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PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Salt Lake (11:05 a.m. PT)

June 9, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma is in pursuit of a winning road trip today as well (4-4). The Rainiers will begin a 9-game homestand against Round Rock (3) and Sacramento (6) on Friday.

Tacoma Rainiers (20-35) @ Salt Lake Bees (30-26)

Thursday, June 9, 2022, 11:05 a.m. PT | Smith's Ballpark: Salt Lake City, UT

RHP Darren McCaughan vs. LHP Jhonathan Diaz

SLAM, A HEINE-CAN: When Scott Heineman hit a second inning grand slam last night, he was the first Tacoma player to hit one at Salt Lake since Ty Kelly (who has played for both organizations), on July 10, 2014. Heineman's blast was the first Rainiers grand slam against the Bees since Shed Long on June 29, 2019 in Tacoma at Cheney Stadium, which was an inside the park grand slam. Heineman's 2-run single in the seventh gave him 6 RBI, a club game-high for the Rainiers this season (Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis and Marcus Wilson have each had 5 RBI).

Heineman signed with the Mariners on June 2, but had yet to appear in a game for Tacoma, prior to his monster debut on Wednesday.

BULLISH ON BRASH: After finishing last night's 13-6 Tacoma victory at Salt Lake by striking out the side in order, Matt Brash has pitched in consecutive games, and has pitched five times in eight days on this road trip (since June 1). The right-hander currently has a streak of seven consecutive scoreless appearances dating to May 25, each of which were 1.0 IP: 4 H (.167 BAA), 2 BB (0.86 WHIP), 12 K.

KEL'S KITCHEN: Rainiers outfielder Jarred Kelenic is currently on a 13-game hit streak dating to May 24, the first to reach double-digits for a Tacoma batter this season (Mason McCoy, nine games 4/28 to 5/11). During the streak Kelenic is batting .357 (20-for-56) with 5 HR, 12 RBI, 14 runs and 10 XBH. His OPS is 1.132 (.400/.732) during this stretch (60 PA). Tacoma's longest hit streak last year was 23 games, compiled by Cal Raleigh (5/15 to 6/17). After being optioned to Tacoma by Seattle on May 13, Kelenic has homered six times in 19 games and is batting .313 with 15 RBI and a .987 OPS.

HE'S AN O'K PLAYER: After a 3-for-5 effort last night (RBI, run, BB), Tacoma catcher Brian O'Keefe has reached base with either a walk or base hit in 23 of the 24 games he's played this season, after returning from a broken hamate bone on 4/27 at Las Vegas. O'Keefe is batting .330 with a 1.007 OPS (.427/.580), with four home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 14 walks since returning to action.

A WINNING BUZZ: Salt Lake (City) is one of three current PCL member locales that the Tacoma franchise (est. 1960) has an all-time winning record against (368-358-1, since 1960); the others are Las Vegas (287-283, since 1983) and Round Rock (44-26, since 2005).

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. Upton hit opposite field homers in consecutive games (6/5 at RNO & 6/7 at SL).

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 (vs. 2021 Rainiers Pitcher of The Year Logan Verrett). It was Upton's first Triple-A action since 2008, with Tucson (Arizona Diamondbacks) in the PCL.

A TRIPLE-A RATING: Of the 30 clubs at the highest level of Minor League Baseball, the Rainiers have the second-most stolen bases with 77 (Buffalo has 78), have hit the third-most home runs with 81 (Memphis has 95, El Paso has 83) and are one of 10 teams with at least 13 triples. The Rainiers' 36 errors as a club are the eighth-fewest in Triple-A, and third-fewest in the PCL behind Reno (27) and Salt Lake (34).

A LOT OF BASEBALL TO BE PLAYED: At 20-35, Tacoma does not have the worst record in Triple-A entering today's action: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (19-36) and Charlotte (20-36) own the two worst marks in the 20-team International League. The Rainiers are a half-game worse than Sugar Land (21-35) among PCL clubs. Playing .364 ball, Tacoma is two wins better than a 100-loss pace, with the Triple-A schedule now expanded to 150 games beginning this season.

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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