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OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Dodgers (2-1) at Las Vegas Aviators (1-2)

Game #4 of 150/First Half #4 of 75/Road #1 of 75

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Dylan Covey (NR, -.--) vs. LV-LHP Hogan Harris (NR, -.--)

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | Las Vegas Ballpark | Las Vegas, Nev. | 9:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers open their first road series of the season at 9:05 p.m. CT against the Las Vegas Aviators at Las Vegas Ballpark. After beginning the season with a loss on Opening Night, the Dodgers have won back-to-back games thanks to walk-off hits in each game by infielder Jahmai Jones.

Last Game: For the second straight game, Jahmai Jones sent the Oklahoma City Dodgers to a walk-off win against the Tacoma Rainiers, hitting a solo home in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon for a 10-9 victory at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. With two outs and the score tied, 9-9, in the ninth inning, Jones sent a fly ball out to left field that knocked off the LED board and onto the Budweiser Deck for his first home run of the season. The Dodgers overcame a five-run deficit and closed out the game scoring five straight runs. Trailing, 9-5, in the eighth inning, OKC loaded the bases before Michael Reed hit a two-run double and Michael Busch later connected on a two-run single to knot the score, 9-9. With the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning for Tacoma, OKC reliever Bryan Hudson (1-0) struck out Nick Solak to keep the game even. Tacoma had built a 7-2 lead in the fourth inning as the Rainiers' first seven runs came via four home runs. After Drew Avans and Reed hit solo home runs for OKC in the first and third innings, respectively, the Dodgers scored three runs in the sixth inning on a RBI single by Justin Yurchak and two-run double by Yonny Hernández to cut Tacoma's lead to two runs. The Rainiers scored runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to take a 9-5 lead before the Dodgers' final rally.

Tonight's Probable Pitcher: Dylan Covey makes his first start of the season in tonight's series opener in Las Vegas...Covey signed with the Dodgers as a free agent Jan. 30 and made three Cactus League appearances, including one start, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over 6.0 innings, he allowed two runs and nine hits, totaled eight strikeouts and did not issue a walk...Covey spent the 2022 season with the Rakuten Monkeys of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball, posting a 13-6 record with a 3.47 ERA and 100 K's in 23 starts. He led the team in wins and ranked second in innings (140.0 IP), starts and strikeouts...Covey originally signed with Oakland after being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the University of San Diego...He made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2017 and most recently appeared in a MLB game during the 2020 season with the Boston Red Sox...Covey last pitched in Triple-A during the 2019 season with Charlotte and tonight is his first career appearance against Las Vegas.

Against the Aviators: 2023: 0-0 2022: 2-4 All-time: 54-66 At LV: 28-33 (4-5 at current ballpark)

The Dodgers and Aviators meet for their first of two series in 2023 and lone series of the season at Las Vegas Ballpark. This is also OKC's first series in Las Vegas since the 2021 season...The Aviators won the only series of the 2022 season between the teams July 4-9 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 4-2. The Aviators outscored OKC, 43-34, while OKC hit eight home runs in the six-game series compared to Las Vegas' six homers...Michael Busch led the Dodgers with eight hits in the 2022 series, including three doubles, while Ryan Noda finished the set with eight RBI. Noda and Eddy Alvarez both hit two homers during the series...Las Vegas has won three straight season series against OKC and the Dodgers have not won a season series with Las Vegas since 2015 when they went 3-1. The Dodgers have gone 0-4-2 in season series with the Aviators since.

Wild Wins: Jahmai Jones' walk-off homer Sunday afternoon gave the Dodgers their first series win of the season, as OKC won two of three games against Tacoma at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. On Saturday night, Jones knocked a game-winning RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to break a 5-5 tie and send the Dodgers to their first victory of 2023. Saturday night's 6-5 win involved five lead changes and the score was tied three times...The last time the Dodgers had back-to-back walk-off wins came last season against Sugar Land. OKC defeated the Space Cowboys, 6-4, June 7, 2022 via a walk-off homer by Max Muncy, who was with OKC on a Major League Rehab Assignment. Then on June 8, OKC beat Sugar Land, 9-8, when Michael Busch hit a two-run double in the 10th inning...For the second straight year, the Dodgers' first win of the season came in walk-off fashion. The Dodgers won their 2022 season opener via a walk-off home run in the ninth inning by Jason Martin that resulted in a 3-2 victory against Albuquerque at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark April 5, 2022. The team went on to tally eight walk-off wins during the 2022 season and already have two through the first three games of 2023...OKC trailed, 7-2, in the sixth inning Sunday, and it was the team's largest comeback win since also overcoming a five-run deficit in the aforementioned game June 8, 2022 against Sugar Land, when the Dodgers were down, 6-1, in the eighth inning.

Arena Baseball: During the first series of the season, OKC and Tacoma combined for 52 runs, 76 hits, 12 home runs, 28 extra-base hits and 40 walks. The teams also hit a combined .337 with runners in scoring position (29x86). The Dodgers scored at least six runs in each game (24 total), while Tacoma plated 28 runs over the three-game set. The team's 24 runs scored are the most through the first three games of a season during the Bricktown era (since 1998), topping the 22 runs scored in 2003 against Colorado Springs, also at home...The Rainiers constantly had runners on base, with 42 hits - at least 12 in each game - 25 walks and four hit batters, for an average of 2.54 baserunners per inning. OKC's current 2.39 WHIP is highest among Triple-A teams, with Las Vegas the next-highest at 2.24. Tacoma also had an incredible 49 at-bats with runners in scoring position, with at least 15 in each game. However, the Rainiers also left 35 runners on base, including the bases loaded eight times. At least six batters stepped to the plate in 13 of the 28 total innings, and OKC only recorded five 1-2-3 innings....The 28 runs allowed through the first three games are the most surrendered by OKC during the Bricktown era (since 1998). They allowed 27 runs during the first three games of 2021 at Round Rock, and prior to that, OKC's previous high for runs allowed through the first three games of a season was 20 against Salt Lake in OKC in 2001.

Reed 'Em and Weep: Making his first start of the season, Michael Reed went 2-for-3 with a double, home run, walk, three RBI and two runs scored Sunday afternoon in OKC against Tacoma. The outfielder homered in his first at-bat of the season in the third inning and added a two-run double in the eighth inning...Reed made his team debut Saturday night, entering the game as a pinch runner in the ninth inning, but did not record a plate appearance...Reed is no stranger to Las Vegas Ballpark, as he suited up for the Aviators in each of the previous two seasons, totaling 63 games.

Not Lukewarm: Luke Williams did not play Sunday but tripled for a second straight game Saturday night. He has already surpassed his 2022 total of one triple in a combined 93 games in MLB and Triple-A (194 PA) and matched his 2021 total of two triples in a combined 90 games in MLB and Triple-A (251 PA). He's the only player in the PCL with two triples far and one of two players in Triple-A to record a pair of triples, joining Vaughn Grissom of Gwinnett....His four RBI are currently tied for the team lead along with Michael Busch...On Friday, Williams homered in his fourth plate appearance of the season after going deep just twice in 194 total plate appearances between the Majors and Triple-A last season and only three times in 445 total plate appearances between 2021-22.

Forging the Way: Travis Barbary enters his fourth season managing the Oklahoma City Dodgers, as well as his 29th season in the Dodgers organization as a player, staff member or coach. The team has finished in second place in its division during each of the last two seasons, going a combined 151-124. Barbary's 2023 coaching staff includes returning hitting coach Manny Burriss, who is back with the team for a third season. They will be joined by pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Justin DeFratus. Mathis begins his first season in OKC after spending the last three seasons on the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers, and DeFratus returns for his third season in OKC. Bench coach Chris Gutierrez comes to Triple-A after holding the same role with Double-A Tulsa last season.

2022 Record-Setting Rewind: The OKC Dodgers wrapped up the 2022 season with an 84-66 record, posting the second-most wins during the team's Bricktown era (since 1998) and scoring the second-most runs in Minor League Baseball (949). Although the Dodgers held at least a share of first place in the PCL East Division for 111 days, the team finished one game behind division-winning El Paso and has now finished in first or second place in their division in six of the seven seasons during the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliation. OKC led all teams in the Minors with 731 walks, setting a team record and posting the most walks by any Triple-A team since 2004. The Dodgers led Triple-A and finished third among full-season teams in the Minors with a team-record .370 on-base percentage. OKC's +156 run differential paced the PCL and also set a team record. Infielder Miguel Vargas was named the Triple-A Player of the Year by Baseball America and the PCL's Top MLB Prospect by MiLB. Outfielder Jason Martin was named a Triple-A All-Star by MiLB, while right-handed pitcher Ryan Pepiot received postseason Triple-A All-Star recognition from Baseball America.

The Boys in Blue: OKC's initial 2023 roster includes two of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top six prospects as ranked by Baseball America - infielder Michael Busch (No. 4) and starting pitcher Gavin Stone (No. 6). Infielder Devin Mann is ranked as the Dodgers No. 22 prospect by Baseball America....In addition to Busch, three other players are on the Los Angeles Dodgers' 40-man roster: relief pitchers Justin Bruihl and Victor González and infielder Yonny Hernández...A total of 12 players spent at least part of the 2022 season with OKC, including pitchers Robbie Erlin, Justin Hagenman, Jake Reed, Nick Robertson and Mark Washington, catcher Hunter Feduccia, and outfielder Drew Avans...Eighteen players have previous Major League experience, with three appearing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 (Bruihl, Erlin and Grove) and seven others appeared in Majors last season with a different organization: pitchers Tyler Cyr (Philadelphia/Oakland), Adam Kolarek (Oakland) and Tayler Scott (San Diego), catcher Patrick Mazeika (New York-NL), infielder Luke Williams (San Francisco/Miami) and outfielders Steven Duggar (San Francisco, Texas, Los Angeles-AL) and Bradley Zimmer (Toronto/Philadelphia). Others who have appeared in the Majors throughout their careers are pitchers Matt Andriese, Dylan Covey and Wander Suero, catcher David Freitas and infielder Jahmai Jones.

Around the Horn: OKC issued three intentional walks during the initial 2023 series after issuing five throughout the entire 2022 season...The first five home runs of the season for the Dodgers have been hit by five different players: Drew Avans, Hunter Feduccia, Jahmai Jones, Michael Reed and Luke Williams...The Dodgers seek their first win in a series opener of the season. In 2022, the Dodgers went 15-13 in series openers overall, including 7-6 on the road...OKC has allowed the most walks among all Triple-A teams with 25 free passes so far. Last season the team set a club record with 700 walks, which tied with Round Rock for most among all Triple-A teams as well. ve RBI..

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