The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have recalled right-handed pitcher Noah Davis from Triple-A Albuquerque and have optioned infielder/outfielder Nolan Jones to Triple-A.
Dodgers sign Austin Wynns
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed catcher Austin Wynns to a Major League contract and placed catcher Will Smith on the 7-day injured list with a concussion, retroactive April 13. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred right-handed pitcher Alex Reyes to the 60-day injured list.
Wynns, 32, appeared in one game for the Giants this season after hitting .259 (42-for-162) with three homers and 21 RBI for the Giants last season. He was designated for assignment on April 10 and has been in the Major Leagues parts of five seasons with Baltimore (2018-,19, 2021) and San Francisco (2022-23), hitting a combined .230 (109-for-474) with 12 homers and 51 RBI. The backstop has a career .991 fielding percentage while flagging down 28.6% of potential base stealers. In his minor league career, spanning nine seasons, he slashed .272/.348/.377 with 34 homers and 245 RBI. He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of Fresno State University.
Smith, 28, has appeared in 11 games for the Dodgers, recording three homers and 12 RBI while slashing .333/.417/.641. He is tied for third on the team in homers while ranking second in RBI. The former Louisville Cardinal is in his fifth season with the Dodgers and has amassed 75 homers and 242 RBI in 369 career games. He was the Dodgers first round selection (32nd overall) in the 2016 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville.
White Sox make three roster moves
CHICAGO – Prior to today’s series finale vs. Baltimore, the Chicago White Sox placed infielder Hanser Alberto on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 15) with a strained left quad, selected the contract of outfielder Adam Haseley from Class AAA Charlotte and designated infielder/outfielder Nick Solak for assignment.
Haseley, 27, is hitting .229/.339/.438 (11-48) with four doubles, two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored in 14 games with Charlotte this season. He appeared in 14 games with the White Sox in 2022, going 5-21 (.238) with two RBI, after being acquired from Philadelphia on March 29, 2022 in exchange for pitcher McKinley Moore.
Alberto, 30, is hitting .211 (4-19) with one homer and four RBI over eight games this season, his first with the Sox.
Solak, 28, was claimed off waivers from Seattle on Friday.
The White Sox 40-man roster remains at 40.
Red Sox claim left-handed pitcher Brennan Bernardino off waivers from Seattle Mariners
Club transfers right-handed pitcher Zack Kelly to 60-day injured list
BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today claimed left-handed pitcher Brennan Bernardino off waivers from the Seattle Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester. To make room for Bernardino on the 40-man roster, the club transferred right-handed pitcher Zack Kelly to the 60-Day Injured List.
Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.
Bernardino, 31, has made two relief appearances for Triple-A Tacoma this season, allowing eight runs in 6.0 innings pitched. The left-hander yielded three runs (one earned) in 2.1 innings pitched across two appearances with the Mariners in 2022, his only Major League outings. The Valencia, California native signed with Seattle as a minor league free agent on June 27, 2022, after pitching for Tijuana in the Mexican Baseball League from 2021-22. He was originally selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 26th round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft and owns a 3.70 ERA (118 ER/287.0 IP) in 233 career minor league appearances (two starts).
Kelly, 28, was placed on the 15-Day Injured List on Thursday due to right elbow inflammation. The right-hander has allowed three earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched over six relief outings this season. Signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent on December 21, 2020, Kelly is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA (9 ER/21.0 IP) over 19 career relief appearances with Boston (2022-23).
MLB Preview: Texas Rangers (8-6) at Houston Astros (7-8)
TEXAS RNAGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas dropped the 2nd game of the series yesterday against Houston, 2-8, after winning its 1st A.L. West divisional game of the season on Fri., 6-2…club has won 3 of last 5 G and now has a 5-6 record since a 3-0 start…team has been .500-or-better following every game in 2023…the current 8-6 record is the Rangers’ best 14-G start since 2016 (8-6), and a 3-win improvement over last year’s 5-9 start…team opened the 2023 campaign with a 3-0 record for just the 9th time in Rangers history, the longest season-opening win streak since 2011 (6-0).
STANDINGS: The Rangers retained 1st place in the A.L. West on Fri. (7th day overall in ‘23) after having being tied for sole possession of 1st place for 2 straight days with the Angels…TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 15 of the season’s first 16 days, including 9 straight to begin the year…marks latest point for the club to own even a share of 1st place in the West since the final day of team’s division-winning season in 2016 (10/2/16).
• From 2017-22, the Rangers had one day in which it held, or was tied for, 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).
VS. HOUSTON: Texas is now 1-1 vs. Houston this season after last night’s loss…with win on Fri., TEX defeated HOU in the 1st game of a series at Minute Maid Park for the 1st time since a 6-5 win on 9/1/20…TEX wraps up their 1st series with HOU tonight in the quest for the 2023 Lone Star Series Silver Boot…will play HOU during 3 more series due to the new scheduling format introduced this year (4 G vs. HOU, 6/30- 7/3; 3 G at HOU, 7/24-26; 3 G vs. HOU, 9/4-6)…club went 5-14 against HOU in 2022…TEX has lost 3 of 5, 7 of 10 and 11 of 15 G against the Astros…club has lost season series last 2 years and owns a 1-5 season series record in last 6 years…TEX has gone 6-30 (.167) in last 36 G in HOU dating back to the beg. of 2019, the lowest win pct. by any team at any venue (min. 15 G) over that span, losing 10 consecutive series here since winning a 3-G sweep, 7/27-29/18…Rangers are just 36-71 (.336) vs. HOU since the start of 2017.
SERIES STUFF: Texas is looking for its first road series win of the year tonight after losing 2 of 3 G against the Cubs at Wrigley Field from 4/7-9…it will be the first rubber game played by the club this season…Rangers have not won a road series of at least 3 G since taking 3 of 4 G against the Twins from 8/19-22/22.
ROAD TRIPPING: The Rangers are 2-3 (.400) on the road this season following the current series split with HOU and a series loss to the Cubs from 4/7-9 at Wrigley Field…Texas is scheduled to play 7 of next 10 G on the road…TEX’s 5 road games played are tied with TB for the least played by a team in the Major Leagues so far this season…club went 34-47 (.420) overall in away games last year, winning back-to-back road games just twice over the season’s final 3 months.
OUCH!: Jon Gray had to be removed from last night’s game with a right forearm bruise after he was hit on a liner that came off Yainder Díaz’ bat at 109.3 mph…the team announced that X-rays came back negative and Gray isn’t expected to miss his next start.
OUCH! OUCH!: After getting hit by a 95.2 mph fastball in the top of the 3rd inning by HOU starter Hunter Brown, Josh Smith is now T-1st in MLB with 5 HBP (also Esteury Ruiz, OAK)…Smith had to exit the game on 4/3 vs. BAL after getting hit by a pitch on the right side of his face.
LOWE AND BEHOLD: With another hit last night, 2022 Silver Slugger winner Nathaniel Lowe has now hit safely in each of his last 10 G at .293/.341/.561/.902 (12-41), the longest hit streak by a Ranger this season and 2nd-longest of Lowe’s career…his last longer hitting streak was a career-best 11- game run from 7/25-8/4/22…he now owns a .276 BA (16-for58) with 6 2B, 2 HR and 13 RBI in 16 G played this season.
SPACE JAM: After Adolis García went 1-for-4 yesterday with an RBI, he now owns a .293 career BA (43-for-147) with 16 XBH and 28 RBI vs. HOU…his 10 HR and 28 RBI vs. Astros since the start of ‘21 are most by any player against HOU over that span.
RING FINGER: The Texas Rangers roster 2022 World Series champion Will Smith, who recorded a 3.27 ERA (8 ER/22.0 IP) in 24 G with HOU after being traded for RHP Jake Odorizzi from ATL on 8/2/22…he received his WS ring during pregame yesterday, with HOU manager Dusty Baker presenting his former reliever with the coveted piece of jewelry.
HEAD START: With Martίn Pérez’ line of 5.0 IP and 2 ER on Fri. vs. HOU, Texas starters have allowed 2-or-fewer ER in 7 of last 9 and 9 of 14 G during 2023…Rangers starting pitchers have 10 starts this season of 5.0+ IP with 3-or-fewer ER, T-2nd in the A.L. (also HOU and TB) and trailing only CWS and MIN (11).
• Pérez leads the team with 3 starts this season of the 5.0-ormore IP and 2 ER-or fewer-variety (4/2 vs. PHI and 4/8 at CHC, 4/14 at HOU)…also done twice by deGrom, Eovaldi and Gray.
FAMILIAR FOES: Texas manager Bruce Bochy and Houston manager Dusty Baker will face off for the 194th time in their careers (regular season) during tonight’s game…Bochy’s 111 losses against Baker are his most against an opposing manager…should they both manage tonight’s game, Baker will tie Clint Hurdle for second-most games managed against Bruce Bochy.
BRUCE BOCHY’S MOST COMMON
MANAGERIAL OPPONENTS (REG. SEASON)
Games Opp. Manager Record
210 Bud Black 104-106
194 Clint Hurdle 87-107
193 Dusty Baker 82-111
173 Jim Tracy 96-77
138 Felipe Alou 67-71
WHEN 9TH MEETS 11TH: Bruce Bochy’s passed Hall of Famer Leo Durocher (2,008) for sole possession of 11th all-time on MLB’s all-time managerial wins list after Texas’ win on Tues. vs. KC…tonight’s game will again pit the 9th and 11th winningest managers of all time…Dusty Baker became the 9th manager in Major League history to achieve at least 2,100 career wins after the Astros defeated the Rangers last night.
MANAGERIAL WINS ALL-TIME RANKS
Rank Manager Wins
8 Joe McCarthy 2,125
9 Dusty Baker 2,100
10 Walter Alston 2,040
11 Bruce Bochy 2,011
12 Leo Durocher 2,008
SMILE, YOU’RE ON TV: Tonight marks the Rangers’ 2nd and final scheduled appearance on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball this season…TEX owns a 1-0 record on SNB this year after a 2-1 win against the Phillies on 4/2…last Rangers appearance on SNB before that came on 4/15/18 here at Minute Maid Park, a memorable 3-1, 10-inning TEX win in which Rangers starter Bartolo Colon took a perfect game into the 8th inning.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #44 Andrew Heaney, LHP (1-1, 8.22)
TONIGHT: The 31-year-old left-hander is scheduled to make his 3rd start/appearance of the season in tonight’s series finale against the Houston Astros…will be seeking to follow up on an outstanding performance in his last start against the Royals on 4/10 (W, 5.0 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 10 SO, 93 pitches/56 strikes), where he set various records (see note below)…that performance was an ideal bounce back start after his Texas debut, where he recorded only 8 outs and permitted 7 runs on 4/4 vs. BAL…will be pitching away from Globe Life Field for the 1st time this season…is one of 3 rotation member to make his Rangers debut in a start this season (also deGrom, Eovaldi), and he was the 26th and final member of TEX’s Opening Day roster to appear in 2023…Heaney is in his first season with Texas after signing a two-year free agent contract with the club on 12/9/22…is seeking to build on a 2022 campaign in which he produced career bests in ERA (3.10), WHIP (1.087), and strikeout rate (13.6 SO/9) with the Los Angeles Dodgers despite being limited by a pair of Injured List stints…from 2019-22, ranked among Major League pitchers (min. 350.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9 innings (9th, 11.07), swing-and-miss strike pct. (14th, 13.8%), strikeout pct. (15th, 28.8%), and
strikeout-to-walk ratio (21st, 4.11)…the 9-year MLB veteran has appeared in 139 games/128 starts with Miami (2014), Los Angeles-AL (2015-21), New York-AL (2021), Los Angeles-NL (2022), and Texas (2023)…an Oklahoma City native, Heaney pitched collegiately at Oklahoma State University before being selected by the Miami Marlins in the first round (9th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft.
STREAKING STRIKEOUTS: Earned the win in his 2nd start as a Ranger on 4/10 vs. KC, recording strikeouts of 9 consecutive batters faced from the 1st through 4th innings…the 9 straight K’s marked the most successive strikeouts by a pitcher in Rangers history, snapping the single-game record of 7 set by Nolan Ryan on 7/7/91 vs. LAA and the overall high of 8 done by Joe Barlow from 7/24-8/2/21… according to Elias Sports Bureau, it matched the American League record for successive strikeouts, as Heaney becomes just the 3rd A.L. pitcher to do it…the others: DET’s Tyler Alexander on 8/2/20 vs. CIN-G1, and DET’s Doug Fister on 9/27/12 vs. KC…Heaney recorded 10 total SO on the night, the 18th double-digit strikeout game of his career (last 10 on 8/24/22 vs. MIL w/ LAD) and 2nd by a Texas pitcher at that point in 2023 (also 11 by Jacob deGrom on 4/5 vs. BAL)… the last left-handed Rangers pitcher with 10+ SO in a single game was Mike Minor on 8/11/19 at MIL (11 SO)…it also marked the 6th instance in club history (beg. 1972) for a pitcher to punch out 10-or-more batters in 5.0-or-fewer innings, last Dane Dunning on 5/9/21 vs. SEA (5.0 IP, 10 SO).
SEASON DEBUT: Took loss on 4/4 vs. BAL in Rangers’ 7-2 defeat (2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R-ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR, 69 pitches)…his 2.2 IP were easily the lowest by a TEX starter in ‘23…posted a scoreless 1st, but gave up a 5-spot in a 34-pitch 2nd inning and made his exit after a Jorge Mateo 2-R HR to deep LF in the 3rd inning…is now 0-4, 5.85 (31 ER/47.2 IP) in his 10 season debuts over the course of his career.
VS. HOUSTON: Is 3-4, 3.54 (24 ER/61.0 IP) over 11 G/GS in his career against the Astros, posting 15 BB/64 SO with 5 HR allowed…owns a 1-3 record with a 4.91 ERA (14 ER/25.2 IP) in 5 career starts at Minute Maid Park, where he has lasted at least 5.0 innings at least 4 times…Heaney has pitched 5.0+ innings in 9 of 11 starts overall against Houston…José Abreu is the Astros batter that has done the most damage against him, with all 4 H (11 AB) given up by Heaney being homers.
NOT-SO-SAFE TRAVELS: Heaney has fared better at home than on the road, with a 14-22 record with a 4.95 ERA (181 ER/329.1 IP) in 66 games/62 starts in his travels…batters average .253 (326-for-1287) against him away from home, compared to a .247 average at friendly confines…Heaney has also allowed 136 ER to A.L. West opponents, at least 51 more runs than the next division (A.L. East, 85 ER).
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champs, are playing the second rubber game of their young season tonight in their series finale with the Rangers… it’s a matchup of lefties on Sunday Night Baseball, with Astros Opening Day starter LHP Framber Valdez getting the ball opposite LHP Andrew Heaney and the Rangers.
TONIGHT’S TELECAST: Tonight’s game will be televised on ESPN with Karl Ravech, David Cone and Eduardo Perez on the call…during tonight’s telecast, C Martín Maldonado is scheduled to wear a microphone for an in-game conversation with the booth, which will make him the first catcher to wear a microphone for a live interview during a regular season game.
TONIGHT’S GIVEAWAY: The Astros will give away Dusty Baker Sunglasses, presented by National Car Rental, to 10,000 fans in attendance tonight…this is the third consecutive night with a giveaway, as the club gave away a Framber Valdez Bobblehead on Friday night and a Framber Valdez Replica Jersey last night.
AT THE HELM: Astros skipper Dusty Baker is in his 26th season as a manager and his fourth at the helm in Houston…Baker, who ranks ninth all-time in managerial wins with 2,100 wins, has an outside shot of moving up to sixth all time by seasons end…en route, he’d have to surpass Joe McCarthy (8th, 2,125), Bucky Harris (7th, 2,158) and Sparky Anderson (6th 2,194).
THE SKIPPERS: Astros manager Dusty Baker and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy have a long history together with the two facing off against each other as managers in 193 total games entering tonight…all-time, Baker owns the advantage, posting a 111-81 record against Bochy’s squads.
BATTLE FOR THE BOOT: The Astros and Rangers are renewing their rivalry this weekend in what is their first series of the 2023 season…the Astros went 14-5 vs. the Rangers in 2022, which secured them their sixth consecutive season series ictory over Texas…the Astros have earned the Silver Boot trophy in each of the past six years (2017-22), five via season series victories and one via run differential (2020)…many of
those season series wins can be attributed to the Astros home dominance in the series, as Houston has gone 30-6 in 36 home games against the Rangers since the start of the 2019 season.
SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: Leading 3-2 after the 6th, the Astros broke open last night’s game with a five-run 7th en route to an 8-2 victory over the Rangers…rookie RHP Hunter Brown (0ER/7IP) was dominant in his second straight outing, allowing just two unearned runs on five hits on the night…he was backed by an opportunistic offense that produced eight runs on 10 hits in the win…DH Yordan Alvarez led the way with three RBI, SS Jeremy Peña went 2×4 with a pair of RBI and leadoff man 2B Mauricio Dubón went 2×5 with a pair of runs scored.
ON THE HUNT: In his last two starts, which were the fourth and fifth of his career, RHP Hunter Brown has worked 7.0 innings in each start without allowing an earned run…the last Astros pitcher to make consecutive starts of 7.0-plus innings without allowing an earned run was LHP Scott Kazmir, who made two such starts in a row from July 24-30, 2015…Brown is also the only MLB pitcher this season to make consecutive starts of at least 7 IP without allowing an earned run.
THE FRAMCHISE: LHP Framber Valdez, a 2022 All-Star, has been one of the best pitchers in the Majors the last three-plus seasons (2020-23) as he leads the AL over that timespan in ERA (3.00), while ranking tied for second in wins (34). AL Wins Leaders (2020-23) AL ERA Leaders (2020-23) Gerrit Cole: 39 Framber Valdez: 3.00 Framber Valdez: 34 Dylan Cease: 3.10 Dylan Cease: 34 Gerrit Cole: 3.21
EARLY LEAGUE LEADERS: LF Yordan Alvarez leads the Major Leagues in RBI (20) and ranks tied for sixth in the American League in home runs (4), along with RF Kyle Tucker…Tucker also ranks tied for third in the AL in walks and eighth in OBP (.438)…2B Mauricio Dubón now ranks tied for fifth in the AL in batting average (.356) after reaching the qualifying threshold last night.
RACKIN’ UP RBI: LF Yordan Alvarez (20 RBI) is just the second player in club history to post 20 RBI within the team’s first 15 games, joining Lance Berkman, who also drove in 20 in the Astros first 15 games of the 2002 season…Alvarez has done his damage while playing in just 13 of the Astros 15 games on the season.
FILLING IN NICELY: 2B Mauricio Dubón, who’s on a career-long, 10-game hitting streak, is off to a strong start to the season, posting a .356 (16×45) average with nine runs scored, three doubles, a pair of RBI and an .805 OPS in 11 games played…Dubón, who started most of his games at shortstop and center field in 2022, has made all 11 of his starts at second base this season while filling in for the injured 2B Jose Altuve.
MISSING PIECE: The Astros are playing without their leadoff man, 2B Jose Altuve, who suffered a right thumb fracture while playing in the World Baseball Classic…Altuve is expected to be sidelined from baseball activity for approximately two months… in his stead, the Astros have started IF Mauricio Dubón (11g) and IF David Hensley (4g) at the keystone, while SS Jeremy Peña (8g), OF Chas McCormick (6g) and Dubón (1g) have shared leadoff duties.
YESTERDAY’S MEET & GREET: On Jackie Robinson Day yesterday, the Astros collaborated with The Players Alliance and the Rangers, to host 75 high school aged baseball and softball players from the Astros Youth Academy and local high schools for a pregame meet and greet…Astros General Manager Dana Brown, Astros manager Dusty Baker, and players 3B Alex Bregman and OF Corey Julks addressed the group.
CONGRATS CHEO!: The Astros would like to congratulate OF Jose “Cheo” Cruz on his election into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame…Cruz and seven others, including football stars Priest Holmes, Adrian Peterson and Michael Strahan, were formally inducted at a ceremony last night in Waco, TX…Cruz played parts of 13 seasons in Houston, coached for another 13 years and now serves as a Community Outreach Executive for the Astros, in what is his 40th season with the organization.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: LHP FRAMBER VALDEZ
LAST START – 4/10 at PIT: recorded his 2nd consecutive quality…he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits with 5 walks and 5 strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
THE SILVER BOOT: will make his 14th appearance (11th start) against the Astros in-state rival Texas Rangers.
• for his career in the Silver Boot Series, he’s notched a 2.55 ERA (19ER/67IP) with 77 strikeouts and a .201 opponent batting average.
• 9 of his 10 starts against the Rangers have been quality starts.
IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE: among AL starters, he ranks 1st in groundball percentage (68.6) T-5th in innings (19.0) and 11th in ERA (1.89).
ON THE ROAD: has been productive on the road throughout his 6-year career, recording a 3.26 ERA (101ER/278.2 IP) through 51 career road appearances.
• went 10-2 with a 2.27 ERA (29 ER/115.0IP) in 17 road starts in ‘22…it was most road wins by an AL pitcher and the 4th-lowest road ERA in MLB amongst qualifying starters.
• his career 3.26 ERA on the road is the 4th-lowest of AL pitchers since making his debut in 2018 (min. 250 IP).
OPENING DAY STARTER: made his 2nd consecutive (and career) Opening Day start…is the first Astros pitcher to make back-to-back Opening Day starts since Justin Verlander (2018-21)
• was the second Dominican-born pitcher to start Opening Day for the Astros, joining Wandy Rodriguez in 2012…was one of three Dominican-born pitchers to get Opening Day nod in ‘23, joining Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara and Mariners RHP Luis Castillo.
• was the third LHP in Astros history to make back-to-back Opening Days, joining Dallas Keuchel (2015-17) and Dave Roberts (1973-74)
• became the first Dominican-born pitcher in Astros history to pick up a winning decision on Opening Day in ‘22…tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 6 batters to 1 walk, in a 3-1 win at LAA.
THE 2022 CAMPAIGN: tossed 25 straight quality starts from 4/25 to 9/18, setting the MLB record for the most consecutive quality starts in a single-season…streak also was the longest streak in MLB this year and tied for the 2nd-longest streak in MLB history when including multiple seasons…also extended the Astros franchise record (previously held by RHP Mike Scott (20g) in 1986).
• led the Majors with 26 quality starts and was 1st pitcher in MLB to record 23 consecutive quality starts since RHP Jacob deGrom made 26 consecutive quality starts from 5/18/18-4/3/19… among AL starters, was 1st in IP (201.1), 1st in home runs per 9 IP (0.52), 1st in GB percentage (67.3), 2nd in wins (17), 6th in opponent OPS (.600) and 6th in ERA (2.82).
• finished 5th in AL Cy Young voting, with teammate Justin Verlander winning the award.
• made his first career All-Star game roster in ‘22 after being selected through the player vote to Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium…picked up the winning decision in a 3-2 victory for the American League, after tossing a perfect 3rd inning in relief…was the 1st Astros pitcher and 5th Dominican-born pitcher to collect ASG winning decision and 1st since Pedro Martinez in ‘99.
WITH THE ‘STROS: signed by the Astros as a 21-year-old international free agent from the Dominican Republic on March 18, 2015.
• the left-hander has gone 42-24 with a 3.32 ERA (197ER/533.1IP) and 515 strikeouts in 101 games (79 starts) in the Majors with Houston from 2018-23.
• has been one of the AL’s most prolific starters since 2020, ranks 1st in the AL in opponent OPS (.622), 1st in ERA (3.00), T-2nd in wins (34), 4th in opponent’s batting avg (.226), 5th in innings (425.2), 7th in pitcher’s WAR (4.8) and 7th in strikeouts (413).
• has been a groundball machine in his Major League career…owns a career 66.7% groundball percentage, which ranks as the lowest percentage in the Majors from 2018-22 (min. 300 IP)… the next closest active pitcher is RHP Logan Webb (56.7%)…since ground ball percentage started being tracked in 1987, Valdez career ground ball percentage is the highest ever posted by a starting pitcher (min. 250 IP).
• has held left-handed hitters to a .210 average (82×391) and a .609 OPS in the Majors…has allowed just six homers to left-handed hitters in his career.
• for his career in the postseason, he’s recorded a 3.41 ERA (26 ER/68.2 IP) in 12 career games (12 GS)…since ‘20 leads all MLB pitchers in postseason wins (7), strikeouts (75), IP (68.2) and quality starts (7).
MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (10-5) at San Diego Padres (8-8)
MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: Is game 7 (3-3) of a 10-game trip to Arizona (1-2), San Diego (2-1) and Seattle (3g)…..following this trip and an off day next Thursday, the team returns to American Family Field for a 9-game homestand against Boston (3g), Detroit (3g) and Los Angeles-AL (3g).
IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP Adrian Houser (right groin), OF Tyrone Taylor (right elbow), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring), LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder) are on the IL…..Alexander, Ashby and Wilson are on the 60-day IL. IN THE STANDINGS (17 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 15, SECOND: 0, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently in first place, leading the second-place Pirates by 1.0 game.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 3-1-0 in series play.
Game 1: 3-2, Game 2: 4-1, Game 3: 3-2, Game 4: 0-0
Sweep Wins (1): vs. NYM (3g, 4/3-4/5)
Sweep Losses (-): None
AT HOME: The Brewers are 5-1 at home, going 2-0-0 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 5-4 on the road, going 1-1-0 in series play…..the team went 40-41 on the road last season, going 9-12-5 in series play. MANAGER: Craig Counsell – the longest-tenured active manager in the National League and third in the majors – is in his ninth season as Brewers manager (625-560) and eighth full season…..he has the most wins (625) and games managed (1,185) of any manager in franchise history…..Counsell was named the 19th manager in franchise history on 5/4/15, replacing Ron Roenicke…..he is signed through the 2023 season.
COACHES: First base coach Quintin Berry (3rd season), hitting coach Connor Dawson (2nd season), bullpen coach Jim Henderson (2nd season), pitching coach Chris Hook (5th season), third base coach Jason Lane (8th season, 3rd as 3B coach), associate pitching, catching and strategy coach Walker McKinven (4th season), bench coach Pat Murphy (8th season) and hitting coach Ozzie Timmons (2nd season) all returned from the 2022 staff…..Néstor Corredor, who had previously been bullpen catcher (2021-22), is now a coach.
2022 IN REVIEW: The Brewers went 86-76 last season, missing the postseason for the first time since 2017…..the team was eliminated from NL Central contention on September 27 and eliminated from postseason contention on October 3, snapping their franchise-record four consecutive years of making the playoffs…..the team won at least 86 games for the fifth consecutive full season (since 2017), joining the Dodgers (since 2012), Astros (since 2017) and Yankees (since 2017) as the only teams to accomplish the feat during this stretch (does not include 2020).
LET’S GO TO THE VIDEO TAPE: The Brewers have made three replay challenges this season, going 1-2…..their last challenge (lost) came on 4/12 at Arizona as an out call at first base (Willy Adames) stood.
BREWERS vs. PADRES
SUMMARY: Are 83-86 all-time, including 2-1 this season…..went 3-4 last season. at MIL: Are 47-42 all-time, going 42-34 at American Family Field and 5-8 at County Stadium…..went 1-3 last season. at SD: Are 36-44 all-time, going 28-30 at Petco Park and 8-14 at Qualcomm Stadium…..are 2-1 this season…..went 2-1 last season and are 13-5 in the last 18 games…..had a 4-game winning streak in San Diego snapped yesterday.
TODAY’S STARTER: #20 – LHP WADE MILEY (2gs, 1-1, 2.45)
MILEY AT A GLANCE: Wade Miley, 36, is making his third start…..Miley last started on Monday at Arizona and took a 3-0 loss (5ip, 5h, 3r, 3er, 3bb, 3k, 1hr, 90 pitches)…..his other start came on 4/4 vs. New York-NL as he earned his 100th career win in a 9-0 victory (6ip, 5h, 0bb, 3k, 1hbp, 79 pitches)…..opponents are batting .238 (10-for-42, 1hr)….. 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 100-95 with a 4.12 ERA in 294 games/287 starts (1629ip, 745er)…..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)…..he 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 5-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 13 starts (59.2ip, 25er)…..is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 1 start in 2023 (6ip, 0er)…..CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 48-51 with a 4.01 ERA in 156 games/154 starts (868.1ip, 387er)…..is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 1 start this season (5ip, 3er)…..went 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 4 starts last season (13ip, 7er).
CAREER vs. PADRES: Is 1-6 with a 5.28 ERA in 15 starts (87ip, 51er), including 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA in 11 starts at Petco Park (64.1ip, 34er)…..Miley faced the Padres once last season and received no decision in a 5-4 loss in San Diego (3ip, 5h, 3r, 3er, 5bb, 1k).
SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Padres snap 3-game losing skid with a 10-run performance against Milwaukee
• Jake Cronenworth had his 1st-career 2-homer game and drove in a career-high 6 runs yesterday afternoon against the Brewers in San Diego’s 10-3 victory.
• Seth Lugo got the ball and went just 3.2 IP, allowing 3 runs on 8 htis with 5 punchouts and a walk…Steven Wilson followed in relief, securing his 1st win of the season, and the Padres’ bullpen combined for 5.1 innings of scoreless ball.
• At the dish, Trent Grisham doubled and went 2-for-5, Xander Bogaerts had his 2nd 3-hit game as a Padre, going 3-for-4, and Nelson Cruz went 2-for-3 with a walk and 3 RBI.
Batting with runners in scoring position
• In their 4 prior games before Saturday, the Padres had collected just 4 total hits with RISP (were 4-for-37, .108)… yesterday afternoon, they went 4-for-9 in such situations.
• San Diego’s .209 clip this year with RISP is the lowest in the National League and 2nd lowest in the big leagues ahead of just the Royals’ .187 with RISP.
Today is Game 14 in a stretch of playing 18 games in 18 days; 21 games in 22 days
• San Diego had their 1st off day on April 5 and will not enjoy their 2nd one until April 24th, playing 18 games in 18 days from April 6-23 and 21 games in 22 days from April 6-27…their 3rd off day will be on April 28 (in Mexico City)….they had 1 off day on April 5 in Atlanta, they will have their 2nd in Chicago on April 24th, their 3rd on April 28 in Mexico, and they’ll have their 1st off day in San Diego on May 4.
Roster Moves
• The Padres optioned RHP Domingo Tapia and INF/OF Brandon Dixon to Triple-A El Paso and recalled C Brett Sullivan and RHP Reiss Knehr from ELP…Sullivan will wear No. 29 and Knehr will wear No. 33. Tatis to return on April 20 @ AZ
• Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two solo home runs in the first two innings of the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas’ 8-5 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes Saturday night at Southwest University Park…in his 2 two MLB rehab games with El Paso, Tatis is a combined 9-for-11 with 5 home runs and 11 RBI…at one point, he had a hit in 8 consecutive ABs.
• Tatis will be eligible to return to the ML team on April 20 (start of a 4-game series @ AZ)…He’ll serve the final 20 games of his suspension from MLB’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program to start the season after serving 60 G from Aug. 12 through the Padres’ 12-game 2022 Postseason run.
STARTING PITCHER – YU DARVISH
Davish looks to get in win column vs. Brewers in series finale 36-year-old Yu Darvish looks for his first winning decision and the Padres’ first team win in one of his starts today vs. the Brewers…he is 2-3 with 4 quality outings in his 8 career starts vs. the Brewers with a 2.22 ERA (11 ER, 44.2 IP), 0.90 WHIP and .182 opp. AVG. Christian Yelich is 4-for-19 (.211) with 2 HR in his 19 career at-bats vs. Darvish, while Jesse Winker is in search of his first career hit vs. Yu, having gone 0-for-15 against the righthander…Brian Anderson (.143 vs. Darvish) and William Contreras (.667) both have a long ball vs. Darvish while Luke Voit is 0-for-6, Luis Urias is 0-for-3, Tyrone Taylor is 0-for-2 and Rowdy Tellez is 1-for-3.
Davish tagged with first career loss vs. Mets on Monday
Entered his 2023 road debut vs. the Mets this past Monday with the 5th-lowest opp. AVG among all active pitchers vs. the Mets (.162 AVG – min. 200 batters faced)…but he was tagged with his first career loss vs. NYM in his 9th career start against the club, and is now 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA and .172 opp. AVG
Inside Darvish’s debut
Darvish made his season debut last Tuesday, April 4 vs. ARI and left the contest in line for his 5th consecutive winning decision vs. the D’Backs after 5.0 innings of 1-run, 3-hit ball… but the Padres bullpen surrendered 7 runs as SD lost their opening homestand finale 8-6. Darvish hadn’t walked 4 batters since his 6.0 hitless innings in his Opening Day start @ ARI to kick of the 2022 season….he also hit multiple batters for the 11th time in his career, 1 shy of the career-high 3 he hit in his first matchup vs. the Mets last season on June 7 vs. the Mets at Petco Park.
MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (5-10) at Seattle Mariners (7-6)
COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
WHAT’S GOING ON
• The Colorado Rockies finish a three-game set in Seattle today before heading back to Coors Field for three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday-Wednesday … the Rockies look to avoid the sweep with a win today.
• RHP Noah Davis gets the ball today for the Rockies for his first Major League start … the 25-year-old debuted for the Rockies on the last day of the season in 2022, appearing in relief … the right-hander holds no record with a 4.26 ERA (12.2 IP, 6 ER) through three starts with Triple-A Albuquerque this season.
AS DÍAZ DOES
• Elias Díaz has reached base in a career-best 12-straight games (.421/.476/.684) and 13 of 14 games with a plate appearance this season (.370/.431/.587).
• His active nine-game hitting streak (.500/.533/.786) is also the longest of his career, surpassing and eight-game stretch from July 11-27, 2022 (.467/.543/.800).
• His .370 average (17-for-46) is the fourth-best in the National League, the sixth-best in the Majors … his 17 hits are the second-most among Major League catchers trailing Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman (20 hits).
HOME RUN OR GO HOME
• The Rockies are 0-10 this season when allowing at least one home run and 5-0 when not giving up a long ball … this is the deepest any team has gone into a season with their results entirely parallel to whether they allowed a home run since the 2002 Giants did so in 15-straight to begin the year … the only team in baseball history to record a longer streak to begin a season were the 1959 San Francisco Giants, who set the record with a 17-game stretch (via Stats Perform).
THIS N’ THAT
• Since allowing one earned run in his first outing of the season, LHP Brad Hand has put together five consecutive scoreless appearances (3.2 IP), striking out seven through this span.
• Elias Díaz’ .400 (6-for-15) batting average with runners in scoring position is tied for the fourth-highest in the Majors (min. 15 at-bats).
• Brent Suter was tagged for four unearned runs last night but has allowed just two earned runs through 10.1 inning (six games) this season, good for a 1.74 ERA while tied for the most innings of relief in the NL …the left-hander has fanned nine while walking three and giving up seven hits.
UNEARNED
• The Rockies have been outscored 89-63 this season while allowing 14 unearned runs to score, their most through the first 15 games of a season in franchise history, surpassing the previous record of 11 set in 1994 and matched in 2012.
• Colorado’s unearned run total is tied with San Francisco for the most in baseball … their -26 run differential ranks 26th in the Majors … it is the fifth-worst run differential through the club’s first 15 games in franchise history, the worst since a franchise-record -36 run differential in 2019.
• 11 errors on the season are tied with Boston and Oakland for the third-most in baseball trailing the Angels and Giants with 12 each.
KBOOM
• Kris Bryant’s on-base streak was snapped last night at 20 games (since July 24, 2022 at Milwaukee) … the outfielder hit safely in 18 of 20 games across this span (.346/.414/.513) and has reached base in 50 of his 56 games played with the Rockies.
• Has hit safely in 12 of 14 games to begin the season (.298/.355/.404) while making 11 starts in right field, two as the designated hitter and one in left field.
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #63 NOAH DAVIS RHP
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Twenty-five-year-old Noah Davis makes his first career Major League start, his second appearance, taking the spot of Germán Márquez in the rotation who was placed on the injured list last week with a right forearm strain … the Newport Beach, Calif. native was acquired by the Rockies along with RHP Case Williams in a trade with Cincinnati in exchange for RHP Mychal Givens on July 28, 2021.
• Originally selected by the Reds in the 11th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of UC Santa Barbara … had his contract selected by
the Rockies on Nov. 19, 2021 as protection from the Rule 5 draft.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
• Made three starts for Triple-A Albuquerque prior to his promotion, going 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA (12.2 IP, 6 ER).
• Allowed three earned runs through three innings at Round Rock in his first start on March 31 … since, has allowed five runs, three earned,
through 9.2 innings across two starts.
• Made five Cactus League appearances (four starts) for Colorado this spring, going 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA (13.0 IP, 6 ER) … allowed two runs though 8.1 innings across his final three outings.
ONE YEAR AGO
• Pitched across three levels in the Rockies’ system in 2022 … made 26 starts for Double-A Hartford, one start for Triple-A Albuquerque and
made one relief outing for Colorado.
• Made his Major League debut Oct. 5, the final game of the 2022 season … allowed a home run to the first batter he faced (Cody Bellinger) … finished the outing allowing two runs on three hits, walking one and striking out two … struck out Joey Gallo for his first Major League strikeout.
• Recalled from the taxi squad Oct. 4 when Chad Kuhl was placed in the injured list, his second stint on the active roster … first recalled from Double-A Hartford on Sept. 16, his first stint on an active Major League roster, but did not make an appearance before being optioned on Sept. 24.
• Made one start for the Isotopes on Sept. 26, allowing one run over 4.2 innings, striking out two and walking two, his only career appearance in Triple-A at the time.
• Made 26 starts with Hartford, going 8-8 with a 5.54 ERA (133.1 IP, 82 ER), 60 walks and 152 strikeouts … finished tied for second in the Eastern League in starts and wins, ranked third in strikeouts and innings pitched.
• Combined, held right-handed hitters to a .232/.306/.372 slash line, allowing 10 home runs to righties in 293 at bats, compared to 17 home runs to left-handed hitters in 240 at bats.
2021
• Posted a combined 3.60 ERA (100.0 IP, 40 ER) in 19 starts between High-A Dayton (13 starts) and High-A Spokane (six starts).
• Pitched to a 3.60 ERA with both clubs, allowing 26 earned runs in 65 innings with Dayton and 14 earned runs across 35 innings with Spokane.
• Tossed a complete game in his first start of the season with Dayton May 6, allowing one run on one hit across five innings with two walks an eight strikeouts before the game was called off due to weather.
• Recorded a second complete game with Spokane in Game 2 of an Aug. 22 doubleheader, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts in seven innings.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TODAY’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 9-game, 10-day homestand with the last of 3 games against the Colorado Rockies (2-0)…Seattle will also host Milwaukee (3 G, 4/17-19) and St. Louis (3 G, 4/21-23) at T-Mobile Park during the current homestand…today’s game against the Rockies will be televised live on
ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Dan Wilson on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Rockies by a 9-2 score last night to capture their second series win of the season and first home series victory…Seattle has won a season-high 3 consecutive games and with a win today have a chance to improve to .500.
• Room For Broom – Seattle goes for its first series sweep of 2023 today…last season, the Mariners recorded 10 series victories via sweep.
• MLB Debut – Jose Caballero made his Major League debut last night, playing shortstop for Seattle in the 9th inning.
• Luis Luis – Luis Castillo’s 0.8 fWAR is tied for 2nd-best among all Major League pitchers.
• Comeback Win – Seattle earned its fourth comeback win of the season last night.
• Yesterday’s Roster Moves – INF Jose Caballero was selected from Triple-A Tacoma…LHP Tommy Milone was designated for assignment to make room on the Major League, 40-man roster.
LA PIEDRA ‘ROCKS’…today’s starting pitcher Luis Castillo has shined through 3 starts this season…in his 3 outings to begin the year, he is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA (2 ER, 17.2 IP) with 4 walks and 17 strikeouts… the right-hander 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).
KELENIC EXTENDS HIT STREAK…Jarred Kelenic went 1-for-4 with a run scored last night, extending his career-high hitting streak to 9 games (4/5-c)…during the streak, he is batting .438 (14×32) with 8 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 7 RBI, 3 walks and 1 stolen base, while reaching base at a .486 clip, slugging .938 with a 1.423 OPS…while Jarred extended his hitting streak, he did not homer in last night’s game…
before last night, he homered in 4 consecutive games, the first Mariners player to homer in 4+ consecutive games since Tom Murphy from Aug. 13-20, 2019, and the first Mariners player age 23-or-younger to homer in 4+ consecutive games since Ken Griffey Jr. homered in 8 consecutive at the age of 23 from July 20-28, 1993, tied for an MLB record.
YOU GOT ME SAYING TEOOOOO…Teoscar Hernández went 2-for-5 with an RBI last night, extending his hitting streak to 6 games (4/9-c)…the outfielder is batting .357 (10×28) with 3 runs, 1 double, 1 home run and 5 RBI in that stretch, slugging .500 with an .857 OPS.
FRANCE-ING IN THE MOONLIGHT…Ty France had his 11-game hitting streak snapped last night, but still managed to get on base twice with a walk and hit-by-pitch…France’s 11-game streak was tied for 2nd-longest active hitting streak in the Majors going into last night…over Ty’s last 12 games (4/2-c), he is batting .333 (17×51) with 12 runs, 6 doubles, 8 RBI and 5 walks, getting on base at a .424 clip, slugging .451 with an .875 OPS…he’s also been hit by a pitch 3 times this season and in each of his last 2 games, picking up right where he left off after being hit a Major League-leading 27 times in 2021, as well as 21 times in 2022.
SUÁVE SUÁREZ…Eugenio Suárez crushed an opposite field, solo homer to begin a 5-run bottom of the 4th inning for Seattle in last night’s 9-2 victory…the Mariners third baseman has reached base in 12 consecutive games (4/2-c)…during that stretch, Geno is batting .320 (16×50) with 6 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 13 RBI and 4 walks, getting on base at a .375 clip, slugging .480 with an .855 OPS.
MARINERS WIN BIG ON JACKIE ROBINSON DAY…the Mariners won by a 9-2 score last night… Eugenio Suárez homered, while Julio Rodríguez drove in 4 runs…Julio’s 3-run triple in the 4th inning was Seattle’s first bases-clearing triple on the anniversary of Jackie’s Major League debut (April 15, 1947) since Ken Griffey Jr. did it on April 15, 1994 in a 9-1 win vs. Milwaukee…George Kirby tossed 6.1 innings in his start and recorded his first win of the season.
JULIO WITH THE BASES LOADED…Julio Rodríguez in his career with the bases loaded is batting .385 (5×13) with 10 runs scored, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 grand slam, 15 RBI and 1 walk, slugging .846 with a 1.313 OPS…his grand slam came on July 15, 2022 at Texas.
FINE FROM ONE TO NINE…the Mariners had each of their 9 starters reach base last night, with 6 players (Julio Rodríguez, Eugenio Suárez, Cal Raleigh, Teoscar Hernández, Jarred Kelenic and J.P. Crawford) hitting safely and 8 different players scoring at least one run…last night marked just the second time over the last 3 seasons (2021-c) that all 9 Mariners starters reached base and 8+ starters scored a run (other: Oct. 4, 2022 Game 2 DH vs. Detroit).
DE-FENSE…according to FanGraphs, Seattle has registered the 6th-most Defensive Runs Saved (8) in the Majors, trailing Milwaukee (17 DRS), Arizona (11), Toronto (10), Minnesota (9) and New York-NL (9)… according to Baseball Savant, Seattle has recorded 2 Outs Above Average, which are tied for 6th-most in the Majors.
WELL-ATTENDED…Seattle has drawn a total of 279,106 fans through 9 games of action at T-Mobile Park this season…the 279,106 ranks 3rd in the American League and 6th in the Majors so far…the Mariners average home attendance of 31,011 ranks 4th in the AL and 11th in the Majors.
ON THE HOMESTAND…the Mariners still have 7 games remaining on the 9-game homestand (2-0) at T-Mobile Park, including the following events: Little League Day (tonight, April 16), Rally Cap Night Ticket Special (April 17), Hello Kitty Night (April 18), Weather Education day (April 19), All-Star Hat Night (April 21) and more…for more information, visit Mariners.com/Promotions or Mariners.com/Tickets.
AS YOU MAY KNOW…J.P. Crawford reached base 4 times in last night’s win, going 2-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and 2 walks…it was the 14th multi-hit, multi-walk performance out of the 9-spot in Mariners history and the first since Luis Torrens did it on May 14, 2022 at New York-NL, but…DID YOU KNOW?…that J.P. has both hit safely and drawn at least one walk in each of his last 4 games since April 11?…it makes him the first Mariners player to do that in 4+ consecutive games since Crawford did it himself from April 21-24, 2022.
TONIGHT’S MARINERS STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO
ABOUT CASTILLO…
• The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 4th start of the season and 1st against the Rockies this season…he is also making his 52nd Major League start and 4th career start against Colorado.
• 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…ND in last start on 4/10 at Chicago-NL…allowed first 2 runs of the season on 6 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts.
KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has only allowed 13 runners to reach base safely through 3 starts this season, ranking among Major League leaders in opponents average (7th, .148/9×61) and WHIP (6th, 0.74)
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)…Castillo is scheduled to take the mound again on Sunday vs. Colorado.
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.
PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE…made 2 postseason starts in 2022…earned the win in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series at Toronto…tossed 7.1 scoreless innings allowing 6 hits while striking out 5…was tagged with the loss in his final start of the postseason on 10/13 at HOU in G2 of the ALDS…allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (2 HR) while striking out 7.
OFF TO A GOOD START…his 83 strikeouts through his first 12 Mariners starts are the most in Mariners history through a pitchers first 12 starts, ranking ahead of Cliff Lee’s 78 and Robbie Ray’s 77 strikeouts through their first 12 Mariners starts.
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 SnellTB, 6/3/18 vs. SEA).
A PERFORMANCE FOR THE AGES…ND on 8/9 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 swingsand-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).
AMONG THE GAME’S BEST…after he made his season debut on 5/9/22, Castillo ranked among the MLB leaders in ERA (26th, 2.99), strikeouts (16th, 167), batting average against (20th, .212/118×557), SO/9 (16th, 10.0) and fWAR (T10th, 3.7).
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 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).
HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR…was named to his second All-Star team last season (also: 2019)…tossed a scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts at Dodger Stadium in last year’s Mid-Summer Classic.
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.
MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (7-6) at Los Angeles Dodgers (8-7)
CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:
CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE: The Chicago Cubs today play game three of a six-game road trip in California, and the final game of this set against the Dodgers, following a walkoff 2-1 loss last night.
Jameson Taillon hurled 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven batters … the last time he had an outing with two or fewer hits and at least seven strikeouts was April 8, 2018 vs. Cincinnati, as a member of the Pirates … it was his first scoreless game of the season.
Patrick Wisdom launched a home run for the second-straight game, and the Cubs lone run of the game … he previously homered in back-to-back games on July 28-29 of last season.
The Cubs today look for their third series win of the season, in the fifth series of the year … the Cubs last won three series this early in the season in 2020, when they did so in the third set (July 31-Aug. 2) … in 2022, it took until the 11th series (May 13-15) and until the 10th series (May 4-5) in 2021 to register their third series victory.
CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN: Nico Hoerner last night recorded his eighth stolen base of the season, in the team’s 13th game, becoming just the second Cub (since 1901) to steal eight bags by the team’s 13th contest … in 1907, Jimmy Slagle picked up eight stolen bases in the team’s first 12 games … Slagle notched his ninth stolen base in team-game number 15. (h/t Ed Hartig and Jordan Bastian) © The Cubs have tallied 17 stolen bases so far this season, which is tied for the fifth-most in the majors and tied for third-most in the N.L. … their pace of 1.31 stolen bases/game is the third-highest in the majors.
SO FAR, A RELIEF: Cubs hitters have posted a .295 average (54-for-183) against relief pitchers this season, the highest mark in the majors … Chicago’s .366 on-base percentage against bullpen arms ranks second-best in the majors.
The Cubs are batting .273 against pitchers in all roles, the fifth-best average in the majors.
ABOUT THE ROTATION: Cubs starting pitchers have a 3.24 ERA (24 ER/66.2 IP) in the season’s early going, the second-best mark in the N.L. and fourth in the majors … through the first 13 games of last season, the rotation had a 5.98 ERA (and a 6.08 ERA through the first 14 games of last year).
In fact, Cubs pitching as a whole has posted a 3.70 ERA, good for seventh best in the majors and second best in the N.L.
PENNING SOME THOUGHTS: Chicago’s bullpen has tossed 50.0 innings thus far, the fourth-fewest innings in the majors … Twins relievers have thrown the fewest with 45.2 frames, followed by the Dodgers (47.2) and the Brewers (49.2) … Chicago’s relievers have recorded 10.80 strikeouts per game, tied for the best rate in the majors, and a 29.1% strikeout rate, the best mark in baseball..
Mark Leiter Jr. ranks fifth among N.L. relievers with 15.88 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (min. 5 G).
Keegan Thompson and Adbert Alzolay’s .074 opponents’ batting average against is tied for fifth among N.L. relievers (min 3 G) … Alzolay also ranks tied for third among major league bullpen arms (min. 3 G) with a 0.25 WHIP.
SCORE MORE: The Cubs have scored 5.38 runs per game, which ranks third-best in the N.L. and sixth-highest in the majors … Nico Hoerner is tied for fourth in the N.L. with 13 runs scored.
WORD TO THE WISE: Patrick Wisdom last night blasted a solo home run for the Cubs lone run of the game and his second long-ball in as many games … since the start of the 2021 season, Wisdom has averaged one home run every 14.66 at-bats, the third-best rate among N.L. hitters with at least 900 plate appearances (Kyle Schwarber, 11.99, and Pete Alonso, 14.45).
Wisdom’s 58 homers since the start of the 2021 season are the 11th-most among N.L. hitters.
POWER AND SPEED: Yan Gomes Friday recorded three hits, two of which were home runs, and a stolen base … he became the first Cubs catcher (since 1901) to deliver at least two home runs and a stolen base in the same game … in fact, he is just the 10th catcher in MLB history (since 1901) to acheive the feat, and the first since Brian McCann (ATL) did it on July 25, 2008.
What’s more? … to find the last Cubs catcher to record three hits, with one home run, and a stolen base we have to go back to Smoky Burgess who did it on May 26, 1951.
WILD WILD WEST: Chicago is in a stretch of 19 games (5-3) all against A.L. or N.L. West teams that started on April 7 against Texas and ends on April 27 against San Diego … in fact, the Cubs are in the eighth game (5-3) of 29-straight games outside of the division until hosting the Cardinals for three games, May 8-10.
THIS AND THAT: Nico Hoerner has an 11-game on-base streak and is hitting .354 (17- for-48) with three doubles, three RBI and a .404 on-base percentage during that span.
Ian Happ has reached safely in 11 of his first 13 games this season, hitting safely in nine of those … his .448 OBP ranks seventh and his six doubles rank tied for fourth in the season’s early going among N.L. hitters.
Cubs vs. Dodgers
The Cubs and the Dodgers face off seven times this season, with all of the games coming in a 10-day span … they start the season series with this 3-game set in Los Angeles (April 14- 16), then will meet in Chicago for four games next week (April 20-23) … the Dodgers have won seven of the last 10 season series.
Starting Pitcher
Last Time Out
Drew received a no-decision April 10 vs. Seattle, allowing one run 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts … held Seattle hitless for the first 3.1 innings of the game … struck out seven batters for the first time since Sept. 9, 2022 vs. San Francisco (eight) … six of his seven strikeouts came via the knuckle curve.
Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
4/10 SEA ND, 3-2 5.0 2 1 1 1 7 76-45 2-1
2023 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 0-0 1.80 1 1 5.0 2 1 1 1 7
Road 0-1 11.57 1 1 4.2 9 7 6 2 3
AVG vs. LHB: .500 (3-for-6) / AVG vs. RHB: .250 (8-for-32)
Drew is scheduled to make his third start of the season today, first on the road … went 5-4 with a 4.23 ERA (29 ER/61.2 IP) in 13 road starts in 2022. © Went 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA (11 ER/16.1 IP) with a 13:2 SO:BB ratio during Cactus League play.
2022 Splits and Season Notes
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
Home 2-4 2.42 9 9 44.2 37 15 12 11 40
Road 5-4 4.23 13 13 61.2 64 31 29 15 51
AVG vs. LHB: .191 (17-for-89) / AVG vs. RHB: .258 (84-for-326)
Drew in 2022 made 22 starts for Chicago and went 7-8 with a 3.47 ERA (41 ER/106.1 IP), striking out 91 batters compared to 26 walks … his 2.20 walks per nine innings was his lowest season rate since 2013 (2.01).
Was on the 15-day injured list from May 31-July 10 with a right oblique strain … left his start in game two of the doubleheader May 30 vs. Milwaukee.
Recorded the win at the at MLB’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa Aug. 11 … tossed 5.0 scoreless innings with four hits, two walks and nine strikeouts.
In five starts in Aug., he went 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA (3 ER/30.0 IP) … his ERA was tied for the second-lowest among qualified major league pitchers that month.
Beginning Aug. 6, allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his final nine starts, pitching to a 2.28 ERA.
Career Notes
Drew is in his second season with the Cubs after he was re-signed to a two-year contract in December of 2022 … joined the Cubs on a one-year contract for the 2022 season, beginning his second stint in Chicago … spent the 2018 season on the Cubs injured list while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Is 53-48 with a 4.13 ERA (437 ER/953.1 IP), one complete game shutout and three saves over 241 career major league games (158 starts).
Has pitched in all or parts of nine major league seasons with Detroit (2012-14), Tampa Bay (2014-16), Texas (2019), Philadelphia (2019), San Francisco (2020), Atlanta (2021) and the Cubs (2022-23).
Won his first World Series championship with Atlanta in 2021 … was one of three Braves pitchers with 10-plus wins and one of four to start 20-plus games, going 11-4 with a 4.48 ERA (63 ER/126.2 IP).
Underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2017 … would miss the rest of 2017 and the entire 2018 season while rehabbing.
Set career highs in starts (30), innings (175.1) and strikeouts (167) with Tampa Bay in 2016.
Has been traded three times in his career, including as a part of the five-player, three-team deal that sent David Price from Tampa Bay to Detroit in July 2014.
Was selected in the second round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft by Detroit.
Pitched three seasons at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
WALK IT OFF!: The Dodgers scored two runs in the ninth inning when pinch-hitter David Peralta delivered a two-out walk-off single, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 victory over the Cubs. Peralta’s walk-off was the Dodgers’ first of the season and the win sets up a rubber match with Chicago this afternoon in the series finale at 1:10 p.m. On this 76th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier, the Dodgers improved to 16-3 on April 15 since Major League Baseball started officially celebrating the day in 2004 (including eight in-a-row (2015-23). As the six-game homestand (1-1) rolls on, the Boys in Blue will welcome the New York Mets to Dodger Stadium for three games next week, beginning with a 7:10 p.m. start tomorrow night. The Dodgers had four walk-off wins in 2022 and last night represented the seventh walk-off RBI and fourth-career walk-off hit for David Peralta. The Dodgers won all seven games vs. the Cubs last season, sweeping a three-game set in Chicago and taking all four contests at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers outscored the Cubs 44-20 in those games and overall have won 11 of their last 12 vs. Chicago.
THE ACE: Dodger southpaw Julio Urías will take the ball for the Dodgers this afternoon as he looks to become the first four-game winner in Major League Baseball. Both Baltimore’s Kyle Gibson and the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole also have the opportunity to get to four wins today. Urías started the 2021 season 4-0 and wound up finishing with a 20-3 mark. His 40 wins since 2021 are the most in the Majors, ahead of Gerrit Cole (32), Dylan Cease (29) and Framber Valdez (29).
HOME RUNS TO THE MAX: Dodger third baseman Max Muncy went 0-for-3 with a walk last night, but is still tied with Ryan Mountcastle for third in the Major Leagues with six home runs, trailing just Pete Alonso (7) and Rafael Devers (7). Muncy’s 14 RBI are tied with Bryan Reynolds for third in the National League, trailing just Francisco Lindor (15) and Matt Olson (15). IN IT TO WYNNS IT: This morning, the Dodgers signed catcher Austin Wynns, who appeared in one game for the Giants this year and was designated for assignment on April 10. Wynns 32, hit .259 (42-for-162) with three homers and 21 RBI for the Giants in 2022 and has been in the Major Leagues parts of five seasons with Baltimore (2018-,19, 2021) and San Francisco (2022- 23), hitting a combined .230 (109-for-474) with 12 homers and 51 RBI. The backstop has a career .991 fielding percentage while throwing out 28.6% of potential base stealers. He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of Fresno State University.
ROOKIE BALL: Dodger rookie outfielder James Outman went 1-for-4 with a single and scored the tying run in the ninth inning last night as his one-out single keyed the walk-off rally. Outman is slashing .279/.415/.628 with a 1.043 OPS while walking in nine of his 14 games with an atbat this season. He has reached base safely in 12 of his 14 games with an AB this year and his 10 RBI ranks fourth on the team, trailing just Max Muncy (14), Will Smith (12) and Trayce Thompson (11). Rookie infielder Miguel Vargas collected his first multi-hit game of the season last night and scored the game-winning run in the final frame after delivering a clutch one-out double that set the Dodgers up with two men in scoring position prior to the heroics by David Peralta. Vargas’ 13 walks this season rank third in the National League this season, trailing just Juan Soto (15) and Brandon Nimmo (14). Outman and Vargas have combined to score 15 runs this season, which is tied with Oakland’s pair of Ryan Noda (9) and Estuery Ruiz (6) for the most by a rookie duo in Major League baseball.
WALK THIS WAY: The Dodgers walked three times last night and rank second in baseball with 76 walks, two shy of the New York Mets. Los Angeles has recorded five or more free passes in 11 of its 15 games this season and the 76 walks are the third most in L.A. Dodger history through 15 games, trailing the 1960 squad (80) and the 1977 team (77).
DIGGING THE LONGBALL: The Dodgers failed to hit a homer for the just the third time this season last night, but still leads the National League with 26 home runs, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays (35) for the most in the Majors. The club has recorded five 3+ homer games this season and also leads the NL with 83 runs scored, six triples (T-1st, ML), 55 extra-base hits (T-1st) and a .464 slugging percentage.
EVERYDAY HUSTLE: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman ranked second on the club and tied for ninth in baseball with 159 games played. Freeman is one of three Dodgers (Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez) to appear in all 15 contests this year. On this date in 1983, while playing for the Padres at Dodger Stadium, Steve Garvey appeared in his 1,118th consecutive game to set a National League record. The 10-time All-Star’s streak ended on July 29, 1983 after 1,207 consecutive games, which remains the NL record.
TODAY’S STARTER vs. CUBS: LHP JULIO URĺAS (3-0, 1.50 ERA in 3 GS)
2023 NOTES:
• In his start against the Rockies on April 4, he hurled six innings of shut-out baseball, tabbing his 600TH career strike out against Kris Bryant
• Tossed six innings on Opening Day against the Diamondbacks, giving up four hits and two earned runs while sitting down six
• Garnered a 1-1 record over three starts in Cactus League play, producing a 3.86 ERA (5 ER/11.2 IP) with six strikeouts against just three walks
• Key participant in the World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico, firing 9.0 innings in two starts against Colombia and Puerto Rico…struck out
nine batters and walked three while allowing just one earned run on two hits
VS. CUBS
• Allowed a season-high five runs in 2.0 innings against the Cubs last season…he is 1-1 with a 5.01 ERA (13 ER/23.1 IP) and 31 strikeouts in
six career games against the Cubbies
2022 NOTES:
• Produced a 17-7 record across 31 starts for a 2.16 ERA (42 ER/175.0 IP) with 166 strikeouts against just 41 walks…put out a 0.96 WHIP, his lowest mark since 2019 and did not deliver a wild pitch for the second time in his career (also 2018)
• Limited hitters to a .199 average, his lowest output since 2018…kept hitters to a .251 OBP, .347 SLG, and .615 OPS and totaled a 8.54 K/9
• Ranked amongst the National League best in several categories: wins (3rd, 17), ERA (2nd, 2.16), opponents average (6th, .199), WHIP (6th, 0.96), and win percentage (8th, .708)…was named to his second All-MLB Second Team and second year in the row
• Posted a strong second half record, going 9-1 in his final 13 starts of the year with a 0.88 WHIP and 1.26 ERA (11 ER/96.2 IP) paired with 72 strikeouts…went 4-0 in five starts in July, striking out 27 and walking just four en route to a 2.89 ERA (9 ER/28.0 IP)…later in August, also recorded a 3-0 mark in five starts to a 1.19 ERA (4 ER/30.1 IP) and 0.99 WHIP
• Started Game 1 of the NLDS, securing the Dodgers only win of the Postseason…pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts
MLB Preview: New York Mets (9-6) at Oakland Athletics (3-12)
NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets defeated the A’s, 3-2, yesterday to earn their fourth series win of the season…The Mets have won a season-high three straight games and are a season-high three games over .500…The Mets are on their second road trip of the season an 11-day, 10-game trip against the Athletics (2-0), Dodgers (three games) and Giants (four games).
HOW SWEEP IT IS: The Mets are looking for their first sweep of the season…The Mets are seeking their second sweep of the A’s in franchise history…New York took three straight from the A’s from June 22-24, 2007.
DOCTOR ROBERT-SON: David Robertson has appeared in seven games and has yet to allow a run…He allowed only four hits with eight strikeouts…He is holding left-handed hitters to a .167 (2-12) batting average this season…He has converted all three save opportunities he’s had this season…Overall, he has recorded 160 saves in his career…That is the seventh-most among active players.
JOSÉ, JOSÉ, JOSÉ: José Butto is slated to start today’s contest… Butto was selected as the Minor League Pitcher of the Week for the International League during the first week of the season…Butto made one start last week on April 9 against the Rochester Red Wings…He hurled 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed two hits, walked two and struck out five…In two starts this year, Butto is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA (2 ER/9.2 IP) with five walks and eight strikeouts.
FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso has collected a hit in eight of his last nine games, batting .353 (12-34) in that span with nine runs, six home runs, 11 RBI, five walks with a .436 OBP and an .882 SLG in that span…Alonso has hit seven home runs this season, which is tied for the major league lead.
Rank Player HR GAMES
5th Dave Kingman 154 664
6th Pete Alonso 153 545
7th Carlos Beltrán 149 839
Rank Player RBI GAMES
14th Todd Hundley 397 829
15th Michael Conforto 396 757
16th Pete Alonso 393 545
METS ALL-TIME LEADERS
WHEN YOU’RE FIFTEEN: Alonso has slugged seven homers in the team’s first 15 games of the season, which is tied for the second-most in team history with Todd Hundley (1996) and Dave Kingman (1976)…Jeff Kent hit eight home runs in New York’s first 15 games in 1994.
ROAD WARRIOR: Alonso has hit 87 home runs on the road in his career… That places him in sixth place in franchise history…Next up is Carlos
Beltran who hit 88 road home runs.
INTERLEAGUE PETE: Pete Alonso batted .333/.410/.639 against AL opponents last season with 15 runs, four doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI and 10 walks…His six home runs were tied for the sixth-most in the majors…Alonso has hit 30 home runs in Interleague Play since the 2019 season…His 30 home runs against the American League is a franchise record, and the most among any player in that time frame…Mike Piazza was the previous record holder with 28 Interleague home runs.
INVADER NIM: Brandon Nimmo has safely reached base in seven games, owning a .529 OBP in that span…Overall, in 14 games this season, Nimmo is batting .289 with nine runs, three doubles, eight RBI, 14 walks and a .468 OBP…His .468 OBP ranks eighth in the majors and fourth in the Senior Circuit…The left-handed hitter has drawn 337 walks in his career, which places him 18th in franchise history…John Milner is next with 338 walks…Nimmo has posted a .388 OBP, which is the third-highest in franchise history (min. 2,000 PA)…Only John Olerud (.425) and Dave Magadan (.391) had higher OBP.
OAK AGED: Pete Alonso is .450 (9-20) with eight runs, two doubles, three home runs, eight RBI and four walks in five games at the home of the Athletics…Brandon Nimmo is .500 (8-16) with seven runs, five RBI and three walks in five games there…Jeff McNeil is 6-22 with four runs,
a double, an RBI and two walks in five contests…In 22 games in Oakland, Francisco Lindor has hit .365/.385/.576 with 14 runs, nine doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI and four walks…Starling Marte played 34 games at the ballpark and slashed .329/.375/.514 with 12 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 25 RBI…Mark Canha appeared in 324 games at the ballpark and has slashed .243/.348/.435 with 52 doubles, six triples, 46 homers, 147 RBI and 128 walks.
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)…In 2022, the Mets went 9-11 against the American League…Overall, New York owns a 237-227 record in Interleague play…The team’s .511 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.
INTERSTELLAR: Jeff McNeil owns a .335/.381/.471 slashline with 37 runs, 14 doubles, seven home runs and 34 RBI in 69 Interleague games, while Starling Marte has slashed .330/.392/.551 with 115 runs, 45 doubles, 11 triples, 27 home runs and 86 RBI in 172 Intearleague games…They rank
first and second in average among active players in Interleague play (min. 250 PA)…McNeil’s .335 clip is the highest all-time by a Met.
THE SAN FRANCISCO LINDOR WAY: Francisco Lindor has hit safely in five straight games and in eight of his last nine games…In nine games since April 5, Lindor is batting .314 (11-35) with 10 runs, five doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI, four walks, a steal with a .400 OBP and a .714 SLG.
THE WALKMAN: The Mets lead the majors with 78 free passes this season…Brandon Nimmo is tied for second in the majors with 14 walks…Jeff McNeil has recorded 10 walks, while Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have nine free passes each this season.
OUCH: The Mets once again own the major league lead with 13 HBP… Mark Canha has been hit by 46 pitches at Oakland Coliseum, the most in the history of the ballpark…Only five active players have been hit by more pitches in a single ballpark during their career…Courtesy Sportradar.
D-FENCE: The Mets have committed only two errors in 15 games this season…The team’s .996 fielding percentage is the best in the majors.
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US: The Mets have stolen 17 bases this season, which is tied for fifth in the majors and tied for third in the National League…Starling Marte is tied for second in the NL with six steals…Brandon Nimmo, who is tied for seventh in the NL, has stolen three bases in 14 games this year…Nimmo stole a total of three bases in 151 games last season.
CURTAINS FROM CURTISS: John Curtiss hasn’t allowed a run in his last five games, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts…Overall, he has yielded one run overall in 7.1 innings (1.23 ERA) in six outings
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – JOSÉ BUTTO RHP #70
2023 STATS: 0-0, -.– ERA
BUTTO NEWS & NOTES
DEBUTTO: RHP José Butto is set to make his season debut today…He made his major league debut on August 21 last season in a start at Philadelphia…In that start, he threw 4.0 innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts…New York came from behind to win, 10-9, thanks to a pair of late-innings home runs by Mark Canha.
LAST TIME OUT: Butto threw 6.0 shutout innings on April 9 vs. Rochester, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out five.
SINCE HIS MLB DEBUT: Butto has made eight appearances (seven starts) for Syracuse (AAA) since making his major league debut last August…In those games, he is 2-1 with a 1.79 ERA (8 ER/40.1 IP)…He has allowed only 26 hits and 12 walks, good for a 0.94 WHIP in that span…Butto has 35 strikeouts over those eight outings.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Butto made two starts during the first week of the season for Triple-A Syracuse, going 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA (2 ER/9.2 IP) to go along with eight strikeouts and five walks…For his efforts, he was named International League Pitcher of the Week…He also earned the honor during the final week of the 2022 season after throwing 7.0 shutout innings, allowing two hits and fanning 11 in a September 21 start at Worcester
OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:
ABOUT THE A’S: Have lost the first two games of this three-game series with the Mets and have now lost each of the first five series of the season…the only other times in Athletics history the A’s lost the first five series of the season are 1935, 1946 and 1951…have never lost the first six series…have lost each of the last three games, nine of the last 10 and 12 of the last 14… are 3-12 (.200) overall and have the lowest winning percentage in the majors behind the Royals and Nationals (4-11, .267)…went 60-102 (.370) last year, which was the second lowest winning percentage in the majors to the Nationals and second lowest in Oakland history (54-108 in 1979)…the 3-12 record is the worst in Oakland history after 15 games and the worst by an A’s team since the 1966 Kansas City A’s were also 3-12…with a loss today, the A’s would match the worst record in Athletics history after 16 games (3-13 in 1951 and 1956)…this is the A’s 56th season in Oakland where they have won 17 American League West titles, four AL Wild Cards, six AL pennants and four World Championships…only the Atlanta Braves (22), New York Yankees (20) and Los Angeles Dodgers (20) have more division titles than the A’s…since the A’s moved to Oakland in 1968, only the Yankees (11), Cardinals (8) and Dodgers (8) have more league championships and only the Yankees have more world championships (7)…this is the Athletics franchise 123rd season in the American League…since 1901, the A’s have 17 AL West titles plus 15 AL pennants and nine World Championships…only the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11) have won more World Championships.
OFFENSE: The A’s stole a season-high four bases yesterday and are now 15- for-16 (93.8%) in stolen base attempts, which is the sixth best percentage in the majors…rank eighth in stolen bases…were hit by a pitch four times yesterday, which fell one short of the Oakland record of five…have been hit by eight pitches this year, which is tied for seventh most in the majors…are batting .302 (54-for-179) with eight home runs and 31 runs scored over the last five games after hitting .198 with eight home runs and 28 runs scored over the first 10 contests…have the fourth lowest OPS in the majors (.685), the fifth fewest runs (59), fifth lowest batting average (.235), are tied for the fifth fewest extra base hits (38) and have the sixth lowest on-base percentage (.308) and slugging percentage (.376)…have been shutout three times, which is tied with the Brewers and Royals for the most in the majors.
PITCHING: The A’s allowed three runs yesterday, marking just the third time this year they have yielded three runs or fewer in a game…have allowed at least 10 runs six times…have allowed 121 runs for the season, which is 32 more than any other team (Rockies and White Sox, 89)…it is second most by any Major League team over the first 15 games of the season over the last 68 years (Rockies, 122 in 1998)…have a 7.97 ERA, which is more than two earned runs higher than the next closest team (Tigers, 5.87)…also have the highest opponents OPS (.882), on-base percentage (.383) and slugging percentage (.499) in the majors and the second highest batting average (.279)… have the most home runs (28), walks (79) and hit batters (14), the third fewest strikeouts (105) and are tied for the fourth most wild pitches (8).
WITH THE BASES LOADED: A’s opponents are 12-for-19 (.632) with four grand slams, six walks and two hit by pitches with the bases loaded…the walks and grand slams are the most in the majors and the hit by pitches are tied for the most…the four grand slams match the second highest season total by an A’s team over the last six years (surrendered six last year).
STARTING PITCHING: A’s starting pitchers have compiled a 9.71 ERA, which is nearly three earned runs higher than the next closest team (Red Sox, 6.99)… the A’s are the only team without a win from their starting pitchers (0-8)… the season-opening streak of 15 consecutive games without a win from a starter is the longest such streak in Athletics history (previous: 10 in 1979 and 1997)…starters have 67.2 innings pitched, which is fourth fewest in the majors.
THE BULLPEN: The A’s bullpen has a 6.11 ERA, which is third highest in the majors…has 63.1 innings pitched, which is second most to the Red Sox (64.0)…had a save on Opening Day but have none since then…the one save is tied with the Cubs and Phillies for the fewest in the majors…have three blown saves, which is tied for sixth most…has allowed 14-of-28 (50.0%) inherited runners to score, which is the fifth highest percentage.
DEFENSIVE DOINGS: The A’s have not committed an error in the last three games and have made three errors over the last nine games after making eight miscues over the first six contests…have 11 errors overall, which is tied for third most in the majors…the A’s have a 0-6 record when going errorless and are 3-6 when making one or more errors…are tied for sixth in the majors with three outfield assists…have two passed balls, which are tied for second most…had just three passed balls all last year.
HOME AND AWAY: The A’s are 0-2 on their second homestand of the season, a six-game stand against New York-NL (0-2) and Chicago-NL (three games)… went 2-4 on the season-opening six-game homestand against Los Angeles-AL (1-2) and Cleveland (1-2) and are now 2-6 (.250) at home for the season… were 29-51 (.362) at home last year, which set an Oakland record for lowest home winning percentage…had the second worst home record in the majors to Washington (26-55, .321)…went 1-6 on their first road trip to Tampa Bay (0-3) and Baltimore (1-3)…were 31-51 (.378) on the road in 2022, which was the third worst road record in the American League.
NIGHT AND DAY: The A’s are 3-5 in night games and 0-7 during the day… the only other team with a win in a day game is the Dodgers, who are 0-2… are batting .300 (86-for-287) with 45 runs in eight night games (5.6 runs per game), .149 (32-for-215) with 14 runs in seven day games (2.0 runs per game)…have the third best night batting average in the majors and the lowest day batting average.
THIS AND THAT: The A’s are 3-8 when the opponent starts a right-handed pitcher, 0-4 when they start a left-hander…are the only team in the majors without a win when the opponent starts a lefty…two of the A’s three wins have been by one run and Oakland is 2-3 in one-run decisions…the five one-run games are tied for third most in the majors…have a run differential of -62, which is the lowest in the majors (Tigers, -37)…the A’s are 1-4 when scoring six or more runs in a game…five of the A’s first 15 games have been decided in the winning teams last at bat and the A’s are 2-3 in those games…the A’s average time of game is 2 hours and 47 minutes, which is fourth slowest in the majors…have not averaged under 2:53 per game since 2010 (2:43)
THE INJURED LIST: The A’s placed Domingo Acevedo on the injured list Wednesday and now have seven players on the IL (Blackburn, Brown, Piña, Rucinski, Snead, Tarnok)…began the season with five players on the IL after starting the season with three last year…used the IL 31 times last year, which broke the Oakland record of 27 set in 2016 and matched in 2021…however, used the IL nine times for Covid in 2022 and three times in 2021.
A’S VS. METS
• The A’s have lost the first two games of this series and have now lost the season series five times in seven meetings…have one win (2005)
and one split (2014).
• Have been swept by the Mets in a three-game eries once: June 22-24, 2007).
• The two clubs met last year for the first time since 2017 with the Mets taking two of three at the Coliseum from Sept. 23-25.
• The two clubs also met in the 1973 World Series, with the A’s winning in seven games…the ’73 A’s will be celebrated with a reunion today.
Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-2 0-0 0-2
2022 1-2 0-0 1-2
Oakland History: 7-14
at the Coliseum: 4-6
Citi Field: 3-5
TODAY’S TIDBITS
Zach Jackson has not allowed a run in seven of his first eight appearances for a 1.17 ERA…Shea Langeliers is 5-for-16 (.313) with two home runs and five RBI over his last four games after going 6-for-28 (.214) with a home run and RBI over his first eight…Adrián Martínez is tied for second among Major League relievers with 11.0 innings pitched…Sam Moll has not allowed a hit over his first six games…opponents are 0-for-12 but he has walked four and hit three for a .368 opponents on-base percentage… Carlos Pérez has hit safely in each of his five games with an at bat (9-for15, .600)…Brent Rooker is 9-for-22 (.409) with four home runs and 11 RBI over his last five games after going 0-for-7 with no RBI over his first four contests…Esteury Ruiz leads American League rookies in batting (.326), on-base percentage (.426), hits (15) and doubles (4), ranks second in OPS (.839), tied for second in RBI (7), extra base hits (4) and stolen bases (3), fourth in slugging (.413) and tied for fifth in runs (6).
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: JP Sears (0-1, 5.59 ERA)
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his third start of the season…is in his second season in the majors and is on his second consecutive Opening Day roster…made his Major League debut with the Yankees last year and pitched in relief during his first stint.
FIRST START: He had a no decision in the A’s 4-3 win over Cleveland on April 4 in Oakland…tossed 4.2 innings and allowed a career-high tying eight hits… logged a career-high 98 pitches…yielded two runs in the second inning, including an Arias solo home run…also allowed a RBI double to Ramirez with two outs in the fifth and was relieved by Jackson with the A’s trailing 3-2… Oakland tied the game in the sixth and won it on a Tony Kemp walk-off single. LAST START: He was the losing pitcher in the A’s 5-1 loss at Baltimore last Monday…the A’s scored a run in the top of the first but he allowed a two-run home run to Mouncastle in the bottom of the first…also surrendered a solo home run to Rutschman in the fourth and was relieved by Familia to start the sixth with the A’s trailing 3-1.
SEARS’ 2023 STARTS
Date Opponent Opponent Score Dec ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR #PIT
April 4 April 4 Cleveland Cleveland 4-3 – 5.79 4.2 8 3 3 1 5 1 98
April 10 April 10 at Baltimore at Baltimore 1-5 L 5.59 5.0 3 3 3 1 4 2 90
SEARS’ CAREER STARTS VS. NEW YORK (NL)
Career: 0-1, 14.73 ERA in one career appearance, a start
Date Site Score Dec ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR #PIT
Sept. 25, 2022 Sept. 25, 2022 Coliseum Coliseum 4-13 L 3.2 8 6 6 2 2 0 78
Career Totals (1 game, 1 start) Career Totals (1 game, 1 start) 0-1 14.73 3.2 8 6 6 2 2 0
Coliseum (1 game, 1 start) Coliseum (1 game, 1 start) 0-1 14.73 3.2 8 6 6 2 2 0
Citi Field (0 games, 0 starts) Citi Field (0 games, 0 starts) 0-0 — 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 Totals (1 game, 1 start) 2022 Totals (1 game, 1 start) 0-1 14.73 3.2 8 6 6 2 2 0
• Allowed a career-high tying six runs on a career-high tying eight hits in his only start on Sept. 25 of last year at the Coliseum.
SEARS’ CAREER MATCHUPS VS. NEW YORK (NL)
PLAYER BA OBP SLG OPS AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SH SF HB DP
Alonso .500 .500 .500 1.000 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Canha .333 .333 .333 .667 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Escobar 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lindor .667 .667 1.000 1.667 3 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
McNeil .000 .500 .000 .500 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Nido .000 .000 .000 .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Nimmo .500 .667 .500 1.167 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Pham .000 .000 .000 .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
SPRING TRAINING RECAP: Went 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA and .874 opponents OPS in five games, including four starts…allowed a .304 opponents batting average but walked just four batters in 17.1 innings…allowed at least two runs in each of his five appearances…also pitched in a minor league game on March 17.
SEARS’ 2023 SPRING TRAINING APPEARANCES
Date Opponent Start/Rel Score Dec ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR
Feb. 25 Arizona S 12-7 – 10.80 1.2 3 2 2 0 2 1
Mar. 2 at Chicago (NL) S 1-6 L 9.64 3.0 5 3 3 0 4 0
Mar. 7 at Arizona R 9-3 – 8.22 3.0 4 2 2 1 3 1
Mar. 12 at San Francisco S 3-4 – 6.39 5.0 3 2 2 1 6 1
Mar. 23 at Texas S 7-7 – 5.19 4.2 6 3 1 2 3 1
Totals (5 games, 4 starts) 0-1 5.19 17.1 21 12 10 4 18 4
2022 RECAP: Pitched for four different teams in two organizations and made his Major League debut, combining for a 6-3 record, a 3.86 ERA and .716 opponents OPS in 17 games, including 11 starts…was on the Yankees Opening Day roster and went 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven games, including two starts, over five stints…was traded to the A’s with three other players for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino on Aug. 1…made one start for Triple-A Las Vegas before reporting to Oakland on Aug. 10 and was 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA in 10 games, including nine starts, with the A’s…his six wins ranked sixth among American League rookies…his 3.86 ERA was fifth lowest among AL rookies with 70 or more innings pitched.
OPPONENTS BATTING: Combined for a .256 opponents batting average, which broke down to .254 (54-for-213) with a .723 OPS against right-handed hitters compared to .265 (13-for-49) with a .684 OPS against left-handers… yielded 17 of his 20 extra base hits to righties, including all eight of his home runs…opponents hit .256 with the bases empty, .255 with runners on…allowed a .226 average with runners in scoring position.
STARTING AND RELIEVING: Was 5-3 with a 4.27 ERA and .776 opponents OPS in his 11 starts compared to 1-0 with a 2.60 ERA and .501 OPS in six relief appearances…surrendered seven of his eight home runs as a starter…stranded both of his inherited runners in relief and first batters faced were 0-for-5 with a walk.
THIS AND THAT: Was 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA and .585 opponents OPS in eight games against AL West teams, 2-3 with a 5.81 ERA and .858 OPS in nine games against all other teams…had a 1.64 ERA in the first inning…allowed 10 of his 31 runs in the second inning for a 6.75 ERA…had a 3.64 ERA from the third inning on…combined for a 4-3 record and a 4.25 ERA in 10 games in the Coliseum and Yankee Stadium…was 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA in seven games on the road…allowed three hits or fewer in 10 of his 17 appearances and two runs or fewer 13 times.
MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (9-6) at St. Louis Cardinals (6-9)
PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:…won their first extra inning game of the year in come-from-behind fashion Saturday at St. Louis…Are off to their best start since going 11-4 in their first 15 games of the 2018 season…Won a season-high four straight games from 4/3-7…Have not lost back-to-back games since dropping the final two contests of their season-opening series in Cincinnati.
CUTCH CLUTCH: Andrew McCutchen’s game-winning blast off Jordan Hicks in the 10th inning yesterday was Pittsburgh’s first two-run leadoff home run…The Pirates had never homered in an extra inning regardless of circumstances since the ghost runner rule started in 2020 (special thanks to the Elias Sports Bureau)…McCutchen’s homer was also his first in extra frames since hitting a three-run walkoff in the 14th inning off Los Angeles’ Wilmer Font on April 7, 2018, while playing for the Giants.
EXTRA EXTRA: Yesterday the Pirates won in extra innings on the road for the first time since August 3, 2021, at Milwaukee… Pittsburgh dropped six straight extra inning road affairs since beating the Brewers on that day, going 0-4 in 2022 while also losing in 11 innings at Wrigley Field on September 2, 2021, and in 10 innings on September 19, 2021, at Miami.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: This afternoon the Pirates will look to earn a four-game series win in St. Louis for the third time since 2019…Pittsburgh lost three of four here last year from June 13-15, took three of four from June 24-27, 2021, and also won three of four from May 9-12, 2019.
LEADING THINGS OFF: Ke’Bryan Hayes hit the first leadoff home run of his career yesterday with his 440-foot shot off St. Louis’ Steven Matz…
The 440-foot blast was the farthest of Hayes’ career and by a Pirate this season (his previous longest was 429 feet on September 23, 2020, off
Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs).
COMING INTO HIS OWN: Mitch Keller recorded a 3.22 ERA from May 31 through the end of the 2022 regular season, which ranked 12th among all National League pitchers in that time according to StatsPerform… Coming into today, Keller ranks seventh among all National League pitchers in ERA since May 31, 2022, among pitchers with at least 135.0 innings pitched.
ABOUT TODAY’S STARTER: Mitch Keller was Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starter in Cincinnati, where he had a no-decision (4.2ip/4er) in the team’s 5-4 win…He earned his first win of the year (7.0ip/1r) on April 5 at Boston when he threw 78 strikes (107 pitches total), the most by a Pirates pitcher since April 24, 2015, when Gerrit Cole threw 78 of his 108 pitches for strikes at Arizona…In his last outing Tuesday against the WorldChampion Astros, he was in line for the win (6.0ip/2r) but had a no-decision in a 7-4 walkoff victory for the Pirates.
ROCKIES ON TAP: The Pirates will continue their road trip tomorrow with the beginning of a three-game series against the Rockies…Pittsburgh dropped two of three games in Colorado last year from July 15-17 in the final series leading up to the All-Star break.
GETTING STRETCHED OUT: Pittsburgh’s starters have worked at least 6.0 innings in each of the last five games…That’s the longest stretch since making eight straight of at least 6.0 innings from April 10-19, 2019…The starting staff has recorded a 2.03 ERA (31.0ip/7er) during this current five-game stretch…The starting staff has also thrown the fourth-most innings (79.1) among all National League teams coming into today.
HEATING UP: Rodolfo Castro has hit safely in five straight and six of his last seven games, going 10-for-20 with a pair of doubles, home run and 1.380 OPS…In addition, Castro’s .630 on-base percentage since April 8 ranks second in all of MLB behind Miami’s Luis Arraez (.652).
GOING THE EXTRA MILE: Pittsburgh recorded five extra base hits in Saturday’s win and enter today fifth in the National League and 10th in all of Major League Baseball in that department (49)…The only four National League teams to collect more extra base hits are the Dodgers and Phillies with 55 apiece, Braves (52) and Padres (51).
PROVIDING RELIEF: Pittsburgh’s bullpen enters today ranked fifth among National League teams with a 3.69 ERA (53.2ip/22er)…Pirates relievers have also surrendered a total of three home runs this year, which is tied for the second-fewest in MLB along with the Red Sox and Mariners…The only team to allow fewer home runs out of the bullpen are the Rangers (two).
TODAY’S STARTING PTICHER – #23 RHP MITCH KELLER
MITCH KELLER: The 27-year-old righthander will make his fourth start of the season this afternoon…Was in line for the win but had a no-decision in his last start; a 7-4 walkoff win Tuesday against the Astros…Came away with a no-decision (4.2ip/4er) on Opening Day in Cincinnati in Pittsburgh’s 5-4 win.
VS. ST. LOUIS: 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA (42.2ip/15er) in eight career starts…Went 0-1 in four starts last season; suffered a 6-2 loss on 4/9 at Busch Stadium (4.0ip/4er), was in line for the win (5.1ip/2r) but had a no-decision in a 7-5 loss at Busch on 6/13, tossed 7.0 scoreless innings but had a no-decision in a last at-bat loss on 9/11 at PNC Park, and had a no-decision (5.0ip/2er) in a 3-2 win at Busch on 10/3…Went 1-0 in two starts in 2021; pitched 5.0 scoreless innings in a combined 4-0 shutout at Busch Stadium on 8/20 and gave up seven runs in 5.1ip on 8/26 at PNC Park (no-decision).
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The defending National League Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals and division rival Pittsburgh Pirates play the finale of a four-game series this afternoon at Busch Stadium … St. Louis continues its seven game homestand tomorrow with the first of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks … With a win today, the Cardinals would avoid losing their first four-game series to Pittsburgh since June 24-27, 2021 at Busch Stadium.
YO HO HO: Today marks Miles Mikolas’ 20th career appearance (17th start) vs. the Pirates, his most against any opponent in his career … The last time Miles Mikolas faced the Pirates at Busch Stadium was the 2nd game of a doubleheader on June 14, 2022, when the All-Star right-hander carried a no-hitter two outs and two strikes into the 9th inning before Bucs rookie Cal Mitchell doubled over Harrison Bader’s head in center to break it up.
100: Oliver Marmol is closing in on his 100th career win as Cardinals manager, going 99-78 over his first 177 games … A win today would make Marmol the:
• 8th-fastest Cardinals manager to reach 100 wins in terms of games
• 11th MLB manager in the Expansion Era (1961-present) and 93rd overall in MLB history to win his 100th game before his 37th birthday
• 52nd manager all-time to reach 100 wins with a winning record before age 37 and first since Sparky Anderson (age 36.216, 100-59 record) in 1970.
• 3rd Cardinals manager to reach 100 wins with a winning record before age 37, joining player managers Rogers Hornsby (age 30.057, 100-79 record in 1926) and Frankie Frisch (age 36.341, 100-72 record in 1934).
SHIVER ME TIMBERS: Oliver Marmol’s first career win as Cardinals manager was April 7, 2022 in a 9-0 shutout win over the Buccos on Opening Day, and since Oli became skipper in 2022, his clubs have beaten Pittsburgh (14) more than any other team.
AHOY, MATEY: St. Louis has won the season series over Pittsburgh for nine consecutive seasons (2014-22) and 20 times in the last 23 years since 2000 (excluding 2008, 2012, 2013). BURIED TREASURE: Although dropping five of its last seven to the Buccos dating back to last season, St. Louis owns MLB’s best overall win pct. against the Pirates (.587, 108-76) dating back to 2013 when the two teams squared off in the Division Series.
SLOW STARTS: The last time the Cardinals were in last place in their division after the first 15 games was 1990 when they were in 6th place in the National League East (also 6-9 record; finished 70-92) … That 1990 season, the Pirates were also 9-6 but in first place … The last time St. Louis started the season 6-9 was 2017 (83-79 finish)
WE’RE GOING STREAKING: Paul Goldschmidt has reached base safely in all 15 games this season, matching his longest career on-base streak to begin a season (2013) and tying two others for MLB’s 2nd-longest active OB streak behind Xander Bogaerts (16) … Matt Holliday holds the Cardinals record of reaching base in 45 straight games to begin the 2015 season … Alec Burleson has hit safely in a career best 10 consecutive games (.324, 12-37) since April 2, T-3rd longest active hitting streak in MLB.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP MILES MIKOLAS (0-1, 10.05)
TODAY’S GAME
NL Ranks: Hits Allowed (29, 1st), Runs Allowed (16, 1st), ER allowed (16, 1st), HR Allowed (4, T-4th), Most Pitches Per Inning (19.3, 2nd).
• The 2022 N.L. All-Star is making his 4th start of 2023, 147th career appearance & 119th career start.
• Has allowed at least 5 runs and 9 hits in every start this season, first pitcher in MLB to begin a season with three such starts since Alex Cobb (2018, BAL); most recent with four is Denny Stark (2004, COL).
• His 10.05 ERA in March/April is currently the highest in Cardinals history of pitchers with 14 or more innings pitched in the combined months.
• Became the 16th pitcher in Cardinals history to start a season allowing five or more runs in his first three starts and first since Brett Tomko (2003). Franchise record is four by Bill Popp (1902) and Albert “Cowboy” Jones (1901).
• Has walked 112 batters over his first 108 starts with St. Louis. Among Cardinals starters in their first 108 starts with the franchise, only Bob Tewksbury (86) has issued fewer.
• Has allowed six of his 16 runs in the first inning (18.00 ERA).
• Was one of 10 MLB pitchers and two Cardinals (Wainwright) with a perfect 1.000 fielding pct. (31 total chances) in 2022. Hasn’t made an error since 8/2/18 vs. COL.
• Signed a two-year contract extension through 2025 on March 24.
LAST TIME OUT
• Received a no decision despite departing the game after 5.0 innings trailing 6-2 after allowing three home runs tying his career-high (6th time), including back-to-back to Ryan McMahon and C.J. Cron. Tied his season-high with 10 hits allowed (also Opening Day vs. TOR). The Cardinals have managed to go 3-1 in his four starts at Coors Field despite an 11.94 ERA at the stadium.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
4/11 @COL W 9-6 ND 5.0 10 6 6 2 3 3 88-58
2023
• Drew his 2nd career Opening Day start (3/30) and had a no-decision in the Cardinals 10-9 loss to Toronto that featured five lead changes.
• Recored his 500th career strikeout in the National League on Opening Day.
• Has allowed at least five runs and nine hits in each of his
• Was a 3-0 with 0.00 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts this season, allowing just one unearned run in his 12.0 IP. 123 of his 133 pitches thrown this spring were strikes
• Pitched for Team USA during World Baseball Classic, totaling 6.0 IP in two relief appearances, including a 4.0 inning stint in the American’s semi-final win over Cuba.
