Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. ABQ (7:05 PT)
August 20, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (52-63) vs. Albuquerque Isotopes (52-62)
Saturday, August 20, 2022, 7:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Konner Wade vs. RHP Chad Kuhl (MLB Rehab)
TURN-R-OUND: Tacoma began this season 9-23 (through May 11), but is 43-40 since. The Rainiers' low-water mark was 16 games under .500 at 28-44 on June 28. They're 24-19 since, 14-12 post-break and 22-19 in the second half.
BARRELED KELENIC: In 62 total games this season with Tacoma, outfielder Jarred Kelenic has 77 hits (.297 AVG). 41 of those knocks have gone for extra bases (13 HR), a staggering 53.2% of his Triple-A hit total this season (.568 SLG, .934 OPS).
MEJIA MASH: Tacoma INF/OF Erick Mejia is 16 for his last 47 (.340) with a homer (12), nine runs scored and six walks. Mejia currently has a 16-game on-base streak dating to July 28, during which he's hitting .316 (18-for-57), with an .824 OPS (66 PA). He's on a current club-high 11-game hit streak.
JUST NICKED 'EM: Rainiers LHP Nick Ramirez has worked nine straight scoreless outings dating to July 28, six of which were save opportunities, emerging as Tacoma's primary ninth inning option. Ramirez has posted a 0.56 WHIP over his last 9.0 IP: 5 H (.156 BAA), 0 BB, 10 K. He's quickly climbed to third in PCL saves (10). Ramirez has 64 games of MLB experience between Detroit (2019-20) and San Diego (2021).
THE O'B RELIEVER: Rainiers RHP Riley O'Brien (Seattle-born, Shorewood High School) has struck out 50% of batters faced over his last six appearances (6.2 IP); he's K'd 13 of the last 26 hitters he's faced.
STEAL A BASE, STEAL A TACO(MA): The Rainiers lead Triple-A in stolen bases with 147. Forrest Wall ranks second in the PCL with 34 SB, and is the first to steal 30 bases for the Rainiers since Ian Miller (33) in 2018. Wall is striving to be the first Tacoma player to steal 40 since Lance Blankenship of the 1988 Tacoma Tigers (OAK).
TIM THE 'TOPE: Tacoma Rainiers first-year manager Tim Federowicz is managing against the club he appeared with most as a player. As a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, Federowicz played in 239 games for Albuquerque between 2011 and 2014, while being summoned to the Majors in each of those four seasons, for a total of 89 games with L.A. Overall as an Isotope, he hit .320 (279-for-873) with 39 HR and 166 RBI, appearing in more games for ABQ than any other franchise during his 13-season playing career.
LOCAL GIG: Albuquerque's roster features Gig Harbor, WA native Michael Toglia, a Rockies top 1B/OF prospect and Colorado's first round pick in 2019 out of UCLA (23rd overall selection). Toglia was promoted from Double-A Hartford to ABQ with a week to spare for his homecoming, on August 9; the switch hitter blasted a solo homer on that date in ABQ against Reno, in his Triple-A debut. Toglia is 14-for-40 (.350) with three walks, four doubles and three home runs (9 RBI) over his first 10 PCL games...he hit a three-run homer in his first pro at-bat at Cheney Stadium in the first inning on Tuesday. Toglia had previously homered at Cheney while in high school. He's hitting .500 during this series (9-for-18) with two home runs.
At the moment, three of Tacoma's final four home series of the season will have featured a local: Oakland A's INF Nate Mondou (Tacoma/Lake Tapps) was here last week with Las Vegas, and Round Rock INF Nick Tanielu (Federal Way) has spent this season with the top Texas Rangers farm club (at Tacoma Sept. 20-25). Federal Way's Janson Junk (LAA RHP) pitched his first career professional game at Cheney Stadium on April 5, when he started for Salt Lake against the Rainiers on Opening Day.
GO DJ, THAT'S R DJ: Former Seattle Mariners first round draft pick and current Albuquerque Isotope D.J. Peterson (1B/3B) has returned to play a series at Cheney Stadium for the first time since 2017. Peterson, selected 12th overall in 2013, played in 153 games for Tacoma between 2015 and 2017 (103 in '17). A veteran of 810 Minor League games entering this series, Peterson has yet to appear in an MLB game. His season with the Isotopes is his second tour of duty in Albuquerque; he spent three years at the University of New Mexico, where during his junior season ('13), he was teammates with a freshman infielder- Sam Haggerty. Haggerty has appeared in 39 games for Tacoma this season, but none since his latest call-up on June 29.
Last night, Peterson's two-run homer in the fifth inning was his first at Cheney Stadium since July 16, 2017 against Fresno, a 2nd inning solo shot off RHP Mike Hauschild in a 5-4 loss.
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