Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - June 18, 2021 at Las Vegas Aviators (7:05 p.m. PT)
June 18, 2021 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
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Tacoma Rainiers (20-15) @ Las Vegas Aviators (18-19)
Friday, June 18, 2021 @ 7:05 p.m. PT | Las Vegas Ballpark - Las Vegas, NV
RHP Darren McCaughan (2-2, 5.33) @ RHP Miguel Romero (0-1, 9.24)
CLEARED FOR LIFTOFF: The Rainiers won their 5th straight game in Thursday's series opener against the Las Vegas Aviators, 11-7. Tacoma hit four home runs - all two-run blasts - and were forced to recapture the lead after Las Vegas erased a 5-0 deficit in the early innings.
LF Jarred Kelenic finished 2-for-4 with his fifth Triple-A home run, 3 RBI, 2 runs and a walk. C Cal Raleigh extended his career-long hitting streak to 23 games with a 1st inning single, and he added his seventh home run of the year in the 4th inning.
FIVE IN A ROW: Tacoma's Thursday victory gives the club 5 straight wins for the second time this season (May 21-25). The Rainiers had scored 10 or more runs just twice this season entering Tuesday and have now eclipsed double digits in each of the last two games. Two of Tacoma's victories during the winning streak were walk-offs, including Reinheimer's sacrifice fly on Tuesday and Ty Kelly's game-winning home run last Saturday (6/12).
BACK TO BOPPIN': The Rainiers did not hit a home run on Tuesday, snapping a 20-game streak that dated back to May 21, but responded with four 2-run home runs on Thursday at Las Vegas. Thursday was the 2nd time this season that Tacoma has hit 4 home runs, tying a season-high set on May 29 at Reno. The team's 48 big flies since May 21 is tied for 2nd most in affiliated pro baseball (Omaha, 64).
WE WENT TO JARRED: Top Seattle Mariners prospect Jarred Kelenic went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, walk, 2 runs, and 3 RBI on Thursday, improving his batting average at Triple-A to .296. Kelenic has now hit a home run in 3 of his last 4 games with Tacoma. In that time frame, Kelenic is 5-for-15 (.333) with 3 HR, 5 RBI, and 3 BB.
SHARING THE WEALTH: 19 different Tacoma hitters have hit at least 1 home run this season, good for 2nd most in the league (Reno, 20) and 4th most in Triple-A.
FULL HOUSE: The Rainiers lead all Triple-A clubs with 62 players used through 35 games. The team has used 36 pitchers, including infielder Jantzen Witte, and 27 position players.
GET YOUR RALEIGH CAPS ON: Catching prospect Cal Raleigh went 2-for-5 with a 2-run home run, single, walk and two runs on Thursday, extending his career-long hitting streak to 23 games. His batting average now sits at .355. Raleigh leads the league with 16 doubles and ranks 2nd with 24 XBH (Jo Adell, SL; 27).
Raleigh is also top-10 in the league in batting average (.355), runs (27), total bases (83), SLG (.669), OPS (1.078), RBI (27), and hits (44).
APPROACHING HISTORY: Cal Raleigh's 23-game hitting streak surpassed three former Rainiers on Thursday for the franchise's longest streak of the century. Mike Carp (2011), Ryan Langerhans (2011) and Brad Miller (2013) each had 22-game streaks with Tacoma. The franchise record is 26 games, set by Tacoma Giants outfielder Rex Johnston in 1965 and tied by Rainiers infielder Chad Akers in 1999. Last Friday, Raleigh's streak passed Round Rock's Delino Deshields (19) for the longest in the league this season.
During his current hitting streak, Raleigh is batting a league-best .396 (38-for-96). Since May 15, Raleigh also leads the Triple-A West in hits (38), SLG (.740), and OPS (1.169) while being tied for 1st in doubles (13) (Drew Ellis, RNO) and XBH (20) (Jo Adell, SL). He also ranks top-10 in the league in total bases (71), runs (22) and OBP (.430).
SLAMMING THE DOOR: In each of the last 3 games, the Rainiers bullpen has pitched at least 3.1 scoreless innings to close out Tacoma victories. On Thursday, Tacoma relievers Taylor Guerrieri (2.0), Keynan Middleton (1.0) and Justin Grimm (1.0) combined for 4 shutout frames to end the night.
The bullpen has also been credited with the win in each of those games, with Daniel Zamora, Zack Weiss, and Aaron Fletcher improving on their records. Of the combined 13.2 scoreless innings in those games, just 7 hits and 6 walks have been allowed.
D-MAC IN THE DESERT: Darren McCaughan will make his 7th start of the season tonight. He has gone 6.0 innings in 3 of his last 4 starts and leads the club with 2 quality starts. McCaughan tied a season high with 6 strikeouts in his most recent appearance on June 11 against Sacramento.
Pacific Coast League Stories from June 18, 2021
- Raleigh Homers, Extends Hitting Streak as Rainiers Outslug Aviators for Fifth Straight Victory - Tacoma Rainiers
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - June 18, 2021 at Las Vegas Aviators (7:05 p.m. PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Aces Notes - Reno Aces
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - June 18, 2021 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Bees Open Road Trip with Big Win - Salt Lake Bees
- Fireworks Added on August 8, Game Times Changed for September 11-12 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Wilson's Two HRs Not Enough, as Aviators Fall 11-7 to Tacoma - Las Vegas Aviators
- River Cats drop 5th straight in return home - Sacramento River Cats
- Eight-Run Eighth Inning Caps Strong Start by Gilbert - Reno Aces
- Aces Potent Offense Downs Isotopes in Series Opener - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Lead Vanishes in Return Home - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Skeeters Come Back for 8-5 Win in El Paso Opener - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Big Inning Dooms Round Rock in 6-2 Loss to Oklahoma City - Round Rock Express
- Two-Out Runs in Sixth Boost OKC - Oklahoma City Comets
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