Dodgers Drop PCL Championship Opener, Game 2 Wednesday

The El Paso Chihuahuas overcame an early five-run deficit and took their first lead with a three-run rally in the eighth inning, notching a 7-5 victory over the Oklahoma City Dodgers in Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series Tuesday night at Southwest University Park.

After dropping their first game of the 2016 playoffs, the Chihuahuas have won four straight games. Each of their last two wins have occurred when trailing after seven innings. On the other side, each of the Dodgers’ last two losses have occurred when leading after seven innings. They were 70-4 when leading after seven innings during the regular season.

For the second straight series, the Dodgers lost the first game in a best-of-five set and now must win three of the next four games. Tuesday’s defeat also marked Oklahoma City’s 11th straight series-opening loss in the postseason.

The Chihuahuas entered the eighth inning trailing, 5-4. After a one-out single by Hunter Renfroe, Patrick Kivlehan sent a ground ball to OKC shortstop Chris Taylor. Taylor mishandled it, and the error would prove to open the door for El Paso to score three runs.

Diego Goris followed with a game-tying RBI single. Jose Rondon then singled to load the bases. Nick Noonan came up next and hit a fly ball to shallow center field. Corey Brown made the catch, but his throw home was off-line, allowing Kivlehan to tag from third base and score the go-ahead run. During the next at-bat, Roy Merritt threw a wild pitch, allowing another run to score.

The Dodgers weren’t able to rally in the ninth inning. Phil Maton retired the side in order, as he picked up his second save of the playoffs.

Maton and two other El Paso relievers combined to retire 10 of the last 11 Dodgers hitters, including the final eight in a row, with six via strikeout. The Chihuahuas bullpen combined to work 3.2 scoreless and hitless innings. Derek Eitel (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and earned the win.

After the Dodgers piled up five runs and six hits within the first two innings, they collected just one hit and had one runner reach scoring position over the final seven frames. El Paso’s pitching staff retired 20 of the final 23 Dodgers that stepped to the plate.

The Dodgers raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. After they loaded the bases with none out, Brown sent a sacrifice fly to left field to open the scoring. Two batters later, Kyle Farmer ripped a RBI double to left field to make it 2-0. Will Venable capped off the successful opening stanza with two-run double to the left-center field gap.

Brown added another run in the second inning. With runners at first and second and two out, he lined a single to right-center field. Renfroe threw Cody Bellinger out at third base, but Micah Johnson had already crossed the plate to push the lead to 5-0.

El Paso roared back with a four-run third inning, when each of the first five batters reached base. The Chihuahuas got on the board with a RBI single by pitcher Walker Lockett. After a walk by Manuel Margot loaded the bases, Carlos Asuaje hit a bases-clearing double off the center field fence to pull El Paso within one. However, with the tying run at second base and still none out, Logan Bawcom retired the next three batters on three pitches total to keep the lead intact.

The Chihuahuas came close to tying the game in the fifth inning when Margot hit a one-out triple. Asuaje came up next and tapped a pitch back to Bawcom. Margot took off for home on contact, and Bawcom was able to throw him out at the plate. Bawcom then struck out Austin Hedges to end the inning.

The Dodgers were also able to strand the tying run in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Sam LeCure worked a scoreless seventh inning. Casey Fien (0-1), who was recently outrighted to Oklahoma City, took over in the eighth inning and ended up with the loss in his first appearance of the postseason. He was charged with three runs – all unearned – and three hits over one-third of an inning.

Outside of the blip in the third inning, Bawcom turned in another solid start. He allowed four runs and six hits, with one walk and five strikeouts over six innings and left the game in line for the win.

The Dodgers will look to bounce back in Game 2 against the Chihuahuas at 7:35 p.m. Central time Wednesday night at Southwest University Park. The Dodgers will host Game 3 at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Oklahoma City will also host Games 4-5, if necessary, at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and 2:05 p.m. Sunday in Bricktown.