PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

RedHawks Game Notes: August 18, 2013

Published on August 18, 2013 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City RedHawks (72-56) vs. Albuquerque Isotopes (67-61)

Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game #129 of 144/Home #63 of 73 (40-22)

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Asher Wojciechowski (7-6, 3.51) vs. ALB-RHP Matt Palmer (6-6, 3.63)

Sunday, August 18, 2013 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 6:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The RedHawks look to extend their home winning streak to a club-record 15 games when they play the Albuquerque Isotopes at 6:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Oklahoma City owns a five-game edge on the Isotopes in the division standings entering tonight's contest.

Last Game: Albuquerque scored first, but the RedHawks scored the game's final five runs in a 5-1 win Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Oklahoma City starting pitcher Paul Clemens (3-1) allowed one unearned run and two hits in the win. He walked three and struck out six in a season-high 6.2 innings pitched. Albuquerque's lone run of the night came in the first inning. Outfielder Matt Angle drew a leadoff walk and later scored when Alex Castellanos reached on a fielding error. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, the RedHawks scored three times on four straight hits to take a 3-1 lead. A double by Carlos Perez scored the RedHawks' first two runs of the night, and a RBI single by Ruben Sosa put the RedHawks ahead, 3-1. The RedHawks score twice more the in eighth on a passed ball and a sac fly by Sosa. Albuquerque totaled four hits, all of which were singles.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Asher Wojciechowski will try to bounce back from back-to-back West Coast losses and seek his team-leading eighth win of the season...In his last start Aug. 13 in Tucson, Wojciechowski allowed seven runs and eight hits over five innings. He got off to a rough beginning, as each of the first six Padres reached base and Tucson scored five runs in the first inning...Combined with his prior outing in Las Vegas, Wojciechowski gave up 13 runs and 15 hits over 9.2 IP during the road trip...The recent rough patch was a surprise since Wojciechowski has been one of the PCL's best pitchers this season. His .223 opponent batting average and 1.18 WHIP are both second-best in the league, and his 3.51 ERA ranks fifth...He leads the team with 115.1 innings pitched and 17 starts, and he is tied for the team lead with seven wins...He's been stellar at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, going 6-0 with a 2.16 ERA and .195 opponent average over 10 starts...Tonight is Wojciechowski's second career start against Albuquerque. He picked up a win against the Isotopes July 2 in OKC, allowing three runs and three hits in six innings. After giving up three quick runs in the first inning, he held the Isotopes scoreless with two hits the rest of the way, as the RedHawks won, 4-3.

Against the Isotopes: 2013: 8-5 2012: 7-9 All-time: 90-82 In OKC: 51-33

With Saturday's win, the RedHawks have won nine of the last 10 meetings against the Isotopes in Bricktown and four of five so far this season...The RedHawks are hitting .300 against Albuquerque, but the Isotopes have outscored Oklahoma City, 77-67...OKC has hit 12 home runs over the first 13 games between the teams while holding the Isotopes to five homers...Last season, the Isotopes won nine of the first 12 meetings before the RedHawks ended the season series with a four-game sweep in OKC...Brandon Laird has slugged three homers with 10 RBI over nine meetings...Albuquerque outfielder Matt Angle has worn out the RedHawks, batting .455 with two home runs, seven RBI, and a .591 on-base percentage. He hit .448 against OKC in 2012.

Friendly Confines: The RedHawks own a 14-game winning streak at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, tying the team record set May10-June 7, 2012. (The streak ended with a 6-1 defeat against New Orleans on June 8.) During the current streak they are batting .313 (140x447), including .333 (45x135) with runners in scoring position, and have a 2.64 team ERA (37 ER/126.0 IP). Their 40-22 home record is second-best in the Pacific Coast League, behind only Salt Lake (42-23).

The RedHawks also had an 11-game home winning streak earlier this season April 26-May 10. Before last year, the RedHawks recorded only one home winning streak longer than eight games since Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark opened in 1998, and none since 1999.

High-Water Mark: The team's current five-game lead in first place is the largest of the season. One year ago today, the Isotopes led the RedHawks by 5.5 games in the standings. The RedHawks made a late run, and Albuquerque did not clinch the title until the second-to-last day of the season.

Mound Turnaround: After posting a 7.74 ERA through the first seven games of their recently completed West Coast road trip, the RedHawks pitching staff has allowed five runs over the past three games with a 1.00 ERA (3 ER/27.0 IP) and a .163 opponent average (15x92). The Isotopes have just seven hits over the first two games of this series, with none going for extra bases.

The Laird Up There: Brandon Laird is 11-for-25 (.440) over his last six games, including a homer and three RBI. He is batting .375 (24x64) in August and ranks first in the PCL with 19 RBI, 24 hits and 16 runs scored this month.

Chasing the Crown: Last night George Springer logged his 39th stolen base of the season (16th with OKC). He leads all of Minor League Baseball with 34 home runs and is tied for the team lead with 15 homers. He is the first player in the Minors to hit 30 home runs and steal at least 30 bases since former Oakland Athletics farmhand Grant Desme did so in 2009 (31 HR/40 SB).

Middle of the Order Mashers: Through the first 16 games of August, George Springer, Brandon Laird and Jon Singleton have combined to hit .310 (53x171) with 10 homers and 48 RBI. They represent three of the top six run producers in the PCL this month and three of the top four run scorers in August.

Dinger Details: The RedHawks have allowed just one home run over the past seven games. The 94 homers they've allowed this season is third-least in the PCL, but just two more than league-leading Omaha.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

DATE TIME OPPONENT OKC PITCHER OPP. PITCHER

Monday, August 19 7:05 p.m. Albuquerque RHP Bobby Doran (1-0, 4.56) RHP Stephen Fife (1-3, 4.23)

Tuesday, August 20 7:05 p.m. Albuquerque RHP Jake Buchanan (5-3, 3.07) LHP Jonathan Sanchez (5-3, 5.05)

Wednesday, August 21 7:05 p.m. @ Round Rock RHP David Martinez (0-1, 4.50) TBA

Thursday, August 22 7:05 p.m. @ Round Rock RHP Paul Clemens (3-1, 2.88) TBA

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