PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 27, 2023

Published on May 27, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (36-13) at Sacramento River Cats (22-27)

Game #50 of 150/First Half #50 of 75/Road #29 of 75

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Michael Grove (0-0, 4.15) vs. SAC-RHP Drew Strotman (1-5, 8.31)

Saturday, May 27, 2023 | Sutter Health Park | West Sacramento, Calif. | 8:37 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers seek a third consecutive win when they meet the Sacramento River Cats for the fifth time in their six-game road series at 8:37 p.m. CT at Sutter Health Park. The Dodgers have wins in back-to-back games, in four of the last five games and in 14 of the last 16 games overall...The PCL-leading Dodgers have seven more wins than second-place Reno and can win their eighth series of the season with a victory tonight.

Last Game: Jonny DeLuca hit two home runs and collected four hits as the Oklahoma City Dodgers edged the Sacramento River Cats, 5-4, Friday night at Sutter Health Park. DeLuca started the scoring with a home run in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Justin Yurchak drove in runs in the second and fourth innings with a double and a sacrifice fly, respectively, to push the lead to 3-0. After Sacramento scored one run in the fourth inning, DeLuca led off the fifth inning with his second home run of the game. The River Cats battled back and scored the next three runs of the game, eventually tying the contest at 4-4 in the seventh inning. The Dodgers rallied in the ninth inning and pushed across the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly by Michael Buch. OKC reliever Nick Robertson struck out all three batters in the bottom of the ninth to close the game.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Michael Grove (0-0) continues a Major League Rehab Assignment with the OKC Dodgers...He opened his rehab assignment Sunday in OKC against Sugar Land, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing two runs on solo home runs over 4.1 innings with three total hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. He retired 12 of the last 14 batters he faced, including each of the final last seven...Grove suffered a right groin strain April 20 during a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Chicago Cubs to land on the Injured List...Grove had been slated to be the OKC Dodgers' 2023 Opening Day starter before being recalled to Los Angeles March 30 to replace injured pitcher Ryan Pepiot on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster. He made four starts with Los Angeles in April, going 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA over 16.0 innings with seven walks and 14 strikeouts. He allowed 15 runs and 21 hits total but allowed two runs or less in each of his last two outings and five hits or less in three of his four starts...Grove pitched in a combined 26 games (23 starts) during the 2022 season, splitting time with Double-A Tulsa, OKC and in the Majors. He spent the majority of the season with OKC, making 14 appearances (12 starts) and was recalled by Los Angeles five times during the season...Grove started the 2022 season with Double-A Tulsa before making his ML debut as a spot starter for Los Angeles against Philadelphia May 15 at Dodger Stadium, becoming the first Dodger since Danny Coulombe in Sept. 2014 to make his ML debut straight from Double-A...Grove entered the 2023 season tabbed as the Los Angeles Dodgers' No. 18 prospect by Baseball America...Grove was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft from West Virginia University.

Against the River Cats: 2023: 8-2 2022: 6-3 All-time: 56-54 At SAC: 27-26

The Dodgers and River Cats are meeting for their second of three series this season and first of two at Sutter Health Park...The teams met for a six-game series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark April 25-30 that included two doubleheaders due to weather-related postponements. The Dodgers won the series, 5-1, winning the first five games before losing the finale, which was Game 2 of a doubleheader. That also snapped an eight-game winning streak against the River Cats going back to 2022...The Dodgers outscored the River Cats, 26-16 in the series, while Sacramento hit four home runs and held OKC without a homer...Yonny Hernández led OKC with eight hits, including two triples, while Ben DeLuzio had six RBI...Following this series, the teams meet for a three-game set July 14-16 in Sacramento...Last season, the Dodgers won their first season series against the River Cats since the 2018 season, going 6-3, including a 3-0 series sweep July 22-24 in OKC during which the Dodgers outscored Sacramento, 30-11. The teams split their first series of the season April 19-24 in Sacramento, 3-3, with the River Cats winning three of the last four games in the set...Since OKC became affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the River Cats with the San Francisco Giants in 2015, the Dodgers have a 24-18 advantage in the Triple-A version of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, including an 11-2 mark over the last 13 games.

Trend Setters: The Dodgers lead the PCL with a 36-13 record, and their 36 wins are the most among all teams in the Minors. Only the 38-15 Tampa Bay Rays have more wins in all of affiliated professional baseball, but have played four more games than OKC...OKC's 36 wins are the most by an OKC team through 49 games in the Bricktown era (since 1998) and no other OKC team since 1998 has had fewer than 15 losses through 49 games or fewer than 16 losses through 50 games...Oklahoma City reached 35 wins quicker than any team in the Pacific Coast League since 2005, as data from 2004 and earlier is not available. The previous fastest PCL team to 35 wins since 2005 was the 2012 Fresno Grizzlies, who picked up their 35th win in Game 51. The previous fastest OKC team to 35 wins was the 2015 Dodgers, who reached the win total in 55 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 lone series loss of the season in El Paso. However, the Dodgers have since rebounded with wins in 15 of the last 18 games and in 10 consecutive contests from May 9-19. The 10-game winning streak was the team's second-longest winning streak during the Bricktown era (since 1998) and the 10 consecutive wins were the team's most since a team-record 12-game winning streak July 26-Aug. 6, 2013...After not recording a win streak of at least six games since July 2019, the Dodgers have now put together three such streaks this season, as well as two winning streaks of at least seven games since April 22...The Dodgers are a season-best 23 games above .500 and the team was last 24 or more games above .500 when they wrapped up the 2015 season with an 86-58 record.

Breaking Out: The Dodgers have scored at least five runs in five straight games (33 R) and in 12 of the last 15 games, marking the first time since the first seven games of the season they have done so (56 R). OKC has recorded at least 10 hits in back-to-back games for the first time since April 23-25 (30 H) and has hit five homers over the last two nights for the team's highest two-game total since April 13-14 (6 HR). Prior to Thursday, the Dodgers had collected just two multi-homer games in their previous 29 contests. The team's 10 extra-base hits over the last two nights are their most in a two-game span since April 22-23 at Albuquerque (also 10 XBH)...The recent outburst on offense came after the team entered Thursday after being held to eight hits or less in six of the previous eight games and struck out 17 times in both Tuesday and Wednesday's games, doing so in consecutive games for the first time during the team's Bricktown era (since 1998)...OKC's .248 batting average this season is the lowest in the league, as are the team's 401 hits (8.2 per game). Since April 27, the Dodgers are batting a Triple-A-low .223 with 189 hits in 27 games (7.0 hpg). However, they have compiled a 20-7 record during the stretch...Even with a recent power surge, OKC's 20 homers since April 21 (31 G) are still fewest in Triple-A by three.

Jonny Be Good: Jonny DeLuca went 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double Friday, and over the last two games in Sacramento is 7-for-10 with three homers and five extra-base hits...DeLuca became the first OKC player since Ryan Ward on April 14 to hit two home runs in one game and the fourth overall to go deep twice in one game this season. Last night's four-hit game was the third of DeLuca's career as well as his sixth career multi-homer game, but both were accomplished for the first time this season. He also became the second Dodger with three extra-base hits in one game this season, joining Jahmai Jones April 4 at Las Vegas. DeLuca's 11 total bases last night are the most by an OKC player in a game this season...Between OKC and Double-A Tulsa, DeLuca has now hit 13 home runs this season to rank second among Dodgers minor leaguers, while his .606 SLG also ranks second...Since joining OKC May 16, DeLuca leads the Dodgers with 14 hits, including seven extra-base hits, and 12 RBI over his 10 games.

Running Late: Five of the Dodgers' last six games have been decided in the eighth inning or later, including three of the first four games in Sacramento, and 11 of the team's last 22 games...Nine of OKC's last 12 games have been decided by one or two runs, including six of the last eight. For the season, 25 of the 49 games have been decided by two runs or less, with OKC going 21-4 in those games. Five of the last seven games have been settled by one run, with OKC improving to 15-3 in one-run games this season after last night's victory...Yesterday marked the team's 11th last at-bat win of 2023, matching their entire season total from 2022.

A Mighty Good Mann: Devin Mann extended his on-base streak to 17 games last night after he went 1-for-3 with a double and hit by pitch. His on-base streak is the third-longest by an OKC player this season and one shy of tying Drew Avans' 18-game streak...After going 11 games without recording a double, Mann is up to 20 doubles this season, which leads the PCL and ranks second in the Minors...He has scored a run in five straight games and in 10 of the last 11 games (13 R)...Mann's 24 extra-base hits are tied for fifth in the league...After slashing .233/.314/.400 through May 2 (25 games), he is slashing .308/.463/.635 since May 3 (16 games).

Yon The Reg: Yonny Hernández extended his current hitting streak to eight games, going 1-for-3 with a walk. During the streak, he is 10-for-28, tying his longest hitting streak of the season (previously April 18-30) and he owns the longest current hitting streak by an OKC player. Hernández is now one game shy of tying Devin Mann for the longest hitting streak of the season by a Dodger...He has also drawn a walk in five straight games...In games against Sacramento this season, he has a team-leading 11 hits and is 11-for-27 (.407) with four extra-base hits and eight walks.

Mound Matters: In the 16 games since May 9, the Dodgers have allowed more than five runs just twice and no more than six runs during the stretch. OKC owns a 2.77 ERA since May 9 - lowest in Triple-A and fourth-lowest in all of the Minors during the span...The Dodgers held Sacramento 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position last night and have held opponents to one hit or less with runners in scoring position in 11 of the last 16 games, going 17-for-116 (.147) during that time.

Around the Horn: The Dodgers are 20-8 on the road and have won nine of their last 10 road games. Their 20 road wins are the most in the Minors as well as in all of affiliated professional baseball...Justin Yurchak went 1-for-3 with a RBI double and a sacrifice fly Friday to pick up his third multi-RBI game over four games in Sacramento. During the current series, he is 4-for-12 with three extra-base hits and seven RBI...Jahmai Jones has now reached base in 12 straight games for his longest on-base streak of the season and second of at least 10 games. Over his last six games, Jones is 5-for-14 with six walks and two HBP, reaching base in 13 of 23 plate appearances...Including last night, the Dodgers are now 9-0 when not allowing a home run this season.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 27, 2023


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