Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (7:05 PT)
July 13, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (35-49) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (50-35)
Wednesday, July 13, 2022, 7:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon vs. RHP Jon Duplantier
GET A K(LEW): On his latest rehab assignment, OF Kyle Lewis (birthday today) has homered in four consectuive games, three for High-A Everett last week (July 7-8, 10) and a solo shot last night in the fourth inning. Lewis has homered six times in his last eight games at all levels including MLB; he went deep on May 28 vs. Houston off Jose Urquidy at T-Mobile Park, and has homered in his most recent game at all three levels he's played.
IN KEL'S KITCHEN: Tacoma outfielder Jarred Kelenic is batting .338 over his last 16 games, hitting safely in 15. His OPS is 1.131 (.413/.718) in that span (since June 22), thanks to eight doubles, five homers and two triples (19 RBI, 13 R). Earlier this season, Kelenic compiled the longest Tacoma hit streak of 2022, 13 games between May 24 and June 8. Since being optioned on May 13, Kelenic has 53 hits for the Rainiers (.298 AVG), 30 of which have gone for extra bases, a staggering 56.6% of his Triple-A hit total this season (108 total bases in 42 GP, .607 SLG).
R GUYS HAVE THE POW-ER: Jarred Kelenic's monster week at Reno saw him honored as PCL Player of The Week for the period of July 4-10, the fifth Rainier to win a weekly award this season (RHP Konner Wade, LHP Justus Sheffield, OF Marcus Wilson, RHP Darren McCaughan). In five games played, Kelenic hit .389 (7-for-18) with six walks, OPSing 1.616 for the week with six extra-base hits (2 HR, 2 2B, 2 3B). He drove in six runs and scored six more as Tacoma split the series.
MEJIA MASH: Tacoma INF/OF Erick Mejia is 22-for-63 (.349) during his last 15 games (2 HR, 8 doubles). Mejia is OPSing .962 during this span (dating to June 22), as he's slugging .571 over his last 69 plate appearances (5 BB, .391 OBP). Mejia's 18 doubles tie him for sixth-most in the PCL; David Hensley (Sugar Land) paces the league with 23.
EVERY DAY PATTY: RHP Patrick Weigel's 32 appearances lead Tacoma and tie him for third in the PCL. He's limiting batters on the notoriously offensive circuit to a .206 average, and striking out well over a batter per inning (42 K/37.1 IP). Weigel's best stretch was from May 20 through June 3, when he worked five consecutive appearances without a run...or a hit (4.1 IP). He strung together five straight scoreless appearances again from June 22 through July 4 (5.0 IP). A former starter drafted in the seventh round by Atlanta in 2015, Weigel's career-high in games came last season, appearing in 36 for Triple-A Nashville and three more in the Majors with Milwaukee.
LEAD-R-BOARD: Tacoma and Buffalo of the International League are even for the Triple-A lead in stolen bases, at 105. Rainiers outfielder Forrest Wall is third in the PCL in stolen bases, with 24. Tacoma's 118 home runs are fifth-most among the 30 Triple-A clubs (tied with SUG).
HOW MANY PUNCHIES?: While just off the league lead for games started (17) with 16 and 15 respectively, Rainiers right-handers Darren McCaughan (84 K) and Daniel Ponce de Leon (75 K) rank sixth and ninth in the PCL in strikeouts. McCaughan's 88.0 IP rank third on the circuit, and his 1.19 WHIP is third-lowest.
R(EUNIONS): Tacoma manager Tim Federowicz was an active player as recently as last season, finishing his career by splitting 2021 between the U.S. Olympic Team's silver medal-winning effort in Tokyo and the OKC Dodgers (25 GP). In Oklahoma City, Federowicz played for Travis Barbary, who remains the manager. Federowicz debuted as a Major Leaguer for the Dodgers in 2011, the first seven games of 163 career in MLB, after being traded by Boston to Los Angeles at the deadline that season while at Double-A.
OKC has two players rostered who spent time with Tacoma last season: LHP Daniel Zamora (28 G, 37.0 IP) and INF Ty Kelly (24 G), who hit one of four Rainiers grand slams in 2021, May 24 vs. Round Rock, the difference in a 7-3 win.
STRANGER DANGER: Due to the opposite division schedule rotation in the "old" 16-team PCL (through 2019) and the lack of a 2020 season, this week marks Oklahoma City's first visit to Tacoma since August 1-3, 2018. The Triple-A Dodgers took the first two games of that set, before a resounding 13-1 Rainiers victory on 8/3 to salvage the series. Current Tacoma third base coach Zach Vincej (SS) hit two doubles in that game for the Rainiers, and current first base coach Seth Mejias-Brean (3B) had two hits as well. Tacoma hit four homers: Daniel Vogelbach, Andrew Aplin, David Freitas and Mejias-Brean.
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