Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (7:05 PT)
May 12, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (17-19) vs. Reno Aces (21-15)
Friday, May 12, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
LHP Tommy Milone vs. RHP Bryce Jarvis
NOW GO HOME AND GET YOUR JAKE-IN SCHEIN BOX: Since April 25, Rainiers INF/OF Jake Scheiner is batting .400 over 15 games with a 1.263 OPS. He has 24 hits in that span, 14 for extra bases (5 HR/9 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 17x since 4/25. Scheiner's solid .280 average is still misleading, considering his 1.003 overall OPS (.389/.614). The Triple-A rookie began this season by starting and finishing each of Tacoma's first 24 games, at 1B/3B/LF/RF.
Scheiner ranks second in the Pacific Coast League in home runs (11), extra-base hits (22) and total bases (81), is third in doubles (11), fifth in RBI (30) and sixth in runs (30).
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 (34 GP); Las Vegas's Cody Thomas (39) 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.
FESTA FIESTA: Rainiers RHP Matt Festa has done more than just a nice job after being optioned to Tacoma on April 9. He's carrying a 0.69 ERA in 10 appearances (13.0 IP, 1 ER), and has converted all five of his save opportunities, equaling Wander Suero (OKC) for most saves in the PCL. Festa is allowing a meager .143 BAA (6 H) against Triple-A hitters.
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.
TOMASO: Southpaw Tommy Milone will make his sixth start of 2023 tonight, fifth for Tacoma (Rainiers 3-1) and his third since tossing 4.2 IP of one-run ball for the Mariners on 4/14 vs. Colorado (3 H, 2 BB, 3 K) in a 5-3 win. Milone was summoned to Seattle when fellow lefty Marco Gonzalez was placed on the paternity list.
Milone continues a true anomaly of the Mariners all-time roster: Four alums of Saugus (CA) High School have reached the Major Leagues, and all have played for Seattle. LHP Shawn Barton (1992), RHP Roger Salkeld (1993-94), Milone (2019, 2022-23) and INF Zach Vincej (2018) is the list...Vincej was also Tacoma's 3B/INF coach in 2022, while Milone pitched for the Rainiers. Salkeld pitched 4x (3 GS) for the 1995 Rainiers.
CADE PARADE: Despite losing a nine-game hit streak last Friday, Rainiers outfielder Cade Marlowe has reached base safely in 20 of his 21 games played after 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 .854 (.343/.511). 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 consecutive season (107 RBI/106 GP in 2021, 102 RBI/120 GP in 2022). The lefty has also posted two straight 20-homer, 20-stolen base seasons.
YOU DOWN WITH OBP?: Tacoma ranks fourth in Triple-A with a .381 team on-base percentage (Iowa & Columbus, .383, Reno, .397). Tacoma's 226 walks in 36 games (6.28 BB/game) lead all of Triple-A baseball, by 17 (OKC, 209). Reno and Tacoma behave very differently once on base however; Tacoma's 44 stolen bases (3rd in PCL, 11 CS) are 31 more than Reno, who's been caught 12x in 25 attempts while stealing the fewest bases in the league (13).
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 12, 2023
- Big Crowd, Big Win - Tacoma Rainiers
- Offense Produces Early, Late in 8-4 Triumph Over Aviators - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Reno Scuffles with RISP, Falls 7-2 to Tacoma - Reno Aces
- Dirden Homers as Sugar Land Wins in Front of a Sellout Crowd - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Dodgers Blank Round Rock Express, 6-0 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Sugar Land Downs El Paso - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Express Drop Fifth Consecutive Game, Fall 6-0 to Dodgers - Round Rock Express
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (7:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Reno (7:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - May 12, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Amy Gutierrez Joins River Cats Broadcast Team - Sacramento River Cats
- Salt Lake Picks up Win against Sacramento - Salt Lake Bees
- Jose Altuve Set to Join Sugar Land on Friday - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Dodgers Earn 9-5 Win - Oklahoma City Comets
- Sugar Land Edges El Paso, 7-6, in 10 Innings - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Oklahoma City Takes Game Three in Round Rock, 9-5 - Round Rock Express
- River Cats Falls to Bees - Sacramento River Cats
- Aces Stymie Rainiers on Thursday, Tacoma Turned Five (5) Groundball Double Plays in Defeat - Tacoma Rainiers
- Aviators Shut Out Isotopes, 6-0 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- English Drives in All Four Aces' Runs, Jameson Deals in 4-1 Win - Reno Aces
- Space Cowboys Enjoy Second Straight Walk-Off Victory Thanks to Madris Sac Fly - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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