Rainiers Suffer Big Defeat for Second Straight Contest in Sheffield's Debut
April 7, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Sacramento, California - Center fielder Braden Bishop and the Tacoma Rainiers poured three first inning runs on the Sacramento River Cats at Raley Field, but the San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate pushed across the next 10 tallies, four against Mariners No. 1 prospect Justus Sheffield, in a 10-3 rout on Sunday afternoon.
Bishop, who entered Sunday's game four against Sacramento (3-1) 5-for-12 in the series, added three more hits, logged his third double and scored his first run in the effort. The Tacoma (1-3) outfielder started the game with a single before scoring on catcher Jose Lobaton's RBI knock, making him 4-for-4 with two doubles to lead off games this season. The University of Washington product is slashing .471/.571/.647 at the top of manager Daren Brown's lineup.
After Lobaton plated Bishop, designated hitter David Freitas poked a two-run single to center field off Sacramento starter Ty Blach which scored left fielder Eric Young, Jr. and first baseman Joey Curletta. Following Freitas' hit, the Rainiers were limited to no runs and six hits over the final 8 1/3 innings.
Top farmhand Justus Sheffield (0-1) limited the damage in the first two innings but walked home a run in the second before forcing a groundout and leaving the bases loaded. Sheffield was swapped out for right-hander David McKay with two down in the fifth after the southpaw surrendered four runs on three hits (two HR) and five walks, hitting the zone with 45 of his 85 pitches.
Righty reliever Dan Altavilla relieved McKay with no outs in the sixth and recorded the next six outs, facing just five hitters. Altavilla got a Stephen Vogt line drive to second baseman Tim Lopes who doubled Donovan Solano off first. The Pennsylvania native struck out the next four River Cats.
Tacoma's opening series wraps on Monday at 12:05 p.m. PDT from Raley Field. Right-hander Nabil Crismatt, Daren Brown's last starter to get his turn in the rotation, will match up against Sacramento righty Enderson Franco. Mike Curto will have full coverage on South Sound Talk 850 with audio streaming available on the Tacoma Rainiers TuneIn Radio Network. Video streaming is available on MiLB.TV.
All tickets, group outings, and suites packages for the 2019 season are available for purchase in person at the Cheney Stadium Box Office, online at TacomaRainiers.com, or over the phone at (253) 752-7707. The most up-to-date news and notes about the Rainiers throughout the season can be found by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (tacomarainiers) or liking the team on Facebook.
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