Dodgers Minor League Recap: OKC Clinches Playoff Berth, Ogden Eliminated

The playoff picture has been cemented down in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system. Triple-A Oklahoma City clinched their division last week with the best record in the league, so they’ll head into the first round with home field advantage.

Oddly, they begin their best-of-five series in Round Rock for two games, then return home for the remaining three (if necessary). OKC manager Damon Berryhill, named the PCL’s Manager of the Year, has stated that Zach Lee will start Game 1 and will be followed by Julio Urias.

Meanwhile, rookie-level Ogden saw their postseason aspirations dashed on Sunday and they’ll miss the playoffs while maintaining the league’s best overall record. Tough break for the Raptors. OKC begins their playoff run on Wednesday, along with Low-A Great Lakes, while High-A Rancho Cucamonga begins their quest on Saturday.

Hitter of the Week – Jordan Paroubeck

Paroubeck, acquired from the Atlanta Braves for international slot money, put up solid numbers for the Arizona League Dodgers this season before a promotion to Ogden, where he’s taken off. Overall, the 20-year-old outfielder is hitting .379/.455/.621 with the Raptors in 22 games, and last week he hit .500 with three home runs and three doubles.

Pitcher of the Week – Luis De Paula

A 23-year-old lefty out of the Dominican Republic, De Paula has been with the Dodgers since 2012. After starting the season with the Quakes and posting solid numbers, he returned to the Loons where he’s been a strong contributor out of the bullpen and in the rotation. This week, in two relief appearances, he went a combined seven shutout innings.

Top 10 Update

–Julio Urias’ first two starts with OKC have been forgettable, as he struggled with his control in the first and was hit hard in the second. The 19 year old was still named the team’s Game 2 starter in the playoffs, so hopefully he’s up for the challenge.

–Corey Seager went 6-for-18 this week before being promoted to the big club.

–Jose De Leon pitched well for three innings before struggling after a fourth-inning error and surrendering a pair of home runs. Not an ideal end to the season, but it will give him motivation to come back even stronger in 2016.

–Grant Holmes also pitched well for three innings, then struggled in the fourth. However, the 19 year old finished his first full season with a 3.14 ERA in 103.1 innings with 117 strikeouts.

–Jose Peraza made a couple appearances for the Dodgers last week, including a start, before tweaking his hamstring.

–Jharel Cotton made a pair of relief appearances last week, going a scoreless inning in the first, and allowing three runs in the second. He still has an outside shot of helping in the Majors down the stretch.

–Alex Verdugo has continued his hot hitting, batting .545 with one home run and four doubles last week. Since June 1, he’s hitting .351.

–Cody Bellinger hit .333 with one home run and a pair of doubles, giving him 30 longballs on the season.

–Austin Barnes was promoted to the big club, but has only gotten two at-bats since being called up.

Notable Performances

–Joey Curletta was promoted to Double-A Tulsa and homered in his first game.

–Jacob Scavuzzo continued his hot hitting with the Quakes, going 6-for-14 with one home run and three doubles.

–Tyler Ogle doubled, tripled and homered last week while batting .500.

–Kelvin Ramos hit .450 with five doubles.

–Tommy Bergjans went five innings and allowed just one run.

–Ramon Benjamin pitched 3.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen with five strikeouts.

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