TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays trailed, 6-1, in the 5th inning on Sunday against the Twins, but rallied for six unanswered runs to take their weekend finale by a 7-6 final…Was their 11th multi-run comeback win of the year, trailing only the Reds (12) for the most in MLB…Are now 11-6 (.647%) in one-run games this season, the 3rd-best win % in the Majors (MIA – .773, MIL – .714). Toronto has won eight of its last 11 games, 10 of its last 14, and 11 of its last 16 contests…Can improve to 13-9 in series openers with a win tonight.
CLUTCH CAVAN: Cavan Biggio delivered the decisive blow on Sunday, blasting a three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning to put the Blue Jays in front, 7-6…Was his 5th longball of the year…The ball travelled 423 feet to center field, the 2nd-longest homer of his career (429ft on July 27, 2019 vs. TB)…Marked his 2nd career go-ahead homer in the 8th inning or later (8th inn. on July 29, 2019 at KC)…Also singled and scored in the 5th inning, part of a 2-for-4 afternoon, his 4th multi-hit game of the year…Over his last 14 contests, has gone 10-for-34 (.294) with seven runs scored, four extrabase hits, and seven RBI (.385 OBP, .973 OPS).
FEELING CHAPPY: Matt Chapman went deep for the 9th time this year, swatting a two-run shot over the left field wall in the 5th inning…Also plated a run with a sac fly in the 1st, finishing the game 1-for-3 with a trio of RBI’s. The third baseman currently leads the AL in doubles (23) and sits 3rd in extra-base hits (32)… Ranks 2nd among MLB hitters with a 61.3 hard-hit percentage (1st: Aaron Judge – 62.6), 4th in hardhit balls (106), 5th in barrel rate (12.0%), and 7th in average exit velocity (94.0 MPH).
A SPRING IN HIS STEP: George Springer singled, walked twice, and scored a run as he went 1-for-3 on Sunday…Has reached base safely at least three times in a game out of the leadoff spot on 11 occasions this season, tied for 4th most among AL hitters. Since May 19th, the Connecticut native has gone 28- for-87 (.322) with seven doubles, a triple, four home runs, 10 RBI, and 11 walks during his 23 contests… Over that span, ranks T-1st among AL hitters in times on base (40), while sitting 6th in OPS (.967) and 8th in OBP (.404).
HARD-HITTING FACTS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled in the 1st and 3rd innings on Sunday, finishing the day 2-for-5 with an RBI… Was his 17th multi-hit game of the season…His 71 hits are tied for 5th most in the AL…Has recorded an AL-leading 117 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 125 for the most in MLB.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Blue Jays are off on a three-city, nine-day road trip…Own a 18-17 road record this season for a .514 win% (6th in the AL)…After this trio of games against the O’s, will head out for three contests each against the Rangers (41-24) and Marlins (37-30). Blue Jays hitters lead the American League with 329 road hits (2nd: TEX – 312) and in road AVG (.265)…Rank 2nd among AL clubs in road OBP (.331),
road SLG (.437), and road OPS (.768)…The pitching staff ranks 11th in the AL in road ERA (4.31), 12th in road opponents’ average (.256), and 12th in road WHIP (1.35).
SAVE IT: Jordan Romano locked down his 18th save of the year on Sunday, tossing a scoreless 9th inning with a walk and a strikeout…Has picked up a save in each of his last eight appearances (1 ER/8.0 IP)…The 18 saves are 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase (20).
LAYING OFF THE DONUTS: The Blue Jays have notched 611 hits this season, behind only Texas (622) for the most in the Majors… Are currently 2nd in the AL in team AVG (.263), 3rd in OBP (.333), 5th in OPS (.754), 6th in SLG (.421), and 6th in extra-base hits (204). The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have gone 85 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 67G)…Is their longest such streak since scoring in 85 consecutive games from May 19-Aug. 23, 2000.
DIVISIONAL DOWNTURN: The Blue Jays have gone 6-15 against divisional opponents this season (5th among AL East clubs)… Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006. (43-31).
VS. THE ORIOLES: All-Time: 384-324
2023: 0-3 Road: 171-180
Road: 0-0 Camden Yards: 132-122
The Blue Jays were swept by the Orioles in their three-game set at Rogers Centre last month, losing the last two contests in extra innings…Have gone 17-7 over their last 24 visits to Camden Yards, averaging 7.3 runs per game with a +56 run differential. Bo Bichette notched four hits and an RBI in the earlier three-game series vs. BAL this year (4-for-14)…Over 49 career games against the O’s, has batted .324 (66-for-204) with 12 doubles, 10 homers, 35 RBI, and 20 multi-hit efforts (.896 OPS). George Springer had multiple hits in each of the three games against Baltimore last month, going 6-for-13 (.462) with a double, a home run, and three RBI… Has met the O’s 66 times in his career, hitting .327 (88-for-269) with 18 doubles, 18 homers, and 48 RBI for a .595 SLG% and a .983 OPS. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a career .321 hitter (87-for271) in 66 games vs. BAL, notching 13 doubles, 22 homers, and 53 RBI (.613 SLG, .986 OPS)…His 43 hits at Camden Yards are his 2nd most in a road park in his career (Fenway Park – 49).
STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 14th start of the season and his 8th on the road…Picked up the win his last time out, on 6/7 vs. HOU, tossing 8.0 frames of 2-run ball with 4 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts on just 81 pitches (58 strikes)…Marked his 10th quality start of the year, matching teammate Kevin Gausman and 4 others for the most in the American League. Ranks 4th in the AL with a .197 opponent average this year…Has held opposing RHH to a .156 AVG, the lowest mark in the Majors. Over his last 12 starts, has gone 7-3 with a 2.40 ERA (21 ER/78.2 IP) and a 0.94 WHIP.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Earned his 6th win of the year on 6/2 at NYM, throwing 7.2 frames of shutout ball with 3 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts…Returned home immediately after his start for the birth of his son, Colson, and was placed on the Paternity List from 6/3-6/5.
Allowed 6 runs (2 earned) across 6.1 frames of work on 5/22 at TB…Had his career-best scoreless innings streak ended at 28.0…Marked the 2ndlongest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens: 33.0 IP from 8/15-9/5/98), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb: 34.0 IP from 9/13/88-4/5/89). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 5/17 vs. NYY, giving up 3 hits, a walk, and a hit batter with 7 strikeouts…Became just the 4th non-opener in Blue Jays history to throw 3 consecutive scoreless starts in a single season, joining Roger Clemens (1998), Al Leiter (1995), and Dave Stieb (1988). Threw a complete game shutout on 5/12 vs. ATL, the 2nd CG SO of his career (also: 5/27/21 vs. LAA), and the 1st nine-inning complete game shutout by a Blue Jay since Mark Buehrle on 6/3/15 at WAS…Scattered 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out a season-high 8 on 103 pitches (70 strikes). Improved to 4-2 on the year on 5/5 at PIT…Threw a then season-high 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Logged 6.1 innings of work on 4/24 vs. CWS, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 3 and recording 4 strikeouts…Left the game in the 7th with right lower back tightness…Was his 4th straight quality start, going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA (6 ER/24.2 IP) over that span. Picked up his 2nd win of the year on 4/18 at HOU, throwing 6.1 innings of shutout ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts…Marked his 3rd straight quality start, and his 1st scoreless outing of the season.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:
WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN: The Orioles beat the Royals Sunday, 11-3, to complete the sweep…Extended their winning streak to four games, their third winning streak of at least four games this season, along with a seven-game streak from April 16-24 and another four-gamer from May 9-13…The eight-run margin of victory marked their largest win of the year and first win of at least eight runs since a 10-2 victory on June 16, 2022 at Toronto (also 8)…The Birds tallied a season-high five doubles and had five batters post multi-hit games.
Kyle Gibson earned his eighth win of the season after allowing three runs on seven hits (1 HR) with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings…Did not win his eighth decision in 2022 until his 23rd start on August 16 at Cincinnati with Philadelphia…His eight wins are tied for third in MLB.
Gunnar Henderson launched a three-run shot in the seventh inning for his first career Eutaw Street home run and has homered in consecutive games for the first time in his career…Marked the third Eutaw Street home run this season and second by an O’s batter (Rutschman, 5/9 vs. TB), as well as the 120th in Oriole Park history and 57th by an O’s batter…With an exit velocity of 113.8 mph and a projected distance of 462 feet, his homer was the hardest-hit ball by an O’s batter this season, as well as the farthest home run; it is tied for the sixth-longest home run at Oriole Park in the Statcast era (since 2015) and is the third-longest by an O’s batter in that span, behind a 465-foot homer by Manny Machado on June 2, 2017 vs. Boston and a 464- foot blast by Austin Hays on June 7, 2022 vs. Chicago-NL…It was the farthest home run and second hardest-hit ball by an O’s rookie in the Statcast era, behind a 115.5 mph long ball by Trey Mancini on April 12, 2017 at Boston.
Keegan Akin struck out six batters in 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit; marked the second-most strikeouts in a game by an O’s reliever this season, behind DL Hall with seven on April 29 (G1) at Detroit.
HOW SWEEP IT IS: The Orioles clinched their fourth series sweep of the season on Sunday… It was their first since taking three games at Toronto from May 19-21 and first at home since taking three games against Detroit from April 21-23…The Orioles had not swept a series against Kansas City since winning all three games from July 31 to August 2, 2017 at Oriole Park.
AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gunnar Henderson was selected as the AL Player of the Week for the week of June 5-11…Marks Henderson’s first career weekly award and the first Orioles winner since Ryan Mountcastle in June 2021.
Henderson slashed .526/.550/1.053 (10-for-19) with one double, three homers, five runs scored, six RBI, one walk, and two stolen bases in five games last week, hitting safely in all of them.
He led the AL in batting and on-base percentage, ranked second in slugging and OPS (1.063), tied for second in home runs, third in total bases (20), tied for third in hits, and tied for fifth in RBI.
Went 8-for-13 with a pair of home runs and four RBI over the weekend against Kansas City, including three consecutive multi-hit games, his longest such streak since a career-best four-gamer from September 13-17, 2022; recorded three hits and two stolen bases in Friday’s win, becoming the first O’s rookie with three hits in a game since Kyle Stowers on September 26, 2022 at Boston and first with two steals since Matt Angle on September 19 (G2), 2011 at Boston.
Connected on a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 6-3 road victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
STAR-STUDDED: Major League Baseball yesterday announced the first balloting update for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard…The 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot, which is available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club web sites, the MLB App, and the MLB Ballpark App, will be accessible until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 22.
Adley Rutschman leads AL catchers with 460,496 votes; he would become the third O’s backstop to start an All-Star Game, along with Gus Triandos in 1958 and 1959, and Terry Kennedy in 1987.
Ryan Mountcastle ranks eighth among AL first basemen with 80,274 votes.
Adam Frazier ranks eighth among AL second basemen with 78,839 votes.
Jorge Mateo ranks eighth among AL shortstops with 63,514 votes.
Ramón Urías ranks 10th among AL third basemen with 67,944 votes.
Austin Hays ranks 18th among AL outfielders with 113,698 votes.
Cedric Mullins ranks 20th among AL outfielders with 108,982 votes.
WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won 32 of their last 49 games, 35 of 53, and 37 of 56…The 41-24 (.631) overall record is tied for the second-best in MLB (see box at right)…Entering today, the Orioles are one of five teams in MLB with a winning percentage over .600, along with Tampa Bay (.696, 48-21), Texas (.631, 41-24), Arizona (.621, 41-25), and Atlanta (.606, 40- 26); those are also the only other teams with at least 40 wins, while the Rays and Rangers are the only other teams with fewer than 25 losses.
HOME COOKING: The Orioles began a six-game, seven-day homestand on Friday with a three-game sweep of Kansas City…Following an off day yesterday, the Birds host Toronto for three games through Thursday.
AGAINST THE JAYS: The Orioles and Jays are meeting for the second time this season and first time at Oriole Park…The O’s swept the Jays in three games at Rogers Centre from May 19-21, their first sweep of an AL East opponent since taking two games against the Blue Jays at Oriole Park from August 8-9, 2022, and first three-game sweep against the division since sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway Park from April 2-4, 2021…It was Baltimore’s first sweep of at least three games against Toronto since August 27-29, 2018 at Oriole Park, and first road sweep of the Jays since sweeping a three-game set at Rogers Centre from April 22-24, 2005…The Orioles will travel to Toronto again for four games from July 31 to August 3 and will host them once more for three games from August 22-24…The O’s went 9-10 against the Jays in 2022; the season series was not decided until game 162 on October 5 (G2).
STRIKE A POSE: Baltimore pitchers rank seventh in MLB with 605 strikeouts…The team is on pace to strike out over 1,500 batters (9.3/G) which would shatter the club record of 1,248 strikeouts (7.7/G) set in 2016 and matched in 2019.
O’s relievers rank second in MLB with 290 strikeouts, trailing the Kansas City ‘pen (292).
WHAT A RELIEF: The Baltimore bullpen has not surrendered a run in four straight games (12.2 IP) while allowing seven hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts during that time…The ‘pen has pitched to a 2.03 ERA (7 ER/31.0 IP) this month and four of those runs came on June 7 at Milwaukee…For the season, O’s relievers have a 3.31 ERA (90 ER/245.0 IP), ranked fifth in MLB.
BIG TIME RUTSCH: Adley Rutschman leads the AL with 46 walks and ranks second in the AL with 110 times on base (64 H, 46 BB)…He’s also fifth in the AL with a .390 on-base percentage.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #64 DEAN KREMER RHP
QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his 14th start of the season, seventh at home, and ninth career appearance (eighth start) against the Blue Jays tonight… Made a career-high 22 appearances (21 GS) in 2022, 11 appearances at home (10 GS), and 11 on the road…Owned an 8-7 record with a 3.23 ERA (45 ER/125.1 IP) and 87 strikeouts…Made six starts of 5.0-or-more scoreless innings, tied for seventh-most in the AL…Acquired by the Orioles along with INF Breyvic Valera, OF Yusniel Diaz, RHP Zach Pop, and INF Rylan Bannon in exchange for INF Manny Machado on July 18, 2018…Originally selected by the Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of UNLV.
LAST TIME OUT: Dealt his third loss of the season on June 7 at Milwaukee after allowing a season-high six runs on nine hits (2 HR) with a hit batter and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings…Did not issue a walk in a start for the second time this season (also: 4/18 at WSH)…Threw 93 pitches, 58 strikes.
LEAN, DEAN, FIGHTING MACHINE: Kremer has pitched to a 4-2 record with a 3.57 ERA (16 ER/40.1 IP) and four quality starts in his last seven outings since May 5…Has completed at least 5.0 innings in each of those games and has allowed three earned runs-or-fewer in six of his last seven outings…Tied a career high with three straight wins from May 5-21 (also: 6/12-7/9/22)…Also tossed a career-high-tying seven strikeouts (4x, last: 7/9/22 vs. LAA) on May 21 at Toronto.
AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: Making his ninth career appearance (eighth start) against the Blue Jays…Did not factor in the decision in his last start against Toronto on May 21 at Rogers Centre…Allowed one run on nine hits (1 HR) with two walks and a season -high seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings…Threw a season-high 105 pitches, 64 strikes…Owns a 1-3 record with a 5.22 ERA (23 ER/39.2 IP) and three quality starts through his first eight career outings against the Blue Jays.
AGAINST THE AL EAST: Making his 28th career appearance (27th start) against the AL East tonight…Owns a 4-11 record with a 5.48 ERA (79 ER/129.2 IP) and six quality starts in 27 career outings against the division but has pitched to a 2-0 record and a 5.04 ERA (14 ER/25.0 IP) in five assignments against divisional foes this season…Did not factor into the decision in his last start against the AL East on May 21 at Toronto.
HOME COOKING: Making his seventh home start of the 2023 campaign tonight…Has pitched to a 3-1 record with a 4.91 ERA (18 ER/33.0 IP) through his first six outings at Oriole Park…Dealt the loss in his last home start on May 27 vs. Texas, his 50th career game…Allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 6.1 innings…Left the game with a runner on base, who later scored…Snapped his three-game winning streak at Oriole Park…Marked his fourth quality start of the season…Threw 97 pitches, 63 strikes.
