Is this the Master Plan?

Will Smith is back and trying to get his sea legs. Andy Pages is days away from returning. Shohei can return a week from Wednesday. Freddie Freeman is ... well... maybe... OK! Kyle Tucker has looked good of late, and several pitchers are trending up at AAA. Glasnow looked shaky today, but it's one game.

Is this the Master Plan? To have everyone ready for the playoffs? Mookie Betts is suddenly hot. Will the Dodgers catch Lightning in a Jar? The stars are getting aligned... we shall see.

I have talked to several insiders who believe Andrew Friedman made some moves under (pressure or duress - you pick the word) last offseason. I think he is ripe for being picked up by another team with ownership as the carrot (Angels, Giants, Reds, A's, et al.). We shall see... Of course, Ohtani could go with him. To me, that's not a bad thing...

But, right here, right now... the Dodgers have another Championship to win... and they can do it! Hang on... It's going to be a Wild Ride!

OKC Comets 3 – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 2 

All the scoring was done in two innings.  OKC got three in their third inning while Sugar Land got two in their fifth inning.  In the OKC 3rd, C Chadwick Tromp hit a 2 out double.  Tromp scored on a RF Zach Ehrhard RBI single.  CF Alek Thomas followed with a 2-run HR and a 3-0 lead. 

RHSP Christian Romero tossed 4 scoreless innings without a whole lot of stress.  In the 5th, after one out, Romero walked a batter, hit the next batter, and walked a third.  After he got the 2nd out, he gave up a 2-run single, narrowing the lead to 1 run. 

OKC got some excellent relief work. RHRP Kyle Hurt pitched a scoreless 6th inning. He gave up a single but struck out 2.  LHRP Ronan Kopp pitched a clean 7th striking out 2.  RHRP Jerming Rosario pitched a clean 8thwith 3 K. 

In the 9th, Rosario returned to the mound.  He gave up an inning opening single.  The next batter hit into a force out.  That brought in LHRP Garrett McDaniels.  He got the first batter he faced to ground out, with the runner moving into scoring position.  A passed ball moved the runner to 3rd.  McDaniels got the next batter to ground out 1st baseman to pitcher completing the victory. 

The winning streak has now reached 14 games.  And OKC has now increased their lead over Sugar Land by 5 games with 7 to play.  Because OKC has secured the tiebreaker over the Space Cowboys, OKC can win the 2nd half PCL championship with a win on Sunday.  

·      Zach Ehrhard – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (26)

·      Alek Thomas – 1-2, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 sac bunt, HR (11)

·      Noah Miller – 1-3, double (21)

·      Chadwick Tromp – 1-2, 1 BB, 1 run, double (2) 

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers 8 – NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 4 

Tulsa raced out to an 8-0 lead after 6.0 innings. 

RHSP Patrick Copen ended the regular season as he started it…dominant.  He completed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 6.  

Tulsa pushed across 4 runs in the 3rd.  RF Jose Izarra opened the inning with a single.  With one out, CF Mike Sirota singled.  DH Elijah Hainline walked to load the bases.  3B Jake Gelof singled to score Izarra, and LF Kole Myers hit a SF to score Sirota.  Hainline and Gelof scored on C Frank Rodriguez’s 2-run double (9). 

In the 4th, 1B Joe Vetrano hit a solo HR (13).  After two outs, Sirota singled and scored ahead of Hainline’s 2-run HR (13). 

In the 5th, Rodriguez led off with a HBP and SS Sean McLain followed with a BB. Rodriguez moved to 3rd on a GIDP and scored on Izarra’s single. 

LHRP Alex Walsh relived Copen in the 7th.  He allowed a leadoff single who was erased on a DP.  In the 8th, Walsh allowed a 1-out double and RBI single.  After the 2nd out, RHRP Jacob Kmatz was summoned.  The first batter he faced singled to bring home a 2nd run of the inning. 

In the 9th Kmatz gave up a one-out HR and a two-out HR.  After the 2nd HR, RHRP Cam Day was asked to get the final out and bring home an 8-4 win. 

The Tulsa Drillers entered just two home runs away from breaking the single-season franchise record for HR, and Jake Gelof was tied for the single-season home run record. The Drillers broke one of the two records as Joe Vetrano and Elijah Hainline each homered. Will Gelof break the individual season HR record in the final regular season game?  

The Drillers have now won ten of their past 11 games.  They improved their season record to 88-49, ten more wins than any Drillers team has ever recorded in the franchise's 49-season history.   It is also the most victories in all of Minor League Baseball this season. 

·      Mike Sirota – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs

·      Jake Gelof – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI

·      Jose Izarra – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI

·      Elijah Hainline – 1-2, 2 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (13)

·      Joe Vetrano – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (13)

·      Double – Frank Rodriguez (9) 

Box Score