PCL Oklahoma City Comets

Dodgers Downed, 9-5, by Bees

August 17, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


The Oklahoma City Dodgers held a multiple-run lead on two occasions but could not maintain them as they fell, 9-5, to the Salt Lake Bees Thursday night at Smith's Ballpark. Oklahoma City (23-20/73-42) got on the board in the second inning with a solo blast from David Freitas before Bryson Brigman and Drew Avans recorded RBI singles to make it 3-0. The Bees (18-24/55-62) got one run back in the bottom of the frame. Michael Stefanic drew Salt Lake even with a two-run double in the fifth inning. The Dodgers answered immediately when Pat Valaika hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to regain the lead at 5-3. However, the Bees responded with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, tallying five hits during the rally, including three doubles. Salt Lake scored again in the seventh inning to make it 9-5. Following Valaika's home run, the Dodgers did not record a hit, as 12 of the last 14 batters were retired.

Of Note:

-The Dodgers are now on a season-high five game losing streak for the team's first five-game losing skid since Aug. 6-12, 2022. The team has dropped eight of nine games on their current road trip and have lost nine of their last 11 games overall. Additionally, the Dodgers have lost of their last 11 road games following a stretch in which the team won 12 straight road games and went 26-5 over their previous 31 road games...Until the current road trip, the Dodgers had not started any of their 19 series this season by losing the first two games, but they have now lost each of the first three games in both series in Tacoma and Salt Lake.

-David Freitas went 1-for-5 with a home run to extend his hitting streak to 21 games - tying the longest hitting streak by an OKC player this season, along with Jahmai Jones. During the streak, Freitas is 26-for-85 (.306) with 17 RBI. It's also the longest active hitting streak in the PCL...Freitas became the fourth player in OKC's Bricktown era (since 1998) to record a hitting streak of at least 21 games...Freitas has homered twice in three games in Salt Lake and has picked up at least one RBI in four straight games for a total of seven RBI.

-Michael Busch had his 39-game on-base streak come to an end after he went 0-for-5 with four flyouts and one lineout. It was the longest on-base streak by an Oklahoma City player this season, the longest active on-base streak in the PCL and the third-longest streak in the league this season. During the streak, Busch batted .329 (54x164) with 16 home runs, 25 extra-base hits, 40 RBI, 27 walks and 35 runs scored...It was also the third-longest on-base streak during OKC's Dodgers affiliation (since 2015)...The last game with OKC Busch was kept off base was June 14, also against Salt Lake and also started by Kenny Rosenberg.

-Pat Valaika hit his first home since joining Oklahoma City in early July and his first home run since June 23 with Tacoma at El Paso. He finished Thursday 2-for-4.

-Drew Avans recorded another hit and drove in a run. He is now 5-for-14 with two doubles to start the series.

-The Dodgers have now lost five straight games at Smith's Ballpark going back to last season and are 1-6 over their last seven games in Salt Lake.

-Prior to Tuesday's series opener, the Dodgers had lost five games all season when leading by at least three runs and none since June 3. They've now lost twice in three games during the current series after leading by at least three runs.

What's Next: The Dodgers aim for their first win of the series starting at 7:35 p.m. CT at Smith's Ballpark. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 17, 2023


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