PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Reno (6:35 p.m. PT)

June 4, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


RAISING KELL-NICK: Rainiers outfielder Jarred Kelenic enjoyed a red-hot 10-for-19 homestand from May 24-29, hitting safely in all five games with two home runs, six RBI, two walks and seven runs scored. He's raised his average to .303 (20-for-66, 5 HR, 4 2B, 1 3B) in 15 games after being optioned to Tacoma on May 13. His OPS is .964 (.343/.621) since. Kelenic is on a current club-best nine-game hit streak, has homered in four of six after leading off both Wednesday and Thursday with a home run, and has an extra-base hit in five of six games. He's equaled Mason McCoy's season-high Rainiers hit streak (9), from April 28 through May 11.

JOE ROAD-OM: Tacoma C/1B/DH Joe Odom has played in 15 road games this season- and has homered in seven of them. Odom went yard in three straight games at Albuquerque April 15-17, and is batting .340 on the road (18-for-53), with a 1.228 OPS (.417/.811) away from Cheney Stadium in 2022. He's had three 3-hit games away from home: 5/8 at Salt Lake, 5/21 at Sacramento and 6/2 at Reno (3-for-5, HR).

HE'S AN O'K PLAYER: After a walk last night, Tacoma catcher Brian O'Keefe has reached base with either a walk or base hit in 20 of the 21 games he's played this season, after returning from a broken hamate bone on 4/27 at Las Vegas. O'Keefe is batting .324 with a 1.013 OPS (.432/.581), with three home runs, 11 extra-base hits and 13 walks since returning to action. This is his third season in the Seattle Mariners organization, a 2019 Rule 5 Draft selection (minor league phase) from the St. Louis Cardinals.

J-UP AROUND: Outfielder Justin Upton, the three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and veteran of 1,828 MLB games with Arizona, Atlanta, San Diego, Detroit and Los Angeles-AL, has been assigned to Tacoma's roster. An MLB promotion is imminent for the 34-year-old, after he signed with Seattle as a free agent on May 21.

Last season, Upton's only PCL action came in Tacoma at Cheney Stadium, while on a rehab assignment with Salt Lake (LAA). In two games (July 19-20), he went 1-for-7 with a walk and solo homer to lead off the 7/19 game (off 2021 Rainiers Pitcher of The Year Logan Verrett). It was Upton's first Triple-A action since 2008 with Tucson (Arizona Dbacks); which was the current Reno Aces franchise. '08 was the final season of the Tucson Sidewinders prior to relocation.

ONES FOR THE R(OAD): The Rainiers have won eight of their last 11 road games, dating to a 14-10 series finale victory at Salt Lake on May 8. Tacoma proceeded to win four of six at Sacramento from May 17-22, which included their first three-game win streak (May 19-21). The Rainiers matched that road win streak after winning consecutive one-run games to open this series at Reno, prior to their fourth shutout victory of 2022 on Thursday.

COULDN'T ROLL ME A SEVEN: Despite the Rainiers winning the division by five games over second-place Reno last season, at 85-124 (.407) since 2009, the Aces are by far Tacoma's worst matchup over that span. The Rainiers have bucked the historical Reno trend recently however, and have won 15 of their last 22 games at Greater Nevada Field.

A TRIPLE-A RANKING: Of the 30 clubs at the highest level of Minor League Baseball, the Rainiers are tied with Buffalo for the most stolen bases (75), have hit the third-most home runs with 74 (Memphis has 88, El Paso has 76) and are one of 11 teams with at least 12 triples. Tacoma outfielder Forrest Wall ranks second in the PCL with 18 steals.

A LOT OF BASEBALL TO BE PLAYED: At 19-32, Tacoma does not have the worst record in Triple-A entering today's action: Syracuse (17-33), Charlotte (18-34) and Louisville (18-33) own the bottom three marks in the 20-team International League. The Rainiers are a half game worse than Sugar Land (20-32) among PCL clubs. Playing .373 ball, Tacoma is two wins better than a 100-loss pace, with the Triple-A schedule at 150 games.

The most recent MiLB-affiliated team to lose 100 games was the 1996 Bakersfield Blaze of the then Class A-Advanced California League, who went 39-101. Managed by Yankees great Graig Nettles, that Bakersfield club was a co-op team, meaning they received players from 11 different MLB organizations to fill out their roster over the course of the season, when such things were still allowed. The '96 Blaze lost their final 22 games of the year, still a Cal League record..

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 4, 2022


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