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OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 9, 2022

April 9, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Albuquerque Isotopes (1-3) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (3-1)

Game #5 of 150/Home #5 of 75

Pitching Probables: ABQ-RHP Zach Neal vs. OKC-RHP Yefry Ramírez

Saturday, April 9, 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 lead their season-opening series against the Albuquerque Isotopes, 3-1, and the teams meet for the fifth of six times in the series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on Scout Night. The Dodgers seek a third straight win.

Last Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers scored runs in four straight innings on the way to an 8-3 win Friday night against the Albuquerque Isotopes at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. With the game in a 1-1 tie, Drew Avans hit a RBI triple in the fourth inning and Jason Martin hit a RBI single in the fifth inning. Albuquerque's Elehuris Montero hit the Isotopes' first homer of the season in the sixth inning to cut OKC's lead to, 3-2. The Dodgers then added three more runs in the sixth inning as Zach McKinstry hit a RBI triple before Miguel Vargas sent a two-run homer out to left field. After the Isotopes brought in a run on a groundout in the top of the seventh inning, the Dodgers added two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single by Tony Wolters and a fielder's choice for an 8-3 advantage.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Yefry Ramírez makes his first start of 2022 after making 25 appearances (22 starts) with the OKC Dodgers in 2021, leading the team in starts and innings...Ramírez posted a 6-4 record for OKC with a 5.02 ERA and 115 strikeouts. He ranked among the Triple-A West's top five in seven categories - second in strikeouts (115); second in starts (22); third in opponent average (.257); fourth in ERA (5.02); fourth in WHIP (1.45); fourth in innings pitched (113.0) and fifth in winning percentage (.600)...Ramírez was named Triple-A West Pitcher of the Month for June after going 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in five starts. He allowed 20 hits and struck out 27 over 26.0 IP while holding opponents to a .213 average. He led the league in ERA and opponent average while he tied for the best WHIP (1.12). He also ranked third in strikeouts and innings...In games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark last season, Ramírez had a 2.92 ERA and held opponents to a .222 average...Overall, OKC went 14-8 in games he started...Ramírez originally signed with the Dodgers as a free agent March 25, 2021 and re-signed during this past offseason...He made one appearance for LAD last season with 2.0 scoreless innings in Arizona and also has ML experience with Baltimore and Pittsburgh...Ramírez made two appearances (one start) against the Isotopes last season, going 1-0 with 10 strikeouts against three walks over 8.0 innings.

Against the Isotopes: 2022: 3-1 2021: 9-9 All-time: 119-100 At OKC: 69-39 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 season 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 26-7 at home against the Isotopes over the last 33 games.

Familiar Faces: Albuquerque's current roster features four former Oklahoma City players, including tonight's starting pitcher Zach Neal (2018), along with Zach Lee (2015-16), 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 each played on division-winning teams in 2018 and 2013, respectively...Although he's not a former OKC player, starting pitcher Dillon Overton is from nearby Weatherford, Okla., and played for the University of Oklahoma.

Early Success: Four games into the season, the Dodgers are 3-1 for the first time since the 2018 season. In 2021, OKC did not pick up its third win until the 11th game of the season and didn't reach three wins in 2019 until the seventh game. (The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)...OKC last opened a season with wins in four of its first five games in 2018 when the team started 10-1.

First Impressions: Infielder Miguel Vargas hit his first Triple-A homer in the sixth inning Friday, sending a towering fly ball out to left field and beyond the Budweiser Deck. He went 2-for-5 for his first multi-hit and multi-RBI game of the season. After going 0-for-4 with a walk in his Triple-A debut Wednesday, Vargas is 3-for-8 with a walk over the last two games...The 22-year-old entered 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.

Striking Back: OKC Dodgers pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts Friday night, marking the Dodgers' third straight double-digit strikeout game and highest strikeout total of the young season. Starting pitcher Beau Burrows recorded seven K's over four innings of work in his team debut, marking his highest single-game strikeout total since April 6, 2019 when he was with Triple-A Toledo against Louisville...Last season, the Dodgers racked up 68 double-digit strikeout games in their 129 games overall. The OKC pitching staff was second in the league in strikeouts last season and has finished in the top two in four of the last five seasons, including three seasons pacing the PCL (2016, 2017, 2019).

Zach Attack: Infielder Zach McKinstry has five hits over the last three games, including two doubles and a triple, and a team-leading five RBI. His five hits are tied for the team lead with Jason Martin while his five RBI are tied for third-most in the league to start the season...In 70 career games with OKC, McKinstry has slashed .316/.391/.604 with 79 hits, 14 homers, 38 extra-base hits, 54 runs and 52 RBI.

Jason Bourne: Outfielder Jason Martin is tied for the early team lead with five hits and is the only player on either team to have hit safely in each of the first four games. Martin also has a team-best four walks, four runs scored and 10 total bases, along with two doubles and three RBI. He blasted OKC's first homer of the season when he connected on a walk-off home run in the team's season opener Tuesday night...He signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers Nov. 23, 2021 after spending the majority of the 2021 season with the Texas Rangers, as well as 39 appearances for Triple-A Round Rock.

Matters of the Mound: The Dodgers pitching staff has held the Isotopes 3-for-36 with runners in scoring position over the first four games of the series, including 1-for-the-last-28. Albuquerque has left 31 runners on base over the last three games and the Dodgers have retired the side in order just twice during that time. The Isotopes have had the leadoff batter reach base in 13 of 27 innings, resulting in seven runs...The Dodgers have only allowed four extra-base hits and one solo home run over the first four contests.

Triplets: Drew Avans and Zach McKinstry each hit RBI triples Friday night. OKC last hit two triples in a game Sept. 24, 2021 in Las Vegas and accomplished the feat twice total last season...OKC is the first team with two triples in the Pacific Coast League this season.

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 2-for-15 with a double and a walk.

Around the Horn: Through catcher Tony Wolters' first two games, he has a combined four RBI and is 3-for-6 with a double and two walks...After allowing a season-high 11 walks Thursday, and the team's highest walk total since May 22, 2021 at Albuquerque (11), OKC pitchers posted a season-low two walks last night. They were issued to the first and second-to-last batters of the game...Drew Avans recorded his first stolen base of the season Friday. In 2021, he paced OKC with 19 steals...Ryan Noda did not play yesterday but picked up his first multi-hit game of the season Thursday, 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...The Dodgers went 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position last night after going a combined 6-for-30 over the first three games of the season.

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