Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: 8/8/23 vs. OKC (12:05 PT)
August 7, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (56-52, 19-14) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (72-34, 22-11)
Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 12:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
LHP Logan Allen vs. LHP Mike Montgomery
DO IT FOR THE SONICS: Tacoma began the 2023 season at Oklahoma City (3/31-4/2), and have not played the Triple-A Dodgers since, a span of 105 games (55-50) since dropping two of three on opening weekend. The Rainiers are striving to play OKC in the PCL Finals; OKC has already punched their ticket to the series after winning the PCL's first half with a 50-23 record. If OKC wins both halves, the second place team in the second half will advance to the playoffs.
Only seven players on Tacoma's current active roster played in that opening series at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (DeLoach, O'Keefe, Scheiner, McCaughan, O'Brien, Rodriguez and Weiman). 12 players now with OKC played in that series. The clubs are scheduled to meet 12x between today and September 17.
SUMMER OF SAM: Sam Haggerty is batting .365 (42x115) over 29 games since July 1, with a 1.120 OPS (.442 OBP/.678 SLG), thanks to 19 extra-base hits (3 triples, 7 HR). He's walked 19x and has 24 RBI since 7/1 (26 R).
THE REAL DELO: Tacoma outfielder Zach DeLoach leads the Rainiers with 103 hits (Jake Scheiner, 95), through the first 96 games of his Triple-A debut. DeLoach is one of eight players in the PCL with 100 or more hits entering today's action (5th); Round Rock's Elier Hernandez leads the circuit with 114, and three OKC Dodgers are in the top eight (Devin Mann- 101, Drew Avans- 100, Michael Busch- 100).
MAKE 'EM COUNT: Tacoma's 84 home runs with at least one runner on base are the most in Triple-A (tied with Las Vegas). The Rainiers are also top three in Triple-A in both OBP (.393) and slugging (.497) with runners on.
The Rainiers also lead Triple-A in walks drawn *by 42,* with 616 (OKC, 574). Cooper Hummel's 66 walks (4th in PCL) are already a career-high (63 BB in 2018 and 2021). Tacoma's club OBP is .371 (7th/30 in Triple-A).
KO-SIGN: Rainiers RHP Stephen Kolek was named Seattle Mariners MiLB Reliever of The Month for July, by the organization: 9 G, 13.0 IP, 1.38 ERA (2 ER), 4 BB, 18 K, 8 H, 0.92 WHIP, .186 BAA. With 3.2 scoreless IP during the recent road trip (5 K), Kolek has allowed only two runs over his past 21.0 IP (0.86 ERA). He's spun six straight scoreless appearances, and has been scoreless in 12 of his last 14 games pitched.
R STANDS FOR RUN: Tacoma leads the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases with 155 (El Paso, 152), and stole 19 bases over six games on the recent road trip (2 CS).
SCHEIN BRIGHT: Tacoma corner infielderJake Scheiner leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs (26, by 3), RBI (88, by 9) and runs scored (77, T-1), has the second-most extra-base hits (46) and total bases (195) on the circuit, and he's third in walks (67). The PCL MVP candidate is batting .331 (39x118) with RISP (13 HR). With 42 games remaining, Scheiner's 88 RBI are the most for Tacoma since 2011, when Alex Liddi drove in 104 runs (T-10th franchise history).
YO...JAKE!: Rainiers 3B/1B Jake Scheiner has 26 home runs in 98 games of his Triple-A debut season, extending an already career-high total. He hit 21 homers last year at Double-A Arkansas.
Scheiner has homered 15x during home games, and is threatening Adrian Garrett's record of 19 homers in a season at Cheney Stadium (1971). Garrett, an outfielder for the 1971 Tacoma Cubs, still holds the franchise single-season home run record, with 43 (131 GP). Originally a 4th round draft pick of Philadelphia in 2017, Scheiner was traded to Seattle for OF Jay Bruce on 6/2/19.
AND THEN BRIAN COMES IN: C/DH Brian O'Keefe's three-run shot in the sixth inning on Saturday at Sugar Land was his 48th home run with the Rainiers (since 7/11/21), and matched Dusty Rhodes (1960-63 Tacoma Giants) and Danny Walton (1974-75 Tacoma Twins) for 15th-most in franchise history. Next on the list are Bob Perry (1960-63) and Mike Wilson (2009-12 Rainiers), tied for 13th with 50 homers apiece.
O'Keefe has homered in six of 10 games (hit safely in all, 16 RBI), and 22 home runs are two shy of his career-high (2021) and rank fourth in the PCL. O'Keefe is also top four in the PCL in doubles (23) and extra-base hits (45); he homered 3x and doubled 5x on the recent road trip to Texas (10-for-28, .357, 12 RBI), winning Pacific Coast League Player of The Week (1.236 OPS). His 10-game hit streak is one shy of his season-high, from June 20 through July 8.
UNI-WATCH: The 2023 Tacoma Rainiers have the following record by uniform top...Rainiers Red (14-17), Home White (14-11), Road Grey (5-3), Navy (13-14), 1960 Fauxback (3-4), La Familia de Tacoma (5-0), Special Auction (2-3).
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 7, 2023
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: 8/8/23 vs. OKC (12:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Round Rock INF Jonathan Ornelas Promoted to Texas - Round Rock Express
- Reno Aces Open Two-Week Long Homestand Starting Tomorrow at Greater Nevada Field - Reno Aces
- Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
