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MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (40-18) at Boston Red Sox (29-27)

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MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (40-18) at Boston Red Sox (29-27)

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

BATTLING BACK — Tampa Bay avoided its first series sweep of the season on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, defeating the Cubs, 4-3, with a late-inning comeback win… trailing 2-0 with two outs in the seventh inning, 2B Brandon Lowe (1-for-4, HR, 2RBI) tied the game with a two-run homer…after Tampa Bay surrendered one run in the bottom of seventh frame, CF Jose Siri (1-for-3, HR, 2RBI, BB) put the Rays ahead, 4-3, with a two-run homer of his own…LHP Jalen Beeks inherited a bases-loaded jam with one out in the ninth inning, but struck out 2B Miles Mastrobuoni and got C Yan Gomes to fly out to left field, securing the 4-3 victory.

Jose Siri has 10 HR on the year, including seven in his last 15 games dating back to 5/12…Siri hit 7 HR in 104 games in 2022 between Houston (3HR, 48G) and Tampa Bay (4 HR, 56G).

Brandon Lowe has a team-best four game-tying/go-ahead home runs in the seventh inning or later this season (5/17 at NYM, 4/21 vs. CWS and 4/10 vs. BOS)… the four such homers are tied with STL Nolan Gorman and MIA Jorge Soler for the MLB lead.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS — Earlier today, the Rays acquired RHP Robert Stephenson from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for INF Alika Williams…Stephenson, 30, has made 229 career appearances (22 starts) in stints with Cincinnati, Colorado and Pittsburgh, going 14-19 with a 4.91 ERA (326.0IP, 178ER) and two saves.

MAY FLOWERS — Tampa Bay went 17-12 (.586) in May after going 22-6 (.786) in April… Jose Siri had a team-best 8 HR in May, batting .254 (18-for-71) with one double, one triple, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored…Josh Lowe paced the club with 19 RBI while batting .271 (23- for-85) with five doubles, 6 HR and eight steals…Wander Franco had a team-best 32 hits, finishing the month hitting .296 (32-for-108) with three doubles, two triples, 2 HR and 12 RBI, including his current seven-game hitting streak.

At the conclusion of May, the Rays paced the majors in both home runs (103) and stolen bases (77)…per Elias, Tampa Bay became the first team since the since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (61HR, 21SB) to lead the majors outright in both homers and stolen bases at the end of May.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING — With Wednesday’s win over the Cubs, the Rays avoided their first sweep of the season…they were last swept from 10/3-5, 2022 at Boston…the Rays are 12-5-1 in series play this season, including 9-1-0 at home and 3-4-1 on the road…have gone 0-3-1 over their last four road series dating back to 5/8, posting a 5-8 mark overall as a visitor in that span.

The Rays are currently the only major league club that has not had a losing streak of 3+ games in 2023.

CLOSE SHAVES — Nineteen of Tampa Bay’s last 27 games have been decided by two or fewer runs, including 16 one-run games in that span…this comes after just six of Tampa Bay’s first 31 games were decided by two or fewer runs.

On the season, Tampa Bay is 11-10 in one-run games, tied with Cleveland (11-15) for the most one-run wins among AL clubs…the Rays have played in five straight one-run games, their longest such streak since 6/15-19, 2022 (5G).

FRIENDLY CONFINES — Brandon Lowe is a career .335 (52-for-155) hitter in 48 games against Boston, tallying nine doubles, one triple, 16 HR and 36 RBI…in 17 games at Fenway Park, he is batting .436 (24-for-55) with five doubles, 6 HR and 16 RBI.

Since 2018, among batters with at least 100 PA against the Red Sox, Lowe ranks among league leaders in OBP (1st, .435), OPS (1st, 1.169), SLG (2nd, .716), at-bats per HR (2nd, 9.69), HR (3rd), extra-base hits (T7th) and RBI (T8th).

THE BOY WANDER — Wander Franco has strung together a seven-game hitting streak, matching his longest of the season (also: 5/5-11)…he is batting .462 (12-for-26) with one triple, 6 RBI, five walks and only three strikeouts in that span…he also has six stolen bases during the streak, bringing his season total to 20, third most in MLB behind OAK Esteury Ruiz (28SB) and ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. (23SB)…Franco recorded his 20th steal in his 55th game of the season, becoming the fastest Ray to reach the milestone since Carl Crawford (29G) and B.J. Upton (55G) in 2009.

Franco’s 3.5 bWAR leads the majors, ahead of TOR Bo Bichette (3.2).

In addition to ranking third among major league shortstops in average (.298) and OPS (.844), Franco leads all SS in defensive runs saved (9), ahead of CHC Dansby Swanson (7), according to FanGraphs.

CAN’T CATCH ME — The Rays have stolen 25 consecutive bases without being caught dating back to 5/22, the longest streak in club history…they had achieved the previous mark of 21 straight steals on two separate occasions (6/3-27, 2007 & 7/1-23, 2010)… according to Elias, the last major league club to steal 25 straight bases was San Francisco (28 SB) from 6/18-8/24, 2022…the Rays have been successful on 39 of their last 41 stolen base attempts (95.1%) overall since 5/14 after opening the season 38-for-52 (73.1%).

Tampa Bay’s 77 stolen bases are the most by any major league club through 58 games since the 2009 Rays (91SB).

On the season, Tampa Bay leads the majors in both steals (77) and stolen base attempts (93) while ranking sixth in stolen base pct. (82.8%).

SETTING THE TONE — The first three spots in Tampa Bay’s batting order rank among major league leaders in average (1st, .300), hits (2nd, 207) OBP (1st, 384), SLG (2nd, .521), OPS (2nd, .905), runs scored (2nd, 127), RBI (3rd, 117), hard-hit pct. (5th, 38.0%) and HR (5th, 36).

THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 103 home runs, tied for the fourth-most long balls through a club’s first 58 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 1999 Seattle Mariners (118HR), 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (113HR) and 2019 Minnesota Twins (109HR)…they reached 100 homers in their 54th game of the season, becoming the fifth-fastest team to reach the milestone in MLB history (since 1901).

The Rays have an MLB-best 30 multi-HR games, ahead of New York-AL (29); they are 25-5 in those contests…this includes 16 games with 3+ homers most, most in the AL and trailing only Los Angeles-NL (17G); the Rays had 13 games with 3+ HR in 2022.

BEANTOWN REPORT — The Rays and Red Sox meet for the fifth time this season and for the first time at Fenway Park…Tampa Bay swept Boston in a four-game set at Tropicana Field from 4/10-13, outscoring the Red Sox 26-12.

Since the beginning of the 2019 season, the Rays are 46-25 (.648) against the Red Sox, including a 19-12 (.613) mark at Fenway Park during that span…it is the most wins by any team against Boston during that span ahead of New York-AL (45-22).

Tampa Bay has lost five of its last six at Fenway Park dating back to 8/26/22.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP TYLER GLASNOW (0-0, 6.23)
ALL G(L)AS NO BRAKES — The right-hander makes his second start of the season in tonight’s series opener at Fenway Park, including his first road start of 2023…made two regular season starts in 2022 after recovering from Tommy John surgery before earning the starting nod in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Cleveland…suffered a left oblique strain during a Spring Training practice on 2/27 and was placed on the 15-day injured list on 3/29 (retro 3/27) before being reinstated on 5/27.

HE’S BACK — Made his first major league start of the season and his first home start since 6/8/21 in Tampa Bay’s 6-5 loss to Los Angeles-NL on 5/27 (4.1IP, 5H, 3ER, BB, 8SO, HR)…yielded a lead-off HR to Max Muncy in the second frame before the Dodgers added a pair of runs in the fourth on an RBI-double and a wild pitch…he recorded a 45.4 pct. whiff rate in the outing

SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON — In eight career starts against Boston, Glasnow is 2-1 with a 3.83 ERA (42.1IP, 18ER), holding Red Sox hitters to a .217 average (34-for-157) while recording 11.91 SO/9.0 IP…this includes a 1-1 mark and a 4.00 ERA (27.0IP, 12ER) in five starts at Fenway Park.

Following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, he made his second and final start of the 2022 season on 10/3/22 at Boston, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings (3.2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 7SO).

Glasnow is 8-6 with a 4.03 ERA (147.1IP, 66ER) in 29 career starts against AL East clubs, recording a 32.7 pct. strikeout rate, his second-highest mark against any division, behind the AL West (38.2%).

ROAD TRIPPIN’—Tonight’s outing marks Glasnow’s first road start of the campaign; his most recent outing on the road also came at Fenway Park on 10/3/22…has held opponents to a .196 batting average in his career as a visitor, fourth-lowest among active pitchers (min. 200.0IP on the road) behind KC Aroldis Chapman (.179), PHI Craig Kimbrel (.183) and BOS Kenley Jansen (.183).

ROLLIN’ AS A RAY — Since making his Rays debut on Aug 1, 2018, he is 17-9 with a 3.10 ERA (272.2IP, 94ER) and 372 strikeouts in 51 starts…since being acquired by the Rays, he ranks second in the AL (min. 250.0 IP) in strikeout rate (34.5 pct.), third in WHIP (1.00), third in opp. avg. (.191) and 10th in ERA…has an 7.9 pct. walk rate since the trade, compared to a 10.3 pct. rate with Pittsburgh.

FLAMETHROWER — His avg. 4-seam fastball velocity in 2021 was 97.0 mph…min. 1,000 total pitches at the time of his injury, was the fourth fastest in the majors and second in the AL behind NYY Gerrit Cole (97.3)… his fastball was rated at 13.5 Runs Above Average, sixth in the majors and second in the AL at the time of his injury…had 47 strikeouts with the pitch, fifth in the majors and most in the AL at the time of his injury.

BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:

STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox defeated CIN last night to avoid being swept and snap a 3-game losing streak. The Sox are 3-7 in their last 10 games, losing 2 of their last 3 series (0-3 at LAA, 2-1 at ARI, 1-2 vs. CIN). At 29-27 (.518), the Sox rank 5th in the AL East and are 4.0 games back from the AL’s 3rd Wild Card spot.

SERIES BUSINESS: The Red Sox lost their 3-game series vs. CIN to fall to 11-6-1 in series play, including 6-3-0 at home. The Sox are 3-3-1 in their last 7 series, beginning 5/9. They are 7-3-0 in series against AL opponents.

SOX & RAYS: The Red Sox were swept by the Rays in a 4-game series at Tropicana Field from 4/10-13. After this series, the clubs won’t meet until September, when they play a 3-game series in St. Petersburg from 9/4-6 and a 2-game series in Boston from 9/26-27. BOS went 6-3 at home vs. TB last season…They swept the Rays in a 3-game series here from 10/3-5/22.

EASTERN STANDARD: The Red Sox are 7-7 vs. AL East opponents this season, including 6-1 at Fenway Park. The Sox have won both of their home series against AL East teams (2-2-0 overall)…They defeated BAL in a season-opening 3-game series from 3/30-4/2 (2-1) and swept TOR in a 4-game series from 5/1-4. In 2022, they didn’t win their 2nd series against an AL East opponent until 8/14 (began 1-11-1).

GETTING BUSY: The Red Sox are currently in a span of 26 games in 27 days for the Red Sox, from 5/30-6/25 (1-2 so far). 3 of the Sox’ next 5 series (10 of 16 games from 6/2-18) are against AL East opponents…Just 1 of their 9 series from 4/28-6/1 were within the division (5/1-4 vs. TOR).

TOUGH TEST: The Red Sox have won 19 games against opponents with a current winning percentage of .500 or better, tied for 4th most in MLB (TB-22, TOR-21, NYY-20). The Red Sox are 19-19 (.500) against teams that currently have a .500 winning percentage or better. 7 of the Sox’ next 10 series, through 7/6, are against opponents who are currently above .500 (vs. TB, at NYY, vs. NYY, at MIN, vs. MIA, at TOR, vs. TEX).

ON THE MEND: Christian Arroyo and Adam Duvall are both on rehab assignments with Triple-A Worcester. Arroyo has played in 5 games, making 3 starts at 2B and 2 as the DH and going 5-for-19 (.263 AVG, 2B, RBI). Duvall has made 1 start in CF and 1 as the DH (0-for-6).

ALL-STAR VOTING: Phase 1 of fan voting for the 2023 All-Star Game began on Wednesday and runs through 12:00 p.m. ET on 6/22…Fans can vote on MLB.com, redsox.com, the MLB App, and the MLB Ballpark App, and are allowed to vote a maximum of five times in a 24-hour period. During Phase 1, fans can submit their ballot by selecting 1 player at each position and 3 outfielders. At the end of Phase 1, the 2 players at each position with the most votes (top 6 outfielders) advance to Phase 2…The leading vote-getter in Phase 1 will bypass Phase 2 and receive an automatic starting assignment. This year’s All-Star Game takes place on Tuesday, 7/11, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, WA.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Red Sox beat the Reds last night, 8-2, scoring 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. In the 8th inning, Rafael Devers hit an RBI double, Kiké Hernández hit a 2-run single, and Connor Wong hit a 2-run HR…Hernández also hit a solo HR in the 7th. Red Sox relievers allowed 1 R over the final 5.1 innings (2 H, 2 BB, 5 SO) after Chris Sale (3.2 IP, 5 H, R, B, 6 SO) was removed due to right shoulder soreness.

PITCHING IN: Red Sox pitchers have allowed 4 ER or fewer in 12 of their last 14 games, posting a 3.27 ERA and .208 opponent AVG in that span (44 ER/121.0 IP, 94-for-452). Over that 14-game span, beginning 5/16, the Sox own MLB’s 3rd-best opponent AVG and 4th-best ERA. During that span, Sox relievers rank 2nd in MLB in WHIP (0.99) and 3rd in opponent AVG (.178), while Sox starters rank 4th in ERA (3.42) Red Sox starting pitchers have allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in 11 of their last 13 games.

SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox rank in MLB’s top 5 in runs scored (4th, 293), AVG (4th, .264), OBP (3rd, .333), SLG (5th, .436), OPS (5th, .769), doubles (2nd, 126), and XBH (4th, 195). BOS has hit 2 HR in each of the last 2 games following a season-long streak of 9 games without multiple HR. With RISP, the Sox lead MLB in SO% (18.2) and rank 2nd in AVG (.297) and OBP (.377).

SOX STRIKEOUTS: Red Sox batters have struck out 446 times, 3rd fewest in the AL and 6th fewest in MLB. The Sox struck out 10+ times in each of their 9 games vs. ARI, ATL, and TB (11.4 SO/game) but have done so just 5 times in their other 47 games (7.3 SO/game).

HOME COOKING: The Red Sox are 16-13 at Fenway Park…They’re 3-6 in their last 9 games at the venue, after going 11-3 in their previous 14. The Sox have averaged 10.4 hits per game at home, 0.8 more than the closest team (COL-9.6).

RED SOX IN HOME GAMES
Stat MLB Rank
6.1 R/game 2nd
10.5 H/game 1st
4.1 XBH/game 1st
123 wRC+ 4th
Stat MLB Rank
.296 AVG 1st
.360 OBP 1st
.489 SLG 3rd
.849 OPS 2nd

UPS AND DOWNS: The Red Sox are 16-13 in their last 29 games, beginning 4/29…That span includes the Sox’ 2 longest winning streaks of the season (8 games, 4/29-5/6 and 4 games, 5/15-20) and 2 season-high-tying 4-game losing streaks (5/12-15 and 5/21-24).

TONIGHT’S STARTER: 22 GARRETT WHITLOCK – RHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 2-2 5.14 4 4 21.0 12 5 3 15 1.19 .278
CAREER 14-8 3.02 81 13 172.2 58 21 35 178 1.08 .233

Earned the win on Saturday at ARI (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 SO, HR)…It was his 1st MLB outing since 4/22 at MIL…Was reinstated from the 15-Day IL prior to the game (right elbow ulnar neuritis). Threw a career-high 35 changeups on last Saturday at ARI…In at-bats ending with the pitch, opponents were 2-for-12 with 3 SO. Allowed 5 runs over 5.0 IP in his last start vs. TB on 4/11 (L, 8 H, 5 SO, 3 HR). Has walked only 3 of his 83 batters faced (3.6%)…Ranks in MLB’s 94th percentile in BB%, as well as in the 99th percentile in extension. Among Red Sox pitchers in the Live Ball Era (min. 150.0 IP), ranks 11th in ERA (3.02) and 5th in SO/BB ratio (5.09) behind only Koji Uehara (7.86), Chris Sale (6.25), Pedro Martinez (5.45), and Curt Schilling (5.31).

MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (24-34) at Kansas City Royals (17-39)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (24-34) at Kansas City Royals (17-39)

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

I THINK WE’VE MET BEFORE

  • The Colorado Rockies continue their seven-game road trip today with the first of three games against the Kansas City Royals.
  • The Rockies were swept in four games by Arizona to begin the road trip … lost Thursday’s game 5-4 on a walk-off by Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll … it was the first time this season Colorado lost a game when leading after seven innings, the last team in the Majors to lose such a game.
  • Following this series at Kansas City and an off-day on Monday, the Rockies return to Coors Field for a six-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
  • The Rockies are in the midst of 17-straight days without an off day … also in a stretch of 33 games in 34 days from May 19-June 21 … have gone 5-9 so far through this stretch.
  • Colorado has gone 16-14 (.533) since April 30, the fourth-best record in the NL over that span behind the Dodgers (19-10, .655), Diamondbacks (18-11, .621) and Giants (17-13, .567).

HI, MY NAME IS

  • The Rockies have used 26 total pitchers this season, the third-most in baseball behind Oakland (29) and Tampa Bay (28) … the Rockies used 25 total pitchers in 2022, 26 in 2021 and have used more than 30 pitchers just once since 2016 (31 pitchers, 2019).
  • Colorado has also used 11 starting pitchers in 2023, tied for the third-most in the Majors … entering the season, the Rockies had used 22 total starting pitchers from 2017-22, Bud Black’s first six years as manager, the fewest starters in the Majors.

BACK IN BLACK

  • Last Sunday’s win was the 441st of Bud Black’s Rockies career (2017-2023), passing Don Baylor for the second-most managerial wins in franchise history … Baylor, the Rockies’ first manager in franchise history, went 440-469 in six seasons at the helm from 1993-98 … Clint Hurdle holds the Rockies record for managerial wins, holding a 534-625 record in parts of eight seasons from 2002-09.

ROYALTY

  • Rockies Manager Bud Black returns to Kansas City, his second time managing against the Royals in Kansas City (also: 2017 with Colorado) … Black pitched for parts of seven seasons with the Royals from 1982-88 and ranks 14th in franchise history in innings pitched (977.2) and wins (56) … made 33 starts for the 1985 World Series Champion Royals, including one start and one relief appearance in the World Series … was also the Royals’ starting pitcher in the “Pine Tar Game” on July 24, 1983.
  • Mike Moustakas played the first eight seasons of his career with the Royals after Kansas City selected him with the second overall pick in the 2007 Draft … ranks ninth in Royals franchise history in home runs (139) and 14th in games played (934) … two-time All-Star with the Royals in 2015 and 2017 and member of the 2015 World Series Champion team … has appeared in two games at Kauffman Stadium as member of the visiting team, going 1-for-4 in two games with the Reds Aug. 19-20, 2020 … also returned to Kauffman July 5-7, 2021 as a member of the Reds but did not play while on the injured list.

RETURN OF THE MAC

  • Third baseman Ryan McMahon has reached base in 10-straight games, going 15-for-36 with three doubles, one triple, four home runs, 13 RBI and eight walks over the span … is the first Rockies player with at least 15 hits, eight extra-base hits,13 RBI and eight walks in a 10-game span since Troy Tulowtizki in 2014 … is just the fifth player in franchise history to post those numbers in a 10-game span, along with Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, Ellis Burks and Larry Walker.
  • McMahon’s 1.5 WAR (Baseball Reference) is second-best among all NL third basemen … his 0.8 dWAR and eight defensive runs saved each rank second among all third basemen.

LITTLE BROTHER

  • 21-year-old shortstop Ezequiel Tovar hit his fourth home run of the season Thursday … is slashing .333/.388/.533 over his last 13 games and his hitting .276 (34-for-23) over his last 35 games since April 23, raising his average from .172 to .241 on the season.
  • Has started 54 games at shortstop, tied for the third-most in the Majors … his six defensive runs saved are tied for the third-most among shortstops while his 1.0 dWAR is tied for the seventh-highest overall in the Majors.

BABY GOT BACKSTOP

  • Despite a three-game hitless streak, his first of the season, Rockies catcher Elias Díaz’s .314 batting average (54-for-172) ranks fifth in the Majors, fourth in the NL … his .374 average (34-for-91) average at home is the third-highest in the Majors while his .417 (20-for-48) average with runners in scoring position is tied for the sixth-highest the Majors.
  • Has appeared in 48 games at catcher, the second-most in the Majors … his 10 catcher caught stealing are third in the Majors … tied for fourth among Major Leaguers with a 1.1 defensive WAR.

LITTLE BROTHER

  • The Rockies have gone 2-7 in Interleague play this season, with all nine games coming in American League ballparks … were swept in three games at Seattle April 14-16, took two of three in Cleveland April 24-26, and were swept in three games at Texas May 19-21.
  • The Rockies are 12-16 all-time against the Royals, including 3-8 at Kauffman Stadium … dropped two of three to the Royals last season at Coors Field May 13-15 … last visited Kansas City in 2017, losing two of three.

ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #45 CHASE ANDERSON RHP
HEADING OUT WEST

  • Chase Anderson will make his fourth start in a Rockies uniform tonight after being claimed off of waivers from Tampa Bay on May 12.
  • Designated for assignment by Tampa Bay on May 10 … was acquired by Tampa Bay via trade with Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations on May 3.
  • Was signed by the Reds to a Minor League contract on Feb. 20 after spending the 2022 season with the club.

SO GLAD WE MET

  • Last start came last Saturday against the Mets … went 5.0 innings and allowed one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
  • Did not receive a decision in the 10-7 win, his third no-decision in as many starts … left with the game with the Rockies up 6-1.

CHASE THE ACE

  • In his three starts with Colorado, all at Coors Field, has posted a 1.72 ERA (15.2 IP, 3 ER) with four walks and eight strikeouts … allowed 13 hits (.236 average) with two doubles and one home run allowed.
  • Seventh pitcher in franchise history to toss at least 15 innings and allow three or fewer runs in his first three appearances with the club, the first since Jose Ureña in 2022 … is only the third pitcher in franchise history to put up those numbers in his first three starts at Coors Field, joining Jordan Lyles (2014), tonight’s opposing starter for Kansas City, and Denny Stark (2002).

ANNOUNCE HIS PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY

  • Made his first career start with the Rockies on May 16 vs. the Reds, drawing a no decision in a 3-1 Rockies loss … pitched five scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one walk and three strikeouts … left after five innings with the game tied 0-0.
  • Became the ninth pitcher in franchise history to toss at least five scoreless innings in his first start with the club, the first since Antonio Senzatela did so in his Major League debut on April 6, 2017 … first Rockies pitcher to accomplish the feat in a home game since Drew Pomeranz on his Major League debut on Sept. 11, 2011.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

  • Will be making his first career appearance against Kansas City, the only team in the Majors he has not faced at least once.
  • Has gone 1-4 with a 4.43 ERA (42.2 IP, 21 ER) in eight career starts against other AL Central clubs.

RAYS OF SUNSHINE

  • Made two relief appearances for Tampa Bay on May 3 and May 9, both in relief after being acquired from Cincinnati on May 3.
  • Pitched five innings without allowing a run in his relief appearances … allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out two.
  • Tossed three scoreless innings on May 3 vs. Pittsburgh, garnering his first career save in an 8-1 Rays win.

HISTORY AT A MILE HIGH

  • Over his 10-year career, has made nine starts at Coors Field, going 2-3 with a 5.60 ERA (45.0 IP, 28 ER), 17 walks and 30 strikeouts … has allowed 50 hits in his 45.0 innings at Coors Field (.294 average), including six home runs.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:

70 HOURS AGO: Fresh off back-to-back off days, the Royals last played on Tuesday night in St. Louis, a 2-1 loss that ended 70 hours before tonight’s scheduled first pitch…the break in between marked Kansas City’s first scheduled back-to-back off days since April 6-7, 2016…hits were hard to come by Tuesday night, as Zack Greinke held the Cardinals to 2 hits over 5.0 scoreless innings, and Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas held the Royals to 3 hits over 8.0 scoreless innings, with 10 strikeouts…four batters after Greinke’s exit, Nolan Arenado broke the scoreless tie in the 6th with an RBI double, and Nolan Gorman added a sacrifice fly in the 8th…the Royals made it interesting in the 9th, when Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez began the frame with backto-back hits, and Bobby Witt Jr. spoiled the shutout bid with an RBI groundout…he later stole second base—his 17th of the season—to put the tying run in scoring position, before Michael Massey struck out to end the game.

Arenado’s RBI double in the 6th was the 1st run allowed by Royals pitching since the 4th inning on Sunday vs. Washington, snapping a 19.0-inning scoreless streak…since their 12-10 loss to the Nats a week ago tonight, the Royals have allowed 8 runs in 35.0 innings (2.06 ERA), but are 2-2 in those 4 games.

ROSTER MOVE: The Royals announced today that left-handed pitcher Amir Garrett has been placed on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to May 29) with left elbow valgus extension overload…in a corresponding move, right hander Jackson Kowar has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha…this marks Kowar’s second stint with the Royals this season following a brief stint two weeks ago, when he made 1 appearance on May 19 at the White Sox, in which he recorded 2.1 scoreless innings with no hits allowed and 3 strikeouts…he’s made 3 appearances with Omaha since returning to Triple-A, and last pitched on Wednesday, throwing 18 pitches in 1.0 inning of work.

BIG SLICK: This weekend marks the 14th annual Big Slick event, in which several Kansas City-native celebrities return to their hometown to raise money for Children’s Mercy Hospital, with the goal of eradicating pediatric cancer…tonight’s event is the Big Slick Celebrity Softball Game, which begins at 5:00 p.m. CT at Kauffman Stadium and will feature local celebrities Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Riggle, Eric Stonestreet, David Koechner, Heidi Gardner and many more…a portion of the proceeds from the celebrity softball game will be donated to Big Slick to help in their mission…to date, Big Slick has raised more than $17 million for pediatric cancer.

CONSTRUCTION ALERT: Starting at 2 a.m. tomorrow morning, MODOT will be closing both directions of Interstate 70 to demolish the Blue Ridge Blvd. bridge…the closure will impact fans, employees and media who use I-70 to get to and from the stadium…construction is set to be complete by 5 a.m. on Monday…if you’re traveling to Kauffman Stadium this weekend, please allow plenty of time to navigate the delay this may cause.

If traveling to Kauffman Stadium from downtown eastbound on I-70, use Manchester Trafficway to avoid the closure and follow signs to the stadium…if arriving along westbound I-70, you’ll be redirected to take I-470 South to 435 North to get to the ballpark…if you come from 435, your route will not change.

ALL-STAR BALLOT: Major League Baseball on Wednesday launched the 2023 Scotts MLB All-Star Ballot for the Midsummer Classic, which will be played on Tuesday, July 11 at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park…the All-Star Ballot will once again feature two phases of fan voting to determine the starters for the 93rd Midsummer Classic… fans can now cast their votes exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com, all 30 club sites, the MLB app and the MLB Ballpark app until the voting period for Phase 1 concludes on Thursday, June 22 at 11:00 a.m. CT…during this initial voting period, fans can submit up to five ballots per 24-hour period on MLB platforms.

Salvador Perez leads all primary catchers with 12 homers and ranks 2nd among American League catchers with 32 RBI…Perez, a seven-time All-Star, is batting .284 in 50 games this season with an .849 OPS.

Bobby Witt Jr. has 10 HR, including 9 as a shortstop, 2nd most in the AL at the position to Bo Bichette (12).

MAY HONORS: The Royals announced today that Salvador Perez and Zack Greinke have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for May, an award determined by local media vote…Salvy led the Royals with 9 HR and 19 RBI last month, and his 9 HR matched Gary Gaetti (1995) for the most by a Royal in the month of May…Perez’s 9 HR trailed only Aaron Judge (12), Jorge Soler (12) and Pete Alonso (10) in the Majors, and his .635 slugging percentage ranked 4th behind Judge (.882), Mickey Moniak (.694) and Luis Robert Jr. (.640)…this marks Salvy’s seventh career Royals Player of the Month Award, 5th most since the award was introduced in 1995.

Greinke recorded a 2.30 ERA (8 ER in 31.1 IP) in 6 games last month, which ranked 7th in the American League and was the best mark by a Royal in the month of May (min. 30.0 IP) since Chris Young had a 1.45 ERA (4 ER in 31.0 IP) in May 2015…Zack issued only 3 walks in 31.1 innings, and his 0.86 BB/9 ranked 2nd in the Majors to Seattle’s Bryce Miller (0.75)…this marks Greinke’s ninth career Royals Pitcher of the Month Award, breaking a tie with Joakim Soria for the most Pitcher of the Month Awards since it was first established by the Royals for the 1995 season.

VS. ROCKIES: The Royals are welcoming the Rockies to Kauffman Stadium this weekend for just the fifth time and first time since Aug. 22-24, 2017… the Royals are 16-12 (.571) all-time vs. Colorado, their 2nd-best win percentage vs. any opponent, trailing only their 15-7 (.682) record vs. San Francisco… they’re also 8-3 all-time vs. the Rockies at Kauffman Stadium, where they’ve outscored them 54-37 (+17)…in 28 overall games vs. Colorado, the Royals have batted .298 and averaged 6.0 runs/game, both of which are their highest marks vs. any opponent…the Royals are 6-3-0 in nine series vs. the Rockies and haven’t lost a set since 2011 at Coors Field…they’re 3-0-1 in four series since and have won 7 of 10 games, including 2 of 3 in Colorado last season from May 13-15…the Royals clinched that series win with an 8-7 win in the finale, scoring 2 runs in the 9th inning after blowing a 6-run lead earlier in the game.

Rockies Manager Bud Black played seven of his 15 big league seasons with the Royals from 1982-88, including a World Series championship in 1985.

Mike Moustakas was drafted 2nd overall by Kansas City in 2007 and spent the first eight seasons of his 13-year career with the Royals, and was a World Series champion in 2015…Moose also set the single-season club record with 38 HR in 2017, a mark that’s been passed twice since.

The Royals are 7-13 in Interleague play this season, but are 4-3 in their last 7 games vs. National League opponents after starting 3-10.

HOME: The Royals tonight begin a 3-game homestand vs. the Rockies, which marks their only home games during an 11-game, two week stretch from May 29-June 11…the Royals are 8-21 at Kauffman Stadium, but are 6-5 in their last 11 home games, in which they’ve outscored opponents 60-47 (+13).

The Royals have had 2 walk-off wins in the 9th inning in their last 7 home games, including May 11 vs. the White Sox and Sunday vs. the Nationals.

The Royals hit 26 HR in 16 home games in May and are on pace for 92 HR at home, which would shatter the club record of 88 HR (1997, 2002, 2017).

Following Sunday’s finale vs. the Rockies, the Royals will fly to Miami to begin a 3-game series vs. the Marlins starting Monday night…that will conclude a run of four straight series vs. National League opponents, as that trip will continue to Baltimore for 3 games vs. the O’s next weekend.

TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP JORDAN LYLES (0-9, 7.30 ERA)
JORDAN LYLES is making his 12th start of the season and 333rd appearance (226th start) of his career tonight vs. the Rockies…he was originally selected by Houston in the 1st round (38th overall) of the 2008 Draft out of Hartsville High School (S.C.), and signed a two-year contract with the Royals on Dec. 28, 2022.

LAST START: The Royals suffered a 12-10 defeat to the Nationals a week ago at Kauffman Stadium, a game in which Kansas City held a 2-1 lead into the 6th, when the first four batters reached vs. Lyles, a stretch capped by Corey Dickerson’s go-ahead, 3-run home run, as Lyles finished with 5 runs allowed on 6 hits (2 home runs), 3 walks and 2 strikeouts…Lane Thomas led off with a solo home run on the 5th pitch of the game, and the next 2 batters reached via a single and a walk, but from there Jordan hit his stride, retiring 14 of his last 16 hitters through the 5th inning… pitching with a 2-1 lead in the top of the 6th, Luis García (who ended the game 6-for-6) and Joey Meneses hit back-to-back doubles before Jeimer Candelario walked, setting up Dickerson’s lead-taking homer that pushed Lyles out of the game.

Lyles yielded 2 home runs, and has allowed at least 1 home run in 8 of his 11 starts this year…16 HR in 61.2 innings (2.3 HR/9) lead the Majors, ahead of Yusei Kikuchi & Lance Lynn, and he’s allowed multiple homers in 7 of his 11 starts.

The Royals are 0-11 in games started by Lyles this season, and he has set a new career high with a 9-game losing streak (across 11 starts) since his most recent in in his final start of 2022, a 2-1 victory at Yankee Stadium with the Orioles.

THE ROLLER COASTER: Lyles has begun his Royals career with an 0-9 record through 11 starts, setting a career-worst losing streak…in those starts, a troubling trend has emerged, as his struggles have come in the beginning and end of his outings, while he’s been largely dominant in the middle innings…through his first 15 pitches, he has allowed opponents to hit .405 (15-for-37) with 5 home runs, and from pitches 61 and up, opponents are batting .278 (25-for-90) with 9 doubles, 9 home runs and a triple…the good has come between pitches 16-60, when he has held opponents to a .190 average (22-for-116) with only 9 extra-base hits and 19 strikeouts.

His opponents’ OPS of 1.398 from pitches 1-15 is the highest in Major League Baseball (min. 10 starts), as are his 10 extra-base hits allowed, which are 3 more than the next closest pitchers (A. Gomber, L. Giolito & R. Hill, 7 apiece).

ON STRIKE: Jordan walked 3 batters in his last start on May 26 vs. the Nationals, but despite that his career BB% is still 7.7%…he’s improved in that category with age, as his BB% of 7.2% since the start of 2021 ranks 3rd in the AL (min. 400.0 IP), behind only José Berríos (6.0%) and Gerrit Cole (6.4%).

READY FROM THE JUMP: Despite ranking 29th in the American League in 1st pitch strikes (61.3%), opponents have swung at 34.7% of his 1st pitches, 13thmost in the AL…in 0-0 counts, opponents are slashing .421/.400/.895 (16-for-38, 1.295 OPS) with 9 extra-base hits (4 home runs)…the 1.295 OPS is his 3rd-highest of any count he’s in, behind 3-0 counts (2.800 OPS, 1-for-2 with 1 home run) and 3-1 counts (1.489, 3-for-9 with 1 home run, 2 doubles).

WORKHORSE: The Royals are the eighth club Lyles has pitched for during his 13-year big league career that has included stops with Houston (2011-13), Colorado (2014- 17), San Diego (2017-18), Milwaukee (2018-19), Pittsburgh (2019), Texas (2020-21), Baltimore (2022) and Kansas City (2023)…since the start of 2021, his 420.2 innings rank 3rd among AL pitchers behind Gerrit Cole (455.2 IP) and José Berríos (429.1 IP).

He was one of only four American League pitchers to record at least 175.0 innings from 2021-2022, along with Cole, Cole Irvin and Robbie Ray.

Across his 13 seasons and 332 Major League appearances, he has only been placed on the Injured List on five occasions: June 10-29, 2019 (left hamstring tightness), March 28-April 4, 2019 (right side discomfort), June 24-July 29, 2018 (right elbow inflammation), June 1-end of season, 2015 (sprained left big toe) and June 5-Aug. 6, 2014 (fractured left hand).

FRIENDS TURNED FOES: Jordan has faced Colorado 14 times (8 starts), and has gone 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA (32 ER in 54.1 IP), including 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA (28 ER in 46.2 IP) as a starter…he last started against the Rockies on Aug. 31, 2021 and he earned the win with 6.2 frames of 3-run ball with 7 strikeouts.

Jordan pitched for these Rockies from 2014-17, going 13-16 with 1 save and a 5.22 ERA (163 ER in 281.0 IP)…he began his Rockies career with a 5-game (8 start) winning streak, from April 2-May 10, 2014, when he pitched to a 2.66 ERA (15 ER in 50.2 IP) and a .223 opponents’ batting average.

He was released by Colorado on Aug. 1, 2017 and signed to a minor league contract by San Diego 6 days later…he had his contract purchased on Sept. 1 and pitched the rest of that season and the 2018 season with the Padres.

FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME: Over the course of his 13-year career, Lyles has fared better when pitching in front of his home fans, going 36-42 (.462) with a 4.81 ERA (382 ER in 715.0 IP) in 169 appearances…in 163 appearances (114 starts) on the road, he’s 30-57 (.345) with a 5.62 ERA (420 ER in 673.0 IP)…in 2022 while pitching for the Orioles, Lyles pitched extremely well while in Camden Yards, pitching to a 3.47 ERA (32 ER in 83.0 IP) across 14 starts, but was hit hard on the road, where he was hit to the tune of a 5.25 ERA (56 ER in 96.0 IP) in 18 starts.

Although he’s just starting to call The K “home,” he’s looking to change course, as he’s 1-6 in 9 starts with a 5.50 ERA (34 ER in 55.2 IP) here.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Lyles has been nothing if not a consistently strong defender, averaging less than 1 defensive miscue per season during his 13-year career (12 errors in 1388.0 IP)…he has not committed an error since Sept. 22, 2020, and has made 76 appearances (74 starts) since.

Jordan’s 420.2 innings without an error since the start of 2021 are the most among all big league pitchers, ahead of White Sox ace Lucas Giolito (408.2 IP, 30 chances) and Mets ace Max Scherzer (372.1 IP, 42 chances), and he’s converted all 57 of his defensive chances during this stretch.

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (30-28) at Houston Astros (33-23)

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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (30-28) at Houston Astros (33-23)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the fifth (2-2) of seven games on a road trip against the Chicago White Sox (2-1) and Houston Astros (0-1; June 1-4)…Halos went 5-4 on last homestand against the Minnesota Twins (2-1), Boston Red Sox (3-0) and Miami Marlins (0-3)…LAA was 3-4 on last road trip to Cleveland (1-2) and Baltimore (2-2).

BRINGING THE HEAT: RHP Ben Joyce made his Major League debut on Monday at White Sox, working one scoreless inning with two strikeouts…Recorded first career strikeout on 101.8 MPH pitch vs. Gavin Sheets; second fastest pitch for first career strikeout in the Statcast era (102.4 MPH by Julian Fernandez (COL) on 9/5/21 vs. ATL)…Across his two appearances, 21 of 22 pitches have been at 100+ MPH…In the Statcast era (since 2015), only Shohei Ohtani (67) has thrown more pitches at 100+ MPH for the Angels.

DINGER DUO: Wednesday at Chicago (A.L.) was the 27th time that Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani homered in the same game…It’s the third highest total among duos in Angels history (trails only Trout/Pujols – 48 games & Salmon/Anderson – 28 games).

JUST MET A MAN NAMED BARRIA: Since April 8, Jaime Barria leads the Majors (min. 20 IP) with a 0.59 ERA (30.1 IP – 2 ER)…He made his second start of the season Wednesday at White Sox and earned the win (has also made 11 appearances from Angels bullpen this year).

WINNING MONTHS: Angels went 15-13 in May after completing March/April with a 15-14 record (15-13 in April)…Halos had a record above .500 in consecutive months for the first time since June/July 2021.

VS. HOUSTON: Astros lead the 2023 season series 3-1 after taking two of three in first series of the year at Angel Stadium from May 8-10 and last night’s series opener in Houston…The teams will meet a total of 13 times this season…Last year, Astros won season series 13-6…Mike Trout leads all active players with 29 career home runs vs. Houston.

LEAGUE LEADER: Shohei Ohtani, leads the Majors in opponent batting average (.155), is second in WHIP (0.95) and fourth in strikeouts (90).

PLAY FROM AHEAD: Halos have held leads in 47 of 58 games played this year.

LATE COMEBACKS: Halos have three wins this season when trailing after eight innings, which matches the Angels total from each of the last two seasons…Last time LAA had more than three wins in a season when trailing after eight frames was 2017 (5).

ESTÉVEZ ENDING: This season, Carlos Estévez is pitching to a 1.50 ERA (24 IP – 4 ER) and has converted all 13 of his save opportunities (the 13 saves are a new career high)…He is the first Angels pitcher to convert his first 13 save opportunities of a season since Troy Percival had 16 straight successful save opportunities to begin the 2001 season.

CATCHING ON: This season, Angels catchers are tied for third with 10 home runs and rank fourth in the Majors with a .787 OPS.

SINGLE HANDED: Gio Urshela has hit 49 singles this year plus 11 extra-base hits (eight doubles, one triple & two home runs)…Urshela ranks second, behind Toronto’s Bo Bichette (57), for the American League lead in singles…Since May 5, Urshela ranks third in the Majors with a .352 (31/88) batting average in that span.

LEAD ASSISTANT: Hunter Renfroe is tied for second in the American League with five outfield assists this season…Since 2017, his 61 outfield assists lead the Majors (Starling Marte is second with 52 assists).

NET-OW: Zack Neto has been hit by 10 pitches this season, which is second-most in the Majors…Since 1901, only Nick Johnson (2001-02 Yankees; 37 career games) reached 10 career HBP faster than Neto (41 career games).

THE MICK: Mickey Moniak is one of three players in the Majors with at least three leadoff HR this year, along with Mookie Betts (4) and Christian Yelich (3)… On May 13 at Cleveland, became the first player in MLB history to make his season debut on his birthday and hit a leadoff home run.

BACHMAN IN THE SHOW: Sam Bachman made his MLB debut on May 26 vs. Miami with 2.0 innings pitched in relief…The Angels first round pick ninth overall) in the 2021 Draft, Bachman is currently rated by MLB Pipleline as the #4 prospect in the Halos system…He is the highest drafted player from the 2021 Draft to debut and the only pitcher from the first two rounds of that Draft to appear in the Majors.

FEELS FAMILIAR: Tuesday night, Taylor Ward hit his second career leadoff home run…Both came at Guaranteed Rate Field off Lucas Giolito (also, 4/29/22).

UNEARNED: Angels have allowed 31 unearned runs this season, which is tied with San Francisco for the Majors…Halos have committed 35 fielding errors this season, which is tied for fifth-most in the Majors and tied for most in A.L.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP SHOHEI OHTANI
5-1, 2.91 ERA
Leads the Majors with a .155 (34/220) opponent batting average this season

  • SHO TIME: Making 12th pitching start of the year and sixth on the road…Second start of 2022 vs. Houston…Is in sixth Major League season with LAA.
  • LEAGUE LEADER: Enters today’s start leading the Majors in opponent batting average (.155), is second in WHIP (0.95) and ranks fourth in strikeouts (90).
  • LAST TIME ON THE MOUND: Did not factor in decision in last start on Saturday vs. Miami after tossing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts.
  • HEY BABE: Babe Ruth and Ohtani are the only players with 500+ pitching strikeouts and 100+ home runs in a career… (according to ELIAS, Ruth had 501 career pitching strikeouts).
  • 10 K: Since start of 2022 season, leads MLB with 14 games with 10+ strikeouts (has four this season – tied for second-most in MLB)…Recorded 10+ strikeouts in 10 starts last season, which was the most such games in the A.L.; joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in franchise history with 10+ strikeouts in at least six consecutive games…With 10 strikeouts today, could join Nolan Ryan (three times) as the only Angels to reach 100 strikeouts in first 12 pitching games of a season.
  • UNFAMILIAR: This season, is holding opponents to an .085 (7/82) average the first time through the order, a .264 (19/72) average the second time through the order and a .111 (7/63) average the third time through.
  • VS. HOUSTON: In 11 career starts vs. Houston, is 3-4 with a 3.51 ERA (56.1 IP – 22 ER) and 75 strikeouts…This season, is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (7 IP – 3 ER) after start on May 9 at Angel Stadium…Last year, was 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA (29.2 IP – 4 ER) and 45 strikeouts in five starts vs. Astros; carried a perfect game into 6th inning of start vs. Houston on April 20 at Minute Maid Park…Was one of two pitchers with three wins against Astros last year, (also Cole Irvin).
  • AT MINUTE MAID PARK: In six career games at Minute Maid Park, is 2-2 with a 4.34 ERA (29.0 IP – 14 ER) and 39 strikeouts…Last season, was 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA (11 IP – 1 ER) and 19 strikeouts in two starts…Took perfect game into sixth inning on April 20, 2022 at the ballpark.
  • 500K: Reached 500 total MLB strikeouts for career with a 13 strikeout performance on May 3 at St. Louis…Fourth game in MLB history where a pitcher recorded 13+ strikeouts in 5.0-or-fewer innings (also, Jacob deGrom in 2022, Alex Cobb in 2013 and Zack Greinke in 2012).
  • OFF THE BOARDS: Had franchise record streak of 12 straight pitching starts allowing two-or-fewer runs snapped on April 27 vs. Oakland (Nolan Ryan had previous record with nine game streak across the 1972-73 seasons)… Overall, has yielded two-or-fewer runs in 21 of last 26 starts and one-or-fewer runs in 18 of last 26 starts.
  • CAN’T HIT THIS: Had streak of 10 straight pitching starts allowing three-or-fewer hits from Sept. 17, 2022 – April 27, 2023…The streak was snapped May 3 at St. Louis and finished tied with Jacob deGrom (10 game streak for Mets in 2021) for the longest streak all-time (excluding Openers).

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT: The Astros and Angels will play the second game of their four-game series tonight with a star-studded pitching matchup of LHP Framber Valdez opposite RHP Shohei Ohtani…these two starters also matched up in Anaheim earlier this season on May 9, with Valdez (1ER/8IP) besting Ohtani (3ER/7IP) in the Astros 3-1 win.

FRAMTASTIC: LHP Framber Valdez has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season, as he currently ranks tied for first in quality starts (9), fourth in ERA (2.38), fifth in innings (72.0) and sixth in strikeouts (77)…Valdez’s dominance goes back over the last three-plus seasons (2020-23) as he ranks second in the AL over that timespan in wins and ERA.

AL Wins Leaders (2020-23) AL ERA Leaders (2020-23)
Gerrit Cole: 42 Shane Bieber: 2.87
Framber Valdez: 38 Framber Valdez: 2.95
Dylan Cease: 35 Gerrit Cole: 3.23

RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros are 16-5 in their last 21 games dating back to May 9…since that date, the Astros record is the best in the Majors, immediately ahead of the Yankees (15-7).

GRINDERS: Tonight is the eighth day in a streak of 17 consecutive days with a game for the Astros…prior to this week, the most days the Astros had played in a row was seven, a streak that opened the season from March 30-April 5.

LAST NIGHT’S WIN: The Astros opened their four-game series with the Angels with a solid 5-2 win last night…RHP Ronel Blanco (2ER/5.1IP), who was making his first Major League start, picked up his first Major League win, after pitching into the 6th…RF Kyle Tucker (3×4) scored a pair of runs, while 3B Alex Bregman (1×3) and 1B José Abreu (1×3) both tacked on a pair of RBI in the victory.

PENA’S PALS: SS Jeremy Peña will host five kids with ties to Uvalde, TX, for the fifth Peña’s Pals of the season tonight…three of the kids that will participate are survivors of the shooting at Robb Elementary School…two other participants are kids from the Astros Youth Academy that were a part of the group that played in Uvalde in front of 1,500 fans on Uvalde Little League’s Opening Day…Peña’s Pals is a new program developed by Jeremy in partnership with the Astros Foundation, that celebrates kids and their development in academics, character
building and making healthy choices.

PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.23) and have allowed the fewest runs (199) in the Majors…the Astros starters rank third the Majors in ERA (3.35) and have allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in eight of their last 13 games…also, the Astros bullpen ranks second in the Majors in ERA (3.04).

Lowest Team ERA – MLB Runs Allowed – MLB

  1. Houston: 3.23 1. Houston: 199
  2. Minnesota: 3.49 2. Texas: 215
  3. Seattle: 3.64 3. Minnesota: 216

HECTOR’S HOT STREAK: RHP Hector Neris has not allowed a run in his last 18 appearances (16IP), which is the longest scoreless appearance and innings streak of his career…the streak also is the longest scoreless inning streak by an Astro this season and ties as the longest active streak in the Majors.

BULLPEN WEAPON: RHP Phil Maton has been outstanding this season, allowing just 11 hits and two runs in his first 23 appearances (26.2 IP) for a 0.68 ERA and a .124 (11×89) opponent average…among AL relievers, he ranks first in ERA (0.68), first in WHIP (0.52) and second in opponent avg. (.124)…among MLB relievers, Maton has posted the lowest WHIP and trails only RHP Devin Williams in ERA (0.51).

HOT CORNER HEATER: 3B Alex Bregman, who’s on a sea- son-long, eight-game hit streak, is hitting .322 (28×87) with 16 RBI and an .851 OPS in his last 22 games, dating back to May 8…he’s coupled that by going errorless in that span.

SECOND TO NONE:SS Jeremy Peña has hit second in six straight games, with the Astros going 4-2 in those games, and has hit second 11 times in 2023 (6-5)…over the last two years, including the postseason, the Astros are 59-14 when he hits second…Peña is hitting .341 (14×41) with five homers and a 1.206 OPS in his 11 games hitting second this season.

TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: LHP FRAMBER VALDEZ
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 5-4 2.38 11 11 72.0 60 24 19 15 77

vs. LAA W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023: 1-0 1.13 1 1 8.0 3 1 1 0 12
CAREER: 8-4 3.73 16 12 89.1 73 43 37 45 100

LAST START – 5/27 AT OAK: Allowed 1 run on 4 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts in 6.0 innings… earned his 3rd consecutive win and recorded his 9th quality start of the season.

COMPLETE GAME: on May 21 vs. OAK, Valdez delivered the 2nd complete-game shutout of his career, striking out 7 batters while allowing 4 hits and no walks through 9 scoreless innings…was the 1st complete-game shutout from an Astros pitcher since Valdez’s 1st career complete-game shutout on Sept. 12, 2022 at DET…was the 5th complete-game shutout from an Astros pitcher since 2017 with Valdez and Justin Verlander tossing 2 of them (May 16, 2018 at LAA, Sept. 1, 2019 at TOR), and Gerritt Cole contributing the other on May 4, 2018…were the fewest hits allowed in Astros complete-game shutout since Verlander’s no-hitter on Sept 1, 2019 at TOR… the last Astros pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout without issuing a walk was Dallas Keuchel on May 30, 2015 vs. CWS.

LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: in AL, he ranks 5th in innings (72.0), 4th in ERA (2.38), 6th in strikeouts (77) and 4th in pitching WAR (2.2)…is T-2nd in MLB with 9 quality starts.

REVERSE, REVERSE: has posted reverse splits to open his ‘23 campaign, holding right-handed hitters to a .216 batting average (50×232) while lefties are batting .313 (10×32)…traditionally, has been extremely tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .212 average (88×415) and a .616 OPS throughout his career, allowing just seven homers.

VS. LAA: is set to make his 17th appearance (13th start) against the Halos in his career…he’s recorded a 3.73 ERA (37ER/89.1IP) with 100 strikeouts, a .220 opponent batting average along with six quality starts.

  • in his last start against the Angels on May 9, he allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks in 8.0 innings.

STAYING GROUNDED: among AL starters this year, ranks 1st in groundball percentage (60.6)

  • owns a career 65.9% groundball percentage, which ranks as the lowest percentage in the Majors since 2018 (min. 300 IP)…SF RHP Logan Webb is the next-closest over that span at 57.3 %… since ground ball percentage started being tracked in 1987, Valdez career ground ball percentage is the highest ever posted by a starting pitcher (min. 300 IP).

MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (30-27) at New York Mets (30-27)

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MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (30-27) at New York Mets (30-27)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays wrapped up their three-game series with the Brewers by a score of 3-1 yesterday…Are now 4-2 in rubber games…Improved to 6-2-0 in series play at home and 11-7-0 overall. Toronto finished its homestand at 4-2 and is now 15-10 at Rogers Centre this year…Has won five of its last nine games but is 6-11 across its last 17 contests.

UN-BO-LIEVEABLE OUTPUT: Bo Bichette opened yesterday’s scoring with a solo shot in the 1st inning…Was his team-leading 12th home run, also the most among all shortstops (2nd: Francisco Lindor/Bobby Witt Jr. – 10)…Has hits in 11 of his last 12 games, going 20-for-54 (.370) with a double, a triple, three home runs, and nine RBI over that span (.974 OPS). The 25-year-old leads all MLB hitters with 81 hits (2nd: Freddie Freeman – 79)…Also leads the AL with 130 total bases, trailing only Freeman (134) for the most in MLB…His .332 batting average ranks 1st in the AL while he is currently 4th in SLG (.533), 5th in OPS (.901), T-8th in home runs, and 10th in OBP (.368)…Now has 97 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (100) for the AL lead.

BATT CHAPMAN: Matt Chapman cranked a two-run homer in the 1st inning yesterday…Marked his 8th home run of the season and his AL-best 29th extra-base hit. The third baseman also leads the AL in doubles (21) and sits T-5th with 61 hits…Ranks 2nd among MLB hitters with a 60.5 hard-hit percentage (1st: Judge – 64.0) while ranking 3rd in barrel rate (13.4%), 4th in hard-hit balls (92), and 7th in average exit velocity (94.3 MPH).

A CENTURY IN THE MAKING: Kevin Gausman threw 6.2 frames of shutout ball yesterday, scattering five hits and a pair of walks while registering 11 strikeouts…Was his MLB-high 5th game with double-digit punchouts…Now sits at an AL-best 100 strikeouts (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 90)… Reached the century strikeout mark in just 12 games, the fastest in franchise history (2nd: Roger Clemens/A.J. Burnett/Robbie Ray – 14G). The righty threw 115 pitches on the afternoon (74 strikes), matching himself for the most pitches in a MLB game this season (115 on May 21 vs. BAL)… Among AL pitchers, is also tied for 1st with Shane Bieber in innings pitched while ranking 5th in SO/BB (5.56), and 7th in ERA (2.76).

AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL: Kevin Kiermaier reached a sprint speed of 30.4 feet/ second while travelling 92 feet to take extra bases away from Andruw Monasterio in the right-center gap yesterday…Today, Sports Info Solutions has named him as the SIS/Fielding Bible Awards Co-Defensive Player of the Month for May, along with Austin Hays…Kiermaier had six defensive runs saved in May and is currently the MLB overall leader at 12.

SPRINGER HAS SPRUNG: George Springer singled twice yesterday…Has gone 31-for-100 (.310) with four doubles, a triple, four home runs, 12 RBI, and a 13BB/14K ratio during his last 26 contests (.389 OBP, .879 OPS).

A WEEKEND IN THE CITI: The Blue Jays are on a brief, three-game road trip to Citi Field…Own a 15-17 road record this season for a .469 win% (9th in the AL)…After this series, will return home for a seven-game homestand, taking on the Astros for four games and the Twins for three. Blue Jays hitters lead the Majors with 304 road hits (2nd: TEX – 292)…Rank 2nd in the AL in road AVG (.267), 2nd in road SLG (.439), 2nd in road OPS (.770) and 3rd in road OBP (.331)…The pitching staff ranks 13th in the AL in road ERA (4.57), road opponents’ average (.262), and in road WHIP (1.40).

INTERTAINMENT: Toronto is playing its 6th interleague series of the year…Has gone 9-5 vs. NL clubs so far…The .643 win% is 4th best among AL teams…Led the AL with 13 interleague wins last season, which was one off the franchise’s all-time single-season record (14 in 2021)…Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Toronto’s .667 win% in Interleague Play (36-18) is 2nd best among all MLB clubs (1st: TB – .672). The Blue Jays have hit 657 home runs all-time in Interleague Play, the most among all 30 teams (2nd: NYY – 625).

HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched an MLB-leading 530 hits this season (2nd: TB – 524)…Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.266), 4th in OBP (.333), 5th in SLG (.420), 5th in OPS (.755), and 5th in extra-base hits (175). The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have gone 75 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 58G).

VS. THE METS: All-Time: 13-22
2023: 0-0 Road: 2-14
Road: 0-0 Citi Field: 2-5
The Blue Jays last met up with the Mets in July of 2021, going 1-2 during the three-game series at Citi Field…Are 13-22 all-time vs. New York…Went 0-9 at Shea Stadium and are 2-5 at Citi Field. Brandon Belt leads all current Blue Jays with 57 career games played against the Mets…Has kept a .725 OPS while batting .216 (42-for-194) with six doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 19 RBI, and 27 walks (.312 OBP). Daulton Varsho had hits in all six of his games vs. New York last season…Went 7-for-23 (.304) with four runs scored, two home runs, four RBI, and two walks for a .911 OPS. Chris Bassitt spent last season with the Mets and set career highs in wins (15), starts (30), quality starts (19), innings pitched (181.2), and strikeouts (167).

STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 12th start of the season and his 7th on the road…Took the loss his last time out, on 5/27 at MIN, giving up 7 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks over 4.0 innings with 5 punchouts. Ranks 7th in the AL with a .207 opponent average this year…Has held opposing RHH to a .153 AVG, the 2nd-lowest mark in the Majors. Over his last 10 starts, has gone 5-3 with a 2.71 ERA (19 ER/63.0 IP) and a 1.05 WHIP.

2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Allowed 6 runs (2 earned) across 6.1 frames of work on 5/22 at TB…Had his career-best scoreless innings streak ended at 28.0…Marked the 2ndlongest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens: 33.0 IP from 8/15-9/5/98), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb: 34.0 IP from 9/13/88-4/5/89). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 5/17 vs. NYY, giving up 3 hits, a walk, and a hit batter with 7 strikeouts…Became just the 4th non-opener in Blue Jays history to throw 3 consecutive scoreless starts in a single season, joining Roger Clemens (1998), Al Leiter (1995), and Dave Stieb (1988). Threw a complete game shutout on 5/12 vs. ATL, the 2nd CG SO of his career (also: 5/27/21 vs. LAA), and the 1st nine-inning complete game shutout by a Blue Jay since Mark Buehrle on 6/3/15 at WAS…Scattered 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out a season-high 8 on 103 pitches (70 strikes). Improved to 4-2 on the year on 5/5 at PIT…Threw a then season-high 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Logged 6.1 innings of work on 4/24 vs. CWS, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 3 and recording 4 strikeouts…Left the game in the 7th with right lower back tightness…Was his 4th straight quality start, going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA (6 ER/24.2 IP) over that span. Picked up his 2nd win of the year on 4/18 at HOU, throwing 6.1 innings of shutout ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts…Marked his 3rd straight quality start, and his 1st scoreless outing of the season. Earned his 1st win as a Blue Jay on 4/7 at LAA, allowing 3R/2ER on 2 hits and 5 walks over 6.0 frames with 5 strikeouts. Took the loss in his Toronto debut on 4/2 at STL, giving up career highs in runs (9) and homers (4) over 3.1 innings (10H, 0BB, 0K).

NEW YORK METS NOTES:

METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Philies on Thursday, beating Philadelphia, 4-2…The Mets are coming off their eighth series win of the season and their fifth series win at home…New York continues a six-game homestand (3-0) against Philadelphia (3-0) and Toronto (three games)…New York is off on Monday before the start of a six-game road trip to Atlanta (three games) and Pittsburgh (three games).

THEY’RE OUT OF MY LEAGUE: The new schedule format has New York playing a total of 43 Interleague games in 2023, more than double their previous high for a single season (20)…The Mets are 8-4 against the American League this year…Overall, New York owns a 243-231 record in Interleague play…The team’s .513 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.

INTERSTELLAR: Jeff McNeil owns a .333/.382/.454 slashline with 41 runs, 14 doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBI in 79 Interleague games, while Starling Marte has slashed .326/.388/.542 with 118 runs, 45 doubles, 11 triples, 28 home runs and 88 RBI in 181 Intearleague games…They rank first and third in average among active players in Interleague play (min. 250 PA)…McNeil’s .333 clip is the highest all-time by a Met.

INTERLEAGUE PETE: Pete Alonso has hit 35 home runs in Interleague Play since the 2019 season…His 35 home runs against the American League is a franchise record, and the most among any player since 2019…Mike Piazza was the previous record holder with 28 Interleague home runs.

CANHA GET AN AMEN?: Over the last 14 games, Mark Canha is 12-36 (.333) with seven runs, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, five walks with .442 OBP, .556 SLG and a .997 OPS…He has safely reached base in each of his last nine games with a plate appearance, batting .348 (8-23) with five runs, two home runs, six RBI, five walks with a 1.091 OPS in that span.

BROOKS WAS HERE: Brooks Raley allowed four earned runs in one inning of work on April 4 in Milwaukee…Since then he has piched to a 1.08 ERA (2 ER/16.2 IP) with six walks and 19 strikeouts…Since returning from the IL, the southpaw has not allowed a run in any of his last nine games, striking out 11 over those 7.2 innings.

HOMER HAPPY: After the Mets went five straight games without a home run, the Mets have homered in season-high 15 straight contests, hitting 24
home runs in that span…It is the longest active streak in the majors…The Mets are 25-13 when hitting a home run this season and 9-7 when hitting multiple homers…The 15-game homer streak is the second-longest in franchise history.

GAMES DATES HOME RUNS
21 September 16 – August 5, 1996 29
15 May 16 – current 24
14 June 20 – July 5, 2019 24
14 August 20 – September 3, 2008 21
14 April 25 – May 10, 2006 20
LONGEST HOME RUN STREAKS IN METS HISTORY

IF YOU START ME OFF: The Mets are 16-0 this season when their starter goes at least 6.0 innings and 6-0 when the starter goes at least 7.0 innings…The Mets 16-0 record is the best in the majors…New York’s 16 straight such team wins is the longest single-season streak since the Astros went 17 straight in 2021…Courtesy of Elias.

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK: The Mets have won eight straight home games, the longest streak since winning nine consecutive from May 18-June 14, 2022…New York has pitched to a 2.80 ERA (23 ER/74.0 IP) in that span with 16 walks and 71 strikeouts and has hit .243/.323/.414…The Mets have outscored opponents 38-26 in the streak…The Mets have played 24 games at Citi Field, the fewest home games in the majors this season…The team is 15-9 at Citi Field this year…The team won 54 games at home last year.

EIGHT IS GREAT: The Mets are 27-0 when leading after eight innings this season…The last time the Mets lost a game when they were ahead after eight innings was on September 6, 2021 at Washington…The Mets were up 3-2 and lost 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth…Since then the Mets have won their last 122 games when ahead after eight, the longest active streak in MLB…It’s the longest streak in franchise history, surpassing the previous high of 117 consecutive games.

FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso has hit 20 home runs this year, which leads the majors leagues…His 46 RBI are fourth in The Show and lead the National League…Alonso ranks 12th in franchise history with 426 career RBI…Next up is Kevin McReynolds (456) and Keith Hernandez (468)…Alonso has appeared in all 56 of the Mets games this year.

Player HR Ballpark
PETE ALONSO 71 CITI FIELD
Paul Goldschmidt 103 ARI
Freddie Freeman 70 ATL
Joey Votto 190 CIN
Miguel Cabrera 188 DET
Mike Trout 183 LAA
Player HR Ballpark
Giancarlo Stanton 112 MIA
Aaron Judge 123 NYY
Andrew McCutchen 96 PIT
Evan Longoria 129 TB
Adolis García 44 TEX
ACTIVE PLAYERS WHO HOLD ACTIVE BALLPARK’S HR RECORD

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Francisco Alvarez has hit eight home runs this season…That puts him tied for the fourth-most by a rookie in the majors and third in the National League…Only two rookie catchers in Mets history have had more homers in a season…Travis d’Arnaud (13) holds the club mark for home runs by a rookie catcher in 2014…Jason Phillips hit 11 as a rookie in 2003…Alvarez’s nine career homers (one last year) before turning 22 years old are the most by a catcher since Iván Rodríguez had 21 from 1991-1993.

STEAL THIS BASE: The Mets are second in the major leagues with an 86.7% stolen base success rate this season…Starling Marte has swiped 16 bags this year, tied for fifth in the majors and tied for second in the National League… His 330 career stolen bases rank second among active players…Elvis Andrus is the active leader with 340 steals.

D-FENCE: The Mets have committed 19 errors in 57 games this year, the fewest errors in the majors…New York owns a .990 fielding percentage… Their .990 fielding percentage also leads the major leagues.

STARTING PITCHER – JUSTIN VERLANDER RHP #35
2023 STATS: 2-2, 4.80 E R A

VERLANDER PITCH ARSENL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 52% 55% 49% 94.3 mph
Slider 29% 26% 33% 87.4 mph
Curveball 16% 14% 18% 79.3 mph
Changeup 3% 3% 0% 84.9 mph

LAST TIME OUT: Allowed a season-high-tying six run over 5.0 innings on nine hits, one walk and two strikeouts May 27 at Colorado…Was the second time in his last three starts allowing six runs.

INCREDIBLE IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY: In 58 career Interleague starts, Verlander is 39-10 with a 2.67 ERA (113 ER/380.1 IP)…In Interleague play history, Verlander has the most wins, the second-most strikeouts (420) trailing only Max Scherzer (452) and the third-lowest ERA among qualifiers…In his last Interleague start, May 21 vs. Cleveland, Verlander earned his 42nd career Interleague quality start, tied with Zack Greinke for the most quality starts in Interleague play history.

BLANKING THE BLUE JAYS: Two of Justin Verlander’s three no-hitters have come against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre…Verlander is the only pitcher in major league history to throw multiple no-hitters at a single road venue and is one of three pitchers all-time to throw multiple no-hitters against a single opponent joining Addie Joss vs. Chicago-AL (1908, 1910) and Tim Lincecum vs. San Diego (2013, 2014).

30 FOR 3O: With a win on May 10th against the Reds, Verlander became the 21st pitcher in major league history to have at least one win against all 30 current major league teams…He joined Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke and teammate Max Scherzer as the only active pitchers to have at least one win against all 30 current major league teams…Courtesy of Elias.

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (29-27) at Cincinnati Reds (26-30)

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MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (29-27) at Cincinnati Reds (26-30)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

A Series Situation
The Brewers went 5-1 over their first 6 series this season and have since gone 3-9 in series play.

Road Work Ahead
The Brewers are looking to win their first road series since they swept 3 games in Seattle from April 17-19….. the team has gone 4-11 on the road since then, losing 5 straight series.

O Say Can UC?
Joey Wiemer returns to Cincinnati for the first time as a Major Leaguer this weekend…..prior to being selected by Milwaukee in the fourth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, Wiemer played at the University of Cincinnati.

Insult To Injury
This weekend was to mark the return of former Reds All-Star Jesse Winker to Great American Ball Park…..Winker, who is currently on the 10-day injured list with a cervical strain, is a career .297 hitter (190-for-639) with 37 HR and 100 RBI in 205 games here with a .394 OBP/.535 SLG/.930 OPS.

Better Off Red
Since joining the Brewers in 2018, Christian Yelich has played 75 games against Cincinnati and has hit .302 (83-for-275) with 17 HR and 49 RBI, including three cycles.

Most HR vs. Cincinnati – Since 2018
Player HR
Ian Happ, CHC ………………………………….. 19
Christian Yelich, MIL …………………….. 17
Paul Goldschmidt, STL …………………….17

Most RBI vs. Cincinnati – Since 2018
Player RBI
Ian Happ, CHC ………………………………….. 51
Christian Yelich, MIL ……………………. 49
Paul Goldschmidt, STL ………………….. 46

A Slice of Devin
Devin Williams has gone 9-for-9 in save opportunities…..he is unscored upon in 16 of his 17 outings, posting a 0.51 ERA…..he has held opponents to a .133 AVG (8-for-60, 1hr) and has a 0.85 WHIP with 22 K in 17.2 innings.

The Brice Is Right
Rookie infielder Brice Turang has yet to commit a Major League error in 18

TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 4 (1-2) of a 7-game road trip to Toronto (1-2) and Cincinnati (4g)…..following this trip, the Brewers return to American Family Field for a 6-game homestand against Baltimore (3g) and Oakland (3g).

IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: SS Willy Adames (concussion), RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP JB Bukauskas (neck), RHP Matt Bush (right rotator cuff), LHP Eric Lauer (right shoulder), LHP Wade Miley (left lat), OF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring), LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow), OF Jesse Winker (neck) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder) are on the injured list…..Alexander, Ashby, Mitchell, Urías, Wilson and Woodruff are on the 60-day IL.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 8-10-0 in series play.
Game 1: 7-11, Game 2: 11-7, Game 3: 9-9, Game 4: 2-0
Sweep Wins (3): vs. NYM (3g, 4/3-4/5), at SEA (3g, 4/17-4/19), vs. KC (3g, 5/12-5/14)
Sweep Losses (1): at COL (3g, 5/2-5/4)

AT HOME: The Brewers are 16-12 at home, going 5-4-0 in series play…..the team went 46-35 at home last season, going 15-8-4 in series play.

ON THE ROAD: The Brewers are 13-15 on the road, going 3-6-0 in series play…..are 4-11 over their last 15 games and have dropped their last 5 series…..the team went 40-41 on the road last season, going 9-12-5 in series play.

LET’S GO TO THE VIDEO TAPE: The Brewers have made 10 replay challenges this season, going 5-5…..their last challenge (lost) came on May 25 vs. San Francisco as a foul tip (Joey Wiemer) stood.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: #39 – RHP CORBIN BURNES (11gs, 4-4, 3.68)
BURNES AT A GLANCE: Corbin Burnes, 28, is making his 12th start…..Burnes last started last Saturday vs. San Francisco and received no decision in the Brewers’ 3-1 defeat (7ip, 4h, 1r, 1er, 3bb, 8k, 110 pitches)…..the team is 5-6 in his starts…..he has 6 quality starts…..opponents are batting .222 (52-for-234, 9hr)…..Burnes was selected by Milwaukee in the fourth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Mary’s (CA) College…..he is under club control through 2024.

LAST SEASON: Burnes went 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 33 starts last season, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting after winning the award in 2021…..Burnes was an All-Star for the second straight season and was named Brewers Most Valuable Pitcher for the second year in a row…..his career-high 243 strikeouts led the National League and ranked second in the majors behind the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (257)…..he became the first pitcher in franchise history to lead his league in strikeouts…..he also ranked among the NL top five in starts (T1st, 33), AVG (2nd, .197), K/9IP (2nd, 10.83), H/9IP (2nd, 6.42), innings pitched (4th, 202.0), K/BB (4th, 4.76), quality starts (T4th, 21) and WHIP (5th, 0.97)…..the team went 20-13 in his starts.

CAREER: Is 39-23 with a 3.26 ERA in 146 games/85 starts (579.1ip, 210er)…..is in his sixth Major League season, all with the Brewers (2018-23)…..is 31-20 with a 3.02 ERA as a starter (497.1ip, 167er) and 8-3 with a 4.72 ERA in relief (82ip, 43er)…..Burnes is a two-time All-Star (2021-22) and was a 2021 All-MLB First Team selection.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 19-13 with a 3.53 ERA in 72 games/45 starts (306ip, 120er)…..is 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in 6 starts this season (33.1ip, 15er).

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 20-10 with a 2.96 ERA in 74 games/40 starts (273.1ip, 90er)…..is 2-3 with a 3.26 ERA in 5 starts this season (30.1ip, 11er).

CAREER vs. REDS: Is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA in 14 games/4 starts (42.2ip, 12er)…..his first 10 outings against the Reds came in relief, going 0-1 with a 2.81 ERA (16ip, 5er)…..his last 4 outings have been starts, going 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA (26.2ip, 7er)…..Burnes is 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA in 7 career games/2 starts at Great American Ball Park (19ip, 2er)

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

RED HOTTEST

  • Last night’s 8-2 loss at Bos snapped a 5-game winning streak that tied both the Reds’ season high (4/24-4/29) and their longest winning streak of last year (7/7-7/12)…the Reds are 6-4-1 in 11 series beginning 4/24.
  • Wed’s 5-4 win at Bos snapped the Reds’ streak in which they had scored at least 8 runs in 4 consecutive games, their longest streak since 7/28- 7/31, 1987 (4g).
  • Rookie Matt McLain has a 10-game hitting streak, the longest by a Reds batter this season (.413, .460obp, .609slg, 1.069ops)…is the first Reds player to produce a 10-game hitting streak within his first 15 career apps since Dan Driessen in 1973…since 1900 is only the second Reds player to produce at least 23 hits in his first 15 career apps (Chuck Aleno, 24 hits, 1941)…courtesy @EliasSports.
  • Kevin Newman in his last 19 apps is hitting .389.
  • Spencer Steer in May, hit .318 (27g, 35h, 18r, 8 2b, 1 3b, 6hr, 19rbi, .372obp, .573slg, .945ops)…last month led National League rookies in games (tied), runs, hits and RBI…is on the ballot to become the Reds’ first NL Rookie of the Month since 2B Jonathan India in July 2021 on his way to the Rookie of the Year award…for the season, leads Major League rookies in extra-base hits, is tied for the lead in doubles and leads National League rookies in hitting, hits, doubles and total bases.
  • RHP Alexis Díaz didn’t allow a run in any of his last 6 apps (6.1ip)…has converted all 13 save chances, the longest conversion streak of his career and the longest by a Reds pitcher since 2009 (Francisco Cordero, 15sv).
  • RHP Buck Farmer in his last 18 apps has posted a 1.21 ERA.
  • Hunter Greene in his last 3 starts is 1-1, 2.37 (19ip, 6h, 8bb, 29k).
  • LHP Alex Young in his last 9 apps has posted a 1.50 ERA.

RED HOTS

  • Reds baserunners in 52 attempts have scored 51 runs from second base on singles…both lead the Major Leagues.
  • The Reds entered today ranked 29th in the Major Leagues with 43 HR (Cle 30th, 33hr), their fewest in 56 games since the 2001 team produced
    43 HR through its first 56 games…from 4/18-4/25, this year’s team did not produce a home run in a season-high 8 consecutive games, their longest team homerless streak since 1992.

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • Is Game 1 of a 4-game series vs Mike Vassallo’s Brewers and Game 1 of a 7-game homestand that concludes with a 3-game series vs LAD.
  • Tonight’s game will feature the largest attended concert in Great American Ball Park’s 21-year history and will threaten GABP’s single-game record for a baseball game (2023 Opening Day, 44,063).
  • In conjunction with Major League Baseball’s Lou Gehrig Day (“MLB 4ALS”), tonight’s post-game concert features the Zac Brown Band to raise awareness and funds for the Hop On A Cure Foundation, founded by band member John Driskell ‘Hop’ Hopkins after his diagnosis with ALS in December 2021…a portion of the sales of tickets to tonight’s game will be donated to Hop On A Cure in a special post-game check presentation…“Hop” will sing tonight’s National Anthem.
  • The Reds are coming off a 5-1 road trip to Chc’s Wrigley Field (1914, 3-0) and Bos’ Fenway Park (1912, 2-1).
  • On the road trip completed last night, the Reds produced their series sweep at Wrigley Field since 8/12-8/14, 2013 (3g) and their first series win vs Bos since the 1975 World Series.

SERIES NOTES

  • In 2022 the Brewers won 4 of the 6 series and 13 of the 19 games.
  • Over the last 5 seasons, the Brewers’ .690 winning percentage (29-13) at GABP is the best of any NL Central Division team in that span.
  • Reds pitchers in 2022 allowed 44 HR to Mil, the most by Brewers batters against any team in a single season and the most allowed to any team in a season by Reds’ pitchers…@EliasSports.
  • Hunter Renfroe in 2022 hit 8 HR at Great American Ball Park, the most by any opposing player in a single season.

Tonight’s Pitcher – #55 Brandon Williamson, LHP

Tonight is making his fourth Major League appearance.

  • On 5/16 at Col, became only the 10th visiting pitcher to make his Major League debut with a start at Coors Field, the first since Hou’s José Urquidy on 7/2/19.
  • Became only the fourth Reds pitcher to make his Major League debut with at least 5.2 innings, 2 hits or fewer allowed and at least 6 strikeouts, joining Tom Carroll (7/7/1974 vs StL, 7ip, 2h, 6k), Mo Sanford (8/9/1991 at SD, 7ip, 2h, 8k) and Johnny Cueto (4/3/2008 vs Ari, 7ip, 1h, 10k).
  • Became only the fourth Reds pitcher in the expansion era (since 1961) to retire at least 14 consecutive batters in his Major League debut, joining Wayne Simpson (16, 4/9/1970 at LAD), Rob Bell (16, 4/8/2000 vs Cubs) and Johnny Cueto (15, 4/3/2008 vs Ari).
  • In that 3-1 win on 5/16 at Col, allowed a single to Charlie Blackmon, his first career batter faced, but didn’t allow another hit until Ezequiel Tovar’s solo HR in the sixth inning snapped the scoreless tie…Williamson retired 14 consecutive batters leading up to Tovar’s home run.
  • Turned 25 years old on the fourth day of the season.
  • Entered the season rated by Baseball America the 10th-best prospect in the organization.
  • Began the season at Class AAA Louisville (8gs, 2-4, 6.62, 34ip, 44h, 20bb, 27k, 7hr, 1.88whip, .310baa).
  • Was selected by the Mariners in the second round (59th overall) of the 2019 first-year player draft.
  • Was an MiLB.com Mariners Organization All-Star in 2019 and 2021.
  • On 3/14/22 was acquired from the Mariners, along with RHP Justin Dunn, OF Jake Fraley and a player to be named, for 3B Eugenio Suárez and OF Jesse Winker.
  • On 3/29/22 the Reds completed the trade by acquiring minor league RHP Connor Phillips as the player to be named.
  • When acquired by the Reds in March 2022, his curveball was rated by Baseball America the best in the Mariners’ organization.
  • In 2016 graduated from Martin County West High School in Sherburn, MN…spent 2 seasons (2017-2018) at North Iowa Area Community College…prior to the 2019 season transferred to Texas Christian University, where he was a teammate of fellow 2019 draftee and current injured Reds starter LHP Nick Lodolo.

MLS Preview: Nashville SC (8-3-4) at FC Dallas (6-4-5)

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MLS Preview: Nashville SC (8-3-4) at FC Dallas (6-4-5)

Nashville SC knocked FC Dallas out of this year’s US Open Cup with a 2-0 home win in the fourth round in May. It was the fifth clean sheet Nashville SC has kept in seven meetings against FC Dallas, though FC Dallas has won both matches in which it has scored against Nashville SC.

FC Dallas has lost only one of its last 15 home matches (W9 D5, including playoffs), including winning four of the last six at Toyota Stadium (D2). FC Dallas has held opponents to fewer than two goals in a club-record 17 straight home matches, including allowing exactly one goal in each of its last 11 at home.

Nashville SC is unbeaten in seven straight MLS matches (W5 D2), including winning five of the last six and the last three in a row. The 17 points Nashville SC has picked up over that span are its most in a seven-game span in the club’s MLS history.

Jesus Ferreira scored his ninth goal of the season in FC Dallas’s defeat to Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. After scoring 18 times last year, Ferreira is one goal away from becoming the first player to record consecutive 10-goal seasons for FC Dallas since Blas Perez in 2014-15.

Hany Mukhtar recorded a goal and an assist in Nashville SC’s win over the Columbus Crew SC on Sunday, his fifth game this year with multiple goal contributions. Since the start of the 2021 season, Mukhtar has 22 games with multiple goal contributions, seven more than any other player in that time.

MLS Preview: Real Salt Lake (4-7-4) at Austin FC (5-6-4)

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MLS Preview: Real Salt Lake (4-7-4) at Austin FC (5-6-4)

Austin FC recorded a 2-1victory at Real Salt Lake on March 11, the first road victory by either side in the history of the series. The three meetings in Austin ended with a pair of Austin FC wins and a penalty shoot-out win for the Austin FC Verde after a 2-2 draw in last season’s playoffs.

Austin FC has followed an eight-match winless run in league play with three wins in its last four (L1), including consecutive wins at home. Austin FC has never won three straight home matches in a single season.

Real Salt Lake has managed just five wins in 44 all-time MLS matches in Texas(D12 L27, including playoffs). Real Salt Lake has managed to earn draws in nine of its last 14 visits to the Lone Star State since 2018 (W2 L3), including in last season’s playoffs at Austin FC, before losing in a penalty shoot-out.

Sebastian Driussi came off the bench to score the winning goal in Austin FC’s 2-1 victory on Wednesday in his first match in a month. Driussi has recorded at least one goal contribution in 16 of his last 19 home MLS appearances (17 goals, 3 assists, including playoffs), though one of the three he didn’t was against Real Salt Lake.

Pablo Ruiz scored Real Salt Lake’s second goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday on a direct free-kick, the first direct free-kick goal for Real Salt Lake since April 2018 (Albert Rusnak vs the Colorado Rapids). Every other MLS team had recorded at least one direct free-kick goal since the beginning of the 2019 season.

NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Final Edition – June 2, 2023

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Final Edition – June 2, 2023

* Only one more sleep until Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, which is slated for Saturday in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET. It will open the first-ever Final televised on TNT, with the contest also carried on TBS and truTV in the U.S. as well as on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada.

* Kelly McCrimmon and Bill Zito, who had a hand in acquiring nearly all players set to compete in the Final, look to capture a Cup after winning championships as general managers in the WHL and AHL, respectively.

* Paul Maurice and Bruce Cassidy will make the second Final appearance of their NHL head coaching career after first reaching the championship series in 2002 and 2019, respectively.
 


EXPANSION DRAFT, KEY TRADES/SIGNINGS LED TO FINAL BERTH FOR VEGAS, FLORIDA

Several of the Golden Knights’ core players were acquired during the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, while trades and free agent signings account for the lion’s share of the Panthers’ roster. Click here to view the 2023 Stanley Cup Final Information Guide, which features a detailed breakdown on how each club was built (page 8-9, min. 1 GP in 2022-23 regular season or playoffs).

* Kelly McCrimmon, who had just won his second Ed Chynoweth Cup as general manager of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings (also 1996), was named assistant GM with Vegas on Aug. 2, 2016, when George McPhee was at the helm.McCrimmon was promoted to the role of general manager on May 2, 2019, while McPhee remained the franchise’s president of hockey operations.

* McCrimmon had a hand in acquiring each and every Golden Knights player including 2017 NHL Expansion Draft picks William Carrier, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Brayden McNabb as well as Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore, who were traded to Vegas on the day of the proceedings. Marchessault, Smith, Karlsson and Theodore occupy the top four spots on the franchise’s all-time playoff points list.
 

* Fifteen of the 25 players to dress at least one game with the Golden Knights during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs were acquired since McCrimmon’s promotion was announced, including Jonathan Quick (traded March 2, 2023), Ivan Barbashev (traded Feb. 26, 2023), Adin Hill (traded Aug. 29, 2022), Jack Eichel (traded Nov. 4, 2021), Alex Pietrangelo (signed Oct. 12, 2020), Alec Martinez (traded Feb. 19, 2020) and Chandler Stephenson (traded Dec. 3, 2019). McCrimmon also hired head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Photo via @bdnwheatkings

* Bill Zito orchestrated the second trade in NHL history featuring 100-point scorers being swapped when he acquired Matthew Tkachuk from the Flames in a blockbuster deal involving fan favorite Jonathan Huberdeau being sent to Calgary on July 22, 2022. Zito also pulled off other impactful deals after Florida was swept by Tampa Bay in the 2022 Second Round, including acquiring Casey Fitzgerald, Givani Smith, Eric Staal, Josh Mahura, Alex Lyon, Nick Cousins, Marc Staal and Colin White as well as hiring head coach Paul Maurice.

* Nineteen of the 23 players to dress at least one game with the Panthers this postseason were acquired since Zito was named general manager on Sept. 2, 2020, with the only exceptions being Eetu Luostarinen (traded Feb. 24, 2020), Sergei Bobrovsky (signed July 1, 2019), Aaron Ekblad (drafted June 27, 2014) and Aleksander Barkov (drafted June 30, 2013).

* Zito was an assistant general manager for the Blue Jackets across seven seasons from 2013-14 to 2019-20, with Bobrovsky, Zac Dalpe, Anthony Duclair as well as Golden Knights teammates Karlsson and Keegan Kolesar all being members of the franchise during that span. Zito’s tenure also involved serving as general manager of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters when they won a Calder Cup in 2016. Vegas assistant coach Ryan Craig was the Monsters’ captain that year.

Photo via @TheAHL

MAURICE, CASSIDY GUIDED CATS, KNIGHTS TO FINAL IN FIRST SEASON WITH FRANCHISE

Paul Maurice and Bruce Cassidy were named head coach of the Panthers and Golden Knights, respectively, just over a week apart during the offseason and piloted their new clubs to the Stanley Cup Final less than a year later. The 2023 championship series will mark the seventh Final in League history where both head coaches are serving their first season with an NHL franchise, following 2016 (Peter DeBoer & Mike Sullivan), 2012 (DeBoer & Darryl Sutter), 2003 (Mike Babcock & Pat Burns), 1993 (Jacques Demers & Barry Melrose), 1991 (Bob Gainey & Bob Johnson) and 1990 (Mike Milbury & John Muckler).

* Maurice will make his second Final appearance and first since 2002, when his 35-win Hurricanes fell in five contests to the top-seeded Red Wings. The 21 years between Final appearances for Maurice are by far the longest such gap by a head coach in League history, besting the previous mark of 14 held by Pat Burns from 1989 to 2003 and Pat Quinn from 1980 to 1994.
 

* Cassidy is also set to make his second Final appearance and first since 2019, when his Bruins fell to Ivan Barbashev, Alex Pietrangelo and the Blues in Game 7.Pietrangelo potted the winner at 19:52 of the opening frame as St. Louis secured its first-ever title – he can become the second player in NHL history to score a Cup-clinching goal against a head coach and win a championship with that same bench boss (also Cy Denneny vs. Art Ross in 1927 & with Ross in 1929).

NHL PODCAST WEEKLY ROUNDUP

* NHL Fantasy (May 30): Stanley Cup Final preview: Golden Knights vs. Panthers

* La Tasse de café LNH (May 30): Une finale entre les Golden Knights et les Panthers

* NHL @ The Rink (May 31): Eric Staal and Keith Jones join

* The Chirp with Daren Millard (May 31): Bruce Cassidy and Eddie Olczyk join

* NHL Draft Class (June 1): David Gregory, NHL Central Scouting; Combine preview

QUICK CLICKS

* Hilary Knight wins inaugural IIHF Female Player of the Year
* Penguins hire Kyle Dubas as president of hockey operations

* Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith to face former team with Golden Knights in Cup Final

* Sergei Bobrovsky‘s unique journey led to 1st Cup Final appearance with Panthers
* Dierks Bentley to host 2023 NHL Awards in Nashville on June 26

White Sox announce four roster moves

MLB Editor
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White Sox announce four roster moves

CHICAGO – Prior to tonight’s series opener vs. Detroit, the Chicago White Sox announced the following four roster moves:

  • Reinstated RHP Mike Clevinger from the 15-day injured list;
  • Returned INF Elvis Andrus from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA Charlotte and reinstated him from the 10-day injured list;
  • Designated INF Hanser Alberto for assignment;
  • Optioned RHP Jesse Scholtens to Charlotte.

Clevinger, who will start tonight’s game vs. the Tigers, has been on the injured list since May 18 with right wrist inflammation. He is 3-3 with a 4.56 ERA (24 ER/47.1 IP) and 40 strikeouts in nine starts this season, his first with the White Sox.

Andrus, who appeared in four rehab games with Charlotte, has been on the injured list since May 13 with a left oblique strain. He is hitting .201 (27-134) with four doubles, one home run and 13 RBI in 39 games this season, his second with Chicago.

Alberto is batting .220 (18-82) with five doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI and 11 runs scored in 30 games (20 starts) with the White Sox in 2023.

Scholtens has appeared in five games (one start) with the Sox this season, going 0-2 with a 3.24 ERA (6 ER/16.2 IP) and nine strikeouts. He is 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA (17 ER/38.1 IP), .230 (32-139) opponents average and 42 strikeouts (9.86 per 9.0 IP) over seven starts with Charlotte in 2023.

Following the moves, the White Sox 40-man roster is at 39.

MLS Preview: CF Montreal Impact (6-8-1) at Philadelphia Union (8-4-3)

MLS Editor
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MLS Preview: CF Montreal Impact (6-8-1) at Philadelphia Union (8-4-3)

The CF Montreal Impact ended a six-match winless run against the Philadelphia Union with a 3-2 comeback win at home on March 18. The CF Montreal Impact have lost only four of 13 all-time away matches against the Philadelphia Union (W2 D7), with the Philadelphia Union’s 30.8% home win rate over the CF Montreal Impact its lowest against any opponent its hosted 10 or more times.

The Philadelphia Union’s 1-0 home win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday was its 16th win in its last 19 home MLS matches (D2 L1, including playoffs). Over that span of 19 home matches, the Philadelphia Union have outscored their opponents, 58-11.

The CF Montreal Impact got goals in the 80th and 82nd minutes to come from 2-0 down to draw, 2-2, at D. C. United on Wednesday. It marked the second time in club history that CF Montreal Impact collected a point when trailing by multiple goals in the 80th minute or later, also doing so against Columbus Crew SC last September.

The 1-0 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday was Andre Blake’s MLS-high 21st home clean sheet since the start of the 2021 season. Blake has saved 83.6 percent of the shots he’s faced at home in that time, while no other goalkeeper has a home save average over 80.0% since 2021 (minimum 25 shots on target faced).

Sunusi Ibrahim came off the bench to both score and assist in CF Montreal Impact’s comeback draw on Wednesday. Five of Ibrahim’s seven career MLS goal contributions (4 of 5 goals, 1 of 2 assists)have been recorded as a substitute.

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