RedHawks Game Notes

August 7, 2009 - Pacific Coast League (PCL) - Oklahoma City Dodgers News Release

Oklahoma City RedHawks (56-55) at Sacramento River Cats (68-44)

Game 112 | Aug. 7, 2009, 9:05 pm CDT | Raley Field | West Sacramento, CA

News Radio 1000 KTOK, RedHawks Radio Network | Play-by-Play: Jim Byers

Tonight's scheduled starting pitchers:

RH Kris Benson (2-2, 5.34) vs. RH Clayton Mortensen (7-6, 4.11)

TONIGHT: The Oklahoma City RedHawks seek back-to-back road wins for the first time since July 16-17 in the third of a 4-game series at Sacramento. The RedHawks scored 9 runs in the first 3 innings last night on the way to a 9-1 win. OKC is 1-1 in this series, the first of a 2-city, 8-game swing to Sacramento and Fresno. The RedHawks are second, 5 games back of Albuquerque in the American South. Sacramento has the league's best record at 68-44 and leads the Pacific South by 6.5 games over Fresno, which shares the PCL's second-best record. Righthander Kris Benson get the start for OKC, while Clayton Mortensen goes for the River Cats.

Road Trip Stats

AVG. G AB H R HR BB SO SB CS

OKC Hitting .235 2 68 16 10 1 6 26 2 0

ERA W-L IP H R ER BB SO HR

OKC Pitching 4.24 1-1 17.0 16 8 8 5 9 1

RICHARDSON, COREY KEY OKC WIN: Kevin Richardson hit his second grand slam of the year and Bryan Corey tossed 7 shutout innings in the RedHawks' 9-1 win last night. OKC scored all its runs and collected all 11 hits in the first 3 innings against Dana Eveland (8-3), who recovered to pitch 5 scoreless innings after Richardson's third-inning slam made the score 9-0. OKC had only 2 baserunners, both reaching on walks, after the third. Corey did not allow a hit until Yung-Chi Chen led off sixth with a single, one of 5 singles for the River Cats against Corey (2) and Willie Eyre (3). Sacramento scored its run in the eighth.

OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND: The RedHawks' 9 runs last night followed a stretch where they had scored 14 runs in their previous 6 games. OKC is 5-1 when scoring 9 runs this season.

KEY HITS RETURN: The RedHawks went 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position last night after being hitless in that department (0-for-14) over the previous 2 games and 2-for-31 over the previous 4.

RICHARDSON'S BIG NIGHT: Kevin Richardson's slam was his second of the season and the team's fourth. Richardson also belted a grand slam June 3 vs. Memphis. He leads the team with 12 homers and his total accounts for 20.7% of the team's 58 home runs. OKC has hit the league's fewest homers, but also has allowed the fewest (70).

ONE-SIDED FINALS: OKC has gone 13 games without a one-run decision since beating New Orleans 7-6 in 12 innings July 23. The winning margin has been 4 runs or more in 7 of the last 10 RedHawks games. OKC is 28-19 in games decided by 2 runs or fewer and 28-36 when the final margin is 3 runs or more. The RedHawks are tied for second in the league lead in one-run wins with a 20-11 mark. Sacramento is also 20-11 in that category, while Memphis is 22-17.

NEW FACE: Outfielder Dustin Majewski (my-yes-key) has been promoted from Class AA Frisco. A third-round pick by Oakland in 2003 out of the University of Texas, the 27-year-old Majewski is expected to make his RedHawks and Triple-A debut tonight. Majewski, a member of the Longhorns' 2002 National Championship team and a 2003 teammate of current Ranger catcher Taylor Teagarden, has spent the season at Frisco, batting .266 with 1 homer, 22 RBIs and 35 walks vs. 28 strikeouts in 60 games spread between all three outfield positions.

FAMILIAR FACE: Tonight's Sacramento starter Clayton Mortensen faced the RedHawks twice this season as a Memphis Redbird, going 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 2 starts. Mortensen combined to pitch 13 innings while allowing 11 hits and 6 runs (5 earned), plus 5 walks and 7 strikeouts.

Current RedHawks vs. Mortensen this season:

Arias 1-6, 2B Benjamin 0-3 Huffman 2-3, RBI

Boggs 1-3, 2B, 2 K Frostad 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Borbon 2-7 Golson 0-5, Sac bunt

UPCOMING PROBABLES:

Date Opponent Oklahoma City Pitcher Opposing Pitcher Radio

Saturday Aug. 8 @ Sacramento RH Brandon McCarthy, rehab TBA KTOK AM 1000

Sunday Aug. 9 @ Fresno RH Guillermo Moscoso 3-3, 1.96 RH Ramon Ortiz 5-2, 2.48 KTOK AM 1000

Monday Aug. 10 @ Fresno RH Elizardo Ramirez 7-9, 4.59 TBA KTOK AM 1000

Tuesday Aug. 11 @ Fresno RH Bryan Corey 5-5, 5.51 TBA KTOK AM 1000

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