Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (6:05 PT)
Published on May 9, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tonight begins a stretch of 19 of 25 games for the Rainiers at home (through June 4). Tacoma is 9-2 at Cheney Stadium.
Tacoma Rainiers (16-16) vs. Reno Aces (18-14)
Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 6:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Jose Rodriguez vs. LHP Blake Walston
THE OPEN-R: The 2023 Rainiers are continuing last season's trend of starting series on a high note. Tacoma is now 5-1 in lid-lifters this season (2-0 home), and 23-10 in such games dating to 4/5/22 (primarily six-game series). The Rainiers were 18-9 in series openers last season, which was 25% of their win total (72-78).
FORD'S LEAD LAP: With three more homers (9, T-2nd PCL) and 15 RBI during the recent 12-game road trip, Mike Ford leads all of North American professional baseball with 45 RBI (30 GP); Las Vegas's Cody Thomas and Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers are the closest to Ford, with 36 RBI apiece. 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.
GET YOUR SCHEIN ON: Rainiers INF/OF Jake Scheiner spent last week at Salt Lake going 12-for-25 (.480) over six games, with a home run (9 ,T-2nd PCL), five doubles, five RBI, three walks and seven runs scored. Scheiner's solid .277 average is still misleading, considering his .984 OPS (.396/.588). The Triple-A rookie began this season by starting and finishing each of Tacoma's first 24 games. Scheiner was acquired by Seattle from Philadelphia in a trade on 6/2/19, in exchange for outfielder Jay Bruce.
CADE PARADE: Despite losing a nine-game hit streak Friday, Rainiers outfielder Cade Marlowe has still reached base safely in all 17 of his games played since returning from a strained oblique on April 18. Despite his delayed start, Marlowe is one of seven players in the PCL with at least three triples, his six stolen bases are league top 10 (1 CS) and equal Mason McCoy and Cooper Hummel for the Tacoma SB lead, and his OPS is .898 (.365/.533). The nine-game streak equaled Brian O'Keefe for the 2023 Tacoma club-long. Marlowe looks to catch up in order to drive in 100 runs for a third straight season (107 RBI/106 GP in 2001, 102 RBI/120 GP in 2002). The lefty has also posted consecutive 20-HR/20-SB seasons.
BRIAN O'FFENSE: Rainiers catcher/DH Brian O'Keefe has reached base safely in 20 of his 23 games thus far, and opened this season on a nine-game hit streak. His 1.018 OPS is highest among all Pacific Coast League catchers (8 HR, T-7th PCL), and second on Tacoma's club to only Mike Ford (1.167 OPS, 2nd PCL).
COOP SCOOP: It's already Tacoma's second (home) series against Reno this season (4-1), but the first for former Aces outfielder Cooper Hummel, who in spring training earned a spot on Seattle's 2023 opening day roster (10 GP) before being optioned on April 22. Hummel debuted as a Major Leaguer in 66 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, and appeared in 79 games for Reno between 2021 and 2022 (.334, 12 HR, 56 RBI). Hummel was traded straight up by Arizona for outfielder Kyle Lewis on 11/17/22.
RUN IT BACK: In 2022 Tacoma led Triple-A (by 13) with a franchise record 205 stolen bases. This year, they're atop the PCL again; 43 steals trail only Las Vegas and Salt Lake (44 apiece) for the league lead; the Rainiers have been caught only 8x (84.3%)...Las Vegas has evaded capture only 5x (89.8%), Salt Lake only 4x (91.7%). At six swipes apiece, Mason McCoy (0 CS), Cade Marlowe (17 GP, 1 CS) and Cooper Hummel (13 GP, 0 CS) lead the Rainiers.
YOU DOWN WITH OBP?: Tacoma ranks second in Triple-A with a .395 team on-base percentage (Reno, .404). Tacoma's 215 walks in 32 games (6.72 BB/game) lead all of Triple-A baseball, by *25* (Oklahoma City, 190). This series vs. Reno is now scheduled for seven games with a Wednesday doubleheader (makeup of Sunday, April 9 rainout at Cheney Stadium). The teams behave very differently once on base however; Tacoma's 43 stolen bases (8 CS) are 31 more than Reno, who's been caught 50% of the time while running (12 & 12).
A CESARED VET: Sporting Triple-A's fourth-highest OBP at .478, Rainiers infielder Cesar Hernandez is leading the Pacific Coast League (by 5) with 32 walks in 26 games. Hernandez has already walked 3x in a game on five occasions this season, including during Sunday's win at Salt Lake; he reached base 5x with two hits and scored 3x in the 8-6 victory. The veteran of 1,186 MLB GP since 2013, mostly with Philadelphia, won the 2020 AL 2B Gold Glove, with Cleveland.
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 9, 2023
- Dodgers Down Express, 4-1 - Oklahoma City Comets
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- Oklahoma City Takes Series Opener Over Round Rock 4-1 - Round Rock Express
- León's Walk-Off Single Caps Space Cowboys' Comeback - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Sugar Land Edges El Paso, 5-4 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (6:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Sugar Land Back at Constellation Field for Six-Game Series with Chihuahuas - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 9, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
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