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Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - May 24, 2024

May 24, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Reno Aces (22-26) at Oklahoma City Baseball Club (27-21)

Game #49 of 150/First Half #49 of 75/Home #22 of 75

Pitching Probables: RNO-RHP Humberto Castellanos (3-1, 5.29) vs. OKC-RHP Landon Knack (2-1, 4.15)

Friday, May 24, 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 Reno Aces meet for the fourth time in their six-game series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. OKC leads the series, 2-1, and looks to avoid back-to-back home losses for the first time since April 18-20...Friday Night Fireworks presented by Bahama Bucks are scheduled to follow the game.

Last Game: The Oklahoma City Baseball Club's four-game winning streak came to an end in a 4-2 loss to the Reno Aces Thursday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Reno scored all of its runs in the second inning as the Aces built a 4-0 lead on a RBI single by Kolten Wong, a two-run double by Albert Almora Jr., and a sacrifice fly by Adrian Del Castillo. OKC answered with a run in the bottom of the second inning on a RBI double by Kody Hoese. Andre Lipcius connected on a RBI single in the eighth inning to cut the deficit to two runs. OKC had the tying runs on base with none out in both the eighth and ninth innings but was unable to finish the comeback.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Landon Knack (2-1) seeks a third straight win with OKC...Knack last pitched May 19 for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Cincinnati at Dodger Stadium, allowing one run and three hits over 4.2 innings with one walk and five strikeouts. He did not factor into the decision of the Dodgers' 3-2 walk-off win in 10 innings...In his last start with OKC May 12 at Sugar Land, Knack tied his season-high mark with four runs allowed. He allowed five hits, including a three-run homer, with three walks and five strikeouts over 5.1 innings and picked up the win in OKC's 7-4 victory...Knack was most recently optioned to OKC May 20. In four starts with LAD this season, he is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA, allowing a total of six runs and 14 hits in 20.2 innings, with six walks and 16 strikeouts. He's kept ML batters to a .189 average and owns a 0.97 WHIP...He made ML debut April 17 against Washington at Dodger Stadium and earned his first career win in his next start April 24 at Washington after allowing two runs over 6.0 innings...Knack was OKC's Opening Night starter in Tacoma March 29, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings, and ended up making 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 innings with 99 strikeouts and 30 walks, setting career highs in starts, innings and strikeouts...He was promoted to OKC in mid-June and made 10 starts in Triple-A, allowing one or no runs in six of his final eight starts. He went 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA and 38 strikeouts before being placed on the IL Aug. 25 and not playing for the rest of the season...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 third career appearance against the Aces. He made two starts in Reno July 25 and July 30, 2023, allowing a combined seven runs (five earned) and 11 hits over 8.1 IP with four walks and eight K's.

Against the Aces: 2024: 2-1 2023: 9-3 All-time: 45-32 At OKC: 28-17 Oklahoma City and Reno play their first of two series this season - and lone series of 2024 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The teams will also play June 25-30 at Greater Nevada Field to begin the second half of the season...Oklahoma City won the 2023 season series, 9-3, and took six of the last seven games. OKC outscored the Aces, 108-83, last season and batted .340 in the series as a team with 20 home runs in 12 games...Over a six-game series in Reno July 25-30, 2023, OKC scored 61 runs, including four games with at least 13 runs. However, OKC also allowed at least 11 runs in three games during the series...OKC won the home series, 4-2, and outscored the Aces, 47-30, batting .324 (67x207) with five homers. During the third game of the series June 1, OKC turned its first triple play since 2005 and the first triple play in the PCL since 2018...Devin Mann led OKC with 16 hits and 16 RBI during the 2023 series...Last season's series victory against the Aces was OKC's first since the 2015 season, as OKC went 0-2-4 in season series with Reno from 2016-22...Despite last night's loss, OKC enters tonight having won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Aces going back to last season, as well as five of the last seven in OKC.

Sales Pitch: During a bullpen game for Oklahoma City last night, seven Oklahoma City pitchers allowed a combined four runs on five hits as they held the Aces scoreless over the final seven innings and in eight of nine innings overall. In each of the first three games of the current series, Reno has scored in just one inning per game. Although the Aces rank second overall in the Minors in hits, third in batting average and fourth in runs, they have been held to a combined eight runs and 15 hits over the first three games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...OKC opponents have now been held to four runs or less 17 times in the last 21 games. Since April 30, OKC owns the lowest ERA in all of Triple-A at 3.22, while the team's 144 hits allowed are fewest among the 30 Triple-A teams and OKC's 76 runs allowed are second-fewest in Triple-A during the 21-game span...Last night was the fourth time in the last six games that OKC did not allow a home run and OKC's 10 homers allowed in May are fewest in Triple-A this month. OKC has now limited opponents to one or no home runs in 21 of the last 22 games (11 HR total). OKC's 36 homers allowed overall this season are fewest in Triple-A...However, for the first time since April 27 at Albuquerque OKC surrendered a four-run inning. After allowing 11 separate innings of four-plus runs over the first 26 games of the season, last night was the only occurrence over the last 22 games.

Ebb and Flow: After scoring 28 runs over four straight wins, and at least five runs per game, OKC was held to two runs Thursday night. It was the sixth loss in a row for OKC in which the team's offense was held to two runs or less. So far in May, OKC is 11-9. In the team's 11 wins, OKC has scored at least five runs 10 times (88 total runs), but has been held to four runs or less in each of its nine losses (12 total runs) and has been held to two runs or less in eight of those losses...OKC finished Thursday's game with five hits after racking up 38 hits over the previous three games with at least 10 hits per game. Thursday was also the eighth time in the last 11 games OKC was held to seven hits or less. OKC had been held to seven hits or less in each of the previous seven games before Sunday and to 38 total hits over the seven games combined, batting a collective .174 (38x219). OKC then batted .352 (38x108) in wins Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday...OKC has just one extra-base hit over the last two games and has also gone a combined 4-for-25 (.160) with runners in scoring position over the last two nights. Between Sunday and Tuesday's wins, the team went 11-for-27 (.407) with RISP.

Andre the Giant: Andre Lipcius went 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI Thursday to extend his hitting streak to a season-best seven games. During the stretch, Lipcius is 13-for-29 (.448) with six extra-base hits and five multi-hit games. It is his longest hitting streak since hitting safely in eight straight games with Triple-A Toledo Sept. 14-22, 2022...He has also reached base in a season-high 13 straight games and leads OKC with 59 hits in 44 games overall, including a team-best 20 multi-hit outings. He has hit safely in 12 of those 13 games, batting .404 (21x52) with 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBI and 13 runs scored since May 8...In Tuesday's series opener against the Aces in his 42nd game of the season, Lipcius hit his 13th home run of the season to move into a tie for the PCL lead while also tying his career-high mark for homers set at three levels over 117 games last season. In 2023, Lipcius didn't hit his 13th home run until his 106th game of the season on Sept. 2 with the Detroit Tigers at the Chicago White Sox in what was also his second career Major League game...Lipcius has now homered in three of his last six games and in four of his last 10 games...Lipcius leads all players in the Minors with 111 total bases while also ranking tied for second overall with 59 hits and tied for sixth with 24 extra-base hits...Among PCL leaders, he is tied for first with 13 homers, second with a .631 SLG, tied for second with 59 hits, third with a 1.028 OPS, fourth with a .335 AVG, tied for fourth with 24 extra-base hits, tied for fifth with 35 runs scored and sixth with 37 RBI.

Back at the Brick: Oklahoma City is 13-8 at home and has now won six of its last eight games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and is 7-3 in the last 10 home games. Last night's loss snapped a stretch of four straight home wins - the team's first since May 16-19, 2023 against Sugar Land...OKC has 3.02 ERA at home this season and is holding opponents to a .229 batting average with eight home runs over 21 games. Over the last nine home games they have allowed 25 runs while opponents have batted .191 (55x288) with 14 extra-base hits and one home run.

In the Field: Oklahoma City turned three double plays last night marking the fifth time they have finished a game with three or more double plays this season, including in four games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Last night was the first time OKC finished with at least three double plays since also turning three April 21 against Sacramento in OKC...OKC was charged with two errors last night after not committing an error in a season-high five straight games. Entering Thursday, OKC had not committed an error in seven of the previous eight games and in 12 of the previous 15 games. However, in the last three games they have committed an error, they recorded two errors each time. The team's 30 errors this season are fewest in the PCL, while OKC's .983 fielding percentage tops the league.

Back Up to Kode: Kody Hoese went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI last night, finishing with the lone multi-hit game for either team while also recording OKC's lone extra-base hit. Hoese has now hit safely in four straight games, going 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles and four RBI. The recent stretch follows a 0-for-13 slide over his previous five games.

Austin City Limits: Austin Gauthier drew two walks while batting in the leadoff spot for the second time with OKC last night. Although his four-game hit streak came to an end, he extended his on-base streak to six games and over his last five games is batting 7-for-18 (.389) with a double, a triple and four RBI...Through his first 15 Triple-A games, Gauthier is now 18-for-54 (.333) with six extra-base hits, six multi-hit games and 10 walks while slashing .333/.446/.500.

Close Calls: Including last night, 13 of OKC's first 21 home games this season have been decided by two runs or less and OKC is now 7-6 in those games. Six of eight losses at home have been by one or two runs, as have 14 of the team's 21 losses overall...OKC's 28 games decided by one or two runs this year are most in the PCL.

Around the Horn: Hunter Feduccia did not play Thursday, but has hit safely in four straight games (6x17) as well as in eight of his last nine games, going 14-for-36 (.389) with three doubles, one triple, a home run and 12 RBI...OKC's +66 run differential this season is best in the PCL and tied for the highest in Triple-A as well as tied for third-best overall in the Minors...Chris Owings finished with a single Thursday to extend his hitting streak to four games, batting .400 (6x15) during the stretch with a home run, four RBI and five runs scored...OKC struck out 13 times last night and has tallied at least 10 strikeouts in eight of the last nine games. Since May 14, the team's 106 strikeouts are most in Triple-A and tied for third-most in the Minors.

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