PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

RedHawks Game Notes: April 19, 2012

Published on April 19, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Nashville Sounds (4-9) vs. Oklahoma City RedHawks (9-4)

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Houston Astros

Games #14 & 15 of 144/Road #6 & 7 of 72 (3-2)

Pitching Probables: NAS-RH Josh Butler (0-2, 3.86) vs. OKC-RH Jordan Lyles (2-0, 2.08)

NAS-RH Brian Baker (1-1, 4.82) vs. OKC-RH Sergio Perez (1-0, 0.00)

Thursday, April 19, 2012 | Greer Stadium | Nashville, Tenn.| 6:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio - J.P. Shadrick, play-by-play; Alex Freedman, studio host

UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

Friday, April 20 @ Nashville (MIL): OKC-RH Henry Sosa (0-0, 3.00) vs. NAS-RH Wily Peralta (0-1, 2.12) - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio

Saturday, April 21 vs. Albuquerque (LAD): OKC-TBA vs. ALB-LH Michael Antonini (0-0, 5.40) - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio

Sunday, April 22 vs. Albuquerque (LAD): OKC-RH Aneury Rodriguez (1-1, 3.68) vs. ALB-RH Stephen Fife (1-2, 10.03) - 2:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio

Monday, April 23 vs. Albuquerque (LAD): OKC-LH Dallas Keuchel (3-0, 0.90) vs. ALB-RH Fernando Nieve (1-1, 13.06) - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio

Tuesday, April 24 vs. Albuquerque (LAD): OKC-RH Jordan Lyles (2-0, 2.08) vs. ALB-RH John Ely (0-1, 8.00) - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio

Tonight's Game-- The RedHawks will play their first double-header of the season in order to make up for Tuesday's rain out. Each game will be seven innings, with Game 1 starting at 6:05 p.m. Jordan Lyles will try and follow Dallas Keuchel's lead by going 3-0 in his first three starts. Sergio Perez--a starter for all of 2011--will make the spot start in the second game.

Yesterday-- The RedHawks hit three home runs and sent Dallas Keuchel to his third winning decision with a 7-5 win over the Sounds yesterday afternoon. Keuchel (3-0) allowed his first two runs of the season with five hits, three walks and three strikeouts, raising his ERA to 0.90. In his first appearance of the season, Nashville starter Mark Rogers (0-1) allowed two runs and three hits in three innings. Jose Valdez allowed an unearned run to cross in the ninth while recording his third consecutive save. Justin Ruggiano, Brian Bixler, and Scott Moore each went deep for the RedHawks as they built a 7-2 lead through seven innings. The Sounds scored three runs over the final two innings and had the tying run at the plate a couple of times in the ninth before falling.

Tonight's Probable Pitchers-- In Game 1, Jordan Lyles will shoot for his third win in as many starts...On Friday in Memphis, Lyles got the win after going seven strong innings...He gave up a two-run homer in the first, but faced the minimum over his final six innings and retired the last 13 batters he faced...Lyles is currently fifth in the PCL in WHIP (0.85) and has the third-best walks per nine rate (0.69) among starting pitchers...After making 21 starts for OKC in 2011, Sergio Perez will make a spot start in the nightcap...Perez has been stellar out of the bullpen so far, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings and allowing just one hit...Josh Butler will look for a win over the RedHawks after taking a tough-luck loss last Thursday in OKC...Butler held the RedHawks scoreless through six before two runs scored after he exited the game in the seventh...Even though he's 0-2, Butler has allowed only five hits through his first 9.1 innings (.156 BAA)...Nashville's Brian Baker has had mixed results in his first two starts of the year, both against New Orleans...He threw five scoreless 4/8, but was touched up for six runs in 4.1 innings on 4/13...Baker is in his first season in the Brewers system after speding seven seasons with Tampa Bay.

Double Dip-- Last season the RedHawks played in three double-headers, splitting the six games. Just like last year, this season's first twinbill comes in Nashville. The RedHawks and Sounds split a pair on April 12, 2011.

Homer Happy-- During the season-opening eight-game homestand, the RedHawks hit just three homers, including none in the final four games. In the first five games of the road trip, they've hit eight longballs, and have had two games where they've gone deep three times. Last in the league heading into the road trip, the team now is tied for sixth in the PCL.

Against the Norm-- Over the last four games, the RedHawks have been a surprising 4-for-31 (.129) with runners in scoring position. They've left a total of 38 men on base, and in three of the last four games, they've stranded at least 10. Through the first nine games of the season, the team posted a .360 clip with runners in scoring position. Despite the recent slump, the team is still performing well with a .297 mark with runners in scoring position (5th in PCL) and .291 when there are two outs (3rd in PCL).

Bixler's Big Addition-- After getting optioned to the RedHawks from Houston, Brian Bixler has made quite the first impression. In his first five games with the RedHawks, Bixler is 10-for-21 and has reached base in 13 of his first 24 plate appearances. In addition to the hot bat, Bixler has provided speed and versatility, stealing five bases and making starts at four different positions (2B, SS, LF, CF).

Fantastic Fernando-- RedHawks outfielder Fernando Martinez has hit safely in 12 of his first 13 games, including each start. He is third in the PCL in RBIs (14) and leads the team in hits (17), home runs (3), and XBH (7).

Notable Streaks-- Since he splits time behind the plate with Carlos Corporan, Landon Powell has quietly put together a seven-game hitting streak (.364) to start his season. On the other hand, Mike Hessman is currently on a seven-game hitless streak and is 0 for his last 25 with 11 strikeouts.

Start Me Up-- Through the first 13 games of the season, the RedHawks starting pitchers have combined to go 7-2 with a 2.08 ERA, turning in seven quality starts in the process. In 73.2 IP, they've allowed just 65 hits and have posted an impressive 66:18 (3.7:1) strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Living in the Zone-- The RedHawks pitching staff has allowed just 31 walks this season, best in the PCL. In six of their 13 games, they have issued two walks or less. This past week, the pitching staff went through a stretch of 23.1 innings without a free pass.

Against the Sounds-- The RedHawks have taken four of the first five meetings...In their four wins, the RedHawks have limited the Sounds to just eight total runs...Scott Moore is 6-for-11 and has posted a .643 OBP with four RBIs, and Justin Ruggiano is 5-for-10 with five batted in against Nashville pitching...Last season the RedHawks were 9-7 against Nashville, including a 3-5 mark at Greer Stadium...The next series is May 29-June at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 19, 2012


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