Pitching Falls Short As Dodgers Lose To Omaha

The Omaha Storm Chasers’ offense continued to roll at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Monday in a 10-7 win against the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

With the win, the Storm Chasers took a 3-0 lead in the series and cut Oklahoma City’s lead in the American Northern Division to eight games in front of a crowd of 4,203.

Omaha (46-39) has scored 25 runs and racked up 44 hits through the first three games of the series against the Dodgers, recording at least seven runs and 12 hits in each game.

The Storm Chasers piled up 16 hits Monday as they took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Moises Sierra hit a fly ball that dropped in right field due to a fielding error on Chris Heisey and Brett Eibner scored with two outs. Orlando Calixte drove in a run on a double to center later in the inning for a two-run lead.

Oklahoma City (53-50) notched its first run of the night in the bottom of the second inning. Austin Barnes hit a solo home run onto the Budweiser Deck in left field to cut Omaha’s lead to 2-1. The Dodgers have now homered in a season-best seven straight games, and their first five runs scored Monday all came via home runs.

A RBI single by Balbino Fuenmayor pushed the Storm Chasers to a 3-1 lead in the third inning. The Storm Chasers then added two more runs in the fourth inning on a RBI single by Whit Merrifield and a sacrifice fly by Rey Fuentes.

Oklahoma City scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Carl Crawford singled to lead off the bottom of the frame for the Dodgers and Heisey drew a one-out walk. Andy Wilkins stepped up to the plate next and brought them both home on a three-run homer onto the Love’s tarp on the upper deck in right field to cut Omaha’s lead to 5-4.

Omaha added four runs on five hits in the top of the seventh inning to open up a 9-4 advantage.

The Dodgers answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. O’Koyea Dickson hit a solo homer to left field to cut Omaha’s lead to 9-5 and Heisey drove in two runs on a single to right to trim Omaha’s lead to 9-7.

The Storm Chasers added a run in the eighth inning to take a 10-7 lead when Jose Martinez grounded into a double play.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in his second game with Oklahoma City during his MLB rehab assignment. He played left field and exited the game in the eighth inning.

Starting pitcher Yohan Pino (5-3) got the win for Omaha, allowing four runs and five hits, walking three and striking out four over 5.1 innings. Michael Mariot pitched two scoreless innings for his sixth save of the season.

Dodgers starting pitcher Brandon Beachy (1-1), on MLB rehab assignment, allowed five runs (three earned) and nine hits over six innings in the loss. He walked two and struck out five Storm Chasers.

Omaha has now won five straight games against Oklahoma City and the current four-game series between the teams wraps up at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.