PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 6, 2021

Published on September 6, 2021 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Albuquerque Isotopes (46-59) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (52-53)

Game #106 of 130/Home #52 of 65

Pitching Probables: ABQ-RHP José Mujica (2-9, 8.68) vs. OKC-RHP Ryan Pepiot (1-4, 6.35)

Monday, September 6, 2021 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 12:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers look to take the lead in their series against the Albuquerque Isotopes when the teams next meet at 12:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for a Labor Day matinee. The Dodgers and Isotopes are tied in the series, 2-2, as OKC will also try to climb back to a .500 record overall with a win.

Last Game: The Albuquerque Isotopes scored two runs in the third inning and led the rest of the way Sunday afternoon, sending the Oklahoma City Dodgers to a 4-1 loss at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Isotopes hit back-to-back doubles to score their first run of the day and later added a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Albuquerque's Taylor Snyder and Nick Longhi each hit RBI singles to boost the Isotopes' lead to 4-0. The lone run of the day for the Dodgers scored in the fifth inning. Elliot Soto and Aldrich De Jongh hit back-to-back doubles with two outs as they cut Albuquerque's lead to 4-1. The Dodgers were then held to one hit over the final four innings. The OKC pitching staff allowed just one baserunner over the final five innings to keep the game within striking distance.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Ryan Pepiot (1-4) is set to make his seventh start with OKC and second start against Albuquerque...In the previous series finale against Las Vegas in OKC Aug. 31, he allowed four runs (three earned) and five hits over 4.2 innings, including two home runs with three walks and four strikeouts and was charged with the loss for a fourth straight start...Pepiot will look to straighten things out on the mound after allowing 25 runs and 31 hits over 23.1 IP during his last five starts (0-4). Prior to that, Pepiot had posted a combined 2.92 ERA, .145 BAA and 0.94 WHIP over his first 16 games of the season between OKC and Double-A Tulsa...Pepiot was promoted to OKC from Double-A Tulsa July 31. The current Dodgers' No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline made 15 appearances (13 starts) for the Drillers and posted a 3-4 record and 2.87 ERA. He allowed 19 runs and 30 hits with 26 walks and 81 strikeouts over 59.2 innings. Pepiot held the opposition scoreless in five of his 15 games and allowed no more than one run in 10 of 15 games. At the time of his promotion, he led the Drillers with 81 strikeouts and had the lowest ERA among regular starting pitchers. His 81 K's ranked fifth-most in the Double-A Central...Pepiot did not play during the 2020 season due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season, but spent part of the year at the Dodgers' Alternate Training Site on the campus of USC...He began his pro career after being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Butler University, becoming the Bulldogs' highest-ever draft pick. Pepiot zoomed up to Triple-A, reaching the level after just 28 career games (23 starts) and 83.0 IP...Pepiot previously faced Albuquerque on the road Aug. 8, allowing five runs and eight hits with one walk and three K's in 4.0 innings and did not factor into the decision of OKC's eventual 15-10 road victory.

Against the Isotopes: 2021: 7-9 2019: 3-0 All-time: 114-99 At OKC: 64-38 The Dodgers and Isotopes are meeting for their third and final series of 2021, but first of the season at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, as the first 12 games of 2021 between the teams all were played in Albuquerque...The teams most recently matched up Aug. 5-10. The Isotopes built a 2-0 lead in the series before OKC won the next two games and the teams split the final two meetings. OKC scored 15 runs in a 15-10 win Aug. 8, tying their total for the second-most runs scored in a game by the team this season. The Isotopes tallied at least 10 runs in each of the final three meetings of the series. The Dodgers racked up 12 homers during the previous set as well as 33 total extra-base hits...The Isotopes took four of six games, May 20-25, including three of the final four. The Dodgers scored 10 or more runs three times during the series and shut out the Isotopes 12-0 in the series finale...The teams last met in OKC in 2018 when the Dodgers swept a three-game set. Thursday night's win was Albuquerque's first in Bricktown since the 2016 season...Six of the 16 games in the season's series have been decided by one run, with the Isotopes going 5-1 in those games.

Late Summer Blues: After winning back-to-back games for the first time since Aug. 15-17, Sunday's loss dipped the Dodgers' overall record back below .500 for the fourth time in five days. Prior to last Tuesday, the team had not been below .500 since they were 20-21 entering play June 22...Before the slide began Aug. 19, the Dodgers were a season-best seven games above .500 (48-41) and stood only 1.0 game out of first place. But since then, the Dodgers have now lost 12 of the last 16 games overall and seven of their last 10 home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, finding themselves 8.5 games out of first place.

Peaks and Valleys: OKC had scored at least five runs in each of the first three games of the current series with the Isotopes, marking just the second time this season they've scored at least five runs in three straight home games and for the first time since June 3-6 vs. Sugar Land. On Saturday, the team notched nine runs on 13 hits, including seven for extra bases. But on Sunday, the team was limited to one run for the fourth time in their last 11 games overall. Prior to the recent stretch that began with an 8-1 loss Aug. 24 in Sugar Land, the Dodgers had been held to one run or less in just five of their first 94 games this season. Over the last 11 games, the Dodgers are batting .233 (85x365) and have scored 46 total runs...Yesterday the Dodgers collected all four hits with two outs and went 0-for-17 with less than two outs.

Making 'Em Count: Three of the Dodgers' four hits Sunday were doubles and OKC now has 17 extra base hits through the first four games of the current series. Going back to their previous series against the Isotopes, the Dodgers have 50 extra-base hits in their last 10 games against Albuquerque...On Saturday, seven of the team's 13 hits went for extra bases - the team's most extra-base hits in a single game since recording 10 in a 15-10 win Aug. 8 at Albuquerque.

Matt the Bat: Matt Davidson had Sunday off, but hit his team-leading 22nd homer of the season in the first inning Saturday. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a double, homer, walk and three runs scored as he reached base four times. Over his first three games of the current series, Davidson has two homers, a double, six RBI, four walks, four hits and four runs scored. Against Albuquerque pitching overall this season, he is 12-for-28 (.429) with eight extra-base hits and 12 RBI over eight games...Since returning from a stint on the IL, Davidson is 7-for-23 with four homers and 12 RBI over seven games...Davidson leads the Dodgers with 61 RBI and 22 homers this season, and his home run total ranks tied for sixth in Triple-A West...Since June 29, Davidson ranks second in Triple-A West with 18 homers and third with 50 RBI. During that time he's slashed .315/.410/.758 over 41 games. His SLG paces the league within that span...He has hit at least 20 homers for the ninth time in his 11 full pro seasons.

'Pen Pushers: The Dodgers' bullpen allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings to close out Sunday's game. Vidal Nuño, Victor González, Logan Salow, Darien Núñez and James Pazos each pitched scoreless frames for OKC, and the southpaw quintet combined to retire 15 of 16 batters faced, including the final 10 in a row...Not including designated tandem starters, over the first four games of the current series, the bullpen has allowed two runs (one earned) and seven hits over 15.1 innings, holding the Isotopes 7-for-53 (.132). Relievers have racked up 21 strikeouts against four walks and are a combined 14-for-14 retiring the first batter faced.

The Runaround Turnaround?: The Dodgers have allowed four runs or less in three straight games following a stretch in which they allowed more than four runs in eight of their previous nine games. The 10 total runs allowed by OKC in the last three games combined is the team's lowest three-game total for runs allowed since Aug. 12-14, when they allowed eight runs in a three-game span against Round Rock at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...Sunday was the first time in the last 12 losses the Dodgers held their opponent to fewer than five runs. Over the last 16 games, the pitching staff has allowed a total of 104 runs (6.5 rpg) and posted a 5.93 ERA (91 ER/138.0 IP)...Since this spell began Aug. 19, the Dodgers have allowed the second-most runs in Triple-A West - trailing only current opponent Albuquerque (108 R). The 27 home runs allowed by OKC during the stretch are the most allowed in Triple-A West...Opponents have scored a minimum of four runs in 18 of the last 19 games.

The Winning (and Losing) Formula: In the Dodgers' last 15 wins, they have allowed a total of 57 runs (3.8 rpg), with four or fewer runs allowed in 13 of the 15 games. In the team's last 17 losses, they've allowed 125 runs (7.3 rpg), with at least seven runs allowed in nine of the 17 games...Until yesterday, the Dodgers had won nine straight games when allowing four or fewer runs. It was their first loss in that situation since a 3-2 defeat also against Albuquerque on Aug. 6.

Quack Attack: Kevin Quackenbush pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning Friday night, earning his 16th save in 17 chances this season. He's now tied for second in Triple-A West in saves, just one behind Sugar Land's Ronel Blanco. With 27 saves over the 2019 and 2021 seasons with OKC, he's second all-time on the team's career saves list during the team's Bricktown era (since 1998)...Among all Triple-A relievers with at least 35 appearances this season, Quackenbush's 1.05 ERA is over a half-run lower than the next best ERA, and he has allowed two fewer runs than the next closest reliever.

Labor of Love: After playing only five day games through the first 104 games of the season, the Dodgers are now playing back-to-back day games. Yesterday was the team's first day game since June 13 vs. El Paso. The Dodgers are 2-4 under the sun, including 1-2 against Albuquerque...Today is OKC's first game scheduled to begin earlier than 2 p.m. since May 25 in Albuquerque (also 12:05 p.m.).

Around the Horn: Gavin Lux started and played nine innings in center field for the Dodgers yesterday, marking the first time in his professional career he has played in the outfield. He collected three putouts...Tony Wolters drew a pinch-hit walk yesterday, and going back to last Monday, he is 6-for-his-last-10 with a home run, double and three walks...The Dodgers drew only one walk yesterday, matching their season low (10th time). The team has drawn at least one walk in all 105 games and ranks second in the league in walks (438). On the other hand, the pitching staff did not allow a walk for the fourth time this season.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 6, 2021


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