PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

RedHawks Game Notes: August 25, 2013

August 25, 2013 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City RedHawks (78-57) vs. Round Rock Express (70-65)

Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers

Game #136 of 144/Road #71 of 71 (35-35)

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Jake Buchanan (5-3, 3.25) vs. RR-LHP Michael Kirkman (1-2, 7.85)

Sunday, August 25, 2013 | Dell Diamond | Round Rock, Tex. | 6:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The RedHawks close out their season series with Round Rock and play their final road game of the regular season at 6:05 p.m. at Dell Diamond. First-place Oklahoma City enters tonight with a seven-game edge in the PCL American Southern Division standings. A RedHawks win tonight, coupled with an Albuquerque loss, would allow OKC to win the division title for the first time since 2010. The Isotopes host the Nashville Sounds at 7:05 p.m. central time.

Last Game: The RedHawks used an impressive two-out rally in the fifth inning as part of a 14-hit night as they defeated Round Rock, 6-3, Saturday night. Tied 1-1 in the fifth, OKC notched five straight hits with two outs, including RBI singles by George Springer, Jon Singleton, Marc Krauss, and newcomer Japhet Amador to take a 5-1 lead. The Express then socked two solo home runs in the bottom of the inning from Brendan Harris and Jim Adduci. A sac fly by Trevor Crowe scored Rene Garcia, who hit a leadoff double, in the eighth for a 6-3 OKC lead. Round Rock brought the tying run to the plate after a bunt single and a walk in the ninth, but OKC pitcher Hector Ambriz got Engel Beltre to fly out to end the game, giving Ambriz his third save. RedHawks starting pitcher Bobby Doran completed a third straight quality start, and collected his third win. Doran (3-0) allowed three runs and six hits over six innings.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Jake Buchanan seeks to send the RedHawks to victory in the series finale...In his last start Aug. 20 against Albuquerque in Oklahoma City, Buchanan had a run of six straight quality starts come to an end after he allowed three runs on eight hits over five innings, matching his shortest start with OKC. After holding the Isotopes scoreless through three innings, he gave up four runs (all with two outs) and six hits over his final two frames...In seven starts since the All-Star Break, Buchanan is 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA...Including his time with Double-A Corpus Christi, Buchanan has issued just 21 walks all season in 145.2 IP. He averages 1.3 walks per nine innings and owns a 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio...Before his promotion, Buchanan went 7-2 with one save and had a Texas League-leading 2.09 ERA in 18 games (13 starts) for Corpus Christi. He ranked first in the league in WHIP (0.93), fourth in average (.226) and fifth in innings (82.0)...He ranks second among Astros farmhands with both 12 wins and 145.2 IP.

Against the Express: 2013: 8-7 2012: 10-6 All-time: 76-66 In RR: 39-31

Oklahoma City took a 3-1 lead in the current series and 8-7 edge in the season series with Saturday's win...The RedHawks have secured at least a .500 record in the season series for the sixth time in the last seven seasons...OKC's win Saturday was its fifth in the past seven games against the Express...In their most recent series, the RedHawks won two of three games at Dell Diamond July 8-10. OKC pitched shutouts in the first and last games, but the Express exploded for 11 in the middle contest. During that series, George Springer went 6-for-11 with three homers, a triple, and seven RBI...The road team is 10-5 this year, and Round Rock more than doubled its win total in OKC from 2012 (2), going 5-3...The Express has scored at least 11 runs in a game four times and thus has outscored the RedHawks, 87-71. However, the RedHawks have held Round Rock to two runs or less five times.

High-Water Mark: The RedHawks currently own the best record in the PCL and sit a season-best 21 games above .500 -- the first time Oklahoma City has met that mark since Sept. 1, 2004 (80-59). The RedHawks have won nine of their last 10 games overall.

Tales From the Trail: The RedHawks have won four of their last five road games and are 35-35 overall on the road this season. Oklahoma City has won 35 road games for the first time since 2008, when they went 36-36 in away contests. A win tonight would secure a winning road record for the RedHawks for the first time since 2007, when they finished the season 37-34 in road games.

Chasing the Crown: George Springer still owns a three home run lead for the MiLB Joe Baumann Home Run Award and leads the Minors with 37 homers this season (Triple-A and Double-A combined). He tallied his 42nd stolen base of the season Saturday and has joined Ruben Rivera and Darryl Strawberry as the only minor leaguers over the past 40 years with at least 30 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season. Springer is trying to become the first Minor League player with a 40/40 season since Len Tucker of the unaffiliated Class B Pampa Oilers in 1956 (51 HR/47 SB). He has eight homers in the last 16 games and has collected 105 RBI (tied for second in the Minors) and scored 102 runs (tied for fourth in the Minors) overall this season, making him the only player currently in affiliated baseball (Majors or Minors) to have 100 of each.

Amador's Arrival: Japhet Amador made his debut with the RedHawks Saturday, going 2-for-5 with an RBI. The Astros recently signed Amador from the Mexican League, where he hit .368 (147x400) with 22 doubles, 36 home runs, 121 RBI and a .419 OBP in 104 for the Diablos Rojos this season. Amador led the Mexican League in RBI, ranked second in homers and third in total bases (277).

Above Average: Although the RedHawks have allowed just 100 homers this season to rank third in the PCL, the Express have connected on 20 dingers in their 15 meetings with OKC (1.3 per game). The RedHawks on average allow 0.67 homers per game against all other PCL opponents...On the other hand, the RedHawks have hit 16 homers in their 14 games with the Express and average 0.72 homers per game against everyone else.

Berger King: Reliever Eric Berger has not been scored upon in seven of his last eight outings. During the eight-game stretch, Berger has allowed one run (solo HR) and four hits with 15 strikeouts over 12.1 IP.

Famlliar Face: Tonight the RedHawks will square off against Michael Kirkman, who is currently on rehab assignment with the Express. Kirkman played for the RedHawks in 2010 during the team's final year as a Rangers affiliate. He was named PCL Pitcher of

the Year that season, going 13-3 with a 3.09 ERA.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

DATE TIME OPPONENT OKC PITCHER OPP. PITCHER

Monday, August 26 7:05 p.m. Nashville RHP Ross Seaton (3-6, 8.15) RHP Jimmy Nelson (3-6, 4.09)

Tuesday, August 27 7:05 p.m. Nashville RHP Paul Clemens (3-2, 4.50) LHP Zach Kroenke (5-15, 4.67)

Wednesday, August 28 7:05 p.m. Nashville RHP Asher Wojciechowski (9-6, 3.48) RHP Alfredo Figaro (0-0, 3.38)

Thursday, August 29 7:05 p.m. Nashville RHP Bobby Doran (3-0, 3.96) LHP Aaron Laffey (6-8, 6.82)

Check out the Oklahoma City Comets Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from August 25, 2013


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