Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - 8/22 at Sacramento
Published on August 22, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TODAY'S GAME - 8/22 at Sacramento
FIRST PITCH - 6:37 PM at Sutter Health Park - West Sacramento, CA
PITCHING MATCHUP - Tacoma RHP Nolan Kingham (2-5, 6.49) vs. Sacramento LHP Matt Gage - MLR (NR)
ROSTER MOVES: The Tacoma Rainiers, in conjunction with the Seattle Mariners, have made the following roster moves:
ADD RHP Cooper Criswell (#39) - sent to Tacoma on a Major League rehab assignment
ADD LHP Robinson Oritz (#13) - activated from the 7-Day Injured List
ADD LHP Josh Simpson (#34) - optioned to Tacoma
DEL RHP Gunner Mayer - released
DEL OF Spencer Packard - placed on the 7-Day Injured List
BROADCAST - TV: Bally Sports Live App/MiLB.TV RADIO - KIXI 880
THE RAINIERS: Pulled off a 6-5 victory over Sacramento on Friday night...Sacramento took a 3-0 lead after two innings, holding the lead until the fifth inning...the Rainiers plated three in the fifth, thanks to a two-run double from Ryan Bliss, who later scored on an error to tie the game...Sacramento took the lead back in the bottom of the inning, but Tacoma tied the game again in the top of the seventh on an RBI ground out from Michael Arroyo to make it 4-4...Lazaro Montes gave Tacoma the lead for good with a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to make it 6-4...the River Cats got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, but Troy Watson locked it down in the ninth to secure the 6-5 win.
LAZ LIFTOFF: OF Lazaro Montes gave Tacoma the lead in the top of the eighth inning with a two-run home run, his 36th of the season, the second-most in the minor leagues, trailing only Andrew Fischer's 38 between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi...Montes' homer on Friday night left the bat at 115.9 miles per hour, the ninth-hardest hit ball in Triple-A this season and tied for the hardest hit ball by a Rainiers hitter since 2021 (also: Evan White single, August 12, 2022 vs. Las Vegas)...Montes' 36 home runs are the most for a Mariners minor leaguer since Danny Tartabull hit 43 with the 1985 Calgary Cannons.
DOUBLE THE BLISS: INF Ryan Bliss hit a pair of doubles on Friday night, giving him 30 on the season, good for the second-most in the PCL...it's the second time in Bliss' career that he's hit 30 doubles in a single season, joining his 2023 campaign where he hit 34 between Amarillo, Reno and Tacoma...Bliss is the first Rainiers hitter with 30 doubles in a season since OF Zach DeLoach tallied 30 in 2023...the last Rainiers hitter with at least 31 doubles in a season was Jarred Kelenic, who hit 32 in 2022.
CRISWELL BEGINS REHAB: The Seattle Mariners sent RHP Cooper Criswell to Tacoma on a Major League rehab assignment on Saturday...Criswell, 30, was placed on Seattle's 15-Day Injured List on June 9 with a right shoulder strain and transferred to the 60-Day IL on July 3...the right-hander appeared in 26 games for the Mariners this season, going 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA (12ER/30.2 IP), walking eight and striking out 23, recording one save...Criswell was acquired by the Mariners in a trade with the New York Mets on January 23, 2026.
MORE MOVES: In addition to RHP Cooper Criswell joining Tacoma on a Major League rehab assignment, Tacoma made four other roster moves today...Tacoma will add to left-handers to the bullpen, as LHP Josh Simpson was optioned to Tacoma and reported on Saturday, while LHP Robinson Ortiz was activated off the Injured List...furthermore, OF Spencer Packard was placed on the 7-Day Injured List and RHP Gunner Mayer was released.
LEFTIES BEWARE: The Rainiers are set to face a left-handed starter for the 51st time this season, the most in Triple-A...the Rainiers' 26 wins against left-handed starters are tied for the most in Triple-A (also: Round Rock and Sugar Land) have hit a Triple-A-best 61 doubles against left-handed starters, in addition to 34 home runs against left-handed starters, the most in the PCL and the second-most in Triple-A, trailing only St. Paul's 37...INF Michael Arroyo has hit .370 (20x54) against southpaws since his Triple-A debut, leading all minor league hitters with his 20 hits against left-handers in that time...Patrick Wisdom's 16 home runs against lefties this season are the most in the minor leagues, six more than any other player.
CRAWFORD'S COMEBACK: The Seattle Mariners sent INF J.P. Crawford to Tacoma on a Major League rehab assignment on Thursday...Crawford, 31, was placed on Seattle's 10-Day Injured List on July 31 (retro July 30) with left wrist inflammation...in 87 games with the Mariners this season, Crawford has hit .212 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 30 RBI...Crawford previously played one game on Major League rehab with Tacoma on March 31, as he worked back from right shoulder inflammation, going 0-for-4 with a walk.
JR 300: Friday night's win marked the 300th of the "John Russell Era" (since 2023)...Russell is the fourth manager in franchise history with 300 wins, joining Daren Brown (564), Dan Rohn (375) and Dave Myers (366)...since Russell took the reigns in Tacoma, the Rainiers' 300 wins are the second-most in the PCL and the sixth-most in Triple-A.
CONNOR'S CRUISING: INF/OF Connor Joe extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a multi-hit game on Friday night, the second-longest on-base streak by a Rainiers player this season, trailing only Jhonny Pereda's 22-game streak from April 29-July 11...Joe is hitting .321 (18x56) in August, and would be the sixth time in his career he's hit at least .300 in a month in his career (min. 50 PA)...Joe's .449 OBP in August is the fourth-best of a month in his career.
WORDS OF WISDOM: INF Patrick Wisdom looks to snap a six-game home run drought tonight, tied for his longest of the season with Tacoma (June 30-July 5)...Wisdom is the second Triple-A hitter since 2005 to tally three 30-homer campaigns, joining Mike Hessman, who hit 31 in 2007, 34 in 2008 and 35 in 2012...Wisdom is the fifth player in franchise history to hit 32 HR in a single season, here is how his stats stack up against the others:
Player Season G AVG H HR OBP SLG OPS AB/HR
Patrick Wisdom 2026 69 .299 78 32 .385 .724 1.109 8.16
Greg Halman 2010 112 .243 103 33 .310 .545 .855 12.85
Dan Rohrmeier 1997 125 .297 140 33 .354 .616 .970 14.27
Danny Walton 1974 139 .264 137 35 .352 .533 .885 14.85
Adrian Garrett 1971 131 .289 130 43* .406 .649 1.055 10.46
MARINERS UPDATE: The Mariners walked off the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in 10 innings on Friday night...after the Cubs took a 3-0 lead, Seattle scored four in the bottom of the second inning, aided by a three-run homer from Cal Raleigh...Leo Rivas delivered the walk-off single in the 10th, to pick up the win.
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 22, 2026
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- Comets Break Losing Streak With 5-1 Win - Oklahoma City Comets
- Sugar Land's Early Lead Erased, Snapping Three-Game Winning Streak - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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