The Rainiers played their first road game of the season on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, and for six innings we had a heck of a game. There were two lead changes, and when the Rainiers scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to make it 5-5 it was the third tie of the night. We were in store for a fun finish.
And it was fun – just not in the way anybody expected.
Tacoma scored ten runs in the top of the seventh inning, sending 14 batters to the plate and collecting ten hits. It was a parade around the basepaths in the Rainiers biggest inning since an 11-run ninth at Fresno on April 10, 2018.
I thought it would be fun to break it down, batter by batter. Here we go:
- Jack Mayfield started the party with a single to right-center off Salt Lake’s Ben Rowen.
- Cal Raleigh followed with a deep double to left-center, but Mayfield was thrown out at home on a terrific relay by Salt Lake shortstop Luis Rengifo for the first out of the inning.
- Taylor Trammell singled sharply to right, sending Raleigh to third.
- Eric Campbell walked, loading the bases. This was the only walk of the ten-run inning, which is somewhat surprising.
- Dillon Thomas doubled over the centerfielder’s head, scoring Raleigh and Trammell with the first two runs of the inning, and sending Campbell to third.
- Sam Travis singled to right field, scoring Campbell and Thomas for runs No. 3 and No. 4.
- Luis Liberato grounded a single to right field, moving Travis to second base.
- Jack Reinheimer blooped a single to center, loading the bases. With four runs in, the bases loaded, and one out, Salt Lake made a pitching change. Rowen was replaced by Jake Reed.
- Donovan Walton struck out for the second out of the inning.
- Jack Mayfield singled sharply off the glove of the shortstop Rengifo, scoring Sam Travis with the fifth run and keeping the bases loaded. It was Mayfield’s second hit of the inning.
- Cal Raleigh doubled to right field, bringing home both Liberato and Reinheimer with the sixth and seventh runs. It was Raleigh’s second double of the inning.
- Taylor Trammell put the crown on the rally with a deep three-run homer to right field, making it a ten run uproar.
- Eric Campbell reached on catcher’s interference
- Dillon Thomas grounded to second base for the third out.
Fourteen batters, ten hits, one walk, one error (the catcher’s interference that did not impact any scoring), and one runner left on base. There were six singles, three doubles and a homer.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: We had a good, back-and-forth ballgame for six innings before the Rainiers scored ten runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat the Bees, 15-5. Taylor Trammell went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI in his Triple-A debut, Jack Mayfield had three hits, Sam Travis homered and drove in four runs, and Dillon Thomas also went deep in the game.
TODAY: Tacoma (4-3) at Salt Lake (1-6), 5:35 PT.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 1-0.
PITCHERS: RHP Darren McCaughan (0-0, 0.00) at RHP Andrew Wantz (0-0, 6.00)
After one start for Double-A Arkansas, McCaughan makes his first Triple-A start of the season for real for Tacoma tonight. His Double-A start was on May 5 against the Kansas City Royals affiliate, allowing two runs in 5.2 innings. McCaughan made eleven starts for Tacoma during the 2018-2019 seasons.
Wantz rhymes with Dance.
ROSTER MOVES: One additional move from yesterday that I didn’t learn until well after the blog posted: the Rainiers have added 36-year-old left-hander David Huff. He last pitched in the USA in 2016 before spending two seasons in Korea and three in Japan. He’s the first Tacoma player to be older than the Tacoma manager since… well, I don’t know. Decades, for sure.
HOT HITTERS: Donovan Walton has a seven-game hitting streak… Sam Travis has a five-game hitting streak… Eric Filia has reached base in five straight games.
OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake has the Angels top prospect Jo Adell on the roster. Adell, an outfielder, hit two home runs including a tape-measure blast on Monday against Reno… another highly-rated outfield prospect joined the Bees last night: Brandon Marsh… infielder Kean Wong has opened the season with a seven-game hitting streak.
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:
- Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert made their much-anticipated major league debuts, but the game kind of sputtered out as the Mariners lost to the red-hot Cleveland Indians on Thursday night, 4-2.
- Larry Stone was there and wrote about how the Mariners future was on display.
- Informative story from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times on how thoroughly Tacoma’s players are vaccinated (nearly 100%) and how call-ups work with MLB’s Covid protocol.
- A brief report from the Rainiers game here in Salt Lake City focuses on Angels prospect Brandon Marsh, who made his Triple-A debut last night and had a good game.
- The News Tribune has two stories on the Mariners, one on the call-ups of Gilbert and Kelenic, and another on the game itself.
- Fangraphs has an article on the Mariners call-ups.
- Longtime Rainiers manager Daren Brown has been hired by USA Baseball to pilot the Kingsport (TN) Axmen of the Appalachian League. This is a wood bat prospect league for college players that operates under the MLB umbrella.
- Reno had nearly 4,000 fans for its home opener last night against Las Vegas (an 8-5 win).
- El Paso also played a home opener last night, drawing over 6,000 for a 5-3 win over Albuquerque.
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 23, 2023