OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 24, 2021
May 24, 2021 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Dodgers (4-12) at Albuquerque Isotopes (5-11)
Game #17 of 120/Road #11 of 60
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-0, 6.00) vs. ABQ-RHP Dereck Rodríguez (0-0, 27.00)
Monday, May 24, 2021 | Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park | Albuquerque, N.M. | 6:35 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers look to rebound from back-to-back losses when they continue their road series against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:35 p.m. CT at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. Albuquerque leads the series, 3-1...OKC is now 2-8 on the road to start the season and has last four of its last five games overall...2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry are both expected to continue Major League Rehab Assignments with OKC.
Last Game: The OKC Dodgers hit four home runs and totaled nine extra-base hits en route to scoring 10 runs, but it wasn't enough to prevent a furious comeback by Albuquerque, as the Isotopes stormed back to win, 11-10, Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers built a 10-1 lead before the Isotopes scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh, aided by two OKC errors and two other defensive miscues. The Isotopes tied the game in the eighth inning with three more runs, and then won in the bottom of the ninth when Brian Serven led off the inning with a walk-off home run for his second homer of the day. Rangel Ravelo hit two homers for the Dodgers and Cody Bellinger went deep in his first at-bat during the second game of his rehab assignment.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-0) makes his third start of the season for the OKC Dodgers, as the team has won during each of his first two outings...He last started May 17 against Sacramento in OKC, allowing five runs on five hits over 4.0 innings, including a home run. He finished with two walks and three strikeouts and did not factor into the decision of OKC's 7-6 win...He made his 2021 season debut May 10 at Round Rock, holding the Express to one run and six hits over 5.0 innings in OKC's first win of the season. He did not issue a walk and recorded four strikeouts. Bibens-Dirkx retired nine of the final 11 batters he faced and held the Express 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position...Bibens-Dirkx signed with the Dodgers May 4 after he did not see any formal game action in 2020. He was with the Texas Rangers during Spring Training in 2020 and was eventually released June 1...In 2019, he started the season in the Chinese Professional Baseball League before signing a minor league contract with the Rangers in June and finishing the season with Triple-A Nashville...He made his MLB debut May 17, 2017 for the Texas Rangers and went on to be voted Texas Rangers Rookie of the Year in 2017 by DFW BBWAA chapter...He was originally selected in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by Seattle from the University of Portland, and has spent time playing in the Mariners, Cubs, Rockies, Nationals, Blue Jays and Rangers organizations...Tonight is his eighth career appearance against the Isotopes and fifth start, but his first meeting since Aug. 15, 2012 while he was with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
Against the Isotopes: 2021: 1-3 2019: 3-0 All-time: 108-93 At ABQ: 46-57 The Dodgers and Isotopes are meeting for their first of three series in 2021...The Dodgers swept a three-game set between the teams June 12-14, 2019 by a combined score of 27-13 at Isotopes Park, including a 10-0 victory June 13, 2019. Zach Reks batted .571 (8x14) with two doubles, a home run and a team-leading eight hits and seven RBI. The sweep also marked the first time OKC had won three straight games in one series at Isotopes Park since June 22-24, 2011...OKC also swept the 2018 series between the teams, 3-0, at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, outscoring the Isotopes, 12-2. OKC outhit Albuquerque, 28-17, in the three-game set, batting .315 while holding the Isotopes to a .175 average...Since the teams each began new affiliations in 2015, the series is tied, 11-11...After winning six straight games against the Isotopes between 2018-19, the Dodgers have now lost three of four to Albuquerque to begin 2021.
Rehab Recap, Part I: Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry are scheduled to continue Major League Rehab Assignments tonight in Albuquerque. Bellinger played in the second game of his rehab assignment Sunday, starting in center field and going 1-for-4 with a solo homer in his first at-bat and playing seven innings in the field. He has hit safely in each of his first two games of his rehab assignment and is 2-for-8 with two RBI. The 2019 NL MVP played in only four games before being placed on the IL April 6. Following a collision at first base in Oakland, the injury was initially diagnosed as a left calf contusion before it was later determined to be a hairline fracture in his left fibula...McKinstry played in the third game of his rehab assignment Sunday and started in right field, also playing seven innings. He doubled in the first inning for his first hit since joining OKC and went 1-for-4. Overall he is 1-for-8 at the plate with two walks and two runs scored. McKinstry played in 17 games with LAD this season before being placed on the IL April 22 with a right oblique strain. At the time of his injury, McKinstry was batting .296 (16x54) with three homers and 14 RBI.
Rehab Recap, Part II: Pitcher Tony Gonsolin made the first start of his rehab assignment Sunday and completed three scoreless, efficient innings. He retired nine of 10 batters faced overall, allowing one hit with three strikeouts. Gonsolin threw 38 pitches (30 strikes) in his first game action of 2021...Gonsolin is recovering from right shoulder inflammation. He was placed on the 10-Day IL April 4 and transferred to the 60-day IL May 17. He made five appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers during Spring Training, but had yet to pitch during the regular season prior to Sunday.
Drunk History: The Dodgers built a 10-1 lead Sunday before Albuquerque scored 10 straight runs between the seventh through ninth innings to win, 11-10. The nine-run lead was the largest in an OKC loss in the Bricktown era (since 1998). The previous largest lead in a loss was eight, set on May 24, 1999 in Salt Lake. OKC led, 8-0, before Salt Lake scored 11 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and eventually won, 14-13. Some other notes and context following yesterday:
* The team's largest lead in a loss during the Dodgers affiliation (since 2015) was previously six, which had happened three times. The most recent occurrence was also in Albuquerque on May 24, 2017. The Dodgers led, 8-2, in the fifth inning before Albuquerque won, 9-8. * Each of OKC's most recent losses after leading by as many as six, seven or nine runs have all taken place at Isotopes Park. In addition to the two games mentioned above, the RedHawks lost, 13-10, on June 9, 2003 after leading, 9-2, in the third inning. * The last Major League team to lose a game when leading by as many as nine runs in the seventh inning or later was the Boston Red Sox on June 30, 2009 at Baltimore. Like the OKC Dodgers, the Red Sox led, 10-1, in the seventh inning before an Orioles uprising of five runs in each the seventh and eighth innings led to an 11-10 victory. * The last Major League team to lose at all when leading by as many as nine runs was the San Diego Padres on June 2, 2016 at home against Seattle. However, the Padres' 10-run lead (12-2) was only as late as the sixth inning before the Mariners won, 16-13.
Burgeoning Bats: Over the first four innings of the current series, the Dodgers started 0-for-13 at the plate. But over the last 32 innings, they've batted .331 (44x133) with 21 walks and 33 runs. The team is 15-for-39 with RISP (.385) over the last three games after entering Friday with a .227 clip with RISP for the season. The recent offensive outburst has raised the team's overall batting average from .216 to .238...The Dodgers scored five runs in the fourth inning Sunday for the team's second-straight game with five runs in one inning. The inning featured back-to-back homers by Luke Raley and Rangel Ravelo as well as a two-run single by Omar Estévez.
Raging Ravelo: On Sunday, Rangel Ravelo homered twice and finished with three hits and three RBI, becoming the second OKC Dodgers player with a multi-homer game this series alone, joining Keibert Ruiz, and recording his team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the season. Sunday was just the second multi-homer game of Ravelo's career, coming in his 927th career game. His previous multi-homer game was July 24, 2018 at Salt Lake while playing for Memphis...Over his last two games, Ravelo is 6-for-8 with a double, two homers, three runs scored, three RBI and a walk following a stretch of going 1-for-13...Ravelo's 20 overall hits, four homers, 12 RBI and 10 walks all pace the Dodgers, while his six doubles are tied for most on the team. He currently ranks among the top five of Triple-A West leaders in OBP (4th, .478), OPS (4th, 1.181), SLG (5th, .704), extra-base hits (T-4th, 10) and doubles (T-5th, 6). He ranks sixth in total bases (38), sixth in average (.370) and tied for seventh in hits (20).
Making it Look Ruiz-y: Keibert Ruiz matched his season high with three hits Sunday, including two doubles, and scored three times. He is tied with Rangel Ravelo with a team-best six doubles this season to rank tied for fifth-most in Triple-A West, but he has only played in nine of the team's 16 games. He now has eight extra-base hits, scored eight runs and has six RBI in those nine contests.
Burn Notice: Over his last six games, Andy Burns is 8-for-21 (.381) with six extra-base hits and six RBI. He's scored two runs in each of the last three games.
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