PCL Tacoma Rainiers

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

Published on April 26, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (13-8) @ Las Vegas Aviators (9-13)

Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Las Vegas Ballpark: Summerlin, NV

RHP Konner Wade vs. LHP Hogan Harris

SO EXTRA: In securing their first extra-inning victory of the season last night in the series opener, the Rainiers collected season-highs in hits (16, previous 15, 3x) and extra-base hits (9, previous 6, 4x). Two triples and five doubles were also season-highs. Tacoma leads all of Triple-A baseball with a .402 team OBP- 11 points higher than second-place El Paso. Tacoma's 146 walks in only 21 games (6.95/game) also lead the level, by nine (El Paso, 137). Tacoma's .879 club OPS is third-highest in Triple-A.

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 19 games played. Ford is slugging a robust .639 with a 1.017 OPS and six home runs.

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 13 of his 16 games thus far, reaching base safely in 15. After his second 2-HR game of the season last night (4/2 @ OKC), O'Keefe is T-2nd in the league in home runs (8), second in OPS (1.247) and leads the PCL in slugging (.794). His .349 batting average and .453 OBP are also league top 10. He has the fourth-most extra base hits (12) and total bases (50) in the Pacific Coast League.

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 twice more last night, 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 .506 OBP (18 GP), and leads all of Triple-A (by four) with 26 walks.

Hernandez aims for a MLB return where he's a veteran of 1,186 games played since 2013 with Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago-AL and Washington; he won the 2020 AL Gold Glove for a second baseman, with Cleveland.

VIVA: The Rainiers went 10-14 against Las Vegas last season (6-6 on the road), but lead the all-time series 295-289 (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 18-15 all-time at the new stadium.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?: Sitting at 13-8, Tacoma's +34 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 +22 (Oklahoma City, 16-6) and +17 (Round Rock, 14-7). Sacramento is +13, despite being 10-12. Las Vegas is only -1 in runs, despite being 9-13. Sugar Land (8-13) holds the PCL's worst run differential, at -22.

RILEY ZERO'BRIEN: After another scoreless inning last night with a strikeout, Rainiers right-hander Riley O'Brien has fired 7.1 shutout IP over his five most-recent appearances, allowing only four hits and a lone walk, while striking out 14. This run includes a save on 4/18 vs. El Paso at Cheney Stadium, when he inherited the bases loaded but ended an 11-7 Tacoma win with a K.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 26, 2023


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