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OKC Dodgers Game Notes - June 18, 2019

June 18, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Baseball Club News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (29-40) vs. El Paso Chihuahuas (43-27)

Game #70 of 140/Road #40 of 70 (19-20)

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Dennis Santana (2-4, 5.60) vs. ELP-LHP Jerry Keel (5-2, 6.30)

Tuesday, June 18, 2019 | Southwest University Park | El Paso, Texas | 8:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio - Alex Freedman

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers close out their seven-game road trip with an 8:05 p.m. game against the El Paso Chihuahuas at Southwest University Park. Tonight's game is part of MiLB's Copa de la DiversiÃ"n, and the Dodgers will take the field as Cielo Azul de Oklahoma City against the El Paso Margaritas...OKC leads the current series, 2-1, and has won 10 of its last 11 road games.

Last Game: A key two-run double by Connor Joe and go-ahead home run by Will Smith paired with a great effort from the pitching staff led to a 3-2 win for the Dodgers over El Paso Monday night at Southwest University Park. The Dodgers trailed, 2-0, entering the seventh inning. With runners at the corners and one out, OKC relief pitcher Josh Sborz laid down what appeared to be a successful squeeze bunt, but he was called out for running too far inside the baseline. But the Dodgers were able to pull even when Joe sent a game-tying double to left-center field. Smith then led off the eighth inning with a homer onto the walkway above the grass seating in left field, giving the Dodgers their first lead. Still leading by one run in the bottom of the ninth, Zac Rosscup retired the side in order, including a pair of strikeouts, to seal the win and earn his first save. The Chihuahuas led for most of the night and got on the board first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Following the second run, Dodgers starting pitcher Mitchell White retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced. The OKC pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts and no walks and held El Paso without a home run for just the third time in 35 home games this season. Sborz (2-3) retired six of seven batters between the sixth and seventh innings to earn the win. Chihuahuas reliever Andres Munoz (2-2) gave up Smith's homer and took the loss.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Dennis Santana (2-4) makes his team-leading 11th start of the season tonight for the Dodgers, looking for his third win in four starts...Santana picked up the win in his last start June 13 at Albuquerque, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings, although he allowed four hits and a season-high five walks. Despite the heavy traffic on the basepaths, he kept the Isotopes 2-for-15 with runners on and 1-for-11 with RISP. He combined with four relievers in the Dodgers' 10-0 shutout win, marking the team's first shutout in Albuquerque since 2005...Santana has held opponents to two earned runs or less in five of his first 10 starts with OKC this season...He enters today with 55 strikeouts over 45.0 IP, equating an average of 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings...Santana started the season with OKC, but was recalled April 7 by Los Angeles. He made three appearances out of the LAD bullpen and allowed a total of four runs and six hits over 5.0 IP with four walks and six K's. He was optioned back to OKC April 14...Santana began the 2018 season with Double-A Tulsa before making his first career start with OKC May 19, 2018 and his Major League debut on June 1. However, a right rotator cuff strain sent him to the 60-day Disabled List June 9...Santana entered 2019 ranked as the Dodgers' No. 7 prospect, according to Baseball America...He originally signed as a shortstop as an international free agent in March 2013 at the age of 16 out of the Dominican Republic and converted to pitching in 2014...Tonight is his first career appearance against El Paso.

Against the Chihuahuas: 2019: 2-1 2018: 1-3 All-time: 14-9 At ELP: 7-4 The Dodgers return to Southwest University Park for the first time since 2017, as they meet El Paso for the lone series of the season. OKC enters tonight having won five of their last six games in El Paso...The Chihuahuas won the 2018 series in OKC, 3-1. The Dodgers were held to two runs or less in each of the four games, as El Paso outscored OKC, 14-7, and the Dodgers' offense was held to a .197 batting average...Prior to El Paso winning last season's series, the Dodgers had won or split the previous four season series between the teams after Tucson's franchise relocated to El Paso for the 2014 season...Dodgers catcher Rocky Gale and pitcher Kevin Quackenbush each spent parts of four seasons playing for El Paso (2014-17). Gale logged 326 career games as a Chihuahua, while Quackenbush made 53 relief appearances. Shane Peterson spent all of 2018 with the Chihuahuas, batting .286 with 11 homers, 31 doubles and 74 RBI over 126 games.

Road Map: The Dodgers have won 10 of their last 11 road games and seek a third straight road series victory tonight. OKC last won three straight road series during the same season in 2016 (@ NAS, 4-0, June 30-July 3; @ NO, 3-1, June 17-20; @ RR, 3-1, June 4-7)...This season, OKC put together a nine-game road winning streak May 29-June 15 for the team's longest road winning streak since OKC re-joined the PCL in 1998. The stretch included back-to-back road series sweeps for the first time in team history...During the last 11 road games, the Dodgers have outscored their opponents, 92-44. OKC is batting .306 (121x391) with 51 extra-base hits, 21 home runs and is hitting .322 (37x115) with runners in scoring position. The pitching staff has allowed three or fewer runs in seven of 11 games, including two or fewer runs five times

Nod Ya Head: Will Smith has homered in each of his last five games, accomplishing the feat for the first time in his career after homering in four consecutive games twice last season with Double-A Tulsa. He now leads OKC with 13 home runs this season...Smith went 2-for-5 last night, including a double. Since his return to OKC after his first career Major League action, Smith is 10-for-33 with nine RBI in nine games. He ranks second among Dodgers players with 37 RBI total this season and is tied for the team lead with 30 walks.

I Came in Like a Rek-ing Ball: Zach Reks extended his hitting streak to 11 games last night - the longest of his career and the longest streak by an OKC Dodgers player this season. During the hit streak, Reks is 20-for-48 (.417) with seven multi-hit games and six homers. He has at least one RBI in nine of his last 11 games (19 total) and has driven in at least two runs in seven of the last nine games (17 total)...Reks has also hit safely in 15 straight starts, going 26-for-67 (.388) with seven home runs, six doubles and 24 RBI... Reks leads all Dodgers minor leaguers with 18 total homers and 52 total RBI between OKC and Double-A Tulsa over 62 games.

Going Streaking: Cameron Perkins went 2-for-4 with a double last night to extend his season-best hitting streak to nine games (12x31, HR, 3B, 2 2B, 7 R, 2 RBI). During the current road trip, Perkins is batting .409 (9x22) with four extra-base hits and seven runs scored...Errol Robinson also extended his season-best hitting streak to nine games last night (9x34, HR, 2 2B, 6 R).

Cielo Azul de Oklahoma City: Tonight the Dodgers will play their first of nine total games this season as Cielo Azul de Oklahoma City. Last season the team was one of five finalists for MiLB's inaugural Copa de la DiversiÃ"n. The name Cielo Azul - translated to "Blue Sky" - was derived from three key factors: Incorporating the color blue, a key component of the Dodgers; the vibrancy of Oklahoma's blue skies, and the breadth of the diversity of Hispanic/Latino culture that resides under them; and as a tribute to legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who looked to the sky during his windup...Cielo Azul will also take the field over the next four games in the upcoming home series against Memphis Música.

Around the Horn: The Dodgers' pitching staff notched 10 more strikeouts last night for the 34th double-digit strikeout game of the season. It was also just the second game with no walks this season (May 24 @ NO)...Rocky Gale has recorded a multi-hit outing in five straight starts, going 11-for-20 with four extra-base hits, including two home runs, seven RBI and four runs scored...Angelo Mora is 7-for-16 with two doubles and six RBI during the current road trip...Last night was the team's first win when scoring three or fewer runs since a 3-0 victory in Iowa on April 13 (Game 1).

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