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PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - June 26, 2021

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


Oklahoma City Dodgers (23-21) at Sugar Land Skeeters (25-18)

Game #45 of 120/Road #27 of 60

Pitching Probables: OKC-LHP Mike Kickham (0-1, 3.42) vs. SUG-RHP Peter Solomon (2-0, 6.60)

Saturday, June 26, 2021 | Constellation Field | Sugar Land, Texas | 6:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers have won three straight games as well as eight of their last nine games as they continue their road series against the Sugar Land Skeeters at 6:05 p.m. at Constellation Field. The Dodgers lead the series against the East Division-leading Skeeters, 2-0...With last night's win, OKC improved to 7-1 on their current road trip, with the only loss by one run in extra innings...OKC is now 12-3 over the last 15 road games, including 11-2 in the last 13 games.

Last Game: Keibert Ruiz delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference as the Oklahoma City Dodgers edged the Sugar Land Skeeters, 2-1, Friday night at Constellation Field. The Dodgers scored in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Cristian Santana. The Skeeters had plenty of chances to score within the first two innings, but left five runners on base and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Sugar Land broke through to tie the game in the fifth inning, when Jake Meyers hit a RBI single. The Skeeters still had runners at first and second base with none out following Meyers' hit, but Dodgers pitcher Edwin Uceta retired the next three batters to keep the game tied. Still knotted 1-1 in the seventh inning, the Dodgers put the first two runners on base before Ruiz lined a RBI single to put OKC ahead. The Skeeters only had one batter reach base after the Dodgers took the lead, and Kevin Quackenbush closed out the game by striking out all three batters in the ninth inning.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Mike Kickham (0-1) makes his sixth start of 2021 with OKC tonight...He most recently pitched June 20 in Round Rock and made his first start since May 27. He delivered four solid innings, allowing one run and three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts in a no decision...Over his last four outings going back to May 27, Kickham has given up only one run in 13.0 innings and allowed 11 hits during that span, with the lone run scoring on a solo home run. He's also notched 10 strikeouts against just three walks...Kickham missed about two weeks of action between late May and early June while dealing with a blister on his left index finger...This season opponents are batting just .125 (5x40) with runners on base against him, including 1-for-18 with RISP...Kickham signed with the Dodgers as a minor league free agent Jan. 8 and made four appearances for the team during Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Shortly before OKC's season started, he had his contract selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers and threw the final two innings of the team's 16-4 win Milwaukee on May 2...Kickham spent the 2020 season in the Boston Red Sox organization and made six appearances (two starts) for the Red Sox after having his contract selected from the Alternate Training Site Aug. 31. It was his first ML action since 2014. He picked up his first ML win after throwing 2.0 scoreless innings Sept. 5 against Toronto and recorded a career high eight K's against Tampa Bay Sept. 10...He is in his 12th pro season after he was selected by San Francisco in the sixth round of the 2010 MLB Draft from Missouri State University...Tonight marks Kickham's first career appearance against the Skeeters.

Against the Skeeters: 2021: 6-2 2019: N/A All-time: 6-2 At SUG: 2-0

The Dodgers and Skeeters are meeting for their second series of the season and first at Constellation Field...The teams faced off June 3-8 in OKC at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for their first-ever series, which the Dodgers won, 4-2. Zach Reks and Rangel Ravelo each led OKC with seven hits, with Ravelo hitting three homers and finishing with a team-high eight RBI. Luke Raley also recorded seven RBI over five games as OKC outscored the Skeeters, 38-21...Triple-A newcomer Sugar Land was previously an independent team and is now the top affiliate of the Houston Astros. The team was established in 2012 and is one of three previously independent teams to become affiliated in 2021 along with the St. Paul Saints (Triple-A East; Twins) and Somerset Patriots (Double-A Northeast; Yankees)...Sugar Land leads the East Division of Triple-A West a 25-18 record and is 12-7 at home this season. The Skeeters' +51 run differential is best in the division and second-highest in the league. The team's .288 batting average is second-best in all of Triple-A while their pitching staff's 4.39 ERA leads Triple-A West, and they have allowed a league-low 199 runs so far in 2021...Skeeters manager Mickey Storey pitched for OKC in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Over the Hump: The Dodgers own a winning record for the first time since the end of the 2018 season and are now 23-21. After starting 2021 with a 4-13 record, the team has gone 19-8 since, including 14-7 in June. Since this current run began May 25, the Dodgers own the best record in Triple-A West...The Dodgers are now 2.5 games behind first-place Sugar Land for the East Division lead, marking the closest they've been out of first place since May 7 when they were 2.0 games back two games into the season...The Dodgers are 8-1 in the last nine games, and excluding the bottom of the 11th inning in their only loss, the team has trailed for only two half-innings across the nine games.

Pitching Plaudits: Last night marked 16th time in the last 22 games the Dodgers allowed four or fewer runs in a game, and over the last nine games, they've allowed three or fewer earned runs seven times. The Dodgers also allowed two or fewer runs for the fourth time in eight games during the current road trip, and it was also the third time in eight meetings with the Skeeters this season the Dodgers yielded just one run...Last night the OKC pitching staff did not allow an extra-base hit for a second consecutive game and for the fifth time in the last 13 games...The OKC pitching staff leads Triple-A West with a 3.67 ERA in June - over 1.5 runs lower than second-place Round Rock (5.20).

Dinger Details: The Dodgers' season-high streak of 10 straight games with a home run came to an end Friday night. The Dodgers had hit 18 homers during the 10-game stretch and have only been held without a homer twice in the last 17 games (27 HR). They have hit 51 home runs in their last 32 games, including 25 in the last 15 games. In contrast, the Dodgers hit just 11 homers over the first 12 games of 2021...Only once this season have the Dodgers been kept without a home run in consecutive games (May 11 and 13)...Meanwhile, the Dodgers have held Sugar Land without a homer in back-to-back games and have now kept am opponent without a homer nine times in the last 14 games. Opponents have been held without a homer in 12 of the last 20 games after they had gone deep at least once in 22 of the first 24 games (42 HR)...The Dodgers have allowed just 13 home runs over 21 games in June. The next lowest total in Triple-A West is 27 (Round Rock)...Last night was just the third time in 44 games neither team hit a home run.

Ruiz-y Peaz-y: Keibert Ruiz has back-to-back multi-hit games, going 4-for-7 with three walks, one RBI and one run scored over OKC's first two games in Sugar Land. He has reached base at least three times in both games after entering the series on a 0-for-12 slide - the first time he had gone hitless in three straight starts since June 18-22, 2019 with Double-A Tulsa (four games)...Ruiz paces the Dodgers with 15 RBI and six homers in June, while his 15 runs scored are second-most and his 19 hits third-most among OKC players this month...Between OKC and his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, Ruiz has hit nine homers and 10 doubles in 130 total plate appearances (34 games). During his last full season in 2019, Ruiz hit nine doubles and six homers between OKC and Double-A Tulsa over 350 plate appearances (85 games).

Reks in Effect: Zach Reks boosted his current hitting streak to seven games, going 1-for-5 last night, tying his longest hitting streak of the season. Reks is 11-for-33 during the streak with six extra-base hits, and over his last eight starts with OKC, Reks is 13-for-38 (.342) with five multi-hit games, five doubles, two homers and five RBI...Reks leads OKC with 44 hits, 14 doubles, 33 runs scored and is tied for the team lead with 20 walks, and he has reached base in 33 of his 34 starts - including the last 19 straight. His 14 doubles are tied for fourth in Triple-A West, while his.429 OBP is fifth, his 33 runs are tied for fifth, his .331 AVG is sixth, his 1.001 OPS is 10th and his 20 extra-base hits are tied for 10th...Reks batted third last night, but is slashing .339/.456/.607 with 11 extra-base hits, nine RBI and 15 runs over 14 games when batting in the leadoff spot, and the Dodgers are 11-3 in those games.

Luke Uses the Force: Luke Raley had Friday night off, but added to his team-leading RBI total Thursday, lacing a RBI single in the top of the ninth inning. He paces the Dodgers with 36 RBI and nine homers despite playing in just 25 of the team's 44 games this season. His 36 RBI are sixth-most in Triple-A West while his homers are tied for 10th-most in the league. Since May 23, Raley leads Triple-A with 35 RBI and ranks third overall in all of the Minors...Over his last 18 starts with OKC, Raley is 25-for-67 (.373) with five doubles, two triples, seven homers, 33 RBI and 22 runs scored.

Duck Call to the Bullpen: Kevin Quackenbush struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning last night to improve to 8-for-8 in save chances. He's now thrown 16.2 innings this season and has not allowed an earned run while holding opponents to a .158 batting average (9x57). Quackenbush's eight saves lead Triple-A West...Friday marked only the team's third one-run win of the season and the first time they carried a one-run lead into an opponent's final at-bat.

It Takes Two: The Dodgers scored just two runs last night, snapping a streak of 24 consecutive nine-inning games with at least three runs. With only one double, last night also ended a streak of 26 consecutive games overall with at least two extra-base hits. The previous time that both occurred was May 24 at Albuquerque during a 9-2 loss...The two runs were also the fewest scored by OKC in a win this season and the first time the team won a game while scoring less than four runs.

Around the Horn: The Dodgers have won the first two games in a fourth consecutive series, but only once in the previous three series were they able to start 3-0...The Dodgers have scored in the first or second inning in eight straight games, accumulating 15 runs...After posting a -49 run differential over the first 13 games (3-10), the Dodgers have a +76 run differential over their last 31 games (20-11)...In the eighth game of his Major League Rehab Assignment, Yoshi Tsutsugo went 0-for-4. Overall with OKC, he is 3-for-30 with two homers, four RBI, five walks and three runs scored...Matt Davidson has back-to-back multi-hit games, going 4-for-9 with a home run...The Dodgers have committed three errors over the first two games of the current series after not committing an error over a season-best five straight games...Despite the 2-1 final score, last night's game lasted 3 hours, 35 minutes - OKC's 16th game of the season to extend beyond 3 hours, 30 minutes.

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