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MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (26-23) at Tampa Bay Rays (35-15)

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MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (26-23) at Tampa Bay Rays (35-15)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays blasted their way to a 20-1 win over the Rays last night…The 20 runs were the most scored by any team this season and tied with the 20-11 win in Tampa Bay on June 25, 2002 for 4th most in team history…The 27 hits and +19 run differential last night were both 2nd highest in franchise history, trailing last season’s 29 hits and +23 during a 28-5 win on July 22 at BOS…Their collective .519 (27-for-52) batting average was the highest in a single game in team history (.512 (22-for-43) on June 24, 2008 vs. CIN). Toronto snapped its five-game losing streak with the win…Is now 6-13 in divisional games this season.

AIN’T THAT GRAND: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a large part of a nine-run 9th inning last night as he belted his 4th career grand slam (last: April 27, 2021 vs. WAS)…Marked his 8th home run of the season, all coming in road contests. The 24-year-old also singled twice for a 3-for-6 night with a total of six RBI, one off his career best (7 on April 27, 2021 vs. WAS)…Among AL batters, is now T-6th in hits (54), T-9th in RBI (33), and T-11th in AVG (.300)…Has also recorded an AL-best 86 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, four ahead of 2ndplace Bo Bichette (82).

SPRINGER HAS SPRUNG: George Springer finished a double shy of the cycle as he registered his 1st triple and 7th home run of the season…Finished 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBI…Has reached base multiple times in each of his last five games (11-for-21, 4BB)…Has one 18-for-49 (.367) with a double, a triple, three home runs, eight RBI, and seven walks during his last 12 contests (1.059 OPS).

STAT CHAPMAN: Matt Chapman belted a two-run homer in the 9th last night, his 7th of the year…Has two home runs in his last three games after going 28 games without any… Also singled to finish 2-for-5 with a walk and three RBI. The third baseman leads all MLB hitters with 19 doubles this season (2nd: Freddie Freeman – 18) while tied for 2nd with 26 extra-base hits (Freeman – 28)…Among AL batters, ranks 5th in hits (55), 7th in OBP (.382), T-7th in total bases (95), 8th in OPS (.904), and 9th in AVG (.302)…Continues to lead all MLB hitters in hard-hit percentage (62.5) this season (2nd: Aaron Judge – 60.6) while 2nd in barrel rate (15.0%), 5th in hard-hit balls (80), and 7th in average exit velocity (94.4 MPH).

PUTTING IN EXTRAS WORK: Danny Jansen also hit a two-run homer in the 9th last night, capping Toronto’s first three-homer inning June 10, 2022 at DET…Was his 6th blast of the year and 3rd in his last seven games…Also doubled twice to finish 3-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBI…Marked his 5th career game with three extra-base hits, two more than any other catcher in franchise history (2nd: John Buck – 3G).

BO KNOWS BASE HITS: Bo Bichette recorded a trio of singles as he finished 3-for-5 while scoring twice last night…His eight games of 3+ hits this season lead the Majors while his 19 multi-hit games lead all AL hitters and are one back of Freddie Freeman (20) for the MLB lead. The 25-year-old leads all MLB hitters with 68 hits (2nd: Freeman – 65) and leads the AL with 105 total bases (2nd: Luis Robert Jr. – 102)…His .324 batting average now ranks 1st in the AL (2nd: Yandy Díaz – .322).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Blue Jays are on a seven-day, seven-game road trip (1-1 so far)…After this four-game set in Tampa Bay, will head to Minnesota (25-24) for three contests over the weekend…Own a 13-14 road record this year for a .481 win% (8th in the AL). Blue Jays hitters lead the Majors with 263 road hits (2nd: LAA – 236)…Rank 2nd in the AL in road AVG (.271), 3rd in road OBP (.336), 2nd in road SLG
(.444), and 2nd in road OPS (.780)…The pitching staff ranks 12th in the AL in road ERA (4.55), 13th in road opponents’ batting average (.264), and 13th in road WHIP (1.37).

RUN WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield singled twice and picked up his 10th double last night…Finished 3-for-6, scored a season-high three runs, and swiped his 14th base, tied for 2nd most in the AL (1st: Esteury Ruiz – 25)…Has hits in each of his last five games while going 10-for-19 (.526) with two extra-base hits and three RBI.

JOSÉ HAS HIS WAY: José Berríos tossed 7.0 frames of one-run ball last night, allowing five hits to go with two walks and five strikeouts…Has a 2.81 ERA (8 ER/25.2 IP) across his last four starts.

ERNIE-ING IT: Ernie Clement was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo yesterday and made his Blue Jays debut as he took over shortstop in the 8th inning…Assisted on three outs and also singled in his only at-bat.

QUITE A STRETCH: The Blue Jays are in the midst of playing 17 games in 17 days, their most consecutive days with scheduled games this season…Have gone 5-7 so far…Their opponents over this 17-game stretch (ATL, NYY, BAL, TB, MIN) have a combined record of 150-95 (.612).

NO DONUTS DIET: The Blue Jays have notched an MLB-high 458 hits this season…Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.266), 3rd in OBP (.335), 4th in OPS (.756), and 6th in SLG (.422). The Blue Jays are one of two AL teams who have scored in every game this season (also: LAA)…Have gone 67 straight games without being shut out, the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors (LAA – 91G).

VS. THE RAYS: All-Time: 203-240
2023: 3-2 Road: 88-134
Road: 1-1 Tropicana Field: 88-131
The Blue Jays handed the Rays their 1st series loss of the season as they took two of three games when the clubs met last month at Rogers Centre…Went 9-10 vs. TB last year, including a 4-5 record at Tropicana Field…Have not bested the Rays in a season series since going 10-9 in 2017.

Bo Bichette went 7-for-13 (.538) with two doubles and two RBI in the three games vs. the Rays in April… Has now hit .270 (61-for-226) with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 27 RBI in 55 career contests vs. TB.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up a hit in all three meetings with the Rays in April, going 3-for-11 (.273) with two walks and an RBI…Is a lifetime 69-for-262 (.263) across 66 games against the Rays, including 17 doubles, two triples, 12 homers, and 42 RBI (.806 OPS).

Brandon Belt has multiple hits in four of his 12 career games played vs. Tampa Bay…Has now gone a combined 13-for-37 (.351) with one double, one triple, four home runs, eight RBI, and five walks since the 2013 season (1.199 OPS).

STARTING PITCHER – Yusei Kikuchi, LHP #16
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 10th start of the season and his 6th on the road…Took his 1st loss of the year his last time out, on 5/19 vs. BAL, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a season-high 4 walks over 4.2 innings with 3 punchouts. Making his 100th career MLB start tonight, becoming the 11th Japanese-born player to reach the century mark…With 7 strikeouts, will become the 9th Japanese-born player to reach 500 career punchouts and 500.0 career innings pitched in the Majors.

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Lasted 4.0+ frames on 5/14 vs. ATL, allowing 5R/4ER on 9 hits…Struck out 7 without issuing a walk. Improved to 5-0 his on 5/7 at PIT, tossing 6.1 shutout frames with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts…Marked his longest outing as a Blue Jay, and his 3rd quality start this season. Took a no-decision on 5/2 at BOS, giving up 5 runs on a season-high-tying 9 hits with a pair of strikeouts. Improved to 4-0 on 4/26 vs. CWS, throwing 5.2 frames of shutout ball while scattering four singles and a walk along with eight strikeouts…Has allowed one run or fewer in four of his five starts this year while the Blue Jays have won all five of his outings. Earned his 3rd win of the year on 4/21 at NYY, tossing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts…Has back-to-back starts of 6.0+ innings and 0-or-1 runs allowed for the first time since 6/18-25 of his 2021 All-Star campaign. Improved to 2-0 on 4/15 vs. TB, throwing 6.0 innings of one-run ball with 4 hits, a walk, and a season-high 9 strikeouts…Marked his most punchouts in a single game as a Blue Jay…Completed 6.0 frames for the 1st time since 6/30/22 vs. TB. Took a no-decision on 4/9 at LAA, giving up 6 runs on 9 hits and a walk over 4.1 innings with 6 strikeouts…Threw 99 pitches (59 strikes) on the day, his most pitches in a single outing since 7/28/21 vs. HOU (101). Picked up the win in his season debut on 4/4 at KC, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 2 strikeouts…Was his 1st start since 8/15/22 vs. BAL, and his 1st win as a starter since 7/28/22 vs. DET.

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS — The Rays fell behind 10-0 in the fifth inning en route to a 20-1 loss to the visiting Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field…3B Isaac Paredes (1-for-4, HR, RBI, R) plated Tampa Bay’s lone run with a fifth-inning solo homer, his seventh long ball of the season…the 19-run loss marked the largest margin of defeat in club history, surpassing an 18-run setback on 7/23/02 at Boston (G1)…the 20 runs allowed were the Rays most since 8/11/21 at Boston (20-8 L).

RHP Taj Bradley (4.0IP, 9H, 4ER, 7SO) took the loss after striking out seven over four innings of work…Bradley (34SO, 4BB) joins Joe Ross (34SO, 3BB) as the only pitchers in MLB history (since 1901) with 30+ strikeouts and four or fewer walks through their first five career starts.

Toronto pushed across nine runs in the ninth inning, the most runs Tampa Bay has allowed a single frame since 7/27/11 at Oakland (9R, 4th inn.).

50-GAME CHECK-IN — Tampa Bay’s 35-15 record marks the best 50-game start in club history, ahead of the 2010 Rays (34-16)…the club’s 297 runs scored and 95 homers are both the most through 50 games in franchise history, ahead of the 2009 Rays (282R) and 2016 Rays (71HR), respectively…Tampa Bay’s .844 OPS is its highest through 50 games, ahead of the 2009 club (.803), while its .500 slugging pct. surpasses the 1999 Rays (.450) for the best mark in franchise history.

Randy Arozarena’s 37 RBI are tied for sixth most by any player through Tampa Bay’s first 50 games and are the most since Evan Longoria (41RBI) in 2006.

Wander Franco’s 14 stolen bases are tied for sixth most by a Rays player through the club’s first 50 games and are the most since Carl Crawford (15SB) and B.J. Upton (14SB) in 2010…Franco’s 15 doubles are tied for fifth most in the same timeframe, including the most since Joey Wendle (15 2B) in 2021.

IT STARTS WITH SHANE — The Rays are 9-1 in games started by Shane McClanahan, tying NYY Gerrit Cole (9-2) for the most team wins in games started by a pitcher…the last Rays pitcher that saw the club win nine of their first 10 starts in a season was Matt Moore in 2013 (9-1)…with a win today, McClanahan will become the third pitcher in Rays history to begin a season 8-0, joining Moore (8-0 in 2013) and Charlie Morton (8-0 in 2019).

McClanahan has received 8.05 runs of support per 9.0 IP, the third-highest mark among qualified pitchers behind only TEX Martín Pérez (10.22) and ATL Charlie Morton (8.08).

The Rays won each of McClanahan’s first seven starts, the second-longest team winning streak in a pitcher’s starts to open a season in Rays history, behind only Matt Moore’s nine-start run in 2013…it also tied the fourth-longest single-season streak in Rays history (longest: Blake Snell, 10GS from 8/10-9/29, 2018).

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE — Tampa Bay’s 22-5 record at Tropicana Field marks MLB’s best 27-game start at home since the 2020 Minnesota Twins (also 22-5)…the Rays are the fourth team in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) to win 22 of their first 27 home games, joining the 2020 Twins, 2008 Boston Red Sox and 1998 New York Yankees (all 22-5).

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE — The Rays 76 walks during the month of May are second most in the AL, behind only Minnesota (80BB)…Randy Arozarena has drawn a walk in 10 of his last 12 games — his 12 walks in that span (since 5/11) pace the AL, trailing only STL Paul Goldscmidt (15BB) in all of MLB…overall, Arozarena’s 15 walks in May are tied for sixth most in the majors.

BAG BANDITS — The Rays lead the majors in stolen bases (28) and stolen base attempts (35) during the month of May…Wander Franco paces the club with eight steals this month, third most in MLB during May, followed by Josh Lowe, Luke Raley and Taylor Walls (4SB each)…the Rays have been successful on 14 of their last 16 stolen base attempts dating back to 5/14 at New York-AL.

The Rays have an MLB-best three players with 9+ steals (Wander Franco – 14SB, Josh Lowe – 9SB, Taylor Walls – 9SB).

GETTING DEFENSIVE — According to FanGraphs, the Rays 18 defensive runs saved are fourth most in the majors behind Toronto (33), Milwaukee (28) and Arizona (21)…Tampa Bay’s 16 errors are tied for second fewest in the majors while its .991 fielding percentage is second behind San Diego (.993).

Individually, Wander Franco’s six defensive runs saved are second among MLB shortstops behind CHC Dansby Swanson (7), while Taylor Walls’ five are tied for seventh among AL infielders.

GOING STREAKING — Yandy Díaz has a 19-game on-base streak since 4/27, slashing .354/.468/.677 (23-for-65) with 11 extra-base hits, 12 RBI, 12 walks and only 12 strikeouts in that stretch…it marks the second-longest streak of his career behind a 22-game run from 7/24-8/16, 2020…it is the third-longest active run in the AL behind MIN Byron Buxton (23G) and TEX Marcus Semien (21G).

Díaz has reached base safely in 29 of his last 30 games overall, going .352/.453/.620 (38-for-108) at the plate during that span…he leads all qualified major leaguers during that stretch (since 4/15) in batting average, OPS (1.073) and OBP while ranking second in SLG (.620).

THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 95 home runs, the fourth-most long balls through a club’s first 50 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 1999 Seattle Mariners (102HR), 2019 Minnesota Twins (101HR) and 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (98HR).

The Rays have an MLB-best 27 multi-HR games, ahead of New York-AL (25G); they are 22-5 in those contests…this includes 16 games with 3+ homers, most in the majors ahead of Los Angeles-NL (14G); they had 13 games with 3+ HR in 2022.

The Rays have an MLB-best 11 players with 5+ home runs this season, ahead of four teams tied at eight players (ATL, BAL, SF, LAD)…per Elias, Tampa Bay is the first team in MLB history to have 10+ players with 5+ HR before reaching the 50-game mark in a season; the Rays accomplished the feat in their 43rd contest (5/16 at NYM).

BATTER UP — Rays hitters lead the majors in OBP (.345), SLG (.500), OPS (.844), homers (95), extra-base hits (194), total bases (846) and at-bats per HR (17.82).

BLUE JAYS FLY SOUTH — Tampa Bay and Toronto continue a four-game series this evening with the sixth of 13 matchups between the two clubs this season…the Rays have fallen in five of their last seven games against the Blue Jays and are 6-5 against Toronto at home since the beginning of 2022.

Randy Arozarena has reached base safely in eight of his last nine games against Toronto, slashing .412/.462/.765 (14-for-34) with six doubles, 2 HR, 12 RBI and five multi-hit games in that span.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: LHP SHANE McCLANAHAN (7-0, 2.05)
SUGAR SHANE — The southpaw makes his 11th start tonight vs. Toronto, including his sixth at Tropicana Field…his 2.05 ERA is sixth-lowest through a pitcher’s first 10 starts of a season in club history…ranks among AL leaders in wins (1st, 7), ERA (2nd) and strikeouts (6th, 68)…is looking to become the third Rays pitcher to begin a season 8-0, including the first since Charlie Morton (8-0) in 2019.

LAST TIME OUT — McClanahan did not factor into the decision on 5/19 vs. Milwaukee…he worked a season-high 7.0 innings, allowing six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts…it marked the second start of his career in which he threw 7.0 scoreless innings (7.0IP, 3H, 1BB, 11SO) on 5/11/22 at LAA…it was his longest start since throwing 7.0 innings of two- run ball on 8/19/22 vs. Kansas City.

FREE BIRD — McClanahan will be making his second start vs. Toronto this season and the eighth of his career…he earned the win on 4/16 after throwing 6.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and two walks with six strikeouts…McClanahan is 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA (37.1IP, 11ER) in seven career starts opposite the Blue Jays.

In three starts against AL East opponents this season, McClanahan is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA (21.0IP, 6ER) and 25 strikeouts against 14 walks while holding opponents to a .197 average (15-for-76).

MR. 400 — On 5/19 vs. Milwaukee, McClanahan’s fourth inning strikeout of Willy Adames marked the 400th of his career…he became the fastest pitcher in club history to reach 400 strikeouts by both games (63G) and innings pitched (343.1IP), per Elias…the previous record holders for each respective category were Scott Kazmir (68G) and Blake Snell (373.1IP).

HOME SWEET HOME — McClanahan ranks among AL leaders at home (min. 25.0IP) in several categories this year, including ERA (1st, 1.20) and strikeouts per 9.0 IP (2nd, 12.30)…in 36 career starts at Tropicana Field, McClanahan is 19-8 with a 2.79 ERA (200.0IP, 62ER) and 248 strikeouts against 57 walks…since making his Tropicana Field debut on 4/29/21 vs. Oakland, his 2.79 ERA at home is fourth-lowest in the majors (min. 200.0IP) behind MIA Sandy Alcantara (2.21), PHI Zack Wheeler (2.35) and SEA Luis Castillo (2.61).

COLLECTING W’S — The Rays won each of McClanahan’s first eight starts of the season…McClanahan’s personal seven-game winning streak since 3/30 is the longest of his career, ahead of a six-game streak from 5/5-6/9, 2022…marks the longest streak by a Rays starter since Tyler Glasnow (also 7G) from 8/25/20-4/17/21…with a win today, McClanahan will join Charlie Morton (8-0, 2019) in 2019 and Matt Moore (8-0, 2013) as the only pitchers to begin a season 8-0 in Rays history…no Tampa Bay hurler has started 9-0.

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK — McClanahan’s 8.05 runs of support per 9.0 IP rank third in the majors behind TEX Martín Pérez (10.22) and ATL Charlie Morton (8.08)…last season, his 3.73 run support average ranked 20th among AL qualifiers.

A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY — McClanahan opened the season with eight straight starts of 5.0+ innings with two or fewer earned runs…it marked the longest such streak to open a season in Rays history, ahead of Tyler Glasnow’s seven-start run to open the 2019 campaign…from 10/1/22- 5/8/23, he strung together nine consecutive such starts, the third-longest streak in club history behind Blake Snell (10GS, 8/10-9/29, 2018) and McClanahan’s own 14-start run from 5/5-7/26, 2022.

His nine starts of 5.0+ IP with two or fewer ER this season are tied with NYY Gerrit Cole for the MLB lead.

CAN’T TOUCH THIS — McClanahan’s 35.1 pct. whiff rate ranks third in the majors behind ATL Spencer Strider (39.9%) and LAA Shohei Ohtani (35.4%)…opponents are swinging at 33.0 pct. of his pitches outside of the strike zone, the 12th-highest chase rate in baseball…McClanahan has also been effective on pitches inside the zone, recording the fourth-highest inzone whiff pct. in MLB (24.8%), trailing only Strider (30.9%), Ohtani (26.1%) and MIN Joe Ryan (25.0%).

MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (22-28) at Cincinnati Reds (20-28)

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MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (22-28) at Cincinnati Reds (20-28)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals continue their 7-game tour of the Buckeye State tonight with the 3rd game of a 4-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park…the road-trip will continue this coming weekend with a 3-game set against the Cleveland Guardians…the Cardinals posted an 8-5 win last night, evening the series at 1-1…the Redbirds wrapped up a 7-game homestand (2-1 vs. MIL, 3-1 vs. LAD) on Sunday with a 10-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers…this week’s series with the Reds marks the first meeting of the season between the two clubs…it’s the latest in the season the two NL Central rivals have met for their initial series since doing so in June of 2004.

ROAD TRIPPING REDBIRDS: This weeks road-trip began a stretch in which they will be playing 13 of 15 games on the road (May 22-June 7)…their only two home games over that time span are with cross-state rival Kansas City on Memorial Day, May 29, and Tuesday, May 30.

FLIGHT PATTERN: Winners of 12 of their last 16 games (May 7-present), the Cardinals enter today in 3rd place in the NL Central, 5.0 games behind first place Milwaukee… St. Louis is within 5.0 games of the division lead for the first time since April 17 (gaining 5.0 games in the division since May 7) … The Cardinals were in last place for 24 straight days (April 25-May 20) … Tonight’s game is the 13th game of a season-high 19 consecutive without an off-day (9-3 record).

REDBIRD RESURGENCE: Since May 7, the Cardinals are T-1st in MLB in win pct. (.750, 12-4), 1st in runs scored (114), 1st in runs per game (7.1), 1st in slugging (.507), 1st in OPS (.858), 1st in RBI (110), 1st in total bases (282), tied for the MLB lead in wins (12) and rank 2nd in stolen bases (20), homers (32).

50 GAMES IN THE BOOK: The Cardinals played their 50th game of the season last night, and reached a pair of milestones, becoming just the 4th Cardinals team with 70+ HR’s in the first 50 games (98 HR in 2000, 72 in 2001, 70 in 1998, 70 in 2023). They also became the first-ever Cardinals team to reach both 70+ HR & 40+ stolen bases in their first 50 games.

CLOSE CALLS: Monday night’s 6-5 loss was the Cardinals 29th by a one-run margin here at Great American Ball Park…the Cardinals have posted 18 one-run victories at GABP all-time, and hold a slim 86-84 advantage in all-time games played here since the ballpark’s opening in 2003.

BURGER PHONE HOTLINE: The Cardinals are 5th in MLB in home runs this season (70) this season while ranking 3rd in the month of May (38) to the Yankees (41)… The Redbirds sport a 19-14 record in games when they go yard this season, but are 3-14 in homerless games.

REDBIRD RIBEYES: The Cardinals have had six players enjoy 4+ RBI games in the last 10 games, as Andrew Knizner (4), Nolan Gorman (5), Nolan Arenado (4), Willson Contreras (6), Paul DeJong (4, twice) and Óscar Mercado (5) all had games with 4 or more RBI in that span.

GOLDY’S POWER PAIRINGS: For the third time this season, Paul Goldschmidt packed multiple HR’s into his game, hitting a pair of round-trippers last night in his 1st two at-bats…Goldy has had three consecutive multiple homer games when he has gone deep…he’s had two games when he’s homered just once in a game (last 4/18 vs. ARI) and has combined to hit his 9 HR’s in just 5 games, with 7 of the 9 longballs coming in his three multi-HR contests. SOLO ARTIST: Eight of Goldschmidt’s 9 HR’s this season have been solo shots.

BOTTOMS UP: The Cardinals 9th place hitters are leading the NL in HR (8), and rank 2nd in OPS (.821) and T2nd in RBI (25), one behind the Cubs (26) … the Cardinals .663 OPS out of the 9th spot last season was their highest in the modern era as MLB went to full-time DH.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP STEVEN MATZ (0-5, 5.05)
TONIGHT’S GAME
NL Ranks: Losses (5, T-5th), Hits (57, 8th)

  • Makes his 165th career appearance (155th start) and 19th start as a Cardinal.
  • With a win as a starting pitcher tonight (had one in relief last year), would be the 5th pitcher to start 3-0 vs. the Reds in his first four starts as a Cardinal joining Ray Sadecki, Jack Harper, Luis Arroyo and Milt Watson
  • Last win came against the Reds in relief on Sept. 17, 2022 in extra innings and his last win as a starting pitcher came at Great American Ballpark on July 23, 2022.
  • Prior to the 7/23/22 start at Cincinnati, Matz had missed approx. two months with a left shoulder impingement.
  • Ranks 10th in MLB in Pitch Tempo with bases empty (12.0 sec/pitch) and 41st with runners on base (16.7 sec/pitch), leading all Cardinals.
  • Limiting opposing left-handed batters to a .189 BA (7-37) with one home run.
  • Did not allow a home run in his last two starts, his third start this season without serving up a longball and the twice since allowing one in five starts, one shy of a career-high.
  • Lifetime 9-8 with 3.31 ERA in May, his lowest ERA in any calendar month.
  • Since joining the Cardinals in 2022, is 5-8 with a 5.15 ERA in 24 appearances (19 starts) while leading Cardinals starting pitchers in strikeouts/9 IP (9.25).
  • The Cardinals lost his first six games started this year, before posting a 12-6 win vs. Detroit (5/7).
  • Missed 102 games on the Injured List with a left shoulder impingement (5/23-7/16) and strained left knee (7/24-9/16). Was activated from his second stint in mid-September and was added to the bullpen where he made five appearances.
  • Only win as a Cardinals starting pitcher at Busch Stadium came on May 2, 2022, a rescheduled game tossing 6.0 scoreless innings in a 1-0 win.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Suffered his 5th defeat of the season in a 5-0 Cardinals loss to the Dodgers last Fri. (5/19) at Busch Stadium. Was touched for just one uneared run in his 4.2 innings pitched, before the Dodgers broke the game open with a 4-run 8th inn.

DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
5/19 LAD L 5-0 L-5 4.2 6 1 0 2 5 0 103-66

2023 SEASON

  • Has pitched 5.0 innings or more in 7-of-8 starts.
  • Suffered his 4th straight loss on 5/2 vs. LAA. All four of his runs allowed came in the opening frame, including a Taylor Ward 3-run homer.
  • Surpassed 800 career innings pitched in his start at SEA (4/21).
  • Surrendered a lead-off home run to Ke’Bryan Hayes, then settled in allowing just one run on two hits over the next 17 outs. Matched his career-high with five walks. Received a no-decision in a 6-3 Cardinals loss in 10 innings vs. PIT (4/15). Threw a season-high 110 pitches, 2nd most in MLB this season at the time (Ohtani, 111).
  • Allowed a season-high six runs on nine hits in a 7-4 loss at COL (4/10). Allowed only three doubles of his nine hits for extra bases.
  • Struck out a season-high seven batters over 5.1 innings in a 4-1 loss vs. ATL (4/4). Allowed a career-high 10 hits (6th time) for the first time as a member of the Cardinals. Surrendered two home runs, including a 479-foot blast to Austin Riley, the 2nd-longest opposing HR at Busch Stadium III in the StatCast Era.

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:
RED HOTS

  • Today the Reds selected from Louisville the contract of RHP Eduardo Salazar (#81) and designated for assignment RHP Silvino Bracho…when he pitches, Salazar will become the fifth Reds player this season to make his Major League debut (RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Levi Stoudt, IF Matt McLain, LHP Brandon Williamson).
  • Class AA Chattanooga IF Noelvi Marte has been named Southern League Player of the Week (5/15-5/21)…is his second weekly award (5/1-5/7)…
    last week he recorded 3 multi-hit games and collected 5 extra-base hits… for the season ranks fourth in the league in hitting (.292), T2nd in HR (8), T1st in hits (42) and T4th in runs scored (26).

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • Is Game 3 (1-1) of a 4-game series vs Brian Bartow’s Cardinals and Game 6 (1-4) of a 7-game homestand that included a 3-game series sweep loss to the Yankees.
  • Following tomorrow afternoon’s game, the Reds hit the road again for 3-game series in the two oldest ballparks in the Major Leagues, Chc’s Wrigley Field (1914) and Bos’ Fenway Park (1912).

SERIES NOTES

  • The Reds and Cardinals are meeting for the first time this season.
  • In 2022, the Cardinals won 12 of the 19 games and 5 of the 6 series.
  • The Cardinals’ .506 winning percentage at Great American Ball Park (86-84) is the highest among NL Central Division opponents and seventh-highest of any National League team.
  • From 7/15-7/24 and surrounding the 2022 All-Star break, the Reds and Cardinals played 5 straight games for the first time since 9/7-9/11, 1962.
  • From 9/15-9/18, 2022 at Busch Stadium, the Reds and Cardinals faced off in a 5-game series (3-2 Cardinals series win) for the first time since 7/25-7/27, 1958 (3-2 Reds series win).

CUBS UP NEXT…

  • The Reds in 2022 went 8-11 vs Cubs, including 5-4 at Great American Ball Park, 3-6 at Wrigley Field and a 4-2 “home” loss on 8/11 in the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.
  • Since a 4-1 Reds win on 6/25/14 and beginning 9/15/14, the Cubs have won 30 of the last 42 night games vs the Reds at The Friendly Confines.
  • The teams met in the final 6 games of the 2022 championship season (3g at Wrigley Field, 3g at Great American Ball Park), the longest c continuous stretch of games between the Reds and Cubs since they played 7 straight games from 8/29-9/5, 1931…@EliasSports.
  • The game scheduled for 4/5 at Great American Ball Park was postponed by threatening weather…it has been rescheduled as part of a day/night doubleheader on Fri, 9/1 (1:10, 6:40).

…FOLLOWED BY THE RED SOX

  • The Red Sox lead the all-time series, 14-3, including a split of the homeand-home 2-game series last season.
  • The Sox won 5 of the 7 series, tied the other 2 series and swept 4 series.
  • The Reds’ 2-1 win on 5/31/22 was their first victory at Fenway Park since Game 7 of the 1975 World Series.
  • In the June 2005 series at Fenway, the Reds were outscored by the Sox, 23-4, and hit .167 (15-90, 32k) while posting an 8.25era (.340ba)…gametime temperature on 6/13/05 was 91 humid degrees, dropped to a chilly 54 for Game 2 and then plummeted to a frigid 49 for the series finale.
  • The Red Sox won 8 of 10 games at Great American Ball Park, including an 8-game winning streak (6/14/08-9/20/22), the best winning percentage
    of any opposing team (.800).
  • Before the interleague schedule expanded this season to include games vs all 15 American League teams, from 1997-2022 the Redlegs went 188-
    247 vs the American League, at .432 the lowest interleague winning percentage of any Major League team…in 2022 the Reds went 12-8 vs AL teams (0-2 vs Cle, 2-0 at Cle, 1-2 at Tor, 1-1 at Bos, 3-0 vs TB, 2-1 at NYY, 2-1 vs Bal, 1-1 vs Bos)…last season’s was their first winning record vs the AL since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs AL teams (.381).

Tonight’s Pitcher – #59 Ben Lively, RHP

  • Tonight is making his fourth appearance and second start for the Reds…will be his first career appearance vs the Cardinals.
  • Fri’s start vs the Yankees was his first in the Major Leagues since since 4/26/18 for Phi vs Ari…allowed just 2 hits in 5.2 innings, including a solo HR by Aaron Judge in the first…was charged with a second run scored on Anthony Rizzo’s 2-out, 2-run HR off Ian Gibaut.
  • Made his Reds debut in the second inning of the 5-0 win on 5/11 vs NYM…relieved spot starter Derek Law and threw 3.0 scoreless innings, still tied for the longest appearance by a Reds reliever this season…was his first Major League appearance since 4/28/19 for KC vs LAA, his only appearance of that season, and his first win since his last appearance of the 2017 season (9/27/19 for Phi vs NYM).

NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes (0-3) at Florida Panthers (3-0)

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NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes (0-3) at Florida Panthers (3-0)

CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:

FIRST ROUND
The Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders in six games, with a 2-1 record at home and on the road. Sebastian Aho (4-3-7) and Brent Burns (0-5—5) led the team in scoring, while Paul Stastny scored three goals in the series, including his third career playoff overtime goal to clinch the series in Game 6. Carolina went 5-for-25 (20.0%) on the power play, as Stefan Noesen paced the team with two goals on the man-advantage, and the team’s league-leading 94.4% penalty kill rate (17-for-18) established a new franchise record for a single playoff series. Antti Raanta (3-2) and Frederik Andersen (1-0) each made appearances in net, as Andersen made his Hurricanes playoff debut in Game 6 and recorded his first series-clinching win since 2015.

SECOND ROUND
Carolina defeated the New Jersey Devils in five games, with a 3-0 record at home and a 1-1 record on the road. Jordan Martinook tallied a team-high 10 points (3g, 7a), tying the franchise record for points in a playoff series and becoming the second player in NHL history to post double-digit points in a series after being held off the scoresheet in his team’s previous round that postseason. Jesper Fast (3-3—6), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3-2—5) and Martin Necas (3-0—3) matched Martinook for the team lead in goals, as Fast scored the Hurricanes’ second overtime, series-clinching goal of this postseason. Frederik Andersen made all five starts in net, earning a 4-0 record, 2.01 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

GAME ONE
The Hurricanes suffered a 3-2 loss against the Panthers in quadruple overtime at PNC Arena on Thursday, losing a playoff overtime game for the first time since 2021 in the longest contest in franchise history (139:47). Frederik Andersen set a franchise playoff record with a career-high 57 saves on 60 shots, and 17 of Carolina’s 19 players set new career highs for ice time. Seth Jarvis and Stefan Noesen each scored on the power play, and Jarvis tallied an assist on Noesen’s goal for his fifth career postseason multi-point outing.

GAME TWO
Carolina again fell to Florida in overtime, 2-1, at PNC Arena on Saturday. Jalen Chatfield scored the team’s only goal with assists from Sebastian Aho and Stefan Noesen, and Antti Raanta made his first start since the First Round, stopping 24 of 26 shots faced in defeat.

GAME THREE
The Hurricanes suffered a 1-0 loss against the Panthers at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday, marking their first 1-0 postseason loss since 2009. Frederik Andersen stopped 16 of 17 shots faced in net.

INJURY REPORT
Jake Gardiner, upper-body, missed 96 games (10/12-5/22)
Ondrej Kase, concussion, missed 95 games (10/14-5/22)
Max Pacioretty, torn Achilles, missed 51 games (1/21-5/22)
Andrei Svechnikov, torn ACL, missed 32 games (3/12-5/22)
2022-23 Regular-Season Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 334
2023 Playoffs Man-Game Lost Due to Injury: 73

HURRICANES vs. PANTHERS SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing Florida in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, marking the 15th different opponent to face the Whalers/Hurricanes in the postseason.

— The Hurricanes and Panthers have met 138 times in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 71-46-11-10 overall record, including a 44-17-3-5 home record and a 27-29-8-5 road record.

— The two teams have also previously spent 15 seasons as divisional foes (Southeast Division, 1998-13; Central Division, 2020-21), with Carolina earning a 50-25-9-7 record against Florida during those campaigns (Florida: 32-37-9-13).

— The Hurricanes won the regular-season series 2-1-0 in 2022-23 (Panthers: 1-2-0).

— Carolina suffered a 3-0 loss against Florida at FLA Live Arena on 11/9. Antti Raanta stopped 34 of 36 shots faced in net.

— The Hurricanes posted a 4-0 win over the Panthers at PNC Arena on 12/30. Brent Burns (2a), Seth Jarvis (2a) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (1g, 1a) recorded two points, while Antti Raanta stopped all 19 shots faced in net for his second shutout of the season.

— Carolina clinched a second straight Metropolitan Division title with a 6-4 win over Florida at FLA Live Arena on 4/13. Sebastian Aho (1g, 1a), Brent Burns (2g), Shayne Gostisbehere (1g, 1a) and Seth Jarvis (2a) all registered two points, while Frederik Andersen made 30 saves in net.

— Shayne Gostisbehere is a native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and ranks first all-time in points among all NHL players born in Florida. He attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland for two years (2007-09) before transferring to South Kent Prep in Connecticut.

— Hurricanes Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels played 10 games with Florida from 1994-95.

— Panthers Assistant GM Paul Krepelka served as the Hurricanes’ Vice President of Hockey Operations for two seasons from 2018-20.

— Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice served in the same capacity with Hartford/Carolina over two stints from 1995-03 and 2008-11. Maurice earned a 384-391-99-46 regular-season record and holds the franchise records for games coached and wins in the regular season. He also added a 25-28 record in the playoffs, leading the Hurricanes to two Conference Finals (2002, 2009) and one Stanley Cup Final (2002).

— Panthers Assistant Coach Tuomo Ruutu registered 216 points (90g, 126a) in 378 games with the Hurricanes from 2008-14. He was acquired from Chicago in exchange for Andrew Ladd on 2/26/08 and traded to New Jersey in exchange for Andrei Loktionov on 3/5/14.

— Zac Dalpe was selected by Carolina in the second round (45th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft and recorded 10 points (5g, 5a) in 41 NHL games with the Hurricanes from 2010-13. He also played parts of four AHL seasons with Albany/Charlotte from 2010-13, earning 139 points (68g, 71a) in 180 games. Dalpe was traded to Vancouver along with Jeremy Welsh in exchange for Kellan Tochkin and a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft (Josh Wesley).

— Gustav Forsling was acquired from Chicago along with Anton Forsberg in exchange for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela, and he tallied 26 points (8g, 18a) in 57 AHL games with Charlotte in 2019-20. Forsling was claimed on waivers by Florida on 1/9/21.

— Eetu Luostarinen was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft and recorded one assist in eight games with Carolina in 2019-20. He was traded to Florida on 2/24/20 along with Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark and Chase Priskie in exchange for Vincent Trocheck.

— Alex Lyon played in the Hurricanes’ organization in 2021-22. He spent most of the season with Chicago (AHL), posting an 18-7-3 record, 2.16 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and three shutouts in 30 regular-season games before going 9-3-0 with two shutouts in the playoffs to help lead the Wolves to a Calder Cup championship. Lyon also made two appearances with Carolina, earning a 1-0-1 record, 2.93 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

— Two of Jordan Staal’s brothers, Eric and Marc, play for Florida. Eric previously spent parts of 12 seasons with Carolina (2003-16), helping the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006 and captaining the team from 2009-16. He registered 775 points (322g, 453a) in 909 games with Carolina and ranks first in team history (since relocation) in games played, goals, assists, points, power-play goals (105), power-play points (252) and game-winning goals (47). Jordan’s third brother, Jared, also serves as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Checkers, Florida’s AHL affiliate.

NO SUCH LUCK
Carolina has suffered three straight one-goal losses against Florida to open the Conference Final, and according to NHL Stats, the Hurricanes are the 22nd team in league history to lose each of their first three games of a playoff series by one goal. They are looking to avoid becoming the sixth of those teams to be outscored by just four goals in a series sweep, alongside the 1968 Blues (Stanley Cup Final vs. MTL), 1993 Sabres (Adams Division Final vs. MTL), 1999 Oilers (Western Conference Quarterfinal vs. DAL), 2003 Red Wings (Western Conference Quarterfinal vs. ANA) and 2018 Kings (Western Conference First Round vs. VGK).

BACK AGAINST THE WALL
The Hurricanes are down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series for the sixth time in franchise history, and they have earned a 2-3 record in Game 4 after losing each of the first three games. The Whalers/Hurricanes cut series deficits to 3-1 with Game 4 wins in the 1988 Adams Division Semifinal vs. MTL and 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal vs. NJD. Carolina hopes to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-0 (4-200 series record all-time), and the first team to accomplish the feat in round before the Stanley Cup Final (0-46 series record all-time). The 2014 Kings (Western Conference First Round vs. SJS) were the last team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit, accomplishing the feat en route to their second Stanley Cup. Carolina has posted a 15-15 record when facing elimination in a best-of-seven series, including a 3-4 record in those contests since 2019.

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

  • F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 15
    Total Playoff Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 26
    Total Regular Season Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 239

LAST GAME
Panthers 1, Hurricanes 0 – May 22 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Reinhart (7-PPG)
CAR Goals: –
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 32 Saves
CAR Goalie: Andersen (L) – 16 Saves
FLA Shots: 17
CAR Shots: 32
Notes: Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 32 shots he faced for his first career NHL playoff shutout, Florida’s first postseason shutout on home ice since Jose Theodore in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal vs. NJD on April 21, 2012…Bobrovsky has posted above a .960 save percentage in each of his past four games, earning a win in each contest…His shutout marked the fourth postseason shutout in franchise history…Bobrovsky (132 saves) surpassed Johnny Bower (125 saves in 1960 SF vs DET) for the most saves by a goaltender through the first three games of a Conference Final/Semifinals series (since 1955-56)…Sam Reinhart scored his team-leading third power-play goal of the postseason, matching Dave Lowry and Ray Sheppard for the most career PPGs in franchise postseason history (4)…Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett assisted on Reinhart’s tally, with Tkachuk and Bennett having now factored on all three game-winning goals in the series…Florida finished its first 1-0 postseason game since Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final vs. COL…The Panthers have now been involved in seven straight games that were decided by one goal…The Cats have won 10 of their past 11 games…FLA PP: 1-4, FLA PK: 1-1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

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

PANTHERS vs. HURRICANES
ALL-TIME vs. CAR: 56-56-11-15
ALL-TIME HOME vs. CAR: 56-56-11-15
2022-23 vs. CAR: 1-2-0

ROUND 1 – FLA (4) vs. BOS (3)
GAME 1 – FLA 1, BOS 3
GAME 2 – FLA 6, BOS 3
GAME 3 – BOS 4, FLA 2
GAME 4 – BOS 6, FLA 2
GAME 5 – FLA 4, BOS 3 [OT]
GAME 6 – BOS 5, FLA 7
GAME 7 – FLA 4, BOS 3 [OT]

ROUND 2 – FLA (4) vs. TOR (1)
GAME 1 – FLA 4, TOR 2
GAME 2 – FLA 3, TOR 2
GAME 3 – TOR 2, FLA 3 [OT]
GAME 4 – TOR 2, FLA 1
GAME 5 – FLA 3, TOR 2 [OT]

ECF – FLA (3) vs. CAR (0)
GAME 1 – FLA 3, CAR 2 [4OT]
GAME 2 – FLA 2, CAR 1 [OT]
GAME 3 – FLA 1, CAR 0

HOME SWEET HOME
Florida has won three of its past four games at FLA Live Arena. Sam Reinhart leads Florida with five home goals (5-0-5) this postseason, while Matthew Tkachuk has registered a team-high seven points (3-4-7). Brandon Montour paces Cats blueliners with four home points (1-3-4) in the playoffs, and Sergei Bobrovsky owns a 3-2 home record.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Cats have won each of their past eight road playoff games dating back to Game 2 at BOS, the longest playoff road win streak in club history and the second-longest in NHL history, behind only the 2012 LAK’s 10-game streak. Over their eight-game road win streak, the Cats have outscored their opponents 29-18, including overtime wins in Games 5 and 7 at Boston, Game 5 at Toronto, and Games 1 & 2 at Carolina. Sergei Bobrovsky has started and won each of Florida’s past seven road games.

CATS VS. CANES
Florida face off against Carolina in the postseason for the first time. The two clubs share several connections, notably:

  • The series will be the first to feature three brothers (Eric, Marc and Jordan Staal) since Brent Sutter (CHI) defeated Rich & Ron Sutter (STL) in the 1992 Norris Division Semifinals. Jared Staal serves as an assistant coach for Florida’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
  • Eric Staal, a first-round selection (2nd overall) by Carolina in the 2003 NHL Draft, led the Canes to the club’s first Stanley Cup in 2005-06, posting a team-high (and franchise record) 28 playoff points (9-19-28) during their run. The team was captained by current Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Eric would go on to serve as the Hurricanes captain from 2009-10 to 2015-16.
  • Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice served as bench boss for the Hurricanes franchise for 13 total seasons (1995-96 to 2003-04, 2008-09 to 2011-12), including their first year in Raleigh after moving from Hartford prior to the 1997-98 season. Maurice coached the franchise to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final and 2009 Eastern Conference Final.
  • Florida Assistant Coach Tuomo Ruutu skated in 378 games with Carolina from 2007-08 to 2013-14, amassing 216 points (90-126-216).

Cubs recall RHP Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa, place RHP Nick Burdi on 15-day I.L.

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Cubs recall RHP Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa, place RHP Nick Burdi on 15-day I.L.

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today recalled right-handed pitcher Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa and placed right-handed pitcher Nick Burdi on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 21) with appendicitis.

Assad, 25, is in his fourth stint with the Cubs and is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA (10 ER/17.2 IP) in five games (one start), including a 1.74 ERA (2 ER/10.1 IP) in his last two outings since May 4. In four starts with Iowa this season, Assad is 0-1 with a 3.68 EA (6 ER/14.2 IP) with seven walks and 15 strikeouts. Assad last pitched for Iowa May 18 at Indianapolis, allowing two runs in 4.0 innings.

Signed by Chicago as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2015 out of Tijuana, Mexico, Assad made his major league debut last season, going 2-2 with a 3.11 ERA (13 ER/37.2 IP), 20 walks, 30 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP in nine games (eight starts). He finished the season with 11.1 scoreless innings spanning his final three starts, including 5.0 shutout innings at Philadelphia on September 29 and 5.1 shutout frames October 4 in Cincinnati.

In all or part of seven minor league seasons, Assad is 25-37 with one save and a 3.95 ERA (238 ER/542.1 IP) in 116 games, all but eight as a starting pitcher. He has walked 180 and struck out 494 batters to go along with a 1.37 WHIP.

Burdi, 30, has made three relief appearances, allowing three runs in 3.0 innings, for Chicago since he was selected from Triple-A Iowa May 15. With Iowa, Burdi has posted a 3.38 ERA (4 ER/10.2 IP) in 11 relief appearances.

A’s reinstate RHP May from injured list; option LHP Muller to Las Vegas

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A’s reinstate RHP May from injured list; option LHP Muller to Las Vegas

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s reinstated right-handed pitcher Trevor May from the injured list and optioned left-handed pitcher Kyle Muller to Triple-A Las Vegas, the club announced today.

May was 2-3 with a blown save and a 12.00 ERA in eight games when he was placed on the 15-day injured list April 19 with issues related to anxiety.  He was assigned to Las Vegas on a rehab assignment May 2 but made just appearance before the assignment was stopped.  May resumed pitching on May 16, made three more appearances and had a 4.91 ERA (3.2 ip, 4 h, 2 r, 2 er, 2 bb, 2 so, 2 hr) in four games overall with the Aviators.

Muller was the A’s Opening Day starting pitcher but went 1-4 with an 8.04 ERA and .962 opponents OPS in 10 starts.  He has allowed the most hits in the majors (69) and is tied for third in runs allowed (42).

Dodgers select the contract of Bobby Miller

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Dodgers select the contract of Bobby Miller

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have selected contract of right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller and placed right-handed pitcher Tyler Cyr on the injured list with shoulder impingement, retroactive to May 21. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred right-handed pitcher Dustin May to the 60-day injured list.

Miller, 24, will make his Major League debut this evening against the Atlanta Braves. The former 1st round selection (29th overall) out of the University of Louisville was 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA (9 ER/14.1 IP) and 12 strikeouts in four starts for Oklahoma City this year. Last season, he spent most of the season with Double-A Tulsa, going 6-6 with a 4.45 ERA (45 ER/91.0 I) and 117 strikeouts. He finished the campaign with Oklahoma City, going 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA (8 ER/21.1 IP) and 28 strikeouts against six walks in four starts for the Triple-A club. He was named the starting pitcher to the 2022 Sirius XM Futures Game that was played at Dodger Stadium, striking out three and allowing one run. In his three minor league seasons, he is a combined 10-10 with a 3.79 ERA (77 ER/183.0 IP) and 227 strikeouts.

Cyr, 30, has appeared in two games for the Dodgers, allowing one hit in 1.2 scoreless innings. He has been in the Major Leagues parts of two seasons with Philadelphia (2022), Oakland (2022) and Los Angeles (2023) and has allowed four runs in 15.0 innings with 18 strikeouts. In eight minor league seasons, he is a combined, 19-13 with a 3.08 ERA (102 ER/298.1 IP) and 358 strikeouts in 233 games (three starts). He was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 10th round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of Embry-Riddle University.

MLB Preview: Chicago White Sox (20-30) at Cleveland Guardians (21-27)

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MLB Preview: Chicago White Sox (20-30) at Cleveland Guardians (21-27)

CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:

WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have won four of their last five games, six of eight, seven of 10 and 13 of 22 as they continue a seven-game trip today with the series finale at Cleveland.

RHP Michael Kopech, who worked a career-high 8.0 scoreless IP in his last outing on 5/19 vs. Kansas City, is scheduled to start.

The White Sox and Guardians have split the first two games of this series … the Sox held on for a 4-2 win last night after the Guardians took Monday night’s opener, 3-0.

Following today’s series finale at Progressive Field, the Sox will conclude the trip with four games at Detroit before returning to Chicago for a six-game, seven-day homestand vs. the Angels (5/29-31) and Tigers (6/2-4).

The White Sox are in fourth place in the American League Central but just 5.5 games behind fi rst-place Minnesota.

The Sox went 6-3 on their last homestand from 5/12-21 vs. Houston (1-2), Cleveland (2-1) and Kansas City (3-0) and 3-4 on the last trip from 5/5-11 at Cincinnati (2-1) and the Royals (1-3) .

TODAY’S STORYLINES
Chicago is trying to win three consecutive series for the first time this season, and is 13-9 over the last 22 games since 4/30 following a 7-21 start to the season … White Sox pitchers own a MLB-best 2.37 ERA (28 ER/106.1 IP) in 12 games since 5/11.

Chicago starters own a 2.61 ERA (20 ER/69.0 IP), .202 (50- 247) opp. average and 56 strikeouts in the last 12 games (9 QS).

White Sox relievers own a 0.98 ERA (3 ER/27.2 IP), .133 (12- 90) opp. average and .415 OPS in the last nine games … eight of the games have been scoreless and three have been hitless.

Michael Kopech faced just 24 batters, retired the first 16 and surrendered just one hit in his last start on 5/19 vs. Kansas City.

Luis Robert Jr. has hit safely in 18 of 21 games in May, going 27-75 (.360) with seven doubles, eight home runs, 16 RBI, six walks, eight multihit eff orts and a 1.202 OPS.

Andrew Benintendi is 13-35 (.371) with six doubles and three RBI during his 10-game hitting streak.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP
Chicago scored three times in the seventh inning and limited Cleveland to two hits in the fi nal three frames in its 4-2 win.

Romy Gonzalez snapped a 2-2 tie with a game-winning, two RBI double in the seventh … the White Sox tied the game on José Ramirez’s error allowing Andrew Vaughn to score.

Yasmani Grandal hit a game-tying solo homer in the fifth before the Guardians reclaimed the lead in the sixth inning.

Dylan Cease (2 ER/6.0 IP) earned the win … Keynan Middleton (hold), Joe Kelly (hold) and Kendall Graveman (save) combined to allow two hits with two strikeouts in 3.0 scoreless IP in relief.

Andrew Benintendi extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and Luis Robert Jr. recorded the Sox only multihit effort.

MAGIC MICHAEL
Michael Kopech took a perfect game into the sixth inning and allowed just one hit with 10 strikeouts in a career-high 8.0 scoreless IP in his last start on 5/19 vs. Kansas City … he also took a no-hitter into the sixth on 5/2 vs. Minnesota.

Kopech became the fi rst White Sox to face the minimum 24 batters through eight innings since LHP Carlos Rodón took a perfect game into the ninth inning on 4/14/21 vs. Cleveland.

Kopech became just the third pitcher in club history to work 8.0-plus IP and allow one or zero hits with 10-plus strikeouts and zero walks (Stathead) … the last MLB pitcher to record those numbers was Toronto’s Alek Manoah on 9/13/21 vs. Tampa Bay.

THE TIMES ARE CHANGIN’
Chicago is 13-9 (.591) since 4/30, the best record among American League Central clubs and tied for sixth-best in the AL. The White Sox 3.69 ERA since 4/30 is the fi fth-best in the AL and seventh-best in the major leagues.

A breakdown of the White Sox fi rst 50 games this season:

W-L AVG R R/G HR OBP SLG OPS ERA IP QS ER HR SO
12-9 .258 101 4.6 26 .314 .416 .730 3.69 197.1 12 81 27 185
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 2.61 ERA (20 ER/69.0 IP), .202 (50-247) opp. average and 56 strikeouts over the last 12 games since 5/11 … they rank first in WHIP (1.03), and second in ERA and opponents average in MLB during that span.

Starters have allowed three runs or less 10 times, two or less eight times and one or less fi ve times … the rotation since 5/11:

W-L ERA WHIP QS IP H R ER HR BB SO SO/9.0 AVG OPS
6-3 2.61 1.03 9 690 50 22 20 6 21 56 7.3 .202 .599

WHITE SOX VS. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Chicago has won three of five games … there are four games remaining at Guaranteed Rate Field and four at Progressive Field.

The White Sox are hitting .270/.306/.448 with seven homers, own a 2.25 ERA (11 ER/44.0 IP) and a 20-13 edge in runs scored.

The Sox are 5-7 and have been outscored by a 44-35 margin in the last 12 games at Progressive Field since 4/20/22 … eight of the games have been decided by three runs or less.

Chicago is 20-23 since the start of 2021, including a 10-11 mark at Progressive Field (15 games decided by three runs or less).

CENTRAL DIVISION DYNAMICS
Chicago is 10-8 vs. the American League Central, including a 3-6 mark on the road … it currently is in a stretch of 13 straight games vs. the division (6-2 record).

Following this week’s trip, the Sox will play just three games vs. the AL Central (6/2-4 vs. Detroit) through the All-Star break.

The White Sox went 37-39 vs. the AL Central in 2022 (18-19 at home; 19-20 on the road) after going 69-47 from 2020-21.

PROVIDING RELIEF
The White Sox bullpen owns a 2.57 ERA (19 ER/66.2 IP) and .198 (48-242) opponents average with 58 strikeouts and just five home runs allowed over 21 games in May.

Sox relievers rank among the MLB May leaders in opp. average (2nd), WHIP (2nd, 1.08), opp. OPS (2nd, .598) and ERA (3rd).

By comparison, relievers recorded a 6.68 ERA, .290 average, .885 OPS and a 1.76 WHIP in the fi rst 29 games from 3/30-4/30.

Joe Kelly has retired 34 of the last 36 batters he has faced, including 16 by strikeout … he owns a 10.2 scoreless IP streak.

REST WHEN YOU CAN
The Sox currently are in a stretch of 16 straight games without a day off and are 12-9 during the current stretch of 29 games in 30 days from 5/2-31 (only off days in May are 5/1 and 5/15).

The 29-game stretch includes 15 games at home, 14 on the road and 20 vs. the American League Central … the White Sox play six of seven series from 5/5-28 vs. teams below .500.

LONGBALL LOGISTICS
The White Sox (Jake Burger; Luis Robert Jr.) are one of eight teams with multiple players to hit 10-plus home runs this season, joining Atlanta (four), the Angels (three),Tampa Bay (three), the Dodgers (two), Minnesota, (two), Yankees (two) and Texas (two).

The White Sox have homered in 16 of its last 22 games since 4/30 (26 total homers), and hit 29 in its last 25 games since 4/27.

The Sox have recorded nine multi-homer efforts and been held without a home run just seven times over the last 25 contests.

Chicago is 16-17 when homering, 7-7 when hitting multiple homers and 4-13 when going homerless this season.

LONGBALL LOGISTICS, PART II
Luis Robert Jr. (13) and Jake Burger (10) lead the White Sox in home runs this season.

Robert Jr. is tied for fi fth in MLB with nine 400-plus foot homers in 2023 … the Mets’ Pete Alonso leads the majors with 12 … is averaging 407 ft. and 107.2 mph on his 12 homers, including max values of 430 ft. on 5/9 at K.C., and 113.6 mph on 5/14 vs. Houston.

Robert Jr. has recorded 400-plus foot distances on 34 of his 49 career home runs … he leads the Sox since the start of 2020 with homer averages of 411 feet and 107.6 mph exit velocity (min. 10 home runs).

Burger ranks second in MLB with 10.10 at bats per home run this season (min. 100 plate apps.) … he is averaging 405 feet on his 19 career home runs, and 13 have traveled an estimated 400-plus feet.

HOORAY FOR MAY
Luis Robert Jr. is hitting .360/.429/.773 (27-75) with seven doubles, eight homers (averaging 427 ft. and 108.6 mph EV), 16 RBI, 20 runs scored, six walks and a 1.202 OPS in May (21 G).

He ranks among AL May leaders in runs scored (1st), total bases (1st, 58), extra-base hits (1st, 15), home runs (T1st), slugging percentage (2nd), OPS (2nd), hits (T4th), on-base percentage (T5th), average (6th), doubles (T6th) and RBI (T9th).

The last White Sox to win American League Player of the Month honors was 1B José Abreu in August 2021 … Abreu also is the last Sox to hit 10-plus home runs in a month (11 in August 2020).

ON DECK: AT DETROIT TIGERS
The White Sox and Tigers will play 13 times in 2023: six times at Guaranteed Rate Field and seven at Comerica Park.

The Sox went 12-7 last season, going 5-5 at home and 7-2 on the road, and outscored the Tigers by a 100-59 margin.

Chicago is 33-15 vs. Detroit since the start of the 2020 season, including a 14-7 mark at Comerica Park … the Sox have won seven of eight on the road following last year’s OD loss in Detroit.

STARTER – #34 MICHAEL KOPECH RHP
KOPECH AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season, sixth on the road and first against the Cleveland Guardians.

Has recorded 5.0-plus IP in seven of his nine starts this season and 6.0-plus IP four times, allowing just one run in three of those outings.

Went 0-3 with a 7.01 ERA (20 ER/25.2 IP), 1.71 WHIP and .280 (28-100) opponents average in five April starts… the 7.01 ERA is his highest monthly ERA in his career.

Is limiting left-handed hitters to a .177 (14-79) batting average this season, the fourth-best among American League right-handed starters with at least seven starts.

Has received zero runs of support in four of his nine starts this season and three or more just twice … his four outings with zero runs of support are tied for second-most in the majors behind Ryan Yarbrough (5).

Has gone 9-14 with 3.86 ERA (85 ER/198.0 IP), .210 (151-719) opponents average and 194 strikeouts in 42 career starts … is 3-3 with 3.90 ERA (24 ER/55.1 IP), .225 (47-209) opponents average and 80 strikeouts in 40 career relief appearances.

Has recorded 100-plus strikeouts in each of his last two seasons (2021-22).

Spent his first full season in the major leagues in 2021, pitching out of the bullpen (40 games) while making four starts … opted out of the 2020 season for personal reasons … missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery (performed on 9/18/18).

Was acquired by the White Sox from Boston with OF Luis Basabe, RHP Víctor Díaz and INF Yoán Moncada in exchange for LHP Chris Sale on 12/6/16.

LAST START
Earned the win on 5/19 against Kansas City, working a career-high 8.0 scoreless IP, allowing just one hit while striking out a season-high 10 batters … marked his third career double-digit strikeout game (last on 8/12/22 vs. Detroit; career-high 11) … threw 98 pitches (65 strikes).

Retired the first 16 batters he faced until Michael Massey recorded a single in the sixth inning … faced the minimum 24 batters through 8.0 IP.

Departed the game in the ninth with the Sox leading, 2-0 … reliever Kendall Graveman recorded a 1-2-3 ninth to earned the save … it was the first time since Philip Humber’s perfect game on 4/21/12 at Seattle that Sox pitchers faced the minimum 27 batters in a game.

Owned a 75.0 first-strike percentage and 17.3 swinging-strike percentage (20 swing and misses) vs. 24 batters … threw 69 four-seam fastballs (96.9 mph avg; 99.4 mph max), 15 sliders (86.5 avg; 89.2 max), seven changeups (89.5 mph avg; 90.9 max) and seven curveballs (81.9 avg; 82.9 max).

AN OUTING TO REMEMBER
On 5/19 against Kansas City, Kopech became the third pitcher in franchise history to work 8.0-plus IP and allow one or zero hits with 10-plus strikeouts and zero walks (Baseball Reference/Stathead).

The other two Sox to accomplish the feat are Floyd Bannister (9/13/87 at Seattle) and Gary Peters (7/15/63
vs. Baltimore).

The last MLB pitcher to record those numbers in a start was Toronto’s Alek Manoah on 9/13/21 vs. Tampa Bay.

WELCOME MAY
Has gone 3-2 with a 1.92 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .121 (21- 173) opponents average and 50 strikeouts over nine career starts in May … his 1.92 ERA and .121 opponents average are career monthly bests.

Ranks third in ERA and fifth in WHIP in the majors among pitchers with at least nine starts in the month of May since 2021.

Has allowed 11 runs as a starter in May, the least amount allowed in a single month for his career.

Went 1-1 with a 1.17 ERA (3 ER/23.0 IP), 0.78 WHIP, .103 (8-78) opponents average and 21 strikeouts over four May starts in 2022.

HEATER ON AND RELIABLE
His four-seam fastball has held the opposition to a .199 (69-346) batting average, the 10th-lowest in Major League Baseball among starting pitchers since 2022 … opponents own a .223 (23-103) average on his fastball this season, the second-lowest in MLB.

Has the highest four-seam fastball usage (63.3%) among MLB starting pitchers this season … led MLB starters with at least 2,000 pitches thrown in four-seam fastball usage (61.6%) last season.

Owns a 29.5 swing-and-miss percentage with his four-seam fastball, the 12th-highest percentage in the majors this season.

His 31 strikeouts with the four-seamer is the 11th-best in MLB this year.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

GUARDS FALL 4-2, SOX FORCE RUBBER MATCH
After taking Monday’s opener by a 3-0 margin, the Guardians fell to Chicago-AL by a 4-2 final on Tuesday night at Progressive Field to even the series, as the club is 1-1 to begin a 6-game homestand against Chicago-AL (1-1, one-to-play) and St. Louis (3 games)… Cleveland has still won 3 of 4 and 6 of last 10 home games (10-13 at home overall) entering this afternoon’s finale.

WILL BRENNAN gave Cleveland an early lift with his one-out solo homer in the 3rd off Dylan Cease (6.0IP, 5H, 2R-ER, 2BB, 3SO, HR, 88 pitches), who turned in his second quality start in 6 days against the Guardians…Cleveland’s second tally came in the 6th after JOSH NAYLOR doubled home AMED ROSARIO, who reached on a lead-off walk…LOGAN ALLEN (6.0IP, 7H, 4R-3ER, BB, 4SO, HR, 85 pitches) got through 6.0 frames holding a 2-1 lead, allowing just a 2-out solo homer to Yasmani Grandal in the 5th…fortunes turned after Allen came back out for the 7th, as all five batters he faced prior to exiting reached base on a sequence that included a single, two doubles and a walk scattered around a fielding error that tied the game…Romy Gonzalez delivered the goahead blow for the Southsiders with a 2-run double to end Allen’s outing…Cleveland brought the tying run to the plate in both the 8th and 9th innings, but did not score.

Guardians have dropped 21 of last 33 overall since starting year 9-6…Guardians (21-27) sit in 3rd place in AL Central standings, 3.5 games behind 1st-place Minnesota (25-24) and one game behind 2nd-place Detroit (-2.5G, 21-25)…last season, club went 9-12 in April & 12-12 in May.

RUBBER DUCK READY
With the loss last night, Chicago-AL and Cleveland will play their first rubber match since September 26, 2021, a game that the White Sox won, 5-2, to take a 3-game set at Progressive Field… of the 19 games and 7 series between the two teams last season, they played 2 3-game sets (both were swept by Cleveland), a pair of 2-game sets, 2 4-game sets, and a makeup game…the Guards hold a 3-4 record in rubber matches this season, going 2-2 at home…last season, Cleveland finished 8-6 in rubber matches with a 4-2 record at Progressive Field.

Against Chicago-AL, Cleveland holds a 1,113-1,119 (.499) record all-time…last year, the Guards won the season series 12-7, and have won the season series against the White Sox in 7 of the previous 10 seasons under TERRY FRANCONA…Cleveland’s last series victory against the Southsiders was a 3-game sweep in Chicago from September 20-22 last season…since 2013, Cleveland has the most wins of any MLB team against the White Sox, and their 113-73 (.608) record against Chicago-AL is the 3rdhighest win percentage of any AL team in that span behind Los Angeles-AL (40-22, .645) and New York-AL (36-23, .610).

RAMÍREZ RE-WRITING RECORD BOOKS
As Cleveland’s longest-tenured player on its roster, JOSÉ RAMÍREZ ranks near the top of several categories in the franchise’s record book…after recording a triple in yesterday’s contest, Ramírez (534) needs just two extra-base hits to pass Nap Lajoie (535) for 6th-most extra-base hits in club history…with 169 career go-ahead RBI, he is two go-ahead RBI away from passing Carlos Baerga (170) for 5th-most in Cleveland history…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… recently recording his 300th and 301st career doubles, Ramírez is also six doubles away from passing Ken Keltner (307) for 6th-most among any Cleveland hitter…he also has 97 career game-winning RBI, needing 8 more to pass Jim Thome (104) for the most in club
history.

TITO TERRIFIC
Terry Francona currently owns a career record of 1,895-1,613, putting him at 16th all-time in manager wins (Elias)…with 7 more victories he will pass Hall-of-Famer Bill McKechnie (1,899-1,724) and Gene Mauch (1,901-2,037), cementing himself at 14th alltime…among active managers, he ranks 3rd, behind TEX’s Bruce Bochy (2,033-2,047) and HOU’s Dusty Baker (2,121-1810).

Francona spent four years in Philadelphia from 1997-2000, amassing a record of 285-363…he spent eight seasons with Boston, winning 2 World Series, owning a record of 744-552 and having fewer than 90 wins in only two of those seasons…in his 11 years in Cleveland he has gone 866-698, winning 4 AL Central titles and reaching the World Series in 2016.

GRINDING IT OUT
The Guardians lead MLB with 22 one-run games this season, owning a 9-13 record in such contests…Cincinnati and Los Angeles AL are next closest teams with 19 one-run games…the 22 one-run games in the team’s first 48 contests are the most by the club since 1967 when the team went 9-14 in one-run affairs…Cleveland has played 67 such games since 2022, ranking 5th among MLB teams, and have a .552 win percentage (37-30 record) that ranks 5th in the AL…33 of the club’s 48 games (68.8%) have been decided by 2-orfewer runs this season, owning a 16-17 record in those games… Cleveland’s 33 games decided by 2-or-fewer-runs lead MLB this season, just ahead of Los Angeles-AL’s 32.

The Guards have 407 one-run games since 2013, the 2nd-fewest in MLB over that stretch, but the 6th-best win percentage in MLB and 3rd in the AL (.533, 217-190) behind New York-AL (.544, 237- 139) and Los Angeles-AL (.534, 236-206)…Atlanta leads MLB with a .551 (244-199) winning percentage over that period.

MLB WIN PCT. IN ONE-RUN GAMES SINCE 2013
TEAM RECORD WIN %
Atlanta 244-199 .551
Milwaukee 233-193 .547
New York-AL 237-199 .544
St. Louis 241-209 .536
Los Angeles-AL 236-206 .534
Cleveland 217-190 .533

GUARDIANS OF THE BASEPATHS
Cleveland’s 46 steals currently rank 4th in MLB behind Pittsburgh (53), Tampa Bay (53) and Oakland (48)…the last time a Cleveland team had 46-or-more steals through the team’s first 48 games was 1999 (49)…that team went on to win the AL Central…the Guardians 13 multi-steal games this season is 2nd in MLB behind Pittsburgh (16)…the Guards hold an 11-2 (.846) record in such games, holding the highest win percentage among teams with 9-or-more multi-steal games…since 2022, Cleveland leads MLB with 165 stolen bases, ahead of Miami (162) and Texas (158).

TODAY’S STARTER – 47 CAL QUANTRILL RHP
QUANTRILL AT HOME
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-0 3.64 4 4 21.1 22 11 11 9 11
Career 21-5 3.33 66 50 297.1 266 116 110 78 221

QUANTRILL’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 2-2 4.06 9 9 51.0 52 24 23 15 239
Career 33-18 3.57 122 84 522.0 496 230 208 145 398

TODAY’S START
The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his tenth start, fifth at home, this afternoon in the finale of this 3-game series with the Chicago White Sox…is starting on 4 days rest; is 10-2 with a 3.04 ERA (51ER/151.0IP) in 28 career starts on 4 days rest…the Guardians are 6-3 in Quantrill starts this season.

LAST TIME OUT
His last start came on May 19 at New York-AL in a 10-9 defeat… he did not factor into the decision, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing 3 runs (earned) on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts against 0 walks…after working through the first 4.0 frames without allowing a run, the Mets plated two runs in the 5th inning with a solo home run from Francisco Alvarez and an RBI-single from Jeff McNeil…Brett Baty later took Quantrill deep with a solo shot to lead off 6th frame…he recorded two more outs before Mark Canha singled, ending his day…he has yet to allow 4-or-more earned runs in a start in May.

GET ME SOME DEEP DISH
This will be his 11th career appearance and 7th career start against the White Sox…his last start against Chicago-AL came on July 22, 2022, an 8-2 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field…Quantrill got the win, allowing 2 runs (earned) over 5.0 innings with 4 strikeouts and one walk…in his 10 appearances against the Sox he owns a 2-1 record with a 2.87 ERA (12ER/37.2IP)…he’s looking to secure his third straight win against Chicago-AL.

Quantrill has yet to allow an earned run in his 2 starts against the AL Central this season, shutting out Minnesota over 7.0 innings on May 7 and Detroit over 6.0 innings on April 19…in 39 appearances (26 starts) against the AL Central, he’s 16-3 with a 2.98 ERA (56ER/169.0IP), his lowest mark vs. any division…his last divisional loss came on July 5, 2022 against Detroit, since then he has gone 8-0 with a 2.63 ERA (15ER/51.1IP) in 9 starts vs. the AL Central, rattling off 5 consecutive victories…his 8 wins against the division during that stretch is T1st with SHANE BIEBER and his 2.63 ERA is 4th.

PROGRESSIVE FIELD’S PRO
In 48 games/38 starts at Progressive Field, Quantrill possesses a 15-2 record with a 3.05 ERA (77ER/227.1IP) and 159 strikeouts… among pitchers with 20-or-more starts at Progressive Field since it opened in 1994, he possesses the ballpark’s highest win percentage (.882), ahead of Orel Hershiser (21-5, .808).

After losing two straight home starts for the first time since 2019 to start the 2023 season, Quantrill bounced back by earning the win on May 7 against Minnesota, followed by a quality start (6.0IP, 6H, 3R/ER 3BB, 2SO) on May 13 against Los Angeles-AL…earlier this season, his 14-game home win streak was snapped after suffering the loss to Seattle on April 8, ending the longest home win streak in Progressive Field history…entering this season, he had not lost a start at home since September 9, 2019 when he was with San Diego, a span of 36 starts…overall, he boasts a 21-5 record with a 3.33 ERA (110ER/297.1IP) across 66G/50GS at home during his career.

CLEVELAND’S CONSISTENT CAL
In Quantrill’s last 25 games, he has a 12-2 (.857) record, holding the 2nd-highest win percentage among all MLB pitchers in their last 25 starts behind Los Angeles-NL’s Tony Gonsolin (17-2, .895)…as a club, Cleveland has won 21 of Quantrill’s last 25 starts.

MAY-BE IT’S YOUR MONTH
Quantrill has opened May with a quality start in 3 of his 4 outings…his 2.77 ERA (8ER/26.0IP) in May is the lowest in Cleveland’s starting rotation…during his career, he has made 23 appearances/14 starts in May, owning a 3.35 ERA (36ER/96.2IP) with a .251 opposing batting average

MLB Preview: Houston Astros (28-20) at Milwaukee Brewers (26-22)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Houston Astros (28-20) at Milwaukee Brewers (26-22)

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Astros and Brewers will play the rubber-game of their three-game series today with a pitching matchup of RHP Brandon Bielak opposite former Astros minor leaguer RHP Adrian Houser…Houser, who was originally a second-round pick by the Astros in 2011, was traded by Houston along with three others at the trading deadline in 2015, in a trade that netted the Astros OF Carlos Gómez.

ABOUT BIELAK: RHP Brandon Bielak is making his fourth turn in the rotation while subbing for the injured RHP José Urquidy… Bielak has worked 5.0 innings of one-run ball in each of his last two starts, and reached a career high in strikeouts (9) in his last start on Friday vs. OAK…Bielak has pitched in parts of the last four Major League seasons (2020-23) with the Astros, making 49 appearances, including 11 starts…he began his 2023 season at Triple A Sugar Land, posting a 4.12 ERA (9ER/19.2IP) with nine strikeouts, a 1.12 WHIP and a .216 opponent batting average in five games (three starts) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros have won 11 of their last 13 games to put them eight games above .500…much of this damage was done on the Astros last homestand, in which they went 6-0 with three-game sweeps of the Cubs and A’s.

STREAK SNAPPED: The Astros had their season-high, eight-game winning streak snapped last night…the Astros have now posted at least an eight-game winning streak in every season dating back to 2017, and have had at least a seven-game winning streak in every season dating back to 2014.

ROAD RAGE: The Astros are 14-9 (.609) on the road, which ranks as the second-best road record in the AL, trailing only the Orioles (16-9, .640)…this falls in line with what the Astros did last season, as they led the AL in road winning percentage with a 51-30 (.630) mark.

VS. THE CREW: The Astros and Brewers, who spent 15 seasons (1998-2012) together in the NL Central, have only played each other in 11 games since the Astros moved to the AL in 2013, with Houston going 6-6 in those games…oddly enough, in all 11 of those games, the Astros have alternated wins and losses, which bodes well for today…prior to this series, the two teams last saw each other in 2019, playing two-game series in both Milwaukee and Houston that season (both series were splits).

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: A night after setting season-highs in runs (12), hits (15) and home runs (5), the Astros were shut out by the Brewers, 6-0, last night in Milwaukee…RHP J.P. France (1ER/5.2IP) pitched well in what was his fourth career start, posting a career-high eight strikeouts…SS Jeremy Peña (2×4) had the best night on the offensive side, as he connected for a single and double in the loss.

BAGGY IN THE BOOTH: The Astros telecast on AT&T SportsNet SW this series has featured Todd Kalas, Julia Morales and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who’s subbing for Geoff Blum…Blum will rejoin the telecast on Friday from Oakland.

PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.21) and have allowed the fewest runs (171) in the Majors…their starters rank third the Majors in ERA (3.25) and have allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in five straight games.

Lowest Team ERA – MLB Lowest Starter ERA – MLB

  1. Houston: 3.21 1. Tampa Bay: 2.97
  2. Minnesota: 3.45 2. Minnesota: 3.24
  3. Seattle: 3.53 3. Houston: 3.25

HECTOR’S HOT STREAK: RHP Hector Neris has not allowed a run in his last 15 appearances (13.0 IP)…that ties as the longest scoreless inning streak by an Astro this season, along with a streak produced by RHP Luis Garcia…Neris’ streak ties as the second-longest active streak in the AL.

BULLPEN WEAPONS: RHP Phil Maton and RHP Bryan Abreu have been outstanding this season…Maton has allowed just 10 hits and two runs in his first 20 appearances (23.1 IP) for a 0.77 ERA and a .127 (10×79) opponent average…meanwhile, Abreu has tallied 36 strikeouts in his 22.1 IP while allowing just three earned runs for a 1.21 ERA, and also posting a .145 opponent average (14.51 SO/9IP ratio ranks fourth in the AL).

LATE ATTACK: The Astros offense has come alive late in games this season, producing 85 runs in the 7th inning or later, which ranks tied for second in the AL trailing only the Blue Jays (89)… the Astros top innings on the season have been the 1st and 7th, with the club scoring 31 runs in both frames.

AL RANKINGS: Among AL players, LF Yordan Alvarez ranks second in RBI (46), second in SLG (.612), third in OPS (1.018), third in OBP (.407) and eighth in batting average (.303)…3B Alex Bregman ranks tied for fourth in walks (27) and third in walk to strikeout ratio (1.27)…additionally, IF Mauricio Dubón
ranks fourth in batting average (.305).

STUFF OF NIGHTMARES: LF Yordan Alvarez has been at his best in the big moments in his career, especially this season… he’s hitting .457 (16×35) with RISP, .526 (10×19) with RISP and two outs, .625 (5×8) with the bases loaded, and .400 (10×25) in close and late situations.

STEAK SANDWICHES: LF Yordan Alvarez has 46 RBI in his 42 games (48 team games) to put him on pace for 155 RBI… he’s the second Astro to record 46 RBI within the team’s first 48 games, joining 1B Jeff Bagwell, who also did so in 1997… Bagwell finished that year with 135 RBI, the second-highest total in club history (Lance Berkman, 136 RBI in 2006).

HITS IN ASTROS HISTORY (1962-CURRENT)

  1. Craig Biggio 3,060 3. Jose Altuve 1,938
  2. Jeff Bagwell 2,314 4. Jose Cruz 1,937

TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP BRANDON BIELAK
LAST START – 5/19 VS OAK: struck out a career-high 9 batters, allowing 1 run and 4 hits in 5 IP…surpassed his previous career high of 6 strikeouts, which he accomplished twice, doing so last on 5/1 vs SF…matched his season-high of 5 IP, which he last accomplished 5/13 at CWS…has logged 5 IP in back-to-back outings for the 2nd time in his career and is one more outing of 5+ IP from matching his career-best streak.

SLIDE PIECE: is generating a career-best 48.1 whiff percentage with his slider this season, which is the higest whiff percentage of any pitch throughout his career…his slider accounts for 21.7 percent of his pitches this season.

WHAT A RELIEF: came on in relief on May 1 vs. SF after RHP Luis Garcia was removed in the 1st inning after 8 pitches…matched his career-high with 6 strikeouts, tossing 4.0 IP and allowing 2 runs, 2 hits and 3 walks… was the longest relief outing from an Astros pitcher this season and was the longest from an Astros pitcher since RHP Peter Solomon on 9/29/21 vs. AZ….had been recalled earlier in the day following the placement of RHP José Urquidy on the 15-day IL.

BACK IN THE BIGS: is making his first stint in the Majors this season and has appeared at the MLB level in each of the last 4 seasons (all with the Astros)… continues to serve in a hybrid starter-relief role…prior to his start on May 1, he had not made a start at the Major League level since 9/24/21 at OAK.

STARTER VS. RELIEVER: will be making his 12th career start in what is his 50th career MLB appearance…has gone 2-4 with a 5.14 ERA (24ER/42IP) as a starter vs. going 5-4 with a 4.56 ERA (36ER/71.0IP) as a reliever…of his 38 appearances as a reliever, has tossed at least 2.0 IP on 18 occasions.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: Is game 3 (1-1) of a 7-game homestand against Houston (1-1) and San Francisco (4g)…..following this homestand and an off day next Monday, the team takes a 7-game road trip to Toronto (3g) and Cincinnati (4g).

IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP JB Bukauskas (neck), RHP Matt Bush (right rotator cuff), LHP Eric Lauer (right shoulder), LHP Wade Miley (left lat), OF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring), 1B Luke Voit (neck), LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder) are on the injured list…..Alexander, Ashby, Mitchell, Urías, Wilson and Woodruff are on the 60-day IL.

IN THE STANDINGS (55 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 34, SECOND: 19, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently in first place, leading the second-place Pirates by 1.0 game.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 7-8-0 in series play.
Game 1: 7-9, Game 2: 10-6, Game 3: 8-7, Game 4: 1-0
Sweep Wins (3): vs. NYM (3g, 4/3-4/5), at SEA (3g, 4/17-4/19), vs. KC (3g, 5/12-5/14)
Sweep Losses (1): at COL (3g, 5/2-5/4)

AT HOME: The Brewers are 14-9 at home, going 4-3-0 in series play…..the team went 46-35 at home last season, going 15-8-4 in series play.

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

LET’S GO TO THE VIDEO TAPE: The Brewers have made nine replay challenges this season, going 5-4…..their last challenge (lost) came on May 21 at Tampa Bay as a hit by pitch (Randy Arozarena) stood.

TODAY’S STARTER: #37 – RHP ADRIAN HOUSER (3gs, 0-0, 3.07)
HOUSER AT A GLANCE: Adrian Houser, 30, will be making his fourth start…..Houser last started last Friday at Tampa Bay and received no decision in the Brewers’ 1-0 loss (6ip, 4h, 0r, 1bb, 4k, 84 pitches)…..the team is 2-1 in his starts…..he has 1 quality start…..opponents are batting .322 (19-for-59, 1hr)…..Houser began the season on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain…..he was sent to Triple-A Nashville on rehab assignment on April 14, where he made 4 starts…..Houser was acquired from Houston, along with LHP Josh Hader, OF Brett Phillips and OF Domingo Santana, in exchange for OF Carlos Gómez, RHP Mike Fiers and International Signing Bonus Slot #76 on 7/30/15.

LAST SEASON: Houser went 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA in 22 games/21 starts last season…..the team went 9-12 in his starts…..he made 6 quality starts…..opponents batted .258….. he posted a 2.98 ERA over his first 8 starts of the season (42.1ip, 14er) and a 6.17 ERA over his last 13 starts (58.1ip, 40er)…..he was on the 15-day injured list from 7/1-8/23 with a right flexor strain and from 9/28 through the remainder of the season with a right groin strain.

CAREER: Is 23-29 with a 3.94 ERA in 109 games/79 starts (442.2ip, 194er)…..is in his seventh Major League season, all with the Brewers (2015, 2018-23)…..has gone 18-29 with a 4.26 ERA as a starter (386.1ip, 183er) and 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA in relief (56.1ip, 11er)…..underwent “Tommy John” surgery on his right elbow on 7/21/16.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 8-14 with a 3.53 ERA in 55 games/38 starts (216.2ip, 85er)…..is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 1 start this season (4ip, 3er)…..went 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 12 games/11 starts last season (58.2ip, 24er)…..CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 15-15 with a 4.34 ERA in 54 games/41 starts (226ip, 109er)…..is 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 2 starts this season (10.2ip, 2er)…..went 3-5 with a 6.14 ERA in 10 starts last season (44ip, 30er).

CAREER vs. ASTROS: Is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 2 games/1 start (6.1ip, 1er)…..he earned a 6-3 win in relief on 6/12/19 at Minute Maid Park (2ip, 1h, 0r, 1bb, 3k) and had no decision in a 3-2, 10-inning loss on 9/2/19 at American Family Field (4.1ip, 5h, 1r, 1er, 2bb, 6k).

MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants (24-24) at Minnesota Twins (25-24)

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MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants (24-24) at Minnesota Twins (25-24)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: Winners of seven of their last eight games, the Giants will try to complete the sweep this afternoon in Minnesota after taking the first two games of this series…SF has swept the Twins one time in a three-game series since the two teams started playing one another in 2003…that series came at Oracle Park from May 23-25, 2014.

EVEN STEVENS: Last night’s win brought the Giants back to .500 (24-24) for the first time since they were 3-3 after defeating the White Sox in Chicago on April 6…a win today would move the Giants over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

CREAM AND TWO SUGARS, PLZ: Today’s 12:10 p.m. local start time is one of the earliest scheduled games the Giants will play all season…it’s not the earliest though as the Giants have at 12:05 p.m. ET game at Pittsburgh on July 16 and the 12:05 p.m. PT game on the final day of the year on Oct. 1 where all teams play at the same time across the league.

BULL’S EYE: The Giants have won seven of their last eight 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 1.22 ERA and holding opposing teams to a .186 average during the run…since May 15, the 47 strikeouts are second-most of any ‘pen in the Majors behind the Dodgers’ 51 while their 37.0 innings pitched are fifth-most.

Giants Bullpen, Last 7 games vs. Previous 8
Last Eight # Ranking
Team Record 7-1 T-2nd
ERA 1.22 4th
Strikeouts 47 2nd
Innings 37.0 5th
Opposing Avg. .186 3rd
Saves 7 1st
Previous Eight # Ranking
Team Record 2-6 27th
ERA 5.67 26th
Strikeouts 19 T-27th
Innings 27.0 11th
Opposing Avg. .299 28th
Saves 1 T-16th

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE: Overall, SF’s pitching staff has posted a 2.63 ERA since May 15, the best figure in the NL and third-lowest in MLB behind the White Sox (1.177) and Yankees (2.30)…the Giants’ offense averaged 4.5 runs-per-game despite homering just five times over the eight-game span…after slugging an NL-leading 46 home runs in April, SF hitters have just 21 homers this month, tied for 17th in MLB.

WE’RE MAKING MORE LOCAL CALLS: During this eight-game stretch, the Giants haven’t relied as much on the homer to score a majority of their runs as they have for much of the season… only 11-of-36 runs during this eight-game run have come via the homer (31%), which has dropped their season percentage of runs via the homer to 52.15% (109-of-209), now second in MLB decimal points behind the Dodgers (52.17%) (SIS).

-30-: The Giants are 18-11 (.621) with a +4 run differential in their last 29 games dating to April 22…prior to that point, the Giants were 6-13 (.462) with a -18 run differential…SF’s .621 winning percentage in this span is tied for fourth-best in the Majors with Texas behind the Dodgers (21-8, .724), Orioles (19-10, .655) and Astros (18-10, .643).

TONY SUNSHINE: RHP Anthony DeSclafani toes the slab today for his fourth day game start of the season…he’s been superb in his prior three starts in the sunshine, going 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA (3er, 19.0ip)…the Giants are 2-1 in those three games…in the 19.0-innings during day games this season DeSclafani has struck out 16 and not walked a batter (SIS).

BE LIKE MIKE: OF Michael Conforto became the first Giant this season to reach the double-digit homer mark by hitting his 10th homer of the season last night that eventually gave SF the win…the homer was Conforto’s sixth in his last 12 games, tied for the third-most homers in MLB since May 10 behind NYY’s Aaron Judge (8)and CHC’s Christopher Morel (8)…in this run, Conforto is slashing .333/.380/.778 with 14 RBI.

CONFORT…ABLE: The outfielder also has a relatively long history of success against the AL Central, particularly the Twins…Conforto’s 1.070 OPS vs. the division is tops in MLB (min. 125 PAs) among active players, with his .643 slugging percentage also ranking first…in his small eight-game history vs. the Twins, Conforto is 13-for-28 with three homers, 12 RBI and a 1.388 OPS (Stats, LLC).

HIT ‘EM WHEN IT COUNTS: With another go-ahead homer yesterday, 60% of Conforto’s home runs this season have given the Giants the lead (6-of-10)…his six go-ahead homers are tied for fourth-most in the Majors behind NYY’s Aaron Judge (eight), MIA’s Jorge Soler (eight) and STL’s Nolan Gorman (six).

KAMILO: RHP Camilo Doval struck out the side in the 9th inning last night to secure his NL-leading 13th save of the season…Doval has whiffed 34 of the 93 batters he’s faced this year (36.6%)…that percentage is ninth-best in the Majors among relievers with at least 15.0 innings pitched.

RATIOED: It’s been a short time in the Majors for C Patrick Bailey but since his arrival the Giants pitchers have 49 strikeouts to just eight walks in the 39.0 innings that he’s caught…that’s better than a 6:1 ratio (Sports Info Solutions).

QUICK FLIGHT: After today’s game the Giants take to the skies to face Milwaukee in a four-game set beginning tomorrow… SF took two-of-three from the Brew Crew in San Francisco earlier this month…this year’s trip is much easier than last year’s when SF had to visit Milwaukee two separate times as a result of the restructuring of MLB’s schedule after the first week of the season was postponed.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – ANTHONY DeSCLAFANI RHP #26
2023 RECORD: 3-3, 3.09 ERA

TODAY’S OUTING: Gets the nod to make his 10th start of the season tonight at Minnesota…the veteran, who returns from an injury-plagued 2022, is in his ninth Major League season and third in a Giants uniform.

LAST TIME OUT: Didn’t factor in the decision last Friday in SF’s 4-3 over Miami…threw 5.1 innings and limited batters to two runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

VS. MINNESOTA: Is slated to face the Twins for the third time in his career and his first since the 2020 shortened season, when he threw 3.0 innings of relief on September 26 here at Target Field as a member of the Reds…gave up three runs on four hits in the outing and struck out two…in two career appearances (one start) against Minnesota, DeSclafani is 0-1 with a 8.38 ERA and .375 opposing average.

IN THE ZONE: DeSclafani has been in control around the zone all season, issuing just seven walks with 41 strikeouts in his first nine starts this year…his 3.2% walk rate and 1.14 walks-per-nine average are both second-lowest in MLB behind SEA’s George Kirby (2.2%, 0.77), while his 5.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks second in the NL behind ARI’s Zac Gallen (6.00).

UNDER PRESSURE: When reaching the three-ball count, opponents are just 4-for-31 (.129) with seven walks against him…according to Sports Info Solutions, his .290 opposing OBP in three-ball counts is the lowest in MLB, with his .451 OPS ranking third.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The veteran has been especially stingy against leadoff hitters who are generally great at getting on base….DeSclafani’s .148 OBP against the leadoff hitter is tops best in MLB (min. 25BF)…he’s yet to walk a hitter batting first in the lineup this season in 28 plate appearances…the only NL pitchers to have faced the leadoff hitter more times without a walk are teammate RHP Logan Webb (32), STL’s Jordan Montgomery (30) and LAD’s Julio Urías (29).

SEND HELP: Has received one or no runs of support in five of his nine starts this season and three runs of fewer in seven of those… has a 3.25 runs support average this season, eighth lowest in MLB…today’s opponent RHP Joe Ryan has a 8.04 RSA, fourth-highest in MLB

SEAL THE DEAL: DeSclafani has been outstanding this season with two strikes, holding batters to 13 hits in 101 at-bats (.129) with just four extra-base hits and three RBI…opponents have a .358 OPS off him with two strikes.

QUALITY…AND QUANTITY: The veteran has reached the 5.0-inning threshold in each of his starts this season, with five of his nine outings so far this year earning quality start status.

LUCKY CHARM: Since joining the Giants in 2021, SF is 29-16 (.644) when DeSclafani takes the hill, winning 13 of his last 20 starts.

MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:

THE TWINS: After completing their road-trip with a record of 2-4 (1-2 at Dodger Stadium and 1-2 at Angel Stadium), the Twins began their six-game, seven-day homestand with consecutive losses to the Giants the last two nights…today, Minnesota will continue the homestand with the three-game series finale against San Francisco…they will enjoy an off-day tomorrow, then welcome the Blue Jays for three games over the weekend…the Twins have gone 14-10 at Target Field and 11-14 on the road.

The Twins are looking to avoid dropping their fourth-straight game today, which would mark a season-long…they have lost three-straight three times previously (April 15-18, April 20-22 and May 6-9).

TWINS DROP ANOTHER CLOSE ONE: The Twins lost to the Giants last night at Target Field by a score of 4-3, dropping their second series at home (6-2-0)…Sonny Gray was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing two runs on six hits in 5.0 innings pitched…Jorge López (1-2) was dealt the loss, allowing a two run-homer to Michael Conforto in the seventh inning, losing the 3-2 lead…the offense recorded just six hits, two from Byron Buxton, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his 10th of the season…Michael A. Taylor also added a home run, his sixth of the season.

JOE CY-AN: Through eight starts, Joe Ryan has gone 6-1, 2.25 ERA (56.0 IP, 14 ER) with eight walks and 66 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .203 (42-for-207) batting average… below are his ranks among AL starting pitchers in a few notable categories:

ERA OPS SLG WHIP FIP WAR
Gray – 1.82 Ryan – .530 Gray – .292 Wells – 0.79 Gray – 1.98 Eovaldi – 2.7
McClanahan – 2.05 Rodriguez – .550 Ohtani – .294 Ryan – 0.89 Ryan – 2.30 Gray – 2.4
Rodriguez – 2.19 Ohtani – .560 Ryan – .295 Ohtani – 0.90 Eovaldi – 2.43 Gausman – 2.3
Ryan – 2.25 Wells – .560 Rodriguez – .302 Javier – 0.95 Gausman – 2.44 Ryan – 2.2
Valdez – 2.45 Gilbert – .580 Gilbert – .326 Rodriguez – 0.96 Gilbert – 2.65 Valdez – 2.1

GOLDEN JOE: Joe Ryan was born and raised in Marin County, CA and played prep ball at Sir Francis Drake High School…he was a die-hard Giants fan growing up…the Giants invited him for a pre-draft workout in 2014 but did not take him high enough in the draft (39th round), so Joe decided to attend California State University, Northridge and was eventually drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 draft by Tampa Bay…Joe recently met and took a picture with 49ers legend Joe Montana in front of the team hotel on Sunday morning in Anaheim prior to getting on the team bus.

MY GIANT: The Twins and Giants are playing each other for the 21st time in their history today… the Twins are 9-11 all-time against San Francisco, going 3-2 at Target Field, 5-7 at Oracle Park and 1-2 at the Metrodome…dating back to 2017, the Twins have won five of their last eight over the Giants…Twins are looking to avoid losing a series to the Giants for the first time since May 23-25, 2014, when they were swept in three at Oracle Park…the Twins are 3-3-0 all time in series play against San Francisco.

50 FIRST DATES: The Twins are playing in their 50th game of the season today, below are the yearly hitting and pitching comparisons (since 2019) for the first 50:
AVG R H 2B 3B HR BB K OBP SLG OPS
2019 .273 300 472 108 8 101 162 376 .342 .521 .862
2020 .244 225 391 63 2 75 161 428 .319 .426 .745
2021 .241 234 403 89 5 69 168 438 .315 .424 .738
2022 .251 222 417 86 3 53 179 415 .328 .402 .730
2023 .229 223 379 78 7 66 169 485 .310 .405 .714

W L S IP H ER HR BB K ERA BAA
2019 34 16 14 442.0 415 188 60 142 421 3.83 .246
2020 30 20 16 423.1 381 175 54 143 442 3.72 .239
2021 20 30 10 434.1 419 223 70 159 420 4.62 .251
2022 30 20 13 444.0 396 169 49 143 427 3.43 .234
2023 25 24 11 441.0 369 169 45 150 486 3.45 .224

SERIES FINALE: The Twins lost their seventh series of the season last night, making them 7-7-1 in series play in 2023…they have gone 1-6-1 in eight road series this season and 6-2-0 at home (results to the right)…Twins are looking to avoid being swept today for the first time this season…they faced a potential sweep once after losing the first two to Washington from April 21-22, but won the third game on April 3…last time they were swept was by Cleveland in three games at Target Field from September 9-11, 2022.

NATIONAL TREASURES: The Twins have gone 7-10 in Interleague Play this season, going 1-2 at Miami, 1-2 vs. Washington, 2-1 vs. San Diego, 2-1 vs. Chicago-NL, 1-2 vs. Los Angeles-NL and 0-2 vs. San Francisco…after this series, the Twins’ next NL opponent will be the Brewers for two games at Target Field from June 13-14…the Twins are 10-6 (.625) against the AL Central and 15-18 (.455) against the rest of the league this season…no other division leader is below .500 in non-divisional games.

CREATING SPACE: The Twins have played 14 one-run games this season, going 4-10 in such instances, tied for the fourth-most losses in baseball…they have played 35 games within two runs, going 21-14 in those games, eighth-most wins in baseball…they have played 24 games within three runs, going 14-10 in those.

ALL ARMS AND LEGS: Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a stolen base last night…last night marked his eighth career game with a homer and a stolen base, 11th most in Twins history; Torii Hunter has the most, with 19….Buck extended his on-base streak to a career-long 23-straight games, since April 25…Buxton’s current streak is the longest for a Twin since Jorge Polanco reached safely in 37-straight from May 13-June 25, 2019.

In his last eight games, Buxton is hitting .333 (10-for-30) with four walks, two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, four walks, nine runs scored, three stolen bases, a .429 on-base percentage, a .600 slugging percentage and a 1.029 OPS.

DONNIE BARRELS: Donovan Solano is hitting .320 (16-for-50) with three doubles, six walks and a .404 on-base percentage in 19 games at Target Field this season…Solano has reached base safely in nine of his last 10 games overall (home and road), posting a .420 on-base percentage in that span…Donnie played three seasons with the Giants from 2019-21, hitting .308 (219-for-712) with 45 doubles, 14 home runs, 83 RBI and 84 runs scored in 236 games and won a Louisville Silver Slugger Award in 2020…Solano believes his nickname “Donnie Barrels” came from Giants teammate Mike Yastrzemski who started calling him “Donnie Ballgame”…then, some teammates started asking how he got the barrel of the bat on the ball, and somehow the name became “Donnie Barrels.”

STARTING PITCHER – JOE RYAN 41
2023: 6-1, 2.25 ERA CAREER: 21-10, 3.29 ERA

Making his 10th start and appearance of 2023 and his fourth home start of the year…also his 42nd career start and appearance.

San Francisco native is facing the Giants for the second time in his career; won his only previous start vs. the Giants on August 26, 2022 at Target Field in a 9-0 Twins victory (6.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 8 K).

Owns most strikeouts (247) and second-most wins (21) through a pitcher’s first 41 career games in Twins history (since 1961)

LAST TIME OUT: Recorded his seventh-straight quality start but did not factor into the decision in the Twins 5-4 loss against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium on May 19…pitched 6.0 innings, allowing three runs (2 earned) on seven hits, with one walk and nine strikeouts…allowed one run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by outfielder Taylor Ward, scoring infielder Zach Neto…gave up two runs in the fourth inning, one on a RBI double from infielder Brandon Drury and one on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Jeffers…allowed a stolen base to infielder Luis Rengifo in the fourth inning, the first steal Ryan has allowed this year; snapped his career-long 12-start streak without allowing a stolen base, dating back to September 13, 2022…yielded two hits in the bottom of the sixth inning but held the Angels scoreless in the frame…was relieved by Griffin Jax to start the seventh inning with the Twins leading 4-3; Jax allowed two runs in the inning and Minnesota did not score in the final two innings, dropping the series opener.

Current streak of seven-straight quality starts marks the longest streak of his career and the longest by a Twin since José Berríos also recorded seven-consecutive quality starts in 2019…Ryan’s streak is tied with Houston’s Framber Valdez for the second longest in baseball this season, trailing only Seattle’s George Kirby (8).

Has pitched 6.0-or-more innings in each of his last 10 starts, dating back to September 30, 2022…marks the longest streak of Ryan’s career and the longest active streak in baseball. AHas not allowed a home run in his last five starts, his longest streak without allowing a homer in his career…last allowed a homer in the sixth inning on April 19 at Boston to Kiké Hernández, logging 31.1 innings since the home run.

TWO STARTS AGO: Earned his team-leading sixth win in the Twins 11-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on May 13 at Target Field…recorded his sixth-straight quality start, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with four hits allowed, one walk and a season-high-tying 10 strikeouts…retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced from the top of the third inning through the top of the sixth…threw a season-high 102 pitches, his most in a game since throwing 106 pitches vs. Kansas City on September 13, 2022… was relieved by Jovani Moran to begin the top of the seventh inning with Minnesota leading 7-0…the Twins offense recorded 13 hits, including a season-high five home runs, as Moran and Cole Sands combined to hold the Cubs to one run over the final 3.0 innings to seal the win.

Recorded 10-or-more strikeouts for the fourth time in his career and the second time vs. the Cubs (career-high 11 K at Chicago-NL on September 22, 2021)

RYAN VS. SAN FRANCISCO: Today is Ryan’s second career start vs. the Giants…earned the win in his only previous start on August 26, 2022 at Target Field in the Twins 9-0 victory; pitched 6.0 shutout innings, allowed two hits, issued three walks and struck out eight batters…threw 107 pitches, the second most he has ever thrown in his career (110 at Los Angeles-NL on August 9, 2022)…Ryan was born in San Francisco and grew up across the San Francisco Bay in Marin County, where he currently resides during the offseason…grew up a diehard Giants fan and was selected by them in the 39th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Sir Francis Drake High School, but elected not to sign.

In four career starts vs. National League West opponents (SF – 1, LAD – 1, SD – 1, COL – 1), Ryan is 2-2, 7.84 ERA (20.2 IP, 18 ER) with seven walks and 20 strikeouts.

ON TARGET: Making his fourth home start of the season today…has won each of his three starts at Target Field in 2023, going 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA (19.0 IP, 5 ER), two walks, 27 strikeouts and a .194 (14-for-72) opponent batting average…his 13.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio at home is the fifth best in the American League this year (min. 3 GS), trailing TB’s Zach Eflin (34.00), SEA’s George Kirby (22.00), TB’s Taj Bradley (21.00) and teammate Tyler Mahle (16.00)…the Twins are 5-0 in his last five home starts, dating back to September 13, 2022, with Ryan going 4-0, 2.40 ERA (30.0 IP, 8 ER) with seven walks and 41 strikeouts in that span…in six road starts this season, he is 3-1, 2.19 ERA (37.0 IP, 9 ER) with six walks and 39 strikeouts.

Ryan has gone 10-5 with a 3.32 ERA (116.2 IP, 43 ER), 35 walks and 132 strikeouts in 21 career home starts…has similar numbers in 20 career road starts, going 11-5 with a 3.27 ERA (113.0 IP, 41 ER), 25 walks and 115 strikeouts.

LIGHTS OUT VS. LEFTIES: Left-handed hitters are batting just .186 (19-for-102) with a .499 OPS and 26 strikeouts against Ryan this year…his .499 opponent OPS against lefties ranks fifth in baseball this season (min. 30.0 IP)…right-handed hitters are hitting .219 (23-for-105) with a .560 OPS and 46 strikeouts…his .203 (42-for-207) overall opponent batting average in 2023 ranks sixth in the American League and 10th in baseball…over his career, Ryan has slightly better splits against lefthanded hitters than righties, with lefties batting just .192 with a .599 OPS since his debut in 2021… right-handed hitters are hitting .215 with a .641 OPS off Ryan.

THE ARSENAL: Ryan has utilized a four-pitch mix in his first nine starts of the 2023 season…has leaned on his four-seam fastball and split finger, combining to throw the two pitches 86.1 percent of the time this year…opponents are batting just .184 (14-for-76) with 19 strikeouts against his split finger and sweeper combined this season…here’s a look at Ryan’s repertoire, per Baseball Savant:

PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
4-Seam Fastball (92.6)………….58.3% (482 pitches, 243/239).. .202 (24-for-119), 3 2B, 3 HR, 42 K
Split Finger (83.5)………………….27.8% (230 pitches, 85/145)…………. .188 (13-for-69), 3 2B, 17 K
Sweeper (78.7)…………………………8.1% (67 pitches, 56/11)………………………….. .143 (1-for-7), 2 K
Slider (82.7)…………………………….5.8% (48 pitches, 38/10)……….. .364 (4-for-11), 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 K

Ryan’s four-seam fastball has accumulated a run value of -12 this season, the best run value on a four-seam fastball in the majors (min. 10 PA).

MASTER OF MAY: In four starts during the month of May this season, Ryan is 1-1, 1.50 ERA (24.0 IP, 4 ER) with four walks and 30 strikeouts…his 1.50 ERA in May ranks fourth in the American League and his 30 strikeouts are the fifth most in the AL this month (min. 4 GS)…he is 3-2, 2.44 ERA (44.1 IP, 12 ER) with 12 walks and 47 strikeouts in eight career May starts; his 2.44 ERA in May is the second lowest among any month in his career (April – 2.13).

MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (29-20) at Philadelphia Phillies (22-26)

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MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (29-20) at Philadelphia Phillies (22-26)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs have won 9 of their last 11 games…their 9 wins since May 11 are tied for the most in the Majors (also: Astros, Cardinals and Yankees).

♦ The D-backs’ 29 wins are tied for the second most in the NL (also: Braves), behind the Dodgers (31)…the D-backs’ 24 wins vs. NL opponents are second behind the Dodgers (29).

♦ The D-backs are a season-high 9 games above .500 for the since Sept. 11, 2018 (77-68).

♦ The D-backs are second in the NL West (23 days in/tied for fi rst place from April 2-30).

♦ Arizona has won 4 straight series and 8 of its last 10… they look to earn their fi rst sweep @ Phillies since June 16-18, 2017, and fi rst since Aug. 26-28, 2022 @ White Sox.

♦ Zac Gallen grew up in Gibbsboro, N.J., 14 miles east of Citizens Bank Park…entering today, he ranks among NL leaders in wins (T-2nd, 6), home runs allowed (T-2nd, 2), strikeout-to-walk ratio (T-5th, 6.00) and strikeouts (T-6th, 72).

SOMETHING ABOUT MAY
♦ Since May 1, the D-backs’ off ense with 2 outs ranks among the Majors in SLG (1st, .467), homers (T-1st, 7), runs (2nd, 22), stolen bases (2nd, 5), extra-base hits (T2nd, 13), OBP (4th, .336), and average (T-4th, .242).

♦ The D-backs’ .348 OBP in May is the highest in MLB, ahead of the Rangers (.342), Red Sox (.339) and Blue Jays (.336).

♦ The D-backs’ 83 walks in May (20 games) are fourth in MLB, behind the Dodgers (88 in 21 G), Padres (87 in 19 G) and Cubs (84 in 20 G).

SNAKE BITES
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is hitting .358 (19-for-53) vs. lefties , the sixth highest in MLB…ranks among Major League leaders in average (7th, .317), slugging pct. (8th, .557) and OPS (9th, .929).

♦ Christian Walker, Philly-area native, is hitting .319 (15- for-47) vs. lefties, the fourth highest among MLB first basemen …is a career .329 batter (24-for-73) vs. Phillies… has hit safely in 5 of his last 6 games vs. Phillies (.435; 10- for-23, 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI).

♦ Geraldo Perdomo, in his last 13 road games, is hitting .390 (16-for-41)/1.151 OPS with 3 doubles, 3 homers and 10 RBI.

♦ Gabriel Moreno, in his last 14 games, is hitting .333 (16-for48)/.407 OBP with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBI and 6 walks.

♦ Corbin Carroll, in his last 12 road games, is hitting .359 (14-for-39)/1.141 OPS with 5 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI, 11 walks and 4 stolen bases.

OUT OF THE PEN
♦ Since May 8, the D-backs bullpen’s 6 saves are tied for second in the NL (also: Cardinals) and 2.96 ERA (17 ER in 51.2 IP) is tied for third, behind the Padres (1.25; 6 ER in 43.1 IP) and Phillies (1.82; 11 ER in 54.1 IP) while their .658 OPS is fourth lowest, .308 OBP is fifth lowest and .228 AVG is sixth lowest.

RUN AT YOUR OWN RISK
♦ Gabriel Moreno’s 52.2 caught stealing pct. (12-of-23) leads all MLB catchers while his 12 caught stealings (CS) are second, behind Shea Langeliers/OAK (14).

OH, LOURDES! HE’S AT 16
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is riding a career-high 16-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the Majors and tied for third longest this season (also: Masataka Yoshida/ BOS), behind Mauricio Dubón/HOU (20), Bryson Stott/PHI (17)… in the span, he is batting .387 (26-for-65)/1.304 OPS with 7 doubles, 7 homers, 14 RBI and 8 walks.

  • His streak is the longest by a D-back this season and tied for third longest by a D-back since 2013 (also: Ketel Marte from May 16-June 4, 2022 ).

KETEL REACHES 23
♦ Ketel Marte’s 23-game on-base streak (since April 26) is the second-longest active streak in the Majors …is his career best and tied for fifth longest by a D-back since 2014.

  • During the streak, is batting .284 (25-for-88)/.371 OBP with 1 double, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 12 walks and 2 HBP.

♦ Has reached base in 16 straight road games , hitting .349 (22-for-63)/1.062 OPS with 2 triples, 5 homers, 12 RBI and 7 walks…is fifth-longest streak by a D-back since 2019.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP ZAC GALLEN ♦ #23
AT A GLANCE: Is in his fifth season with the D-backs.

  • 2022 D-backs Most Valuable Pitcher by the Arizona Chapter of the BBWAA after going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA.
  • Fifth in the 2022 NL Cy Young Award voting.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The D-backs are 7-0 in his last 7 day starts.

  • In his last 8 starts (6 quality), is 6-1 with a 1.97 ERA (11 ER in 50.1 IP), 0.87 WHIP, .198 opponent average and 62 strikeouts.
  • His 2.11 ERA (37 ER in 158.0 IP in 25 starts) since July 13, 2022 is the lowest in the Majors (min. 120 IP).
  • In innings 1-3, has allowed 6 runs, held opponents to a .178 average, walked 3 and struckout 32.
  • Tallied the D-backs fourth-longest scoreless streak (28.0 IP) in franchise history from (April 4 [final inning]-April 26).

LAST START: Took his fi rst loss since March 30 (second of season) on May 19 @ Pirates (5 ER in 3.2 IP).

VS. PHILLIES: Is 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA (4 ER in 18.2 IP) in 4 career starts… Won his last start on Aug. 30, 2022 (0 ER in 7.0 IP, 7 K).

NL RANKINGS: Ranks among NL leaders in wins (T-1st, 6), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1st, 6.00), starts (T-1st, 10), strikeouts (3rd, 72), WHIP (4th, 1.00), innings (5th, 61.0), walks (T5th, 12) and ERA (9th, 2.95).

EARLY RISER: Is 8-5 with a 2.80 ERA (46 ER in 147.2 IP), 0.98 WHIP, .197 opponent average and 160 strikeouts in 26 career day starts.

  • Since 2022, his 1.76 ERA (17 ER in 87.0 IP) is the best in the Majors in day games.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:

GAME #48 RECAP: The Phillies fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3, at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly … Matt Strahm opened the game (ND, 2.0 IP, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 SO) but Dylan Covey came on in relief in his Pihllies debut and allowed only 1 run over 5.0 innings with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts … The Phillies have limitied the Diamondbacks to just 2 hits in 26 at bats with RISP through the first two games of this series (.154 AVG) but have lost both games.

ON THE DOORSTEP OF HISTORY: Right-hander Craig Kimbrel picked up his 399th career save in Sunday’s 2-1 Phils win … Kimbrel is one save away from becoming only the eighth player in the history of Major League Baseball to reach 400 saves … His next appearance will be the 729th of his career – of the seven previous pitchers to reach 400 saves, only three did so in under 800 career appearances: Mariano Rivera (697 G), Trevor Hoffman (706 G) and Kenley Jansen (778 G) … Billy Wagner reached #400 in his 813th career game, John Franco in his 837th, Lee Smith in his 847th and Francisco Rodriguez in his 878th.

TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE: Craig Kimbrel’s first ever major league appearance came at Citizens Bank Park on 5/7/10 with ATL against the Phillies – the first batter he faced was Jayson Werth, who doubled … Kimbrel would then strike out Raul Ibanez (1st career strikeout) and Carlos Ruiz before getting Wilson Valdez to ground out to end the inning … Kimbrel’s 1st career save came on 9/19/10 at NYM – he struck out the side (Carlos Beltran, David Wright & Chris Carter) … Kimbrel’s 100th career save came on 5/9/13 at SF – through his first 100 career games with a save (not first 100 save opportunities), Kimbrel posted a 0.18 ERA (2 ER, 98.2 IP) with 172 strikeouts to 22 walks – for context, Mariano Rivera posted a 1.00 ERA (12 ER, 107.2 IP) through his first 100 career games with a save with 81 strikeouts to 18 walks … His 200th career save came on 6/8/15 at ATL (with SD) … His 300th career save came on 5/5/18 at TEX (with BOS).

IN COMPANY WITH COOPERSTOWN: One save away from #400, Craig Kimbrel also ranks 11th since at least 1893 with 1,127 strikeouts as a reliever … He trails Hall-of-Famers Trevor Hoffman (1,133) for 10th place and Mariano Rivera (1,135) for 9th place … Kimbrel has faced 2,819 batters in his career and has struck out 1,127 of them (39.98%) … Per Stats LLC, 1,923 pitchers in MLB history have faced at least 2,500 batters in their career – of those 1,923 pitchers, Kimbrel’s 39.98% strikeout rate ranks 2nd – he trails only Aroldis Chapman who has faced 2,677 batters and has struck out 1,076 of them (40.19%) … Over his last 13 appearances (since 4/16) Kimbrel has struck out 25 of the 47 batters he has faced (53.2%) while walking only three (8.5%).

OTHER RECENT MILESTONES BY PHILLIES: With Craig Kimbrel one save away from #400, we thought it would be fitting to look back at other recent milestones achieved by Phillies players: Roy Halladay’s 200th win: 4/14/2013 at MIA and his 2,000th strikeout came on 7/29/12 at ATL (David Ross) … Jim Thome’s 400th career home run: 6/14/2004 vs CIN (Jose Acevado) … Mike Schmidt’s 500th career home run: 4/18/1987 at PIT (Don Robinson) … Steve Carlton’s 300th career win: 9/23/1983 at STL and his 3,000th strikeout came on 4/29/1981 vs MTL (Tim Wallach).

BEDLAM AT THE BANK: Through 23 games at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies are averaging 39,365 in attendance per game which ranks 3rd among all clubs in MLB behind only the Dodgers (47,873) and Cardinals (39,799) … Of Philadelphia’s first 23 games at home, 13 have been sellouts (57%) and 16 have been over 35,000 (70%) … Among all clubs in MLB, the Phillies have the largest year-to-year increase in attendance per game this season at +12,103 (up from 27,261 per game through 23 home games in 2022) … The Toronto Blue Jays rank 2nd behind the Phillies among all clubs in year-to-year attendance growth at +5,791 and the Pittsburgh Pirates rank 2nd among NL teams at +4,616 … The Phils have welcomed 905,388 fans to CBP so far this year – through 23 games last season, the Phillies had 627,010 in attendance (+278,378 in 2023).

GO NOLES: Phils starter Aaron Nola has gone at least 6.0 innings in each of his last seven starts (since 4/16) and eight of his last nine (since 4/5) … Nola has eight starts this season of at least 6.0 innings which ranks T-4th among all pitchers in MLB … Since 2018, Nola has gone 6.0 innings in 101 of his 153 total starts (66.0%) … His 101 games of at least 6.0 innings pitched since 2018 ranks 3rd among all pitchers in MLB – he trails only Gerrit Cole (115 such starts) and teammate Zack Wheeler (104 such starts) … Since 2018, the Phillies are 63-38 in those 101 games when Nola goes at least 6.0 innings (.624 win %) and when you add two runs or more of support in those games when Nola goes at least 6.0, the Phillies are 58-16 (.784 win %) … Since 2018, When Nola goes at least 6.0 innings at CBP and is provided at lest two runs of support, he is 32-1 and the Phillies are 36-6 (.857 win%).

HARP ON IT: Phils designated hitter Bryce Harper enters today’s game with 4,994 career at bats, six shy of reaching 5,000 … Harper has 614 extra-base hits and 890 walks in his career – in the modern era (since 1900), only 12 players have had as many extra-base hits and walks when reaching 5,000 career at bats as Harper … They are Babe Ruth (1928), Ted Williams (1951), Mike Schmidt (1982), Barry Bonds (1995), Mark McGwire (1998), Frank Thomas (2000), Jeff Bagwell (2000), Jim Thome (2003), Brian Giles (2006), Lance Berkman (2009), Adam Dunn (2011) and Mike Trout (2022).

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT: In 47 plate appearances against right-handers this year, Bryce Harper has reached base safely 27 times (18 H, 9 BB) … He is slashing .474/.574/.763 with a 1.338 OPS and more walks (9) than strikeouts (8).

LEGEND OF THE FALL: Last postseason, Ranger Suarez went 2-0 in 3 starts with a 1.35 ERA (2 ER, 13.1 IP) … In 2 relief appearances, Suarez was 1-for-1 in save opportunities and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings … All said, the Phillies went 5-0 in all 5 games Suarez pitched last postseason … He was summoned to close out Game 5 of the NLCS and helped secure the 8th pennant in club history.

TODAY’S STARTER – RANGER SUÁREZ • LHP #55
2023: 0-1, 10.50 ERA Career: 25-16, 3.25 ER

LAST START: 5/19 vs CHI: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO … Suárez vs Stroman … The Phillies fell to the Chicago Cubs, 10-1, at a sold out Citizens Bank Park … The Phillies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning but the Cubs scored 10 unanswered runs the rest of the night.

TODAY’S START:

  • vs NL West: In every start against the NL West, Suarez has held his opponents to 3 or fewer earned runs. Against the division, Suarez has a 4.08 ERA (64.0 IP, 29 ER) and is averaging 7.45 SO/9.0 IP.
  • Clear Skies: Suárez has never allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter at CBP (153 TBF) … In his career, at CBP, Suarez has limited left handers to a .180/.233/.223 slash line and only allowed six extra-base hits (all doubles)
  • Just Glovely: Ranger was selected as the 2022 Fielding Bible Award winner at pitcher… Suárez’s 9 defensive runs saved in 2022 were the most by any Phillies pitcher since 2002, when Fangraphs can track back to and most by any pitcher in MLB in 2022 by 3 (Taijuan Walker had 6) … He did not make an error in a career-high 44 chances over 155.1 IP and did not allow a stolen base
  • Start Your Engines: Since transitioning to a starter full time on 8/2/21, Suárez is 13-10 with a 3.21 ERA (81 ER, 227.0 IP) in 43 regular season starts … That ERA in that span is the 9th-lowest among all NL starters with at least 200.0 IP (best: Max Fried, 2.18)

HOME:

  • 2023: 0-1, 18.00 ERA (2.0 IP, 4 ER) in 1 start
  • 2022: 4-4, 4.27 ERA (31 ER, 65.1 IP) in 13 starts
  • Career: 14-6, 3.08 ERA (56 ER, 163.2 IP) in 55 games (23 starts)
  • 2022 Postseason: 2-0, SV, 0.84 ERA (1 ER, 10.2 IP) in 3 games (2 start)
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