OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - April 17, 2024
April 17, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Sacramento River Cats (11-5) at Oklahoma City Baseball Club (10-6)
Game #17 of 150/First Half #17 of 75/Home #8 of 75
Pitching Probables: SAC-LHP Carson Whisenhunt (0-1, 13.50) vs. OKC-RHP Nabil Crismatt (0-0, 0.00)
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 11:05 a.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv, Bally Live
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club continues its home series against the Sacramento River Cats with an 11:05 a.m. game on a Field Trip Day at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. OKC is 5-2 to start the season at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and has won seven of the last 10 games...Today's game is the MiLB Free Game of the Day on MLB.TV, MiLB.TV and MLB.com.
Last Game: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club held the Sacramento River Cats scoreless over the final eight innings Tuesday night, but were unable to overcome an early deficit in a 3-2 loss in the series opener between the teams at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Sacramento took a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Casey Schmitt hit a three-run home run out to center field. Oklahoma City scored its first run of the night in the fourth inning when Ryan Ward collected a RBI double. Oklahoma City loaded the bases in the eighth inning with two outs and Kevin Padlo drew a walk to cut the deficit to one run. Ward came up next and hit a solid line drive, but it was caught in center field to end the rally.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Nabil Crismatt (0-0) makes his third appearance of the season with Oklahoma City and second start...Crismatt pitched a season-high 4.0 innings April 12 in Round Rock, allowing one unearned run and two hits with five strikeouts to tie his season-high mark. He did not factor into the decision of OKC's 7-1 victory...Crismatt made his team debut April 6 against Albuquerque at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and followed rehabbing starter Walker Buehler with 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five of nine batters...Crismatt's first appearance of 2024 came with the Los Angeles Dodgers March 31 against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium. He was credited with the win, allowing one hit with three K's over 2.0 innings of relief in the seventh and eighth innings during LA's comeback victory. He was subsequently designated for assignment April 1 and outrighted to OKC April 4...Crismatt signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in December 2023...He made San Diego's Opening Day roster last season and posted a 9.82 ERA across seven games for the Padres and missed nearly two months of action due to a left hip strain before being DFA'd in June...He signed a minor league contract with Arizona in June and pitched in 14 games (nine starts) with Triple-A Reno...Crismatt spent almost the entire 2022 season with San Diego, posting career bests in appearances (50) and ERA (2.94)...He is entering his 13th pro season and originally signed with the Mets as a free agent out of Colombia in 2012...Crismatt made his ML debut Aug. 17, 2020 with the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs...He most recently pitched against Sacramento last season while with Reno, pitching 2.0 innings of relief in Sacramento with one walk and four strikeouts.
Against the River Cats: 2024: 0-1 2023: 12-3 All-time: 60-56 At OKC: 29-29 Oklahoma City and Sacramento are meeting for their first of two series this season and lone series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...OKC won last season's series, 12-3, and won the final four meetings between the teams, including a three-game series sweep in Sacramento July 14-16...During a May 23-28 series, which OKC won, 4-2, five of the six games in the set were decided in the eighth inning or later, including three wins by a team trailing in the eighth inning...The teams met for a six-game series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Sacramento April 25-30 that included two doubleheaders due to weather-related postponements. OKC won the series, 5-1, winning the first five games before losing the finale, which was Game 2 of a doubleheader...OKC outscored the River Cats, 81-49, last season overall. Devin Mann collected 14 hits, including six doubles, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored against Sacramento in 14 games last season...OKC has now won back-to-back season series against the River Cats for the first time since 2017-18...Since OKC became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the River Cats with the San Francisco Giants in 2015, OKC has a 28-20 advantage in the Triple-A version of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, including a 15-4 mark over the last 19 games.
Meant No Offense: After scoring a combined 37 runs over the previous four games, OKC was held to just two runs Tuesday, marking just the third time this season OKC has scored fewer than three runs in a game and the team's lowest run total since being shut out on Opening Night in Tacoma...Oklahoma City had set season-high marks for runs scored in each of the previous two games. After scoring 12 runs Saturday night in Round Rock, OKC followed that up with a new season-high of 14 runs Sunday afternoon at Dell Diamond. It was the third time this season and third time in the last seven games Oklahoma City's run total reached double digits, and it was OKC's highest run total in a game since a 14-0 home win against Albuquerque Aug. 27, 2023...OKC also did not hit a home run Tuesday after compiling four home runs Sunday and a total of nine homers over the previous three games...OKC now has 20 home runs through the team's first 16 games of the season - third-most in the league...After racking up a season-high nine extra-base hits Sunday in Round Rock for the team's highest total since also recording nine July 28, 2023 at Reno, OKC managed one extra-base hit Tuesday - a double by Ryan Ward...OKC's 150 hits overall this season are second-most in the league, while OKC's 98 runs are fourth-most.
Close Calls: Last night's game was decided by one run, marking the 11th time this season a game was decided by two runs or less for Oklahoma City. However, last night was the first time in four games that happened for OKC and the second time in the last six games after each of the team's first eight games were decided by one or two runs...Six of the team's first seven home games have now been decided by one or two runs...OKC is 6-5 in games decided by two runs or less this season, but is now 2-5 in games decided one run, accounting for five of the team's six losses so far. In 2023, OKC went 23-18 in one-run games...Last season, 68 of OKC's 148 games (46 percent) were decided by one or two runs and OKC went 40-28 in those close contests.
The Warden: Ryan Ward picked up his 14th RBI in the last seven games last night, finishing the game 1-for-4 with RBI double. Over the seven-game stretch, Ward is 8-for-27 (.296) with seven extra-base hits and 14 RBI and has two homers in his last three games. Since April 7, his 14 RBI are tied with Andy Pages, who is currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, for most RBI in the PCL...Eight of his 11 total hits this season have gone for extra bases...Last season, Ward ranked fourth in the PCL with 95 RBI, making him the ninth player in OKC's Bricktown era (since 1998) with at least 95 RBI in a single season. He also led the PCL with 139 games played - the most by an OKC player in a single season since at least 2005.
Drew Up: Drew Avans went 1-for-4 and scored a run Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to eight games - tied for the longest hitting streak of the season for an OKC player and tied for the longest active streak in the league. During the eight-game streak, Avans is 14-for-34 (.412) with four doubles, two triples and 12 runs scored...His seven multi-hit games this season are tied with Andy Pages for the team lead and he has five multi-hit outings in his last eight games...During the team's Bricktown era (since 1998), Avans ranks among the team's all-time career leaders in several categories. He is one triple shy of tying OKC's Bricktown-era career record of 22 triples set by Joaquin Arias (2006-09). Avans ranks third with 85 stolen bases, 187 walks and 351 games played. He is one walk, two stolen bases and eight games shy of tying for second place in those career categories. Avans also ranks eighth with 335 career hits and is now one hit shy of tying for seventh place.
Miggy Mash: Miguel Vargas drew a walk Tuesday and has now reached base in each of the team's first 16 games this season - the only player in the PCL to do so. The on-base streak is Vargas' longest since his 2023 season-best 19-game on-base streak July 14-Aug. 4, 2023...Although he was held without a hit last night, Vargas has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games, going 16-for-53 (.302) with five doubles, three homers and 17 RBI...His 17 RBI overall this season lead OKC and rank fifth-most in the PCL. He already has two four-RBI games this month...Vargas played in 60 games for OKC last season and compiled two lengthy on-base streaks. In addition to the 19-game on-base streak, Vargas also reached base in 15 consecutive games Aug. 13-31, 2023.
Pitching Prowess: Even though OKC lost last night, the pitching staff held Sacramento to three runs and kept the River Cats scoreless over the final eight innings. OKC has already sustained two losses this year when allowing three or fewer runs after it happened three times all of last season...OKC relievers Stephen Gonsalves, Michael Petersen and Kevin Gowdy combined to close Tuesday's game with 4.1 scoreless innings...Sacramento went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position Tuesday and over the last five games combined, OKC opponents have been held 2-for-26 with RISP...OKC allowed 10 hits last night, giving up double-digit hits for just the fourth time this season and first time in six games. Through 16 games, OKC's pitching staff's 110 hits allowed are fewest in the league and their 66 runs allowed are third-fewest in the PCL. OKC's 161 strikeouts are most in the league, although the team recorded a season-low five strikeouts last night...The team has yielded just 11 home runs this season - fewest in the PCL - and kept their opponent inside the park in nine of the first 16 games. However, OKC has allowed five home runs over the last three games after giving up just three in the previous seven games. It's the first time an opponent has gone deep in three straight games this season, and each of the last four homers allowed have been with at least one runner on base.
Fine and Dandy: Andy Pages was recalled by the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his MLB debut last night against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. He went 1-for-4 and scored a run, lining a single into right field on the first pitch he saw of his first ML at-bat...Pages was on a tear with OKC at the time of his promotion. He hit two home runs for OKC Sunday in Round Rock - a solo homer in the first inning and a three-run homer in fifth inning - and hit five home runs in his last seven games with OKC. He had hit safely in eight consecutive games, going 18-for-35 (.514) with five homers, two doubles, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored...At the time of his promotion, Pages led the PCL with 23 hits, while his 16 runs scored were second, his 1.146 OPS was third and his five homers were tied for third.
Snooze Button: Last season OKC lost during all three of team's three field trip games at home and went 2-4 in field trip games overall. The team has lost each of its last four field trip home games going back to 2022...This is the first of five - yes, five - straight weeks OKC will play in a field trip game between home and road.
Around the Horn: Trey Sweeney picked up a hit Tuesday, as he has now reached base safely in each of his first 15 career Triple-A games. His 17 walks overall this season are most in the PCL...Kevin Padlo has hit safely in four consecutive games, going 5-for-14, and has six RBI over during that span. Since April 7, Padlo is 9-for-25 (.360) with two homers, two doubles and 10 RBI...Jonathan Araúz has now hit safely in seven straight games, going 7-for-28 after starting the season 1-for-18...OKC has not committed an error in seven of the last eight games, with just one error total during that span...Kody Hoese has hit safely in eight of his first nine Triple-A games, going 11-for-31 (.355) with three multi-hit outings...OKC is winless all-time when Kyle Daugherty is a bat boy.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 17, 2024
- Blubaugh Dominant in Another Close Game with Express - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Express Fall 2-1 to Space Cowboys on Wednesday Night - Round Rock Express
- Bees Fall Short in Wednesday Matinee against Reno - Salt Lake Bees
- Albuquerque Tops El Paso 7-4 Wednesday - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Aces Outshine Bees in a 6-4 Victory - Reno Aces
- Deacon Jones Memorial Garden to be Unveiled on Thursday at Constellation Field - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Late Sacramento Surge Falls Just Short at Oklahoma City - Sacramento River Cats
- Homers Power OKC Baseball Club to Series-Evening Win - Oklahoma City Comets
- April 17 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Las Vegas Aviators - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - April 17, 2024 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Tacoma Shuts Out Las Vegas In Opener - Tacoma Rainiers
- Isotopes Fall in Series Opener, 12-4 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- El Paso Takes Down Albuquerque, 12-4 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Bees Drop Series Opener to Reno - Salt Lake Bees
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