PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

RedHawks Game Notes: July 28, 2013

July 28, 2013 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City RedHawks (58-50) vs. Iowa Cubs (51-57)

Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs

Game #109 of 144/Home #51 of 73 (28-22)

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Asher Wojciechowski (5-4, 2.82) vs. IOW-RHP Nick Struck (5-7, 6.36)

Sunday, July 28, 2013 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT

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

Today's Game: The RedHawks and Iowa meet for the third time in their four-game series at 6:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The RedHawks have won consecutive games in the same series over Iowa for the first time in 2013.

Last Game: The RedHawks used a strong first inning, an inside-the-park home run from George Springer, and a great spot start from David Rollins for a 5-0 win Saturday against the Iowa Cubs. Oklahoma City scored three runs in the first inning to take the early lead. Springer's home run came in the fourth inning. He lined a ball to center field, and Jae-Hoon Ha could not make a diving catch as the ball went all the way to the center-field wall. An RBI single by Marwin Gonzalez in the eighth made it 5-0. Rollins (1-0) retired the first nine batters he faced in his Triple-A debut and went on to throw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out eight in the win. Philip Humber, Kevin Chapman, and Josh Zeid combined with Rollins on the four-hit shutout, racking up 14 strikeouts.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Asher Wojciechowski gets the start tonight as he looks to build on his recent success...Wojciechowski had another strong outing in his last game Tuesday in Omaha. He allowed just one run and seven hits over 7.1 innings with two walks and two strikeouts as the teams completed a suspended game from June 8. He did not figure in the decision as the RedHawks fell, 4-3, in 11 innings...He has allowed just two runs over his last 27.1 IP. He's been especially good in July, posting a 1.59 ERA and holding opponents to a .167 average...Wojciechowski's 2.82 ERA ranks second in the PCL, as do his 1.11 WHIP and .205 opponent batting average...He pitched one of the best games in RedHawks history July 8 in Round Rock when he fired a one-hit shutout and faced the minimum in a 5-0 victory, becoming the first RedHawks pitcher ever to face the minimum in a complete game...Wojciechowski is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA and .186 opponent batting average in eight starts in OKC this season...Against the I-Cubs, he is 1-1 and has allowed seven runs and 11 hits over 11.0 IP in two starts.

Sealing the W for Wojo: Tuesday marked the third time this year Wojceichowski was in line for a win, only to have a ninth-inning lead slip away. Despite his fantastic season, the RedHawks are only 7-8 in his games.

Against the I-Cubs: 2013: 6-8 2012: 12-4 All-time: 104-115 In OKC: 57-51

The RedHawks have won each of the last three meetings as well as four of the last five...The RedHawks and I-Cubs split their most recent series in Oklahoma City, June 10-13. Prior to this season, the RedHawks had won 14 of their last 16 meetings against Iowa in Bricktown...Iowa has won eight of the first 14 games between the teams this season after winning just four games total against Oklahoma City in 2012...The RedHawks are hitting .261 against Iowa, while the Cubs are hitting .245 against Oklahoma City...Iowa has hit 16 home runs over the first 14 contests...Seven games between the teams this season have been decided by one run...OKC went a combined 22-10 against Iowa in 2011 and 2012...After not winning any of its previous six series against the RedHawks, the I-Cubs won the first two series between the teams this year.

Putting the Cubs Into Hibernation: Saturday marked Oklahoma City's first shutout against the I-Cubs since a 4-0 win Aug. 21, 2011 at Iowa, a stretch of 37 games. The I-Cubs had scored at least five runs in nine straight games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark prior to last night and had tallied at least five runs in 12 of their previous 13 games in OKC.

Mound Magic: Last night was the team's seventh shutout of the season, and their fourth since July 8. Since the All-Star Break, the team has a 2.27 ERA (24 ER/95.1 IP). The starters have combined for a 2.20 ERA (16 ER/65.1 IP) and allowed more than two earned runs in a game just twice. The team's 3.68 ERA in July is third-best in the PCL (Omaha - 3.39; Round Rock - 3.63).

Help From Below: David Rollins' magnificent outing last night continued a trend of great spot starts from pitchers coming up from the lower levels of the Astros minor league system. Rollins (High-A), Bobby Doran (Double-A; twice), and Brady Rodgers (High-A) have combined to allow five runs over 21 innings (2.14 ERA) in four spot starts this season. However, Rollins was the first notch a win.

Springer Uncoiled: George Springer's inside-the-park homer put him into in a three-way tie for the most home runs in all of Minor League Baseball this season. The homer was his ninth in 28 Triple-A games and his 28th home run overall, including his time with Double-A Corpus Christi. The inside-the-park shot to center field was Oklahoma City's second in four games. Ruben Sosa hit one Wednesday in Omaha for the RedHawks' first inside-the-park homer since April 13, 2010. Springer has 33 stolen bases and is in striking distance of becoming the first player in the Minors to go 30/30 since Grant Desme in 2009.

As the Crowe Flies: Astros outfielder Trevor Crowe began a rehab assignment with the RedHawks yesterday, going 1-for-3 with a run scored. Crowe has been sidelined since spraining the AC joint in his right shoulder after he ran into a wall while attempting to make a catch on June 20. He spent the first month of the season with the RedHawks, hitting .307 with two homers and 14 RBI. The RedHawks are 9-2 when Crowe leads off this season, and he is hitting .350 with a .447 on-base percentage when batting first.

Martinez is No-K: Jose Martinez struck out in the first inning last night. It's the only time he's struck out in 29 plate appearances against Iowa. He is averaging just one strikeout per every 11 plate appearances (16 K/176 PA), which would be fourth-best in the league if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.

Pitchers are O-K: The 14 strikeouts last night were second-most by the pitching staff this season. They fanned 15 Tacoma Rainiers in a 1-0 win on May 10.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

DATE TIME OPPONENT OKC PITCHER OPP. PITCHER

Monday, July 29 7:05 p.m. Iowa RHP Brad Peacock (6-2, 2.88) LHP Brooks Raley (6-7, 4.83)

Tuesday, July 30 7:05 p.m. Reno RHP Jake Buchanan (2-2, 3.19) RHP Mike Bolsinger (4-4, 3.90)

Wednesday, July 31 7:05 p.m. Reno LHP Wade LeBlanc (2-1, 6.23) RHP Garrett Mock (7-5, 6.04)

Thursday, August 1 7:05 p.m. Reno TBA RHP Zeke Spruill (4-3, 3.24)

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 28, 2013


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