OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - September 22, 2024
September 22, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Baseball Club (38-36/78-71)
at Salt Lake Bees (35-39/67-81)
Game #150 of 150/Second Half #75 of 75/Road #75 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Bobby Miller (0-1, 5.82) vs. SL-RHP Davis Daniel (9-7, 5.42)
Sunday, September 22, 2024 | Smith's Ballpark | Salt Lake City, Utah | 2:05 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 closes out the 2024 season at 2:05 p.m. CT against the Salt Lake Bees at Smith's Ballpark seeking back-to-back wins as well as a series win...OKC leads the six-game series, 3-2, following last night's victory and the team has won three of the last four games as well as five of the last seven games.
Last Game : The Oklahoma City Baseball Club hit a season-high six home runs, including five within the first four innings, as OKC rolled to a 13-2 win over the Salt Lake Bees Saturday night at Smith's Ballpark. Dalton Rushing hit the team's first homer two batters into the game, and the two-run blast to center field gave OKC a 2-0 advantage. Two batters later, Ryan Ward went deep to make it 3-0. Oklahoma City scored four runs in the second inning, all with two outs. After Ward drew a bases-loaded walk, James Outman hit a two-run single, and Alan Trejo followed with another RBI single. Chris Okey and Rushing each homered in the third inning, and Ward went deep for the second time in the fourth inning. OKC led, 10-0, until the Bees scored twice in the seventh inning. Outman hit the team's sixth homer of the night in the eighth inning. Two more runs scored in the ninth inning, including one on a RBI single by Alex Freeland.
Today's Probable Pitcher : Bobby Miller (0-1) is scheduled to make his first start with OKC following his most recent option Sept. 18. It will be his sixth start with OKC overall this season...He last pitched for the Dodgers Sept. 17 at Miami, allowing seven hits and four runs over 2.0 IP and did not factor into the decision of the Dodgers' 11-9 road loss...Over 13 starts with the Dodgers this season, Miller is 2-4 with an 8.52 ERA, allowing 53 runs and 69 hits (17 HR) across 56.0 innings with 30 walks and 52 strikeouts while opponents have batted .305 and he has a 1.77 WHIP...Miller last pitched for OKC Aug. 9 against Round Rock, allowing three runs on two hits over 4.1 innings with four walks and six strikeouts. He tossed four scoreless innings before the Express broke through with three runs in the fifth inning and did not factor into the decision of OKC's 7-6 home loss...Over five starts with OKC this season, Miller is 0-1 with a 5.82 ERA with 17 K's and 16 walks over 21.2 IP. Two of those starts in June came as part of a Major League Rehab Assignment as he missed 61 games with right shoulder inflammation...Prior to his injury, Miller made three starts with the Dodgers and was named to his first Opening Day roster. He made his season debut against St. Louis March 29, striking out 11 batters while allowing 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, was promoted to Los Angeles. He made his ML debut May 23 in Atlanta, earning the win, and 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...Today is Miller's first career appearance against the Bees.
Against the Bees : 2024: 7-4 2023: 4-7 All-time: 78-70 At SL: 36-38
OKC has clinched the season series against the Bees regardless of today's result, notching OKC's eighth season series win in nine seasons against the Bees (since 2015)...OKC and the Bees are finishing the season against one another for the second time in three seasons...The teams also played each other April 30-May 5 in Bricktown with OKC winning four of the final five games...OKC hit six homers in the first series and did not allow one by the Bees as OKC outscored Salt Lake, 25-17, over the six games. Andre Lipcius led OKC with seven hits, while three players finished with four RBI, including Ryan Ward, who also homered twice in the series. The Bees were held to three runs or less in four of six games...Salt Lake won last season's series between the teams, 7-4, including four of six games at Smith's Ballpark. It marked the first time since 2013 that OKC lost a season series to the Bees. Scoring in the season series ended up fairly even in 2023, with the Bees finishing with a 69-67 advantage in runs...Since OKC became affiliated with the Dodgers in 2015, the team owns a 39-25 advantage against the Bees in the Triple-A version of the Freeway Series...This is also the final series to be played at Smith's Ballpark as the Bees will move to the new Daybreak Field in 2025...Going back to 2022, OKC is 5-8 in the last 13 games in Salt Lake as well as 6-9 over the last 15 games.
Winning Tradition : OKC will finish with a winning record for the 20th time in 26 seasons during the Bricktown era, including 11 of the last 12 seasons, eight of nine seasons as a Dodgers affiliate and for a fourth consecutive season...OKC is 39-35 on the road and has clinched a winning road record for a fourth straight year. OKC's 39 road wins are second-most in the league this season and this is the third straight year OKC will finish a season with at least 39 wins on the road. OKC has won six of its last eight road games entering today and is 13-5 in its last 18 road games...OKC wrapped up its home schedule last Sunday with a win to finish the season with a 39-36 record at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, resulting in the team's 20th winning record over 26 seasons in Bricktown.
Dinger Details : Oklahoma City set a season high with six home runs Saturday. Last night's output marked the first time OKC went deep six times in one game since July 30, 2023 at Reno during an 11-inning game and the first time the feat happened in a nine-inning game since Aug. 28, 2022 against El Paso in Bricktown in a game that was called in the top of the ninth inning due to rain. Last night was also the second time in four games OKC hit at least five home runs...Dalton Rushing and Ryan Ward became the first set of OKC players to collect a multi-homer game in the same game since Michael Busch and David Dahl did so during the team's last six-homer game July 30, 2023 at Reno in 11 innings...OKC has now hit 21 home runs over the last 10 games and the team's total since Sept. 11 paces all of the Minors. OKC started the month of September with three home runs over the first eight games and now has five multi-homer games over its last eight games (19 HR)...Overall this season, OKC has hit 186 home runs, surpassing last season's total of 171 homers. OKC last finished with more than 186 homers in a season in 2022 (201 HR)...On the other hand, OKC has not allowed a home run in a season-best seven consecutive games. OKC has allowed just two homers over the last 11 games as well as four homers over the last 14 games. OKC's seven homers allowed since Sept. 1 are fewest in Triple-A. Overall this season, OKC's 126 homers allowed are also fewest among all 30 Triple-A teams. OKC last allowed fewer than 126 homers in a season in 2018 when OKC allowed 104 homers over 140 games.
Rush Hour : Fresh off receiving his award as the 2024 Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year Friday night at Dodger Stadium, Dalton Rushing went 3-for-6 with two homers and three RBI Saturday at Salt Lake. The outing marked his second multi-homer game since joining OKC Aug. 6 and his third overall multi-homer game this season...Rushing's 461-foot blast in the third inning became the second-longest homer by an OKC player this season and he now has hit four home runs over his last seven games with OKC...His 26 homers across two levels rank second among Dodgers minor leaguers while he paces the system with a .900 OPS and is third with 85 RBI.
The Warden : Ryan Ward collected his sixth multi-homer game of the season Saturday night, bringing his league-leading home run total up to 33. He is just the third player in OKC's Bricktown era (since 1998) to hit 33 or more homers in one season and the first to do it since Mike Hessman hit 35 home runs in 2012. Including a home run hit in the Arizona Complex League during a rehab assignment in May, Ward has hit 34 home runs this season - second-most in the Minors. Ward's previous career-high mark for homers in a season was 28 set in 2022 with Double-A Tulsa...Ward also finished with three RBI Saturday night and now has 101 RBI for the season with OKC. He is just the fourth player during the Bricktown era to reach the century mark in RBI and his total ranks third in the PCL this season, while his 62 extra-base hits are second and his 257 total bases are tied for second, his .543 SLG is fifth and his seven triples are tied for fifth.
Out of Sight: James Outman tied his season high with four hits last night, going 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Outman has notched at least one extra-base hit in six straight games. During the streak, Outman is 14-for-26 (.538) with eight extra-base hits, including four homers, and 12 RBI...Over Outman's last 11 games, he is 19-for-47 (.404) with 10 extra-base hits, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored...In September, Outman paces OKC with 19 RBI, 26 hits, six home runs and 16 runs over 18 games...His 51 total bases in September are second-most in the league, while his 26 hits are tied for second, while his six home runs and 12 extra-base hits are tied for third.
The Rest is History: Drew Avans had Saturday off, but is 20-for-42 (.476) over his nine-game hitting streak - tying his longest hitting streak of the season, previously accomplished April 6-17...Since Sept. 10 when his hitting streak began, Avans paces the PCL with a .487 AVG, while his 19 hits are tied for second and his .524 OBP is third...On Tuesday in Salt Lake, Avans surpassed Kelly Dransfeldt (1999-2002) as OKC's all-time Bricktown-era career hits leader and now has 459 career hits in four seasons with OKC (since 2021). In addition to hits, Avans has established new Bricktown era career records for runs scored (344), walks (260) and triples (26). He ranks second all-time in the Bricktown era with 470 career games and 116 stolen bases, while ranking third in doubles (85)...With his four runs scored Wednesday in Salt Lake, he set a new OKC single-season Bricktown-era single-season record for 104 runs, passing Esteban Germán's 103 runs scored in 2005...Avans now has 144 hits this season, setting a new career high...He leads the PCL in runs and ranks second with 79 walks, tied for second with eight triples, third in hits and seventh in stolen bases (34).
Free Range: Alex Freeland went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI Saturday. During his seven-game hitting streak, Freeland is 13-for-29 (.448) with three home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI. Freeland has collected at least one RBI in five straight games (10 RBI), including three multi-RBI games...He has collected four straight multi-hit games entering today (9-for-18).
Last Impressions : Oklahoma City is 12-13 in season finales during the team's Bricktown era (since 1998), including 4-7 on the road. OKC dropped its 2023 season finale, 2-1, in Albuquerque. OKC also played Salt Lake in its 2022 season finale and won, 3-2, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...Last season's finale at Isotopes Park was completed in 1 hour, 59 minutes for the team's fastest nine-inning game of the season and is still OKC's fastest nine-inning game since a 2-0 victory against Memphis May 11, 2018 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark completed in 1 hour, 54 minutes.
Around the Horn: Playing in his first game since Aug. 23, catcher Chris Okey went 4-for-4 with a walk and a home run Saturday. It marked Okey's first four-hit game since June 4, 2022 with Triple-A Louisville at Gwinnett...Although he was held without a hit last night, Andre Lipcius paces OKC with 152 hits this season - tied for most in the PCL. He is just the fifth player in OKC's Bricktown era to record at least 152 hits in a season and is the first since Jimmy Paredes finished with a team record 161 hits in 2012...Alan Trejo picked up a hit and RBI Saturday as he has now hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, going 14-for-48 (.292)...Only three players remained on OKC's active roster all season: Kody Hoese, Andre Lipcius and John Rooney.
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