TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat Oakland yesterday in a rubber match, 5-2, as club finished a brief 3-game homestand vs. OAK with a 2-1 series win…Rangers have won 6 of 7, 7 of 9, and 10 of last 13 G for a 14-7 (.667) record, T2ndbest in the A.L. (w/ BAL) to only TB (19-3, .864) and T4th-best in MLB…Rangers’ 14 wins are T2nd-most in A.L. and T4th in MLB…season-best 4-G win streak, 4/16-19, matching club’s longest since the start of 2020 (4th time)…have an 11-7 record last 18 G since club’s 3-0 start to the season.
• Team currently sits a season high 7 games above .500, the 1st time the Rangers has been 7-over since 7/13/19 (50-43)…Texas has been .500-or-better following every game in 2023…the current 14-7 record ranks as T3rd-best 21-G start in club history and is the best 21-G start since 2013 (also 13- 7)…TEX recorded its 14th win in 2022 on May 15.
STANDINGS: The Rangers have gained 2.5 games in the division over the last 10 days, maintaining sole possession of 1st place in the A.L. West for a 10th straight day and 15th day overall in 2023…own a 2.5-game division lead over HOU, the team’s largest lead this late into a season (April 21-or-later) since 10/2/16 (+9.0 GA), the last day of team’s division-winning campaign in 2016…TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 24 of the season’s first 25 days, including 9 straight to begin the year…from 2017-22, the Rangers had one day in which it held, or was tied for, 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).
SERIES STUFF: TEX improved to a 6-1 record in series finales yesterday…club is seeking to improve on their 4-3 record in series openers this season with a win tonight…Rangers have won 3 straight series for just 2nd time since the start of 2021 (also 3-0-0, 4/29-5/9/21 vs. BOS/at MIN/vs. SEA)… TEX is seeking to win 4 straight series for 1st time since taking 5 in a row from 6/15-7/1/18…team has gone undefeated in 2 series: 3-0, 3/30-4/2 vs. PHI; and 3-0, 4/17-19 at KC… the latter marked Rangers’ 1st undefeated road series of 3+ games since 9/5-8/19 at BAL (4-0)…TEX is 5-2-0 overall in series this year, going 3-1 at home 2-1on the road.
HAVE SCHEDULE, WILL TRAVEL: The Rangers are 6-3 (.667) on the road this season, tied for best away win pct. in the A.L. (HOU/TB: 6-3, NYY: 4-2)…have won 4 straight and 6 of last 7 away games after a 0-2 start…the 4 straight wins mark the club’s longest away win streak since a 4-0 span 6/11-17/22…Rangers are scheduled to play 13 of their next 19 games on the road from tonight thru 5/14.
VS. CINCINNATI: Texas begins a brief 3-G road trip against the Reds at Great American Ball Park today thru Wed…TEX has gone 4-2 in Interleague games this season, including 1-2 on the road (4/7-9 at CHC)…TEX has a 10-9 edge all-time vs. CIN, going 5-6 in Cincy, all games at GABP…TEX is 4-1-1 all-time in series vs. CIN, including 2-1-1 in 4 series at GABP…Rangers are 2-0-1 in last 3 series in Cincy…TEX has won 6 of 7 on the road, 1st 6-1 span away from Arlington since Sept. 2021.
HOMER HAPPY: Robbie Grossman’s 3-R HR in the 2nd inn. yesterday was TEX’s 7th HR of 3-or-4 runs over its last 7 G, as TEX has at least one such HR in 6 of 7 contests during that span…12 of the Rangers’ 27 HR this season have gone for 3-or-4 runs, easily the most in MLB…6 different Rangers have accounted for those 12 HR: 3-Heim, 2-Garver/García/ Grossman/Semien; 1-Jung…TEX is already just 8 HR shy of matching club’s 2022 total for HR of 3+ R (20)…each of the last 9 HR hit by TEX batters have come with men on base, the longest streak for TEX since 9 in a row from 7/1-4/04.
NOTHING ‘WEEK’ ABOUT ‘EL BOMBI’: Adolis García has had a week to remember from 4/17-23…here are some noteworthy tidbits:
• García batted .400/.458/.1.100/1.558 (8-20) in his 5 games last week with 4 HR, 2 2B, 14 RBI, and 8 R…his 14 RBI led all MLB players for the week, and he led the A.L. with 4 HR, 6 XBH, and 22 total bases.
• García’s 8 R were T2nd-most in the A.L., trailing only teammate Marcus Semien.
• On Sat. vs. OAK, García went 5-for-5 with 3 HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 5 R, 16 total bases, 5 XBH, and a HBP…became just the 2nd player in MLB history to have 5 XBH and 8 RBI in a single contest, joining the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton in his 4-homer game on 5/8/12 at BAL.
• He is just the 3rd player in the modern era (since 1901) with at least 3 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R, and 16 total bases in one game, joining Brooklyn’s Gil Hodges on 8/31/50 and Washington’s Anthony Rendon on 4/30/17.
• García’s 5 XBH matched the MLB record, and he matched
TEX club marks with 5 R and 6 times on base.
• García is batting .250 with an .853 OPS figure for the season, posting 7 HR, 28 RBI, and 18 R…his 28 RBI lead MLB, and he also ranks among A.L. season leaders in HR (2nd, 7) and R (T2nd, 18).
MARCUS WOULD LIKE A WORD: After going 1-for-3 with 1 R, 2 BB and 1 SB yesterday, Marcus Semien finished the week with a .450 BA (9-for-20), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 BB, 9 R and 2 SB.
• He ranks 1st in MLB w/ 21 R scored and T5th in A.L. w/ 20 RBI…he is the first player in Washington/Texas franchise history with 20+ RBI and 20+ R in his first 20 G of a season.
• During his last 9 G: .438 BA (14-for-32), 3 HR, 13 RBI, 9 BB, 13 R.
YOU WAITED THIS LONG TO MENTION DEGROM?: Jacob deGrom earned the win yesterday, improving to 2-0 in his 5th appearance/start of the season (W, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R-1 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO, 1 HR, 80 pitches/57 strikes)…struck out a season high-tying 11 batters (2x, also 4/5 vs. BAL) while throwing just 80 pitches, the 12th instance since pitches were 1st tracked in 1988 of a Major League pitcher tallying 11+ SO on 80-or-fewer pitches (last NYY’s Domingo Germán, 11 SO/78 pitches on 4/15/23 on MIN)…it was the 2nd time deGrom has pulled the trick in his career (also 12 SO/76 pitches on 8/7/22 vs. ATL w/ NYM) and he is just the 2nd Ranger to accomplish the feat, joining Matt Perisho on 10/3/99 at LAA (12 SO/78
pitches)…additional notes on deGrom courtesy of Stathead:
• Yesterday’s outing was his 60th career game with 10+ SO, tied with Rube Waddell for 15th-most by any pitcher in the Modern Era (beg. 1901)…the only active ML pitchers with more career games of 10+ strikeouts: Max Scherzer (110), Chris Sale (79), Justin Verlander (72), and Clayton Kershaw (68).
• Recorded 11 SO without issuing a walk, just 15th outing of 11+ SO and zero walks in club history (beg. 1972) and 1st since Adrian Sampson on 6/2/19 vs. KC (11 SO/0 BB)…it was deGrom’s 16th career start with double-digit strikeouts and no walks, 10th-most by any pitcher in the Modern Era.
• deGrom has 43 SO and 3 BB through 5 starts in 2023, just the 6th time in the Modern Era for a pitcher to post 43+ SO and 3-or-fewer BB over his first 5 outings of a season.
HEATING UP: Leody Taveras matched his career/season high with 3 hits yesterday (4x, last 4/19/23 at KC), all of which were singles…has gone 7-for-15 (.467) over his last 4 G, raising his season BA from .105 to .265…per Statcast, has posted exit velocities of 95.0+ mph on 9 of last 15 batted balls dating back to 4/18…Ezequiel Duran registered a career/ game-high 112.8 mph exit velocity on his 5th-inning single, the highest exit velo. produced by a Ranger in 2023… Jonah Heim went 1-for-4 yesterday, and has reached base safely via H/BB in career-high 12 consecutive games (beg. 4/8), the longest on-base streak by a Texas batter this season.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #17 Nathan Eovaldi, RHP (2-2, 5.40)
TONIGHT: The 33-year-old right-hander (pronounced ee-VAHL-dee) is scheduled to make his 5th start/appearance of the season in tonight’s road trip opener in Cincinnati…has 5.0+ IP in all 4 starts, allowing 3-R-or-less in 3 of 4 outings… his 2.28 FIP is 5th in the A.L. and stands over 3 runs lower than his 5.40 ERA… ranks among A.L. qualifiers in SO/BB (7th, 6.00), HR/9 (8th, 0.42), and SO/9 (12th, 9.97)…Eovaldi is 1-1, 3.09 (4 ER/11.2 IP) in his 2 road starts this season with no HR allowed, 2 BB/11 SO…earned win in last start on Tues. at KC (6.0 IP, 2 R-ER), posting his 1st quality start of the year…is facing his 3rd different N.L. club, and his 2 A.L. starts have come vs. KC…Eovaldi signed a 2-year free agent contract with the Rangers on 12/27/22…in 2022, his final season with Boston, went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA (47 ER/109.1 IP) over 20 G/GS…ranked among A.L. leaders (min. 100.0 IP) in SO/BB (8th, 5.15) and BB/9 (9th, 1.65)…was slowed by a pair of IL stints: 6/9-7/14 (low back inflammation) and 8/19-9/28 (right shoulder inflammation)…the Texas native is seeking a return to his 2021 form, when he was an All-Star with the Red Sox and finished 4th in A.L. Cy Young Award voting…his Red Sox stint included a historic postseason stretch during the team’s 2018 World Series run, as he appeared in 3 of club’s 5 games during that year’s Fall Classic…has 241 games/222 starts with LAD (2011-12), MIA (2012-14), NYY (2015-16), TB (2018), BOS (2018-22) and TEX (2023)…joined Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as the only graduates of Alvin (TX) High School to reach the Major Leagues…TEX is 2-2 in his 4 starts this season.
LAST START: Earned win in last outing Tues. at KC (W, 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R-ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR, 95 pitches/62 strikes) in team’s 12-2 victory, overcoming a 23-pitch 1st inning to post his 1st quality start of the year…recorded season highs in IP (6.0) and pitches (95)…lone 1-2-3 inning was the 5th, when he retired Witt Jr., Melendez, and Sal Perez in order…marks his only clean inning in last 2 starts…TEX held just a 3-2 edige through 5 innings, but scored 5 times in the 6th and 4 times in the 8th to win going away.
VS. CINCINNATI: Eovaldi has gone 1-0, 0.60 (1 ER/15.0 IP) with 3 BB/12 SO and a .137 opp. BA in 2 G/GS in his career vs. the Reds…the 2 starts came in back-to-back outings with the Marlins in August 2014, most recently earning win on 8/8/14 at CIN (W, 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO)…that was his only career start at GABP…Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo HR in the 7th to give Eovaldi a 2-0 lead… former Ranger Jarrod Saltalamacchia had the other RBI for the Fish.
ON THE ROAD: Tonight’s outing will be Eovaldi’s 3rd road start of the season… is 1-1, 3.09 (4 ER/11.2 IP) in his 2 road starts with no HR allowed, 2 BB/11 SO… suffered a tough-luck loss in his 1st away appearance on 4/7 at CHC (L, 5.2 IP, 2 R-ER), as TEX was shut out 2-0…earned win in last outing Tues. at KC (see above)…in 2022, fared far better on the road (4-0, 2.64 ERA) than at Fenway Park (2-3, 5.26 ERA), but has traditionally performed better at home (31-32, 4.01 ERA) than on the road (38-38, 4.35 ERA) in his career.
• Has 12 road starts in 2022-23: 5-1, 2.71 (21 ER/69.2 IP), 10 BB/73 SO, 10 HR…in 2022, his 2.64 road ERA ranked 9th in the A.L.
2023: Opponents have batted .318/.344/.500/.844 (28-88) with 11 extra-base hits (HR, 3 3B, 7 2B), incl. opp. BA of .277 (13-47) vs. LHB and .366 (15-41) vs. RHB…batters are 7-for-9 w/ 3 XBH when putting 1st pitch into play, also 4-for-9 with a 0-2 count…has 24 strikeouts/4 walks, as he ranks among A.L. qualifiers in SO/BB (7th, 6.00), HR/9 (8th, 0.42), and SO/9 (12th, 9.97)…current SO/9 figure would be the highest of his career, surpassing prev. high of 9.68 in 2020 w/ BOS…recorded season-high 18 swing-and-miss strikes (Statcast) on 4/12 vs. KC (L, 5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R-ER)…run support has been high (7+ R 2x) and low (one-orzero R 2x)…made Rangers debut in 16-3 Texas victory on 4/1 vs. PHI (W, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R-ER)…became 1st Rangers starting pitcher to be awarded a win in his first start with the club since A.J. Alexy on 8/3/21 vs. COL…the Alvin, TX native became the 5th native Texan ever to earn a win in his TEX debut (last Kip Wells on 8/2/06 at MIN).
CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
RED HOTS
• Today the Reds selected from Louisville the contract of OF Henry Ramos (#31) and designated for assignment IF Jason Vosler.
• In the last 11 games beginning 4/13, the Reds’ bullpen has posted an ERA of 2.42 (44.2ip, 39h, 12er, 17bb, 47k), including an ERA of 2.10 in the last 7 games (25.2ip, 20h, 6er, 12bb, 27k).
• Reds relievers haven’t allowed a home run since Tue vs TB…the 5-game homerless streak ties the bullpen’s longest of the season.
• Reds batters haven’t homered in 6 games, their longest homerless streak since 4/16-4/22, 2018 (6g)…haven’t gone more than 6 games without a home run since 4/21-4/27, 2014 (7g)…the Reds last homered in the second inning on Mon vs TB (Kevin Newman off Jalen Beeks).
• The Reds’ 6-game losing streak is a season high…their longest losing streak of last season was 11 games (4/12-4/23).
• The Reds have played 17 consecutive days since their last day off, rainouts on 4/5 vs Cubs and on 4/6 in the Phillies’ home opener (4- 13)…barring unplayable weather over the next 3 days, this series will complete their streak of 20 games on 20 straight days.
TONIGHT’S GAME
• Is Game 1 (0-3) of a brief 3-game homestand, all vs the Rangers.
• The Reds are coming off a winless 4-game road trip to Pit’s PNC Park, their first 4-game series sweep loss there since April 2019.
• Following Wed afternoon’s game the Reds hit the road again to face the Athletics (3g) and Padres (3g) in the first of their 3 trips to the West Coast.
SERIES NOTES
• The Redlegs are 9-10 all-time vs the Rangers, including 6-5 at Great American Ball Park.
• The Reds and Rangers are meeting for the eighth time overall and for the first time since 2019, also here at GABP.
• The Reds haven’t played in Arlington since 2016.
• The Reds have played only 1 interleague series this season, a 1-2 series loss vs the Rays last week at Great American Ball Park.
• From 1997-2022 the Redlegs went 188-247 vs the American League, at .432 the lowest interleague winning percentage of any Major League team…in 2022 the Reds went 12-8 vs AL teams (0-2 vs Cle, 2-0 at Cle, 1-2 at Tor, 1-1 at Bos, 3-0 vs TB, 2-1 at NYY, 2-1 vs Bal, 1-1 vs Bos)…last season’s was their first winning record vs the American League since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs AL teams (.381).
ATHLETICS UP NEXT
• Following this 3-game home series vs the Rangers and Thu’s off day in the Bay Area, beginning Fri night the Reds and Athletics will meet for their ninth series during the regular season and for the first time since 2019, also at Oakland Coliseum.
• The Reds are 9-13 during the regular season vs the Athletics, 5-9 at Oakland Coliseum.
• In 2013, Oak became the last current Major League team to visit Great American Ball Park…they last played in the Queen City in 2016.
• The Reds and Athletics met twice in the World Series…Oak won in 7 games in 1972, while Cin capped its wire-to-wire season with a 4-game sweep in 1990.
Tonight’s Pitcher – #40 Nick Lodolo, LHP
• Resides in Fort Worth, Texas…was selected by the Reds in the first round (7th overall) of the June 2019 first-year player draft…was Texas Christian University’s highest-ever baseball draft pick.
• Tonight is making his fifth appearance and start of the season…will be his first career appearance vs the Rangers…never has faced any of the Rangers’ batters.
• On 4/8 at Phi, his career-high 12 strikeouts were the most by a Reds lefthander since Amir Garrett had 12 strikeouts on 4/19/17 vs Bal…was Lodolo’s third career game with at least 10 strikeouts…became only the fourth Reds lefthander to record at least 7.0 scoreless innings with at least 12 strikeouts (Tom Hall on 5/14/72/g2 vs StL, Johnny Vander Meer 5 times, Rube Benton on 6/11/1915 vs Dodgers).
• Started the second game of the season and earned the 6-2 win vs the Pirates.
• In his 2022 Major League debut season received 2 third-place votes in the BBWAA’s Jackie Robinson Award voting for National League Rookie of the Year.
• In 2022 ranked among the National League rookie pitching leaders in ERA (4th, 3.66), wins (T5th, 4), strikeouts (3rd, 131), starts (T3rd, 19), innings pitched (5th, 103.1), opponents’ BA (4th, .235) and WHIP (3rd, 1.25).
• Led all Major League pitchers in hit batters (19), 4 shy of Jake Weimer’s 1907 single-season franchise record.
• Went 1-2, 5.52 in his first 3 career starts, but then from 4/28-7/4 missed 69 days and 61 games while on the injured list with a lower right back strain…was transferred from the 15- to the 60-day injured list on 6/21, when IF Donovan Solano came off the 60-day IL.
• Following 4 rehabilitation starts from 6/13-6/29 at ACL Reds (1gs) and Louisville (3gs), came off the injured list on 7/5 and finished the season 3-5, 3.35 over 16 starts.
• In his last 9 starts of the season beginning 8/17 went 1-3, 2.75 (55.2ip, 35h, 17er, 15bb, 67k, 6hr, .182baa, 0.90whip)…the Reds went 3-6 in those 9 starts.
• Beginning 8/17, finished the season ranked among the National League leaders in that span in starts (T3rd), innings pitched (T5th), ERA (8th), strikeouts (7th), opponents’ BA (4th) and WHIP (5th).
• On 9/9 at Mil (8ip, 0bb, 11k) and 9/14 vs Pit (6.1ip, 0bb, 11k) became only the second rookie since 1893, the year the pitching mound was
moved to its current distance, to record in consecutive apps 0 walks and at least 11 strikeouts, joining Dwight Gooden (9/12 & 9/17, 1984, 16k vs Pit, 16k at Phi).
• Is only the third Reds rookie since 1900 to record in consecutive apps at least 11 strikeouts, joining Gary Nolan (6/1 & 6/7, 1967, 12k vs Cubs, 15k vs SF) and Bruce Berenyi (8/24 & 8/29, 1981, 12k vs NYM, 11k at NYM).
