OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - June 11, 2024
June 11, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Baseball Club (36-27) at Sugar Land Space Cowboys (41-22)
Game #64 of 150/First Half #64 of 75/Road #34 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Landon Knack (3-2, 3.51) vs. SUG-LHP Eric Lauer (1-0, 7.20)
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 | Constellation Field | Sugar Land, Texas | 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 opens a key six-game road series against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at 7:05 p.m. at Constellation Field. With 12 games remaining in the first half of the PCL season, Sugar Land leads the league with a 41-22 record, while Oklahoma City is 5.0 games behind Sugar Land in the standings (third place overall and 3.0 games behind second-place Sacramento). The Space Cowboys enter the series having just swept a six-game set in Salt Lake, while OKC is 4-4 in the last eight games following a 9-3 stretch.
Last Game: The Round Rock Express defeated the Oklahoma City Baseball Club, 3-1, in the series finale between the teams Sunday afternoon at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark fueled by four-plus scoreless innings by rehabbing Texas Rangers pitcher and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. Round Rock quickly grabbed the lead in the first inning, scoring a run on a RBI single by Sandro Fabian. The Express went ahead, 2-0, on a RBI single by Jax Biggers in the fifth inning. Oklahoma City cut the Express lead in half via a RBI groundout by Andre Lipcius in the sixth inning but could not even the score after having the tying run at third base with one out. Round Rock tacked on a run in the ninth inning on a solo homer by Blaine Crim for a 3-1 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Chris Owings and Jonathan Araúz drew back-to-back walks for OKC before a flyout to left field ended the game.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Landon Knack (3-2) is scheduled to make his eighth start and ninth appearance overall with OKC...Knack pitched in OKC's resumed game against Round Rock June 5, allowing three runs and four hits over 5.0 innings with a season-high four walks and three strikeouts. The game was originally suspended after the top of the first inning June 4 due to rain at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and Knack took the mound in the game's resumption the following day, entering to start the second inning. He was charged with the loss in OKC's 4-3 defeat. Including his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the three runs allowed marked just the second time in the last nine games Knack allowed three or more runs in a game...Prior to his last outing, he had allowed just one run and six hits across 10.0 innings during his previous two starts with OKC...He made his ML debut April 17 against Washington and earned his first career win in his next start April 24 at Washington...Knack was OKC's Opening Night starter in Tacoma March 29, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings, and made three starts with OKC before his initial call-up...Knack split time between OKC and Double-A Tulsa last season, going a combined 5-1 in 22 starts with a 2.51 ERA over 100.1 IP with 99 K's and 30 walks, setting career highs in starts, innings and K's....He entered the 2024 season as Dodgers' No. 11 prospect by Baseball America and the No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline...The Johnson City, Tenn., native was selected in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of East Tennessee State...Tonight is his second appearance of the season against the Space Cowboys. On May 12 in Sugar Land, Knack allowed four runs and five hits, including a homer, with three walks and five strikeouts over 5.1 innings and was credited with the win in OKC's 7-4 road victory. He had allowed just one run over the first five innings before surrendering a three-run homer in the sixth inning.
Against the Space Cowboys: 2024: 3-3 2023: 18-6 All-time: 49-29 At SUG: 23-16 The top two teams in the PCL East Division meet for their second of three series this season and second of two at Constellation Field during the first half of the season...Sugar Land currently leads the PCL with a 41-22 record while OKC is 5.0 games back of the Space Cowboys...Sugar Land's offense leads the PCL with 432 runs scored and has a league-high 102 home runs...The teams split a six-game series in Sugar Land May 7-12. Four the games were decided by two runs or less. On May 9, OKC defeated Sugar Land, 22-3, scoring the team's most runs in a game this season and most since scoring 24 runs June 11, 2023 in El Paso. Fueled by that victory, OKC outscored the Space Cowboys, 44-24, in the series, as the teams combined for 10 home runs, including six by OKC all hit by different players...Drew Avans led OKC with 10 hits and Miguel Vargas had a team-leading eight RBI in the first series of 2024 between the teams...OKC lost back-to-back games to Sugar Land during the same series May 10-11 for the first time since Aug. 23-24, 2021. The teams had met 51 times between then and May 10, with OKC going 36-15 over that stretch...OKC won the 2023 series, 18-6, and went 9-2 over the final 11 games against the Space Cowboys. OKC won five of six games in two of the four series and at least four games in each series. The team went 9-3 both at home and on the road...OKC outscored Sugar Land, 121-81, last season as OKC held the Space Cowboys to a .200 batting average.
Close Calls: Sunday's defeat by two runs marked the 35th time in 63 games this season - and fifth time in the six-game series against Round Rock - a game for OKC was decided by two runs or less. OKC is now 17-18 in games decided by one or two runs, including a 9-7 record in two-run games, and has the most games decided by two runs or less in the PCL this season...Six of OKC's last eight games have now been decided by two runs or less and each of OKC's last four losses have been by two runs or less (five runs total)...Nineteen of OKC's 30 home games so far in 2024 have been decided by one or two runs, with OKC going 10-9 in those games.
One of Those Days: After OKC had scored at least five runs in 10 of the previous 11 games, and scored at least 10 runs five times in the previous nine games, totaling 93 runs during the stretch (8.5 rpg), OKC was held to one run Sunday. The one run marked the team's lowest run total in a game since a 6-0 shutout loss against Reno May 26 and was the 11th time this season OKC has scored one run or less in a game. Last season, OKC had only nine games with one or no runs scored over 148 games...OKC has now scored 94 runs since May 28 to rank second in Triple-A in runs scored over the 12-game stretch, only trailing Las Vegas' 100 runs. In contrast, from May 1-27, OKC's 111 runs scored over 23 games were the fewest in the PCL during that timeframe...Overall this season, OKC's 392 runs scored in 63 games (6.2 rpg) are the second-most among the 30 Triple-A teams, trailing only current opponent Sugar Land (432).
Dinger Details: OKC was held without a home run Sunday, snapping the team's season-best stretch of 11 consecutive games with a home run. OKC had hit 23 homers during the streak - tied for the most homers in the PCL with Sugar Land during the period. It was the team's longest string of games with a home run since a 12-game streak Sept. 6-19, 2021 (25 HR). OKC homered in a season-best nine straight games in both 2023 and 2022...Overall this season OKC's 87 homers are second-most in the PCL, with Sugar Land leading the pack at 102...OKC allowed a home run in the ninth inning Sunday and has allowed four homers over the last two games as Round Rock hit three homers Saturday night. Entering Saturday, OKC had not allowed even one home run in three of the previous four games nor in 10 of the previous 15 games. Saturday also marked the first time OKC had allowed three home runs in a game at home this season. Prior to Thursday, OKC had allowed more than one home run just once in the team's 26 home games...OKC has allowed 49 home runs overall this season - fewest in Triple-A - including just 15 homers allowed in 30 home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (also fewest for a home team in Triple-A). However, since the calendar flipped to June, the team has already allowed 11 home runs through eight games after giving up 12 home runs throughout the entire month of May (27 games).
Andre the Giant: Andre Lipcius drew a walk and picked up a RBI Sunday and now has nine RBI over his last four games. On Saturday, Lipcius hit a grand slam and finished with six RBI to tie his career-high mark last accomplished Aug. 22, 2023 with Triple-A Toledo at Louisville and tied for the most RBI in a single game for an OKC player this season, matching Hunter Feduccia and Ryan Ward. Lipcius' four hits Saturday night tied his season high, last achieved April 13 in Round Rock when he also went 4-for-5. Saturday night's grand slam was the first of his professional career and his 17th home run of the season, giving him sole possession of the PCL home run lead. He is also tied for the second-most homers in the Minors...He has now homered in two of his last three games and four of his last seven games, adding to his new career high. Lipcius hit his previous career-high of 13 homers over 117 games at three different levels last season..Lipcius leads the Minors with 146 total bases this season. He ranks third in the Minors with 76 hits and tied for second with 34 extra-base hits. He also leads the PCL with a .619 SLG and ranks second with a 1.013 OPS.
Trey Bien: Trey Sweeney drew a walk Sunday to extend his on-base streak to 17 games. This is his second on-base streak of the season of at least 17 games, as he reached base safely in a team-best 27 straight games to begin the season March 29-April 30...On Thursday, he hit safely in both games of a doubleheader, hitting a grand slam in Game 2 and going a combined 3-for-7 with a double and two runs scored. His grand slam was the first of his professional career...Since May 28 (12 games), his seven home runs and 19 RBI lead all players in the Minors...Sweeney has hit safely in 15 of the last 17 games, going 22-for-69 (.319) with eight home runs, three doubles, a triple, 22 RBI and 18 runs scored.
Owings the Competition: Chris Owings reached base three times Sunday with a single and a pair of walks. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, batting .436 (17x39) with seven multi-hit games, two doubles, two homers, seven RBI and six runs scored...Owings has also hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games, batting .400 (24x60) with 11 RBI. Since May 19, his .400 AVG tops the PCL, while his 24 hits are tied for third and his .464 OBP ranks fifth.
Summer Heat: Kody Hoese did not play Sunday, but singled Saturday as he has now hit safely in each of his first six games of June (8x23, 4 2B), as well as in nine of his last 10 games, going 16-for-41 (.390) with five doubles, seven RBI and 10 runs scored...Hunter Feduccia did not play Sunday but was 2-for-4 with a double Saturday. He is now 10-for-22 (.455) with five extra-base hits over his last six games...Chris Okey went 2-for-4 Sunday and scored OKC's lone run. He has now hit safely in five straight games, batting .353 (6x17) with a double and two triples...Drew Avans went 2-for-4 Sunday with a double for OKC's and through seven games of June is batting .321 (9x28) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI.
Around the Horn: Oklahoma City turned four double plays Sunday to tie the team's season-high mark set March 29 in an 11-inning game in Tacoma. OKC's previous high mark in a nine-inning game was three, and it's the team's first time with four double plays in a nine-inning game since July 31, 2022 vs. Sugar Land...OKC was held to one extra-base hit Sunday for the team's lowest total in 15 games. OKC had racked up 67 extra-base hits over the 14 games prior to Sunday (4.8 per game)...Sunday marked OKC's eighth loss of the season when allowing three or fewer runs (21-8). That happened just three times throughout the entire 2023 season (49-3).
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