PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 14, 2023

Published on May 14, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (27-11) at Round Rock Express (21-16)

Game #39 of 150/First Half #39 of 75/Road #24 of 75

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP William Cuevas (2-1, 5.48) vs. RR-RHP Grant Anderson (1-0, 3.97)

Sunday, May 14, 2023 | Dell Diamond | Round Rock, Texas | 1:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers own a 5-0 lead in their series against the Round Rock Express and have the chance for their first-ever six-game series sweep when they close out their road trip at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Dell Diamond...The Dodgers have won five consecutive games, as well as six of the last seven games, and are in the midst of their longest winning stretch since a season-high seven-game streak April 22-30...The Dodgers own the best record in the PCL and have five more wins than second-place Reno.

Last Game: The OKC Dodgers scored two runs in the second inning and the pitching staff made it hold up for the rest of the game during a 2-1 victory over the Round Rock Express Saturday night at Dell Diamond. For the third time in five games in the current series, OKC held the Express to one or no runs. Starting pitcher Robbie Erlin allowed one run over the first five innings before Tyler Cyr, Andre Jackson and Nick Robertson combined to keep Round Rock scoreless and hitless over the final four innings. Following hits by Hunter Feduccia and Ryan Ward in the second inning, the Dodgers scored on a RBI groundout by Yonny Hernández and a RBI single by Steven Duggar. The Express scored its only run in the fifth inning with a solo homer by Sandro Fabian. While trying to extend their lead, the Dodgers left seven runners on base over the final three innings. However, Round Rock only had two runners reach base over the final four innings and never advanced the tying run into scoring position.

Today's Probable Pitcher: William Cuevas (2-1) is slated to make his seventh appearance and fifth start of the season with OKC...Cuevas pitched Thursday, following starter Bobby Miller, and threw two-thirds of an inning, facing four batters. He allowed two hits, including a home run, and recorded one strikeout...During his last start May 3 in El Paso, he pitched 5.0 innings, allowing 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 third career appearance against the Express and Thursday was his first since the 2017 season when he was with New Orleans.

Against the Express: 2023: 5-0 2022: 16-14 All-time: 167-135 At RR: 92-68

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.

Trending Up: The Dodgers lead the PCL with a 27-11 record and their 27 wins are second-most in all of Triple-A, trailing only Norfolk's 28 wins (28-9). Their 27 wins through 38 games are the most by an OKC team through 38 games in the Bricktown era (since 1998). No other OKC team since 1998 has had fewer than 12 losses through 38 games and no OKC team since 1998 has gone on to have fewer than 13 losses through 39 games...After a 20-6 start, 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. However, the Dodgers have since rebounded with wins in six of the last seven games and in five consecutive contests. OKC is now a season-best 16 games above .500, and the team has also won a season-best five straight road games.

Series Stories: The Dodgers have won the first five games of a series for the second time in the last three series - something the team had never accomplished prior to this season after beginning to play primarily six-game series starting in 2021. The Dodgers also won the first five games of their six-game series against Sacramento April 25-30 before losing the finale, which was Game 2 of a doubleheader. This is also the second time the Dodgers won five consecutive games at any point during the same series under the new format and just the sixth time they have won five total games in a series since 2021 (50 total six-game series)...Prior to this season, the only other time the Dodgers started a six-game series even by going 4-0 was June 17-20, 2021 in Round Rock, and the team has now done it three times in six of their six-game series...The Dodgers last swept a series of more than three games May 30-June 2, 2019 in Memphis (4 G). The Dodgers swept a five-game series April 25-29, 2018 against Iowa in OKC - tied for the most games in a series sweep by OKC since 1998.

Fever Pitch: Going back to Thursday's game, the OKC pitching staff has allowed only one run over the last 23 innings, and Sandro Fabian's home run leading off the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday night snapped a string of 18 consecutive scoreless innings. Over those 23 innings, the pitching staff has scattered eight hits, including only one inning with as many as two hits. Between Friday and Saturday, the pitching staff allowed just six hits and three walks while racking up 19 strikeouts...With relievers Tyler Cyr, Andre Jackson and Nick Robertson combining for four scoreless and hitless innings, the OKC bullpen has now allowed two runs and 14 hits over 36.1 innings across the last eight games, holding opponents 14-for-115 (.122) with 42 strikeouts. During the current series, the bullpen has combined for 19.2 scoreless innings and has now thrown 22.2 straight scoreless innings going to back to last Sunday in El Paso...Last night, starting pitcher Robbie Erlin allowed a season-low one run over five innings to earn his second win of the season. Erlin also tied his season low with four hits while allowing one walk and striking out five. The Dodgers are now 7-1 in his starts this season...On Friday, the Dodgers pitched their first nine-inning shutout of 2023 and second overall shutout of the season. Matt Andriese, Mark Washington and Alex Vesia combined to face two batters over the minimum and retire 26 of 29 total batters faced with two hits and one hit batter, including one ground ball double play...Overall, the OKC pitching staff's 157 walks and 290 hits allowed so far in 2023 are fewest in the PCL and the team's .234 opponent average is lowest in the league. OKC's 185 runs allowed and 4.55 ERA are second-lowest in the PCL behind league-leading Round Rock.

What a Mighty Good Mann: Devin Mann did not play yesterday, but on Friday went 2-for-4 with two RBI, extending his hitting streak to seven games - the longest active streak for an OKC player and two games shy of his season-high hitting streak of nine games April 15-27. During the current streak, Mann is 9-for-24 with five extra-base hits and seven RBI. He has reached base safely in eight consecutive games...Mann paces the Minors with 19 doubles and he has 16 doubles in his last 21 games, while hitting safely in 18 of the 21 games, going 25-for-72 (.347) with 16 RBI and 14 runs scored...Mann and Matt Chapman (17) of the Toronto Blue Jays are the only two players to have more than 15 doubles in the Minors or Majors and Mann's doubles total leads the Minors by four...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.

Power Switch: The Dodgers have just one extra-base hit over the last two games and have been held without a home run in back-to-back games, as well as in 13 of their last 20 games. The team has hit just nine homers since April 21 - fewest in Triple-A during the span. The Dodgers have hit four home runs during the current series in Round Rock, two of which were the team's first grand slams of the season - Tuesday by David Freitas and Thursday by Luke Williams. However, they have been kept inside the park in three of the last four games...On the other hand, the OKC pitching staff allowed a home run last night and has allowed at least one homer in 12 of the team's last 13 games (19 HR). During the current road trip, the Dodgers have allowed 17 home runs over 11 games, with two or more homers in five of the last 10 games...OKC has given up 57 home runs through 38 games, which are tied with Syracuse for the most in the Minors...Last season, the team did not allow its 57th home run until its 62nd game of the season June 15 at Reno, and even during the year of the home run in 2019, the team did not surrender its 57th home run until May 19 in its 42nd game...Over the last 32 games (47 HR), 77 of the 146 total runs allowed (52.7 percent) have scored via home runs, including eight of Round Rock's 11 runs so far this series.

Steadfast: In his second game back with OKC after making his Major League debut and playing in seven games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Michael Busch went 1-for-4 and was hit by a pitch, extending his on-base streak with OKC to 23 games this season. His on-base streak is the second-longest active streak in the league and the third-longest streak overall this season. Going back to the end of last season, he is now on a 29-game on-base streak in Triple-A games...He has hit safely in 19 of 23 games with OKC this season while slashing .322/.455/.478.

Around the Horn: With Saturday's win, the Dodgers improved to 11-1 in one-run games and 15-2 in games decided by one or two runs this season...Ryan Ward and Hunter Feduccia each picked up two hits last night. Ward also collected the team's only extra-base hit with a double, and he became the first Dodger this season to steal two bases in one game. He leads the Dodgers with 33 hits and 28 RBI in 35 games played...The Dodgers set a season high with four stolen bases Saturday, but they also hit into a season-high three double plays...OKC has dropped back-to-back series finales as well as three of their last four...OKC went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position last night after batting .354 (17x48) with RISP over the previous five games. The Express went 0-for-7, and the Dodgers have now held them 2-for-27 with RISP during the series, including 0-for-the-last-17. The Dodgers' .206 opponent batting average with RISP this season is best in the league by 40 points...The Dodgers have lost four consecutive times on Mother's Day, including defeats in 2019 and 2021 in Round Rock. They were bested by Albuquerque at home last year, 11-5.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 14, 2023


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