PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 7, 2023

Published on April 7, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers have won five games in a row and own a 3-0 lead in their current series, which continues at 9:05 p.m. CT against the Las Vegas Aviators at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Dodgers' five-game winning streak is the longest current winning streak in all of Triple-A and they are the only PCL team to go 5-1 through the first six games this season. Only the Norfolk Tides of the International League also have five wins through six games...The Dodgers seek a sixth straight win tonight, which would be the longest winning streak for an OKC team since July 19-24, 2019. A win would also match the team's best start through seven games during the Bricktown era (since 1998).

Last Game: Down by one run with the bases empty and two outs in the ninth inning, the Oklahoma City Dodgers rallied for two runs to stun the Las Vegas Aviators, 5-4, Thursday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Aviators had a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth inning, and each of the first two OKC batters struck out. Down to the team's final strike, Michael Busch was hit by a pitch and Luke Williams followed with a double. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, Steven Duggar sent a single to right field, scoring both Busch and Williams to put the Dodgers ahead. Reliever Bryan Hudson needed just nine pitches to complete the bottom of the inning and wrap-up the Dodgers' fifth consecutive win. The Dodgers took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double by Ryan Ward. However, the Aviators scored the game's next four runs and led, 4-2, after six innings. Williams recorded a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to bring the game to a one-run margin.

Tonight's Probable Pitcher: Robbie Erlin (0-0) is scheduled to make his second start of the season tonight and first on the road...Erlin started OKC's game April 2 against Tacoma at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and was charged with seven runs and seven hits over 4.0 innings, with three walks and one strikeout. He did not factor into the decision as OKC went on to win, 10-9, via a walk-off home run. The Rainiers hit four home runs against Erlin, marking the second time in his career he's surrendered four homers in a game, previously done May 19, 2015 with El Paso against Fresno...Erlin spent the majority of the 2022 season with the OKC Dodgers, making 21 appearances, including 14 starts. He went 5-4 with a 7.01 ERA, allowing 63 runs (60 earned) and 95 hits in 77.0 innings. He had 69 strikeouts against 35 walks. Erlin tied for fourth on the team in starts and ranked fourth in strikeouts. The team went 8-6 in his starts...Erlin also made two relief outings with Los Angeles in 2022 on May 8 and 9 at the Cubs and Pirates, respectively...He originally signed with the Dodgers as a free agent Feb. 21, 2022, and the lefty re-signed with the organization during this past offseason...Erlin pitched two innings of relief against the Aviators last season, allowing seven runs and five hits, including two home runs, with three walks and four strikeouts. He's made a total of five career appearances against Las Vegas, including three starts, but his most recent start against Las Vegas was during the 2015 season with El Paso...Erlin was originally selected by Texas in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft and traded to San Diego July 31, 2011. He has appeared in 117 games (43 starts) in the Majors, primarily with San Diego, but has also logged time with Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Los Angeles (NL).

Against the Aviators: 2023: 3-0 2022: 2-4 All-time: 57-66 At LV: 31-33 (7-5 at current ballpark)

The Dodgers and Aviators meet for their first of two series in 2023 and lone series of the season at Las Vegas Ballpark. This is also OKC's first series in Las Vegas since the 2021 season...The Aviators won the only series of the 2022 season between the teams July 4-9 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 4-2. The Aviators outscored OKC, 43-34, while OKC hit eight home runs in the six-game series compared to Las Vegas' six homers...Michael Busch led the Dodgers with eight hits in the 2022 series, including three doubles, while Ryan Noda finished the set with eight RBI. Noda and Eddy Alvarez both hit two homers during the series...Las Vegas has won three straight season series against OKC and the Dodgers have not won a season series with Las Vegas since 2015 when they went 3-1. The Dodgers have gone 0-4-2 in season series with the Aviators since...Entering tonight, the Dodgers have won six of their last eight games at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Strong Start: For the second straight season, the Dodgers are 5-1 through their first six games. However, last season that was met by three consecutive losses thereafter. It's the sixth time in eight seasons as a Dodgers affiliate OKC has won five of its first six games. During the 25 seasons of the Bricktown era, the team has started 5-1 through now 11 times, but only the 1999, 2004 and 2018 squads also won the seventh game to improve to 6-1.

Slippery Six: The Dodgers last won six games in a row July 18-24, 2019 with one win at Iowa, three wins at home against San Antonio and two wins at Nashville. Going back to the 2021 season, the Dodgers have lost in each of their last five attempts at a six-game win streak. They had three five-game win streaks in 2022.

Photo Finishes: The Dodgers' secured their fourth win of the season by one run Thursday in Las Vegas after the team's first three wins of the season all came by one run. Last night was also the team's third last at-bat win of the young season...Down by one run entering the ninth inning last night, the Dodgers rallied to score two runs with two outs and take a one-run lead before reliever Bryan Hudson shut down the Aviators in the bottom of the frame...OKC won Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday's games all by one run as well, marking the first time the team won three consecutive games each by one run since April 15-17, 2015, with the first two games at home against Nashville and the third game at Iowa....In addition to yesterday's victory, OKC came back to win both Saturday and Sunday's home games against Tacoma via walk-off hits in games they both trailed in the eighth inning. Jahmai Jones' walk-off homer Sunday afternoon gave the Dodgers their first series win of the season, as OKC won two of three games against Tacoma at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. OKC trailed, 7-2, in the sixth inning Sunday, and it was the team's largest comeback win since also overcoming a five-run deficit June 8, 2022 against Sugar Land, when the Dodgers were down, 6-1, in the eighth inning...On Saturday night, Jones knocked a game-winning RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to break a 5-5 tie and send the Dodgers to their first victory of 2023. Saturday night's 6-5 win involved five lead changes and the score was tied three times.

First Offense: The OKC offense has scored at least five runs in each of the team's first six games of the season, as well as six or more runs five times, seven or more runs four times and eight or more runs three times. The Dodgers' 44 total runs scored are the second most by OKC through six games during the Bricktown era (since 1998). Only the 1998 team scored more runs through six games (48 runs), playing their first six contests in hitter-friendly Colorado Springs (4 games) and Albuquerque (2 games)...OKC's 44 runs scored to start this season are second-most in all of Triple-A (trailing Tacoma's 52 runs)...Last night OKC tallied 10 hits, marking their fourth game of the season with 10 or more hits. Their 57 total hits are third-most in the PCL so far this season.

Not Lukewarm: Luke Williams recorded a game-high three hits Thursday, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. He also collected his team-leading third stolen base of the season. Williams has hit safely in all five games he's played in, going 9-for-23 with six extra-base hits and six RBI. His nine hits pace all OKC players, as do his six extra-base hits, which are tied for most in the league to start the season...Williams' two triples this season lead the Dodgers are tied for the most in the PCL. He has already surpassed his 2022 total of one triple in a combined 93 games in MLB and Triple-A (194 PA) and matched his 2021 total of two triples in a combined 90 games in MLB and Triple-A (251 PA)...On Opening Night March 31, Williams homered in his fourth plate appearance of the 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.

Dry Run: The Dodgers pitching staff has allowed a combined five runs over the last two games after allowing at least five runs in each of the team's first four games of the season and a total of 34 runs during the four-game span - the second-most runs allowed by an OKC team during the Bricktown era to start a season (1998 - 39 runs at Colorado Springs)...The last two nights, the Dodgers pitching staff has allowed a combined 10 hits and one walk with 19 strikeouts. Through the first four games of the season, they had allowed a combined 51 hits and 33 walks, including at least eight walks in each game, while opponents averaged 8.5 runs and 12.75 hits per game. Opponents also had accumulated an incredible 62 at-bats (15.5 per game) with runners in scoring position through the first four games, with at least 13 in each game. Over the last two nights the Aviators have been limited to 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position...The bullpen duo of Justin Hagenman and Bryan Hudson combined for 4.1 scoreless innings and retired 13 of 15 batters faced Thursday night. Hagenman made his second appearance of the season and retired all seven batters he faced, including three via strikeout. Hudson worked around a leadoff double in the eighth inning to keep the Dodgers down by one run and then preserved the lead in the ninth inning with another scoreless frame.

Desert Oasis: Ryan Ward doubled in the Dodgers' first two runs of the night Thursday, and over the last two games, he is 3-for-10 with three extra-base hits and four RBI. On Wednesday, he tallied his first two extra-base hits of the season along with his first two RBI. He had been 2-for-14 through the first three games of his season and Triple-A career...Steven Duggar recorded Thursday night's game-winning hit during the ninth-inning rally and picked up his first two RBI of the season with his two-out single. After starting the season 1-for-12, Duggar is 3-for-9 with a double and a walk over the last two games in Las Vegas...Devin Mann 3-for-his-last-7 with two doubles. Prior to that, Mann was on an 0-for-17 slide.

Around the Horn: Last night, Michael Busch reached base three times with two hits and a hit by pitch and scored twice. Busch has reached base safely in each of the team's first six games this season and he is 8-for-26 with five RBI, three walks and four runs scored. He is also the only Dodger to have started each of the team's first six games...This marks the first series of more than three games in which the Dodgers have won the first three meetings since the 2021 season. In 2022, the Dodgers swept three different three-game series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark against Sugar Land, Sacramento and Salt Lake, but never took a 3-0 lead in a series of more than three games. The last time OKC took a 3-0 lead in a series of more than three games, or in a road series overall, was Sept. 23-25, 2021 in Las Vegas. OKC seeks a 4-0 series lead today for the first time June 17-20, 2021 at Round Rock...Despite the team's overall success, the Dodgers are just 5-for-28 with runners in scoring position over the last three games...OKC has committed at least two errors in four of the last five games for a total of nine errors - most in the PCL...Tonight the home plate umpire will call balls and strikes without the assistance of ABS. The Challenge System will now not be used until April 28, so games April 7-9, 14-16 and 21-23 will feature umpires adjudicating the strike zone.

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