Weekend Matchups: Toronto Has Edge In Battle For Final AL Post-Season Spot

From the offices of Stats Perform

TWINS (85-74) at ROCKIES (58-101)

● Minnesota has a 10-8 advantage in the all-time series with Colorado, most recently taking two of three at Target Field in June 2022. The teams have split the six all-time meetings at Coors Field, though Minnesota has not gone there since taking two of three in July 2014.

● Four of the Twins’ last five losses have come by one run, and the team is 18-26 (.409) this season in one-run games – fifth-worst in MLB and third-worst in the AL. The Twins have clinched the AL Central division and third seed in the AL Playoffs; they are looking for their first playoff win since 2004 (swept in all six playoff appearances since).

● Donovan Solano went 4-for-4 in the series-opening win over Oakland, his second four-hit game this month (also Sept 2 at Texas). He is the first Twin to record multiple four-hit games in a month since Nelson Cruz had two such games in August 2019.

● Joe Ryan earned his 11th win this season on Sunday against the Angels, matching his season high with 10 strikeouts (sixth instance). Ryan has allowed 29 home runs this season, tied for fourth-most in the AL.

● Colorado split a four-game series with the Dodgers and has won seven of its last 10 home games compared to an active 10-game losing streak on the road. The Rockies enter the final weekend with 101 losses, the most in franchise history and the club’s first 100-loss season.

● Ty Blach has allowed 11 runs on 15 hits – including four homers – over his last two starts, both losses; he had lost just one of his first 17 appearances this season. His .330 opponent average this season is third-highest in MLB (min. 300 batters faced) behind the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright (.345) and Oakland’s Kyle Muller (.343).

MARLINS (82-76) at PIRATES (75-84)

● The Pirates and Marlins have played 18 games against each other over the last three seasons (2021-23), with each team winning nine times. Fourteen of those 18 games (and each of the last six games) were decided by a one- or two-run margin.

● The Marlins scored a total of 27 runs in consecutive wins against the Braves on Sept. 16-17 (11-5 and 16-2). Miami has scored only 28 runs in its nine games since then.

● Jon Berti (.556, 15-for-27 with four home runs) and Bryan De La Cruz (.382, 13-for-34) have both hit safely in each of their last nine games. Berti’s nine-game hitting streak ties his season high (also July 16-28). De La Cruz has had three other hitting streaks of that length or longer this year: 14 (May 4-20), 11 (June 19-30) and nine (April 12-22) games.

● Edward Cabrera has had more hits allowed than innings pitched in only two of his 21 MLB games (19 starts) this season. His .207 opponents’ batting average is the fourth lowest among National League pitchers who’ve made at least 15 starts (Blake Snell .181, Corbin Burnes .200, Clayton Kershaw .207).

● The Pirates are 38-40 at PNC Park this season. They need to win all three games of this series against the Marlins in order to finish a season with a winning record in home games for the first time since 2018 (44-36).

● Rookie Jared Triolo is hitting .515 (17-for-33) in the 10 games he’s played since September 17. Triolo has seven multiple-hit games since that date, which ties him with Ozzie Albies and Jose Altuve for the major-league high.

GUARDIANS (75-84) at TIGERS (76-83)

● Detroit has won seven of 10 meetings with Cleveland this season, with wins in all three series – most recently, they took three of four at Progressive Field. Cleveland has scored three runs or fewer in nine of the 10 matchups; the Tigers have scored four or more in six of those.

● Cleveland split its two games against the Reds, winning Wednesday for just the third time in nine games. The Guardians will finish with their second losing season in three years following eight straight winning seasons; their 84 losses this season are the club’s most since 2012 (68-94).

● Cal Quantrill took the loss on Saturday against Baltimore despite allowing just one run on five hits, though he also had a season-high four walks. He has a 1.95 ERA in five starts since snapping a four-game losing streak; he had a 14.06 mark over that skid.

● Detroit swept a three-game set against Kansas City and has won four straight and 10 of its last 14. The Tigers are 16-9 (.640) this month, tied for third-best in MLB behind the Padres (17-7, .708) and Orioles (17-9, .654); their 2.96 ERA this month ranks second in the majors behind the Brewers (2.50).

● Miguel Cabrera hit his 511th career homer on Wednesday, tying Mel Ott for 25th all-time; one more would tie Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 23rd all-time. The veteran enters his final series following five seasons with the Marlins and 16 with the Tigers; his 2074 games played with Detroit rank seventh in franchise history.

● Joey Wentz suffered his 12th loss on Saturday in Oakland, allowing his 23rd longball of the season in the defeat – nine more than any other Tigers pitcher. That is tied with Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk for third-most among rookies this season, behind Houston’s Hunter Brown (26) and Arizona’s Ryne Nelson (24).

RAYS (97-62) at BLUE JAYS (88-71)

● Since 2014, the Rays have a 96-76 (.558) record against the Blue Jays. That’s tied for their most wins against any team in that span (also Boston).

● Prior to the All-Star break, Yusei Kikuchi allowed 2.12 home runs per nine innings. Since the break, he has conceded just 0.52 HR/9, the sixth-best mark in MLB (min. 50 IP).

● Bo Bichette has 549 hits since 2021. Only Shannon Stewart (563 from 2000-02) has more in a three-year span among Blue Jays hitters since 2000.

● Since permanently entering the Rays rotation on July 30, Zack Littell has a 1.02 WHIP, fifth best in the American League (min. 50 IP).

● Only two players in Rays history have had a season with 30+ doubles, 20+ home runs, and 30+ stolen bases: Randy Arozarena in 2022, and Josh Lowe in 2023.

● Isaac Paredes has 31 home runs in 2023, the most in a single season by a Mexican-born player since Vinny Castilla had 35 in 2004.

PHILLIES (89-70) at METS (72-86)

● The Phillies lost their first three games against the Mets this season (all in New York) but they’re 6-1 against them since then (all in Philadelphia), including a four-game series sweep last week. The Phillies were 5-14 against the Mets in 2022.

● The Phillies (89-70 in 2023) have not won 90 or more games in one season since 2011, when they set a franchise record with 102 wins. That was the fourth consecutive season in which the Phillies had at least 92 wins.

● Kyle Schwarber has hit 46 home runs in each of the last two seasons, despite posting a .218 batting average in 2022 and a .197 BA this year. Pete Alonso has slugged 46 home runs this season but his batting average is .221. In the 130 other instances of a major-league player hitting 46 or more homers in one season, the lowest BA is .237 by Jose Canseco in 1998.

● Taijuan Walker is 15-5 (.750) with a 4.35 ERA this year. Since 1954, only one major-league pitcher has recorded an ERA above 4.25 in a season in which he had at least 15 wins and a winning percentage of .750 or higher: CC Sabathia for Cleveland in 2001 (17-5, 4.39 ERA).

● Mets starters are 8-4 with a 2.90 ERA in the team’s 29 games since August 27, averaging 5.78 innings pitched per start. The only MLB team with a lower starters ERA than the Mets since that date is Detroit (2.44). Mets starting pitchers were 40-46 with a 4.55 ERA in 130 games this season through August 26 (5.18 IP per start).

● Tylor Megill is 6-3 with a 3.41 ERA in his 12 starts at Citi Field this season. He allowed four or more runs in only one of those 12 games. Megill is 2-5 with a 6.79 ERA in his 12 road starts in the major leagues this year. He allowed four or more runs in six of those 12 games (and five or more runs five times).

NATIONALS (69-90) at BRAVES (103-56)

● The Braves have won their season series against the Nationals in each of the last six seasons: 2018 (10-9), 2019 (11-8), 2020 (6-4), 2021 (14-5), 2022 (14-5) and 2023 (7-3 with three games remaining).

● The Nationals’ 7-17 (.292) record in September is the worst by a National League team and third worst in the majors, ahead of the Red Sox and Angels (both 7-18, .280).

● Luis Garcia is 13-for-39 (.333) in the 10 games he’s played against the Braves this season. Garcia’s hit total versus Atlanta is the fourth highest in the majors this year. The top three on that list are Jeff McNeil (18), Luis Arraez (17) and Nick Castellanos (15).

● Trevor Williams is 1-6 with a 7.39 ERA in his 12 starts since July 7, with 77 hits and 16 home runs allowed in 56 innings. Williams’ ERA since that date is the second highest in the majors among pitchers who’ve made 10 or more starts over that span (Michael Kopech, 8.10).

● The Braves have 103 wins this year, three shy of their franchise record for one season (106 in 1998). The Braves have won the World Series four times, with regular-season win totals of 94 (1914), 95 (1957), 90 (1995) and 88 (2021) in those four championship years.

● Allan Winans, who made his MLB debut on July 22, has recorded 32 strikeouts while walking only six batters in the 27 innings he’s pitched for the Braves. His 5.33 strikeout/walk ratio is the best in the majors this season among rookies who’ve made at least five starts.

PADRES (79-80) at WHITE SOX (61-98)

● The White Sox have won nine of the 15 all-time meetings with the Padres, including four of the last five dating back to May 2017. The clubs’ 15 all-time meetings are tied for the fewest of any MLB matchup – the Cardinals and Rangers have met just 15 times in the regular season (including 2023).

● San Diego is an MLB-best 17-7 (.708) this month and sits 3.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot – to make the playoffs, they must win out while the Marlins and Cubs both lose out and the Reds win no more than one game. The Padres’ 3.19 ERA in interleague games this season ranks second behind the Blue Jays (3.09).

● Juan Soto has played in all 159 games this season, one of four players in MLB that have done so entering the final weekend. He homered twice in San Francisco on Tuesday and has a career-high 35 home runs this season; he needs just three hits, two RBI, and one stolen base to match those career highs.

● Nick Martinez is expected to make his third straight start after allowing just three hits over seven scoreless innings in his last two. He has a 2.63 ERA and .191 AVG in eight starts compared to 4.12 and .273 in 54 relief appearances.

● Chicago took a 3-1 victory over Arizona on Thursday to avoid a sweep; it had been outscored 19-7 over the three-game set. The White Sox need to take two of three this weekend to avoid the fifth 100-loss season in franchise history and first since 2018 (62- 100).

● Dylan Cease struck out 11 Red Sox over seven scoreless innings at Fenway on Saturday, though he took a no-decision in Chicago’s 1-0 victory. He has a 3.04 ERA in four starts this month after posting an 8.07 ERA in six August starts.

CUBS (82-77) at BREWERS (90-69)

● The Cubs and Brewers have evenly divided their 10 head-to-head games this season, with each team winning three times in Chicago and twice in Milwaukee. The Brewers have won 10 of their last 13 home series versus the Cubs (lost two, split one), dating back to 2018.

● The Cubs have lost their last eight road games (allowing at least five runs in each game). It’s the Cubs’ second-longest road losing streak over the last six seasons (2018-23). They lost nine consecutive road games in 2021 (June 25-July 4).

● Seiya Suzuki is hitting .376 (38-for-101) with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in the 26 games he’s played since September 1. Suzuki ranks second in the majors this month in hits (behind Xander Bogaerts, 39) and runs batted in (behind Juan Soto, 29).

● Kyle Hendricks is 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA in his 33 starts versus the Brewers but he’s 0-2 with a 5.90 ERA in his last eight starts against them. Hendricks has not won a game in Milwaukee since April 8, 2017. He’s 0-2 with a 4.33 ERA in 10 starts there since then.

● The Brewers have won their last seven series at American Family Field. It’s the third time in franchise history that they won seven or more consecutive home series. The Brewers won 12 straight series at County Stadium in 1992 and seven in a row at their current home (then called Miller Park) in 2011.

● Colin Rea is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA and 13 hits allowed in 19.1 innings in his five appearances for the Brewers this month. Rea was 5-5 with a 5.11 ERA in his 20 major-league games this season through the end of August.

YANKEES (81-78) at ROYALS (54-105)

● The Yankees and Royals face each other for the second time this season, with New York sweeping the three-game series in July. The Yankees are 13-2 (.867) in their last 15 games against the Royals – their best 15-game span against Kansas City since 2006-2007 (13-2).

● The Yankees need one win to finish with a winning record for the 31st consecutive season – the second-longest streak in MLB history (Yankees: 39, 1926-1964). The next-closest active streak entering 2023 was the Cardinals (15) and after this season will be the Dodgers (13).

● Aaron Judge has 37 home runs this season, making him the fourth Yankee with 35+ home runs in three consecutive seasons and first since Alex Rodriguez (2004-2008). Judge is also tied for the longest active streak of 35+ HR seasons in MLB with Pete Alonso.

● The Royals’ 105 losses are their second most in franchise history (106 in 2005). However, Kansas City has won 10 of its last 14 games, and one win in the first two games of thia series will secure its first winning month since April 2021 (15-9).

● Bobby Witt Jr. has 49 stolen bases this season – the most by a Royals player since 1996 (Tom Goodwin, 66). Witt Jr. has 79 stolen bases through his first two seasons, most in Royals franchise history and most in MLB since 2001-2002 (Ichiro Suzuki – 87).

● Zack Greinke is 1-15 (.063) this season, the worst record in MLB (minimum 12 starts). Greinke’s .063 win pct is the lowest in Royals franchise history and in MLB since 1916 (Jack Nabors - .048 and Tom Sheehan - .059; min. 125 innings pitched).

REDS (81-78) at CARDINALS (69-90)

● The Reds and Cardinals have split their 10 meetings this season, with the Cards taking two of three at Great American Ballpark in the last series from September 8-10. Cincinnati has won the season series with St. Louis just once since 2012, taking 10 games to nine in 2021.

● The Reds enter the final weekend 1.5 games out of the Wild Card and need just one win to clinch their third winning season in four years (31-29 in 2020, 83-79 in 2021). Cincinnati’s 19- win increase from last season marks the largest year-over-year increase by the Reds since 1960-61 (+26; 2020 season excluded). ● Elly De La Cruz stole two bases in Wednesday’s win and has 35 steals in his 95 games this season. That is tied with Gary Redus for the third-most stolen bases through 95 career games in franchise history, trailing only Billy Hamilton (48 in 2013-14) and Bob Bescher (39 in 1908-09).

● Brandon Williamson has a 7.30 ERA and .327 AVG in three starts this month compared to a 3.67 ERA and .224 AVG in six August outings. The rookie southpaw won three of his four starts from July 22 to August 7, but has gone 0-3 with a 4.54 ERA in seven games since.

● Thursday’s shutout defeat in Milwaukee was the Cardinals’ 90th loss this season, their most since 1990 (70-92). St. Louis has been blanked 13 times this season, tied for second-most in the NL (Mets, 14; Giants, 13).

● Jake Woodford has a 5.34 ERA in seven starts this season compared to a 4.50 mark in his seven relief appearances. He is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA in five appearances (two starts) against NL Central foes compared to a 7.06 mark against all other opponents.

ATHLETICS (49-110) at ANGELS (71-88)

● Since the start of the 2014 season, the Athletics and Angels have split their games evenly, 86-86. Oakland has gone 46-31 (.597) since 2019, though, its third-best record against any single opponent over that span (min. 15 games).

● Since 2000, only three Angels rookies have had multiple games with 10+ strikeouts: Matt Shoemaker (2014), Shohei Ohtani (2018) and Chase Silseth (2023).

● Logan O’Hoppe has 13 home runs in 187 plate appearances this season. That’s tied for second in MLB among players with 200 PA or fewer, and first among catchers.

● Joe Boyle has allowed no earned runs in nine innings to open his career. It’s the longest such streak by an Athletics pitcher since Paul Blackburn had 10 innings with no earned runs in 2017.

● Esteury Ruiz has 65 stolen bases this season, the most by an Athletics player since Rickey Henderson stole 66 bags in 1998.

● The Athletics’ 110 losses are the most they have had in a season since the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics lost 117 games.

ASTROS (87-72) at DIAMONDBACKS (84-75)

● Since 2014, the Astros are 22-15 against the Diamondbacks, scoring 5.11 runs per game and allowing just 3.76.

● Only five pitchers in the majors have more quality starts than Zac Gallen’s 38 since the start of 2022. Houston’s Framber Valdez tops that list with 46.

● Corbin Carroll is the only player in MLB history to log 160+ hits, 25+ home runs, 50+ stolen bases, 110+ runs and 10+ triples in a single season.

● J.P. France has a 3.83 ERA and 11 wins in 2023. He is one of just eight rookie pitchers in franchise history with at least 10 wins and an ERA under 4.00 (min. 125 IP).

● Yordan Álvarez has 101 home runs since the start of the 2021 season. It’s the most by an Astros hitter over a three-year span since Lance Berkman had 108 between 2006 and 2008.

● Christian Walker has 69 home runs since the start of the 2022 season. Just two first basemen have more over that span: Matt Olson (88) and Pete Alonso (86).

DODGERS (98-61) at GIANTS (78-81)

The Giants and Dodgers play against each other for the second straight week, with Los Angeles taking three of four in their last meeting. The season series is tied 5-5, with the Giants looking to win the series for the second time since 2017 (also 2021, 10-9).

● Los Angeles is two wins away from its third consecutive 100-win season, which would be the Dodgers’ longest streak in franchise history and tied for longest in MLB history. This season is their 10th consecutive winning campaign against the NL West – tied for the longest streak in the MLB in the divisional era (since 1969).

● Freddie Freeman has 207 hits and 58 doubles this season – the first player with 200+ hits and 55+ doubles since 2000 (Todd Helton - 216 hits, 59 doubles). If Freeman records two more doubles, he will be the sixth player in MLB history with 200+ hits and 60+ doubles and first since 1936 (Joe Medwick and Charlie Gehringer).

● The Giants are 44-34 (.564) at home and 34-47 (.420) on the road this season. The -.144 winning percentage difference between home and road is the second-largest differential in the MLB (Rockies, -.190) and largest for the Giants since 2017 (-.148, excluding 2020).

● Giants pitchers have allowed the fewest home runs (169) and walks (398) in the MLB this season. It would be the second time in franchise history that they allowed the fewest in both categories (2021 – 151 home runs, 416 walks).

● Bobby Miller has six starts with six or more innings pitched and one or zero earned runs – the second Dodgers rookie to reach these stats prior to turning 25 in the last 25 years (Walker Buehler – 11 in 2018).