Martin's Huge Night Not Enough in El Paso

El Paso Chihuahuas – 11

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 8

Friday, July 1, 2022 – Southwest University Park – El Paso, Texas

Game Summary: Jason Martin went 4-for-4 with two home runs and a double, but his performance alone could not keep the Oklahoma City Dodgers on pace with the El Paso Chihuahuas in an 11-8 defeat Friday night at Southwest University Park. Martin hit game-tying run home runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, but the Chihuahuas (42-34) regained the lead following each homer. Martin hit a two-run homer with two outs in the sixth inning to even the score at 7-7. The game was still tied in the bottom of the seventh inning when Luis Liberato hit a go-ahead two-run homer for the Chihuahuas, and C.J. Hinojosa also homered on the very next pitch. The Chihuahuas took an 11-7 lead into the ninth inning, and the Dodgers (47-29) rallied with three hits in the inning to score one run and bring the tying run to the plate before falling. OKC took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, only to see El Paso score four runs in the bottom of the frame. The Dodgers tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth inning following Martin’s first home run of the game, but the Chihuahuas went back in the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Of Note:

-Jason Martin reached base five times Friday, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double and a walk. He scored three times and notched three RBI during his second multi-homer game of the season, with his other also in El Paso April 16. Martin became the first Dodger this season with three extra-base hits in one game and the fifth player with a four-hit game. The four hits were a season high and his most since July 17, 2017 with Double-A Corpus Christi, which was also his previous game with three extra-base hits. Martin has four homers in his last four games and five homers in his last six games. His 15 home runs this season are now tied for the team lead.

-The Dodgers picked up 14 hits Friday, marking their second straight game with at least 13 hits. The team is 27-for-78 (.346) over the last two games with nine doubles and two home runs. It’s the third time this season the Dodgers have lost a game when scoring at least eight runs, and the second time it’s happened at hitter-friendly Southwest University Park. Entering Friday, the Dodgers had won 16 of their last 17 games when scoring least six runs and 18 of their last 19 games when scoring at least four runs. It’s the team’s highest run total in a loss since a 14-13 defeat at Round Rock May 15.

-For the second straight game, Miguel Vargas collected two doubles, picking up a RBI on each one. He extended his hitting streak to a season-best 13 games, and during the hitting streak, Vargas is 20-for-51 (.392) with two home runs, seven doubles, 12 RBI, eight walks and 12 runs scored.

-Tomás Telis and Jake Amaya each tallied their second consecutive multi-hit game. Telis went 2-for-5, and Amaya went 2-for-3 with a RBI and two walks. Amaya is up to 15 RBI in his first 16 games since joining OKC.

-Drew Avans went 1-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run scored. He’s now reached base in 17 straight games as well as 31 of his last 32 games. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games, batting .323 (21x65) during that time.

-For the second time in three games, the Dodgers allowed 11 or more runs. During the team’s last 12 games, the pitching staff has allowed three or fewer runs seven times but allowed eight or more runs four times. OKC walked 10 batters Friday for the team’s seventh game of the season with 10 or more walks. El Paso scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, and opponents have now scored in either the first or second inning in each of the last eight games. Over the eight-game stretch, the Dodgers have allowed 22 total runs over the first two innings (16 innings).

-With a win, the second-place Chihuahuas moved within 5.0 games behind the Dodgers for first place in the PCL’s East Division.

What’s Next: The Dodgers look to regain the advantage in their series against Paso starting at 7:35 p.m. CT Saturday night at Southwest University Park. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.