SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 7-day, 6-game road trip tonight with the 2nd of 3 games against the Minnesota Twins (0-1)…they will also face the Arizona Diamondbacks (3 G, 7/28-7/30) on the trip…Seattle recently wrapped up a 10-game homestand (5-5) against the Detroit Tigers (1-2), Twins (2-2) and Toronto Blue Jays (2-1)…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) with Aaron Goldsmith and Gary Hill Jr. on the call.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped last night’s series opener at Minnesota by a 4-3 score in 10 innings, falling to 18-15 in series openers and 9-7 in road series openers…Seattle is 3-2 over its last 5 contests and 12-8 over its last 20…the Mariners are 38-17 when scoring at least 4 runs and 12-33 when scoring 3-or-fewer…the Mariners are 29-25 at T-Mobile Park and 21-25 on the road this season…they are 17-19 in day games and 33-31 at night.
- Month #7 – Seattle is 43-25 (.632) in July games since 2021 (12-8 this season).
- Talkin’ ‘Bout a 50-50 Love – The Mariners (50-50) come into play with an exactly-.500 record for the 22nd time this season.
- Back Where It All Started – Julio Rodríguez made his MLB debut at Target Field on April 8, 2022…he recorded his first career hit on April 9, 2022, a double in the 9th inning of a 4-3 Mariners win.
- Free Ball – The Mariners are 4-9 in extra innings this season…they started 0-5, then won 4 consecutive to improve to 4-5, and have now dropped 4 consecutive extra inning games.
- Series Record – Seattle owns a 14-16-2 series record (5-9-1 on the road) this season.
- C3 – The Mariners most recently had a catcher start in the 3-spot of the batting order when Omar Narváez went 2-for-5 with a walk on Sept. 19, 2019 at Pittsburgh.
WELL, FOR STARTERS…Luis Castillo tossed a quality start last night, the Mariners 50th of the season, which ranks 2nd in the Majors to only Minnesota (51)…over the Mariners last 36 games (6/12-c), the starting rotation is 14-10 with a 3.12 ERA (73 ER, 210.2 IP) with 53 walks and 201 strikeouts…the 3.12 starters ERA leads the Majors in that span, ranking ahead of San Diego (3.35) and Philadelphia (3.41)… during that span Luis Castillo is 2-3 with a 3.51 ERA (19 ER, 48.2 IP) with 15 walks and 50 strikeouts in 8 starts…George Kirby is 4-3 with a 2.80 ERA (14 ER, 45.0 IP) with 5 walks and 42 strikeouts in 7 starts… Logan Gilbert is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA (15 ER, 44.1 IP) with 8 walks and 35 strikeouts in 7 starts…Bryan Woo is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA (16 ER, 37.1 IP) with 11 walks and 43 strikeouts in 7 starts…Bryce Miller is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA (8 ER, 31.0 IP) with 10 walks and 31 strikeouts in 6 starts.
BABY HOLD ME CLOSER…the Mariners have played 4 consecutive games (7/21-c) decided by 1 run, going 2-2 in those games…it ties a season-high, also playing in 4 consecutive 1-run games from April 26-29…the Mariners are 13-19 (.406) in 32 one-run contests this season, tied for 6th-most 1-run games in MLB, tied for 5th-most 1-run losses and 26th in 1-run game winning percentage…if Seattle plays a 1-run game in its next contest, it would mark the first time they have played 5+ consecutive 1-run games since playing 6 consecutive 1-run games from May 20-26, 2018, which tied a franchise record…Seattle went 5-1 in those 6 one-run contests.
J.P. STANDS FOR JULY PROWESS…J.P. Crawford leads Seattle in Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (3.0), holding a lead over next-closest George Kirby (2.4 bWAR)…Crawford, who went 2-for5 with a double last night, over his last 35 games (6/10-c) is batting .299 (40×134) with 19 runs, 11 doubles, 5 home runs, 13 RBI and 23 walks, getting on base at a .399 clip, slugging .493 with an .891 OPS.
HOT BAT AT THE HOT CORNER…Eugenio Suárez has reached base safely in 14 of his last 15 games (7/6-c), posting a .950 OPS during that stretch…in those 15 games, Geno is batting .235 (12×51) with 9 runs, 2 doubles, 5 home runs, 9 RBI and 9 walks, getting on base at a .381 clip and slugging .569…his 5 homers since July 6 are tied for 2nd-most in the American League during that span, trailing only Giancarlo Stanton-NYY (6 HR).
CAL & MURPH: DYNAMIC DUO…Mariners catchers Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy have accumulated 2.9 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement this season, with Seattle ranking 4th-best in the Majors among catching fWAR and trailing Atlanta (4.4), Milwaukee (3.5) and Texas (3.3)…Raleigh is batting .225 (65×289) with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 14 home runs, 38 RBI and 33 walks, getting on base at a .307 clip, slugging .422 with a .729 OPS…Murphy is batting .277 (31×112) with 14 runs, 10 doubles, 7 homers, 12 RBI and 8 walks, getting on base at a .328 clip, slugging .554 with an .881 OPS…among catchers with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Tom ranks 2nd in both slugging and OPS to Sean Murphy-ATL.
PITCHING THIS SEASON…the Mariners pitching staff leads the Majors in fewest walks-per-9 innings (2.64), is tied for the lead in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.47) with Minnesota, ranks 3rd in WHIP (1.19), 2nd in FIP (3.81) and 3rd in fWAR (13.4)…the Mariners starting rotation ranks 1st in WHIP (1.12), 1st in walksper-9 innings (2.08), 4th in fWAR (9.6) and 6th in ERA (3.85)…the Mariners bullpen ranks 2nd in strikeoutsper-9 innings (10.16), 4th in FIP (3.74) and T4th in fWAR (3.8).
MARLOWE NOTCHES FIRST CAREER HIT…Cade Marlowe singled in his first plate appearance last night off Twins starter Kenta Maeda…the 26-year-old tallied his first career Major League hit in his third career game…Marlowe also stole second base…in 69 games with Triple-A Tacoma this season, the outfielder was 25-for-29 in stolen base attempts.
MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUTS…nine players (7 pitchers) have made their Major League debut with Seattle this season: INF José Caballero (4/15 vs. COL), RHP Bryce Miller (5/2 at OAK), RHP Juan Then (5/6 vs. HOU), RHP Bryan Woo (6/3 at TEX), RHP Ty Adcock (6/12 vs. MIA), RHP Isaiah Campbell (7/7 at HOU), RHP Devin Sweet (7/19 vs. MIN), OF Cade Marlowe (7/20 vs. MIN) and RHP Prelander Berroa (7/21 vs. TOR).
AS YOU MAY KNOW…George Kirby leads qualified Major League starting pitchers in both walks-per-9 innings (0.827) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.36) coming into play tonight, but…DID YOU KNOW?… that no Mariners pitcher has ever finished the season leading the Majors in both categories?…only 2 Mariners have led the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio: Randy Johnson (4.52) in 1995 and Marco Gonzales (9.14, led MLB) in 2020…only Gonzales has led the AL in walks-per-9 innings, with a 0.904 mark in 2020, however the left-hander did not lead the Majors, trailing Kyle Hendricks-CHC (0.885) in the National League that season.
MARINERS STARTER – RHP GEORGE KIRBY
2023 MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 9-8 3.23 19/19 119.2 114 45 43 11 103 13
Home 6-3 3.38 10/10 61.1 53 24 23 5 64 8
Road 3-5 3.09 9/9 58.1 61 21 20 6 39 5
vs. MIN 1-0 0.00 1/1 7.0 4 0 0 0 10 0
Career MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 17-13 3.32 44/44 249.2 249 99 92 33 236 26
Home 9-6 3.32 23/23 132.2 130 53 49 15 141 17
Road 8-7 3.31 21/21 117.0 119 46 43 18 95 9
vs. MIN 1-0 0.00 1/1 7.0 4 0 0 0 10 0
ABOUT KIRBY…
- 25-year-old right-hander is making his 20th start of the season, 2nd against Minnesota…he is also making his 45th career start, and 2nd career start against the Twins.
- Selected by the Mariners in the first round (20th overall) of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Ty Holub.
- Played 3 seasons (2017-2019) at Elon University (NC), going 19-8 with a 3.30 ERA (88 ER, 240.0 IP) in 45 games (34 GS) with the Phoenix.
- Became the first rookie in MLB history to record a save in the postseason in his first career relief appearance.
- Graduated from Rye HS (Rye, NY) where he was named to the all-metro, all-state, all-section and all-league baseball teams 3 times.
LAST TIME OUT…W#9 in last start on 7/20 vs. MIN…allowed just 4 hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched.
THESE BOOTS WERE NOT MADE FOR WALKING…leads all qualified pitchers in the Majors with a 9.36 strikeouts-to-walk ratio, ranking ahead of Zach Eflin-TBR (7.06).
NOTHING BUT STRIKES…had not given up more than 1 walk in his first 15 starts this season…this is the longest streak of giving up 1-or-fewer walks in a game among starters in the Majors this season.
CAREER-HIGH STRIKEOUTS…matched a career high in strikeouts for a single game with 10 in his last start against Minnesota…this was the 7th instance this season of a Mariners pitcher recording at least 10 strikeouts in a start…he joined Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Luis Castillo…Castillo has recorded 10+ strikeouts in a game three times this season.
CAREER-HIGH INNINGS…in his outing on 5/31 against NYY he threw 8.0 innings which matched a career high set earlier this year (4/27 at PHI).
LUCKY NUMBER 7…pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing against Minnesota… this marked the 8th time this season Kirby has pitched at least 7.0 innings in a game…he is tied for the 4th most 7.0+ inning games in the Majors this season.
NO WALKS ALLOWED…he did not give up a walk in 4 consecutive starts (5/26- 620)…this was a new career-high in consecutive games without giving up a walk…Kirby has only allowed 11 walks all season.
QUALITY KIRBY…pitched 8 consecutive quality starts (4/9-5/26), his longest quality start streak in his career…his previous high in consecutive quality starts
was 2 (last: 9/10-9/17/22)…his 8-game quality start streak is tied for the longest streak in the Majors this season with Logan Webb-SFG and Joe MusgroveSDP…his 15 quality starts this season are tied for the most in the Majors.
TRIPLE SEVENS…pitched at least 7.0 innings in 3 consecutive starts (4/27- 5/9)…this marked a career high in consecutive games with at least 7.0 innings pitched…prior to the streak, Kirby had never pitched 7.0+ innings in consecutive games…during the streak Kirby was 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA (4 ER, 22.0 IP) and allowed 2 walks while striking out 18.
KIRBY’S COMPLETE…pitched his first career complete game on 4/27 against Philadelphia, tossing 8.0 innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts…he became the first Mariners pitcher to lose a complete game since Taijuan Walker on Sept. 24, 2014 in a 1-0 loss at Toronto.
MAKING MARINERS HISTORY…his 12.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio in March/April was the best to start a season in Mariners history among starting pitchers with at least 2 starts…he ranks ahead of Taijuan Walker who had an 8.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2016.
MISSION CRITICAL…the Mariners own a 17-8 record in games that Kirby tosses at least 6.0 innings…in games Kirby goes 5.2 innings or less, the Mariners are just 8-8.
MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: The Twins have gone 4-0 through four games on their current six-game homestand, sweeping the White Sox in three over the weekend, followed by a victory over the Mariners last night…Minnesota will continue the homestand tonight with the second of three against Seattle, through tomorrow afternoon…after this series, the Twins will travel to Kansas City to begin a six-game, eight-day roadtrip with an off-day on Thursday, a three-game series with the Royals this weekend, an off-day in St. Louis on July 31, then three games against the Cardinals from August 1-3…the Twins have gone 30-22 at home and 24-26 on the road.
Last night’s win moved the Twins six games over .500, matching their high water mark for the season, previously done through the game of April 14, when they were 10-4.
Of the Twins’ 60 remaining games, they have an opponent winning percentage of .476, the second-lowest strength of schedule, trailing only the White Sox (.466).
SKOL! TWINS TAKE DOWN 12’s IN OT: The Twins beat the Mariners on SKOL Night at Target Field by a score of 4-3 in 10 innings, giving them their second-straight extra-innings win (5-4, 12-inning win on Sunday vs. CWS)…the win marked the club’s 10th extra-innings win this season and eighth walk-off, both of which lead baseball…Kenta Maeda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on six hits in 6.1 innings pitched, with two walks and eight strikeouts…the offense recorded eight hits, three from Max Kepler, who drove in the game-tying run with a ninth-inning double…Carlos Correa went 1-for-5 and drove in the winning run with a 10th-inning single…Minnesota went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, making them 16-for-43 (.372) on this homestand in such instances.
The Twins recorded their first consecutive-extra inning walk-off wins since September 13 (3-1 vs. San Diego in 10 innings) and September 14 (3-2 vs. Toronto in 10 innings), 2017.
DO NOT OPEN, WALKERS INSIDE: The Twins announced today the signing of their 2023 first round pick, outfielder Walker Jenkins from South Brunswick High School (NC), who they selected fifth overall in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft…the 6-foot-3, 212-pound outfielder hit .417 with two home runs, 33 runs scored, a .632 on-base percentage and a .633 slugging percentage in 24 games his senior season at South Brunswick…he was named Gatorade North Carolina Baseball Player of the Year award for the second-consecutive season, after taking home the honor in 2022…over four seasons for South Brunswick, Jenkins slashed .487/.598/.921 (74-for-152) with 20 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 53 RBI, 78 runs scored, 35 walks and a 1.519 OPS in 49 games…he hit .527 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 49 runs scored, a .628 on-base percentage and a 1.032 slugging percentage as a junior in the 2022 season…Jenkins will report to Fort Myers, Florida…the Twins have signed 19 of their 21 selections from the 2023 First-Year Player Draft.
SUMMER SLAM: Since the All-Star break, the Twins have gone 9-2, leading baseball in wins in that span…below are the offensive numbers and MLB ranks pre-All-Star break vs. post All-Star break:
AVG R/G H HR BB OBP SLG OPS TB BA/RISP
PRE: .232 (25) 4.2 (24) 708 (22) 115 (8) 297 (16) .309 (25) .400 (20) .709 (22) 1219 (20) .242 (25)
POST: .268 (7) 5.7 (8) 103 (T-2) 18 (T-3) 48 (T-2) .356 (5) .487 (3) .843 (4) 187 (1) .301 (6)
SEATTLE’S BEST: The Twins and Mariners are playing each other for the sixth of seven meetings this season…a win tonight would secure the season series for the Twins for the second-con- secutive season after going 4-3 in 2022. AThe Twins are 7-3 in their last 10 vs. Seattle, dating back to April 10, 2022.
Donovan Solano is a career .340 (17-for-50) hitter with three doubles, one triple, four RBI, three walks, 10 runs scored and an .829 OPS in 14 games vs. the Mariners.
Notable individuals vs. Seattle this season: Edouard Julien is 9-for-16 (.563) with two home runs and five walks…Max Kepler is 9-for-18 (.500) with three doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and one walk…Ryan Jeffers is 3-for-8 (.375) with one walk…Alex Kirilloff is 7-for-21 (.333) with one double, one triple, two home runs, five RBI and one walk…Willi Castro is 5-for-16 (.313) with two RBI and one walk.
SERIES BUSINESS: The Twins are seeking their 16th series victory this season…they are 15- 13-4 in series play in 2023, going 9-5-2 at home and 6-8-2 on the road.
Twins are seeking their first series win over the Mariners since June 13-15, 2022 at T-Mo- bile Park…they are 1-0-2 in their last three series’ vs. the M’s, their last loss coming in a three-game series from June 14-16, 2021 in Seattle (1-2).
Entering tonight, the Twins have gone 5-2-1 in their last eight series’, dating back to their June 23-25 series at Detroit.
NOT AT THE TABLE, CARLOS: Carlos Correa has led off in 19 of the club’s last 20 games, since June 30…since that date, he has reached safely in 17 of 19 games, hitting .299 (23-for-77) with a .375 on-base percentage and a .791 OPS, while leading the team in hits and times on base (33).
KEEPING UP WITH KEPLER: In his last 20 games, since June 30, Max Kepler is hitting .306 (22-for-72) with four doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI, 11 runs scored, six walks, a .354 on-base percentage, a .528 slugging percentage and an .882 OPS…in that span, he is slashing .308/.362/.615 with a .977 OPS vs. right-handed pitching.
KIRILLOFF IS ON: Alex Kirilloff was named AL Player of the Week yesterday by Major League Baseball for the week of July 17-23…AK hit .345 (10-for-29) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, a .793 slugging percentage and a 1.187 OPS…Kirilloff had four multihit games, including a three-hit performance against Seattle last Tuesday…he is the first player to win the award for Minnesota since Buxton on June 13, 2022.
Kirilloff is hitting .329 (25-for-76) with six doubles, one triple, four home runs, 19 RBI, six walks, nine runs scored, a .388 on-base percentage, a .592 slugging percentage and a .980 OPS in his last 21 games, since June 26…additionally, he has 18 RBI this month, tied for fourth most in the AL.
NEXT LEVEL JEFF: In his last 16 games, Ryan Jeffers is hitting .380 (19-for-50) with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI, eight runs scored, five walks, a .446 on-base percentage, a .560 slugging percentage and a 1.006 OPS…all five of those RBI have actually come in his last nine games.
Among primary catchers with a minimum of 175 plate appearances, his .823 OPS ranks third in all of baseball, trailing Atlanta’s Sean Murphy (.935) and Los Angeles-NL’s Will Smith (.876).
Among all catchers in baseball with a minimum of 300.0 innings caught, he ranks third in caught stealing percentage at 33.3 (18 steals/9 caught), trailing Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno (47.2%) and San Francisco’s Patrick Bailey (37.2%).
STARTING PITCHER –
Making his 21st start and appearance and 10th home start of 2023…also his 115th career appearance (all starts) in his sixth major league season (Miami – 2018-22).
Facing Seattle for the second-straight start; suffered the loss on July 20 at T-Mobile Park in the Twins’ 5-0 defeat to the Mariners (5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K).
Acquired by the Twins from Miami on January 20, 2023, along with infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez.
LAST TIME OUT: Took the loss in his first career start against the Seattle Mariners on July 20 at T- Mobile Park, a 5-0 Twins’ defeat in the four-game series finale…allowed two runs on six hits (1 HR) in 5.0 innings pitched, with two walks and seven strikeouts…allowed three singles and one walk in the first inning, yielding a run on an RBI single by rightfielder Teoscar Hernández, but struck out the side to limit the damage; snapped an eight-start streak in which he did not allow a run in the first inning…retired the side in order in the second and third innings before allowing a solo homer to Hernández to lead off the fourth…allowed two hits in the fifth inning but stranded the two runners in scoring position to conclude his outing…was relieved by Oliver Ortega to start the sixth inning; Minnesota’s offense managed only five hits and fell to split the four-game series two games to two.
Marked his shortest start by innings since May 15 at Los Angeles-NL (4.2 IP), snapping a careerlong 10-start streak in which he pitched at least 5.2 innings…also threw 98 pitches, snapping a career-long five-start streak in which he tossed 100-or-more pitches.
Ranks second in the American League with 152 strikeouts…is also among the league leaders in innings pitched (121.2, T-6th),WAR (2.9 – 7th) and opponent batting average (.230 – 11th).
TWO STARTS AGO: Took a no-decision in the Twins’ 10-7 win on July 15 against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum…pitched 5.2 innings and allowed a season-high seven runs on eight hits (2 HR), with three walks and seven strikeouts, tossing a season-high 106 pitches…pitched 2.0 score- less innings to start his outing and received six runs of support through the first three innings… allowed an RBI groundout to shortstop Nick Allen in the third inning after third baseman Zack Gelof tripled…allowed two home runs in the fourth inning, one to first baseman Ryan Noda (solo) and one to centerfielder JJ Bleday (2-run)…yielded three-consecutive singles in the fifth inning as Oakland score two runs, one on an RBI single by leftfielder Tony Kemp and one on a wild pitch…allowed a sacrifice fly to Allen in the sixth inning before being relieved by Jovani Moran with two outs and the score tied 7-7…Twins bullpen fired 3.1 scoreless innings and Minnesota scored three runs in the final three innings to claim the win and the series victory.
Allowed seven-or-more runs for just the fifth time in his career and first time since September 10, 2022 vs. New York-NL with Miami (8 runs).
Allowed multiple home runs for the third time this year (also, 3 on May 15 at Los Angeles-NL and 2 on May 27 vs. Toronto)…also allowed multiple stolen bases (3) for the first time in his career.
Threw a season-high 106 pitches, his fourth most in any start in his career (110 on June 4, 2022 vs. San Francisco; 108 on August 7, 2018 vs. St. Louis; 107 on June 22, 2022 vs. Colorado).
SIX STRIKEOUT STREAK: López has recorded six-or-more strikeouts in eight-consecutive starts since June 7, marking the second-longest such streak of his career (9-start streak from October 2, 2022 to May 10, 2023)…his current streak is the third-longest active streak in baseball, trailing ATL’s Spencer Strider (20 starts) and TB’s Tyler Glasnow (10 starts).
Has recorded 66 strikeouts in his last eight starts, becoming just the seventh pitcher in Twins history (since 1961) to record 66-or-more strikeouts in an eight-game span…is the first Minnesota pitcher to achieve the feat since José Berríos struck out 69 batters in an eight-start stretch from May 15-June 24, 2018.
NICE TO SEA YOU AGAIN: Facing the Mariners for the second-consecutive start…took the loss on July 20 in Seattle in his first career start against the Mariners (5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K)…
began his professional career in Seattle’s organization after signing with them as an international
free agent on July 4, 2012.
Pitched in parts of four seasons with four Seattle minor league affiliates, combining to go 21-11 with a 3.37 ERA (288.1 IP, 108 ER), 39 walks and 209 strikeouts in 60 appearances (47 starts).
In six career starts against the American League West division (OAK – 2, SEA – 1, HOU – 1, TEX – 1, LAA – 1), he is 1-3, 5.06 ERA (32.0 IP, 18 ER) with 15 walks and 39 strikeouts.
TUESDAY TARGET RUN: Making his 10th start of the season at Target Field tonight…is 3-2, 4.98 ERA (56.0 IP, 31 ER) with 16 walks, 72 strikeouts and a .230 (48-for-209) opponent batting average in his nine home starts this year…tossed his first career complete-game shutout and set a new career high with 12 strikeouts in his last home start on July 5 vs. Kansas City, a 5-0 Twins’ win; allowed only four hits and did not issue a walk…owns a 3.05 ERA (20.2 IP, 7 ER) in his last three home starts, with the Twins going 2-1 in those games…is 2-4, 3.56 ERA (65.2 IP, 26 ER) with 19 walks, 80 strikeouts and a .230 (57-for-248) opponent batting average in 11 road starts in 2023.
Historically has better career numbers at home, going 17-17, 3.71 ERA (340.0 IP, 140 ER) with 95 walks, 340 strikeouts and a .675 opponent OPS in 59 career home starts…is 16-20, 4.32 ERA (291.2 IP, 140 ER) with 82 walks, 301 strikeouts and a .727 opponent OPS in 55 road starts.
RIGHT ON: López has limited right-handed hitters to a .210 (50-for-238) batting average this season… his 86 strikeouts against righties are tied for the sixth most in the American League this year…his .210 opponent batting average vs. righties this season ranks ninth in the AL (min. 15 GS)…left-handed
hitters are batting at a .251 (55-for-219) clip against him in 2023, going 2-for-9 (.222) with one
walk and five strikeouts against him in his last outing on July 20 at Seattle.
Has better career numbers against righties (.656 OPS) than lefties (.741 OPS).
PITCH BREAKDOWN: Has used a five-pitch mix this season, according to Baseball Savant…has primarily used his sweeper and sinker against right-handed hitters, favoring his changeup and curveball against left-handed hitters…threw 27 sweepers in his last start on July 20 at Seattle, tied for the fourth-most sweepers he has thrown in a start this season…here is a look at his 2023 arsenal:
PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
4-Seam Fastball (95.0)……………..36.1% (691 pitches, 314/377)… .238 (34-for-143), 8 2B, 7 HR, 54 K
Sweeper (84.3)………………………20.8% (398 pitches, 298/100). .189 (17-for-90), 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 33 K
Changeup (88.4)……………………20.4% (390 pitches, 148/242).. .205 (23-for-112), 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 32 K
Curveball (82.4)…………………….. 12.6% (241 pitches, 60/181) .. .254 (16-for-63), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 29 K
Sinker (94.5) …………………………..10.1% (194 pitches, 189/5)…… .313 (15-for-48), 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 K
In his first 20 starts this year, López has an average fastball velocity of 94.9 mph, a 2.2 mph increase from last season and the largest year-to-year jump of his career.
