OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 22, 2023
Published on April 22, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Dodgers (13-6) at Albuquerque Isotopes (11-8)
Game #20 of 150/First Half #20 of 75/Road #11 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Gavin Stone (1-2, 7.20) vs. ABQ-RHP Connor Seabold (NR, -.--)
Saturday, April 22, 2023 | Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park | Albuquerque, N.M. | 7:35 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers look to take the lead in their road series against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:35 p.m. CT at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park...Despite a loss last night, the Dodgers own the best record in the Pacific Coast League.
Last Game: Brenton Doyle led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run, sending the Albuquerque Isotopes to a 4-3 walk-off win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers Friday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. The Dodgers fell behind early and trailed, 2-0, after three innings before scoring three runs in the fourth. Bradley Zimmer tied the game with a RBI single, and Michael Busch put the Dodgers in front after he drew a bases-loaded walk. However, the Dodgers were unable to score outside of the fourth inning. The Isotopes tied the game in the seventh inning and the game was still locked at 3-3 in the ninth inning, setting the stage for Doyle's home run.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Gavin Stone (1-2) makes his team-leading fifth start of the season...Stone made two starts during previous series against Sugar Land in OKC. He was charged with the loss in his last outing April 16, allowing two runs and three hits over 3.1 innings with two strikeouts and one walk in OKC's 6-3 defeat...Stone allowed two home runs April 11, marking just the third time in his career he's allowed two homers in a game. He's now allowed three home runs over his first 15.0 IP, matching his season total across 121.2 IP in 2022...Last season, Stone was named the Los Angeles Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He compiled a 1.48 ERA and 9-6 record across 26 games (25 starts) at three levels, starting the season with High-A Great Lakes (six games) before moving up to Double-A Tulsa (14 games) and making his Triple-A debut with OKC Aug. 18. He posted a combined 1.12 WHIP and .206 BAA with 168 strikeouts against 44 walks in 121.2 IP across the three levels...Stone led all pitchers in the Minors in ERA and tied for ninth overall in strikeouts. He also ranked second among Dodgers minor leaguers in strikeouts, WHIP and BAA...With OKC last season, Stone went 2-1 with a 1.16 ERA in six starts with 33 K's...Now in his third professional season, Stone was tabbed as the Los Angeles Dodgers' No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 6 prospect by Baseball America. He's ranked as the No. 56 overall prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline...The Dodgers selected Stone in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas...Tonight is his second career appearance against the Isotopes. He pitched in Albuquerque Sept. 14, 2022 in Game 1 of a doubleheader and threw only 13 pitches before a first-inning rain delay forced him to exit the game.
Against the Isotopes: 2023: 2-2 2022: 12-6 All-time: 130-107 At ABQ: 56-65
The Dodgers and Isotopes are meeting for their first of four series during the 2023 season, but this is the only series between the teams during the first half. The teams will then play 18 games throughout the second half of the season...The Dodgers won the 2022 series between the teams, 12-6, and went, 4-2, in Albuquerque, including winning the final four meetings of the season against the Isotopes Sept. 15-18, 2022 at Rio Grande Credit Union Field...Last season, the Dodgers outscored the Isotopes, 128-87, and hit 28 homers compared to Albuquerque's 19...Pitcher Ryan Pepiot posted a 1.04 ERA in four starts and racked up 22 strikeouts, allowing two runs and nine hits over 17.1 innings...Zach McKinstry led OKC with 19 hits, while Ryan Noda and Andy Burns had 13 RBI each and Noda hit six homers...Six of the 18 games played between the teams in 2022 were decided by one run...The Dodgers have not lost a season series to Albuquerque since 2017, going a combined 6-0 against the Isotopes in 2018 and 2019, 9-9 in 2021 and 12-6 last season...Last night snapped a streak of six straight games at Isotopes Park the Dodgers scored at least eight runs (68 runs total), including five games with 10-plus runs...The Dodgers have won six of the last eight games played at the venue.
Strong Start: The 13-6 Dodgers are one of six OKC teams during the Bricktown era (since 1998) to start a season with six losses or less through 19 games. Only the 2018 (15-4), 2015 (14-5) and 2008 (15-4) OKC teams have had fewer losses through 19 games, while the 2010 and 1999 OKC teams also started 13-6...The Dodgers own the best record in the Pacific Coast League and their 13 wins are tied for second-most in Triple-A, trailing only Memphis' 14 wins, as the Redbirds are riding an 11-game win streak...OKC's 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...Only four OKC teams through the last 24 seasons have had six or fewer losses through 20 games as the 2018 team started 16-4, while the 2015 and 2008 teams started 15-5 and the 1999 squad began 14-6.
In the Hunt: Hunter Feduccia had Friday off, but his offensive tear continued Thursday as he recorded a third straight game with at least four RBI, going 2-for-5 with two doubles. On Wednesday, he finished with three hits and homered in a second straight game as he tallied four RBI. He went 5-for-5 Tuesday with a double and a home run for his first career five-hit game and the first five-hit effort by an OKC player this season. He also matched his career high with five RBI...Through the first three games of the current series in Albuquerque, Feduccia is 10-for-15 with two home runs, three doubles and 13 RBI. He has reached base in 11 of 16 plate appearances, including in each of his first eight...His 13 RBI are a career-high during a three-game stretch and his six multi-RBI games so far this season pace the Dodgers. Prior to Tuesday, he had recorded a total of three games with four-plus RBI in his career (284 games)...Feduccia's 13 RBI are the most in a three-game span for an OKC player since Luke Raley's 14 RBI in three games May 28-30, 2021 at El Paso...Feduccia leads the Dodgers with 21 RBI and is tied for the team lead with four home runs. He has reached base safely in 11 straight games and has reached base in 30 of his 52 plate appearances this season (.577 OBP). With the recent surge, Feduccia leads the PCL in OBP, AVG (.432), OPS (1.415) and SLG (.838) and ranks fourth in RBI.
Steadfast: Michael Busch went 1-for-4 with a double Friday and drew a bases-loaded walk. He's now reached base in each of OKC's first 19 games of the season and has the longest on-base streak in all of Triple-A to start 2023. Busch has hit safely in 17 of his first 19 games, as well as in six straight games (7x22), and has at least one hit in 14 of his last 15 games, batting .351 (20x57) with nine extra-base hits and 10 RBI...Busch is the fifth OKC player in the last three seasons to have an on-base streak of at least 19 games, joining Drew Avans (50 games, 2023), Jason Martin (21 games, 2022), Sheldon Neuse (20 games, 2021) and Miguel Vargas (19 games, 2022). Busch had a 14-game on-base streak with OKC in 2022 from June 7-23. Going back to the end of last season, he is now on a 25-game on-base streak...His 25 hits are tied for third-most in the PCL, while his 17 walks are tied for third and his six doubles are tied for fourth. He leads OKC in both hits and walks.
Down to the Wire: Friday was the seventh one-run game for the Dodgers this season, but their first loss after the team opened 2023 with a 6-0 record in one-run games. It was also the team's first loss of the season via a walk-off hit after securing three walk-off victories of their own...Friday's defeat also marked just the second time this season OKC lost a game it led at any point, and the team picked up its first blown save of 2023...The Dodgers escaped Isotopes Park with a two-run win both Wednesday and Thursday, with the game ending during a plate appearance with the bases loaded each time. Thursday was the ninth OKC victory of the season by one or two runs and only four of the Dodgers' first 13 wins have been by margins of three of more runs. Six of the Dodgers' first eight victories of 2023 came via one-run margins and five of those wins were secured during OKC's last at-bat...Last night was the first last at-bat win by an opponent since OKC's last trip to Albuquerque during Game 2 of a doubleheader Sept. 14, 2022 when Coco Montes hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the Isotopes to a 4-3 victory.
What a Mighty Good Mann: After starting the season with five hits through his first 11 games and after being held 0-for-10 in his previous three games, Devin Mann has now hit safely in five straight games, going 7-for-19 with five doubles. He had Friday off, but singled and scored a run Thursday, while on Wednesday, he doubled twice and scored a season-high three runs...Mann is now tied for the OKC lead with eight doubles, which are also tied for second-most in the PCL this season.
Getting Offensive: After piling up 33 runs through the first three games of the current series, the Dodgers were held to three runs Friday - and did not score outside of the fourth inning - marking the fourth time this season OKC scored three or fewer runs in a game. The Dodgers have been held to three runs or less in four of their last five losses...The Dodgers were held 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position Friday and are 4-for-23 over the last two games after starting the series 11-for-27...On the other hand, the Dodgers limited the Isotopes to four runs and seven hits Friday after allowing 32 runs on 37 hits through the first three games of the series. The 13 runs allowed by OKC in Wednesday's victory were the second-most during a win in the team's Bricktown era (since 1998) and just the seventh all-time game both OKC and its opponent scored at least 13 runs. The only time OKC won when allowing more runs was in a 17-14 victory over Memphis Aug. 26, 2004. The 28 total runs scored by the two teams were the most in a game since May 30, 2021 when the Dodgers won, 20-9, in El Paso.
Yardwork: After posting multi-homer games each of the previous three nights, the Dodgers were held without a home run Friday...On the other hand, the Dodgers allowed another home run Friday night - a walk-off homer in the ninth inning - and OKC has now given up at least one homer in 13 of the last 14 games (27 HR) and at least two home runs in eight of the last 13 games (26 HR). Over the last 14 games, 44 of the 81 total runs allowed (54.3 percent) have scored via home runs...OKC's 35 home runs allowed so far this season are the most in all of the Minors and the team enters today tied with the Oakland A's (20 games) for the most home runs allowed in pro baseball. By comparison, the Dodgers didn't allow their 35th home run of the 2022 season until May 13 (Game 34).
Around the Horn: Starting pitcher Dylan Covey turned in his best outing of the season Friday, giving up just one earned run over 5.0 innings. He allowed four hits, with one walk and five strikeouts and left the game with a 3-2 lead...Reliever Bryan Hudson struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth inning last night and now leads the team with 19 strikeouts overall this season in 9.2 innings...Drew Avans' 20 runs scored this season pace the Dodgers and are tied for second-most in the PCL to start the season...Last night marked the first time the Dodgers lost a game when outhitting their opponent, dropping to 9-1 this season. Last year the team went 63-13 (.829) when finishing a game with more hits.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 22, 2023
- Dodgers Earn 3-2 Win Over Albuquerque Isotopes - Oklahoma City Comets
- France Dominates as Space Cowboys Go Deep Three Times in 5-1 Win - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. El Paso (6:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 22, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- 'Cats Bounce Back, Defeat Round Rock 7-4 - Sacramento River Cats
- Aviators Host Tacoma Rainiers in Six-Game Series from Tuesday-Sunday, April 25-30 - Las Vegas Aviators
- Ford Hits Three Homers, Rainiers Race Past El Paso - Tacoma Rainiers
- Tacoma Spanks El Paso, 10-2 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Dulces de Sugar Land Fall 5-3 in Late Inning Back-And-Forth Battle - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Doyle's Walk-Off Dinger Lifts Isotopes Over Dodgers, 4-3 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Gear 3: Ford Hits Three Homers, Rainiers Race Past El Paso - Tacoma Rainiers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
