Prior to today’s game, the Yankees outrighted OF Estevan Florial to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
D-backs roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:
Recalled RHP Luis Frías from Triple-A Reno.
Placed RHP Cole Sulser (strained right shoulder) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive April 6).
Phillies recall Clemens, place Hall on 10-day IL
Prior to today’s game, the Phillies recalled infielder Kody Clemens from triple-A Lehigh Valley and placed infielder Darick Hall on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to 4/6) with a right thumb sprain.
Clemens, 26, made 52 plate appearances for the Phillies in spring training. He slashed .319/.385/.617 with five doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, five walks and two stolen bases in 19 Grapefruit League games.
Originally selected by the Detroit Tigers in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Clemens was acquired by the Phillies with left-hander Gregory Soto for infielder Nick Maton, catcher Donny Sands and outfielder Matt Vierling on January 7, 2023. He is the son of former major league pitcher Roger Clemens.
Hall, 27, was slashing .222/.263/.278 in six games (five starts) for the Phillies this season. Last year, Hall was the recipient of the Paul Owens Award, presented annually to the organization’s top minor league player. In 41 games for the Phillies in 2022, Hall hit nine home runs and posted a .522 slugging percentage in 142 plate appearances.
He was originally selected by the Phillies in the 14th round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
White Sox designate José Ruiz for assignment; select the contract of Jesse Scholtens from Triple-A Charlotte
PITTSBURGH – Prior to today’s series opener at Pittsburgh, the Chicago White Sox designated right-handed pitcher José Ruiz for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Jesse Scholtens from Class AAA Charlotte.
Scholtens, 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, allowed four runs on three hits with three strikeouts in his only start with Charlotte on April 1 vs. Memphis. Scholtens, who has no major-league experience and will wear uniform No. 62, was a non-roster invitee to spring training after signing with the White Sox as a minor-league free agent on December 20, 2022. He spent the entire 2022 season with Class AAA El Paso in the San Diego organization, going 4-4 with a 4.10 ERA (38 ER/83.1 IP) and 92 strikeouts in 37 appearances (15 starts).
Scholtens is 27-39 with 4.29 ERA (302 ER/633.1 IP), 182 walks and 608 strikeouts over 154 career games (105 starts) in the San Diego (2016-19, ’21-22) and Chicago (2023) systems. He originally was selected by the Padres in the ninth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Wright State University.
Ruiz allowed nine runs on eight hits with four walks and three strikeouts over four relief appearances (3.2 IP) this season, his sixth with Chicago.
Following the moves, the White Sox 40-man roster remains at 40.
NFL Transactions 4-7-23
The following are the NFL transactions for Friday, April 7. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.
| ACTIVE LIST ADDITIONS | |||||
FREE AGENT SIGNINGS | |||||
BALTIMORE | |||||
| Welch, Kristian | LB | Iowa | |||
NEW YORK GIANTS | |||||
| Hassenauer, J.C. | C | Alabama | |||
NEW YORK JETS | |||||
| Jefferson, Quinton | DE | Maryland | |||
FREE AGENCY SYSTEM TRANSACTION | |||||
SIGNING: UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT | |||||
NEW YORK JETS | |||||
| Morstead, Thomas | P | Southern Methodist | |||
| Old Club: MIAMI |
MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers (5-2) at Arizona Diamondbacks (3-4)
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
GOOD NIGHT TO KEEP STREAKING: The Dodgers won their third game in-a-row last night, downing the Diamondbacks, 5-2, and spoiling Arizona’s 2023 home opener at Chase Field. Dustin May continued his stellar start to the season, giving up just one run in 6.0 innings. May’s scoreless innings streak to start the campaign ended at 12.0 innings and is the current Dodger season high. At the plate, Freddie Freeman homered and had two hits, while James Outman collected his third multi-hit game of 2023. Tonight, the Dodgers continue their seven-game road trip (1-0) with the second of four with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following their stay in Arizona, the Dodgers will fly to San Francisco Sunday evening and begin a three-game series with the Giants on Monday night. This evening, the Dodgers will turn to future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who is set to make his 400th career start with the club. In the history of Major League Baseball, just 33 pitchers have made 400 or more starts with one team and Kershaw is slated to join that club tonight. The last pitcher to enter this exclusive club was Felix Hernandez in 2018 for Seattle. Cardinals’ hurler Adam Wainwright has made 390 starts with St. Louis and could become the 35th pitcher to join the club later this year. Kershaw is seeking career-win No. 199 tonight. He first beat Arizona on April 13, 2010 at Dodger Stadium for his 14th-career win.
DIGGING THE LONGBALL: The Dodgers belted another home run Thursday night, as six-time NL all-Star Freddie Freeman notched his first homer and first RBI of the 2023 campaign with a solo shot in the seventh inning. The Dodgers have hit 14 home runs this season, which ranks second in the big leagues, trailing only the San Francisco Giants (15). Los Angeles leads the National League in OPS with an .883 mark and their 43 runs scored leads the Senior Circuit. In contrast, the Diamondbacks are tied for 27th in the Majors with just four home runs. The Dodgers have homered in seven straight games to begin the season and their 14 longballs are the club’s most through seven games since 2019 (18). That 2019 club homered in their first 10 games to begin the campaign.
LET’S GET IT STARTED: Dodger right-hander Dustin May kept the ball rolling for the Dodgers starting pitchers, allowing just one run in 6.0 innings while striking out five and yielding just two hits. Dodger starters have now posted a quality start in six of their seven contests. The club’s six quality starts leads the Major Leagues, ahead of the Guardians (4), Rays (4) and Rockies (4). Dodgers starters have posted a 1.76 ERA (8 ER/41.0 IP) in the first seven games of the season, which ranks second in the Majors, trailing only the Twins (1.08). The starters have struck out 40 and walked just five and their 0.71 WHIP leads all of baseball, just ahead of Minnesota (0.90).
WILL I AM: Will Smith was held without a home run last night, but he did rip a double in the third inning, extending 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.
OUTTIE 5000: Rookie Dodger outfielder James Outman collected two hits and an RBI last night, raising his average on the season to .353 (6-for-17) and his OPS to 1.287. His six RBI rank third on the team, trailing just Will Smith (10) and Trayce Thompson (8). Outman has appeared in 10 career games with an at-bat and in those contests has racked up 24 total baes. Those 24 TB are the third-most all-time by a Dodger in his first 10 contests with an AB, trailing just Yasiel Puig (2013, 30) and Dick Gray (1958, 25).
vs. THE SNAKES: The Dodgers split their four games with Arizona last week and with last night’s victory are now 17-7 in their last 24 against the Diamondbacks, including an 8-3 record in their last 11 at Chase Field. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Dodgers are 41-12 against the Diamondbacks overall with a 20-8 mark in the desert. According to Sportradar, the Dodgers record against the Diamondbacks is the best record against a division opponent since 2020:
HOW THE WEST IS BEING WON: The Dodgers improved their mark to 5-2 on the season and are now 59- 24 (.711) 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 412-244 (.628) against the NL West.
TODAY’S STARTER vs. D-BACKS: LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (1-0, 1.50 ERA in 1 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
• Started his 2023 campaign by tossing six innings of one run ball, giving up four hits, one walk and striking out nine to record his 198th career victory…he is now two wins shy of becoming the 121st man in MLB history with 200 wins.
• He moved into 23rd all-time on the Major League strikeout list, surpassing Mike Mussina (2,813) on Saturday night…he needs 184 more to become the 20th player in Major League history with 3,000 strikeouts
• Started four games in Spring Training, going 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA (7 ER/18.1 IP)with 16 strikeouts against just two walks…held a 1.04 WHIP
• Two victories came in his last two starts against the Guardians on March 21 and the Angels on March 26 at Dodger Stadium
VS. D-BACKS:
• Last faced the Snakes on April 1st, snagging the victory after firing 6.0 innings of one-run ball, striking out nine
• Owns a lifetime 21-11 record against the club with a 2.67 ERA (76 ER/256.0 IP) and 285 strikeouts against 65 walks…has secured 12 of those victories at Dodger Stadium
2022 NOTES:
• Veteran southpaw had a stellar season, going 12-3 over 22 starts with a 2.28 ERA (32 ER/126.1 IP) with 137 strikeouts against just 23 walks
in 493 total batters faced…produced his 11th season of double-digit victories in 15 years
• Became the Dodgers’ all-time strikeout leader on April 30, 2022 against Detroit, striking out Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning, passing Don Sutton (2,696)…has 2,816 career strikeouts and stands 23rd on the all-time Major League strikeout list…passed Cy Young with strikeout 2,804 in game 162
• Tabbed a 9.76 strikeout-per-nine innings mark and limited hitters to a .206/.246/.310 slashline…did not allow a run in six of 22 starts, securing victories in five of the six outings: April 13 at MIN, May 7 at CHC, July 3 vs. SD, July 15 at LAA, Sept. 13 at ARI, Sept. 30 vs. COL
• Took a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Angels on July 15 before a single by Luis Rengifo broke up his Perfect Game bid… finished with 8.0 scoreless and became the first pitcher in Major League History to have two games of 7.0 perfect baseball in the same season since 1961…other occurrence was his first start and win of the year in Minnesota on April 13, striking out a season-high 13-batters on 80 pitches
• Tossed 5.0+ innings in 18 of his 22 starts, notching 12 quality starts for a .800 winning percentage, his highest mark since the 2017 season…also fired double-digit strikeouts three times: April 13 at MIN, July 9 vs. CHC, Sept. 19 vs. ARI
CAREER NOTES:
• Since the start of the live-ball era in 1920, has the lowest all-time career ERA (2.48) and WHIP (1.00) among starting pitchers with at least 1,500.0 innings pitched…his .209 opponents’ average ranks third among pitchers with that qualifier, behind only Nolan Ryan (.204) and Sandy Koufax (.205) and his strikeout-per-nine mark of 9.80 ranks 6th
• Became the ninth all-time pitcher to win three or more Cy Youngs after the 2014 season since the award was instituted in 1956…became the 4th NL pitcher to win the award via a unanimous vote in 2014…by winning the award in 2013-14, he became the ninth pitcher in either league to win the award in consecutive seasons…finished second in the 2012 and 2017 Cy Young voting, third in 2015 and fifth in 2016
• Became the Dodgers’ all-time strikeout leader on April 30, 2022 against Detroit, striking out Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning, passing Don Sutton (2,696)…has 2,807 career strikeouts and stands 24th on the all-time Major League strikeout list…passed Cy Young with strikeout 2,804 in game 162
• Became the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts with 207 after striking out six batters in Game 5 of the 2020 World Series…passed Justin Verlander (205) to earn the distinction
• Started his first Midsummer Classic in 2022 at Dodger Stadium, firing a scoreless frame and striking out one…was a member of his ninth All-Star team
• Topped the Majors with 301 strikeouts in 2015 and led the NL in Ks in 2011 and 2013…has collected 200-plus strikeouts in seven of his 11 big league seasons, which is the most in franchise history and the fourth most in National League history
• Obtained his 2,000th career strikeout in the second inning against Milwaukee on June 2, 2017, reaching the milestone in 1,837.2 innings, the fourth fastest all-time behind only Pedro Martinez (1715.1 IP), Randy Johnson (1734.0 IP) and Max Scherzer (1784.0)…His 13 career postseason victories are the most by a Dodger pitcher in franchise history and is fifth overall in MLB history…also holds the franchise lead in postseason starts (30), innings pitched (189.0), strikeouts (207), and losses (12)
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs are 0-1 in their opening homestand of the 2023 season vs. Dodgers (0-1) and Brewers (April 10-12).
♦ Christian Walker has reached base safely in 6 of his first 7 games this season… is batting .333 (6-for-18) with 1 home run and 2 RBI in 5 games vs. Dodgers this season.
♦ Nick Ahmed is hitting .333 (4-for-12) with 1 double and 1 RBI in his first 4 games this season.
ROSTER MOVES
♦ The D-backs made the following roster moves:
• Recalled RHP Luis Frías from Triple-A Reno.
• Placed RHP Cole Sulser (strained right shoulder) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive April 6).
OPENING DAY SELLOUT
♦ Last night’s Chase Field Opening Day featured a sellout attendance of 48,034 fans.
FIRST IN THE BOOKS FOR GAJOWNIK
♦ High-A Hillsboro Hops manager Ronnie Gajownik made her managerial debut yesterday @ Tri-City and became the first female manager at the High-A level (second overall female manager in affiliated professional baseball since Yankees’ Rachel Balkovec).
♦ The Hops feature 4 of the D-backs’ top 30 prospects: OF Wilderd Patino (No. 15), RHP Dylan Ray (No. 24), RHP Yilber Diaz (No. 27) and RHP Conor Grammes (No. 29).
FACING KERSHAW
♦ Christian Walker’s 5 home runs off Clayton Kershaw since 2018 are the most against in the Majors while his .333 average and 1.188 OPS are the highest against:
NAME HR NAME AVG NAME OPS
C. Walker …………..5 C. Walker …… ..333 C. Walker ….. 1.188
C. Blackmon ………….3 C. Blackmon ……304 C. Blackmon ….1.080
K. Marte ……………2 E. Longoria … .290 K. Marte……… .792
E.Escobar/M.Machado …..2 W. Myers ………….269 W. Myers ………… .729
WALKER IS A DODGER DELIGHT
♦ Christian Walker’s 15 homers and 37 RBI vs. Dodgers since 2019 are the most in baseball:
NAME HR NAME RBI
Christian Walker …………….. 15 Christian Walker ……………. 37
Manny Machado …………………… 13 Manny Machado …………………. 31
Fernando Tatis Jr. ………………….. 13 Nolan Arenado ……………………. 30
Charlie Blackmon ……………………. 9 Charlie Blackmon ………………… 28
Eduardo Escobar …………………….. 9 Eduardo Escobar …………………. 24
A TALE OF TWO SOUTHPAWS
♦ Veteran MLB lefties Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw face off tonight for the second time this season and 13th time overall .
♦ The April 1 matchup between Bumgarner and Kershaw marked the first occurrence since Aug. 13, 2018 @ Dodger Stadium (Giants won 5-2).
♦ Tonight marks the fi rst time since 2016 where Bumgarner is facing off with Kershaw in consecutive starts vs. Dodgers (also: April 9 and April 15, 2016).
♦ In his career, Bumgarner has gone 4-4 in matchups vs. Kershaw (0-1 while with Arizona)….6 of the 12 games ended in a diff erence of 2 of fewer runs.
LEFTY WORKHORSE
♦ Madison Bumgarner’s 351 starts since 2010 ranks atop all active lefties, ahead of Clayton Kershaw (348), Jose Quintana (289), Wade Miley (286) and Patrick Corbin (262).
MERRILL SURPASSES MILEY
♦ With 4 strikeouts last night, Merrill Kelly’s 502 career strikeouts with the D-backs surpassed Wade Miley (499) for 8th all-time in franchise history among starters, behind Randy Johnson (2,077), Brandon Webb (1,065), Robbie Ray (998), Patrick Corbin (897), Curt Schilling (875), Zack Greinke (683) and Dan Haren (570).
LHP MADISON BUMGARNER ♦ #40
AT A GLANCE: Fourth season with the D-backs…agreed to a 5-year deal through 2024 on Dec. 17, 2019.
• 4-time NL All-Star (2013-16), 3-time World Series champion (’10, ’12, ’14), 2014 World Series MVP and 2-time Louisville Slugger® Silver Slugger Awards™ winner (’14-15).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is making his 42nd career start vs. Dodgers and just his 3rd @ Chase Field.
• Since 2009, has made more starts (41) against the Dodgers than any other pitcher in the Majors (14 more than the next pitcher – Jhoulys Chacin).
LAST START: Lost in his last start on April 1 @ Dodgers (5 ER in 4.0 IP).
VS. DODGERS: Is 16-18 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and .232 opponent avg. in 42 career appearances.
• In 3 starts in 2022, was 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA (9 ER in 17.0 IP) and .219 opponent avg… lost on May 27, 2022 in his last start @ Chase Field, yielding 5 runs over 6.0 frames.
MOUND MILESTONES: Needs 12 strikeouts to tie Fernando Valenzuela (2,074) for 79th place on the all-time strikeout list.
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER FAST START: In 2022, was 1 of 2 NL pitchers to not allow more than 3 runs in his fi rst 8 starts (also: Miles Mikolas/STL).
• His 2.29 ERA was the second lowest of his career through 8 games behind his 2.18 mark set in 2013.
A WORKHORSE: Since 2011, is 1 of 4 pitchers to make at least 30 starts in 8 or more seasons along with Max Scherzer (9), Jose Quintan (8) and Just Verlander (8).
2022 RECAP: Went 7-15 with a 4.88 ERA (86 ER in 158.2 IP) in 30 starts in his third season with Arizona.
• Was 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA (4 ER in 24.0 IP) in his first 6 starts of the season.
MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (4-3) at Los Angeles Angels (4-2)
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST:
The Blue Jays wrapped up their four-game series in Kansas City with a 6-3 win yesterday…Took three of the four contests in The City for their 1st series win. Toronto has now won three straight games on the heels of a three-game slide and is back over .500 for the season.
A VLAD, VLAD MAN: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed a 436-foot homer to center field yesterday, his 2nd in as many days…Has homered in consecutive games for the 16th time in his career (5x in 2022). The 24-year-old also picked up a pair of hits on singles to finish 3-for-5 with two runs scored…Has put together back-to-back three-hit performances for the 5th time in his career (last: Sept. 5-6, 2021)…Has recorded an MLB-leading 17 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this year, one more than 2nd-place Matt Chapman…Recorded 265 hard-hit balls over the course of last season, the most in the Majors (2nd: José Abreu – 256).
STAT CHAPMAN: Matt Chapman drove in Toronto’s opening runs in the 1st inning yesterday with a two-RBI double… Is now batting .481 (13-for-27) with six doubles, two walks, and seven RBI for a 1.221 OPS through seven games…The 13 hits lead all MLB batters (2nd: seven players – 11) and are tied for the most ever by a Blue Jay through seven team games…The .481 batting average also leads the AL (3rd in MLB). The third baseman’s hot start also has him leading MLB in doubles while sitting T-3rd in extra-base hits…Among AL batters, currently ranks T-3rd in total bases (19), T-4th in OBP (.517), 5th in OPS, and 9th in SLG (.704).
A BIG-GIO BLAST: Cavan Biggio belted his 1st homer of the campaign yesterday, a solo shot into the right-field bullpen…Was also his 1st extra-base hit and 1st RBI of the year… Has gone 3-for-13 (.231) with three walks in his five games this season (.412 OBP).
GAUS FOR EXCITEMENT: Kevin Gausman tossed 6+ innings without allowing a run yesterday…Allowed four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters…Has not allowed an earned run in 2023, going 12.0 frames with 12 hits, three walks, and 14 punchouts for a 1.25 WHIP.
JUST BO WITH IT:
Bo Bichette picked up a pair of singles in a 2-for-5 afternoon…Has hits in all but one of the seven games so far, going 11-for-34 (.324) with a double, a homer, three RBI, and five runs scored…Led the AL in hits in each of the last two seasons, becoming the only player in team history to lead the league in hits more than once, and was the first player to do so since Whit Merrifield in 2018 and 2019 for the Royals.
HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched 74 hits so far, tied with the White Sox for the most in MLB…Currently rank 1st in the AL in AVG (.291) and OBP (.353) while sitting 6th in OPS (.759) and 7th in SLG (.406).
LENGTHY ROAD WORK: The Blue Jays start the season with 10 straight road contests as renovations wrap up at Rogers Centre… Ties the longest road trip to kick off a campaign in team history (10G in 1984)…Marks the 3rd trip of 10+ games to begin a season by any team in the last 20
years, joining the 2019 Red Sox (11G) and the 2022 Athletics (10G)…Played three games in St. Louis (1-2), four in Kansas City (3-1) and will now wrap up the trip with a trio here in Anaheim. Toronto’s .556 road win% in 2022 (45-36) ranked 3rd in the AL and tied for 2nd best in team history (1st: .580 in 1993)…Blue Jays hitters led the AL in road runs (416), AVG (.266), OBP (.331), SLG (.428), and OPS (.759)…The pitching staff ranked 5th in the AL in road ERA (3.70), 5th in road WHIP (1.24), and 6th in road opponents’ batting average (.245).
THE VAR-SHOW: Daulton Varsho doubled and scored in the 1st inning and then drove in a run with a 7th-inning single… Marked 4th multi-hit game as a Blue Jay…Is now batting .357 (10-for-28) with three doubles, a home run, and four RBI through seven games (.978 OPS).
GETTING ON: Toronto has had an MLB-high 100 batters reach base so far this season (2nd: ATL/LAD – 99)…Are now on a streak of 25 games with 8+ runners on base, the longest of all MLB clubs (courtesy Stats Perform). The Blue Jays led the AL in times on base in 2022 (2,395) as Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tied for 3rd most among AL hitters at 306.
MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE TEAM: The Blue Jays led the Majors in 2022 with a .264 team batting average and 1,464 hits…Also led the AL in OBP (.329), SLG (.431), and OPS (.760) while ranked T-1st in extra-base hits (519), 2nd in runs (775), 2nd in doubles (307), and 3rd in home runs
(200)…Topped the AL in AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS for the 1st time in team history. Blue Jay batters combined for a hard-hit (95+ MPH) percentage of 44.3 in 2022, the top rate in MLB (2nd: ATL – 43.5) while their average exit velocity of 90.2 MPH was also highest in the Majors (2nd: ATL – 89.9)
VS. THE ANGELS: All-Time: 217-224
2022: 4-3 Road: 102-120
Road: 4-0 Angel Stadium: 102-120
The Blue Jays went 4-3 against the Angels last season…Claimed all four games in Anaheim last May, winning each of the last three by one run…Was their first season series win over the Halos since 2015… Their .405 win% vs. LAA since 2016 is their lowest vs. any AL opponent (2nd: TB – .411). Bo Bichette went 10-for-29 (.345) with four doubles, a homer, and three RBI in seven games vs. LAA last season…Was 7-for-19 with four extra-base hits while in Anaheim in 2022…Is a career .320 (16-for-50) hitter with six doubles, one home run, and eight RBI over
12 meetings (.870 OPS). Matt Chapman was 6-for-22 with a pair of doubles, four RBI, and four walks vs. the Angels last season (.385 OBP)…In 80 career games, the Victorville, CA, native has gone 73-for-285 (.256) with 18 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, and 53 RBI (.854 OPS). George Springer leads all current Blue Jays with 110 games played against his former division rivals…Has batted .272 (112-for-412) in those contests, including 10 doubles, four triples, 27 homers, and 69 RBI for a .512 SLG and an .877 OPS.
STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 2nd start of the season…Took the loss in his Toronto debut on 4/2 at STL, giving up career highs in runs (9) and homers (4) over 3.1 innings (10H, 0BB, 0K). Signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Blue Jays on 12/16/22. Has finished seven of his eight career Major League seasons with a sub4.00 ERA, including each of the last five campaigns.
2022 HIGHLIGHTS:
In his lone season with the Mets, established career highs in wins (15), starts (30), quality starts (19), innings pitched (181.2), and strikeouts (167). Had 23 starts of at least 6.0 innings, his most in a single season in his career. His three starts of 8.0 innings were the most he had thrown in his career… Prior to 2022, had thrown at least 8.0 innings only three times (9.0 IP on 5/27/21 vs. LAA; 8.0 IP on 5/16/19 at DET; 8.0 IP on 8/15/15 at BAL). Did not walk a batter from 6/25-7/8 (13.1 innings) which is tied for the longest streak in his career. Tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts on 7/23 vs. SD (also: 9/7/19 vs. DET). Won four straight games for the 1st time in his career from Aug. 3-19, surrendering just two runs over that span. Went 8-3 with a 2.94 ERA (26 ER/79.2 IP) after the All-Star Break…His eight wins were tied for the 3rd-most in the Majors and the most in his career in the back half of a season.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Tossed the 1st complete game and shutout of his career on 5/27/21 vs. LAA (9.0 IP, 2H, BB, 9K).
Received two 5th-place votes in AL Cy Young balloting in 2021, finishing 10th in the vote…Earned his 1st All-Star honours.
Earned AL Pitcher of the Month for September 2020, his 1st monthly award…Pitched to a 0.34 ERA that month, allowing one run over 26.2 innings in four starts…Was the lowest September ERA in the Majors since Greg Maddux had a 0.29 ERA for Atlanta in 1995.
Started and won Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series vs. CWS on 9/30/20.
Selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 16th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
VS. THE ANGELS:
Facing the Angels for the 13th time (11th start) of his career…Last faced LAA as a member of the Athletics on 7/30/21…Has thrown 16.0 scoreless innings over his last two meetings with the Angels, surrendering 8 hits with 2 walks and 16 punchouts…Tossed his only career complete shutout on 5/27/21 against the Halos in Oakland, giving up just 2 hits and a walk with 9 punchouts.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:
LEADING OFF: Today, the Angels play the first of six games on the opening homestand of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays (April 7-9) 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).
RED CARPET EVENT: Today, the Angels are hosting a Red Carpet Event in front of Angel Stadium from 12:30-4:00 p.m…The event will feature Angels player and alumni appearances, food trucks, a live radio broadcast, the Angels Strike Force and more.
HOME OPENERS: Angels are 27-35 all-time in Home Openers…LAA has won two of the last three Home Openers, taking a loss against the Astros last season, but defeating the White Sox in 2021 and Mariners in 2020.
BIG A FLYOVER: Following the tonight’s national anthems, Angel Stadium will have a flyover by the 144th Fighter Wing, a unit of the California Air National Guard, flying F-15C Eagles.
VLAD’S FIRST PITCH: Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero will throw the Honorary First Pitch prior tonight’s game…Guerrero was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, becoming the first player to wear an Angels hat on his Hall of Fame plaque. His son, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is a member of the opposing Toronto Blue Jays.
SANDY DAY: Patrick Sandoval is scheduled to start tonight’s game, marking his second career Home Opener assignment for the Angels (also started the Halos 2020 Home Opener)… Sandoval has a 0.45 ERA (20 IP – 1 ER) in four career April starts.
ANGELS RECENT RECORDS TO BEGIN SEASON
AFTER SIX GAMES: AFTER SEVEN GAMES:
2023: 4-2 2023: ???
2022: 3-3 2022: 3-4
2021: 4-2 2021: 5-2
2020: 2-4 2020: 2-5
2019: 1-5 2019: 1-6
ON WITH THE SHO: Dating back to last season, Shohei Ohtani has reached base safely (via hit, walk, or HBP) in a career-high 29 consecutive games…It’s the second-longest active streak in the Majors, behind Aaron Judge (39 games).
RENDON SUSPENDED: On Monday, Major League Baseball issued a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine to Anthony Rendon for his actions involving a fan last Thursday in Oakland…The suspension was ultimately reduced to four games…Today will be the final game served of the suspension…The Angels will play with 25 active players during the suspension.
STARTING STRONG: Through the first six games of the season, Angels starting pitching has combined to post a 2.81 ERA (32 IP – 10 ER) with 35 strikeouts…The starters ERA ranks fifth in the Majors.
VS. TORONTO: Today is the first of six games this season between the Angels and Blue Jays…Halos will visit Toronto for three games July 28-30…Last year, Toronto won the season series 4-3 with the road team winning all seven games (Blue Jays swept all four games at Angel Stadium and the Angels swept a three game series at Rogers Centre).
ROOKIE RAKING: Logan O’Hoppe has driven in the Angelsfirst run of the game in four of his five starts this season…His eight RBI this season are an Angels rookie record through the team’s first six games of a season…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.
CANNING ON REHAB: Last 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.
THE 11 SPOT: 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.
A UNIQUE SAVE: Saturday at Oakland, Tucker Davidson earned his first career save after tossing 4.0 scoreless frames to finish off the Angels 13-1 win over the A’s…The 12-run victory marked the largest run differential in a save for an Angels pitcher since Chris Bootcheck (4 IP) in a 14-1 win vs. Royals on May 28. 2005.
BABY BACKSTOP: With his start last Thursday, 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 PATRICK SANDOVAL
• TODAY’S GAME: Making second start of the season and first at home…Second time starting Angels Home Opener (also, 2020 vs. Seattle)…Is in fifth Major League season with Angels…Made third Opening Day roster (also, 2020 & 2022).
• VS. TORONTO: Has made one previous appearance vs. Blue Jays on May 29, 2022 at Angel Stadium (ND; 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO); the six runs allowed were a season high and tied career high (also, alowed six runs on July 18, 2021 vs. Seattle).
• AT ANGEL STADIUM: In 32 career games (28 starts) at The Big A, is 4-13 with a 3.66 ERA (157.1 IP – 64 ER)… Last year, was 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA (70.2 IP – 26 ER) in 13 home starts…Has allowed three-or-fewer runs in 23 of 28 career home starts.
• LAST TIME OUT: Earned win in season debut on April 1 at Oakland after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing one earned run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts…Only run came on a solo homer by Ramon Laureano in the 5th inning.
• WINNING STREAK: Dating back to last season, has won three straight decisions, which is longest streak of career.
• SANDY IN THE WBC: Made two starts in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Mexico, going 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA (7.1 IP – 1 ER) and eight strikeouts…The two starts came against the United States (W; 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) & Japan (ND; 4.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO).
• LEFT IN THE PARK: Has not allowed a home run to a left-handed batter since Aug. 13, 2021 (Kyle Tucker, HOU)…Allowed just eight total home runs last season (all to right-handed batters)…Held opponents homerless through first nine starts of 2022 was the longest streak to begin a season in Angels history and longest overall streak for LAA since John Lackey had a nine game streak in 2005.
• 2022 RECAP: Made 27 starts for Angels last year, going 6-9 with a 2.91 ERA (148.2 IP – 48 ER) and 151 strikeouts…Led A.L. (min. 100 IP) with a 0.48 HR/9 innings rate, allowing just eight home runs on the year… In final 11 starts of the year, pitched to a 1.95 ERA (64.2 IP – 14 ER) and 60 strikeouts.
• WHIFF OF CHANGE: Generated a 44.5% whiff rate on his changeup last season, which was the second-highest rate for any pitch in the Majors (min. 175 PA); trailed only Framber Valdez’s curveball (45.4%)…Opponents batted .215 (35/163) this season against his changeup with 73 strikeouts.
• MOTOWN SHUTOUT: Recorded first career complete game and first career shutout on Aug. 19, 2022 at Detroit…He allowed just four hits while striking out nine, walking none and facing just one batter over the minimum across just 97 pitches (73 strikes).
• GOOD NIGHT: Last season, was 4-4 with a 2.50 ERA (72 IP – 20 ER) with 75 strikeouts in his 13 night starts, compared with a 2-5 record and 3.29 ERA (76.2 IP – 28 ER) in his 14 day games…His 14 day game starts ranked T-4th in the American League.
• NEAR RECORD STREAK: In 2022, compiled the fourth longest streak without an earned run (15.0 IP) by a starting pitcher to begin a season in Angels history…Came up 4.0 innings shy of Club record 19.0 IP by Nolan Ryan (1978) and Ken McBride (1962). (ELIAS)
• NEAR NO-NO: On July 24, 2021 at Minnesota, came within two outs of tossing a no-hitter before allowing a one out double to Brent Rooker in the 9th inning…Set career highs with 8.2 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts in the game (W; 8.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO)…Marked first time an Angels no-hit bid was broken up in the 9th inning since John Lackey (8.1 IP) on July 29, 2008 at Boston.
• CAREER NOTES: Originally drafted by Houston in 11th round of 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Mission Viejo HS (CA), which is located just 20 miles from Angel Stadium…Acquired by Angels on July 26, 2018 in exchange for C Martin Maldonado.
MLB Preview: San Diego Padres (3-4) at Atlanta Braves (6-1)
SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Carpenter, Cronenworth homer, but Padres fall 7-6 to Braves in 1st road game of the year
• Blake Snell went just 3.2 innings (went just 4.1 IP on Opening Day on March 30), and he allowed 4 runs (earned) on 6 hits with 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts…his 2nd SO of Sam Hilliard was the 1,000th of his career, making him the 15th active pitcher to have 1,000 strikeouts since ’16 (teammate Yu Darvish has 1,111 K’s since ’16).
• The Braves out-hit the Padres 13-7…Manny Machado doubled, and both Jake Cronenworth and Matt Carpenter homered…it was Cronenworth’s 1st HR of the year and Carpenters’ 1st HR as a Padre. Padres 11 homers are most in the 1st 7 games to start a season in club history
• Until this year, the Padres had never had more than 9 home runs in their 1st 7 games to start a season, and in 2023, they’ve hit 11 homers in their 1st 7…their 11 long balls tie with the Braves’ 11 for the 3rd most in the National League behind the Giants’ 15 and the Dodgers’ 14. Friar bullpen looks to lower ERA
• The San Diego bullpen enters tonight’s game sporting the 3rd-highest ERA in the big leagues (5.84, 16 ER, 24.2 IP)… opposing batters are hitting .310 against them so far.
Padres in a stretch of playing 18 games in 18 days and 21 games in 22 days
• San Diego had their 1st off day on Wednesday and will not enjoy their 2nd one until April 24th, playing 18 games in 18 days from April 6-23.
• San Diego is also starting the regular season with 24 games in 25 days… they had 1 off day on April 5, they will have one in Chicago on April 24th, and they’ll have their 1st off day in San Diego on April 28.
• After April 23rd, the Padres will have 3 off days in 11 days from April 24-May 8.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – NICK MARTINEZ 21
Martinez aims to even series in Game 2 Right-hander Nick Martinez takes the mound for Game 2 of this 4-game set tonight vs. Atlanta at Truist Park…it will be his 3rd appearance and 2nd start vs. the Braves…he tossed 2.0 scoreless frames in a relief role back on Sept 4, 2017 while with TEX…he made his 2nd start as a Padre last season on April 16 at Petco Park, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits on a career-high 3 home runs for the 7th time in SD’s 5-2 defeat.
Nick vs. the Braves bats
Active ATL hitters are a combined 12-for-39 (.308) vs. Nick, with Matt Olson (4-for-9; .444 w/ 2 HR) and Marcell Ozuna (3-for-6; .500 w/ 1 HR) leading the way…Ozzie Albies and Eddie Rosario have also both homered off Martinez
Representin’
On February 19, 2023, Team USA announced that Martinez replaced Clayton Kershaw on the 30-man roster for the United States team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic…he started Game 2 of pool play against Team Mexico and was the losing pitcher, allowing five hits and three runs with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of the 11-5 defeat…after he wasn’t guaranteed to start for Team USA for the rest of the event, he returned to Padres spring training to prepare for the start of the major league season.
Cactus League play
Martinez went 2-1 with 1.93 ERA across his 4 Cactus League starts this Spring…he struck out 19 across 14.0 IP and opponents hit .245 against him.
Nick’s with us
He originally signed with SD on March 16, 2022 to a 1-year contract for the 2022 season with player options for 2023, 2024 and 2025…exercised his opt out clause after the ’22 season, but re-signed with SD to a 3-year contract through 2025 with a club option covering the 2024 and 2025 seasons…if the club option is declined, Martinez holds two separate player options and can either opt-out or extend the contract through 2024 and 2025.
A one-man category
In 2022, he converted 8 of his 9 save opportunities and collected 8 holds while also making 10 starts…he’s the only pitcher in MLB history to have 4+ holds and 8+ saves while also making 10+ starts in a single campaign.
Dad strength
After returning from the paternity list following the birth of his daughter, Stella, on August 1, 2022, he posted a career-long 15.0 scoreless-inning streak from Aug. 1 to Aug. 29 across 11 appearances. It was the 2nd-longest streak among all SD relievers in ‘22, trailing only Tim Hill (18.2 scoreless IP from July 9-Sept 6).
A Postseason to remember
Made his MLB Postseason debut in ’22, highlighted by 8.1 consecutive-scoreless innings across his 6 NLDS and NLCS appearances vs. LAD and PHI. In Game 4 of the NLCS at PHI, he became the first reliever in Padres’ franchise Postseason history to throw 3.0+ IP without allowing a hit after starter Mike Clevinger failed to record an out in SD’s 10-6 defeat.
Back where he belongs
Prior to ’22, he last pitched in the States between 2014- 17 with the Texas Rangers…in his first 4 Major League seasons, the Miami, Fla. native went 17-30 with a 4.77 ERA (220 ER, 415.1 IP) and 237 strikeouts in 88 games (68 starts).
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Padres tonight continue a four-game weekend set with the second of seven scheduled meetings between the two teams this season…The teams will play again just eight days after the conclusion of this series with a three-game set at Petco Park.
• The Braves beat the Padres, 7-6, last night in Atlanta’s first walk-off-win of the season.
• Atlanta dropped the season series to San Diego, four-games-to-three, last season, snapping a streak of five straight seasons of winning the set…The Braves went 24-16 (.600) against the Padres from 2015-2021.
• The Braves are 12-7 against the Padres here at Truist Park, although they have lost five of the last eight games between the teams here…One of those games was suspended and then completed at Petco Park in 2021…Atlanta’s first series in the history of Truist Park came versus San Diego, and resulted in a four-game sweep for the Braves from April 14-17, 2017.
• LH Jared Shuster is set for just the second start of his major league career after debuting against Washington last Sunday…Currently rated as Atlanta’s top overall prospect by MLB.com, Shuster allowed six hits, four runs and five walks over 4.2 innings in his debut, with three hits, three walks and all four runs coming in the first inning… Originally selected by Atlanta in the first round (25th overall) of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, Shuster has pitched to a 9-10 record and a 3.69 ERA (87 ER/212.1 IP) in 45 total appearances in the minors, including 42 starts.
• RH Nick Martinez has made two appearances and one start in his career against Atlanta, going 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA (4 ER/5.0 IP)…In his only start against the Braves, April 16 of last season at Petco Park, he allowed seven hits and four runs over 5.0 innings to take the loss…The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Miami native made his season debut on March 31 vs. Colorado, and allowed six hits and four runs over 7.0 innings in the loss.
WINS: Atlanta’s win yesterday moved the club to 6-1 through its first seven games, its best start to a season since also going 6-1 in 2015…The Braves have outscored their opponents, 39-20, over the first seven games.
• The Braves have now started 6-1 or better through seven games nine times since moving to Atlanta in 1966, and have made the postseason in four of those first eight such seasons.
• There was no postseason in 1994 when Atlanta started a perfect 6-0, and the club missed the playoffs in 2015, 2007 and 1983.
• Atlanta did not win its sixth game last season until the 13th game of the year, and was not five games over .500 until June 10 (32-27)…The Braves would go on to win 101 games on the season.
ROSTER MOVES: The Braves today recalled OF Eli White to Atlanta and placed OF Michael Harris II on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain…White will wear No. 38 for Atlanta.
• In four games at Triple-A Gwinnett this season, White slashed .235/.350/.765 (4-for-17) with three walks.
• Three of his four hits were home runs, tied for fifth at the Triple-A level…His pair of stolen bases are tied for 13th in Triple-A.
FIRST INNING: The Braves scored another run in yesterday’s first inning…The club scored in the first in all three games of the series in St. Louis…Atlanta’s nine first-inning runs this season are the most in the majors.
• The Braves lead the majors in first-inning hits (15), homers (4) and extra-base hits (6).
• The Braves only scored 71 runs in the first inning last season, seventh fewest in the majors and the least of any playoff team.
TWO STRIKES: Atlanta logged six hits in two-strike counts yesterday, their second most this season.
• The Braves’ 32 two-strike hits this year lead the National League…The Toronto Blue Jays are the only team with more in the majors (35).
• The club’s 21 RBI in two strike counts are easily the most in the majors, five ahead of Tampa Bay…The next closest National League club, San Francisco, has 14 two-strike RBI.
TWO OUTS: The Braves’ plated five of their seven runs in yesterday’s victory with two outs, their most in a game this season.
• Entering play, Atlanta had scored a total of nine two-out runs over their first six contests.
• Last season, the Braves’ scored five or more runs with two outs within a single-game 22 times — matching New York (NL) for the most such games in MLB.
RONALD ACUÑA JR.: Has hit safely in six of seven games this season, turning in four multi-hit efforts – tied for the most in the majors…Has scored in six straight games dating to March 31.
• His six-game scoring streak is the longest active in the majors, and his longest since scoring in eight straight from May 6-21 last season.
• Has recorded a hit to lead off the game in each of the Braves’ six wins this season, coming around to score on four of those instances…His six hits in the first inning are the most across MLB, besting Colorado’s Kris Bryant (5).
• Among leadoff batters over the the last two seasons, Acuña Jr. ranks fifth in multi-hit games (40), seventh in hits (133), eighth in runs (77) and eighth in extra-base hits (42).
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #45 Jared Shuster
Tonight’s Game
• Set to make his first appearance against San Diego.
• Will be his second career start.
• Made his major league debut against Washington on April 2.
• Allowed six hits, four runs and five walks through 4.2 innings pitched.
• Was the third player from the Braves’ 2020 First-Year Player Draft to debut with the club.
• Joined Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder as the other hurlers from the ‘20 draft class to play for Atlanta.
• Became the eighth Braves pitcher to debut with a start against the Nationals/ Expos.
• Pitched to a 1.74 ERA in six appearances, four starts, with 19 strikeouts through 20.2 innings pitched in Spring Training.
• Began the Spring without allowing a run in his first four outings (12.2 IP).
2022 Recap
• Entered 2023 as Atlanta’s top overall prospect per MLB.com, and as the No. 3 farmhand by Baseball America.
• Split his second professional season between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett, combining to go 7-10 with a 3.29 ERA (51 ER/139.1 IP) between the two stops…Allowed 108 hits and 38 walks while fanning 145.
• Opened the season with Mississippi and pitched to a 6-7 record and a 2.78 ERA (28 ER/90.2 IP) in 17 total games and 16 starts, compiling a 0.96 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.
• Advanced to Gwinnett on July 26 and made his final 10 appearances with the Stripers, including nine starts…Went 1-3 with a 4.25 ERA (23 ER/48.2 IP) and 39 strikeouts.
• Pitched in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game for the National League, and allowed two hits and one run over 1.1 innings…Fanned a pair.
• Was named a Southern League Post-Season All-Star for his season with Mississippi, and earned SL Pitcher of the Week honors on July 17.
• Pitched 7.0 scoreless innings in his only start that week, fanning a season high-tying 12 batters in a win over Rocket City.
• Garnered MiLB.com Organizational All-Star honors for the second consecutive season.
• Allowed no more than two runs in 21 of his 27 appearances on the season.
Career Recap
• Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round (25th overall) of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
• In three seasons with Wake Forest, went 6-8 with a 6.17 ERA (88 ER/128.1 IP) in 41 appearances, 22 starts.
• Logged 169 career strikeouts against just 62 walks in 128.1 innings.
• His 12.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings during his sophomore campaign rank as third most in program history.
• He missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery that February
MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (1-6) at Colorado Rockies (3-4)
WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
GRAY’S DAY
The Washington Nationals fell to the Colorado Rockies, 1-0, in the opening game of this four-game series on Thursday afternoon… Josiah Gray (6.0 IP, 8 H, ER, BB, 6 SO) and Mason Thompson (2.0 IP, H, 3 SO) combined to hold the Rockies to one run.
• For Gray, it was his sixth career start of at least 6.0 innings while allowing one earned run or fewer.
• Thursday’s contest was the 12th 1-0 game all-time in Denver and the 11th at Coors Field since it opened in 1995.
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 basemen to accumulate a league-leading one defensive run saved, per FanGraphs.com….According to Baseball Savant, Smith (1 OAA) is one of six National League first basemen with at least one out above average…Arizona’s Christian Walker leads NL first basemen with two outs above average so far this season.
BULLPENNING
Washington’s bullpen ranks second in the National League with a .280 opponents’ on-base percentage and sixth with a .216 opponents’ batting average through the first seven games.
• Carl Edwards Jr. (2.0 IP, BB, SO), Hobie Harris (1.2 IP, H, BB, 2 SO) and Erasmo Ramírez (4.0 IP, 3 H, BB, SO) have all tossed scoreless relief so far this season.
• Mason Thompson has tossed 7.0 innings of three-hit, one-run relief across three 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).
HITTERISH
Some notes on a few hitters early in the 2023 season:
• CJ Abrams is 4-for-10 (.400) with a double, hit by pitch and one run scored over his last three games… This comes after going hitless in the first three games of the season.
• Through the first seven games, Victor Robles leads qualified Nationals in on-base percentage (.417) and is second in batting average (.300)…Robles has hit safely in four of seven games and has posted multi-hit efforts in two of his last three games.
• Lane Thomas leads qualified Nationals with a .333 batting average…He is 9-for-27 with two doubles, four RBI, three walks and one run scored…He’s reached safely in six of seven games.
SINGLE STATUS
The Nationals rank third in the National League with 41 singles this season…They trail the St. Louis Cardinals (51) and Atlanta Braves (46) and rank just ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers (40).
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
The Nationals are one of six teams with at 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 have 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.
TODAY’S STARTER
1 MACKENZIE GORE
Left-handed starter was acquired by Washington at the 2022 Trade Deadline…Entered 2020 as the No. 6 prospect in all of baseball and 2021 as the No. 10 prospect, according to Baseball America …Was cited by Baseball America as having the “Best Fastball” in San Diego’s system entering the 2022 season and the “Best Slider” in 2021 and 2018…Was the 2017 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year, just the second baseball player to win the award at the time (Dylan Bundy in 2011; Bobby Witt Jr. in 2019).
LAST START
Earned the win in his Nationals debut on April 2 vs. Atlanta…Allowed one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts and four walks.
• With the win, Gore became the seventh Nationals pitcher (2005-pres.) to win his debut with the team while allowing three hits or less in at least 5.0 innings of work, joining Edwin Jackson (2017), Ross Ohlendorf (2013), Collin Balestar (2008), Billy Traber (2006), Pedro Astacio (2006), Ryan Drese (2005).
2023 SPRING TRAINING
Gore went 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA in seven games (six starts) during Spring Training…He capped spring with 9.2 innings of three-hit, shutout ball with 12 strikeouts and three walks across his last two outings…He tossed 3.2 innings in the exhibition game vs. New York (AL) on March 28 at Nationals Park.
2022
Made his Major League debut with San Diego on April 15 vs. Atlanta (5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, HR, 2 BB, 3 SO)… Earned his first win in his next start, April 20 vs. Cincinnati (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 SO)…Struck out 10 batters, April 27 at Cincinnati and June 4 at Milwaukee…Was on the Injured List (left elbow inflammation) at the time of the trade.
2021
Went 1-3 with a 3.93 ERA in 12 starts between three levels of San Diego’s system.
2020
Spent the season at San Diego’s Alternate Training Site.
2019
Put together his best professional season…Led Minor League Baseball (min. 100.0 IP) in ERA (1.69) and WHIP (0.83) and was second in opponents’ batting average (.161)…Ranked third in San Diego’s system in strikeouts (135) despite making just 20 starts.
COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
WHAT’S HAPPENING
• After a 2-4 road trip to San Diego and Los Angeles to begin the season, the Colorado Rockies continue their first homestand of the season at Coors Field tonight with game two of four against the Nationals.
• Following this series, Colorado will take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field in a three game set before heading to Seattle for a three-game set.
LUCKY NUMBER 31
• With yesterday’s win, the Rockies are 17-14 all-time in their 31 Home Openers.
• Starting pitcher Kyle Freeland made his third career Home Opener start (also: 2017 & 2022), the most by a Rockie in franchise history … tossed 6.2 scoreless innings with four hits, two walks and five strikeouts … became the first pitcher in franchise history to toss at least six scoreless innings in each of his first two appearances of the season … also became the first Rockie since Jorge De La Rosa on April 9, 2010 to toss at least six scoreless innings in the Home Opener (7.0 IP vs. San Diego).
• Colorado won yesterday’s game 1-0, the first 1-0 game at Coors Field since July 4, 2018 vs. San Francisco … was the 12th 1-0 game all-time in Denver, the 11th at Coors Field … the Rockies are 9-3 all-time in 1-0 games in Denver.
KBOOM
• Kris Bryant extended his hitting streak to seven games with two hits yesterday, tying his career-high hitting streak to begin a season (also: 2022) … has reached base safely in 14-straight games dating back to July 24, 2022 at Milwaukee, hitting safely in 13 of 14 games across that span (.377, 20-for-53, 5 BB).
• Bryant has reached base in 44 of his 49 games played with the Rockies.
• His seven-game hitting streak is tied for the longest active hitting streak of 2023 in all of baseball (also: José Abreu, José Ramírez).
TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN
• Through seven games the Rockies average game time of 2:30 is six minutes below the league average of 2:36.
• The Rockies’ shortest game of the season was a 2:03 affair last Sunday in San Diego, the 12th-shortest game in Rockies’ history, the shortest since a 1:58 time of game on July 1, 2008 … in that contest, Aaron Cook tossed a 79-pitch complete-game shutout against the Padres at Coors Field, one of only nine CGSO tossed at Coors Field at the time.
• The shortest game in franchise history came on June 30, 2006 at Seattle when the Rockies topped the Mariners 2-0 in 1:52.
NATIONAL TREASURE
• The Rockies went 3-4 against the Nationals in 2022, taking two of three at Coors Field May 3-5 while dropping three of four at Nationals Park May 26-29.
• Colorado has gone 123-95 all-time vs. the Nationals/Expos, a .564 winning percentage that is their best against any single opponent in franchise history.
• The Rockies have won each of their last four home series against the Nationals since 2018, going 9-4 over that span (the two teams did not play in 2020).
• Colorado’s first home series in franchise history was against the Expos, April 9-11, 1993 … the Rockies took two of three vs. the Expos in the series, highlighted by an 11-4 inaugural Home Opener win at Mile High Stadium on April 9 in front of 80,227 fans … second baseman Eric Young Sr. led off the first home game in franchise history with a home run off Expos starter Kent Bottenfield.
CRON ZONE
• C.J. Cron was named the National League Player of the Week Monday by Major League Baseball, the second time in his career that he has earned the honor (also: Aug. 8, 2021) … in four games to begin the season through Sunday, Cron hit .467 with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI.
• Cron recorded seven hits through the first three games of the season, becoming the eighth player (ninth time, Dante Bichette twice) in franchise history to begin a season with at least seven hits through the team’s first three games, the first since Carlos González went 8-for-15 across the first three games of the 2015 season.
• Cron also became the first player in franchise history with at least seven hits and three home runs through the first three games of a season … the last player in the Majors with at least seven hits and three home runs through a teams first three games was Cody Bellinger with the Dodgers in 2019.
STARTING PITCHER #51 JOSÉ UREÑA RHP
THE SECOND TIME AROUND
• Made 17 starts in a Rockies uniform in 2023, going 3-8 (Rockies 6-11) while posting a 5.14 ERA (89.1 IP, 51 ER) with 38 walks and 60 strikeouts … allowed 10 home runs while opponents slashed .289/.356/.425 (102-for-353).
• Was signed by the Rockies to a Minor League contract on May 16 … was a member of Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster and made four appearances out of the bullpen before being designated for assignment on May 2.
• Re-signed by the Rockies to a one-year Major League contract on Nov. 11, 2022.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG
• Went 1-2 with a 6.52 ERA (19.1 IP, 14 ER) through five Cactus League starts.
• In his final Spring start on March 27 at Milwaukee, allowed three earned runs through three frames after issuing four walks … all three runs scored off a William Contreras three-run home run.
THE FINAL STRETCH
• Spun at least five frames and allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last five starts for the Rockies in 2022, good for a 2.25 ERA (28.0 IP, 7 ER) through that span.
COORS FIELD
• Was 2-5 (Rockies 3-5) in eight starts at Coors Field in 2022, posting a 6.30 ERA (40.0 IP, 28 ER) with 18 walks and 29 strikeouts … allowed opponents to bat .311 (51-for-164) with six home runs … walked multiple batters in seven of eight starts (4.05 BB/9).
• Received a total of nine runs of support across his eight starts, with seven of those runs coming Aug. 19 vs. San Francisco in a 7-4 Rockies win … received no runs five times and one run twice.
1295 DAYS
• Is 5-3 with a 3.66 ERA (59.0 IP, 24 ER) in 15 career games (seven starts) against the Nationals.
• Last pitched against Washington on Sept. 21, 2019 … has been 1,295 days between outings against the Nationals.
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE
• Had his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque on July 6, 2022 and made his first start in a Rockies uniform that night at Dodger Stadium.
• Did not factor into the Rockies’ 2-1 loss despite tossing 6.2 innings and allowing one run on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts … tossed six scoreless innings before exiting the game in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs … runner came around to score on a wild pitch by reliever Jake Bird.
• 11th start of his career, third on the road, tossing at least 6.2 innings and allowing one or fewer runs (last: April 14, 2019 vs. Philadelphia).
• Became the 15th pitcher in franchise history to toss at least 6.2 innings and allow one or fewer runs in his first start with the club (last: Tim Melville, Aug. 21, 2019 at Arizona).
SWEET AND SOUR AND SWEET AGAIN
• Began his Rockies career in 2022 with three-straight quality starts July 6-16, going 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA (18.2 IP, 3 ER) over that span … became the fifth Rockie in franchise history to record a quality start in each of his first three starts with the club, joining Joe Kennedy (four-straight, 2004), Jon Garland (2013), Jason Jennings (2001) and Bryan Rekar (1995).
• In his start on Aug. 24 vs. Texas, became the first Rockie in history to allow at least nine hits and nine earned runs in 1.1 innings or fewer, the 24th in Major League history (last: Mike Fiers, Sept. 9, 2021 at Houston; 1.0 IP, 9 H, 9 ER).
• Earned his first win as a Rockie on July 16 vs. Pittsburgh, tossing six scoreless innings in a 2-0 Rockies win … sixth time in his career tossing at least six scoreless, the first time since July 29, 2018 vs. Washington.
• In 17 starts with the Rockies, posted seven quality outings and allowed five or more earned runs four times.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
• Received two or fewer runs of support in 14 of his 17 2022 outings, including one run and zero runs six times each.
• His 2.42 run support average was the lowest in the Majors (min. 15 GS) … lowest RSA by a Rockies starter in a single-season in franchise history (min. 15 GS).
BREW CREW
• Was signed by the Brewers to a Minor League contract on March 29, 2022 and had his contract selected to the Major League roster on March 30.
• Made four relief appearances with the Brewers in April before being designated for assignment on May 2 … cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Minors on May 9 … refused his Minor League assignment and declared free agency the same day.
• Was scoreless in two of four relief outings, allowing a combined five runs (three earned) on seven hits across 7.2 innings (3.52 ERA) … walked five while striking out three.
• Last relief outing came on April 26 at Pittsburgh … allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits across 2.1 innings.
2021
• Made 18 starts and eight relief appearances for the Detroit Tigers after signing a one-year Major League contract on Dec. 23, 2020.
• Spent a majority of the season in the starting rotation, going 2-8 with a 5.96 ERA (83.0 IP, 55 ER) across his 18 starts … logged four quality starts.
• Struck out a career-high eight batters over seven innings on April 18 at Oakland.
• Moved to the bullpen in September where he went 2-0 with a 5.09 ERA (17.2 IP, 10 ER), five walks and 13 strikeouts.
• Had a pair of stints on the injured list, May 29-June 6 with a right forearm strain and July 17-Aug. 28 with a right groin strain.
FLORIDA MAN
• Spent the first six years of his Major League career with the Miami Marlins from 2015-2020.
• Was signed by Miami as a non-drafted international free agent on May 29, 2009.
• Current Rockies Bench Coach Mike Redmond was the Marlins’ manager when Ureña made his Major League debut in a relief appearance at Atlanta on April 14, 2015 … current Rockies Bullpen Coach Reid Cornelius served as the Marlins bullpen coach.
• Went 32-46 with a 4.60 ERA in 142 appearances (98 starts) for the Marlins … ranks among Marlins all-time leaders in innings pitched (597.0, 11th), starts (13th), wins (T-14th) and strikeouts (406, 14th).
• Was the club’s Opening Day starter two consecutive seasons, 2018-19, the first Marlins pitcher to do so since Josh Johnson made three-straight Opening Day starts 2010-12.
MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (2-4) at Milwaukee Brewers (5-1)
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The defending NL Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals open their first road-trip (MIL-3, COL-3) of the season tonight with a three-game Easter weekend series in Milwaukee…the Cardinals, who were off yesterday, went 2-4 on their opening homestand, winning 2-of-3 from Toronto before being swept in three games by the Atlanta Braves…the Cardinals are off to a 2-4 start for the first time since 2017 when they began the campaign at 2-6.
WALKER’S WEEK OF FIRSTS: Twenty-year-old rookie outfielder Jordan Walker, the Cardinals 1st round draft selection in 2020, hit safely in each of his first six games during the just concluded season-opening homestand. Walker collected his 1st career hit on Opening Day with a 2nd inning single, collected his 1st RBI and stolen base on Sat. (4/1), his 1st extra base hit (double) on Sun. (4/2) and his 1st home run on Wed. (4/5). Walker has hit safely in the first six games to begin his career, longest such streak by a Cardinal rookie since Juan Yepez (7 games in 2022)…he is the MLB rookie leader in hits (8) and is 3rd in batting (.333) among rookies; Brewers’ Joey Wiemer is T1st (.353)…At 20
years, 320 days old today, Walker is the majors’ youngest player and the first MLB player to be born in the year 2002.
OFF THE BAT: Jordan Walker is currently ranked T4th among all Major Leaguers in hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) with 13, trailing only the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (17) & Matt Chapman (16) and Red Sox Rafael Devers (15)…According to Baseball Savant, St. Louis ranks 1st in MLB in hard hit balls of 95+mph (87) and 3rd in average exit velocity (91.1 mph).
KID’S CLUB: The Cardinals & Brewers enter this weekend’s series with two of the majors top combined rookie totals in both batting average (STL -.325, 2nd, MIL-.321, 3rd) and hits (MIL-17, 1st, STL-13, 2nd). The Brewers have 13 combined RBI from their rookies (1st in MLB) and the Cardinals 7 (T4th).
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: Oliver Marmol is closing in on his 100th career win as Cardinals manager, going 95-73 over his first 168 games … Marmol needs five wins before July 2 to become the 11th MLB manager in the Expansion Era (1961-present) and 93rd overall in MLB history to win his 100th game before his 37th birthday … Marmol is poised to become the 52nd manager all-time to reach 100 wins with a winning record before age 37 and first since Sparky Anderson (age 36.216, 100-59 record) in 1970 … Prior to Marmol, only player managers Rogers Hornsby (age 30.057, 100-79 record) in 1926 and Frankie Frisch (age 36.341, 100-72 record) in 1934 piloted Cardinals teams to 100 victories before age 37 (chart left) – Elias
NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Since the Cardinals and Brewers began regular season play in 1997, the Cardinals own the most wins against the Brewers (234-181, .564) and have the best road winning percentage against the Brewers (121-86, .585) of any team to visit Milwaukee since 1997. Their .589 win pct. (109-76) since American Family Field opened in 2001 is tops among all teams who annually play in Milwaukee.
FINEST IN THE FIELD: The Cardinals and Mets are the only two MLB teams with perfect 1.000 fielding percentages 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 six games. The Cardinals have won back-to-back (2021-2022) Rawlings Team Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence.
MAKING HIMSELF AT HOME: Paul Goldschmidt has hit 18 career HR’s at American Family Field, 2nd among opposing active players to the Reds’ Joey Votto (21)…Goldy had a 3-HR game here on 3/29/19 in his second career game as a Cardinal.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: The Cardinals have hit the most home runs (231) of all opposing teams at American Family Field since it opened in 2001.
BROTHERS: Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras will match-up this series against his younger bother William. It’s the first time a Cardinals player has faced his brother in the opposite dugout since Yadier Molina played against his brother Jose in 2014. Yadi also had meetings against his brother Bengie as recently as 2010…Cardinals Asst. GM & Director of Scouting Randy Flores and his brother, Ron, played against
each other in 2007 while Randy was pitching for St. Louis. (Elias)
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP JACK FLAHERTY (1-0, 0.00)
TONIGHT’S GAME
• Making his 100th career start today with 17 of them coming against the Brewers. Is the 56th pitcher in Cardinals franchise history to make 100 or more starts.
• Needs eight strikeouts to tie Theodore Breitenstein for 30th all-time in Cardinals history and 10 to tie Andy Benes for 29th at 614.
• Owns a career mark of 8-2, 3.09 ERA in 13 career starts in the monh of April. Has won 6-straight April decisions, with his last April loss coming on 4/16/19 at MIL.
• Enters tonight coming off five innings of no-hit ball vs. Toronto (4/1) in the second game of the season. Was his 4th start carrying a no-hitter through 5.0 innings in his career. Issued a career-high seven walks.
• Became the 16th pitcher since 1901 to issue seven walks in a scoreless and hitless outing of any length (Langs)
• Became the 5th pitcher in Cardinals history to pitch exactly 5.0 innings without allowing a hit or a run in a start.
• Trails only Wainwright & DeJong in years of Cardinals service on current roster.
• Was 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA in Spring Training play, facing the Houston Astros in four of his five Grapefruit League starts.
• Is 20-13 in 50 career games (47 starts) at Busch Stadium. His .188 opponent batting average is the lowest in stadium history (min. 100 IP), while his 292 strikeouts (8th) and 2.79 ERA (7th) at Busch both rank in the Top 10 among all pitchers in the ballpark’s history (since 2006).
• Has held his opposition to six hits or fewer in 26 consecutive starts dating back to Sept. 20, 2020, 2nd only to Jacob deGrom (35) among non-opener starting pitchers (Stanek 56, Lamet 46).
• Has held his opposition to a .205 career batting average, ranking 13th among MLB pitchers with more than 500 career innings pitched in the Live Ball Era (post-1920).
• Missed a total of 122 games last season due to a right shoulder injury (64 games from April 7-June 14 and another 58 games from June 27-Sept.4)
• Since becoming a full-time starting pitcher in 2018, ranks 15th among MLB pitchers with a 10.37 strikeouts/9 IP (min. 500 IP).
• St. Louis sports a 53-46 overall record in Flaherty’s 99 career starts. In his first 51 starts from his MLB debut (9/1/2017) until the 2019 All-Star Break, St. Louis went 21-30 (.412). In his last 46 starts (July 16, 2019-present), St. Louis is 32-16 (.667).
• In 99 career starts, is 34-10 when receiving 2+ runs of support, 27-2 when receiving 3+ runs, and 23-0 with 4+ runs of support. Has received 2 or fewer runs of support in 59 of 99 (59.6%) career starts.
LAST TIME OUT
• Threw 5.0 innings of no-hit ball while issuing a career-high seven walks and escaping a 1st inning bases loaded jam to earn his first win of the season. The start was at a temperatures of 46 degrees at game time, 3rd-lowest of his career.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
4/1 TOR W 4-1 W-1 5.0 0 0 0 7 4 0 95-49
2022
• Notched his 600th career strikeout in a 1.0-inning relief outing for his final regular season appearance on 10/4 at Pittsburgh, becoming the 31st Cardinals pitcher to reach that milestone and in 523.1 IP is the fastest to reach the mark in club history.
• Posted season highs in strikeouts (9), innings pitched (6.0) and pitches thrown (99) in a 5-4 win at SD (9/22) for his first win of the season and since 8/13/21 at KC.
• Returned to the Busch Stadium mound on 9/5 vs. WSH for the first time since June 26 and worked 5.0 IP, allowing one run on six hits. Took the loss, as the Cardinals were blanked, 6-0, by the Nationals, managing just 3 hits.
• Previously was activated from the 60-day Injured List on June 15 and made his season debut vs. Pirates. Took ND in Cardinals 6-4 loss, allowing 3 unearned runs (4 total) in his 3.0 IP while throwing 60 pitches.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: Is game 4 (3-0) of a 6-game, 7-day homestand against New YorkNL (3-0) and St. Louis (3g)…..following this homestand, the team takes a 10-game road trip to Arizona (3g), San Diego (4g) and Seattle (3g).
CURRENT ROSTER (bold indicates not on Opening Day roster):
PITCHERS (13) – RH Corbin Burnes, RH Matt Bush, RH Javy Guerra, LH Eric Lauer, LH Wade Miley, LH Hoby Milner, RH Joel Payamps, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Peter Strzelecki, RH Gus Varland, RH Devin Williams, RH Bryse Wilson, RH Brandon Woodruff
CATCHERS (2) – Victor Caratini, William Contreras
INFIELDERS (7) – Willy Adames, Brian Anderson, Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller, Rowdy Tellez, Brice Turang, Luke Voit OUTFIELDERS (4) – Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer, Jesse Winker, Christian Yelich
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 and Wilson are on the 60-day IL.
THE NEW BREW: INF/OF Brian Anderson (free agent), C William Contreras (trade with ATL), RHP Javy Guerra (trade with TB), LHP Wade Miley (free agent), INF/OF Owen Miller (trade with CLE), RHP Joel Payamps (trade with OAK), RHP Gus Varland (Rule 5 Draft from LAD), 1B Luke Voit (free agent), RHP Bryse Wilson (trade with PIT) and OF Jesse Winker (trade with SEA).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: #53 – RHP BRANDON WOODRUFF (1gs, 0-0, 1.50)
WOODRUFF AT A GLANCE: Brandon Woodruff, 30, will make his second start of the season…..he made his season debut last Saturday at Chicago-NL and received no decision in the Brewers’ 3-1 win (6ip, 3h, 1r, 1er, 1bb, 8k, 1hr, 97 pitches)…..he is 8-1 with a 2.33 ERA over his last 19 starts dating back to last season (115.2ip, 30er)…..Woodruff was selected by Milwaukee in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University…..he is under club control through 2024.
LAST SEASON: Woodruff went 13-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 27 starts last season…..he led the team with a career-high 13 wins…..the team went 19-8 in his starts…..he made 15 quality starts…..he held opponents to a .215 batting average with 190 strikeouts in 153.1 innings…..Woodruff missed a month while on the 15-day injured list from 5/30-6/27 with a right ankle sprain and Raynaud’s syndrome affecting his pitching fingers…..he went 8-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 18 starts after coming off the injured list (109.2ip, 29er).
CAREER: Is 41-25 with a 3.17 ERA in 120 games/105 starts (619.1ip, 218er)…..is in his seventh MLB season, all with the Brewers (2017-23)…..was a 2019 and 2021 All-Star.
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 23-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 60 games/53 starts (318ip, 105er)…..went 8-0 with a 2.06 ERA in 13 starts last season (78.2ip, 18er).
CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 18-17 with a 3.38 ERA in 60 games/52 starts (301.1ip, 113er)…..went 5-4 with an 4.10 ERA in 14 starts last season (74.2ip, 34er).
CAREER vs. CARDINALS: Is 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 13 games/11 starts (65.2ip, 20er), including 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA in 3 starts last season (15ip, 2er)…..he tossed 6.0 shutout innings in his last outing vs. St. Louis last September 28 in Milwaukee as he earned a 5-1 win…..he allowed 6 hits in the contest, walking just one batter and striking out 10.
