PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (1:35 PT)

Published on May 14, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


The Rainiers will commence their only visit to Albuquerque this season on Tuesday (5:35 PT), following Monday's off/travel day.

Tacoma Rainiers (18-20) vs. Reno Aces (22-16)

Sunday, May 14, 2023, 1:35p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA

RHP Jose Rodriguez vs. LHP Blake Walston

NOW GO HOME AND GET YOUR JAKE-IN SCHEIN BOX: Since April 25, Rainiers INF/OF Jake Scheiner is batting .388 over 17 games with a 1.252 OPS. He has 26 hits in that span, 15 for extra bases (6 HR/9 doubles), and racked up 20 hits in 11 games played on the recent two-week road trip. He's walked 9x, driven in 19 runs and scored 19x since 4/25. Scheiner's solid .281 average is still misleading, considering his 1.011 OPS (.392 OBP/.619 SLG). The Triple-A rookie is hitting .400 in May entering today's action (18-for-45, 12 GP).

SCHEIN BRIGHT ON THE DIAMOND: Only two MiLB players have more homers than Jake Scheiner's 12, each also at Triple-A; Salt Lake's Jo Adell (13) and Luken Baker (14) of Memphis (International League). Scheiner is equal with Adell for most extra-base hits in the PCL (23), has the third-most total bases (86) and runs (32) in the league, and fourth-most doubles (11) and RBI (32) on the circuit. His 25 BB rank seventh.

FORD'S LEAD LAP: With his 10th homer on Friday (solo, 10, 4th in PCL), Mike Ford leads all of North American professional baseball with 46 RBI (36 GP)...the three players closest to Ford are each at Triple-A; Las Vegas's Cody Thomas (42), Louisville's Matt McClain (40) and Albuquerque's Nolan Jones (39). Entering Sunday's action, Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers leads MLB (37). Ford's career-high 86 RBI came in 2017, over 126 games between Double-A Trenton (Eastern League) and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (International League) while in the New York Yankees organization.

GREEN LIGHT: Mike Ford's eye-popping RBI numbers come with another double-take stat; the lefty is 10-for-14 (.714) with the bases loaded this season, with two grand slams, two doubles, 18 total bases and 22 of his 46 RBI. Ford hit both grand slams in 10 days, on 4/21 vs. El Paso (3 HR, career-high 8 RBI) and 4/30 at Las Vegas. His OPS is an even 2.000 with the bases loaded.

YOU DOWN WITH OBP?: Tacoma currently has the fourth-highest team on-base percentage in Triple-A (.380), and is second in the PCL (Reno, .397). Tacoma's 235 walks in 38 games (6.18 BB/game) lead all of Triple-A baseball, by 18 (OKC, 217). Reno and Tacoma behave very differently once on base however; Tacoma's 47 steals (2nd in PCL, 11 CS) are 29 more than Reno, who've been caught 14x in 32 attempts while stealing the fewest bases in the league (18, T-w/ ABQ).

CADE PARADE: Rainiers outfielder Cade Marlowe has reached base safely in 21 of his 23 games played after returning from a strained oblique on April 18. Even with his delayed start, Marlowe is one of 10 players in the PCL with at least three triples, and his nine-game hit streak from April 23 through May 4 equaled Brian O'Keefe for the 2023 Tacoma club-long.

FESTA FIESTA: Rainiers RHP Matt Festa has been absolute nails after being optioned to Tacoma on April 9. He's carrying a 0.64 ERA in 11 games (14.0 IP, 1 ER), and has converted all five of his save opportunities, equaling Wander Suero and Nick Robertson, both of OKC, for most saves in the PCL. Festa is allowing a meager .133 BAA (6 hits) against Triple-A hitters.

TRIPLE-A JOSE: Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is two games into a PCL rehab assignment with Sugar Land, during their home series vs. El Paso (0-for-9). Altuve actually made his Triple-A debut on 8/19/18 at Cheney Stadium for Fresno, in a one-game rehab assignment. That debut came after nearly seven full MLB seasons and being named 2017 American League Most Valuable Player (.346 average). Altuve went 1-for-3 on that Sunday in Tacoma and was hit by a pitch. When he singled off Bryan Evans to lead the sixth inning, Altuve asked for the ball, a nice memento of his first Triple-A hit. Mike Morin plunked him (7th inning).

A pair of locals played in that game for Fresno; Federal Way's Nick Tanielu was at third base, while Kent's Taylor Jones played first base. Both went 2-for-4, but Tacoma won, 6-4.

SHORT ORDER: The Reno Aces and Iowa Cubs (International League) are deadlocked for the shortest combined city plus nickname in all of MLB or MiLB, at eight letters apiece. Iowa held the title outright until Reno's entry into the PCL in 2009. Another Triple-A club has the longest name; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees) of the IL check in at 29 letters strong.

Check out the Tacoma Rainiers Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 14, 2023


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