PCL Tacoma Rainiers

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

Published on September 7, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma (L3) is 0-2 on this 12-game road trip, but only 1.0 GB of a playoff spot with 16 to play (more below).

Tacoma Rainiers (71-63, 34-25) @ Salt Lake Bees (61-72, 24-35)

Thursday, September 7, 2023, 5:35p.m. PT | Smith's Ballpark: Salt Lake City, UT

RHP Adam Oller vs. RHP JD Hammer

DO YOU REMEMBER?: It's September (2-3), and since the Triple-A regular season schedule expanded past Labor Day weekend beginning in 2021, Tacoma is 34-24 (.586) after 9/1. The 2021 championship club went 18-10 (2-1 in October); last year's Rainiers had a 14-11 September.

GET YOUR SCHEIN ON: Tacoma corner INFJake Scheiner leads the PCL in home runs (30), RBI (105, by *13*) and extra-base hits (55). He's second in the league in total bases (234) and runs scored (91). Scheiner is batting .307 (46x150) with runners in scoring position (15 HR). With 16 games remaining, his 105 RBI are already the ninth-most in a season for Tacoma, one back of Carmen Fanzone's 106 for the 1971 Tacoma Cubs. 105 RBI matches Scheiner's career-high (last season at Double-A Arkansas) and are the most in a season for Tacoma since 1997, when Dan Rohrmeier set the franchise record with 120. Scheiner drove in 12 runs over six games at home last week vs. Sugar Land (3 HR).

JAKE RHYMES WITH RAKE: Jake Scheiner is homering once every 4.13 games over the first 124 games of his Triple-A debut, and has achieved the seventh 30-home run season in Tacoma's Triple-A history (since 1960), and the first since Alex Liddi (30) for the 2011 Rainiers.

THE REAL DELO: Tacoma outfielder Zach DeLoach leads the Rainiers with 130 hits (Jake Scheiner, 116) through the first 122 games of his Triple-A debut; he has the second-most hits in the PCL (50 XBH, T-8th PCL). DeLoach's solo shot on Sunday gave him 20 home runs in a season for the first time as a professional. His 222 total bases and 28 doubles each rank top-5 in the PCL, and he's climbed to T-7th in RBI with 78; that RBI total sets a new career-high, after he had 73 at Double-A last season (14 HR).

SEVY TIME: Rainiers catcher Pedro Severino batted .362 in August (16 GP), and is batting .329 (27x82) over his last 23 games, dating to July 19. He has 11 extra-base hits in this span (seven doubles, four homers), with a .921 OPS (.360/.561) and 19 RBI. Severino hit Tacoma's fourth grand slam of 2023 on August 25 (vs. LV).

MAYBE TAKE A PITCH: The Rainiers lead all of Triple-A in walks drawn *by 30* with 755 (5.63 BB/game); Reno is a distant second with 725 walks. Jake Scheiner (2nd, 81 BB), Zach DeLoach (3rd, 78 BB) and Cooper Hummel (5th, 72 BB) are all atop the PCL free pass leaderboard.

GOTTA BE IN IT TO WIN IT: The Rainiers (34-25, second half) enter today's action one game back of the PCL's second playoff spot (Round Rock, 35-24); Tacoma is even with Las Vegas (34-25) in the second half standings, and Reno (33-26, 2.0 GB) and Albuquerque (31-28, 4.0 GB) are also in contention and playing each other this week. Round Rock has won 19 of their last 25, but has lost four straight. The Rainiers end the regular season with six games at home against Round Rock (September 19-24).

BLISSFUL SPEED: Tacoma leads the PCL in stolen bases, with 186 (El Paso, 184), second to only Omaha (202) at Triple-A. Last season, Tacoma led the level (by 13) with a franchise record 205 steals. Cooper Hummel (26 SB, 5 CS, 83.9%) has the eighth-most swipes in the PCL. INF Ryan Bliss (13 SB) has stolen 48 bases at all levels this season, between Double-A Amarillo, Reno and Tacoma (acq. in 7/31 trade with AZ).

R CLUB HAS HART: Rainiers southpaw Kyle Hart was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of The Month for August, on Tuesday. Hart made four starts during the month, returning from the paternity list on August 11: 20.2 IP, 2 ER (0.87 ERA), 5 BB (15 H, 0.97 WHIP), while striking out just better than a batter per inning (21 K).

RILED UP: Over 20.1 IP (19 G) since July 5, Rainiers RHP Riley O'Brien is holding PCL hitters to a .181 BAA with eight saves. O'Brien has struck out 31 batters during this span, walking only five (13 H) for a WHIP of 0.89 dating to 7/5 (5 ER, 2.21 ERA). His ERA was 0.90 in August (10 G, 10.0 IP, 1 ER, 16 K, 0.70 WHIP, .118 BAA).

KO-SIGN: Rainiers RHP Stephen Kolek has allowed only three ER over his past 31.0 IP (0.87 ERA), and has been scoreless in 20 of his last 23 outings. Since June 11, Kolek's ERA is 1.45 (26 G, 37.1 IP, 18 H, 6 ER, 17 BB, 43 K, 0.94 WHIP, 4 SV). Kolek is limiting to a .144 BAA since 6/11.

RISP-Y BUSINESS: Tacoma has hit the third-most home runs in Triple-A with men on base, at 96 (Syracuse, 97 & Las Vegas, 103). With runners in scoring position, Tacoma has the second-highest OPS among the 30 Triple-A clubs (.897).

Check out the Tacoma Rainiers Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 7, 2023


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