Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Las Vegas (7:05 PT)
Published on August 23, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
11 games remain on this homestand, through September 3. Tacoma has won 10 of 12 at home.
Tacoma Rainiers (64-57, 27-19) vs. Las Vegas Aviators (62-58, 28-18)
Wednesday, August 23, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
LHP Kyle Hart vs. RHP Joey Estes
RISP-Y BUSINESS: With men on base, Tacoma and Las Vegas are the top two clubs in Triple-A in hitting home runs. The Aviators have 94 non-solo shots this season, 90 for the Rainiers. With runners in scoring position, Tacoma (.917) and Las Vegas (.877) have the second and third-highest OPS among the 30 Triple-A clubs.
SCOREBOARD WATCHING: The Rainiers (27-19, second half) enter today's action two games out of the PCL's second playoff spot (Las Vegas, 28-18 & Round Rock, 29-17); Tacoma has won 10 of 12 at home, but Round Rock has won 13 consecutive games. The Rainiers have five games remaining vs. Las Vegas (through Sunday), and six remaining vs. Round Rock (Sept. 19-24); all 11 games are in Tacoma.
THE REAL DELO: Tacoma outfielder Zach DeLoach leads the Rainiers with 117 hits (Jake Scheiner, 106) through the first 109 games of his Triple-A debut. DeLoach has the fourth-most hits in the Pacific Coast League; Round Rock's Elier Hernandez leads the circuit with 130. Every DeLoach home run (18) extends his career-high; he hit 14 homers in each of his first two professional seasons (2021 and 2022). DeLoach's 195 total bases rank sixth in the PCL.
MAYBE TAKE A PITCH: The Rainiers lead all of Triple-A in walks drawn *by 31* with 675 (5.58 BB/game); Reno is a distant second with 644 walks. Jake Scheiner (2nd, 73 BB), Cooper Hummel (3rd, 71 BB) and Zach DeLoach (T-5th, 65 BB) are all atop the PCL free pass leaderboard.
"R"UN IT BACK: Tacoma leads the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases with 172 (El Paso, 166), are second at Triple-A (Omaha, 186), and have stolen 36 bases over their last 19 games to begin August. In 2022, the Rainiers led all of Triple-A in steals (by 13), with a franchise record 205. Cooper Hummel leads the Rainiers with 26 SB (7th in PCL, 5 CS, 83.9%).
SEA US RISE: Entering today's action, all Seattle MiLB affiliates (rookie complex leagues through Triple-A) own the fourth-highest winning percentage of the 30 organizations, at .539 (309-264). Double-A Arkansas has already clinched a postseason berth, after a 45-24 first half to win the Texas League's North Division. Only Los Angeles-NL (.600), Philadelphia (.562) and New York-AL (.542) are winning at a higher MiLB clip so far this season. All M's full-season affiliates are at least seven games above .500 overall.
GET YOUR SCHEIN ON: Tacoma corner infielderJake Scheiner leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs (27), RBI (92, by 8), and is second in runs scored (85). He's fourth in the league in total bases (212) and extra-base hits (49). The PCL MVP candidate is batting .316 (42x133) with runners in scoring position (13 HR). With 29 games remaining, Scheiner's 92 RBI are already the most for Tacoma since 2011, when Alex Liddi drove in 104 runs (T-10th in franchise history, for a single-season).
LITTLE --> BIG LEAGUE: The Little League World Series is underway, and Rainiers super-utility man Cooper Hummel is one of 69 players to appear in both the LLWS and MLB. Hummel, 28, played in the event for Lake Oswego, Oregon in 2007. That team advanced to the U.S. semi-finals, where they were ousted by a team from Lubbock, Texas, featuring RHP Garrett Williams, currently on the Las Vegas Aviators roster (OAK).
Hummel and Williams may reprise their rivalry on this homestand, where Hummel has drawn five walks in six career PA against Williams. Hummel debuted in 66 Major League games with Arizona last season, and played in 10 more for Seattle to begin this year (traded by AZ in exchange for OF Kyle Lewis on 11/17/22).
KO-SIGN: Rainiers RHP Stephen Kolek was named Seattle Mariners MiLB Reliever of The Month for July, by the organization: 9 G, 13.0 IP, 1.38 ERA (2 ER), 4 BB, 18 K, 8 H, 0.92 WHIP, .186 BAA. With another 1.0 scoreless IP on Saturday, Kolek has allowed only two runs over his past 25.2 IP (0.70 ERA). He's spun 10 consecutive scoreless appearances, and has been scoreless in 16 of his last 18 games pitched. Since June 11, Kolek's ERA is 1.41 (21 G, 32.0 IP, 16 H, 5 ER, 13 BB, 36 K, 0.91 WHIP, 4 SV).
A's FOR EFFORT: Since rebranding to "Aviators" and affiliating with the Oakland Athletics prior to 2019, Las Vegas is 18-9 at Cheney Stadium. Prior to rebranding as "Rainiers" for 1995, the Tacoma Tigers were affiliated with Oakland from 1981-1994, and compiled a 975-1,011 overall record in 14 years as the A's top farm club.
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 23, 2023
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