Skyline shot of downtown Sacramento from Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. The Oklahoma City Dodgers and the Sacramento Riverscats dueled in game 3 of the six game series on Thu May 25, 2023 (photo from mlb.com file)
By Stephen Ruderman
SACRAMENTO–The Oklahoma City Dodgers trounced the River Cats by a final of 11-4 in Game 3 of this six-game series to hand Sacramento their seventh loss in their last nine games.
The River Cats had Dodgers’ starting pitcher, Robbie Erlin, on the ropes in the bottom of the first. Luis Matos singled to lead off the inning; Tyler Fitzgerald walked; and they advanced to second and third on a double steal. David Villar struck out swinging, and Colton Welker grounded out to third to knock in Matos, but after Matt Beaty walked, Clint Coulter flied out to left to end the inning.
Tanner Andrews took the ball for Sacramento instead of Sean Hjelle, who was originally supposed to start, and after an uneventful first, Andrews struggled in the second, as the Dodgers tagged him for four runs. The inning was capped off by a three-run home run off the bat of Dodgers’ first-baseman, Justin Yurchak.
Andrews pitched a 1-2-3 third, and then was replaced in the top of the fourth by Phoenix Sanders, who the Giants had signed to a minor league contract on Wednesday, and was making his organizational debut. Sanders was greeted by a rude welcome, as the first man he faced, Jonny DeLuca homered to start the inning.
That would not be it for the Dodgers in the fourth, as Devin Mann hit a two-run home run with one out to open up Oklahoma City’s lead to 7-1. Sanders gave up an infield hit to Yurchak; walked Drew Avans; and struck out Michael Busch, but he was then removed after just two-thirds of an inning.
Meanwhile, Robbie Erlin settled in nicely, as he set down 13-straight batters after he walked Matt Beaty in the first. Luis Matos then got his and the River Cats’ second hit of the night with a single to start off the bottom of the sixth, and that was followed with a bunt single by Tyler Fitzgerald.
David Villar flew out to center, which advanced Matos to third, and then Colton Welker singled in Matos to make the score 7-2. Matt Beaty walked to load the bases, and the River Cats had Erlin on the ropes again, but Clint Coulter and Ricardo Genoves both struck out swinging to end the inning.
Cole Waits pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for the River Cats, but he was replaced by Clay Helvey in the eighth, and Helvey melted down. Devin Mann and Justin Yurchak walked to start the inning; Drew Avans singled to load the bases; and Michael Busch drew a walk to extend Oklahoma City’s lead to 8-2.
Luke Williams and Ryan both flied out, as neither were able to get the run in from third, but Jonny De Luca cleared the bases with a triple—his third leg of the cycle minus the double—to open up the lead to 11-2 and essentially put the game away.
The River Cats had some fight in them in the bottom of the ninth against Dodgers’ reliever, Wander Suero, as Ricardo Genoves singled, and Will Wilson hit a two-run towering home run to left to make it 11-4. Michael Gigliotti then hit an infield single over the mound, and Luis Matos singled to set things up for Tyler Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald had a 3-1 count, and was a ball away from loading the bases with still nobody out, but he struck out. David Villar walked to load the bases, but Colton Welker and Matt Beaty both struck out, and that would be it.
Robbie Erlin got the win to improve to 4-1, and Tanner Andrews took the loss to fall to 1-2. The River Cats have now lost seven of their last nine games, as they fall to 22-26, and remain seven games back of the first-place Reno Aces in the Pacific Coast League West.
Game 4 of the series will be tomorrow night at 6:45, with Drew Strotman slated to take the mound for Sacramento.
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