SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Giants and Dodgers meet tonight for game two of this four-game set…this series is the first time both teams are meeting since June…six of the Giants’ final nine games will come against the Dodgers. The Giants enter tonight having lost each of their last three games, six of their last seven and seven of their last nine. SF owns a slight 4-3 edge over LA this year with six more games remaining in the head-to-head matchup…both of these teams play next weekend at Oracle Park. The Giants have dropped six of seven games on this road trip to Colorado (1-3), Arizona (0-2) and Los Angeles (0- 1)…SF has been outscored by a 49-27 margin…the pitching staff has allowed 49 runs in that span (7 runs/game), with the bullpen posting a 7.96 ERA (23er, 26.0ip)…SF’s offense has plated 3.9 runs per game.
BELOW .500: Following last night’s loss, the Giants fell below the .500 mark (76-77) for the first time since they were 29- 30 on June 5…the Giants haven’t been more than two games under .500 since May 21 (22-24).
A WILD RACE: Just nine games remain on the Giants’ regular season schedule as they enter today 3.0 games behind the Marlins and Cubs for the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL…the Giants also trail the Reds by 2.5 games. The Giants had entered last Friday in the third NL Wild Card spot, but losses in six of seven games this past week have pushed the Giants to the fringes of contention. The Giants have the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule in MLB at .575, behind only the Nationals (.636)… SF’s nine remaining games come against the Dodgers (.618 winning pct.; six games) and Padres (.490, three games).
FALL BALL: The Arizona Fall League announced its rosters this morning and the Giants have eight players that will participate for the Scottsdale Scorpions this fall. 1B/LHP Reggie Crawford, RHP Will Bednar, LHP Jack Choate, RHP Marques Johnson, LHP Seth Lonsway, LHP Hayden Wynja, C Zach Morgan and IF Carter Howell will represent the Giants…the Arizona Fall League regular season begins Monday, Oct. 2 and runs through Thurs., Nov. 9.
ROAD WOES: With last night’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers, the Giants have now dropped 26 of its last 31 road games since July 19…their 5-26 (.161) road record since that date is the worst mark among all MLB teams and their worst stretch in any 31-game span since 1902. The Giants have been outscored by a 183-102 margin on the road since July 19…they’ve scored two runs or fewer in 16 of those 31 games.
Giants pitchers have posted a 5.80 ERA (164er, 254.2ip), the highest ERA in MLB. SF is plating just 3.33 runs per game in these last 31 road contests, the fewest of any MLB team. SF’s last road series victory was a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh right after the All-Star Break, July 14-16.
HEY! CAN WE GET THAT BALL?: Last night, OF Tyler Fitzgerald became the 12th Giants rookie to make his Major League debut this season…the 12 Giants MLB debuts this season are tied for second-most by any Giants team since 2000 with the 2019 club…only the 2008 Giants (16 debuts) had more.
ON THE MOUND: After pitching in a bulk-inning and relief role for the past four months, each of LHP Sean Manaea’s last two appearances have come as a starter…he’s slated to make his ninth start of the season tonight…it’ll be his 36th appearance overall this year…Manaea is 0-5 with a 9.00 ERA (35er, 35.0ip) in nine career appearances vs. the Dodgers and 0-5 with a 10.25 ERA (30er, 26.1ip) in six career starts.
EL DE BEJUMA: IF Thairo Estrada has a career-best 40 extra-base hits this season (26 doubles, two triples, 12 homers)… with his 22 steals, Estrada became just the fifth middle infielder in Giants history to record at least 40 extra-base hits and 20+ stolen bases in a single season. He is the first Giants player of any position to reach those marks in a season since Hunter Pence in 2013 (67 XBH, 22 SB).
TOO MANY MISCUES: The Giants committed two errors in last night’s game and have now made 10 errors in their last five contests and 16 in their last 10 games…their 112 errors overall this season are the most in MLB, 12 more than the next closest team – the Red Sox (100).
TODAY’S STARTER – SEAN MANAEA LHP #52
2023 RECORD: 6-6, 4.82 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: Manaea is in his first season with Giants…he signed a two-year, $25 million contract with San Francisco this offseason after spending 2022 with San Diego. TODAY’S GAME: Today marks Manaea’s third straight start, having earned the Giants’ lone win on the 1-6 road trip.
LAST OUTING: Manaea earned the win in the series finale at Colorado on September 17…the lefty struck out three across 5.1 innings while allowing three runs, all coming in the 6th…his 87 pitches in the game were his third-most this season, and most since throwing a season-high 91 on May 5 vs. Milwaukee.
VS. LOS ANGELES-NL: The southpaw has struggled vs. the Dodgers in his career…his 9.00 career ERA (35er, 35.0ip) vs. LAD is his highest against any team he’s pitched at least 6.0 innings against… in his one outing vs. LAD this season, Manaea struck out six while allowing four runs on four hits and a walk over 3.2 innings of relief on June 16…OF Mookie Betts is 10-for-26 (.385) with two doubles, two triples and three home runs in his career vs. Manaea, while C Will Smith is 7-for-13 (.538) with a double.
FAST AND FURIOUS: Manaea has thrown his fastball 56.9% of the time, with 73 of his 118 strikeouts coming on that pitch…the pitch also has a +3 run value on Baseball Savant, which is tied for his best mark on any pitch since his changeup was +10 in 2021…the Dodgers have a .858 OPS against four-seam fastballs this year, which ranks fourth in MLB, and second in the NL behind Atlanta (.910)… LAD has also hit 88 home runs on that pitch this season, which is third-most in MLB behind New York-AL (94) and Atlanta (100).
CHANGING THE PACE: Manaea’s changeup has played a major part in his recent success…according to Sports Info Solutions, Manaea has thrown his changeup 36 times, 28 for strikes, while opponents are batting .091 (1×11) vs. his changeup in his last three games… overall this season, Manaea’s changeup has a +3 run value on Baseball Savant while limiting hitters to a .197 batting average and a .284 wOBA.
STRIKE IT RICH: Manaea has drastically improved his strikeout rate this season as shown in the chart below (courtesy of Stats, LLC).
LEFT ON READ: Manaea has taken advantage of favorable matchups in his last two starts…Colorado has the 29th-ranked OPS (.671) vs. left-handers this season while Cleveland is last with a .661 OPS…the Dodgers are on the opposite end of the spectrum with a .797 OPS, the fifth-highest in MLB…the Dodgers’ 49 wins vs. left-handed starters this year are second-most in MLB behind Chicago-NL (50).
KEEP IT LOW: In his last two starts, Manaea has kept the ball on the ground with just one home run allowed, while forcing 19 ground outs to two fly outs…he began the year struggling with the longball, yet after a move to the bullpen, has limited his home runs thanks to a streak of 20 games and 53.1 innings from May 22-August 15 in which he did not allow a home run…Per SIS, SF has converted 83% of ground balls and bunts into outs with Manaea on the mound, which is fourth-best rate for any pitcher (min. 100 chances).
HOMESICK: Despite what his record shows, Manaea has struggled away from Oracle Park this season…at home, he is 2-5 with a 3.51 ERA (20er, 51.1ip), 58 strikeouts, a 1.05 WHIP and a .634 opposing OPS in 17 games…that is compared to going 4-1 with a 6.08 ERA (36er, 53.1ip), 60 strikeouts, a 1.54 WHIP and a .801 opposing OPS in 18 road games.
BACK IN THE FOLD: Manaea has made two straight starts after coming out of the bullpen in his previous 25 games…prior to this return to the rotation, Manaea had last started a game on May 10 vs. Washington…he’s posted a 4.18 ERA (33er, 71.0ip) with 82 strikeouts and a 1.17 WHIP in 27 games as a reliever this year compared to a 6.15 ERA (23er, 23.2ip), 36 strikeouts and a 1.57 WHIP in eight starts…in his career as a
starter, Manaea is 60-53 with a 4.15 ERA, 824 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP in 908.2 innings.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
WEEKEND RIVALRY: The Dodgers got back in the win column last night and have now been victorious in six of their last seven games. Tonight, the Boys in Blue continue their final regular season homestand (3-1) of the year with the second of four vs. the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have beaten the Dodgers in four of seven games this year, including a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium from June 16-18. Following this tilt with San Francisco at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers wrap up the 2023 campaign with a seven-game road trip, featuring stops at Coors Field (Sept. 26-28 – with a doubleheader tossed in) and Oracle Park (Sept. 29-Oct. 1). The Dodgers are just three games back in the loss column to the Atlanta Braves for the top seed in the National League and their magic number to earn a first-round bye is now two. Los Angeles is 43-20 (.683) in the second half, which is the best record in the Majors post All-Star break, ahead of the Baltimore Orioles (41-23, .641). After finishing with the best second-half record in 2021 and ’22, Los Angeles is attempting to become just the third franchise to possess the best post All-Star break record for three consecutive seasons, joining the Braves (1991-93), Red Sox (1948-50) and Yankees (1937-39).
NO-HIT NUGGETS: The Dodgers downed the Giants, 7-2, fueled by 4.2 innings of no-hit ball from rookie starter Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan gave up one run as control problems knocked him out in the fifth, but the offense did their part, getting two hits, a homer and three RBI from J.D. Martinez and two hits and an RBI from Chris Taylor. Martinez reached 30+ homers for the fifth time in his career and has four homers in his last four games. According to STATS, LLC, Sheehan became the first pitcher in modern big league history to pitch 4.0+ innings with no hits allowed in back-to-back starts vs. an opponent. Sheehan tossed 6.0 innings of no-hit ball against San Francisco on June 16. The Giants are 0-for-31 against him this year. The Dodgers have a chance to have four 100+ RBI men for the first time in franchise history. Mookie Betts (103) and Max Muncy (102) are already there, while Martinez (95) and Freddie Freeman (94) are knocking on the doorstep. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have never had more than two players with 100 or more RBI. The Brooklyn Dodgers had three players reach the mark in six different seasons (1930, 1949-51, ’53, ’55), including three times by the Hall of Fame trio of Gil Hodges, Duke Snider and Roy Campanella.
WESTERN SKIES: The Dodgers are 28-14 (.667) vs. the National League West this season, including a 16-7 mark at Dodger Stadium. With 10 games left to play in 2023, Los Angeles is 82-36 (.695) against the NL West over the last two seasons. Including this year, the Dodgers have posted 10 straight winning seasons against the National League West division, including four 50+ win seasons against their NL West foes (2014, 2019, 2021-22).
THE CHAMPS: With the Dodger win on Saturday night, they clinched their 10th NL West crown in the last 11 seasons and will head to the postseason for the 11th straight year, joining the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees as the only franchises in Major League Baseball history to make the postseason 10+ straight seasons. The Braves went to the playoffs 14 straight years from 1991 to 2005 and the Yankees 13 straight seasons from 1995 to 2007. The Dodgers have the longest active playoff streak in the Majors, ahead of the Houston Astros, who look to make it seven in a row with a berth this season.
SEASON FOR THE AGES: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman went 1-for-4 with a run scored last night, as he matched his career high with 199 hits (2022). On Monday, he became the first Dodger first baseman in history to join the 20-20 club and just the second first baseman in franchise lore with 20+ steals (Jackie Robinson, 29 – 1947). Also on Monday, he became one of four players in MLB history to post 25+ homers, 50+ doubles and 20+ stolen bases in a single season, joining Grady Sizemore (2006), Alfonso Soriano (2002) and Chuck Klein (1932). Freeman is four doubles away from becoming the first player with 60+ doubles since Charlie Gehringer (60) and Joe Medwick (64) in 1936. The All-Star ranks second in the Majors with a career-high 125 runs and trails only Ronald Acuña Jr. (140). He is third in the Majors with 199 hits and leads the big leagues with 84 extra-base hits, while his .333 average ranks third. He is just one hit away from reaching 200 knocks for the first time in his career and the California native is closing in on uncharted territory as he is tied for 14th all-time with 56 doubles in a season:
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. GIANTS: RHP GAVIN STONE (1-0, 1 SV, 9.45 ERA in 7 G, 4 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Earned his first career save in last outing on September 17 against the Mariners…Tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks while striking out five He earned his first career win on August 27 against Boston, where he tossed 6.0 innings of relief, giving up five hits and four runs while striking out two… is 1-0 with a 10.50 ERA (21 ER/ 18.0 IP) in five games (three starts) The Arkansas native made his Major League debut on May 3 against the Phillies, tossing four innings and giving up eight hits, five runs (four earned) and two walks while striking out one while not factoring in the decision Owns a 7-4 record across 21 games (19 starts) with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season with a 4.74 ERA (53 ER ER/100.2 IP) with 120 strikeouts and 46 issued walks…has limited the opposition to a .226/.309/.375 slashline
- Has registered a 10.73 strikeout-per-nine innings mark with Triple-A Oklahoma City Was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training…went 1-0 in four appearances with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/6.2 IP) with 14 strikeouts against only five hits and two walks, pitching against Texas (Mar. 1), San Diego (Mar. 6), Cleveland (Mar. 13) and Oakland (Mar. 19)…recorded eight strikeouts in three innings against the Athletics
VS. GIANTS:
- Will face San Francisco for the first time in his career
