OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - August 9, 2024
August 9, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Baseball Club News Release
Round Rock Express (16-19/53-56) at
Oklahoma City Baseball Club (15-21/55-56)
Game #112 of 150/Second Half #37 of 75/Home #55 of 75
Pitching Probables: RR-RHP Adrian Sampson (8-7, 6.23) vs. OKC-RHP Bobby Miller (0-1, 5.71)
Friday, August 9, 2024 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 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 and the Round Rock Express meet for the fourth time in their six-game series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark with OKC trying for its third win of the series...Tonight is Jurassic Ballpark Night presented by Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse. Friday Night Fireworks, presented by Warren CAT, are scheduled to follow the game.
Last Game: The Round Rock Express scored four runs in the eighth inning to break a tie on the way to defeating the Oklahoma City Baseball Club, 7-2, Thursday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Round Rock had scored the first run of the game in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Blaine Crim, which was also Round Rock's first hit of the night. Oklahoma City answered in the sixth inning when Ryan Ward hit into a fielder's choice and a run scored on a Round Rock throwing error during the play. The teams played to a 1-1 tie through seven innings before Justin Foscue connected on a RBI double for a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. Dustin Harris followed with a RBI single before a two-run homer by Andrew Knapp gave Round Rock a 5-1 advantage. OKC scored in the bottom of the eighth inning on a RBI groundout to trim the Express lead to 5-2. Round Rock tacked on two more runs in the ninth inning on a two-run double by Knapp.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Bobby Miller (0-1) is scheduled to make his third start with OKC since being optioned by the Los Angeles Dodgers July 10...Miller was scratched from his scheduled start Aug. 2 in El Paso due to adductor tightness and most recently pitched for OKC July 27 against Tacoma at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, allowing six runs (five earned) and six hits over 3.2 innings with three walks and one strikeout, throwing 92 pitches (51 strikes) in a no decision...Prior to his option to OKC, Miller made four starts with the Dodgers after returning from the IL in June and went 0-1 with a 9.87 ERA. He had missed 61 games with right shoulder inflammation and made two starts with OKC as part of a Major League Rehab Assignment...Prior to his injury, Miller made three starts with the Dodgers to start the 2024 season, going 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA over 11.2 innings with 18 K's against six walks. He was named to his first Opening Day roster and made his season debut against St. Louis March 29, striking out 11 batters while allowing just two hits across 6.0 IP in a 6-3 Dodgers win...Miller began his 2023 season with OKC in late April, and after four starts, he was promoted to Los Angeles. He made his ML debut May 23 in Atlanta, earning the win after allowing just one run on four hits while walking one and striking out five across 5.0 innings. He went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 22 starts for Los Angeles...Miller was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft (29th overall) out of the University of Louisville...Tonight is Miller's third appearance of the season against the Express. In his previous two meetings he allowed two runs (one earned) and seven hits over 9.0 innings with six walks and six strikeouts.
Against the Express: 2024: 10-8 2023: 14-4 All-time: 186-147 At OKC: 88-75 OKC and Round Rock meet for their fourth of five series this season and their second at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...Round Rock won a three-game series between the teams July 19-21 following the All-Star Break at Dell Diamond. OKC won the series opener, 10-6, but was held to one run over the final two games as the Express won, 2-1, in 10 innings July 20 and then won 4-0 July 21...The teams last played a six-game series in OKC June 4-9, which the teams split, 3-3. Three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion Max Scherzer started for Round Rock in the series finale as part of a ML Rehab Assignment, completing 4.0 scoreless innings...OKC won the first series of the season, 4-2, at Dell Diamond April 9-14. After the first game was postponed due to inclement weather, Round Rock won both games of a doubleheader the following day. OKC then closed the series with four straight wins, including 12-3 and 14-5 victories in the final two games...Through the first 15 games against the Express this season, Andre Lipcius led OKC with 19 hits, had 15 RBI and hit five homers while Ryan Ward had a team-high 16 RBI, including four home runs...The teams met in the 2023 PCL Championship Series as OKC swept Round Rock in two games for OKC's first league title since 1996...OKC won the 2023 regular-season series, 14-4.
Rehab Clinic: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler continued his Major League Rehab Assignment Thursday, starting and tossing 5.1 innings with OKC, allowing one run and one hit on a solo home run, with three walks and five strikeouts. He issued a walk to the first batter of the game then retired 13 straight Express batters before allowing a solo home run in the fifth inning. He threw 85 pitches (48 strikes), pitching into the sixth inning for the first time during his rehab assignment, and retiring 16 of 20 batters he faced overall...Ryan Brasier continued his Major League Rehab Assignment, pitching on back-to-back nights for the first time with OKC, and making his sixth appearance of his rehab assignment overall. He retired both batters he faced in the sixth inning with one strikeout, throwing 10 pitches (eight strikes). During his time with OKC, Brasier has pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits with eight strikeouts.
Peaks and Valleys: OKC was held to two runs last night after OKC had scored at least five runs in each of its three previous games, totaling 21 runs. The stretch marked the first time since June 23-26 that OKC scored at least five runs in three consecutive games...After being held to two runs last night, OKC has now been held to three runs or less four times in the last seven games and five times in the last nine games. Entering Sunday, OKC's offense had been held to three runs or less in three straight games (7 R) and in four of the previous five games (16 R)...OKC is now 8-10 following the All-Star Break and in the team's eight wins, OKC has scored 60 runs with 86 combined hits. However, in the team's 10 losses during the span, OKC has scored a total of 20 runs, with a maximum of four runs and two or fewer runs in seven of the 10 defeats. OKC has 67 hits in the 10 losses and has gone 6-for-81 (.074) with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-8 Thursday...OKC's 80 runs scored in 18 games since the All-Star Break (July 19) are fewest in the PCL, with 70 runs scored over the last 17 games (4.1 RPG)...OKC left six runners on base last night and the team's 159 LOB since the All-Star Break are most in the PCL. OKC's 897 LOB this season overall are most in the Minors...The team has scored at least five runs in each of the last 12 wins as well as in 26 of the last 27 wins, but has been held to three runs or less in seven straight losses as well as 13 of the last 14 losses (31 R). OKC has scored three or fewer runs 38 times this season and is now 2-36 in those games and has lost the last 13 in a row...Last night OKC did not collect an extra-base hit for the seventh time this season and second time in the last 16 games.
Up to Kode: Kody Hoese singled last night and has now hit safely in four straight games (5x12) and in nine of his last 10 games with a plate appearance, going 13-for-36 (.361) with four multi-hit games, six extra-base hits, seven walks, seven runs and five RBI. He has also reached base safely in 15 straight games with a plate appearance, tying his season-long streak previously set June 22-July 12. During his current on-base streak, which is the longest active streak by an OKC player, Hoese has 15 hits, including seven for extra bases, 11 walks and nine runs scored.
Freshman Orientation: Dalton Rushing recorded OKC's lone multi-hit game Thursday, going 2-for-4 and scoring a run. He has hit safely in each of his first three Triple-A games with OKC (4x14). The catcher/outfielder is rated No. 1 in the Dodgers' farm system by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline...Alex Freeland singled Thursday and is 3-for-8 over his last two games with OKC. He is currently rated as the No. 3 Dodgers prospect by Baseball America and No. 11 by MLB Pipeline...Reliever Edgardo Henriquez made his Triple-A debut Thursday, pitching a scoreless seventh inning and allowing one hit. He is rated as the Dodgers' No. 11 prospect by Baseball America and No. 17 by MLB Pipeline...Rushing, Freeland and Henriquez all joined OKC Tuesday after promotions from Double-A Tulsa.
Attack of the Crooked Number: After being held to two runs over the previous 16 innings and five runs through the first 25 innings of the series, Round Rock's offense broke out with six runs over the final two innings last night, including four runs in the eighth inning. OKC has now surrendered an inning of three or more runs in eight of its last 10 games. OKC has now allowed 11 separate innings of three-plus runs over the last 80 innings, totaling 39 runs. Opponents have had 26 different innings of three-plus runs over the last 31 games and 21 in the last 26 games. There's been at least one inning with three-plus runs in 15 of the last 26 games (3-12) and at least one big inning in 18 of the last 31 games (4-14). At home, OKC has allowed at least one big inning seven of the last 15 games (nine total; 1-6) and nine of the last 17 games (1-8)...OKC had held the Express to four total runs over the first two games of the current series, marking the fewest runs OKC allowed in consecutive games since July 11-12 against El Paso at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (4 R). But last night, the Express offense racked up seven runs and OKC has now allowed at least six runs in seven of the last nine games (54 R) and in eight of the last 11 games (64 R). During the stretch, OKC allowed at least six runs in six straight games July 30-Aug. 4 in El Paso for the first time this season...OKC is now 13-15 over the last 28 games. In the 13 wins, they've allowed a total of 44 runs. But in the 15 losses, they've surrendered 106 runs (7.1 RPG), with at least seven runs in the nine of the 15 defeats.
Climbing Up the Charts: Drew Avans had a walk and scored a run last night and has now reached base in 25 of his last 26 games. Throughout the season Avans has established new Bricktown-era career records for runs scored (321), walks (248) and triples (25). He ranks second all-time in the Bricktown era with 438 career games, 422 hits and 110 stolen bases, while ranking tied for third in doubles (78). Kelly Dransfeldt (1999-2002) is the Bricktown-era leader in both games (502) and hits (448)...Avans leads the league with 67 walks, while ranking second with 81 runs scored, third with seven triples, tied for fourth with 28 stolen bases and seventh with 107 hits...This is the third straight season Avans has surpassed 100 hits with Oklahoma City.
The Situation Room: Over the last 34 games (14-20) OKC is batting .188 (62x330) with runners in scoring position. In the 20 losses across those 34 games, OKC has batted .101 (17x169) with RISP. Including last night's 0-for-8, OKC 27-for-161 (.168) with RISP over the last 17 games...After holding Round Rock 1-for-13 with RISP through the first two games of the series, the Express went 3-for-9 last night.
Around the Horn: OKC is 28-26 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark this season and is 8-5 in its last 13 home games. OKC's four-game winning streak at home came to an end last night. The streak matched the team's season-high mark (May 4-5 vs. Salt Lake; May 21-22 vs. Reno)...Following an 11-2 win in Sugar Land June 11, OKC's record was 37-27 - tied for the team's best record of the season at 10 games above .500. Since then, OKC is 18-29 over the last 47 games...Hunter Feduccia has reached base in 32 of his last 33 games. Since June 6, he's posted a .453 OBP with 34 walks...Each of OKC's last three losses have been by five runs and each of the team's last five losses have been by four or more runs. Last night also the 10th loss by at least five runs over the last 46 games after enduring a total of four losses by five or more runs over the first 65 games. The team's -36 run differential in the second half ranks ninth out of 10 teams in the PCL.
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