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PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - March 31, 2024

March 31, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Baseball Club (1-1) at Tacoma Rainiers (1-1)

Game #3 of 150/First Half #3 of 75/Road #3 of 75

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Walker Buehler (NR, -.--) vs. TAC-RHP Cory Abbott (NR, -.--)

Sunday, March 31, 2024 | Cheney Stadium | Tacoma, Wash. | 3:35 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv, Bally Live

Today's Game: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is slated to take the mound to begin a Major League Rehab Assignment with the Oklahoma City Baseball Club on the road against the Tacoma Rainiers at 3:35 p.m. CT at Cheney Stadium. The three-game season-opening series is tied, 1-1, and OKC can claim a series win with a victory in today's finale...OKC next returns to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for the team's home opener Tuesday against the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Last Game: One night after Oklahoma City and Tacoma combined for one run and seven hits over 11 innings, the teams combined for 16 runs and 24 hits, as Oklahoma City held on for a 9-7 victory Saturday night at Cheney Stadium. OKC scored eight runs over the first five innings, including two home runs by Andre Lipicius and a two-run homer by Miguel Vargas. Tacoma scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within one run. Kevin Padlo gave OKC a bit more breathing room with a RBI single in the eighth inning. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Tacoma rallied with two outs to load the bases before Tanner Dodson struck out Ryan Bliss to end the game.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Two-time MLB All-Star Walker Buehler is scheduled to open a Major League Rehab Assignment this afternoon as he recovers from Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair in his right elbow that has kept him out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup since June 2022...Buehler last appeared in a game Sept. 3, 2023 with Oklahoma City against Round Rock at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark as part of a rehab assignment. He pitched 2.0 scoreless and hitless innings with two strikeouts, but it was the lone game he pitched last season at any level...Buehler made 12 starts for the LA Dodgers in 2022, posting a 6-3 record and 4.02 ERA over 65.0 innings through early June with 17 walks against 58 strikeouts before undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time in August 2022. His last start with LAD was June 10, 2022 in San Francisco...Buehler was named to the 2021 and 2019 National League All-Star teams and helped the Dodgers to their 2020 World Series Championship...Overall, Buehler has compiled a 46-16 record and 3.02 ERA over 638.1 IP with a 1.04 WHIP and .212 opponent average over six Major League seasons...Buehler has made 15 postseason starts with the Dodgers, posting a 3-3 record and 2.94 ERA and averaging 11.4 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. He has allowed just one run in 13.0 IP in two World Series starts (0.69 ERA)...He started the first combined no-hitter in Dodgers history, walking three and striking out eight in 6.0 innings in LA's 4-0 win against San Diego May 4, 2018...He was named the 2017 Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year, posting a 3-3 record with one save and a 3.35 ERA in 28 games (19 starts) with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City...Buehler was originally selected by the Dodgers in the first round (24th overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University...Today marks his second career start against the Rainiers and first since July 31, 2017 in OKC when he pitched 5.0 shutout innings with six strikeouts for his first Triple-A win in his third career Triple-A game.

Against the Rainiers: 2024: 1-1 2023: 6-9 All-time: 63-67 At TAC: 24-40 The Rainiers and OKC are opening the season against one another for a second straight year after meeting for a season-opening series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in 2023, which OKC won, 2-1. The Rainiers won the opener, 14-8, before OKC posted back-to-back walk-off wins in the final two games - 6-5, in 10 innings and, 10-9, in nine innings with Jahmai Jones providing walk-off hits in both games...Tacoma went on to win the season series against OKC, 9-6, going 5-1 against OKC in Tacoma. 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...The teams meet 15 times in 2024, including 12 games in OKC...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...Going back to 2022, the Dodgers are now 10-17 in their last 27 games against the Rainiers...OKC has lost back-to-back season series against the Rainiers for the first time since 2006 and 2007...OKC is just 2-8 in the last 10 games at Cheney Stadium, as the Pacific Northwest has been less than hospitable in recent times. Going back to 2012, the team is 10-19 in Tacoma and has won just one of six series in that timeframe, taking two of three games in 2018.

First Offense: After being held without a run and to four hits, including one for extra bases in Friday night's season opener, Oklahoma City racked up nine runs on 13 hits Saturday night, including four extra-base hits. OKC slugged three home runs - two by Andre Lipcius and another by Miguel Vargas...OKC's 13 hits were the most for the team since Sept. 20, 2023 in Albuquerque when OKC had 13 runs on 13 hits in a 13-8 road victory at Isotopes Park...OKC and Sugar Land both have a league-leading three homers apiece to start the season...On the other hand, OKC went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position last night and is just 2-for-23 with RISP to begin the season.

Dre Day: Andre Lipcius made his season debut and went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI Saturday. Lipcius homered in his first at-bat of the season in the second inning, notched a two-run single in the third inning and hit a booming two-run homer down the left field line in the fifth inning...Saturday marked Lipcius' second career multi-homer game and third career game with five or more RBI. He last went deep twice in one game Aug. 22, 2023 with Triple-A Toledo at Louisville when he also notched a career-high six RBI...Last season, there were 15 different instances of an OKC player recording a multi-homer game and the previous one also occurred in Tacoma when Michael Busch hit two solo home runs Aug. 9, 2023 at Cheney Stadium...Lipcius joins Sugar Land's Joey Loperfido as the first two PCL players with multi-homer games to begin the season...Lipcius' five RBI yesterday were the most by an OKC player in a single game since David Dahl collected five RBI July 30 in Reno.

Close Calls: The first two games of the season between OKC and Tacoma have been decided by a total of three runs after Tacoma won, 1-0, in 11 innings Friday night and OKC won, 9-7, last night. Last season, 68 of OKC's 148 games (46 percent) were decided by one or two runs and OKC went 40-28 in those close contests...Going back to last season's Triple-A National Championship game, which OKC lost, 7-6, all three of OKC's last three games have been decided by two runs or less. To close out the 2023 regular season, OKC's final two games were also decided by two runs or less.

Dynamic Drew: Drew Avans went 2-for-6 last night and has picked up two hits in each of the first two games of the season. Avans led OKC with 129 hits, 95 runs scored and 77 walks in 2023 and also tied PCL MVP Michael Busch with a team-leading 35 multi-hit games during the regular season. He went on to rack up seven more hits in three postseason games, including two multi-hit outings to finish the season overall with 37 multi-hit games...Avans is now up to 319 hits during his OKC career, putting him eighth on the franchise's career hits list during the Bricktown era (since 1998).

You Can Find Us in the Club: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club is taking the field in 2024 while the franchise undergoes a brand identity transition and develops a fresh and local team name to be unveiled following the conclusion of the season. The organization proudly remains the Los Angeles Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate under the current Professional Development League license and will spend the 2024 season celebrating OKC's franchise history, which has been continuous since 1962. During every Thursday home game, the team will wear refreshed Oklahoma City 89ers jerseys and hats. During every Sunday home game, the team will wear its City Celebration jerseys and hats, which were introduced in 2023 in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Victory Parade: Oklahoma City won the 2023 PCL Championship following a 90-58 regular season, posting the most wins for an Oklahoma City team in a single season during the Bricktown era (since 1998) and the second-most wins in Oklahoma City's Triple-A history behind only the 1965 89ers (91-54). OKC's 90 wins tied for the most wins in the Minors last season and OKC became just the second PCL team since 2006 to notch at least 90 wins...In the PCL Championship Series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, OKC defeated Round Rock, 8-3, in Game 1, and, 5-2, in Game 2 against the Express to sweep the three-game series for OKC's first league title since 1996. Oklahoma City went on to make its first appearance in a Triple-A National Championship Game and first in postseason interleague competition during the franchise's Bricktown era (since 1998) and PCL history (1963-68; 1998-2023), but ended up falling to the Norfolk Tides, 7-6.

Roster Roundup: OKC's Opening Day roster features two of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top 11 prospects, per Baseball America: Outfielder Andy Pages (No. 3) and starting pitcher Landon Knack (No. 11). Others ranked among Baseball America's top Dodgers prospects are shortstop Trey Sweeney (No. 16) and relief pitchers Gus Varland (No. 22) and John Rooney (No. 29)...The roster features seven total members of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 40-man roster. In addition to Knack, Pages and Varland, the list includes relief pitchers J.P. Feyereisen and Ricky Vanasco, catcher Hunter Feduccia and infielder Miguel Vargas...A total of 10 players were part of OKC's 2023 championship season, including pitchers Tanner Dodson and Alec Gamboa and outfielders Drew Avans and Ryan Ward...Of the 27 players on the roster, 14 have previous Major League experience, with two appearing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023 (Vargas and Varland) while nine others appeared in the Major Leagues last season with a different organization.

Around the Horn: Miguel Vargas connected on his first home run of the season last night with a two-run blast to left field in the fourth inning. He went 2-for-4 with a walk...OKC has now started three straight seasons with 1-1 records. OKC went on to open the 2023 season with a 6-1 record, and in 2022, started 5-1 before suffering a second loss...Three-game series have become rare with the standard six-game series scheduling in MiLB following the COVID-19 pandemic, but OKC has now won seven straight three-game regular-season series and has not lost a three-game series since Aug. 23-25, 2019 in San Antonio when the team was swept by the Missions. Last season when OKC had a chance to win a series during the series finale, the team went 8-3, including 1-1 in rubber matches...OKC is 0-for-4 in their ABS challenge attempts to begin the season. Through the first two games of the season, the call on the field has been upheld in seven of nine challenges requested by OKC and the Rainiers...OKC has won four of the last five times when playing on Easter, including a 6-5 win in 10 innings last year in Las Vegas.

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