ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

No team release available.

SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:

Padres sweept 2nd straight series, take down Rockies 3-2 on Wednesday & enjoy off day

• On Wednesday, San Diego won their 7th straight game and swept their 2nd straight series with their 3-2 win over the Rockies…starter Seth Lugo went 6.0 innings with 2 runs allowed on 7 hits with 7 punchouts. Xander Bogaerts went 3-for-4 with a double, and in the 7th inning, Luis Campusano’s pinch-hit RBI tied the game at 2-2, and Ji-Man Choi’s sac fly put the Padres up 3-2.

Padres riding a 7-game winning streak

• The Padres have won 7 straight games, their longest streak since their 8-game streak from June 17-25, 2021…their last 9-game win streak was from May 14-23, 2021. The Friars have also won a MLB-best .889 winning percentage since Sept. 11 (8-1), and they’ve won 3 straight series for the 2nd time in ’23…yesterday’s win was their 2nd straight series sweep, the 1st time sweeping their opponents in consecuitve series since 2021.

Padres in their final homestand of 2023 season

• The 6-game, 7-day homestand vs. Colorado & St. Louis marks San Diego’s final regular season homestand of 2023…on Monday vs. COL, the Padres set a new club home attendance record, and they currently have a 3,104,297 home attendance mark in 76 games at Petco Park…including their 2 games in Mexico City this year, the Padres’ 3,143,541 overall home attendance ranks 3rd in MLB, ahead of the 4th-ranked Cardinals (3,117,590) and behind the Yankees (3,149,759) and Dodgers (3,683,173).

Don’t wake me up before September ends

• The Padres have MLB’s best on-base percentage in the month of September so far at .347….the Padres are also 13-5 (.722) this month, owning the best record in baseball.

Soto and his walks

• After drawing 2 walks on Wednesday, Juan Soto now ranks 2nd all-time in walks by a Padre in a single season with 126, behind just Jack Clark’s 132 in 1989…Soto is 3 walks ahead of Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead and led the Majors in walks in both 2022 and 2021.

Campy swinging a hot sheleighleigh

• Luis Campusano’s .312 average this season is the highest among all big league catchers (minimum 100 ABs)…he was placed on the IL with a left thumb strain from mid April to mid July, and since being reinstated in 40 games, he’s hit .323 with a .867 OPS.

STARTING PITCHER – 60 PEDRO AVILA RHP
last outing 9/17 @ OAK (3.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 5 K) current scoreless streak 3.0 IP (1 g) Pitches: 4-Seam Fastball (34.8%) Changeup (24.8%) Sinker (20.4%) Curveball (20%)
▶ Sunday @ OAK, made his 1st relief appearance since August 21 vs. MIA…it was his 12th appearance of the season (has made 5 starts and 7 in relief).
▶ 6 of his 9 career relief outings have come at Petco Park, where he owns a 1.57 ERA (4 ER, 23.0 IP), 1.00 WHIP and .190 AVG in relief.
▶ Avila has posted a 3.38 ERA this year, which among all rookie hurlers who’ve thrown at least 40.0 IP, ranks 7th-best in the NL (Tom Cosgrove’s 1.91 ERA leads the pack).
▶ He’s been recalled 2x this season from Triple-A El Paso.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Giants and Dodgers meet tonight for game two of this four-game set…this series is the first time both teams are meeting since June…six of the Giants’ final nine games will come against the Dodgers. The Giants enter tonight having lost each of their last three games, six of their last seven and seven of their last nine. SF owns a slight 4-3 edge over LA this year with six more games remaining in the head-to-head matchup…both of these teams play next weekend at Oracle Park. The Giants have dropped six of seven games on this road trip to Colorado (1-3), Arizona (0-2) and Los Angeles (0- 1)…SF has been outscored by a 49-27 margin…the pitching staff has allowed 49 runs in that span (7 runs/game), with the bullpen posting a 7.96 ERA (23er, 26.0ip)…SF’s offense has plated 3.9 runs per game.

BELOW .500: Following last night’s loss, the Giants fell below the .500 mark (76-77) for the first time since they were 29- 30 on June 5…the Giants haven’t been more than two games under .500 since May 21 (22-24).

A WILD RACE: Just nine games remain on the Giants’ regular season schedule as they enter today 3.0 games behind the Marlins and Cubs for the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL…the Giants also trail the Reds by 2.5 games. The Giants had entered last Friday in the third NL Wild Card spot, but losses in six of seven games this past week have pushed the Giants to the fringes of contention. The Giants have the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule in MLB at .575, behind only the Nationals (.636)… SF’s nine remaining games come against the Dodgers (.618 winning pct.; six games) and Padres (.490, three games).

FALL BALL: The Arizona Fall League announced its rosters this morning and the Giants have eight players that will participate for the Scottsdale Scorpions this fall. 1B/LHP Reggie Crawford, RHP Will Bednar, LHP Jack Choate, RHP Marques Johnson, LHP Seth Lonsway, LHP Hayden Wynja, C Zach Morgan and IF Carter Howell will represent the Giants…the Arizona Fall League regular season begins Monday, Oct. 2 and runs through Thurs., Nov. 9.

ROAD WOES: With last night’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers, the Giants have now dropped 26 of its last 31 road games since July 19…their 5-26 (.161) road record since that date is the worst mark among all MLB teams and their worst stretch in any 31-game span since 1902. The Giants have been outscored by a 183-102 margin on the road since July 19…they’ve scored two runs or fewer in 16 of those 31 games.
Giants pitchers have posted a 5.80 ERA (164er, 254.2ip), the highest ERA in MLB. SF is plating just 3.33 runs per game in these last 31 road contests, the fewest of any MLB team. SF’s last road series victory was a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh right after the All-Star Break, July 14-16.

HEY! CAN WE GET THAT BALL?: Last night, OF Tyler Fitzgerald became the 12th Giants rookie to make his Major League debut this season…the 12 Giants MLB debuts this season are tied for second-most by any Giants team since 2000 with the 2019 club…only the 2008 Giants (16 debuts) had more.

ON THE MOUND: After pitching in a bulk-inning and relief role for the past four months, each of LHP Sean Manaea’s last two appearances have come as a starter…he’s slated to make his ninth start of the season tonight…it’ll be his 36th appearance overall this year…Manaea is 0-5 with a 9.00 ERA (35er, 35.0ip) in nine career appearances vs. the Dodgers and 0-5 with a 10.25 ERA (30er, 26.1ip) in six career starts.

EL DE BEJUMA: IF Thairo Estrada has a career-best 40 extra-base hits this season (26 doubles, two triples, 12 homers)… with his 22 steals, Estrada became just the fifth middle infielder in Giants history to record at least 40 extra-base hits and 20+ stolen bases in a single season. He is the first Giants player of any position to reach those marks in a season since Hunter Pence in 2013 (67 XBH, 22 SB).

TOO MANY MISCUES: The Giants committed two errors in last night’s game and have now made 10 errors in their last five contests and 16 in their last 10 games…their 112 errors overall this season are the most in MLB, 12 more than the next closest team – the Red Sox (100).

TODAY’S STARTER – SEAN MANAEA LHP #52
2023 RECORD: 6-6, 4.82 ERA

WITH THE GIANTS: Manaea is in his first season with Giants…he signed a two-year, $25 million contract with San Francisco this offseason after spending 2022 with San Diego. TODAY’S GAME: Today marks Manaea’s third straight start, having earned the Giants’ lone win on the 1-6 road trip.

LAST OUTING: Manaea earned the win in the series finale at Colorado on September 17…the lefty struck out three across 5.1 innings while allowing three runs, all coming in the 6th…his 87 pitches in the game were his third-most this season, and most since throwing a season-high 91 on May 5 vs. Milwaukee.

VS. LOS ANGELES-NL: The southpaw has struggled vs. the Dodgers in his career…his 9.00 career ERA (35er, 35.0ip) vs. LAD is his highest against any team he’s pitched at least 6.0 innings against… in his one outing vs. LAD this season, Manaea struck out six while allowing four runs on four hits and a walk over 3.2 innings of relief on June 16…OF Mookie Betts is 10-for-26 (.385) with two doubles, two triples and three home runs in his career vs. Manaea, while C Will Smith is 7-for-13 (.538) with a double.

FAST AND FURIOUS: Manaea has thrown his fastball 56.9% of the time, with 73 of his 118 strikeouts coming on that pitch…the pitch also has a +3 run value on Baseball Savant, which is tied for his best mark on any pitch since his changeup was +10 in 2021…the Dodgers have a .858 OPS against four-seam fastballs this year, which ranks fourth in MLB, and second in the NL behind Atlanta (.910)… LAD has also hit 88 home runs on that pitch this season, which is third-most in MLB behind New York-AL (94) and Atlanta (100).

CHANGING THE PACE: Manaea’s changeup has played a major part in his recent success…according to Sports Info Solutions, Manaea has thrown his changeup 36 times, 28 for strikes, while opponents are batting .091 (1×11) vs. his changeup in his last three games… overall this season, Manaea’s changeup has a +3 run value on Baseball Savant while limiting hitters to a .197 batting average and a .284 wOBA.

STRIKE IT RICH: Manaea has drastically improved his strikeout rate this season as shown in the chart below (courtesy of Stats, LLC).

LEFT ON READ: Manaea has taken advantage of favorable matchups in his last two starts…Colorado has the 29th-ranked OPS (.671) vs. left-handers this season while Cleveland is last with a .661 OPS…the Dodgers are on the opposite end of the spectrum with a .797 OPS, the fifth-highest in MLB…the Dodgers’ 49 wins vs. left-handed starters this year are second-most in MLB behind Chicago-NL (50).

KEEP IT LOW: In his last two starts, Manaea has kept the ball on the ground with just one home run allowed, while forcing 19 ground outs to two fly outs…he began the year struggling with the longball, yet after a move to the bullpen, has limited his home runs thanks to a streak of 20 games and 53.1 innings from May 22-August 15 in which he did not allow a home run…Per SIS, SF has converted 83% of ground balls and bunts into outs with Manaea on the mound, which is fourth-best rate for any pitcher (min. 100 chances).

HOMESICK: Despite what his record shows, Manaea has struggled away from Oracle Park this season…at home, he is 2-5 with a 3.51 ERA (20er, 51.1ip), 58 strikeouts, a 1.05 WHIP and a .634 opposing OPS in 17 games…that is compared to going 4-1 with a 6.08 ERA (36er, 53.1ip), 60 strikeouts, a 1.54 WHIP and a .801 opposing OPS in 18 road games.

BACK IN THE FOLD: Manaea has made two straight starts after coming out of the bullpen in his previous 25 games…prior to this return to the rotation, Manaea had last started a game on May 10 vs. Washington…he’s posted a 4.18 ERA (33er, 71.0ip) with 82 strikeouts and a 1.17 WHIP in 27 games as a reliever this year compared to a 6.15 ERA (23er, 23.2ip), 36 strikeouts and a 1.57 WHIP in eight starts…in his career as a
starter, Manaea is 60-53 with a 4.15 ERA, 824 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP in 908.2 innings.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

WEEKEND RIVALRY: The Dodgers got back in the win column last night and have now been victorious in six of their last seven games. Tonight, the Boys in Blue continue their final regular season homestand (3-1) of the year with the second of four vs. the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have beaten the Dodgers in four of seven games this year, including a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium from June 16-18. Following this tilt with San Francisco at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers wrap up the 2023 campaign with a seven-game road trip, featuring stops at Coors Field (Sept. 26-28 – with a doubleheader tossed in) and Oracle Park (Sept. 29-Oct. 1). The Dodgers are just three games back in the loss column to the Atlanta Braves for the top seed in the National League and their magic number to earn a first-round bye is now two. Los Angeles is 43-20 (.683) in the second half, which is the best record in the Majors post All-Star break, ahead of the Baltimore Orioles (41-23, .641). After finishing with the best second-half record in 2021 and ’22, Los Angeles is attempting to become just the third franchise to possess the best post All-Star break record for three consecutive seasons, joining the Braves (1991-93), Red Sox (1948-50) and Yankees (1937-39).

NO-HIT NUGGETS: The Dodgers downed the Giants, 7-2, fueled by 4.2 innings of no-hit ball from rookie starter Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan gave up one run as control problems knocked him out in the fifth, but the offense did their part, getting two hits, a homer and three RBI from J.D. Martinez and two hits and an RBI from Chris Taylor. Martinez reached 30+ homers for the fifth time in his career and has four homers in his last four games. According to STATS, LLC, Sheehan became the first pitcher in modern big league history to pitch 4.0+ innings with no hits allowed in back-to-back starts vs. an opponent. Sheehan tossed 6.0 innings of no-hit ball against San Francisco on June 16. The Giants are 0-for-31 against him this year. The Dodgers have a chance to have four 100+ RBI men for the first time in franchise history. Mookie Betts (103) and Max Muncy (102) are already there, while Martinez (95) and Freddie Freeman (94) are knocking on the doorstep. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have never had more than two players with 100 or more RBI. The Brooklyn Dodgers had three players reach the mark in six different seasons (1930, 1949-51, ’53, ’55), including three times by the Hall of Fame trio of Gil Hodges, Duke Snider and Roy Campanella.

WESTERN SKIES: The Dodgers are 28-14 (.667) vs. the National League West this season, including a 16-7 mark at Dodger Stadium. With 10 games left to play in 2023, Los Angeles is 82-36 (.695) against the NL West over the last two seasons. Including this year, the Dodgers have posted 10 straight winning seasons against the National League West division, including four 50+ win seasons against their NL West foes (2014, 2019, 2021-22).

THE CHAMPS: With the Dodger win on Saturday night, they clinched their 10th NL West crown in the last 11 seasons and will head to the postseason for the 11th straight year, joining the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees as the only franchises in Major League Baseball history to make the postseason 10+ straight seasons. The Braves went to the playoffs 14 straight years from 1991 to 2005 and the Yankees 13 straight seasons from 1995 to 2007. The Dodgers have the longest active playoff streak in the Majors, ahead of the Houston Astros, who look to make it seven in a row with a berth this season.

SEASON FOR THE AGES: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman went 1-for-4 with a run scored last night, as he matched his career high with 199 hits (2022). On Monday, he became the first Dodger first baseman in history to join the 20-20 club and just the second first baseman in franchise lore with 20+ steals (Jackie Robinson, 29 – 1947). Also on Monday, he became one of four players in MLB history to post 25+ homers, 50+ doubles and 20+ stolen bases in a single season, joining Grady Sizemore (2006), Alfonso Soriano (2002) and Chuck Klein (1932). Freeman is four doubles away from becoming the first player with 60+ doubles since Charlie Gehringer (60) and Joe Medwick (64) in 1936. The All-Star ranks second in the Majors with a career-high 125 runs and trails only Ronald Acuña Jr. (140). He is third in the Majors with 199 hits and leads the big leagues with 84 extra-base hits, while his .333 average ranks third. He is just one hit away from reaching 200 knocks for the first time in his career and the California native is closing in on uncharted territory as he is tied for 14th all-time with 56 doubles in a season:

TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. GIANTS: RHP GAVIN STONE (1-0, 1 SV, 9.45 ERA in 7 G, 4 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:

• Earned his first career save in last outing on September 17 against the Mariners…Tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks while striking out five He earned his first career win on August 27 against Boston, where he tossed 6.0 innings of relief, giving up five hits and four runs while striking out two… is 1-0 with a 10.50 ERA (21 ER/ 18.0 IP) in five games (three starts) The Arkansas native made his Major League debut on May 3 against the Phillies, tossing four innings and giving up eight hits, five runs (four earned) and two walks while striking out one while not factoring in the decision Owns a 7-4 record across 21 games (19 starts) with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season with a 4.74 ERA (53 ER ER/100.2 IP) with 120 strikeouts and 46 issued walks…has limited the opposition to a .226/.309/.375 slashline
• Has registered a 10.73 strikeout-per-nine innings mark with Triple-A Oklahoma City Was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training…went 1-0 in four appearances with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/6.2 IP) with 14 strikeouts against only five hits and two walks, pitching against Texas (Mar. 1), San Diego (Mar. 6), Cleveland (Mar. 13) and Oakland (Mar. 19)…recorded eight strikeouts in three innings against the Athletics

VS. GIANTS:

• Will face San Francisco for the first time in his career

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

No team release available

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

WINS AND LOSSES: Texas defeated Boston in a rubber match on Wednesday, 15-5, as club now has a 2-1 record on this 6-G, 7-day homestand vs. BOS (2-1) and SEA (3 G)… club has 84 wins this season, most wins and 1st winning season since 2016 (95-67), and a 16-win improvement over 2022 (68)…club has won consecutive games after snapping a 4-G skid on Tuesday…streaks in last 16 G beg. 9/4: 0-4 (9/4-8), 6-0 (9/9-14), 0-4 (9/15-18), 2-0 (9/19-current)…club is 9-8 in last 17 G and 9-11 in last 20 G…club is 12-20 (.375) in last 32 G beg. 8/16, T6th-lowest win pct. in MLB over that span…the 12-20 span began with a season-long 8-G losing streak from 8/16-25, 2nd-longest for TEX since beg. of ’22 (0-9, 8/27-9/5/22)…team has dropped 21 of 35 and is 16- 22 since a season-best 8-G win streak (8/1-8), longest for club since going 10-0, 5/9-19/17…have gone 26-29 in last 55 G since a 6-G win streak (7/14-19) out of the break… team is 32-29 (.525) in the 2nd “half”, 7th-best record in the A.L… club’s 44-48 (.478) mark since 6/7 ranks T9th in A.L. and T19th in MLB…team was 12-19 over a 31-G span from 6/7-7/9 to end the 1st “half”. At 84-68 (.553), TEX is still T5th-best record in A.L., T8th in MLB…84 wins also rank T5th in A.L./T8th in MLB. The 84-68 mark is T7th-best 152-G record in Washington/ Texas franchise history (beg. 1961), best since 2016 (89-62). The Rangers have recorded 3 win streaks of 6+ games this season for the 7th time in franchise history (last: 4-2011).

STANDINGS: Texas is T2nd place in the A.L. West with SEA (also 84-68), with a 0.5-G deficit behind 1st place HOU…club has gained 2.5 G in division race during current 8-4 stretch (beg. 9/9)…seeking to get back to 1st place in the West for 1st time since 8/29 (3-way tie)…TEX was a 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), with sole possession of 1st place for 111 consecutive days from 5/6-8/24…club held season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win on 6/23 at NYY. TEX is currently tied with SEA for the 3rd and final Wild Card spot in the A.L., 0.5 G behind 2nd place TOR and 7.5 G ahead of 5th place NYY in the A.L. Wild Card standings. TEX is seeking the 9th postseason appearance in franchise history…others: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015,
2016…7 of the prior 8 instances were A.L. West titles, w/ lone Wild Card appearance coming in 2012…club also played a one-game Wild Card tiebreaker in 2013 (lost vs. TB).

SERIES STUFF: Rangers now own a 10-5 record in rubber games in 2023 after Wed. win over BOS, including 5-1 at home…club has gone 3-3-0 in 6 series this month…prior to current 4-6-0 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 28-19-2 overall in series in 2023: 15-8-2 at home; 13-11-0 on the road…series win 9/8-10 vs. OAK (2-1) ended span of season-high 3 straight series losses in Arlington…team is still 7-4-0 in home series since the AS break. TEX is 25-24 in series openers this season (11-14 at GLF). AT HOME: TEX is 47-31 (.603) at home in ’23, 2nd-best in A.L. (TB-.667, 52-25) and 4th-best in MLB…best 78-G home start since 2016 (club-record 52-26)…club has won 4 of 5, but is 5-11 over last 16 G in Arlington (including a 6-G losing streak from 8/16-9/2), this after going 15-2 in 1st 17 home games after AS break…5-11 span came immediately after GLF record 9-G win streak from 7/23-8/15.

VS. SEATTLE: TEX plays SEA 7 times in a span of 10 days to close out the season (also 4 G at SEA, 9/28-10/1), needing 2 wins to secure a season series victory and ensure tiebreaker status vs. SEA in any postseason scenario…club is 5-1 in 6 G vs. SEA in ’23, winning 8 of last 11 G dating to ’22, but is still 8-12 in last 20 G vs. SEA…TEX is just 16-35 vs. SEA since 8/21/20…TEX is 23-19 vs. A.L. West opponents in ’23, while SEA is an A.L.-leading 29-13 (.690) against divisional foes.

WELCOME BACK, JUAN GONE!: The Rangers will honor former OF Juan González during ceremonies prior to tonight’s game…a two-time A.L. MVP and one of the top players in club history, González will be presented with his Rangers Hall of Fame jacket and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch… elected to the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2015, González will receive his jacket from fellow Hall of Famer Tom Grieve…former TEX pitchers Edwin Correa and José Guzmán will also be present, with Guzmán catching the first pitch…González played for TEX from 1989-99, 2002-03 and is the club’s alltime leader in HR (372), RBI (1180), and XBH (713).

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The Rangers scored 15 R on 16 H on Wed. vs. BOS (most since 16 H on 8/12 at SF)… it marked Texas’ A.L.-high 68th game with 10+ H, the team’s most in any season since 2016 (71)…4 HR also matched a season best (9th time)…team scored multiple runs in 5 consecutive innings (2nd-6th) for the 1st time since 7/25/11 vs. MIN (scored 2+ R in innings 1-5)…all 9 TEX starters recorded at least 1 H and 1 R, for just the 22nd game in team history (beg. 1972), last in a 18-4 win on 9/2/18 vs. MIN Marks Rangers’ MLB-best 6th game w/ 15+ R in 2023, the
most in a season in club history (prev. 5 G in 1998). It was TEX’s MLB-leading 26th G with 10+ R this season, a new franchise record for most games with double-digit runs in a single season (prev. 25 in 2008). TEX leads the A.L. w/ 841 R scored this season, 5th-most thru 152 G in franchise history and most by club over 1st 152 G of a campaign since 2001 (849 R)…club’s 464 R scored at home this season are also 5th-most thru 78 home games in franchise history, most since 2011 (474 R).

HIT, SCORE (ON REPEAT): After launching his 35th HR of the season on Tues., Adolis García scored his 100th R of the campaign on Wed. (1st career 100 R season)…he becomes just the 12th player in franchise history to record 100+ R and 100+ RBI in a campaign (last by Josh Hamilton in 2012, 103 R/128 RBI)…García’s 102 RBI in ’23 are also a new career high (prev. 101 RBI in ’22), the 1st Ranger with back-to-back 100+ RBI seasons since Adrián Beltré in 2011-12. García and Marcus Semien (115 R) have now clinched the 10th season in franchise history in which multiple players have scored 100+ R (last ’12, Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler).

MARTY PARTY: Martín Pérez notched his 10th win of the season after tossing 4.2 relief SHO IP on Wed., as he now has 10+ wins in consecutive seasons (12 in 2022) and in 5 of 9 campaigns as a Ranger…it marked his longest scoreless outing since start on 8/24/22 at COL (6.0 SHO IP) and the 2nd-longest relief outing of his career (5.0 IP on 9/9/12 at TB w/ TEX)…it was also the longest scoreless relief appearance by a Ranger since Ariel Jurado on 8/28/19 at LAA (6.0 SHO IP)…Pérez is 1-0 with 11.0 SHO IP in his last 5 relief app.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME: The Rangers have seen 2,425,301 fans attend a game at GLF this season, good for a 20.6% increase from 2022…it marks the club’s largest year-to-year increase in attendance since a 45.5% jump from 1995-96…TEX’s 15 sellouts this season are already 10 more than the 5 recorded in GLF’s 1st 2 years with fans at the venue (3-2022, 2-2021).

SHORTS: Jonah Heim’s career-high 90 RBI in ’23 are the 3rd-most ever by a primary catcher in franchise history behind only Iván Rodríguez in ’99 (113) and ’98 (91)…TEX catchers have combined for 118 RBI in ’23, the 2nd-highest single-season total by TEX backstops in club history (124 in ’99)…TEX has 135 HR at home in ’23, 3rd-most single-season HR in Arlington in club history (153-2005, 140-2003)… club’s 31 HR in Sept. rank T2nd in A.L. (34-HOU, 31-TEX/ MIN)…TEX is 10-10 record while wearing City Connect uniforms… Rangers Spanish radio announcer Eleno Ornelas will be presented with his 2023 Lone Star Sports Emmy tonight.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #33 Dane Dunning, RHP (10-6, 3.78)
TONIGHT: The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his 33rd appearance/24th start tonight in the series opener against the Seattle Mariners…Dunning has gone 8-6, 3.63 (53 ER/131.1 IP) over his 23 starts this season, but is 1-1, 7.03 (19 ER/24.1 IP) in his last 5 games/4 starts to raise his season ERA from 3.19 to 3.78…has struck out 59 of 221 (26.7%) batters faced in 9 G/8 GS since the beg. of August, ranking among A.L. leaders over that span in SO/9 (5th, 10.62), SO (T9th), and SO pct. (11th)…has pitched 5.0+ innings in 17 of 23 starts this season…no more than 3 ER allowed in 18 of 23 GS, as his 11 quality starts are tied for most on staff (also Eovaldi/Gray)…earned career-high 10th win (prev. 5 wins in 2021) in his start on 9/11 at TOR)…157.0 innings pitched this season are a career high (prev. 153.1 IP in 2022)… established career highs in many categories last season, ranking 2nd on the Texas staff in starts (29), innings (153.1), and strikeouts (137)…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 19-24 with a 4.23 ERA (201 ER/428.0 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 has gone 11-12 over his 23 starts this season.

LAST START: Did not factor into the decision in his 32nd G/23rd GS of the season in his last start on Sat. at CLE (ND, 5.0 SHO IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 HB, 5 SO, 85 pitches/51 strikes), a 2-1 Rangers loss…exited with Texas leading 1-0 after shutting down several instances where CLE had multiple runners in scoring position …Dunning was in line to notch his 11th win of the season before TEX allowed 2 R to score in the 8th inning…marked his 10th start of the season where he has received one-or-no runs of support.

VS. SEATTLE: Dunning has gone 2-1, 4.02 ERA (14 ER/31.1 IP) in 6 career games/starts vs. Seattle (all w/ Texas)…his 6 starts opposite the Mariners are his T2nd-most against any ML opponent (10-LAA, 6-DET/OAK/SEA)…notched the win against Seattle in his 1st start of the season against them on 5/10 at SEA (W, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R-ER, 1 BB, 5 SO)…has lasted 4.0+ IP in all 6 career starts against the Mariners, lasting 5.0+ IP in 4 of those 6 GS. Owns a 10.05 SO/9 ratio vs. SEA (35 SO/134 BF), and has never allowed more than 3 R-ER to the Mariners.

K-MART: Has struck out 59 of 221 (26.7%) batters faced in 9 G/8 GS since the beg. of August, ranking among A.L. leaders over that span in SO/9 (5th, 10.62), SO (T9th), and SO pct. (11th)…posted the 2 highest strikeout totals of his career over his first 3 starts in Aug. (12 SO, 8/13 at SF; 11 SO, 8/2 vs. CWS), and finished among A.L. qualifiers last month in SO (2nd, 43) and SO/9 (5th, 11.50). 43 SO in Aug. were his most ever in a single month (prev. 30 SO in May 2022).

AT HOME / GLOBE LIFE FIELD: Dunning is 6-2, 4.27 ERA (34 ER/71.2 IP) in 14 G/9 GS at Globe Life Field this season…took his 1st loss at GLF this season on 7/22 vs. LAD (L, 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R-ER, 2 BB, 2 HR, 1 SO)…started the season undefeated (5-0) with a 2.84 ERA (16 ER/50.2 IP) in 10 G/6 GS in Arlington this season…Texas has gone 9-5 in his appearances here, and he has earned wins 5 of his last 9 starts at home…throughout his career, has seen far better results in his outings at home (16-7, 3.66 ERA in 48 G/42 GS) than on the road (5-17, 4.83 ERA in 47 G/42 GS). Dunning is the facility’s all-time leader (including 2020 postseason) in wins (15), starts (38), innings (226.1), and strikeouts (206).

AS A STARTER: Has gone 8-6, 3.63 (53 ER/131.1 IP) over his 23 starts this season…has logged at least 7.0 IP in 5 of his last 15 starts, and has pitched 5.0+ innings in 20 of 23 starts this season…no more than 3 ER allowed in 19 of 23 GS, is his career-high 11 quality starts (prev. 10 QS in 2022) are tied for most on club (also Eovaldi/Gray)…has exited 12 of 23 starts with the Rangers holding a lead, and TEX is 11-12 when he makes a start…has registered a higher SO/9 figure as a starter (7.68) than as a reliever (5.26) this season…opponents are batting .260/.326/.402/.729 (129-497) off Dunning as a starter vs. .237/.299/.402/.701 (23-97) in his relief outings…made 8 straight relief app. to open the year, but a majority of Dunning’s Major League appearances (84 of 95) have come as a starter…he owns a lifetime 19-24 record and 4.20 ERA (202 ER/433.1 IP) in those 84 career starts. Dunning’s 77 starts for TEX last 3 seasons (beg. 2021) are easily the most among Rangers in that span (2nd is 52 GS, Martín Pérez).

2023: Opponents have batted .256/.322/.402/.724 (152-594), incl. splits of .276 BA/.799 OPS vs. LHB and .238 BA/.658 OPS vs. RHB…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.258), 2nd (.243), 3rd (.262), 4th (.500, 3-6)…25.2 relief innings rank 10th for TEX…allowed no BB w/ career-high 12 SO on 8/13 at SF, becoming the 8th pitcher (11th instance) in WSH/TEX franchise history to post 12+ SO/0 BB in a game (also Jon Gray, 6/7/23 vs. STL)…logged career-high 8.2 IP in start on 6/28 vs. DET (W, 8.2 IP, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 10 SO)…Dunning (W, 4.1 SHO IP) joined Jacob deGrom (4.0 SHO IP) 4/17 at KC as just 2nd Rangers duo in the last 40 years (beg. 1984) to each have at least 4.0 SHO IP in same game.