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PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 8, 2022

April 8, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Albuquerque Isotopes (1-2) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (2-1)

Game #4 of 150/Home #4 of 75

Pitching Probables: ABQ-RHP Matt Dennis vs. OKC-RHP Beau Burrows/RHP Sam Gaviglio

Friday, April 8, 2022 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers continue their season-opening series against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, leading the six-game set, 2-1. Tyler's Amazing Balancing Act takes place throughout the evening and fireworks are scheduled to follow the game.

Last Game: A three-run third inning fueled the Oklahoma City Dodgers' offense in a 3-2 win Thursday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Kevin Pillar connected on his first home run of the season, sending a fly ball out to right field for a 1-0 Oklahoma City lead. Later in the inning, Zach McKinstry lined a two-run double to left field for a 3-0 Dodgers advantage. Albuquerque brought in a run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, the Isotopes' Sean Bouchard drew a leadoff walk, and later with one out, advanced to second, third and scored a run on three wild pitches to cut OKC's lead to 3-2. Albuquerque threatened in the top of the ninth inning, loading the bases before Dodgers reliever José Adames ended the game on a strikeout for his first save of the season.

Today's Probable Pitchers: Beau Burrows makes his OKC Dodgers debut and first start of the season tonight...Burrows signed with the Dodgers as a free agent Nov. 28, 2021 after playing for both Triple-A Toledo and St. Paul last season, posting a combined 4-6 with a 5.10 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 65.1 innings. He also made five MLB appearances combined for Detroit and Minnesota...Burrows made his MLB debut July 27, 2020 against Kansas City pitching 2.1 innings in relief. He made five total appearances with Detroit in a COVID-shortened regular season...Burrows was named a 2018 Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star as a member of the Double-A Erie SeaWolves...In 2017, he was named a Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star as a member of the High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers and was also selected for the 2017 MLB All-Star Futures Game en route to being named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star...He was originally selected by Detroit with the 22nd pick of the first round in the 2015 MLB Draft out of Weatherford High School in Weatherford, Texas.

Sam Gaviglio is slated to follow Burrows on the mound and also make his OKC debut...Gaviglio signed with LAD as a free agent, Jan. 31, 2022...He began the 2021 season with Triple-A Round Rock, posting a 2-1 record with a 5.13 ERA over five starts. He recorded 24 strikeouts against only four walks...In June he went overseas to Korea to join the SSG Landers of the KBO. He made 15 starts and finished the season with a 6-4 record, 5.86 ERA and 70 strikeouts...In 2020, Gaviglio made Toronto's Opening Day roster and appeared in four games...He spent the entire 2019 season as a member of Toronto's bullpen, making a career-high 52 appearances...He made his ML debut May 11, 2017 with the Seattle Mariners at Toronto, striking out the first batter he faced...He was selected by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Oregon State University.

Against the Isotopes: 2022: 2-1 2021: 9-9 All-time: 118-100 At OKC: 68-39

The Dodgers and Isotopes open the 2022 season with a six-game series, marking just the second time since the teams started competing against one another in 2003 that they have opened a season against each other. The teams previously played a season-opening series in 2010 in OKC, splitting the series, 2-2, with Albuquerque winning the opener, 6-3, in 13 innings...The teams split their 2021 series, 9-9. The first 12 games were played in Albuquerque before the series shifted to OKC for the final six games. The Isotopes won seven of the first 12 games before OKC won the final series, 4-2, including the final two games between the teams...Matt Davidson led the Dodgers with 14 hits in the 2021 series, including four homers, along with a team-best 16 RBI...The Dodgers averaged 7.5 runs per game and hit 29 homers over the 18-game series in 2021...The Dodgers have not lost a season series to Albuquerque since 2017, going a combined 6-0 against the Isotopes in 2018 and 2019 prior to last season's split...Going back to 2012, OKC is 25-7 at home against the Isotopes over the last 32 games.

Familiar Faces: Albuquerque's current roster features four former Oklahoma City players: Zach Lee (2015-16), Zach Neal (2018), Carlos Pérez (2013-14) and Scott Schebler (2015). Lee was the staff ace of the 2015 team, going 11-6 with a 2.70 ERA. He and Schebler both were part of a squad that finished the season with the league's best record at 86-58. Neal and Pérez were also part of division-winning teams in 2018 and 2013, respectively...Although he's not a former Oklahoma City player, yesterday's starting pitcher Dillon Overton is from nearby Weatherford, Okla., and played for the University of Oklahoma.

It Only Takes One: OKC last opened a season with three straight one-run games in 2018, starting off the campaign with four consecutive one-run contests. Last season the Dodgers went 13-22 in one-run games, and their .371 winning percentage was the lowest in the league. Albuquerque played the most one-run games in the league and went 21-23. Seven of the teams' 18 meetings last year were decided by one run, with the Isotopes taking five of the seven those games.

Zach Attack: Infielder Zach McKinstry has four hits over the last two games, including two doubles, to lead the Dodgers' offense through three games this season. McKinstry also has a team-leading four RBI and three walks. He has reached base in seven of his first 13 plate appearances...In 69 career games with OKC, McKinstry has slashed .318/.394/.604 with 78 hits, 14 homers, 37 extra-base hits, 53 runs and 51 RBI.

Balls and Strikes: OKC pitchers issued a combined 11 walks Thursday for the most allowed by the Dodgers in a game since May 22, 2021 at Albuquerque when the staff also totaled 11 walks during a 7-6 loss. It marked the team's highest walk total in a win since July 3, 2013 when they also edged Albuquerque, 10-9, at home...Additionally on Thursday, OKC pitchers recorded 11 strikeouts in the game for the team's highest total so far this season and the second straight night with a double-digit strikeout total. Last season the Dodgers racked up 68 double-digit strikeout games in their 129 games overall...Each of the final 11 Albuquerque batters last night either walked or struck out.

Matters of the Mound: The Dodgers pitching staff has held the Isotopes 2-for-29 with runners in scoring position over the first three games of the series, including 0-for-the-last-21. Albuquerque has left 24 runners on base over the last two games and the Dodgers have retired the side in order just once during that time. The Isotopes have had the leadoff batter reach base in 10 of 18 innings, resulting in five runs...The Dodgers have only allowed one extra-base hit over the first three games of the series, including none in the last two games. The last time an opponent did not record an XBH in back-to-back games was June 23-24, 2021 at Sugar Land.

Bick it Up: Relief pitcher Phil Bickford was optioned to Oklahoma City yesterday and added to the active roster today. After being claimed off waivers by the Dodgers from Milwaukee in May 2021, Bickford had a breakout season in the Majors, posting a 2.50 ERA over 56 appearances, with 59 strikeouts in 50.1 innings while holding opponents to a .190 batting average. However, prior to start of Spring Training, Bickford experienced some arm soreness, delaying his throwing and workload progression. He did not appear in a Cactus League game until April 2, thus prompting the reason for his option to OKC.

First Impressions: Infielder Miguel Vargas collected his first Triple-A hit with a single in his first at-bat Thursday. He also drew a walk and scored a run...Vargas made his Triple-A debut Wednesday with a walk and scored a run after entering the season tabbed as the Dodgers' No. 3 prospect by Baseball America and No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He was named the 2021 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year by the Dodgers as well as a MiLB.com Organization All-Star last season, batting a combined .319/.380/.526 with 23 homers, 27 doubles, 76 RBI, 98 runs scored and 11 stolen bases between the High-A and Double-A levels.

Stay on the Mound: With the implementation of the universal designated hitter across Major League Baseball and its Minor League affiliates, OKC is playing with a DH in all its games for the first time since 2014. Last year when the Dodgers played American League affiliates and used a DH, the position slashed a collective .269/.344/.524 with 18 homers and 59 RBI over 75 games...Through the first three games, DH's are a combined 1-for-10 with a double and a walk.

Around the Horn: The Dodgers have finished each of the first three games with exactly seven hits and three extra-base hits...Ryan Noda picked up his first multi-hit game of the season last night, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Noda is off to a 3-for-10 start with three walks over his first 13 plate appearances...Jason Martin is the only player on either team to collect a hit in each of the first three games...Carson Fulmer threw four wild pitches in the eighth inning alone last night, matching his entire 2021 season total with Triple-A Louisville over 41.0 innings.

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