Weather trimmed the slate, but the Dodgers’ farm system still found a way to produce the night’s loudest fireworks in Tulsa.
The biggest swing belonged to Kole Myers and Jake Gelof, who teamed up for a four-homer barrage in Double-A as the Drillers rolled past the Wind Surge 8-2. Myers did his damage from the leadoff spot, going deep twice and driving in three. Gelof matched him with two more homers of his own, finishing with five RBI and giving himself three home runs over the last two games.
Gelof’s power binge is starting to stand out in a big way. With those two blasts, he is now one homer shy of matching the combined total from his first three professional seasons, when he had 33. He’s also up to 90 RBI, putting him within reach of a 100-RBI season and still trailing only Josue De Paula on the team.
The Drillers didn’t need much more than that offensive explosion, but Aidan Foeller helped keep things under control on the mound. He gave up just one run in five innings while working through traffic, and Tulsa eventually turned the game into a runaway. Foeller’s season has taken an odd turn since his move to Double-A: his WHIP has jumped, but his ERA has dropped from 3.46 to 1.37.
There was another notable development for Tulsa beyond the box score. Mike Sirota was back in the starting lineup and collected two hits in his first appearance since August 27th.
In Triple-A, Oklahoma City needed late-game muscle to finish the job. With the score tied at three in the ninth, Alek Thomas broke it open with a go-ahead two-run homer, giving the Comets the lead for good. It was Thomas’ third home run in just two games since returning to Triple-A.
The Comets also got a strong start from Jackson Ferris, who allowed only two hits across five-plus innings. It marked Ferris’ fourth straight start in which he gave up no more than one earned run, a strong stretch of form that kept Oklahoma City in position before Thomas delivered the knockout swing.
Not everything was clean offensively for the Comets. Zach Ehrhard, batting leadoff, struck out in three of four at-bats, while James Tibbs III moved into the three-hole and reached base three times in five trips, with a hit and two walks.
At High-A Great Lakes, both games of the doubleheader were postponed because of inclement weather.
In Class-A Ontario, Easton Shelton kept doing what he’s done best all season. The first baseman collected three of the team’s eight hits, including a solo homer in the first inning, his 36th of the year. But the Tower Buzzers couldn’t turn their hits into enough runs, falling 4-3 despite outhitting their opponent 8-5.
Adrian Marrero opened with two scoreless innings, but Joel Cruz was charged with four runs over three innings, which proved to be the difference. Ontario’s bullpen kept the game close, but the offense went quiet late, going hitless in six at-bats with runners in scoring position and failing to score after the fourth.
The Dodgers also made a few roster moves. Tulsa activated Aidan Foeller from the Development List and Sean McLain from the IL. Adrian Marrero was assigned to the Tower Buzzers, and Ben Rortvedt was sent to Triple-A.
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Dodgers Catching Situation Still Feels Unsettled After Latest Roster Move
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For now, Rortvedt gives Oklahoma City some experienced depth, but his status also says plenty about how quickly things can change behind the plate for the Dodgers. If the big-league club needs another catcher, he looks like a name that could come back into the picture, which leaves the overall situation feeling just a little less settled than a roster move on paper might suggest. [Read more 🡒]