OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - April 27, 2024
Published on April 27, 2024 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Baseball Club (16-9) at Albuquerque Isotopes (6-19)
Game #26 of 150/First Half #26 of 75/Road #14 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Eduardo Salazar (1-0, 2.75) vs. ABQ-RHP Peyton Battenfield (NR, -.--)
Saturday, April 27, 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: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club tries to extend its longest winning streak of the season when the road series against the Albuquerque Isotopes continues at 7:35 p.m. CT at Isotopes Park. Oklahoma City has won five consecutive games overall and has a 4-0 lead in the current series...OKC has also won eight straight road games.
Last Game: Oklahoma City secured a series win against the Isotopes with a 5-4 victory Friday night at Isotopes Park. Oklahoma City got out to an early 2-0 lead after a RBI groundout from Drew Avans and a RBI single from Miguel Vargas in the third inning. Albuquerque knotted the score in the fourth inning with a two-run single from Drew Romo before a RBI single from Hunter Stovall gave the Isotopes a 3-2 advantage. OKC took the lead right back in the fifth inning when Andre Lipcius hit a three-run homer. The Isotopes scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the lead to one run, but the OKC bullpen held strong and retired the final 11 batters of the game.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Eduardo Salazar (1-0) makes his fifth start of the season with OKC, and the team is 4-0 in his starts this season...Salazar most recently pitched for OKC April 21 against Sacramento at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, holding the River Cats to one run, six hits and three walks with two strikeouts in OKC's 5-4 victory...The Los Angeles Dodgers selected his contract April 16, but he did not appear in a game and was optioned back to OKC April 17...Salazar pitched for OKC April 11 in Round Rock, allowing two runs, six hits and one walk with two strikeouts over 5.2 innings in OKC's 4-2 win. He gave up a run in the first inning, then kept Round Rock scoreless until his final batter faced with two outs in the sixth inning...In April, Salazar has allowed four runs over 15.2 innings while inducing a total of seven ground ball double plays...Salazar originally signed with Cincinnati March 4, 2017 as a free agent and spent the first six seasons of his professional career in the Reds organization before signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in November 2023...The 2023 season was the first of his career in which he worked strictly out of the bullpen. He started the season with Double-A Chattanooga, posting a 0.68 ERA and holding batters to a .176 average over nine relief appearances and went on to spend the majority of 2023 with Triple-A Louisville, going 1-1 with a 9.09 ERA over 27 relief appearances...He made his Major League debut with Cincinnati May 24 against St. Louis, recording his first ML strikeout, and on June 6, recorded his first ML win against the Dodgers...In his first meeting with Albuquerque this season April 5 in OKC, he allowed one run, four hits and four walks with three strikeouts over 6.0 innings and did not factor into OKC's 3-1 win in a game that lasted 2 hours, 1 minute. He retired 11 of his final 14 batters and coaxed three ground ball double plays.
Against the Isotopes: 2024: 9-1 2023: 10-14 All-time: 147-120 At ABQ: 65-68 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 a season-best five consecutive games and 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 4-0 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) and last won five consecutive games in the same series June 29-July 3, 2023 in Sugar Land (Games 2-6). OKC last opened a series with five straight wins as part of a six-game series sweep May 9-14, 2023 in Round Rock...OKC has also won eight consecutive road games - the team's longest stretch of road victories since a team record 12-game streak from June 29-July 28, 2023. The streak began with four wins in Round Rock April 11-14 before opening the current series with four wins...Overall, OKC is 10-4 in the last 14 games and sits a season-best seven games above .500 at 16-9.
Trey Bien: Trey Sweeney went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk last night and now has reached base in all 24 games he has played in this season. Sweeney has also collected a hit in seven straight games, going 14-for-30 (.467) with six doubles, a home run, 10 RBI, five walks and nine runs scored and has four multi-hit games during the stretch. The hitting streak is his longest since hitting safely in 11 straight games with Double-A Somerset last season from July 16-28. He also had a 12-game hitting streak with Somerset last season...His on-base streak is the longest on-base streak to start the season in all of Triple-A and is the first OKC player with an on-base streak of at least 24 games since last season's PCL MVP Michael Busch, who reached base in 39 straight games June 30-Aug. 16, 2023. The streak is also a career-high for Sweeney. His previous career high was a 20-game streak June 25-July 26, 2022 with High-A Hudson Valley...His streak of six straight games with a RBI was snapped last night, but his 23 walks in 24 games pace the PCL, his .441 OBP is second-highest in the league and his 22 runs scored are tied for third. Eleven of his first 28 hits this season have gone for extra bases.
The Amazing Jonathan: Jonathan Araúz went 1-for-4 with a single and a walk Friday night, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games. He is 19-for-63 (.302) 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 longest active hitting streak in Triple-A...His previous career-high 14-game hitting streak came with High-A Fayetteville May 17-31, 2019 - the longest hitting streak in the Carolina League that season...Araúz did not start last night's game but entered as a pinch-hitter in the second inning with a 1-1 count when Ryan Ward exited the game with injury. Araúz singled during the at-bat, also marking the team's first pinch hit of the season.
That's Offensive: During the current five-game winning streak, Oklahoma City has scored 59 runs and at least five runs per game, with three games of 11 runs or more and two games of 17 runs or more. On Thursday afternoon, OKC scored 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)...OKC tallied 12 more hits last night and has at least 12 hits in four straight games, racking up 62 hits total so far during the current series in Albuquerque...OKC last compiled double-digit hit totals in four straight games June 29-July 2, 2023 in Sugar Land (54 hits)...OKC had five more extra-base hits last night after totaling a season-high 10 extra-base hits each of the last two games and has a whopping 34 extra-base hits through four games in Albuquerque after averaging 3.67 XBH per game through the first 21 games of the season...Overall this season, OKC's 256 total hits pace all of Triple-A, while the team's .291 batting average and 171 runs scored both rank second in Triple-A, trailing fellow PCL opponents Sugar Land in runs (183) and Reno in batting average (.293)...On the other hand, Albuquerque has scored 35 runs through the first four games of the current series, marking the highest run total in a series so far by an OKC opponent this season with two games remaining this weekend.
Dinger Details: Andre Lipcius connected on a three-run home run in the fifth inning last night to give OKC the lead for good in Friday's win. Oklahoma City has now hit 10 home runs so far in the series in Albuquerque - tied for the team's most in a series so far this season with two games to go. OKC hit 10 homers over a six-game road series in Round Rock April 10-14...Each of the team's last six homers have been with at least one runner on base...Oklahoma City's 26 home runs since April 12 (13 games) are the most in the Minors during the span and OKC has hit at least two home runs in nine of the last 13 games, including five games with three or more homers...OKC's 37 total home runs this season lead the PCL and are second-most in Triple-A (Norfolk - 48)...OKC held the Isotopes without a home run Friday, but Albuquerque has hit six homers so far in the series - tied for the most homers allowed by OKC in a series this season after Round Rock also hit six homers over six games April 10-14...Overall this season, OKC's 21 home runs allowed are fewest in the PCL.
Drewing On Up: Drew Avans picked up another hit and RBI last night to extend his hitting streak to five games (9x22) and he paces OKC with 30 hits, 26 runs scored, three triples and seven stolen bases so far in 2024. His 30 hits are third-most in the PCL, while his 26 runs are second-most, his three triples are tied for third, his seven stolen bases are tied for fifth and his .323 batting average is eighth...With his next walk, Avans will take over sole possession of first place on OKC's all-time career walks list during the Bricktown era (since 1998). He is currently tied with Esteban German (2005; 2009-10) with 194 walks. Also with his next game, Avans will move into sole possession of second place on OKC's all-time games played list during the Bricktown era. He is currently tied with Jason Hart (2002-03; 2006) with 359 games played...Additionally, Avans is one triple shy of tying Joaquin Arias (2006-09) for OKC's most career triples with 22. He also owns second place with 89 career stolen bases, ranks sixth with 345 hits and is tied for eighth with 66 doubles in his OKC career.
Around the Horn: Andre Lipcius is 8-for-20 with two homers and six RBI over the first four games of the current series. He already has seven homers in 22 games this season after hitting a career-high 13 home runs combined last season at three levels over 117 games...Chris Owings went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and run scored Friday to extend his hitting streak to eight games. During the stretch, which is the second-longest active hitting streak by an OKC player, Owings is 11-for-27 (.407) with three homers, a double and six RBI....Over the last five games, Miguel Vargas is batting .429 (9x21) with five extra-base hits, five walks and eight runs scored. He has reached base in 19 of his 20 games this season and his 20 walks are third-most in the league while his .435 OBP is fifth in the PCL...With yesterday's win, OKC is now 5-5 in one-run games this season. Their 10 one-run games are tied for most in the PCL with Sacramento.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 27, 2024
- Isotopes Win Over OKC, 10-7 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Reno Drops Third Straight to Sugar Land in 8-3 Loss - Reno Aces
- OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - April 27, 2024 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Aviators Host Intrastate Rival, Reno Aces, in Seven-Game Homestand from Tuesday-Sunday, April 30 - May 5 at Las Vegas Ballpark - Las Vegas Aviators
- Chihuahuas Split Doubleheader in Tacoma Friday - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Rainiers and Chihuahuas Split Twin Bill - Tacoma Rainiers
- Explosive Seventh Inning Pushes Sugar Land to 8-1 Win - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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