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MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (2-3) at Houston Astros (2-4)

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MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (2-3) at Houston Astros (2-4)

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT OVER HOUSTON: The Tigers earned a series win over the Astros with a 6-3 win last night. Spencer Torkelson had three hits, including a double and a home run, and drove in three runs, while Riley Greene also had three hits and scored twice. Matt Vierling went 2×4 with a double and a RBI. Matt Manning made his season debut for the Tigers and picked up the win, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Jason Foley worked 1.1 shutout frames in relief, while Chasen Shreve struck out one a scoreless inning.

FULLY TORKED: Spencer Torkelson continued to impact the baseball last night, tying a career high with three hits, including a double and his first homer of the season. Torkelson’s round-tripper left his bat at 106.0 MPH and traveled 424 feet. All three of Torkelson’s hits in last night’s game had an exit velocity of over 100.0 MPH and through his first five games of 2023, he has put nine balls in play at 100 MPH or greater.

EASY BEING GREENE: Riley Greene recorded his third career three-hit game last night, finishing the contest 3×4 with two runs scored. Greene has notched a hit in three straight contests and has reached base safely in four of five games this season.

TIGERS AND ASTROS: The Tigers and Astros conclude their first series of the season this afternoon. Along with this week’s three-game set in Houston, the two teams will also meet at Comerica Park for three games from August 25-27. With a win today, Detroit can complete a series sweep at Minute Maid Park for the second time in the last three seasons. The Astros have a 43-35 edge in the all-time series, including a 23- 16 advantage in games played in Houston.

ON DECK: The Tigers begin the home portion of their schedule tomorrow as they face the Red Sox. Since Comerica Park opened in 2000, Detroit is 15-8 in home openers, including winning 12 of its last 14. Boston won five-of-six games from the Tigers last season, including taking two-ofthree games at Comerica Park.

PREGAME FESTIVITIES ANNOUNCED FOR TIGERS HOME OPENER:
• Fans are encouraged to arrive early with gates opening at 10:30 a.m. The Miller Lite Home Run Happy Hour, located on the rebranded Comerica Landing, will take place from 10:30- 11:30 a.m. and feature select concession items for just $5, including 16 oz. beers, fountain drinks, hard seltzers, hot dogs and mac-n-cheese bowls.

• Michigan native and 2016 runner up on NBC’s “The Voice” Laith Al-Saadi to perform National Anthem before flyover, featuring four A-10 Thunderbolt “Warthog” aircrafts from the 107th Fighter Squadron, part of the 127th Wing located at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

• Fans won’t want to miss the ceremonial first pitches, with legends representing the Detroit pro sports landscape in attendance

• The 2023 Tigers Opening Day Tailgate Party, hosted by Miller Lite and Bally Sports Detroit, to be hosted at Grand Circus Park.

INJURY REHAB UPDATE: Tyler Nevin continued an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo yesterday at Omaha, starting at first base and
going 1×4 with a double. In four injury rehab games with the Mud Hens, Nevin has gone 7×13 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and two RBI. Nevin is currently on the injured list with a left oblique strain.

TIGERS ON THE IL:
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 15-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)

• RHP Michael Lorenzen (left groin strain, 15- day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)

• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)

• INF Tyler Nevin (left oblique strain, 10-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)

• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60- day IL on March 27)

• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – Eduardo Rodriguez • 0-1, 5.06 ERA (5.1IP/3ER)
• Rodriguez will make his second start of the season today in the series finale at Houston.

• Made his second consecutive Opening Day start on Thursday at Tampa Bay and took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings. • Had a strong Spring Training, making five starts and posting a 1-0 record with a 1.47 ERA (18.1IP/3ER) and 21 strikeouts.

• Has made eight career starts against Houston, posting a 1-4 record with a 7.30 ERA (37.0IP/30ER) and 38 strikeouts…in three career starts at Minute Maid Park, he is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA (17.1IP/8ER) and 17 strikeouts.

• Started 17 games for the Tigers last season and had a 5-5 record with a 4.05 ERA (91.0IP/41ER) and 72 strikeouts.

• Since 2018, he has a .667 winning percentage, which ranks eighth among all active Major League pitchers over that span (min. 100 starts).

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champions, will play the finale of their three-game series with the Tigers today looking to stave off the sweep behind RHP Cristian Javier…the Astros and Javier will be opposed by Tigers Opening Day starter LHP Eduardo Rodriguez.

LEGEND OF THE FALL CLASSIC: RHP Cristian Javier was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Majors last season, as evidenced by his .171 opponent average, 0.97 WHIP and 173 strikeouts in his 134.1 innings pitched in the regular season… he followed that up with a huge performance in the postseason, making two scoreless starts for Houston, including an incredible performance in Game 4 of the World Series…trailing 2-1 in the series, the Astros started Javier in Game 4 in Philadelphia and he proceeded to toss the first 6.0 innings of a no-hitter in the Astros 5-0 series-turning win…the Astros went on to win Games 5 and 6 to clinch their title…the Astros Game 4 no-hitter marked just the second no-hitter in World Series history.

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: At today’s game, all fans will receive a Yordan Alvarez World Series Replica Ring, presented by Gallery Furniture…today’s replica ring giveaway is the second of many scheduled for the 2023 season.

SEASON SWEEP: The Astros swept the Tigers in 2022, winning all seven of their games, including four games in Houston…the Tigers were one of three teams the Astros swept the season series from in 2022, also the Twins (6-0) and Mets (4-0).

WELCOME BACK!: This series, the Astros are welcoming back Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who managed the Astros to their 2017 World Series championship…Hinch went 481-329 in his five seasons (2015-19) managing the Astros, with those 481 wins ranking as the second-most in franchise history (Bill Virdon ranks first with 544 wins)…Hinch’s .594 winning percentage as the Astros manager also ranks second in club
history, trailing only Dusty Baker (.595, 232-158).

AT THE HELM: Astros skipper Dusty Baker celebrated his 26th career Opening Day as a manager last week and his fourth at the helm in Houston…Baker, who ranks ninth all-time in managerial wins with 2,095 wins, has an outside shot of moving up to sixth all time by seasons end…en route, he’d have to surpass Joe McCarthy (8th, 2,125), Bucky Harris (7th, 2,158) and Sparky Anderson (6th 2,194).

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros dropped their third straight ballgame last night, this time by a score of 6-3 to the visiting Tigers…LHP Framber Valdez (2ER/7IP) was handed the loss, despite working a solid 7.0 inning, while recording nine strikeouts…RF Kyle Tucker led the offense, as he went 2×3 with a homer and two RBI.

RUN OF SUCCESS: In addition to capturing the 2022 World Championship, Houston has played in three of the last four and four of the last six World Series, earning two championships along the way (2017, 2022)…the Astros have also advanced to the ALCS an MLB-record six consecutive seasons (2017-22).

EARLY LEAGUE LEADERS:1B José Abreu has opened his season with a six-game hitting streak, compiling nine hits on the season, which ties for fourth in the AL…LF Yordan Alvarez checks in with nine RBI, which ranks tied for first in the AL, while RF Kyle Tucker is also tied for first in the AL with six walks.

RACKIN’ UP RBI: LF Yordan Alvarez is off to a characteristically strong start into the young season, as he’s hitting .333 (7×21) with a double, two homers, nine RBI and a 1.058 OPS…this marks just the 10th time in club history for a player to record nine-plus RBI within the Astros first six games of a season… this also happened just two years ago, accomplished by RF Kyle Tucker (9 RBI in Astros first 6 games of 2021).

SEÑOR CIEN:LF Yordan Alvarez connected for his 100th career homer on Monday, becoming the 19th player in franchise history to reach the 100-homer mark…Alvarez reached that mark in 372 games, the fastest by an Astros player, topping 1B Lance Berkman, who hit his 100th career homer in his 452nd game.

THE BROTHERS MATON: RHP Phil Maton and his brother IF Nick Maton are active against each other for the second regular season series of their careers…Nick, who played for the Phillies in 2022, was active against the Astros in both the regular season and the World Series last season…meanwhile Phil was active during the regular season, but not the World Series due to injury…the two faced each other in that other regular season series, on Oct. 5, 2022 in Houston, with Nick connecting for a single off of Phil.

COOGS’ HOUSE!: OF Corey Julks, a native of Friendswood, TX, is off to a solid start to his Major League career, as he’s hitting .250 (4×16) thru his first four Major League games…Julks is a Houstonian in every aspect, attending Clear Brook HS and the University of Houston before being drafted by the Astros in 2017.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE CHANGE: The Astros and Twins game, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to Friday due to the upcoming weather forecast in Minneapolis… the forecast calls for snow and cold temperatures tonight into tomorrow morning, followed by sunshine and 50˚ on Friday.

TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP CRISTIAN JAVIER
LAST START – 3/31 vs. CWS: took a no-decision after allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and striking out 5 batters through 5 IP… dating back to last postseason, had not surrendered a run in his last 6 starts, spanning 34.1 IP…Javier’s streak of 4 consecutive scoreless regular-season starts was the longest active such streak among traditional starters prior to his outing on 3/31.

WITH THE ‘STROS: 26-year old Dominican hurler settled into near-full-time starter role with a career-high 25 starts in ‘22 after working as a swingman within the Astros pitching staff in his first two seasons.

• originally signed with the Astros as an international free agent from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in March 2015…signed a five-year contract on 2/10/23 that will keep him with the Astros through ‘27

‘22 CAMPAIGN: was one of the most effective pitchers in the AL in ‘22….among pitchers with 140+ innings pitched, posted the lowest opponent batting average in the AL (.170), which was 16 points lower than 2nd-place finisher RHP Justin Verlander, who won the AL Cy Young RHP Justin Verlander (.186)… also ranked 2nd in K’s per 9.0 (11.74) and 4th in WHIP (0.95) this season…his 11.74 K’s per 9.0 ratio trailed only RHP Shohei Ohtani (11.87) (min. 140IP)…dating back to last postseason, Javier has not surrendered a run in his last six starts, spanning 34.1 IP…Javier’s streak of four consecutive scoreless regular-season starts is the longest active such streak among traditional starters.

POSTSEASON HEROICS: delivered one of the most historic starts in MLB postseason history in Gm. 4 of the ‘22 World Series, throwing six hitless innings to begin Astros combined no-hitter in 5-0 win…also struck out nine batters to just two walks in start…was the second no-hitter in World Series history and first combined no-hitter.

• Became the 10th pitcher in W.S. history with a no-hit bid of 6+ innings and was first to do so since Jerry Koosman (NYM) (6 IP) in Gm 2 of the 1969 W.S. at BAL…was followed by RHP Bryan Abreu, RHP Rafael Montero and RHP Ryan Pressly to complete the no-hitter, with each pitcher contributing one inning.

• has recorded a 2.20 ERA (8ER/32.2IP) 14 postseason games (2 GS) in his postseason career, dating back to ‘20…it’s the 2nd-lowest ERA of any postseason pitcher (min. 30 IP) since the beginning of the ‘20 postseason, trailing only Braves RHP Ian Anderson (1.26 ERA)…has held opponents to a .127 average (14×110) in his postseason career…is the lowest postseason opponent’s batting average of any MLB pitcher (min. 30 IP) since ‘20… the Astros are 11-3 in postseason games Javier has appeared in.

‘INVISABALL’: has held opponents to a .178 average (192×1077) throughout his MLB career…it is the lowest opponent’s batting average (min. 300 IP) of any MLB pitcher since entering the league in ‘20…the next-closest player during that stretch is Brewers RHP Corbin Burnes (.195).

NO-NO: contributed seven innings to a combined no-hitter vs. the Yankees on June 25 at Yankee Stadium…it was the 14th no-hitter in Astros history and the third combined no-hitter…Javier struck out a then-career high 13 batters…it was just the 2nd no-hitter tossed against the Yankees since 1959, with the Astros also delivering the other one (2003).

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: finished 3rd in the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year voting after leading all AL rookies in ERA (3.48)…marked the highest finish by an Astros rookie pitcher since Roy Oswalt finished second in the 2001 National League Rookie of the Year voting.

• was named the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…recorded a 1.74 ERA (22ER/113.2IP) with a career-high 170 strikeouts between three levels in the Astros system.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: has been quite effective in his career vs. the Tigers, going 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA (1 ER/10.2 IP) in 3 career appearances (1 start)…last faced the Tigers on 9/14/22 in Detroit, striking out 8 batters through 6 scoreless innings in a 2-1 Astros win…the Tigers are 1 of 3 AL opponents he’s held under a 1.00 ERA through at least 3 career appearances, along with NYY (0.60 ERA) and CLE (0.63 ERA).

MLB Preview: New York Mets (3-3) at Milwaukee Brewers (4-1)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: New York Mets (3-3) at Milwaukee Brewers (4-1)

NEW YORK METS NOTES:

METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets were blanked by the Brewers for the second straight game…New York has not scored a run in 20 innings… The Mets finish their first road trip of the year, a seven-game trip to Miami (3-1) and Milwaukee (0-2)…Following this series, the Mets head to New York…The team will host the Marlins (three games) and Padres (three games).

FOR PETE’S SAKE: David Peterson is set to make his second start of the year today in Milwaukee…The left-handed pitcher made the start on March 31 against Miami and allowed one run in 5.0 innings of work, surrendering eight hits, a walk and struck out five in the loss…Peterson has now struck out five of more batters in nine straight road starts…See the chart below courtesy of Sportradar.

HIGH RISP, HIGH REWARD: In his last start, Peterson held the Brewers to one hit in six at-bats with runners in scoring position…The one run he permitted came on a solo home run…Since the start of 2022, Peterson ranks ninth in the majors with a .175 (18-103) opponent average with RISP and eighth with a .536 opponent OPS (min. 100 batters faced in those situations)…Foes have managed just five extra-base hits in 118 plate appearances against Peterson in scoring position scenarios since 2022…Only six pitchers have faced 100 or more batters with RISP and allowed fewer XBH since the start of last season…In his career, Peterson has faced 224 batters with runners in scoring position, holding them to a .220 (41-186) average.

HITTING THE ROAD: New York is 3-3 on the road his year…The team finished the 2022 season going 47-34 on the road…Their .580 road winning percentage placed them third in the majors and second in the NL…It was tied for the fourth-best road record in team history and the highest road-winning percentage since 2007…Overall, they hit .265/.334/.424 away from Citi Field…Their .265 road average was second in the majors and the best in the NL, while their .334 OBP led The Show…They ranked fourth in MLB and second in the Senior Circuit with a .424 SLG…Brandon Nimmo (.406), Jeff McNeil (.399) and Mark Canha (.378) ranked three through five in road OBP in the National League.

OMAR’S COMING YO!: In three games with the Mets, Omar Narváez is 3-10 with a run, two RBI and a walk…In December, the Mets signed catcher Narváez to a one-year contract with a player option for 2024… The backstop played 247 games for the Brewers from 2020-22.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: The Mets play their lone series at American Family Field this year…In 29 career games at the yard, Tommy Pham is a .305/.362/.638 hitter with 20 runs, seven doubles, two triple, eight home runs, 19 RBI and nine walks…Starling Marte has hit .297/.329/.495 with 27 runs, 12 doubles, two triple, eight home runs, 25 RBI and 6 walks in 53 career games in MKE…Francisco Lindor has hit .261/.320/.674 with nine runs, two doubles, one triple, five home runs and 10 RBI in 12 career games at the yard…Daniel Vogelbach, who played for Milwaukee, has hit 11 home runs in 164 games at the ballpark, and has posted a .500 SLG at the yard.

BREWERS-METS NOTES: The Mets earned a series win over the Brewers from September 19-21, 2022, clinching a spot in the playoff.
2022: 0-2 2022: 4-2 History: 84-76
@NY: 0-0 @NY: 2-1 @NY: 44-37
@MKE: 0-2 @MKE: 2-1 @MKE: 40-39

ONLY A FEW CAN COM-PETE: Pete Alonso set a franchise single-season RBI record with 131 last year…His 131 RBI were tied for the major league lead and led the National League…Only once before in franchise history has a Met finished the season with the most or tied for the most RBI…Howard Johnson recorded a career-best 117 RBI in 1991 to lead the National League…He had 27 game-winning RBI season, the most since the stat was first tracked in 1974…His 35 go-ahead RBI were tied for the second-most in a single season in Mets history…Keith Hernandez had 36 go-ahead RBI in 1985.

DAY MAN!: The Mets are 3-1 in day games this year…In 2022, the Mets went 39-19 in day games…The team’s .672 winning percentage in the sunlight was the second-best in the National League and third-best in the majors…The Mets posted a 3.16 ERA with 150 walks and 564 strikeouts in the daytime last year…Their 3.16 ERA in the daytime was third in the majors and second in the NL.

JEFF McHITS: Jeff McNeil collected three hits last night…He leads the Mets with seven hits this season…He has recorded 165 multi-hit games in his career, which is 24th in franchise history…He has recorded 45 games with three or more hits, which ties him for 18th in team history…According to Sportradar, McNeil now has 17 games with three of more hits since the start of last season, which is tied for third most in the majors behind only Freddie Freeman (21) and Luis Arraez (18).

TO THE SOUND OF DENNIS SANTANA: On Monday, Dennis Santana tossed a scoreless inning, allowing two walks and striking out one…He has yet to allow a hit in three appearances this season, walking two and striking out five in 2.2 innings….Santana was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on March 17…He has struck out 133 in 141.2 career innings.

HOME, SWEET HOME: Tomorrow, the Mets will play their first game at Citi Field this year when they take on the Miami Marlins at 1:10 p.m…Citi Field parking lots will open at 9:40 a.m. and gates open at 10:40 a.m…Ahead of the game, the Empire State Building will be lit blue and orange beginning at sunset on April 5 and continue through April 6 for the home opener…The Mets encourage fans to take Mass Transit for the Mets home opener…Mass Transit is the fastest and greenest way to Citi Field…Fans can purchase tickets to all 2023 Mets home gates at the Citi Field box office or by visiting mets.com/tickets or calling 718-507-TIXX.

DAVID PETERSON LHP #23
PETERSON’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Slider 33% 35% 33% 85.6 mph
Sinker 30% 54% 19% 19.0 mph
Four-Seam Fastball 17% 4% 22% 93.7 mph
Changeup 16% 4% 21% 86.1 mph
Curveball 5% 3% 5% 80.0 mph

PETERSON NEWS & NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: In his last start, March 31 at Miami, Peterson suffered the loss as the Mets fell to the Marlins, 2-1…Pitched 5.0 innings and allowed one run on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts…The run scored on a solo home run.

HIGH RISP, HIGH REWARD: In his last start, Peterson held the Brewers to one hit in six at-bats with runners in scoring position…The one run he permitted came on a solo home run…Since the start of 2022, Peterson ranks ninth in the majors with a .175 (18-103) opponent average with RISP and eighth with a .536 opponent OPS (min. 100 batters faced in those situations)…Foes have managed just five extra-base hits in 118 plate appearances against Peterson in scoring position scenarios since 2022…Only six pitchers have faced 100 or more batters with RISP and allowed fewer XBH…In his career, Peterson has faced 224 batters with runners in scoring position, holding them to a .220 (41-186) average.

BREW CITY: Peterson will face the Brewers for the third time in his career…His last appearance against the Brewers came as a relief pitcher on September 21, 2022 at American Family Field when he pitched 0.2 inning…He was dealt a loss in his last start against the Brewers, June 15 last season at Citi Field, after allowing four runs on six hits in 4.0 innings of a 10-2 Mets setback.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Peterson had 3.12 ERA (20 ER/57.2 IP) in his last 14 road outings last season and this season, including ten starts…He is 5-10 with a 4.49 ERA (62 earned runs/124.1 innings) in his career on the road…Sportradar says his streak of nine road starts with five or more strikeouts is tied for the second-longest by a lefty in Mets history…Only Frank Viola (10 straight, August 7, 1989-June 1, 1990) has a longer streak.

LETHAL LEFTY: Peterson limited lefties to a .177 (15-85) average in 2022, tied for the sixth-best opponents’ average in the majors (min. 90 LHB faced)…He whiffed 32 of the 96 left-handed batters he faced last year, a 33.3 percent strikeout rate that ranked fourth among all left-handed pitchers to face a minimum of 90 LHB in 2022.

SLIP ‘N’ SLIDE: Peterson held batters to a .175 (24-137) average with his slider last season and 78 of his 126 strikeouts came on the pitch…His 52.0 slider-strikeout percentage was the second-highest in MLB (min. 150 PA) behind only teammate Edwin Díaz (54.7) and his 47.9 whiff percentage with the pitch was the third highest in the majors behind only Díaz (54.7) and Seattle’s Andres Muñoz (50.8).

FOUR-HIT WONDER: The southpaw allowed four hits or fewer in 12 of his 19 starts and 21 of his 28 appearances overall last season…He has held the opposition to four hits or fewer in 39 of his 54 career games.

STRIKE ‘EM OUT, STRIKE ‘EM OUT: Peterson struck out at least five batters in 11 straight starts from June 20-September 9 last season, the second-longest streak by a left-handed starter last season…It was the sixth-longest streak by a Mets left-handed starter in franchise history…Peterson had 82 strikeouts across 58.2 innings during that span (13 G/11 GS) good for a 12.58 K/9 ratio.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL: Peterson made four appearances (three starts) during spring training…He threw 12.0 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit over those four outings…Struck out 13 and walked eight…Peterson last pitched in a minor league game on March 25…In his last Grapefruit League appearance of the spring, allowed one hit, struck out four and walked four over 4.0 scoreless frames vs. the Cardinals on March 19.

2022 RECAP: Set career-high marks in wins (seven), games (28), starts (19), innings (105.2), and strikeouts (126) last season…Went 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA for New York…Appeared mostly as a starter until mid-September…His final five appearances of the season came out of the bullpen…Went 6-5 with a 3.86 ERA (39 ER/91.0 IP) as a starter…In nine relief appearances, Peterson went 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA (6 ER/14.2 IP).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: Is game 3 (2-0) of a 6-game, 7-day homestand against New York-NL (2-0) and St. Louis (3g)…..following this homestand, the team takes a 10-game road trip to Arizona (3g), San Diego (4g) and Seattle (3g).

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).

MANAGER: Craig Counsell – the longest-tenured active manager in the National League and third in the majors – is in his ninth season as Brewers manager (619-556) and eighth full season…..he has the most wins of any manager in franchise history…..his 1,175 games managed are second to Phil Garner (1,180)…..Counsell was named the 19th manager in franchise history on 5/4/15, replacing Ron Roenicke…..he is signed through the 2023 season.

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

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

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

BREWERS vs. METS
SUMMARY: Are 77-84 all-time, including 2-0 this season…..went 2-4 last season.

at MIL: Are 40-40 all-time, going 38-30 at American Family Field and 2-10 at County Stadium…..are 2-0 this season…..went 1-2 last season and are 17-3 over their last 20 games in Milwaukee.

at NY: Are 37-44 all-time, going 21-20 at Citi Field and 16-24 at Shea Stadium…..went 1-2 last season.

WHAT’S BREWING?
Beat The Mets
The Brewers are 17-3 over their last 20 games against the Mets at home.

Worth The Wade
Wade Miley last night recorded the 100th win of his Major League career…..below is a look at the most wins by left-handed pitchers since 2011, Miley’s first MLB season:

Pitcher Wins
Clayton Kershaw …………………………….172
Jon Lester ……………………………………….139
David Price ………………………………………128
Madison Bumgarner ………………………127
J.A. Happ ………………………………………….114
Chris Sale …………………………………………112
Gio Gonzalez ……………………………………109
Cole Hamels ……………………………………103
Dallas Keuchel …………………………………101
Wade Miley …………………………………..100
Wrecking Crew

The Brewers have scored 28 runs over their last 3 games (9.3 rpg), batting .340 (36-for-106, 7hr)…..the team has scored at least 9 runs in 3 consecutive games for the first time since 4/24-4/26, 2017 (all vs. CIN)….. the franchise record for consecutive games scoring at least 9 runs is four from 4/7-4/11, 1978 (vs. BAL/NYY) and 6/15-6/18, 1996 (vs. OAK/KC).

Three’s Company
The Brewers belted three consecutive homers (Tellez, Anderson & Mitchell) last night for the eighth time in franchise history and for the first time since an 8-4 win on 8/8/18 vs. San Diego (Aguilar, Shaw & Thames).

Life of Brian
Brian Anderson has hit safely in all 5 games this season, batting .533 (8-for-15) with 3 HR and 10 RBI…..he has a .579 OBP/1.200 SLG/1.779 OPS.

A Show About Nothing
The Brewers have tossed consecutive shutouts for the first time since 9/9 (at DET) and 9/11 (vs. CHC), 2020….. the franchise record for consecutive shutouts is 3 games from 4/19-4/21, 1990 and 7/19-7/21, 2013…..the team is unscored upon in 19.0 consecutive innings, last allowing a run in the eighth inning on Sunday in Chicago.

Franchise Leaders
Managerial Wins
Manager Wins
Craig Counsell ……………………………..619
Phil Garner ……………………………………..563
Ned Yost …………………………………………457
Franchise Leaders

Games Managed
Manager Games
Phil Garner ……………………………………1,180
Craig Counsell ………………………….. 1,175
Ned Yost …………………………………………959

TODAY’S STARTER: #39 – RHP CORBIN BURNES (1gs, 0-1, 7.20)
BURNES AT A GLANCE: Corbin Burnes, 28, is making his second start of the season…..he made his second straight Opening Day start and second of his career last Thursday at Chicago-NL and took a 4-0 loss (5ip, 4h, 4r, 4er, 3bb, 3k, 1hbp, 87 pitches)…..Burnes was selected by Milwaukee in the fourth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Mary’s (CA) College…..he is under club control through 2024.

LAST SEASON: Burnes went 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 33 starts last season, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting after winning the award in 2021…..Burnes was an All-Star for the second straight season and was named Brewers Most Valuable Pitcher for the second year in a row…..his career-high 243 strikeouts led the National League and ranked second in the majors behind the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (257)…..he became the first pitcher in franchise history to lead his league in strikeouts…..he also ranked among the NL top five in starts (T1st, 33), AVG (2nd, .197), K/9IP (2nd, 10.83), H/9IP (2nd, 6.42), innings pitched (4th, 202.0), K/BB (4th, 4.76), quality starts (T4th, 21) and WHIP (5th, 0.97)…..the team went 20-13 in his starts.

CY BURNES: Burnes won the 2021 National League Cy Young Award after going 11-5 with a Major League-best 2.43 ERA in 28 starts…..he became the third pitcher in franchise history to win a Cy Young Award, joining Rollie Fingers (1981) and Pete Vuckovich (1982)…..he became the first pitcher in franchise history to lead his league in ERA.

CAREER: Is 35-20 with a 3.25 ERA in 136 games/75 starts (520.2ip, 188er)…..is in his sixth Major League season, all with the Brewers (2018-23)…..is 27-17 with a 2.97 ERA as a starter (438.2ip, 145er) and 8-3 with a 4.72 ERA in relief (82ip, 43er)…..Burnes is a two-time All-Star (2021-22) and was a 2021 All-MLB First Team selection.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 17-12 with a 3.47 ERA in 66 games/39 starts (272.2ip, 105er)…..went 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 18 starts last season (109.2ip, 37er).

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 18-8 with a 3.01 ERA in 70 games/36 starts (248ip, 83er)…..went 5-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 15 starts last season (92.1ip, 29er).

CAREER vs. METS: Is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA in 5 games/4 starts (26.2ip, 9er), including 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 2 starts last season (11.2ip, 7er)

MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (5-0) at Washington Nationals (1-4)

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MLB Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (5-0) at Washington Nationals (1-4)

TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:

No release available

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

BLOOM DAY
The Washington Nationals close out this opening homestand with the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon…The Nationals will travel to Colorado for a four-game series against the Rockies before moving on to Los Angeles for a three-game set against the Angels.

• Washington looks to avoid their first sweep of the season on Wednesday…The Nationals last suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays, June 12-14, 2006 in Tampa…Washington has never been swept by the Rays in a three-game series at home.

• The Nationals are wearing the Cherry Blossom City Connect jerseys to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

HITTERISH
Some notes on a few hitters early in the 2023 season:
• Alex Call has driven in at least one run in all three of his starts this season…He is tied with Lane Thomas for the club lead with four RBI, despite playing in three of the five games…Call has reached base safely in six of 12 plate appearances with three hits and three walks.

• Keibert Ruiz has reached base safely in all four games he’s played and in seven of 16 plate appearances (4 H, 2 BB, HBP)…He is behind Call for second on the club with a .438 on-base percentage.

• Lane Thomas is 8-for-21 (.381) with two doubles, four RBI and one run scored through five games this season…He’s hit safely in four of five games.

BULLPENNING
Washington’s bullpen has held opposing batters to a .238 batting average through the first five 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 5.0 innings of two-hit, one-run relief across two outings…He threw 2.0 innings on March 30 vs. Atlanta (2.0 IP, H, 3 SO) and matched a career-high with 3.0 innings on April 3 vs. Tampa Bay (3.0 IP, H, ER, HR, SO)…He has yet to issue a walk this season.

KUHL AND THE GANG
MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams each made their Nationals debut the last two games, and Chad Kuhl made his Nationals debut tonight…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the second time in Nationals history (2005-pres.) that at least three starting pitchers made their club debut on consecutive nights.

• Elias notes that the other time it happened was Washington’s first four games of the 2005 season: Livan Hernandez, Zach Day, Esteban Loaiza and Tomo Ohka.

• The last time it happened in Major League Baseball was April 11-13, 2022 when Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer and Chris Paddack made their first starts as members of the Minnesota Twins, per Elias.

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
TAMPA BAY RAYS
The Nationals and Rays will meet three times this season, all in D.C….Nationals manager Dave Martinez played three seasons (1998-2000) for the Devil Rays…He recorded the first hit in Tampa Bay Devil Rays history on March 31, 1998…He returned to spend seven seasons (2008-14) as the Rays’ bench coach after serving as a Spring Training instructor for them in 2006-07…Tim Bogar worked with Martinez during the 2008 season, serving as Tampa Bay’s quality assurance coach…Jim Hickey served as Tampa Bay’s pitching coach from 2007-17…Corey Dickerson hit 51 home runs across two seasons (2016-17) with Tampa Bay, including a career-high 27 in his 2017 American League All-Star season… Erasmo Ramírez went 22-20 with a 3.98 ERA in 124 games (36 starts) across three seasons (2015-17) with Tampa Bay…Rays pitcher Kevin Kelly graduated from St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly before attending James Madison University… Rays infielder Brandon Lowe grew up in Suffolk, Va. before attending the University of Maryland.

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

LAST START
Made his third career Opening Day start on March 30 vs. Atlanta…Allowed two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 3.0 innings of work.

vs. TAMPA BAY
Has faced the Rays one other time, June 9, 2021 at Tampa Bay (5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO)…Squared off against Shane McClanahan (3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) in that game as well…The Nationals won, 9-7, in 11 innings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (3-2) at Boston Red Sox (2-3)

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MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (3-2) at Boston Red Sox (2-3)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:

THE PIRATES:…Have won back-to-back games for the first time this season…Dropped each of the final two games of their season-opening series against the Reds
at Great American Ball Park…Opened their 137th season as a member of the National League with a 5-4 win against the Reds Thursday afternoon.

RED-HOT REYNOLDS: Bryan Reynolds has gone deep in three straight games, homering four times total in that span… Prior to Reynolds, the last Pirate to homer in three straight games was Josh Bell from August 11-13, 2019…Corey Dickerson was the last Pirate to homer in four straight games when he did so from July 15-22, 2018.

CHEERS: Bryan Reynolds has gone deep in four straight games (six homers total) against the Red Sox dating back to August 17, 2022…That’s tied for the longest streak all-time by a National League player vs. Boston (also Andres Galarraga from June 10, 1998, to July 7, 2000)…The last player to do it against the Red Sox, regardless of league, was Omar Narvaez, who did so in five straight games from March 29, 2019, to July 30, 2022.

FOUR YOUR INFORMATION: Bryan Reynolds has hit four homers in the first five games of this season…That’s tied with Reggie Sanders in 2003 and Willie Stargell in 1971 for the most in team history through the first five games of a season.

A MONSTER HOMER: Last night Ji Hwan Bae joined Atlanta’s Vaughn Grissom on August 10, 2022, as the only National League players all-time to hit their first career home run at Fenway Park (the ballpark opened in 1912)…Bae is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a double, homer and four RBI in his last seven games dating back to October 2, 2022.

CHANGING SOX: Today the Pirates will wrap up their season-opening six-game road trip against the Reds and Red Sox… Friday afternoon the Pirates will open the home portion of their 2023 schedule against the White Sox with first pitch set for 4:12…It will be the third time the Pirates face an American League team in the club’s Home Opener (also 2015 against the Tigers and 2018 against the Twins).

ON THE MOUND TODAY: Mitch Keller will make his second start today after having a no-decision (4.2ip/4er) on Opening Day Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati…Keller struck eight Reds on Opening Day, which were the most since he fanned a career-high 10 batters on August 30, 2022, against the Brewers.

BULLISH PEN: Pittsburgh’s bullpen has recorded a 1.96 ERA (18.1ip/4er) and .206 batting average against in the first five games of the season…Pirates relievers have also allowed just one of eight inherited runners to score.

PIRATING: The Pirates are 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts this season…Pittsburgh is one of three teams in MLB with at least five stolen bases and no caught stealings so far this year…The other two teams with at least five stolen bases and no caught stealings are the Orioles (11-for-11) and White Sox (5-for-5).

THE RENEGADE: David Bednar recorded his third save in the team’s fifth game of the season Tuesday night…Prior to Bednar, the last Pirate to record three saves within the team’s first five games of a season was Joel Hanrahan in 2011.

BATMAN RETURNS: A.J. Burnett will throw out the ceremonial first pitch during Friday’s pre-game festivities to former battery-mate Russell artin…Burnett was a member of Pittsburgh’s playoff teams in both 2013 and 2015 while going 35-28 with a 3.34 ERA in 87 starts as a Pirate from 2012-13 and 2015…Martin hit one of the most memorable home runs in Pirates history, taking Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto deep in the 2013 Wild Card Game that helped lift the Pirates to a win and advance to the Division Series.

ADDITIONAL FRIDAY PREGAME INFO: Donnie Iris will perform the National Anthem on Friday…Governor Josh Shapiro will throw out an honorary first pitch…Season ticket holders will unfurl an American flag…The Pirates will also recognize Pittsburgh fallen police officers.

CHECKING THE BROOM CLOSET: The Pirates will attempt to sweep their first series of the season today (the Bucs had four sweeps last year)…Pittsburgh’s last sweep on the road came last year in a four-game series at Cincinnati from September 12-14…Pittsburgh’s last three-game sweep on the road against an American League team came in Detroit from March 30 to April 1, 2018.

DAURI DEALING: Dauri Moreta stranded each of his two inherited runners Tuesday while also tossing a scoreless inning… Moreta is tied for the second-most inherited runners in all of MLB with Michael Rucker of the Cubs…Houston’s Phil Maton leads all of MLB with six inherited runners…Dating back to his outing on July 10 of last year while pitching for the Reds, Moreta has posted a 1.02 ERA (17.2ip/2er), 19 strikeouts, .138 batting average against and 0.85 WHIP.

23 – RHP MITCH KELLER
MITCH KELLER: The 27-year-old righthander will make his second start of the season this afternoon…Came away with a no-decision (4.2ip/4er) on Opening Day in Cincinnati in Pittsburgh’s 5-4 win.

vs. BOSTON:0-1 in one career start…Allowed five runs (4er) in 2.0 innings while losing a 5-3 decision against Nick Pivetta last year at PNC Park on 8/16…Has gone 1-6 with a 4.55 ERA (57.1ip/29er) in 12 career starts during interleague play…Went 0-3 with a 4.68 ERA (25.0ip/13er) in five starts last season against the American League.

BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:

STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox have lost back-toback games vs. PIT after winning consecutive games on
Saturday and Sunday vs. BAL.
The Sox scored a run in the 1st inning last night and
were held scoreless through the final 8 innings.
Beginning with the 2nd inning on Monday vs. PIT,
the Sox been held scoreless in 15 of their last 17
offensive innings (2 total runs) after scoring in 9 of
their previous 12 turns to bat (18 total runs).

ROAD TRIPPING: Today’s game concludes the Red Sox’ season-opening, 6-game homestand against BAL (2-1) and PIT (0-2). The Red Sox tomorrow will begin a 7-game road trip to DET (3 games) and TB (4 games). Tomorrow will be the Tigers’ home opener, with a scheduled off day on Friday…After Friday, the Sox will play 19 games in 19 days, through 4/26.

LEADERS OF THE PACK: The Red Sox rank 2nd in the AL and 3rd in MLB in runs scored (34). The Sox also rank in the AL’s top 5 in various offensive categories (see below).

RED SOX OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat AL Rank
34 runs……………………….. 2nd
50 hits………………………. T-3rd
20 extra-base hits…………. 5th
8 home runs…………………. 4th
Stat AL Rank
.276 AVG………………………. 4th
.350 OBP………………………. 3rd
.486 SLG ………………………. 3rd
.836 OPS ………………………. 3rd

INNINGS OF INTEREST: The Red Sox have scored in the 1st inning in 4 of their first 5 games of 2023. They have scored 8 runs in the 1st inning, tied with CIN and LAD for most in MLB. The Sox have not allowed a run in the 8th or 9th inning yet this season…The only other teams to do so are PIT and TEX. They have outscored opponents in the 8th and 9th innings, 8-0.

HOT START: The Red Sox have scored 34 runs, their most through a season’s first 5 games since 2003 (42 runs).

The Red Sox were held to 1 run and 4 hits last night, after scoring 6+ runs and recording 10+ hits in each of their first 4 games of the season. This Sox recorded at least 6 runs in 10 hits in each of their first 4 games of a season for the 4th time in club history (also 2016, 1985, 1950).

WHAT A RELIEF: Dating back to the 7th inning on Opening Day vs. BAL, 18 of the 21 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 3.0 0
John Schreiber 2.0 0
Kenley Jansen 1.0 0
Josh Winckowski 6.0 1
Zack Kelly 3.2 1

CLOSE SHAVES: 3 of the Red Sox’ first 5 games have been decided by just 1 run, including 2 of their 3 losses (1-2 record). Prior to this year, the last time the Red Sox lost by 1 run in each of their first 2 losses in a season was 2001. Since 1995, the only other seasons in which 3 of
the Sox’ first 5 games were decided by 1 run were 2018 and 2014. The Sox are 1 of 4 teams in MLB to play 3 games decided by 1 run this season (also ARI, CLE, OAK).

SOX & BUCS: The Pirates are visiting Fenway Park for the 1st time since April 2017 (3-game Red Sox sweep). This is the 1st series the Red Sox have ever lost to the Pirates at Fenway Park (2-1-0 series record). PIT’s only other series victory at the venue was a 3-game series win over the Boston Braves in May 1915 (5/15-19).

ON THE MEND: James Paxton threw 49 pitches over 3.0 innings in an intrasquad game yesterday at the Fenway South Player Development Complex.
Brayan Bello is scheduled to pitch in an intrasquad game at Fenway South today. Garrett Whitlock made a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on 3/31 (4.0 IP, 6 H, R, BB, 6 SO)…He is scheduled to pitch for Double-A Portland tomorrow.

DUV-ALL ABOUT IT: Adam Duvall on Monday was named AL Player of the Week for 3/31-4/2, after recording 6 extra-base hits and 8 RBI in his first 3 games with BOS. He recorded another RBI on Monday, becoming the 4th player in Sox history to record 9 RBI over the Sox’ first 4 games of the season…He joined Vern Stephens (1950), Ted Williams (1942), and Bobby Doerr (1941). Duvall leads qualified AL players in runs scored (7), RBI (tied, 9), extra-base hits (tied, 6), total bases (21), SLG (1.000) and OPS (1.542)…He ranks among the AL’s top 3 in AVG (2nd, .476), HR (T-3rd, 2) and OBP (3rd, .542),

MACHO MAN: Masataka Yoshida has hit from the 4th spot in the lineup in each of his 5 career games…He is first player since Jack Hoey in 1906 to bat 4th for the Red Sox in each of his first 5 MLB games. Since 1993, the only other players to hit from the 4th spot in the lineup in each of their first 4 MLB games were Kris Bryant (2015) and Justin Morneau (2003).

THE NEW GUYS: Eleven members of the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster or injured list were not in the organization during the 2022 season (see below). 6 players made their first career Opening Day roster: 1B Triston Casas, RHP Zack Kelly, RHP Kaleb Ort, RHP Josh Winckowski, C Connor Wong, and OF Masataka Yoshida.

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.

TODAY’S STARTER: 28 COREY KLUBER – RHP
Made is 6th Opening Day start last Thursday vs. BAL…Allowed 5 R over 3.1 IP (6 H, 4 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR)…Issued 4 walks for only the 12th time in 257 career games (252 starts). Is 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA (67 ER/198.2 IP) in 32 career Interleague starts. His 3.04 ERA ranks 9th all-time in Interleague play (min. 30 starts). Is 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA (5 ER/9.1 IP) in 2 career starts vs. PIT. In 2022, walked 3.0% of his batters faced, the lowest rate of his career and best in the majors…Was the lowest single-season BB% by a qualified starter in Rays history. Is a 3-time All-Star (2016-18)…Finished in the top 10 in AL Cy Young Award voting in 5 consecutive seasons from 2014-18 with CLE, winning the award in 2014 and 2017.

MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (3-2) at Texas Rangers (3-2)

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MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (3-2) at Texas Rangers (3-2)

BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:

TWO IN A ROW: The Orioles defeated the Rangers last night, 7-2, clinching their first series win of the 2023 campaign while also winning back-to-back games for the first time this year…The Birds will go for the sweep in today’s series finale in Arlington.

Kyle Gibson earned the win after allowing two runs on six hits (2 HR) with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings; marked the first quality start by an O’s hurler this year.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!: Grayson Rodriguez is scheduled to make his Major League debut this afternoon after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk prior to today’s game… Will become the first Oriole to make his Major League debut this season; 13 players (7 pitchers) made their debut for the O’s in 2022…Will also become the first O’s pitcher to start his Major League debut since DL Hall on August 13, 2022, and the youngest O’s pitcher (24-140) to start his debut since Kevin Gausman (22-137) on May 23, 2013… Rodriguez is currently ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 7 by MLB Pipeline, as well as the No. 2 pitching prospect by both outlets…He is ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect by ESPN…Rodriguez will wear No. 30 after wearing No. 85 in Spring Training…The last O’s player to wear No. 30 was Chris Tillman from 2012-18.

STARTING WITH A BANG: Baltimore’s five straight games with multiple home runs to start the season ranks tied for the third-most by a team since at least 1901 (see chart at right); also ranks tied with the 1994 team for the most in club history; the O’s are the only team in MLB to start the 2023 campaign with five consecutive multi-homer games…The Orioles have homered in each of the first five games of the season for the fifth time in club history and first since 2012 (also 5); the club record for the most consecutive games with a home run to start a season is seven by the 1966 and 1984 teams…Baltimore’s 11 home runs through the first five games are the most in team history, surpassing the previous mark of 10 by the 1966 and 1994 squads; the club record for the most home runs through the first six games of a season is 12 by the 1966 team.

TAKING ON TEXAS: The Orioles have now won eight straight games against the Rangers dating back to July 4, 2022; marks Baltimore’s longest winning streak against a single opponent since also winning eight in a row against the Mariners from July 3 to September 19, 2012…The last time the O’s won nine straight games against a single opponent was against the Royals from July 26, 2006 to May 10, 2008…The O’s went 6-0 against the Rangers last season, their first sweep of a season series against a single opponent since 2020 against the Phillies (3-0) and their first season sweep of at least six games against a single opponent since 2010 against Los Angeles-AL (6-0)… Marked Baltimore’s first season sweep of any length against Texas, and the first time the Rangers had ever been swept in a season series by an American League opponent.

RUNNIN’ WILD: The Orioles stole 10 bases through their first two games, the most by a team in its first two games of a season since at least 1901, surpassing the previous record of nine stolen bases held by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds and the 1983 Los Angeles Dodgers…The 10 stolen bases are also the most in any two-game span in team history, surpassing the nine stolen bases from August 28 (G2) to August 29 (G1), 1986.

Jorge Mateo is the first player in O’s history and the eighth MLB player since at least 1901 with multiple stolen bases in each of a team’s first two games to begin a season, and the first since San Diego’s Tommy Pham in 2020.

Baltimore’s 11 stolen bases currently lead MLB and are two more than the next team (Cleveland, 9 SB).

STARTING PITCHER – #30 GRAYSON RODRIGUEZ – RHP

QUICK HITS: Rodriguez is scheduled to make his Major League debut this afternoon after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk prior to today’s
game…Will become the first Oriole to make his Major League debut this season; 13 players (7 pitchers) made their debut for the O’s in 2022…Will also become the first O’s pitcher to start his Major League debut since DL Hall on August 13, 2022, and the youngest O’s pitcher (24-140) to start his debut since Kevin Gausman (22-137) on May 23, 2013…A Texas native, Rodriguez attended Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas, roughly 180 miles southeast of Arlington…Had his contract selected to the 40-man roster on November 15, 2022…Originally selected by the Orioles in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. NUMBER NEWS: Rodriguez will wear No. 30 after wearing No. 85 in Spring Training…The last O’s player to wear No. 30 was Chris Tillman from 2012-18.

LAST TIME OUT: Made one start for the Tides on March 31 at Durham, Norfolk’s season opener…Did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs (2 ER) on four hits (1 HR) with four walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings…Threw 75 pitches, 48 strikes.

PROSPECTING: Currently ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 7 by MLB Pipeline…He is ranked as the No. 2 pitching
prospect by both outlets, trailing only Andrew Painter of the Phillies.. Rodriguez is the No. 2 O’s prospect according to both outlets, behind
Gunnar Henderson.

SPRING TRAINING: Attended his second Major League Spring Training and made five starts with the O’s, going 0-1 with a 7.04 ERA (12 ER/15.1 IP) and 19 strikeouts…Worked 4.0 innings in his last start on March 23 vs. Detroit, allowing five runs on four hits (1 HR) with one hit batter and five strikeouts.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS: Owned a 6-2 record with a 2.62 ERA (22 ER/75.2 IP) with 109 strikeouts in 17 starts between High-A Aberdeen, Double-A Bowie, and Triple-A Norfolk…Started the season with Norfolk and made his Triple-A debut on 4/8 vs. Charlotte, allowing just one hit with seven strikeouts to one walk in 4.0 shutout innings…Pitched to a 1.19 ERA (2 ER/15.1 IP) in his first three Triple-A starts…Spent time on the Injured List with a strained right lat muscle…Made three rehab starts, one with Aberdeen and two with Bowie, pitching to a 7.50 ERA (5 ER/6.0 IP) with 11 strikeouts and five walks… Reassigned to Norfolk on 9/11 and made his next start on 9/16 vs. Charlotte, allowing two hits with four strikeouts to one walk in 5.0 scoreless innings… Allowed just two home runs across three levels in 2022.

HIGH TIDE: Went 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA (17 ER/69.2 IP) with 97 strikeouts in 14 starts for the Tides in 2022…Named International League Pitcher of the Month for May, going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA (8 ER/32.0 IP) and 48 strikeouts in six starts…Prior to his injury, Rodriguez led the International League in starts (11), ERA (2.09), innings pitched (56.0), batting average against (.168), WHIP (0.84) and strikeouts (80).

COLLECTING HARDWARE: Rodriguez was named Orioles Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year in consecutive seasons (2019, 2021)…Orioles
player development and scouting awards were not administered in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Season because of the COVID-19 pandemic…Named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year in 2021.

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

WINS AND LOSSES: Texas lost to the O’s last night, 7-2, and have dropped 2 straight since winning season’s 1st 3 games…the current 3-2 record still matches the best 5-G start by a Rangers team in the last 11 seasons beg. 2013 (also 3-2 in 2013 and 2019)…team opened the year with a 3-0 record for just the 9th time in Rangers history, longest season-opening win streak since 2011 (6-0).

• Texas reached a season-best 3-over .500 with Sunday’s win, 1st time to be 3-over since a 58-55 mark after losing the 1st game of a doubleheader on 8/7/19 at CLE.

WITH A WIN TODAY, the Rangers could:
• Finish with a 4-2 record on the season-opening homestand…club did not have a winning homestand in 2022 until a 6-3 mark from 5/10-18/22 vs. KC/BOS/LAA.

• Match team’s best 6-G start in the last 12 seasons (4-2 in 2012, 2013, and 2019).

• Avoid going 0-3 in this week’s series vs. BAL and snap a current 8-G losing skid against the O’s (last win 9/26/21 at BAL).

• Maintain at least a tie for 1st place in the A.L. West.

STANDINGS: The Rangers enter today’s slate tied with the Los Angeles Angels (also 3-2, .600) for the A.L. West lead, sitting +1.0 GA of 3rd-place Oakland (2-3, .400)…Texas has been alone or tied atop the division for each of the last 6 days, as this marks the latest date for the club to own even a share of 1st place in the West since the final day of team’s division-winning season in 2016 (10/2/16)…from 2017-22, the Rangers had one day in which it held, or was tied for, 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).

SERIES STUFF: Rangers are now 1-1-0 in series this season after securing a series loss against the O’s with last night’s defeat…the 3-0 finish vs. PHI to open the season marked the 1st time for Texas to win the 1st series of a season since 2019 (won final 2 G of 3-G series 3/28-31 vs. CHC), and the 7th time in club history to open a campaign with a sweep in a series of 3+ G (last 3-0 in 2011 vs. BOS).

• The Rangers were winless (0-4-0) over their first 4 series in 2022, failing to record their first series win until 4/22-24/22 at OAK (2-1).

VS. BALTIMORE: The Rangers are 0-2 against the Orioles this season, with the two clubs scheduled to meet 4 additional times in 2023: today and 5/26-28 in Baltimore (3 G)… Texas has lost 8 straight against the O’s dating back to the start of 2022, including an 0-6 showing last season which was the first winless campaign against an A.L. opponent in Washington/Texas franchise history…current 0-8 span matches TEX’s longest active losing streak against any foe (TEX is 0-for-last-8 vs. SD), and one shy of matching longest skid ever against the O’s (0-9 both 6/2/72-8/27/73 and 5/30/03-8/9/04)…Texas is 3-12 vs. BAL since start of 2021, but retains a 14-12 edge in Arlington beg. 6/5/14…BAL leads all-time series (273-218-1).

OPPONENTS IN ML DEBUT: RHP Grayson Rodriguez is scheduled to make his ML debut today for Baltimore in a start opposite Jacob deGrom…the only pitcher to make a start against TEX in his ML debut last season was HOU’s Hunter Brown on 9/5/22 at Minute Maid (W, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO)…Brown was the 1st opposing starter to win vs. TEX in his ML debut since Brendan McKay on 6/29/19 at TB…since 2016, the only opposing pitcher to win a ML debut vs. TEX in Arlington was LAA’s Jaime Barria on 4/11/18 (W, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R-ER).

BRING BACK THE BATS: Since batting .375 with 27 runs and 5 HR over the season’s 1st 2 G against Philly, the Rangers have totaled 4 runs and 3 HR over the past 3 G, batting .176 (16-91) with 2 BB/21 SO…club is 1-for-11 w/ RISP the past 3 G after going 12-for-21 (.571) w/ RISP over 1st
2 G.

COME PICK ME UP: Dane Dunning and Taylor Hearn combined for 6.1 shutout innings to finish last night’s loss, as Texas relievers now have a streak of 18.1 consecutive scoreless innings since a run against Jonathan Hernández in the 7th inning on Thurs. vs. PHI…the Texas bullpen leads MLB in relief ERA (0.83), opp. BA (.151), and WHIP (0.78), remaining one of 5 teams whose relievers have yet to allow a HR (also BOS/CIN/NYY/STL).

LOWEST RELIEF ERA’S IN MLB, 2023
ERA Team ER / IP
0.83 Texas 2 / 21.2
1.37 Atlanta 3 / 19.2
1.53 Minnesota 3 / 17.2
1.71 New York-AL 4 / 21.0
1.72 Milwaukee 3 / 15.2

DANE DANDY: Dane Dunning pitched 4.0 scoreless innings in relief of Andrew Heaney last night, extending a run of early-season success…Dunning now has 7.0 SHO IP over his 2 relief appearances this season, holding opponents to a .167 BA…his 7.0 relief innings lead MLB, and he is one of only 2 MLB pitchers with at least 5.0 scoreless relief innings in ‘23 (BAL’s Tyler Wells has 5.0 SHO IP).

deGROM DAY: Jacob deGrom makes his 2nd start with Texas today, facing a Baltimore club that has averaged 9.4 SO/G over the season’s 1st 5 contests…deGrom has produced swing-and-miss on 31.0% of swings against him in his career, the highest percentage of any player since pitches were first tracked in 1988.

HIGHEST SWING-AND-MISS PCT. SINCE 1988
(Minimum 1300.0 IP)
Pct. PItcher
31.0 Jacob deGrom
29.7 Francisco Liriano
29.4 Max Scherzer
29.3 Chris Sale
29.1 Pedro Martinez

DAY GAMES: TEX enters today’s homestand finale with a 2-0 record in day games, winning Thurs. and Sat. vs. PHI to open the year with a 2-0 overall record…the offense scored 27 runs in those 2 contests, batting .375 with a 1.080 OPS… TEX has gone 7-4 in last 11 day games at GLF beg. 8/14/22. SWEET HOME CHICAGO: The Rangers are scheduled to fly to Chicago after today’s game and have an off day tomorrow in the Windy City…this will be the 1st of 2 trips to Chicago this season for Texas, also playing White Sox on the South Side from 6/19-21…TEX is 9-9 all-tme vs. Cubs, with last meeting to open season 3/28-31/19 at the former Globe Life Park in Arlington (TEX won 2 of 3 G)…Rangers have not visited Wrigley since dropping 2 of 3 out of AS break, 7/15-17/16.

BRUUUUUUUUUCE: Rangers manager Bruce Bochy enters today’s game with a lifetime managerial record of 2,006- 2,031 (.497) over 4,037 games with San Diego (951-975, .494), San Francisco (1,052-1,054, .4995), and Texas (3-2, .600)…he currently ranks 12th on MLB’s all-time managerial
wins list, needing just 3 more victories to move into 11th place over Hall of Famer Leo Durocher (2,008 wins).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #48 Jacob deGrom, RHP
TODAY: The 34-year-old right-hander is slated to make his 2nd start of the season (3rd of his career in Arlington) in the final game of the series today against Baltimore…allowed 5 runs (all earned) over 3.2 innings in his Texas debut on Thurs. vs. PHI…is 2-0, with a 1.23 ERA (2 ER/14.2 IP) in 2 career games/starts vs. Baltimore…the 2-time National League Cy Young Award winner (2018-19) signed a 5-year free agent contract with Texas on 12/2/22…owns the 3rd-lowest ERA in the Expansion Era (since 1961) among pitchers with at least 200 starts: 2.19-Sandy Koufax, 2.48-Clayton Kershaw, 2.55-deGrom…was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2014, and is one of just 3 pitchers in baseball history to win multiple Cy Young Awards and a Rookie of the Year Award (also Justin Verlander and Tom Seaver)…has received Cy Young Award votes in 6 of the last 8 seasons (2015-17-18-19-20-21), including 5 straight years prior to an injury-shortened 2022 campaign…is a 4-time All-Star (2015, 2018, 2019, 2021) and has twice been selected All-MLB First Team (2019, 2020)…spent his entire career with the Mets organization prior to signing with Texas, as he was selected by New York-NL in the 9th round of the 2010 MLB Draft…the Deland, Fla. native and resident played college baseball at his hometown Stetson University, the same school which produced 2-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber…in college, played third base and shortstop his first 2 years before converting to a pitcher as a junior in 2010.

OPENING DAY NOTES: DeGrom made his 4th career Opening Day start on Thurs. vs. PHI, becoming the first multi-time Cy Young Award-winner to start a season-opener for the Rangers…allowed career-high 6 extra-base hits (HR, 3 2B, 2 3B), including a 2-run HR to Alec Bohm in the top of the 2nd…struck out 7 of 17 (41.2%) batters faced without issuing a walk, becoming the first starting pitcher in club history to post 7+ strikeouts and no walks while recording 11-or-fewer outs…had entered the outing having gone scoreless in his 3 previous Opening Day starts (17.0 IP)…avoided suffering his 1st career Opening Day loss after the Rangers rallied for 9 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning.

• DeGrom became just the 3rd Texas pitcher to start on Opening Day for the club after having previously won a Cy Young Award, joining Fergie Jenkins (1971 N.L. Cy Young with CHC), who started the opener for Texas on 4/8/75 vs. MIN and 4/7/79 at DET, and Gaylord Perry (1972 A.L. Cy Young with CLE; also 1978 N.L. Cy Young with SD), who was the Rangers’ O.D. starter on 4/9/76 vs. MIN…he became the 14th different pitcher to start an opener for Texas in the last 15 seasons (beg. 2009), with Cole Hamels (2016 and 2018) being the only 2-time O.D. starter for the Rangers in that span.

DE-GOAT: A 2-time National League Cy Young Award winner with the Mets (2018-19), deGrom leads MLB pitchers over the last 3 seasons since the beg. of 2020 (min. 200.0 IP) in ERA (1st, 2.21), opp. BA (1st, .165), WHIP (1st, 0.75), strikeouts per 9 innings (1st, 14.17), and walks per 9 innings (1st, 1.46)…has averaged 10.92 strikeouts per 9 innings in his MLB career from 2014-22, the 2nd-best figure in Major League history among pitchers with at least 1300.0 innings (11.07-Chris Sale)…1,614 career strikeouts are the most in MLB history by any pitcher through his first 210 outings in the big leagues…also has the highest swing-and-miss rate (31.0%) since pitches were first tracked in 1988.

SPRING TRAINING: Was scoreless with a 1-0 record over 2 Cactus League ‘A’ game starts (6.2 IP) this spring…struck out 10 of 26 (38.5%) batters faced while issuing just 2 walks, as opponents combined to go 4-for-24 (.167)…took ND in last outing on Sat. vs. SD (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO), Texas’ final Arizona exhibition of the spring slate…made Cactus League ‘A’ game debut on 3/19 vs. SEA (3.0 IP, 4 SO)…saw first game action of 2023 in Triple-A contest on Field 1 in Surprise on 3/13 (2.0 IP, 5 SO, 1 HR, 24 pitches/20 strikes)…reported left side tightness upon arrival in camp on 2/15…took 4 days off from throwing before resuming regular bullpen sessions…faced batters in live BP on 3/8 (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 SO).

Date Opp. Dec. ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR P/S
3/13 vs. KC (AAA) — 4.50 2.0 1 1 1 0 5 1 24/20
3/19 vs. SEA W 0.00 3.0 2 0 0 0 4 0 –
3/25 vs. SD – 0.00 3.2 2 0 0 2 6 0 –
‘A’ Totals 1-0 0.00 6.2 4 0 0 2 10 0 –

VS. BALTIMORE/A.L. EAST: Has gone 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA (2 ER/14.2 IP) in 2 career games/starts against the Orioles (both during the 2015 season)… has lasted at least 7 innings, allowed one run, struck out at least six batters and thrown 100-or-more pitches in both starts against Baltimore…deGrom owns an 8-11 record with a 3.11 ERA (58 ER/167.2 IP) in 26 games/starts against A.L. East opponents, with 12 of those starts coming at Citi Field…has lasted at least 6.0 innings in 11 of 12 home starts against A.L. East opponents at home.

IN ARLINGTON / AT HOME: DeGrom went 41-32 with a 2.12 ERA over 109 G/GS at Citi Field in his time with the Mets, holding opponents to a .191/.243/.293/.536 slash and 0.914 WHIP figure…his 2.17 career home ERA is the best among active pitchers (min. 700.0 IP) and the 5th-lowest since ER became an official stat in 1913 (min. 700.0 IP)…the lower home ERA’s on that list?: 2.04-Walter Johnson, 2.06-Eddie Cicotte, 2.108-Dick Rudolph, 2.112-Babe Ruth.

• Today’s start will mark deGrom’s 2nd appearance at Globe Life Field and his 3rd career outing in Arlington…he allowed 5 runs (all earned) over 3.2 innings in his Texas debut and 4th career Opening Day start on Thurs. vs. PHI, coughing up a career-high 6 XBH (HR, 3 2B, 2 3B) while not factoring in the decision…he surrendered career high-tying 8 ER in a start on 6/6/17 at TEX w/ NYM at the former Globe Life Park in Arlington (L, 4.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R-ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR). 2022: In his final season with the Mets, deGrom went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA (22 ER/64.1 IP) over 11 appearances/starts after returning to the mound in early August…missed the season’s first four months with a stress reaction on his right scapula…beginning with his first start of the year on 8/2, led MLB for the rest of the season in SO (102), SO pct. (42.7%), opp. OBP (.202), and WHIP (0.75)… was 5-1, 1.66 (8 ER/43.1 IP) with a .135/.158/.216/.374 slash line and 4 BB/63 SO over 1st 7 starts, then went 0-3, 6.00 (14 ER/21.0 IP) in last 4 outings beg. 9/13…posted 5 G of 10+ SO, including season-high 13 K’s over 5.0 IP in win 9/18 vs. PIT…from 8/7-9/18/22, posted MLB-record 8 straight starts of 8+ SO and one-or-zero walks…declined a player option with Mets for 2023 season on 11/6, and declined qualifying offer from NYM on 11/15, formally making him a free agent.

MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (4-1) at St. Louis Cardinals (2-3)

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MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (4-1) at St. Louis Cardinals (2-3)

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Cardinals today conclude a three-game set with the third of six scheduled meetings between the two teams this
season…The teams will next meet from September 5-7 at Truist Park in Atlanta.

• Atlanta beat St. Louis, 4-1, last night to take the first two games of this series…The Braves went 4-3 against St. Louis last season, winning three-of-four games at Truist Park and dropping two-of-three here at Busch Stadium.

• Atlanta has won four consecutive season series against the Cardinals dating to 2018…The Braves went 4-3 last season, 6-1 against the Cardinals in 2021, 4-2 in 2019 and 4-2 in 2018.

• After last night’s win, Atlanta has won seven of nine and 12 of their last 15 regular-season games in St. Louis…Prior to last year, they had not lost a series here since 2017, dropping two-of-three.

• Overall, Atlanta has won 13 of their last 17 games and 16 of 21 vs. St. Louis…Over that 21-game stretch that dates to May 15, 2019, Atlanta has compiled a 2.38 ERA (49 ER/185.1 IP) against the Cardinals.

• RH Bryce Elder is set to make his season debut after being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett yesterday…The 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander has never faced St. Louis, nor has he ever pitched against a member of the Cardinals’ current roster… Elder pitched to a 2-4 record with a 3.17 ERA (19 ER/54.0 IP) over 10 appearances and nine starts with Atlanta last season, including the only shutout by a Braves starter on the year.

• RH Miles Mikolas has pitched in five games and made four starts against Atlanta in his career, going 1-3 with a 3.04 ERA (9 ER/26.2 IP) and a 4.88 FIP…The 6-foot-4, 230-pound native of Jupiter, FL, made one start against Atlanta last season, July 6 at Truist Park, and allowed five hits and three runs over 6.0 innings in the loss…Mikolas started on Opening Day for St. Louis last week, and allowed 10 hits and five runs over 3.1 innings vs. Toronto.

VS. THE CENTRAL: Atlanta moved to 2-0 against the NL Central this season with last night’s win…The Braves finished 21-12 (.636) against the Central last season after they went 22-12 (.647) against the division in 2021.

• That 22-12 record last season was the best by any National League team against the Central.

• Since 2018, when the Braves started a string of five consecutive division titles, Atlanta is 83-51 (.619) against the NL Central, the best record of any NL team…In all of the majors, only Oakland at 10-6 (.625) has been better over this span.

• The Braves have knocked out a Central opponent in two of the last three postseasons…They beat Milwaukee in four games during the NLDS in
2021 after sweeping Cincinnati in the Wild Card Round in 2020.

FIRST INNING: Austin Riley’s first-inning home run last night was his second in as many days, and Atlanta has scored three first-inning runs over the first two games of this series.

• The Braves clubbed back-to-back home runs leading off Saturday’s game in Washington, and Atlanta’s four first-inning home runs this season are most in the majors.

• Atlanta’s five total first-inning runs through five games are tied for seventh most in baseball…The Dodgers, Reds and Red Sox have each scored eight such runs to lead the majors.

• The Braves only scored 71 runs in the first inning last season, seventh fewest in the majors and the least of any playoff team.

SCORE FIRST: Atlanta has jumped out to first-inning leads in three of its five games this season, and has scored first in each of its four wins.

• The Braves went 73-13 (.849) last season when they scored the first run of the game…That was the second-best such mark in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers, who were 76-13 (.854) when they scored first.

• The Braves only lost 20 times in games they led at any point last season, the fewest such losses in the majors…The Dodgers and Mets both had 21 such losses.

• Atlanta has surrendered a lead just once this season, allowing St. Louis to tie the game at 1-1 in the first inning on Monday, but plated five runs in the top of the second and led the remainder of that game… The Braves have yet to trail in any of their four wins.

• The Braves played 67 games in which they never trailed last season, the third most games in the majors…Only Houston (74) and the Mets (71) had more.

BULLPEN: Five Atlanta relievers combined to pitch 4.0 scoreless innings last night, allowing just four hits and converting the Braves’ first save of the season.

• Braves relievers have pitched to a 1.37 ERA (3 ER/19.2 IP) through five games, the third-best mark through five matchups in Atlanta-era franchise history (since 1966).

• The 2015 bullpen did not allow a run through five games and 18.0 innings, surrendering only five hits within that span against New York (NL) and Miami…The Braves held a 0.79 relief ERA through five games (1 ER/11.1 IP) in 1983, beginning the season against San Diego and Cincinnati.

• The Braves’ 1.37 bullpen ERA paces the National League this season and ranks second in the majors behind Texas (0.83).

• No Atlanta reliever has surrendered multiple runs this season, and six (Jesse Chavez, Joe Jiménez, Dylan Lee, Collin McHugh, A.J. Minter and Michael Tonkin) have yet to be scored upon.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher #55 Bryce Elder
Tonight’s Game
• Set to make his 10th career start, 11th appearance and his first against St. Louis.

• Made one previous start this season with Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing four runs, five hits, one walk and one home run through 6.0 frames tossed on March 31.

• This will mark his first appearance against the NL Central.

• Dating to last season, Elder has pitched to a 2.31 ERA over his last six starts with Atlanta.

• He started the final game of the 2022 regular season after Atlanta clinched the division on October 2.

2022 Recap
• Made nine starts and pitched in 10 total games during his debut season, compiling a 2-4 record with a 3.17 ERA (19 ER/54.0 IP)…Surpassed his rookie innings limit in his final start of the season, but was rated as Atlanta’s No. 4 prospect during the season.

• Made his major league debut, April 12, and beat the Nationals, 16-4…Pitched 5.2 innings with six hits, three runs and four strikeouts…Allowed a pair of home runs.

• Pitched the first shuout of his career, September 26 at Washington, allowing just six hits and one walk…Struck out six…The Braves beat the Nationals, 8-0.

• The outing is the only shutout by a Braves pitcher on the season.

• Elder became the first Braves rookie to throw a shutout since Paul Marak in 1990.

• Started on August 14 at Miami…He pitched 7.0 innings in that start, allowing three hits and one run in the no-decision, and fanned a career-most 10 batters… The Braves beat the Marlins, 3-1.

• Became just the third Braves player in the live-ball era (since 1920) to log a double-digit strikeout effort within the first six games of his career…He joined LHP Mike Minor (12 strikeouts at the Cubs in his third career game) and RHP Ryan Weber (10 strikeouts vs. Washington in his fifth appearance).

• Was added as the 27th man for Atlanta’s doubleheader at New York on August 6, and pitched 2.1 innings of relief against the Mets in Game 1.

• Walked six batters in his start, April 24, and five in his start on April 17, after issuing zero bases on balls in his debut.

• The 11 walks are the most for any Braves pitcher in a two-game span since 2012, when Tommy Hanson also walked 11 between his starts on July 20 and July 25.

• Made 18 appearances and 17 starts for Triple-A Gwinnett on the season, and went 6-5 with a 4.46 ERA (52 ER/105.0 IP) and 97 strikeouts for the Stripers.

• Became the seventh pitcher in franchise history to debut with a start against the Nationals/Expos, and the first since Manny Banuelos pitched 5.2 scoreless innings on July 2, 2015 in his first career appearance.

• Including Elder, the seven pitchers combined to go 3-2 and compile a 3.23 ERA (14 ER/39.0 IP), including four starts of at least 5.0 innings and no more than two runs allowed.

• Atlanta improved to 5-2 in games in which a starting pitchers debuts against Washington, including wins in each of the last five such games.

Career
• Was originally drafted by Atlanta in the fifth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas…Was the fifth member of the 2020 draft class to debut, and the lowest-selected pick to do so.

• Of the first five members to play in the majors from the 2020 draft class, three were selected with the first 11 picks in the draft – Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson (No. 1 overall), the Angels’ Reid Detmers (No. 10) and the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet (No. 11).

• The other two were both selected by Atlanta, and chosen with the 126th (Spencer Strider) and 156th (Elder) overall selections.

• Made his professional debut during the 2021 season and pitched across three levels of the Braves’ farm system…Went a combined 11-5 with a 2.76 ERA (41 ER/133.2 IP) and 151 strikeouts in 24 games, all starts.

• Named the Double-A South Pitcher of the Week for July 5-July 11, and Double-A South Pitcher of the Month for July…In nine starts he went 7-1 with a 3.21 ERA (20 ER/56.0 IP).

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The defending NL Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals and visiting Atlanta Braves play the finale of a three-game series this afternoon at Busch Stadium as the Redbirds look to split their 1992 World Series homestand versus Toronto (2-1) and Atlanta (0-2) … After tomorrow’s scheduled off day, the Cardinals embark on a six-game road trip through Milwaukee (April 7-9) and Colorado (April 10-12).

CHOPPED: With a win today, the Cardinals would avoid their first series sweep to the Braves since Aug 3-5, 2021 at Busch Stadium, which also was the last time any team swept the Cardinals in St. Louis… The only time St. Louis was swept by any opponent last season was June 7-9, 2022 at Tampa Bay.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: Oliver Marmol is closing in on his 100th career win as Cardinals manager, going 95-72 over his first 167 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

BIRD BATS: St. Louis ranks among MLB leaders in hits (63, 1st), batting average (.344, 1st), OBP (.392, 1st), slugging (.497, 5th), OPS (.889, 4th), total bases (91, T-3rd), times on base (78, 4th), and singles (49, 1st) … According to Baseball Savant, St. Louis ranks 2nd in hard hit balls of 95+mph (72) and 4th in MLB average exit velocity (90.5 mph).

HANG 10: The Cardinals are the only MLB teams this season to record double-digit hits in each of their first five games … In franchise history, only three Cardinals teams have opened a season with double-digit hits in five games or longer: 1901 (7g), 1956 (7g), 1966 (6g), and 2023 (5g).

FLAWLESS FLOCK: The Cardinals and Mets are the only two MLB teams with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this season, while 2023 marks only the 2nd time in franchise history (since 1901) that the Redbirds began a season without committing an error in its first five games … The 1941 Cardinals started their season errorless before committing three errors in their 6th game vs. Pittsburgh.

300 NADO DINGERS: Nolan Arenado is one homer away from becoming the 7th player to hit home run #300 in a Cardinals uniform, joining Stan Musial (June 3, 1955 at Brooklyn), Gary Gaetti (June 23, 1996 at Montreal), Jim Edmonds (Sept. 4, 2004 vs. LA Dodgers), Albert Pujols (July 4, 2008 vs. Chicago Cubs), Troy Glaus (Sept. 3, 2008 at Arizona), and Paul Goldschmidt (July 16, 2022 vs. Cincinnati) … Ranking 8th among all active Major Leaguers in homers, Arenado trails only Evan Longoria (332) among active third sackers and is 15th all-time in MLB history among primary third basemen.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP MILES MIKOLAS (0-0, 13.50 ERA)

TODAY’S GAME
• The 2022 National League All-Star makes his 2nd start of the young season in today’s series finale. It’s his 2nd straight day game start.

• Drew his 2nd career Opening Day start last Thu. (3/30) and had a no-decision in the Cardinals 10-9 loss to Toronto.

• Is facing the Atlanta Braves for the 6th time in his career (5th start). It’s his first meeting with the Braves in S. Louis since 2019.

• Signed a two-year contract extension thru 2025 on March 24.

• Was a 3-0 with 0.00 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts this season, allowing just one unearned run in his 12.0 IP. 123 of his 133 pitches thrown this spring were strikes

• Pitched for Team USA during World Baseball Classic, totaling 6.0 IP in two relief appearances, including a 4.0 inning stint in the American’s semi-final win over Cuba.

• Had a 6-3 mark with 2.38 ERA (9th in MLB) in 14 starts at home last season, working 7.0+ IP in eight of those starts. Had 11 quality starts among his 14 at home last season, and the Cardinals were 10-3 in his home starts.

• Set a new career-high in innings pitched (202.1) in 2022, surpassing his previous high of 200.2 IP in 2018, his first year with St. Louis. He was one of five MLB pitchers with 200+ IP last year and one of eight pitchers with multiple seasons of 200+ IP since 2018.

• Although he missed all of the 2020 season, his 41-34 mark as a Cardinal is 2nd on the team to Adam Wainwright (49-36) in both wins & losses since 2018.

• St. Louis is 64-43 (.598 win pct.) in his 107 career outings (106 starts) since joining the organization in 2018.

• Is lifetime 20-16 with a 2.71 ERA (329.0 IP) at Busch Stadium. His 2.71 ERA ranks as the 4th-lowest in Busch Stadium III history (minimum 200.0 innings) trailing only Shelby Miller (2.46), Dakota Hudson (2.54) and Chris Carpenter (2.61).

• Has walked 111 batters over his first 106 starts with St. Louis. Among Cardinals starters in their first 106 starts with the franchise, only Bob Tewksbury (85) has issued fewer

• Was one of 10 MLB pitchers and two Cardinals (Wainwright) with a perfect 1.000 fielding pct. (31 total chances) in 2022. Hasn’t made an error since 8/2/18 vs. COL.

• Recored his 500th career strikeout in the National League on Opening Day.

• Started Game 2 of NL Wild Card Series last year, and suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Phillies

LAST TIME OUT
• Made his 2nd career Opening Day start and allowed his most ever hits at Busch Stadium (10) in just 3.1 IP. Took ND as the Cardinals & Blue Jays exchanged leads five times.

2022
NL Ranks: Innings Pitched (202.1, 3rd), Starts (32, T3rd), Quality Starts (22, 3rd), Complete Games (1, T3rd), WHIP (1.03, 10th), Batters faced (805, 3rd), Baserunners/9 IP (9.56, 10th), BB/9 IP (1.73, 5th), Strikeout/Walk Ratio (3.92, 11th), Pitches Thrown (3,152, 3rd), Pitches/Game (95.5, 7th), Pitch Tempo (14.9 sec/pitch – bases empty, 20th)

• Selected to 2nd NL All-Star team (also 2018) as replacement for Corbin Burnes (DNP).

• Made a 3.0-inning relief appearance in his final regular-season outing on 10/3 at PIT, his first relief outing since July 31, 2013 vs. CIN w/SD; a span of 115 starts.

• Carried a no-hitter 8.2 innings into the game vs. PIT (6/14-Game 2) before Cal Mitchell broke it up with a ground-rule double.

• Compiled a career-high, 19.0-inning scoreless streak from April 20-30, highest among all Cardinals pitchers in 2022.

• Had five starts of 8.0 innings or more, ranking T3rd in MLB behind Sandy Alcántara (14, MIA) and Aaron Nola (6, PHI). Threw 8.0 innings in back-to-back starts August 14 & 19 for the 2nd time this season. (Also: June 9 at TB (8.0 IP) and June 14 [2] vs. PIT (8.2 IP).

• Limited his opposition to 2 earned runs or fewer in 15 of his first 19 starts (2.54 ERA), but allowed 3 or more in seven of his 13 starts after the All-Star break (4.44 ERA).

MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins (4-1) at Miami Marlins (2-4)

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MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins (4-1) at Miami Marlins (2-4)

MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:

THE TWINS: Have gone 4-1 through five games on their current six-game roadtrip, sweeping the Royals in three last weekend, followed by a split of the first two games in Miami this week… this afternoon, the Twins will wrap the series with the three-game series finale at loanDepot Park…after today’s game, the Twins will travel home to enjoy an off-day tomorrow, then begin their 14th season at Target Field with three against the Astros from Friday-Sunday and three against the White Sox from Monday-Wednesday.

Twins return home Friday where they went 46-35 at Target Field in 2022.

Today marks the first rubber game of 2023…the Twins were 7-7 in such instances in 2023.

TICK TOCK: Through five games, the Twins average time of game is two hours and 23 minutes, the fastest in baseball…their longest game this season has been 2:35 (April 2 at KC), while their shortest was last night at 1:57…last season, the Twins average time of game was 3:07, a difference of 44 minutes to this season.

ENTER SANDY-MAN, TWINS BATS TO SLEEP: The Twins were shut out by the Marlins and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara last night by a score of 1-0…Kenta Maeda (0-1) was the starter and loser, allowing just one run on three hits in 5.0 innings pitched, including nine strikeouts, the most by a Twins starter this season…it marked Maeda’s first appearance on a regular season major league mound since August 21, 2021 — a span of 591 days…the offense recorded just three hits as Trevor Larnach reached twice, going 1-for-3 with a walk… the game was played in one hour and 57 minutes, the shortest 9-inning game for Minnesota since September 10, 2010 at Cleveland (also 1:57).

HAPPY PABLO DAY: Today’s starter, Pablo López, was acquired by the Twins via trade with Miami on January 20, along with infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez…López made his major league debut with the Marlins on June 30, 2018 and pitched parts of five major league seasons with Miami from 2018-22, going 28-31, 3.94 ERA (510.0 IP, 223 ER), with 142 walks, 489 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP in 94 starts…his 489 strikeouts still rank 12th on the Marlins all-time list…last season, he became the 16th pitcher in Marlins history to reach 500.0 innings pitched…he was named the 2020 Marlins Charlie Hough Good Guy Award winner…in 50 career stats at loanDepot Park, he has gone 14-15, 3.45 ERA (284.0 IP, 109 ER) with 79 walks, 268 strikeouts and 26 quality starts…below are his ranks in this ballpark: WINS INNINGS STARTS STRIKEOUTS ERA (min. 200.0 IP)

Fernández – 29 Alcantara – 374.0 Koehler – 60 Fernández- 346 Fernández – 1.49
Koehler – 19 Koehler – 361.1 Alcantara – 56 Alcantara – 333 Alcantara – 2.70
Alcantara – 18 Ureña – 316.1 Ureña – 52 Koehler – 292 López – 3.45
López – 14 López – 284.0 López – 50 López – 268 Koehler – 4.06
Cishek – 14 Fernández – 272.1 Fernández- 42 Ureña – 219 Evoaldi – 4.32

MOUND MASTERS: Through five games, Twins pitchers have combined to post a 1.03 ERA (26.1 IP, 3 ER), with 10 walks, 31 strikeouts, while holding batters to a slashline of .172/.260/.280… below are their ranks among all starting staffs in Major League Baseball:

ERA BAA FIP WHIP HITS ALLOWED
MIN – 1.03 MIA – .172 TB – 1.35 LAD – 0.71 MIN – 16
LAD – 1.80 MIN – .172 LAD – 1.82 TB – 0.88 MIA – 17
TB – 2.08 LAD – .180 ATL – 3.03 MIN – 0.99 SF – 17
MIL – 2.22 MIL – .190 MIN – 3.24 MIL – 0.99 MIL – 19
KC – 2.84 TB – .198 NYY – 3.27 NYY – 1.04 TB – 19

WINNESOTA: The Twins 4-1 record ranks tied for second-best in baseball with Atlanta and Milwaukee, and trailing Tampa Bay (5-0)…a win today would give the Twins their best start since 2017, when they were also 5-1…a win today would also mark the 10th time in Twins/ Senators franchise history (since 1901) to win at least five games in their first six chances.

THE OTHER GUYS: The Twins have won four of their last five against National League opponents, dating back to August 26, 2022…their next Interleague game after today will be when the Twins host the Nationals from April 21-23.

The Twins and Marlins are playing each other for the 19th time in their history today…the Twins are 10-8 against the Marlins, going 2-1 at the Metrodome, 2-1 at Dolphin Stadium, 3-4 at Marlins Park/loanDepot and 3-2 at Target Field.

THE LEFTORIUM: The Twins have six hits in 21 at-bats vs. left-handed pitching this season, including two home runs (Gallo & Larnach).

Last season, the Twins went 27-22 in games started by left-handers.

Carlos Correa hit .299 (40-for-134) with a .945 OPS vs. lefties last season…in his last 26 games, dating back to August 9, 2022, he is hitting .373 (19-for-51) with a 1.197 OPS against left-handed pitching.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: A victory today would secure the second series win of the season for the Twins…in 2022, they went 21-24-6 in series play, going 14-8-4 at home and 7-16-2 on the road…the last time the Twins won both of their first two series in a season came in 2021, taking two of three at both Milwaukee and Detroit.

LARNACH ON WOOD: Trevor Larnach has eight hits and four walks in 23 plate appearances this season, slashing .421/.522/.684 in five games…his .421 batting average ranks fifth in the AL, trailing Matt Chapman (.579), Adam Duvall (.476), Taylor Ward (.435) and Yoán Moncada (.429)…his .522 OBP also ranks fifth, trailing Chapman (.619), Mike Trout (.565), Duvall (.542) and Gleyber Torres (.524).

STARTING PITCHER – PABLO LóPEZ 49
Making his second start and appearance of 2023 in his sixth major league season (Miami – 2018-22)…also his 96th career appearance (all starts).

Facing Miami for the first time in his career…14-15, 3.45 ERA (284.0 IP, 268 K) with 79 walks and 268 strikeouts in 50 career starts at loanDepot Park.

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

LAST TIME OUT: López started on Opening Day March 30 at Kansas City and earned the win in his Twins debut, pitching 5.1 shutout innings with two hits allowed, three walks and eight strikeouts… retired first seven batters he faced and nine of first 10…escaped bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the fifth by inducing a 3-2-4 double-play groundout from Royals outfielder MJ Melendez…was his first career Opening Day start and was first Twins pitcher to wear the new road gray uniforms…became second Venezuelan-born pitcher to start for Minnesota on Opening Day, joining Johan Santana (2006-07).

BACK IN MIAMI: Facing the Marlins, his former club, for the first time in his career…was traded from Miami to the Twins January 20 along with infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez…is 14-15, 3.45 ERA (284.0 IP, 109 ER) with 79 walks and 268 strikeouts in 50 career starts at loanDepot Park…85.3 percent of his career starts are against National League opponents…is 24-26, 4.09 ERA (438.0 IP, 199 ER) vs. NL opponents in his career.

Is three strikeouts away from reaching 500 career strikeouts…would become the 21st Venezuelan-born pitcher all-time to reach the milestone.

Is currently fifth among active Venezuelan pitchers in strikeouts, trailing Carlos Carrasco (1511), Germán Márquez (971), Eduardo Rodriguez (969) and Martín Pérez (916).

NO POTHOLES ON THIS ROAD: With the victory at Kansas City in his first start, López improved his career road record to 15-16, 4.44 ERA (231.1 IP, 114 ER) with 66 walks and 229 strikeouts…last season, he went 6-5, 3.00 ERA (93.0 IP, 31 ER) in 16 starts on the road compared to 4-5, 4.55 ERA (87.0 IP, 44 ER) in 16 home starts…his 96 road strikeouts in 2022 tied for eighth in the National League, while his .224 road opponent batting average was 18th best in the NL (min. 50.0 IP).

RIGHT ON: López continued his dominance vs. right-handed hitters on Opening Day, with Royals right- ies hitting just .100 (1-for-10) against him…right-handed hitters slashed .218/.269/.379 with nine home runs, 18 walks and 102 strikeouts against López in 2022…his 102 strikeouts vs. right-handed hitters ranked seventh among National League right-handed pitchers…lefties hit .249/.320/.427 with 12 home runs, 35 walks and 72 strikeouts vs. López in 2022…over his career, López has enjoyed more success against right-handed hitters (.657 OPS) than left-handed hitters (.748 OPS).

PITCH BREAKDOWN: López used a five-pitch mix in his first start vs. Kansas City, according to Baseball Savant…debuted his sweeper, throwing the pitch 22.4 percent of the time and collecting three strikeouts with it…utilized his sweeper and sinker vs. right-handed hitters and primarily threw his changeup and curveball to left-handed hitters…here is a look at his arsenal from Opening Day:

PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
4-Seam Fastball (95.1)……………..37.6% (32 pitches, 17/15).. ………………….. .167 (1-for-6), 1 2B, 2 K
Sweeper (84.9)……………………………22.4% (19 pitches, 19/0) ………………………. .000 (0-for-4), 3 K
Changeup (89.2)………………………. 20.0% (17 pitches, 2/15)………………………….. .000 (0-for-5), 3 K
Sinker (94.6) ………………………………..10.6% (9 pitches, 9/0) ………………………………. .500 (1-for-2)
Curveball (82.2)…………………………….9.4% (8 pitches, 1/7) ………………………………………………. – –

2022 NOTES:
Opened season as Marlins’ number two starter behind the season’s eventual National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.

Named the NL Pitcher of the Month for April, going 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 23.1 innings…became the 12th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to allow one run or less in his first four starts of the season while pitching at least 20.0 innings.

Pitched 8.0 scoreless innings on May 7 at San Diego to match his career-high, done once before on June 8, 2021 vs. Colorado.

Set a career high with 11 strikeouts on May 13 vs. Milwaukee, which he matched again on July 26 at Cincinnati.

Surpassed the 500.0 career innings pitched mark on September 27 at New York-NL, becoming 16th pitcher in Marlins history to reach 500.0 innings.

Tied for team-lead in starts (32) and ranked second in innings pitched (180.0), wins (10) and strikeouts (174)…set career-highs in starts, innings pitched, wins and strikeouts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Made only 21 starts in 2019 after missing over two months on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain, posting a 5.09 ERA in 111.1 innings pitched with 95 strikeouts. • Made major league debut on June 30, 2018 vs. New York-NL and earned first career victory, tossing 6.0 innings with five strikeouts while limiting the Mets to two runs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:

MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today close out the first homestand of the season, playing the finale of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins, their first of 15 Interleague series in 2023. Are coming off their opening series against the New York Mets in which they went 1-3. The club’s first road trip will include a three-game series against the Mets that starts on April 6, with a built-in off day on April 7, before heading to play the reigning National League champion Phillies from April 10-12.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami snapped a three-game skid with a 1-0 win over the Twins, courtesy of reigning National League Cy Young winner RHP Sandy Alcantara’s 100-pitch complete game shutout. The Marlins lone run came off the bat of OF Avisail Garcia, who hit his first home run of the season. INF Jean Segura recorded his first stolen base, also standing as Miami’s first stolen base of 2023.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Yesterday’s time of game was 1:57, the Marlins’ quickest since Sept. 20, 2010 vs. St. Louis (1:52), which stands as the fastest 9-inning
game in club history. Among such games, last night marks the sixth quickest in club history.

TWINS IN TOWN
The Marlins are hosting the Minnesota Twins this week at loanDepot park for the first time since 2019 when they went 1-2 in the three-game set. Are 8-11 in 19 match-ups against the Twins dating back to 2002. Is just the third time the club hosts the Twins since moving to Miami.

BACK IN THE 305
The Marlins are scheduled to face RHP Pablo Lopez today at loanDepot park. Lopez went 28-31 with a 3.94 ERA in 94 starts with the Marlins prior to being traded in the offseason. Will mark the 37th time in franchise history the Marlins will face a starting pitcher who made at least 90 starts for the organization before joining another team. These opposing starters have gone 14-11 with a 3.87 ERA in the 36 previous such starts against the Marlins.

THE SANDY SHOW
The 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner RHP Sandy Alcantara tossed his fourth career shutout and 10th career complete game yesterday vs. Minnesota in his second start of 2023.

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

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

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

• Dating back to the start of the 2022 season, Alcantara owns a 2.01 ERA (161.0 IP/36 ER) in games following a loss.

FUERTE FORTES
C Nick Fortes made back-to-back starts on Friday and Saturday, going 3×7 with a home run and two singles. His 2-run shot on Saturday went 422 ft., the longest of his first 14 career home runs (88 gms.). 6 of his 14 home runs (42.8%) have been go-ahead, including 2 against the New York Mets (walk-off home run on June 26, 2022 off Adam Ottavino).

BACK ON THE HORSE
Miami entered yesterday’s game as one of four teams in MLB yet to record a stolen base prior to Jean Segura’s stolen base in the second inning. Segura now ranks 6th among active players in stolen bases with 206 in his career.

• In 2022, the Marlins stole 122 bases, behind only Texas (128) for most in the Majors. Marked the sixth-most SB in a single-season in franchise history. INF/OF Jon Berti led the Majors with 41 SB.

TURNING THE TRENDING TIDE
The Marlins are now 2-0 in one-run games this season, including yesterday’s 1-0 victory which marked the 12th in club history in which the lone run came on a solo home run (previous, Aug. 5, 2020 at Baltimore). The previous occurrence at home was Sept. 20, 2016 vs. Washington.

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

HOMER TIME
The Marlins have scored eight of their 10 runs this season via home runs – hitting five homers total over the first six games.

GOOD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
INF Luis Arraez became just the second player in Marlins history to reach base safely as the starting leadoff hitter in each of the first four games to start a season, joining Hanley Ramirez in 2006 (credit: Elias Sports Bureau).

• His 11 hits are tied for most in MLB and leads the National League. His .478 avg. (11×23) ranks 4th in the NL and 5th in MLB.

CAN’T MAKE IT THAT EASY
Through the first six games of play, the Marlins offense has struck out 64 times in 189 at-bats (most in MLB), marking the most strikeouts in club history through the first six games of a season. The second-most through six games is 56, done in both 2018 and 2022.

TODAY’S STARTER – #44 JESUS LUZARDO
• Jesus Luzardo made 18 starts to match his career-high in 2022. Missed 71 games from May 10 to August 1 with a left forearm strain.

• Walked 4 batters and allowed 0 runs in 5.2 innings on his first start of the season vs. New York Mets.

• Is making his second career start against the Twins.

• In 12 starts after returning on Aug. 1, went 2-4 with a 3.03 ERA, allowing 24 runs in 71.1 innings. Pitched 6.0+ innings in nine of 12 outings. Allowed two runs or less in nine of those outings.

• Opposing batters hit 1×36 (2B) in 0-2 counts vs. Luzardo in 2022. Struck out 21 of 36 batters (58%) in that situation.

• On Tuesday, April 12, 2022 he set a career high with 12 strikeouts in just 5.0 innings of work at Angel Stadium in his first start of the season. Became the first pitcher in franchise history to strike out 12 batters in a start that lasted no more than 5.0 innings.

• In his final four starts of 2022 (Sept. 16 – Oct. 3), posted a 1.85 ERA (24.2 IP/5 ER) with 45 strikeouts, including 6.0 scoreless innings and a career-high matching 12 K’s in his last outing against Atlanta.

• Pitched at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, located in Parkland, Fla., approx. an hour and a half north of loanDepot park.

• Became a Florida Special Olympics ambassador in 2022 by promoting and supporting all champions at the Miami Race for Inclusion at Bayfront Park.

MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (1-4) at New York Yankees (3-2)

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MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (1-4) at New York Yankees (3-2)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:

GAME #5 RECAP: The Phillies defeated the New York Yankees, 4-1, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx … Starter Matt Strahm (ND) turned in 4.0 scoreless innings – he allowed only 1 hit and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts throwing 61 pitches, 42 for strikes … Kyle Schwarber blasted a 415-foot home run in the 1st inning and Brandon Marsh followed with a 436-foot shot in the 3rd … Andrew Bellatti (1.0 IP, 2 SO), Jose Alvarado (1.0 IP, 3 SO) and Connor Brogdon (2.0 IP, 1 SO) made scoreless appearances in relief of Strahm.

HIT PARADE: Through five games, the Phillies have 51 hits which ranks 2nd in the National League and 4th in MLB behind the Cardinals (63), Guardians (55) and Blue Jays (53) … The Phillies have out-hit their opponents in four of their five games and they have recorded at least nine hits in every game this season … Philadelphia’s streak of five consecutive games with at least nine hits is tied for the fourth-longest streak to open a season for the franchise since at least 1900 (also: 1926 and 2010) … Only longer was a seven-game streak to open the 1976 season and two six-game streaks in 1919 and 1923.

GO NOLES: On Thursday in Texas against the Rangers, Aaron Nola faced Jacob deGrom and made his sixth career (also consecutive) Opening Day start … Nola joined Hall-of-Famers Robin Roberts (12) and Steve Carlton (10) as the only pitchers ever to make six straight Opening Day starts for the Phillies … Nola also tied Chris Short for 3rd place in franchise history with six Opening Day starts trailing only Carlton (14) and Roberts (12) … Nola enters today’s game in the top 10 in franchise history in double-digit strikeout games (4th with 27 – Cole Hamels ranks 3rd with 29), strikeouts (7th at 1,384 – HOF Grover Cleveland Alexander ranks 6th at 1,409) and games started (10th at 204 – HOF Jim Bunning ranks 9th at 208).

NOLA vs COLE: Today will mark the first ever meeting between Aaron Nola and Gerrit Cole … Over the last six seasons (since 2018), among all starters in MLB, Nola ranks 1st in starts (144) and Cole ranks T-2nd (141) … Nola ranks 1st in innings (875.1) and Cole ranks 2nd (873.2) … Nola ranks 3rd in strikeouts (1011) and Cole ranks 1st (1207) … Nola ranks T-3rd in quality starts (79, tied with Zack Wheeler) and Cole ranks
1st (94) … Nola ranks 5th in fWAR (2.5) and Cole ranks 3rd (23.6).

HOMECOMING KING: This series, Rob Thomson returns to Yankee Stadium and will manage against the Yankees after spending 28 years (1990-2017) with New York … Thomson, the 56th manager in Phillies history, signed a two-year contract for the 2023 and 2024 seasons on 10/10/22 after being named interim manager on 6/3/22 … After he took over, Thomson guided the Phillies to a 65-46 record (.586 win %) and the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2011 … Thomson became only the fourth manager in history to take a team at least seven games under .500 and lead them to the postseason, joining Dick Howser (KC, 1981), Cito Gaston (TOR, 1989) and Jim Tracy (COL, 2009) … Thomson also became just the eight manager (9th time) to lead a team to a World Series after the club began the season with a different manager and the first since Jack McKeon in 2003 with FLA … This is Thomson’s sixth season with the Phillies after originally being hired as bench coach on 12/5/17 … Over his almost three-decade run in New York, Thomson served many roles including 10 seasons on the ML staff as bench coach (2008, 2015-17) and 3rd base coach (2009-14).

BACK IN THE GREAT NORTHEAST: After spending 47 days between Clearwater, FL and Dallas, TX, the Phillies are back in the Northeast for a three-game set against the Yankees … The Phils will return home to Philadelphia for the home opener at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds.  FLAGS FLY FOREVER: The Phillies were National League champions in 2022 for the eighth time in franchise history (1915, 1950, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2022) … The road to the pennant began with a two-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series at Busch Stadium, followed by a three-games-to-one Division Series win over the Atlanta Braves and a victory over the San Diego Padres in the NLCS, four games to one, clinching the series with three straight wins at Citizens Bank Park … In the Fall Classic, the Phillies fell to the Houston Astros in six games; it was only the second postseason meeting between the two clubs, the first being the 1980 NLCS …On May 31, the Phillies were eight games under .500 at 21-29 with a .420 winning percentage that ranked 11th in the National League and 22nd in MLB … Starting June 1, the Phillies went 66-46, 20 games over .500 with a .589 winning percentage that ranked 4th in the NL and 7th in baseball … The Phillies clinched their first postseason berth since 2011 with a 3-0 win against the Astros on Oct. 3 … The Phillies became only the fifth team in MLB history to start 21-29 or worse through their first 50 games and then make the World Series, joining the 2019 Washington Nationals (19-31 start), 2005 Houston Astros (18-32 start), 2003 Florida Marlins (21-29) and 1914 Boston Braves (20-30).

NEW TONIGHT, AT (THE) 6: On 12/8/22, the Phillies signed SS Trea Turner to an 11-year contract, taking him through the 2033 season … Last year with LAD, Turner was selected as an All-Star for the second time in his career, was named All-MLB First Team and won his first career Louisville Silver Slugger Award after slashing .298/.343/.466 with a 121 OPS+ and 27 steals in 30 attempts … Per Statcast, his average sprint speed of 30.3 feet per second ranked 5th out of 582 qualified players … In 2021, Turner led the majors in AVG (.328) and hits (195), led the NL in stolen bases (32) and total bases (319) and posted a career-best 6.8 fWAR (FanGraphs) which ranked 3rd among all ML position players … In 2019 with WSH, he reached base safely in 15 of 17 postseason games and won his first World Series championship.

TOLLS OF BRILLIANCE: Catcher J.T. Realmuto was named All-MLB First Team last season, took home his third Silver Slugger Award and second Gold Glove Award and finished 7th in NL MVP voting … Additionally, he finished with 6.5 fWAR, 3rd in MLB history for a catcher aged 31 or older, led MLB with 1281.2 innings at catcher (regular and postseason combined) which was 240.0 innings more than HOU’s Martin Maldonado who ranked 2nd at 1041.2, and finally, became only the second catcher in MLB history with 20 HR and 20 SB, joining Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez (1999).

TODAY’S STARTER – AARON NOLA • RHP #27
TODAY’S START:
• AL Beast: Nola is making his 15th career start against the AL East, tied with Curt Schilling for 2nd-most in Phillies history behind Cole Hamels’ 17 … His 3.32 ERA (31 ER, 84.0 IP) is the 2nd-lowest among all Phillies pitchers to make at least 10 career starts against the AL East, trailing only Randy Wolf’s 3.29 … The other 6 pitchers (Hamels, Schilling, Myers, Eflin, Velasquez, Person) all had at least a 4.53 ERA against the division in their Phillies careers

• I <3 NYY: Nola has a 2.37 ERA (5 ER, 19.0 IP), 0.79 WHIP (2 BB, 13 H), 26 SO in 3 career starts vs NYY … Since 2015, only Nola and Corey Kluber (twice) have had a 3-start stretch against NYY in which they struck out at least 25 batters and allowed 15 or fewer baserunners

• Noles vs Cole: Nola and Cole are squaring off today for the first time in their careers … the two match up very closely since 2018:

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

• vs AL East: 3-6, 3.32 ERA (31 ER, 84.0 IP) in 14 starts

• vs Interleague: 9-10, 3.69 ERA (65 ER, 158.1 IP) in 27 starts

ROAD:
• 2023: 0-0, 12.27 ERA (5 ER, 3.2 IP) in 1 start

• Career: 34-38, 4.10 ERA (275 ER, 604.1 IP) in 103 starts

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

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

2022 SEASON:
• ML Rankings: 1st in fWAR (6.3) & SO/BB (8.10), T-1st in SHO (1), 2nd in IP (205.0), BB % (3.6) & BB/9.0 IP (1.27), T-3rd in CG (2), 4th in SO (235), T-5th in starts (32), 6th in bWAR (4.0), 7th in WHIP (0.96), SO % (29.1) & OPP OBP (.256) and 9th in SO/9.0 IP (10.32)

• Struck out a career-best 235 batters and issued just 29 walks, joining Jim Whitney (1884 Boston Beaneaters) as the only pitchers ever with 220 or more SO and fewer than 30 BB in a season

• Named All-MLB Second Team, his first career All-MLB selection

• Led all pitchers with 6.3 fWAR, becoming the first Phillie to lead all pitchers in fWAR since Roy Halladay in 2011

• His 8.10 SO/BB was the best ever by a qualifying Phillies pitcher and the 18th-best in ML history

• Surpassed 220 SO for the fourth straight fully-scheduled season (2018-19, 2021-22)

• Surpassed 200.0 IP for the third time (others: 2018-19) and made 30 or more starts for the fourth straight fully-scheduled season

• Made his 200th career start on 9/17 at ATL, making him the seventh Phillie to have his first 200 career starts with the club and just the 10th with 200 at any point • Retired the first 20 batters he faced (6.2 IP) in the postseason clincher on 10/3 at HOU, the longest perfect game bid of his career

2022 POSTSEASON:
• His 11.2-inning scoreless streak to begin his playoff career was the longest ever by a Phillie

• Became one of seven Phillies pitchers to start Game 1 of a World Series and joined Cole Hamels as the only Phillies 1st-round picks to do so

• Joined Zack Wheeler, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee as the only Phillies to make at least five starts in a single postseason

CAREER:
• His 10.11 SO/9.0 IP (1384 SO, 1,232.0 IP) is 10th-best all-time (min. 1,000.0 IP)

• Finished 3rd in 2018 NL CY Young Award Voting and made his first career All-Star team

• In 2021, became the ninth pitcher to record 1,000 strikeouts in a Phillies uniform and the fastest ever to do so (913.0 IP)

NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees are 3-2 on their season-opening six-game homestand after splitting the first two games of a three-game set vs. the Phillies and going 2-1 vs. the Giants last weekend…will embark on their first road trip on Thursday, with stops in Baltimore (3G from Thurs., Sat.- Sun.) and Cleveland (4/10-12).

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Yankees fell to the Phillies, 4-1, on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium…RHP Domingo Germán (4.2IP, 4H, 4ER, 0BB, 8K, 2HR) made his season debut and took the loss…his 8K were his most in a game since his 10K on 7/25/21 at Boston…SS Anthony Volpe (1-for-3) collected the Yankees’ first hit of the game with a third-inning single…was the only Yankee to record a hit over the first six innings…1B DJ LeMahieu (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 1RBI) hit his first home run of the season with a solo shot in the ninth inning…2B Gleyber Torres (1-for-3, 1BB) was the only Yankee to reach base twice…DH Aaron Judge (0-for3, 1BB) walked in the ninth inning to extend his career-high on-base streak to 38 games (since 8/29/22)…RHP Michael King (1.1IP, 4H, 1K) allowed both his inherited runners to score…RHP Albert Abreu (2.0IP, 2H, 1BB, 1K) tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in his second straight appearance (also 0R in 2.0IP on 4/1 vs. SF)…RHP Jimmy Cordero (1.0IP, 2K) retired all 3BF in the ninth inning.

GLEYBER DAY: INF Gleyber Torres was the only Yankee to reach base twice on Tuesday…has reached base in 11-of21 plate appearances this season, batting .333/.524/.733 (5-for-15) with 5R, 2HR, 4RBI, 6BB and 3SB.

 Has reached base multiple times in four of his five games.

 Has 6BB in five games…did not record his sixth walk in 2022 until his 32nd game of the year on 5/16/22 at Baltimore.

WHAT A RELIEF: Yankees relievers own a 12.1 scoreless inning streak since 4/2 (11H, 2BB, 14K, 2HP).

NOBODY BEATS THE RIZZ: INF Anthony Rizzo has reached base in 9-of-18 plate appearances this season, batting .333/.500/.667 (4-for-12) with 2R, 1 double, 1HR, 4RBI, 4BB, 1HP and 1SF in four games.

LEMACHINE: INF DJ LeMahieu hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday with a solo HR in the ninth inning…has hit safely in each of his four games this season.

 As a Yankee (since 2019), has hit .332/.411/.514 (86-for259) with 55R, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 10HR, 29RBI, 33BB, 4SB, 3HP and 2SF in 67 Interleague games…is the fifthhighest batting average in Interleague play by any Major League player over that span, trailing only Jeff McNeil’s .356BA, Starling Marte’s .341BA, Yandy Díaz’s .337BA and Pedro Severino’s .336BA…is the highest batting average (min. 100PA) by a Yankee in the history of Interleague play (next: Carlos Beltrán-.326BA).

 Has hit .306 (59-for-193) with 30R, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 6HR, 19RBI, 14BB and 2HP in 57 career games against the Phillies.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: INF Anthony Volpe has reached base safely in each of his five games this season.

WHAT A CATCH: On Tuesday, it was announced that Yankee Stadium will host the Jonas Brothers for a one-night-only show on Saturday, August 12…tickets for the event will go on sale via www.yankees.com, www.yankeesbeisbol.com and www.ticketmaster.com on Friday, April 14, at 10:00
a.m.…New Jersey natives the Jonas Brothers (Kevin, Joe & Nick), will perform new songs from their sixth studio album — The Album — which is scheduled for release on May 12.

COLE TRAIN: RHP Gerrit Cole will make his second start of the season today in the Yankees’ series finale vs. Philadelphia…tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and earned the win in his fifth career Opening Day start (his fourth with the Yankees) on Thursday vs. the Giants (6.0IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB,
11K)…his 11K marked the most by a Yankees pitcher on Opening Day in franchise history, surpassing Tim Leary’s previous record of 9K in 1991.

 Opening Day marked his 22nd double-digit strikeout game with the Yankees, surpassing David Cone for the second-most by a pitcher in franchise history… trails only Ron Guidry (23)…has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 43 games since the start of 2019, marking the most in the Majors over that span (next: Max Scherzer-28)…his 51 games with at least 10K since the beginning of 2018 are also the most in the Majors in that span (next: Max Scherzer-46).

PITCH PERFECT: Yankees pitchers have allowed just 12R over their first five games…marks their second-fewest runs allowed in their first five games of a season in the last 21 years (since 2003)…marks just the fifth time in the last 49 years (since 1975) that the Yankees have allowed 12R-orfewer over their first five games of a season (11R in 2021, 11R in 2002, 12R in 1999 and 10R in 1992).

 Lead the Majors with a 12.00 K/9.0IP ratio (60K/45.0IP), rank second with a 6.67 K/BB ratio (60K/9BB) and are tied for second with a 1.80 BB/9.0IP ratio (9BB/45.0IP).

GOT YOUR NUMBER: INF Josh Donaldson has hit .375/.583/.813 (6-for-16) with 1 double, 2HR and 8BB off Philadelphia’s RHP Aaron Nola…DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton has hit .313/.353/.750 (5-for-16) with 1 double, 2HR and 1BB off Nola…INF Anthony Rizzo has hit .333/.444/.733 (5-for-15) with 2HR and 3BB off Nola.

ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge owns a career-high 38-game on-base streak (since 8/29/22), batting .380/.524/.791 (49-for-129) with 36R, 8 doubles, 15HR, 26RBI, 39BB, 1HP and 2SB in that span…is the third-longest on-base streak by a Yankee in the last 19 seasons (since 2005), trailing only Luke Voit’s 42-game streak (9/19/18-5/3/19) and Mark Teixeira’s 42-game streak (6/6-7/26/10)…has reached base multiple times in 28 of those 38 games.

 Has reached base safely in each of his last 26 games at Yankee Stadium (since 8/19/22), batting .345/.487/.644 (30-for-87) with 16R, 5 doubles, 7HR, 14RBI, 23BB, 2HP and 3SB in those games…is the fourth-longest on-base streak at the current Yankee Stadium, trailing only Mark Teixeira’s 33-game streak from 6/3-8/16/10, his own 31-game streak from 9/3/17- 5/4/18 and Derek Jeter’s 28-game streak from 8/5/12-8/30/13.

 Has reached base safely in each of his first five games this season…is batting .350/.409/.650 (7-for-20) with 4R, 2HR, 4RBI and 2BB through his first five games.

 Is 3-for-5 with 2RBI and 1BB with RISP this season.

 Has hit .302/.413/.617 (395-for-1,309) with 287R, 59 doubles, 1 triple, 117HR, 261RBI and 246BB in 369 career games in the Bronx.

BRONX BOMBERS: Yankees batters have hit 10HR in five games this season, their fifth-most HR through their first five games of a season in franchise history (13HR in 2011, 13HR in 1932, 12HR in 2003 and 11HR in 1957).

 Their 10HR are tied with Cincinnati for the fourth-most in the Majors, trailing only Los Angeles-NL (13HR in 6G), Baltimore (11HR in 5G) and Tampa Bay (11HR in 5G).

 Have homered in each of their first five games of a season for just the second time in the last 12 seasons since 2012 (homered in their first 12 games in 2020).

 Scored just 1R on Tuesday after scoring at least 5R in each of their first four games of the season.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP GERRIT COLE (1-0, 0.00)
RHP Gerrit Cole will make his second start of the season today vs. Philadelphia…the 32-year-old will pitch on extended five days’ rest after making his fifth career Opening Day start on Thursday vs. the Giants (6.0IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB, 11K)…went 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA (21.2IP, 20H, 8ER, 1BB, 27K, 2HR, 2HP) in five spring training starts…in his third year with the Yankees in 2022, went 13-8 with a 3.50 ERA (200.2IP, 154H, 81R/78ER, 50BB, 257K, 33HR) in 33 regular season starts…his Major League-leading 257K last season were the most by a Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Ron Guidry’s previous record of 248K in 1978… the five-time All-Star (2015, ’18-19, ’21-22) has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting five times (second in 2021, fourth in 2020, second in 2019, fifth in 2018, fourth in 2015)…his career 10.55 K/9.0IP ratio (1,941K/1,656.0IP) is the eighth-highest in Major League history (min. 1,000.0IP)…in 76 starts with the Yankees, is 37-19 with a 3.24 ERA (461.0IP, 166ER) and 605K…since 2018, leads the Majors in wins (72), strikeouts (1,207), K/9.0IP (12.43), ranks second in innings pitched (873.1IP), third in opponents’ BA (.203), WAR among pitchers (23.6 – FanGraphs) and winning percentage (.713, 72-29, min. 50 decisions), fourth in WHIP (0.99), sixth in K/BB (5.44) and sixth in ERA (2.98)…was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft but did not sign and went on to play at UCLA for three seasons (2009-11)…was the first overall pick of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the 15th pitcher (and 11th right-hander) to be chosen first…is the fifth player selected first overall to play for the Yankees, joining Alex Rodriguez, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Foli and Ron Blomberg…signed a nine-year contract extending through the 2028 season with a player opt-out following the 2024 season on 12/18/19.

OPENING DAY NOD: Tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and earned the win in his fifth career Opening Day start (his fourth with the Yankees) on Thursday vs. the Giants (6.0IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB, 11K)…his 11K marked the most by a Yankees pitcher on Opening Day in franchise history, surpassing Tim Leary’s previous record of 9K in 1991.

 Was the first Yankees Opening Day starter to throw at least 6.0 scoreless innings since Roger Clemens in 2003 (also 0R in 6.0IP)…was just the fifth Yankees starter to do so in the last 46 years, joining Clemens, David Cone (0R in 7.0IP in 1996), Rick Rhoden (CGSHO in 1988) and Ron Guidry (0R in 9.0IP in 1980).

 Recorded his 22nd double-digit strikeout game with the Yankees on Thursday, surpassing David Cone for the second-most by a pitcher in franchise history…trails only Ron Guidry (23).

 With his win on Thursday, became just the 13th pitcher in franchise history to win multiple Opening Day starts (also 2020).

 In four Opening Day starts with the Yankees, is 2-0 with 1CG and a 2.66 ERA (20.1IP, 6ER).

 Was the 11th pitcher in franchise history to make at least four Opening Day starts with the Yankees, joining Mel Stottlemyre (7), Ron Guidry (7), Whitey Ford (7), CC Sabathia (6), Lefty Gomez (6), Red Ruffing (5), Masahiro Tanaka (4), Bob Shawkey (4), Roger Clemens (4) and Jack Chesbro (4).

 Was the fifth Yankees pitcher in franchise history to make at least four consecutive Opening Day starts, joining CC Sabathia (6GS from 2009-14), Lefty Gomez (6GS from 1932-37), Mel Stottlemyre (4GS from 1967-70) and Jack Chesbro (4GS from 1903-06).

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

SPRING FLING: Made five spring starts, going 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA (21.2IP, 20H, 8ER, 1BB, 27K, 2HR, 2HP)…among qualified pitchers this spring, was tied for second in the Majors in strikeouts, ranked fifth in WHIP (0.97) and sixth in innings pitched.

IN PINSTRIPES: In 76 starts with the Yankees, is 37-19 with a 3.24 ERA (461.0IP, 166ER) and 605K…has allowed 3ER-orfewer in 58-of-76 starts…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 49 starts as a Yankee, the second-most such starts in the AL and the seventh-most starts in the Majors in that stretch…has recorded 15 scoreless starts as a Yankee, the second-most scoreless starts by any AL pitcher in that span.

 His 37 wins since 2020 are the most in the AL and the second-most in the Majors over that stretch, trailing only Julio Urías (42-10).

 His 605K since 2020 are the most in the Majors…his 11.81 K/9.0IP ratio in that span is the third-best in the Majors and the best in the AL (min. 300.0IP), trailing only Carlos Rodón (12.10) and Blake Snell (11.95)…has finished in the top-five of Cy Young Award voting in two of his first three seasons in pinstripes (second in 2021, fourth in 2020).

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

HOME SWEET HOME: As a Yankee, has gone 16-10 with a 2.89 ERA (227.0IP, 73ER) and 301K in 37 starts at Yankee Stadium…has allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 26 of those 37 starts…his 2.89 ERA at home since 2020 is the fourth-lowest in the AL in that stretch (min. 175.0IP).

 Went 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA (101.1IP, 36ER) and 136K in 16 home starts in 2022…allowed 3R-or-fewer in 11 of his 16 home starts and 2R-or-fewer in nine of those starts…allowed 1R-or-fewer in eight of his 16 home starts…recorded a 21.0 scoreless inning streak at home from 5/23-6/25.

VS. PHILADELPHIA: In eight career starts vs. the Phillies, is 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA (43.1IP, 15ER) and 45K…has allowed 2R-or-fewer in six of his eight starts…has made just one start against the Phillies as a Yankee, earning the win on 8/3/20 at Yankee Stadium (6.0IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K, 1HR).

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

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

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

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

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

Was the first Yankees pitcher to throw at least 200.0 innings in a season since Hiroki Kuroda (201.1IP) and CC Sabathia (211.0IP) in 2013.

Received 3R-or-fewer of support in 22 of 33 starts, including 10 of his final 14 starts.

Tossed at least 6.0IP in 28 starts, tied with San Diego’s Yu Darvish for the most in the Majors.

Recorded nine double-digit strikeout games, tied for the most in a single season in franchise history (also had nine in 2021 and David Cone’s nine in 1998)…only Carlos Rodón (11), Shohei Ohtani (10) and Corbin Burnes (nine) recorded as many in 2022.

His six games with at least 10K and 1R-or-fewer were the second-most in franchise history, trailing his own record of seven games in 2021.

Went 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA (18.1IP, 6ER) and 23K in three postseason starts…earned the win in ALDS Game 1 vs. Cleveland, allowing just 1ER in 6.1IP (4H, 1BB, 8K, 1HR, 1HP)…allowed his only run on a solo HR to Steven Kwan in the third inning…did not allow a hit to 14 of his final 15BF (1BB, one single)…earned the win in ALDS Game 4 at Cleveland, allowing just 2ER in 7.0IP in the potential elimination game (6H, 1BB, 8K, 1HR)…took the loss in ALCS Game 4 vs. Houston (5.0IP, 5H, 5R/3ER, 2BB, 7K, 1HR, 1HP).

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

His Major League-leading 257K in 2022 were the most by a Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Ron Guidry’s previous record of 248K in 1978…was the third Yankee in franchise history to lead the Majors in strikeouts (outright or tied), joining Vic Raschi (tied for lead with 164K in 1951) and Lefty Gomez (194K in 1937)…was just the sixth Yankee (eighth time) to lead the AL in strikeouts, joining Al Downing (217K in 1964), Allie Reynolds (160K in 1952), Vic Raschi (164K in 1951), Lefty Gomez (163K in 1933, 158K in 1934 and 194K in 1937) and Red Ruffing (190K in 1932).

His 257K in 2022 marked his second straight season with at least 200K and fifth of his career (2015, ‘18-19, ‘21-22)…is just the fourth Yankee in franchise history to record at least 200K in multiple seasons, joining Luis Severino (2017-18), David Cone (1997-98) and Ron Guidry (1978-79)…became the first Yankees pitcher to record 225K in multiple seasons…is one of four Major League pitchers since 2015 to record at least five seasons with at least 200K…joins Max Scherzer (six), Chris Sale (five) and Robbie Ray (five).

MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (2-3) at Cincinnati Reds (3-2)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs (2-3) at Cincinnati Reds (3-2)

CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

CUBS AIM TO REBOUND: The Chicago Cubs tonight play the second of three games against the Cincinnati Reds after dropping last evening’s series opener, 7-6 … the team has dropped three-straight games after winning on Opening Day … this marks the club’s first 1-3 start since 2019 (1-4 after five games that year) … following this three-game set against the Reds, the Cubs return home for a Thursday off day prior to a six-game homestand against the Rangers (3 games starting April 7) and Mariners (3 games beginning April 10).

© The Cubs open the season with 16 of their first 25 games through April 27 at Wrigley Field … of those first 25 tilts, just six are against their own division, the N.L. Central: the just-completed Brewers series and this series against the Reds … in fact, after this series the Cubs play 29-straight games outside of the division until hosting the Cardinals for three games, May 8-10. © What’s even more odd? … following this series in Cincinnati the team’s next road series against an opponent in its own division is not until June 19-21 for three games in Pittsburgh.

DISHING ON DANSBY: As the charts on the lower right of this page indicate, Dansby Swanson has had a prolific start at the dish in his Cubs career … Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) points out that Swanson is the first Cub since at least 1901 with at least three three-hit games within the team’s first four games of the season.

© In this season’s early going Swanson is 5-for-6 when dealing with a two-strike count … since the start of last season, his 77 hits with two strikes in the count rank tied for sixth-most in baseball (Xander Bogaerts leads with 84).

THAT’S THE WAY TO GET ON THE BOARD: Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger snapped a season-opening 0-for-11 with a three-run first-inning home run last night in Cincinnati … he’s the first player to homer to end a drought of at least 11 at-bats to open his Cubs career since, well, just two years ago – Joc Pederson collected his first hit, a home run, on April 7, 2021, vs. Milwaukee after going hitless in his first 16 at-bats as a Cub.

WEZ ON THE BUMP: Cubs rookie Hayden Wesneski makes his first start of the season after having made his major league debut in 2022 – he posted a 3-2 record with a 2.18 ERA (8 ER/33.0 IP) in six starts at the end of the season … that includes two outings against the Reds in which he was 1-1 with a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP). COMFY IN CINCY: Ian Happ, who was the first University of Cincinnati Bearcat to be selected in the first round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft when he was picked ninth overall by Chicago in the 2015 draft, has batted .290 (82-for-283) with 26 homers and 63 RBI in 90 games against the Reds.

© In 43 games at Great American Ball Park, Happ has hit .311 (46-for-148) with a 1.113 OPS thanks in part to 28 extra-base hits including 16 homers.

© Eric Hosmer last night was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI and is batting .375 (21-for-56) with five homers, 15 RBI and a 1.130 OPS in 15 games here.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Cubs catcher Tucker Barnhart this week returns to Great American Ball Park for the first time since he spent eight seasons with the Reds … he made his major league debut with Cincinnati in 2014 and was with the club through 2021 before he landed with Detroit for the 2022 season.

© Barnhart won two N.L. Gold Gloves while with the Reds, earning the honor in 2017 and 2020 … he played 744 games for the Reds.

WORD TO THE WISE: Patrick Wisdom on Sunday recorded his sixth career multi-homer effort, going 2-for-4 with two solo shots against the Brewers at Wrigley Field … since the start of the 2021 season, Wisdom has averaged one home run every 14.87 at-bats, the second-best rate among N.L. hitters with at least 900 plate appearances (Kyle Schwarber leads with one homer every 12.10 at-bats).

© Wisdom’s 55 homers since the start of the 2021 season are 12th-most among N.L. hitters.

PITCHING IN: After Marcus Stroman spun 6.0 shutout innings with eight strikeouts on Thursday’s Opening Day, Justin Steele matched him with 6.0 scoreless innings and eight strikeouts on Saturday … this marked the first time since the mound was moved to 60’6” in 1893 that the Cubs began the season with back-to-back starts of at least 6.0 shutout innings … thanks to Ed Hartig for his research assistance.

Cubs vs. Reds
The Cubs and Reds play 13 games spanning four series … following this series the teams meet for three games at Wrigley Field May 26-28 … Chicago last season went 11-8 vs. the Reds, its first season series victory over Cincinnati since going 11-8 in 2018.

2023 Overall……………………………….0-1
At Wrigley Field…………………………0-0
At Great American Ball Park…….0-1
2022 Overall……………………………. 11-8
At Wrigley Field…………………………6-3
At Great American Ball Park…….5-5

Starting Pitcher – #19 RHP Hayden Wesneski (0-0, 0.00)
Last Time Out
Hayden in his last spring outing vs. Arizona March 23, allowed one unearned run in 5.0 IP … struck out four-plus batters for the fourth time in five Cactus League starts.
Date Opp. Result IP H R ER BB SO PC-S Left
3/23 ARI W, 11-1 5.0 4 1 0 2 5 – –

2023 Spring Training Notes
During 2023 Cactus League play, Hayden went 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA (4 ER/17.0 IP) with 22 strikeouts in five starts … did not allow a run in his first 11.2 IP of the spring before surrendering his first runs of the spring in his fourth start.

© Struck out 22 batters during Spring Training, tied for the 11th-most in the Cactus League.

2022 Splits and Season Notes
Hayden in 2022 made his major league debut, appearing in six games (four starts) with Chicago, going 3-2 and posting a 2.18 ERA (8 ER/33.0 IP) … recorded 33 strikeouts, registered a 0.94 WHIP and .198 opponent batting average.

© After his debut on Sept. 6, his 2.18 ERA ranked ninth among qualified major league pitchers.

© Made his major league debut in relief Sept. 6, 2022, against Cincinnati (5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, BB, 8 SO) … he earned his first career win in the outing … became the first reliever in major league history (since at least 1901) to make his major league debut with at least 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing two or fewer hits and striking out at least eight batters.

© Made his first major league start Sept. 17 against the Rockies, allowing one run on three hits and seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings … became the first Cubs rookie with a start of at least 7.0 innings while allowing one run or fewer, walking none and striking out at least seven batters since Mark Prior (July 19, 2002).

© In the fifth inning on Sept. 22 at Pittsburgh, tossed the Cubs’ first immaculate inning since LaTroy Hawkins did so, Sept. 11, 2004 against the Marlins.

© Appeared in five games (four starts) for Triple-A Iowa, posting a 5.66 ERA (13 ER/20.2 IP) prior to his selection Sept. 6.

© Was acquired from the Yankees on Aug. 1 for right-handed pitcher Scott Effross.

© Went 6-7 with a 3.51 ERA (35 ER/89.2 IP) in 19 starts for Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre, with 83 strikeouts.

Career Notes
Hayden is in his second season in the Cubs organization, his fifth professional campaign overall.

© Ranked as the Cubs’ No. 5 prospect by MLB.com entering the 2023 season.

© Was acquired from New York (A.L.) on Aug. 1, 2022, for pitcher Scott Effross.

© During parts of three seasons in the minors in the Yankees (2019-2022) and Cubs (2022) organizations, he is 18-16 in 67 games (47 starts) … has posted a 3.68 ERA (110 ER/269.0 IP) with 287 strikeouts, 78 walks and a 1.16 WHIP.

© In 2021, was named Double-A Northeast Pitcher of the Month for September, going 3-0 with one complete game and a 1.35 ERA (3 ER/20.0 IP) in three starts.

© Following the 2021 season, was ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees organization by Baseball America and an Organization All-Star by MiLB.com

© Selected by New York (A.L.) in the sixth round of the 2019 draft out of Sam Houston State University.

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

REDS HOTS
• The Reds today selected from Louisville the contract of RHP Kevin Herget (#57), optioned to Louisville RHP Joel Kuhnel and designated for assignment LHP Bennett Sousa…on 2/22, Sousa was claimed off waivers from the White Sox.

• Prior to today’s game the Reds will honor legendary WLWT-TV 5 sports director George Vogel, who last week retired after 42 years covering local high school, college and professional sports.

• With a 3-1 record through Monday, the Reds were 2 games over .500 for the first time since they finished the 2021 season 4 games over at 83-79.

• In 2022, the Reds didn’t earn their third win until the 16th game (4/24) and didn’t win their fourth until the 26th game (5/7).

TODAY’S GAME
• Is Game 3 of 3-game series vs David Ross’ Cubs and Game 6 of a 6-game homestand that included a season-opening 2-1 series win vs Pit.

• Following today’s game the Reds will travel to Phi (3g) and to Atl (3g) for their first road trip, including the Phillies’ home opener tomorrow.

SERIES NOTES
• The Reds in 2022 went 8-11 vs Cubs, including 5-4 at Great American Ball Park, 3-6 at Wrigley Field and a 4-2 “home” loss on 8/11 in the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

• The teams met in the final 6 games of the 2022 championship season (3g at Wrigley Field, 3g at Great American Ball Park), the longest continuous stretch of games between the Reds and Cubs since they played 7 straight games from 8/29-9/5, 1931…@EliasSports.

PHILLIES UP NEXT
• With a minimum of 50 games played, the Reds’ .328 winning percentage at Phi’s Citizens Bank Park (20-41) is their lowest at any road ballpark.

• The Reds went 3-13-2 in their 18 previous series vs the Phillies at CBP, their only series wins there in August 2006, May 2017 & August 2021.

• Since May 2014, the Reds have lost 17 of their last 24 games at CBP.

REHABBING
• 1B Joey Votto (8/19/22, surgeries to repair the left biceps and torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder) has returned to Cincinnati following 3 rehabilitation apps with Louisville (3-13, .231, solo HR, 1bb, 7k)…in the opener of Sat’s doubleheader at Nashville, he hit a solo HR off Caleb Boushley on the first pitch he was thrown.

• IF/OF Nick Senzel (11/14/22 surgery to repair a sesamoid fracture in his left great toe)…is rehabbing with Louisville…in last night’s 7-2 win vs Louisville he started in CF and went 1-for-4 (1 2b, 1bb)…he is scheduled to play 9 innings at DH today.

• RHP Tony Santillan (low back Pars stress fracture)…is rehabbing with Louisville…he pitched the sixth inning of last night’s 7-2 win vs Indianapolis (1ip, 1bb, 2k, 4bf, 22 pitches).

• RHP Lucas Sims (low back spasms) is rehabbing at the Reds’ player development complex in Goodyear.

• RHP Luke Weaver (right elbow flexor strain) has been rehabbing with the team in Cincinnati.

2022: A SEASON OF RECORDS
• 66 players appeared in at least 1 game for Reds, a new club record for number of players in a season…the previous franchise record was held by the 2003 Reds (57 players).

• 38 players pitched in at least 1 game for the Reds, a new club record for number of pitchers in a season and including position players Matt Reynolds (2g), Max Schrock (1g) and Alejo Lopez (3g).

• 17 pitchers started at least 1 game for the Reds, tying the 2003 club record for number of starters in a season.

• Reds pitchers hit 110 batters, a new Major League single-season record (2021 Cubs pitchers, 98hbp)…the previous club record for batters hit by Reds pitchers in a season was 80 in 2005.

• 10 Reds pitchers recorded at least 1 save (Ross Detwiler, Alexis Díaz, Buck Farmer, Ian Gibaut, Joel Kuhnel, Dauri Moreta, Tony Santillan, Lucas Sims, Hunter Strickland, Art Warren), tying the 2021 single-season franchise record.

2022 YOUNG GUNS
• In 62 combined starts, Reds rookie starting pitchers RHP Hunter Greene, LHP Nick Lodolo and RHP Graham Ashcraft went 14-26, 4.34 (334ip, 161er)…all 3 made their Major League debuts in 2022.

• 6 times in 2022 the Reds started rookie pitchers in 3 straight games (last, 7/31-8/2, Lodolo, Greene, Ashcraft).

• In LHP Reiver Sanmartin (Game 2), Greene (Game 4) and Lodolo (Game 6), in 2022 the Reds used as many as 3 rookie starting pitchers in the first 6 games of a season for only the second time in their history…the 1902 Reds staff used 3 rookie starting pitchers in their first 5 games, and 4 of their first 6 games that season were started by rookie pitchers (Bob Ewing 2 starts, Len Swormstedt, Martin Glendon).

This Afternoon’s Pitcher – #21 Hunter Greene, RHP
• In just his second season, this afternoon is making his 26th Major League appearance and start.

• At age 23 years, 236 days became the first pitcher age 25 or under to start for the Reds on Opening Day since 1980, when at age 22 years, 232 days RHP Frank Pastore beat Phil Niekro and the Braves, 9-0… courtesy @EliasSports.

• Became the first second-year pitcher to start for the Reds on Opening Day since 26-year-old RHP Raisel Iglesias started the 6-2 win vs the Phillies in the 2016 season opener…courtesy @EliasSports.

• In 2022, in his age 22 season ranked among National League rookie pitching leaders in starts (1st, 24), innings pitched (2nd, 125.2), strikeouts (2nd, 164), opponents’ BA (2nd, .222), WHIP (2nd, 1.21) and ERA (6th, 4.44).

• Led the Reds’ staff in starts, innings pitched and strikeouts.

• Was 1 of only 7 pitchers in the National League and 16 pitchers in the Major Leagues to throw a shutout.

• Was the National League Player of the Week for 6/6-6/12, the only Reds player so honored in 2022 (2gs, 1-0, 0.75, 12ip, 3h, 1er, 2bb, 15k, .079baa).

• Was 1 of only 6 Major League rookies in 2022 to win his league’s Player of the Week award (Chc’s Seiya Suzuki, LAA’s Reid Detmers, Sea’s Julio Rodríguez, KC’s Vinnie Pasquantino, Cle’s Steven Kwan).

• In 2022 became the only Major League rookie since 1900 to produce in a season at least 3 apps in which he threw at least 6.0 innings with at least 8 strikeouts and no more than 1 hit (5/15 at Pit, 6/6 vs Ari, 8/1 at Mia)…no pitcher in modern history, regardless of rookie status, has produced more than 3 such games…in his final start of the season, in Game 160 vs Cubs, recorded 6.0 innings and 8 strikeouts but allowed 2 hits.

• Allowed 2 runs or fewer in all 9 of his starts in which he pitched at least 6.0 innings, 8 times allowed no more than 1 run and 4 times in those 9 apps allowed 0 runs.

• In his last 8 starts of the season posted a 1.75 ERA (46.1ip, 30h, 66k).

• In his last 6 starts of the season posted a 1.02 ERA, the third-lowest ERA ever by a Reds rookie over any single-season, 6-start span behind Gary Nolan (0.75, June-July 1967) and Elmer Riddle (0.88, August 1941).

• From 8/5-9/16 missed 43 days and 40 games while on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain…went 4-12, 5.26 in 20 starts prior to the injury and 1-1, 0.78 in 4 starts after he came off the 15-day IL.

• Following his 2022 rookie season was the Reds’ nominee for MLB’s prestigious Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for exemplary contributions to his community.

• Was selected by the Reds in the first round (2nd overall pick) of the June 2017 first-year player draft…was rated by MLB.com the best overall prospect and by Baseball America the best high school player in that draft…the Twins selected high school SS Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick.

• Heading into the 2017 draft, became the 13th high school athlete ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

• Missed the 2019 season while recovering from 4/9/19 “Tommy John” surgery

NHL Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning (45-26-6) at New York Rangers (45-21-11)

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning (45-26-6) at New York Rangers (45-21-11)

TAMPA BAY LIGHTING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 5 vs. NY Islanders 0
The Tampa Bay Lightning earned a third-straight victory with a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders April 1 at AMALIE Arena…With the win, Tampa Bay clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and improved to 45-26-6 on the season with a home record of 27-7-5…The Bolts are now 2-0-0 vs. NYI this season with a final meeting scheduled for April 6 at UBS Arena…Mikhail Sergachev opened the scoring at the 17:53 mark of the first period when he took a pass at the point from Ross Colton and fired a shot that found its way through traffic and beat Ilya Sorokin for his ninth goal of the season…Darren Raddysh recorded the secondary assist on Sergachev’s goal for his first career NHL point…At the 3:42 mark of the second period, Tanner Jeannot scored his first goal as a member of the Lightning when he hammered home a pass from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead…Ian Cole picked up the secondary helper on Jeannot’s sixth goal of the season…Nikita Kucherov made it a 3-0 game with 10:03 remaining in the middle frame after taking a stretch pass from Brayden Point and beating Sorokin blocker side on a breakaway for his 29th goal of the campaign…Sergachev hit the 50-assist mark for the first time in his career with the secondary helper on Kucherov’s goal…Just 1:48 after Kucherov made it 3-0, Steven Stamkos pushed the lead to 4-0 when a pass from Raddysh went off his skate and past Sorokin to give him 33 goals on the season with Point recording the secondary assist…With 6:34 remaining in regulation, Point scored a power-play goal when he took a pass from Kucherov and beat Semyon Varlamov blocker side for his 48th goal of the year…Alex Killorn recorded the secondary assist on the Bolts’ final goal of the contest…Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his second shutout over the past three games, stopping a perfect 38-of-38 shots against…Killorn skated in his 800th career NHL game.
PP: TBL – 1-2 NYI – 0-3
SOG: TBL – 32 NYI – 38
Attendance: 19,092

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and Rangers are playing the third of three matchups this season and the second of two meetings at Madison Square Garden…The Bolts are 1-1-0 vs. NYR this season following a 3-1 loss Oct. 11 at Madison Square Garden and a 2-1 shootout win Dec. 29 at AMALIE Arena…Among all Tampa Bay skaters, Nikita Kucherov (0-2—2), Brayden Point (1-1—2) and Steven Stamkos (1-1—2) are tied for the team lead in scoring vs. NYR this season…Kucherov has picked up points in seven of his last eight games vs. NYR (2-10—12)…Kucherov has pointed in nine of his 11 career games at NYR (3-9—12)…Point has found the scoresheet in nine of his last 10 games vs. NYR (4-7—11)…Point has picked up points in five of his last six games at NYR (4-3—7)…Stamkos has recorded points in eight of his last 10 games vs. NYR (7-7—14) and eight of his last 10 contests at NYR (4-7—11)…Victor Hedman has collected 12 points over his last 11 games vs. NYR (1-11—12)…The Bolts are 5-5-0 in their last 10 road games at NYR and 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings overall…Tampa Bay is 50-46-7 with five ties all-time vs. NYR, including a road record of 24-27-2 with two ties…Martin St. Louis (20-26—46) holds the Lightning franchise record for career points vs. NYR.

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. NYR

  1. Martin St. Louis – 46 pts. (20-26—46, 46 GP)
  2. Steven Stamkos – 39 pts. (18-21—39, 38 GP)
  3. Vincent Lecavalier – 32 pts. (16-16—32, 52 GP)
  4. Chris Gratton – 27 pts. (10-17—27, 31 GP)
  5. Nikita Kucherov – 23 pts. (6-17—23, 23 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the first game of a three-game road trip tonight, the team’s final road trip of the regular season…The Bolts will play three of their six games in April on the road…The Lightning are 18-19-1 on the road this season…Tampa Bay is 13-7-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents and 24-18-3 against the Eastern Conference this season…The Bolts have scored four or more goals in three consecutive games (14 total goals)…The Lightning penalty kill is nine-for-nine over the last three contests…Tampa Bay has surrendered three goals over the past four games…The Bolts are 10-4-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets this season.

INJURIES
2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 104
Current Injuries:
None

NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
New York Rangers 5, Washington Capitals 2 – April 2, 2023 – Capital One Arena
NYR Goals: K. Miller (9), A. Lafreniere (16), K. Kakko (16), V. Tarasenko (17), M. Zibanejad (39)
WSH Goals: D. Strome (19), A. Protas (4)
NYR Goalie: I. Shesterkin (W – 26/28)
WSH Goalie: D. Kuemper (L – 29/34)
NYR Shots: 34
WSH Shots: 28
NYR PP: 1/4
NYR PK: 2/2

RECAP/NOTES: The Rangers capped off the three-game road trip with a convincing win against the Capitals last Sunday afternoon. Artemi Panarin recorded three assists and Vincent Trocheck added two of his own. New York recorded its 23rd road win and 53rd point on the road, surpassing last season’s mark of 52.

RANGERS RUNDOWN

  • The New York Rangers began their last back-to-back of the regular season with a home matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 PM ET – TV: TNT – Radio: ESPN 1050 AM, Sports USA). The Blueshirts have five more games left in the regular season (three at home, two on road).
  • Tonight in a pregame ceremony, the Rangers will award the second annual Rod Gilbert “Mr. Ranger” Award, given to the Rangers player “who best honors Rod’s legacy by exemplifying leadership qualities both on and off the ice, and making a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.”
  • The Blueshirts have clinched a spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 62nd time in team history they have made the postseason. New York’s 14 playoff appearances since the 2005-06 season are tied for the second most in the NHL.
  • The Rangers have reached the 100-point plateau for a second consecutive year and 12th time in team history. New York’s six 100-point seasons since 2011-12 are the third most in the NHL behind Boston and Pittsburgh (7). Gerard Gallant is the first coach in franchise history to record 100-point seasons in his first two seasons.
  • New York has points in 12 of its last 14 games (10-2-2) and wins in eight of its last 11 contests. At home, the Rangers have won six of their last seven and 11 of their last 14. The Blueshirts are 14-5-0 in their last 19 home games.
  • Since December 5, New York is 34-11-6 for 74 points. In the NHL in that span, the Rangers rank tied for second in points, points percentage (.725), third in wins, third in goals per game (3.55), and fourth in power play percentage (24.3).
  • New York’s plus-52 goal differential ranks tied for fifth in the NHL while its plus-25 differential in the third period ranks fourth in the NHL.
  • New York has points in five-straight games against the Lightning (4-0-1) and seven of its last eight contests against Tampa Bay (5-1-2).
  • Mika Zibanejad has 20 power play goals on the year. The Rangers are the first team since the 1992-93 & 1993-94 Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins to have a different player score 20+ power play goals in back-to-back seasons as Chris Kreider had 26 last year.
  • Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin are the third pair of teammates in Rangers history to simultaneously post consecutive 80-point campaigns following Rod Gilbert and Steve Vickers (1974-75 – 1975-76) as well as Gilbert and Jean Ratelle (1971-72 – 1972-73).
  • With a 2.66 mark, the Rangers have allowed the fourth fewest goals against per game in the NHL.
  • The Blueshirts have 21 comeback victories this season, tied for the fourth most in the NHL. New York is 15-2-5 when tied after two periods – their 15 wins are the most in the NHL.
  • When scoring four or more goals, New York is 31-0-0 and the only team in the NHL to have a perfect such record.
  • For the fourth time (2022-23, 2015-16, 2010-11 and 2006-07) in the past 20 years, the Rangers have five different 20-plus goal scorers (Panarin, Zibanejad, Chytil, Trocheck, Kreider).
  • The Rangers defensemen group has compiled 185 points, the fourth most in the NHL.

LAST FIVE GAMES
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Apr. 2 at Washington W, 5-2
Mar. 31 at Buffalo OTL, 3-2
Mar. 30 at New Jersey L, 2-1
Mar. 28 Columbus W, 6-2
Mar. 25 Florida W, 4-3

MAN GAMES LOST – 50
PLAYER INJURY/REASON DATES MISSED CONS. GAMES MISSED
Ryan Lindgren Upper-Body Mar. 23-Apr. 2 6

ALL-TIME RECORD 53-41-5-9 (120 PTS)
2022-23 1-0-1
2021-22 3-0-0
NYR HOME 29-19-2-5 (65 PTS)
NYR AWAY 24-22-3-4 (55 PTS)
LAST FIVE MEETINGS 4-0-1
LEADING SCORER(S) – CURRENT RANGERS IN CAREER G: Kane (10) – A: Kane (21) – Pts: Kane (31)
LEADING SCORER(S) – ALL-TIME IN GAMES W/NYR G: Graves (14) – A: Leetch (33) – Pts: Leetch (43)

2022-23 SEASON SERIES
October 11 at MSG W, 3-1
December 29 at Tampa Bay SOL, 2-1
April 5 at MSG 7:30 PM ET

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