PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 14, 2018

Published on May 14, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (24-11) vs. Colorado Springs Sky Sox (23-13)

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Game #36 of 140/Road #16 of 70 (7-8)

Pitching Probables: OKC-LHP Manny Bañuelos (4-1, 2.83) vs. COS-RHP Bubba Derby (1-1, 3.50)

Monday, May 14, 2018 | Security Service Field | Colorado Springs, Colo. | 7:40 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers continue their road series and meet the Colorado Springs Sky Sox for the third time in their four-game set at 7:40 p.m. Central time at Security Service Field. The Dodgers have lost back-to-back games and four of their last five road games -- each by one run. The Dodgers have also lost five of their last seven games overall.

Last Game: A stretch of four unanswered runs by Colorado Springs in the middle innings helped the Sky Sox overcome an early two-run deficit, sending the Dodgers to a 4-3 defeat Sunday afternoon at Security Service Field. The Dodgers had scored twice between the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead, with Rocky Gale and Kyle Garlick each collecting a two-out RBI double. The Sky Sox tied the game in the third inning, pulling even with a RBI groundout by Nate Orf and a two-out RBI single by Kyle Wren. Following a triple by Travis Taijeron with one out in the fourth inning, the Sky Sox pitching staff retired 14 of the next 15 Dodgers hitters. In the sixth inning, Brett Phillips hit a one-out infield single, advanced to third base when OKC second baseman Donovan Solano committed a two-base throwing error and then scored on a bloop RBI single by Tyler Heineman. Tyrone Taylor added to the Sky Sox lead in the eighth inning with a solo home run. The Dodgers scored once in the ninth and had the tying run at second base when the game ended. Dodgers starting pitcher Guillermo Moscoso had a solid outing, but ended up with the loss. Moscoso (1-2) allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits over six innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. Sky Sox reliever Jon Perrin (2-0) picked up the win, and Jacob Barnes earned his first save since being optioned to Colorado Springs.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Lefty Manny Bañuelos (4-1) tries for his team-leading fifth win tonight when he takes the mound for his team-high eighth start of 2018...Bañuelos was pegged with his first loss of the season May 9 against Memphis. He allowed a season-high five runs and eight hits over 5.0 IP, issuing one walk with four strikeouts. Prior to that outing, Bañuelos had allowed five runs in his previous five starts combined...His 2.83 ERA ranks 10th in the PCL, while his 1.09 WHIP ranks seventh...Bañuelos allowed just six earned runs over his first six starts (30.0 IP)...Left-handed batters are just 2-for-22 against him this season...He signed with the Dodgers as a free agent Nov. 14, 2017 after spending 2017 with Triple-A Salt Lake in the Los Angeles Angels organization...Bañuelos appeared in a team-leading 39 games (nine starts) with Salt Lake, pitching 95.0 innings to a record of 5-6, a 4.93 ERA and 85 K's...Bañuelos has appeared in seven career ML games (six starts), all with Atlanta in 2015...Tonight is Bañuelos' third career appearance against the Sky Sox and second start of 2018. He earned the win May 4 in OKC after pitching five shutout innings, allowing four hits and a season-high three walks with five strikeouts. At the plate, he hit a bases-clearing double in the second inning to notch his first career RBIs.

Against the Sky Sox: 2018: 3-3 2017: 4-12 All-time: 101-85 At COS: 39-51

After the Dodgers won the first three meetings this season, the Sky Sox have taken the last three...The Dodgers won the first series, 3-1, May 4-7 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers outscored the Sky Sox, 15-9, led by Jake Peter, who went 6-for-16 with four RBI and three runs scored. The Sky Sox were held to a .218 average and five total extra-base hits...Colorado Springs won 12 of 16 meetings last season, taking three of four games in each of the four series. The Sky Sox collected more than eight wins in a season against OKC for the first time since the teams started playing in 1998. It was also just the second time in OKC's modern PCL era the team lost 12 games in the same season against one opponent (6-12 vs. Nashville in 2007)...Colorado Springs outscored the Dodgers, 96-66, and outhit OKC, 161-139...Alex Verdugo led the Dodgers offense in the series, batting .408 over 14 games with a team-best 20 hits.

Rocky Mountain Low: The Dodgers have lost 11 of their last 13 games at Security Service Field, including eight of the last nine. Despite the ballpark's hitter-friendly reputation, the Dodgers have scored one or two runs in five of the last nine games, including of four the last six...In the team's last five losses at Security Service Field, the Dodgers have batted .212 (34x161), including 2-for-31 with runners in scoring position, with 10 extra-base hits and eight runs scored...The only time OKC has lost the first three games of a series in COS is Aug. 7-8, 2000 (DH on Aug. 8).

Out of the Gates: Despite losing back-to-back games, the Dodgers have won 24 of their first 35 games of 2018, tying the best overall record by an OKC team through 35 games since rejoining the PCL in 1998 (also in 2015). The Dodgers own the second-best winning percentage in the Minors (.686), trailing only Double-A San Antonio (Padres), which is 25-11 (.694). OKC is tied with Double-A Biloxi (Brewers), Low-A Delmarva (Orioles) and Low-A Kannapolis (White Sox) for the second-highest win total in the Minors.

DeFratus is DeGreatest Pitcher of the Week: Coming on the heels of his four-hit shutout Friday night against Memphis, Justin DeFratus was named PCL Pitcher of the Week earlier today. In his first career shutout, DeFratus threw just 89 pitches, including 64 strikes, and retired the side on nine or fewer pitches five times. It was the first nine-inning shutout by an Oklahoma City pitcher since Jake Buchanan May 20, 2014 at New Orleans and the first at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark since Luis Mendoza's no-hitter Aug. 14, 2009 against Salt Lake...DeFratus was also named the season's first Texas League Pitcher of the Week while he was with Double-A Tulsa. He is the first Dodger to win a weekly PCL honor this season and the first to take home PCL Pitcher of the Week since Wilmer Font got the nod for the week of July 10-16, 2017.

Bumps in the Road: With Sunday's loss, the Dodgers are now 7-8 in road games this season, including losses in six of the last eight. Of those eight defeats, seven have come by one or two runs, with the only exception being a 9-6 walk-off loss in 10 innings at Round Rock April 18. The last six road losses have been by a combined seven runs, including the last five straight each by one run...The Dodgers have been held to two or fewer runs four times over the last eight road games, with three games tallying one or no runs. Overall, the team is slashing .244/.307/.371 with 3.7 runs per game on the road compared to .310/.376/.484 with 5.8 runs per game at home, where the team is 17-3.

Rock Steady: Rocky Gale doubled Sunday, extending his hitting streak to 13 games and continuing the longest hitting streak by a Dodger this season. He is batting .420 (21x50) during the streak with six extra-base hits (3 HR) and nine RBI while raising his season average from .200 to .341. He's been even hotter over his last 10 games, going 19-for-38 with eight multi-hit outings...He has surpassed his 2017 homer total (3) with four homers through his first 18 games of 2018...Behind the plate, Gale leads the PCL with a 57.9 caught stealing percentage (11x19).

Growing Garlick: Kyle Garlick hit a RBI double in the third inning Sunday and has now hit safely in six straight games. Following a 2-for-21 start after his promotion to OKC, Garlick is 9-for-21 with five home runs and six RBI. He now paces the Dodgers with five homers, and his 10 total homers between OKC and Double-A Tulsa lead all Dodgers minor leaguers this season.

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