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NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (34-47) at Miami Heat (43-38)

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NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (34-47) at Miami Heat (43-38)

When the Miami Heat play host to the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon, they are unlikely to bring out their five most prominent players.

In a 114-108 loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday, Miami (43-38) rested all five of those players: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kevin Love, and Kyle Lowry.

Miami will play in the play-in round for the first time since the Heat are guaranteed the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Tuesday’s play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks will be hosted by the Heat.

The play-in round, according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, is not what his team intended for the start of the season.

However, Sunday’s 34-47 victory over the uncompetitive Magic will have little impact.

Udonis Haslem’s 20-year Heat career coming to an end will be the game’s most significant aspect for Miami. Haslem, who was born and raised in Miami, has never played for another NBA team. He has been with the Heat for the longest time.

Beside the Haslem festivity, the Heat – – less their “Enormous Five” – – will depend on players like Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller.

On Friday, Oladipo had a season-high 30 points, and Zeller had 17 points and 5 rebounds.

In the meantime, the Magic will enter Sunday having lost three consecutive games.

Orlando will miss the playoffs for the third season in a row. However, the Magic have gained 12 victories since the previous season.

In addition, the Magic were competitive down the stretch, winning both games against playoff teams—the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets—and going 5-4 in their previous nine games.

The power forward Paolo Banchero, who stands at 6 feet 10 inches and weighs 250 pounds, is the leading contender for NBA Rookie of the Year on most nights. He drives the Sorcery in scoring (20.0 focuses per game) and has arrived at the midpoint of 6.9 bounce back.

Indeed, even opponent mentor Dwane Casey of the Detroit Cylinders has turned into a Banchero advocate.

Notwithstanding, Banchero has been refreshed the beyond two games because of a back physical issue. He may not participate in the game on Sunday.

Wendell Carter Jr., who plays every game and averages 15.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, also missed Friday’s 101-84 loss to the Brooklyn Nets because of a hip injury.

Gary Harris, who has begun 42 games this season and is averaging 8.3 focuses, sat out because of an abductor injury.

The Magic are mostly relying on young forward Franz Wagner and young guards Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs because of all the injuries.

The conclusion of the regular season has value, according to Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley.

In the season series, Miami has won 2-1, but two of the games have gone to overtime. In fact, Orlando prevailed 126-114 in overtime on March 11 to win the most recent contest.

NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (26-55) at Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)

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NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (26-55) at Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)

Stuck in the No. 4 seed of the Eastern Meeting, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday in the customary season finale for the two groups.

Cleveland (51-30) has their best regular-season record since the 2016-17 season, and they have one more practice before playing the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Cleveland’s best regular-season record since winning the NBA Finals in 2015-16 would be achieved with a 26-55 victory over Charlotte.

After winning back-to-back games at Orlando, Cleveland enters the final three games on a three-game winning streak. The most recent of those victories was a 118-94 decision on Thursday using a improvised lineup.

On Thursday, the Cavaliers had Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert on the bench. Danny Green led the Cavaliers with 21 points, Cedi Osman had 19, and Isaiah Mobley had a career-high 18 points to carry the load.

Green, a playoff veteran who has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, and San Antonio Spurs and won championships, may make the Cavaliers’ playoff rotation.

A spark plug who has played in the playoffs before could help a Cleveland lineup that doesn’t have much experience in the postseason. Having home-court advantage in the first round should also be considered.

On Sunday, Green and other reserve Cavaliers players will have the chance to play rotation minutes in the upcoming playoff series against the Knicks.

After losing their home finale to the Houston Rockets by a score of 112-109 on Friday, the Hornets enter this game on a four-game losing streak.

Charlotte used a starting five of Theo Maledon, Bryce McGowens, Svi Mykhailiuk, JT Thor, and Mark Williams instead of LaMelo Ball (ankle), Gordon Hayward (thumb), Terry Rozier (foot), Dennis Smith Jr. (toe), and P.J. Washington (ankle).

Mykhailiuk, who has scored at least 13 points in seven of his last eight games, scored 25 against the Rockets, just one point shy of his career high set against Toronto last Sunday.

During its losing streak, Charlotte’s offensive woes have resulted in an average of 102.0 points per game—nine fewer than the team’s season average.

In the interim, Cleveland – – the NBA’s best scoring safeguard all through the customary season at 106.9 focuses permitted per challenge – – has surrendered 104.0 focuses per game across its beyond three successes.

The Cavaliers are expected to enter the playoffs as the league’s best team when it comes to giving up 39.1 field goals per game, 11.3 3-pointers per game, and 41.1 rebounds per game.

NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (53-28) at Brooklyn Nets (45-36)

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NBA Preview: Philadelphia Sixers (53-28) at Brooklyn Nets (45-36)

According to the NBA schedule, the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets will meet at the end of the regular season, or at least a team from the Atlantic Division.

It won’t exactly serve as a preview of the teams’ playoff first round matchup, which will begin next weekend in Philadelphia. Instead, most of each team’s main players will be on the bench Sunday in Brooklyn to watch the game.

For the second time in the past five postseasons, the Nets (45-36) will face the 76ers (53-28). Philadelphia prevailed in the final four games of their 2019 first-round series before losing in seven games to the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors in the semifinals.

The Nets acquired superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant after that season, and the two remained teammates until just before the All-Star break this season, when both had requests to be traded granted. After trading Durant to the Phoenix Suns as part of a four-team deal, the Nets are 13-14, but they are one win ahead of where they were last year and have won six of their last eight games, coming off a five-game skid that dropped them to seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

To secure the No. 1 spot, Brooklyn needed to beat Orlando or lose to Miami at Washington on Friday. Eastern Conference’s sixth-ranked seed. In the end, the Nets won by a score of 101-84, which came about 15 minutes after the Wizards beat the Heat.

In 37 minutes, Mikal Bridges, who was acquired from Phoenix in exchange for Durant, scored 22 points. Since joining the NBA in 2018, Bridges has never missed a game, and he may play limited minutes Sunday to maintain his streak.

When the Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday to secure the second spot, Philadelphia secured the third seed. On Thursday, the Sixers lost to Miami 129-101, and Joel Embiid didn’t play in Friday’s overtime win over Atlanta, 136-131, when the Hawks shot 55.4 percent.

Embiid is probably going to sit again Sunday and will come out on top for the scoring championship with 33.1 focuses per game to complete somewhat in front of Dallas star Luka Doncic (32.4), who isn’t supposed to play in the Nonconformists’ season finale.

On Friday, Philadelphia also benched P.J. Tucker, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and Tobias Harris. Jalen McDaniels and Georges Niang scored 24 each without their starters, while Danuel House Jr. added 22 and Jaden Springer scored a career-high 19.

NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (41-40) at Boston Celtics (56-25)

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NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (41-40) at Boston Celtics (56-25)

When the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics play their respective regular-season finales at Boston on Sunday afternoon, they might just go through the motions.

When the playoffs begin, the Hawks (41-40) will be seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference. They will go head to head with the Miami Intensity in the play-in competition on Tuesday, and a success in that challenge would drive them into the end of the season games against the second-cultivated Celtics (56-25).

Friday night’s 136-131 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers ended Atlanta’s three-game winning streak. Quin Snyder, the coach of the Hawks, was quick to point out that more significant matters lie ahead.

On Friday, Trae Young had a career-high 20 assists and 27 points to go along with nine turnovers.

Young has averages in points (26.2) and assists (10.2) that rank second on the team. The two-time All-Star contributed 31.0 and 11.0 points, respectively, in Atlanta’s previous two games against Boston, both of which ended in defeat.

The Celtics followed up Wednesday’s 97-93 triumph over the Raptors with an unbalanced 121-102 win versus Toronto two evenings later.

On Friday, Sam Hauser scored 26 points, a career high, with six 3-pointers.

Boston was able to make up for the absence of All-Star Jaylen Brown, who missed the game after cutting a finger on his shooting hand by accident, thanks to Hauser’s heroics. Brown will also be unable to play Atlanta in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, but he is expected to be ready for the playoffs.

Because he didn’t play in the second half on Friday, Jayson Tatum got a head start in that regard. As the Celtics get ready for the postseason, he probably will do the same thing throughout Sunday afternoon’s game.

MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (2-6) at Colorado Rockies (3-5)

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MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (2-6) at Colorado Rockies (3-5)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

POWER HOUR
The Washington Nationals scored a season-high 10 runs on a season-high 19 hits en route to their first road win of the 2023 season, 10-5 triumph over the Colorado Rockies.
• Every hitter in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with all but two recording multi-hit efforts…While they didn’t have multiple hits, Alex Call and Jeimer Candelario clubbed back-to-back home runs to start the game.

• MacKenzie Gore allowed two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks to earn his second win in as many starts.

OFF AND RUNNING
CJ Abrams matched a Nationals record (2005-pres.) with two triples on Friday 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.

• Abrams is 7-for-15 (.467) with a double, two triples, three RBI, one walk and two runs scored over his last four games…This comes after starting the season in an 0-for-10 stretch.

VIC AND LANE
• Victor Robles ranks in the National League in on-base percentage (T9th, .483) and batting average (T10th, .375)…He is 7-for-14 (.500) with a double, RBI, two walks, one stolen base and two runs scored over his last four games.

• Lane Thomas joins Robles in the tie for 10th in the National League with a .375 batting average…He has hit safely in six of eight games and has reached safely in seven of the eight this season.

OFF TO A GOOD START
Slick-fielding first baseman Dominic Smith is off to a strong start on defense…He is one of five National League first baseman to accumulate at least one defensive run saved, per FanGraphs.com….According to Baseball Savant, Smith (1 OAA) is one of six National League first baseman with at least one out above average…Arizona’s Christian Walker leads NL first baseman with two outs above average so far this season.

BULLPENNING
Washington’s bullpen ranks sixth in the National League in both opponents’ on-base percentage (.289) and opponents’ batting average (.234).

• Mason Thompson has tossed 7.0 innings of three-hit, one-run relief across two outings…He has yet to issue a walk…Thompson has pitched at least 2.0 innings in all three outings, and matched a career-high with 3.0 innings on April 3 vs. Tampa Bay (3.0 IP, H, ER, HR, SO).

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
COLORADO ROCKIES
The Nationals and Rockies will meet seven times this season (4 in COL, 3 in D.C.)…Nationals bullpen coach Henry Blanco played in Colorado during the 1999 season…First base coach Eric Young Jr. was drafted by the Rockies in the 30th round of the 2003 Draft and went on to spend five Major Leagues seasons (2009-13) with the Rockies…Chad Kuhl pitched for Colorado in 2022.

STARTING PITCHER – #32 TREVOR WILLIAMS
Veteran right-handed starter signed a two-year contract with the Nationals in Dec. 2022…From 2018-21, Williams was exclusively a starter, but he transitioned to a versatile swingman in 2021 and 2022…He is 35-41 with a 4.33 ERA in 118 career starts and 3-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 41 relief outings…Was a second-round pick of the Miami Marlins in 2013 but was traded to Pittsburgh in 2015 while pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

LAST START
Made his Nationals debut on April 3 vs. Tampa Bay…Allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings of work…Three runs came via two homers… The unearned run was due to a fielding error on Williams.

vs. COLORADO
Is 2-2 with a 5.32 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies…Is no stranger to Coors Field, with three of the four starts coming in Denver…Is 2-1 with a 6.11 ERA in those three starts with 12.74 runs of support per outing.

2023 SPRING TRAINING
Went 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in six Spring Training starts…Started the Exhibition game vs. New York (AL) on March 28.
• Allowed just one earned run on five hits in his final two starts of Spring Training (10.0 IP).

2022
In his second season with the Mets, went 3-5 with a 3.21 ERA in 30 games (nine starts)…Went 2-4 with a 4.19 ERA in nine starts and 1-1 with one save and a 2.47 ERA in 21 relief appearances…Tossed a career-high and team-best 25.1 consecutive scoreless innings from July 7 to Sept. 4…Was tied for the sixthlongest streak in MLB (4th in NL) in 2022… He went 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 13 games (three starts) against the NL East Recorded his first career save on July 14 at Chicago (NL), pitching the final three innings (3 H, 4 SO) of the 8-0 win…2022 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam Fastball (52.8%) Changeup (13.1%) Sinker (12.6%) Slider (11.7%) Curveball (9.7%).

2021
Began the season with the Cubs before being acquired along with shortstop Javier Báez…Posted a 3.06 ERA in 10 appearances (three starts) with the Mets… Did not surrender a home run in his first eight games with the Mets, becoming the ninth pitcher in franchise history to accomplish that feat (min. 20.0 IP).

2018
Put together the best season of his career, finishing seventh in the National League in ERA…Was the only pitcher to make 10 starts of at least 6.0 innings without allowing a run (Justin Verlander, 2nd with 9)…His 1.38 ERA after the All-Star break was second-lowest among all starting pitchers behind Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell (1.17)…Recorded a then-career-high 21.0 scoreless innings streak from July 11 to Aug. 5 and a 20.2 scoreless innings streak from Aug. 22 to Sept. 10…Was credited with his first career shutout in a rain-shortened 7-0 win at Cleveland on July 23 (6.0 IP).

2017
Made his first career Opening Day roster and took part in his first full Major League season…Ranked third among National League pitchers (min. 150.0 IP) with 0.84 HR/9.0 innings…Ranked first in ERA (4.07), fourth in innings (150.1) and fourth in strikeouts (117) among National League rookies with at least 100.0 innings…Threw a career-high 114 pitches in a career-high 8.0 scoreless innings on August 23 vs. Los Angeles (NL)…Faced off against Rich Hill, who took a perfect game into the ninth inning and lost his no-hit bid on Josh Harrison’s walk-off homer in the 10th inning.

2016
Made his Major League debut on Sept. 7 vs. St. Louis…Earned the win after allowing one run (unearned) in 3.0 innings of relief…Was the MVP of Triple-A Indianapolis after going 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA in 20 games (19 starts).

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

No release available.

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (5-3) at Arizona Diamondbacks (4-4)

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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (5-3) at Arizona Diamondbacks (4-4)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

SEEKING OASIS: The Dodgers saw their three-game winning streak snapped last night, falling to the Diamondbacks in their first road loss of the season, 6-3. Clayton Kershaw failed to secure win No. 199 in his 400th-career start and the offense mustered just five hits. Tonight, the Dodgers continue their seven-game road trip (1-1) with the third contest of four with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following their stay in Arizona, the Dodgers will fly to San Francisco tomorrow evening and begin a three-game series with the Giants on Monday night. The Dodgers walked nine times last night and lead the Major Leagues with 48 free passes. The club also leads the National League with an .867 OPS and a .500 slugging percentage. On the other end of the spectrum, the Dodgers have stolen just one base thus far, tied for dead last in the Majors along with Cincinnati, Minnesota and Texas.

DIGGING THE LONGBALL: The Dodgers hit two more homers last night, courtesy of rookie James Outman and super utilityman, Chris Taylor. The Dodgers have hit 16 home runs this season, which leads the National League and ranks second in the big leagues, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays (18). Los Angeles also leads the National League with 46 runs scored. The Dodgers have homered in eight straight games to begin the season and their 16 longballs are the club’s most through seven games since 2019 (21). That 2019 club homered in their first 10 games to begin the campaign. On this date in 2015, current Dodger special assistant Adrián González became the first player in Major League history to slug five home runs in his team’s first three games of the season.

LET’S GET IT STARTED: Dodger legend Clayton Kershaw issued back-to-back homers in the sixth inning last night that prevented him from securing a quality start, but Los Angeles still leads the big leagues with six quality starts, just ahead of Tampa Bay (5). Dodger starters have posted a 2.30 ERA (12 ER/47.0 IP) in the first eight games of the season, which ranks second in the Majors, trailing only the Twins (1.12). The starters have struck out 44 and walked just seven and their 0.81 WHIP leads all of baseball, just ahead of Minnesota (0.87).

WILL I AM: Will Smith had the night off, but on Thursday ripped a double in the third inning that extended his hitting streak to a Dodger season high six games. Smith is hitting .391 (9-for-23) with three homers, 10 RBI and a 1.377 OPS. He has reached 13 times in 28 plate appearances. In 51 games against the Diamondbacks, he is slashing .301/.384/.596 with 12 homers and 34 RBI.

STAY HOT, KID: Rookie Dodger outfielder James Outman hit a solo homer off Madison Bumgarner in the second inning and finished the game going 1-for-3. Outman, who was born in Redwood City, went to Cal State Sacramento and grew up a Giants fan, was 17 when Bumgarner was last pitching San Francisco to a World Series title in 2014. On the season, Outman is slashing .350/.519/.850 with a 1.369 OPS. His seven RBI rank third on the team, trailing just Will Smith (10) and Trayce Thompson (8) while his six walks are tied with Mookie Betts for third on the squad, trailing Miguel Vargas (11) and Freddie Freeman (7). Outman has appeared in 11 career games with an at-bat and in those contests has racked up 28 total baes. Those 28 TB are the second-most all-time by a Dodger in his first 11 contests with an AB, trailing just Yasiel Puig (2013, 33).

vs. THE SNAKES: The Dodgers split their four games with Arizona last week and with last night’s loss are now 17-8 in their last 25 against the Diamondbacks, including an 8-4 record in their last 12 at Chase Field. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Dodgers are 41-13 against the Diamondbacks overall with a 20-9 mark in the desert. According to Sportradar, the Dodgers record against the Diamondbacks is the best record against a division opponent since 2020:

Team Opponent Division W-L Pct
Dodgers vs Diamondbacks NL West 41-13 .759
Phillies vs Nationals NL East 36-12 .750
Mariners vs Rangers AL West 35-13-1 .729
Giants vs Diamondbacks NL West 34-14 .708
Rays vs Orioles AL East 34-14 .708
Braves vs Nationals NL East 36-15 .706

HOW THE WEST IS BEING WON: The Dodgers fell to 5-3 on the season and are now 59-25 (.702) against the National League West dating back to last season. The Dodgers have posted nine straight winning seasons against the National League West division, including four 50+ win seasons against their NL West foes (2014, 2019, 2021-22). In that nine-year span, the Dodgers are 412-245 (.627) against the NL West.

TODAY’S STARTER vs. D-BACKS: RHP NOAH SYNDERGAARD (0-0, 1.50 ERA in 1 G in 2023)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
• He made his season debut last Sunday, tossing 6.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits in a no decision.

• Pitched in five games (four starts) during spring ball, going 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA (12 ER/18.2 IP) with 13 strikeouts against just two walks…held a 1.13 WHIP

• Only victory came in his second start in Dodger blue against San Diego, where he fired 3.0 scoreless frames with two strikeouts without issuing a walk

VS. D-BACKS:
• Will face Arizona for the sixth time in his career…owns an overall 3-1 record in five starts with a 2.27 ERA (8 ER/31.2 IP) and 1.11 WHIP after striking out 40 batters and walking just six…has pitched at Chase Field just once in his career

2022 NOTES:
• Began his season with the Los Angeles Angels before getting traded at the deadline to the Philadelphia Phillies…earned a 10-10 record over 25 games (24 starts) with both clubs, striking out 95 batters and walking 31 en route to a 3.94 ERA (59 ER/134.2 IP)

• Recorded wins in his first two starts of the season (April 9 vs. HOU, April 16 at TEX), marking the first time in his Major League career he earned back-to-back victories to start the season in as many outings

• With the Angels, posted a 5-8 record in 15 starts with a 3.83 ERA (34 ER/80.0 IP) and 1.21 WHIP with 64 strikeouts…with the Phillies, bettered his record to a 5-2 mark in ten games (nine starts) with 31 strikeouts and a 4.12 ERA (25 ER/54.2 IP)

• Limited hitters to a .263 overall average, with righties kept at a .256 (77-for-301) and lefties at .272 (61-for-224)

• Returned to the Postseason for the first time since 2016, totaling a 0-1 record across four games (two starts) with a 3.24 ERA (3 ER/8.1 IP) and 0.84 WHIP…was one of two Phillies pitchers with previous World Series experience

• Started Game 5 of the World Series for the Phillies, taking the loss after allowing two unearned runs on three hits and four strikeouts through 3.0 innings…signed with the Dodgers as a free agent on December 16

CAREER NOTES:
• 2016 All-Star right-handed pitcher joins the Dodgers after splitting his time last season between the Angels and Phillies…owns a 57-41 Major League record over seven seasons with a 1.18 WHIP and 3.42 ERA (324 ER/852.2 IP)…has struck out 872 batters and walked 197 for a 9.20 strikeout-per-nine innings mark

• Across nine Postseason appearances, the righty has tallied a 2-2 mark with a 2.62 ERA (10 ER/34.1 IP) with 44 strikeouts and .190 opponents’ batting average…was a member of the 2015 New York Mets World Series roster and 2022 Philadelphia Phillies roster

• Threw his first two career complete games on Sept. 2 at San Francisco and on Sept. 30 vs. Miami, both in 2018…has fired four complete games in his career (also: May 2, 2019 vs. CIN, Aug. 4, 2022 vs. WSH)

• Named to the 2016 NL All-Star team, his first and only All-Star selection…did not pitch in the game due to arm fatigue

• Started three games during the 2015 playoffs with the New York Mets and earned the win in two of the three outings…his 26 strikeouts were tied for second-most by a rookie in postseason history and was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series vs. Kansas City, becoming the second youngest Met to win a World Series game

• Smashed his first Major League home run, a solo homer to dead center, on May 27, 2015 vs. Philadelphia (off Sean O’Sullivan), also his first Major League hit…has hit seven doubles, six home runs, and 15 RBI at the Major League level

• Made his Major League debut as a Met at Chicago-NL on May 12, 2015, pitching 5.1 innings in his first big league start, striking out six…earned his first career win five days later on May 17 vs. Milwaukee after firing 6.0 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts

• Picked up the save in the Futures Game in 2014, a 3-2 triumph for the United States over the World Team…in 1.0 inning, allowed one hit, no runs, no walks and one strikeout…started and hurled a scoreless inning for Team USA in the 2013 Futures Game at Citi Field as a member of the Mets farm system

• Originally signed by Blue Jays scout Steve Miller in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

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

♦ Zach Davies has gone 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA (4 ER in 13.1 IP) in his last 3 starts vs. Dodgers.

WIN NO. 1 FOR GAJOWNIK
♦ High-A Hillsboro Hops manager Ronnie Gajownik notched her first managerial win last night with a 7-3 defeat over Tri-City.

♦ On Thursday, she became the first female manager at the High-A level and second overall female manager in affiliated professional baseball since Yankees’ Rachel Balkovec.

BACK-TO-BACK FACTS [source: Elias Sports Bureau]
♦ At an age diff erence of 14 years-319 days, Evan Longoria and Corbin Carroll became the first pair of teammates with back-to-back HR and age diff erence of 14+ years since Jeff Mathis (37) and Leody Taveras (22) with the Rangers on Sept. 26, 2020 (15-161 day age difference).

♦ Carroll has been a part of Arizona’s last 3 back-to-back occurrences: April 7 vs. Dodgers (6th inn; Longoria/Carroll), Oct. 5, 2022 (9th inn; Rojas/Carroll) and Sept. 7, 2022 09/07/2022 (2nd inn; Varsho/Carroll).

♦ It also marked the fi rst back-to-back homers off Clayton Kershaw since Sept. 20, 2019 (1st inn: Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon/COL).

LONGO RAISING THE ROOF
♦ In his Chase Field debut as a D-back, Evan Longoria went 3-for-3 with 1 double, 1 home run and 1 RBI.

♦ The last time he collected 3+-hits in a game was on Sept. 23, 2022 @ Chase Field (3-for-5) while with the Giants.

♦ Since 2018, Longoria has collected 13 total 3+-hit performances and 6 have occurred @ Chase Field.

♦ Over his career @ Chase Field, he has combined to hit .377 (40-for-106)/.437 OBP/.679 SLG with 8 doubles, 8 homers and 28 RBI over 28 games.

ON THE BASES
♦ The D-backs 52 pct. extra bases taken percentage is fourth in the NL, behind the Braves (61 pct.), Mets (58 pct.) and Padres (53 pct.).

Percentage of times the runner advanced more than 1 base on a single or 2+ bases on a double, when possible.

RUNS BEING SAVED
♦ The D-backs’ 7 Defensive Runs Saved are tied for second in the Majors with the Twins, behind the Brewers (13) and ahead of the Dodgers (6) and Royals (6).

YOU SHALL NOT PASS
♦ The D-backs’ staff has only allowed 10.5 pct. of inherited runners (2 IRS/19 IR), the third-best mark in the NL, behind the Marlins (8.3 pct.) and Cardinals (10.0 pct.).

PICKED OFF
♦ C Gabriel Moreno’s backpick of Miguel Vargas at first base in the top of the seventh inning last night marked the fi rst of his career and fi rst among all Major League catchers this season.

GO AHEAD
♦ With last night’s go-ahead home run by Corbin Carroll, the D-backs have tallied 2 go-ahead home runs in the sixth inning or later this season that have resulted in victories vs. Dodgers (also: Kyle Lewis on March 31; 8th inn.).

· In 2022, David Peralta collected the D-backs’ lone go-ahead homer vs. Dodgers on April 26 (8th inn.) to round out a 5-3 win.

RHP ZACH DAVIES ♦ #27
AT A GLANCE: Second season with the D-backs and ninth in the Majors.

• Played 5 seasons with Brewers (2015-19), 1 with Padres (2020) and 1 with Cubs (2021).

• Selected in the 26th round by Orioles in the 2011 draft.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: In 2022, went 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA (20 ER in 57.0 IP) and .238 opponent avg. in 11 starts @ Chase Field…yielded 2 runs or fewer in 7 of those starts.

ZACH ATTACK IS BACK: Signed a 1-year contract with a mutual option for 2024 on Jan. 11.

LAST START: Posted a no decision in the 2-1 win on April 2 @ Dodgers…allowed his lone run on Will Smith’s first-inning homer and struck out 4 over 5.0 frames.

VS. DODGERS: In 15 career stars, is 4-5 with a 3.07 ERA (28 ER in 82.0 IP), 1.17 WHIP and .231 opponent avg.
• In his last 3 starts, boasts a 2.70 ERA (4 ER in 13.1 IP) and has yielded 2 walks or fewer in each game.

VS. NL WEST FOES: Has gone 19-15 with a 3.53 ERA (113 ER in 288.0 IP) and .238 opponent avg. in 55 career starts.

A WORKHORSE: Is 1 of 11 pitchers with 27+ starts in 5 of the last 7 seasons since 2016.

FROM THE DESERT: His family moved to the greater Phoenix area when he was 7.

• A 2011 graduate of Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz.

• Committed to play college baseball at Arizona State University before getting drafted in 2011. 2022 RECAP: Made 27 starts in his first season with Arizona, going 2-5 with a 4.09 ERA (61 ER in 134.1 IP)…issued 2 walks or fewer in 22 of his starts while limiting left-handed
batters to a .222 average.

• Placed on the 15-day injured list on June 2

MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (3-5) at Cleveland Guardians (5-3)

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MLB Preview: Seattle Mariners (3-5) at Cleveland Guardians (5-3)

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners play the second game of a 3-game series (1-0) against the Cleveland Guardians tonight…the Mariners will also travel to Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs (3 G, 4/10-12) on the trip… tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Mike Blowers on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith. ODDS AND ENDS…Seattle defeated Cleveland by a 5-3 score in yesterday’s road opener…the Mariners improved to 10-5 over their last 15 road openers.

• You Can Actually Call It A Comeback – The Mariners yesterday earned their first comeback win of the season…Seattle’s 40 comeback wins in the 2022 regular season were 3rd-most in the American League.

• Total Team Win – In yesterday’s 5-3 victory, all 9 Mariners in the starting lineup reached base, with 8 of the 9 starters recording a base hit.

• JK – Jarred Kelenic leads the Mariners in hard-hit percentage (58.3%).

• CrawDaddy – J.P. Crawford leads the Mariners in average exit velocity (94.9 mph).

• Going For a Series Dub – The Mariners would secure their first series victory of the season with a win today.

• PNW Pride – Cooper Hummel recorded his first hit with Seattle yesterday…he became the first Oregonborn Mariners player to record a hit since pitcher Sam Gaviglio singled on May 29, 2017 at Colorado.

JULIO: FASTEST TO 30 HOME RUNS…Julio Rodríguez went 2-for-5 with a go-ahead, 2-run homer in the top of the 6th inning in yesterday’s win…it was his 30th career home run in his 140th career game, making him the fastest player in Mariners history to reach 30 career homers…he surpassed Jim Presley, who hit his 30th career home run in his 156th career game (also 2nd MLB season, like Julio) on July 18, 1985 at Milwaukee.

JULIO OFF TO A HOT START…Julio Rodríguez stole his third base of the season and hit his second home run yesterday…in 8 games, the 22-year-old is batting .286 (10×35) with a team-leading 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 4 RBI, 3 walks and 3 stolen bases, getting on base at a .342 clip, slugging .571 with a .913 OPS in 38 plate appearances…his 20 total bases lead the Mariners, ranking narrowly ahead of Ty France (18 TB).

ANDRÉ(S) THE GIANT…Andrés Muñoz recorded his 100th strikeout in a Mariners uniform in yesterday’s 5-3 win over the Guardians…in 69 games with the Mariners, Muñoz has posted a 2.35 ERA (18 ER, 69.0 IP) with 18 walks and 100 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .193 batting average (47×243).

THE FRENCH CONNECTION…Ty France went 1-for-5 with an RBI yesterday…the Mariners first baseman has gotten off to a hot start through 8 games, batting .333 (11×33) with 6 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, 6 RBI and 2 walks, getting on base at a .389 clip, slugging .545 with a .934 OPS in 36 plate appearances…Ty has hit safely in 5 consecutive contests (4/2-c) and 7 of 8 games so far this season.

HOT BAT AT THE HOT CORNER…Eugenio Suárez went 1-for-4 with a walk yesterday…Geno is batting .344 (11×32) with 4 runs, 3 doubles, 5 RBI and 1 walk, getting on base at a .364 clip, slugging .438 with an .802 OPS in 33 plate appearances…he’s hit safely in 5 consecutive contests (4/2-c) and 7 of 8 games so far this season, including 4 consecutive multi-hit games from April 2-5.

J.P. DELIVERS…J.P. Crawford went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBI doubles in yesterday’s win…Crawford’s second double of the game, which came in the 6th inning, was 108.3 mph off the bat… the Mariners shortstop came around to score both times, in the 5th on Ty France’s RBI single and in the 6th on Julio Rodríguez’ 2-run homer…J.P.’s 2 RBI doubles scored Cooper Hummel and Jarred Kelenic, respectively.

THE BULLY ‘PEN…Seattle relievers combined for 5.0 scoreless innings in yesterday’s win…Penn Murfee, Trevor Gott, Matt Brash, Andrés Muñoz and Paul Sewald each contributed an inning, allowing just 2 baserunners (one hit and one walk) with 7 strikeouts…Murfee earned his first win of the season, while Sewald notched his first save of the 2023 campaign.

FUN TIMES IN CLEVELANDDDDD…Seattle has won 5 consecutive games at Progressive Field since June 13, 2021…in that span, the Mariners have outscored the Guardians by a 27-9 advantage, holding them to just under 2.0 runs-per-game…the Mariners pitching staff has 12 walks and 38 strikeouts in those games.

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.

TWOS-DAY’S GONE…last Tuesday, April 4, Teoscar Hernández and AJ Pollock each hit 2 home runs in an 11-win over the Angels…with Jarred Kelenic and Mitch Haniger each hitting 2 homers for Seattle on Sept. 29, 2022 vs. Texas, and Julio Rodríguez and Eugenio Suárez each doing it on Sept. 11, 2022 vs. Atlanta, the Mariners have accounted for each of the last 3 multi-homer teammate duos in the same game across the Majors…they are the first team to account for 3 consecutive around the Majors, without any other team doing it in that span, since the Houston Astros did it on July 23, 2000 (Lance Berkman, Bill Spiers), Aug. 13, 2000 (Moises Alou, Jeff Bagwell) and Sept. 9, 2000 (Berkman, Tim Bogar, Richard Hidalgo)…Hernández and Pollock also became just the 4th duo in MLB history to each hit their first 2 home runs with a new team in the same game…they joined Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett and Bernie Friberg for the Chicago Cubs on April 20, 1923, Toby Atwell and Jerry Lynch for the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 27, 1954, and Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin for the Toronto Blue Jays on April 17, 2015.

TONIGHT’S MARINERS STARTER – LHP MARCO GONZALES
ABOUT GONZALES…
• 31-year-old left-hander is making his 2nd start of the season, both against the Guardians he is also making his 155th career appearance (147th career start) and his 5th career appearance against Cleveland (4th start).

• Acquired by Seattle from St. Louis in exchange for minor league outfielder Tyler O’Neill on July 21, 2017.

• Native of Fort Collins, CO…attended Gonzaga University for 3 years (2011-13).

• Originally selected by Colorado in the 29th round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Rocky Mountain High School (Fort Collins, CO) but did not sign…drafted and signed by the Cardinals with the 19th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga University…became the highest draft pick in the history of the Gonzaga baseball program.

• Made his MLB debut with Cardinals on June 25, 2014 at Colorado.

LAST TIME OUT…ND in last start on 4/2 vs. CLE in his season debut…allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks while striking out 1.

AGAIN?…is facing the same opponent in consecutive starts for the first time since his final two starts of the 2021 season both came against the Los Angeles Angels…he combined to toss 13.0 innings allowing just 3 runs on 6 total hits…has had consecutive starts against the same opponent on 8 previous occasions.

SECOND TIME AROUND…is making his first start in Cleveland since 4/29/18 when he received his 3rd win of the season after pitching 6.0 innings and allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 1 home run while striking out 4…tonight’s game marks the second start of Gonzales’ career at Progressive Field.

STARTING THE SEASON STRONG…holds a 10-7 career record in March/ April with a 4.24 ERA (121.0 IP, 57 ER)…in March/April opponents are batting .273 (130×477) against Gonzales while striking out 103 times and walking 31 times.

SEASON-LONG STAMINA…made all 32 starts last season which is tied for 1st among Mariners pitchers with Logan Gilbert and Robbie Ray…his 183.0 innings pitched was 3rd on the team last year trailing only Ray (189.0) and Gilbert (185.2)…he also led Seattle’s starting pitchers in decisions earning 25 decisions out of his 32 starts in 2022.

BUILT DIFFERENT…had 8 different starts with 6+ innings pitched and 2-or-fewer strikeouts in 2022, which was the most such starts in the Majors…Cole Irvin-OAK ranked second with 5 such starts.

LET’S GET DEEP…The Mariners are 53-26 in starts when Gonzales goes 6.0 or more innings, compared to 21-42 when he tosses 5.2 innings or less over his career…when Gonzales tosses 7.0+ innings the Mariners are 25-9.

GOOD STRETCHES…recorded mulitple quality start streaks in 2022…his longest quality start streak occurred from 6/15-7/7/22 during which he had a 2.51 ERA (32.1 IP, 9 ER) in 5 consecutive quality starts…his second longest streak occurred from 8/25-9/11/22 during which he had a 2.88 ERA (25.0 IP, 8 ER) in 4 consecutive quality starts…Gonzales tied for 1st in quality starts among Mariners starting pitchers last season with Robbie Ray (18).

STRIKEOUT-LESS IN SEATTLE…tossed 6.2 innings allowing 3 runs (2 ER) on 8 hits and 0 walks with 0 strikeouts on 7/7/22 vs. TOR…was 1 of only 8 instances of a starter tossing 6.0+ innings without a strikeout in 2022.

OPENER x 3…started on Opening Day 3-consecutive years from 2019-21…became the 7th Mariners to start on Opening Day for at least 3-consecutive seasons, joining Mike Moore (1984-86), Mark Langston (1987-89), Randy Johnson (1992-1996), Freddy Garcia (2001-03), Jamie Moyer (2004-06) and Felix Hernandez (2009-18).

DEEP (START) IN THE HEART OF TEXAS…tossed the 3rd complete game of his career in a 3-1 Mariners win against Texas on Aug. 12, 2021… matched his career highs in innings pitched (9.0), strikeouts (9) and surrendered the fewest hits in any of his 3 complete games (2)…the only run allowed came via a home run to Charlie Culberson with 2 outs in the 2nd inning…he faced the minimum in 8 of 9 innings.

PLAYOFF PROWESS…pitched in the 2014 Postseason with St. Louis…went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA (3 ER, 6.0 IP) with 4 strikeouts and…earned 2 wins in the NLDS vs. Los Angeles, becoming the 4th rookie in postseason history to win 2 games in the Division Series (also: Dave Righetti-NYY, 1981, Jaret Wright-CLE, 1997 and Francisco RodrÍguez-LAA, 2002).

BULLDOG ROOTS…played 3 seasons (2011-13) with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, compiling a career record of 26-7 with a 2.34 ERA while recording 9 complete games and 4 shutouts…tallied 278 strikeouts over 303.2 innings of work…became the highest draft pick in the history of the Gonzaga baseball program when he was selected 19th overall by St. Louis in 2013…shared West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors with the Rockies’ Kris Bryant (University of San Diego) as a freshman in 2011 and as a junior in 2013…in 2013, earned John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year honors as well as WCC Co-Player of the Year for the 2nd time in his career…was 1 of 5 Gonzaga products to appear in a Major League game in 2022.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

No release available.

MLB Preview: Oakland Athletics (2-5) at Tampa Bay Rays (7-0)

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MLB Preview: Oakland Athletics (2-5) at Tampa Bay Rays (7-0)

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

No release available.

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

ON THE OFFENSIVE — The Rays hit a season-high 5 HR in last night’s 9-5 win, including a grand slam from 3B Isaac Paredes (3-for-4, HR, 4RBI) and solo shots by DH Harold Ramírez (1-for-4, HR), RF Manuel Margot (1-for-3, HR, BB, R), C Christian Bethancourt (1-for-3, HR, BB, 2R) and SS Wander Franco (1-for-5, HR)…RHP Zach Eflin improved to 2-0 after tossing 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

The Rays have two games with 4+ HR this season (also 4/4 at WSH) after having just one all of last year (4 HR on 6/21 vs. NYY)…Tampa Bay’s last 5 HR game came in a 12-2 win at New York-AL on 10/2/21.

Prior to DH Ryan Noda’s home run off Zach Eflin in the third inning, Rays starters had not allowed a long ball in 34.0 straight innings to open the 2023 season… according to STATS LLC, the 34.0 inning streak was the longest run to start a season in franchise history, surpassing a 27.0 inning stretch by the 2000 Rays.

SEVEN AND COUNTING —The Rays are the first team to open a season with seven consecutive wins since the 2016 Baltimore Orioles started 7-0…with a win today, Tampa Bay would be the first team to start a season 8-0 since the 2003 Royals started 9-0.

Tampa Bay’s overall seven-game winning streak surpasses its longest run from 2022 (6G, 2x, last 8/20-25, 2022)…the Rays have not strung together a winning streak of eight games since an 11-game run from 5/13-24, 2021.

The Rays’ four-game winning streak at Tropicana Field is their longest to open a home slate in club history, surpassing three-game runs by the 2002, 2012 and 2022 clubs.

The club’s three-game road winning streak is their longest to begin a season since a seven-game road streak to kick off the 2010 season.

IT’S A WANDER-FUL LIFE—In seven games to open the 2023 campaign, Wander Franco is slashing .379/.438/.793 (11-for-29) with three doubles, 3 HR, 8 RBI and three steals while drawing three walks against three strikeouts…entering play today, Franco ranks among major league shortstops in slugging percentage (1st), HR (T1st), RBI (T1st), doubles (T2nd) and hits (T4th).

After last night’s solo homer in the eighth inning, Franco has now homered in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

A+ GRADES — After going 1-for-3 with a homer, walk and two runs last night, Manuel Margot has hit safely and driven in a run in each of his last five games against the Athletics, batting .450 (9-for-20) with two doubles, a triple, a homer and 6 RBI over that stretch.

Randy Arozarena has now hit safely in eight straight games dating to 10/5/22 and hit safely in nine straight home games since 9/21/22.

Jose Siri has hit safely in each of his first six games this season while driving in at least one run in five of the six contests.

NEVER IN DOUBT — Per STATS LLC, the Rays are the first major league team to win each of their first seven games of a season by 4+ runs since the 1884 St. Louis Maroons…no other clubs in MLB history have begun a season with a streak of more than four such wins.

Tampa Bay’s +35 run differential (53-18) is tied with the 1940 Brooklyn Dodgers for third-best through a club’s first seven games of a season in the majors since 1901, trailing only the 1962 St. Louis Cardinals (+42) and the 1905 New York Giants (+40).

The Rays have yielded only 18 runs, second-fewest through seven games in club history behind the 2019 club (11 runs)…the franchise record for fewest runs allowed through eight games is 13, also done in 2019.

Tampa Bay’s 53 runs scored are its most through seven games of a season, ahead of the 2009 Rays (44)…the 2009 team currently holds the record for most runs through eight games (46).

BATTLE OF THE BAYS — The Rays host the Athletics this evening for the second of seven matchups between the two clubs in 2023…Tampa Bay won four of seven meetings with Oakland in 2022, including all three games at Oakland Coliseum to close the season series… since the beginning of 2021, Tampa Bay leads the head-to-head series 8-7. Ê The Rays’ current four-game win streak against Oakland is their first since a five-game streak from 8/24/07-5/20/08.

BRINGING THE LUMBER—The Rays have hit a major league-best 18 HR, ahead of Los Angeles-NL (16HR) and San Francisco (15HR)…the 18 HR are their most through seven games in club history, outpacing the 2009 club (15HR).

NO FLY ZONE—Rays pitchers have allowed just four home runs across 63.0 innings, tied with Los Angeles-NL (71.0IP) and Chicago-NL (53.0IP) for fewest in the majors…marks the second fewest homers allowed through seven games in club history, behind the 1998 and 2012 Rays (3HR each)…the fewest home runs allowed through the first eight games of a season in Tampa Bay history is three, accomplished by the 1998 Rays.

TODAY’S STARTER: LHP JEFFREY SPRINGS (1-0, 0.00)
SPRING FEVER—A sixth-year veteran, Springs opened the season in the Rays rotation after transitioning into a starting role last May…is coming off a career year in 2022 that saw him post a 9-5 mark with a 2.46 ERA (135.1IP, 37ER) over 33 games (25 starts)…was acquired by the Rays along with RHP Chris Mazza from Boston on 2/17/21 in exchange for C Ronaldo Hernández and 2B Nick Sogard…signed a four-year, $31 million deal with Tampa Bay through the 2026 season on 1/25/23, including a club option.

UNTOUCHABLE — Spun 6.0 hitless frames in his season debut on 4/2 vs. Detroit, fanning a career-best 12 batters with one walk before departing
after 81 pitches…joined José Berríos (4/3/21 at MIL; 6.0 IP, 12SO) as the only pitchers in MLB history (since 1901) to strike out 12+ batters in 6.0-or-fewer no-hit innings…joined Nathan Eovaldi (6.0IP, 5/30/18 at OAK) and Matt Garza (9.0IP, 7/26/10 vs. DET) as the only pitchers in Rays history to finish a game with 6.0+ hitless innings.

2022 RECAP — After opening the year with a 0.69 ERA (13.IP, 1ER) over his first nine appearances in the bullpen (one start as an opener), Springs transitioned to a full-time starting role for the first time in his career, going 8-5 with a 2.65 ERA (122.1IP, 36ER) over his final 24 appearances, all of which were starts…overall, his 2.46 ERA on the season ranked sixth in the AL (min. 100.0IP).

Went 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA (62.0IP, 15ER) from 8/4 through the season’s end, ranking among AL leaders (min. 60.0IP) in that span in ERA (4th) and WHIP (8th, 1.02).

On 9/18/22 at Texas, Springs saw his career-best scoreless inning streak come to an end at 17.2 IP but picked up the win over the club that originally drafted him in 2015 (W, 5.2IP, 6H, 3R-2ER, 6SO).

ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS — Over 15 career appearances (one start) against Oakland, Springs is 4-1 with a 4.37 ERA (22.2IP, 11ER)…this includes a 1-1 mark to go with a 1.08 ERA (8.1IP, 1ER) over his last six games against the Athletics since 4/28/21…in his lone start against Oakland on 9/9/18 as a member of Texas, Springs yielded only one hit while striking out a pair over 3.0 scoreless frames.

WESTWORLD — Springs is 9-3 with a 4.19 ERA (73.0IP, 34ER) in 42 outings (7 starts) against AL West clubs, including 5-2 with a 2.41 ERA (41.0IP, 11ER) in 21 games (5 starts) since being acquired by Tampa Bay in 2021.

Springs spent the first two seasons of his career (2018-19) pitching within the AL West as a reliever with Texas…went 4-1 with a 6.47 ERA (32.0IP, 23ER) against divisional opponents in that span.

HOME COOKING — Turned in a 4-2 record with a 2.23 ERA (60.2IP, 15ER) in 16 appearances (11 starts) at Tropicana Field in 2022…among AL pitchers with 10+ home starts, Springs ranked fifth in home ERA.

At Tropicana Field, opposing hitters were limited to a .151/.224/.283 (8-for-53) slash line against Springs with runners in scoring position…he yielded only four extra-base hits (2 2B, 3B, HR) in 58 plate appearances with RISP at home.

Springs has permitted three or fewer runs in each of his first 12 starts at Tropicana Field since joining the Rays…this includes seven home starts allowing one or zero earned runs.

A TALE OF TWO ROLES—In his 27 career starts, Springs is 9-5 with a 2.45 ERA (136.0IP, 37ER) while holding opponents to a .219/.262/.351 (113-for516) average…conversely, the southpaw is 11-5 with a 4.54 ERA (134.2IP, 68ER) and a .261/.337/.459 (136-for-521) opponents’ slash line in 108 career relief appearances.

KEEP THE CHANGE — In 2022, Springs utilized his changeup at a 34.7 pct. rate, the second-highest clip in the majors (min. 1,500 pitches) behind Miami’s Pablo López (35.3%)…opponents hit .229 (53-for-231) and slugged .320 in at-bats ending with the offering…induced a 38.1 pct. whiff rate against his changeup, and 65 of his 70 (92.9%) strikeouts with it came on whiffs…his 70 strikeouts with the pitch were fourth-most by any MLB pitcher via the changeup.

Threw his changeup for 26 of his 81 pitches (34.6%) in his season debut on 4/2 vs. Detroit, recording a 52.9 pct. whiff rate on the pitch.

MLB Preview: Boston Red Sox (3-4) at Detroit Tigers (2-5)

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MLB Preview: Boston Red Sox (3-4) at Detroit Tigers (2-5)

BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:

WHERE WE LEFT OFF: The Red Sox won Thursday’s series opener at DET to snap a 3-game losing streak. The Sox scored 6 runs on Thursday, including 4 in the 6th inning, after being held to 2 runs total over their previous 2 games on Tuesday and Wednesday vs. PIT. Adam Duvall hit a go-ahead 3-run HR in the 6th inning…Rafael Devers hit a solo HR in the 4th and a game-tying RBI double in the 6th. Chris Sale earned the win (5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 SO). Kenley Jansen (1.0 IP) earned his 1st save with the Sox.

HOT START: The Red Sox have scored 41 runs through their first 7 games for just the 2nd time in the last 20 seasons (43 runs through first 7 games of 2015). The Sox have reached 10 home runs in the fewest number of games since 2002 (5 games). Boston has averaged 5.9 runs per game and 8.9 hits per game through the first 7 games of 2023… The only teams to average more runs per game are MIL (6.0) and TB (7.6).

LEADERS OF THE PACK: The Red Sox rank T-2nd in the AL and T-5th in MLB in runs scored (41). Red Sox hitters have struck out in just 18.4% of
their plate appearances, the lowest SO% in the AL and 4th lowest in MLB (50 SO/272 PA). The Sox also rank in the AL’s top 5 in various offensive categories (see below).

RED SOX OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat AL Rank
41 R………………………T-2nd
25 XBH……………………. 5th
10 HR …………………… T-4th
109 total bases…………. 5th

Stat AL Rank
.261 AVG…………………….. 5th
.445 SLG …………………….. 5th
.777 OPS …………………….. 5th
18.4 SO%………………….1st

INNINGS OF INTEREST: The Red Sox have scored in the 1st inning in 4 of their first 7 games of 2023. They have scored 8 runs in the 1st inning, most among AL teams and tied for 2nd most in MLB. The Sox have not allowed a run in the 8th or 9th inning yet this season…The only other team to do so is TEX. They have outscored opponents in the 8th and 9th innings, 8-0.

WHAT A RELIEF: Red Sox relievers tossed 4.0 scoreless innings in Thursday’s win (2 H, 2 BB, 2 SO)…Dating back to the 7th inning on Opening Day vs. BAL, 24 of the 29 innings started by Red Sox relievers have been scoreless. 5 of the 8 relief pitchers the Red Sox have used this season have allowed 1 or 0 earned runs (see below).

RED SOX RELIEVERS TO ALLOW 1 OR 0 RUNS
Pitcher IP R
Chris Martin 4.0 0
Kenley Jansen 2.0 0
Josh Winckowski 6.0 1
Zack Kelly 4.2 1
John Schreiber 4.0 1

TEAM OF THE CENTURY: The 2023 season is the 22nd for the Red Sox’ current ownership group (Henry-Werner, 2002-2023)…In the last 22 seasons, the Sox have won more World Series titles (4) than any other team. Among MLB and the NFL, NBA, and NHL, the only other franchises to win as many as 4 championships since the start of 2002 are the New England Patriots (6), Los Angeles Lakers (4), San Antonio Spurs (4), and
Golden State Warriors (4).

MOST WORLD SERIES TITLES, 2002-2022
Rk. Team World Series

  1. Boston Red Sox 4 (2004, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18)
  2. San Francisco Giants 3 (2010, ‘12, ‘14)
  3. St. Louis Cardinals 2 (2006, ‘11)
    Houston Astros 2 (2017, ‘22)

DUV-ALL ABOUT IT: Adam Duvall leads qualified AL players in AVG (.458), SLG (1.042), OPS (1.578), RBI (12), and XBH (7)…He ranks 2nd in HR (tied, 3), OBP (.536), runs scored (tied, 8), and total bases (25). Duvall’s 12 RBI are the most ever by a player in their first 6 games with the Red Sox. The only other player to compile at least 7 XBH and 12 RBI within their first 6 games with any franchise was Trevor Story in his first 6 career games with COL in 2016. On Monday, Duvall earned the AL’s first Player of the Week honors for 2023 after recording 6 extra-base
hits and 8 RBI in his first 3 games with BOS.

ADAM DUVALL’S OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat AL/MLB Rank
12 RBI……………. 1st/2nd
8 R………………. T-2nd/T-4th
3 HR ……………. T-2nd/T-4th
7 XBH …………. 1st/T-2nd

Stat AL/MLB Rank
.458 AVG…………… 1st/2nd
.536 OBP………………. 2nd/5th
1.042 SLG…………. 1st/2nd
1.578 OPS…………. 1st/2nd

ON THE MEND: Garrett Whitlock made a rehab start for Double-A Portland in their home opener vs. Binghamton on Thursday (6.0 IP, H, R, BB, 8 SO)…He also started in Triple-A Worcester’s home opener on 3/31 (4.0 IP, 6 H, R, BB, 6 SO). James Paxton is scheduled to make a rehab start tomorrow in Game 2 of Triple-A Worcester’s doubleheader at Buffalo…He threw 49 pitches over 3.0 innings on 4/4 in an intrasquad game at Fenway South. Brayan Bello is scheduled to make a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday vs. Columbus…He threw 72 pitches over 5.0 innings in an intrasquad game at Fenway South on 4/5.

MACHO MAN: Masataka Yoshida has hit from the 4th spot in the lineup in each of his 7 career games…He is the first player since Jack Hoey in 1906 to bat 4th for the Red Sox in each of his first 7 MLB games. Prior to Yoshida, the last players bat 4th in each of their first 7 MLB games were Kris Bryant (2015 with CHC) and Tim Salmon (1992 with CAL).

THE NEW GUYS: Eleven members of the Red Sox’ active roster or injured list were not in the organization during the 2022 season (see below).

SOX & TIGERS: The Red Sox and Tigers are currently playing their 1st series of 2023…The Tigers will visit Fenway Park for a 3-game series
from 8/11-13. BOS are 6-1 vs. DET over the last 2 seasons, including 3-1 at Comerica Park. The Sox lead the all-time series vs. DET, 1,054-981, including a 45-37 mark at Comerica Park…They are 18-8 vs. DET since the start of 2018.

ROAD TRIPPING: The Red Sox on Thursday began a 7-game road trip to DET (3 games) and TB (4 games). Last season, the Sox went 35-46 (.432) on the road… It was their 1st time posting a sub-.500 road record over a 162-game season since 2015 (also 35-46). Yesterday was a scheduled off day…Beginning today, the Sox will play 19 games in 19 days, through 4/26.

TODAY’S STARTER: 89 TANNER HOUCK – RHP
Started on Sunday vs. BAL (5.0 IP, 5 H, BB, 5 SO)…Held the O’s scoreless through the first 4.0 innings before allowing 3 runs, including 2 HR, in the 5th.

Tossed a scoreless inning in relief in his lone appearance vs. DET, on 6/20/22 (1.0 IP, H, SO).

Has issued 3 BB or fewer in 20 of his 21 career starts.

Allowed 3 ER or fewer in 32 of his 33 outings since 4/8/22.

In 2022, did not allow a run in 16.0 consecutive IP across 8 games from 5/19-6/12, his longest career scoreless streak.

Underwent a successful lumbar discectomy on 9/6/22, performed by Dr. Christopher
Bono at Massachusetts General Hospital.

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

No release available.

NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (40-30-8) at Winnipeg Jets (43-32-3)

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NHL Preview: Nashville Predators (40-30-8) at Winnipeg Jets (43-32-3)

NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:

ALL-TIME vs. WINNIPEG
OVERALL (53 GP) 28-18-(1)-6
HOME (27 GP) 17-9-(0)-1
ROAD (26 GP) 11-9-(1)-5
LAST MEETING March 18, 2023 at NSH (OTL, 3-2)
PLAYOFFS (0-1) 2018 RD2 (L, 4-3)

− The Predators are 28-18-(1)-6 all-time against the Jets franchise, including an 11-9-(1)-5 record on the road.

− This is the fourth and final matchup between Nashville and Winnipeg in 2022-23; it is the second of two at Canada Life Centre.

− Nashville is 1-0-2 against Winnipeg this season, claiming a 2-1 win at home on Jan. 24 and earning a point in two overtime losses on Dec. 15 and March 18.

− The Predators are 2-1-2 in their last five games against the Jets; they are 4-4-2 in their last 10; and 2-2-1 in their last five on the road.

NOTABLES vs. WINNIPEG
− Roman Josi tied the Preds franchise record for assists and points in a game with five on Feb. 27, 2018 at Winnipeg. He has 25 points (4g-21a) in 34 career games vs. the Jets.

− Ryan Johansen is averaging nearly a point per game in his career against Winnipeg, tallying 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 31 games. His nine points (3g-6a) in Nashville’s 2018 Second Round series vs. Winnipeg were the second-most in a single series in team history.

− Filip Forsberg recorded a five-game point streak (5a) vs. Winnipeg from March 13, 2018-March 1, 2019. He has picked up at least one point in 11 of his last 19 contests against the Jets and has posted 20 points (4g-16a) in 32 career games vs. Winnipeg.

− Colton Sissons made his NHL debut on Jan. 28, 2014 at Winnipeg.

− Tommy Novak notched his first career three-point game on Oct. 23, 2021 at Winnipeg (3a).

− Cody Glass is a Winnipeg native; Predators Assistant Coach Dan Lambert is a native of St. Malo, Man.

− Advisor and Future General Manager Barry Trotz hails from Dauphin, Man.

− The Predators acquired a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from Winnipeg for forward Nino Niederreiter on Feb. 25. Niederreiter tallied 28 points (18g-10a) in 56 games for Nashville to begin the 2022-23 season.

− Jets goaltender David Rittich played in 17 games for Nashville in 2021-22, going 6-3-1.

LAST TIME OUT
− Carolina Hurricanes 0, Nashville Predators 3 – April 6 (Bridgestone Arena)
− NSH goals: Jankowski – SH/GWG (6), McCarron (2), Fabbro – ENG (2)
− CAR goals:
− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (W, 33/33); CAR – Andersen (L, 20/22)
− Power plays: NSH 0-1; CAR 0-2
− Notes: Nashville improved to 21-14-4 at home in 2022-23… The Predators closed out their two-game, regular-season series against the Hurricanes with a 2-0-0 record… Nashville swept its regular-season series against Carolina for the first time since 2015-16… Juuse Saros made 33 saves for his second shutout of the season and 20th of his NHL career… Mark Jankowski (1g-1a) recorded his first multi-point game with Nashville; he also went 7-for-8 in faceoffs, posted a +3 rating, had four shot attempts and one takeaway… Michael McCarron scored his second goal of the season and first since Oct. 27 vs. St. Louis… Spencer Stastney recorded the first two points of his NHL career (2a)… Jake Livingstone skated 16:08 in his NHL debut.

INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-April 6 71
Filip Forsberg Upper body – IR Feb. 13-April 6 28
Ryan Johansen Lower body Feb. 23-April 6 23
Juuso Parssinen Upper body Feb. 26-April 6 22
Alexandre Carrier Upper body March 4-April 6 19
Roman Josi Upper body March 19-April 6 11
Matt Duchene Upper body March 28-April 6 6
Jeremy Lauzon Upper body April 1-6 4
Cole Smith Upper body April 3-6 3
Total man-games lost: 258
Individual man-games lost: Borowiecki – 72; Carrier – 33; Forsberg – 28; Johansen – 23; Parssinen – 22; McCarron – 20; McDonagh – 11; Josi – 11; Smith – 9; Duchene – 7; Lauzon – 7; Trenin – 5; Glass – 3; Jankowski – 3; Asplund – 1; Evangelista – 1; Lankinen – 1; Tomasino – 1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− April 6: Recalled forward Zach Sanford from Milwaukee (AHL). Reassigned defenseman Kevin Gravel to Milwaukee (AHL).
− April 5: Reassigned forward John Leonard to Milwaukee (AHL).
− April 3: Recalled forward John Leonard from Milwaukee (AHL)

WINNINPEG JETS NOTES:

Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets play the fourth game of a five-game homestand on Saturday night when the entertain the Nashville Predators in a crucial game in the Western Conference playoff race. The Jets lost for the first time during the homestand on Wednesday, 3-1 to the Calgary Flames. Winnipeg finishes the homestand on Monday against the San Jose Sharks before ending the regular season with games in Minnesota on Tuesday and Colorado on Thursday.

Tale of the Tape
WPG Stat NSH
78 GP 78
43 W 40
32 L 30
3 OT 8
89 PTS 88
234 GF 219
218 GA 227
19.3% PP 18.1%
82.7% PK 81.8%

Next Four Games
Date Opp TV Radio
Apr. 8 NSH SN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 10 SJS SN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 11 At MIN TSN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 13 At COL TSN CJOB/Power 97

Recent Four Games
Date Opp SC Res Streak
Mar. 25 At LAK 4-1 L 1L
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

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
Saturday, April 8

Morning Skate 9:30 a.m.
Jets vs. Nashville Predators 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 9
Practice – Canada Life Centre 12:00 p.m.
Monday, April 10
Morning Skate 9:30 a.m.
Jets vs. San Jose Sharks 6:00 p.m.
All Times Local

Last Game
Calgary Flames 3
Winnipeg Jets 1
Jets Scorers: Connor (31)
Flames Scorers: Mangiapane (17), Duehr (7), Zadorov (11)
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (32 sv, 3 ga)
Flames Goaltender: Jacob Markstrom (34 sv, 1 ga)
Jets PP: 1-for-5
Jets PK: 6-for-6
Recap: Kyle Connor scored 11:42 into the first period, but it was the Jets lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Pierre-Luc Dubois had an assist on the goal for his 300th career point. Dubois also paced the Jets with five shots, while Brenden Dillon and Nino Niederreiter each had four hits.

Up and Down
The Jets are 7-6-0 in their past 13 games… Winnipeg hasn’t won or lost three consecutive games since a three-game losing streak from Feb. 22-
26… The last time Winnipeg won three consecutive games happened from Jan. 30-Feb. 14.

Backend Production
Jets defencemen have combined for 180 points (43G, 137A) this season, which is 10th in the NHL… A defenceman has been in on 39 of Winnipeg’s past 52 goals… Josh Morrissey (71), Neal Pionk (33), Dylan DeMelo (25), and Brenden Dillon (22) have all reached the 20-point mark, while Nate Schmidt has 17 points… Defencemen have accounted for 27.5% of Winnipeg’s points this season, which is fourth in the NHL.

Home Comforts
The Jets are 24-13-2 at Canada Life Centre this season, which is tied for eighth in the NHL and third in the Western Conference… Kyle Connor (18G, 27A) leads the team with 45 points in 39 home games… Mark Scheifele’s 20 goals at home leads the team and has him four goals behind his career high 24 goals he had at home during the 2018-19 season… Winnipeg is 253-162-38 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 82.7% of the time… The Jets were a season-best six-for-six on the penalty kill against the Flames after going five-for-five twice previously this season… 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. NSH Records
Overall Record
GP W L OT
53 24 23 6
Home Record
GP W L OT
26 14 8 4
Away Record
GP W L OT
27 10 15 2

Jets vs. NSH Notes
Season Series
This is the fourth and final meeting between the Jets and Predators this season. The Jets took the first game 2-1 on Dec. 15, while dropping a
2-1 decision on Jan. 24 in Nashville and winning 3-2 at Bridgestone Arena on Mar. 18.

Recent History
Winnipeg is 9-4-1 in its past 14 games against Nashville, including winning four of the past six games. The Jets were 6-for-16 (37.5%) on the power play in the three games against the Predators last season, but are 0-for-11 this season.

In Nashville
The Jets are 5-1-1 in their past seven games against Nashville at Canada Life Centre.

Player Notes
Blake Wheeler leads the Jets in career scoring against the Predators with 32 points (16G, 16A) in 39 games. Four of Wheeler’s goals are game-winning goals… Kyle Connor is averaging nearly a point per game against the Predators with 20 points (10G, 10A) in 21 games. Four of Connor’s goals are power play markers… Connor Hellebuyck has gone 13-8-2 during his career against Nashville, with a 2.56 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

Jets vs. NSH Past 10 Games
Date Opp Res G GA S PPO PPG PIM SA PPOA PPGA PIMA
03/23/2019 Nsh W 5 0 43 2 0 0 33 0 0 4
11/19/2019 @Nsh W 2 1 25 2 0 8 39 2 0 8
01/12/2020 Nsh L 0 1 28 2 0 2 32 1 0 4
02/04/2020 Nsh OTL 1 2 34 3 0 4 36 2 0 6
10/23/2021 Nsh W 6 4 29 3 2 13 30 4 2 11
01/20/2022 @Nsh L 2 5 38 5 1 13 23 3 0 17
02/12/2022 @Nsh W 5 2 43 8 3 18 36 3 1 45
12/15/2022 Nsh W 2 1 41 4 0 15 26 3 0 17
01/24/2023 @Nsh L 1 2 33 3 0 11 41 2 0 13
03/18/2023 @Nsh W 3 2 34 4 0 7 20 1 0 23

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