PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - July 20, 2023

Published on July 20, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


El Paso Chihuahuas (5-12/37-55) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (11-6/61-29)

Game #91 of 148/Second Half #18 of 75/Home #46 of 73

Pitching Probables: ELP-LHP Jay Groome (2-6, 8.27) vs. OKC-RHP Ryan Pepiot (0-0, 4.50)/LHP Mike Montgomery (1-1, 3.54)

Thursday, July 20, 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 and El Paso Chihuahuas continue their six-game series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark as they meet for the third time in the series. The series is tied, 1-1, after the Dodgers' five-game winning streak came to an end with a loss in extra innings Wednesday.

Last Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers and El Paso Chihuahuas combined to score 14 runs in the ninth inning before the Chihuahuas went on to defeat the Dodgers, 11-10, in 10 innings at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers led the game, 2-0, after seven innings. El Paso scored two runs in the eighth inning as the teams entered the ninth inning in a 2-2 tie. The Chihuahuas then scored seven runs in the top ninth inning. The first six batters of the inning reached base and the Chihuahuas connected on five hits and drew four walks during the rally. The Dodgers responded with seven runs in the bottom of the inning for a 9-9 tie, including a three-run homer by Miguel Vargas. The first nine batters of the inning reached base for OKC before an out was recorded and the Dodgers finished the inning with one hit, six walks and two hit batters. OKC had the winning run at third base with one out but was unable to get over the hump. The Chihuahuas scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning on an error and RBI single. The Dodgers responded with a run via a RBI single by Hunter Feduccia in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to one and keep the bases loaded with one out, but each of the next two batters were retired as the Chihuahuas escaped with the victory.

Today's Probable Pitchers: Ryan Pepiot (0-0) continues a Major League Rehab Assignment with this second start...Pepiot pitched for OKC July 14 in Sacramento for his first game action of the 2023 season. He allowed one run, two hits and a walk over 2.0 innings with two strikeouts, facing nine batters and throwing 29 pitches (17 strikes)...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 April 5 vs. Albuquerque...Pepiot was selected in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Butler University, becoming the highest-drafted player in program history...He made four starts against the Chihuahuas last season, going 0-0 with a 5.54 ERA over 13.0 innings pitched.

Mike Montgomery (1-1) is scheduled to piggyback Pepiot for a second straight outing...Montgomery followed Pepiot July 14 in Sacramento, pitching the bulk of the game and holding the River Cats to one run and two hits over 5.0 innings with a walk, two hit batters and seven strikeouts...Over his last four outings, Montgomery has allowed three earned runs (four runs total) and 11 hits across 19.2 innings, notching 20 strikeouts...The left-handed pitcher signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers June 7. He started the season with the Acereros Del Norte in the Mexican League after signing with the team in February, but did not appear in a game and elected free agency in April...The 33-year-old spent the 2022 season with Triple-A Syracuse where he made 22 appearances (17 starts)...Montgomery made 183 appearances (70 starts) in MLB from 2015-20 with the Seattle Mariners (2015-16), Chicago Cubs (2016-19) and Kansas City Royals (2019-20)..In 2016, he made 49 appearances with the Mariners and Cubs, posting a 2.52 ERA over 100.0 innings. He earned the save in the Cubs' World Series-clinching Game 7, entering the game in the bottom of the 10th inning and securing the game's final out in Cleveland...Montgomery was originally selected by the Royals with the 36th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft from William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita, Calif.

Against the Chihuahuas: 2023: 7-7 2022: 13-14 All-time: 48-40 At OKC: 20-14

The Chihuahuas and Dodgers meet for their third of three series of the season, but first of 2023 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The teams last played June 6-11 in El Paso, with the Dodgers winning the series, 4-2, with victories in the final three games of the set and outscoring El Paso, 42-16, during the trio of games, including, 24-5, in the series finale. Games 2-4 of the series were each decided in the ninth inning or later, with two games that extended to 10 innings....Through the first 12 meetings this season, Devin Mann paced OKC with 15 hits and 12 RBI, including five homers...The Dodgers outscored the Chihuahuas, 82-76, while El Paso hit 21 homers in 12 games at hitter-friendly Southwest University Park against the Dodgers compared to OKC's 18 homers...The Chihuahuas won the 2022 season series against the Dodgers, 14-13, clinching just their second season series win against OKC since Tucson's franchise relocated to El Paso for the 2014 season and their first against OKC since 2018. The Dodgers went 6-3 at home, but 7-11 at Southwest University Park, including losses in seven of their last nine games...After the teams played five series in 2022, the teams meet for just three series in 2023, and their season series wraps up Sunday...The Dodgers have won four of the last five games against the Chihuahuas after starting the season 3-6.

Trend Setters: Despite a loss last night, the Dodgers own the most wins in the Minors with a 61-29 record and have the second-best overall winning percentage (.678) among the 120 full-season teams, trailing only Single-A Clearwater (.682)...The Dodgers reached 60 wins in 88 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 60 wins since 2005 was in 93 games, achieved most recently by Memphis in 2017 (60-33), as well as OKC in 2015 (60-33) and Tucson in 2006 (60-33)...During the Bricktown era, the team's best previous record through 90 games was in 2015 when the Dodgers went 57-33...The Dodgers finished the first half with a 50-23 record and won the Pacific Coast League'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).

Did That Actually Happen?: The Dodgers held the Chihuahuas scoreless through seven innings and owned a 2-0 lead before the teams combined for 19 runs, 12 hits and 14 walks in the eighth through 10th innings. In the wild ninth inning, the teams combined to score 14 runs, with 10 walks, six hits and two hit batters. A total of 24 batters came to the plate in the inning and four pitchers appeared, totaling 108 pitches, with 52 strikes and 56 balls...The 14 combined runs marked the highest scoring inning for the Dodgers and their opponent in a game this season and was the most combined runs in an inning in which both teams scored since Sugar Land and OKC combined for 17 runs Aug. 21, 2021 during the third inning at Sugar Land. OKC scored 11 runs and Sugar Land scored six runs within the inning before Sugar Land went on to win, 12-11....The seven runs scored by El Paso in the ninth inning Wednesday marked the fifth time this season an opponent scored seven or more runs in an inning against the Dodgers and the most runs scored by an opponent in the ninth inning this season. Opponents had scored a total of 25 runs in the ninth inning through 89 games this season prior to Wednesday...The Dodgers also scored seven runs in the ninth inning last night, marking the third time this season they have scored seven or more runs in an inning. And for the second time in the last six home games, the Dodgers erased a seven-run deficit to tie the game before ultimately losing. On July 6, the Dodgers trailed Albuquerque, 7-0, in the third inning before eventually pulling into a tie in the eighth inning. The Isotopes then scored two runs in the ninth inning to win, 9-7...A total of 17 pitchers were used in Wednesday night's game as the teams combined for 25 walks and 23 strikeouts...Wednesday's game lasted 3 hours, 51 minutes and was team's the longest game of the season by 21 minutes (April 19 at Albuquerque). It's the second-longest game the team has played since pace of play rules were in instituted last season, only bested by a 3-hour, 55-minute game that lasted 11 innings at Round Rock, Sept. 3, 2022 during an 8-7 defeat.

The Late Show: Oklahoma City fell to 5-4 in extra-inning games this season with last night's loss, as the team played into the 10th inning for the second time in five games and played an extra-inning game for the fourth time at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark this season (2-2). Wednesday was also the third time in the last seven games between the Dodgers and Chihuahuas the teams went to extra innings, with El Paso taking two of the three...Although the Dodgers have only lost 29 games this season, they've led after seven innings in nearly a quarter of those defeats (seven)...Five of the last seven games between the Dodgers and Chihuahuas have been decided in the ninth inning or later. In all five games, the Chihuahuas tied the game in the eighth or ninth inning, including three times tying the game in the ninth inning. No other team this season has erased a ninth-inning deficit against the Dodgers...Over the first five games following the All-Star Break, four have been decided in the ninth inning or later, and four of five games have been settled by one or two runs, including each of the last three games...Yesterday was the 27th game this season to be decided in a last at-bat.

Getting Miggy With It: Miguel Vargas connected on a three-run homer in the ninth inning and scored two runs Wednesday. In his five games with OKC since being optioned by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Vargas is 7-for-19 and has hit safely in four straight games with four RBI and six runs scored. On Tuesday, Vargas compiled a game-high four hits, going 4-for-5 with a double, stolen base and scoring the game-winning run. On Sunday in Sacramento, Vargas reached base five times with a career-high four walks and a RBI single.

Buschwacked: Michael Busch went 2-for-5 Wednesday with a RBI and run scored as he reached base in a 15th consecutive game. During the streak, Busch is 18-for-62 (.290) with six homers, nine extra-base hits, 16 RBI and 12 runs scored. Busch has hit five home runs in the last 11 games and six homers in the last 14 games...Going back further, Busch is batting .357 (35x98) with OKC in 24 games since May 30, hitting safely in 19 games. He has 20 extra-base hits during the span, including 10 homers, 31 RBI and 23 runs scored along with 16 walks and a .458 OBP...Overall this season, Busch's .995 OPS ranks fourth in the PCL, while his .567 SLG is eighth and his .428 OBP is eighth...He has torched El Paso pitching this season, going 17-for-35 with four homers, nine extra-base hits and 15 RBI.

Around the Horn: The Dodgers have hit at least one home run in seven straight games (9 HR) and in 12 of the last 14 games (17 HR). Since June 3, the Dodgers have hit 51 homers over 35 games after the team hit 47 homers over the first 55 games of the season...The 14 walks drawn by the Dodgers' offense last night tied their season-high mark (April 11 vs. SUG), while the 11 walks allowed by the OKC pitching staff also tied the season-high mark (April 19 @ ABQ). Over the previous five games, the Dodgers had allowed a total of eight walks in 46.0 innings pitched...Drew Avans has hit safely in six consecutive games, batting 10-for-28 (.357). He also has six multi-hit outings in his last nine games, going 14-for-42 (.333)...The Dodgers have now lost six of their last nine home games, as well as seven of their last 11 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and are 7-10 at home since June 13.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 20, 2023


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