OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: Extended their losing streak to a season-high tying seven games last night (also April 13-19)…have also lost 10 of the last 11 games and 15 of the last 17…are 4-18 (.182) in May after going 5-23 (.179) in April…are 10-41 (.196) overall, which matches the 1932 Red Sox for the second worst record after 51 games by an AL, NL or FL team since 1900…the worst is 9-39 (.188) by the 1904 Senators (had three games called with the score tied)…both the Red Sox and Senators lost game 52…the lowest winning percentage by an AL or modern NL team is .235 by the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (36-117)…have lost the first three games of this series and are now 1-15-0 in series play…lost each of the first 10 series, won two of three at Kansas City from May 5-7, and have lost each of the last five series…were swept by Houston in a three-game series to start the road trip and have been swept six times this year.
OFFENSE: The A’s have one extra base hit or fewer in each of the last six games, which matches the longest such streak in Oakland history (sixth time, last: Sept. 13-17, 1978)…have scored two runs or fewer in each of the last six games, which is tied for the third longest streak in Oakland history…it is the longest since an eight-game streak from May 10-18, 1979 and the longest is nine games from Sept. 10-17, 1978…have gone homerless in the last six games, which matches the longest streak by an A’s team over the last 13 years…are batting .189 (36-for-190) with eight runs scored, five doubles and 10 walks over the last six games…overall, have the second lowest batting average in the majors (.225), third lowest slugging percentage (.364) and OPS (.666) and fifth lowest on-base percentage (.302)…have the second most strikeouts (481), third fewest doubles (67), are tied for the third fewest runs (181) and have the fifth fewest extra base hits (126)…are tied for the most sacrifice hits (11), tied for second in hit by pitches (28) and tied for sixth in intentional walks (7)…the seven intentional walks match the A’s season total from last year…have been shut out three times in the last 13 games and seven times this year, which is tied with the Mets for second most in the majors (Royals, 8)…A’s pinch hitters are tied for the most hits (12) and walks (8) in the majors.
PITCHING: The A’s have compiled a 5.92 ERA (127 er in 193.0 ip) in May after posting a 7.97 ERA in April…have a 6.95 ERA overall, which is the highest in the majors…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the highest ERA by an AL or NL team since the earned run became an official stat is 6.70 by the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies…have allowed 364 runs (7.14 per game) and are on pace to allow 1156 runs…the only modern (since 1900) Major League teams to allow 1100 or more runs are the 1930 Phillies (1199) and 1996 Tigers (1103)…also have the highest opponents OPS (.875), batting average (.283), on-base percentage (.378) and slugging percentage (.498) in the majors this year…lead the majors in most home runs (86), walks (248), hit batters (36) and wild pitches (27) and have the sixth fewest strikeouts (387)…have surrendered six grand slams, which are the most in the majors and tied for fifth most in a season in Athletics history (8 in 1993 and 1999, 7 in 1954 and 1997).
STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 0-11 with a 6.06 ERA (57 er in 84.2 ip) in the 17 games since recording their only two wins of the season on May 5 and 6 at Kansas City…went 0-16 over the first 32 games and are 2-27 with a 7.25 ERA for the season…the ERA is the highest in the majors and no other team has fewer than seven wins from its starters…have the sixth fewest innings pitched (247.0).
THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen has a streak of 17 consecutive games without a save opportunity, which is the longest streak by an A’s team since the blown save was first tracked in 2004…is 4-for-13 (30.8%) in save opportunities… has the lowest save percentage and fewest saves in the majors and the nine blown saves are 10th most…has the highest ERA in the majors (6.57) and the third most innings pitched (200.0)…has allowed 41-of-101 (40.6%) inherited runners to score, which is the sixth highest percentage…has the second most inherited runners.
ON THE BASES: The A’s are 49-for-60 (81.7%) in stolen base attempts…rank third in the majors in stolen bases and attempts and 10th in stolen base percentage…the 49 steals are the most by an A’s team over the first 51 games since 1993 (49)…A’s opponents are 41-for-57 (71.9%) in stolen base attempts, which is the seventh lowest success rate in the majors…the 16 caught stealings are second most (Rockies, 18) but the A’s have the eighth most stolen bases allowed…A’s pitchers have four pickoffs, which is tied for fifth most in the majors.
HOME AND AWAY: The A’s are 0-6 on this seven-game road trip to Houston (0-3) and Seattle (0-3)…have gone winless on a road trip of seven or more games seven times in Oakland history, most recently Aug. 11-17, 2015 when they went 0-7 against Toronto (0-3) and Baltimore (0-4)…now have a 10-game road losing streak, which is tied for the fifth longest road losing streak in Oakland history…it is the longest since May 21- June 9, 2005 when they lost 11 straight…went 2-4 on the last road trip to Kansas City (2-1) and New York-AL (0-3) and are 5-21 (.192) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors…return home following the game tonight for a six-game homestand against Houston (three games) and Atlanta (three games)…went 2-5 on the last homestand against Texas (1-3) and Arizona (1-2) and are 5-20 (.200) at home, which is the lowest home winning percentage in the majors…have compiled a 5.99 ERA at home compared to 7.99 (190 er in 214.0 ip) on the road.
WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in seven of their 10 wins…have five wins when tied after seven innings, three when trailing after seven innings and two when leading after seven inning… are tied for the most wins in the majors when tied after seven innings and are tied for seventh in wins when trailing after seven innings…however, no other team has fewer than 12 wins when leading after seven innings…are 3-4 (.429) in extra inning games…are tied for second in the majors in extra inning games 7) and losses and tied for sixth in wins…have four walk-off wins, which is tied for the most in the majors.
RUN DIFFERENTIAL: Seven of the A’s 10 wins have been by one run and Oakland is 7-9 (.438) in one-run games…are tied for seventh in the majors in one-run losses and tied for eighth in one-run games (16)…however, have lost eight games by nine or more runs, which matches the most such losses by an A’s team over the last 27 years (also 2008 and 2022)…have a run differential of -183, which is the lowest in the majors…the lowest by an AL or NL team since 1901 is -349 by the 1932 Boston Red Sox.
THIS AND THAT: The A’s have employed 43 players, which is the most in the majors (Mets, 41)…28 of the 43 have been pitchers, which is also the most in the majors (Rays, 26)…have used 12 rookies and seven players have made their Major League debuts…have used the injured list 15 times, including 11 times for pitchers…currently have eight players on the IL, including seven pitchers… have committed just two errors in the last nine games, but have 32 for the season, which is tied for third most in the majors…have 10 outfield assists, which is tied for third most…are 9-21 (.300) in night games and 1-20 (.048) during the day…have an average time of game of 2:48, which is the longest in the majors…however, have not averaged under 2:53 per game since 2010 (2:43).
A’S VS. MARINERS
- The A’s have lost the first three games of this four-game series…were swept by the Mariners in a four-game series in Oakland Sept. 20-23,
2021 but have not been swept in a four-game series in Seattle since Aug. 12-15, 1991. - Have lost six straight, nine of the last 10 and 29 of the last 37.
- Are 0-6 this year after losing the season series last year for the second consecutive season…are 12-32 (.273) against the Mariners over the last three seasons.
- Have lost 15 of the last 19 games in Seattle.
- Have lost eight of the previous 10 season series and are 74-113 (.396) against the Mariners dating back to the start of the 2013 season, which is the A’s worst mark against any American League team over that span.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-3 0-3 0-6
2022 4-5 4-6 8-11
Oakland History: 378-337
at the Coliseum: 202-153
at T-Mobile Park: 99-117
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Ryan Noda leads Major League rookies in on-base percentage (.395) and walks (32)…Esteury Ruiz leads ML rookies in hits (56), stolen bases (26) and hit by pitches (11), is tied for the lead in doubles (13), ranks fourth in batting (.280) and tied for fifth in RBI (22)…the 26 steals match the most by an Athletic over the last 11 years (Burns in 2015, Davis in 2017).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: JP Sears (0-3, 4.99 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season…is 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA (9 er in 22.2 ip) and .686 opponents OPS in four starts in May after going 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA and .846 OPS in five starts in April in five starts in April.
OPPONENTS BATTING: Has a .224 (34-for-152) opponents batting average and .771 OPS against right-handed hitters compared to .343 (12-for-35) with a .770 OPS against left-handers…has allowed 18 of his 19 extra base hits to righties for a .500 slugging percentage (.371 vs. lefties)…has yielded 35 of his 39 career extra base hits to righties, including all 19 of his home runs…has a .301 (22-for-73) opponents batting average the first time through the order, .211 (24-for-114) after that…has not allowed a hit to the opponents number eight hitter (0-for-17)…opponents are 0-for-19 on an 0-2 count.
THIS AND THAT: Is 0-0 with a 2.86 ERA (7 er in 22.0 ip) in four starts in Oakland and 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA (20 er in 26.2 ip) in five starts on the road…has started the season 0-3 and is now 0-4 with a 5.09 ERA (33 er in 58.1 ip) over his last 11 games dating back to Sept. 25, 2022…went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA over the first 24 games of his career…has allowed at least one home run in seven of his nine starts and has 11 home runs overall, which is tied for ninth most in the majors…has walked two batters or fewer in each of his starts, including two starts with no walks and four with one…has issued 10 free passes in 48.2 innings for the season, an average of 1.85 per nine innings… has tossed six innings or fewer in all nine of his starts this year and all 20 in his career…has a 6.92 ERA (20 er in 26.0 ip) and .283 (30-for-106) opponents batting average in odd numbered innings, a 2.78 ERA (7 er in 22.2 ip) and .198 (16-for-81) opponents average in even numbered innings.
2023 DAY-BY-DAY: Allowed a career-high tying eight hits in his first start on April 4 against Cleveland but had a no decision in the A’s 4-3 win…tossed a career-high tying 6.0 innings in the A’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to New York (NL) on April 16…struck out a career-high 11 batters in a career-high tying 6.0 innings on April 21 at Texas but had a no decision in the A’s 5-4 win…also had a career-high 101 pitches and walked two, his first of three games in 2023 with two walks (April 27 at Los Angeles-AL and May 3 vs. Seattle)…allowed a career-high tying six runs in a season-low 4.1 innings in an 8-7 loss at Los Angeles (AL) on April 27…tossed a career-high tying 6.0 innings and did not allow a run on May 3 against Seattle but had a no decision in the A’s 7-2 10-inning loss…left with 2-0 lead but the pen allowed one run in the seventh and one in the ninth for the blown save…surrendered a career-high tying three home runs in a 7-2 loss at New York (AL) on May 8…tossed a career-high tying 101 pitches in 5.1 innings on May 14 against Texas.
LAST START: He had his second straight no decision in the A’s 3-2 loss at Houston last Saturday…allowed two runs in a career-high tying 6.0 innings…both of the runs came in the first inning on an Alvarez sacrifice fly and a Tucker RBI single…blanked the Astros on one hit over his final five innings and retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced…was relieved by Martinez to start the seventh with the score tied 2-2.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 10-game homestand with tonight’s series finale against the Oakland Athletics (3-0)…Seattle will also host the Pittsburgh Pirates (3 G, May 26-28) and the New York Yankees (3 G, May 29-31) on the current homestand…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Athletics by a 6-1 score last night and have won each of the first 3 games of the 4-game series…the Mariners are 13-8 in May, tied for the 3rd-best record in the AL this month (also: Baltimore and Houston), trailing New York-AL (15-7) and Texas (14-7)…Seattle is 19-8 when scoring at least 4 runs and 6-16 when scoring 3-or-fewer.
- Rising Tide – Seattle is looking to reach 2 games above .500 for the 1st time this season…they have held 1-0, 20-19, 21-20 and 25-24 records.
- Sweep Stakes – The Mariners will go for their 3rd sweep of the season, after previously sweeping Colorado (3 G, 4/14-16) and Oakland (3 G, 5/2-4)…Seattle will go for its first 4-game sweep of the A’s since Sept. 20-23, 2021.
- Relief Corps – Chris Flexen has tossed 8.0 consecutive scoreless innings in relief (4/30-c), allowing just 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 during the streak…Tayler Saucedo has began his Mariners career with 9.0 scoreless innings (4/19-5/24).
- Short Walks – The Mariners pitching staff has walked no more than 1 batter in 20 games this season, most in the Majors, ranking ahead of San Francisco and Los Angeles-NL, who have done so 15 times.
- WARiors – George Kirby (T7th, 1.9), Logan Gilbert (12th, 1.7), Luis Castillo (T14th, 1.6) and Bryce Miller (T18th, 1.4) all rank in the top 20 of MLB pitchers this season in Fangraphs WAR…the Mariners are the only team in the Majors to have more than 2 pitchers rank among the top 20 in fWAR this season.
ACE OF STAFFS…the Mariners have the best pitching staff in the Major Leagues by fWAR (9.9), ranking ahead of Minnesota (8.5)…Seattle also leads the Majors in WHIP (1.16), Fielding Independent Pitching (3.20), fewest walks (123), walks-per-9 innings (2.52), fewest home runs (33), home runs-per-9 innings (0.68), fewest barrels (75), barrel per plate appearance (4.1%), soft-contact percentage (18.6), swing percentage (49.4) and zone percentage (44.3) among other categories…Mariners starting pitchers are tied for 1st in the Majors in fWAR (6.8) with Minnesota…Mariners relief pitchers rank 2nd in the Majors in fWAR (3.1) trailing Baltimore (3.4).
CABBY, CABBY, CABBY, CAN’T YOU SEE…José Caballero continued his torrid May, going 1-for-2 with 2 walks and a run scored in yesterday’s game…in 16 games this month, Cabby is batting .350 (14×40) with 9 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBI and 8 walks while getting on-base at a .471 clip and slugging .550 (1.021 OPS)…despite playing only 25 games this season, he has already compiled 1.1 fWAR, ranking 3rd among American League second basemen behind Marcus Semien-TEX (2.5) and Taylor Walls-TB (1.3)…overall this season, Caballero is batting .283 (17×60) with 12 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 10 walks and 2 hit-by-pitch, while reaching base at a .392 clip and slugging .433 with a .825 OPS…he also is 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.
JARRED IS SHINING ON THE DIAMOND…Jarred Kelenic had his 6-game hitting streak (5/17-24) snapped in yesterday’s game…overall this season, Kelenic is batting .289 (50×173) with 25 runs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 6 stolen bases and 13 walks in 46 games, while getting on base at a .340 clip, slugging .543 with a .884 OPS, while tallying 1.5 fWAR, and 1.7 Baseball Reference WAR…the 23-year-old outfielder leads the Mariners in total bases (94), extra-base hits (23), hits, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS…among AL outfielders, his 146 wRC+ ranks 5th, trailing Aaron Judge-NYY (181), Yordan Alvarez-HOU (175), Randy Arozarena-TB (169) and Brent Rooker-OAK (159).
GLOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD…the Mariners defense is the best in the American League by Outs Above Average (13) this season, and tied for 2nd in the Majors (also: Milwaukee), trailing only San Diego (19)… they have had the 3rd best outfield (5 OAA) and are tied for the 3rd-best infield defense (9 OAA)…Eugenio Suárez is the top-rated third baseman in the AL by OAA (6) and is tied for 2nd among all positions…Julio Rodríguez is tied for 4th among AL center fielders with 4 OAA…Seattle’s .991 team fielding percentage is tied for the MLB lead with Tampa Bay and San Diego (.993), while Seattle’s 13 Defensive Runs Saved ranks 6th in the Majors.
HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS?…Seattle players age 26-or-younger this season have compiled 10.9 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement, most in the Majors, ranking ahead of Tampa Bay (9.3) and Houston (7.1)…Seattle pitchers age 26-or-younger have 6.0 fWAR, by far the most in the Majors and ranking ahead of Houston (3.9)…Seattle position players age 26-or-younger have 4.9 fWAR, 2nd-most in the Majors behind only Tampa Bay (7.0)…George Kirby (1.9 fWAR), Logan Gilbert (1.7) and Bryce Miller (1.2) rank 2nd, 3rd and T4th, respectively, among age 26-or-younger MLB pitchers, while reliever Matt Brash (0.8) ranks T17th…Jarred Kelenic (1.5 fWAR) ranks T12th among age 26-or-younger MLB position players, while Cal Raleigh (1.2) ranks T18th.
J DOT, P DOT…J.P. Crawford reached base twice last night, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored… he has reached base safely multiple times in a game 24 times this season, tied for the team lead (also: Eugenio Suárez)…overall this season, he leads the Mariners with a .368 on-base percentage…he also ranks 4th in the American League with a 15.1% walk rate and 3rd among AL shortstops in fWAR (1.1), trailing Wander Franco-TB (2.3) and Bo Bichette-TOR (2.1).
HOME SWEET HOMESTAND…the Mariners continue a 10-game homestand today with the last of 4 consecutive Value Games against the Oakland Athletics (May 22-25)…Seattle will welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates for 3 games (May 26-28), featuring Sing-Along Fireworks Night on Friday, May 26, J.P. Crawford POP! Collectible Night on Saturday, May 27 and Little League Day on Sunday, May 28…the Mariners wrap up the homestand with 3 games against the New York Yankees from May 29-31…tickets for all upcoming games can be found at Mariners.com/Tickets.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…José Caballero has a .392 on base percentage through his first 25 career games, which ranks 2nd among rookies with at least 50 plate appearances, trailing only Ryan NodaOAK (.395), but…DID YOU KNOW?…Caballero’s .392 on-base percentage through his first 25 career games is the 10th-best mark in franchise history, sandwiched between Hall of Famers Edgar Martinez (.395 OBP) and Ken Griffey Jr. (.390 OBP)?…Alvin Davis is the Mariners leader in on base percentage through 25 career games, getting on base at a .464 clip in 1984.
MARINERS STARTER – RHP LOGAN GILBERT
ABOUT LOGAN GILBERT…
- The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season and 2nd against Oakland…he will also make the 66th start of his MLB career and 9th career start against the Athletics.
- 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#2 in 9th start of the season against Atlanta on 5/20, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and 9 strikeouts.
VS. OAKLAND…is set to make his 9th career start against the Athletics, the most starts he has against any opponent…in 8 starts against the A’s Logan is 1-0 with a 3.53 ERA (17 ER, 43.1 IP), 9 walks, and 35 strikeouts.
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 6.30 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 4th in the Major Leagues and 2nd on the Mariners among pitchers with at least 9 starts this season…he trails only George Kirby who has a 9.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
FOURTH TIME AROUND…had a perfect game through 6.0 innings during his last outing 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 joins Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, and Easton McGee.
STRIKEOUT STREAK…in each of his first 7 starts this season, 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 3rd longest streak among starting pitchers in the Majors this season with Zac Gallen-ARI.
KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has only allowed 52 baserunners through his first 9 starts this season which ranks 1st among Mariners pitchers with at least 9 starts… he ranks ahead of George Kirby and Luis Castillo (62)…his 52 baserunners allowed are the 4th fewest in the Major Leagues among pitchers who have made at least 9 starts this season.
AMONG MARINERS GREATS…with his 8 strikeouts in his outing on 4/18 vs. MIL Logan passed Randy Johnson for the 3rd most strikeouts through a pitchers first 60 Mariners starts with 330…he trails only Félix Hernández (351) and Erik Hanson (349). ON A ROLL…Logan’s 63 strikeouts so far this season ranks second among Mariners starting pitchers… he trails only Luis Castillo (66)…his 34 strikeouts in March/April was a new career high to start the season.
QUALITY AND QUANTITY…has recorded five quality starts this season which is tied 2nd on the team with Bryce Miller and trails only George Kirby (8)…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.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS…is 2-2 on the season…his 4 decisions this season are tied for the 7th fewest in the Major Leagues among starting pitchers with at least 9 starts…he also is tied for the fewest decisions among Mariners pitchers who have made more than 1 start with Bryce Miller.
FIRST 50…made his 50th career start on 8/26/22, going 16-10 with a 4.01 ERA (120 ER, 269.0 IP) with 261 strikeouts…his 261 strikeouts are the 5thmost over a pitchers first 50 career starts in Mariners history, trailing Félix Hernández (295), Erik Hanson (279), Hisashi Iwakuma (266) and Taijuan Walker (263).
THE KING AND I…became the 3rd fastest Mariners starter to 300 career strikeouts when he struck out Vimael Machín on 9/30/22 vs. OAK…it took Gilbert just 56 starts to reach the milestone…only Félix Hernández (51 GS) and Erik Hanson (53 GS) reached the milestone in fewer games.
