OKC Dodgers Game Notes - August 31, 2015
August 31, 2015 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Iowa Cubs (77-58) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (81-54)
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Game #136 of 144/Home #63 of 71 (37-25)
Pitching Probables: IOW-RHP Felipe Paulino (4-8, 4.79) vs. OKC-LHP Julio Urias (NR, -.--)
Monday, August 31, 2015 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio - Alex Freedman
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers return home to open a pivotal five-game series against the Iowa Cubs at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers lead the American Northern Division, and the I-Cubs sit four games back in second place. This marks the final homestand of the regular season for OKC.
Last Game: El Paso scored four runs in the fourth inning to get by the Dodgers, 4-2, Sunday afternoon at Southwest University Park. The Dodgers scored two runs in the first inning. Ronny Torreyes led off the game with a triple, and Corey Seager followed with a RBI single. Later with two outs, Kyle Jensen sent a RBI single to center field to make it 2-0. El Paso took the lead for good in the fourth inning, batting around to go in front, 4-2. With a runner at second and none out, Hector Gomez singled. O'Koyea Dickson committed a fielding error on the play, allowing Alex Dickerson to score and Gomez to advance to second base. Cody Decker then tied the game with a RBI single. Jake Goebbert later doubled off the wall in left field to break the tie and put the Chihuahuas ahead. OKC was held scoreless over the final eight innings and did not record a hit after the fifth inning. The OKC bullpen threw 4.1 scoreless innings and allowed three hits to keep the Dodgers in the game. El Paso starting pitcher Casey Kelly (1-1) went 6.0 innings, and over his final five frames, held the Dodgers to no runs and three hits. Jon Edwards got his league-leading 22nd save. David Huff tossed three scoreless innings before getting bumped from the game in the fourth inning. Huff (5-2) allowed a season-high four runs on seven hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Top Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urias is set to make his Triple-A debut tonight...The 19-year-old from Mexico made 13 starts for Double-A Tulsa this season, going 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA. He most recently pitched Aug. 25 at Arkansas, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings. He allowed four hits with no walks and three strikeouts in a no decision...Urias held his opponent to one or no runs in seven of 13 starts with the Drillers, with five quality starts. He allowed more than two earned runs four times and only allowed more than three earned runs once...In final two starts with Tulsa, Urias allowed one run and nine hits, with 11 strikeouts and one walk over 12.0 innings...Over 68.1 innings with the Drillers, Urias racked up 74 strikeouts and just 15 walks for a 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings rate and a 4.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio...Urias was sidelined earlier this season from late May through mid-July after undergoing eye surgery...Last season he was named the Dodgers' Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year and was selected to the World Team for the 2014 XM All-Star Futures Game, becoming the youngest-ever player to participate at the age of 17...Urias was signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent Aug. 17, 2012 and opened his first professional season in 2013 at the age of 16.
Against the I-Cubs: 2015: 8-3 2014: 6-10 All-time: 120-128 In OKC: 64-57
This marks the final series of the season between the division rivals with a playoff berth on the line...Seven of the 11 meetings between the teams this season have been decided by one or two runs...The Dodgers won eight of the first 11 games against the I-Cubs this season and won the first two series by matching 3-1 margins in Des Moines. The only other season Oklahoma City won at least six games at Principal Park was in 2004 (6-2)...Oklahoma City has outscored Iowa, 44-28, despite batting just .204 as a team. The I-Cubs are batting .229, and have gone 11-for-79 (.139) with runners in scoring position...OKC went 4-4 against Iowa in Bricktown last season, but is 26-9 against the I-Cubs at home since the start of the 2011 season, including winning their rain-shortened series May 16-18, 2-1.
Ups and Downs: The Dodgers are 3-4 in their last seven games after a run where they won 11 of 14 games. And that followed a stretch where they lost nine of 14 games...Iowa wrapped up a series sweep against Sacramento Sunday and trails the first-place Dodgers by four games in the American Northern Division. Omaha defeated Fresno Sunday and is 4.5 games behind OKC. The Dodgers' largest division lead was 11 games entering play on July 4, but they have gone 28-27 since. During the same period of time, Iowa is 35-20 and Omaha is 34-20. The four-game lead is OKC's smallest since entering play on Aug. 11...The Dodgers have alternated wins and losses over the last eight games and have followed each of their last six losses with a win.
Barnes Burner: Earlier today, Austin Barnes was named to the PCL Post-Season All-Star team, becoming the first OKC player to be named a post-season all-star since 2010. Barnes established himself as one of the top catchers in the PCL this season and he leads the team with both a .315 average and .389 on-base percentage...Barnes is 16-for-39 (.410) over his last nine games with a home run, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, and six walks. Barnes is batting .347 in August and has posted a .402 on-base percentage this month.
Surging Seager: During the recently completed road trip, Corey Seager hit safely in seven of eight games and went 10-for-35 with seven extra-base hits, nine RBI, and eight runs scored. He has collected 10 RBI over the last nine games and his 19 RBI this month pace the team.
Ronny's Return: Ronny Torreyes was the only Dodger with a multi-hit game yesterday, going 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. In six games with the Dodgers, Torreyes is batting .360 (9x25) with five runs and two RBI. He led the 2014 RedHawks with 137 hits and 65 runs. He finished 11th in the PCL in hits and led the PCL with five games of 4+ hits. The Dodgers acquired Torreyes in a trade with Toronto on June 12. With Double-A Tulsa, Torreyes batted .293 with four homers, 39 runs, and 19 RBI over 62 games.
Fear the Apostrophe: O'Koyea Dickson has hit safely in four straight games, collecting an extra-base hit in each (5x13, 2 HR, 2 2B)...Over his last 16 games, Dickson is batting .360 (18x50) with three homers and six multi-hit games.
No Time for a Slump: Over the last three games, the Dodgers are batting just .186 (18x97) and have scored seven runs. Going back to Thursday night, the Dodgers are 4 for their last 44 with runners on base, including 3 for their last 26 with runners in scoring position...The Dodger currently rank 15th in the league with a .258 average, which would tie the team's lowest season batting average since joining the PCL in 1998 (also hit .258 in 2003 and 2009).
Long Division: The Dodgers have lost eight of their last nine games against divisional opponents, getting outscored 47-29. They are 5-13 in their last 18 games against foes from the American Northern Division, and have dropped nine of the last 11. Overall this season, OKC is 22-21 against the division, including 8-10 at home (lost seven of last eight).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
DATE TIME OPPONENT OKC PITCHER OPP. PITCHER
Tuesday, September 1 4:35 p.m. (G1) Iowa RHP Joe Wieland (10-5, 4.59) RHP Carlos Pimentel (12-5, 2.92)
Tuesday, September 1 Game 2 Iowa LHP Ian Thomas (4-1, 5.79) TBA
Wednesday, September 2 7:05 p.m. Iowa LHP Eric Surkamp (8-3, 3.59) RHP Frank Batista (1-4, 5.59)
Thursday, September 3 7:05 p.m. Iowa RHP Zach Lee (10-6, 2.71) LHP Eric Jokisch (5-3, 3.94)
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 31, 2015
- Big First Inning Goes Sox Way in 5-3 Win - Colorado Springs Sky Sox
- Iowa Strolls Past Oklahoma City 9-3 in Series Opener to Cut Deficit to 3.0 Games - Iowa Cubs
- Redbirds Fall 5-4 on Grit and Grind Night - Memphis Redbirds
- Z's Beat Memphis 5-4 - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- E-Train Stifled by Sounds in Game One, Fall 5-1 - Round Rock Express
- Nolin Guides Nashville to 5-1 Win - Nashville Sounds
- RHP Whiting Activated, INF Adames Palced on Taxi Squad - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Reno Aces Game Information: Reno Aces (66-69) at Sacramento River Cats (66-70) - Reno Aces
- RHP Burke, Inf Rivera Rejoin Isotopes - Albuquerque Isotopes
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - August 31, 2015 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Joey Wendle Named To All-PCL Team - Nashville Sounds
- Dickerson and Edwards Named to 2015 All-PCL Team - El Paso Chihuahuas
- OKC Dodgers Catcher Barnes Named to All-PCL Team - Oklahoma City Comets
- Todd Glaesmann Named PCL Player of the Week - Reno Aces
- Eric Jokisch Named PCL Pitcher of the Week - Iowa Cubs
- Glaesmann, Jokisch Win Penultimate Weekly Accolades - PCL1
- Domingo Santana Named to 2015 All-PCL Team - Colorado Springs Sky Sox
- Former Express Closer Jon Edwards Named to 2015 All-PCL Team - Round Rock Express
- Jamie Romak, Peter O'Brien Named to All-PCL Team - Reno Aces
- Jesus Montero Named to 2015 All-PCL Team - Tacoma Rainiers
- Zephyrs' Conley Named PCL's Top Left-Handed Pitcher - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Iowa RHP Carlos Pimentel Named to 2015 All-PCL Team - Iowa Cubs
- Adames Earns All-PCL Team Honors - Albuquerque Isotopes
- 2015 All-PCL TEAM Announced - PCL1
- Iowa Cubs Announce 2016 Home Schedule - Iowa Cubs
- Grizzlies Begin Final Homestand of the Regular Season Tonight - Fresno Grizzlies
- Sky Sox Complete Rally, Secure Series-Split - Colorado Springs Sky Sox
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