The Rainiers were two outs away from sweeping a doubleheader from Sacramento on Sunday when Lady Luck decided to intervene.
After pitching a shutout in the opener, Tacoma led 2-1 with one out in the seventh (and final) inning of the second game. Taylor Guerrieri was on the mound, attempting to finish off a day of outstanding pitching for the Rainiers.
Sacramento catcher Chadwick Tromp was at the plate, and he flinched at a Guerrieri pitch, trying to check his swing. His bat accidentally made contact with the ball, resulting in a slow dribbler to the left of the pitcher’s mound. Tromp raced down to first base and beat it out for an infield single.
The next hitter, Mitchell Tolman, roped a double off the right field fence – a legit hit, nothing lucky here. That put runners at second and third with one out, so the Rainiers were forced to bring the infield in and the outfield was positioned shallow as well.
Will Toffey was the batter, and he was trying to drive a ball into the outfield to tie the game. Instead, he popped up to very shallow center field. With the infield drawn in, the Rainiers middle infielders had a long way to run into shallow center in pursuit. Center fielder Taylor Trammell came racing in, full speed, but he could not get there. The ball plunked onto the outfield grass for a game-tying RBI single that would be an out under normal circumstances.
With Tolman now at third base, and the infield still drawn in, Peter Maris roped a hard grounder. Tacoma shortstop Jack Reinheimer made a diving stop, saving a hit, but he had no chance to throw home to get Tolman. Instead, he threw out Maris at first base for the second out, and Sacramento led 3-2. That would be the final score.
You can play “what if” on Tromp’s accidental check-swing single, and Toffey’s weak pop fly that fell in beyond the drawn-in infield, and find a 2-1 Rainiers win and a doubleheader sweep. What if.
At any rate, the Rainiers split the doubleheader, and had great pitching all day long. Hopefully the mastery of the mound will continue tonight.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: The Rainiers split a doubleheader with Sacramento on Sunday, winning the first game 4-0 before letting the second game get away in the last inning, 3-2. Ian McKinney tossed five scoreless innings in the opener while Jantzen Witte went 3-for-3 with a homer at the plate. Luis Liberato‘s two-run homer gave Tacoma the lead in the second game, but Sacramento rallied in the seventh inning to go ahead 3-2.
TODAY: Sacramento (30-40) at Tacoma (37-33), 7:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 6-4.
PITCHERS: RHP Matt Frisbee (1-5, 7.77) at RHP Logan Verrett (5-2, 5.26)
The last time Matt Frisbee faced the Rainiers we discussed – at length – the history of the frisbee during the broadcast. We will not be doing that again.
ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Mariners called up pitcher Ryan Weber, and optioned infielder Donovan Walton to Tacoma. Today the team has added reliever Darin Gillies from Double-A Arkansas, and pitcher Nate Fisher from the Arizona Complex League. Outfielder Kennie Taylor was transferred to Advanced-A Everett.
HOT HITTERS: Jantzen Witte had his hitting streak end at ten games when he went 0-for-2 in the nightcap Sunday. He has gone 31-for-82 (.378) over his last 24 games… Alen Hansen has a five-game hitting streak… Jake Hager has had 11 of his last 15 hits go for extra bases (seven doubles and four homers).
OPPONENT NEWS: Former Rainiers outfielder Braden Bishop had a 16-game hitting streak and a streak of 25 straight games reaching base end Friday night… Arismendy Alcantara homered in five of six games during a series at Salt Lake, July 8-13… Sacramento manager Dave Brundage was the manager of the Rainiers in 2006… catcher Joey Bart is considered one of the top prospects in the league… SF Giants 2017 first round pick Heliot Ramos made his Triple-A debut on Thursday.
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:
- The Mariners beat Oakland yesterday, 4-3, won the series, and moved just 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot.
- Because the Mariners won the series against Oakland, they now appear to be trade deadline buyers, Ryan Divish reports.
- The News Tribune has its weekly Mariners Takeaways.
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.
June 7, 2023