The Rainiers won their final regular season home game with flair on Tuesday, taking down Sacramento on Taylor Trammell’s three-run walk-off home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Tacoma now has a three-game lead with six to play over both Reno and Sugar Land to clinch the Triple-A West Regular Season Championship. The “Magic Number” to clinch over each team is four.
The team is going to have to win it on the road, as the final six regular season games are in El Paso. We flew to El Paso yesterday afternoon, arriving in time for the guys to wander around downtown and get a nice dinner somewhere. Everyone is rested and focused on trying to lock up the championship.
If the Rainiers can win four of the six games here, they can’t be caught by either Reno or Sugar Land. A 3-3 split would require both Reno and Sugar Land to lose one of their final six games.
Tacoma has the benefit of playing the team with the worst record in the league, but both Reno (home vs. Salt Lake) and Sugar Land (home vs. Albuquerque) are also playing teams that have struggled this season.
We haven’t seen El Paso since the very start of the season. The Chihuahuas were Tacoma’s opponent on Opening Night back on May 6, when the two teams split a six-game series. El Paso has been one of the top teams in the league in recent years, but this season is totally different: they have a record of 44-70.
I’ll have the live audio stream for you throughout the series. And even though it might cost me listeners, it would be wrong to not tell you that MiLB TV is free for the remainder of the season. We haven’t been here since 2019, but in the past they have had a very good video production in El Paso.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: The Rainiers were off yesterday. On Tuesday, Tacoma finished off Sacramento with a 7-4 walk-off win. Trailing 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Padlo‘s one-out RBI single tied the game before Taylor Trammell launched a three-run game-ending homer to right field. Tacoma took five of the six games from Sacramento, and has a three-game lead with six to play for the Regular Season Championship.
TODAY: Tacoma (69-45) at El Paso (44-70), 6:05 PT.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Eric Junge. He’s serving as both pitching coach and interim manager.
SEASON SERIES: Tied, 3-3.
PITCHERS: RHP Robert Dugger (2-5, 7.27) at RHP Caleb Boushley (3-8, 5.47)
ROSTER MOVES: Catcher Freuddy Bautista was transferred back to Low-A Modesto.
HOT HITTERS: Jantzen Witte has gone 73-for-217 (.336) over his last 55 games… Dillon Thomas has reached base in eight straight games, going 11-for-26 at the plate during that time… Donovan Walton had an eight-game hitting streak end in the second game of the doubleheader… Jose Godoy has had three hits in each of his last three games… Sam Travis is 9-for-25 with three doubles and a homer over his last seven games… Alen Hanson has a four-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 ten of their last 12 games… Taylor Kohlwey has a nine-game hitting streak… Jose Azocar has an eight-game hitting streak, and he has nine stolen bases over his last 13 games… Matthew Batten has a five-game hitting streak… El Paso has former Rainiers Patrick Kivlehan, John Andreoli, and Parker Markel.
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 were inches away from a win yesterday. Instead, they lost in extra innings to the Red Sox.
- Seattle is running out of time in the Wild Card chase.
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 16, 2023