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WNBA Preview: Indiana Fever (1-4) at Chicago Sky (4-3)

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WNBA Preview: Indiana Fever (1-4) at Chicago Sky (4-3)

The Indiana Fever can no longer be taken lightly.

The Fever snapped their 20-game losing streak by defeating Atlanta on May 28 and have since dropped two competitive contests, a three-point road loss to the Connecticut Sun and a four-point defeat to defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

Indiana (1-4) will make its third attempt for a second victory when it visits the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.

The Fever led the Aces by 10 points early in the fourth quarter and were still up by five with less than three minutes remaining but couldn’t hold off Las Vegas’ late charge.

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 22 points and Erica Wheeler had a season-high 15.

Fever top draft pick Aliyah Boston got into foul trouble and was held to seven points after averaging 15.8 points in her first four games.

Chicago (4-3) rallied from 19 points down in the second half to defeat New York 86-82 on Sunday. The Sky avenged a one-point loss to the Liberty two nights earlier.

Kahleah Copper led the surge with 27 points and Courtney Williams scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Copper, who averages a team-high 17.1 points, also had seven rebounds and three assists, following up a 20-point, nine-rebound effort on Friday.

The Sky had a 2-1 record against the Fever last season.

WNBA Preview: Las Vegas Aces (6-0) at Connecticut Sun (6-1)

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WNBA Preview: Las Vegas Aces (6-0) at Connecticut Sun (6-1)

The top two teams in the WNBA collide Tuesday night at Uncasville, Conn.

The Las Vegas Aces and host Connecticut Sun are the only teams with more than four victories. So, not much has changed since these teams met in the 2022 WNBA finals, with the Aces winning.

The teams will have two meetings this week, with a rematch Thursday night on the same court, when the Aces wrap up a four-game road trip.

The Sun (6-1) and Aces (6-0) both registered narrow victories Sunday, with Connecticut topping the Dallas Wings 80-74 and Las Vegas rallying to slip past the Indiana Fever, 84-80.

The Aces fell into an early hole, something they don’t want to repeat.

Sunday’s result was the closest of the season for the Aces, who had a five-point win Friday night at Atlanta.

The Aces are 6-0 for the first time in franchise history. They hold a 10-game regular-season winning streak, dating to last season.

All of Connecticut’s victories have come by single-digit margins. In five games, the Sun have scored at least 80 points.

But defense tends to be a big topic with the Sun.

DeWanna Bonner has led the team in scoring in three of those games. She’s averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game.

The Aces will be concentrating on shoring up defensive issues.

Forward A’ja Wilson has been the leading scorer for Las Vegas in half of the six games. She averages 20.7 points per game, slightly behind team leader Jackie Young (21.8).

The Aces will want to keep Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas off the free-throw line. She became the franchise’s all-time leader in free-throw scoring in Sunday’s game when she reached 692 made foul shots.

The Sun hold a 32-19 regular-season record all-time against Las Vegas.

Chicago Cubs (26-32) at San Diego Padres (27-32)

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Chicago Cubs (26-32) at San Diego Padres (27-32)

CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

Cubs vs. Padres
The Cubs and the Padres face each other seven times this season, wrapping up with this four game set in San Diego … the Cubs took two of the first three games of the season at Wrigley April 25-27 … Chicago has won three of the last four series at Petco Park, with the fourth in that span ending in a split.

SO LONG, SAN DIEGO: The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres today play the final contest of a four-game set at Petco Park, the first series of a three-series 10-game trip (2-1) that will see the Cubs visit San Diego, Anaheim (June 6-8, 3 games) and San Francisco (June 9-11, 3 games) … the club looks to pick up its first series win in a four-game series since September 22-25, 2022 at Pittsburgh (3-1).

In a stretch that began Friday, the Cubs play 15 of 21 games on the road (2-1), wrapping up in London April 24-25 “at” St. Louis … eight of those games come against division rivals – six against Pittsburgh (3 at home, 3 on the road) and the two games of the London Series.

After the game on April 21, Chicago was 12-7 and 1.5 games behind the division lead … since, the club is 14-25 and enters today 5.5 games behind the division-leading Brewers, sitting at 32-27.

ABOUT YESTERDAY: Chicago yesterday beat the Padres 7-1 behind 6.0 innings from Marcus Stroman … Stroman allowed one unearned run on four hits, three walks and six strikeouts for his second-straight outing with no earned runs allowed … Julian Merryweather, Michael Fulmer and Brandon Hughes combined for one hit, one walk and three strikeotus to close out the final 3.0 innings.

Miguel Amaya, recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, went 3-for-3 with his first career home run and was hit by a pitch.

Yan Gomes (7) and Trey Mancini (4) belted back-to-back homers in the second inning … it was the fifth set of back-to-back home runs for the Cubs this season and the first since April 27, also vs. San Diego (Hosmer & Velazquez).

DH DOMINANCE: Miguel Amaya yesterday went 3-for-3 with a homer, two runs, two RBI and a hit by pitch as the team’s designated hitter … since the Cubs first utilized the DH in 1997 with the start of interleague play, Amaya is just the third Cubs DH to record at least three hits, reach at least four times and homer in the same game … he joins Roosevelt Brown on July 6, 2001, at Detroit (5-for-6, 3 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) and Ian Happ on June 12 of last season at the Yankees (3-for-3, 2 R, 3B, HR, RBI, BB).

SUNSHINE AND MERRYWEATHER IN THE FORECAST: Julian Merryweather since April 17 has pitched to a 1.47 ERA (3 ER/18.1 IP) with one win and allowed 16 hits and eight walks with 26 strikeoutsin 19 appearances … in that span, he ranks third in ERA, fifth in strikeout percentage (33.3%) and tied for fifth in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.76) among N.L. pitchers (min. 19 G)

SOFT CONTACT: Cubs pitchers’ 36.4% hard-hit rate is the second-lowest percentage in the majors, trailing only San Diego (36.2%) … the staff has also allowed the third-lowest average exit velocity at 88.1 mph, with the Angels and Padres tied for the league lead (88.0 mph).

DANSBY DOES DEFENSE: Dansby Swanson’s 2.6 WAR leads National League shortstops, and is tied with Bo Bichette, trailing only Wander Franco (3.0), for second in the majors, according to FanGraphs … he ranks third in the majors in assists (148) and his seven outs-above-average are tied for second among major league infielders (Ke’Bryan Hayes, PIT, leads with eight … cc: Baseball Savant).

Swanson has gone 41-consecutive games at shortstop since April 20 without committing an error (144 TC) … according to fangraphs, his eight defensive runs saved rank second among major league shortstops (Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco has nine).

DANSBY DOES OFFENSE TOO: Dansby Swanson is batting .276 (61-for-221) with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 32 walks, 26 RBI, a .370 on-base percentage and .434 slugging in 57 games this season … through the first 57 games of each of his major league seasons, Swanson’s OBP, walks and plate appearances (254) rank first, and his 61 hits are second-most (62, 2020) … his total bases (96) are the most since 2020 when he had 103.

(START)ING OFF RIGHT: Cubs starters in their last six games dating to May 29 have pitched to a 1.31 ERA (5 ER/34.1 IP) and allowed 21 hits (.175 opp. avg.) with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts, contributing to a 0.90 WHIP … in the team’s previous 14 games from May 13-28, the starters posted a 6.65 ERA (51 ER/69.0 IP) with a .289 opponent average and 1.45 WHIP.

Cubs pitchers are tied for lead in the N.L. with 26 quality starts … Marcus Stroman picked up his major league-leading 11th quality start yesterday.

ALL ABOARD THE BASES: Chicago’s .330 on-base percentage ranks third in the National League … however, the Northsiders are tied for the second-most left on base in the majors with 428, trailing only Toronto (446).

The Cubs ranks third in the majors with 220 walks … the Dodgers lead with 254 and the Padres rank second with 246.

Ian Happ ranks eighth in OBP (.383) among qualified N.L. hitters with Dansby Swanson at 12th (.370) … in Mike Tauchman’s 15 games since being recalled May 19, he has posted a .438 on-base percentage, which is good for 10thhighest in the majors in that span.

Starting Pitcher – Last Time Out
Kyle received a no-decision May 30 vs. Tampa Bay, marking his first outing allowing one earned run or fewer since June 24, 2022 vs. St. Louis … owns a career 3.25 ERA (71 ER/196.1 IP) against interleague opponents … has received one run of support in both of his first two starts of the season.

Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
5/30 TB ND, 2-1 5.0 6 1 1 3 3 75-46 1-1
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 0-1 3.86 2 2 9.1 12 6 4 5 8
Road – – – – – – – – – –
AVG vs. LHB: .364 (8-for-22) / AVG vs. RHB: .267 (4-for-15)

Kyle will make his third start of the 2023 campaign, his first on the road … in his last start at Petco Park, May 9, 2022, tossed 8.2 scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 6-0 win … his 2.61 career ERA against San Diego is his second-lowest vs. any opponent in which he has made at least 10 career starts against (San Francisco – 2.25).

Became the 12th pitcher in Cubs history to pitch for the Cubs in at least 10 season (last Kerry Wood).

Made his season debut May 25 vs. Mets (3 ER/4.1 IP), his first major league start since July 5, 2022.

Made five rehab starts with Triple-A Iowa, going 2-1 with a 5.75 ERA (13 ER/20.1 IP) … allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last three rehab starts, posting a 1.69 ERA (3 ER/16.0 IP) during those outings.

Began the season on the 15-day injured list, as he rehabbed from a capsular tear in his right shoulder that he suffered in July 2022.

SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:

Padres fall 7-1 to Cubs on Military Sunday, look to salvage a series tie tonight

  • Starter Ryan Weathers was unable to get out of the 2nd inning after allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 1 walk and 1 punchout…he allowed 2 home runs in his 1.2 innings, and he was saddled with the loss (now 1-4).
  • Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-5, and Alfonso Rivas doubled for the Padres’ sole extra-base hit…the Friar batters went 5-for32 overall and 0-for-6 with RISP.

Bump Day

  • Starter Blake Snell made his 4th quality start of the season in his last outing on May 31 @ MIA, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with 3 hits allowed and 3 walks with 7 punchies… it was his 1st outing this year tossing at least 6.0 innings without allowing a run (had 3 such outings in 2022).
  • In Snell’s 6 May outings, he posted a 3.82 ERA (14 ER, 33.0 IP) with a .205 opponent average…but he went just 1-2 with 3 no-decisions in the month.

Rookie Tom Cosgrove riding a 12.1 scoreless inning streak to start his career

  • Southpaw rookie reliever Tom Cosgrove pitched a scoreless 9th inning last night, and he is just the 2nd Padre to begin their career with 12+ scoreless appearances and at least 12.0 IP, joining Jeremy Fikac in 2001 (12 app., 15.1 IP)…the longest scoreless inn streak of any Padre (min. 10 app) to start their career was Kevin Cameron in ’07 (11 app., 16.1 IP).

Runners in scoring position

  • Yesterday, the Friars went 0-for-6 with RISP, and they’ve now gone 93-for-474 with RISP for an MLBworst .196 clip…the Cubs rank T-14th in hits with RISP with their 125 hits (32 more than the Padres so far).
  • In the Padres last 6 games, however, they have 15 hits with RISP, batting .283 (15-for-53)…the Padres have won each of their last 5 games when they have more than 1 hit with RISP. Petco Park has welcomed an average of 40,538 fans per game
  • The Padres have seen 1,135,050 patrons at Petco Park so far in 2023, not including the 39,244 in the 2 Mexico City series games against the Giants…in their 28 Petco Park games, they’ve averaged 40,538 fans per game, the 2nd-highest home attendance average behind just the Dodgers’ 47,916 fans per game in Chavez Ravine.

Padres ‘pen has lowest ERA in the National League (3.15)

  • The Friar bullpen has the 3rd-lowest ERA in the Majors at 3.15, behind just the Guardians (3.06) and Yankees (2.86)…their .215 opponent average also is the lowest in the NL and 2nd to just the Yankees (.214).
  • Since May 1st, the Friar ‘pen has a 1.90 ERA and a .195 opponent AVG with 99 strikeouts against 31 walks.

Up Next: Padres host Mariners for brief 2-game series

  • Following tonight’s game, the Padres will host the Mariners for a brief 2-game set and then fly to Denver…they’ll enjoy an off day in Denver on Thursday and play a 3-game series in the Mile High City before headed straight back home for a brief 3-game, 4-day roadtrip.
  • San Diego will also have an off day on Monday, June 12 to cap the trip before beginning their homestand against the Guardians (3 games from June 13-15) and the Rays (3 games from June 16-18).

STARTING PITCHER – BLAKE SNELL #4
Snell set for 4th career start vs. Cubs
30-year-old left-hander Blake Snell takes the mound for his staff-leading 12th start of the season, the 4th of his career vs. CHC and his 2nd this season vs. CHC…he made 2 scoreless starts vs. the Cubs during his 2017 Cy Young season, combining for 12 scoreless innings…his other start vs. the Cubs came in his 5th start of 2023 campaign at Wrigley Field, when he was tagged in the loss in SD’s 6-0 defeat, allowing 2 runs off 4 hits across 5.0 IP.

Snell makes first scoreless start last Wednesday at MIA
Snell missed out on his first winning decision since May 1 vs. CIN and his 2nd of the season with the Marlins 2-1, walk-off victory in the 9th inning last Wednesday @ loanDepot Park… it was his first scoreless start of the season, and the 20th of his career of 6.0 scoreless innings pitched…it was just the 3rd time he did not receive the winning decision in such a start, and the first itme since April 13, 2019 @ TOR w/ TB…it was his 4th homerless start of the season and his 3rd in his last 4 starts.

Snell’s run support average 4th-fewest in the NL
Snell got 5 runs of support Thursday. May 25 @ WSH, which were the 2nd-most he’s received, behind only the 6 he got in his last winning decision on May 1 vs. CIN…in his 4 combined starts following his most recent win, besides the May 25 outing, he received a combined 4 runs of support in those 4 outings…among all NL hurlers who have made at least 11 starts entering today, his 3.54 run support average (runs scored while he’s in the game) is 4th-fewest…digging deeper, among all qualifying NL pitchers since the start of 2022, his 4.01 RSA is 10th-fewest…the Padres are now 2-9 in his 11 outings, and his 6 losing decisions T-4th most in the Majors.

Quality stretch
Snell posted a streak of 3 consecutive quality starts from May 1-12, T-3rd longest streak of his career and tied for his longest as a Padre (also: Aug 25-Sept 7, 2021)…his longest quality start streak was 6 consecutive starts during his Cy Young 2018 season April 10-May 8.

Call him ‘Swing and Miss Snell’
Snell has caused opponents to swing and miss 30.8% of the time, 8th-highest swing and miss rate among all ML starters and 5th highest in the NL (min. 11 starts)…among all ML pitchers who have made at least 55 starts since 2021, which was Snell’s first season with the Padres, his 32.1 whiff % is T-5th-highest with Carlos Rodon, trailing only Corbin Burnes (35.0%), Shane McClanahan (33.5%), Dylan Cease (32.6%) and Max Scherzer (32.1%).

Limit the free passes
Snell has issued 3+ walks in 8 of his 11 starts so far this year, including 4 such starts in a row from April 6-25…this season, he’s issued 34 BB to the 248 batters he’s faced across 56.0 IP…he has the 4th-highest BB/9 IP ratio (5.46) and BB/BFP (.137) – min. 11 starts…Snell’s lone winning decision came in his only start this season with 0 walks on Mon, May 1 vs. CIN…it was the 12th time in his career he’s issued 0 walks across 6.0+ innings, and he is now 10-0 with a 1.29 ERA in such outings…it was his first career start vs. the Reds, leaving his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, as the only team he is yet to square off against.

Lightning re-sign Defenseman Sean Day to a One-year, Two-Way contract

NHL Editor
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Lightning re-sign Defenseman Sean Day to a One-year, Two-Way contract

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed defenseman Sean Day to a one-year, two-way contract, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.  

Day, 25, will enter his fourth season in the Lightning organization in 2023-24. Last season with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, Day skated in 63 games and tallied 14 assists and points, ranking sixth among Crunch defensemen in both categories. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound blueliner also saw action in one game during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. 

Day made his NHL debut skating in two games with the Lightning during the 2021-22 season. He saw his first NHL action December 28, 2021 versus Montreal and registered 6:43 time on ice. A game later, he recorded two shots in 14:43 at Florida. Day also appeared in 69 games for Syracuse that season, notching eight goals and 40 points to lead all Crunch defensemen for goals, assists (32) and scoring and rank fourth among all Crunch skaters for scoring.  

Day has appeared in 223 career AHL games with the Crunch (2020-21 to 2022-23) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (2018-19 to 2019-20), posting 15 goals, 72 assists and 87 points. He was a third-round selection (81st overall) of the New York Rangers in the 2016 NHL Draft. A native of Leuven, Belgium, Day was a free agent signing of the Lightning on July 17, 2020. 

NFL Transactions 6-5-23

NFL Editor
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NFL Transactions 6-5-23

The following are the NFL transactions for Monday, June 5. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades. 

WAIVER SYSTEM TRANSACTIONS


WAIVER REQUESTS (All are NO RECALL)

ATLANTA
    Peters, JamalDBMississippi State   

DENVER
    Crockett, DamareaRBMissouri   

INDIANAPOLIS
    Adams, TylerWRButler   

PITTSBURGH
    Chrest, CodyWRSam Houston State   

SEATTLE
    Johnson, C.J.WREast Carolina   
    Merrill, ForrestDTArkansas State   
 

TERMINATIONS OF VESTED VETERANS

CLEVELAND
    Haeg, JoeTNorth Dakota State   

DALLAS
    Callaway, AntonioWRFlorida   



TERMINATIONS VIA WAIVER SYSTEM

BUFFALO
    Johnson, BraydonWROklahoma State   

NEW ENGLAND
    Tavai, JustusDTSan Diego State   




ACTIVE LIST ADDITIONS


FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

ATLANTA
    Borders, BreonDBDuke   

CLEVELAND
    Henry, Ra’ShaunWRVirginia   
    Thedford, HunterTUtah   

DALLAS
    Johnson, TyronWROklahoma State   

DENVER
    Williams, NickWRNevada-Las Vegas   

INDIANAPOLIS
    Perriman, BreshadWRCentral Florida   

NEW ENGLAND
    Lee, EdWRRhode Island   

PITTSBURGH
    Hagans, DariusRBVirginia State   
    Williams, JarridTMiami   

SEATTLE
    Sykes, JacobDTUCLA   


 FREE AGENCY SYSTEM TRANSACTION


SIGNING:  RESTRICTED FREE AGENT

TENNESSEE
    Tart, TeairDTFlorida International   
         Asked to Re-Sign

NWSL Match Preview: Chicago Red Stars (2-6-1) Angel City FC (2-4-3)

NWSL Editor
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NWSL Match Preview: Chicago Red Stars (2-6-1) Angel City FC (2-4-3)

BMO Stadium | Los Angeles, California – Monday, June 5 at 7:00 PM ET

Players to watch:

Angel City forward Claire Emslie scored her side’s lone goal in its loss to OL Reign last Sunday directly from a corner kick. It was the first goal directly from a corner kick in all NWSL competitions since Jordan Baggett did so for the Spirit against Portland in May 2019.

Chicago attacker Yuki Nagasato scored the lone goal in Chicago’s 1-0 win over Orlando Pride on Sunday, her 20th career regular season goal to go along with 22 assists. Nagasato is the fourth international player to record 20 goals and 20 assists in regular season play after Sam Kerr, Nahomi Kawasumi, and Jess Fishlock.

Match facts: Angel City plays host to the Chicago Red Stars on a rare Monday evening matchup in a contest that caps off a full six-game slate across the league over the weekend. Angel City is seeking a first league win since May 8 (L3 since), while Chicago is coming off its first league win April 16 after beating Orlando last weekend. Angel City currently sits in 10th place with 9 points, while Chicago sits just below it in 11th place with 7 points.

Angel City has lost four of its first six home matches in all NWSL competitions this season (W1 D1), only one fewer than it had over 14 home matches in its inaugural 2022 season (W6 D3 L5). Angel City has failed to score in three of its last four home matches after scoring in its previous eight home matches.

The Red Stars have lost seven straight away matches in all NWSL competitions dating back to last September after having never lost more than three in a row on the road before. In five road matches this season, Chicago has allowed 3.4 goals per match (17 total), and its 22 goals conceded are the worst of any team in the league.

Angel City and Chicago split their two meetings last season, with both sides winning at home. Angel City won, 1-0, in August on a Savannah McCaskill goal while Chicago recorded a 2-0 home win in October on goals from Mallory Swanson and Yuki Nagasato.

Noted (via Jen Cooper, The Kicker):

  • The next game for Chicago’s Casey Krueger will be her 100th in regular season play. She will become the 6th player to play 100 regular-season games all for Chicago (NWSL era).
  • This game marks the first time Angel City midfielder Julie Ertz will face her former club. She was drafted with the #3 overall pick in the 2014 draft and won Rookie of the Year honors. Played in the 2019 NWSL final for Chicago against North Carolina, and in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup final vs. Houston.
  • Next goal for Angel City’s Sydney Leroux will be the 40th of her NWSL regular-season career. Only 10 players have scored 40. Last time Leroux appeared for Angel City — July 30, 2022 vs. RGN.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Preview: Florida Panthers (0-10) at Vegas Golden Knights (1-0)

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NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Preview: Florida Panthers (0-10) at Vegas Golden Knights (1-0)

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 17
  • F Eetu Luostarinen | Games Missed: 2
    Total Playoff Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 29
    Total Regular Season Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 239

LAST GAME
Panthers 2, Golden Knights 5 – June 3 – T-Mobile Arena
FLA Goals: E. Staal (2-SHG), Duclair (4)
VGK Goals: Marchessault (10-PPG), Theodore (1), Whitecloud (2), Stone (7), Smith (3-PPG)
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (L) – 29 Saves
VGK Goalie: Hill (W) – 33 Saves
FLA Shots: 35
VGK Shots: 34

Notes: Eric Staal skated in his 100th NHL postseason game and scored the first road shorthanded goal in Panthers postseason history…Staal’s SHG marked the fourth in club postseason history and second in the 2023 Playoffs (Gustav Forsling, Game 3 vs. BOS)…Staal’s goal marked his second point in as many games (1-1-2), and his third career Stanley Cup Final goal…Per NHL stats, the goal was his first in the Stanley Cup Final in 17 years – the longest span between goals in the Final in NHL history, besting Mark Recchi (15 years from Game 5 in 1991 to Game 2 in 2006)…Anthony Duclair scored his first career Stanley Cup Final goal, his second tally in as many games (2-0-2)…Anton Lundell notched an assist on Staal’s goal…Aleksander Barkov led Florida with six hits…The Panthers are one of five teams this postseason with multiple SHGs…FLA PP: 0-3, FLA PK: 5-7

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

  • May 8: F Mackie Samoskevich agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract

PANTHERS vs. GOLDEN KNIGHTS
ALL-TIME vs. VGK: 4-5-1
ALL-TIME ROAD vs. VGK: 0-4-1
2022-23 vs. VGK: 1-1-0

BACK TO THE FINAL
The Florida Panthers return to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history and first since 1996. Four skaters on the Panthers roster have competed in a Stanley Cup Final previously – Eric Staal (2006 w/ CAR, 2021 w/ MTL), Marc Staal (2014 w/ NYR), Carter Verhaeghe (2020 w/ TBL) and Patric Hornqvist (2016 & 2017 w/ PIT). Eric Staal (’06), Verhaeghe and Hornqvist (’16 & ’17) captured the NHL’s championship. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice coached the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes to the Cup Final. Panthers Assistant Coach Jamie Kompon won the Cup as an assistant coach with LAK in 2012, and Sylvain Lefebvre captured it with COL as a player in 1996.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Panthers entered the Stanley Cup Final on an eight-game road win streak dating back to Game 2 at BOS, the longest playoff road win streak in club history and the second-longest in NHL history, behind only the 2012 LAK’s 10-game streak. Over their eight-game road win streak, the Cats outscored their opponents 29-18, including overtime wins in Games 5 and 7 at Boston, Game 5 at Toronto, and Games 1 & 2 at Carolina. Sergei Bobrovsky won seven consecutive road games, tied for the third-longest in NHL postseason history. Matthew Tkachuk leads the team with 12 road points (4-8-12) over the club’s 10 away games this postseason, while both Brandon Montour (5-0-5) and Carter Verhaeghe (5-6-11) have each produced a team-high five road goals.

CLOCKING OVERTIME
The Panthers own a 6-0 record in overtime in the 2023 postseason, led by a franchise record (and tied for the most in one postseason by one player in NHL history) three overtime tallies from Matthew Tkachuk. Per NHL stats, the only teams in NHL history with as many victories are the 1993 Canadiens (6) and 1980 Islanders (5). The Cats are the second team in NHL history to win each of their first six games that required overtime in a single postseason, joining the 2003 Ducks (7 GP). The Panthers are also 9-0 in overtime contests dating to Round 1, Game 3 in 2021 at TBL, the second-longest multi-season OT win streak in NHL history behind only MTL from 1993-1998. Tkachuk scored overtime goals in both Game 1 and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at PNC Arena, which represented Florida’s third straight OT victory (dating to Round 2, Game 5 at TOR). Four of Florida’s past six wins have come in overtime, and six of their 12 playoff wins in 2023 have come in sudden death. Sergei Bobrovsky has been in net for all nine of Florida’s prior OT wins.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES:

2023 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS – STANLEY CUP FINAL – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS
Golden Knights 2022-23 Regular Season Record: 51-22-9, 111 points (25-15-1 at Home, 26-7-8 on Road)

DATE RESULT VGK GOALS VGK GOALIE FLA GOALIE
June 3 Vegas 5, Florida 2 81, 27, 2, 61, 19 Hill Bobrovsky

DATE OPPONENT TIME (PT) TELEVISION RADIO SPANISH RADIO
June 5 vs. Florida Panthers 5 p.m. TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
June 8 at Florida Panthers 5 p.m. TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
June 10 at Florida Panthers 5 p.m. TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
*June 13 vs. Florida Panthers 5 p.m. TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
*June 16 at Florida Panthers 5 p.m. TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
*June 19 vs. Florida Panthers 5 p.m. TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
*If Necessary

VGK/FLA – Regular Season Recap
The Vegas Golden Knights split the regular season series with the Florida Panthers 1-1-0. Vegas and Florida first met in January at TMobile Arena where the Golden Knights erased a 2-1 deficit in the third period to claim a 4-2 win. Nick Cousins and Nicolas Roy each scored to keep the game level but Sam Reinhart scored in the second to give Florida a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. In the final frame, it was all Vegas as Jack Eichel, William Carrier and William Karlsson sealed the 4-2 victory for the Golden Knights. In their second meeting Florida came out on top and pounced out to a 1-0 lead on a Ryan Lomberg goal less than five minutes into the contest. Florida added to the lead four minutes into the middle frame as Aleksandr Barkov made it a 2-0 game. Shea Theodore got the Golden Knights on the board with a power-play goal at 13:23 of the period and Vegas went into the third period trailing by a goal. The third period passed without a goal as the Panthers captured the 2-1 win.

2022-23 Season FLA Series: 1-1-0 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 0-1-0)
Date Location Result Goaltenders GWG
Jan. 12 Vegas Vegas 4, Florida 2 Adin Hill (VGK) // Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA) William Carrier (VGK)
March 7 Florida Vegas 1, Florida 2 Adin Hill (VGK) // Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA) Aleksander Barkov (FLA)

2022-23 VGK Regular Season Leaders Against FLA
Skater GP G A P +/-
Ivan Barbashev* 3 1 3 4 +1
Keegan Kolesar 2 0 2 2 +2
Jack Eichel 2 1 1 2 -1
William Carrier 1 1 0 1 +2
William Karlsson 2 1 0 1 0
Nicolas Roy 1 1 0 1 +2
Shea Theodore 1 1 0 1 -1
*Ivan Barbashev’s points include contests with St. Louis

Game 1 Recap
June 3 – Vegas Golden Knights 5, Florida Panthers 2
The Vegas Golden Knights skated to a 5-2 win in Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. Eric Staal’s shorthanded goal was the first of the series as he gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. Late in the fame, Jonathan Marchessault buried a powerplay goal to tie the game at 1-1. Vegas took the lead in the second period as Shea Theodore danced into the slot and wired a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to make it a 2-1 game. With just 10 seconds left in the middle frame, Anthony Duclair snuck a shot through traffic to send the teams into the final stanza level at 2-2. Vegas took over in the third period as Zach Whitecloud fired a shot past Bobrovsky to rebuild the lead for the home team. Mark Stone added an insurance goal with less than seven minutes to go before Reilly Smith’s empty-net tally sealed the 5-2 win in Game 1 for the Golden Knights.

Welcome to Las Vegas
The Golden Knights and Panthers met for the first time in the NHL’s postseason history on Saturday night in Las Vegas. In six all-time meetings at T-Mobile Arena, Vegas is a perfect 6-0-0 when welcoming Florida to The Fortress. The Panthers are the only team remaining in the NHL to have not won a game at T-Mobile Arena. After Game 1, Vegas improved to 7-3 (.700) at home during the 2023 postseason, the best home winning percentage in the NHL.

Comeback Season
On Saturday in Game 1, the Golden Knights earned their ninth comeback win this postseason, tying the second-highest total in a single playoff year in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vegas is now just one shy of the Avalanche (10 in 2022) and Penguins (10 in 2009) for the record. The Golden Knights have allowed the first goal in 11 of their 18 playoff games this year and hold a record of 8-3 after allowing the first goal in the game. In the regular season Vegas led the league with 11 third-period comeback wins.

Most Comeback Wins in a Postseason, NHL History
10 – Colorado Avalanche (2022), Pittsburgh Penguins (2009)
9 – Vegas Golden Knights (2023) and 5 others

Goals Galore
Jonathan Marchessault scored on Saturday to match William Karlsson’s team lead of 10 goals scored this postseason. Marchessault and Karlsson’s goals are the most by any Vegas skater in a single playoff run in franchise history.

Magic Number
Vegas is 45-3 all-time when scoring at least three goals in the playoffs, including wins in each of the last 33 such instances. In all four
losses this postseason, the Golden Knights have been held to one or two goals.

The Terrible Two
The Golden Knights limited their opponent to two goals or less for the ninth time this postseason on Saturday. Vegas is a perfect 9-0 in
the 2023 playoffs when allowing an opponent two goals or less.

In the Winning Business
Vegas (51-33 in 84 GP) has a postseason winning percentage of .607, leading all NHL franchises. The Golden Knights’ 51 playoff wins are the second-most in the NHL since 2017-18, trailing only Tampa Bay’s 61 victories.

Familiar Territory
The Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their six seasons as a franchise. Vegas is the eighth club in NHL history to advance to the Stanley Cup Final four times in their first six seasons and the third in the past 90 years. The Golden Knights two trips to the Stanley Cup Final since 2017-18 is the second most in the league during that span (Tampa Bay Lightning, three).

MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (25-35) at Texas Rangers (38-20)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (25-35) at Texas Rangers (38-20)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals continue a six-game road trip through Pittsburgh and Texas with the first of a three-game series against Texas Rangers in their first visit to Globe Life Field. This past weekend, the Cardinals were swept in a three-game series by the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, dropping the first game 7-5 after leading 5-0, followed by two one-run losses (4-3 & 2-1) for their second three-game road sweep this season and fourth overall (Atlanta, Los Angeles-NL, Los Angeles-AL, Pittsburgh). St. Louis has lost three straight games and four straight road contests.

FLIGHT PATTERN: Entering today, the Cardinals are in last place in the National League Central, 7.5 games behind first place Milwaukee and 1.5 games behind fourth place Cincinnati. St. Louis was a season-low 10.0 games out of first place eight days from April 29-May 6, before closing to 4.0 games back on May 27. St. Louis spent 24 days in last place from April 26-May 19 and 40 days of the 67 days in the cellar on the 2023 Major League schedule.

APRIL SHOWERS…MAY FLOWERS…JUNE…?: The Cardinals began their season 10-19 in March/April and took a five-game losing streak into May before exploding through the rest of the month from a 10-24 record to 25-32 at the end. From May 7-31, the Cardinals had the best record in the National League at 15-8 and nearly set a franchise record for May, hitting 44 home runs, one shy of the 2000 Cardinals who hammered 45.

BAKER SELECTED, THEN CONNECTED: Rookie first baseman Luken Baker has his contract selected from Memphis (AAA) yesterday and then went 2-for-4
against Pittsburgh in his Major League debut. The Texas native joined Jordan Walker as Cardinals to debut this season and record a hit in their first plate appearance. Baker, who played college baseball at nearby Texas Christian University, is the third Cardinals player to make his MLB debut this season with Walker and Guillermo Zuniga.

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: Even though this is the Cardinals first time playing at Globe Life Field, they had two opportunities prior to this
week. First, in 2020, they were scheduled to play an exhibition opening up the ballpark at the end of the Spring Training schedule in advance
of Opening Day, but COVID-19 protocols canceled the end of Spring Training on March 13 and the first part of the season. At the end of the
abbreviated 2020 season, the Cardinals would have advanced to the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but
were eliminated by the San Diego Padres, after holding a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Wild Card Series.

WAINO’S WORLD: Tonight’s starting pitcher, 41-year old Adam Wainwright, will be making his first career appearance at Globe Life Field and logging the 35th ballpark of his regular season career (since 2005). After tonight, his only remaining active MLB ballpark to not appear in regular season play is Target Field. Wainwright started the 2014 All-Star Game for the National League at Target FIeld, but has yet to pitch there in the regular season. On ballparks standing during his Major League career in which he never appeared, is the original Yankee Stadium, Globe Life Park or the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. His other notable stadiums include Mexico’s Monterrey Stadium (2019 vs. Reds), RFK Stadium (Nationals), Sun Life Stadium (Marlins), Shea Stadium (Mets), Turner Field (Braves) and Busch Stadium II (MLB debut & only career appearance).

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Following two one-run losses to close out the Pittsburgh series, the Cardinals are 6-13 (.316) on the season in one-run contests. Only the San Diego Padres (3-11, .214) have a worse mark among National League teams. Nine of the Cardinals last 14 games have been decided by one run. The Rangers have played in the 2nd-fewest one-run games (11, 4-7) trailing only Houston (10, 6-4).

RISP-Y BUSINESS: Dating back to the 7th inning on Friday night at Pittsburgh, the Cardinals are 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position, a hard pill to swallow in one-run games. Their last hit with runners in scoring positing was a single by Paul DeJong that only loaded the bases.
The last Cardinal with a run-producing hit was Nolan Gorman in the 3rd inning on Friday, scoring Paul Goldschmidt from second base. The Cardinals currently rank 4th in the National League with a .265 BA w/RISP and connected with a runner in scoring position for 15-straight games (5/3-18) batting .318 during that stretch. The Texas Rangers lead all of MLB with a .336 BA wRISP. Cardinals Injured List member Lars Nootbaar (lower back contusion) leads all of Major League Baseball with a .515 batting average wRISP. Three Rangers follow in the Top 5 in MLB (Jonah Heim, .511; Corey Seager, 464; Marcus Semien, .456).

PAIR OF JACKS: Yesterday, Andrew Knizner homered for the Cardinals lone run and has homered in consecutive games played (5/28 at CLE & 6/4 at PIT) for the second time this season (5/14 at BOS & 5/15 vs. MIL). Knizner joins rookie Francisco Alvarez (NYM), Jonah Heim (TEX), Sean Murphy (ATL) and Salvador Perez (KC) as catchers with pairs of consecutive game home runs this season.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP ADAM WAINWRIGHT (2-1, 6.15)
TONIGHT’S GAME

  • Makes his 6th start of the season & 463rd career appearance (396th career start).
  • Wainwright’s 22 career interleague wins rank T-16th all-time in MLB history (T-5th among active pitchers) and 2nd-most by a NL pitcher (Clayton Kershaw, 27-6).
  • Has departed with the lead in four of his five starts.
  • Today is Wainwright’s 396th career start, ranking 3rd all-time among Cardinals pitchers Bob Gibson (482) & Bob Forsch (401). Waino’s 396 career starts, all with St. Louis, rank 14th-most, exclusively with one organization in MLB history, while Gibson (482) ranks 6th. Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators leads at 666.
  • Is three wins shy of 200 career, 13 wins from 210 (T-2nd all-time Cardinals history with Jesse Haines), and six starts away from reaching 400 career.
  • At age 41, Waino is one of four active players age 40+ with Rich Hill (43), Nelson Cruz (42) and Miguel Cabrera (40).
  • Missed the first 33 games of the season due to a groin injury he suffered while working out during the WBC Finals. Made two injury rehab starts for Springfield (AA) and one for Memphis (AAA).

LAST TIME OUT

  • Made a Memorial Day afternoon start against Kansas City and took the loss allowing three runs on nine hits as the Cardinals lost to the Royals 7-0.

DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
5/29 KC L 7-0 L-1 5.0 9 3 3 2 6 0 105-67
2023

  • Earned career win No. 197 against the Reds at Great American Ball Park (5/23), allowing five runs on eight hits. Departed with 7-5 lead with runners on first and second and two outs.
  • Earned 196th career on 5/18 vs. LAD. Gave him 107 career home wins with the Cardinals, T-2nd most in Cardinals history with Jesse Haines. Held a 9-2 lead when he departed and Cardinals held on for 16-8 win as the Redbirds blasted seven homers.
  • Became the 21st pitcher in MLB history with 300.0 or more career innings in Interleague play in his start at Boston (5/14). Passed Jesse Haines (39) for 2nd place all-time among Cardinals with 40 starts over the age of 40. Trails only Grover Cleveland Alexander (80). Allowed back-to-back home runs for only the 9th time in his career.
  • Made season debut vs. DET (5/6) and took a no-decision the Cardinals lost in 10 innings

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat the Mariners yesterday, 12-3, as club has a 3-0 record to open this 6-day, 6-G homestand vs. SEA (3-0) and STL (3 G)…team has won 3 straight, 5 of 6, 9 of 11, 12 of 15, 17 of 23, and 20 of last 27 games… TEX is an MLB-best 24-9 (.727) in last 33 G beg. 4/28…most wins in any 33-G span for TEX since 5/29-7/2/16 (also 24- 9)…TEX is 30-14 in last 44 G and 34-16 in last 50 G beg. 4/9.

  • At 38-20 (.655), TEX owns the 2nd-best record in MLB to only TB (42-19, see chart below)…club’s 38 wins rank 2nd in A.L. and MLB (42-TB).
  • The 38-20 start is the Rangers’ best 58-G start to a season in WSH/TEX franchise history.
  • TEX is a season-high 18 G above .500 for the 1st time since the end of 2016 (95-67)…this is the earliest date ever for TEX to be 18-over (prev. 6/17 in 2016)…this is just the 11th season in Rangers history to reach 18-over.

BEST RECORDS IN MLB, 2023
Win Pct. Team W-L
.689 Tampa Bay 42-19
.655 Texas 38-20
.627 Baltimore 37-22

WITH A WIN TONIGHT the Rangers would:

  • Reach the best 58-G record in WSH/TEX franchise history, climb to season-best 19 G above .500 for 1st time since the end of 2016 season, and reach 19-over at earliest point in a season in franchise history (by date or games).
  • Match season-best 4-game win streak for the 4th time in 2023 (last 4-0 from 5/23-27).
  • Extend current home winning streak to 7 straight G (beg. 5/19), which would be club’s longest-ever at Globe Life Field (prev. 6-0 from 5/15-31/22) and longest overall since an 8-G run from 5/10-18/17 at Globe Life Park.

SERIES STUFF: Club’s 3-G sweep of SEA last weekend was 4th time to win all games of a series in 2023 (last 3-0, 5/19- 21 vs. COL)…Texas has won a season-high 5 consecutive series, longest such span since going 5-0-0 from 6/15-7/1/18 vs. COL/at KC/at MIN/vs. SD/vs. CWS…club is now 10-1-1 in last 12 series and 13-2-1 in last 16…team is 14-4-1 overall in series this year, going 6-2-1 at home and 8-2-0 on the road… TEX is now 5-1-1 in last 7 series at GLF.

AT HOME: Rangers are 19-8 (.704) at home, 2nd-best home record in A.L. and MLB (TB-.813, 26-6)…has won 6 straight, 7 of 8, 11 of 14, 16 of last 22 at GLF beg. 4/5…TEX has a 105-114 all-time record at Globe Life Field (2020-23), but are 25-15 last 40 G here (beg. 9/11/22)…TEX leads MLB in R (193) and R/G (7.15) at home in 2023.

VS. ST. LOUIS: Rangers host Cardinals for 3 G this week, 1st meetings since 5/17-19/19 at GLPIA (2-1)…St. Louis is one of 7 clubs that has never played a regular season game at Globe Life Field (also CHC, CIN, MIA, MIL, NYM, PIT)… TEX leads the all-time reg. season series with STL, 9-3, but has gone just 3-3 vs. Cardinals in Arlington.

BEST TEAM IN BALL: After yesterday’s 12-3 victory over the Mariners, Texas has now outscored its opponents 376- 224 (+152) in 2023…it is the highest run differential in MLB this season (2nd is TB at +122), and the 2nd-highest over any 58-game span in Senators/Rangers franchise history (+155 from 9/1/11-5/11/12)…additionally, it is the 6th-largest run differential in the first 58 G of a season by any team in baseball’s Modern Era (beg. 1901), as the last squad to outscore its opponents by such a wide margin over a campaign’s first 58 G was the 1939 New York Yankees (+169):

HIGHEST TEAM RUN DIFFERENTIAL OVER
SEASON’S FIRST 58 GAMES, MODERN ERA (beg. 1901)
per Stathead
Year Team Run Diff.
1912 New York Giants +174
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates +174
1929 Philadelphia Athletics +171
1939 New York Yankees +169
1936 New York Yankees +153
2023 Texas Rangers +152

MEANS OF (RUN) PRODUCTION: With yesterday’s 12-run output, the Rangers have now scored an MLB-high 376 runs this season…that marks the most runs scored thru 58 games in WSH/TEX franchise history, and most by any ML club over first 58 G of a campaign since 2001 Colorado (also 376 R).

  • Yesterday was Texas’ MLB-leading 16th game with 10+ R this season, tied with the 1936 New York Yankees (also 16) for the most such games by any team over the first 58 G of a season in the Modern Era (beg. 1901).
  • TEX plated a total of 30 R in last weekend’s 3-game series vs. SEA, the 3rd time this season in which TEX has scored 30+ R in a 3-G series (also 31 R, 5/19-21 vs. COL; 30 R, 5/5- 7 at LAA)…it is already a club record for most 3-G series w/ 30+ R in a single season (prev. 2, 3x, last in 2009).
  • The Rangers have scored an MLB-best 193 R at home in ’23, the 2nd-highest R total thru 27 home G in franchise history (202-1998)…the last ML team with as many as 193 R in its first 27 home G of a season was 2001 Colorado (219).
  • TEX has scored 10+ R in 4 of its last 5 G at home dating back to 5/20, the first time in club history to score double-digit runs 4+ times over a 5-G span in Arlington…the 54 total runs in that span are the team’s most over any 5-G stretch at home since 4/17-22/96 (59 R) at Globe Life Park.

SIMMY SZN: Marcus Semien roped a leadoff double to left field in the 1st inn. of yesterday’s win to extend his career best and MLB-high 23-G hit streak…it is the T5th-longest hit streak in club history, and tied for the longest by a Ranger in the last 13 years (also 23 G by Adolis García, 8/3/27/22).

  • Semien slashed .327/.364/.574/.938 (33-101) w/ 4 HR, 2 3B, 9 2B, 19 RBI, 25 R, and 6 BB/13 SO over the course of the streak (beg. 5/10), ranking among MLB leaders in that time in R (1st), H (3rd), XBH (T3rd), 2B (4th), and TB (4th).

STAY WINNING: Nathan Eovaldi produced a quality start yesterday (6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO) to extend his 7-start winning streak, T2nd-longest win streak by a starter in MLB this season (8-TB’s Shane McClanahan, 3/30-5/24), and T10th-longest in WSH/TEX franchise history (last 9-0 by Martín Pérez, 5/10-7/29/22)…he owns the longest active scoreless streak in MLB (17.0 IP), and has gone 6-0, 0.68 ERA (4 ER/52.2 IP), and 46 SO/9 BB over his last 7 GS (beg. 4/29)…Eovaldi and Gaylord Perry (6-1, 0.44 ERA from 7/18- 8/16/75) are the only 2 starting pitchers in franchise history to post 6+ wins and a sub-0.70 ERA over a 7-start span.

SHORTS: RHP Spencer Howard is expected to be activated from the 60-day Injured List prior to tonight’s game…a corresponding move will be announced at that time…Happy Birthday to Rangers LHP Andrew Heaney, who turns 32 today…4 of the top 5 A.L. leaders in runs scored in ’23 are Rangers (54-Semien, 47-García, 43-Lowe, 42-Jung/Judge)…yesterday was win no. 2041 in the managerial career of Bruce Bochy, passing Walter Alston for 10th place on the all-time list.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #54 Martín Pérez, LHP
(6-1, 4.43)

TONIGHT: The 32-year-old left-hander is scheduled to make his 12th start of the season in tonight’s series opener vs. STL…is coming off his 2nd-shortest start of the year on Tues. at DET (ND, 4.2 IP, 6 R-ER), an outing which spiked his overall ERA over a half-run from 3.83 to season-high 4.43…had earned wins with ultra-quality starts in his previous 2 outings before Tuesday, 5/19 vs. COL and 5/24 at PIT…is unbeaten (5-0) in his last 9 starts, as his 6 wins in 2023 are T2nd among Rangers and T8th-most in A.L… opponents are batting .301/.352/.476/.827 w/ 10 HR, 20 BB, 44 SO in 61.0 IP in 2023…the .301 opp. BA is highest of any MLB qualifier…has already allowed 10 HR (1.48 HR/9) this season after permitting just 11 HR (0.50 HR/9) in all of 2022…made 2 starts for Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting no record and a 9.82 ERA (4 ER/3.2 IP)…after returning to the Rangers on a one-year free agent deal for 2022, he elected to stay with Texas in 2023 on a one-year deal after accepting the club’s qualifying offer in November…spent the first 11 seasons of his professional career with the Rangers (2008-18), and has been with the organization for 12 of his 15 years as a pro…left the club for 3 years for brief stints with Minnesota (2019) and Boston (2020-21)…since 2016, his first full campaign after returning from ‘Tommy John’ surgery, has the 2nd-most starts (186) and 2nd-most innings pitched (1067.2) of any pitcher in the American League…saw two seasons cut short in 2014-15 following ‘Tommy John’ ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow on 5/19/14…Texas has gone 8-3 in his 11 starts this season.

LAST START: Is coming off his 2nd-shortest start of the year on Tues. at DET (ND, 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R-ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 2 HR, 87 pitches/53 strikes)… permitted runs in 2nd-3rd-4th-5th innings…matched a season high with 4 BB, and permitted multiple HR for just 3rd time in 11 starts…Rangers still produced enough runs to win, 10-6, and Grant Anderson provided a boost in relief in his ML debut.

VS. ST. LOUIS: Is 1-0, 4.38 (6 ER/12.1 IP) in 2 G/GS career vs. STL, both in his 1st stint with Texas, as he pitched in each of the Rangers’ 2 all-time regular season series in St. Louis (6/22/13 and 6/19/16)…earned win n 6/22/13 at STL (7.0 IP, 2 R-ER) and took ND in Rangers’ win on 6/19/16 at STL (5.1 IP, 4 R-ER) as Rangers were able to sweep both of those series in Missouri.

  • Pérez over his last 9 Interleague starts beg. 5/4/22: 6-1, 1.59 (10 ER/56.2 IP)…Pérez in 4 career Interleague starts at GLF: 3-1, 2.38 (6 ER/22.2 IP).

FOREVER RANGER: Has a 61-58 record with a 4.29 ERA over 184 games/171 starts in his Rangers career, ranking among club’s all-time leaders in starts (7th), innings (7th, 1018.2), wins (10th), and strikeouts (12th, 675)…his 61 wins are the 3rd-most ever by a Texas left-hander, trailing only Kenny Rogers (133) and Derek Holland (62)…Pérez and Rogers (1909.0 IP) are the only LHP in TEX history to log 1000.0+ IP with the club.

  • Since returning to Texas prior to the start of the 2022 campaign, Pérez has gone 18-9, 3.25 ERA (93 ER/257.1 IP) in 43 G/GS…ranks among qualified A.L. pitchers over that span in innings (4th), quality starts (T4th, 27), ground ball pct. (5th, 49.1%), starts (T5th), HR/9 (6th, 0.73), and wins (T6th).

GLOBE LIFE FIELD / AT HOME: Has won all 3 starts at home in ’23: 3-0, 1.93 (4 ER/18.2 IP)…has quality starts in 2 straight at home…over his last 17 starts in this park beg. 4/28/22, has gone 8-2 with a 2.45 ERA (28 ER/103.0 IP) with 13 quality starts…is 8-5, 2.70 (35 ER/116.2 IP) in 20 career games/ starts at Globe Life Field, and ranks among all-time leaders at this park in wins (T2nd, 8), starts (3rd, 20), and strikeouts (3rd, 114). 2023: Opponents have batted .301/.352/.476/.827 (74-246) with 22 extra-base hits (10 HR, 3B, 11 2B), incl. opp. BA’s of .359 (14-39) vs. LHB and .290 (60-207) vs. RHB…3.59 pitches per batter faced is lowest mark in A.L./2nd-lowest among ML qualifiers (3.56-MIA’s Sandy Alcantara)…TEX has scored 6+ runs in of 9 of Pérez’s 11 starts, as his 9.74 run support average (RSA) ranks highest among qualified ML pitchers (2nd is TB’s Shane McClanahan (7.36 RSA)…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.230, 20-87), 2nd (.341, 31-91), 3rd (.348, 23-66), 4th (0-2)…Jonah Heim has caught all 11 of Pérez’s starts…in win 5/24 at PIT, recorded season-high 15 ground balls, 2 of which resulted in GIDP’s…held Buccos scoreless over final 5.0 frames.

Two Minor League Players Suspended

MLB Editor
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Two Minor League Players Suspended

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that two Minor League players have been suspended following their violations of Major League Baseball’s Joint Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Los Angeles Angels Minor League pitcher Darlin Francia, who is currently on the roster of the Arizona Complex League Angels, has received a 56-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Program.

St. Louis Cardinals Minor League pitcher Leonardo Taveras, who is currently on the roster of the High-A Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Clomiphene, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Program.

Red Sox reinstate infielder Christian Arroyo from 10-day injured list

MLB Editor
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Red Sox reinstate infielder Christian Arroyo from 10-day injured list

Club Designates Outfielder Raimel Tapia for Assignment

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today reinstated infielder Christian Arroyo from the 10-Day Injured List. To make room for Arroyo on the active roster, the club designated outfielder Raimel Tapia for assignment. The Red Sox’ 40-man roster is now at 39.

Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Arroyo, 28, was placed on the Injured List on May 7 with a right hamstring strain. He played in six rehab games with Triple-A Worcester, making three starts at second base, one at shortstop, and two as the designated hitter. The right-handed hitter is batting .257 (19-for-74) with 12 runs scored and 11 RBI in 27 games for Boston this season, making 19 starts at second base and two at shortstop. Claimed off waivers from Cleveland in August 2020, Arroyo has batted .255 (203-for-796) with 107 RBI in 256 career games with San Francisco (2017), Tampa Bay (2018-19), Cleveland (2020), and Boston (2020-23).

Tapia, 29, has batted .264 (23-for-87) in 39 games with Boston this season, making nine starts in left field, five in right field, and four in center field. He has also appeared as a pinch-hitter 15 times, second most in MLB, going 4-for-13 (.308) with one double, one home run, and four RBI. The left-handed hitter has batted .276 (502-for-1,818) in 606 career games with the Colorado Rockies (2016-21), Toronto Blue Jays (2022), and Red Sox (2023).

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