The Tacoma Rainiers five-game win streak came to a halt in Reno on Thursday night, with the Aces putting an emphatic end to it, 11-4.
Reno scored in each of the first five innings, building an 11-2 lead, and that was pretty much it. Aces third baseman Drew Ellis went 5-for-5 with three RBI, raising his batting average from .226 to .286 in one game.
Down 11-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning and staring a loss in the face, Rainiers manager Kristopher Negron decided to save some fresh bullpen arms for today’s game and brought third baseman Jantzen Witte to pitch for the second time this season. Utilizing a deadly 46-mph eephus pitch, Witte pitched a scoreless inning. Maybe we need more eephusballers?
Tacoma will try to even-up the series tonight with Darren McCaughan on the hill. McCaughan turned in an excellent outing in his last start, so he should feel good going into this one.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Reno scored in each of the first five innings, rehabilitating Christian Walker hit a three-run homer, and Drew Ellis went 5-for-5 as the Aces took down Tacoma on Thursday night, 11-4. Tacoma hit three solo home runs in the game: Luis Torrens, Dillon Thomas, and Sam Travis each went deep.
TODAY: Tacoma (10-9) at Reno (14-5), 6:35 PT.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Arizona Diamondbacks.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Blake Lalli.
SEASON SERIES: Reno leads, 1-0.
PITCHERS: RHP Daren McCaughan (1-1, 5.40) at RHP Zach Lee (1-0, 1.29)
ROSTER MOVES: More moves that occurred prior to last night’s game: the Mariners called up Tacoma pitchers Hector Santiago and Daniel Zamora. recently optioned pitchers Aaron Fletcher, Wyatt Mills, and Yohan Ramirez all reported to Tacoma. The organization signed veteran Triple-A reliever Brian Schlitter and assigned him to Tacoma. Pitcher Bryan Pall was placed on the injured list, and infielder David Masters was transferred to Double-A Arkansas.
HOT HITTERS: Cal Raleigh has a nine-game hitting streak… Raleigh has reached base safely in 13 straight games… Taylor Trammell has hit safely in 11 of 13 games for Tacoma… the Rainiers have clubbed 15 home runs over the past six games, with 11 different players going deep.
OPPONENT NEWS: Reno has won each of its first three series to open the season with a 14-5 record… Nick Heath has a six-game hitting streak; he’s a speedster who is looking to steal… former PCL MVP Christian Walker has been with the Aces on a rehabilitation assignment… Drew Ellis went 5-for-5 yesterday and is 9-for-12 over his last three games… Seth Beer is the official favorite Reno player of this blog, for obvious reasons… the Aces have one former Rainiers player: pitcher Zach Lee, most remembered today from the ill-fated Chris Taylor trade.
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:
- Chris Flexen tossed a gem and the Mariners shut out Texas last night. That’s three wins in the last four games for Seattle.
- Ryan Divish has a fun story on Hector Santiago, who the Mariners called up from Tacoma yesterday.
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