PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 9, 2018

Published on May 9, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Memphis Redbirds (21-12) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (22-8)

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game #31 of 140/Home #18 of 70 (15-2)

Pitching Probables: MEM-RHP Jack Flaherty (3-1, 2.16) vs. OKC-LHP Manny Bañuelos (4-0, 1.80)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 11:05 a.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers have lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season and continue their series against the Memphis Redbirds at 11:05 a.m. on a Field Trip Day at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers look to avoid losing a third straight game for the first time this season.

Last Game: The Dodgers fell behind early as Memphis scored six runs through the first three innings on the way to an 8-3 win Tuesday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Redbirds took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. In the second inning, Tyler O'Neill hammered a two-run homer out of the stadium in left field and off the parking garage across the alley for a 5-0 lead. Yairo Munoz led off the third inning with a solo homer to push Memphis' lead to 6-0. The Dodgers got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Danny Espinosa homered past Oklahoma City's bullpen in left-center field for the Dodgers' first run of the night. The Redbirds hit their third homer of the game when Oscar Mercado connected on a two-run shot in the sixth inning for an 8-1 Memphis advantage. Breyvic Valera led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a walk for OKC and scored on a RBI single by Rob Segedin to cut Memphis' lead to 8-2. OKC's Kyle Garlick homered into the Dodgers' bullpen in the bottom of the ninth inning to finish the scoring. Memphis starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin (2-1) picked up the win, holding the Dodgers to one run and six hits over 5.0 innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Guillermo Moscoso (1-1) was charged with his first loss of the season, allowing a season-high six runs and six hits over 5.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Lefty Manny Bañuelos (4-0) takes the mound trying to continue his strong start to the season as he makes his team-leading seventh start of 2018...Bañuelos' 1.80 ERA ranks third-lowest in the PCL. His four wins are tied for second-most in the league, while his 0.97 WHIP ranks third and his .208 opponent average is fourth-lowest...He earned his second straight win and fourth in five starts in his last outing May 4 against Colorado Springs. He pitched five shutout innings, allowing four hits and a season-high three walks with five strikeouts in OKC's 5-1 win in Bricktown. At the plate, he hit a bases-clearing double in the second inning to notch his first career RBIs...Bañuelos has allowed just six earned runs over his first six starts (30.0 IP)...Left-handed batters are 2-for-22 against him this season (.091)...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. He compiled a 1-4 record over 26.1 IP, with a 5.13 ERA, and 19 K's...Tonight is Bañuelos' second career appearance and first start against the Redbirds. He pitched 2.2 innings of relief for Salt Lake in Memphis last season, allowing three runs, three hits, two walks and two strikeouts July 27, 2017.

Against the Redbirds: 2018: 2-3 2017: 8-7 All-time: 170-154 At OKC: 95-64

After splitting the first series of the season between the teams April 30-May 3 in Memphis, the Dodgers have won or split nine straight series against the defending PCL champion Redbirds...The Dodgers outscored the Redbirds, 18-13, in the first series of the season, posting two shutout wins and losing the other two games by one-run margins...The Dodgers won the 2017 series, 8-7, and have won five consecutive season series against Memphis. OKC has not lost a season series to the Redbirds since 2011, and the Dodgers were the only team in the PCL last season to have winning record against the 91-win Redbirds...OKC went 4-4 against the Redbirds in OKC last season and has not posted a losing home record against the Redbirds at home in four straight seasons, going 17-14.

Out of the Gates: The Dodgers have won 22 of their first 30 games of 2018, matching the best overall record by an Oklahoma City team through 30 games since rejoining the PCL in 1998. The 2015 squad also went 22-8 to start the season...The Dodgers own the best winning percentage in the Minors (.733) and are tied with the Double-A San Antonio Missions (Padres) for the most wins in the Minors with 22.

Home Front: After starting the season 15-0 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for their best home start since the ballpark opened in 1998, the Dodgers have lost back-to-back home games. The team's previous best start was 5-0 in 2006...Of their 15 wins, the Dodgers have trailed at some point in nine of those games, including eight of the last 12, and have trailed in the eighth inning or later six times...The Dodgers have four walk-off wins this season, including three straight April 14-16 against New Orleans...At the plate, the Dodgers are batting .316 for the second-highest home batting average in Triple-A, only behind Colorado Springs (.341). OKC has outscored opponents, 103-54, in Bricktown and has outhit opponents, 181-127...Over their first 17 home games, the Dodgers have slashed .316/.391/.470. They have scored eight-plus runs in five games and collected 14 or more hits in four games...They've scored four or more runs in an inning eight times.

Mound Men: The Dodgers pitching staff has allowed 13 runs over the past two losses after allowing just four runs over the four games prior, but still paces all of Triple-A with a 2.80 ERA this season...The Dodgers suffered their most lopsided loss of the season Tuesday (five runs), allowing a season-high seven extra-base hits and tying their season high with three homers allowed...Tuesday marked just the second time in the last 19 games the Dodgers have allowed an opponent to tally 10 or more hits in a game. They have allowed a league-low 223 hits overall this season...Opponents are 7-for-15 with RISP the last two games after OKC held the opposition 3-for-the-last-35 entering Monday's game.

Rock Steady: Rocky Gale stayed hot at the plate Tuesday, going 2-for-4 to record his third straight multi-hit game and sixth in his last seven outings. He extended his hitting streak to a season-best 10 games overall for the longest hitting streak by a Dodger this season. He is batting .436 (17x39) during the streak with a double, triple, three homers and eight RBI. He has already surpassed his 2017 homer total (3) and has four homers through his first 19 games of 2018...Behind the plate, Gale leads the PCL with a 57.9 caught stealing percentage (11x19).

Dominant Donovan: Donovan Solano collected his team-leading 37th hit of the season Tuesday and has now hit safely in nine of his last 10 games and in 21 of his 26 games this season. His .370 average ranks fourth in the PCL, and he is batting .398 (35x88) over last 22 outings.

Around the Horn: Reliever Pat Venditte has put together nine straight scoreless relief outings totaling 12.1 innings, allowing four hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts. Opponents have gone 4-for-44 (.091) during the stretch...Jake Peter is on a season-best five-game hitting streak, going 7-for-20. He's picked up four RBI in his last three games after notching just five RBI over his first 23 games...The Dodgers are 0-3 in games that start before noon this season, but 22-5 in all other contests...Including homers by Danny Espinosa and Kyle Garlick last night, 13 different Dodgers have hit OKC's 24 total homers this season. No player has more than four dingers.

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