OKC Comets Game Notes - June 19, 2026
Published on June 19, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Sacramento River Cats (41-28) vs. Oklahoma City Comets (39-32)
Game #72 of 150/First Half #72 of 75/Home #36 of 75
Pitching Probables: SAC-LHP Joe Whitman (1-1, 1.59) vs. OKC-LHP Charlie Barnes (1-1, 3.78)
Friday, June 19, 2026 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MLB+, Bally Sports Live
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Comets look to even their series against the Sacramento River Cats at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and also seek back-to-back wins after losing four of the previous five games...Tonight is Heroes Night and fans will be immersed into the world of superheroes before Friday Night Fireworks presented by INTEGRIS Health follow the game.
Last Game: A walk-off two-run homer by James Tibbs III in the 10th inning capped a 5-4 comeback victory for the Oklahoma City Comets against the Sacramento River Cats Thursday afternoon at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Trailing, 3-1, entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the first four batters of the inning reached for the Comets, including a run-scoring single from Taylor Young that made it a one-run game. Oklahoma City tied the score at 3-3 later in the inning on a bases-loaded, full-count walk by Austin Gauthier. In the 10th inning, Sacramento regained the lead on a sacrifice fly before Tibbs led off bottom of the inning with a two-run homer to send the Comets to the win. The River Cats had built a 3-0 lead through the game's first two innings on two home runs. Oklahoma City broke through in the fifth inning with a RBI single from Zach Ehrhard.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Charlie Barnes (1-1) is slated to make his fifth start with Oklahoma City...He last pitched for the Comets June 12 at Charlotte, allowing season highs with both seven hits and five runs, along with two walks and four strikeouts over 4.0 innings in a no decision...The lefty joined the Dodgers after being claimed off waivers from Chicago (NL) May 9. He was initially optioned to OKC but did not appear in a game before he was recalled by LAD. Barnes pitched in two games for the Dodgers out of the bullpen, tossing a combined 2.0 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and one strikeout while pitching on consecutive nights against the Angels May 15-16...Barnes appeared in seven games (four starts) with Triple-A Iowa and made one appearance for the Cubs this season, marking his first MLB appearance since 2021 with MIN...Barnes split last season between the KBO's Lotte Giants and Triple-A Louisville (CIN). Before returning to the U.S. in the middle of last season, Barnes spent all of 2022-24 in Korea with Lotte...Barnes was originally drafted by Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Clemson University.
Against the River Cats: 2026: 1-2 2025: 13-8 All-time: 78-73 At OKC: 38-40
The Comets play the River Cats for the first of two series between the teams this season, including their lone meeting at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...Last season, Sacramento won four of the first five games before the Comets went 12-4 over the final 16 meetings. The Comets' 13 wins against the River Cats in 2025 marked their most in a single season...OKC scored seven runs or more in nine of their 13 victories last season. At the plate, Esteury Ruiz led OKC with 28 hits and 12 stolen bases in 18 games, while Ryan Ward posted 21 RBI and six home runs in 19 games against the River Cats...Matt Sauer tossed a team-high 18.0 innings in three starts against the River Cats in 2025, including a pair of quality starts and an 11-strikeout performance July 18 on the road...Since OKC became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the River Cats with the San Francisco Giants in 2015, OKC has a 46-37 advantage in the Triple-A version of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry.
Down the Stretch: With a win by league-leading Las Vegas last night, the Comets were eliminated from the first-half title race. With three games remaining in the first half, the Comets trail first-place Las Vegas by 3.5 games and second-place Sacramento by 3.0 games. The winner of the first half will host the best-of-three PCL Championship Series in September...The Comets have clinched a winning first half and OKC remains the only PCL team, and one of two Triple-A teams (Nashville), to finish with a winning record every half since the split-season format was introduced in 2023...Entering June 1, the River Cats were 33-22 and led the Comets (33-23) by 0.5 games and Las Vegas (32-23) by 1.0 game. Since then, the Aviators have gone 10-5 while the River Cats are 8-6 and the Comets are 6-9.
Photo Finish: The Comets secured their second walk-off win of the season Thursday afternoon and first since Ryan Ward hit a walk-off home run April 11 against Round Rock...Last season, OKC collected nine walk-off wins in Bricktown, including seven through June 19...Thursday's win was also the first of the season for Oklahoma City in extra innings, which had started the season 0-3 in extras, including 0-2 at home. Prior to Thursday, OKC last won an extra-inning game July 31, 2025 against Salt Lake, 6-5, in 10 innings at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Following that win, OKC lost five straight extra-inning games before yesterday...In four of OKC's last nine games, a team trailing by at least three runs has ended up winning, and in six of the 10 games the winning team trailed by at least two runs. In three of the Comets' last four wins, they've trailed by at least three runs.
The Third Degree: James Tibbs III hit his PCL-leading 20th homer of the season Thursday as his walk-off blast was also his first hit of the series. Tibbs became the eighth hitter across Minor League baseball with at least 20 homers this season. He has already matched his home run total from last season spread across 123 games between two levels and three teams...In addition to homers, Tibbs leads the PCL with a .602 SLG, 39 extra-base hits, 51 walks, 160 total bases, 63 runs scored and ranks second with 61 RBI and a 1.015 OPS in 69 games...In June, Tibbs is slashing .200/.362/.382 with four extra-base hits in 15 games after posting a .326/.429/.600 line with 13 extra-base hits and 27 RBI in May.
Hard-Line: Zach Ehrhard tallied a RBI single yesterday and has driven in five runs in the last two games. During 15 games in June, Ehrhard is a team-leading 20-for-59 (.339) with 10 extra-base hits and 19 RBI. After hitting three homers over the first two months, Ehrhard has hit a league-high eight homers in June, including six in the last nine games...Ehrhard has reached base in 36 of his last 37 games, including in a team-best 29 straight games May 1-June 9. Since May 13 (28 games), he is slashing .371/.500/.705.
Home-Less: The Comets are now 4-8 in their last 12 home games, with losses in four of the last seven, and are 18-17 overall at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark following yesterday's victory...During the 12-game stretch, the team has batted .223 (85-for-381) with 49 runs...At home, the Comets slash .247/.357/.415 and average 5.6 runs per game compared to .288/.378/.484 on the road and average 7.3 runs per game...OKC has hit 55 home runs in 36 road games compared to 36 homers in 35 home games.
The Fonz: Eliezer Alfonzo had yesterday off, but roped three doubles Wednesday to extend his team-best hitting streak to eight games and his on-base streak to 12 games. The catcher is 15-for-43 (.343) with five doubles and a RBI over the last 12 games and 13-for-28 (.464) during his hitting streak...Alfonzo collected three extra-base hits in a game for the first time since Sept. 19, 2021 with High-A West Michigan (DET) and became the first Oklahoma City hitter with three doubles in a game since Miguel Vargas Aug. 19, 2022 at Sugar Land...Alfonzo joins Ryan Fitzgerald as the lone two Comets players with multiple hitting streaks of at least eight games this season.
June Swoon: Despite yesterday's win, the Comets have lost five of the last seven games and are 6-9 to start June, surpassing the team's loss total from the entire month of May (19-7). OKC closed out May with a 13-3 record over the final 16 games and went 20-7 between April 30-May 31...Last month, the Comets registered a +99 run differential and lost one game by more than two runs. So far in June, the team's run differential is -11 and they have four losses of at least four runs, including two of their three largest losses of the season within the last 11 games...In May, the Comets allowed 103 runs in 26 games (3.96 RPG) - second-fewest among Triple-A teams. The team's 3.48 ERA was its lowest in a month since May 2023 (3.39) and ranked third overall in the Minors. But through 14 games in June, the Comets' ERA is 5.67 and they have allowed 93 runs overall (6.2 RPG).
Around the Horn: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Evan Phillips continued his Major League Rehab Assignment Thursday and tossed a scoreless seventh inning with one hit, one walk and one strikeout. He threw 19 pitches (11 strikes). The Comets have had at least one Dodgers player on their roster as part of a ML Rehab Assignment every game since April 21...OKC has allowed at least one homer in a seven consecutive games (12 HR), tying their season high set March 31-April 7. OKC has also allowed at least one homer in 11 of the last 12 games (18 HR)...The Comets turned two more double plays yesterday and have 75 through 70 games - most in Triple-A and tied for most in the Minors overall.
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