlos Correa has reached base safely in 12-straight games, hitting .348 (16-for-46) with four doubles, four walks, three RBI, eight runs scored, a .423 on-base percentage and an .858 OPS…since that date, he leads the team in hits and times on base (21)…additionally, after the All-Star break last season, Correa hit .304 (77-for253) with 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 31 RBI, a .380 on-base percentage and an .866 OPS in 66 games.
Correa is also hitting .297 (19-for-64) with a .357 on-base percentage in his last 16 games overall, since June 24.
Edouard Julien recorded his third pinch hit in yesterday’s win in Oakland; the last Twins rookie with more single-season hits as a pinch hitter was Mitch Garver in 2018 (4)…Julien is 9-for-17 (.529) with three doubles, three home runs, five RBI, one walk, five runs scored and a 1.791 OPS in his last seven games, since July 3…since being recalled on June 10, he’s hitting .333 (25-for-75) with nine doubles, three home runs, six RBI, nine walks, 12 runs scored, a .400 on-base percentage and a .973 OPS in 26 games.
Julien ranks among the MLB rookie leaders this season (minimum of 130 at-bats) in slugging percentage (.518, 2nd), OPS (.877, 3rd), batting average on balls in play (.395, 4th) and on-base percentage (.359, 7th).
Alex Kirilloff matched his career high with four RBI and recorded his seventh career game with at least two extra-base hits yesterday in Oakland…in his last 13 games, Kirilloff is slashing .326/.396/.465 (14-for-43) with three doubles, one home run, nine RBI, three walks, three runs scored and an .861 OPS.
Kirilloff has performed better on the road than at home this season, batting .303 (27-for-89) with six doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, 11 walks, six runs scored, a .410 on-base percentage and an .848 OPS in 28 road games this year…his road on-base percentage ranks fourth in the American League (minimum of 85 at-bats), while his road batting average is 10th.
Infielder Jorge Polanco made his first rehab appearance for Triple-A St. Paul yesterday against Durham…batting third as the designated hitter, Polanco went 2- or-3 with one double and one walk…he is currently on the 10-day Injured List with a left hamstring strain.
: Double-A Wichita infielder Brooks Lee and Wichita right-handed pitcher Marco Raya have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.
Lee, 22, slashed .429/.429/.929 (6-for-14) with one double, two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and a 1.357 OPS in three games for the Wind Surge…the San Luis Obispo, California native was selected by the Twins in the first round of the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of California Polytechnic State University.
Raya, 20, made one start for the Wind Surge on July 14 vs. Springfield, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings and allowing one hit, one walk and striking out four batters…the Laredo, Texas native was selected by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of United South High School in Laredo.
STARTING PITCHER – SONNY GRAY #54
2023: 4-3, 2.89 ERA CAREER: 94-80, 3.52 ERA
Making his 266th career appearance and 257th career start…also his 19th start/appearance this season.
Looking for his first win since April 30 vs. Kansas City…his 12-game winless streak is tied for the longest in his career (also, April 27 to July 6, 2016).
Facing Seattle for the 15th time in his career…is 5-3, 2.73 ERA (89.0 IP, 27 ER) with 26 walks and 85 strikeouts in his 14 previous starts.
Acquired by the Twins on March 13, 2022 in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, along with right-handed pitcher Francis Peguero, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Chase Petty
WATCH ME SHINE: Gray was selected as a Twins’ representative for this year’s MLB All-Star Game in Seattle, alongside Pablo López…this was his third career All-Star selection, also making the American League team in 2015 with the Oakland Athletics and the National League team in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds…made his first career appearance in the All-Star Game on July 11…entered in the top of the third inning to relieve TEX’s Nathan Eovaldi…pitched 1.0 inning and retired three of the four batters he faced with two strikeouts, only walking LAD’s Freddie Freeman.
LAST TIME OUT: Took his third loss of the season in his last appearance on July 8 against Baltimore at Target Field…pitched 6.0 innings and allowed a season-high six runs on six hits, with three walks and five strikeouts in a 6-2 Twins’ defeat, opposite Tyler Wells…recorded a 1-2-3 first inning before allowing three-consecutive singles to start the second inning…issued back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Colton Cowser and Ramón Urías; marked his second and third time issuing a bases-loaded walk this season (also, Myles Straw on May 6 at Cleveland) and the first time in his career that he has issued multiple bases-loaded walks in the same game…yielded three RBI singles to Adam Frazier, Gunnar Henderson (2 RBI) and Anthony Santander for the final four runs on the inning…his six runs allowed in the sixth inning tied three other starts for the most runs he has allowed in a single inning in his career (also, fourth inning on May 9, 2016 at Boston, first inning on September 1, 2020 vs. St. Louis and fourth inning on July 25, 2021 vs. St. Louis)…retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced…relieved by Oliver Ortega in the seventh inning who combined with Jorge López to pitch 3.0 scoreless innings (Ortega – 2.0 IP, López – 1.0 IP).
Snapped a career-long 17-game streak of allowing three-or-fewer runs, dating back to April 1.
Gray has not earned a win in his last 12 starts, last earning a victory on April 30 vs. Kansas City; the 12-start streak without a win is tied for the longest such stretch of his career (also, April 27 to July 6, 2016).
TWO STARTS AGO: Did not factor into the decision despite recording a quality start on July 2 against Baltimore at Oriole Park at Camden Yards…pitched 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits, three walks and seven strikeouts in a 2-1 Twins’ defeat, opposite Cole Irvin…allowed a season-low two hits, the fewest hits he has allowed since August 27, 2022 vs. San Francisco when he permitted just one hit…recorded 1-2-3 first and second innings before permitting a single to Anthony Bemboom in the third…recorded another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth…yielded his final hit to start the fifth inning, a double to Ramón Urías…relieved by Griffin Jax who pitched a scoreless seventh inning…Jhoan Duran entered in the eighth inning…Duran struck out the first batter he faced before allowing three-consecutive singles, including an RBI single to Aaron Hicks…issued a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Jordan Westburg for the final run of the game…replaced by Emilio Pagán who recorded the final out of the inning…the Twins’ only run came from a Willi Castro RBI double in the fifth inning.
Marked Gray’s first scoreless outing since April 24 vs. New York-AL…the 11-game stretch of allowing One-or-more runs marked the sixth longest of his career and was the longest since a 13-game span from August 20, 2019 to August 20, 2020 with Cincinnati.
HELLO SEATTLE: Gray is facing the Mariners for the 15th time in his career, going 5-3, 2.73 ERA (89.0 IP, 27 ER) with 26 walks and 85 strikeouts in his 14 previous starts…last faced Seattle on June 15, 2022 at T-Mobile Park in a 5-0 Twins’ victory…pitched 5.0 scoreless inning and allowed just three hits, zero walks and three strikeouts…allowed two singles to Jesse Winker in the second and fourth innings and a double to Taylor Trammell in the third…relieved by Griffin Jax in the sixth inning as the bullpen combined to pitch 4.0 shutout innings…is 0-0, 1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 2 ER) with two walks and seven strikeouts in two starts against the Mariners since joining the Twins.
Owns the second-lowest ERA against the Mariners since 2013 (min. 12 GS), trailing only Gerrit Cole (2.16)…his .213 opponent batting average vs. Seattle ranks third, trailing Cole (.177) and Lance McCullers Jr. (.202).
BACK TO THE ROAD: Gray is making his ninth road start of the season; is 1-1, 2.74 ERA (42.2 IP, 13 ER) with 21 walks and 38 strikeouts in his eight prior road outings…is 5-4, 3.23 ERA (94.2 IP, 34 ER) with 32 walks and 77 strikeouts in 19 road starts since becoming a Twin…Twins are 9-10 in those starts. AIs 3-1, 1.40 ERA (45.0 IP, 7 ER) with 14 walks and 50 strikeouts in seven starts at T-Mobile Park… owns the lowest ERA at T-Mobile Park since 2013 (min. 45.0 IP)…his .190 opponent batting average ranks sixth.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue the 10-game homestand tonight with the first of 4 games against the Minnesota Twins…they recently wrapped up a 3-game series vs. the Detroit Tigers (1-2)…the Mariners will also welcome the Toronto Blue Jays (3 G, 7/21-7/23) to T-Mobile Park on the homestand… tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Aaron Goldsmith.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Tigers by a 2-0 score in last night’s finale…Seattle is 8-4 over its last 12 games…the Mariners are 35-17 when scoring at least 4 runs and 11-29 when scoring 3-orfewer…the Mariners are 25-22 at T-Mobile Park and 21-24 on the road this season…they are 15-18 in day games and 31-28 at night.
- Series Openers – Seattle is 16-14 in series openers (7-8 at home) this season.
- Shutout Wins – The Mariners recorded their 8th shutout win of the season yesterday.
- W’s in July – Seattle is 39-21 (.656) in July games since 2021, including 8-4 so far this season.
- Series Record – The Mariners own a 13-16-1 series record (8-7 at home) this season.
1,000 WINS AT T-MOBILE PARK…the Mariners recorded their 1,000th all-time regular season win at T-Mobile Park yesterday…the Mariners are exactly 100 games above the .500 mark in their home ballpark at 1,000-900 (.526) in 1,900 all-time regular season home games at T-Mobile Park since moving to the ballpark midway through the 1999 season…Seattle went 852-903 (.485) in 1,755 regular season games at the Kingdome (1977-99).
THE STARTING FIVE…over the Mariners last 28 games (6/12-c), the starting rotation is 12-8 with a 2.71 ERA (50 ER, 166.0 IP) with 41 walks and 144 strikeouts…the 2.71 ERA starters ERA leads the Majors by a wide margin during that span, ranking ahead of San Diego (3.19) and Philadelphia (3.40)…during that span, Bryan Woo is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA (6 ER, 28.0 IP) with 7 walks and 32 strikeouts in 5 starts…Logan Gilbert is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA (8 ER, 34.1 IP) with 6 walks and 25 strikeouts in 5 starts…George Kirby is 3-3 with a 3.32 ERA (14 ER, 38.0 IP) with 5 walks and 32 strikeouts in 6 starts…Bryce Miller is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA (7 ER, 25.2 IP) with 8 walks and 25 strikeouts in 5 starts…Luis Castillo is 2-3 with a 3.53 ERA (14 ER, 35.2 IP) with 11 walks and 30 strikeouts in 6 starts.
WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GREAT…tonight’s starter Logan Gilbert is the reigning American League Player of the Week…over his last 2 starts, he is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA (1 ER, 16.0 IP) with no walks and 13 strikeouts…Gilbert tossed a complete game shutout on July 4 at San Francisco with 7 strikeouts in a 6-0 win…the right-hander became the first Mariners pitcher to be crowned AL Player of the Week since lefthander James Paxton won it on May 12, 2018.
MISTER CRAWFORD…J.P. Crawford reached base 4 times in yesterday’s win, going 3-for-3 with a run scored, 2 doubles and a walk…Crawford has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games (6/30-c), batting .367 (18×49) with 6 runs, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 RBI and 10 walks, getting on base at a .467 clip, slugging .612 with a 1.079 OPS…the Mariners shortstop leads the team with 3.0 Baseball-Reference WAR, 53 walks and a .368 on-base percentage.
DUELING PITCHING STAFFS…the Mariners pitching staff leads the Majors in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.50), ranking ahead of the Twins (3.35)…the Mariners also lead the Majors in quality starts (47), ranking ahead of the Twins (46)…Seattle leads MLB in walks-per-9 innings (2.55), with Minnesota (2.88) ranking T3rd…Minnesota (13.2) ranks 2nd in fWAR, with Seattle (13.1) ranking 3rd…the Mariners and Twins are tied for the Major League lead in FIP (3.72).
OFFENSIVE COORDINATORS…over the Mariners last 20 games (6/22-c), the team’s offense is tied for the Major League lead in pitches-per-plate appearance (4.01) with Cincinnati…during that span, Tom Murphy is batting .476 (10×21) with 3 home runs and 6 RBI…Mike Ford is batting .327 (18×55) with 4 doubles, 5 home runs and 13 RBI…J.P. Crawford is batting .324 (22×68) with 6 doubles, 4 homers and 9 RBI…Julio Rodríguez is batting .287 (25×87) with 4 doubles, 1 homer and 10 RBI.
VOGT OF CONFIDENCE…the Mariners bullpen is 14-15 with 21 saves and a 3.62 ERA (122 ER, 303.2 IP) with 115 walks and 338 strikeouts in 92 games this season…Matt Brash is 4-3 with 1 save and a 3.41 ERA (14 ER, 37.0 IP) with 15 walks and 64 strikeouts in 44 appearances…Justin Topa is 1-3 with 1 save and a 2.78 ERA (11 ER, 35.2 IP) with 10 walks and 32 strikeouts in 39 appearances…Paul Sewald is 2-0 with 18 saves and a 3.13 ERA (13 ER, 37.1 IP) with 12 walks and 54 strikeouts in 38 appearances.
POWER-SPEED THREATS…Seattle is one of 7 clubs to have multiple players with 10+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases this season…Julio Rodríguez (13 HR, 22 SB) and Jarred Kelenic (11 HR, 11 SB) have reached those marks for the Mariners, who are accompanied by Tampa Bay (4 players), San Diego (3), Milwaukee, Toronto, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
DRAFT RECAP…the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft was held July 9-11, with the Mariners making 22 selections over the 3 days…on day 1 of the Draft, the Mariners selected INF Colt Emerson (22nd overall), OF Jonny Farmelo (29th overall), SS Tai Peete (30th overall) and 3B Ben Williamson (57th overall)…over the 3 days, the Mariners took 10 pitchers, 1 catcher, 6 infielders and 5 outfielders…they took 18 college players and 4 high school players…each of their first 3 selections in the draft were high school players.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…Logan Gilbert is set to make his 75th career start tonight…in 74 starts with the Mariners (2021-c), he is 26-16 with a 3.75 ERA (172 ER, 413.1 IP) with 96 walks and 408 strikeouts, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that Gilbert ranks inside the top-5 for most strikeouts by a Mariners pitcher through 75 career games?…Gilbert comes into play tonight with 408 strikeouts, trailing Félix Hernández (427 SO), Erik Hanson (418) and James Paxton (413), while ranking ahead of Mark Langston (367) and Hisashi Iwakuma (348).
MARINERS STARTER – RHP LOGAN GILBERT
2023 MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 7-5 3.66 18/18 108.1 87 47 44 19 106 13
Home 1-4 4.29 7/7 42.0 36 22 20 8 42 7
Road 6-1 3.26 11/11 66.1 51 25 24 11 64 6
vs. MIN 0-0 0.00 0/0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 26-16 3.75 74/74 413.1 369181 172 96 408 49
Home 7-12 3.95 34/34 189.1 181 87 83 33 186 25
Road 19-4 3.58 40/40 224.0 188 94 89 63 222 24
vs. MIN 1-0 0.82 2/2 11.0 7 1 1 2 13 1
ABOUT LOGAN GILBERT…
- The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher is scheduled to make his 19th start of the season and 1st against Minnesota…he will also make the 75th start of his MLB career and 4th career start against the Twins.
- Selected by Seattle in the 1st round (14th overall) of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Rob Mummau.
- Spent 3 seasons at Stetson (FL) University, 2016-18…in 2017, was ASUN Pitcher of the Year and ASUN 1st-Team All-Conference.
- Was named the 2022 Mariners Most Valuable Pitcher by the Seattle Chapter of the BBWAA.
LAST TIME OUT…W#7 in 18th start of the season against Houston on 7/9, tossing 7.0 innings and allowing just 1 run on 3 hits (1 HR) with 6 strikeouts.
GOING THE DISTANCE…pitched his first career complete game on 7/4 against San Francisco…this was the Mariners second complete game thrown this year…George Kirby threw his first career complete game on 4/27 at Philadelphia.
SUMMER FUN…has a 0.56 ERA (1 ER, 16.0 IP) in 2 starts in July…he holds a career 2.80 ERA (22 ER, 70.2 IP) in 12 starts in the month of July…this is
his 3rd lowest ERA in any month in his career.
AMONG MARINERS GREATS…in Logan’s first 71 starts in his career he has recorded 391 strikeouts…this is tied 3rd most strikeouts in franchise history in a player’s first 71 career starts…he is tied with James Paxton and ranks behind Erik Hanson (395).
7 STRAIGHT STRIKEOUTS…he struck out 7 consecutive batters from the 2nd4th innings on 5/8 against Texas…the streak of strikeouts tied a franchise record shared by Mark Langston (6/15/84) and Luis Castillo (9/7/22)…Logan finished the game with a season-high 10 strikeouts which is 1 off from his career-high.
K MORE WALK LESS…his 5.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 6th in the Major Leagues and 2nd on the Mariners among qualified pitchers…he trails only George Kirby who has a 8.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
FOURTH TIME AROUND…had a perfect game through 6.0 innings during his outing on 5/8 at Texas before allowing a leadoff single in the 7th…became the 4th Mariners pitcher this season to carry a no-hitter into the 6th inning…he joined Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, and Easton McGee.
STRIKEOUT STREAK…he has recorded at least 6 strikeouts in 12 starts this season…in each of his first 7 starts, Gilbert recorded at least 6 strikeouts…this
marked the first time in his career that he has pitched 7 straight games with 6+ strikeouts…the 7-game streak is tied for the 6th longest streak among starting pitchers in the Majors this season.
KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has allowed 111 baserunners through his first 18 starts this season which is the fewest in the Major Leagues among pitchers who have made at least 18 starts this season…he currently ranks ahead of Zach Eflin-TBR (116).
ON A ROLL…Logan’s 106 strikeouts so far this season ranks second among Mariners starting pitchers…he trails only Luis Castillo (122)…he recorded 39 strikeouts in May which is a new career-high for the month…his 34 strikeouts in March/April were also a career high to start the season.
QUALITY AND QUANTITY…has recorded 10 quality starts this season which ranks 2nd on the team and trails only George Kirby (14)…had 16 quality starts in 2022 the 3rd most among Mariners starting pitchers and tied 16th in the AL with Dylan Cease-CHW and Shohei Ohtani-LAA …he trailed only Marco Gonzales and Robbie Ray who each had 18.
