OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 14, 2023
Published on April 14, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Sugar Land Space Cowboys (4-7) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (9-3)
Game #13 of 150/First Half #13 of 75/Home #7 of 75
Pitching Probables: SUG-RHP Jimmy Endersby (0-2, 5.40) vs. OKC-RHP William Cuevas (0-1, 12.00)
Friday, April 14, 2023 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: Bally Live, MiLB.tv
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers have won three of their last four games as they continue their series against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Fireworks presented by LifeShare of Oklahoma are scheduled to follow the game and the first INTEGRIS Health "Home Run For Life" honorees of 2023 will be recognized prior to the game...The Dodgers own the best record in the Pacific Coast League at 9-3 and also have the most wins in all of Triple-A to begin the 2023 season.
Last Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers scored runs in each of the first four innings and went on to tie their season-high mark with 12 runs during a 12-5 win against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Thursday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers scored runs in six different innings as they hit three home runs and matched their season-high total with 14 hits. The Dodgers took a 4-1 lead through two innings, including a two-run home run by Bradley Zimmer and a solo homer by Drew Avans in the second inning. The Dodgers added a run in the third inning and three more runs in the fourth inning to build an 8-2 lead. The Space Cowboys hit two home runs in the sixth inning to trim the OKC lead to 8-5 before the Dodgers responded with four unanswered runs. Zimmer connected on a RBI single in the sixth inning before Michael Busch sent a two-run home run to center field in the seventh inning and Hunter Feduccia hit a RBI single later in the frame.
Today's Probable Pitcher: William Cuevas (0-1) makes his second appearance since signing with the Dodgers last week as a free agent...Cuevas made his team debut April 8 in Las Vegas and was charged with the loss, allowing four runs and five hits over 3.0 innings with three walks and three K's in the team's 9-1 defeat...Cuevas spent parts of the 2022 season playing in Korea and Mexico, appearing in two games with the KT Wiz in the Korea Baseball Organization and one start for the Diablos Rojos del México in la Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. He missed most of the season due to an elbow injury...Prior to signing with the Dodgers, Cuevas played for Colombia in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and pitched in one game against Great Britain March 13, throwing 3.0 innings...Between 2019-22, Cuevas made a total of 82 starts for KT Wiz, going 33-23 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. In 2021, he made 23 starts and went 9-5 with a 4.12 ERA and 137 strikeouts, helping KT to its first ever KBO championship...His most recent Major League appearance was Sept. 28, 2018 with the Boston Red Sox and Cuevas' last appearance at the Triple-A level came during the 2018 season with the Pawtucket Red Sox...The native of Caracas, Venezuela has made a combined 13 MLB appearances (one start) with Boston and Detroit and made his MLB debut April 28, 2016 with Boston against the Yankees. He originally signed with Boston as a free agent June 2, 2009.
Against the Space Cowboys: 2023: 2-1 2022: 16-8 All-time: 30-21 At OKC: 19-11
The Dodgers and Space Cowboys meet for their first of four series this season and first of two at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark within a span of six weeks...The Dodgers won the 2022 series, 16-8, and went 11-4 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers did not lose back-to-back games to Sugar Land at any point last season...The teams split their most recent series Aug. 16-21, 2022 in Sugar Land in a series that included two games that extended to the 10th inning and were won on walk-off hits by the Space Cowboys. The series also included a doubleheader with Sugar Land winning the second game, 21-4, in seven innings, featuring a 17-run inning...The teams last met in OKC July 26-31, 2022 with OKC winning the set, 4-2, including two walk-off wins in 10 innings...Miguel Vargas led the Dodgers with 33 hits, 18 RBI, 23 runs scored and five homers against Sugar Land last season...Pitchers Ryan Pepiot and Carson Fulmer each had four wins in the season series, while Pepiot posted a 1.82 ERA in five games (three starts) with 29 strikeouts...Of last season's 24 total meetings, nine were one-run games.
Strong Start: The Dodgers improved to 9-3 with last night's win, tying for the second-best start for an OKC team through 12 games during the Bricktown era (since 1998). Only the 2018 Dodgers had a better record through 12 games (10-2), while the 2015, 2008, 2004 and 1999 teams also started 9-3...The current hot start included a six-game winning streak April 1-7, which was the first six-game winning streak for OKC at any point of a season since a six-game streak July 18-24, 2019...The Dodgers won their first road series of the season in Las Vegas, 5-1. It marked the fifth time out of 45 six-games series since the start of the 2021 season that the Dodgers have won five of six games during the same set. The previous time was April 5-10, 2022 in the season-opening series at home against Albuquerque...Only three OKC teams in the last 24 seasons have had three or fewer losses through 13 games: 2018 (11-2); 2015 (10-3) and 2008 (10-3).
First Offense: After finishing with a season-low four hits in each of the previous two games, the Dodgers offense racked up 12 runs on 14 hits Thursday, matching their overall season highs in both categories and setting new season-high marks for both at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers' six extra-base hits last night fell one shy of their season high set April 7 in Las Vegas. The Dodgers also had 12 runs and 14 hits in that 12-6 win...Yesterday's hit and run totals were the highest for the team in OKC since a 20-5 win Sept. 11, 2022 against Tacoma in which the Dodgers had 18 hits...Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Dodgers were held 8-for-60 (.133) overall, 3-for-34 with runners on base and 2-for-21 with RISP. The Dodgers also had seven total runs over the first two games of the series before their 12 runs Thursday, which was the third time this season the Dodgers had scored at least 10 runs in a game. They went 14-for-37 overall, 7-for-21 with runners on and 4-for-14 with RISP.
Steadfast: Michael Busch reached base five times Thursday night, going 3-for-4 with a double, his first home run of the season, two RBI, three runs scored and two walks. He has hit safely in 11 of his first 12 games this season and has hit safely in eight straight games (13x32) and last night was his third three-hit game this season. Busch has also reached base in each of OKC's first 12 games of 2023, tying for the longest on-base streak in the PCL to start the season with Salt Lake's Jo Adell. He also has recorded an extra-base hit in four straight games...Busch's 18 total hits pace the Dodgers and are tied for the PCL lead. His 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and nine walks are all second on the team...Busch was named a 2022 MiLB.com Organization All-Star after slashing a combined .274/.365/.516 with 32 home runs, 108 RBI and a Minor League-leading 118 runs between Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City...On the defensive side, Busch played his second career game at third base yesterday.
More Than Lukewarm: Luke Williams recorded his team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the season Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored. He leads the Dodgers with 13 RBI and 10 extra-base hits, while his 17 hits are second-most on the team...Williams' six doubles pace the Pacific Coast League, while his two triples are tied for first. His 10 extra-base hits are second-most in the league, his 17 hits and 33 total bases are tied for fourth, while his 13 RBI are tied for fifth...Williams has homered two times in 54 plate appearances this season after going deep just twice in 194 total plate appearances between the Majors and Triple-A last season and only three times in 445 total plate appearances between 2021-22.
No Rally Needed: Last night's game was just the third of the season in which the Dodgers scored first and just the second of the season in which the Dodgers never trailed. The Dodgers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning Thursday. After Sugar Land tied the score, 1-1, in the second inning, the Dodgers regained the lead in the bottom of the frame and led the rest of the way...The only other game of the season in which the Dodgers never trailed was April 5 in Las Vegas when the Dodgers scored first in the second inning and cruised to an 8-1 victory....In the series opener Tuesday night, the Dodgers recorded their sixth win of the season by a one-run margin and also the team's fifth last at-bat victory through the first 10 games. It was also the fourth time already this season the Dodgers trailed in the eighth inning or later in a game they eventually won and was the third time in the previous eight games they did not hold a lead until their final at-bat.
Zimmer of Hope: Bradley Zimmer picked up a season-high three hits Thursday night as he went 3-for-4 with a game-high and season-high three RBI, including his second homer in his last five games. His three hits were his most in a game since July 18, 2021 with Cleveland at Oakland, and he has now matched his home run total from last year across 117 plate appearances with Toronto and Philadelphia...After picking up seven hits through his first eight games of the season, Zimmer is 4-for-8 over the last two games...Overall this season, Zimmer is 11-for-37 (.297) with two homers, six RBI and eight runs scored and leads the team with five stolen bases.
Walking, Not Running: The Dodgers drew 10 more walks last night and have 31 walks over the first three games of the series. OKC drew a season-high 14 walks Tuesday night - the most by the team since July 14, 2017 when OKC also drew 14 walks against New Orleans at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...Last season OKC led all teams in the Minors with 731 walks, setting a team record and posting the most walks by any Triple-A team since 2004.
Yardwork: The Dodgers hit three home runs Thursday - one shy of their season-high mark - after not homering in each of the first two games of the series against the Space Cowboys. The Dodgers have 16 homers through 12 games...On the other hand, OKC allowed three more home runs last night and has allowed at least one homer in seven straight games (15 HR), as well as at least two home runs in five of the last six games (14 HR), accounting for 24 of the 35 total runs over the seven-game stretch (68.6 percent). Six of the last 10 home runs allowed have been with at least one runner one base...The 23 home runs allowed are tied for the most in the Minors with the Toledo Mud Hens, and only the Oakland A's have allowed more homers in pro baseball (26 HR/13 G).
Around the Horn: Drew Avans matched his season-high with three hits Thursday, going 3-for-6 with his first triple and second home run of the season, along with three runs scored. He has reached base in nine of his first 16 plate appearances this series...Hunter Feduccia went 1-for-2 with three walks, two RBI and a run scored last night and he has now reached base in 18 of his first 32 plate appearances this season (.563 OBP). He has eight walks through his last three games and a team-high 12 walks to start 2023 - tied for third in the PCL...Although the Dodgers outscored Sugar Land, 4-1, through two innings last night, opponents have scored 28 of 74 total runs (37.8 percent) within the first two innings, and the Dodgers have been outscored 28-15 over the first two frames this season. They've held the opposition scoreless through two innings just twice through 12 games and once within the last 10 games. Following the second inning, the Dodgers have outscored opponents, 67-46...Patrick Mazeika has hit safely in three straight games, going 4-for-10 with a walk.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 14, 2023
- Aces Top River Cats 10-4 Behind Barrosa's First Triple-A Homer - Reno Aces
- Five-Run Fifth Sinks River Cats In 10-4 Loss - Sacramento River Cats
- Albuquerque Wins Over El Paso, 8-3 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Cope, Lambert Lead Albuquerque to 8-3 Triumph - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Dodgers Win, 4-2, Versus Cowboys - Oklahoma City Comets
- Late Home Runs Push Dodgers Over Space Cowboys - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Express Offense Explodes for 7-1 Win - Round Rock Express
- Caballero's Clout Comes In Defeat On Friday - Tacoma Rainiers
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Round Rock (5:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 14, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Dodgers Earn 12-5 Win Against Space Cowboys - Oklahoma City Comets
- Six-Run Rally Leads to Bees' Win - Salt Lake Bees
- El Paso Trounces Albuquerque - El Paso Chihuahuas
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