Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - at Reno
PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - at Reno

Published on March 27, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


TODAY'S GAME - 3/27 at Reno

FIRST PITCH - 2:05 PM at Greater Nevada Field - Reno, NV

PITCHING MATCHUP - Tacoma LHP Jhonathan Díaz (11-6, 4.15 in 2025) vs. Reno LHP Kohl Drake (2-3, 7.15 in 2025)

BROADCAST - TV: Bally 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, roster and starting lineups are attached.

THE RAINIERS: Take the field for the first time in 2026 against the Reno Aces...Tacoma is coming off an 86-64 campaign in 2025, winning the Pacific Coast League's Second Half title...the 2025 Rainiers played in the postseason for the first time since 2016 (no playoffs in 2021), falling in two games to Las Vegas...Tacoma also owned the best regular season record in the Pacific Coast League, doing so for the first time since going 78-52 in 2021...Tacoma's 2025 squad produced four PCL Post-Season All-Stars: Jhonathan Díaz, Harry Ford, Tyler Locklear and Leo Rivas.

ON OPENING DAY: The Rainiers have won each of their last four Opening Day games, dating back to 2022...this is just the second time in the last six seasons that Tacoma has opened on the road (also: March 31, 2023 at OKC)...Tacoma pitchers have held the opposition to two-or-fewer runs in three of the last four Opening Days and have allowed a home run on Opening Day once since 2016 (2HR allowed, March 31, 2023 at OKC)...Rainiers pitchers have also racked up double-digit strikeouts in six of the last seven Opening Day games...offensively, the Rainiers have plated at least four runs in 10 of their last 13 Opening Day games and homered in four of the last five Opening Day games...this is the first time that Tacoma has opened the season against Reno since the Aces joined the Pacific Coast League in 2009.

DÍAZ DAY: Jhonathan Díaz gets the ball for Tacoma on Opening Day, coming off an All-Star campaign in 2025 going 11-6 with a 4.15 ERA...Díaz claimed the PCL ERA title in 2025, becoming the first Rainier to do so since Jorge Campillo did so with a 3.07 mark in 2007...Díaz's 11 wins in 2025 are the most for a Rainier lefty since Luke French went 11-3 in 2010...the southpaw will be making his fourth career Opening Day start (fifth appearance), going 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA (3ER/19.0 IP) with just two walks to 22 strikeouts...Díaz earned the Opening Day nod with Tacoma in 2024, throwing 5.0 shutout innings against Oklahoma City, striking out five without a walk.

TOP TALENT IN TACOMA: Tacoma's Opening Day roster features four of the Mariners' Top-30 prospects (per MLB Pipeline)...No.1 prospect Colt Emerson (No. 9 overall) returns to the Rainiers after closing the 2025 season with Tacoma...he is joined by No. 18 prospect INF Brock Rodden, No. 23 OF Rhylan Thomas and No. 24 LHP Robinson Ortiz.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Rainiers Opening Day roster is comprised of 16 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders and four outfielders...10 of the 28 players on the roster suited up for the 2025 Rainiers (RHP Blas Castaño, OF Colin Davis, LHP Jhonathan Díaz, INF Colt Emerson, RHP Domingo Gonzalez, LHP Austin Kitchen, RHP Casey Lawrence, OF Spencer Packard, RHP Troy Taylor and OF Rhylan Thomas...the 18 newcomers are: RHP Randy Dobnak, RHP Dane Dunning, RHP Alex Hoppe, OF Connor Joe, INF Alejo Lopez, RHP Gabriel Mosser, C Jhonny Pereda, C Jakson Reetz, RHP Michael Rucker, LHP Josh Simpson, INF Carson Taylor, RHP Brendan White, RHP Cole Wilcox, INF Will Wilson, INF Patrick Wisdom and RHP Yosver Zulueta...the Rainiers open the season with three players on the Injured List (OF Brennen Davis, OF Victor Labrada and RHP Ryan Loutos), as well as one on the Development List (C Brian O'Keefe).

RETURN TO RENO: Tacoma opens the 2026 season on the road, just the second time doing so since 2021 (also: 2023 at Oklahoma City)...Tacoma's first road trip in 2025 was also to Reno, where they won two of six games...the Rainiers, in total, went 15-9 against Reno and 7-5 at Greater Nevada Field in 2025...Tacoma's 30 doubles at Greater Nevada Field in 2025 were the most they hit at any road venue last season, however, the club's .779 OPS was the second-lowest of any venue they played in last year...Tacoma has posted a 39-30 record at Greater Nevada Field in the last five seasons, the best mark for any visiting team at Greater Nevada Field in that time.

RUNNING IT BACK WITH RUSSELL: Manager John Russell returns to lead the Rainiers in 2026, joined by Bench Coach Eric Farris, Hitting Coach Seth Mejias-Brean, Pitching Coach Mike McCarthy and Coach Jacob Nottingham...Farris returns to Tacoma for his fourth season on the staff and third as bench coach. Mejias-Brean played for the Rainiers from 2017-18 and served as the Tacoma's bench coach in 2022...McCarthy joins the staff with stops in Triple-A Rochester (2018-19), St. Paul (2021), El Paso (2022), Gwinnett (2024), as well as a stop in the Major Leagues with the Athletics as their bullpen coach in 2023...Nottingham joins the staff after playing for Tacoma in 2025, appearing in 17 games, hitting .193 with six doubles and seven RBI.

RAINIER RECORDS: The Rainiers closed the 2025 regular season with their 86th victory, the most in the Pacific Coast League and the most in the "Rainiers Era," which began in 1995 when Tacoma changed from the Tacoma Tigers to the Rainiers and began their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners...the previous high in the "Rainiers Era" was 85 wins in 2001, when they were declared "Co-Champions" of the Pacific Coast League with New Orleans...Tacoma has reached 86 wins for the third time in franchise history (also: 1961 - franchise record 97, 1969 - 86).

MARINERS UPDATE: The Mariners fell 6-4 to the Guardians on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park...Logan Gilbert allowed three runs on five hits while striking out seven with no walks over 5.1 innings...the Mariners hit four home runs as Brendan Donovan led off the game with a long ball, Dom Canzone went deep twice and Luke Raley left the yard as well.

Check out the Tacoma Rainiers Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from March 27, 2026


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