The Tacoma Rainiers are back at Cheney Stadium tonight to open a six-game home series against the Round Rock Express, who are the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. This series will last through Tuesday.
Tacoma went 3-3 in the first home series of the season, splitting with El Paso. It’s worth noting that El Paso then went to their own home ballpark and took five of six games against Albuquerque, barely missing out on the first six-game sweep of the season in the Triple-A West.
The first road trip for the Rainiers was not very successful, with the club going 2-4 at Salt Lake despite some incredible hitting by outfielder Taylor Trammell. Tacoma’s two starters, 14 relievers pitching staff had its share of difficulties working at high elevation against a solid Salt Lake lineup.
Now the Rainiers face a Round Rock club that is off to a strong start, going 9-3 so far. The Express opened the season with a 12-game homestand, going 5-1 against Oklahoma City (Los Angeles Dodgers) and 4-2 against Sugar Land (Houston Astros). Tonight will be the first road game of the season for the Express.
This series will be the only one of the season between Tacoma and Round Rock. Tickets are available, the weather forecast is looking good, morale is improving… we’d love to see you at the ballpark!
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Tacoma was off on Wednesday after dropping the final game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night, 9-3. The Rainiers allowed five runs in the first two innings and never had the lead. Taylor Trammell was held in check, I suppose, going 1-for-4 with a ringing double. Cal Raleigh doubled twice and appears to be heating up at the plate with three straight two-hit games.
TODAY: Round Rock (9-3) at Tacoma (5-7), 7:05 PT.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Texas Rangers.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Kenny Holmberg.
SEASON SERIES: 0-0.
PITCHERS: RHP Drew Anderson (1-1, 3.52) at RHP Jaime Schultz (1-1, 11.12)
The Rainiers have their fourth consecutive “bullpen day” today, with Schultz getting the start and pitching the first inning or two. The Rainiers do have actual stretched-out starting pitchers scheduled to go on Friday and Saturday in Darren McCaughan and Hector Santiago, but then it will be back to the bullpen days.
ROSTER MOVES: Jack Mayfield was optioned to Tacoma on Monday and recalled by Seattle on Wednesday, never appearing in a game for the Rainiers.
HOT HITTERS: Taylor Trammell has gone 15-for-26 with four homers and 14 RBI in six games since joining the Rainiers… Cal Raleigh has had two hits in each of his last three games… Jantzen Witte has a five-game hitting streak… Eric Campbell, Luis Liberato, and Sam Travis have four-game hitting streaks.
OPPONENT NEWS: Curtis Terry leads the league with five home runs. He hit four right away when the season started, cooled off for a bit, and then went deep on Tuesday… Delino DeShields has a nine-game hitting streak… the Express have one former Rainiers player, pitcher Sam Gaviglio who is scheduled to start the third game of the series on Saturday.
BROADCAST: All games will be broadcast free on a live audio stream which is available right here.
As in the past, a streaming HD telecast is available through MiLB.TV. It’s a subscription service, but it’s just a one-time payment that gets you thousands of games from all levels of the minor leagues, including all 120 Tacoma Rainiers games home and away. That same link above has details on how to get it if you scroll down the page – there’s even a discount code.
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 were swept by the Detroit Tigers, with Seattle U product Tarik Skubal getting the win yesterday. In the story is some discussion of the struggles that Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert have faced during their first taste of the majors.
- Seattle was no-hit for the second time in two weeks on Tuesday, when Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull performed the trick.
- Larry Stone has a column on the Mariners offensive woes, in which he discusses the options in Tacoma.
- Mariners manager Scott Servais wants his hitters to do a better job of using the whole field.
- Several Triple-A West teams begin homestands tonight with expanded seating capacities. El Paso is going mask-free, Reno is expanding capacity starting soon, and out in Sugar Land it’s their home opener, the first affiliated home game in franchise history.
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.
We R Tacoma Team Store
The We R Tacoma Team Store is currently open Monday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (non-game days) or until the end of the game on home game days. Team Store purchases can also be made online 24/7. Grab your Rainiers gear, your Defiance ‘fit, and follow the team store on Instagram and Twitter.
March 24, 2023