The Tacoma Rainiers have hit a bit of a lull these last two days, dropping back-to-back games to Las Vegas.
It seemed like a long time since the Rainiers had lost two games in a row, so I checked. Indeed, it has been a while: the team went a month without back-to-back losses. The last time it happened was July 17-18, which was also at home, against Salt Lake.
The good news is that the Rainiers did not lose any ground in the standings yesterday. The El Paso Chihuahuas came through for us, scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 12-11 lead against Reno. They brought in former Rainiers reliever Parker Markel and he pitched two scoreless innings for a save. Tacoma remains one game behind the Reno Aces in the standings.
Tacoma goes for the series win tonight – need to win to get it done. The Rainiers have won their last four series, beating Salt Lake, Sacramento, Las Vegas (on the road), and Reno. The last series split was at Sugar Land, July 8-13.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Las Vegas used home runs by MLB veterans Khris Davis and Chad Pinder to take a 6-0 lead, and held on to beat Tacoma 7-3 on Monday afternoon. Tacoma’s Jantzen Witte went 5-for-5 with two doubles and a homer, becoming the first Rainiers player to collect five hits in a game this season. After winning the first three games of the series, Tacoma has now lost the last two going into the final game tonight.
TODAY: Las Vegas (45-44) at Tacoma (51-38), 7:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Oakland A’s.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Fran Riordan.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 10-7.
PITCHERS: RHP Argenis Angulo (2-1, 9.72) at RHP Darren McCaughan (5-3, 4.35)
It’s a true bullpen game for Las Vegas, as Angulo makes his first start of the season after 23 relief appearances.
ROSTER MOVES: The Mariners optioned reliever Yohan Ramirez to Tacoma. Not sure if he’ll actually report – since the Mariners are starting a ten-game road trip today, they may keep Ramirez with them on the Taxi Squad.
HOT HITTERS: Jantzen Witte has a nine-game hitting streak, and he has gone 48-for-127 (.378) over his last 33 games… Sam Travis has gone 24-for-73 (.329) over his last 18 games… Jack Reinheimer has reached base in 14 straight games… Jose Marmolejos is 25-for-54 over his last 14 games, and he leads the league with a .372 batting average… Jose Godoy has 17 RBI over his last nine games… Brian O’Keefe has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games.
OPPONENT NEWS: Las Vegas just beat Salt Lake in a six-game series, 4-2… Austin Allen has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 24-for-51 with six home runs during the streak… Skye Bolt has gone 5-for-5 twice in his last five games… Nate Mondou (Charles Wright Academy, Class of 2013) returns home and will play his first games at Cheney Stadium as a professional… Las Vegas has added former Oakland A’s 40-home run man (and serial .247 hitter) Khris Davis to its roster.
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:
- Ryan Divish writes about the contract status of Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto in this column cleverly disguised as a “Twitter Mailbag.”
- No Mariners appear on this week’s edition of the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet, but what the heck, here it is anyway.
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 8, 2023