PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

Youth Movement Spurs Dodgers Victory

September 4, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Papillion, Neb. - Cody Bellinger homered twice and Chase De Jong allowed one run over 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts in his Triple-A debut, as the recently promoted pair led the Dodgers to an 8-1 victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers Sunday night at Werner Park.

The Dodgers (80-60) won their fifth straight game and tallied their 80th win of the season, giving the team back-to-back seasons with 80 wins for the second time since joining the PCL in 1998. The RedHawks previously did it in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Bellinger's first homer of the night gave OKC a 1-0 lead in the first inning, when he lined a solo shot to right field against a strong wind out to left field.

His second homer also put the Dodgers in front. Shortly after the Storm Chasers tied the game, 1-1, the fourth inning, Bellinger came up to the plate with a runner on in the fifth inning. He drove an opposite-field homer out to left-center field to make it 3-0.

Making his first start since getting called up from Double-A Tulsa, Bellinger finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Sunday also marked his third overall multi-homer game of the season, and his second in his last seven games.

His former Tulsa teammate De Jong had an impressive Triple-A debut. Over 5.1 innings, De Jong (1-0) allowed one run and six hits. He issued only one walk and tied his season high with eight strikeouts to pick up his 15th overall win of the season.

De Jong's defining moment Sunday occurred in the fourth inning. Each of the first four Storm Chasers reached base, capped with a RBI single by Irving Falu to tie things up, 1-1. With the bases loaded and still none out, De Jong struck out each of the next three batters to keep the game tied.

De Jong exited the game with a 3-1 lead after Falu hit a one-out double in the sixth inning. Ralston Cash retired the next two batters to keep OKC in front, 3-1.

The Dodgers scored five runs between the seventh and eighth innings, with O'Koyea Dickson driving in four of them. Dickson smashed a RBI double in the seventh inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Alex Hassan to give OKC a 5-1 advantage.

Dickson then put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. His blast soared past the grass seating and landed on the left field concourse for his 18th home run of the season. Dickson's four RBI were a season high, and he collected three more hits, giving him 15 hits in his last seven games.

Four Dodgers pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts, as the team tied the 2014 Nashville Sounds' Pacific Coast League record with 1,236 strikeouts this season. The Dodgers allowed one walk and are also in good position not only to break the league's single-season strikeout record, but also become the first PCL team since the 2004 Sacramento River Cats to lead the league in strikeouts and allow the fewest walks.

Omaha starting pitcher Jonathan Dziedzic took the loss in his final outing of the season. Dziedzic (5-10) allowed three runs and five hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.

The Dodgers finish the regular a season in Omaha with a Labor Day matinee starting 12:05 p.m. Monday. Live coverage begins at 11:50 a.m. on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com, or through the free iHeartRadio mobile app.

After the conclusion of the regular season, the American Northern Division champion Dodgers will play the American Southern Division champion Nashville Sounds in a best-of-five playoff series beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7 in Oklahoma City. The Dodgers will host the first two games of the series Sept. 7-8 before the series shifts to Nashville for the final three games of the series.

Tickets for the PCL playoffs are available through the box office on S. Mickey Mantle Drive, by calling (405) 218-1000, or by ordering through okcdodgers.com.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 4, 2016


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