OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - April 26
Published on April 26, 2024 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Baseball Club (15-9) at Albuquerque Isotopes (6-18)
Game #25 of 150/First Half #25 of 75/Road #13 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Elieser Hernández (1-1, 3.46) vs. ABQ-RHP Karl Kauffmann (1-3, 9.95)
Friday, April 26, 2024 | Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park | Albuquerque, N.M. | 7:35 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv, Bally Live
Today's Game: A win tonight would give the Oklahoma City Baseball Club its longest winning streak of the season as OKC has won four consecutive games and continues its series against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:35 p.m. CT at Isotopes Park...OKC has a 3-0 lead in the current series and is 8-1 against the Isotopes so far in 2024...OKC has also won seven straight road games.
Last Game: Oklahoma City scored at least 21 runs in a game for the fifth time during the team's Bricktown era and won another slugfest in Albuquerque, 21-9, Thursday afternoon at Isotopes Park. OKC scored in seven of the first eight innings, but trailed, 4-3, entering the fourth inning. The team then broke out for six runs, capped with a three-run homer by Ryan Ward. It was the first of four straight innings OKC went deep. Trey Sweeney hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and Chris Owings did the same in the sixth inning. Ward connected on another three-run blast in the seventh inning, as Oklahoma City led at that point, 17-4. The team added four more runs and three more hits in the eighth inning to increase their total to 21 runs. Down, 21-5, in the ninth inning, Albuquerque scored four runs.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Tonight is the fourth start of the season for Elieser Hernández (1-1)...During his last outing April 20 in OKC, he pitched five-plus innings against Sacramento, allowing three runs (two earned) and four hits - all doubles. He did not issue a walk in a second straight game and had six strikeouts, but was charged with the loss in OKC's 3-1 home defeat...Over his last two games, Hernández has allowed seven hits and no walks across 10.0 innings while notching 13 strikeouts...Overall, he has 18 strikeouts against three walks over 13.0 IP...He signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers Jan. 12, 2024 after making eight appearances in the Mets organization last season. He spent much of 2023 on the Injured List, making his season debut May 28 on a rehab assignment and did not pitch after July 9. He appeared with Single-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn and Triple-A Syracuse...He spent the majority of the 2022 season with the Miami Marlins, compiling a 3-6 record in 20 games (10 starts) with a 6.35 ERA and 60 strikeouts...He was traded to New York (NL) Nov. 18, 2022 alongside Jeff Brigham in exchange for Franklin Sanchez and Jake Mangum...Hernández was originally signed by Houston as an international free agent May 31, 2012 and was later selected by the Marlins in the Major League phase of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft...He made his ML debut with Miami May 10, 2018 against Atlanta and has 90 career ML appearances, all with Miami between 2018-22...Tonight is his second meeting against the Isotopes. He made his season debut April 7 against Albuquerque in OKC, allowing two runs and two hits, along with three walks and five strikeouts over three-plus innings (ND).
Against the Isotopes: 2024: 8-1 2023: 10-14 All-time: 146-120 At ABQ: 64-68 OKC and the Isotopes meet for their second of four series in 2024, totaling 24 games, all to be played within the first half of the season...OKC played its first home series of 2024 against the Isotopes, going 5-1, and outscoring Albuquerque, 37-24. Miguel Vargas racked up 11 RBI in six games, while Andy Pages led OKC with eight hits in the first series...Last season, the Isotopes were one of three teams OKC posted a losing head-to-head record against, along with Salt Lake and Tacoma, as Albuquerque won a season series against OKC for the first time since 2017. OKC won the 2018, 2019 and 2022 series, going a combined 18-6, and split the 2021 series, 9-9, before losing last season's series, 14-10...Last season, the Isotopes went 9-3 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for their most wins in OKC. Previously, the Isotopes' most wins in Bricktown in one season was five in 2009. Albuquerque won five of six games in OKC Aug. 22-27 before OKC finished that August series with a 14-0 win, tying for the team's largest shutout win ever at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and tied for the second-largest shutout win in the Bricktown era overall (also April 25, 1998 vs. Nashville)...The teams also played a six-game series in OKC July 4-9, 2023, which the Isotopes won, 4-2. It was Albuquerque's first series win in Bricktown since 2016 and the Isotopes won four straight games against OKC within the same series since Aug. 8-11, 2008 in Albuquerque...In 2023, the road team went 16-8 in the season series. OKC went 7-5 in Albuquerque and started 7-2 before dropping their final three games.
Dub Collectors: Oklahoma City has won four consecutive games, tying for the team's longest winning streak of the season. A win today would give OKC its longest winning streak since a six-game win streak July 22-28, 2023...OKC has started the current series 3-0 for the team's best start to a series this season. OKC last won the first four games of a six-game series July 25-28, 2023 in Reno (which was part of the previously mentioned six-game winning streak)...OKC has also won seven consecutive road games - the team's longest stretch of road victories since a team record 12-game streak last season from June 29-July 28, 2023...Overall, OKC is 9-4 in the last 13 games and sits a season-best six games above .500 at 15-9.
Off and Running: Oklahoma City scored 21 runs in yesterday's game - scoring at least 21 runs for just the fifth time during the team's Bricktown era, spanning 3,593 games since 1998. It was the team's highest run total in a game since matching a team record with 24 runs June 11, 2023 at El Paso in a 24-5 win...OKC now has nine total games during the Bricktown era in which the team has scored 20 or more runs, with five of them occurring in the last four seasons and at least once each season starting in 2021. Prior to 2021, the last time OKC scored 20 or more runs in a game was Aug. 3, 2013 against Colorado Springs (24-5 win)...So far this series, OKC scored 17 runs Tuesday, 11 runs Wednesday and 21 runs yesterday. The 49 runs scored by OKC in the last three games are the most scored by the team in a three-game span during the Bricktown era. The previous high was 45 scored over three games June 10-13, 2023 (two games at El Paso, one at home vs. Salt Lake)...OKC has also scored in double digits in three straight games for the first time since a four-game span Sept. 16-20, 2022 in Albuquerque and El Paso. OKC scored a total of 50 runs during that stretch...Yesterday marked the second time in three games OKC and Albuquerque combined to score 30 runs. Prior to Tuesday, OKC had played in just four games ever during the Bricktown era when OKC and the opponent combined for at least 30 runs...OKC has now scored 11 or more runs in each of the last five road games between Round Rock and Albuquerque, totaling 75 runs...However, OKC has also allowed at least nine runs in each of the first three games of the series and the 31 runs allowed are the most by the team in a three-game span since July 28-30, 2023 in Reno (35 runs)...Tuesday was OKC's fourth all-time win when allowing at least 13 runs and three of those victories have occurred within the last two seasons, including two in Albuquerque. The Isotopes' 13 runs Tuesday were the most by an OKC opponent since July 30, 2023 when Reno scored 15 runs in OKC's 16-15 road win in 11 innings...During the Dodgers affiliation since 2015, an OKC team has now scored 17 or more runs in a game 13 times, with nine of those occurring in the 2022 season or later.
Playing All the Hits: OKC has racked up 51 hits over the last three games, tallying double-digit hit totals in three straight games for the second time this season and at least 16 hits in each game. OKC has compiled the most hits by the team during a three-game span since May 10-12, 2007 in Las Vegas and in Tucson when the team piled up 52 hits and 42 runs over three games...OKC has totaled a season-high 10 extra-base hits each of the last two games. OKC had six doubles and four homers yesterday after hitting six doubles, a triple and three homers Wednesday.
Dinger Details: OKC matched its season-high mark with four home runs Thursday and has hit nine homers so far during the series in Albuquerque. Oklahoma City's 25 home runs since April 21 (12 games) are the most in the Minors during the span and OKC has hit at least two home runs in nine of the last 12 games, including five games with three or more homers...OKC's 36 total home runs this season are now tied for most in the PCL with Sugar Land...Ryan Ward hit two home runs yesterday to became the third OKC player this season with a multi-homer game, joining Andre Lipcius (March 30 at Tacoma) and Andy Pages (April 14 at Round Rock)...The Isotopes hit two more home runs Thursday afternoon and have hit six so far in the series after OKC had not allowed a home run in back-to-back games and had allowed just five homers over the previous six games combined...Overall this season, OKC's 21 home runs allowed are still fewest in the PCL,
Trey Bien: Trey Sweeney led OKC with four hits Thursday, going 4-for-5, tying his career high in hits and setting a career high in RBI. He hit his second homer of the season and now has reached base in all 23 games he has played in for the longest on-base streak to start the season in all of Triple-A. Sweeney has reached base four times in each of the first three games of the current series and is the first OKC player with an on-base streak of at least 23 games since last season's PCL MVP Michael Busch, who reached base in 39 straight games June 30-Aug. 16, 2023...He has also recorded at least one hit and one RBI in six straight games, going 12-for-26 (.462) with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI...Sweeney's 22 walks in 23 games pace the PCL and 10 of his first 26 hits this season have gone for extra bases.
The Warden: Ryan Ward finished with three extra-base hits yesterday, hitting two home runs and a double. He became the first OKC player with six RBI in a game this season - tying his overall career high - and he became the third OKC player with a multi-homer game this season. He's now gone deep three times in the last two games...Each of Ward's last six hits have gone for extra bases, as well as 12 of his last 13 hits, and 15 of his 19 hits overall in 2024 have been extra-base hits...His 15 extra-base hits, eight homers and 26 RBI all lead OKC in 2024. His eight homers are tied for second-most in the PCL, while his 26 RBI and 15 extra-base hits are both tied for third...Ward has tallied 25 RBI over his last 14 games.
The Amazing Jonathan: Jonathan Araúz went 1-for-5 with a double and a walk Thursday, extending his hitting streak to 14 games - matching his career-high streak. He is 18-for-59 (.305) during the stretch with eight doubles, one triple and a home run. His hitting streak is the longest in the PCL to start the season and is his longest since a career-high 14-game hitting streak with High-A Fayetteville May 17-31, 2019 - the longest hitting streak in the Carolina League that season.
Around the Horn: Drew Avans reached base five times with a double and four walks Thursday, moving him into a tie for OKC's Bricktown era career walks record with Esteban Germán (2005; 2009-10) with 194 walks. He scored four runs and leads OKC with 29 hits (T-2nd, PCL), 26 runs (T-1st, PCL) and six stolen bases...Chris Owings homered for a second consecutive game and finished with three RBI, three walks and four runs scored as he extended his hitting streak to seven games (9x24, 3 HR). He scored four runs in a game for the first time since May 17, 2014 with Arizona against the Los Angeles Dodgers...Miguel Vargas is 8-for-17 with four extra-base hits, five RBI and eight runs scored over the last four games and has reached base in 18 of his 19 games this season. His .437 OBP ranks fourth in the PCL...After going 8-for-44 with runners in scoring position over the previous six-game series against Sacramento, OKC is 24-for-66 (.364) with RISP so far in Albuquerque...OKC already has five wins when allowing seven more runs this season. Last season, their fifth such win wasn't until July 26 at Reno.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 26, 2024
- Isotopes Fall to Oklahoma City, 5-4 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Walston's Dominance Isn't Enough, Reno Falls 8-1 to Space Cowboys - Reno Aces
- OKC Tops Isotopes, 5-4 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Bees Ambushed in Second Straight Loss to Round Rock - Salt Lake Bees
- Crim Swats Away Bees, Express Roll to 9-4 Victory - Round Rock Express
- April 26 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. El Paso Chihuahuas - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - April 26 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Wagner Wins It for Space Cowboys in Extras - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Silver Sox Drop Nail Biter in Extra Innings to Space Cowboys - Reno Aces
- Walk-off Edges Round Rock Past Salt Lake - Salt Lake Bees
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