Hiram Burgos heads to the bump tonight against Oklahoma City at Security Service Field where he is 4-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 9 games. (Bobby Stevens/MiLB.com)

The Sky Sox eked out the 3-2 victory over the Nashville Sounds in the series finale last night in the Music City, courtesy of Yadiel Rivera’s three-run homer in the seventh inning. Josh Hader gave up a pair of runs in the first inning, but settled in and finished his outing with four-scoreless innings. Jesse Hahn had silenced the Sox over the first six innings, but gave up a three-run homer to Rivera in the seventh and took home the loss. David Goforth had to escape a bases loaded, no out jam in the eighth and Damien Magnifico started a 1-5-4 double play in the ninth which helped lock down the victory for the Sox.

This evening, the Sky Sox welcome in the first-place Oklahoma City Dodgers for the opening game of a four-game series and eight-game homestand at Security Service Field. The Sky Sox return to the friendly confines of SSF coming off a split against the Sounds and where they are 31-19 in 50 games. They enter play three games under .500 at 50-53 and still in second place 10 games in back of the Dodgers. In hopes of getting continuing its winning ways, Colorado Springs will send righty Hiram Burgos to the hill against OKC’s righty Jose De Leon. Burgos, the Sky Sox workhorse, is 5-7 with a 4.95 ERA, while De Leon enters play 3-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 10 starts. It is a rematch of the July 6th game in OKC. In 2016 the Sky Sox are 2-5 against the Dodgers, they hold an all-time record of 65-90 against them and are 40-37 between them at Security Service Field.

Today’s Game Notes / Listen Live at 5:30 MDT / Lineups

Colorado Springs Sky Sox (50-53) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (61-44) – 6:05 p.m. – Security Service Field – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Pitching Matchup: RHP Hiram Burgos (5-7, 4.95) vs. RHP Jose De Leon (3-1, 3.83)

Sky Sox Pitcher: RHP Hiram Burgos will make his 20th trip to the mound for the Sky Sox and 18th from the starting role tonight against the Dodgers. Through his first 19 appearances, the righty is 5-7 with a 4.95 ERA allowing 58 runs (53 earned) on 120 hits, 42 walks and 75 strikeouts in 96 1/3 innings. He is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in one start against Oklahoma City spanning 6 innings. His last outing came against Round Rock at home and he returned to form alloing one earned run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Burgos is pitching very well here at home, and has compiled a 4-1 record and 3.97 ERA in 9 games. Opponents are hitting .317 against Burgos. He was selected by the Brewers in the 6th round of the 2009 draft out of Bethune-Cookman University and has made 150 minor-league appearances to the tune of a 42-44 record with a 3.87 ERA and 6 MLB starts in which he has gone 1-2 with a 6.44 ERA. He has not pitched in the big leagues since 2013.

Last Time Out: 7/24/16 vs. Express – Burgos bounced back nicely and pitched into the seventh inning his last trip to the mound against Round Rock Express. He allowed one run in the seventh inning as his outing came to a close. His final line read 6 1/3 innings, 1 run on 6 hits, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He threw 88 pitches, 51 for strikes in a game the Sky Sox would win 5-4.

Last 10 for Burgos:

Dodgers Pitcher: Young right-hander Jose De Leon is the other half of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 1-2 pitching prospect punch alongside lefty Julio Urias. De Leon will make just his 11th start of the season. Over his first 10, the righty is 3-1 with a 3.83 ERA allowing 19 runs on 38 hits, 5 homers, 16 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings of work. Opponents in the PCL are hitting .225 against the young man from Isabela, Puerto Rico. He has made one start against the Sky Sox at home in OKC and tossed 6 2/3 innings against them allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, including a homer by Orlando Arcia, and struck out 9. He turned in the worst Triple-A start of his career the last time out and allowed 7 runs and recorded just 4 outs against the Zephyrs. De Leon was selected by the Dodgers in the 24th round of the 2013 draft out of Southern. In his three-plus professional seasons, De Leon is 19-13 with a 3.64 ERA in 61 outings, 58 of which have been starts. He spent from May 3 – June 7 on the disabled list.

Last Time Out: 7/25/16 vs. New Orleans – De Leon got roughed up badly by the Zephyrs in his 10th start of the season. The righty allowed 7 runs on 8 hits, walked 2 and struck out 1 in 1 1/3 innings. The big blast was a three-run homer off the bat of Xavier Scruggs in the second. He threw 57 pitches, 35 for strikes in the shortest outing of his season. He and the Dodgers lost that tilt 9-3.

Last 10 games for De Leon –

Dan Karcher (@SkySoxKarch) continues his 27th season behind the mic for Sky Sox games, he and I will have the call of tonight’s game from Security Service Field at 6:05 p.m. Sky Sox Warmup will liftoff at 5:30 MDT on XTRA Sports 1300.

Thanks for reading – See you on the radio,

Dan

@Dan_Acheson