Jose Marmolejos returned to the Tacoma lineup last night, going 1-for-5 with a double in his first game in over a week. His batting average in the Triple-A West stands at .357.
Marmolejos has a chance to become the second player in Tacoma’s 62-year franchise history to win the league batting title. Troy Neel of the 1992 Tacoma Tigers is the only player to ever accomplish the feat.
Marmolejos has an eight point lead over Salt Lake’s Michael Stefanic, who has had back-to-back three-hit games boosting his average to .349.
Aside from keeping his average higher than Stefanic’s, Marmolejos has an additional challenge: he needs to amass enough plate appearances to qualify. He needs 43 more plate appearances to get the 351 needed to qualify for the title. There are eleven games left – the ten added games in the “Triple-A Final Stretch” count for the league statistical leaders.
So, Marmolejos needs to not only hit at a high level down the stretch, but he’s also going to need to play every game to get the plate appearances. He’s going to have to hit, he can’t get injured, and he might be able to take one day off at the most.
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Today is the final game of the regular season for the Triple-A West Champion Tacoma Rainiers. Wednesday is an off day and there will be no blog update, and then the “Triple-A Final Stretch” starts on Thursday in Round Rock. Don’t fret, we will once again explain what the “Triple-A Final Stretch” is in Thursday’s post.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Forced into a bullpen game by an injury to scheduled starter Asher Wojciechowski, six Tacoma relievers combined to scatter 11 hits as the Rainiers beat El Paso on Monday night, 7-2. Kevin Padlo starred at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Tacoma has won four of the first five games of the series that ends tonight.
TODAY: Tacoma (73-46) at El Paso (45-74), 5:35 PT.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Eric Junge. He’s serving as both pitching coach and interim manager.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 7-4.
PITCHERS: RHP Andres Munoz (0-0, 0.00) at LHP Daniel Camarena (3-7, 5.35)
The hard-throwing Munoz is a reliever and this is a rehabilitation assignment – he’s been out for over a year after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
ROSTER MOVES: Starting pitcher Tyler Herb was promoted from Double-A Arkansas and he is expected to pitch after Munoz today. Asher Wojciechowski was placed on the injured list. Catcher Jacob Nottingham, who has been on the IL since June 15, has been released.
HOT HITTERS: Jantzen Witte has gone 76-for-231 (.329) over his last 59 games… Dillon Thomas has reached base in 11 straight games, going 13-for-34 at the plate during that time… Jose Godoy has 13 hits during a seven-game hitting streak… Luis Liberato has a six-game hitting streak.
OPPONENT NEWS: It’s been a tumultuous campaign for El Paso, which fired a coach and saw veteran manager Edwin Rodriguez resign mid-season… El Paso just went 2-5 during a series at Albuquerque. The Chihuahuas are struggling, having lost 14 of their last 17 games… Jose Azocar has a 13-game hitting streak, he leads the league in triples, and he has 11 stolen bases over his last 18 games… El Paso has former Rainiers Patrick Kivlehan, John Andreoli, and Parker Markel… Kivlehan has an eight-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:
- The Mariners stayed alive in the Wild Card race as Tyler Anderson tossed a gem in Oakland last night.
- Dylan Moore has been tinkering with his swing all season.
- Greg Bishop has a long piece on the Mariners rebuild for Sports Illustrated.
- A 17-year-old Mariners outfield prospect who hasn’t yet played in the United States appears in this week’s edition of the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.
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.
March 25, 2023