OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 9, 2018
September 9, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City Dodgers (1-2/75-65) vs. Memphis Redbirds (2-1/83-57)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
American Conference Finals, Game 4 & Game 5 (if necessary)
Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Zach Neal (3-2, 3.82) vs. MEM-RHP Mike Mayers (MLR)
OKC-TBA vs. MEM-LHP Austin Warner (1-2, 4.33)
Sunday, September 9, 2018 | AutoZone Park | Memphis, Tenn. | 2:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio - Alex Freedman
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers and Memphis Redbirds meet for Game 4 of the PCL American Conference Championship series at 2:05 p.m. at AutoZone Park. Memphis leads the best-of-five series, 2-1, and can win the series and advance to the PCL Championship with a victory. The Dodgers will need a win to force a decisive Game 5 that would follow 30 minutes after the completion of Game 4...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.
Last Game: Saturday's Game 4 was postponed due to rain, marking the third time weather has affected the playoff series. Wednesday's Game 1 in OKC was postponed due to rain and wet field conditions, while Thursday's doubleheader of Games 1-2 started after a rain delay of 2 hours, 28 minutes...On Friday, Memphis scored three runs on five hits in the bottom of the ninth inning to come back and beat the Dodgers, 5-4, and take Game 3 at AutoZone Park. OKC carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth when closer Brian Schlitter (0-1) entered the game. After a single and a groundout, Rangel Ravelo worked an 11-pitch at-bat into a RBI single and Alex Mejia followed with a single. Lane Thomas sent a broken-bat flare to shallow center to score pinch runner Edmundo Sosa and tie the game. Max Schrock delivered the fourth consecutive hit on a single to right field and Mejia beat the tag at home to score the winning run. Memphis struck first in the third inning with a RBI single by Mejia. In the fifth, Memphis pitcher Chris Ellis walked two of the first four batters and Henry Ramos smacked a three-run homer out to right field to give OKC a 3-1 lead. The Redbirds pulled within one in the sixth inning. With a runner at third and two out, Tommy Edman sent a dribbler about 30 feet up the third base line for an infield single, scoring Randy Arozarena from third base to cut OKC's lead to one. The Dodgers got some breathing room in the eighth inning when Travis Taijeron hit a solo homer into the Memphis bullpen in left-center field. Redbirds reliever Andrew Morales (1-0) picked up the win after retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Zach Neal (3-2) makes his 12th start of the season today for the Dodgers in Game 4...Neal last started in a must-win game for the Dodgers in the first game of a Sept. 3 doubleheader in Colorado Springs, holding the Sky Sox to one run and six hits over 3.2 innings. He issued one walk and did not notch a strikeout, as the Dodgers won, 7-1. Although the Sky Sox were able to consistently put runners on base, Neal held them 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position...Over his last six starts (29.2 IP), Neal has allowed just three walks and has 21 strikeouts during the same time...Opponents have batted just .173 with RISP in his time with the Dodgers...Neal returned to OKC following a four-player trade with Cincinnati July 4. Since rejoining the team, Neal has made 11 appearances (eight starts) and has posted a 3.94 ERA with opponents batting .271...The team is 6-5 in his starts and he has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of the 11 games...He also made two starts with OKC in April before an April 17 trade sent him to Cincinnati. Neal then made 18 appearances (three starts) with Triple-A Louisville...In 2017, Neal made six relief appearances during two stints with Oakland and spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Nashville...Tonight is his first appearance of the season against the Redbirds, but he has previously made five career starts against Memphis while with Nashville from 2015-17. He last started against Memphis Aug. 11, 2017 in Nashville, holding the Redbirds to one run and six hits over 7.0 IP with one walk and three K's.
Against the Redbirds: Playoffs: 1-2/1-5 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 had the two lowest overall ERA's in the PCL during the regular season (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.
Backs to the Wall: The Dodgers will play their fifth, and potentially sixth, elimination game in one week this afternoon. After losing the opener of their final series of the regular season Friday, Aug. 31 in Colorado Springs, the Dodgers trailed the first-place Sky Sox by 2.5 games in the American Northern Division standings and would have been eliminated from playoff contention with one loss. Instead, Oklahoma City put together four straight wins in elimination games over two days to clinch the division title and finish 1.5 games ahead of the Sky Sox in the standings...Since rejoining the PCL in 1998, the team is 5-9 in playoff elimination games, including 3-1 under manager Bill Haselman in 2016.
The Second Season: Oklahoma City won its third division title in four seasons, 10th since rejoining the PCL in 1998 and first since advancing to the 2016 PCL Championship series. OKC defeated Nashville, 3-2, in the 2016 American Conference Championship series before losing to El Paso, 3-1, in the PCL Finals...OKC is 14-25 in first-round playoff games overall, including 7-13 on the road. OKC won a first-round series and advanced to the PCL Finals in 1999, 2008 and 2016, but OKC has not won a baseball championship since 1996 when the 89ers won the American Association title...In the five previous instances the team trailed a playoff series, 2-1, after three games, the team went on to win the series twice ('08 vs. Iowa; '16 vs. Nashville).
Offensive Shift: The Dodgers have been held to seven or fewer hits in each of their first three playoff games against the Redbirds, batting a combined .208 (16-for-77), while Memphis is hitting .309 (29-for-94)...The Dodgers hit two home runs Friday night accounting for all five runs, and each of the team's last 10 runs has scored via the longball. The Dodgers already have hit 12 homers in seven September games after combining for 16 homers over 31 games in August...Before slowing down in the current series, OKC's offense exploded for a combined 40 runs and 53 hits over their final four games of the regular season in Colorado Springs to push the team into the playoffs. The Dodgers batted .390 (53x136), including an incredible .436 (23x54) with runners in scoring position.
Oh Henry!: Henry Ramos hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning Friday night, and over his last seven games, Ramos is 16-for-25 (.640) with three doubles, three homers, 16 RBI and seven runs scored. During the current series, Ramos is 3-for-7 with two homers, five RBI and two walks. It's the first time he's homered in consecutive games since July 6-7, 2017 with Double-A Tulsa...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 Sept. 2 and racked up five RBI for the second time this season (April 13 vs. New Orleans).
Ya Better Call Taijeron: Travis Taijeron went 3-for-4 with a double and home run Friday night. He paces the Dodgers with five hits through three playoff games and his .714 batting average in the postseason (5-for-7) is leading all PCL playoff participants...Since coming off the Disabled List Aug. 18, Taijeron is batting .417 (15x36) with three homers, two doubles, nine RBI and 10 runs.
'Pen Problems: Through the first three games of the series, the OKC bullpen has allowed 10 runs (9 ER) and 16 hits over 10.0 IP with the Redbirds batting .356 (16x45) while being charged with two blown saves...Going back to the end of the regular season, the relief staff has surrendered 28 runs over 37.1 innings spanning 11 games, including 25 runs over the last 26.2 innings.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 9, 2018
- Redbirds Walk-Off, Advance to PCL Championship Series - Memphis Redbirds
- Redbirds Rally Twice Sunday to Clinch Conference Title - Oklahoma City Comets
- Game Notes: Memphis Redbirds (2-1) vs Oklahoma City Dodgers (1-2) - Memphis Redbirds
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 9, 2018 - Oklahoma City Comets
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- Chihuahuas Rally in Seventh, Force Game Five - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Chihuahuas beat Grizzlies 4-2 to send series to a winner-take-all game five tomorrow night - Fresno Grizzlies
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