NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:
AT A GLANCE: The Yankees continue their three-game road trip tonight at Baltimore (0-1 thus far)…went 4-1 on their recent homestand after sweeping the Royals in a three-game set and splitting their two-game series vs. the Mets… after this road trip, will return home for a seven-game homestand vs. Tampa Bay (Mon.-Wed.) and Houston (8/3-6).
YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees fell to the Orioles in a 1-0 “walk-off” loss in their series opener on Friday at Camden Yards…RHP Gerrit Cole (7.0IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 5K) started and tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in a no-decision…Yankees batters were shut out for the fifth time this season…3B DJ LeMahieu (2-for-4) collected two of the Yankees’ four hits… 2B Gleyber Torres (0-for-4) had his career-high 15-game hitting streak snapped…DH Aaron Judge (0-for-1, 3BB) returned from the injured list and walked a season-hightying three times…1B Anthony Rizzo (1-for-4) and PH Jake Bauers (1-for-1) each collected a hit…RHP Michael King (0.2IP, 1BB, 2K) and LHP Wandy Peralta (0.1IP) combined to toss a scoreless eighth inning…RHP Tommy Kahnle (0.1IP, 1H, 1ER, 1K, 1HR) took his first loss of season after allowing a “walk-off” HR to Anthony Santander in the ninth inning.
COLE TRAIN: RHP Gerrit Cole allowed just three baserunners over 7.0 scoreless innings on Friday at Baltimore…tossed a season-high 110 pitches, his most in a game since Game 2 of a doubleheader on 9/7/22 vs. Minnesota (118)…marked his fifth scoreless start of the season…is now 9-2 with a 2.64 ERA (136.1IP, 40ER) and 149K in 22 starts this season…owns the lowest ERA in the AL and the second-lowest ERA in the Majors, trailing only San Diego’s Blake Snell (2.61)…also ranks second in the Majors in winning percentage (.818, second in AL), third in innings pitched (136.1, first in AL) and fifth in strikeouts (149, fourth in AL).
Has allowed 3R-or-fewer in 19-of-22 starts, tied for the most such starts in the Majors (also Minnesota’s Sonny Gray)…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in 17 of his 22 starts this year, the most such starts in the Majors.
Has tossed at least 6.0 innings in 17 of his 22 starts, the most such starts in the AL and the third-most in the Majors, trailing only Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (18) and San Francisco’s Logan Webb (18).
Has allowed 3R-or-fewer in each of his last 10 starts (since 6/3), posting a 2.30 ERA (62.2IP, 16ER) and 70K in that span.
LEMACHINE: INF DJ LeMahieu collected two of the Yankees’ four hits on Friday at Baltimore…is batting .314/.417/.451 (16-for-51) with 6R, 4 doubles, 1HR, 1RBI and 9BB in his last 15 games (since 7/6), hitting safely in 12 of those games.
Has reached base in 16 of his last 17 games (since 7/4) and 23 of his last 26 games (since 6/23).
As a Yankee (since 2019), has hit .308 (82-for-266) with 52R, 12 doubles, 6HR, 27RBI, 28BB, 2HP and 1SF in 68 games vs. the Orioles…in that same span, is hitting .324 (48-for-148) with 28R, 5 doubles, 4HR, 14RBI, 16BB and 1HP in 37 games at Camden Yards.
PITCH PERFECT: Yankees pitchers have allowed just 2R over their last two games.
STANTON ISLAND: Since 2019, DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton \has hit .337/.411/.552 (55-for-163) with 21R, 8 doubles, 9HR, 34RBI, 21BB and 1SF in 43 games vs. the Orioles.
In 34 career games at Camden Yards, has hit .326/.401/.504 (44-for-135) with 22R, 6 doubles, 6HR, 19RBI and 17BB… since 2020, has hit .378/.440/.585 (31-for-82) with 12R, 5 doubles, 4HR, 13RBI and 9BB in 21 games at Camden Yards.
ROAD RULES: The Yankees are 7-4 in their last 11 games at Camden Yards…have won or split 14 of their last 16 completed series at Camden Yards (since 9/4/17), going 12-2-2 in those completed series and 37-16 in games during that span.
HAWAIIAN PUNCH: INF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .321/.423/.464 (18-for-56) with 11R, 2 doubles, 2HR, 10RBI, 11BB, 1HP, 3SF and 1SB in his last 22 games (since 6/22).
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: INF Anthony Volpe has reached base in 7-of-17 PA over his last six games (since 7/21), posting a .412 OBP in that span (4H, 2BB, 1HP).
ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge returned from the injured list on Friday and walked three times in his first game played since 6/3 at Los Angeles-NL…has reached base safely in 43 of his 50 games this season, batting .290/.410/.670 (51-for176) with 42R, 10 doubles, 19HR, 40RBI, 38BB, 3SB and a 1.081 OPS.
In 94 career games vs. Baltimore, has hit .307/.438/.702 (103-for-336) with 92R, 19 doubles, 38HR, 83RBI, 75BB, 4HP, 1SF and 5SB in that span…his 38HR are his most vs. any opponent…marks the most by any Major League player vs. a single opponent since 2017…also marks the second-most home runs among active players vs. Baltimore, trailing only Evan Longoria’s 41HR (in 164G).
Has hit .360/.490/.893 (27-for-75) with 20R, 7 doubles, 11HR, 22RBI, 20BB and 2SB in 22 road games this year… has reached base safely in 20 of those 22 games.
Has hit .421/.450/.947 (8-for-19) with 1 double, 3HR and 1BB in his career off Baltimore’s RHP Tyler Wells.
SCHMIDT’S CREEK: RHP Clarke Schmidt will make his 22nd appearance (21st start) of the season tonight…has gone 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA (59.2IP, 20ER) over his last 12 appearances (11 starts) since 5/19…his 3.02 ERA over that span is the eighth-lowest in the AL (min. 50.0IP).
Has allowed 3ER-or-fewer in each of his last 11 starts, 13 of his last 14 starts (since 5/3) and 14 of his last 16 starts (since 4/23)…has also allowed 2ER-or-fewer in seven of his last 11 starts, nine of his last 14 starts and 10 of his last 16 starts.
His 16 starts with 3R-or-fewer allowed are tied for the sixth-most such starts in the AL and tied for the seventh-most such starts in the Majors this season.
His current 11-start streak of 3R-or-fewer is tied for the fourth-longest streak in the Majors this season.
GLEYBER DAY: INF Gleyber Torres had his career-high 15-game hitting streak snapped on Friday (7/6-26)…was the longest by a Yankee this season…was just the second Yankee in the last six seasons (since 2018) to record a hitting streak of at least 15 games, joining Isiah Kiner-Falefa (15-game streak from 7/10-29/22)…was just the third to do so in the last eight seasons since 2016 (in addition to Kiner-Falefa, Didi Gregorius recorded a 17-game streak from 5/28-6/15/17)… batted .361/.379/.541 (22-for-61) with 10R, 1 triple, 3HR, 7RBI, 3BB, 2SF and 1SB over his 15-game hitting streak.
Has hit safely in 20 of his last 23 games (since 6/29) and 22 of his last 26 games (since 6/25), batting .301 (31-for103) with 15R, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 4HR, 13RBI, 7BB, 2SF and 2SB over that 26-game stretch…since 6/25, his 31H are tied for the seventh-most in the AL in that span.
Has reached base in 24 of his last 27 games (since 6/24) and 37 of his last 41 games (since 6/8-G1).
Is batting .303 (27-for-89) with 13R, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4HR, 11RBI, 6BB, 2SF and 2SB in 22 games during July.
Is batting .346 (28-for-81) with 11R, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3HR, 9RBI and 5BB in the first inning this season…has reached base in the first inning in 10 of his last 13 games, 11 of his last 15 games and 12 of his last 18 games.
In 80 career games vs. the Orioles, is hitting .307/.383/.596 (88-for-287) with 53R, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 21HR, 54RBI, 33BB, 4HP, 2SF and 5SB…his 21HR vs. Baltimore are his most vs. any opponent.
HOLMES SWEET HOLMES: RHP Clay Holmes has not allowed a run in 28 of his last 31 appearances (since 5/6), going 4-0 with 10 saves and a 0.88 ERA (30.2IP, 3ER) in that span…his 0.88 ERA since 5/6 is the second-lowest ERA among all Major League pitchers in that span (min. 30.0IP), trailing only Baltimore’s Félix Bautista (0.51).
THE EAST IS A BEAST: Five of the top seven records in the American League are held by AL East teams…the AL East is the only division in the Majors to have five teams with a winning record…the AL West is the only other division to have more than three such teams (AL West: four; NL East, NL Centra and NL West: three; AL Central: one).
WILD BILL: OF Billy McKinney has reached base in 10-of-18 PA (3H, 6BB, 1HP, .556 OBP) over his last seven games (since 7/16) and has reached base in 15-of-35 PA over his last 13 games (since 7/5), posting a .429 OBP in that span (6H, 8BB, 1HP).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP CLARKE SCHMIDT (6-6, 4.33 ERA)
RHP Clarke Schmidt will make his 22nd appearance (21st start) of the season tonight at Baltimore…the 27-year-old will make the start on extended seven days’ rest…
last pitched on 7/21 vs. Kansas City and earned his sixth win of the season after allowing 3ER over 5.2IP (5H, 1BB, 2K, 1HR, 1HP)…marked his 11th consecutive start with 3ER-or-fewer allowed, tied for the fourth-longest such streak in the Majors this season…has posted a 3.02 ERA (59.2IP, 20ER) over his last 12 appearances (11 starts) since 5/19…his 3.02 ERA over that span is the eighth-lowest in the AL (min. 50.0IP)…his 16 starts with 3R-or-fewer allowed are tied for the seventh-most such starts in the Majors this season (tied for sixth in AL)…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in seven of his last 11 starts and 1ER-or-fewer in four of those starts…has allowed 3ERor-fewer in each of his last 11 starts, 13 of his last 14 starts (since 5/3) and 14 of his last 16 starts (since 4/23)…has tossed at least 5.0 innings in 10 of his last 11 starts and 13 of his last 16 starts after not doing so in his first four starts this season…made his second career Opening Day roster in 2023 (also 2022)…in 2022, went 5-5 with two saves and a 3.12 ERA (57.2IP, 46H, 23R/20ER, 23BB, 56K, 5HR) in 29 appearances (three starts) over four stints with the Yankees…in three starts, went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP, 13H, 6ER, 2BB, 14K, 0HR)…as a reliever, went 5-3 with two saves and a 2.74 ERA (46.0IP, 33H, 17R/14ER, 21BB, 42K, 5HR) in 26 games…tossed at least 2.0 innings in 13 of his relief appearances and at least 3.0 innings in five of those relief appearances…was selected by the Yankees in the first round (16th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina.
LAST TIME OUT: Last pitched on 7/21 vs. Kansas City and earned his sixth win of the season after allowing 3ER over 5.2IP (5H, 1BB, 2K, 1HR, 1HP)…retired 11 f his first 13 batters before surrendering a three-run homer to Michael Massey in the fourth inning…was his fifth straight start of at least 5.0IP…marked his 11th consecutive start with 3ER-or-fewer allowed.
ON A ROLL: Is 6-3 with a 3.50 ERA (74.2IP, 29ER) and 65K over his last 15 appearances (14 starts) since 5/3 after going 0-3 with a 6.84 ERA (25.0IP, 19ER) and 32K in his first six starts of the season.
Over his last 12 appearances (11 starts) since 5/19, is 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA (59.2IP, 20ER) and 49K…his 3.02 ERA over that span is the eighth-lowest in the AL (min. 50.0IP).
Has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in seven of his last 11 starts and 1ER-or-fewer in four of those starts.
Has allowed 3ER-or-fewer in each of his last 11 starts, 13 of his last 14 starts (since 5/3) and 14 of his last 16 starts (since 4/23).
VS. BALTIMORE: Will be making his ninth career appearance (fourth start) vs. the Orioles…in eight career games (three starts) vs. Baltimore, is 2-2 with one save and a 4.09 ERA (22.0IP, 20H, 12R/10ER, 12BB/1IBB, 19K, 2HR).
Has made three starts vs. Baltimore this season, going 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA (13.1IP, 8ER) and 14K.
Has gone 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA (13.0IP, 4ER) and 12K in four career appearances (two starts) vs. the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
Has allowed 2R-or-fewer in six of his eight appearances vs. Baltimore.
Made his Major League debut at Camden Yards in Game 2 on 9/4/20 in relief (1.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 1BB, 1K, 1HP)…had never pitched professionally above Double-A in his career prior to his debut.
HOME SWEET HOME: Is 3-5 with a 4.01 ERA (60.2IP, 27ER) and 56K in 13 appearances (12 starts) at home this season…has allowed 3R-or-fewer in 10 of those starts.
Has made 28 appearances (14 starts) in his career at Yankee Stadium, going 5-7 with one save and a 3.82 ERA (92.0IP, 86H, 47R/39ER, 29BB, 86K, 15HR) in those games.
Has tossed 5.0IP-or-more in each of his last six home starts and in eight of his 12 home starts this season…has also allowed 3R-or-fewer in six consecutive home starts and in 10 of his 12 home starts this season.
2023: Has made 21 appearances (20 starts) this season, going 6-6 with a 4.33 ERA (99.2IP, 104H, 54R/48ER, 28BB, 97K, 15HR)…over his last 12 appearances (11 starts)
since 5/19, is 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA (59.2IP, 20ER) and 49K…his 3.02 ERA over that span is the eighth-lowest in the AL (min. 50.0IP).
His 16 starts with 3R-or-fewer allowed are tied for the seventh-most such starts in the Majors this season (tied for sixth in AL).
Has allowed 3ER-or-fewer in 11 straight starts, tied for the fourth-longest streak in the Majors this season.
Has tossed at least 5.0 innings in 10 of his last 11 starts and 13 of his last 16 starts after not doing so in his first four starts this season.
Made his first relief appearance on 7/9 vs. Chicago-NL (0.2IP, 1K)…marked his first relief appearance since 10/4/22-G2 at Texas.
Tossed a career-high-tying 6.0IP on 5/9 vs. Oakland, 6/6 vs. Chicago-AL and 7/15 at Colorado.
Did not allow a HR in four straight starts from 5/14-31, marking the longest homerless stretch of his career as a starter (previous: three straight starts from 6/16-9/3/22)…has surrendered just 7HR over his last 13 starts (since 5/3) after allowing at least 1HR in five of his first six starts of the season (7HR total).
In his eighth start of the season on 5/9 vs. Oakland, earned his first win of the season after allowing just 2ER over a career-high-tying 6.0IP (5H, 2BB, 7K, 1HR, 1WP)…marked his first career win as a starter…reached 100.0 career innings in the first inning.
Struck out Ezequiel Duran (swinging) in the fifth inning on 4/28 at Texas for his 100th career strikeout.
Recorded a career-high-tying 8K on 4/23 vs. Toronto, 4/28 at Texas and 7/15 at Colorado.
Made his second career Opening Day roster (also 2022).
FOR STARTERS: Will be making his 26th career start…over his first 25 career Major League starts (20 in 2023, three in ’22, one in ’21, one in ’20), is 6-9 with a 4.46 ERA (119.0IP, 128H, 68R/59ER, 35BB,116K, 16HR)…has tossed at least 5.0IP in 10 of his last 11 starts and 13 of his last 16 starts after not doing so in his first nine career starts.
Is 6-6 with a 4.36 ERA (99.0IP, 48ER) and 96K in 20 starts in 2023…tossed a career-high-tying 6.0IP on 5/9 vs. Oakland, 6/6 vs. Chicago-AL and 7/15 at Colorado…recorded a career-high-tying 8K on 4/23 vs. Toronto, 4/28 at Texas and 7/15 at Colorado.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:
WORTH THE WAIT: The O’s walked off the Yankees in last night’s three-game series opener, 1-0…Anthony Santander delivered the win with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth; marked his third career walk-off plate appearance, joining a three-run home run in the ninth inning on May 19, 2022 vs. New York-AL and an RBI single in the 11th inning on August 25, 2022 vs. Chicago-AL…Marked Baltimore’s fifth walk-off victory of the year and first since Ryan McKenna’s two-run home run in the 10th inning on June 24 vs. Seattle…Grayson Rodriguez worked a career-high 6.1 scoreless innings with three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts for his first career quality start, while Félix Bautista tossed a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts to earn his sixth win of the year…The O’s improved to 23-11 in series openers and 10-7 in series openers at home…Have gone 20-10 in one-run games this season…The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 32 minutes due to inclement weather.
WON-0: Last night’s win was Baltimore’s fifth shutout of the season and first since May 13 vs. Pittsburgh (2-0)…Marked the second 1-0 win of the year for the O’s, joining April 18 at Washington, and the first such victory at Oriole Park since August 5, 2022 vs. Pittsburgh…It was the fourth walk-off home run by the Orioles in a 1-0 victory in team history (since 1954), along with May 16 (G1), 1975 vs. California, September 23, 1981 vs. Detroit, and May 9, 2007 vs. Tampa Bay…Also marked the first such occurrence in MLB since New York-AL’s Aaron Judge hit a walk-off homer in the ninth inning on July 28, 2022 vs. Kansas City.
SWEEPLESS IN BALTIMORE: With last night’s win, the Orioles have now gone 73 consecutive series without being swept…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most consecutive series of at least two decisions (no ties) without getting swept in Orioles history (since 1954), ahead of 46 consecutive sweep-less series from 1971-72…It is the sixth-longest such streak in MLB history, trailing the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals (124), 1906-09 Chicago Cubs (115), 1903-05 New York Giants (105), 1922-24 New York Yankees (83), and 1904-1906 Philadelphia Athletics (74).
WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won six of their last nine games, 14 of their last 19, and 15 of their last 22…At 63-40 (.612), the Orioles have the best record in the AL and second-best in MLB; they are one of only two teams with a .600 winning percentage (see box at right)… The Birds are 125-89 (.584) since the beginning of June 2022, the second-best record in the AL and fourth-best in MLB during that time…Had a season-best eight-game winning streak from July 5-16, Baltimore’s longest since a 10-gamer from July 3-13, 2022…They outscored their opponents, 60-20, during the streak for a +40 run differential; according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Orioles won eight straight games with a run differential of at least +40 within one season was from August 24-31, 1983 (+45).
The Birds currently have a 1.5-game lead over the Rays in the AL East.
The Orioles have two winning streaks of at least seven games this year; Atlanta (4x), San Francisco (2x), and Tampa Bay (2x) are the only other teams with multiple win streaks of at least seven games this season.
JUST STOPPING BY: The Orioles began a three-game homestand against the Yankees last night…After the homestand, the Birds hit the road for four games in Toronto from July 31 to August 3, before returning to Baltimore for a six-game, seven-day homestand against the Mets (August 4-6) and Astros (August 8-10).
The O’s have gone 31-20 (.608) in Baltimore this season, the third-best home record in the AL and sixth-best in MLB.
The Birds have won six of their last eight home games.
AGAINST THE YANKEES: The Orioles and Yankees are meeting for the fourth and final time in the regular season and for the second time in Baltimore…The O’s have gone 6-5 against the Yanks so far this season and need one win in the next two games to clinch a season series victory over the division rival.
Baltimore has gone eight straight sets against AL East opponents without losing a series for the first time since April 14 to June 22, 2014 (8), per the Elias Sports Bureau; the last longer such streak was from August 1 to September 30, 2012 (11).
AY, TONE: Anthony Santander recorded his 500th career hit on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, a double in the first inning…He is the 50th player to reach 500 career hits in an O’s uniform since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954…Hit his 100th career home run on July 16 vs. Miami, becoming the 29th player to hit 100 homers in an O’s uniform…Has reached base safely in 21 of the last 24 games since June 30…Had a season-long 17-game on-base streak from June 30 to July 20…It was the second-longest on-base streak by an O’s batter this season behind Adam Frazier, who reached safely in 18 straight games from May 6-25…Since the beginning of May, Santander is slashing .274/.347/.512 (78-for-285) with 18 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, 44 runs scored, 45 RBI, 28 walks, four hit-by-pitches, and three stolen bases in 74 games…During that time, he ranks among AL leaders in extra-base hits (T-4th, 35), total bases (T-5th, 146), homers (6th), and slugging (8th).
Ranks tied for sixth in the AL with 45 extra-base hits and eighth with 26 doubles.
Santander has two multi-homer games this year and his 12 career multi-homer games are tied for ninth-most in O’s history (since 1954).
His 18 home runs are third among MLB switch hitters this season; his 51 home runs since the start of last season are the most among MLB switch hitters.
BIG TIME RUTSCH: Adley Rutschman owns a career-high-tying 13-game on-base streak since July 9, during which time he is slashing .255/.333/.510 (13-for-51) with four doubles, three homers, seven runs scored, nine RBI, and six walks.
Rutschman is batting leadoff and playing catcher in tonight’s game; according to Baseball Reference, he will become the fourth player (seventh occurrence) in O’s history to start at catcher and bat leadoff, and the first since Chance Sisco on August 19, 2020 vs. Toronto.
Prior to Sisco in 2020, the last player to start at catcher and bat leadoff for the O’s was Floyd Rayford on June 26, 1985 at New York-AL.
The last O’s catcher to start and record a hit from the leadoff spot was Curt Blefary, who went 2-for-6 with a double and a walk on April 18, 1968 at Oakland.
MOUNTAIN TIME: Félix Bautista is tied for the AL lead and tied for third in MLB with 28 saves this season…He has secured a win or save in 34 of his 46 appearances 73.9%) this year…That would be the fourth-highest such percentage in O’s history (since 1954), behind Jim Johnson (74.6%, 53-of-71) in 2012, Randy Myers (77.0%, 47-of-61) in 1997, and Lee Smith (82.9%, 34-of-41) in 1994, per the Elias Sports Bureau…Bautista is looking to become the eighth Oriole in team history to lead the league in saves and the first since Zack Britton locked down 47 games in 2016…Johnson has the team record of 51 saves set in 2012.
His 98 strikeouts are more than 15 qualified pitchers, per STATS.
STARTING PITCHER – #68 TYLER WELLS RHP
QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his 21st appearance (20th start) of the season, 11th start at home, and 14th career appearance (eighth start) against the Yankees tonight… Wells became the third O’s pitcher since 2008 with 100+ strikeouts before the All-Star Break, joining Dylan Bundy (113 K in 2018) and Jason Hammel (101 K in 2012)… Went 7-7 with a 4.25 ERA (49 ER/103.2 IP) in 23 starts for the O’s in 2022…Made his first career start on April 10, 2022 at Tampa Bay…Ended the 2022 season on the 15-day Injured List with right shoulder inflammation…Also spent time on the Injured List with lower left side discomfort in 2022…Originally selected by Minnesota in the 15th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal State, San Bernardino before being taken by the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft on December 10, 2020.
LAST TIME OUT: Did not factor into the decision in his last start on July 23 at Tampa Bay…Allowed three runs on one hit (1 HR) with a career-high-tying four walks (also: 6/22/22 vs. WSH), two hit batters, and five strikeouts in 4.1 innings…Failed to complete 5.0 innings for the second straight start; accomplished the feat in 18 straight appearances (17 starts) to begin the season…Threw 77 pitches, 44 strikes.
CAREER AGAINST THE YANKEES: Making his 14th career appearance (eighth start) against the Yankees tonight…Did not factor into the decision in his last assignment July 3 at Yankee Stadium…Allowed two runs on five hits (2 HR) with two walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings…Threw 86 pitches, 56 strikes…Has pitched to an 0-4 record with a 4.95 ERA (24 ER/43.2 IP) and one save in 13 career appearances (seven starts) against the AL East foe.
CAREER AGAINST THE AL EAST: Slated to make his 40th career appearance (19th start) against the AL East…Owns a 5-8 record with a 4.87 ERA (63 ER/116.1 IP), one save, and four quality starts through his first 39 career appearances against the division.
HOME COOKING: In 10 starts at Oriole Park this season, Wells has pitched to a 4-4 record with a 3.26 ERA (21 ER/58.0 IP) and six quality starts…Dealt the loss in his last home start on July 18 vs. Los Angeles-NL…Allowed five runs on six hits (1 HR) with two walks, a wild pitch, and two strikeouts in 2.0 innings…Tied his season highs in runs (also: 5/24 at NYY) and hits allowed (4x, last: 7/8 at MIN)…Marked his shortest start of the season…Threw 59 pitches, 37 strikes.
WATCH ME WHIP: Wells enters play leading MLB in WHIP (0.99) and opponent on-base percentage (.257), and ranks tied for third in batting average (.198)…Has allowed 113 baserunners (80 H, 30 BB, 3 HBP) across 20 appearances (111.0 IP) this season, the fourth-fewest in MLB (min. 90.0 IP)…His 80 hits surrendered this season are the tied for the sixth-fewest among pitchers who have thrown at least 90.0 innings… He posted a 0.72 WHIP in April, tied for the seventh-lowest mark by an O’s pitcher in a calendar month in club history (since 1954) and lowest since Scott McGregor recorded a franchise-record 0.61 WHIP in May 1978…Wells issued just three walks and allowed 18 hits in 29.0 innings through his first five appearances (four starts) in April.
MR. CONSISTENT: Wells tossed 5.0-or-more innings in 18 straight appearances (17 starts) to begin the season, becoming the first O’s pitcher to accomplish the feat
since Mike Mussina did so in each of his 24 starts in 1994…Wells entered 2023 with 12 such performances, all in 2022.
LOVING LEFTIES: Opposing left-handed batters are slashing .193/.232/.336 (81-for- 420) against Wells through his first 87 career games (42 starts)…He has recorded
more career strikeouts against lefties (124) than hits allowed…Among pitchers with at least 400 left-handed batters faced in that span, Wells ranks second in opponent on-base percentage, fourth in opponent OPS (.568), and sixth in opponent batting average.
RACKING UP STRIKEOUTS: Wells has recorded 110 strikeouts this season, the most by an O’s pitcher through his first 20 games of the season since Dylan Bundy tallied 123 punchouts in his first 20 outings in 2018…His 110 strikeouts are a career high, surpassing his season total from last season (76)…Wells struck out at least seven batters in five straight starts from May 13 to June 4, tied with Erik Bedard (2007) for the second-longest streak by an Orioles pitcher since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954, trailing only an eight-game streak by Connie Johnson in 1957.
