Tuesday, April 7, 2026
SwC Poker
Home Blog Page 2692

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (23-18) at St. Louis Cardinals (17-25)

MLB Editor
-
0
MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (23-18) at St. Louis Cardinals (17-25)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 2 (0-1) of a 6-game, 7-day road trip to St. Louis (0-1) 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), 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.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 7-6-0 in series play.
Game 1: 7-7, Game 2: 8-5, Game 3: 7-6, 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 10-10 on the road, going 3-3-0 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 six replay challenges this season, going 3-3…..their last challenge (won) came Friday vs. Kansas City as a swing by Willy Adames was overturned to catcher’s interference.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: #20 – LHP WADE MILEY (7gs, 3-2, 3.60)

MILEY AT A GLANCE: Wade Miley, 36, is making his eighth start of the season and first againt the Cardinals…..Miley last started last Wednesday vs. Los Angeles-NL and took an 8-1 loss (5ip, 6h, 7r, 7er, 2bb, 3k, 3hr, 1hbp, 94 pitches)…..he retired his first 10 batters before allowing back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to Freddie Freeman and Will Smith…..the team is 4-3 in his starts…..he has made 4 quality starts…..opponents are batting .240 (37-for-154, 5hr)…..Miley signed as a free agent with Milwaukee on January 9…..he is signed through the 2023 season with a mutual option for 2024.

WELCOME BACK!: Miley returned to Milwaukee, where he pitched in 2018 for the National League Central champions and went 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 16 starts…..he went on to make 4 starts during the postseason, posting a 1.23 ERA (14.2ip, 2er), as the team went on to advance to the seventh game of the NLCS against Los Angeles.

LAST SEASON: Miley went 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 9 games/8 starts with Chicago-NL last season…..he missed most of the season while spending time on the injured list on three occasions: 4/7-5/9 (left elbow inflammation), 5/29-6/9 (left shoulder strain) and 6/11-9/5 (left shoulder strain).

CAREER: Is 102-96 with a 4.11 ERA in 299 games/292 starts (1658ip, 758er)…..is in his 13th Major League season with Arizona (2011-14), Boston (2015), Seattle (2016), Baltimore (2016-17), Milwaukee (2018, ‘23), Houston (2019), Cincinnati (2020-21) and Chicago-NL (2022)…..was an All-Star with the Diamondbacks in 2012…..he threw a no-hitter with the Reds on 5/7/21 at Cleveland…..Miley was selected by Arizona in the supplemental first round (43rd overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 6-3 with a 4.16 ERA in 16 starts (75.2ip, 35er)…..is 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA in 4 starts this season (22ip, 10er).

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 49-51 with a 3.98 ERA in 158 games/156 starts (881.1ip, 390er)…..is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 3 starts this season (18ip, 6er).

CAREER vs. CARDINALS: Is 3-6 with a 4.07 ERA in 11 starts (59.2ip, 27er), including 2-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 7 starts at Busch Stadium (39.1ip, 12er)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals continue their seven-game homestand with the second game of a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at Busch Stadium … The Los Angeles Dodgers (27-15), sporting the NL’s best record, visit St. Louis for a four-game series beginning Thursday.

SWITCHING GEARS: Since May 6, the Cardinals have won seven of their last eight games including a season-best four in a row to improve 3.5 games in the NL Central standings, sitting 6.5 games behind first place Milwaukee and 1.5 games behind fourth place Cincinnati … The Cardinals have been in last place for 20 straight days (April 25-present) … The last time St. Louis won five consecutive games was part of an eight-game win streak Aug. 14-22,

2022 WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE: St. Louis currently sports a positive run differential (+7) for the first time since it started the season with a 2-2 record on April 3 (+3) … The Cardinals are 8 games under .500 through 42 games, but have a +7 run differential after last night … Since 1920, the Cardinals are only the 4th team in the modern era to be 8+ games under .500 through 42 games, but have a positive run differential, joining the 1925 Detroit Tigers (16-25, +16), 1972 Kansas City Royals (17-25, +16), and 1989 Toronto Blue Jays (17-25, +8). – Hyatt

NOLAN STOPPED COOLIN’: Nolan Arenado has hit safely and recorded an RBI in eight of his last nine games (.350/.357/.775, 5 HR, 16 RBI) since May 5, with homers in four straight … Arenado’s last homer streak of five games or longer was his career-long six straight from Sept. 1-5, 2015.

RARE COMPANY: Nolan Arenado enters today with 998 RBI in his first 1,424 career games … With two more RBI, Arenado can become only the 3rd primary third baseman since 1920 with 300+ HR and 1,000+ RBI before playing his 1,500th game, joining Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews (376 HR, 1,010 RBI) and Chipper Jones (301 HR, 1,002 RBI).

STORMIN’ GORMAN: Twenty-three year-old Nolan Gorman leads the NL in slugging pct. (.600) and RBI (33) while ranking 2nd in OPS (.979), OPS+ (167), wOBA (.436), and wRC+ (164) … Only Ronald Acuña Jr. has a higher OPS (1.024), OPS+ (175), wOBA (.436), and wRC+ (175) than Gorman in the NL.

BEER BASHERS: Among Major Leaguers with 150+ career plate appearances vs. the Brewers, Nolan Arenado is the active leader in slugging (.649) and OPS (1.042), while Paul Goldschmidt ranks among the top six in nearly every offensive statistical category (chart right).

UNPACKING LAST NIGHT’S 18-1 VICTORY:

  • St. Louis has now won three consecutive series openers since setting a new franchise record of consecutive series-opening losses (11) to begin the season.
  • The Cardinals won by 17+ runs for the first time since an 18-run margin in a 21-3 win over the Cubs on April 27, 1977 at Wrigley Field.
  • The 17-run margin of victory tied for the 6th-largest in franchise history (since 1901) while tying a 99-year-old home record … The 1924 Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Robins, 17-0, in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park on Aug. 24, 1924.
  • Scored double-digit runs in an inning for the 29th time in the regular season (since 1901), first time since a 10-spot in the 6th inning of a come-from-behind 12-11 win at Cincinnati (July 19, 2019), and the first time overall since the infamous 10-run 1st inning against the Braves in a 13-1 win in Game 5 of the NLDS at Atlanta (Jack Flaherty also started that game).
  • According to play-by-play info since 1959, Andrew Knizner became the 3rd MLB player to enter as a pinch runner and hit a grand slam in the same inning, joining Boston’s Gene Stephens on July 13, 1959 (6th inning; pinch ran for Ted Williams) and Oakland’s Rajai Davis on Sept. 5, 2008 (8th inning; pinch ran for Jack Cust). – Elias
  • Knizner also became the 13th Cardinal (since 1901) to enter as a pinch runner and homer in the same game (last: Peter Bourjos, Aug. 10, 2014 at Baltimore) and the 2nd MLB player this season to hit a grand slam off of a position player (San Francisco’s J.D. Davis off White Sock Hanser Alberto, April 6, 2023) … Knizner also was the 20th Cardinal to hit grand slam in his only plate appearance. – Orf
  • For only the 4th time in franchise history, three or more Cardinals drove in 4+ runs in a game (Nolan Arenado-4, Nolan Gorman-5, Andrew Knizner-4) … The last set of Cardinals to do so was Jim Bottomley (6), Tex Carleton (4), & Ripper Collins (4) Aug. 9, 1932.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP JORDAN MONTGOMERY (2-5, 4.11)
TONIGHT’S GAME
NL Leaders: Losses (5, T-3rd); Walks/9 IP (2.35, 12th); HR/9 IP (0.78,13th)

  • Is set to make his 9th start of the season and his 117th career (20th as a member of the Cardinals).
  • Is trying to snap a career-high five-game losing streak, although the Cardinals have been shut out in three of his five losses while he has had three quality starts among his five defeats.
  • Facing the Brewers for just the 5th time in his career. He blanked Milwaukee on three hits in 7.0 IP on April 8 in his first career appearance at American Family Field.
  • Leads Cardinals starters with his 4.11 ERA, 5 Quality Starts, 11.9 baserunners/9.0 IP and 1.30 WHIP.
  • For the season, Monty has allowed just four round-tippers, two coming in his most recent start (5/10) at Wrigley Field.
  • Prior to his 5/10 start at Wrigley, he’d allowed just one earned run in three road games this season, fanning 22 in 19.2 IP. In six career road starts with St. Louis, he’s allowed zero earned runs in three of those games.
  • Recorded his first and only GIDP of the season in his 5/10 start at CHI.
  • Is 8-8 with a 3.53 ERA in 19 starts as a member of the Cardinals and St. Louis has won 10 of his 19 starts.
  • Leads all Cardinals pitchers with 102 strikeouts since being acquired at the 2022 Trade Deadline (8/2/22).
  • Has not walked a left-handed batter since being acquired by the Cardinals (69 total batters faced). Is the only pitcher in MLB who has faced 0+ left-handed batters without a walk to a LHB since 8/1/22.
  • Made his fourth Opening Day roster and first with the Cardinals, adding to 2018, 2021 and 2022 with the Yankees. Was on the Injured List in 2019 and Taxi Squad in 2020.
  • Has held his opposition to three earned runs or fewer in 78% (91-of-116) of his career
    starts.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Suffered his career-high 5th consecutive loss, as he dropped a 10-4 decision at Wrigley Field last Wed. (5/10). Five of his six runs allowed came via Cubs home runs.

DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
5/10 @CHI L 10-4 L-5 5.0 7 6 6 3 3 2 88-54

2023

  • Took his first no-decision of the season as the Cardinals fell, 5-4, to the Detroit Tigers on 5/5. It was his team-leading 5th quality start, and 3rd-straight.
  • Locked horns with Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on 4/29 at Dodger Stadium… allowed just one run across 6.2 IP, but was handed his 4th-straight loss (1-0).
  • Threw a season-high 107 pitches and limited the SF Giants to just one unearned run over his 6.0 IP on 4/24, but took the loss as Alex Cobb blanked the Cardinals, 4-0. It was just the 2nd road loss for Monty as a member of the Cardinals.
  • Established a new career-high with a 15.0 inning scoreless streak from 4/2-13, surpassing his previous high of 14.2 IP.
  • Won his opening start of the season behind a 9-4 offensive effort vs. TOR (4/2) in a series clinching win.
  • Threw 7.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball at MIL (4/8). Was the longest outing by a Cardinals pitcher this season and his 2nd consecutive scoreless outing against an N.L. Central opponent on the road (16.0 IP streak).
  • Tied his career-highs in both hits (10) and runs (7) allowed as the Cardinals lost 8-7 vs. ARI (4/18) in a game they rallied from down 7-2 in the 4th inning.

MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (31-11) at New York Mets (20-22)

MLB Editor
-
0
MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (31-11) at New York Mets (20-22)

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

SALVAGED THE SPLIT — The Rays claimed Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Yankee Stadium by an 8-7 final…the contest was tied, 4-4, in the fifth inning before 3B Taylor Walls (3-for-4, 3B, HR, 4RBI, R) launched his first career grand slam for an 8-4 Tampa Bay lead…the Yankees plated three runs over the seventh and eighth innings, but RHP Jason \Adam (1.0IP) shut the door in the ninth for his fifth save.

2B Brandon Lowe (1-for-3, 2RBI, R, BB) recorded his first multi-RBI game since 5/3 vs. Pittsburgh (2RBI) and LF Randy Arozarena (0-for-4, RBI) drove in his 35th run with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly, the fourth-most RBI in the majors.

Rays starter RHP Zach Eflin (6.0IP, 7H, 4ER, BB, 9SO) overcame a four-run third inning to complete 6.0 frames, improving to 5-1 on the season.

Six of the seven matchups between the Rays and Yankees this season have been decided by one run…last season, seven of the 19 matchups were ne-run games.

A GRAND OL’ TIME—The Rays have hit four grand slams this season, tied with Los Angeles-NL and Texas for most in the majors…per Elias, Tampa Bay has hit grand slams in back-to-back games for the third time in club history (also: 6/25-27, 2000 & 8/7-8, 2021)…the Rays hit one grand slam all of last season (Manuel Margot on 5/7/22 at SEA)… Tampa Bay is the only team in the majors to hit grand slams in consecutive games this season (last: New York Yankees, 9/20-21, 2022).

Collectively, the Rays are slashing .444/.455/.861 (16-for-36) with the bases loaded…it marks MLB’s best average and OPS (1.316) with the bags full.

WON BY ONE — Eight of Tampa Bay’s last 11 games have been decided by one run or fewer, with the Rays going 4-4 in those games…this comes after only five of the club’s first 31 games were one-run contests…on the season, Tampa Bay’s 8-5 mark in one-run games is fourth-best in the AL and ninth-best in the majors.

Nine of the Rays 11 losses this season have come by three or fewer runs, including the five one-run defeats.

INTERLEAGUE RUNDOWN — The Rays 8-1 mark against NL clubs signals the best Interleague record in MLB (min. 2G), ahead of Detroit (9-2)…Tampa Bay is outscoring NL foes, 57-22 (+35), and has held the opposition to two or fewer runs in seven of its nine Interleague contests…on the heels of a seven-game losing streak (6/28-8/10, 2022), Tampa Bay has won 10 of its last 11 Interleague matchups dating back to 8/30/22.

Rays pitching has recorded a 2.14 ERA (80.0IP, 19ER) against the NL, the third-lowest Interleague ERA in the majors behind Baltimore (1.96) and San Diego (2.00)…this includes a 1.93 ERA (42.0IP, 9ER) by Tampa Bay starters.

Meanwhile, Rays hitters are slashing .288/.348/.549 with 21 homers against the NL…they pace the majors in Interleague AVG, SLG and OPS (.897).

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 ties the third-longest active hitting streak in the majors, behind only COL Randall Grichuk (14G) and TEX Jonah Heim (13G).

He also has a 16-game on-base streak since 4/27, slashing .358/.485/.679 (19-fo-53) with nine extra-base hits, 9 RBI, 10 walks and only 11 strikeouts in that stretch…it marks the fifth-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), batting average (1st), OPS (1st, 1.076) and SLG (3rd) during that stretch (since 4/15).

On the season, he ranks third in the majors in OBP (.429), SLG (.593) and OPS (1.022) while his .321 batting average is fourth.

THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 81 home runs, the third-most long balls through a club’s first 42 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (88HR) and 1999 Seattle Mariners (84HR)…the 2000 Cardinals also hold the record for most homers through 43 games (89HR), followed by the 1999 Mariners (85HR) and 2019 Houston Astros (82HR).

Tampa Bay has out-homered opponents, 81-33 (+50)…its 31 homers allowed are tied for second-fewest in the majors, behind Seattle (26HR).

The Rays have an MLB-best 23 multi-homer games, ahead of Los Angeles-NL (21G)…his includes 13 games with 3+ homers, tied with Los Angeles-NL for the MLB lead.

Tampa Bay’s 24 go-ahead home runs lead the AL and trail only Angeles-NL (26) for most in the majors…58 of the Rays 81 total homers have been solo shots.

The Rays homered in each of their first 22 games, the longest streak to open a season in MLB history…marked the longest home run streak at any point in a single season since the 2019 Houston Astros (25G, 9/1-29, 2019)…Tampa Bay has gone deep in 37 of its 42 games overall in 2023.

EASY AS 1-2-3 — The first three spots in Tampa Bay’s batting order lead the majors in average (.306), OBP (.392), SLG (.552), OPS (.944), RBI (88), hard-hit pct. (40.4%), hits (153), runs scored (102) and homers (T1st, 31).

LEADING THE PACK — The Rays pace the majors in runs scored (260) while surrendering the fewest runs (140)…Tampa Bay’s +120 run differential is the seventh-best mark through the first 42 games of a season in MLB history (since 1901), including the best since the 1939 New York Yankees (+135).

ON THE MOUND — Tampa Bay’s 3.26 ERA is the second-best mark in the majors behind Seattle (3.24)…this includes the best starter ERA (3.03) and the sixth-best bullpen ERA (3.51)…Rays pitching ranks highly among major league staffs in opp. AVG (1st, .215), opp. SLG (2nd, .344), opp. OPS (2nd, .638), opp. OBP (3rd, .294) and WHIP (3rd, 1.16).

IN THE BOX — Rays hitters lead MLB in OPS (.856), OBP (.349), SLG (.508), batting average (.275), homers (81), extra-base hits (166), total bases (728), hard-hit pct. (45.1%), and at-bats per home run (17.70).

IN THE BIG APPLE — The Rays and Mets meet for the first time since 2021 in this week’s three-game series at Citi Field…Tampa Bay has won four straight, seven of eight, and nine of its last 11 meetings with New York-NL…the two clubs last met from 5/14-16, 2021 when the Rays recorded a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.

The Rays are 8-7 all-time at Citi Field and have won each of their last three series in this venue dating back to 2009, going 6-3 in that span.

Tampa Bay holds a 16-14 edge in the all-time series against New York-NL, producing a narrow +5 (138-133) run differential.

FIRST THINGS FIRST — LHP Jalen Beeks will serve as tonight’s opener… in three starts this season, he has pitched to a 1.29 ERA (7.0IP, 1ER) with five strikeouts and two walks…in his last start on 5/10 at Baltimore, he threw 2.0 scoreless innings.

In 14 career starts, Beeks is 0-4 with a 6.50 ERA (36.0IP, 26ER) and 35 strikeouts against 16 walks…in 102 career relief appearances, he is 15-6 and has pitched to a 3.82 ERA (219.1IP, 93ER) with four saves.

UNFAMILIAR FOE — Beeks will be making his first career appearance against the Mets.

In seven career relief appearances against NL East opponents, Beeks is 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA (17.2IP, 6ER) and one save, holding opponents to a .279 batting average (19-for-68) with 19 SO.

NEW YORK METS NOTES:

METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets fell to the Nationals in the final game of their four game series in Washington D.C….New York finished a seven-game road trip (3-4) to Cincinnati (1-2) and Washington D.C. (2-2)… Tonight, the Mets begin a six-game homestand against Tampa Bay (three games) and Cleveland (three games).

JUST IN TIME: Justin Verlander is set to make his Mets home debut tonight…He has made two previous starts at Citi Field, once in 2010 and again in 2022…In his last start on June 29, 2022, he tossed 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, a walk and striking out six in a 2-0 Astros victory.

Rank Player Strikeouts

  1. Greg Maddux 3,371
  2. Phil Niekro 3,342
  3. Max Scherzer 3,219
  4. Justin Verlander 3,210
  5. Fergie Jenkins 3192
    Rank Player Strikeouts
  6. Pedro Martinez 3,154
  7. Bob Gibson 3,117
  8. Curt Schilling 3,116
  9. CC Sabathia 3,093
  10. John Smoltz 3,084
    MOST STRIKEOUTS, ALL-TIME (NO. 10-19)

IN THE CITI: The Mets are 7-8 at Citi Field this year…The team’s 15 home games are 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.

THEY’RE OUT OF MY LEAGUE: The new schedule format has New York playing a total of 43 Interleague games in 2023, more than double their previous high for a single season (20)…The Mets are 3-3 against the American League this year…Overall, New York owns a 238-230 record in Interleague play…The team’s .509 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.

INTERLEAGUE PETE: Pete Alonso has hit 31 home runs in Interleague Play since the 2019 season…His 31 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.

POWER OUTAGE: The Mets have not hit a home run since the second inning on May 10 in Cincinnati, when Pete Alonso hit a solo shot…The team has gone five games and a total of 52 innings without a home run…It’s the team’s longest homerless streak since they went six games without a blast from July 19-24, 2015…Overall, the Mets ranks 22nd in the majors and 10th in the NL with 41 homers.

FIRST IS THE WORST: The Mets have posted a 7.93 ERA (37 ER/42.0 IP) in the first inning this season, the highest mark in the majors…Outside the first frame, the Mets are pitching to a 4.30 ERA (151 ER/316.0 IP)…The Mets have been outscored 37-9 in the first inning this year…The Mets are 7-19 when their opponent scores first…On the other hand, the Mets are 13-2 when scoring first this season…Their .867 winning percentage when scoring first ranks second in the majors.

DOCTOR ROBERT-SON: David Robertson has pitched 15 games and allowed one run in 15.1 innings of work, good for a 0.53 ERA…He has allowed eight hits and five walks while striking out 24…He is holding lefthanded hitters to a .133 (4-30) average this season…He has converted all eight save opportunities he’s had this season…Overall, he has recorded 164 saves in his career…That is the seventh-most among active players.

AND THEY’RE OFF: Starling Marte is tied for 12th in the majors and tied for sixth in the NL with 11 steals…He ranks third among active players with 325 career steals…Only Elvis Andrus (340) and Billy Hamilton (326) have more… The Mets are fourth in the National League with a 82.4% success rate in steals this season…The Mets are eighth the NL with 28 steals this season.

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: Tomorrow, Mark Canha will light up the Empire State Building with his family at 11:00 a.m…The outfielder will turn on the lights in recognition of Food Allergy Awareness Week.

BRIGHAM OUT, BRIGHAM OUT: Jeff Brigham has not allowed a run in his last six appearances….He has allowed two hits, a walk and struck out six
in those 6.0 innings…Overall, Brigham has not allowed a run in 10 of his 12 appearances this season, posting a 2.77 ERA (4 ER/13.0 IP)…He has struck out 16 and allowed six hits and four walks in 13.0 innings this year.

WHAT A RELIEF: The Mets bullpen has held opponents to a .221 (128- 579) batting average this season…That is the eighth-lowest mark in the majors and the second-lowest in the National League…They have allowed only 43 extra-base hits this year, which is the second-lowest in the National League.

STARTING PITCHING: Mets starting pitchers have tossed 202.2 innings this year, the fourth-fewest innings in the majors…They have surrendered 37 homers, the fifth-most in the majors…New York starters have issued 101 walks, the second-most in the majors…They are 14-17 with a 5.33 ERA (120 earned runs/202.2 innings)…Their 5.33 ERA is the fifth-highest in the majors and the third-highest in the National League

JUSTIN VERLANDER RHP #35
2023 STATS: 1-1, 2.25 E R A

VERLANDER PITCH ARSENL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 50% 51% 50% 94.7 mph
Slider 35% 32% 37% 88.5 mph
Curveball 14% 14% 13% 79.1 mph
Changeup 1% 1% 0% 84.1 mph

LAST TIME OUT: Earned his first career win as a Met on May 10 against the Reds at Great American Ballpark…Threw 7.0 innings and allowed one run on two hits, two walks and seven strikeouts…Retired 18 of the last 19 batters faced…Was his 33rd career game with at least 7.0 innings and two or fewer hits allowed, tied with Roger Clemens for the third-most such games in major league history.

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

WELCOME TO THE CITI: Tonight, Verlander will make his Mets Citi Field debut…In two starts as a visiting pitcher at Citi Field, Verlander went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA (5 ER/10.0 IP)… In his Citi Field debut, June 22, 2010, Verlander allowed five runs over 2.2 innings with the Tigers in a 14-6 Mets victory…12 seasons later, Verlander tossed 8.0 scoreless innings in a 2-0 Astros victory on June 29, 2022.

INCREDIBLE IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY: In 56 career interleague starts, Verlander is 38-9 with a 2.60 ERA (106 ER/367.1 IP)…In interleague play history, Verlander has the most wins, the third-best ERA among qualifiers and the third-most strikeouts at 412 trailing only Max Scherzer (447) and Zack Greinke (414)…41 of Verlander’s 56 career interleague starts have been quality starts, one behind Greinke for the most in interleague play history.

3K AND COUNTING: Entering the 2023 season, Verlander was 12th on the all-time strikeout list with 3,198 strikeouts, five ahead of teammate Max Scherzer…Scherzer has since passed Verlander, but the pair remain close, with just nine separating the two…Entering last season, Verlander ranked 19th on the all-time with 3,013 career strikeouts, seven behind Scherzer…During the 2022 season, Verlander passed all-time greats John Smoltz, C.C Sabathia, Curt Schilling, Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez and Fergie Jenkins…See below for a chart of the No. 10-19 strikeout pitchers of all-time:

MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (21-20) at Boston Red Sox (22-20)

MLB Editor
-
0
MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (21-20) at Boston Red Sox (22-20)

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue an 11-day, 9-game road trip (3-1) with the 2nd of 3 games against the Boston Red Sox (1-0)…Seattle opened the trip with a 3-game series win in Detroit (2-1) and will also visit the Atlanta Braves (3 G, May 19-21) before heading home to Seattle…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.

ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners won yesterday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox by a score of 10-1, tied for Seattle’s largest margin of victory this season (also: 4/4 vs. LAA, 11-2)…the Mariners are 10-4 over their last 14 games dating back to April 30, best record in the American League during that span…Seattle is 10-12 at T-Mobile Park and 11-8 on the road this season…the Mariners are 7-1 over their last 8 road games (4/30-c).

  • Clutch – J.P. Crawford leads the Mariners with a .357 (10×28) batting average with runners in scoring position, ranking ahead of Eugenio Suárez (.351/13×37) and Jarred Kelenic (.296/8×27).
  • Run Differential – The Mariners hold a +33 run differential this season, ranking 6th-best in the Majors… based on their run differential, Seattle holds a Pythagorean Expected Win-Loss record of 24-17.
  • Woo! – Mariners minor leaguer Bryan Woo was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week for May 8-14…Woo made 1 start during the week, carrying a perfect game into the 7th inning…he tossed a career-high 7.0 scoreless innings, while allowing only 2 hits with 7 strikeouts…over 6 starts this season, Woo is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA (6 ER, 28.0 IP) with 6 walks, 39 strikeouts and a .146 opp. average.

SCORING IN BUNCHES…the Mariners scored 10 runs last night to record their 3rd game this season with a double-digit run total (also: 4/4 vs. LAA, 11-2 and 4/30 at TOR, 10-8)…in each of Seattle’s 3 games with 10+ runs this season, the offense has scored multiple runs in 3 separate innings…last night the Mariners plated 2 runs in the 5th inning, 3 runs in the 6th inning and 4 runs in the 8th inning…Seattle’s 15 hits in last night’s game were their most in a game this season, surpassing 13 hits on April 4 vs. LAA.

ROLLING…dating back to April 30, the Mariners are 10-4 (.714), best record in the American League and tied for 2nd-best winning percentage in the Majors during that span (also: Colorado), trailing only the Dodgers (12-2, .857)…since April 30, Seattle has outscored opponents 74-40, averaging 5.29 runs/game on offense and limiting opponents to 2.86 runs/game…the Mariners have scored 4+ runs in 9 of 14 games during that stretch (4/30-c), including 8 games scoring 5+ runs…overall this season, the Mariners are 16-7 when scoring 4+ runs and 5-13 when scoring 3-runs-or-less.

BIG DUMPER…Cal Raleigh went 3-for-5 with 3 runs scored, 2 home runs and 4 RBI in last night’s game, picking up his 2nd multi-home run game of the season and becoming the 6th player in club history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game (last: Carlos Santana, Sept. 19, 2022)…overall this season, Cal ranks tied for 3rd among catchers with 7 home runs (also: Shane Langeliers-OAK), trailing only Sean Murphy-ATL (9 HR) and Salvador Perez-KC (9 HR)…dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season, Cal leads all catchers with 34 home runs and ranks 2nd among American League catchers with 5.2 fWAR, trailing only Adley Rutschman-BAL (6.6 fWAR).

BARELY BARRELING THE BALL…the Mariners pitching staff did not allow a Barrel in last night’s game and has allowed only 55 Barrels this season, fewest in the Majors ahead of Tampa Bay (63) and Philadelphia (72)…Statcast defines a “Barrel” as a batted ball with optimal exit velocity and launch angle, leading to a minimum .500 expected batting average and 1.500 expected slugging percentage…Seattle pitchers have allowed more than 2 Barrels in only 5 games this season, while allowing 1 Barrel-or-less in 25 games and completing 11 games without surrendering a single Barrel.

TY EXTENDS HITTING STREAK TO TWELVE…Ty France went 2-for-5 with 1 run scored, 2 doubles and 1 RBI in last night’s game, extending his hitting streak to 12 games (5/3-c)…he is batting .360 (18×50) with 7 runs, 3 doubles, 1 home run, 5 RBI and 2 walks during the streak, getting on base at a .407 clip and slugging .480 with an .887 OPS since May 3…the Mariners first baseman has 5 multi-hit games in that span…France and Nathaniel Lowe-TEX are the only players with multiple 10+ game hitting streaks this season…France also hit safely in 11 consecutive games from April 2-14…the current 12-game streak by France is tied for 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors, trailing only an active 13-game streak by Jonah Heim-TEX (4/30-c).

BEST PITCHING IN THE MAJORS…the Mariners have the best pitching staff in the Major Leagues by fWAR (8.9), ranking ahead of 2nd-place Minnesota (6.7) by a wide margin…Seattle pitchers also lead the Majors in ERA (3.24), Fielding Independent Pitching (3.20), soft-contact percentage (19.5), swing percentage (49.2), zone percentage (44.4), fewest barrels (55) and barrel rate (5.3%)…they rank T1st in WHIP (1.15) with Minnesota (1.15)…Mariners starting pitchers lead the Majors in fWAR (6.2) ahead of Minnesota (5.6)…Mariners relief pitchers rank 2nd in the Majors in fWAR (2.7) narrowly trailing Baltimore (2.9)…during the month of May, the Mariners pitching staff holds a 2.46 ERA, ranking 2nd in the Majors behind only San Diego (2.41).

TEO IS SHOW…Teoscar Hernández went 2-for-4 with 1 run and 1 walk in last night’s game, and has now reached base safely in 11 of his last 12 games (5/3-c), including 10 games with at least 1 hit during that span…since May 3, Teo is batting .319 (15×47) with 6 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 4 RBI, 4 walks and 1 stolen base, while reaching base at a .365 clip and slugging .426 with a .791 OPS in 12 games… during the 12-game stretch, he has reached base multiple times in 6 games, including 4 multi-hit games.

J.K. ROLLING…Jarred Kelenic scored a season-high 3 runs in last night’s game, going 2-for-5 with 1 RBI and 1 stolen base in the contest…overall this season, he is batting .291 (41×141) with 19 runs, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 21 RBI, 6 stolen bases and 10 walks, getting on base at a .340 clip, slugging .553 with a .893 OPS…the 23-year-old outfielder ranks 5th among American League outfielders with a 148 wRC+, trailing only Brent Rooker-OAK (186), Randy Arozarena-TB (171), Yordan Alvarez-HOU (165) and Aaron Judge-NYY (157).

AS YOU KNOW…the Mariners have the best starting rotation in MLB according to FanGraphs WAR, having accumulated 6.2 fWAR this season, ahead of Minnesota (5.6) but…DID YOU KNOW?…the Mariners have 3 of the top 12 pitchers in the Majors according to FanGraphs WAR?…George Kirby leads the Mariners and ranks T5th in the Majors with 1.8 fWAR, narrowly ahead of Luis Castillo (T8th, 1.6 fWAR) and Logan Gilbert (T11th, 1.5 fWAR)…Minnesota is the only other team with multiple pitchers in the top 12: Sonny Gray (4th, 1.9 fWAR) and Joe Ryan (T9th, 1.6 fWAR)…Mariners rookie Bryce Miller has already reached 1.0 fWAR in 3 starts this season, tied for 26th in the Majors (18th in AL).

MARINERS STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO
2023 MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 2-1 2.70 8/8 46.2 37 14 14 9 52 3
Home 2-1 2.52 6/6 35.2 25 10 10 5 43 2
Road 0-0 3.27 2/2 11.0 12 4 4 4 9 1
vs. BOS 0-0 0.00 0/0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ABOUT CASTILLO…

  • The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 9th start of the season, 1st against the Red Sox…he is also making his 157th Major League start and 2nd career start against Boston.
  • Has been named an All-Star in 2019 and 2022.
  • Originally signed as an international free agent by the San Francisco Giants on 12/23/11.
  • Made MLB debut on 6/23/17 vs. Washington (w/ Cincinnati)
  • Signed a 5-year contract extension with the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 24, 2022 after being acquired in a trade with Cincinnati on July 30, 2022.

LAST TIME OUT…L#1 in last start on 5/10 vs. Texas…allowed 8 hits, 3 runs, and 1 home run in 5.0 innings pitched while striking out 9.

KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has only allowed 47 runners to reach base safely through 8 starts this season which is tied for 5th fewest in the Major Leagues, he also ranks among American League leaders in opponents average (11th, .213/37×174) and WHIP (5th, 0.986).

STILL ROLLING…has only allowed 9 walks while striking out 52 batters in 8 starts this season…his 9 walks are tied for the 7th fewest in the American League with teammate Logan Gilbert and JP Sears-OAK…his 52 strikeouts on the season ranks 16th in the American League…Castillo’s 5.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 6th in the American League behind Logan Gilbert (6.00).

OFF TO A GOOD START…his 111 strikeouts through his first 16 Mariners starts are the most in Mariners history through a pitchers first 16 starts, ranking ahead of Robbie Ray’s 105 and Félix Hernández’s 103 strikeouts through their first 16 Mariners starts.

MAKING THEM EARN IT…has only allowed 14 earned runs through 8 starts this season which is tied 11th in the Major Leagues…his 2.70 ERA (14 ER, 46.2 IP) ranks 9th in the American League behind Drew Rasmussen-TBR (2.62).

DOMINATE THE ZONE…had 38 strikeouts in 6 starts in March/April which is the second most strikeouts to start a season in his career…his career-high in strikeouts for March/April is 50 which he achieved in 7 games to start the 2019 season.

KEEPING THEM IN THE YARD…gave up his first home run of the season on 4/28, breaking a 5-game span of allowing no home runs…this was his longest span of games to start a season without giving up a home run in his career.

NEARLY PERFECT…carried a perfect game into the 7th inning in his start against Colorado on 4/16…earned his second win of the season after pitching 7.0 scoreless innings and allowing only 2 hits while striking out a season-high 9 batters…the last pitcher to throw a perfect game in the Majors was Félix Hernández on 8/15/12.

HOT START…did not allow a run in either of his first 2 starts to begin the season, becoming just the third Mariners pitcher to do that, joining Félix Hernández (2007) and James Paxton (2017).

PREVIOUSLY ON OPENING DAY…became just the 3rd Mariners starter to hold the opponent scoreless in an Opening Day start, joining Félix Hernández (2007, 2013 & 2018) and Randy Johnson (1995)…he is the first player in franchise history to toss 6.0+ scoreless innings while allowing 1-or-fewer hits on Opening Day…his game score of 76 was the highest of any Opening Day starter this season.

FOR OPENERS…made his 3rd career Opening Day start on 4/30 vs. CLE and his first with the Mariners, becoming the 18th different pitcher to start on Opening Day in franchise history.

THE STONE WAS ROLLING…began his start on 9/7/22 vs. Chicago-AL by striking out the first 7 batters he faced, setting a franchise record for most strikeouts to begin a start, passing Michael Pineda (5 on 7/9/11 at LAA)…the 7 strikeouts also tied the AL record for most strikeouts to begin a game (done 4x, last: Blake Snell-TB, 6/3/18 vs. SEA).

A PERFORMANCE FOR THE AGES…ND on 8/9/22 against New York-AL in his home debut after being acquired by the Mariners on 7/30/22…tossed 8.0
scoreless innings allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 on 110 pitches, 72 for strikes…marked the 5th time in his career he has thrown 8.0+ innings, and just the 2nd time he has tossed 8.0+ scoreless innings (also: 9/21/18 at MIA)…induced 20 swings-and-misses, the third most he has induced in a game this season.

MAIDEN VOYAGE…struck out 8 in his first start with the Mariners on 8/3/22 at New York-AL…8 strikeouts are tied for the 3rd-most in a Mariners debut (also: Cliff Lee), trailing Andy Benes and Enrique Romo who struck out 9…Benes and Castillo both made their Mariners debuts on Aug. 3, after being acquired by the Mariners at the trade deadline.

NOW THAT’S QUALITY…recorded 8-consecutive quality starts from 6/28-8/15/22, a career-best streak (previous: 5, 2x (8/14-9/5/21 and 6/15-7/6/21 w/CIN)…tossed a quality start in each of his first 3 starts with Seattle (8/3-8/15/22).

LA PIEDRA…tossed 7.0 innings and allowed 1 run in 3-consecutive starts from 7/3-7/14/22, striking out 22 batters over the 3 starts…3-consecutive starts of 7.0+ innings while allowing no more than 1 run was tied for the longest streak in the Majors with 7 other pitchers…marked the 1st time in his career he has tossed 7.0+ innings in 3-consecutive starts.

SEASON-HIGH PUNCHIES…struck out a season-high 11 batters on 6/28/22 at Chicago-NL over 6.0 scoreless innings (with CIN)…marked the 2nd-time he struck out 10+ in 2022, and the 14th time in his career…induced 23 swings-and-misses according to Baseball Savant, tied for the 6th-most he has induced in a game in his career (most: 26, 2x 7/15/19 and 8/5/19).

COMPLETELY DOMINANT…threw his first career complete game on 9/11/20 at St. Louis with the Reds…allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts over 9.0 innings, earning the win for his efforts.

RARE AIR…from 3/28-4/9/19, Castillo became the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to record 3+ consecutive starts with at least 8 strikeouts and no more than 2 hits allowed, joining Rube Marquard for the 1911 New York Giants and Randy Johnson for the 1997 Mariners.

BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:

STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox have lost 4 consecutive games, tying their season-long losing streak (also 4/10-13). The Sox have lost 6 of their last 7 games following a season-long 8-game winning streak from 4/29-5/6. The Sox are 1.5 games out of the AL’s 3rd Wild Card spot and 5th in the AL East…Their record (22-20, .524) would rank no lower than 3rd in any other division.

AL WILD CARD STANDINGS
Rk. Team W-L Pct. GB

  1. Baltimore 26-15 .634 +3.0
  2. Toronto 24-17 .585 +1.0
  3. New York-AL 24-19 .558 –
  • Houston 22-19 .537 -1.5
  • Boston 22-20 .524 -1.5

SERIES BUSINESS: With a loss today or tomorrow, the Red Sox would be winless in their last 3 series following a 3-series winning streak (2-1 vs. CLE, 4-0 vs. TOR, 2-1 at PHI, 1-1 at ATL, 0-3 vs. STL, 0-1 vs. SEA). They have been swept in 3 of their 4 series losses (4/3-5 vs. PIT, 4/10-13 at TB, and 5/12-14 vs. STL).

UPS AND DOWNS: The Red Sox are 1-6 in their last 7 games, beginning 5/7…The went 16-6 in their previous 22 games, from 4/14-5/6, the most wins in MLB over that span. The Sox have been held to 3 runs or fewer in 5 of their last 7 games (2.9 runs/game), after scoring 4 or more runs in 20 of their previous 22 games (6.2 runs/game). BOS has hit .235 with a .671 OPS since 5/7 after leading MLB with a .295 AVG and .840 OPS from 4/14-5/6.

SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox lead MLB in doubles (94) and rank in the AL’s top 3 in hits (2nd, 384), XBH (2nd, 147), AVG (2nd, .267), OBP (2nd, .338), SLG (2nd, .442), OPS (2nd, .780), and runs (3rd, 227). The Red Sox have scored 5+ runs in 24 games, trailing only TB (26) for most in MLB. The Sox have recorded 10+ hits in 18 games, tied for 5th most in MLB (TB-21, TEX-21, STL-20, LAA-19).

RED SOX OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat AL Rank
227 R 3rd
384 H 2nd
94 doubles 1st in MLB
147 XBH 2nd
20.4 SO% 2nd
Stat AL Rank
.267 AVG 2nd
.338 OBP 2nd
.442 SLG 2nd
.780 OPS 2nd
111 wRC+ 3rd

ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD: The Red Sox’ outfielders lead MLB in AVG (.302), OBP (.373), SLG (.503), OPS (.876), hits (149), doubles (44), XBH (63), and runs (89). They rank 2nd in RBI (85), 1 behind TB.

TEAM EFFORT: The Red Sox have an MLB-leading 15 players with at least 5 RBI, including 11 with 10+ RBI. From the 7-9 spots in the lineup, the Sox rank 2nd in MLB in hits (118), and 3rd in RBI (66) and XBH (41).

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Six position players on the Red Sox’ active roster are 27 or younger; they have combined to hit 29 of the team’s 51 HR (Devers-11, Casas-5, Verdugo-5, Wong-4, Duran-2, Valdez-2). Position players age 27 or younger have posted 4.5 fWAR for the Red Sox, 2nd most of any team (TB-6.8).

DON’T START WITH US: Starting pitchers have completed at least 6.0 innings in just 8 starts against the Red Sox this season, fewest of any team in MLB…They have done so in 4 of the Sox’ last 7 games, compared to 4 of their first 35. Starters have lasted fewer than 4.0 innings in 12 starts vs. BOS this season…LAA and LAD are the only other teams with more than 7 such starts against them (8 each). Starting pitchers are 14-13 with a 5.69 ERA vs. BOS.

SOX & M’s: The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 10 games against the Mariners, beginning 9/14/21. They went 6-1 vs. SEA in 2022, including a 4-game sweep at Fenway Park from 5/19-22/22. Since the start of 2022, the Red Sox are 28-10 against AL West opponents (3-2 this season).

HOME COOKING: The Red Sox are 13-11 at Fenway Park, including 11-7 in their last 18 games at the venue. The Sox are 5-2-0 in home series, winning 4 of their last 5 (3-1 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. MIN, 2-1 vs. CLE, 4-0 vs. TOR, 1-2 vs. STL). The Red Sox have not homered in their last 3 games, after hitting 13 HR in their previous 6 home games.

RED SOX IN HOME GAMES
Stat MLB Rank
13 wins T-6th
5.6 R/game 5th
10.1 H/game 1st
3.8 XBH/game 3rd
Stat MLB Rank
.290 AVG 1st
.356 OBP 1st
.475 SLG 4th
.827 OPS 2nd

START ME UP: Red Sox starting pitchers have tossed at least 5.0 innings in 18 of their last 19 games. Tanner Houck did not allow a baserunner through 3.2 IP last night, the longest stretch to begin a game by a Red Sox pitcher this season. Sox starters recorded 9+ strikeouts in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday (James Paxton and Chris Sale), their 1st time doing so since 6/25-26/2019 (David Price and Chris Sale).

COLD STRETCH: The Red Sox have been held to 1 run in back-to-back games for the 2nd time this season (also 4/4-5). The last time they were held to 1 or 0 runs in 3 consecutive games was from 7/17-20/2015.

POWER OUTAGE: The Red Sox have gone a season-high 3 consecutive games without hitting a HR. The last time the Sox went 4 consecutive games without a HR was from 9/14-18/22.

SOX STRIKEOUTS: Red Sox’ batters have struck out 329 times, tied for 2nd fewest in the AL and 5th fewest in MLB… They rank 2nd in the AL and 5th in MLB in SO % (20.4%). The Sox struck out 10+ times in each of their 6 games vs. TB and ATL (11.2 SO/game) but have done so just 5 times in their other 36 games (7.3 SO/game).

SOX SWINGS: The Red Sox have swung and missed at just 0.43 pitches per plate appearance, lowest in the AL and 4th-lowest in MLB (WSH-0.38, ARI-0.39, NYM-0.40). The Sox’ 23.7% whiff rate (684 swings and misses) is 2nd-lowest in the AL and 5th-lowest in MLB. The Sox have had 6,314 pitches thrown to them this season, 2nd most in the AL and 6th most in MLB.

SOX SPLITS: The Red Sox rank 2nd in MLB vs. RHP in AVG (.262) and 3rd in in SLG (.459) and OPS (.795). Against LHP, the Sox rank 2nd in the AL in hits (125), XBH (45), and walks (51). Right-handed starting pitchers have a 5.56 ERA vs. BOS; left-handed starters have a 5.97 ERA.

RUNNIN’ RED SOX: The Red Sox rank 2nd in MLB in SB% (86.7%, 26-for-30), trailing only CWS (91.7%, 22-for-24). The Sox ranked 22nd in SB% in 2022 (72.2%, 52-for-72).

CLOSE SHAVES: 27 of the Sox’ 42 games have been decided by 3 runs or fewer (15-12)…The only teams with more games decided by 3 runs or fewer are CLE (32), LAA (30), and SEA (29).

TONIGHT’S STARTER: 37 NICK PIVETTA – RHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 2-3 6.23 7 7 34.2 24 8 15 36 1.50 .268
CAREER 42-53 5.07 165 143 775.2 437 132 306 820 1.40 .260

Allowed 7 runs over 4.0 IP on Tuesday at ATL (8 H, 3 BB, 2 SO). In his only career start vs. SEA (4/4/21), allowed 2 runs over 6.0 IP (4 SO). Has tossed 5.0+ innings in 5 of his 7 starts this season. Has issued 3 or fewer walks in each of his 7 starts this season. Is 12-5 with a 4.10 ERA (55 ER/120.2 IP) in 22 career starts during the month of May. Is 1 of only 12 pitchers to make at least 70 starts since the beginning of 2021. Owns a 4.74 ERA (216 ER/410.0 IP) in 84 career games (75 starts) in games following a team loss.

MLB Preview: New York Yankees (24-19) at Toronto Blue Jays (24-17)

MLB Editor
-
0
MLB Preview: New York Yankees (24-19) at Toronto Blue Jays (24-17)

NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees continue their seven-game road trip tonight with the second game of a four-game set at Toronto (1-0 thus far)…will also play a three-game series at Cincinnati this weekend (Fri.-Sun.)…went 5-2 on their seven-game homestand, sweeping a three-game set vs. Oakland and splitting a four-game series vs. Tampa Bay.

Have won six of their last eight games.

Are 9-4 in their last 13 games (since 5/2), tied with Colorado for the second-best record in the Majors in that span, trailing only Los Angeles-NL (10-2).

Have won or split three of their last four completed series (since 5/1) and nine of their 13 completed series this season (going 7-4-2).

Are 12 days into a 17-day stretch (5/5-21) without an off day (7-4 so far)…are also in a 34-day stretch with just one off day (4/18-5/21).

Are in a stretch of playing 11-of-14 games (5/5-18) and 14-of20 games (5/5-25) against the AL East…are 4-4 so far.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays, 7-4, on Monday at Rogers Centre…RHP Jimmy Cordero (2.0IP) made his first career start as an opener, retiring all 6BF…RF Aaron Judge (2-for-2, 2R, 2HR, 3RBI, 3BB) reached base a career-high-tying five times and recorded his 30th career multi-HR game (third of the season), hitting solo home runs in the first and eighth inning…DH Willie Calhoun (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 2RBI, 1BB) hit a two-run HR in the first inning…C Kyle Higashioka (1-for-5, 1RBI) hit an RBI single in the fourth inning…1B Anthony Rizzo (1-for-5, 1 double, 1RBI) hit an RBI double in the sixth inning… 3B Oswaldo Cabrera (0-for-2, 1R, 3BB) recorded a career-hightying 3BB…RHP Jhony Brito (5.1IP, 6H, 4R/1ER, 0BB, 2K, 0HR) made his first career relief appearance and recorded his third career win…RHP Michael King (1.1IP) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn his third save of the season…Yankees batters recorded 10BB, their second-most in a game this season (11BB on 4/20 vs. Los Angeles-AL).

CALENDAR DAYS: The Yankees have hit 29HR in 14 games during the month of May, the most home runs in the Majors in that span…also lead the Majors in May in SLG (.496), are tied for second in runs scored (83), rank third in OPS (.833) and runs scored per game (5.93), fifth in extra-base hits (49) and rank sixth in OBP (.337).

Their 5.75 PA/K ratio in May is the best in the Majors.

BRONX BOMBERS: The Yankees have hit 63HR this season, the second-most home runs in the AL and tied for the fourth-most in the Majors.

Have hit at least 3HR in four straight games for just the sixth time in franchise history and for the first time since 8/5-8/19 (also 4G)…is tied for their second-longest such streak in franchise history, trailing only a five game streak from 5/19-23/18.

Have also hit at least 3HR in five of their last six games and six of their last eight games…prior to this eight-game stretch, had hit 3HR in just four of their first 35 games of the season.

Have hit multiple HR in eight of their last nine games (since 5/7) and 10 of their last 13 games (since 5/2).

Have hit 12HR in their last four games and 23HR in their last nine games.

Have recorded at least eight hits in 12 of their last 13G.

Have scored at least 6R in eight of their last nine games (since 5/7), scoring 66R and averaging 7.33 runs per game in that span.

GLEYBER DAY: INF Gleyber Torres owns a season-high 11-game on-base streak (since 5/5), his longest such streak since a 20-game streak from 9/5-27/22…has reached base in 21 of his last 24 games (since 4/20) and 24 of his last 28G (since 4/15).

Has 23BB in 42 games this season…did not record his 23rd walk in 2022 until his 80th game on 7/15/22 vs. Boston…his 7.52 PA/BB (173PA/23BB) rate this year is the second-best of his career (7.27 in a 60-game shortened season in 2020)…his 7.86 PA/K (173PA/22K) rate this season is the best of his career.

Has 4BB in his last 4G and 5BB in his last 6G.

WHERE’S OSWALDO?: INF/OF Oswaldo Cabrera tied his career high with 3BB on Monday (also 3BB on 9/16/22 at Milwaukee)… is batting .333/.452/.625 (8-for-24) with 5R, 1 double, 2HR, 8RBI, 5BB, 1HP, 1SF and 1SB over his last eight games (since 5/7).

KING OF THE HILL: RHP Michael King tossed 1.1 scoreless innings on Monday to record his third save of the season… has recorded at least four outs in 12-of-13 appearances this season…has not allowed a run in 10 of his last 12 games, posting a 1.71 ERA (21.0IP, 4ER) and 21K in that span.

ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge reached base a career-high-tying five times and recorded his 30th career multi-HR game (third of the season) on Monday at Toronto, hitting solo home runs in the first and eighth inning…has two multi-HR games in his last three games (also 2HR on Saturday vs. Tampa Bay).

His 2HR on Monday marked his 30th career multi-HR game, surpassing Alex Rodriguez (29) for the fifth-most multi-HR games in franchise history…trails only Babe Ruth (68), Mickey Mantle (46), Lou Gehrig (43) and Joe DiMaggio (35).

Five of his 10 home runs this season have given the Yankees the lead…since the start of 2019, 71 of his 147HR have tied the game (14) or given the Yankees the lead (57).

The Yankees have gone 150-50 in his career when he homers…since 2020, the Yankees are 78-21 in those games.

Has 4HR in his last three games.

His 230 career HR are the most by any Major League player through his first 762 career games (previous: Ryan Howard227HR).

Has 8RBI in his last three games…has recorded 10RBI in seven games since returning from the I.L.

Is hitting .364/.500/.955 (8-for-22) with 7R, 1 double, 4HR, 8RBI and 6BB/1IBB in his last six games (since 5/10).

His 30 career HR vs. the Blue Jays are his second-most against any club (37HR vs. Baltimore).

Is a career .333/.471/.741 (9-for-27) hitter with 2 doubles, 3HR, 6BB and 1HP vs. Toronto’s RHP Kevin Gausman.

Ranks third in the AL in SLG (.581), tied for fourth in HR (10) and fifth in OPS (.957).

NOBODY BEATS THE RIZZ: INF Anthony Rizzo was named the AL “Player of the Week” for 5/8-14 after batting .444/.500/.815 (12-for-27) with 10R, 1 double, 3HR, 7RBI and 3BB in seven games…led the Majors in hits and runs scored and ranked second in the AL in BA and OPS (1.315), tied for second in OBP, fourth in SLG and tied for fourth in RBI and XBH (4)…marked his fourth career weekly honor and first since 8/20-26/18…was the second Yankee to be named the AL “Player of the Week” this year, joining Gerrit Cole (4/10-16).

Hit an RBI double in the sixth inning on Monday…has 6RBI in his last four games.

Is tied for second in the AL this season in hits (49).

Owns a season-high 14-game on-base streak (since 5/1), batting .357/.429/.607 (20-for-56) with 14R, 2 doubles, 4HR, 10RBI and 7BB over that stretch…marks his longest on-base streak since a 17-game streak with the Cubs from 4/28-5/17/21.

Has multiple hits in five of his last eight games since 5/8, batting .406/.457/.750 (13-for-32) with 10R, 2 doubles, 3HR, 8RBI and 3BB in that span…also has multiple hits in seven of his last 13G.

Has reached base via H/BB/HP in 20-of-41 plate appearances over his last nine games (14H, 6BB, .488 OBP).

Has reached base in 18 of his last 19 games and 37 of his 42 games this season.

Is batting .319/.391/.541 (43-for-135) with 24R, 6 doubles, 8HR, 19RBI, 12BB and 4HP in his last 35G (since 4/9).

Has hit safely in 12 of his last 13G and 16 of his last 19G.

Has reached base multiple times in three of his last four games, seven of his last nine games and nine of his last 13 games.

Five of his last seven hits have gone for extra bases (2 doubles, 3HR).

LEMACHINE: INF DJ LeMahieu owns a season-high 13-game on-base streak (since 4/30)…marks his longest on-base streak since a 15-game streak from 4/12-29/22…is batting .313 (15- for-48) with 7R, 1 double, 2HR, 7RBI and 6BB over that stretch.

Has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games (since 5/1).

Is a career .342 (88-for-257) batter with 42R, 19 doubles, 1 triple, 10HR, 31RBI, 21BB and 4SB in 66 games vs. the Blue Jays…is his second-highest BA against any opponent in his career (min. 10G)…in 63 games vs. Toronto as a Yankee, has hit .347 (86-for248) with 42R, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 10HR, 31RBI and 21BB… owns the highest BA among players with at least 100PA against the Blue Jays as a Yankee (next: Oscar Gamble, .331, 48-for-145).

ON A ROLL: OF Willie Calhoun hit a two-run HR in first inning on Monday…has 3HR in his last nine games.

DARTH BADER: OF Harrison Bader has reached base in 11- of-12 games this season with an AB, batting .333/.378/.643 (14-for-42) with 9R, 2 triples, 3HR, 11RBI, 2BB, 1HP and 1SB.

Has reached base in each of his last 10 games with an AB (since 5/5), the fourth-longest on-base streak of his career…trails only three 11-game streaks from 5/17(G2)- 31/22, 5/7-19/21 and 4/10-25/18 (all with St. Louis).

Has struck out just three times in 45PA this season

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP DOMINGO GERMÁN (2-3, 4.00 ERA)
RHP Domingo Germán will make his ninth start of the season tonight at Toronto…the 30-year-old will start on regular four days’ rest…took the loss in his last start on Thursday vs. Tampa Bay despite allowing just 2R/1ER over 5.2IP (3H, 3BB, 3K)…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in each of his last three starts…has allowed 1ER-or-fewer in two of his last three starts and in four of his last seven starts…ranks fifth in the Majors in opponents’ BA (.174, third in AL), sixth in H/9 (5.60, fourth in AL), eighth in opponents’ OBP (.251, fourth in AL) and ninth in WHIP (0.96, fifth in AL) and BR/9 (9.00, fourth in AL)…in 2022, went 2-5 with a 3.61 ERA (72.1IP, 65H, 31R/29ER, 19BB, 58K, 11HR) in 15 games (14 starts) with the Yankees…allowed 3R-or-fewer in a career-high 12 consecutive starts from 7/27-9/30/22…missed the first 93 games of the season with right shoulder impingement syndrome…in six seasons with the Yankees, is 28-24 with a 4.34 ERA (458.2IP, 221ER) and 476K in 100 career games (78 starts)…was signed by the Yankees as a minor league free agent on 12/11/15…was originally acquired by the Yankees from the Miami Marlins along with RHP Nathan Eovaldi and INF Garrett Jones in exchange for RHP David Phelps and INF Martín Prado on 12/19/14.

LAST TIME OUT: Took the loss in his last start on Thursday vs. Tampa Bay despite allowing just 2R/1ER over 5.2IP (3H, 3BB, 3K)…marked his third straight start allowing 2R-or-fewer, tying the third-longest such streak of his career…allowed an unearned run in the fifth inning on a go-ahead RBI double by Yandy Díaz… allowed his only earned run in the sixth inning after he exited the game with two outs and a runner on base (Taylor Walls), who scored later in the inning.

VS. TORONTO: Is 2-5 with a 4.11 ERA (35.0IP, 16ER) in eight career games (six starts) vs. Toronto…last faced the Blue Jays earlier this season on 4/21 at Yankee Stadium and took the loss after allowing 4ER over 6.0IP (5H, 2BB, 6K, 2HR).

Tonight will mark his first start in Toronto since 8/8/19…in two career starts at Rogers Centre, is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA (11.0IP, 5R/4ER) and 8K (also made a start at Rogers Centre on 7/8/18).

Has allowed 3ER-or-fewer in five of his six career starts vs. the Blue Jays, including 2ER-or-fewer in three of those starts…has allowed 2BB-or-fewer in each of those six starts, including 1BB-or-fewer in three starts…has allowed 2HR in each of his last four starts vs. Toronto (since 8/8/19).

ON THE ROAD:
Will make his fourth road start of the season…is 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA (14.0IP, 9ER) in three road starts this season…in 2022, went 0-4 with a 3.46 ERA (39.0IP, 37H, 16R/15ER, 9BB, 30K, 6HR) in eight road appearances (seven starts).

In 51 career games (40 starts) on the road, is 15-13 with a 4.90 ERA (233.1IP, 127ER) and 228K.

Has allowed 3R-or-fewer in seven of his last nine road starts (since 7/27/22), including 2R-or-fewer in six of those starts.

Is 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA (91.2IP, 40ER) and 87K in 19 career games (17 starts) on the road vs. AL East opponents…has allowed 3R-or-fewer in 12-of-17 starts, including 2R-or-fewer in eight of those starts.

Allowed 2R-or-fewer in a career-high four consecutive road starts from 7/27-8/27/22…allowed 1R-or-fewer in three consecutive road starts from 8/6-8/27/22, tied for the longest such streak of his career (also recorded three such starts from 4/28-5/20/21).

2023: Will make his ninth start of the season…is 2-3 with a 4.00 ERA (45.0IP, 20ER) and 47K in eight starts this season…ranks fifth in the Majors in opponents’ BA (.174, third in AL), sixth in H/9 (5.60, fourth in AL), eighth in opponents’ OBP (.251, fourth in AL) and ninth in WHIP (0.96, fifth in AL) and BR/9 (9.00, fourth in AL).

Has allowed 2R-or-fewer in each of his last three starts.

Has allowed 1ER-or-fewer in two of his last three starts and in four of his last seven starts…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in five of his last seven starts.

His .144 opponents’ BA against left-handed hitters ranks 10th among all AL pitchers.

Has recorded at least 8K with 0BB in two starts.

His 47K are the second-most strikeouts he’s recorded through his first eight starts of a season in his career, trailing only his 48K through his first eight starts in 2019.

Did not record a decision on 5/1 vs. Cleveland despite allowing just 1ER over a career-high 8.1 innings (2H, 1BB, 6K)…allowed just three baserunners…after allowing a one-out single to Amed Rosario in the first inning, did not allow a hit to his next 25BF (1BB) before allowing the single to Steven Kwan in the ninth… became just the fifth Yankees pitcher (sixth time) in the last 22 years (since 2002) to toss at least 8.1IP and allow three-or-fewer baserunners…joined Gerrit Cole (2H and 1BB in 9.0IP on 4/16/23 vs. Minnesota), Corey Kluber (1BB in 9.0IP on 5/19/21 at Texas), Masahiro Tanaka (twice: 2H and 1BB in 9.0IP on 6/17/19 vs. Tampa Bay and 3H in 9.0IP on 4/27/17 at Boston) and Chien-Ming Wang (2H in 9.0IP on 4/11/08 at Boston).

Allowed 1ER-or-fewer in back-to-back starts on 4/10 at Cleveland and 4/15 vs. Minnesota, tying the longest such streak of his career…marked the sixth time in his career he’s recorded consecutive such starts.

Earned his first win of the season on 4/15 vs. Minnesota after recording a career-high 11K (6.1IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB)…marked his third career double-digit strikeout game (also 10K on 7/25/21 at Boston and 6/14/18 vs. Tampa Bay)…marked the first time in his career he’s recorded at least 10K without surrendering a walk… marked his fifth career start with at least 8K and 0BB allowed, including his second this season (8K and 0BB on 4/4 vs. Philadelphia)…is the first Yankee to record at least 10K and 0BB in a game this season and the first since Gerrit Cole did so on 7/17/22 vs. Boston (12K and 0BB)…tossed 5.1 perfect innings before allowing a one-out single to Christian Vázquez in the sixth inning…his 11K matched the most by a Yankees pitcher this season (also Gerrit Cole on Opening Day vs. San Francisco).

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays issued a season-high 10 walks as they dropped the first night of a four-game series vs. the Yankees by a score of 7-4 last night…Are now 9-5 in series openers. Toronto had its three-game winning streak snapped… Has still won six of its last nine games and 15 of its last 24.

GUERRERO GETTING ON: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled in a run in the 8th as he went 1-for-4 last night…Has now reached base in 20 straight games, the 2nd-longest active on-base streak in the AL (Yordan Alvarez – 39G)…Has batted .291 (23-for-79) with 10 doubles, four homers, 16 RBI, and seven walks over that stretch (.929 OPS). The 24-year old is now 48-for-153 for the season with 11 doubles, seven homers, 25 RBI, and a 16BB/24K ratio for a .314 AVG (6th in the AL), a .389 OBP (8th), and a .911 OPS (9th)…His 48 hits are tied for 5th most in the AL while his 80 total bases rank T-9th…Has also recorded an MLB-leading 74 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season.

BICHETTE HAPPENS: Bo Bichette singled in the 4th and drove in a run with another single in the 8th last night…Finished 2-for-4 for his 16th multi-hit game of the year, tied for 1st in the AL with Marcus Semien. The shortstop has gone 56-for-173 (.324) with nine doubles, eight homers, and 27 RBI while playing in all 41 games this season…Leads the Majors with 56 hits (2nd: Ronald Acuña Jr. – 55)…Now leads the AL with his .324 batting average (2nd: Yandy Díaz – .321) and with 89 total bases (2nd: Rafael Devers/ Shohei Ohtani – 86).

OH KK, BLUE JAY: Kevin Kiermaier laced a double to right field in the 6th and legged out an infield single in the 8th as part of a 2-for-3 night…Now has nine two-baggers, eclipsing his total from 2022 (8) in 100 fewer plate appearances… Is batting .321 (35-for-109) for the year with 13 extrabase hits and 12 RBI (.879 OPS)…His 31 hits while batting 9th are the most in the Majors (2nd: Michael A. Taylor – 23).

DOUBLING UP: Matt Chapman led off the bottom of the 8th with a double before coming around to score Toronto’s 1st run last night…Leads the Majors with 18 doubles (2nd: Paul Goldschmidt – 16)…Among AL batters, is currently 1st in extra-base hits (23), 4th in AVG (.315), T-4th in OBP (.400), 6th in OPS (.937), T-8th in hits (47), T-9th in total bases (75), and 10th in SLG (.537). The third baseman also continues to lead all MLB hitters in barrel rate (15.9%) and hard-hit percentage (65.7) this season, while 4th in average exit velocity (95.5 MPH) and 5th in hard-hit balls (69).

FREE PASS FACTS: Blue Jays batters did not draw a walk last night…Had drawn multiple walks in 27 straight games, the longest single-season streak in club history (23G from May 1-26, 1980), and their 2nd-longest overall (46G from Sept. 5, 1993 to April 27, 1994).

AT DOME FOR DAYS: The Blue Jays are on a 10-day, 10-game homestand (3-1 so far)…Have gone 12-4 so far at Rogers Centre, tied for their best record through 16 home contests in team history (3rd time)…The .750 win% at home is 2nd best in MLB (TB – .864)…Are hosting the Yankees for four nights before taking on the Orioles (26-15) for three games over the weekend. Toronto batters rank 3rd in the AL in home AVG (.263),
while sitting 4th in home OBP (.338), 7th in home OPS (.739), and 9th in home SLG (.400)…The pitching staff ranks 2nd among AL teams with a 2.88 home ERA (TB – 2.52), 2nd in home opponents’ average (.192), and 2nd in home WHIP (1.11).

ONE NOTCH AT A TIME: Brandon Belt bunted for a single for the 2nd day in a row as he went 1-for-4 last night…Over his last nine games, has batted .429 (12-for-28) with four doubles, a homer, four RBI, and four walks (.515 OBP, .679 SLG).

ALL GAUS, NO BRAKES: Kevin Gausman gets the ball tonight, coming off 6.0 shutout innings last Wednesday in Philadelphia… Allowed three hits and struck out nine batters without issuing a walk…Over his last six outings, has struck out 53 batters with just four walks. The 32-year old has racked up 67 strikeouts, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (71) for the most among AL hurlers (5th in MLB)…The 67 K’s are the most in a pitcher’s first eight starts of a season in team history (2nd: Ricky Romero – 59 in 2010).

HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched 365 hits so far this season, 5th most in the AL…Are also 5th in the AL in team batting average (.258), 5th in OBP (.331), 6th in OPS (.742), and 7th in SLG (.416). The Blue Jays are one of two AL teams who have scored in every game this season (also: LAA)…Have gone 59 straight games without being shut out, the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors (LAA – 83G).

DIVISIONAL DETAILS: The Blue Jays have gone 4-7 against divisional opponents this season…Have still won 27 of their last 44 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 YANKEES: All-Time: 317-386
2023: 2-2 Home: 167-183
Home: 0-1 Rogers Centre: 129-129
The Blue Jays won two of the three games the last time they met the Yankees, in the Bronx last month… Went 3-6 vs. the Pinstripes in nine games here at Rogers Centre last season…Have gone 26-26 overall against the Yankees since the start of 2020. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 4-for-11 with a double, two home runs, and four RBI during the three-game series in New York…In 69 career games vs. NYY, is 77-for-264 (.292) with 16 doubles, two triples, 15 homers, and 46 RBI (.887 OPS). Bo Bichette batted .286 (22-for-77) in his 18 games against the Yankees last season…Owns a career .311 (70-for-225) average across 55 meetings, including 18 doubles, 10 home runs, and 34 RBI (.873 OPS). Danny Jansen recorded a hit in all three games in New York last month, including a pinch-hit homer on April 22, Toronto’s first pinch-hit longball since the 2019 season…Has gone 31-for-109 (.284) with six doubles, eight home runs, and 22 RBI in his 36 career games vs. New York (.952 OPS).

STARTING PITCHER – Kevin Gausman, RHP #34
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 9th start of the season and his 3rd at Rogers Centre…Tossed 6.0 shutout innings his last time out on 5/10 at PHI, giving up 3 hits with no walks and 9 strikeouts…Was his 6th quality start of the year, and his 5th outing with no earned runs. His 67 strikeouts are the most ever by a Blue Jay in their first eight outings of a season (2nd: Ricky Romero – 59K in 2010), and are 2nd most in the AL in 2023 (1st: Shohei Ohtani – 71K). Owns a 2.75 FIP since the start of the 2020 season, the 2nd-best mark among qualified hurlers (Corbin Burnes – 2.61).

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Took the loss on 5/4 at BOS, giving up a career-high-tying 8 earned runs on 10 hits and a walk over 3.1 innings with 4 strikeouts. Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 4/29 vs. SEA, giving up 5 hits with a walk and a career-high 13 strikeouts…Threw a season-high 108 pitches (74 strikes) while inducing a career-high 28 swing-and-misses…Got 20 whiffs on his splitter alone, the most on a single pitch in the Majors this season, and the most on a splitter in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Earned his 2nd win of the year on 4/23 at NYY, hurling 7.0 shutout frames
with 3 hits, no walks, and a season-high-tying 11 strikeouts. Gave up a career-high-tying 8 runs (7ER) over 4.2 innings on 4/17 at HOU (7H, 2BB, 5K). Took a no-decision on 4/12 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits over a season-high 8.0 innings with no walks and 11 strikeouts, his most as a Blue Jay…Surrendered a solo home run to Nick Maton with one out in the 4th inning, ending his streak of 15.1 innings without allowing an earned run, the longest stretch to begin a season in franchise history (2nd: Matt Shoemaker – 14.0 IP in 2019). Picked up his 1st win of the year on 4/6 at KC, throwing 6.0 shutout frames with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts…Didn’t allowed an earned run for a 2nd straight outing to begin the season. Took the loss in his season debut on 4/1 at STL, giving up 3 runs (all unearned) on 8 hits and a walk over 6.0 innings with 7 strikeouts.

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (22-20) at Baltimore Orioles (26-15)

MLB Editor
-
0
MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (22-20) at Baltimore Orioles (26-15)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the fifth (2-2) of seven games on a road trip to Cleveland (1-2) and Baltimore (1-0; May 15-18)…Halos went 2-4 on last homestand against the Rangers (1-2) and Astros (1- 2)…LAA was 4-2 on last road trip at Milwaukee (1-2) and St. Louis (3-0).

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER SHO: Last night, Shohei Ohtani became the first pitcher to reach base safely five times in a game since Mel Stottlemyre for the Yankees on Sept. 26, 1964 at Washington…He finished a double shy of becoming the first starting pitcher in MLB history to hit for the cycle.

MORE HISTORY: Shohei Ohtani reached the 400 career innings pitched threshold last night…According to ELIAS, his 509 strikeouts in his first 400 innings as a starter are the second-most all-time (Corbin Burnes had 539 strikeouts through his first 400 IP for Milwaukee).

VS. BALTIMORE: Today is the second (1-0) of seven matchups this season between the Angels and Orioles…In addition to the current series in Baltimore, the teams will meet again Sept. 4-6 at Angel Stadium… Last season, Halos went 1-6 against Orioles…LAA has lost eight of last 10 games vs. O’s.

STREAK SNAPPED: Angels victory last night snapped a six game losing streak at Camden Yards, which dated back to Aug. 24, 2021 (streak finished tied for Angels longest at the ballpark; also had six game losing streak at Camden Yards in 2003).

LEAGUE LEADER: Shohei Ohtani, leads the Majors in opponent batting average (.145), and ranks second in strikeouts (71), fifth in WHIP (0.91) and 10th in innings pitched (53.0).

BALTIMORE MEMORIES: Mike Trout hit his first career home run on July 24, 2011 at Camden Yards (off Mark Worrell)…Trout also made one of his most memorable defensive plays of his career at the ballpark on June 27, 2012, robbing J.J. Hardy of a home run.

A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS: Angels enter play today in third place in the American League West standings (-3.5 games behind Texas).

RECENT ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday, the Angels reinstated C Chad Wallach from the injured list and recalled INF Livan Soto from Double-A Rocket City…In corresponding moves, C Chris Okey was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake and INF Anthony Rendon (left groin strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list (retro to May 14)…Sunday, RHP Zack Weiss was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake and RHP Ryan Tepera was designated for assignment.

PLAY FROM AHEAD: Halos have held leads in 35 of 42 games played this year.

GOING DEEP: Angels have hit 55 home runs this season, which are fourth-most in the A.L, behind the Rays (81), Yankees (63) and Twins (57).

SINGLE HANDED: Gio Urshela has hit 36 singles this year plus four extra-base hits (four doubles & one home run)…Urshela ranks second, behind Toronto’s Bo Bichette (39), for the American League lead in singles.

ESTÉVEZ ENDING: This season, Carlos Estévez is pitching to a 1.42 ERA (19 IP – 3 ER) and has converted all nine of his save opportunities…Is looking to become first Angels pitcher to convert his first 10 save opportunities of a season since Ernesto Frieri converted his first 12 opportunities in 2012.

WALSH ON REHAB: Jared Walsh (headaches and insomnia) has played three games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake and is batting .375 (3/8) with two runs scored and three walks. THE INJURED LIST: Halos currently have 11 players on the injured list and have used the IL 14 total times this year.

ALL OVER THE INFIELD: Gio Urshela is one of six players in the Majors to appear at all four infield positions this season…He has made 16 starts at first base, 11 starts at third base, eight at shortstop and one at second base.

FRIDAY NIGHT COMEBACK: Halos plated two runs in the 9th inning Friday night to secure a 5-4 victory over the Guardians…Marked third win this season when trailing after eight innings, which matches the Angels total from each of the last two seasons…Last time LAA had more than three wins in a season when trailing after eight frames was 2017 (5).

UNEARNED: Angels have allowed 26 unearned runs this season, which is the most in the Majors…Halos have committed 29 fielding errors this season, which is second-most in the Majors (Oakland – 30 errors).

ON THE BOARD: Halos have not been shut out since Aug. 21, 2022 at Detroit…Current streak of 83 games without being shut out is the longest active streak in the Majors and fifth-longest streak in Angels history.

NET-OW: Zack Neto has been hit by seven pitches this season, which is tied for third-most in the Majors… Since 1901, Neto’s seven HBP through his first 15 career games are the most in MLB…He also was the first player in Angels history to be hit a pitch in four consecutive games (April 18-21).

TWINS ON DECK: Following the current series in Baltimore, the Angels will return home and begin a nine game homestand with a three game set against the Minnesota Twins…Last season, Halos went 4-2 against Minnesota to take the season series for a second consecutive year.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP CHASE SILSETH
0-0, 3.24 ERA
Making first Major League start of the season

  • TODAY’S GAME: Making fifth Major League appearance (first start) of the season and third road outing of 2023…Will celebrate 23rd birthday on Thursday (born May 18, 2000).
  • IN THE BIGS: Began year with Triple-A Salt Lake and was recalled by Angels on April 26.
  • FROM THE ‘PEN: Made four appearances this season from the bullpen…Worked 5.0 scoreless innings across first three games, allowing no hits and three walks, before yielding six runs (three earned) in last game.
  • LAST TIME OUT: Pitched a season-high 3.1 innings in relief in last appearance on May 7 vs. Texas at Angel Stadium…Was charged with six runs (three earned) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts…The six total runs were a career high.
  • VS. BALTIMORE/AT CAMDEN YARDS: Today is second career pitching appearance vs. Baltimore…Is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA (4 IP – 4 ER) following only previous game on July 7, 2022 at Camden Yards (L; 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO)
  • WITH SALT LAKE: In four games (all starts) this season for Salt Lake, was 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA (20 IP – 2 ER) and 20 strikeouts…Was unscored upon in three of the four starts.
  • VALEDICTORIAN: Became the first player from the 2021 MLB Draft to reach the Major Leagues.
  • MILLENNIUM MAN: Was the first player born in the 2000s to play for Angels…At 21 years, 360 days old on the day of his debut, became youngest player to pitch for Angels since José Suarez in 2019.
  • MLB DEBUT: Earned the win in Major League debut on May 13, 2022 at Oakland (W; 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO)…Joined Jered Weaver as the only Angels to work 6+ scoreless innings in an MLB debut and joined Rudy May as the Halos to work 6+ innings and allow one hit in a debut.
  • QUICK PATH TO THE BIGS: Was the Angels 11th round selection in the 2021 Draft of the University of Arizona…Reached the Majors after pitching in just eight total minor league games (three in 2021 and five starts for Double-A Rocket City in 2022 before big league promotion).

BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Orioles fell to the Angels yesterday, 9-5, in the opener of the four-game set at Oriole Park…Dropped to 12-2 in series openers…Marked Baltimore’s first loss to the Angels since April 24, 2022 at Angel Stadium, and first home loss against them since August 24, 2021…Tied a season high with three home runs (6x, last: 5/5 at ATL)…Surrendered a season-high 17 hits, their most since September 10, 2022 vs.
Boston (21)…Allowed seven extra-base hits for the third time this season (last: 9, 5/4 at KC).

Adam Frazier hit his first career homer at Camden Yards and fourth of the season; his four home runs have come in 40 games (32 GS) after hitting three home runs in 156 games (140 GS) last year with Seattle.

Jorge Mateo swiped his 13th bag of the season in the third inning; tied for fifth in MLB in steals.

Anthony Santander made his first career appearance at first base; launched his sixth homer of the season, a 416-foot blast to center field in the third inning, his first home run since going deep twice on May 5 at Atlanta.

WHAT’S TRENDING: The O’s have won 17 of their last 25 games, 20 of 29, and 22 of 32… The 26-15 overall record is tied for third in MLB to start the season (see box at right).

Last season, the Birds did not reach 26 wins until the 61st game on June 12 (26- 35); they did not reach 27 wins until the 63rd game on June 14 (27-36).

The Orioles are 88-64 since June 1, 2022, a 94-win pace; the .579 winning percentage during that time is the third-best in the AL and fifth-best in MLB, trailing the Braves (.680, 104-49), Dodgers (.677, 105-50), Astros (.627, 96-57), and Mariners (.584, 90-64).

AGAINST THE ANGELS: The O’s and Angels began a seven-game season series last night with the first of four games at Oriole Park through Thursday…The Orioles will travel to Angel Stadium for three games from September 4-6…The Birds went 6-1 against the Angels in 2022, including sweeping a four-game series from July 7-10 at Camden Yards for the first time against the Angels since 2003.

FEELS GOOD TO BE HOME: The Orioles are in the midst of an 11-day, 10-game homestand, their longest of the season, continuing tonight with the second of four games against Los Angeles-AL…The O’s have gone 4-3, winning four straight games from May 9-13.

LOOKING AHEAD: The O’s hit the road for a seven-day, six-game road trip beginning on Friday in Toronto, the first meeting between the O’s and Blue Jays this season…After an off day next Monday, the Orioles make their first trip to Yankee Stadium this year with three games against the Yankees from May 23-25.

WHAT A RELIEF: The Baltimore bullpen owns a 3.00 ERA (52 ER/156.0 IP), second-best in MLB behind Seattle (2.76)…Baltimore’s 2.39 reliever ERA (20 ER/75.1 IP) at home ranks as the second-best in the majors behind Toronto (1.82)…O’s relievers have 12 wins this season, tied with Arizona, Cincinnati, and Miami for the most in the majors…The Orioles are second in MLB with 184 strikeouts from the ‘pen.

LET BRYAN BAKE: After allowing a career-high-tying three earned runs on Opening Day in Boston, Bryan Baker has allowed just one earned run over his last 19 appearances (19.1 IP)…Among pitchers with at least 18.0 innings pitched since March 31, Baker’s 0.47 ERA (1 ER/19.1 IP) ranks second in MLB, behind only teammate Yennier Cano (0.00) and ahead of fellow O’s hurler Félix Bautista, whose 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) in that span ranks fifth.

Baker’s 20 appearances lead the team and are tied for fifth in MLB.

According to Statcast, Baker ranks in the top four percent of MLB in xBA (.167), the top six percent in Hard-Hit Percentage (26.8%) and xSLG (.267), and the top 11 percent in strikeout rate (32.1%).

His changeup has a 69.2 percent strikeout rate and a .058 xBA, the highest strikeout rate and lowest xBA on a pitch by an Oriole in 2023; it also has a 46.2 percent Whiff Rate, the second-highest on a pitch by an O’s hurler behind Bautista’s splitter (58.3%).

THE CANO SHOW: Yennier Cano has surrendered just four hits and one hit batter in 19.2 scoreless innings over 15 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 .067/.082/.083 (4-for-60), all of which lead MLB pitchers with at least 15 appearances…His .165 OPS against is less than half of the next closest player (HOU’s Phil Maton, .375).

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

Cano’s 15-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.

CED AND DONE: Cedric Mullins became the seventh player in Orioles history (since 1954) to hit for the cycle on Friday night…Mullins capped off his historic night with a three-run homer in the eighth inning after singling in the third, tripling in the fifth, and doubling in the seventh.

Mullins joined Austin Hays (6/22/22 vs. WSH), Jonathan Villar (8/5/19 vs. NYY), Félix Pié (8/14/09 vs. LAA), Aubrey Huff (6/29/07 vs. LAA), Cal Ripken, Jr. (5/6/84 at TEX), and Brooks Robinson (7/15/60 at CWS) as Orioles to hit for the cycle; he is the second MLB player to hit for the cycle this season, along with Miami’s Luis Arraez (4/11 at PHI).

Has hit safely in nine of his last 10 starts and 15 of his last 18.

His 32 RBI rank sixth in the AL and tied for seventh in MLB; the 31 RBI as the center fielder lead the majors.

He leads the O’s with 1.5 fWAR, per FanGraphs.

BIG TIME RUTSCH: Adley Rutschman has appeared in all 41 Orioles games this season, tied with Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson for the most by a player who has played at least half of his games at catcher…His 74 times on base lead the AL and are tied for fifth in MLB…He leads the AL and is tied for third in MLB with 32 walks while ranking third in the AL and seventh in the majors with a .409 on-base percentage.

SCORING CHANGE: MLB has made the following scoring change affecting the Orioles:

In the bottom of the ninth inning on May 14 vs. Pittsburgh, Austin Hays reached first base on what was originally scored a fielding error on third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes…The ruling has been changed to a base hit.

ROSTER MOVES: The Orioles today recalled left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin from Triple-A Norfolk…In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher Logan Gillaspie was optioned to the Tides after yesterday’s game.

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

LAST TIME OUT: Earned his second straight win in his last start on May 10 vs. Tampa Bay…Worked 6.0 scoreless innings on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts…Marked his third quality start of the season…Threw a season-high-tying 95 pitches, 60 strikes.

AGAINST THE ANGELS: Making his second career start against the Angels… Earned the win in his only career start against Los Angeles-AL on July 9, 2022 at Oriole Park, working 5.0 scoreless innings on two hits with three walks, a hit batter, and a career-high-tying seven strikeouts…Threw 95 pitches, 58 strikes.

AGAINST THE AL WEST: Making his 11th career start against the AL West… Sports a 3-0 record with a 2.83 ERA (18 ER/57.1 IP) and five quality starts through his first 10 outings against the division…The O’s own an 8-2 edge in those games…Did not factor into the decision in his last start against the AL West on April 12 vs. Oakland…Allowed four runs on five hits (2 HR) with two walks, a hit batter, and one strikeout in 4.1 innings; exited with two runners on that were stranded…Threw 90 pitches, 52 strikes…Tossed his first career shutout and complete game on September 23, 2022 vs. Houston.

HOME SWEET HOME: Has gone 2-0 with a 5.14 ERA (12 ER/21.0 IP) in four home starts this season…Earned the win in his last start at Oriole Park on May 10 vs. Tampa Bay…Owns a 6-7 record with a 4.30 ERA (60 ER/125.2 IP) and eight quality starts through his first 24 career home appearances (23 starts).

‘KREM’ OF THE CROP: Had his career-high scoreless streak snapped at 22.2 innings on July 4, 2022 vs. Texas…Marks the longest scoreless streak by an Orioles starter since Mike Mussina pitched 27.0 scoreless innings from September 21, 1995 to April 2, 1996…The last Orioles pitcher with a scoreless streak of at least 22.2 innings was Steve Johnson, who tossed 25.1 scoreless frames across eight games (three starts) from August 25 to September 29, 2012.

MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (22-19) at Detroit Tigers (18-21)

MLB Editor
-
0
MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (22-19) at Detroit Tigers (18-21)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:

THE PIRATES: Had the day off yesterday in Detroit…Ended their four-game losing streak with Sunday’s win at Baltimore…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.

THE MATURATION OF MITCH: Mitch Keller became the first Pirates righthander to strike out at least 13 batters in a game on Sunday since Jose DeLeon had a club-record tying 14 on April 16, 1985, vs. the New York Mets…He also became the first Pirates pitcher in team history to have a start of at least 7.0 shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks according to Baseball Reference.

ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Luis Ortiz will make his second start of the season with the Pirates since being promoted from Triple-A on May 9…Ortiz went 2-1 with a 2.23 ERA (32.1ip/8er), 11 walks allowed, 29 strikeouts, two home runs allowed, .174 batting average against and 0.96 WHIP in seven starts this season at Triple-A…At the time of his promotion to the big leagues, Ortiz ranked second in the International League in ERA and first in both batting average against and OPS.

HERE’S THE PITCH: The Pirates recorded 17 strikeouts while also not issuing a walk in Sunday’s win at Baltimore…It was the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game for the Pirates since also fanning 17 batters on August 19, 2013, at San Diego…According to @StatsOp, it was also the first time the Pirates had 16-plus strikeouts with no walks since 1913.

THE RENEGADE: David Bednar comes into today with the third-lowest ERA (0.56) among all relievers in MLB…The only two relievers to produce lower earned run averages in MLB are Baltimore’s Yennier Cano (0.00) and David Robertson of the Mets (0.53)…Bednar also ranks fourth among all relievers in MLB in walks per 9.0 innings (0.56).

ON THE ROAD: The Pirates come into today with the fourth-lowest road ERA (3.21) in all of MLB behind the Braves (2.67), Mariners (3.11) and Twins (3.17)…Pittsburgh’s 12 road wins are third-most among all National League teams behind the Braves (16) and Mets (13)…The Pirates have also scored 106 runs on the road this season, which ranks eighth in MLB and third in the National League behind the Braves (127) and Mets (114).

SETTING UP THE SERIES: The Pirates are 9-3 at Comerica Park since the beginning of 2017…This is Pittsburgh’s second series against the American League Central this season after taking two of three games against the White Sox from April 7-9 at PNC Park…In addition to this series, the Pirates will also host the Tigers for two games later this season at PNC Park from August 1-2.

TAMING THE TIGERS: Carlos Santana has hit 27 home runs in his career against the Tigers (the only two teams he has homered against more are the Royals and Twins with 31 apiece)…Santana’s 27 home runs vs. Detroit are tied for the second-most among all active players along with Jose Abreu and Nelson Cruz…The only active player to hit more home runs against the Tigers is Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.

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

PIRATING: The Pirates come into today leading all of MLB with 50 stolen bases…The next closest team is Cleveland (42)… Pittsburgh hasn’t led all of MLB in stolen bases since swiping 260 bags in 1977.

TODAY’S STARTER – 48 – RHP LUIS ORTIZ
LUIS ORTIZ: The 24-year-old righthander will be making his second start of the season tonight after being promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on 5/9…Allowed five runs (2er) in 5.0 innings while losing a 10-1 decision against Colorado in his 2023 season debut on 5/9 at PNC Park…Struck out 138 batters in 134.1 innings between Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona in 2022…Entered 2023 as Pittsburgh’s No. 4 prospect according to Baseball America.

vs. DETROIT: Has never faced the Tigers.

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS SALVAGE SERIES FINALE VS. SEATTLE: The Tigers defeated the Mariners, 5-3, on Sunday, salvaging the series finale. Riley Greene had three hits and scored a run, while Javier Báez added a hit and drove in two runs. Akil Baddoo and Andy Ibáñez each contributed a hit and a RBI. Joey Wentz started for Detroit, allowing three runs on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. The Tigers bullpen was outstanding, combining for 6.1 scoreless frames. Jason Foley was credited with the win, while Alex Lange pitched a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts for his seventh save.

GOING GREENE: Riley Greene posted his fourth three-hit game of the season on Sunday against Seattle. His four three-hit performances this season is tied for fifth in the American League. Greene has recorded at least one hit in 15 of his last 17 games, batting .353/.397/.471 with five doubles, a homer and nine RBI. Since April 26, Greene ranks sixth in the American League and ninth in the Majors in batting average.

LOCKDOWN LANGE: Alex Lange notched his seventh save of the season on Sunday, striking out two and walking two in a scoreless ninth inning. Lange has not allowed a run in 14 straight games, the longest streak of his career. Over those 14 outings, he has thrown 13.1 scoreless innings with five hits allowed, six walks and 23 strikeouts. Entering tonight’s game, Lange ranks tied for seventh in the American League with seven saves.

JAV MERCY: Javier Báez drove in two runs and went 1×5 in Sunday’s victory over the Mariners. Báez has reached base safely in 23 of his last 26 games, dating back to April 13. Over that span, he is hitting .316/.370/.469 with six doubles, three homers and 17 RBI.

TIGERS AND PIRATES: The Tigers and Pirates begin their four-game season series tonight. Along with the two games this week in Detroit, the two teams will also play in Pittsburgh on August 1-2. The Tigers went 3-1 against the Pirates last season, including splitting a two-game series at Comerica Park.

INTERLEAGUE ACTION: The Tigers resume their interleague schedule tonight against the Pirates. Detroit has started the season 9-2 against National League foes. The Tigers have finished with a winning record against NL opponents in each of the last two seasons.

AT COMERICA PARK: The Tigers are 1-2 on their current five-game homestand, which includes three games vs. Seattle (1-2) and two games vs. Pittsburgh (May 16-17). Detroit has a 9-9 record at home this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .240/.303/.376 at Comerica Park, while
the pitching staff has a 4.50 ERA (166.0IP/83ER).

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 – #21 Michael Lorenzen • 1-2, 4.18 ERA (28.0IP/13ER)

  • Lorenzen will make his sixth start of the season tonight in the series opener vs. Pittsburgh.
  • Posted his second consecutive impressive start in his most recent start last Tuesday at Cleveland, allowing only one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 7.0 innings…marked his second straight start with 7.0 innings pitched and one run allowed, the first time in his career he has done so.
  • Has had success in his career against the Pirates, posting a 6-2 record with two saves, a 2.96 ERA (73.0IP/24ER) and 51 strikeouts…among
    active pitchers with at least 50.0 innings pitched against Pittsburgh, Lorenzen ranks 10th in ERA…in four career outings, including three starts, at Comerica Park, he has a 2-0 record with a 4.08 ERA (17.2IP/8ER) and nine strikeouts.
  • Started 18 games with the Angels in 2022 and went 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA (97.2IP/46ER) and 85 strikeouts…finished the season strong, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.36 ERA (26.2IP/7ER) and 30 strikeouts over five starts from September 9-October 4.

NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1 Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (0-0) at Denver Nuggets (0-0)

NBA Editor
-
0
NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1 Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (0-0) at Denver Nuggets (0-0)

History is not on the side of the Denver Nuggets. They have never beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in a playoff series, and three of those losses came in the Western Conference finals — 1985, 2009 and 2020.

The Nuggets have never been to the NBA Finals, either, but they can mark those off the to-do list in the next two weeks with a win over Los Angeles in the Western Conference finals, which start with Game 1 in Denver on Tuesday night.

Only six players remain from the 2020 conference finals — LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the Lakers and Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for Denver. Caldwell-Pope was with Los Angeles that year.

In the previous three conference finals meetings, the Lakers were the higher seed — although 2020 was played in the Orlando bubble — but this year they are the underdogs. Los Angeles remade its roster on the fly, reached the playoff bracket as a seventh seed through the play-in tournament and steamrolled by two higher seeds to reach the conference finals.

The Nuggets are the No. 1 seed, a position they held for most of the season, and have home-court advantage. They were 34-7 at Ball Arena in the regular season and have won all six home playoff games ahead of the matchup with the Lakers.

They will try to ride that home court to the next round, but it won’t be easy. Although the teams split the four games in the regular season, all of those came before Los Angeles made major moves at the trading deadline.

Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba were added, and all have played a role in the turnaround to reach the postseason.

The role players will be a factor but the series comes down to the stars, and the Lakers need to figure out how to minimize Jokic’s impact. The two-time MVP has been nearly unstoppable in 11 playoff games, averaging 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 9.7 assists with five triple-doubles.

Even with Davis matching up with Jokic it will take more than him to stop Denver’s center.

Both teams are dealing with health issues ahead of Game 1. Murray is listed as questionable with a non-COVID illness, which was also his status before Game 6 at Phoenix on Thursday night. He scored 26 points in 35 minutes in that closeout game.

Bamba was back in Los Angeles on Monday for a follow-up appointment on his left ankle Tuesday. The plan is for him to fly to Denver on Tuesday but he’s listed as doubtful for Game 1.

Second Round Recap by #NHLStats – 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

NHL Editor
-
0
Second Round Recap by #NHLStats – 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Competitive Balance Sets Up New-Look Conference Finals
* Florida became the 15th different team to reach the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the League expanded to 31 (now 32) teams in 2017-18. They became the fifth team in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to win more than one series after entering as the lowest-ranked team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining the 2021 Canadiens (won three rounds, lost in SCF), 2017 Predators (won three rounds, lost in SCF), 2010 Canadiens (won two rounds, lost in CF) and 1989 Blackhawks (won two rounds, lost in CF).

* The remaining teams have a combined two Stanley Cup wins, with the last coming 17 years ago – Carolina won in 2006 and Dallas won in 1999. Florida (29th season) and Vegas (sixth season) are pursuing their first title. This is the fifth time in League history that the final four NHL teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have two or fewer combined championships – there was one previous Cup in the 2018 Conference Finals (TBL: 1) and two in the 2003 Conference Finals (NJD: 2), 1980 Semifinals (PHI: 2) and 1928 Semifinals (MTL: 1, MMR: 1).

* This marks the NHL’s southernmost Conference Finals/Semifinals and the first time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history that the final four teams are based in “Sun Belt” states. The closest instance before this year came in 2020 when three of the four clubs met those criteria (Tampa Bay, Dallas and Vegas) and set up the first-ever “Sun Belt” Stanley Cup Final, though it was played in Edmonton due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only other instances of an “all Sun Belt” series in the round before the Final came in 2012 (Los Angeles vs. Phoenix) and 2017 (Anaheim vs. Nashville).

* Each of the remaining teams has played in its current location for less than 30 years: the Stars (from Minnesota) and Hurricanes (from Hartford) relocated to Dallas and Carolina in 1993-94 and 1997-98, respectively; the Panthers joined the NHL in 1993-94; the Golden Knights are the second-newest NHL franchise, joining in 2017-18.

* Only 14 of nearly one million brackets submitted in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by GEICO correctly predicted all 12 series winners. Separately, only 433 brackets correctly predicted all four teams that reached the Conference Finals (i.e., picked DAL, VGK, FLA and CAR to reach Conference Finals but did not correctly predict each series in the First Round).

The Road to the Stanley Cup Final
* Road teams are 41-32 overall this postseason, the most wins by visitors at this stage of a postseason (73 GP) in League history. Overall, the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the 13th in which road teams have combined for at least 41 wins and sit six shy of tying the NHL record set in 2012.

* Eight of 12 series-clinching wins have been claimed on the road, with only Dallas (R2 vs. SEA), Carolina (R2 vs. NJD), Vegas (R1 vs. WPG) and New Jersey (R1 vs. NYR) advancing with a home win so far. The last year with more than eight series-clinching wins by road teams was 2018 (10 of 15) and the single-postseason record stands at 11 (1999 and 2010).

* There have been four series-clinching overtime goals scored by the road team, tied for the second-most ever in one postseason (w/ 1993, 1997, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2020, incl. one in SCQ) behind only 1999 (6).


More 2023 Playoff Trends

* A total of 73 games have been played, among the top-five highest totals through two best-of-seven rounds in League history and tied with 2022 for the second-most since the Wild Card format was introduced in 2014 (75 of a possible 84 games were played through two rounds that year).

* Each series through two rounds required five or more games, the sixth time that has happened in 36 seasons since 1987 when the best-of-seven format was adapted for every round (also 1991, 2002, 2010, 2016 and 2020). Four playoff years in that span have finished without any best-of-seven sweeps: 1991, 2002, 2016 and 2020.

* The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are averaging 6.4 goals-per-game, the highest rate at this stage of a postseason (73 GP) since 1995.

* For the second time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, players posted four-goal performances on consecutive days – first Joe Pavelski in Game 1 for Dallas on May 2 followed by Leon Draisaitl in Game 1 for Edmonton on May 3. The only other such instance was from April 9-10, 1988 (John Tucker w/ BUF & Tony Hrkac w/ STL).

* There have been 18 overtime games, among the top 10 for the most ever at this stage of a postseason (73 GP; tied 10th) and outpaced by only 2017 (25), 2021 (23), 2001 (23), 1993 (23), 2013 (22), 2012 (21), 2011 (20), 2014 (19) and 2003 (19).

* Five of 12 series so far have been clinched via an overtime goal: three in the First Round (CAR, TOR & FLA) and two in the Second Round (CAR & FLA). That equals the total for the entire 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs (5 of 15 series) and is one shy of the most in a four-round playoff year in League history (6 in 1993 and 1999). In 2020, there were a total of seven series-clinching goals scored in overtime: two in the best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifiers and five from the First Round onward.



Unsung Heroes

* Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook (3-7—10 in 5 GP) played the role of unsung hero in the Second Round, matching the franchise record for points in one series. Martinook, who posted the second-most points in one series by a player who was held to zero points in the previous round, enters the Conference Finals on an active five-game assist streak (tied for the franchise record). He and Jesper Fast, who scored the series-clinching goal in overtime, also have active five-game point streaks.

* Panthers forward Nick Cousins had two playoff goals in 37 career playoff games entering the Second Round but matched that total across five games against Toronto, scoring both the first and last goals of the series. He put Florida ahead 1-0 in Game 1 (4-2 W) and later notched Florida’s third straight series-clinching goal in overtime dating to last year.

* Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill entered the crease at 11:44 of the first period in Game 3 versus Edmonton, in place of an injured Laurent Brossoit, and logged every minute the rest of the series. Hill, who had a .934 save percentage in five total appearances in the Second Round, earned his first career playoff win (via his relief effort in Game 3) and later made 38 saves in Game 6 – the most by a Vegas goaltender in a series-clinching win.


* Stars defenseman Thomas Harley collected seven points against Seattle (1-6—7 in 7 GP), tied for the most among all NHL defensemen in the Second Round. That is more points than Harley had in 47 career NHL games entering this round (1-5—6, regular season and playoffs). Harley was selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2019 NHL Draft and played one game in the ‘bubble’ in Edmonton during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers (vs. COL).


Stars Being Stars

* Stars forward Joe Pavelski became the oldest player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to score four goals in a game, set a franchise record for goals in one series (8), tied the NHL benchmark for goals in an entire playoff year at age 38 or older (doing so in just one round) and became the 25th different player in League history to score three game-winning goals in one series while also climbing into a tie for sixth place in playoff history (17 GWG). Pavelski, who also moved up the League’s career playoff power-play goals list, has now played in 176 career playoff games in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.

* Hurricanes defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns each scored a tying goal in Game 5 against New Jersey as Carolina blueliners combined for six goals in the Second Round – the most in one series by defensemen in franchise history. Slavin enters the Conference Finals on a four-game point streak, tied with Frantisek Kaberle (4 GP in 2006) for the longest by a defenseman in Hurricanes/Whalers history.

* Panthers teammates Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe have been the driving force behind the club’s longest postseason run in 27 years.Bobrovsky set a franchise record for consecutive playoff wins by a goaltender (6) – to help Florida set a club playoff record on a team level – and then posted a Panthers record 50 saves in the series-clinching victory. Tkachuk paced the club in assists and points (tied) in the Second Round (0-5—5 in 5 GP) and has 5-11—16 in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs (12 GP), already a franchise record for assists in one postseason and one shy of the most playoff points by a Panthers player in one year. Verhaeghe led the club with three goals against Toronto – the team that drafted him a decade ago – to become the outright franchise leader in career playoff goals (13).

* Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault became the ninth player in League history to score three goals in a period during a potential series-clinching game. Marchessault, selected by Vegas from Florida in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, has played in every Golden Knights playoff game and is the franchise leader in career goals in both the regular-season and playoffs.


* Oilers teammates Leon Draisaitl (6-1—7 in 6 GP) and Connor McDavid (5-5—10 in 6 GP) combined for 11 goals and 17 points in the Second Round. Draisaitl (13-5—18 in 12 GP) was just six goals and three power-play tallies from tying the NHL records for most in a postseason, while McDavid (8-12—20 in 12 GP) had 20 points during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to lead all players through two rounds and reach a combined total of 173 this season.

NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – May 16, 2023

NHL Editor
-
0
NHL Morning Skate: Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition – May 16, 2023

* Twenty-year-old Wyatt Johnston became the youngest player in NHL history to score a series-clinching goal in a Game 7, sending the Stars to their second Conference Final in four years.

* Dallas is set to face off against Vegas in a rematch of the 2020 Western Conference Final, where the Stars earned a 4-1 series win en route to their first Stanley Cup Final in 20 years.

* The Conference Finals are set to begin Thursday when the Hurricanes welcome the Panthers to PNC Arena. The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on TNT in the U.S. as well as on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada. Click here for full Conference Finals schedule and broadcast details.

JOHNSTON, OETTINGER HELP STARS SECURE CONFERENCE FINALS
After Roope Hintz scored his League-leading third game-opening goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Wyatt Johnston netted the game winner – and his second series-clinching tally this postseason – while Jake Oettinger made 22 saves to send Dallas to its second Western Conference Final in four years.



* Dallas now sits four wins away from the franchise’s sixth berth in the Stanley Cup Final, following 2020, 2000, 1999, 1991 and 1981. The Stars/North Stars can become just the fourth non-Original Six franchise with six or more Stanley Cup Final appearances – they would join the Flyers (8x; last: 2010), Oilers (7x; last: 2006) and Penguins (6x; last: 2017).

* The Stars became the fourth franchise Peter DeBoer has led to a Conference Finals/Semifinals appearance (also VGK, SJS & NJD), a feat accomplished by only one other head coach in NHL history – Scotty Bowman (5; STL, MTL, BUF, PIT & DET). Additionally, DeBoer is the only head coach in NHL history to lead a franchise to a Conference Finals/Semifinals appearance in his first season as head coach on four separate occasions.

* Johnston, who also put the Stars through to the Second Round with the winning tally against the Wild in Game 6 of the First Round, became the fifth rookie in NHL history to score multiple series-clinching goals and the fourth to do so in a single playoff year, joining Adam Henrique (Game 6 of 2012 CF & Game 7 of 2012 CQF w/ NJD), Hank Goldup (Game 2 of 1940 SF & Game 2 of 1940 QF w/ TOR) and Howie Morenz (Game 2 of 1924 SCF & Game 2 of 1924 NHLF w/ MTL). Jeremy Roenick’s two series-clinching goals as a rookie spanned two postseasons (Game 7 of 1990 DSF & Game 5 of 1989 DF w/ CHI).



* Johnston (20 years, 1 day) also became the sixth-youngest player in NHL history to score a goal in a Game 7, joining Trevor Linden (19 years, 4 days; 1989 DSF w/ VAN), Glen Murray (19 years, 182 days; 1992 DSF w/ BOS), Kevin LaVallee (19 years, 222 days; 1981 QF w/ CGY), Robert Reichel (19 years, 295 days; 1991 DSF w/ CGY) and Wade Redden (19 years, 321 days; 1997 CQF w/ OTT).

* Oettinger improved to 14-0-0 after a regulation loss in 2022-23 while posting a 1.83 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in those contests (regular season & playoffs combined). Following his 64-save performance in Game 7 of the 2022 First Round, Oettinger has now recorded 86 total saves across his first two Game 7 appearances, trailing only Kelly Hrudey (102 saves) for the most in NHL history.

* For more notes from the Stars’ Game 7 win, check out the latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.



* The Stars will face the Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference Final, marking the second all-time meeting between the two clubs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The previous matchup came in the 2020 Conference Finals, a series Dallas won in five games, which saw the first instance in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) of a Conference Finals or Semifinals series opening with each team earning a shutout within the first two contests. Click here for more notes on their matchup.

STARS VETS SET TO CONTINUE PURSUIT OF FIRST STANLEY CUP
Stars veterans Joe Pavelski – who became the 10th active player to skate in 10 or more career Game 7s – and Ryan Suter continue to chase their first Stanley Cup. Pavelski’s 176 career playoff games are the fifth most in NHL history before a Stanley Cup win/without winning a championship, behind only Ray Bourque (214 GP before winning in 2001 w/ COL), Patrick Marleau (195 GP), Joe Thornton (187 GP) and Dale Hunter (186 GP).



CONFERENCE FINALS BEGIN THURSDAY IN CAROLINA
Mark it in your calendars – the dates and start times are set for both Conference Finals series openers, with the Hurricanes set to host the Panthers in Carolina on Thursday and the Stars set to face the Golden Knights in Vegas on Friday. The 2023 Conference Finals will mark the southernmost final four in Stanley Cup Playoffs history (VGK: +36.1, CAR: +35.8, DAL: +32.7 & FLA: +26.1). The previous benchmark was in 2016 (PIT: +40.4, STL: +38.6, SJS: +37.3 & TBL: +27.9).   



COMPETITIVE BALANCE SETS UP NEW-LOOK CONFERENCE FINALS
This is the first time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history that the final four teams are based in “Sun Belt” states. The closest instance before this year came in 2020 when three of the four clubs met those criteria (Tampa Bay, Dallas & Vegas) and set up the first-ever “Sun Belt” Stanley Cup Final, though it was played in Edmonton due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only other instances of an “all Sun Belt” series in the round before the Final came in 2012 (Los Angeles vs. Phoenix) and 2017 (Anaheim vs. Nashville).



* The remaining teams have a combined two Stanley Cup wins, with the last coming 17 years ago – Carolina won in 2006 and Dallas won in 1999. Florida (29th season) and Vegas (6th season) are pursuing their first title. This is the fifth time in League history that the final four NHL teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have two or fewer combined championships – there was one previous Cup in the 2018 Conference Finals (TBL: 1) and two in the 2003 Conference Finals (NJD: 2), 1980 Semifinals (PHI: 2) and 1928 Semifinals (MTL: 1, MMR: 1).


* Florida became the 15th different team to reach the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the League expanded to 31 (now 32) clubs in 2017-18. They also became the fifth team in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to win more than one series after entering as the lowest-ranked club in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining the 2021 Canadiens (won three rounds, lost in SCF), 2017 Predators (won three rounds, lost in SCF), 2010 Canadiens (won two rounds, lost in CF) and 1989 Blackhawks (won two rounds, lost in CF).


* Only 14 of nearly one million brackets submitted in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by GEICO correctly predicted all 12 series winners. Separately, only 433 brackets correctly predicted all four teams that reached the Conference Finals (i.e., picked DAL, VGK, FLA & CAR to reach Conference Finals but did not correctly predict each series in the First Round).

* Click here for more #NHLStats in our Second Round Recap.

QUICK CLICKS

* Rod Brind’Amour, Paul Maurice familiar foes entering Hurricanes-Panthers series
* 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Hurricanes vs. Panthers Eastern Conference Final preview

* Canada’s 30-year Stanley Cup drought a surprise to Guy Carbonneau

* J.T. Miller of Canucks competes in 2023 U.S. Open Golf qualifier
* Sportsnet releases audience numbers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to date

Orioles make several roster moves

MLB Editor
-
0
Orioles make several roster moves

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

  • Recalled LHP Cole Irvin from Triple-A Norfolk.
  • Optioned RHP Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
1...2,6912,6922,693...3,998Page 2,692 of 3,998

Contact us: info@sportsgamingjournal.com

* PLEASE NOTE: THE INFORMATION CONTAINED AT THIS SITE IS FOR NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. ANY USE OF THIS INFORMATION IN VIOLATION OF ANY FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL LAWS IS PROHIBITED.

FOLLOW US

TODAY"S TOP CATEGORIES

© Copyright 2024, Sports Gaming Journal. All rights reserved.