August 7 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Reno Aces
August 7, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TACOMA RAINIERS (61-48) @ RENO ACES (54-54)
Wednesday, August 7 - 6:35 PM - Greater Nevada Field - Reno, NV
LHP Jhonathan Diaz (9-2, 3.88) vs. LHP Logan Allen (2-2, 4.09)
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Tacoma and Reno will play game two of their six-game set tonight, with the Rainiers currently leading the series after last night's victory. Tacoma will send southpaw Jhonathan Diaz to the mound in search of his 10th win of the year. Diaz enters play tonight with a 9-2 record and a 3.88 ERA, allowing 42 earned runs on 92 hits and 42 walks while striking out 95 batters over 97.1 innings pitched. Tonight will be his first start since July 26, as each of his last two outings came out of relief with Seattle. Opposite Diaz will be Logan Allen toeing the rubber for the Aces, pitching in his 12th game (11th start) of the season. Allen is 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA through his first 11 games, allowing 23 earned runs on 56 hits and 20 walks. He has struck out 43 batters over his 50.2 innings, allowing opponents to hit .283 against him. In two starts against Tacoma this season, Allen is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing just three runs (two earned) on seven hits and seven walks while striking out eight over 10.0 innings.
GET ON THE BOARD: Tacoma has scored first in each of their last four wins, getting on the board first in each of their three victories against Salt Lake and in last night's win at Reno. In all four victories, they scored in the first inning. In all six games against the Bees last week, the team that won the game scored first and did so in the first frame. Getting on the board first has been a key for Tacoma's success this year, as they are 45-22 in games in which they score first and just 16-26 when their opponent scores first.
LEAVE THE YARD: Luis Urias hit a solo home run in the fifth inning last night, the lone run that proved to be the game winner. Urias went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, that home run and two runs batted in for Tacoma, continuing his recent hot streak at the plate. The third basemen now has at least one extra-base hit in each of his last three games, clubbing a double on Saturday and home runs in back-to-back contests. In 10 games against the Aces this year, Urias is hitting .281 (9-for-32) with two doubles, two home runs and 12 runs batted in. He has drawn 13 walks and struck out just twice against Reno pitching, getting on base at an even .500-clip.
CLIMBING OUT OF IT: After losing five out of six games played from July 27 - August 2, Tacoma found themselves in fourth place and six games out of first place in the Pacific Coast League West Division second half standings. Since their loss on Friday night, they beat first place Salt Lake in back-to-back games and now took the first of six from second place Reno. Beating the top two teams in the West division has gotten them back in the hunt, making up a full game with each victory. Tacoma enters play tonight three games behind Salt Lake at the top and 1.5 games behind the Aces.
BACK IN ACTION: Jhonathan Diaz will be back with Tacoma for the first time since July 26, as the southpaw came out of relief for Seattle in two games since that start. He threw just three pitches on July 31 at Boston, suffering the loss, as he allowed a double to the first batter he faced in extra innings with the game tied. On August 2, he allowed two earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out a batter in the ninth inning of a big win for the Mariners. Diaz will look to get back on track with his start tonight, in search of his league-leading 10th win of the season. In four starts this year against Reno, he has been sharp, going 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA. He has allowed 11 runs (nine earned) on 22 hits and just eight walks while striking out 15 in 21.0 innings. The left-hander has limited Reno's powerful offense to just a .268 batting average against him over those four starts.
HISTORY IN SIGHT: Tacoma enters tonight's game with 228 stolen bases on the year, leading all Triple-A teams, with the next closest (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) coming in with 169 stolen bases this year. Tacoma's 228 stolen bases are not only the most this season, but also give them the most for a Triple-A team in a single season dating back to at least 1988. The Omaha Storm Chasers, Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, had 223 last year, but the Rainiers have now surpassed that. In franchise history, Tacoma's 1982 team stole 229 bases, so they are just one from tying and two away from setting a team record as well. The modern Pacific Coast League record of 281, set by the 1981 Albuquerque Dukes, is also in sight if the Rainiers keep their current pace. Three Tacoma players (Cade Marlowe - 43, Samad Taylor - 37 and Ryan Bliss - 35) are three of the top five base stealers among qualified Triple-A players. They have combined to steal more bases (115) than 15 Triple-A teams have had in 2024.
AGAINST RENO: Tacoma and Reno will play their 22nd game of the season tonight, with the Rainiers having already won the season series entering their final six games this week. Tacoma leads the season series 14-7, having gone 12-3 at home and just 2-4 here at Greater Nevada Field. Despite leading the season series, the Rainiers trail the all-time series to Reno by 35 games, at 115-150. Tacoma has won three straight games over the Aces, sweeping them at home in the first three games out of the All-Star break.
SHORT HOPS: In nine games against Reno this year, Nick Solak is hitting .500 (13-for-26) with nine runs scored, five doubles, eight runs batted in and seven walks compared to just one strikeout...since joining the Rainiers on July 20, Rhylan Thomas is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with at least one hit in all seven games played...Tyler Locklear has now reached base in 20 of his last 21 games with Tacoma dating back to July 1; the only game he didn't reach base was August 1, when he was ejected after just two at-bats.
• Discuss this story on the Pacific Coast League message board...
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 7, 2024
- Reno Blows Late Lead, Falls in 10-8 Loss to Tacoma - Reno Aces
- Long Ball Completes Comeback - Tacoma Rainiers
- River Cats Defeat Isotopes, 8-4 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Salt Lake Bats Go Cold in Loss to Las Vegas - Salt Lake Bees
- Smart Base Running Helps Sugar Land Top El Paso - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- OKC Wins, 8-1, Over Express - Oklahoma City Baseball Club
- Space Cowboys Double-up on Chihuahuas, 4-2 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Express Drop Game Two in Oklahoma City, 8-1 - Round Rock Express
- August 7 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Reno Aces - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Baseball Club Game Notes - August 7, 2024 - Oklahoma City Baseball Club
- Chihuahuas Announce 2025 Home Schedule - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Reno Surrenders Early Lead, Fall Short in 6-5 to Tacoma in Series Opener - Reno Aces
- Rainiers Take Opener - Tacoma Rainiers
- Homers Propel Isotopes to 11-7 Victory - Albuquerque Isotopes
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
