As I’ve been saying for years, these Sunday noon games in Las Vegas come earlier than the Sunday noon games anywhere else. Let’s hit the Week In Review.
We started things off with a preview of the Las Vegas series at the start of the current 12-game road trip.
The series began with Tacoma securing its first extra-innings win of the season.
The next post was written in a state of delirium after Wednesday’s 18-17 game.
The Justus Sheffield era ended this week – he was a mainstay with the Rainiers and Mariners since 2019.
The ball kept flying around Las Vegas Ballpark as the Rainiers lost a home run derby on Friday.
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After today’s game the team will spend the night in Las Vegas, and then fly to Salt Lake City on the off-day to prepare for a six-game series against the Bees. First pitch on Tuesday night will be at 5:35 Pacific; our next blog update will come several hours before that.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: The Rainiers managed just four hits – three singles and a double – and lost at Las Vegas on Saturday night, 7-2. The game was 1-1 until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Aviators rallied to score six runs. Stephen Kolek had a strong Triple-A debut in relief for Tacoma, pitching three innings and allowing one unearned run with no walks. Matt Festa was also sharp, with two scoreless frames.
TODAY: Tacoma Rainiers (13-12) at Las Vegas Aviators (13-13), 12:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Oakland A’s.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Fran Riordan.
SEASON SERIES: Las Vegas leads, 4-1.
PITCHERS: LHP Tommy Milone (1-0, 2.00) at RHP Micah Dallas (0-0, 0.00)
Dallas is coming up from Class-A Stockton to make the start.
ROSTER MOVES: None today as of blog posting time.
HOT HITTERS: Zach DeLoach has reached base safely in 13 straight, and in 20 of his 21 games played… Taylor Trammell has an eight-game hitting streak… Kean Wong has a six-game hitting streak, going 8-for-17… Cade Marlowe has a five-game hitting streak… Jake Scheiner is 7-for-18 with two home runs and eight RBI during this series.
OPPONENT NEWS: After opening the season 2-10, Las Vegas has won 11 of 14 to reach .500… J.J. Belday has homered in four of his last six games, and he has reached base in 14 straight games… Tyler Soderstrom is the top prospect on the team, he was the A’s first round pick in 2020 and is just 21-years-old. His father Steve pitched in the PCL for Fresno in 1998 and 1999… the Aviators have one former Rainiers player, and it’s a blast from the past: pitcher Joe Wieland, the last Tacoma pitcher to win 14 games when he went 14-6 for the 2016 Rainiers.
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.
PCL SCOREBOARD: Follow all league games in real-time with links to broadcasts and Gameday screens right here.
Links:
- Called up from Tacoma to make a start for Seattle, Easton McGee carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning but the offense-challenged Mariners lost in the tenth, 1-0.
- Here’s more on McGee and his magnificent Mariners debut.
- Julio Rodriguez left the game early with a sore back, which certainly isn’t helping the lineup.
- Leading off the Sunday baseball column at Fangraphs, Bill Haselman remembers the Mariners-Orioles fight that nearly ended Cal Ripken Jr.‘s streak. And congratulations to former PCL slugger Matt Davidson, now with the Hiroshima Carp, for winning a year’s supply of Kirin Beer.
June 1, 2023