SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Padres drop extra-inning heartbreaker to Reds, have now lost 6 straight games
- Up 4-2 over the Reds with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th, Matt McLain hit a game-tying home run off Ray Kerr, and with 2 outs in the 11th with the score tied 5-5, Spencer Steer hit a 2-run shot off Drew Carlton for the Reds walk-off win.
- Trent Grisham homered in the 6th inning for his 2nd long ball in as many games, and Juan Soto had a 3-hit game, gong 3-for-5 with a his 20th double of the season.
- RHP Seth Lugo had his 3rd career start in which he went at least 6.0 innings with 0 earned runs allowed and at least 6 punchouts (1st time he did so since 2018).
Extra inning losses
- The Padres have yet to win a game that went into extra innings this year (now 0-7)…the last time the Padres did not have an extra-inning win prior to the All-Star break was the 1980 season.
Padres starters lead the National League in quality outings (38) but have lost their last 3 QS
- The Padres lead all National League teams in quality starts this year (38)…with Blake Snell going 6.0 IP with 2 runs allowed on Wednesday, Joe Musgrove going 6.0 innings with 2 runs on Thursday, and Seth Lugo going 6.0 1-run inning yesterday, it was the Padres’ 3rd straight quality outing by a starter… they’ve lost all 3 starts
Friars looking to turn the tables, have lost a season-long 6 straight
- The Padres have dropped 6 straight contest and 9 of their last 11 games…the 6-game skid is their longest losing streak this season…the Padres have yet to have a winning streak of longer than 3 games so far, and they have yet to sweep a team in a series longer than 2 games…San Diego hasn’t been at .500 since May 11 (19-19).
- The Padres offense, however, has logged at least 7 hits in each of their last 6 games (46 in total)…prior to this 6-game stretch, the Padres were 31-14 (.689) in games in which they had at least 7 hits.
Padres vs. lefties
- The Padres hit a Major League-tying 12 homers against left-handed pitchers in the month of June (tied with the Reds, Rockies, Phillies, and Rangers), and they had a National League-leading .502 SLG vs. LHP in the month.
- Overall this year, the Padres have posted a .778 OPS vs. southpaws compared to their .690 OPS vs. RHP.
STARTER – MICHAEL WACHA #52
Wacha set for 22nd career start vs. CIN
After having his turn in the rotaiton skipped due to shoulder fatigue, Michael Wacha takes the mound for his 15th start of the season and his 2nd of 2023 vs. CIN…it will be his 22nd career start vs. CIN and his 26th career app vs. the Reds – both the most starts/appearances he’s made against any club.
Wacha’s 6 scoreless starts across 6.0+ T-most in Majors
Wacha’ss 6 scoreless starts of at least 6.0 IP are most in the NL and tied with TOR’s Chris Bassit for most in the Majors season…Kevin Gausman, Zac Gallen Marcus Stroman and Clayton Kershaw each have 5…the 6 such starts are most in a season for Wacha, ahead of his 5 in 2017 w/ STL. Last time he faced Cincy, in his Tues, May 2 start @ Petco, Wacha allowed 0 runs on 6.0+ IP for the 22nd time in his career, and since the May 2 start, he’s turned in 4 more scoreless starts of 6.0 IP-or-more…the May 2 start did end a streak of 10 consecutive winning decisions when he goes scoreless across 6.0 IP+…and it was the first time his team took a loss in such an outing since May 19, 2017 vs. SF (w/ STL)
Wacha’s 1.64 ERA vs. SF best among all pitchers since 1913
In his most recent outing, Wed, June 19 @ SF, Wacha took the mound for his 8th career start vs. SF, and allowed 2 ER-or-fewer for the 10th time vs. this season but did not factor into SD’s 7-4 defeat in extra innings…his 1.64 ERA is the best among all pitcher who have made at least 8 starts vs. SF since 1913, and among all active pitchers, his 1.64 ERA is ahead of Clayton Kershaw (2.02), Kyle Hendricks (2.03), Julio Urias (2.09) and Zack Greinke (2.37).
Since May 1
Wacha earned his first-career Pitcher of the Month award in May, and didn’t slowed down much in June…since May 1, he ranks first in ERA (1.14), AVG against (.152), WHIP (0.81) H/9 (4.72) and baserunners/9 (7.64)…he also ranks T-9th in HR/9 IP ratio (0.65) since May 1
The 2nd-best winning percentage in MLB since ’22
Enters today’s start with a 7-2 record and the Padres are 9-5 in his 14 starts…among all pitchers since the beginning of 2022 (min. 35 starts), Wacha’s .818 winning percentage (18-4) is 2nd- best in the Majors behind only Tony Gonsolin (20-3, .870)…Wacha .818 % is ahead of Zac Gallen (.786, 22-6),Kyle Wright (.778, 21-6) and Clayton Kershaw (.759, 22-7).
CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME
- Is Game 2 (1-0) of the Reds’ last home series of the first half.
- Following this weekend series vs Bryan Price’s Padres, the Reds head into the All-Star Game break with a 7-game road trip to Wsh (4g) and Mil (3g).
- The Reds are coming off a brief 2-1 road trip and series win at Bal’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
- Mon’s 10-3 loss to the Orioles snapped the Reds’ 8-game road winning streak, tied for the second-longest streak in the Major Leagues this season.
SERIES NOTES
- The Padres won 8 of the last 10 games, including all 6 games in 2022, and 14 of the last 17 games overall.
- The Reds’ 10-inning, 2-1 win on 5/2 at SD snapped their 7-game losing streak vs the Padres…was the Reds’ first win vs SD since their final meeting of the 2021 season, a 5-4 win on 7/1 at GABP.
- On their most recent homestand, the Reds went 4-2 vs the Rockies (3-0) and first-place Braves (1-2)…Sat’s 7-6 loss vs Atl snapped the Reds’ historic 12-game winning streak…the Braves won 2 of 3 games last weekend to snap the Reds’ 5-series winning streak.
- The attendance for last weekend’s 3-game weekend series vs the Braves was 126,724, the highest for any 3-game series during the regular season at Great American Ball Park.
HALFWAY HOME
- Through Wed night’s 10-inning win at Bal, the Reds were in first place through 81 games for the first time since 2010 (46-35, +1.5g).
- The Reds’ 43-38 record was their best through 81 games since 2014, when they also began 43-38.
- Last season, the Reds were 28-53 after 81 games.
RUNNING MEN
- The Reds rank second in the Major Leagues with 93 stolen bases (TB 102), their highest total since 2017 (120sb)…recorded 58 stolen bases all of 2022.
- Have been successful on 53 of their last 58 attempts.
- The Reds recorded 50 stolen bases in June, their highest steals total in a calendar month since September 1912 (53sb).
- 3 times this season recorded at least 5 stolen bases in a game (6sb on 6/2 vs Mil, 9sb on 6/3 vs Mil, 5sb on Wed at Bal)…prior to 6/2, the Reds hadn’t recorded 5 stolen bases in a game since 4/10/17 at Pit.
- Their 9 stolen bases on 6/3 vs Mil (Jake Fraley 3, Spencer Steer 2, Jonathan India 2, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild) was their highest single-game total since 5/30/1976 vs LAD (9sb)…the Reds’ single-game record since 1900 for stolen bases in a game remains 10 (5/29/1913 at StL).
RED HOTS
- The Reds went 18-9 last month, their highest victory total in any month since June 2014 (18-10).
- The Reds are the first team in Major League history to move into first place alone in 9 games or fewer after falling 5 or more games under .500 while facing a deficit of at least 5 games…on 6/9 were 29-35 and trailed the first-place Pirates by 5.0 games…beginning 6/10 won 9 straight games to move into first place alone on 6/19…courtesy @OptaSTATS and @EliasSports.
- The Reds’ 12-game winning streak, snapped by Sat’s 7-6 loss vs Atl, tied their modern club record (5/16-5/27, 1939 & 4/30-5/12, 1957).
- Reds baserunners in 68 attempts have scored 67 runs from second base on singles…both lead the Major Leagues.
- 10 Reds players have made Major League debuts this season (RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Levi Stoudt, IF Matt McLain, LHP Brandon
Williamson, RHP Eduardo Salazar, OF TJ Hopkins, LHP Andrew
Abbott, IF Elly De La Cruz, RHP Ricky Karcher, RHP Randy Wynne)…13
rookies played in at least 1 game for the Reds.
NATIONALS UP NEXT
- The Reds are 7-14 in their last 21 games at Nationals Park but are 4-2 there the last 2 seasons.
- In their last four 4-game series vs the Nationals, the Reds went 1-3 (2022), 3-1 (2021), 1-3 (2018) and 0-4 (2017).
BIG ROAD MACHINE
- The Reds went 10-2 on their previous 2 road trips (8-1, 2-1).
- Went 8-1 on their road trip to StL (2-1), KC (3-0) and Hou (3-0)…for only the second time, won 8 games on a road trip of 9 games or fewer (8-0, 9/21-9/27, 1964)…was their first road trip of any length with at least 8 wins since 5/28-6/9, 1999 (9-3)…courtesy @EliasSports.
- The Reds have won 6 straight road series (3-0 at Cubs, 2-1 at Bos, 2-1 at StL, 3-0 at KC, 3-0 at Hou, 2-1 at Bal) for the first time since 7/23-8/22, 2010 (2-1 at Hou, 2-1 at Mil, 2-1 at Pit, 3-0 at Chc, 3-0 at Ari, 2-1 at LAD).
Today’s Pitcher – #55 Brandon Williamson, LHP
- This afternoon is making his ninth career appearance and start, his first appearance vs the Padres.
- In the top of the third inning of Mon’s 10-3 loss at Bal did not return after a 1 hour, 44-minute rain delay…walked his second batter, Adley Rutschman, to snap at 10.0 his consecutive innings streak without issuing a walk.
- On 5/16 at Col, became only the 10th visiting pitcher to make his Major League debut with a start at Coors Field, the first since Hou’s José Urquidy on 7/2/19.
- Became only the fourth Reds pitcher to make his Major League debut with at least 5.2 innings, 2 hits or fewer allowed and at least 6 strikeouts, joining Tom Carroll (7/7/1974 vs StL, 7ip, 2h, 6k), Mo Sanford (8/9/1991 at SD, 7ip, 2h, 8k) and Johnny Cueto (4/3/2008 vs Ari, 7ip, 1h, 10k).
- Became only the fourth Reds pitcher in the expansion era (since 1961) to retire at least 14 consecutive batters in his Major League debut, joining Wayne Simpson (16, 4/9/1970 at LAD), Rob Bell (16, 4/8/2000 vs Cubs) and Johnny Cueto (15, 4/3/2008 vs Ari).
- In that 3-1 win on 5/16 at Col, allowed a single to Charlie Blackmon, his first career batter faced, but didn’t allow another hit until Ezequiel Tovar’s solo HR in the sixth inning snapped the scoreless tie…Williamson retired 14 consecutive batters leading up to Tovar’s home run.
