Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - 5/31 vs. Las Vegas
PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - 5/31 vs. Las Vegas

Published on May 31, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


TODAY'S GAME - 5/31 vs. Las Vegas

FIRST PITCH - 1:35 PM at Cheney Stadium - Tacoma, WA

PITCHING MATCHUP - Tacoma RHP Casey Lawrence (3-3, 4.06) vs. Las Vegas RHP Yunior Tur (1-0, 5.04)

BROADCAST - TV: Bally Sports Live App/MiLB.TV RADIO - KIXI 880

DIGITAL PRESS BOX - Digital game notes and rosters can be found at the Rainiers Virtual Press Box

Today's game notes and starting lineups are attached.

THE RAINIERS: Fell 6-3 to Las Vegas on Saturday night, taking their ninth consecutive loss, their longest losing streak since dropping nine straight from April 26-May 6, 2025...Las Vegas took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a Max Muncy home run...Tacoma got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Brian O'Keefe solo home run...the Aviators scored the game's next four runs, leading 6-1 after eight innings...the Rainiers managed to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk to Spencer Packard and an RBI fielder's choice from Connor Joe...O'Keefe and Alejo Lopez accounted for all four of Tacoma's hits in the loss.

ALEJO'S HOT HITTING: In 18 May games, INF Alejo Lopez has hit .346 (18x52) with five doubles and four RBI, drawing seven walks to just four strikeouts, with five multi-hit efforts...his .452 OBP in May is the fourth-best in a single month in his career (min. 50 AB) and his best since sporting a .471 clip in August 2024... .his .894 OPS is the sixth-best of a single month in his career and his .346 average in May is the seventh-best.

MAY IS CASEY'S MONTH: RHP Casey Lawrence is making a strong case for PCL Pitcher of the Month for May, going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA (9ER/30.0 IP) in May...Lawrence has logged quality starts in each of his last two starts, with five total on the season, the most in the minor leagues...Lawrence's 62.0 innings pitched this season are the most in the minor leagues, while ranking among PCL leaders in: ERA (5th - 4.06), WHIP (5th - 1.29), AVG (10th - .285)...Lawrence is the PCL leader in walk rate, issuing a free pass to just 4.3% of the hitters he faces (FanGraphs), ranking third with a 3.45 K/BB ratio.

RUCKER ON A ROLL: RHP Michael has put together a strong start to the season, allowing just four earned runs over 20.0 innings, working a 1.80 ERA...among Triple-A pitchers with at least 20 games under their belt, Rucker's four earned runs are tied the for the fewest and he is tied for the second-best ERA...among Triple-A pitchers with at least 10 appearances in May, Rucker's 7.00 K/BB ratio (14K/2BB) is tied for the fourth-best.

MONTH TO MONTH: As May comes to a close, here is how the Rainiers have fared by month in 2026:

Month AVG R 2B 3B HR BB SO SB OBP SLG OPS

Mar/April .249 124 54 2 27 124 235 26 .338 .393 .731

May .264 140 53 2 31 118 227 20 .361 .430 .791

Month W L ERA IP H ER HR WHIP BB/9 K/9 AVG

Mar/April 15 15 3.68 259.0 220 106 18 1.30 4.07 8.44 .229

May 8 18 4.93 230.0 250 126 31 1.51 3.83 7.83 .278

PACK IS BACK: OF Spencer Packard was activated off the 7-Day Injured List on Friday...Packard was placed on the 7-Day Injured List on April 3, after playing three games, going 3-for-8 with a pair of RBI and three walks...Packard played 116 games with Tacoma in 2025, hitting .278 with 24 doubles, one triple and 10 home runs, driving in 75...Packard also finished the 2025 season ranked 10th in the PCL with a .391 OBP...his 0.98 BB/K ratio was the third-best among qualified PCL hitters in 2025...to make room on the active roster, INF Hogan Windish was placed on the Development List.

GETTING AHEAD: Rainiers pitchers have regularly gotten ahead in the count, throwing a first-pitch strike 59.7% of the time, the second-best mark in the PCL and the sixth-best in Triple-A...RHP Casey Lawrence leads all Triple-A pitchers with a total of 177 first-pitch strikes, throwing one 69% of the time, ranking second in Triple-A (min. 200 TBF)...Tacoma starters lead all Triple-A clubs in first-pitch strike percentage, throwing one 62.1% of the time.

FEEL SO CLOSE: Of the 56 games the Rainiers have played this season, 35 have been decided by two-or-fewer runs, the most in Triple-A and 24 of 55 by one-run, also the most in Triple-A...the Rainiers have gone 14-21 in games decided by two-or-fewer runs and 8-16 in one-run games...five of Tacoma's last seven games have been decided by two-or-fewer runs.

HIT IT, MASTRO: INF Miles Mastrobuoni was sent to Tacoma on a Major League rehab assignment on Wednesday...Mastrobuoni was placed on Seattle's 10-Day Injured List with a right calf strain on March 25 (retro March 22)...in six rehab games with Tacoma from April 8-18, he went 2-for-15 with one double and triple...Mastrobuoni was transferred to Seattle's 60-Day Injured List on April 20...in 2025 with Seattle, Mastrobuoni hit .250 with four doubles, one home run and 12 RBI in 76 games...in 31 games with Tacoma last year, he hit .296 with 11 doubles and a triple with 18 RBI...Mastrobuoni also represented Team Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in two games.

BACKSTOP BOOM: Rainiers catchers have been the top offensive catching unit in Triple-A this year, batting a collective .299...Tacoma catchers also have a combined .833 OPS, the third-best among Triple-A teams... C Brian O'Keefe's .301 batting average ranks sixth among Triple-A catchers with at least 90 plate appearances this season...O'Keefe also is tied for third among Triple-A catchers with 10 doubles... in C Jakson Reetz' last 11 games, he's hit .333 (14x42) with three doubles and a home run, driving in four, sporting an .880 OPS in that time.

RUSSELL UP THE RANKS: Tacoma's 13-1 win at Salt Lake on May 20 was Tacoma's 268th of the John Russell Era, the sixth-most in franchise history...Tacoma's next win will Russell's 269th, matching Whitey Lockman, who managed the Tacoma Cubs from 1967-70, for the fifth-most in franchise history...next on the list is Pat Listach who won 281 games with the Rainiers from 2015-18...since Russell took the reigns for Tacoma in 2023, Tacoma's 268 wins are the fourth-most in Triple-A.

MARINERS UPDATE: The Mariners clubbed four home runs en route to a 5-1 victory over Arizona on Saturday...Bryan Woo fired 7.0 shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out nine...Luke Raley, Dom Canzone, Colt Emerson and Julio Rodríguez all homered in the win, Seattle's fifth in a row.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 31, 2026


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