PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 13, 2017

Published on April 13, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


New Orleans Baby Cakes (4-4) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (5-1)

Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game #7 of 140/Home #4 of 70 (3-0)

Pitching Probables: NO-RHP Ben Meyer (1-0, 0.00) vs. OKC-RHP Brock Stewart (0-0, 0.00)

Friday, April 13, 2017 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio - Alex Freedman

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers continue their first homestand of the season and open a four-game series against the New Orleans Baby Cakes at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers have won four straight games overall and three straight home games to open a season for the first time since 2007. Several special events are planned for tonight's game, including team mascot Brix making a special entrance with the assistance of the Oklahoma City Police Department, and postgame fireworks presented by True Sky Credit Union.

Last Game: The OKC Dodgers completed a three-game series sweep against Round Rock with a 3-1 win Thursday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. OKC took the lead in the second inning. Alex Verdugo hit a leadoff double to the wall in deep left-center field. Rob Segedin followed and singled on a grounder into left field. Express left fielder Michael O'Neill fielded the ball and threw to home plate where Verdugo beat the tag to put the Dodgers on the scoreboard, 1-0. Breyvic Valera followed and lined a RBI single to center field, scoring Segedin and extending OKC's lead to 2-0 in the second inning. Round Rock brought home its lone run of the night on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to cut the Dodgers' lead to 2-1. Segedin drilled a fly ball into left field for his first home run of the season in the bottom of the inning to put Oklahoma City on top, 3-1. The Dodgers pitching staff held the Express to one run for a second straight night, scattering four hits. OKC starting pitcher Manny Bañuelos (1-0) threw 6.0 innings, allowing one run and two hits with one walk and four strikeouts in his first win of the season. Relievers Yimi Garcia, Pat Venditte and Brian Schlitter (SV, 1) each pitched a scoreless inning to close things out. Express starting pitcher Yohander Mendez (0-2) was charged with the loss.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Brock Stewart (0-0) makes his second start of 2018...In his season debut April 7 at Iowa, Stewart pitched 5.2 shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He held the I-Cubs 2-for-18 overall with no extra-base hits and 0-for-5 with runners on. He left the game in a scoreless tie, resulting in a no decision...Stewart split last season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and OKC Dodgers while battling injury. With OKC last season, Stewart went 0-1 with a 3.12 ERA over five starts with 25 K's and three walks...He started the 2017 season on the LAD DL with right shoulder tendinitis before returning to action May 27...In 17 games (four starts) with LAD, Stewart posted a 3.41 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 19 walks over 34.1 IP. He made six straight scoreless relief appearances in June and July over 13.0 innings and earned his first career ML save June 20 against the New York Mets...Stewart advanced quickly through the Dodgers system in 2016, starting the season in High-A and ascending to the Majors to make his debut June 29 at Milwaukee. He became the first Dodger since Hideo Nomo in 1995 to start a season in Single-A and start a MLB game in the same season...He was named the Dodgers' 2016 Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year and to Baseball America's Minor League All-Star Team...In 15 career starts for OKC, Stewart has a 2.44 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He's notched 85 K's against 11 walks in 73.2 IP...The Dodgers selected Stewart in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Illinois State...Tonight is Stewart's second career start against New Orleans. He picked up a road win June 19, 2016, allowing one run and five hits over seven strong innings and set a career high with 10 strikeouts.

Against the Baby Cakes: 2018: 0-0 2017: 6-9 All-time: 169-147 At OKC: 89-70

The Dodgers and Baby Cakes are meeting for their first series of 2018...New Orleans won the 2017 series, 9-6, marking their first season series win against Oklahoma City since 2011 and just their second against Oklahoma City since 2006. The Dodgers won two of the first three meetings, but went on to lose six of the next eight meetings and then split the final four-game set of the season. The Baby Cakes went 5-3 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in 2017, marking the fifth time in the last seven seasons New Orleans finished .500 or better in OKC...New Orleans had a slight edge in scoring, 67-66, while the Dodgers outhit New Orleans, 120-114...Willie Calhoun paced OKC with 15 hits and batted .405 over 11 games. Edwin Rios and Alex Verdugo each had 10 RBI in the series and Rios hit three homers. Max Muncy batted .406 (13x32) with five extra-base hits, nine runs, five RBI and nine walks against three strikeouts.

Homeboys: OKC is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2007 and looks to go to 4-0 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for the first time since 2006...The team is 5-1 through six games for the third time in the last four seasons and the ninth time in 21 seasons since joining the PCL in 1998. Only the 1999 and 2004 RedHawks won their seventh game to start a season 6-1.

It's How You Start...and Finish: Through the first six games of the season, OKC starting pitchers have combined to post a 1.88 ERA (6 ER/28.2 IP) and have held opponents to a .186 average (19x102). The rotation also currently has a 3.4/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (27 K/8 BB)...Three of the last four starting pitchers have tossed at least 5.0 innings while allowing one or no runs...Overall, the Dodgers pitching staff has allowed two runs over the last 20.0 innings, while OKC relievers have combined to hold opponents scoreless and to three hits over their last 9.0 innings with nine strikeouts...Last night the pitching staff needed just 94 pitches to complete the game, including four innings with nine or fewer pitches spent to retire the side. For comparison, Round Rock starting pitcher Yohander Mendez threw 96 pitches over 5.2 innings.

For Whom the Bell Toles: Andrew Toles did not play Thursday, but paced OKC's offense Wednesday, going 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and five RBI. The five RBI tied his career high, set Aug. 31, 2016 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado. His four hits were the most he's totaled in a game since June 15, 2016 when he connected on five hits for Double-A Tulsa at Arkansas, and it marked his fourth career game with at least four hits...Toles has hit safely in each of his first five games and leads OKC with nine hits. His six RBI, five runs scored and four doubles are tied for the team lead.

Fueled by Valera: Breyvic Valera picked up another hit Thursday night and moved into a tie for the team lead with his sixth RBI. Valera has hit safely in each of his first five games with two doubles and five runs scored (t-team lead). The utility infielder is 5-for-14 and has drawn three walks against two strikeouts.

Ya Better Call Taijeron: Travis Taijeron cooled off a bit yesterday, going 0-for-3 with a walk. Through his first six games, Taijeron is still an impressive 7-for-14 with four doubles, four RBI, four walks and four runs scored. He has reached base in 12 of his first 19 plate appearances.

Opportunity Knocks: Going back to Saturday at Iowa, the Dodgers are 24-for-the-last-47 with runners in scoring position (.510), including 11-for-21 with two outs (.524)...Additionally, when there has been a runner at third with less than two out this season, the team has scored the runner in eight of 10 chances, including the last seven of the last eight.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

DATE TIME OPPONENT OKC PITCHER OPPONENT PITCHER

Saturday, April 14 7:05 p.m. New Orleans RHP Alec Asher (NR, -.--) RHP Joe Gunkel (0-0, 3.00)

Sunday, April 15 2:05 p.m. New Orleans RHP Zach Neal (0-0, 4.50) LHP Adam Conley (0-2, 21.21)

Monday, April 16 7:05 p.m. New Orleans RHP Walker Buehler (1-0, 2.00) RHP Zac Gallen (1-1, 1.50)

Tuesday, April 17 7:05 p.m. at Round Rock LHP Manny Bañuelos (1-0, 1.80) TBA

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