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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (2-1) at Seattle Mariners (1-3)

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MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (2-1) at Seattle Mariners (1-3)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

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

RENDON SUSPENDED: Today, Major League Baseball issued a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine to Anthony Rendon for his actions involving a fan last Thursday in Oakland…The suspension has ultimately been reduced to four games and Rendon will begin serving the suspension tonight…The Angels will play with 25 active players during the suspension.

RIB EYE STREAK: Logan O’Hoppe has driven in at least one run in each of the Angels first three games this season…He’s 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 only players in Angels history to have an RBI in each of the first four team games of a season are Vladimir Guerrero (2007), Don Baylor (1979) and Bobby Knoop (1964).

STARTING STRONG: Through the first three games of the season, Angels starting pitching (Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval and Tyler Anderson) has combined to post a 0.53 ERA (17 IP – 1 ER) with 16 strikeouts…The ERA is tied with Tampa Bay for the MLB lead among starters.
ANGELS RECENT RECORDS TO BEGIN SEASON
AFTER THREE GAMES: AFTER FOUR GAMES:
2023: 2-1 2023: ???
2022: 1-2 2022: 1-3
2021: 2-1 2021: 3-1
2020: 1-2 2020: 1-3
2019: 1-2 2019: 1-3

VS. SEATTLE: Today is the first 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 .324 (207/639) hitter vs. Seattle and is the all-time leader in career home runs against the Mariners, with 54…His 141 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 – 141
  3. Rafael Palmeiro – 140

MOST CAREER HOME RUNS vs. MARINERS

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

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.

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.

IN THE DUGOUT: Phil Nevin is in his first full season as Angels Manager after serving as the Interim Manager for the final 106 games of the 2022 season…A Fullerton, CA native, Nevin signed a one-year contract on Oct. 5 for the 2023 season.

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).

SETTING THE ROSTER: Wednesday, the Angels made a series of transactions to set the final Opening Day roster at 26 players…LAA selected the contract of INF Jake Lamb and placed C Max Stassi (10-day; left hip strain), INF Jared Walsh (10-day; headaches & insomnia), RHP Chris Rodriguez (15- day; right shoulder surgery in 2021), RHP Griffin Canning (15-day; left groin strain) and RHP José Marte (60-day; right elbow stress reaction) on the injured list.

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.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – LHP REID DETMERS
• TODAY’S GAME: Making season debut today…Fifth start of 2022 vs. Rangers…Made Opening Day roster for second consecutive season…Is in third Major League season with Angels.

• LAST TIME OUT: Took a no-decision in final Spring Training start on March 28 vs. Dodgers at Angel Stadium… Worked 2.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

• SPRING RECAP: Totaled six starts during Spring Training and went 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA (20 IP – 8 ER) and 27 strikeouts…The 27 strikeouts led the Cactus League and ranked tied for second in the Majors…Ranked third in the Cactus League in ERA, WHIP (1.20) and opponent batting average (.219).

• VS. SEATTLE: In three career games against the Mariners, is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA (14.2 IP – 4 ER) and 12 SO… Last season, won both of his two starts against Seattle and pitched to a 1.38 ERA (13 IP – 2 ER) and 10 SO.

• AT T-MOBILE PARK: Is making third career appearance (all starts) at the ballpark…Won only outing last year, on Aug. 6, 2022 (Game 2) (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO).

• 2022 IN REVIEW: Totaled 25 starts for Angels in 2022 and went 7-6 with a 3.77 ERA (129 IP – 54 ER) and 122 strikeouts…Among A.L. rookies (min. 100 IP), ranked second in opponent batting average, third in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP (1.21) and tied for third in wins…Did not allow a home run in 17 of 25 starts…Held opponents homerless through final 39.0 innings of season and yielded just two HR in final 71.0 innings pitched…Entered 2022 rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Angels organization, the top left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball and the #27 overall prospect in the game.

• THE NO-HITTER: Pitched the 12th no-hitter in Angels history (10th individual no-hitter) on May 10 vs. Tampa Bay…Allowed just two baserunners (one walk & one reached on error)…Second Angels rookie to throw a no-hitter, joining Bo Belinsky (May 5, 1962 vs. Baltimore)…At 22 years, 306 days, Detmers was the youngest MLB pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Anibal Sanchez (22 years, 191 days) for the Marlins on Sept. 6, 2006…Additionally, was 10th MLB pitcher to throw a no-hitter within his first 11 career games.

• IMMACULATE: On July 31 vs. Texas, in the 2nd inning, pitched the third immaculate inning in Angels history after striking out Ezequiel Duran, Kole Calhoun and Charlie Culberson on nine pitches…He joined Nolan Ryan (July 9, 1972 vs. Boston) and Garrett Richards (June 4, 2014 at Houston) as the only Halos pitchers to accomplish the feat…Also set a career high in that game with 12 strikeouts.

• CLASS OF 2020: Was Angels first round selection (#10 overall) in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville…Was the second player from the 2020 Draft to reach the Major Leagues, following White Sox first rounder LHP Garrett Crochet (11th overall pick).

• FUTURES GAME: Participated in the 2021 MLB Futures Game during the All-Star Break at Coors Field and struck out both of his two batters faced.

• RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Reid’s father, Kris Detmers, played six seasons in the minors…Also a left-handed pitcher, Kris, was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1993 Draft by St. Louis. He played seven professional seasons, reaching Triple-A Memphis in 1999.

• CAREER NOTES: Native of Nokomis, IL…Was Angels first round selection (10th overall) in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of the University Of Louisville…Participated in the 2021 MLB Futures Game during the All-Star Break at Coors Field and struck out both of his two batters faced.

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

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

ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped the opening series against the Cleveland Guardians (1-3)…Seattle has lost 3 in a row after winning 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…they went 27-24 in series openers.

• Happy Birthday – Mariner catcher Tom Murphy turns 32 years old today…he has never appeared in a game on his birthday during his Major League career.

• Bark at the Park – Tonight’s game marks the first Bark at the Park Ticket Special of the 2023 season.

• Follow France – Ty France leads Mariners batters with a 183 wRC+ so far this season…France has hit safely in 3 of 4 games to begin the 2023 season, batting .375 (6×16) with 3 runs scored, 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBI and 1 walk, while reaching base at a .412 clip and slugging .625 with a 1.037 OPS.

• Final Four – Ty France’s San Diego State Aztecs will take on the UConn Huskies in tonight’s NCAA Mens Basketball Championship at 6:20 pm PT.

• Gotcha – Cal Raleigh threw out Josh Bell yesterday to record his first caught stealing of the season…Raleigh led the American League in runners caught stealing last year with 25, trailing only J.T. Realmuto-PHI (30) for the Major League lead.

• The Bullpen – Seattle’s bullpen is 1-0 with 1 save and a 1.54 ERA (3 ER, 16.2 IP) with 6 walks and 9 strikeouts through 4 games of action this season.

• 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).

LEADING OFF…Julio Rodríguez hit his first leadoff home run of the season in yesterday’s game on the first pitch he saw…it was Julio’s 7th leadoff home run of his career – his 3rd on the first pitch…Julio ranks 2nd in Mariners history with 7 leadoff home runs, trailing only Ichiro Suzuki (37)…since the beginning of the 2022 season, Julio’s 7 leadoff HR rank tied for 3rd-most in MLB (also: Kyle Schwarber & Mookie Betts), trailing only Jose Altruve (12) and George Springer (9).

HOT START…Julio Rodríguez has recorded multiple hits in a career-high tying 3 consecutive games (also: 3 G, Aug. 19-21, 2022)…during the current 3-game stretch, Julio is hitting .429 (6×14) with 2 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 home run and 2 RBI…with 6 hits through the first 4 games of the 2023 season, Julio has already matched his hit total for the first 12 games of the 2022 campaign.

DOMINATE THE ZONE…George Kirby began his Major League career with a 7.79 SO/BB ratio over the first 20 starts of his career…it was the highest mark in MLB history through a player’s first 20 starts, ranking ahead of Roy Oswalt-HOU (7.65 in 2001)…Kirby also threw 24 consecutive strikes to begin his outing on Aug. 24 vs. Washington, the most-consecutive strikes to start a game in the pitch tracking era (1988-c), surpassing 21 consecutive strikes by Joe Musgrove on Aug. 30, 2018 vs. St. Louis with Pittsburgh…overall, Kirby finished the season with a 6.05 SO/BB ratio as 1 of 7 pitchers in MLB with a 6.00+ SO/BB ratio (min. 20 GS)…he was joined by Aaron Nola-PHI (8.10), Kevin Gausman-TOR (7.32), Max Scherzer-NYM (7.21), Corey Kluber-TB (6.62), Lance Lynn-CWS (6.53) and Justin Verlander (6.38).

HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS…tickets still remain for the final three games of the current homestand…tonight is the first Bark at the Park Ticket Special of the season…April 3, 4 and 5 are all Mariners Value Games…to purchase tickets for an upcoming game at T-Mobile Park, visit Mariners.com/Tickets.

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.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – RHP GEORGE KIRBY

ABOUT KIRBY…
• 25-year-old right-hander is making his first start of the season…he is also making his 26th career start, and 5th career start against the Angels.

• Selected by the Mariners in the first round (20th overall) of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft; signed by Mariners scout Ty Holub.

• Played 3 seasons (2017-2019) at Elon University (NC), going 19-8 with a 3.30 ERA (88 ER, 240.0 IP) in 45 games (34 GS) with the Phoenix.

• Became the first rookie in MLB history to record a save in the postseason in his first career relief appearance.

• Graduated from Rye HS (Rye, NY) where he was named to the all-metro, all-state, all-section and all-league baseball teams 3 times.

LAST TIME OUT…L#5 in last start of the regular season on 10/3/22 vs. DET…allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (1 HR)and 3 walks while striking out 5…the homer snapped a streak of 14-consecutive starts without giving up a long ball.

PLAYOFF KIRB…made two appearances in the postseason…earned the save in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Toronto, his first professional save…also started in Game 3 of the AL Division Series vs. Houston, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts…became just the 2nd player in franchise history to throw at least 7.0 shutout innings in the postseason, joining Luis Castillo (10/7 at TOR, G1 ALWCS)

AUGUST ROOKIE OF THE MONTH…was named Rookie of the Month for August 2022, after going 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA (7 ER, 29.1 IP) with 34 strikeouts and 3 walks in 5 August starts…he led AL rookies in fWAR (1.4), ERA, wins, WHIP (1.13) and SO/ BB ratio (11.33)…becomes just the 3rd Mariners pitcher to win Rookie of the Month joining Michael Pineda (April 2011) and Rafael Soriano (Aug. 2003), and the 2nd Mariner to win the award this season (also: Julio Rodríguez, May and June).

NO DINGERS HERE…did not allowed a home run in 14-consecutive starts from 7/2-9/28/22, which was the longest streak in the Majors in 2022…the 14-start streak without allowing a home run was a franchise record passing Erik Hanson (12, 9/20/89-5/23/90)…he went 75.0 innings without allowing a long ball.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING…was the fourth-most valuable pitcher in the AL from 7/2/22-the end of the regular season according to Fangraphs WAR, amassing 3.1 fWAR…in 12 starts after allowing a career-high 7 runs to the Orioles on 6/27/22, Kirby went 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA (15 ER, 64.2 IP) with 74 strikeouts and 8 walks from 7/2-9/17/22…the Mariners went 9-3 in those games.

A HISTORIC SEASON…his 6.05 strikeout to walk ratio is the highest in a rookie season in MLB history since the start of the Modern Era (1900-
c.), ranking ahead of Chris Paddack-SD (4.94) in 2014 (min. 25 GS).

MARINERS ROOKIES…among Mariners rookie pitchers who have made at least 15 starts as a rookie, he ranks among the leaders in ERA (5th, 3.39),
SO/9 (2nd, 9.2), SO (5th, 133), WHIP (4th, 1.208) and SO/BB (1st, 6.05).

BY GEORGE!…his 7.79 SO/BB ratio through his first 20 starts is the highest mark in MLB history, ranking ahead of Roy Oswalt-HOU (7.65
in 2001) (excludes openers).

GOING ON STRIKE…began his outing on 8/24 vs. Washington by throwing 24-consecutive strikes, the most to start a game since the pitch tracking era (1988-current), passing the 21 thrown by Joe Musgrove on 8/30/18 vs. STL with PIT.

WALK LESS, LISTEN MORE…did not allow more than 1 walk in each of his first 22 career starts, the longest streak to begin a career in MLB
history…it was the 2nd-longest streak to begin a season in MLB history trailing the 27 done by Carlos Silva-MIN in 2005.

CAN WHIFF WITH THE BEST OF ‘EM…struck out 123 batters over his first 22 career starts, which is the 3rd-most through a players first 22 career starts in Mariners history, trailing only Michael Pineda (137) and Felix Hernandez (136)…Kirby is also tied for the 3rd fastest Mariners pitcher (18 starts) to 100 career strikeouts, trailing Hernandez and Pineda, who both reached the milestone in 17 starts.

WATCH ME WHIFF…induced 223 swings-and-misses in 2022 according to Baseball Savant, which was the T6th-most among MLB rookies and T3rd-most among AL rookies…trailed only Joe Ryan MIN (312) and Reid Detmers-LAA (267) in the AL.

K STANDS FOR KIRBY…career-high-tying 9 strikeouts on 8/24/22…reached the mark 3 times in 2022…he was one of 4 Mariners pitchers with 9+ strikeouts in 2022, joining Robbie Ray (season-high 12 SO), Luis Castillo (season-high 10 SO) and Logan Gilbert (season-high 11 SO).

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

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

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

OPEN FOR BUSINESS
• The Colorado Rockies begin a two-game set with the Dodgers tonight in Los Angeles to cap their first road trip of 2023 … coming off a four-game split in San Diego that snapped a streak of two-straight series losses to the Padres.

• 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 a 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.

CUT THE NETS
• Infielder Alan Trejo, Manager Bud Black and Head Trainer Keith Dugger are all alumni of San Diego State University, whose men’s basketball team play in the NCAA National Championship tonight against UConn.

• Black pitched at San Diego State in 1978-79 and was inducted into the San Diego State Hall of Fame in 1992 … Trejo played three years for the Aztecs from 2015-17 while majoring in aerospace engineering … Dugger graduated from San Diego State in 1989.

THE BLUES
• The Rockies went 8-11 against the Dodger 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).

CRON ZONE
• C.J. Cron was named the National League Player of the Week today 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 0-for-4 yesterday … is 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 is 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 three games, have combined to go 20-for-47 (.426) with five doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, four walks and eight strikeouts through the first four games … five through nine in the Rockies lineup have combined to go 13-for-77 (.169) with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI, three walks and 27 strikeouts.

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 – #18 RYAN FELTNER RHP
YOUNG GUN
• The 26-year-old rookie right-hander made 20 appearances and 19 starts in 2022 in his first full season with the Rockies … went 4-9 (Rockies 6-13) with a 6.03 ERA (94.0, 63 ER) in his 19 starts (four QS), walking 33 and striking out 82.

• Was selected by the Rockies in the fourth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Ohio State University.

• Born in Orlando, Florida but attended Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio … was the 2015 Ohio Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year and was selected by Toronto in the 25th round of the 2015 Draft but chose to attend Ohio State.

LA-LA LAND
• Has gone 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA (9.1 IP, 2 ER) in two career appearances (one start) against the Dodgers

• Only career relief appearance came against Los Angeles-NL on July 29, 2022, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings.

HOME HAPPENINGS
• Went 2-4 (Rockies 4-4) with a 6.46 ERA (39.0 IP, 28 ER) across eight starts at Coors Field, walking 15 and striking out 33 … allowed five home runs while opponents hit .248 (38-for-153).

• Tossed seven one-run innings in his first start at Coors Field May 30 vs. Miami, allowing four hits with one walk and six strikeouts … the lone run came on a solo homer from Jesús Sánchez … tossed at least six innings just once in his seven remaining home starts, posting a 7.59 ERA (32.0 IP, 27 ER).

• Lone career relief appearance came July 29 vs. Los Angeles-NL, tossing 3.1 shutout innings with three hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

ROAD WOES
• Posted a 5.73 ERA (55.0 IP, 35 ER) across 11 road starts, logging a 2-5 record (Rockies 2-9) with 18 walks and 49 strikeouts … opponents slashed .281/.338/.484 with 11 home runs (61-for-217).

• Allowed three or fewer runs in seven of 11 starts, but failed to make it to the sixth inning in five of those seven and in eight of 11 road starts overall.

BODY OF WORK
• Through his first 21 career starts has gone 4-10 with a 6.37 ERA (100.1 IP, 71 ER), 38 walks and 88 strikeouts … his 6.37 ERA ranks as the fourth-highest in franchise history through a Rockies pitcher’s first 21 starts, trailing Peter Lambert (7.48), Mark Thompson (6.65) and Bryan Rekar (6.59).

• Was one of three pitchers in franchise history to have 10 losses through his first 20 career starts, along with Eddie Butler (2014-16) and Tyler Matzek (2014-15) … his .286 winning percentage ranks as the second-lowest through a starter’s first 21 starts in franchise history, behind Drew Pomeranz’ .250 winning percentage (2011-12) … has received 12 runs of support across his 10 career losing decisions with no runs of support in six of the starts.

• Feltner’s 2.32 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first 21 starts ranks as the fifthbest in franchise history, trailing Tyler Anderson (3.33), German Marquez (3.20), Jon Gray (3.03), and Juan Nicasio (2.86).

SKIP A GRADE
• Had his contract selected by the Rockies on Sept. 5, 2021 from Double-A Hartford, the first Rockies starter to skip Triple-A and go straight to the Majors since Antonio Senzatela, who finished the 2016 season with Hartford before making the 2017 Rockies Opening Day roster … the last Rockies starter to go straight from Double-A to the Majors without making a start at Triple-A in a single season was Chad Bettis in 2013 (Double-A Tulsa to debut on Aug. 1, 2013 at Atlanta).

• Began the 2021 season with High-A Spokane where he went 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA (37.1 IP, 9 ER) in seven starts … promoted to Double-A Hartford on June 17 and went 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA, 22 walks and 80 strikeouts in 13 starts with the Yard Goats.

FREQUENT FLIER
• Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 5 in place of Chad Kuhl (15-day IL, right hip flexor strain), his fifth stint on the active roster this season, not including a stint as the 27th man in the Aug. 2 doubleheader in San Diego … remained in the rotation after Antonio Senzatela torn his ACL.

• Recalled for the first time on April 27 and made his season debut that day at Philadelphia before being optioned on May 1 … recalled a second time May 25 and made three starts (1-1, 5.40) before being optioned on June 5 … recorded his first Major League win on May 30 vs. Miami, tossing a career-high seven innings and allowing one run on four hits.

• Recalled a third time on June 11 and made three starts, going 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA (13.2 IP, 10 ER) … was originally optioned to Albuquerque on June 27, but the option was rescinded and he was instead put on the 15-day injured list with a right rhomboid strain … reinstated from the IL and optioned to Albuquerque on July 12.

• Recalled for the fourth time July 29 and pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief against the Dodgers at Coors Field that night, his first professional relief appearance … optioned the next day.

• Served as the 27th man in the Rockies’ Aug. 2 doubleheader against San Diego … started the second game, allowing three runs through 3.2 innings.

TRIPLE DIP
• In 11 starts for Triple-A Albuquerque this season, went 5-1 with a 3.83 ERA (51.2 IP, 22 ER), 49 hits, 18 walks and 60 strikeouts.

• Went 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA (13.1 IP, 6 ER), six walks and 12 strikeouts in three starts in July, including one rehab start on July 7.

• Earned the win in his last start, July 24 vs. Sugar Land, allowing two runs on four hits across five innings.

CUP OF COFFEE
• Made two starts for the Rockies in 2021, his Major League debut on Sept. 5 vs. Atlanta at Coors Field and Sept. 12 at Philadelphia … combined to go 0-1 with a 11.37 ERA (6.1 IP, 8 ER), eight hits, five walks and six strikeouts.

• Did not factor into the Rockies’ 5-4 at Citizens Bank Park in his second start, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts … struck out Jean Segura in the first inning for his first Major League strikeout.

BEFORE TIMES
• Did not pitch in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League season.

• Spent the entire 2019 season with Low-A Asheville, where he went 9-9 with a 5.07 ERA (119.0 IP, 67 ER), 46 walks and 116 strikeouts … tied for the team lead in wins and starts and ranked second in strikeouts and innings pitched.

• Made nine starts with Rookie Level Grand Junction in his professional debut in 2018 … posted a 0.88 ERA (30.2 IP, 3 ER), four walks and 39 strikeouts … tossed 18 consecutive scoreless innings in a span of five starts from Aug. 3-26.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. ROCKIES: RHP MICHAEL GROVE (1-0, 4.60 ERA in 7 G (6 GS) in 2022)
YEAR TEAM W-L ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER HR BB SO
2019 Rancho Cucamonga (A+) 0-5 6.10 21 21 0 0 51.2 61 37 35 7 19 73
2021 Tulsa (AA) 1-4 7.86 21 19 0 0 71.0 85 62 62 19 42 88
2022 Tulsa (AA) 0-1 2.76 5 5 0 0 16.1 11 8 5 1 5 22
Oklahoma City (AAA) 1-4 4.07 14 12 0 0 59.2 56 32 27 10 21 68
LOS ANGELES 1-0 4.60 7 6 0 0 29.1 32 21 15 6 10 24

2023 LOS ANGELES – – – – – – – – – – – – –
MiLB Totals (3 Years) 2-14 5.84 61 57 0 0 198.2 213 139 129 37 87 251
Major League Totals (1 year) 1-0 4.60 7 6 0 0 29.1 32 21 15 6 10 24

2023 SEASON NOTES:
• Started six games during Spring Training, posting a 0-1 record with a 5.40 ERA (10 ER/16.2 IP) and 17 strikeouts against just three walks…produced a 1.03 WHIP

• Named to his first Opening Day roster as a Major Leaguer after making his big league debut last season on May 15 against the Phillies

VS. ROCKIES:
• Will face Colorado for just the second time in his career…last pitched against the club on Oct. 1, 2022 at Dodger Stadium, where he allowed four earned runs on six hits over 5.0 innings with three strikeouts against two walks while not factoring in the decision.

2022 NOTES:
• Split the season between Double-A Tulsa (5 GS), Triple-A Oklahoma City (14 G, 12 GS), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (7 G, 6 GS)

• Started the season with Double-A Tulsa, going 0-1 in five starts with an ERA of 2.76 (5 ER/16.1 IP)…gave up 11 hits, one home run, and five walks as he punched out 22 batters while holding hitters to a .180 average

• Appeared in 14 games (12 starts) with Triple-A Oklahoma City with a 1-4 record and a 4.07 ERA (27 ER/ 59.2 IP)…struck out 68 batters while giving up 56 hits, 32 runs, 10 homers, and 21 walks

• Finished the season with the Dodgers, recording one win and no losses over four stints…posted a 4.60 ERA (15 ER/ 29.1 IP) on 32 hits, 10
walks and 24 strikeouts

• Made his Major League debut on May 15, 2022, against Philadelphia, tossing 3.2 innings and giving up four hits, four runs, and three walks
while striking out three while not factoring in the decision… recorded his first Major League strikeout on the second batter he faced, Alec Bohm, in six pitches

• Recorded his first Major League win on September 25 vs. St. Louis, allowing three hits, one earned run, one walk, and punching out three in 5.0 innings

• Ended the season on an 18-game streak of having at least one strikeout (since June 7)

CAREER NOTES:
• West Virginia native looks to his fourth professional season in Dodger Blue after making his Major League debut last season on May 15 against Philadelphia, striking out three over 3.2 innings while not factoring in the decision

• Owns a 2-14 Minor League record with a 5.84 ERA (129 ER/198.2 IP) in 61 games (57 starts) with 251 strikeouts against 87 walks…has held opponents to a .270 average

• Boasts a Major League record of 1-0 in seven games (six starts) with a 4.60 ERA (15 ER/ 29.1 IP) with 24 strikeouts against 10 walks

• Recorded his first Major League strikeout on the second batter he faced, Alec Bohm, in six pitches on May 15, 2022

• Recorded his first Major League win on Sept. 25 vs. St. Louis, allowing three hits, one earned run, one walk, and punching out three in 5.0 innings

• Played two seasons of collegiate baseball with West Virginia, posting a 5-5 record with a 3.13 ERA in 25 games (16 starts), allowing 74 hits and striking out 117 batters in 92.0 innings

• As a sophomore, he was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and Academic All-Big 12 First Team after going 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA (15 ER/47.0 IP) and holding batters to a .174 average

• Was limited to nine starts in 2017 before sustaining a season-ending arm injury that would result in Tommy John surgery

• Originally selected be the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of West Virginia

MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (3-1) at Oakland Athletics (1-2)

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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (3-1) at Oakland Athletics (1-2)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

GUARDS GRIND OUT WIN IN EXTRAS
The Guardians won their first extra-inning contest of 2023 on Sunday afternoon at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, grinding out a 6-5 victory over the Mariners to open the season with a four-game series win…Cleveland (3-1) sits in sole possession of 2nd place, one half-game behind Minnesota (3-0) in the AL Central standings. » After Seattle got the early upperhand following a solo homer from Julio Rodriguez off CAL QUANTRILL (4.2IP, 8H, 5R-4ER, 2BB, 3SO, 1HR, 2WP, 89 pitches) in the 1st inning, Mariners alumnus MIKE ZUNINO belted his first home run as a member of the Guardians, a 2nd-inning 3-run shot off southpaw Marco Gonzalez (5.0IP, 6H, 4R-ER, 2BB, 1SO, 1HR, 69 pitches) to give Cleveland a 3-1 lift…the advantage would be short-lived, as the M’s mounted their own 3-run rally against Quantrill in the 3rd to grab a 4-3 edge… the two clubs traded single runs in the 5th before Zunino (3-for3, 2 2B, HR, 3RBI, 2R), who picked up 3 extra-base hits in the contest, doubled and gave way to pinch-runner WILL BRENNAN, who came around to score on STEVEN KWAN’s game-tying RBI single…with Kwan at second base to start the 10th, Cleveland’s decisive run came after a pair of walks to JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (IBB) and JOSH BELL loaded the bases and set the stage for a failed inning-ending 1-2-3 double play that allowed Ramírez to score on a throwing error from home to first base.

26-year-old lefty TIM HERRIN made his MLB debut in relief of Quantrill and struck out each of the four batters he faced, as five Guardians relievers combined to blank the Mariners for 5.1 frames and extend the bullpen’s scoreless streak to 12.2 innings.

LEADING THE LAND
JOSH BELL ranks T1st in the AL (T2nd in MLB) with 6 walks… Bell became the 4th Cleveland hitter since 2000 to start a season with six walks in the first four games in a season since Carlos Santana (July 24-28, 2020)…ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ ranks T2nd in both the AL and MLB with 5 runs scored…STEVEN KWAN ranks T3rd in the AL (T6th in MLB) with 6 RBI.

As a team, the Guardians have 5 stolen bases, T3rd-most in both the AL and MLB…ranked 3rd in the Majors with 119 steals in 2022…Cleveland is also one of two teams with two bunt hits (SF) and one of four teams with five infield hits (CWS, SF, STL)…their 16 walks are 2nd-most in the AL, 4th-most in MLB.

PATIENCE AT THE PLATE
After four games played, STEVEN KWAN leads the majors with 90 pitches seen, ahead of Chicago-AL’s Luis Robert at 86…across 17 at-bats, Kwan ranks 6th in the AL and 8th in MLB with 4.74 pitches per plate appearance…JOSH BELL (T6th, 72) and JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (T17th, 66) rank among the AL’s top 25 in pitches seen.

Kwan finished 18th among MLB hitters in pitches seen in 2022 (2,643), joining teammate JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (13th, 2,742) as the two Guardians among MLB’s top 25 in pitches faced…he finished 4th in the AL (15th in MLB) with 4.14 pitches per PA in 2022.

HISTORY FROM HERRIN
On Sunday, TIM HERRIN (1.1IP, 4SO) became the first pitcher in baseball’s Modern Era (since 1900) to face 4+ batters in an MLB debut and retire each one by way of a strikeout…the last pitcher to strike out their first 4+ career batters faced was JoJo Romero (PHI, Aug. 21-30, 2020)…Brandon Crumpton (PIT, June 15, 2013) was the last to do so in a single game (Elias).

BRILLIANT BULLPEN
Through four games played, Cleveland’s bullpen ranks 1st in the AL (T1st in MLB) with 22 SO, 4th in the AL (6th in MLB) with 14.2 IP, and 4th in the AL (7th in MLB) with a 1.84 ERA…the lone R/ ER allowed by the bullpen came from a Ty France three-run home run off JAMES KARINCHAK in the 8th inning of Thursday’s 3-0 Opening Day defeat at Seattle…both TREVOR STEPHAN (1SV, 3.0IP, 4SO) and ENYEL DE LOS SANTOS (2.2IP, 1BB, 3SO) appeared in three of four games in the opening series…5 of 7 Cleveland relievers struck out three-or-more Seattle hitters.

CATCHER IN THE CLUTCH
After his 3-XBH performance on Sunday, MIKE ZUNINO now ranks 6th in MLB in slugging percentage (1.000, T4th in the AL) and OPS (1.545, 4th in the AL)…Zunino’s home run on Sunday came with two outs, a situation where he ranks as one of MLB’s most powerful catchers since 2020.

MOST 2-OUT HRS BY MLB CATCHERS SINCE 2020
PLAYER HRs
MIKE ZUNINO 19
Sean Murphy 15
Gary Sanchez 14
Will Smith 14

GUARDS OUT OF THE GATE
With an opening series victory over Seattle, Cleveland won its first 4-game opening series since winning 3 of 4 in 1931 (April 14- 18, vs. CWS)…the Guards won their first 4-game series against the Mariners since May 28-31, 2015…Cleveland won its first series against SEA since June 11-13, 2021.

EXTRAS EXTRAS READ ALL ABOUT IT!
In 2022, the Mariners (11-5, .688) and Guardians (13-6, .684) were the AL’s two best teams in extra-inning win percentage… Cleveland tallied the most extra-inning wins in MLB and ranked 4th in MLB in extra-inning win percentage last year…the Guards beat Seattle yesterday in MLB’s first extra-inning contest of 2023.

TONIGHT’S STARTER 34 ZACH PLESAC RHP

TONIGHT’S START
Makes his regular season debut this evening in the series opener of this 3-game set at Oakland…2023 marks his 5th campaign in the Major Leagues and Cleveland’s starting rotation…finished 2022 with a 2-7 record and 4.83 ERA (39ER/72.2IP) on the road.

Will look to bounce back from a 2022 season that saw him go 3-12 with a 4.31 ERA (63ER/131.2IP) across 24 starts…his 12 losses were a career-high.

CAREER VS. OAKLAND
This will be his 3rd career start against Oakland…has a 1-0 record with a 3.75 ERA (5ER/12.0IP) in his prior 2 starts…faced the A’s once in 2022, allowing 4R/3ER on 8 hits with 2 strikeouts over 6.0 innings, but did not factor into the decision.

His only start at RingCentral Coliseum came on July 18, 2021 in a 4-2 win…the right-hander earned the win in a quality start, allowing 2R/ER on 4 hits with 3 strikeouts and one walk in 6.0 innings.

Has struggled against the AL West over the course of his 4-year career, owning a 1-3 record with an 8.06 ERA (23ER/25.2IP), his highest against any division, and .306 opposing batting average across 5 starts.

RUN SUPPORT
Plesac had a 12 start winless streak from June 11-August 16 during the 2022 season, going 0-7 with a 4.18 ERA (30ER)/64.2IP) in that span…in CLE history, only two pitchers have had a better ERA over a 12-start winless spell: Luis Tiant (3.24, July 18-Sept. 7, 1969) and Guy Morton (4.06, July 13-Sept. 20, 1914)…his 2.78 average runs of support was 4th-lowest in MLB during that period.

A lack of run support plagued him throughout the 2022 season, as the righty received a total of 42 runs of support across 24 starts, 2nd-lowest in MLB (min 130.0IP) behind KC’s Brad Keller (40)…his 2.87 run support average was 3rd-lowest in MLB (min 130.0IP)… since 2000, among Guardians to throw 130.0 innings, Carlos Carrasco is the only pitcher to receive less runs of support and have a lower RSA in a single season (2014, 41 runs, 2.75 RSA).

2022 LOWEST RUN SUPPORT AVERAGE IN MLB, MIN. 130.0IP
Player (Team) RSA
Brad Keller (KC) 2.58
Patrick Corbin (WAS) 2.83
Zach Plesac (CLE) 2.87
Zach Davies (ARI) 3.08

QUANTITY OF QUALITY
Despite a setting a career-high in losses, Zach made a career-high 11 quality starts in 2022 and rattled off 7 consecutive quality starts from May 30-July 4, going 1-2 with a 2.14 ERA (10ER/36.0IP) in that span; marks the 6th-lowest qualified ERA among A.L. hurlers over that stretch…signifies the longest such streak by a Cleveland starter since TRISTON McKENZIE pieced together another 7-start run from Aug. 5-Sept. 14, 2021..no Clevelander has turned the trick in 8 consecutive starts since SHANE BIEBER’s 10-start streak from July 24-Sept. 9, 2019.

Cleveland’s starting rotation had 75 quality starts in 2022, ranking T4th with Philadelphia behind Seattle (79), San Diego (84) and Houston (94).

WORKING OUT THE KINKS
Over his career, Plesac’s highest ERA by month has come in April, posting a 4.91 mark (26ER/47.2IP) across 9 starts in the season’s opening month…he improved on those numbers in 2022, going 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 4 April starts.

PLESAC BY MONTH, CAREER (since 2019)
Month Record GS ERA IP ER
April 2-5 9 4.91 47.2 26
May 3-2 11 3.97 65.2 29
June 4-4 11 3.09 67.0 23
July 5-4 15 4.04 78.0 35
August 6-6 17 4.30 96.1 46
September 5-4 14 4.19 86.0 40

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

ABOUT THE A’S: Lost 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…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 1-2 on this season-opening six-game homestand against Los Angeles-AL (1-2) and Cleveland (three games)…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)…begin their first road trip on Friday, a seven-game trip to Tampa Bay (three games) and Baltimore (four games)…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 were shutout yesterday after scoring one run on Saturday and two in the opener on Thursday…the three runs scored are tied with the Tigers for the fewest in the majors…they are the second fewest in Athletics history over the first three games of the season to the 1914 American League Champion Philadelphia A’s, who scored two runs…have 16 hits, which is third fewest in the majors and the fewest by an A’s team over the first three games since 1979 (also 16)…the A’s played their longest game of the season yesterday, clocking in at 2 hours and 32 minutes…over the last 48 years, the only time the A’s have played each of their first three games in 2:32 or fewer was in 2007…have committed four errors over the first three games, which is tied with the Mariners for second most in the majors (5).

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.

TENURE: 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…Laureano is on his fourth Opening Day roster with Oakland (2019-21, 23)…Seth Brown, who was drafted on June 10, 2015 has the longest tenure in the A’s organization…he is followed by Nick Allen, who was the A’s third round pick in 2017, and James Kaprielian, who was acquired from the Yankees on July 31, 2017…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).

ROOKIE AND VETERANS: The A’s 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 YOUNG AND THE OLD: 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…he is followed by Nick Allen (24 years, 173 days) and Ken Waldichuk (25 years, 81 days)…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)…he is followed by Jeurys Familia (33 years, 171 days) and Jace Peterson (32 years, 325 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 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.

• Have a five-game losing streak in Oakland, which is one short of the A’s longest home losing streak against Cleveland (6, June 3, 1994- July 27, 1995).

TODAY’S TIDBITS
Jesús Aguilar and Esteury Ruiz are the only Athletics to reach base safely in each of the A’s first three games…Seth Brown has homered in each of his last three games against the Guardians and has five career home runs against Cleveland, which match his most against any team (Houston, Texas)…Shea Langeliers has started each of the A’s first three games at catcher and is scheduled to start behind the plate tonight…the last Athletic to start each of the A’s first four games at catcher is Kurt Suzuki, who started each of the A’s first five games behind the plate in 2012.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: James Kaprielian
FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to make his first start of the season…begins his fourth season in the majors and is on his first Opening Day roster…began the 2022 season on the IL and made one start at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2021 before joining the A’s.

SEVEN INNINGS OR FEWER: Tossed seven innings or fewer in each of his 26 starts in 2022 and in all 47 of his career starts…his streak of 47 consecutive starts of seven innings or fewer matches the longest in Athletics history (Montas, Sept. 25, 2019-April 18, 2022).

SPRING TRAINING RECAP: Went 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA and .690 opponents OPS in four Spring Training starts…did not make his first start until March 12 after recovering from off-season surgery…allowed a .250 opponents batting average but walked nine batters in 16.0 innings…struck out 19 and surrendered just one home run.

KAPRIELIAN’S 2023 SPRING TRAINING STARTS
Date Opponent Start/Rel Score Dec ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR
Mar. 12 San Diego S 8-6 – 0.00 1.2 1 0 0 3 5 0
Mar. 17 San Francisco S 7-2 W 1.59 4.0 5 1 1 0 4 0
Mar. 22 Chicago (NL) S 2-4 L 2.53 5.0 4 2 2 4 4 1
Mar. 27 at San Francisco S 12-6 W 2.81 5.1 5 2 2 2 6 0
Totals (4 games, 4 starts) 2-1 2.81 16.0 15 5 5 9 19 1

KAPRIELIAN’S CAREER STARTS VS. CLEVELAND
Career: 0-1, 7.71 ERA in two career appearances, both starts
Date Site Score Dec ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR #PIT
May 1, 2022 May 1, 2022 Coliseum Coliseum 3-7 L 2.0 3 4 4 4 2 0 57
June 9, 2022 June 9, 2022 Progressive Field Progressive Field 4-8 – 5.0 5 2 2 0 3 2 75
Career Totals (2 games, 2 starts) Career Totals (2 games, 2 starts) 0-1 7.71 7.0 8 6 6 4 5 2
Coliseum (1 game, 1 start) Coliseum (1 game, 1 start) 0-1 18.00 2.0 3 4 4 4 2 0
Progressive Field (1 game, 1 start) Progressive Field (1 game, 1 start) 0-0 3.60 5.0 5 2 2 0 3 2
2022 Totals (2 games, 2 starts) 2022 Totals (2 games, 2 starts) 0-1 7.71 7.0 8 6 6 4 5 2
• Tossed 2.0 innings on May 1 last year, which is the shortest start of his career.

KAPRIELIAN’S CAREER MATCHUPS VS. CLEVELAND
PLAYER BA OBP SLG OPS AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SH SF HB DP
Gallagher .000 .000 .000 .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gimenez .333 .333 .333 .667 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Gonzalez 1.000 1.000 1.500 2.500 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kwan .250 .250 .250 .500 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Naylor .333 .500 1.333 1.833 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Ramirez .500 .750 2.000 2.750 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
Straw .200 .200 .200 .400 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Viloria .000 .000 .000 .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2022 RECAP: Was 5-9 with a 4.23 ERA and .735 opponents OPS in 26 starts after going 8-5 with a 4.07 ERA and .732 OPS in 24 games, including 21 starts, as a rookie in 2021…struck out 98 batters in 134.0 innings (6.58 per nine innings) after fanning 123 in 119.1 innings in 2021 (9.28 per nine innings)… allowed a .239 opponents batting average but walked a team-leading 59 batters for a .321 on-base percentage…his walks were the most by an A’s pitcher since Sonny Gray also had 59 in 2015…went 0-5 with a 5.88 ERA and .825 opponents OPS over his first 11 starts from May 1-June 26, 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA and .612 OPS over his next six starts from July 1 to Aug. 3, 0-4 with a 6.46 ERA and .874 OPS over his next five starts from Aug. 9 to 31 and 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and .544 OPS over his final four starts beginning Sept. 15.

OPPONENTS BATTING: His opponents batting average broke down to .237 (63-for-266) with a .696 opponents OPS against left-handed hitters compared to .241 (58-for-241) with a .777 OPS against right-handers…opponents hit .243 with the bases empty, .232 with runners on…11 of the 16 home runs he allowed were solo shots…his career splits are .232 with 25 home runs with the bases empty, .243 with 12 home runs with runners on… allowed 13 home runs in 69.0 innings and 14 starts before the All-Star Break, three home runs in 65.0 innings and 12 starts after the break…allowed a .193 average to the opponents number five hitter and has a .140 career average in that split.

EARLY AND LATE: Had a .184 opponents batting average and .579 OPS the first time through the order, .263 with a .766 OPS the second time and .302 with a 1.004 OPS after that…now has a .186 average and .575 OPS in his career the first time through the order, .269 with an .843 OPS after that… compiled a 2.77 ERA over the first two innings of a game, a 5.16 ERA from the third inning on…now has a 2.39 career ERA in the first and second innings, a 5.25 ERA after that.

SPLITS: Had a 4-4 record with a 3.67 ERA and .712 opponents OPS in 15 starts on the road, compared to 1-5 with a 5.09 ERA and .770 OPS in 11 starts at home…was 4-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 14 starts against American League West competition, 1-6 with a 5.46 ERA in 12 starts against all other teams…is now 8-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 29 career appearances against divisional foes, 5-9 with a 4.96 ERA in 23 games against everyone else…has seven of his 13 career wins against the Mariners (4) and Angels (3)…was 3-2 with a 4.47 ERA in 11 starts on four days rest, 2-6 with a 3.69 ERA in 14 starts on five days rest or more.

THIS AND THAT: The A’s were 13-13 in his starting assignments, which included an 8-4 record in his 12 no decisions…left with the lead in five of his starts only to have the bullpen blow the save…now has 20 career no decisions as a starter and has left with the lead and was the pitcher of record in nine of those no decisions…the A’s are 24-23 (.511) in his 47 career starts.

MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (2-2) at San Diego Padres (2-2)

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MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (2-2) at San Diego Padres (2-2)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs are 2-2 on their opening 6-game road trip @ Dodgers (2-2) and Padres (April 3-4)

♦ Yesterday’s win secured the D-backs first series split or win vs. Dodgers since April 25-27, 2022 at home (2-1), May 8-9, 2018 for a road 2-gamer (1-1), April 13-15, 2018 for a road 3-gamer (2-1) and April 14-17, 2017 for a road 4-gamer (2-2).

♦ Corbin Carroll is hitting .389 (7-for-18)/1.088 OPS with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 1 RBI in 6 career games vs. Padres.

♦ Christian Walker, in his last 7 games vs. Padres (since Sept. 5, 2022), is batting .320 (8-for-25) with 1 double, 3 home runs and 7 RBI.

♦ Nick Ahmed, in his last 14 games vs. Padres (since April 27, 2021), is hitting .340 (17-for-50) with 7 doubles and 8 RBI.

♦ Ryne Nelson made his Major League debut on Sept. 5, 2022 @ Padres (W; 0 ER in 7.0 IP), where he set the Dbacks record for most scoreless innings (7.0) in a debut and tied for the most strikeouts (7) [also: Zack Godley in 2015 and Max Scherzer in 2008].

SMALL BALL
♦ Jake McCarthy collected his fi rst career RBI bunt yesterday @ Dodgers…he is batting .444 (4-for-9) on bunts in his career (3 bunt hits in 2022).

♦ Since 2022, Arizona’s 26 bunt hits are the third most in the Majors, behind the Giants (29) and Nationals (27).

♦ The D-backs’ 82 bunt attempts since 2022 (sacrifi ce hits + bunt hits + bunt outs) are the most in baseball, ahead of the Angels (77) and Nationals (65).

♦ Since 2017, Arizona is batting .386 (80-for-207) on bunts

TRANSPORTIN’ CORBIN
♦ At age 22-224 days, Corbin Carroll became the youngest D-back in franchise history to steal 3+ bases in a game.

♦ He is the youngest Arizona player to steal 3+ bases since Mark Reynolds (4 SB; age 25-290) on May 20, 2009 @ Marlins (Game 1).

♦ It marked the fi rst 3+-steal game by a D-back since Josh Rojas on July 25, 2022 vs. Giants and just the second occurrence since Gregor Blanco’s 3 stolen bases on Oct 1, 2017 @ Royals.

SAVE NO. 1 FOR MCGOUGH
♦ At age 33-153 days, Scott McGough is the oldest player to earn their fi rst career save since Minnesota’s Caleb Thielbar (35-143 days) on June 23, 2022 vs. Guardians.

♦ McGough is the second oldest D-backs pitcher ever to record his first career save, behind Yoshihisa Hirano (34-187 days) on September 11, 2018 @ Rockies [source: Elias Sports Bureau].

SAN DIEGO SLUGGER
♦ Christian Walker’s 13 home runs @ Petco Park since 2019 are tied for second most by an opposing player (also: Justin Turner and Joc Pederson), behind Charlie Blackmon (14).

RHP RYNE NELSON ♦ #19
AT A GLANCE: Selected by the D-backs in the second round (56th overall) of the 2019 draft.

• Attended the University of Oregon, where he was a 2019 First-Team All-Pac-12 selection…finished his junior year with a conference-high 104 strikeouts and finished fourth in the nation with a 14.40 K/9 IP.

• A Nevada native, attended Basic High School in Henderson where he was a shortstop and pitcher.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Made his first Opening Day roster and is making his fourth Major League start (third vs. Padres, second @ Petco Park).
• Did not pitch after Sept. 21 after he was placed on the 15-day injured list (right scapula inflammation).

• Enters 2023 ranked as the D-backs’ No. 5 prospect by The Athletic (No. 8 by MLB Pipeline)…rated No. 7 and tabbed by Baseball America with the Best Fastball in the system.

VS. PADRES: Is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA (3 ER in 12.1 IP), 0.89 WHIP and .167 opponent avg. in 2 career starts.

• Won his Major League debut on Sept. 5 @ Petco Park, tossing 7.0 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts and no walks.

• Became the second D-back since 2003 to make his MLB debut as a starter @ Petco Park (also: Merrill Kelly in 2019) since Edgar González on June 1, 2003.

WHAT A DEBUT IN SD: Set the D-backs record for most scoreless innings (7.0) in a Major League debut (later tied by Drey Jameson on Sept. 15) and tied for the most strikeouts (7) (also: Zack Godley on July 23, 2015 @ Brewers and Max Scherzer on April 29, 2008 vs. Astros).

• Came 1.0 inning shy of tying Geraldo Guzmán’s D-backs debut record (8.0 IP) set on July 6, 2000 @ Astros.

2022 REVIEW: Made 3 starts with Arizona in his first Major League stint and went 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA (3 ER in 18.1 IP), 0.82 WHIP and .145 opponent avg.

SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:

Padres take Game 4 against Rockies, split 4-game set
• Padres’ starter Seth Lugo went a career-high-tying 7.0 innings with 1 run allowed (a home run), punching out 7 in the process.

• Xander Bogaerts collected a pair of RBI with his 2nd home run in as many days, and Trent Grisham homered for his 1st of the year.

• Josh Hader made his 2nd appearance this year and logged his 1st save…he’s now worked 2.0 innings with 0 hits and 3 strikeouts.

Rocky series highlights
• In the series, Xander Bogaerts hit safely in every game, with 4 of his 6 hits going for extra-bases (2 doubles and 2 home runs)…he’s hitting .429 to start the year (6-for-14) with 5 RBI and 2 walks.

• After Padres batters went 0-for-15 with RISP in the 1st 2 games, they went 5-for-13 (.385) with RISP in the last 2 games.

• San Diego starting pitchers have gone at least 6.0 innings in 3 of their 4 games to start the year (outlier was Blake Snell’s 4.1 IP on Opening Day)…Nick Martinez went 7.0, Micahel Wacha went 6.0, and Seth Lugo went 7.0 yesterday.

Packed at Petco Park
• Yesterday’s attendance was 43,972, the 4th sellout of the 2023 season…the total attendance for the Opening Series was 174,915, setting a new Petco Park record for a 4-game series (previous record was 168,171 from April 9-12, 2015 in our Opening Series vs. SF).

• Last year, the Padres’ home total attendance of 2,987,470, just shy of the Padres home attendance record of 3,016,752 (set in Petco Park’s inaugural 2004 season)…the Padres expect to exceed that mark this year, even with 2 of our home games being played in Mexico City against the Giants (March 29-30

Roster Move
• Today, RHP Michel Baez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso.

STARTING PITCHER – RYAN WEATHERS 40
Vs. the Snakes
Received the first regular season action of his career in on April 3, 2021 after making his ML debut in the 2020 Postseason vs. LAD…in that outing, he tossed 3.0-shutout innings of 1-hit ball and became just the 3rd Padre to earn a save in his 1st career regular season app…in 1985, Gene Walter (August 9) and Lance McCullers (August 12) did so within days of each other. He’s scoreless in 3 of his 4 career appearances vs. ARI, with all 6 of his ER allowed against the Snakes coming in an Aug. 6, 2021 start across 3.0 IP at Petco Park. No current Diamondback hitter has more than 2 Major League at-bats vs. Weathers, as 9 D’ Backs combine for a .467 AVG (7-for-15) against him heading into tonight’s matchup.

A look back at 2022
Spent the majority of his season with El Paso (AAA), establishing career highs in appearances (31) and innings pitched (123.0) and tying his career high in starts (22, also: 2019 w/ Single-A Fort Wayne). Posted a 6.73 ERA (92 ER, 123.0 IP) and Triple-A opponents hit .328 against him…his 31 home runs allowed were the 3rd-most in all levels of minor league baseball, trailing only Las Vegas’ Parker Dunshee (38) and Greenville/Portland’s Brian Van Belle (32). Recalled by SD from ELP on June 15 for his 19th ML start…allowed 4 ER and 4 BB while striking out 3 across 3.2 IP vs. CHC at Wrigley Field in SD’s 19-5 victory…optioned back to ELP the following day.

Piling up the punchies
Reached the 200 strikeout mark in his professional career with his third and final strikeout April 22, 2022 at Las Vegas…he has 207 minor league strikeouts vs. 81 walks for a 2.56 SO/ BB ratio in the minors, while he has 75 SO vs. 34 BB in the Majors for a 2.21 SO/BB ratio.

Great day for a debut
The 7th overall pick in 2018, who hadn’t pitched above A ball, made his ML debut in Game 1 of the NLDS vs. LAD on October 6, 2020 (1.1 IP, 2 BB, SO)…at 20 years and 294 days old, he became the 1st Padre to ever make their ML debut in the Postseason, the 5th player in ML history to debut in the Postseason and the 2nd-youngest to ever debut in the Postseason (KC’s Adalberto Mondesi, 20.095 in ’15).

Vasilevskiy, Draisaitl and Pastrnak Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

NHL Editor
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Vasilevskiy, Draisaitl and Pastrnak Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

NEW YORK – Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 2.

FIRST STAR – ANDREI VASILEVSKIY, G, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Vasilevskiy stopped 99 of the 100 shots he faced last week, posting a 3-0-0 record, 0.33 goals-against average, .990 save percentage and two shutouts, as the Lightning (45-26-6, 96 points) outscored the opposition 14-1 in their three wins and clinched a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vasilevskiy made 31 saves in blanking the Hurricanes 4-0 on March 28, turned aside 30 of 31 shots in a 5-1 win over the Capitals March 30 and stopped 38 shots in the Lightning’s playoff-clinching 5-0 win over the Islanders April 1, ensuring their franchise-record sixth consecutive postseason appearance. The Lightning’s all-time leader in goaltender appearances, wins and shutouts improved his season record to 34-20-4 with a 2.57 GAA, .918 save percentage and four shutouts. Vasilevskiy will enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 63-38 career postseason record, second among active goaltenders in playoff wins behind Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury (92-73), in an attempt to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a fourth consecutive season and capture his third Stanley Cup.

SECOND STAR – LEON DRAISAITL, C, EDMONTON OILERS

Draisaitl shared the League lead in goals (five) and points (eight) last week, helping the Oilers (45-23-9, 99 points) post a 4-0-0 record, finish March with their highest single-month wins total in franchise history (12-2-1) and clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Draisaitl began the week by tallying 1-1—2, highlighted by his 300th career goal, in a 5-4 win over the Coyotes March 27 and notched 1-1—2 for a third consecutive game in a 7-4 victory over the Golden Knights March 28, including his 29th power-play goal of the season — the most by any player since 1995-96 (Mario Lemieux: 31). He recorded an assist in a 2-0 win over the Kings on March 30 and finished the week with a hat trick, hitting 50 goals for the third time in his career, in the Oilers’ playoff-clinching 6-0 win over the Ducks April 1. Draisaitl extended his active point streak to 12 games and pushed his season points total to a career-high 120 (50-70—120), second in the League to teammate Connor McDavid (62-84—146). Draisaitl will enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs scoring at a career 1.59 points-per-game mark in the postseason (18-41—59 in 37 GP) — tops among active players and third in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Lemieux (1.61).

THIRD STAR – DAVID PASTRNAK, RW, BOSTON BRUINS

Pastrnak tied for the NHL goals lead (5-1—6), including a pair of game-winners, as the Bruins (60-12-5, 125 points) won three of four starts, clinched the Presidents’ Trophy and corresponding no. 1 overall seed in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and set more milestones in a record-breaking season. After scoring Boston’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Predators March 28, Pastrnak scored the overtime winner against the Blue Jackets March 30 that gave the Bruins a franchise-record 58th win of the season and clinched the Presidents’ Trophy. He later tallied twice to eclipse the 100-point mark and completed the hat trick via a go-ahead goal with 2:26 remaining in regulation in a 4-3 win over the Penguins April 1, lifting the Bruins to a franchise record for standings points. He closed the week by notching an assist in a 4-3 shootout win vs. the Blues April 2, helping Boston become the fourth team in League history to reach the 60-win mark in a single season. Pastrnak increased his 2022-23 totals to 56-47—103, single-season career highs in all three categories. He ranks second League-wide in goals and fourth in points.

MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (0-3) at Houston Astros (2-2)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers (0-3) at Houston Astros (2-2)

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS SWEPT BY RAYS: The Tigers were unable to avoid the sweep against the Rays, losing 5-1 on Sunday afternoon. Joey Wentz started and threw 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Alex Lange pitched a scoreless inning in relief with one hit.
At the plate, Jake Rogers hit a solo home run, while Riley Greene went 1×4. JAKE RAKES: Jake Rogers made his return to the Tigers starting lineup yesterday for the series finale against the Rays and made an impact. Starting for the first time since July 18, 2021, Rogers went 1×3, including hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning, his first big league homer since July 11, 2021. Rogers missed the second half of the 2021 season and all of 2022 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

TIGERS ANNOUNCE “¡GRACIAS MIGGY! THE FINAL SEASON” CAMPAIGN: With Miguel
Cabrera announcing that the 2023 season will be his final as a player, the Tigers will host a season-long celebration providing fans various opportunities to honor the career of the greatest player of a generation. “¡Gracias, Miggy! The Final Season” will feature key dates throughout the season that allows fans across baseball to revel in Miggy’s greatest moments, past and present. Everything is centered around the things that matter most to Miguel: his family, his heritage, his teammates and winning. Below are a list of key dates throughout the season.

• April 29 – First 15,000 fans will receive a Miguel Cabrera Graphic T-Shirt, presented by Meijer

• June 10 – First 15,000 fans will receive a Miggy Milestones Bobblehead, presented by Bally Sports Detroit

• July 24 – Keeping Kids in the Game, a Tigers Foundation tradition and a Miguel Cabrera favorite event

• August 5 – 18th annual ¡Fiesta Tigres! game, presented by Miller Lite

• September 29-October 1 – Miggy Celebration Weekend

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 begin their six-game season series tonight. Along with this week’s three-game set in Houston, the two teams will also meet in Detroit for three games from August 25-27. The Astros won all seven meetings from the Tigers last season, including sweeping a four-game set at Minute Maid Park.

INJURY REHAB UPDATE: Tyler Nevin continued an injury rehab assignment with Triple A Toledo yesterday, starting in left field and going 2×3 with a double. In three games with the Mud Hens, Nevin has gone 6×9 with a double, a triple, a home run and two RBI. Nevin is currently on the
injured list with a left oblique strain.

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

• RHP Michael Lorenzen (left groin strain, 15- day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27) • RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL
on February 17)

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

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

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

UPCOMING MATCHUPS:
• Tuesday, April 4 at HOU – 8:10 p.m. (BSDET/97.1) RHP Matt Manning (No Record) vs. LHP Framber Valdez (0-0, 0.00)

• Wednesday, April 5 at HOU – 2:10 p.m. (BSDET/97.1) LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1, 5.06) vs. RHP Cristian Javier (0-0, 5.40)

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – Matthew Boyd • 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0IP/0ER)
• Boyd will make his first start of the season tonight in the series opener at Houston.

• Started four games during Spring Training and had a 2-1 record with a 3.46 ERA (13.0IP/5ER) and 21 strikeouts.

• Has made five starts in his career against the Astros, posting a 3-1 record with a 4.82 ERA (28.0IP/15ER) and 21 strikeouts…in two career starts at Minute Maid Park, is 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP/6ER) and eight strikeouts.

• Missed most of the 2022 season while rehabbing from an injury, but returned in September to pitch in 10 games and help Seattle to the playoffs…went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA (13.1IP/2ER) and 13 strikeouts in his 10 outings with the Mariners.

• Is beginning his second stint with the Tigers…was with the organization from 2015-21, appearing in 147 games, including 143 starts, and compiling a 37-60 record with a 4.87 ERA (777.2IP/421ER) and 752 strikeouts.

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champions, will open a three-game series with the Tigers tonight behind Detroit native RHP Hunter Brown, who’s making just his third career MLB start…he’ll be opposed by LHP Matthew Boyd, who re-signed with the Tigers this offseason after splitting his 2022 campaign between the Giants and M’s.

DETROIT RAISED: Rookie RHP Hunter Brown is facing the Tigers for the second time in his young career, with the first coming on Sept. 13, 2022 at DET, a start in which he tossed 6.0 innings of two-run ball en route to the win…Brown grew up a Tigers fan and is a native of Detroit, where he was born and raised and went to grade school (Isaac Jogues Catholic School), high school (Lakeview HS) and college (Wayne State University).

CLEAN 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 (.598, 232-156).

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

SPACE CITY MONDAY: The Astros will celebrate Space City Monday by wearing their Nike City Connect Space City uniforms for every home game date on Mondays throughout the 2023 season…the jerseys, which are available for purchase at the Astros Team Store at Minute Maid Park, pay tribute to Houston’s rich history in space travel.

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE: The Astros are the only team in the Majors scheduled to begin the season with eight straight game days prior to their first off day on Friday…following this week, the Astros upcoming schedule includes seven straight off days on Thursdays thru the end of May.

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

AIR YORDAN: LF Yordan Alvarez is off to a characteristically strong start into the young season, as he’s hitting .455 (5×11) with a double, homer, five RBI and a .538 OBP…Alvarez has driven in a run in all three of his games this season, which is three games shy of the Astros record to open a season, set by RF Kyle Tucker (6g) in 2021.

99 AND COUNTING: LF Yordan Alvarez connected for a solo home run on Opening Day, giving him 99 career home runs, the same total Astros television broadcaster Geoff Blum hit in his illustrious career…with one more homer for Alvarez, he’ll become the 19th player in franchise history to reach the 100-homer mark.

BROTHER VS. BROTHER: RHP Phil Maton and his brother IF Nick Maton will be 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 have faced each other once in the Majors, on Oct. 5, 2022 in Houston, with Nick connecting for a single off of Phil.

THE SUNDAY SPLITS: The Astros dropped a 6-3 game on Sunday to the White Sox, giving them a split of their four-game series to open the season…1B José Abreu continued his hot start, going 2×4 with an RBI, but the offense was mostly stymied until a two-run, 9th-inning rally
that fell just short… RHP Luis Garcia (3ER/5IP) started for Houston, while RHP Phil Maton tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief.

AT THE HELM: Astros skipper Dusty Baker celebrated his 26th career Opening Day as a manager on Thursday 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).

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

TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP HUNTER BROWN
LAST REGULAR-SEASON START – 9/13 AT DET: a native of suburban Detroit, Brown made his second and final start of his MLB debut season at Comerica Park, striking out six batters and allowing a pair of runs on 5 hits through 6IP…the 6 strikeouts still stand as a career high and the 6IP matched his career high from his Major League debut on 9/5 vs. TEX

SPRING TRAINING: made four Spring Training appearances, totaling 9 IP through his four outings (all starts)…allowed just 1 run and did not surrender a walk through his final 2 appearances (7 IP)

ABOUT BROWN: rookie right-hander enters the season as the top prospect in the Astros system and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball…was ranked as the No. 28 prospect in baseball in Baseball America’s preseason top 100 rankings…rated as the No. 8 RHP prospect in MLB.com preseason positional prospect rankings.

• selected by the Astros in the 4th round of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft from Wayne State University.

• was a fast-riser through Astros minor league system, reaching Triple A in his first full minor league season following the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season…owns a career 3.40 ERA (87ER/230.0IP) through 59 career minor league appearances (39 starts)…averaged 11.7 strikeouts-per-nine-innings throughout his minor league career… ranked 9th of all minor league pitchers between the ‘21-22 seasons with 11.56 strikeouts-per-nine-innings

BROWN IN 2022: Had one of the best seasons from a Pacific Coast League pitcher in recent years while with Triple A Sugar Land, resulting in a September callup and placement on all three Astros postseason rosters on their run to the World Series.

• Went 9-4 with a 2.55 ERA (30 ER/106.0IP) in 23 games (14 starts) with Triple A Sugar Land…was named the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year and Baseball America’s Triple A Pitcher of the Year…led Pacific Coast League pitchers (min. 100 IP) in ERA and strikeouts-per-nine innings (11.4).

• was selected – alongside teammate Yainer Diaz – to play in the 2022 MLB Futures Game at Dodger Stadium…was the 2nd pitcher to enter the game for the AL team… tossed 0.2 IP and struck out 1 batter.

• had his contract selected by the Astros on 9/1/22 and made his MLB debut on 9/5/22 with a start vs. Texas…pitched 6 scoreless innings and struck out 5 batters while allowing 3 hits in his MLB debut…became the 3rd starter in Astros history to toss 6.0 scoreless innings in their debut…struck out Texas infielders Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to begin his MLB career.

• finished the year in the Astros bullpen after back-to-back starts and did not allow a run through his 5 relief appearances (8.1 IP)…was terrific at Minute Maid Park, not allowing a run and striking out 12 batters through his 10.1 innings there…held opponent’s to a .143 batting average at Minute Maid Park.

2022 POSTSEASON: appeared on all 3 Astros postseason rosters, making 3 scoreless relief appearances (3.2 IP).

• pitched in Games 1 and 3 of the ALDS vs. Seattle and Game 3 of the ALCS vs. the Yankees…became the 27th rookie in Astros history to appear in a postseason game. SLIDE PIECE: averaged 93.2 mph with his slider, which was the fastest of any pitcher in MLB (min. 250 pitches), directly ahead of RHP Jacob deGrom (92.6 mph).

VS. THE TIGERS: will be making his second career start against the Tigers and is set to face the Tigers in his second consecutive start dating back to the ‘22 season.

• picked up the second win of his career on 9/13/22 at Detroit after tossing 6.0 IP and striking out six batters while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits.

MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (1-2) at Texas Rangers (3-0)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Baltimore Orioles (1-2) at Texas Rangers (3-0)

BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:

BURNING RUBBER: The Orioles fell to the Red Sox in yesterday’s rubber match, 9-5…The O’s went 11-11 in rubber games in 2022…Baltimore has dropped their last two opening series; their last opening series win came in 2021, when they swept Boston in three games at Fenway Park.

TAKING ON TEXAS: The Orioles went 6-0 against the Rangers last season, their first sweep of a season series against a single opponent since 2020 against the Phillies (3- 0) and their first season sweep of at least six games against a single opponent since 2010 against Los Angeles-AL (6-0)…Marked Baltimore’s first season sweep of any length against Texas, and the first time the Rangers had ever been swept in a season series by an American League opponent.

STARTING WITH A BANG: O’s batters have slugged seven home runs through the first three games of the season, tied for the most in team history (since 1954) with the 2006 club…The most home runs through Baltimore’s first four games of a season is nine by the 1966 squad and the 2000 team…The O’s have homered in each of the first three games of the season for the 10th time in club history and first since 2017 (also 3); the club record for the most consecutive games with a home run to start a season is seven by the 1966 team and the 1984 club.

RUNNIN’ WILD: The Orioles stole 10 bases through their first two games, the most by a team in its first two games of a season since at least 1901, surpassing the previous record of nine stolen bases held by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds and the 1983 Los Angeles Dodgers…The 10 stolen bases are also the most in any two-game span in team history, surpassing the nine stolen bases from August 28 (G2) to August 29 (G1), 1986…Jorge Mateo (4 SB), Cedric Mullins (3 SB), and Adam Frazier, Austin Hays, and Ryan McKenna (1 SB) make up the 10 steals for the O’s.

Mateo is the first player in O’s history (since 1954) and the eighth MLB player since at least 1901 with multiple stolen bases in each of a team’s first two games to begin a season (see chart at right).

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Orioles opened the 2023 season with 13 pitchers and 13 position players on the active roster…Six players made their first career Opening Day roster: Kyle Bradish, Logan Gillaspie, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Kyle Stowers, and Terrin Vavra…Fifteen of the 26 players were on Baltimore’s Opening Day roster in 2022…James McCann begins the season on the 10-day Injured List, Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate begin the year on the 15-day Injured List, and John Means begins the year on the 60-day Injured List.

THE SKIPPER: Manager Brandon Hyde returns for his fifth season…In 2022, he led the O’s to an 83-79 record, his first winning season as manager and the club’s first winning campaign since 2016…He was named the Baseball America MLB Manager of the Year and was voted the Sporting News American League Manager of the Year by fellow AL managers…He finished second in voting for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) American League Manager of the Year award…Hyde was named the 20th manager in Orioles history on December 14, 2018.

STARTING PITCHER – #39 KYLE BRADISH RHP
QUICK HITS: Made 23 starts in his inaugural season with the Orioles in 2022…Went 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA (64 ER/117.2 IP) with 111 strikeouts to 46 walks…Made his MLB debut on April 29 vs. Boston; dealt the loss after surrendering three runs (2 ER) on five hits (1 HR) with one walk and two strikeouts in 6.0 innings…Was one of 13 players and one of seven O’s pitchers to make their debut in 2022…Threw to Adley Rutschman in Rutschman’s debut on May 21 vs. Tampa Bay…Tossed 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings across four starts from August 26 to September 6…
Acquired by the Orioles along with RHP Kyle Brnovich, RHP Zach Peek, and RHP Isaac Mattson from Los Angeles-AL in exchange for RHP Dylan Bundy on December 4, 2019…Originally drafted by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of New Mexico State.

CAREER AGAINST TEXAS: Making his second career start against Texas…Received a no decision in his only start vs. the Rangers on August 3 at Globe Life Field, allowing one run on three hits with three walks, one hit batter, and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings…Will also be his
second career appearance at Globe Life Field.

AGAINST THE AL WEST: Making his fifth career start against the AL West…Made four starts against the division as a rookie in 2022, pitching to a 1.03 ERA (3 ER/26.1.2 IP) and a 2-0 record…Earned his first career win at Oriole Park in his last start against the AL West on September 22 vs. Houston, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 in 8.2 scoreless innings.

SPRING TRAINING: Made five Spring Training starts with the O’s, going 1-1 with a 6.61 ERA (12 ER/16.1 IP) with 17 strikeouts to just four walks… Earned his lone Spring Training win in his last start on March 26 vs. Philadelphia, allowing one run on one hit with one walk, one hit batter, and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings…Attended his second Major League Spring Training.

SAVING HIS BEST FOR THE BEST: Made 14 starts against teams that qualified for the 2022 playoffs in his debut season, going 4-4 with a 4.24
(36 ER/76.1 IP) ERA…The Orioles owned a 9-5 record in those games…He went 2-0 against Houston, tossing 8.0 scoreless innings on August 26 at Minute Maid Park and throwing another 8.2 shutout frames on September 22 at Oriole Park.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS: Started the season with Triple-A Norfolk, going 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA (2 ER/15.0 IP) in three starts with the team…Named the International League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 11-17 after going 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA (1 ER/9.0 IP) in two starts…Recalled
from Norfolk on April 29 and made his MLB debut later that day against the Boston Red Sox…Earned his first career win on May 10 at St. Louis, allowing two runs on four hits with a season-best 11 strikeouts…Placed on the 15-day Injured List (right shoulder inflammation) on June 24… Went 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA (26 ER/71.1 IP) in his final 13 starts after being reinstated from the 15-day Injured List on July 29…Notched his first win at Oriole Park on September 22 vs. Houston after surrendering two hits and recording ten punchouts in 8.2 scoreless innings…Allowed three earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 23 starts.

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

STILL UNBEATEN: Texas has opened a season 3-0 for the 9th time in club history and 1st time since 2011, when it won 6 straight to begin a pennant-winning campaign…the Rangers are one of 3 remaining undefeated teams in MLB this season, joining Minnesota (3-0) and Tampa Bay (3-0)…Texas is seeking to win the first 4 games of a season for just the 5th time in team history (see chart below).

• The Rangers sit 3 games above .500 for the 1st time since a 58-55 mark after losing 1st game of a doubleheader on 8/7/19 at CLE…club has not been 4-over .500 since an off day on 8/6/19 (58-54, .518).

LONGEST SEASON-OPENING WIN STREAKS,
TEXAS HISTORY
G Year G Year
7 1996 3 2023
6 2011 3 2009
6 1979 3 1993
4 1992 3 1983
4 1977

STANDINGS: The Rangers have been alone in 1st place in the A.L. West each of the last 3 days, entering today’s slate with a 1.0-game lead over 2nd-place Los Angeles-AL…prior to this season, Texas had not been alone atop the West since the final day of team’s division-winning season in 2016 (10/2/16), as club won the division by 9.0 games…from 2017-22, the Rangers had one day with even a share of 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).

PHILLY SWEEP-STEAK: The Rangers finished off a season-opening series sweep of the reigning N.L.-champion Philadelphia Phillies with a 2-1 win last night…it marked the 1st time for Texas to win the 1st series of a season since 2019 (won final 2 G of 3-G series 3/28-31 vs. CHC), and the 7th time in club history to open a campaign with a sweep in a series of 3+ games (see chart)…TEX had not swept a series against a defending A.L. or N.L. champion since 7/27-29/18 at HOU (3-0) over the 2017 World Series-winning Astros.

• The Rangers went undefeated in a series of 3+ games just one time in 2022: 5/16-18/22 vs. LAA (3-0)…Texas last swept back-to-back series of 3+ G on 5/12-14/17 vs. OAK (3-0) and 5/16-18/17 vs. PHI (3-0) as part of a 10-game winning streak.

RANGERS WINNING ALL GAMES OF FIRST SERIES OF A SEASON, 3 GAMES-OR-MORE
Year Detail
1977 3-game series at Baltimore
1983 3-game series vs. Chicago-AL
1992 4-game series at Seattle
1996 3-game series vs. Boston
2009 3-game series vs. Cleveland
2011 3-game series vs. Boston
2023 3-game series vs. Philadelphia
Note that this list does not include 1979, when TEX won its only game at DET and then went 3-0 vs. CLE in Arlington.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?: Texas outscored Philadelphia 29-11 (+18) over the 3-game series last weekend, entering today’s slate sporting the highest run differential in Major League Baseball (tied with TB)…it matches the Rangers’ highest run differential ever thru the first 3 G of a season, as the club also posted +18 margins in 1996 (25-7) and 1992 (29-11)…Texas achieved its highest margin of victory thru the first 4 G of a new campaign in 1992 (+26, 38-12).

VS. BALTIMORE: The Rangers and Orioles are scheduled to meet 6 times in the 2023 regular season: tonight-Wed. in Arlington (3 G) and 5/26-28 in Baltimore (3 G)…Texas went 0-6 vs. the O’s in 2022, the first winless season against an A.L. opponent in Washington/Texas franchise history…the Rangers are 3-10 since the start of 2021, but have still gone 12-12 in last 24 G (beg. 8/2/18)…TEX has a 14-10 edge in Arlington beg. 6/5/14…BAL leads all-time series (271-218-1).

THE BOCHY BUNCH: The Rangers have won each of the first 3 G of Bruce Bochy’s managerial tenure…it marks the 1st time the club has opened a season 3-0 under a new skipper since 1993, when it won its first 3 G with Kevin Kennedy at the helm…the club record for most consecutive wins under a newly-appointed manager is 7 with Pat Corrales, who was hired to replace Billy Hunter on the final day of the 1978 season on 10/1/78…he guided the Rangers to a 9-4 win at Seattle that day, and remained the club’s manager into the 1979 season, a campaign that began with a 6-game win streak.

• Bochy enters tonight’s game with a lifetime managerial record of 2,006-2,029 (.497) over 4,035 games with San Diego (951-975, .494), San Francisco (1,052-1,054, .4995), and Texas (3-0, 1.000)…he currently ranks 12th on MLB’s all-time managerial wins list, needing just 3 more victories to move into 11th place over Hall of Famer Leo Durocher (2,008 wins).

ON THE OFFENSIVE: The Rangers have scored 29 runs through 3 G, the highest total in MLB entering today’s slate (BOS was next w/ 27 R thru 3 G)…marks the T2nd-most runs Texas has ever scored over the first 3 G of a new season (30- 2000, 29-2023/2009/1992) and the most by any team over a single-season 3-game span at Globe Life Field (incl. 2020 postseason)…Texas also ranks among the 30 MLB clubs this year in BA (2nd, .343), OPS (3rd, .966), OBP (3rd, .407), SLG (4th, .559), HR (T4th, 6), and H (6th, 35).

ALL IN THE RISP: The Rangers went 13-for-27 (.481) with runners in scoring position (RISP) over last weekend’s 3-G set vs. PHI…it was the club’s highest ever batting average with RISP in a season-opening series (min. 25 AB w/ RISP), and its highest over any single series with at least 25 AB w/ RISP since a .548 (17-31) mark from 7/25-28/19 at OAK.

GIMMIE FIVE: Last night’s starter Martín Pérez earned the win in his 2023 debut, holding the reigning N.L. champions to one run (earned) over 5.2 innings…he has logged at least 5.0 IP in each of his last 31 starts dating back to 4/23/22, the longest such streak ever by a Texas left-hander and the 6th-longest in club history overall (see chart)…it is the 2nd-longest active streak of its kind in MLB to only a run of 33 straight starts with 5.0+ IP by Max Scherzer (beg. 8/15/21).

MOST CONSECUTIVE OUTINGS WITH 5.0+ INNINGS PITCHED, RANGERS HISTORY
Since 1972
No. Name Dates
56 RHP Yu Darvish 5/27/12-4/21/14
41 RHP Lance Lynn 4/28/19-9/24/20
37 RHP Nolan Ryan 4/6/89-5/1/90
32 RHP Colby Lewis 9/15/03-8/29/10*
32 RHP Kevin Brown 10/4/91-9/13/92
31 LHP Martín Pérez 4/23/22-current
*Lewis’ streak spanned a pair of stints with Texas (2002-04 and 2010-16).

VELOCITY WITH VORACITY: Corey Seager registered a Texas season-high 112.3 mph exit velocity on his 1st-inning single last night…it was the 5th-hardest hit batted ball of his career and his hardest since joining the Rangers in 2022 (credit ESPN’s Sarah Langs)…per Statcast, Seager has recorded each of Texas’ 3 highest exit velocity outputs in 2023, all of which have resulted in singles: 112.3, 110.0, 109.1.

SHORTS: Texas relievers entered today with a 1.42 ERA (2 ER/12.2 IP), lowest in A.L. and 2nd-lowest in MLB (0.66- NYM)…Adolis García’s 21 defensive runs saved over the last 3 seasons (2021-23) rank T3rd among qualified MLB outfielders in that span, trailing only Michael A. Taylor (39) and Kyle Tucker (24).

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #22 Jon Gray, RHP
TONIGHT: The 31-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his season debut in the series opener against the O’s…will slot 4th in the Rangers rotation to open 2023 after serving as club’s Opening Day starter in 2022…finished 3-1 with a 1.02 ERA (5 R-2 ER/17.2 IP) over 5 G/4 GS this spring, posting 4 BB/14 SO with a 0.85 WHIP and .177 opponent batting average…last pitched in relief of Martín Pérez in exhibition on Tues. vs. KC…is entering his 2nd season with the Rangers after signing a 4-year free agent contract with the club on 12/1/21…was hindered by several injuries last season, his 1st with Texas, but still managed to post a 7-7 record, 3.96 ERA (56 ER/127.1 IP), and 134 strikeouts over 24 starts…prior to joining the Rangers, the right-hander had spent his entire pro career with Colorado, ranking 2nd in Rockies history with 849 strikeouts while also placing among the all-time team leaders with 151 starts, 829.1 innings, and 53 wins from 2015-21… he posted 4 consecutive seasons of 10+ wins from 2016-19…had career best 12 victories, 31 starts, and 172.1 innings in 2018…fanned lifetime-high 185 batters, 9th-most in N.L. in his 1st full MLB season in 2016…was the 3rd overall selection by Colorado in the 2013 MLB Draft after pitching 2 seasons at the U. of Oklahoma…is a native of the Oklahoma City area, growing up in nearby Chandler.

SEASON DEBUT: Gray has made starts as part of a season-opening rotation in each of the last 6 seasons, going a combined 0-2 with a 5.08 ERA (16 ER/28.1 IP), 12 BB/35 SO and just one HR allowed from 2017-22…his teams are 2-4 in those contests, including a 10-8 Texas loss on Opening Day, 4/8/22 at TOR in Gray’s Rangers debut (ND, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO)…Gray would go on the IL the next day w/ right middle finger blister…this will be the 2nd time in the last 4 years for Gray to make his season debut at Globe Life Field, as he pitched in 2nd game of the 2020 campaign for Colorado on 7/25/20 at TEX (ND, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R-ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR)…that was the 2nd contest in GLF facility history.

VS. BALTIMORE: Has 2 career starts vs. Orioles: 1-1, 4.32 (4 ER/8.1 IP)…only start vs. O’s with TEX last year came on 8/1/22 vs. BAL (L, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R-3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 48 pitches) in Rangers’ 7-2 defeat…exited that start and was on 15-day IL from 8/2-9/11 with left oblique strain…only other career outing against Orioles was 7/27/16 at BAL (W, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R-ER) while with the Rockies…his lone run allowed in that start was a solo HR to Manny Machado in the 6th inning, as Rox would go on to win 3-1.

AT HOME / IN GLOBE LIFE FIELD: Made twice as many starts on the road (16) than at Globe Life Field (8) in 2022, pitching at home just 3 times after the end of July…T8th-most road starts in A.L., most by a Ranger since Lance Lynn and Mike Minor in 2019 (17)…saw better results in Arlington (4-1, 3.35 ERA) than on road (3-6, 4.27)…10.26 strikeouts per 9 innings figure (49 SO/43.0 IP) at GLF was substantially higher than away mark (9.07)…opponents hit .206/.247/.376/.623 at home versus .231/.308/.375/.683 on road.

INJURIES IN 2022: Gray was limited to just 24 starts in his 1st season with the Rangers, as he endured 3 separate stints on the Injured List…was on the 10- day IL from 4/9-18 (right middle finger blister) and 4/22-5/2 (low-grade left knee sprain), and the 15-day IL from 8/2-9/11 (left oblique strain).

2022: Posted a 7-7 record, 3.96 ERA (56 ER/127.1 IP), and 134 strikeouts in his 1st season with Texas…despite seeing limited action, still finished 3rd among Rangers pitchers in strikeouts (169-Pérez, 137-Dunning, 134-Gray)…9.47 strikeouts per 9.0 innings figure ranked 13th in A.L. (min. 100.0 IP) and was the highest by a Texas pitcher since Lance Lynn in 2019 (10.63)…season-high 12 strikeouts on 6/1 vs. TB were most by a Ranger since Lynn on 9/22/19 at OAK (also 12)…3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the 3rd-best mark of his career and highest since 2018 with Colorado (3.52)…career-best 67.3% first-pitch strike pct. would have ranked 4th in MLB if he qualified (69.8-PHI’s Aaron Nola, 68.3-TB’s Corey Kluber, 67.9-TOR’s Kevin Gausman)…recorded pair of 14.0-inning scoreless streaks (4/29-6/5; 7/13-27), both the longest by a Rangers starter in 2022…made 3rd career Opening Day start on 4/8 at TOR (4.0 IP, 3 R-ER).

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

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

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

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

• The Braves went 4-3 against St. Louis last season, winning three-of-four games at Truist Park and dropping two-of-three here at Busch Stadium.

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

• The Braves lost each of their last two games here at Busch Stadium, but have won five of seven and 10 of their last 13 regular-season games in St. Louis… Prior to last year, they had not lost a series here since 2017, dropping two-of-three.

• Overall, Atlanta has won 11 of their last 15 games and 14 of 19 vs. St. Louis…Over that 19-game stretch that dates to May 15, 2019, Atlanta has compiled a 2.37 ERA (44 ER/167.1 IP) against the Cardinals.

• RH Charlie Morton is 3-12 with a 5.33 ERA (60 ER/101.1 IP) in 20 career games, all starts, against the Cardinals…He pitched against them
once last season, August 27 here at Busch Stadium, and allowed five hits and four runs over 5.0 innings in a no-decision…Morton is just 1-5 with a 5.85 ERA (31 ER/47.2 IP) in 10 career games here in St. Louis, and his 12 career losses to the Cardinals in total are most among active pitchers in the majors.

• RH Jake Woodford is set to make his first start of the season and his second career appearance against Atlanta…He pitched 2.0 innings of one-run relief at Truist Park in 2021…The 6-foot-4, 215- pound native of St. Petersburg, FL, has pitched in 65 games and made 10 starts for St. Louis over the last three seasons, compiling an 8-4 record with a 3.61 ERA (55 ER/137.0 IP).

VS. THE CENTRAL: The Braves finished 21-12 (.636) against the NL Central last season after they went 22-12 (.647) against the division in 2021.

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

• Since 2018, when the Braves started a string of five consecutive division titles, Atlanta is 81-51 (.614) against the NL Central, the best record of any NL team…In all of the majors, only Oakland at 10-6 (.625) has been better over this span.

• Atlanta went 6-3-1 in series play against the Central last season, and played to a perfect 7-0 record versus Pittsburgh.

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

ROSTER MOVES: The Braves today selected the contract of LH Dylan Dodd to Atlanta and optioned LH Jared Shuster to Triple-A Gwinnett…To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated OF Jordan Luplow for assignment.

• Dodd is slated to start tomorrow for Atlanta, in what will be his major league debut…He grew up in Danville, IL, 172 miles from Busch Stadium.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Travis d’Arnaud plated Atlanta’s only run in yesterday’s loss, going 1-for-4 with an RBI…Through three games, Atlanta’s designated hitters (d’Arnaud twice, Marcell Ozuna once) are batting .462/.462/.769 with a homer and four RBI.

• Atlanta’s .462 (6-for-13) average from the DH is highest in the National League, and its four RBI are tied for second most in the majors…Only St. Louis, with six RBI from DH Nolan Gorman, has more.

• Braves’ DHs combined to bat .230/.290/.369 with 67 RBI last season, and their .659 OPS was seventh lowest in the majors…Just two NL teams, the Cubs and Marlins, had fewer RBI from their DH spot than Atlanta.

• Dating further, since the 2010 season, Atlanta’s designated hitters have combined to total just 150 RBI, third fewest in the National League.

ON THE ROAD: Atlanta continues its opening road trip of the season here in St. Louis, after taking two-of-three games from Washington on Opening Weekend.

• The Braves went 46-35 (.568) away from Truist Park last season, tied for the fourth-best road record in the majors.

• Since 2018 and the start of Atlanta’s five-season playoff run, the Braves are the third-best road team in the majors with a mark of 204-153 (.571)…Only Los Angeles (NL) at .616 and Houston at .584 have been better over the last five seasons.

NIGHT GAMES: Atlanta is set to play its first night game of the season tonight after playing three straight games in the daytime to open the year…The Braves led the majors with a .694 (77-34) winning percentage at night last season.

• Atlanta had a .778 OPS in night games last year, highest in the N.L. and percentage points behind Toronto’s .778 major league-leading mark.

• The Braves averaged 5.06 runs/game at night last season, second most in the majors behind the Dodgers (5.18), and their 175 home runs at nighttime were by far the most in baseball.

• Atlanta fell to Philadelphia, three-games-to-one, in the 2022 NLDS, and all three losses came in games played during the daytime…The Braves’ win in Game 2 was originally scheduled for a 4:35 first pitch, but rain delayed the start of the game until 7:30.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #50 Charlie Morton
Today’s Game
• Set to make his first start of the season and the 21st of his career against St. Louis.

• Only faced the Cardinals once last season, allowing four runs and five hits through 5.0 innings pitched.

• His career 5.33 ERA is the second highest against any opponent he has faced more than once.

• Owns a 5.85 ERA at Busch Stadium.

• Entering his age 39 season, Morton is tied for the fifth-oldest active pitcher in the majors.

• Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Morton has thrown his curveball on 37.3% of pitches, the second highest rate in baseball among qualified starters.

• During that span he has gotten hitters to swing and miss on 52.6% of curveballs thrown, the third highest rate in the majors…The MLB average is 13.1%.

• Trails only Chicago’s Drew Smyly’s 42.4%.

2022 Recap
• Made 31 starts during his 15th major league season and went 9-6 with a 4.34 ERA (83 ER/172.0 IP) and 205 strikeouts…Compiled 1.6 bWAR on the year.

• His 205 strikeouts on the season were tied for ninth most in the majors…Since June 1, his 159 strikeouts were fifth most in baseball.

• Morton’s 205 strikeouts last season were fifth most in the National League, and he is one of just three pitchers in Atlanta franchise history to log at least 200 strikeouts in multiple seasons…He struck out 216 last year…Hall-of-Famers John Smoltz (five seasons) and Phil Niekro (three seasons) were the only others to do so

• Since the start of the 2018 season, Morton’s 904 strikeouts are fifth most in the majors…Only Gerrit Cole (1,207), Max Scherzer (1,050), Aaron Nola (1,011) and Robbie Ray (931) have more.

• Started on August 21 vs. Houston, and allowed five hits and two runs over 6.0 innings…Walked two and struck out 11…Took a no-decision after the Astros rallied for a 5-4 win.

• Fanned 12 in his previous outing, and had double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back games for the fourth time in his career…He last did so in 2019, and has never fanned 10+ in three straight games.

• Had 45 total strikeouts in June, most in the National League and tied for tops in the majors…The White Sox’ Dylan Cease also had 45.

• Morton had never previously struck out 45+ batters in five or fewer starts in a single month…His previous high was 40 strikeouts, done over five starts in May of 2018.

• Furthermore, since the mound-to-plate distance was first set at 60’6” in 1893, Morton is the only Braves pitcher to fan at least 45 batters in five or fewer starts in a single month.

• Research courtesy the Elias Sports Bureau.

• With his start on May 25, became the 10th active pitcher in the majors to make 300 career starts.

• Over his first 150 career starts, from his debut through August 20, 2015, Morton compiled a 44-65 record and a 4.46 ERA…In his next 150 starts, he went 66-33 with a 3.61 ERA.

• Struck out Wil Myers in the third inning of his start, April 14 at San Diego, for the 1,500th strikeout of his career.

• Became the 18th active pitchers to reach 1,500 career strikeouts, with Max Scherzer’s 3,043 strikeouts pacing active players.

• Allowed 28 home runs on the season, the first 20-homer season of his career…Just eight pitchers in baseball allowed more homers last season.

• In the first 309 games of his career, Morton allowed three homers in a game two times…He allowed three homers in a game in three times in his final 14 starts last year.

• His previous career most over a single season was 18 homers, set in 2018 while with the Astros.

• Morton allowed 1.47 homers per 9.0 innings, the second-highest rate in the N.L…In his career, he has allowed more per 9.0 innings just once, surrendering 1.69 homers in 2010 with the Pirates.

Career Recap
• A 15-year major league veteran, has compiled a 116-101 record and a 4.03 ERA (805 ER/1797.0 IP) across 323 games, 322 starts…Has fanned 1,697 and pitched a pair of shutouts.

• Has pitched for Atlanta (2008, ‘21-22), Pittsburgh (2009-15), Philadelphia (2016), Houston (2017-18) and Tampa Bay (2019-20).

• Is a two-time All-Star (2018 & 2019) and won the 2017 World Series while with Houston and 2021 World Series with Atlanta.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:

RECENT REDBIRDS: The defending NL Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals and visiting Atlanta Braves play the opener of a three-game series tonight at Busch Stadium as the Redbirds continue their homestand versus both teams of the 1992 World Series … St. Louis opened its season by taking two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.

100 MANAGER WINS: Oliver Marmol is closing in on his 100th career win as Cardinals manager, going 95-70 over his first 165 games since 2022 … Only three Cardinals managers have reached 100 wins faster in terms of games (chart left) … Marmol also needs five wins before July 2 to become the 93rd manager in MLB history to win his 100th game before his 37th birthday and first since Cleveland’s Eric Wedge (age 36.143 in 2004). – Elias

BURLY BALL: Yesterday Alec Burleson became the first player in franchise history to record a game with two doubles and a home run in his first 18 career games, while also becoming the 9th Cardinal overall and second since WWII to have a game with 3+ extra-base hits in the first 25 career games … Brian Jordan (three doubles on April 18, 1992 vs. Chicago Cubs) was the last Cardinal to do so. – Baseball Reference

BIRD BATS: Through the first four days of the regular season, the Cardinals lead Major League Baseball in batting average (.373) and rank 2nd in hits (41), OBP (.426), slugging (.591), and OPS (1.017); 3rd in total bases (65); and T-4th in home runs (6) … According to Baseball Savant, St. Louis shares the MLB lead with the Dodgers in hard hit balls of 95+mph (46) and ranks 2nd in average exit velocity (91.0 mph) and barrels/PA % (8.2).

DEEP THOUGHTS: The Cardinals hit back-to-back home runs to lead off a game for the first time since Dexter Fowler and Kolten Wong did so on Sept. 12, 2019 at Colorado and first time at home since Matt Carpenter & Carlos Beltrán (April 26, 2013) … The Redbirds went yard three times in the first inning for the first time in Busch Stadium III history and the first time in any inning since their MLB record four consecutive blasts in the opening frame at Philadelphia on July 2, 2022.

POWER OUTAGE: The Cardinals and Cubs are the only two MLB teams to not allow a home run so far this season, as Cards pitching recently limited the Blue Jays to zero home runs in any three-game series for the first time since Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2017 … The last time St. Louis didn’t allow a homer in the first 3 games of the season was 2016 (first five games).

DONNIE BOY: Brendan Donovan has hit safely in his last 11 games (14-43, .326) dating back to last season (eight-game streak), currently MLB’s 2nd-longest active to Marlin and former Twin Luis Arráez (13).

GOLD STANDARD: Paul Goldschmidt has three multi-hit games to begin the season (2nd time of career; 4 in 2014) and one of seven MLB players with three multi-hit games overall … Goldy is the first Cardinal to begin a campaign with a multi-hit streak of three games or longer since David Freese (3, 2012) … Curt Flood (1962) and Emmet Heidrick (1901) share the franchise record with multiple hits in the first six games of a season.

300 NADO DINGERS: Nolan Arenado is one homer away from becoming the 7th player to hit home run #300 in a Cardinals uniform, joining Stan Musial (June 3, 1955 at Brooklyn), Gary Gaetti (June 23, 1996 at Montreal), Jim Edmonds (Sept. 4, 2004 vs. LA Dodgers), Albert Pujols (July 4, 2008 vs. Chicago Cubs), Troy Glaus (Sept. 3, 2008 at Arizona), and Paul Goldschmidt (July 16, 2022 vs. Cincinnati) … Ranking 8th among active Major Leaguers in homers, Arenado trails only Evan Longoria (331) among active third basemen and is 15th all-time in MLB history among primary third basemen.

STILL TO COME: Aside from pitchers in the starting rotation, the two Cardinals yet to see action after the first three games are pitcher Giovanny Gallegos and utility infielder Taylor Motter.

TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP JAKE WOODFORD (4-0, 2.23 ERA IN 2022)
TONIGHT’S GAME
• Makes his 2023 debut tonight, drawing his first career start in the month of April and it’s his first starting assignment since 8/23/22 at CHI (13-3 win).

• Is 3-3, 3.77 ERA (45.1 IP/19 ER) in 10 career starts with the Cardinals going 7-3 in those games.

• Had a strong Grapefruit League season, going 1-0 with a 2.04 ERA in 5 games (2 starts). He led the pitching staff with 18 strikeouts in his 17.2 IP.

• Is facing the Atlanta Braves for just the 2nd time in his career and for the 1st time since 2021 season.

• Brings his career-best 11.1 scoreless innings streak and 4-game win streak over from last season.

• Carries a staff-best 34.1 homerless innings pitched streak into tonight’s game with his last round-tripper allowed coming on 5/28/22 vs. MIL (K. Hura).

• Has made a total of 4 career starts at Busch Stadium, the last on 10/3/21 vs. CHI.

LAST TIME OUT
• Went 5.0 scoreless innings in his final Grapefruit League game on March 20 and struck out seven in a 5-0 win over the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
3/20 MIA W 5-0 — 5.0 5 0 0 1 7 0 82-56

2022
• Pitched between St. Louis and Memphis (AAA) making a combined 38 appearances with 11 starts covering 91.1 innings pitched.

• Induced 10 ground into double plays, most among all MLB pitchers with 50.0 innings or less. The second highest total in Cardinals history for a pitcher with 50 innings or less in a season behing T.J. McFarland, who had 12 in 2021 over 38.2 innings pitched.

• Posted career-highs in wins (4) and appearances (27).

• Finished the season with 11.1 scoreless innings (9/13-present), T-8th longest active among National League pitchers and longest by a Cardinals pitcher to end the season.

• Allowed only one home run, coming to Keston Hiura vs. MIL (5/28). Faced 188 total batters, 10th-longest active homerless streak in the N.L. (32.1 IP) at the conclusion of the season.

• Since his MLB debut in 2020, ranks 4th in MLB in GIDP/9 IP (1.38), trailing teammates Dakota Hudson (1.44) and Andre Pallante (1.42) – min. 100 IP.

• Was 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA in 13 home appearances. His home ERA was T-9th lowest among all MLB pitchers with a minimum of 20.0 innings pitched and tops among Cardinals pitchers at Busch Stadium.

• Was recalled from Memphis (AAA) four times. His final recall was on August 10 and remained in St. Louis the rest of the season.

• Worked 3.1 ShO IP on 8/30 at CIN, matching his season high for relief IP (also 5/7 at SF).

• Threw 5.1 innings in his first start of the season in Game 2 of DH at CHI (8/23). Earned his 3rd win, tying his single-season high (also 2021).

• 15 of 27 appearances were of 4 outs or more.

CAREER
• Former first round selection out of high school made his Major League debut in 2020 in the second game of a doubleheader after the Cardinals returned from a 17-day absence from playing due to a COVID breakout. Has pitched as both a starter and out of the bullpen.

• Switched uniform number from No. 40 to No. 44 prior to the 2023 season to allow Willson Contreras to wear the same number he had since the start of his career with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

• Enters the 2023 season on an 11.1-inning scoreless streak, winning each of his last four decisions.

• Since his MLB debut in 2020, ranks 4th in MLB in GIDP/9 IP (1.38), trailing teammates Dakota Hudson (1.44) and Andre Pallante (1.42) – min. 100 IP.

• Has career marks of 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 10 career Major League starts (45.1 IP) and 5-1 with a 3.53 ERA in 55 relief appearances (91.2 IP).

• Ranked in the Top 15 among MLB pitchers in average of vertical movement on his curveball each of the last three seasons at 14th in 2020 (6.3 inches), 11th in 2021 (7.2 inches) and 10th in 2022 (8.0 inches). Baseball Savant.

MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (1-2) at Kansas City Royals (0-3)

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MLB Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (1-2) at Kansas City Royals (0-3)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays dropped the finale of their three-game Opening Weekend series in St. Louis by a score of 9-4…Are 0-1 in rubber games, after going 5-6 in such contests last season. Toronto is now 1-2 in Interleague Play (13-7 in 2022)… Started a season vs. an NL opponent for the 1st time in team history.

A CHAPPY FEELING: Matt Chapman doubled and scored in both the 2nd and 6th innings yesterday…Added a single in the 8th to finish 3-for-4 with an RBI…Was already his 2nd three-hit game of the young season, one of five players this season to record two such efforts…Recorded seven
three-hit games last season.

WELCOME TO THE VAR-SHOW: Daulton Varsho singled to lead off the 2nd inning, then stole a base and scored on Matt Chapman’s double…Pickeup up another hit in the 3rd and finished the day 2-for-4…Both singles came off lefty Jordan Montgomery…Had one game with multiple hits off a LHP last season, notching two on Oct. 2 at SF.

BO KNOWS BASE HITS: Bo Bichette picked up a single in a 1-for-4 effort yesterday…Is the only Blue Jay with hits in all three games to begin this season…Is now 6-for-14 (.429) with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored to start the season…Led the AL in hits in each of the last two seasons, becoming the only player in team history to lead the league in hits more than once, and was the first player to do so since Whit Merrifield in 2018 and 2019 for the Royals.

PATIENT APPROACH: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled to go 1-for-4 yesterday afternoon…Finished tied for 8th among AL batters with 67 extra-base hits a year ago…Also ranked T-3rd in the AL in total bases (306), T-5th in RBI (97), 6th in hits (175), T-7th in home runs (32), and 10th in SLG (.480).

KK WITH THE HH: Kevin Kiermaier has multiple hits in each of his two games played this season…Is now 4-for-9 with a run scored to start his Blue Jays career…Hit .228 while limited to 63 games for the Rays last season.

HITS WITHOUT HOMERS: The Blue Jays have notched 32 hits (5th in the AL) without recording a home run so far this season…This marks the 1st time in club history to start a campaign with three straight homerless games. Toronto’s team batting average of .299 sits 4th in the AL as the season begins…Also rank 4th in OBP (.381), 8th in OPS (.736), and 9th in SLG (.355).

GETTING ON: Toronto has had 48 runners reach base through three contests…Are now on a streak of 21 games with 8+ runners on base, the longest of all MLB clubs (courtesy Stats Perform). The Blue Jays led the AL in times on base in 2022 (2,395) as Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tied for 3rd most among AL hitters at 306.

LENGTHY ROAD WORK: The Blue Jays start the season with 10 straight road contests as renovations wrap up at Rogers Centre… Ties the longest road trip to kick off a campaign in team history (10G in 1984)…Marks the 3rd trip of 10+ games to begin a season by any team in the last 20
years, joining the 2019 Red Sox (11G) and the 2022 Athletics (10G)…Played three games in St. Louis (1-2), will now settle into Kansas City for four contests and then wrap up the trip with three games in Anaheim. Toronto’s .556 road win% in 2022 (45-36) ranked 3rd in the AL and tied for 2nd best in team history (1st: .580 in 1993)…Blue Jays hitters led the AL in road runs (416), AVG (.266), OBP (.331), SLG (.428), and OPS (.759)…The pitching staff ranked 5th in the AL in road ERA (3.70), 5th in road WHIP (1.24), and 6th in road opponents’ batting average (.245).

BERRÍOS ON THE BUMP: José Berríos makes his 1st start of the 2023 season…Tied a career high with 32 starts last year…The club went 23-9 in those contests for a .719 win%, which is 5th best among MLB pitchers with at least 20 starts since last season began.

MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE TEAM: The Blue Jays led the Majors in 2022 with a .264 team batting average and 1,464 hits…Also led the AL in OBP (.329), SLG (.431), and OPS (.760) while ranked T-1st in extra-base hits (519), 2nd in runs (775), 2nd in doubles (307), and 3rd in home runs
(200)…Topped the AL in AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS for the 1st time in team history.

VS. THE ROYALS: All-Time: 220-199
2022: 5-2 Road: 99-109
Road: 2-1 Kauffman Stadium: 99-109
The Blue Jays went 5-2 against the Royals last season, taking two of three contests at Kauffman Stadium…Have taken each season series since 2018, going 20-8 vs. KC over that span. Whit Merrifield returns to face his former team for the 1st time…The 9th-round pick of the 2010 draft debuted with the Royals in 2016 and played in 863 games across seven seasons…Batted .286, was named to two All-Star teams, and led the AL in hits in both 2018 (192) and 2019 (206). Matt Chapman went 10-for-27 (.370) with three doubles, two home runs, and six RBI in the seven
games against the Royals last season…Is a career .330 (34-for-103) hitter with 10 doubles, seven home runs, and 18 RBI across 28 contests (1.009 OPS)… His .631 SLG vs. KC ranks 4th best among active hitters (min. 100 AB).

George Springer leads all current Blue Jays with 42 career games played vs. KC…Has hit .244 (41-for168) with eight doubles, two triples, 10 homers, and 30 RBI for an .857 OPS.

STARTING PITCHER – José Berríos, RHP #17
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 1st start of the season…Beginning his 8th Major League campaign, and his 2nd full season as a Blue Jay. Has made 140 starts since the beginning of 2018, tied for the 3rd most among MLB hurlers (Aaron Nola – 144, Gerrit Cole – 141).

2022 HIGHLIGHTS:
Equalled his 2021 totals with 32 starts, 12 wins, and 17 quality starts.

Picked up his 7th win of the year on 7/12 vs. PHI…Surrendered 3 runs on 6 hits over 6.0 innings with no walks and a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts (13K on 6/4/22 vs. MIN)…Became the 3rd pitcher in franchise history to strike out at least 13 batters without walking any, joining Roger Clemens (4x) and Robbie Ray (2x)…Induced a season-high 20 swing-and-misses, one off his career high set on 6/17/19 vs. BOS.

Earned the win on 7/31 vs. DET, throwing 7.0 innings of one-run ball while scattering 3 hits and a walk with 6 punchouts on 80 pitches (56 strikes)… In 6 July starts, went 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA (12 ER/36.0 IP), 7 walks, and 42 strikeouts.

The Jays won each of his 13 home starts from 9/19/21-7/31/22, passing Roy Halladay (12G from 5/31/07-4/6/08) for the longest streak in franchise history.

Gave up 2R/1ER over 6.1 frames on 9/12 vs. TB with 6 hits, a walk, and 4 strikeouts…Reached 1,000 career innings after striking out Taylor Walls to end the 2nd inning…Became the 6th Puerto Rico-born pitcher to reach the milestone before the age of 29. On 9/27 vs. NYY, fanned Aaron Hicks in the 4th inning for his 1,000th career punchout…Became the 5th Puerto Rican-born player to reach 1,000 strikeouts and the fastest to reach the milestone, doing so in 179 games (2nd: Javier Vázquez – 182 games).

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) by the Twins in 2012.

Pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, going 1-0, 8.10 ERA (6.2 IP, 6 ER) with two walks and 10 strikeouts.

Named to 2018 and 2019 AL All-Star teams, pitching 1.0 inning in both games.

Acquired by Toronto from Minnesota on 7/30/21 in exchange for INF Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods Richardson.

In 2021, set a career high with 204 strikeouts, good for 5th in the AL…His 3.52 ERA was 5th best in the AL while his 192.0 innings pitched ranked 2nd.

VS. THE ROYALS:
Facing the Royals for the 20th time in his career, and 3rd time in a Blue Jays uniform…Over two meetings as a member of the Blue Jays, has allowed 2ER over 12.1IP (1.46 ERA) with 2 walks and 14 strikeouts…Has pitched into the 6th inning in each of his last seven visits to Kauffman Stadium, posting a 2-1 record and a 3.86 ERA (19 ER/44.1 IP) over that stretch.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:

RALLY FALLS SHORT: The Royals suffered a 3rd straight loss to begin the season in yesterday’s 7-4 defeat to the Twins at Kauffman Stadium…it’s the ninth time in franchise history they’ve began 0-3 and the seventh time they’ve been swept in a 3-game set to begin the season…after being shut out in the first 2 games, the Royals offense made some noise yesterday, including a solo home run by Edward Olivares in the 2nd inning that snapped the Royals scoreless streak to begin the season at 19.0 innings, and a 2-run homer by Matt Duffy in the 7th inning…Olivares added an RBI single in the 9th but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Twins offensive attack that was led by Joey Gallo’s 3 hits, including 2 home runs…in his season debut, Brad Keller was charged with the loss after allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks over 4.2 innings…the bullpen, which had pitched 7.1 scoreless innings through the first 2 games, was tagged with 5 runs in 4.1 innings yesterday. Ê The Royals 3-game losing streak matches their 4th longest to begin a season in franchise history, following a 7-game losing streak that began 1992, 5 straight losses that began 1993 and 4 straight in 2001.

JUST KEEP SWINGING: After being shut out on a total of 6 hits in their first 2 games, the Royals scored 4 runs on 6 hits in yesterday’s loss to Minnesota, and they finished the series 1-for-19 in scoring situations…the Royals 4 total runs match their fewest runs in franchise history through the first 3 games of a season, previously done in 1999…despite the lack of results, Dave Holtzman points out that the Royals lead the Majors with a 53.8% Hard Hit Rate (defined as exit velo. of 95 mph or higher) and rank 4th in the Majors with a 90.7 mph average exit velocity.

NEW START TIME: Tonight marks the first of 16 Royals weeknight home games that will begin at 6:40 p.m. CT this season, including 5 in April, 8 in May and 3 in September…of the remaining 65 home games, all but 2 will begin at 10 minutes past the hour, the only exceptions being FOX national broadcasts on Saturday, July 1 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers and Saturday, Aug. 12 vs. the St. Louis Cardinals both of which will start
at 6:15 p.m. CT.

Tonight marks the first of 3 straight 6:40 p.m. CT starts, followed by a 1:10 p.m. CT start on Thursday.

ON DECK: After hosting the Twins for 3 games over the weekend to begin the 2023 season, the Royals tonight welcome the Blue Jays to Kauffman Stadium for the first of 4 games to wrap the first homestand… the Royals first road trip will take them to San Francisco this weekend for the Giants home opener on Friday, then to Texas—where they played 2 exhibition games last week—for 3 night games…tonight marks the third of 12 consecutive days with a game before the next off day on Thursday, April 13.

VS. TORONTO: The Royals went 2-5 against the Blue Jays in 2022, losing their fourth straight season series since 2018, a stretch in which they’ve gone just 8-20…during a 4-game set in Toronto last July 14-17 to close out the unofficial first half of the season, five different Royals made their Major League debuts, including Nick Pratto, Nate Eaton, Michael Massey, Freddy Fermin and Maikel Garcia…their 3-1 win last July 14 marked just the third time in team history in which the Royals starting lineup featured two players making their Major League debuts (Pratto and Eaton) and Eaton became the fourth player in Royals history to homer in his Majors debut.

Since the Royals defeated Toronto in the 2015 ALCS, they’re 14-26 (.350) in 40 games vs. the Blue Jays.

Tonight marks a return to Kansas City for Whit Merrifield, who spent the first six-plus seasons of his big league career with the Royals, before being traded to Toronto at last year’s Trade Deadline… before the trade, Merrifield played in a franchise-record 553 consecutive games from June 25, 2018- July 10, 2022, a stretch in which he led the Majors with 654 hits…during his Royals tenure, Merrifield led the Majors in hits in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19, led the Majors in steals in 2018 and led the American League in steals in 2017 and 2019…he also tied for the Major League lead in doubles in 2021.

CAPTAIN SALVY: The Royals announced prior to Thursday’s season-opening game that Salvador Perez has been named team Captain…Perez, 32, joins Royals Hall of Famers George Brett (1989-93), Frank White (1989-90) and Mike Sweeney (2003-07) as the only team Captains in club history…Salvy is a seven-time American League All-Star, a five-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and a two-time Royals Les Milgram Player of the Year…he was unanimously named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 World Series, and ranks among the Royals all-time leaders in home runs (223, 2nd), RBI (732, 7th), extra-base hits (472, 7th), total bases (2,207, 8th), doubles (238, 9th) and hits (1,278, 8th).

BALANCED SCHEDULE: For the first time since Interleague play was introduced in 1997, Major League Baseball has adopted a balanced schedule starting in 2023, in which the Royals will play all other 29 teams…they’ll play a total of 52 games vs. American League Central opponents, 64 games vs. teams from the American League East and West and 46 Interleague games, including 4 vs. St. Louis and 3 vs. all others…following their 2-game set at Busch Stadium from May 29-30, the Royals are scheduled for back-to-back off days on May 31-June 1, before beginning a 3-game homestand vs. Colorado…this will mark the first time that the Royals will have scheduled back-to-back off days since April 6-7, 2016…another scheduling quirk later in the season will come after the Royals host the Cardinals for 2 games from Aug. 11-12…on the following day, Sunday, Aug. 13, the Royals have a scheduled off day, which will be the first known originally scheduled off day on a Sunday in Royals history.

PACE OF PLAY: In addition to the balanced schedule, another big change for the 2023 season is the new pitch timer rules, which provided stunning results during Spring Training…in 453 games that lasted 9 innings across both leagues this spring, the average time of game was 2 hours, 34 minutes, and only 40 of those 453 games (8.8%) lasted at least 3 hours…Kansas City played 33 Cactus League games and 31 of them lasted 9 innings with an average of 2 hours, 31 minutes, slightly below league average…the other 2 games were shortened by rain…the Royals longest game of the spring was a 3-hour affair on March 11 vs. Milwaukee and their shortest 9-inning game was the March 26 contest in Mesa vs. the Cubs, in which they finished in 1 hour, 57 minutes…in the 2022 regular season, the Royals average time of game was 3 hours, 3 minutes, which tied for the 4th-fastest in the Majors.

Through 49 games that have ended in 9 innings across the Majors over the first four days of the regular season, the average game time has been 2 hours, 38 minutes, and only 11 of the 49 games (22.4%) lasted at least 3 hours…the Royals and Twins finished their 3 games at 2:32, 2:18 and 2:35

TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP BRADY SINGER (10-5, 3.23 in 2022)
BRADY SINGER is making his 2023 season debut and 67th appearance (64th start) of his career tonight vs. Toronto…it’s his 3rd career start vs. the Blue Jays and 1st since June 8, 2022…Singer was originally selected by these Blue Jays in the 2nd round of the 2015 Draft out of high school, but elected to attend the University of Florida…in 2018, the Royals drafted Singer in the 1st round (18th overall).

A STAR IS BORN: Singer pitched a career-best 153.1 innings in 2022 in a career-high-tying 27 appearances (24 starts)…he began the season in the bullpen, but only pitched in 3 of the Royals first 16 games before being optioned to Triple-A on April 28…he returned on May 17 and made a team-high 24 starts from that point on.

Upon joining the starting rotation last May 17, Singer went 10-5 with a 3.11 ERA (51 ER in 147.2 IP), 8th best in the American League from May 17 through season’s end…his 10 wins were the most by a Royal since Jason Vargas tied for the Majors lead with 18 in 2017…Singer’s 3.23 ERA (55 ER in 153.1 IP) for the season was the 5th best by a Royal (min. 150.0 IP) in the Wild Card Era (since 1995), trailing only Zack Greinke in his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season (2.16), James Shields in 2013 (3.15) and 2014 (3.21) and Yordano Ventura in 2014 (3.20)…the last Royal with a lower ERA than Singer’s and a higher win percentage (.667) was David Cone during his 1994 Cy Young Award-winning season, in which he went 16-5 (.762) with a 2.94 ERA (56 ER in 17.12 IP).

Singer made 7 starts last season in which he pitched at least 7.0 innings and allowed 1 run or fewer, which tied for the 4th-most such starts in the American League, trailing Martín Pérez (9), Justin Verlander (8) and Shohei Ohtani (8)…it was the most such starts by a Royal since Edinson Vólquez had 7 in 2015, and the last Royal with more such starts was Shields (10) in 2014.

He had a career-high 12 strikeouts last July 23 vs. Tampa Bay, a game in which he did not allow a hit until the 6th inning…his 12 strikeouts were the most by a Royal in three years, and he followed that start with 10 strikeouts over 7.0 scoreless innings—with just 1 hit allowed—on July 28 at Yankee Stadium…in doing so, he became the seventh Royal with back-to-back 10-strikeout starts, joining Nate Karns (May 8-13, 2017), Ventura (Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2015), Greinke (April 18-24, 2009), Bret Saberhagen (July 4-9, 1989), Bill Butler (July 15-20, 1969) and Kevin Appier, who had a franchise-record three straight such starts in 1996.

Brady recorded 7.0 scoreless innings in back-to-back starts on May 17 and May 22 upon his return from Omaha, and extended his scoreless streak— which began on April 10—to 18.2 innings before it was snapped on May 28 in Minnesota, marking the longest scoreless streak by a Royal since Wade Davis recorded 22.0 consecutive scoreless innings in 2015.

SPRING FORWARD: Brady followed his 2022 breakout season with an eventful spring, going 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA (3 ER in 12.2 IP) in 4 starts with the Royals, recording 18 strikeouts (12.8 K/9) and 2 walks (1.4 BB/9)…he also pitched 2.0 innings in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA, who lost in the championship game vs. Team Japan.

CLOUD NINE: Singer had a career-best 9-start unbeaten streak from Aug. 9-Sept. 23, 2022, in which he went 6-0 with a 1.89 ERA (12 ER in 57.0 IP)…his ERA during that stretch ranked 2nd in the American League, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (1.45), and Brady became the first Royals pitcher to go 6-0 or better with an ERA under 1.90 over a 9-start stretch within the same season since Kevin Appier went 6-0 with a 1.81 ERA 26 years prior, from June 23-Aug. 12, 1996…Singer was one of two pitchers in the American League in 2022 with such a stretch, along with AL Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander.

CHANGE OF TUNE: Brady threw 182 changeups in 24 starts in 2022, which accounted for 8.0% of his 2,273 pitches after returning from Triple-A Omaha on May 17…that total was more than double the 88 changeups he threw in 27 starts in 2021, which equaled 3.8% of his pitches thrown…after returning from Omaha on May 17 with a focus on mixing in the changeup, Singer went 10-5 with a 3.11 ERA (51 ER in 147.2 IP), after going 9-15 with a 4.67 ERA (103 ER in 198.1 IP) in his previous 42 career appearances (39 starts)…from May 17 through season’s end, opponents went 8-for-34 (.235) vs. the changeup.

CASTING CALLS: In 24 starts after his May 17 recall last year, Brady induced a called strike on 478 of his 2,273 pitches (21.0%), 2nd most in the Majors, trailing only Adam Wainwright (519)…Singer’s rate of 21.0% called strikes led the Majors after his recall (min. 1,500 pitches), ahead of Wainwright (20.8%)…since his 2020 debut season, Singer’s called-strike rate of 20.9% ranks 2nd in the Majors (min. 3,000 pitches), trailing Wainwright’s rate of 21.2%.

WALK THIS WAY: Singer issued 35 walks in 153.1 innings in 2022 for a 2.05 BB/9, a significant improvement on the rate he recorded in his first two seasons from 2020-21, when he issued 76 walks in 192.2 innings for a 3.55 BB/9…Singer’s walk rate in 2022 was the best by a Royal (min. 150.0 IP) since James Shields posted a 1.74 BB/9 in 2014…Singer’s 4.29 K/BB ratio (150 K/35 BB) tied Nestor Cortes for 10th best in the American League in 2022 (min. 150.0 IP) and was the 4th-best mark in franchise history, trailing only Zack Greinke (4.75 in 2009), Bret Saberhagen (4.49 in 1989) and Danny Duffy (4.48 in 2016).

singer had 9 starts in 2022 in which he pitched at least 5.0 innings and did not issue a walk, which matched the 3rd-most such starts in the American League, trailing only Corey Kluber (13) and Jameson Taillon (12)…Brady’s 9 starts with at least 5.0 innings and no walks matched the 5th-most such starts in franchise history, trailing only Paul Byrd (13 in 2002), Saberhagen (10 in 1985 and 1989) and Doug Bird (10 in 1976).

VS. TORONTO: Brady is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA (3 ER in 11.0 IP) in 2 starts vs. the Blue Jays, the team that originally drafted him out of high school in 2015…on April 18, 2021, Singer did not figure into the decision of a 2-0 Royals win, despite holding Toronto scoreless on 2 hits over 6.0 innings…in his most recent start vs. Toronto last June 8, Singer earned an 8-4 win with 5.0 innings of 3-run ball…after going 0-3 with a 10.00 ERA (20 ER in 18.0 IP) in 5 starts vs. American League East teams in 2021, Singer with 2-0 in 5 starts vs. the division last season with a 1.80 ERA (6 ER in 30.0 IP).

CROWN VISION: In 15 outings (14 starts) at Kauffman Stadium last season, Singer went 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA (29 ER in 94.2 IP) and .235 opponents’ average (81-for-345)…he hasn’t lost in this ballpark since last June 26 vs. Oakland—a game in which he pitched 8.1 innings—and in 9 starts here since, he’s 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA (11 ER in 59.1 IP), completing at least 6.0 innings each time while holding opponents to 1 earned run or fewer in 7 of those 9 starts.

MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (1-2) at Boston Red Sox (2-1)

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MLB Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (1-2) at Boston Red Sox (2-1)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:

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

BACK IN BOSTON: The Pirates continue their season-opening road trip with a three-game series beginning tonight against the Red Sox here at Fenway Park…This will be Pittsburgh’s third trip to Fenway during interleague play…Prior to their last visit in 2017, Pittsburgh’s only other series in Boston during interleague play came in 2005.

SERIES TIDBITS: Carlos Santana is hitting .313 (15-for-48) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 13 RBI in his last 12 games at Fenway Park…The Pirates are 8-10 all-time against the Red Sox during interleague play…Pittsburgh is 1-5 all-time at Fenway Park…The lone win came on June 18, 2005, in a 2-0 shutout when Rick White got the win in relief of starter Dave Williams (6.0ip) while Jose Mesa earned the save.

PLAYING THE FIELD: The Pirates have not made an error in each of the first three games of the 2023 season (96 total chances)…Prior to this year, the last time the Pirates did not commit a miscue in the first three games of the year came in 2004.

ABOUT TONIGHT’S STARTER: Johan Oviedo will make his season debut tonight in the opener of this three-game series against the Red Sox…The 25-year-old righthander struck out seven batters for the second straight appearance while allowing two runs in 5.0 innings in his last outing of the spring Tuesday against the Twins in Bradenton…He also posted a 2.93 ERA (15.1ip/5er) in his last four appearances (three starts) for the spring.

THE OUTFIELD: Andrew McCutchen started in right field yesterday after serving as Pittsburgh’s designated hitter in each of the first two games of the season… McCutchen ranks first among all active players in games played in the outfield… McCutchen also ranks seventh all-time in Pirates history in games played (1328) in the outfield behind Roberto Clemente (2370), Max Carey (2154), Paul Waner (2019), Lloyd Waner (1680), Fred Clarke (1431) and Bill Virdon (1376).

CENTER OF ATTENTION: Bryan Reynolds went deep for the first time this season Sunday afternoon while starting in center field for the first time in 2023…Since the beginning of last season, Reynolds’ 25 home runs as a center fielder are the fourth-most at that position in all of MLB behind Mike Trout (40), Aaron Judge (33) and Julio Rodriguez (29).

CRUZ’N RIGHT ALONG: Oneil Cruz enters today with a career-best 13-game on-base streak dating back to September 23 of last year…During his current 13-game streak, Cruz is hitting .365 (19-for-52) with three doubles, a homer and six RBI.

AGAINST THE JUNIOR CIRCUIT: Tonight begins a stretch of nine straight games against the American League for the Pirates…In addition to this three-game series in Boston, Pittsburgh’s first homestand of the 2023 campaign will feature three-game series against the Chicago White Sox and World-Champion Houston Astros.

AND THE WHIFF: Rich Hill struck out TJ Friedl in the fifth inning on Saturday for the 1300th strikeout of his big league career…Hill became the 94th left-handed pitcher all-time to reach the milestone.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – 24 – RHP JOHAN OVIEDO
JOHAN OVIEDO: The 25-year-old righthander is making his season debut tonight…Was acquired by the Pirates in a four-player trade with St. Louis last year on 8/2.

vs. BOSTON: Has never faced the Red Sox…Has gone 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA (9.1ip/3er) in three career appearances (two starts) during interleague play…His last outing against an American League team came last year on 9/2 against the Blue Jays when he started and tossed 3.0 scoreless innings in a 4-0 loss at PNC Park.

BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:

STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox won back-to-back games to take their opening 3-game series vs. BAL, 2-1. The Sox won their opening series for the 1st time since 2018 (3-1 series victory at TB from 3/29-4/1). Beginning with the 7th inning of Saturday’s game, the Red Sox have scored in 8 of their last 11 offensive innings, totaling 13 runs over that span.

NINE IS FINE: The Red Sox have scored 9+ runs in each of their first 3 games of a season for the 1st time in club history. The Sox are the 3rd team all-time to score 9+ runs in each of their first 3 games of a season, joining the 1978 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. The last time the Red Sox scored 9+ runs in any 3 consecutive games was from 7/25-27/2019.

HOT START SOX: The Red Sox have scored 27 runs over their first 3 games, 2nd-most in MLB (TEX-29 runs). The Sox have recorded at least 11 hits in each of their first 3 games for the 3rd time in club history (also 1954 and 1902). The Sox also rank in MLB’s top 5 in various offensive categories (see below).

RED SOX OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat MLB Rank
27 runs……………………….. 2nd
36 hits………………………. T-4th
2 triples………………………. 2nd
14 extra-base hits…………. T-4th
Stat MLB Rank
.327 AVG………………………. 4th
.395 OBP…………………………… 4th
.564 SLG ………………………. 3rd
.959 OPS ……………………………..4th

YESTERDAY’S NEWS: The Red Sox beat the Orioles in the finale of their 3-game series yesterday, 9-5. Adam Duvall went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored, 2 doubles, and 2 RBI. Masataka Yoshida (2-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB) hit an RBI ground out in the 1st inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead and an RBI single in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead.

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

RED SOX OFF-SEASON ACQUISITIONS
ON OPENING DAY ROSTER OR INJURED LIST
Player Acquired Date
LHP Joely Rodriguez Free Agent 11/23
RHP Chris Martin Free Agent 12/8
RHP Kenley Jansen Free Agent 12/13
OF Masataka Yoshida Free Agent 12/15
RHP Wyatt Mills Trade with KC 12/16
INF Justin Turner Free Agent 1/6
RHP Corey Kluber Free Agent 1/12
OF Raimel Tapia Minor League Free Agent 1/21
OF Adam Duvall Free Agent 1/24
INF Adalberto Mondesi Trade with KC 1/24
LHP Richard Bleier Trade with MIA 1/30

BATTLE TESTED: Of the 26 players on the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster, 8 have won a World Series title: Ryan Brasier (BOS), Rafael Devers (BOS), Chris Sale (BOS), Kiké Hernández (LAD), Kenley Jansen (LAD), Justin Turner (LAD), Adam Duvall (ATL), and Chris Martin (ATL). In addition, Masataka Yoshida won an Olympic Gold Medal (2021), a Japan Series title (2022), and a World Baseball Classic championship (2023).

DUV-ALL ABOUT IT: Adam Duvall was named AL Player of the Week for 3/31-4/2, batting .571 (8-for-14) with 6 runs scored and 8 RBI over his first 3 games with the Red Sox. He’s the 4th player in Red Sox history to record 8 RBI over the Sox’ first 3 games of the season, joining Brock Holt (2016), Ted Williams (1942), and Bobby Doerr (1941). Over the last 2 games, Adam Duvall is 7-for-10 with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 home runs, 5 runs scored, and 7 RBI, including a walk-off 2-run HR on Saturday. Duvall is the 1st player ever to record 6 extra-base hits
in their first 3 games with the Red Sox…He’s the 4th player in Red Sox history to record at least 6 extra-base hits and 7 RBI over any 2-game span (see below).

RED SOX WITH 6 XBH AND 7 RBI IN A 2-GAME SPAN Player XBH, RBI Month
Adam Duvall 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI April 2023
Jackie Bradley Jr. 4 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI August 2015
Fred Lynn 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI May 1980
Lou Clinton 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI July 1962

MACHO MAN: Masataka Yoshida became the first position player born in Japan to play for the Red Sox on Opening Day. Yoshida has hit from the 4th spot in the lineup in each of his first 3 career games…He is first player since Steve Yerkes in 1909 to bat 4th for the Red Sox in each of his first 3 MLB games.

SOX & BUCS: The Pirates are visiting Fenway Park for the 1st time since April 2017, when the Red Sox swept a 3-game series…The Sox have won each of their last 4 home games vs. PIT, beginning 6/19/2005. The Sox won a 3-game series at PNC Park from 8/16-18/2022.

AT THE HELM: Alex Cora returns for his 5th season as manager of the Red Sox (2018-19, ‘21-23)…He has led the Sox to a 364-287 (.559) record, the 3rd-highest win percentage in franchise history (min. 500 games managed). Cora ranks 9th in Red Sox history in managerial wins
(see table on right).

TONIGHT’S STARTER: 50 KUTTER CRAWFORD – RHP
Made the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster for the 2nd consecutive season.

In 5 Grapefruit League outings (4 starts), posted a 4.74 ERA and 1.46 WHIP (17.1 IP, 8 ER, 17 H, 19 SO, 5 BB).

Spent the majority of 2022 with the Red Sox, going 3-6 with a 5.47 ERA (47 ER/77.1 IP) in 21 outings (12 starts) over 3 stints…Led Sox rookies in innings pitched (77.1).

Became the 4th rookie pitcher since 2016 to make 12+ starts for BOS, joining Brian

Johnson (13 in 2018), Tanner Houck (13 in 2021), and Josh Winckowski (14 in 2022).

83 of his 95 professional outings have been starts, including 13 of his 22 with BOS.

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