Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (7:05 PT)
July 14, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma is aiming to snap what is now a season-high five-game losing streak, which immediately followed their season-best five-game winning streak.
Tacoma Rainiers (35-50) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (51-35)
Thursday, July 14, 2022, 7:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Darren McCaughan vs. RHP Michael Grove
IN KEL'S KITCHEN: Tacoma outfielder Jarred Kelenic is batting .320 over his last 17 games, hitting safely in 15. His OPS is 1.073 (.393/.680) 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 (.291 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 43 GP, .593 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-66 (.333) during his last 15 games (2 HR, 8 doubles). Mejia is OPSing .929 during this span (dating to June 22), as he's slugging .545 over his last 73 plate appearances (6 BB, .384 OBP). Mejia's 18 doubles tie him for seventh-most in the PCL; David Hensley (Sugar Land) and Eguy Rosario (El Paso) pace the league with 23 each.
EVERY DAY PATTY: RHP Patrick Weigel's 32 appearances lead Tacoma and tie him for fourth 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 is second to Buffalo (International League) for the Triple-A lead in stolen bases (108 to 105). Rainiers outfielder Forrest Wall is third in the PCL in stolen bases, with 24. Tacoma's 119 home runs are fifth-most among the 30 Triple-A clubs.
HOW MANY PUNCHIES?: While just off the league lead for games started (17) with 16 apiece, Rainiers right-handers Darren McCaughan (84 K) and Daniel Ponce de Leon (80 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.
GET A K(LEW): On his latest rehab assignment, outfielder Kyle Lewis (27th birthday yesterday) homered in four consecutive games, three for High-A Everett last week (July 7-8, 10) and a solo shot on Tuesday in the fourth inning. Lewis has homered six times in his last nine games at all levels including MLB; he went deep on May 28 vs. Houston off Jose Urquidy at T-Mobile Park.
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.
Pacific Coast League Stories from July 14, 2022
- Lewis Brinson Continues Hot July in Space Cowboys' Loss to Reno - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Martin's Gem Fuels 9-0 Aces' Win over Space Cowboys - Reno Aces
- Round Rock OF Elier Hernandez Promoted to Texas - Round Rock Express
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - July 14, 2022 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (7:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Space Cowboys Game Notes vs. RNO - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Express RHP Yerry Rodriguez Named Rangers Reliever of the Month - Round Rock Express
- OKC Dodgers Postgame Notes - July 13, 2022 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Dodgers Win 8-1, Hand Rainiers Fifth Straight Loss - Tacoma Rainiers
- Round Rock Gets Past El Paso Wednesday - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Round Rock Holds on for 6-5 Victory over El Paso - Round Rock Express
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
