PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - July 5, 2018

Published on July 5, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Round Rock Express (40-45) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (45-36)

Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game #82 of 140/Home #42 of 70 (27-14)

Pitching Probables: RR-LHP MartÃ-n Pérez (MLR) vs. OKC-RHP Tyler Pill (2-2, 5.34)

Thursday, July 5, 2018 | 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 and Round Rock Express meet for the second time in their series at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on a $2 Thursday. Fireworks, presented by Francis Tuttle, are scheduled to follow the game...The Dodgers are 2-9 in their last 11 games overall and have lost seven straight home games for the first time since losing seven in a row July 29-Aug. 13, 2012.

Last Game: Round Rock took an early lead then was able to stay in front of the Dodgers in the Express' eventual 8-5 win Wednesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Round Rock loaded the bases on three walks in the second inning for Hanser Alberto, who connected on a two-run single with two outs. OKC's Breyvic Valera lined a RBI double into left field to cut the Express lead to 2-1 in the third. The Express added to their lead in the fourth, scoring three runs, including a two-run triple by Alberto and a RBI single by Drew Robinson for a 5-1 advantage. In the sixth, Kyle Farmer scored on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Connor Joe later cut Round Rock's margin to two runs. Each team scored in the seventh, including a RBI single by Alex Verdugo. Scott Heineman hit a solo homer in the top of the eighth for a 7-4 Round Rock lead. Rocky Gale collected his game-high fourth hit of the night in the eighth and drove in the Dodgers' fifth run of the game, cutting the Express lead to 7-5. With the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, Heineman brought home Round Rock's eighth run of the night with a RBI single. In his Dodgers debut, starting pitcher Kyle Lobstein (0-1) allowed five runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts over 3.1 innings and was charged with the loss. Round Rock starting pitcher Richelson Pena (2-1) earned the win, holding the Dodgers to two runs on seven hits over 5.0 innings. R.J. Alvarez retired all three Dodgers he faced in the ninth for his 17th save of the season.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Tyler Pill (2-2) is slated to make his 12th start of the season for the Dodgers...Pill most recently pitched in New Orleans June 30, allowing three runs and six hits over 4.0 innings. He issued one walk and struck out four New Orleans batters in OKC's 6-4 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader...The Dodgers are 6-5 in his starts this season...In five outings at home, Pill has posted a 2.96 ERA and over his last two games in OKC, he's allowed one run over 10.0 innings...Pill started his season in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization with Triple-A Reno and was acquired by the Dodgers in a trade for cash considerations April 17...He signed with Arizona in January, and prior to that, spent his entire career in the New York Mets organization...Pill made his MLB debut last season with the Mets May 27, 2017 against Pittsburgh and made seven appearances (three starts) in the Majors (0-3, 5.32 ERA)...Pill was selected by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Cal State Fullerton...Tonight is his second start of the season and of his career against the Express. In his OKC debut April 20, Pill pitched three scoreless frames, holding Round Rock to one hit with two walks and two strikeouts as OKC won, 6-3.

Against the Express: 2018: 6-2 2017: 9-6 All-time: 120-94 At OKC: 58-49 The Dodgers and Express meet for their third series of the season, and second at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The teams last met April 17-20 in Round Rock, with the Dodgers winning the road series, 3-1. Their lone loss to the Express this season came in 10 innings April 18 and the Dodgers won the final two games of the series...The Dodgers swept Round Rock, 3-0, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark April 10-12 to open the home portion of their schedule. The Dodgers outscored the Express, 30-9, and outhit Round Rock, 38-18. The Dodgers batted .358, while holding the Express to a .188 average...Tim Locastro led OKC with eight hits through the first seven games, while Alex Verdugo had eight RBI. Rob Segedin has homered twice against the Express...The Dodgers won the 2017 head-to-head series, 9-6, and have won three straight season series against Round Rock.

Home-Less: The Dodgers have lost seven straight home games for the first time since July 29-Aug. 13, 2012 - tied for the third-longest home losing skid since the team rejoined the PCL in 1998. Oklahoma City has not lost eight home games in a row since dropping nine straight June 15-27, 2005...The Dodgers started the season 15-0 at home but are 12-14 since. They have also gone 4-9 over their last 13 home games following a 23-5 start...Over the current seven-game home losing skid, the team is batting .264 (62x235) with 28 runs. Prior to the recent struggles, the team was batting .315 and averaging 6.03 runs per game at home...Five of the last six losses have been by one run.

Teach Me How to Dugie: Alex Verdugo went 3-for-5 last night with a RBI and run scored for his second consecutive three-hit game. He also surpassed Salt Lake's David Fletcher for the league lead in batting average at a .351 clip for the 2018 season...Verdugo is now 10-for-16 over his last four games, with at least two hits each game. He's now racked up 26 hits over his last 17 games and leads the team with 23 multi-hit games this season. Verdugo also paces the Dodgers with 78 hits despite playing in just 56 of the team's 81 games...The 22-year-old has hit seven homers this season with the Dodgers. In 2017, Verdugo only hit six homers in 117 games with OKC.

Rock Steady: Rocky Gale went a season-best 4-for-4 last night with three singles, a RBI and run scored. The outing marked his first four-hit game since May 8, 2017 with El Paso in Nashville...Gale paces the Dodgers with 43 hits in 30 games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark this season. He is batting .387 in OKC with 20 RBI...Overall, the PCL All-Star is batting .317 through 53 games, and behind the plate, he leads the league with a 46.3 caught stealing percentage (19x41).

Farm to Plate: Kyle Farmer doubled twice Wednesday, and over his last 12 games, he's batting .354 (17x48). He has six multi-hit outings during the stretch - - more than half of his season total with OKC - and has four multi-hit outings in his last eight games.

For Whom the Bell Toles: Andrew Toles was held 0-for-5 last night, snapping his streak of six straight multi-hit outings during which he went 14-for-24 with two homers, four doubles and seven RBI...Despite being held hitless Wednesday, he has collected at least two hits seven times in his last nine games, batting .432 (16x37). Prior to the recent heater, Toles was batting just .224 (13x58) over his first 15 games off the DL.

The Struggle is Real: Following a 5-3 win over Las Vegas on June 17, the Dodgers stood a season-best 17 games above .500 with a 41-24 record. Since then, they have proceeded to go 4-12, including 2-9 over the last 11 games. Entering June 18 they were 6.0 games ahead of Colorado Springs, but are now 0.5 games out of first place...During the 16-game stretch, the pitching staff has posted a 5.22 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and opponents are batting .302 while scoring five-plus runs in nine games (83 runs total). The starting rotation has given up 41 runs and 66 hits over 54.1 IP during the last 12 games, with five starts of 4.0 or fewer innings...Prior to June 18, the team had a +89 run differential for the season, but it is -20 over the last 16 games.

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