OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 23, 2023
September 23, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Dodgers (40-33/90-56) at Albuquerque Isotopes (39-34/65-83)
Game #147 of 148/Second Half #74 of 75/Road #74 of 75
Pitching Probables: OKC-LHP Robbie Erlin (4-2, 6.11) vs. ABQ-LHP Joe Rock (NR, -.--)
Saturday, September 23, 2023 | Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park | Albuquerque, N.M. | 7:35 p.m. CT
Radio: 94.7 FM The Ref, 947theref.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv
Today's Game: Two games remain in the regular season as the Oklahoma City Dodgers continue their road series against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:35 p.m. CT at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park...The Dodgers' three-game winning streak was snapped Friday night, but they have won 90 games overall this season and a win tonight would put the Dodgers into a tie for the most wins by an Oklahoma City team in its Triple-A franchise history, last achieved in 1965...The Dodgers lead the current series, 3-1.
Last Game: Tanner Gordon threw seven scoreless innings and combined with two relievers on a four-hit shutout, aiding the Albuquerque Isotopes in a 7-0 win over the Oklahoma City Dodgers Friday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. Gordon scattered three singles and retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced, including 10 in a row to conclude his outing. The Isotopes opened the scoring with a run in the second inning and added two more in the third inning with a home run by Julio Carreras and RBI double by Hunter Stovall. Braxton Fulford homered on the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth inning, and Stovall added a RBI triple to make it 5-0. Albuquerque tacked on two more runs in the eighth inning. The Dodgers were held to four singles throughout the game and did not have a runner advance to third base as they were shut out for the second time this season.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Robbie Erlin (4-2) is scheduled to start tonight in Albuquerque and make his 16th start with OKC this season...Erlin most recently pitched Sept. 17 in the series finale against Tacoma in OKC, allowing three runs and eight hits, including two homers, with one walk and one strikeout over 4.0 innings in a no decision...Erlin also pitched in the series opener against Tacoma, allowing two runs (one earned) and five hits over 6.0 innings with one walk and six strikeouts. The six innings tied a season high and were his most since May 25 in Sacramento...Erlin was placed on the Injured List June 3-Aug. 25, and since his return, he has allowed eight runs (seven earned) and 22 hits over 21.0 innings over five games (four starts)...Erlin made 11 starts during the first two months of the season, going 4-2 with a 7.35 ERA...He has allowed 19 home runs over 73.2 innings, accounting for 30 of 59 runs allowed (50.8 percent)...Erlin spent the majority of the 2022 season with OKC, making 21 appearances (14 starts). He went 5-4 with a 7.01 ERA, tied for fourth on the team in starts and ranked fourth in strikeouts. The team went 8-6 in his starts...He originally signed with the Dodgers as a free agent Feb. 21, 2022, and the lefty re-signed with the organization during this past offseason...Erlin was originally selected by Texas in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft and traded to San Diego July 31, 2011. He has appeared in 117 games (43 starts) in the Majors, primarily with San Diego, but has also logged time with Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Los Angeles (NL)...In two previous outings against Albuquerque, including one start, Erlin is 0-0 and has allowed a combined six runs and nine hits over 6.2 innings, allowing one homer with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Against the Isotopes: 2023: 10-12 2022: 12-6 All-time: 138-117 At ABQ:61-66
The Dodgers and Isotopes close out the regular season against one another, meeting for their fourth series of the season and second at Isotopes Park...Albuquerque won five of six games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Aug. 22-27 after the teams split their first 12 meetings of the season. The Dodgers finished that August series with a 14-0 win, tying for the team's largest shutout win ever at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and tied for the second-largest shutout win in the Bricktown era overall (also April 25, 1998 vs. Nashville)...The teams also played a six-game series in OKC July 4-9, which the Isotopes won, 4-2. It was Albuquerque's first series win in Bricktown since 2016 and the Isotopes won four straight games against the Dodgers within the same series since Aug. 8-11, 2008 in Albuquerque...The Dodgers won the first series between the teams April 18-23 in Albuquerque, 4-2...The Dodgers have not lost a season series to Albuquerque since 2017, going a combined 6-0 against the Isotopes in 2018 and 2019, 9-9 in 2021 and 12-6 last season...The Isotopes won nine games in OKC this season. Previously, the Isotopes' most wins in Bricktown in one season was five in 2009...After OKC started the season 5-2 against the Isotopes, Albuquerque won nine of the next 10 games before the Dodgers have now won four of the last five...The road team is 16-6 during this year's season series, with wins in eight of the last 10 games as well as 12 of the last 15 games...In four of the last 10 games and five of the last 15 games between the two, a team trailing in the seventh inning or later has won.
Down the Stretch: The Dodgers three-game win streak came to an end last night as the team has not won four straight games since a six-game win streak July 22-28 and have fallen short in each of the last three attempts to win four in a row. However, the Dodgers have still won three of the last four games, are 5-3 in the last eight games and 15-8 in their last 23 games...Tonight the Dodgers will try to avoid a second straight loss for just the second time since Aug. 26 after they lost back-to-back games to close out their home series against Tacoma Sept. 16-17...Oklahoma City's 15 wins in the last 23 games are second-most in the PCL since Aug. 27 behind Reno's 16 wins...The recent boost for OKC follows a 4-15 run from Aug. 5-26 as the Dodgers finished August with 10 wins (10-17), tied for second fewest in the league last month. OKC had not won fewer than 12 games in a month since May 2021 (9-14). It was the team's lowest monthly winning percentage since going 9-19 in August 2019.
The Big Picture: The Dodgers won their 90th game of the season Thursday night, adding to the team's single-season Bricktown era record (since 1998). They have recorded the second-most wins during OKC's Triple-A history and are now one win shy of matching the 1965 Oklahoma City 89ers (91-54) for the most wins OKC's Triple-A history, which began in 1962...The Dodgers also became just the second PCL team since 2006 to notch at least 90 wins, joining the 2017 Memphis Redbirds, who finished 91-50. They are also just the fourth PCL team over the last 23 seasons to reach 90 wins. In addition to Memphis in 2017, the feat was also accomplished by Tucson in 2006 and Sacramento in 2003...The Dodgers have had at least a share of first place in the PCL overall standings for all but seven days this season, holding first place from April 1-Aug. 25 and again since Sept. 2. With Thursday win, OKC ensured they will finish with the best overall record in the PCL this season, marking the fourth time that has happened during the team's Bricktown era (also 2005, 2013 and 2015)...This season's OKC squad became the fastest PCL team to reach 50, 60 and 70 wins since at least 2005, as data from 2004 and earlier is not available. They also became the second-fastest PCL team to reach 75 wins (117 games) since at least 2005, with the 2017 Memphis Redbirds doing it two games earlier (115 games). The fastest PCL team to reach 80, 85 and 90 wins was also the 2017 Memphis Redbirds, who reached the 80-win milestone in 121 games (80-41), the 85-win mark in 133 games (85-48) and the 90-win mark in 140 games (90-50)...OKC won the PCL's first-half title (50-23) and will host a best-of-three PCL Championship Series Sept. 26-28 against the winner of the second half.
Road Dogs: The Dodgers' five-game road winning streak ended with last night's shutout loss, but they have already set a single-season Bricktown-era record for road wins as they are now 48-25 on the road this season with two road games remaining in the regular season. The Dodgers own the most road wins in the Minors this season and are just the fourth OKC team to reach at least 40 road wins in a season since 1998, surpassing the 2015 Dodgers who went 44-28 on the road...Their 48 road wins are the most by any PCL team since 2005, as data from 2004 and earlier is not available. In fact, the Dodgers are the first team in all of the Minors to win at least 48 road games in one season since High-A Lake Elsinore in 2010 (48-22)...Earlier this season, the Dodgers set a Bricktown-era (since 1998) record with 12 consecutive road victories from June 29-July 28 between series in Sugar Land, Sacramento and Reno.
Blank Slate: Last night, the Dodgers were shut out for the second time this season, joining a 6-0 defeat Sept. 5 at Sugar Land. Although the Dodgers were not shut out over their first 130 games of the season, they have now been shut out twice in the last 16 games...Friday marked the first time OKC was held scoreless in a nine-inning game in hitter-friendly Albuquerque since April 30, 2012 during a 5-0 loss. It was also the first nine-inning shutout pitched by Albuquerque at home since April 19, 2019 against Tacoma...The Dodgers were held without an extra-base hit for the fifth time in a nine-inning game this season, but for the second time in the last 11 games. OKC did not have a runner advance past second base and their stretch of four straight games with a home run came to an end. Their four hits were their fewest in a game since that Sept. 5 defeat in Sugar Land in which they also had four hits...Coincidentally, both times the Dodgers have been shut out this season, the opposing starting pitcher had the surname Gordon, with Colton Gordon throwing six innings for Sugar Land Sept. 5 and Tanner Gordon completing seven innings last night...The Dodgers entered Friday night having scored at least six runs in six straight games (51 runs total) and at least eight runs in four straight games against the Isotopes (43 runs total). They have now been held scoreless in 16 of the last 17 innings.
Getting Miggy With It: Miguel Vargas did not play Friday, but homered in a second straight game Thursday night, with both home runs hit out to center field. Vargas also recorded a third straight multi-hit game Thursday, going 2-for-5 with three RBI. Over the last three games, Vargas is 6-for-15 with three extra-base hits and seven RBI and has hit safely in four straight games overall, going 7-for-20. This is his longest hitting streak since a seven-game streak with OKC Aug. 17-24 (12-for-27)...Vargas leads OKC with 20 hits, four homers, 19 RBI, 15 walks and 15 runs scored in September.
September Swing: The Dodgers have now allowed at least five runs in five of the last six games, including eight or more runs three times and 11 runs twice during the span (46 runs total)...The Dodgers allowed a league-low 43 runs and 83 hits over their first 13 games of the month from Sept. 1-15, posting a 3.00 ERA and 9-4 record. However, they have since allowed league highs with both 46 runs and 70 hits (.321 BAA) over their last six games, posting a 7.30 ERA and 3-3 record Sept. 16-22.
Award Tour: The Los Angeles Dodgers named Michael Busch the 2023 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and Kyle Hurt the 2023 Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year this week, and both were honored at Dodger Stadium last night. In 96 games with OKC, Busch has batted .322 with 26 home runs, 26 doubles, four triples and 89 RBI. His 26 homers lead all Dodgers minor leaguers as do his 56 extra-base hits. Busch has also made 27 appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers, collecting 12 hits and seven RBI. Baseball America named Busch its 2023 Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year earlier this week...Hurt began the season with Double-A Tulsa before getting promoted to Oklahoma City Aug. 2. On the season, he leads the farm system with 152 strikeouts in 92.0 innings with a .205 batting average against. He made his MLB debut Sept. 12 against San Diego and retired all six batters he faced.
Around the Horn: At 2 hours, 6 minutes, Friday's game tied for the quickest nine-inning game the Dodgers have played this season, along with April 14 at home against Sugar Land (W, 4-2)...Jonny DeLuca went 1-for-3 with a walk Friday night. He is 9-for-his-last-23 with four extra-base hits...Last night, Kendall Williams became the team's 30th different starting pitcher and 53rd pitcher used this season.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 23, 2023
- Chihuahuas Fall to Space Cowboys, 5-2 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Isotopes Announce 2023 Player Award Winners - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Round Rock (6:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Texas Rangers Prospect RHP Jack Leiter Promoted to Round Rock - Round Rock Express
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 23, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Express Beat Tacoma 3-2, Remain Tied for First Place - Round Rock Express
- Reno's Bullpen Battens Down Hatches for 7-5 Win - Reno Aces
- Sacramento Scores Twice, But Not enough Against Salt Lake - Sacramento River Cats
- Gordon Twirls Masterpiece as Isotopes Blank Dodgers, 7-0 - Albuquerque Isotopes
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