TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas took the series opener against Toronto yesterday, 10-4, as club begins this 7-G, 7-day road trip through TOR (1-0 + 3 G) and CLE (3 G)…team is riding a 3-G winning streak, longest since a season high 8-G streak to begin August (8/1-8)…3 straight wins come after snapping a 4-G losing skid on Sat…club is 4-4 in last 8 G and 4-7 in last 11 G after winning 3 of previous 4 contests from 8/26-29… club is 7-16 (.304) in last 23 G beg. 8/16, T3rd-lowest win pct. in MLB over that span (COL/KC-.217, 5-18; CWS/TEX-.304, 7-16)…the 7-16 span began with a season-long 8-G losing streak from 8/16-25, 2nd-longest for Texas since start of ’22 (0-9, 8/27-9/5/22)…club has 79 wins, most since 2016 (95 wins), and an 11-win improvement over 2022 (68)…team has dropped 17 of 26 and is 11-18 since a season-best 8-G win streak (8/1-8), longest for club since going 10-0, 5/9-19/17… have gone 21-25 in last 46 G since a 6-G win streak (7/14-19) out of the break…team is 27-25 (.519) in the 2nd “half”, 7thbest record in the A.L…TEX is 28-27 in last 55 G, 29-31 in last 60 G, and 30-33 in last 63 G…team was also 12-19 over a 31-G span from 6/7-7/9 to end the 1st “half”. At 79-64 (.552), TEX has the 5th-best record in the A.L. and 8th-best in MLB…79 wins also rank T5th in A.L./T8th in MLB. The 79-64 mark is still the 9th-best 143-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (beg. 1961), and club’s best 143-G start since 2016 (85-58).
WITH A WIN TONIGHT, Texas would:
- Win a 4th straight game for the first time since a season high 8-G winning streak to begin August (8/1-8). Secure a season series win against the Blue Jays (currently 3-1 + 3 G)…postseason tiebreakers are first determined by the result of the season series between the tied teams. Record win no. 80, the team’s highest season win total in last 7 years (95 wins in 2016).
STANDINGS: The Rangers are in 2nd place in the A.L. West for the first time in the last 8 days, now 2.0 GB of 1st place HOU…club was season-high 3.0 GB for 5 straight days from 9/6-10…club was alone or tied atop the division for 148 of season’s 1st 149 days (3/30-8/26), including sole possession of 1st place for 111 consecutive days from 5/6-8/24…TEX has a 7-16 record over last 23 games/26 days, falling from a 3.5-G division lead…club held season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win 6/23 at NYY. TEX currently sits 3rd in the A.L. Wild Card standings for the 1st time since 9/4, 0.5 GA of 4th-place SEA…TEX has made the postseason as a Wild Card once in franchise history (2012 at 93-69).
SERIES STUFF: Rangers took the series opener yesterday for the first time in last 4 tries (last 8/28 at NYM), and their 2nd consecutive win in road series openers (4-2 record in last 6 road series openers)…prior to current 2-5-0 series span, club had a 5-0-0 stretch from 8/1-16 that was 2nd-best streak in 2023 (6-0-0, 5/19-6/7)…team is 26-18-2 overall in series in 2023: 14-8-2 at home; 12-10-0 on the road…TEX holds a 3-2-0 record in last 5 road series dating back to the beginning of August.
ON THE ROAD: TEX tonight plays the 2nd of 14 road games this month, traveling to TOR (1-0 + 3 G) and CLE (3 G) during this 7-day, 7-game road trip…club went 7-8 during road games in Aug…club has won 4 of 6, but has lost 7 of 11, 11 of 19, 15 of 24, 17 of 27, 19 of 30, and 23 of last 38 away games…team has a 34-34 (.500) away record in ’23, 7th in the A.L…club began the year with a 19-11 road record, and has gone 15-23 (.378) beg. 5/31, 4th-lowest in A.L. and 7th-lowest in MLB over that span.
VS. TORONTO: After TEX’s win last night (plus taking 2 of 3 vs. TOR from 6/16-18 in Arlington), club needs just 1 win in the next 3 G to take the season series against the Blue Jays for the 1st time since 2012 (6-3)…TEX has dropped 8 of 13 and 13 of 22 since start of 2019…since start of 2007, Rangers are 21-33 at Rogers entre, going 3-12-2 in 17 series here over that span (not including Buffalo in 2021)…have lost 7 of last 8 series at Rogers Centre, with lone win coming in 2018 (2-1 from 4/27-29/18).
STREAK STOPPER: Dane Dunning notched his career high 10th win of the season last night, turning in his 11th quality start of 2023 (6.0 IP, 3 R-ER, 3 BB, 7 SO), the first by a Ranger since 9/1 vs. MIN (Scherzer)…Dunning’s win also snapped a 22-G winless streak by TEX starters (previously Montgomery on 8/15 vs. LAA)…it was the longest span without a win by a starter in Rangers history (previously 17 G from 6/1-18/13).
GET THE FIRST ONE(S) QUICKLY: Evan Carter went 2-for-4 with a HR, RBI, and 2 R yesterday, becoming the 11th youngest Ranger (21-013) to hit his first career HR (the
youngest is Jurickson Profar at 19-195 on 9/2/12 at CLE)… Carter is also the youngest Ranger to hit a HR since Nomar Mazara did so on 5/7/16 vs. DET (21-011)…yesterday also marked Carter’s first career multi-hit game. Carter is also the first player to debut with the Rangers and have multiple OF assists within his first 4 career games.
HEIM TIME: Jonah Heim went 2-for-5 yesterday, launching his 2nd grand slam of the season (3rd career) and tying his career high 5 RBI (done 3x, last 6/4/23 vs. SEA)… Heim’s 82 RBI this season are now the most by a catcher in franchise history not named Iván Rodríguez, as “Pudge” holds the top 4 instances (113 in ’99, 91 in ’98, 86 in ’96, and 83 in ’00).
BALK (AND WALK) THIS WAY: Mitch Garver scored TEX’s first run of the game yesterday on a disengagement violation/ balk by TOR starter Chris Bassitt in the 2nd inning…it marked the 2nd balk credited to TEX against TOR this season (also on 6/17/23 by Bowden Francis)…TOR is now tied w/ PIT for most balks against TEX in 2023. Yesterday’s 9 BB by TEX batters marked a season high (previously 8 BB, 5x, last 8/14/23 vs. LAA)…it is the first 9 BB game by TEX since 7/10/21 vs. OAK.
PUNCH OUT ROYALTY: Max Scherzer is MLB’s active career leader in strikeouts (3,365), ranking 11th on the all-time strikeouts list…having passed Phil Niekro (3,342) for 11th alltime on 8/20 vs. MIL w/ TEX, Scherzer is 6 SO shy of tying Greg Maddux (3,371) for 10th place all-time…Scherzer’s 51 SO in his first 7 GS w/ TEX are T2nd-most in franchise history in a pitcher’s first 7 G with the club (63-Nolan Ryan; also 51-Yu Darvish).
SHORTS: After securing his 40th multi-hit game of the season yesterday, Corey Seager now sits at 999 career hits… Marcus Semien’s 110 runs scored lead the A.L., as he is 13 R shy of tying his career high (123 R in 2019)…Aroldis Chapman’s 1,140 relief strikeouts rank 11th in MLB history, just 2 SO shy of tying Francisco Rodríguez (1,142) for 10th place on the all-time list…TEX now has 10+ R in 24 G this season, 1 G shy of tying the club record of 25 G in 2008…Leody Taveras has recorded a hit in 8 of his last 9 G, batting .424 (14- 33) with 3 2B, 2 RBI, and a .987 OPS.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #31 Max Scherzer, RHP (12-6, 3.91)
TONIGHT: The 3-time Cy Young Award winner (2013, 2016-17) and 8-time All-Star will make his 8th start as a Ranger in tonight’s game..acquired from the Mets, along with cash considerations, in exchange for INF/OF Luisangel Acuña on 7/30, and added to TEX’s active roster on 8/1…will pitch on 5 days’ rest after surrendering a season-high 7 ER in 3.0 IP on Wed. vs. HOU (L, 3.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3 HR, 60 pitches/40 strikes)…went 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA (9 ER/36.2 IP), 12 BB/47 SO, .150 opp. BA (19-127) over his 1st 6 GS w/ TEX…according to Stathead, his 2.21 ERA was the 2nd-lowest ever by a pitcher in his first 6 GS in WAS/TEX franchise history, trailing only 1.84 ERA (11 ER/53.2 IP) by Fergie Jenkins over his first 6 GS of the 1974 season… his 47 SO w/ TEX were also the 2nd-most ever by a Ranger in his first 6 GS with the club (52-Nolan Ryan in 1989)…his 6.0 SHO IP on 9/1 vs. MIN marked Scherzer’s 65th career app. with 6.0+ SHO IP, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry (64) for the 19th-most such outings in baseball’s Modern Era (beg. 1901)…it was also his 12th career outing of 6.0+ IP and one-or-zero hits allowed, T5th-most all-time behind only Nolan Ryan (30), Randy Johnson (17), Verlander (17), and Bob Feller (15)…Scherzer is MLB’s active leader in career strikeouts (3,365), and is one of only 19 pitchers to reach 3,000+ K’s in MLB history…the 39-year-old is the oldest pitcher to start a game for TEX since Bartolo Colon on 9/5/18 vs. LAA (45 years, 104 days)…also ranks among active ML leaders in win pct. (2nd, .664), SO/9 (2nd, 10.70), wins (3rd, 213), ERA (3rd, 3.15), starts (3rd, 447), innings (3rd, 2829.1), and WHIP (3rd, 1.08)…originally selected by Arizona in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2006 MLB draft out of the University of Missouri…has spent 16 Major League seasons with ARI (2008-09), DET (2010-14), WAS (2015-2021), LAD (2021), NYM (2022-23), and TEX (2023)…Texas/New York-NL
have gone 16-10 in his 26 starts this season (4-3 w/ TEX and 12-7 w/ NYM).
LAST START: Will pitch on 5 days’ rest after surrendering a season-high 7 ER in 3.0 IP on Wed. vs. HOU (L, 3.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3 HR, 60 pitches/40 strikes)… all 7 R came on 3 HR spread across the 1st (2-R, Yordan Alvarez), 2nd (solo, Michael Brantley), and 3rd innings (grand slam, José Abreu), his 4th outing of ’23 in which he has allowed 3+ HR (last 4 HR on 7/22 at BOS w/ NYM)…faced former Mets (2023) and Tigers (2010-14) teammate Justin Verlander for the 1st time in his career…the 3.0 IP tied a season low for Scherzer (also 4/19 at LAD w/ NYM).
VS. TORONTO: Owns a lifetime 4-3 record, 2.48 ERA (20 ER/72.2 IP), and 81 SO/17 BB in 11 G/GS vs. TOR, but is winless (0-3) in his last 5 GS vs. TOR (since 8/9/14)… last faced them on 4/27/21 w/ WSH (L, 5.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R-5 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 5 SO)…has lasted 5.0-or-more innings in all 11 GS vs. TOR (including 10+ SO in 3 of last 5 GS).
TEXAS: Is 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA (16 ER/39.2 IP), 14 BB/51 SO, .175 opp. BA (25-143) over his 1st 7 starts w/ TEX…according to Stathead, his 2.21 ERA over his first 6 GS w/ TEX was the 2nd-lowest ever by a pitcher in his first 6 GS in WSH/TEX history, trailing only 1.84 ERA (11 ER/53.2 IP) by Fergie Jenkins over his first 6 GS of the 1974 campaign…his 47 SO with TEX were also the 2nd-most ever by a Ranger in his first 6 GS with the club (52-Nolan Ryan in 1989)…was just the 3rd pitcher in club history to earn wins in each of his first 3 starts with the team, joining Aaron Sele (1998) and Jamie Moyer (1989)…earned win in TEX debut on 8/3 vs. CWS (6.0 IP, 3 R-ER), as 9 SO in that game were most in a TEX debut since Jamie Moyer on 4/8/89 vs. TOR (13 SO).
NEW YORK-NL: Went 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA (48 ER/107.2 IP), 121 SO/30 BB, and a .240 opp. BA over 19 G/GS with the Mets this season, ranking among N.L. leaders in SO/9 (8th, 10.11), BR/9 (8th, 10.95), SO/BB ratio (9th, 4.03), WHIP (9th, 1.19), and wins (T9th)…earned win in final start w/ Mets on 7/28 vs. WAS…Scherzer in his 2 seasons in NY: 20-9, 3.02 in 42 G/GS w/ 294 SO in 253.0 IP.
2023: Opponents have batted .223/.284/.411/.695 (123-552) against Scherzer this season, including opp. BA’s of .220 (60-273) vs. RHB and .226 (63-279) vs. LHB… has allowed at least one HR in 16 of 26 GS and 2+ HR in 7 GS, as 1.71 HR/9 figure is 6th-highest among MLB qualifiers…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.205, 43-210), 2nd (.211, 44-209), 3rd (.269, 35-130), and 4th+ (1-3)…his 70.1% 1st-pitch strike pct. is the highest among MLB qualifiers and would be the 3rd-highest mark of career (71.3% in 2015 and 70.4% in 2019)…season-high 8.0 IP on 6/19 at HOU (W, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER)…recorded his 111th career double-digit strikeout game on 6/7 at ATL, moving ahead of Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez for 3rd place all-time…in his TEX debut on 8/3 vs. CWS, generated 21 swing-and-miss strikes (Statcast), his 2nd-highest whiff total of the season (22 on 6/1 vs. PHI w/ NYM).
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays allowed 11 hits and nine walks as they fell, 10-4, to the Rangers in the 1st of four games last night…Dropped to 26-21 in series openers for the season, ending a streak of four straight such wins. Toronto has still won eight of its last 11 games, 13 of its last 21, and is 26-19 across its last 45…Enters today holding the 2nd AL Wild Card spot, a half-game up on tonight’s opponent, the Texas Rangers (79-64), and one game ahead of the Mariners (79-65).
BIG-GIO FLIES: Cavan Biggio led off the bottom of the 9th inning with bomb to right field…Was his 9th homer of the season, six of which have come in the 8th or 9th inning, which is tied for 3rd most in the AL (Shohei Ohtani – 9; Anthony Volpe – 7). The 28-year-old also walked and scored in the 1st, and later drove in a run with a sac fly in the 6th, finishing the game 1-for-2 with two RBI…Now has 52 hits to equal his total from last season…Over his last 67 games, has gone 44-for-166 (.265) with 35 runs scored, eight doubles, seven home runs, 29 RBI, and 26 walks (.817 OPS).
KIRK CONNECTING: Alejandro Kirk got Toronto on the board in the 2nd inning last night with an RBI single, finishing the night 1-for-4…Over his last 36 games, has batted .301 (34- for-113) with nine doubles, three home runs, 15 RBI, and a 16BB/13K ratio (.849 OPS)…His 0.88 BB/K rate for the season is 7th best among AL hitters (min. 300 PA).
KIERMAIER KEYING IN: Kevin Kiermaier drew a walk in the 2nd and doubled in the 5th last night, finishing the night 1-for-3…Over his last 11 games, is batting .343 (12-for-35) with three doubles, a triple, two homers, and four RBI (1.067 OPS)…Now owns a .773 OPS on the year, the 2nd highest of his career (.788 in 2017).
The Fort Wayne, IN, native has now racked up an AL-high 78 hits while batting 9th this season (2nd: Leody Taveras – 75), the most by a Blue Jay since Homer Bush’s 78 knocks in 1999.
A SPRING IN HIS STEP: George Springer was the only Blue Jay to record multiple hits last night…Plated a run in the 2nd inning with an RBI single before singling again in the 5th, finishing 2-for-4…Marked his 39th multi-hit game of the year…Over his last 32 games, is batting .325 (40-for-123) with 22 runs scored, eight doubles, six homers, 22 RBI, and an 18BB/25K ratio (.942 OPS)… HIs .359 (14-for-39) batting average for September is 4th best among AL hitters (min. 30 AB).
HOT DOG: Davis Schneider singled and scored Toronto’s 1st run last night…Among Blue Jays through their first 24 career games, ranks 1st in times on base (49), 1st in walks (19), T-2nd in home runs (7), 2nd in extra-base hits (17), T-3rd in RBI (19), and T-7th in hits (28)…Is now batting .364 (28-for-77) with a .500 OBP…Since making his debut on Aug. 4, leads the Majors in OBP and OPS (1.279) while sitting 3rd in SLG (.779) and 5th in AVG (min. 50 PA).
HORWITZ HITS: Spencer Horwitz entered last night’s game a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning last night and promptly singled and scored a run…Over 10 Major League games, has gone 8-for-26 (.308) with a double, a homer, four RBI, and three walks (.862 OPS).
TEN DAYS AT THE DOME: The Blue Jays are in the midst of a 10-day, 10-game homestand (3-1 so far)…Have gone 38-30 this season at Rogers Centre…The .551 win% at home ranks 6th in the AL…After this four-game set with the Rangers, will welcome in the Red Sox (73-70) for three dates over the weekend. Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home OBP (.330), 5th in home AVG (.254), 8th in home OPS (.736), and 11th in home SLG (.406)…The pitching staff ranks 2nd among AL teams with 3.50 home ERA (1st: SEA – 3.44), while sitting 3rd with a .226 home opponents’ average and 3rd with a 1.19 home WHIP.
RYU SO STEADY: Hyun Jin Ryu gets the ball tonight looking to improve on his 3-2 record…Has gone 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA (10 ER/34.0 IP) and a 1.06 WHIP while keeping hitters to a .219 AVG in seven starts since returning from Tommy John surgery…Has not allowed more than two earned runs in any start since giving up four in his season debut on Aug. 1 vs. BAL.
PITCHING IN: Toronto pitchers have combined for an MLB-leading 3.72 ERA this season (2nd: SEA – 3.75)… The 3.72 ERA is currently 5th best in team history and the club’s best since 2008 (3.49)…Have recorded 1,348 strikeouts, trailing only Atlanta (1,362) and Minnesota (1,351) for the most in MLB…Rank 4th in the AL in opponents’ batting average (.239) and 5th in WHIP (1.24)…The rotation has recorded 63 quality starts, 4th most in the AL (T-6th in MLB)…According to Stats Perform, Toronto has gone a franchise-record 76 straight games with its starter allowing five or fewer earned runs dating back to June 14.
RISP-Y BUSINESS: The Blue Jays have gone 42-for-111 (.378) with runners in scoring position across their last 11 games, including 12 extra-base hits and 49 RBI (.455 OBP, .951 OPS)…Since the calendar flipped to August, the Blue Jays sport an AL-best .326 batting average (101-for-310) with RISP…Have raised their season RISP average to .261, 6th best among AL clubs, and three points higher than last season’s mark (.258 in 2022).
HITTING IT: Toronto batters have notched 1,283 hits this season, 4th most in the AL (5th in MLB)…Are 2nd in the junior circuit in OBP (.333), 4th in team AVG (.260), 7th in OPS (.753), and 8th in SLG (.420).
VS. THE RANGERS: All-Time: 227-219
2023: 1-3 Home: 128-90
Home: 0-1 Rogers Centre: 78-66
The Blue Jays dropped two of three games when they met the Rangers in Texas in June…Went 4-2 against them last season, taking two of the three games here at Rogers Centre. Bo Bichette went 3-for-12 (.250) on three doubles while driving in two runs during the three games in Texas earlier this year…Is a career 25-for-79 (.316) with nine doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 13 RBI across 19 meetings (.957 OPS).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits to go with an RBI and a pair of walks in Texas in June…Over 22 career matchups, has batted .286 (24-for-84) with five doubles, four home runs, and 13 RBI (.843 OPS). George Springer leads all current Blue Jays with 110 career contests vs. the Rangers…Has gone 118-for440 (.268) with 16 doubles, one triple, 28 home runs, and 67 RBI for an .857 OPS.
STARTING PITCHER – Hyun Jin Ryu, LHP #99
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 8th start of the season and his 4th at Rogers Centre…Took his 2nd loss of the year his last time out, on 9/6 at OAK, allowing 2 runs over 5.0 innings (5H, BB, 5K)…Has pitched at least 5.0 frames in 6 of his 7 big league starts this season. Over his last 6 starts, has posted a 3-1 record and a 1.86 ERA (6 ER/29.0 IP) with a 0.90 WHIP while holding hitters to a .178 average…His 1.86 ERA since 8/7 is the 3rd-best mark in the Majors (min. 25.0IP), trailing only Pablo López (1.64) and Charlie Morton (1.85). His 3.11 ERA since the start of 2018 is the 12th-best mark in the Majors (min. 500 IP)…Among active pitchers with 1000+ IP, his career 3.24 ERA is 6th best.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Took a no-decision on 9/1 at COL, giving up 2 runs over 5.0 innings of work (4H, 2BB, 3K). Earned his 3rd win of the year on 8/26 vs. CLE, pitching 5.0+ innings while surrendering 3R/2ER on 4 hits with no walks and 5 strikeouts…Induced a season-high 11 swing-and-misses…Recorded double-digit whiffs for the 1st time since racking up 13 on 10/3/21 vs. BAL. Allowed no earned runs in 3 straight starts from 8/7-20, the 2nd time he’s done so in his career (also: 3G from 5/7-19/19)…Became just the 8th player in Blue Jays history to accomplish the feat (excluding openers). Won his 2nd game of the year on 8/20 at CIN, giving up a pair of unearned runs over 5.0 innings (4H, BB, 7K). Picked up his 1st win of the season on 8/13 vs. CHC, tossing 5.0 innings of ER-free ball (2 unearned runs) with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts… Was his 1st victory since 5/26/22 at LAA, a span of 444 days. Threw 4.0 no-hit frames on 8/7 at CLE, issuing one walk with a pair of strikeouts…Was removed from the game with a right knee contusion. Made his season debut on 8/1 vs. BAL, giving up 4 runs over 5.0+ frames with 9 hits, a walk, and 3 strikeouts…Was his 50th career start in a Blue Jays uniform. Began the season on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2022. Was sent on a rehab assignment to the FCL Blue Jays and made one start on 7/4, pitching 3.0 innings of one-run ball on 4 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts. Made one start with Single-A Dunedin on 7/9, tossing 4.0 shutout innings with 3 hits, no walks, and a strikeout. Started for Triple-A Buffalo on 7/15, going 5.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits while walking none and recording 5 strikeouts. On 7/21, made a 2nd start with Buffalo, tossing 6.0 innings of 2-run ball, scattering 3 hits and a walk with 5 punchouts.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on 12/12/12 after 7 seasons with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization (98-52, 2.98 ERA, 190 G, 180 GS, 27 CG, 8 SHO, 1269.0 IP, 383 BB, 1,238 K). Led all Major League pitchers in 2019 with a 2.32 ERA and finished 2nd in NL Cy Young voting…Set a career mark with 163 strikeouts. Finished 3rd in 2020 AL Cy Young voting and was named to the All-MLB Second Team in his 1st season as a Blue Jay.
VS. THE RANGERS:
Facing the Rangers for the 1st time this season and the 4th time in his career…His last start vs. TEX came on 4/10/22 at Rogers Centre, giving up 6 runs over 3.1 innings (5H, 2BB, 4K)…One of his 4 career complete games came against the Rangers on 7/18/21 at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, tossing 7.0 shutout frames with 3 hits, a walk, and 4 punchouts.
