MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (3-6) at Colorado Rockies (4-6)

Baseball
MLB

April 10, 2023

MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (3-6) at Colorado Rockies (4-6)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The defending NL Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals continue first roadtrip (MIL-3, COL-3) of the season tonight with the opening game of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field…the Cardinals dropped 2-of-3 this past weekend in Milwaukee and have lost 5 of their last 6 after winning their season-opening series against Toronto… the Cardinals need a win tonight to avoid their first 3-7 start since 2017…they are 0-3 in the opening game of series to this point…the Cardinals have not won consecutive games at Coors Field in the same calendar year since back-to-back wins here Sept. 19-20, 2016…this week marks the Cardinals lone series visit to Denver, their first games here in the month of April since 2003…the Rockies will visit St. Louis for a three-game series August 4-6.

TAP THE ROCKIES: St. Louis has won their season series vs. the Rockies in each of the 12 seasons (2010-2022) and 21 times in 27 seasons since Colorado joined MLB as an expansion team in 1993. WILD, WILD WEST: Since 2019, the Cardinals are 38-12 at home vs. the National League West, but just 19-29 on the road.

MILE HIGH HIKE: The Cardinals are one of just three NL teams that have never had a pitcher throw a complete game at Coors Field…the Cardinals (102 games played at Coors), Cubs (99) and Mets (98) make up that group…the Cardinals, who also had no route-going efforts in their 12 games played in 1993-94 at Denver’s Mile High Stadium, also lack a complete game effort in their 57 all-time games at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

300 FOR ARENADO: Nolan Arenado hit his 1st homer of the season and 300th of this career Sat. night, becoming the 7th player to hit home run #300 in a Cardinals uniform, joining Stan Musial (June 3, 1955 at Brooklyn), Gary Gaetti (June 23, 1996 at Montreal), Jim Edmonds (Sept. 4, 2004 vs. LA Dodgers), Albert Pujols (July 4, 2008 vs. Chicago Cubs), Troy Glaus (Sept. 3, 2008 at Arizona), and Paul Goldschmidt (July 16, 2022 vs. Cincinnati)…ranking 8th among all active Major Leaguers in homers, Arenado trails only Evan Longoria (333) among active third sackers and is 15th all-time in MLB history among primary third basemen… Areando has hit 30 or more homers in each or his seven full seasons played and had 40-homer seasons in 2015, 2016 & 2019…He’s ranked 4th all-time in Coors Field homers (138), one back of Carlos “Cargo” Gonzalez (139).

9-FOR-9: A pair of Cardinals have hit safely in the team’s first nine games, with Nolan Arenado and rookie Jordan Walker each doing so… Walker’s streak has matched the club record to begin a career – shared with outfielder Magneuris Sierra in 2017 (9 games)…Arenado has begun the season by hitting safely in 9-straight games, matching his career best start from 2021 with St. Louis…Arenado has reached base safely in 15-straight games dating to last season.

JORDAN & JUMPSTEADY: Jordan Walker’s 12 hits in his nine games to begin the season are the most by a Cardinals player age 20 or younger in any 9-game span since Garry “Jumpsteady” Templeton collected 12 hits in a 9-game span from Sept. 23 to Oct. 3 [1] in 1976.

SPLENDID: Jordan Walker’s 9-game hit streak to begin his career is the first by a player age 20 years or younger since Ted Williams (1939, age 20) did so by hitting in 9-straight to launch his Hall of Fame career…Philadelphia Athletics outfielder Eddie Murphy (1912, age 20) hit safely in each of his first 12 games…current Cardinals Bench Coach Joe McEwing holds the Cardinals franchise rookie record for longest hitting streak, doing so in 25 games (June 8-July 4, 1999), the 8th-longest hit streak in franchise history.

ROOKIE RANKINGS: Rookie outfielder Jordan Walker, the Cardinals 1st round draft selection in 2020, is the MLB rookie leader in hits (12) and in batting (.353) among rookies; he ranks 3rd in OPS (.994) behind the Dodgers’ James Outman (1.235) and Brewers’ Garrett Mitchell (1.048)…his 8 RBI rank 3rd behind the Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe (9) and the Dodgers’ Outman (9).

OFF THE BAT: According to Baseball Savant, St. Louis ranks 2nd in MLB in hard hit balls of 95+mph (116) to the Dodgers (119) and 4th in average exit velocity (90.5 mph)…Jordan Walker (16), Paul Goldschmidt (15) & Nolan Arenado (15) are pacing the team in hard hit balls.

KID’S CLUB: The Cardinals own the majors top combined rookie totals for batting avg. (.339) and are 2nd in hits (19), 4th in RBI (10).

FINEST IN THE FIELD: The Cardinals are the only MLB team with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this season…it’s the first time in franchise history (since 1901) that the Redbirds have begun a season without committing an error in their first nine games. The Cardinals have won back-to-back (2021-2022) Rawlings Team Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP STEVEN MATZ (0-1, 6.75)
TONIGHT’S GAME
• Makes his 158th career appearance (148th start) and 12th start as a Cardinal.

• Missed 102 games on the Injured List with a left shoulder impingement (5/23-7/16) and strained left knee (7/24-9/16). Was activated from his second stint in mid-September and was added to the bullpen where he made five appearances.

• Prior to the 7/23 start at Cincinnati, Matz had missed approx. two months with a left shoulder impingement.

• Ranks 3rd in MLB in Pitch Tempo with bases empty (11.5 sec/pitch) and 5th with runners on base (14.8 sec/pitch), leading all Cardinals.

• Limited opposing left-handed batters to go 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in his initial start of the season.

• His lifetime .650 winning percentage (13-7) in the month of April ranks 4th among active pitchers with 20 or more career April decisions. S
San Diego’s Michael Wacha leads the list at .808 (2-5).

• Ranks 13th among active MLB left-handed pitchers with 8.60 SO/9 IP (min. 700 IP).

• St. Louis is his third MLB organization, entering his second Cardinals season with a 50-52 record and 4.32 ERA in career 157 games (147 starts) while pitching for the New York Mets (2015-20), Toronto Blue Jays (2021) and St. Louis (2022-23).

• Went 2-0, 1.53 ERA in four Grapefruit League appearances (three starts).

LAST TIME OUT
• Gave up four runs over the first 3.0 innings while tying a career high 10 hits allowed in his season debut in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Braves at Busch Stadium. Finished with 2.1 scoreless before departing.

DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
4/4 ATL L 4-1 L-1 5.1 10 4 4 1 7 2 94-62

CAREER
• Joined the Cardinals on a four-year contract (2022-25) after previously pitching for the New York Mets (2015-20) and Toronto Blue Jays (2021) organizations.

• In 2021, tied for the American League lead with 14 wins among left-handed pitchers.

• Since 2021, his 19 total wins rank T-10th among MLB left-handers, with Julio Urias (37) leading the list.

• Has landed on the Injured List 11 times over his Major League career, missing time in every season except for 2021 in which he missed time for a positive COVID-19 test.

• Also missed the 2010 and 2011 minor league seasons after undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery.

• His one career complete game shutout is also a “Maddux” where he threw 99 pitches on July 27, 2019 vs. Pittsburgh.

• Finished 6th in the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year voting, going 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA, and 1.21 WHIP in 22 starts.

2022 SEASON
• Missed 102 games on the Injured List with a left shoulder impingement (5/23-7/16) and strained left knee (7/24-9/16). Was activated from his second stint in mid-September and was added to the bullpen.

• Ranked 8th in MLB in Pitch Tempo (14.4 sec/pitch) with bases empty; 21.6 sec/pitch with runners on, leading all Cardinals relievers.

• Recorded the best strikeout (26.1%) and lowest walk rates (4.8%) of his career.

• Led Cardinals starting pitchers in strikeouts/9 IP (10.72 K).

• Began the season as a starting pitcher and was 4-3 with a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts.

• Was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five relief appearances to end the year. Limited the opposition to a .150/.190/.250 slashline with a .440 OPS out of the bullpen.

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

No release available.

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (5-5) at San Francisco Giants (4-5)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 10, 2023

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (5-5) at San Francisco Giants (4-5)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S STARTER at GIANTS: LHP JULIO URĺAS (2-0, 1.50 ERA in 2 GS)

2023 NOTES:
• In his last start against the Rockies on April 4, he hurled six innings of shut-out baseball…also tabbed his 600TH career strike out against Kris Bryant

• Tossed six innings on Opening Day against the Diamondbacks, giving up four hits and two earned runs while sitting down six • Garnered a 1-1 record over three starts in Cactus League play, producing a 3.86 ERA (5 ER/11.2 IP) with six strikeouts against just three walks

• Key participant in the World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico, firing 9.0 innings in two starts against Colombia and Puerto Rico…struck out nine batters and walked three while allowing just one earned run on two hits VS. GIANTS:

• Last faced the club on September 17, 2022 in his last regular season start against the Giants at Oracle Park where he fired six frames and struck out eight batters…gave up five hits, one earned run, and one walk

• In his career, he owns a 6-4 record with a 2.12 ERA (25 ER/106.0 IP) with 111 strikeouts in 25 games (19 starts) against the Giants…the most
innings and strikeouts he has against any other team

2022 NOTES:
• Produced a 17-7 record across 31 starts for a 2.16 ERA (42 ER/175.0 IP) with 166 strikeouts against just 41 walks…put out a 0.96 WHIP, his
lowest mark since 2019 and did not deliver a wild pitch for the second time in his career (also 2018)

• Limited hitters to a .199 average, his lowest output since 2018…kept hitters to a .251 OBP, .347 SLG, and .615 OPS and totaled a 8.54 K/9

• Ranked amongst the National League best in several categories: wins (3rd, 17), ERA (2nd, 2.16), opponents average (6th, .199), WHIP (6th, 0.96), and win percentage (8th, .708)…was named to his second All-MLB Second Team and second year in the row

• Posted a strong second half record, going 9-1 in his final 13 starts of the year with a 0.88 WHIP and 1.26 ERA (11 ER/96.2 IP) paired with 72 strikeouts…went 4-0 in five starts in July, striking out 27 and walking just four en route to a 2.89 ERA (9 ER/28.0 IP)…later in August, also recorded a 3-0 mark in five starts to a 1.19 ERA (4 ER/30.1 IP) and 0.99 WHIP

• Started Game 1 of the NLDS, securing the Dodgers only win of the Postseason…pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts

CAREER NOTES:
• The Culiacan native enters his eighth season after earning his place in Dodger lore by recording final outs to close the club’s 2020 World
Championship…has posted 51-17 record with four saves and a 2.80 ERA in 139 games (103 starts) in eight Major League seasons with Los Angeles…owns a 1.09 WHIP with 605 career strikeouts

• Earned his first ERA title in 2022 after leading the National League with a 2.16 ERA, becoming the first Mexican born pitcher to accomplish the feat…given the Warren Spahn Award for two straight years (2021-22), which is awarded to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball who is best in wins, ERA, and strikeouts…named to the 2021 and 2022 All-MLB Second Team, after posting double-digit wins in both seasons

• Propelled the Dodgers to their 2020 championship, going 4-0 with one save and a 1.17 ERA (3 ER/23.0 IP) in six Postseason games (two starts)…closed out clinching games of both the NLCS and World Series, with 3.0 perfect innings in NLCS Game 7 to earn the win and picked up the save in World Series Game 6 with four strikeouts in 2.1 clean frames without a baserunner

• Has been at his best in the Postseason during the course of his career, going 8-3 with one save and 3.68 ERA (24 ER/58.2 IP) in 23 Postseason games (six starts)…has limited opponents to a .209 average with a 0.99 WHIP

• Made his MLB debut on May 27, 2016 with a start against the Mets, allowing three runs on five hits in 2.2 innings in a no-decision…was the 34th Dodger to make his MLB debut as a teenager since the club joined the National League in 1890 and first since Adrian Beltre, who made his debut on June 24, 1998 at the age of 19 years, 78 days…became the youngest Dodger starting pitcher at 19 years, 289 days, since Dick Calmus, who took the mound at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23, 1963 vs. Milwaukee at 19 years, 228 days…also became the youngest Dodger to make his debut as a starting pitcher since Rex Barney (18 years, 242 days on his debut vs. Chicago-NL on Aug. 18, 1943) – Source: Stats, LLC.

• Collected his first big league win on June 28, 2016 at Milwaukee, allowing two runs on two hits in 6.0 innings and struck out six batters

• Became the youngest Dodger pitcher ever to appear in a postseason game at 20 years, 62 days in 2016 NLDS Game 5 against the Nationals, allowing just one hit in 2.0 innings of relief and recorded the win…became the youngest starting pitcher in MLB postseason history in the 2016 NLCS Game 5 against the Cubs at 20 years, 68 days, allowing four runs on four hits in 3.2 innings and recorded the loss

• Became the 4th Mexican-born pitcher with a 20-win season in 2021, joining Estaban Loaiza (21 W, 2003 CWS), Fernando Valenzuela (21 W, 1986 LAD) and Teddy Higuera (20 W, 1986 MIL)…also one of eight Mexican-born pitchers to start a game for the Dodgers, joining Fernando Valenzuela, Ismael Valdez, Elmer Dessens, Esteban Loaiza, Dennys Reyes, Vicente Romo and Victor Alvarez

• Named 2014 Dodgers’ Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year and was also selected to the World Team for the 2014 XM All-Star Futures Game, becoming the youngest-ever player to participate in the contest at the age of 17

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: Fresh off a win in the series finale yesterday over Kansas City, the Giants face their first National League opponent of 2023 in the visiting Dodgers at Oracle Park tonight…SF opened the season with nine straight games against American League opponents prior to tonight.

FINALLY PUTTING EDISON’S INVENTION TO GOOD USE: Tonight marks the Giants first night game of the 2023 season… they played nine straight day games to open the season.

ROSTER MOVES: C Joey Bart was returned from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated from the 10-day IL…to make room on the roster for Bart, C Austin Wynns was designated for assignment.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Last season, the Giants were just 4-15 (.211) vs. the Dodgers (3-7 here at home and 1-8 on the road)… the .211 winning percentage vs. LA last year was the worst in a single season by any Giants club since both teams moved west in 1958…the previous low was in 1977 and 1979 when both of those Giants teams went 4-14 (.222) vs. the Dodgers…the Giants 15 losses to LA last year were also the most by any Giants team in a single season vs. LA since moving to SF.

DO CALL IT A COMBEACK: SF notched the win yesterday despite trailing after 7.0 innings…since 2021, the Giants 22 wins when trailing entering the 8th inning are most in the Majors ahead of the Guardians (19), Yankees (19), Phillies (19) and Rays (17) (Stats, LLC).

THIS SEEMS A TAD BIT HIGH…: The Giants have struck out 102 times through their first nine games this season, averaging over 11 strikeouts per game (11.3)…the 102 strikeouts are by far the most by any Giants team through its first nine games of a season…last year’s club previously held the mark at 86 strikeouts through the first nine games.

NO FREE PARKING (ON 1ST BASE ANYWAYS…): On the flip side, Giants starters have done a terrific job at limiting walks in the early going this season…through nine games, SF’s starters have issued just eight free passes, third-fewest by a Giants starting staff through the first nine games since at least 1901…coincidentally enough, Giants starters are tied with Dodgers starters for fewest walks entering play today (eight)…in the last series vs. KC, Giants starters walked one batter in 19.1 innings while striking out 21.

Giants, Fewest Walks Allowed By Starters in 1st Nine Games of a Season (Stats, LLC)
Year, Team Walks
1967 SF Giants 6
1987 SF Giants 7
2023 SF Giants 8
Year, Team Walks
2014 SF Giants 8
1988 SF Giants 10
1920 NY Giants 10

IT’S CALLED EXPERIENCE, BRO…: SF has one of the most veteran pitching staffs in the Majors overall this year in terms of career innings pitched…see below from Stats, LLC. Most Career Innings Pitched by Team’s Active Roster (Excludes Players on IL)

Team Innings Pitched
Texas Rangers 9058.2
Kansas City Royals 8228.2
San Francisco Giants 7010.1
Team Innings Pitched
Chicago White Sox 6732.1
New York Mets 6487.0

WEBB V. URÍAS IV: Tonight’s starting pitching matchup is the fourth time that Giants starter Logan Webb has faced off against Dodgers starter Julio Urías in the regular season… in each of the prior three outings (May 29, 2021 at Dodger Stadium, July 21, 2021 at Dodger Stadium and July 27, 2021 at Oracle) the Giants have come out victorious…in those three outings, Webb has combined to go 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA (4er, 16.0ip), seven hits allowed, four walks and 17 strikeouts…the two did face off with one another in Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS but Urías came out of the bullpen in that game.

JEKYLL & HYDE: The disparity in the Giants offense early on in wins and losses has been dramatic as the numbers below illustrate.

Giants Offense In Wins vs. Losses Through 9 Games
In SF’s Four Wins
Runs Scored ………………………………..38
Runs Per Game……………………………9.5
Run Differential………………+23 (38-15)
Home Runs ………………………………….15
Hits…………………………………………….51
Batting Average …………. .329 (51×155)
OPS………………………………………..1.083
In SF’s Five Losses
Runs Scored ………………………………….9
Runs Per Game……………………………1.8
Run Differential………………..-18 (9-27)
Home Runs ……………………………………2
Hits…………………………………………….28
Batting Average ……………177 (28×158)
OPS…………………………………………..525

ARRIVEDERCI!: The Giants 17 homers through nine games are third-most by a Giants team through its first eight games of a season behind the 2003 Giants and 2016 Giants (18 apiece).. the ’03 and ’16 teams hold the record for most through 10 games (19).

Giants, Most Home Runs Through Nine Games (All-time)
Year, Team Home Runs
2003 SF Giants 18
2016 SF Giants 18
2023 SF Giants 17
Year, Team Home Runs
1947 NY Giants 16
Three Tied 15

SLICE OF PIE: Through eight games, the Giants have scored 61.4% of their runs (27-of-44) via the homer…only Miami has been more reliant on the homer so far (20-of-27 runs, 74%)

TODAY’S STARTER – LOGAN WEBB RHP #62
2023 RECORD: 0-2, 6.55 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.

LAST TIME OUT: Was saddled with the loss in SF’s 7-3 defeat at the White Sox last Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field…in 5.0 innings Webb allowed four runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and no walks in his 81-pitch effort…Webb told reporters after the game that he felt the White Sox had a very different approach than the Yankees did in his first start of the season as they were trying to go the other way and stay on his offspeed and that he didn’t do a good job adjusting to that.

VS. LOS ANGELES-NL: Is making his 11th career start vs. the Dodgers in the regular season and first this season…a season ago, Webb went 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA (13er, 21.0ip) and 12 strikeouts in four starts against the Dodgers with an opponent’s batting average against of .314…that was a big difference from 2021 where the righty was 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA (5er, 30.2ip) with 34 strikeouts and five walks with an opponent’s BAA of .150 in five starts (incl. his two postseason starts) vs. LA…he’s had a tough time with LA here at home in his career during the regular season, going 0-4 with a 6.57 ERA (18er, 24.2ip) in five starts…in his two postseason starts vs. LA in this ballpark back in 2021, however, he allowed one run in 14.2 innings.

HOMIE: Since 2021, Webb has gone 15-6 with a 2.52 ERA (48er, 171.1ip) in 29 starts here at Oracle Park…the Giants in that time are 23-6 in those 29 games…if you include his two postseason starts here at Oracle Park from 2021, Webb is 16-6 with a 2.37 ERA (49er, 186.0ip) in his last 31 starts in this ballpark with SF going 24-7 in those games.

IT. IS. (NOT) OUTTA. HERE.: Since 2021, Webb has allowed just six home runs here at Oracle Park, fewest in the Majors of any starter who has made at least 20 starts at home in that time… additionally, his 0.31 HR/9ip at home also leads all pitchers with at least 20 starts since 2021 (Stats, LLC).

LOGAN’S WEBB: Over the last 2+ seasons as Webb has come into his own, the Giants as a team are 39-21 (.650) in games that he has started since 2021…however, SF has lost each of Webb’s starts this season and 6-of-his-last-10 dating to August 18, 2022.

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.

2022 SEASON: Wrapped up his fourth Major League season and continued to build his resume as one of the top starters in the Majors…Webb set career bests in wins (15), ERA (2.90), innings pitched (192.1) and strikeouts (163) as he officially went 15-9 with a 2.90 ERA in a career-best 32 starts…Webb’s 2.90 ERA and 192.1 innings pitched were seventh-best in the National League.

2023 SPRING TRAINING: Webb went 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA (9er, 18.0ip) in five official Spring Training starts…his most recent came on Saturday vs. Seattle at Scottsdale Stadium where he twirled 5.0 innings and allowed one run on eight hits while striking out six and walking three…over his final two spring starts, Webb struck out 12 batters in 9.1 innings.

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (7-2) at Arizona Diamondbacks (6-4)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 10, 2023

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (7-2) at Arizona Diamondbacks (6-4)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 1 of a 10-game road trip to Arizona (3g), San Diego (4g) and Seattle (3g)…..the Brewers are coming off a 5-1 homestand against New York-NL (3-0) and St. Louis (2-1)…..following this trip and an off day on April 20, the team returns to American Family Field for a 9-game homestand against Boston (3g), Detroit (3g) and Los Angeles-AL (3g).

IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP Adrian Houser (right groin), OF Tyrone Taylor (right elbow), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring) and LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) are on the injured list….. Alexander, Ashby and Wilson are on the 60-day IL.

IN THE STANDINGS (11 days): The Brewers have spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings: FIRST: 9, SECOND: 0, THIRD: 2, FOURTH: 0, FIFTH: 0…..the team is currently in first place, leading the second-place Pirates by 1.0 game.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers are 3-0-0 in series play.
Game 1: 2-1, Game 2: 2-1, Game 3: 3-0, Game 4: 0-0
Sweep Wins (1): vs. NYM (3g, 4/3-4/5)
Sweep Losses (-): None

AT HOME: The Brewers are 5-1 at home, going 2-0-0 in series play…..the team went 46-35 at home last season, going 15-8-4 in series play.

ON THE ROAD: The Brewers are 2-1 on the road, going 1-0-0 in series play…..the team went 40-41 on the road last season, going 9-12-5 in series play.

MANAGER: Craig Counsell – the longest-tenured active manager in the National League and third in the majors – is in his ninth season as Brewers manager (622-557) and eighth full season…..he has the most wins of any manager in franchise history…..his 1,179 games managed are second to Phil Garner (1,180)…..Counsell was named the 19th manager in franchise history on 5/4/15, replacing Ron Roenicke…..he is signed through the 2023 season.

COACHES: First base coach Quintin Berry (3rd season), hitting coach Connor Dawson (2nd season), bullpen coach Jim Henderson (2nd season), pitching coach Chris Hook (5th season), third base coach Jason Lane (8th season, 3rd as 3B coach), associate pitching, catching and strategy coach Walker McKinven (4th season), bench coach Pat Murphy (8th season) and hitting coach Ozzie Timmons (2nd season) all returned from the 2022 staff…..Néstor Corredor, who had previously been bullpen catcher (2021-22), is now a coach.

2022 IN REVIEW: The Brewers went 86-76 last season, missing the postseason for the first time since 2017…..the team was eliminated from NL Central contention on September 27 and eliminated from postseason contention on October 3, snapping their franchise-record four consecutive years of making the playoffs…..the team won at least 86 games for the fifth consecutive full season (since 2017), joining the Dodgers (since 2012), Astros (since 2017) and Yankees (since 2017) as the only teams to accomplish the feat during this stretch (does not include 2020).

LET’S GO TO THE VIDEO TAPE: The Brewers have made one replay challenge this season, going 0-1…..the challenge came on Opening Day at Chicago-NL as a safe call at first base (Dansby Swanson) on a pickoff attempt stood

TONIGHT’S STARTER: #20 – LHP WADE MILEY (1gs, 1-0, 0.00)
MILEY AT A GLANCE: Wade Miley, 36, is making his second start…..Miley made his season debut last Tuesday vs. New York-NL and earned his 100th career win in a 9-0 victory (6ip, 5h, 0bb, 3k, 1hbp, 79 pitches)…..he signed as a free agent with Milwaukee on January 9…..he is signed through the 2023 season with a mutual option for 2024.

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

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

CAREER: Is 100-94 with a 4.11 ERA in 293 games/286 starts (1624ip, 742er)…..is in his 13th Major League season with Arizona (2011-14), Boston (2015), Seattle (2016), Baltimore (2016-17), Milwaukee (2018, ‘23), Houston (2019), Cincinnati (2020-21) and Chicago-NL (2022)…..he was an All-Star with the Diamondbacks in 2012…..he threw a no-hitter with the Reds on 5/7/21 at Cleveland…..Miley was selected by Arizona in the supplemental first round (43rd overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 5-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 13 starts (59.2ip, 25er).

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 48-50 with a 4.00 ERA in 155 games/153 starts (863.1ip, 384er)…..went 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 4 starts last season (13ip, 7er).

CAREER vs. DIAMONDBACKS: Is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 2 starts (14.2ip, 4er)…..he earned a 6-1 win as a member of the Orioles on 9/24/16 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards (8.2ip, 7h, 1r, 1er, 0bb, 11k) and had no decision last season with the Cubs in a 5-4 win on 5/22 at Wrigley Field (6ip, 6h, 3r, 3er, 2bb, 3k).

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs are 3-1 in their opening homestand of the 2023 season vs. Dodgers (3-1) and Brewers (April 10-12).

♦ Arizona went 4-3 vs. Brewers in 2022 (3-1 @ home, 1-2 on road).

♦ The D-backs won their first series of the season, taking 3-of-4 games from the Dodgers (+12 run differential), marking Arizona’s first 4-game series win vs. Los Angeles since Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2019 and first series win overall vs. Dodgers since April 25-27, 2022 @ Chase Field (2-of-3).

♦ Josh Rojas has three 3-hit performances in his last 4 games while hitting .588 (10-for-17)/1.344 OPS with 3 doubles, 4 RBI, 1 walk and 2 stolen bases.

♦ Geraldo Perdomo’s .438 average (7-for-16) currently ranks fi fth in the Majors (min. 20 PA), behind Matt Chapman/TOR (.475), Luis Arráez/MIA (.471), Adam Duvall/BOS (.455) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr./TOR (.439).

AMONG REST OF NL WEST
♦ The D-backs are atop the NL West through the first 10 games of a season for the first time since 2018, when they went 8-2, ahead of the Rockies (5-5), Giants (5-5), Dodgers (4-6) and Padres (2-8).

RISP-Y BUSINESS
♦ The D-backs’ .333 average (29-for-87) with runners in scoring position currently ranks second in the Majors, behind only the Rays (.371).

♦ Arizona leads the Majors with its .415 average (17-for-41) with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, ahead of the Astros (.354) and Rays (.345).

SWIPIN’ BAGS
♦ The D-backs currently lead the Majors with 17 stolen bases, ahead of the Guardians and Orioles (15), White Sox (13) and Yankees, Mariners and Pirates (11).

♦ Arizona’s 17 stolen bases through the fi rst 10 games of the season set a franchise high (previous: 12 in 2011) and tied for the third most by a team since 1998 [source: Sportradar]:

MOST STOLEN BASES IN FIRST 10 GAMES: 21 – Yankees/1998; 19 – Royals/2002; 17 – D-backs/2023, Astros/1999, Tigers/1998
♦ Corbin Carroll is just 1 of 2 players in the Majors this season to have 2+ stolen bases in multiple games (2 games – also: Jorge Mateo/BAL).

♦ His team-leading 5 stolen bases so far this season leads all MLB rookies, ahead of Anthony Volpe/NYY (3).

RUN PRODUCERS [source: Sportradar]
♦ The 31 runs by the D-backs in the last 4 games marked their most ever in a series vs. Dodgers, surpassing the 29 runs scored back on May 24-26, 2002 during a 3-game series.

NO HOMERS, NO PROBLEM [source: Sportradar]
♦ Yesterday marked the 10th time in franchise history where Arizona scored 11+ runs without the benefit of a home run and first time since Sept. 11, 2022 @ Rockies (W, 12-6).

3-HIT DAYS FOR ROJAS
♦ Yesterday, Josh Rojas collected a second consecutive 3-hit game, marking just the second time in his career with back-to-back 3-hit performances (also: Aug. 15 vs. Padres to Aug. 17, 2021 vs. Phillies).

RUNS BEING SAVED
♦ The D-backs’ 13 Defensive Runs Saved are the second most in the Majors, behind the Brewers (16) and ahead of the Mets (9), Blue Jays (7) and Mariners (6).

TODAY’S STARTER – RHP ZAC GALLEN ♦ #23
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 third start of the season.
• Made fi rst career Opening Day start on March 30…became the 12th different D-backs pitcher in franchise history to start the season opener.

LAST START: Did not factor in the decision on April 4 @ Dodgers (ND; 4 ER in 6.0 IP).

VS. BREWERS: Has gone 1-3 with 2.45 ERA (6 ER in 22.0 IP) in 4 career starts.

• Is 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER in 12.0 IP) over 2 career starts @ Chase Field.

• Made his final start of the 2022 season @ Brewers on Oct. 4 (L; 3 ER in 5.0 IP).

2022 REVIEW: Set career highs in virtually all categories, including wins, starts, innings and strikeouts.

• Led the NL in WHIP and opponent average…also ranked among NL leaders in win pct. (T-2nd, .750), ERA (4th), quality starts (T-7th, 19), strikeouts (8th) and innings (10th).

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.

MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (3-7) at Los Angeles Angels (5-4)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 10, 2023

MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (3-7) at Los Angeles Angels (5-4)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

MOVING ON
The Washington Nationals open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night after splitting a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies this weekend.

• Washington dropped a back-and-forth affair with Colorado, 7-6, on Sunday afternoon…Stone Garrett (2-for-5, R) and Victor Robles (2-for-4, RBI, R) each posted multi-hit efforts.

ROLLIN’ ROBLES
Victor Robles ranks in the National League in batting average (5th, .387), on-base percentage (7th, .472) and hits (T9th, 12).

• He is 10-for-21 (.476) with two doubles, three RBI, two walks, one stolen base and four runs scored over his last six games…He’s reached safely in five of the six games.

• Robles has struck out just three times this season and his 8.1% strikeout rate ranks fourth in the National League (9th in MLB).

PLAYIN’ THE HITS
Washington’s offense ranks tied for fourth in the National League with 89 hits and fifth with a .265 batting average this season.

• Over the last three games, the Nationals rank second in Major League Baseball with 38 hits and a .342 batting average while their .405 on-base percentage ranks third.

START ME UP
Jim Hickey’s starting rotation ranks third in the National League (8th in MLB) with 51.2 innings pitched so far this season…The rotation also ranks in the National League in walks per 9.0 innings (3rd, 3.14), fewest walks (T5th, 18) and strikeout to walk ratio (7th, 2.33).

OFF AND RUNNING
CJ Abrams matched a Nationals record (2005-pres.) with two triples on Saturday night…It was the second two-triple game in Major League Baseball this season (also: LAD James Outman, 4/3 vs. COL)…Abrams went 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored in addition to the two triples…He is tied for the Major League lead with two triples.

• Abrams is 7-for-21 (.333) with a double, two triples, three RBI, two walks, one hit by pitch and three runs scored over his last six games…This comes after starting the season in an 0-for-10 stretch.

• Abrams has drawn three walks in nine games this season…He drew one walk in 44 games with the Nationals and five walks in 90 games total in 2022.

ALEX AND LANE
• Alex Call leads the Nationals and ranks tied for fourth in the National League with eight walks…He went 4-for-12 (.333) with a double, homer, three RBI, three walks and five runs scored over his last
three games.

• Lane Thomas is tied for fifth in the National League with 14 hits, while his .359 batting average ranks 12th…He has hit safely in eight of 10 games this season and has reached base safely in nine of the 10.

NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
The Nationals were one of six teams that had least three players in the top 50 youngest players in Major League Baseball to start the season…The Arizona Diamondbacks (5), St. Louis Cardinals (5), Detroit Tigers (3), Pittsburgh Pirates (3) and Seattle Mariners (3) also had three players in the top 50.

• CJ Abrams (22) is the third-youngest player in Major League Baseball, while Luis Garcia (23) is 15th and Keibert Ruiz (24) is 50th.

OPPONENT
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
The Nationals and Angels will face off three times in 2023, all in Los Angeles…GM Mike Rizzo spent four seasons as a minor league infielder in the Angels organization…First base coach, Eric Young Jr. played parts of two seasons (2017-18) with them… Third base coach, Gary DiSarcina, spent his entire Major League career with the Angels from 1989- 2000…Hunter Harvey’s dad, Bryan, recorded 126 saves across six seasons (1987-92) with the Angels, including a career-high 46 during his AL All-Star season in 1991…Nationals broadcaster Kevin Frandsen spent part of the 2010 season as a member of the Angels Anthony Rendon was a member of the Nationals for seven seasons (2013-19)…Ali Modami, the Nationals former batting practice pitcher, serves the Angels in the same role.

TONIGHT’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
Allowed six earned runs on ten hits with three strikeouts, no walks and two home runs allowed in 6.0 innings of work on April 5 vs. Tampa Bay…Held the Rays to three earned runs through 5.2 innings before surrendering three two-out runs before finishing his outing.

vs. LOS ANGELES
Has faced the team that drafted him just once, Aug. 21, 2018 at Arizona as a member of the Diamondbacks…Allowed two earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 6.0 innings in Arizona’s 5-4 walk-off win.

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.

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.

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

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the fourth (1-2) of six games on the opening homestand of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays (1-2) and Washington Nationals (April 10- 12)…Halos went 4-2 on first road trip of year against Oakland (2-1) and Seattle (2-1), marking first time winning each of first two series of a season since 2018 (won first five series).

BALLY SPORTS SO CAL TONIGHT: Tonight’s game will air live on Bally Sports So Cal…The Los Angeles Kings game against the Vancouver Canucks will be airing on Bally Sports West.

ANGELS RECENT RECORDS TO BEGIN SEASON
AFTER NINE GAMES: AFTER 10 GAMES:
2023: 5-4 2023: ???
2022: 5-4 2022: 6-4
2021: 6-3 2021: 7-3
2020: 3-6 2020: 3-7
2019: 3-6 2019: 4-6

EVERYTHING IS BASICALLY FINE: José Suarez is set to make his first home start of the season tonight and first start of his career against the Nationals…Has allowed three-or-fewer runs in five of his last six starts at Angel stadium. ON WITH THE SHO: Dating back to last season, Shohei Ohtani has reached base safely (via hit, walk, or HBP) in a career-high 32 consecutive games…It’s the second-longest active streak
in the Majors, behind Aaron Judge (42 games)…Additionally, the streak is tied for the ninth-longest in Angels history; if the on-base streak continues tonight, he would tie Tony Phillips (1997) and Darin Erstad (2001) for the seventh-longest streak in Club history.

VS. WASHINGTON: Today is the first of three games this season in the only series of the year between the Angels and Nationals…Last year, the Halos won two of three meetings with the Nats, including a Mother’s Day walk-off hit by former National Anthony Rendon in the series finale…LAA is 14-8 alltime against the Expos/Nationals, including a 7-4 mark at The Big A.

VETERAN ROSTER: The Angels Opening Day active roster featured just one rookie: Logan O’Hoppe.

ROOKIE RAKING: Logan O’Hoppe has driven in a run in five of his seven starts this season…His nine RBI this season are tied for the team lead with Mike Trout…He was the first player to have an RBI in each of the Angels first three games of a season since Mike Trout in 2017…Before Trout, it last happened in 2007 by both Vladimir Guerrero and Casey Kotchman.

LEGENDARY COMPANY: Mike Trout enters today’s game with 298 career doubles…With two more doubles, he would become 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.

CANNING ON REHAB: Thursday night, RHP Griffin Canning made a rehab start for Low-A Inland Empire…He struck out 10 across 5.0 innings of work and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with two walks.

ON BASE TRIO: Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Taylor Ward have all reached base safely (via hit, walk, or HBP) in all nine of the Angels games this season…In 2013, Mark Trumbo set the franchise record after reaching base safely in each of the Angels first 20 games (Rod Carew held previous record with a 19-game streak in 1981).

INTERLEAGUE PLAY: LAA owns a 261-223 (.539) all-time Interleague record…The 261 all-time Interleague wins are third most all time behind Red Sox (288) and Yankees (285)… Last season, Halos went 7-13 against N.L. opponents.

SHO TIME TOMORROW: Tomorrow night, Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to make his third pitching start of the season and first at home…This season on the mound, he has allowed one earned run across 12 innings pitched (0.75 ERA) and has allowed two-or-fewer runs in nine consecutive pitching starts, which ties a franchise record (Nolan Ryan had a nine game streak across 1972-73 seasons).

THE 11 SPOT: Last Saturday afternoon at Oakland, the Angels plated 11 runs in the top of the third inning, marking the Halos highest scoring frame since July 2, 2016 (11 runs in the 7th inning at Boston)…It was the sixth 11+ run inning in franchise history.

BABY BACKSTOP: With his start on Opening Day, Logan O’Hoppe (23 years, 49 days) became the youngest Opening Day catcher in Angels history (previous was Buck Rodgers – 23 years, 237 days in 1962)…He was the first Angels rookie catcher to start on Opening Day since Bengie Molina in 2000.

WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE: With Anthony Rendon, Hunter Renfroe & Luis Rengifo hitting 4-6 in the Angels Opening Day batting order, it was 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).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – LHP JOSÉ SUAREZ
0-1, 12.46 ERA
Making first career start vs. Nationals

• TODAY’S GAME: Making second start of the season and first at home…Is in fifth Major League season with Angels…Made Opening Day roster for second consecutive season.

• LAST TIME OUT: Took the loss in season debut on Tuesday at Seattle after tossing 4.1 innings and allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts…The six earned runs allowed matched his career high (fifth time).

• VS. WASHINGTON: Tonight marks first career appearance vs. Nationals.

• INTERLEAGUE PLAY: In seven career games (six starts) against National League opponents, is 0-5 with a 10.50 ERA (24 IP – 28 ER) and 19 strikeouts…Last season, made one Interleague start on July 16, 2022 vs. Dodgers (L; 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO).

• AT ANGEL STADIUM: In 30 career games (25 starts) at The Big A, is 6-12 with a 5.19 ERA (138.2 IP – 80 ER)… Last year, was 5-4 with a 5.19 ERA (58.2 IP – 27 ER) in 11 home games (10 starts)…Began career with 12 consecutive winless starts at Angel Stadium, (which was most all-time to begin a career in ballpark history), before earning CG victory Sept. 4, 2021 vs. Texas.

• SPRING RECAP: Totaled three starts for Angels during Cactus League season and went 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA (8.2 IP – 4 ER) with six strikeouts…Was winning pitcher in each of last two spring starts.

• 2022 IN REVIEW: Set new career highs in innings pitched (109.0), starts (20) and strikeouts (103) and equaled single-season best with eight wins…Allowed three-or-fewer runs in 16 of 20 starts and two-or-fewer runs in 10 of 20 starts…In 11 starts following All-Star Break, pitched to a 2.81 ERA (64 IP – 20 ER) with 58 strikeouts…The ERA ranked 14th in the A.L. over that span (min. 60 IP).

• CHASING PERFECTION: Carried a perfect game through 5.1 innings in home start on Aug. 16, 2022 vs. Seattle, before allowing four consecutive singles and exiting the game.

• AVOID THE TOP: Last season, hitters in the top three spots in the opposing batting order hit .319 (51/160), while batters in the 4-9 spots batted .198 (52/263).

• GOOD NIGHT: Last season, made 13 appearances (12 starts) in night games and went 6-4 with a 2.96 ERA (67 IP – 22 ER), compared with a 2-4 record and 5.57 ERA (42 IP – 26 ER) in day games.

• THE COMPLETE GAME: Tossed first career complete game on Sept. 4, 2021 vs. Texas…Allowed one earned run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts…Carried shutout into 9th inning; only run allowed came on RBI groundout for second out of 9th inning…Marked first career winning decision at Angel Stadium (13th start)…Had not pitched more than 5.2 innings prior to that start.

• LITTLE LEAGUE CLASSIC: Was Angels starting pitcher in the Little League Classic vs. Cleveland on Aug. 22, 2021 in Williamsport, PA (L; 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO).

• VENEZUELAN HALOS: Became the 18th different Venezuelan-born player to pitch for the Angels…Became seventh Venezuelan native to start for the Halos, following Kelvim Escobar, Urbano Lugo, Jhoulys Chacin, Anthony Ortega, Luis Sanchez and Yusmeiro Petit.

• CAREER NOTES: Native of Naguanagua, Venezuela…Signed with Angels as an international free agent July 3, 2014…Selected to Angels 40-man roster Nov. 20, 2018…Made Major League debut June 2, 2019 at Seattle.

MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals (3-7) at Texas Rangers (5-4)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 10, 2023

MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals (3-7) at Texas Rangers (5-4)

KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:

THE FATEFUL 8TH: The Royals suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss in San Francisco yesterday, dashing hopes of what would’ve been their first 3-game road sweep since August 2021…after everything went right in the 8th inning in Saturday’s comeback win, the 8th inning turned on the Royals yesterday, when they stranded a double that began the top half of the frame…clinging to a 1-0 lead in the bottom half, Wilmer Flores hit a 2-out double to tie the game, and Michael Conforto followed with a go-ahead, 2-run homer…the Giants comeback spoiled a fantastic start by Kris Bubic, who allowed just 2 hits and no walks over 6.0 scoreless innings and matched a career high with 9 strikeouts…on offense, the Royals recorded just 5 hits, failed to draw a walk and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and rank last in the Majors with a .169 average in scoring situations.

BACK IN ACTION: Manager Matt Quatraro has re-joined the team in Texas after missing the last 5 games with a positive COVID-19 test…Bench Coach Paul Hoover served as Interim Manager while Q was out, and led the Royals to a 2-3 record, although Elias tells us that those 5 games count toward Quatraro’s win-loss ledger.

STARTING SOMETHING: Kris Bubic turned in one of the best starts of his career yesterday, allowing only 2 hits and no walks over 6.0 scoreless innings, with a career-high-tying 9 strikeouts…it was the 1st scoreless start by a Royal this season and already the eighth time in 10 games in which a Royals starter has allowed 2 runs or fewer, which leads the Majors ahead of the Twins and Rays (7 each)…yesterday’s 3-1 loss marked the fifth time in 10 games that the Royals have allowed 3 runs or fewer for the game, but they’re only 1-4 (.200) in those contests, which are 2 more losses than any other team…last season, the Royals went 49-12 (.803) when holding opponents to 3 runs or fewer, which was slightly above the league-average mark of .786.

Royals starting pitchers have produced a 3.29 ERA (20 ER in 54.2 IP) through 10 games, which ranks 4th in the Majors behind the Rays (1.90), Twins (2.24) and Yankees (3.27)…good starting pitching typically leads to more wins, as the three teams ahead of the Royals in starter’s ERA are a combined 21-6 (.778) this season, and the Royals are the only team in the top 16 in starter’s ERA with no more than 3 wins.

RAID THE ZONE: The Royals pitching motto this year, as told by MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, is “RAID THE ZONE,” a phrase meant to encourage pitchers to attack the strike zone…this is an area in which the Royals struggled last year, when they finished last in the American League in walks (589), BB/9 (3.74) and last in the Majors in first-pitch strike rate (58.0%)…under new Pitching Coach Brian Sweeney, Assistant Pitching Coach Zach Bove and Bullpen Coach Mitch Stetter, the Royals pitching staff has improved significantly in many categories, ranking 6th in the Majors with a 2.7 BB/9 rate and 8th with a 62.1% first-pitch strike rate and 3.3 K/BB ratio.

Royals pitchers have recorded 22 strikeouts and 1 walk in the last 2 games, and in their last 4 games, they’ve produced 42 strikeouts in 35.0 innings (10.8 K/9) and only 6 walks (1.5 BB/9)…twice in the last 4 games, Royals pitchers have struck out at least 11 without issuing a single walk, something they’d done only 14 times in the franchise’s previous 8,515 games dating back to 1969.

JUST KEEP SWINGING: While Kansas City’s pitching staff has been among the best in the Majors through the first 10 games of this season, the offense has yet to get going…in fact, the Royals offense ranks last in the Majors in batting average (.184) and on-base percentage (.255), is tied for last in runs per game (2.7), 29th in OPS (.576) and 28th in slugging percentage (.321)…but despite the lack of results, some of the advanced metrics suggest promise in the Royals offensive approach…Baseball Savant, for example, ranks the Royals 2nd in average exit velocity (91.3 mph), trailing only the Dodgers (92.1 mph)…FanGraphs’ measure of Hard Hit Rate (balls with an exit velocity of 95.0 mph or greater) also ranks the Royals 2nd in the Majors at 48.0%, trailing the Dodgers (50.0%)…the Royals rank last in the Majors with a .222 Batting Average on Balls in Play, and are hitting “only” .561 on line drives, well below the league average of .660, both of which suggest better luck is ahead.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS: The Royals and Rangers are meeting tonight for the first of 3 games this week…these teams will meet again next week at Kauffman Stadium, which means they’ll play 6 games vs. each other over the next 10 days…in fact, the Royals 6-game season series vs. the Rangers will end before the Royals play a game vs. three of their four division rivals, as they won’t see the White Sox until May 8, their 1st meeting with Detroit won’t come until May 22 and their 1st game vs. Cleveland is scheduled for June 27.

The Royals went 2-4 vs. the Rangers in 2022, losing their seventh straight season series since 2015, a stretch in which they are 13-34 (.277) and have been outscored 232-155 (-77)…this includes a club-worst 12-game skid vs. the Rangers from July 23, 2016-July 15, 2017 in which they were shut out twice and outscored 47-22 (-25)…the Royals are 4-18 (.182) vs. the Rangers in Texas since 2016, including a 7-game skid that was halted last May 11, which marked their only win at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.

These two franchises have played each other in six different ballparks, including Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium (1969-72) and Kauffman Stadium (1973-present), and RFK Memorial Stadium, where the Washington Senators played from 1962-71…the franchise became the Rangers in 1972 and played in Texas’ Arlington Stadium through 1993, before Globe Life Park was introduced in 1994…that ballpark still stands across the street from the new Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020 and is now in its fourth season.

APRIL 10 IN ROYALS HISTORY: Today marks the 50-year anniversary of the inaugural game at Royals Stadium, in which the Royals beat these Rangers 12-1 in front of 39,464 fans on April 10, 1973…Royals Stadium has years ahead of its time and was the sole baseball-only facility built between 1966 and 1991…the ballpark was renamed in honor of the franchise’s founder, Ewing Kauffman, on July 2, 1993, less than a month before he died…a half-century later, Kauffman Stadium is recognized as one of baseball’s most beautiful parks…The K has hosted two All-Star Games, in 1973 and 2012, three no-hitters and a total of 13 World Series games.

PACE OF PLAY: The new pitch timer rules implemented for 2023 have already produced dramatic results through the first 11 days of the regular season…through 141 games that have ended in 9 innings, the average game time has been 2 hours, 37 minutes, and only 16 of the 141 games (11.3%) lasted at least 3 hours…the Royals 10 games have averaged 2 hours, 26 minutes, which is 11 minutes below the league average and is tied with the Twins for the fastest average time in the young season…compared to 9-inning games across the Majors last season, average time of game is down 26 minutes, while batting averages are up from .243 to .249, runs per game are up from 8.6 to 9.4 and stolen base success rates have jumped from 75.4% to 81.3%…the current success rate of steals would shatter the Major League record set in 2021 at 75.7%.

TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP ZACK GREINKE (0-2, 2.38)
ZACK GREINKE is making his 3rd start of the season and 517th of his career tonight vs. Texas, breaking a tie with Jack Powell (1897-1912) for 43rd place on the all-time starts list, 1 behind Hall of Famer John Clarkson (1882-94)…it’s his 23rd career start (25th appearance) vs. the Texas Rangers…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 (516), innings (3258.1), 2nd in wins (223) and 3rd in strikeouts (2,890)…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 a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays last Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium, in which he allowed just 1 run on 7 hits and 1 walk in 6.0 innings, with 4 strikeouts…he stranded back-to-back 2-out singles in the 1st inning and a 2-out walk in the 2nd, before erasing a leadoff single in the 3rd with a 5-4-3 double play…Zack held the Blue Jays without a run until the 6th, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr.—who singled with 1 out—scored on a fielder’s choice to break the scoreless tie… he stranded a pair of runners to escape the 6th, which signaled the end of his night.

There have been 126 pitchers who’ve started 2 games entering today…of those, 21 are 0-2—including Zack—and none have an ERA lower than his 2.38.

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).

Zack enters tonight with 1256.1 innings in a Royals uniform, and is only 2 outs shy of matching Charlie Leibrandt for 7th place in Royals history.

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 993 different batters in his 20-year career and is seven 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 four players on Texas’ active roster who Greinke has yet to strike out, including Ezequiel Duran, Josh Jung, Nathaniel Lowe and Bubba Thompson, but only Lowe and Thompson are in the starting lineup tonight.

VS. TEXAS: Zack is 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA (56 ER in 129.0 IP) in 24 career appearances (22 starts) vs. Texas, including a win last June 29 at Kauffman Stadium…in fact, he’s won 5 of his last 7 starts vs. the Rangers dating back to 2020, despite pitching to a 5.45 ERA (24 ER in 39.2 IP) during that stretch.

ON THE ROAD: Greinke went 0-7 with a 5.32 ERA (42 ER in 71.0 IP) in 14 road starts last season—in which the Royals went 4-10—and he’s winless in his last 17 road starts dating back to his most recent win on Aug. 13, 2021 at Anaheim (with Houston), where he pitched 7.0 shutout innings in a 4-1 victory. Ê Zack has faced the Rangers in seven different ballparks, including 8 games (7 starts) at Globe Life Park, 7 games (6 starts) at Kauffman Stadium, 4 starts at Minute Maid Park, 2 starts here at Globe Life Field, and 1 start at each of Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Chase Field…in his only 2 starts here at Globe Life Field with the Astros in 2021, Greinke went 0-2 and allowed 13 runs in 9.0 innings…that means a win tonight would be his 1st in this ballpark and would mark the 32nd different venue he’s won in…Globe Life Field is one of five ballparks in which Zack has pitched but never won, along with Fenway Park (0-2), the original Yankee Stadium (0-2), Tropicana Field (0-4) and the new Yankee Stadium (0-1).

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

WINS AND LOSSES: Texas managed to avoid a 3-G sweep at the hands of the Cubs yesterday after an 8-2 win during a sunny, warm afternoon at Wrigley Field…club now has a 2-4 record in last 6 G after a 3-0 start, and yesterday’s win avoided TEX being at or below .500 for the first time in 2023… the current 5-4 record is the Rangers’ best 9-G start since 2019 (also 5-4)…team opened the 2023 campaign with a 3-0 record for just the 9th time in Rangers history, the longest season-opening win streak since 2011 (6-0)…TEX is now 3-0 when scoring 8 R-or-more and 1-4 when scoring 3 R-or-less.

STANDING TALL: The Rangers regained a share of 1st place with yesterday’s win and the Angels’ 12-11 extra inning loss to Toronto…TEX began the season alone or tied atop the division for 9 straight days, as Friday marked the latest date for the club to own even a share of 1st place in the West since the final day of team’s division-winning season in 2016 (10/2/16)…from 2017-22, the Rangers had one day in which it held, or was tied for, 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).

VS. KANSAS CITY: The Rangers and Royals are scheduled to meet for 6 times in a 9-game span this season, with consecutive Mon-Wed. series both 4/10-12 at Globe Life Field and 4/17-19 at Kauffman Stadium to wrap the season series…Rangers went 4-2 vs. Royals in ‘23, winning both home and away series 2-1…TEX has won 7 straight season series against KC (2015-19, 2021-22)…have a 30-10 (.750) mark vs. KC since the start of 2016, 2nd-highest win pct. for any team against any opponent (min. 25 G) over that span behind OAK (32-9, .781 vs. DET)…TEX has won 8 of 10, 11 of 15, 14 of 20, and 18 of last 25 against KC overall (beg. 5/25/18)… are 14-4 in last 18 G in Arlington, and are 5-1 at Globe Life
Field…in the all-time series, Rangers hold advantages overall (277-264-1) and in Arlington (152-116).

NICE TO (K)C YOU AGAIN: Texas and Kansas City played 5 games during this year’s spring slate, with TEX going 2-2-1 against its Surprise Stadium co-tenants in 2023 exhibition play…TEX opened Cactus League play with a home-and-home against KC in Surprise from 2/24-25 (L, 5-6 and L, 5-10), a home game on 3/15 (W, 4-3), and two exhibition games at Globe Life Field from 3/27-28 (T, 4-4 and W, 5-3).

SERIES STUFF: In spite of yesterday’s win, the Rangers secured their 2nd-consecutive series loss of the season after opening the year with a 3-G sweep of the N.L. Champion Phillies…Rangers dropped the 1st 2 G for a 2nd straight series (also 4/3-4 vs. BAL), but are 3-0 in series finales of the young campaign…the team is now 1-2-0 in its first 3 series this season…TEX is now 0-6-2 in last 8 road series dating to last season…the 3-0 finish vs. PHI to open the season marked the 1st time for TEX to win the 1st series of a season since 2019 (won final 2 G of 3-G series 3/28-31 vs. CHC).

READY TO START: Jon Gray secured his 1st win of the season yesterday (5.2 IP, 6 H, 2R-ER, HR, 3 BB, 4 SO), his 1st against the Cubs since 5/1/18…he now owns a 2-0 record in 2 games/starts at Wrigley Field and has pitched 5.0-ormore innings in all 4 career starts against HC…it was Gray’s 2nd-consecutive start lasting 5.2-or-more innings and allowing 2 runs-or-less this season…this follows two tough-luck starts for Martín Pérez (L, 5.0 IP, 3 R-2 ER) and Nathan Eovaldi (L, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2R-ER) on Fri. and Sat. against the Cubs.

• The 3 starters for TEX in Chicago dropped the core’s ERA from 5.83 to 4.93, which continues to dwindle after an 8.31 ERA thru the team’s first 2 G of the season.

MAKING MOVES: The Rangers today placed catcher Mitch Garver on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to 4/9) with a mild left knee sprain and selected the contract of catcher Sandy León from Triple-A Round Rock…in order to make room on the 40-man roster for León, RHP Spencer Howard
has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

LIGHTNING QUICK: Travis Jankowski and Bubba Thompson both drew their first starts of the season in the outfield yesterday and batted 8th and 9th in the order, respectively, going 3-for-7 with 4 R, 3 XBH and 3 RBI between them.

• Jankowski went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a SB…his single in the 2nd inning was his 2nd RBI of the season, with his first two PAs of the season both resulting in RBI hits (also April 1 vs. PHI)…the SB was the 2nd for TEX this season, and the 1st since Marcus Semien stole a base on Opening Day vs. PHI…Jankowski’s owns a 29.0 sprint speed so for this season, ranking in the top 9% of the league (per Statcast).

• Thompson went 2-for-4 with a 2B, 3B, and 2 RBI…it was his first career 3B and 2nd career multi-RBI game…he registered sprint speeds of 30.8 (2B) and 30.3 (3B), both season highs for the Rangers…the 30.8 speed on Thompson’s double ranks T11th in the Major Leagues so far this season.

WAKE ME UP: Rangers batters yesterday plated 8 R for the 1st time since 4/1 vs. PHI, going 10-for-39 (.256) at the dish, notching a season-high 6 XBH, and posting a .729 OPS… after their first 2 G of the season against Philadelphia, where TEX batted .375 with 5 HR, 27 R, and a 1.080 OPS figure, the team went .187 (35-187) with 4 HR, 12 R and a .533 OPS figure in the following 6 G from 4/2-8…club had scored 3-R-or-less in 5 of those 6 games, batting a combined .167 (6-36) w/ RISP over that span with just one XBH (2B).

HELP ME OUT, WILL YA?: Over the Rangers’ 4 losses this season, the offense has given the starting pitcher a total of 2 runs of support while the starter is in the game…in 4 G this season in which the TEX rotation has received more than one run of support (including yesterday’s 8 RS for starter Jon Gray), starters have posted a 4-0 record…for the season, TEX starters have averaged 4.53 runs of support per 9 innings, the 12th-lowest figure in MLB.

CLIMBING THE RANKS: After yesterday’s win, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy tied Leo Durocher for 11th place on MLB’s all-time managerial wins list…he enters tonight’s game with a lifetime managerial record of 2,008-2,033 (.497) over 4,041 games with San Diego (951-975, .494), San Francisco (1,052-1,054, .4995), and Texas (5-4, .556)…next on the list is former Brooklyn/Los Angeles manager Walter Alston with 2,040 wins.

SLIDE TO THE LEFT: With the game time temperature forecast around 72 degrees and only going down to around 68 degrees this evening, the team will plan to play with the roof open for tonight’s game (scheduled to open at 6:30 p.m. after batting practice)…tonight will mark the 3rd time this season that the roof has been open to start a game (also 3/30-4/1 vs. PHI), with the team going 2-0 in such contests…in the 3/30 game (Opening Day) the roof was closed in the top of the 4th inning due to rain in the area.

• TEX is 15-20 all-time in 35 G with the roof open at Globe Life Field…of the 35 regular season games all-time played at GLF with the roof open (6 in 2020, 11 in 2021, 16 in 2022, 2 in 2023), 16 have taken place prior to May 1 on the calendar.

COMING SOON: The Rangers today announced that Monday, April 17 is the date that they’ll unveil their City Connect uniforms, which the team will wear every Friday home game at Globe Life Field this season, beginning Friday, April 21 when they host the Oakland Athletics at 7:05 p.m…the April 21 date is of great significance for the Texas Rangers franchise, as the team played its first ever game at Arlington Stadium on April 21,1972.

SHORTS: The Rangers will play their 7th home game of the season tonight and currently own a 4-2 record at Globe Life Field this season, tied for 2nd-most wins at home for an A.L. team so for this campaign (also New York Yankees)… KC owns a 2-1 road record despite going 1-6 at home so far this season.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #44 Andrew Heaney, LHP (0-1, 23.63)

TONIGHT: The 31-year-old left-hander is scheduled to make his 2nd start/appearance of the season in tonight’s series opener against the Royals…will be seeking to bounce back from a Texas debut in which he recorded 8 outs and permitted 7 runs…will be pitching at Globe Life Field for the 2nd time in as many starts…is one of 3 rotation member to make his Rangers debut in a start this season (also deGrom, Eovaldi), and he was the 26th and final member of TEX’s Opening Day roster to appear in 2023…Heaney is in his first season with Texas after signing a two-year free agent contract with the club on 12/9/22…is seeking to build on a 2022 campaign in which he produced career bests in ERA (3.10), WHIP (1.087), and strikeout rate (13.6 SO/9) with the Los Angeles Dodgers despite being limited by a pair of Injured List stints…from 2019-22, ranked among Major League pitchers (min. 350.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9 innings (9th, 11.07), swing-and-miss strike pct. (14th, 13.8%), strikeout pct. (15th, 28.8%), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (21st, 4.11)…the 9-year MLB veteran 138 games/127 starts with Miami (2014), Los Angeles-AL (2015-21), New York-AL (2021), Los Angeles-NL (2022), and Texas (2023)…an Oklahoma City native, Heaney pitched collegiately at Oklahoma State University before being selected by the Miami Marlins in the first round (9th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft.

SEASON DEBUT: Took loss on Tues. vs. BAL in Rangers’ 7-2 defeat (2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R-ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR, 69 pitches)…his 16 game score is easliy the lowest by a TEX starter in ‘23…posted a scoreless 1st, but gave up a 5-spot in a 34-pitch 2nd inning and made his exit after a Jorge Mateo 2-R HR to deep LF in the 3rd inning…is now 0-4, 5.85 (31 ER/47.2 IP) in his 10 season debuts over the course of his career.

VS. KANSAS CITY: Is 2-0, 2.28 (6 ER/23.2 IP) over 4 G/GS in his career against the Royals, posting 4 BB/23 SO with no HR allowed…took ND in start on 8/13/22 at KC w/ LAD (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R-ER), game in which he had 60 pitches in 3 innings and exited with Dodgers leading, 10-2…last 3 starts vs. KC: 2-0, 1.45 (3 ER/18.2 IP)…that span began with a CG one-hit SHO on 6/5/18 vs. KC in Anaheim (9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO), which remains the lone CG of his MLB career…that CG SHO fell on his 27th birthday, the 1st CG one-hitter by a LAA pitcher since Ervin Santana on 6/16/12 vs. ARI…he was the 1st MLB pitcher to throw a one-hit SHO on his birthday since STL’s Vicente Palacios on 7/19/94 at HOU.

SPRING TRAINING: Posted an 0-2 record and 6.75 ERA (9 ER/12.0 IP) over 4 Cactus League ‘A’ game starts this spring, recording 14 strikeouts/6 walks while allowing 3 HR…was dominant in start for Triple-A Round Rock on 3/17 vs. Omaha (KC AAA) on Field 1 in Surprise: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R-ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 81 pitches/59 strikes.

Date Opp. Dec. ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR P/S
3/1 vs. LAD L 10.80 1.2 3 2 2 2 2 2 —
3/6 at COL — 3.86 3.0 2 0 0 1 4 0 —
3/12 at SEA — 4.91 2.2 4 2 2 1 5 0 —
3/17 vs. KC (AAA) — — 5.0 6 1 1 1 8 0 81/59
3/24 at CHC L 6.75 4.2 8 5 5 2 3 1 —
‘A’ Totals 0-2 6.75 12.0 17 9 9 6 14 3 —

AT HOME / IN ARLINGTON: After his loss on Tues. vs. BAL, Heaney has now lost all 3 career starts at Globe Life Field (0-3, 11.91)…had 2 starts at this park with LAA in 2020: 8/9/20 (L, 3.2 IP, 5 R-ER) and 9/8/20 (L, 5.0 IP, 5 R-3 ER)… in the latter start, surrendered a solo HR to Elvis Andrus in the 2nd inning…TEX starter in that game was Lance Lynn (W, 7.0 IP, 1 R-ER).

• In 2022, fared far better in 8 G/7 GS on the road (2-1, 2.38 ERA) than in 8 G/7 GS at Dodger Stadium (2-3, 3.72 ERA)…for his career, has seen more success at home (22-21, 4.35 ERA, 72 G/65 GS) than in his away outings (14-22, 4.95 ERA, 66 G/62 GS)…the former Angels hurler (2015-21) owns a lifetime 1-6 record and 8.22 ERA (35 ER/38.1 IP) in 8 career games/starts in Arlington.

INJURIES IN 2022: Was limited to 16 games/14 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, enduring a pair of lengthy stints on Injured List: 4/20-6/18 (left shoulder discomfort) and 6/24-7/26 (left shoulder inflammation).

2022: Worked around a pair of IL stints due to shoulder issues and was 4-4, 3.10 over 16 G/14 GS in his only season with the Dodgers…limited opponents to a .214/.285/.429/.713 (60-280) slash line, posting reverse splits vs. RH (.210 BA) and LH (.230 BA) batters…career bests in ERA (3.10), WHIP (1.087), and SO rate (13.6 SO/9)…his 5.79 SO/BB rate was easily best of his career…went 2-1, 2.12 (11 ER/46.2 IP) with 12 BB/70 SO in his 1st 10 starts thru 8/30…had 10 K’s in just 4.2 IP on 8/18 at MIL…beginning 9/5, Heaney was 2-3, 4.85 (14 ER/26.0 IP) in his final 6 G/4 GS…gave up season highs in R (6) and HR (4) on 9/5 vs. SF…pitched in relief for final 2 G in regular season: 9/29 at SD and 10/4 vs. COL…went 3-3, 3.06 in 14 GS and 1-1, 3.38 in his 2 relief outings…had a pair of season-long 6.0-IP starts: 4/17 vs. CIN and 8/24 vs. MIL…10 of his 14 HR allowed on the season came over a 4-G span from 8/18-9/5…gave up just one HR over 69 left-handed batters faced…made his 1st and only career postseason app. in relief on 10/14/22 in NLDS G3 at SD (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R-ER), allowing the 2nd run in Padres’ 2-1 victory that gave them a 2-games-to-1 series lead over the Dodgers.

MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (4-6) at Chicago Cubs (4-4)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 10, 2023

MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (4-6) at Chicago Cubs (4-4)

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners open a 3-game series against the Chicago Cubs tonight…Seattle is coming off their first series win of the season at the Cleveland Guardians (2-1)…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Mike Blowers on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.

ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners lost yesterday’s series finale to the Cleveland Guardians by a score of 7-6 in 12 innings…despite the loss, Seattle won the series at Cleveland (2-1)…the Mariners have won 2 of the last 3 games and 3 of the last 5 games…Seattle holds a 1-2 series record this season.

• The Friendly Confines – Luis Castillo has made 8 career starts at Wrigley Field, his 3rd-most at any ballpark trailing Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark (70 GS) and Busch Stadium in St. Louis (10 GS)…overall, Castillo is 4-2 with a 3.56 ERA (17 ER, 43.0 IP) with 21 walks and 46 strikeouts at Wrigley Field…in his last start at Wrigley Field on June 28, 2022, Castillo tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, while striking out 11.

• For Starters – Mariners starting pitchers have posted a 3.35 ERA (19 ER, 51.0 IP) with 18 walks and 47 strikeouts so far this season…their 3.35 ERA ranks 5th-best in the Majors, trailing only Tampa Bay (1.90), Minnesota (2.24), New York-AL (3.27) and Kansas City (3.29).

LA PIEDRA…Luis Castillo enters today’s game having yet to allow a run through 2 starts in the 2023 season… he has limited opponents to a 0.429 WHIP (2 BB, 3 H, 11.2 IP) with opponents batting only .079 (3×38) against him…Castillo is 1 of 5 starters in MLB to begin their 2023 season with back-to-back scoreless outings, joining Drew Rasmussen-TB (13.0 IP), Jeffrey Springs-TB (13.0 IP), Marcus Stroman-CHC (12.0 IP) and Kyle Freeland (12.2 IP)…Castillo is only the 3rd Mariners starter in club history to make back-to-back scoreless starts to begin a season, joining Félix Hernández (2007, 2 GS, 17.0 IP) and James Paxton (2017, 3 GS, 21.0 IP).

INTERLEAGUE PLAY…Julio Rodríguez is batting .389 (28×72) with 12 runs scored, 2 doubles, 7 home runs, 14 RBI and 6 walks, while reaching base at a .443 clip and slugging .703 (1.151 OPS) in 19 career interleague games…Teoscar Hernández ranks 2nd among active Mariners batters with a .861 career OPS during interleague play…Teo has hit 23 home runs in 93 career interleague games, tied for 4th-most in the Majors (also: Rafael Devers-BOS) among active players with no more than 100 career interleague games.

RUNNING SHOES…Julio Rodríguez has scored a run in each of the last 7 games for the Mariners, tied for the 2nd-longest streak in the Majors this season…he trails only Taylor Ward-LAA who has scored in 8-consectuvie games (April 1-c)…Raúl Ibañez and Ken Griffey Jr. are tied for the Mariners club record, each having scored a run in 12 consecutive games with Seattle: Griffey Jr. (May 15-29, 1996) and Ibañez (Sept. 17-29, 2006)…Julio has also reached base safely in 9 consecutive games (3/31-c), including hits in 7 games during that span and multiple hits in 6 games.

FIRST INNING MAGIC…the Mariners scored 2 runs in the first inning of yesterday’s game and have scored during the opening frame in 6 of the last 7 games…as a team, the Mariners have outscored opponents by a score of 9-2 in the first inning this season…Mariners batters are hitting .362 (17×47) with 9 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 8 RBI, 5 walks and 2 stolen bases over 52 plate appearances in the first inning, while reaching base at a .423 clip and slugging .553 (.976 OPS)…Seattle’s .976 OPS in the first inning leads the American League and ranks 5th-best in the Majors behind Cincinnati (1.217), Los Angeles-NL (1.183), Atlanta (1.138) and St. Louis (1.036).

GE-KNOWS…Eugenio Suárez went 1-for-6 in yesterday’s game to extend his hitting streak to 7 games…during the active streak, Geno is batting .419 (13×31) with 4 runs scored, 2 doubles, 7 RBI and 1 walk, while reaching base at a .438 clip and slugging .484 (.921 OPS)…the streak is 1 game shy of his 2022 season-high 8-game hitting streak (done 2x: May 16-23 & May 28-June 5)…Geno’s active 7-game streak is tied for the 14th-longest active streak in the Majors…overall this season, Geno leads the Mariners with a .347 (15×42) batting average, having hit safely in 9 of 10 games, including 5 multi-hit games.

TY IS THAT GUY…Ty France went 1-for-5 with 1 walk in yesterday’s game to extend his hitting streak to 7 games…during the active streak, Ty is batting .313 (10×32) with 7 runs, 4 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 walks and 1 stolen base, while reaching base at a .371 clip and slugging .438 (.809 OPS)…overall this season, Ty has hit safely in 9 of 10 games, including 4 multi-hit games…Ty’s active 7-game hitting streak is tied for the 14th-longest active streak in the Majors.

YESTERDAY’S ROSTER MOVES…Seattle made 5 roster moves in advance of yesterday’s game in Cleveland:
• Justin Topa (#48), RHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
• JB Bukauskas (#50), RHP, selected from Triple-A Tacoma.
• Andrés Muñoz, RHP, placed on 15-day Injured List (right deltoid strain, retroactive April 8).
• Matt Festa, RHP, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
• Evan White, INF, recalled and placed on 60-day Injured List (left adductor strain).

MARINERS RETURN HOME ON APRIL 14…the Mariners return for a homestand at T-Mobile Park that begins Friday, April 14…April 14 vs. Colorado is Cal Raleigh Bobblehead Night, with the first 20,000 fans through the gates will receive the bobblehead featuring Cal’s unforgettable “clinch” moment from last season…Saturday, April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day, with all Mariners players and on-field staff wearing #42 and the first Mariners All-Star Ruppert Jones throwing that day’s ceremonial first pitch…other dates on the homestand include Little League Day (April 16), Rally Cap Night Ticket Special (April 17), Hello Kitty Night (April 18), Weather Education day (April 19), All-Star Hat Night (April 21) and much more…for more information, visit Mariners.com/Promotions or Mariners.com/Tickets.

HIGHLY RATED…according to Major League Baseball research, the Mariners 3-0 shutout of the Guardians on opening Night at T-Mobile Park scored a 7.3 rating on ROOT SPORTS, the highest rating for a Mariners game on ROOT since June 14, 2019 (a 7.9 vs. Boston)…the game was the most-watched telecast that week in the city of Seattle.

AS YOU KNOW…tonight’s game marks the first interleague matchup of the season for the Mariners, and…AS YOU ALSO KNOW…the Mariners will play every team in Major League Baseball this season, but…DID YOU KNOW?…tonight’s game marks the beginning of a 15-game stretch against 5 consecutive interleague opponents: at Chicago-NL (April 10-12), vs. Colorado (April 14-16), vs. Milwaukee (April 17-19), vs. St. Louis (April 21-23) and at Philadelphia (April 25-27)?…Seattle will face interleague opponents in back-to-back series only one other time during the 2023 schedule: Sept. 1 at New York-NL and Sept. 4 at Cincinnati…overall, the Mariners are 246-238 (.508) all-time in interleague play, including a 12-8 (.600) record vs. the National League in 2022.

TONIGHT’S MARINERS STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO
ABOUT CASTILLO…
• The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 3rd start of the season and 1st against the Cubs this season…he is also making his 151st Major League start and 17th career start against Chicago-NL.

• Has been named an All-Star in 2019 and 2022.

• Originally signed as an international free agent by the San Francisco Giants on 12/23/11.

• Made MLB debut on 6/23/17 vs. Washington (w/ Cincinnati)

• Signed a 5-year contract extension with the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 24, 2022 after being acquired in a trade with Cincinnati on July 30, 2022.

LAST TIME OUT…W#1 in second start of the regular season against LAA on 4/4/23…allowed just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 over 5.2 innings…has only allowed 3 hits in his first 2 starts on the season.

KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…Castillo has only allowed 3 hits in his first two starts of the season…he is tied 2nd in the Majors in hits allowed among starting pitchers with at least 2 starts…in 11.2 innings pitched this season Castillo has allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 12.

FAMILIAR FACES…tonight’s start marks Castillo’s 9th career start at Wrigley Field… he is making his first start against the Cubs since 6/28/22 when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds…in his last start at Wrigley Field he pitched 6.0 innings and allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 11 batters.

STRIKEOUT STREAK…has recorded 6 strikeouts in each of his first two starts this season…the last time he started a season with at least 2 consecutive starts with 6+ strikeouts was in 2019…Castillo recorded 6+ strikeouts in the first 5 games of the 2019 season, in 30.2 innings pitched he totaled 41 strikeouts.

PREVIOUSLY ON OPENING DAY…became just the 3rd Mariners starter to not allow a run in an Opening Day start, joining Félix Hernández (2007, 2013 & 2018) and Randy Johnson (1995)…he is the first player in franchise history to toss 6.0+ scoreless innings while allowing 1-or-fewer hits on Opening Day…his game score of 76 was the highest of any Opening Day starter this season.

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

PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE…made 2 postseason starts in 2022…earned the win in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series at Toronto…tossed 7.1 scoreless innings allowing 6 hits while striking out 5…was tagged with the loss in his final start of the postseason on 10/13 at HOU in G2 of the ALDS…allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (2 HR) while striking out 7.

OFF TO A GOOD START…his 83 strikeouts through his first 12 Mariners starts are the most in Mariners history through a pitchers first 12 starts, ranking ahead of Cliff Lee’s 78 and Robbie Ray’s 77 strikeouts through their first 12 Mariners starts.

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

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

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

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

AMONG THE GAME’S BEST…after he made his season debut on 5/9/22, Castillo ranked among the MLB leaders in ERA (26th, 2.99), strikeouts (16th, 67), batting average against (20th, .212/118×557), SO/9 (16th, 10.0) and fWAR (T10th, 3.7).

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

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

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR…was named to his second All-Star team last season (also: 2019)…tossed a scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts at Dodger Stadium in last year’s Mid-Summer Classic.

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

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

CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

MONDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: The Chicago Cubs tonight play the first of three games against the Seattle Mariners to continue a six-game homestand that started with a series victory (2-1) against the Texas Rangers … the Cubs yesterday fell to the Rangers, 8-2, to snap a season-high three-game winning streak … following this series vs. Seattle, the team has an off-day Thursday before starting a six-game west coast swing against the Dodgers (3 games beginning Friday) and Athletics (3 games starting April 17).

Tonight is the first of 38 scheduled night games for the Cubs at Wrigley Field this season … since lights were installed at the Friendly confines in Aug. of 1988, Chicago is 450-401 (.529) in 851 home night games … the team was 15-26 in 41 home night games in 2022.

The team in Nov. of 2022 installed new energy-efficient LED lights at Wrigley Field … a helicopter lifted the new banks of lights onto the Wrigley Field roof … google it … the videos look really cool.

The Cubs open the season with 15 of their first 24 games through April 27 at Wrigley Field … of those first 24 tilts, just five are against their own division, the N.L. Central: the season-opening Brewers series and the abbreviated two-game set against the Reds, April 3-4 … in fact, the Cubs are in the fourth game (2-1) of 29-straight games outside of the division until hosting the Cardinals for three games, May 8-10.

‘PENNING SOME THOUGHTS: Cubs relievers in the last five games have held opponents to a .185 average, walked three and struck out 20 while pitching to a 3.57 ERA (7 ER/17.2 IP).

Chicago’s bullpen in the team’s first eight games has allowed just one home run in 121 batters faced … the relievers’ 0.31 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings is third in the N.L. and fifth in the majors (Boston leads, with it’s relievers not allowing a home run in 40.2 innings).

OH, HAPPY DAY!: Cubs left fielder Ian Happ has reached safely in each of his first eight games this season, hitting safely in seven of those … he’s opened the year with a .370 average (10-for-27) with three doubles, one homer, six RBI and nine walks to contribute to a .528 on-base percentage and a 1.120 OPS.

Since June 12 of last year, Happ is batting .380 (19-for-50) with five doubles, a triple, two homers, seven RBI and a .446 OBP in 13 interleague contests … he’s hit safely in 12 of those games.

PITCHING IN: Prior to Marcus Stroman opening this season with two-straight outings of 6.0 shutout innings and Justin Steele going 6.0 innings with one or no runs allowed in his two starts thus far, the previous Cubs pitcher to open the season with consecutive starts of at least 6.0 innings and one or no runs allowed was Tyler Chatwood in 2020 … prior to that, Jason Hammel opened the 2016 campaign with four-straight starts of at least 6.0 innings and one or no runs surrendered.

VERY EARLY RETURNS: Chicago is batting .275 (75-for-273) thus far, the third-best mark in the N.L. and sixth in the majors behind St. Louis (.294), Tampa Bay (.289), Toronto (.288), the White Sox (.287) and Milwaukee (.276)

ABOUT THE ROTATION: Cubs starting pitchers have a 3.61 ERA in the season’s early going, second in the N.L. (Giants, 3.38) and eighth in the majors … through the first eight games of last season, the rotation had a 5.55 ERA (and a 4.91 ERA through the first nine games of last year) … this season, Cubs starting pitchers have walked 17 and struck out 41.

INTERLEAGUE INTERLUDE: With MLB’s new schedule format for the 2023 season, the Cubs will play every A.L. club this regular season, totaling 46 games … Chicago is 218-220 (.498) all-time against the A.L. since interleague play began in 1997 … the team was 6-14 (.300) in interleague play last season.

THIS AND THAT: Eric Hosmer has reached safely eight times in 17 plate appearances in his last five games with six hits and two walks, driving in six in that span.

Ian Happ’s .528 OBP in the season’s early going is second in the N.L. while his nine walks are tied for fourth and .370 average is tied for eighth … Dansby Swanson’s .375 average is tied for sixth in the N.L. while his .459 OBP is 10th.

Patrick Wisdom’s .760 slugging percentage is seventh in the N.L. while his 1.130 OPS is sixth, just ahead of Happ whose 1.121 OPS is seventh.

Marcu Stroman’s .128 average against is second in the N.L. while Justin Steele’s .167 mark is 10th … Stroman’s 0.92 WHIP is seventh.

RUCK ON THE BUMP: Cubs reliever Michael Rucker has stranded all five runners he’s inherited thus far … he’s one of just four major league relievers to not allow an inherited runner to score while also stranding at least five on base … he joins Pittsburgh’s Dauri Moreta (6 IR/0 IRS), Arizona’s Drey Jameson (5 IR/0 IRS) and Miami’s Andrew Nardi (5 IR/0 IRS).

WORD TO THE WISE: Patrick Wisdom on Saturday delivered a solo homer vs. the Rangers … since the start of the 2021 season, Wisdom has averaged one home run every 14.86 at-bats, the third-best rate among N.L. hitters with at least 900 plate appearances (Kyle Schwarber, 12.05, and Pete Alonso, 14.59).

Wisdom’s 56 homers since the start of the 2021 season are tied for 12th-most among N.L. hitters.

Cubs vs. Mariners
The Cubs and Mariners meet for the first time since the 2019 campaign when Chicago swept four-game season series two at both Wrigley Field and Safeco Field … Chicago has won its last five contests against the Mariners dating to July 31, 2016.

Starting Pitcher – #11 LHP Drew Smyly (0-1, 11.57)
Last Time Out
Drew made his 2023 season debut in Cincinnati on April 3, suffering the loss … allowed nine hits, his most since May 13, 2022 at Arizona (10) and seven runs, his most since Sept. 3, 2022 at St. Louis (also seven) … suffered the first loss in nine career outings vs. Cincinnati (was 5-0 prior to this game).

2023 Splits and Season Notes
Went 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA (11 ER/16.1 IP) with a 13:2 SO:BB ratio during Cactus League play.

2022 Splits and Season Notes
Drew in 2022 made 22 starts for Chicago and went 7-8 with a 3.47 ERA (41 ER/106.1 IP), striking out 91 batters compared to 26 walks … his 2.20 walks per nine innings was his lowest season rate since 2013 (2.01).

Tossed 9.2 scoreless innings in his first two outings of the season, becoming the fourth Cub starter since 1893 to not allow a run over his first two starts with the club (also, Randy Wells, Bill Lee and Mike Prendergast).

Was on the 15-day injured list from May 31-July 10 with a right oblique strain … left his start in game two of the doubleheader May 30 vs. Milwaukee.

Recorded the win at the at MLB’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa Aug. 11 … tossed 5.0 scoreless innings with four hits, two walks and nine strikeouts.

In five starts in Aug., he went 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA (3 ER/30.0 IP) … his ERA was tied for the second-lowest among qualified major league pitchers that month.

Beginning Aug. 6, allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his final nine starts, pitching to a 2.28 ERA.

Career Notes
Drew is in his second season with the Cubs after he was re-signed to a two-year contract in December of 2022 … joined the Cubs on a one-year contract for the 2022 season, beginning his second stint in Chicago … spent the 2018 season on the Cubs injured list while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Is 53-48 with a 4.14 ERA (436 ER/948.1 IP), one complete game shutout and three saves over 240 career major league games (157 starts).

Has pitched in all or parts of nine major league seasons with Detroit (2012-14), Tampa Bay (2014-16), Texas (2019), Philadelphia (2019), San Francisco (2020), Atlanta (2021) and the Cubs (2022-23).

Won his first World Series championship with Atlanta in 2021 … was one of three Braves pitchers with 10-plus wins and one of four to start 20-plus games, going 11-4 with a 4.48 ERA (63 ER/126.2 IP).

Underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2017 … would miss the rest of 2017 and the entire 2018 season while rehabbing.

Set career highs in starts (30), innings (175.1) and strikeouts (167) with Tampa Bay in 2016.

Has been traded three times in his career, including as a part of the five-player, three-team deal that sent David Price from Tampa Bay to Detroit in July 2014.

Was selected in the second round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft by Detroit.

Pitched three seasons at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (45-24-10) at Chicago Blackhawks (25-48-6)

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NHL

NHL Editor

April 10, 2023

NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (45-24-10) at Chicago Blackhawks (25-48-6)

MINNESOTA WILD NOTES:

SERIES NOTES
All-Time Wild Record: 50-29-5 (28-12-3 at Xcel Energy Center, 22-17-2 at Chicago)

2022-23: Minnesota is 3-0-0 in three games against Chicago this season… The Wild earned a 4-3 shootout victory in the series-opening game at United Center (10/30), a 4-1 win in the second game at Xcel Energy Center (12/16) and a 3-1 victory in the third contest (3/25) in St. Paul…RW Mats Zuccarello leads Minnesota with four points (3-1=4), thanks in part to a hat trick in the second game…LW Matt Boldy (2-1=3), LW Kirill Kaprizov (1-2=3) and C Sam Steel (0-3=3) have each posted three points…G Marc-Andre Fleury is 2-0-0 with a 1.92 GAA and a .929 SV% in two starts for Minnesota…G Filip Gustavsson stopped 22 of 23 shots faced in the third contest…RW Patrick Kane (0-2=2), D Jarred Tinordi (0-2=2) and C Jonathan Toews (2-0=2) lead Chicago with two points each…G Alex Stalock started the first and third meetings, recording a 2.40 GAA and a .915 SV%…G Petr Mrazek saved 18-of-21 shots faced in the second meeting.

WILD LEADERS: D John Klingberg leads Minnesota with 27 points (4-23=27) in 38 games against Chicago…LW Gustav Nyquist has 20 points (8-12=20)
in 23 games…D Alex Goligoski has 20 points (2-18=20) in 41 games… Zuccarello has 19 points (7-12=19) in 21 matches.

WILD GOALIES: Fleury is 13-6-5 with a 2.52 GAA, a .916 SV% and one shutout in 24 starts vs. the Blackhawks…Gustavsson is 1-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .957 SV% in his lone start.

BLACKHAWKS LEADERS: Toews leads Chicago with 52 points (18-34=52) in 52 games against Minnesota…D Seth Jones owns 10 points (3-7=10) in 25 matches…C Andreas Athanasiou has seven points (5-2=7) in 16 games.

BLACKHAWKS GOALIES: Mrazek is 4-3-0 with a 2.28 GAA and a .918 SV% in seven career starts against the Wild…Stalock is 2-1-1 with a 2.18 GAA and a .917 SV% in four starts.

FAST FACTS: Minnesota’s 50 all-time wins against Chicago are its third-most against an opponent…The Wild has won eight consecutive meetings with the Blackhawks dating back to 2/4/20…Minnesota is 11-2-2 in the last 15 games played at Xcel Energy Center…In 2015-16, the Wild became
the first team to win every game in a season series of at least five contests against Chicago since the Boston Bruins went 8-0-0 in 1938-39.

INJURIES
Joel Eriksson Ek: lower body
Mason Shaw: torn ACL, out for season
Oskar Sundqvist: lower body

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
4/9/23 Signed D Brock Faber to a three-year, entry-level contract
4/9/23 Recalled F Nic Petan and F Marco Rossi from Iowa

POSTSEASON PREVIEW
• The Minnesota Wild has clinched a postseason berth for the fourth straight season and 13th time in franchise history, including 10 of the last 11 seasons.

• Per NHL Stats, the Wild (2000-01) can become the first expansion franchise from the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB to play its inaugural season in the 2000s or later and win a title. Only two clubs that have entered the NHL since the start of the 1990s have won a Stanley Cup: Tampa Bay (3) and Anaheim (1).

• Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is set to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 17th consecutive season, which would extend his NHL record among goaltenders. Fleury would also tie Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most total playoff years among goaltenders.

• LW Kirill Kaprizov has 11 points (9-2=11) in 13 career playoff games, including a franchise-record seven (7-0=7) against St. Louis in the 2022 First Round. Per NHL Stats, Kaprizov can become the 10th player since 1943-44 to score 10 playoff goals in 14 career playoff games or fewer, and join Vladimir Tarasenko as the only players to do so in the past 32 years.

• D Jared Spurgeon (8-19—27 in 61 GP) is the franchise’s all-time leader for playoff goals, assists and points among defensemen, while D Jonas Brodin (2-14—16 in 61 GP) and D Matt Dumba (5-8—13 in 43 GP) also rank among the top five on each of those lists (outright or tied). Spurgeon needs three postseason assists to pass Zach Parise (16-21=37) for most in franchise history.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN – Mike Monaco (PxP), AJ Mleczko (analyst) and Dom Moore (reporter)
RADIO: WGN-AM 720 – John Wiedeman (PxP) and Troy Murray (analyst)
SPANISH RADIO: Univision Sports Radio 1200 AM – Miguel Esparza (PxP) and Jorge Moreno (analyst)  

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 11 at PIT, 6:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Thursday, April 13 vs. PHI, 7:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
End of Season

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 1 – Activated Jonathan Toews from IR

LAST TIME OUT
Score: Chicago (3) at Seattle (7) – Sat., April 10 – Climate Pledge Arena
CHI Goals: S. Jones (11), S. Jones (12; PP), Reichel (7)
SEA Goals: Tolvanen (18), Eberle (20), Gourde (13; PP), Larsson (8), Sprong (21), McCann (39), Geekie (9)
Goalies: CHI – Mrazek (24/31, 60:00) SEA – Jones (15/18, 39:42), Grubauer (11/11, 20:00)
CHI PP: 1/3; PK: 2/3
SEA PP: 1/3; PK: 2/3
Recap: Chicago fell to the Kraken 7-3 on Saturday in Seattle … Seth Jones recorded his third multi-goal game of the season (2G) … Lukas Reichel scored his seventh goal of the season and added an assist, his third multi-point effort of the season and second in three games (1G, 3A) … Andreas Athanasiou notched two assists … Alex Vlasic recorded his first point of the season with a helper on Reichel’s goal … Jason Dickinson and Anders Bjork also picked up assists.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – MINNESOTA WILD
The Blackhawks square off against Minnesota on Monday in the final matchup between the two Central Division rivals this season … Chicago is 0-2-1 against the Wild so far in 2022-23 … The Blackhawks dropped a 3-1 decision to the Wild on March 25 in Minnesota … Lukas Reichel scored the lone goal for the Blackhawks on March 25 … Seth Jones enters Monday’s tilt having registered eight points (2G, 6A) over his last 12 games against Minnesota … Andreas Athanasiou scored a goal in the first game against the Wild this season and now has five points (3G, 2A) in his last 10 games against them … Jarred Tinordi earned two assists in the Oct. 30 contest, marking his first career points in five career games against the Wild … Alex Stalock played with the Wild for four seasons from 2016-20, appearing in 89 games and posting a 37-30-11 record with a 2.77 goals-against average and .908 save percentage … Stalock has appeared in four games against his former club, earning a 2-1-1 record with a 2.18 GAA and a .917 SV%.

2022-23 Schedule/Results: HOME: Oct. 30 (3-4 SO), April 10 | AWAY: Dec. 16 (1-4), March 25 (1-3)
All-Time Record: 33-37-14 | Home: 18-18-5 | Road: 15-19-9
Last Home Win: Dec. 15, 2019 (5-3 W) | Last Road Win: Feb. 2, 2019 (4-3 OT) | Last Home Loss: Oct. 30, 2022 (3-4 SO) | Last Road Loss: March 25, 2023 (1-3)

ACTIVE BLACKHAWKS VS. MIN ALL-TIME
GOALS: Jonathan Toews, 18; Andreas Athanasiou, 5; Seth Jones, 3
ASSISTS: Jonathan Toews, 34; Seth Jones, 7; Tyler Johnson/Connor Murphy, 4
POINTS: Jonathan Toews, 52; Seth Jones, 10; Andreas Athanasiou, 7

BLACKHAWKS RECORD ON…
One-Day Rest: 13-25-1
Two-Days Rest: 6-5-0
Three+ Days Rest: 2-2-2
First Game of a B2B: 2-6-2
Second Game of a B2B: 1-11-1

BLACKHAWKS RECORD BY DAY
Monday: 1-3-0
Tuesday: 5-9-1
Wednesday: 1-7-0
Thursday: 5-8-1
Friday: 5-2-2
Saturday: 5-12-1
Sunday: 3-7-1

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (44-21-14) at Detroit Red Wings (35-34-10)

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NHL

NHL Editor

April 10, 2023

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (44-21-14) at Detroit Red Wings (35-34-10)

DALLAS STARS NOTES:

LAST DALLAS STARS GAME
April 8, 2023 – STARS 2 vs. GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1 (shootout)
The Stars extended their winning streak to three games and swept the three-game season series against the Golden Knights with a 2-1 shootout victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,532 at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Forward Joel Kiviranta (1-0—1) scored with the equalizer in the second period with his eighth goal of the season, forward Roope Hintz tallied the lone goal in the shootout and goaltender Jake Oettinger made 19 saves and all three in the shootout to seal the win for Dallas. The Stars went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, dished out 29 hits and won 56% of the faceoffs.
PP: 0-2 | PK: 2-2 | SF: 25 | SA: 20 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (29:42 – game high) | Attendance: 18,532 (sellout)
Three Stars: 1. DAL – J. Oettinger 2. VGK – J. Quick 3. DAL – J. Kiviranta

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (CT) Location TV/Radio
Mon, April 10, 2023 Detroit Red Wings 6 p.m. Little Caesars Arena BSSWX/KTCK
Wed, April 12, 2023 St. Louis Blues 6:30 p.m. Enterprise Center TNT/KTCK
Thu, April 13, 2023 St. Louis Blues 7 p.m. American Airlines Center ESPN/KTCK

INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2022-23: 77

NAME INJURY GAMES
MISSED DATES
D Miro Heiskanen Upper body 3 Oct. 25-29
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 4 Nov. 1-8
F Denis Gurianov Upper body 6 Nov. 11-21
F Roope Hintz Lower body 1 Nov. 19
Upper body 7 Jan. 10-21
Lower body 1 April 6
F Joel Kiviranta Lower body 11 Feb. 8-Mar. 4
F Luke Glendening Undisclosed 11 Feb. 18-Mar. 13
G Scott Wedgewood Undisclosed 1 Feb. 22-25
Undisclosed 14 Mar. 1-28
F Tyler Seguin Lower body 6 Mar. 11-21
F Mason Marchment Lower body 12 Mar. 14-pres.
Dallas Stars: Media Notes

DALLAS STARS NOTES
X GON’ GIVE IT TO YA

The Stars have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year, 18th time since relocating to Dallas in 1993-
94 and 35th time in franchise history. Dallas became the 10th team to clinch a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With a victory on April 6 vs. Philadelphia, the Stars (43-21-14, 100 points) secured a 100-point season for the 10th time in franchise history and first since 2015-16 (109 points). Each of the previous 10 times the franchise has reached the century mark have come since the team relocated to Dallas ahead of the 1993-94 season.
Dallas is in a three-way battle for the top spot in the Central Division and currently ranks second behind Colorado.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Stars embark on their final road trip of the regular season beginning this evening against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena (6 p.m. CT, TV: Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). Three games remain in the 2022-23 regular season campaign for the Stars, who are neck and neck with Colorado and Minnesota for the top spot in the Central Division. Following tonight’s game, the Stars will take on the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Wednesday before wrapping up the regular season on Thursday at home against the Blues. Following that game, the Stars will begin their quest for the Stanley Cup.

GOT A LOT TO TALK ABOUT IF YOU STILL WANNA LISTEN

The Stars are 1-0-0 vs. the Red Wings this season, earning a 3-2 OT victory on Dec. 10, 2022 at American Airlines Center.
Dallas is 118-112-38 all-time vs. Detroit, including a 68-44-22 mark on the road.
Forward Mason Marchment had two assists in the series opener vs. the Red Wings and enters tonight’s game with seven points (2-5—7) in eight career games against them.
Captain Jamie Benn lit the lamp in the first meeting of the season against Detroit. Benn ranks third among active Stars with 20 points (7-13—20) in 35 career games vs. the Red Wings.
Forward Joe Pavelski leads active Stars in goals (20) and points (20-17—37) and ranks second in assists (17) in 48 career games vs. Detroit. Pavelski also paces the club in game winners (7) against them.
Forward Roope Hintz enters tonight’s game with seven goals and 12 points (7-5—12) in 11 career games vs. Detroit.
Forward Max Domi has 16 points (7-9—16) in 23 career games against the Red Wings.
Forward Jason Robertson is averaging better than a point a game vs. Detroit in his career with 12 points (5-7—12) in nine games.
Forward Evgenii Dadonov has four goals and 10 points (4-6—10) in 15 career games against the Red Wings.
Defenseman Ryan Suter leads active Stars in assists (26) and ranks second in points (6-26—32) in a team-high 67 games against the Red Wings.
Defenseman Nils Lundkvist (1-0—1) became the 10th rookie in franchise history to score an overtime goal and just the fourth rookie defensemen to do so when he tallied the game winner on Dec. 10, 2022, joining Julius Honka (April 4, 2017), Esa Lindell (Dec. 23, 2016) and John Klingberg (March 28, 2015).
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has 10 points (all assists) in 14 career games against Detroit.
Defenseman Colin Miller has seven points (1-6—7) in 16 career games vs. the Red Wings.
Defenseman Esa Lindell enters tonight’s game with 13 points (2-11—13) in 19 career contests vs. Detroit.

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Dec. 10, 2022 vs. Detroit – W, 3-2 (OT)
April 10, 2023 at Detroit

DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:

LAST GAME
RED WINGS 1 vs. PITTSBURGH 5 (4/8/23)
1ST PERIOD: PIT Nylander (Granlund, Carter) 9:25-EV; PIT Crosby (unassisted) 19:57-EV
2ND PERIOD: PIT Heinen (Crosby) 11:16-EV; DET Suter (Copp, Raymond) 11:58-EV
3RD PERIOD: PIT Crosby (Letang, Guentzel) 3:01-PP; PIT Malkin (Zucker) 13:00-EV
SHOTS: DET 20 (7-8-5) / PIT 28 (7-10-11)
GOALIES: DET Husso (L, 23-28) / PIT Jarry (W, 19-20)
PP: DET 0-3 / PIT 1-4
MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)
Robby Fabbri – lower body (50 / March 8)
Filip Zadina – lower body (45 / March 24)
Michael Rasmussen – lower body (23 / Feb. 25)
Marco Kasper – lower body (3 / April 3)
Total Man Games Lost: 302
Individual Man Games Lost: Jakub Vrána (33), Matt Luff (32), Tyler Bertuzzi (31), Robert Hägg (15), Gustav Lindström (14), Elmer Söderblom (13), Ville Husso (9), Lucas Raymond (8), Oskar Sundqvist (7), Ben Chiarot (6), Olli Määttä (4), Jake Walman (3), Adam Erne (2), Jordan Oesterle (2), Alex Chiasson (1), Dylan Larkin (1)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
4/10 – Recalled forward Taro Hirose from Grand Rapids under emergency conditions

TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS vs. STARS / 7:00 P.M. EDT / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
TONIGHT: 269th all-time meeting, 135th in Detroit … Second of two games this season, only game at Little Caesars Arena
ALL-TIME vs. DAL: 116-107-34-11 / HOME: 68-45-16-5 / LAST 10: 2-4-4 / IN 2021-22: 0-1-1 / THIS SEASON: 0-0-1
DET top scorers vs. DAL: David Perron (15-18-33 in 42 GP), Dylan Larkin (7-6-13 in 19 GP), Robby Fabbri (6-4-10 in 18 GP), Dominik Kubalík (5-3-8 in 14 GP), Moritz Seider (0-3-3 in 3 GP), Lucas Raymond (0-2-2 in 3 GP)
DAL top scorers vs. DET: Joe Pavelski (20-17-37 in 48 GP), Jamie Benn (7-13-20 in 35 GP), Max Domi (7-9-16 in 23 GP), Esa Lindell (2-11-13 in 19 GP), Jason Robertson (5-7-12 in 9 GP), Roope Hintz (7-5-12 in 11 GP), Tyler Seguin (5-6-11 in 18 GP), Miro Heiskanen (0-10-10 in 14 GP), Evgenii Dadonov (4-6-10 in 15 GP), Mason Marchment (2-5-7 in 8 GP), Joel Hanley (0-5-5 in 10 GP), Ty Dellandrea (2-1-3 in 6 GP), Nils Lundkvist (1-0-1 in 1 GP)

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES EDT)
Tuesday, April 11: RED WINGS at HURRICANES / 7:00 p.m. / PNC Arena / TV: BSD EXTRA / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Thursday, April 13: RED WINGS at LIGHTNING / 7:00 p.m. / Amalie Arena / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM

LAST TIME OUT
April 8 vs. Pittsburgh – 5-1 L
Detroit fell against Pittsburgh to move to 35-34-10 overall and 19-16-5 inside Little Caesars Arena … Pius Suter put Detroit on the board with his 14th goal of the season … Suter has scored at least 14 goals in each of his three NHL campaigns … Suter is one goal away from matching his career high of 15 goals which he set in 2021-22 … Andrew Copp tallied the primary assist on Suter’s goal, giving him four points (1-3-4) in seven games since March 28 vs. Pittsburgh … Copp recorded his 42nd point of the season (9-33-42 in 79 GP), tying Moritz Seider for fifth-most among Red Wings skaters … Additionally, Copp has totaled 36 even-strength points this season (7-29-36), trailing only Dylan Larkin (15-31-46) … Lucas Raymond also picked up an assist on Suter’s goal to extend his point streak to four-straight games (1-5-6 in 4 GP) … Raymond has collected 12 points (2-10-12) in 16 games dating back to March 8 vs. Chicago … Raymond notched his 45th point of the season (17-28-45 in 71 GP), tying Dominik Kubalík for third place among Detroit skaters … Seider paced the Red Wings in hits (5), blocks (4) and time on ice (24:27) … Detroit finished 31-for-48 (64.6%) at the faceoff circle … Copp went 14-for-20 (70.0%) on the draw, while Larkin ended the day 11-for-16 (68.8%).

NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (47-21-11) at Florida Panthers (42-31-7)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 10, 2023

NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (47-21-11) at Florida Panthers (42-31-7)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 7 vs. Montréal 1
Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
TOR Goals: Marner (PP), Tavares (PP), Nylander, Marner, Tavares (PP), Matthews, Bunting (PP)
MTL Goals: Kovacevic
TOR Goaltender: Samsonov, 20/21, .952 SV% – Alexander, 0/0, –
MTL Goaltender: Montembeault, 39/46, .848 SV%
TOR Power Play: 4-for-6
TOR Penalty Kill: 4-for-4
Player Notes: – Mitch Marner scored twice in Toronto’s win and added an assist. Marner improved to 98 points this season (30G, 68A), setting a new career-high in points. Marner reached the 30-goal mark for the second occasion during his NHL career (posting a career-high 35 goals during the 2021-22 season).

John Tavares scored the game-winning goal for Toronto on a power play opportunity at 15:16 of the first period and added a second power play goal at 6:01 of the third period. With 18 power play goals recorded during a single-season with the Maple Leafs, Tavares has tied for third on the franchise leader board with Darcy Tucker and Rick Vaive. Wendel Clark and Dave Andreychuk are tied for the franchise record with 21 power play goals recorded during a singleseason with Toronto.
William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs at 3:56 of the second period, adding to his careerhigh in goals with his 38th of the season. Nylander registered 10 shots during Saturday’s game, setting a new single-game NHL career-high.
Auston Matthews tied a single-game NHL career-high with four points (1G, 3A), which he has marked on 12 occasions during his NHL career. Matthews posted his ninth multi-assist game of the season and his 23rd multi-point game of the season.
Michael Bunting scored on a Toronto power play opportunity at 16:50 of the third period and posted the primary assist on Marner’s second goal of the game. With his 23rd goal of the season, Bunting tied a career-high in goals, previously set during the 2021-22 season with the Maple Leafs. Bunting recorded his 12th multi-point game of the season.
Erik Gustafsson recorded three assists on Saturday, tying a single-game NHL career-high in assists which he has posted on five occasions during his NHL career. He also tied a single-game NHL career-high in points which he has recorded on eight occasions during his NHL career.
Ryan O’Reilly also posted three assists for Toronto, tying a single-game NHL career-high in assists which he has marked on 12 occasions during his NHL career. O’Reilly posted his first multi-assist game of the season and fifth multi-point game of the season.
Ilya Samsonov stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced in Saturday’s win. Jett Alexander made his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs.

Team Notes: – Toronto scored seven goals during Saturday’s win, tying a single-game season-high which the club has recorded on three occasions this season. All three of Toronto’s seven-goal outings have been recorded on home ice.

The Maple Leafs were 4-for-6 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Toronto recorded four power play goals on Saturday. The last occasion where the team recorded four power play goals in a single game dates back to Nov. 17, 2015 against Colorado.

TONIGHT’S GAME
2022-23 Matchups vs. Florida: Fourth of Four
2021-22 Record vs. Florida: 1-0-2
Toronto Season Record: 47-21-11
Toronto Road Record: 20-13-5

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The Maple Leafs are set to take on the Florida Panthers tonight in the fourth of four matchups between the clubs this season. Toronto has posted a 2-0-1 record against the Panthers this season. The Maple Leafs have earned at least one point in seven-consecutive games against Florida (4-0-3). Tonight, the Maple Leafs will start a three-game road trip that will conclude the team’s 2022-23 regular season schedule. Toronto has posted a 20-13-5 record on the road this season. The Maple Leafs are playing in the first game of a back-to-back, set to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night at Amalie Arena. Toronto has posted an 8-5-0 record in the first game of a back-to-back this season. With the Ottawa Senators 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Monday, March 27th, the Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot for the seventh-straight season. Earning a playoff spot in seven-consecutive seasons is the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. Toronto earned their spot in the playoffs for the 72nd time in franchise history. The Maple Leafs were the fourth team to clinch a playoff spot for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs following Boston, Carolina and New Jersey. With the Maple Leafs earning one point in their matchup against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, April 6th and the Tampa Bay Lightning losing in regulation to the New York Islanders, Toronto secured home-ice advantage in their first round meeting with Tampa Bay in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: Sportsnet 590

NEXT GAME
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Opponent: at Tampa Bay Lightning
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Broadcast Information: TSN4 (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 9, 2023 The Maple Leafs signed forward Matthew Knies to a three-year, entry-level contract.
April 8, 2023 The Maple Leafs signed goaltender Jett Alexander to an amateur tryout agreement.
April 4, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled goaltender Joseph Woll from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis. Forward Radim Zohorna has been loaned to the Marlies.
April 2, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled forward Nick Abruzzese from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.
March 31, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled forward Radim Zohorna from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.

INJURY REPORT
Calle Järnkrok Undisclosed (Day-to-Day)
Bobby McMann Knee (IR)
Victor Mete Lower Body (LTIR)
Matt Murray Head Injury (Day-to-Day)
Jake Muzzin Neck (LTIR)
Nick Robertson Shoulder (LTIR)

ALL-TIME VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS:
First Matchup between Clubs: October 21, 1993 (Toronto 4 at Florida 3 – OTW)
All-Time Record: 47-35-7-8 (97 Games)
All-Time Record at Home: 27-16-2-2 (47 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road: 20-19-5-6 (50 Games)
Last Road Win vs. Opponent: March 23, 2023 (Toronto 6 at Florida 2)

ACTIVE LEADERS VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS:
Games Played: Luke Schenn (43), John Tavares (41), Morgan Rielly (31)
Goals: John Tavares (24), Auston Matthews (12), Mitch Marner (11), Ryan O’Reilly (11)
Assists: Morgan Rielly (23), Mitch Marner (21), John Tavares (16), Mark Giordano (16)
Points: John Tavares (40), Mitch Marner (32), Morgan Rielly (25)
Penalty Minutes: Luke Schenn (25), John Tavares (18), Mitch Marner (16)

2022-23 AVERAGES
Points% GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
Toronto .665 3.41 2.71 26.1 81.4 32.4 29.1 53.1
Florida .569 3.54 3.30 23.2 75.5 36.7 31.8 48.8

THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2022-23
Power Play: 26.1%
Power Play Goal Leader: 18 – Tavares
Power Play Point Leader: 38 – Tavares (18G, 20A)
2021-22 Power Play: 63/231 (27.3%)

ON THE PK IN 2022-23
Penalty Kill: 81.4%
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 4 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 5 – Marner (4G, 1A)
2021-22 Penalty Kill: 192/234 (82.1%)

FAST FACTS
Monday games 7th of 7 (4 home, 3 road)
Back-to-Backs played 13 of 14
Record in first game of back-to-back 8-5-0
Record in second game of back-to-back 8-4-1
April games 6th of 8 (3 home, 5 road)

FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:

BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT

F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 55
F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 10
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 235

LAST GAME
Panthers 4, Capitals 2 – April 8 – Capital One Arena
FLA Goals: Verhaeghe (41), Ekblad (14-PPG), Tkachuk (40), Reinhart (31)
WSH Goals: Strome (21), Wilson (10)
FLA Goalie: Lyon (W) – 22 Saves
WSH Goalie: Lindgren (L) – 33 Saves
FLA Shots: 37
WSH Shots: 24
Notes: Alex Lyon won his sixth consecutive game, becoming the first Panthers goaltender to record a win streak of six games in his initial season with the club…Matthew Tkachuk (1-2-3) produced his 14th game with at least three points, the most in one season in Florida Panthers franchise history…Tkachuk extended his point streak to 5 games (5-6-11)…Sam Reinhart (1-1-2) recorded his second consecutive multi-point game, his fifth such performance over his past six games…Aleksander Barkov (0-2-2) notched two assists to extend his point streak to six games (2-9-11)…Brandon Montour posted an assist to extend his assist/point streak to six games (2-9-11), the longest assist streak of his career…Carter Verhaeghe scored his team-leading 41st goal of the campaign…Florida out-shot Washington 18-3 in the third period…FLA PP: 1-4, FLA PK: 3-3

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

April 7: G Mack Guzda loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
April 3: F Ryan McAllister agreed to terms on a 3-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2023-24

PANTHERS vs. MAPLE LEAFS
ALL-TIME vs. TOR: 43-40-7-7
ALL-TIME HOME vs. TOR: 25-17-5-3
2022-23 vs. TOR: 1-1-1

CATS STATS

Florida ranks third among NHL teams with 3.79 goals per game at home, leading all clubs with an average 38.8 shots per game at home
Matthew Tkachuk’s 59 home points (20-39-59) are fifth-most among League skaters this season.
Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe are the first pair of Panthers skaters to reach 40 goals in a season in club history.

POWER UP
The Panthers have scored a power-play goal in 13 of their past 15 games, scoring on 30.9% of their power plays, the fourth-best mark among teams over that span. Since March 10, the Cats lead all teams with 17 PPGs, Sam Reinhart paces all skaters with seven power-play tallies, and Brandon Montour leads all skaters with 13 power-play points. Aaron Ekblad also leads all NHL blueliners over that span with three PPGs. Montour’s 33 power-play points this season are tied with Quinn Hughes for the league lead among defensemen, while Ekblad’s eight power-play tallies are tied for most by a defenseman this season.

BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
Aaron Ekblad’s April 8 at WSH propelled Florida’s total goals this season by defensemen to 52, the second-most among NHL teams and representing the second consecutive season Florida defensemen have combined for over 50 goals. Three Florida defenseman (Montour, Ekblad, Forsling) have scored at least 13 goals this season, more than any other NHL team. Panthers blueliners have totaled 199 points this season, ranking second behind Colorado (209) for the league lead.

THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWN
Florida’s matchup with Ottawa on April 6 featured 166 combined penalty minutes, the most combined PIMs in any regular season contest since Nov. 5, 2016 (VAN vs. TOR, 171 PIMs). Matthew Tkachuk surpassed the 100 PIM-mark for the second time in his career, and along with his career-high 108 points this season, he became the first NHLer since Sidney Crosby in 2005-06 to produce 100 points and 100 PIMs in a season. Only three total skaters have accomplished the feat since 1995-96 (also Joe Thornton in 2002- 03). Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon stopped 56 of 58 Ottawa shots he faced in the game, one shy of Roberto Luongo’s club record of 57 on Feb. 27, 2022 vs. DET.
Florida Panthers: Media Notes

CATS AND MAPLE LEAFS
The Panthers will face off against the Maple Leafs for the fourth and final time in 2022-23, and the third time in the past 13 days. In their previous matchup on March 29 at Scotiabank Arena, Brandon Montour scored his second career overtime goal after Sam Reinhart forced OT with a game-tying goal with a minute remaining in regulation. In Toronto’s past 10 visits to FLA Live Arena, the Panthers own an 8-2-0 record. Montour (1-3-4) and Aleksander Barkov (1-3-4) each lead Florida with four points against the Maple Leafs this season. Barkov has logged 28 points (11-17-28) over 31 career games against Toronto.

NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (22-41-16) at Winnipeg Jets (44-32-3)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 10, 2023

NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (22-41-16) at Winnipeg Jets (44-32-3)

SAN JOSE SHARKS NOTES:

LAST GAME:
Game 79 – 4/8 – SJS 1 vs. EDM 6…San Jose finished out home play for the 2022-23 season with a loss to Edmonton. Tomas Hertl (1g, 0a) scored his 22
nd goal of the season, with Jacob Peterson (0g, 1a) providing the lone assist. Peterson is on a career-long sixgame point streak.
SJ Goal: Hertl (22)
SF: 23
SA: 35
SJ PP: 0/2
SJ PK: 1/1
W: Skinner
L: Reimer

RECENT TRANACTIONS
4/9 Recalled F Tristen Robins and D Nikolai Knyzhov from the San Jose Barracuda
4/6 Recalled F Adam Raska from the San Jose Barracuda
4/5 Reassigned F Danil Gushchin to the San Jose Barracuda
4/4 Recalled F Danil Gushchin from the San Jose Barracuda

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – WINNIPEG JETS
The Sharks and Jets look to close out their season series with a contest in Winnipeg tonight. San Jose has taken each of the first two contests, one at Canada Life Centre and one at SAP Center at San Jose and can sweep the season series for the first time since 2016-17. The Sharks have seen historical regular season success against the Jets/Thrashers, with the Sharks holding a .688 points-percentage against the franchise, their best against any opponent, and a 13-3-1-2 head-to-head road record. Winnipeg is currently one point ahead of Calgary for the west’s final playoff spot. They have two road games remaining, one against Minnesota and one against Colorado.

APRIL 10, 4:00 p.m.
SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. WINNIPEG JETS
22-41-16 (60 pts), 7th in Pacific 2022-23 RECORD/STANDING 44-32-3 (91 pts), 4th in Central
2-2-1 LAST 5 GAMES 3-2-0
2-0-0 SEASON SERIES 0-1-1
25-10-2-3 ALL-TIME RECORD AGAINST OPPONENT 13-22-2-3

2022-23 PLAYER STATS
Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson (79) GAMES PLAYED LEADER 5 players (79)
Timo Meier (31) GOALS LEADER Mark Scheifele (40)
Erik Karlsson (75) ASSISTS LEADER Josh Morrissey (57)
Erik Karlsson (98) POINTS LEADER Kyle Connor (72)

WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:

Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets close the home portion of the 2022-23 regular season schedule by facing the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, as the Jets also end a five-game homestand. Winnipeg is 3-1-0 during the homestand so far after a convincing 2-0 shut out of the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. After Monday’s game, the Jets play their final two regular season games on the road – Tuesday in Minnesota against the Wild and Thursday in Colorado against the Avalanche.

Tale of the Tape
WPG Stat SJS
79 GP 79
44 W 22
32 L 41
3 OT 16
91 PTS 60
236 GF 229
218 GA 307
19.1% PP 18.3%
82.8% PK 83.2%

Next Three Games
Date Opp TV Radio
Apr. 10 SJS SN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 11 At MIN TSN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 13 At COL TSN CJOB/Power 97

Recent Five Games
Date Opp SC Res Streak
Mar. 28 At SJS 3-0 L 2L
Mar. 31 DET 6-2 W 1W
Apr. 2 NJD 6-1 W 2W
Apr. 5 CGY 3-1 L 1L
Apr. 8 NSH 2-0 W 1W

Broadcast Information
TV: Sportsnet
Play-By-Play: John Bartlett
Analyst: Jamal Mayers
Rinkside: Sean Reynolds
Radio: 680 CJOB/Power 97
Play-By-Play: Paul Edmonds
Analyst: Jamie Thomas
Host: Kelly Moore

Upcoming Schedule
Monday, April 10
Morning Skate 9:30 a.m.
Jets vs. San Jose Sharks 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 11
Jets at Minnesota Wild 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 12
Day Off – No Media Availability
All Times Local

Last Game
Winnipeg Jets 2
Nashville Predators 0
Jets Scorers: Scheifele (31), Pionk (10)
Predators Scorers: None
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (28 sv, 0 ga)
Predators Goaltender: Jusse Saros (36 sv, 2 ga)
Jets PP: 0-for-3
Jets PK: 1-for-1
Recap: Mark Scheifele scored with less than five minutes remaining in the second period and Neal Pionk added the insurance marker less than two minutes into the third period in a 2-0 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Pierre-Luc Dubois paced the Jets with five shots, while Brenden Dillon and Nino Niederreiter each had five hits. Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 28 shots in his fourth shutout of the season.

Where They Stand
The Jets are in the second wild card position in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Calgary Flames… Nashville is three points behind the Jets.

Western Conference Playoff Race Games Remaining
Date Winnipeg Calgary Nashville
Apr. 10 SJS NSH At CGY
Apr. 11 At MIN
Apr. 12 SJS
Apr. 13 At COL MIN
Apr. 14 COL

Warming Up in April
The Jets are 5-3-0 in their past eight games, including 3-1-0 to start the month of April… The Jets have scored 15 goals in their past four games after scoring 15 goals in their previous nine games… Nikolaj Ehlers leads the Jets in scoring in April with four points (2G, 2A), while Pierre-Luc Dubois (1G, 2A), Josh Morrissey (3A), and Blake Wheeler (3A) each have three points.

Backend Production
Jets defencemen have combined for 182 points (44G, 138A) this season, which is ninth in the NHL… A defenceman has been in on 40 of Winnipeg’s past 54 goals, including both goals on Saturday against Nashville… Josh Morrissey (72), Neal Pionk (34), Dylan DeMelo (25), and Brenden Dillon (22) have all reached the 20-point mark, while Nate Schmidt has 17 points… Defencemen have accounted for 27.6% of Winnipeg’s points this season, which is fourth in the NHL… With Pionk’s 10th goal of the season on Saturday, it’s the third time in franchise history and second time since relocation that the Jets have had multiple defencemen with 10 goals in the same season.

Home Comforts
The Jets are 25-13-2 at Canada Life Centre this season, which is seventh in the NHL and third in the Western Conference… The Jets have won 25 games at Canada Life Centre in a season for just the second time (2018-19)… Kyle Connor (18G, 27A) leads the team with 45 points in 40 home games… Mark Scheifele’s 21 goals at home leads the team and has him three goals behind his career high 24 goals he had at home during the 2018-19 season… Winnipeg is 254-162-38 all-time at Canada Life Centre and have posted a .500 record or better at home in six consecutive seasons.

PK Prowess
Winnipeg is tied for sixth in the NHL with a penalty kill successful 82.8% of the time…Winnipeg is seven-for-seven on the power play in their past two games… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season.

Jets vs. SJS Records
Overall Record
GP W L OT
40 13 22 5

Home Record
GP W L OT
19 5 11 3

Away Record
GP W L OT
21 8 11 2

Jets vs. SJS Notes
Season Series
The Jets and Sharks play their third of three games on the season Monday at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg lost 3-2 in overtime to San Jose on Mar. 6 and were shut out 3-0 in San Jose on Mar. 28.

Recent History
Winnipeg is 6-4-3 in its past 13 games against the Sharks and went 1-1-1 last season the trio of games… Eight of the 13 games have been decided by one goal… The Jets have been held without a power play goal in their past five games against San Jose (0-for-15).

In San Jose
Winnipeg has gone 2-2-2 in the past six games against San Jose in Winnipeg and are a perfect 7-for-7 on penalty kill in the past four games.

Player Notes
Sam Gagner has a team best 28 points (8G, 20A) in 45 games against the Sharks during his career… Blake Wheeler has 25 points (7G, 18A) in 30 games against San Jose. Ten of his 18 assists have come on the power play… Four of Mark Scheifele’s six career goals against the Sharks have come on the power play… Connor Hellebuyck is 7-6-2 with a .927 save percentage and 2.50 goals-against average in 16 career games against the Sharks.

Jets vs. SJS Past 10 Games
Date Opp Res G GA S PPO PPG PIM SA PPOA PPGA PIMA
02/05/2019 SJ OTL 2 3 27 5 0 8 38 3 1 12
03/12/2019 SJ L 4 5 25 2 1 4 36 2 0 4
11/01/2019 @SJ W 3 2 19 2 0 4 53 2 0 4
11/27/2019 @SJ W 5 1 26 3 1 34 33 6 0 18
02/14/2020 SJ L 2 3 32 3 1 8 35 3 0 10
10/16/2021 @SJ L 3 4 23 3 0 17 31 5 2 13
10/30/2021 @SJ OTL 1 2 35 0 0 8 36 3 1 2
11/11/2021 SJ W 4 1 34 3 0 7 27 0 0 13
03/06/2023 SJ OTL 2 3 38 6 0 6 38 2 0 14
03/28/2023 @SJ L 0 3 41 3 0 6 30 3 1 6

1...3,1303,1313,132...4,336 Page 3,131 of 4,336

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MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (3-6) at Colorado Rockies (4-6)

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (5-5) at San Francisco Giants (4-5)

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (7-2) at Arizona Diamondbacks (6-4)

MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (3-7) at Los Angeles Angels (5-4)

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NHL Preview: Minnesota Wild (45-24-10) at Chicago Blackhawks (25-48-6)

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (44-21-14) at Detroit Red Wings (35-34-10)

NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (47-21-11) at Florida Panthers (42-31-7)

NHL Preview: San Jose Sharks (22-41-16) at Winnipeg Jets (44-32-3)

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