TAMPA BAY NOTES:
SUDDEN CHANGE — After trailing 4-0 after three innings, Tampa Bay stormed back to score 15 unanswered runs, including an eight-run eighth inning, taking last night’s series opener at Seattle, 15-4…LHP Shane McClanahan threw 3.0 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks with one strikeout, but was picked up by his bullpen, which saw scoreless appearances from RHP Shawn Armstrong (2.0IP, 1H, 1BB, 2SO), LHP Jake Diekman (0.2IP, 0H, 1BB, 1SO), RHP Kevin Kelly (1.1IP, 0H), RHP Jason Adam (1.0IP, 0H, 1SO) and LHP Colin Poche (1.0IP, 0H, 2BB, 1SO).
All nine Tampa Bay starters, and PH Vidal Bruján (0-for-1, RBI), recorded at least one RBI…it marked the second time in franchise history the Rays had 10 players record at least one RBI in a single game (also 7/14/18 at MIN).
According to OptaSTATS, Tampa Bay is the only MLB team in the modern era to be shut out by 4+ runs through the first three innings of a game, then shut out its opponent by 15+ runs the rest of the way.
The Rays recorded nine extra-base hits, their most since having nine on 4/12/22 vs. Oakland and their most on the road since tallying 11 XBH on 9/7/21 at Boston.
It marked the second time this season the Rays scored 8+ runs in an inning (also, 10R, 4/29 at CWS, 7th inn.).
Tampa Bay scored a season-best 15 runs on the road, surpassing its 14-run effort on 4/27 at Chicago-AL…it was the 16th time in franchise history they Rays scored 15+ runs on the road and the first time since scoring 17 runs on 8/13/20 at Boston.
LOWES HOME IMPROVEMENT — DH Josh Lowe went 3-for-5 with one double, one home run, 2 RBI and two runs in last night’s win…his three hits matched a career high (4x, last 6/23 vs. KC)…he has multiple RBI in a career-best three straight games and has driven in a run in a career-high-tying four consecutive games overall (also, 4/16-21, 2023)…he is batting .343 (12-for-35) with four doubles, one HR and 8 RBI over his last eight games since 6/18 following a six-game stretch from 6/11-16 when he went 1-for-16 (.063).
MORE ACCOLADES — SS Wander Franco (2-for-6, 2B, 3B, 2RBI, 2R, SB) tripled for the second time in as many days, accomplishing the feat for the second time in his career (also 7/30-31, 2021)…following last night’s performance, he became the first player in the majors this season to record a triple and 2+ RBI in consecutive games…C Christian Bethancourt (3-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2R) matched a career high in hits (12x, last 5/26/23 vs. LAD) and doubles (6x, last 5/26/23 vs. LAD).
HOMER HAPPY — Tampa Bay has six players with 12+ HR, including Jose Siri (16HR), Randy Arozarena (15HR), Isaac Paredes (13HR), Luke Raley (13HR),Yandy Díaz (12HR) and Josh Lowe (12)…the Rays are one of two teams to have six or more players with 12+ HR, joining Atlanta (7)…last season, Tampa Bay had two players with 12+ HR (Randy Arozarena – 20HR and Isaac Paredes – 20 HR).
MARINER MASHERS — In 15 career games against the Mariners, Randy Arozarena is batting .321 (18-for-56) with two doubles, one triple, 4 HR and 11 RBI…this includes a career-high-tying four-hit performance at Seattle on 5/6/22.
Manuel Margot has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games against the Mariners dating back to 6/18/21, batting .342 (13-for-38) with 4 HR and 10 RBI during that stretch.
Harold Ramírez has hit safely in nine straight games vs. Seattle dating back to 6/11/21, batting .353 (12-for-34) with 4 RBI during the run.
NO JUNE SWOON — Luke Raley finished the month of June slashing .348/.403/.636 (23- for-66) with six doubles, two triples, 3 HR, 10 RBI and 19 runs across 19 games…min. 65 AB, his 1.039 OPS ranked fourth among AL batters during June behind LAA Shohei Ohtani (1.444), TEX Corey Seager (1.083) and CWS Luis Robert Jr. (1.040).
Tampa Bay concluded June with the most home runs (128) and stolen bases (102) in the AL…they became 10th team all-time to lead the AL in both categories at the end of June, including the first since the 2015 Houston Astros (Elias).
WHEN IT MATTERS MOST — The Rays are batting .293 with runners in scoring position, the second-highest mark in the majors behind the Rangers (.307)…Tampa Bay’s .288 AVG with RISP/2 outs also ranks second in majors behind Texas (.293).
Jose Siri is batting .375 (15-for-40) with 5 HR and 26 RBI with runners in scoring position this year, the eighth-highest AVG in the AL (min. 40AB)…this includes 7-for-19 (.368) with 3 HR and 12 RBI with RISP/2 outs.
Harold Ramírez is batting .500 (9-for-18) with 12 RBI with RISP since 6/3, while Randy Arozarena is batting .421 (8-for-19) with 10 RBI with runners in scoring position since 6/16.
HITTING THE ROAD — Tampa Bay hitters rank among AL clubs on the road in XBH (1st, 142), SLG (1st, .449), HR per game (1st, 1.46), HR (2nd, 60), OBP (2nd, .332), OPS (2nd, .781), AVG (T2nd, .263) and total bases (3rd, 646).
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS — Tampa Bay is an MLB-best 36-12 (.750) this season against opponents who are below .500, ahead of Atlanta (31-12, .721) and Texas (29-12, .707)… tonight’s opponent, the Seattle Mariners (38-42), are 13-27 (.330) against clubs who are .500 or better.
RAIN OR SHINE — The Rays and Mariners meet for game two of a three-game set tonight in Seattle…Tampa Bay went 5-2 against Seattle last season, including a 3-1 record at T-Mobile Park.
The Rays have taken seven of nine from Seattle overall dating back to 8/4/21…this stretch was preceded by Seattle’s six-game winning streak over Tampa Bay from 6/17-8/3, 2021…following a nine-game losing streak in Seattle from 5/9/16-6/3-18, the Rays are 7-5 in their last 12 road games at the Mariners since 8/9/19.
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP TYLER GLASNOW (2-1, 4.45)
TODAY’S START — The right-hander gets the ball this afternoon for his seventh start of 2023, including his third on the road…since his season debut on 5/27, he ranks among AL leaders (min. 30.0IP) in whiff rate (1st, 38.3%), strikeout rate (2nd, 35.2%) and strikeouts (5th, 42)…the Rays have won each of his first two road starts and are 4-2 overall in his starts.
LAST TIME OUT — Fanned a season-high 12 of the 19 batters he faced in Tampa Bay’s 3-1 win over Kansas City on 6/25 at Tropicana Field… marked his 11th career 10+ strikeout game and first this season (last: 11SO on 6/8/21 vs. WSH)…he collected a season-high 26 whiffs in the outing, third most in any game of his career (most: 27, 2x, last: 6/8/21 vs. WSH)…it tied the second-most whiffs by any pitcher through the first five innings of a game in the Pitch Tracking Era (since 2008), trailing only Shane McClanahan earlier this season (28 on 4/22/23 vs. CWS).
ANCHORS AWAY — Glasnow will be making his first career start against the Mariners, marking the 28th of the 30 major league clubs he has pitched against…he has also not faced either of the two clubs he has pitched for in his career, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
He has earned the win in each of his previous two starts against AL West opponents this season, turning in a 3.18 ERA (11.1IP, 4ER) in those outings (6/9 vs. TEX; 6/14 at OAK).
For his career, Glasnow is 7-1 with a 1.98 ERA (54.2IP, 12ER) in 10 starts opposite the AL West, his second-lowest mark against any division, behind the AL Central (1.89)…has produced a 1.01 WHIP in those games while holding opposing hitters to a .171 average (32-for-187).
Among active starters (min. 10GS), only LAD Clayton Kershaw (1.88) has a lower career ERA against the AL West.
LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT — He is holding right-handed batters to a .173 (9-for-52) average, allowing just two extra-base hits (2 2B) and a .212 SLG…lefties have seen greater success against Glasnow through his first six starts, posting a .274 (17-for-62) average with 11 XBH (5HR) and a .629 SLG.
Since 5/27, his .173 AVG against right-handed hitters is sixth lowest in the AL (min. 50AB), trailing SEA Luis Castillo (.119), BOS James Paxton (.133), SEA Bryan Woo (.143), CWS Dylan Cease (.159) and KC Jordan Lyles (.159)…in the same timeframe, his .691 SLG vs. lefthanded batters is third highest in the AL (min. 60AB) behind TOR Chris Bassitt (.700) and CWS Lance Lynn (.688).
For his career, Glasnow has been effective facing batters on both sides of the plate, holding righties to a .221 average compared to a nearly identical .219 vs. lefties.
ON THE CLOCK — Despite not making his season debut until 5/27, Glasnow’s six pitch timer violations are tied for third most in the majors, trailing only PHI Craig Kimbrel (10) and TOR Chris Bassitt (8)…has committed at least one violation in each of his last five outings, including two on 6/9 vs. Texas.
WHIFF AND ONLY WHIFF — Glasnow’s 34.1 pct. whiff rate ranks third in the majors since his season debut on 5/27 (min. 200 pitches swung at), behind SD Blake Snell (40.7%) and ATL Spencer Strider (39.5%)…his 30.3 pct. strikeout rate in that span ranks second in the AL/fourth in the majors (min. 100BF), trailing Snell (44.1%), CWS Dylan Cease (37.3%) and MIA Braxton Garrett (36.3%).
Opposing hitters have missed on 50.0 pct. of their cuts against his curveball, tied for the third-highest whiff rate on any MLB pitcher’s curve (min. 40 pitches swung at) behind Snell (70.7%) and AZ Zac Gallen (50.7%).
SLOW STARTS — Ten of the 15 runs Glasnow has allowed have come in the first two innings…he has recorded a 7.50 ERA (12.0IP, 10ER) and allowed a .933 opp. OPS in innings 1-2 compared to a 2.45 ERA (18.1IP, 5ER) and .627 opp. OPS in all other frames.
ROLLIN’ AS A RAY — Since making his Rays debut on 8/1/18, Glasnow is 19-10 with a 3.18 ERA (298.2IP, 106ER) and 409 strikeouts in 56 starts…since being acquired by the Rays, he ranks among AL pitchers (min. 250.0 IP) in SO rate (2nd, 34.5%), WHIP (3rd, 0.99), opp. avg. (4th, .194) and ERA (10th)… has an 8.3 pct. walk rate since the trade compared to a 10.3 pct. rate with Pittsburgh.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TODAY’S TILT…the Mariners continue the 6-game homestand with the second of 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1)…Seattle is coming off 3 games against the Washington Nationals (1-2)…following the homestand, the Mariners will embark on their final road trip before the All-Star break to San Francisco (3 G, 7/3-5) and Houston (4 G, 7/6-9)…today’s game will be televised live on FOX with Aaron Goldsmith and Tom Verducci on the call..the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners. com with Dave Sims and Rick Rizzs.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped last night’s series opener to the Rays 15-4…Seattle is 29-16 when scoring at least 4 runs and 9-26 when scoring 3-or-fewer…the Mariners are 22-20 at T-Mobile Park and 16-22 on the road this season…they are 10-18 in day games and 28-24 at night.
- Programming Note – The Mariners television broadcast will return to ROOT Sports on Sunday.
- All-Star Rosters – The 2023 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled in their entirety on Sunday at 2:30 pm PT on the “2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Selection Show” on ESPN.
- How They’ve Fared – The Mariners (38-42) are 25-15 (.625) against below-.500 teams, and 13-27 (.325) against teams .500-or-better this season.
- When the Calendar Turns – The Mariners are 32-17 in July since 2021, including going 18-7 in July last season.
- July Crushers – AJ Pollock (.885 OPS), Julio Rodríguez (.884) and Teoscar Hernández (.871) all have a career OPS above .800 in July.
- J.P. On Base – J.P. Crawford has reached base safely 3+ times in a game 56 times since 2021, tied for the 4th-most among shortstops during that span.
TEO’S TERRIFIC JUNE…Teoscar Hernández capped off an excellent June, going 1-for-2 with 1 double and 2 walks in last night’s game…overall in June, he batted .303 (27×89) with 15 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 18 RBI and 11 walks in 24 June games, getting on base at a .376 clip, slugging .573 with a .949 OPS…also, over his last 42 games (5/13-c), he is batting .287 (45×157) with 20 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 29 RBI, 14 walks and 3 stolen bases, getting on base at a .341 clip, slugging .503 with an .844 OPS.
THE MURPH…Tom Murphy continued his hot hitting, going 1-for-2 with 1 home run, 1 walk and 2 RBI in last night’s game…Murphy has been excellent at the plate for most of the season after a slow 8-game start (.077/2×26)…in his last 20 games since then (4/27-c), Murphy is batting .344 (21×61) with 9 runs, 8 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 RBI and 6 walks, getting on base at a .397 clip, slugging .672 with a 1.069 OPS… during that stretch, Murphy leads MLB catchers (min. 50 PA) in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, and wRC+, while ranking 2nd in on base percentage, trailing only Will Smith-LAD (.401).
IT STARTS WITH STARTING PITCHING…the Mariners starting rotation is 6-4 with a 2.84 ERA (29 ER, 92.0 IP) with 29 walks and 89 strikeouts over the team’s last 16 games (6/12-c)…the 2.84 starters ERA leads the American League, ranking 2nd in the Majors during that span trailing only Philadelphia (2.52)… the Mariners have put together 7 quality starts in that span, with their starters allowing 3-or-fewer runs in 15-of-16 games and 2-or-fewer in 10 of the 15.
KIRBY’S ADVENTURE…George Kirby has had an excellent sophomore campaign, going 5-6 with a 3.26 ERA (34 ER, 94.0 IP), 79 strikeouts, 1.074 WHIP and 11.29 SO/BB this season…his 11.29 SO/BB leads the Majors, and is on pace to be one of the best marks since 1900, with his current SO/BB ratio trailing only Phil Hughes-MIN (11.63 SO/BB) in 2014…Kirby has also had 12 quality starts this season, tied for the 3rd-most in the Majors, trailing only Marcus Stroman-CHC (14) and Kevin Gausman-TOR (13).
STINGING THE RAYS…Tom Murphy, Teoscar Hernández, Ty France and J.P. Crawford all have been good in their careers against Tampa Bay…Murphy has a 1.018 OPS with 4 home runs in 12 games against Tampa Bay…Hernández has a .345 on base and a .558 slugging percentage (.903 OPS) with 15 doubles, 21 home runs and 45 RBI in 81 career games against the Rays…France is batting .293 (17×58) with a .816 OPS while Crawford has a .869 OPS with 5 doubles and 3 home runs against Tampa.
THE MIGHTY TY….over his last 33 games (5/22-c), Ty France is batting .291 (39×134) with 25 runs, 8 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 RBI, 6 walks and 6 hit-by-pitches, getting on base at a .349 clip, slugging .463 with an .812 OPS…overall this season, France leads the Majors with 13 hit-by-pitches and with his next HBP, he would break a tie for 2nd-most in franchise history with Kyle Seager (63 HBP), trailing only Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez (89).
GENO’S HEATING UP…Eugenio Suárez is batting .281 (18×64) with 9 runs, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, 12 RBI and 6 walks over his last 18 games (6/10-c), getting on base at a .333 clip and slugging .469 with an .802 OPS during that span…Geno has also been one of the most reliable defensive third basemen in the league this season, tallying 5 Outs Above Average according to Baseball Savant, which ranks 3rd-best, while his .979 fielding percentage ranks 2nd among AL third basemen.
HOME SWEET HOMESTAND…the Mariners wrap up the current homestand with Patriotic “Cal-Boy” Hat Day today and Stars & Stripes Fanny Pack Day on Sunday…for more information about upcoming special events, or to buy tickets to any upcoming Mariners games, fans can visit Mariners.com/Promotions or Mariners.com/Tickets.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…Teoscar Hernández had a huge June, belting 6 home runs while batting .303 (27×89) with a .949 OPS, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that Teo ranked among the American League Leaders during June in several major categories, including home runs (T7th), RBI, (T7th, 18), slugging percentage (12th, .573), OPS (11th), wRC+ (12th, 163), and fWAR (T9th, 1.0)?…Teo also walked in 10.9% of his plate appearances during June, his 4th-highest walk rate in any single calendar month in his career, and his highest since August 2019 (13.48%).
MARINERS STARTER – RHP GEORGE KIRBY
ABOUT KIRBY…
- 25-year-old right-hander is making his 16th start of the season, 1st against Tampa Bay…he is also making his 41st career start, and 2nd career start against the Rays.
- 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…L#7 in last start on 6/25 at BAL…allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts.
HOME SWEET HOME…is set to make his 21st career start at T-Mobile Park… when pitching at home Kirby is 7-5 with a 3.25 ERA (41 ER, 113.2 IP) with 12 walks and 120 strikeouts…his 10.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio at T-Mobile Park is the highest in franchise history among pitchers who have made at least 10 starts…he ranks ahead of Cliff Lee (7.73).
THESE BOOTS WERE NOT MADE FOR WALKING…leads all qualified pitchers in the Majors with a 11.29 strikeouts-to-walk ratio, ranking ahead of Joe Ryan-MIN (7.00).
NOTHING BUT STRIKES…has not given up more than 1 walk in any of his 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…set a new career high in strikeouts for a single game with 10 on 6/13 against Miami…this was the 5th instance this season of a Mariners pitcher recording 10 strikeouts in a start…he joined Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Luis Castillo…Castillo has recorded 10 strikeouts in a game twice 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).
NO WALKS ALLOWED…gave up his first walk of the month during his last outing against BAL…he had not given up a walk in 4 starts dating back to May 26…this was a new career-high in consecutive games without giving up a walk…Kirby has only allowed 7 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…his 12 quality starts this season are tied for the 3rdmost 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 walks 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.
