NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:
AT A GLANCE: The Yankees continue their six-game road trip today with the second game of a three-game set at Los Angeles-NL (0-1 thus far)…are 2-2 on the road trip after winning two-of-three at Seattle and dropping their series opener at Los Angeles-NL…after this road trip, will return home for a six-game homestand vs. Chicago-AL (Tues.- Thurs.) and Boston (6/9-11).
At 34-25 (.576), have the fifth-best record in the AL.
Have lost back-to-back games after winning their previous four games…have still won nine of their last 14 games, 11 of their last 17 games, 13 of their last 20 games and 16 of their last 24 games.
Are 19-10 (.655) in their last 29 games (since 5/2), tied with Arizona (19-10) for the second-best record in the Majors in that span, trailing Texas (19-9, .679).
Have won or split six of their last seven completed series (since 5/8), seven of their last nine completed series (since 5/1) and 13 of their 18 completed series this season (going 11-5-2).
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees fell to the Dodgers, 8-4, in their series opener on Friday…RHP Luis Severino (4.0IP, 9H, 7ER, 1BB, 2K, 3HR) recorded his first loss of the season after allowing 7R, his most in a game since 7/23/18 (7R/6ER)…3B Josh Donaldson (2-for-4, 2R, 2HR, 3RBI) recorded his 23rd career multi-HR game in his first game back from the injured list, hitting a solo HR in the second inning and a two-run HR in the ninth inning…DH Giancarlo Stanton (1-for-3, 2R, 1HR, 1RBI, 1BB) hit a solo HR in the fourth inning on Friday in his first game back from the injured list…2B Gleyber Torres (1- for-4) extended his hitting streak to a career-high-tying 12 games…RHP Tommy Kahnle (1.0IP, 1H, 1BB, 1K) made his season debut and first appearance with the Yankees since 7/26/20…RHP Ryan Weber (2.0IP, 2H, 1ER, 1K, 1HR) allowed
1ER in 2.0 innings of relief…RHP Albert Abreu (1.0IP, 1H) tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
BRONX BOMBERS: Yankees batters have hit 90HR this season, the second-most home runs in the AL and the fourth-most in the Majors…their 30 games with multiple home runs are tied with Tampa Bay for the most in the Majors.
Their 56HR since 5/1 are the most in the Majors in that span.
NATIONAL TREASURE: The Yankees are 9-4 in 13 Interleague games this season…have won each of their four completed series vs. NL opponents this season.
Their current three-game set vs. the Dodgers marks their first series against Los Angeles-NL since 8/23-25/19…are 8-9 all-time vs. the Dodgers in the regular season and 6-6 at Dodger Stadium.
STANTON ISLAND: OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo HR in the fourth inning on Friday in his first game back from the injured list…marked his first game since 4/15 vs. Minnesota. Has hit .311/.367/.733 (28-for-90) with 15R, 8 doubles, 10HR, 26RBI, 8BB and 1SB in 24 career games at Dodger Stadium…has 5HR in his last 11 games at Dodger Stadium.
WHAT A RELIEF: Yankees relievers have posted a Major League-best 2.85 ERA (227.2IP, 72ER) and .215 opponents’ BA this season…the Yankees are the only Major League bullpen that currently owns an ERA below 3.00 (next: Houston – 3.05).
Have posted a 0.89 ERA (20.1IP, 2ER) in their last six games (since 5/27)…have held opponents to a .169 BA (12-for71) in that span.
GLEYBER DAY: INF Gleyber Torres owns a career-high-tying 12-game hitting streak (since 5/20), batting.327/.352/.500 (17-for-52) with 10R, 3HR, 4RBI, 1BB and 1HP in that span…also had a 12-game streak from 4/23-5/7/19.
Has reached base in each of his last 14 games and 26 of his last 27 games (since 5/5), batting .297 (33-for-111) with 21R, 4 doubles, 5HR, 15RBI, 8BB, 1HP and 2SF in that 27-game span…has also reached base in 36 of his last 40 games (since 4/20) and 39 of his last 44 games (since 4/15).
OH MY JOSH: INF Josh Donaldson recorded his 23rd career multi-HR game in his first game back from the injured list, hitting a solo HR in the second inning and a two-run HR in the ninth inning…marked his first multi-HR game as a Yankee and first since 6/11/21 vs. Houston with Minnesota…Friday marked his first game played since 4/5 vs. Philadelphia.
His multi-HR game was the eighth by a Yankee this season… are tied with Atlanta for the second-most by any team in the Majors this season, trailing only the Dodgers (13).
COLE TRAIN: RHP Gerrit Cole will make his 13th start of the season today…is 6-0 with a 2.93 ERA (73.2IP, 24ER) and 79K in 12 starts this season…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in nine of his first 12 starts, tied for the third-most in the Majors…trails only Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (11) and Chicago-NL’s Marcus Stroman (10).
Is the only pitcher that is currently 6-0-or-better.
The Yankees are 10-2 in his starts this season…is one of two starting pitchers this season to have his team win at least 10 of his starts…joins Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (club is 10-2 in 12GS).
His 12-start undefeated streak is the second-longest season-opening undefeated streak by a Yankees starter in the last 30 years since 1994 and the third-longest in the last 45 years since 1979, trailing only Orlando Hernández’s 13-start streak to begin the 2004 season and Bob Wickman’s 13-start streak to begin the 1993 season…if he were to extend the streak today, it would match the third-longest season-opening undefeated streak by a Yankees starter in franchise history, trailing only Ron Guidry (first 17GS in 1978) and Allie Reynolds (first 15GS in 1954)…Orlando Hernández (2004), Bob Wickman (1993), Jim Coates (1960) and Monte Pearson (1937) also recorded 13-start streaks.
Today will mark the sixth time this season Cole will pitch after a Yankees loss…the Yankees are 5-0 in those games with Cole going 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA (30.0IP, 7ER).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP GERRIT COLE (6-0, 2.93 ERA)
RHP Gerrit Cole will make his 13th start of the season tonight at Dodger Stadium…the 32-year-old will pitch on extended five days’ rest due to Thursday’s team off day… last started on Sunday vs. San Diego and recorded the win in the Yankees’ 10-7 victory (6.0IP, 4H, 6R/5ER, 3BB, 9K, 2HR)…reached 10 years of Major League service on Monday…recorded his 2,000th career strikeout on 5/23 vs. Baltimore (Jorge Mateo swinging), becoming the third-fastest pitcher in Major League history to reach the milestone (in terms of games and innings pitched)…is 6-0 with a 2.93 ERA (73.2IP, 24ER) and 79K in 12 starts this season…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in nine of his first 12 starts, tied for the third-most such starts in the Majors…the Yankees are 10-2 in his 12 starts this season…in his third year with the Yankees in 2022, went 13-8 with a 3.50 ERA (200.2IP, 154H, 81R/78ER, 50BB, 257K, 33HR) in 33 regular season starts…his Major League-leading 257K last season were the most by a Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Ron Guidry’s previous record of 248K in 1978…the five-time All-Star (2015, ’18-19, ’21-22) has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting five times (second in 2021, fourth in 2020, second in 2019, fifth in 2018, fourth in 2015)…his career 10.49 K/9.0IP ratio (2,009K/1,723.2IP) is the eighth-highest in Major League history (min. 1,000.0IP)…in 87 starts with the Yankees, is 42-19 with a 3.23 ERA (528.2IP, 190ER) and 673K…since 2018, leads the Majors in wins (77) and strikeouts (1,275), ranks second in K/9.0IP (12.19) and innings pitched (941.1), third in opponents’ BA (.204), WAR among pitchers (24.6 – FanGraphs) and winning percentage (.726, 77-29, min. 60 decisions), fourth in WHIP (1.01), fifth in K/BB (5.18) and sixth in ERA (2.99)…was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft but did not sign and went on to play at UCLA for three seasons (2009-11)…was the first overall pick of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the 15th pitcher (and 11th right-hander) to be chosen first…is the fifth player selected first overall to play for the Yankees, joining Alex Rodriguez, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Foli and Ron Blomberg…signed a nine-year contract extending through the 2028 season with a player opt-out following the 2024 season on 12/18/19.
LAST START: Earned his team-leading sixth win in the Yankees’ 10-7 victory vs. San Diego on Sunday (6.0IP, 4H, 6R/5ER, 3BB, 9K, 2HR)…his 6R and 5ER matched his season highs (also 6R on 5/7 at Tampa Bay, and 5ER on 5/7 at Tampa Bay and 5/23 vs. Baltimore)…his 2HR also matched his season high (fourth time).
DECADE OF DOMINANCE: Reached 10 years of Major League service on Monday…since making his Major League debut on 6/11/13, has ranked second in the Majors in strikeouts (2,009) and third in wins (136), starts (279) and innings pitched (1,723.2), and fifth in ERA (3.22, min. 1,400IP)… trails only Max Scherzer in strikeouts (2,312) in that span… trails only Scherzer (146 wins) and Clayton Kershaw (138 wins) in wins since his debut…trails only Scherzer (285GS and 1,841.2IP) and Zack Greinke (288GS and 1,780.1IP) in starts and innings pitched during that stretch…trails only Kershaw (2.36), Scherzer (2.77), Justin Verlander (3.08) and Greinke (3.15) in ERA in that span.
Was the 87th pitcher in Major League history to reach the milestone and the eighth to do so with the Yankees…joined CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Catfish Hunter and Bobo Newsom.
2023: Is 6-0 with a 2.93 ERA (73.2IP, 24ER) and 79K in 12 starts this season…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in nine of his first 12 starts…his nine such starts are tied for the third-most in the Majors, trailing only Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (11) and Chicago-NL’s Marcus Stroman (10).
Is sixth in the AL in innings pitched (73.2), tied for sixth in wins (six), seventh in strikeouts (79) and 10th in ERA (2.93).
Has allowed 1R-or-fewer in five of his 12 starts…four of his 12 starts this season have been scoreless.
17 of his 26R allowed have come in three starts: 6R on 5/7 at Tampa Bay, 5R on 5/23 vs. Baltimore and 6R on 5/28 vs. San Diego.
Was just the second Yankees pitcher in franchise history to toss at least 5.0IP and allow 2R-or-fewer in each of his first seven starts of a season, joining Hideki Irabu (first seven in 1998).
Has allowed multiple home runs in four of his last five starts after not allowing a HR in his first seven starts of the season…six of his 8HR allowed this season have been solo home runs…his seven-start homerless streak to start the season (3/30-5/2) was the third-longest homerless streak of his career (10G from 5/26-8/13/16 and 8G from 7/9-8/20/18).
Has received 3R-or-fewer of support in eight of his 12 starts…has received 2R-or-fewer of support in six of his starts.
Tossed his fourth career shutout on 4/16 vs. Minnesota (9.0IP, 2H, 1BB, 10K)…marked his seventh career complete game (first since 7/17/21 vs. Boston–6.0IP) and his fourth career nine-inning complete game.
WINNING WAYS: Is the only pitcher that is currently 6-0-or-better.
The Yankees are 10-2 in his starts this season…is one of two starting pitchers this season to have his team win at least 10 of his starts…joins Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (club is 10-2 in 12GS).
Has not left a game this season with the Yankees trailing.
His 12-start undefeated streak is the second-longest season-opening undefeated streak by a Yankees starter in the last 30 years since 1994 and the third-longest in the last 45 years since 1979, trailing only Orlando Hernández’s 13-start streak to begin the 2004 season and Bob Wickman’s 13-start streak to begin the 1993 season…if he were to extend the streak today, it would match the third-longest season-opening undefeated streak by a Yankees starter in franchise history, trailing only Ron Guidry (first 17GS in 1978) and Allie Reynolds (first 15GS in 1954)…Orlando Hernández (2004), Bob Wickman (1993), Jim Coates (1960) and Monte Pearson (1937) also recorded 13-start streaks.
His current 12-start undefeated streak is also the second-longest undefeated streak of his career, trailing only a 28-start streak from 5/27/19-8/19/20.
IN PINSTRIPES: In 87 starts with the Yankees (since 2020), is 42-19 with a 3.23 ERA (528.2IP, 190ER) and 673K…has allowed 3ER-or-fewer in 66-of-87 starts…has allowed 2ER-orfewer in 57 starts as a Yankee, the second-most such starts in the AL and tied for the fourth-most such starts in the Majors in that stretch…has recorded 18 scoreless starts as a Yankee, the most scoreless starts by any AL pitcher and tied for the sixth-most by any pitcher in the Majors in that span.
His 42 wins since 2020 are the most in the AL and the second-most in the Majors over that stretch, trailing only Julio Urías (45-14).
His 673K since 2020 are the most in the Majors…his 11.46 K/9.0IP ratio in that span is the best in the Majors (min. 400.0IP)…has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting in two of his first three seasons in pinstripes (second in 2021, fourth in 2020).
His 23 double-digit strikeout games as a Yankee are tied with Ron Guidry for the most in franchise history.
KING OF THE HILL: Since 2018, leads the Majors in wins (77) and strikeouts (1,275), ranks second in K/9.0IP (12.19) and innings pitched (941.1), third in opponents’ BA (.204), WAR among pitchers (24.6 – FanGraphs) and winning percentage (.726, 77-29, min. 60 decisions), fourth in WHIP (1.01), fifth in K/BB (5.18) and sixth in ERA (2.99).
VS. LOS ANGELES-NL: Is 3-2 with a 5.53 ERA (40.2IP, 25ER) in seven career starts vs. the Dodgers…has allowed 3ER-or-fewer in five of those seven starts…is 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA (22.2IP, 14ER) in four career starts at Dodger Stadium.
Has not faced the Dodgers since 8/5/18 at Dodger Stadium with Houston (5.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 1BB, 8K).
STRIKEOUT MACHINE: Has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 44 games since the start of 2019, marking the most in the Majors over the span (next: Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom with 28)…his 52 games with at least 10K since the beginning of 2018 are also the most in the Majors in that span (next: Max Scherzer-46).
Has recorded at least 8K in six of his 12 starts this season.
ROAD RULES: Is 2-0 with a 3.28 ERA (24.2IP, 9ER) in four road starts this season…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in three of those starts…only four of his 12 starts this year have come on the road.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER SERIES: The Dodgers emphatically took the first game of their three-game set with the New York Yankees last night, scoring six runs in the first on the way to an 8-4 victory. Los Angeles continues its homestand (3-1) today, looking to win its sixth consecutive series at home and first over the Yankees at Dodger Stadium since taking two of three from June 18-20, 2004. This weekend marks just the fifth time the Yanks have come to Chavez Ravine in the regular season. Of course, the two squads met 11 times in the World Series from 1941-81 with Dodger Stadium involved in four of them (1963, 1977-78, ’81). The two squads are going national today as FOX will feature the 4:15 p.m. start this afternoon and ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball comes to town for the 4:08 p.m. start on Sunday. Following the series and homestand closer tomorrow, the Boys in Blue ill hit the road for a six-game trip on Monday afternoon that has stops in Cincinnati (June 6-8) and Philadelphia (June 9-11). Los Angeles (.603) and Arizona are tied atop the NL West and co-own the best record in the National League and the fourth-best mark in the big leagues, trailing Tampa Bay (.690), Texas (.643) and Baltimore (.632). The Dodgers have the best home record in the National League (20-8, .714) and have won 14 of their last 16 contests at the Ravine.
AROUND THE LEAGUE WITH C.K.: The Dodgers’ victory last night saw the offense score six or more runs for the sixth straight game and the six-run first inning was more than enough for Clayton Kershaw, who picked up his seventh win of the season. The left-hander went a Dodger season-high tying 7.0 innings and struck out nine while allowing just four hits. The win over the Yankees gives Kershaw victories over all 27 MLB teams he has faced in his career. He has never faced the Orioles or Red Sox in the regular season. According to STATS, that’s the most different opponents a pitcher has beaten with a single team in baseball history. At the plate, Mookie Betts led off the game with his 41st-career leadoff home run on his way to a four-hit, two-homer night. Betts now has a multi-homer game in consecutive contests, the second time he has done that in his career (also May 31, 2016 (3) and June 1, 2016 (2) vs. BAL). Betts became the first player in big league history to collect four hits, have multiple home runs, hit a leadoff homer, steal a base and have a multi-hit inning in one game. In addition to Betts’ historic night, Max Muncy cracked his 18th homer of the season, which tied him with Aaron Judge for second in the Majors, two behind Pete Alonso (20). Muncy now has an RBI in a Dodger season high five consecutive games. The Dodgers lead the National League in runs per game (5.64), runs scored (327), home runs (100), extra-base hits (220), slugging percentage (.465) and walks (247).
RIVALRY RESTARTED: The Dodgers and Yankees met last night for the first time since August 2019 and the clubs have met just 17 times since the start of Interleague play in 1997, with the Dodgers holding a 9-8 advantage. The Yankees took two of three from the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in that 2019 three-game series and overall Los Angeles is 6-6 vs. the Bronx Bombers at Chavez Ravine.
INTERLEAGUING: The Dodgers are 4-3 in interleague play this season after going 15-5 last year against the other league, including a 7-3 record at home. Since the start of the 2019 season, Los Angeles is 57-30 in interleague play and their .655 winning percentage in that span is second best in the Majors, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays, who have a .673 Interleague winning percentage in that span.
LOCKED IN: Dodger designated hitter J.D. Martinez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo homer last night, extending his hitting streak to 16 games in the process. Martinez has been on fire since returning from the injured list on May 12, hitting safely in 18 of 19 games while batting .321 (25-for-78) with four doubles, nine homers and a Major League leading 25 RBI during that span. He is two games shy of matching his career best hitting streak of 18 games (April 20-May 17, 2022).
THE GLUE: Dodger catcher Will Smith went 2-for-4 with a run scored and is hitting .393 (11-for-28) with a .500 on-base percentage in his last eight games. The Dodgers are 26-13 (.667) when the All-Star hopeful has appeared in a game and 26-10 (.722) when he starts.
A NICE ROUND NUMBER: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman went 0-for-5 last night, halting his hitting streak at 20 games. Freeman, who was just named Major League Baseball’s Player of the Month for May in the NL, hit .457 (37-for-81) with five homers, 11 doubles, one triple, 21 RBI and 20 runs scored during the streak. He is tied with Marcus Semien for the Major League lead with 49 runs scored. Tuesday night, Freeman’s eighth-inning homer gave him his 24th extra-base hits in May, a new franchise record for extra-base hits in a month. The previous mark of 23 was held by Babe Herman (July 1930) and Hall of Famer Duke Snider (June 1954). Monday night, Freeman clubbed his 17th double of May, setting a franchise record for doubles in any calendar month. The previous record was held by Babe Herman, who hit 16 doubles in July of 1930. Freeman leads the Major Leagues with 23 doubles, 34 extra-base hits and 134 total bases while ranking second in hits (79) and batting average (.339). Freeman’s 20-game hit streak tied for the second longest of his career and was his longest as a Dodger:
Team Games Started Ended
Atlanta Braves 30 08-24-2016 09-28-2016
Los Angeles Dodgers 20 05-10-2023 05-31-2023
Atlanta Braves 20 07-17-2011 08-06-2011
LONG BALLS: The Dodgers hit four more home runs last night and now have 100 on the season, which ranks second in the Majors, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays (103). Los Angeles recorded their 18th 3+ homer game last night, which leads the Majors. The Dodgers also rank second in the Majors with 47 games with at least one homer, behind the Rays (49), who have homered in all but nine games this season.
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. YANKEES: RHP MICHAEL GROVE (0-1, 8.44 ERA in 4 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- First start back since going on the IL April 21st with a right groin strain
- Spun a career-high 5.2 innings on April 15th against the Cubs…allowed just one earned run on two hits with six strikeouts
- Made his 2023 debut against the Rockies on April 3, where he hurled four innings, giving up three runs on two hits, two walks and punching out four
- Allowed career-highs in runs (9) and hits (12) in his start against the D-Backs on April 9
- Started six games during Spring Training, posting a 0-1 record with a 5.40 ERA (10 ER/16.2 IP) and 17 strikeouts against just three walks…produced a 1.03 WHIP
- Named to his first Opening Day roster as a Major Leaguer after making his big league debut last season on May 15 against the Phillies
VS. YANKEES:
- Will face the Bronx Bombers for the first time in his career
