SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Padres fall 7-4 to Giants in extras
- The Friars dropped Game 1 of the 4-game set last night with Mike Yastrzemski’s 10th inning 3-run home run…leading 4-2 in the 9th inning, Padres’ reliever Luis García allowed 2 runs on a hit and 2 walks…Drew Carlton allowed 2 walks in his 0.1 innings, and Ray Kerr was saddled with the loss in his 3 runs (2 earned) allowed on 1 hit and a 1 walk.
- Starter Michael Wacha had his 3rd straight quality start, pitching 6.0 innings with 2 runs allowed on 4 hits…in his last 3 starts, Wacha has a 0.96 ERA (2 ER, 18.2 IP).
- Juan Soto hit 2 opposite field homers, his 1st multi-homer game as a Padre and the 13th of his career.
Problem in extras
- The Padres have yet to win a game in extra innings this year, now having gone 0-6 in such games…they’re 1 of 4 teams to yet to have won an extra-inning game (also Arizona, Houston, and Kansas City), and their 6 extra-inning losses tie with both the Astros and the Mariners (4-6) in extras this year.
- Last night’s loss was the Padres’ 3rd defeat in games in which they led after 8 innings (are now 32-3).
Seth Lugo returns from the IL
- Starter Seth Lugo was reinstated from the 15-Day IL today after suffering a right calf strain on May 16 vs. the Royals…he’s allowed 2.4 walks per 9 IP, the lowest mark on the Padres starting staff.
Swipe City
- The Padres have stolen at least 1 base in 8 straight games, their longest SB streak as a club since 2013 (also 8 games)…if they steal another tonight, it’ll be their longest SB streak since 2011 (12 G)…since May 25, they have stolen 32 bases, the 3rd most of any team in MLB behind TB (41) & CIN (41).
Padres pitchers have lowest opponent exit velocity in Majors (87.8 mph)
- Padres hurlers have induced a 87.8 mph exit velocity from opponent batters, the lowest exit velo in all of baseball.
- They also have the 2nd lowest opponent BABIP (batting average on balls in play) in the National League at .278, behind the Brewers’ .273.
Keepin’ it quality
- In their last 18 starts since May 31, Padres starters have a 3.03 ERA with a .217 opponent average…in those 18 starts, 11 of them have been quality outings.
- San Diego has seen quality starts in each of their last 3 games, and SD starters have had a quality outing in 6 of their last 8 games. Padres host 255,655 in their last 6-game homestand, break the
Petco Park single season sellout record
- Last week’s homestand against the Guardians and Rays was the highest attended 6-game homestand in Padres history (including Qualcomm days)… the total attendance was 255,655.
- The Padres had their 28th sellout on Sunday, and their 27th sellout on Saturday broke the Petco Park single season sellout record (set with 26 in 2022)…the 28 sellouts also do not include the 2 “home games” in Mexico City.
- The Padres have seen 1,510,236 fans at Petco Park so far in 2023, not including the 39,244 in the 2 Mexico City series games…in their 37 Petco Park games, they’ve averaged 40,817 fans per game, the 2nd-highest home attendance average behind just LAD’s 48,025 fans per game
STARTER – SETH LUGO #67
Lugo strains right calf on May 16 vs. KC
Lugo was placed on the 15-day IL on May 18 after straining his right calf attempting to cover first base in his 8th start of the season on May 16 vs. KC…he was tagged with his 3rd loss of the season, allowing a season-high 5 earned runs on 4 hits in SD’s 5-4 defeat.
Sim-game last Thursday at Petco Park
Lugo threw a sim game at Petco Park on Thursday, working 3.0 innings and tossing approx. 60 pitches…he followed up Thurs’ live batting practice with a bullpen session this past Sat
Pitch counts
Among all qualifying pitchers from Opening Day through May 3, which were 6 starts for Lugo, his 98.3 pitches per game were T-5th most in the Majors with Zack Wheeler…in his final 2 outings before landing on the IL, he tossed 84 pitches on May 10 @ MIN and a season-low 42 pitches on May 16 vs. KC.
Walk percentage
Lugo has walked 2-or-fewer in 7 of his 8 starts this season, including 2 starts (4/2 vs. COL & 4/27 @ CHC) with 0 free passes…he ranks in the 81st percentile in BB% and his 6.2 BB% is the 3rd-lowest in his career, trailing only 2019 (5.1%) and 2017 (5.7%).
Filthy with the curve
Just like in 2022, Lugo again ranks in the 99th percentile in curveball spin rate, averaging 3,236 rpm but opponents are hitting .321 against it compared to their .159 clip against it last season…he is averaging 61.9 inches of vertical drop on his curve – which is the 5th-highest vertical drop – and an average of 7.8 inches and 14% more drop – of all ML curveballs.
NL West success
Lugo has posted quality outings in both of his 2 starts vs. NL West opponents this season (April 2 vs. COL and April 21 @ ARI), going a combined 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and .204 opp. AVG…he’s made 57 career appearances (9 starts) vs. the NL West, going 9-5 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .238 opp. AVG
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Giants and Padres play the second game of this four-game series tonight at Oracle Park with the Giants entering the matchup on an eight-game winning streak dating to June 11…it’s SF’s longest winning streak since a nine-game winning streak from September 5-14, 2021…the Giants eight-game winning streak is the second-longest active win streak in the Majors currently behind Cincinnati’s active nine-gamer.
WHERE ARE YOU BOYS FROM IN THE WORLD? ALABAMA SIR!: It was announced today by Major League Baseball that the Giants and Cardinals will play a regular season game at
Rickwood Field a year from today on June 20, 2024…this experience, scheduled around Juneteenth next year, will include a variety of activities as a tribute to the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player – Hall of Famer, Giants Legend, Birmingham native and Birmingham Black Barons player Willie Mays…Rickwood Field is America’s oldest professional ballpark and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.
SAY HEY’S REACTION…: “I can’t believe it. I never thought I’d see in my lifetime a Major League Baseball game being played on the very field where I played baseball as a teenager. It has been 75 years since I played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood Field, and to learn that my Giants and the Cardinals will play a game there and honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and all those who came before them is really emotional for me. We can’t forget what got us here and that was the Negro Leagues for so many of us,” said Mays.
MAKE A NOTE…: The Giants-Mariners game on Monday, July 3 will now start at 7:15 p.m. PT instead of 6:45 p.m. PT…SF’s game the day before in New York was moved to Sunday Night Baseball and SF will not arrive back in the Bay Area until the early hours Monday morning after flying back from the east coast, thus Monday’s game has been moved back 30 minutes.
HUMM BABY: Beginning tonight and for the remainder of the season, the Giants will honor legendary Manager and Forever Giant Roger Criag, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 93, with a sign on the right centerfield brick wall…the sign will feature his well-known catchphrase, “Humm-Baby,” which he used to motivate his players and became synonymous with his eight seasons as the skipper of the Giants.
FLOAT ON…: SF has won eight in a row and 23 of its last 32 games (.719) dating to May 15…the .719 winning percentage is the best in MLB over that stretch…during this eight-game winning streak, the Giants have a +46 run differential (72- 26)…SF had a similar streak in 2021 from September 6-14 when they went 8-0 and had a +47 run diff.
DRIP, DROP: SF dons its City Connect jerseys tonight and enters tonight’s contest with a 21-7 record in the City Connects since they were debuted in 2021…the Giants have a +50 run differential in the City Connects all-time…this season, the Giants are 4-1 in the uniforms with the one loss coming the last time they wore them back on May 30 vs. Pittsburgh (2-1).
RUN THE JEWELS: The Giants have scored at least seven runs in each of their last six games dating to June 13, a new SFera (1958-pres.) record and their longest streak since a sixgame streak in 1947…the last time the Giants franchise did so in seven straight games was June 1 (in the first game of a doubleheader) to June 7, 1930.
SPLASH FOUR: OF Mike Yastrzemski’s walk off splash hit last night was the second of his career (also July 29, 2020 vs. San Diego off LHP Matt Strahm)…there have only been four total walk off homers at Oracle Park that made a splash and Yaz has two of them in the last four years…Barry Bonds (August 19, 2003 vs. ATL off LHP Ray King) and Brandon Crawford (April 13, 2014 vs Colorado off LHP Rex Brothers) are the others… weirdly enough all four of the walk-off splashes have been off
lefties.
BREAKING LATE…: The Giants scored five of their seven runs in last night’s win after the 7th inning (two in the ninth and three in the 10th)…entering play today, the Giants have scored 134 runs in the 7th inning or later this year, most in the Majors ahead of the Dodgers (130) and D-Backs (127).
NEVER TELL US THE ODDS: In the last 13 days, the Giants have six wins in which their win probability was less than 23% at any point in the game…in four of those six wins, it was less than 14% (Sports Info Solutions).
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: Despite five of the seven runs last night coming via the homer, the Giants have been less reliant on the homer since May 15, scoring 62 of their 188 runs (33%) via the homer, which is 24th in the Majors in that span…prior to May 15, the Giants scored 98 of their first 173 runs via a homer (57%), the highest margin in the Majors.
BULLS ON PARADE: The SF bullpen has been one of the best in MLB over the last month…since May 22, Giants relievers are 10-2 with an MLB-best 1.78 ERA (25er, 126.1ip), 143 strikeouts 12 saves and 0.88 WHIP…the Giants ‘pen has allowed six homers in that stretch, tied for third-fewest in the Majors.
TODAY’S STARTER – ANTHONY DeSCLAFANI RHP #26
2023 RECORD: 4-6, 4.31 ERA
TODAY’S OUTING: Will make his 15th start of the season today… the veteran, who returns from an injury-plagued 2022, is in his ninth Major League season and third in a Giants uniform.
LAST TIME OUT: Took a no-decision last Wednesday at St. Louis… threw 3.0 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits in SF’s 8-5, 10-inning victory over the Cardinals…despite the brief outing, the veteran matched a season-high seven strikeouts and walked one…the 3.0 inning outing matched his shortest of the season (also two starts ago on June 4 vs. Baltimore)…DeSclafani has worked at least 5.0 innings in all but those two starts this season.
VS. SAN DIEGO: Is slated to face the Padres for the 10th time in his career…the right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA and .199 opposing average the nine appearances…his 2.42 ERA vs. San Diego is his lowest against any opponent he’s faced at least four times…here at Oracle Park, DeSclafani is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA (4er, 17.0ip), .183 opposing average and a 0.76 WHIP in three career starts against the Padres…SF has won all three games he’s started against the Padres here at home.
IT’S BEEN AWHILE…: DeSclafani is facing the Padres for the first time since October 1, 2021, a 3-0 win here at Oracle Park…the righty did not face them at all last season, only making five starts due to injuries.
YOU DOWN WITH OBP? YEAH YOU KNOW ME!: DeSclafani has limited the Padres to a .244 OBP in his nine career starts against them…according to Stats, LLC, that is the third-lowest OBP all-time vs. San Diego (min. eight games started vs. SD)…he trails only Jacob deGrom (.205) and Walker Buehler (.221).
SLIDE AWAY: Over his last five starts, opponents are 16-for-43 (.372) with five walks in at-bats ending with his slider…they were 15-for-87 (.172) with 20 strikeouts and four walks in his previous 11 starts this season.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Has found a lot of success with his knuckle curve this year, limiting batters to just two hits (both singles) in 20 at-bats (.100) ending with his curveball, striking out eight…since May 24, the veteran has held batters hitless in 10 at-bats that have ended with the pitch, retiring all 10 batters while striking out six… in his last full season in 2021, batters were .224 (11×49) with two HRs and 13 strikeouts off the pitch.
AT THE RIGHT TIME: His curveball has been particularly effective against right-handers, who are hitless in 11 at-bats ending with the pitch with five strikeouts…DeSclafani’s knuckle curve has been his putaway pitch 16.7% of the time against righties as opposed to a 11.1% mark vs. lefties.
RIGHT THIS WAY: Is limiting right-handers to a .208 average (31×149) with 39 strikeouts this season, the fourth-lowest opposing average in the NL behind SD’s Blake Snell & Michael Wacha (.195) and CHC’s Marcus Stroman (.207).
GET AHEAD: According to Sports Info Solutions, DeSclafani has the third-lowest opponent’s batting average against after getting ahead 0-2 (.076, 4-for-53)…he trails only NYM’s Kodai Senga (.020, 1-for-51) and DET’s Eduardo Rodríguez (.068, 4-for-59).
