Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Round Rock (9:05 p.m. PT)
Published on June 10, 2022 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Due to travel delay issues impacting Round Rock, tonight's game will start no earlier than 9 p.m. PT. Please check Rainiers social media accounts for further updates.
Tacoma returns home after a winning road trip through Reno and Salt Lake (5-4).
Tacoma Rainiers (21-35) vs. Round Rock Express (32-25)
Friday, June 10, 2022, 9:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Konner Wade vs. RHP Kohei Arihara
SLAM, A HEINE-CAN: OF/1B Scott Heineman homered in his second at-bat with the Rainiers in the second inning of Wednesday's 13-6 win at Salt Lake- and hit Tacoma's first grand slam of the year in the process, with a club season-high 6 RBI to boot. This weekend, he'll face the club he's played for the most in Triple-A, with 107 games for the Texas Rangers affiliate in 2018, where he hit .295 with 11 HR and 57 RBI, with a .784 OPS playing at home in a notorious pitcher's ballpark. Heineman was selected to that season's Triple-A All-Star Game in Columbus, where he singled and walked, and stole four bases. The 29-year-old has played in 68 Major League games for Texas and Cincinnati, between 2019 and last season (5 MLB HR).
EXCEEDINGLY BRASH: After he finished Wednesday's 13-6 win at Salt Lake by striking out the side in order in the ninth, Rainiers right-hander Matt Brash pitched in consecutive games for the first time this season, and pitched five times in nine days on the recent road trip (since June 1). Brash currently has a streak of seven consecutive scoreless appearances dating to May 25, each of which were 1.0 IP: 4 H (.167 BAA), 2 BB (0.86 WHIP), 12 K.
KEL'S KITCHEN: Rainiers outfielder Jarred Kelenic had his 13-game hit streak (5/24 to 6/8) snapped on Thursday at Salt Lake. He was first to reach a double-digit streak for Tacoma this season (Mason McCoy, nine games 4/28 to 5/11). During the streak Kelenic batted .357 (20-for-56) with 5 HR, 12 RBI, 14 runs and 10 XBH. His OPS was 1.132 (.400/.732) during that stretch (60 PA). Tacoma's longest hit streak last year was 23 games, compiled by Cal Raleigh (5/15 to 6/17). After being optioned to Tacoma by Seattle on May 13, Kelenic has homered six times in 20 games and is batting .299 with 15 RBI and a .942 OPS (.344/.598).
HE'S AN O'K PLAYER: After a 3-for-5 effort on Wednesday (RBI, run, BB), Tacoma catcher Brian O'Keefe has reached base with either a walk or base hit in 23 of the 24 games he's played this season, after returning from a broken hamate bone on 4/27 at Las Vegas. O'Keefe is batting .330 with a 1.007 OPS (.427/.580), with four home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 14 walks since returning to action.
TEXAS 3-STEP: Round Rock is one of three current PCL member locales that the Tacoma franchise (est. 1960) has an all-time winning record against (44-26, since 2005). Salt Lake (369-358-1, since 1960) and Las Vegas (287-283, since 1983) are the others.
THE FED WAY HOME: Round Rock infielder Nick Tanielu, a Federal Way, WA native returns to the area this weekend. He's played 16 career games against the Rainiers with Fresno (2018), Round Rock (2019) and El Paso (2021).
A TRIPLE-A RATING: Of the 30 clubs at the highest level of Minor League Baseball, the Rainiers are tied with Buffalo for the most stolen bases with 79, are tied with Sacramento for the third-most home runs with 81 (Memphis has 96, El Paso has 86) and are one of 10 teams with at least 13 triples. The Rainiers' 36 errors as a club are the seventh-fewest in Triple-A, and second-fewest in the PCL behind Reno (28).
ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES A RAINI: Tacoma has lost or split eight of their 10 series this season; eight series of six games (1-6-1) and they lost the final four of their rain-shortened five-game set at home against Las Vegas (May 24-29). The Rainiers lone week-long triumph of 2022 to date was taking four of six at Sacramento from May 17-22. Tacoma triumphed in their first three-game series of 2022, by winning Thursday's rubber-match at Salt Lake, 5-3.
The six-game series was first introduced during the pandemic-shortened 2021 season. The Rainiers will play their first three game series at home this weekend since 2019: August 19-21, 2019 vs. Salt Lake at Cheney Stadium was shortened to two games (rain). Tacoma's most recent three-gamer at home was taking two of three from Omaha July 30-August 1, 2019.
This tough opening stretch is in stark contrast to how last season ended; Tacoma's 9/27/21 loss at Round Rock during the "Triple-A Final Stretch" marked their first losing series (2-3) since losing four of six vs. Reno, July 1-6. Prior to, the Rainiers had tied or won 11 consecutive six-game series, and compiled a 50-28 record after July 8, en route to the 2021 "Triple-A West" regular season championship. Tacoma finished 2021 winning or tying 12 of 13 series.
UNI WATCH: The 2022 Tacoma Rainiers have the following win-loss record by uniform top: Home white (5-7), red (10-15), navy blue (1-3), road grey (4-5), "La Familia de Tacoma" (1-2, Copa de la Diversion), specialty auction (0-3).
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