Dodgers Collar Chihuahuas During 16-3 Win

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 16

El Paso Chihuahuas – 3

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 – Southwest University Park – El Paso, Texas

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers hit five home runs and racked up 18 hits to finish their series against the El Paso Chihuahuas with a 16-3 victory Sunday afternoon at Southwest University Park. Drew Avans started the home run barrage with a three-run shot in the third inning to open the scoring. Leading, 3-1, in the fifth inning, Avans hit a RBI triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Noda. Kevin Pillar stepped up next and drilled a home run to center field to make it 6-1. A Jason Martin RBI single in the seventh inning extended the lead to 7-1 before the Chihuahuas (84-63) scored two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Dodgers (81-66) piled on nine runs over the final two innings. In the eighth inning, Noda hit a two-run homer and James Outman sent a towering three-run homer to right field put OKC ahead, 12-3. In the ninth inning, Pillar nearly hit his second homer with a RBI double to deep right field. Edwin Ríos followed with a three-run, opposite field home run to finish the scoring.

Of Note:

-One day after the Chihuahuas clinched the PCL East Division over the Dodgers, OKC notched their second win in the six-game series at Southwest University Park. In the two wins, the Dodgers outscored the Chihuahuas, 32-4, while El Paso’s four wins resulted in a combined score of 21-14. The Chihuahuas won the series, 4-2, and the season series, 14-13. Of the 27 games, 18 were played in El Paso, with the Chihuahuas going 11-7 in those games. The Dodgers went 6-3 on their home field against El Paso.

-Along with a 16-1 victory Tuesday night, the Dodgers scored 16 runs for the second time in six games, and Sunday also marked the fifth time the team has scored 16 or more runs this season. Over the previous three games, the Dodgers were held to a total of six runs and 16 hits, including six extra-base hits. Sunday they tallied 18 hits, with nine for extra bases. It’s the fifth time they’ve collected at least 18 hits in one game this season, with the previous occurrence Sept. 11 at home against Tacoma. Six players finished with multi-hit games and five players had multi-RBI games.

-For the sixth time this season, the Dodgers hit at least five homers in one game. It’s the second time it’s happened in the last six games and third time in the last 13 games (also Sept. 11 against Tacoma and Sept. 20 at El Paso). Four of the five homers were with at least one runner on base, and the five homers equaled 12 runs. Drew Avans, Ryan Noda, James Outman, Kevin Pillar and Edwin Ríos each each went deep Sunday. Noda and Outman also homered during the team’s five-homer game in the series opener Tuesday…The Dodgers have homered in 10 of their last 11 games, hitting 26 home runs during that span.

-Drew Avans reached base four times, going 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple. He set a season high with four runs scored and matched his seasons with high three hits and four RBI, previously achieved exactly one week ago Sept. 18 at Albuquerque. Avans’ triple was his 12th of the season, adding to his league lead and OKC single-season team record during the Bricktown era (since 1998). Avans also stole his 37th base of the season, which leads the team and ranks fifth in the PCL.

-Kevin Pillar played the fourth game of his Major League Rehab Assignment and collected a game-high four hits, going 4-for-6 with a home run, double, two RBI and three runs scored. Pillar also had a four-hit game with OKC earlier this season May 6 against Albuquerque. The three runs also tied his season high. Pillar was 2-for-12 over his first three games of the rehab assignment. Going back to his final at-bat Saturday, Pillar is 5-for-his-last-7.

-Edwin Ríos knocked three extra-base hits, with two doubles and a home run. His three hits and three RBI tied season highs. Ríos played in five games during the series in El Paso and went 8-for-22 with two home runs, four doubles and eight RBI. He’s currently on a six-game hitting streak during which he 9-for-27 with seven extra-base hits, collecting at least one extra-base hit in five of the six games. His three-run homer in the ninth inning was his 59th career home run with Oklahoma City, putting him one shy of tying Jason Hart for OKC’s career home runs record during the Bricktown era.

-Ryan Noda drove in three runs with a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly. He went 2-for-4 and reached base three times, as he was also hit by a pitch in the ninth inning. Over the last seven games, Noda is 8-for-22 with three home runs, a double, seven RBI, six walks and four HBP, reaching base in 19 of 34 plate appearances.

-Reliever Yency Almonte made the third appearance of his current Major League Rehab Assignment. He retired two of four batters faced in the seventh inning and allowed two hits – a double and a bloop single. He notched one strikeout and threw 16 pitches (10 strikes). Almonte left his outing with two runners on base, and both scored following his exit.

-El Paso did not hit a home run Sunday, snapping a streak of 14 straight games in which the Dodgers allowed at least one homer.

-The Dodgers won their fifth consecutive series finale and third straight road series finale. Sunday was the team’s final road game of the season, and the Dodgers finished with a 39-36 road record. The team had a losing road record each of the past two seasons.

What’s Next: The Dodgers return home to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark to face the Salt Lake Bees for three games during the final series of the season. Monday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are available by calling (405) 218-2150 or through okcdodgers.com.

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.

Video Highlights: Video highlights of today’s game are available at the Pacific Coast League FTP site, pclhighlights.exavault.com, in the El Paso folder. The proper files will reflect today’s date, and are accompanied by a text file containing a brief description of the content available.