OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - July 25, 2024
Published on July 25, 2024 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (12-11/55-43) at Oklahoma City Baseball Club (9-14/49-49)
Game #99 of 150/Second Half #24 of 75/Home #48 of 75
Pitching Probables: TAC-RHP Casey Lawrence (5-7, 6.12) vs. OKC-RHP Chris Vallimont (1-4, 9.24)
Thursday, July 25, 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 continues its home series against the Tacoma Rainiers looking to take the lead in the six-game series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on 89ers Night...OKC's overall record this season sits at .500 for the fifth time this month (49-49) after OKC snapped a three-game losing streak last night. OKC is now 5-4 over the last nine games, but is 8-14 since June 26.
Last Game: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club scored 10 unanswered runs in a 10-1 win against the Tacoma Rainiers Wednesday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Tacoma quickly took the lead in its first at-bat of the night on a RBI groundout. Oklahoma City then went ahead in the bottom of the first inning and led the rest of the game. OKC scored three runs, including a RBI double by Ryan Ward followed by a RBI single by Trey Sweeney. OKC extended the lead to 4-1 on a RBI double by Andre Lipcius in the second inning and added two runs in the fourth inning on a RBI double by Ward and a sacrifice fly by Sweeney. OKC added four runs in the sixth inning to take a 10-1 lead including a RBI single by Drew Avans and a two-run single by Ward. The Rainiers were held scoreless over the game's final eight innings.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Chris Vallimont (1-4) is slated to make his ninth start of the season with OKC tonight as well as his first appearance following the All-Star Break...He last pitched July 14 against El Paso in OKC, piggybacking starter Ben Casparius and following with 4.0 innings of relief. He entered the game in the fourth inning and allowed two runs on four hits, including a home run, with one walk and a season-high six strikeouts and did not factor into the decision of OKC's 5-4 walk-off win in 11 innings...His last start came July 9 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in the series opener against the Chihuahuas. He was charged with the loss, allowing six runs and eight hits over 4.0 innings with three strikeouts against one walk in OKC's 7-3 defeat...Over his first 9.0 innings with OKC, Vallimont allowed just one run and seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts, but over his last 28.0 innings, he has given up 38 runs (37 earned) and 43 hits, including 10 homers, with 20 walks and 22 strikeouts...Vallimont signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in late May after beginning the season with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, posting a 3-1 record and 3.29 ERA with 33 strikeouts, a 0.88 WHIP and .172 BAA...Last season, Vallimont pitched in 30 Triple-A games (nine starts) with Norfolk and Columbus and also made his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles...Vallimont was originally selected by Miami in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.
Against the Rainiers: 2024: 2-3 2023: 6-9 All-time: 64-69 At OKC: 40-28 The Rainiers and OKC meet for their second of three series of 2024 and first six-game series of the season...The teams opened the season against one another for a second straight year and the Rainiers won the three-game set, 2-1, at Cheney Stadium taking the first and third games, with all three games decided by one or two runs. The teams played 10 scoreless innings in the season opener March 29 before Tacoma secured a 1-0 walk-off win in 11 innings. Both teams scored 15 runs apiece. OKC hit five homers during the series and Andre Lipcius led the way for OKC, collecting five hits and five RBI as well as two homers...Last season, Tacoma won the season series, 9-6, and the Rainiers were one of three teams OKC posted a losing head-to-head record against last season, along with Albuquerque and Salt Lake. The Rainiers were also one of two teams to win five out of six games in the same series against OKC last season Aug. 8-13 at Cheney Stadium. It was the first time OKC lost five games within a series since Aug. 26-31, 2021 at home against Las Vegas, going 40 six-game series between 1-5 results, and OKC had not opened a series with three straight losses since losing four in a row to begin a home series against Round Rock Aug. 9-12, 2022, going 26 series between 0-3 starts...In 15 meetings last season, Tacoma outscored OKC, 99-86, and hit 24 homers compared to OKC's 22. Tacoma drew 85 walks in the season series - 29 more than OKC...OKC has lost back-to-back season series against the Rainiers for the first time since 2006 and 2007...The teams meet 15 times in 2024, including 12 games in OKC with another six-game series upcoming at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Sept. 10-15...Going back to 2022, OKC is 10-17 over the last 27 games against the Rainiers.
Trey Bien: Trey Sweeney went 2-for-4 with two RBI and scored a run last night to extend his hitting streak to eight games for the team's longest active hitting streak. During the streak, he is batting .400 (14x35) with five extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs scored. He now has four multi-hit outings in his last five games since returning from the All-Star Break, going 11-for-21 with five RBI. The 11 hits out of the break lead all Triple-A players...Additionally, Sweeney has now hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games since June 27, collecting 26 hits and 12 RBI and scoring 14 runs while batting .347 (26x75). He has also hit safely in 20 of his last 23 games, batting .326 (30x92) since June 22 with 13 RBI and 15 runs scored...Sweeney leads OKC with 92 games played overall this season - tied for most in the PCL - and paces OKC with 22 hits through 16 games in July. He also ranks among the top 10 league leaders this season in runs scored (T-6th, 64), doubles (T-7th, 21), RBI (9th, 61), hits (10th, 94) and total bases (10th, 162).
The Warden: Ryan Ward finished last night's game with a game-high three hits and four RBI. Ward went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a walk and scored a run. He recorded at least four RBI in a game for the fourth time this season and for the first time since June 14 in Sugar Land, collecting his team-leading 20th multi-RBI game of the season. It was his eighth game of the season with three or more hits and first since July 11 against El Paso...Ward leads the PCL with 25 home runs and a .633 SLG. He also ranks second in OPS (.976), second with 49 extra-base hits, tied for fourth with 74 RBI and sixth with 186 total bases although he has played in just 73 games, having missed more than three weeks of the season while on the Injured List in May...Including a home run during a rehab assignment in Arizona Complex League, Ward is up to 26 home runs this season - tied for second-most in the Minors.
Roller Coaster at the Plate: Oklahoma City scored 10 runs for the second time in five games last night. OKC's 14 hits last night matched the team's highest mark of July and was the third time this month OKC reached 14 hits, as six player finished with multi-hit games...During the first seven innings out of the All-Star Break, OKC notched 10 runs and 12 hits. Then over the next 26 innings, the team managed to produce just one run, 18 hits and two extra-base hits, with the only run scoring during the 10th inning Saturday when a placed runner began the inning at second base. But starting with the sixth inning Tuesday, OKC has piled up 14 runs and 23 hits over the last 12 innings of offense, going 23-for-58 (.397) with seven extra-base hits...OKC has eight extra-base hits over the first two games of the series after totaling eight XBH over the previous six games combined...After going 2-for-28 (.071) with runners in scoring position over three straight losses, OKC went 5-for-15 with RISP last night. However, OKC left 15 runners on base and has left 28 runners on base over the first two games of the series. OKC's 794 LOB this season are most in the Minors...OKC has not been retired in order in any of the 17 innings against Tacoma. The team has had at least two batters reach base on a hit or walk in 11 of the 17 innings.
On the Hunt: Hunter Feduccia drew three walks Wednesday to extend his career-best on-base streak to 27 games - tied for the longest on-base streak of the season by an OKC player with Trey Sweeney and the second-longest active on-base streak in the PCL. During the streak that started June 6, Feduccia has 27 hits with 17 RBI, 26 walks and 12 runs scored, batting .310 with a .474 OBP. His OBP is tied for second-best in the PCL during that span...His four-game hitting streak (8x15) came to an end last night, but he has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, batting .419 (13x31) with 11 walks and a .581 OBP (OB 25/43 PA)...The last time an OKC player had an on-base streak longer than 27 games was last season when PCL MVP Michael Busch reached base in a 39 straight games June 30-Aug. 16, 2023. A total of three OKC players had on-base streaks of at least 29 games in 2023...Feduccia ranks third overall in the PCL this season with a .422 OBP and seventh with a .299 AVG. He ranks second among OKC players with 45 walks this season.
Climbing Up the Charts: Drew Avans collected his 414th career hit with OKC last night to move ahead of Esteban Germán and into sole possession of second place all-time during OKC's Bricktown era (since 1998). Throughout this season, Avans has established new Bricktown-era career records for walks (236) and triples (25). He ranks second all-time in the Bricktown era with 426 career games and 110 stolen bases, while ranking second in hits (414) and tied for fourth in doubles (77). Kelly Dransfeldt (1999-2002) is the Bricktown era leader in both games (502) and hits (448)...Avans is currently in the midst of a 14-game on-base streak - his second of at least 14 games this season...He ranks second in the league with 75 runs scored, tied for second with seven triples, tied for second with 55 walks, tied for third with 28 stolen bases and eighth with 99 hits.
Mound Matters: OKC allowed one run in the first inning Wednesday then held the Rainiers scoreless over the game's final eight innings. The Rainiers did not have a hit past the fifth inning and OKC pitchers retired the final 11 Rainiers batters of the game. Tacoma went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, after opponents had been 13-for-37 (.351) over the first four games following the All-Star Break...Hyun-il Choi (3-3) started and allowed one run and four hits over 5.0 innings with one walk and five strikeouts to earn his third win of the season, becoming just the third OKC starting pitcher to earn a win over the last 43 games...Michael Grove made his second appearance with OKC during his Major League Rehab Assignment. He pitched a scoreless and hitless sixth inning, allowing one walk with two strikeouts. He faced four batters, throwing 17 pitches (10 strikes)...OKC has not allowed a home run in three straight games for the first time since May 22-24 vs. Reno.
Around the Horn: Andre Lipcius recorded a second straight multi-hit game Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, two walks and one run. He has hit safely in three straight games, going 5-for-13, and has hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .321 (9x28)...Alan Trejo is 5-for-10 in his first two games of the series and has hit safely in three straight games (6x13)...The OKC offense tied its season low with three strikeouts last night (also June 23 vs. Albuquerque)...Yesterday OKC scored eight of the team's 10 runs with two outs, going 7-for-17. Over the previous 10 games, OKC batted just .179 (21x117) and scored eight runs with two outs...The is the eighth time the last nine series OKC and their opponent are tied, 1-1, through two games. OKC has gone just 1-6 in Game 3 in that time...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 12-22 over the last 34 games and is tied for the worst record in the PCL during that time.
Pacific Coast League Stories from July 25, 2024
- Albuquerque Claims 6-4 Victory Over Round Rock - Round Rock Express
- OKC Falls to Tacoma - Oklahoma City Comets
- Kato Powers Rainiers to Victory - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - July 25, 2024 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Local Participants Announced for "Home Run Derby X"Event at Isotopes Park on August 23 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- July 25 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Oklahoma City Baseball Club - Tacoma Rainiers
- Reno Drops Fifth Straight in 5-2 Loss to Las Vegas - Reno Aces
- Round Rock Claims 7-6 Victory - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Salt Lake Powers Past El Paso to Push Win Streak to Six - Salt Lake Bees
- Express Top Isotopes 7-6 in Wednesday's Game Two - Round Rock Express
- Bees Defeat Chihuahuas, 9-5 - El Paso Chihuahuas
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