PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 7, 2018

Published on September 7, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (1-1/75-65) vs. Memphis Redbirds (1-1/83-57)

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals

American Conference Finals, Game 3 (Series Tied, 1-1)

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Logan Bawcom (2-4, 6.53) vs. MEM-RHP Michael Wacha (MLR)

Friday, September 7, 2018 | AutoZone Park | Memphis, Tenn. | 7:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers continue play in the PCL American Conference Championship series against the Memphis Redbirds with Game 3 at 7:05 p.m. at AutoZone Park. The series is tied, 1-1, after the teams split a Thursday doubleheader in Oklahoma City. The remainder of the best-of-five series will take place in Memphis...OKC won the American Northern Division title for the third time in four seasons, while the defending PCL champion Redbirds won back-to-back American Southern Division titles.

Yesterday's Games: The Dodgers and Redbirds split a doubleheader Thursday to open the American Conference Championship in OKC, with Memphis winning Game 1, 4-2, and OKC winning Game 2, 5-4. After a weather delay of 2 hours, 28 minutes, both teams played through four scoreless innings in Game 1. Memphis starting pitcher Kevin Herget held OKC without a hit through four innings. In the fifth, Jake Peter drew a walk and stole second base with two outs. Pinch-hitter Travis Taijeron then lined a RBI single to center for OKC's first hit and a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Memphis' Randy Arozarena hit a two-run single with two outs for a 2-1 lead. Edwin Ríos knotted the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer. In the seventh, Memphis took a 4-2 lead when Alex Mejia and Lane Thomas both hit into fielder's choices to score runs. Memphis reliever Giovanny Gallegos (1-0) struck out the side in the bottom of the inning to seal the win. He combined with Herget to hold OKC to two hits. OKC's Joe Broussard (0-1) took the loss...In Game 2, the Dodgers scored all five of their runs on homers. Connor Joe led off the bottom of the first with a homer and Angelo Mora added a two-run shot in the second for a 3-0 lead. Memphis opened the fourth with four straight singles, including RBI singles by Thomas and Mejia to cut OKC's lead to one. OKC reliever Josh Sborz (1-0) entered the game with two runners on and none out in the fourth and got Ramon Urias to pop out and Steven Baron to ground into a double play to preserve the lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Henry Ramos gave OKC a 5-2 lead with a two-run homer. Memphis scored twice in the sixth on a RBI double by Mejia and RBI single by Baron to cut the lead to 5-4. Memphis' Tommy Edman led off the seventh with a single, and was at second base with none out, but Edward Paredes retired the next three batters for the save. Memphis starting pitcher Tyler Lyons (0-1) took the loss.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Logan Bawcom (2-4) takes the mound for the Dodgers in Game 3...Bawcom last started Sept. 2 in Colorado Springs. He allowed three runs and three hits, including two home runs, over 3.2 innings, with two walks and four strikeouts. OKC went on to win the must-win game, 11-8...Bawcom has spent most of this season with Double-A Tulsa, making 12 starts and going 4-6 with a 4.43 ERA, 42 K's and 19 walks over 61.0 IP...He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers May 16 after making three starts with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters to begin the season...The 2018 season marks his third stint in the Dodgers organization. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round in 2010 from UT-Arlington...He spent most of the 2016 season with OKC as well, serving as a key swingman on the pitching staff, going 6-5 with a 1.92 ERA over 31 appearances (12 starts)...He split the 2017 season with Triple-A El Paso (San Diego) and Triple-A Nashville (Oakland)...During the 2016 playoffs, Bawcom made two start for OKC and went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA (5 ER/12.0 IP) while holding opponents to a .200 batting average...Tonight is Bawcom's 14th career appearance against the Redbirds and fourth start, including his second of the season. During his last meeting Aug. 11 in OKC, he allowed five runs and seven hits over 6.0 innings with two walks and three strikeouts in the Dodgers' 14-0 defeat.

Against the Redbirds: Playoffs: 1-1/1-4 2018 Regular Season: 6-10 2017: 8-7 All-time: 174-161 At OKC: 98-68

The Dodgers and Redbirds are meeting in the postseason for the second time ever and the first time since 2010 when Memphis swept OKC, 3-0, in the American Conference Championship series...Memphis finished the regular season with the PCL's best record at 83-57...The teams have the two lowest overall ERA's in the PCL (Memphis - 3.54; OKC - 3.92)...Memphis won the regular-season series, 10-6, snapping a streak of five consecutive season series victories for OKC, and giving the Redbirds their first win in the season series since 2011...After the teams went 4-4 through the first eight meetings, the Redbirds won six of the last eight matchups. The 2018 season was just the third in the teams' 21-year history that Memphis won at least 10 games in one season against OKC, last accomplished in 2011 (11). With five wins in OKC, the Redbirds also tied their mark for the most wins in one season at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (2000, 2013)...On May 10 during an 8-4 victory, the Dodgers set a Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark record with six home runs in one game...Four of the Dodgers' six wins against Memphis this season were shutouts.

That's a Wrap: The Dodgers finished the regular season 75-65 - the seventh straight season OKC has finished above .500 and fifth time during the span OKC has recorded at least 75 wins...The Dodgers finished 41-29 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, tied for most home wins in the league. This is the seventh straight season OKC finished above .500 at home, including the fourth time in the last seven seasons OKC had at least 41 home wins.

The Second Season: This marks Oklahoma City's third division title in four seasons, 10th since rejoining the PCL in 1998 and first since advancing to the PCL Championship series in 2016. The Dodgers defeated Nashville, 3-2, in the American Conference Championship series in 2016 before losing to El Paso, 3-1, in the PCL Championship series...The Dodgers are 14-24 in first-round playoff games overall, including 7-12 on the road. OKC won a first-round series and advanced to the PCL Finals in 1999, 2008 and 2016. However, OKC has not won a baseball championship since 1996 when the 89ers won the American Association title...The only other time OKC won the division on the final day of the regular season was 2002, and that team proceeded to get swept in the first round of the playoffs against Salt Lake...Including this season, OKC has lost the first game of each of their last 12 playoff series. Their lone opening win in a playoff series came in the first round against Omaha in 1999 in OKC. They have gone on to win a series only twice in the previous 11 instances in which they dropped Game 1.

Offensive Shift: The Dodgers were held two hits in Game 1 last night, which was fewer than any 2018 regular season game. Things got a bit better in Game 2 with seven hits, as they batted .191 (9-for-47) in the two games (14 innings) combined. Of their nine total hits yesterday, four were home runs. Including the final four games of the regular season, the Dodgers have already hit 10 homers in six September games after combining for 16 homers over 31 games in August. Game 2 marked the second time in the team's last five games they hit at least three homers in one game. Prior to Sunday, it had not happened since June 30 at New Orleans...OKC's offense exploded for a combined 40 runs and 53 hits over their final four games of the regular season in Colorado Springs top push the team into the playoffs. The Dodgers batted .390 (53x136), including an incredible .436 (23x54) with runners in scoring position, racking up 10 doubles and six homers...The surge was a sharp contrast to how they closed out August, being held to nine or fewer hits in 18 of the last 19 games, batting just .213 (126x591) and scoring 56 runs during the stretch (2.95 rpg).

Oh Henry!: Henry Ramos went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Game 2 last night and over his last six games, Ramos is 15-for-23 (.652) with three doubles, two homers, 13 RBI and six runs scored...He closed out the regular season going a remarkable 13-for-17 (.765) with three doubles, a home run, 11 RBI and five runs scored in OKC's four wins in Colorado Springs. He tallied a career-high five hits in Sunday's regularly scheduled game and racked up five RBI for the second time this season (April 13 vs. New Orleans), becoming the first OKC player with a five-hit game in 2018. He followed that up by going 6-for-8 over Monday's doubleheader, including 4-for-4 performance with three RBI in Game 2.

En Fuego: Over his last six games, Connor Joe has seven hits, scored 11 runs, hit two homers, picked up six RBI and drawn six walks...Jake Peter is 7-for-14 in his last four games with three XBH, six runs and two RBI...Angelo Mora returned from the DL and went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored Thursday in his first games since Aug. 11...Edwin Ríos has 10 hits, two homers, seven RBI, four runs scored over the last eight games.

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