PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 11, 2023

Published on May 11, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (24-11) at Round Rock Express (21-13)

Game #36 of 150/First Half #36 of 75/Road #21 of 75

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Bobby Miller (0-1, 7.20)/RHP William Cuevas (2-1, 5.24) vs. RR-RHP Cole Winn (1-3, 7.53)

Thursday, May 11, 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 have won back-to-back games for the first time in May and have won three of their last four games as they continue their series against the Round Rock Express at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Dell Diamond...The Dodgers own the best record in the PCL and have a 2.5-game lead ahead of second-place Round Rock after taking a 2-0 lead in the current series.

Last Game: For the second straight game, the Oklahoma City Dodgers scored four runs in the seventh inning to help win in comeback fashion, defeating the Round Rock Express, 6-4, Wednesday night at Dell Diamond. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the second inning with RBI singles by Patrick Mazeika and Bradley Zimmer. Round Rock tied the game with two runs in the third inning and then took a 4-2 lead when Josh Sale hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. The Express loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning before Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia struck out the next two batters to keep OKC within two runs. Each of the first three Dodgers reached base to start the seventh inning, including a RBI double by Bradley Zimmer. Two batters later, Yonny Hernández lined a two-run single to center field to put the Dodgers ahead, and Luke Williams added a RBI single to make it 6-4. The Express had the tying runs on base with one out in the ninth inning when Blaine Crim hit a ground ball toward third base. Hernández fielded the ball, stepped on third for the forceout and jumped off the base to throw to first base to complete a game-ending double play.

Today's Probable Pitchers: Bobby Miller is slated to make his third start of 2023...Miller last started May 5 on the road in El Paso, allowing seven runs (three earned) and five hits over 1.2 innings with two walks and two strikeouts and was charged with the loss in OKC's 7-4 defeat. The seven total runs allowed were a career high, as he only retired four of 13 batters and threw 54 pitches...He made his season debut against Sacramento April 29 and allowed one run and one hit over 3.1 innings with one walk and two strikeouts...Miller endured right shoulder soreness during Spring Training and did not appear in a Cactus League game, delaying the start to his season...He entered the 2023 ranked as the No. 2 prospect and top pitching prospect in the Dodgers farm system by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He was also rated as the No. 20 prospect overall by Baseball America and the No. 24 prospect overall by MLB Pipeline...Last season, Miller appeared in a total of 24 games (23 starts) with Double-A Tulsa and OKC, going 7-7 with a 4.25 ERA over 112.1 IP. He was promoted to Triple-A in August...He was selected to the 2022 All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium and started for the National League...Miller was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft (29th overall) out of the University of Louisville...Tonight is his second career appearance against Round Rock as he previously pitched Sept. 1, 2022 at Dell Diamond. He was charged with the loss in OKC's 2-0 rain-shortened shutout defeat despite allowing just two runs and two hits over 6.0 innings with one walk and a career-high 14 strikeouts to become just the third OKC pitcher since 1998 to have 14 or more K's in a game.

William Cuevas (2-1) is scheduled to piggyback Miller's start and make his sixth appearance...Cuevas last pitched May 3 in El Paso, starting and pitching 5.0 innings. He allowed three runs and five hits, including two home runs, along with two walks and four strikeouts in a no decision...Cuevas was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week for April 24-30 by Minor League Baseball. During Game 2 of the Dodgers' April 27 doubleheader against the Sacramento River Cats, he pitched 5.0 scoreless innings and allowed one hit and hit one batter as the Dodgers went on to a 1-0 victory. He recorded five strikeouts while retiring 15 of 17 batters faced...Cuevas spent parts of the 2022 season playing in Korea and Mexico, appearing in two games with the KT Wiz in the Korea Baseball Organization and one start for the Diablos Rojos del México in la Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. He missed most of the season due to an elbow injury...His most recent Major League appearance was Sept. 28, 2018 with the Boston Red Sox...The native of Caracas, Venezuela made his MLB debut April 28, 2016 with Boston against the Yankees and originally signed with Boston as a free agent June 2, 2009...This is his second career appearance against the Express and first since the 2017 season when he was with New Orleans.

Against the Express: 2023: 2-0 2022: 16-14 All-time: 164-135 At RR: 89-68

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 season series between the teams, going 16-14 against the Express in 2022. 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 24-11 record and their 24 wins are second-most in all of Triple-A, trailing only Norfolk's 25 wins (25-8)...Their 24 wins through 35 games are tied for the most wins by an OKC team through 35 games in the Bricktown era (since 1998). The 2018 and 2015 Dodgers also started 24-11. Only the 2015 Dodgers improved to 25-11 through 36 games, while all other OKC teams since 1998 had at least 12 losses through 36 games...After a 20-6 start however, the Dodgers then lost four of their next five games, including their longest losing streak of the season at three games and their first series loss of the season in El Paso. The Dodgers have since rebounded with wins in three of the last four games.

Down But Not Out: Last night, the Dodgers won for a second consecutive game when trailing after six innings and have now won eight times this season when trailing after six innings. They have trailed during some point of the game in 16 of their 24 wins, including eight wins after trailing by at least two runs. They have trailed at some point during each of their last six wins, and in their last four wins combined, they have scored a total of three runs through six innings, but 15 runs between the seventh through ninth innings...Last night was also OKC's 16th game of the season decided by one or two runs and the Dodgers improved to 14-2 in those tight games...During the previous series in El Paso, four of the six games were decided in the eighth inning or later...Ten total games this season have been decided in a final at-bat (OKC - 7; Opp. - 3), and the Dodgers are 10-1 in one-run games this season.

Power Switch: The Dodgers were held without a home run Wednesday night after homering in a season-high four straight games and have now been held without a home run in 11 of their last 17 games. OKC's six home runs since April 21 are the fewest in Triple-A and tied for fifth-fewest in all of the Minors during the span. The Dodgers have not hit more than one home run in a game since April 20 (17 games). Prior to April 21, the Dodgers hit 25 homers through their first 18 games...On the other hand, the Dodgers allowed a home run in the fourth inning last night and have now allowed a homer in a season-high 10 straight games (16 HR). The last time OKC allowed a home run in more than 10 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 - and the Express have homered in each of the first two games of the current series...OKC has given up 54 home runs through 35 games, which are tied for the most in the Minors with Triple-A Syracuse. Last season, the team did not allow its 54th home run until its 55th game of the season June 7 against Sugar Land...Over the last 29 games (44 HR), 72 of the 140 total runs allowed (51.4 percent) have scored via home runs, including three of Round Rock's five runs so far this series.

Holding It Down: Relievers Alex Vesia, Andre Jackson and Taylor Scott combined for 4.0 scoreless innings last night with three hits, three walks and seven strikeouts. Over the last five games, the OKC bullpen has allowed two runs and 12 hits over 24.1 innings, holding opponents 12-for-80 (.150) with 30 strikeouts. Wednesday marked the ninth time this season the bullpen threw 4.0 or more scoreless innings in one game...Overall, OKC's 150 walks allowed so far in 2023 are fewest in the PCL and the team's .241 opponent average is lowest in the league. OKC's 277 hits allowed, 179 runs allowed and 4.78 ERA are all second-lowest in the PCL. Round Rock leads all PCL pitching staffs in hits (276), runs (155) and ERA (4.03).

What a Mighty Good Mann: Devin Mann picked up a hit, walk and scored two runs Wednesday as he extended his hitting streak to six games - the longest active streak for an OKC player. He has also reached base safely in seven consecutive games. During the hitting streak, Mann is 7-for-20 with five extra-base hits and five RBI...Mann paces the Minors with 19 doubles and he has 16 doubles in his last 20 games, while hitting safely in 17 of the 20 games, going 23-for-68 (.338) with 14 RBI and 13 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's doubles total leads the Minors by five. Mann's 20 extra-base hits are tied for third in the PCL...Last season, Mann finished with 21 total doubles (118 games) in Double-A (16) and Triple-A (5) and his career-high mark for doubles in a season is 27 (110 games) with Tulsa in 2021...This is the first time he has gone consecutive games without hitting a double since April 14.

Two True Outcomes: The Dodgers' 358 strikeouts are second-most in the league, as are their 200 walks. Those two outcomes have accounted for an astounding 40.7 percent of their plate appearances this season...Last night the Dodgers struck out nine times, snapping a season-high stretch of seven straight games with double-digit strikeouts, but now have 92 strikeouts over the last eight games...The Dodgers have drawn at least five walks in nine of their last 11 games (68 BB), including four games with seven or more walks.

Around the Horn: Yonny Hernández reached base three times Wednesday with a single and two walks and collected his fifth multi-RBI game of the season, putting the Dodgers ahead for good with a two-run single in the seventh inning. He has reached base in eight straight games and in 19 of his 20 games this season...Bradley Zimmer had a game-high three hits yesterday, tying his season high. Zimmer reached base four times with a double, two singles and was hit by a pitch. He also had two RBI, scored one run and picked up his team-leading eighth stolen base of the season.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 11, 2023


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