SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 10-game road trip tonight with the 2nd of 4 games against the Kansas City Royals (0-1)…Seattle will also face the Houston Astros (3 G, Aug. 18-20) and Chicago White Sox (3 G, Aug. 21-23) on the trip…the Mariners are coming off a winning 5-game homestand (3-2) against the San Diego Padres (2-0) and Baltimore Orioles (1-2)…tonight’s game in Kansas City will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Aaron Goldsmith on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. on the call.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped last night’s series opener by a 7-6 score…Seattle trailed 5-0 heading into the 8th inning, took a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the 9th before the eventual 7-6 loss…despite 3 consecutive losses, the Mariners are 8-3 over their last 11, 10-4 over their last 14, 13-5 over their last 18, 16-7 over their last 23 and 25-13 over their last 38 games…the Mariners are 48-19 when scoring at least 4 runs and 15-36 when scoring 3-or-fewer…the Mariners are 34-28 at T-Mobile Park and 29-27 on the road this season…they are 21-20 in day games and 42-35 at night.
- Since July 1 – The Mariners have the 3rd-best record in the Majors since July 1…Seattle is 25-13 (.658) since then, trailing only the Dodgers (.694/25-11) and Orioles (.667/26-13).
- Series-ly Great – Seattle has won 6 of its last 7 overall series and each of its last 5 road series.
- 20 In Julio’s Sights – With his next home run, Julio Rodríguez will become the first player in Mariners history with 20+ home runs in each of his first 2 Major League seasons.
- Extra DMo – Over his last 15 games (7/22-c), Dylan Moore is batting .325 (13×40) with 9 extra-base hits (9 2B/1 3B/4 HR), 9 RBI and a 1.175 OPS.
- Happy Birthday! – Mariners reliever Isaiah Campbell celebrates his 26th birthday today.
- 1-Run Games – Seattle has played 38 one-run games, 4th-most in the Majors this season.
PITCH PERFECT…the Mariners pitching staff ranks at-or-near the top of the Major League leaderboard in several categories this season…the Mariners staff leads the Majors in fewest runs allowed (480), WHIP (1.17) and FIP (3.76)…they rank 2nd in MLB in ERA (3.71), T-1st in strikeout-towalk ratio (3.54), T-3rd in opponent batting average (.234), 2nd in walks-per-9 innings (2.60), 4th in hits-per-9 innings (7.94), 7th in strikeouts-per-9 innings (9.21), 6th in home runs-per-9 innings (1.09) and 2nd in FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (16.3).
(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER…the Mariners starting rotation is 40-34 with a 3.84 ERA (285 ER, 667.2 IP) with 153 walks and 642 strikeouts this season…they lead the Majors in WHIP (1.11), walksper-9 innings (2.06) and hits-per-9 innings (7.97), ranking 2nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.20) and 6th in ERA (3.81)…over the team’s last 54 games (6/12-c), Mariners starters lead MLB in ERA (3.34), opponent batting average (.221) and WHIP (1.06)…Seattle starting pitchers have walked 3-or-fewer batters in 33 consecutive contests since July 6 coming into play tonight.
MAD MARINERS: FURY ‘ROAD’…despite last night’s loss, the Mariners have the best road record in the Majors since the beginning of July…during that span, Seattle is 13-5 (.722) in away games, ranking ahead of Toronto (.684/13-6) and Baltimore (.682/15-7)…during that stretch, the Mariners have won 5 consecutive road series, taking 2 of 3 at San Francisco (7/3-7/5), 3 of 4 at Houston (7/6-7/9), 2 of 3 at Minnesota (7/24-7/26), 2 of 3 at Arizona (7/28-7/30) and a 4-game sweep at Los Angeles-AL (8/3-8/6).
JULIO NEARING 10 WAR…Julio Rodríguez went 2-for-5 with a 3-run double and 4 total RBI last night…Julio has accumulated 9.8 Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement through his first 247 career games…he is on the verge of joining an exclusive list of players to amass 10.0+ bWAR through their first 2 Major League seasons…Julio would become just the 23rd player in MLB history to appear on that list, which is topped by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (13.4 bWAR) and Johnny Pesky (13.4)…other players on that list include Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Wade Boggs, Eddie Mathews, Ralph Kiner and Johnny Mize, as well as Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Matt Chapman, Carlos Correa and Ichiro Suzuki.
SLUGGING CATCHERS…Cal Raleigh’s 20 home runs this season lead American League catchers, ranking ahead of Salvador Perez-KC (19 HR) and Adley Rutchman-BAL (16) and trailing only Francisco Alvarez-NYM (21) for the Major League lead…Raleigh leads MLB catchers with 47 home runs since the start of 2022…Tom Murphy is batting .290 (42×145) with 12 doubles, 8 homers and 17 RBI, getting on base at a .335 clip, slugging .538 with an .873 OPS…Murphy’s .538 slugging percentage leads AL catchers (min. 100 PA) and ranks 3rd in the Majors..
EUGENIO SUÁREZ: GOLD GLOVE CANDIDATE…Eugenio Suárez leads qualified American League third basemen (min. 1,000 innings) in fielding percentage (.982) this season, committing just 5 errors…Geno ranks ahead of Matt Chapman-TOR (.971) and Alex Bregman-HOU (.960)…Suárez also ranks 2nd in Outs Above Average (7), trailing only Maikel Garcia-KC (11).
WHAT A RELIEF SINCE JULY 1…the Mariners bullpen is 23-21 with a 3.48 ERA (151 ER, 390.0 IP) with 153 walks (13 intentional) and 440 strikeouts this season…they rank T-2nd in MLB in ERA with Atlanta and trail only the Yankees (3.25)…over the team’s last 38 games (7/1-c), Seattle relievers lead the Majors with a 2.59 ERA (34 ER, 118.1 IP), notching 14 saves with 44 walks and 144 strikeouts.
JUSTIN-SPEIER’ING…Justin Topa has a 10-game scoreless streak (7/24-c) and has allowed just 1 earned run over his last 20 appearances (6/27-c)…during that span, he is 1-0 with 1 save, 4 holds and a 0.54 ERA (1 ER, 16.2 IP) with 3 walks and 16 strikeouts…Gabe Speier has a 9-game scoreless streak (7/22-c), limiting opponents to 4 hits and no walks with 9 strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work during that stretch.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…Julio Rodríguez supplied the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 9th inning last night, giving Seattle a 6-5 lead, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that it marked the first go-ahead hit in the 9th inning or later of Julio’s Major League career?…prior to last night, Julio had one go-ahead RBI in the 9th inning or later, but it was a fielder’s choice…that occurred 1 year ago today, when his RBI fielder’s choice scored Sam Haggerty (just like his single scored Haggerty last night) in a 6-2 win over the Angels on Aug. 15, 2022…Julio has had 1 game-tying hit in the 9th inning or later, a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th off Kenley Jansen on Sept. 11, 2022 in an eventual 8-7 win over the Braves at T-Mobile Park.
MARINERS STARTER – RHP EMERSON HANCOCK
2022 MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 0-0 1.80 1/1 5.0 2 1 1 3 3 0
Home 0-0 1.80 1/1 5.0 2 1 1 3 3 0
Road 0-0 -.– 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
vs. KCR 0-0 -.– 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ABOUT EMERSON HANCOCK…
- The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher is scheduled to make his 2nd career Major League start and 1st career start against Kansas City.
- Selected by Seattle in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Scott Hunter on June 25, 2020.
- Spent 3 seasons at the University of Georgia, 2018-20…in 2020, was named Vince Dooley Athlete of the Year as the top male student-athlete at the University of Georgia.
- Was named to CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team in 2020.
LAST TIME OUT…ND in 1st career start against San Diego on 8/9…tossed 5.0 innings and allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts.
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP…became just the 6th starting pitcher in franchise history to pitch 5.0+ innings and allow 2-or-fewer hits in a Major League debut with Seattle…he joins Pat Rice, Ken Cloude, Taijuan Walker, Roenis Elías and Bryce Miller.
DEBUTANTS…became the 10th player (8th pitcher) to make his Major League debut with Seattle this season, joining INF José Caballero, RHP Bryce Miller, RHP Juan Then, RHP Bryan Woo, RHP Ty Adcock, RHP Isaiah Campbell, RHP Devin Sweet, OF Cade Marlowe and RHP Prelander Berroa.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
THAT’S ONE WAY TO WIN: The Royals scored a 7-6, walk-off win last night over the Mariners in one of the wildest games of the season…Brady Singer took a no-hit bid into the 7th inning, Bobby Witt Jr. hit an inside-the-park home run, the Royals had the Mariners down to their last strike but blew a 5-0 lead and trailed 6-5 into the bottom of the 9th, when 2 singles and a game-tying sacrifice fly set up Dairon Blanco for the game-winning sacrifice bunt RBI that scored Samad Taylor from third…the emotional roller coaster resulted in Kansas City’s 7th walk-off win of the season—their most since 2017 (8)—which account for 30.43% of their 23 home wins.
Witt Jr. matched a career high with 4 hits and Salvador Perez had a 3-run HR and the game-tying sac. fly.
DRAMA KINGS: The Royals last night completed their 16th comeback win of the season, overcoming a 6-5 deficit in the 9th with a 7-6 triumph…only 6 of their 1st 18 wins this season (33.3%) were comeback victories, but since June 17, 10 of their 21 wins (47.6%) have required a comeback…last night was Kansas City’s 6th win this season when trailing in the 9th inning or later, including April 22 at the Angels, June 17 vs. the Angels, June 29 vs. Cleveland, July 28 vs. Minnesota and Aug. 1 vs. the Mets…according to Elias, their 6 such wins are the most by a Royals team since 2016 (6) and are tied with San Francisco for 4th most in the Majors this season, trailing three teams who are currently in playoff positions: Miami (9), Philadelphia (8) and Minnesota (7).
Kansas City has 7 walk-off wins this season, including 2 singles, a bunt single, a double, a balk, a grand slam and a sacrifice bunt…the Royals 7 walk-off wins are their most since 2017 (8) and are tied for the 3rd most in the Majors, trailing only the Twins (9) and Marlins (8)…their 7 walk-off wins account for 30.43% of their 23 wins at Kauffman Stadium this season, which would be the 2nd-highest rate in Royals history, trailing only the 2000 season, when 13 of their 42 wins (30.95%) were walk-off winners.
WINNING WAYS: The Royals are 10-6 (.625) in their last 16 games dating back to July 28, which is tied with Tampa Bay for the 4th-best record in the American League during that time, trailing only Baltimore (12-5), Seattle (11-5) and Texas (11-5)…during this stretch, the Royals lead the American League with 5.9 runs per game, are tied with Minnesota for the AL lead in homers (25) and have outscored opponents 94-77 (+17).
HOME: The Royals are 13-7 in their last 20 games at Kauffman Stadium—including 8-1 in their last 9—after going 10-30 through their 1st 40 home games…during their last 20 home games dating back to June 29, 5 of their 13 home wins have been by 1 run, 4 have been walk-off victories and 3 have been wins in extra innings… Kansas City’s 13 home wins since June 29 are tied with Philadelphia for the 4th most in the Majors during that time, trailing only Texas (15-6), Boston (14-8) and the Dodgers (14-5)…this marks a significant improvement on Kansas City’s 1st 40 home games, a stretch in which their 10 wins tied with Oakland for fewest in the Majors.
After Thursday, the Royals have three homestands (18 home games) remaining on their 2023 schedule.
VS. SEATTLE: After playing 119 games this season without facing the Mariners once, the Royals are playing them seven times over a 14-day span, including a 4-game series this week at Kauffman Stadium and a 3-game set in Seattle that will cap the upcoming 10-day road trip…the Royals lost the season series vs. the Mariners in 2022, 4-2, but won 2 of 3 here at Kauffman Stadium last September, including a 13-12 win in their home finale in which they overcame an 11-2 deficit to match the largest comeback win in franchise history…the Royals have now won 3 of their last 4 games vs. Seattle since last September, after losing 16 of the previous 23 since 2018.
In 57 career games vs. Seattle, Salvador Perez is batting .304 (63-for-207) with 12 HR, 37 RBI and an .886 OPS…much of that damage has come in 14 games since 2021, during which he has 6 HR and 19 RBI.
HITS DIFFERENT: Maikel Garcia had 2 hits last night to extend his career-high hit streak to 16 games, breaking a tie with David DeJesus (twice in 2004) and Mike Moustakas (2011) for the longest hit streak by a rookie in Royals history…he’s batting .344 (22-for-64) during the streak, which is the longest active run in the Majors and the longest by a Royal since Whit Merrifield’s club-record 31-game streak from Sept. 10, 2018-April 10, 2019.
GETTING OFFENSIVE: The Royals scored at least 7 runs last night for the eighth time in their last 16 games since July 28 (50.0%), after doing so just 15 times through 104 games (14.4%)…in fact, the Royals lead the American League since July 28 in several offensive categories, including runs per game (5.9), hits (168), total bases (283), batting average (.299), slugging percentage (.504) and OPS (.849)…they’re tied for the AL lead during this stretch with 25 home runs and rank 2nd with 59 extra-base hits and a .344 on-base percentage…they also lead the Majors since July 28 with 30 steals in 16 games, 10 more than the D-backs (20), the next closest team.
Bobby Witt Jr. had 4 hits last night, including his 1st career inside-the-park HR, the 1st by a Royal in four years…it was his 4th game this year with 4 hits, matching Adley Rutschman for 2nd most in the American League, 1 behind Bo Bichette (5)…Bobby has a hit in 14 of his last 15 games since July 28, a stretch in which he leads the Majors in batting average (.453), is tied with Jose Altuve for the Majors lead in hits (29), leads the American League in total bases (54), RBI (21), slugging percentage (.844) and OPS (1.337) and is tied for the American League lead in extra-base hits (12)…he also has 6 stolen bases during this 15-game stretch, tied with teammate Dairon Blanco for 2nd in the AL, 1 behind Altuve.
Michael Massey is batting .273 (21-for-77) with 6 HR and 14 RBI over his last 21 games with an .876 OPS.
Since Freddy Fermin’s average fell to .206 on June 19, he’s batting .370 (37-for-100) in 29 games (24 starts), which ranks 4th in the Majors (min. 100 at-bats) behind Cody Bellinger (.394), Willson Contreras (.393) and Altuve (.371)…he has 12 multi-hit efforts, 14 extra-base hits and 19 RBI during this stretch with a .630 slugging pct. and 1.015 OPS, while starting 23 of the team’s 48 games at catcher (47.9%).
Kyle Isbel is batting .311 (23-for-74) with a .486 slugging percentage and .802 OPS in his last 21 games.
STARTING SOMETHING: Royals starting pitchers have shown a dramatic improvement in the 2nd half, ranking in the top one-third of the Majors in WHIP (1.16, tied for 3rd), BB/9 (2.08, 4th), ERA (4.15, 7th) and opponents’ average (.245, 10th)…they ranked in the bottom third in all four of those categories before the All-Star break, including 20th in BB/9 (3.14), tied for 24th in WHIP (1.41), 25th in opponents’ average (.273) & 27th in ERA (5.41).
THE RUNNING ROYALS: In 29 games since the All-Star break, the Royals lead the Majors with 40 steals, 8 more than the Cubs (32) and 17 more than the Guardians (23) for the AL lead…the Royals are on pace for 97 steals in the 2nd half, which would fall 1 shy of the club record of 98 steals after the All-Star break, done in 1980.
After recording only 40 stolen bases in 56 games through the end of May, the Royals rank 2nd in the Major Leagues and lead the American League with 76 steals in 64 games since June 1…for the season, they rank 4th in the Majors with 116 steals, trailing Cincinnati (134), Tampa Bay (130) and Arizona (122).
Nine different Royals players have recorded at least 5 steals this season, which trails only the Reds, who have 10 players with at least 5 steals…Kansas City’s leading base stealer is Bobby Witt Jr., who ranks 4th in the Majors with 34 steals behind Ronald Acuña Jr. (55), Esteury Ruiz (46) and Corbin Carroll (36).
TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP JORDAN LYLES (3-13, 6.13)
JORDAN LYLES is making his 23rd start of the season and 237th start (344th appearance) of his career tonight vs. the Mariners…he was originally selected by Houston in the 1st round (38th overall) of the 2008 Draft out of Hartsville High School (S.C.), and signed a two-year contract with the Royals on Dec. 28, 2022.
LAST TIME OUT: Lyles suffered a 4-3 loss last Wednesday at Boston, in which he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts, while covering all 8.0 innings…he retired 9 of the first 10 batters through 3.0 frames, allowing a home run to Triston Casas in the 2nd…he yielded 3 runs in the 4th on a 2-run double by Alex Verdugo and a single from Reese McGuire, then retired 10 of the final 11 hitters.
It was his 4th career complete game, following May 9 vs. the White Sox, Sept. 21, 2022 vs. Detroit (with Baltimore) and Sept. 30, 2012 at Milwaukee (with Houston)…his 2 complete games this season are tied with Framber Valdez and Nathan Eovaldi for the American League lead, and he’s the first Royal with 2 complete games in a season since Yordano Ventura (2) in 2016.
EIGHT AND OUT: Jordan has pitched 3 games this season in which he has thrown at least 8.0 innings and received a losing decision…he is the first pitcher with 3 such
games in a season since Sandy Alcantara (3) in 2021 and the first American League pitcher since Chris Sale (3) and David Price (3) in 2016…he’s the ninth in Royals history with 3 such games in a season, and the first since James Shields (3) in 2013.
TURNING THE TIDE: Jordan began his Royals career with 15 winless starts through June 19, in which he went 0-11 with a 6.72 ERA (64 ER in 85.2 IP) and 18 home runs
allowed (1.9 HR/9) to mark the longest losing streak of his career…the skid was snapped with a win on June 24 at Tropicana Field over the Rays, and in his last 7 starts since, he’s 3-2 with a 4.87 ERA (22 ER in 40.2 IP) and 6 HR allowed (1.3 HR/9).
I GOT 5 ON IT: Lyles has completed at least 5.0 innings in 20 of his 22 starts, including each of his last 13 starts, which is the longest such streak by a Royals pitcher since Brad Keller pitched 5.0 innings in 15 consecutive starts from May 7-July 21, 2021…he is one of four AL pitchers with an active streak of at least 13 starts with 5.0 innings.
TROUBLE WITH THE LONG BALL: Lyles has allowed at least 1 home run in 15 of his 22 starts this season for a total of 24 HR in 126.1 innings, which is the 8th most in the American League, 4 behind leader Lance Lynn (28)…he’s allowed multiple home runs in 8 of his 22 starts, which is tied for the 3rd most such games in the Majors.
THE ONE BAD INNING: Lyles allowed 3 runs in the 4th inning in his last start and has allowed at least 3 runs in a single frame in 12 of his 22 starts (13 instances)… he’s been charged with 47 runs (45 ER) in those 13 frames for a 31.15 ERA, which accounts for more than half of the 86 earned runs he’s allowed this season…if you set aside those 13 frames, he owns a 3.26 ERA in his remaining 113.1 innings.
IRON MAN: The Royals are the eighth club Lyles has pitched for during his 13-year career that has included stops with Houston (2011-13), Colorado (2014-17), San Diego (2017-18), Milwaukee (2018-19), Pittsburgh (2019), Texas (2020-21), Baltimore (2022) and Kansas City (2023)…since the start of the 2021, his 485.1 innings pitched ranks 4th in the AL behind Gerrit Cole (538.1 IP), José Berríos (504.1 IP) and Framber Valdez (485.2 IP)…Lyles’ 84 starts since the start of 2021 ranks 5th among AL pitchers.
During his 13 seasons, he has only been placed on the IL five times: June 10-29, 2019 (left hamstring tightness), March 28-April 4, 2019 (right side discomfort), June 24-July 29, 2018 (right elbow inflammation), June 1-end of season, 2015 (sprained left big toe) and June 5-Aug. 6, 2014 (fractured left hand).
VS. SEATTLE: Jordan has posted a 2-5 record with a 5.98 ERA (39 ER in 58.2 IP) in 12 career appearances (10 starts) against the Mariners in his career, but has allowed 3 runs or less in 5 of those starts and has pitched at least 5.0 innings in 8 starts…in his most recent start vs. Seattle on June 2, 2022 with Baltimore, he pitched 5.0 innings and surrendered 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits in a no-decision.
