SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Giants look to win their first game of the road trip after a fruitless excursion south of the border…today kicks off their only series against former manager Dusty Baker and the defending World Series Champions…SF last played the Astros in 2021, when they took two of three at Oracle Park from July 30-August 1 and outscored Houston by just one run (19-18) over the three contests.
ROSTER MOVES: The Giants made the following roster moves prior to tonight’s game here in Houston: IF Brandon Crawford (right calf strain) placed on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to April 30)…OF Mike Yastrzemski placed on the 10-day Injured List with a left hamstring strain… OF Cal Stevenson (#37) and OF Brett Wisely (#70)recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
HOMER HAPPY: Eight home runs in Mexico bumped the Giants up to 46 homers through 27 games, third most in the Majors… SF’s 1.70 home runs per game in March/April were most in franchise history, leading the NL through the first month of the season for the first time since 1996 (Stats, LLC).
Giants, Leading NL in HR/G in March/April – Since 1958 (Stats, LLC)
Year HR/G
1962 1.45
1971 1.13
1991 1.25
Year HR/G
1996 1.50 (T-1st)
2023 1.70
WATCH IT FLY: The Giants are hitting the 10th most fly balls this season (38.8%), and have the second most home runs per fly ball (18.5%) in MLB…Houston starter RHP Luis Garcia has a 45.1% fly ball rate, but he has kept the ball in the yard with 9.4% of his fly balls being homers (three home runs).
THE RIGHT STUFF: SF has feasted on right-handed pitching this season with a National League-leading .828 OPS and 37 homers.
Giants vs. Left/vs. Right Hitting Rankings in MLB vs. Right-Handed Pitchers Stats Number Rank
AVG .257 7th
HR 37 2nd
RBI 96 10th
OPS .828 2nd
vs. Left-Handed Pitchers
Stats Number Rank
AVG .222 25th
HR 9 T-12th
RBI 27 21st
OPS .632 26th
LEADOFF LAMONTE: IF/OF LaMonte Wade Jr. kicked off yesterday’s game with a home run…the leadoff homer was the fourth of his career and first since July 2, 2022 vs. ChicagoAL (RHP Dylan Cease)…it was also the second by a Giant this year, with the other coming from IF Thairo Estrada on April 14 at Detroit…Wade has a 21.3% walk rate, third-highest in the Majors…as a leadoff hitter, his .452 on-base percentage is first in MLB, while his .989 OPS is best in the NL (min. 50 PA).
PYRO THAIRO: IF Thairo Estrada is 10-for-21 (.476) with two runs, three doubles, three RBI and three stolen bases during his current five-game hitting streak…his hot end to April made him the Giants’ all-time leader in hits (36) before May (Stats, LLC)…entering play today, Estrada ranks inside MLB’s top-10 in hits (T-7th), offensive WAR (1.5, 2nd), average (.346, 4th), and stolen bases (8, T-9th).
Most Hits in March/April by a Giant (Single Season) – Stats, LLC
Player Hits
Thairo Estrada (2023) 36
Pablo Sandoval (2013) 35
Tito Fuentes (1973) 34
Player Hits
Garry Maddox (1974) 34
Matt Williams (1996) 34
Ángel Pagán (2014) 34
SETTLING IN: After allowing six home runs in his first 10.0 innings, RHP Ross Stripling has not surrendered a homer in his last 5.2 frames…no Astro has a homer in their career vs. Stripling…Sports Info Solutions notes that Houston has the ninth most chases outside the strike zone (32.5%), and per Fangraphs’ pitch value stat, the Astros are the fourth worst team at hitting sliders in MLB (-10.8 wSL), which is Stripling’s most commonly used pitch (28.4%).
LATE-GAME HORRORS: The Padres scored three runs in the 8th inning yesterday to sweep the Mexico City Series…late rallies by the opponent have been a common occurrence this season…SF pitchers have been burned for 65 runs in the 7th inning or later, which is tied for second in the Majors, with their 12 home runs allowed tied for fifth-most…Houston’s offense leads the MLB with 57 runs in the 7th inning or later.
Most Runs Allowed in 7th Inning or Later
Team Runs
White Sox 74
Giants 65
Athletics 65
Team Runs
Rockies 48
Cardinals 47
Padres 46
MILLENIUM MARK: Yesterday’s starter, RHP Alex Cobb, hit a major milestone in Mexico…his final strikeout of the game (IF Xander Bogaerts) was the 1,000th of his career.
THE NEW GUY: OF Cal Stevenson will be seeking to make his Giants debut in this series…the Fremont, Calif. native was acquired by SF from OAK on April 19 in exchange for cash considerations…he made his Major League debut with the A’s last season, appearing in 23 games and going 10-for-60 (.167) with three doubles…he’s played in just five games for the River Cats this year, going 5-for-19 (.263) with a homer.
DOWN THE FARM: Giants top prospect LHP Kyle Harrison continues to settle in at Triple-A Sacramento…MLB.com’s No. 16 overall prospect has a 2.08 ERA (3er, 13.0ip) in his last four starts with 22 strikeouts and a .156 opposing batting average… IF Casey Schmitt (No. 4 on MLB.com) has yet to hit a home run in 27 games this year, but he is batting .301 with eight doubles and 19 RBI…notably, the traditional third baseman has started 12 of his last 13 games at shortstop for the River Cats.
TODAY’S STARTER – ROSS STRIPLING RHP #48
2023 RECORD: 0-1, 6.89 ERA
BACK IN THE ROTATION: 33-year-old right-hander has been slotted back into the Giants starting rotation, filling the spot of LHP Alex Wood, who was placed on the 15-day Injured List with a left hamstring strain on April 19…Stripling has made just two starts this season, while appearing out of the ‘pen three times.
LAST TIME OUT: Is still seeking his first win in a Giants uniform…he last pitched April 23 vs. New York-NL and gave up three runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of a 5-4 Giants win.
ONE OF THE NEW GUYS: 33-year-old right-hander inked a two-year Major League contract with the Giants this past December…the deal included an opt-out following this season…in Stripling, the Giants added a versatile arm who’s had success in multiple roles.
LEAVING THE YARD: Allowed 12 homers in 134.1 innings all of last season, but so far this year he’s given up six in just 15.2 innings…allowed six homers in his first 10.0 innings, the fastest a Giants pitcher had gotten to six homers allowed since Ryan Jensen in 2003.
SWING AND A MISS: It’s early but Stripling hasn’t been able to match last year’s 37.9% chase rate…he’s at 29.7% overall this season.
WINNING FORMULA: The Blue Jays were 15-4 last season in Stripling’s starts after he joined the starting rotation full time on June 6 after the Blue Jays lost LHP Hyun Jin Ryu to Tommy John surgery…they went 11-1 over his final 12 starts to end the regular season
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros and Giants will open a three-game Interleague series in Houston tonight with a pitching matchup of RHP Luis Garcia (2-2) opposite RHP Ross Stripling (0-1)…this is the Astros fourth Interleague series of the season, with Houston winning series against the Pirates (2-1) and Braves (3-0) and losing a series against the Phillies (1-2) over the weekend.
ABOUT LUIS: Tonight’s Astros starter RHP Luis Garcia has been outstanding over his last two starts, combining to toss 13.0 scoreless innings, while allowing just five hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts…in his last outing, Garcia worked 6.0 scoreless innings, fanning seven, in the Astros 5-0 win over the Rays on April 25 at TB.
AT THE HELM: Astros skipper Dusty Baker is in his 26th season as a manager and his fourth in Houston…Baker, who ranks ninth all-time in managerial wins with 2,108, has an outside shot of moving up to sixth all time by seasons end…Baker got 840 of those victories as the Giants manager from 1993-2002.
VS. THE GIANTS: The Astros and Giants are seeing each other for the first time since a three-game series in San Francisco from July 30-Aug. 1, 2021, with the Giants winning two of three in that set…these two teams have a long history against each other, with the Astros having played the Giants 732 times in their history, their second-most against any individual opponent, trailing only the Reds (848g)…while the Giants own the all-time advantage (380-352) over the Astros, Houston has gone 9-5 in 14 games against the Giants since the 2015 season.
WELCOME BACK!: The Astros would like to welcome back Giants General Manager Pete Putila, who spent the last 12 sea- sons (2011-23) in the Astros baseball operations department before being hired as the Giants GM last October…the Astros will present Putila with his 2023 World Series Championship ring on the field on Wednesday at approximately 11:15 a.m. CT.
SUNDAY, FUNDAY: The Astros got back in the win column last night with a 4-3 victory over the Giants on Sunday Night Baseball…RHP José Urquidy (2ER/5.1IP) started for Houston and picked up the win, but was forced to leave the start early due to right shoulder soreness…the offense was led by RF Kyle Tucker (2×4, RBI), while CF Jake Meyers connected for his second homer of the season.
RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros are 7-3 in their last 10 and are 12-7 in their last 19 contests, which have all come against clubs with records above .500…within this run, the Astros have series victories over the Jays (2-1), Braves (3-0) and Rays (2-1).
ON THE BUMP: The Astros rank second in the Majors in team ERA (3.22), trailing only the Rays (3.10)…their bullpen ERA of 2.87 ranks second in the AL, while their starter’s ERA of 3.42 ranks fourth in the AL.
MAKING A CASE: RHP Hunter Brown has made a strong case to be the American League’s Rookie of the Month for April after going 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA (8ER/30.1IP), a .206 opponent average and 32 strikeouts in five starts this season…Brown is trying to become the first Astros pitcher to win Rookie of the Month since RHP Collin McHugh in September of 2014.
FIRST TURN RANKINGS: The Astros enter May with several players currently ranking within the top 10 in the AL…LF Yordan Alvarez ranks tied for third in RBI (27), seventh in OPS (.931), eighth in OBP (.388) and 10th in SLG (.543)…3B Alex Bregman ranks second in walks (21), while RF Kyle Tucker ranks tied for third in walks (18) and seventh in OBP (.390)… also, SS Jeremy Peña ranks tied for fifth in runs (21).
TRAFFIC:LF Yordan Alvarez has opened his season by reaching base safely in all 22 of his games, which is the longest streak by an American League player this season…Alvarez has produced a .388 on-base percentage this season, good for eighth in the AL.
HEATING UP: The Astros have a pair of players on hot streaks in SS Jeremy Peña and CF Jake Meyers…Peña has a hit in seven of his last eight games, batting .344 (11×32) with a double, three home runs, four RBI, one stolen base and a 1.020 OPS during that span…Meyers has recorded a hit in 10 of his last 12 games, batting .326 (14×43) with three doubles, two homers, eight RBI and an .891 OPS over that stretch.
STREAK SNAPPED: Former Giant 2B Mauricio Dubón is coming off a 20-game hitting streak, which was snapped on Friday…his hit streak is still the longest in the Majors this season and ranks as the longest in franchise history before May 1…it was also the longest streak by an Astro since OF Hunter Pence posted a 23-game streak in 2011…Dubón has made all 23 of his starts at second base this season while filling in for 2B Jose Altuve.
ON THE SIDELINES: The Astros have a pair of outfielders rehabbing with minor league affiliates:
• LF Michael Brantley, on the IL while recovering from right shoulder surgery, is currently on an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Sugar Land… he’s played in five games so far, hitting .214 (3×14) with four walks and three RBI in five starts (4 in LF, 1 at DH) for the Space Cowboys…he went 1×3 with a walk and an RBI in a start in left field yesterday.
• OF Chas McCormick, on the IL with lower back tightness, began an injury rehab assignment with Double A Corpus Christi on Saturday and played in back to back games in each of the last two days…he is 1×6 with a walk and a stolen base in his two starts.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP LUIS GARCIA
LAST START – 4/25 AT TB: had an incredible outing, tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowed 3 hits, 2 walks and struck out 7 in a 5-0 win that snapped the Rays’ streak of home wins to open the season at 14, which was a Modern Era record.
SCORELESS STREAK: has not allowed a run through his last 2 starts, totaling 13.0 IP…is the 2nd-longest active scoreless streak amongst AL starters…is the longest scoreless streak from an Astros pitcher this season.
START TO REMEMBER: on 4/19 vs. TOR, struck out 9 batters through 7.0 scoreless innings while allowing 2 hits and 1 walk…marked the 5th time in his career that he’s recorded a career-high 9 strikeouts in a single game (last, June 15, 2022 at TEX)…also tossed a career-high 7.0 innings for the 7th time in his career (last, Sept. 3, 2022 at LAA).
• also was the first time in his career for him to toss 7.0 scoreless innings in a single game, previous career-high was 6.2 scoreless innings on Aug. 24, 2021 vs. KC. VS. SF: will be making his second career appearance and start against the Giants…along with Framber Valdez, is the only other Astros starting pitcher with a start against San Francisco in their career…allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and struck out 7 batters through 4.2 IP in a 5-3 loss to the Giants on 8/1/21 at San Francisco.
ABOUT GARCIA: Venezuelan starter has pitched in parts of 4 seasons (2020-23) in Houston, going 28-19 with a 3.61 ERA (141ER/352IP) in 68 games (62 starts).
• has dominated right-handed hitters in his career, including this season…has allowed a .186 (11×59) opponent average and a .646 opponent OPS vs. right-handed hitters this season…in his career, has held righties to a .192 average (131×681)…lefties have hit 70 points higher against Garcia, posting a .262 average (164×625).
GARCIA’S NEW LOOK: prior to it being outlawed this season, had one of the most unique windups in the Majors, which was a mix of rocking a baby and a salsa dance…his windup was developed during the 2020 season as he worked at the Astros Alternate Training Site over the summer…Garcia did not have a strong origin story for his windup, instead saying he wanted a windup that he felt could be repeatable.
• according to Astros Pitching Coach Josh Miller, this offseason, Garcia simply returned to his windup style he used throughout his career prior to 2020 to get back in compliance with Major League rules
