Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Sacramento (6:05 p.m. PT)
June 15, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (24-36) vs. Sacramento River Cats (24-37)
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 6:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Darren McCaughan vs. RHP Sean Hjelle
EXCEEDINGLY BRASH: Last night Rainiers right-hander Matt Brash converted his second career save and first at Triple-A, finishing a 3-1 Tacoma victory over Sacramento. Unfazed by a leadoff single, he went K, popout, K in a scoreless bottom of the ninth. Brash currently has a streak of nine consecutive scoreless appearances dating to May 25, each of which were 1.0 IP: 5 H (.161 BAA), 2 BB (0.78 WHIP), 14 K.
A REAL (MCCOY) GOOD JUNE: Rainiers middle infielder Mason McCoy is batting .333 (14-for-42) so far this month, the only player on the club to appear in each of Tacoma's 12 games in June. He's collected seven extra-base hits (3 HR, 1 3B) while OPSing a club-best 1.084 (.667 SLG) since June 1. McCoy has reached base safely in 10 of 12 games this month (.417 OBP, 6 BB, 10 R, 8 RBI). McCoy was traded to the Seattle Mariners by the Baltimore Orioles on 4/7/22 for cash considerations; he was a sixth round draft pick of Baltimore in 2017 out of the University of Iowa. McCoy made his Triple-A debut last season, in 112 games for Norfolk.
MARVELOUS MARCUS: When Marcus Wilson homered in all three games of Tacoma's weekend series win over Round Rock, it locked up PCL Player of The Week honors for the period of June 6-12. Wilson batted .389 (7-for-18) over six games, with 4 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 9 runs scored and a stolen base. He OPS'd 1.709 for the week (.542/1.167) over 24 plate appearances. It was Wilson's third career Player of The Week award (2017- Midwest League, Kane County and 2019- Carolina League, Salem). He's now won a weekly award in each of the three organizations he's played with (Arizona, Boston, Seattle).
HE'S AN O'K PLAYER: After an RBI double in the first inning on Sunday, Tacoma catcher Brian O'Keefe has reached base with either a walk or base hit in 25 of the 27 games he's played this season, after returning from a broken hamate bone on 4/27 at Las Vegas. O'Keefe is batting .327 with a .992 OPS (.421/.571), with four home runs, 14 extra-base hits and 15 walks.
HOT START: Last night's win improved Tacoma to 9-3 in series openers in 2022 (4-2 home, 5-1 road), accounting for 37.5% of their win total.
SAC-DOWN: Entering this series Sacramento had lost 14 of 17 games, and dropped 11 straight from May 29 to June 10, the longest losing streak in the PCL this season. Tacoma has won 21 of their last 31 games against Sacramento, and 14 of their last 19 against the River Cats at Cheney Stadium, including last night's victory.
FELINE FRENEMIES: An early season flurry of transactions between the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners have seen infielders Mike Ford (now with Triple-A Gwinnett Braves), Kevin Padlo (back to Rainiers for a 2nd time) and Donovan Walton all suit up for both Sacramento and Tacoma this season; Walton was optioned by the Giants to Triple-A on Wednesday, and will face his former club/organization for the first time during this series. The River Cats still have former Rainiers infielder Wyatt Mathisen on their active roster (32 games with Tacoma in 2021). Sacramento Manager Dave Brundage led the Rainiers for one season, skippering a 74-70 campaign in 2006.
On Tacoma's active roster, former River Cats include LHPs Fernando Abad (2019) and Tommy Milone (2014) and infielders Alex Blandino (2022) and Zach Green (2019). Milone pitched for Sacramento during their Oakland A's affiliation.
SUMMER SLAM: It took 55 games this season for the first Rainiers grand slam (Scott Heineman, 6/8 at Salt Lake), but then Tacoma hit two in three days. Friday night's Alex Blandino walk-off slam with nobody out was Tacoma's first game-ending grand slam since Chris Mariscal, on June 24, 2019 vs. El Paso. Mariscal won that game with two out in the bottom of the 10th, trailing by a run, for a 7-4 final (GS off Trevor Megill). Last season the Rainiers had four bases loaded homers, including one against Sacramento at Cheney Stadium (Jack Reinheimer on September 9).
A TRIPLE-A RATING: Of the 30 clubs at the highest level of Minor League Baseball, the Rainiers have the second-most stolen bases this season with 83 (Buffalo has 84), have hit the third-most home runs with 88 (Memphis has 102, El Paso has 92) and are one of 14 teams with at least 13 triples. The Rainiers' 37 errors as a club are the fourth-fewest in Triple-A, and second-fewest in the PCL behind only Reno (31).
UNI WATCH: The 2022 Tacoma Rainiers have the following win-loss record by uniform top: Home white (5-8), red (12-15), navy blue (1-3), road grey (4-5), "La Familia de Tacoma" (2-2, Copa de la Diversion), specialty auction (0-3).
Pacific Coast League Stories from June 15, 2022
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- Hjelle Throws 3.0 Scoreless, Wilson Knocks in First Career Triple-a Run in Defeat - Sacramento River Cats
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