PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at ABQ (12:35 PT)

Published on April 17, 2022 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma's first road trip of the year concludes Sunday. The next homestand will begin on Tuesday against Sugar Land (6:05 p.m. PT). The club is off on Monday.

Tacoma Rainiers (3-8) @ Albuquerque Isotopes (5-6)

Sunday, April 17, 2022, 12:35 p.m. PT | Isotopes Park: Albuquerque, NM

LHP Nick Margevicius (0-1, 11.57) vs. RHP Frank Duncan (0-0, 11.05)

JOE KNOWS: A bright spot amidst a season-long four-game Rainiers losing streak has been catcher Joe Odom; on Saturday at Albuquerque he homered for the third time in four games. His Saturday blast off the videoboard in left-center was estimated to have traveled 446 feet, chasing an approximately 452-foot shot on Friday night.

Also on Saturday, left-handed reliever Roenis Elias pitched for the second time in his first regular season action since 2019 and rebounding from Tommy John surgery, with a consecutive scoreless outing (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K).

A REAL DONNIE-BROOK: When Mitch Haniger landed on Seattle's IL Saturday and infielder Donnie Walton was recalled from the Rainiers by the Mariners, it marked the 10th time he's been called to the Major Leagues. Last season, Walton was recalled from Tacoma off either the Rainiers roster or from the Alternate Training Site six times; during the abbreviated 2020 season he was recalled on three occasions from the ATS at Cheney Stadium. Walton made his MLB debut on 9/10/19 at Cincinnati, the day Seattle selected his contract to the Major League roster from Double-A Arkansas. A fifth round draft pick of the Mariners in 2016 out of Oklahoma State, this is his final option year.

ELEVATE TO CELEBRATE: Despite an 11-8 Rainiers loss on Thursday, the game was filled with stellar individual performances and 2022 firsts for Tacoma. Mike Ford (solo HR, 2 RBI) had the first Rainiers 4-hit game, while Kevin Padlo had Tacoma's first 2-HR game of this campaign (solo, 2-run). Leading off the sixth inning, Ford and Padlo teamed up to hit home runs on consecutive pitches, the first back-to-back Rainiers jacks this season. Donnie Walton, who was on base four times with three hits and a walk, legged out the first Tacoma triple of 2022 in the third inning. Forrest Wall (3-for-5, SB) scored three times, matching Ford on Wednesday as the only Rainiers to do so thus far. Ford is 10-for-21 with a HR, double, 3 RBI, 8 R and 2 BB over the first five games of this road trip.

"COOK" CALL: When the Seattle Mariners selected the contract of RHP Matt Koch (pronounced "cook") on Wednesday, he became the first Major League call-up from Tacoma in 2022. (RHP Casey Sadler to the 60-Day IL created the 40-man roster spot, RHP Sergio Romo went on the 10-Day IL to necessitate the transaction). It will be Koch's first MLB action since 2019 and his first with an organization other than the Arizona Diamondbacks; he has 125.1 big league innings with the Dbacks from 2016-19. Koch spent 2020 with the Yakult Swallows in Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese Major Leagues), and last season with Triple-A Columbus (Cleveland). Koch threw an immaculate inning on opening day (April 5 vs. Salt Lake at Cheney Stadium), striking out the side on nine pitches. He had appeared twice for the Rainiers (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K). Koch worked a scoreless inning in his Mariners debut on Friday (1 H, 0 BB, 1 K), in an 11-1 win over Houston in Seattle.

TIM THE 'TOPE: Tacoma Rainiers first-year manager Tim Federowicz is skippering his first road series in the ballpark he appeared most in as a player. As a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, Federowicz played 239 games for Albuquerque between 2011 and 2014, while being summoned to the Majors in each of those four seasons, for a total of 89 games with L.A. Federowicz played 116 career games in Albuquerque, batting .335 (142-for-424) with 22 home runs and 90 RBI. Overall as an Isotope, he hit .320 (279-for-873) with 39 HR and 166 RBI, appearing in more games for ABQ than any other franchise during his 13-season playing career.

BACK TO SCHOOL: It's a homecoming of sorts for Rainiers infielder Sam Haggerty, an alum of the University of New Mexico baseball program. Tuesday was Haggerty's first pro game at Isotopes Park, which sits across the street from the UNM athletics complex and their baseball field; the Lobos did play some games at the Triple-A facility during his time there. In three seasons at UNM (2013-15) before being drafted in the 24th round by Cleveland in 2015, Haggerty batted .311 (179-for-575) in 146 games. He was selected a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and was Mountain West Conference Co-Freshman of the Year in 2013. Haggerty was also named First Team All-MWC in 2014. He's played in 59 MLB games (NYM, SEA) since 2019.

UNI WATCH: The 2022 Tacoma Rainiers have the following record by uniform top: Home white (2-2), red (1-2), navy blue (0-1), road grey (0-2), "La Familia de Tacoma" (0-1, Copa de la Diversion). "Throwback Weekend" is upcoming at Cheney Stadium; be on the lookout for "faux-back" uniforms on April 23-24 vs. Sugar Land, which will imagine what the Rainiers brand might have looked like on field in the 1960s.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 17, 2022


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