The Seattle Mariners officially recalled outfielder Jarred Kelenic today, ending his second stint with the Tacoma Rainiers. Hopefully this time he is ready to make the adjustments required to have success in the major leagues.
Kelenic certainly was hot for the Rainiers. He hit .408 over his last 12 games for Tacoma, going 20-for-49 during that time with four homers and 13 RBI. Overall, he hit .306 for Tacoma since he was sent down by the Mariners in early June.
While rooting for Kelenic to succeed, I really hope that he’s not rusty. Because of an odd combination of the MLB All-Star break, the Future’s Game, off days in Tacoma’s schedule, and rain, Kelenic has barely played in the last ten days. Check this out:
July 5: Kelenic collects four hits for Tacoma in a game against Reno. Up to this date, he had been playing every game for the Rainiers.
July 6: Rainiers manager Kristopher Negron gives Kelenic his first game off in weeks,
July 7: Tacoma has an off day to travel to Sugar Land, Texas.
July 8: game rained out.
July 9: Kelenic goes 1-for-3 with a walk at Sugar Land.
July 10: Kelenic leaves Rainiers, flies to Denver.
July 11: Kelenic starts in MLB All-Star Futures Game, bats one time, grounds out.
July 12 – 15: Mariners tell Kelenic to take off the rest of the MLB all-star break.
Today, Kelenic rejoins the Mariners and will presumably be in the lineup at Anaheim tonight. He has had just five plate appearances in the last ten days. I hope he’s rested, and not rusty!
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Tacoma split its doubleheader with Salt Lake last night. The Bees won the first game, 3-2, as Jo Adell tripled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the fifth inning. Jose Marmolejos and Jose Godoy hit solo homers for the Rainiers two runs. Tacoma won the second game, 3-1, as Jake Hager hit a pair of solo homers and Jantzen Witte singled in the go-ahead run. Brian Schlitter, Vinny Nittoli, Daniel Zamora, and Wyatt Mills handled the pitching in the second game.
TODAY: Salt Lake (30-31) at Tacoma (32-28), 7:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.
SEASON SERIES: Salt Lake leads, 8-5.
PITCHERS: LHP Thomas Pannone (2-6, 8.12) at RHP Darren McCaughan (4-3, 4.25)
McCaughan is coming off seven shutout innings in his last start, which earned him the Triple-A Pitcher of the Week award. That game, at Sugar Land, ended up being Tacoma’s first (and to date, only) shutout of the season.
ROSTER MOVES: Jarred Kelenic was officially recalled by the Mariners today. Outfielder Eric Filia leaves the Rainiers today to join Team USA for their workouts and exhibition games leading into the Japan Olympics. Today the Mariners claimed former Rainiers pitcher Ryan Weber off waivers from Milwaukee and assigned him to Tacoma. To make room for Weber on the 40-man roster, Rainiers third baseman Wyatt Mathisen was designated for assignment.
HOT HITTERS: Jose Marmolejos is 16-for-31 (.516) during a nine-game hitting streak… Marmolejos has hit five home runs with 13 RBI over his past eight games… despite being a left-handed batter, Marmolejos is hitting .556 with five homers in 27 at-bats against left-handed pitchers… Jantzen Witte has gone 18-for-51 (.353) over his last 15 games.
OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake lost three straight games to close its series against Sacramento, but was hot before that winning nine of 11 games… Jo Adell has a 12-game hitting streak… top prospect Brandon Marsh recently came off the injured list and has a seven-game hitting streak… Matt Thaiss has hit safely in six of his last seven games… Michael Stefanic has a six-game hitting streak.
BROADCAST: All games will be broadcast free on a live audio stream which is available right here.
Unfortunately, there is no traditional terrestrial radio station carrying the games at this time.
TRIPLE-A WEST SCOREBOARD: Follow all league games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.
STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Rainiers outfielder Eric Filia has had a wild journey in baseball and in life, and now he’s an Olympian.
- Good story from Adam Jude in the Times about how the development of J.P. Crawford has provided flexibility in terms of how the Mariners are going to spend payroll this winter.
- Divish has an article on the approaching MLB trade deadline (it’s two weeks away) and how the Mariners will handle it.
- Fangraph’s “Daily” Prospect Notes features a couple guys from Advanced-A Everett.
Listen to every home and away Tacoma Rainiers game for free HERE. You can also download the MiLB First Pitch app for a free and easy one-click listening experience at home, work or in your car. Watch an HD video broadcast of every game with an MiLB.TV subscription. Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.
About the Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.
Find more information and purchase single game tickets here. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to Tickets@WeRTacoma.com.
The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.