SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
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TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas defeated Boston in a rubber match on Wednesday, 15-5, as club now has a 2-1 record on this 6-G, 7-day homestand vs. BOS (2-1) and SEA (3 G)… club has 84 wins this season, most wins and 1st winning season since 2016 (95-67), and a 16-win improvement over 2022 (68)…club has won consecutive games after snapping a 4-G skid on Tuesday…streaks in last 16 G beg. 9/4: 0-4 (9/4-8), 6-0 (9/9-14), 0-4 (9/15-18), 2-0 (9/19-current)…club is 9-8 in last 17 G and 9-11 in last 20 G…club is 12-20 (.375) in last 32 G beg. 8/16, T6th-lowest win pct. in MLB over that span…the 12-20 span began with a season-long 8-G losing streak from 8/16-25, 2nd-longest for TEX since beg. of ’22 (0-9, 8/27-9/5/22)…team has dropped 21 of 35 and is 16- 22 since a season-best 8-G win streak (8/1-8), longest for club since going 10-0, 5/9-19/17…have gone 26-29 in last 55 G since a 6-G win streak (7/14-19) out of the break… team is 32-29 (.525) in the 2nd “half”, 7th-best record in the A.L… club’s 44-48 (.478) mark since 6/7 ranks T9th in A.L. and T19th in MLB…team was 12-19 over a 31-G span from 6/7-7/9 to end the 1st “half”. At 84-68 (.553), TEX is still T5th-best record in A.L., T8th in MLB…84 wins also rank T5th in A.L./T8th in MLB. The 84-68 mark is T7th-best 152-G record in Washington/ Texas franchise history (beg. 1961), best since 2016 (89-62). The Rangers have recorded 3 win streaks of 6+ games this season for the 7th time in franchise history (last: 4-2011).
STANDINGS: Texas is T2nd place in the A.L. West with SEA (also 84-68), with a 0.5-G deficit behind 1st place HOU…club has gained 2.5 G in division race during current 8-4 stretch (beg. 9/9)…seeking to get back to 1st place in the West for 1st time since 8/29 (3-way tie)…TEX was a season-high 3.0 GB for 5 straight days from 9/6-10…club was alone or tied atop the division for 148 of season’s 1st 149 days (3/30-8/26), with sole possession of 1st place for 111 consecutive days from 5/6-8/24…club held season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win on 6/23 at NYY. TEX is currently tied with SEA for the 3rd and final Wild Card spot in the A.L., 0.5 G behind 2nd place TOR and 7.5 G ahead of 5th place NYY in the A.L. Wild Card standings. TEX is seeking the 9th postseason appearance in franchise history…others: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015,
2016…7 of the prior 8 instances were A.L. West titles, w/ lone Wild Card appearance coming in 2012…club also played a one-game Wild Card tiebreaker in 2013 (lost vs. TB).
SERIES STUFF: Rangers now own a 10-5 record in rubber games in 2023 after Wed. win over BOS, including 5-1 at home…club has gone 3-3-0 in 6 series this month…prior to current 4-6-0 series span, club had a 5-0-0 stretch from 8/1- 16 that was 2nd-best streak in 2023 (6-0-0, 5/19-6/7)…team is 28-19-2 overall in series in 2023: 15-8-2 at home; 13-11-0 on the road…series win 9/8-10 vs. OAK (2-1) ended span of season-high 3 straight series losses in Arlington…team is still 7-4-0 in home series since the AS break. TEX is 25-24 in series openers this season (11-14 at GLF). AT HOME: TEX is 47-31 (.603) at home in ’23, 2nd-best in A.L. (TB-.667, 52-25) and 4th-best in MLB…best 78-G home start since 2016 (club-record 52-26)…club has won 4 of 5, but is 5-11 over last 16 G in Arlington (including a 6-G losing streak from 8/16-9/2), this after going 15-2 in 1st 17 home games after AS break…5-11 span came immediately after GLF record 9-G win streak from 7/23-8/15.
VS. SEATTLE: TEX plays SEA 7 times in a span of 10 days to close out the season (also 4 G at SEA, 9/28-10/1), needing 2 wins to secure a season series victory and ensure tiebreaker status vs. SEA in any postseason scenario…club is 5-1 in 6 G vs. SEA in ’23, winning 8 of last 11 G dating to ’22, but is still 8-12 in last 20 G vs. SEA…TEX is just 16-35 vs. SEA since 8/21/20…TEX is 23-19 vs. A.L. West opponents in ’23, while SEA is an A.L.-leading 29-13 (.690) against divisional foes.
WELCOME BACK, JUAN GONE!: The Rangers will honor former OF Juan González during ceremonies prior to tonight’s game…a two-time A.L. MVP and one of the top players in club history, González will be presented with his Rangers Hall of Fame jacket and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch… elected to the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2015, González will receive his jacket from fellow Hall of Famer Tom Grieve…former TEX pitchers Edwin Correa and José Guzmán will also be present, with Guzmán catching the first pitch…González played for TEX from 1989-99, 2002-03 and is the club’s alltime leader in HR (372), RBI (1180), and XBH (713).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The Rangers scored 15 R on 16 H on Wed. vs. BOS (most since 16 H on 8/12 at SF)… it marked Texas’ A.L.-high 68th game with 10+ H, the team’s most in any season since 2016 (71)…4 HR also matched a season best (9th time)…team scored multiple runs in 5 consecutive innings (2nd-6th) for the 1st time since 7/25/11 vs. MIN (scored 2+ R in innings 1-5)…all 9 TEX starters recorded at least 1 H and 1 R, for just the 22nd game in team history (beg. 1972), last in a 18-4 win on 9/2/18 vs. MIN Marks Rangers’ MLB-best 6th game w/ 15+ R in 2023, the
most in a season in club history (prev. 5 G in 1998). It was TEX’s MLB-leading 26th G with 10+ R this season, a new franchise record for most games with double-digit runs in a single season (prev. 25 in 2008). TEX leads the A.L. w/ 841 R scored this season, 5th-most thru 152 G in franchise history and most by club over 1st 152 G of a campaign since 2001 (849 R)…club’s 464 R scored at home this season are also 5th-most thru 78 home games in franchise history, most since 2011 (474 R).
HIT, SCORE (ON REPEAT): After launching his 35th HR of the season on Tues., Adolis García scored his 100th R of the campaign on Wed. (1st career 100 R season)…he becomes just the 12th player in franchise history to record 100+ R and 100+ RBI in a campaign (last by Josh Hamilton in 2012, 103 R/128 RBI)…García’s 102 RBI in ’23 are also a new career high (prev. 101 RBI in ’22), the 1st Ranger with back-to-back 100+ RBI seasons since Adrián Beltré in 2011-12. García and Marcus Semien (115 R) have now clinched the 10th season in franchise history in which multiple players have scored 100+ R (last ’12, Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler).
MARTY PARTY: Martín Pérez notched his 10th win of the season after tossing 4.2 relief SHO IP on Wed., as he now has 10+ wins in consecutive seasons (12 in 2022) and in 5 of 9 campaigns as a Ranger…it marked his longest scoreless outing since start on 8/24/22 at COL (6.0 SHO IP) and the 2nd-longest relief outing of his career (5.0 IP on 9/9/12 at TB w/ TEX)…it was also the longest scoreless relief appearance by a Ranger since Ariel Jurado on 8/28/19 at LAA (6.0 SHO IP)…Pérez is 1-0 with 11.0 SHO IP in his last 5 relief app.
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME: The Rangers have seen 2,425,301 fans attend a game at GLF this season, good for a 20.6% increase from 2022…it marks the club’s largest year-to-year increase in attendance since a 45.5% jump from 1995-96…TEX’s 15 sellouts this season are already 10 more than the 5 recorded in GLF’s 1st 2 years with fans at the venue (3-2022, 2-2021).
SHORTS: Jonah Heim’s career-high 90 RBI in ’23 are the 3rd-most ever by a primary catcher in franchise history behind only Iván Rodríguez in ’99 (113) and ’98 (91)…TEX catchers have combined for 118 RBI in ’23, the 2nd-highest single-season total by TEX backstops in club history (124 in ’99)…TEX has 135 HR at home in ’23, 3rd-most single-season HR in Arlington in club history (153-2005, 140-2003)… club’s 31 HR in Sept. rank T2nd in A.L. (34-HOU, 31-TEX/ MIN)…TEX is 10-10 record while wearing City Connect uniforms… Rangers Spanish radio announcer Eleno Ornelas will be presented with his 2023 Lone Star Sports Emmy tonight.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #33 Dane Dunning, RHP (10-6, 3.78)
TONIGHT: The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his 33rd appearance/24th start tonight in the series opener against the Seattle Mariners…Dunning has gone 8-6, 3.63 (53 ER/131.1 IP) over his 23 starts this season, but is 1-1, 7.03 (19 ER/24.1 IP) in his last 5 games/4 starts to raise his season ERA from 3.19 to 3.78…has struck out 59 of 221 (26.7%) batters faced in 9 G/8 GS since the beg. of August, ranking among A.L. leaders over that span in SO/9 (5th, 10.62), SO (T9th), and SO pct. (11th)…has pitched 5.0+ innings in 17 of 23 starts this season…no more than 3 ER allowed in 18 of 23 GS, as his 11 quality starts are tied for most on staff (also Eovaldi/Gray)…earned career-high 10th win (prev. 5 wins in 2021) in his start on 9/11 at TOR)…157.0 innings pitched this season are a career high (prev. 153.1 IP in 2022)… established career highs in many categories last season, ranking 2nd on the Texas staff in starts (29), innings (153.1), and strikeouts (137)…had season-ending surgery on 9/26/22 for a right hip labral repair, with the surgery performed by Dr. William Robertson in Arlington…is 19-24 with a 4.23 ERA (201 ER/428.0 IP) for the Rangers over the last 3 seasons (2021-23) since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a 3-player trade involving RHP Lance Lynn on 12/8/20…pitched 3 seasons at the University of Florida, helping the Gators to College World Series appearances in both 2015 and 2016…Texas has gone 11-12 over his 23 starts this season.
LAST START: Did not factor into the decision in his 32nd G/23rd GS of the season in his last start on Sat. at CLE (ND, 5.0 SHO IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 HB, 5 SO, 85 pitches/51 strikes), a 2-1 Rangers loss…exited with Texas leading 1-0 after shutting down several instances where CLE had multiple runners in scoring position …Dunning was in line to notch his 11th win of the season before TEX allowed 2 R to score in the 8th inning…marked his 10th start of the season where he has received one-or-no runs of support.
VS. SEATTLE: Dunning has gone 2-1, 4.02 ERA (14 ER/31.1 IP) in 6 career games/starts vs. Seattle (all w/ Texas)…his 6 starts opposite the Mariners are his T2nd-most against any ML opponent (10-LAA, 6-DET/OAK/SEA)…notched the win against Seattle in his 1st start of the season against them on 5/10 at SEA (W, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R-ER, 1 BB, 5 SO)…has lasted 4.0+ IP in all 6 career starts against the Mariners, lasting 5.0+ IP in 4 of those 6 GS. Owns a 10.05 SO/9 ratio vs. SEA (35 SO/134 BF), and has never allowed more than 3 R-ER to the Mariners.
K-MART: Has struck out 59 of 221 (26.7%) batters faced in 9 G/8 GS since the beg. of August, ranking among A.L. leaders over that span in SO/9 (5th, 10.62), SO (T9th), and SO pct. (11th)…posted the 2 highest strikeout totals of his career over his first 3 starts in Aug. (12 SO, 8/13 at SF; 11 SO, 8/2 vs. CWS), and finished among A.L. qualifiers last month in SO (2nd, 43) and SO/9 (5th, 11.50). 43 SO in Aug. were his most ever in a single month (prev. 30 SO in May 2022).
AT HOME / GLOBE LIFE FIELD: Dunning is 6-2, 4.27 ERA (34 ER/71.2 IP) in 14 G/9 GS at Globe Life Field this season…took his 1st loss at GLF this season on 7/22 vs. LAD (L, 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R-ER, 2 BB, 2 HR, 1 SO)…started the season undefeated (5-0) with a 2.84 ERA (16 ER/50.2 IP) in 10 G/6 GS in Arlington this season…Texas has gone 9-5 in his appearances here, and he has earned wins 5 of his last 9 starts at home…throughout his career, has seen far better results in his outings at home (16-7, 3.66 ERA in 48 G/42 GS) than on the road (5-17, 4.83 ERA in 47 G/42 GS). Dunning is the facility’s all-time leader (including 2020 postseason) in wins (15), starts (38), innings (226.1), and strikeouts (206).
AS A STARTER: Has gone 8-6, 3.63 (53 ER/131.1 IP) over his 23 starts this season…has logged at least 7.0 IP in 5 of his last 15 starts, and has pitched 5.0+ innings in 20 of 23 starts this season…no more than 3 ER allowed in 19 of 23 GS, is his career-high 11 quality starts (prev. 10 QS in 2022) are tied for most on club (also Eovaldi/Gray)…has exited 12 of 23 starts with the Rangers holding a lead, and TEX is 11-12 when he makes a start…has registered a higher SO/9 figure as a starter (7.68) than as a reliever (5.26) this season…opponents are batting .260/.326/.402/.729 (129-497) off Dunning as a starter vs. .237/.299/.402/.701 (23-97) in his relief outings…made 8 straight relief app. to open the year, but a majority of Dunning’s Major League appearances (84 of 95) have come as a starter…he owns a lifetime 19-24 record and 4.20 ERA (202 ER/433.1 IP) in those 84 career starts. Dunning’s 77 starts for TEX last 3 seasons (beg. 2021) are easily the most among Rangers in that span (2nd is 52 GS, Martín Pérez).
2023: Opponents have batted .256/.322/.402/.724 (152-594), incl. splits of .276 BA/.799 OPS vs. LHB and .238 BA/.658 OPS vs. RHB…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.258), 2nd (.243), 3rd (.262), 4th (.500, 3-6)…25.2 relief innings rank 10th for TEX…allowed no BB w/ career-high 12 SO on 8/13 at SF, becoming the 8th pitcher (11th instance) in WSH/TEX franchise history to post 12+ SO/0 BB in a game (also Jon Gray, 6/7/23 vs. STL)…logged career-high 8.2 IP in start on 6/28 vs. DET (W, 8.2 IP, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 10 SO)…Dunning (W, 4.1 SHO IP) joined Jacob deGrom (4.0 SHO IP) 4/17 at KC as just 2nd Rangers duo in the last 40 years (beg. 1984) to each have at least 4.0 SHO IP in same game.
