SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue an 11-day, 9-game road trip (3-4) with the second of 3 games against the Oakland Athletics (1-0)…Seattle has already taken on the Philadelphia Phillies (1-2) and Toronto Blue Jays (1-2) in a pair of 3-game series on the trip…tonight’s game will be televised live on
ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Athletics by a 2-1 score in last night’s series opener…it marked the Mariners second consecutive win, both in come-from-behind fashion…each of the Mariners last 7 games (4/25-c) have been decided by 2-or-fewer runs, including 5 one-run games during that stretch…Seattle is 7-9 at T-Mobile Park and 6-7 on the road this season.
• Miller High Life – Last night, Bryce Miller and Mason Miller-OAK became the first pair of rookie starters to combine for 15+ strikeouts & 2-or-fewer hits allowed in MLB history…via OptaSTATS.
• Pollock Power – AJ Pollock delivered the game-tying home run in the top of the 8th last night, Seattle’s first hit of the game.
• Yesterday’s Roster Moves – RHP Bryce Miller (#50) was selected from Double-A Arkansas…INF Tommy La Stella was designated for assignment…Seattle’s 40-man roster is currently at 39 players.
GEM-TWIRLING GENTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST…the Mariners have the best pitching staff in the Majors by FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (5.6), ranking ahead of Minnesota (4.9) and Atlanta (4.5)…in 29 games this season, the Mariners pitching staff has posted a 3.52 ERA (103 ER, 263.2 IP) with 89 walks and 265 strikeouts, and a 1.210 WHIP while holding opponents to a .230 batting average…the Mariners starting rotation ranks 2nd in fWAR (3.6), trailing only Minnesota (4.1)…the Mariners bullpen ranks T2nd in fWAR (1.9) with Cincinnati, trailing only Baltimore (2.1)…the Mariners have the lowest FIP (3.49) in the Majors, ranking ahead of Minnesota (3.52)…Seattle’s pitching staff has done the best job in the Majors at limiting hard contact, allowing a league-low 39 barrels and 3.5 barrels-per-plate appearance.
BRYCE MILLER SHINES IN DEBUT…right-hander Bryce Miller was stellar in his Major League debut last night…he tossed 6.0 innings, allowing one run on 2 hits and recorded 10 strikeouts with no walks… Miller retired the first 15 batters he faced, carrying a perfect game into the 6th inning before a Tony Kemp single…the 24-year-old right-hander Miller ended each of his 6 frames with a strikeout…Miller set a Mariners record for most strikeouts (10) in a Major League debut, surpassing Enrique Romo, who struck out 9 in his MLB debut on April 7, 1977 vs. the California Angels in the Mariners second-ever game as a franchise…Miller also became the third pitcher in MLB history to record 10+ strikeouts with no walks in a debut, joining Johnny Cueto-CIN on April 3, 2008 and Stephen Strasburg-WSH on June 8, 2010…Miller, the #88 prospect in the Majors according to MLB.com, is the first player drafted from the 2021 MLB Draft to debut for Seattle and the 6th overall from that class to appear in the big leagues.
WE WENT TO JARRED…Jarred Kelenic’s RBI double in the 8th inning last night gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead, the eventual final score…the double scored Jose Caballero, who doubled earlier in the inning… it was Kelenic’s third go-ahead or game-tying hit in the 8th inning or later this season, tied for the Major League lead with Alex Verdugo-BOS, Jonathan India-CIN, Jake Fraley-CIN, Nolan Gorman-STL and José Ramírez-CLE…in 27 games this season, Kelenic is batting .309 (29×94) with 14 runs, 8 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBI, 5 stolen bases and 10 walks, getting on base at a .371 clip, slugging .617 with a .988 OPS.
CAL HEATING UP…Cal Raleigh reached base twice in last night’s 2-1 win, drawing a pair of walks…in his previous game on April 30 at Toronto, Cal went 2-for-4 with 3 runs scored, 2 home runs, 4 RBI and a walk in the 10-8 win…Cal hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to cut Seattle’s deficit to 8-7, and followed that up with another 2-run homer in the 10th, which gave the Mariners a 10-8 lead…it was Raleigh’s third career multi-homer game (others: 8/17/22 at LAA, 9/2/22 at CLE)…since the start of 2022, Cal leads Major League catchers with 32 home runs.
PAUL ME MAYBE…Paul Sewald recorded his 8th save of the season last night, tossing a 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts…Sewald is 8-for-8 in save opportunities this season, going 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA (5 ER, 16.0 IP) with 4 walks and 21 strikeouts across 16 appearances…the righty has posted a 0.813 WHIP while holding opponents to a .161 batting average (9×56) this season…in 143 appearances with the Mariners (2021-c), Sewald owns the best WHIP (0.885) and lowest opponent batting average (.161/83×514) in franchise history among pitchers with at least 100.0 innings pitched.
MATTY B…Matt Brash is 2-2 with 1 save and a 4.85 ERA (7 ER, 13.0 IP) with 5 walks and 26 strikeouts across 16 appearances this season…the 24-year-old right-hander ended the month of April as the Major League leader in both appearances (16) and strikeouts (26) out of the bullpen, also posting the highest strikeouts-per-9 innings rate (18.0) among relievers with at least 10.0 innings pitched…Brash ended the month with 0.7 fWAR, leading American League relievers.
LA PIEDRA’S ‘ROCK’ SOLID APRIL…Luis Castillo went 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA (7 ER, 34.2 IP) with 8 walks and 38 strikeouts in 6 March/April starts…the right-hander became the first pitcher in MLB history with 3 outings of 5.0+ scoreless IP and 2-or-fewer hits allowed within his team’s first 16 games of a season… he also became just the third pitcher in MLB history with a sub-1.00 ERA, 11-or-fewer hits allowed, 4-orfewer walks and 25+ strikeouts through his first 4 starts, joining Cliff Lee-CLE (2008) and Corbin BurnesMIL (2021)…Lee and Burnes both won the Cy Young Award those seasons.
AS YOU KNOW…the Mariners have received stellar pitching from their young pitchers this season… Seattle pitchers age 25-or-younger this season lead the Majors in fWAR (2.4), but…DID YOU KNOW?… that Easton McGee (age 25) and Bryce Miller (24) are the first pair of pitchers to toss 6.0+ innings while allowing 2-or-fewer hits in their team debuts within a 3-game span in 54 years?…McGee and Miller are the first pair to accomplish the feat since Johnny Podres and Dick Kelley each tossed 6.0+ innings with 2-or-fewer hits allowed in their team debuts with the San Diego Padres from April 9-10, 1969…it is the third time in Major League history that it has been done, with McGee/Miller joining Podres/Kelly (1969) and also Gene Wright and Hall of Famer Addie Joss for the Cleveland Broncos from April 25-26, 1902
MARINERS STARTER – RHP LOGAN GILBERT
ABOUT LOGAN GILBERT…
• The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher is scheduled to make his 6th start of the season and 1st against Oakland…he will also make the 62nd start of his MLB career and 8th career start against the Athletics.
• Selected by Seattle in the 1st round (14th overall) of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Rob Mummau.
• Spent 3 seasons at Stetson (FL) University, 2016-18…in 2017, was ASUN Pitcher of the Year and ASUN 1st-Team All-Conference.
• Was named the 2022 Mariners Most Valuable Pitcher by the Seattle Chapter of the BBWAA.
LAST TIME OUT…ND in 5th start of the season against Philadelphia on 4/26, tossing 5.0 innings and allowing 4 runs on 7 hits (1 HR) with 6 strikeouts.
AMONG MARINERS GREATS…with his 8 strikeouts in his outing on 4/18 vs. MIL Logan passed Randy Johnson for the 3rd most strikeouts through a pitchers first 60 Mariners starts with 330…he trails only Félix Hernández (351) and Erik Hanson (349).
LAST TIME AGAINST OAKLAND…faced Oakland in his final start of the 2022 regular season where he earned a no decision after pitching a career-high 8.0 innings and allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 batters… the Mariners went on to win the game 2-1 and clinch a playoff berth.
WINNING AWAY FROM HOME…is making his 33rd career start on the road… Logan has a 14-3 road record with a 3.79 ERA (173.1 IP, 73 ER) with 56 walks and 177 strikeouts…since he joined the league in 2021 Gilbert’s 14 away wins is tied for 10th in the Major Leagues with Shane Bieber-CLE, Corbin Burnes-MIL, Alek Manoah-TOR, and Drew Smyly-CHC.
STRIKEOUT STREAK…in each of his first 5 starts this season, Gilbert has recorded at least 6 strikeouts…this marks the first time in his career that he has pitched 5 straight games with 6+ strikeouts…the active 5-game streak is tied for the 2nd longest streak among starting pitchers in the Majors this season with 3 other pitchers…he trails only Pablo López-MIN and Spencer Strider-ATL who each have a 6-game streak.
KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has only allowed 31 baserunners through his first 5 starts this season which ranks 1st among Mariners starting pitchers…he ranks ahead of Luis Castillo and George Kirby (32)…his 31 baserunners allowed also ranks 5th in the Major Leagues among pitchers who have made at least 5 starts this season.
ON A ROLL…Logan’s 34 strikeouts so far this season ranks second among Mariners starting pitchers…he trails only Luis Castillo (38)…his 34 strikeouts in March/April was a new career high to start the season.
PLAYOFF PERFORMER…made 1 start in the playoffs, on 10/11/22 at HOU in Game 1 of the ALDS…ND after allowing 3 runs on 5 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
PITCHER OF THE MONTH…was named AL Pitcher of the Month for April 2022, the first time he has won the award…marks the first Mariners winner since James Paxton in July, 2017 and the 14th different player to win the award (19th instance).
MONTH OF MARVEL…his 0.40 ERA (1 ER, 22.1 IP) in April 2022 was the lowest ERA in a month in Mariners history, surpassing Mark Langston’s 0.50 ERA (3 ER, 53.2 IP) in September 1988 (min. 20.0 IP).
INNINGS EATER…ranked 9th in the AL in innings pitched last season with 185.2…he ranked second among Mariners starting pitchers trailing only Robbie Ray (189.0)…Gilbert threw 6.0+ innings in 18 starts last year.
QUALITY AND QUANTITY…has recorded two quality starts this season…had 16 quality starts in 2022 the 3rd most among Mariners starting pitchers and tied 16th in the AL with Dylan Cease-CHW and Shohei Ohtani-LAA …he trailed only Marco Gonzales and Robbie Ray who each had 18.
TURN IT UP TO 11…recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts on 9/19/22 at Los Angeles-AL…earned his 13th win of the season and pitched 6.0 innings while giving up 4 hits, 1 run, and 1 walk.
FIRST 50…made his 50th career start on 8/26/22, going 16-10 with a 4.01 ERA (120 ER, 269.0 IP) with 261 strikeouts…his 261 strikeouts are the 5th-most over a pitchers first 50 career starts in Mariners history, trailing Félix Hernández (295), Erik Hanson (279), Hisashi Iwakuma (266) and Taijuan Walker (263).
THE KING AND I…became the 3rd fastest Mariners starter to 300 career strikeouts when he struck out Vimael Machín on 9/30/22 vs. OAK…it took Gilbert just 56 starts to reach the milestone…only Félix Hernández (51 GS) and Erik Hanson (53 GS) reached the milestone in fewer games.
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER…Logan Gilbert (#28) and Jarred Kelenic (#4) made their MLB debuts on May 13, 2021 vs. Cleveland, becoming the highest ranking duo to debut in the same game since MLB.com began prospect rankings in 2011…there have only been 2 other instances where multiple top-100 prospects debuted for the same team in the same game…on July 23, 2013, outfielders Jake Marisnick (#70) and Christian Yelich (#13) both debuted for Miami…on Sept. 21, 2016, outfielders Manuel Margot (#45) and Hunter Renfroe (#92) both debuted for San Diego.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: The A’s have lost six of the last seven games, eight of the last 10, 15 of the last 18 and 21 of the last 25…are 6-24 (.200) overall, which is the lowest winning percentage in the majors (Royals, 7-23/.233)…it matches the 1919 Philadelphia A’s for the worst record in Athletics history after 30 games and is tied for the seventh worst record by an AL, NL or FL team since 1901 (last: 2022 Reds)…have not won back-to-back games this year…lost two of three to the Reds to start the homestand and have now lost each of the first nine series of the season for the first time in Athletics history (previous: 5 in 1935, 1946 and 1951)…this is the first time the A’s have lost nine consecutive series at any point in the season since July 11-August 20, 2008 when they lost 11 straight.
ONE-RUN GAMES AND OTHERWISE: The A’s led 1-0 after seven innings last night but lost 2-1…are now 0-3 when leading after seven innings and no
other team has fewer than four such wins…five of the A’s six wins have been by one run (the other was an 8-4 win) and Oakland is 5-7 (.417) in one-run games…are tied for fourth in the majors in one-run games (12) and losses and tied for eighth in wins…have scored the winning run in their final at bat five times…have lost six games by 10 or more runs, which matches the A’s combined total from the previous four seasons and is the most since 2008 when they had eight such losses…have a run differential of -118, which is the lowest by an AL, NL or FL team over the first 30 games of the season since 1901 (previous: -95 by the 1938 Phillies)…the last time in Athletics history the A’s had a run differential worse than -118 over any 30-game stretch was from Sept. 18, 1940-May 2, 1941 when they had a mark of -119.
OFFENSE: The A’s have struck out 43 times over the last three games and have fanned 10 or more times in seven of the last nine games (105 total)…have 287 strikeouts for the season, which is fourth most in the majors…have the fourth lowest batting average in the majors (.225), sixth lowest slugging percentage (.368) and seventh lowest on-base percentage (.307) and OPS (.675)…have the second fewest doubles (37), the fifth fewest extra base hits (73) and sixth fewest runs (114)…have been hit by a pitch 21 times, which is the most in the majors.
IN THE PINCH: A’s pinch hitters are 6-for-13 (.462) with a double, home run, three RBI and six walks over the last 11 games…for the season, are tied for the most pinch walks (6) in the majors and rank third in pinch hits (8).
PITCHING: The A’s allowed two runs last night after yielding four on Sunday and three on Saturday…it is the first time this year the A’s have allowed fewer than nine runs in three consecutive games…have allowed 232 runs overall, which are the most in the majors (White Sox, 185)…the runs are fifth most by any AL, NL or FL team over its first 30 games since 1901 and are the most since the 1951 St. Louis Browns had 234…no A’s team has allowed more than 232 runs over any 30-game stretch since the Philadelphia A’s allowed 233 runs from Sept. 28, 1940-May 15, 1941…have the highest ERA (7.53), opponents OPS (.895), batting average (.292), on-base percentage (.389) and slugging percentage (.506) in the majors…lead the majors in most walks (150), home runs (51) and wild pitches (19), have the second most hit batters (24) and the third fewest strikeouts (223).
STARTING PITCHING: Mason Miller tossed 7.0 no-hit innings last night to become the first starter in Athletics history to pitch more than 5.1 innings and leave the game with a no-hitter…the previous high was 5.1 innings by Chris Codiroli on June 27, 1986 against Chicago…Miller became the first A’s starter to pitch more than 6.1 innings this year…he ended up with a no decision and A’s starters are now 0-15 with an 8.09 ERA over the first 30 games…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the longest season-opening streak of consecutive games without a win by a starting pitcher in Major League history (previous: Pirates, 27 in 2022)…it is the longest at any point in a season in Athletics history…A’s starters have the highest ERA in the majors by nearly two earned runs (Red Sox, 6.13) and no other team has fewer than four wins from its starters…have the fourth fewest innings pitched (142.1)
THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen has been charged with a blown save in each of the last three games and is now 3-for-11 (27.3%) in save opportunities for the season…has the lowest save percentage and the most blown saves (8) in the majors and is tied for the fewest saves…has a 6.86 ERA, which is the highest in the majors (White Sox, 6.68)…has allowed 28-of-57 (49.1%) inherited runners to score, which is the second highest percentage (Phillies, 50.0%)…has 120.2 innings pitched, which is third most.
ON THE BASES: The A’s have thrown out nine attempted base stealers over the last 14 games and have 11 caught stealings for the season, which is the most in the majors…however, opponents have 29 stolen bases, which is tied for third most…offensively, the A’s have been successful in 30-of-36 (83.3%) stolen base attempts…are tied for third in the majors in steals, tied for fourth in attempts and tied for ninth in stolen base percentage.
HOME AND AWAY: The A’s are 1-3 on this six-game homestand against Cincinnati (1-2) and Seattle (0-1) and are 3-13 (.188) in the Coliseum, which is the second lowest home winning percentage in the majors (Royals, 1-13/.071)… went 2-5 on the last road trip to Texas (1-2) and Los Angeles-AL (1-3) and are 3-11 (.214) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors…leave following the game tomorrow for a six-game road trip to Kansas City (three games) and New York-AL (three games)…snapped their nine-game home losing streak on Sunday, which tied for the third longest home losing streak in Oakland history…it was the longest since June 4-20, 1982 when they also lost nine straight.
NIGHT AND DAY: The win on Sunday was the A’s first during a day game this year…it snapped a 12-game losing streak in day games, which fell one short of the Oakland record of 13 (July 17-Aug. 21, 1977)…are 5-12 (.294) in night games and 1-12 (.077) during the day…are batting .259 (151-for-584) with 79 runs in 17 night games (4.6 runs per game), .179 (74-for-414) with 35 runs in 13 day games (2.7 runs per game)…have the eighth best night batting average in the majors and the lowest day batting average.
A’S IN APRIL: The A’s went 5-23 (.179) in April and set a Major League record for most losses in April…the previous mark was set by the Orioles, who went 1-22 in 1988…the 23 losses are second most in any month in Oakland history (24 in June, 1979)…the .179 winning percentage is second lowest in a month with at least five games to June, 1979 (5-24, .172)…it was the 15th 20-loss month in Oakland history, the third in the last two years…compiled a 7.97 ERA, which was the second highest ERA by an American League or National League team in any month of 15 or more games since the earned run became an official stat (1912 in NL, 1913 in AL)…the highest was 8.20 by the Phillies in Sept. 1930…allowed 229 runs, which are the most in any month in Oakland history and the most by any team since the 1950 St. Louis Browns yielded 232 in June…set an Athletics record for hit batters in any month (24) and an Oakland record for home runs allowed in any month (50)…the only other times in Athletics history the A’s allowed 50 or more home runs in a month are May 1964 (57) and July 1962 (56)…issued 141 walks, which was second most in a month in Oakland history (148 in Aug. 1995)…set an Oakland record for wild pitches in April (18)…A’s hitters struck out 259 times, which is the most in Athletics history in April and fifth most for any month…stole 28 bases, which were the most by an A’s team in April since they had 29 in 1987
A’S VS. MARINERS
• The A’s lost the season series last year for the second consecutive year and are 12-27 (.308) against the Mariners over the last three seasons.
• Have won four of the last six games in Oakland after losing 10 straight.
• Have dropped 12 of the last 16 in Seattle.
• Have lost eight of the previous 10 season series and are 74-108 (.407) against the Mariners dating back to the start of the 2013 season, which is the A’s worst mark against any American League team over that span.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-1 0-0 0-1
2022 4-5 4-6 8-11
Oakland History: 378-332
at the Coliseum: 202-151
at T-Mobile Park: 99-114
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Ryan Noda ranks second among Major League rookies in on-base percentage (.382), tied for second in walks (18), sixth in OPS (.790) and tied for sixth in runs (16)…Brent Rooker ranks fifth in the majors in home runs (9)… Esteury Ruiz drove in the A’s only run last night with a sixth inning double… is now 13-for-31 (.419) with runners in scoring position, which is 13th best in the majors.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: JP Sears (0-2, 6.23 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his sixth start of the season…has allowed 10 runs in 10.1 innings over his last two starts (8.70 ERA) after yielding eight runs in 15.2 innings over his first three (4.60 ERA)…is in his second season in the majors and is on his second consecutive Opening Day roster.
OPPONENTS BATTING: Has a .231 (18-for-78) opponents batting average against right-handed hitters compared to .381 (8-for-21) against left-handers…however, has allowed 10 of his 11 extra base hits to righties for a .551 slugging percentage (.429 vs. lefties)…has yielded 27 of his 31 career extra base hits to righties, including all 15 of his home runs…opponents are 5-for13 (.385) with runners in scoring position…has a .325 (13-for-40) batting average the first time through the order, .244 (10-for-41) the second time and .167 (3-for-18) the third time…has not allowed a hit to the opponents number eight hitter (0-for-10).
WALKS AND HOMERS: Has allowed more home runs (7) than walks (6)…has issued two walks over fewer in each of his five starts and is averaging 2.08 walks per nine innings…has allowed at least one home run in each of starts and his seven home runs overall are tied for 11th most in the majors.
FIRST START: He had a no decision in the A’s 4-3 win over Cleveland on April 4 in Oakland…tossed 4.2 innings and allowed a career-high tying eight hits… yielded two runs in the second inning, including an Arias solo home run… also allowed a RBI double to Ramirez with two outs in the fifth and was relieved by Jackson with the A’s trailing 3-2…Oakland tied the game in the sixth and won it on a Tony Kemp walk-off single.
SECOND START: He was the losing pitcher in the A’s 5-1 loss at Baltimore on April 10…the A’s scored a run in the top of the first but he allowed a two-run home run to Mouncastle in the bottom of the first…also surrendered a solo home run to Rutschman in the fourth and was relieved by Familia to start the sixth with the A’s trailing 3-1.
THIRD START: He had a no decision in the A’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to New York (NL) on April 16 in Oakland…allowed solo home runs to Pham in the second and Lindor in the sixth…was relieved by Lovelady to start the seventh with the A’s trailing 2-1 but Oakland scored twice in the eighth to get him off the hook…the Mets single runs in the ninth and 10th for the win.
FOURTH START: He had a no decision in the A’s 6-4 win at Texas on April 27…struck out a career-high 11 batters in a career-high tying 6.0 innings… allowed four runs in the first on a Garcia RBI single and a Heim three-run home run…then blanked the Rangers on two hits over his final five innings… the A’s came back to tie the game with one in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth and he was relieved by Smith to start the seventh with the score tied 4-4.
LAST START: He was the losing pitcher in the A’s 8-7 loss at Los Angeles (AL) last Thursday…matched his career high in runs (6)…allowed five runs in the third inning on an Ohtani RBI double, a Renfro sacrifice fly and a Drury three home run…the A’s came back to tie the game with a five-run fourth and he was relieved by Smith with one out and a runner on first in the fifth inning… Smith allowed that runner to score for the loss.
