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PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - August 1, 2023

August 1, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Round Rock Express (14-13/58-43) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (18-9/68-32)

Game #101 of 148/Second Half #28 of 75/Home #50 of 73

Pitching Probables: RR-RHP Seth Nordlin (0-1, 6.32) vs. OKC-RHP Ryan Pepiot (0-1, 7.88)

Tuesday, August 1, 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 open their August schedule with a six-game home series against the Round Rock Express at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers have won seven of the last eight games and lead the Pacific Coast League second half standings with an 18-9 record...The Dodgers own the most wins in all of the Minors with a 68-32 record overall.

Last Game: Six home runs by the OKC Dodgers, a lead-preserving catch at the wall in the 11th inning by center fielder Drew Avans and a save recorded on the mound by infielder Yonny Hernández highlighted a 16-15 Dodgers' win in 11 innings during a wild Sunday afternoon against the Reno Aces at Greater Nevada Field. The Dodgers built a 10-3 lead, including home runs from Michael Busch in the first inning, David Dahl in the fifth inning and back-to-back homers by Miguel Vargas and Ryan Ward in the sixth inning. The Aces then scored seven straight runs to tie the score, 10-10. After the Dodgers took an 11-10 lead in the eighth inning on a RBI single by Vargas, the Aces scored a run in the ninth to force extra innings. In the 10th inning, the Dodgers scored three runs on a RBI single by Avans, followed by Busch's second homer of the day - a two-run shot out to center field - for a 14-11 edge. The Aces evened the score with three runs in the bottom of the 10th. The Dodgers went in front again on a two-run homer by Dahl in the 11th inning as he hit his second homer. Without any remaining pitchers available, Hernández then entered the game to pitch for OKC. After a popout, Reno's Pavin Smith hit a towering fly ball to deep center field that Avans leapt to catch at the wall and prevent a game-tying home run. Reno's automatic runner tagged and scored on the play, which would end up as a sacrifice fly that cut OKC's lead to one run. Hernández then got Phillip Evans to fly out to end the game and earn the save.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Ryan Pepiot (0-1) makes his fourth start with OKC as he continues a Major League Rehab Assignment...He last pitched July 26 in Reno, tossing a season-high 3.1 innings and 58 pitches (36 strikes) while allowing two runs and six hits, including a home run. He did not issue a walk and recorded two strikeouts during a no decision...He opened his rehab assignment July 14 in Sacramento, and over his first three outings, has allowed seven runs and 12 hits (3 HR) across 8.0 innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts...Pepiot earned a spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation out of Spring Training before being placed on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain March 30. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL April 21...Pepiot split the 2022 season between OKC and Los Angeles, making nine appearances (seven starts) for LAD across six different stints, going 3-0 with a 3.47 ERA. He was selected by Los Angeles May 11, 2022 and made his ML debut that day in Pittsburgh, starting against the Pirates...Pepiot made 19 appearances (17 starts) with OKC and went 9-1 with a 2.56 ERA. He was named PCL Pitcher of the Month for April, named the league's first Pitcher of the Week and was the team's Opening Night starter...Pepiot was selected in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Butler University...He made two starts against the Express last season, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA as he allowed two runs and five hits over a combined 10.2 innings with six walks and 17 strikeouts.

Against the Express: 2023: 6-0 2022: 16-14 All-time: 168-135 At OKC: 75-67

The Express and Dodgers meet for their first series since mid-May and their first series of 2023 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The Dodgers swept the Express May 9-14 in their last series in Round Rock. It was OKC's first-ever six-game series sweep since PCL teams started playing primarily six-game series starting in 2021. The Dodgers outscored the Express, 34-16, in the series and held Round Rock to a .180 AVG as they allowed one run or less in three of the six meetings. OKC trailed in the seventh inning or later in four of the six wins and hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning twice...After playing one another 30 times during the 2022 season and 29 times during the 2021 season, the Dodgers and Express meet for just three six-game series in 2023, including two during the second half of the season...The Dodgers have won back-to-back season series between the teams, going 16-14 against the Express in 2022. After OKC went 12-6 through the first 18 games, the Express went 8-4 over the final 12 games, with half of those wins in games they trailed in the seventh inning or later...The teams last played each other in OKC Aug. 9-14, 2022. Although the Express won the series, 4-2, the Dodgers won the series finale by a score of 20-3, scoring 20 runs for the sixth time in team's Bricktown era (since 1998) and the most runs scored by the team in Bricktown since 2013.

Trend Setters: The Dodgers own the most wins in the Minors with a 68-32 record as well as the second-best winning percentage (.680) among the 120 full-season teams, trailing only Single-A Clearwater (.684; 65-30)...The Dodgers have won seven of the last eight games as well as 12 of their last 16 games and own the best record in the PCL - as well as in all of Triple-A - to start the second half at 18-9...The Dodgers reached 65 wins in 96 games - faster than any other Pacific Coast League team since at least 2005, as data from 2004 and earlier is not available. The previous fastest a PCL team reached 65 wins since 2005 was when the 2017 Memphis Redbirds did it in 100 games (65-35)...During the Bricktown era, OKC's best previous record through 100 games was in 2015 when the Dodgers went 62-38...The Dodgers finished the first half with a 50-23 record and won the PCL's first-half championship. By virtue of winning the first half in the split-season format, the Dodgers will host a best-of-three PCL Championship Series Sept. 26-28 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark against the winner of the second half (or second-place finisher should the Dodgers also win the second half).

Arena Baseball: The Dodgers and Aces combined for 31 runs, 32 hits, nine home runs, as well as three ties in the seventh inning and later Sunday. The combined 31 runs were the most in a game for OKC this season and most combined runs scored in a game for the team since 2012 in a 24-7 loss in Memphis July 22, 2012. Sunday was just the fourth time since 1998 that Oklahoma City and its opponent combined to score 31 or more runs and just the second time in the team's Bricktown era that both OKC and its opponent scored at least 15 runs in a game. The only other time that happened was on May 10, 2007 when Las Vegas defeated OKC, 17-16, in 10 innings in Las Vegas...The 15 runs scored by the Aces Sunday marked the most runs scored by an opponent in an Oklahoma City victory during the team's Bricktown era...The 16 runs scored by the Dodgers marked the team's third-highest run total of the season, while OKC's 17 hits marked the third time in the series OKC finished with at least 17 hits...The 15 runs allowed by OKC matched the team's season-high mark from a June 6 loss in El Paso, while Reno's 15 hits marked the third time in the series OKC allowed 14 or more hits...Across the six-game series, the Dodgers and Aces combined to for 114 runs (19 per game), 153 hits (25.5 per game), 26 home runs (4.3 per game), 60 extra-base hits (10 per game), 71 walks (11.8 per game) and batted .349 (53x152) with runners in scoring position, with an average of 25.3 at-bats per game. In three of the last five games, both teams scored at least 11 runs.

Dinger Details: The Dodgers hit a season-high six home runs Sunday, including two by Michael Busch and two by David Dahl, as well as back-to-back homers by Miguel Vargas and Ryan Ward in the sixth inning. The six home runs were the most hit by the Dodgers in a game since Aug. 28, 2022 against El Paso at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers last hit six homers in a road game May 12, 2022 in Round Rock. It was also the first time OKC had two players finish with a multi-homer game since May 30, 2021 at El Paso, when Luke Raley and Steven Souza Jr. each hit three homers in the same game...OKC hit 15 homers during the six-game series in Reno, including 11 homers over the final three games, and the Dodgers have now homered in 15 of the last 17 games, hitting 29 homers during the stretch...The back-to-back homers Sunday marked the second in the series for the Dodgers after Vargas and Kole Calhoun went back-to-back in the first inning Friday...The Dodgers hit 38 homers in July - tied for second-most in the league during the month and their highest monthly total this season. The Dodgers have hit 71 home runs in their 45 games since June 3 after hitting 47 homers through their first 55 games of the season.

Better Call Dahl: David Dahl went 3-for-5 with two homers and a game-high five RBI Sunday, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the 11th inning. The five RBI were his most in a game since June 26, 2019 while with the Colorado Rockies at San Francisco and his two-homer game was his first since July 7, 2022 with Triple-A Nashville at Columbus....Dahl has now hit safely in seven straight games, going 13-for-28 (.464) with two homers, five doubles and 10 RBI...He has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 19-for-50 (.380) with seven doubles and three homers.

Buschwacked: Michael Busch homered twice Sunday, marking his second multi-homer outing in the last seven games. He went 3-for-6 with three RBI and has now hit safely in seven straight games, going 15-for-33 (.455) with five homers and 11 RBI. Busch has also reached base in 25 consecutive games for the second time this season, tying his season-long streak to start the season March 31-May 16. During the current streak, which is the second-longest active streak in the league, Busch is 35-for-107 (.327) with 16 extra-base hits and 28 RBI...Busch led all of Triple-A with 11 home runs in July while his 18 home runs overall this season pace the Dodgers. He has hit five homers in his last seven games, including his first two multi-homer games at the Triple-A level.

Getting Miggy With It: Miguel Vargas went 3-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and scored two runs Sunday. He hit safely in all six games in Reno, going 11-for-28 (.393) with two homers, seven RBI and nine runs scored...He's reached base in all 15 games he has played with OKC since being optioned by the Los Angeles in mid-July and has recorded 20 hits during that time with 12 RBI and 17 runs scored.

The Warden: Ryan Ward finished Sunday with a game-high four hits, going 4-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. The four hits matched his season high from April 19 in Albuquerque, while he recorded his seventh game of the season with at least three RBI. During the series in Reno, Ward hit safely in all five games he played, going 11-for-23 (.478) with four multi-hit games, two homers, a double, six RBI and six runs scored, with home runs in each of the last two games...Ward finished the month of July slashing .318/.392/.568 with six homers and 17 RBI over 22 games.

Around the Horn: Six of OKC's last eight games as well as 10 of the 15 games following the All-Star Break have been decided by two runs or less and OKC is 34-13 in games decided by one or two runs this season. Sunday marked the team's 20th last at-bat win of the season.....The Dodgers collected 34 extra-base over their six games in Reno and have 45 extra-base hits over the last eight games overall...In his last six games, Drew Avans is 8-for-27 with four doubles, a triple and eight runs scored. Additionally, Avans has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games with a plate appearance, going 21-for-68 (.309) with seven doubles, a triple, homer, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored along with seven multi-hit games...Infielder Yonny Hernández became the second position player to pitch in a game for Oklahoma City this season, joining Drew Avans' one-inning outing July 5 against Albuquerque in OKC...The Dodgers are 8-1 in series openers at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark this season and have won eight straight after a loss in their season-opening game against Tacoma March 31. They've won 12 of their last 14 series openers overall.

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