August 11 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Reno Aces
August 11, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TACOMA RAINIERS (64-49) @ RENO ACES (55-57)
Sunday, August 11 - 1:05 PM - Greater Nevada Field - Reno, NV
RHP Casey Lawrence (7-8, 6.29) vs. LHP Blake Walston (3-1, 4.54)
TODAY'S MATCHUP: Today's contest marks not only the series finale, but the final contest of the season between the Rainiers and Aces. Tacoma has clinched both this series (up four games to one) and the season series (18-8 against Reno); however, this game could be big for the playoff race, with the Rainiers just one game back of Salt Lake, while Reno is 1.5 games back of the top spot. Originally scheduled to be a rematch of game one, Reno will send Major League rehabber Blake Walston to the mound in place of Dylan File. Walston is 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in eight games (seven starts) for Reno this year, playing all eight previous games as a member of the Aces active roster. This time, he is on Major League rehab, coming back from left elbow inflammation that landed him on the injured list back on June 6. Opposite Walston will be Casey Lawrence toeing the rubber for the Rainiers, set to make his 22nd start of the season. Lawrence enters today's game with a 7-8 record and a 6.29 ERA over that span, allowing 85 earned runs on 150 hits and 38 walks while striking out 83 over his league-leading 121.1 innings pitched.
AT THE TOP: Tacoma appears to have found their new leadoff hitter; since being moved to the top of the order, Rainier outfielder Rhylan Thomas has gone 7-for-15 with five runs scored. Thomas is now hitting .429 (18-for-42) in 11 games with Tacoma, collecting at least one hit in all 11 games - the longest active hitting streak in the PCL. In his three games at the top of the Rainiers' order, he has singled on the first pitch of the game in each contest. He is approaching the longest hitting streak for any Tacoma player this season, closing in on Jason Vosler's 13 straight games with a hit back on June 26 - July 10. If you count Thomas' last two games before being traded to Seattle, he now has a 13-game hitting streak, collecting a hit in each of his last two games with the Syracuse Mets back on July 24 and 25. Moreover, Thomas has been key to jumpstarting Tacoma's offense, scoring runs in five consecutive games.
LOCKED IN: Since being optioned to Tacoma on July 30th, Rainiers' first baseman Tyler Locklear has been on a tear. In 10 games, the powerful righty is batting .333 (12-for-36) with an OPS of .985. With four extra-base hits (two doubles and two home runs), six walks, seven RBI, and 11 runs scored since being reassigned, Locklear has been a huge part of Tacoma's offensive approach. In fact, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, and two runs scored last night, helping the Rainiers to a 12-5 victory.
WORKHORSE: Despite being one of the oldest pitchers in the PCL at 36 years of age, veteran Casey Lawrence has been a workhorse for Tacoma this season. Entering Sunday's start, the righty leads the PCL in innings pitched (121.2) and will tie Carson Seymour and Karl Kauffman for the most games started this season (Lawrence sits at 21 starts before the game today). Lawrence has been a true innings-eater and is just one of four PCL starters to have logged a complete game this season. He'll look to build on his season so far today, where he'll make his seventh start of the year against Reno. On the season, Lawrence is 2-1 against the Aces, having allowed 30 earned runs over 47 innings pitched.
DOING HIS THING: Tacoma's Nick Solak has been a hitting machine of late. The outfielder has been consistent all year long for Tacoma, hitting .321 (60-for-187) with an OPS of .860 in 59 games this season, but has really picked it up of late. After logging consecutive multi-hit games on Thursday and Friday, the righty came off the bench to hit a two-run homer in his only at-bat on Saturday, his fifth long ball of the season. On the year, Solak has recorded 16 multi-hit games, just two fewer than the number of games in which he has failed to record a hit, given at least one at-bat. Since getting more playing time over the last couple of weeks, he is hitting .391 through eight games in August (9-for-23) with two home runs and eight runs batted in. Solak has walked 26 times compared to just 32 strikeouts in 219 plate appearances and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases.
SAVE THE DAY: Joey Krehbiel closed out Friday night's victory with a perfect ninth inning, striking out two of the three men he faced. The right-hander has been a high leverage arm all season for Tacoma and has slotted into the closer role over the second half of the season. Krehbiel leads the team and is third among Pacific Coast League pitchers with 42 games played this year, going 5-2 with a 3.57 ERA over that span. He is seven-of-nine in save opportunities this season, setting a Triple-A career high and the most in a single season since he had 10 in 2015 with Advanced-A Visalia. His seven saves are tied for the team lead and sixth among PCL pitchers, tied with former Tacoma Rainiers reliever Brett de Geus.
IN-SPEIERING: Rainiers reliever Gabe Speier was dominant again last night, retiring the side in order on 10 pitches. Since being sent down to Tacoma, Speier has been lights-out, throwing scoreless innings in five of his six appearances. Moreover, Speier has not allowed a baserunner in three of his six outings with the Rainiers and converted his only save opportunity, adding another key arm to Tacoma's bullpen.
AGAINST RENO: Today's matchup marks the final contest of the season between Tacoma and Reno, with the Rainiers leading the season series 18-8. With last night's 12-5 victory, the Rainiers secured another series win (up four games to one), winning four of their five series against the Aces on the year. This season, Tacoma went 12-3 in 15 games at Cheney and are 6-5 at Greater Nevada field with one left to play. Despite leading the season series, the Rainiers trail the all-time series to Reno by 32 games, at 119-151.
SHORT HOPS: With two more runs last night, Tacoma now has scored 99 runs in the fifth inning this year, the most runs in any single inning all season; the next closest is the third inning with 89 runs...the Rainiers earned their 30th road win of the season last night, putting them 15 games over .500 overall, the highest mark they have reached all year...with last night's win, Tacoma crawled within a game of first place in the second half standings; they are one game back of Salt Lake, a half game back of Las Vegas and now a half game ahead of Reno entering play today.
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