TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
NEXT MAN UP — The Rays ran their season-opening win streak to 13 games with a 9-3 victory over Boston on Thursday afternoon at Tropicana Field…Yandy Díaz (1-for-4, HR, RBI, R) launched his fifth career lead-off homer and Brandon Lowe (2-for-4, HR, 2RBI, 2R) homered for his fifth consecutive start…Harold Ramírez (3-for-4, 2 2B, 3RBI, 2R) delivered a bases-clearing double to cap off the Rays’ seven-run outburst in the fifth inning.
Rays starter LHP Jeffrey Springs (3.0IP, H, ER, 5SO) was removed from the game in the fourth inning with left arm ulnar neuritis…in his major league debut, RHP Braden Bristo (3.0IP, BB, 4SO) picked up the save after holding the Red Sox hitless over the final three frames…became the third Ray to debut this season, tied with Milwaukee for most in the majors (also RHP Kevin Kelly on 4/1 vs. DET & RHP Taj Bradley on 4/12 vs. BOS).
The Rays have won 13 consecutive home games over the Red Sox since 4/23/22, the longest home win streak over a single opponent in club history.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS — Prior to tonight’s game, the Rays announced RHP Yonny Chirinos has been recalled from Triple-A Durham while RHP Braden Bristo was optioned to Durham…Chirinos, 29, has appeared in 49 games (29 starts) with Tampa Bay from 2018-22, going 15-10 with a 3.54 ERA and 58 walks against 205 strikeouts. LUCKY NUMBER 13—The Rays are the fourth team in MLB history to begin a season 13-0, joining the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers (13-0), 1982 Atlanta Braves (13-0) and 1884 St. Louis Maroons (20-0)…with a victory tonight, Tampa Bay will set the Modern Era record (since 1901) for most consecutive wins to open a season.
The Rays’ 13-game win streak is their longest in club history, surpassing a 12- game run from 6/9-22, 2004…the last MLB team to win 13 straight at any point in the season was Seattle from 7/2-17, 2022 (14G).
Tampa Bay’s 10-game win streak at Tropicana Field is tied for the fifth-longest home win streak to open a season by any team since at least 1901, the longest since New York-AL in 2020 (also 10G)…marks the Rays’ longest overall home win streak since a club-record 12-game streak at Tropicana Field from 8/9-9/10, 2018.
The Rays’ three-game road win streak is their longest to begin a season since a seven-game road streak to kick off the 2010 season.
BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL — The Rays lead MLB in both runs scored (101) and fewest runs allowed (30)…the last team to score 100+ runs and allow 30-or-fewer runs over a 13-game span at any point in a single season was the 1931 New York Yankees (105-29; 9/15-27, 1931).
Tampa Bay’s +71 run differential is third-best in MLB history through 13 games of a season, behind the 1884 St. Louis Maroons (+115) and 1884 New York Gothams (+73)…the Maroons and Gothams held +117 and +82 run differentials, respectively, through 14 games.
Tampa Bay’s 101 runs scored are its most through 13 games in club history, ahead of the 2006 Rays (73R)…since 1902, only four teams have plated more runs through 13 games: the 1932 New York Yankees, (109R), 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (106R), 1997 Colorado Rockies (105R) and 2019 Seattle Mariners (104R).
The Rays’ 30 runs allowed are second-fewest through 13 games in club history, behind the 2019 team (26R)…the last MLB club to yield 30-or-fewer runs through its first 13 games was Cleveland in 2020 (also 30R).
BOMBS AWAY — Tampa Bay has hit 32 home runs, third most through a team’s first 13 games of a season in MLB history behind the 2019 Seattle Mariners and 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (33HR each)…the Rays would need two homers tonight to match the record for most homers through 14 games (34), also set by the 2019 Mariners and 2000 Cardinals.
Tampa Bay has homered in each of its first 13 games, tied for the third-longest streak to open a season in MLB history…only Seattle (20G in 2019) and Cleveland (14G in 2002) have longer such streaks.
The Rays have hit more home runs (32) than their total number of runs allowed (30)…Tampa Bay leads the majors in homers, ahead of Los Angeles-NL (24HR), while boasting the lowest team strikeout rate (19.0%) in the AL, trailing only Washington (17.8%) and Arizona (18.7%) across all of MLB.
PITCHING PROWESS — Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has produced an MLB-leading 2.23 ERA, including the best starter ERA (2.15) and third-best bullpen ERA (2.34) behind Milwaukee (1.65) and New York-AL (2.24)…Rays pitchers rank among MLB leaders in opponents’ average (1st, .189), opponents’ OPS (1st, .528), WHIP (2nd, 0.94), lowest walk rate (3rd, 6.8%) and highest strikeout rate (3rd, 26.8%).
Tampa Bay has allowed just six home runs across 117.0 innings, good for an MLB-best 0.46 HR/9.0IP…marks the fewest homers allowed through 13 games in franchise history, ahead of the 2019 Rays (9HR).
NORTH OF THE BORDER — The Rays and Blue Jays kick off a 13-game season series this evening in Toronto…Tampa Bay went 10-9 against Toronto in 2022, outscoring the Blue Jays, 82-73 (+9)…the clubs split their 10 meetings at Rogers Centre last season despite the Rays posting a +7 (47-40) run differential in those games.
The Rays have dropped two straight to the Blue Jays (9/24-25, 2022)…Tampa Bay is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak to Toronto since 9/28/19- 7/24/20…that streak marks the only time since the beginning of 2018 the Rays have lost three consecutive games to the Blue Jays.
SCORELESS SAVANT — Tonight’s Rays starter, RHP Drew Rasmussen, has opened the season on a 13.0 scoreless inning streak, the fourth-longest streak to open a season by a starting pitcher in club history, behind only Mark Hendrickson (14.0IP in 2006), rotation-mate Jeffrey Springs (13.2IP this season) and Matt Moore (13.1IP in 2013)… overall, Rasmussen’s streak is 10th longest by any Rays pitcher to open a season.
Dating back to last season, Rasmussen has strung together a 16.2 scoreless inning streak, the third-longest active streak in the majors…Rays closer RHP Pete Fairbanks (26.0IP) owns the longest active run.
SPREADING THE WEALTH — The Rays have an MLB-leading 10 players with multiple homers: Brandon Lowe (5HR), Yandy Díaz (4HR), Wander Franco (4HR), Randy Arozarena (3HR), Isaac Paredes (3HR), Luke Raley (3HR), Harold Ramírez (3HR), Josh Lowe (2HR), Manuel Margot (2HR) and Jose Siri (2HR)…the next closest team is San Francisco (8 players).
Tampa Bay also has an MLB-best seven players with 3+ HR…the next closest team is Los Angeles-NL (5 players)…the Rays have four players with 10+ RBI, including Randy Arozarena (16RBI), Wander Franco (12RBI), Brandon Lowe (12RBI) and Isaac Paredes (10RBI)…Los Angeles-NL is the only other team in the majors that has four players with 10+ RBI.
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP DREW RASMUSSEN (2-0, 0.00)
RAS EFFECT — Pitching in his sixth big-league season, Rasmussen is coming off a career year in his first season as a regular member of the Rays rotation…went 11-7 with a 2.84 ERA (146.0IP, 46ER) over 28 starts, holding opponents to a .222 average (121-for-545)…was originally acquired by the Rays along with RHP J.P. Feyereisen on 5/21/21 in exchange for SS Willy Adames and RHP Trevor Richards.
CUT AND DRY — After adding his cutter to his arsenal during the 2021 offseason, Rasmussen utilized the offering 32.8 pct. of the time in 2022, the ninth-highest rate in MLB (min. 1,500 total pitches)…per Baseball Savant, the pitch produced a 30.0 pct. whiff rate, second-best in the majors on any pitcher’s cutter behind HOU Luis Garcia (42.8%) (min. 700 cutters thrown).
Has thrown his cutter 35.0 pct. of the time through two starts this season, inducing a 43.3 pct. whiff rate.
OFF AND RUNNING — Rasmussen improved to 2-0 after throwing 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with no walks and eight strikeouts on 4/9 vs. Oakland…the eight strikeouts were his most since striking out a career-best 10 batters on 9/9/22 at New York-AL.
Marked his fourth consecutive quality start dating back to 9/24/22, the longest such streak of his career (prev. 2GS, 8/31-9/9, 2022).
ANYTHING DREW CAN DO—Rasmussen’s 13.0 scoreless inning streak is the fourth longest by a Rays starting pitcher to open a season in club history, trailing only Mark Hendrickson (14.0IP, 2006), Jeffrey Springs (13.2IP, 2023) and Matt Moore (13.1IP, 2013)…Rasmussen’s streak is also the 10th longest by any pitcher to begin a season in Rays history (Elias).
Name Dates IP
Mark Hendrickson 4/6-27, 2006 14.0
Jeffrey Springs 4/2-14, 2023 13.2
Matt Moore 4/5-17, 2013 13.1
Drew Rasmussen 4/3-current 13.0
Collin McHugh 5/6-9/30, 2021 12.0
O CANADA — In eight career appearances (7 starts) vs. the Blue Jays, Rasmussen is 1-3 with a 2.33 ERA (38.2IP, 10ER)…in his last start vs. Toronto on 9/24/22 at Tropicana Field, he took the loss after allowing a run on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 6.1 innings…he last pitched at Rogers Centre on 9/14/22 and took the loss after throwing 4.0 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout.
KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER — In 22 career appearances (16 starts) vs. AL East opponents, Rasmussen is 5-3 with a 2.20 ERA (94IP, 23ER)…last season, he held AL East foes to three earned runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts, while allowing two earned runs or fewer in eight of those 10 outings.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays managed eight hits but only a lone run as they dropped the finale of their three-game series with the Tigers by a score of 3-1 last night…Lost for the 1st time this season when outhitting an opponent (now 7-1). Toronto had its three-game winning streak ended… Has still won seven of its last nine games.
0 to 500, REAL QUICK: Bo Bichette recorded singles in the 1st and 5th innings last night…Finished 2-for-4 for his 6th multi-hit effort (T-4th in the AL)…Has hits in 11 of the 13 games so far, going 20-for-59 (.339) with two doubles, four homers, nine RBI, and 10 runs scored…The 20 hits are tied for 3rd most in the AL while his 34 total bases are tied for 5th and his .339 AVG ranks 11th. The 25-year old now has 498 career hits in 406 games played…With his next two knocks, will become the fastest player in team history to reach the 500-hit
plateau.
GETTING ON WITH IT: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in Toronto’s lone run last night with an RBI single in the 3rd…Also walked for a 1-for-3 evening…Has reached base safely in all but one game this season, now 21-for-51 with a double, two homers, seven RBI, and a 7BB/3K ratio for a .412 AVG (2nd in the AL), a .492 OBP (2nd) and a 1.041 OPS (8th)…The 21 hits are 2nd most among AL batters…His 30 times on base are the most in the among all MLB batters. The 24-year-old has now recorded 28 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this year, the most in MLB (2nd: Randy Arozarena – 26)…Recorded 265 hard-hit balls over the course of last season, the most in the Majors (2nd: José Abreu – 256).
A CHAPPY FEELING: Matt Chapman did not play last night but was 2-for-3 with a walk on Wednesday…Marked his AL-leading 8th multi-hit game of the season…Extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the 3rd-longest streak of his career (16G in 2021; 14G in 2018)…Has gone 20-for-39 (.513) with 11 extra-base hits and 14 RBI over that stretch (1.507 OPS). The reigning AL Player of the Week is now batting .489 (23-for-47) with eight doubles, three home runs, five walks, and 15 RBI for a 1.390 OPS…His .851 SLG, his 1.390 OPS, and his 40 total bases are all the
best in the Majors…Is still currently tied with Luis Arraez for the MLB lead in hits, is tied with Nick Castellanos for the most doubles, and is tied with Wander Franco for the most extra-base hits (11)… Ranks 1st in the AL in both AVG (.489) and OBP (.538) while 4th in RBI (15)…Also has an average exit velocity of 98.8 MPH, the highest in MLB (2nd: J.D. Martinez – 97.9).
HOME SWEET DOME: The Blue Jays are playing their 1st homestand of the 2023 campaign…Have the fewest home games played among the 30 MLB clubs…Their .580 win% (47-34) at home last season ranked 4th in the AL…After a 2-1 series with the Tigers, are playing the Rays for three dates this weekend. Toronto batters finished 2nd in the AL in 2022 in home AVG (.261), 4th in home OBP (.326), 4th in home SLG (.434), and 4th in home OPS (.760)…The pitching staff posted a 4.04 ERA during home contests (10th in the AL) with a .248 opponents’ AVG (11th) and a 1.23 WHIP (8th).
SEEING FAMILIAR FACES: Toronto is playing its first divisional games of the 2023 season…Is the furthest the club has gone into a campaign without an AL East opponent since 2009, when they met the Orioles for Game 25 on May 1. The Jays have won 20 of their last 30 games vs. AL East foes…Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division (NYY – .618) and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006 (43-31).
HITTING IT: The Blue Jays are 2nd in the Majors with a team batting average of .284 (1st: TB – .287)…Have also notched an MLB-high 133 hits (2nd: PHI – 127)… Currently rank 2nd in the AL in OBP (.342) and while sitting 3rd in OPS (.770) and 4th in SLG (.427)…Have had 177 runners on base (2nd in the AL to TB – 180)… Are now on a streak of 28 games with 8+ runners on base, the longest of all MLB clubs (courtesy
Stats Perform).
THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 13 Defensive Runs Saved to lead all AL teams (2nd in MLB: MIL – 18)…The group is led by four runs saved in center field (tied for 1st in MLB) and three at second base (1st in MLB).
RECORD-BREAKING ROOF ROLLBACK: The Rogers Centre roof was open for the 1st time of 2023 Wednesday night…Was the earliest date to be open in the history of the building (since 1989), surpassing the previous mark of April 16, set in 2002
VS. THE RAYS: All-Time: 200-238
2022: 9-10 Home: 113-105
Home: 5-5 Rogers Centre: 110-98
The Blue Jays went 9-10 vs. the Rays last season, splitting the 10 games here at Rogers Centre…Last won a season series in 2017 (10-9)…Their .384 (33-53) win percentage vs. TB since 2018 is their lowest vs. any AL opponent. Whit Merrifield went 12-for-32 (.375) with five doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI in his 10 games vs. Tampa Bay last season (1.206 OPS)…In 39 career meetings, is hitting .324 (48-for-148) with 12 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, and 25 RBI (.974 OPS). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has reached base safely in each of his last 15 games against the Rays, going 17-for63 (.270) with five doubles, two homers, 11 RBI, and two walks…Is the 2nd-longest active streak vs. TB (Time Anderson – 17G)…Has hit .257 (62-for-241) with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, and 35 RBI across 61 games against them (.797). Kevin Kiermaier is facing his former club for the 1st time…Was drafted by the Rays in 2010 and played 10 seasons there, winning three Gold Glove Awards and one Platinum Glove Award…Batted .248 with 273 extra-base hits and 316 RBI over 914 games.
STARTING PITCHER – José Berríos, RHP #17
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 3rd start of the season…Lost his last start on 4/8 at LAA, surrendering 6R/4ER over 4.0+ frames with 6 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts (71 pitches – 43 strikes). Has made 142 starts since the beginning of 2018, tied for the 3rd most among MLB hurlers (Aaron Nola – 146, Gerrit Cole – 143).
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Took the loss in his season debut on 4/3 at KC, giving up 8 runs on 9 hits and a pair of walks over 5.2 innings with 7 strikeouts (89 pitches – 56 strikes).
2022 HIGHLIGHTS:
Equaled his 2021 totals with 32 starts, 12 wins, and 17 quality starts. Earned his 4th win on 6/4 vs. MIN, tossing 7.0 innings of two-run ball with the only damage coming off a two-run homer from the 3rd batter of the game…Gave up just 3 hits on the day with a pair of walks and a career-high 13 strikeouts (12K on 4/3/21 at MIL; 12K on 6/24/18 vs. TEX)…The 13 punchouts were the most by a Blue Jay hurler since Robbie Ray’s 13 K’s on 9/15/21 vs. TB. Picked up his 7th win of the year on 7/12 vs. PHI…Surrendered 3 runs on 6 hits over 6.0 innings with no walks and a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts (13K on 6/4/22 vs. MIN)…Became the 3rd pitcher in franchise history to strike out at least 13 batters without walking any, joining Roger Clemens (4x) and Robbie Ray (2x)…Induced a season-high 20 swing-and-misses, one off his career high set on 6/17/19 vs. BOS. Earned the win on 7/31 vs. DET, throwing 7.0 innings of one-run ball while scattering 3 hits and a walk with 6 punchouts on 80 pitches (56 strikes)… In 6 July starts, went 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA (12 ER/36.0 IP), 7 walks, and 42 strikeouts. The Jays won each of his 13 home starts from 9/19/21-7/31/22, passing Roy Halladay (12G from 5/31/07-4/6/08) for the longest streak in franchise history. Gave up 2R/1ER over 6.1 frames on 9/12 vs. TB with 6 hits, a walk, and 4 strikeouts…Reached 1,000 career innings after striking out Taylor Walls to end the 2nd inning…Became the 6th Puerto Rico-born pitcher to reach the milestone before the age of 29. On 9/27 vs. NYY, fanned Aaron Hicks in the 4th inning for his 1,000th career punchout…Became the 5th Puerto Rican-born player to reach 1,000 strikeouts and the fastest to reach the milestone, doing so in 179 games (2nd: Javier Vázquez – 182 games).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) by the Twins in 2012. Pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, going 1-0, 8.10 ERA (6.2 IP, 6 ER) with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Named to 2018 and 2019 AL All-Star teams, pitching 1.0 inning in both games. Acquired by Toronto from Minnesota on 7/30/21 in exchange for INF Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods Richardson. In 2021, set a career high with 204 strikeouts, good for 5th in the AL…His 3.52 ERA was 5th best in the AL while his 192.0 innings pitched ranked 2nd.
VS. THE RAYS:
Facing the Rays for the 9th time in his career…Has met Tampa Bay at Rogers Centre 3 times, posting a 1.96 ERA (4 ER/18.1 IP) while surrendering no more than 2 runs in any contest…Pitched at least 5.0 innings in 8 of his 9 career starts vs. TB.
