Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Las Vegas (7:05 PT)
April 27, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (13-9) @ Las Vegas Aviators (10-13)
Thursday, April 27, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Las Vegas Ballpark: Summerlin, NV
RHP Jose Rodriguez vs. RHP Zach Neal
THAT'S VEGAS, SUZYN: In securing their first extra-inning victory of the season on Tuesday to open the road trip, 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. After last evening's 35-run extravaganza (16 hits again), the Rainiers have racked up 32 hits, 17 extra-base hits, six homers and 26 runs in two games. Cade Marlowe (triple, HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs) and Jake Scheiner (2 HR, double, 6 RBI, 4 runs) each enjoyed their first career four-hit game at Triple-A on Wednesday. Scheiner's eight homers now tie him with Brian O'Keefe for the team lead (O'Keefe 2-HR game on Tuesday). Marlowe has tripled in consecutive games.
Tacoma leads all of Triple-A with a .408 team OBP- 12 points higher than second-place Reno (.396). Tacoma's 155 walks in 22 games (7.05/game) also lead the level, by *14* (El Paso, 141). Tacoma also leads Triple-A in club OPS (.903) and team slugging (.495).
BRIAN O'FFENSE: Tacoma catcher/DH Brian O'Keefe has reached base safely in 15 of his 17 games thus far. O'Keefe is tied for second in the league in home runs with teammate Jake Scheiner (8) and is fourth in the PCL in slugging (.725) with a 1.145 OPS (7th in PCL). His 50 total bases lead the Rainiers and are seventh-most 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.
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 20 games played. Ford is slugging a robust .645 with a 1.043 OPS and six home runs (49 TB).
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.
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 18-16 all-time at the new stadium.
VIVA: The Rainiers went 10-14 against Las Vegas last season (6-6 on the road), but lead the all-time series 295-290 (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).
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 .512 OBP (19 GP), and leads all of Triple-A (by five) with 28 walks. He's walked twice in each of the first two games of this series.
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.
RILEY ZERO'BRIEN: After another scoreless inning with a strikeout on Tuesday, 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. O'Brien also helped pitch the Rainiers to two "bullpen day" wins at Round Rock on 4/12 and 4/15, spinning 2.0 shutout IP each time as the opener, with four strikeouts and zero walks in each outing as well (3 total hits).
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?: 13-9 Tacoma's +33 run differential leads the PCL --by 10-- 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 +23 (Round Rock, 15-7). Sacramento is +13, despite being 10-12. Las Vegas is even in runs, despite being 10-13. Sugar Land (8-14) holds the PCL's worst run differential, at -31, the circuit's worst by 13.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 27, 2023
- El Paso Edges Salt Lake, 8-7 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Dodgers Win Both Games of Doubleheader Against River Cats - Oklahoma City Comets
- Salt Lake Rally Falls Short - Salt Lake Bees
- Aces Blast Space Cowboys into Orbit, Tally 19 Hits in Historic 24-2 Win - Reno Aces
- Montero's Two Homer Night Leads Isotopes to 8-3 Triumph - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Isotopes Top Express with 8-3 Victory on Thursday Night - Round Rock Express
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Las Vegas (7:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - April 27, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Rainiers Come Up A Run Short In 35-Run Extravaganza - Tacoma Rainiers
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