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NHL Morning Skate – April 1, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – April 1, 2023

* Jason Robertson found his name all over the score sheet Friday – an evening that featured his 10th game with three or more points, his 100th career goal and joining elite company among active players in the process.

* Twenty-one-year-old Devon Levi had an NHL debut to remember, backstopping the Sabres past the playoff-bound Rangers to keep their own postseason hopes alive with eight contests remaining in their schedule.

* Two potential First Round matchups in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs highlight a 13-game Saturday schedule with a showdown between the Bruins and Penguins, as well as the Stars and Avalanche.


* The Flames overcame three separate deficits, including an early 2-0 hole, to record the NHL’s 138th multi-goal comeback win of the season – tying 2018-19 for the most in a single campaign in League history.
 

ROBERTSON BOOSTS DALLAS’ PLAYOFF PUSH WITH 100TH CAREER GOAL
Jason Robertson (1-3—4) notched his second career four-point game to help the Stars (41-20-14, 96 points) move within one point of the idle Wild (44-22-9, 97 points) for top spot in the Central Division. Robertson (42-53—95 in 75 GP), closing in on 100 points in 2022-23, netted his 100th career goal in only his 203rd outing.



* Friday marked his 10th game with three or more points this season. The only players with more are Connor McDavid (21 GP), Leon Draisaitl (14 GP), Matthew Tkachuk (13 GP GP), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (12 GP), Nikita Kucherov (11 GP) and Tage Thompson (11 GP).  

* Meanwhile, Miro Heiskanen (0-3—3) recorded his 16th multi-assist game of the season and concluded the month of March with 4-19—23 (15 GP) – surpassing Craig Hartsburg (3-17—20 in Jan. 1982) for the most points in a month by a Stars/North Stars defenseman. His 23 points tied John Carlson (23 in Oct. 2019) for the second most in a calendar month among active defensemen and trails only Roman Josi (28 in March 2022).

LEVI’S 31-SAVE NHL DEBUT KEEPS BUFFALO IN THE HUNT FOR A WILD CARD SPOT
Devon Levi backstopped the Sabres with a 31-save performance in his NHL debut – which saw the 21-year-old make 19 of those in the third period – to help Buffalo withstand a New York comeback while also keeping its playoff hopes alive. The victory propelled the Sabres (79 points, 74 GP) to within five points of the Penguins (84 points, 75 GP) for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and within eight of the Islanders (87 points, 76 GP), who occupy the first Wild Card position.



* Levi matched the third-most saves by a rookie goaltender in a single period for the Sabres (since 1997-98 when saves by period began being tracked). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (21 in P3, Dec. 19, 2022) and Ryan Miller (20 in P1, March 18, 2006) are the only ones with more.

* Buffalo plays six of its remaining eight games on the road, including a tilt in Florida (38-31-7, 83 points) on April 4 – the team one spot ahead of them in the Wild Card race. The Sabres own a .643 point percentage as visitors this season – the fifth highest among all Eastern Conference teams behind the Bruins (.757), Devils (.757), Hurricanes (.694) and Rangers (.671) – all of whom having already clinched a spot in the postseason.

WEST’S WILD CARD HOPEFULS SECURE CRUCIAL WINS
The race for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference failed to produce any additional clarity Friday after the Jets (42-31-3, 87 points) and Flames (35-26-15, 85 points) each picked up victories. Calgary trails Winnipeg by two points, with each club holding six games left in the regular-season schedule – including a crucial head-to-head meeting on April 5 at Canada Life Centre.

* Winnipeg netted six goals at Canada Life Centre thanks in part to multi-point performances by seven different players – including Mark Scheifele (1-1—2), who set a single-season career high for goals and moved within one of becoming the sixth player in Jets/Thrashers history to record a 40-goal campaign and second in as many seasons (Kyle Connor: 47 in 2021-22).

* The Flames overcame 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 deficits before Tyler Toffoli (2-0—2) scored with 1:33 remaining in overtime to lift Calgary to its third straight win. The Flames recorded the NHL’s 138th multi-goal comeback win of the season, tying 2018-19 for the most in a single campaign in League history.

QUICK CLICKS

* Friday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates
* NHL, NHLPA, alumni donate $100,000 to Borje Salming ALS Foundation

* Kris Letang traveled rough road to cusp of 1,000 NHL games with Penguins

* NHL Technology Showcase gives glimpse of future of hockey consumption

* Zach Parise driven to help power Islanders in run toward playoffs

* National Hockey Card Day to take place April 15

PAIR OF POTENTIAL PLAYOFF MATCHUPS HIGHLIGHT 13-GAME SATURDAY

The second-last Saturday of the 2022-23 season features 13 games, including two that would be First Round matchups should the Stanley Cup Playoffs start Saturday – the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins (58-12-5, 121 points) clash with the Penguins (37-28-10, 84 points) on ABC, ESPN+, and Sportsnet One, before the second-seeded Stars (41-20-14, 96 points) visit the third-seeded Avalanche (44-24-6, 94 points) in a Central Division clash.
 


* David Pastrnak (53-46—99 in 75 GP) is leading the charge for the Bruins and enters Saturday one point shy of becoming the fifth player to reach the 100-point mark in 2022-23 and just the third Bruins skater in the past 20 years.

* Pastrnak can also become just the seventh active skater with 50-plus goals and 100-plus points in a single campaign – he would join Alex Ovechkin (4x, last: 2009-10), Leon Draisaitl (2x, last: 2021-22), Connor McDavid (2022-23), Auston Matthews (2021-22), Evgeni Malkin (2011-12) and Sidney Crosby (2009-10).



* The Avalanche will contest their second game against a divisional opponent in as many games after facing the Central Division-leading Wild on Wednesday. Colorado will have the opportunity to move within one point of Minnesota for first, with the Wild also in action Saturday. The Avalanche’s 25 wins since Jan. 1 – when they sat outside a playoff position – trail only the Bruins for the most among all teams, while the Wild have 23 through that span and Dallas has 18.

* Mikko Rantanen (48-40—88 in 74 GP) sits one multi-goal game – something he has done nine times this season – away from becoming the third player to reach the 50-goal mark this season and the first Avalanche player to do so in exactly 20 years.

NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (37-40) at Miami Heat (40-37)

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (37-40) at Miami Heat (40-37)

On Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat will meet in Miami, with both teams hoping to end the recent cold spells that have hurt their chances of making the playoffs.

Miami (40-37) dropped its third consecutive on Wednesday with a 101-92 misfortune at New York. Miami is now 1 1/2 games behind Brooklyn for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn will play the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Miami’s offense will probably need to be improved if they are to turn things around in the last few games of the regular season.

The Heat’s current skid began on March 25 when they lost to Brooklyn 129-100. Miami has scored 92 points in its last two games, but since losing 113-99 to Chicago on March 18, it has only scored 95.8 points per game.

Even though the Heat’s scoring offense ranks last in the NBA, their four-game average is nearly 13 points less than their 108.7 season average.

Wednesday, Dallas (37-40) suffered from its own offensive woes, particularly in the Mavericks’ 17-point fourth quarter victory over Philadelphia, 116-108.

The Mavericks led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but after the break, they had trouble making shots and committing turnovers, resulting in their fifth defeat in six games.

Kyrie Irving had 23 points, while Luka Doncic had 24. But Dallas coach Jason Kidd said in his press conference after the game that the team is still finding its offensive rhythm with the All-Star duo sharing the backcourt.

With 21 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. was the only other Maverick to score in the double digits against the 76ers.

Dallas scored more than four points less than its season average (113.8) in each of the other four defeats during this skid, with the exception of the 125 points it scored in a two-point loss to Golden State on March 22.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks are attempting to climb into the top 10 of the Western Conference heading into Saturday’s penultimate game of a five-game road trip and the first leg of a weekend back-to-back.

Dallas’ continuous slide dropped it to eleventh in the West, a game behind Oklahoma City for the gathering’s last play-in spot before the Thunder’s Friday outing to Indiana. Prior to the Jazz’s matchup with Boston on Friday, the Mavericks held a tenuous half-game advantage over Utah, which was in 12th place.

Tampa Bay Minor Leaguer Mateo suspended

MLB Editor
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Tampa Bay Minor Leaguer Mateo suspended

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Tampa Bay Rays Minor League pitcher Israel Mateo, who is currently on the roster of the rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays, has received a 55-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Mateo will be effective at the start of the 2023 FCL season.

D-backs acquire Anthony Misiewicz for cash considerations; transfer Corbin Martin to 60-day injured list

MLB Editor
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D-backs acquire Anthony Misiewicz for cash considerations; transfer Corbin Martin to 60-day injured list

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired LHP Anthony Misiewicz from the Cardinals for cash considerations.

Anthony Misiewicz MLB bio

  • Last season combined to go 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA (14 ER in 29.0 IP) with 27 strikeouts in 32 games with the Mariners and Royals.
  • Designated for assignment by the Cardinals on March 29.

The D-backs transferred RHP Corbin Martin to the 60-day injured list (right lat tendon avulsion).

NFL Transactions 3-31-23

NFL Editor
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NFL Transactions 3-31-23

​The following are the NFL transactions for Friday, March 31. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.

ACTIVE LIST ADDITIONS


FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

ATLANTA
    Campbell, CalaisDEMiami   

INDIANAPOLIS
    Evans, DarryntonRBAppalachian State   



FREE AGENCY SYSTEM TRANSACTIONS


CLUB RIGHTS TERMINATED

SEATTLE
    Neal, RyanDBSouthern Illinois   
         Qualifying Offer Withdrawn


SIGNINGS:  UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

ATLANTA
    McGary, KalebTWashington   
    Miles, JoshuaTMorgan State   
         Old Club: ARIZONA

BUFFALO
    Rapp, TaylorDBWashington   
         Old Club: LOS ANGELES RAMS
 CAROLINA
    Anderson, HenryDEStanford   
    Pineiro, EddyKFlorida   

CHICAGO
    Peterman, NathanQBPittsburgh   

TENNESSEE
    Levin, CoreyCChattanooga   
    Wesco, TrevonTEWest Virginia   
         Old Club: CHICAGO

MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (0-1) a Seattle Mariners (1-0)

MLB Editor
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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (0-1) a Seattle Mariners (1-0)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

OPENING DAY DUEL
The Cleveland Guardians opened the 123rd season in franchise history with a 3-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners Thursday night at T-Mobile Park, as Ty France broke a scoreless tie with a 3-run, opposite-field HR off JAMES KARINCHAK with one out in the bottom of the 8th…signaled Cleveland’s third consec. loss in a season opener, allowing exactly 3 runs in each of those defeats (’21: 3-2 loss at DET, ’22: 3-1 loss at KC)…club has dropped 11 of 15, 15 of 21 and 17 of last 25 to begin a season dating back to ’99.

Aces SHANE BIEBER (6.0IP, 6H, 0R, 0BB, 3SO, 2WP) and Luis Castillo (6.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 6SO) traded zeroes for 6.0 innings apiece before turning the decision over to their respective bullpens…Bieber scattered his 6 hits evenly, surrendering exactly one in each of his frames while stranding a single runner in scoring position to end four different innings…in total, Cleveland’s pitching staff held Seattle’s offense 0-for-8 w/RISP prior to the France home run (M’s finished 1-for-9 w/RISP)…TREVOR STEPHAN worked a spotless 7th, retiring the side in order…Karinchak came on in the 8th and issued a lead-off walk after a 3-2 check-swing foul tip by J.P. Crawford was errantly ruled ball four; the right-hander retired Julio Rodriguez before hitting Kolten Wong to set up the 3-run France blast on a 1-1 offering up in the zone.

Cleveland’s offense was limited to 4 hits, saving a pair of those for the 9th when the Guardians brought the tying run to the plate against closer Andrés Muñoz; club got two-out hits from AMED ROSARIO (single) and JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (double) before JOSH BELL grounded out sharply to end the contest.

OD TIDBITS
SHANE BIEBER became the first Cleveland pitcher since Bob Feller (1940, 1946, 1948) to have 2-or-more starts of 6.0+ scoreless innings on Opening Day…Marcus Stroman (2019, 2023) also accomplished the feat yesterday.

Cleveland became the first AL team since the 1976 Baltimore Orioles to have 4 reigning Gold Glove winners start on Opening Day…the St. Louis Cardinals started 5 reigning Gold Gloves winners on OD in 2022.

OD saw a total of 21 stolen bases with a 91% success rate compared to 5 stolen bases with a 56% success rate on 2022 OD… it was the most steals on Opening Day since 1907 (MLB Network)… it took 3 days of games to reach 17 stolen bases in 2022.

Thursday’s game marked the 10th time in the club history that Cleveland has been shutout on Opening Day…the Guardians were last shut out on Opening Day in 2019, 2-0, at Minnesota…the club was shut out on OD five times from 1901-2000 and has been shut out on OD five times in the 23 seasons since.

OUR BRAND OF BASEBALL
In 2022, the Guardians employed a style of baseball that utilized excellent defense, making contact and strategic baserunning that led to their success on the field.

Cleveland’s defense finished 2022 1st in the AL in UZR (34.8) and 2nd in the AL in defensive runs saved (79) and dWAR (5.5)… STEVEN KWAN (1st), ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ (2nd), MYLES STRAW (3rd) and JOSH NAYLOR (4th) all finished in the top 5 in Outs Above Average at their respective positions in MLB… Cleveland led the majors in Gold Glove Award winners with Kwan, Giménez, Straw and SHANE BIEBER.

Despite ranking 21st in MLB in slugging percentage and 29th in home runs, the Guardians found a way to score, leading MLB in contact percentage (80.8%) and lowest swinging strike percentage (9.1%)…the bats ended the 2022 season 1st in the AL in sacrifice flies (52), T2nd in sacrifice hits (22), 2nd in singles (979) and 4th in hits (1410)…STEVEN KWAN finished in the 100th percentile of all batters in whiff percentage with teammates MYLES STRAW (99th) and JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (94th) close behind (Baseball Savant).

The Guards went from 1st to 3rd base on singles 115 times in 2022, leading all of MLB, ahead of Chicago-NL and St. Louis (both 102)…the club’s 119 stolen bases and 81.51% success rate both finished 2nd in the AL and 3rd in MLB.

A CRISP LID-LIFTER
Cleveland’s first official time of game under MLB’s new Pace of Play rules came in at 2 hours, 14 minutes last night in Seattle, this after the club saw an average time of game of 2:30 across 30 Cactus League contests this spring (exhibition vs. WBC Team Mexico excluded)…the Guardians and Mariners lid-lifter matched Tampa Bay’s opener vs. Detroit for the shortest contest played on Thursday when the avg. TOG across MLB registered at 2:45…the Guardians 2022 opener in Kansas City came in at 2:49 on the way to a 3:01 average time of game for the year…marked Cleveland’s fastest Opening Day since 2005 (L, 1-0 at CWS, 1:51).

BATTLE OF THE BULLPENS
Cleveland and Seattle’s bullpens set the standard in the MLB in 2022, consistently locking down the late innings…the clubs combined to have 6 relievers who finished top 25 in ERA in MLB… Cleveland had EMMANUEL CLASE (2nd, 1.36), SAM HENTGES (15th, 2.32) and TREVOR STEPHAN (25th, 2.69)…Seattle’s Erik Swanson finished 5th (1.74), Andres Munoz finished 18th (2.49) and Paul Sewald finished 23rd (2.67).

2022 MLB BULLPEN RANKINGS
TEAM ERA OPP. AVG K%
CLE 3.05 (5th) .209 (3rd) 26.4 (6th)
SEA 3.33 (6th) .207 (2nd) 26.6 (5th)

YOUTH MOVEMENT
At 27 years and 15 days, Cleveland sports the youngest average age of any Opening Day roster in MLB (Stats LLC)…the Guards possess the youngest pitching staff (avg. of 26 years, 290 days) and youngest set of position players (avg. of 27 years, 105 days).

The Guardians roster features only four players age 30-or-older: C CAM GALLAGHER (30 years, 114 days), 3B JOSÉ RAMÍREZ (30 years, 194 days, 1B JOSH BELL (30 years, 228 days) and C MIKE ZUNINO (32 years, 5 days).

TONIGHT’S STARTER – 70 HUNTER GADDIS RHP
GADDIS’ MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2022 0-2 18.41 2 2 7.1 15 15 15 3 5
Career 0-2 18.41 2 2 7.1 15 15 15 3 5

GADDIS’ MINOR LEAGUE CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2022 8-6 4.01 24 23 121.1 90 57 54 41 158
Career 13-20 3.90 57 53 251.2 197 138 109 76 338

HUNTER HAPPY TO HELP
Gaddis was added to the Guardians pitching rotation after TRISTON McKENZIE suffered a right major teres strain in his final spring start vs. Cincinnati on March 26…he is scheduled to make his 3rd career start at the Major League level, following two spot starts in 2022 vs. Houston and vs. Chicago-AL (more below).

The 6-foot, 6-inch, 250-pound right-hander was originally a 5thround selection by Cleveland in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA).

IS THE THIRD TIME THE CHARM?
Gaddis became the 13th Clevelander of the 2022 season to make his MLB debut for the Guardians on Aug. 5 vs. Houston at Progressive Field (3.1IP, 7H, 8R/ER, 2BB, 2SO, 2HR, 79 pitches)… after retiring the first three batters of his Major League career, he ran into trouble…a Trey Mancini solo shot in the 2nd, an RBI-single by Yordan Alvarez & grand slam from Mancini in the 3rd, and a Jose Altuve RBI-double in the 4th put Cleveland in an 8-1 deficit.

Gaddis made a second spot-start with the Guardians on Sept. 15 vs. Chicago-AL at Progressive Field (4.0IP, 8H, 7R/ER, 1BB, 3SO, 5HR, 92 pitches)…after beginning with a 1-2-3 inning for the second straight start, the White Sox broke the game open via the long ball…Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn tallied back-toback home runs in the 2nd, Yoan Moncada went deep in the 3rd, Yasmani Grandal went yard in the 4th, and Elvis Andrus hit one over the wall in the 5th…the five home runs allowed were the most allowed by a Cleveland pitcher since April 18, 1969 (Luis Tiant)

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners play the second game of a 4-game series (1-0) against the Cleveland Guardians tonight…left-hander Robbie Ray takes the mound for Seattle in the second game of the season…Seattle will also welcome the Los Angeles Angels (3 G, 4/3-4/5) to T-Mobile Park on the homestand…the game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Dave Sims and Mike Blowers on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith on the call.

ODDS AND ENDS…in last night’s 3-0 Opening Day victory, the Mariners offense tallied 3 runs on 7 hits, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and 5 left on base…the Mariners pitching staff allowed no runs on 4 hits in last night’s 3-0 win…Seattle last season went 51-42 (.548) in the first half and 39-30 (.565) in the second half of the season…they went 46-35 (.568) at T-Mobile Park and 44-37 (.543) on the road…they went 34-22 (.607) in one-run games and 11-5 in extra innings…they went 27-24 in series openers.

• Electric Factory – Seattle’s Opening Day victory was played in front of a sellout crowd of 45,268 fans.

• Team Debuts – Teoscar Hernández, Kolten Wong and Tommy La Stella all made their Mariners debuts last night…when Cooper Hummel, AJ Pollock and Trevor Gott first appear, they will make their Seattle debuts.

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

• Hitters – Ty France went 3-for-4 on Opening Day…Eugenio Suárez went 1-for-3 with a double…J.P. Crawford, Jarred Kelenic and Cal Raleigh all tallied base hits…Kelenic registered a stolen base.

• Hey Everybody! – For the first time ever, the Mariners are scheduled to play all 29 opponents this season.

MARINERS CONTINUE OPENING DAY SUCCESS…the Mariners Opening Day victory last night extended their Opening Day winning streak to 3…Seattle is 5-1 over its last 6 opening games since 2018 and 15-4 over its last 19 opening games since 2005…the Mariners improved to 29-18 in 47 openers in franchise history…their .617 winning percentage all-time on Opening Day is 2nd-best in the Major Leagues, trailing only the New York Mets
(.661/41-21)…Seattle also improved to 19-10 in opening games at home.

LA PIEDRA ‘ROCKS’ IN SEASON DEBUT…Luis Castillo tossed 6.0 scoreless innings last night in the Mariners 3-0 Opening Day win over the Guardians…Castillo became the third Mariners pitcher to throw 6.0+ scoreless innings in an Opening Day start, joining Randy Johnson (1995) and Félix Hernández (3x, 2007, ’13, ’18)… Castillo is the only pitcher in Mariners history to throw 6.0+ scoreless innings on Opening Day with no walks… Castillo became the fifth pitcher in Major League history to throw 6.0+ scoreless innings with no walks in both a postseason game and an Opening Day game, joining Greg Maddux, Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Kyle Hendricks.

‘PITCH’ED UP RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF…Seattle’s pitching staff combined for 9.0 scoreless innings with just 4 hits allowed, no walks and 9 strikeouts…Luis Castillo (6.0 IP, 1 H, 6 SO), Matt Brash (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO), Paul Sewald (W, 1.0 IP, 1 SO) and Andrés Muñoz (SV, 1.0 IP, 2 H) all appeared…it marked the 4th time in franchise history (others: 1995, 2007, ’13) that Seattle recorded an Opening Day shutout victory…it marked just the 34th time in Major League history, and first time in Mariners history, that a pitching staff threw a shutout with no walks on Opening Day and the first time since the Cubs did it in 2020.

HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS…while Saturday, April 1 vs. Cleveland (Julio Rodríguez Bobblehead Night) is sold out, tickets remain available for tonight, Friday, March 31 vs. Cleveland (College Night), with the first 10,000 fans through the gates receiving a Mariners-themed crossbody bag…Sunday, April 2 is Kids Opening Day, with all kids 14-and-under receiving a Luis Castillo t-shirt…Monday, April 3 is Bark at the Park Ticket Special, while April 3, 4 and 5 are all Mariners Value Games…to purchase tickets for an upcoming game at T-Mobile Park, visit Mariners.com/Tickets.

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

THE PITCHERS…the Mariners 26-man roster has 13 pitchers: right-handers Matt Brash, Diego Castillo, Luis Castillo, Matt Festa, Chris Flexen, Logan Gilbert, Trevor Gott, George Kirby, Andrés Muñoz, Penn Murfee and Paul Sewald and left-handers Marco Gonzales and Robbie Ray.

FAMILIAR FACES…20 of the 26 players on the Mariners roster appeared in a game for Seattle last season, including 12 of 13 pitchers…the 6 players new to the organization are RHP Trevor Gott, C/OF Cooper Hummel, INF Tommy La Stella, INF Kolten Wong, OF Teoscar Hernández and OF AJ Pollock…the longest-tenured Seattle player is Marco Gonzales (team debut: Aug. 6, 2017)…the youngest player on the team is Julio Rodríguez (22 years, 91 days old on Opening Day)…the oldest player on the team is AJ Pollock (35 years, 115 days old on Opening Day).

TONIGHT’S MARINERS STARTER – LHP ROBBIE RAY

ABOUT RAY…
• The 31-year-old left-hander is set to make his 1st start of the season and 1st against the Guardians this season…he is also making his 226th career Major League appearance (222nd start) and 5th career appearance (4th start) against Cleveland.

• Named the 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner, receiving 29 of 30 first-place votes.

• His 212 strikeouts in 2022 were the most in a players first season with the Mariners in franchise history.

• Veteran of 9 MLB seasons with Detroit (2014), Arizona (2015-20), Toronto (2020-21) and Seattle (2022).

• Drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 12th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Brentwood HS (Brentwood, TN).

• Signed a 5-year contract with Seattle on Nov. 30, 2021.

LAST TIME OUT…L#12 in last start of regular season on 10/2/22 vs. OAK…allowed 6 runs (5 ER) on 8 hits (3 HR) and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts…made 3 postseason appearances on 10/8 at TOR, 10/11 at HOU and 10/15 vs. HOU.

MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (0-1) at Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0)

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MLB Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks (0-1) at Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

HERE’S THE STORY
♦ Arizona is 0-1 on its opening 6-game road trip @ Dodgers (0-1) and Padres (April 3-4).

♦ Merrill Kelly will be making his seventh career start @ Dodger Stadium…in his last 3 starts vs. Dodgers, is averaging 11.25 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (20 strikeouts in 16.0 innings).

♦Ketel Marte, in 12 road games @ Dodgers since 2021, is hitting .316 (12-for-38)/.988 OPS with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBI and 4 walks.

ROSTER MOVES
♦ The D-backs made the following roster moves:

• Acquired LHP Anthony Misiewicz from Cardinals for cash considerations.

• Transferred RHP Corbin Martin (right lat tendon avulsion) to the 60-day injured list.

FACING MAY
♦ The D-backs defeated RHP Dustin May (L; 5 ER in 4.0 IP) on Sept. 21, 2022 @ Dodger Stadium and have scored 8 runs in 5.1 innings in his 3 career starts.

♦ Christian Walker is batting .750 (3-for-4) with 2 RBI while Josh Rojas is batting .375 (3-for-8).

MR. D-BACK
♦ With his start on opening day, Nick Ahmed became the fi rst player in franchise history to play in 10 seasons for the D-backs.

♦ Ahmed’s 817 games played with the D-backs ranks seventh all-time, behind Luis Gonzalez (1,194), Paul Goldschmidt (1,092), David Peralta (961), Miguel Montero (906), Chris Young (885) and Steve Finley (849).

VARGAS COMES IN HOT
♦ At age 23-168 days, RHP Carlos Vargas is the youngest D-backs pitcher to make their Major League debut @ Dodger Stadium, ahead of Mike Gosling (23-352 days; 2004)…he’s also the youngest player to debut @ Dodger Stadium since Gavin Lux in 2019 (21-283).

♦ His first Major League pitch clocked in at 100 MPH for a called strike to Dodgers’ infi elder Miguel Vargas.

♦ Vargas missed the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in 2020 due to no Minor League season…in 2019, pitched at Short-Season A Mahoning Valley.

RHP MERRILL KELLY ♦ #29 ♦ 6-2/202
AT A GLANCE: Fifth season with the D-backs.
• Played 5 seasons in the Rays’ system (2010-14) then 4 seasons (2015-18) with the SK Wyverns in the KBO League.

• Rays’ eighth-round pick in the 2010 draft.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is making his seventh career start @ Dodger Stadium.
LAST START: N/A
VS. DODGERS: Is 0-9 with a 5.97 ERA (42 ER in 63.1 IP) in 12 career starts (6 @ Dodger Stadium).

2022 RECAP: Went 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA (75 ER in 200.1 IP).
• Set career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts (177).
• Had the third-most pickoff s (4) in the Majors behind Robbie Ray/SEA (6) and Taijuan Walker/NYM (5).
• Led all Major League pitchers with 116.1 innings from July 1-end of season.
• Went 8-3 with a 3.75 ERA (40 ER in 96.0 IP) in 16 road starts.

2022 HARDWARE: In 2022, named NL Pitcher of the Month for July after going 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA (6 ER in 41.1 IP), 8 walks, 33 strikeouts and a 0.77 WHIP in 6 starts.

RUBBER ARM: In 2022, became the first D-backs pitcher with 200.0+ innings since Patrick Corbin and Zack Greinke in 2018…was 1 of 8 pitchers in the Majors to toss at least 200.0 innings in 2022.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (1-0) at San Diego Padres (0-1)

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MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies (1-0) at San Diego Padres (0-1)

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

OPEN FOR BUSINESS
• The Colorado Rockies opened the 2023 season last night with a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres … the win improved the Rockies Opening Day record to 17-14 in franchise history, including 12-10 on the road and 3-0 vs. San Diego.

• The Rockies have recorded at least 17 hits in an Opening Day game three times in franchise history, with all three against the Padres … Colorado recorded 18 hits in each of their previous two Opening Day games against the Padres in 2005 and 1999.

• The Rockies have started 2-0 in a season six times in franchise history, most recently in 2019.

OPEN SESAME
• Last night, the Rockies became the first team in the Modern Era (since 1900) to record at least 17 hits and 17 strikeouts (batting) in a nine-inning game.

• It was the 17th time in franchise history that the Rockies struck out at least 17 times in a game, the ninth time in a game of nine innings or less, and just the seventh time that they won a game with 17 strikeouts.

• Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron, the Rockies’ three-four-five hitters in the lineup, combined to go 10-for-15 in last night’s game.

• In the seventh inning, Cron and Elehuris Montero recorded back-to-back home runs, the third time in franchise history that two Rockies went back-to-back on Opening Day (also: Trevor Story & Carlos Gonzalez in 2016 at Arizona and Troy Tulowitzki & Chris Iannetta in 2009 at Arizona).

OPEN CRON ZONE
• Last night, C.J. Cron joined Vinny Castilla (1998 at Arizona) and Trevor Story (2016 at Arizona) as the only Rockies in franchise history to record two home runs in an Opening Day game … he also joined Castilla as the only Rockies players in franchise history to record five RBI on Opening Day.

• Cron finished the day with four hits, including two home runs and one double, the fourth player since 1960 to do so on Opening Day … Cron joined Pittsburgh’s Xavier Nady (2008), Toronto’s John Mayberry (1980) and the Yankees’ Roger Maris (1960).

OPEN ROAD
• The Rockies went 10-9 against the Padres during the 2022 season, including a 3-6 record at Petco Park vs. a 7-3 record at Coors Field … Rockies pitchers recorded a 5.36 ERA against San Diego while the offense scored an average of 4.8 runs per game.

• Colorado is a combined 21-17 against San Diego since 2021, despite being outscored by the Padres 179-161 … the Rockies last won a series at Petco Park July 9-11, 2021, taking two of three games.

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

• Blackmon went 3-for-5 in last night’s game after entering the game 3-for-38 overall in his previous nine Opening Days.

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

OPEN MARKET
• Seven players on Colorado’s Opening Day roster will be making their Rockies debut when they take the field: right-handed pitchers Pierce Johnson (San Diego) and Connor Seabold (Boston), left-handers Brad Hand (Philadelphia) and Brent Suter (Milwaukee), infielder Mike Moustakas (Cincinnati), outfielder Jurickson Profar (San Diego) and utility man Harold Castro (Detroit), who debuted for the team last night.

• Bud Black’s field staff has a new look for 2023, with Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens taking over as hitting coach … former Triple-A Albuquerque manager (2021-22) Warren Schaeffer will serve as the Rockies third base and infielder coach.

OPEN ENROLLMENT
• Six players will appear on their first Opening Day active roster: pitchers Jake Bird, Ryan Feltner and Connor Seabold, catcher Brian Serven, and infielders Elehuris Montero and Ezequiel Tovar.

• The Rockies have two players with their rookie status still intact on the Opening Day roster: INF Ezequiel Tovar and RHP Connor Seabold.

• Three Colorado natives made the Rockies Opening Day squad: Kyle Freeland (Denver, Thomas Jefferson High School), Ty Blach (Denver, Regis Jesuit High School) and Pierce Johnson (Denver, Faith Christian Academy) … Lucas Gilbreath (Westminster, Legacy High School) is on the 60-day injured list recovering from Tommy John surgery … Connor Seabold lived in Colorado for five years and once pitched at Coors Field while attending Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Colo., before moving back to California.

OPEN SPRING
• INF Elehuris Montero was named the 2023 Abby Greer Award winner as the Rockies Spring MVP, slashing .297/.348/.563 while ranking tied for third in the Cactus League in total bases (36) and home runs (five) and tied for fourth in hits (19).

• INF Ryan McMahon also finished among Cactus Leauge leaders, ranking tied for fourth in runs (14), seventh in on-base percentage (.397), tied for seventh in OPS (.961) and 10th in slugging (.564).

• OF Kris Bryant slashed .282/.391/.641 with four home runs in 16 Spring games.

• Five Rockies pitchers had sub-2.50 ERAs during the Spring: Germán Márquez (0.53), Ty Blach (0.77), Dinelson Lamet (1.00), Pierce Johnson (2.35) and Justin Lawrence (2.45).

21 ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER KYLE FREELAND LHP

LAND OF THE FREE
• Appeared in two games for the USA in the World Baseball Classic, allowing two runs on three hits over 6.0 innings (3.00 ERA), striking out five and walking two.

• In the Championship game vs. Japan, struck out WBC MVP Shohei Ohtani … Freeland’s 41 pitches in the Championship game were the most by any pitcher who appeared during the contest.

• In three Cactus League starts, went 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA (9.1 IP, 6 ER) with one walk and five strikeouts.

THIS ‘N THAT
• Finished fourth in 2018 NL Cy Young Award voting going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA (202.1 IP, 64 ER) … became the second pitcher in Rockies history to ever finish in the top five in Cy Young voting (also: Jiménez, third place in 2010).

• Pitched 8.1 no-hit innings on July 9, 2017 vs. Chicago-AL, the longest no-hit bid for a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field in franchise history.

THE YEAR TWENTY THOUSAND AND TWENTY-TWO (2022)
• Finished the season posting a 4.53 ERA across 31 starts … of those 31 starts, 13 of them were quality, his most in a full season since logging 24 quality starts in 2018 … set career-highs in runs allowed (96), earned runs (88).

• The Rockies announced on April 19, 2022 that they agreed to a five-year contract extension with Freeland covering the 2022-26 seasons … the extension includes two arbitration years and three years of free agency.

• The 29-year-old Denver native graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, 15 minutes south of Coors Field … selected in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft (eighth overall), the third player in University of Evansville history to be drafted in the first round.

YOU STAY CLASSY SAN DIEGO
• Went 3-1 in five starts against the Padres in 2022, posting a 6.75 ERA (25.1 IP, 19 ER), walking 10 and striking out 15 … was 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA (11.2 IP, 4 ER) in two starts in San Diego.

• In 20 career outings (18 starts) against the Padres, has gone 6-6 with a 4.66 ERA (100.1 IP, 52 ER) … is 3-4 with a 3.42 ERA (52.2 IP, 20 ER) in his career at Petco Park.

WESTERN SLOPE
• Made 15 starts against NL West opponents in 2022, going 5-5 (Rockies 8-7) with a 5.53 ERA (83.0 IP, 51 ER) with 29 walks and 70 strikeouts … allowed 37 extra-base hits (25 2B, three 3B, nine HR) while opponents slashed .284/.349/.462 against him.

• Tossed six or more frames in nine of 15 starts, posting a 4.53 ERA (55.2 IP, 28 ER) when logging at least six innings.

• Career 21-26 record (Rockies 41-37) against the NL West in 78 appearances (76 starts), pitching to a 4.60 clip with 138 walks and 315 strikeouts (6.80 SO/9).

SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:

Padres fall 7-2 to Rockies on Opening Day
• According to the Elias, the Rockies became the 1st team in the Modern Era (since 1900) to have 17 or more hits and 17 or more strikeouts in a nine-inning game.

• Blake Snell struck out 9 but received the loss after allowing 3 runs (earned) on 6 hits with a walk.

• Xander Bogaerts went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, becoming the 2nd Padre SS to ever have a 3-hit game on Opening Day (also Garry Templeton in both 1983 and ’86).

• Petco hosted 45,103 patrons for their 1st sellout of the season. Friars set Opening Day Roster

• The Padres’ Opening Day roster featured 9 right-handed pitchers, 4 left-handers, 2 catchers, 7 infielders and 4 outfielders…Brent Honeywell and Domingo Tapia made their 1st appearance on a Major League Opening Day roster.

• This is the 1st Opening Day since 2015 in which SD’s full OD roster had every player with at least 1 big league game (Elias). Martinez makes 1st start since June 18 @ Colorado

• Nick Martinez gets the ball as a starter for the 1st time since June 18, 2022 @ Colorado…in fact, including tonight, his last 3 starts have been against the Rockies, with his last one at Petco coming on June 11, 2022.

Happy day, Brent!
• Join the Padres in wishing Brent Honeywell a happy 28th birthday! He was born March 31, 1995 in Augusta, GA.

No. 1 Ballpark in baseball: 2023 version
• For the second straight year, Petco Park was ranked by USA Today as the No. 1 Ballpark in baseball… you can view the list here. Tatis to return on April 20th

• Fernando Tatis Jr. will be eligible to return to the ML team on April 20, 2023 (the start of a 4-game series @ ARI)…he’ll serve the final 20 games of his suspension from MLB’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program to start the 2023 season after serving 60 G from Aug. 12 through the Padres’ 12-game 2022 Postseason run.

STARTING PITCHER – NICK MARTINEZ
Martinez gets the ball for Game 2
Right-hander Nick Martinez takes the mound for the Padres’ second game of the season tonight vs. Colorado…he made 2 starts vs. the Rockies as part of his 6 total appearances vs. Colorado last season, posting a combined 3.31 ERA (6 ER, 16.1 IP), 16 SO vs. 6 BB and a .310 opponents AVG. His 2 starts vs. COL last season came in back-to-back outings on June 11 and 18, allowing 5 ER across 10.2 IP (4.22 ERA)…he struck out a season-high 9 batters in the June 11 outing at Petco Park…he allowed 2 HR in the June 18 outing at COL, 1 of his 3 outings he allowed multi-HRs. Once he fully moved into a relief role, he made 4 relief outings vs. COL from July 12-Sept.25, posting a 1.59 ERA with a .346 opp. AVG.

Representin’
On February 19, 2023, Team USA announced that Martinez replaced Clayton Kershaw on the 30-man roster for the United States team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic…he started Game 2 of pool play against Team Mexico and was the losing pitcher, allowing five hits and three runs with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of the 11-5 defeat…after he wasn’t guaranteed to start for Team USA for the rest of the event, he returned to Padres spring training to prepare for the start of the major league season.

Cactus League play
Martinez went 2-1 with 1.93 ERA across his 4 Cactus League starts this Spring…he struck out 19 across 14.0 IP and opponents hit .245 against him.

Nick’s with us
He originally signed with SD on March 16, 2022 to a 1-year contract for the 2022 season with player options for 2023, 2024 and 2025…exercised his opt out clause after the ’22 season, but re-signed with SD to a 3-year contract through 2025 with a club option covering he 2024 and 2025 seasons…if the club option is declined, Martinez holds two separate player options and can either opt-out or extend the contract through 2024 and 2025.

A one-man category
In 2022, he converted 8 of his 9 save opportunities and collected 8 holds while also making 10 starts…he’s the only pitcher in MLB history to have 4+ holds and 8+ saves while also making 10+ starts in a single campaign.

Dad strength
After returning from the paternity list following the birth of his daughter, Stella, on August 1, 2022, he posted a career-long 15.0 scoreless-inning streak from Aug. 1 to Aug. 29 across 11 appearances. It was the 2nd-longest streak among all SD relievers in ‘22, trailing only Tim Hill (18.2 scoreless IP from July 9-Sept 6).

A Postseason to remember
Made his MLB Postseason debut in ’22, highlighted by 8.1 consecutive-scoreless innings across his 6 NLDS and NLCS appearances vs. LAD and PHI. In Game 4 of the NLCS at PHI, he became the first reliever in Padres’ franchise Postseason history to throw 3.0+ IP without allowing a hit after starter Mike Clevinger failed to record an out in SD’s 10-6 defeat.

Back where he belongs
Prior to ’22, he last pitched in the States between 2014- 17 with the Texas Rangers…in his first 4 Major League seasons, the Miami, Fla. native went 17-30 with a 4.77 ERA (220 ER, 415.1 IP) and 237 strikeouts in 88 games (68 starts).

MLB Preview: Chicago White Sox (1-0) at Houston Astros (0-1)

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MLB Preview: Chicago White Sox (1-0) at Houston Astros (0-1)

CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:

WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
• The Chicago White Sox continue the 2023 season tonight against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.

• RHP Lance Lynn, who ranked fifth in the American League last season with a 2.52 ERA (24 ER/85.2 IP) after the All-Star Break, is scheduled to start for the White Sox … Lynn will be followed by RHP Lucas Giolito and Mike Clevinger in the series finale.

• The Sox opened the season last night with a 3-2 victory over the Astros, their first Opening Day win over a defending World Series champion since 1984 at Baltimore.

• Following this four-game series, the White Sox return to Chicago for a three-game, four-day homestand vs. the Giants (4/3, 4/5-6) before taking a six-game trip to Pittsburgh (4/7-9) and Minnesota (4/10-12).

• The White Sox play just three games vs. AL Central teams in April (4/10-12 at the Twins) … from 4/14-30, the Sox play 16 straight games vs. AL/National League East clubs.

TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
• The White Sox are looking for their first 2-0 start since 2018 when they won their first two games at Kansas City.

• Lance Lynn went 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA (24 ER/85.2 IP) in 14 starts after the All-Star Break in 2022, compared to 1-3 with a 7.50 ERA (30 ER/36.0 IP) over seven starts in the first half.

• Lynn has lost seven straight starts at Houston, including the postseason, recording a 6.80 ERA (32 ER/42.1 IP).

• Elvis Andrus needs two hits for 2,000 career.

• Rookie Oscar Colás, who collected his first MLB hit last night, is scheduled to make his first start.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP
• Andrew Vaughn hit a go-ahead, two-run double off Ryan Pressly in the ninth inning, and the White Sox held on to defeat Houston, 3-2, in Pedro Grifol’s managerial debut.

• With one out in the ninth, Tim Anderson walked and Luis Robert Jr. singled to set up Vaughn’s game-winning hit, which ended Chicago’s four-game losing streak on Opening Day.

• After the Astros took a 1-0 lead in the seventh on Aaron Bummer’s wild pitch, Yasmani Grandal tied the game in the eighth with a solo homer off Rafael Montero.

• Kendall Graveman pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win, and Reynaldo López overcame a Yordan Alvarez solo homer in the ninth to earn his first MLB save.

• Dylan Cease posted a ND despite allowing one run on two hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts over 6.1 IP (see notes below) … Cease retired 19 straight batters after allowing a leadoff single to Jeremy Peña, tied for the third-longest streak in MLB on Opening Day since at least 1974 (STATS).

• Anderson and Robert Jr. each went 2-4 with a run scored … Andrew Benintendi went 1-4 in his Sox debut, and Oscar Colás collected a pinch-hit single off Hector Neris in his MLB debut.

• The White Sox outhit the Astros, 11-4, but went 1-10 with RISP and left 11 runners on base.

OPENING DAY LEFTOVERS
• Pedro Grifol became the first White Sox manager to win his debut since Jerry Manuel in 1998.

• Dylan Cease became the fourth pitcher in American League history with no walks and 10-plus strikeouts on Opening Day, joining Hall-of Famers Walter Johnson (1916) and Mike Mussina (1998) and Jered Weaver (2012) … source: ESPN Stats.

• Cease recorded his 14th career double-digit strikeout game, tied with teammate Lucas Giolito for the fourth-highest total in White Sox history … his 10 strikeouts tied Jack McDowell (1991) for the most by a Sox pitcher on Opening Day.

• Elvis Andrus made his first MLB appearance at a position other than shortstop.

• Oscar Colás became the first White Sox player since Joe Hall in 1994 to record his first MLB hit as a pinch-hitter.

AT THE HELM
• Pedro Grifol was named the 42nd different manager in White Sox history on 11/3/22, replacing Hall-of-Famer Tony La Russa … Grifol joins the Sox after a 10-year stint in Kansas City (2013- 22), including the last three as the Royals bench coach.

• He is one of four current Latino managers in MLB, joining Boston’s Alex Cora, St. Louis’ Oliver Marmol and Washington’s Dave Martinez.

• Grifol has 23 years of professional baseball experience as a bench coach, hitting coach, winter ball and minor league manager, director of player development and scout … he has more than 600 career games of managerial experience.

WHITE SOX VS. HOUSTON ASTROS
• The White Sox lead the season series, 1-0.

• The Astros won the 2022 season series, 4-3, taking two of three games in Houston from 6/17-19 and splitting a four-game set in Chicago from 8/15-18.

• Including the postseason, the Sox have lost eight of their last 10 games at Minute Maid Park and are 5-16 since 2017.

• Houston defeated the White Sox in four games in the 2021 ALDS, while the Sox recorded a sweep in the 2005 World Series.

FAMILIAR FACE
• 1B José Abreu spent his fi rst nine MLB seasons with the White Sox before signing with Houston in the off season.

• Abreu batted .292/.354/.506 (1,445-4,954) with 303 doubles, 243 home runs, 863 RBI and 697 runs scored in 1,270 games with the Sox … he ranks third in franchise history in homers and fi fth in RBI and extra-base hits (562).

• Abreu was the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2020 AL Most Valuable Player.

WHITE SOX ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• The White Sox 26-man roster includes 13 pitchers (two LHP), two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders.

• INF Elvis Andrus (14.0000) has the most service time, and SS Tim Anderson (2016-) is the longest tenured.

• LHP Garrett Crochet (Tommy John recovery) and RHPs Matt Foster (right flexor strain) and RHP Liam Hendriks (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma treatment) are on the 15-day injured list.

• INF Hanser Alberto, OF Andrew Benintendi, RHPs Mike Clevinger and Gregory Santos are new to the organization.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
• The White Sox went 44-37 (.543) on the road in 2022, tied with Seattle for the fourth-best winning percentage in the American League and their best mark since going 52-29 in 2005.

• The Sox posted a 3.46 ERA away from home, the second-best mark in the AL and their best since 2005 (3.39).

BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY
• RHP Lance Lynn (21 starts), All-Star SS Tim Anderson (79 games), 3B Yoán Moncada (104) and OFs Eloy Jiménez (84) and Luis Robert Jr. (98) all missed signifi cant time in 2022.

• The White Sox projected Opening Day lineup was together for just one game last season, a 3-2 loss on 8/4 at Texas.

BY THE NUMBERS
• The White Sox went 21-32 in the fi rst game of a series in 2022 and 32-19 in the second game … 75 of Chicago’s 162 games (46.3 percent) were decided by one or two runs … the Sox went 27-16 in one-run games and 19-13 in games decided by two runs.

33 STARTER LANCE LYNN RHP

LYNN AT A GLANCE
• Is scheduled to make his 2023 season debut … marks his 13th season in the major leagues and third with the White Sox.
• Went 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA (15 ER/62.0 IP), .225 (53-236) opponents average and 62 strikeouts over his last 10 starts of the 2022 season.
• Ranks among MLB active pitchers in HR/9.0 IP (4th, 0.90), SO/9.0 IP (7th, 9.05), opponents average (8th, .241), opponents SLG (8th, .380), wins (9th, 123), opponents OPS (10th, .691), ERA (11th, 3.52), IP (11th, 1,705.1), WHIP (11th, 1.26), opponents OBP (11th, .311), starts (T11th, 285) and strikeouts (13th, 1,715).
• Signed a two-year contract extension with a club option with the White Sox on 7/17/21 … under terms of the extension, he will receive $18.5 million in both 2022 and 2023, with the Sox holding an $18-million option for 2024 with a $1-million buyout.
• Is a two-time All-Star (2012 and 2021) … has finished fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2019, sixth in 2020 and third in 2021.
• Was a member of the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
• Was acquired from Texas in exchange for RHP Dane Dunning and LHP Avery Weems on 12/8/20.

2022 SEASON RECAP
• Was limited to 21 starts after missing the first two-plus months of the season with a knee injury sustained in spring training.
• Ranked among the American League leaders in numerous categories in the second half, including walks per 9.0 IP (2nd, 1.05), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd, 8.90), WHIP (3rd, 0.97) and ERA (5th) … limited opponents to a .222/.257/.374 (46-152) slash line in the second half, compared to .303/.355/.480 (73-329) before the break.
• Struck out 9.17 batters per 9.0 IP (124 SO/121.2 IP), his fifth straight season averaging 9.0 or better … set career bests with a 6.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio (19 BB) and an average of 1.41 walks per 9.0 IP … his 6.53 SO/BB ratio would have ranked third in the AL behind Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (7.32) and Tampa Bay’s Corey Kluber (6.62) with the required IP, and his 1.41 BB/9.0 IP would have ranked second behind Kluber (1.15).
• Went 1-3 with a 7.50 ERA (30 ER/36.0 IP) and 35 strikeouts over seven starts in the first half, compared to 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA (24 ER/85.2 IP) and 89 strikeouts over 14 starts after the All-Star Break.
• Went 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA (9 ER/43.0 IP) and .215 (35-163) opponents average in his final seven road starts … his 1.88 ERA during that span ranked fifth in the AL.

AMERICA’S ACE
• Pitched for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic … went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP), .188 (6-32) opp. average and eight strikeouts in two starts.
• Started on 3/13 against Canada in pool play, earning the win after allowing one run over 5.0 IP.
• Was the starting pitcher for USA’s quarterfinal contest vs. Venezuela … received a no decision after allowing two runs in 4.0 IP … USA would go on to win, 9-7.

ROAD TRIPPIN’
• Is 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA (9 ER/43.0 IP) and .215 (35-163) opponents average in his last seven road starts.
• Has gone 8-7 with a 3.45 ERA (50 ER/130.1 IP), .245 (126-514) opponents average and 131 strikeouts over 23 starts on the road since the start of 2021 … has allowed two runs or less in 16 of those starts and one run or less in nine.
• His 3.45 ERA on the road since 2021 is the sixth-lowest among American League leaders (min. 130.0 IP).

WORK HORSE
• Ranks 11th in MLB with 1,705.1 IP since 2011 … is one of 11 active pitchers in MLB with 1,700.0-plus career IP.
• Has thrown 100-plus pitches 63 times since 2019, tied with the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole for the most in the majors during that span.
• Has thrown 29,103 pitches since 2011, seventh-most during that span, and the most among MLB pitchers with less than 1,700.0 IP during that span.

VS. HOUSTON ASTROS || A.L. WEST
• Is scheduled to make his 14th career start (15th appearance) vs. the Astros and 10th at Minute Maid Park.
• Has gone 0-5 with an 8.80 ERA (29 ER/29.2 IP) and .323 (42-130) opponents average over his last five starts against Houston and 0-6 with a 6.28 ERA (27 ER/38.2 IP) and .261 (41-157) opponents average in his last six at Minute Maid Park.
• Is 14-13 with a 3.65 ERA (91 ER/224.1 IP), .245 (213-869) opponents average in 38 career starts vs. the American League West.

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

GAME 2: The Houston Astros, the reigning World Series champions, will play Game 2 of their 162-game season tonight with a Friday night matchup against the White Sox…it’s another strong pitching matchup tonight with RHP Cristian Javier starting for the Astros opposite RHP Lance Lynn.

RING DAY: The Astros will continue to celebrate Champions Weekend tonight with a pregame Player Ring Ceremony, in which Astros Owner & Chairman Jim Crane will present the players and staff their 2022 World Series Championship rings… the ceremony is scheduled to begin at approximately 6:25 p.m.

GOLD RUSH: The Astros will adorn their gold accented jerseys tonight for the final time in this season…after tonight, the Astros will return to wear their standard home and road jerseys, while mixing in their orange tops (Friday home games), blue tops (Sunday games) and Space City uniforms (Mondays at home).

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

TONIGHT’S PROMOTIONS: Another night of ceremonies and special activations is upon us with country music legend and Houston native Lyle Lovett singing the National Anthem, former Astros great and member of the 2022 World Series team Jason Castro throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, and Houston legendary rapper Paul Wall calling Play Ball…additionally, all fans in attendance will receive a replica World Series Trophy.

AT THE HELM: Last night marked the 26th Opening Day as a manager for Astros skipper Dusty Baker and his fourth at the helm in Houston…Baker, who ranks ninth all-time in mana- gerial wins, enters the season with 2,093 wins, and has an outside shot of moving up to sixth all time by seasons end… en route, he’d have to surpass Joe McCarthy (8th, 2,125), Bucky Harris (7th, 2,158) and Sparky Anderson (6th 2,194).

IN THE BOX: Last night marked the first Opening Day for the Astros under General Manager Dana Brown, who was named the 14th GM in club history in January of 2023…it was also the 12th Opening Day for Astros Owner & Chairman Jim Crane since he purchased the club in November of 2011.

OPENING DAY STREAK SNAPPED: The Astros entered last night’s game with a 10-game winning streak on Opening Day, which is a modern Major League record…that streak was snapped with their 3-2 loss.

LONGEST OPENING DAY STREAKS (MLB HISTORY)
Boston Beaneaters 10 straight (1887-96)
Houston Astros 10 straight (2013-22)
Seattle Mariners 9 straight (2007-15)
Cincinnati Reds 9 straight (1983-91)
New York Mets 9 straight (1975-83)
St. Louis Browns 9 straight (1937-45)

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros lost their Opening Day game against the White Sox last night by a score of 3-2…LHP Framber Valdez started for Houston, tossing 5.0 scoreless innings in what was his second consecutive Opening Day start…LF Yordan Alvarez accounted for the Astros only RBI on the night by hammering a 9th-inning solo homer into the second deck.

TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP CRISTIAN JAVIER

LAST SPRING START finished his spring with 5.2 scoreless innings pitched in a start against the Nationals on 3/25…struck out 2 batters and did not allow a walk.

• appeared with Team Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic…made 1 appearance, tossing 4 scoreless IP and allowing 2 hits to go with 4 strikeouts in a 6-1 for Team Dominican Republic over Team Nicaragua

LAST START – 2022 World Series Game 4 vs. PHI: delivered one of the most historic starts in MLB postseason history, throwing six hitless innings to begin Astros combined no-hitter in 5-0 win…also struck out nine batters to just two walks in start…was the second no-hitter in World Series history and first combined no-hitter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: finished 3rd in the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year voting after leading all AL rookies in ERA (3.48)…marked the highest finish by an Astros rookie pitcher since Roy Oswalt finished second in the 2001 National League Rookie of the Year voting. • was named the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2019…recorded a 1.74 ERA (22ER/113.2IP) with a career-high 170 strikeouts between three levels in the Astros system.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: will be making his third career appearance against the White Sox and his second in the regular season…made his first regular-season appearance against them on June 19 of last season at Minute Maid Park, allowing a run on two hits through five innings to pick up a win…also faced the White Sox in a relief outing in Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS, striking out six batters without surrendering a hit.

MLB Preview: New York Mets (1-0) at Miami Marlins (0-1)

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MLB Preview: New York Mets (1-0) at Miami Marlins (0-1)

NEW YORK METS NOTES:

METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets opened their season with a 5-3 win yesterday in Miami…The Mets improved to 41-21 (.661) on Opening Day, which is the best record in major league history…The Mets continue their first road trip of the season, a seven-game trip to Miami (1-0) and Milwaukee (three games).

TWICE AS FUN: New York has started the year 2-0 or better four times in the last 10 years (2022 – 3-0, 2019 – 2-0, 2018 – 2-0 and 2013 – 2-0).

OPENING DAY: After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have won 41 of their last 54 Opening Day games (.759)…New York took nine straight openers from 1975-1983 to tie a major league record… The Mets have won 14 of their last 18 openers, including six of the last seven.

THIS ONE GOES TO 11: Jeff McNeil is on an 11-game hitting streak, the longest active run in the majors…He has not struck out once during the streak and has not been punched out in a career-best 12 straight games overall…The last player to have at least one hit and no strikeouts in 11 straight games was Andrelton Simmons (May 23-June 2, 2018)… Only three Mets have had a longer streak of games with a hit and no strikeouts: Félix Millan (twice, 14 games in 1974 and 12 games in 1976), Moises Alou (13 games in 2007) and Tommy Davis (12 games in 1967).

ROSTER MOVES: Prior to yesterday’s game, the Mets placed RHP Sam Coonrod on the 15-Day IL with a right lat strain, RHP Edwin Díaz on the 60-Day IL with a right patellar tendon repair, RHP Elieser Hernández on the 15-Day IL with a right shoulder strain, RHP Bryce Montes de Oca
15-Day IL with a right elbow UCL revision and removal of loose bodies, LHP José Quintana 15-Day with a left rib fracture, RHP Stephen Ridings on the 15-Day with a right lat strain…RHP Justin Verlander will also be placed on the 15-Day IL with a low grade teres major strain.

LET’S GO FISHING: The Mets beat the Marlins 5-3 yesterday in Miami… New York moved to 52-46 at loanDepot park…The team has won three straight and eight of their last 10 games at the ballpark…The team owns a 3.47 ERA at the yard and has hit .250/.325/.406.

PETE AND PETE: David Peterson is set to make his first start of the season tonight in Miami…In 28 games (19 starts) last season, Peterson went 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA (45 ER/105.2 IP) with 48 walks and 126 strikeouts…He has appeared in five games (four starts) against the Marlins and owns a 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA (7 ER/23.0 IP) with eight walks and 26 strikeouts…He has made two career starts in Miami is 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA (5 ER/10.2 IP) with two walks and 15 strikeouts.

WELCOME TO MIAMI: Omar Narváez is a .385 (5-13) hitter with two runs, a double, an RBI and four walks in four career games at loanDepot park…Francisco Lindor owns a .329/.407/.543 slashline with 12 runs, 23 hits, six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI at the Ballpark…Starling Marte has hit .303/.367/.444…Pete Alonso has socked 11 home runs in 29 career games at the home of the Marlins.

THE DAVID: David Robertson earned the first Mets save of the year last night…It was the 158th of his career…He is now 1-1 with four saves and a 0.71 ERA (1 ER/12.2 IP) with six walks and 20 strikeouts in 11 career games against the Marlins…The Mets signed Robertson to a one-year deal in December of 2022…Robertson, 37, spent the 2022 season between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies where he totaled a 4-3 record with 20 saves and a 2.40 ERA (17 ER/63.2 IP) with 35 walks and 81 strikeouts…He ranked tied for seventh among National League relievers in opponents’ batting average (.173), tied for eighth in saves and tied for ninth in strikeouts…The righty recorded 20 or more saves in a season for the fourth time in career, also doing so in each year from 2014-16.

WE FOUND NIMMO: Brandon Nimmo went 1-3 with a run, a double, three RBI and a walk in the Mets victory yesterday…In 79 road games last year, Nimmo hit .309/.406/.492 with a .898 OPS, 29 extra-base hits and 42 RBI.

David Peterson LHP #23
2022 STATS: 7-5, 3.83 ERA

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

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

THE RUNDOWN: Peterson allowed four or fewer earned runs in each of his first 18 starts last season…His 18-start streak allowing four or fewer runs was the fifth-longest such streak in the majors by a lefty last season…It was tied for the second-longest such streak by a left-handed Mets starter in a single season and tied for the seventh-longest streak overall by a Mets southpaw in franchise history.

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

MIAMI VICE: Peterson will face the Marlins for the sixth time in his career…His last appearance against the Marlins came as a relief pitcher on September 27, 2022 at Citi Field, when he fired 2.0 scoreless innings…He was dealt a loss in his last start against the Marlins, September 9 last season at loanDepot Park, after allowing three runs on five hits in 3.2 innings of a 6-3 Mets setback…Peterson has never allowed more than three runs in a game against the Fish…He has a 2.74 career ERA (7 ER/23.0 IP) against the club.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Peterson had 3.25 ERA (19 ER/52.2 IP) in 13 road outings last season, including nine starts…He is 5-9 with a 4.60 ERA (61 earned runs/119.1 innings) in his career on the road.

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

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

FOUR-HIT WONDER: The southpaw allowed four hits or fewer in 12 of his 19 starts and 21 of his 28 appearances overall last season…He has held the opposition to four hits or fewer in 39 of his 53 career games.

MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:

MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today continue their opening series with the second of four games against the New York Mets. Miami will wrap up the opening homestand with a three-game set against the Twins, their first of 15 Interleague series in 2023. The club’s first road trip includes a three-game series against the Mets that starts on April 6, with a built-in off day on April 7, before heading to play the reigning National League-champion Phillies from April 10-12.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami dropped their season opener yesterday to the Mets, 5-3. RHP Sandy Alcantara made his fourth consecutive Opening Day start, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts over 5.2 innings. The Marlins tied the game at 3 in the 6th inning after a pair of doubles by C Jacob Stallings and 2B Luis Arraez capped by a 2-run homer by 1B Garrett Cooper. LHP Tanner Scott entered in the 7th, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and was charged with the loss. RHP Huascar Brazoban tossed 2.0 scoreless innings, with 3 hits and 3 strikeouts, to close the night.

OPENING DAY BLUES
The Marlins have gone 1-9 in Opening Day home games at LoanDepot Park. Have lost seven consecutive home openers dating back to their last Opening Day win at home in 2014 vs. Colorado.

OPENING DAY FIRST
INF Garrett Cooper hit his first career Opening Day home run yesterday in his fifth Opening Day appearance. Yesterday’s 2-run shot was Cooper’s 40th career HR, eight of those against the Mets. Has four career home runs against the Braves.

CY YOUNG SANDY
The 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner RHP Sandy Alcantara toed the rubber yesterday for Miami in his fourth consecutive Opening Day start. He became the first pitcher in Marlins history to make four consecutive Opening Day starts. Surpassed the previous mark of three, which he shared with Josh Beckett (2003-05) and Josh Johnson (2010-12). Alcantara was also one of three pitchers in the Majors to make a fourth consecutive Opening Day start with the same team, joining Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (sixth) and Cleveland’s Shane Bieber (fourth).

• In 2022, Alcantara became the first pitcher in franchise history to win the National League Cy Young Award. He was unanimously selected the winner after leading MLB with 228.2 innings pitched and 6 complete games. Ranked fifth in ERA (2.28); among NL pitchers, ranked second in ERA, fourth in strikeouts (207), and sixth in WHIP (0.98) and opponents batting avg. (.212).

• Overall, during Sandy’s entire life (born Sept. 1995) only two pitchers have reached these marks since the 1996 season: Felix Hernandez, SEA (2010) and Pedro Martinez, MON (1997). Both of those pitchers won the Cy Young Awards in their league that year.

• His 14 wins were the most by a Marlins pitcher since Jose Ureña in 2017 (14 wins). Only Jose Fernandez, who won 16 games in 2016, recorded more wins since the team moved to Miami in 2012.

• Held opponents to 2 ER or less in 25 of 32 starts, tying the most such outings by a starter in club history, done by Kevin Brown in 1996 (250). Only two pitchers in MLB had more such starts, Jose Quintana (26 – PIT/STL) and Julio Urias (26 – LAD).

TEALING BACK TIME
Tonight marks the first Flashback Friday of the season as the Marlins will teal back time with throwback Florida Marlins uniforms – same as the 1993 team in the organization’s inaugural season – for Friday home games this season (excluding June 2 – Lou Gehrig Day, and September 15 – Roberto Clemente Day). The throwback uniform will consist of the teal hats, featuring a 30th anniversary logo patch on the side, and the home white jerseys and pants with teal pinstripes.

• Every Marlins home Friday game will be themed Flashback Friday and feature special appearances from former players, coaches, and other fan favorites. Additional elements on Flashback Fridays include a Marlins Museum presented by Fanatics opening April 14, and special 30th Anniversary logo baseballs during Friday home games.

• Joining the Marlins for the first Flashback Friday on March 31 are four players from the franchise’s inaugural Opening Day roster in 1993: Alex Arias, Luis Aquino, Jeff Conine, and Orestes Destrade.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Marlins roster is re-shaped from last season, featuring six players who did not appear in with the organization last year.

• Offensively, Miami acquired infielder Luis Arraez from Minnesota. The reigning American League batting champion posted a .316 avg. (173×547) in 2022 and owns a .314 avg. in four career Major League seasons. The club also signed free-agent infielder Jean Segura to a two-year deal with a club option for a third year. Segura, a two-time All-Star and the 2016 NL hits leader, has averaged 6.7 AB/SO during his 11-year professional career, the third-best mark since 2012 among players with at least 1,300 games played. The newest addition to the Marlins lineup is two-time World Series champion and 2021 AL Batting Champion Yuli Gurriel, who hit 40 doubles last season for the World Series champion Houston Astros.

• Miami bolstered the starting rotation with the signing of free-agent pitcher Johnny Cueto. The 15-year veteran is a 2015 World Series champion and two-time All-Star, owning a career 143-107 record and 3.44 ERA in 355 appearances (353 starts). To add to the back end, the Marlins acquired right-handed reliever Matt Barnes from Boston, who posted a 1.59 ERA (22.2 IP/4 ER) with six saves in his final 24 appearances of 2022. Additionally, Miami acquired former first-round selection A.J. Puk from Oakland. The southpaw led the Athletics bullpen with 76 strikeouts last year in his first full season in the big leagues.

ACCOLADES
The Marlins’ Opening Day active roster features 13 All-Star appearances (10 players), four World Series Champions, two Batting Champions, one Stolen Base Champion, and one Cy Young Award winner.

500 CLUB
SS Joey Wendle currently sits at 490 career hits. Teammate Jean Segura owns 492 career RBI. •1B Yuli Gurriel begins the season with 94 career home runs, just six shy of the century mark.

NEW SKIP IN TOWN
Miami heads into the 2023 season with Skip Schumaker at the helm for his first managerial position after serving as St. Louis’s Bench Coach last season. Schumaker concluded his 11-year Major League career in 2015, appearing in a total of 1,149 games with the Cardinals (2005-12), Los Angeles Dodgers (2013), and Cincinnati Reds (2014-15). He is a two-time World Series champion (2006, 2011) as a member of the Cardinals.

THE CAPTAIN’S CREW
The Marlins feature a plethora of new faces on the bench under Manager Skip Schumaker, including three returning coaches in Bullpen Coach Wellington Cepeda, Bullpen Coordinator Rob Flippo, and Pitching Coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. To round out the group, Miami added Rod Barajas (Field Coordinator), Griffin Benedict (Quality Control Coach), Brant Brown (Hitting Coach), Jason Hart (Assistant Hitting Coach), Jon Jay (First Base/Outfield Coach), John Mabry (Assistant Hitting Coach), Jody Reed (Third Base/Infield Coach), and Luis Urueta (Bench Coach) to the field staff.

TODAY’S STARTER – #44 JESUS LUZARDO
• Jesus Luzardo, 26, made 18 starts to match his career-high. Missed 71 games from May 10 to August 1 with a left forearm strain.

• In six starts prior to his injury, went 2-3 with a 4.03 ERA, allowing 13 runs in 29.0 innings.

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

• Allowed 2 runs or less in 13 of 18 starts in 2022, and 1 run or less in 7 of those.

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

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

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

• Went 2-2 with a 2.64 ERA (58.0 IP/17 ER) in 10 away starts in 2022 with 71 strikeouts vs. 1-5 with a 4.25 ERA (42.1 IP/20 ER) with 49 strikeouts in 8 starts at home.

• Pitched at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, located in Parkland, Fla., approx. a half hour north of LoanDepot Park. Hernandez had a streak of 16 straight such starts in 2014.

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

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