MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (0-0) at Seattle Mariners (0-0)

Baseball
MLB

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March 30, 2023

MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (0-0) at Seattle Mariners (0-0)

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:

123 YEARS OF CLEVELAND BASEBALL
The Cleveland Guardians are set to begin their 123rd season (1901-2023) this evening in Seattle…Cleveland’s Home Opener will take place on Friday, April 7 in what will mark the start of the club’s 30th season at Progressive Field.

Cleveland is 61-61 (.500) all-time on Opening Day after falling, 3-1, at Kansas City to begin the 2022 campaign…the Guardians have dropped 10 of 14, 14 of 20, and 16 of their last 24 games to begin a season dating back to 1999.

The longest Opening Day win streak in Cleveland history is 5 games, accomplished on 3 occasions: 1925-29, 1931-35, 1951- 55…Guardians longest OD losing streak is 4 years, done several times (last: 2009-12).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Cleveland opens the season on the road tonight for the 77th time in franchise history, going 38-38 (.500) all-time in Opening Day games played away from Cleveland…77 road OD games rank 3rd in MLB modern-era and 2nd in the AL (PIT-96, BOS-79)…the Guardians’ 22 road openers since 1995 rank 2nd in MLB and 1st in the AL (SF-23)…the club has opened 6 of 7, 9 of 11 and 22 of its last 29 seasons on the road…Cleveland has outscored Opening Day opponents 317-304 in 76 road games, and has been outscored 185-165 in 46 home games

Cleveland finished with a .568 winning percentage (46-35) on the road during the 2022 regular season, which ranked 2nd in the AL, T4th in MLB.

A LATE NIGHT CUP O’ JOE
The Guardians and Mariners are set to meet on Opening Day for the 4th time in MLB history…the clubs last faced off to open up the season on March 29, 2018 in Seattle with the Mariners taking the matchup, 2-1…in a battle of Cy Young award winners RHP Felix Hernandez and RHP Corey Kluber faced off with Kluber twirling 8.0 innings, allowing 2 R/ER with 8 strikeouts but ultimately suffered the loss…prior to that, the clubs met on March 31, 1998 in a 10-9 Guardians victory, and on April 4, 1994 in a 4-3 Cleveland win.

This will be the first time since 2018 that Cleveland will open against an opponent outside of the division following a 4-year stretch (2019-2022) of opening against division foes.

CLEVELAND ALL-TIME OPENING DAY OPPONENTS
BY CLUB, 1901-2021
No. Team No. Team No. Team
30 Detroit 4 Seattle 3 Oakland
29 Chicago-AL 4 Boston 3 Toronto
14 St. Louis-AL 4 Los Angeles-AL 3 KC Athletics
6 Texas 4 Minnesota 1 Houston
5 Baltimore (1954-) 4 KC Royals 1 Wash (1960-71)
5 New York-AL 3 Milwaukee (1970-)

See pages 259-263 of the digital Cleveland Guardians Information & Record Book for complete Opening Day results and lineups.

OPENING DAY ROSTER
Cleveland officially announced the club’s season-opening 26- man roster today, breaking camp with 13 pitchers and 13 position players…OD rosters are back down to 26 spots following 2022 when teams could hold 28 players until May 1 to compensate for a shorter Spring Training…21 of 26 players on this year’s Opening Day roster appeared for the club in 2022 (13 of the 26 were on the club’s 2022 OD roster).

Cleveland has seven (7) players on a Major League OD roster for the first time in their careers: INF GABRIEL ARIAS, OF WILL BRENNAN, RHP XZAVION CURRY, RHP ENYEL DE LOS SANTOS, RHP HUNTER GADDIS, OF OSCAR GONZALEZ and LHP TIM HERRIN.

Herrin is the sole player set to make his Guardians and Major League debut…starting Opening Day, every player making their Major League debut will wear an “MLB Debut” patch on their uniform for their first game.

At 27 years and 15 days, the Guardians sport the youngest average age of any Opening Day roster in MLB…Cleveland also possesses the youngest pitching staff (avg. of 26 years, 290 days) and youngest set of position players (avg. of 27 years, 105 days) (Stats LLC.).

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)

TITO THREE TIMES
TERRY FRANCONA begins his 11th season at the helm for the Cleveland Guardians after being voted as AL Manager for the third time in his career in 2022 (also 2013 and 2016), guiding the youngest roster in the Major Leagues to an AL Central Division-winning record of 92-70…he became the first manager in MLB history to lead a team with 17+ rookies who made debuts to a division or league title.

The Cleveland Guardians enter 2023 carrying the American League’s 2nd-best record over the past decade, also 4th-best in the Majors, as the club’s .557 (845-671) winning pct. since 2013, trails only the Los Angeles Dodgers (.613, 931-588), New York Yankees (.565, 858-660) and St. Louis Cardinals (.559, 848-668)…Cleveland’s last 10 seasons (2013-22) have been highlighted by four A.L. Central titles (2016-18, 2022) and six MLB Postseason appearances, while the club has played a combined total of just 19 regular season games outside of Postseason contention in that span.

I’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE
JOSÉ RAMÍREZ is expected to appear in Cleveland’s Opening Day starting lineup for the 8th time in his career, as he has been penciled in every year since 2015 with the exception of 2016 when he made his season debut in the club’s second game of the year as the starting left fielder…would be starting in his 7th consecutive opener, the longest such streak by any player for Cleveland since Carlos Santana started 7 straight from 2011-17…will mark his 6th straight start at 3B, as his starts in 2015 and 2017 came at SS and 2B, respectively…becomes just the 6th player in franchise history to start 6 different openers at 3B, joining Ken Keltner (11, 1938-44; ’46-49), Bill Bradley (10, 1901-10), Brook Jacoby (8, 1984-90; ’92), Al Rosen (7, 1950-56) & Max Alvis (6, 1963-68).

TONIGHT’S STARTER
57 SHANE BIEBER RHP

BIEBER FEVER IS 4 REAL
» Following another solid campaign in 2022, the 27-year-old is slated
for his fourth career/consecutive Opening Day start after toeing the
slab for the club’s first games of 2020, a 2-0 shutout win vs. KC; 2021,
a 3-2 defeat at DET and 2022, a 3-1 loss at KC.
» After 2021 was cut short due to injury, Bieber put together a
formidable 2022 season, going 13-8 and reaching 200.0 innings
pitched in 31 starts…his 2.88 ERA (64ER/200.0IP) was the 2nd-best
ERA he’s posted in his career (1.63 ERA in Covid-shortened 2020
season)…he finished 3rd in the American League in innings pitched
and 7th in ERA.
» Bieber is one of three pitchers to start on Opening Day for the
Guardians in the last decade, joining Justin Masterson (2013-14) and
Corey Kluber (2015-19)…with his start Thursday, Bieber becomes
the fifth pitcher in franchise history to start at least four consecutive
opening days (Stan Coveleski, 1917-21; Bob Feller, 1946-49; Gaylord
Perry, 1972-75; Corey Kluber, 2015-19)…Bieber and Kluber are now
the only consecutive pitchers in club history to start on 4 straight
Opening Days.

OPENING DAY SHANE
In 3 previous Opening Day starts is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA (3ER/16.2IP) while walking 4 and striking out 30…has the two highest single game strikeout totals on Opening Day over the past three seasons (14 in 2020, 12 in 2021)…he is the only pitcher in MLB history to throw 14 strikeouts with 1-or-fewer walks on Opening Day…in the 2022 season-opener, the ace went 4.2 innings, allowing 2R/1ER with 4 strikeouts in a 3-1 loss at Kansas City.

On Opening Day in 2020, Bieber started his Cy Young campaign with 14 strikeouts across 6.0 innings of work in a 2-0 win vs. Kansas City, setting a club record for most punchouts on OD (prev. Gary Bell, 12 SO in 10.1 IP on April 19, 1960 vs. DET)…became the second pitcher in club history to record 14+ SO in a game while working 6.0-or-fewer innings, joining Sam McDowell, who did it on Sept 18, 1966 at Detroit (6.0IP, 14SO)…Bieber fell just one strikeout shy of the MLB record on Opening Day set by Camilo Pascual in 1960; Bieber’s 14 K’s were the most in any MLB Opening Day start since Randy Johnson (14) in 1996 and most in MLB history for a scoreless Opening Day start.

MLB OPENING DAY STRIKEOUT RECORDS
SO Pitcher Date Game
15 Camilo Pascual 04/18/1960 WAS vs. BOS
14 Shane Bieber 07/24/2020 CLE vs. KC
14 Randy Johnson 03/31/1996 SEA vs. CHW
14 Randy Johnson 04/06/1993 SEA vs. TOR
14 Don Drysdale 04/12/1960 LA vs. CHC

After striking out 12 batters over 6.0 innings in a 3-2 Opening Day loss at Detroit in 2021, Bieber joined Bob Feller (10SO in 1939 & 1946) as the only pitchers in club history with multiple starts of 10-or-more strikeouts on OD and is one of only twelve pitchers in MLB history to ever accomplish the feat…also joined Nolan Ryan (2), Randy Johnson (2) and Bob Gibson (2) as the only four arms to record 12-or-more SO in multiple OD starts, becoming the first pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to turn the trick in consecutive Opening Day starts (Elias).

SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S TILT…the Mariners welcome the Cleveland Guardians to T-Mobile Park for game one of a 4-game series to begin their 47th season…Luis Castillo, who makes his third career Opening Day start, takes the mound as the 18th different Opening Day starting pitcher in franchise history…the Opening Day contest 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…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.

• The Skipper – Mariners manager Scott Servais enters his 8th season at the helm…Scott’s 528 wins and .512 winning percentage as Seattle skipper both rank 2nd in franchise history.

• Hey Everybody! – For the first time ever, the Mariners are scheduled to play all 29 opponents this season. • Spring Recap – Seattle went 14-13-3 in 30 Cactus League games…116 different players (64 position players, 52 pitchers) appeared in a 2023 spring game with the Mariners.

OPENING DAY…the Mariners are 28-18 (.609) all-time on Opening Day, 2nd-best record in the Majors behind only the New York Mets (.656/40-21)…the Mariners have won each of their last 2 Opening Day games and 4 of their last 5 since 2018…tonight marks the 29th time the Mariners will open at home (18-10 at home on Opening Day)…it marks the 4th time in franchise history that Seattle will face Cleveland on Opening Day (1-2 against Cleveland on Opening Day)…the Mariners open the season on a Thursday for the 5th time in franchise history (also: 1981, 1995, 2018, 2021)…Seattle has recorded a 1-run victory in each of its last 2 and 3 of its last 4 Opening Day wins.

HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS…Opening Day and Saturday, April 1 vs. Cleveland (Julio Rodríguez Bobblehead Night) are both sold out…tickets remain available for 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 ROSTER…the Mariners 26-man Opening Day 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…the 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.

FAMILIAR FACES…20 of the 26 players on the Mariners Opening Day roster appeared in a game for the Mariners 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)…the oldest player on the team is AJ Pollock (35 years, 115 days old).

THE COACHING STAFF…Mariners manager Scott Servais (#9) enters his 8th season at the helm…Scott’s 528 regular season wins are 2nd-most in franchise history…Trent Blank (#40) transitions from Bullpen Coach & Director of Pitching Strategy to Major League Coach & Director of Pitching Strategy…Stephen Vogt (#13) joins the Mariners as Bullpen & Quality Control Coach…returning to Seattle’s coaching staff in the same roles as 2022 are Third Base Coach Manny Acta (#14), Hitting Coach Tony Arnerich (#57), Hitting Coach & Director of Hitting Strategy Jarret DeHart (#88), Infield Coach Perry Hill (#6), First Base Coach Kristopher Negrón (#45), Major League Field Coordinator Carson Vitale (#39) and Pitching Coach Pete Woodworth (#32)…Batting Practice Pitcher Nasusel Cabrera (#89) and Bullpen Catcher Fleming Báez (#66) also return to the staff, while Bullpen Catcher Justin Novak (#95) joins the staff.

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

GLOBAL GAME…four countries outside the U.S. are represented on the Mariners Opening Day roster (7 players): Dominican Republic (4): Diego Castillo, Luis Castillo, Teoscar Hernández and Julio Rodríguez, Canada (1): Matt Brash, Mexico (1): Andrés Muñoz and Venezuela (1): Eugenio Suárez.

WINNING WAYS…the Mariners put together a winning month in 5 of 6 months in 2022 (11-10 in April, 16-13 in June, 18-7 in July, 17-10 in August and 18-14 in Sept/Oct.)…dating back to the start of 2021, Seattle has put together a winning month in 10 of its last 12 months.

TONIGHT’S STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO
ABOUT CASTILLO…
• The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 1st start of the season and 1st against the Guardians this season…he is also making his 149th Major League start and 7th career start against Cleveland.

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

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

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

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

LAST TIME OUT…W#8 in last start of the regular season against OAK on 10/1/22…allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8.

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

FOR OPENERS…is making his 3rd career Opening Day start and his first with the Mariners, becoming the 18th different pitcher to start on Opening Day in franchise history.

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

OFF TO A GOOD START…his 77 strikeouts through his first 11 Mariners starts are the most in Mariners history through a pitchers first 11 starts, ranking ahead of Cliff Lee’s 76 and Robbie Ray’s 74 strikeouts through their first 11 Mariners starts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHIFF ARTIST…since 2017 (the season Castillo made his MLB debut), Luis has induced 2,109 swings-and-misses, 7th-most in the Majors over that span…he leads all pitchers since 2017 with 894 whiffs on his changeup, ranking ahead of Lucas Giolito-CWS (701) and Kyle Hendricks-CHC (691).

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

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

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

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March 30, 2023

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

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:

LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:

HERE TO STAY: The Dodgers begin their 66th season in Los Angeles with the first of four against the Diamondbacks tonight at 7:10 p.m. It will be their first time opening the season at home in three years, since bouncing the San Francisco Giants, 8-1 in 2020. This will be the third time in the franchise history that they will host the Diamondbacks on Opening Day and are 2-0 against Arizona with wins in 1999 (8-6) and 2019 (12-5). The Dodgers are 4-0 against the D-Backs on Opening Day, including wins in 2003 (8-0) and 2014 (3-1) at Chase Field. After the game tonight, the Dodgers will matchup up with their division rivals three more times before they welcome in the Colorado Rockies on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 36-29 on Opening Day since 1958 and are 11-3 in their last 14 Opening Day tilts. Entering the 2023 season, only three teams in the Majors that have posted a better mark on Opening Day than the Dodgers:
Team W-L (Pct)
New York Mets 40-21 (.656)
Chicago Cubs 81-65 (.551)
San Francisco Giants 75-63 (.547)
Los Angeles Dodgers 72-60 (.545)

EL REY: Julio Urías will make his first career Opening Day start this evening after leading team Mexico into the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic this Spring. The Culiacan, Mexico native will become the 12th Mexican-born pitcher to start Opening Day, joining Fernando Valenzuela (6 times), Yovani Gallardo (6), Rodrigo López (3), Teddy Higuera (3), Óliver Pérez (2), Francisco Cordova (2), Jorge De La Rosa 2),
Esteban Loaiza (1), Armando Reynoso (1), Marco Estrada (1) and Ismael Valdéz (1). He will be the second Mexican-born Dodger in franchise history to start Opening Day, joining Valenzuela and is the first in the Majors since Marco Estrada in 2017.

vs. ARI: The Dodgers have dominated the Diamondbacks of late, going 14-5 last season, including a 7-2 record at Dodger Stadium against the Snakes. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Dodgers are 38- 10 against the Diamondbacks with a 19-3 mark at Dodger Stadium. According to Sportradar, the Dodgers record against the Diamondbacks is the best record against a division opponent since 2020:

Team Opponent Division W-L Pct
Dodgers vs Diamondbacks NL West 38-10 .792
Phillies vs Nationals NL East 36-12 .750
Mariners vs Rangers AL West 35-13-1 .729
Giants vs Diamondbacks NL West 34-14 .708
Braves vs Nationals NL East 34-14 .708
Rays vs Orioles AL East 34-14 .708

IT FELTLIKE YESTERDAY: The Dodgers finished the Spring Training slate, dropping their last two-games to the Halos and finishing the campaign with a 14-13-4 record. Freddie Freeman finished the Spring with a .316 batting average and three homers while James Outman led the boys with a team-best 15 hits, eight extra-base hits and 11 RBI (tied with Freeman).

HISTORY LESSON: Last season, the Dodgers became just the seventh team in Major League Baseball history to record 110+ wins in a season and their 111 wins ranks second all-time in National League history, behind only the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116). Additionally, the Dodgers have recorded 323 wins in their last three full seasons (2019, 2021-22), which became a Major League record for a three-year span, surpassing the Cubs, who recorded 322 wins from 1906-1908

TONIGHT’S STARTER LHP JULIO URĺAS (17-7, 2.16 ERA in 31 GS in 2022)

2023 NOTES:
• Southpaw looks to make his first career Opening Day start

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

• Last pitched on March 24 against Milwaukee, allowing four runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings work with one strikeout and three walks

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

VS. D-BACKS:
• Last faced the club on Sept. 22, 2022 in his last regular season start at Dodger Stadium, where he fired 5.1 scoreless frames and struck out five batters…gave up three hits in 21 batters faced • In his career, he owns a stellar 7-1 record with a 1.38 ERA (8 ER/52.0 IP) with 47 strikeouts in 11 games (eight starts) against the Snakes

CAREER NOTES:
• The Culiacan native enters his eighth season after earning his place in Dodger lore by recording final outs to close the club’s 2020 World Championship…has posted 49-17 record with four saves and a 2.82 ERA in 137 games (101 starts) in seven Major League seasons with Los Angeles…owns a 1.09 WHIP with 593 career strikeouts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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March 30, 2023

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

LOS ANGELES ANGELS NOTES:

LEADING OFF: 2023 represents the Angels 63rd MLB season…Today marks the 9,816th regular season game in team history…LAA holds an all-time record of 4,885-4,927-3 (.498)…On Opening Day, Halos are 31-31 overall, (19-17 at home and 12-14 on the road all-time).

OPENING DAY TRENDS: Last year, Angels were defeated by Houston on Opening Day, marking Halos eighth Opening Day loss in the last nine 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 seven 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.

A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER: The Angels are starting the season at the Oakland Coliseum for the fifth time in the last seven years…This is the first time in MLB history that any team begins 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 two Openers at home.

SETTING THE ROSTER: Yesterday, 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 2-6 all-time against Oakland on Opening Day (2-1 at Angel Stadium & 0-5 at the Coliseum)… The A’s have won four straight Opening Day’s against LAA (2017-20) 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: Halos are looking to snap a franchise record five-game road losing streak on Opening Day…Last road win on Opening Day came in 2013 at Cincinnati in the first Interleague Opening Day game in MLB history.

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

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 features just one rookie: Logan O’Hoppe.

IN THE DUGOUT: Phil Nevin begins 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.

ON THE HILL AGAIN: Shohei Ohtani will become the 15th pitcher in Angels history to make multiple Opening Day pitching starts.

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

MAN ON THE MOUND: RHP Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to make his second MLB Opening Day start as a pitcher today… He has started as the Angels Opening Day DH in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022…Will become the second player since 1900 to have multiple Opening Day starts as a pitcher and nonpitcher, joining Babe Ruth (15 as a non-pitcher and 3 as a pitcher). (ELIAS)

ANGELS RECENT OPENING DAY STARTING PITCHERS:
2022-23: Shohei Ohtani
2021: Dylan Bundy
2020: Andrew Heaney
2019: Trevor Cahill
2018: Garrett Richards
2017: Ricky Nolasco
2016: Garrett Richards
2010-15: Jered Weaver

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

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – RHP SHOHEI OHTANI

• SHO TIME: Making first start of the season and second Opening Day pitching start of MLB career…Also made two Opening Day pitching starts in Japan for Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2015-16, going 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA (12.2 IP – 3 ER) and 15 strikeouts…First Angels pitcher to start consecutive Opening Days since Jered Weaver (2010-15).

• WBC MVP: Named Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic…Made three pitching appearances (two starts) 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…Marked first relief appearance since October 16, 2016 in Game 5 of the Final Stage of the 2016 Pacific League Climax Series for Fighters.

• LAST TIME ON THE MOUND: Last pitching appearance came in a minor league Spring Training start against Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguers last Friday…Struck out eight batters across 4.2 IP, while allowing one run.

• VS. OAKLAND: In 10 career games vs. A’s, is 4-4 with a 2.50 ERA (57.2 IP – 16 ER)…Last season, was 2-2 with a 1.09 ERA (24.2 IP – 3 ER) and 28 strikeouts in four starts…Came within four outs of a no-hitter in start vs. A’s on Sept. 29, 2022 at Angel Stadium…On Apr. 8, 2018 vs. A’s at Angel Stadium, carried a perfect game into the 7th inning (W; 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 SO).

• AT OAKLAND COLISEUM: In six career games at the Coliseum, is 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA (29 IP – 12 ER)…Last season, was 1-1 with a 0.82 ERA (11 IP – 1 ER) in two starts at the ballpark…Made first big league pitching start on April 1, 2018 (W; 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO) in Oakland.

• ONE AND ONLY: Last season, became only player to ever qualify for the league leaders as both a hitter and a pitcher in one season…Was the first A.L/N.L. player since Babe Ruth (1918) with 10+ wins and 10+ HR in the same season and the only player in MLB history with 10+ wins & 30 + HR.

• 2022 ON THE MOUND: Was the runner-up in 2022 A.L. MVP voting after winning the award in 2021…Finished 2022 with a 15-9 record, a 2.33 ERA (166 IP – 43 ER) and 219 strikeouts in 28 pitching starts, while holding opponents to a .203 average (124/610)…Led A.L. with an 11.87 SO/9 innings rate…Allowed two-or-fewer runs in 22 of 28 starts…Ranked among league leaders in strikeouts (219; 3rd), whiff% (33.0%; 4th), ERA (2.33; 4th), wins (15; T4th), WHIP (1.01; 5th) and opponent batting average (.203; 6th)…In last 19 games of 2022 season, pitched to a 1.67 ERA (118.2 IP – 22 ER) with 154 strikeouts.

• 200K: Was the first Angels pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts since Jered Weaver in 2010 and the only player in MLB history with 200+ pitching strikeouts and 8+ home runs in one season.

• STRIKEOUT RECORDS: Making 64th career pitching start today…Has recorded 441 career strikeouts, which is a Club record through 63 career games as a pitcher, and rank 10th all-time through 63 career games.

• 10 K, 10x: Recorded 10+ strikeouts in 10 starts last season, which was the most such games in the A.L…Ohtani joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in franchise history with 10+ strikeouts in at least six consecutive games.

• BRINGING THE HEAT: Last season, was only A.L. starting pitcher to throw 40+ pitches at 100+ MPH.

• M V P: Was unanimously named the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player…Marked Angels sixth MVP award in franchise history, following Don Baylor (1979), Vladimir Guerrero (2004) and Mike Trout (2014, 2016 & 2019)… He is the second Japanese-born player to receive MVP honors in the Major Leagues, joining Ichiro Suzuki (2001).

• JAPANESE HALOS: Is one of five Japanese-born players to play for Angels, along with Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Hideki Matsui, Hisanori Takahashi and Junichi Tazawa.

• PITCHING CAREER IN JAPAN: In 85 career games (82 starts) as a pitcher for Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japanese Pacific League, went 42-15 with a 2.52 ERA (543 IP – 152 ER) and 624 strikeouts.

• THE OHTANI RULE: In the event the starting pitcher will bat for himself, the player will be considered two separate people…If the starting pitcher is replaced, he can continue as the Designated Hitter, and if the Designated Hitter is replaced, he can continue as the pitcher (but can no longer hit for himself)…Was the Angels DH in all of his pitching starts in 2022…The term “Ohtani rule” was added to Dictionary.com in 2022.

• MLB CAREER NOTES: Signed with Angels as international free agent, Dec. 10, 2017…Made Major League debut as a DH on March 29, 2018 at Oakland and had first start as a pitcher on April 1, 2018 at Oakland…Named the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year and unanimous 2021 American League Most Valuable Player…First MLB player to ever be selected to the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and position player (2021 & 2022).

OAKLAND ATHLETICS NOTES:

ABOUT THE A’S: The A’s open their 56th season in Oakland where they have won 17 American League West titles, four AL Wild Cards, six AL pennants and four World Championships…only the Atlanta Braves (22), New York Yankees (20) and Los Angeles Dodgers (20) have more division titles than the A’s…since the A’s moved to Oakland in 1968, only the Yankees (11), Cardinals (8) and Dodgers (8) have more league championships and only the Yankees have more world championships (7)…have a 4495-4182 (.518) record over the previous 55 seasons in Oakland…only four teams have won more games over that span (New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston, St. Louis)… this is the Athletics franchise 123rd season in the American League…since 1901, the A’s have 17 AL West titles plus 15 AL pennants and nine World Championships…only the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11) have won more World Championships…the A’s are 9210-9654 (.488) in their previous 122 seasons…that includes a 3886-4248 record from 1901-54 in Philadelphia and 829-1224 from 1955-67 in Kansas City.

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 stealing (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.

FOR OPENERS: The A’s have lost two straight and three of their last four openers after winning three of their previous four…are now 8-21 on Opening Day dating back to 1994…will open at home for the 13th time in the last 14 years, which includes two games in Tokyo (2012, 2019) as the home team…the lone exception was last year when the A’s opened at Philadelphia…will face the Angels on Opening Day for the fourth time in the last seven years and the eighth time overall…have won each of their last three openers against Los Angeles and are 5-2 overall…have not lost since April 6, 2009 at Anaheim… are 4-0 in Oakland and 1-2 on the road…since moving to Oakland in 1968, the A’s are 24-31 on Opening Day, including 20-15 in Oakland, 4-12 on the road, 0-3 in Tokyo and 0-1 in Las Vegas…all-time, the Athletics are 56-66 in openers.

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

ROSTER NOTES: The A’s open the season with 13 pitchers and 13 position players…this marks the sixth time in the last seven years Oakland begins the season with at least 13 pitchers (has 12 in 2019 in Japan)…seven players return from last years Opening Day roster (Acevedo, Brown, Jackson, Jiménez, Kemp, Moll, Oller), which matches 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 (Allen, Capel, Kaprielian, Langeliers, Laureano, Martínez, Sears, Waldichuk)… two were acquired in trades (Muller, Ruiz), one was selected in the Rule 5 draft (Noda) and one was claimed off waivers (Rooker)…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.

TENURE: Of the 26 players on the A’s Opening Day roster, only four have played for Oakland in at least each of the previous three seasons: Ramón Laureano (2018-22), Seth Brown (2019-22), James Kaprielian (2020-22) and Tony Kemp (2020-22)…only Kemp, who has been on each of the A’s last four Opening Day rosters, has a streak of more than two consecutive Opening Day rosters with the A’s…Laureano is on his fourth Opening Day roster with Oakland (2019-21, 23)…Seth Brown, who was drafted on June 10, 2015 has the longest tenure in the A’s organization…he is followed by Nick Allen, who was the A’s third round pick in 2017, and James Kaprielian, who was acquired from the Yankees on July 31, 2017…18 of the 26 players were acquired by Oakland since the conclusion of the 2021 season (all but Acevedo, Allen, Brown, Jackson, Kaprielian, Kemp, Laureano, Moll).

ROOKIE AND VETERANS: The A’s have six rookies on the Opening Day roster (Capel, Fujinami, Muller, Noda, Ruiz, Waldichuk)…five players have six or more years of service: Familia (10 years, 8 days), May (8 years, 12 days), Peterson (6 years, 142 days), Díaz (6 years, 100 days) and Aguilar (6 years, 82 days).

THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: The average age on the A’s Opening Day roster is 28.50 years, which is the A’s youngest since 2015 (27.92)…Esteury Ruiz, who is 24 years and 43 days, is the youngest…he is followed by Nick Allen (24 years, 173 days), Ken Waldichuk (25 years, 81 days) and Shea Langeliers (25 years, 132 days)…Trevor May is the oldest at 33 years and 188 days and he is the youngest oldest player on an A’s Opening Day roster since Mark Ellis in 2010 (32 years, 303 days)…he is followed by Jeurys Familia (33 years, 171 days), Jace Peterson (32 years, 325 days), Jesús Aguilar (32 years, 273 days), Aledmys Díaz (32 years, 241 days) and Carlos Perez (32 years, 154 days).

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

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER: Kyle Muller (1-1, 8.03 ERA in 2022)

FOR STARTERS: Is scheduled to become the first rookie pitcher in Oakland history to make a start on Opening Day…the last Athletic rookie to start an opener was Eddie Smith on April 19, 1937 for the Philadelphia A’s…Muller has just 11 career starts and the only Opening Day starting pitchers in Oakland history with fewer career starts entering the game are Sonny Gray (2014), Carlos Reyes (1996) and Vida Blue (1971), who all had 10 career starts…at the age of 25 years and 174 days, Muller will be the youngest Opening Day starting pitcher for the A’s since Sonny Gray in 2015 (25 years, 150 days)…is scheduled to become the A’s third different Opening Day starting pitcher in the last three years (Montas, Bassitt) and the fifth in the last six (Fiers, Graveman)…begins his third season in the majors and is on his first Opening Day roster…was acquired from Atlanta in the three-team, nine-player trade on Dec. 12, 2022 that sent Sean Murphy to the Braves.

SPRING TRAINING RECAP: Was 1-3 with a 6.50 ERA in five games, including four starts…allowed a .370 opponents batting average and 1.032 OPS but
walked just four batters in 18.0 innings…tied for second in the Cactus League in most hits (30) and losses and tied for third in runs (18)…the 30 hits are the most by an A’s pitcher during the spring since 2013 when Bartolo Colón and Dan Straily had 31 each…also made a start in the exhibition game against Colombia on March 8, a no decision (3.2 ip, 5 h, 2 r, 2 er, 1 bb, 3 so).

2022 RECAP: Spent most of the season with Triple-A Gwinnett where he was named to the International League Postseason All-Star team after going 6-8 with a 3.41 ERA and .694 OPS in 23 starts… also went 1-1 with an 8.03 ERA and .782 opponents OPS in three starts over three stints with Atlanta. WITH ATLANTA: Allowed a .260 opponents batting average…right-handed hitters batted .295 (13-for-44) and left-handers were 0-for-6 with three walks…opponents hit .143 with runners in scoring position and he has allowed a .159 (7-for-44) average with RISP in his career.

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

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March 30, 2023

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

CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:

WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox open the 2023 season tonight against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros … RHP Dylan Cease, who finished second in the 2022 American League Cy Young award voting, is scheduled to make his first career Opening Day start.

Cease will be followed in the rotation by RHPs Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Mike Clevinger … RHP Michael Kopech is scheduled to start Monday’s home opener vs. San Francisco.

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. American League 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.

The Sox went 12-14-3 in Cactus League play, which ended on Tuesday with an 8-5 loss to the Cubs in Mesa, Ariz.

OPENING DAY STORYLINES
Pedro Grifol makes his White Sox managerial debut …Grifol and Eduardo Pérez, who is working tonight’s game for ESPN, were college roommates at Florida State.

Dylan Cease is 10-4 with a 1.76 ERA (17 ER/87.0 IP) and 112 strikeouts over his last 16 road starts dating back to 9/17/21.

Elvis Andrus makes his 15th consecutive Opening Day roster needing three hits for 2,000 career … Andrus will make his first MLB appearance at a position other than shortstop and become the 11th different second baseman in the last 11 years to start on Opening Day for the White Sox … he is one of 20 shortstops in MLB history to make 14-plus straight OD starts (2009-22).

Andrew Vaughn will be just the fifth Sox OD first baseman since 1991, joining José Abreu (2014-22), Paul Konerko (2001-13), Frank Thomas (1991-97, 1999-2000) and Greg Norton (1998).

The Sox are 62-60 on Opening Day and 33-35 when opening on the road … the White Sox have never opened against Houston.

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 becomes the fourth current Latino manager 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.

CEASE AND DESTROY
Dylan Cease allowed one or zero runs 23 times in 2022, tied with Wilbur Wood (1972) for the most in White Sox history, and the most by a MLB starter (non opener) since Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell in 2018 (also 23).

Cease set a MLB record with 14 straight starts allowing one earned run or less from 5/29-8/11/22 (0.66 ERA; 6 ER/82.0 IP).

DYNAMIC DUO
Eloy Jiménez and Dylan Cease were acquired by the White Sox from the Cubs on 7/13/17 as part of a five-player deal.

Since making their debuts in 2019, Jiménez has homered in 12 of Cease’s starts (14 total HR) … the Sox are 11-1 in those games, including multi-homer eff orts from Jiménez on 9/3/19 at Cleveland and 8/8/21 at the Cubs (STATS).

Jiménez homered in six of Cease’s starts in 2022 (all in the second half), including three in a row from 7/24-8/5.

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

LHP Jake Diekman (36) is the oldest player, INF Elvis Andrus (14.0000) has the most service time, and SS Tim Anderson (2016-) is the longest tenured.

RHP Gregory Santos and OF Oscar Colás are rookies … Colás has no MLB service time … Santos (23) is the youngest player … Colás, INF/OF Romy Gonzalez, RHP Jimmy Lambert, Santos and C Seby Zavala have made their first Opening Day roster.

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, RHP Mike Clevinger and Santos are new to the organization.

WHITE SOX VS. HOUSTON ASTROS
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.

The White Sox batted .271/.340/.352 (64-236) with a 6.64 ERA (45 ER/61.0 IP) and were outscored, 46-28.

Including the postseason, the Sox have lost eight of their last nine games at Minute Maid Park and are 4-16 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 first 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 fifth in RBI and extra-base hits (562).

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

SOUTHPAW SUCCESS
The White Sox batted .271/.337/.430 (329-1,212) vs. left-handed pitching in 2022 … the Sox led the American League in average and on-base percentage, ranked third in OPS (.767) and fourth in slugging percentage.

Since 2019, Tim Anderson owns a .350/.380/.560 (136-389) slash line vs. LHP, while Hanser Alberto is hitting .343/.362/.484 (169-492) … Luis Robert is a career .349/.403/.591 (65-186) hitter vs. lefties.

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).

CLOSING OUT CANCER
White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who ranks second in MLB since 2020 with 89 saves, announced on 1/8/23 that he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Hendriks and his wife, Kristi, launched an ongoing campaign inviting fans to purchase specially designed “Close Out Cancer” T-Shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) and its Patient Aid Grants.

Net proceeds from the T-Shirt sale benefit the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF).

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 significant 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.

MIAMI CONNECTION
Including manager Pedro Grifol, four members of the White Sox coaching staff are Cuban-Americans raised in Miami … other Miamians on staff are hitting coach José Castro, third base coach Eddie Rodríguez and field coordinator Mike Tosar.

Grifol, a catcher, and Tosar, a second baseman, were teammates at Christopher Columbus High School … Rodríguez, an infielder, played for Miami High School, and Castro, also an infielder, competed against him at Jackson High.

BY THE NUMBERS
The White Sox went 21-32 in the first 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.

WHITE SOX AT THE WBC
Eight White Sox players competed at the World Baseball Classic: SS Tim Anderson and RHPs Kendall Graveman and Lance Lynn (USA), INF Yoán Moncada and OF Luis Robert Jr. (Cuba), OF Eloy Jiménez (Dominican Republic), RHP Nick Padilla (Puerto Rico) and RHP José Ruiz (Venezuela).

Anderson batted .333/.381/.500 (6-18) with a double, triple, five RBI and three runs scored in six games, and Lynn was 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP) and eight strikeouts in two starts.

Moncada was named to the All-Tournament Team after hitting .435/.519/.739 (10-23) with four doubles, one home run, five RBI and four runs scored in six games.

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

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

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March 30, 2023

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

COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:

OPEN FOR BUSINESS
• The Colorado Rockies will begin their 31st Major League season this afternoon in the first game of a four-game set with the San Diego Padres, followed by a two game set in Los Angeles-NL before heading back to Denver for the Home Opener at Coors Field on April 6 vs. Washington.

• Colorado will open a season on the road for the 22nd time in franchise history … the Rockies last opened on the road in 2020, falling to Texas 1-0.

• Colorado is 16-14 on Opening Day, including an 11-10 record on the road (5-4 at home).

• This is the third time in franchise history that the Rockies and Padres have met on Opening Day, the second time in the United States … the two teams met at Coors Field on Opening Day in 2005 (12-10 Rockies win) and opened the 1999 season in Monterrey, Mexico with San Diego as the home team.

OPEN ARMS
• Right-hander Germán Márquez will make his third Opening Day start (2020-21), the most in Rockies history … the 28-year-old is 0-1 and has combined for eight hits, two earned runs, nine walks and eight strikeouts over 9.2 innings, pitching to a 1.86 ERA on Opening Day.

• With his start this afternoon, Márquez will overtake nine other pitchers for the most Opening Day starts in franchise history (Kyle Freeland, Jon Gray, Jorge De La Rosa, Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, Jason Jennings, Mike Hampton, Darryl Kile and Kevin Ritz).

OPEN AIR
• In 30 Opening Days, the Rockies have hit 37 home runs … two Rockies have recorded multi-home run games on Opening Day: Vinny Castilla in 1998 and Trevor Story in 2016.

• Three active Rockies have homered on Opening Day with their former teams: Mike Moustakas (2015, ‘17 with Kansas City, 2019 with Milwaukee
and 2020 with Cincinnati), Kris Bryant (2019 with Chicago-NL) and C.J. Cron (2020 with Detroit) … Moustakas’ four Opening Day home runs are tied with Nolan Arenado, Anthony Rizzo and Nelson Cruz for fourth-most among active players (Bryce Harper, Evan Longoria and Giancarlo Stanton each have five).

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.

• The Padres won both of their 2023 Cactus League matchups with the Rockies, outscoring Colorado 21-3.

OPEN BOOK OPENING DAY RECORDS
• Charlie Blackmon is in line to make his 10th career Opening Day start, surpassing Troy Tulowitzki (nine) and Carlos González (nine) for the second-most Opening Day starts behind Todd Helton’s 16.

• The 2023 season will be Blackmon’s 13th on the Rockies’ Major League roster, the second-most seasons in Rockies history behind Todd Helton’s
17 … Carlos González (2009-18), Troy Tulowitzki (2006-15), Aaron Cook (2002-11) and Larry Walker (1995-2004) are tied for third with 10 consecutive seasons on the Major League roster.

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), lefthanders Brad Hand (Philadelphia) and Brent Suter (Milwaukee), infielder Mike Moustakas (Cincinnati), outfielder Jurickson Profar (San Diego) and utility man Harold Castro (Detroit).

• 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.

• Should he start today’s game, Tovar will be the youngest Opening Day starter in Rockies history at 21-years-241-days old.

• Three Colorado natives made the Rockies Opening any 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 WORLD
• Six Rockies players represented five countries in the World Baseball Classic: RHP Daniel Bard (USA), C Elias Díaz (Colombia), LHP Kyle Freeland (USA), RHP Justin Lawrence (Panama), RHP Michael Petersen (Great Britain) and INF Alan Trejo (Mexico) … additionally, Rockies Communications Coordinator Rob Livingston led Team Czech Republic’s media relations effort … Freeland allowed one run over three innings in
the championship game, striking out two including WBC MVP Shohei Ohtani.

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).

48 ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER GERMÁN MÁRQUEZ RHP

ON BACKGROUND
• Pronounced HAIR-mahn MAR-kehz.
• Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays on July 6, 2011 as a 16-year-old out of San Felix, Venezuela.
• Acquired by the Rockies along with LHP Jake McGee in exchange for OF Corey Dickerson and INF Kevin Padlo on Jan. 28, 2016.
• Signed a five-year contract extension on April 6, 2019, covering the 2019-23 seasons with an option for 2024.

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

• Across his two Opening Day starts, Márquez has gone 0-1 with a 1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 2 ER), eight hits, nine walks and eight strikeouts … didn’t factor into the Rockies’ 8-5 win over the Dodgers onApril 1, 2021 at Coors Field, allowing one run on six hits with six walks and two strikeouts across four innings … lost at Texas, in the first game in Globe Life Park history, despite allowing just one run on two hits across 5.2 innings in a 1-0 Rockies loss.

MOVING ON UP
• Ranks fourth in franchise history with 63 wins, one shy of tying Jeff Francis for third in Rockies history.

• Enters today’s game sitting at 996.0 career innings pitched … would join Aaron Cook (1,312.1 IP), Jorge De La Rosa (1,141.1) and Jeff Francis (1,066.0) as the only pitchers to reach 1,000 innings pitched with the franchise.

• His 966 career strikeouts are the second-most in franchise history, trailing only Jorge De La Rosa (985 strikeouts).

• His 34 road wins are the second-most in franchise history, two away from tying Aaron Cook for the franchise record … 473 strikeouts on the road are the most in franchise history.

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

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

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

FRIARS
• Has gone 9-3 with a 4.47 ERA (92.2 IP, 46 ER), 27 walks and 109 strikeouts in 17 career appearances (15 starts) against San Diego … his nine wins are his most against any single opponent.

• 5-2 with a 3.71 ERA (53.1 IP, 22 ER), 16 walks and 63 strikeout at Petco Park, his most wins in any visiting ballpark.

• Made two starts vs.the Padres in 2022, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 6 ER), two walks and 13 strikeouts … both starts came within at six-day span, June 12 at Petco Park and June 18 at Coors Field

TOP OF THE LINE
• Has made 76 starts since 2020, tied with Jose Berrios, Dylan Cease and Aaron Nola for the most in the Majors.

• Since his first full season in 2017, ranks among Major League leaders in starts (166, 4th), innings pitched (965.1, 6th),strikeouts (951, 12th) and wins (62,T-9th).

2022
• Finished the season posting a 4.95 ERA across 31 starts, his highest ERA in any full season of his career … set career-highs in runs allowed (109), earned runs (100) and home runs (30).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOT COORS
• Career record of 34-30 with a 3.76 ERA (512.2 IP, 214 ER), 152 walks and 473 strikeouts in 87 appearances (85 starts) on the road … the Rockies are 44-41 in his 85 career road starts.

• Since his first full season in 2017,ranks among Major League leaders on the road in starts (85, 2nd), innings pitched (504.0, 2nd), wins (34,T-5th) and strikeouts (468, 8th).

• Has also logged 58 starts on the road of at least six innings pitched, the second-most in the Majors behind Gerrit Cole (65).

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

GROUNDED
• Has posted a 49.5 ground ball percentage since 2018, the 11th highest mark in the Majors and fifth-highest in the NL … his 51.3 ground ball percentage at home is the eighth-highest mark in the NL.

• Has induced 73 ground ball double plays over that span, the fifth-most in the Majors and the second-most in the NL behind teammate Kyle Freeland (85).

SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:

Friars set Opening Day Roster
• The Padres’ Opening Day roster features 9 right-handed pitchers, 4 left-handers, 2 catchers, 7 infielders and 4 outfielders…Brent Honeywell and Domingo Tapia are making 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). Blake Snell makes his 2nd OD start

• Blake Snell gets the ball for his 2nd career Opening Day nod (1st was with TB in 2019 following his 2018 Cy Young season)… last year, Padres’ starters led the NL in quality starts (84) and innings per start (5.54).

• Snell’s last appearance game in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series (the Padres’ sole NLCS win of the series)…he got the win over RHP Aaron Nola, tossing 5.0 innings of 4-run ball with 5 hits allowed and 6 punchouts.

• Snell enters his start with 989 career punchouts, 11 away from joining the 1,000 strikeout club. We’re with you Matt

• Matt Williams has been diagnosed with colon cancer, and he’ll undergo surgery on Friday, March 31st…in his absence Mike Shildt will fill in as acting third base coach…said Bob Melvin on Matt’s diagnosis, “I’ve known him for over 35 years. He might be the toughest guy I’ve ever come across in baseball. I know he is going to give this the fiercest effort of his life and is going to beat this.” Opening Day against the Rockies

• Today is the 1st time the Padres have played the Rockies on Opening Day at Petco Park…they’ve played just twice before: 1999 (at San Diego Stadium) and 2005 (in Colorado)—both of which San Diego lost. Padres average age is 30

• The average age of the Padres’ Opening Day roster is 30 years…if Nelson Cruz gets a knock today, the 42 year old will become the oldest Padre to ever get a hit on Opening Day…the oldest were Gaylord Perry (was 40 in 1979) and Tony Gwynn (was 40 in 2001).

• The last time the Padres’ Opening Day active roster was 30-or-older was OD in 2007 season (30.8), per Elias. Injury Updates/Roster Moves

• Juan Soto, who has been dealing with a mild oblique strain, played in a “B” game in Peoria on Monday, March 27th, and in that same “B” game on the 27th, Joe Musgrove faced live hitters for the 1st time since he fractured his big left toe a month prior on February 27th.

• OF Adam Engel (left hamstring strain) was placed on the 10-day IL (retro to March 27), and the following players have been placed on the 15-day IL (retro to March 27): RHP’s Joe Musgrove (left big toe fracture) and Robert Suarez (right elbow inflammation), LHP’s José Castillo (left shoulder strain) and Drew
Pomeranz (left elbow/flexor strain)…also placed LHP Adrian Morejon (left
elbow sprain) on the 60-day IL.

Pads start season with 24 games in 25 days Manager Bob Melvin
• San Diego will start the regular season with 24 games in 25 days…they’ll
have an off day on April 5 after the opening homestand vs. Colorado and
Arizona and then play 18 games in 18 days from April 6-23…they won’t have
an off day in San Diego until May 4.

STARTING PITCHER BLAKE SNELL #4

Snell makes his 2nd Opening Day Start
The 30-year-old left-hander takes the mound for his 2nd career Opening Day start to kick off the 2023 season vs. the Colorado Rockies…his other Opening Day start was opposite HOU’s Justin Verlander, who finished 2nd to Snell in the 2018 AL Cy Young Award voting and made his 11th Opening Day assignment…it was the fourth time since the Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956 that a reigning winner faced the runner-up on Opening Day.

Vs. the Rockies
4 of Snell’s 12 outings (all starts) vs. the NL West last season came vs. COL, who he went 1-1 against with a 5.31 ERA (12 ER, 20.1 IP)…in his first 5 career starts vs. the Rockies from 2016-21, he was 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA (10 ER, 26.1 IP).

NL West Success
Snell enters 2023 having made 32 career starts vs. NL West opponents, and his .192 opp. AVG is the 2nd-best mark of any ML pitcher since 1969 (min. 30 starts), trailing only Jacob deGrom (.174 in 45 career app – all starts)…using the same qualifications and timeframe, his .750 winning % (12-4) vs. the division is T-3rd best mark of any ML pitcher with Julio Urias, behind only Walker Buehler (.867) and Chris Carpenter (.778).

From 2016-21, he posted an 8-0 record with a 2.22 ERA and .176 AVG in his 20 starts vs. the NL West…all 4 of Snell’s career losing decisions vs. NL West opponents came in ‘22 (June 19 @ COL, Aug. 8 vs. SF, Sept. 5 vs. ARI and Sept 10 vs. LAD)…vs. the division in ’22, he went 4-4 with a 3.05 ERA and .217 opp. AVG.

Can’t spell Blake without the K
In 2022, he posted the 2nd-highest SO/9 IP ratio (12.02) of his career, along with 5 double-digit strikeout performances…from 2018-22, he posted the 3rd-most double-digit strikeout games (23) among all ML left-handers, trailing only Robbie Ray (26) and Chris Sale (25).

Snell enters tonight 11 strikeouts shy of the 1,000 strikeout club, and sits 5th in SO/9 IP (10.95) since his debut season in 2016 (min. 800 IP), trailing only Max Scherzer (11.83), Robbie Ray (11.49), Jacob deGrom (11.38) and Gerritt Cole (11.30).

Since 2016
Among all ML pitchers who have made at least 150 starts from Snell’s debut season in ’16 through ’22, he ranks in the top 6 in HR/9 (0.96, 4th), H/9 (7.31, 6th), ERA (3.41, 6th) and opponents’ AVG (.221, T-6th).

Wins and losses
His 8 winning decisions were the 2nd-most of his career, trailing only his 21 from his 2018 Cy Young season…his 10 losing decisions where also a career high, ahead of the 8 from his rookie 2016 season and in 2019 with Tampa Bay.

Tale of two halves
In his 10 first half starts, he went 1-5 with a 5.22 ERA and .705 opponent OPS…in his 14 second half starts, he went 7-5 with a 2.19 ERA and .585 opponent OPS…finished the season with a 3.38 ERA, it’s lowest mark at any point in 2022

NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (46-30) at Portland Trail Blazers (32-44)

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March 30, 2023

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NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (46-30) at Portland Trail Blazers (32-44)

If the Sacramento Kings show up to Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, who are playing at home, with a bad case of clinching hangover, please excuse them.

With a 120-80 victory over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the Kings ended the NBA’s longest postseason drought, which lasted 16 seasons. This was the first of two games.

De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento’s sixth-year All-Star point guard, was just 8 years old when the Kings last made the playoffs in 2006.

In the race for the No. 1 seed, Sacramento (46-30) is just two games behind Memphis Grizzlies. Western Conference’s second-ranked seed.

Mike Brown, the Kings’ head coach, has been warning his players that everything will get more intense once the postseason starts. However, before that, he wants the team to be happy that the longest current drought in major professional sports is over.

The Kings were led by 19 points from Malik Monk, who came off the bench. Fox had 18 points, and Kevin Huerter had 17.

During a 13-point performance, Keegan Murray made three 3-pointers to set a NBA rookie record of 188. He surpassed Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, who held the record of 187 from 2017-18.

The weakened Trail Blazers (34-24) have lost 10 of their last 11 games and four in a row.

On Wednesday, Portland was only five points down in the third quarter when the Kings went on a 37-8 run to turn the game into a joke.

During the defeat, the Trail Blazers only used seven players. Jerami Grant (quadriceps), Jusuf Nurkic (knee), and Anfernee Simons (foot) are also out for the season, as is star Damian Lillard (calf).

Keon Johnson (fractured finger), Cam Reddish (back), and Trendon Watford (ankle) were also out for Portland.

Shaedon Sharpe, a rookie, led the team with 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Sharpe has averaged 23.8 points and 6.6 rebounds over the past five games as a result of more playing time with Lillard and Simons out.

Sharpe has made four or more three-pointers in a row, including a career-high six against the Kings. As he took on more of the ball-handling responsibilities, his total of assists was also his highest.

The Trail Blazers play their final five home games on Friday. They suffered losses of 28, 34, and 40 points in the first four games, an average of 27 points.

NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (19-57) at Golden State Warriors (40-37)

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March 30, 2023

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NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (19-57) at Golden State Warriors (40-37)

When they play the tail-spinning San Antonio Spurs at San Francisco on Friday night, the Golden State Warriors will end a four-game homestand.

The Warriors (40-37) have won four of their last five games, defeating the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Orleans Pelicans to move up to sixth place in the Western Conference, the last spot that is guaranteed to go to the first round of the playoffs.

They will be aiming to sweep the Spurs (19-57), who have won three of their last four games to win the season series. The Spurs have lost five of their last six games but no longer have a reason to lose because they have secured a place in the bottom three of the NBA standings.

At the NBA draft lottery, also known as the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, they are certain to join the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons as co-favorites with the same odds of selecting the French superstar.

There is a lot at stake when the Warriors arrive. They are currently one loss away from qualifying for the NBA play-in tournament and three losses ahead of the Mavericks, who are the West’s last remaining team, with five games remaining, three of which are on the road.

Tuesday, Golden State trailed the Pelicans by 20 points late in the first half and appeared headed for a second defeat in a row. However, Draymond Green’s emotional surge led to an electrifying comeback that resulted in a 120-109 victory.

After a run-in with Brandon Ingram following a flagrant foul in the second quarter, Green received his 17th technical foul. Later in the period, he could have been kicked out of the game if he got caught up with Herbert Jones on the ground near the basket.

When a second technical would have ended Green’s night and resulted in an automatic one-game suspension for having reached 18 goals for the season, a referee’s review cleared both.

Green only contributed 10 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in Golden State’s two previous victories over the Spurs. Stephen Curry, who has scored 16 and 15 points in the two victories, did not either.

Jordan Poole scored 36 points with 25 rebounds, Jeremy Lamb scored 30 points, and Moses Moody scored 23 points to beat the Spurs, who surprisingly beat Golden State twice last season.

The Spurs are coming off a 128-117 home defeat to the Utah Jazz, in which they were without three of their best players: Keldon Johnson (management of an injury to his left foot), Devin Vassell (management of an injury to his left knee), and Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee).

Any and all of them could return to take on the Warriors.

After the loss, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that how his team does is more important than who has done what individually.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (38-39) at Indiana Pacers (33-44)

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March 30, 2023

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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (38-39) at Indiana Pacers (33-44)

The Western Conference’s Oklahoma City Thunder are vying for a playoff spot for a variety of reasons.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has made important progress.

Late in the season, the Thunder’s similarly named 2022 draft picks Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams have made rapid progress.

However, another has been Luguentz Dort’s continued growth as a defensive standout in his fourth season.

When the Thunder play the Indiana Pacers on Friday in Indianapolis, Dort is likely to be right in the middle of things once more.

Dort won a late jump ball that led to Jalen Williams’ game-winning shot at the buzzer in Wednesday’s victory over Detroit.

The Thunder (38-39) are 10th in the Western Conference going into Friday’s game. They are fighting with five games left to stay in a position to make the NBA play-in tournament and still have a chance to make the playoffs without having to win.

For the first time since his rookie season, when he first made a name for himself as a lockdown defender after signing with the Thunder as an undrafted free agent, Dort is enjoying participating in high-stakes games.

After the All-Star sprained his left ankle in Sunday’s victory over Portland, Gilgeous-Alexander has missed the Thunder’s last two games.

For the game on Friday, Gilgeous-Alexander is questionable.

Plantar fasciitis has caused Oklahoma City’s Lindy Waters to miss three games in a row.

After losing four games in a row and six of their last seven, the Pacers (33-44) are three and a half games out of 10th place in the Eastern Conference. However, their focus has shifted to the future.

Indiana’s three driving scorers – – Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pal Hield – – have each missed time of late.

With back pain, Turner has missed Indiana’s last three games, while Hield and Haliburton have missed Indiana’s last two games due to illnesses other than COVID.

The Pacers are currently playing eight games against the top 10 teams in their conference.

Even if the Pacers aren’t in the running for the playoffs, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said that Indiana’s young players will benefit from playing important games late in the season.

Being without Haliburton, Turner and Hield has likewise opened up seriously playing time in those games for a portion of those youthful players.

On January 18, in Oklahoma City, the Thunder prevailed 126-106 in the first meeting of the season.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (38-38) at Minnesota Timberwolves (39-38)

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March 30, 2023

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NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers (38-38) at Minnesota Timberwolves (39-38)

Anthony Davis will serve as the compass for an exciting ride into the playoffs for the Los Angeles Lakers this season.

When the Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at Minneapolis on Friday night, the eight-time All-Star will be asked to lead the way once more.

Both the Lakers and Timberwolves enter the game right beyond a main six in the Western Meeting standings.

With five games remaining, Minnesota (39-38) is one game behind the sixth-place Golden State Warriors. With six games remaining, Los Angeles (38-38) is 1 1/2 games behind Golden State.

The first four teams in the standings are sent to the play-in tournament, while the top six teams are guaranteed a spot in the first round of the playoffs.

On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls by a score of 121-110 to begin a crucial late-season five-game road trip. To be fair, their last game of the trip is against the Los Angeles Clippers in their own building.

Davis scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the game against the Bulls.

Davis recorded his seventh double-double in March and scored at least 35 points for the fifth time in 12 games this month despite being double-teamed for the majority of the game.

He will be asked to finish the month with a 38-point performance against the visiting Timberwolves on March 3. However, Minnesota prevailed 110-102.

Even though LeBron James is back in the lineup after missing a month with a foot injury, the Lakers’ strategy will remain unchanged in that defeat.

James had 25 points and seven rebounds in his second game back from an injury against the Bulls. He claimed that Davis is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players, particularly when he consistently shoots outside the paint, as he did on Wednesday.

When Minnesota lost 107-100 on the road to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday to conclude a three-game road trip, it missed a chance to match its longest winning streak of the season, which was five games.

21 errors were committed by the Timberwolves.

On Wednesday night, the Suns missed a total of 27 free throws, while the Timberwolves missed just 12.

In view of a digestive influenza that has affected the group, Minnesota was without Taurean Ruler, Austin Waterways and Matt Ryan, while others played through the ailment.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Clippers (41-36) at Memphis Grizzlies (48-28)

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March 30, 2023

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NBA Preview: Los Angeles Clippers (41-36) at Memphis Grizzlies (48-28)

The Los Angeles Clippers were able to secure a crucial victory over the second-place Memphis Grizzlies in their late-season playoff push despite playing without stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on Wednesday. Now, they will have to do it all over again.

On Friday, the two rivals in the Western Conference will meet once more in Memphis, and that matchup should look very different from the one that was just played.

Leonard is expected to play for the Clippers again after missing the game on Wednesday due to personal reasons. The Grizzlies were without Desmond Curse (foot), Jaren Jackson Jr. (calf), John Konchar (hip) and Tyus Jones (foot) yet expect at any rate a few fortifications from that rundown will return.

Russell Westbrook turned back the clock for the Clippers (41-36) with a season-high 36 points and 10 assists on Wednesday. The stars who did remain put on a show. The Grizzlies (48-28) were led by 36 points and nine assists from Ja Morant, who missed Tuesday’s game with sore thigh.

The Grizzlies appear to have secured their position as the No. 2 spot in the Western Gathering, 3 1/2 games behind the primary spot Denver Chunks and two games in front of the third-place Sacramento Rulers.

The Clippers are fifth in the conference, half a game behind the Phoenix Suns, who are fourth, but they are only two games away from being in the group of four teams that will get to play in the play-in tournament. Five more games remain for Los Angeles.

After moving from being a bench player with the Los Angeles Lakers to taking a significant amount of the blame for his former team’s struggles and being traded to the Utah Jazz, who bought out his contract, Westbrook has had a curious season. Despite his mixed results with the Clippers, he is leading the way behind the scenes.

Robert Covington scored 27 points for Los Angeles and hit all seven of his 3-point attempts, which was in addition to Westbrook’s contribution. From 3-point range, the Clippers made 22 of 37 attempts, or 59.5 percent.

Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies’ resident agitator who is capable of knocking opponents off their game, scored 30 points for the Grizzlies. He had encounters with Westbrook and Covington, but it appeared that those interactions only fueled the Clippers’ players’ passion.

Morant responded, “I plead the fifth,” when asked if the Clippers would shoot from a distance on Friday like they did on Wednesday.

Morant is only four games back from a purposeful vacation and a NBA suspension that endured nine challenges. After playing 35 minutes on Wednesday, he admitted that he is still working on his stamina.

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MLB Preview: Cleveland Guardians (0-0) at Seattle Mariners (0-0)

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

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

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

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

48 ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER GERMÁN MÁRQUEZ RHP

NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (46-30) at Portland Trail Blazers (32-44)

NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (19-57) at Golden State Warriors (40-37)

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder (38-39) at Indiana Pacers (33-44)

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