August 27 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at El Paso Chihuahuas
August 27, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TACOMA RAINIERS (72-54) @ EL PASO CHIHUAHUAS (47-79)
Tuesday, August 27 - 5:35 PM PT - Southwest University Park - El Paso, TX
RHP Michael Mariot (8-5, 5.49) vs. LHP Omar Cruz (1-1, 2.43)
TONIGHT'S GAME: Tacoma and El Paso are set to play game one of their six-game set tonight, the final matchup this year between the two teams. Michael Mariot will take the ball for Tacoma, set to make his 21st start in his 24th game of the season. The right-hander is 8-5 with a 5.49 ERA on the year, allowing 64 earned runs on 105 hits and 26 walks, striking out 88 batters over 105.0 innings. In one start against the Chihuahuas this year, he gave up two earned runs on five hits while striking out three over 5.0 innings. Opposite Mariot will be Omar Cruz toeing the rubber for El Paso, pitching in his 10th game but just his third start of the year. Cruz is 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA, allowing eight earned runs on 16 hits and 11 walks while striking out 38 in 29.2 innings. The southpaw has not faced Tacoma yet this season or in his career, starting the year with Double-A San Antonio where he went 5-0 with a 3.59 ERA in 20 games.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Rainiers are set to play their first road game in two weeks, coming off a 12-game homestand in which they played Sugar Land and Sacramento. Tacoma has been at home for the majority of the month, starting August with four home games against Salt Lake before heading to Reno. After taking five-of-six from the Aces on the road, they came home for their 12-game homestand, capping off their 16 home games for the month. They will play their first road game tonight since August 11, entering play tonight with a three-game road winning streak, going 5-1 on the road in the month. Despite their good play on the road in August, Tacoma has struggled away from home this year, going 31-32 entering this series.
ON THE MEND: J.P. Crawford played in his second game on Major League rehab with Tacoma in the series finale on Sunday, recovering from a right hand fracture that landed him on the injured list back on June 23. The shortstop went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts out of the two-hole and turned an unassisted double play at shortstop. After playing in five innings in his first game with the Rainiers on Saturday, he played seven frames on Sunday, nearing a return to Seattle's active roster.
GIVING QUALITY: After throwing 6.2 shutout innings in the series opener against Sacramento on Tuesday, Emerson Hancock spun six more innings of two-run ball in the finale on Sunday. He allowed just seven combined hits and five walks while striking out eight over the two starts, throwing quality starts in each game. He now has thrown three consecutive quality starts and given Tacoma eight over his 15 total outings this year.
A CAREEER YEAR: Jason Vosler clubbed another home run in the finale on Sunday, giving him a single season career-high 26 deep flies this year. He is hitting .298 (120-for-403) with Tacoma, clubbing 22 doubles and 26 home runs while driving in 93 runs on the year. He leads the team in many categories and his offensive outburst has also put him among league leaders as well. Among Pacific Coast League qualified hitters, Vosler ranks seventh in batting average (.298), second in home runs (26), second in runs batted in (93), third in slugging percentage (.566), fourth in OPS (.932), tied for seventh in hits (120), tied for third in extra-base hits (52), second in total bases (228) and third in runs scored (81). In six games against El Paso this year, he is hitting .474 (9-for-19) with three doubles and five runs batted in.
BEAT THEM TO IT: In their 4-2 series loss to Sacramento last week, Tacoma got behind early in four of the six games. In each of the last three games, the Rainiers allowed runs to score in the first frame, as the River Cats scored one in the first on Saturday and Sunday after putting up two in the first frame on Friday. In Wednesday's contest, they allowed two runs in the second inning to start the scoring. When their opponent scores first this year, Tacoma is just 21-30, while going 51-24 when they get on the board first. If Tacoma can get on the board first this series, they have a much better chance of taking the series from the Chihuahuas.
FALLING BEHIND: With their loss in the series finale on Sunday, Tacoma dropped a full game in the second half playoff standings. Reno beat Las Vegas 21-3, going 1.5 games up on the Rainiers entering play today. With just 24 games left on the year, Tacoma is needing to make a final push if they want the chance to play Sugar Land for the Pacific Coast League championship. The Rainiers are currently 1.5 games out of first place and just one game up on third place Salt Lake for the second half title.
BOUNCE BACK: Tacoma dropped their first home series of the year last week, moving to 9-2-1 in series at Cheney Stadium. They went 2-4 in the six-game set against Sacramento, who took four games from the Rainiers in all three series they played this year. In the first matchup of the year between Tacoma and El Paso, the Rainiers won four-of-six, needing a similar outcome this week to stay in the playoff race and bounce back from last week's disappointment. They will have to do it away from home where they have struggled this year, going 31-32 overall and 4-1-6 in their first 11 series.
AGAINST EL PASO: Tacoma and El Paso will play game one of their current six-game series and game seven of 12 between the two teams this year tonight. The Rainiers currently lead the series 4-2, winning the only series between the two teams back in April at Cheney Stadium. They come into tonight's game with a four-game lead in the all-time series, at 68-64, coming into tonight with a three-game winning streak.
SHORT HOPS: Samad Taylor had his nine-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 performance on Sunday, tying his longest streak of the season...Tacoma has a chance to have their winningest month this year with a victory tonight, entering play with a 15-7 record in the month of August with five games still to play; they won 15 games in April (15-10) and June (15-11)...Michael Papierski has home runs in back-to-back games in which he has played, going deep on both Friday night and in Sunday's finale; the catcher is riding a three-game hitting streak and has his average up to .244 on the year.
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