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PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Round Rock (5:05 PT)

April 15, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (6-6) @ Round Rock Express (8-4)

Saturday, April 15, 2023, 5:05p.m. PT | Dell Diamond: Round Rock, TX

Rainiers Bullpen vs. RHP Kyle Cody

ITALIAN STALLION: With Mariners southpaw Marco Gonzalez placed on the paternity list Friday, Seattle selected fellow lefty Tommy (first name Tomaso) Milone from Tacoma to spot start against Colorado. Milone turned in 4.2 IP of one-run ball, allowing only a solo shot to Kris Bryant (3 H, 2 BB, 3 K) in a 5-3 M's victory.

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.

EL CABALLO: Through the first 10 games of his Triple-A debut, Rainiers infielder Jose Caballero has proven to be among the toughest outs in the PCL. His early .550 OBP is third-highest in the notoriously offensive PCL, and his 12 walks are fourth-most on the circuit. Batting .333 with a 1.143 OPS (9-for-27, 40 PA), Caballero, 26, has flown a bit under the prospect radar while limited to only 39 Double-A games the last two seasons due to injury. He was acquired by Seattle on 7/31/19 from the Arizona Diamondbacks, in a trade for RHP Mike Leake.

THE O' STANDS FOR OFFENSE: Entering today's action (10 GP), Tacoma catcher Brian O'Keefe is top-six in the PCL in BA (.385), HR (5), slugging (.846), OPS (1.313), extra-base hits (8), and total bases (33). His nine-game hit streak to open the season was snapped last night.

DON'T BE EXTRA: Thursday's 2-1 Rainiers loss at Round Rock was just the fourth extra-inning game in the PCL this season over the first two weeks, and the first that did not involve Oklahoma City. OKC walked-off Tacoma 6-5 in 10 innings on day two of the season (4/1), and won consecutive 10-inning games at Las Vegas (4/9) and vs. Sugar Land (4/11). An 11th inning has not yet been played in the PCL in 2023.

(WALK)OFF-PUTTING: Thursday's 2-1 loss at Round Rock on a Yoshi Tsutsugo RBI single in the 10th inning was already Tacoma's third walk-off loss in six defeats this season, which also accounts for the Rainiers' 0-3 record in one-run games (0-2 in extras). Oklahoma City walked off Tacoma 2x to conclude the opening weekend of the schedule (April 1-2).

ROUND-LY DEFEATED: Round Rock is one of four current PCL locales that the Tacoma franchise (est. 1960) has an all-time non-losing record against. The Tacoma Giants/Cubs/Twins/Yankees/Tugs/Tigers/Rainiers are 51-32 (.614) vs. Round Rock (since 2005), 378-364-1 vs. Salt Lake (since 1960), 294-289 vs. Las Vegas (since 1983) and 85-85 vs. Oklahoma City (since 1963).

GO EAST TO GO WEST: The Rainiers are in their first series this season vs. a fellow American League West affiliate (1-3). Last season, Tacoma went 34-41 against AL West Triple-A clubs Las Vegas (Athletics), Round Rock (Rangers), Salt Lake (Angels) and Sugar Land (Astros).

R SPECIAL SAUCE: With 5.2 IP of scoreless work so far (4 G, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 K), lefty reliever and local product Tayler Saucedo has now pitched for both Tacoma Community College and the Tacoma Rainiers. Saucedo spent his freshman season at TCC (2013), a Maple Valley native and graduate of Tahoma High School. He appeared in 33 MLB games (all in relief) with Toronto in 2021 and 2022. (2.0 IP, 0 H, 3 K on Wednesday.)

STILL MAKIN' IT RAIN(IERS): Thanks in part to the expanded 150-game schedule, last season the Rainiers hit a franchise record 216 home runs. Despite being held homerless in two of four games on this road trip to pitcher-friendly Round Rock, Tacoma is just shy of the same pace early on, for 212.5 round trips this year (17 HR in 12 games).

BACK, MIH-CACK, DO IT AGAIN: RHP Darren McCaughan was selected from Tacoma to Seattle's roster on Wednesday. Primed for his third MLB appearance, on 7/21/21 at Colorado McCaughan became only the seventh player since 1901 to throw at least 5.0 hitless IP in his MLB debut. His first MLB strikeout came on 7/26/21 vs. Houston at T-Mobile Park...of 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve (swinging, to begin game). McCaughan has started 61x for Tacoma since 2018, the 16th-most GS in franchise history.

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