Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (1:35 PT)
August 13, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Following Monday's off/travel day, a new series begins at Sacramento on Tuesday.
The Rainiers (23-15 second half) begin the day tied with Las Vegas for the PCL's second playoff spot (more below).
Tacoma Rainiers (60-53, 23-15) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (73-38, 23-15)
Sunday, August 13, 2023, 1:35p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
LHP Logan Allen vs. RHP Ryan Pepiot
THANKS KING: Legendary Seattle Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez (2005-19) was the 11th inductee into the team's Hall of Fame last evening. Hernandez made his Triple-A debut at age 19 with Tacoma on April 8, 2005 at Fresno (6.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, BB, 4 K), and pitched his final game for the Rainiers in an August 19, 2019 rehab assignment at Cheney Stadium against Salt Lake. Hernandez posted a 2.57 ERA over 112.0 IP with Tacoma, with 130 strikeouts.
GOTTA BE IN IT TO WIN IT: The Rainiers have won 13 of 16 since July 26, thanks to a pair of season-high six-game win streaks. Tacoma has also won nine of 10 at home. At 23-15 in the second half, the Rainiers are tied for the PCL's best record and final playoff spot with Las Vegas; the best record that is not OKC (won first half, 50-23) will play the Dodgers in the PCL Finals as second half winner (best-of-3, all at OKC, Sept. 26-28). The Rainiers have six games remaining against Las Vegas (OAK), August 22-27 @ TAC.
BACK ON THE TRAM: Rainiers outfielder Taylor Trammell has reached base safely in his last 20 Triple-A games dating to July 5, around a recall to the Mariners (.310, 17 BB, .440 OBP, 10 XBH, 5 HR, .592 SLG, 1.032 OPS, 16 RBI, 15 R).
THE REAL DELO: Tacoma outfielder Zach DeLoach homered 3x in the first two games of this homestand, and leads the Rainiers with 111 hits (Jake Scheiner, 97) through the first 101 games of his Triple-A debut. DeLoach has the fifth-most hits in the Pacific Coast League; Round Rock's Elier Hernandez leads the circuit with 122; Oklahoma City's Michael Busch is seventh with 105. Every DeLoach homer (17) extends his career-high; he hit 14 in each of his first two professional seasons (2021 and 2022).
MAYBE TAKE A PITCH: The Rainiers lead all of Triple-A in walks drawn *by 46* with 642; Oklahoma City is a distant third with 595 BB. Jake Scheiner (T-2nd, 70 BB), Cooper Hummel (4th, 69 BB) and Zach DeLoach (7th, 62 BB) are all atop the PCL walk leaderboard.
"R"UN IT BACK: Tacoma leads the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases with 164 (El Paso, 155), are second in Triple-A (Omaha, 178), and have stolen 28 bases over their last 11 games to begin August. Last season, the Rainiers led all of Triple-A in steals (by 13), with a franchise record 205. Cooper Hummel leads the Rainiers with 24 SB (8th in PCL, 4 CS, 86%).
PCL MVP WEEK: Tacoma corner infielderJake Scheiner leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs (26) and RBI (88, by 9), and is second in runs scored (79). He's fourth in the league in total bases (197) and fifth in extra-base hits (46). The PCL MVP candidate is batting .325 (40x123) with RISP (13 HR). With 37 games remaining, Scheiner's 88 RBI are the most for Tacoma since 2011, when Alex Liddi drove in 104 runs (T-10th franchise history, single-season).
Oklahoma City INF Michael Busch is no worse than fifth in the PCL in batting average (.320), home runs (23), RBI (76), OBP (.430), SLG (.616), OPS (1.046), extra-base hits (48, leads PCL) and total bases (202) in his MVP race with Scheiner.
AND THEN BRIAN COMES IN: C/DH Brian O'Keefe's three-run shot in the sixth inning last Saturday at Sugar Land was his 48th home run with the Rainiers (since 7/11/21), and matched Dusty Rhodes (1960-63 Tacoma Giants) and Danny Walton (1974-75 Tacoma Twins) for 15th-most in franchise history. Next on the list are Bob Perry (1960-63) and Mike Wilson (2009-12 Rainiers), tied for 13th with 50 homers apiece.
O'Keefe has homered in six of his last 14 games (17 RBI), and 22 home runs are two shy of his career-high (2021) and rank fifth in the league. O'Keefe is also tied for seventh in the PCL with 45 extra-base hits; he homered 3x and doubled 5x on the recent road trip to Texas (10-for-28, .357, 12 RBI), winning Pacific Coast League Player of The Week (1.236 OPS). His 12-game hit streak (since 7/27, .314, 1.148 OPS) was halted on 8/11, his second of 11-plus this year.
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 1.1 scoreless IP on Saturday, Kolek has allowed only two runs over his past 23.2 IP (0.76 ERA). He's spun eight consecutive scoreless appearances, and has been scoreless in 14 of his last 16 games pitched. Since June 11, Kolek's ERA is 1.50 (19 G, 30.0 IP, 15 H, 5 ER, 13 BB, 35 K, 0.93 WHIP).
Pacific Coast League Stories from August 13, 2023
- Round Rock Collects Six-Game Sweep Over Albuquerque - Round Rock Express
- Walk-off rally finishes 5-1 homestand - Tacoma Rainiers
- Dodgers Falter in 10 - Oklahoma City Comets
- 10th Inning Victory for Aces - Salt Lake Bees
- Aces Snatch Series Finale on Sánchez's Walk-Off Free Pass - Reno Aces
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (1:35 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - August 13, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- León Homers Three Times as Space Cowboys Lose Shootout with Chihuahuas - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- ÃâÃÂRiver Cats Start Hot but Fall to Las Vegas 10-8 - Sacramento River Cats
- El Paso Beats Sugar Land, 18-11 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Kyle Lewis Is Reno's Superhero with a Grand Swing on Marvel Night - Reno Aces
- Dodgers Downed by Rainiers, 5-1 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Milone Masterful as Tacoma Clinches Series - Tacoma Rainiers
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