RedHawks Game Notes
June 18, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City RedHawks (38-28) at Nashville Sounds (35-31)
Game 67 | June 18, 2010, 7:05 pm CDT | Greer Stadium | Nashville, TN
News Radio 1000 KTOK, RedHawks Radio Network | Play-by-Play: Jim Byers
RH Tanner Scheppers (1-0, 1.57) vs. RH Tim Dillard (1-3, 5.17)
TONIGHT: Fresh off their best homestand of the year, going 6-2 against division foes Albuquerque and New Orleans, the RedHawks open an 8-game trip tonight with the first of 4 against the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). The teams split a 4-game set at Greer Stadium in April. OKC is a season-best 10 games over .500 and 3.5 games ahead of Albuquerque in the American South. Righthander Tanner Scheppers will make his second start of the season and first appearance against the Sounds. Scheppers began the season in Frisco and OKC's bullpens. Righthander Tim Dillard gets the start for the Sounds.
FIRST SWEEP: OKC enters tonight's trip opener off a 6-2 homestand that featured a 4-game sweep of New Orleans in the series that ended with last night's 8-5 win. It was OKC's first series sweep of the year and eighth series win.
WELCOME BACK NELLIE: Rangers outfielder and 2008 PCL MVP Nelson Cruz will join the RedHawks today for a scheduled 3-game rehab assignment. It's Cruz's second rehab stint with OKC this season for injuries to both hamstrings. The 2009 All-Star played 2 games with the RedHawks May 11-12, going 3-for-9 with 1 double and 3 RBIs. Cruz's has been on the 15-day DL since May 30 (retro May 29) with a left hamstring strain. He was on the DL from April 27-May 14 with a right hamstring strain. Cruz's bio is with the relievers on page 5.
MORELAND'S RBI TEAR: Mitch Moreland has driven in at least 1 run in 6 of the last 8 games on the homestand that ended last night, collecting 14 RBIs during the stand. On Tuesday, he recorded the RedHawks' fifth 4-RBI game of the season.
SALTY'S FAVORITE TEAM: Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered in all 3 games he played in the just-concluded series with New Orleans. Saltalamacchia is second on the team with 9 homers, 6 against New Orleans, including each of his last 5. Eleven of his 21 RBIs have come against the Zephyrs.
LEADERS: Brandon Boggs is fourth in the league in walks with 39. He's seventh in on-base percentage at .406 and has reached base in 22 straight games. Esteban German is fifth in walks with 37, second in stolen bases (25) and third in runs (47). German brings a league-best 22-game road on-base streak into tonight's contest.
CHIPPING IN: Chris Davis has hit safely in 15 of 16 games this month and is batting .464 (26-for-56) with 3 homers and 13 RBIs in June. He's second in the league in batting average this month behind Fresno's Tyler Graham (.468). For the season, Davis is fifth in the PCL in hitting at .346.
TAKE YOUR BASE: OKC hitters have drawn the second-most walks in the PCL with 268, 4 fewer than Reno.
PITCHING NO. 1: OKC leads the PCL in team ERA at 3.43. Iowa is second at 3.58. The RedHawks have allowed the fewest home runs in the league (33), 12 fewer than the closest team, Fresno. OKC has allowed the fewest runs (260) and earned runs (224), and is third in strikeouts (497) behind Albuquerque (500) and league-leader Sacramento (508).
BIG FLIES: The RedHawks have homered in 5 straight games and are 27-11 when hitting at least 1 homer in a contest. They are 11-17 when homerless. OKC has 61 homers, fourth in the PCL. They have hit 34 home runs at home, surpassing their 2009 total (29) for the entire season. Fifteen homers this season have tied the score or given OKC the lead in the fifth inning or later, including a 2-run shot in last night's fifth inning by Ryan Garko to make the score 7-5. The 2009 RedHawks had 7 such homers all of last season, when they had the fewest home runs (77) in all of Triple-A.
UPCOMING PROBABLES:
Date Opponent Oklahoma City Pitcher Opposing Pitcher Radio
Saturday June 19 @ Nashville RH Brandon McCarthy 2-0, 2.35 LH Doug Davis (no record) KTOK AM 1000
Sunday June 20 @ Nashville LH Michael Kirkman 6-1, 3.11 LH Chris Waters 4-3, 3.24 1340 Fox Sports
Monday June 21 @ Nashville RH Doug Mathis 2-2, 4.24 LH Chuck Lofgren 6-4, 5.15 KTOK AM 1000
Tuesday June 22 @ N.O. TBA TBA KTOK AM 1000
Pacific Coast League Stories from June 18, 2010
- Record breaking inning powers Z's - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Homers Sink Express 5-1 In 11 Innings - Round Rock Express
- Iowa defeats Albuquerque - Iowa Cubs
- Sounds Take Down RedHawks In Series Opener, 10-4 - Nashville Sounds
- PGE Park, Portland Beavers Present Fourth of July Fireworks - Portland Beavers
- 'Birds, Sounds Set for Double Dips - Memphis Redbirds
- Zephyrs' Miller Named PCL All-Star Trainer - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- San Diego Padres to Hold June 24 Open Player Tryout at PGE Park - Portland Beavers
- RedHawks Game Notes - Oklahoma City Comets
- 2010 Triple-A All-Star Field Staffs Announced - PCL1
- River Cats Rally For 8-6 Victory Over Aces - Reno Aces
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