PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Salt Lake (5:35 PT)

May 4, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (15-13) @ Salt Lake Bees (12-17)

Thursday, May 4, 2023, 5:35p.m. PT | Smith's Ballpark: Salt Lake City, UT

RHP Darren McCaughan vs. RHP Jake Lee

#DarrenDay: 2023 is the fifth season in which right-hander Darren McCaughan has pitched for Tacoma. His 64th career start for the Rainiers tonight will tie him for the 12th-most in Tacoma's Triple-A history (since 1960), with Chris Seddon (2009-11) and Andrew Carraway (2012-14). A 65th start would tie him for 10th with Danny Rivas (1961-63) and Cha-Seung Baek (2004-07). Exactly one quarter of McCaughan's Triple-A starts have come vs. Salt Lake; tonight is his 16th match-up with the Bees (stats on page 2).

JOHNNY, BACK ON THE SPOT: When Manager John Russell took the reins of the Rainiers for this season, it marked his return to the Pacific Coast League after 21 years; he managed the 2002 Edmonton Trappers (Minnesota Twins) to an 81-59 regular season record, and the PCL Championship. That Edmonton club clinched their title in Salt Lake City at Smith's Ballpark. Coincidentally, Minnesota's Triple-A affiliation had shifted from Salt Lake to Edmonton before the prior season in 2001. The Bees franchise has been affiliated with only the Angels since 2001, parting company with the Twins following 2000.

RUN IT BACK: In 2022 Tacoma led Triple-A (by 13) with a franchise record 205 stolen bases. This year, they're atop the PCL again; 38 steals trail only Las Vegas (39) for the league lead; the Rainiers have been caught only 8x (82.6%)...Las Vegas has evaded capture only 5x (88.6%). At six swipes apiece, Mason McCoy (0 CS) and Cade Marlowe (1 CS) lead the club and are PCL top 10. Cooper Hummel has 5 SB (0 CS) in 9 GP.

ON THE WONG SIDE: Rainiers infielder Kean Wong, the younger brother of Mariners second baseman Kolten Wong, was a frequent thorn in Tacoma's side as a member of the Salt Lake Bees (LAA) the last two seasons. Wong was a .352 hitter against Tacoma in 2021 and 2022 (50-for-142), homered 2x and drove in 21 runs against the Rainiers over 34 games the last two years. Kean signed with Seattle on 2/18/23 as a non-roster invitee to MLB Spring Training, and is currently on a seven-game hit streak.

AMERICAN HONEY: Salt Lake (City) is one of four current Pacific Coast League locales that the Tacoma Triple-A franchise (est. 1960) has an all-time winning record against. The current iteration of the franchise joined the PCL in 1994, and has also been known as the "Buzz" and "Stingers" prior to Bees. Tacoma is 379-365-1 against all teams from SLC since 1960. The Tacoma Tigers (Oakland Athletics) played against the Buzz in 1994 (10-6), before the Rainiers era/Seattle affiliation began in 1995.

IT'S BEEN DRIVEN BY FORD, LATELY: With three more homers and 11 RBI since last Tuesday, Mike Ford sits atop the PCL leaderboard with 41 RBI already (26 GP); Las Vegas's Cody Thomas is second with 33. Ford leads the league in slugging at .716 with a robust 1.164 OPS (3rd) and nine home runs, which ties Salt Lake's Trey Cabbage for second in the PCL; the Bees' Jo Adell (12 HR) tops all of pro baseball. At .337, Ford has 17 extra-base hits and 68 total bases, each third in the PCL. Ford's career-high 86 RBI came in 2017, over 126 GP between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with the New York Yankees organization.

YOU DOWN WITH OBP?: Tacoma ranks second in Triple-A with a .399 team on-base percentage (Reno, .407). Tacoma's 194 walks in 28 games (6.93 BB/game) lead all of Triple-A baseball, by *25* (Oklahoma City, 169).

ET TU BB?: Tacoma infielder Cesar Hernandez already has four 3-BB games this year, is sporting a .465 OBP (23 GP), and leads all of Triple-A (by two) with 28 walks.

BRIAN O'FFENSE: Tacoma catcher/DH Brian O'Keefe has reached base safely in 17 of his 20 games thus far. O'Keefe is tied for fourth in the PCL in home runs with teammate Jake Scheiner (8), and is fifth in the league in slugging (.658) with a 1.062 OPS (7th).

RILEY ZERO'BRIEN: After 2.0 hitless IP with two strikeouts on Saturday (@ LV), Rainiers right-hander Riley O'Brien (0.79 ERA) has fired 9.1 shutout IP over his six most recent appearances, allowing only four hits while striking out 16 (4 BB). This stretch includes a save on 4/18 vs. El Paso at Cheney Stadium, when he inherited the bases loaded but closed an 11-7 Tacoma win with a strikeout. O'Brien also helped pitch the Rainiers to two "bullpen day" victories 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 (3 total hits).

Check out the Tacoma Rainiers Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 4, 2023


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