PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:..went 3-4 on their seven-game homestand against the Cardinals (2-1) and Cubs (1-3)…Have gone 17-19 in their last 36 games since losing each of their first five games following the All-Star break.
ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Johan Oviedo gets the start tonight in the opener of this three-game series against the Royals…The 25-year-old righthander allowed one run in 5.0 innings while earning the win in his last start Tuesday night against the Cardinals at PNC Park…Oviedo has allowed one or no runs in 12 of his 26 starts this season…The only other five pitchers in MLB to allow one or no runs on 12 occasions this season are Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yusei Kikuchi, Zac Gallen and Bryce Elder.
MISSOURI ON OUR MINDS: Tonight the Pirates begin a three-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium…It will be the seventh series that the Pirates have played at Kauffman Stadium since interleague play began (the Royals were the very first interleague opponent for the Pirates from June 13-15, 1997, at Three Rivers Stadium)…Following a day off on Thursday, the Pirates will conclude their trip with three games at St. Louis this weekend.
KE’S TO THE GAME: Since August 9, Ke’Bryan Hayes gone 17-for-44 (.386) with three doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, a .438 OBP, .727 slugging percentage and 1.165 OPS in the 10 games he has batted out of the leadoff spot…Since August 8, Hayes has produced the eighth-highest OPS (1.023) and ranks third in total bases (47) among all National League hitters…The only two NL players with more total bases in that time are Marcell Ozuna (54) and Mookie Betts (53).
KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
TRIP TRACKER: The Royals went 2-7 on their 9-game, 10-day road trip to Chicago (1-2), Oakland (1-2) and Seattle (0-3), including yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Mariners that marked Kansas City’s 11th time being swept this season…it was also the 7th game out of 9 on the trip that was decided by 2 runs or fewer and the 4th 1-run game…Alec Marsh recorded 9 strikeouts in 5.2 innings but allowed 3 runs—on a pair of homers—and suffered his 7th loss in 11 appearances…the Royals could muster only 1 hit in 7.0 innings off Luis Castillo, but Nelson Velázquez’s 2-run homer in the 8th made it a 1-run game before Andrés Muñoz struck out the side in the 9th. The Royals hit just .207 (61-for-294) on the trip, including .190 (12-for-63) with 3 XBH in scoring situations. If you set aside Saturday’s 15-2 loss in Seattle, the Royals were outscored by a total of 4 runs in the other 8 games on the road trip, but they went just 2-6, with all 6 of those losses coming by 2 runs or fewer.
ROYAL RUNDOWN: Since winning a season-high 7 consecutive games from July 28-Aug. 4, the Royals are a Major League-worst 5-16 (.238) and are winless in their last seven series, including six losses and one split… yesterday’s loss dropped the Royals to 50 games under .500 (41-91) for the first time since Aug. 28, 2018—five years ago today—when they beat Detroit, 6-2, to improve to 41-91, which is exactly their record entering tonight. The Royals have won 7 of their last 10 series-opening games, after going 5-27 in openers to start the year.
HOME: Following a 9-game, 10-day road trip, the Royals return home tonight to begin a 9-game, 10-day homestand with the 1st of 3 games vs. the Pirates…the Royals will enjoy an off day on Thursday before welcoming the Red Sox to town this weekend, and will begin next week with a 3-game set vs. the White Sox… the finale of that White Sox series, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7, will be played on Memorial Day, Monday, Sept. 4 at 1:10 p.m…the Royals are 23-40 (.365) at home this season, but are 21-24 in their last 45 games—during which they have an even run differential—and are 8-4 in their last 12 home games. Tonight begins the third-to-last homestand of the season, including a 6-game stay from Sept. 15-20 vs. Houston and Cleveland and a 3-game series vs. the Yankees to end the regular season from Sept. 29-Oct. 1…including tonight, there are only 18 home games remaining on the Royals 2023 schedule.
INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: The Royals are hosting the Pirates this week for the third time in the last four seasons, after the Pirates traveled to Kansas City just four times from the time Interleague play began in 1997 through 2019…the Royals are 21-18 all-time against the Pirates, including 13-3 in Kansas City, which is their best record vs. any opponent in the 51-year history of Kauffman Stadium…the Royals have won 8 of their last 12 games vs. the Pirates since July 21, 2015 in which they have outscored Pittsburgh 65-36 (+29)…these two teams last faced off in 2021, when they split a 2-game set at PNC Park from April 27-28, before the Royals swept the Pirates in 2 games a month later from May 31-June 1…the Royals have not lost to the Pirates in Kansas City since July 20, 2015 and have won 7 straight vs. them here since, in which they’ve outscored them 47-17 (+30). The Royals are 16-27 in Interleague play this season, but are 8-5 in their last 13 games since July 1…the Royals are playing 14 of 28 games this month vs. National League opponents, and will wrap up their Interleague slate with the series finale on Wednesday, as all 27 games after then will be vs. AL teams.
TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP JOHAN OVIEDO (7-13, 4.46)
ZACK GREINKE is making his 537th career start (580th appearance) tonight vs. Pittsburgh, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Mike Mussina (536) for 35th on the all-time starts list, 1 start shy of matching Hall of Famer Red Ruffing (538)…it’s his 16th career start vs. the Pirates and 1st since 2019 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ê The 39-year-old Greinke, now in his 20th season in the Majors, is a six-time AllStar, a six-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner in 2009 with the Royals and a two-time ERA leader.
SEEKING SUPPORT: The Royals offense has scored just 37 runs in Greinke’s 114.2 innings this season for a 2.9 run support average, which is the 2nd-lowest mark in the Majors (min. 100.0 IP)…the Royals have supported Zack with 1 or 0 runs in 13 of his 22 starts, and have supported him with a total of 17 runs over his last 13 starts (64.0 IP).
SPLITS: Zack has held right-handed batters to a .246 average (62-for-252) and .663 OPS this season, but left-handed batters are hitting .327 (66-for-202) with a .941 OPS…left handers have accounted for only 44.7% of the 476 batters he’s faced, but they’ve had 25 of the 42 (59.5%) extra-base hits he’s allowed, including 13 homers.
TIMES TABLES: Greinke has been very good his first time through opponent lineups this season, holding them to a .254 average (49-for-193) with only 11 extra-base hits…but on the second and third time through, opponents are batting .268 (52- for-194) and .409 (27-for-66), respectively, with a total of 31 extra-base hits…along those same lines, he has held opponents to a .254 average (87-for-342) through 60 pitches, but when he gets above 60 pitches, opponents are batting .366 (41-for-112).
WALKING ON WATER: Zack’s pinpoint control has been on full display this season, his 20th in the Majors…the 39-year-old has issued only 15 walks to the 476 batters he’s faced through 23 outings (114.2 IP) for a 3.2 BB% and 1.2 BB/9, both of which rank 2nd in the Majors (min. 100.0 IP) to George Kirby…he issued 1 walk or fewer
in 10 consecutive starts from May 3-June 23, which was the 2nd-longest streak in Royals history, 1 game shy of Jason Vargas, who issued 1 walk or fewer in 11 straight starts from May 26, 2015-April 24, 2017, a two-year stretch interrupted by injury. Greinke has had 20 appearances this year in which he has issued 1 walk or fewer over at least 4.0 innings, which—despite two IL stints—trails only George Kirby (22) for the most in the Majors…he hasn’t issued a walk to his last 70 batters over 4-plus outings, since Akil Baddoo drew a free pass on July 20. Zack has allowed 23 HR, which are 8 more than the number of walks he’s issued (15)…he and Kirby the only pitchers in the Majors this season (min. 100.0 IP) with more HR allowed than walks…no pitcher in Royals history has allowed more HR than walks while qualifying for the ERA title (1.0 IP/team game).
INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: Zack is 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA (40 ER in 94.0 IP) in 15 career starts vs. Pittsburgh, and has not allowed a run in his last 21.1 innings vs. the Pirates, dating back to the 5th inning of his start on June 13, 2018 with Arizona…in 3-plus starts since, he’s allowed just 9 hits and 3 walks in those 21.1 innings, with 20 strikeouts. He is 30-24 with a 3.95 ERA (210 ER in 479.0 IP) in 83 career appearances (77 starts) in Interleague play, but has not won an Interleague matchup since May 30, 2021 vs. San Diego (with Houston)…he’s 0-4 in 12 starts since with a 6.67 ERA (42 ER in 56.2 IP), and his teams are 3-9 in those games.
CROWN VISION: Tonight marks Zack’s 118th career start at Kauffman Stadium, which are the 5th most in the 51-season history of this ballpark…in 23 home starts since returning to the Royals in 2022, Greinke is just 5-6 despite a 2.69 ERA (37 ER in 124.0 IP) and has held opponents to 2 earned runs or fewer in 18 of those 23 starts (78.3%)…he’s only 1-4 in 11 starts at Kauffman Stadium this season, and the Royals are 4-7 in those 11 games.
