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NHL Preview: Calgary Flames (36-26-15) at Winnipeg Jets (43-31-3)

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NHL Preview: Calgary Flames (36-26-15) at Winnipeg Jets (43-31-3)

CALGARY FLAMES NOTES:

FLAMES LAST GAME RECAP
April 4, 2023 – CALGARY FLAMES [3] vs. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS [4]
The Calgary Flames began their final back-to-back set of the season last night when they welcomed the Chicago Blackhawks to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Chicago struck first courtesy of Andreas Athanasiou to go up 1-0, but Tyler Toffoli would respond for Calgary to draw the Flames level. Chicago would add one more before the end of the frame to go into the intermission up 2-1. Noah Hanifin scored the only goal of the second off a slick three-way passing play with Coleman and Huberdeau picking up assists to tie the game at two’s through 40. In the third, Chicago struck twice in the periods opening four minutes, and that would prove to be the difference as Backlund would score late for the Flames, but Chicago held on for a 4-3 win.
CGY GOAL SCORERS: Toffoli (34), Hanifin (7), Backlund (18)
GOALIE: Markstrom (19/23, .826 Sv%)
PP: 0/1 (0%)
PK: —
FLAMES LAST FIVE RESULTS, RECORD: 4-1-0

DATE RESULT GWG CGY GOALIE OPP. GOALIE
April 4, 2023 CHI [4] vs. CGY [3] Wagner Markstrom Mrazek
April 2, 2023 ANA [4] vs. CGY [5] Stone Markstrom/Vladar Dostal
March 31, 2023 CGY [5] at VAN 4 Toffoli Markstrom Demko
March 28, 2023 LAK [1] vs. CGY [2] Duehr Markstrom Korpisalo
March 25, 2023 SJS [3] vs. CGY [5] Kadri Markstrom Kahkonen
*shootout winning goal

FLAMES UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
DATE TIME
(MST) OPPONENT VENUE
April 5, 2023 5:30pm at Winnipeg Jets Canada Life Centre
April 8, 2023 8:00pm at Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena
April 10, 2023 7:30pm vs. Nashville Predators Scotiabank Saddledome
April 12, 2023 8:00pm vs. San Jose Sharks Scotiabank Saddledome

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS
This is the third and final matchup this season between the Flames and Jets. The Flames have gone 1-1-0 against Winnipeg this season with the home team winning 3-2 in both matchups. This is a Pacific Division versus Central Division matchup; The Flames have an overall record of 9-9-4 against Central Division opponents this season and a record of 24-15-7 against Western Conference opponents.

FLAMES VERSUS THE JETS THIS SEASON:
The Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets get set to meet for the third and final time this season and the second time at the Canada Life Centre. In meeting one the Flames came out of the gates flying with Elias Lindholm scoring just 3:23 into the game. Neal Pionk would tie the game for the Jets before Adam Ruzicka helped the Flames retake the lead heading into the break. The two teams would trade goals in the second with Dubois scoring for Winnipeg and Trevor Lewis recording a shorthanded marker for the Flames which would hold up to be the game winner. Calgary would lock things down in the third to knock off the Jets 3-2. In meeting number two, both teams were firing the puck early with a combined 24 first period shots but Jacob Markstrom and Connor Hellebuyck stood tall, and the game remained scoreless through 20. In the second, Brenden Dillon and Nikita Zadorov traded goals to make it 1-1 through 40. In the third Josh Morrissey gave the Jets their lead back before Mikael Backlund found himself in alone and slid his eighth on the campaign through the legs of Hellebuyck to tie the game once again. The Jets scored late in the third and would hold on for a 3-2 win.

QUICK HITS:
Noah Hanifin scored his seventh goal of the season last night, giving him the third-most goals, he’s recorded in a single season. Hanifin also added an assist for his fourth multi-point effort on the campaign and was third on the team in ice-time last night, logging 21:42 of TOI. Tyler Toffoli had a team-high five shots against Chicago and was rewarded with his team-leading 34th goal of the campaign. Chris Tanev returned to the lineup after missing six games due to injury, skating in 18:33 of ice-time.

DID YOU KNOW?
MacKenzie Weegar and Nikolaj Ehlers were teammates on the Halifax Mooseheads during the 2013-14 season. Dillon Dube scored his first NHL goal against the Jets on November 21, 2018. This is the Flames final back-to-back scenario of the 2022-23 season, Calgary has won the second game in their previous two back-to-backs (1-0 at MIN: Mar. 7) (5-1 at ANA: Mar. 21).

CALGARY FLAMES vs. WINNIPEG JETS
CGY vs. WPG ALL-TIME HOME AWAY L10 STRKC
22-20-1-3 16-6-0-1 6-14-1-2 4-6-0 L1

GAME INFO:
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets
6:30pm CT
Canada Life Centre
TV: Sportsnet West
Radio: Sportsnet Fan 960

2022-23 Season Series: 1-1-0 (Home: 1-0-0, Road 0-1-0)
Nov. 12, 2022 – WPG [2] at CGY [3]
Jan. 3, 2023 – WPG [3] vs. CGY [2]
Apr. 5, 2023 – WPG vs. CGY

2021-22 Season Record vs. WPG: 1-2-0 (Home: 1-1-0, Road: 0-1-0)
Last Home Win vs. WPG: November 1, 2022 –Winnipeg [2] vs. Calgary [3]
Last Road Win @ WPG: February 1, 2021 – Calgary [4] at Winnipeg 3
Last Home Loss vs. WPG: November 27, 2021 – Winnipeg [4] vs. Calgary [2]
Last Road Loss @ WPG: January 3, 2023 –Winnipeg [3] at Calgary [2]

2022-23 CALGARY FLAMES
FLAMES RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Mar. 30 – signed William Stromgren (F) to a three-year entre level contract
Mar. 30 – signed William Stromgren (F) to an ATO, assigned to Calgary (AHL)
Mar. 31 – activated Michael Stone (D) from IR

FLAMES RECENT INJURIES (Total man games lost – 66)
Noah Hanifin – illness (1 game: Oct. 21)
Chris Tanev – upper-body (5 games: Nov. 3 – Nov. 10)
Jonathan Huberdeau – upper-body (3 games: Nov. 8 – Nov. 12)
Michael Stone – lower-body (11 games: Nov. 7 – Nov. 25)
MacKenzie Weegar – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 12)
Elias Lindholm – upper-body injury (1 game: Dec. 12)
Chris Tanev – upper-body injury (3 games: Dec. 14 – Dec. 18)
Radim Zohorna – non-COVID illness (1 game: Dec. 18)
Dennis Gilbert – lower-body injury (4 games: Dec. 20 – Dec. 27)
Brett Ritchie – upper-body injury (8 games: Jan. 8 – Jan. 26)
Chris Tanev – injury reserve (2 games: Jan. 26 – Jan. 27)
Rasmus Andersson – day-to-day (3 games: Feb. 9 – Feb. 13)
Michael Stone – lower-body injury (19 games: Feb. 22 – Mar. 28)
Chris Tanev – upper body injury (6 games: Mar. 21 – Apr. 2)
FLAMES CAREER MILESTONES WITHIN REACH:
Blake Coleman – 197 points (3 away from 200 points)
Andrew Mangiapane – 93 goals (7 away from 100 goals)
Blake Coleman – 93 assists (7 away from 100 assists)
Trevor Lewis – 90 goals (10 away from 100 goals)

RECORD BY MONTH
October November December January February March April
HOME 4-2-0 3-2-1 4-3-1 3-2-0 1-2-1 3-4-1 1-1-0
AWAY 1-0-0 2-5-2 4-1-3 3-2-2 2-1-3 5-1-1 0-0-0
TOTAL 5-2-0 5-7-3 8-4-4 6-4-2 3-4-4 7-5-2 1-1-0

RECORD BY DAY
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
3-0-1 5-3-4 7-5-3 3-1-2 3-10-2 4-4-0 11-4-3

RECORD BY DAYS BETWEEN GAMES/ON…
0 Days: 5-2-2
1 Day: 21-16-12
2 Days: 8-7-1
3 Days: 0-2-0
4+ Days: 1-0-1
First of B2B: 2-6-2
Second of B2B: 5-2-2

WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:

Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets entertain the Calgary Flames on Wednesday at Canada Life Centre in the third game of a five-game homestand. The Jets are 2-0-0 during the homestand after a 6-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday and 6-1 against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night. Winnipeg ends their last homestand of the season with games against the Nashville Predators on Saturday and San Jose Sharks on Monday.

Tale of the Tape
WPG Stat CGY
77 GP 77
43 W 36
31 L 26
3 OT 15
89 PTS 87
233 GF 247
215 GA 240
19.3% PP 20.6%
82.3% PK 81.9%

Next Five Games
Date Opp TV Radio
Apr. 5 CGY SN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 8 NSH SN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 10 SJS SN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 11 At MIN TSN CJOB/Power 97
Apr. 13 At COL TSN CJOB/Power 97

Recent Five Games
Date Opp SC Res Streak
Mar. 23 At ANA 3-2 W 2W
Mar. 25 At LAK 4-1 L 1L
Mar. 28 At SJS 3-0 L 2L
Mar. 31 DET 6-2 W 1W
Apr. 2 NJD 6-1 W 2W

Broadcast Information
TV: Sportsnet
Play-By-Play: Rick Ball
Analyst: Kelly Hrudey
Rinkside: Sean Reynolds
Radio: 680 CJOB/Power 97
Play-By-Play: Paul Edmonds
Analyst: Jamie Thomas
Host: Kelly Moore

Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, April 5
Morning Skate 9:30 a.m.
Jets vs. New Jersey Devils 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 6
Practice – Canada Life Centre 12:00 p.m.
Friday, April 7
Practice – Canada Life Centre 11:00 a.m.
All Times Local

Last Game
Winnipeg Jets 6
New Jersey Devils 1
Jets Scorers: Ehlers (11, 12), Niederreiter (24), Barron (8), Connor (30), Dubois (26)
Devils Scorers: Hischier (31)
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (31 sv, 1 ga)
Devils Goaltender: Viteck Vanecek (17 sv, 4 ga); Mackenzie Blackwood (4 sv, 2 ga)
Jets PP: 1-for-3
Jets PK: 2-for-3
Recap: The Jets tallied two goals in each period in a 6-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night. Nikolaj Ehlers had a pair of goals, while Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist and Blake Wheeler and Josh Morrissey had two assists. Ehlers also led the Jets with five shots, while Dylan Samberg had four hits.

Where They Stand
The Jets are in the second wild card position in the Western Conference… Winnipeg trails the Seattle Kraken by three points for the first wild
card spot, while the Calgary Flames are two points behind the Jets and the Nashville Predators trail Winnipeg by five points with a game in-hand.

Outburst
The Jets have scored six goals in each of their past two games… It’s the seventh time in franchise history and fourth time since relocation that Winnipeg has had at least six goals in consecutive games… The Jets franchise has never scored six goals in three consecutive games, which
has happened twice in the NHL this season (NY Rangers (Feb. 10-15) and St. Louis (Mar. 25-28)).

All 77
Five members of the Jets have played all 77 games this season – Kyle Connor, Brenden Dillon, Adam Lowry, Neal Pionk, and Mark Scheifele…Scheifele has played all 82 games in a season twice in his career, while Connor, Dillon and Lowry have each done it once… Pionk could play all 82 games for the first time in his career… The Jets didn’t have anyone play all 82 games last season.

Backend Production
Jets defencemen have combined for 180 points (43G, 137A) this season, which is tied for eighth in the NHL… A defenceman has been in on 39 of Winnipeg’s past 51 goals… Josh Morrissey (71), Neal Pionk (33), Dylan DeMelo (25), and Brenden Dillon (22) have all reached the 20-point mark, while Nate Schmidt has 17 points… Defencemen have accounted for 27.7% of Winnipeg’s points this season, which is fourth in the NHL.

Road Record
The Jets are 19-19-1 on the road this season… Winnipeg has won four of their past eight road games… Kyle Connor (13G, 21A) leads the Jets in scoring on the road with 34 points in 39 games… Mark Scheifele has a team leading 19 goals… Nikolaj Ehlers has 19 points (7G, 12A) in 22 road games this season and has a point in 12 of the 22 games.

PK Prowess
Winnipeg is sixth in the NHL with a penalty kill successful 82.3% of the time… Winnipeg has given up a power play goal against in five consecutive games for the first time this season… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season.

Jets vs. CGY Records
Overall Record
GP W L OT
46 23 20 3

Home Record
GP W L OT
23 16 4 3

Away Record
GP W L OT
23 7 16 0

Jets vs. CGY Notes
Season Series
The Jets and Flames meet three times this season. Winnipeg lost 3-2 in Calgary on Nov. 12 before beating the Flames 3-2 at Canada Life Centre on Jan. 3.

Recent History
The Jets are 11-4-1 against the Flames in the past 16 meetings, dating back to 2019… The Jets haven’t lost consecutive games to Calgary during that time… Thirteen of the 16 games have been decided by two goals or less.

In Winnipeg
Winnipeg has a point in eight consecutive games against the Flames at Canada Life Centre (7-0-1).

Player Notes
Blake Wheeler has 31 points (11G, 20A) in 34 career games against Calgary to lead the Jets. Wheeler had a nine-game point streak against the Flames from Mar. 9/12-Mar. 16/16, which is the longest against the Flames in franchise history… Kyle Connor has 16 points (7G, 9A) in 20 games against the Flames… Neal Pionk leads Jets defencemen with 14 points (2G, 12A) in 19 career games against Calgary… Connor Hellebuyck is 13-5-1 during his career against the Flames with a 1.93 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

Jets vs. CGY Past 10 Games
Date Opp Res G GA S PPO PPG PIM SA PPOA PPGA PIMA
02/09/2021 @Cgy L 2 3 27 2 1 4 29 2 1 4
03/26/2021 @Cgy W 3 2 29 6 2 8 27 4 1 12
03/27/2021 @Cgy L 2 4 24 2 0 4 33 2 1 4
03/29/2021 @Cgy W 5 1 29 2 0 8 30 4 1 4
05/05/2021 @Cgy W 4 0 19 3 1 10 32 5 0 6
11/27/2021 @Cgy W 4 2 28 3 0 8 36 4 1 19
02/21/2022 @Cgy L 1 3 23 3 0 8 31 4 1 6
04/29/2022 Cgy W 3 1 43 4 0 4 33 2 0 8
11/12/2022 @Cgy L 2 3 23 3 0 10 35 3 0 10
01/03/2023 Cgy W 3 2 25 4 0 6 35 2 0 10

NHL Morning Skate – April 5, 2023

NHL Editor
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NHL Morning Skate – April 5, 2023

* It was an avalanche of accomplishments for Colorado as Nathan MacKinnon’s overtime goal secured him his first 100-point season and helped the defending Stanley Cup champions become the 12th team to clinch a postseason berth. The Avalanche sat outside the playoff bracket three months ago but have now won 27 of 40 games since Jan. 4 – the second most in the League through that span.

* Four teams in the Wild Card race between both the Eastern and Western Conference earned wins Tuesday, with the Panthers pulling off the biggest move jumping from outside the playoff picture into the first Wild Card seed in the east.

* The Hurricanes became the second team to reach the 50-win mark this season and achieved the feat for the third time in franchise history, allowing head coach Rod Brind’Amour toadd his name to a short list.
 


AVALANCHE CLINCH SIXTH PLAYOFF SPOT IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
Nathan MacKinnon (2-1—3) recorded his first-ever 100-point season after establishing a franchise record with his 10th career overtime goal as the defending Stanley Cup-champion Avalanche (46-24-6, 98 points) clinched a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by collecting at least one point against the Sharks and with the Flames losing to the Blackhawks in any fashion. Colorado also took over first place in the Central Division.



* After trailing the division leader by as many as 14 points this season (Jan. 12, Jan. 13 & Jan. 15), Colorado moved into first place in the Central Division and created a three-way tie – in terms of points – among the top three teams in the division (DAL w/ 42-21-14, 98 points & MIN w/ 44-23-10, 98 points). Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota combined for the second instance in NHL history of the top three teams in a division all having the same number of points at this stage of a season (at least 90% of schedule completed). The other was in 2016-17 when the Ducks, Sharks & Oilers all had 91 points through March 25, 2017 (all w/ 74+ GP); Anaheim eventually pulled away to claim the Pacific Division.

* Colorado became the eighth consecutive reigning Stanley Cup champion to qualify for the postseason. In the NHL’s expansion era (from the 1968 Canadiens to the 2022 Avalanche), 50 of 54 champions have reached the playoffs the next season – the only exceptions in that span are the 1969 Canadiens (missed in 1969-70), 1995 Devils (missed in 1995-96), 2006 Hurricanes (missed in 2006-07) and 2014 Kings (missed in 2014-15).

* Click here to read more about the Avalanche’s sixth straight trip to the postseason – and 28th overall – as Colorado will aim to become the NHL’s fourth repeat Stanley Cup champion in the past 30 years, following the Lightning (2020 & 2021), Penguins (2016 & 2017) and Red Wings (1997 & 1998).


HERE’S WHERE THE WILD CARD RACE STANDS

The Eastern and Western Conference Wild Card races continued to intensify Tuesday, with a number of clubs picking up crucial wins:

* Alex Lyon (39 saves) outdueled former Panthers draft pick and current Sabres rookie Devon Levi (34 saves) as Florida earned a crucial regulation win against Buffalo to leapfrog the Islanders and Penguins into the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Lyon, who won the Calder Cup with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2021-22 and captured the Harry Holmes Memorial Award for lowest goals-against average, earned his fourth straight victory and has posted a 1.25 goals-against average, .959 save percentage and one shutout through that span.

* David Perron (2-1—3) factored on three of his team’s five goals while Ville Husso made 24 saves to earn his fourth shutout of 2022-23 as Detroit picked up a win at Bell Centre to keep pace in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. The last Red Wings goaltender with more in a season was Jimmy Howard (5) a decade ago.


* Matty Beniers (1-0—1) scored one of his team’s five goals as the Kraken erased a 2-0 deficit to earn their 25th road victory of the season – trailing only the Bruins (29) and Devils (27) for the most – and maintained their position in the top Wild Card spot. Beniers’ goal marked his 22nd of 2022-23, moving him past Dallas’ Wyatt Johnston and Columbus’ Kirill Marchenko (both w/ 21) for the most among all rookies.

* After Tommy Novak put Nashville up 2-0, Western Conference-leading Vegas evened the score but Novak factored on the overtime winner to help lift the Predators to their 22nd one-goal victory of the season – the Golden Knights (25) and Hurricanes (25) are the only teams with more – and move within three points of the Jets for the final Wild Card spot. Novak recorded his fifth three-point game of the season – tied with Roman Josi and Matt Duchene for the most among all Predators players.


BRIND’AMOUR AND CO. CAPTURE 50TH WIN OF 2022-23

The Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes (50-18-9, 109 points) withstood a multi-goal comeback as Martin Necas scored his fourth overtime goal of the season with 41 seconds remaining in the extra frame to lift Carolina to its 50th win.

* The Hurricanes have captured 50 wins in a season for the third time in franchise history and second under head coach Rod Brind’Amour (also 54 in 2021-22). Only two head coaches in NHL history have had more 50-win campaigns within their first five career seasons behind the bench.


* Brind’Amour has also been gaining coaching experience working as an assistant coach alongside his former teammate, Justin Williams for the 11-and-under Junior Canes – a team that includes Brind’Amour’s son, Brooks, Williams’ daughter, Jade, and Brent Burns’ son, Jagger. Brind’Amour, who has expressed that coaching minor hockey has brought him great joy despite sometimes receiving “eye rolls” from 11-year-olds, is hands-on in gym and video sessions while also watching games and practices online when he can’t be there in person.

DRAISAITL’S THREE-POINT NIGHT HELPS OILERS REACH 100 POINTS IN 2022-23
Leon Draisaitl (1-2—3) collected his second consecutive three-point game and pushed his point streak to 13 games (10-17—27), while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins became Edmonton’s fourth player to score 15 power-play goals in 2022-23 as the Oilers (46-23-9, 101 points) secured their second straight 100-point campaign and leapfrogged the Kings (45-23-10, 100 points) for second in the Pacific Division.

* Draisaitl can match a number of personal feats when he takes the ice again Wednesday against the Ducks. He can tie the longest point streak of his career (14 GP in 2018-19) and can record three-plus points in three straight games for just the second time, after first doing so last season (3 GP from Nov. 1-5, 2021).



GREAVES SETS FRANCHISE RECORD IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
The Tuesday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured notes from the full 11-game slate, including Columbus netminder Jet Greaves stopping 46 shots to set a Blue Jackets record for most saves in a goaltender’s first career game with the club.

* Greaves, who hails from Cambridge, Ont., around 60 miles from Toronto, made his debut in front of friends and family at Scotiabank Arena – a place that made him aspire to play in the NHL after going to watch the Maple Leafs play there as a teenager.


QUICK CLICKS

* CHEL Intel – Issue No. 10
* Patrick Kane talks being comfortable after trade to Rangers in Q&A with NHL.com

* Islanders home becoming leader in environmental sustainability

* Women’s hockey exhibit opens at Hall of Fame ahead of World Championship

* Bruins-Penguins game on April 1 draws biggest viewership on ABC this season
 


THE WILD, WILD WEST: WILD CARD MATCHUP READY FOR NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
The Jets (43-31-3, 89 points) and Flames (36-27-15, 87 points) will go head-to-head in a contest broadcast nationally in Canada as the race for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference intensifies – a day after five teams battled it out for positioning in the Eastern Conference. Winnipeg has held a playoff position for 165 of 180 days this season and every day since Oct. 27, 2022.
 

Boxing: Split-T Management Signs Czarina McCoy

Fight Editor
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Boxing: Split-T Management Signs Czarina McCoy

NEW YORK – Split-T Management has signed Czarina McCoy.

McCoy will be managed by Brian Cohen of Empire Boxing.

“I am super excited to work with Brian and Split-T. We have been talking since I turned professional, but my dad wanted to work independently at first. We felt at this time, it is the right time to work with Brian as I know he can help me get to the next level,” said McCoy

“If all negotiations in boxing would be as smooth as this, then boxing would be a better place. Mr McCoy and Czarina are amazing. As a father myself, the way Mr. McCoy has helped his daughter, is beyond commendable. As her mother passed on when she was a child, Mr McCoy has raised a smart, gifted, talented young lady. I’m excited to see what Czarino is going to accomplish in this new journey in her boxing career,” said Brian Cohen.

McCoy, 22 years-old of Las Vegas is 11-1 with three knockouts.

McCoy began boxing at the age of 11 as she actually walked into the wrong gym.

“My father was taking me to start gymnastics and we walked into a gym where they were boxing. When I saw that, I wanted to leave but Richard Steele started talking to us and asked If I could fight, and I said yes. I gave it a try and never left,” said McCoy.

That spawned an amateur career that saw McCoy go 36-4 and become a five-time National champion. She captured Junior Olympics, USA Boxing, Western Qualifiers, National PAL and Adidas titles.

McCoy considers herself a boxer-puncher, but is adaptable to every style.

McCoy has won several titles, including the WIBA Youth Super Flyweight, ABF Intercontinental Featherweight, UBO and WIBA World Lightweight and UBO World Super Lightweight titles.

“I am ready for the big fights. I am ready for these bigger opportunities and compete for these bigger titles. I am looking forward to getting back in the ring in the next month or so.

McCoy is a throwback fighter who is looking to win titles in many weight classes. “I can fight anywhere from 118 to 140 lbs, and I can see myself winning world titles in those weight classes. I like the idea of moving up and down in weight. I don’t want to settle in one weight class. I am influenced by Manny Pacquiao and you see how many weight classes he became champion in.

McCoy is trained by “Bullett” Cromwell Gordon.

MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (4-1) at Oakland Athletics (1-3)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (4-1) at Oakland Athletics (1-3)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

ABOUT THE A’S: Have lost three straight after winning on Opening Day… dropped two of three to the Angels to start the season, which marks the 12th time in the last 13 years the A’s have lost the first series of the season…have lost the first two series of the season just once over the previous 11 years (2021)…this is the A’s 56th season in Oakland where the A’s have won 17 American League West titles, four AL Wild Cards, six AL pennants and four World Championships…only the Atlanta Braves (22), New York Yankees (20) and Los Angeles Dodgers (20) have more division titles than the A’s…since the A’s moved to Oakland in 1968, only the Yankees (11), Cardinals (8) and Dodgers (8) have more league championships and only the Yankees have more world championships (7)…have a 4495-4182 (.518) record over the previous 55 seasons in Oakland…only four teams have won more games over that span (New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston, St. Louis)…this is the Athletics franchise 123rd season in the American League…since 1901, the A’s have 17 AL West titles plus 15 AL pennants and nine World Championships…only the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11) have won more World Championships…the A’s are 9210- 9654 (.488) in their previous 122 seasons…that includes a 3886-4248 record from 1901-54 in Philadelphia and 829-1224 from 1955-67 in Kansas City.

HOME AND AWAY: The A’s are 1-3 on this season-opening six-game homestand against Los Angeles-AL (1-2) and Cleveland (0-1)…went 29-51 (.362)
at home last year, which set an Oakland record for lowest home winning percentage…had the second worst home record in the majors to Washington (26-55, .321)…leave following the game tomorrow for the first road trip of the season, a seven-game trip to Tampa Bay (three games) and Baltimore (four games) that begins on Friday…went 31-51 (.378) on the road in 2022, which was the third worst road record in the American League.

THIS AND THAT: The A’s scored 11 runs last night and lost, which marks the first time Oakland scored at least 11 runs in a game and did not win since May 5, 2000 when they dropped a 17-16 decision at Texas…it was the 12th time in Oakland history the A’s tallied at least 11 runs in loss… had scored just three runs over the first three games and now have 14 runs scored, which is third fewest in the American League…had 14 hits last night after collecting 16 over the first three games and also have the third fewest hits in the AL (30)…have grounded into a double play in each of the first four games and lead the AL with six overall…led the majors in grounded into double plays during the spring (32)…have committed an error in each of the first four games, which matches the longest season-opening streak by an A’s team over the last 47 years (also 2011 and 2015)…have five errors for the season, which is second most in the AL to Baltimore (6)…the pitching staff leads the AL in runs allowed (32), but four of the runs are unearned and the A’s 6.81 ERA is third highest…have a wild pitch in each of the first four games and have five overall, which is second most in the AL to Cleveland (6)…led the majors with 36 wild pitches this spring…the A’s are the only team in the majors that has yet to score first in a game.

DURING THE SPRING: The A’s went 11-17-3 (.355) this spring, which was the worst record in the Cactus League and third worst in the majors ahead of Pittsburgh (9-18-4) and Miami (7-16-4)…it was the fifth lowest spring winning percentage in Oakland history…went 5-10-3 last spring and have back-to-back losing springs for the first time since 2016-18 when they had three straight…the A’s led majors in on-base percentage (.367), walks (153), hit by pitches (26) and lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.83)…the walks were second most by an A’s team during the spring since 1990, the earliest year spring stats are available (had 154 in 1997)…the hit by pitches were the most since 2009 (28) and the on-base percentage was the best since 2013 (.367)…tied for second in the CL in triples (9), ranked fourth in OPS (.783) and plate appearances per strikeout (4.45) and tied for fourth in runs (171) and doubles (64)…had the most grounded into double plays in the majors (32)…had the second fewest home runs in the CL (27) and the fifth lowest slugging percentage (.416)…the pitching staff had the highest ERA (6.35), opponents OPS (.849) and on-base percentage (.385) in the majors, the third highest batting average (.283) and fifth highest slugging percentage (.465)…the ERA was the highest by an A’s team during the spring since at least 1990 (previous: 6.22 in 1999)…also led the majors in runs (209), walks (171) and wild pitches (36)…the walks are the most by an A’s team during the spring since at least 1990…tied for the second most home runs allowed in the CL (40)…were one of two teams in the majors without a balk (Cardinals)…the A’s defense had the fourth fewest errors in the CL (23) and tied for fifth in outfield assists (4)… had the most passed balls (7).

THE RULE CHANGES: The A’s stole 40 bases this spring, which was third most in the Cactus League…it was the most by an A’s team during the spring since at least 1990 (previous: 39 with the 1995 replacement players)…tied for the fourth fewest caught stealings (6) and had the fifth best stolen base percentage (87.0)…the A’s average time of game was 2:46, compared to 3:07 from last spring…however, had the highest average time of game in the majors (Phillies, 2:43)…league-wide, the average time of game was 2:35 compared to 3:01 last spring.

ROSTER NOTES: The A’s Opening Day roster featured seven players who returned from last years Opening Day roster (Acevedo, Brown, Jackson, Jiménez, Kemp, Moll, Oller), which matched the fewest returning players by an A’s team since Opening Day rosters are first available in 1992 (also 2012)…seven were signed as free agents (Aguilar, Díaz, Familia, Fujinami, May, Perez, Peterson), which are the most free agents on an A’s Opening Day roster since 1995 when they had eight…had two players in the Opening Day starting lineup that also started the opener last year, which were the fewest by an A’s team since 2015 when they also had two…of the 26 players on the A’s Opening Day roster, only four played for Oakland in at least each of the previous three seasons: Ramón Laureano (2018-22), Seth Brown (2019-22), James Kaprielian (2020-22) and Tony Kemp (2020- 22)…only Kemp, who has been on each of the A’s last four Opening Day rosters, has a streak of more than two consecutive Opening Day rosters with the A’s…Seth Brown, who was drafted on June 10, 2015 has the longest tenure in the A’s organization…18 of the 26 players were acquired by Oakland since the conclusion of the 2021 season (all but Acevedo, Allen, Brown, Jackson, Kaprielian, Kemp, Laureano, Moll)…had six rookies on the Opening Day roster (Capel, Fujinami, Muller, Noda, Ruiz, Waldichuk)…five players had six or more years of service: Familia (10 years, 8 days), May (8 years, 12 days), Peterson (6 years, 142 days), Díaz (6 years, 100 days) and Aguilar (6 years, 82 days)…the average age on the A’s Opening Day roster was 28.50 years, which is the A’s youngest since 2015 (27.92)…Esteury Ruiz, who was 24 years and 43 days, is the youngest…Trevor May was the oldest at 33 years and 188 days and he is the youngest oldest player on an A’s Opening Day roster since Mark Ellis in 2010 (32 years, 303 days).

THE INJURED LIST: The A’s begin the season with five players (Blackburn, Piña, Rucinski, Snead, Tarnok) on the injured list after starting the season with three last year…used the IL 31 times last year, which broke the Oakland record of 27 set in 2016 and matched in 2021…however, used the IL nine times for Covid in 2022 and three times in 2021.

A’S VS. GUARDIANS
• The A’s lost the first meeting of 2023 last night and now have a six-game home losing streak, which matches the longest home losing streak against Cleveland in Oakland history (6, June 3, 1994-July 27, 1995)…the last time the A’s lost more than six straight home games to Cleveland was May 5-July 17, 1954 when they Philadelphia A’s lost eight straight.

• Lost the season series last year for the first time since 2016.

• Went 1-6, which was their worst record against Cleveland since going 0-7 in 1995.

Year Home Road Totals
2023 0-1 0-0 0-1
2022 0-3 1-3 1-6
Oakland History: 288-251
at the Coliseum: 151-112
at Progressive Field: 52-70
All-Time: 923-1044

TODAY’S TIDBITS
Seth Brown has homered in each of his last four games against the Guardians and has six home runs in 14 career games against Cleveland, which are his most against any team…Ramón Laureano has four hits, three of which are for extra bases (one double, two home runs)…Esteury Ruiz is the only Athletic to reach base safely in each of the A’s first four games.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: JP Sears (6-3, 3.86 ERA in 2022) FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his first start of the season…begins his second season in the majors and is on his second consecutive Opening Day roster…made his Major League debut with the Yankees last year and pitched in relief during his first stint.

SPRING TRAINING RECAP: Went 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA and .874 opponents OPS in five games, including four starts…allowed a .304 opponents batting average but walked just four batters in 17.1 innings…allowed at least two runs in each of his five appearances…also pitched in a minor league game on March 17.

2022 RECAP: Pitched for four different teams in two organizations and made his Major League debut, combining for a 6-3 record, a 3.86 ERA and .716 opponents OPS in 17 games, including 11 starts…was on the Yankees Opening Day roster and went 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven games, including two starts, over five stints…was traded to the A’s with three other players for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino on Aug. 1…made one start for Triple-A Las Vegas before reporting to Oakland on Aug. 10 and was 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA in 10 games, including nine starts, with the A’s…his six wins ranked sixth among American League rookies…his 3.86 ERA was fifth lowest among AL rookies with 70 or more innings pitched.

OPPONENTS BATTING: Combined for a .256 opponents batting average, which broke down to .254 (54-for-213) with a .723 OPS against right-handed hitters compared to .265 (13-for-49) with a .684 OPS against left-handers… yielded 17 of his 20 extra base hits to righties, including all eight of his home runs…opponents hit .256 with the bases empty, .255 with runners on…allowed a .226 average with runners in scoring position.

STARTING AND RELIEVING: Was 5-3 with a 4.27 ERA and .776 opponents OPS in his 11 starts compared to 1-0 with a 2.60 ERA and .501 OPS in six relief appearances…surrendered seven of his eight home runs as a starter…stranded both of his inherited runners in relief and first batters faced were 0-for-5 with a walk.

THIS AND THAT: Was 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA and .585 opponents OPS in eight games against AL West teams, 2-3 with a 5.81 ERA and .858 OPS in nine games against all other teams…had a 1.64 ERA in the first inning…allowed 10 of his 31 runs in the second inning for a 6.75 ERA…had a 3.64 ERA from the third inning on…Combined for a 4-3 record and a 4.25 ERA in 10 games in the Coliseum and Yankee Stadium…was 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA in seven games on the road…allowed three hits or fewer in 10 of his 17 appearances and two runs or fewer 13 times.

Pirates roster moves

MLB Editor
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Pirates roster moves

Today the Pirates made the following roster moves:

  • Placed C Austin Hedges on the 7-day Concussion Injured List – STATS
  • Selected C Tyler Heineman from Triple-A Indianapolis – STATS … He will wear uniform No. 54
  • To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Edwin Uceta was designated for assignment – STATS
  • OF Ryan Vilade has cleared waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis – STATS
  • The 40-man roster remains at 40.

Phillies select McKinley Moore, option Yunior Marte

MLB Editor
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Phillies select McKinley Moore, option Yunior Marte

Prior to today’s game, the Phillies selected the contract of right-handed pitcher McKinley Moore from triple-A Lehigh Valley.  To make room for Moore on the 26-man roster, right-handed pitcher Yunior Marte was optioned to Lehigh Valley following last night’s game.  To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz was designated for assignment.

Moore, 24, made nine appearances for the Phillies in spring training as a non-roster invitee.  He allowed one unearned run and posted a 0.00 ERA (9.1 IP) with 11 strikeouts to one walk while posting a 0.64 WHIP (5 H) and holding opponents to a .156 average.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander made one appearance for Lehigh Valley this season, March 31 at Rochester, where he tossed 33 pitches over 2.0 innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit with two walks and one strikeout and was credited with the win.  Originally selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 14th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Moore was acquired by the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Adam Haseley on March 29, 2022.

Ortiz, 24, was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent on July 9, 2015.

NFL Transactions 4-4-23

NFL Editor
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NFL Transactions 4-4-23

The following are the NFL transactions for Tuesday, April 4. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.

WAIVER SYSTEM TRANSACTION


TERMINATION VIA WAIVER SYSTEM

JACKSONVILLE
    Sargent, MekhiRBIowa   


ACTIVE LIST ADDITIONS


FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

LAS VEGAS
    Hoyer, BrianQBMichigan State   

PITTSBURGH
    Fehoko, BreidenNTLouisiana State   

SEATTLE
    Thompson, CodyWRToledo   



FREE AGENCY SYSTEM TRANSACTIONS


SIGNING:  RESTRICTED FREE AGENT

TENNESSEE
    Brewer, AaronGTexas State   
         No Offer Sheet Executed
  SIGNINGS:  UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

ARIZONA
    Watkins, CarlosDEClemson   
         Old Club: DALLAS
    Wilkinson, ElijahTMassachusetts   
         Old Club: ATLANTA

CAROLINA
    Grugier-Hill, KamuLBEastern Illinois   
         Old Club: ARIZONA
  
DALLAS
    Hankins, JohnathanNTOhio State   

GREEN BAY
    Leavitt, DallinDBUtah State   

HOUSTON
    Perryman, DenzelLBMiami   
         Old Club: LAS VEGAS

PITTSBURGH
    Gentry, ZachTEMichigan   
    Kazee, DamontaeDBSan Diego State   
    Neal, KeanuDBFlorida   
         Old Club: TAMPA BAY

SEATTLE
    Brown, EvanCSouthern Methodist   
         Old Club: DETROIT

MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (2-3) at Los Angeles Dodgers (3-2)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (2-3) at Los Angeles Dodgers (3-2)

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

OPEN FOR BUSINESS
• The Colorado Rockies conclude their opening road trip of the 2023 season with the second game of a two-game series at Dodger Stadium tonight … the Rockies have lost three in a row after opening the season with back-to-back wins in San Diego.

• The Rockies dropped last night’s opener in Los Angeles 13-4 … were up 4-2 entering the bottom of the fifth inning before allowing seven runs with two outs and no one on base, the first time in franchise history that Colorado allowed seven runs with two out and none on.

• After opening the season with two straight wins the Ro

• The Rockies return home to Coors Field on Thursday for their Home Opener against the Washington Nationals … will play four against the Nationals and three against the St. Louis Cardinals to begin the 2023 home slate.

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN
• Sunday’s game time of 2:03 breaks in as the 12th-shortest game in Rockies’ history, the shortest since a 1:58 time of game on July 1, 2008 … in that contest, Aaron Cook tossed a 79-pitch complete-game shutout against the Padres at Coors Field, one of only nine CGSO tossed at Coors Field at the time.

• The shortest game in franchise history came on June 30, 2006 at Seattle when the Rockies topped the Mariners 2-0 in 1:52.

• Through five games the Rockies have an average game time of 2:34, four minutes below the league average of 2:38 … through the first five games of last season, the Rockies’ average game time was 3:16.

THE BLUES
• The Rockies went 8-11 against the Dodgers in 2022, including a 3-6 record at Dodger Stadium and a 3-3 record in a six-game series in Los Angeles to end the regular season … the Rockies were limited to a .209 batting average (62-for-296) at Chavez Ravine last season while the pitching staff threw to a 4.56 ERA (75.0 IP, 38 ER).

• Colorado is 9-25 at Dodger Stadium since the 2019 season, having been outscored 188-118 over that span.

CRON ZONE
• C.J. Cron was named the National League Player of the Week yesterday by Major League Baseball, the second time in his career that he has earned the honor (also: Aug. 8, 2021).

• The first baseman went 2-for-4 with a double and home run Saturday and was 7-for-11 with two doubles and three home runs through the first three games before going hitless over his last nine at-bats … became the eighth player (ninth time, Dante Bichette twice) in franchise history to begin a season with at least seven hits through the team’s first three games, the first since Carlos González went 8-for-15 across the first three games of the 2015 season.

• Cron also became the first player in franchise history with at least seven hits and three home runs through the first three games of a season … the last player in the Majors with at least seven hits and three home runs through a teams first three games was Cody Bellinger with the Dodgers in 2019.

MEAT OF THE ORDER
• Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon and C.J Cron, who have hit two-three-four in the batting lineup each of the first five games, have combined to go 21-for-51 (.356) with five doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and four walks through the first five games.

• Kris Bryant has hit safely in each of the first five games, going 7-for-20 (.350) with one double, one RBI and two walks.

OPEN BOOK
• On Thursday, Charlie Blackmon made his 10th career Opening Day start, surpassing Troy Tulowitzki (nine) and Carlos González (nine) for the second-most Opening Day starts behind Todd Helton’s 16.

• The 2023 season is Blackmon’s 13th on the Rockies’ Major League roster, the second-most seasons in Rockies history behind Todd Helton’s 17.

STARTING PITCHER – GERMÁN MÁRQUEZ RHP

ON BACKGROUND
• Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays on July 6, 2011 as a 16-year-old out of San Felix, Venezuela.

• Acquired by the Rockies along with LHP Jake McGee in exchange for OF Corey Dickerson and INF Kevin Padlo on Jan. 28, 2016.

• Signed a five-year contract extension on April 6, 2019, covering the 2019-23 seasons with an option for 2024.

MR. OPENING DAY
• Made his franchise record third Opening Day start for the Rockies on March 30 … previously, nine other pitchers in franchise history had made two Opening Day starts: Kyle Freeland (2022, 2019), Jon Gray (2017-18), Jorge De La Rosa (2016, 2014), Ubaldo Jiménez (2010-11), Aaron Cook (2007, 2009), Jason Jennings (2003, 2006), Mike Hampton (2001-02), Darryl Kile (1998-99) and Kevin Ritz (1996-97).

• Across his three Opening Day starts, Márquez has gone 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA (15.2 IP, 4 ER), 13 hits, nine walks and 13 strikeouts … earned the win on Thursday in San Diego, tossing six, two run frames … didn’t factor into the Rockies’ 8-5 win over the Dodgers on April 1, 2021 at Coors Field, allowing one run on six hits with six walks and two strikeouts across four innings … lost at Texas, in the first game in Globe Life Park history, despite allowing just one run on two hits across 5.2 innings in a 1-0 Rockies loss.

MOVING ON UP
• With his win on Opening Day, tied Jeff Francis for third in Rockies history with 64 victories.

• After throwing six frames on Thursday, now is at 1,002.0 innings pitched … joined Aaron Cook (1,312.1 IP), Jorge De La Rosa (1,141.1) and Jeff Francis (1,066.0) as the only pitchers to reach 1,000 innings pitched with the franchise.

• His 971 career strikeouts are the second-most in franchise history, trailing only Jorge De La Rosa (985 strikeouts).

• His 35 road wins are the second-most in franchise history, one away from tying Aaron Cook for the franchise record … 478 strikeouts on the road are the most in franchise history.

• Seventh in franchise history with 29 wins at home, one from tying Ubaldo Jiménez … 493 strikeouts at home second behind De La Rosa (515).

SPRING FLING
• Made four appearances (three starts) in Cactus League play and went 3-0 with a 0.53 ERA (17.0 IP, 1 ER), 11 hits allowed, two walks and 20 strikeouts.

• His lone run allowed in the Cactus League came in his last start on March 24 at Milwaukee, a solo home run to Garrett Mitchell.

HOLLYWOOD MARQUEE
• Has gone 3-4 in 16 career starts against the Dodgers, posting a 3.58 ERA (93.0 IP, 37 ER), striking out 90 and walking 35 … has held opposing Dodgers to a career .215 average.

• Is 3-2 with a 2.49 ERA (50.2 IP, 14 ER) at Dodger stadium in eight career starts, with Los Angeles-NL slashing .176/.244/.368 against the righty a Chavez Ravine.

• Made five starts against the Dodgers in 2022, going 1-3 with a 4.76 ERA (28.1 IP, 15 ER) while going 1-1 in two starts with a 3.75 ERA (12.0 IP, 5 ER) at Dodger Stadium.

TOP OF THE LINE
• Has made 77 starts since 2020, tied with Jose Berrios, Dylan Cease and Aaron Nola for the most in the Majors.

• Since his first full season in 2017, ranks among Major League leaders in starts (167, 4th), innings pitched (981.1, 6th), strikeouts (956, 12th) and wins (63, 9th). 2022

• Finished the season posting a 4.95 ERA across 31 starts, his highest ERA in any full season of his career … set career-highs in runs allowed (109), earned runs (100) and home runs (30).

• His 1.49 HR/9 was the fourth-highest rate in the Majors and the highest in the NL … 19 of his 30 home runs allowed were solo home runs.

• Of those 31 starts, 17 of them were quality, giving him his second consecutive season of 17 QS and third of his career of 15 or more (also: 20 QS in 2018).

• Went 2-6 (Rockies 9-7) with a 6.70 ERA (87.1 IP ,65 ER) with 24 walks and 80 strikeouts at Coors Field and 7-7 (Rockies 7-8) with a 3.34 ERA (94.1 IP, 35 ER) in 12 starts on the road.

• From July 5-Sept. 4, strung together a streak of 11-straight starts of at least six innings, tied for the fifth-longest such streak in the NL and tied for the sixth-longest in franchise history.

COORS
• Has gone 29-24 with a 5.08 ERA (483.1 IP, 273 ER), 147 walks and 493 strikeouts in 85 career appearances (84 starts) at Coors Field … the Rockies are 53-31 in his 85 career starts at home.

• In 16 starts at Coors Field in 2022, went 2-6 (Rockies 9-7) and pitched to a 6.70 clip (87.1 IP, 65 ER) with 24 walks and 80 strikeouts … opponents hit .317 (116- for-366) against him at home, the highest by any pitcher at their home ballpark.

• His 6.70 ERA at home was the highest home ERA in any season of his career and the seventh-highest in franchise history (min. 15 GS) … allowed four or more runs in 11 of his 16 home starts … received 60 total runs of support, a 6.18 RSA.

NOT COORS
• Career record of 35-30 with a 3.75 ERA (518.2 IP, 216 ER), 152 walks and 478 strikeouts in 88 appearances 86 starts) on the road … the Rockies are 45-41 in his 86 career road starts.

• Since his first full season in 2017,ranks among Major League leaders on the road in starts (85,T-2nd), innings pitched (510.0, 2nd), wins (35, 2nd) and strikeouts (473, 8th).

• Has also logged 59 starts on the road of at least six innings pitched, the second-most in the Majors behind Gerrit Cole (66).

• Finished last season on a run of 14 straight road starts of at least six innings, the longest streak by a starter in franchise history.

GROUNDED
• Has posted a 49.5 ground ball percentage since 2018, the ninth highest mark in the Majors and fourth-highest in the NL … his 51.3 ground ball percentage at home is the fifth-highest mark in the NL.

• Has induced 75 ground ball double plays over that span, the fifth-most in the Majors and the second-most in the NL behind teammate Kyle Freeland (86).

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

SEVEN HEAVEN: The Dodgers improved to 3-2 on the season as they clubbed three homers, scored 13 runs on 13 hits and beat up on the Rockies, 13-4. The Dodgers fell behind in the fifth inning but scored a season-high seven runs in the bottom of the frame to beat the Rockies. Jason Heyward capped the inning with a two-run homer while J.D. Martinez added a two-run single, and James Outman added a two-run triple in the frame. Following tonight’s homestand finale, the Dodgers will travel to Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon and begin their first road trip of the campaign with the first of four against the Diamondbacks beginning on Thursday before traveling to San Francisco for a three-game set beginning on April 10.

TWO-OUT MAGIC: Facing a two-run deficit with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Dodgers tallied five hits, two walks and scored seven runs to take the lead and the game. Freddie Freeman paced the attack, recording his third multi-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Chris Taylor, Will Smith and Jason Heyward each contributed with a two-run homer as the Dodgers connected with a homer for the fifth straight game. In his first start of the season, Heyward finished 2-for-3 with two runs and game-high three RBI. The Dodgers have homered in five straight games and their 10 homers lead the Major Leagues in front of the Yankees, Orioles and Giants, who each have nine this season. This is only the fifth time in franchise history that the Dodgers have started the season with 10+ homers through their first five games, joining the 2019 (16), 1955 (11), 1954 (11) and 1952 (10) teams.

LET’S GET IT STARTED: Michael Grove made the start for the Dodgers and cruised through the first four innings, striking out four without allowing a run. However, in the fifth inning, he ran into trouble and was the first Dodger hurler to not get into the sixth inning this season. Despite the short start, Dodger starters have posted four quality starts to begin the season, leading the Major Leagues ahead of the Rockies (3) and Rays (3). The Dodgers starters have posted a 2.17 ERA in the first five games of the season, which ranks fifth in the Majors, behind the Rays (0.39), Twins (0.84), Angels (1.72) and Yankees (1.86). Their three walks in 29.0 innings is a Major League best while their 0.69 WHIP ranks second in the Majors behind only the Rays (0.52).

WILL I AM: Will Smith clubbed his second homer of the season in the eighth inning, recording homers in two straight games and extending his hitting streak to four games. He is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with two homers, seven RBI and a 1.340 OPS. He has reached nine times in 19 plate appearances. In 42 games against the Rockies, he is a .282 hitter with nine doubles, 13 homers and 41 RBI.

FREIGHT TRAIN: New Dodger David Peralta is off to a solid start with the Boys in Blue, recording three hits in 10 at-bats. In his career against the Rockies, he has been even better, hitting .340 (144-for-423) with 34 doubles, 12 homers and 73 RBI in 118 career games.

vs. COL: The Dodgers took the season series from the Rockies last season, recording 11 wins in 19 tries and finishing with +.500 mark over the Rockies for the fifth straight season. The Dodgers have a 60-28 record against the Rockies since 2018, which are the most wins by a National League team against any given team since 2018 and tied with the Guardians for most wins against a given team in that span.

OLD WESTERN: The Dodgers improved their mark to 3-2 on the season and are now 57-24 against the National League West dating back to last season. The Dodgers have posted nine straight winning seasons against the National League West division, including four 50+ win seasons against their NL West foes (2014, 2019, 2021-22). In the nine-year span, the Dodgers are 410-244 (.626) against the NL West.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – LHP JULIO URĺAS (1-0, 3.00 ERA in 1 GS)

2023 NOTES:
• Tossed six innings on Opening Day against the Diamondbacks, giving up four hits and two earned runs while sitting down six

• Garnered a 1-1 record over three starts in Cactus League play, producing a 3.86 ERA (5 ER/11.2 IP) with six strikeouts against just three walks

• His last Cactus League start was on March 24 against Milwaukee, allowing four runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings work with one strikeout and three walks

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

VS. ROCKIES:
• Last faced the club on October 4, 2022 in his last regular season start at Dodger Stadium, where he fired 5.0 frames and struck out four batters…gave up four hits, 2 earned runs, and one walk

• In his career, he owns a 5-2 record with a 4.91 ERA (46 ER/84.1 IP) with 72 strikeouts in 19 games (16 starts) against the Rockies

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

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

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

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

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

CAREER NOTES:
• The Culiacan native enters his eighth season after earning his place in Dodger lore by recording final outs to close the club’s 2020 World Championship…has posted 50-17 record with four saves and a 2.82 ERA in 138 games (102 starts) in seven Major League seasons with Los Angeles…owns a 1.09 WHIP with 599 career strikeouts

• Earned his first ERA title in 2022 after leading the National League with a 2.16 ERA, becoming the first Mexican born pitcher to accomplish
the feat

• Has been awarded the Warren Spahn Award for two straight years (2021-22), which is awarded to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball who is best in wins, ERA, and strikeouts

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

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

• In 101 career starts he has gone 45-15 with a 2.91 ERA (172 ER/532.2 IP), while going 4-2 with a 2.15 ERA (16 ER/67.0 IP) in 36 relief appearances

• Was named to the 2021 and 2022 All-MLB Second Team, after posting double-digit wins in both seasons

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

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

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

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

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

• Signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on Aug. 17, 2012

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (3-1) at Seattle Mariners (1-4)

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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (3-1) at Seattle Mariners (1-4)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today marks the fifth (3-1) of six games on the Angels opening road trip of the 2023 season against Oakland (2-1) and Seattle (1-0; April 3-5).

WINNING WAYS: Angels have won three straight games after losing on Opening Day in Oakland…Halos are looking to win at least four of the first five games of a season for a sixth time in franchise history (started 5-0 in 1970 and 4-1 in 1987, 1991, 2007 & 2021).

ANGELS RECENT RECORDS TO BEGIN SEASON
AFTER FOUR GAMES: AFTER FIVE GAMES:
2023: 3-1 2023: ???
2022: 1-3 2022: 2-3
2021: 3-1 2021: 4-1
2020: 1-3 2020: 2-3
2019: 1-3 2019: 1-4

STARTING STRONG: Through the first three games of the season, Angels starting pitching has combined to post a 1.25 ERA (21.2 IP – 3 ER) with 23 strikeouts…The starters ERA ranks third in the Majors, behind Tampa Bay (0.39 ERA; 23 IP – 1 ER) and Minnesota (0.84 ERA; 21.1 IP – 3 ER).

VS. SEATTLE: Today is the second (1-0) of 13 meetings this season between the Angels and Mariners (six in Seattle and seven at Angel Stadium)…Last season, Halos went 10-9 against Seattle, including a 6-3 record at T-Mobile Park…Mike Trout is a career .325 (208/640) hitter vs. Seattle and is the all-time leader in career home runs against the Mariners, with 54…His 142 career runs scored vs. Seattle are second all-time, behind Rickey Henderson (145).

MOST CAREER RUNS SCORED vs. MARINERS

  1. Rickey Henderson – 145
  2. Mike Trout – 142
  3. Rafael Palmeiro – 140

MOST CAREER HOME RUNS vs. MARINERS

  1. Mike Trout – 54
  2. Rafael Palmeiro – 52
  3. Manny Ramirez – 39

RIB EYE STREAK: Logan O’Hoppe drove in at least one run in each of the Angels first three games this season…He was the first player to do so since Mike Trout in 2017…Before Trout, it last happened in 2007 by both Vladimir Guerrero and Casey Kotchman.

THE 11 SPOT: Saturday afternoon at Oakland, the Angels plated 11 runs in the top of the third inning, marking the Halos highest scoring frame since July 2, 2016 (11 runs in the 7th inning at Boston)…It was the sixth 11+ run inning in franchise history…Gio Urhsela and Taylor Ward both had two hits in the inning, while Luis Rengifo had two walks.

A UNIQUE SAVE: Saturday at Oakland, Tucker Davidson earned his first career save after tossing 4.0 scoreless frames to finish off the Angels 13-1 win over the A’s…The 12-run victory marked the largest run differential in a save for an Angels pitcher since Chris Bootcheck (4 IP) in a 14-1 win vs. Royals on May 28. 2005.

SHO OFF: Shohei Ohtani has homered in each of his last two games…Marks 16th HR streak of career…Has had homers in three straight games on five different occasions, last doing so June 27-29, 2021 (June 27 @ TB & June 28-29 @ NYY).

EL DEMENTE: Tonight, José Suarez makes his season debut… He has a 3-0 career record with a 2.25 ERA (20 IP – 5 ER) in four games at T-Mobile Park…He made his Major League debut at T-Mobile Park on June 2, 2019.

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

OPENING SHO: On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani made his second MLB Opening Day start as a pitcher and tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts… He became the fourth pitcher in Angels history with 10+ strikeouts on Opening Day, joining Nolan Ryan (12 SO; 1973 & 1975), Andy Messersmith (11 SO; 1970) and Jered Weaver (10 SO; 2012).

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

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

THE NEW GUYS: Angels Opening Day roster featured eight players new to the organization in 2023: LHP Tyler Anderson, INF Brandon Drury, RHP Carlos Estévez, INF Jake Lamb, LHP Matt Moore, OF Brett Phillips, OF Hunter Renfroe and INF Gio Urshela.

INTERNATIONAL SHO: Shohei Ohtani was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic…Ohtani made three appearances (two starts) on the mound for Japan, going 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts and earned the save in the Championship Game against the United States…. At the plate, he hit .435 (10/23) with four doubles, one home run, eight RBI and nine runs scored…Among all players in the WBC, no player hit a longer home run (448 ft.), had a higher exit velocity (118.7 MPH) or threw a faster pitch (102.0 MPH) than Ohtani.

HOME OPENER EVENT: Prior to the Angels Home Opener on Friday night, will host a Red Carpet Event in front of Angel Stadium from 12:30-4:00 p.m…The event will feature Angels player and alumni appearances, food trucks, a live radio broadcast, the Angels Strike Force and more.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – LHP JOSÉ SUAREZ
• TODAY’S GAME: Making season debut tonight…Is in fifth Major League season with Angels…Made Opening Day roster for second consecutive season.

• LAST TIME OUT: Earned the win in last Spring Training appearance on March 17 vs. Kansas City after tossing 4.0 innings and allowing one earned run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

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

• VS. SEATTLE: In 11 career games (nine starts) vs. Seattle, is 4-3 with a 4.08 ERA (53 IP – 24 ER) and 54 strikeouts…Last season, was 1-2 with a 3.92 ERA (20.2 IP – 9 ER) in four games (three starts) against the Mariners…His four wins, 53 IP and 54 strikeouts vs. Seattle are his most against any opponent.

• AT T-MOBILE PARK: In four career games in Seattle, is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA (20 IP – 5 ER)…Made one appearance at the ballpark last year, on June 18 (Game 2), and tossed 4.1 scoreless innings…Made Major League debut at T-Mobile Park on June 2, 2019 (W; 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO).

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

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

• STREAKING: Earned winning decisions in each of last two starts to finish 2022 season…With a win today, would match longest streak of career with wins in three straight appearances (previously did so July 26 – Aug. 8, 2022).

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 3-game series (0-1) tonight against the Los Angeles Angels…Seattle began the regular season with a 4-game series (1-3) against the Cleveland Guardians…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith, Mike Blowers and Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.

ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped last night’s series opener to the Angels by a 7-3 score…Seattle falls to 1-1 in series openers this season…the Mariners have lost 4 in a row after defeating the Guardians by a 3-0 score on Opening Day…Seattle last season went 51-42 (.548) in the first half and 39-30 (.565) in the second half of the season…they went 46-35 (.568) at T-Mobile Park and 44-37 (.543) on the road…they went 34-22 (.607) in one-run games and 11-5 in extra innings.

• 100 Doubles – J.P. Crawford recorded the 100th double of his career last night.

• Swing & A Miss – George Kirby recorded 14 swing and misses last night…Matt Festa recorded 12.

• The Skipper – Mariners manager Scott Servais is in his 8th season at the helm…going into tonight, Scott’s 529 wins as Seattle skipper rank 2nd in franchise history to Lou Piniella (840 wins).

JULIO PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF…Julio Rodríguez in 5 games this season is batting .286 (6×21) with 4 runs, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 2 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 2 walks, getting on base at a .348 clip, slugging .524 with an .872 OPS and 136 OPS+…Julio has reached base at least twice in each of his last 4 games, registering multiple hits in 3 consecutive games (3/31-4/2) before walking twice in last night’s contest.

TY FRANCE: SPEEDSTER?…Ty France recorded the first stolen base of his Major League career last night, a swipe of third base after doubling in the 3rd inning with Reid Detmers on the mound…France had been on base the 2nd-most times (570) among active players without a stolen base, trailing only Omar Narváez(716 times on base going into …it marked Ty’s first stolen base attempt in a Mariners uniform and his first attempt since being caught stealing on Aug. 29, 2019 while with the Padres…it marked Ty’s first successful stolen base since June 12, 2019 with Triple-A El Paso…Andrés Muñoz recorded the win for the El Paso Chihuahuas in that game.

GENO GENO…Eugenio Suárez went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI last night…in 5 games this season, Geno is batting .300 (6×20) with 2 runs, 3 doubles and 3 RBI, slugging .450 with a .750 OPS in 20 plate appearances…he has started all 5 games at third base.

THE J-ROD SHOW BEGINS IN THE FIRST…Julio Rodríguez is a .440 career hitter (40×91) in the 1st inning of games…in 102 career plate appearances in the 1st inning, Julio is batting .440 with 30 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 14 RBI, 6 stolen bases and 10 walks, getting on base at a .500 clip, slugging .835 with a 1.335 OPS and 76 total bases.

BETTER LUCK AHEAD?…the Mariners offense has a difference in expected batting average (.206) and batting average (.188) of .018…expected batting average is a Statcast metric that measures the likelihood that a batted ball will become a hit…the .018 gap is tied for the 7th-largest gap in the Majors.

PENN IN THE ‘PEN…in 3 appearances this season, Penn Murfee has thrown 2.1 innings, allowing one run (no earned runs) on one hit, walking 2 and striking out 2…last night, he threw 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball with one strikeout.

HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS…tickets still remain for the final 2 games of the opening homestand at T-Mobile Park…today, April 4, as well as tomorrow, April 5 are both Mariners Value Games…to purchase tickets for an upcoming game at T-Mobile Park, visit Mariners.com/Tickets.

J-ROD: AWARD TOUR…Julio Rodríguez took home several honors in 2022 for his stellar rookie campaign…he was named the BBWAA American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year, becoming the 5th Mariners player in team history to win the award, joining Alvin Davis (1984), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000), Ichiro Suzuki (2001) and Kyle Lewis (2020)…Julio also won a Silver Slugger Award, becoming the 2nd Mariners rookie to win (other: Ichiro, 2001)…in addition to winning AL Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger Award and making the 2022 AL All-Star team, Julio also won MLB Rookie of the Year (Baseball America), AL Rookie of the Year (The Sporting News), AL Outstanding Rookie (MLBPA) and Seattle Male Sports Star of the Year among other awards.

THE BATTERS…the Mariners 26-man roster includes 13 position players: catchers Tom Murphy and Cal Raleigh, catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel, infielders J.P. Crawford, Ty France, Tommy La Stella, Eugenio Suárez and Kolten Wong, outfielders Teoscar Hernández, Jarred Kelenic, AJ Pollock and Julio Rodríguez and infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty…outfielder Taylor Trammell (right hamate fracture) and infielder/outfielder Dylan Moore (left oblique muscle strain) begin the season on the 10-day Injured List.

THE PITCHERS…the Mariners active 26-man roster has 13 pitchers: right-handers Matt Brash, Diego Castillo, Luis Castillo, Matt Festa, Chris Flexen, Logan Gilbert, Trevor Gott, George Kirby, Andrés Muñoz, Penn Murfee and Paul Sewald and left-handers Marco Gonzales and Gabe Speier, who was recalled on Saturday

AGAINST LOS ANGELES-AL
The Mariners and Angels meet tonight for the 2nd of 13 matchups this season… the clubs will next meet from June 9-11 at Angel Stadium…Seattle will host the Angels at T-Mobile Park for one more series this year from Sept. 11-13.

Year Home Road Totals
2021 5-4 6-4 11-8
2022 3-6 6-4 9-10
2023 0-1 0-0 0-1
All-Time 167-190 161-198 328-388

TONIGHT’S STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO

ABOUT CASTILLO…
• The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 2nd start of the season and 1st against the Angels this season…he is also making his 150th Major League start and 3rd career start against Los Angeles-AL.

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

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

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

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

LAST TIME OUT…W#1 in first start of the regular season against CLE on 3/30/23… allowed just 1 hit while striking out 6 over 6.0 innings…became just the 3rd Mariners starter to not allow a run in an Opening Day start, joining Félix Hernández (2007, 2013 & 2018) and Randy Johnson (1995)…he is the first player in franchise history to toss 6.0+ scoreless innings while allowing 1-or-fewer hits on Opening Day…his game score of 76 was the highest of any Opening Day starter this season.

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

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

PREVIOUSLY ON OPENING DAY…tossed 5.2 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks with 8 strikeouts against Pittsburgh in his first career Opening Day start in 2019 with Cincinnati…allowed 10 runs (8 ER) on 8 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks with 0 strikeouts over 3.1 innings on Opening Day in 2021.

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

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

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

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

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

AMONG THE GAME’S BEST…after he made his season debut on 5/9/22, Castillo ranked among the MLB leaders in ERA (26th, 2.99), strikeouts (16th, 167), batting average against (20th, .212/118×557), SO/9 (16th, 10.0) and fWAR (T10th, 3.7).

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

WHIFF ARTIST…since 2017 (the season Castillo made his MLB debut), Luis has induced 2,122 swings-and-misses, 7th-most in the Majors over that span… he leads all pitchers since 2017 with 897 whiffs on his changeup, ranking ahead of Lucas Giolito-CWS (705) and Kyle Hendricks-CHC (691).

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

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

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

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

MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (1-3) at Houston Astros (2-3)

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MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (1-3) at Houston Astros (2-3)

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS EARN FIRST WIN OF 2023: The Tigers picked up their first win of the season last night, winning a back-and-forth affair against the Astros, 7-6, in 11 innings. Matt Vierling was the offensive hero of the night, going 4×5 with a go-ahead, two-run homer in the 11th inning. Riley Greene added a solo shot in the seventh inning, while Eric Haase drove in a pair of runs. Matthew Boyd started for Detroit and allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Mason Englert pitched 3.0 scoreless frames with two hits allowed. Trey Wingenter tossed a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win, while Garrett Hill gave up an unearned run in the 11th for his first save.

VIERLING’S BIG NIGHT: After starting the season 0x7, Matt Vierling broke out in last night’s win, going 4×5 with a go-ahead, two-run homer in the top of the 11th inning. The performance marked his third career game with four-or-more hits (last, five hits on September 21, 2022 vs. Toronto). Vierling’s homer in the 11th inning was his first career extra-inning homer and his third career go-ahead homer in the ninth inning-or later.

BULLPEN BITS: Making just his second career big league appearance, Mason Englert threw 3.0 shutout innings last night, giving up two hits. Prior to this season, Englert, who the Tigers selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December, had started just 43 games in the Minors, including only three starts above High A…Trey Wingenter worked a scoreless 10th inning last night to notch the win. It marked his first big league victory since July 6, 2019 at Los Angeles (NL)…Garrett Hill closed out last night’s game, allowing an unearned run in the 11th inning to earn the first save of his professional career.

WELCOME BACK, MATT!: Matthew Boyd made his season debut for the Tigers last night, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing two runs on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. With three punchouts last night, Boyd now has 755 in his Tigers career, which is tied with Hank Aguirre for the seventh-most by a southpaw in franchise history. Boyd, who signed with the Tigers as a free agent this offseason, is in his
second stint with the organization after also pitching for the club from 2015-21.

EXTRA, EXTRA: The Tigers played their first extra-inning game of the season last night. In 2022, Detroit did not play its first extra inning game until the 43rd game of the season, which was the latest in a season since 1992 (game 58). The Tigers went 3-7 in extra-inning contests last season.

NOTES ON THE SEASON OPENING ROSTER:
Information about Detroit’s 26-man, season-opening roster:

  • The roster consists of 13 pitchers (Tyler Alexander, Matthew Boyd, José Cisnero, Mason Englert, Jason Foley, Garrett Hill, Alex Lange, Matt Manning, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chasen Shreve, Spencer Turnbull, Joey Wentz, Trey Wingenter and 13 position players (Javier Báez, Miguel Cabrera, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Eric Haase, Ryan Kreidler, Nick Maton, Zach McKinstry, Austin Meadows, Jake Rogers, Jonathan Schoop, Spencer Torkelson, Matt Vierling)
  • 8 are on an Opening Day roster at the Major League level for the first time (Carpenter, Englert, Greene, Hill, Kreidler, Maton, Rogers, Wentz)
  • 9 were not active with the team in 2022 (Boyd, Englert, Maton, McKinstry, Rogers, Shreve, Turnbull, Vierling, Wingenter)
  • 15 have less than three years of Major League service (Carpenter, Englert, Foley, Greene, Haase, Hill, Kreidler, Lange, Manning, Maton, McKinstry, Rogers, Torkelson, Vierling, Wentz
  • 6 have five-or-more years of Major League service (Báez, Boyd, Cabrera, Cisnero, Rodriguez, Schoop
  • 4 have been selected All-Stars (Báez, Cabrera, Meadows, Schoop)

TIGERS AND ASTROS: The Tigers and Astros continue their six-game series tonight. 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. Detroit’s win last night snapped a seven-game losing streak
to Houston. The Astros have a 43-34 edge in the all-time series, including a 23-15 advantage in games played in Houston.

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)

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – Matt Manning • 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0IP/0ER)
• Manning will make his 2023 regular season debut tonight at Houston.

• Made five starts during Spring Training and had a 1-1 record with a 6.43 ERA (14.0IP/10ER) and 15 strikeouts.

• Will be making his first career appearance against the Astros tonight.

• Was limited to 12 starts during the 2022 season after missing much of the season due to injury…went 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA (63.0IP/24ER) and 48 strikeouts in 12 starts.

• Turned in the longest outing of his career on August 7 vs. Tampa Bay, throwing 7.0 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts…set a career-high with eight punchouts in 6.0 shutout frames on August 24 vs. San Francisco.

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champions, will play the middle game of their three-game series with the Tigers tonight behind their Opening Day starter LHP Framber Valdez…he’ll be opposed by RHP Matt Manning, who’s making his 2023 debut as the Tigers fifth starter.

THE FRAMCHISE: LHP Framber Valdez, a 2022 All-Star, has been one of the best pitchers in the Majors the last three-plus seasons (2020-23) as he leads the AL over that timespan in ERA (3.02), while ranking second in wins (33). AL Wins Leaders (2020-23) AL ERA Leaders (2020-23) Gerrit Cole: 37 Framber Valdez: 3.02 Framber Valdez: 33 Dylan Cease: 3.13 Dylan Cease: 32 Gerrit Cole: 3.24

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).

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 (.596, 232-157).

CONGRATS MIGGY!: The Astros will celebrate the Hall of Fame career of Tigers DH Miguel Cabrera in a pregame ceremony tomorrow…Cabrera, who announced his retirement at season’s end, has 3,090 career hits and 507 career homers, including 15 career homers against the Astros franchise.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros were handed a 7-6 loss in 11 innings last night, in what was their first extra-inning game of the regular season…Houston got a big bounce-back game from 3B Alex Bregman (3×5), who snapped an 0x16 by singling in his last three at-bats of the game…LF Yordan Alvarez (4RBI) had the big swing for Houston, a three-run homer that tied the game in the 5th…the Astros used six relievers on the night, who covered 6.1 innings, while allowing just two earned runs.

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 Wednesday night into Thursday morning, followed by sunshine and 50˚ on Friday.

RACKIN’ UP RBI: LF Yordan Alvarez is off to a characteristically strong start into the young season, as he’s hitting .353 (6×17) with a double, two homers, nine RBI and a 1.186 OPS…Alvarez has driven in a run in all four of his games this season for a total of nine RBI…this marks just the seventh time in club history for a player to record nine-plus RBI within the Astros first five games of a season and the first time since 1B Tyler White also had nine RBI in the Astros first five games of the 2016 season.

SEÑOR CIEN: LF Yordan Alvarez connected for his 100th career home run last night, 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, will be the special guest today on the Matt Thomas Show on SportsTalk 790…Julks is a Houstonian in every aspect, attending Clear Brook HS and the University of Houston before being drafted by the Astros in the eighth round of the 2017 draft.

YESTERDAY’S ROSTER MOVES: OF Bligh Madris and IF J.J. Matijevic both cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple A yesterday…both players were designated for assignment when the Astros set their Opening Day roster on Thursday.

MINOR LEAGUE ASSIGNMENTS: The Astros officially set their minor league rosters yesterday in advance of Opening Day for Double A Corpus Christi and Class A Advanced Asheville on Thursday and Class A Fayetteville on Friday…notable assignments include OF Drew Gilbert and OF Jacob Melton, the Astros top two picks in the 2022 draft, being assigned to Asheville, while OF Colin Barber and IF Will Wagner will begin the season at Corpus Christi.

GODSPEED, RICH: Former Astros first base coach Rich Dauer, who served in that role in Houston for three seasons (2015-17), is currently rehabbing in Jacksonville after suffering a stroke in 2022…the Dauer family is kindly asking for donations to secure Rich with the necessary medical attention that he requires… donations can be made at https://gofund.me/4631fd03

TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: LHP FRAMBER VALDEZ
LAST START – OPENING DAY – 3/30 vs. CWS tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowed 6 hits and struck out 4… became the 8th pitcher in Astros history (including his ‘22 start) to pitch 5-or-more scoreless innings on Opening Day.

AGAINST THE TIGERS: will face the Tigers for the 6th (5th start) time in his career.
• he’s recorded a 3.12 ERA (9ER/26IP) with 24 strikeouts, a .268 opponent batting average and a 65.8 groundball percentage.

• has recorded two complete games against the Tigers with the last one coming on Sept. 12, 2022 in Detroit….he tossed a complete game shutout with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts.

OPENING DAY STARTER: made his 2nd consecutive (and career) Opening Day start…is the first Astros pitcher to make back-to-back Opening Day starts since Justin Verlander (2018-21) • was the second Dominican-born pitcher to start Opening Day for the Astros, joining Wandy Rodriguez in 2012…was one of three Dominican-born pitchers to get Opening Day nod in ‘23, joining Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara and Mariners RHP Luis Castillo.

• was the third LHP in Astros history to make back-to-back Opening Days, joining Dallas Keuchel (2015-17) and Dave Roberts (1973-74)

• became the first Dominican-born pitcher in Astros history to pick up a winning decision on Opening Day in ‘22…tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 6 batters to 1 walk, in a 3-1 win at LAA.

THE 2022 CAMPAIGN: tossed 25 consecutive quality starts from 4/25 to 9/18, setting the MLB record for the most consecutive quality starts in a single-season…streak also was the longest streak in MLB this year and tied for the 2nd-longest streak in MLB history when including multiple seasons…also extended the Astros franchise record (previously held by RHP Mike Scott (20g) in 1986).

• led the Majors with 26 quality starts and was 1st pitcher in MLB to record 23 consecutive quality starts since RHP Jacob deGrom made 26 consecutive quality starts from 5/18/18-4/3/19… among AL starters, was 1st in IP (201.1), 1st in home runs per 9 IP (0.52), 1st in GB percentage (67.3), 2nd in wins (17), 6th in opponent OPS (.600) and 6th in ERA (2.82).

• finished 5th in AL Cy Young voting, with teammate Justin Verlander winning the award.

• Made his first career All-Star game roster in ‘22 after being selected through the player vote to Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium…picked up the winning decision in a 3-2 victory for the American League, after tossing a perfect 3rd inning in relief…was the 1st Astros pitcher and 5th Dominican-born pitcher to collect ASG winning decision and 1st since Pedro Martinez in ‘99.

WITH THE ‘STROS: signed by the Astros as a 21-year-old international free agent from the Dominican Republic on March 18, 2015.

• the left-hander has gone 41-23 with a 3.34 ERA (193ER/519.1IP) and 501 strikeouts in 99 games (77 starts) in the Majors with Houston from 2018-22.

• has been one of the AL’s most prolific starters since 2020, ranks 1st in the AL in opponent OPS .620), 2nd in wins (33), 4th in opponent’s batting avg (.225), 6th in innings (411.2), 7th in pitcher’s WAR (4.8) and 8th in strikeouts (399).

• has been a groundball machine in his Major League career…owns a career 66.6% groundball percentage, which ranks as the lowest percentage in the Majors from 2018-22 (min. 300 IP)… the next closest player is Giants RHP Logan Webb (56.8 %) …since ground ball percentage started being tracked in 1987, Valdez career ground ball percentage is the highest ever posted by a starting pitcher (min. 250 IP).

• has held left-handed hitters to a .205 average (79×385) and a .596 OPS in the Majors…has allowed just five homers to left-handed hitters in his career.

• for his career in the postseason, he’s recorded a 3.41 ERA (26 ER/68.2 IP) in 12 career games (12 GS)…since ‘20 leads all MLB pitchers in postseason wins (7), strikeouts (75), IP (68.2) and quality starts (7).

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