MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (0-1) at Oakland Athletics (1-0)

Baseball
MLB

April 1, 2023

MLB Preview: Los Angeles Angels (0-1) at Oakland Athletics (1-0)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: Today marks the second (0-1) of six games on the Angels opening road trip of the 2023 season against Oakland (0-1) and Seattle (April 3-5)…Halos are looking to avoid starting 0-2 in a second consecutive season; only time in franchise history that Angels lost first two games in consecutive years was 2000-2001.

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).

SANDY GETS THE START: Today, Patrick Sandoval makes his season debut for the Angels…This Spring, Sandoval made two starts in the World Baseball Classic for Mexico, going 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA (7.1 IP – 1 ER) and eight strikeouts in games against the United States and Japan…Sandoval has a 0.87 ERA (20.2 IP – 2 ER) in four career games at the Oakland Coliseum.

MOST CAREER HOME RUNS VS. OAKLAND ATHLETICS
(since A’s moved to Oakland in 1968)
T1. Rafael Palmeiro – 43
T1. Alex Rodriguez – 43
T3. Adrian Beltre – 41
T3. Mike Trout – 41

Dwight Evans – 39

OPENING DAY TRENDS: On Thursday night, the Angels were defeated by Oakland by a 2-1 score, marking Halos ninth Opening Day loss in the last 10 years…LAA defeated Chicago White Sox on Opening Day in 2021 to snap streak of seven consecutive Opening Day losses (2014-20)…Prior to the even game losing streak, Angels won each of five previous Opening Day games (2009-13)…The seven-game season opening skid from 2014-20 is the longest in team annals.

HIGHEST CAREER BATTING AVERAGE
AT OAKLAND COLISEUM (min. 125 PA)

David Fletcher – .369
Ichiro Suzuki – .354
Brian Harper – .345
Victor Martinez – .344
Chili Davis – .342

A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER: The Angels started the season at the Oakland Coliseum for the fifth time in the last seven years…This was the first time in MLB history that any team began a season in the same road ballpark at least five times in a seven-year span (ELIAS)…Halos opened four straight years (2017-20) at the Coliseum before playing the last 2021-22 Openers at home.

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).

OPENING DAY STAPLE: With his start on Thursday night, Mike Trout became the fourth player in Angels history to make 11+ Opening Day starts, joining Garret Anderson (14), Tim Salmon (13) and Brian Downing (11)…Trout also matched a franchise record with 11 consecutive Opening Day starts at one position, joining Tim Salmon, who made 11 straight in right field from 1993-2003.

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.

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.

OAKLAND OPENERS: Angels are now 2-7 all-time against Oakland on Opening Day (2-1 at Angel Stadium & 0-6 at the Coliseum)…The A’s have won five straight Opening Day’s against LAA (2017-20, ‘23) since Halos last victory in the 2009 Opener…Only team Angels have faced more often on
Opening Day is Seattle (11 times).

OPENING ROAD SKID: With Thursday’s loss, Halos have now lost six straight road Opening Day games…Last road win on Opening Day came in 2013 at Cincinnati in the first Interleague Opening Day game in MLB history. THE NEW GUYS: Angels Opening Day roster featured eight players new to the organization in 2023: LHP Tyler Anderson, INF Brandon Drury, RHP Carlos Estévez, INF Jake Lamb, LHP Matt Moore, OF Brett Phillips, OF Hunter Renfroe and INF Gio Urshela.

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

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

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.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – LHP PATRICK SANDOVAL
• TODAY’S GAME: Making season debut today…Is in fifth Major League season with Angels…Made third Opening Day roster (also, 2020 & 2022).

• SANDY IN THE WBC: Made two starts in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Mexico, going 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA (7.1 IP – 1 ER) and eight strikeouts…The two starts came against the United States (W; 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) & Japan (ND; 4.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO).

• LAST TIME OUT: Last pitching appearance came on Sunday in a minor league game in Tempe.

• VS. OAKLAND: In eight career games (all starts) vs. Athletics, is 2-3 with a 1.84 ERA (44 IP – 9 ER) and 37 strikeouts…Last season, was 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA (25 IP – 5 ER) in his four starts against the A’s.

• AT OAKLAND COLISEUM: In four career games (all starts) in Oakland, is 1-1 with a 0.87 ERA (20.2 IP – 2 ER) and 17 strikeouts…Last season, was 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA (12.1 IP – 1 ER) in two starts at the Coliseum… Enters today’s start with 9.1 inning scoreless streak at the Oakland Coliseum.

• 2022 RECAP: Made 27 starts for Angels last year, going 6-9 with a 2.91 ERA (148.2 IP – 48 ER) and 151 strikeouts…Led A.L. (min. 100 IP) with a 0.48 HR/9 innings rate, allowing just eight home runs on the year… In final 11 starts of the year, pitched to a 1.95 ERA (64.2 IP – 14 ER) and 60 strikeouts.

• WHIFF OF CHANGE: Generated a 44.5% whiff rate on his changeup last season, which was the second-highest rate for any pitch in the Majors (min. 175 PA); trailed only Framber Valdez’s curveball (45.4%)…Opponents batted .215 (35/163) this season against his changeup with 73 strikeouts.

• MOTOWN SHUTOUT: Recorded first career complete game and first career shutout on Aug. 19, 2022 at Detroit…He allowed just four hits while striking out nine, walking none and facing just one batter over the minimum across just 97 pitches (73 strikes).

• INSIDE THE PARK: Allowed just eight total home runs last season (all to right-handed batters)…Held opponents homerless through first nine starts of 2022 was the longest streak to begin a season in Angels history and longest overall streak for LAA since John Lackey had a nine game streak in 2005.

• GOOD NIGHT: Last season, was 4-4 with a 2.50 ERA (72 IP – 20 ER) with 75 strikeouts in his 13 night starts, compared with a 2-5 record and 3.29 ERA (76.2 IP – 28 ER) in his 14 day games…His 14 day game starts ranked T-4th in the American League.

• SWING AND MISS: Ranks ninth in A.L. (min. 125 IP) with a 29.5% swing & miss rate…Last year ranked fourth in the A.L. (min. 75 IP) with a 33.9% whiff rate…On June 6, 2021 vs. Seattle, induced 32 swings and misses, which was highest single game total for any pitcher in Majors in a game last season and the fifth highest total for any MLB pitcher since 2008.

• NEAR RECORD STREAK: In 2022, compiled the fourth longest streak without an earned run (15.0 IP) by a starting pitcher to begin a season in Angels history…Came up 4.0 innings shy of Club record 19.0 IP by Nolan Ryan (1978) and Ken McBride (1962). (ELIAS)

• NEAR NO-NO: On July 24, 2021 at Minnesota, came within two outs of tossing a no-hitter before allowing a one out double to Brent Rooker in the 9th inning…Set career highs with 8.2 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts in the game (W; 8.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO)…Marked first time an Angels no-hit bid was broken up in the 9th inning since John Lackey (8.1 IP) on July 29, 2008 at Boston.

• IN THE WIN COLUMN: Earned first Major League win on Sept. 23, 2020 at San Diego after tossing three scoreless innings in relief…The win came in his 18th career Major League appearance…His 70.1 career innings entering the game were the most in Angels history at the time of earning a first career win.

• CAREER NOTES: Originally drafted by Houston in 11th round of 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Mission Viejo HS (CA), which is located just 20 miles from Angel Stadium…Acquired by Angels on July 26, 2018 in exchange for C Martin Maldonado.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

ABOUT THE A’S: The A’s opened their 56th season in Oakland on Thursday with a 2-1 win over the Angels…have not started the season 2-0 since 2004…trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning but scored twice in the eighth for the win…had just three wins when trailing after seven innings last year… the win was the A’s first Opening Day victory since a 7-3, 10-inning decision against Los Angeles (AL) in 2020 and the A’s are now 4-0 against the Angels on Opening Day over the last seven years (are 0-3 against everyone else)…the A’s have won 17 American League West titles, four AL Wild Cards, six AL pennants and four World Championships since moving to Oakland…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 1-0 on this season-opening six-game homestand against Los Angeles-AL (1-0) 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 next 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.

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.

OPENING DAY STARTING LINEUPS: Two players returned from last year’s Opening Day starting lineup (Brown, Kemp), which were the fewest by an A’s team since 2015 when they also had two…Ramón Laureano made his fourth Opening Day start with the first three (2019-21) coming in center field…Conner Capel was the A’s fourth different designated hitter in the last four years…Kyle Muller was the A’s third different Opening Day starting pitcher in the last three years and the fifth in the last six.

ROSTER NOTES: The A’s opened the season with 13 pitchers and 13 position players…it marked the sixth time in the last seven years Oakland began the season with at least 13 pitchers (had 12 in 2019 in Japan)…seven players 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)…eight other players on the roster played for the A’s at some point last year, two were acquired in trades), one was selected in the Rule 5 draft and one was claimed off waivers)…seven were signed as free agents, including six to a Major League contract (Aguilar, Díaz, Familia, Fujinami, May, Peterson) and one to a minor league contract (Perez)…those are the most free agents on an A’s Opening Day roster since 1995 when they had eight.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: Shintaro Fujinami (3-5, 3.38 ERA in 2022 in Japan)

FOR STARTERS: Was signed by the A’s as a free agent on Jan. 13, 2023 after pitching 10 seasons in Japan and will be making his Major League debut today…will become the 57th pitcher in Oakland history to start in his ML debut…the last to win was Adrián Martínez at Detroit last year on May 10… the last to strike out 10 or more batters was Aaron Harang on May 25, 2002 against Tampa Bay…the last to toss at least seven innings was Rich Harden on July 21, 2003 at Kansas City…the last complete game was by Mike Morgan June 11, 1978 against Baltimore and the only shutout is by Mike Norris April 10, 1975 against Chicago…the 56 pitchers to start in their debut have combined for a 16-19 record and a 4.10 ERA.

SPRING TRAINING RECAP: Was 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts…held the opposition to a .121 batting average but issued 17 walks in 18.2 innings for a .325 on-base percentage…the walks were the most in the majors and the most by an A’s pitcher during the spring since Todd Van Poppel had 17 in 1996…also had six wild pitches…tied for second in the Cactus League in wins, tied for eighth in games started and tied for 10th in innings pitched.

2022 RECAP: Was 3-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 16 games, including 10 starts, with Hanshin…walked just 21 batters in 66.2 innings for an average of 2.8 walks per nine innings, which was the lowest mark of his career…struck out 65 for a career best strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.10…also pitched in nine games for Hanshin’s minor league affiliate in the Western League and was 4-1 with a 1.77 ERA in nine appearances…struck out 50 and walked just 15 in 40.2 innings…recorded his 1,000th career strikeout on Sept. 9 against Yokohama.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Spent the first 10 seasons of his professional career pitching for Hanshin in Japan before signing with the A’s as a free agent on Jan. 12, 2023…went 57-54 with a 3.41 ERA in 189 career appearances, including 154 starts, with the Tigers…struck out 1,011 batters in 994.1 innings, an average of 9.15 per nine innings, but walked 459 for a mark of 4.15 per nine innings…allowed a .240 opponents batting average…was a Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star in each of his first four seasons (2013-16), earning MVP honors in the 2015 game…led the Japanese Central League in strikeouts (221), complete games (7) and shutouts (4) in 2015…127 of his 128 appearances over his first seven season were starts but he had 34 relief appearances and 27 starts over his final three years in Japan…was selected by four teams (Hanshin, Orix, Yakult, Chiba Lotte) as the first pick of the 2012 NPB draft out of Osaka Toin High School, a draft that included Shohei Ohtani… Hanshin won the rights to sign him…made his debut two weeks before his 19th birthday…pitched for Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants (0-1) at New York Yankees (1-0)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 1, 2023

MLB Preview: San Francisco Giants (0-1) at New York Yankees (1-0)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: SF is seeking its first win of the 2023 campaign in game two of this three-game series here in the Bronx…the Giants have won two of the seven games they have played in this Yankee Stadium…those wins came on July 23, 2016 (Santiago Casilla got the win) and September 22, 2013 (Javier Lopez earned the win).

ROSTER MOVES: OF Bryce Johnson (#58) had his contract selected to the Major League roster…RHP Luke Jackson was transferred to the 60-day IL…OF Brett Wisely was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento and C Gary Sánchez was signed to a minor league contract.

THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN ALL THAT OFTEN…:C/OF Blake Sabol and OF Brett Wisely both made their Major League debuts on Thursday for SF…since the club moved westward in 1958, the Giants only had five instances where multiple players made their Major League debuts on Opening Day…it was the first time that two position players made their MLB debuts on Opening Day for SF since 1992 when IF John Patterson and C Craig Colbert did so…the full list is below.

THAT’S STRIKEOUTS WITH A ‘K’: RHP Logan Webb fanned a career-best 12 batters on Opening Day, setting a franchise high by a Giants starting pitcher on Opening Day…furthermore, the 12 Opening Day strikeouts are tied for 10th-most all-time by any starter on Opening Day.

OTHER THINGS FROM OPENING DAY THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMMMM….: The Giants were held without a run on Opening Day for the seventh time in the SF-era (1958-pres.) and first time since losing to San Diego 2-0 on March 28, 2019 at Petco Park…the 16 strikeouts by SF pitching were the most
the club has put up in an opener in franchise history…the previous best mark was 13 strikeouts in a 13-inning Opening Day win over Houston on March 31, 1998…the previous best mark for a nine inning Opening Day game was 12 on April 2, 2017 at Arizona (also a loss).

MR. HOMEGROWN: IF Brandon Crawford began his 13th Major League season on Thursday with his Opening Day start…Crawford has played all 1,562 career games in a Giants uniform, third-most by an active player who has played their entire career with one team according to Stats, LLC…only Joey Votto (1,992 games with the Reds) and José Altuve (1,578 games with Houston) have more…for reference, the next closest active Giants player with the most games played for the team is OF Ausitn Slater (461).

A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX?: SF allowed the fewest homers in the Majors in 2022 after also doing so in 2021…according to Stats, LLC that has only happened three other times in the Wild Card-era (since 1995)…the Giants had 74 games in 2022 where they did not allow a home run, also most in MLB…on Opening Day, the Giants allowed two homers after allowing multiple homers in a game just 31 times all of last year, tied for
fewest in the Majors with Houston. Longest Streaks with Fewest HRs Allowed in MLB Since 1995 (Stats, LLC)

Team Streak Years
San Francisco Giants 3 2000-2002
San Francisco Giants 2 2021-pres.
Atlanta Braves 2 2009-2010
Atlanta Braves 2 1997-1998

OUTTA LEFT FIELD…: C/OF Blake Sabol kept the Giants Opening Day left fielder run in check with his start there on Thursday…since 1901, the Giants have had 66 different players start in left field on Opening Day, the most for any position by the Giants with the starting pitcher spot in second (58 different players) (Stats, LLC).

BRYCE AS NICE: OF Bryce Johnson was selected to the Major League roster earlier today and is coming off a very nice spring…the switch-hitting outfielder slashed .310/.423/.405 in 16 Cactus League games while scoring 13 runs and driving in eight…he was a perfect 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts and can play all over the outfield…in a brief cameo with SF in 2022, Johnson went 2-for-18 with two RBI in 11 games.

WE’LL HAVE THE COBB SALAD PLZ.: RHP Alex Cobb is coming off a strong first season in SF in 2022 that saw him post a 3.73 ERA in 28 starts (his xERA was 3.15)…over his final 21 starts last season, he posted a 3.05 ERA with a .318 BABIP compared to a 6.25 ERA and a .411 BABIP in his first six outings…his average fastball velo last year was 94.8 mph, a 2.1 mph increase from 2021…that increase was tied with Shohei Ohtani for the fifth-largest fastball velo increase last year (Sports Info Solutions)

TODAY’S STARTER – ALEX COBB RHP #38
WITH THE GIANTS: Enters his 12th Major League season and his second with the Giants…he’s entering his second year of a two-year contract with a third-year team option with the Giants that he signed on November 30, 2021.

OD ROSTER: Made his seventh career Opening Day roster and second with SF (also 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).

2023 SPRING TRAINING: Over four spring starts, Cobb went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA (6er, 13.0ip), 18 strikeouts and a 0.92 WHIP…on March 11 against the Dodgers, he took a 102 mph line drive off his left knee…his tests came back negative and he was diagnosed with a left knee contusion…he was able to make his next start on March 16 at Seattle where he tossed 5.0-scoreless innings, but his knee continued to bother him and he did not make another spring start as he experienced some residual swelling down his leg…on Monday, March 27, he threw 4.0 innings (52 pitches) in Scottsdale in a backfield game and came out feeling good.

LAST SEASON: Finished the 2022 season and his first with the Giants going 7-8 with a 3.73 ERA over 28 starts…it was Cobb’s first season in the National League after 10 seasons in the American League with Tampa Bay (2011-2017), Baltimore (2018-2020) and Los Angeles-AL (2021)…his 149.2 innings were more than each of the last three seasons…he posted a career high in strikeouts (151) and his 3.73 ERA was his best over a full season since 2017 (3.66)…his 28 starts matched the second-most of his career (also 2018) and one shy of his career-best 29 from 2017.

PUNCHOUTS: With 151 strikeouts last year, Cobb set a new career high that he previously set in 2014 with Tampa Bay (149)…his 9.08 K/9 was the best of his career over a full season and his 3.51 SO/ BB ratio is the best of his career excluding 2019 when he made only three starts due to injury…he had two double digit strikeouts games last season (4/12 vs. SD and 7/29 vs. CHC).

LICKETY SPLIT: Cobb used his splitter 42.5% of the time in 2022 which was second in all of MLB behind ATL’s Kirby Yates…Cobb had the highest splitter usage among starters… opponents were 66-for-270 (.244) with 62 strikeouts and a .226 xBA in at-bats ending with the splitter.

FASTER WITH AGE: Saw an uptick in velocity last year on all his pitches…his splitter averaged 89.6 mph which was 2.1 mph faster than at any point in his career…his sinker averaged 94.8 mph, 2.1 mph faster his second fastest velocity.

VS. NEW YORK-AL: Has made 19 starts against the Yankees over his career, going 7-5 with a 3.21 ERA and a .219 opponents average against…11 of his 19 outings have been quality starts…he most recently faced New York-AL on September 11, 2020 and suffered the loss as he allowed five runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings of work.

AT YANKEE STADIUM: Is 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in eight career starts at Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK YANKEES NOTES:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees opened their 121st season in franchise history vs. the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at Yankee Stadium…the club continues their three-game series vs. the Giants today (1-0 so far)…is part of a season-opening six-game homestand, with three games vs. Philadelphia (Mon.-Wed.).

Are opening the season against a NL opponent for the second time in franchise history (also 2020 at Washington).

WHERE WE LEFT OFF: The Yankees shut out the Giants, 5-0, on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium…RHP Gerrit Cole (6.0IP, 3H, 0R, 2BB, 11K) made his fifth career Opening Day start and his fourth with the Yankees, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings to earn the win…set a franchise record for strikeouts by a Yankees pitcher on Opening Day…CF/RF Aaron Judge (2-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 2RBI) hit his first career Opening Day home run with a solo shot in the first inning and recorded an RBI single in the seventh inning…DH Gleyber Torres (1-for-3, 2R, 1HR, 2RBI, 1BB) hit his first career Opening Day home run with a two-run shot in the fourth inning…SS Anthony Volpe (0-for-2, 1BB, 1SB) made his Major League debut and walked in his first career plate appearance…2B DJ LeMahieu (1-for-4, 1RBI) hit an RBI single in the seventh inning…LHP Wandy Peralta (0.2IP, 1H, 2K), RHP Jonathan Loáisiga (0.1IP) and RHP Ron Marinaccio (2.0IP, 1BB, 3K) were all scoreless in relief.

ALL RISE: OF Aaron Judge drove in two of the Yankees’ 5R on Thursday, hitting his first career Opening Day home run in the first inning and an RBI single in the seventh inning…has hit safely in each of his seven career Opening Day games, batting .429 (12-for-28) with 7R, 4 doubles, 1HR, 4RBI and 3BB in those games.

Since the start of 2019, 67 of his 138HR have tied the game (14) or given the Yankees the lead (53).

Has an 11.15 AB/HR ratio at home (1,293AB/116HR), the second-best ratio in home games in Major League history (min. 300AB), trailing only Mark McGwire (10.56)…is the best mark by any player at the current Yankee Stadium (min. 100AB).

Has hit 221HR in 730 career Major League games, the most home runs through a player’s first career 730 games in Major League history (next: Ryan Howard with 220HR).

His next HR will tie Don Mattingly’s 222HR for the 11th-most home runs in Yankees history…will also tie Mattingly for the third-most HR by a Yankee who was drafted and signed by the club (Jorge Posada-275HR, Derek Jeter-260HR, Don Mattingly-222HR).

Has hit .302/.413/.618 (390-for-1,293) with 284R, 59 doubles, 1 triple, 116HR, 259RBI and 244BB in 365 career games in the Bronx…his 116HR at home are the most in Yankee Stadium history.

Signed a nine-year contract this offseason after hitting an AL-record 62HR in 2022…was named the team captain on 12/21/22, becoming the 16th player to receive the honor in franchise history, and just the second since 1996…joins Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles, Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Roger Peckinpaugh, Rollie Zeider, Frank Chance, Hal Chase, Willie Keeler, Norman “Kid” Elberfeld and Clark Griffith.

THE SKIPPER, TOO: The 2023 season marks Manager Aaron Boone’s sixth season at the helm…in 2022, guided the team to a 99-63 record and sixth consecutive postseason berth…with the Yankees reaching the playoffs in each of his first five seasons as manager, he became the first manager in Baseball history to reach the postseason in each of his first five managerial seasons…is the third manager to make the playoffs in his first five seasons with the Yankees, joining Casey Stengel (first five from 1949-53) and Joe Torre (first 12 from 1996-2007).

His 428 career managerial wins rank eighth on the Yankees’ all-time list.

GLEYBER DAY: INF Gleyber Torres hit his first career Opening Day home run with a two-run shot in the fourth inning on Thursday…marked his 99th career home run.

WINNING WAYS: The Yankees went 99-63 (.611) in 2022, posting their 30th consecutive winning season (since 1993)… marks the second-longest such stretch in Major League history behind only the franchise’s streak of 39 straight winning seasons from 1926-64…is the third-longest streak of consecutive winning seasons all-time in the four major sports (MLB/NFL/ NBA/NHL), behind only their own 39-season stretch and 32 straight winning seasons by the Montreal Canadians (1952-83).

A BRONX TALE: The Yankees went 57-24 (.704) at Yankee Stadium in 2022, the best home record in the AL and tied for the best home record in the Majors (Los Angeles-NL: 57-24, .704)… marked their 31st straight winning season at home (since 1992)…according to Elias, is the Majors’ longest current streak and the longest streak by any team since a Major League-record 47-year streak for the Yankees from 1918-64…their 57 wins at home matched their most in a single season at the current Yankee Stadium (went 57-24 in 2009 and 2019).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: RHP CLARKE SCHMIDT (5-5, 3.12 ERA IN 2022)
RHP Clarke Schmidt will make his 2023 debut today vs. San Francisco…the 27-year-old will make the start on regular four days’ rest after making his final spring appearance on Monday vs. Tampa Bay (ND, 4.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 1BB, 7K)…went 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA (19.2IP, 16H, 11ER, 4BB, 25K, 2HR, 1HP) in six spring games (five starts)…in 2022, went 5-5 with two saves and a 3.12 ERA (57.2IP, 46H, 23R/20ER, 23BB, 56K, 5HR) in 29 appearances (three starts) over four stints with the Yankees…in three starts, went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP, 13H, 6ER, 2BB, 14K, 0HR)… as a reliever, went 5-3 with two saves and a 2.74 ERA (46.0IP, 33H, 17R/14ER, 21BB, 42K, 5HR) in 26 games…tossed at least 2.0 innings in 13 of his relief appearances and at least 3.0 innings in five of those relief appearances…made his second career Opening Day roster in 2023 (also 2022)…was selected by the Yankees in the first round (16th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina.

SPRING BREAK: In six games (five starts) this spring, went 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA (19.2IP, 16H, 11ER, 4BB, 25K, 2HR, 1HP)…made his last spring start on Monday vs. Tampa Bay (ND, 4.1IP, 3H, 2ER, 1BB, 7K)…in his fourth spring appearance (third start) on 3/16 vs. Pittsburgh, tossed 5.0
perfect innings with 7K…made his lone appearance in relief on 3/3 vs. Detroit (1.2IP, 3H, 4ER, 1BB, 2K, 1HR, 1HP).

VS. SAN FRANCISCO: Will be facing the San Francisco Giants for the first time in his career…marks his first career appearance against the NL
West…is 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA (15.2IP, 7ER) and 10K in five career Interleague games (two starts), including a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA (7.1IP, 2ER) and 4K in three relief appearances vs. the National League in 2022 (6/10 vs. Chicago-NL, 8/23 vs. New York-NL, 9/18 at Milwaukee).

HOME SWEET HOME: Has made 15 appearances (two starts) in his career at Yankee Stadium (13 in 2022, one in 2021, one in 2020)…has gone 2-2 with one save and a 3.45 ERA (31.1IP, 24H, 14R/12ER, 16BB, 30K, 3HR).

In 13 games (one start) at home in 2022, went 2-1 with one save and a 2.49 ERA (25.1IP, 16H, 8R/7ER, 12BB, 22K, 3HR)…allowed 1R-or-fewer in 12 of those appearances…tossed at least 2.0 innings in eight appearances and 3.0 innings in four of those games (all of which were scoreless).

FOR STARTERS: Will be making his sixth career start today…over his first five career Major League starts (three in 2022, one in 2021, one in
2020), is 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA (20.0IP, 24H, 14R/11ER, 7BB, 20K, 1HR)…went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP, 6ER) and 14K in his three starts in 2022 (6/16 vs. Tampa Bay, 8/28 at Oakland, 9/3 at Tampa Bay).

2022: In 29 games (three starts) with the Yankees, went 5-5 with two saves and a 3.12 ERA (57.2IP, 46H, 23R/20ER, 23BB, 56K, 5HR) over four stints with the club (4/8-5/1, 5/13-6/22, 7/23-8/1, 8/22-10/5)…made his first career Opening Day roster.

In three starts, went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA (11.2IP, 13H, 6ER, 2BB, 14K, 0HR).

As a reliever, went 5-3 with two saves and a 2.74 ERA (46.0IP, 33H, 17R/14ER, 21BB, 42K, 5HR) in 26 games…tossed at least 2.0 innings in 13 of his relief appearances and at least 3.0 innings in five of those relief appearances.

Recorded five relief appearances of at least 3.0 scoreless innings, tied for the most in the Majors (also Los Angeles-AL’s Jaime Barria, Texas’ Taylor Hearn and Chicago-NL’s Keegan Thompson)…was just the second Yankees pitcher since 2003 to record as many such relief appearances in a season (also Alfredo Aceves’ seven relief appearances in 2009).

Tossed at least 3.0 scoreless innings in four consecutive relief appearances from 7/24-9/8, tied with Mariano Rivera (4G from 4/19-28/96) and Joe Page (4G from 5/28-6/3/49) for the second-longest such streak in franchise history, trailing only Wilcy Moore (5G from 8/7-24/27).

Tossed 3.0 innings in both of his saves…joined Luis Cessa (two in 2018) as the only Yankees relievers to record multiple saves of at least 3.0IP in a season since 2003.

His 10 relief appearances of at least 2.0 scoreless innings were tied for 10th in the Majors.

Tossed at least 2.0 scoreless innings in six straight relief appearances from 7/24-9/14, tied for the second-longest streak by a Yankees reliever in franchise history, trailing only Mariano Rivera (8G from 4/19-5/12/96)…Bud Daley (6G from 7/25-8/11/62) and Wilcy Moore (6G from 8/6-24/27) also recorded six-game streaks.

Combined to make three postseason appearances, going 0-2 with a 11.57 ERA (2.1IP, 3ER)… made his first career postseason appearance in ALDS Game 2 vs. Cleveland…entered the game in the 10th inning and stranded his inherited runner after retiring all 3BF…took the loss in ALDS Game 3 at Cleveland after allowing a “walk-off” single to Oscar González in the ninth (0.1IP, 3H, 1ER, 1K)…also took the loss in ALCS Game 1 at Houston (1.0IP, 2H, 2ER, 2BB, 2HR).

Made eight starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, going 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA (33.0IP, 26H, 13R/12ER, 9BB, 46K, 1HR).

CAREER NOTES: Over his first three seasons with the Yankees (2020-22), has gone 5-6 with two saves and a 3.71 ERA (70.1IP, 64H, 36R/29ER, 33BB, 69K, 6HR) in 34 career games (five starts).

Made his Major League debut in Game 2 on 9/4/20 at Baltimore after never having pitched professionally above Double-A in his career.

Did not pitch in 2017 while recovering from “Tommy John” surgery on his right elbow.

Was drafted by the Yankees in the first round (16th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina…in three seasons at South Carolina (2015-17), produced a 15-9 record and 3.21 ERA (229.2IP, 82ER) in 45 games (36 starts).

MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (1-0) at Washington Nationals (0-1)

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MLB Editor

April 1, 2023

MLB Preview: Atlanta Braves (1-0) at Washington Nationals (0-1)

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Nationals continue the 2023 season this afternoon with the second of a three-game series…The teams will play 13
total games this season, with the next series coming at Truist Park in Atlanta from June 9-11.
• The Braves went 14-5 against the Nationals last season, the second consecutive season in which Atlanta won 14 of the 19 matchups between the
clubs…The Braves are 29-10 against the Nationals since the start of 2021.
• Atlanta has won the season set with Washington in each of the last five seasons dating to 2018, combing to go 55-31 versus the Nationals in that span.
• Atlanta scored 116 times in its 19 games against Washington last season, a year after outscoring the Nationals 101-73 (+28) in 2021…Last year marked the 11th time the Braves scored triple digits against a single team in a season since the turn of the century…The 2004 team has the most in that span, scoring 128 runs against the Expos.
• In Atlanta’s last 39 games against Washington, it has scored at least five runs in 25 of those games and is averaging 5.7 runs per contest.
• RH Spencer Strider has pitched in three career games and made two starts against the Nationals, all of which came last season, and compiled a 1-1 record with a 5.54 ERA (8 ER/13.0 IP)…In his most recent start against Washington, July 17 here at Nationals Park, he allowed four hits and five runs over 4.0 innings, one of just two starts in his career in which he allowed at least five runs.
• RH Josiah Gray has made four career starts against Atlanta, pitching to a 1-1 record with a 2.05 ERA (5 ER/22.0 IP), while Washington has gone 3-1 in his turns…He collected the first double-digit strikeout game of his career versus Atlanta, fanning 10 Braves on August 7, 2021 at Truist Park…Gray’s 2.05 ERA against Atlanta is his lowest against any team he has faced multiple times.

SUCCESS IN WASHINGTON: The Braves win at Nationals Park on Thursday moved the club to 26-7 (.788) in Washington since the start of the 2019 season.
• Atlanta has outscored Washington, 202-124, here in that span, and outhomered the Nationals, 68-25.
• The Braves pitching staff has compiled a 3.47 ERA (113 ER/293.1 IP) here in that span, and is allowing the Nationals to bat just .233/.315/.355 with a .670 OPS against them.
• The Braves 26-7 record here since 2019 ties the best mark in the National League by any team in a single road city…St. Louis has also played to a 26-7 record at PNC Park in Pittsburgh in that span.
• From 2014-2018, Atlanta went just 16-33 (.327) here at Nationals Park, including going winless in 10 games here in 2015.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Travis d’Arnaud went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI as Atlanta’s DH on Thursday…The Braves had just one four-hit game from their designated hitter all of last season.
• William Contreras went 4-for-5 in an 11-4 win over the Cardinals on August 26.
• Since the introduction of Interleague Play in 1997, just six Atlanta designated hitters have collected at least four hits in a game…Gary Sheffield was the first to do so in 2002, Chipper Jones did so in 2003, and Marcell Ozuna had two such games in 2020 before Contreras last year and d’Arnaud on Thursday.
• 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

WIN WITHOUT A HOMER: Of Atlanta’s 12 hits on Thursday, 10 were singles and two went for doubles… The Braves beat the Nationals, 7-2.
• Atlanta won just 10 games last season in which it did not hit a home run, fewest in the majors…The Yankees had the next fewest, collecting 14 wins without hitting a home run.
• Cleveland led the majors with 31 wins in games it did not hit a home run last season.
• Since the start of the 2020 season, Atlanta has just 27 total wins without a home run, also the fewest in baseball…In that same span, the Braves lead all of baseball with 585 homers.

DAY GAMES: All three games of this series against Washington, and four of the six games on the road trip, are scheduled to be played in the daytime.
• The Braves went 24-27 (.471) in day games last season, the 12th worst such record in the majors… In night games, however, the Braves led the majors with a .694 (77-34) winning percentage.
• Atlanta had a .778 OPS in night games in 2022, percentage points behind Toronto’s .778 major league-leading mark…The Braves’ daylight OPS
was just .724.

BULLPEN: Five Atlanta relievers combined to allow just four hits and one earned run over 5.2 innings on Thursday, pitching to a 1.73 ERA…LH Lucas Luetge earned the win in his debut with the club.
• The Braves’ 3.03 ERA in relief last season was fourth best in the majors, behind just the Astros (2.80), Dodgers (2.87) and Yankees (2.97).
• From the start of September through the end of 2022, Atlanta’s 2.11 ERA (26 ER/110.2 IP) in relief was best in baseball.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #65 Spencer Strider
Today’s Game
• Set to make his third start and fourth appearance against Washington.
• Last faced the Nationals on July 17, 2022 at Nationals Park, surrendering four hits, five runs, two walks and a home run through 4.0 innings pitched.
• His 5.54 career ERA against Washington is the fourth highest against any opponent.
• Pitched to a 1.69 ERA in five appearances, four starts, with 21 strikeouts through 16.0 innings pitched in Spring Training.
• Went 4.0 scoreless innings with four punchouts while scattering two hits and a walk in his last outing of the Spring on March 26.

2022 Recap
• Pitched his first full major league season and went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA (39 ER/131.2 IP) and 202 strikeouts…Led rookie pitchers in the majors with 4.9 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR.
• Fanned 202 and allowed just 86 hits on the season.
• Is the only pitcher in baseball history to record at least 200 strikeouts and allow fewer than 100 hits in a year.
• Became the quickest pitcher in baseball history to ever reach 200 strikeouts in a single season, doing so in his 130.0th inning…Hall-of-Famer LHP Randy Johnson held the previous record, reaching 200 strikeouts in 130.2 innings in 2001.
• Was the third rookie in franchise history to strikeout 200 in a season, and the first in the modern era…The other rookies to reach 200 strikeouts were RHP Kid Nichols, who struck out 222 in 1890, and Bill Stemmyer, who fanned 239 in 1886. ..Just 16 rookies have done so in history, with Yu Darvish being the last to do so (221 strikeouts in 2012).
• His 13.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings is the highest by a rookie pitcher in MLB history (min. 12 starts)…Chicago’s Kerry Wood held the previous mark with 12.6 K/9.0 IP.
• No pitcher in Braves franchise history has pitched at least 100 innings in a season and fanned even 11.0 batters per 9.0 innings…In fact, just two pitchers, Brandon Beachy with 10.7 in 2011 and Charlie Morton with 10.5 last year, have been above 10.0.
• Ranked 11th in the majors with 202 strikeouts…However, did so in just 131.2 innings…Each of the 10 pitchers with more threw at least 166.0 innings on the season.
• Among pitchers to throw at least 100.0 innings on the season, Strider’s 13.81 K/9.0 IP were easily most in the majors, over 1.5 strikeouts more than the closest pitcher…Blake Snell fanned 12.02 batters per 9.0 innings to rank second.
• Opened the season pitching out of the bullpen, and moved into the rotation on May 30 at Arizona…Made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and went 1-1 with a 2.22 ERA (6 ER/24.1 IP)…In 20 starts, went 10-4 with a 2.77 ERA (33 ER/107.1 IP).
• Prior to his move into the rotation, Atlanta was 23-25 and its starters had pitched to a 4.38 ERA…From the date of Strider’s first start, May 30, to the end of the season, the Braves went 78-36 and the starters pitched to a 3.46 ERA.
• Started on September 1 vs. Colorado and pitched a career-most 8.0 innings, holding the Rockies to just two hits and no runs in the effort…The Braves beat the Rockies, 3-0, to give Strider his ninth win of the season.
• Set the single-game, Atlanta-era record with 16 strikeouts in the game, which also ranks second in all-time franchise history…John Smoltz previously held the Atlanta-era record, punching out 15 on two occasions: May 24, 1992 at Montreal and April 10, 2005 versus the New York Mets…Warren Spahn holds the all-time Braves record with 18 punchouts on June 14, 1952 versus the Chicago Cubs.
• Strider’s 16 strikeouts are the most in a single game by a Braves rookie in franchise history.
• He became the fourth different rookie in the modern era to strike out at least 16 batters in a game without issuing a walk…Dwight Gooden had exactly 16 K’s in two consecutive starts in 1984 (9/12 vs. PIT, 9/17 @ PHI)…Kerry Wood struck out 20 against Houston on May 6, 1998, and Jon Gray fanned 16 Padres on September 17, 2016.
• Was named NL Rookie of the Month for July…Went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA (8 ER/26.2 IP) over five starts in the month.
• Five of the eight runs came in one start, July 17 at Washington…In his other four turns, went 2-0 and pitched to a 1.19 ERA (3 ER/22.2 IP) with 37 strikeouts.

Career Recap
• Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft.
• In three seasons with Clemson, went 5-2 with a 4.71 ERA (33 ER/63.0 IP) in 26 appearances, 10 starts.
• Struck out 89, an average of 12.7 per 9.0 innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

MOVING ON
The Washington Nationals opened their 2023 season with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Braves on Thursday afternoon.
• Keibert Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a double, marking the second consecutive Opening Day in which he recorded at least two hits…He also went 2-for-4 with a double on Opening Day 2022 vs. New York (NL).
• Joey Meneses (2-for-5, RBI) and Dominic Smith (2-for-3, BB, R) also posted multi-hit efforts.
• Outfielder Alex Call, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, right-handed pitcher Hobie Harris, first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses and right-handed pitcher Thaddeus Ward made the Opening Day roster for the first time in their careers.

BACK IN BLOOM
The Nationals popular cherry blossom-themed City Connect uniforms debuted last season and return in 2023 with on-field wear dates scheduled for every Friday and Saturday home game with the exception of Jackie Robinson Day on April 15.
• The City Connect design is a celebration of the beautiful gift of cherry blossom trees from the people of Japan to the city of Washington, D.C.
• Just as the cherry blossoms are sewn into the city’s culture, they are threaded into the uniforms themselves.
• The bold lettering across the chest echoes the District’s chiseled monuments and takes inspiration from the iconic W shape of the 1924 World Series champion Washington Senators.

OPENING DAY ROSTER
In addition to announcing their 26-man Opening Day roster, the Nationals made the following roster moves: • Selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda, infielder Michael Chavis, right-handed pitcher Hobie Harris and right-handed pitcher Chad Kuhl
• Placed right-handed pitchers Víctor Arano (Right Shoulder Strain), Cade Cavalli (Tommy John Surgery), Tanner Rainey (Tommy John Surgery) and Stephen Strasburg (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) on the 60-day Injured List
• Placed third baseman Carter Kieboom (Right Shoulder Impingement) and catcher Israel Pineda (Right Finger Fracture) on the 10-day Injured list (retroactive to 3/27)

SPRING TRAINING RECAP
The Nationals went 13-12-3 in Grapefruit League action…Some strong performances included:
• Josiah Gray led Major League Baseball with a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1 IP) in five starts…He struck out 14 batters, walked two and did not allow a home run.
• Lane Thomas ranked third in the Grapefruit League with 11 walks
• Alex Call ranked among Grapefruit League hitters in batting average (T6th, .302) and on-base percentage (7th, .381).
• Non-roster invitee Hobie Harris allowed just one earned run on three hits in 10.0 innings (.100 opp. AVG)…He struck out seven batters and issued two walks.

LIKE CLOCKWORK
The Nationals’ average time of game this Spring was just 2:27 in 28 Grapefruit League contests…Washington’s average time of game during Spring Training in 2022 was 3:05…Across all of Major League Baseball, 9.0 inning game time decreased by 26 minutes in 2023 Spring Training compared to 2022 Spring Training.
• The club’s shortest game was a brisk 2:06 in its final game on March 26 at Miami, while its longest was a 10-7 win over New York (NL) on March 11 that was completed in 3:00.

TODAY’S STARTER – #40 JOSIAH GRAY
Right-hander was acquired by the Nationals from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 Trade Deadline…Was Los Angeles’ No. 2 prospect entering 2021 and its Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…Was originally selected by Cincinnati in the second round (No. 72 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York…Was acquired by the Dodgers on his 21st birthday, Dec. 21, 2018…Is the Player Ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.

vs. ATLANTA
Gray’s 2.05 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta is his best mark of any division opponent… He’s allowed one earned run or less in three of the four outings.
• In two starts against the Braves in 2022, Gray posted a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP) and a .088 opponents batting average (3-for-34, HR).

• Gray recorded the first 10+ strikeout game of his career on Aug. 7, 2021 at Atlanta (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 10 SO) in Washington’s 3-2 victory.

2023 SPRING TRAINING
Gray led Major League Baseball with a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1 IP) in five starts…He struck out 14 batters, walked two and did not allow a home run.

2022
In his first full Major League season, ranked ninth in the National League (min. 135.0 IP) with 9.32 SO/9.0 IP…Led the Nationals with 154 strikeouts…Ranked eighth in MLB in slider whiff percentage (38%)…Recorded three 10+ strikeout games…Went 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA (4 ER/29.0 IP), 31 strikeouts, three homers and .155 opponents’ average in five starts from May 29-June 25…Tossed 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings from June 3-25, the second-longest streak on the Nationals behind Erasmo Ramírez (18.0 IP)…Tossed a career-high 7.0 innings on June 25 at Texas…Struck out a career-high 11 batters on July 6 at Philadelphia…In his final start of the season, allowed one earned run on two hits in 6.0 innings on Sept. 28 vs. Atlanta…2022 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam Fastball (39.2%) Slider (29.5%) Curveball (24.8%) Sinker (3.7%) Changeup (2.8%).

2021
Was acquired by the Nationals at the Trade Deadline and reported to D.C…Made his first start with Washington on Aug. 2 vs. Philadelphia (5.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO)…Struck out a career-high 10 batters in his second start on Aug. 7 at Atlanta…Became just the second pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to record at least 10 strikeouts in one of his first two starts with the team (Stephen Strasburg, first start on 6/8/2010 vs. PIT)…Earned his first career win on Sept. 22 at Miami (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 SO)…Finished the season strong, going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA (6 ER/17.1 IP), a .203 opponents’ average, 19 strikeouts and six walks in his final three starts of the season…Allowed just two home runs in his final four starts after surrendering 17 home runs in his first 10 outings of the season…With Los Angeles, had his contract selected on July 20 and made his Major League debut that day against the San Francisco Giants…Tossed 4.0 innings out of the bullpen behind an opener (4 ER, 4 H, 7 SO)…Gray made his first Major League start on July 25 vs. Colorado (4.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 SO)…2021 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam (51.7%) Curve (25.1%) Slider (20%) Changeup (3.2%).

MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (0-1) at Texas Rangers (1-0)

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MLB

MLB Editor

April 1, 2023

MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (0-1) at Texas Rangers (1-0)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES NOTES:

GAME #1 RECAP: The Phillies tallied six extra-base hits off Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, the most he had ever allowed in a single start in his career … J.T. Realmuto (2B, 3B), Alec Bohm (2B, HR) and Brandon Marsh (2B, 3B) led the Phils offensively … Phillies starter Aaron Nola made his 6th career and 6th straight Opening Day start: he went 3.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts … He did not allow a hit through the first 3.0 innings before the Rangers rallied and put up a 9-spot on three different Phils pitchers in the 4th … It marked Philadelphia’s first Opening Day on the road since 2018.

WHEELS UP: Today’s starter, Zack Wheeler, is set to make his first start of his fourth season with the Phillies (since 2020) … So far, in 69 regular season starts with the Phils, Wheeler is 30-19 with a 2.82 ERA (137 ER, 437.1 IP) with 463 strikeouts to 96 walks (4.82 SO/BB ratio) … The Phillies are 39-30 in his 69 starts (.565 win %) … Among all starters in MLB since 2020, Wheeler ranks 4th in OPP SLG at .336 (min. 400.0 IP), 5th in ERA (min. 400.0 IP) & OPP OPS at .612, 6th in innings pitched & SO/BB ratio, T-6th in CG (3) and 7th in WHIP at 1.04 (min. 400.0 IP) … Wheeler made his postseason debut last year with the Phillies – in six starts, he posted a 2.78 ERA (11 ER, 35.2 IP) with a 0.73 WHIP … He faced 135 batters last postseason and held them to a .153/.222/.226 slash line … In any single postseason in MLB history, among all pitchers to face at least 100 batters, Wheeler’s .448 OPS in the 2022 playoffs ranks 6th all-time behind only Mike Mussina in 1997 with BAL (.406 OPS), Madison Bumgarner in 2014 with SF (.407 OPS), Curt Schilling in 2001 with ARI (.435 OPS), Orel Hershiser in 1988 with LAD (.439 OPS) and Randy Johnson in 2001 with ARI (.439 OPS).

LET THE GOOD VIBES ROLL: In Thursday’s opener, the Phillies pounded out eight extra-base hits, a number they reached twice last season as a team (9 XBH on 7/16/22 at MIA & 8 XBH on 6/8/22 at MIL) … The Phillies also tallied three triples on Thursday (Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Brandon Marsh), their most in a game since 4/8/17 vs WSH (Cesar Hernandez, Howie Kendrick, Michael Saunders) … In that game on 4/8/17 vs WSH, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper were both in the Nats lineup (Turner SS batting 1st, Harper RF batting 3rd) … Prior to Thursday, the last time the Phillies had three triples in a road game was 7/26/15 at CHI (2nd start of Aaron Nola’s career & day after Cole Hamels no-hitter) when Odubel Herrera, Cody Asche and Domonic Brown tripled … In that game on 7/26/15 at CHI, Kyle Schwarber started the game for the Cubs at catcher before moving to LF.

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

NEW TONIGHT, AT (THE) 6: On December 8, 2022, the Phillies signed All-Star shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year contract, taking him through the 2033 season … Last year with the Dodgers, Turner was selected as an All-Star for the second time in his career, was named All-MLB First Team and won his first career Louisville Silver Slugger Award after slashing .298/.343/.466 with a 121 OPS+ and 27 steals in 30 attempts … Per Statcast data, his average sprint speed of 30.3 feet per second ranked 5th out of 582 qualified players … In 2021, Turner led the majors in AVG (.328) and hits (195), led the NL in stolen bases (32) and total bases (319) and posted a career-best 6.8 fWAR (FanGraphs) which ranked 3rd among all ML position players … Since 2018, Turner has accrued a NL-best 25.0 fWAR among position players (teammate J.T. Realmuto ranks 4th at 23.3) … In 2019 with Washington, he reached base safely in 15 of 17 postseason games and won his first World Series championship.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS: The Phils enter play today having lost each of their last 10 games against the Texas Rangers (since 4/1/14) , their longest active losing streak against any ML team … Prior to this current skid, the Phillies won seven of the first 10 matchups against Texas from 6/7/05-3/31/14 … The last time the Phillies handed the Rangers a loss came on Opening Day, March 31, 2014 at Globe Life Park in Arlington, a 14-10 barnburner … In that game, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit 2-through4 in the lineup and Cliff Lee started and got the win for the Phillies

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

HEART OF THE PHILS: Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins underwent successful left knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on Thursday with Dr. Steve Singleton in Fort Worth, TX … The timeline for recovery is seven to nine months … Last season, in Game 3 of the NLDS vs ATL on 10/14, he hit his first career postseason HR, a 3-run shot in the third inning (Spencer Strider); it came on the first pitch following an intentional walk to Kyle Schwarber … He hit four HR in the NLCS against SD, setting a new franchise record for most HR ever in an NLCS … For his career, Hoskins owns a 125 wRC+, per FanGraphs … There have been 2,155 players to ever appear in a game for the Phillies over 140 seasons … Of those 2,155, only 70 have accumulated at least 2,5000 plate appearances in a Phillies uniform … Of those 70, Hoskins ranks T-13th in franchise history in wRC+ (with Scott Rolen), and among Phillies first baseman, he ranks 3rd in franchise history behind only Dick Allen (152) and John Kruk (138).

TODAY’S STARTER – ZACK WHEELER  RHP #45
TODAY’S START:
What a Run: Since returning from the IL on 9/21/22, Wheeler has a 2.13 ERA (12 ER, 50.2 IP) and 0.71 WHIP (8 BB, 28 H) in 3 reg and 6 postseason starts, holding opponents to a .160/.214/.240 line … In reg season starts only in that span, he has a 0.60 ERA (1 ER, 15.0 IP), BB, 15 SO and is riding an 8.0-inning scoreless streak

Texas Hold ‘Em: Wheeler is facing TEX for the 3rd time since 5/4/22 … In the span of less than 11 months, he will have more starts against TEX
than any Phillie ever has in a career (Cliff Lee, 2; 17 tied with 1) … In 4 career starts vs TEX he has a 1.42 ERA (4 ER, 25.1 IP), by far the
lowest ERA any NL pitcher has had against TEX with at least 25.0 IP (next: Alex Wood, 2.05)

Dandy Debuts: Wheeler has combined to post a 0.96 ERA (1 ER, 18.2 IP), 8 H, 3 BB, 17 SO in his 3 season debuts as a Phillie

Ace True Value: Since joining the Phillies in 2020, Zack Wheeler’s 13.3 fWAR is the 2nd-highest in MLB, trailing only Corbin Burnes’ 14.5 and is nearly a full win over the 3rd place pitcher (Aaron Nola, 12.6) … Since 2020, he ranks 4th in MLB in BB% (5.5%) 5th in ERA (2.82, min. 400.0 IP), 6th in SO/BB (4.82), T-6th in IP (437.1) 7th in WHIP (1.04) and T-9th in quality starts (43)

Couldn’t Have Done it Without Ya: In the 2022 postseason, Wheeler set a Phillies record and tied the ML record for most starts in a postseason with 6 … Seven pitchers in ML history have had 6 starts in a single postseason: Tyler Glasnow (2020), Blake Snell (2020), Justin Verlander (2019), Corey Kluber (2016), Madison Bumgarner (2014), Chris Carpenter (2011) and Curt Schilling (2001) … Wheeler had a quality start in each of his first 4 postseason starts, joining Cliff Lee (4, 2009) and Cole Hamels (6, 2007-08) as the only Phillies to start a playoff career with 4 straight quality starts, and the only to have 4 straight quality starts in any span in a single postseason … He was the first pitcher in MLB to start his postseason career with 4 straight quality starts since Michael Wacha in 2013

ROAD:
2022: 6-4, 3.84 ERA (32 ER, 75.0 IP) in 13 starts
Career: 38-26, 3.48 ERA (224 ER, 579.0 IP) in 97 starts

2022 SEASON:
NL Rankings: 5th in SO/BB (4.79), 8th in BB % (5.6%) & BB/9.0 IP (2.00), 9th in SO/9.0 IP (9.59), 10th in SO % (26.9%) & OPP OPS (.626)

His 2.82 ERA (48 ER, 153.0 IP) was 6th-best among NL pitchers with at least 150.0 IP; fell 9.0 IP short of qualifying for ERA leaders

In his final 23 starts (since 4/28), went 12-4 with a 2.31 ERA (36 ER, 140.1 IP), 0.98 WHIP (30 BB, 108 H) and 152 SO (9.75 SO/9.0 IP), holding opponents to a .212/.261/.341 slash line

From 4/28-end of the season, had the 2nd-lowest ERA in the NL among pitchers (min. 125.0 IP) behind Julio Urias (2.12) and ranked 6th in MLB

Finished with a 1.85 ERA (16 ER, 78.0 IP) in 13 home starts, the lowest by a Phillie with at least 13 home starts since 1917 (Grover Cleveland
Alexander, 1.59)

Named NL Pitcher of the Month for May, going 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA (6 ER, 32.2 IP), 1.01 WHIP, 40 SO, 5 BB and an NL-leading 1.4 fWAR

Was his first ever Pitcher of the Month Award and first by a Phillie since Cliff Lee in August 2011

His 19.1-inning scoreless streak, 6/28-7/13, was the longest by a Phillie in 2022

On the IL, 8/22-9/20, with right forearm tendinitis

In his final three starts allowed one run on nine hits in 15.0 IP (0.60 ERA), BB, 15 SO while facing seven batters over the minimum

2022 POSTSEASON:
Made six starts in his first career postseason, posting a 2.78 ERA (11 ER, 35.2 IP) and 0.73 WHIP (7 BB, 19 H)

His six starts were a Phillies single-postseason record and tied the ML record

In Game 1 of the NLWCS at STL, became the second Phillie ever to toss at least 6.0 IP with two or fewer hits in his first-ever postseason start, joining Roy Halladay, who threw a no-hitter on 10/6/10 vs CIN

Began his postseason career with 11.1 scoreless IP

In Game 1 of the NLCS at SD, made just the 17th start in postseason history of 7.0+ scoreless IP, 1 or 0 hits, and only the second by a Phillie (Roy Halladay in no-hitter, Game 1 of 2010 NLDS)

Was the first pitcher since 2013 (STL’s Michael Wacha) to begin a postseason with four straight quality starts

CAREER
In 2021, finished 2nd to MIL’s Corbin Burnes in NL Cy Young Award voting, was named Second-Team All-MLB and was a NL Gold Glove Award finalist … Made his first career All-Star team in 2021 and set career highs in starts, IP, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, complete games and shutouts … His 247 strikeouts were 10th-most ever by a Phillie

Signed a five-year contract with PHI on 12/9/19, taking him through the 2024 season

TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:

• The Rangers sit above .500 for the 1st time since 8/15/20 (10-9, .526)…club has not been 2-over .500 since a 58-56 mark thru 8/7/19.

A 1-0 START: Texas won its season opener on Thurs., 11-7 over Philly, as club is now 24-28 all-time on Opening Day… had dropped O.D. game in each of previous 2 years…marked just 3rd time in last 11 years beginning 2013 to win the season opener (also 7/24/20 vs. COL and 4/4/16 vs. SEA)… Rangers have now won both season-opening games played at Globe Life Field, now 18-12 all-time when O.D. takes place in Arlington.

GOING FOR TWO: The Rangers are 26-25 all-time in the 2nd game of a season, going 5-5 in last 10 and winning 9 of 15, 11 of 18, and 16 of 25…club has started the season at 1-1 in 8 of the last 11 years, with the only exceptions in that span an 0-2 start in 2017, 2021 and 2022…since the beginning of 2008, Texas has opened 12 of 15 seasons with either a 2-0 or 1-1 record through 2 G (0-2 in 2017, 2021, 2022).

• Since a club-record 7-0 start to the season in 1996, the only times Texas has opened a campaign by winning at least 2 straight games came in 2000 (2-0), 2009 (3-0), and 2011 (6-0).

HEY UTAH, GET ME TWO: The Rangers have dropped the season’s 1st series in 5 of the past 6 years (0-3 vs. CLE in 2017, 1-3 vs. HOU in 2018, 2-1 vs. CHC in 2019, 1-2 vs. COL in 2020, 1-2 at KC in 2021, 1-2 at TOR in 2022) after going 4-1-1 in the opening series of the campaign from 2011-16…TEX opened with a 0-4-0 record in 1st 4 series in 2022.

STANDINGS: The Rangers were in a 3-way tie for 1st place in the A.L. West after Thursday’s opener (also OAK/SEA), and remain T1st in the division with OAK after last night’s action…the 1st 2 days of this season mark just the 2nd and 3rd days since winning the division in 2016 for the Rangers to have at least a share of 1st place (also at 1-0 on 7/24/20).

VS. PHILADELPHIA: Texas and Philly are playing for a 2nd straight season in ‘23, 1st time clubs have ever squared off in back-to-back years…the Rangers went 4-0 last year against the eventual N.L. champs and after Thursday’s win have won 10 straight vs. PHI beginning 4/1/14…the 10-G win streak is Rangers’ longest ever vs. an N.L. opponent (prev. 7-0 vs. STL, 6/21/13-5/17/19)…last year’s 4-0 finish vs. PHI marked just 3rd time in Washington/Texas franchise history (since 1961) to go 4-0 or better against one opponent in a season…club was 12-0 vs. MIN in 1999, and went 6-0 vs. DET in 2019…TEX leads all-time, 13-7…Rangers are 10-2 vs. PHI in Arlington, winning 8 straight.

LONGEST WIN STREAKS VS. ONE OPPONENT,
RANGERS HISTORY (since 1972)
No. games/Opp/Dates
13 vs. OAK, July 6, 1977-May 18, 1978
13 vs. CLE, April 26, 1978-April 17, 1979
13 vs. MIN, Sept. 7, 1998-Sept. 15, 1999
12 vs. HOU, July 7, 2013-April 11, 2014
12 vs. KC, July 23, 2016-July 15, 2017
10 vs. SEA, May 27-Oct. 1, 1978
10 vs. TOR, April 24, 2002-April 30, 2003
10 vs. PHI, April 1, 2014-current

INTERLEAGUE: After Thursday’s win, Rangers have won 12 of last 17 Interleague games beg. 4/30/22…club was 11-9 (.550) vs. N.L. in 2022 after 4 straight losing seasons from 2018-21…TEX has also won 6 of last 8 at home vs. N.L. clubs…as a result of this year’s balanced schedule for all 30 clubs – a first since Interleague play was introduced in 1997 – the Rangers are slated to play a record 46 Interleague contests in 2023

• This year marks the 4th time in club history for the Rangers to open a season against a N.L. opponent…the others: 2014 vs. PHI, 2019 vs. CHC, 2020 vs. COL.

A COMEBACK THE RIGHT WAY: After the Rangers had blown leads of 7-0 (4/8/22 at TOR) and 5-0 (4/1/21 at KC) in Opening Day losses the past 2 years, the club overcame a 5-0 deficit (thru 3 1/2 innings) to beat Philly in Thursday’s opener…it matched the largest comeback win on Opening
Day in Rangers history, as club trailed 8-3 on 4/6/92 at SEA before winning 12-10.

CLOUD 9: Some notes on the Rangers’ 9-run, 7-hit 4th inning in Thursday’s season opener:
• It was just the 10th instance in the Modern Era (since 1900) of a team having a 9+ run inning in their 1st game of the season, first since the 1997 Padres posted an 11-run 6th inning on 4/1/97 vs. NYM (credit Elias Sports Bureau).

• 9 runs matched the most ever by the Rangers in a single inning on Opening Day (also 9-run 8th, 4/6/92 at SEA)…it was the most runs ever by the Rangers in a single inning at Globe Life Field, and marked just the 2nd time to score 9 runs in one frame since the start of the 2016 campaign (also 9-run 6th, 9/2/18 vs. MIN at GLPIA).

• 7 hits matched the most ever by the Rangers in a single inning on Opening Day (also 7 H in 8th, 4/6/92 at SEA; and 7 H in 1st, 4/1/21 at KC)…Texas had 7+ hits in an inning one time in 2022: 8/24/22 at COL (7 H in 2nd)…it matched the Rangers’ most hits in a single inning in GLF history (also 7 H in 5th, 8/29/21 vs. HOU).

TO THE NINES: All 9 Texas starters reached safely via H/ BB and scored at least one run in Thursday’s win…it marked the 1st Opening Day game in which the Rangers have ever pulled that trick, as TEX became 1st MLB team to do it in a season opener since the Royals on 4/1/21 vs. TEX…the only time since the start of 2019 for TEX to have all 9 starters reach safely via H/BB with at least one run scored was 8/24/22 at COL, with last home instance coming on 9/2/18 vs. MIN.

IT’S LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Cole Ragans earned his 1st ML win as a reliever in Thursday’s opener…according to Elias Sports Bureau, Ragans is the 1st pitcher in Rangers history, and the 6th in MLB over the last 10 seasons, to win his first career ML game in a season opener.

PITCHERS TO RECORD FIRST MLB WIN ON
OPENING DAY, PAST 10 SEASONS (credit Elias Sports Bureau)
Pitcher Team Date/Opp.
Aaron Barrett WAS 3/31/14 at NYM
Jumbo Diaz CIN 4/6/15 vs. PIT
Jordan Romano TOR 7/24/20 at TB
Carlos Hernandez KC 4/1/21 vs. TEX
Anthony Misiewicz SEA 4/1/21 vs. SF
Cole Ragans TEX 3/30/23 vs. PHI

PERFECT: The Rangers went 5-for-5 with RISP on Thursday…according to STATS LLC, it was the 1st time since the statistic was first tracked in 1974 that Texas had hits in each of 5-or-more AB with RISP – in any game in any season.

MISCELLANEOUS: The Rangers’ 11 runs on Thursday were the club’s 2nd-most ever in a season opener (12 R on 4/6/92 at SEA)…the 11 R also remain the most by any team in a game in 2023…6 of the Rangers’ 1st 9 G are day contests… with his HR on Thursday, Brad Miller became just the 6th
player in TEX history to hit a HR in consecutive O.D. games, joining Ian Kinsler (2011-12), Nelson Cruz (2010-11), Mark Teixeira (2004-05), Dean Palmer (1992-93), and Rafael Palmeiro (1990-91).

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #17 Nathan Eovaldi, RHP (0-0, —) game of this season-opening series with the Phillies…Eovaldi (ee-VAHL-dee) signed a 2-year free agent contract with the Rangers on 12/27/22…produced a 1-0 record, 2.35 ERA (4 ER/15.1 IP), and 19 strikeouts/2 walks over 4 ‘A’ game starts this spring…will work on 4 days’ rest after he started the Rangers’ exhibition here at Globe Life Field on Mon. vs. KC (ND, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R-ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 2 HR, 80 pitches/55 strikes)…experienced tightness in his left side following spring debut on 2/25 vs. KC, but resumed throwing on 3/8 with no reported issues since…owns a lifetime 4-4 record and 3.36 ERA (23 ER/61.2 IP) in 11 career games/starts vs. PHI…in 2022, his final season with Boston, went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA (47 ER/109.1 IP) over 20 G/GS…ranked among A.L. leaders (min. 100.0 IP) in SO/BB (8th, 5.15) and BB/9 (9th, 1.65)…was slowed by a pair of IL stints: 6/9- 7/14 (low back inflammation) and 8/19-9/28 (right shoulder inflammation)…the Texas native is seeking a return to his 2021 form, when he was an All-Star with the Red Sox and finished 4th in A.L. Cy Young Award voting…his Red Sox stint included a historic postseason stretch during the team’s 2018 World Series run, as he appeared in 3 of club’s 5 games during that year’s Fall Classic…since the start of 2019, has induced misses on 26.1% of swings by opposing batters, the 9th-best rate in the A.L. over that span (min. 400.0 IP)…has averaged 96.1 mph on his fastball over the course of his career, the 4th-highest figure in MLB since 2011…leads all A.L. pitchers since the start of 2020 (min. 300.0 IP) in both walks per 9 innings (1.64) and strikeouts per walk (5.65)…has a career record of 67-68 with a 4.16 ERA over 240 games/221 starts with LAD (2011-12), MIA (2012-14), NYY (2015-16), TB (2018), and BOS (2018-22)…joins Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as the only graduates of Alvin (TX) High School to reach the Major Leagues.

SEASON DEBUT NOTES: Has produced a 4-2 record and 3.94 ERA (27 ER/61.2 IP) in 11 season debut starts, with his teams going 6-5 in those games…has logged at least 5.0 IP in each of his season debut starts…served as the Red Sox Opening Day starter in each of the last 3 seasons (2020-22)…became 12th Sox pitcher to start 3 consecutive Opening Day games for club (last 2 were Jon Lester, 2011-14; and Pedro Martinez, 1998-2004)…took no decision in Boston’s season-opening 6-5 defeat last year on 4/8/22 at NYY (5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R-ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 2 HR, 76 pitches/56 strikes)…faced Gerrit Cole (ND, 4.0 IP, 3 R-ER)… surrendered 2-run HR to Anthony Rizzo in the 1st inn. and solo HR to Giancarlo Stanton in the 4th…exited with a 4-3 lead, but was removed from the ledger as the Yankees completed a come-from-behind, walk-off victory.

VS. PHILADELPHIA: Boasts a lifetime 4-4 record and 3.36 ERA (23 ER/61.2 IP) in 11 career games/starts against the Phillies…is undefeated (4-0) in his last 7 starts vs. Philadelphia dating back to 2013, posting a 2.16 ERA (10 ER/41.2 IP) and 28 strikeouts/10 walks in those outings…last faced the Fightin’ Phils in a 4-3 Red Sox win on 5/22/21 at PHI (W, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 85 pitches/55 strikes)…opposing starter in that game was current Ranger Spencer Howard (L, 3.0 IP, 2 R-ER)…also allowed a triple (4th inn.) and single (6th inn.) to current teammate Brad Miller, who batted 5th and started at 3B for PHI.

AT HOME / IN ARLINGTON: Fared far better on the road (4-0, 2.64 ERA) that at Fenway Park (2-3, 5.26 ERA) last season, but has traditionally performed better at home (30-31, 3.95 ERA) than on the road (37-37, 4.37 ERA) in his career.

• The Texas native is undefeated (2-0) in 2 career starts in Arlington, one at the former Globe Life Park on 4/25/16 at TEX w/ NYY (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO) and another here at Globe Life Field on 4/30/21 at TEX w/ BOS (W, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 2 BB, 5 SO)…in the latter start, was staked to a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning after J.D. Martinez connected for a 3-run HR off TEX’s Kohei Arihara…Eovaldi’s lone run allowed came on an RBI single by Brock Holt in the 2nd frame.

2022: In his final season with Boston, went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA (47 ER/109.1 IP) over 20 games/starts, including a 4-0 record and 2.64 ERA in 10 road starts… made at least 20 starts for 7th time in his career…ranked among A.L. leaders (minimum 100.0 IP) in SO/BB (8th, 5.15) and BB/9 (9th, 1.65)…posted a sub-4.00 ERA for the 3rd consecutive season (also 3.72 in 2020, 3.75 in 2021)…outside of outings on 5/17 vs. HOU (6 ER) and 7/22 vs. TOR (9 ER), produced a 2.74 ERA (32 ER/105.0 IP) in his other 18 starts…was slowed by a pair of Injured List stints 6/9-7/14 (low back inflammation) and 8/19-9/28 (right shoulder inflammation), which led to mechanical issues with his delivery…was 1-1, 3.15 (14 ER/40.0
IP) over first 7 starts thru 5/11 before game on 5/17 vs. HOU (1.2 IP, 9 R-6 ER) spiked season figure to 4.32…had 7.0 SHO IP in back-to-back starts, 4/25 at TOR and 4/30 at BAL, including 5.2 hitless frames to open start vs. the O’s…was 3-0, 2.03 (7 ER/31.0 IP) in next 5 starts spanning first IL stint 5/22-7/15 to drop to 3.34, then took loss in Sox’ 28-5 defeat on 7/22 vs. TOR (2.2 IP, 9 R-ER) to rise to 4.30…his 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings from 5/28-7/15 marked 2nd-longest streak of his career (19.0 IP in 2018)…posted a career-high 11 SO on 5/22 vs. SEA…would go 2-0, 2.91 (11 ER/34.0 IP) in final 6 GS beg. 7/27 to finish at 3.87.

NHL Preview: Anaheim Ducks (23-42-10) at Edmonton Oilers (44-23-9)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 1, 2023

NHL Preview: Anaheim Ducks (23-42-10) at Edmonton Oilers (44-23-9)

ANAHEIM DUCKS NOTES:

LAST ANAHEIM DUCKS GAME
MARCH 30, 2023 – ANAHEIM 1 @ SEATTLE 4
The Ducks began a three-game road trip Thursday night with a 4-1 setback to the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Lukas Dostal made 35-of-38 saves in his 13th start of 2022-23 (14th appearance). Brock McGinn scored Anaheim’s lone goal at 10:37 of the second period, his second goal as a Duck and 12th overall this season. Derek Grant and Jakob Silfverberg each recorded assists, with Silfverberg extending his assist streak to a season-long three games (0-3=3).
PP: 0-2 PK: 1-2 SF: 19 SA: 39 TOI: Cam Fowler (27:00)
Three Stars: 1. M. Beniers (SEA) 2. J. Schwartz (SEA) 3. D. Sprong (SEA)

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (PT) TV / AUDIO
Apr. 2 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome 5 p.m. BSSC / Ducks Stream
Apr. 5 Edmonton Honda Center 7 p.m. TNT / Ducks Stream
Apr. 8 Arizona Mullet Arena 2:30 p.m. BSW / Ducks Stream
Apr. 9 Colorado Honda Center 5:30 p.m. TNT / Ducks Stream
Apr. 11 Vancouver Honda Center 7 p.m. BSSC / Ducks Stream

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Mar. 29 Recalled D Andrej Sustr from San Diego (AHL).
Mar. 30 Assigned G Calle Clang from Rogle (SHL) to San Diego (AHL).
Mar. 31 Acquired reserve rights to RW Judd Caulfield from Pittsburgh for reserve rights to D Thimo Nickl.

ANAHEIM DUCKS INJURIES
Man-Games Lost: 386

PLAYER INJURY/ILLNESS EXPECTED ABSENCE GAMES MISSED
John Moore Upper-body Indefinite 75
Jamie Drysdale Torn labrum (shoulder) 4-6 months 67
Urho Vaakanainen Hip surgery 5-6 months 25
Anthony Stolarz Knee surgery Week-to-week 23
Adam Henrique MCL sprain Week-to-week 17
Troy Terry Personal Day-to-day 2
Trevor Zegras Lower body Day-to-day 1

ANAHEIM DUCKS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Anaheim Ducks hit the midway point of a three-game road trip spanning four days tonight vs. the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place (7 p.m. PT, TV: Bally Sports SoCal, AUDIO: Ducks Stream). Anaheim enters tonight with points in five of the last eight road games (3-3-2), 11 of the last 17 (7-5-4) and 13 of the last 19 contests away from home (9-6-4). Tonight opens Anaheim’s 10th set of back-to-back games, posting a 2-11-5 mark overall this season (1-4-4 in the first contest). Anaheim opens a seven-game April schedule, the final contests remaining on Anaheim’s 2022-23 schedule. The Ducks will play in either the Pacific (5 games) and Mountain (2 games), with four home contest and three road on the calendar. Milestones within reach tonight include Trevor Zegras is currently one goal and one assist from matching his career-highs of 23 and 38 respectively set last season, and two points shy of his 61 last season, and Cam Fowler one goal to tying his career high in goals set in 2016-17 (11). Following tonight’s game, the Ducks will conclude the road trip and back-to-back matchup tomorrow, Sunday, April 2 at Calgary (5 p.m. PT).

DUCKS-OILERS: Anaheim and Edmonton face off in the third of a four-game season series tonight and the final of two meetings at Rogers Place. Tonight’s contest also marks the final two meetings in a pan of five days. The Ducks have earned points in six of their past 10 games against the Oilers in Edmonton dating to 2016-17 (5-4-1). Anaheim and Edmonton have split the first two games of the 2022-23 season series, as the Ducks earned a 4-3 win Dec. 17 at Rogers Place and the Oilers took a 6-2 win Jan. 11 in Orange County. Lukas Dostal made a career-high 46 saves in Anaheim’s win Dec. 17, the second-most saves in a game by a Ducks rookie goaltender. The Ducks own a 61-43-12 all-time record vs. the Oilers, including a 28-22-7 mark in Edmonton. Cam Fowler (3-17=20 in 39 GP) leads active Ducks skaters in career scoring and assists vs. the Oilers. Kevin Shattenkirk (6-8=14 in 29 GP) leads current Ducks in career goals vs. Edmonton. These two teams will finish the season series in four days, this Wednesday, Apr. 5 at Honda Center (7 p.m. PT).

ANA-EDM SEASON SERIES:
DATE LOCATION TIME / RESULT TV / AUDIO
Dec. 17 Rogers Place 4-3 ANA win
Jan. 11 Honda Center 6-2 EDM win
Apr. 1 Rogers Place 7 p.m. PT Bally Sports SoCal / Ducks Stream
Apr. 5 Honda Center 7 p.m. PT TNT / Ducks Stream

ANA-EDM ALL-TIME SERIES:
Overall @ Anaheim @ Edmonton
All-Time Series: 61-43-12 33-21-5 28-22-7
Current Streak: One EDM win Two EDM wins One ANA win
Last ANA Win: Dec. 17, 2022 (4-3) Feb. 25, 2020 (4-3 OT) Dec. 17, 2022 (4-3)
Last EDM Win: Jan. 11, 2023 (6-2) Jan. 11, 2023 (6-2) Feb. 17, 2022 (7-3)
ANA Last 10: 3-7-0 5-4-1 5-4-1

EXTRA TIME: Twenty of Anaheim’s 75 games this season have gone beyond regulation. The Ducks have won 10 games in overtime or a shootout (7-7 in OT and 3-3 in SO). The Ducks have also gone past regulation in 10 home games, posting six wins in OT and one in a SO at Honda Center.

EDMONTON OILERS NOTES:

ALL-TIME RECORDS vs. ANAHEIM GP RECORD HOME (57) AWAY (59) GF GA
OILERS ALL-TIME vs. ANAHEIM 116 53-53-2-8 29-23-0-5 24-30-2-3 300 315
OILERS vs. ANAHEIM – 2022-23 2 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 9 6

QUICK FACTS
Saturday’s game will mark Edmonton’s third of four games against Anaheim this season and the second and final game in Edmonton. The next time these teams will meet is April 5th in Anaheim.

The last time these teams met was on January 11th in Edmonton, with the Oilers winning 6-2.

Connor McDavid leads the Oilers with 35 career points against the Ducks and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has played in a team high 33 career games against Anaheim.

EARNING POINTS
The Oilers are 14-4-2 in their last 20 games, outscoring opponents 91-69, while earning at least a point in 16 of the 20 games.

FIVE OF A KIND
The Oilers have scored 5+ goals 29 times this season, posting a record of 27-2-1 when scoring five or more goals in a game.

30 AND COUNTING
The Oilers have four 30+ goal scorers on the team and are the only NHL team to have four players at this mark.
McDavid (61)
Draisaitl (47)
Nugent-Hopkins (35)
Hyman (33)

On Mar. 18 at SEA, Hyman became the fourth Oilers player to hit the 30 goal milestone this season. It marks the first time the Oilers have had four players with 30+ goals since the 1989-90 season, when they had four players reach the mark (Messier, Kurri, Anderson and Tikkanen).

GOALS BY PERIOD
The Oilers rank 1st in the NHL in goals for in the second period with 118. They also rank 1st in the NHL in first period goals with 86 goals.

LAST 10 GAMES vs. ANAHEIM
Record: 7-2-1
GF: 44 GA: 27
2022-23 1/11/23 @ ANA 6-2 W
2022-23 12/17/22 @ EDM 4-3 L
2021-22 4/3/22 @ ANA 6-1 W
2021-22 2/17/22 @ EDM 7-3 W
2021-22 10/19/21 @ EDM 6-5 W
2019-20 2/25/20 @ ANA 4-3 L (OT)
2019-20 11/10/19 @ ANA 6-2 W
2018-19 3/30/19 @ EDM 5-1 L
2018-19 2/23/19 @ EDM 2-1 W
2018-19 1/6/19 @ ANA 4-0 W

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (41-20-14) at Colorado Avalanche (44-24-6)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 1, 2023

NHL Preview: Dallas Stars (41-20-14) at Colorado Avalanche (44-24-6)

DALLAS STARS NOTES:

LAST DALLAS STARS GAME
March 31, 2023 – STARS 5 at COYOTES 2
Led by forward Jason Robertson’s historic four-point night (1-3—4), the Stars came away with a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Friday night. Robertson’s lone goal – his third point of the night – gave him his 94th point of the season, (42-52—94), surpassing Mike Modano (50-43—93) for the most points in a single season in Dallas Stars history (1993-present). Forward Joe Pavelski (1-0—1) opened the scoring with his 23rd goal of the season just 1:23 into the game, while forwards Roope Hintz (1-1—2), Jamie Benn (1-0—1) and Max Domi (1-0–1) rounded out the scoring. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen (0-3—3) recorded his 16th multiassist game of the season, while fellow blueliner Esa Lindell (0-2—2) added two helpers. Goaltender Jake Oettinger recorded his 33rd victory of the season with 16 saves on 18 shots.
PP: 1-5 | PK: 1-2 | SF: 31 | SA: 18 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (26:39 – game high) | Attendance: 4,600
Three Stars: 1. DAL – J. Robertson 2. DAL – R. Hintz 3. ARI – J. Valimaki

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time (CT) Location TV/Radio
Sat, April 1, 2023 Colorado Avalanche 8 p.m. Ball Arena BSSWX/KTCK
Mon, April 3, 2023 Nashville Predators 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSWX/KTCK
Thu, April 6, 2023 Philadelphia Flyers 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center BSSW/KTCK
Sat, April 8, 2023 Vegas Golden Knights 2:30 p.m. American Airlines Center ABC/KTCK
Mon, April 10, 2023 Detroit Red Wings 6 p.m. Little Caesars Arena BSSWX/KTCK

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March 29 – Signed forward Matthew Seminoff to a three-year entry-level contract
March 31 – Loaned goaltender Scott Wedgewood to the Texas Stars on a conditioning assignment

INJURIES
Man-games lost, 2022-23: 72

NAME INJURY GAMES
MISSED DATES
D Miro Heiskanen Upper body 3 Oct. 25-29
G Jake Oettinger Lower body 4 Nov. 1-8
F Denis Gurianov Upper body 6 Nov. 11-21
F Roope Hintz Lower body 1 Nov. 19
F Roope Hintz Upper body 7 Jan. 10-21
F Joel Kiviranta Lower body 11 Feb. 8-Mar. 4
F Luke Glendening Undisclosed 11 Feb. 18-Mar. 13
G Scott Wedgewood Undisclosed 1 Feb. 22-25
Undisclosed 14 Mar. 1-28
F Tyler Seguin Lower body 6 Mar. 11-21
F Mason Marchment Lower body 8 Mar. 14-pres.

DALLAS STARS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Stars close out their back-to-back set tonight against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena (8 p.m. CT, TV: Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). This is Dallas’ penultimate set of back-to-backs this season (nine of 10 in all) and the final time the club faces Colorado this season. The Stars are 1-1-1 against the Avs this season, including a 4-1 loss at Ball Arena on Nov. 26, 2022. Following tonight’s game, the Stars will return to Dallas to open a three-game homestand beginning Monday against Nashville.

MY SOURCES SAY THE ROADS ARE CLEAR AND STREET SIGNS POINT THE WAY

Dallas is 1-1-1 vs. Colorado this season, earning a 7-3 victory at American Airlines Center in the most recent meeting on March 4.
The Stars are 67-64-20 all-time vs. the Avs, including a 25-42-8 mark on the road.
Forward Jason Robertson posted two goals and three points (2-1—3) in Dallas’ win on March 4 and leads the club with six points (4-2—6) in three games against the Avs this season. Robertson enters tonight’s contest with five goals and nine points (5-4–9) in six career games vs. Colorado.
Forward Joe Pavelski has two goals and three points (2-1—3) in three games against Colorado this season. Pavelski leads active Stars in goals (20) and points (20-24—44) and ranks third in assists (24) in 52 career games against Colorado. He also paces the club in power-play goals (11) and game winners (4) against them.
Forward Roope Hintz has three points (all assists) in three games against the Avs this season. Hintz enters tonight’s contest with nine points (2-7—9) in 12 career games against them.
Forward Tyler Seguin ranks second among active Stars in goals (18) and fourth in assists (22) and points (18-22—40).
Captain Jamie Benn ranks second among active Stars in assists (30) and points (13-30—43) in 53 career games vs. the Avs.
Defenseman Ryan Suter leads active Stars in assists (27) and ranks third in points (5-37—42) in a team-high 79 career games vs. Colorado.
Goaltender Jake Oettinger is 3-0-1 with a 1.78 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in four career appearances against the Avalanche.
Netminder Scott Wedgewood is 1-1-0 with a 3.58 GAA and .894 SV% in three career appearances vs. Colorado.

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Nov. 21, 2022 vs. Colorado – L, 3-2 (shootout)
Nov. 26, 2022 at Colorado – L, 4-1
March 4 vs. Colorado – W, 7-3
April 1 at Colorado

COLORADO AVALANCHE NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME
COLORADO AVALANCHE (44-24-6, 94 PTS) vs. DALLAS STARS (41-20-14, 96 PTS)
7:08 p.m. – Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Altitude / 92.5 FM

The Colorado Avalanche wraps up a two-game homestand tonight against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena … Colorado fell to the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Wednesday night … The Avs will hit the road next as they open a four-game California road trip on Tuesday night in San Jose … Despite Wednesday’s loss, the Avs are still 9-2-0 in their last 11 games, 16-5-1 in their last 22 contests and 24-7-3 in their last 34 games … Colorado is 11-5-2 in its last 18 home dates … The Avs have won a season-high six straight road games, are 10-1-0 in their last 11 road contests and 13-2-1 in their last 16 away from the Mile High City.

ON THE CALL
Altitude: Marc Moser (play-by-play), Mark Rycroft (analyst), Katie Gaus (reporter) Altitude Radio: Conor McGahey

LAST GAME
March 29 – Minnesota 4, Colorado 2 at Ball Arena
The Avalanche out-shot the Wild 44-29, including a 19-4 margin in the third period, but Filip Gustavsson made 42 saves and Minnesota hung on to beat Colorado, 4-2, at Ball Arena … Frederick Gaudreau scored a pair of shorthanded goals, including an empty netter to seal the victory, and Marcus Johansson and Sam Steel also lit the lamp for the Wild … Bowen Byram and Lars Ellers had the goals for Colorado, and Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves.
SF: 44 SA: 29 PP: 0-4 PK: 3-3

Colorado’s power-play unit failed to score for the first time since March 5, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive games with a power-play goal
The Avalanche’s PK unit went 3-for-3 and has killed off 11 straight opponent power plays … Colorado has allowed only two power-play goals in the last seven games (17/19, 89.5%) and only five PPG in the last 15 contests (40/45, 88.9%) Byram’s goal was his 10th of the year … He is just the third defenseman in franchise history to reach double-digit goals in a season at age 21 or younger, joining Jeff Brown (21) in 1987-88 (16 goals) and Cale Makar (21) in 2019-20 (12 goals) Byram extended his goal streak to three games, the longest stretch of his career … He joins Cale Makar (three times), Erik Johnson (twice), Ray Bourque (twice), Patrice Brisebois, Tyson Barrie, John-Michael Liles and Sandis Ozolinsh as the only Avalanche defensemen to score a goal in three consecutive games (since relocating) Samuel Girard recorded his 147th career assist with Colorado, passing Rob Blake (146) for eighth place on the franchise’s all-time assist list by a defenseman

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Mar. 31 – Ben Meyers recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL)
Mar. 30 – Sam Malinski signed to a two-year contract for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons … Ondrej Pavel signed to a two-year, entry-level contract for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons … Both players will report to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on a professional tryout contract (PTO) for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign Mar. 29 – Jason Polin signed to a one-year, entry-level contract for the 2023-24 season … He will report to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on a professional tryout contract (PTO).

CURRENT INJURIES
Pavel Francouz – lower body (Feb. 14 – present)
Gabriel Landeskog – knee (Oct. 12 – present)
Artturi Lehkonen – finger (March 15 – present)
Josh Manson – lower body (March 4 – present)
Total Man-Game Lost: 419

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – DALLAS STARS
The Avalanche and Stars close out the season series with the fourth and final meeting of 2022-23 … Colorado is 2-1-0 against Dallas this year, 1-0-0 on home ice

SCHEDULE vs. STARS
Nov. 21 @ Dallas (W, 3-2 SO)
Nov. 26 vs. DALLAS (W, 4-1)
Mar. 4 @ Dallas (L, 3-7)
Apr. 1 vs. DALLAS

RECORD vs. STARS
THIS SEASON 2021-22 ALL-TIME SINCE 1995-96 PLAYOFFS
Overall: 2-1-0 Overall: 1-2-0 Overall: 72-56-23 Overall: 49-38-19 Series: 5 (2-3)
Home: 1-0-0 Home: 0-1-0 Home: 43-19-13 Home: 27-14-11 Record: 18-14
Road: 1-1-0 Road: 1-1-0 Road: 29-37-10 Road: 22-24-8 Last: 2020 R2 (L, 3-4)

ONE MONTH AT A TIME
The Avalanche finished 10-5-1 in March, the 27th consecutive month that Colorado has posted a .500 or better record in, the longest streak in franchise history … They topped the previous mark of 26 straight months with a .500 or better record set from March 1994 to February 1998 …. This current run, which began in February 2019, is the third-longest active streak behind the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, who just extended their streaks to 31 and 28 months, respectively … Twenty five (25) of these last 27 months featured a winning record, as only October 2021 (4-4-0) and October 2022 (4-4-1) did not.

GRAND CENTRAL
Colorado is 16-6-1 against Central Division teams this season, 8-2-1 at home and 8-4-0 on the road … The Avalanche’s streak of six straight home wins against divisional opponents came to an end on Wednesday against Minnesota.

ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT AND I AIN’T GOT NOBODY
The Avalanche are 15-4-0 (.789) on Saturdays this season, the most wins of any team in the NHL … Colorado’s .789 winning percentage on Saturday trails only Boston (14-2-2, .833).

FIRST AND FOREMOST
The Avs have scored the first goal of the game on 46 occasions this year, tied with Dallas for the most of any team in the NHL… Colorado is 35-7-4 when scoring first, the third-most wins when potting the first goal behind Boston (38) and Carolina (36).

APRIL FOOLS
The Avalanche are 4-5-2 all-time on April Fools Day … Tonight is just the fourth time that Colorado has hosted a game on April 1
April 1, 1998 at Detroit L, 0-2
April 1, 2002 NASHVILLE W, 5-1
April 1, 2008 at Vancouver W, 4-2
April 1, 2009 PHOENIX L, 0-3
April 1, 2011 at Phoenix W, 4-3 SO
April 1, 2013 at Detroit L, 2-3
April 1, 2014 at Columbus W, 3-2 OT
April 1, 2015 at San Jose L, 1-5
April 1, 2016 WASHINGTON L, 2-4
April 1, 2018 at Anaheim O, 3-4
April 1, 2019 at St. Louis O, 2-3

EXTRA CREDIT
The Avalanche are 13-6 in games decided past regulation, 7-3 in overtime and 6-3 in shootouts … The 13 wins beyond 60 minutes lead the league while Colorado’s .684 points percentage ranks second (Winnipeg, .769, 10-3)…. Colorado is 221-189- 204 all-time in overtime contests … The Avalanche are 83-47 (.638) all-time in shootouts, the highest winning percentage of any team since the tiebreaker started in 2005-06 … The Avs have the best all-time shooting percentage at 37.6% (164/436) and the second-best save percentage at .722 (322/446) … Colorado’s .813 shootout save percentage (26/32) this season ranks first in the NHL … Alexandar Georgiev, who stopped all seven attempts in the March 26 win over the Coyotes, leads the NHL in shootout wins (5) and is second in save percentage (.793).

NHL Preview: New Jersey Devils (47-20-8) at Chicago Blackhawks (24-45-6)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 1, 2023

NHL Preview: New Jersey Devils (47-20-8) at Chicago Blackhawks (24-45-6)

NEW JERSEY DEVILS NOTES:

Last Game:
New York Rangers 1 New Jersey Devils 2
(44-21-10 – 98 PTS) (47-20-8 – 102 PTS)
Three Stars: 1. T. Meier 2. E. Haula 3. V. Vanecek

SCORE 1ST 2ND 3RD OT SO FINAL
NY Rangers 0 1 0 – – 1
DEVILS 2 0 0 – – 2
Goals:
NYR: C. Kreider (PPG)
NJD: E. Haula, T. Meier (PPG)

INJURIES/ILLNESS
PLAYER INJURY OUT SINCE GAMES MISSED
Jonathan Bernier – LTIR Lower-body, hip 2021-22 75
Nate Bastian Upper-body 3/13/23 9
Curtis Lazar Undisclosed 3/19/23 6
2022-23 Total Man-Games Lost to Injury/illness: 210

TRANSACTIONS
3/26/23 Akira Schmid Reassigned to Utica
3/31/23 Nolan Foote Reassigned to Utica

WHAT TO KNOW
The Devils officially clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday, March 25 for the first time since 2017-18, but also earned 100 points in a season for the first time since 2011-12 (48-28-6=102 PTS). It marked the 14th time in franchise history that the Devils earned 100, or more, points in a single season for the standings. After Thursday’s win vs the New York Rangers, the Devils earned more than 100 points for the first time since 2011-12 (102 PTS). The most points that the Devils earned in a single season was 111 PTS, after posting a 48-19-12 record in 2000-01. The last time that the Devils earned 46, or more, wins in a single season was also in 2011-12 when the team earned 48 wins, as noted above. The team earned more than 45 wins in a season 12 times for franchise history. The Devils enter Saturday’s contest four wins shy of tying the franchise record (51) for the most wins in a single season, which was earned in 2008-09. Jersey’s team opens its 12 back-to-back set for the 2022-23 campaign. The Devils are 5-5-1 in first half games and 9-2-0 in the second half for back-to-back sets this season. The team’s nine wins in second half games played are tied for the most in the NHL with Boston, but Jersey’s .818 points% for second half games ranks first in the NHL.

UNDEFEATED
Looking ahead…The Devils visit Winnipeg on Sunday and can become the third American team in NHL history who were undefeated when playing at least eight road games vs a Canadian-based team in a single season. The Devils are one of three American clubs to have gone undefeated in road games against Canadian-based clubs when playing at least seven such games:

MARCH MADNESS
The Devils’ schedule for March entailed 16 games, which marks the most contests that the team played in a single month this season. The second most games played in a single month this season was 14 in November, after the team posted a 13-1-0 record. New Jersey logged an 8-5-3 record for the month of March and the team’s power play ranked sixth in the NHL for the month at 25.7%. The team’s penalty kill also ranked sixth in the NHL for the month at 85.7%.

RUNNING WITH THE DEVILS (ON THE ROAD)
New Jersey enters Saturday’s with the second most road wins in the NHL this season (26-7-4), while Boston’s 27 wins (27-8-2) rank first. New Jersey’s points% (.757) on the road ranks first in the NHL (tied) – Boston is also .757. New Jersey logged 28 road wins (28-10-3) in 1998-99, which marked the most road victories in franchise history. The Devils are scheduled for three more road games, after Saturday’s contest in Chicago.

VS CONFERENCE/DIVISION
The Devils are 21-4-5 vs the Western Conference this season. The franchise record for most wins vs the Western Conference was 18, which was logged in 2000-01. Jersey’s team is 7-4-3 vs the Central Division. The Devils own a 26-16-3 record vs the Eastern Conference and 15-6-2 vs the Metropolitan Division

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
Overall: 14-7-1
First game: 5-5-1 | home: 0-1-0 | road: 5-4-1
Second game: 9-2-0 | home: 4-2-0 | road: 5-0-0

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: NBCSCH – Mike Monaco (PxP) and Cassie Campbell-Pascall (analyst)
RADIO: WGN-AM 720 – John Wiedeman (PxP) and Troy Murray (analyst)
SPANISH RADIO: Univision Sports Radio 1200 AM – Miguel Esparza (PxP) and Jorge Moreno (analyst) 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 4 at CGY, 8:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Thursday, April 6 at VAN, 9:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Saturday, April 8 at SEA, 9:00 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)
Monday, April 10 vs. MIN, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPN, WGN Radio, Univision (Spanish))
Tuesday, April 11 at PIT, 6:30 p.m. CT (NBCSCH, WGN Radio)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March 29 – Assigned Mike Hardman to Rockford … March 26 – Assigned Buddy Robinson to Rockford …
March 25 – Activated Reese Johnson (concussion protocol) and assigned Anton Khudobin to Rockford …
March 15 – Recalled Anton Khudobin from Rockford … March 14 – Signed Wyatt Kaiser to three-year, entry-level contract … March 13 – Recalled Mike Hardman and Buddy Robinson from Rockford … March 12 – Assigned Luke Philp, Filip Roos and Anton Khudobin to Rockford … March 9 – Recalled Filip Roos from Rockford.

LAST TIME OUT
Score: Chicago (3) vs. St. Louis (5) – Thu., March 30 – United Center
CHI Goals: Athanasiou (15; PP), Johnson (10; PP), Katchouk (5)
STL Goals: Vrana (10), Brown (2), Toropchenko (8), Kyrou (34), Saad (19; EN)
Goalies: CHI – Mrazek (24/28, 57:31) STL – Binnington (30/33, 60:00)
CHI PP: 2/3; PK: 2/2
STL PP: 0/2; PK: 1/3
Recap: The Blackhawks fell 5-3 to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday in Chicago … The Blackhawks scored two power-play goals for the first time since Feb. 27 vs. ANA … Andreas Athanasiou scored his 15th goal of the season and third power-play tally on the year … Tyler Johnson also scored on the power play, his fourth power-play goal of the season … Boris Katchouk scored his fifth goal of the season, giving him eight points (3G, 5A) over his last 11 games … Taylor Raddysh chipped in two assists … Seth Jones, Caleb Jones and Lukas Reichel each tallied an assist.

TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Chicago has points in four of their last six against the Devils (3-2-1) and are 5-3-0 over their last eight home contests against the club … Tyler Johnson has points in six-straight games against New Jersey (5G, 5A), with goals in five straight between Oct. 30, 2018 – Jan. 12, 2020 … Seth Jones has six assists over his last five games against New Jersey, including two multi-point efforts … Andreas Athanasiou has five points (2G, 3A) over his last seven contests against the Devils … Assistant Coach Kevin Dean played for the Devils from 1994-99, playing in 198 career games … He also served as an assistant coach for the Lowell Devils (currently Utica Comets) of the American Hockey League from 2006-10.

2022-23 Schedule/Results: HOME: April 1 | AWAY: Dec. 6 (0-3)
All-Time Record: 52-41-25 | Home: 31-16-11 | Road: 21-25-14 
Last Home Win: Feb. 25, 2022 (8-5) | Last Road Win: Dec. 6, 2019 (2-1 SO) | Last Home Loss: Dec. 23,
2019 (1-7) Last Road Loss: Dec. 2, 2022 (0-3)

ACTIVE BLACKHAWKS VS. NJD ALL-TIME
GOALS: Tyler Johnson, 8; Andreas Athanasiou, 2; 3 players tied at 1
ASSISTS: Seth Jones, 13; Tyler Johnson, 10; Nikita Zaitsev, 4
POINTS: Tyler Johnson, 18; Seth Jones, 14; Andreas Athanasiou, 5

BLACKHAWKS RECORD ON…
One-Day Rest: 13-22-1
Two-Days Rest: 5-5-0
Three+ Days Rest: 2-2-2
First Game of a B2B: 2-6-2
Second Game of a B2B: 1-11-1

BLACKHAWKS RECORD BY DAY
Monday: 1-3-0
Tuesday: 4-9-1
Wednesday: 1-7-0
Thursday: 5-7-1
Friday: 5-2-2
Saturday: 5-10-1
Sunday: 3-7-1

NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (44-20-10) at Ottawa Senators (37-33-5)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 1, 2023

NHL Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs (44-20-10) at Ottawa Senators (37-33-5)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 2 vs. Florida 3 – OTW
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
TOR Goals: Aston-Reese, Matthews
FLA Goals: Lundell, Reinhart (PP), Montour (OTW)
TOR Goaltender: Samsonov, 26/29, .897 SV%
FLA Goaltender: Lyon, 38/40, .950 SV%
TOR Power Play: 0-for-4
TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-4
Player Notes: – Zach Aston-Reese scored for Toronto at 3:13 of the second period. Aston-Reese recorded his eighth goal of the season, tying an NHL career second-best, just one goal away from his previous career-high of nine goals which he set in the 2020-21 season with Pittsburgh. At 11:33 of the second period, Aston-Reese was awarded the first penalty shot attempt of his NHL career but was unsuccessful.

Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs at 6:40 of the third period. Matthews extended his point streak to seven games where he has posted 11 points (6G, 5A). With Wednesday’s goal, Matthews recorded the 296th goal of his NHL career, tying him for sixth on Toronto’s all-time list with Frank Mahovlich and George Armstrong.
Mitch Marner registered the primary assist on Matthews’ goal. Marner extended his point streak to 11 games where he has recorded 18 points (6G, 12A).

Team Notes: – The Maple Leafs have posted a 7-10 record in overtime this season.

TONIGHT’S GAME
2022-23 Matchups vs. Ottawa: Fourth of Four
2021-22 Record vs. Ottawa: 3-1-0
Toronto Season Record: 44-20-10
Toronto Road Record: 19-13-4

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The Maple Leafs are set to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight in the fourth of four matchups between the clubs this season. Toronto has posted a 2-1-0 record against the Senators during the 2022-23 campaign. The Maple Leafs have posted a 19-13-4 record on the road this season. Toronto is playing in their first game of a back-to-back. The team has posted a 7-5-0 record in such games this season. With the Ottawa Senators 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Monday, March 27th, the Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot for the seventh-straight season. Earning a playoff spot in seven-consecutive seasons is the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. Toronto earned their spot in the playoffs for the 72nd time in franchise history. The Maple Leafs were the fourth team to clinch a playoff spot for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs following Boston, Carolina and New Jersey.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: TSN 1050
Toronto Maple Leafs: Media Notes

NEXT GAME
Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Opponent: vs. Detroit Red Wings
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Broadcast Information: Sportsnet Ontario (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March 31, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled forward Radim Zohorna from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.
March 28, 2023 The Maple Leafs loaned goaltender Joseph Woll to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
March 23, 2023 The Maple Leafs recalled goaltender Joseph Woll from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on an emergency basis.

INJURY REPORT
Noel Acciari Neck
Bobby McMann Knee
Victor Mete Lower Body (LTIR)
Jake Muzzin Neck (LTIR)
Ryan O’Reilly Broken Finger (LTIR)
Nick Robertson Shoulder (LTIR)

ALL-TIME VS. OTTAWA SENATORS:
First Matchup between Clubs: October 20, 1992 (Toronto 5 vs. Ottawa 3)
All-Time Record: 66-57-3-13 (139 Games)
All-Time Record at Home: 37-23-2-8 (70 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road: 29-34-1-5 (69 Games)
Last Road Win vs. Opponent: March 18, 2023 (Toronto 5 at Ottawa 4 – SOW)

ACTIVE LEADERS VS. OTTAWA SENATORS:
Games Played: John Tavares (50), Luke Schenn (40), Morgan Rielly (39)
Goals: Auston Matthews (23), Mitch Marner (12), Wayne Simmonds (11), John Tavares (11)
Assists: Mitch Marner (24), John Tavares (24), Auston Matthews (20)
Points: Auston Matthews (43), Mitch Marner (36), John Tavares (35)
Penalty Minutes: Luke Schenn (49), Wayne Simmonds (38), John Tavares (28)

2022-23 AVERAGES
Points% GF/Game GA/Game PP% PK% SF/G SA/G FO%
Toronto .662 3.41 2.76 25.2 80.3 32.0 29.3 53.2
Ottawa .527 3.19 3.24 24.7 81.7 33.3 31.7 51.4

THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2022-23
Power Play: 25.2%
Power Play Goal Leader: 15 – Tavares
Power Play Point Leader: 35 – Tavares (15G, 20A)
2021-22 Power Play: 63/231 (27.3%)

ON THE PK IN 2022-23
Penalty Kill: 80.3%
Shorthanded Goal Leader: 4 – Marner
Shorthanded Point Leader: 5 – Marner (4G, 1A)
2021-22 Penalty Kill: 192/234 (82.1%)

FAST FACTS
Saturday games 21st of 22 (10 home, 12 road)
Back-to-Backs played 12 of 14
Record in first game of back-to-back 7-5-0
Record in second game of back-to-back 8-3-1
April games 1st of 8 (3 home, 5 road)

OTTAWA SENATORS NOTES:

LAST GAME: March 30, 5-4 OT win vs. Philadelphia: The Senators held Philadelphia to 11 shots, the fewest of any NHL team in a game this season, and emerged with a 5-4 overtime win at Canadian Tire Centre. The victory saw the Flyers’ five-game winning streak halted as DeBrincat tallied his second overtime game-winning goal of the season at 1:36 of the extra session. Stützle had a multi-point game for Ottawa (one goal, one assist) with the marker coming as his 37th of the season, the most by a Senators skater since 2008-09, while the assist was the 100th of his NHL career. Pinto became the eighth rookie in team history to reach the 20-goal plateau with Watson and Giroux also finding the back of the net for the home side. DeAngelo, York, Cates and Tippett replied for the visitors. Talbot earned the win for Ottawa in making seven saves on 11 shots while Sandstrom took the loss for Philadelphia in making 41 saves. Scratch: Gauthier; Injuries: Chabot, Chychrun, Forsberg, Greig, Joseph, Kelly, Norris; Shots: OTT – 46, PHI – 11; PP: OTT – 1-3, PHI – 2-2.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: This evening’s game against Toronto will be broadcast nationally on CBC and Sportsnet Ontario as a part of Hockey Night in Canada. On the radio, the game will be available locally via TSN 1200 (English) and 94,5 Unique-FM (French).

WHAT’S NEXT: Ottawa begins a three-game road trip against Columbus tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. The contest will mark the third of three regular-season meetings and the lone matchup at Nationwide Arena.

INJURY REPORT: G Forsberg and C Norris are on IR and will not oppose the Maple Leafs this evening. F Kelly has missed the last nine games with a lower-body injury. D Chychrun and C Greig have missed the last three games with a lower body and upper body injury respectively. D Chabot missed Thursday evening’s game with an upper-body injury. Total man-games lost: 277.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Recalled D Bernard-Docker from Belleville (AHL) on March 31.
OTTAWA vs. TORONTO – History:
2022-23 (1-1-1): Oct. 15 @ Toronto (3-2 loss), Jan. 27 @ Toronto (6-2 win), March 18 @ Ottawa (5-4 SO loss), April 1 @ Ottawa
2021-22 (1-2-1): 10/14/21 @ Ottawa (3-2 win), 10/16/21 @ Toronto (3-1 loss), 1/1/22 @ Toronto (6-0 loss), 4/16/22 @ Ottawa (5-4 OT loss)
Series record: Overall: 70-53-3-13; Home: 39-21-1-8; Away: 31-32-2-5
Last Ottawa win: @ Ottawa: 10/14/21 (3-2); @ Toronto: Jan. 27 (6-2)
Last Toronto win: @ Ottawa: March 18 (5-4 SO); @ Toronto: Oct. 15 (3-2)
Last OT result: 4/16/22 (5-4 OT loss) @ Ottawa
Last shootout: March 18 (5-4 SO loss) @ Ottawa
Most goals, game: Scored: 8, (3x, Last: 4/3/08, 8-2 win); Allowed: 7, (2/18/21, 7-3 loss); Both teams: 11, (3x, Last: 4/10/21, 6-5 loss)
Last Game: March 18, 5-4 SO loss @ Ottawa; OTT Goals: Tkachuk (x2), Gauthier, Stützle; TOR Goals: Jarnkrok (x2), McCabe, Marner; OTT Scratches: Holden, Kastelic; OTT Injuries: Forsberg, Joseph, Kelly, Norris, Talbot; OTT Goalie: Sogaard; TOR Goalie: Murray; OTT PP: 1-3; TOR PP: 1-2; Shots: 52-29.
Career vs. Toronto: Giroux leads all players in career games played (43), in goals (17), in assists (28) and in points (45); Hamonic leads in penalty minutes (24) against Toronto.

SWEATER WEATHER: The Senators enter their third season of wearing a primary logo which sees the organization return to its roots with the implementation of the modified original “2D” logo. The team has earned a 88-99-16 all-time record (33-32-5 this season) while wearing its current sweater. Ottawa unveiled their Reverse Retro jersey on Oct. 20 and wore the sweater on five occasions in 2022-23 (4-1-0 this season). The Senators hold an all-time record of 116-76-7-25 when wearing an alternate; 27-19-2-5 when wearing a red alternate, 88-56-5-19 when wearing a black alternate and 1-1-0-1 when wearing a cream alternate.

HOME ON THE RANGE: Ottawa has a record of 22-13-3 at home this season … Tim Stützle is the Senators leader with 24 goals at home while also maintaining the club lead with 30 assists at Canadian Tire Centre … Through 38 home games, Stützle leads the team with 54 points on home ice … The Senators earned a record of 15-22-4 at home through 41 home contests in 2021-22.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: Ottawa will play back-to-back games on 12 occasions in 2022-23 and will open their 12th set of the season this evening when Toronto visits Canadian Tire Centre ahead of visiting Columbus tomorrow night … The Senators played 17 back-to-back sets last season and earned a record of 6-9-2 in the first half of contests on consecutive nights (7-4-0 this season) while posting an 8-8-1 record (6-5-0 this season) in the second half of games on consecutive days.

ON THE POWER PLAY: The Senators are 69 for 279 (24.7%) on the power-play in 2022-23 … Drake Batherson leads with 14 powerplay goals while Alex DeBrincat and Tkachuk maintain the club lead with 28 points while the team enjoys a man advantage … Ottawa has recorded multiple power-play goals 18 times in an individual contest in 2022-23 after having done so 11 times in 2021-22.

ON THE PENALTY KILL: Ottawa has overcome 219 of the 268 occasions the team has been shorthanded in 2022-23 to maintain an efficiency of 81.7% through 75 regular-season games … The team has registered nine (Stützle x3, Watson x3, Joseph x2, Motte) shorthanded markers this season after recording nine such goals in 2021-22.

NHL Preview: New York Islanders (39-28-9) at Tampa Bay Lightning (44-26-6)

Hockey
NHL

NHL Editor

April 1, 2023

NHL Preview: New York Islanders (39-28-9) at Tampa Bay Lightning (44-26-6)

NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Wednesday, Mar. 29 SO Win NYI 2 at WSH 1 Engvall Sorokin (25/26)
Pierre Engvall scored a goal for the second straight game following a scoreless first period, then Kyle Palmieri potted the game-deciding goal in the shootout to help the Islanders defeat the Washington Capitals, 2-1, Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Brock Nelson and Alexander Romanov each tallied assists on Engvall’s goal, and Ilya Sorokin turned aside 25 of 26 shots faced as the Islanders captured their first shootout victory of the season.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS & UPDATES
Mar. 31 Aidan Fulp and Travis Mitchell have agreed to terms on two-year, two-way entry-level contracts beginning with the 2023-24 season.

INJURIES GAMES MISSED

3 Adam Pelech Dec. 9 – Jan. 21

8 Noah Dobson Jan. 23 – Jan. 28

10 Simon Holmstrom Dec. 23 – Jan. 6

12 Josh Bailey Nov. 29, Feb. 18 – Feb. 24

13 Mathew Barzal Jan. 6, Feb. 20 –

15 Cal Clutterbuck Oct. 13, Nov. 8, Dec. 2- Dec. 6, Dec. 17 – Jan. 3, Jan. 21 – Mar. 9

20 Hudson Fasching Jan. 19 – Jan. 28

21 Kyle Palmieri Nov. 23 – Dec. 13, Dec. 17 – Jan. 21

25 Sebastian Aho Oct. 13 – Oct. 20, Mar. 21 –

26 Oliver Wahlstrom Oct. 13, Dec. 29 –

36 Otto Koivula Mar. 11 – Mar. 15

40 Semyon Varlamov Dec. 19 – Jan. 1

44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau Feb. 14 – Mar. 11

Man Games Lost: 194

RECENT RESULTS
Wednesday, Mar. 29 at Washington W/SO (2-1)
Monday, Mar. 27 vs. New Jersey W (5-1)
Saturday, Mar. 25 vs. Buffalo L (2-0)
Friday, Mar. 24 at Columbus L/ OT (5-4)
Tuesday, Mar. 21 vs. Toronto W (7-2)
Saturday, Mar. 18 at San Jose W (4-1)

VS. TAMPA BAY:
Last five meetings (0-5-0)
Oct. 22, 2022 AMALIE Arena L, 5-3
Apr. 29, 2022 UBS Arena L, 6-4
Mar. 27, 2022 UBS Arena L, 4-1
Nov. 15, 2021 AMALIE Arena L, 4-1
Feb. 8, 2020 AMALIE Arena L, 3-1

2022-23 0-1-0
Franchise History 49-48-3-7
NYI Home 28-21-1-3
NYI Away 21-27-2-4

SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION RESULT/TIME
Oct. 22, 2022 AMALIE Arena L, 5-3
Apr. 1, 2023 AMALIE Arena 7:00pm
Apr. 6, 2023 UBS Arena 7:30pm

TEAM NOTES
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second of three matchups between the two clubs this season. These teams last met at the beginning of the 2022-23 regular season, on October 22, 2022. The Islanders fell to the Lightning in a 5-3 decision at AMALIE Arena. Tonight, the Islanders will look to earn their first win against Tampa Bay since December 9, 2019, and will face them twice in the next six days. The Islanders enter tonight’s matchup with a 6-3-1 record in their last ten games, after earning their first shootout victory of the season on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. The Islanders also enter their final back-to-back series of the season tonight, looking to improve to 8-6-1 in front-ends.

MARCH
The Islanders finished the month of March with an 8-3-1 record after earning a shootout victory against the Capitals. Their eight wins in March are the most they’ve recorded in a single month since November. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin backstopped the Islanders to each win they collected last month. Sorokin has an 8-1-2 record in his last 11 starts. He recorded his 28th win of the season and 8th win in March on Wednesday night in Washington, making 25 saves on 26 shots. It was the 20th instance in 54 starts this season that Sorokin allowed one goal or fewer. Sorokin recorded eight wins last month, the first time an Islanders netminder has done so since 2013, and is tied for the franchise record (Nabokov, DiPietro, Salo). Sorokin was tied for second-most wins amongst NHL goalies in March (Skinner, 10). In ten starts in March, Sorokin posted a 8-1-1 record, .919 SV% and 2.29 GAA. He allowed just 23 goals on 283 shots faced, the fewest of any netminder who made at least ten appearances last month. The Mezhdurechensk, RUS native’s 54 starts are tied with Igor Shesterkin for seventh in the league this season. Sorokin has a .924 SV%, third-most amongst NHL netminders with at least 25 games played (Ullmark, Gustavsson). He is also fourth in the league in GAA (2.36, min. 25 GP), and is tied with Darcy Kuemper (WSH) and Alexandar Georgiev (COL) for the league-lead in shutouts (five). The Islanders are third in the NHL in team save percentage (.914) and fourth in goals-against average (2.63) through 76 games.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING NOTES:

LAST GAME
Lightning 5 vs. Washington 1
The Tampa Bay Lightning earned a second-consecutive victory with a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals March 30 at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts improved to 44-26-6 on the season with a home record of 26-7-5…Tampa Bay finished the season series vs. WSH with a 2-1-0 record…Alex Killorn opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 9:20 mark of the first period when he redirected a point shot from Mikhail Sergachev to give him 24 goals on the season…Steven Stamkos recorded the secondary assist on Killorn’s game-opening goal…With 4.9 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare won an offensive zone faceoff back to Stamkos, who rifled a shot into the top left corner with 2.8 seconds left in the first period for his 32nd goal of the season…Craig Smith got WSH back within one when he scored to make it a 2-1 game with 3:50 remaining in the second period…Just 4:30 into the third period, Anthony Cirelli fired a shot on goal and Pat Maroon was there to jump on the rebound and bury his fourth goal of the season to put the Lightning up 3-1…With 3:32 remaining in regulation, Maroon found himself on the doorstep once again and buried his second goal of the night to make it a 4-1 game with Cirelli and Killorn picking up the helpers…Erik Cernak added an empty-net goal at the 18:06 mark to put a bow on the 5-1 win for Tampa Bay…Andrei Vasilevskiy got the start in goal and made 30 saves on 31 shots against for his 33rd win of the season.
PP: TBL – 1-2 WSH – 0-4
SOG: TBL – 34 WSH – 31
Attendance: 19,092

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Lightning and Islanders are playing the second of three matchups this season and the second of two meetings at AMALIE Arena…Tampa Bay and NYI will face off two times over a span of six days with the final meeting set for April 6 at UBS Arena…The Bolts are 1-0-0 vs. NYI this season following a 5-3 win Oct. 22 at AMALIE Arena…Brayden Point opened the scoring at the 10:43 mark of the first period to give the Lightning an early 1-0 lead…Matt Martin tied the score at one just 1:46 after Point’s game-opening goal…Brandon Hagel scored his first goal of the season and gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead with 1:57 left in the first period…Corey Perry extended the lead with his second goal of the season 3:12 into the second period…Anthony Beauvillier got the Islanders back within one at the 9:36 mark of the middle frame…Nick Paul scored his first goal of the season with 0.1 seconds remaining in the second period to restore the Lightning’s two-goal lead…Ryan Pulock scored the first goal of the third period with 14:15 remaining in regulation to shrink Tampa Bay’s lead back to one…Alex Killorn put the Bolts back up by two at the 14:08 mark of the third to wrap up a 5-3 win for Tampa Bay…Brian Elliott got the start in goal and made 32 saves on 35 shots against for his first win of the season…Nikita Kucherov is riding a four-game point streak vs. NYI (0-6—6) and has picked up points in six of his last eight home games vs. NYI (2-6—8)…Point has also found the scoresheet in four consecutive games vs. NYI (3-4—7) with three multi-point efforts during that span…Point has recorded three straight multi-point games vs. NYI at AMALIE Arena with goals in all three contests (3-3—6)…Steven Stamkos has picked up points in 10 of his last 12 games vs. NYI (7-6—13) and 15 of the last 18 meetings (10-13—23)…Stamkos has scored a goal in four of his last five home games vs. NYI (4-1—5)…Anthony Cirelli is riding a three-game point streak vs. NYI (1-2—3)…Victor Hedman has found the scoresheet in four consecutive contests vs. NYI (1-4—5)…Andrei Vasilevskiy has won four straight starts vs. NYI with a .933 save percentage and 1.75 goals against average…Vasilevskiy has picked up wins in eight of his last 10 starts vs. NYI with a .917 SV%, 2.51 GAA and one shutout…In six career starts vs. NYI at AMALIE Arena, Vasilevskiy is 5-1-0 with a .937 SV% and 1.84 GAA…The Lightning have won five straight games vs. NYI by a combined score of 22-10…The Bolts are 7-3-0 in their last 10 home games vs. NYI and 7-3-0 in the last 10 meetings overall…Tampa Bay is 55-43-6 with three ties all-time vs. NYI, including a home record of 31-17-4 with two ties…Vincent Lecavalier (23-23—46) holds the Lightning franchise records for career goals and points vs. NYI.

TBL ALL-TIME POINT LEADERS VS. NYI

Vincent Lecavalier – 46 pts. (23-23—46, 50 GP)
Steven Stamkos – 44 pts. (20-24—44, 41 GP)
Martin St. Louis – 37 pts. (14-23—37, 46 GP)
Brad Richards – 24 pts. (9-15—24, 27 GP)
Nikita Kucherov – 21 pts. (5-16—21, 24 GP)

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay is playing the second game of a brief, two-game homestand tonight…The Bolts will play three of their six games in April on home ice…The Lightning are 26-7-5 at home…Tampa Bay is 12-7-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents and 23-18-3 against the Eastern Conference this season…The Bolts can clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with two points.

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

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (0-1) at Chicago Cubs (1-0)

Baseball
MLB

MLB Editor

April 1, 2023

MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (0-1) at Chicago Cubs (1-0)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: Is game 2 (0-1) of a 3-game, 4-day road trip to Chicago-NL to begin the 2023 season…..following this series, the team begins its home schedule with a 6-game, 7-day homestand against New York-NL (3g) and St. Louis (3g).

CURRENT ROSTER (bold indicates not on Opening Day roster):
PITCHERS (13) – RH Corbin Burnes, RH Matt Bush, RH Javy Guerra, LH Eric Lauer, LH Wade Miley, LH Hoby Milner, RH Joel Payamps, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Peter Strzelecki, RH Gus Varland, RH Devin Williams, RH Bryse Wilson, RH Brandon Woodruff
CATCHERS (2) – Victor Caratini, William Contreras
INFIELDERS (6) – Willy Adames, Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller, Rowdy Tellez, Brice Turang, Luke Voit…..OUTFIELDERS (5) – Brian Anderson, Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer, Jesse Winker, Christian Yelich

OPENING DAY ROSTER (bold indicates not on current roster):
PITCHERS (13) – RH Corbin Burnes, RH Matt Bush, RH Javy Guerra, LH Eric Lauer, LH Wade Miley, LH Hoby Milner, RH Joel Payamps, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Peter Strzelecki, RH Gus Varland, RH Devin Williams, RH Bryse Wilson, RH Brandon Woodruff
CATCHERS (2) – Victor Caratini, William Contreras
INFIELDERS (7) – Willy Adames, Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller, Rowdy Tellez, Brice Turang, Luis Urías, Luke Voit…..OUTFIELDERS (4) – Brian Anderson, Garrett Mitchell, Jesse Winker, Christian Yelich

IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP Jason Alexander (right rotator cuff), LHP Aaron Ashby (left labrum), RHP Adrian Houser (right groin), OF Tyrone Taylor (right elbow), INF Luis Urías (left hamstring) and LHP Justin Wilson (left elbow) are on the injured list….. Alexander and Wilson are on the 60-day IL.

THE NEW BREW: INF/OF Brian Anderson (free agent), C William Contreras (trade with ATL), RHP Javy Guerra (trade with TB), LHP Wade Miley (free agent), INF/OF Owen Miller (trade with CLE), RHP Joel Payamps (trade with OAK), RHP Gus Varland (Rule 5 Draft from LAD), 1B Luke Voit (free agent), RHP Bryse Wilson (trade with PIT) and OF Jesse Winker (trade with SEA).

GONE FROM 2022: RHP Brad Boxberger (CHC), C Mario Feliciano (DET), RHP Trevor Gott (SEA), RHP Jandel Gustave (ARI), RHP Trevor Kelley (TB), OF Andrew McCutchen (PIT), C Omar Narváez (NYM), RHP Luis Perdomo (Japan), INF/OF Jace Peterson (OAK), OF Hunter Renfroe (LAA), INF/OF Pablo Reyes (OAK), LHP Taylor Rogers (SF), OF Esteury Ruiz (OAK), LHP Brent Suter (COL), RHP Justin Topa (SEA) and 2B Kolten Wong (SEA).

TODAY’S STARTER: #53 – RHP BRANDON WOODRUFF
WOODRUFF AT A GLANCE: Brandon Woodruff, 30, went 13-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 27 starts last season…..he led the team with a career-high 13 wins…..the team went 19-8 in his starts…..he made 15 quality starts…..he held opponents to a .215 batting average with 190 strikeouts in 153.1 innings pitched…..Woodruff missed a month of action while on the 15-day injured list from 5/30-6/27 with a right ankle sprain and Raynaud’s syndrome affecting his pitching fingers…..he went 8-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 18 starts after coming off the injured list (109.2ip, 29er)…..Woodruff was selected by Milwaukee in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University…..
he is under club control through 2024.

CAREER: Is 41-25 with a 3.18 ERA in 119 games/104 starts (613.1ip, 217er)…..is in his seventh MLB season, all with the Brewers (2017-23)…..was a 2019 and 2021 All-Star.

CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 23-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 60 games/53 starts (318ip, 105er)…..went 8-0 with a 2.06 ERA in 13 starts last
season (78.2ip, 18er).

CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 18-17 with a 3.41 ERA in 59 games/51 starts (295.1ip, 112er)…..went 5-4 with an 4.10 ERA in 14 starts last season (74.2ip, 34er).

CAREER vs. CUBS: Is 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 16 games/14 starts (74.1ip, 27er), including 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA in 3 starts last season (15.1ip, 9er)…..has gone 1-2 with a 3.68 ERA in 9 career games/7 starts at Wrigley Field (36.2ip, 15er).

CHICAGO CUBS NOTES:

GO FOR TWO: The Chicago Cubs today play the second of a season-opening threegame set against the Milwaukee Brewers after winning Thursday’s season opener, 4-0 … Chicago looks to go 2-0 to start a season for the second-straight season, having opened last year with two-consecutive wins vs. Milwaukee … prior to 2022, the team hadn’t won its first two contests to begin a campaign since 2016.

The Cubs open the season with 16 of their first 25 games through April 27 at Wrigley Field … of those first 25 tilts, just six are against their own division, the N.L. Central: this Brewers series is followed by a three-game set in Cincinnati, April 3-5 … in fact, after April 5 the Cubs play 29-straight games outside of the division until hosting the Cardinals for three games, May 8-10.

What’s even more odd? … following the three-game set in Cincinnati, April 3-5, the team’s next road series against an opponent in its own division is not until June 19-21 for three games in Pittsburgh.

Starting with an April 10 home game vs. the Mariners, Chicago will have a stretch in which 13 of 16 games through April 27 are against 2022 playoff teams (three games vs. the Mariners, seven games in 10 days against the Dodgers and three games vs. the Padres).

OPENING DAY RECAP: Marcus Stroman spun 6.0 shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out eight in Chicago’s 4-0 Opening Day victory over Milwaukee on Thursday … he’s just the fifth Cub to toss at least 6.0 shutout innings with at least eight strikeouts on Opening Day, joining: Lon Warneke (4/17/34 @ CIN), Bill Bonham (4/9/74 vs. PHI), Jeff Samardzija (4/1/13 @ PIT) and Kyle Hendricks (7/24/20
vs. MIL).

Dansby Swanson in his Cubs debut went 3-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored … he became the first Cub to have three-plus hits in a team debut on Opening Day since Emilio Bonafacio (4, Mar. 31, 2014 at Pittsburgh) and the first at Wrigley Field since Kosuke Fukudome (3, Mar. 31, 2008 vs. Milwaukee).

Five Cubs made their team debut in Thursday’s starting lineup (Bellinger, Hosmer, Mancini, Mastrobuoni & Swanson), the most for Chicago in one Opening Day since six did so in 1902.

STEELE ON THE BUMP: Justin Steele today makes his 2023 season debut coming off a strong finish to 2022 in which he posted a 0.98 ERA (4 ER/36.2 IP) with 13 walks and 47 strikeouts in his final seven starts from July 22-Aug. 26 … he limited opponents to a .235 average and a .636 OPS in that span before his season ended when he was placed on the I.L. Sept. 2 with a low back strain.

Steele in 10 career games (eight starts) against Milwaukee has posted a 2.55 ERA (12 ER/42.1 IP) with 10.2 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (48 SO/42.1 IP) … he made six starts against the Brewers last season, going 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA (7 ER/31.0 IP), including a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) in his final three outings.

THIS AND THAT: Eric Hosmer has gone 21-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout dating to Aug. 17 of last season – that’s the tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the majors (Washington’s Ildemaro Vargas leads with 29 AB).

As you know, the Cubs bullpen on Thursday tossed 3.0 scoreless frames to preserve a 4-0 win … did you know that the team’s bullpen posted a 2.23 ERA in the team’s final 19 games of 2022 dating to Sept. 20?

DEBUT DANDIES: Besides the aforementioned five Cubs debuts in Thursday’s starting lineup, both Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer also made their Cubs debuts … team historian Ed Hartig notes that just twice in the franchise’s first 21,932 regular season games have more players made their Cubs debut in a game.

April 25, 1876, the Cubs first N.L. game, saw nine Cubs make their debuts … April 2, 2001, eight players made their Cubs debut.

The Cubs all-time roster is at 2,207, with five members of the roster still looking to make their Cubs debut.

FIRST-TIMERS CLUB: Four Cubs on Thursday made their first career Opening Day rosters: Javier Assad, Mark Leiter Jr., Miles Mastrobuoni and Hayden Wesneski.

ROSSY AT THE HELM: David Ross is in his fourth season as manager of the Cubs after he was named the 55th manager in franchise history, October 24, 2019, replacing Joe Maddon … this is Ross’ 26th professional baseball season … he played 15 major league seasons as a catcher, including his final two with Chicago (2015-16) … is a two-time World Series champ with Boston (in 2013) and Chicago (2016). © Ross in 2020 led the Cubs to the N.L. Central Division title … the 2021 club was 71-91, a season in which Chicago utilized a MLB single-season record 69 players, and last year went 74-88.

SUMMARIZING THE SPRING: The Cubs finished Spring Training with a 17-12-2 record, the third-best Cactus League mark behind the Angels (18-11-2) and Royals (19-13-1) … Cubs pitching recorded a 3.90 ERA (117 ER/270.0 IP), the lowest mark in the Cactus League and second-best in the majors behind Houston (3.30) … Chicago batted .241 (243-for-1,009) with 35 home runs and a .729 OPS.

JUST A MATTER OF TIME: Ed Hartig noted that Thursday’s game time of two hours, 21 minutes was the quickest season opener at Wrigley Field since April 9, 1974, vs. the Phillies (2:09).

Just two of Chicago’s 31 spring games went over three hours: the team’s opener, Feb. 25 vs. the Giants (3:06) and March 25’s game at the Angels (3:07) … the team’s quickest game this spring was the next day, March 26, a tidy 1-hour, 57-minute contest vs. the Royals.

Starting Pitcher

35 LHP Justin Steele (0-0, 0.00)

Last Time Out
Justin received his fourth-straight no-decision, but made his third-straight quality
start, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts … has tallied five-plus
strikeouts in five-straight starts since July 28 (39 total), the fifth-most in the N.L.
during that stretch … has posted a 0.86 ERA (3 ER/31.1 IP) since July 22, the secondlowest ERA in the majors during the run (min. 6 GS).

2022 Splits and Season Notes
Justin in 24 starts in 2022 went 4-7 with a 3.18 ERA (42 ER/119.0 IP), 50 walks, 126 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP … finished among the team leaders in strikeouts (1st), strikeouts per batter faced (1st, 4.06), home runs per 9.0 IP (1st, 0.61) and innings pitched (2nd, 119.0).

His season was cut short when he was put on the Injured List Sept. 2 with a low back strain.

Posted a 2.78 ERA (22 ER/71.1 IP) at Wrigley Field, allowing two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 14 starts.

Recorded his first two career 10-plus strikeout games, doing so on May 15 at Arizona and Aug. 5 vs. Miami.

Became the first Cub draftee with a 10-strikeout game since Jeff Samardzjia (May 16, 2014 at San Francisco).

On Aug. 5 vs. Miami, became the second starter in Cubs history to record 10-ormore strikeouts in 4.2-or-fewer innings pitched (also Bill Caudill, August 17, 1979 vs San Diego) … also joined Miami’s Trevor Richards as the only pitchers in MLB history to allow no runs and strike out 10 batters in 4.2-or-fewer innings.

Became the 11th lefthander in Cubs history to strike out nine-plus batters in consecutive outings, May 15-21.

Became the first Cub to record 19-plus strikeouts in a two-start span since Yu Darvish (20, Sept. 4-9, 2020) and the first lefty to do so since José Quintana (21, Aug. 13-18, 2019).

Went unbeaten in seven-consecutive starts from May 31-July 4, going 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA (13 ER/34.2 IP) during that stretch.

In July and Aug. combined, made nine starts and posted a 1.46 ERA (8 ER/49.1 IP), which leads the majors in the stretch (min. 45.0 IP) … his 0.96 ERA (3 ER/28.0 IP) in the month of August was fourth-lowest in the majors during that span.

Career Notes
Justin is in his 10th season in the Cubs organization … is 8-11 with a 3.53 ERA (69 ER/176.0 IP) in 44 games (33 starts) after making his MLB debut in 2021.

Owns a career 18-23 minor league record with a 3.44 ERA (133 ER/348.0 IP) over 89 outings (80 starts).

Was added to the Cubs 40-man roster Nov. 20, 2018.

Received Carolina League mid-season All-Star honors in 2017, as he went 6-7 with a 2.92 ERA (32 ER/98.2 IP) over 20 starts with Single-A Myrtle Beach.

Was named a MiLB.com Cubs Organizational All-Star in both 2015 and 2017.

Selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of George County High School in Lucedale, Miss.

Was named 5A Player of the Year in Mississippi by coaches in 2014 and won the Mississippi Hall of Fame Award for High School Baseball the same season.

Was committed to the University of Southern Mississippi before signing with the Cubs.

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