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MLB

Game Notes for Today, August 19

By
August 19, 2013

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Isotopes continue their second to last road trip of the season with game four of a five-game series against Oklahoma City. Albuquerque is coming off of a 3-5 homestand and are looking to gain ground on the first place RedHawks, but have dropped the first three of this series. The RedHawks are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Isotopes return to Isotopes Park for their final homestand of the regular season for nine against the Nashville Sounds and Round Rock Express.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK- George Springer hit his 35th home run of the season and his 100th RBI as the Oklahoma City RedHawks won their franchise-record 15th consecutive game at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, holding off a furious Albuquerque Isotopes rally, 5-4, on Sunday Night. Che-Hsuan Lin started the scoring with a two-run bloop single in the second inning off Topes starter Matt Palmer (6-7). In the fourth, Springer hit a massive drive to left-center for his sixth home run in the last 10 games. Later in the inning, Jimmy Paredes hit a triple into the right-field corner to score Brandon Laird, then Lin's groundout scored Paredes for a 5-0 lead. The Topes didn't fold, as Eliezer Alfonzo hit a two-run double in the sixth inning. In the eighth, Matt Angle singled home a run to make it 5-3. Dee Gordon singled with two outs in the ninth, and scored on Elian Herrera's RBI double to right-center, which came on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. But the game ended when Alex Castellanos struck out for the third time.

A FOR ALFONZO: Eliezer Alfonzo has been stellar since joining to Isotopes on August 12 from the Mexican League. Alfonzo went 2-for-4 last night and tallied his first multi-RBI game with Albuquerque driving in two. He has three multi-hit games in just five contests and is hitting .421 (8-for-19). The Venezuelan started as the club's designated hitter in his first four games but started at first base last night. He has hit safely in all five games he has played in.

LATE CHARGE: The Isotopes threatened the Oklahoma City lead late last night. Albuquerque recorded eight of their 11 hits from the sixth inning on and scored all four of their runs during that stretch. Nick Buss, Elizer Alfonzo and Elian Herrera each tallied a multi-hit game. Herrera came through late singling in the sixth to spark a two-run inning. He also doubled in the ninth driving Gordon home.

VS. OKLAHOMA CITY: This is the Topes final series this season against the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Oklahoma City split the first series of the season at Isotopes Park in their first series in April. The two clubs split their second four-game set at Isotopes Park in June. Albuquerque and Oklahoma City's final series of 2013 is at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark where Oklahoma City is 52-33 all-time against the Isotopes after the the RedHawks took two of three at home the last time the two met in July and the first three of the current five-game set. Oklahoma City currently holds the advantage in their season series taking nine of 13. All-time, the RedHawks have the upperhand with a 91-82 record against Albuquerque. The Isotopes took nine of 16 game against their division opponent in 2012 posting two three-game winning streaks against them.

PITCHING PRESENCE: Matt Palmer went seven innings yesterday for the fourth time this season. He allowed five runs, four earned, through his first four innings but shut the RedHawks out over the remainder of his outing, three innings. Anthony Ortega entered in the eighth and fired a perfect frame. Ortega has not allowed more than one run in an outing since June 27 when he gave up two against Memphis.

BACK IN THE SADDLE: Dee Gordon picked up right where he left off when he was recalled by the Dodgers on August 5. He rejoined the Isotopes yesterday, August 18, after being optioned by Los Angeles on August 16. Starting at shortstop last night, he went 1-for-5 from the leadoff spot extending his Isotopes hitting streak to 18 games. He overtook Brian Barden for the longest Albuquerque hitting streak of 2013 before being recalled to Los Angeles. Gordon appeared in six games for the Dodgers after being recalled on Aug. 5, hitting 357 (5-for-14) with a stolen base. The Dodgers won all six of those games. Overall, Gordon is hitting .208 (16-for-77) in 25 games for Los Angeles this season. With Albuquerque this season, he is batting .306 with 16 doubles, eight triples and a Pacific Coast League-leading 44 stolen bases in 81 games. In a corresponding move, catcher Damaso Espino was placed on the disabled list yesterday with a right calf strain. Espino, 30, has played 17 games for Albuquerque, starting 16 games at catcher tossing out seven of 21 potential base stealers (33%). The backstop is hitting .321 (18-for-56) with five doubles and four RBI since joining the Isotopes on June 23.