OKC Comets Game Notes - May 20, 2025
May 20, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Sacramento River Cats (21-24) at Oklahoma City Comets (28-17)
Game #46 of 150/First Half #46 of 75/Home #25 of 75
Pitching Probables: SAC-RHP Trevor McDonald (2-2, 4.03) vs. OKC-RHP Justin Jarvis (3-1, 3.48)
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv, Bally Sports Live
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Comets open a six-game home series against the Sacramento River Cats at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The Comets sit in second place in the overall PCL standings and are 2-3 in their last five games, 3-4 in their last seven games and 6-8 in their last 14 games...Tonight is Bark in the Park presented by Tito's Handmade Vodka, and the first 300 dogs will receive a Comets-branded bandana. Tonight's series opener also falls on a $2 Tuesday.
Last Game: The Round Rock Express scored three runs with two outs in the ninth inning and two runs with two outs in the 10th inning to come back and defeat the Oklahoma City Comets, 5-4, in 10 innings Sunday afternoon at Dell Diamond. The Comets led, 3-0, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Then with two runners on base, the Express' Blaine Crim hit a game-tying three-run home run. The Comets regained a one-run lead in the 10th inning, scoring when Alex Freeland hit into a double play. The Express loaded the bases with two outs in the 10th inning and Kellen Strahm lined a two-run, game-winning single into right field. OKC starting pitcher Bobby Miller opened the game with six scoreless innings as the Comets went on to build a 3-0 lead on a solo homer by Esteury Ruiz in the seventh inning, RBI single by Freeland in the eighth inning and sacrifice fly by Austin Gauthier in the ninth inning.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Justin Jarvis (3-1) makes his third appearance and second start of May looking to rebound from his first loss of the season...Jarvis last pitched May 14 in Round Rock, allowing just one run and three hits along with two walks and two strikeouts over 4.0 innings, but was charged with the loss in OKC's 5-0 shutout defeat...He was placed on the 7-day IL April 28 and was reinstated May 7. Since his return, Jarvis has allowed one run and five hits over 7.0 innings between his two appearances...Among PCL pitchers with at least 30.0 innings this season, Jarvis ranks fifth with both a 3.48 ERA and .202 BAA...He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in November and was a non-roster invitee to Major League Spring Training...He spent 2024 in the New York Mets organization, splitting time between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse...He was originally selected by Milwaukee in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft from Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, N.C.
Against the River Cats: 2025: 0-0 2024: 4-8 All-time: 64-63 At OKC: 31-32 The Comets and River Cats meet for their first of four series as the teams play a total of 21 games against one another in 2025 - their most ever in a single season since they started playing in 2000 and the most OKC plays against any opponent this season...Sacramento won the 2024 series between the teams, 8-4, as they played 12 games during the first half of last season...Andre Lipcius led OKC with 12 hits, including three homers, while Kody Hoese had six RBI in the 2024 series. The River Cats outscored OKC, 55-35, and outhit OKC, 112-88, last season...Prior to last season, OKC won back-to-back series against Sacramento, going a combined 18-6 in 2022 and 2023...Since OKC became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the River Cats with the San Francisco Giants in 2015, OKC has a 32-27 advantage in the Triple-A version of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry...Prior to this season, the most times the teams have met in a season was 15 times in 2023.
The Big Picture: With 30 games and five series remaining in the first half of the PCL season, the Comets hold second place overall in the 10-team PCL - two games behind league-leading Las Vegas, but just one game ahead of third-place Sugar Land, which has won 11 straight games. The Aviators and Space Cowboys begin a six-game series against each other Wednesday in Sugar Land, and OKC will play in Las Vegas next week...OKC is 5-0-3 through eight series this season but have settled for splits in each of the team's last three series, losing the series finale each time after entering with a 3-2 series lead. The Comets are 2-0-2 through their first four home series.
Down to the Wire: Sunday marked the 15th game this season to be decided in a final at-bat for the Comets (9-6) and OKC fell to 2-3 in extra innings, with all three losses in Round Rock. The Comets and Express played extra innings for the second time in the series after Round Rock won, 6-5, Thursday night. The Comets led entering the bottom of the 10th inning each time before the Express scored two runs to win...Sunday was OKC's fourth walk-off loss of the season and third against Round Rock...Sunday was the seventh time in the last 13 games and the 10 time in the last 20 games that the Comets played in a game decided by one run. Oklahoma City leads the PCL with 19 one-run games through 45 games this season and the Comets are now 12-7 in those close games. No other PCL team has played more than 16 one-run games.
Hold on Loosely: For the second time this season, OKC lost a three-run lead in the ninth inning with two outs as it also occurred Opening Night in Sugar Land March 28 when the Space Cowboys scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs for a 4-3 win. In both cases, the Comets led, 3-0, and had not allowed a run through the first 8.2 innings of the game. Before this season, this last time OKC lost when leading by three runs in the ninth inning or later was Sept. 3, 2022 at Round Rock...Between the ninth and 10th innings Sunday, Round Rock had five plate appearances while trailing with two outs and not a single Express batter was retired (3 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP). Until Blaine Crim's game-tying home run, the Express were 2-for-for-29 before they finished 3-for-6, including 3-for-4 with two outs...On Sunday, the Comets suffered their fifth loss when leading after seven innings (20-5) - including a third straight in a series finale - and second loss when leading after eight innings this season (20-2). In 2024, Oklahoma City went 67-1 when leading after seven innings and 70-1 when leading after eight innings...OKC's 13 blown saves this season are tied with Tacoma for most in the PCL, and the Comets are one of four teams across the Minors with 13 or more blown saves...OKC has a 5.76 ERA between the eighth and ninth innings (51 ER/79.2 IP) and 3.80 ERA in all other innings (135/319.1 IP)...Opponents are batting .291 in late/close situations and .233 in all other situations. The Comets have also issued 38 walks in 51.0 innings during late/close situations (.409 OBP). Last season, opponents batted .237 with a .338 OBP in late/close situations.
Dean's List: Justin Dean went 2-for-4 and scored a run Sunday as he has hit safely in six of his last seven starts, going 10-for-24. He has scored a run in four straight games and finished with a multi-hit outing in four of those seven games...Since May 10, his .417 AVG, .462 OBP, .792 SLG, 1.254 OPS and 19 total bases pace the Comets, while his 10 hits, four extra-base hits, five runs scored are all tied for the team lead over his last eight games...Dean homered in back-to-back games May 15-16 in Round Rock, marking the first time Dean has gone deep in back-to-back games since July 27 and July 29, 2021 at Pensacola while with Double-A Mississippi. With three homers this season, Dean has matched his total from all of 2024, spanning 117 games and 452 plate appearances between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett in the Braves organization.
Free Bird: Alex Freeland picked up a hit, walk and moved into sole possession of the team lead with his 30th RBI of the season Sunday. During the Round Rock series last week, Freeland went 8-for-24 with four doubles and five runs scored over six games...He paces the Comets with 44 games played, 28 walks and 16 doubles in addition to his 30 RBI...Freeland's 16 doubles are second-most in the league, while his hits, walks and 19 extra-base hits are tied for sixth in the PCL.
The Flying Comets: OKC was held without a stolen base Sunday for the third time in the last five games at Round Rock, however in the other two games during that span, the Comets recorded back-to-back games with three steals...The Comets pace the PCL with 67 stolen bases this season - 10 more than second-place El Paso. Over the past four seasons, OKC has not finished higher than sixth in the in the 10-team PCL, and going back further to when the PCL had 16 teams, OKC has not finished within the top half of the league in steals since 2016...OKC finished the 2024 season with 145 steals for the team's most during the Dodgers affiliation (since 2015), but OKC also finished with just 62 stolen bases or less in three of the last six seasons...Esteury Ruiz leads the PCL with 22 steals.
Around the Horn: OKC has lost three straight home series openers and is 1-3 in home series openers overall this season...Ryan Ward is five RBI away from tying OKC's Bricktown-era career RBI record of 230 (Jason Botts, 2005-08)...The Comets notched 11 more strikeouts Sunday and has double-digit strikeout totals in four straight games (49) and in five of the last six games (67)...OKC is just 2-for-the-last-12 in ABS challenges. Prior to that, the Comets were operating at a 59.8 percent overturn rate for the season (52/87).
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