The Tacoma Rainiers play their final away game of the 2021 season tonight at Round Rock. First pitch is set for 5:05 (Pacific).
Tacoma has an impressive road record of 37-27 for the season. Jose Marmolejos has been the Rainiers biggest raker on the road, batting .401 with 16 of his 25 home runs hit in away games. On the pitching side, reliever Jimmy Yacabonis has thrived on the road, going 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 15 away games.
Let’s update some league leaders to follow down the stretch.
Marmolejos had his first multiple-hit game since returning to the Rainiers last night, going 3-for-5 and raising his batting average to .350. He has a slim lead over Salt Lake’s Michael Stefanic, who enters today’s action at .346. The two batting title contenders are going to square off face-to-face when Salt Lake opens a five-game series at Cheney Stadium on Wednesday night.
Last night Tacoma starter Logan Verrett allowed just two runs over seven innings and earned his league-leading 11th win. Verrett (11-4) had been tied with Austin Bibens-Dirkx (10-6) of the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Bibens-Dirkx has been shuttling between the rotation and the bullpen recently; not sure if he’s going to make a start (or two) in the final week of the season.
Darren McCaughan has been in the mix for the league ERA crown, at times holding the top spot, but it appears that Oklahoma City’s Aaron Wilkerson has it locked up now. Wilkerson’s ERA stands at 4.11, and he has pitched enough innings to qualify for the season. McCaughan’s ERA stands at 4.64 with one start left.
The Rainiers are now 2-2 in the Triple-A Final Stretch. They hit two home runs last night, giving them six during the Homers That Help campaign, raising the total donation from Minor League Baseball to Rebuilding Together South Sound to $300. Six games remain in the season – and in the charity drive.
We have a rare Tuesday off this week – the team will spend it flying home from Austin. We’ll be back with a fresh blog post on Wednesday prior to the start of the Rainiers final homestand of the season.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Tacoma made it two straight wins and evened the series at Round Rock with an 8-3 victory on Sunday evening. Dillon Thomas and Jose Marmolejos each hit a two-run homer to help stake Logan Verrett, who pitched seven strong innings to earn his league-leading 11th victory. Marmolejos and Jantzen Witte each had three hits.
TODAY: Tacoma (75-49, 2-2) at Round Rock (63-60, 2-2), 5:05 PT.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Texas Rangers.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Kenny Holmberg.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 7-3.
PITCHERS: LHP Ray Kerr (0-0, 5.00) at RHP Tyson Miller (4-3, 3.00)
This will be a true bullpen game for the Rainiers, and Kerr gets to go first.
HOT HITTERS: Dillon Thomas has reached base in 15 straight games, going 17-for-49 at the plate during that time, and he has homered in back-to-back games… Jose Godoy has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games… Luis Liberato is 16-for-34 over his last ten games… the Rainiers are 42-23 when Donovan Walton is in the starting lineup, and 33-26 when he is not… Walton has a six-game hitting streak… Marcus Wilson has a six-game hitting streak.
OPPONENT NEWS: Round Rock has won or tied its last four series, and is 18-11 over the last 29 games… star catcher Yohel Pozo was just sent back to Triple-A… top prospect Josh Jung has gone 23-for-55 during a 13-game hitting streak… Jack Kruger has a nine-game hitting streak… Domingo Leyba has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games.
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 News Tribune has its weekly Mariners Takeaways which include a segment on Tacoma winning the league championship.
- The Mariners beat the Angels yesterday, 5-1, to complete a ten-game road trip with an amazing 8-2 record. The team is two games behind the Red Sox for the final playoff spot with six games remaining.
- The M’s have the advantage of finishing the season at home.
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