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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (29-18) at St. Louis Cardinals (20-27)

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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (29-18) at St. Louis Cardinals (20-27)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

TOUGH BREAK: The Los Angeles Dodgers battled all night, erasing a three-run lead once but failed to do so again in the ninth inning, falling to the Cardinals, 6-5 on Saturday Night. The Dodgers dropped to 16-5 in their last 21 games and are now 4-2 against the Cardinals this season. Los Angeles will need to win the finale against the Cardinals to avoid their first series loss since dropping two of three against the Pirates from April 24-26. Following the matinee today, the Dodgers will head to Atlanta to play the first place Braves beginning tomorrow night at 7:20 p.m. at Truist Park. Los Angeles (.617) owns the second-best winning percentage in the National League, behind the Atlanta Braves, who bolster a .622 winning percentage.

OFF THE PLATE: The Dodgers fell behind in the first two frames and trailed 3-0 before J.D. Martinez clubbed a three-run homer in the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3. The Dodgers fell behind in the bottom of the eighth inning as Nolan Gorman clobbered a three-run homer off Victor González (first runs allowed all season). However, the Dodgers rallied in the top of the ninth inning, scoring two runs on an RBI double by Jason Heyward and a sacrifice fly by Will Smith. The Dodgers had the tying-run on second base, but Mookie Betts was called out on strikes to end the game. Betts notched a hit in the game and in the month of May, he is slashing .271/.366/.629 with six homers and 17 RBI. He is amongst the National League leaders in several categories in the month of May, including extra-base hits (T-3rd, 12th), homers (T-6th), RBI (T-4th), runs (T-6th, 14) and OPS (10th).

KING KERSH: Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw takes the mound this afternoon looking for his seventh victory of the season, which would tie him with Shane McClanahan for the Major League lead. Kershaw pitched a season-low 4.0 innings on Tuesday night, allowing two runs on seven hits in a loss to the Twins. With 203 career victories, he is seven shy of passing Don Drysdale for the second most in Dodger franchise history. Kershaw sits alone at 21st on the all-time strikeout list and is chasing former teammate and still current big leaguer Zack Greinke for 20th place:

All-Time Major League Strikeout Leaders

  1. Zack Greinke 2,918
  2. Clayton Kershaw 2,870

THE GLUE: Dodger catcher Will Smith made a pinch-hit appearance, delivering with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. He is batting .327 (18-for-55) with two doubles, four homers in the month of May with a 1.006 OPS. The Dodgers are 21-8 (.724) when Smith has appeared in a game. The backstop’s .724 winning percentage while in a game leads the National League and is fifth in the Majors:

Winning Percentage in the Lineup – MLB
Ryan McKenna BAL .765
Yandy Diaz TB .744
Wander Franco TB .733
Manuel Margot TB .730
Will Smith LAD .724

FABULOUS FREDDIE: Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 10 games, finishing with two hits and a run scored last night. He is batting .462 (18-for-39) with three homers, five doubles, one triple, 13 RBI and nine runs scored during the streak and has hit safely in all but two games in May. Freeman is tied with Adolis Garcia for third in the Major Leagues with 38 runs scored, trailing just Ronald Acuña Jr. (43)
and Marcus Semien (41). He clubbed his 300th career homer on Thursday night and became just the fifth player in franchise history to accomplish that feat in a Dodger uniform:

PLAYERS TO HIT HOME RUN NO. 300 IN A DODGER UNIFORM
DATE LOCATION PITCHER/TEAM
Duke Snider JULY 7, 1957 Ebbets Field Dick Drott, Cubs
Gil Hodges April 23, 1958 L. A. Coliseum Dick Drott, Cubs
Gary Sheffield July 21, 2001 Coors Field Denny Neagle, Rockies
Adrian Gonzalez Aug. 8, 2016 Dodger Stadium Junichi Tazawa, Red Sox
Freddie Freeman May 18, 2023 Busch Stadium Genesis Cabrera, Cardinals
His 300th career homer came in grand fashion, clubbing his fourth career Grand Slam. He became
only the second person in Major League Baseball history to hit his No. 300 for a Grand Slam, joining
Ruben Sierra, who clubbed his 300th on August 28, 2004 for the Yankees at Toronto.

LONG BALLS: The Dodgers connected for another homer last night and have 76 on the season, which is tied for second in the Majors with Atlanta, behind only the Tampa Bay Rays (90). Los Angeles’ six Grand Slams on the campaign leads the Majors, ahead of Tampa Bay and Texas, who each have four. Los Angeles is also second in the Majors with 39 games with at least one homer, behind the Rays (41), who have homered in all but six games this season

TODAY’S STARTER at CARDINALS: LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (6-3, 2.52 ERA in 9 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:

  • Over nine starts, the Texas native owns a 6-3 record with a 2.52 ERA (15 ER/53.2 IP) with 63 strikeouts against 11 walks and has generated a
    1.02 WHIP
  • Notched his 200th career win in his start on April 18 against the Mets, making him the only Los Angeles Dodger to win 200 games with the same franchise…joins Don Sutton (233) and Don Drysdale (209) on the Dodger all-time list…
  • Currently 21st all-time on the Major League strikeout list with 2,870…he needs 130 more to become the 20th player in Major League history with 3,000 strikeouts
  • Has fired 6.0+ innings in seven out of his nine starts this season
  • He was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April after posting a 5-1 record with a 1.89 ERA (8 ER/38.0 IP) and 41 strikeouts nd a 1.76 WHIP

VS. CARDINALS:

  • Will face St. Louis for the 21st time in his career…is 10-5 with a 2.81 ERA (41 ER/131.1 IP) and 143 strikeouts against 40 walks
  • Last faced the club on April 29, tossing seven scoreless innings while giving up only two hits and sitting down a season-high tying nine batters

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers wrap up a four-game series with today’s homestand finale at Busch Stadium … St. Louis is 4-2 over its seven-game homestand against division-rival Milwaukee (2-1) and Los Angeles (2-1) … With a win today, the Cardinals will have won their fourth consecutive series (at Cubs, at Red Sox, vs. Brewers).

ROAD TRIPPING REDBIRDS: After today’s game, St. Louis is scheduled to play 13 of the next 15 games on the road (May 22-June 7), beginning with a seven-game Ohio road trip through Cincinnati (May 22-25) and Cleveland (May 26-28) … Their only two home games over that time span are with cross-state rival Kansas City starting on Memorial Day.

FLIGHT PATTERN: Winners of 10 of their last 13 games (May 7-present), the Cardinals enter today tied with Cincinnati for 4th place in the NL Central, 5.0 games behind first place Milwaukee/Pittsburgh … 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) … Today is the 10th game of a season-high 19 consecutive without an off-day (7-2 record).

ANGRY BIRDS: Since May 7, the Cardinals lead MLB in win pct. (.769, 10-3), runs scored (91), runs per game (7.00), slugging (.510), OPS (.854), tied for the MLB lead in wins (10) and stolen bases (17), and rank 2nd to the Bronx Bombers in homers (28), RBI (87), and total bases (229).

BURGER PHONE HOTLINE: The Cardinals are 5th in MLB in home runs (66) this season while ranking 3rd in the month of May (34) to the Yankees (37) and Braves (35) … The Redbirds sport a 17-13 record in games when they go yard this season, but are 3-14 in homerless games.

GOING STREAKING WITH THE NOLANS: Nolan Arenado (17-45, .368/.408/.822) and Nolan Gorman (16-37, .432/.512/1.000) are both riding 11-game hitting streaks, tied for the 5th-longest active in MLB … Gorman’s 11-gamer is a career best while Arenado’s hit streak is his longest since joining the Cardinals (2021-present).

GO-AHEAD GORMAN: Nolan Gorman hit his NL-leading 7th go-ahead home run of the season last night, which trails only reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge (8) in MLB … Of Gorman’s 13 homers this season, six have come in either the 8th or 9th inning, the most in the major leagues … Gorman enters today leading the NL in slugging pct. (.640) and OPS+ (181) while ranking 2nd in RBI (39) and OPS (1.032).

THE HEAT IS ON: The Cardinals rank 4th in MLB in stolen base percentage (86.0%, 37-for-43), which currently is their best single-season mark in franchise history, topping the 2021 Redbirds (80.2%, 89-for-111) … Paul Goldschmidt has swiped 30 consecutive stolen bases without being caught (Aug. 11, 2019-present), MLB’s longest active stolen base streak and the 2nd-longest in franchise history to Vince Coleman (50 straight SB from Sept. 18, 1988-July 26, 1989) since caught stealing was first compiled in the NL in 1951 – Elias

CORNERSTONE COMBO: Paul Goldschmidt (33 HR, 103 RBI) and Nolan Arenado (30 HR, 97 RBI) are the top two active leaders in home runs and RBI against the Dodgers … The duo is attempting to continue where Hall of Famer Stan “The Man” Musial left off, the all-time MLB leader against the Dodgers in runs (299), hits (522), RBI (270) and 3rd in home runs (74) … Goldy’s 33 dingers are his most against any opponent

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP JACK FLAHERTY (3-4, 5.24)

TODAYS GAME
NL Ranks: Losses (4, T-9th), Runs (29, T-5th), Earned Runs (27, 6th), Ground Into Double Plays (13, 1st), GIDP/9 IP (2.53, 1st), Walks (29, 2nd)

  • Making his 10th start of the season and his 7th career start vs. the Dodgers. Marks his 108th career start (112th app.).
  • Currently has 649 career strikeouts, needs three to tie Slim Sallee (1908-16) for 25th all-time in Cardinals history with 652.
  • Has walked 5 or more batters in three of his nine starts.
  • Owns a career mark of 8-4, 3.56 ERA in 18 career starts in the month of May.
  • Trails only Wainwright & DeJong in years of Cardinals service on 40-player roster.
  • Has held his opposition to a .211 career batting average, ranking 28th among MLB pitchers with more than 500 career innings pitched in the Live Ball Era (post-1920).
  • Missed a total of 122 games in 2022 due to a right shoulder injury (64 games from April 7-June 14 and another 58 games from June 27-Sept.4). Missed 88 games in 2021 with an oblique injury.
  • Since becoming a full-time starting pitcher in 2018, ranks 15th among MLB pitchers with a 10.32 strikeouts/9 IP (min. 500 IP).
  • St. Louis sports a 57-50 overall record in Flaherty’s 107 career starts. In his first 51 starts from his MLB debut (9/1/2017) until the 2019 All-Star Break, St. Louis went 21-30 (.412). In his last 56 starts (July 16, 2019-present), St. Louis is 36-20 (.643).
  • In 107 career starts, is 35-10 when receiving 2+ runs of support, 28-1 when receiving 3+ runs, and 24-0 with 4+ runs of support. Has received 2 or fewer runs of support in 64 of 107 (59.8%) career starts. Has 23 starts with zero runs of support.
  • Is 21-15 in 53 career games (50 starts) at Busch Stadium. His .193 opponent batting average is the lowest in stadium history (min. 100 IP), while his 309 strikeouts (8th) ranks in the Top 10 among all pitchers in the ballpark’s history (since 2006). Trails Chris Carpenter (356) by 57 for 7th all-time in stadium history.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Pitched his first scoreless outing of 2023 with a three-hit performance with season-highs of 7.0 innings and 10 strikeouts. Was his 10th double-digit strikeout game of his career and 4th against the Brewers.

DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
5/15 MIL W 18-1 W-3 7.0 3 0 0 2 10 0 105-70
2023

  • Struck out a season-high 10 batters vs. MIL (5/15), his 10th career double-digit strikeout game and 4th against the Brewers. Was his 24th career scoreless start.
  • Surrendered career-highs in runs (10), earned runs, tied his career-high in hits (9) and was removed after 2.1 innings as the Cardinals lost 11-7 at home to the Angels.
  • Allowed 7 hits in 4.2 IP on 4/28 at LAD, snapping his string of allowing six or fewer hits in 30 consecutive starts dating back to Sept. 20, 2020, longest such streak in Cardinals history. Jack hold the top three streaks in Cardinals history (22 from 2019-20 & 21 in 2018). His streak of 30 such games was one game shy of tying Shohei Ohtani and Nolan Ryan (31) for 5th place all-time in MLB history.
  • Earned his 2nd win of the season and struck out a season-high nine batters allowing just three runs on five hits over 6.0 IP on 4/23 at SEA. All the action but one single occurred in the first two innings and he retired 12 of his last 13 batters faced including seven by strikeout.
  • Took a 6-3 loss allowing four runs on four hits over a season-high 6.0 innings vs. ATL (4/17). Induced two double plays moving his National League leading total to seven on the season. Retired 10 consecutive batters from the 2nd-5th innings.
  • Ran his streak of consecutive games with six hits or less to 27 in a 4-0 loss at MIL (4/7). Allowed just two runs on four hits. Walked six batters in the game, first Cardinals pitcher to walk 6+ batters in consecutive games since Carlos Martínez (2018).

MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals (14-33) at Chicago White Sox (18-29)

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MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals (14-33) at Chicago White Sox (18-29)

KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:

SOUTH SIDE SLIDE: The Royals suffered a 5-1 loss in Chicago yesterday to mark their 2nd straight defeat while falling to 2-6 on this road trip, pending today’s finale…Salvador Perez gave Kansas City a brief lead with a solo HR in the 1st inning to mark his 1st of 3 hits in the game, as he fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle…Chicago responded in the bottom half with 3 straight 2-out hits off Jordan Lyles, including a 2-run single by Yoán Moncada…Lyles went on to retire 13 of 15 until the 6th, when the Sox loaded the bases on 2 walks and a catcher interference to begin the frame…that ended Lyles’ day in favor of Jose Cuas, who yielded a bases-clearing double by Jake Burger to give the Sox more than enough cushion…the Royals stranded the bases loaded in the 4th inning and got nothing out of a two-on, no outs start to the 7th, as they went 0-for-8 in scoring situations.

LEADS LOST: The Royals have held a lead in 14 of their 18 games in the month of May, but they’re only 7-11 during that stretch with 7 blown lead losses…this includes yesterday, when they led 1-0 in the 1st inning but failed to score again in a 5-1 defeat…the only games this month in which they haven’t held a lead were May 5 vs. Baltimore, when they trailed 9-2, cut the deficit to 9-8, but lost 12-8; May 12 at Milwaukee, a 5-1 loss; last Monday night in San Diego, a 4-0 loss; and Friday night here in Chicago, where they were blanked in a 2-0 loss.

Kansas City’s 15 blown lead losses are tied with the Cardinals and Reds for the 4th most in the Majors this season, trailing only the Athletics (17), White Sox (16) and Mariners (16).

SALVY SPLASHES: Salvador Perez had 3 hits yesterday and fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle…his solo HR off Lucas Giolito in the 1st inning was his team-high 10th of the year, marking his 11th season with at least 10 homers, which matches Amos Otis for the 2nd most in Royals history, trailing only George Brett’s 15…in the 12 seasons since 2012 (including this one), Salvy’s 11 seasons with at least 10 home runs are tied for 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Anthony Rizzo, who has hit at least 10 home runs in each of the last 12 seasons…Salvy’s only exception during this stretch was the 2019 campaign, which he missed due to Tommy John Surgery.

Salvy is tied for the Major League lead with 7 HR in May…after batting .220 (18-for-82) through his 1st 21 games, Perez has been one of the best hitters in baseball in his last 21 games, a stretch in which he ranks 1st in the Majors with a .716 slugging percentage and ranks 3rd in batting average (.358) and OPS (1.116).

Royals catchers have hit 12 home runs this season, the most of any position on the team and the highest total at the catcher position in the Majors, 2 more than the Athletics and Braves (10 each)… Salvy leads the Royals with 10 home runs, including 8 as a catcher…MJ Melendez has homered once as a catcher and Freddy Fermin has 3 home runs in 10 games (7 starts) as a catcher since his May 2 recall.

STARTING SOMETHING: With five starting pitchers on the IL, the Royals have been forced to get creative with how they use their pitchers…today is another example of that, as they turn to Carlos Hernández to serve as the opener…this will mark the fourth time the Royals have used an opener this season, all in the last 29 games since April 21…the first instance was to cover the spot vacated by Kris Bubic, who underwent Tommy John Surgery… the three most recent times (including today) have been to cover the spot of Ryan Yarbrough, who eventually took Bubic’s place in the rotation, but exited his start on May 7 vs. Oakland after taking a line drive to the head.

In the 3 previous games in which the Royals deployed this method, the opener and bulk pitcher have combined for a 2.81 ERA (5 ER in 16.0 IP) and 15 strikeouts…the Royals went 1-2 in those games, including losses on April 21 in Anaheim and May 12 in Milwaukee and a 4-3 win last Wednesday in San Diego… that game was started by Hernández, who recorded 4 strikeouts over 2.0 scoreless innings…it was his 8th scoreless appearance in his last 10, a stretch in which he’s pitched to a 1.32 ERA (2 ER in 13.2 IP), .167 opponents’ average (8-for-48), 20 strikeouts (13.2 K/9) and 4 walks (2.6 BB/9) and no HR allowed.

WHAT A RELIEF!: The bullpen continued its dominant stretch yesterday with 3.0 scoreless innings and extended its scoreless streak to 8.1 innings dating back to the 7th inning on Wednesday in San Diego…over the last 15 days, Royals relievers have pitched to a 2.47 ERA (15 ER in 54.2 IP) and .204 opponents’ average (39-for-191), both of which rank 1st in the AL…they also lead the Majors during this stretch with 69 strikeouts and a 30.9 K%.

For the season, Royals relievers lead MLB with 214 strikeouts and tied for 1st with 10.9 K/9, both of which mark big improvements over last year, when they ranked 25th with 552 strikeouts and 21st with an 8.5 K/9.

Josh Staumont turned back the clock yesterday with a dominant 9th inning, in which he needed only 12 pitches to retire Luis Robert Jr., Yoán Moncada and Andrew Vaughn, including 2 strikeouts…since being recalled to make his season debut on April 14, 11 of Staumont’s 14 outings have been scoreless and he’s held opponents to a .184 average (9-for-49) with just 1 extra-base hit and 19 strikeouts (12.2 K/9).

Taylor Clarke pitched a scoreless 8th inning on Wednesday to run his scoreless streak to 7.1 innings over 6 appearances, during which he’s held opponents to a .200 average (5-for-25) with 11 strikeouts.

Scott Barlow has retired 20 of his last 21 batters, and the only exception during that stretch was a single by Oakland’s JJ Bleday on May 7…he’s recorded 10.2 scoreless innings over his last 10 outings since April 22, a stretch in which he has 5 saves, a .111 opponents’ average (4-for-36) and 16 strikeouts…his save on Wednesday was the 49th in his career, tying him with Wade Davis and Steve Farr for 9th in Royals history.

SERIES SPEAKING: Yesterday’s loss clinched a Royals series defeat, dropping them to 2-2 in their last four sets, after beginning the season 1-10 through their first 11 series…they’re hoping to win today to avoid what would be their fifth series sweep of the season, following May 30-April 2 vs. Minnesota, April 14-16 vs. Atlanta, April 17-19 vs. Texas and May 12-14 at Milwaukee…they have not been swept in 3 games by the White Sox since May 7-9, 2021 at Kauffman Stadium, and they haven’t been swept on the South Side since May 27-29, 2019.

Today wraps a stretch of 7 games in 14 days between these two teams…they’ve split 6 games to this point, but the Royals have outscored the Sox 28-20 (+8), despite losing the 1st 2 games of this series.

These two teams won’t see each other again until September, when they are scheduled to play 6 games in a span of 9 days, including 3 games in Kansas City from Sept. 5-7 and 3 here in Chicago from Sept. 11-13.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT: Today’s 1:10 p.m. CT start will mark the Royals 22nd day game of the season, which trails only the White Sox, Tigers and Twins in the American League…the Royals are scheduled for 64 day games this year, which would match 2021 for their 2nd most in a single season, trailing only the 2022 Royals (69).

ON DECK: The Royals will fly home tonight to begin a 6-game homestand tomorrow night vs. the Detroit
Tigers…following an off day on Thursday, they’ll host the Washington Nationals next weekend for the first
time since 2016…that will begin a run of four consecutive series vs. National League opponents, including
a 2-game trip to St. Louis to end the month of May, a 3-game stay vs. the Rockies and 3 games in Miami.

TODAY’S STARTERS: RHP CARLOS HERNÁNDEZ (0-1, 4.09)
Hernández is making his 2nd appearance as the opener today vs. the White Sox, after he worked 2.0 scoreless innings on Wednesday as the opener for Mike Mayers, striking out 4 Padres in San Diego.

Carlos pitched to an 8.64 ERA (8 ER in 8.1 IP) over his 1st 9 appearances this year, but he owns a 1.32 ERA (2 ER in 13.2 IP) with 20 strikeouts in 10 outings since, dating back to April 24 in Arizona.

Took his 1st loss of the year on May 13 in Milwaukee, after allowing 2 hits and a walk-off sac. fly.

Carlos helped Team Venezuela reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where they fell to Team USA 9-7…he made a pair of appearances in the tournament, once on March 14 against Nicaragua, when he threw 2.0 scoreless frames with 4 strikeouts, and in the quarterfinal game vs. the United States on March 18, when he got 2 outs, including a strikeout of Team USA Captain Mike Trout.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:

WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have won four of their last five games, five of seven and 11 of 19 as they conclude a nine-game, 10-day homestand this afternoon with the series finale vs. Kansas City.

RHP Lance Lynn, who is looking to win consecutive starts for the first time this season, is scheduled to start for Chicago.

The White Sox are 5-3 on the homestand after winning the first two games vs. the Royals … the Sox won two of three over Cleveland after losing two of three to Houston last weekend.

Following today’s finale vs. the Royals, the Sox will take a seven-game trip to the Guardians (5/22-24) and Detroit (5/25-28).

The Sox went 3-4 on their last trip at Cincinnati (2-1) and Kansas City (1-3) from 5/5-11 and 3-4 on their last homestand vs. Tampa Bay (1-3) and Minnesota (2-1) from 4/27-5/4.

TODAY’S STORYLINES
The White Sox are looking to record their first sweep of the season, and first over the Royals since 5/7-9/21 in Chicago.

White Sox starters own a 2.57 ERA (16 ER/56.0 IP), .201 (40- 199) opp. average and 47 strikeouts over the last nine games.

The Sox have won four straight games and six of the last seven over Kansas City at Guaranteed Rate Field dating back to 2022.

Lance Lynn is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA (2 ER/22.0 IP), .167 (13-78) opp. average, 0.59 WHIP and 27 strikeouts over his last three starts (three QS) vs. Kansas City at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Jake Burger is hitting .355/.397/.887 (22-62) with four doubles, nine home runs, 21 RBI and a 1.284 OPS at home in 2023 … 17 of his 19 career homers have come at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Luis Robert Jr. has hit safely in 15 of 18 games in May, going 23-64 (.359) with seven doubles, seven home runs, 15 RBI, five walks, seven multi-hit eff orts and a 1.227 OPS.

ROSTER MOVES
The White Sox today selected the contract of OF Clint Frazier from Class AAA Charlotte and DFA OF Jake Marisnick.

Frazier is hitting .375 (21-56) with five doubles, seven home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs scored and a 1.317 OPS in 16 games with Charlotte after signing as a minor-league free agent on 4/28.

Frazier, who will wear uniform No. 15, opened the season in the Texas organization and appeared in 15 games with Class AAA Round Rock before his release on 4/24.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP
The White Sox scored two runs in the first and three in the sixth and held the Royals scoreless over the final eight innings en route to a 5-1 win, clinching a series victory.

Following Salvador Perez’s solo homer in the first, Yoán Moncada answered with a two RBI single in the bottom half.

The Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and Jake Burger cleared the bases with a one out, three-run double.

Lucas Giolito earned the win (1 ER/6.0 IP) to even his record at 3-3 … four relievers combined to work 3.0 scoreless IP.

Burger recorded Chicago’s only multi-hit eff ort, and Moncada (1-3, BB) and Andrew Benintendi (1-3, BB) reached base twice.

ROTATION SENSATION
White Sox starters own a 2.57 ERA (16 ER/56.0 IP), .201 (40-199) opp. average and 47 strikeouts over the last nine games since 5/11 … they rank second in MLB in ERA and third in opponents average and WHIP (1.00).

They have allowed three runs or less eight times, two or less six times and one or less four times.

A breakdown of the Sox rotation in the last since 5/11:

W-L ERA WHIP QS IP H R ER HR BB SO SO/9.0 AVG OPS
5-4 2.57 1.00 7 56.0 40 18 16 4 16 47 7.6 .201 .585

ROYAL FLUSH
The White Sox are 6-1 over their last seven games vs. Kansas City at Guaranteed Rate Field since 8/2/22 … the Sox have outscored the Royals by a 38-16 margin during that span.

Chicago is hitting .301/.360/.467 with 10 home runs and scored seven-plus runs three times over the seven contests.

White Sox pitchers own a 2.29 ERA (16 ER/63.0 IP) with 74 strikeouts and a .199 (46-231) average since 8/2/22.

WHITE SOX VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The White Sox have won two consecutive games to even the season series at 3-3 … following today’s game, the clubs do not play again until September.

Chicago is hitting .207/.267/.303 with three home runs, owns a 4.91 ERA (28 ER/51.1 IP) with four quality starts and has been outscored by a 28-20 margin this season.

The White Sox are 21-23 vs. the Royals since the start of the 2021 season (outscored 170-166), including a 10-10 home mark.

Chicago went 9-10 vs. Kansas City last season, going 5-4 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 4-6 at Kauffman Stadium.

CENTRAL DIVISION DYNAMICS
Chicago is 8-7 vs. the American League Central, including a 6-2 mark at Guaranteed Rate Field … it currently is in a stretch of 13 straight games vs. the division (4-1 record). 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.

REST WHEN YOU CAN
The Sox currently are in a stretch of 16 straight games without a day off and are 11-8 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 (at Cincinnati, at/vs. Kansas City, vs./at Cleveland and at Detroit).

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

The White Sox have homered in 14 of its last 19 games since 4/30 (24 total homers), and hit 27 in its last 22 games since 4/27.

The Sox have recorded nine multi-homer eff orts and been held without a home run just six times over the last 22 contests.

Chicago is 14-17 when homering, 7-7 when hitting multiple homers and 4-12 when going homerless this season.

LONGBALL LOGISTICS, PART II
Luis Robert Jr. (4th, 12) and Jake Burger (T8th, 10) rank among the American League home run leaders this season.

Robert Jr. is tied for third in MLB with nine 400-plus foot homers in 2023, trailing Pete Alonso (11) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (10) … he 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 48 career home runs … he leads the Sox since the start of 2020 with homer averages of 412 feet and 107.6 mph exit velocity (min. 10 home runs).

Burger leads MLB with 8.90 at bats per home run this season (minimum 90 plate appearances) … 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 .359/.431/.797 (23-64) with seven doubles, seven homers (averaging 421 ft. and 109.2 mph EV), 15 RBI, 19 runs, five walks and a 1.227 OPS in May (18 G).

He ranks among AL May leaders in runs scored (1st), total bases (1st, 51), extra-base hits (1st, 14), home runs (T1st), slugging percentage (2nd), OPS (2nd), , doubles (T2nd), on-base percentage (3rd), average (4th), hits (T4th) and RBI (T5th).

The last White Sox to win American League Player of the Month honors was 1B José Abreu in August 2021.

SOUTHPAW SUCCESS
Chicago is 31-86 (.361) in the last 12 games vs. LHP.

The White Sox are batting .273/.340/.443 vs. left-handed pitching since the start of the 2019 season … during that span, the Sox lead MLB in average, rank second in on-base percentage, tied for fourth in OPS (.781) and sixth in slugging pct.

Tim Anderson (.349) and Hanser Alberto (.345) rank 1-2 in MLB in average vs. left-handers since the start of 2019.

Luis Robert Jr. is 11-28 (.393) with three homers and seven RBI vs. LHP in 2023 and hitting .355/.417/.617/1.033 lifetime.

ON DECK: AT CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Chicago won two of three over Cleveland earlier this week in the first series of the season between the clubs.

The White Sox are hitting .330/.354/.560 with six homers, own a 2.00 ERA (6 ER/27.0 IP) and a 16-8 edge in runs scored.

The White Sox went 7-12 last season, going 3-6 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 4-6 at Progressive Field.

Chicago is 19-22 since the start of 2021, including a 9-10 mark at Progressive Field (13 games decided by three runs or less).

STARTER – #33 LANCE LYNN RHP
LYNN AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season, fifth at home and second against the Kansas City Royals.

Has allowed 12 runs in the first inning in 2023 … surrendered 13 runs (11 earned) in the first in 21 starts in 2022.

Has surrendered 11 home runs this season … has allowed a homer in seven of his nine starts, including in four of the last five.

Ranks among MLB active pitchers in HR/9.0 IP (6th, 0.93), SO/9.0 IP (7th, 9.10), opponents average (9th, .242), wins (9th, 125), starts (9th, 294), opponents SLG (10th, .384), IP (10th, 1,756.2), strikeouts (11th, 1,776), opponents OPS (11th, .695), ERA (12th, 3.61), WHIP (12th, 1.27) and opponents OBP (12th, .312).

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

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

LAST START
Earned his second win of the season on 5/16 vs. Cleveland, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts over a season-high 7.0 IP … held the Guardians scoreless over the first five innings before allowing a sacrifice fly to Steven Kwan in the sixth.

Left the game in the eighth with the White Sox leading, 7-2, no outs and a runner on second … threw 97 pitches (69 strikes).

Owned a 78.6 first-strike percentage and 8.2 swinging-strike percentage (11 swing and misses) vs. 28 batters … threw 47 four-seam fastballs (92.9 mph avg; 94.4 mph max), 27 cutters (87.7 avg; 90.9 max), 14 sinkers (91.4 avg; 94.0 max), five changeups (84.9 avg; 85.9 max), four curveballs (82.1 avg; 82.6 max).

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

Ranks 12th in the majors with 696 strikeouts since 2019 … teammate Lucas Giolito (763) ranks sixth.

Has struck out at least five batters in 85 of his 104 starts since 2019, the 10th-highest total in the majors.

MONSTER OF THE MIDWAY
Is 12-9 with a 3.62 ERA (69 ER/171.1 IP), .222 (145- 652) opponents average, one complete game, one shutout and 198 strikeouts in 30 home starts since 2021 … made one start in Dyersville, Iowa at the “Field of Dreams” Game on 8/12/21 vs. New York-AL.

Has gone 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA (65 ER/166.1 IP) in 29 starts at Guaranteed Rate Field since 2021.

Ranks among American League home leaders (min. 170.0 IP) since 2021 in opponents OBP (4th, .272), opponents average (6th), strikeouts (10th) and ERA (14th).

ORTHODOX HITTERS
Owns a career .229/.284/.352 (809-3,536) opponents slash line against right-handed hitters.

His .229 opponents average vs. right-handers is the eighth-lowest mark among active pitchers in the majors.

WORK HORSE
Ranks ninth in MLB with 1,756.2 IP since 2011 … is one of 13 active pitchers in MLB with 1,700.0-plus career IP.

Has thrown 100-plus pitches 67 times since 2019, tied with the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole for the most in the majors during that span.

Has thrown 30,005 pitches since 2011, seventh-most during that span, and the most among MLB pitchers with less than 1,900.0 IP during that span.

AMERICA’S ACE
Pitched for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic … went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP), .188 (6-32) opp. average and eight strikeouts in two starts.

Started on 3/13 against Canada in pool play, earning the win after allowing one run over 5.0 IP.

Was the starting pitcher for USA’s quarterfinal contest vs. Venezuela … received a no decision after allowing two runs in 4.0 IP … USA would go on to win, 9-7.

VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS || A.L. CENTRAL
Is scheduled to make his 16th career start against the Royals, eighth at home and fourth at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Has gone 8-3 with a 3.19 ERA (26 ER/73.1 IP), .225 (62-276) opponents average and 74 strikeouts in his last 12 starts against the Royals.

Is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA (2 ER/22.0 IP) in his three career starts vs. Kansas City at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Has gone 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA (11 ER/18.0 IP) in three starts against the American League Central this season.

MLB Preview: Oakland Athletics (10-37) at Houston Astros (26-19)

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MLB Preview: Oakland Athletics (10-37) at Houston Astros (26-19)

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

ABOUT THE A’S: Have lost the first two games against the Astros on this road trip and have lost 11 of the last 13 games…are 4-14 (.222) in May after going 5-23 (.179) in April…are 10-37 (.213) overall, which is the worst record in the majors (Royals, 14-33/.298)…it is the worst record in Athletics history after 47 games and is tied for third worst by an AL, NL or FL team since 1901…it is the worst since the 1988 Orioles started the year 9-38…the lowest winning percentage in American League history is .235 by the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (36-117)…are 1-14-0 in series play and have been swept six times…lost each of the first 10 series, won two of three at Kansas City from May 5-7, and have lost each of the last four series.

OFFENSE: The A’s have the fourth lowest batting average in the majors (.229), the sixth lowest OPS (.687), sixth lowest slugging percentage (.378) and seventh lowest on-base percentage (.310)…are tied for the most strikeouts (445), the fourth fewest doubles (64), have the fifth fewest runs (176) and the ninth fewest extra base hits (123)…have the most sacrifice hits (11), the third most hit by pitches (27), are tied for fifth in intentional walks (7) and are tied for eighth in walks (161)…the seven intentional walks match the A’s season total from last year…have been shut out twice in the last nine games and six times overall, which is tied for third most in the majors (Mets, 7; Royals, 8)…A’s pinch hitters are 10-for-40 (.250) with eight walks (.375 on-base percentage)…are tied for the ML lead in pinch walks and are tied for third in pinch hits.

PITCHING: The A’s have compiled a 5.87 ERA (105 er in 161.0 ip) in May after posting a 7.97 ERA in April…have a 7.00 ERA for the season, which is the highest in the majors (Royals, 5.19)…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the highest ERA by an AL or NL team since the earned run became an official stat is 6.70 by the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies…the A’s have allowed 342 runs, which is an average of 7.3 per game…are on pace to allow 1179 runs and the modern Major League record is 1199 by the 1930 Phillies…also have the highest opponents OPS (.880), batting average (.284), on-base percentage (.377) and slugging percentage (.502) in the majors this year…lead the majors in most walks (228), hit batters (33) and wild pitches (25) and have the sixth fewest strikeouts (355).

THE LONG BALL: The A’s have allowed at least one home run in each of the last 23 games (38 home runs total), which is the longest streak in Athletics history (previous: 17, July 26-Aug. 14, 1964)…the longest in AL or NL history since 1901 is 26 (three times, last: Orioles from June 1-28, 2017)…have yielded 81 home runs for the season, which is the most in the majors (White Sox, 68)…have six grand slams, which are the most in the majors (three teams with 3) and tied for fifth most in a season in Athletics history (8 in 1993 and 1999, 7 in 1954 and 1997).

STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers are 0-8 with a 6.19 ERA (47 er in 68.1 ip) in the 13 games since recording their only two wins of the season on May 5 and 6 at Kansas City…are 2-24 with a 7.37 ERA for the season…the ERA is the highest in the majors (Reds, 6.18) and no other team has fewer than six wins from its starters…have the seventh fewest innings pitched (230.2)… went 0-16 over the first 32 games.

THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen has a 6.54 ERA, which is the highest in the majors (White Sox, 5.40)…is 4-for-13 (30.8%) in save opportunities… has the lowest save percentage and fewest saves and the nine blown saves are tied for seventh most…has allowed 41-of-93 (44.1%) inherited runners to score, which is the sixth highest percentage…has the third most inherited runners (Reds, 98)…has 184.1 innings pitched, which is fourth most (Rays, 198.0).

ON THE BASES: The A’s are 46-for-57 (80.7%) in stolen base attempts…rank third in the majors in stolen base attempts and in stolen bases…the 44 steals are the most by an A’s team over the first 46 games since 2005 (44)…A’s opponents are 39-for-55 (70.9%) in stolen base attempts, which is the fifth lowest success rate in the majors…the 16 caught stealings are second most (Rockies, 18) but the A’s are tied for the sixth most stolen bases allowed…A’s pitchers have four pickoffs, which is tied for third most in the majors (Brewers and Royals, 5).

HOME AND AWAY: The A’s began a seven-game road trip to Houston (0-2) and Seattle (four games) last night…went 2-4 on the last road trip to Kansas City (2-1) and New York-AL (0-3) and are 5-17 (.227) on the road, which is the worst road record in the majors (White Sox, 7-16/.304)…went 2-5 on the last homestand against Texas (1-3) and Arizona (1-2) and are 5-20 (.200) at home, which is the lowest home winning percentage in the majors (Royals, 6-17/.261)…have compiled a 5.99 ERA at home compared to 8.31 (166 er in 182.0 ip) on the road…are hitting .212 with 82 runs in 25 home games (3.3 runs per game) compared to .248 (186-for-750) with 94 runs in 22 road games (4.3 runs per game).

WINNING LATE: The A’s have scored the winning run in their final at bat in seven of their 10 wins…have five wins when tied after seven innings, three when trailing after seven innings and two when leading after seven inning… are tied for the Major League lead in wins when tied after seven innings and are tied for sixth in wins when trailing after seven innings…however, no other team has fewer than 11 wins when leading after seven innings… are 3-4 (.429) in extra inning games…are tied with the Guardians, Mariners and Twins for the most extra inning games in the majors (7), are tied for the second most losses and are tied for fifth in wins…have four walk-off wins, which is tied for the most in the majors (Blue Jays, Red Sox).

RUN DIFFERENTIAL: Seven of the A’s 10 wins have been by one run and Oakland is 7-8 (.467) in one-run games…are tied for eighth in the majors in one-run games (15) and tied for 10th in wins and eighth in losses…however, have lost six games by 10 or more runs, which matches the A’s combined total from the previous four seasons and is the most since 2008 when they had eight such losses…have a run differential of -166, which is the lowest in the majors (Royals, -68)…the lowest in Athletics history is -344 by the 1915 Philadelphia A’s and the lowest by an AL or NL team since 1901 is -349 by the 1932 Boston Red Sox.

NIGHT AND DAY: The A’s are 9-18 (.333) in night games and 1-19 (.050) during the day…are batting .258 (244-for-944) with 126 runs in 27 night games (4.7 runs per game), .185 (118-for-637) with 50 runs in 20 day games (2.5 runs per game)…have the lowest day batting average in the majors and the seventh best night batting average.

PLAYERS USED: The A’s have used 43 players, which is the most in the majors (Mets, 40)…employed a franchise record 64 players last year…28 of the 43 have been pitchers, which is also the most in the majors (Rays, 25)…tied an Athletics record with 34 pitchers last year…12 of the 43 are rookies after using an Oakland-record 34 rookies last year…seven have made their Major League debuts…had 23 do that last year.

THIS AND THAT: The A’s placed Drew Rucinski on the injured list yesterday and have now used the IL 15 times, including 11 times for pitchers…currently have 10 players on the IL, including eight pitchers…did not commit an error in the three-game series against Arizona after making a season-high four errors a week ago today against Texas…have 31 errors overall, which is third in the majors…have nine outfield assists, which is tied for third most (Royals, 11; Braves, 10)…have an average time of game of 2:50, which is the longest in the majors by five minutes (Orioles, 2:45)…however, have not averaged under 2:53 per game since 2010 (2:43).

A’S VS. ASTROS

  • The A’s lost the season series last year for the seventh time in the last eight years.
  • Are now 59-86 (.407) against Houston dating back to 2015 after winning each of their first four season series against the Astros (31-13, .705).
  • Have lost eight of the last nine games, all of which have been at Minute Maid Park…have won three straight and four of the last five in Oakland.

Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-0 0-2 0-2
2022 4-5 3-7 7-12

Oakland History: 90-99
at the Coliseum: 50-46
at Minute Maid Park: 40-53

TODAY’S TIDBITS
Jesús Aguilar is batting .317 (13-for-41) with four of his five home runs, eight of his nine RBI and a 1.018 OPS against left-handed pitchers…Esteury Ruiz has hit safely in his last five games (9-for-22, .409).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: James Kaprielian (0-3, 10.17 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas yesterday for his third stint with the A’s this year…was on the A’s Opening Day roster and went 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in three starts before moving to the bullpen…posted a 16.88 ERA in three relief appearances and was 0-2 with a 12.94 ERA and 1.100 opponents OPS in six games overall when he was optioned to Las Vegas on April 25…went 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA and .531 OPS in two tarts with the Aviators…was recalled May 13 for a spot start against Texas, in which he allowed three runs over a career-high tying 7.0 innings while striking out seven.

SEVEN INNINGS OR FEWER: Has tossed 5.0 innings or fewer in three of his four starts this year and has now pitched seven innings or fewer in all 51 of his career starts…that is the longest streak of consecutive starts of seven innings or fewer in Athletics history (previous: 47, Montas, Sept. 25, 2019-April 18, 2022).

THIS AND THAT: Allowed at least five runs in each of his three starts to join Todd Van Poppel (1994) as the only pitchers on an Opening Day roster in Oakland history to allow five or more runs in each of their first three starts… left with an 8-5 lead in his first start but the bullpen allowed seven runs for the blown save…left with the lead in five of his starts last year only to have the bullpen blow the save…now has 21 career no decisions as a starter and has left with the lead and was the pitcher of record in 10 of those no decisions…the A’s were 13-13 in his starting assignments last year, which included an 8-4 record in his 12 no decisions…are 24-27 (.471) in his 51 career starts.

FIRST START: He had a no decision in the A’s 12-11, 10-inning loss to Cleveland on April 3 in Oakland…allowed five runs in 5.0 innings of work but left with an 8-5 lead…yielded two runs in the first and three more in the fourth on a Naylor home run and a Straw two-run double…Familia allowed two unearned runs in the sixth and Acevedo surrendered three in the eighth for the blown save…the A’s tied the game in the ninth before Cleveland scored twice in the 10th.
SECOND START: He was the losing pitcher in the A’s 11-0 loss at Tampa Bay on April 9…allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings of work and surrendered a career-high tying three home runs…logged a career-high 106 pitches…yielded a solo home run to Franco in the first, a grand slam to Brandon Lowe in the fourth and a two-run home run to Ramirez in the fifth…Rasmussen, Thompson and Adam combined to shut out the A’s on one hit.

THIRD START: He lost his second consecutive start in the A’s 17-6 loss to the Mets on April 14 in Oakland…walked a career-high seven batters, which were the most by an A’s pitcher since Sonny Gray also walked seven on May 3, 2015…allowed six runs, all in the second inning, in 3.2 innings of work… walked four consecutive batters in the second, two with the bases loaded, and then surrendered a grand slam to Lindor.

LAST MAJOR LEAGUE START: Took the loss in a spot start against Texas on May 13, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven over a career-high tying 7.0 innings pitched…the seven strikeouts marked a season high…was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas postgame.

KAPRIELIAN’S 2023 STARTS
Date Opponent Opponent Score Dec ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR #PIT
April 3 April 3 Cleveland Cleveland 11-12 (10) 11-12 (10) – 9.00 5.0 7 5 5 2 5 1 89
April 9 April 9 at Tampa Bay at Tampa Bay 0-11 L 11.17 4.2 7 7 7 3 6 3 106
April 14 April 14 New York (NL) New York (NL) 6-17 L 12.15 3.2 4 6 6 7 4 1 95
April Totals (6 games, 3 starts) April Totals (6 games, 3 starts) 0-2 12.94 16.0 24 23 23 14 18 5
May 13 Texas 0-5 L 10.17 7.0 6 3 3 1 7 1 104

KAPRIELIAN vs. HOUSTON: Has faced the Astros twice in his career, once in relief…made his sole relief appearance, on Oct. 2, 2021, at Houston (3.1 ip, 3 h, 2 r, 1 er, 1 bb, 5 so, 2.70 ERA)… relieved Blackburn with no outs in the third inning and the A’s trailing 6-2… allowed his only runs in the sixth inning on a two-run triple by Brantley.

LAST START: He had a no decision in the A’s 5-2 loss at Houston Sept. 15, 2022…pitched 6.0 innings and logged a then-career-high tying 105 pitches… allowed a RBI double to Alvarez in the third but the A’s came back with two in the fourth…surrendered a RBI double to Vazquez in the bottom of the fourth and was relieved by Payamps to start the seventh with the scored tied 2-2.

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

No release available.

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (24-21) at Tampa Bay Rays (34-13)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (24-21) at Tampa Bay Rays (34-13)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: Is game 6 (1-4) of a 6-game, 7-day road trip to St. Louis (1-2) and Tampa Bay (0-2)…..the team returns to American Family Field following this trip for a 7-game homestand against Houston (3g) and San Francisco (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 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 (52 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 31, SECOND: 19, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 7-8-0 in series play, including this series.
Game 1: 7-8, Game 2: 9-6, Game 3: 7-7, 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 13-8 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 11-13 on the road, going 3-5-0 in series play, including this 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 eight replay challenges this season, going 5-3…..their last challenge (won) came on May 19 at Tampa Bay as a safe call at third base (Randy Arozarena) was overturned.

TODAY’S STARTER: #51 – RHP FREDDY PERALTA (8gs, 4-3, 4.11)
PERALTA AT A GLANCE: Freddy Peralta, 26, will make his ninth start of the season…..Peralta last started on Monday at St. Louis and took an 18-1 loss (5.1ip, 6h, 6r, 6er, 5bb, 4k, 1hr, 1hbp, 1wp, 94 pitches)…..the team is 4-4 in his starts…..he has made 5 quality starts…..opponents are batting .236 (41-for-174, 5hr)…..Peralta was acquired from Seattle, along with RHP Carlos Herrera and RHP Daniel Missaki, in exchange for 1B Adam Lind on 12/9/15…..on 2/28/20, he signed a 5-year contract through the 2024 season with club options for 2025 and 2026.

LAST SEASON: Peralta went 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 games/17 starts…..he held opponents to a .190 batting average with 86 strikeouts in 78.0 innings…..the team went 8-9 in his starts…..he produced 4 quality starts…..he was on the injured list twice last season: 5/23-8/2 (right posterior shoulder strain) and 9/9-9/24 (right shoulder inflammation).

CAREER: Is 34-20 with a 3.85 ERA in 124 games/75 starts (461ip, 197er)…..is in his sixth Major League season, all with the Brewers (2018-23)…..is 26-18 with a 3.84 ERA as a starter (377ip, 161er) and 8-2 with a 3.86 ERA in relief (84ip, 36er)…..was an All-Star in 2021.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 22-11 with a 3.23 ERA in 67 games/39 starts (253.1ip, 91er)…..is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA in 5 starts this season (29.2ip, 8er)…..went 3-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 11 games/10 starts last season (45.2ip, 22er)…..

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 12-9 with a 4.59 ERA in 57 games/36 starts (207.2ip, 106er)…..is 0-2 with a 7.16 ERA in 3 starts this season (16.1ip, 13er)…..went 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in 7 starts last season (32.1ip, 9er).

CAREER vs. RAYS: His only career outing vs. Tampa Bay came in a start on 8/9 last season at American Family Field…..he earned a 5-3 win (5ip, 2h, 2r, 2er, 0bb, 4k, 1hr).

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

GOING FOR THE SWEEP — Tampa Bay earned its second straight win over Milwaukee with an 8-4 victory yesterday afternoon…RHP Zach Eflin worked 7.0 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts…the Rays recorded their MLB-best 15th game with 3+ home runs, including those from 1B Yandy Díaz (3-for4, HR, 3RBI, R), C Christian Bethancourt (2-for-4, HR, RBI, R) and DH Harold Ramírez (1-for-4, HR, RBI, R).

The Rays improved to 21-3 at Tropicana Field this season, tying the 1978 Boston Red Sox for the best 24-game home start in MLB history (since 1901)…the 1978 Red Sox also won 22 of their first 25 home games.

Zach Eflin became the third Ray to win six of his first seven decisions with the club, joining Josh Fleming (6-1 from 2020-2021) and Charlie Morton (7-0 in 2019).

Tampa Bay has scored 8+ runs in 22 of its 47 games this season…the only other team since 1901 to score 8+ runs in 22 of its first 47 games is the 1930 New York Giants.

FOLLOW THE LEADER — Yandy Díaz has a career-best 13-game hitting streak since 5/3, batting .367 (18-for-49) with four doubles, 4 HR and 11 RBI during the run…it is the longest stretch by a Tampa Bay hitter since Wander Franco (13G) from 9/14-27, 2022… it is tied with ARI Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for the second-longest active streak in the majors, trailing only MIA Bryan De La Cruz (14G).

He also has a 17-game on-base streak since 4/27, slashing .386/.500/.737 (22-for-57) with 10 extra-base hits, 12 RBI, 10 walks and only 11 strikeouts in that stretch…it is the third-longest active run in the AL behind MIN Byron Buxton (21G) and TEX Marcus Semien (18G).

Díaz has reached base safely in 27 of his last 28 games overall, going .370/.471/.650 (37-for-100) at the plate during that span…he ranks among qualified major leaguers in OBP (1st), OPS (1st, 1.121), batting average (1st) and SLG (2nd) during that stretch (since 4/15).

LOWES HOME IMPROVEMENT — Josh Lowe has reached base safely in 13 straight Interleague games dating back to 7/8/22, batting .294 (15-for-51) with three doubles, 5 HR and 8 RBI during that stretch.

From innings 1-5 this year, Lowe is batting .236 (17-for-72) with one home run and 11 RBI…from the sixth inning on, he is batting .393 (22-for-56) with 9 HR and 19 RBI.

He joins ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. as the only players in the majors this season to have 10+ HR and 7+ steals…he joins BAL Cedric Mullins and TEX Marcus Semien as the only players with 30+ RBI and 7+ steals.

FLIPPING THE SWITCH — Following a 2-for-28 (.071) skid from 4/14-23, Isaac Paredes is slashing .343/.412/.560 (25-for-75) with eight doubles, 3 HR and 19 RBI over his last 23 games.

Paredes has a pair of 5+ RBI games this season (4/27 at CWS & 5/16 at NYM), joining BAL Ryan Mountcastle and TEX Adolis García (2G each) as only major leaguers with multiple such games in 2023.

His 5-RBI game on 5/16 at New York-NL marked the fourth individual instance of a Rays hitter recording 5+ RBI this season, tied with Texas for most in MLB… in 2022, the Rays saw just one such performance (Randy Arozarena, 6RBI on 9/23/22 vs. TOR).

THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 90 home runs, tied for the third-most long balls through a club’s first 47 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals and 1999 Seattle Mariners (97HR each).

The Rays have 11 players with 5+ home runs this season, most in the majors, ahead of San Francisco (8 players)…per Elias, Tampa Bay is the first team in MLB history to have 10 or more players with 5+ home runs before reaching the 50-game mark in a season.

The Rays have an MLB-best 26 multi-HR games, ahead of New York-AL (23G)…this includes 15 games with 3+ homers, most in the majors ahead of Los Angeles-NL (13G).

Tampa Bay’s 27 go-ahead home runs lead the AL and are tied for the MLB lead with Los Angeles-NL…63 of the Rays 90 total homers (70.0%) have been solo shots.

INTERLEAGUE RUNDOWN — The Rays 11-3 (.785) mark against NL clubs signals the best Interleague winning percentage in MLB, ahead of New-York-AL (6-2, .750) and Detroit (11-4, .786)…following a seven-game losing streak from 6/28-8/10, 2022, Tampa Bay has won 13 of its last 16 Interleague matchups dating back to 8/30/22.

Rays pitching has recorded a 2.75 ERA (124.1IP, 38ER) against the NL, the third-lowest Interleague ERA in the majors…this includes a 1.85 ERA (68.0IP, 14ER) by Tampa Bay starters.

Rays hitters are slashing .274/.342/.518 with 30 homers against the NL…they pace the majors in Interleague SLG (.518) and OPS (.860).

LEADING THE PACK — The Rays pace the majors in runs scored (286) while surrendering the fewest runs (160)…Tampa Bay’s +126 run differential is tied for the sixth-best mark through the first 47 games of a season in MLB history (since 1901), including the best since the 2016 Chicago Cubs (+126).

BATTER UP — Rays hitters lead MLB in batting average (.273), OBP (.347), SLG (.503), OPS (.850), homers (90), extra-base hits (183), total bases (804) and at-bats per HR (17.77).

CURDS AND BREWS — Tampa Bay and Milwaukee meet this afternoon for the final contest of a three-game set…Tampa Bay evened the all-time series at 9-9 with yesterday’s victory, including a 5-5 mark at Tropicana Field.

With a win today, the Rays will earn their first sweep of the Brewers in the all-time series…Milwaukee swept the season series in 2022, winning two games at Tropicana Field from 6/28-29 and two at American Family Field from 8/9-10.

TODAY’S STARTER: LHP JALEN BEEKS (1-2, 4.70)
BEEKS ON THE BUMP — Left-hander Jalen Beeks makes his fifth start of the season in today’s series finale, his second at Tropicana Field…marks his 18th appearance overall (10th at home)…has posted a 1.00 ERA (9.0IP, 1ER) while holding opponents to a .129 average (4-for-31) in his four starts this season…has not allowed a run in his last five appearances spanning 7.1 IP, striking out nine without issuing a walk in that stretch.

LET’S GET IT STARTED — Beeks has made 15 career starts, pitching to a 6.16 ERA (38.0IP, 26ER)…after posting an 11.57 ERA (16.1IP, 21ER) in his first four career starts, he has turned in a 2.08 ERA (21.2IP, 5ER) over his previous 11, including a 1.00 ERA (9.0IP, 1ER) in four starts this season.

Beeks’ longest career start came on 8/14/19 at San Diego (5.0IP)… his shortest was 1.0 IP on 8/3/22 vs. Toronto.

BEEKS AND THE BREW CREW — Beeks has made a pair of appearances against Milwaukee, both of which came last season (6/29/22 & 8/9/22)… recorded a 3.00 ERA (3.0IP, 1ER) while fanning six Brewers in those games… he started opposite Milwaukee on 6/29/22 at Tropicana Field, allowing one run on three hits over 2.0 innings of work.

In seven previous games against NL Central clubs, Beeks is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA (12.1IP, 5ER), holding opposing hitters to a .178 average (8-for-45)…this includes a 2.25 ERA (4.0IP, 1ER) and a .077 average (1-for-13) over two appearances in 2023.

FLIP THE SCRIPT — After going 0-2 with a 7.43 ERA (13.1IP, 11ER), eight walks and eight strikeouts over 10 games during April, Beeks has pitched to a 1-0 mark with a 0.93 ERA (9.2IP, 1ER), two walks and 11 strikeouts over seven outings in May…during May, Beeks is holding opponents to a .171/.216/.200 (6-for-35) line… this comes after he allowed season highs in both hits (4) and runs (5) on 4/30 at Chicago-AL.

His 0.93 ERA signals the AL’s sixth-lowest ERA during the month of May among pitchers with at least 9.0 IP…his 0.83 WHIP is 10th under the same parameters.

THIS AND THAT — Beeks is holding opponents to a 2-for-18 clip (.111) with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-7 in May…this includes 0-for2 with the bases loaded…excluding his outing on 4/30 at Chicago-AL, opponents are 0-for-16 against him with RISP.

Opponents are batting .244 (11-for-45) against him with no runners on base compared to .154 (6-for-39) with runners on the basepaths.

After posting a career-worst 8.3 pct. barrel rate in 2022, Beeks’ 3.0 pct. barrel rate this season is the second-lowest mark of his career,
trailing only his 2020 campaign (2.0%).

MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (30-16) at Toronto Blue Jays (25-21)

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MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (30-16) at Toronto Blue Jays (25-21)

BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays yesterday, 6-5 in 10 innings, in the second game of the three-game set in Toronto…Clinched their 11th series victory and sixth on the road…Improved to 3-2 in series against AL East opponents and have won three series in a row against division rivals…The O’s rallied from a 5-2 deficit after seven innings to collect their 17th comeback victory of the season, the most in the majors (see box at right).

Grayson Rodriguez did not factor in the decision after allowing two runs on four hits (1 HR) with one walk and six strikeouts in 5.0 innings; reached 50 career strikeouts, the most by an Orioles pitcher in his first nine career games (since 1954).

Ryan O’Hearn hit a game-tying, three-run home run in the eighth inning off Jordan Romano; marked his fourth career game-tying or go-ahead home run in the eighth-inning-or-later and first since hitting a walk-off, solo homer on September 3, 2019 vs. Detroit with the Royals…Also singled in the second and seventh innings to collect his first three-hit game of the year, and tallied a career-high-tying four RBI for the third time and first since May 7, 2019 at Houston with the Royals.

Cedric Mullins slugged his seventh homer of the season in the third inning off Alek Manoah; entering today’s games, Mullins is tied for fifth in the AL and seventh in MLB with 35 RBI.

SEEKING A SWEEP: The O’s are looking to clinch their third sweep of the season with a win in today’s series finale…Would be their first since sweeping the Tigers in three games at Oriole Park from April 21-23, first on the road since sweeping the Nationals in two games at Nationals Park from April 18-19, and first three-game sweep on the road since August 1-3, 2022 at Texas…Would be their first sweep of an AL East opponent since taking two games against the Blue Jays at Oriole Park from August 8-9, 2022, and first three-game sweep against the division since sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway Park from April 2-4, 2021…Would be their first sweep of at least three games against Toronto since August 27-29, 2018 at Oriole Park and first road sweep of the Jays since sweeping a three-game set at Rogers Centre from April 22-24, 2005.

WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won 21 of their last 30 games, 24 of 34, and 26 of 37… The 30-16 overall record ranks second in MLB to start the season (see box at right)… The Rays (34-13) are the only other team with 30 wins this season.

Last season, the Birds did not reach 30 wins until the 68th game on June 19 (30- 38); they did not reach 31 wins until the 70th game on June 22 (31-39).

The Orioles are 92-65 since June 1, 2022, a 95-win pace; the .586 winning percentage during that time is the second-best in the AL and fourth-best in MLB, trailing the Braves (.675, 106-51), Dodgers (.669, 107-53), and Astros (.637, 100-57).

AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: The O’s and Jays wrap up a three-game set at Rogers Centre this afternoon, the first meeting between the two teams this season…The Orioles will travel to Toronto again for four games from July 31 to August 3 and will host the Jays in Baltimore for a pair of three-game sets from June 13-15 and August 22-24…The O’s went 9-10 against the Jays in 2022; the season series was not decided until game 162 on October 5 (G2).

KING IN THE NORTH: Ryan Mountcastle has slashed .315/.378/.631 (53-for-168) with eight doubles, 15 homers, 29 runs scored, 36 RBI, 15 walks, and a 1.009 OPS in 44 career games against the Blue Jays; marks his most homers, runs, RBI, extra-base hits (23), and total bases (106) against a single opponent, as well as his highest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS against a team with at least 15 games played…Has six career home runs at Rogers Centre, his most at any opposing ballpark and twice as many as the next-closest parks; has three home runs at Fenway Park (BOS), Kauffman Stadium (KC), Tropicana Field (TB), and Sahlen Field (TOR).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Orioles are on a seven-day, six-game road trip…After finishing up a three-game set in Toronto this afternoon, the O’s have a scheduled off day tomorrow before making their first trip to the Bronx this year with three games against the Yankees from May 23-25.

LOOKING AHEAD: After the current road trip, the O’s return to Charm City for a six-game homestand with three games against the Rangers from May 26-28 and three against the Guardians from May 29-31.

WHAT A RELIEF: The Baltimore bullpen owns a 3.08 ERA (59 ER/172.2 IP), third-best in MLB behind the Yankees (2.94) and Astros (3.01)…O’s relievers have 13 wins this season, tied with Cincinnati and New York-AL for third in MLB, trailing Arizona and Miami (14)…The O’s are second in MLB with 209 strikeouts from the ‘pen, trailing Kansas City (214).

THE CANO SHOW: Yennier Cano has allowed one earned run in 23.2 innings (0.38 ERA); opened the year with 21.2 scoreless innings over 17 appearances…Opponents are slashing .095/.107/.122 (7-for-74) against him, all of which lead MLB pitchers with at least 15 appearances…His .228 OPS against is .116 points less than the next closest pitcher (CIN’s Alexis Díaz, .344).

Has faced 75 batters without issuing a free pass; is the only pitcher to face at least 70 batters without allowing a walk this season and one of two with at least 50 batters faced and no walks allowed, along with Philadelphia’s José Alvarado (52 batters faced).

His streak of 19 straight games without a walk to start the season is the second-longest in O’s history, behind a 22-game streak by Jamie W Walker to open the 2009 campaign; Cano has worked 23.2 innings while Walker only threw 12.1 during his streak.

He leads all O’s and ranks tied for seventh among all MLB pitchers with 1.9 bWAR, per Baseball Reference.

His sinker is worth -10 Run Value, the best pitch by an Oriole and tied for the sixth-best pitch in MLB, per Statcast.

ROSTER MOVES: The Orioles today reinstated right-handed pitcher Mychal Givens from the 15-day Injured List (left knee inflammation)…In a corresponding move, lefthanded pitcher Cole Irvin was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #64 DEAN KREMER RHP
QUICK HITS: Slated to make his 10th start of the season, fifth on the road, and eighth career appearance (seventh start) against the Blue Jays today…Made a career-high 22 appearances (21 GS) in 2022, 11 appearances at home (10 GS), and 11 on the road…Owned an 8-7 record with a 3.23 ERA (45 ER/125.1 IP) and 87 strikeouts…Made six starts of 5.0-or-more scoreless innings, tied for seventh-most in the AL…Acquired by the Orioles along with INF Breyvic Valera, OF Yusniel Diaz, RHP Zach Pop, and INF Rylan Bannon in exchange for INF Manny Machado on July 18, 2018…Originally selected by the Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of UNLV.

LAST TIME OUT: Earned his fifth win of the season in his last start vs. the Angels on April 16 at Oriole Park…Allowed three runs on six hits (1 HR) with four strikeouts and one wild pitch in 5.2 innings of work…Has won three straight starts for the first time in his career…Threw 95 pitches, 63 strikes

AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: Making his eighth career appearance (seventh start) against the Blue Jays this afternoon…Dealt the loss in his last start vs. Toronto on October 3, 2022 after surrendering four runs (3 ER) on six hits (1 HR) with one walk and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work…Threw 82 pitches, 56 strikes…Owns a 1-3 record with a 5.77 ERA (22 ER/34.1 IP) and three quality starts through his first seven career outings (six starts) against the Blue Jays but pitched to a 1-2 record and a 3.38 ERA (9 ER/24.0 IP) in four appearances (three starts) in 2022, including two quality starts.

AGAINST THE AL EAST: Making his 27th career appearance (26th start) against the AL East…Owns a 4-11 record with a 5.65 ERA (78 ER/124.1 IP) and six quality starts through his first 26 outings against division foes…Earned the win in his last start against the AL East on May 10 vs. Tampa Bay after working 6.0 scoreless innings on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts…Marked his third quality start of the season…Threw 95 pitches, 60 strikes…Owns a 2-0 record with a 5.95 ERA (13 ER/19.2 IP) in four starts against the division this season.

LIFE ON THE ROAD: Has gone 2-1 with a 4.79 ERA (11 ER/20.2 IP) in four road starts this season…Earned the win in his last start away from Oriole Park on May 5 at Atlanta after allowing one run on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work…Threw 93 pitches, 55 strikes…Owns a 7-9 record with a 4.99 ERA (63 ER/113.2 IP) through his first 23 career road starts.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays surrendered three runs in the 8th inning yesterday and one more in the 10th as they were edged, 6-5, by the Orioles…Fell to 7-5 in one-run games and are now 4-3 in extra-inning affairs. Toronto has dropped five of its last six contests but has still won seven of its last 14 games and 13 of its last 25…Has lost consecutive series for the 1st time this season…Needs a win today to avoid its 3rd sweep of the campaign.

SPRINGER HAS SPRUNG: George Springer tied yesterday’s game at 2’s with a two-run homer to left in the 5th inning…Was his 6th longball of the season…The blast was his 184th career home run while batting 1st, now one back of Ian Kinsler for 4th most in MLB history. The outfielder has extra-base hits in consecutive games for the 1st time this season…Also drove in a run with an infield single in the 7th, finishing the day 2-for-4 with three RBI, his 9th multi-hit effort of the year…Has gone 11-for-36 (.306) with a double, two home runs, and six RBI, and four walks on this homestand (.875 OPS).

JANO’S JOLT: Danny hit a solo blast to left field in the 6th inning yesterday to put Toronto in front, 3-2…Marked his 5th homer of the season and 2nd in the last four days… Has extended his hitting streak to a career-long seven games (6G streak, 3x), going 9-for-30 (.300) with two doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI (.889 OPS).

WORKING DOUBLE TIME: Matt Chapman doubled off the right-field wall in the 4th inning yesterday…Leads all MLB hitters with 19 doubles this season (2nd: Freddie Freeman – 17)… Among AL batters, ranks 3rd in extra-base hits (24), T-6th in hits (51), 9th in AVG (.300), 9th in OPS (.880), and 10th in OBP (.380). The third baseman also continues to lead all MLB hitters in hard-hit percentage (62.7) this season (2nd: Aaron Judge – 61.1) while 3rd in barrel rate (14.6%), 5th in hard-hit balls (74) and 7th in average exit velocity (94.2 MPH).

OKK, BLUE JAY: Kevin Kiermaier went 1-for-4 on a single yesterday… Extended his hitting streak to six games, going 10-for-20 (.500) with three doubles and a home run over that span…Is now batting .322 (39-for-121) for the year with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 13 RBI (.883 OPS)…His .396 (19-for-48) average for the month of May is the best among qualified AL hitters (2nd: Riley Greene – .390)…His 35 hits while batting 9th are the most in the Majors (2nd: Michael A. Taylor – 23).

ALL GAUS, NO BRAKES: Kevin Gausman gets the ball today, coming in with an AL-high 77 strikeouts (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 71), which is also the most ever by a Blue Jay in his first nine games of a season (2nd: Roger Clemens – 69 in 1997)…Also ranks 1st in the AL with a 12.60 K/9 and a 34.7% K rate…Has recorded double-digit strikeouts on four occasions this season, the most in the Majors.

AT DOME FOR DAYS: The Blue Jays are on a 10-day, 10-game homestand (4-5 so far)…Have gone 13-8 this season at Rogers Centre…The .619 win% at home is 5th best in the AL… After today’s match, will head out on a seven-game road trip with four games in Tampa Bay (34-13) and three more in Minnesota (25-21). Toronto batters rank 5th in the AL in home AVG (.257), while sitting 6th in home OBP (.329), 8th in home OPS (.720), and 10th in home SLG (.391)…The pitching staff ranks 2nd among AL teams with a 3.11 home ERA (TB – 2.48), 2nd in home opponents’ average (.200), and 2nd in home WHIP (1.13).

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 4-5 so far…Their opponents over this 17-game stretch (ATL, NYY, BAL, TB, MIN) have a combined record of 145-87 (.625).

PLAYING THE HITS: The Blue Jays have notched 408 hits so far this season, 5th most in the AL…Are also 5th in the AL in team AVG (.256), 6th in OBP (.327), 6th in OPS (.733), and 8th in SLG (.406). The Blue Jays are one of two AL teams who have scored in every game this season (also: LAA)…Have gone 64 straight games without being shut out, the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors (LAA – 88G).

THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 36 Defensive Runs Saved to lead all MLB teams (2nd: MIL – 27)…The group is led by an MLB-high 13 runs saved in center field – nine from Kevin Kiermaier and four from Daulton Varsho.

DIVISIONAL DETAILS: The Blue Jays have now gone 5-11 against divisional opponents this season…Have still won 28 of their last 49 games vs. AL East foes, dating back to Aug. 17, 2022…Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division (NYY – .618) and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006 (43-31).

VS. THE ORIOLES: All-Time: 384-321
2023: 0-2 Home: 213-143
Home: 0-2 Rogers Centre: 164-105
The Blue Jays went 10-9 against the Orioles last season while splitting the 10 contests here at Rogers Centre…Have claimed each season series since 2018, going 57-31 since then…Their .648 win% vs. BAL over that span is their 2nd best vs. an AL opponent (.719 vs. KC)…Have not been swept by the O’s since Aug. 27-29, 2018, and were last swept by them at home from April 22-24, 2005.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit .329 (25-for-76) with two doubles, six home runs, and 12 RBI in his 18 games played against the O’s last season (.985 OPS)…In 65 career meetings, is 87-for-266 (.327) with 13 doubles, 22 homers, and 53 RBI (1.004 OPS).

Bo Bichette kept a .315 (23-for-73) batting average in 18 games vs. Baltimore last year, including two doubles, six home runs, and 15 RBI (.940 OPS)…The team has gone 30-18 during his 48 career games against them while he has batted .312 (62-for-199) with 12 doubles, 10 homers, and 35 RBI (.879 OPS).

Matt Chapman picked up 15 hits in 16 games against the Orioles last year, including seven extra-base hits and 12 RBI (.571 SLG)…Is a lifetime .260 (40-for-154) hitter across 44 meetings with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 24 RBI (.831 OPS).

STARTING PITCHER – Kevin Gausman, RHP #34
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 10th start of the season and his 4th at Rogers Centre…Gave up 3R/2ER runs his last time out on 5/16 vs. NYY, surrendering 5 hits and 2 walks over 7.0 innings with 10 strikeouts on 102 pitches (63 strikes)… Has recorded a quality start in 7 of his 9 outings this year…Has racked up double-digit punchouts on 4 occasions this season, more than any other MLB pitcher. His 77 strikeouts are the most ever by a Blue Jay in their first nine outings of a season (2nd: Roger Clemens – 69 in 1997), and are the most in the AL in 2023 (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 71K). Owns a 2.76 FIP since the start of the 2020 season, the 2nd-best mark among qualified hurlers (Corbin Burnes – 2.62).

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Tossed 6.0 shutout innings on 5/10 at PHI, giving up 3 hits with no walks and 9 strikeouts…Was his 6th quality start of the year, and his 5th outing with no earned runs. Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 4/29 vs. SEA, giving up 5 hits with a walk and a career-high 13 strikeouts…Threw a season-high 108 pitches (74 strikes) while inducing a career-high 28 swing-and-misses…Got 20 whiffs on his splitter alone, the most on a single pitch in the Majors this season, and the most on a splitter in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Earned his 2nd win of the year on 4/23 at NYY, hurling 7.0 shutout frames with 3 hits, no walks, and a season-high-tying 11 strikeouts. Gave up a career-high-tying 8 runs (7ER) over 4.2 innings on 4/17 at HOU (7H, 2BB, 5K). Took a no-decision on 4/12 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits over a season-high 8.0 innings with no walks and 11 strikeouts, his most as a Blue Jay…Surrendered a solo home run to Nick Maton with one out in the 4th inning, ending his streak of 15.1 innings without allowing an earned run, the longest stretch to begin a season in franchise history (2nd: Matt Shoemaker – 14.0 IP in 2019). Picked up his 1st win of the year on 4/6 at KC, throwing 6.0 shutout frames \with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts…Didn’t allowed an earned run for a 2nd straight outing to begin the season. Took the loss in his season debut on 4/1 at STL, giving up 3 runs (all unearned) on 8 hits and a walk over 6.0 innings with 7 strikeouts.

MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (22-23) at Atlanta Braves (28-17)

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MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (22-23) at Atlanta Braves (28-17)

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TODAY’S TILT…the Mariners wrap up an 11-day, 9-game road trip (4-4) with the last of 3 games against the Atlanta Braves (1-1)…Seattle opened the road trip with a 3-game series win in Detroit (2-1), followed by a series in Boston (1-2)…today’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Mike Cameron on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners. com with Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith.

ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Braves by a 7-3 score in last night’s middle game, evening the series…Seattle is 10-12 at T-Mobile Park and 12-11 on the road this season…the Mariners are 8-4 over their last 12 road games…Seattle is 17-8 when scoring 4+ runs in a game and 5-15 when scoring 3-or-fewer.

  • Road Trip – Seattle would secure a winning road trip with a victory today…the Mariners have not had a losing road trip yet this season (3-3 on first road trip, 5-4 on second road trip, 4-4 on current trip).
  • Series Record – Coming into today’s series finale, the Mariners own a 6-8 series record this season.
  • ATLiens – The Mariners have won 11 of their last 14 games against the Braves dating back to 2014, including winning 5 of their last 7 in Atlanta.
  • Patient J-Rod – Julio Rodríguez drew a career-high 3 walks last night…he became the 7th Mariners player age 22-or-younger to draw 3+ walks in a game and the first since Nick Franklin, Sept. 2, 2013.
  • Georgia On His Mind – Taylor Trammell went 1-for-3 with an RBI last night…the Georgia native became the 85th visiting Georgia-born player in Major League history to record a hit in his home state.

THE PITCHING STAFF…the Mariners have the best pitching staff in the Major Leagues by fWAR (8.9), ranking ahead of 2nd-place Minnesota (7.7)…Seattle also leads the Majors in Fielding Independent Pitching (3.30), fewest walks (117), walks-per-9 innings (2.60), fewest home runs (32), home runs-per-9 innings (0.71), fewest barrels (64) and barrel per plate appearance (5.6%)…the pitching staff ranks T3rd in WHIP (1.19) and T1st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.42) with Houston…Mariners starting pitchers are 2nd in the Majors in fWAR (6.1) trailing Minnesota (6.4)…Mariners relief pitchers rank 2nd in the Majors in fWAR (2.7) trailing Baltimore (3.3).

26-AND-UNDER…Seattle pitchers age 26-or-younger have compiled Major League-leading 5.6 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement this season, leading by a wide margin over Houston (3.8), Los Angeles-NL (3.0) and Atlanta (2.9)…in fact, the top-4 pitchers age 26-or-younger this season are all Mariners or Braves: Spencer Strider-ATL (1.8 fWAR) and George Kirby (1.8) lead the pack, followed by Logan Gilbert (1.7) and Bryce Miller (1.2).

J.P. RECORDS 500TH HIT…J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 with an RBI and walk last night, recording his 500th career Major League hit on a go-ahead RBI single in the 4th inning…he also extended his on-base streak to 16 games (4/30-c)…during the streak, the Mariners shortstop has gotten on base at a .386 clip, recording 16 hits and drawing 10 walks over 70 plate appearances…overall this season, J.P.’s 27 walks lead the Mariners.

“STOP IT!”…the Mariners have the best defense in the American League by Outs Above Average (13) this season, ranking ahead of Tampa Bay (11) in the AL and trailing only San Diego (18) for the Major League lead…third baseman Eugenio Suárez is the best defender in the Majors by OAA (8) among all players, regardless of position…Julio Rodríguez (3) ranks in the top-10 among American League outfielders… Seattle’s .990 fielding percentage is tied for 4th-highest in the Majors, trailing San Diego (.993), Tampa Bay (.991) and New York-NL (.991).

J.K. ROLLING…Jarred Kelenic went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored in last night’s win…in 43 games this season, Kelenic has been one of the American League’s most productive outfielders, batting .287 (45×157) with 22 runs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 21 RBI, 6 stolen bases and 12 walks, getting on base at a .339 clip, slugging .529 with an .868 OPS…he leads the Mariners in extra-base hits (21), batting average, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases (83).

TEO HEATING UP…Teoscar Hernández reached base twice in last night’s win, going 1-for-4 with a run scored, RBI and walk…over his last 16 games (5/3-c), Teo is batting .323 (20×62) with 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 8 RBI, 5 walks and 1 stolen base, getting on base at a .368 clip, slugging .435 with an .803 OPS…Hernández has 6 multi-hit games during that span and 13 multi-hit games on the season, most on the Mariners and ranking ahead of Ty France (11) and Julio Rodríguez (11).

BIG DUMPER…Cal Raleigh has been one of the best catchers in the American League this season, posting a .789 OPS in 38 games…he’s batting .235 (31×132) with 23 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 22 RBI and 18 walks, getting on base at a .327 clip with a .462 slugging percentage…since the start of last season, Cal’s 34 home runs lead Major League catchers…on May 15 at Boston, Raleigh became the first catcher in the 112-year history of Fenway Park to homer from both sides of the plate in a game.

ON THE UPCOMING HOMESTAND…the Mariners return for a 10-game homestand starting tomorrow, beginning with 4 Value Games against the Oakland Athletics (May 22-25), including AANHPI Heritage Night on Tuesday, May 23…Seattle then welcomes the Pittsburgh Pirates for 3 games (May 26-28), featuring Sing-Along Fireworks Night on Friday, May 26, J.P. Crawford POP! Collectible Night on Saturday, May 27 and Little League Day on Sunday, May 28…the Mariners wrap up the homestand with 3 games against the New York Yankees from May 29-31…tickets for all upcoming games can be found at Mariners.com/Tickets.

AS YOU KNOW…George Kirby takes the mound for the Mariners today…in 8 starts this season, the right-hander is 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA (14 ER, 51.1 IP) with 4 walks and 41 strikeouts, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that Kirby has been one of the most effective pitchers in the Major Leagues over his last 23 starts?…during that span (7/2/2022-c), the right-hander is 11-4 with a 2.74 ERA (39 ER, 128.1 IP) with 19 walks and 125 strikeouts…his strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.58) during that span ranks 2nd in the Majors (min. 100 IP) to only Kevin Gausman-TOR (8.41)…Kirby’s strikeout-to-walk ratio this season (10.25) leads the Majors, while his career strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.69) is the highest in Major League history through a pitcher’s first 33 career starts.

MARINERS STARTER – RHP GEORGE KIRBY
ABOUT KIRBY…

  • 25-year-old right-hander is making his 9th start of the season, 1st against Atlanta…he is also making his 34th career start, and 2nd career start against the Braves.
  • Selected by the Mariners in the first round (20th overall) of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Ty Holub.
  • Played 3 seasons (2017-2019) at Elon University (NC), going 19-8 with a 3.30 ERA (88 ER, 240.0 IP) in 45 games (34 GS) with the Phoenix.
  • Became the first rookie in MLB history to record a save in the postseason in his first career relief appearance.
  • Graduated from Rye HS (Rye, NY) where he was named to the all-metro, all-state, all-section and all-league baseball teams 3 times.

LAST TIME OUT…W#5 on 5/14 against Boston after turning in a quality start where he only allowed 1 run on 8 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 over 6.2 innings of work.

CAREER-HIGH STRIKEOUTS…matched his career-high in strikeouts at 9 on 5/9 against Texas…this marked the 4th time George has struck out 9 batters in a game (last: 8/24/22 vs. WSN).

THESE BOOTS WERE NOT MADE FOR WALKING…in 8 starts this season Kirby has only allowed 4 walks while striking out 41…his 10.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 1st in the Major Leagues among starting pitchers with at least 8 starts this season…he ranks ahead of Zac Gallen-ARI (8.75). QUALITY KIRBY…has pitched 7 consecutive quality starts, his longest quality start streak in his career…his previous high in consecutive quality starts was 2 (last: 9/10-9/17/22)…his 7-game quality start streak is tied for the longest in the Major Leagues with Framber Valdez-HOU (7).

KIRBY ON THE ROAD…is set to make his 17th road start of his career…Kirby has a 7-3 record on the road with a 3.02 ERA (29 ER, 86.1 IP) with 15 walks and 75 strikeouts…his 7 away wins are tied 2nd on the Mariners since 2022 with Marco Gonzales and trails only Logan Gilbert (9).

MARVELOUS MONTH OF MAY…in 8 career starts in the month of May Kirby has a 4-1 record with a 2.70 ERA (14 ER, 46.2 IP) and has allowed 5 walks while striking out 45…his 45 strikeouts is the most in any month that he has pitched.

TRIPLE SEVENS…pitched at least 7.0 innings in 3 consecutive starts (4/27-5/9)… this marks a career high in consecutive games with at least 7.0 innings pitched…before then Kirby had never pitched 7.0+ innings in consecutive games…during those 3 games Kirby was 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA (4 ER, 22.0 IP) and had allowed 2 walks while striking out 18.

KIRBY’S COMPLETE…pitched his first career complete game on 4/27 against Philadelphia…he became the first Mariners pitcher to lose a complete game since Taijuan Walker on Sept. 24, 2014 in a 1-0 loss at Toronto.

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Mariners today conclude a three-game weekend series in what is the only scheduled matchup between the clubs this season… The two teams played three games in Seattle last season.

  • Seattle scored seven runs on nine hits to beat Atlanta, 7-3, last night and even the series.
  • Seattle took two-of-three from Atlanta last season at T-Mobile Park, and the two clubs are playing in back-to-back years for the first time in history… Prior to last season, the Braves and Mariners had not faced each other since 2017.
  • The two have played just 21 times in total since the advent of interleague play in 1997, with Atlanta going 9-12 (.429) all-time against the Mariners… Dating to 2014, the Braves are just 3-9 (.250) against Seattle.
  • The Braves have not won a series against the Mariners since 2011, when Atlanta swept a three-game set in Seattle.
  • The two clubs have played just one series here at Truist Park…Seattle took two-of-three games here in 2017, in the stadium’s inaugural season.
  • LH Jared Shuster is set to make the fourth start of his major league career, and has never faced the Mariners…The 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-hander is winless in his first three career starts, going 0-2 with a 7.24 ERA (11 ER/13.2 IP)…Atlanta’s top overall prospect as rated by MLB.com, Shuster last started on May 16 at Texas and allowed three hits and three runs over 5.0 innings.
  • RH George Kirby has made one career start against Atlanta, pitching against the Braves on September 10 of last season…The 6-foot-4, 215-pound native Rye, NY, pitched 6.0 innings in that start, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while fanning six…In eight starts for the Mariners this season, he is 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA (14 ER/51.1 IP) and just four walks.

LOSS: Atlanta scored twice in the bottom of the first inning last night, but allowed seven straight runs in a loss, 7-3, to Seattle…Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna all had two hits for the Braves.

  • The Braves fell to 2-11 (.154) this season when scoring three or fewer runs…Their two wins in such games are tied for third fewest in the majors… Conversely, Atlanta is 26-6 (.813) when scoring at least four runs, tied for the second-most wins in baseball.
  • Atlanta opened the scoring with a pair of first-inning runs on a Matt Olson opposite-field homer…The Braves have scored first in 34 of their 45 games (76%) this season, tied with Tampa Bay for the most such games in baseball.
  • The Braves fell to 9-10 in interleague play with the win, and are in the final game of 14 consecutive games against the American League…Atlanta hosts Seattle at Truist Park this weekend before playing another N.L. team (Los Angeles).

FIRST INNING: The Braves plated two runs in the first inning last night, and Atlanta has scored at least one first-inning run in 19 games this season, including five of their last seven home games and each of the last two.

  • The Braves’ 36 first-inning runs are two shy of Los Angeles (N.L.) and Tampa Bay for the major league lead.
  • Despite last night’s loss, Atlanta owns the best record in the National League in games in which its scores in the first inning (15-4, .789)…Only Minnesota (12-0, 1.000), Detroit (11-2, .846), Tampa Bay (16-4, .800) and Texas (12-3, .800) have been better in baseball.
  • Ronald Acuña Jr. singled on the second pitch of the first inning and Matt Olson homered two pitches later, and Atlanta led Seattle, 2-0, four pitches into the first inning last night.
  • The Braves have scored 17 runs this season within the first 10 pitches of the game, most in the majors, and also lead the league in average (.416), on-base (.442), slugging (.820), OPS (1.262), hits (37) and home runs (9) in that span.
  • Atlanta is on pace to score 130 first-inning runs this season…The Braves have scored 100 first-inning runs just five times since 2000, including 121 in 2003…Atlanta had just 71 first-inning runs all of last season.

HOMERS: Matt Olson’s first-inning home run last night marked Atlanta’s seventh consecutive game with at least one homer, matching Minnesota for the longest active run in the majors.

  • Atlanta’s run dates to May 13 at Toronto, and is one game shy of its longest such streak of the season… The Braves homered in eight straight games from April 10 to April 18.
  • The Braves have hit 35 home runs in 18 games this month, most in the National League and trailing just the Yankees (37) for most in the majors…Last season, Atlanta led the N.L. in home runs in April (28), June (54) and July (42), and led the majors with 43 homers in September.
  • Atlanta is 27-9 (.750) when hitting at least one home run this season, the best record in the N.L… Conversely, the Braves are just 1-8 (.111) when they do not homer.

DEFENSE: The Braves committed three more errors last night, the third time this season the club has at least three errors in a single game… Atlanta is the only team in the majors’ with as many as three games with three-or-more errors.

  • Three of the seven runs Atlanta allowed last night were unearned…The Braves lead the National League with 175 runs allowed this season, however Atlanta’s 19 unearned runs allowed on the season are fifth most in the N.L. and seventh most in the majors.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #45 Jared Shuster
LHP • 6-3 • 210 • 24 yrs
2023 Record: 0-2, 7.24 ERA • 2023 MiLB Record: 2-0, 3.28 ERA
vs. RHB: .300 (12-40), 1 HR • vs. LHB: .250 (3-12), 0 HR
Home: 0-0, 9.00 ERA (4/4.0) • Away: 0-2, 6.52 ERA (7/9.2)

Tonight’s Game

  • Set to make his fourth start of the season with Atlanta and first of his career against Seattle.
  • Will be his fourth career start.
  • Surrendered three hits, three runs and two walks while three four over 5.0 innings pitched in his last start against Texas.
  • Is 2-0 with a 3.28 ERA and 23 strikeouts in five starts with the Stripers.
  • Averaging 8.39 strikeouts per nine innings with Gwinnett while having a 5.27 rate with Atlanta.

2023 Recap

  • Recalled to Atlanta on
  • Was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after last start against San Diego on April 7.
  • Made his major league debut against Washington on April 2.
  • Allowed six hits, four runs and five walks through 4.2 innings pitched.
  • Was the third player from the Braves’ 2020 First-Year Player Draft to debut with the club.
  • Joined Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder as the other hurlers from the ‘20 draft class to play for Atlanta.
  • Became the eighth Braves pitcher to debut with a start against the Nationals/Expos.
  • Pitched to a 1.74 ERA in six appearances, four starts, with 19 strikeouts through 20.2 innings pitched in Spring Training.
  • Began the Spring without allowing a run in his first four outings (12.2 IP).

MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (20-25) at Philadelphia Phillies (21-24)

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MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (20-25) at Philadelphia Phillies (21-24)

CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

The Cubs and Phillies face each other in six games this season … following the three contests this weekend, the teams will also play June 27-29 at Wrigley Field … Chicago last year picked up the season sweep of the Phillies for the first time in franchise history … the Cubs have won four of the previous five season series against Philadelphia.

THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE: The Chicago Cubs today play the rubber match of a three-game series in Philadelphia, wrapping up a nine-game, three-city, 10-day road trip (2-6) … Chicago fell yesterday 12-3, marking the third time this trip the team has allowed 10 or more runs … Jameson Taillon threw 2.1 innings, his shortest outing since Aug. 30, 2022, and allowed eight runs (six earned) on six hits and three walks with one strikeout … Dansby Swanson hit his fourth home run of the seaon to get the Cubs on the board with a two-run shot in the sixth inning … Christopher Morel went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run, his seventh of the season.

With the loss yesterday, the Cubs snapped a seven-game winning streak against the Phillies and a four-game winning streak at Citizen Bank Park, the team’s longest winning streak at this stadium.

The Cubs went 10-3 in 13 games from April 4-19, but have gone 9-19 in 28 contests starting April 20 … Chicago is looking for the first road- series victory since April 17-19 at Oakland, having lost four-straight sets away from home.

Today is the final contest of a 22-game stretch (6-15) in which the team has been on the road for 16 of 22 games starting April 28 … the team will return home for nine games at Wrigley Field starting Tuesday, following an off-day tomorrow, before heading back out on the road for 10 games in California.

THE TALE OF 10s: Chicago Friday scored 10 runs and won by a score of 10-1, compared to yesterday when the Cubs allowed 12 runs and lost 12-3 … the Cubs have scored at least 10 runs in a game eight times this season, which is second-most in the majors and paces the N.L. … they have allowed 10 runs in three games this year, all of which have come on the current road trip.

The eight instances of scoring 10-plus runs through the team’s first 45 games are tied for fourth most in Cubs franchise history (the record is nine games), and the most since 2019 when they also scored 10-plus in eight games through team-game no. 45.

AT THE PLATE: In his 10 games this season, Christopher Morel is batting .381 (16- for-42) with three doubles, seven home runs, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, a .409 on-base percentage and a .952 slugging percentage … since May 9, his first game of the season, he is tied for the major league lead in homers (with Aaron Judge) and extra-base hits (10, also Judge and Freddie Freeman), is second in slugging, and seventh in average.

Ian Happ’s .415 OBP is fifth-highest in the majors and he is tied for third in walks with 33.

Nico Hoerner Friday returned from the injured list (left hamstring strain) and went 3-for-6 with two doubles and four RBI … his four RBI tied his career-high … he ranks seventh in the N.L. in batting average (.304).

The Cubs rank third in the majors in OBP (.339), fifth in average .265 (413-for1,558) and walks (167), seventh in OPS (.771) and eighth in slugging (.431).

MORE FOR MOREL: Christopher Morel hit his seventh home run of the season yesterday in his 10th game of the year, and has homered in each of his last three games … Morel is the first Cub in franchise history (since 1901) to record seven home runs in the first 10 games of a season … the three-game homer streak ties a career-high (also June 29-July 1, 2022).

Morel has scored at least one run in each of his first 10 games of the season … the only other Cub since 1900 to do so was Hank Sauer in 1954, who held the streak for 13 games. (credit: Elias Sports Bureau).

What’s more? … Morel has also recorded at least one hit and one run in 10 consecutive games … he is the 13th Cub to have a streak of 10-games or longer with a hit and a run – the last Cub to do it was Mark DeRosa May 9-19, 2008 (10 G) … Morel is the only Cub in franchise history (since 1901) to hold such a streak from the start of his season.

SEIYA LATER, BALL!: Between his ninth inning home run on Tuesday and home runs in the first and third innings on Wednesday, Seiya Suzuki went eep in three-straight plate appearances … according to Elias Sports Bureau, Suzuki is the first Cub to have a home run in three consecutive plate appearances since Kris Bryant May 17, 2019 … he is the first Japanese-born player to achieve the feat in the majors.

Seiya’s first home run on Wednesday was his 200th home run in the Nippon Professional Baseball organization (Japan) and Major League Baseball,
combined.

Through the eight games of this road trip, Suzuki is hitting .357 (10-for-28) with three doubles, four home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored.

UNDER ATTACK EARLY: Chicago has allowed first-inning runs in each of its last seven games starting on May 13 (15 runs total) … the previous time the Cubs gave up first-inning runs in seven-straight games? … Sept. 10-18, 1961, for eight games in a row … eight-straight games are a club record, also done in 1893 and 1890. (h/t to Ed Hartig for this one!)

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cubs have scored at least one run in each of their first 45 games in 2023, just the second time in the expansion era (since 1961) the team has gotten on the board in each of its first 45 contests … the longest season-opening streak in this span: 47 G in 1995.

Chicago is one of four teams in the majors this season to have scored at least one run in every game played thus far (also the D-backs, Angels and Blue Jays).

Below is a look at how each Cubs team stacks up through the first 44 games of their season-opening streaks with at least one run scored:

Year Record Win % R RA
2023 20-25 .444 219 197
1995 24-21 .533 200 190

Starting Pitcher – #35 LHP Justin Steele (6-1, 2.44)
Last Time Out
Justin suffered his first loss of the season May 16 at Houston, allowing a season-high five runs in 6.0 innings … suffered his first loss since July 28, 2022 at San Francisco, spanning 13 starts … has completed at least 6.0 innings in eight of his nine starts in 2023 … struck out a season-high-tying eight batters for the third time … his five runs allowed marked his most in a start since June 23, 2022 at Pittsburgh (6).

Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
5/16 @HOU L, 3-7 6.0 5 5 5 1 8 82-56 1-5
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 4-0 1.48 5 5 30.1 23 5 5 10 23
Road 2-1 3.60 4 4 25.0 19 12 10 5 24
AVG vs. LHB: .250 (12-for-48) / AVG vs. RHB: .203 (30-for-148)

Justin is making his 10th start of the 2023 season today, fifth on the road … has posted a 1.86 ERA (19 ER/92.0 IP) since July 22, 2022, the lowest ERA in the majors during the run (min. 16 GS) … his 2.44 ERA in 2023 is tied for the third-lowest in the N.L. and eighth-lowest in the majors among qualified pitchers, while his .214 opponent average (42-for-196) is the seventh-lowest in the N.L. … is one of three N.L. pitchers with at least six wins … opposing batters are hitting .172 (11-for-64) with 22 strikeouts off his slider.

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

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

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

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:

GAME #45 RECAP: The Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs, 12-3, at a sold out Citizens Bank Park and evened the three-game series at 1-1 … Starter Aaron Nola (W, 4-3) went 7.0 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts … Kyle Schwarber blasted a grand slam in the 1st inning as the Phillies tallied 6 runs in the frame … Overall, four Phillies had multiple hits, and as a club, they had 7 walks to 8 strikeouts on the day.

BEDLAM AT THE BANK: Through 20 games at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies are averaging 39,691 in attendance per game which ranks 2nd among all clubs in MLB behind only the Dodgers (47,873) … Of Philadelphia’s first 20 games at home, 12 have been sellouts (60%) and 15 have been over 35,000 (75%) … Among all clubs in MLB, the Phillies have the largest year-to-year increase in attendance per game this season at +12,952 (up from 26,739 in 2022) … The Toronto Blue Jays rank 2nd behind the Phillies among all clubs in year-to-year attendance growth at +6,100 and the Pittsburgh Pirates rank 2nd among NL teams at +4,649.

TIME TO POKE THE BEAR: Yesterday, the Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs 12-3 and snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Northsiders … The seven-game stretch lasted from July 22, 2022-May 19, 2023, and was the longest losing streak for the Phillies against the Cubs since another seven-game streak from July 7, 1995-June 3, 1996 … The Phillies offense put up 12 runs in yesterday’s win which was one more run than they scored during the entire losing streak (11 R).

RISP AND REWARD: Yesterday, the Phillies went 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position with 9 RBI, three walks and two extra-base hits (2B, HR) … In their five games prior from May 14-19, the Phillies went 2-for-42 with RISP with six RBI and only one extra-base hit (2B) … Kyle Schwarber’s grand slam in the 1st inning was Philadelphia’s first since Bryce Harper hit one on June 5, 2022 vs LAA (Raisel Iglesias).

SACKS PACKED: With the bases loaded this season, the Phillies are 14-for-36 at the plate with an MLB-best .389 AVG (next: CIN, .313 AVG) … In 41 plate appearances with the bases loaded, the Phillies are slashing .389/.366/.556 with a .921 OPS – Philadelphia’s .556 SLG and .921 OPS with the bases loaded both rank 3rd in the National League.

A REAL UNICORN: Since the start of last season (regular and postseason combined), J.T. Realmuto has played a total of 1608.2 innings at catcher (189 G, 185 GS) … That is 274.2 innings (almost 31 full games) clear of HOU’s Martin Maldonado who ranks 2nd in MLB at 1334.0 innings at catcher … Realmuto started this season slashing .205/.222/.364 (.586 OPS) through his first 11 games (45 PA, 3/30-4/13), but since then, he is slashing .327/.360/.535 (.895 OPS) over his last 28 games (111 PA, since 4/14).

CATCHERS ON THE FLY: Since 2022, J.T. Realmuto leads all MLB catchers with eight triples – that is one more than the two catchers who rank 2nd and 3rd behind him, combined – MJ Melendez (4) and Will Smith (3) … Catcher Garrett Stubbs ranks T-4th in MLB with two triples since 2022 … Combined, Realmuto and Stubbs have 10 triples since last season which is only two behind the entire total of the Chicago White Sox who rank 30th in MLB with 12 triples since 2022 … Per Statcast, Realmuto leads all MLB catchers in sprint speed at 28.5 feet/second which ranks in the 87th percentile of all MLB players – Stubbs topped out at 27.9 feet/second on his pinch-hit triple yesterday which was his fastest sprint speed so far this season.

RIDING THE SEESAW: Since April 26, the Phillies have played 21 games and are one game under .500 at 10-11 … This 21-game stretch consists of a four-game winning streak (4/26-29), a season-long six-game losing streak (4/30-5/6), a season-best five-game winning streak (5/7-13), a five-game losing streak (5/14- 19) and last night’s win … The Phillies opened May with a 5-10 record: five losses to start, followed by five wins and five losses … Per Elias, the only other time in franchise history that the Phillies had a five-game losing streak followed by a five-game winning streak followed by a five-game losing streak over a span of 15 games in any calendar month was in May of 1897 (at any point in the month, not just to open a month) … The last MLB club prior to the Phillies who did so was Atlanta in April of 2017.

CASTY’S BACK, TELL A FRIEND: Phils right fielder Nick Castellanos has gotten ahead 1-0 in 57 plate appearances this season – after taking ball one, Castellanos is slashing .460/.526/.760 with a 1.286 OPS that ranks 4th out of 224 qualified players in MLB this year … He has nine extra-base hits (6 2B, 3 HR) after getting ahead 1-0 … Last season, Castellanos got ahead 1-0 in 174 plate appearances and totaled only 10 extra-base hits as he slashed .197/.276/.299 with a .575 OPS that ranked 201st out of 203 qualified hitters.

75 AT CBP FOR THOMS: Today marks Rob Thomson’s 75th game at Citizens Bank Park as manager of the Phillies … Since taking over on June 3, 2022, Thomson has guided the Phillies to a 47-27 (.635 win %) record during the regular season in South Philly and a 6-2 record in the postseason (.750) … The Phillies are 16-5-2 in regular season series play under Thomson at CBP with a +74 run differential (386-312).

FIRST THINGS FIRST: In the 1st inning this year, the Phillies have scored 33 runs which ranks 6th among all clubs in MLB (most: LAD & TB, 38 R) while averaging 0.73 runs per game in the 1st inning which ranks 5th … Philadelphia’s 33 runs in the 1st inning are their most in any frame this season (next: 4th inn., 32 R) and their eight home runs are T-1st in any frame (also: 7th inn.).

TODAY’S STARTER – TAIJUAN WALKER • RHP #99
2023: 3-2, 6.53 ERA Career: 57-52, 4.00 ERA

LAST START: 5/17 at SF: ND, 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO … Walker vs Stripling … The Phillies fell to the San Francisco Giants, 7-4, on a getaway day at Oracle Park … The Phillies rallied to tie the game at 4-4 in the 5th, but the Giants put 7 consecutive balls in play against reliever Gregory Soto and took a 7-4 lead in the 8th … The Phillies had the bases loaded in the 9th against Giants closer Camilo Doval but failed to score.

TODAY’S START:

  • Restless: Walker’s lone career start on fewer than 4 days rest came on 4/13/21 (4.1 IP), 2 days after a relief appearance in which he threw 4.2 innings. His last start 4 days ago was the 3rd of his career in which he did not make it out of the opening frame (also, 0.1 IP on 7/18/21 & 0.2 IP on 9/3/16).
  • Got ‘em: Walker’s career-high 12 strikeouts came against the Cubs on 6/15/21 while with the Mets through 7.0 innings of work.
  • Doing the Splits: Walker has used his splitter 35.7% of the time in 2023, the highest rate of his career (previous: 27.6% in 2022) … He has thrown it more often than any other pitch (262 times, next: 4-seam, 169 times) and has surrendered just 2 XBH (2B, 3B) on it. Walker threw his splitter for 46 of 85 pitches on 5/7 and 46 of 105 pitches on 4/9, the most he has ever thrown the pitch in a game in his career (previous: 43 times, 6/2/22 & 8/8/16). 18 of his 39 strikeouts have come via the splitter and his 24.7 strikeout percentage and 25.2 whiff percentage with the pitch are the 8th-best and 9th-best marks in the NL, respectively (min. 10 PA).
  • From the Ground Up: Walker’s 52.0% ground ball rate is the 9th-highest among all NL pitchers (min. 30.0 IP).
  • Limiting Lefties: This season, Walker has held lefties to a .260 (19-73) average, compared to a .273 average (24-88) against righties … Since his debut year, 2013, Walker has limited lefthanded batters to a .233 average (391-1676), 16th-best among right-handed arms during that span (min. 1,500 LHB faced).
  • No Free Passes: Walker did not issue a walk in 2 straight starts (5/7 & 5/12) and averaged 13.2 pitches per inning across those starts after averaging more than 18.6 pitches per inning in his first 6 starts of the year. He last went 2 straight games without walking a batter from 9/11-16/22 while with the Mets.
  • Pick ‘em Off: Walker’s 19 successful pickoff attempts since the start of the 2015 season are tied for the 7th-most among active major league pitchers in that span.
  • vs NL Central: 6-7, 4.29 ERA (52 ER, 109.0 IP) in 20 starts.

HOME:

  • 2023: 1-0, 4.91 ERA (8 ER, 14.2 IP) in 3 starts.
  • Career: 25-21, 3.85 ERA (195 ER, 456.0 IP) in 83 games (81 starts).
  • CBP: 2-1, 5.12 ERA (23 ER, 38.2 IP) in 8 starts.

2023 SEASON:

  • Made his Phillies debut on 4/3 at NYY after signing a 4-year contract with the club in December.
  • Pitched for Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, making 1 start in Pool Play against Great Britain … He threw 4.0 scoreless IP with 2 baserunners allowed and recorded 8 of his 12 outs via strikeout.

MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (26-20) at Pittsburgh Pirates (24-21)

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MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (26-20) at Pittsburgh Pirates (24-21)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs’ 26 wins are third most in the NL, behind the Dodgers (29) and Braves (28).

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

♦ A win today would give the D-backs their third straight series win…entered this series having won 5 of their last 7 series.

♦ Merrill Kelly, in 4 road starts (3 quality), is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA (3 ER in 22.2 IP), .217 opponent average (18-for-83), 6 walks and 21 strikeouts.

♦ Gabriel Moreno has reached base safely in 11 of his last 12 games, is hitting .357 (15-for-52)/.413 OBP with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 4 walks.

♦ Geraldo Perdomo, in his last 10 road games, is hitting .406 (13-for-32)/1.207 OPS with 2 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI, 3 walks.

KETEL BEING KETEL
♦ Ketel Marte’s 20-game on-base streak is the fourth-longest active streak in the Majors and is tied for the second-longest streak of his career (also: June 4-27, 2019), 2 games shy of his career-best streak (22, Aug 2-29, 2019).

  • During the streak, is batting .297 (22-for-74)/.389 OBP with 1 double, 1 triple, 4 homers, 12 RBI, 11 walks and 2 hit by pitches.

♦ Has reached base in 13 straight road games , hitting .388 (19-for-49)/1.183 OPS with 1 triple, 5 homers, 10 RBI and 6 walks.

OH, LOURDES!
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. set a career record with his 13-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .392 (20-for51)/1.326 OPS with 5 doubles (1 walk-off ), 6 homers, 12 RBI and 8 walk

  • His streak is the longest by a D-back this season and is tied for the Majors’ second-longest active streak.

♦ In his last 12 road games, is hitting .311 (14-for-45)/.959 OPS with 2 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI and 6 walks.

DAYGAMES
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr., in 14 day games, is hitting .308 (9-for-22)/1.016 OPS with 6 doubles, 4 homers, 12 RBI and 5 walks.

♦ Geraldo Perdomo, in 14 day games, is hitting .325 (13-for-40)/.851 OPS with 4 doubles, 7 RBI and 6 walks.

♦ Corbin Carroll, in 15 day games, is hitting .302 (16-for53)/.949 OPS with 5 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI and 6 walks.

GETTING ON BASE AND DRAWING FREE PASSES
♦ Since April 24, the D-backs’ .349 OBP is second in the Majors behind the Red Sox (.354) and ahead of the Rangers (.340), Rays (.337) and Braves (.333).

♦ Since April 24, the D-backs’ 96 walks (23 games) are fourth in the Majors behind the Padres (99 BB in 22 G), Twins (99 BB in 24 G) and Dodgers (98 BB, 24 G).

D-FENSE! D-FENSE!
♦ The D-backs’ .990 fielding pct. is tied for fourth in the Majors with the Mariners behind the Padres (.993), Rays (.991) and Mets (.991).

♦ Josh Rojas’ 5 Outs Above Average (OAA) are tied for fifth most in the Majors (7 others).

♦ Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo lead the team with 3 defensive runs saved (min. 100.0 IP) ahead of Christian Walker (2), Ketel Marte (2), Josh Rojas (2), Jake McCarthy (2) and Dominic Fletcher (2).

YOUNG ‘BACKS
♦ The D-backs’ 28.0 roster age is tied for fifth-youngest in the Majors with the Nationals, Angels, Mariners and Reds behind the Guardians (26.4), A’s (27.6), Orioles (27.7) and Rays (27.8).

ON DECK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
♦ The D-backs split the season series 3-3 in 2022 and over the last 5 seasons since 2017 (did not face Phillies in 2020) are 21-11.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP MERRILL KELLY ♦ #29
AT A GLANCE: In his fi fth season with the D-backs.

  • Played 4 seasons (2015-18) with the SK Wyverns/KBO.
  • Grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., and attended Desert Mountain High School, Yavapai College and Arizona State.
  • Pitched for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: In his last 4 starts, is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA (7 ER in 26.0 IP), .191 opponent average (18-for-94), 4 walks and 30 strikeouts.

  • In 4 road starts (3 quality), is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA (3 ER in 22.2 IP), .217 opponent average (18-for-83), 6 walks and 21 strikeouts.
  • Is 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA (22 ER in 70.1 IP) in his last 12 day starts (6 quality).

LAST START: Won @ A’s…allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in 7.0 IP, struckout nine and walked one.

VS. PIRATES: In 3 career starts vs. Pirates, is 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA (7 ER in 17.0 IP)…in 2 road starts @ PNC Park, is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA (4 ER in 12.0 IP).

VS. NL CENTRAL: Is 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA (53 ER in 137.0 IP) in 23 career starts.

NL RANKINGS: Ranks among NL starters in average (3rd, .197), wins (T-8th, 4), strikeouts (T-9th, 55) and WHIP (10th, 1.09).

ROAD WARRIOR: Since the start of 2022, his 11 road wins are second among NL starters behind Julio Urias/LAD (12) and ahead of Yu Darvish/SD (10).

  • Has 12 quality starts in his last 20 road starts.

VS. LEFTIES: Limiting lefties to a .185 average (17-for-92) with 25 strikeouts.

CHANGING IT UP: Opponents are hitting .100 (5-for-50) with 19 strikeouts and a whiff rate of 34.5 pct. off his changeup

PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:

THE PIRATES: Lost when leading after six innings yesterday for just the second time this season…Have won three of their last five games after losing four straight from 5/9-13…Won seven straight games from 4/17-23, their longest winning streak since 2018 (11 games)…Are tied for first place in the National League Central… Are also tied with Milwuakee for the fourth-best record in the National League.

KEEPING UP WITH CUTCH’S MILESTONES: Andrew McCutchen comes into today just one hit shy of 1500 in his career as a member of the Pirates (he will become the 12th player in club history to reach that milestone)… McCutchen ranks 12th on the team’s all-time hits list coming into today…Roberto Clemente leads the way with 3000 hits while Tommy Leach is 11th (1603)… McCutchen is also 16 hits shy of 2000 and three doubles shy of 400 for his career.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Andrew McCutchen has gone 12-for-31 (.387) while batting in the first inning this season, including 6-for-17 in four games out of the leadoff spot…McCutchen has singled in the first inning in each of his last three games, including out of the leadoff spot in each of the last two contests.

ABOUT TODAY’S STARTER: Roansy Contreras gets the start this afternoon in the finale of this three-game series against the Diamondbacks…Contreras worked a career-high tying 7.0 innings while losing a 2-0 decision to Baltimore’s Tyler Wells last Saturday at Camden Yards.

ON DECK: Following today’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, the Pirates will welcome the Texas Rangers to town for three games…This will be the first series between Texas and Pittsburgh since a two-game set at PNC Park from May 7-8, 2019…The Pirates have hosted the Rangers for just three series (eight games) since interleague play began in 1997.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR HAYES: Ke’Bryan Hayes’ three-run triple yesterday afternoon gave him back-to-back three-RBI games for the first time in his career…Hayes has hit safely in four of his last five games, going 6-for-22 with a pair of doubles, triple and seven RBI.

TRIP, TRIP, TRIPLES: The Pirates are tied for the second-most triples (10) in all of MLB (the Royals lead the way with eleven)…Since the beginning of last season, Pittsburgh’s 39 triples are tied for the fourth-most in MLB…The Royals lead in MLB in that time with forty nine.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON: Pittsburgh has gone 7-4 against teams from the National League West this season…The Pirates swept a three-game series in Colorado last month, took two of three games against Los Angeles here at PNC Park from April 25-27 and lost two of three to Colorado from May 8-10….Following today’s game, the Pirates and Diamondbacks won’t meet again until the final series before the All-Star break from July 7-9.

THE RENEGADE: David Bednar worked a scoreless ninth inning on Saturday while lowering his ERA to 0.53, which is the lowest among National League relievers and ranks second in MLB behind Baltimore’s Yennier Cano (0.38)…Bednar also ranks third among all relievers in MLB in walks per 9.0 innings (0.53) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (22.00).

PLAYING THE FIELD: Pittsburgh’s third basemen rank first in all of MLB with a total of seven Defensive Runs Saved according to the Fielding Bible…The club’s first basemen also rank first in all of MLB with five Defensive Runs Saved according to the Fielding Bible…Individually, Ke’Bryan Hayes’ eight Defensive Runs Saved are the most among third basemen while Carlos Santana ranks first among first basemen with four Defensive Runs Saved per the Fielding Bible.

CALL TO THE PEN: Pittsburgh’s bullpen comes into today ranked sixth in all of MLB with a 3.65 ERA…The only five teams with a lower ERA out of the bullpen are the Astros (3.26), Rays (3.32), Twins (3.40), Braves (3.52) and Mariners (3.60)… Since May 13, Pittsburgh’s relievers have compiled a 2.12 ERA (17.0ip/4er).

STRANDED: Pittsburgh’s bullpen has allowed just nine of its 43 inherited runners to score (20.9%), which ranks first in all of MLB…The only other team in MLB to allow just nine inherited runners to score are the Astros.

ON THE MEND: Right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez scattered four hits over 4.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab start in game one of Indianapolis’ doubleheader Saturday vs. Iowa…He threw a total of 63 pitches (42 strikes) in the game… Velasquez has been on the 15-day injured list since May 5 with right elbow inflammation.

STARTING PITCHER – 59 – RHP ROANSY CONTRERAS
ROANSY CONTRERAS: The 23-year-old righthander is making his ninth start of the season today…He lost a 2-0 decision against Baltimore’s Tyler Wells in his last start on 5/13 at Camden Yards.

vs. ARIZONA: 0-0 in one career start…He allowed one unearned run in 5.2 innings while also striking out eight batters in a no-decision on 6/4/22 at PNC Park…The Pirates walked it off in the ninth when Jack Suwinski hit a two-run home run off Mark Melancon.

MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (20-23) at Washington Nationals (19-27)

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MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (20-23) at Washington Nationals (19-27)

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS DROP SATURDAY MATINEE: The Tigers lost to the Nationals, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon. Spencer Torkelson finished the game 2×4, including a two-run homer in the first inning. Jonathan Schoop also had two hits, while Eric Haase and Matt Vierling each had one knock. Alex Faedo started for Detroit and took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with four strikeouts in 5.0 innings.

TORK TIME: Spencer Torkelson drove in both of Detroit’s runs in yesterday’s game, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and finishing the game 2×4. Torkelson has hit safely in 11 of his last 15 games, posting six multi-hit performances over that span. In his last 15 games, Torkelson is hitting .310/.355/.517 with six doubles, two homers and nine RBI.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT: Alex Lange closed out Friday’s win, throwing 1.1 perfect innings with two strikeouts to notch his eighth save of the season and his first career multi-inning save. Lange has not allowed a run in 15 straight games, the longest streak of his career and the longest active streak among Major League relievers. Over those 15 outings, he has thrown 14.2 scoreless innings with five hits allowed, six walks and 25 strikeouts. Entering today’s game, Lange ranks tied for seventh in the American League with eight saves.

TIGERS AND NATIONALS: The Tigers and Nationals conclude their only series of the season today. The two teams last met in 2019 in Detroit with Washington winning two-of-three games. Detroit has a 13-11 lead in the all-time series, but Washington has won five of the seven meetings at Nationals Park.

INTERLEAGUE ACTION: The Tigers continue their interleague schedule today against the Nationals. Detroit is 11-4 against National League foes this season, including a 4-1 record against NL East teams. The Tigers have finished with a winning record against NL opponents in each of the last two seasons.

ON THE ROAD: The Tigers are 1-1 on their six-game road trip, which includes three games at Washington (1-1) and three games at Kansas City (May 22-24). Detroit has a 10-13 record away from Comerica Park this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .222/.287/.344 on the road, while the pitching staff has a 4.46 ERA (200.0IP/99ER).

ON DECK: After today’s game, the Tigers continue their road trip tomorrow as they open a three-game series against the Royals. Detroit went 10-9 against Kansas City last season with the two teams splitting 10 meetings at Kauffman Stadium.

TIGERS ON THE IL:

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

TODAY’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – #43 Joey Wentz • 1-3, 6.38 ERA (36.2IP/26ER)

  • Wentz will make his ninth start of the season today in the series finale at Washington.
  • Did not factor into the decision in his most recent start last Sunday vs. Seattle, allowing three runs on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
  • Will be making his first career appearance against the Nationals today.
  • Saw his first Major League action in 2022, starting seven games and posting a 2-2 record with a 3.03 ERA (32.2IP/11ER) and 27 strikeouts…
    also appeared in 12 games, including 11 starts, with Triple A Toledo and went 2-2 with a 3.17 ERA (48.1IP/17ER) and 53 strikeouts.
  • Pitched in the Arizona Fall League following the 2022 season and made three starts for Salt River, throwing 12.0 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, four walks and 14 strikeouts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
The Washington Nationals beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon to snap their four-game losing streak…Trailing 2-0 after the first inning, Washington scored five unanswered runs the rest of the game to secure the victory.

  • Patrick Corbin (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 SO) earned his third win and recorded his 1,500th career strikeout while Lane Thomas (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Jeimer Candelario (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R) led the offense.
  • The Nationals will enjoy a day off on Monday before welcoming the San Diego Padres to Nationals Park for a three-game series starting Tuesday.

THE CANDY MAN
Jeimer Candelario is 12-for-23 (.522) with four doubles, a triple, two homers, five RBI, one walk and five runs scored across his last six games…He has at least one extra-base hit in five of the six games.

  • He’s raised his slash line from .211/.276/.354 on May 15 to .253/.310/.447 entering play today.
  • The 12 hits in six games are a career-best and are the most he’s had in a seven-game span as well.
  • On the season, Candelario leads the Nationals, is tied for fourth among all MLB switch hitters and tied for 10th among all NL hitters with 20 extra-base hits.

STREAKIN’ LANE TRAIN
Lane Thomas has reached safely in a career-high 17 straight games and has hit safely in 15 of the 17…Thomas is hitting .348 (24-for-69) with three doubles, a triple, five homers, 12 RBI, four walks, one hit by pitch, two stolen bases and 15 runs scored during this streak.

  • Thomas ranks 10th in the National League with 50 hits, while his .292 average is just outside of the top 10 (13th).

CHASING 1,000
With 996 in hand, Corey Dickerson is four hits away from 1,000 for his career…When he collects hit no. 1,000, he will become the 12th player in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to record his 1,000th hit in a Nationals uniform, according to the Elias Sports Bureau…The last to do it was Brian Dozier in 2019.

  • Since returning from the Injured List, Dickerson is 4-for-12 (.333) with a double, homer, three RBI and three runs in four games.

LEFT IS RIGHT
The Nationals rank third among Major League clubs in batting average (.292) and fourth in on-base percentage (.355) against left-handed pitching this season.

  • Dominic Smith ranks fifth (.320) and Luis García ranks sixth (.317) among National League left-handed hitters against left-handed pitchers this season.
  • Lane Thomas is tied for fifth in the National League with 18 hits against lefties and ninth with a .360 average against left-handed pitchers.

DEFENSE NOT RESTING
Thanks to strong infield defense so far this season, Nationals opponents have a .230 batting average on ground balls, seventh-best in the National League (MLB avg: .242)…In 2022, the Nationals had the third-highest opponents’ batting average on ground balls in Major League Baseball (.260).

  • Washington ranks fifth in Major League Baseball with 44 double plays turned this season.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #40 JOSIAH GRAY
Right-hander was acquired by the Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 Trade Deadline…Was Los Angeles’ No. 2 prospect entering 2021 and its Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…Was originally selected by Cincinnati in the second round (No. 72 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York…Was acquired by the Dodgers on his 21st birthday, Dec. 21, 2018…Is the Player Ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.

LAST START
Allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits with five strikeotus and three walks in 7.0 innings of work on May 16 at Miami…Did not factor into the decision as the Nationals lost, 5-4…It was his second consecutive start of at least 7.0 innings.

RANKS
Gray ranks seventh in the National League with a 2.73 ERA…Paces the Nationals staff in opponents’ batting average (.246), opponents’ slugging percentage (.377), opponents’ OPS (.701) and WHIP (1.35).

ON A HEATER
Gray is in the midst of the best stretch of his career, pitching to a 2.08 ERA (11 ER/47.2 IP) with 41 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed in his last eight games.

vs. DETROIT
Has never faced the Detroit Tigers.

SLIDER STATS
Gray’s sider ranks eighth among all Major League pitches (min. 50 PA) with a 21.7% hard hit rate and ranks 12th among Major League sliders with a .169 opponents’ batting average.

THE STORY OF HIS CUTTER
As told to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post in a recent story: “At the start of spring training, Gray debuted a cutter he learned from Erasmo Ramírez, who drew his grip on a baseball Gray practiced with until he lost it at the gym during the offseason. Gray joked that some Florida teenager could be throwing Ramírez’s cutter in high school games. Yet by the time he misplaced the ball, Gray knew where to put his fingers. The pitch felt like a natural complement to his slider, moving more side-to-side while his gyroscopic slider drops almost straight down.”

MLB Preview: New York Yankees (28-20) at Cincinnati Reds (19-26)

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MLB Preview: New York Yankees (28-20) at Cincinnati Reds (19-26)

NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees complete their seven-game road trip today with the final game of a three-game set at Cincinnati (2-0 thus far)…are 5-1 on the road trip after winning three-of-four games at Toronto and winning their first two games at Cincinnati…after an off day on Monday, will begin a six-game homestand vs. Baltimore (Tues.-Thurs.) and San Diego (5/26-28).

At 28-20 (.583), have the fourth-best record in the AL and the sixth-best record in the Majors.

Have won three straight games, five of their last six games, seven of their last nine games and 10 of their last 13 games.

Are 13-5 (.722) in their last 18 games (since 5/2), the best record in the Majors in that span.

Including this series, have won or split five of their last six series (since 5/1) and 11 of their 15 series this season (going 9-4-2).

Today marks the final day of a 17-day stretch (5/5-21) without an off day (11-5 so far)…are also in a 34-day stretch with just one off day (4/18-5/21).

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees defeated the Reds, 7-4, in 10 innings on Saturday at Great American Ball Park…RHP Jhony Brito (4.0IP, 4H, 4ER, 4BB, 6K, 1HR, 1BK) started and did not record a decision…DH Aaron Judge (4-for-4, 1R, 1 double, 3RBI, 1BB) reached base a career-high-tying five times, recorded a career-high-tying four hits and hit a game-winning go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning…1B Anthony Rizzo (2-for-5, 1R, 1HR, 3RBI) hit a game-tying RBI single in the fifth and a two-run HR in the 10th inning…LF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 1RBI) hit his second HR of the season with a solo shot in the fifth inning…C Ben Rortvedt (2-for-4, 2R, 1 double) made his Yankees debut…RHP Ron Marinaccio (2.0IP, 1BB, 3K), RHP Michael King (2.0IP, 1H, 3K), RHP Clay Holmes (W, 1.0IP, 1BB, 1K) and RHP Ryan Weber (SV, 1.0IP, 1K) combined to toss 6.0 scoreless innings of relief.

BRONX BOMBERS: The Yankees have hit 71HR this season, the second-most home runs in the AL and the fourth-most in the Majors.

Have hit multiple HR in eight of their last nine games (since 5/12), 12 of their last 14 games (since 5/7) and 14 of their last 18 games (since 5/2).

Have hit 20HR in their last 9G and 31HR in their last 14G.

Have recorded at least seven hits in eight of their last nine games and 16 of their last 18G.

Have scored 89R in their last 14 games (since 5/7), averaging 6.36 runs per game in that span…scored 133R in their first 34 games of the season from 3/30-5/6 and averaged 3.91 runs per game over that span.

Have scored at least 6R in 11 of their last 14 games (since 5/7).

WHAT A RELIEF: Yankees relievers have posted a 2.94 ERA (186.2IP, 61ER) this season, the lowest bullpen ERA in the Majors…also rank fourth in strikeouts (191) and fifth in opponents’ BA (.221).

Own a 13.0 scoreless inning streak (since 5/18)…have allowed just 3H to 47BF in that span (6BB, 15K).

PEN PALS: RHP Ryan Weber recorded his first save of the season and second of his career on Saturday at Cincinnati… the Yankees have had seven different pitchers record a save this season, the most in the Majors (next: Tampa Bay and Los Angeles-NL with five)…RHP Clay Holmes (4SV), RHP
Michael King (3SV), LHP Wandy Peralta (3SV), RHP Deivi García (1SV), RHP Ian Hamilton (1SV), RHP Ron Marinaccio (1SV) and RHP Ryan Weber (1SV) have each recorded at least one save for the Yankees this season.

FOUR SCORE: The Yankees are 24-5 this season when scoring at least 4R…are 24-6 when they hold their opponent to 4R-or-fewer.

DARTH BADER: OF Harrison Bader has reached base in 14 of 17 games with a plate appearance this season.

CALENDAR DAYS: The Yankees have hit 37HR in 19 games during the month of May, the most in the Majors in that span…also rank third in May in SLG (.474), tied for third in runs scored (106), fifth in runs scored per game (5.58) and sixth in OPS (.800).

ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge reached base a career-high-tying five times (sixth time and second this season) and recorded a career-high-tying four hits on Saturday at Cincinnati (seventh time)…hit a game-winning go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning…marked his seventh career hit that gave the Yankees the lead in extra innings (first since a go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning on 7/9/22 at Boston).

His eight game-winning RBI this season are the most in the Majors…his 75 game-winning RBI since 2017 are the third-most in the Majors in that span, trailing only Jose Ramirez (81) and Nolan Arenado (77)…his 45 game-winning RBI since 2020 are the most in the Majors.

Has recorded the game-winning RBI in each of the Yankees’ five wins on the road trip…according to STATS, he is the only Major League player in the last 50 years to record five game-winning RBI on the road in a span of six days-or-less.

Has hit safely in each of his last eight games (since 5/13), batting .452/.564/1.194 (14-for-31) with 9R, 2 doubles, 7HR, 16RBI, 8BB/2IBB and 1SB.

Has 5HR in his last 6G and 7HR in his last 8G.

Has 16RBI in his last eight games…has recorded 18RBI in 12 games since returning from the I.L. (since 5/9).

Is hitting .405/.519/.976 (17-for-42) with 12R, 3 doubles, 7HR, 16RBI, 10BB/2IBB and 1SB in his last 11G (since 5/10).

Has hit .406/.500/1.000 (13-for-32) with 14R, 1 double, 6HR, 8RBI, 6BB and 1SB in the first inning this year…his 1.000 SLG and 1.500 OPS in the first inning are the highest in the Majors (min. 25 PA)…six of his 13HR this season have come in the first inning, tied for the most in the Majors.

Leads the Majors in SLG (.642), ranks second in OPS (1.042, second in AL) and is tied for fourth in HR (13, tied for second in AL)…is tied for fourth in the AL in OBP (.400).

NOBODY BEATS THE RIZZ: INF Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run HR in the 10th inning on Saturday at Cincinnati…has hit 36 career home runs vs. the Cincinnati Reds, his most home runs vs. any club in his career…his 36HR are also the most among active players vs. the Reds…are tied for the ninth-most by any Major League player vs. a single opponent since 2012.

His 24HR at Great American Ball Park are the second-most by a visiting player, trailing only Ryan Braun (28HR).

Has 5HR in his last eight games.

Has homered in consecutive games for the first time this season and for the 50th time in his career (first since a three-game streak from 8/29-9/18/22).

Has hit double-digit home runs in each of his last 12 seasons (since 2012)…is the only Major League player to do so over that span (Nelson Cruz, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen enter today with 11 seasons from 2012-22; Mike Trout also has 11 seasons from 2012-20, ’22-23).

Is tied for third in the AL and tied for seventh in the Majors in hits (53)…is tied for sixth in the AL in BA (.303) and ranks seventh in OBP (.385).

Has reached base in 21 of his last 23 games and 40 of his 46 games this season.

Is batting .311/.385/.550 (47-for-151) with 26R, 6 doubles, 10HR, 24RBI, 13BB and 5HP in his last 39G (since 4/9).

Has multiple hits in seven of his last 12 games (since 5/8), batting .354/.415/.708 (17-for-48) with 12R, 2 doubles, 5HR, 13RBI, 4BB and 1HP in that span…also has multiple hits in nine of his last 17G (since 5/2).

Has 5RBI in his last two games, 8RBI in his last six games (since 5/14), 11RBI in his last eight games (since 5/12) and 14RBI in his last 13 games (since 5/7).

Has hit safely in 14 of his last 17G and 18 of his last 23G.

Seven of his last 11 hits have been XBH (2 doubles, 5HR).

Has reached base multiple times in six of his last eight games (since 5/12), 10 of his last 13 games (since 5/7) and 12 of his last 17 games (since 5/2).

Has reached base via H/BB/HP in 26-of-59 plate appearances over his last 13 games (18H, 7BB,1HP, .441 OBP).

PITCH PERFECT: Yankees pitchers have posted a 2.11 ERA (55.1IP, 13ER) in their last six games.

ON A ROLL: INF Gleyber Torres has reached base in 15 of his last 16 games (since 5/5), 25 of his last 29 games (since 4/20) and 28 of his last 33 games (since 4/15).  Has multiple hits in two of his last three games and three of his last five games.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP LUIS SEVERINO (7-3, 3.18 ERA IN 2022)
RHP Luis Severino is expected to make his season debut today at Cincinnati…is expected to return from rehab and be reinstated from the 15-day injured list prior to today’s game…missed the first 48 games of the season with a right lat strain…went 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA (102.0IP, 72H, 37R/36ER, 30BB, 112K, 14HR) in 19 starts for the Yankees in 2022…allowed 3ER-or-fewer in 15 of his starts, 2ER-or-fewer in 12 of those starts and one-or-zero earned runs in nine of those games…missed 59 team games in 2022 with a low grade right lat strain (7/14-9/20)…the two-time AL All-Star (2017, ’18) ranked third in the Majors in 2018 with 19 wins (19-8), tied for second-most by a Yankee in the last 14 seasons (since 2009) behind CC Sabathia (21-7 in 2010)…has two of the top-eight single-season strikeout totals in Yankees history (230K in 2017, 220K in 2018)…is one of four pitchers in Yankees history with multiple 200-strikeout seasons (also Gerrit Cole from 2021-22, David Cone from 1997-98 and Ron Guidry from 1978-79)…finished third in 2017 AL Cy Young Award voting…was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 12/26/11…signed to a four-year contract extending through the 2022 season with a club option for the 2023 season on 2/15/19…the Yankees exercised his club option for the 2023 season on 11/7/22.

2023: Is expected to make his season debut today…is expected to return from rehab and be reinstated from the 15-day injured list prior to today’s game…missed the first 48 games of the season with a right lat strain…combined to make two rehab starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Double-A Somerset, posting a 4.05 ERA (6.2IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 6K, 1HR).

Posted a 9.00 ERA (15.0IP, 15ER) and 23K in five spring starts before being his scratched from his final spring start due to injury.

VS. CINCINNATI/INTERLEAGUE: Is expected to make his third career start vs. the Reds (first at Cincinnati)…is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA (9.0IP, 6R/4ER) and 10K in two career starts vs. the Reds.

Made his first career start vs. Cincinnati on 7/26/17 at Yankee Stadium, recording the win after surrendering just 2R/0ER over 7.0IP (3H, 2BB, 9K, 1WP).

Last faced the Reds on 7/13/22 at Yankee Stadium and did not record a decision after allowing 4ER and a career-high-tying 3HR in 2.0IP (4H, 2BB, 1K).

Went 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA (19.0IP, 17H, 6ER, 4BB, 20K, 4HR) in four starts against NL Central opponents in 2022, with the Yankees going 4-0 in those games.

In 15 career appearances (13 starts) against NL teams, is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA (80.2IP, 59H, 20R/16ER, 20BB, 98K, 9HR, 1HP, 4WP)…has recorded at least 6.0IP with at least 8K in seven of his 13 career Interleague starts…has allowed 3R-or-fewer in 11 of his 13 starts.

The Yankees are 11-2 all-time in Interleague games that he has started.

ROAD RULES: Is expected to make his first road start since tossing seven hitless innings and earning the win on 10/3/22 at Texas (0ER, 1BB, 7K).

In 63 career games (53 starts) on the road, is 23-15 with a 3.31 ERA (320.2IP, 118ER) and 344K.

Has surrendered 3ER-or-fewer in 41-of-53 career starts on the road and 2ER-or-fewer in 32 of those games.

From 4/7/17-6/26/18, recorded at least 6K in 23 consecutive road starts…at the time, was the fourth-longest streak in Major League history Randy Johnson33GS from 8/22/98-8/14/00; Pedro Martinez-28GS from 8/24/99-6/21/01 and Randy Johnson-25GS from 8/30/00-5/11/02)…was later surpassed by Shane Bieber (28GS from 4/27/19-5/27/21).

START ME UP: The Yankees are 59-26 in his 85 starts since 2017…has allowed 1ER-or-fewer in 40-of-85 starts (47.1%) since the beginning of 2017.

From 7/8/17-7/12/18, the Yankees went 31-4 in his 35 starts, the first time the Yankees won at least 31 games in a pitcher’s 35-start span since going 31-4 over 35 Ron Guidry starts from 8/10/77-8/15/78 (Elias)

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

RED HOTS

  • Farewell and thank you to Cincinnati Enquirer beat reporter Bobby Nightengale, who is heading home to cover the Twins for the Minneapolis Star Tribune…Bobby covered the Reds for 6 seasons…in the middle of the fourth inning this afternoon, he will be the guest rider on Redzilla’s trip around the warning track.
  • Today the Reds sent to Louisville on a rehabilitation assignment RHP Fernando Cruz (right shoulder strain).
  • This series is the fifth ever in which sons of Major League managers will face each other as Major League managers…NYY’s Aaron Boone (Bob) vs NYM’s Luis Rojas (Felipe Alou) in 2020 & 2021…Cin’s David Bell (Buddy) vs Rojas in 2021 and vs Boone in 2022 at Yankee Stadium… courtesy @EliasSports.
  • In his last 21 apps beginning 4/24, Jake Fraley is hitting .355 (22-62, 4 2b, 4hr, 22rbi, 3sb, 11r, .437obp, .613slg, 1.050ops)…among all Major League batters with at least 71 plate apps since then, ranks T2nd in RBI, seventh in hitting, sixth in on-base percentage and ninth in slugging percentage.
  • This morning’s Peacock broadcast crew includes Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and former Reds infielder Todd Frazier, along with play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke and field reporters Ahmed Fareed and Gordon Beckman…Frazier is the only player in the Reds/Yankees interleague series to homer for each team against the other.

TODAY’S GAME

  • Is Game 3 (0-2) of a 3-game series vs the New York Yankees and Game 3 (0-2) of a 7-game homestand that includes a 4-game series vs the NL Central Division rival Cardinals that begins tomorrow night.
  • This afternoon the Yankees are looking for their third sweep of the interleague series (3-0 in 2014 at NYY, 2-0 in 2017 at NYY).
  • Following this homestand, 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 Redlegs are 10-14 all-time vs NYY, including 4-6 at Great American Ball Park, and regardless of today’s outcome will be 5-3 in 8 season series.
  • The Reds and Yankees are meeting for the second consecutive season.
  • The Reds earned a 2-1 series win last July at Yankee Stadium.
  • Is Cin’s first ever home weekend series vs NYY.
  • Is Aaron Boone’s first visit here as Yankees manager…Boone was selected by the Reds in the third round of the 1994 draft…over 7 seasons from 1997-2003 he hit .271 in 668 apps for Cin before he was traded to the Yankees on 7/31/2003 for LHP Brandon Claussen and LHP Charlie Manning.
  • During the Yankees’ visit to Cincinnati on 6/3/2003, Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was named the team’s 11th captain.
  • The teams met in 3 World Series, including Yankees wins in 1939 (4-0) and 1961 (4-1) and the Big Red Machine’s 4-0 sweep in 1976.
  • 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 American League since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs
    AL teams (.381).

CARDINALS UP NEXT

  • Beginning tomorrow night, the Reds and Cardinals will meet 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 (85-83) is the highest among NL Central Division opponents and seventh-highest of any National League team.

This Morning’s Pitcher – #21 Hunter Greene, RHP

  • In just his second season, this morning is making his 34th Major League appearance and start…will be his first career appearance vs the New York Yankees.
  • Produced a career-high 29.0-inning homerless streak between home runs by Oneil Cruz on 3/30 vs Pit and Elvis Andrus on 5/5 vs WSox.
  • This season has allowed 6 HR in 9 starts 43.0 innings…allowed 4 HR at Great American Ball Park and 2 HR at Coors Field.
  • Through the first 9 starts of his 2022 rookie season allowed 15 home runs.
  • Has been charged with a team-high 4 pitch timer violations, most recently on 5/10 vs NYM (Pete Alonso walked).
  • Was the Reds’ 2023 Opening Day starting pitcher.
  • At age 23 years, 236 days became the first pitcher age 25 or under to start for the Reds on Opening Day since 1980, when at age 22 years, 232 days RHP Frank Pastore beat Phil Niekro and the Braves, 9-0… courtesy @EliasSports.
  • Became the first second-year pitcher to start for the Reds on Opening Day since 26-year-old RHP Raisel Iglesias started the 6-2 win vs the Phillies in the 2016 season opener…courtesy @EliasSports.
  • On 4/18 signed a $53 million contract through the 2028 season that includes for 2029 a $21 million club option and $2 million buyout.
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