TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays edged the Mariners yesterday by a score of 4-3 in Seattle…Improved to 19-13 in series finales, having won each of their last five and eight of their last nine such contests. Toronto has won 10 of its last 15 games and has gone 29-20 over its last 49 contests…Its .592 win% over that span (since May 26) is the highest in the AL (2nd: BAL – .571).
CLOSE CALLS: The Blue Jays played to a one-run finish in all three games in Seattle (1-2), and had five of their six games vs. the M’s this season finish in such a way (with one two-run game)…Have now gone 17-11 in one-run contests this year…The .607 win% in one-run games is 2nd best among AL clubs (BAL – .667).
THE DERBY CONTINUES: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tied yesterday’s game, 2-2, in the 4th inning with a two-run laser to right field…Was his team-leading 17th home run of the season and his 74th homer at T-Mobile Park in the last two weeks… Has homered in consecutive games for the 4th time this season and the 19th time in his career. The 2023 Home Run Derby champ now has four home runs since the All-Star break, tied for 2nd most in the AL (Triston Casas – 5)…Has gone 24-for-92 (.261) over his last 24 games, including six doubles, eight homers, and 22 RBI for a .917 OPS…His 64 RBI are currently tied for 7th most in the AL…Has recorded an AL-leading 173 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season (2nd: Bo Bichette/Kyle Tucker – 154).
MORE NOTCHES: Brandon Belt put Toronto up, 3-2, yesterday with a solo shot in the 6th…Marked his 8th home run of the campaign, six of which have either tied the game or given Toronto the lead…Has homered in consecutive games for the 1st time as a Blue Jay and the 21st time in his career. Over his last 50 contests, The Captain has batted .287 (45-for-157) with 13 doubles, seven homers, 19 RBI, and 35 walks…His .418 OBP over that span (since May 4) is the highest in the AL (min. 150 PA) while his .921 OPS is 8th best…His 4.52 pitches/PA this season tops all AL batters (min. 150 PA).
DOUBLE THE FUN: Matt Chapman went 1-for-4 on a double yesterday… Leads the AL with 31 doubles while tied for 5th with 44 extra-base hits…Over his last 26 games, has batted .267 (24-for-90) with eight doubles, a triple, three home runs, eight RBI, and 16 walks (.861 OPS)… Ranks 2nd in MLB with a 59.5 hard-hit percentage (1st: Aaron Judge – 62.6), 7th in average exit velocity (94.0 MPH), and T-9th in hard-hit balls (147).
STICK WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield singled and walked yesterday to finish 1-for-3 with a run scored…Has reached base safely in 13 of his last 14 contests with a plate appearance while hitting .340 (18-for-53) with a double, four home runs, and 12 RBI (.964 OPS)…Is now batting .291 on the season, good for 8th among AL hitters, while his 20 stolen bases are tied for 8th.
BOTTOM’S UP: Kevin Kiermaier picked up a single during his two at-bats yesterday afternoon…Has recorded 57 hits while batting 9th, the most in the Majors (2nd: Michael Harris II – 55)…Is 10-for-32 (.313) with a double, a homer, and four RBI across his last 12 games played (.799 OPS).
WORKING OUT WEST: The Blue Jays are on a six-game, six-day road trip to the left coast (1-2 so far)…Own a 28-25 road record this season for a .528 win%, 4th best in the AL…Will follow up this three-game series in LA with a day off on Thursday and then a seven-game homestand vs. the Angels (51-49) and the Orioles (61-38).
Blue Jays hitters rank 3rd among AL clubs in road AVG (.259), 3rd in road OBP (.324), 5th in road OPS (.744), 6th in road SLG (.420)…The pitching staff ranks 10th
in the AL in road ERA (4.28), 11th in road WHIP (1.33), and 13th in road opponents’ AVG (.259).
CANADA’S CLOSER: Jordan Romano recorded his 27th save yesterday, tied for 2nd most in the AL (1st: Félix Bautista – 28)…Has converted 17 consecutive save opportunities. The Markham, ON, native now has 88 career saves, surpassing Ryan Dempster for 4th most all-time by a Canadian-born pitcher.
A CENTURY IN THE MAKING: Toronto has gone 55-45 over the first 100 games of this campaign…Were 55-45 last season and 52-48 in 2021…This marks the 10th time in 47 Blue Jays seasons to win 55+ of the first 100 contests.
STARTING SOMETHING: Toronto pitchers have combined for 47 quality starts, tied for 3rd most in the Majors…The starting rotation ranks 3rd in MLB in strikeouts (572), 5th in innings pitched (547.1), 7th in ERA (3.91), and 8th in opponents’ average (.243).
HITTING IT: Toronto batters have notched 893 hits this season, 3rd most in the AL…Are also currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.261), 4th in OBP (.330), 5th in OPS (.746), 6th in SLG (.417), and 7th in extra-base hits (299).
INTERTAINMENT: Toronto is playing its 11th interleague series of the year…Has gone 20-9 vs. NL clubs so far…The .690 win% in interleague games is the best among MLB teams (2nd: MIA – .667)
VS. THE DODGERS: All-Time: 7-14
2023: 0-0 Road: 3-6
Road: 0-0 Dodger Stadium: 3-6
The Blue Jays are meeting the Dodgers for the first time since 2019, when they were swept in a three-game series at Chavez Ravine…Have gone 7-14 all-time vs. the Dodgers for a .333 win%, their lowest vs. any opponent (.421 vs. NYM). George Springer is 7-for-24 (.292) with three doubles, two home runs, and five RBI across his seven career games played against the Dodgers (1.037 OPS). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette visited Dodgers Stadium as rookies in 2019…Guerrero Jr. went 5-for-7 with a solo homer and three walks across the three game series, while Bichette finished 3-for-13 with a pair of solo home runs. Brandon Belt leads all current Blue Jays with 147 career games played vs. his former division rival… Has hit .239 (115-for-482) with 29 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs, 63 RBI, and 70 walks (.748 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – José Berríos, RHP #17
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 21st of the season and his 12th on the road…Took the loss his last time out, on 7/19 vs. SD, tossing 6.0 frames of two-run ball with 4 hits, 4 walks and a season-high-tying 9 strikeouts…Threw a season-high 106 pitches (66 strikes)…Was his 11th quality start of the year. Tonight marks his 200th career start…Since making his MLB debut in 2016, only 7 pitchers have made more starts than Berríos. Over his last 18 starts, has gone 8-5 with a 2.71 ERA (33 ER/109.2 IP), 102 strikeouts, and a 1.10 WHIP…His ERA over that span (since 4/14) trails only Nathan Eovaldi (2.17) for the best mark among AL pitchers.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Gave up one run over 5.1 innings on 7/14 vs. ARI, scattering 7 hits and a walk with 4 strikeouts. Took a no-decision on 7/6 at CWS(1), throwing 7.0 scoreless innings with a hit, a walk, and 6 strikeouts…Gave up just 1 hit over 7.0 frames for the 2nd time in his career, also doing so exactly 2 years prior against the same team as a member of the Twins (7/6/21 vs. CWS). Picked up his 8th win of the year on 6/24 vs. OAK, giving up 3R/2ER over 6.0 innings (6H, 2BB, 8K). Improved to 7-4 on the year on 6/14 at BAL, taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning before allowing a leadoff single to Adley Rutschman…Marked the longest no-hit bid by a Blue Jay since Ross Stripling also tossed 6.0 hitless innings on 8/17/22 vs. BAL…Finished the game with a season-high 7.2 innings of shutout ball (3H, BB, HBP, 5K)…Improved to a perfect 10-0 lifetime against the O’s (13 starts), joining Jon Lester (14-0) and Red Faber (12-0) as the only pitchers in MLB history to win each of his first 10 career decisions against Orioles/Browns franchise. Won his 6th game of the year on 6/8 vs. HOU, tossing 6.0 innings of 2-run ball (4H, 2BB, 2K)…Marked his 7th quality start of the season. Pitched 5.2 frames of shutout ball on 5/28 at MIN (4H, 5BB, 5K)…Became the winningest pitcher in Target Field history, earning his 33rd career victory to break a tie with Kyle Gibson (32). Worked 7.0 shutout frames on 4/25 vs. CWS, scattering 4 singles and a walk with a season-high 9 strikeouts…Completed 7.0 innings in consecutive starts for the 13th time in his career (last: 3G from 6/4- 15/22)…Has allowed 3 runs over his last 3 starts, posting a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) with a pair of walks and 18 punchouts.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME: The Dodgers dropped the finale of their nine-game road trip (6-3) to open the second half of the season in Texas yesterday, falling to the Rangers, 8-4. Despite the loss, Los Angeles has won five consecutive series and now opens up a 10-day, nine-game homestand with the first of three against the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays this evening at 7:10 p.m. The Dodgers are 11-6 in July, have won 11 of their last 15 and sport a home record of 29-16 (.644), which is the best in the National League. Following a 1:10 p.m. series finale with the Jays on Wednesday, the Boys in Blue will enjoy an off day on Thursday, before closing out the homestand with games vs. the Cincinnati Reds (July 28-30) and Oakland A’s (Aug 1-3). The Dodgers hold a 4.0-game lead over Arizona in the National League West and have held a share of first place since the All-Star break. The Dodgers have the second-best record in the National League and their +106 run is the fourth best in the Majors, trailing Texas (151), Atlanta (148) and Tampa Bay (144).
A GRAND WASN’T ENOUGH: The Dodgers jumped all over the Rangers in the first inning, as Max Muncy’s grand slam had the club thinking about a Texas sweep, but the 4-0 lead quickly evaporated at Globe Life Field. The Rangers dinged up rookie Emmet Sheehan for eight runs, eight hits and five walks in just 3.2 innings on their way to an 8-4 victory. Sheehan has now failed to go longer than 5.0 innings in four straight starts since June 29. Freddie Freeman and Jonny DeLuca collected two hits apiece in addition to Muncy’s big fly, but it wasn’t enough despite the Dodger bullpen tossing 4.1 scoreless frames. Muncy’s grand slam was his third of the season and the Dodgers’ 10th of the year, which leads the Major Leagues. The Dodgers and Max Muncy are both zeroing in on some lofty marks:
Most Grand Slams in a Season, LAD Most Grand Slams by Left-Handed Hitter, Season – Since 1980
2021 11 Scooter Gennett, CIN 4 2017
2023 10 Max Muncy, LAD 3 2023
2004 10 6 other players tied with 3, including Kal Daniels (1990)
2000 9
OH, CANADA: The Dodgers are 14-7 all-time vs. the Blue Jays and have won eight of their last nine vs. Toronto since 2013. This series will mark the first meeting between the two clubs since the Jays paid a visit to Dodger Stadium in 2019 and were swept. Los Angeles is 17-11 (.607) in Interleague play this year and over the last 10 seasons, the Dodgers have the highest winning percentage (.620) in Interleague play with a 129-79 record, ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays (126-86, .594).
BIG BOPPIN’ BETTS: All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored yesterday and is slashing .373/.490/.827 with eight homers, 20 RBI and 21 runs scored in his last 20 games. Betts ranks second in the National League in home runs with 27 while ranking fourth in slugging (.569), third in OPS (.948) and third in runs (78). Since May 1, the 2018 American League MVP is hitting .294 (79-for-269) with 23 homers, 56 RBI and a 1.011 OPS. During that span, he is tied for third in the Majors in homers, third in runs (61), third in OPS, sixth in RBI and fourth in extra-base hits (41). National League Homerun Leaders (Since May 1) Matt Olson, ATL 24 Mookie Betts, LAD 23
STEADY FREDDIE: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman recorded his sixth straight multi-hit game yesterday as he went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. On the road trip, he batted .441 (15-for-34) with four doubles, one triple, three homers, nine RBI and 13 runs scored. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Freeman is the 1st player in Dodgers history with at least 20 HR and 35 2B before the end of July. Freeman ranks second in the Major Leagues in runs scored (85), trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr. (87) for the MLB lead. He also leads the Major Leagues with 35 doubles, is second with 57 extra-base hits and ranks third with a .331 average. Freeman has reached base safely in 23 straight games and during that time he is slashing .370/.458/.696 with 17 extra-base hits, 23 RBI and 25 runs scored. His career-long on-base streak is 46 games, set in 2016.
PROVIDING THE POP: The Dodger offense continues to be at the top of the Major Leagues in various categories, including walks (414, 2nd), runs per game (5.69, 2nd), extra-base hits (356, 3rd), home runs (162, 2nd), slugging percentage (.456, 3rd) and OPS (.791, 3rd).
EARNING THE TRUST: The Dodger bullpen was fantastic on the road trip and over the last 15 games, the club’s relievers have posted a 1.93 ERA (13 ER/60.2 IP) while Los Angeles has reeled off victories in 11 of those contests. Dodger left-hander Caleb Ferguson hasn’t allowed a run since June 11, working 13.2 consecutive scoreless innings in that time, a Dodger season best for relief pitchers.
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. BLUE JAYS: RHP MICHAEL GROVE (2-2, 6.40 ERA in 12 G, 9 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Picked up his second win of the season in his last appearance on July 18 against the Orioles, spinning five innings, allowing five hits, one run and two walks while punching out four
- Spun a career-high 6.0 innings on July 18 against the Angels…allowed four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts
- Made his 2023 debut against the Rockies on April 3, where he hurled four innings, giving up three runs on two hits, two walks and punching out four
- Allowed career-highs in runs (9) and hits (12) in his start against the D-Backs on April 9
- Started six games during Spring Training, posting a 0-1 record with a 5.40 ERA (10 ER/16.2 IP) and 17 strikeouts against just three walks…produced a 1.03 WHIP
- Named to his first Opening Day roster as a Major Leaguer after making his big league debut last season on May 15 against the Phillies
VS. BLUE JAYS:
- Will face Toronto for the first time in his career
