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PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - July 26, 2021

July 26, 2021 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Sugar Land Skeeters (40-29) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (36-34)

Game #71 of 130/Home #35 of 65

Pitching Probables: SUG-RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez (2-1, 6.75) vs. OKC-RHP Corey Knebel (MLR)/Yefry Ramírez (3-3, 5.59)

Monday, July 26, 2021 | 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 and Sugar Land Skeeters continue their six-game series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark as part of Triple-A West Night in America. Sugar Land leads the East Division of Triple-A West by 4.5 games, marking their largest lead ahead of the Dodgers since entering play June 24. The Skeeters lead the current series, 3-1, after OKC won each of the first two series between the teams this season.

Last Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers fought back from a seven-run deficit and scored eight runs, but fell to the Sugar Land Skeeters, 10-8, Sunday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Skeeters scored seven runs in the second inning, connecting on six hits in the frame to put the Dodgers in an early 7-0 hole. The Dodgers started to chip away at the Skeeters' lead in the bottom of the inning with a RBI single by Drew Avans. A three-run homer by Matt Davidson cut the deficit to three runs in the third inning, but Sugar Land added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning to extend to a 10-4 advantage. OKC then scored the next four runs to trim the Skeeters' lead down to two. Keibert Ruiz hit a RBI double and Zach Reks produced a RBI groundout in the fourth inning. Reks then hit a two-run homer out to the Budweiser Deck in left field to make it a 10-8 game in the sixth inning. Neither team scored thereafter, and each team failed to score after having a chance with the bases loaded and none out.

Today's Probable Pitchers: Corey Knebel begins a Major League Rehab Assignment and will open tonight's game...Knebel has been sidelined with a right lat strain since April 24. Prior to the injury, Knebel pitched in eight games for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, allowing three runs and three hits over 6.0 IP with nine K's and three walks. Tonight will be his first game action since April 23 vs. San Diego...Knebel was acquired by the Dodgers in a trade with Milwaukee Dec. 2, 2020 for pitcher Leo Crawford. After coming off Tommy John surgery in 2019, he made 15 relief appearances with Milwaukee in 2020, posting a 6.08 ERA with 15 hits and eight walks against 15 strikeouts in 13.1 innings...He was named a MLB All-Star in 2017 with Milwaukee and has a 3.34 ERA and 59 saves over 247 games in his ML career.

Yefry Ramírez (3-3) is scheduled to make his 15th appearance and piggyback Knebel tonight...He last started July 20 against Reno at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. He allowed two runs and two hits over 4.1 innings with a season-high five walks and three K's. He did not factor into the decision of OKC's 10-3 victory...Ramírez was named league 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 innings while holding opponents to a .213 batting average. Ramírez 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...Ramírez's 65 strikeouts are fourth most in Triple-A West, while his .263 AVG is seventh, and his 5.59 ERA and 1.53 WHIP are 10th...Tonight is his third meeting against the Skeeters this season. Over his first two matchups, Ramírez is 0-0 has allowed five runs and seven hits over 9.0 innings, with two walks and six strikeouts.

Against the Skeeters: 2021: 10-6 2019: N/A All-time: 10-6 At OKC: 5-5 The Dodgers and Skeeters meet for their third series of the season and second at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The Dodgers won each of the first two series between the teams, including most recently June 24-29 at Constellation Field, 5-1. They also took four of six games at home June 3-8...During the six-game series in Sugar Land, each game was decided by one or two runs, with three decided by just one run. In four of OKC's wins, the Dodgers scored the go-ahead run(s) in the seventh inning or later...Keibert Ruiz has led the OKC offense with 19 hits, five homers, 12 extra-base hits, 15 RBI and 16 runs scored in the 14 games he's played against the Skeeters...Through the first 16 games this season, OKC has outscored the Skeeters, 95-67, and has smacked 25 homers while holding Sugar Land to 10...Sugar Land leads the East Division with a 40-29 record and has the most road wins in the league with 24. The Skeeters' +60 run differential is best in the league. Their pitching staff's 4.52 ERA leads Triple-A West, and they have allowed a league-low 327 runs so far in 2021.

Down to the Wire: Including last night, nine of the last 10 games between OKC and Sugar Land has been decided by one or two runs. And of the last 13 games between the teams, 11 have been decided by one or two runs, including five one-run games. The Dodgers are now 6-5 in those 11 close games with the Skeeters. Within the last nine games between the teams, the go-ahead run(s) scored in the seventh inning or later six times.

Keibert Goes Kaboom: Earlier today Keibert Ruiz was named Triple-A West Player of the Week for July 19-25, batting .444 (12x27) with four homers, four doubles, 10 RBI, a walk and seven runs scored over six games. Rather surprisingly, it's the first weekly honor of his career...Ruiz extended his season-best hitting streak to nine games with a RBI double in the fourth inning Sunday. During the stretch, Ruiz is 15-for-40 (.375) with four homers, five doubles and 12 RBI. Each of his last six hits have gone for extra bases (three double, three homers)...The catcher has now reached base in 21 of his last 22 starts, batting .364 (32x88) with eight homers, seven doubles, 17 runs scored and 24 RBI...Ruiz leads the Dodgers with 60 hits and 44 RBI in 50 games and is tied for the team lead with 17 doubles and ranks second with 16 homers and 39 runs scored while his 23 walks are third...He ranks third among Triple-A West Players with a .635 SLG and fifth with a 1.013 OPS, while his 33 extra-base hits are tied for sixth and his 125 total bases are 10th...He is one of three players in Triple-A West with at least 16 homers and 16 doubles, joining Jake Meyers (Sugar Land) and Cody Thomas (Las Vegas).

Matt the Bat: Matt Davidson hit his team-leading 17th homer of the season - a three-run blast - in the third inning last night and has now homered in three of the last four games. He's also gone deep in five of his last seven games and has eight homers in his last 11 games, 13 homers in his last 20 games and 15 homers in his last 26 games. He has also hit safely in a season-high eight straight games for his longest hitting streak since the 2018 season when he with the Chicago White Sox. During his current streak, Davidson is 12-for-28 (.429) with five homers, a double and eight RBI...Since June 29, his 13 homers and 69 total bases are most in Triple-A West while his 28 RBI and 17 extra-base hits are tied for most and his .920 SLG and 1.332 OPS are both second. His home run total since June 29 is also tied for most in the Minors...Davidson has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games (16x42, 8 HR, 12 RBI) and in 18 of his last 20 games, batting .347 (26x75) with 17 extra-base hits and 28 RBI...His 12 homers this month mark the highest monthly total of his career.

July is for Homers: With two more homers Sunday night, the Dodgers have now homered in a season-best 11 straight games (22 HR) and in 15 of the last 16 games (33 HR). The Dodgers have homered in each of their first 10 games of the current homestand (20 HR) and have hit 15 homers over the last five games. They are in the midst of their longest stretch of consecutive games with a homer since Aug. 13-28, 2019 (14 games). Their 33 homers since July 8 are the most in Triple-A West and second-most across the Minors or Majors, only one behind High-A Hickory (Texas Rangers). The Dodgers' 38 homers through 22 games in July are second-most in Triple-A West and one behind league-leading Las Vegas. In July 2019 the Dodgers hit 62 homers in 27 games to rank second in the Minors, again only trailing Las Vegas (65)...On the other hand, OKC has allowed homers in back-to-back games after going three straight games without allowing a homer. The 22 homers allowed by OKC so far in July are fewest in Triple-A West. OKC has allowed 38 homers over the last 46 games - fewest in Triple-A West by 15 since June 3. The 80 homers allowed by the Dodgers overall this season are also fewest in Triple-A West.

Yoshi's Island: Yoshi Tsutsugo collected a hit, walk and scored a run Sunday and has now reached base in 13 straight games, going 15-for-41 (.366) with five homers, a double, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored while posting a .481 OBP (OB 25/52 PA)...During his current five-game hitting streak, Tsutsugo is 7-for-16 with six RBI and four walks...Over his last 12 games, Tsutsugo is 15-for-37 (.405) after going 8-for-67 (.119) in his first 17 games with OKC.

Reks in Effect: Zach Reks collected his 15th multi-hit game of the season with OKC last night, going 2-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored. He tied his season-high mark with three RBI and hit his 11th homer of 2021...Reks ranks among Triple-A West leaders this season in OPS (3rd, 1.025), OBP (5th, .416), SLG (6th, .609) and AVG (8th, .322). Reks also leads OKC with 44 runs scored and is tied for first among Dodgers players with 17 doubles, while his 56 hits are second, his 25 walks are tied for second, his 11 homers are third on the team and his 36 RBI are fourth...In his last nine games with OKC, Reks is 12-for-32 (.375) with five homers, three doubles, 11 runs scored and 15 RBI - with at least one RBI in eight of nine games.

Time Warp: Sunday's game clocked in at 4 hours, 6 minutes, marking OKC's longest home game of the season and second-longest nine-inning game of the season overall behind a July 9 road game in El Paso that lasted 4:13 - a 15-11 OKC win...Five of the Dodgers' eight longest game times of the season have come against Sugar Land. Over the 16 games between the Dodgers and the Skeeters, the average time of game is 3 hours, 28 minutes. The shortest nine-inning game has finished in 3 hours, 11 minutes.

Around the Horn: Sunday's second inning marked the second time in a week the Dodgers allowed seven runs in an inning. The six hits by Sugar Land were the most hits in an inning by an opponent this year as well. It was the 10th time in 22 games in July - and second time in as many games - an opponent scored four-plus runs in one inning after it happened in only three such innings throughout June....Justin Bruihl held the Skeeters without a run or hit over 1.1 innings of relief with two walks and three strikeouts Sunday. Bruihl has not allowed an earned run in eight straight appearances (9.2 IP) with two total runs, seven hits, three walks and 13 K's...Cristian Santana had last night off, but has hit safely in 12 of his 16 games this month, including 12 of his 14 starts. He's batting .305 in July after batting .236 through June...OKC has been charged with an error in four straight games for the third time this season, but first time since a stretch of five straight games May 15-20...Omar Estévez has hit safely in four straight games (5x14) after collecting his ninth multi-hit game of the season last night.

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