TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost the 2nd of 2 G in Arizona, 6-3 as club is 0-2 in this 9-G, 10-day road trip thru ARI (0-2), MIN (4 G), and NYM (3 G), with an off day yesterday…club’s 6 G losing streak is the longest this season by team (longest since a 7 G losing streak last season from 9/28-10/4/22)… the 2 G sweep at ARI is only the 4th time this season that TEX has lost all games of a series (also 4/24-26 at CIN, 0-3; 7/28-30 at SD, 0-3; and 8/18-20 vs. MIL, 0-3)…club has 72 wins, already most since 2019 (78)…team has dropped 7 of 9 and is 4-8 since a month-opening and season-best 8-G win streak (8/1-8), longest for club since going 10-0, 5/9-19/17… Rangers are still 12-8 (.600) in Aug., 4th-best in A.L. (SEA: .762, 16-5; BAL: .650, 13-7; TB: .632, 12-7; TEX: .600, 12- 8)…have gone 13-12 in last 25 G and 14-15 in last 29 G since a 6-G win streak (7/14-19) out of the break…team is 20-15 (.571) in the 2nd “half”, 4th-best record and T4th-most wins in A.L…TEX is 21-17 in last 38, 22-21 in last 43 G, and 23-23 in last 46 G…team was 12-19 over a 31-G span from 6/7-7/9 to end the 1st “half”…TEX is 67-50 last 117 G.
- At 72-54 (.571), TEX owns the 3rd-best record in the A.L., 5th-best in MLB (.651-ATL, .619-BAL, .613-LAD, .602-TB, .571-TEX)…72 wins rank T3rd in the A.L., 5Tth-most in MLB (82-ATL, 78-BAL, 77-TB, 76-LAD, 72-HOU/TEX).
- The 72-54 mark is T6th-best 126-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
WITH A WIN TONIGHT, Texas would:
- Tie for 5th-best 127-G record in franchise history (at 73-54).
- Snap a season high 6 G losing streak (club’s longest since a 7 G losing streak from 9/28-10/4/22: 0-2 at SEA, 0-3 at LAA, 0-2 vs. NYY).
- Win their 7th consecutive game against an A.L. central opponent…9th win in last 10 G and 10th win in last 13 G.
STANDINGS: Texas has a 1.0-G lead in the A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU after gaining 0.5 G during yesterday’s off day…have lost 2.5 G in division race during current 6 G losing streak…lead had been at least 2.0 G for 16 straight days from 8/5-21…also held leads of 2.0+ G in the division for 64 consecutive days from 5/23-7/24…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 for 110 straight, 117 of 118, and 130 of the last 132 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 145 of the season’s first 146 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: Club has lost all games in 2 straight series for 1st time since 8/30-9/4/22 (0-2 vs. HOU; 0-4 at BOS)… TEX lost all games of a home series for the first time since 9/23-25/22 vs. CLE (0-3) after being swept by MIL from 8/18- 20…it also snapped a span of 5 straight winning series (5-0-0) for the Rangers…it was club’s 2nd-best streak in ’23 (6-0-0, 5/19-6/7)…club is now 7-5-0 in series since break…the span follows a 2-6-1 stretch to end the 1st “half”…is now 24-15-2 overall in series in ’23: 13-6-2 at home; 11-9-0 on the road.
- TEX has lost all games of a series just 4 times in ’23…once at home: 8/18-20 vs. MIL (0-3) and 3 times on the road: 4/24- 26 at CIN (0-3), 7/28-30 at SD (0-3), and 8/21-22 at ARI (0-2).
ON THE ROAD: TEX is 0-2 during current 9-G, 10-day road trip through ARI (0-2), MIN (4 G), and NYM (3 G), with an off day yesterday…it is the team’s third and final 3-city trip of the season (7-3 from May 5-14 at LAA/SEA/OAK, and 6-3 from May 22-31 at PIT/BAL/DET)…club has lost 7 of 11, 11 of 16, 13 of 19, 15 of 22, and 19 of last 30 away games…club is 30- 30 (.500) on the road in ’23, T6th-best away record in the A.L.
VS. MINNESOTA: This series marks the first Rangers/Twins meetings in 2023, as MIN is the last A.L. club that TEX has yet to face this season…teams will play each other 7 times in a span of 11 days (4 G at MIN: 8/24-27; 3 G vs. TEX: 9/1-3)… TEX went 5-2 vs. MIN last season, winning a season series against them for the 1st time since 2018 (4-2)…5 of 7 G in that span have been decided by 1 R…TEX is 9-12 vs. MIN since the start of 2019 and 18-23 since the start of 2016.
- TEX has won 6 of 7 and 7 of last 9 G at Target Field, taking 3 of 4 in each of the last 2 series here (5/3-6/21 and 8/19- 22/22)…TEX is 16-12 in this park since ’14.
- Teams are tied at 282-282 all-time, with the Twins holding the lead in games in MIN (150-129) and Target Field (23-22).
THE TWINKIES ARE BACK: This series features 3 Rangers who are former Twins: Robbie Grossman (2016-18), Mitch Garver (2017-21), and Martín Pérez (2019)…Grossman has slashed .297/.400/.514/.914 (11-37) with 7 XBH in his last 13 road games…Garver has reached base safely in 16 of his last 18 road games, batting .328 (21-64) with 4 HR and 15 RBI…Pérez has a 3.86 ERA w/ 2 of 3 scoreless outings since transitioning to a bullpen role at the beginning of Aug.
GOTTA SEE ‘EM ALL: Tonight will mark the first time in Bruce Bochy’s career that he will manage a game at Target Field…he has managed at least 1 regular season game at 29 of the 30 active ballparks, with a 12-17 (.414) record in his active stadium debuts…Bochy was at the helm for the Padres during a 3 G set at the Twins’ previous facility, going 2-1 from 6/17-19/05 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
A.L. CENTRAL TO GOOD THINGS: TEX has gone 17-5 (.773) against the A.L. Central this season, the highest win percentage in the Majors…TEX’s 17 wins against the A.L. Central are T4th-most in MLB for teams that aren’t in the division (20-TB, 18-BAL/TOR, 17-SEA/TEX)…club is 7-2 (.778) on the road against the A.L. Central this season, their best away record against any division in ’23.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Texas has recorded 22 defensive runs saved in 2023 (per Fangraphs), the 4th-best mark in the A.L…club finished the 2022 season with 5 DRS, the 5th-fewest in the A.L…the 17 DRS increase is T2nd-most in the A.L. so far this campaign (+24-TOR, +17-TB/TEX).
- Marcus Semien’s 12 DRS are 2nd-most among MLB second basemen (14-CLE’s Andrés Giménez)…Jonah Heim’s 7 DRS as a catcher rank 1st in A.L./2nd in MLB…Adolis García’s 6 DRS rank 6th in A.L./9th among MLB outfielders.
A TALE OF TWO AUGUSTS: The Rangers started the month of August by winning 12 of their first 14 G from 8/1-21 (including a season high 8 G winning streak from 8/1-8)…the club has since gone 0-6 from 8/16-23, good for a 12-8 record this month (still the 4th-highest win percentage in the A.L.)… here’s a look at the numbers during both stretches:
AVG OBP SLG R/G BB SO ERA ER BB SO
Aug. 1-15: .276 .347 .519 5.9 52 127 2.08 29 26 148
Aug. 16-23: .195 .265 .314 2.8 20 66 5.10 31 22 41
PICO POWER: José Leclerc comes into tonight’s game having thrown 6.0 SHO IP in his last 5 relief app., lowering his season ERA from 3.15 to 2.68, 16th in the A.L…he has recorded a 1.62 ERA (3 ER/16.2 IP) in 15 G since being activated from the 15-day IL on 7/6…Leclerc’s 1.23 road ERA (3 ER/22.0 IP) is 8th-lowest in A.L. this season (min. 22.0 IP).
LET’S GET TO WORK: Beginning tonight through Sept. 20, the Rangers will play in 26 of the next 28 days, with the only 2 off days coming during the next 11-day homestand (8/31 and 9/7)…Texas will play on 36 of a possible 39 dates on the schedule from tonight until the end of the season, with only 2 off days in the month of September (9/7 and 9/21).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #44 Andrew Heaney, LHP (9-6, 4.27)
TONIGHT: The 32-year-old left-hander is scheduled to make his 25th start of the season in tonight’s series opener with the Twins in Minneapolis…has logged a total of 5.0 innings over his last 2 starts, but is still 2-0, 2.16 ERA (4 ER/16.2 IP) with 19 SO/5 BB over 4 starts in August to cut his season ERA from 4.62 to 4.27…has gone 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA (11 ER/32.0 IP) and 29 SO/12 BB over last 7 starts, dropping his season ERA from 4.71…leads Rangers with 122 strikeouts in 2023, and 9.31 SO/9 figure ranks 14th among A.L. starting pitchers (min. 20 GS)…ranks T2nd on club with 9 wins (11-Eovaldi), as he has tied his career high for wins in a season (also 2018 w/ LAA)…has allowed team-high 19 HR, but has permitted just 2 HR in last 7 G…118.0 IP in ’23 marks 3rd-highest innings total of his career (180.0-2018, 129.2-2021)…will be working on extra 5 days’ rest after he did not factor into decision of Texas’ 9-8 defeat on Fri. vs. MIL (see below)… outing snapped streak of career-best 15.2 consecutive scoreless innings from 7/26-8/6…was on MLB Paternity List from 7/4-6 after his wife (Jordan) gave birth to twin daughters on 7/3…is in his first season with Texas after signing a two-year free agent contract with the club on 12/9/22…the 9-year MLB veteran has appeared in 160 games/149 starts with Miami (2014), Los Angeles-AL (2015-21), New York-AL (2021), Los Angeles-NL (2022), and Texas (2023)…an Oklahoma City native, Heaney pitched collegiately at Oklahoma State University before being selected by MIA in the first round (9th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft…Texas has gone 14-10 in his 24 starts this season, winning 4 of the last 5.
LAST START: Did not factor into decision of Texas’ 9-8 defeat on Fri. vs. MIL (ND, 3.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R-ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 84 pitches/55 strikes)…was scoreless thru 2.0 frames before 3-run 3rd inning, which featured 3 doubles…was removed in favor of RHP Chris Stratton with one on and 2 outs in 4th inning…exited trailing 0-3, out avoided the loss after Rangers leveled the score, 3-3, in the bottom of the 4th… Heaney’s pitch count by inning: 1st (16), 2nd (27), 3rd (25), 4th (16).
AS OF LATE: Heaney has logged a total of 5.0 innings over his last 2 starts, but is still 2-0, 2.16 ERA (4 ER/16.2 IP) with 19 SO/5 BB over 4 starts in August to cut his season ERA from 4.62 to 4.27…has gone 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA (11 ER/32.0 IP) and 29 SO/12 BB over last 7 starts, dropping his season ERA from 4.71… since allowing 7 R-ER in his Texas debut on 4/4 vs. BAL (L, 2.2 IP, 7 R-ER), Heaney has gone 9-5, 3.82 ERA (49 ER/115.1 IP) with 120 SO/46 BB over his last 23 starts (beg. 4/10)…he ranks among A.L. starters over that span (min. 20 GS) in wins (T7th), SO/9 (11th, 9.36), opp. BA (17th, .237), and ERA (19th).
VS. MINNESOTA: Has gone 1-0, 2.22 ERA (6 ER/24.1 IP) with 26 SO/8 BB over 5 games/4 starts in his career vs. Minnesota, with his teams going 5-0 in those outings…last faced Twins in start at Target Field on 4/12/22 at MIN w/ LAD (ND, 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R-0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO), a 7-2 Dodgers’ win…Heaney in 3 career games/starts at Target Field: 1-0, 2.08 ERA (4 ER/17.1 IP) with 18 SO/4 BB.
ON THE ROAD: Has seen slightly better ERA results in 9 starts on the road (3-3, 4.23 ERA) vs. 15 starts at Globe Life Field (6-3, 4.30 ERA) this season… is 2-2, 7.20 ERA (16 ER/20.0 IP) in last 5 starts away from Arlington…opponents are batting .229/.312/.458/.770 (38-166) with 9 HR on the road against .254/.336/.420/.757 (72-283) with 10 HR at Globe Life Field.
STREAKING STRIKEOUTS: Earned win in 2nd start as a Ranger on 4/10 vs. KC, recording strikeouts of 9 consecutive batters faced from the 1st through 4th innings…9 straight SO’s were the most successive SO’s by a pitcher in TEX history, snapping single-game record of 7 set by Nolan Ryan on 7/7/91 vs. LAA and overall high of 8 done by Joe Barlow from 7/24-8/2/21…according to Elias Sports Bureau, it matched the A.L. record for successive strikeouts, as he became just 3rd A.L. pitcher to do it…the others: DET’s Tyler Alexander on 8/2/20 vs. CIN-G1, and DET’s Doug Fister on 9/27/12 vs. KC…Heaney recorded 10 total SO, 18th double-digit SO game of his career (last 10 on 8/24/22 vs. MIL w/ LAD)…last TEX left-hander w/ 10+ SO in a game? Mike Minor on 8/11/19 at MIL (11 SO).
MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: Completed their two-game roadtrip in Milwaukee with two losses to the Brewers… tonight, the Twins will begin a seven-game homestand with the first of four against the
Rangers through the weekend…after this series, Minnesota will host the Guardians for three
games from Monday-Wednesday…the Twins have gone 36-26 at home and 29-36 on the road.
The Twins enter today with a 4.5 game lead on Cleveland, the biggest division lead in the AL.
Of the Twins’ 35 remaining games, they have an opponent winning percentage of .475,
the third-lowest strength of schedule in Major League Baseball…however, the combined
winning percentage of opponents over the next 19 games is .528 (Texas, Cleveland, New
York-NL and Tampa Bay).
TWINS WALKED-OFF OUT OF WISCONSIN: The Twins lost to the Brewers yesterday afternoon at American Family Field by a score of 8-7 in 10 innings, making them 10-6 in extras this season…it marked the fifth time the Twins have been swept in 2023, their first time in a two-game series…Kenta Maeda was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on four hits in 5.0 innings pitched, with two walks and six strikeouts…the bullpen combined to allow five runs in 4.2 innings of relief as Jhoan Duran was issued the loss after allowing a ground ball chopper to third base that plated the winning run…the offense recorded 10 hits, highlighted by homers from Royce Lewis (5), Kyle Farmer (7) and Michael A. Taylor (17).
ROSTER MOVE: The Twins have placed right-handed pitcher Oliver Ortega on the 15-day Injured List with a left lumbar strain…Ortega, who was recalled on Sunday, exited Tuesday night’s game in Milwaukee after sustaining the injury in the seventh inning against the Brewers…to replace Ortega on the 26-man roster, the Twins have recalled right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic from St. Paul…Balazovic, who was optioned to St. Paul on Sunday, has gone 1-0, 4.44 ERA (24.1 IP, 12 ER), 12 walks, 17 strikeouts and two holds in 18 appearances for the Twins this season.
RANGER THINGS: The Twins and Rangers are playing each other tonight for the first of seven meetings in 2023…they will play three in Texas next weekend, September 1-3…the Twins went 2-5 against the Rangers last season, going 1-2 from July 8-10 at Globe Life Field and 1-3 at Target Field from August 19-22.
Since the start of 2021, 13 of 14 games between these two have been decided by three runs-or-fewer, while eight games have been decided by one run.
Since the start of 2019, the Twins have scored 5.2 runs-per-game in 21 games against the Rangers…marks the second-most against any AL club in that span, trailing Seattle (5.8).
Carlos Correa has 20 career home runs vs. the Rangers (98 games), his most against any opponent…20 homers are the fifth most among actives, trailing Mike Trout (44), George Springer (28), Jose Altuve (27) and Nelson Cruz (23).
TEXAS STRANGER: Joey Gallo was selected by the Rangers in the 39th round of the 2012 First- Year Player Draft and spent his first 10 professional seasons in the Rangers organization, seven at the major league level with the Rangers…in 568 games for Texas (2015-21), Gallo hit .211 (385-for-1826) with 74 doubles, seven triples, 145 home runs, 317 RBI and an .833 OPS…he was an All-Star for the Rangers in 2019 and ’21 and an AL Gold Glove Award winner in 2020 and ’21…he homered as a 20-year-old Ranger farmhand in this ballpark during the SiriusXM Futures Game in 2014 and won the game’s MVP Award.
Gallo was traded away from Texas on July 29, 2021 to New York-AL, along with Joely Rodríguez and cash, in exchange for Trevor Hauver, Ezequiel Duran, Glenn Otto and Josh H. Smith.
He ranks 17th on the Rangers all-time home run list.
GROUP PROJECT: Twins starters have gone 4-1, 2.52 ERA (50.0 IP, 14 ER) with 18 walks, 52 strikeouts and a .193 opponent batting average in their last nine games…on the season, Twins starters have combined to go 38-39, 3.80 ERA (712.2 IP, 301 ER) with 184 walks, 777 strikeouts and a .238 opponent batting average…below are other Twins starting pitching ranks among the AL teams:
INNINGS QS BAA BB/9.0 FIP WHIP K’s OPS
HOU -717.0 MIN – 63 SEA – .237 SEA – 1.97 TB – 3.56 SEA – 1.12 MIN -777 SEA – .679
SEA – 716.2 SEA – 61 MIN – .238 MIN – 2.32 MIN – 3.70 MIN – 1.16 TOR – 724 TB – .682
MIN – 712.2 TOR – 58 TB – .239 TB – 2.38 SEA – 3.81 TB – 1.17 CWS – 710 MIN – .688
TEX – 702.2 HOU – 58 TOR – .242 BOS – 2.66 TEX – 4.06 TEX – 1.22 LAA – 700 TEX – .698
TOR – 696.1 TEX – 56 TEX – .243 DET – 2.68 TOR – 4.14 DET – 1.25 SEA – 676 TOR – .717
PABLO PAINTING: Pablo López enters today third in baseball in strikeouts with 187 (career high), trailing Spencer Strider (227) and Kevin Gausman (195)…he is on pace to strike out 238 batters, which would land him in a tie with Johan Santana (2005) for fifth on the Twins’ single-season all-time list…the top four are Johan Santana — 265 in 2004, Bert Blyleven — 258 in 1973, Blyleven — 249 in 1974 and Santana — 245 in 2006…the last Twin with 200+ strikeouts was José Berríos with 202 in 2018.
MAKING A TARGET RUN: The Twins are playing their sixth home series since the All-Star break and have gone 10-4 in 14 games since…they are 36-26 at home this season, tied for seventh-most home wins in baseball…Twins batters have slashed .252/.328/.446 with a .774 OPS and 4.7 runs-per-game in 62 home games this season, compared to .228/.308/.391 with a .699 OPS and 4.2 runs-per-game in 65 road games.
ROYCE ROLLS: After starting the season hitting .182 (6-for-33) with a .576 OPS in his first eight games, Royce Lewis has hit .360 (32- for-89) with a .901 OPS in his last 25 games, including six three-plus-hit games…among all rookies in the AL with a minimum of 125
plate appearances, Lewis ranks first in batting average (.311), second in runs created-per-27 (6.87), sixth in OPS+ (124.7) and OPS (.816), and eighth in wOBA (.356).
STARTING PITCHER – #49 PABLO LóPEZ
2023: 9-6, 3.51 ERA CAREER: 37-37, 3.84 ERA
Making his 26th start and appearance and 12th home start of 2023…also his 120th career appearance (all starts) in his sixth major league season (Miami – 2018-22).
Has not allowed a run in his last three starts (19.0 IP), his longest career scoreless streak and the longest by a Twin this season.
Facing Texas for the second time in his career; took the loss in his only previous start vs. the Rangers on July 21, 2022 with Miami (5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R/ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 6 K).
Acquired by the Twins from Miami on January 20, 2023, along with infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez.
SCORELESS STREAK: López has pitched 19.0-consecutive scoreless innings, the longest scoreless streak of his career and the longest by a Twins pitcher this season…marks the longest scoreless streak by a Twins’ starter since Kyle Gibson pitched 22.0-straight scoreless innings from June 2-18, 2014.
TOP SHELF: Here are López’s 2023 numbers and how they rank among qualified American League starters: STATISTIC LÓPEZ’s #s AL RANK
Strikeouts………………………………………………. 187 …………………………………………………………… 2nd
WAR……………………………………………………….. 4.2 ……………………………………………………………..3rd
FIP………………………………………………………… 3.17……………………………………………………………..4th
Innings Pitched……………………………………… 153.2 ……………………………………………………………5th
Opponent Batting Average……………………….. .226 …………………………………………………………….5th
LAST TIME OUT: Won his fourth-consecutive start on August 18 vs. Pittsburgh, a 5-1 Twins’ victory at Target Field…pitched 6.0 scoreless innings with six hits allowed, two walks and seven strikeouts… allowed leadoff baserunners in four of his first 5.0 innings pitched but did not yield a run…stranded six runners in scoring position in his start, with opposing batters going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts with runners in scoring position…was relieved by Caleb Thielbar in the top of the seventh inning; four Twins’ relievers held the Pirates to one run as Minnesota won the three-game series opener.
Won four-straight starts for the first time in his career…owns a 0.36 ERA (25.0 IP, 1 ER) on his
current streak…his four-game win streak is tied for the longest of his career (4-0 in 7 GS from July 6, 2021-April 27, 2022 with Miami)…with a win tonight, López would tie Joe Ryan’s five- start win streak from April 2-25 for the most-consecutive wins by a Twins’ pitcher this season.
TWO STARTS AGO: Earned his third-straight win, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with four hits allowed, one walk and seven strikeouts in the Twins’ 8-1 victory over Philadelphia on August 12 at Citizens Bank Park…did not allow a hit until Nick Castellanos singled with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning…yielded two singles in the fifth but stranded both runners…retired Castellanos and Bryson Stott to end his outing after Bryce Harper doubled with one out in the sixth inning…three Twins reliev- ers held the Phillies to one run and Minnesota tallied 11 hits to even the three-game series at 1-1.
Set new single-season career highs for quality starts (15) and strikeouts (180), surpassing his 2022 totals (14 QS, 174 K).
PABLO VS. TEXAS: Facing the Rangers for the second time in his career tonight…took the loss in his only previous start vs. Texas on July 21, 2022, an 8-0 Marlins’ defeat at loanDepot Park; allowed five runs on five hits (1 HR) in 5.0 innings pitched, with three walks and six strikeouts…allowed consecutive RBI singles in the third inning to Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim and Adolis García, who later hit a two-run homer off López in the fifth.
In four starts vs. American League West opponents this season (SEA – 2, OAK – 1, LAA – 1), he is 0-2 with a 4.94 ERA (23.2 IP, 13 ER), nine walks and 31 strikeouts…owns a 4.62 ERA (39.0 IP, 20 ER) with 16 walks and 47 strikeouts in seven career starts vs. the AL West.
TARGET ACQUIRED: Making his second-straight home start after three-consecutive road outings…in 11 home starts this season, López is 4-2, 4.30 ERA (69.0 IP, 33 ER) with 19 walks and 87 strikeouts… Twins are 8-3 in his 11 starts at Target Field in 2023…here are his numbers in his last five home starts compared to his first six:
STATISTIC LAST 5 HOME GS FIRST 6 HOME GS
ERA ………………………………………………………. 2.41 …………………………………………………………. 6.11
WHIP……………………………………………………… 0.98 …………………………………………………………. 1.30
Opponent Batting Average……………………….. .210 …………………………………………………………. .256
Walks-per-9.0 Innings……………………………… 1.87 …………………………………………………………. 3.06
In 61 career home starts, he is 18-17, 3.62 ERA (353.0 IP, 142 ER) with 98 walks and 355 strikeouts… is 19-20, 4.08 ERA (310.2 IP, 141 ER) with 83 walks and 321 strikeouts in 58 career road starts.
RIGHT ON: López has limited right-handed hitters to a .201 (59-for-293) batting average this sea- son, with righties going 1-for-9 with five strikeouts against him in his last start on August 18 vs. Pittsburgh…his 109 strikeouts against righties are tied for fourth most in the American League this year…his .201 opponent batting average vs. righties this season ranks tied for sixth in the AL (min. 20 GS)…left-handed hitters are batting .253 (71-for-281) against him in 2023, going 5-for-13 with two strikeouts against him in his last outing.
Has better career numbers against righties (.646 OPS) than lefties (.737 OPS).
PITCH BREAKDOWN: Has used a five-pitch mix in 2023, per Baseball Savant…has primarily used his sweeper and sinker against right-handed hitters, favoring his changeup and curveball against lefthanded hitters…recorded four strikeouts with his sweeper in his last start on August 18 vs. Pittsburgh, tied for his most in any game this season (also, April 5 at Miami)…here is a look at his 2023 arsenal:
PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
4-Seam Fastball (94.9)………….35.1% (839 pitches, 385/454)….. .232 (42-for-181), 10 2B, 7 HR, 69 K Sweeper (84.3)…………………….. 20.8% (498 pitches, 362/136).. .178 (21-for-118), 3 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 44 K Changeup (88.3)…………………..20.7% (494 pitches, 176/318).. .234 (33-for-141), 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 36 K Curveball (82.5)……………………. 12.9% (307 pitches, 73/234) … .233 (17-for-73), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 33 K Sinker (94.4) ………………………….10.5% (251 pitches, 246/5)……. .283 (17-for-60), 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 K
In his first 25 starts this year, López has an average fastball velocity of 94.8 mph, a 2.1 mph increase from last season and the largest year-to-year jump of his career
STRIKEOUT SAVANT: Ranks second in the American League with 187 strikeouts this year (TOR’s Kevin Gausman – 195)…owns a 10.95 strikeouts-per-9.0-innings ratio in 2023, the highest in Twins history (1961-) among qualified pitchers…is on pace to strike out 238 batters; would be the fifth-highest single-season total in Twins history, trailing only two Johan Santana seasons (265 – 2004, 245 – 2006) and two Bert Blyleven seasons (258 – 1973, 249 – 1974).
QUALITY ASSURED: Has recorded a quality start in eight of his last 10 outings and has posted 16 quality starts this season, the most on the Twins’ staff and tied for the fourth most in the American League with TOR’s Chris Bassitt…his 16 quality starts are the most by a Twin since José Berríos had 21 in 2019.
CUTTING TO THE CHASE: López has a career-high 34.3 chase percentage in 2023, placing him in the 94th percentile in baseball, according to Baseball Savant…his chase rate ranks first on the Twins staff and 22nd in the majors…also has a career-high 51.5 percent swing rate and 30.1 percent whiff rate in 2023.
