PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (6:05 PT)

Published on August 12, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (59-53, 22-15) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (73-37, 23-14)

Saturday, August 12, 2023, 6:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA

LHP Tommy Milone vs. RHP Landon Knack

THANKS KING: Legendary Seattle Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez (2005-19) will be the 11th inductee into the team's Hall of Fame today. Hernandez made his Triple-A debut with Tacoma on April 8, 2005 at Fresno, 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 12 of 15 since July 26, thanks to a pair of season-high six-game win streaks. Tacoma's season-best eight-game home winning streak (since 7/26) was snapped last night. At 22-15 (second half), the Rainiers are tied for the PCL's current second half 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.

DO IT FOR THE SONICS: Tacoma began 2023 at OKC (3/31-4/2), and the clubs had not met since, until Tuesday. Only seven players on Tacoma's current active roster played in that opening series (DeLoach, O'Keefe, Scheiner, McCaughan, O'Brien, Rodriguez and Weiman).

THE REAL DELO: Tacoma outfielder Zach DeLoach homered 3x in the first two games of this homestand, and leads the Rainiers with 109 hits (Jake Scheiner, 96) through the first 100 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 120, and three OKC Dodgers are in the top 10 (Michael Busch- 105, Devin Mann- 101, Drew Avans- 101). Every DeLoach homer (17) extends his career-high (14 in 2021 and 2022).

MAYBE TAKE A PITCH: The Rainiers lead all of Triple-A in walks drawn *by 48* with 639; Oklahoma City is a distant second with 591 BB. Jake Scheiner (T-1st, 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 stole 19 bases over six games on the recent road trip to Sugar Land (28 SB last 10 games). Last season, the Rainiers led all of Triple-A in steals (by 13), with a franchise record 205.

PCL MVP WEEK: Tacoma corner infielderJake Scheiner leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs (26), RBI (88, by 9) and runs scored (79), has the fourth-most extra-base hits (46) and fourth-most total bases (196) in the league. The PCL MVP candidate is batting .322 (39x121) with RISP (13 HR). With 38 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 (.323), home runs (23), RBI (76), OBP (.432), SLG (.622), OPS (1.054), 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 on 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 13 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 sixth 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 last night, 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 Wednesday for the save (2 K), Kolek has allowed only two runs over his past 22.1 IP (0.81 ERA). He's spun seven consecutive scoreless appearances, and has been scoreless in 13 of his last 15 games pitched. Since June 11, Kolek's ERA is 1.57 (18 G, 28.2 IP, 15 H, 5 ER, 13 BB, 34 K, 0.98 WHIP).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 12, 2023


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