PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Las Vegas (7:05 PT)

Published on April 25, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (12-8) @ Las Vegas Aviators

Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Las Vegas Ballpark: Summerlin, NV

LHP Tommy Milone vs. RHP Colin Peluse

TOMASO: Southpaw Tommy Milone will make his third appearance of 2023 tonight, second for Tacoma (4/4 vs. Reno: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and his first since tossing 4.2 IP of one-run ball for the Mariners on 4/14 vs. Colorado (3 H, 2 BB, 3 K) in a 5-3 win. Milone was summoned to Seattle when fellow lefty Marco Gonzalez was placed on the paternity list.

Milone's appearance continues a true anomaly of the Mariners all-time roster: Four alums of Saugus (California) High School have reached the Major Leagues, and all have played for Seattle. LHP Shawn Barton (1992), RHP Roger Salkeld (1993-94), Milone (2019, 2022-23) and INF Zach Vincej (2018) is the list...Vincej was also Tacoma's 3B/INF coach in 2022, while Milone pitched for the Rainiers.

IT'S BEEN DRIVEN BY FORD, LATELY: In large part to his 3-HR, 8-RBI (career-high) game on Friday vs. El Paso, Mike Ford sits atop the PCL leaderboard with 30 RBI already, over only 18 games played. He, Brian O'Keefe and Jake Scheiner are equal for the club home run lead at six, which tie the trio for fifth in the league. Ford is slugging a robust .687 with a 1.082 OPS.

Ford's career-high RBI in a season (86) came in 2017, over 126 games split between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, in the New York Yankees organization.

BRIAN O'FFENSE: Tacoma catcher/DH Brian O'Keefe has hit safely in 12 of his 15 games thus far, reaching base safely in 14. He's top five in the PCL in home runs (6), slugging (.707) and OPS (1.142). O'Keefe made his MLB debut at the tail end of last season on 10/1, as the 29th and final Tacoma to Seattle promotion of 2022. His first Major League hit was a single off Oakland LHP JP Sears at T-Mobile Park (10/1), who made one start last season for Las Vegas.

ET TU BB: Tacoma infielder Cesar Hernandez walked 3x in three out of four games between last Thursday and Sunday vs. El Paso, and drew an incredible 12 walks during the recent six-game homestand. He's already had four 3-BB games this year, is sporting a .486 OBP (17 GP), and leads the Pacific Coast League (by five) with 24 walks. Hernandez aims for a MLB return where he's a veteran of 1,186 GP played since 2013 with Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago-AL and Washington; he won the 2020 AL Gold Glove for a second baseman, with Cleveland.

STRIP TO THE SUBURBS: The Rainiers went 10-14 against Las Vegas last season (6-6 road), but lead the all-time series 294-289 (since 1983). There are now five current PCL locales that the Tacoma Triple-A franchise (est. 1960) has an all-time non-losing record against: Salt Lake (378-364-1, since 1960), Round Rock (52-33, since 2005), El Paso (61-59, since 2014) and Oklahoma City (85-85, since 1963).

NOT TOO MANY LATE NIGHTS: Las Vegas Ballpark, in suburban Summerlin, opened for the 2019 season and coincided with the "Aviators" rebrand (from Las Vegas 51s) and the franchise's affiliation with the Oakland A's. A popular PCL trip, Tacoma is 17-15 all-time at the new stadium.

WHAT LEAGUE IS THIS?: A dead ball era arrived suddenly and without warning...In six Pacific Coast League games on Saturday, on the notoriously offensive circuit, only 31 total runs were scored, 12 of which came during a Reno at Salt Lake doubleheader. Salt Lake's 4-3 victory in the first game was Saturday's highest-scoring PCL affair. R 2-1 win over El Paso was lowest.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?: Sitting at 12-8, Tacoma's +33 run differential leads the PCL --by 12-- entering today's action. This despite a 19-4 home loss to Reno on 4/8 (only loss of that series). The top two records in the league are +21 (Oklahama City, 15-6) and +16 (Round Rock, 13-7). Sacramento is +14, despite being 10-11. Las Vegas is even in runs, despite being 9-12. The other five PCL clubs currently have a negative run differential.

JAY-DED: Tacoma has two players rostered who were once traded 1-for-1 for OF Jay Bruce. On 8/9/17 RHP Ryder Ryan was moved from Cleveland to New York-NL (waiver deadline), going from Class A Lake County (Midwest League) to Class A Columbia (South Atlantic League). On 6/2/19, Seattle traded Bruce and cash to Philadelphia in exchange for INF/OF Jake Scheiner, as Scheiner went from High-A Clearwater (Florida State League) to High-A Modesto (California League). Bruce, 36 and now retired, played in 14 MLB seasons from 2008 through 2021 (CIN, NYM, CLE, SEA, PHI, NYY).

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