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MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (32-23) at Oakland Athletics (12-45)

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MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (32-23) at Oakland Athletics (12-45)

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

Series Loss
Atlanta fell to Oakland, 2-1, last night, and has dropped the first two games of this set to guarantee a loss in the series. The Braves entered play this week 16-8 (.667) against teams with a record below .500, and had not lost a series to such a team this season. Atlanta had batted .275 (223-for-810) and averaged 5.08 runs per game against teams under .500 entering this series, but has hit just .161 (10-for-62) and scored three total runs in these two games versus the A’s.

TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Athletics today conclude a three-game series in what is the only scheduled meeting between the clubs this season… Atlanta and Oakland played just last season, with the Braves winning all four contests.

  • Oakland has won each of the first two games of this series and will play for the sweep this afternoon… Atlanta had dropped the season set to Oakland just once in the six seasons in which the two teams have met, going 1-2 over three games in 2005.
  • The A’s had won consecutive games just once this season prior to this week, beating the Royals on back-to-back nights, May 5 and May 6.
  • The Braves and A’s are playing in back-to-back seasons for the first time in history, and have played just 21 total games since the advent of interleague play in 1997…Atlanta is 15-6 (.714) all-time against Oakland, its best record against any A.L. team.
  • The Braves have played just 10 games all-time here in Oakland, and entered this series with a seven-game winning streak here…The Braves had not lost in this stadium since 2003 before dropping their first two games this week.
  • LH Jared Shuster is set to make just the sixth start of his major league career, and his first against Oakland…The 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-hander is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA (15 ER/25.1 IP) over his first five turns, but 11 of the 15 runs he has allowed came in his first three appearances…In his last two starts, he is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA (4 ER/11.2 IP).
  • RH James Kaprielian has never faced Atlanta, nor has he pitched against a member of the Braves current roster…The 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Laguna Hills, CA, is winless in nine games and six starts this season, going 0-5 with an 8.45 ERA (31 ER/33.0 IP) and 66 baserunners allowed.

LOSS: Atlanta jumped out to a 1-0 lead for the second consecutive game last night, but Oakland rallied to walk off with the win, 2-1…The A’s five walk-off victories are tied with the Yankees for the most in baseball this season.

  • The walk-off defeat was Atlanta’s second this season, joining a 6-5 loss at Toronto on May 14.
  • With the loss, the Braves no longer have the best road record in the majors…Baltimore has gone 18-9 (.667) away from home, one more win than Atlanta’s 17-9 (.654) record…The Braves are just 2-6 over their last eight road games.
  • Atlanta opened the scoring with a run in the third inning, the 41st time this season the Braves have scored the game’s first run…That total is most in the majors…However, Atlanta is 30-11 (.732) when scoring first, just the 10th-best record in baseball.
  • Bryce Elder went 7.1 innings in the start for Atlanta, the Braves first loss this season in which its starter went at least 7.0 innings.

MAY: The Braves play their final game of the month of May this afternoon, and enter play 14-14 (.500) over 28 games…Atlanta has not played to a losing record in a calendar month since going 13-15 (.464) in May of 2022.

  • Atlanta was 18-9 (.667) in March and April, the fourth-best record in baseball…The Braves’ 14-14 (.500) record thus far in May is 16th in the majors.
  • The Braves lead the National League with 50 home runs this month, while their .794 OPS trails just the Dodgers (.820) for tops in the N.L.

KEVIN PILLAR: Collected two of Atlanta’s four hits last night, going 2-for-3 with a double and his sixth home run of the season…Through 32 games and just 84 at-bats, Pillar is hitting .262/.292/.524 with an .816 OPS.

  • His six home runs are second most in baseball among hitters with as few at-bats on the season, trailing just the Cubs’ Christopher Morel…Morel has nine homers in 70 at-bats for Chicago.
  • Pillar is homering once every 14 at-bats this season, easily the highest rate of his career…He hit a career-most 21 homers in 2019, but homered just once every 29.10 at-bats that season.
  • Just two Braves have homered more frequently than Pillar this season…Matt Olson has gone 12.12 at-bats per homer, while Marcell Ozuna is homering once every 13.27 at-bats.

OFFENSE: Atlanta has combined for just 10 hits and three runs through the first two games of this series, batting .161 (10-for-62) as a team versus the A’s… Oakland’s 6.68 ERA (371 ER/500.0 IP) is highest in the majors by nearly 1.50 runs.

  • In the game prior to the start of this series, Atlanta had 11 runs and a season-most 20 hits versus Philadelphia.
  • The Braves have been held to two-or-fewer runs in back-to-back games for just the third time this season, and have gone three straight games just once this year…Atlanta scored four total runs over three games from May 10-13 against Boston and Toronto.
  • Atlanta has scored no more than two runs in 13 games this season, tied for fewest in the National League with the Dodgers…The Braves are just 1-12 (.077) this season when scoring two-or-fewer runs.

INTERLEAGUE: Atlanta fell to 10-12 (.455) against the American League with last night’s loss, including just 4-8 (.333) in its last 12 such games.

  • Both teams to sweep Atlanta this season play in the American League…Houston swept all three games at Truist Park, April 21-23, while Toronto won all three from May 12-14…The Braves need a win today to avoid a sweep to Oakland.
  • The Braves went 13-7 (.650) against the A.L. last season, tied for the third-best interleague record in the majors. Only the Brewers and Dodgers, both at 15-5 (.750), were better.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #45 Jared Shuster LHP
2023 Record: 1-2, 5.33 ERA • 2023 MiLB Record: 2-0, 3.28 ERA
vs. RHB: .215 (14-65), 1 HR • vs. LHB: .192 (5-26), 1 HR
Home: 1-0, 4.60 ERA (7/9.2) • Away: 0-2, 6.52 ERA (7/9.2)

Tonight’s Game

  • Set to make his sixth career start.
  • Went 5.2 innings pitched while allowing three hits, three runs, and three walks with five strikeouts in his last start against Philadelphia.
  • Pitching to a 3.78 ERA through three starts since being recalled on May 16.
  • Owned a 8.31 ERA in his first two outings before being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on April 17.
  • Has a 0.78 WHIP in his last three starts and a 2.42 WHIP in his first two.
  • Is 2-0 with a 3.28 ERA and 23 strikeouts in five starts with the Stripers.
  • Averaging 8.39 strikeouts per nine innings with Gwinnett while having a 6.86 rate with Atlanta.

2023 Recap

  • On May 21 Shuster became just the second pitcher in Braves franchise history (dating to 1901) to hold an opponent to one hit or less while pitching at least 6.0 innings and recording seven or more strikeouts in one of his first five career starts… Ian Anderson became the first pitcher in the organization to do so on September 9, 2020.
  • Held Seattle to one hit, a solo home run, with seven strikeouts over 6.0 innings of one-run ball.
  • Recalled to Atlanta on May 16.
  • Was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after last start against San Diego on April 7.
  • Made his major league debut against Washington on April 2.
  • Allowed six hits, four runs and five walks through 4.2 innings pitched.
  • Was the third player from the Braves’ 2020 First-Year Player Draft to debut with the club.
  • Joined Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder as the other hurlers from the ‘20 draft class to play for Atlanta.
  • Became the eighth Braves pitcher to debut with a start against the Nationals/Expos.
  • Pitched to a 1.74 ERA in six appearances, four starts, with 19 strikeouts through 20.2 innings pitched in Spring Training.
  • Began the Spring without allowing a run in his first four outings (12.2 IP).
  • Made his firs Opening Day Roster

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

ABOUT THE A’S: Have won back-to-back games for the second time this year (May 5-6 at Kansas City)…the winning streak snaps an 11-game losing streak, which tied for fourth longest in Oakland history…have snapped a six-series losing streak by winning the first two games of this series…this is just the A’s second series win (May 5-7 at Kansas City) and Oakland is now 2-16-0 in series play…will be going for their first sweep of the season today…have been swept eight times…have lost 19 of the last 23 games and are 12-45 (.211) overall, which is the third worst record after 57 games by an AL, NL or FL team since 1900…the worst is 9-45 (.167) by the 1904 Senators (had three games called with the score tied) and the 1932 Red Sox (11-46, .193) are second worst.

WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in eight of their 12 wins…had their fifth walk-off win of the season last night, which is tied with the Yankees for the most in the majors…have six wins when tied after seven innings, three when trailing after seven innings and three when leading after seven innings…are tied for the second most wins in the majors when tied after seven innings and are tied for seventh in wins when trailing after seven innings…however, no other team has fewer than 13 wins when leading after seven innings…are 3-4 (.429) in extra inning games…are tied for third in the majors in extra inning losses and tied for sixth in wins and games (7).

RUN DIFFERENTIAL: The A’s won 2-1 last night to improve to 8-10 (.444) in one-run games…are tied for sixth in the majors in one-run losses and tied for seventh in games (18)…are 4-35 (.103) in games decided by two or more runs… have a run differential of -193, which is the lowest in the majors…had a run differential of -202 all last year, which was second lowest in Oakland history (-287 in 1979).

HOME AND AWAY: The A’s have won the first two games of this series for their first home winning streak of the season…it is also their first series win at home after losing each of the first nine…that fell one short of the Oakland record for consecutive home series lost (10, April 22-June 23, 2022)…are 2-3 on this six-game homestand against Houston (0-3) and Atlanta (2-0)…posted a losing record on each of the first four homestands and are 7-23 (.233) at home, which is the lowest home winning percentage in the majors…leave following the game today for a nine-game road trip to Miami (three games), Pittsburgh (three games) and Milwaukee (three games)…it is the first of two three-city road trips this year…went 0-7 on the last road trip to Houston (0- 3) and Seattle (0-4) and are 5-22 (.185) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors.

A’s IN MAY: The A’s are 6-22 (.214) in May, which is the lowest winning percentage in the majors (Pirates, 7-18/.280)…would finish with the second lowest May winning percentage in Athletics history with a loss today (4-17/.190 in 1919) or the third lowest with a win (6-21/.222 in 1946)…would finish with the fourth lowest winning percentage in any month in Oakland history (min. 10 games) with a loss today or tied for fourth with a win…the 22 losses match the 1954 Philadelphia A’s for the most in May in Athletics history…they are tied for third most in any month in Oakland history (24 in June, 1979; 23 in April, 2023)…went 5-23 (.179) in April, which was also the worst record in the majors…set a Major League record for most losses in April…this is the 16th 20- loss month in Oakland history, the fourth in the last two years…it is the second time since 1954 the A’s had back-to-back 20-loss months…the other time was in May and June last year when they had 21 each month…have compiled a 5.60 ERA (153 er in 246.0 ip) in May, which is the highest in the majors, after posting a 7.97 ERA in April…the only time in Oakland history the A’s had a May ERA above 5.70 was in 1997 (6.62)…have surrendered 48 home runs, which is second most in May in Athletics history (57 in 1964) and tied for second most in any month in Oakland history (50 in April, 2023; 48 in Sept. 2015)…have scored 85 runs, which is third fewest in the majors…the only time in Oakland history the A’s scored fewer than 86 runs in May was in 1978 (79)…have 24 stolen bases, which is tied for fifth most in the majors and is the most by an A’s team in May since 1995 when they also had 24…are batting .211 (194-for-918), which is the lowest mark in the majors…the lowest May in Oakland history is .210 in 2012.

OFFENSE: The A’s are batting .185 (74-for-400) with 28 runs scored over the last 13 games (2.15 runs per game)…are now hitting .220 for the season, which is the lowest batting average in the majors…have the second lowest OPS (.657), third lowest slugging percentage (.356) and fourth lowest on-base percentage (.301)…rank second in fewest runs (198) and fewest doubles (73), third in most strikeouts (532) and fourth in fewest extra base hits (136)…have the most sacrifice hits (12) and second most hit by pitches (34)…have been shut out seven times, which is tied for second most in the majors (Royals, 8)…A’s pinch hitters lead the majors in hits (13) and walks (9) and rank fourth in plate appearances (58).

PITCHING: The A’s have a 6.68 ERA, which is the highest in the majors…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the highest ERA by an AL or NL team since the earned run became an official stat is 6.70 by the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies… also have the highest opponents OPS (.864), batting average (.278), on-base percentage (.370) and slugging percentage (.494) in the majors this year…lead the majors in most walks (262), home runs (98) and hit batters (39), have the second most wild pitches (29) and the sixth fewest strikeouts (431)…have surrendered six grand slams, which are the most in the majors and tied for fifth most in a season in Athletics history (8 in 1993 and 1999, 7 in 1954 and 1997).

STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 0-13 with a 5.65 ERA (67 er in 106.2 ip) in the 23 games since recording their only two wins of the season on May 5 and 6 at Kansas City…went 0-16 over the first 32 games and are 2-29 with a 6.99 ERA for the season…the ERA is the highest in the majors and no other team has fewer than eight wins from its starters…are tied for the fourth fewest innings pitched (269.0).

FOR OPENERS: The A’s have used an “opener” three times this year, all in the last seven games…A’s openers are 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA (3.0 ip, 6 h, 3 r, 3 er, 3 so) and the “main” pitchers in those games are 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA (13.0 ip, 16 h, 10 r, 10 er, 7 bb, 17 so)…have lost all three games…used an opener nine times in 2018 (all in September) and three times in 2019 (none after June 5).

THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen is 0-for-1 in save opportunities over the last 23 games…the streak of 23 consecutive games without a save is second longest by an A’s team over the last 19 years (25, April 19-May 17, 2019)…the A’s last save was on May 6 at Kansas City…is 4-for-14 (28.6%) in save opportunities for the season…has the lowest save percentage and fewest saves in the majors and the 10 blown saves are tied for 10th most…has the highest ERA in the majors (6.31) and the second most innings pitched (231.0)…has allowed 43- of-103 (41.7%) inherited runners to score, which is the fourth highest percentage…has the fourth most inherited runners.

ON THE BASES: The A’s are 53-for-66 (80.3%) in stolen base attempts…rank third in the majors in stolen bases and attempts…opponents are 42-for-60 (70.0%), which is the fifth lowest success rate in the majors…the 18 caught stealings are tied with the Rockies for the most…A’s pitchers are tied for second in the majors in pickoffs (6).

A’S VS. BRAVES

  • The A’s have won the first two games of this series for their second ever series win against the Braves…won two of three at Atlanta in 2005
    and have never swept a series from the Braves.
  • The win on Monday was the A’s first against Atlanta since May 17, 2008…that snapped an 11- game losing streak against the Braves, which
    is their longest losing streak against a National League team and tied for sixth longest against any team.
  • Are 6-15 (.286) all-time against the Braves, which is the A’s second worst record against any team (5-13, .278 vs. the Cubs).

Year Home Road Totals
2023 2-0 0-0 2-0
2022 0-2 0-2 0-4
Oakland History: 6-15
at the Coliseum: 3-7
at Truist Park: 0-2

TODAY’S TIDBITS
The A’s are 11-23 (.324) in night games, 1-22 (.043) in day games…Ryan Noda leads Major League rookies in on-base percentage (.391) and walks (33), ranks fifth in OPS (.845), tied for sixth in doubles (11) and runs (27), seventh in slugging (.454), tied for seventh in home runs (6) and extra base hits (18) and tied for 10th in RBI (19)…Esteury Ruiz leads ML rookies in hits (60), stolen bases (27) and hit by pitches (12), is tied for third in doubles (13), ranks fifth in batting (.274), sixth in on-base percentage (.340), tied for sixth in RBI (24), tied for ninth in extra base hits (15) and 10th in runs (24).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: James Kaprielian (0-5, 8.45 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas May 20 for his third stint with the A’s this year…is 0-3 with a 4.24 ERA (17.0 ip, 17 h, 9 r, 8 er, 7 bb, 16 so) in three starts over his last two stints after going 0-2 with a 12.94 ERA in six games, including three starts, over his first stint…was on the A’s Opening Day roster and went 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in three starts before moving to the bullpen…posted a 16.88 ERA in three relief appearances before he was optioned to Las Vegas on April 25…returned on May 13, started at lost to Texas that day and was optioned back to Triple-A the next day…did not pitch with the Aviators before he was recalled by Oakland on May 20.

0-5: Has started the season 0-5 for the second consecutive season…prior to that, the last A’s pitcher to start the season 0-5 was Kendall Graveman who lost each of his first five decisions in 2018…the last A’s pitcher to start the season 0-6 is Mike Mohler, who lost each of his first eight decisions in 1997… Kaprielian went 0-5 with a 5.98 ERA and .853 opponents OPS over his first 10 starts last year from May 1-June 21…then went 5-4 with a 3.30 ERA and .669 OPS over his final 16 starts.

SEVEN INNINGS OR FEWER: Has tossed 7.0 innings or fewer in each of his six starts this year and has now pitched seven innings or fewer in all 53 of his career starts…that is the longest streak of consecutive starts of seven innings or fewer in Athletics history (previous: 47, Montas, Sept. 25, 2019-April 18, 2022).

OPPONENTS BATTING: Has allowed five of his six home runs to left-handed hitters and has a 1.123 OPS against left-handed hitters compared to .786 against right-handers…opponents are 15-for-45 (.333) with runners in scoring position, including 4-for-5 (.800) with two walks, a double and two grand slams with the bases loaded…as a starter, he has a .356 (16-for-45) opponents batting average the first time through the order, .289 (13-for-45) the second time and .207 (6-for-29) after that…opponents are 8-for-13 (.615) with a double and three home runs when putting the first pitch in play.

THIS AND THAT: The A’s are 0-6 in his starting assignments and have been shut out three times in his six starts…left with an 8-5 lead in his first start but the bullpen allowed seven runs for the blown save…left with the lead in five of his starts last year only to have the bullpen blow the save…now has 21 career no decisions as a starter and has left with the lead and was the pitcher of record in 10 of those no decisions.

2023 DAY-BY-DAY: Had a no decision in his first start on April 3 against Cleveland, a 12-11 A’s loss in 10 innings…left with an 8-5 lead but the bullpen blew the save…allowed a season-high seven runs in an 11-0 loss at Tampa Bay on April 9…surrendered a career-high tying three home runs and logged a career-high 106 pitches…walked a career-high seven batters in a 17-6 loss to New York (NL) on April 14…the walks were the most by an A’s pitcher since Sonny Gray also walked seven on May 3, 2015…tossed 3.2 innings, which is a season-low as a starter…was 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in three starts when he was moved to the bullpen following the start against the Mets…allowed at least five runs in each of those starts to join Todd Van Poppel (1994) as the only pitchers on an Opening Day roster in Oakland history to allow five or more runs in each of their first three starts…tossed a scoreless inning of relief on April 18 against Chicago (AL), but then allowed three runs in 1.0 inning on April 22 at Texas and two in 0.2 innings on April 24 at Los Angeles (AL) and was optioned to Las Vegas on April 25…was recalled on May 13 and struck out a season-high seven in a career-high tying 7.0 innings that day against Texas…allowed three runs and took the loss in a 5-0 decision and was optioned back to Las Vegas the next day…was recalled on May 20 and started and lost in the A’s 2-0 decision the next day at Houston, despite allowing just one run in 5.0 innings.

LAST START: He was the losing pitcher in the A’s 5-2 loss to Houston last Friday in Oakland…allowed a season-high eight hits in 5.0 innings…yielded a RBI single to Julks in the second and then allowed four runs (three earned) in the third…Bregman had a RBI single, a run scored on a passed ball and Julks added a two-run single.

MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (24-30) at Baltimore Orioles (35-20)

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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (24-30) at Baltimore Orioles (35-20)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

GUARDS PLATE 5 AGAIN, FALL TO ORIOLES
The Guardians followed Monday’s 5-0 Memorial Day shutout with an 8-5 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday night at Camden Yards, evening the series at one win apiece…club enters today’s finale seeking back-to-back series wins for first time since March 30-April 5 after taking first two series of the season in Seattle & Oakland.

The Guardians made a late push to get back into the contest, but were ultimately unable to overcome an early offensive surge by the Orioles, who plated all 8 of their tallies against starter CAL QUANTRILL (4.1IP, 8H, 8R-ER, 2BB, 3SO, WP, HB, 85 pitches)… Quantrill surrendered a 2-run double to Gunnar Henderson in the 1st that was preceded by a single, walk and wild pitch…the Orioles put together a mammoth 5-run rally in the 2nd that began with a hit batter to start the frame and included a pair of singles, a bases-loaded walk, a 3-run triple by Anthony Santander and a sac fly by Austin Hays…Santander also doubled to lead off the 5th and scored on Henderson’s RBI-single…JOSH BELL put Cleveland on the board with an RBI-single in the 4th and added a sac fly just ahead of an RBI-double from ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ in the 6th…

JOSH NAYLOR also delivered a 2-out, 2-run single in the 7th…O’s right-hander Kyle Gibson fell one out shy of a quality start to notch his 7th win (5.2IP, 7H, 3R-ER, BB, 3SO, 95 pitches).

Cleveland (24-30) sits in 3rd place in AL Central standings, 3.5 games behind 1st-place Minnesota (28-27) and 1.5 games behind 2nd-place Detroit (-2.0G, 25-28)…despite winning 3 of 5 and 4 of last 8 games, Guardians have dropped 24 of last 39 overall since starting year 9-6…Cleveland is 1-1 to begin a 7-game road trip through Baltimore (1-1, one-to-play) & Minnesota (4G); club has dropped 4 of 5 and 10 of last 13 road games (12-15 overall).

RUBBER MATCH WEDNESDAY
The Guards enter today 8-4 in their last 12 games against Baltimore and 1,149-872 (.569) all-time against the O’s with a run differential of +1,211…the club has won 4 of its last 9 road series against the Orioles since 2013, but are looking to win a series in Baltimore in consecutive seasons (2022, 2-1), last done in 2017-18 (3-1 from 6/19-6/22/2017 & 3-1 from 8/17-8/19/2018)…the Guards hold a 4-5 record in rubber matches this season, going 1-2 on the road…last season, Cleveland finished 8-6 in rubber matches with a 4-4 record in road contests.

BELIEVE IN THE BULLPEN
In 2023, the Guardians bullpen ranks highly in several categories…among all MLB clubs, they lead the league with 20 saves, a 1.17 WHIP and a .292 OBP allowed…the ‘pen also ranks 2nd behind New York-AL with a 3.04 ERA, 7.22 H/9 and a .218 average against…the bullpen has performed effectively since May 22 by allowing only one earned run across 27.1 innings pitched, giving them a league-leading 0.33 ERA during that span…San Francisco is the next closest team with a 0.44 ERA (2ER/40.2IP)… Cleveland trails only San Francisco among league-leading bullpens in WHIP (0.80), OBP (.216), H/9 (4.28) and average against (.140) since May 22…since 2022, the Guards bullpen ranks 1st in saves (71) average against (.211), H/9 (6.95), BR/9 (10.48), OBP (.286) and BABIP (.266)…they also rank 2nd in WHIP (1.13), P/IP (16.0), hits allowed (566), 3rd in ERA (3.02), inherited runner score rate (26.7%) and OPS (.630),

EMMANUEL CLASE has 17 saves in 2023 and 59 saves since 2022, leading all MLB relievers…his 27 appearances this year rank T2nd in MLB behind Miami’s Andrew Nardi (28) and his 104 games since 2022 lead all MLB relievers…his 13.4 P/IP ranks 1st, .230 OBP ranks 3rd, 7.94 BR/9 ranks 4th and 0.87 WHIP ranks 5th among MLB relievers since 2022…NICK SANDLIN’s 0.78 WHIP, .214 OBP and 6.98 BR/9 all rank 5th among 2023 AL relievers… his .203 BABIP since 2022 ranks 5th and his .140 BABIP ranks 6th among 2023 MLB relievers…Sandlin’s 12.5% (2-for-16) inherited runner score rate ranks 5th among AL relievers this season, one spot behind ENYEL DE LOS SANTOS (1-for-11, 9.1%).

TITO TERRIFIC
Terry Francona currently owns a career record of 1,898-1,616, putting him at 16th all-time in manager wins (Elias)…with two more victories, he will pass Hall-of-Famer Bill McKechnie (1,899-1,724) for 15th-most wins in MLB history and become the 15th manager to reach 1,500 wins…with 4 more victories, he will pass Gene Mauch (1,901-2,037) for 14th-most wins…among active managers, he ranks 3rd, behind TEX’s Bruce Bochy (2,038-2,048) and HOU’s Dusty Baker (2,125-1,812).

Francona spent four years in Philadelphia from 1997-2000, going 285-363…he spent eight seasons with Boston, winning 2 World Series and owning a 744-552 record while boasting all but two seasons with 90+ wins…in his 11 years with Cleveland, he has gone 867-699, winning 4 AL Central titles and reaching the World Series in 2016.

THE GUARDIAC KIDS
The Guardians lead MLB with 25 one-run games out of their 54 games played this season, owning an 11-14 record in such contests…the Guards 11 victories rank T2nd in MLB behind Miami’s 15 such wins…Cleveland’s 25 one-run contests are T3rd-most in club history through the first 54 games of a season, the most since 1966 when they went 18-7 over 25 one-run contests…the Guardians are the first MLB team with 25 one-run contests in their first 54 games since the 2015 Chicago Cubs (15-10, .600).

The Guards also lead MLB this season with 36 games decided by 2-runs-or-less, holding an 18-18 record…Cleveland has the most games decided by 2-runs-or-less in the first 54 games of a season since the 2015 Seattle Mariners (17-21)…the Guardians 36 contests decided by 2-runs-or-less are tied for the most through the first 54 games of a season in franchise history.

MOST CLE 2-RUNS-OR-LESS GAMES IN FIRST 52G
YEAR COUNT RECORD (W%)
2023 36 18-18 (.500)
1910 36 18-13-5 (.569)
1968 35 19-15-1 (.557)
1944 35 18-17 (.514)
1943 35 18-17 (.514)

RAMÍREZ RE-WRITING RECORD BOOKS » JOSÉ RAMÍREZ enters today with 536 extra-base hits, the 6th-most in club history…with 3 more extra-base hits, he will pass Ken Keltner (538) for 5th-most by a Cleveland hitter…since 2018, Ramírez leads all MLB hitters with 347 extra-base hits…he has 198 career home runs as a Clevelander, and is 3 homers away from passing Travis Hafner (200) for 9th-most in franchise history…he is also tied with Carlos Baerga (170) for 10th-most go-ahead RBI in franchise history

TODAY’S STARTER – 57 SHANE BIEBER RHP

BIEBER’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 4-3 3.04 11 11 71.0 68 25 24 19 49
Career 58-29 3.16 124 122 774.0 686 292 272 172 880

BIEBER ON THE ROAD
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-2 3.35 7 7 45.2 47 18 17 7 30
Career 35-13 2.84 69 68 444.1 367 150 140 89 506

TODAY’S START
The 2020 Cy Young winner is scheduled to make his 12th start of the season, eighth on the road, in the rubber match of this 3-game set with Baltimore…the right-hander is making today’s start on his 28th birthday…is making this appearance on 4 days rest after his last outing on Friday at St. Louis; is 31-13 with a 3.27 ERA (144ER/396.2IP) in his career on 4 days rest…Cleveland has a 79-43 record in Bieber’s 122 career starts but is 4-7 in 2023.

ME? I’M JUST AN OLD SCHOOL GEMINI
Bieber is making today’s start on his 28th birthday…his only other start on his birthday was his Major League debut on his 23rd birthday in 2018, a 9-8 victory at Minnesota…he did not factor into the decision after working 5.2 innings, allowing 4 runs (earned) on 8 hits with 6 strikeouts and one walk…Cleveland is 24-24-1 when a starter pitches on their birthday…the last starter to earn a win on their birthday was Derek Lowe (W, 6.2IP, 5H, 1R/ER, 1BB, 2SO) on June 1, 2012 vs. Minnesota.

LAST TIME OUT
Bieber earned his first win since May 9 on Friday in a 4-3 victory against the Cardinals, allowing 2 runs (earned) on 5 hits with 2 strikeouts and 4 walks across 6.2 innings…he worked through the 5th inning without giving up a run, despite allowing a baserunner in every frame but the 2nd…the Cards managed their first run after Lars Nootbaar and Paul Goldschmidt singled to start the 6th frame…Nootbaar would score off a sacrifice fly from Nolan Arenado…Brenden Donovan singled to lead off the seventh and reach third base following a wild pitch from Bieber…Alec Burleson would produce a sacrifice fly of his own, scoring Donovan, Bieber’s second mark of the day…Bieber would walk the next two batters before being pulled, both batters did not score…he’s now had a quality start in 9 of his 11 outings this season and his 4 walks tied a season-high (also April 22 vs. MIA).

OMAR’S COMING!
Is making his fifth career start against Baltimore…boasts a 3-1 record with a 1.45 ERA (5ER/31.0IP) and 48 strikeouts against 3 walks and a 16:1 SO/BB ratio…it’s his lowest ERA against any opponent he’s made multiple starts against…suffered the loss in his last outing against the O’s on September 1, 2022 at Progressive Field (L, 7.0IP, 6H 3R/ER, 3HR, 1BB, 11SO).

Twirled his first career complete-game shutout against Baltimore on May 19, 2019, striking out 15 and walking none…became the third Cleveland pitcher to accomplish the feat…Luis Tiant (July 3, 1968, 10.0IP, 19 SO) and Sam McDowell (May 1, 1968, 9.0IP, 16SO) both threw 15+ strikeout complete game shutouts in 1968… only 17 different pitchers have ever achieved such a statline…has 4 straight quality starts against Baltimore, the 2nd-longest active streak behind TOR’s José Berríos (5) and BAL’s own, Kyle Gibson (5)…has worked 7.0+ innings and struck out 11+ batters in every career start against Baltimore.

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA (6ER/22.0IP) in 3 starts against the AL East this season, holding opposing hitters to a .195 (15-for-77) average…is 13-8 in 26 appearances (25 starts) with a 3.69 ERA (68ER/165.2IP) in his career against the AL East.

HIGH QUALITY
After beginning the season with quality starts in 9 of his first 11 outings, Bieber has a made quality start in 20 of his last 24 starts, including an 11 start-streak from July 29-September 22, 2022…he ranks 2nd in both MLB and the AL with 32 quality starts since 2022, trailing Houston’s Framber Valdez (35)

BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:

BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN: The Orioles defeated the Guardians yesterday, 8-5, in the second game of the three-game set at Oriole Park…Have gone 11-4 against the AL Central this season, their best winning percentage and tied for their most wins against a single division in 2023 (11-7 vs. AL East)…Tallied five runs in the bottom of the second, their ninth time this season scoring at least five runs in an inning and first since plating a season-high eight runs in the top of the seventh on May 24 at New York-AL.

BURNING RUBBER: The O’s and Guardians square off in a rubber game in today’s series finale…The Birds have gone 5-3 in rubber matches this season and have won their last two, on May 10 vs. Tampa Bay and May 25 at New York-AL; went 11-11 in such games in 2022.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Of Baltimore’s 55 games this season, 49 have been decided by four or fewer runs, tied with Los Angeles-AL for the most in MLB…The O’s have gone 32-17 in those games, the most wins and best winning percentage (.653) in MLB…The O’s are 23-13 in games decided by three or fewer runs, the most wins and best winning percentage (.639) in MLB.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY POWER: Anthony Santander is slashing .344/.432/.625 (33-for-96) with seven doubles, one triple, six home runs, 17 runs scored, 20 RBI, and 13 walks in 26 games in May after slashing .213/.280/.362 (20-for-94) with eight doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored, 11 RBI, and 10 walks in 25 games in March/ April; has reached base safely in 23 of 26 games this month and has a hit in 19 of those games, including 11 multi-hit efforts…His 1.057 OPS in May is second in the AL and fifth in MLB (see box at right)…For the month, he also ranks fourth in the AL and sixth in MLB in on-base percentage, tied for fourth in the AL in RBI and extra-base hits (14), fifth in the AL and 10th in MLB in slugging percentage and total bases (60), tied for fifth in the AL in hits, sixth in the AL in batting average, and tied for sixth in the AL in home runs…On the season, he leads switch hitters with an .853 OPS.

Went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, two runs scored, and three RBI last night; has recorded at least three hits in back-to-back games for the second time in his career (also: 8/24-25/21).

His three extra-base hits last night tied his career high for the fifth time (last: 9/27/22 at BOS).

Knocked a three-RBI triple in the second inning last night, the fourth triple of his career (last: 8/6/20 vs. MIA); became the first O’s batter to hit a bases-loaded triple since Jace Peterson on May 2, 2018 at Los Angeles-AL in the top of the ninth inning.

FEELS GOOD TO BE HOME: The O’s wrap up a six-game homestand today…The homestand began this past weekend with three games against the Rangers (1-2) before a three-game set against the Guardians (1-1)…The Birds are 17-11 (.607) in Baltimore and own the fourth-best home winning percentage in the AL and fifth-best in MLB…Their 17 home wins are third in the AL and tied for fourth in MLB.

AGAINST THE GUARDIANS: The O’s are facing the Guardians for the third of seven games this season…The Birds will travel to Cleveland for four games at Progressive Field from September 21-24…Baltimore went 3-3 against Cleveland in 2022, 1-2 at Oriole Park and 2-1 at Progressive Field…The O’s have not won a season series against the Guardians since 2016 (5-1).

WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won 26 of their last 39 games, 29 of 43, and 31 of 46… The 35-20 overall record ranks third in MLB to start the season (see box at right)… Entering today, the Rays (39-18) and Rangers (35-19) are the only other teams with 35 wins this season, as well as the only other teams with 20 or fewer losses.

Last season, the Birds did not collect their 35th win until their 75th game on June 27 (35-40); they did not reach 36 wins until their 80th game on July 3 (36-44), which was the start of their 10-game winning streak.

THE SKIPPER: Manager Brandon Hyde managed his 600th career game with the Orioles on Monday, becoming the sixth skipper to manage 600 games for the Orioles, along with Earl Weaver (2,541), Buck Showalter (1,353), Paul Richards (1,063), Hank Bauer (726), and Mike Hargrove (649)…Managed his 600th overall game on Sunday; served one game as Miami’s interim manager on June 19, 2011 against Tampa Bay, following the resignation of manager Edwin Rodriguez…Hyde is currently in his fifth season as manager of the Orioles after being named the 20th manager in club history on December 14, 2018…In 2022, he led the O’s to an 83-79 record, his first winning season as manager and the club’s first winning campaign since 2016…He was named the Baseball America MLB Manager of the Year and was voted the Sporting News American League Manager of the Year by fellow AL managers…He finished second in voting for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) American League Manager of the Year award.

BIG TIME RUTSCH: Adley Rutschman leads the AL and ranks second in MLB with 43 walks…He ranks fourth in the AL and ninth in MLB with a .402 on-base percentage… He leads all primary catchers and all switch hitters in on-base percentage…He leads the AL and ranks tied for fourth in MLB with 97 times reaching base safely this season (54 H, 43 BB)…He has reached base safely at least three times in 15 games this year, the most in the AL and fifth-most in MLB.

MOUNT UP: Ryan Mountcastle ranks fifth in MLB with 28 Barrels, per Statcast, trailing only New York-AL’s Aaron Judge (33), Toronto’s Matt Chapman (31), Atlanta’s Matt Olson (30), and New York-NL’s Pete Alonso (29)…He ranks tied for seventh in the AL and 13th in MLB with 80 Hard-Hit Balls…His 38 RBI rank tied for ninth in the AL and tied for 15th in MLB; they rank fourth among primary first basemen, trailing only New YorkNL’s Pete Alonso (46), Atlanta’s Matt Olson (42), and Los Angeles-NL’s Max Muncy (39).

SOLID CONTACT: The Orioles rank tied with the Rangers and Yankees for fourth in MLB with an 89.9 mph average exit velocity, per Statcast, trailing the Braves (91.2 mph), Rays (90.3 mph), and Angels (90.1 mph)…Baltimore’s 15.0 degree average launch angle on batted balls is the second-highest in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers (15.4)…Baltimore’s 588 Hard-Hit Balls rank sixth in the AL and ninth in MLB.

WHAT A RELIEF: The Baltimore bullpen owns a 3.15 ERA (72 ER/206.0 IP), the fourth-best in MLB behind the Yankees (2.90), Guardians (3.03), and Astros (3.07)…O’s relievers have 16 wins this season, tied with the Yankees for the most in the majors… The O’s are second in MLB with 237 strikeouts from the ‘pen, trailing the Royals (252).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #51 AUSTIN VOTH RHP
QUICK HITS: Slated to make his 19th appearance of the season, 12th at home, and second career appearance against the Guardians this afternoon behind opener Keegan Akin…Claimed off waivers by the O’s from Washington on June 7, 2022; designated for assignment by the Nationals on May 31, 2022… Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Washington.

LAST TIME OUT: Did not factor into the decision in his last outing on May 26 vs. Texas…Allowed one run on two hits with two walks, a hit batter, and one strikeout in a career-high 3.2 innings of relief…Has pitched to a 1.96 ERA (4 ER/18.1 IP) with 18 strikeouts in 13 appearances since April 16; had a 9.00 ERA (8 ER/8.0 IP) in his first five games of the year…Threw a season-high 62 pitches, 42 strikes.

CAREER AGAINST THE GUARDIANS: Making his second career appearance against the Guardians today…Earned the win in his only outing against Cleveland with Washington on September 27, 2019 at Nationals Park…Made the start and allowed two runs on two hits with five strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work…Threw 73 pitches, 43 strikes.

CAREER AGAINST THE AL CENTRAL: Making his 11th career appearance against the AL Central…Owns a 3-1 record with a 4.05 ERA (15 ER/33.1 IP) and two holds through his first 10 appearances (six starts) against the division.

HOME COOKING: Making his 12th home appearance of the 2023 campaign this afternoon…Has pitched to a 4.32 ERA (8 ER/16.2 IP) and one hold through his first 11 appearances at Oriole Park this season…Owns a 4-1 record with a 3.78 ERA (28 ER/66.2 IP) through his first 23 appearances (11 starts) at Oriole Park with the O’s and the Nationals.

DAY ‘N’ NITE: Sports a 1-1 record with a 3.55 ERA (5 ER/12.2 IP) in 10 day appearances compared to an 0-0 record with a 4.61 ERA (7 ER/13.2 IP) in eight night outings this season…Allowed an unearned run on two hits with a season-high-tying three strikeouts (also: 4/5 at TEX) in his last day appearance on May 21 at Toronto…Threw 38 pitches, 24 strikes…Made 10 day appearances (eight starts) with the O’s in 2022, pitching to a 1-3 record with a 1.99 ERA (9 ER/40.2 IP) and two quality starts in those games…Posted a 2.28 ERA (12 ER/47.1 IP) in 17 day appearances (eight starts) between the O’s and the Nationals in 2022; ranked 12th-best in MLB (min. 47.0 IP).

MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (27-27) at San Francisco Giants (28-27)

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MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (27-27) at San Francisco Giants (28-27)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:

THE PIRATES: Snapped their three-game losing streak with last night’s 2-1 win…Are 2-3 heading into the finale of their six-game road trip to Seattle and San Francisco…Are back at .500 after falling to 26-27 after Monday’s loss (the first time the team was under .500 since 4/2)…Won seven straight games from 4/17- 23, their longest winning streak since 2018 (11 games)…Are 1.0 game behind the front-running Brewers in the National League Central coming into today.

MITCH’S MAY: Mitch Keller takes the mound this afternoon in his sixth start of this month…Keller comes into today ranked sixth among all National League pitchers with a 2.45 ERA (33.0ip/9er) this month…The only five National League pitchers with a lower ERA this month are San Diego’s Michael Wacha (0.84), San Francisco’s Logan Webb (1.30), Atlanta’s Bryce Elder (1.72), St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas (1.89) and Los Angeles’ Tony Gonsolin (1.95).

K’S FOR KELLER: Mitch Keller comes into today four strikeouts shy of 400 in his career…Keller is averaging 11.14 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched this season, which ranks seventh in all of MLB and fourth in the National League behind Atlanta’s Spencer Strider (14.98), Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene (12.86), Washington’s MacKenzie Gore (11.48) and New York’s Kodai Senga (11.45).

THE EMERGENCE OF MITCH: One year ago today Mitch Keller rejoined the starting rotation after working out of the bullpen for two appearances…Beginning a year ago today, Keller has posted a 3.14 ERA (189.0ip/66er) in 33 starts…Keller’s 3.14 ERA in the last year is the ninth-lowest among all National League pitchers in that time… San Francisco’s Logan Webb has the lowest ERA (2.66) in that time among National League pitchers with at least 162.0 innings of work.

SOUTHPAW SIGHTING: Pittsburgh comes into today with an 8-6 record in games started by opposing lefthanders… Pittsburgh’s 14 games against left-handed starters are the fewest among all National League teams…The Yankees and Twins have faced the fewest opposing left-handed starters in the American League (10 times apiece).

BACK TO THE BURGH: The Pirates will return to Pittsburgh following today’s game for their longest homestand of the year beginning Friday night…The 10-day, nine-game homestand gets underway Friday with a three-game weekend series against the Cardinals…Monday night the Pirates will host the A’s for the fourth time ever and for the first time since 2019…Following a day off on Thursday, the homestand will conclude with three games against the Mets beginning on June 9.

CUTCH’S MILESTONES: Andrew McCutchen is two doubles shy of 400 in his career and two away from 300 as a Pirate…McCutchen ranks seventh all-time in team history in doubles…Paul Waner ranks first with 559, followed by Honus Wagner (556), Roberto Clemente (440), Willie Stargell (423), Max Carey (375) and Pie Traynor (371).

BULLISH PEN: Pittsburgh’s bullpen comes into today ranked third in the National League in ERA (3.79)…The only two teams with a lower bullpen ERA are the Padres (3.28) and Cardinals (3.54)…In addition, according to Baseball Reference, the Pirates are the only team with five or more relievers with ERAs of 2.25 and lower who have each pitched 18.0-plus innings.

MONEY IN MAY: Tuesday night Dauri Moreta earned his second win of the year with 1.0 scoreless inning while also stranding his inherited runner…Moreta has allowed two unearned runs in 13.0 innings, struck out 20 batters, and posted an .073 batting average against (3-for-41) in 11 appearances this month.

THE RENEGADE: Tuesday night David Bednar recorded his 10th save of the year and first since April 29 in game one of the team’s doubleheader at Washington…Since the beginning of last year, Bednar is 16-for-19 in save opportunities on the road while also producing a 2.04 ERA (35.1ip/8er) in 31 appearances away from PNC Park.

STARTING PITCHER – 23 – RHP MITCH KELLER
MITCH KELLER: The 27-year-old righthander will make his 12th start of the season this afternoon…He allowed a season-high six runs in 6.0 innings but improved to 6-1 on the season in his last start Friday night at Seattle.

VS. SAN FRANCISCO: 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA (16.0ip/8er) in three career starts…Had a no-decision (6.0ip/2r/1er) last year in a 4-3 walkoff win on 6/19 at PNC Park…Made one start in 2021, losing a 4-1 decision (5.0ip+/2er) to Alex Wood on 5/16 at PNC Park…He also gave up three runs in the first inning and a two-run homer to Steven Vogt with two outs in the fifth inning while suffering a 5-4 loss on 9/10/19 at Oracle Park.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: After dropping yesterday’s game 2-1 the Giants will try to earn their fifth straight series victory with a win in today’s finale…the last time the Giants were on the losing end of a series was May 11-14 at Arizona when they lost three of four to the D-Backs…SF is 13-15 in day games this season while Pittsburgh is 11-14.

CLEANUP DUTIES: Sports Info Solutions points out that Pittsburgh starter RHP Mitch Keller has limited opposing teams’ cleanup hitters this year, holding the fourth batter to a .059 average (2×34) with 17 strikeouts and a .147 OPS…Giants cleanup hitters have a .288 batting average (60×208), which is second in the Majors this season, and an .867 OPS, which is third.

FINDING THEIR STRIDE: After going 6-13 to begin the season, the Giants have logged a 22-14 (.611) mark since April 22… the .611 winning percentage is fifth-best in the Majors and second-best in the NL during that span behind only the Dodgers, who are 24-11 (.686) and lead the Majors in that stretch…if you narrow it down to just May, the Giants are 17-11 (.607) this month, sixth-best in MLB.

HOME COOKIN’: In that same April 22 time span, the Giants have gone a blistering 14-6 (.700) here at Oracle Park, including winning six of their last eight games…the Giants’ .700 winning percentage at home since April 22 is second-best in the National League only to the Dodgers .929 (13-1) clip in that time.

PEN TO PAPER: The Giants have won 11 of their last 15 games, a stretch that comes after dropping six of their previous eight contests…this excellent stretch is in part due to SF’s bullpen, who’s sporting a 0.80 ERA, best the Majors, and holding opposing teams to a .160 average, also first during that span… since May 15, the bullpen’s 84 strikeouts are the most of any bullpen in the Majors and their nine saves are tops in MLB.

Giants Bullpen, Last 15 Games Dating to May 15

Ranking

ERA 0.80 1st
Strikeouts 84 1st
Saves 9 1st
Opposing Avg. .160 1st

Ranking

WHIP 0.80 1st
OPS .478 1st
OBP .231 1st
Innings 67.2 2nd

HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES: The Giants dropped to 5-6 in one-run games this season after yesterday’s defeat… their 11 games decided by just one run are third-fewest in the Majors, trailing Houston (nine) and Texas (10)…the loss was also just the Giants’ fifth at home in May (9-5)…they are averaging 2.2 runs per home loss in May.

FREE RIDE, BUT NOT TO HOME: Per SIS, yesterday was the first time the Giants had at least seven walks with just one run to show for it…the last game was a 1-0 victory on Sept. 7, 2019 vs. Los Angeles-NL…IF J.D. Davis walked three times, his most in a game since Aug. 13, 2021.

CARELESS RISP-ER: SF could not take advantage of the seven walks by Pittsburgh, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position…great hitting with RISP has been a key reason why the Giants are 11-4 in their last 15 games…since May 15, SF’s .931 OPS with RISP ranks fifth in the Majors, while its 68 RBI lead MLB in that span.

WAKE AND BLAKE: Since April 25, C/OF Blake Sabol has an .836 OPS with eight extra-base hits and 10 RBI…in 17 home games the rookie is batting .340 (18×53)…in eight home day games, Sabol is batting .308 (8×26)…SIS notes that the Giants have a .763 OPS vs. right-handed pitchers when Sabol starts compared to their .694 OPS in games Sabol is on the bench.

CA-MAY-LO: RHP Camilo Doval converted an MLB-leading 11th save this month, and a National League-leading 14th on Saturday at the Brewers… his 11 May saves are tied for the third-most by a Giant in a single month, and the most since Brian Wilson also recorded 11 saves on Sept/Oct 2010.

Giants, Most Saves in Any Single Month – All Time
Player Month Year Saves
Robb Nen July 2000 14
Robb Nen June 2001 13
Rod Beck April/March 1997 11
Player Month Year Saves
Rod Beck July 1994 11
Camilo Doval May 2023 11
Brian Wilson Sept/Oct 2010 11

FOOL ME ONCE, CAN’T GET FOOLED AGAIN: OF Mike Yastrzemski has taken advantage of opposing starting pitchers when seeing them a second and/or third time in a game (SIS)…Yastrzemski is batting .194 (6×31) with a .641 OPS when seeing a starter for the first time…in his second plate appearance the outfielder is hitting .387 (12×31) with a 1.086 OPS, and in his third chance he is batting .316 (6×19) with a 1.034 OPS.

TODAY’S STARTER – ALEX WOOD LHP #57
2023 RECORD: 1-0, 3.51 ERA

WITH THE GIANTS: In his third year with SF…signed a two-year, $25 million contract with San Francisco in the 2021-2022 offseason after a strong performance on a one-year deal in 2021.

LAST START: Earned his first win of the season after receiving a nine-run lead by the end of the 3rd inning…his five walks, which matched a career-high, were his most as a Giant…the only other game in his career where he walked five batters was April 10, 2017 at Chicago-NL (w/LAD)…he did not allow an extra-base hit, while forcing six ground outs compared to two fly outs…his last outing was also the first time this year he completed 5.0 innings.

HOME-WOOD BOUND: The Giants are 21-9 in Wood’s 30 starts at Oracle Park since he joined the organization…the southpaw has a 10-7 record with a 4.04 ERA (72er, 160.1ip) with 166 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP…in his last home start, Miami hit two home runs, scoring four runs on six hits across 4.1 innings.

VS. PIRATES: Wood has earned the win in three of his four starts vs. Pittsburgh since joining SF and the Giants as a team have won all four games he’s started vs. PIT…in his last outing vs. the Pirates (Aug. 14, 2022), Wood struck out nine, his most since Aug. 20, 2021 at Oakland…IF/OF Connor Joe has solid numbers against Wood, going 5-for-12 (.417) with a home run…OF Andrew McCutchen is 6-for-33 (.182) vs. Wood, with a home run and 10 strikeouts…McCutchen’s 10 strikeouts against Wood are tied for the most by any batter Wood has faced in his career (IF/OF Ian Desmond and IF Adam LaRoche are the others)…McCutchen’s .182 average is the third-lowest vs. Wood (min. 20 plate appearances).

BACK IN ACTION: the lefty has made three starts (four outings) since returning from a left hamstring strain sustained on April 18 at Miami…he had both a season-high 5.2 innings and 93 pitches in his last outing (May 26 at Milwaukee).

PITCH BY PITCH: Wood’s fastball has an impressive .176 xBA this year, which is his lowest on any pitch since 2015 (when Statcast data became available)…hitters hold a .308 (12×39) batting average against Wood’s slider, which is the highest mark in his career since he adopted the pitch in 2020, yet his .238 xBA on his slider is his second-best mark…his .160 opposing batting average (4×25) on his changeup is the lowest on any pitch in his career.

LEFT ON READ: The Pirates are middle of the pack against lefties this season, with their .737 OPS ranking 16th, and their .262 average ranking tied for 12th…since the start of last season, however, Pittsburgh is batting. 230 vs. lefties, which is tied with Oakland and Seattle for second worst in the Majors, and its .668 OPS ranks 26th.

GROUNDED: Wood has a 48.6% ground ball rate this season, which is closely in line with his 49.6% career mark…Pittsburgh ranks 13th in the Majors with a 43.0% offensive ground ball rate…when the Pirates do hit the ball in the air, it’s rarely leaving the yard as they have a 10.8% HR/FB…Wood has allowed three homers in 25.2 innings with a 10.0% HR/FB.

BY THE NUMBERS: Wood has been stingy in limiting the heart of opposing lineups this season…batters 3-6 are hitting .140 (6×43) with a .568 OPS against Wood in 2023…the top two hitters in the lineup have a much stronger .360 average (9×25) with a .949 OPS.

MAY FLOWERS OR SHOWERS: May has historically been Wood’s best month in terms of run prevention…his 3.32 career May ERA and 3.86 SO/BB are both monthly-bests…even with the strong ERA, Wood’s May opposing OPS is .722, which is his second-highest of any month…in his four May outings this season, Wood has allowed eight runs on 16 hits (three being home runs) in 15.2 innings (4.60 ERA).

PACING: One of the faster workers in the Majors last season, Wood has become a bit more average with the advent of the pitch clock this season…with the bases clear he’s averaging 13.3s (he was at 15.1s last year) between pitches…with runners on, he’s at 16.7s (was at 21.3s)…his rankings this year are 50th (bases clear) and 42nd (runners on)…last year Wood ranked 25th quickest (bases clear) and 60th quickest (runners on).

MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (39-18) at Chicago Cubs (24-30)

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MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (39-18) at Chicago Cubs (24-30)

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

WINDY CITY BLUES — The Rays dropped their second consecutive game on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, allowing the go-ahead run in the sixth frame in a 2-1 loss to the Cubs…after a first-inning homer by Chicago, Tampa Bay tied the contest at 1-1 with an RBI-single off the bat of LF Randy Arozarena (1-for-3, RBI) in the fifth inning, but were unable to plate the tying run the rest of the way…LHP Shane McClanahan (5.2IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 7SO) fell to 8-1, suffering his first loss since 10/1/22 at Houston.

The Rays have been held homerless in back-to-back games — the only other time that has happened this season was 4/24-26 (3G)…Tampa Bay has plated just one run over the first two games of the series, its fewest in any two-game span on the road since 6/16-17, 2022 (also 1R).

After winning nine of their first 12 away games to open the season, the Rays have gone 4-9 over their last 13 contests in visiting ballparks, despite outscoring the opposition, 62-61 (+1), in that span…seven of those nine losses have been one-run defeats, and none have come by more than three runs.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING — The Rays are looking to avoid being swept for the first time this season…were last swept from 10/3-5, 2022 at Boston…the Rays are 12-4-1 in series play, including 9-1-0 at home and 3-3-1 on the road…have gone 0-3-1 over their last three road series dating back to 5/8, posting a 4-8 mark overall as a visitor in that span.

A loss today would mark Tampa Bay’s first time being swept by Chicago-NL in franchise history…it would also signal the Rays first sweep at the hands of an NL club since 8/9-10, 2022 at Milwaukee.

A defeat would also mark the Rays first three-game losing streak of the season… they are currently the only major league club that has not had a losing streak of 3+ games in 2023.

CLOSE SHAVES — Eighteen of Tampa Bay’s last 26 games have been decided by two or fewer runs, including 15 one-run games in that span…the Rays are 14-12 overall in that stretch, including 6-9 in one-run games and 1-2 in two-run games…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 10-10 in one-run games — only Cleveland (11-14) has more one-run wins among AL clubs…the Rays have played in four straight one-run games, matching their longest streak of the season (also: 5/4-7)…Tampa Bay has not had a longer stretch of one-run games since 6/15-19, 2022 (5G).

Each of the Rays last four road games have been one-run losses, matching the longest such streak in club history (also: 7/22-26, 2016).

SOUTHPAW SUCCESS — The Rays are 8-3 when facing left-handed starting pitchers this season…Tampa Bay leads the majors in several categories against left-handed pitching, including AVG (1st, .311), OBP (.372), SLG (.583) and OPS (.956).

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 five stolen bases during the streak, bringing his season total to 20, third most in MLB behind OAK Esteury Ruiz (27SB) and ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. (22SB)…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 lead the majors, ahead of TEX Marcus Semien (3.1).

In addition to ranking second among major league shortstops in average (.298) and OPS (.844), trailing only TOR Bo Bichette (.331 AVG, .893 OPS) in both categories, Franco leads all SS in defensive runs saved (8), ahead of CHC Dansby Swanson (7), according to FanGraphs.

Franco has also been one of the majors’ best contact hitters — his 13.2 pct. whiff rate is third lowest in the AL and sixth lowest in MLB…he is offering at only 23.9 pct. of pitches outside of the strike zone, the lowest chase rate of his career.

CAN’T CATCH ME — The Rays have stolen 23 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 23 straight bases was San Francisco from 6/18-8/24, 2022…the Rays have been successful on 37 of their last 39 stolen base attempts (94.8%) overall since 5/14 after opening the season 38-for-52 (73.1%).

Tampa Bay’s 75 stolen bases are the most by any major league club through 57 games since the 2009 Rays (90SB)…prior to that, the last team with 75+ steals through 57 games was the 1999 Houston Astros (77SB).

On the season, Tampa Bay leads the majors in both steals (75) and stolen base attempts (91) while ranking seventh in stolen base pct. (82.4%)

Per Elias, no club has led the majors outright in both homers and stolen bases at the end of May since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (61HR, 21SB)…the Rays (101HR, 75SB) currently pace MLB in both categories, ahead of Los Angeles-NL (93HR) and Pittsburgh (58SB), respectively.

INTERLEAGUE INTEL — The Rays 13-7 (.650) mark against NL clubs ties Milwaukee (13-9) for the most Interleague wins in MLB and signals the fourth-best Interleague winning percentage in the AL, trailing New York-AL (9-3, .750), Detroit (11-5, (.688) and Toronto (8-4, .667)…following a seven-game losing streak from 6/28-8/10, 2022, Tampa Bay has won 15 of its last 22 Interleague matchups dating back to 8/30/22.

Rays hitters are slashing .270/.339/.481 with 35 homers against the NL…they rank among major league leaders in Interleague home runs (T1st), SLG (2nd), OPS (2nd, .820), AVG (4th), OBP (4th) and runs per game (4th, 5.65).

SETTING THE TONE — The first three spots in Tampa Bay’s batting order lead the majors in average (.303), hits (205) and OBP (.387) while ranking in SLG (2nd, .527), OPS (2nd, .914), runs scored (2nd, 127), RBI (T2nd, 117), hard-hit pct. (4th, 38.8%) and HR(4th, 36).

THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 101 home runs, tied for the fourth-most long balls through a club’s first 57 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 1999 Seattle Mariners (114HR), 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (108HR) and 2019 Minnesota Twins (108HR)…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 29 multi-HR games, tied with New York-AL for most in the majors; they are 24-5 in those contests…this includes 16 games with 3+ homers, most in MLB, ahead of Los Angeles-NL (15G); they had 13 games with 3+ HR in 2022.

WRIGLEY WRAP-UP — The Rays and Cubs meet for the second consecutive season after Tampa Bay took two of three games at Wrigley Field from 4/18-20, 2022…Tampa Bay has split its last six games against Chicago-NL (3-3) despite a +10 run differential (25-15) in that span…the Rays are 6-7 at this venue all-time, including 2-2-1 in series play.

TODAY’S STARTER: RHP ZACH EFLIN (7-1, 3.17)
TODAY’S START — Right-hander Zach Eflin makes his 10th start of the season, including his fourth on the road…has tossed 5.0+ innings in each of his last 10 starts, the second-longest streak of his career (12GS: 9/18/20-5/24/21)…his 3.17 ERA is the second lowest through his first nine games of a season in his career, behind only his 2019 campaign (2.89).

LAST TIME OUT — Spun 7.0 frames of one-run ball in Tampa Bay’s 6-3 victory over Toronto on 5/25 at Tropicana Field (7.0IP, 6H, ER, 2BB)… allowed an RBI-single in the opening inning before settling in to hold the Blue Jays scoreless the rest of the way…recorded 13 groundouts, second most in any outing in his career (most: 14 on 5/11/19 at KC).

Eflin became the fourth pitcher in Rays history to throw 7.0+ innings without a strikeout, including the first since Mark Hendrickson (7.1IP on 4/9/04 vs. BAL).

TALKIN’ BOUT CHI-TOWN — Eflin has made five career starts opposite the Cubs, going 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA (31.2IP, 8ER), including 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA (26.2IP, 5ER) in four starts at Wrigley Field…it marks the fourth-lowest ERA at Wrigley Field among active pitchers (min. 25.0IP), behind only David Robertson (1.37), Scott Effross (1.47) and Ryan Tepera (1.64)… Eflin has not allowed a home run in this venue.

The righty is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA (14.0IP, 3ER), 0.50 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and zero walks in two Interleague starts this season (5/4 vs. PIT, 5/20 vs. MIL)…has held opponents to a .149/.149/.298 (7-for47) clip in those games.

GOING DEEP — Eflin has tossed 7.0+ innings in back-to-back starts for the first time since 9/18/20-4/4/21 (3GS)…has gone 6.0 or more innings in each of his last five starts, the third-longest streak of his career behind a six-game streak (6/24-7/22, 2016) and a 12-start run (9/18/20-5/24/21).

He has thrown 5.0+ innings in 10 straight starts dating back to 6/25/22, the second-longest streak of his career (12GS: 9/18/20- 5/24/21)…during the streak, Eflin is 8-1 with a 3.20 ERA (59.0IP, 21ER), 55 strikeouts and nine walks (6.11 SO/BB).

Eflin has typically been at his best deep into his outings, registering a 4.50 ERA (36.0IP, 18ER) in innings 1-4 compared to a 0.50 ERA (18.0IP, 1ER) from the fifth inning on.

WINNERS WIN — Eflin is the second pitcher in Rays history to win seven of his first eight decisions with the club, joining Charlie Morton (8-0 from 3/29-6/10, 2019)…Morton is also the only pitcher in club history to win eight of his first nine decisions with Tampa Bay (8-1).

QUALITY CONTROL — Eflin’s 7.43 SO/BB ratio is second-best in the majors (min. 50.0IP) behind only SEA George Kirby (8.50)…he joins Kirby (51SO, 6BB) as the only pitchers in MLB with 50+ SO and seven or fewer walks.

Eflin has walked two or fewer batters in each of his last 12 starts since 6/14/2022, the second-longest streak of his career (longest: 33GS, 8/29/20-6/3/22)…overall, the righty has issued two or fewer walks in 45 of his last 46 starts dating back to 8/29/2020.

This season, Eflin’s 3.32 pct. walk rate is third lowest in the majors (min. 50.0IP), trailing only SF Anthony DeSclafani (3.30%) and Kirby (2.36%)…since the beginning of 2020, Eflin’s 4.38 pct. walk rate is the lowest in MLB (min. 1,000BF), ahead of TEX Nathan Eovaldi (4.45%).

GONE FISHING — Opposing hitters are offering at 34.6 pct. of Eflin’s pitches outside of the strike zone, the fourth-highest chase rate in the majors (min. 150BF) behind MIN Joe Ryan (37.2%), NYY Domingo Germán (35.5%) and TOR Kevin Gausman (35.0%).

AHEAD OF THE CURVE — Eflin’s curveball has induced a 31.9 pct. whiff rate, seventh-highest on any AL pitcher’s curve (min. 150 curveballs thrown)…his 28.4 pct. putaway percentage (pct. of two-strike pitches resulting in a strikeout) is fifth-highest under the same parameters.

His 25.6 pct. usage rate on the offering is fifth-highest on any AL pitcher’s curve (min. 700 total pitches thrown)…it marks the highest usage rate on his curveball of his career, ahead of the 2022 season (20.1%).

CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

Cubs vs. Rays
The Cubs and Rays meet for a three-game set at Wrigley Field for the second-straight year as Chicago dropped two-of-three to Tampa Bay at the Friendly Confines, April 18-20 … prior to 2022, the teams had met in 2017 with the clubs splitting two-game sets both at Wrigley Field and Tropicana Field.

CUBS PREVAIL IN CLOSE CALLS: The Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays today play the final contest of a three-game set after the Cubs took the first two games by scores of 1-0 and 2-1 … prior to this series vs. the Rays, Chicago had dropped its previous eight one-run decisions following a 3-2 win at the Dodgers on April 16.

Today’s contest wraps up a nine-game homestand that has featured series wins vs. the Mets (2-1) and Rays (2-0 with today’s series finale) sandwiched around a three-game series sweep at the hands of the Reds.

The Cubs have tomorrow off ahead of a 10-game California swing at the Padres (4 games starting Friday), Angels (3 games starting Monday) and Giants (3 games beginning June 9).

After the game on April 21, Chicago was 12-7 and 1.5 games behind the division lead … since, the club is 12-23 and enters today 4.0 games behind the division-leading Brewers, sitting at 28-26.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE GLOVES: The Cubs have turned 55 double plays this season, tied for third-most in the majors with the Giants behind only the Orioles (61) and Rockies (58) … Chicago has recorded at least one double play in six of the its last seven games since May 24.

Dansby Swanson has gone 37-consecutive games at shortstop since April 20 without committing an error (132 TC) … according to fangraphs, his seven defensive runs saved rank second among major league shortstops (Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco has eight).

STINGY IN VICTORY: The Cubs have allowed two or fewer runs in 17 of their last 18 victories dating to April 14 … the lone win in that span in which Chicago allowed more than two runs came in a 10-4 win vs. the Cardinals on May 10.

PLAYING THE MARGINS: Chicago is 17-15 (.531) in games decided by three or more runs … however, the team is just 7-15 (.318) in games decided by two or fewer runs, the lowest winning percentage in the majors in those contests … that includes a 4-10 (.286) mark in one-run games.

A TIMELY RBI, OR TWO, OR THREE…: Mike Tauchman has recorded game-winning RBI in each of the first two games of this Rays series and has three game-winning RBI (also May 24 vs. the Mets) in his first 11 contests with the team since he was selected from Iowa May 19.

Tauchman since being selected has batted .345 (10-for-29) with a double, three runs, three RBI and six walks to contribute to a .459 on-base percentage.

MONTHLY MATTERS: Chicago is 10-17 in May after opening the year with a 14-13 record in March/April … here’s a look at the numbers

2023 AVG OBP SLG R/G BB SO ERA IP ER BB SO
Mar/April .276 .347 .448 5.4 95 224 3.64 239.2 97 91 249
May .233 .320 .380 3.7 112 273 4.83 238.1 128 72 204

A CLUTCH PERFORMANCE: Adbert Alzolay last night preserved the 2-1 win with 2.0 shutout innings and four strikeouts to earn the save … did you know that’s the second time he’s spun at least 2.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts to earn a save? … on Sept. 1, 2021, he allowed one hit with five strikeouts in 4.0 shutout frames to earn the save in a 3-0 win at Minnesota.

SOMETHING OF QUALITY: Marcus Stroman on Monday tossed Chicago’s 25th quality start of the season, tied for the most in the N.L. with Pittsburgh and tied for sixth-most in the majors.

Stroman leads the majors with 10 quality starts this season … teammate Justin Steele is tied for fourth in baseball with eight quality starts.

RUMINATIONS REGARDING RUNS: Chicago this season has surrendered two or fewer runs in 23 games, tied for the second-most such games in the majors behind only today’s opponent, Tampa Bay (24).

Chicago’s six shutouts are tied for third-most in the majors behind Toronto (8) and Tampa Bay (8).

The Cubs have allowed 10 or more runs in four of their last 16 games since May 13 after not doing so in the team’s first 38 contests to begin the season.

AT THE PLATE: The Cubs have drawn 207 free passes this season, third-most in the majors behind the Dodgers (238) and Padres (232) … that’s contributed to a .333 team OBP that ranks sixth in the majors and a .748 OPS that is fifth in the N.L.

Following 10 runs on 12 hits May 19 in Philadelphia, the Cubs have batted .196 (61-for-311) with 29 runs scored in their last 10 games.

Ian Happ’s .397 OBP is seventh in the N.L. … his 38 walks are tied for fourth-most in baseball.

Dansby Swanson’s 31 walks are tied for ninth in the N.L.

Nico Hoerner’s 12 stolen bases are seventh in the Senior Circuit.

Patrick Wisdom’s 14 homers are fifth in the N.L. while his .538 slugging percentage is ninth.

ABOUT THE RELIEF ARMS: The bullpen last night spun 4.0 scoreless frames while allowing one hit and no walks, striking out four … the ‘pen had allowed 15 earned runs in 18.2 innings in its previous four games.

Starting Pitcher – #35 LHP Justin Steele (6-2, 2.77)
Last Time Out
Justin suffered his second loss of the season May 26 vs. Cincinnati and his first at Wrigley Field since July 31, 2022 … allowed a season-high 10 hits and season-high-tying five earned runs … lost his 17-start streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer at Wrigley Field, which dated to April 24, 2022 … was his second start of 2023 in which he did not complete 6.0 innings or more.

Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
5/26 CIN L, 0-9 3.2 10 6 5 0 4 70-51 0-6, 2 on
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 4-1 2.65 6 6 34.0 33 11 10 10 27
Road 2-1 2.90 5 5 31.0 23 12 10 6 30
AVG vs. LHB: .226 (12-for-53) / AVG vs. RHB: .239 (44-for-184)

Justin is making his 12th start of the 2023 season today and his seventh at Wrigley Field … has posted a 2.12 ERA (24 ER/101.2 IP) since July 22, 2022, which is the second-lowest ERA in the majors during the run (min. 18 GS) … his 2.77 ERA in 2023 is the fifth-lowest in N.L among qualified pitchers … has a 2.73 ERA (32 ER/105.1 IP) in 20 starts at Wrigley Field since the beginning of the 2022 season … is one of five N.L. pitchers with at least six wins … opposing batters are hitting .195 (15-for-77) with 25 strikeouts off his slider.

Had a 17-start streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer at Wrigley Field from April 24, 2022-May 10, 2023 … pitched to a 2.20 ERA (23 ER/94.0 IP) during the run … his 2.20 home ERA during the stretch was the third-lowest in the N.L.

Went eight starts before suffering his first loss of the season May 16 in Houston … allowed a season-high five runs in the outing … at the time of his first loss, was the only pitcher in the N.L. with at least six wins and zero losses.

Allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14-straight starts from July 22, 2022-May 5, 2023, tied for the second-longest stretch in Cubs franchise history (since 1901), behind Jack Taylor’s streak of 15 games June 13-Aug. 14, 1902 (tied with Jake Arrieta, 14 G, 7/30/15-4/4/16).

Went 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA (4 ER/13.2 IP) with 13 strikeouts in four Cactus League starts in 2023 … started and tossed the first 2.0 innings of the Cubs combined no-hitter, March 3 at San Diego.

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (29-27) at Chicago White Sox (23-34)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (29-27) at Chicago White Sox (23-34)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the third (1-1) of seven games on a road trip against the Chicago White Sox (1-1; May 29-31) and Houston Astros (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).

JUST MET A MAN NAMED BARRIA: Jaime Barria is scheduled to make his second start of the season today after making 11 of his 12 appearances this season from the bullpen…Since April 8, he leads the Majors (min. 25 IP) with a 0.36 ERA (25.1 IP – 1 ER).

WINNING MONTHS: Angels are 14-13 in May after finishing March/April with a 15-14 record (15-13 in April)…With a victory today, Halos would secure a record above .500 in consecutive months for the first time since June/July 2021.

“WHITE SOX, WHAT’S THAT?”: Today is the third (1-1) of seven games this season between the Angels and White Sox…In addition to the current three game set in Chicago, the teams will meet again for four games at The Big A from June 26-29…Halos have won six consecutive season series vs. White Sox and 10 of last 11 season series overall…Since 2011, Angels are 52-28 (.650) vs. CWS.

HIGHEST CAREER OBP vs. WHITE SOX
(min. 200 PA)

  1. Babe Ruth – .471
  2. Mike Trout – .453
  3. Ted Williams – .449
  4. Lou Gehrig – .446
  5. Jimmie Foxx – .445

FRIENDLY CONFINES: Since 2018, Angels are 10-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

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

PLAY FROM AHEAD: Halos have held leads in 45 of 56 games played this year.

JOYCE CALLED UP: Monday, RHP Ben Joyce made his Major League debut, 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)…Joyce is ranked by MLB Pipleline as Angels #9 prospect…The Angels third round selection last season becomes the second player from the 2022 Draft to reach the Majors, following teammate Zach Neto.

‘PEN PALS: The Angels bullpen is pitching to a 3.56 ERA (202 IP – 80 ER) this season, which is the eighth-best ERA in the Majors.

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).

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

SINGLE HANDED: Gio Urshela has hit 47 singles this year plus 10 extra-base hits (seven doubles, one triple & two home runs)…Urshela ranks second, behind Toronto’s Bo Bichette (55), for the American League lead in singles…Since May 5, Urshela has hits in 18 of 23 games with a PA and ranks fourth in the A.L. with a .346 (28/81) 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).

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.

THE MICK: Mickey Moniak is one of three players in the Majors with three leadoff HR this year, along with Mookie Betts (LAD) and Christian Yelich (MIL)…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.

SHUT OUT: Sunday’s 2-0 loss vs. Miami was the first time Halos were shut out since Aug. 21, 2022 at Detroit…The streak of 94 games without being shut out was the longest active streak in the Majors and finishes as the fourth-longest streak in Angels history.

BACHMAN IN THE SHOW: Sam Bachman made his MLB debut Friday night 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.

UNEARNED: Angels have allowed 31 unearned runs this season, which leads 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.

ASTROS ON DECK: Following the current series in Chicago, the Angels will conclude their road trip with four games in Houston (June 1-4)…Astros lead the 2023 season series 2-1 after the first series of the year at Angel Stadium from May 8-10.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP JAIME BARRIA
1-2, 1.55 ERA
Since April 8, leads Majors (min. 25 IP) with a 0.36 ERA (25.1 IP – 8 ER)

TODAY’S GAME: Making 13th appearance (second start) of the season and seventh road appearance (first road start) of the year…Is in sixth Major League season with Angels.

  • HOT STRETCH: After allowing four earned runs in season debut on April 4 at Seattle (3.2 IP), has yielded just one earned run since across last 11 appearances (25.1 IP)…His 0.36 ERA in that span (since April 8) leads the Majors (min. 25 IP).
  • FROM THE ‘PEN: Has made 11 relief appearances this season, going 1-2 with a 1.88 ERA (24 IP – 5 ER) and 22 strikeouts.
  • BACK TO START: Today is 58th career start and first on the road since Aug. 6, 2021 in the first game of doubleheader at Seattle…Totaled 55 starts for Angels between 2018-22 seasons…Since start of 2018 season, only Andrew Heaney (78), Shohei Ohtani (74) and Patrick Sandoval (66) have made more starts for LAA.
  • LONG RELIEF: Pitched 2+ innings in seven of 11 relief outings this year and 3+ innings in three of the 11…Since start of 2022 season, ranks second in Majors with 29 relief appearances of 2+ innings and is tied for fifth in MLB with 98.2 IP as a reliever since 2022.
  • LAST TIME OUT: Took the loss in last appearance on Saturday vs. Miami in relief; pitched the 10th inning and was charged with four runs (all unearned) on one hits with two walks and one strikeout.
  • LAST START: Pitched 5.0 scoreless innings in first start of season on May 22 vs. Boston, allowing two hits and no walks with six strikeouts…Marked longest start since Sept. 20, 2021 vs. Houston (5.1 IP) and first scoreless start of at least 5.0 innings since July 31, 2021 vs. Oakland (6.2 scoreless IP).
  • VS. CHICAGO (A.L.): In four career starts vs. Chicago (A.L.), is 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA (15.1 IP – 8 ER) and nine strikeouts…Today is first start vs. White Sox since July 23, 2018 at Angel Stadium.
  • AT GUARANTEED RATE FIELD: In two career games (both in relief) at Guaranteed Rate Field, is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA (7.1 IP – 2 ER)…Worked 3.0 scoreless innings in last outing at the ballpark on April 30, 2022.
  • GOOD DAY: Has pitched to a 2.62 ERA (116.2 IP – 34 ER) in 34 career day games (15 starts), compared with a
    4.43 ERA (292.2 IP – 144 ER) in night games (78 games, 42 starts).
  • CAREER HOME vs. ROAD: Has pitched to a 3.23 ERA (203.1 IP – 73 ER) in 56 career games (28 starts) at Angel Stadium, compared with a 4.59 ERA (206 IP – 105 ER) in 56 games (29 starts) on the road.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:

WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have lost four of the last six games but won 10 of 17 and 16 of 29 as they continue a six-game, seven-day homestand this afternoon with the series finale vs. the Angels.

RHP Lance Lynn, who has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his last three outings, is scheduled to start today’s game.

Following today’s game vs. the Angels and tomorrow’s off day, Chicago will conclude the homestand this weekend vs. the Tigers.

Following next Monday’s off day, the White Sox will take a brief three-game trip to Yankee Stadium from 6/6-8.

The White Sox are in fourth place in the AL Central, 4.0 games behind second-place Detroit and 6.0 behind first-place Minnesota.

The Sox went 3-4 on their last trip from 5/22-28 at Cleveland (2-1) and Detroit (1-3) and 6-3 on their last homestand from 5/12- 21 vs. Houston (1-2), the Guardians (2-1) and Kansas City (3-0).

TODAY’S STORYLINES
The White Sox are 16-13 in the last 29 games since 4/30 following a 7-21 start … Sox pitchers own a 3.05 ERA (57 ER/168.0 IP) in 18 games since 5/11, the third-best mark in MLB.

Chicago starters own a 3.30 ERA (38 ER/103.2 IP) and .208 average with 100 strikeouts in the last 19 games (11 QS).

The Sox are hitting .227/.272/.356 with just nine homers and 56 runs scored (4.3 R/G) over the last 13 games … they have scored four runs or less seven times and homered in seven contests.

The White Sox are 5-8 vs. Los Angeles-AL since the start of the 2021 season … the Sox have not won a series vs. the Angels since 9/25-28/17 at Guaranteed Rate Field (3-1).

Lance Lynn is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA (4 ER/19.0 IP), .200 (14-70) average, .578 OPS and 18 strikeouts over his last three starts.

Eloy Jiménez is 18-43 (.419) with two doubles, three homers, 13 RBI and four multi-hit eff orts during his 11-game hitting streak.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP
The White Sox overcame a 3-1 deficit with five runs in the fourth inning en route to a 7-3 win over the Angels.

The Sox answered the Angels two runs with five in the fourth on Andrew Vaughn’s three-run double and Romy Gonzalez’s RBI double … Gonzalez also stole third and scored on an error.

Gonzalez added a solo home run in the sixth, his third consecutive game with a homer.

Lucas Giolito (3 ER/5.0 IP) earned his fourth win … three Chicago relievers combined for 4.0 scoreless IP with one hit, including Reynaldo López striking out four of his six hitters faced.

Eloy Jiménez (1-3, RBI) extended his hitting streak to 11 games, Luis Robert Jr. went 3-4 with two doubles, Jake Burger went 3-4 with a run scored and Vaughn was 2-3 with two doubles.

SIR LANCELOT
Lance Lynn is 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA (13 ER/49.1 IP), 42 strikeouts, a .660 opponents OPS and just five home runs allowed over his last eight starts vs. the Angels dating back to 6/8/18.

He has allowed two earned runs or less seven times and one or less three times, and worked 6.0-plus IP five times.

Lynn has limited Mike Trout to a .214/.290/.429 (6-28) slash line with two home runs, three RBI and three walks in his career.

ELOY’S GONE STREAKING
Eloy Jiménez is 18-43 (.419) with two doubles, three homers, 13 RBI and four multi-hit eff orts during his 11-game hitting streak.

The streak is the third-longest of his career (13 twice; last 2021), third-longest active in the AL and sixth-longest active in MLB.

ANDREW, ANDREW … HE’S OUR MAN!
Andrew Vaughn is slashing .400/.463/.911 (18-45) with nine doubles, four homers and 34 RBI with RISP and .533/.650/1.133 (8-15) with a homer and 12 RBI with RISP/two outs in 2023.

Vaughn ranks among MLB RISP leaders this season in slugging pct. (1st), OPS (2nd, 1.374), RBI (T4th) and average (T10th).

Vaughn is tied for the MLB lead with 13 go-ahead RBI and is tied for second with seven GW RBI, trailing Aaron Judge (nine).

REST WHEN YOU CAN
Today’s game marks the end of a 16-game stretch without a day off … the White Sox are 15-13 during the current stretch of 29 games in 30 days from 5/2-31 (last off day was 5/15).

The 29-game stretch includes 15 at home, 14 on the road, 20 vs. AL Central and six series from 5/5-28 vs. teams below .500.

ELVIS ON THE MEND
INF Elvis Andrus is 4-11 (.364) with a home run, RBI and walk in his first three rehab games with Class AAA Charlotte … he has been on the 10-day IL since 5/13 with a strained left oblique.

WHITE SOX VS. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
The Sox are hitting .297/.343/.578 with four home runs, own a 4.50 ERA (9 ER/18.0 IP) and 11-9 edge in runs scored in 2023.

The White Sox went 3-4 last season, including 2-2 at home and 1-2 on the road … they have not won a series vs. the Angels since 9/25-28/17 at Guaranteed Rate Field (3-1).

The White Sox are winless in the last six season series (2016- 19, ’21-22) and have not won a season matchup since 2015 (4-3).

Chicago is 4-7 in the last 11 games and 8-19 in the last 27.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON
The Sox are 4-5 vs. the American League West this season … they went 3-4 vs. Houston in their first two series vs. the division.

The Sox went 18-16 vs. the division last season and 16-17 in 2021 … they are 20-15 at home vs. the AL West since 2021.

MIND THE GAP
Chicago is 16-13 (.552) since 4/30, the second-best record among American League Central clubs behind Detroit (15-12).

The Sox 3.82 ERA since 4/30 is the fourth-best in the AL.

A breakdown of the White Sox fi rst 57 games this season:
W-L AVG R R/G HR OBP SLG OPS ERA IP QS ER HR SO
16-13 .254 140 4.8 33 .307 .414 .720 3.82 259.0 14 110 35 257
7-21 .227 106 3.8 26 .288 .367 .655 5.88 243.1 8 159 44 272

ROTATION SENSATION
White Sox starters own a 3.30 ERA (38 ER/103.2 IP), .208 opponents average and 100 strikeouts over the last 19 games since 5/11 … they lead MLB in opponents average and OPS (.648), third in ERA and fifth in WHIP (1.18) during that span.

Starters have allowed three runs or less 14 times, two or less 10 times and one or less six times … the rotation since 5/11:
W-L ERA WHIP QS IP H R ER HR BB SO SO/9.0 AVG OPS
9-5 3.30 1.18 11 103.2 78 42 38 12 44 100 8.7 .208 .648

POSTING PUNCHOUTS
White Sox pitchers rank second in the major leagues with 516 strikeouts this season, trailing Minnesota (543).

Sox starters rank second in MLB with 322 strikeouts, 17 behind the Twins (339) … relievers rank sixth in the AL (207 SO).

LONGBALL LOGISTICS
The White Sox have hit 33 homers in their last 29 games since 4/30 and 36 in the last 32 contests (10 multi-homer) since 4/27

Chicago is 18-20 when homering, 7-8 when hitting multiple homers and 5-14 when going homerless this season.

SOUTHPAW SUCCESS
Chicago is hitting .312/.369/.497 in the last 20 games vs. LHP.

The White Sox are batting .273/.338/.443 vs. left-handed pitching since the start of the 2019 season … during that span, the Sox lead MLB in average, rank second in on-base percentage, fifth in OPS (.781) and sixth in slugging percentage.

Tim Anderson (.349) and Hanser Alberto (.343) rank 1-2 in MLB in average vs. left-handers since the start of 2019.

SEARCHING FOR HOME˨FIELD ADVANTAGE
The White Sox are 13-14 (.481) at home this season, the 13th-best winning percentage in the American League, after going 37-44 (.457) in 2022 … by comparison, the Sox were 53-28 (.654) at home in 2021, the best record in the AL.

Through 27 home games this season, the White Sox have been outscored, 144-119, and outhomered, 44-30.

Jake Burger (nine), Luis Robert Jr. (seven) and Andrew Vaughn (five) have combined to hit 21 of the Sox 30 home runs.

AS TA GOES, SO GO THE WHITE SOX
Since the start of the 2020, the Sox are 163-124 when Tim Anderson is in the starting lineup (69-85 when he doesn’t start).

During that span, the Sox are 132-81 when Anderson records a hit, 76-33 when he records a multi-hit eff ort, 97-48 when he scores a run and 27-3 when he homers.

Anderson ranks second in MLB since the start of 2019 with 55 three-hit games (Sox are 38-17), trailing Freddie Freeman (62).

Anderson needs three homers to become the fourth player in White Sox history to record 100 homers and 100 stolen bases.

ON DECK: VS. DETROIT TIGERS
The White Sox lost three of four last week at Detroit, including a 6-5, walkoff defeat in Sunday’s series finale.

The White Sox are hitting .234/.273/.376 with three home runs, own a 5.19 ERA (20 ER/34.2 IP) with one quality start and have been outscored by a 23-22 margin this season.

Chicago is 46-24 vs. the Tigers since the start of the 2019

TODAY’S STARTER – #33 LANCE LYNN RHP
LYNN AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 12th start of the season, sixth at home and first against the Los Angeles Angels.

Has earned the win in four of his last five starts after going 0-4 in his first six starts of the season … is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA (4 ER/19.0 IP) over his last three starts.

Has surrendered 12 home runs this season … has allowed a homer in eight of his 10 starts, including five at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Ranks among MLB active pitchers in HR/9.0 IP (6th, 0.93), SO/9.0 IP (7th, 9.09), opponents average (9th, .242), wins (9th, 127), starts (9th, 296), opponents SLG (9th, .383), IP (10th, 1,768.2), strikeouts (11th, 1,787), opponents OPS (11th, .694), ERA (12th, 3.60), WHIP (12th, 1.27) and opponents OBP (12th, .312).

Signed a two-year contract extension with a club option with the White Sox on 7/17/21 … the Sox hold an $18-million option for 2024 with a $1-million buyout.

Is a two-time All-Star (2012 and 2021) … has finished fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2019, sixth in 2020 and third in 2021 … was a member of the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

LAST START
Earned his third straight win and fourth of the season on 5/26 at Detroit, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with a season-high five walks and six strikeouts over 6.0 IP … held the Tigers scoreless from the second-fifth, retiring 11 of 14 batters faced during that span.

Left the game in the seventh with the White Sox leading, 8-3 … threw 104 pitches (59 strikes).

Owned a 44.4 first-strike percentage and 7.6 swinging-strike percentage (10 swing and misses) vs. 27 batters … threw 47 four-seam fastballs (92.5 mph avg; 95.4 mph max), 31 cutters (88.1 avg; 91.0 max), 18 sinkers (91.2 avg; 93.0 max), six curveballs (81.4 avg; 82.1 max) and two changeups (84.8 avg; 84.9 max).

GRAB SOME BENCH
Recorded his 24th career double-digit strikeout performance and fifth with the Sox on 4/29 vs. Tampa Bay.

Ranks 12th in the majors with 707 strikeouts since 2019 … teammate Lucas Giolito (772) ranks fifth.

Has struck out at least five batters in 87 of his 106 starts since 2019, the 10th-highest total in the majors.

MONSTER OF THE MIDWAY
Is 13-9 with a 3.60 ERA (71 ER/177.1 IP), .221 (149- 674) opponents average, one complete game, one shutout and 204 strikeouts in 31 home starts since 2021 … made one start in Dyersville, Iowa at the “Field of Dreams” Game on 8/12/21 vs. New York-AL.

Has gone 13-9 with a 3.50 ERA (67 ER/172.1 IP) in 30 starts at Guaranteed Rate Field since 2021.

Ranks among American League home leaders (min. 170.0 IP) since 2021 in opponents OBP (4th, .271), opponents average (7th), wins (T8th), strikeouts (10th) and ERA (14th).

ORTHODOX HITTERS
Owns a career .228/.283/.351 (811-3,560) opponents slash line against right-handed hitters.

His .228 opponents average vs. right-handers is the ninth-lowest mark among active pitchers in the majors.

WORK HORSE
Ranks eighth in MLB with 1,768.2 IP since 2011 … is one of 13 active pitchers with 1,700.0-plus career IP.

Has thrown 100-plus pitches 69 times since 2019, the most in the majors during that span.

Has thrown 30,209 pitches since 2011, seventh-most during that span, and the most among MLB pitchers with less than 1,900.0 IP during that span.

MLB Preview: Texas Rangers (35-19) at Detroit Tigers (25-28)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Texas Rangers (35-19) at Detroit Tigers (25-28)

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

WINS AND LOSSES: Texas took the 2nd game of the series yesterday, 10-6, as team secured a series win here in DET… club is now 6-2 on this 9-G, 10-day road trip to PIT (2-1), BAL (2-1) and DET (2-0 + 1 G)…team is 4-1 in last 5 G, and has won 6 of 8, 10 of 13, 12 of 16, 14 of 19 and 17 of last 23… TEX is an MLB-best 21-8 (.724) in last 29 G beg. 4/28…TEX is 21-12 in last 33 G, 28-14 in last 42 G and 31-15 in last 46 G beg. 4/9.

  • At 35-19 (.648), TEX owns the 2nd-best record in the A.L. and MLB (see chart below)…club’s 35 wins rank T2nd in A.L. and MLB (39-TB, 35-BAL/TEX).
  • The 35-19 start the Rangers’ best 53-G start to a season in WSH/TEX franchise history.
  • TEX is now 16 G above .500 for the 1st time this season… from 2020-22, TEX spent a total of one day above .500 (10-9 on 8/15/20)…club did not reach 35 wins until 6/27 in 2022 and 7/9 in 2021.

BEST RECORDS IN MLB, 2023
Win Pct. Team W-L
.684 Tampa Bay 39-18
.648 Texas 35-19
.636 Baltimore 35-20

WITH A WIN TODAY, Texas could:

  • Move to 36-19, which would mark the best 55-G start in franchise history…even with a loss today, a 35-20 record would also be a record for a 55-G start in club history.
  • Climb to a season high 17 G above .500 for the 1st time since the end of the 2016 season.
  • Notch a 14-5 road record in May, which would mark a franchise record for most road wins in a calendar month.
  • Secure the team’s 4th series sweep of the season, 2nd on the road (also 3 G sweep on 4/17-19 at KC).
  • Improve to a 6-0 record against A.L. Central opponents on the road in 2023 (7-1 overall).

SERIES STUFF: Club has won 4-straight series for the 2nd time this season (also 4/10-23) and 6-straight road series for the 1st time in franchise history…club has gone 9-1-1 in last 11 series and 12-2-1 in last 15…team is 13-4-1 overall in series this year, going 6-2-1 at home and 7-2-0 on the road… club is 8-2-0 in last 10 series on the road…club did not win a 13th series in 2022 until 8/12-14 at SEA…last time that the club won 5 series in a row? 6/15-7/1/18 vs. COL/at KC/at MIN/vs. SD/vs. CWS.

  • Team has won all games of a series 3 times during this campaign (3-0, 3/30-4/2 vs. PHI; 3-0, 4/17-19 at KC; 3-0, 5/19-21 vs. COL).

MERRY MONTH OF MAY: Texas owns the highest win pct. in MLB during May (18-8, .692)…it would be the club’s best win pct. for a month since June 2016 (20-8, .714)…the 18 wins in May mark the most wins in a single month for TEX since the start of 2022 (17-10 in May 2022).

VS. DETROIT: TEX is 2-0 in this 3 G set at DET…it is the 1st of 2 series vs. DET in ’23, as they also meet in Arlington for 3 G (6/26-29)…TEX went 3-4 vs. DET in 2022, and have lost consecutive season series against them (also 1-6 in 2021)… club won the season series in previous 5 straight years from ’15-19…TEX trails the all-time series (251-255), including a 117-141 mark in DET…club has gone 47-48 at Comerica Park (since ’00), losing 6 of last 10 at this ballpark dating back to ’21…have still won 25 of last 39 here (beg. 8/4/11).

LIFE ON THE ROAD: TEX is 6-2 in 8 games of this 9-G, 10- day road trip…it marks the Rangers’ 2nd-consecutive 3-city road trip (7-3 from 5/5-14 at LAA/SEA/OAK), and the 2nd of a trio of 3-city trips in 2023 (also 8/21-30 at ARI/MIN/NYM)… team has won 10 of 13 and 13 of 17 on road after a season-long 4-G away losing skid…club is 19-11 (.633) on road, the most wins by a team on the road this season…2nd-best away win pct. in A.L., 3rd in MLB…club has already tied the franchise record for road wins in a calendar month with 13 in May (also Aug. 2013, 13-3).

DEBUT DANDY: Making his MLB debut last night, Grant Anderson notched his 1st career win, striking out 7 batters in 2.2 SHO-relief innings…it is the 1st time in TEX history that a player has 7 SO while coming out of the bullpen in their MLB debut…he is also the 1st player since 1900 to make his MLB debut as a relief pitcher and strike out 7-or-more batters in under 3.0 IP (h/t Elias)…Anderson is just one of 19 players over that span to make their MLB debut as a relief pitcher and strike out 7-or-more players in any amount of innings pitched.

MOST STRIKEOUTS IN MLB DEBUT
AS A RELIEF PITCHER, RANGERS HISTORY
SO Player Date/Opp.
7 Grant Anderson 5/30/23 at DET
4 José Leclerc 7/6/16 at BOS
4 Neftalí Feliz 8/3/09 at OAK
4 Jeff Zimmerman 4/13/99 at SEA

ELITE OFFENSE: TEX leads MLB w/ 6.37 R/G and 344 R …club has 10+ R in an MLB-leading 14 G and has scored 5+ R in an inning 15 times this season.

  • The 334 runs scored by TEX in ’23 are the most over the first 54 G of a season in franchise history, and is T21st-most in the modern era.
  • TEX’s +132 R/D is 1st in MLB and the 8th-highest R/D in a team’s 1st 54 G of a season (since 1901).
  • Current A.L. ranks: OBP (2nd, .340), OPS (2nd, .790), SLG (2nd, .451), TB (2nd, 847), 2B (2nd, 109), XBH (2nd, 187), H (3rd, 511)…own an MLB-best .334 BA (167-500) w/ RISP.

THE SEMIEN STANDARD: Marcus Semien yesterday extended his hitting streak to a career high 19 games, which is tops in the A.L. and T1st in MLB for active hitting streak (also LAD’s Freddie Freeman)…it is the longest hit streak by a Ranger in ’23 and ranks T2nd in team history for a hitting steak by a 2B with Ian Kinsler’s 19-G streak from 5/16-6/4/08 …longest hitting streak by a TEX 2B? Kinsler again, with a 25-G streak from 6/17-7/13/08…totals during streak: .313 BA (26-83), 3 HR, 2 3B, 5 2B, 16 RBI, 4 BB/12 SO and 19 R.

  • Semien has hits in 25 of 26 G in May at .324/.384/.514/.898, along with a 27-G on-base streak…has also reached base via H/BB in 29-straight road games.
  • MLB ranks for Semien among 2B in ’23: R (1st, 48), TB (1st, 108), RBI (1st, 44), 2B (1st, 14), H (2nd, 66), OPS (2nd, .849), 3B (T2nd, 2), BA (3rd, .296)….481 BA (25-52) with RISP leads A.L.

MAKING A CASE: Josh Jung extended his hitting streak last night to a career-best 13-straight G, and has hits in 17 of his last 18 G at .375 (27-72)…it is the 4th-longest hitting streak by a TEX rookie in club history…next on the list? 14 G streak by Ruben Mateo from 4/25-5/10/00…Jung also launched his MLB-leading 12th HR by a rookie…he has 4 HR in last 9 G.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #33 Dane Dunning, RHP
(4-0, 1.67)

TODAY: The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his 13th appearance/5th start of the season in today’s series final in Detroit…was activated yesterday from MLB’s Paternity Leave List…placed on the list on May 27 and was out for 3 games, forcing him to miss his scheduled start on 5/28 at BAL…has made 4 starts this month since moving to the rotation after Jacob deGrom went on the IL: 2-0, 1.59 (4 ER/22.2 IP) w/ 5 BB/15 SO…Dunning’s 1.67 ERA for the season is the lowest in MLB among pitchers with 43+ IP…has the 2nd-most innings (43.0) of any MLB pitcher without allowing a HR in 2023 (60.1 IP – MIN’s Sonny Gray)…among A.L. pitchers with 43+ IP this season, ranks among leaders in ERA (1st, 1.67), opp. BA (7th, .206) and GB pct. (9th, 50.0%)…did not factor into the decision in his last start on 5/22 at PIT (5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R-ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 97 pitches/61 strikes)…his last win came on 5/16 vs. ATL…ranks among staff leaders in wins (T4th, 4), innings (5th, 43.0), and strikeouts (6th, 26)…has yet to allow a HR in ‘23 and is scoreless in 6 of 12 G…began season with 18.0 scoreless innings…established career highs in many categories last season, ranking 2nd on the Texas staff in starts (29), innings (153.1), and strikeouts (137)…missed time in 2022 for a pair of IL stints: 7/11-25/22 (right ankle impingement) and 9/27/22-end of season (right hip surgery)…had season-ending surgery on 9/26/22 for a right hip labral repair, with the surgery performed by Dr. William Robertson in Arlington…has gone 13-18 with a 4.10 ERA (143 ER/314.0 IP) for the Rangers over the last 3 seasons (2021-23) since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a 3-player trade involving RHP Lance Lynn on 12/8/20…pitched 3 seasons at the University of Florida, helping the Gators to College World Series appearances in both 2015 and 2016…is a native of the Jacksonville, Fla. area…Texas is 2-2 in Dunning’s 4 starts in 2023.

LAST START: Did not factor into the decision in his last outing on 5/22 at PIT, the 1st game of this 9-G, 10-day road trip…left the game with the game tied at 1-1 (TEX would eventually drop the contest by a score of 4-6)…tossed 5.2 innings and allowed 1 R-ER on 6 H and 3 BB, while also striking out 3 batters…threw a season high 97 pitches (61 strikes)…has lasted at least 5.0-or-more innings in all 4 starts this season…allowed 6 hits for the 3rd-consecutive game, but has not allowed more than 2 runs in any of those contests.

VS. DETROIT/A.L. CENTRAL: Owns an 0-2 record with a 5.79 ERA (12 ER/18.2 IP) in 4 games/starts against the Tigers…his last 2 starts vs. DET have been at Comerica Park, where Dunning has taken both career losses vs. DET and recorded a 7.71 ERA (8 ER/9.1 IP)

  • Has gone 4-7, 4.85 (46 ER/85.1 IP) over 19 G/17 GS in his career against the A.L. Central, incl. 1-0, 0.00 ERA (6.1 IP) over 1 start in 2023…is 1-5 with a 6.20 ERA (28 ER/40.2 IP) in 9 G/8 GS for his career against A.L. Central opponents on the road.

AS A STARTER: Has gone 2-0, 1.59 (4 ER/22.2 IP) in his 4 starts for TEX in ‘23, spanning his last 4 outings…has exited 3 of 4 starts with Texas holding a multi-run lead…made 8 straight relief app. to open the year, but a majority of Dunning’s Major League appearances (65 of 75) have come as a starter…he owns a lifetime 13-18 record and 4.24 ERA (153 ER/324.2 IP) in those 65 career starts, with opponents batting .260/.335/.411/.746 (324-1245)…he went 4-8, 4.46 ERA (76 ER/153.1 IP) in 29 starts for Texas in 2022, registering an A.L.-high 17 no-decisions…the 17 ND’s were T3rd-most in MLB and a WSH/TEX franchise record for a starting pitcher…Dunning’s 58 starts in a Rangers uniform over the last 3 seasons (beg. 2021) are the most by a Ranger.

ON THE ROAD: Dunning did not factor into the decision in his last start on the road on 5/22 at PIT (5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R-ER/ 3 BB, 3 SO)…earned the win on 5/10 at SEA (6.0 IP, 2 R-ER), ending a span in which he had gone winless in 27 consecutive road starts with CWS and TEX, the 2nd-longest winless road span as a starter in modern era behind only COL’s Scott Elarton (29 from 2001-05)… only previous career road win as a starter was w/ CWS on 9/9/20 at PIT…the drought set a Texas franchise record, surpassing Pete Broberg in 1972-73 (15)… has performed well both on road (2-0, 1.82) and at home (2-0, 1.47) in ‘23, but fared better at home (4-2, 3.59, .232/.307/.421/.728 in 16 GS) than on the road (0-6, 5.62, .312/.390/.470/.860 in 13 GS) last season.

2023: Opponents have batted .206/.266/.258/.524 (32-155) with 8 extra-base hits (all doubles), incl. opp. BA’s of .188 (13-69) vs. LHB and .221 (19-86) vs. RHB…4 wins are T4th-most on club…20.1 relief innings still rank 4th for TEX…has 3 relief app. of 3.0+ SHO IP…earned win on 4/17 at KC (4.1 SHO IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 SO), as he and Jacob deGrom (4.0 SHO IP) became just the 2nd Rangers duo in the last 40 years (beg. 1984) to each have at least 4.0 SHO IP in the same game (also 5.0-Kameron Loe, 4.0-C.J. Wilson on 8/26/05 vs. MIN)…his win on 5/10 at SEA ended a span in which he had gone winless in 27 consecutive road starts with CWS and TEX, the 2nd-longest winless road span as a starter in modern era behind only COL’s Scott Elarton (29 from 2001-05).

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS LOSE SLUGFEST TO RANGERS: The Tigers lost the middle game of their series against the Rangers, 10-6, on Tuesday. Miguel Cabrera was a perfect 3×3 at the plate with a double and two RBI. Hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time, Zack Short had a pair of hits and drove in a run, while Andy Ibáñez and Jake Rogers each hit solo homers. Alex Faedo started for Detroit and took the loss, giving up six runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

ROSTER MOVES: The Tigers have announced the following roster moves:
*Placed OF Riley Greene on the 10-day injured list (left fibula stress fracture)

*Selected OF Jake Marisnick from Triple A Toledo. Marisnick will wear #15.

*To make room for Marisnick on the 40-man roster, transferred RHP Trey Wingenter to the 60-day injured list

MULTI-HIT MIGGY: Miguel Cabrera posted his first three-hit game of the season last night, finishing the game 3×3 with a double and two RBI. The performance marked Cabrera’s 248th career three-hit game, one shy of tying Carl Yastrzemski for 28th most in big league history. With a double last night, he now has 1,135 extra-base hits in his career, breaking a tie with Tris Speaker for 16th on the all-time list.

JAKE FROM PLATE FARM: Jake Rogers finished last night’s game 1×3 with a solo homer, his sixth round-tripper of the season, equaling his single-season career high. Rogers’ six homers is tied for the fifth-most among American League catchers this season.

TAKE YOUR BASE: The Tigers continued to show patience at the plate yesterday, drawing four walks. Detroit has drawn four-or-more walks in 10 straight games, the team’s longest streak since a 15-game stretch from April 4-19, 1997. After finishing last season 29th in the Majors with a 6.5% walk rate, the Tigers enter today’s game ranked seventh in the big leagues with a 9.4% walk rate.

TIGERS AND RANGERS: The Tigers and Rangers conclude their first series of the season today. After today, the two teams will play a four-game set in Arlington from June 26-29. Detroit went 4-3 against Texas last season, including splitting a four-game series at Comerica Park. The Tigers have won the season series from the Rangers each of the last two years.

AT COMERICA PARK: The Tigers are 3-3 on their current seven-game homestand, which includes four games vs. Chicago (AL) (3-1) and three games vs. Texas (0-2). Detroit is 13-13 at Comerica Park this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .232/.314/.366, while the pitching staff has posted a 4.56 ERA (239.0IP/121ER).

ON DECK: The Tigers return to the road on Friday as they open a three-game series against the White Sox. Detroit and Chicago (AL) played last weekend at Comerica Park with the Tigers winning three-of-four games. The White Sox went 12-7 against the Tigers last season, but the two teams split 10 meetings at Guaranteed Rate Field.

TIGERS ON THE IL:

  • RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 60-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
  • OF Kerry Carpenter (right shoulder sprain, 10-day IL on April 29, retroactive to April 28)
  • OF Riley Greene (left fibula stress fracture, 10-day IL on May 31)
  • RHP Matt Manning (right foot fracture, 60-day IL on April 12)
  • OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 60-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
  • RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
  • RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
  • LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (left index finger pulley rupture, 15-day IL on May 30, retroactive to May 29)
  • LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)
  • RHP Spencer Turnbull (neck discomfort, 15-day IL on May 12, retroactive to May 7)
  • OF Matt Vierling (low back soreness, 10-day IL on May 30, retroactive to May 29)
  • RHP Trey Wingenter (right biceps tendinitis, 60-day IL on April 22, retroactive to April 19)

TODAY’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – #43 Joey Wentz • 1-5, 7.80 ERA (42.2IP/37ER)

  • Wentz will make his 11th start of the season today in the series finale vs. Texas.
  • Took the loss in his last start on Friday vs. Chicago (AL), allowing five runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
  • Will be making his first career appearance against the Rangers today…has made 11 starts in his career at Comerica Park, compiling a 0-4 record with a 6.26 ERA (46.0IP/32ER) and 40 strikeouts.
  • Struck out a career-high seven batters and allowed only one run on six hits in 5.2 innings on April 14 vs. San Francisco.
  • Saw his first Major League action in 2022, starting seven games and posting a 2-2 record with a 3.03 ERA (32.2IP/11ER) and 27 strikeouts… also appeared in 12 games, including 11 starts, with Triple A Toledo and went 2-2 with a 3.17 ERA (48.1IP/17ER) and 53 strikeouts.
  • Pitched in the Arizona Fall League following the 2022 season and made three starts for Salt River, throwing 12.0 scoreless innings with
    two hits allowed, four walks and 14 strikeouts.

NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Final Edition – May 31, 2023

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Final Edition – May 31, 2023

* The southernmost Stanley Cup Final in NHL history pits the Golden Knights against the Panthers, with Game 1 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.


* Florida and Vegas reached the Final for the second time in franchise history, with the Panthers defeating three of the League’s four highest-seeded teams and the Golden Knights eliminating four 100-point players en route to clinching a berth in the championship series.

* There are several notable connections between the franchises, including Jack Eichel set to square off with his ex-teammate Sam Reinhart as well as Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault and Nick Cousins facing their former franchises.
 

CLUBS SET TO CLASH IN SECOND “SUN BELT” STANLEY CUP FINAL

The Panthers and Golden Knights will contest the League’s second Stanley Cup Final involving two “Sun Belt” teams and first since 2020 when Carter Verhaeghe and the Lightning squared off with the Stars in the neutral-site bubble at Rogers Place. The 2023 Final will also mark the second to feature franchises that joined the NHL in the 1990s or later, following the 2007 championship series between the Ducks and Senators.

* Florida, which ousted three of the NHL’s four highest-seeded teams in Boston, Carolina and Toronto, now faces Vegas which concluded the regular season atop the Western Conference and fifth place in the League standings overall. The Panthers will be the first team in NHL history to face four of the League’s five highest-seeded teams from the regular season during a single playoff year.

* Vegas has eliminated four 100-point players from the regular season en route to reaching the Final (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jason Robertson & Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) and will need to defeat one more in Matthew Tkachuk to win its first Cup in franchise history. The Golden Knights became the first team to eliminate four or more 100-point scorers in a postseason since the Canadiens (6) and Islanders (4) in 1993.
 


VEGAS, FLORIDA BACK IN FINAL AFTER REACHING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES IN 2018, 1996
The 2023 Stanley Cup Final will mark the sixth in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) where both franchises are seeking their first championship, with the Golden Knights and Panthers involved in two of the five previous series over that span (also 2007, 1999 & 1991).
 

2018 Stanley Cup Final (WSH 4, VGK 1)

* William Karlsson and Reilly Smith scored a goal during Vegas’ 6-4 victory in Game 1, but the Golden Knights dropped each of the next four contests as their historic inaugural season ended with Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals capturing their first championship. Karlsson and Smith are two of the six current Vegas players that dressed at least one game with the Golden Knights during the series (also William Carrier, Jonathan Marchessault, Brayden McNabb & Shea Theodore), while Chandler Stephenson skated all five contests with the Capitals.
 

1996 Stanley Cup Final (COL 4, FLA 0)

* Florida fell in four games to Colorado, which had its championship-clinching goal scored by Uwe Krupp at 4:31 of the third overtime in Game 4 to complete the sweep and end the Panthers’ historic playoff run during their first trip to the postseason. John Vanbiesbrouck logged a franchise-record shutout sequence of 141:31 from Joe Sakic’s go-ahead goal at 3:00 of the second period in Game 3 to Krupp’s clincher, with Sergei Bobrovsky nearly matching the mark during the 2023 Conference Finals (133:11 from Game 2-4).

FINAL FEATURES EICHEL FACING FORMER SABRES TEAMMATE REINHART

The 2023 Stanley Cup Final features no shortage of notable connections, including Jack Eichel going head-to-head with an ex-teammate as well as Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault and Nick Cousins facing their former franchises. Click here to view more ties between the Golden Knights and Panthers.

* Eichel and Sam Reinhart skated 368 games together with the Sabres from 2015-16 to 2020-21. They will be the seventh pair of players in the last half-century to go head-to-head in a Final after appearing in 350-plus regular-season games as teammates.


* Smith skated 162 regular-season and six playoff games with the Panthers from 2015-16 to 2016-17 and was traded to Vegas by Florida on June 21, 2017, while Marchessault played 75 contests with the Panthers in 2016-17 before being claimed by Vegas from Florida in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Marchessault (30-33—63 in 83 GP) and Smith (16-47—63 in 83 GP) went on to become the Golden Knights’ all-time leaders in playoff scoring.
 

QUICK CLICKS

* Spencer Carbery hired as head coach of Capitals; John Hynes fired as head coach of Predators

* Matthew Tkachuk, Kenny Albert talk Stanley Cup Final in Q&As with NHL.com
* William Karlsson playing at Selke-level with Golden Knights in Stanley Cup Final

* Gustav Forsling contributing to Cup run for Panthers after waiver claim

* Vegas Veterans Hockey founder Jason Griego 2023 Stick Tap for Service winner

MLS Preview: Charlotte FC (6-6-3) at Philadelphia Union (7-4-3)

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MLS Preview: Charlotte FC (6-6-3) at Philadelphia Union (7-4-3)

The Philadelphia Union and Charlotte FC each recorded a home win over the other in 2022, with the Philadelphia Union winning, 2-0, at home in April and Charlotte FC recording a 4-0 home win in October. The four-goal defeat equals the largest margin of defeat for the Philadelphia Union in all competitions in club history.

The Philadelphia Union have won five of its last six regular season matches (D1) following a five-match winless run in March-April. The Philadelphia Union have scored three times in each of their last two matches and now have 12 regular season games with at least three goals since last July, three more than any other team in that time.

Charlotte FC has won consecutive MLS road matches for the first time in club history following a 1-0 win at the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday. Charlotte FC has collected 10 points in its seven road matches this season (W3 D 1 L3), one fewer than it managed in all 17 away games last season (11 – W3 D2 L12).

Julian Carranza (2 goals) and Daniel Gazdag scored the Philadelphia Union’s three goals in their 3-1 win at New York City FC on Saturday. Gazdag (29 goals) and Carranza (21 goals) are the only pair of MLS teammates with 20 goals apiece since the start of last season.

Karol Swiderski scored the game’s only goal in Charlotte FC’s win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, his team-high 14 MLS goal. It was the 11th goal Swiderski has scored with his left foot, only Los Angeles Football Club’s Carlos Vela (15) has more left-footed goals since Swiderski joined MLS last year.

MLS Preview: FC Cincinnati (10-1-3) at New York City FC (4-6-4)

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MLS Preview: FC Cincinnati (10-1-3) at New York City FC (4-6-4)

FC Cincinnati defeated New York City FC, 1-0, in round 4 of the US Open Cup on May 10, its first-ever win over New York City FC in all competitions. FC Cincinnati is now unbeaten in three straight matches against New York City FC (W1 D2) after losing each of the first six meetings. 

New Your City FC saw its 10-match home unbeaten run in all competitions (W8 D2) end with a 3-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, after taking an early lead. In league play, New York City FC had gone unbeaten in 27 consecutive home matches when leading at any point (W25 D2) dating back to May 2021.

FC Cincinnati is the fifth team in MLS history to collect at least 33 points from its first 14 matches of a season, with the previous four all going on to win the Supporter’s Shield. FC Cincinnati has reached that mark with a goal difference of +8 with the other four teams who did so having a goal difference of +18 or better. 

Gabriel Pereira was involved in nine of New York City FC’s 16 shots against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday (6 shots, 3 chances created), including scoring the team’s lone goal of the match. Pereira leads New York City FC in both shots (25) and chances created (22) this season. 

Nine of FC Cincinnati’s 10 MLS wins this season have been by a one-goal margin, four more than any other team in the league. In all nine victories, the winning goal was scored before the 75th minute, including Dominique Badji’s 33rd-minute goal goal against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

MMA Preview: Kai Kara-France (24-10-1) vs Amir Albazi (4-0-0)

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MMA Preview: Kai Kara-France (24-10-1) vs Amir Albazi (4-0-0)

Kai Kara-France is an interim UFC Flyweight challenger who lost the championship bout to Brandon Moreno last summer. Almost 11 months later, he’s coming back to the Octagon to fight a rising MMA star, Amir Albazi in the UFC on ESPN 46 headliner.

Kai Kara-France vs Amir Albazi Odds
Moneyline Odds
Kai Kara-France -115
Amir Albazi -115
*Odds taken from Sports Odds Direct on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: UFC Apex in Vegas, Nevada
Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023
Time: ~10:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN/ESPN+

Kai Kara-France Ready to Make Himself Relevant Again
Kai Kara-France is 24-10-1 overall in his professional MMA career, with an 8-3 record in the UFC. Since joining Dana White’s promotion, he’s won the Performance of the Night bonus on two occasions. Two of his fights also got the Fight of the Night accolade. One of those is the fight for the interim UFC Flyweight Championship against Brandon Moreno in July 2022.

It was one hell of a fight, in which Kara-France was doing great until late in the third round when the ref stopped the fight, awarding Moreno a TKO win. Before losing, he landed 53 significant strikes and even made one takedown. Takedowns aren’t his specialty, but he’s great when it comes to takedown defense. In fact, “Don’t Blink” is defending nearly 90 percent of TD attempts. He’ll need to utilize those skills on Saturday when he’s fighting against a true TD expert.

Amir Albazi Determined to Stay Undefeated in the UFC
Amir “The Prince” Albazi has only fought four UFC fights so far, so it’s kind of surprising that he got to fight a headliner bout this Saturday. The reason for that is that he’s won all of those fights, putting on an impressive performance each time.

He was hit only 90 times in those fights, suffering just one takedown along the way. He absolutely destroyed two of his opponents in round 1 – Malcolm Gordon and Francisco Figueiredo – winning by submission each time. Albazi also recorded one KO win, which happened last December against Alessandro Costa.

His only win by decision happened in the fight against Zhalgas Zhumagulov in January 2021. And before joining the UFC, he had all wins inside the distance in Bellator, Brace CF, and other promotions. It all sounds impressive, but the fact is that Albazi has never fought such a high-profile opponent as Kara-France.

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