RedHawks Game Notes: August 19, 2012
Published on August 19, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City RedHawks (67-60) vs. Round Rock Express (59-69)
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers
Game #128 of 143/Road #65 of 72 (29-35)
Pitching Probables: OKC-LH Fernando Abad (2-0, 4.03) vs. RR-RH Justin Grimm (2-1, 4.38)
Sunday, August 19, 2012 | The Dell Diamond | Round Rock, Tex.| 6:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM AM-1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio - Alex Freedman
UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
Monday, August 20 @ Round Rock (TEX): OKC-LH Brett Oberholtzer (5-5, 5.29) vs. RR-LH Martin Perez (6-6, 4.46) - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio
Tuesday, August 21 @ Round Rock (TEX): OKC-LH Rudy Owens (0-2, 5.53) vs. RR-LH Zach Jackson (6-12, 4.69) - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio
Wednesday, August 22 @ Iowa (CHC): OKC-RH Jarred Cosart (1-2, 5.40) vs. IOW-TBA - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio
Thursday, August 23 @ Iowa (CHC): OKC-RH Jose Cisnero (2-1, 4.56) vs. IOW-TBA - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio
Friday, August 19 @ Iowa (CHC): OKC-LH Fernando Abad (2-0, 4.03) vs. IOW-TBA - 7:05 p.m., KGHM-AM 1340, 1340thegame.com, IHeartRadio
Tonight's Game-- Winners in four of their last five games, the RedHawks will look to keep their recent roll going when they face the Round Rock Express at 6:05 p.m.
Last Night-- The RedHawks used a four-run rally in the eighth to get by the Express, 5-4. Trailing 4-2 with two runners on, Matt Downs stepped up and nearly hit a three-run homer, but instead settled for an RBI double off the top of the left field wall to pull the RedHawks within one. After a pair of strikeouts, Jose Martinez delivered a two-run, two-out single to give the RedHawks their first lead. Jarred Cosart (1-2) kept the Express quiet in the eighth, and Jose Valdez worked around a two-out double in the ninth to earn his 15th save. Round Rock had a pair of three-run leads earlier in the game. They scored twice right away in the first inning, and added another in the fourth to make it 3-0. Carlos Corporan got the RedHawks on the board with a solo homer in the sixth, but Round Rock got the run back in the seventh. The teams combined to commit four errors, leading to five unearned runs.
Tonight's Probable Pitchers-- Fernando Abad makes his third consecutive start...Abad is coming off a win against Fresno Tuesday after going a season-high five innings, making it his longest outing since April 28, 2010...Although he allowed eight hits, he held Fresno to 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position...Both runs he allowed came on back-to-back RBI singles in the third inning...It also marked his first win as a starting pitcher since June 26, 2007 with Greeneville...Abad has traditionally been a reliever in his career and of his 334 career appearances, only 47 have been starts...Abad has made 30 appearances for the Astros this season, going 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA...Although he has not faced Round Rock this season, Abad made six appearances for the Express in 2010 when the team was affiliated with the Astros...Justin Grimm will make the start for the Express and face the RedHawks for the first time...Grimm began the season with Double-A Frisco, making 14 starts and going 8-3 with a 1.80 ERA before going straight to the Majors...In three appearances (two starts) with the Rangers, Grimm allowed 12 runs and 17 hits over 10 innings...He made his Major League debut against the Astros on June 16 and earned the win after pitching a quality start (6 IP 3 ER)...On Tuesday in Reno, Grimm earned the win after allowing four runs and eight hits over 6.2 innings...He has allowed two runs or less in four of his first seven games with Round Rock.
Tony D Gets the Call-- Earlier today, RedHawks manager Tony DeFranceso was named interim manager of the Houston Astros. During his two seasons in Oklahoma City, DeFrancesco led the RedHawks to a 135-135 record. His career record in the PCL is 713-564, and he guided Sacramento to three league titles. The Astros and RedHawks will announce DeFrancesco's replacement later today.
Comeback Trail-- Last night was the RedHawks first win when trailing after seven innings since a 10-5 victory in Omaha on July 18. In that game, the RedHawks trailed 5-4 in the eighth before rallying for five runs and adding another in the ninth.
Angel in the Infield-- Angel Sanchez is hitting .420 (21-for-50) over his last 14 games. He has hit safely in eight straight, and since the end of May he is batting .353.
Going Downs Town-- Since joining the RedHawks on August 11, Matt Downs is hitting .367 (11-for-30) with two homers and nine RBIs. He has recorded a hit in eight straight games and collected an RBI in seven contests.
Promising Pitching-- Although the pitching staff has largely struggled since the All-Star Break, it has vastly improved of late. Over the last nine games the team ERA is 2.79 (26 ER/84 IP). The starters have turned in five quality starts and posted a combined 2.77 ERA (16 ER/52.0 IP) with 30 strikeouts and only 11 walks.
Keeping it in the Park-- The RedHawks pitching staff has allowed just one home run over their last seven games, spanning 67 innings. Xavier Nady's solo shot on Thursday ended a streak of 51 innings without allowing a homer.
RISP-y Business-- The RedHawks held Fresno 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position yesterday. Over the last nine games, they have limited their opponents to a .145 average with runners in scoring position (17-for-116).
Close Calls-- The RedHawks have played the third-most one-run games in the league (41) and have the second-most one-run wins (24).
The Snyder House Rules-- The series marks another meeting between brothers Brad and Ben Snyder. Brad is 1-for-3 with a strikeout against his younger brother this season.
Tumbling From the Peak-- After a four-game sweep in Omaha on July 19 put the RedHawks at a season-best 18 games above .500 (58-40), they have gone 9-20 since. They've gone from leading the division by two games to dropping to third place and being 5.5 games back of first. They're only hitting .246 over the last 22 games (5-17).
Against the Express-- The RedHawks are 6-3 against Round Rock this season, including a 3-2 mark at The Dell Diamond...The RedHawks are hitting .312 and are averaging close to seven runs per game...J.B. Shuck is hitting .458 and Mike Hessman has eight RBIs over the nine games...Round Rock's Luis Hernandez is hitting .405 with two homers and six RBIs...They will play each other eight times over the final 17 games of the season.
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 19, 2012
- Corporan Leads Way Over Express, 5-2 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Round Rock Express Fall to Oklahoma City 5-2 - Round Rock Express
- Rainiers Blast Past Reno, 4-3 - Tacoma Rainiers
- Rainiers Top Aces, 4-3 - Reno Aces
- Storm Chasers Take Sunday's Matinee, 5-1 - Omaha Storm Chasers
- Sands Sets Franchise Record in 'Topes Shutout Win - Albuquerque Isotopes
- River Cats Drop Game Two to 51s, 9-4 - Sacramento River Cats
- Zephyrs Get Blanked in Duke City - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- RedHawks DeFrancesco Heads to Houston, Lawless Named Manager - Oklahoma City Comets
- Sounds Drop Second Straight to Storm Chasers, 5-1 - Nashville Sounds
- Pitching, Power Lifts Cubs to Victory - Iowa Cubs
- Round Rock Express - Game Notes vs. Oklahoma City RedHawks - Round Rock Express
- RedHawks Game Notes: August 19, 2012 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Ely Sets Franchise Records in 3-1 'Topes Win - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Rainiers Blank Reno In Series Opener, 2-0 - Tacoma Rainiers
- Tucson unable to complete comeback - Tucson Padres
- Aces Blanked by Tacoma, 2-0 - Reno Aces
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