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MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (11-4) at Kansas City Royals (4-11)

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MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (11-4) at Kansas City Royals (4-11)

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Royals today conclude a three-game interleague series in what is scheduled to be the only meetings between the two clubs this season.

• The Braves scored four eighth-inning runs last night to help secure a 9-3 win, and have taken the first two games of this series to secure the set.

• Atlanta and Kansas City have not played since 2019, when the Royals won three of four games between the clubs, including a two-game sweep
at Truist Park.

• The Braves have played just nine total games here at Kauffman Stadium and have compiled a 5-4 record in the park…Prior to this weekend, Atlanta had never won a series here; the Braves and Royals split two games in 2013 and 2019, and Kansas City won two of three in 2016.

• Entering this weekend, Atlanta and Kansas City had played just 17 times since the advent of interleague play in 1997, with the Braves going
8-9 in these games…Atlanta’s 17 games versus the Royals were its second fewest against any A.L. team, just two more than the Braves have played against Cleveland…For comparison, Atlanta has played Boston 86 times in interleague play.

• RH Kyle Wright has never faced Kansas City, and has pitched against just two members of the Royals’ current roster…Jackie Bradley Jr. is 1-for-4 with a homer, while Matt Duffy has a hit-by-pitch in his only plate appearance…The 6-foot-4, 215- pound right-hander has made one start for Atlanta this season, and allowed four hits and four runs over 3.0 innings in a no-decision.

• RH Zack Greinke has made 11 career starts against Atlanta, compiling a 4-1 record with a 2.75 ERA (22 ER/72.0 IP)…He last faced the Braves in 2019 while with Arizona, and pitched 7.0 one-run innings to earn the win…The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Orlando, FL, has not lost to Atlanta since 2011, and is 4-0 with a 2.21 ERA (15 ER/61.0 IP) over his last nine starts in that span.

WIN: Atlanta beat Kansas City, 9-3, last night to win the second game of the series and secure the set…The Braves have outscored the Royals, 19-6, over the first two games.

• Atlanta improved to 7-1 (.875) on the road this season, and has outscored opponents, 51-20, away from Truist Park.

• The Braves’ .875 winning percentage on the road is best in baseball…Cleveland ranks second with a .778 mark (7-2).

• Atlanta also improved to 4-1 in day games following yesterday’s victory…The Braves went 24-27 (.471) in day games last season, the 12th worst such record in the majors…In night games, however, the Braves led the majors with a .694 (77-34) winning percentage.

MURPHY EXTRA BASES: Sean Murphy went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run last night, driving in four…After opening the season 3-for20 (.150) over his first seven games, he is 9-for-19 (.474) over his last five and is batting .308/.481/.718 on the season.

• Each of Murphy’s last 10 hits have gone for extra bases, dating to a fourth-inning double on April 6… He has seven doubles and three homers during the streak.

• The streak matches the longest run of consecutive extra-base hits in Atlanta history (since 1966), tying the mark set by Gary Matthews, Sr. in 1979… Matthews had 10 in a row from June 17-23.

• Only one player in Braves franchise history (since 1900) has a longer such streak…Wally Berger of the Boston Braves had 12 consecutive extra-base hits in August of 1935.

• The last player in baseball with at least 10 consecutive extra-base hits was Houston’s Alex Bregman, who had 11 straight in August of last season.

• The last catcher with such a streak was Detroit’s Dustin Garneau in 2021, who tallied 11 straight from August 22 to October 3.

• Murphy’s 10 extra-base hits on the season are tied for most in the National League, and his .718 slugging percentage is best in the N.L.

• Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.

FIRST-TO-HOME: Austin Riley scored from first on Sean Murphy’s first-inning double yesterday, the third time this season Riley has scored from first base on a non-homer…No one in baseball has scored more often from first.

• Riley has gone first-to-home on three of his four opportunities to do so this season…Last year, he had nine such chances and went just twice, scoring both times.

• Riley ranks 121st in the majors in sprint speed, averaging 27.4 feet per second to fall in the 66th percentile.

FIRST INNING, AGAIN: Atlanta plated a run in the top of the first yesterday afternoon, and has scored five runs in the first inning over the first two games of this series.

• Atlanta is batting .412/.432/.809 in the first inning this season, leading the majors in average and OPS (1.241) in the frame.

• As a team, Atlanta’s 15 first-inning runs are tied for most in baseball, matching the Dodgers’ mark…The Braves’ seven first-inning homers pace the majors.

• The Braves have scored in the first inning in eight of their 15 games this season, and are a perfect 8-0 when doing so.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #30 Kyle Wright
Today’s Game
• Wright is set for his second start of the season, and the first of his career against Kansas City.

• In nine career appearances away from Truist Park, Wright is 10-8 with a 4.64 ERA (59 ER/114.1 IP).

• Is 4-2 with a 5.48 ERA in nine career inter-league outings.

• Allowed four hits, four runs and four walks with three strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched during his season debut against Cincinnati.

• It was his shortest outing since tossing 2.0 frames on June 23, 2021 at New York (NL).

• The Braves returned RHP Kyle Wright on April 11 from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list.

• Wright opened the season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation…He pitched his first full major league season last year and went 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA (64 ER/180.1 IP)…His 21 wins were most in the majors.

• He became the first Braves pitcher to lead the N.L. outright in wins since 2003, when Russ Ortiz paced the league with 21, and the first Atlanta pitcher to lead the majors in wins since Tom Glavine in 2000…Glavine also had 21 that season.

• Wright had three more wins on the season than any other pitcher in baseball… Houston’s Justin Verlander finished second with 18.

2022 Recap
• N.L. Pitching Ranks: Wins (1st, 21), K/9.0 IP (9th, 8.648)

• Pitched his first full major league season and went 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA (64 ER/180.1 IP)…Lead the majors in wins.

• He is just the seventh Braves pitcher to win 20 games in a season since the club moved to Atlanta in 1966, and the first since Ortiz in 2003…Tom Glavine (‘91, ‘92, ‘93, ‘98, ‘00), Phil Niekro (‘69, ‘74, ‘79), John Smoltz (‘96), Ortiz (‘03), Greg Maddux (‘93) and Denny Neagle (‘97) all reached the mark for the franchise.

• Wright had two career victories entering this season…The last pitcher with fewer career victories before a 20-win season was Cincinnati’s Tom Browning, who went 20-9 in 1985 after entering the year 1-0 in three career starts.

• Atlanta went 24-6 in Wright’s starts last season…That is tied for the most such team wins in a start by one pitcher on the year…The Yankees went 24-8 when Jameson Taillon starts.

• The Braves lost three consecutive games started by Wright, May 3 to May 15…Since that date, Atlanta went 20-3 in Wright’s 23 starts, and did not lose back-to-back games in which he pitches….The Braves have won each of his last nine turns.

• He opened his career with losses in each of his first seven career decisions, going 0-7 with a 7.86 ERA (39 ER/44.2 IP) over 16 total appearances… Atlanta was just 2-14 in his games.

• Since his first career win in his 17th appearance, he is 23-6 with a 3.33 ERA, and Atlanta is 28-7 in his 35 total games, all starts.

• Ended the season on a career-best eight-game winning streak, dating to August 10…Went 8-0 with a 3.14 ERA (18 ER/51.2 IP) over his final nine turns, while Atlanta won all nine.

• In the only game he did not win, September 6 at Oakland, he allowed a careermost eight runs in 4.0 innings…In his eight wins during the run, he pitched to a 1.90 ERA (10 ER/47.1 IP).

• Wright’s eight-game winning streak was the longest active run in the National League, and the second longest in majors…Only Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill, who won his last 11 decisions, has a longer run.

• In 17 starts at Truist Park last year, Wright went 13-2 with a 2.86 ERA (33 ER/103.2 IP).

• Since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, just five pitchers have won as many home starts for the club in a single season…Phil Niekro won 14 in 1969 to set the single-season record that Russ Ortiz later matched in 2003, and John Smoltz (1996) and Tom Glavine (1992, 1993) both won 13 at home.

• Wright’s 13 wins in his home park last year are easily most in the majors, and just one other pitcher, Houston’s Luis Garcia, even won double-digits…Garcia had 11 wins at Minute Maid Park.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Royals suffered a 9-3 loss to the Braves last night at Kauffman Stadium in a game that took 2 hours, 48 minutes to complete, which was nearly outlasted by a 2-hour, 35-minute rain delay that pushed back first pitch from 3:10 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. CT…as was the case in Friday night’s 10-3 loss, the Royals couldn’t solve the Braves offense, which pounded out a season-high 14 hits last night, including 3 for extra bases by Sean Murphy, who reached in all 5 of his plate appearances, including 2 doubles and a home run…Royals starter Kris Bubic was tagged for 5 runs on 10 hits—after allowing 2 runs on 9 hits in his previous 2 starts—and was placed on the Injured List this morning with a left flexor strain…on offense, the Royals recorded 11 hits, matching their 2nd-highest total of the season, but went 1-for-13 in scoring situations and stranded 10 baserunners.

The Royals 4-11 record marks their worst 15-game start since 2018, when they went 3-12 through 15 games.

The Royals had 6 doubles last night, their most in a game since last June 21 in Anaheim, the thrilling 12-11 win in 11 innings…last night was their first 6-double, 9-inning game since Aug. 6, 2020 vs. the Cubs (7).

ROSTER MOVE: The Royals announced this morning that they have placed last night’s starting pitcher, left hander Kris Bubic, on the 15-day Injured List with a left flexor strain…taking his place on the 26-man roster will be left-handed reliever Josh Taylor, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha…Taylor, who was acquired in a trade from Boston in January for Adalberto Mondesi, has allowed 4 runs on 9 hits in 5 outings (5.1 IP) with Omaha.

3-HIT WITT: Bobby Witt Jr. led the Royals with 3 hits again last night, including a single and 2 doubles, to mark his fourth straight multi-hit game, a stretch in which he’s batting .579 (11-for-19) following a 6-for-38 (.158) start to the season…last night was also his third consecutive 3-hit game, which puts him in rare air…he’s only the second Royals player, age 22 or younger, to record three consecutive 3-hit games, following Hall of Famer George Brett, who had six straight 3-hit efforts as a 22-year-old in 1976…Bobby is the seventh Major League player in the last 10 seasons to accomplish this feat and the first in four years, since Rafael Devers in 2019.

Bobby has hit safely in 8 of his last 12 plate appearances since the 4th inning on Wednesday night.

Witt Jr. leads the Royals in runs (8), hits (17) and steals (5) and is tied for 2nd on the team in RBI (6).

RISPY BUSINESS: The Royals situational hitting woes continued last night, as they went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and now rank 30th in the Majors with a .187 average in scoring situations…nearly half of their 25 such hits this season came in 2 games, and they’ve been held to 1 hit or fewer with a runner in scoring position in 10 of their 15 games…the opportunities have been plentiful, as their 134 at-bats in scoring situations rank tied with the Mets for 9th in the Majors, and that includes 56 at-bats with a runner in scoring position in 4 games since Tuesday, which ranks 3rd in the Majors during that time, despite having an off day on Thursday… situational hitting was an issue for this Royals offense early last season, when they hit just .205 in scoring situations through their first 39 games, but hit .261 over their last 122 games, which ranked 11th in the Majors.

HOME: The Royals are 1-8 through their first 9 games at Kauffman Stadium this season, in which they’ve been outscored 48-23 (-25)…this marks their worst home start through 9 games since 2018, when they were also 1-8 at this point, and began 1-12 before winning their 2nd home game…since a 9-5 win vs. Toronto here on April 3, the Royals have lost 5 consecutive home games, in which they’re batting .195 with a total of 10 runs scored.

Following today’s finale vs. Atlanta, the Royals will host Texas for 3 games beginning tomorrow night.

RAID THE ZONE: Through the first 15 games of the season, new Pitching Coach Brian Sweeney has made his mark on this pitching staff that finished near the bottom in several categories last season…the Royals finished last in the American League in 2022 with 589 walks and BB/9 ratio (3.74), and finished last in the Majors in K/BB ratio (2.02) and first-pitch strikes (58.0%)…this year, the Royals rank 7th in the Majors with a 3.03 BB/9 ratio, 11th with a 2.87 K/BB ratio and 14th in first-pitch strikes (60.8%)…Royals starting pitchers, specifically, have controlled the strike zone well, issuing 1 or no walks in 10 of 15 starts this season, tied for the 2nd-most such starts in the Majors this season behind only the Rays (11)…likewise, Royals starters have posted a 2.18 BB/9 ratio, which ranks 5th in the Majors behind the Giants (1.74), Guardians (2.09), Twins (2.14) and Dodgers (2.16).

VS. BRAVES: After going 9-7 vs. the Braves through their first 16 meetings, the Royals have lost 3 straight games, including 2 this week, and the loss last night clinched their first series defeat to the Braves at Kauffman Stadium…this marks only their second series loss to the Braves, following a 3-game sweep in Atlanta from June 18-20, 2010…the Royals are attempting to win today to avoid a 3-game sweep vs. a National League team for the first time since Aug. 13-15, 2021, when the Cardinals swept them in 3 games at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals are now 2-3 through the first 5 games of their franchise-record 46-game Interleague schedule.

Royals Executive VP and GM J.J. Picollo worked for the Braves from 1999-2005 and served as the Director of Minor League Operations in his final year before joining Kansas City in 2006…while with Atlanta, he also held positions as the Assistant Director of Player Development and as an Area Scouting Supervisor for Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington D.C.

Peter Moylan, who pitched for the Royals from 2016-17, returns to Kansas City this week as part of the Braves Bally Sports crew…following a 12-year big league career, Moylan is now in his fifth season appearing on the Braves Live pregame and postgame shows, and is in his second season calling games in the booth.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT: Today’s 1:05 p.m. CT start snaps a run of 5 consecutive night games, including last night’s game that started at 5:45 p.m. CT following a 2-hour, 35-minute delay…with yesterday’s day game delayed into the night, the Royals are now scheduled for 63 day games this season, which would mark the 3rd most in a single season in team history, trailing last season, when they played 69, and 2021, when they played 64.

PACE OF PLAY: The new pitch timer rules implemented for 2023 have already produced dramatic results through the first 17 days of the regular season…through 204 games that have ended in 9 innings, the average game time has been 2 hours, 38 minutes, and only 21 of the 204 games (10.3%) have lasted at least 3 hours… the Royals 15 games have averaged 2 hours, 29 minutes, which is 9 minutes below the league average and is the 2nd-fastest average time this season, longer only that the Twins (2:26)…compared to 9-inning games across the Majors last season, average time of game is down 25 minutes, while batting averages are up from .243 to .250, runs per game are up from 8.6 to 9.4 and stolen base success rates have jumped from 75.4% to 82.2%…the current success rate of steals would shatter the Major League record set in 2021 at 75.7%

TODAY’S STARTERS: RHP KYLE WRIGHT (0-0, 12.00) vs. RHP ZACK GREINKE (0-3, 3.31)
ZACK GREINKE is making his 4th start of the season and 518th of his career today vs. Atlanta, matching Hall of Famer John Clarkson (1882-94) for 42nd all-time…it’s his 12th career start vs. the Braves and 1st since 2019…Greinke, now in his 20th season in the Majors, is a six-time All-Star, a six-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner and was named the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2009 with the Royals.

He is one of three pitchers in Major League history with at least six Rawlings Gold Gloves and six All-Star selections, along with Greg Maddux and Bob Gibson.

Among active pitchers, Greinke ranks 1st in starts (517), innings (3263.1), 2nd in wins (223) and 3rd in strikeouts (2,893)…he is one of three pitchers in Major League history to win a Cy Young Award, a Rawlings Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award, along with Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser.

LAST START: Greinke suffered an 11-2 loss last Monday night in Arlington, in which he allowed a season-high 4 runs (3 ER) on 6 hits and 1 walk in 5.0 innings, with 3 strikeouts…Corey Seager hit a solo homer in the 1st inning, and added an RBI single in the 3rd that deflected off Greinke, after which Nathaniel Lowe doubled in a run to put Kansas City in a 3-1 hole…Jonah Heim homered to begin the 4th, after which Greinke retired six of the next seven batters and exited after 5.0 innings at a 4-1 deficit.

Seager’s HR in the 1st snapped Zack’s homerless streak at 41.2 innings, which dated back to Aug. 21, 2022…over 7 full starts in between the homers he allowed, Greinke went 0-3 despite pitching to a 2.04 ERA (9 ER in 39.2 IP).

Among the 123 pitchers who have made at least 3 starts this season, Greinke is one of four pitchers who have received a total of 1 run of support or less, along with Josiah Gray (0), Merrill Kelly (0) and Sandy Alcantara (1).

OPENING DAY: Zack suffered a 2-0 loss on Opening Day vs. Minnesota, which marked his 7th career Opening Day start and 6th in the last eight seasons, matching Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola and Madison Bumgarner for the most in the Majors among pitchers since 2016…it was his 3rd Opening Day start with Kansas City, tied for the 3rd most among pitchers in Royals history behind Royals Hall of Famers Kevin Appier, who has a franchise-record 7 Opening Day starts, and Dennis Leonard (4).

At 39 years, 160 days old, he was the oldest Opening Day starter in Royals history, surpassing his own record set last season…the last pitcher older than Zack to start a game for an American League team on Opening Day was Curt Schilling, who started for Boston in 2007 at age 40 at Kauffman Stadium vs. the Royals.

BACK IN BLUE: Zack returns in 2023 for the second straight year to Kansas City, where he spent the first seven seasons of his Major League career, after being selected by the Royals 6th overall in the 2002 Draft…Greinke is the 33rd player to play for the Royals, leave the organization and later return…he missed time due to two stints on the Injured List in 2022, limiting him to only 137.0 innings, the 4th fewest in his career behind the shortened 2020 season (67.0 IP), 2006 (6.1 IP) and 2007 (122.0 IP)…he did, however, rank 2nd among Royals starters with a 3.68 ERA (56 ER in 137.0 IP).

In his most recent start, Zack passed Charlie Leibrandt (1257.0) for the 7thmost innings in Royals history…today marks his 199th career start with Kansas City, which ranks 8th in franchise history, 5 shy of Danny Duffy (204) for 7th.

He also ranks 7th in Royals history with 1,015 strikeouts, 33 shy of Duffy for 6th.

GRE1NKE: After surpassing 500 career starts and 50,000 pitches thrown last
season, Greinke is on the verge of many more milestones this year…among them is a rare feat, courtesy of Baseball Reference’s Kenny Jackelen…
Greinke has struck out 994 different batters in his 20-year career and is six new strikeout victims shy of joining Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens as the only pitchers in Major League history to fan 1,000 different batters…there are six players on Atlanta’s active roster who Greinke has yet to strike out, including Vaughn Grissom, Kevin Pillar, Austin Riley, Eddie Rosario, Chadwick Tromp and Eli White.

VS. BRAVES: Zack is 4-1 with a 2.75 ERA (22 ER in 72.0 IP) and .212 opponents’ average (56-for-264) in 11 career starts vs. the Braves, but hasn’t faced them since May 10, 2019, when he pitched 7.0 innings of 1-run ball as a member of the Diamondbacks…his only loss vs. Atlanta came 12 years ago, on May 4, 2011 with Milwaukee…his only previous start vs. the Braves with Kansas City came in 2010, when he did not factor into the decision of a 5-4 loss in Atlanta.

CROWN VISION: Greinke has made 108 starts at Kauffman Stadium, 6th most in the 51-season history of the ballpark…he’s 4-4 in 14 home starts since returning to the Royals in 2022, increasing his career win total to 41, the 7th most in this ballpark…his 1.91 ERA (14 ER in 66.0 IP) at Kauffman Stadium in 2022 was the 3rd-best home ERA in the American League (min. 10 starts) behind Justin Verlander (1.64) and Shohei Ohtani (1.82)…it was the 4th-best home ERA in Royals history (min. 10 starts) behind himself in 2009 (1.70), Bret Saberhagen in 1989 (1.71) and Paul Splittorff in 1971 (1.90).

Zack has allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in 19 of his last 21 starts at Kauffman Stadium dating back to Sept. 30, 2010, a stretch in which he owns a 2.23 ERA (30 ER in 121.1 IP), including 6 starts as a visitor from 2012-21…he allowed just 2 home runs in 66.0 innings at Kauffman Stadium in 2022 for a 0.14 HR/9, the best home mark in the Majors (min. 10 starts)…Zack has allowed just 1 HR in his last 16 starts at Kauffman Stadium, which dates back to 2019, and he has not allowed a homer in his last 44.2 innings in this ballpark dating back to June 29, 2022 vs. Texas

MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (5-10) at Cincinnati Reds (6-8)

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MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (5-10) at Cincinnati Reds (6-8)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:

GAME #15 RECAP: The Phillies fell to the Cincinnati Reds, 13-0, in a Saturday matinee at GABP … Starter Matt Strahm (L, 1-1) went 2.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts … The Phillies went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and were shut out for the first time this year.

GO NOLES: Starter Aaron Nola enters today’s game in the top 10 in Phillies franchise history in double-digit strikeout games (4th with 27 – Cole Hamels ranks 3rd with 29), strikeouts (7th at 1,395 – HOF Grover Cleveland Alexander ranks 6th at 1,409) and games started (10th at 206 – HOF Jim Bunning ranks 9th at 208).

FEELING SLG-ISH: The Phils enter play today with 55 extra-base hits (36 2B, 6 3B, 13 HR) which ranks T-2nd in MLB (with LAD), trailing only the Rays (65 XBH) … Philadelphia’s .444 SLG ranks 5th in MLB behind the Rays (.548), Dodgers (.464), Atlanta (.461) and the Orioles (.455) … Philadelphia’s 55 extra-base hits are the second most ever by a Phillies club through the first 15 games of a season in the modern era (since 1900), short of only the 2010 club who had 56 extra-base hits through 15 games … The Phillies are up to 36 doubles this year which ranks 2nd in MLB, behind only the White Sox (38 2B) … Philadelphia’s 36 doubles through the first 15 games are tied for the second-most by a Phillies club in the modern era (with 1933), trailing only the 2010 club (37 2B) … The Phillies have hit at least one double in each of their first 15 games which is tied for the second-longest streak to open a season for a Phils club in the modern era (also 1916), behind only a 22-game double streak to open the 2002 season.

GREAT STOTT!: INF Bryson Stott has hit safely in all 15 games this year – with a base hit today he would tie the Phillies modern day franchise record for consecutive games with a hit to begin a season – Puddin’ Head Jones hit safely in 16 straight games to begin the 1950 season … This
season, Stott has multiple hits in nine of his 15 games, including five of the last eight (since 4/8) … Stott is 8-for-24 off left-handers (.333 AVG) and 16-for-40 off right-handers (.400 AVG) … Additionally, Stott became the first MLB player with nine multi-hit games in his first 12 games of a season since Matt Carpenter did so in 2015 (also 9 of first 12) … Stott is the first Phillies player with nine multi-hit games in his first 12 games since Jeff Stone in 1984 (also 9 of 12) … Since last year’s All-Star break, Stott has played 79 games and is slashing .298/.342/.419 in 311 plate appearances.

SAINT NICK: Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos picked up his fifth outfield assist in his ninth game in right field this season on April 12 vs MIA … Per Elias, Castellanos became the first Phillies outfielder to reach five assists in so few games in the expansion era (since 1961) and he is the first MLB outfielder to reach five assists in so few games since MIL’s Matt Mieske in 1997 (also 5 OF assists in 9 games) …Castellanos leads MLB in outfield assists (next: Acuna, Teoscar Hernandez and James Outman T-2nd with 3) … Castellanos leads the Phillies in defensive runs saved (DRS) with three (next: Realmuto & Falter with 2 DRS) and he ranks 4th among ML right fielders … At the plate, Castellanos had seven doubles through his first 10 games played and became only the fourth Phillies player with seven or more doubles through 10 games in the modern era (since 1900), joining John Kruk in 1993 (7 2B), Bake McBride in 1981 (8 2B) and Puddin’ Head Jones in 1949 (7 2B).

CASTY’S BACK, TELL A FRIEND: In 112 career games at Great American Ball Park, Nick Castellanos is slashing .313/.369/.635 with a 1.004 OPS in 469 plate appearances … He has 65 extra-base hits (28 2B, 2 3B, 35 HR) and 97 RBI in those 112 games … There have been 49 major league players with at least 400 plate appearances in the history of Great American Ball Park (since 2003), and of those 49, Castellanos’ .635 SLG ranks 1st (next: Rich Aurilla, .559 SLG) and his 1.004 OPS ranks 1st (next: Shin-soo Choo, .960 OPS) … Castellanos has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games at GABP (since 9/24/21) and over his last 63 games (since 5/2/21), he is slashing .357/.405/.668 with 63 RBI in 264 plate appearances at GABP.

STRIKE ONE, STRIKE TWO, GOOD LUCK: Wednesday against the Marlins at CBP, LHP Jose Alvarado became the first major league relief pitcher in the expansion era (since 1961) to strike out 11 consecutive batters in a single season … Eric Gagne (2003) and Chad Green (2019) were the only two to reach 10 straight, prior to Alvarado … Alvarado has multiple strikeouts in each of his last 13 appearances (since 9/13/22), and in that span, has 32 strikeouts to just one walk in 14.0 total innings pitched with a 65.3% strikeout rate (49 batters faced) … Alvarado has faced 23 batters this season – he has struck out 16 of them without allowing a walk.

50 SCHWARBOMBS: Thursday night, Kyle Schwarber hit his 50th career home run as a Phillie (regular season only) and became the fastest in franchise history to reach 50, doing so in his 168th game … Schwarber eclipsed Jim Thome’s previous franchise record of 50 HR in his first 172 games with the club … Ryan Howard (50 HR in 182 G) ranks 3rd, Rhys Hoskins (50 HR in 192 G) ranks 4th and Chuck Klein (50 HR in 195 G) ranks 5th … Of Schwarber’s 50 regular season home runs with the Phillies, 47 have been hit with an exit velocity north of 100.0 MPH (94%) and 16 of those 50 have been hit over 110.0 MPH (32%) … Schwarber hit six home runs in the postseason last year which included a 119.7 MPH shot off SD’s Yu Darvish in Game 1 of the NLCS

NEW TONIGHT, AT (THE) 6: On 12/8/22, the Phillies signed SS Trea Turner to an 11-year contract, taking him through the 2033 season … Last year with LAD, Turner was selected as an All-Star for the second time in his career, was named All-MLB First Team and won his first career Louisville Silver Slugger Award after slashing .298/.343/.466 with a 121 OPS+ and 27 steals in 30 attempts … Per Statcast, his average sprint speed of 30.3 feet per second ranked 5th out of 582 qualified players … In 2021, Turner led the majors in AVG (.328) and hits (195), led the NL in stolen bases (32) and total bases (319) and posted a career-best 6.8 fWAR (FanGraphs) which ranked 3rd among all ML position players.

TODAY’S STARTER – AARON NOLA • RHP #27
LAST START: 4/11 vs MIA: L, 5.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, HR … Nola vs Luzardo … The Phillies fell to the Miami Marlins, 8-4, at CBP … Kyle Schwarber homered and Bryson Stott had another multi-hit game and raised his season AVG to .422 … Marlins infielder Luis Arraez hit for the cycle, the fifth in CBP’s history.

TODAY’S START:
• Big Red Machine: The last time Nola faced CIN, on 8/25/22 at CBP, he threw the 2nd 9.0-inn. shutout of his career, striking out 11 while walking none … It was his 26th career double-digit strikeout performance, which moved him into 4th on the Phillies all-time list behind Steve Carlton (70), Curt Schilling (48) and Cole Hamels (29)

• Moving Up The Ladder: After today, Nola needs one more start to tie Jim Bunning on the Phillies all-time list with 208 starts … He could also pass Larry Christenson (220) for 8th and Curt Schilling (226) for 7th this season

• Nothing Is Free: Nola did not walk a batter in his last start, and has issued just 3 in his 3 starts this season … Nola’s 33 starts with 2 or fewer walks since the start of last year are tied for the most in MLB with Jordan Montgomery, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios … His 13 starts with 0 walks issued are T2nd most behind only Corey Kluber (15)

• To the Nines: Nola is in his 9th season as a Phillie, becoming the 7th pitcher in franchise history to make a start in 9 straight seasons for the club, and joining Cole Hamels (10) as the only Phillies draft picks to do since Larry Christensen made starts for his 9th straight year with the team in 1981

• vs NL Central: 22-10, 3.32 ERA (97 ER, 263.1 IP) in 42 starts

ROAD:
• 2023: 0-1, 7.45 ERA (8 ER, 9.2 IP) in 2 starts

• Career: 34-39, 4.10 ERA (278 ER, 610.1 IP) in 104 starts

2023 SEASON:
• Made his 6th straight Opening Day, extending his MLB-best active streak of Opening Day starts

• Was the first pitcher in baseball to make 6 straight Opening Day starts since Julio Teheran in made his 6th consecutive for ATL in 2019, and joins Robin Roberts (12) and Steve Carlton (10) as the only Phillies to do so

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

RED HOTS
• Yesterday’s 13-0 win vs Phi was the Reds’ largest shutout victory since 4/9/19 vs Mia (14-0 win).

• Yesterday’s 13-run win was the Reds’ largest margin of victory since 5/26/22 vs Cubs (20-5 win)…established season highs in runs and hits.

• Yesterday the Reds returned from a rehabilitation assignment 1B Joey Votto, who is recovering from 8/19/22 surgeries to repair the torn left
biceps and torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder…from 4/1-4/14 made 10 rehab apps with Louisville (9gs at 1B, 1gs at DH, 45pa, 7-38, .184, 2 2b, solo HR, 5rbi, 6bb, 21k)…will continue his rehab in Cincinnati.

TODAY’S GAME
• Is Game 4 (2-1) of a 4-game series vs Liam Castellanos’ Phillies and Game 4 (2-1) of a 7-game homestand that includes an upcoming 3-game series vs the American League East Division’s Tampa Bay Rays, who will play here for the second straight season.

SERIES NOTES
• The Reds and Phillies are meeting for the second consecutive weekend.

• The Reds are 36-31 all-time vs Phi at Great American Ball Park, including 20-9 in the last 29 games here.

• Last weekend at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies earned a 2-1 series win in their first home games of the season.

• With a minimum of 50 games played, the Reds’ .328 winning percentage at Phi’s Citizens Bank Park (21-43) is their lowest at any road ballpark.

• The Reds went 3-14-2 in their 19 previous series vs the Phillies at CBP, their only series wins there in August 2006, May 2017 & August 2021.

• Since May 2014, the Reds have lost 19 of their last 27 games at CBP.

RAYS UP NEXT
• The Reds are 13-5 all-time vs the Rays, including 3-0 here last season and 7-2 overall in Cincinnati.

• The Reds’ 18 games vs the Rays are tied for their fourth-fewest vs any opponent in the American League (Orioles 15, Angels 16, Red Sox 17, Mariners 18, Rangers 19).

• Overall the Reds won 4 of the previous 6 series vs the Rays, including 3-game series sweeps in June 2003 at Tropicana Field, June 2005 at
Great American Ball Park and July 2022 at GABP.

• Dating back to the 2014 season, the Reds have won the last 4 games vs TB at GABP, including last season’s 3-0 series sweep here in July.

• The Rays last won in Cincinnati on 4/12/14 (1-0 win).

• From 1997-2022 the Redlegs went 188-247 vs the American League, at .432 the lowest interleague winning percentage of any Major League team…in 2022 the Reds went 12-8 vs AL teams (0-2 vs Cle, 2-0 at Cle, 1-2 at Tor, 1-1 at Bos, 3-0 vs TB, 2-1 at NYY, 2-1 vs Bal, 1-1 vs Bos)…was their first winning record vs the American League since 2013 (11-9)…in the 8 seasons between the 2013 & 2022 season series wins, the Reds went 61-99 vs AL teams (.381).

LEADING OFF
• In the first inning, Reds batters lead the Major Leagues in on-base percentage (.446) while ranking second in batting average (.368, Atl .412) and T5th in runs scored (12).

• When leading off the Reds’ half of the first inning, Jonathan India is hitting .500 (.571obp, .917slg, 6-12, 2bb, 2 2b, 1hr, 6r)…his 6 runs scored in the first inning tie Sea’s Julio Rodriguez for the most by a leadoff hitter in the Major Leagues… NYY’s Aaron Judge leads all batters, regardless of spot in the order, with 7 runs scored in the first inning.

REHABBING
• RHP Lucas Sims (low back spasms) is with Louisville on a rehabilitation assignment (3g, 0-0, 0.00, 3ip, 1h, 0r, 2bb, 3k, 1.00whip, .100baa)…in last night’s 7-3 Bats win at Toledo threw a scoreless eighth inning (1bb, 4bf, 21 pitches)…is scheduled to pitch again today at Toledo.

• RHP Luke Weaver (right elbow flexor strain) is assigned to Louisville on rehab (2gs, 9ip, 3h, 3er, 4bb, 9k, 1hr)…started and threw 4.0 hitless innings in the 8-1 loss on 4/9 vs Indianapolis (2bb, 4k, 14bf, 61 pitches)…started Fri’s 7-6 loss at Toledo (5ip, 3h, 3er, 2bb, 5k, Andy Ibáñez solo HR, 1wp, 19 batters, 79 pitches)…could make his next start for the Reds, possibly Wed vs the Rays.

Today’s Pitcher – #85 Luis Cessa, RHP
• This afternoon is making his third appearance and start of the season…will be his eighth appearance and third career start vs the Phillies.

• In the fourth inning of Tue’s 7-5 loss at Atl, allowed Ozzie Albies’ 100th career home run (2-run).

• Made his fifth Opening Day roster (2016, 2019, 2021 for NYY and 2022, 2023 for Cin).

• In 2022, in his second season with the Reds went 1-3, 4.30 in a career-high 10 starts and 3-1, 4.91 in 36 relief apps.

• In August 2022 joined and remained in the rotation after the Reds lost to trade or injury starting pitchers RHP Luis Castillo (to the Mariners), RHP Tyler Mahle (to the Twins), RHP Robert Dugger (right shoulder pain), RHP Hunter Greene (right shoulder strain), RHP Graham Ashcraft (right biceps soreness), RHP T.J. Zeuch (back soreness), RHP Justin Dunn (right shoulder tightness) and LHP Mike Minor (left shoulder soreness).

• Beginning 8/22 at Phi made his last 9 apps of the 2022 season as a starter (1-3, 3.77, .226baa).

• Between games of the day/night doubleheader vs Pit on 7/7/22 went on the 15-day injured list with a left intercostalis muscle train…missed 20 games (13-7) until he was reinstated on 8/2, after RHP Tyler Mahle was traded to the Twins.

• After he came off the 15-day IL on 8/2, posted a 3.26 ERA (.211baa) in his last 15 apps and 9 starts of the season.

• During 2023 spring training made 1 appearance for Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

• Pitched the sixth and seventh innings of Mexico’s 10-inning, 5-4 loss vs Colombia in Arizona Pool C (2ip, 2h, 1er, 0bb, 1k, 25 pitches).

• Returned to the Reds after Mexico’s 5-4 quarterfinal win vs Puerto Rico and finished the spring with 1 “A” game appearance, started and received no decision in the 4-3 loss at Mil (3ip, 2h, 2er, 1bb, 2k).

• Is the only player, manager or coach in Reds history to wear uniform #85.

MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (13-2) at Toronto Blue Jays (10-5)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (13-2) at Toronto Blue Jays (10-5)

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

YESTERDAY’S RECAP — The Rays dropped their second consecutive game in Toronto on Saturday afternoon, 5-2…2B Taylor Walls went deep in the fourth inning, his first homer of the season, before LF Randy Arozarena recorded his 17th RBI on a groundout in the seventh…the Rays brought the go-ahead run to the plate with the bases loaded in the ninth inning but were unable to score.

RHP Calvin Faucher (2.2IP, 2H, ER, BB, 2SO) made his first career start as an opener, followed by RHP Trevor Kelley (2.0IP, 2H, 2ER, BB) and LHP Josh Fleming (3.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 4BB, SO).

Walls’ homer marked his first long ball since 9/30/22 at Houston…12 different players have now homered for the Rays this season, most in the majors, ahead of San Francisco (11 players).

GOING, GOING, GONE — Tampa Bay has hit 35 home runs, third most through a team’s first 15 games of a season in MLB history behind the 2019 Seattle Mariners and 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (36HR each)…the Rays would need four homers today to match the record for most homers through 16 games (39HR), set by the 2000 Cardinals…Tampa Bay has already registered three 4+ homer games (4/4 at WSH, 4/7 vs. OAK and 4/11 vs. BOS) after recording only one such contest in 2022 (6/21/22 vs. NYY)

Tampa Bay has homered in each of its first 15 games, the second-longest streak to open a season in MLB history behind only the 2019 Mariners’ 20-game run… marks the Rays’ longest streak at any point in a single season since an 18-game streak from 8/19-9/8, 2017.

BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL—The Rays lead MLB in both runs scored (106) and fewest runs allowed (41)…since 2018, only the Rays and the 2022 Dodgers (2x, last 7/28-8/18, 2022) have scored 106+ runs while permitting 41-or-fewer runs over a 15-game span at any point in a season.

Tampa Bay’s +65 run differential is the second-best mark through 15 games in MLB’s Modern Era (since 1900), trailing only the 1905 New York Giants (+69)…the Giants currently hold the record through 16 games (+73).

Tampa Bay’s 106 runs scored are its most through 15 games in club history, ahead of the 2010 Rays (83R)…the last major league club to score more runs through 15 games was Seattle in 2019 (117R).

The Rays’ 41 runs allowed are second-fewest through 15 games in club history, behind the 2019 team (36R).

BUSINESS AS USUAL — Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has produced the second-best ERA in the majors at 2.64, trailing only Minnesota (2.62)…this includes the second-best starter ERA (2.68) behind Minnesota (2.55) and third-best bullpen ERA (2.59) behind Milwaukee (2.17) and New York-AL (2.36)…Rays pitchers rank among MLB leaders in opponents’ OPS (1st, .561), FIP (1st, 3.25), first-pitch strike pct. (1st, 65.3%), opponents’ average (2nd, .199), WHIP (2nd, 1.05), fewest pitches per IP (2nd, 15.9) and SO/BB ratio (7th, 2.98).

Tampa Bay has allowed just seven home runs across 133.0 innings, good for an MLB-best 0.47 HR/9.0IP…marks the fewest homers allowed through 15 games in franchise history, ahead of the 2014 and 2019 Rays (10HR each).

Rays pitchers have allowed the third-lowest average exit velocity (87.3 mph) and the second-lowest hard-hit pct. (33.0%) in MLB (pct. of batted balls hit at 95+ mph).

REWRITING HISTORY — Prior to Friday night’s loss, the Rays became the fourth team in MLB history to begin a season 13-0, joining the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers (13-0), 1982 Atlanta Braves (13-0) and 1884 St. Louis Maroons (20-0)…marked the longest win streak in club history, surpassing a 12-game run from 6/9-22, 2004.

The Rays won each of their first nine games by 4+ runs, the second-longest streak to open a season in MLB history behind the 1884 Maroons (13 straight)… ties the fourth-longest overall streak of 4+ run wins in MLB history and marks the longest since the 1939 New York Yankees (10G, 8/20-28, 1939).

Tampa Bay pitching strung together a 32.0 scoreless inning streak from 4/8-11, the longest streak in club history and longest single-season streak in MLB since St. Louis from 8/5-9, 2015 (38.0IP)…the streak included a franchise-record three consecutive shutouts (4/8-10) — Tampa Bay became the first club to record three straight shutouts within a single season since Cleveland in 2017 (8/25-27, 2017).

The Rays turned in back-to-back 11-0 wins over Oakland, 4/8-9, becoming the fourth team in MLB history to record consecutive shutout wins, both by 11+ runs, joining Baltimore in 2019 (6/28-29, 2019), Detroit in 1936 (9/22/36) and the 1885 New York Giants (3G, 5/25/28, 1885).

Through their first 11 games of the season, the Rays had hit 29 homers and allowed only 20 runs…per Elias, that marked the highest difference between home runs hit and runs allowed at any point in a season in MLB history.

NORTH OF THE BORDER — The Rays and Blue Jays meet for the third of 13 games this season this afternoon at Rogers Cetnre…Tampa Bay went 10-9 against Toronto in 2022, outscoring the Blue Jays, 82-73 (+9), but has dropped each of the first two matchups this season…the clubs split their 10 meetings at Rogers Centre last year despite the Rays posting a +7 (47-40) run differential in those games.

The Rays have dropped four straight to the Blue Jays (9/24/22-pres.), their first four-game losing streak to Toronto since 7/19-10/2, 2015 (5G).

WANDER STRUCK — Following his double on Saturday afternoon, Wander Franco paces the majors with 12 extra-base hits…marks the second most extra-base hits through a player’s first 15 games of a season in Rays history, trailing only Evan Longoria (13XBH) in 2009…with an extra-base hit today, Franco would tie Longoria’s franchise mark through 16 games (13).

Wander has collected six multi-hit games this season, most on the club and tied for sixth most in the AL…has also recorded a trio of 3+ hit games, tied for second most in the AL behind TOR Matt Chapman (4G).

SPREADING THE WEALTH — The Rays have an MLB-leading 11 players with multiple homers: Brandon Lowe (5HR), Yandy Díaz (4HR), Wander Franco (4HR), Randy Arozarena (3HR), Isaac Paredes (3HR), Luke Raley (3HR), Harold Ramírez (3HR), Christian Bethancourt (2HR), Josh Lowe (2HR), Manuel Margot (2HR) and Jose Siri (2HR)…the next closest team is San Francisco (9 players).

TODAY’S STARTER: LHP SHANE McCLANAHAN (3-0, 1.59)
SUGAR SHANE — The left-hander takes the ball this afternoon for his fourth start of the campaign, including his second outing on the road…is searching for his fourth victory in as many starts, which would mark his most consecutive wins since 5/17-6/9, 2022 (5G)…was originally selected by the Rays in the first round (31st overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft.

LAST START — McClanahan earned the win on 4/11 vs. Boston after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing a run on two hits and four walks with a season-high nine strikeouts.

His four walks in the outing tied a career high (3x, last: 4/5 at WSH)…marked the first time in his career that McClanahan has recorded 4+ walks in consecutive starts…the nine strikeouts were his most in six career starts vs. Boston (prev. 8 on 9/2/21).

SINGING THE BLUES — McClanahan has gone 2-2 with a 2.87 ERA (31.1IP, 10ER) in six career starts against the Blue Jays.

Took the loss in his last matchup with Toronto on 9/25/22 at Tropicana Field…threw 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, two walks and a career-high three home runs with two strikeouts.

Earned the win in his last start at Rogers Centre on 9/15/22…tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and a walk with five strikeouts.

VS. AL EAST — McClanahan has thrived against divisional opponents in his career, pitching to an 12-6 mark with a 2.71 ERA (136.1IP, 41ER) in 25 starts against the AL East…his 2.06 ERA (65.2IP, 15ER) against the division in 2022 was second-best in the majors (min. 50.0IP vs. AL East), trailing only TOR Alek Manoah (1.90).

Has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14 of his last 15 starts against division rivals dating back to 9/8/21, turning in a 7-2 record to go with a 1.94 ERA (78.2IP, 17ER) in those games.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN — In 23 career road starts, has gone 7-6 with a 2.72 ER (125.2IP, 38ER)…went 3-3 with a 2.08 ERA (60.2IP, 14ER) in 10 road starts last season.

Has made four career starts at Rogers Centre, going 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA (22.2IP, 5ER)…in two starts last year, McClanahan went 2-0 in Toronto, allowing one run across 12.0 innings with 15 strikeouts against two walks.

FULL SPEED AHEAD — McClanahan’s four-seam fastball has clocked in at an average velocity of 97.4 mph this season, second-fastest among AL starting pitchers’ fastballs behind TEX Jacob deGrom (98.8 mph) and fifth-fastest among MLB starters (min. 50 FB thrown)…since breaking into the majors in 2021, his 96.6 mph average velocity on his fastball is eighth-fastest in MLB, including third among southpaws (min. 1,500 FB thrown) behind only José Alvarado (97.8 mph) and Gregory Soto (98.3 mph).

CHANGING IT UP — McClanahan threw his changeup on 25.4 pct. of his pitches last season compared to 8.0 percent in 2021…opponents hit just .145 (24-for-166) and produced only four extra-base hits (3 2B, 1 HR) against the offering…he posted a 44.6 whiff pct. on his changeup and 61 of his 194 strikeouts (31.4 pct.) came on the pitch.

Through his first three starts in 2023, McClanahan has thrown his changeup 22.5 pct. of the time, registering a 33.3 pct. whiff rate on the pitch.

OPENING DAY SHANE — McClanahan was named the Rays’ Opening Day starter by manager Kevin Cash on 3/24…McClanahan is the first Rays pitcher to make consecutive Opening Day starts since Chris Archer made four straight from 2015-2018 and is the sixth to do so in club history (also: David Price, 2013-2014; James Shields, 2008-2010; Scott Kazmir, 2006-2007; Wilson Álvarez, 1998-1999).

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR — In 2022, McClanahan became the second pitcher in club history to start an All-Star Game, following David Price in 2010…McClanahan became the ninth Rays starting pitcher to make an All-Star Team, joining Charlie Morton (2019), Blake Snell (2018), Chris Archer (2015, 2017), David Price (2010-12, 2014), Matt Moore (2013), James Shields (2011), Scott Kazmir (2006, 2008) and Rolando Arrojo (1998)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays scored runs in four different frames to take down the Rays, 5-2, yesterday afternoon…Won a game while being outhit (8-7) for the 1st time this season. Toronto has now won nine of its last 11 contests…Has claimed its 4th straight series…Can earn its 1st series sweep with a win this afternoon (recorded seven sweeps last season).

WHAT DO YUSEI: Yusei Kikuchi allowed a lone run over 6.0 innings of work yesterday, giving up four hits and a walk while striking out nine batters – his most in 35 games as a Blue Jay…Completed 6.0 frames for the first time since June 30, 2022 vs. TB…Induced 13 swing-and-misses on 94 pitches (67 strikes).

JUST BO WITH IT: Bo Bichette opened the scoring yesterday with an RBI groundout in the 3rd inning…Became the 2nd-fastest player in franchise history to reach 250 career RBI, doing so in 408 games, behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who reached the mark in 403 games. The 25-year old has hits in 12 of the 15 games so far, going 25-for-68 (.368) with four doubles, four homers, 11 RBI, and 11 runs scored…The 25 hits are the most in the Majors while his 41 total bases are tied for the most in MLB…Among AL batters, currently ranks 3rd in AVG and 10th in SLG (.603).

KIRKY CLICKING: Alejandro Kirk reached base safely in each of his four plate appearances yesterday, finishing 2-for-2 with an RBI, a pair of singles, a walk, and a hit by pitch…Has upped his on-base percentage to .395 while going 9-for-34 (.265) with a homer, nine RBI, and a 7BB/6K ratio…Last season, struck out just 58 times over 541 PA while drawing 63 walks as his 9.33 PA/K was 4th best among qualified MLB hitters.

STICK WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield drove in a run yesterday with a 4thinning double…Has four RBI in his last four contests… Has reached base safely in all 11 of his games played this season, batting .250 (10-for-40) with two doubles, six RBI, and three walks.

GETTING ON WITH IT: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled and walked as part of a 1-for-3 afternoon…Has reached base safely in all but one game this season, now 23-for-59 with a double, two homers, seven RBI, and an 8BB/5K ratio for a .390 AVG (2nd in the AL), a .471 OBP (3rd) and a .980 OPS (16th)…The 23 hits are 3rd most among AL batters, trailing only teammates Bo Bichette (25) and Matt Chapman (24)…Has recorded 31 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this year, the most in MLB.

ROMANO-MATIC: Jordan Romano used a pair of punchouts and a groundout to escape a bases-loaded jam and close out yesterday’s game…Now has six saves to lead the Majors (2nd: Emmanuel Clase – 5)…Led the AL last year with 10 saves in the opening month of the season.

HOME SWEET DOME: The Blue Jays are playing their 1st homestand of the 2023 campaign (4-1 so far)…Their .580 win% (47-34) at home last season ranked 4th in the AL…Will head back out on the road for a six-game road trip beginning to visit the Astros (7-8) and the Yankees (9-6) for three games each. Toronto batters finished 2nd in the AL in 2022 in home AVG (.261), 4th in home OBP (.326), 4th in home SLG (.434), and 4th in home OPS (.760)…The pitching staff posted a 4.04 ERA during home contests (10th in the AL) with a .248 opponents’ AVG (11th) and a 1.23
WHIP (8th).

DANNY DIALING IN: Danny Jansen singled in the 3rd and 4th innings before being intentionally walked in the 6th, finishing the afternoon 2-for-3 with an RBI…Was his 1st multi-hit game of the season.

HITTING IT: The Blue Jays are 1st in the Majors with a team batting average of .282 (2nd: TB – .279)…Have also notched an MLB-high 150 hits (2nd: ATL – 146)… Currently rank 3rd in the AL in OBP (.350) and OPS (.770) while sitting 5th in SLG (.420)…Have had an AL-high 208 batters reach base safely (2nd in MLB)…Are now on a streak of 30 games with 8+ runners on base, the longest of all MLB clubs (courtesy Stats Perform).

THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 10 Defensive Runs Saved to lead all AL teams (3rd in MLB)…The group is led by an MLB-high five runs saved in center field, three of which have come from Kevin Kiermaier.

SEEING FAMILIAR FACES: Toronto is playing its first divisional games of the 2023 season…Marks the furthest the club has gone into a campaign without an AL East opponent since 2009, when they met the Orioles for Game 25 on May 1. The Jays have now won 22 of their last 32 games

vs. AL East foes…Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division (NYY – .618) and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006 (43-31).

VS. THE RAYS: All-Time: 202-238
2023: 2-0 Home: 115-105
Home: 2-0 Rogers Centre: 112-98
The Blue Jays went 9-10 vs. the Rays last season, splitting the 10 games here at Rogers Centre…Last won a season series in 2017 (10-9)…Have a chance to sweep the Rays for the first time since Sept. 25-27, 2015. Whit Merrifield went 12-for-32 (.375) with five doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI in his 10 games vs. Tampa Bay last season (1.206 OPS)…In 40 career meetings, is hitting .322 (49-for-152) with 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 26 RBI (.968 OPS). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has reached base safely in each of his last 17 games against the Rays, going 19-for71 (.268) with five doubles, two homers, 11 RBI, and three walks…Is tied for the longest active streak vs. TB (Tim Anderson – 17G)…Has hit .257 (64-for-249) with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, and 35 RBI across 63 games against them (.790 OPS). Kevin Kiermaier is facing his former club for the 1st time…Was drafted by the Rays in 2010 and played 10 seasons there, winning three Gold Glove Awards and one Platinum Glove Award…Batted .248 with 273 extra-base hits and 316 RBI over 914 games.

STARTING PITCHER – Alek Manoah, RHP #6
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 4th start of the season and his 2nd at home…Took a no-decision in the team’s Home Opener on 4/11 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks over 4.1 innings with 3 strikeouts…Became the 5th pitcher in team history to pitch the club’s Season Opener and then their Home Opener, joining Jim Clancy (1981), Jimmy Key (1989), Marcus Stroman (2016), and Hyun Jin Ryu (2020).

Has pitched into the 6th inning in 17 of his last 18 home games, posting a 9-4 record over that stretch with a 2.33 ERA (30 ER/116.0 IP) and a 0.87 WHIP while holding hitters to a .176 average.

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Earned his 1st win of the year on 4/5 at KC, tossing 7.0 frames of one-hit, shutout ball with four walks and five strikeouts.

Was the Opening Day starter for the Blue Jays on 3/30 at STL…Took a no-decision that day, giving up 5 runs on a career-high 9 hits and 2 walks over 3.1 innings with 3 strikeouts… At 25 years and 80 days old, became the 4th-youngest Opening Day starter in team history (Drew Hutchison – 24.227 in 2015; Todd Stottlemyre – 24.324 in 1990; Marcus Stroman 24.338 in 2016).

2022 HIGHLIGHTS: His career 1.01 WHIP was the 2nd lowest all-time by an AL pitcher in his first two big league seasons, trailing only Walter Johnson’s 0.98 mark in 1907-1908 (min. 40 starts)…courtesy Stats Perform.

Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting, behind only Houston’s Justin Verlander and Chicago’s Dylan Cease.

Named an All-Star for the 1st time in his career…Pitched a scoreless 2nd inning in the Midsummer Classic, notching 3 punchouts and a hit batter on 18 pitches (13 strikes)…Joined Dave Stieb as the only pitchers in franchise history to strike out at least 3 batters in a single All-Star Game (Stieb – 4K in 1983).

Ranked 3rd among qualified AL pitchers in both ERA (2.24) and wins (16)…Also ranked 4th in the AL in innings pitched (196.2), 4th in WHIP (0.99), and 5th in opponent batting average (.202)…Became the 6th AL pitcher since 1920 to turn in a sub-1.00 WHIP under age 25…His 0.99 WHIP was the best in team history (2nd: Roger Clemens – 1.03 in 1997) while his 2.24 ERA ranked 2nd (1st: Clemens – 2.05 in 1997).

His 25 quality starts tied with Yu Darvish for 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Framber Valdez’s 26.

Held right-handed hitters to a .159 AVG, 2nd best in the AL (3rd in MLB).

Won his 8th game of the year on 6/13 vs. BAL, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings while giving up a hit and a walk and 7 strikeouts…Became the 7th
player in the modern era (since 1901) to win at least 17 of his first 20 career decisions as a starter (17-3), and the first since Vida Blue went 17-3 from 1969-1971.

Picked up his 11th win on 7/23 at BOS, throwing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 7 hits, no walks, and 7 strikeouts…Earned his 20th win in his 39th career game, becoming the 2nd-fastest in Blue Jays history to reach the mark (1st: Juan Guzman – 38 games).

Earned his 15th win on 9/24 at TB…Tossed 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts…His 303 strikeouts were the most in franchise history by a player in his first 50 career games (2nd: Juan Guzmán – 279).

Made his 1st career postseason start in Game 1 of the ALWC vs. SEA on 10/7…Was the 7th Blue Jay pitcher under the age of 25 to make a postseason start, and the 1st since Aaron Sanchez in Game 4 of the 2016 ALCS vs. CLE (10/18/16)…Gave up 4ER on 4H and a walk over 5.2 IP.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS: In 2021, led MLB rookies (min. 10 starts) in WHIP (1.05), AVG (.192), and opponents’ OPS (.604), while 2nd in ERA, 3rd in K rate (27.7%) and 4th in SO/9 (10.24)…Became the 4th pitcher aged 23 or younger to average at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his debut season, joining Mark Prior (2002), Kerry Wood (1998) and Dwight Gooden (1984). Named AL Rookie of the Month for Sept./Oct. 2021, going 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 37.1 innings (six starts)…Was the the first Blue Jay to win the award since Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in July of 2018, and the first Toronto pitcher since Scott Richmond in April of 2009. Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.

VS. THE RAYS: Facing the Rays for the 8th time in his career…Met TB 3 times last year, surrendering just 3 runs over 19.2 innings (1.37 ERA) with 4 walks and 17 strikeouts…His career 1.42 ERA against the Rays is the best among active pitchers with at least 4 starts vs. TB…Has faced 175 Tampa batters in his career, giving up just 2 home runs while striking out 53 and holding hitters to a .168 AVG (0.90 WHIP).

MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (8-7) at Miami Marlins (8-7)

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MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (8-7) at Miami Marlins (8-7)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs are tied for first place in the NL West with the Dodgers, 0.5 game ahead of the Padres, and have been in or tied for first place since April 8.

♦ The D-backs are 7-5 in their last 12 games vs. Marlins, since May 10, 2021, including a 3-2 road record.

♦ Zac Gallen, in his last start, tossed 7.0 shutout innings (3 H, 1 BB, 11 K) in a 3-0 win vs. Brewers on April 10.

♦ Nick Ahmed has hit safely in 7 of 9 games overall at a .367 clip (11-for-30)/.800 OPS with 2 doubles, 4 RBI and 3 stolen bases… had a 7-game hitting streak from April 1-14 (.455, 10-for-22/.955 OPS).

♦ Josh Rojas has hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games at a .471 clip (16-for-34)/1.131 OPS with 5 doubles, 6 RBI, 4 walks and 2 stolen bases.

♦ Geraldo Perdomo, in 8 starts, is hitting .429 (9-for21)/1.270 OPS with 3 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBI, 5 walks and 1 stolen base.

BROADCAST UPDATES
♦ A trio of upcoming D-backs broadcasts have been moved due to the Suns NBA Playoff schedule with the telecasts moving to Bally Sports Arizona Extra and the radio broadcasts shifting to ESPN Phoenix 620 AM…the games are:
• Tuesday, April 18 @ Cardinals – 4:45 p.m.
• Thursday, April 20 vs. Padres – 6:40 p.m.
• Saturday, April 22 vs. Padres – 5:10 p.m.

PERFECT OUTTA THE ‘PEN
♦ Andrew Chafi n has not allowed a run in his 7 outings (6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K) and is 1 of 12 relievers in the Majors with 6-or-more scoreless outings:
Jesse Chavez/ATL (8), Colin Holderman/PIT (7), David Robertson/NYM (7),
Tyler Rogers/SF (7), Dylan Floro/MIA (6), Mark Leiter Jr./CHI (6), Phil Maton/
HOU (6), Shelby Miller/LAD (6), Wandy Peralta/NYY (6), Gabe Speier/SEA (6) and Peter Strzelecki/MIL (6).

ABOUT THE OFFENSE
♦ Among all teams since April 7, the D-backs are first with a .288 average, second with a .453 SLG, fourth with 79 hits, fifth with a .787 OPS and 29 extra-base hits and tied for eighth with 43 runs.

♦ This season, the D-backs’ 31 doubles are fourth in the Majors behind the White Sox (38), Phillies (36), Mariners (34).

♦ The D-backs’ 18 stolen bases are tied for third in the Majors with the Pirates behind the Guardians (24) and Orioles (22).

RUNS BEING SAVED
♦ The D-backs’ 11 Defensive Runs Saved are second in the Majors, behind the Brewers (17) and ahead of the Blue Jays (10), Twins (9), Mets (9) and Mariners (8).

♦ Gabriel Moreno’s 4 defensive runs saved are tied for the most among catchers with Christian Vazquez/MIN, Connor Wong/BOS and William Contreras/MIL.

♦ Jake McCarthy’s 2 defensive runs saved are tied for ninth among outfi elders [min. 75 innings].

RUN AT YOUR OWN RISK
♦ Gabriel Moreno’s 4 caught stealings (CS) are tied for second in the Majors (also: Willson Contreras/STL) behind J.T. Realmuto/PHI (5) while his 66.7 pct. caught stealing pct. (4-of-6) is second to Yan Gomes/CHI (100.0%; 2-of-2) [min. 7 G].

FOR THE TAKING
♦ The D-backs’ 59 pct. extra bases taken percentage leads the Majors, ahead of the Braves (58%), Red Sox (52%), Reds (52%) and Royals (50%).

Percentage runner advanced more than 1 base on single or 2+ bases on a double.

ON DECK: CARDINALS
♦ The D-backs split their 4-game series @ Cardinals last April 28-May 1.

TODAY’S STARTER – #23 RHP ZAC GALLEN
AT A GLANCE: Is in his fourth full season with the D-backs.
• 2022 D-backs Most Valuable Pitcher by the Arizona Chapter of the BBWAA after going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA.

• Finished fi fth in the NL Cy Young Award voting, behind Sandy Alcantara (MIA), Max Fried (ATL), Julio Urías (LAD) and Aaron Nola (PHI).

• Acquired on July 31, 2019 from the Marlins.

• Cardinals’ third-round pick in the 2016 draft out of the University of North Carolina.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is making his fourth start of 2023.

• Made fi rst career Opening Day start on March 30…became the 12th diff erent D-backs pitcher in franchise history to start the season opener.

BACK WHERE IT BEGAN: Made his Major League debut with the Marlins on June 20, 2019 @ Cardinals (1 ER in 5.0 IP).

• Went 1-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 7 career starts with Marlins.

LAST START: Earned his fi rst win of the season on April 10 vs. Brewers (W; 0 ER in 7.0 IP).

VS. MARLINS: Has made 1 career start vs. Marlins…earned the win on May 2, 2022 @ Marlins Park (2 ER in 6.1 IP).

10+ K COLUMN: His 6 total 10+-strikeout performances are tied with Ian Kennedy (2010-12) for seventh most in franchise history…he is 1 shy of tying Zack Greinke (2016-19) and Dan Haren (2008-10) and still trails Randy Johnson (106), Curt Schilling (38), Robby Ray (23), Brandon Webb
(12) and Patrick Corbin (10).

THE SCORELESS STREAK: Established the D-backs’ all-time record for consecutive scoreless innings (44.1) from Aug. 8-Sept. 11, 2022, surpassing Brandon Webb’s 42.0-inning stretch (July 20-Aug. 17, 2007) and was the longest in the Majors since Zack Greinke’s/LAD 45.2-scoreless frames in 2015.

MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:

MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today continue a six-game homestand, their second ‘stand of the year, with the finale of three games vs. Arizona. Will also face San Francisco for three games on this homestand from Monday-Wednesday. Are coming off a 3-3 road trip to New York and Philadelphia, dropping two of three at Citi Field and taking two of three at Citizens Bank Park. Are looking for their fifth straight win at loanDepot park tonight.

• Following this homestand, will travel to Cleveland for three games from Apr. 21 – 23 and on the first of two trips to Atlanta for a four-game set from Apr. 24 – 27.

SATURDAY’S RECAP
Miami solidified the series win with a 3-2 victory over Arizona yesterday. The D-Backs put 1 run on the board in the first inning but LHP Braxton Garrett held them to just that over 5.2 innings with 5 strikeouts in his second start of the season. Miami tied the game on a solo shot by 2B Garrett Hampson, his first as a Marlin. After falling behind in the top of the seventh, DH Avisail Garcia hit a leadoff double and
the Marlins strung together 4 hits to score 2 runs, capitalized by the go-ahead pinch-hit single by INF Luis Arraez. LHP Tanner Scott struck out a batter in a scoreless ninth to get his first save of the year.

HEATING UP
The Marlins have won their last four games dating back to Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia. During the entire 2022 campaign, won four or more consecutive contests five times: 7 games (Apr. 23 – 30), 6 games (June 29 – July 5), and 5 games (June 7 – June 11).

• Are also riding a five-game win streak at home, the longest since June of 2022 when they won six consecutive home games from June 7 – 23. Was the lone streak above three all of last year.

FULL CIRCLE
This current Marlins win streak has been fueled by the starters’ 2.78 ERA (22.3/7 ER) and the bullpen that has allowed just 2 runs in the last 14.1 innings for a 1.28 ERA. Opponents have just 7 hits and 5 walks with 16 strikeouts in the stretch and the offense has outscored opponents 19-9.

TURNING THE TRENDING TIDE
The Marlins are 4-0 in one-run games this season. Miami played 64 games decided by one run in 2022, the most such games in the Majors last season. Miami’s 40 one-run losses were the most in a season in club history, the most since the 1975 Houston Astros (41), and just three shy of the single-season record for one-run losses during the Live Ball Era (since 1920) held by the 1968 White Sox (44).

MORE FROM FOUR
OF Bryan De La Cruz has made 4 starts this season from the cleanup spot in the lineup, going 9×15 (.600) with 1 home run, 6 RBI, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.

• Has three 3-hit games, tied for fifth-most in MLB along with teammate Garrett Cooper.

SANDY’S BEACH
RHP Sandy Alcantara, who made his fourth consecutive Opening Day start for the Marlins on March 30 vs. the Mets, tossed a complete game shutout vs. Minnesota in his second start of the year on April 2.

• Marked the fourth time in club history that a Marlins pitcher has thrown a complete game shutout in the first six team games of the season and the first since Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett in 2005 in games four and six, respectively. Brad Penny threw a complete game shutout in game three of the 2002 season.

• Is the least amount of games by the club before a complete game since Josh Johnson’s CG on April 12, 2009 vs. NYM (Game 6) and marked the first time in MLB a pitcher has thrown a complete game within the first six games of the season since 2020, when the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks pitched a complete game shutout on Opening Day (credit: Elias).

• His 6 complete games last year led all of MLB and were the most in a single season since Chris Sale’s 6 CG in 2016.

• A win today will tie Tom Koehler (36) for 11th all-time in Marlins franchise history.

CYCLE TIME
2B Luis Arraez on Tuesday in Philadelphia became the first player in Marlins history to hit for the cycle, coming in the 4,700th game in franchise history during the 30th anniversary. Was baseball’s first cycle since St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado last July 1 vs. Philadelphia (with Skip Schumaker serving as Cardinals bench coach). There had been 111 cycles in the Majors since the Marlins franchise began play in 1993.

• Doubled in the first inning, tripled in the sixth inning, homered in the seventh inning and singled in the eighth inning. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, during the Expansion Era, was just the seventh cycle to be completed in the same order, also: Eddie Rosario (9/19/21 w/ATL at SF), Jake Cronenworth (7/16/21 w/SD at WAS), Freddie Freeman (6/15/16 w/ATL vs. CIN), Daryle Ward (5/26/04 w/PIT at STL), Keith Hernandez (7/4/85 w/NYM at ATL) and Mike Phillips (6/25/76 w/ NYM at CHC).

• Is the first player to hit for a cycle in the month of April since Minnesota’s Jorge Polanco on April 5, 2019 at Citizen’s Bank Park, and the 20th to accomplish the feat within his team’s first 12 games of a season.

• Became the sixth Venezuelan-born player to hit for a cycle, joining Eduardo Escobar (6/6/22 w/NYM at SD), Pablo Sandoval (9/15/11 w/SF at COL), Carlos Gonzalez (7/31/10 w/COL vs. CHC), Carlos Guillen (8/1/06 w/DET at TB), and Cesar Tovar (9/19/72 w/MIN vs. TEX).

GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
INF Luis Arraez has 24 hits in his first 14 games of the year (12 starts), with 8 multi-hit games. Is tied the most hits among all Major Leaguers and his .511 batting avg. (24×47) is tops in the Majors among all qualified hitters. His 1.268 OPS is the best mark in the National League and second in MLB behind Toronto’s Matt Chapman’s 1.291 OPS.

• Arraez’s 24 hits are the most for a player in their first 14 gms with the Marlins, ahead of the prev. high of 23 held by Dee Strange-Gordon.

TODAY’S STARTER – #22 Sandy Alcantara
• Sandy Alcantara (Al-CON-ta-ra), 27, finished his historic 2022 season with 32 starts going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings, along with 6 complete games, a 0.98 WHIP, and a .212 opponents’ batting average in 32 starts. He led Major League Baseball in innings pitched and complete games and led all NL pitchers with an 8.1 WAR (Baseball Reference). During Alcantara’s entire life (born Sept. 1995) only two pitchers reached the same statistical totals since the 1996 season: Felix Hernandez, SEA (2010) and Pedro Martinez, MON (1997).

• Alcantara’s fourth career shutout on April 4th marks the fourth time in club history that a Marlins pitcher has thrown a complete game shutout in the first six team games of the regular season (Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett, 2005 and Brad Penny, 2002).

• Won Baseball Digest’s MLB Pitcher of the Year Award. Became the second Marlin to win this honor (Dontrelle Willis, 2005). Was named the second annual Juan Marichal Award recipient, an honor given to the league’s best Dominican player.

• His 14 wins were the most by a Marlins pitcher since Jose Urena in 2017 (14-7). The last Marlin to have more wins was Jose Fernandez, who won 16 games in 2016.

• Became the first pitcher since Chris Sale in 2016 to throw 6 CG. Only three pitchers in club history have recorded more CGs in a season – Livan Hernandez (9, 1998), A.J. Burnett (7, 2002) and Dontrelle Willis (7, 2005).

• Posted a 1.64 ERA (121.0 IP/22 ER) in 16 starts at loanDepot park in 2022. Marked the best home ERA by a Marlins starter with at least 15 starts since Jose Fernandez in 2016 and is the fourth-lowest mark in club history (J. Fernandez, 1.19 – 2013; J. Johnson, 1.57, 2010; J. Fernandez, 1.63 – 2016).

MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins (10-5) at New York Yankees (9-6)

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MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins (10-5) at New York Yankees (9-6)

MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:

THE TWINS: Have gone 2-1 through three games on their seven-game, eight-day road-trip, winning the first and second games in Yankee Stadium, followed by a loss yesterday…this afternoon they will play the four-game series finale in New York…the Twins will travel to Boston tomorrow afternoon during the off-day, then play the Red Sox for three games at Fenway Park from Tuesday-Thursday.

AFTERNOON BUMMER IN THE BRONX: The Twins lost to the Yankees yesterday afternoon by a score of 6-1 in game three of four at Yankee Stadium…Tyler Mahle (1-2) was the starter and loser, allowing four runs (2 earned) on four hits in 4.1 innings pitched, with three walks and five strikeouts, including home runs by Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Rizzo…the offense recorded just five hits, two going for extra bases as the Twins got back-to-back doubles from Trevor Larnach and Jose Miranda in the seventh, proving to be the only run for the Twins.

USE YOUR HEAD: The Twins have recalled left-handed pitcher Brent Headrick from Triple-A St. Paul…Headrick, 25, has appeared in two games (1 start) for the Saints this season, allowing six runs on 12 hits in 9.0 innings pitched, with two walks and 12 strikeouts…the 6-foot-6, 238-pound lefty has pitched in parts of four minor league seasons in the Twins organization, going 13-10, 3.52 ERA (184.0 IP, 72 ER), 67 walks, 238 strikeouts, a 1.29 WHIP and a 11.6 strikeouts-per-9.0 innings pitched ratio in 46 games (41 starts)…the Braidwood, Illinois native was selected by the Twins in the ninth round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Illinois State University…to make room for Headrick on the 26-man roster, the Twins have optioned right-handed pitcher Louie Varland to Triple-A St. Paul…Varland made the start for the Twins on Friday night at Yankee Stadium and took a no-decision, allowing three runs on six hits in 6.0 innings pitched, with one walk and eight strikeouts in a Twins 4-3 victory.

PITCHING IN: Below are Twins starting pitching ranks in all of baseball:
ERA BAA INNINGS FIP WHIP HITS K’s OPS
MIN – 2.55 MIN – .191 MIN – 88.1 TB – 2.38 MIN – 0.93 TB – 56 MIN – 109 TB – .554
TB – 2.68 TB – .209 SD – 85.0 MIN – 3.48 TB – 1.04 CHC – 57 TB – 90 MIN – .583
SF – 3.11 LAD – .227 HOU – 84.0 LAD – 3.48 LAD – 1.08 MIN – 61 CWS – 89 LAD – .653
CHC – 3.24 CHC – .228 LAD – 83.1 PHI – 3.66 SF – 1.15 NYY – 63 TEX – 87 CHC – .667
HOU – 3.43 MIL – .234 KC – 82.2 ATL – 3.67 NYY – 1.19 LAA – 68 TOR – 83 SEA – .680

ROC MILESTONES: Rocco Baldelli needs two wins to reach 300 managerial victories in his career… below are the Twins’ all-time managerial wins leaders (left) and Baldelli’s milestone victories (right):

TWINS MANAGERIAL WINS BALDELLI’S
MILESTONE WINS
Tom Kelly (1986-2001)………………………. 1140 1……………….. March 28, 2019 vs. Cleveland
Ron Gardenhire (2002-14)…………………. 1068 50………………. June 22, 2019 at Kansas City
Sam Mele (1961-67)…………………………… 522 100……..September 27, 2019 at Kansas City
Gene Mauch (1976-80)……………………….. 378 150…………………. May 15, 2021 vs. Oakland
Paul Molitor (2015-18)………………………… 305 200…… September 11, 2021 vs. Kansas City
Rocco Baldelli (2019-)……………………….. 298 250…………………June 25, 2022 vs. Colorado
Frank Quilici (1972-75)……………………….. 280 300…………………………………………………..- –
Billy Gardner (1981-85)………………………. 268

NOTE: Since 2019, Baldelli ranks fourth in the AL in wins, trailing NYY’s Aaron Boone (336),TB’s Kevin Cash (335) and CLE’s Terry Francona (309).

99 PROBLEMS: Since 2002, the Twins have gone 40-99 against the Yankees in regular season play…since the start of 2017, they are 4-17 in regular season games at Yankee Stadium.

The Twins and Yankees are playing the fourth of seven scheduled games in 2023…after this fourgame series, the Twins will host the Yankees for three games from April 24-26 at Target Field.

Carlos Correa is hitting .314 (48-for-153) with nine doubles, 13 home runs, 33 RBI, 17 walks, a .380 on-base percentage, a .627 slugging percentage and a 1.008 OPS in 40 career regular season games against the Yankees…he has homered in four of his last five games at Yankee Stadium…Correa is 6-for-10 with one double and two home runs in his career against his former Astros teammate, Gerrit Cole.

Jose Miranda is hitting .351 (13-for-37) with three doubles, one home run, eight RBI, two walks and an .898 OPS in 10 career games vs. the Yankees.

COLE HARD FACTS: Last season, the Twins faced Gerrit Cole twice, scoring eight runs on 13 hits in 9.0 innings pitched, including six home runs…he beat the Twins on September 7 at Yankee Stadium, allowing one run on five hits in 6.2 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts…in his first start against Minnesota on June 9 at Target Field, he was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings pitched, including five home runs…Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton (2), Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach all homered off Cole…Arraez, Buxton and Correa led the game off with three consecutive homers, which marked the seventh time in baseball history for a team to begin a game with three consecutive homers…Twins still lost that game by a score of 10-7.

SERIES-LY?: The Twins are looking to win a series over the Yankees for the first time since taking two out of three September 10-12, 2018 at Target Field…their last series victory in NY came in a three-game series May 30-June 1, 2014 (2-1)…Twins have won a four-game series over the Yankees just five times since 1961: September 2-4, 1966 in MN; July 3-5, 1967 in MN (sweep); May 23-25, 1969 in NY; July 5-8, 1984 in MN; and June 21-24, 1991 in NY.

Twins are seeking their fourth series win of the season…they have gone 3-1 through their first four series, going 3-0 at Kansas City (3/30-4/2), 1-2 at Miami (4/3-5), 2-1 vs. Houston at Target Field (4/7-9) and 2-1 vs. Chicago-AL at Target Field (4/10-12).

DAY MEN, FIGHTERS OF THE NIGHT MEN: The Twins are playing their 11th day game today…10 day games are tied with Chicago-AL, New York-NL and San Francisco for the most in baseball…they have gone 6-4 in day games, tied with Boston and New York-AL for third-most day wins in baseball, trailing Tampa Bay (7-1) and New York-NL (7-3).

Notables hitters in day games this season: Christian Vázquez is 8-for-19 (.421), Donovan Solano is 10-for-28 (.357), Ryan Jeffers is 5-for-14 (.357), Byron Buxton is 12-for-40 (.300).

TENACIOUS D: Donovan Solano has hit safely in 10-straight games, the longest for a Twin this season…the streak is tied for third-longest active streak in baseball (Bryson Stott the leader at 15)…his career-high is 17, done with San Francisco from July 25-August 15, 2020… during his current stretch, he is hitting .368 (14-for-38) with two walks, a .415 on-base percentage and an .888 OPS in that span.

ROCCO-FELLA RECORDS: Manager Rocco Baldelli played 30 career games in New York, hitting .292 (33-for-113)…he played in just three career games at new Yankee Stadium, going 2-for-5 with one RBI…at old Yankee Stadium, he played 27 games and hit .287 (31-for-108) with seven doubles, one triple, five home runs and 15 RBI with an .809 OPS…Rocco’s first career road game was played at old Yankee Stadium on April 12, 2003, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and one RBI.

STARTING PITCHER – PABLO LóPEZ 49
2023: 1-0, 1.35 ERA CAREER: 29-31, 3.84 ERA

Making his fourth start and appearance of 2023 in his sixth major league season (Miami – 2018- 22)…also his 98th career appearance (all starts) and first career start at Yankee Stadium.

Facing New York-AL for the second time in his career and first since August 21, 2018 with Miami.

Acquired by the Twins from Miami on January 20, 2023, along with infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez.

CAREER NOTES
• In 2022, set career highs in wins (10), games started (32), innings pitched (180.0) and strikeouts (174) as number two starter for Miami.

• 489 career strikeouts with Miami are 11th on their all-time list and is one of 16 pitchers in Marlins history to reach 500.0 innings pitched.

• In 2021, spent fourth season with Miami, holding opponents to two-or-fewer runs in 15 of his 18 starts and posting a career-low 1.12 WHIP.

• Made first career Postseason appearance October 7, 2020, going 5.0 innings and al- lowing three hits and two runs while striking out seven in a loss to Atlanta in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

• Recipient of 2020 Marlins Charlie Hough Good Guy Award, which is voted on by the Miami chapter of the BBWAA to recognize a Miami player who fostered a strong relationship with reporters.

• In 2020, spent entire season on active roster and led Marlins in innings pitched (57.1), games started (11), wins (6) and strikeouts (59).

• Made only 21 starts in 2019 after missing over two months on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain, posting a 5.09 ERA in 111.1 innings pitched with 95 strikeouts.

• Made major league debut on June 30, 2018 vs. New York-NL and earned first career victory, tossing 6.0 innings with five strikeouts while limiting the Mets to two runs.

• Started 2018 season with Double-A Jacksonville, earning Southern League Midsea- son All-Star honors before being promoted to Triple-A New Orleans.

• Acquired by Miami along with outfielder Brayan Hernandez, right-handed pitcher Brandon Miller and right-handed pitcher Lukas Schiraldi from Seattle in exchange for right-handed pitcher David Phelps on July 20, 2017.

• Spent 2017 season at High-A level in Seattle and Miami organizations.

• Went 6-1, 1.88 ERA (71.2 IP, 15 ER) in 17 appearances (13 starts) for Low-A Clinton (Seattle) in 2016.

• Missed 2014 season following Tommy John surgery on November 11, 2013.

• Made professional debut with Venezuelan Summer League Mariners on May 23, 2013.

• Originally signed by Seattle as international free agent on July 4, 2012.

NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees continue their season-high 10-game homestand today with the final game of a four-game series vs. Minnesota (1-2 thus far)…will also play three-game \sets vs. Los Angeles-AL (4/18-20) and Toronto (4/21-23).

Their +23 run differential is tied for the third-best in the Majors.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees defeated the Twins, 6-1, on Saturday at Yankee Stadium…RHP Domingo Germán (6.1IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 11K) earned his first win of the season after recording a career high with 11K…C Kyle Higashioka (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 2RBI) hit his second HR of the year with a
two-run HR in the second inning…1B Anthony Rizzo (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 1RBI) hit a solo HR in the third inning…3B DJ LeMahieu (1-for-4, 1R, 1RBI, 1HP) hit an RBI single in the fifth inning…DH Giancarlo Stanton (1-for-4, 1 double, 2RBI) hit a two-run double in the seventh inning…SS Anthony Volpe (1-for-2, 1R, 2BB, 3SB) reached base a career-high three times and recorded a career-high 3SB…CF Aaron Judge (1-for-2, 1R, 1 double, 2BB) reached base a season-high-tying three times…RHP Michael King (2.2IP, 2H, 2K) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings…allowed his inherited runner to score.

SERIES BUSINESS: With a win today, the Yankees would split their four-game series with the Twins…according to Elias, it would mark just the fourth time in the last 67 years (since 1957) that the Yankees went undefeated in their first five series of a season…went undefeated in their first five series in 2010, first nine series in 2003 and first six series in 1976.

TWINNING: The Yankees are 99-40 (.712) vs. Minnesota since 2002, the Majors’ best record by any team vs. an opponent in its own league in that span…including the postseason, have gone 115-42 (.732) vs. the Twins since 2002.

Are 14-5 in their last 19 games vs. the Twins (since 7/23/19) and 24-9 in their last 33 games vs. Minnesota (since 9/18/17).

Including the postseason, are 20-4 in their last 24 games vs. the Twins in the Bronx since 2017 and 25-5 vs. Minnesota at Yankee Stadium since 2015.

ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge reached base a season-high tying three times on Saturday vs. Minnesota…has reached base in 14-of-15 games this season, batting .302/.397/.623 (16-for-53) with 12R, 2 doubles, 5HR, 8RBI, 9BB and 2SB.

Has reached base in 47 of his last 48 games (since 8/29/22), batting .358/.498/.753 (58-for-162) with 44R, 10 doubles, 18HR, 30RBI, 46BB, 4SB and 1HP in that span… has reached base multiple times in 33 of those 48 games.

BRONX BOMBERS: Yankees batters have homered in 14 of their first 15 games of a season for the first time in franchise history (previous: 13G, seven times)…their 25HR are tied with San Francisco (25HR in 14G) for the third-most in the Majors, trailing only Tampa Bay (35HR in 15G) and Los Angeles-NL (26HR in 15G).

Their 23HR matches their sixth-most through their first 15 games of a season in franchise history.

Have hit multiple home runs in eight of their 15 games this season.

Seven of their last eight home runs have been solo home runs.

Have scored at least 4R in 11-of-15 games this season.

CENTRAL PERK: Since 2022, the Yankees are 28-11 (.718) vs. the AL Central…are 39-15 in their last 54 games vs. the division (since 6/23/21) and 52-21 in their last 73G (since 9/12/19).

Have won 20 of their last 23 completed series vs. the AL Central (since 9/10/19)…have won or split 23 of their last 26 completed series (going 21-3-2 since 6/13/19) and 26 of their last 30 completed series (going 24-4-2 in series since 4/18/19)

PEN PALS: Yankees relievers have posted a 2.36 ERA (61.0IP, 16ER) this season, the second-lowest ERA by a Major League bullpen this season, trailing only Milwaukee (2.17 ERA)… lead the Majors with 72K.

FOR STARTERS: Yankees starters have tossed at least 5.0IP and allowed 2R-or-fewer in nine of their 15 starts this season.

COLE TRAIN: RHP Gerrit Cole will make his fourth start of the season today vs. Minnesota…is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA (19.1IP, 3ER) and 22K in three starts this season…is just the third Yankees pitcher in the last 15 years (since 2009) to toss at least 6.0IP and allow 2R-or-fewer in each of his first three appearances of a season, joining Andy Pettitte (first four in 2010) and Michael Pineda (first three in 2014)…if he were to extend the streak today, he would be just the fourth Yankees pitcher in the last 42 seasons (since 1982) to toss at least 6.0IP and allow 2R-or-fewer in his first four appearances of a season (Andy Pettitte won his first four in 2010, Darrell Rasner won his first four in 2008 and
Orlando Hernández won his first four in 2002).

Has not allowed a home run this season…his 19.1IP mark the most among Major League pitchers who have not surrendered a HR this season.

Has won his first three starts of a season for the third time in his career (won his first four starts in 2013 and first three in 2020).

With a win today, would be just the third Yankees pitcher in the last 39 years (since 1985) to win each of his first four starts of a season (Mike Mussina won his first seven starts in 2003 and David Cone won his first four starts in 1995).

Is 24-5 with a 2.80 ERA (225.1IP, 70ER) and 272K in 36 career starts vs. the AL Central…is 15-1 with a 2.52 ERA (128.1IP, 36ER) and 161K in his last 21 starts vs. the AL Central.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: INF Anthony Volpe reached base a career-high three times and recorded a career-high 3SB on Saturday vs. Minnesota…has reached base in 7-of-15 plate appearances (.467 OBP) over his last four games.

Is just the fourth Yankee in the last 34 years (since 1990) to record at least 6SB through the Yankees’ first 15 games of a season…joins Jacoby Ellsbury (7SB in 2014), Brett Gardner (7SB in 2010) and Derek Jeter (7SB in 1998).

Is the first Yankee to record at least 3SB in a game since Ichiro Suzuki recorded 4SB in Game 2 on 9/19/12 vs. Toronto…at 21 years, 352 days, is the youngest Yankee in franchise history to record 3SB in a game (previous: Ben Chapman – 3SB on 6/13/31 vs. Chicago-AL at 22 years, 170 days).

His 6SB are tied for the fifth-most in the Majors.

NOBODY BEATS THE RIZZ: INF Anthony Rizzo hit a solo HR in the third inning on Saturday vs. Minnesota…has 3HR inhis last three games.

Has reached base in 13 of his first 14 games this season, batting .314/.400/.588 (16-for-51) with 8R, 2 doubles, 4HR, 9RBI, 6BB, 2HP and 1SF.

Is batting .341/.423/.659 (15-for-44) with 2 doubles, 4HR, 5BB and 2HP vs. right-handed pitchers this season.

FAST AND FURIOUS: Yankees baserunners have recorded 16SB this season, the third-most in the AL…trails only Cleveland (24SB) and Baltimore (22SB)…matches their most stolen bases through their first 15 games of a season in the last 25 seasons since 1999 (also 16SB in 2010 and 2016)…the last time they had more stolen bases through their first 15 games was 1998 (29SB).

PITCH PERFECT: Yankee pitchers have allowed just 49R in 15 games this season (3.27 R/G), matching their second-fewest runs allowed in their first 15 games of a season in the last 42 years since 1982 (42R in 2022 and 49R in 2017).

Rank third in the Majors in strikeouts (147), opponents’ BA (.220), opponents’ OBP (.294) and WHIP (1.15), fourth in ERA (3.25) and opponents’ OPS (.653), and fifth in K/9.0IP (9.95) and K/BB (3.20).

DOMINGO DEALT: RHP Domingo Germán earned his first win of the season on Saturday after recording a career-high 11K (6.1IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB)…tossed 5.1 perfect innings before allowing a one-out single to Christian Vázquez in the sixth inning.

Saturday marked his third career double-digit strikeout home (also 10K on 7/25/21 at Boston and 6/14/18 vs. Tampa Bay)…also marked the first time in his career he has recorded at least 10K without surrendering a walk.

Was the first Yankee to record at least 10K and 0BB in a game this season and the first since Gerrit Cole did so on 7/17/22 vs. Boston (12K and 0BB).

His 11K matched the most by a Yankees pitcher this season (also Gerrit Cole on Opening Day vs. San Francisco).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP GERRIT COLE (3-0, 1.40 ERA)
RHP Gerrit Cole will make his fourth start of the season in today’s series finale vs. Minnesota…the 32-year-old will pitch on regular four days’ rest…earned the win in the Yankees’ 11-2 victory on Tuesday at Cleveland after allowing just 2R in 7.0IP (5H, 2BB, 3K)…is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA (19.1IP, 3ER) and 22K over his first three starts…in his third year with the Yankees in 2022, went 13-8 with a 3.50 ERA (200.2IP, 154H, 81R/78ER, 50BB, 257K, 33HR) in 33 regular season starts…his Major League-leading 257K last season were the most by a Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Ron Guidry’s previous record of 248K in 1978…the five-time All-Star (2015, ’18-19, ’21-22) has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting five times (second in 2021, fourth in 2020, second in 2019, fifth in 2018, fourth in 2015)…his career 10.52 K/9.0IP ratio (1,952K/1,669.1IP) is the eighth-highest in Major League history (min. 1,000.0IP)…in 78 starts with the Yankees, is 39-19 with a 3.21 ERA (474.1IP, 169ER) and 616K… since 2018, leads the Majors in wins (74), strikeouts (1,218), K/9.0IP (12.36), is tied for first in innings pitched (887.0IP), third in opponents’ BA (.202) and WAR among pitchers (24.1 – FanGraphs), fourth in winning percentage (.718, 74-29, min. 60 decisions) and WHIP (0.99), sixth in K/BB (5.37) and ERA (2.96)…was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft but did not sign and went on to play at UCLA for three seasons (2009-11)…was the first overall pick of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the 15th pitcher (and 11th right-hander) to be chosen first…is the fifth player selected first overall to play for the Yankees, joining Alex Rodriguez, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Foli and Ron Blomberg…signed a nine-year contract extending through the 2028 season with a player opt-out following the 2024 season on 12/18/19.

LAST START: Earned the win in the Yankees’11-2 victory on Tuesday at Cleveland (7.0IP, 5H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K, 0HR)…allowed both runs in the first inning on a RBI double to José Ramírez and a sac fly to Josh Naylor.

His 7.0IP matched the longest start by a Yankees pitcher this season (also Nestor Cortes – 7.0IP on 4/14 vs. Minnesota). 2023: Is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA (19.1IP, 3ER) and 22K in three starts this season…is just the third Yankees pitcher in the last 15 years (since 2009) to toss at least 6.0IP and allow 2R-or-fewer in each of his first three appearances of a season, joining Andy Pettitte (first four in 2010) and Michael Pineda (first three in 2014)…if he were to extend the streak today, he would be just the fourth Yankees pitcher in the last 42 seasons (since 1982) to toss at least 6.0IP and allow 2R-or-fewer in his first four appearances of a season (Andy Pettitte – 4GS in 2010, Darrell Rasner – 4GS in 2008 and Orlando Hernandez – 4GS in 2002).

Has not allowed a home run this season…his 19.1IP mark the most among Major League pitchers who have not surrendered a HR this season.

Has won his first three starts of a season for the third time in his career (won his first four starts in 2013 and first three in 2020)…with a in today, would be just the third Yankees pitcher in the last 39 years (since 1985) to win each of his first four starts of a season (Mike Mussina won his first seven starts in 2003 and David Cone won his first four starts in 1995).

Has held opponents to a .175 BA (11-for-63).

Has allowed 3H-or-fewer in two of his three starts…was just the seventh pitcher in franchise history to toss at least 6.0IP and allow 3H-or-fewer in his first two appearances of a season…joined George Mogridge (first three in 1916), Ray Caldwell (first three in 1914), Orlando Hernández (first two in 1999), Whitey Ford (first two in 1955), Bob Shawkey (first two in 1918) and Tom Hughes (first two in 1910).

Began the season with a 12.0 scoreless inning streak (3/30-4/5).

Made his fifth career Opening Day start (his fourth with the Yankees) on 3/30 vs. the Giants and tossed 6.0 scoreless innings to earn the win (3H, 2BB, 11K)…his 11K marked the most by a Yankees pitcher on Opening Day in franchise history, surpassing Tim Leary’s previous record of 9K in 1991…was the first Yankees Opening Day starter to throw at least 6.0 scoreless innings since Roger Clemens in 2003 (also 0R in 6.0IP)…was just the fifth Yankees starter to do so in the last 46 years, joining Clemens, David Cone (0R in 7.0IP in 1996), Rick Rhoden (CGSHO in 1988) and Ron Guidry (0R in 9.0IP in 1980)…marked his 22nd double-digit strikeout game with the Yankees, surpassing David Cone for the second-most by a pitcher in franchise history (Ron Guidry-23)…with his win on Opening Day, became just the 13th pitcher in franchise history to win multiple Opening Day starts (also 2020)…was the 11th pitcher in franchise history to make at least four Opening Day starts with the Yankees and the fifth Yankees pitcher in franchise history to make at least four consecutive Opening Day starts.

Struck out Blake Sabol in the second inning on Opening Day for his 600th strikeout as a Yankee…according to Elias, Cole joined Nolan Ryan as the only two pitchers in Major League history to record at least 600K with three different franchises.

IN PINSTRIPES: In 78 starts with the Yankees, is 39-19 with a 3.21 ERA (474.1IP, 169ER) and 616K…has allowed 3ER-orfewer in 60-of-78 starts…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 51 starts as a Yankee, the second-most such starts in the AL and the seventh-most starts in the Majors in that stretch…has recorded 15 scoreless starts as a Yankee, the second-most scoreless starts by any AL pitcher in that span.

His 39 wins since 2020 are the most in the AL and the second-most in the Majors over that stretch, trailing only Julio Urías (43-10).

His 616K since 2020 are the most in the Majors…his 11.69 K/9.0IP ratio in that span is the best in the Majors (min. 400.0IP)…has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting in two of his first three seasons in pinstripes (second in 2021, fourth in 2020).

His 22 double-digit strikeout games with the Yankees are the second-most by a pitcher in franchise history, trailing only Ron Guidry (23).

VS. MINNESOTA: In five career starts vs. the Twins, has gone 4-0 with a 3.21 ERA (28.0IP, 10ER) and 43K…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in four of those five starts.

Is 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA (12.2IP, 1ER) and 20K in two starts vs. the Twins at Yankee Stadium.

Made two starts vs. the Twins in 2022…earned the win and struck out 14 batters in Game 2 of a doubleheader on 9/7 at Yankee Stadium (6.2IP, 5H, 1ER, 2BB, 1HR)…marked his ninth career game with at least 14K…also faced the Twins on 6/9 at Target Field and did not record a decision after allowing a career-high 5HR (2.1IP, 8H, 7ER, 5HR, 2BB, 3K).

As a Yankee, is 3-0 with a 4.29 ERA (21.0IP, 10ER) and 32K in four starts against Minnesota.

Is 24-5 with a 2.80 ERA (225.1IP, 70ER) and 272K in 36 career starts vs. the AL Central…is 15-1 with a 2.52 ERA (128.1IP, 36ER) and 161K in his last 21 starts vs. the AL Central.

2022: In 33 starts with the Yankees, went 13-8 with a 3.50 ERA (200.2IP, 154H, 81R/78ER, 50BB, 257K, 33HR)…opponents batted .209/.260/.390 (154-for-738, 33HR); LH .182/.251/.373
(59-for-324, 17HR); RH .229/.268/.403 (95-for-414, 16HR)…was named to his fifth career All-Star team…tied his career high in starts (also 33GS in 2017 and 2019).

Led the Majors in strikeouts, tied for first in starts (33, tied for first in AL), ranked third in K/9.0IP (11.53, second in AL), sixth in innings pitched (200.2IP, second in AL), eighth in K/BB (5.14, fifth in AL) and ninth in opponents’ OBP (.260, fifth in AL)…ranked seventh in the AL in opponents’ BA (.209)…his 33HR were the second-most in the Majors and the most in the AL.

His Major League-leading 257K in 2022 were the most by a Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Ron Guidry’s previous record of 248K in 1978.

His 97.8 average fastball velocity was the second-highest in the Majors among qualified pitchers (FanGraphs), trailing only Miami’s Sandy Alcantara (97.9).

Allowed 3ER-or-fewer in 24 of his 33 starts and 2ER-or-fewer in 19 starts…allowed one-or-zero earned runs in 13 starts…tossed six scoreless starts.

STRIKEOUT MACHINE: Has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 43 games since the start of 2019, marking the most in the Majors over the span (next: Max Scherzer-28)…his 51 games with at least 10K since the beginning of 2018 are also the most in the Majors in that span (next: Max Scherzer-46).

Has recorded at least 8K in two of his three starts this season…has posted a 10.24 K/9.0IP ratio (22K/19.1IP).

HOME SWEET HOME: Is 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA (12.1IP, 1ER) and 19K in two home starts this season…as a Yankee, has gone 17-10 with a 2.85 ERA (233.1IP, 74ER) and 309K in 38 starts at Yankee Stadium…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 27 of those 38 starts…his 2.85 ERA at home since 2020 is the fourth-lowest in the AL in that stretch (min. 200.0IP).  Went 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA (101.1IP, 36ER) and 136K in 16 home starts in 2022…allowed 3R-or-fewer in 11 of his 16 home starts and 2R-or-fewer in nine of those starts…allowed 1R-or-fewer in eight of his 16 home starts… recorded a 21.0 scoreless inning streak at home from 5/23-6/25.

MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (9-6) at Washington Nationals (4-11)

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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (9-6) at Washington Nationals (4-11)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

CLEVELAND CLAIMS D.C. SERIES WIN
The Guardians grinded out a second straight win in our nation’s capital on Saturday night, besting the Nationals by a 6-4 margin following rain showers that delayed a 4:05pm ET first pitch by one hour & 40 minutes…at the conclusion of today’s finale, Guardians will wrap current 6-game roadie with a 3-game set in Detroit… Cleveland opened the year with a 5-2 road trip before going 2-4 on first homestand of 2023…Guardians (9-6) have won 2 straight, 4 of 6, and 9 of last 14; club holds sole possession of 2nd place in the AL Central standings, 1.0 game behind Minnesota (10-5).

JOSÉ RAMÍREZ owned one of the contest’s more memorable moments in a decisive 5th inning, drilling a 3-0 breaking ball from Nats starter Chad Kuhl (4.2IP, 7H, 5R-ER, 3BB, 2SO, 1HR, 96 pitches) into the RF second deck for a go-ahead 2-run homer (1) that followed a one-out triple by AMED ROSARIO and put Cleveland ahead 5-4…each of the Guardians first 3 runs came on RBI-singles by MYLES STRAW (2nd and 4th innings) and WILL BRENNAN (4th)…JOSH BELL added an insurance tally with an RBI-double in the 9th.

ZACH PLESAC was touched for a pair of unearned runs in the Nats 3-run 1st inning, but steadied the ship to complete 5.0 frames for his first win of 2023 (5.0IP, 7H, 4R-2ER, 0BB, 1SO, 1PO, 79 pitches)…JAMES KARINCHAK worked around a pair of hits to strike out the side in a scoreless 8th…EMMANUEL CLASE used 11 pitches in the 9th to retire the side in order for his 5th save.

JOSÉ BEING JOSÉ
With his first home run of the season yesterday, JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (193 career HR) broke a tie with Al Rosen for 10th-most HR in franchise history…he now trails Travis Hafner (200) for 9th-most HR…his blast to right field is the fourth home run off a 3-0 slider in the StatCast era (since 2015), last done by Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2019…Ramírez (295) remains just one double away from tying Charlie Jamieson (296) for the 7th-most doubles in franchise history.

Ramírez leads MLB this season with 4 intentional walks after tallying the most in baseball last year with 20…his 5 go-ahead RBI rank T1st in MLB this year with Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena and Los Angeles-AL’s Logan O’Hoppe, and his 6 doubles rank T6th in the league…Ramírez also leads MLB in extra-base hits since 2017.

EXTRA-BASE HIT LEADERS IN MLB, 2017-23
PLAYER XBH
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ 424
Nolan Arenado 404
Mookie Betts 396
J.D. Martinez 393

MIDDLE INFIELD MAGIC
ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ recorded a pair of runs yesterday and now has an MLB-high 17 runs scored through 15 games this season… the last MLB players to tally 17+ runs in 15-or-fewer games to begin a season were Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. (20 runs) and Oakland’s Mark Canha (17 runs), who both accomplished the feat in 2021… Giménez is also just the 5th hitter in franchise history to score 17 times in 15-or-fewer-games.

MOST RUNS BY CLE HITTER IN FIRST 15 GAMES OF SEASON
PLAYER RUNS SEASON
Travis Hafner 23 2006
Hal Trotsky 20 1938
Grady Sizemore 18 2007
ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ 17 2023
Matt Lawton 17 2002

AMED ROSARIO recorded his 144th single since 2022 in yesterday’s win, ranking him 3rd in MLB in that span…he also ranks T3rd in 3-hit games (18) and 4-hit games (5) in MLB since last season…Rosario legged out his first triple of the season yesterday, adding to his lead for most three-baggers among MLB hitters since 2021 (16), two ahead of LAA’s Shohei Ohtani.

GUARDIANS OF THE BASEPATHS
With three more steals yesterday, Cleveland broke a tie with Baltimore to take the MLB lead with 24 stolen bases…this marks just the 7th time in club history and the first time since tallying 25 steals in 1994 that Cleveland has 24+ steals in the first 15 games of the season…the last team before the Guards to tally 24+ steals through the team’s first 15 games of a season was when the 1999 Dodgers swiped 26 bases.

MYLES STRAW ranks T3rd in MLB with 7 stolen bases, trailing Chicago-NL’s Nico Hoerner & Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins (8)… the Guardians feature four players with 4+ SB (Straw, Ramírez, Giménez and Kwan), the most of any MLB team.

PATIENCE AT THE PLATE
STEVEN KWAN leads MLB with 325 pitches faced this season, with Atlanta’s Matt Olson and Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich trailing behind him at 314…as a team, the Guardians rank T2nd in the AL and rank 3rd in MLB behind San Diego (2,275) and Baltimore (2,419) with 2,409 pitches seen…Cleveland’s 22.5% swing and miss rate ranks 3rd-best in MLB and best in the AL, led by Kwan (10.6%, 4th in MLB) and JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (11.2%, 6th in MLB).

Since 2022, Kwan ranks highly in numerous categories among MLB hitters in regards to his patient approach at the plate…he has the smallest first-pitch swing percentage (8.7%), ranks 1st with 50.0% of swings put in play, is 2nd in swing and miss percentage (9.2%) and ranks 2nd with 61.9% of pitches taken.

GOING FOR A SWEEP
With yesterday’s victory, the Guardians have won their third series of the 2023 season, all of which have come on the road (also at Seattle and at Oakland)…Cleveland will attempt to sweep Washington for the first time in franchise history today, never sweeping the Nats in the eight series played all-time against the franchise…the Guards last series victory over Washington came just under 10 years ago from June 14-16, 2013…Cleveland had never won a series in Nationals Park before yesterday…in 2022, Cleveland totaled 12 series sweeps, 8 of which came on the road.

TODAY’S STARTER – #57 SHANE BIEBER RHP
WELCOME TO D.C.
The 2020 Cy Young winner is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season, third on the road, in the series finale against the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon…the 27 year-old right-hander is making his first career start against Washington…he has three straight quality starts to begin the year, posting a 2.37 ERA (5ER/19.0IP) with 14 punchouts and 4 walks…is making this appearance on an extended 5 days rest after his last outing on Monday vs. New York-AL; is 21-8 with a 2.52 ERA (75ER/268.1IP) across 40 starts on exactly 5 days rest…Cleveland has a 76-38 record in Bieber’s 114 career starts.

LAST START
The 27-year-old right-hander is coming off of his first win of the 2023 campaign after tossing 7.0 innings, allowing 2R/ER on 5 hits with 4 punchouts and 3 walks in a 3-2 victory against the Yankees on Monday at Progressive Field…he allowed 4 straight baserunners to start the game but managed to get out of the inning with 2 runs scored…after walking Gleyber Torres with 2 outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, he retired 12 consecutive batters before a 2-out double from Willie Calhoun in the top of the 6th frame…his 99 pitches were a season-high.

THE ACE IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
This will be his first career start against the Nationals…in 3 starts against the NL East, he is 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA (9ER/15.2IP) with 17 strikeouts, 2 walks and 4 home runs allowed.

Bieber is 10-3 in 17 interleague starts, owning a 3.71 ERA (41ER/99.1IP) with 121 strikeouts and 20 walks…his last interleague outing came on August 3, 2022 vs. Arizona, earning the win, allowing 2R/ER with 8 strikeouts against 0 walks across 6.0 innings…his .769 winning percentage in interleague play is the best in franchise history ahead of Carlos Carrasco (.667, 10-5).

ROAD RENEGADE
Bieber concluded his 2022 season with an 8-3 mark in road starts, bumping his career record away from Progressive Field to 34-11 (.756).

Since July 29, Bieber has maintained a six-game road winning streak that includes a 1.29 ERA (8ER/56.0IP), with two no-decisions against Seattle (8/26/22 and 3/30/23) and one against Oakland (4/4/23) sandwiched in-between.

Among AL pitchers in 2022 road starts, Bieber led the way in innings pitched (119.0) and tied for the lead in strikeouts (121) with NYY’s Gerrit Cole…he also ranked top 10 among AL pitchers in SO/ BB ratio (4th, 5.50), ERA (5th, 2.65), baserunners allowed-per-9.0IP (6th, 9.68), opponent on-base percentage (7th, .271) and WHIP (9th, 1.07)…among pitcher’s with 50-or-more road starts, Bieber’s 2.76 road ERA is the lowest road ERA in MLB since 2018, ahead of NYM’s Max Scherzer (2.78).

THREE AND FOUR ARE MAGIC NUMBERS
Dating back to June 15, 2019, Bieber has held opponents to 3-orfewer earned runs in 45 of his last 47 road starts…he has a 0.96 WHIP, 10.97 strikeouts-per-9.0IP and a 2.42 ERA in that span…he has not allowed more than 3 earned runs in any of his 3 starts in 2022.

In 2022, the Guardians posted a perfect 14-0 record when providing Bieber with 4-or-more runs of support…in those 14 wins, he posted a 1.70 ERA (18ER/95.1IP)…when Cleveland scored 3-or-fewer runs, their record was 6-11…in those 17 starts, Bieber went 1-8 with a 3.96 ERA (46ER/104.2IP)…the Guardians possess a 46-2 record when scoring 4-or-more runs of support during Bieber’s career, including an active 37 consecutive win streak…he has yet to receive 4 runs of support in a start in 2023.

WINS WITHOUT WALKS
His 4.6% walk rate posted in 2022 was a career-low…the righty is 11-2 with a 2.16 ERA (38ER/158.0IP) since the start of 2022 when walking one-or-fewer batters, and 2-6 with a 4.16 ERA (31ER/67.0IP) when issuing base on balls to two-or-more hitters…through 19.0IP this season he has issued 3 walks, a 5.5% walk rate.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

AVOID THE SWEEP
The Washington Nationals look to avoid their second sweep of the season on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Guardians…The Nationals franchise (MON/WSH) has never been swept by Cleveland since they started playing each other in 2002.

• The Nationals will enjoy another off day on Monday before welcoming the Baltimore Orioles to D.C. for a two-game series starting on Tuesday.

PLAYIN’ THE HITS
Washington ranks sixth in the National League in hits (128) and 10th with a .251 batting average…The Nationals have recorded double-digit hits in four of their last eight games.

• Lane Thomas leads the club and ranks tied for 10th in the National League with 18 hits.

• Nationals hitters have struck out just 98 times, the fewest in Major League Baseball.

SPEAKING OF HITS…
These two players have collected a bunch of them the last few games:

• Luis García has posted back-to-back multi-hit efforts, going 4-for-7 (.571) with a homer, RBI, two walks and two runs scored.

• Keibert Ruiz is 6-for-12 (.500) with a double and two RBI over his last three games.

DEFENSE NOT RESTING
Thanks to strong infield defense so far this season, Nationals opponents have a .218 batting average on ground balls, fifth-best in the National League (MLB avg: .247)…In 2022, the Nationals had the third-highest opponents’ batting average on ground balls in Major League Baseball (.260).

• Washington has turned 16 double plays this season, tied for fourth-most in Major League Baseball.

AMONG THE BEST
Slick-fielding first baseman Dominic Smith is off to a strong start on defense…He is one of two National League first baseman to accumulate at least one defensive run saved along with Arizona’s Christian Walker, per FanGraphs.com…According to Baseball Savant, Smith (1 OAA) is one of eight National League first baseman with at least one out above average.

BULLPENNING
Ricky Bones’ bullpen has inherited 18 runners over the last five games and only two of them have come around to score…During this five-game stretch, Nationals relievers have pitched to a 1.89 ERA (4 ER/19.0 IP) with 18 strikeouts and a .169 opponents’ batting average.

• On the season, the bullpen ranks in the National League in opponents’ batting average (4th, .230) and opponents’ on-base percentage (5th, .315).

5.0 ALIVE
Jim Hickey’s starters are tied for the National League lead in starts of at least 5.0 innings this season with 12…The rotation ranks tied for third in Major League Baseball behind the Minnesota Twins (14) and Kansas City Royals (14)…In 2022, the Nationals ranked 28th in Major League Baseball with 94 starts of at least 5.0 innings

OPPONENT
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
The Nationals and Guardians will face off three times in 2023, all in D.C…Nationals outfielder Alex Call made his Major League debut for the Guardians in 2022 after spending four seasons (2019-22) in their system…Former National Josh Bell returns to Nationals Park for the second time since being traded to San Diego at the 2022 Trade Deadline.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #46 PATRICK CORBIN
Left-handed pitcher signed a six-year contract with the Nationals on Dec. 7, 2018…Was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series…Is a two-time National League All-Star (2018, 2013)… Has started at least 30 games for five consecutive full seasons (2017-19, 2021-22), joining Gerrit Cole as the only pitchers since 2017 to accomplish the feat.

LAST START
Earned his first win of the season on April 10 at Los Angeles (AL), the team that drafted him in 2009…Allowed four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work…Retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced.

vs. CLEVELAND
Is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA in two career starts against the Guardians…Earned his lone win against them on April 9, 2017 (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 SO) as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

THE SLIDE PIECE
Corbin’s signature slider has induced 20 swings and misses this season, the third-most of any lefthanded pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw (23) and Gregory Soto (21).

APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT, FELLAS
Since 2019, Corbin is 27-3 with a 2.63 ERA when he throws at least 6.0 innings and receives at least three runs of support…The Nationals are 30-3 in those games.

2023 SPRING TRAINING
Corbin went 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in five Spring Training starts…He struck out 15 batters and walked just two in 18.0 innings of Grapefruit League action…One start was cancelled due to rain which led to a simulated game in it’s place.

• Corbin’s best start came on March 20 vs. New York (NL) when he tossed 6.0 innings of one-run, five-hit ball… He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

2022
Led Nationals pitchers with 31 starts and 152.2 innings pitched…Pitched to a 1.96 ERA (4 ER/18.1 IP) with 13 strikeouts and four walks in three starts from Aug. 21-Sept. 3…Enjoyed his best extended stretch of the season from Aug. 16 to Sept. 20, going 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA…Walked just six batters along the way…Threw his sixth career complete game on May 4 at Colorado (8.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 SO)…..Matched a career high with 12 strikeouts on June 28 vs. Pittsburgh (8.0 IP, 5 H, ER, 12 SO, 2 BB)…2022 Pitch Mix: Sinker (43.5%) Slider (29.4%) 4-Seam Fastball (18.8%) Changeup (8.3%).

A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Ranked in the National League in strikeouts (4th, 238), innings (5th, 202.0), fWAR (6th, 4.8), ERA (8th, 3.25) and strikeouts per 9.0 IP (8th, 10.60) in 2019… His 238 strikeouts ranked first among National League left-handed pitchers…His 2.40 home ERA ranked sixth in Major League Baseball, fifth in the National League and third in a single season in Nationals history (2005-pres.)…Held opposing left-handed hitters to a .248 slugging percentage (2 2B, 2 HR) and .190 batting average (26-for-137), the best marks among Major League left-handed starting pitchers.

• Made his career Postseason debut, starting in Game 1 of the NLDS…Went on to make two more starts (Game 4 NLCS, Game 4 WS) and five relief appearances…In Game 4 of the NLCS against St. Louis, he struck out 12 batters in 5.0 innings pitched and allowed four earned runs on four hits with three walks…He matched Stephen Strasburg for the most strikeouts in a Postseason game in franchise history and became the first pitcher in MLB Postseason history to log 12 strikeouts while not pitching more than 5.0 innings…He also became first pitcher in Postseason history to start a potential series-clinching game with four straight strikeouts in that game…Tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in Game 5 of the NLDS vs. Los Angeles and tossed 0.1 scoreless inning in Game 2 of the NLCS…Earned the win after tossing 3.0 innings of scoreless ball in Game 7 of the World Series.

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (7-7) at Boston Red Sox (7-8)

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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (7-7) at Boston Red Sox (7-8)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the third (0-2) of seven games on a road trip against the Boston Red Sox (0-2; April 14-17) and New York Yankees (April 18-20)…Halos went 2-3 on opening homestand of the year vs. Toronto (1-2) and Washington (2-1)…LAA was 4-2 on first road trip of year against Oakland (2-1) and Seattle (2-1).

RECENT ROSTER MOVES: Today the Angels recalled RHP Andrew Wantz from Triple-A Salt Lake and placed RHP Ryan Tepera (right shoulder inflammation) on the 15-day injured list…Yesterday the Angels selected the contract of INF Zach Neto…In corresponding moves, INF David Fletcher has been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake and RHP Chris Rodriguez was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

2013 RED SOX CONNECTIONS: Today the Red Sox are honoring the 10th anniversary of their 2013 World Series Championship team…Several members of that Club have also played for the Angels over the course of their MLB careers: Andrew Bailey, José Iglesias, John Lackey, John McDonald,
Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava, Junichi Tazawa and Shane Victorino.

ON WITH THE SHO: Dating back to last season, Shohei Ohtani has reached base safely (via hit, walk, or HBP) in a career-high 36 consecutive games…It’s the longest active streak in the Majors…Additionally, the streak is tied for the third-longest in Angels history.

MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES REACHING BASE SAFELY
In Angels history (via H, BB, or HBP)
Rank Player Year(s) # of Games

  1. Orlando Cabrera 2006 – 63
  2. Mike Trout 2013 – 40
    T3. Shohei Ohtani 2022-23 – 36 (active)
    T3. Erick Aybar 2011 – 36
    T3. Chili Davis 1995 – 36

WINS AND LOSSES: Halos are looking to win today to avoid losing three straight games for the first time this year…Also looking to avoid falling below .500 for first time since Opening Day loss…LAA has held leads in six of this season’s seven losses.

NETO IN THE SHOW: Zach Neto is ranked by Baseball America as the Angels #2 overall prospect (behind Logan O’Hoppe)… In seven games this season for Double-A Rocket City, Neto batted .444 (12/27) with 10 runs scored, one double, three HR, 10 RBI, six walks, three stolen bases and a 1.374 OPS… At the time of his promotion, he led the Southern League in average, OPS, hits and runs, while reaching base 19 times across seven games.

2022 VALEDICTORIAN: Zach Neto became the first player from the 2022 Draft class to make his MLB Debut…He was the Angels first round pick (13th overall) in the 2022 Draft out of Campbell University (Buies Creek, NC)…Last season, Angels RHP Chase Silseth became the first player from the 2021 Draft to make his MLB Debut.

ROOKIE RAKING: Logan O’Hoppe has driven in a run in seven of his 11 starts this season…His four home runs lead the team and his 11 RBI are tied with Hunter Renfroe for the team lead.

LEGENDARY COMPANY: Mike Trout recorded his 300th and 301st career doubles yesterday and became the fourth player in MLB history with 300+ doubles, 300+ home runs and 200+ stolen bases by his age-31 season, joining Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

VS. BOSTON: Today is the third (0-2) of seven meetings this season between the Angels and Red Sox…In addition to the current four game series in Boston, the teams will meet again for three games at Angel Stadium from May 22-24…Red Sox won the 2022 season series 4-3, but Halos won two of three games at Fenway.

LEADOFF KID: Zach Neto could become the first Angels player to bat leadoff in one of his first two MLB games since Jeff DaVanon on Sept. 11, 1999 at Minnesota…DaVanon was one of three Halos to do so in 1999 (also, Mike Colangelo – 6/13/99 vs. ARI & Trent Durrington – 8/7/99 vs. BOS) but none have done it since.

HALOS FENWAY DEBUTS: Yesterday, Zach Neto became the first Angels player to make his MLB Debut at Fenway Park since Eduardo Paredes in 2017…The last position player to do so was Chone Figgins as a pinch runner in 2002…He’s the first Angels player to debut as a starter at Fenway since 3B Pete Coachman in 1990.

PLAYING ON PATRIOTS’ DAY: Tomorrow’s game vs. Boston is scheduled for an 8:10 a.m. PT first pitch and will mark the second time the Angels face the Red Sox on Patriots’ Day (also, 2007).

THE SHUTOUT: Tuesday night, Shohei Ohtani, José Quijada and Carlos Estévez combined on a one-hit shutout of the Nationals…It marked the 26th one-hit shutout in franchise history and the first at Angel Stadium since June 5, 2018 vs. Kansas City.

ANOTHER SHOHEI RECORD: Tuesday night, Shohei Ohtani worked 7.0 scoreless innings to lower his season ERA to 0.47 (19 IP – 1 ER)…He has allowed two-or-fewer runs in 10 consecutive pitching starts, which established a new franchise record (Nolan Ryan had a nine game streak across the 1972-73 seasons).

WALKING MAVERICK: On Wednesday vs. Washington, Brett Phillips became the first player in Angels history to draw walks in each of his first three plate appearances with the team. (ELIAS)

WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE: Angels have had three lineups this season with Anthony Rendon, Hunter Renfroe & Luis Rengifo hitting consecutively in the order…On Opening Day, the trio hit in the 4-6 spots, marking the first lineup in franchise history to feature three straight players who have the same first three letters of their last name…The last MLB occurrence was by Detroit on July 20, 2015 (Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, Jefry Marte).

JR42 CLINICS: On Friday, the Angels hosted the third annual “Angels JR42 Clinic, Presented by Nike”…Clinics were being held at the Anaheim Family YMCA Community Complex and at the Los Altos Family YMCA and provide an outlet for children to participate in a youth baseball and softball event and learn more about Jackie Robinson’s impact on the game and society.

YANKEES ON DECK: Following the current series in Boston, the Angels will head to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees…Halos are looking to snap a four-game losing streak in the Bronx…Last year, Yankees won the season series 4-2…The series will serve as a homecoming for several Angels players: Logan O’Hoppe (West Islip, NY), Mike Trout (Millville, NJ), Matt Thaiss (Jackson, NJ).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – LHP REID DETMERS
0-0, 5.59 ERA
Pitched 12th no-hitter in Angels history on May 10, 2022 vs. Tampa Bay

• TODAY’S GAME: Making third start of the season today and second on the road…Made Opening Day roster for second consecutive season…Is in third Major League season with Angels.

• LAST TIME OUT: Did not factor in decision in last start on Sunday vs. Toronto after tossing 5+ innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts…Began outing with five scoreless innings before being charged with five runs in the 6th (allowed a grand slam to Matt Chapman and was removed following a single by Daulton Varsho, who would score later in inning).

• VS. BOSTON: In two career games vs. Boston (both in 2022), is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA (9 IP – 3 ER)…Pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in last start vs. Boston on June 8, 2022 at Angel Stadium.

• AT FENWAY PARK: Only previous start at Fenway Park came on May 4, 2022 (ND; 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO).

• SPRING RECAP: Totaled six starts during Spring Training and went 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA (20 IP – 8 ER) and 27 strikeouts…The 27 strikeouts led the Cactus League and ranked tied for second in the Majors…Ranked third in the Cactus League in ERA, WHIP (1.20) and opponent batting average (.219).

• 2022 IN REVIEW: Totaled 25 starts for Angels in 2022 and went 7-6 with a 3.77 ERA (129 IP – 54 ER) and 122 strikeouts…Among A.L. rookies (min. 100 IP), ranked second in opponent batting average, third in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP (1.21) and tied for third in wins…Did not allow a home run in 17 of 25 starts…Held opponents homerless through final 39.0 innings of season and yielded just two HR in final 71.0 innings pitched…Entered 2022 rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Angels organization, the top left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball and the #27 overall prospect in the game.

• THE NO-HITTER: Pitched the 12th no-hitter in Angels history (10th individual no-hitter) on May 10 vs. Tampa Bay…Allowed just two baserunners (one walk & one reached on error)…Second Angels rookie to throw a no-hitter, joining Bo Belinsky (May 5, 1962 vs. Baltimore)…At 22 years, 306 days, Detmers was the youngest MLB pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Anibal Sanchez (22 years, 191 days) for the Marlins on Sept. 6, 2006…Additionally, he is the 10th MLB pitcher all-time to throw a no-hitter within his first 11 career games.

• IMMACULATE: On July 31 vs. Texas, in the 2nd inning, pitched the third immaculate inning in Angels history after striking out Ezequiel Duran, Kole Calhoun and Charlie Culberson on nine pitches…He joined Nolan Ryan (July 9, 1972 vs. Boston) and Garrett Richards (June 4, 2014 at Houston) as the only Halos pitchers to accomplish the feat…Also set a career high in that game with 12 strikeouts.

• CLASS OF 2020: Was Angels first round selection (#10 overall) in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville…Was the second player from the 2020 Draft to reach the Major Leagues, following White Sox first rounder LHP Garrett Crochet (11th overall pick).

• FUTURES GAME: Participated in the 2021 MLB Futures Game during the All-Star Break at Coors Field and struck out both of his two batters faced.

• RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Reid’s father, Kris Detmers, played six seasons in the minors…Also a left-handed pitcher, Kris, was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1993 Draft by St. Louis. He played seven professional seasons, reaching Triple-A Memphis in 1999.

• CAREER NOTES: Native of Nokomis, IL…Was Angels first round selection (10th overall) in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University Of Louisville…Participated in the 2021 MLB Futures Game during the All-Star Break at Coors Field and struck out both of his two batters faced.

BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:

STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox have won back-toback games after being swept in a 4-game series at TB. With a win today or tomorrow, the Sox would secure a win in the 4-game series vs. LAA and improve to 3-2 in series play, including 2-1 at home.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Red Sox beat LAA yesterday, 9-7, despite trailing 4-0 in the 1st inning and 7-6 in the 8th. Yesterday was the Sox’ 2nd win of the season when trailing after 7 innings (also 4/1 vs. BAL). Yu Chang (2-for-4) tied a career high with 4 RBI, including a 2-run HR in the 4th inning and a 2-run single in the 8th to give the Sox an 8-7 lead.

HOME COOKING: The Red Sox have won the first 2 games of their 7-game homestand vs. LAA (4 games) and MIN (3 games).3 of the Sox’ first 8 home games have been sellouts, including each of the last 2 games. They have averaged 6.1 runs/game at home, 3rd most in the AL…They also rank among AL leaders at home in OBP (2nd, .346), SLG (3rd, .449), and OPS (2nd, .795). The Red Sox are currently in a stretch of 19 games in 19 days, from 4/8-26 (4-4 so far).

NINE IS FINE: Over their first 15 games, the Red Sox have scored 9+ runs 5 times (4-1 record), 4-8 runs 5 times (3-2 record), and 0-3 runs 5 times (0-5 record). Since 1950, the only other season in which the Sox scored 9+ runs in as many as 5 of their first 15 games was 1995 (also 5 games)…Their only season with more such games was 1924 (6). The Sox’ 5 games with 9+ runs scored rank 2nd in MLB, trailing only TB (7).

CLOSE SHAVES: 11 of the Sox’ first 15 games have been decided by 3 runs or fewer…The only team in MLB with more such games is CLE (13).
6 of the Sox’ 8 losses have come by 3 runs or fewer, including 4 losses by 2 runs or fewer. The only teams with more losses by 3 runs or fewer
are KC (8) and HOU (7). The only teams to lose more games by 2 runs or fewer are LAA (6), WSH (6), CIN (5), and SEA (5). They have come from behind in 5 of their 7 wins.

LEADERS OF THE PACK: The Red Sox rank 3rd in MLB in runs scored (85), trailing TB (106) and BAL (86). Rafael Devers is tied for the MLB lead in HR (7). The Sox also rank in the AL’s top 5 in various offensive categories (see below).

RED SOX OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat AL Rank
85 R………………………… 3rd
51 XBH……………………. 4th
20 HR ……………………… 4th
20.8 SO%………………… 5th
Stat AL Rank
.422 SLG …………………….. 4th
.748 OPS …………………….. 5th
9.7 BB%……………………… 5th
23.7 Whiff%………………… 3rd

ON THE OFFENSIVE: The Sox have hit 20 home runs through their first 15 games…This marks the 3rd time in the last 20 seasons that the Sox have hit at least 20 home runs through their first 15 games (21 HR in 2020, 10 in 2010). This is just the 3rd time in the last 20 seasons the Red Sox have scored at least 85 runs through their first 15 games of a season…They also did so in 2018 (89 runs), and 2005 (86).

INNINGS OF INTEREST: The Red Sox have scored in either the 1st or 2nd inning in 9 of their 15 games (20 total runs). They have scored 9 runs in the 2nd inning, trailing only ATL (15), BAL (12), and TB (10) for most in MLB. The Red Sox have outscored opponents in the 8th and 9th innings, 18-5.

BOSTON STRONG: The Red Sox will be commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon with special events and pregame ceremonies during the current 4-game series vs. LAA. The Red Sox on Friday, in partnership with JetBlue, distributed 40,000+ Red Sox City Connect hats to Boston Public Schools students and staff at 104 elementary and middle schools across Boston. Prior to yesterday’s game, the Red Sox will hosted special pregame ceremonies commemorating One Boston Day and the 76th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. On Patriots Day tomorrow, Hall of Famer David Ortiz will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 127th Boston Marathon…The Red Sox and Angels will play at 11:10 AM, with all fans in attendance receiving a Boston Strong t-shirt.

GET BEARD: Prior to today’s game, a reunion of the 2013 Red Sox World Series Championship team will take place during pregame ceremonies.The 2013 Red Sox went 97-65 in the regular season and 11-5 in the Postseason on their way to the 2013 World Series Championship. 2013 was the first season in franchise history the Red Sox went worst-to-first, winning the AL East after finishing 5th in 2012.

FOREVER AND DEVERS: Rafael Devers leads the AL with 7 HR, tied with NYM’s Pete Alonso for most in MLB. Devers also ranks among MLB leaders in XBH (T-3rd, 10), total bases (4th, 40), runs (T-4th, 14), RBI (T-4th, 15), and SLG (6th, .690). He is the 3rd player ever to hit 7+ HR in the Red Sox’ first 15 games of a season (see below).

MOST HR THROUGH RED SOX’ FIRST 15 GAMES
Player Season HR
Mo Vaughn 1995 8
Fred Lynn 1979 8
Rafael Devers 2023 7

CLOSING TIME: Kenley Jansen yesterday recorded his 395th career save, tying PHI’s Craig Kimbrel for most among active players and 7th-most all-time (see table on right). After Jansen and Kimbrel, the next closest active pitcher has 79 fewer saves (see below). He has not allowed a run in his first 5 outings with BOS, going 4-for-4 in save opportunities…His 4 saves rank T-3rd in MLB behind CLE’s Clase and TOR’s Romano.

MOST SAVES AMONG ACTIVE PITCHERS
Rk. Pitcher Saves
T-1. Kenley Jansen ………………………………………. 395
Craig Kimbrel ………………………………………………. 395

  1. Aroldis Chapman …………………………………………. 316

WHAT A RELIEF: Red Sox relievers have allowed 2 runs over 10.0 innings in the last 2 games (11 H, BB, 11 SO). 5 of the 9 pitchers the Red Sox have used in relief this season have posted an ERA of 3.00 or lower (see below).

RED SOX PITCHERS WITH A RELIEF ERA BELOW 3.00
Pitcher Relief ERA IP ER
Kenley Jansen 0.00 5.0 0
John Schreiber 1.13 8.0 1
Josh Winckowski 1.50 12.0 2
Chris Martin 2.57 7.0 2
Kutter Crawford 3.00 3.0 1

PINCH ME!: The Red Sox have used 17 pinch-hitters this season, going 6-for-14 with 4 runs and 3 RBI (2B, HR, BB). The Sox’ 6 pinch hits are 3 more than any other team. Their .429 AVG (6-for-14) in pinch-hit situations ranks 2nd in MLB, trailing only COL (.500; 3-for-6).

TODAY’S STARTER – #72 GARRETT WHITLOCK – RHP
Allowed 5 runs over 5.0 IP on Tuesday at TB (8 H, 5 SO, 3 HR)…Allowed a career high 3 HR, including back-to-back 2-out HR in the 5th inning. Struck out a career-high 9 batters over 5.0 IP in his last start vs. LAA, at Fenway Park on 5/4/22 (2 ER, 2 H, HR). Is 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA (27 ER/85.2 IP) in 41 career games (5 starts) at Fenway Park. Made 31 appearances last season, including the first 9 starts of his MLB career. In 2022, ranked 8th in SO/BB ratio (5.47), 11th in WHIP (1.02), 15th in opponent AVG (.222), and 17th in opponent OPS (.639) among AL pitchers with at least 75.0 IP. Underwent a successful right hip arthroscopy on 9/26/22, performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants (5-9) at Detroit Tigers (5-9)

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MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants (5-9) at Detroit Tigers (5-9)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: SF looks to salvage the final game of this three-game series in Detroit this afternoon after dropping the first two games on Friday and Saturday…the Giants have never been swept by the Tigers in any Interleague series of any length since they started playing one another in 2003.

AGAIN…REALLY?: SF suffered is second walk-off loss in as many days with the loss yesterday (also in the 11th inning like the night before)…since 2022, SF’s 11 walk-off losses are now tied for second-most in the Majors behind Arizona (12)… Miami and New York-AL also have 11 in that span…the last time SF suffered consecutive walk-off losses was June 19, 2022 (a walk-off loss at Pittsburgh on a Jack Suwinski three-run homer) and June 20, 2022 (a walk-off loss in Atlanta on an Orlando Arcia single ).

WE ARE MAYBE AFRAID OF GHOSTS SOMETIMES?: Since the automatic runner in extra innings was introduced for the 2020 season SF has played 39 extra-innings games (T-7th-most in MLB in that stretch) and gone 18-21 (.462)…the .462 winning percentage is 17th of 30 MLB teams…the Giants are 3-7 in extra inning contests dating to July 7 of last season.

EVERYTHING YOU OWN IN THE BOX TO THE LEFT?: The Giants scored all six of their runs and had eight of their nine hits yesterday off RH starter Michael Lorenzen in the first four innings…Detroit then brought in lefty Tyler Holton who threw 3.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball as part of a Tigers ‘pen that limited SF to one hit over its final 7.0 innings…entering lay today, SF has an .863 OPS (2nd-best in the Majors) and 22 homers (third-best in MLB) vs. RHP…against lefties, however, the Giants .541 team OPS is last in MLB with three home runs.

HELLO OLD FRIEND…: LHP Matthew Boyd starts today for the Tigers and was a member of the Giants last season after signing a Major League deal with the club during the 2021- 2022 offseason…Boyd, however, never actually pitched in a game for SF as he was on the IL while recovering from surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon that he had done in September of 2021…Boyd was dealt to Seattle at the Trade Deadline last
year before he ever pitched a game in a Giants uniform.

WE’RE COMING…: Two of the bats SF would pencil in to a lineup vs. a LHP are on the mend in OFs Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater…Slater started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento Friday and is 1-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and two walks in two games as the DH…Haniger is doing all baseball activity and the plan as of Friday was for him to start a rehab assignment at some point this week.

WE IN GOOD COMPANY:RHP Anthony DeSclafani has opened the year without walking a batter through his first three starts (19.0 innings) while striking out 16 batters…the only other Giants starter in the SF-era (1958-pres.) to not walk a batter through his first three starts and strike out at least 16 batters was RHP Tim Hudson, who didn’t walk a batter and struck out exactly 16 in 2014.

JUST DINGERS?: IF J.D. Davis homered for a second consecutive game yesterday and he’s now homered in back-to-back games twice in 2023 (also April 5-6)…his seven RBI over his last three games are the most he’s had in a three-game span in his career…in 67 career games in April, Davis is hitting .337 with 10 homers and an .989 OPS.

DEEEEEP CUTS: With two more home runs yesterday, the Giants have now hit 25 home runs so far this season, tied for third-most in MLB behind Tampa Bay (35) and the Dodgers (26)…the Giants 25 homers through their first 14 games are most in franchise history…the most homers through the first 15 games in SF history is 23, which this club has already surpassed…SF has been slightly homer-dependent this year with 60.8% (42 of 69) of their runs coming via the big fly.

SABOL SAYS…: C/OF Blake Sabol slugged his second homer of the season in yesterday’s loss to Detroit…yesterday’s homer came as an outfielder as Sabol played the game in left field… his first career homer came as a catcher earlier in the year… the last Giant to homer as both a catcher and an outfielder in the same season was John Rabb in 1984…he actually hit one as a catcher, one as a left fielder and one as a first baseman.

STARTING STRONG: Despite posting a 1-5 record so far this season, Giants starters have a 3.11 ERA overall in the year, third-best in MLB…they have also walked a Major-League low 14 batters and have struck out 75, third-best in the NL behind the Dodgers (80) and Reds (79).

ON THE FLIP SIDE…: SF’s bullpen has posted a 6.08 ERA (36er, 53.1ip) through its first 14 games, 27th of 30 MLB teams entering play today.

SAW IT ON THE WEBB: RHP Logan Webb, who signed a five-year, $90 million extension with SF on Friday, gets the start today looking for his first win of 2023…Webb has lost each of his first three starts of the year and it marks the second time in his career that he’s lost three consecutive starts (also August 18-30, 2022)…SF’s 26-year-old righty has a 4.48 ERA (44er, 88.1ip) in 17 career Interleague starts.

RETURN TO NORMALCY, TOMORROW: Today’s game ends a stretch where SF played predominantly American League opponents with 12 of their first 15 games coming against the American League…only three of SF’s next 32 games are against an AL team.

VAMOS A MIAMI: After today’s game, the Giants fly to Miami to wrap up their six-game road trip with three games in the 305… since 2015, the Giants have gone 21-25 (.457) vs. the Marlins, which is the club’s third-lowest winning percentage against a National League opponent in that span…SF has only fared worse against the Cardinals (18-29, .383) and Dodgers (65- 81, .445) in that stretch.

TODAY’S STARTER – LOGAN WEBB RHP #62
2023 RECORD: 0-3, 4.76 ERA

WITH THE GIANTS: Is in the midst of his fifth season with SF…made his fourth career Opening Day roster and his second consecutive Opening Day start with his outing on March 30 at the Yankees… signed a five-year, $90 million extension on Friday that keeps him in a Giants uniform through 2028…the contract bought out his final two arbitration years and first three years of free agency.

LAST TIME OUT: Saddled with his third consecutive loss after allowing four runs (one earned) in 6.0 innings in SF’s 9-1 loss to the Dodgers on Monday at Oracle Park…he allowed a leadoff homer to Mookie Betts and later in the game a three-run homer to Max Muncy…entering the start Webb had allowed the fewest homers at home in the Majors (six) since 2021 among starters who’d made at least 20 starts at home in that span…he struck out six and walked one in the 94-pitch effort.

VS. DETROIT: His lone career start against the Tigers came here last season on August 24 in SF’s 6-1 loss…Webb allowed six runs on four hits but all six runs were unearned thanks to a costly two-out error by Brandon Crawford in the 5th inning that opened the floodgates…Webb fanned six and walked three in the losing effort.

LOGAN’S WEBB: Over the last 2+ seasons as Webb has come into his own, the Giants as a team are 39-22 (.639) in games that he has started since 2021…however, SF has lost each of Webb’s starts this season and 7-of-his-last-11 dating to August 18, 2022.

THE AIR UP THERE…: Webb has allowed multiple homers in two of his three outings this season after doing so just one time all of 2022…last season, Webb’s 0.51 HR/9ip was the fourth-lowest in the Majors behind José Quintana (0.43), Framber Valdez (0.49) and Martín Pérez (0.50)…Webb allowed 11 homers in 192.1 innings in 2022 and has allowed four in 17.0 so far in 2023.

THAT’S STRIKEOUTS WITH A K: The righty has whiffed 22 batters in 17.0 innings so far in 2023 (11.6 K/9ip)…for reference, Webb’s highest K/9 of his career came in his breakout 2021 season where he averaged 9.6 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.

GOOD VIBES ONLY: Webb’s 12 punchouts set the franchise record for most strikeouts on Opening Day, surpassing the 11-strikeout effort from Madison Bumgarner on April 2, 2017 at Arizona…the 12 strikeouts on Opening Day were also tied for 10th-most by any pitcher in MLB history on Opening Day… it was Webb’s fourth career 10+ strikeout game.

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS EARN SECOND STRAIGHT WALK-OFF WIN: The Tigers overcame a five-run deficit to defeat the Giants in walk-off fashion, 7-6, in 11 innings on Saturday. Trailing 6-3, Detroit scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game before Miguel Cabrera came off the bench to deliver the pinch-hit, walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th. Javier Báez had a pair of hits, including a double, and drove in two in the victory, while Kerry Carpenter added a solo homer, his second of the season. Michael Lorenzen made his Tigers regular season debut, giving up six runs on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 4.0 innings. The Tigers bullpen was excellent, combining to throw 7.0 scoreless frames with only one hit allowed and six strikeouts.

MIGGY MAGIC: Miguel Cabrera provided the game-winning hit for the Tigers in yesterday’s game, knocking a pinch-hit single into center field to lift the Tigers to a 7-6 win. It marked his 15th career walk-off hit (last, May 26, 2022 vs. Cleveland) and his first in a pinch-hitting role.
The hit was the 3,095th of Cabrera’s career, putting him 15 shy of tying Dave Winfield (3,110) for 22nd in MLB history.

BACK-TO-BACK WALK-OFF WINNERS: The Tigers have started this weekend’s series against the Giants with consecutive walk-off wins after Nick Maton’s three-run homer on Friday and Miguel Cabrera’s single on Saturday. It marks the first time Detroit has posted back-to-back walk-off wins since 2021 (September 12 vs. Tampa Bay and September 14 vs. Milwaukee).

BULLPENNING AT ITS BEST: The Tigers bullpen was excellent in yesterday’s game as five Detroit relievers combined to throw 7.0 shutout innings with only one hit allowed, three walks and six strikeouts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked the first time the Tigers bullpen had thrown 7.0-or-more innings in a game and allowed no more than one hit since May 2, 2013 at Houston (also 7.0 IP, 1 H). During the Tigers
current three-game winning streak, Detroit’s bullpen has allowed only three earned runs in 16.1 innings.

TIGERS AND GIANTS: The Tigers and Giants conclude their only series of the season this afternoon at Comerica Park. Detroit and San Francisco split their four-game season series in 2022, including a 1-1 record at Comerica Park. The all-time series between the two teams is tied 12-12 with the Tigers holding a 9-7 advantage in games played in Detroit.

INTERLEAGUE ACTION: The Tigers are 2-0 in interleague games this season after winning the first two games of this weekend’s series. With the balanced schedule in 2023, Detroit will play 46 games against National League opponents, compared to 20 in previous season. The Tigers went 11-9 in interleague play last season, including a 5-5 record at Comerica Park.

ON DECK: The Tigers continue their homestand tomorrow as they begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit’s first series this season against an AL Central opponent. The Tigers went 9-10 against the Guardians last season, including winning sixof-10 games at Comerica Park.

TIGERS ON THE IL:
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 15-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• RHP Matt Manning (right foot fracture, 15-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 15-day IL on April 12)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)

UPCOMING MATCHUPS:
• Monday, April 17 vs. CLE – 6:40 p.m. (BSDET/97.1) LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (0-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Hunter Gaddis (0-1, 8.53)
• Tuesday, April 18 vs. CLE – 6:40 p.m. (BSDET/97.1) RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-2, 9.00) vs. RHP Peyton Battenfield (0-0, 1.93)
• Wednesday, April 19 vs. CLE – 1:10 p.m. (BSDET/97.1) LHP Joey Wentz (0-2, 6.39) vs. RHP Cal Quantrill (0-1, 5.74)

TODAY’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER – Matthew Boyd • 0-1, 4.00 ERA (9.0IP/4ER)
• Boyd will make his third start of the season today in the series finale vs. San Francisco…was signed by the Giants as a free agent in March, 2022, but did not pitch for the team due to an injury.

• Took the loss in his most recent start last Sunday vs. Boston, allowing two runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

• Will be facing the Giants for the first time in his career today…will mark the 27th different MLB team Boyd has faced in his career…in 73 career appearances, including 70 starts, at Comerica Park, he has a 22-25 record with a 4.08 ERA (395.1IP/179ER) and 346 strikeouts.

• Missed most of the 2022 season while rehabbing from an injury, but returned in September to pitch in 10 games and help Seattle to the playoffs…went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA (13.1IP/2ER) and 13 strikeouts in his 10 outings with the Mariners.

• Is in his second stint with the Tigers…was with the organization from 2015-21, appearing in 147 games, including 143 starts, and compiling a 37-60 record with a 4.87 ERA (777.2IP/421ER) and 752 strikeouts.

Cubs activate LHP Brandon Hughes off 15-day I.L., option Nelson Velazquez to Triple-A Iowa

MLB Editor
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Cubs activate LHP Brandon Hughes off 15-day I.L., option Nelson Velazquez to Triple-A Iowa

LOS ANGELES – The Chicago Cubs today activated left-handed pitcher Brandon Hughes off the 15-day injured list and optioned outfielder Nelson Velázquez to Triple-A Iowa.

Hughes, 27, landed on the 15-day injured list on March 30 (retroactive to March 27) with left knee inflammation. He made three injury rehabilitation appearances with Triple-A Iowa from April 8-13. Hughes held the opponent scoreless in two of those while throwing a total of 2.2 innings with seven hits, three earned runs and two walks allowed, along with two strikeouts.

The six-foot two-inch Hughes made his major league debut with the Cubs in 2022 after starting the campaign with
High-A South Bend. In 57 relief appearances for Chicago, he was 2-3 with a 3.12 ERA (20 ER/57.2 IP), eight saves, eight holds, a 1.09 WHIP and a .200 opponent batting average. He ranked second among Cubs relievers in games pitched and third in saves and strikeouts (68). Hughes held right-handed hitters to a .183 average while left-handed batters hit .226.

Selected as an outfielder in the 16th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Michigan State University, Hughes transitioned to the mound in 2018. In 59 minor league relief appearances heading into 2023, he posted a 1.96 ERA (20 ER/92.1 IP) with four saves, 31 walks and 124 strikeouts, good for an average of 12.09 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.

Velázquez, 24, appeared in two games with the Cubs following his recall from Iowa April 10. April 11 vs. Seattle, the right-handed hitting outfielder went 3-for-4 with the go-ahead grand slam, capping Chicago’s eight-run third inning in the 14-9 victory.

A’s Recall LHP Lovelady from Las Vegas; Option LHP Harris to Las Vegas

MLB Editor
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A’s Recall LHP Lovelady from Las Vegas; Option LHP Harris to Las Vegas

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s recalled left-handed pitcher Richard Lovelady from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned left-handed pitcher Hogan Harris to Las Vegas, the club announced today. 

Lovelady was claimed off waivers from Atlanta on Thursday after pitching in four games for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Braves organization.  He allowed four runs in 5.0 innings while striking out four and walking two batters with the Stripers. The 27-year-old left-handed pitcher was originally selected by Kansas City in the 10th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. He made his Major League debut in 2019 with Kansas City and is 2-3 with a 5.62 ERA in 46 career games in parts of three seasons with the Royals (2019-21). Lovelady was traded by the Royals to the Braves for cash considerations on March 30, 2023.

Harris was recalled from Las Vegas yesterday and made his Major League debut last night against the Mets, allowing six runs on one hit, five walks and a hit batter in 0.1 innings.  He is also 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in two starts with Las Vegas, where he allowed three hits and nine walks in 4.1 innings.

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