Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - vs. Oklahoma City
Published on August 20, 2025 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TODAY'S GAME - 8/20 vs. Oklahoma City
FIRST PITCH - 7:05 PM (PT) at Cheney Stadium - Tacoma, WA
PITCHING MATCHUP - Tacoma LHP Jhonathan Díaz (8-6, 4.29) vs. Oklahoma City RHP Roki Sasaki - MLR (0-0, 13.50)
ROSTER MOVES: The Tacoma Rainiers, in conjunction with the Seattle Mariners, have made the following roster moves:
DEL RHP William Fleming - transferred from Tacoma to Everett
ADD LHP Nico Tellache (# TBD) - transferred from Everett to Tacoma
BROADCAST - TV: Bally Live App/MiLB.TV RADIO - KIXI 880
THE RAINIERS: Fell in the series opener to Oklahoma City, dropping 12-8 on Tuesday night...the Rainiers allowed 19 hits, the most they have given up in a nine-inning contest this season and the second-most of any game this year, trailing the 21 hits they allowed on May 16 in a 15-14 loss in 12 inning at Albuquerque...the Rainiers also gave up four home runs, tying the most they have allowed in a single game this season...trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Tacoma plated a pair on a single to the right side from Victor Robles and a throwing error to get within a run, bit the Comets scored the next six runs of the game to lead 11-4...the Rainiers plated three in the bottom of the eighth on RBI singles from Samad Taylor and Rhylan Thomas to make it 11-7...both teams scored one run in the ninth inning as Tacoma fell 12-8.
DÍAZ DEALING IN AUGUST: LHP Jhonathan Díaz will make his 21st start of the season tonight, in the midst of a strong stretch in August...in his three August starts, he is 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA (17.0 IP/2ER)...in August, Díaz ranks second in the league in ERA, fourth in innings pitched and seventh in WHIP (1.29)...on the 2025 season, Díaz leads the league with a 4.29 ERA, ranks second in WHIP (1.36) and fourth in innings pitched (105.0)...his nine quality starts are the most in the PCL, and the second-most in Triple-A, trailing the 10 recorded by Nabil Crismatt...among PCL hurlers with at least 10 home starts under their belt, Díaz is the leader in wins (6), WHIP (1.29) and K/BB (4.18), while ranking second in ERA (3.41), trailing only Sauryn Lao's 2.08.
TAKING SOME WALKS: C Harry Ford drew three walks on Tuesday night, the second game in a row that he has drawn three free passes...he is one of three PCL hitters to draw three walks in consecutive games, joining Oklahoma City's Austin Gauthier (April 6-8) and Alex Freeland (June 7-8)...Ford is the sixth different Rainier since 2005 to draw three walks in consecutive games, most recently done by Luis Urías, from June 4-5, 2024...Ford isn't the only Rainier with knack for drawing walks, as Rhylan Thomas (35BB/23K) and Spencer Packard (54BB/51K) are the only two qualified PCL hitters to have drawn more walks than strikeouts this season...Thomas' 1.52 BB/K is the 11th-best for a Rainier in a single season since 2006 (per FanGraphs).
RAINIERS ON THE RUN: Dating back to July 29, the Rainiers have stolen 56 bases in 63 attempts, the third-most steals among full-season teams, trailing Great Lakes' 62 and St. Lucie's 65 steals...the next-closest Triple-A team in that time is Las Vegas, who have stolen 41 bases in 43 attempts...two Rainiers are closing in on the franchise stolen base record (92), set by Dell Alston from 1978-80...Samad Taylor currently has 87 career steals with Tacoma, while Cade Marlowe has 85.
COMETS ARE VISIBLE IN TACOMA ABOUT ONCE A YEAR: This week, Rainiers will play host to the Oklahoma City Comets for the first time this season...Tacoma traveled down to Oklahoma City for a six-game series from April 15-20, taking two of the six games...this is Oklahoma City's first trip to Cheney Stadium since opening the 2024 season in Tacoma from March 29-31...the Comets will return to Cheney for the final series of the regular season from September 16-21...the Comets will only play three games in Tacoma in 2026, scheduled for a three game series out of the All-Star Break, from July 17-19, 2026.
RHYLAN ROLLS AT CHENEY: OF Rhylan Thomas is putting up one of the best seasons for a Rainier at Cheney Stadium in the last 20 years......Thomas is hitting .335 (78x233) in 59 home games this season, the fifth-best home batting average of any PCL hitter...Thomas' .335 is the fourth-best for any Rainier in a single season at Cheney Stadium since 2005 (minimum 150 at-bats)...he trails the .348 (70x201) that Tyler Locklear hit this year, the .355 (76x214) that Matt Mangini hit in 2010 and the .392 (65x166) that Shin-Soo Choo hit in 2006...Thomas' 78 hits at Cheney Stadium are the second-most by a Rainier since 2005, one shy of the 79 hits Bryan LaHair recorded in 2007.
KITCHEN HAS BEEN COOKING: Over his last 20 appearances since June 1, LHP Austin Kitchen has gone 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA (28.2 IP/6ER), walking just six while striking out 24, holding opponents to a .190 average...among PCL pitchers with at least 15 appearances since June 1, Kitchen ranks third with his 0.91 WHIP (first among left-handers), fifth with his 1.88 ERA and eighth with his 4.40 K/BB...since June 1, Kitchen has allowed an earned run in just four of his 20 appearances and has not allowed one in his last six outings.
FORD FINDS A WAY: By drawing three walks on Tuesday night, Harry Ford extended his on-base streak to 21 games...over his 21-game on-base streak, Ford is hitting .282 (22x78) with four doubles and six home runs, driving in 21 with a 1.000 OPS...Ford is one of two players in the PCL this season (EL Paso's Yonathan Perlaza) to record multiple 20-game on-base streaks...since July 23, Ford's 21 RBI are the fifth-most in the PCL and he also ranks fourth with a 1.074 OPS...in August, seven of his 10 hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles and four home runs).
MARINERS UPDATE: The Mariners fell to the Phillies 11-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park...Julio Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the first inning, one of his three hits on the day...the Phillies took a 3-1 lead after four innings, but Eugenio Suárez got Seattle within a run with a solo home run, his 39th of the season, to make it 3-2...Philadelphia plated five runs in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the eighth to win 11-2.
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