PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - August 6, 2023

Published on August 6, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Round Rock Express (16-16/60-46) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (21-11/71-34)

Game #106 of 148/Second Half #33 of 75/Home #55 of 73

Pitching Probables: RR-LHP Cody Bradford (8-1, 1.82) vs. OKC-RHP Ryan Pepiot (0-2, 6.00)

Sunday, August 6, 2023 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 6:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers conclude their six-game series against the Round Rock Express at 6:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers lead the series, 3-2, following a loss Saturday night that snapped a three-game winning streak...Following the game, kids can take the field to run the bases.

Last Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to trim Round Rock's lead to one run, but were unable to complete a comeback in a 4-3 loss to the Express Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers took the first lead of the night in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Yonny Hernández out to right field. The Express scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning on a grand slam by Sandro Fabian to take a 4-1 lead. The Dodgers opened the ninth inning with three straight hits, including a RBI single by Bryson Brigman. Another run scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to cut Round Rock's lead to one run, but Round Rock pitcher Ian Kennedy retired the next two OKC batters to end the game.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Ryan Pepiot (0-2) makes his fifth start with OKC. After his first four starts were part of a Major League Rehab Assignment, he was reinstated from the Los Angeles Dodgers' Injured List and optioned to OKC Wednesday...He pitched a season-high 4.0 innings in Tuesday's series opener. He allowed one run and three hits, with one walk and four strikeouts and was charged with the loss in OKC's 4-2 defeat. The only run he surrendered was on a leadoff homer to J.P. Martinez on the third pitch of the game...He returned to game action for the first time this season July 14 in Sacramento, and over his first four outings with OKC, has allowed eight runs and 15 hits across 12.0 innings, with three walks and 12 strikeouts. Each of his last seven runs allowed have scored as a result of four homers...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...In six career games (five starts) against the Express, Pepiot is 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 26.0 innings.

Against the Express: 2023: 9-2 2022: 16-14 All-time: 171-137 At OKC: 78-67

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 lead the Minors with the most wins (71-34) and best winning percentage (.676) despite a loss Saturday night. Oklahoma City also leads the second half of the Pacific Coast League season with a 21-11 record - also the best record in all of Triple-A to open the second half...During the Bricktown era, OKC's best previous record through 105 games was in 2015 when the Dodgers went 63-42...They became the fastest Pacific Coast League team to reach 70 wins (103 games) since at least 2005, as data from 2004 and earlier is not available. The previous fastest a PCL team reached 70 wins since 2005 was the 2017 Memphis Redbirds, who did so in 106 games (70-36)...Oklahoma City has won 10 of the last 13 games and 15 of the last 21 games...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).

Buschwacked: Michael Busch hit a double Saturday night to extend his season-best and career-high on-base streak to 30 consecutive games for the longest active on-base streak in the PCL and now tied for the longest on-base streak by an OKC player this season with Devin Mann (May 2-June 13). During the streak, Busch is 42-for-130 (.323) with 20 extra-base hits, 12 home runs, 31 RBI and 26 runs scored...Busch has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .393 (22x56) with six homers, five doubles, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored...Busch leads the Dodgers with 19 home runs this season - 12 of which he has hit since July 1...Overall this season, Busch ranks second in the PCL in SLG (.595) and OPS (1.020), fourth in total bases (182) and tied for fourth with 44 extra-base hits and sixth with 19 homers.

Better Call Dahl: David Dahl went 1-for-3 with a walk Saturday and has hit safely in four straight games (7x14) and in 12 of his last 13 games, going 20-for-45 (.444) with nine extra-base hits, 15 RBI and nine runs scored. Following a 3-for-40 start after joining the Dodgers, he has now hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games, going 26-for-67 (.388) with 12 extra-base hits...Dahl was held without a RBI last night, but has picked up 11 RBI in his last seven games, 15 RBI in his last 11 games and 19 RBI in his last 15 games.

Close Calls: Saturday was the fourth time in the last six games, seventh time in the last 10 games, ninth time in the last 13 games and 13th time in the last 20 games the final score was decided by one or two runs. The Dodgers are now 35-15 in one- and two-run games this season, including 4-2 in the last six, 7-2 in the last nine and 10-3 in the last 13 games decided by two runs or less.

The Warden: Ryan Ward was held 0-for-4 Saturday night, snapping his season-best nine-game hitting streak. During the stretch, Ward went 17-for-39 (.436) with eight extra-base hits, 12 RBI, nine runs scored and six multi-hit games. The nine-game hitting streak matched his career-long streak from July 11-23, 2019 with Rookie-level Ogden...Ward has hit four homers in his last seven games and his 15 home runs this season are second-most among OKC players. He leads the team and ranks third in the league with 73 RBI this season. His four triples pace the OKC Dodgers...Ward has also hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games, going 26-for-75 (.347) with 19 RBI and 12 extra-base hits.

Getting Miggy With It: Last night was the first time since being optioned by the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-July that Miguel Vargas did not reach base, snapping his 19-game on-base streak. He collected 24 hits during the span, including 11 for extra bases. The on-base streak was his longest since also reaching base in 19 consecutive games during the 2022 season with OKC April 26-May 17...Since joining OKC July 14, his 20 runs scored are second-most in the PCL, while his six doubles are tied for fourth and his 11 extra-base hits are tied for sixth.

Dinger Details: The Dodgers have hit at least one homer in seven of the last eight games (17 HR), 10 of the last 12 games (23 HR) and in 19 of the last 22 games (35 HR). The Dodgers have hit 77 homers in the 50 games since June 3 after starting the season with 47 homers through the first 55 games of the season...On the other hand, Round Rock homered last night on a grand slam and opponents have hit at least one homer in nine of the last 11 games (16 HR). The grand slam was the fourth allowed by OKC this season. The Dodgers have allowed five three-run homers/grand slams over the last eight games and seven within the last 15 games. Between May 5-July 19 (60 games), the team allowed just two home runs with at least two runners on base.

Yon But Not Forgotten: Yonny Hernández finished Saturday's game with a team-high two hits, going 2-for-3 with his third home run of the season and he also scored two runs. Over his last three games, Hernández is 4-for-8 and has also drawn three walks and been hit by a pitch two times. He has reached base three times in four straight games, collecting five walks, four hits and three HBP over his last 16 plate appearances...HIs three home runs this season are a career-high mark, as he entered this season with only five career home runs and a single-season high of two homers back in 2018 at High-A. Last night was his first home run since June 7 in El Paso and his first of the season as a left-handed batter.

Mound Matters: Dodgers starting pitchers have combined for 10.0 scoreless innings the last two nights. On Saturday, Landon Knack tossed 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits. He did not issue a walk and recorded three strikeouts. On Friday, Gavin Stone tossed 6.0 scoreless, no-hit innings, allowing two walks during the longest hitless outing of his career. He recorded 10 strikeouts to match his season-high mark - the most strikeouts in a game by a Dodgers pitcher this season...Kyle Hurt followed Knack last night and made his Triple-A debut. He pitched the game's final 5.0 innings, allowing four runs, three hits and two walks and six strikeouts. After a two-out rally in the sixth inning resulted in four runs on a grand slam, Hurt rebounded to retired 10 of his final 11 batters, with the only hitter not retired reaching base on an error...Going back to Thursday's game, the Dodgers have kept the Express scoreless in 21 of the last 23 innings.

Around the Horn: The Dodgers are 14-5 in series finales this season, but just 5-4 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. They have won back-to-back home series finales however and have won five straight series finales overall. When aiming for a series win in the finale, the Dodgers are 5-1 this season, including 4-0 in a six-game series finale...Two of the Dodgers' six hits last night went for extra bases - matching their lowest total in the last 15 games. The Dodgers have recorded at least four extra-base hits in nine of their last 13 games (63 XBH), including six extra-base hits Friday night...The Dodgers went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position last night and are now just 9-for-48 (.188) during the current series....Round Rock has committed six errors over the last three games. All opponents had combined to commit a total of three errors over the previous 22 games.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 6, 2023


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