OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 10, 2023
Published on May 10, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Dodgers (23-11) at Round Rock Express (21-12)
Game #35 of 150/First Half #35 of 75/Road #20 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Dylan Covey (1-0, 3.67) vs. RR-LHP Lucas Jacobsen (2-0, 4.91)
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 | Dell Diamond | Round Rock, Texas | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers look to take a 2-0 lead in their series against the Round Rock Express when the PCL's top two teams continue their series at 7:05 p.m. at Dell Diamond. The Dodgers own the best record in the PCL and have a 1.5-game lead ahead of second-place Round Rock after a win last night.
Last Game: David Freitas hit a key grand slam in the seventh inning to propel the Oklahoma City Dodgers past the Round Rock Express, 4-1, Tuesday night at Dell Diamond. The Express got out to an early lead with a solo home run by Justin Foscue in the first inning, but the OKC pitching staff would not give up another run for the rest of the game. The Dodgers couldn't get much going on offense for the majority of the game until a double and two walks loaded the bases for Freitas in the seventh. Playing in his first game this season, Freitas launched a full count pitch over the left field wall to give the Dodgers the lead. The OKC bullpen then kept Round Rock off the scoreboard to seal the victory in the series opener. OKC starting pitcher Gavin Stone allowed one run and two hits over 5.1 innings during his first start back with the team after making his Major League debut.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Dylan Covey (1-0) makes his seventh appearance and sixth start of 2023 tonight...In his last start May 4 in El Paso, Covey allowed one run over 5.0 innings - tying his season-long outing. He allowed five hits with one walk and five strikeouts and did not factor into the decision of OKC's 8-2 defeat...Over his last four games, Covey has allowed just three earned runs and 14 hits over 18.2 innings. He has allowed one run or less in three of the four games and during the stretch is holding opponents to a .197 batting average while posting a 1.12 WHIP...On April 29, Covey piggybacked Bobby Miller's start and entered the game in the fifth inning. He pitched 4.0 scoreless innings with two hits, two walks and three strikeouts and was credited with the win in OKC's 5-1 victory. He retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced...His 3.67 ERA is lowest among OKC's starting pitchers this season...Covey signed with the Dodgers as a free agent Jan. 30 after spending the 2022 season with the Rakuten Monkeys of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball, posting a 13-6 record with a 3.47 ERA and 100 K's in 23 starts. He led the team in wins and ranked second in innings (140.0 IP), starts and strikeouts...Covey originally signed with Oakland after being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the University of San Diego...He made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2017 and most recently appeared in a MLB game during the 2020 season with the Boston Red Sox...Covey last pitched in Triple-A during the 2019 season with Charlotte and this is his first career appearance against Round Rock.
Against the Express: 2023: 1-0 2022: 16-14 All-time: 163-135 At RR: 88-68
After playing one another 30 times during the 2022 season and 29 times during the 2021 season, the Dodgers and Express meet for just three six-game series in 2023 and this is the lone series between the teams during the first half of the season as well as the only series in Round Rock. The teams next meet in August and September at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The Dodgers have won back-to-back seasons series between the teams, going 16-14 against the Express last season. After OKC went 12-6 through the first 18 games, the Express went 8-4 over the final 12 games, with half of those wins in games they trailed in the seventh inning or later. The Dodgers went 10-8 at Dell Diamond and started 9-4 before losing four of their final five games...The teams had a wild first series in Round Rock May 10-15, 2022, which OKC won, 4-2. OKC recorded its largest shutout win in the team's Bricktown era (since 1998) with a 19-0 victory May 12 and Yefry Ramírez became the first OKC Dodger and first pitcher throughout the entire PCL to throw a nine-inning shutout since 2018. In the series finale May 15, OKC lost a game when scoring at least 13 runs for the first time since 2007, as Round Rock won, 14-13...On Aug. 14, 2022 against the Express in OKC, the Dodgers won, 20-3, scoring 20 runs for the sixth time in team's Bricktown era (since 1998), and it was the most runs scored by the team at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark since 2013...The Dodgers outscored the Express, 193-144, last season, while the Express had a 35-34 edge in home runs.
Peaks and Valleys: The Dodgers lead the PCL with a 23-11 record and their 23 wins are second-most in all of Triple-A, trailing only Norfolk's 25 wins (25-8)...Their 23 wins through 34 games are tied for second-most by an OKC team through 34 games in the Bricktown era (since 1998). Only the 2018 team had more wins, going 24-10, while the 2015 team also started 23-11. Both the 2018 and 2015 teams then went 24-11 through 35 games...After a 20-6 start however, the Dodgers have lost five of their last eight games as well as four of the last six games. With Sunday's defeat in El Paso, the Dodgers lost their first series of 2023. OKC entered the El Paso series having won each of their first five series of the season, but OKC lost four of the final five games in El Paso for the Chihuahuas' series victory.
Power Switch: The Dodgers have homered in a season-high four straight games (4 HR) after being held without a home run in eight of their previous nine games. The Dodgers have not hit more than one home run in a game since April 20 (16 games) and OKC's six home runs since April 21 are the fewest in Triple-A. Prior to April 21, the Dodgers hit 25 home runs through their first 18 games...On the other hand, the Dodgers allowed a home run in the first inning last night and have now allowed a homer in a season-high nine straight games (15 HR). The last time OKC allowed a home run in more than eight straight games was during a 14-game span Sept. 9-24, 2022 (20 HR). El Paso hit 12 home runs during OKC's last six-game series - the most homers allowed by the Dodgers in a series this season...OKC has given up 53 home runs through 34 games, which are second-most in the Minors behind with Syracuse's 54 homers allowed. Last season, the team did not allow its 53rd home run until its 55th game of the season June 7 against Sugar Land...Opponents have bopped 15 home runs over the last nine games after the Dodgers allowed three homers over the preceding six games. They've given up 12 dingers over the last six games, with opponents going deep two or more times in four of the six games...Over the last 28 games (43 HR), 70 of the 136 total runs allowed (51.5 percent) have scored via home runs, including Round Rock's lone run Tuesday...Sunday's game marked the seventh time already this season the Dodgers have allowed three or more homers in a game. Their seventh game allowing three-plus homers in 2022 didn't occur until July 3 in Game 78.
Welcome Bat: David Freitas made his season debut for the Dodgers Tuesday after being reinstated from the Development List and connected on the team's first grand slam of the season with one out in the seventh inning. It was his third career grand slam and first since June 23, 2019 for Triple-A San Antonio in Omaha, which was a go-ahead blast in the 13th inning of a 12-9 win by the Missions. His first career grand slam was May 5, 2011 with the Low-A Hagerstown Suns of Washington Nationals organization, and that game also featured a two-run homer by a youngster named Bryce Harper...The 2022 Dodgers hit seven grand slams with their first of the season coming off the bat of Ryan Noda May 5 in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Albuquerque in OKC.
Holding It Down: Last night the OKC pitching staff allowed two or fewer runs for the 11th time overall, for the third time in the last seven games and second time in the last three games. Tuesday also was the fifth time they have allowed one or no runs this season. OKC improved to 12-0 when allowing three runs or less this season, and following Round Rock's first-inning home run, four OKC pitchers held the Express scoreless over the final eight frames...Starting pitcher Gavin Stone allowed just one run on two hits with four walks and four strikeouts while throwing a season-high 5.1 innings and 91 pitches. In his last six Triple-A games, Stone has allowed a total of eight runs and 16 hits over 27.1 innings (2.63 ERA) while holding opponents to a .165 batting average (16-for-97)...Relievers Tyler Cyr, Bryan Hudson and Nick Robertson combined for 3.2 scoreless innings with three hits, no walks and four strikeouts. Over the last four games, the OKC bullpen has allowed two runs and nine hits over 20.1 innings, holding opponents 9-for-66 (.136) with 23 strikeouts...OKC's 143 walks allowed so far in 2023 are fewest in the PCL, while the team's 269 hits allowed are tied with Round Rock for fewest in the PCL, and OKC's 175 runs allowed are second-fewest in the league.
What a Mighty Good Mann: Devin Mann picked up a hit last night and drew a walk as he extended his hitting streak to five games - the longest active hitting streak for an OKC player. However, his stretch of four straight games with a double came to a close Tuesday. Mann paces the Minors with 19 doubles this season and he has 16 doubles in his last 19 games, while hitting safely in 16 of the 19 games, going 22-for-65 (.338) with 14 RBI and 11 runs scored...Mann and Matt Chapman (17) of the Toronto Blue Jays are the only two players to have more than 14 doubles in the Minors or Majors, and Mann leads the Minors in doubles by five. Mann's 20 extra-base hits are tied for second in the PCL and tied for fifth overall in the Minors...Last season, Mann finished with 21 total doubles over 118 games in Double-A (16) and Triple-A (5) and his career-high mark for doubles in a season is 27 over 110 games with Tulsa in 2021.
Down but Not Out: Last night marked the Dodgers' seventh win when trailing after six innings this season. The team has trailed during some point of the game in 15 of their 23 wins, including seven wins after trailing by at least two runs. They have trailed at some point during each of their last five wins, and in their last three wins combined, they scored a grand total of one run through six innings, but 11 runs between the seventh through ninth innings.
Two True Outcomes: Fourteen of the Dodgers' 38 plate appearances Tuesday ended in a strikeout (10) or walk (4). The Dodgers lead the PCL with 349 strikeouts this season, while the team's 194 walks are second-most in the league, and an astounding 40.8 percent of their plate appearances this season have ended in one of those outcomes...The Dodgers have struck out at least 10 times in seven straight games (83 K) for their longest double-digit strikeout streak of the season. The Dodgers last struck out 10 or more times in more than seven straight games as part of an eight-game stretch May 26-June 3, 2022 (106 K)...On the other hand, the Dodgers have drawn at least five walks in eight of their last 10 games (62 BB), including four games with seven or more walks. Although they have drawn 32 walks over the last six games, they have converted only five of those walks into a run.
Around the Horn: With Tuesday's victory, the Dodgers have won five of their last six series openers, including the last three in a row. After winning a series opener, the Dodgers are 2-2 in Game 2 this season...OKC has eight or more hits in four straight games after being held to six hits or less in the previous seven games. The Dodgers' 282 hits so far this season are second-fewest in the PCL...The Dodgers have been caught stealing in each of their last five attempts while opponents have been successful in 14 of their last 15 attempts.
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 10, 2023
- Express Can't Dodge 6-4 Loss to Oklahoma City - Round Rock Express
- Sacramento Slugs Three Homers Once Again, Downs Salt Lake 6-5 - Sacramento River Cats
- Bees Fall to River Cats 6-5 - Salt Lake Bees
- Late Rally Falls Short in 4-3 Sugar Land Loss - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (DH, 5:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Homers Propel Chihuahuas over Sugar Land - El Paso Chihuahuas
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 10, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- River Cats Take Series Opener - Salt Lake Bees
- Valdez, Serven Lift Isotopes to 9-3 Win Over Aviators - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Three Blasts Highlight Offensive Explosion in 9-2 Win - Sacramento River Cats
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