Las Vegas, here we come. The only game in town on Wednesday, the Oklahoma City Comets secured the second half’s best campaign and a chance to play the Aviators in the Championship Series.
Player of the Day
There was only one game on the schedule, but there could’ve been several of them, and the choice would’ve still been obvious. Jackson Ferris left nothing to chance, pitching the best game of his career to help make the Comets second-half champs.
Ferris came into this game in his best form this season, having allowed no more than a single earned run in each of his past five starts, yet he took things up a notch or two against the Chihuahuas. In a little over 100 pitches, Ferris struck out 13 and walked just one in 7.2 innings, putting up nothing but zeroes in a blowout win.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Why leave things up to chance if you can thrash the opposition in a 12-0 victory and thus secure your ticket to the Championship Series? That’s what second-half champs Drillers accomplished with a dominant performance at every level, starting with what—given the context of the game—one could argue was the most impressive pitching performance in the Dodgers’ minor-league system this season, and not just with the Comets. Ferris steamrolled the Chihuahuas through 7.2 innings, with the only hit he allowed being a soft grounder that didn’t even leave the infield.
While the 12-0 score gives the illusion Ferris had a stress-free outing, only one of those runs was scored in the first six innings. For the vast majority of his outing, Ferris was working either with a tied game or a 1-0 lead, only seeing the Comets’ offense take off in the seventh, scoring a total of 11 runs in a pair of innings.
Before making it a blowout, the Comets took that 1-0 lead in the fifth from an unlikely source, with Chadwick Tromp driving in the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly. Ryan Fitzgerald, who scored that first run thanks to Tromp, would later drive one himself, accomplishing an individual milestone of 100 RBI for the year. With a pair of doubles, Fitzgerald would be responsible for half of the Comets’ extra-base hits in this game—their only homer came when the game was already done and dusted, as Chris Newell hit a three-run shot in the eighth.
Appearing in the most casual of innings, as the Comets defended a 12-run lead in the ninth, Edwin Díaz pitched a scoreless frame, working his way around a two-out double to Miguel Andújar. Díaz did not record a strikeout.
Before heading off to Las Vegas to fight for the title, the Comets still have to put the finishing touches on this regular season. They’ll play the Chihuahuas four more times through the weekend, potentially being able to reach 90 wins in case they take all four against El Paso.
Double-A Tulsa
The Tulsa Drillers didn’t play on Wednesday, returning home to face the Cardinals today in Game 2 of the Division Series.
High-A Great Lakes
The Great Lakes Loons were eliminated by the Dayton Dragons in the Division Series, losing it two games to one.
Rewarded for his dominant campaign with the Loons, Charles Davalan won the Midwest League MVP award. Davalan was recently promoted to the Tulsa Drillers and is appearing in their postseason campaign. The standout outfield prospect was one of four All-Star players in High-A, joined by Emil Morales, Zach Root, and Eduardo Quntero. Lastly, manager Jaier Fernandez took home Manager of the Year honors.
Class-A Ontario
The Ontario Tower Buzzers were swept by the Lake Elsinore Storm in the Division Series.
Transactions
Right-handed pitcher Paul Gervase was optioned to the Oklahoma City Comets.
Wednesday’s score
- El Paso 0, Oklahoma City 12
Thursday’s schedule
- 4:30 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) vs. Tulsa (Liam Doyle)
- 5:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (TBD) at El Paso (Luis Gutierrez)
