SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: After dropping the series finale yesterday in New York to the Yankees, SF begins the second leg of its season-opening road trip here in Chicago today against the White Sox…the Giants haven’t visited the South Side since 2017 when they lost a three-game series here, 2-1, in early September…LHP Matt Moore picked up the only win of that series for SF and the only active member of the current Giants that played in any of the three games here in 2017 is IF Brandon Crawford…OF Austin Slater played in that series but he is currently on the IL.
JUST A REMINDER: Today’s first pitch in Chicago has been moved up to 2:10 p.m. CT / 12:10 p.m. PT due to the forecast for inclement weather in the late afternoon.
IN THE BRONX: The Giants dropped their season-opening series to the Yankees in the Bronx after falling in yesterday’s rubber match, 6-0…SF was shut out in both of its losses during the series (5-0 on Thursday in the lid lifter and the shutout yesterday)…it was the first time in the SF-era (1958-pres.) that the Giants were shut out in two of their first three games to start a season…SF won the middle game of the NYY series on Saturday 7-5.
HOW RUDE: Yankees hitters hit seven homers off Giants pitching over the three game series last weekend…entering 2023 Giants pitching had allowed the fewest homers in the Majors in each of the last two seasons (151 in 2021 and even fewer last year with 132 HR allowed)…additionally, SF had just 31 games all of last year where they allowed multiple home runs to opposing hitters (tied for fewest in the Majors with Houston)…they’ve already had two such games in 2023 (Thursday’s opener and yesterday).
ONE LAST THING ABOUT THE WEEKEND: Giants hitters struck out 41 times in the season-opening three-game series with the Yankees, the most by any Giants team in the SF-era (1958-pres.) in its first three games of a season…the 2021 club previously held the mark with 32 strikeouts in its season-opening series in Seattle…furthermore, it was the first time that the Giants offense eclipsed the 40-strikeout mark in a three-game series since a three-game series in Boston from September 17-19, 2019 when they struck out 49 times in three games.
SAYS HERE…: Since 2021 the Giants have been one of the better teams in Major League Baseball during March/April… SF is 31-19 (.620) in March/April since 2021, the second-best winning percentage in the Majors…furthermore the Giants have won 60% of their combined games in March and April in consecutive seasons for the third time since moving to San Francisco (1986-87, 1960-62)
MLB, Best Record in March/April, Since 2021 (Stats, LLC)
Team Record
Milwaukee Brewers 33-18 (.647)
San Francisco Giants 31-19 (.620)
Los Angeles Dodgers 31-20 (.608)
Team Record
New York Mets 28-19 (.596)
San Diego Padres 31-22 (.585)
BACK ON THE BUMP: RHP Anthony DeSclafani gets the nod in the series opener vs. the White Sox and it will be his first regular season action since June 26 of last season vs. Cincinnati…after that outing, he returned to the IL with the same right ankle inflammation that had bothered him earlier in the year…he underwent surgery on the right ankle to fix his peroneal tendon, which is on the outside of the ankle point…it was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay on July 21 and he missed the remainder of the 2022 season.
LOOKIN’ FOR SOME INNINGS: The Giants played three games in New York but had the off day after the first game of the season and have the same series setup here in Chicago… entering this series, SF has used 10 of the 13 pitchers on its active roster and is slated to have two more make their season debuts in this series (DeSclafani today as mentioned above and LHP Alex Wood on Thursday)…LHP Sean Manaea, who was signed by SF to a two-year contract in the offseason, is the only other pitcher seeking his first game action of 2023… he last pitched in a game on March 23, a Cactus League start against these White Sox at Camelback Ranch (6.0ip, 3h, 1r, 1er, 1bb, 3k).
NEW LEAGUE, WHO DIS?: Oddly enough with this year’s new balanced schedule, the Giants are opening the year with nine straight games against American League opponents (the Yankees and White Sox on this road trip and then the Royals to open the home slate)…SF doesn’t play a National League opponent until they meet the Dodgers at Oracle Park April 10-12.
SUN BUMS: Today’s game is the fourth in a stretch of nine straight day games for SF to open the season (all three games in NYC were day games, all three games here in Chicago against the White Sox and the first three games of the club’s first homestand vs. Kansas City)…according to Elias, this is the first time in at least the last 30 years (as far back as their reliable data goes) that the Giants have opened up a season with nine straight day games…the last MLB team to do so were the 2019 White Sox, who opened the year with 11 straight day games.
TODAY’S STARTER – ANTHONY DeSCLAFANI RHP #26
TODAY’S OUTING: Gets the nod to kick off his 2023 campaign this afternoon against the White Sox…the veteran, who returns from an injury-plagued 2022, is slated to start his ninth Major League season and third in a Giants uniform…the New Jersey native was signed to a three-year deal on November 22, 2021 following his first season as a Giant…today marks his first MLB regular season start since June 26, 2022 vs. Cincinnati at Oracle Park.
SPRING CLEANING: Had a stellar start to the spring after spending most of last season on the Injured List with a right ankle injury that resurfaced from 2021…the right-hander kicked off the spring by throwing 8.2 scoreless innings in a streak that continued through SF’s exhibition game against Team USA…DeSclafani allowed just three hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in a combined three starts over the stretch… overall in the Cactus League, the veteran went 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA (6er, 9.2ip), .216 opposing average and 12 strikeouts in three starts, which does not include his numbers from the game vs. Team USA since it was an exhibition game.
VS. CHICAGO-AL: Is set to face the White Sox for just the second time in his career and first since 2018 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds…took a no-decision during his start on July 3, 2018 after allowing five runs on six hits over 5.1 innings…allowed a career-high three homers, walked a batter and struck out five in the start at Great American Ball Park.
DeSCLAFANI PITCH ARSENAL / STATCAST INFO (2022)
Pitch Type Usage Percentage Avg. Velo BAA SO
Slider 38.6% 87.4 mph .452 8
Sinker 28.9% 92.2 mph .364 5
4-Seam FB 13.7% 92.6 mph .444 0
Curveball 13.1% 80.9 mph .200 3
Changeup 5.8% 86.0 mph .429 1
DeSCLAFANI VS. CHICAGO-AL (CAREER)
Last Win: — Last Loss: —
W-L ERA G/GS IP H ER BB SO
2022 —
Career 0-0 8.44 1/1 5.1 6 5 1 5
at SF —
at CWS —
2023 GAME-BY-GAME
Date Opp. Dec Result IP H R ER BB SO HR TP
4/3 @CWS
2022 SEASON: Posted a 0-2 record with a 6.63 ERA (14er, 19.0ip) in a season that saw him pitch in just five games due to multiple trips to the IL…the right-hander fanned 17 batters and walked just four in the brief season.
INJURED LIST: Had his 2022 campaign cut short with right ankle inflammation, an old injury that resurfaced after just three starts last year…landed in the 10-day IL for the first time on April 22 and was later transferred to the 60-day IL, missing 53 games…made two more starts at the Major League level before landing in the 15-day IL once again on June 28 with the same injury….was transferred to the 60-day on July 7 and missed the remainder of the season…DeSclafani underwent surgery to fix his peroneal tendon, which is on the outside of the ankle joint, on July 21 in Green Bay, WI… the surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson.
LUCKY CHARM: Since joining the Giants in 2021, SF is 24-12 (.667) when DeSclafani takes the hill, winning eight of his last 11 starts.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:
WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox open the home portion of their 2023 schedule this afternoon against the San Francisco Giants.
RHP Michael Kopech, who is 4-0 with a 0.55 ERA (2 ER/32.2 IP) in 13 career interleague games (four starts), is scheduled to start for the White Sox.
The Sox opened the season with a four-game split in Houston, including a 6-3 win in yesterday’s finale … they rallied on Thursday for a 3-2 victory in Pedro Grifol’s managerial debut before losing the next two games despite holding leads in both.
Following this three-game series, the White Sox take a six-game trip to Pittsburgh (4/7-9) and Minnesota (4/10-12) before returning home vs. Baltimore (4/14-16) and Philadelphia (4/6-18).
The White Sox play just three games vs. AL Central teams in April (4/10-12 at the Twins) … from 4/14-30, they play 16 straight games vs. AL/National League East clubs.
TODAY’S STORYLINES
The White Sox have won five straight games vs. San Francisco (40-9 run differential) and are 11-2 since 2008 (79-44 margin)
Sox starting pitchers rank fifth in the American League with a 2.05 ERA (5 ER/22.0 IP) through four games.
The White Sox bullpen has posted a 8.25 ERA (11 ER/12.0 IP) with a .320 (16-50) opponents average.
Chicago is trying to win its Home Opener after winning on Opening Day for the first time since 2011.
Elvis Andrus needs one hit to become the 290th player in MLB history to record 2,000.
Michael Kopech posted a 3.01 ERA (23 ER/68.2 IP) with a .157 (37-235) opponents average in 13 starts at home last season.
Yoán Moncada is 7-13 (.538) with three doubles, two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored over his last three games.
Andrew Vaughn celebrates his 25th birthday.
HOME OPENER TIDBITS
Today marks the fi rst time the White Sox have played a National League team in the home opener.
The Sox have won three of their last four home openers, including a 3-2 victory vs. Seattle last season.
Sox great A.J. Pierzynski, 2005 World Series Champion and two-time MLB All-Star, will throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
Grammy Award-winning artist Jon Secada will perform the National Anthem.
Flyover will be performed by two United States Navy P-8A Poseidon Aircrafts.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Mike Clevinger threw 5.0 scoreless IP in his team debut, and Yoán Moncada was 3-4 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored as the White Sox salvaged a four-game split at Houston with a 6-3 victory.
Clevinger limited the Astros to three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts … he became the third pitcher since 2000 to throw 5.0-plus scoreless IP in his Sox debut, joining Johnny Cueto on 5/16/22 at Kansas City (6.0), Mat Latos on 4/17/16 at Oakland (6.0) and José Quintana on 5/7/12 at Cleveland (5.2) … Clevinger’s eight strikeouts are most by pitcher in his Sox debut since Francisco Liriano on 7/31/12 at Minnesota (eight).
Luis Robert Jr. broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run off Luis García in the fifth inning, his fi rst since 7/14 at Minnesota, and also made a sliding catch of a Kyle Tucker 375-foot fly out in the ninth inning, covering 113 feet to record the second out.
Moncada extended the Sox lead to 6-1 with his two-run homer off Seth Martinez in the ninth … rookie Oscar Colás went 2-4 with a double, RBI and run scored, and Yasmani Grandal collected three hits.
The White Sox went 5-19 with RISP and left 12 runners on base … they loaded the bases with no outs in the second and sixth innings but did not score.
The Sox outhit the Astros in the series, 45-29, but left 42 runners on base … Houston recorded just one extra-base hit over the final two games, and Alex Bregman went 0-16 in the series.
WHITE SOX VS. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The White Sox lead the all-time series, 12-4, going 7-1 at Oracle Park and 5-3 at Guaranteed Field Park.
The Sox swept a three-game series at Oracle Park from 7/1- 3/22 … they batted .274/.322/.345 (31-113) with no home runs and a 2.33 ERA (7 ER/27.0 IP) and outscored the Giants, 19-7.
The White Sox won two of three games at Guaranteed Rate Field in the last meeting in 2017, with José Abreu hitting for the cycle on 9/9/17.
INTERLEAGUE INSIGHT
The White Sox are 253-230 (.524) all-time in interleague play (130-110 at home), the sixth-best winning percentage in MLB.
The Sox went 11-9 last season after posting a 14-6 record in 2021 … they are 21-10 since 7/25/21.
The White Sox rank second all-time with 606 home runs, trailing only Toronto (647) and the Yankees (609).
The Sox pitching in their last 31 interleague games:
W-L ERA IP H R ER HR BB SO SO/9.0 SO/BB AVG
21-10 3.14 281.0 219 112 98 30 104 308 9.9 2.96 .212
SEARCHING FOR HOME˨FIELD ADVANTAGE
The White Sox went 37-44 (.457) at home in 2022, the 12thbest winning percentage in the American League … by comparison, the Sox were 53-28 (.654) at home in 2021, the best record in the AL and their best mark since 2008 (54-28).
The White Sox hit 77 home runs at Guaranteed Rate Field, their fewest in a season since 2015 (73) … they ranked 11th in the AL with a 4.36 ERA, up from a 3.53 mark in 2021 when they were second behind only Tampa Bay (2.93).
AT THE HELM
Pedro Grifol was named the 42nd different manager in White Sox history on 11/3/22, replacing Hall-of-Famer Tony La Russa … Grifol joins the Sox after a 10-year stint in Kansas City (2013-22), including the last three as the Royals bench coach.
He is one of four current Latino managers in MLB, joining Boston’s Alex Cora, St. Louis’ Oliver Marmol and Washington’s Dave Martinez.
Grifol has 23 years of professional baseball experience as a bench coach, hitting coach, winter ball and minor league manager, director of player development and scout
WHITE SOX ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The White Sox 26-man roster includes 13 pitchers (two LHP), two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders.
INF Elvis Andrus (14.0000 entering season) has the most service time, and SS Tim Anderson (2016-) is the longest tenured.
LHP Garrett Crochet (Tommy John recovery) and RHPs Matt Foster (right flexor strain) and RHP Liam Hendriks (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma treatment) are on the 15-day injured list.
INF Hanser Alberto, OF Andrew Benintendi, RHPs Mike Clevinger and Gregory Santos are new to the organization.
OPENING DAY LEFTOVERS
Pedro Grifol became the fi rst White Sox manager to win his debut since Jerry Manuel in 1998.
Dylan Cease became the fourth pitcher in American League history with no walks and 10-plus strikeouts on Opening Day, joining HOF Walter Johnson (1916), HOF Mike Mussina (1998) and Jered Weaver (2012) … ESPN Stats and Info.
Cease recorded his 14th career double-digit strikeout game, tied with teammate Lucas Giolito for the fourth-highest total in White Sox history … his 10 strikeouts tied Jack McDowell (1991) for the most by a Sox pitcher on Opening Day.
Elvis Andrus made his fi rst MLB appearance at a position other than shortstop.
BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY
RHP Lance Lynn (21 starts), All-Star SS Tim Anderson (79 games), 3B Yoán Moncada (104) and OFs Eloy Jiménez (84) and Luis Robert Jr. (98) all missed signifi cant time in 2022.
The White Sox projected Opening Day lineup was together for just one game last season, a 3-2 loss on 8/4 at Texas.
STARTING PITCHER – #34 STARTER MICHAEL KOPECH RHP
KOPECH AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 2023 season debut and first career home opener start.
Has gone 7-10 with 3.53 ERA (58 ER/147.2 IP), .208 (112-538) opponents average and 143 strikeouts in 33 career starts … is 3-3 with 3.90 ERA (24 ER/55.1 IP), .225 (47-209) opponents average and 80 strikeouts in 40 career relief appearances.
Has recorded 100-plus strikeouts in each of his last two seasons (2021-22).
Spent his first full season in the major leagues in 2021, pitching out of the bullpen (40 games) while making four starts … opted out of the 2020 season for personal reasons … missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery (performed on 9/18/18 by Dr. Neal ElAttrache).
Was acquired by the White Sox from Boston with OF Luis Basabe, RHP Víctor Díaz and INF Yoán Moncada in exchange for LHP Chris Sale on 12/6/16.
OPENING RATE
Is the 10th different pitcher to start the White Sox home opener since 2014, joining Vince Velásquez (2022), Lance Lynn (2021), Lucas Giolito (2020), Reynaldo López (2019), James Shields (2018), José Quintana (2017), John Danks (2016), Héctor Noesí (2015) and Chris Sale (2014).
The last nine Sox pitchers to start the home opener have gone a combined 2-4 with a 6.06 ERA (33 ER/49.0 IP), 22 walks and 44 strikeouts.
2022 SEASON RECAP
Made 25 starts in his first full season as a member of the White Sox starting rotation … his 25 starts were the most of his professional career, and his 119.1 IP tied for the second-most (126.1 in 2018 with Class AAA Charlotte).
Allowed one hit or less in 5.0-plus IP five times, including 6.0 hitless IP on 8/12 vs. Detroit … the five such starts tied the Yankees’ Néstor Cortés and Houston’s Cristián Javier for the most in MLB, and tied Carlos Rodón (2021) for the most by a White Sox pitcher since 1920.
Limited right-handers to a .186/.269/.328 (46-247) slash line with 43 strikeouts … ranked among the American League leaders vs. righties in average (4th), OPS (9th, .597), slugging percentage (10th) and on-base percentage (12th).
Had two stints on the injury list, the first time from 8/23-9/7 with a left knee strain, and the second time from 9/17 to the remainder of the season with right shoulder inflammation.
Was on the Paternity List from 5/17-20 … welcomed his second son, Vander, on 5/20.
CHANCES ARE SLIM
Has limited the opposition to a .185 (25-235) average with RISP and .159 (11-69) mark with RISP/two outs in his career.
Opponents batted .149 (10-67) against him with RISP and .125 (5-40) with RISP/two outs in 2022.
HEATER ON AND RELIABLE
His four-seam fastball held the opposition to a .189 (64-243) batting average, the sixth lowest in Major League Baseball in 2022 among all pitchers with at least 250 plate appearances.
Had the highest four-seam fastball usage (61.6%) last season among MLB starting pitchers (min. 2000 pitches).
COMFORTS OF HOME
Has gone 3-6 with a 3.35 ERA (32 ER/86.0 IP), .184 (56-304) opponents average and 82 strikeouts over 18 career starts at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Went 2-5 with a 3.01 ERA (23 ER/68.2 IP), .157 (37-235) opponents average and 52 strikeouts in 13 home starts (seven quality) in 2022 … allowed two runs or less eight times and one or fewer five times.
VS. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS || INTERLEAGUE
Is scheduled to make his career appearance against the San Francisco Giants.
Has gone 4-0 with a 0.55 ERA (2 ER/32.2 IP), .183 (21- 115) opponents average and 35 strikeouts in 13 games (four starts) lifetime against the National League … did not allow a run over his first 29.2 IP in interleague play.
Is 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA (2 ER/20.1 IP), .192 (14-73) opponents average and 20 strikeouts as a starter, earning the win in each of his last three starts.
