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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (20-23) at New York Mets (22-23)

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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (20-23) at New York Mets (22-23)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

GUARDS LATE RALLY FUELS WIN
After dropping the first two tilts of the road trip, the Guardians salvaged Thursday afternoon’s series finale on the Southside with a 3-1 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

LOGAN ALLEN held the ChiSox to a single tally (5.2IP, 7H, 1R-ER, BB, 5SO, 102 pitches), which came in the 4th inning after Andrew Benintendi doubled and later scored on a 2-out RBI-single by Seby Zavala…GABRIEL ARIAS put Cleveland on the board in the 5th with a 2-out solo homer (2) off Dylan Cease (6.1IP, 5H, 3R-ER, BB, 3SO, HR, 91 pitches)…Arias also helped facilitate the Guardians decisive 2-run rally in the 7th, following a WILL BRENNAN single to put a pair of runners in scoring position; Cleveland’s go-ahead run then scored on a subsequent fielding error, while CAM GALLAGHER added an RBI-single to snap a personal 0-for-32 drought…NICK SANDLIN recorded the final out of the 6th and retired all 4 batters he faced to earn his second relief win…TREVOR STEPHAN followed with a perfect 8th… EMMANUEL CLASE worked around a 2-out single in the 9th to record his MLB-leading 15th save.

Coming off a 5-4 homestand, the Guardians are 1-2 half-way into this 6-game trip thru Chicago-AL & New York-NL…Guardians have won 6 of last 11, though club has still dropped 17 of last 28 overall since starting year 9-6…Guardians (20-23) are T2nd place in AL Central standings alongside Detroit (19-22), 3.5 games behind 1stplace Minnesota (24-20)…last season, club went 9-12 in April & 12-12 in May.

BACK IN QUEENS
The Guardians are traveling to Citi Field for their only matchup against the New York Mets this season…the clubs have not faced each other since 2019 when the Mets swept the Guards in 3 games from August 20-22 at Citi Field…the Clevelanders are 5-13 all-time against New York-NL and have lost four straight and six of their last seven…this is the club’s third time playing the Mets on the road, playing three games at Shea Stadium from June 15-17, 2004, and second time at Citi Field…the Guardians have never won at Citi Field (0-3)…Cleveland is 1-5 in series against New York-NL and has not won a series since taking two of three at Progressive Field from September 6-8, 2013.

During the Terry Francona era (since 2013), the Guardians are 109-100 all-time in Interleague play and 4-5 this season with a 1-2 series record…their most recent Interleague series was against the Colorado Rockies from April 24-26 at Progressive Field…the Rockies won the first 2 games of the series, 6-0 and 5-1 before TANNER BIBEE powered Cleveland to a win with 8 strikeouts over 5.2 innings in his Major League debut.

FAMILIAR FACES, NEW PLACES
The Mets and Guardians meet for the first time since a blockbuster deal on January 7, 2021, that sent Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets for ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ, AMED ROSARIO, and minor leaguers JOSH WOLF and ISAIAH GREENE. » Since joining Cleveland in 2021 Rosario owns a .278 batting average, a 6.0 bWAR and a .712 OPS while hitting 23 home runs… his 19 triples lead MLB over that period…Giménez has hit for a .269 average with a 9.5 bWAR and a .762 OPS…in 2022, he finished 6th in AL MVP voting, made the All Star team for the first time in his career and earned a Gold Glove…since Lindor has been in New York, he is hitting .249 with a 9.8 bWAR and a .759 OPS while connecting for 52 home runs, finishing 9th in NL MVP voting in 2022.

Carrasco, who is scheduled to start on the mound tonight, spent parts of 11 seasons with Cleveland (2009-20). He’s fourth on Cleveland’s all-time strikeout list at 1,305 behind only Bob Feller, Sam McDowell and Corey Kluber.

OUR BRAND OF BASEBALL
Cleveland’s 44 steals currently rank 3rd in MLB behind Pittsburgh (50) and Tampa Bay (47)…the last time a Cleveland team had 44-or-more steals through the team’s first 43 games was 1996 (49)…that team went on to win the AL Central…the Guardians 13 multi-steal games this season is 2nd in MLB behind Pittsburgh (15)…the Guards hold an 11-2 (.846) record in such games, holding the highest win percentage among teams with 9-or-more multi-steal games…since 2022, Cleveland leads MLB with 163 stolen bases, ahead of Texas (157) and Miami (160).

Since the start of 2019, Cleveland’s 165 sac flies rank 2nd in the AL and 3rd in MLB behind Los Angeles-NL (171) and Houston (178)…JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (25) is T3rd and JOSH BELL (21) is T12th in MLB during that stretch…the Guardians have 15 sacrifice flies this season, ranking T3rd in the AL and T7th in MLB.

The Guardians 42 infield hits rank 2nd in the AL behind Tampa Bay (47) and 5th in MLB…Cleveland is pacing MLB with 358 infield hits since the start of 2021, 13 ahead of Tampa Bay (345)…AMED ROSARIO (59) is 2nd and MYLES STRAW (48) is T7th in MLB over that period…both Rosario and Straw along with ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ lead the club with 6 infield hits this season…the club’s 190 infield hits led MLB in 2022, 40 ahead Tampa Bay (150).

PATIENCE AT THE PLATE
The Guardians are currently 1st in the AL and 4th in MLB with a 23.2 swing and miss percentage, trailing New York-NL (22.9%), Arizona (22.0%) and Washington (21.9%)…Cleveland is the only team in MLB with 3 players ranking in the top-15 for lowest swing and miss percentage with STEVEN KWAN (3rd, 10.7%), MYLES STRAW (6th, 12.3%) and JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (15th, 15.2%)…only Tampa Bay has more than one player in the top 15.

Kwan is also second in MLB behind Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman (6.3%) with a 6.7% first pitch swing rate…since debuting last season, Kwan has an 8.4% first pitch swing rate, taking first pitches at a higher rate than any other MLB hitter, as no other player has a mark below 12.0% in that span…as a club, the Guardians swing at the first pitch at a 27.5% rate, the 2nd-lowest rate in the AL and 6th-lowest rate in MLB.

A MASTER-CLASE IN THE NINTH
EMMANUEL CLASE’s 15 saves currently lead MLB, four ahead of BAL’s Félix Bautista, SF’s Camilo Doval and SD’s Josh Hader…since 2021, he ranks 1st among relievers with a 1.53 ERA (28ER/164.2IP) ahead of Evan Phillips (1.64 ERA) and his 81 saves is T2nd with Hader, behind BOS’s Kenley Jansen (88)… the 25-year-old right-hander has a 2.82 ERA (7ER/22.1IP) with 14 strikeouts in 23 appearances this season.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – 47 CAL QUANTRILL RHP
QUANTRILL’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 2-2 3.97 8 8 45.1 46 21 20 15 23
Career 33-18 3.57 121 83 516.1 490 227 205 145 392

QUANTRILL ON THE ROAD
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-0 3.38 4 4 24.0 24 10 9 6 12
Career 12-13 3.90 55 33 219.0 224 111 95 67 171

TONIGHT’S START
The 28-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his ninth start, fifth on the road, this evening in the opener of a 3-game series with the New York Mets…is starting on extended 5 days rest; is 15- 10 with a 4.05 ERA (87ER/195.2IP) in 35 career starts on 5 days rest…the Guardians are 6-2 in Quantrill starts this season.

LAST TIME OUT
His last start came on May 13 vs. Los Angeles-AL in an 8-6 Guards win…Quantrill did not factor into the decision after throwing 6.0 innings, allowing 3 runs (earned) on 6 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts…he let up a leadoff home run to Mickey Moniak to begin his outing, before retiring the side in order…after an unblemished 2nd inning, Quantrill ran into some trouble in the 3rd…after a walk and hit by pitch, Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI-double and Anthony Rendon hit a sacrifice fly to put Los Angeles-AL ahead 3-0…he allowed a hit in each of the 4th, 5th and 6th innings, but avoided any further damage…Quantrill is the second Guardians pitcher this season to throw 3 consecutive quality starts, joining SHANE BIEBER (4, 3/30-4/16/2023)…this is the 5th time in his career he has tossed 3+ consecutive quality starts.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE MET
This will be his 2nd career start against New York-NL…his lone previous contest against the Mets came on May 7, 2019 when he was on the San Diego Padres…Quantrill finished the outing with 2 earned runs in 4.1 innings (4.15 ERA), allowing 7 hits and 2 walks while recording 5 strikeouts…marked the first outing of Quantrill’s career where he struck out 5-or-more hitters in an outing of 4.1-orfewer innings…he has done this three more times since.

In 5 career starts against the NL East, Quantrill holds an 0-1 record with a 3.00 ERA (9ER/27.0IP)…when Quantrill was a Padre, they went 0-4 in his starts against the NL East, but the Guardians won in Quantrill’s lone start for Cleveland against the division on April 14, 2023 when they downed the Nationals 4-3 in Washington D.C…Quantrill’s last two outings against NL East teams resulted in quality starts, including
against Washington (6.0IP, 3R/ER, 2BB, 3SO)…has allowed 3-or-fewer runs in 5 straight starts against the NL East.

CLEVELAND’S CONSISTENT CAL
In Quantrill’s last 25 games, he has a 13-2 (.867) record, holding the 2nd-highest win percentage among all MLB pitchers in their last 25 starts, behind Los Angeles-NL’s Tony Gonsolin (16-2, .889)…as a club, Cleveland has won 22 of Quantrill’s last 25 starts.

ROAD WARRIOR
Since starting 2022 with a 1-5 record in his first 7 road tilts, including 5 straight losses, Quantrill has turned things around and won 6 consecutive decisions across his last 10 starts away from home…since July 22, 2022, Quantrill holds an unblemished 6-0 record with a 2.73 ERA (18ER/59.1IP), along with 44 strikeouts and 14 walks in his road starts during that span…only Quantrill and Houston’s Framber Valdez (8-0) are unbeaten in road starts since July 22, 2022…he has received 4-or-more runs of support in 6 of those 10 starts…Quantrill has had a 7.13 RSA on the road since July 22, 2022, leading all MLB pitchers with 10-or-more road starts during that timeframe.

MAY-BE IT’S YOUR MONTH
Quantrill has opened May with three straight quality starts…he is one of 15 MLB pitchers and 9 AL pitchers to begin the month with 3 quality starts…among AL starters this month, he ranks 7th with a .180 BABIP, 9th with a .186 average against, 9th with 5.75 H/9 and T9th with 20.1 innings pitched…he holds a 2.21 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in his last three starts.

NEW YORK METS NOTES:

METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets defeated the Rays, 3-2, yesterday to earn their sixth series victory and the third series victory at home…The victory snapped a streak of seven series without a victory…The Mets continue a six-game homestand (2-1) against Tampa Bay (2-1) and Cleveland (three games)…The Mets are off on Monday before they begin a six-game road trip to Chicago-NL (three games) and Colorado (three games).

AND I WOULD WALK .500: With a victory tonight, the Mets would move back to .500…It would be the first time the club is at .500 since they were 17-17 on May 6.

MAKING MOVES: Prior to tonight’s game, the Mets are expected to make a series of roster moves…RHP Carlos Carrasco is expected to be reinstated from the 15-Day IL…He has been on the IL since April 16 with Right elbow inflammation…He made two rehab appearances with Double-A Binghamton where he posted a 1.29 ERA (1 ER/7.0 IP) with two walks and five strikeouts…Catcher Gary Sánchez will be selected to the major league roster…Sánchez was signed to a minor league contract on May 9…In eight games with the Syracuse Mets, he went 9-26 (.308) with
three runs, two doubles, a home run and five RBI…The two-time All-Star has hit 154 career home runs in 666 career major league games.

HELLO OLD FRIENDS: Carrasco will face his former team in Cleveland for the first time in his career…Cookie went 88-73 with the team and posted a 3.77 ERA and struck out 1,305 batters…However, having pitched for the Guardians for the first 11 years of his career, he has faced AL Central opponents 115 times, including 95 starts and has pitched to a 41-40 record with a 3.89 ERA (249 ER/576.2) in those appearances…He has fanned 587 AL Central batters in his career…Francisco Lindor played six seasons and 777 career games with Cleveland…He was drafted with the eighth overall pick by the team in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft…Today will mark his first game with the club.

EIGHT IS GREAT: The Mets are 20-0 when leading after eight innings this season…The last time the Mets lost a game when they were ahead after
eight innings was on September 6, 2012…The Mets were up 3-2 and lost 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth…Since then the Mets have won their last 115 games when ahead after eight, the longest active streak in MLB…It’s the second-longest streak in franchise history….From October 1, 1990- September 2, 1992, the Mets won 117 straight games when ahead after eight innings.

HOMER HAPPY: After the Mets went five straight games without a home run, the Mets have homered in three straight contests, hitting seven home
runs in that span…The Mets are 18-9 when hitting a home run this season and 7-5 when hitting multiple homers.

HOMERS ARE SICK: Pete Alonso has homered in three or more consecutive games for the second time this season (Also: April 5 – April 8) and the sixth time in his career…Is one of five Mets to homer in three or more consecutive games six or more times joining Howard Johnson (six), David Wright (eight), Mike Piazza (nine) and Darryl Strabwerry (nine)… Alonso homered in four straight games from August 5-9, 2019.

SWEET 16: Alonso has hit 16 home runs this season, which leads the majors leagues…His 16 home runs are the most by a Met in franchise history through the team’s first 45 games of the season…His 37 RBI are fourth in The Show and lead the National League…Alonso ranks 12th in franchise history with 417 career RBI…Next up is Kevin McReynolds (456) and Keith Hernandez (468).

CITI BOMBS: Alonso has 70 homers at Citi Field, the second-most in the ballpark’s history…Lucas Duda is first with 71.

INTERLEAGUE PETE: Pete Alonso has hit 34 home runs in Interleague Play since the 2019 season…His 34 home runs against the American League is a franchise record, and the most among any player since 2019…Mike Piazza was the previous record holder with 28 Interleague home runs.

THEY’RE OUT OF MY LEAGUE: The Mets are in a stretch of six straight games against the American League…The new schedule format has New York playing a total of 43 Interleague games in 2023, more than double their previous high for a single season (20)…The Mets are 5-4 against the
American League this year…Overall, New York owns a 240-231 record in Interleague play…The team’s .510 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.

EL JEFF-E: Jeff McNeil is on a five-game hitting streak, batting .400 (8-20) in that span with four runs and RBI…He recorded his 14th multi-hit game of the year, which is tied for the eighth-most in the National League…He has 177 multi-hit games in his career, which is 19th all-time in Mets history… Wally Backman is next with 179 multi-hit contests…He is batting .333 (19- 57) with nine runs, three doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBI and 11 walks in 18 games at home this year.

FEELING A LITTLE DRAFTY: The Mets have a homegrown player on their roster from the 2019 (Brett Baty), 2018 (Tylor Megill), 2017 (Mark Vientos,
Josh Walker), 2016 (Pete Alonso), 2013 (Jeff McNeil), 2012 (Tomás Nido) and 2011 (Brandon Nimmo) drafts.

IN THE CITI: The Mets are 9-9 at Citi Field this year…The team’s 18 home games are tied for the fewest in the major leagues…The team won 54 games at home last year…That was their highest total at Citi Field in franchise history…The last time the team won more than 50 games in New York was in 2000 when they went 55-26…Overall, the Mets went 54-27 at Citi Field…The team’s .667 winning percentage was the fourth-highest in team history…Only the 1988 (56-24, .700), 2000 and 1986 teams (both 55- 26, .679) had a better home winning percentage.

D-FENCE: The Mets have committed 15 errors in 25 games this year…That gives the team a .990 fielding percentage….Their .990 fielding percentage ranks fourth in the majors and third in the NL…Their 15 errors are the second-fewest committed…Only the Padres (11) have committed fewer.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – CARLOS CARRASCO RHP #59
2023 STATS: 0-2, 8.56 ER A

CARRASCO’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 31% 35% 28% 91.3 mph
Changeup 25% 36% 18% 86.6 mph
Slider 20% 3% 32% 83.6 mph
Sinker 17% 14% 18% 90.7 mph
Curveball 7% 12% 4% 78.9 mph

REHAB ASSIGNMENT RECAP: Made two appearances with Binghamton (AA) as part of his rehab assignment after being placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation, both against the Hartford Yard Goats…Threw 33 pitches in his first rehab start on May 9, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk…On May 14, threw 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk while fanning four batters.

FACING A FAMILIAR FOE: Carrasco will face his former team in Cleveland for the first time in his career…However, having pitched for the Guardians for the first 11 years of his career, he has faced AL Central opponents 115 times, including 95 starts and has pitched to a 41-40 record with a 3.89 ERA (249 ER/576.2) in those appearances…He has fanned 587 AL Central batters in his career.

HE’S GOT THE MONTH OF MAY: In 38 appearances and 31 starts in the month of May, Carrasco has pitched to an 18-8 record with a 4.20 ERA (97 ER/208.0 IP)…His .692 winning percentage in May is the best split of any month during the season…In those appearances, Carrasco has thrown three complete games, including one shutout, and has tallied 198 strikeouts compared to 46 walks.

MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (28-16) at Toronto Blue Jays (25-19)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (28-16) at Toronto Blue Jays (25-19)

BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Orioles split the four-game series against the Angels after dropping yesterday’s finale, 6-5…Fell to 24-3 when leading after seven innings… Dropped to 8-9 in day games.

Tyler Wells did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs on six hits (2 HR) with one walk and seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings…Set a career high with 19 swings and misses, surpassing his previous career high of 18 set in his last start on May 13 vs. Pittsburgh; marks the most swings and misses induced by an O’s hurler since Bruce Zimmermann also had 19 on June 1, 2021 vs. Minnesota…Has thrown at least 5.0 innings in all nine appearances (eight starts) to begin the season; had 12 career games of 5.0+ innings (all in 2022) entering 2023…Entering today’s games, Wells leads qualified MLB pitchers with a 0.79 WHIP.

Adley Rutschman and Anthony Santander each homered in the loss; Rutschman has hit safely in eight straight starts since May 9, slashing .357/.471/.750 (10-for-28) in those games, and Santander has homered six times in his last 19 games after homering just once in his first 22 and is slashing .339/.406/.645 (21-for-62) in May while hitting safely in 13 of 16 games, compared to slashing .213/.280/.362 (20-for-94) in March/April.

WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won 19 of their last 28 games, 22 of 32, and 24 of 35… The 28-16 overall record ranks second in MLB to start the season (see box at right).

Last season, the Birds did not reach 28 wins until the 65th game on June 16 (28- 37); they did not reach 29 wins until the 66th game on June 17 (29-37).

The Orioles are 90-65 since June 1, 2022, a 94-win pace; the .581 winning percentage during that time is the second-best in the AL and fourth-best in MLB, trailing the Braves (.677, 105-50), Dodgers (.671, 106-52), and Astros (.632, 98-57).

AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: The O’s and Jays meet for the first time this season with a three-game set at Rogers Centre…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).

Ryan Mountcastle has slashed .323/.381/.634 (52-for-161) with eight doubles, 14 homers, 26 runs scored, 33 RdBI, 14 walks, and a 1.014 OPS in 42 career games against the Jays; marks his most home runs, RBI, extra-base hits (22), and total bases (102) 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.

WRAPPING UP THE HOMESTAND: The Orioles finished up their longest homestand of the season yesterday…The 11-day, 10-game homestand began with three games against the Rays from May 8-10 (2-1) before an off day on May 11 and continued with a three-game weekend series against the Pirates from May 12-14 (2-1) before a four-game set against the Angels from May 15-18 (2-2)…The O’s went 6-4 on the homestand and won four straight from May 9-13.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Orioles begin a seven-day, six-game road trip tonight with the first of three games in Toronto…After an off day Monday, the Orioles make their first trip to Yankee Stadium 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 2.99 ERA (55 ER/165.2 IP), second-best in MLB (see box at right)…Baltimore’s 2.44 reliever ERA (23 ER/85.0 IP) at home is tied with Philadelphia for second in the majors behind Toronto (2.19)…O’s relievers have 12 wins this season, tied with New York-AL for first in the AL and fourth in MLB, trailing Arizona, Cincinnati, and Miami (13)…The O’s are second in MLB with 198
strikeouts from the ‘pen, trailing Kansas City (207).

THE CANO SHOW: Yennier Cano has surrendered just four hits and one hit batter in 21.2 scoreless innings over 17 appearances to begin the season after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on April 14…He allowed his first extra-base hit of the year on a one-out double from Pittsburgh’s Tucupita Marcano on Saturday…Opponents are slashing .061/.075/.076 (4-for-66) against him, all of which lead MLB pitchers with at least 15 appearances…His .150 OPS against is less than half of the next closest player (SD’s Josh Hader, .361).

Cano’s 17-game scoreless streak is the third-longest to begin a year by an O’s pitcher in team history (since 1954), trailing Donnie Hart (18 G) in 2016 and Will Ohman (25 G) in 2010.

His streak of 17 straight games without allowing a run or a walk is tied with Toronto’s Paul Quantrill (2001) for the second-longest to start a season since at least 1901, behind a 19-game streak by Houston’s Ryan Pressly to open the 2019 campaign.

He leads all O’s and ranks eighth 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 fourth-best pitch in MLB, per Statcast.

His changeup has a Run Value of -4 and a 45.3 percent Whiff Rate, per Statcast; the pitch also has the second-highest Put Away percentage on the team at 36.2 percent and he has yet to allow a base hit with it.

TOP GUNN: Gunnar Henderson has hit safely in six straight games for the first time in his career and has also reached base safely in nine straight games since May 9…In 16 May games, he has slashed .208/.333/.458 (10-for-48) with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, eight runs scored, four RBI, and nine walks compared to .189/.348/.311 (14-for-74) with three doubles, two home runs, 15 runs scored, four RBI, and 17 walks in his first 23 games of the season…Owns a .792 OPS in May compared to a .659 OPS in March/April.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #48 KYLE GIBSON RHP
QUICK HITS: Scheduled to make his 10th start of the season, sixth on the road, and 12th career start against the Blue Jays tonight…Became the first O’s pitcher in club history (since 1954) to start and win each of his three first appearances with the team…Started a season 4-0 for the second time in his career, joining a 6-0 start with Texas in 2021; became the fifth Oriole starting pitcher since 2004 to begin a year 4-0, joining John Means (4-0 in 2021), Bud Norris (4-0 in 2013), Wei-Yin Chen (4-0 in 2012), and Erik Bedard (4-0 in 2006)…Since his debut in 2013, Gibson ranks among active MLB pitchers in starts (4th, 270), innings (6th, 1556.0), and quality starts (T-14th, 121)…In 276 career appearances (270 GS), Gibson owns a 93-94 record with a 4.52 ERA (782 ER/1556.0 IP)…The O’s signed Gibson to a one-year contract on December 5, 2022…He has also spent time with the Twins, Phillies, and Rangers across 10 Major League seasons.

LAST TIME OUT: Dealt the loss in his last start on May 14 vs. Pittsburgh after allowing four runs on seven hits with three walks, five strikeouts, and a wild pitch in 5.0 innings of work…Marked his third straight loss after winning his first three starts and four decisions this season…Threw 95 pitches, 57 strikes.

CAREER AGAINST THE BLUE JAYS: Dealt the loss in his last start against Toronto on September 20, 2022 with Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park; allowed seven runs on a career-high-tying 12 hits (1 HR) with one walk and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings… Threw 79 pitches, 52 strikes…Sports a 5-2 record with a 4.81 ERA (34 ER/63.2 IP) and four quality starts through his first 11 career starts against Toronto…Making his 5th career start at Rogers Centre…Holds a 2-1 record with two quality starts at Toronto…Earned the win in his last start at Rogers Centre on May 8, 2019 with the Twins; allowed one run on two hits (1 HR) with one walk and a career-high 11 strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.

CAREER AGAINST THE AL EAST: Making his 57th career appearance (56th start) against the AL East…Sports a 22-20 record with a 4.57 ERA (161 ER/317.0 IP) and 21 quality starts through his first 56 career outings against the division…Dealt the loss in his last start against the AL East on May 8 vs. Tampa Bay…Allowed two runs on six hits (1 HR) with two walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.

LIFE ON THE ROAD: Making his sixth road start of the 2023 campaign tonight…Dealt his first loss of the season in his last start away from Oriole Park on May 3 at Kansas City…Allowed six runs on 10 hits (1 HR), both season highs, in 6.2 innings of work… Threw 74 pitches, 49 strikes…Owns a 45-44 record with a 4.56 ERA (395 ER/780.0 IP) and 62 quality starts in 139 career road appearances (135 starts)…Tossed his first career complete-game shutout on September 16, 2020 at Houston with Texas… Allowed just four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in 9.0 scoreless innings… Threw 114 pitches, 74 strikes.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays were doubled up, 4-2, by the Yankees in the final match of a four-game series last night… Outhit the Yankees, 33-29, during the series but lost three of the four contests…Marked their 1st home series loss of the season, now 5-1-0 at Rogers Centre and 9-5-0 overall. Toronto has still won seven of its last 12 games and 13 of its last 23…Its .568 win% currently sits 4th in the AL and T-6th in MLB.

WE CALL THEM BO-ING BOMBS: Bo Bichette got Toronto on the board last night with a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st, his team-leading 9th longball of the season…Also added singles in the 3rd and the 6th to finish 3-for-4…His 17 multi-hit efforts and six games with 3+ hits are both the most in the AL. The shortstop has now gone 61-for-186 (.328) with 10 doubles, nine homers, and 29 RBI while playing in all 44 games this season…The .328 AVG is the best in the junior circuit…Leads all MLB hitters with 61 hits (2nd: Ronald Acuña Jr. – 58) and leads the AL with 98 total bases (2nd: Luis Robert Jr. – 93)… Among AL hitters, is also 9th in OPS (.899) and 10th in SLG (.527).

JOSÉ STEADYING: José Berríos allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while recording eight strikeouts over 6.2 innings last night…Marked his 4th quality start of the season… Has given up three runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, posting a 3-2 record and a 3.14 ERA (15 ER/43.0 IP) with nine walks and 40 strikeouts for a 1.12 WHIP and a .239 opponents’ average.

IN A PINCH: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. missed Wednesday’s game with right knee discomfort but came in to pinch-hit with the bases loaded in the 7th inning last night…Drove in Toronto’s 2nd run with a sacrifice fly to center field. The 24-year-old is 49-for-157 for the season with 11 doubles, seven homers, and 27 RBI for a .312 AVG (4th in the AL), a .383 OBP (8th), and an .899 OPS (8th)…His 49 hits are tied for 7th most in the AL…Has also recorded an AL-best 75 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, one ahead of teammate Bo Bichette (74).

ONE NOTCH AT A TIME: Brandon Belt notched a single off lefty Nestor Cortes to lead off the bottom of the 3rd inning last night, his 1st hit off a southpaw this season (now 1-for-11)…Over his last 12 games, has batted .412 (14-for-34) with four doubles, a homer, four RBI, and six walks (.512 OBP, .618 SLG)…His 1.045 OPS for the month of May ranks 7th among AL batters (min. 40 PA).

DANNY DIGGING IN: Danny Jansen picked up a single in the 7th inning last night as he finished 1-for-4…Has gone 8-for-31 (.258) with three doubles, a homer, and eight RBI in his last eight games…Has registered a hit in all six of his games vs. NYY this season, going 6-for-20 (.300) with two doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI.

AT DOME FOR DAYS: The Blue Jays are on a 10-day, 10-game homestand (4-3 so far)…Have gone 13-6 this season at Rogers Centre, tied for the 3rd-best record through 19 home contests in team history…The .684 win% at home is 3rd best in MLB (TB – .864, LAD – .708)…After completing this weekend series with the Orioles, will head out on a seven-game road trip to Tampa Bay (32-13) and Minnesota (24-20). Toronto batters rank 5th in the AL in home AVG (.259), while sitting 6th in home OBP (.332), 9th in home OPS (.724), and 10th in home SLG (.392)…The pitching staff ranks 2nd among AL teams with a 2.88 home ERA (TB – 2.52), 2nd in home opponents’ average (.194), and 2nd in home WHIP (1.11).

WEEKEND WARRIORS: The Blue Jays swept the Braves last weekend and swept the Pirates the weekend prior…Dating back to last September, have won each of their last 10 series that began on a Friday, the longest such streak in team history (2nd: nine straight from Aug. 2021-May 2022)…courtesy Stats Perform.

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 4-3 so far…Their opponents over this 17-game stretch (ATL, NYY, BAL, TB, MIN) have a combined record of 137-85 (.617).

HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched 390 hits so far this season, 5th most in the AL…Are also 5th in the AL in team AVG (.256), 6th in OBP (.330), 6th in OPS (.735), and 8th in SLG (.407). The Blue Jays are one of two AL teams who have scored in every game this season (also: LAA)…Have gone 62 straight games without being shut out, the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors (LAA – 86G).

DIVISIONAL DETAILS: The Blue Jays have now gone 5-9 against divisional opponents this season…Have still won 28 of their last 47 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: 318-387
2022: 10-9 Home: 168-184
Home: 5-5 Rogers Centre: 130-130
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 57-29 since then…Their .663 win% vs. BAL over that span is their 2nd best vs. an AL opponent (.719 vs. KC).

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 63 career meetings, is 86-for-258 (.333) with 13 doubles, 22 homers, and 53 RBI (1.025 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 30-16 during his 46 career games against them while he has batted .326 (62-for-190) with 12 doubles, 10 homers, and 34 RBI (.920 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 .269 (39-for-145) hitter across 42 meetings with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 24 RBI (.860 OPS).

STARTING PITCHER – Yusei Kikuchi, LHP #16
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 9th start of the season and his 4th at Rogers Centre…Lasted 4+ frames his last time out, on 5/14 v.s ATL, allowing 5R/4ER on 9 hits… Struck out 7 without issuing a walk. Is 1 of 3 AL hurlers with at least 5 wins and no losses this season, joining Shane McClanahan (7-0) and Gerrit Cole (5-0).

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Improved to 5-0 his on 5/7 at PIT, tossing 6.1 shutout frames with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts…Marked his longest outing as a Blue Jay, and his 3rd quality start this season. Took a no-decision on 5/2 at BOS, giving up 5 runs on a season-high-tying 9 hits with a pair of strikeouts. Improved to 4-0 on 4/26 vs. CWS, throwing 5.2 frames of shutout ball while scattering four singles and a walk along with eight strikeouts…Has allowed one run or fewer in four of his five starts this year while the Blue Jays have won all five of his outings. Earned his 3rd win of the year on 4/21 at NYY, tossing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts…Has back-to-back starts of 6.0+ innings and 0-or-1 runs allowed for the first time since 6/18-25 of his 2021 All-Star campaign. Improved to 2-0 on 4/15 vs. TB, throwing 6.0 innings of one-run ball with 4 hits, a walk, and a season-high 9 strikeouts…Marked his most punchouts in a single game as a Blue Jay…Completed 6.0 frames for the 1st time since 6/30/22 vs. TB. Took a no-decision on 4/9 at LAA, giving up 6 runs on 9 hits and a walk over 4.1 innings with 6 strikeouts…Threw 99 pitches (59 strikes) on the day, his most pitches in a single outing since 7/28/21 vs. HOU (101). Picked up the win in his season debut on 4/4 at KC, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 2 strikeouts…Was his 1st start since 8/15/22 vs. BAL, and his 1st win as a starter since 7/28/22 vs. DET.

MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (19-24) at Philadelphia Phillies (20-23)

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MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (19-24) at Philadelphia Phillies (20-23)

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 tonight play the first of three games in Philadelphia in the final leg of a nine-game, three-city, 10-day road trip (1-5) … Chicago fell to Houston in walk-off fashion on Wednesday in the final game of the series, suffering a series sweep for the second time this yerar … the Cubs scored six runs through the first four innings, behind eight extra-base hits including a home run from Christoper Morel and two from Seiya Suzuki, but failed to score again … Drew Smyly threw 6.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits and eight strikeouts for his fourth quality start of the season and second in as many games … Smyly’s 14-straight batters retired (excluding the one reached by error) is the longest stretch of consecutive batters retired since he sat 21 in a row in his seven perfect innings on April 21. © Chicago has lost a season-high five games in a row, the first time since July 30-Aug. 42 of last season … they are looking to avoid losing six-straight for the first time since July 7-162 (9 G) of last year.

The Cubs went 10-3 in 13 games from April 4-19, but have gone 8-18 in 26 contests starting April 20 … Chicago has lost four-straight road series, with the last series victory coming April 17-19 at Oakland.

Today is the 20th game (5-14) of a stretch that sees the team on the road for 16 of 22 contests through May 21.

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 deep in three-straight plate apperances … 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.

MORE FOR MOREL: Christopher Morel hit his fifth home run of the season Wednesday in his eighth game of the season … all five of his homers have gone for 400-plus feet (401, 402, 422, 429, 461) … Morel is the seventh Cub in franchise history (since 1901) to record five home runs in the first eight games of a season, joining Shane Andrews (1999), Dave Kingman (1980), Billy Williams (1964), Randy Jackson (1955), Rogers Hornsby (1931) and Gabby Hartnett (1925, 6 HR) … as you can see, onlyn Hartnett had more home runs in that span.

Morel has scored at least one run in each of his first eight 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)

EXTRA FUN: The Cubs notched eight extra-base hits Wednesday (4 doubles, triple, 3 home runs) for the first time since April 21 (9 XBH) … Dansby Swanson hit the team’s first triple since April 30 and his first since April 23, 2022.

The club on Wednesday hit three home runs in a game for the first time since April 27 and have recorded eight long balls in the last four games.

UNDER ATTACK EARLY: Chicago has allowed at least one run in the first inning of each of the previous five games (May 13-17), totaling eight runs by the opponents in that span … the last time the Cubs allowed a run in the first inning in five consecutive games was April July 23-27, 2014 (10 runs allowed).

The last time the Cubs gave up first-inning runs in six-straight games? … May 5-12, 2006.

GETTING RISP-Y AGAIN: The Cubs in their last seven games (2-5) since May 10 have hit .278 (15-for-54) with RISP, compared to .182 (22-for-121) in the previous 14 games (4-10) from April 26-May 9 … in the recent seven-game uptick, Seiya Suzuki leads the team with six RBI with RISP, followed by Christopher with five.

In the recent stretch Suzuki has a .800 (4-for-5) batting average and a .750 OBP, both of which lead Cubs hitters.

Chicago’s .556 slugging percentage with RISP since May 10 ranks third in the majors and its .278 average in that span is good for fourth-best in the N.L.

HE’S HAPP-Y ON THE BASES: Ian Happ is fifth in the majors with a .422 OBP, while his .303 batting average ranks tied for 19th (tied with teammate Nico Hoerner) … the 119-point difference between the two stats ranks seventh-highest in the N.L.

Happ is tied for third in the majors with 33 walks … through 16 games in May, Happ has picked up 14 walks compared to 17 in all of April (25 games).

The Cubs as a team lead the N.L. in OBP (.340) and are third in the majors … the team’s 159 free passes ranks tied for sixth-most in the majors.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Cubs have scored at least one run in each of their first 43 games in 2023, just the third time in the expansion era (since 1961) the team has gotten on the board in each of its first 43 contests … the longest season-opening streaks in this span: 47 G in 1995 and 43 G in 2020.

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 Diamondbacks, Angels and Blue Jays).

Below is a look at how each Cubs team stacks up through the first 43 games of their season-opening streaks with at least one run scored:
Year Record Win % R RA
2023 19-24 .442 206 184
2020 25-18 .581 197 181
1995 23-20 .535 194 185

Starting Pitcher – #0 RHP Marcus Stroman (2-4, 3.24)
Last Time Out
Marcus allowed a season-high six runs and seven hits in 2.2 innings May 14 in Minnesota … the 2.2 IP marked his shortest non-injury shortened start since Sept. 3, 2018 (1.2 IP) … has received two runs or fewer of support in four-straight starts and seven of his nine outings in 2023.

Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
5/14 @MIN L, 3-16 2.2 7 6 6 2 3 64-44 0-5, 1 on
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 2-3 2.79 5 5 29.0 20 9 9 10 31
Road 0-1 3.86 4 4 21.0 20 9 9 9 16
AVG vs. LHB: .209 (19-for-91) / AVG vs. RHB: .228 (21-for-92)

Marcus is scheduled to make his team-high 10th start of the 2023 season tonight, his fifth on the road … dating to Aug. 30, 2022, has allowed two runs or fewer in 12 of his last 16 starts, pitching to a 2.74 ERA (28 ER/92.0 IP), the fifth-lowest ERA in the majors during that span (min. 16 GS) … his seven quality starts are tied for the major league lead this season and his 16 such outings since the All-Star break of last season are tied for sixth-most in the MLB.

Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout April 23 vs. Los Angeles (N.L.), retiring Freddie Freeman looking in the third inning.

Became the second Cubs starting pitcher since 1901 (also Jake Arrieta, 2016) with three outings of at least 6.0 scoreless innings in the team’s first 16 games.

Became the third Cubs starting pitcher since 1901 to allow two or fewer combined runs over his first four starts of a season (also Steve Stone, 1976; Jason Hammel, 2016).

Posted a 14.0-inning scoreless streak to begin the season, the fourth-longest by a Cubs pitcher since 1901.

Made his third career Opening Day start March 30 vs. Milwaukee (0 ER/6.0 IP), earning the win … improved to 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA (3 ER/21.0 IP) in his three career Opening Day starts.

In three Cacuts League starts with the Cubs, went 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA (1 ER/10.0 IP) and 10 strikeouts.

Made two starts for Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:

  • GAME #43 RECAP: The Phillies fell to the San Francisco Giants, 7-4, on a getaway day at Oracle Park … Starter Taijuan Walker (ND) couldn’t make it through the 1st inning as he allowed 4 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and a strikeout (40 total pitches) … 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.
  • A REAL UNICORN: Since the start of last season (regular and postseason combined), J.T. Realmuto has played a total of 1281.2 innings at catcher (150 G, 147 GS) … That is 240.0 innings (almost 27 full games) clear of HOU’s Martin Maldonado who ranks 2nd in MLB at 1041.2 innings at catcher … The next closest National League catcher to Realmuto is LAD’s Will Smith who has caught 984.1 innings, which is 297.1 innings shy of Realmuto (33 full games) … 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 .351/.379/.574 (.953 OPS) over his last 26 games (103 PA, since 4/14) … He carries an active 10-game hitting streak into play tonight (14-35, .400 AVG, since 5/5).
  • I’M OFF ON THE ADVENTURE: Tonight, Ranger Suárez will step on the mound at Citizens Bank Park for the first time since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series against the Astros at CBP (7-0 Phils win, Suarez tossed 5.0 scoreless and got the win) … The Phillies have not lost a game at Citizens Bank Park that Suarez has pitched in since June 29, 2022 – they have won all eight games Suarez has pitched in at CBP since July 25, 2022 (including postseason).
  • LEGEND OF THE FALL: Last postseason, Ranger Suárez went 2-0 in 3 starts with a 1.35 ERA (2 ER, 13.1 IP) … In 2 relief appearances, Suarez was 1-for-1 in save opportunities and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings … All said, the Phillies went 5-0 in all 5 games Suarez pitched last postseason … He was summoned to close out Game 5 of the NLCS and helped secure the 8th pennant in club history.
  • TIME TO POKE THE BEAR: Last year, the Phillies went 0-6 against the Chicago Cubs which included three games at Citizens Bank Park and three games at Wrigley Field … The Phillies scored 10 total runs against the Cubs last season (1.7 per game) as they slashed .216/.286/.291 (.578 OPS) with only nine extra-base hits in 220 plate appearances … Philadelphia’s last win against the Cubs came on Sept. 16, 2021, in a 17-8 barnburner at CBP … This marks the Phils’ longest losing streak against the Cubs since a seven-game streak, July 7, 1995-June 3, 1996.
  • BEDLAM AT THE BANK: Through 18 games at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies are averaging 39,400 in attendance per game which ranks 2nd among all clubs in MLB behind only the Dodgers (47,879) … Of Philadelphia’s first 18 games at home, 10 have been sellouts (56%) and 13 have been over 35,000 (72%).
  • BULLISH ON THE PEN: Over the last month (since 4/16), the Phillies bullpen has combined to post an MLB-best 2.47 ERA (27 ER, 98.1 IP) in 28 games with 116 strikeouts to 29 walks (4.00 SO/BB ratio) … The bullpen is 10-for-12 in save opportunities in that span … This stretch includes three games at Dodger Stadium from May 1-3 – in those three games, the bullpen allowed 18 ER in 11.1 IP (14.29 ERA) with a blown save … If you subtract those three games from the bullpen’s totals, since April 16, they have a 0.93 ERA (9 ER, 87.0 IP) in 25 games.
  • RIDING THE SEESAW: Since April 26, the Phillies have played 19 games and are one game under .500 at 9-10 … This 19-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) and an active four-game losing streak (since 5/14) … Per Elias, the last time a major league team had a win streak, then losing streak, then winning streak and then losing streak of at least four games each within a season was the 100-win Tampa Bay Rays from June 11-July 3, 2021 (4W, 7L, 4W, 5L) … Prior to this stretch, the only other time a Phillies team did this was from July 30-August 14, 1979 (4W, 6L, 4W, 4L) … Additionally, the Phillies lost their first five games this month only to rebound and win their next five to move to 5-5 through their first 10 in May … That marked only the fourth time in franchise history the Phils lost the first five games (or more) in a month only to win their next five in that same month in the same calendar year – others: June of 1969, Sept. of 1911 and June of 1909.
  • PHILLY SPECIAL: Since Rob Thomson took over as manager on June 3, 2022, the Phillies have played 72 games at Citizens Bank Park (46-26 record) and are 16-5-2 in series play with a +74 run differential (373-299) … The Phils have scored 373 runs in those 72 games (5.18 runs per game) and are slashing .270/.336/.462 with a .798 OPS … Among all major league clubs at home since June 3, 2022, the date Thomson took over, the Phillies rank 2nd in SLG, 3rd in OPS & AVG, 5th in OBP and 6th in runs per game …Philadelphia’s .639 winning percentage at home since Thomson took over ranks 3rd in the National League behind the Dodgers (.716) & Atlanta (.708) and 5th in MLB.
  • CASTY’S BACK, TELL A FRIEND: Phils right fielder Nick Castellanos has gotten ahead 1-0 in 56 plate appearances this season – after taking ball one, Castellanos is slashing .460/.518/.760 with a 1.278 OPS that ranks 4th out of 225 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.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – RANGER SUÁREZ • LHP #55
2023: 0-0, 6.75 ERA Career: 25-15, 3.16 ERA

LAST START: 5/13 at COL: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 4 SO … Suárez vs Feltner … The Phillies beat the Rockies, 7-4, at Coors Field in Denver … Offensively, Trea Turner walked twice and scored twice, Bryce Harper went 2-for-4 with 2 runs, a home run, 2 RBI & a walk and Nick Castellanos had 3 hits.

TONIGHT’S START:

  • Center Cut: Suárez has a career 1.85 ERA (14 ER, 68.0 IP) against the NL Central, including a 2.24 mark (14 ER, 56.1 IP) in 9 starts …His 1.85 overall ERA is the lowest of any of the 44 Phillies starters with at least 9 career starts vs the NL Central since the division was founded in 1994, and of the 645 major league pitchers with 9+ starts against the division, only Chris Sale (0.89) and Alex Cobb (1.58) have a lower ERA … The Phillies have won 7 of his 9 starts against NL Central clubs
  • Clear Skies: Suárez has never allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter at CBP (153 TBF) … In his career, at CBP, Suarez has limited left handers to a .180/.233/.223 slash line and only allowed six extra-base hits (all doubles)
  • Just Glovely: Ranger was selected as the 2022 Fielding Bible Award winner at pitcher… Suárez’s 9 defensive runs saved in 2022 were the most by any Phillies pitcher since 2002, when Fangraphs can track back to and most by any pitcher in MLB in 2022 by 3 (Taijuan Walker had 6) … He did not make an error in a career-high 44 chances over 155.1 IP and did not allow a stolen base
  • Start Your Engines: Since transitioning to a starter full time on 8/2/21, Suárez is 13-9 with a 3.08 ERA (77 ER, 225.0 IP) in 42 regular season starts … That ERA in that span is the 9th-lowest among all NL starters with at least 200.0 IP (best: Max Fried, 2.18)

HOME:

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

MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (19-22) at Washington Nationals (18-26)

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MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (19-22) at Washington Nationals (18-26)

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS SPLIT SERIES VS. PIRATES: The Tigers were shut out by the Pirates, 8-0, on Wednesday. Eduardo Rodriguez started for Detroit and took the loss, giving up four runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Tyler Holton struck out three and allowed a hit in 2.0 scoreless frames. Offensively, Matt Vierling reached base twice, recording Detroit’s only hit of the game and drawing a walk.

GREENE MACHINE: Riley Greene posted his second consecutive three-hit game and his fifth of the season on Tuesday against the Pirates. His five three-hit performances this season is tied for second in the American League. Greene has recorded at least one hit in 16 of his last 18 games, batting .375/.416/.500 with six doubles, a homer and nine RBI. Since April 26, Greene leads the American League and ranks tied for second in the Majors in batting average, while he ranks sixth in the AL in on-base percentage.

E-ROD’S HISTORIC STREAK: Eduardo Rodriguez allowed four runs in 5.0 innings on Wednesday against the Pirates, snapping his streak of starts with at least 5.0 innings pitched and one-orfewer runs allowed at six. It was tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history, behind only Justin Verlander, who had seven straight starts of 5.0-or-more innings and 1-orfewer runs allowed from June 9-July 10, 2011. Over the six-start stretch, Rodriguez posted a 0.43 ERA (41.2IP/2ER). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was tied with Doug Fister (2011-12) for the second-lowest ERA over a six-start span for a Tigers pitcher since 1913, trailing only Al Benton, who had a 0.33 ERA over six
starts in 1945.

RECAPPING THE HOMESTAND: The Tigers went 2-3 on their recently completed five-game homestand, going 1-2 vs. Seattle and 1-1 vs. Pittsburgh. As a team, Detroit hit .192/.267/.263 over the five games, while the pitching staff had a 4.40 ERA (45.0IP/22ER). Individually, Riley Greene went 9×17 with three doubles on the homestand, while Zach McKinstry went 3×10.

MIGGY VS. THE NATS: Miguel Cabrera has posted impressive numbers in his career against Washington, entering tonight’s game batting .363/.451/.605 with 18 doubles, one triple, 21 homers and 83 RBI in 94 career games. Among active players with at least 50 at-bats vs. the Nationals, he ranks third in on-base percentage and fourth in batting average.

TIGERS AND NATIONALS: The Tigers and Nationals begin their only season of the series tonight. The two teams last met in 2019 in Detroit with Washington winning two-of-three games. Detroit has a 12-10 lead in the all-time series, but Washington has won four of the five meetings at Nationals Park.

INTERLEAGUE ACTION: The Tigers continue their interleague schedule tonight against the Nationals. Detroit is 10-3 against National League foes this season, including a 3-0 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 tonight begin a six-game road trip, which includes three games at Washington (May 19-21) and three games at Kansas City (May 22-24). Detroit has a 9-12 record away from Comerica Park this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .223/.287/.336 on the road, while the pitching staff has a 4.33 ERA (183.0IP/88ER).

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)

TONIGHT’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – #48 Matthew Boyd • 2-3, 6.47 ERA (32.0IP/23ER

  • Boyd will make his eighth start of the season tonight in the series opener vs. Washington.
  • Suffered the loss in his most recent start last Friday vs. Seattle, allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits with four walks and one strikeout in 1.1 innings.
  • Will be making his first career appearance against the Nationals tonight…will mark the 27th different Major League team that he has pitched against…after tonight, the only three big league teams he will have not faced in his career are the Giants, Marlins and Padres.
  • Missed most of the 2022 season while rehabbing from an injury, but returned in September to pitch in 10 games and help Seattle to the playoffs…went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA (13.1IP/2ER) and 13 strikeouts in his 10 outings with the Mariners.
  • Is in his second stint with the Tigers…was with the organization from 2015-21, appearing in 147 games, including 143 starts, and compiling
    a 37-60 record with a 4.87 ERA (777.2IP/421ER) and 752 strikeouts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

OPPONENT – DETROIT TIGERS
The Nationals and Tigers will play three times in Washington D.C. this season…This is Detroit’s first visit to Nationals Park since May 9-11, 2016…The Nationals last played in Detorit, June 28-30, 2019… Jeimer Candelario spent six seasons in Detroit (2017-22)…Erasmo Ramírez appeared in 17 games with the tigers in 2021.

WE’RE COMIN’ HOME
Following a quick, three-game series in Miami, the Washington Nationals open a six-game homestand against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night…It is Detroit’s first visit to Nationals Park since May 9-11, 2016.

  • 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.

ROSTER MOVE
The Nationals reinstated first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses from the Paternity List and optioned infielder/outfielder Jake Alu to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

THE CANDY MAN
Jeimer Candelario has reached base safely in 11 of his last 16 plate appearances, going 10-for-15 (.667) with three doubles, a triple, a homer, three RBI, one walk and four runs scored across his last four games…He has at least one extra-base hit in all four games.

  • He’s raised his slash line from .211/.276/.354 on May 15 to .253/.313/.432 entering play tonight.
  • The 10 hits in four games are a career-best and are the most he’s ever had even in a five-game span.
  • Candelario is 12-for-27 (.444) and has reached safely in 18 of 33 plate appearances (.444 OBP) over his last eight games.

CHASING 1,000
With 995 in hand, Corey Dickerson is five 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.

STREAKS ON STREAKS
Some streaks to keep your eyes on:

  • Lane Thomas has reached safely in a career-high 15 straight games and has hit safely in 13 of the 15…Thomas is hitting .323 (20-for-62) with two doubles, a triple, four homers, eight RBI, three walks, one hit by pitch, two stolen bases and 13 runs scored during this streak.
  • Joey Meneses has reached safely in 10 straight games, going 16-for-42 (.381) with four doubles, a homer, 12 RBI, three walks and six runs scored during the streak…It is the second-longest on-base streak of his career behind his 11-game streak from Aug. 5-17, 2022.

LEFT IS RIGHT
The Nationals rank third among Major League clubs in batting average (.297) and fourth in on-base percentage (.361) against left-handed pitching this season.

  • Luis García ranks third (.351) and Dominic Smith ranks fifth (.333) among Major League left-handed hitters against left-handed pitchers this season.
  • Lane Thomas is tied for sixth in the National League with 17 hits against lefties and eighth with a .362 average against left-handed pitchers.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT DOM
In his last 19 games, Dominic Smith is hitting .354 (23-for-65) with a .434 on-base percentage (9 BB, HBP, 8 SO)…He has posted multi-hit efforts in three of the last six games.

  • Smith has reached base safely in 11 consecutive games and 17 of 19 games during this stretch…The 11- game streak is the fourth-longest of his career (longest: 15 G, Aug. 5-25, 2020).

DEFENSE NOT RESTING
Thanks to strong infield defense so far this season, Nationals opponents have a .233 batting average on ground balls, seventh-best in the National League (MLB avg: .243)…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 43 double plays turned this season.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – #74 JAKE IRVIN
Tall right-handed starter was added to Washington’s 40-man roster following the 2022 season…Has the “Best Control” in Washington’s system, perBaseball America…Joins other University of Oklahoma pitchers Cade Cavalli (2020 Draft) and Jake Bennett (2022 Draft) in the Nationals organization….Is the 25th pitcher drafted/signed and developed by the Washington Nationals to start a game for Washington (2005-pres.).

LAST START
Struck out a career-high six batters on May 14 vs. New York (NL), but suffered his first Major League defeat…Allowed six earned runs on six hits with one walk in 4.2 innings of work.

FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE WIN
Earned his first Major League win on May 8 at San Francisco…Tossed 6.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts, three walks and four hits allowed…With the outing, Irvin became the first pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to finish one of his first two career starts with at least 6.0 scoreless innings.

FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE START
Made his Major League debut at home against the Chicago Cubs…Allowed one run on two hits in 4.1 IP with four walks and three strikeouts…Took a no decision but the Nationals won the game 2-1.

THE STORY OF HIS CURVEBALL
As told to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post: “To Irvin, baseball was more about having fun than plotting a future. He learned his curveball grip by messing around in the backyard. He honed the pitch by throwing it from shortstop to first base during practice, a way of messing with his teammates.”

  • Opposing batters are 2-for-17 (.118) with seven strikeouts against his curveball.

ANNOUCING HIS PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY
With his first Major League pitch, Irvin hit Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner in the back…According to Elias Sports Bureau, Irvin was the first pitcher since 2000 to hit a batter with the first pitch he threw in his MLB debut as a starting pitcher.

2023 IN TRIPLE-A
Irvin made five starts for Triple-A Rochester this season…He went 2-2 with a 5.65 ERA (14 R/22.1 IP)…Irvin has worked at least 5.0 innings in three of his five starts and has struck out 20 in 22.1 innings.

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (24-19) at Tampa Bay Rays (32-13)

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MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (24-19) at Tampa Bay Rays (32-13)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 4 (1-2) of a 6-game, 7-day road trip to St. Louis (1-2) and Tampa Bay (3g)…..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 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 (50 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 29, SECOND: 19, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently in first place, leading the second-place Pirates by 1.0 game.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 7-7-0 in series play.
Game 1: 7-7, Game 2: 9-5, 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 11-11 on the road, going 3-4-0 in series play…..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 seven replay challenges this season, going 4-3…..their last challenge (won) came on May 16 at St. Louis as an out call at first base (William Contreras) was overturned.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: #37 – RHP ADRIAN HOUSER (2gs, 0-0, 5.19)

HOUSER AT A GLANCE: Adrian Houser, 30, will be making his third start…..Houser last started last Saturday vs. Kansas City and received no decision in the Brewers’ 4-3 win (4ip, 8h, 3r, 3er, 1bb, 2k, 1hr, 88 pitches)…..he made his season debut on 5/7 at San Francisco and had no decision in the 7-3 win (4.2ip, 7h, 2r, 2er, 1bb, 5k, 1wp, 87 pitches)….. he began the season on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain…..he was sent to Triple-A Nashville on rehab assignment on April 14, where he made 4 starts…..Houser was acquired from Houston, along with LHP Josh Hader, OF Brett Phillips and OF Domingo Santana, in exchange for OF Carlos Gómez, RHP Mike Fiers and International Signing Bonus Slot #76 on 7/30/15.

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

CAREER: Is 23-29 with a 4.00 ERA in 108 games/78 starts (436.2ip, 194er)…..is in his seventh Major League season, all with the Brewers (2015, 2018-23)…..has gone 18-29 with a 4.33 ERA as a starter (380.1ip, 183er) and 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA in relief (56.1ip, 11er)…..underwent “Tommy John” surgery on his right elbow on 7/21/16.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 8-14 with a 3.53 ERA in 55 games/38 starts (216.2ip, 85er)…..is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 1 start this season (4ip, 3er)…..went 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 12 games/11 starts last season (58.2ip, 24er)…..

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 15-15 with a 4.46 ERA in 53 games/40 starts (220ip, 109er)…..is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 1 start this season (4.2ip, 2er)…..went 3-5 with a 6.14 ERA in 10 starts last season (44ip, 30er).

CAREER vs. RAYS: Houser has never faced the Tampa Bay, actually St. Petersburg, Florida (formerly Devil) Rays.

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

HOME AT LAST — Tampa Bay dropped the final game of its 10-game road trip yesterday to New York-NL by a score of 3-2…six of Tampa Bay’s 10 games on the road trip were decided by one run, with the Rays going 1-5 in those contests…RHP Taj Bradley made his fourth career start and tossed 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts…RF Josh Lowe (2-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2R) recorded his 10th home run of the year and has now homered four times in his last 10 games…LF Randy Arozarena (2-for-3, 2B, BB) tallied his team-leading 15th multi-hit performance of the season…LHP Jalen Beeks (1.0IP, H, SO) threw a scoreless eighth inning and has posted a 0.93 ERA (9.2IP, 1ER) with 11 strikeouts against two walks in seven appearances (2 starts) since 5/2.

Josh Lowe tied Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz yesterday for the team lead in home runs…Tampa Bay is one of three teams to have three or more players hit 10+ HR this season, joining Atlanta (4) and Los Angeles-AL (3).

IT STARTS AT THE TOP — Yandy Díaz has a 12-game hitting streak since 5/3, batting .333 (15-for-45) with four doubles, 3 HR and 8 RBI during the run…the streak matches the longest of his career (also: 6/26-7/8, 2022) and is the longest by a Tampa Bay hitter since Wander Franco (13G) from 9/14-27, 2022…it is tied with MIA Bryan De La Cruz for the second-longest active streak in the majors, trailing only SEA Ty France (14G).

He also has a 16-game on-base streak since 4/27, slashing .358/.485/.679 (19-for-53) with nine extra-base hits, 9 RBI, 10 walks and only 11 strikeouts in that stretch… it is tied with TEX Marcus Semien for the fourth-longest active on-base streak in the AL.

Díaz has reached base safely in 26 of his last 27 games overall, going .354/.461/.615 (34-for-96) at the plate during that span…he ranks among qualified major leaguers in OBP (1st), OPS (1st, 1.075), batting average (2nd) and SLG (5th) during that stretch (since 4/15).

FLIPPING THE SWITCH — Following a 2-for-28 (.071) skid from 4/14-23, Isaac Paredes is slashing .362/.436/.609 (25-for-69) with eight doubles, 3 HR and 18 RBI over his last 21 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).

LOWES HOME IMPROVEMENT — During the 10-game road trip, Josh Lowe hit .286 (10-for35) with three doubles, 4 HR, 11 RBI, eight runs and two steals…in 36 games this year, Lowe is batting .306 (38-for-124) with 11 doubles, 10 HR, 30 RBI and 32 strikeouts against 12 walks… in his first 36 games last season, Lowe hit .186 (14-for-129) with seven doubles, two triples, 2 HR, 9 RBI and 46 strikeouts against nine walks.

Lowe has reached base safely in 12 straight Interleague games dating back to 7/8/22, batting .298 (14-for-47) with three doubles, 5 HR and 8 RBI during that stretch.

He joins ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. as the only players in the majors this season to have 10+ HR and 7+ steals.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS — Wander Franco is batting .339 (39-for-115) with 17 doubles, 4 HR, 16 RBI and six steals in his last 30 games at Tropicana Field dating back to 9/18/22…he has hit safely in 25 of those 30 games and reached base safely in 28 of them…he ranks among MLB batters in their home ballpark (min. 120 PA) since 9/18/22 in doubles (1st), OPS (1st, .988), slugging percentage (2nd, .591) and batting average (3rd).

THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 87 home runs, tied for the third-most long balls through a club’s first 45 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (94HR) and 1999 Seattle Mariners (91HR)…the 2000 Cardinals also hold the record for most homers through 46 games (96HR), followed by the 1999 Mariners (95HR).

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 25 multi-homer games, ahead of Los Angeles-NL (22G)… this includes 14 games with 3+ homers, most in the majors.

Tampa Bay’s 26 go-ahead home runs lead the AL and trail only Los Angeles-NL (27) for the MLB lead…61 of the Rays 87 total homers (70.0%) have been solo shots.

INTERLEAGUE RUNDOWN — The Rays 9-3 (.750) mark against NL clubs signals the second-best Interleague record in MLB, behind Detroit (10-3, .769)…Tampa Bay is outscoring NL foes, 74-38 (+36), and has held the opposition to three runs or fewer in eight of its 12 Interleague contests…following a seven-game losing streak from 6/28-8/10, 2022, Tampa Bay has won 11 of its last 14 Interleague matchups dating back to 8/30/22.

Rays pitching has recorded a 2.88 ERA (106.1IP, 34ER) against the NL, the fifth-lowest Interleague ERA in the majors…this includes a 1.83 ERA (54.0IP, 11ER) by Tampa Bay starters.

Rays hitters are slashing .277/.344/.532 with 27 homers against the NL…they pace the majors in Interleague AVG, SLG and OPS (.876).

LEADING THE PACK — The Rays pace the majors in runs scored (277) while surrendering the fewest runs (156)…Tampa Bay’s +121 run differential is the seventh-best mark through the first 45 games of a season in MLB history (since 1901), including the best since the 1939 New York Yankees (+142).

BATTER UP — Rays hitters lead MLB in batting average (.273), OBP (.348), SLG (.506), OPS (.853), homers (87), extra-base hits (179), total bases (779) and at-bats per HR (17.70).

THE CHEESE HEADS — Tampa Bay and Milwaukee open a three-game set tonight…the Brewers 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.

Milwaukee has taken seven of eight from Tampa Bay overall since 7/30/14, outscoring the Rays 30-14 (+16) in those contests.

Tampa Bay is 7-9 against Milwaukee in franchise history, including 5-6 at home… the Rays last beat the Brewers at Tropicana Field on 8/6/17 in a 2-1 victory.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: LHP SHANE McCLANAHAN (7-0, 2.34)
SUGAR SHANE — The southpaw makes his 10th start in tonight’s series opener vs. Milwaukee, including his fifth at Tropicana Field…his 2.34 ERA is seventh-lowest through a pitcher’s first nine starts of a season in club history…ranks among AL leaders in wins (1st, 7), ERA (5th, 2.34) and strikeouts (T6th, 61)…enters tonight just four strikeouts shy of 400 for his career…is looking to become the third Rays pitcher to begin a season 8-0, including the first since Charlie Morton (8-0) in 2019.

ONE BAD INNING — Allowed season highs in hits (tied), runs, homers (tied) and walks (tied) in the Rays 9-8 loss at Yankee Stadium on 5/13 (4.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 4BB, 3SO)…kept New York-AL off the board over the first four innings before yielding four runs in fifth frame on a pair of two-run homers…the outing marked his shortest start since 9/20/22 vs. HOU (also 4.0IP) and just his second career game with more walks than strikeouts (also: 9/20/22 vs. HOU – 4BB, 3SO).

MEET THE BREW CREW — McClanahan will be making his first career start opposite Milwaukee this evening…in five career starts against NL Central clubs, McClanahan is 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA (33.0IP, 4ER), holding opponents to a .155 average (18-for-116)…it marks his lowest ERA against any division and the second-lowest ERA against the NL Central among active starters behind BOS Chris Sale (0.91) (min. 5GS vs. NL Central).

He has gone 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA (12.0IP, 3ER) in two Interleague starts this season…has never lost to an NL team in his career, going 7-0 with a 2.16 ERA (58.1IP, 14ER) in 10 starts…the seven-game run is the longest Interleague winning streak to open a starting pitcher’s career since Interleague play began in 1997.

HOME SWEET HOME — McClanahan ranks among AL leaders at home (min. 20.0IP) in several categories, including ERA (3rd, 1.57), strikeout rate (3rd, 37.8%), opponents’ average (5th, .171) and hits per 9.0 IP (6th, 5.48).

COLLECTING W’S — The Rays won each of McClanahan’s first eight starts of the season, the second-longest team winning streak in a pitcher’s starts to open a season in Rays history, behind only Matt Moore’s nine-start run in 2013…it also marked the longest streak of McClanahan’s career at any point in a season and is the fourth-longest single-season streak in Rays history (longest: Blake Snell, 10GS from 8/10-9/29, 2018).

McClanahan’s personal seven-game winning streak since 3/30 is the longest of his career, ahead of a six-game streak from 5/5-6/9, 2022…marks the longest streak by a Rays starter since Tyler Glasnow (also 7G) from 8/25/20-4/17/21.

With a win today, McClanahan will join Charlie Morton (8-0, 2019) in 2019 and Matt Moore (8-0, 2013) as the only pitchers to begin a season 8-0 in Rays history…no Tampa Bay hurler has started 9-0.

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK — McClanahan’s 9.18 runs of support per 9.0 IP lead the majors, ahead of MIN Joe Ryan (8.28)…last season, his 3.73 run support average ranked 20th among AL qualifiers.

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

His eight starts of 5.0+ IP with two or fewer ER this season are second most in the majors behind NYY Gerrit Cole (9GS).

CAN’T TOUCH THIS — McClanahan’s 35.2 pct. whiff rate ranks second in the majors behind only ATL Spencer Strider (40.0%)…opponents are swinging at 33.3 pct. of his pitches outside of the strike zone, the 10thhighest chase rate in baseball…McClanahan has also been effective on pitches inside the zone, recording the second-highest in-zone whiff pct. in MLB (25.0%), trailing only Strider (30.7%).

He has registered a 52.6 pct. whiff rate on his changeup, the fifth-highest mark on any pitch in the majors (min. 150 pitches thrown)…trails only NYM Kodai Senga’s forkball (58.8%), Strider’s slider (54.7%), PHI Gregory Soto’s changeup (53.9%) and TEX Jacob deGrom’s slider (53.3%).

On 4/22 vs. Chicago-AL, McClanahan tied the fifth-most whiffs in an outing by any pitcher in MLB’s pitch-tracking era (since 2008)… his 65.3 pct. whiff rate (32 misses, 49 swings) was the highest by any pitcher in a single game in the pitch-tracking era (min. 25 swings).

MLB Preview: New York Yankees (26-20) at Cincinnati Reds (19-24)

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MLB Preview: New York Yankees (26-20) at Cincinnati Reds (19-24)

NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees continue their seven-game road trip tonight with the first game of a three-game set at Cincinnati (through Sun.)…are 3-1 on the road trip after winning three-of-four games at Toronto this week…after an off day on Monday, will begin a six-game homestand vs. Baltimore (Tues.-Thurs.) and San Diego (5/26-28).

Have won three of their last four games, five of their last seven games and eight of their last 11 games.

Are 11-5 (.688) in their last 16 games (since 5/2), the best record in the AL and the second-best record in the Majors in that span, trailing only Los Angeles-NL (11-4, .733).

Have won or split four of their last five series (since 5/1) and 10 of their 14 series this season (going 8-4-2).

Are 15 days into a 17-day stretch (5/5-21) without an off day (9-5 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 Blue Jays, 4-2, on Thursday at Rogers Centre to clinch a series win… LHP Nestor Cortes (6.0IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 6K, 1HR) started and earned his fourth win of the season…DH Aaron Judge (2-for-4, 1R, 1 double, 1HR, 2RBI) hit a two-run HR in the first inning…LF Aaron Hicks (3-for-4, 1 double, 1RBI) recorded a season-high 3H and drove in a run with an RBI single in the seventh inning…SS Anthony Volpe (1-for-2, 1R, 1HR, 1RBI, 1BB, 1HP) reached base three times and hit his seventh HR of the season with a solo shot in the ninth inning…2B Gleyber Torres (2-for-5, 1R) recorded a multi-hit game… 1B Anthony Rizzo (0-for-4) and 3B DJ LeMahieu (0-for-4) had their season-high 15-game on-base streaks snapped… RHP Ryan Weber (1.0IP, 1H, 1BB) tossed a scoreless seventh inning…RHP Albert Abreu (1.0IP, 2K) tossed a perfect eighth inning…RHP Ron Marinaccio (1.0IP) tossed a perfect ninth inning to record his first career save.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: INF Anthony Volpe hit his seventh HR of the season on Thursday at Toronto with a solo shot in the ninth inning…has 4HR in his last nine games.

Has reached base in 14 of his last 17 starts (since 4/30) and 28 of his last 33 starts.

His 7HR this season third-most among Major League rookies this season, trailing only Los Angeles-NL’s James Outman (9HR) and Texas’ Josh Jung (8HR).

Has 9RBI in his last nine games.

FOUR SCORE: The Yankees are 22-5 this season when scoring at least 4R.

PITCH PERFECT: The Yankees posted a 1.73 ERA (36.1IP, 7ER) during their four-game set at Toronto.

CALENDAR DAYS: The Yankees have hit 33HR in 17 games during the month of May, the most in the AL and tied for the most in the Majors in that span (also St. Louis and Atlanta – 33HR)…also rank third in May in runs scored (93) and fourth in SLG (.475).

HICKSY STICKS: OF Aaron Hicks recorded a season-high 3H on Thursday at Toronto, his most in a game since 9/28/22 at Toronto…is batting .400/.500/.733 (6-for-15) with 4R, 2 doubles, 1HR, 4RBI and 3BB in his last six games (since 5/7).

ON A ROLL: INF Gleyber Torres is batting .300 (6-for-20) with 2R, 2RBI, 1BB and 1SF over his last five games.

Has reached base in 23 of his last 27 games (since 4/20) and 26 of his last 31 games (since 4/15).

LEMACHINE: INF DJ LeMahieu had his season-high 15- game on-base streak (4/30-5/17) snapped on Thursday… was his longest on-base streak since a 15-game streak from 4/12-29/22…batted .291 (16-for-55) with 7R, 2 doubles, 2HR, 7RBI and 7BB over that stretch.

Since 2015, has hit .340/.418/.500 (32-for-94) with 25R, 9 doubles, 2HR, 14RBI, 12BB, 2HP, 2SF and 2SB in 23 games vs. the Reds.

ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge hit a two-run HR in the first inning on Thursday at Toronto…seven of his 12 home runs this season have given the Yankees the lead…since the start of 2019, 73 of his 149HR have tied the game (14) or given the Yankees the lead (59).

Has 6HR in his last six games…match the most by a Yankee in a six-game span since 2008.

Has hit safely in each of his last six games (since 5/13), batting .391/.517/1.217 (9-for-23) with 6R, 1 double, 6HR, 12RBI, 6BB/2IBB and 1SB.

The Yankees have gone 152-50 in his career when he homers…since 2020, the Yankees are 80-21 in those games.

His 232 career HR are the most by any Major League player through his first 765 career games (previous:Ryan Howard-227HR).

Has 12RBI in his last six games…has recorded 14RBI in 10 games since returning from the I.L. (since 5/9).

Is hitting .353/.476/.941 (12-for-34) with 9R, 2 doubles, 6HR, 12RBI, 8BB/2IBB and 1SB in his last nine games (since 5/10).

Ranks third in the Majors in SLG (.612, first in AL), tied for fourth in HR (12, tied for second in AL) and fifth in OPS (.993, third in AL).

BRONX BOMBERS: The Yankees have hit 67HR this season, the second-most home runs in the AL and the fourth-most in the Majors.

Have hit multiple HR in six of their last seven games (since 5/12), 10 of their last 12 games (since 5/7) and 12 of their last 16 games (since 5/2).

Have hit 16HR in their last 7G and 27HR in their last 12G.

Have recorded at least eight hits in six of their last seven games and 14 of their last 16G.

Have scored 76R in their last 12 games (since 5/7), averaging 6.33 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 nine of their last 12 games (since 5/7).

PEN PALS: RHP Ron Marinaccio recorded his first career save on Thursday at Toronto…the Yankees have had six 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 (3V), LHP Wandy Peralta (3SV), RHP Deivi García (1SV), RHP Ian Hamilton (1SV) and RHP Ron Marinaccio (1SV) have each recorded at least one save for the Yankees this season.

MEMORY LANE: At a news conference on 6/3/03 prior to the Yankees’ first-ever game at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, Derek Jeter was named Yankees team captain.

NOBODY BEATS THE RIZZ: INF Anthony Rizzo has hit 34 career home runs vs. the Cincinnati Reds, his most home runs vs. any club in his career…his 34HR are tied with Andrew McCutchen for the most among active players vs. the Reds.

His 22HR at Great American Ball Park are the third-most by a visiting player, trailing only Ryan Braun (28HR) and Lance Berkman (23).

Had his season-high 15-game on-base streak snapped on Thursday (5/1-17)…had batted .339/.426/.576 (20- for-59) with 14R, 2 doubles, 4HR, 10RBI, 8BB and 1HP over that stretch…was his longest on-base streak since a 17-game streak with the Cubs from 4/28-5/17/21.

Has reached base in 19 of his last 21 games and 38 of his 44 games this season.

Is batting .303/.381/.514 (43-for-142) with 24R, 6 doubles, 8HR, 19RBI, 13BB and 5HP in his last 37 games (since 4/9).

Has multiple hits in five of his last 10 games (since 5/8), batting .333/.409/.615 (13-for-39) with 10R, 2 doubles, 3HR, 8RBI, 4BB and 1HP in that span…also has multiple hits in seven of his last 15G (since 5/2).

Has 6RBI in his last six games (since 5/12).

Has hit safely in 12 of his last 15G and 16 of his last 21G.

Five of his last seven hits have been XBH (2 doubles, 3HR).

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP CLARKE SCHMIDT (1-4, 6.30 ERA)
RHP Clarke Schmidt will make his 10th start of the season in tonight’s series opener at Cincinnati…the 27-year-old will make the start on regular four days’ rest…made his ninth start of the season on Sunday vs. Tampa Bay, recording his fourth loss of the season after allowing a career-high 7R/ER (4.2IP, 6H, 3BB, 5K, 0HR, 1WP)…has tossed at least 4.0 innings in each of his last five starts after doing so just once in his first four starts this season…struck out Ezequiel Durán (swinging) in the fifth inning on 4/28 at Texas for his 100th career strikeout…made his second career Opening Day roster in 2023 (also 2022)…in 2022, went 5-5 with two saves and a 3.12 ERA (57.2IP, 46H, 23R/20ER, 23BB, 56K, 5HR) in 29 appearances (three starts) over four stints with the Yankees…in three starts, went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP, 13H, 6ER, 2BB, 14K, 0HR)… as a reliever, went 5-3 with two saves and a 2.74 ERA (46.0IP, 33H, 17R/14ER, 21BB, 42K, 5HR) in 26 games…tossed at least 2.0 innings in 13 of his relief appearances and at least 3.0 innings in five of those relief appearances…was selected by the Yankees in the first round (16th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina.

LAST TIME OUT: Made his ninth start of the season on Sunday vs. Tampa Bay, recording his fourth loss of the season after allowing a career-high 7R/ER (4.2IP, 6H, 3BB, 5K, 0HR, 1WP)…exited the game with the bases loaded and the game tied 4-4…RHP Albert Abreu came on in relief and surrendered a grand slam to Taylor Walls…matched his career high with 3BB (fifth time, second this season: 4/7 at Baltimore).

VS. CINCINNATI/INTERLEAGUE: Will be making his first career appearance against the Reds…has made two career relief appearance vs. the NL Central (6/10/22 vs. Chicago-NL and 9/18/22 at Milwaukee), allowing 2ER over 4.1IP (3H, 1BB/1IBB, 4K, 1HR).

Is 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA (19.0IP, 10ER) and 15K in six career Interleague games (three starts)…made his season debut on 4/1 vs. San Francisco (ND, 3.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 1BB, 5K, 2HR).

Posted a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA (7.1IP, 2ER) and 4K in three relief appearances vs. the National League in 2022 (6/10 vs. Chicago-NL, 8/23 vs. New York-NL, 9/18 at Milwaukee).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Has made 22 appearances (six starts) in his career on the road (three in 2023, 16 in 2022, one in 2021, two in 2020)… has gone 3-5 with one save and a 5.08 ERA (51.1IP, 61H, 34R/29ER, 22BB, 53K, 5HR).

Is 0-1 with an 8.76 ERA (12.1IP, 12ER) and 14K in three starts on the road this season…made starts on 4/7 at Baltimore (3.1IP, 5H, 4ER, 3BB, 3K), 4/12 at Cleveland (4.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 1BB, 3K, 1HR) and 4/28 at Texas (5.0IP, 10H, 5ER, 1BB, 8K, 1HR, 1HP).

In 16 games (two starts) on the road in 2022, went 3-4 with one save and a 3.62 ERA (32.1IP, 30H, 15R/13ER, 11BB, 34K, 2HR)…allowed 2R-or-fewer in 14 of those games, 1R-or-fewer in 12 of those appearances and nine were scoreless. 2023: Has made nine starts this season, going 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA (40.0IP, 52H, 33R/28ER, 14BB, 48K, 8HR)…has tossed at least 4.0IP in each of his last five starts after doing so just once in his first four starts this season.

Has surrendered just 1HR over his last three starts (including 0HR in two of those starts) after allowing at least 1HR in five of his first six starts of the season (7HR total).

In his eighth start of the season on 5/9 vs. Oakland, earned his first win of the season after allowing just 2ER over a career-high 6.0IP (5H, 2BB, 7K, 1HR, 1WP)…marked his first career win as a starter…reached 100.0 career innings in the first inning.

Recorded a career-high-tying 8K in back-to-back starts on 4/23 vs. Toronto and 4/28 at Texas.

Made his second career Opening Day roster.

FOR STARTERS: Will be making his 15th career start…over his first 14 career Major League starts (nine in 2023, three in 2022, one in 2021, one in 2020), is 1-7 with a 5.85 ERA (60.0IP, 76H, 47R/39ER, 21BB, 68K, 9HR)…has tossed at least 5.0IP in three of his last five starts after not doing so in his first nine career starts.  Is 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA (40.0IP, 28ER) and 48K in nine starts in 2023…tossed a career-high 6.0IP on /9 vs. Oakland…recorded a career-high-tying 8K on 4/23 vs. Toronto and 4/28 at Texas.

Went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP, 6ER) and 14K in his three starts in 2022 (6/16 vs. Tampa Bay, 8/28 at Oakland, 9/3 at Tampa Bay).

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

RED HOTS

  • Tonight the Reds are debuting their City Connect uniforms…in recognition of Armed Forces Weekend, tomorrow and Sun uniformed personnel will honor our nation’s military by wearing special hats and socks.
  • 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…

TONIGHT’S GAME

  • Is Game 1 of a 3-game series vs Aaron Boone’s Yankees and Game 1 of a 7-game homestand that includes a 4-game series vs the Cardinals.
  • The Reds are coming off a 3-3 road trip to Mia’s loanDepot park (2-1) and Col’s Coors Field (1-2).
  • 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 10-12 all-time vs NYY, including 4-4 at Great American Ball Park, and 4-3 in 7 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 Monday 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.

Tonight’s Pitcher – #59 Ben Lively, RHP

  • Tonight is making his third appearance and first start for the Reds…will be his first career appearance vs the Yankees.
  • Will be his first Major League start since 4/26/18 for Phi vs Ari.
  • Last pitched in Mon’s 9-8 loss at Col…with the score tied at 6-6 entered the game in the fifth inning in relief of starter Hunter Greene…retired 7 of his 8 hitters, the only hit an infield single…was charged with the tie-breaking run scored with 2 outs off Lucas Sims.
  • Made his Reds debut in the second inning of the 5-0 win on 5/11 vs NYM…relieved spot starter Derek Law and threw 3.0 scoreless innings, tied for the longest appearance by a Reds reliever this season…was his first Major League appearance since 4/28/19 for KC vs LAA, his only appearance of that season, and his first win since his last appearance of the 2017 season (9/27/19 for Phi vs NYM).
  • Was a non-roster invitee to 2023 Major League spring training camp.
  • Joined the Reds on 5/9, when RHP Luis Cessa was designated for assignment.
  • Originally was selected by the Reds in the fourth round of the June 2013 first-year player draft…the next season received the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award as the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year

MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (25-19) at Pittsburgh Pirates (23-20)

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MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (25-19) at Pittsburgh Pirates (23-20)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs’ 24 wins are third most in the NL, behind the Dodgers (28) and Braves (27)…the team is second in the NL West (23 days in/tied for first place from April 2-30).

♦ The D-backs have won 5 of their last 7 series.

♦ Zac Gallen, in his last 7 starts, is 6-0 with a 1.16 ERA (6 ER in 46.2 IP), .172 opponent average, 0.86 WHIP, 4 walks and 60 strikeouts.

  • Has not allowed a home run in his last 47.2 innings, over 8 starts since April 4 @ Padres (start Bottom 6), the sixth-longest active streak in the Majors.
  • In his last 8 starts (6 quality) vs. NL Central foes, is 4-2 with a 1.62 ERA (9 ER in 50.0 IP), .145 opponent average, 0.76 WHIP, 14 walks and 54 strikeouts.

♦ The D-backs are 14-6 in their last 20 games vs. Pirates.

YOUNG ‘BACKS
♦ The D-backs’ 27.8 roster age is tied for third-youngest in the Majors with the Nationals, A’s and Rays, behind the Guardians (26.1) and Orioles (27.7) and ahead of the Angels, Phillies, Mariners and Pirates (28.0).

♦ The D-backs’ 5 players aged 23 or younger are tied for most in the Majors with the Angels…players are: Corbin Carroll/22, Gabriel Moreno/23, Geraldo Perdomo/23, Alek Thomas/23 and Carlos Vargas/23.

OH, LOURDES!
♦ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is batting .419 (18-for-43) with 5 doubles (1 walk-off ), 6 homers, 12 RBI and 8 walks during his 11-game hitting streak, the fourth-longest active streak in the Majors, second-longest by a D-back this season (Corbin Carroll, 12 games) and second-longest of his career (12 games; July 11-Aug. 24, 2018).

♦ Has an extra-base hit in 7 straight games (5 doubles, 2 homers), the Majors’ longest active streak and tied for the second-longest of his career (also: May 24-31, 2019).

♦ In his last 10 road games, is hitting .324 (12-for-37)/1.053 OPS with 2 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI and 6 walks.

WALKER’S HOME RUN SHOW
♦ Christian Walker has homered in his last 2 games and in 4 straight road games (May 2-3, 16-present).

♦ Since 2022, his 47 home runs are third in the NL behind Kyle Schwarber (56) and Pete Alonso (56).

KETEL BEING KETEL
♦ Ketel Marte’s 18-game on-base streak, since April 26, is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the Majors (1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 9 BB, 2 HBP) and 5 games shy of his careerlong (22, Aug 2-29, 2019).

KETEL BEING KETEL (CONT.)
♦ Has reached base in 11 straight road games , since April 15, hitting .395 (17-for-43)/1.161 OPS with 1 triple, 4 homers, 9 RBI and 4 walks.

♦ Has hit safely in 8 of his last 10 games @ Pirates (.306, 11- for-36, 1.053 OPS, 2 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI).

D-FENSE! D-FENSE!
♦ The D-backs’ .991 fielding pct. is second in the Majors to the Padres (.993) and their 15 errors are tied for second fewest (Astros, Mets, Rays) behind the Padres (11).

♦ Josh Rojas’ 6 Outs Above Average (OAA) are tied for second most in the Majors with Ke’Bryan Hayes/PIT and Bobby Witt Jr./KC, behind Xander Bogaerts/SD (7) and Eugenio Suárez/SEA (7)…Christian Walker’s 5 OAA are tied for sixth (5 others).

SEEING IT WELL
♦ Since April 24, the D-backs’ 91 walks (21 games) are third in the Majors, behind the Dodgers (93 BB, 22 G) and Padres (93 BB, 20 G), and their 11.0 walk pct. is second to the the Padres (12.1).

♦ Since April 23, the D-backs’ .357 OBP is second in the Majors behind the Red Sox (.361) and ahead of the Rays (.338), Braves (.336) and Padres (.335).

SNAKE BITES
♦ Dominic Fletcher, in his fi rst 12 games from April 30-May 13, hit .462 (18-for-39)/1.231 OPS with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 13 RBI and 2 walks.

♦ Gabriel Moreno, in his last 10 games, is hitting .400 (14- for-35)/.904 OPS with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 3 walks.

♦ Geraldo Perdomo’s .448 (13-for-29) average with runners in scoring position is fifth in the Majors [min. 35 PA], behind Marcus Semien/TEX (.512), Yordan Alvarez/ HOU (.469), Esteury Ruiz/OAK (.455) and Joey Meneses/WAS (.452).

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

  • 2022 D-backs Most Valuable Pitcher by the Arizona Chapter of the BBWAA after going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA.
  • Fifth in the 2022 NL Cy Young Award voting (Sandy Alcantara/MIA, Max Fried/ATL, Julio Urías/LAD, Aaron Nola/PHI).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is 6-0 with a 1.16 ERA (6 ER in 46.2 IP), 0.69 WHIP and 60 strikeouts over his last 7 starts (6 quality).

  • His 1.87 ERA (32 ER in 154.1 IP in 24 starts) since July 13, 2022 is the lowest ERA in the Majors (min. 120 IP).
  • Whiff rates on non-fastballs are up from 2022: curve (34% to 44%), changeup (25% to 33%), cutter (16% to 26%).
  • His 14 scoreless starts of 7.0 + innings since 2019 are tied for most in the Majors (also: Sandy Alcantara/MIA).
  • Tallied the D-backs fourth-longest scoreless streak (28.0 IP) in franchise history from (April 4 [fi nal inning]-April 26)…established the D-backs’ all-time record for consecutive scoreless innings (44.1) from Aug. 8-Sept. 11, 2022.

LAST START: Earned his sixth win of the season on May 13 vs. Giants (2 ER in 7.2 IP).

VS. PIRATES: Is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA (2 ER in 13.0 IP) in 2 career starts.

  • Won his last start on Aug. 8, 2022 (0 ER in 7.0 IP, 8 K).

NL RANKINGS: Ranks among NL leaders in wins (T-1st, 6), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1st, 8.75), starts (T-2nd, 9), WHIP (2nd, 0.85), strikeouts (2nd, 70), innings (2nd, 57.1), walks (3rd, 8) and ERA (4th, 2.35).

VS. LEFTIES: Is limiting lefties to a .189 (18-for-95) average

PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:

THE PIRATES: Were off yesterday…Shut out the Tigers 8-0 Wednesday to earn a split in their two-game series…Lost four straight games from 5/9-13…Won seven straight games from 4/17-23, their longest winning streak since 2018 (11 games)…Are 1.0 game out of first place coming into today in the National League Central.

ROSTER MOVE: The Pittsburgh Pirates today reinstated left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny from the 15-day injured list…In addition, outfielder Miguel Andujar has been designated for assignment.

ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Johan Oviedo gets the start tonight in the opener of this three-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks…Oviedo was in line for the win (5.0ip/1r) but came away with a no-decision in his last start in Pittsburgh’s 6-3 loss last Friday at Camden Yards.

STAYING IN THE PARK: Johan Oviedo surrendered three home runs in 4.2 innings in his season debut on April 3 at Fenway Park…Since then Oviedo has tossed 37.1 innings in his last seven outings without allowing a long ball…Oviedo’s average of 0.64 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings pitched ranks eighth among all National League pitchers with at least 42.0 innings pitched.

BUCCO BLANKINGS: Each of Pittsburgh’s last three wins have come by way of shutouts…The Pirates blanked Colorado 2-0 on May 8 at PNC Park, shut out the Orioles 4-0 Sunday at Camden Yards, and closed out their road trip Wednesday with an 8-0 shutout at Comerica Park against the Tigers…Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has now recorded six shutouts this season, which ranks third in all of MLB behind Tampa Bay and Toronto with seven apiece.

WINNING STARTS HERE: Pittsburgh’s starting pitching staff ranks first in the National League and tied for second in all of MLB with 18 wins along with the Rangers…Tampa Bay’s starting pitching staff ranks first in MLB with 21 wins…Last year Pittsburgh’s starting rotation won a total of 21 times for the entire season.

ONE: Pittsburgh’s pitching staff limited the Tigers to just one hit on Wednesday, which came on an infield single leading off the first inning by Matt Vierling…Prior to Wednesday, the only one-hitter Pittsburgh’s staff recorded last season came in a 1-0 contest on September 13 at Cincinnati.

SETTING UP THE SERIES: The Pirates have won each of their last two series against Arizona here at PNC Park, taking two of three games apiece in 2021 and 2022…Jack Suwinski went 7-for-12 last year against Arizona, highlighted by his first career walkoff home run on June 4 off Mark Melancon…The Pirates will also face the Diamondbacks in the final series leading up to this year’s All-Star break from July 7-9.

HE MAN BEHIND THE MASK: Austin Hedges has started each of Pittsburgh’s last three shutouts behind the plate… Hedges comes into today with the lowest catcher’s ERA (3.31) in all of MLB…As a team, Pittsburgh’s catchers have the sixth-lowest ERA (3.66) in MLB this season, trailing only the Astros (3.36), Rays (3.38), Twins (3.41), Braves (3.55) and Mariners (3.55).

TAKING A STAND: Tonight the Pirates begin a six-game homestand against the Diamondbacks and Rangers…Monday’s visit by the Rangers will be just the fourth series the Rangers have played at PNC Park (also 2002, 2007 and 2019).

AGAINST THE SENIOR CIRCUIT: Each of the last five and 11 of Pittsburgh’s last 14 games have come against American League teams…The Pirates have gone 15-8 against the National League this season, including wins in 12 of their last 16 games beginning with their series against the Rockies at Coors Field on April 17.

DAURI DEALING: Righthander Dauri Moreta came one pitch away from an immaculate inning while closing out Wednesday’s win against the Tigers…Moreta is tied for fourth among all National League relievers in strikeouts (29) and fifth in batting average against (.121).

THE RENEGADE: David Bednar comes into today with the second-lowest ERA (0.56) among all relievers in MLB…The only reliever to produce a lower earned run average in MLB is Baltimore’s Yennier Cano (0.00).

TODAY’S STARTER – 24 – RHP JOHAN OVIEDO
JOHAN OVIEDO: The 25-year-old righthander is making his ninth start tonight…He had a no-decision (5.0ip/1r) in his last start last Friday at Baltimore in a 6-3 loss.

vs. ARIZONA: 0-0 in one start…Allowed three runs (2er) in 4.1 innings in a no-decision on 5/28/21 at Arizona while pitching for St. Louis.

MLS Preview: Los Angeles Galaxy (2-7-3) at D.C. United (4-5-4)

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MLS Preview: Los Angeles Galaxy (2-7-3) at D.C. United (4-5-4)

D. C. United is unbeaten in its last five home matches against the Los Angeles Galaxy (W2 D3), including a 2-1 win the last meeting between the sides, in August 2019. The Los Angeles Galaxy have won just one of their nine matches at D. C. United dating back to 2007, a 2-1 win in July 2010.

D. C. United has lost only one of its last six MLS matches (W3 D2), including draws in each of its last two matches. D. C. United has as many points in its last six games (11) as it managed in its previous 20 league matches dating back to the beginning of August (W2 D5 L13).

The Los Angeles Galaxy are winless in their first six road games of the season (D2 L4), including losing their last three away from home. Los Angeles Galaxy has recorded a streak of at least three straight road losses in each of the last seven seasons (since 2017) after having just three such streaks in the previous eight seasons (2009-2016).

Christian Benteke attempted four shots in D. C. United’s 0-0 draw with the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, twice as many as any other player in the match. Benteke has led or co-led D. C. United in shots in seven of his 12 MLS matches this season.

The Los Angeles Galaxy’s 2-0 loss at the Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday was their fifth straight road match without a goal, the second-longest streak in club history after a six-game run in 2004-2005. Los Angeles Galaxy have attempted 65 shots over those five games but hit just 14 (21.5) on target.

MLS Preview: Columbus Crew SC (5-4-3) at FC Cincinnati (8-1-3)

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MLS Preview: Columbus Crew SC (5-4-3) at FC Cincinnati (8-1-3)

The Columbus Crew SC have lost only one of the 10 MLS editions of the Hell is Real Derby (W5 D4), a 2-1 FC Cincinnati win in October 2020. FC Cincinnati hasn’t lost any of its last four home matches against the Columbus Crew SC (W1 D3) after Columbus won its first away match in the series in 2019.

FC Cincinnati is the sixth team in MLS history, and the second in the last 20 years (Philadelphia Union in 2020), to win its first seven home matches of a season. Only two teams in the post-shootout era (since 2000) have won their first eight home matches of a season (Philadelphia Union – 9 in 2020, and the San Jose Earthquakes – 10 in 2002).

Columbus Crew SC has won only one of its last 12 MLS away matches (D6 L5) dating back to last July. The Columbus Crew SC’s last away match, a 1-0 at Charlotte FC, ended a run of 13 straight road games with at least one goal.

Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez both scored in FC Cincinnati’s 3-0 win over the CF Montreal Impact on Wednesday. It marked the 16th time since the start of last season that both Acosta and Vazquez contributed to at least one goal in the same match, the most of any teammates in MLS in that time.

Lucas Zelarayan scored his fifth goal of the season in the Columbus Crew SC’s win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday. Zelarayan has contributed to at least one goal in five of his six MLS appearances since the beginning of April (3 goals, 3 assists).

USFL Game Preview: Birmingham Stallions (3-2) at Michigan Panthers (2-3)

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USFL Game Preview: Birmingham Stallions (3-2) at Michigan Panthers (2-3)

In the sixth week of the USFL, the Stallions and Panthers will compete against each other across divisions.

The Birmingham Stallions lost to the Houston Gamblers last week, who have won three straight games while Birmingham has lost two of its last three. They’ve slipped to third in FOX Sports’ USFL power rankings, yet with the New Orleans Breakers losing their most memorable game last end of the week, the South remaining parts completely open.

[USFL Power Rankings for Week 5: Gamblers rise to the top by riding chaos.] Additionally, even though the South is wide open, the North is deadlocked between all four teams. The Panthers could gain significant ground if they win their first game at home, as each North team is 2-3.

Is it possible for the Stallions to re-equip?

The Stallions are at a critical juncture as they attempt to get their offense back on track, despite the fact that both teams have shown glimpses this season. Alex McGough, the quarterback, will be the focus of all attention as he attempts to rekindle the Stallions’ scoring machine.

In recent weeks, offensive struggles have become a regrettable theme for Birmingham. After a promising beginning to the season, the Steeds’ creation has faltered. The Stallions scored an impressive 28 points per game in their first three games, but over the past two weeks, they have only scored 14 points per game. It is abundantly clear that they require an urgent spark to rekindle their offensive firepower.

This is where McGough comes into the image. The former NFL signal-caller’s arm talent and ability to extend plays with his legs were anticipated to be the Stallions’ driving force this season. In the loss last weekend, McGough completed 24 of 37 passes for 209 yards and rushed for 76 yards with two touchdowns. Assuming he keeps that up, the Steeds could be right back in the race for the South division.

Michigan still trying to get its first win at Ford Field The Panthers are in a dangerous spot as they try to get their first home win. With the Steeds coming to town, the Jaguars are expecting to at long last convey triumph before their old neighborhood fans. However, this crucial matchup is further complicated by the ongoing quarterback rivalry between Josh Love and Carson Strong.

Love and Strong have both had their good times, but their performances have been inconsistent. When it comes to choosing which quarterback will give the team the best chance of securing that elusive victory at home, head coach Mike Nolan is forced to perform a delicate balancing act.

Love started the fifth week before being pulled in the second half. Strong had entered for a drive several weeks earlier, and Love had resumed his position as center in the second half. Last week, that wasn’t true. Strong entered the game near the end of the first half and remained in the game for the second. Despite not scoring on their first possession, the Panthers lost the game to the Pittsburgh Maulers 23-7.

Notwithstanding the quarterback circumstance, the Jaguars’ offense in general should track down its musicality. The ground game specifically needs a flash given that the Jaguars are averaging simply 98.4 surging yards per game, which positions 6th in the association.

Will Strong’s potential or Love’s experience pave the way for the Panthers? As Michigan continues its quest for its first home victory, only time will tell.

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