Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (7:05 PT)
Published on May 11, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (17-18) vs. Reno Aces (20-15)
Thursday, May 11, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Nick Davila vs. RHP Drey Jameson
NOW GO HOME AND GET YOUR JAKE-IN SCHEIN BOX: Since April 25, Rainiers INF/OF Jake Scheiner is batting .411 over 14 games with a 1.298 OPS. He has 23 hits in that span, 13 for extra bases (5 HR/8 doubles), and racked up 20 hits in 11 games played on the recent two-week road trip. He's walked 7x, driven in 17 runs and scored 16x since 4/25. Scheiner's solid .281 average is still misleading, considering his 1.009 overall OPS (.392/.617). The Triple-A rookie began this season by starting and finishing each of Tacoma's first 24 games, at 1B/3B/LF/RF.
FORD'S LEAD LAP: With three more homers (9, T-4th PCL) and 15 RBI during the recent 12-game road trip, Mike Ford leads all of North American professional baseball with 45 RBI (33 GP); Las Vegas's Cody Thomas (38) and Adolis Garcia (36) of the Texas Rangers are closest to Ford. 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 45 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 ranks third in Triple-A with a .384 team on-base percentage (Iowa, .385 & Reno, .398). Tacoma's 221 walks in 35 games (6.31 BB/game) lead all of Triple-A baseball, by *21* (OKC, 200). (Fun fact: The Reno Aces and Iowa Cubs (IL) are deadlocked for the shortest combined city + nickname in professional baseball, at eight letters apiece. Iowa held the title outright until Reno's entry into the PCL in 2009.) Reno and Tacoma behave very differently once on base however; Tacoma's 44 stolen bases (11 CS) are 31 more than Reno, who's been caught 12x in 25 attempts.
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; 44 steals trail only Salt Lake (47 SB) and Las Vegas (45 SB) for the league lead. At six SB apiece, Mason McCoy (0 CS) and Cade Marlowe (20 GP, 2 CS) trail Cooper Hummel with seven swipes (15 GP, 0 CS) for the club lead.
CADE PARADE: Despite losing a nine-game hit streak last Friday, Rainiers outfielder Cade Marlowe has reached base safely in 19 of his 20 games played since returning from a strained oblique on April 18. Even with his delayed start, Marlowe is one of eight players in the PCL with at least three triples, his six stolen bases are league top 10 and his OPS is .876 (.347/.529). 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 2021, 102 RBI/120 GP in 2022). The lefty has also posted consecutive 20-homer, 20-stolen base seasons.
COOP SCOOP: It's already Tacoma's second (home) series against Reno this season (5-3), but the first for former Aces OF/1B/C 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.
Hummel caught all seven innings of last night's doubleheader game two, his first regular-season action behind the plate with the organization. Hummel had appeared in LF (9x) and 1B (5x) with Tacoma prior to Wednesday.
A CESARED VET: Sporting Triple-A's fourth-highest OBP at .470, Rainiers infielder Cesar Hernandez is leading the Pacific Coast League with 32 walks in 29 games played. 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 American League Gold Glove for a second baseman with Cleveland.
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 11, 2023
- Minor League Baseball and the American Cancer Society Launch 2023 Campaign - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (7:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 11, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Bailey to be Presented with Rawlings Gold Glove Award on Friday - Sacramento River Cats
- Space Cowboys to Host 'Deacon's Celebration Under the Lights' - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Local Triathlete and Liver Recipient Will be Recognized During Reno Aces' May 19 'Home Run for Life' Game - Reno Aces
- Dodgers Come Back To Defeat Round Rock Express, 6-4 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Las Vegas Slips Past Isotopes, 5-3 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Rainiers, Reno Settle for Doubleheader Split - Tacoma Rainiers
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