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PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. OKC (7:05 PT)

July 16, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


RHP George Kirby will make his Triple-A debut for Tacoma this evening, following 11 career Double-A starts over both this season and last, and 12 MLB starts for Seattle this season. He joins some other notables who have made their Triple-A debut at Cheney Stadium well after their Major League debut (see below).

Tacoma Rainiers (37-50) vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers (51-37)

Saturday, July 16, 2022, 7:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA

RHP George Kirby vs. RHP Andre Jackson

BY GEORGE: RHP George Kirby will make his Triple-A debut this evening for Tacoma, joining some other notables who made their debut at the level at Cheney Stadium, well after their MLB debut. Ken Griffey, Jr. for Tacoma on 8/13/95 on rehab vs. Edmonton (0-for-3, K), Griffey's only career Triple-A game. Jose Altuve for Fresno on 8/19/18 on rehab, in a 6-4 Rainiers win (1-for-3, HBP). Altuve made a point to keep the ball from his first Triple-A hit, a single off RHP Bryan Evans to right field in the sixth inning. Current Tacoma base coaches Zach Vincej (SS, double, RBI) and Seth Mejias-Brean (3B, single) started and played in that game as well.

GET A K(LEW): On his latest rehab assignment, outfielder Kyle Lewis (5 HR in 14 games with Tacoma) has homered in five of six games, three for High-A Everett last week (July 7-8, 10) and twice for Tacoma including a three-run shot last night in the third inning of a 7-3 win. Lewis has homered seven times in his last 10 games at all levels including MLB; he went deep on May 28 vs. Houston off Jose Urquidy at T-Mobile Park.

IN KEL'S KITCHEN: Tacoma outfielder Jarred Kelenic is batting .341 over his last 19 games, hitting safely in 17. His OPS is 1.102 (.419/.683) in that span (since June 22), thanks to nine doubles, five home runs and two triples (20 RBI, 14 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 57 hits for the Rainiers (.302 AVG), 31 of which have gone for extra bases, a staggering 54.4% of his Triple-A hit total this season (113 total bases in 45 GP, .598 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 23-for-69 (.333) during his last 17 games (2 HR, 9 doubles). Mejia is OPSing .941 during this span (dating to June 22), as he's slugging .551 over his last 77 plate appearances (7 BB, .390 OBP). Mejia's 19 doubles tie him for sixth-most in the PCL; San Diego Padres prospect Eguy Rosario (El Paso) leads the league with 25.

EVERY DAY PATTY: RHP Patrick Weigel's 33 appearances lead Tacoma and tie him for fourth in the PCL. He's limiting batters on the notoriously offensive circuit to a .207 average, and striking out well over a batter per inning (44 K/38.1 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 has the second-most steals in Triple-A (110), behind only Buffalo of the International League (111). Rainiers outfielder Forrest Wall is third in the PCL in stolen bases, with 25. Tacoma's 121 home runs are fifth-most among the 30 Triple-A clubs.

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.

HOW MANY PUNCHIES?: Rainiers right-handers Darren McCaughan (88 K) and Daniel Ponce de Leon (80 K) rank fourth and ninth in the PCL in strikeouts. McCaughan's 94.0 IP are most on the circuit, and his 1.21 WHIP is fourth-lowest in the league.

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