TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost to Houston yesterday, 12-11, as the club wrapped up an 8-G, 8-day homestand with a 3-5 record vs. DET (2-2) and HOU (1-3)…TEX has lost 2
consecutive games and 4 of last 5, now 2-5 in last 7 G and 5-7 in last 12 G…team is 8-8 in last 16 G after a 2-7 span from 6/7-16…have a 10-15 record last 25 G beg. 6/7…club has won 21 of 38, 24 of 42, and 32 of last 54 G (beg. 5/6)… team still has A.L.-best 36-24 (.600) record since 4/28, T3rd in MLB to ATL (40-18, .690) and ARI (36-23, .610)…TEX is 41-29 in last 70 G and 46-31 last 77 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 50-35 (.588), TEX is tied for 4th-best record in MLB to ATL (.679, 57-27), TB (.655, 57-30), and BAL (.590, 49-34)… club’s 50 wins rank T3rd in MLB (57-ATL/TB, 50-TEX/ARI).
- The 50-35 mark is T3rd-best 85-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
- Saturday marked the earliest date for the Rangers to reach 50 wins in a season since 6/27/16 (50-27)…last season, TEX did not reach the 50-win mark until 8/13 vs. SEA…high point this season was 20-over after win 6/6 vs. STL (40-20).
STANDINGS: Rangers enter today with a 3.0-game lead in the A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU, the 1st time that TEX has owned a division lead of 3.0-or-less G in over a month (+2.5 G on 6/3)…club had a season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win 6/23 at NYY, which was largest division lead since winning the West by 9.0 G in 2016…TEX has had sole possession of 1st place in the West for 58 straight, 65 of 66 and 78 of the last 80 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 93 of the season’s first 94 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: After going 3-5 in their recent 8 G homestand (2-2 vs. DET, 1-3 vs. HOU), the Rangers have now lost consecutive homestands for the 1st time this season (also 3-4 from 6/12018 vs. LAA/TOR)…club had winning records in each of 1st 6 homestands in 2023…TEX has gone 2-4-1 in last 7 series after a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19-6/7…those 6 straight series wins marked longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories rom 5/20-6/20/16…club is 17-8-2 overall in series this year, going 8-4-2 at home and 9-4-0 on the road…is 13-5-2 in last 20 series and 16-6-2 in last 24…team has dropped 3 of last 4 series finales at Globe Life Field.
- TEX has gone 9-4-0 in 13 road series this season.
ON THE ROAD: The Rangers begin a 6-day, 6-G road trip today (3 G at BOS and 3 G at WSH)…TEX is 23-17 (.575) on the road, 4th-best away record in MLB (ATL 27-12, .692; ARI 26-15, .634; BAL 23-16, .590)…club is 4-6 in last 10 G away from Arlington, but has still won 10 of 17, 12 of 20, 14 of 23, and 17 of last 27 road G…13 road wins in May tied franchise record for a calendar month (also Aug. 2013)…club went 4-5 on the road in June.
VS. BOSTON: The Rangers and Red Sox open their season series today, as BOS is 1 of 3 A.L. teams that TEX has yet to face in 2023 (also CLE/MIN)…TEX was 1-6 vs. BOS in 2022, losing the season series for 5th time in 6 chances (4-3 in 2021)…club has dropped 7 of 8 and 8 of 10 vs. BOS dating to ’21, 10-24 since start of 2017…have gone 3-15 at Fenway beg. 7/6/16, losing 5 straight and 8 of 9.
ROSTER MOVES: The Rangers announced the following roster moves before today’s game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park:
- LHP Andrew Heaney placed on MLB Paternity Leave List.
- LHP John King recalled from Triple A-Round Rock.
INDEPENDENCE DAY: Today marks the 247th birthday of the United States of America, born with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall (then-Pennsylvania State House).
- The Rangers are 25-27 all-time on the Fourth of July, losing 7 of the last 8 G since 2014…only win during that span came on 7/4/19 vs. LAA…club lost 7-6 last season, 7/4/22 at BAL… in 2020, club was participating in Summer Camp on 7/4 before the regular season opened on 7/24…club is 5-11 since 2006, but is still 18-13 on the holiday beg. 1991.
- This will be just the 8th time in last 27 seasons (excluding 2020) for Texas to play on the road on Independence Day beg. 1996…club is 7-14 all-time in away action on the Fourth, losing the last 6 since a victory in HOU in 2004…this is the 1st time to play in 3 straight road games on the Fourth since doing so from 1980-83 (not including the strike-shortened 1981 year when 7/4 games were canceled).
- TEX will face BOS on the Fourth of July for the 4th time overall, 2nd in Boston (6-5 win in Arlington in 2005, 12-5 loss in Boston in 2016 and an 11-4 loss in Arlington in 2017).
BELIEVE WHAT YOU SEE: Travis Jankowski plated a career-high 5 RBI yesterday (prev. high 4 RBI on 7/16/21 vs. MIA w/ PHI), going 3-for-4 with a 3-R HR and a 2 singles… the 4th-inning blast was his 1st HR since 6/23/21 vs. WAS w/ PHI (off Erick Fedde), snapping a 153-game HR drought.
COREY IN THE HOUSE: Corey Seager yesterday extended his career-best 22-game on-base streak (prev. 21 G from 8/3- 27/17 w/ LAD) with a 2B in the 5th inning…it is the longest active on-base streak in the A.L. and 2nd-longest by a Ranger in ’23 (33-Marcus Semien).
- Seager is batting .349 (60-173) with 9 HR, 20 2B, and 46 RBI in 42 G since being activated from the 10-day Injured List on 5/17.
BANNER FIRST HALF: Leody Taveras launched his career-high 10th HR of ’23 yesterday (prev. 5 HR in ’22), as he is now the 7th Ranger to reach the double-digit HR mark in ’23…Taveras has gone 7-for-12 (.583) thru 3 G in July, slashing .333/.375/.542/.917 (67-201) with 10 HR, 10 2B, and 34 RBI over his last 55 G dating back to the beginning of May.
GOOD, CLEAN BASEBALL: Texas has played 11 straight games without an error, the 3rd-longest span in club history: 15 G, Aug. 4-19, 1995; 12 G, 4/23-5/5/16…team’s last error was made by Corey Seager in the 7th inning on 6/21 at CWS, as club has played 100.0 errorless innings since that last miscue.
IF YOU WIN, THEY WILL COME: Yesterday marked the 9th sellout at Globe Life Field in ’23, and 4th straight sellout…it is the most for TEX in Arlington since 5 straight sellouts from 6/29-7/7/12…research indicates that it is the 1st time in TEX history to sell out each home game in a 4-G series, dating back to the club’s arrival in Arlington in ’72…the attendance total of the 4-G series vs. HOU was 158,070, a record for any series at GLF since it opened in ’20, surpassing previous facility record from 10/3-5/22 vs. NYY (133,347).
SHORTS: The 7 combined HR in yesterday’s game (4-HOU, 3-TEX) were the 2nd-most in any game at Globe Life Field this season (8, 5/3 vs. ARI)…Aroldis Chapman has pitched in each of TEX’s last 2 G (2.0 SHO IP, 3 SO), the 1st time he has pitched on back-to-back days since 5/22-23 vs. DET w/ KC…yesterday’s defeat was club’s MLB-leading 19th G with 10+ runs and 46th G w/ 10+ hits…it was the just 8th time in TEX history that team scored 11+ runs in a one-run loss, 1st since 6/4/19 vs. BAL (also 12-11 loss)…Will Smith’s blown save yesterday was his 2nd in ’23 (also 5/5 at LAA).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #33 Dane Dunning, RHP (7-1, 2.69) TODAY: The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his 11th start/19th appearance of the season in today’s road trip opener at Fenway…his 2.69 ERA (24 ER/80.1 IP) is 5th-lowest in A.L. and 8th-lowest in MLB among pitchers with 80.0+ IP this season…remains just shy of qualifying for league leader status, although he briefly qualified after his last start…has made 10 starts since joining the rotation on 5/5, going 5-1, 3.00 (20 ER/60.0 IP) with 16 BB/40 SO… has allowed just 5 HR this season, as 0.56 HR/9 figure is 2nd-lowest in A.L. (min. 80.0 IP) to MIN’s Sonny Gray (0.29)…will pitch on extra 5 days’ rest after nearly finishing a complete game shutout on Wed. vs. DET (see below)…7 wins in 2023 are career high (prev. 5 in 2021)…just 19 of 67 hits allowed this season have gone for extra bases (5 HR, 14 2B), and .327 opp. SLG figure is 3rd-lowest in A.L. (min. 80.0+ IP) while .615 opp. OPS is 4th-lowest…established career highs in many categories last season, ranking 2nd on the Texas staff in starts (29), innings (153.1), and strikeouts (137)…missed time in 2022 for a pair of IL stints: 7/11-25/22 (right ankle impingement) and 9/27/22-end of season (right hip surgery)…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 16-19 with a 4.07 ERA (159 ER/351.1 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 is 6-4 in his 10 starts in 2023.
LAST START: Earned win in Rangers’ 10-2 victory on Wed. vs. DET (W, 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 1 HR, 100 pitches/75 strikes)…was within one out of a CG shutout, but gave up a 2-R HR after Nathaniel Lowe could not make a play on a popup with 2 outs in the 9th…still set a career high for innings and matched his career best with 10 SO (also 5/9/21 vs. SEA)…his 78 game score was 2nd-highest of his career (80 game score on 8/6/22 vs. CWS – 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R).
VS. BOSTON: Has gone 0-3, 9.42 (15 ER/14.1 IP) in 3 G/GS in his career vs. BOS, taking 5-2 loss in most recent outing on 9/4/22 at BOS (4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R-ER)…has allowed 5 R-ER in each of his 3 starts against the Red Sox and the Rangers have scored a total of 3 runs in the games that Dunning has started vs. BOS…has pitched at Fenway in each of his 1st 2 seasons with TEX: 0-2, 10.38 in 2 G/GS.
AS A STARTER: Has gone 5-1, 3.00 (20 ER/60.0 IP) in his 10 starts for TEX in 2023, spanning his last 10 outings…has exited 8 of 10 starts with the Rangers holding a lead…made 8 straight relief app. to open the year, but a majority of Dunning’s Major League appearances (71 of 81) have come as a starter…he owns a lifetime 16-19 record and 4.20 ERA (169 ER/362.0 IP) in those 71 career starts, with opponents batting .259/.333/.410/.743 (359-1384)…he went 4-8, 4.46 ERA (76 ER/153.1 IP) in 29 starts for Texas in 2022, registering an A.L.-high 17 no-decisions…Dunning’s 64 starts in a Texas uniform over the last 3 seasons (beg. 2021) are the most among Rangers.
ON THE ROAD: Dunning has seen fairly even home/road splits in 2023: 5-0, 2.89 in 9 G/5 GS at home; 2-1, 2.45 in 9 G/5 GS on the road…is 1-1, 2.51 (8 ER/26.2 IP) in his 5 road starts this season, last on 6/23 at NYY (7.0 IP, 2 R-ER), when he took no decision despite exiting in line for the victory in Rangers’ 4-2, 10-inning win…has allowed one or 2 R in 4 of 5 road starts, 3 R-or-less in all 5 starts…has performed significantly better at home (15-5, 3.31 ERA in 43 G/38 GS) than on the road (3-14, 5.05 ERA in 38 G/33 GS) in his Major League career.
- Earned win on 5/10 at SEA (6.0 IP, 2 R-ER), ending span in which he had gone winless in 27 consecutive road starts with CWS and TEX, the 2nd-longest winless road span as a starter in modern era behind only COL’s Scott Elarton (29, 2001- 05)…drought set a franchise record, surpassing Pete Broberg in 1972-73 (15).
2023: Opponents have batted .228/.289/.327/.615 (67-294) with 19 extra-base hits (5 HR, 14 2B), incl. opp. BA’s of .243 (28-115) vs. LHB and .218 (39-179) vs. RHB…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.213, 29-136), 2nd (.216, 22-102), 3rd (.264, 14-53), 4th (.667, 2-3)…7 wins are T2nd-most on club (10-Eovaldi, 7-Dunning/Pérez)…20.1 relief innings still rank 7th for TEX…has 3 relief app. of 3.0+ SHO IP…earned win on 4/17 at KC (4.1 SHO IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 SO), as he and Jacob deGrom (4.0 SHO IP) became just the 2nd Rangers duo in the last 40 years (beg. 1984) to each have at least 4.0 SHO IP in the same game (also 5.0-Kameron Loe, 4.0-C.J. Wilson on 8/26/05 vs. MIN)…his win on 5/10 at SEA ended a span in which he had gone winless in 27 consecutive road starts with CWS and TEX, the 2nd-longest winless road span as a starter in modern era behind only COL’s Scott Elarton (29 from 2001-05).
BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox swept TOR in a 3-game series from Friday-Sunday, following a season-long 5-game losing streak from 6/24-29. The Sox are 10-7 in their last 17 games and 15-15 in their last 30, dating back to the start of June. At 43-42 (.506), Boston entered today with MLB’s 16th-best record.
4TH TO BE RECKONED WITH: The Red Sox are playing at home on July 4 for the 2nd straight season, after not doing so from 2017-21…They have won each of their last 8 games played on Independence Day, out-scoring opponents by a 53-19 margin in that time. The Sox have tied their longest ever winning streak on July 4 (8 straight from 1901-04 and 1936-39, including doubleheaders) (source: Elias). Boston is tied with the Dodgers for MLB’s longest active win streak on July 4.
RED SOX ON JULY 4 (2013-2022)
Year Opponent Result
2022 vs. TB W 4-0
2021 at OAK W 1-0
2020 DNP –
2019 at TOR W 8-7
2018 at WSH W 3-0
Year Opponent Result
2017 at TEX W 11-4
2016 vs. TEX W 12-5
2015 vs. HOU W 6-1
2014 DNP –
2013 vs. SD W 8-2
SERIES BUSINESS: With their sweep of the Jays in Toronto over the weekend, the Red Sox improved to 14-11-2 in series play and 7-5-2 on the road…They’re 3-3-1 in their last 7 series. Boston’s sweep at TOR was its 4th sweep of the season (also 4/6-9 at DET, 5/1-4 vs. TOR, and 6/16-18 vs. NYY). The Sox have alternated series results on the road (W, L, W, L, W, T, W, L, W, L, W, T, L, W): 3-0 at DET, 0-4 at TB, 2-1 at MIL, 1-2 at BAL, 2-1 at PHI, 1-1 at ATL, 2-1 at SD, 0-3 at LAA, 2-1 at ARI, 1-2 at CLE, 2-1 at NYY, 2-2 at MIN, 1-2 at CWS, 3-0 at TOR.
EASTERN STANDARD: After sweeping TOR, the Sox are 16-11 vs. the AL East this season…In 2022, the Red Sox did not win their 16th game against the division until 8/20 vs. BAL. The Sox are 5-3 in series play vs. the AL East, winning 4 of their last 5 series within the division (13-4 record).
SOX & RANGERS: The Red Sox and Rangers are playing their 1st series of 2023…After this 3-game set, Boston will visit Texas for a 3-game series from 9/18-20. The Sox went 6-1 vs. TEX in 2022, including a 4-game sweep of the Rangers at Fenway Park from 9/1-4/22. The Red Sox are 16-4 in their last 20 games vs. TEX at Fenway Park, dating back to the start of 2016…They’ve won each of their 6 home series vs. TEX in that span.
BEST WESTERN: The Red Sox are 5-5 against AL West teams this season and 30-13 since the beginning of 2022, the best record of any AL team over the last 2 seasons. The Sox have won their 2 home series against AL West opponents and lost their only road series (3-1 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. SEA, 0-3 at LAA).
FUTURE SOX: Three Red Sox prospects were selected to the AL’s roster the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game: SS Marcelo Mayer, 2B Nick Yorke, and LHP Shane Drohan.
The Red Sox are 1 of 2 organizations to have 3 players selected to this year’s Futures Game (also MIL-3). The 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game will be played at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sat., 7/8, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
OFF TO SEA: Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen was selected to the American League’s roster for the 2023 All-Star Game, his 4th career All-Star selection (NL All-Star rom 2016-18). Red Sox Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Kiyoshi Momose was chosen to manage the American League’s strength and conditioning duties for the All-Star Game. The 2023 MLB All-Star Game will be played at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, 7/11, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
BIG MAPLE: Red Sox starter James Paxton was voted the American League Pitcher of the Month for June, going 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA (6 ER/31.0 IP) in five starts during the month. This is Paxton’s 2nd career Pitcher of the Month Award (also July 2017 with SEA)…He’s the 1st Red Sox pitcher to take home a monthly honor since Chris Sale won in back-to-back months in June and July 2018.
JAMES PAXTON’S STARTS DURING JUNE
Game Decision IP H ER BB SO
6/6 at CLE W 7.0 6 2 2 9
6/12 vs. COL ND 6.0 4 0 1 8
6/19 at MIN W 6.1 3 3 1 7
6/24 at CWS ND 4.0 2 1 0 3
6/30 at TOR W 7.2 3 0 2 7
TOTALS: 3-0 31.0 18 6 6 34
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays on Sunday in Toronto, 5-4…They trailed 4-2 through 6 innings. Alex Verdugo hit a solo HR in the 9th inning to give the Sox a 5-4 lead and snap a 45-game homerless streak. Joe Jacques entered in the 9th and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to earn his 1st career save.
TOUGH TEST: The current 3-game series vs. TEX completes Boston’s stretch of 3-straight series against teams that entered today with a record of .500 or better (0-3 vs. MIA, 3-0 at TOR). After Thursday, 8 of their next 11 series (7/7-8/17) are against teams that entered today with a sub-.500 record. The Red Sox have played 58 games against teams that entered today with a record of .500 or better, tied with OAK for the 2nd most in MLB (TOR-60). The Sox are 31-27 (.534) in those games, the 2nd-best record in the AL and 4th best in MLB…Their 31 wins are tied with TB for most in MLB.
HOME COOKING: Today begins Boston’s 6-game homestand vs. TEX (3 games) and OAK (3), leading into the All-Star Break. The Red Sox are 8-14 in their last 22 games at Fenway Park, after going 13-7 in their first 20.
RED SOX OFFENSE IN HOME GAMES
Stat MLB Rank
5.5 R/game 4th
9.9 H/game 2nd
3.8 XBH/game 2nd
Stat MLB Rank
.286 AVG 2nd
.353 OBP 2nd
.816 OPS 4th
SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox scored at least 5 runs and recorded at least 9 hits and 5 XBH in each of their 3 games at TOR from Fri.-Sun., batting .301 (34-for-113) in that span. The Sox have 16 XBH over their last 3 games after recording 9 XBH in their previous 7, from 6/22-29.
PITCHING IN: In their last 4 games, Red Sox pitchers have posted a 2.75 ERA (11 ER/36.0 IP) while holding opponents to a .203 AVG (26-for-128) with 11 BB and 37 SO.
HELP IS ON THE WAY: Four Red Sox players are on rehab assignments: Richard Bleier, Yu Chang, Pablo Reyes, and Joely Rodriguez…Reyes will begin his assignment with Triple-A Worcester tonight. Rodriguez has allowed 2 runs in 4.1 innings over 5 games with Triple-A Worcester (3) and Double-A Portland (2). Bleier pitched a scoreless inning for Portland on Sunday at New Hampshire (H, 2 SO, 13 pitches/9 strikes). Chang has played in 3 games for the WooSox, making 2 starts at shortstop and one as the designated hitter.
TODAY’S STARTER: 83 BRENNAN BERNARDINO – LHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 1-0 2.49 23 0 25.1 7 2 7 24 1.11 .228
CAREER 1-1 2.60 25 0 27.2 8 2 9 24 1.19 .235
Is making his 1st career start. Tossed a scoreless 2nd inning, then allowed 1 run in the 3rd inning on Sunday at TOR (H, SO). In his last 12 outings, has allowed 2 runs in 13.0 IP (5 H, 4 BB, 14 SO). Is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA (3 ER/13.0 IP) in 12 games at Fenway Park this season. 16 of his 23 outings have been scoreless. Has issued 1 or fewer BB in each of his 23 outings.. Left-handed hitters are 4-for-36 (.111) with 1 BB and 13 SO and a .297 OPS against him, while right-handers are 16-for-51 (.314) with 5 BB and 10 SO.
