September 5 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Albuquerque Isotopes
September 5, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TACOMA RAINIERS (73-61) vs. ALBUQUERQUE ISOTOPES (55-79)
Thursday, September 5 - 7:05 PM - Cheney Stadium - Tacoma, WA
LHP Rob Kaminsky (1-0, 6.68) vs. LHP Josh Rogers (2-6, 6.26)
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Rainiers and Isotopes will play game three of their six-game series tonight, with Rob Kaminsky getting the start for Tacoma. It will be his first official start since Aug. 1, despite starting the resumption of last Friday's game against El Paso. Kaminsky is 1-0 with a 6.68 ERA in 11 games (four starts) this year but has been much better as a starter than a reliever. His worst start of the year was against this Albuquerque team back on July 9, when he allowed five earned runs on 10 hits. Opposite Kaminsky will be Josh Rogers taking the ball for Albuquerque, set to pitch in his 18th game making his 15th start. He is 2-6 with a 6.26 ERA so far this year, allowing 51 earned runs on 98 hits including 19 home runs. The southpaw has walked just 14 batters while striking out 47 in his 73.1 innings, allowing opponents to hit .318 against him. In his lone appearance against Tacoma this year back on July 13, he allowed two earned runs on one hit and one walk while striking out a batter in 0.2 innings of relief.
NOT THE NORM: Tacoma has gotten a quality start in each of the first two games this series and lost both games, not something you typically see. In the opener on Tuesday, Blas Castano allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks, striking out seven batters in 6.0 innings. Last night, Casey Lawrence allowed just two earned runs on five hits, striking out seven in 6.0 frames. With Tacoma losing both games, they fell to 27-14 when receiving a quality start this year.
NO RUNS FOR YOU: Tacoma's offense was stifled last night, getting shutout for the fourth time this year and the first time at Cheney Stadium. It wasn't a typical shutout in which they had a low hit total, the Rainiers recorded seven hits, but hit into three double plays that helped Tanner Gordon work through eight scoreless frames. Last night wasn't only the first time this year Tacoma has been shutout in a nine-inning home game, but the first time since Aug. 15, 2021, against Las Vegas. Since that home shutout in 2021, they have been shutout in a nine-inning game three times on the road this year, once on the road in 2023 and two times on the road in 2022, all six games occurring at Sacramento.
SEVEN FOR SOLAK: Nick Solak went 1-for-3 last night, extending his hitting streak to a season-long seven games. The outfielder had reached six straight games with a hit three different times this year but had yet to get a hit in seven consecutive contests prior to last night. Dating back to Aug. 27, the 29-year-old is now hitting .360 (9-for-25) with two runs scored, an RBI and three walks compared to two strikeouts. He kept his average of one hit per game on the season, recording his 78th hit in his 78th game played for Tacoma last night.
GETTING WORK IN: Joey Krehbiel pitched the ninth inning for the Rainiers last night, working around two walks to throw a scoreless inning. It was Krehbiel's first game action since Aug. 28 at El Paso, as he has been Tacoma's closer for the majority of the second half. With Tacoma's struggles over the last two weeks, he hasn't had an opportunity to earn a save, resulting in limited action. Last night was his 49th game of the season for the Rainiers, leading the team and fourth among Pacific Coast League pitchers. He walked the only two batters of the game for either side, but was able to induce a double play to keep the Isotopes off the board.
THE STARTING NOD: Tonight's starter, Rob Kaminsky, has been much better as a starter this year than he has out of relief. In four starts this year he has allowed seven earned runs, with five of them coming in one outing, against this Albuquerque team back on July 9. Those seven earned runs were spread over 19.2 innings, good for a 4.30 ERA. In his seven relief appearances, he has surrendered 16 earned runs over 11.1 frames for an ERA of 12.71. Tonight will be his first start since Aug. 1 against Salt Lake when he earned his lone win of the season, tossing five scoreless innings. He allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out six in that game.
DOING HIS PART: With two more hits last night, Dominic Canzone raised his team-leading batting average to .351 (20-for-57) in 15 games with the Rainiers. He has recorded at least one hit in 14 of his 15 games with Tacoma this year, with his first game since being optioned on Aug. 29 at El Paso being the lone exception. Over his five-game hitting streak, he is hitting .368 with a double and two runs batted in, collecting two hits in two of the five contests.
AGAINST ALBUQUERQUE: After losing each of the first two games of the series, Tacoma now trails Albuquerque in the season series 2-6, going 2-4 in their first series of the year at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park back from July 9-14. They also trail the all-time series to the Isotopes by 19 games entering play tonight, at 270-289-1. The Rainiers are on a three-game losing streak overall and have lost three in a row to Albuquerque dating back to their road series.
SHORT HOPS: Tyler Locklear went 0-for-3 with a strikeout last night in his first game since Aug. 29 and just his fifth game since Aug. 21, dealing with an injury that has kept him limited...this is the worst start to any month of the season for the Rainiers who are now 0-3 to start the month of September; they began both May and June 0-2, but have not lost three in a row to start a month since July 1-3 of 2021.
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