Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Salt Lake (7:05 PT)
June 29, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (38-38, 1-0) vs. Salt Lake (37-38, 0-1)
Thursday, June 29, 2023, 7:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Darren McCaughan vs. RHP Chase Silseth
#DarrenDay: 2023 is the fifth season in which right-hander Darren McCaughan has pitched for Tacoma. His 72nd career start for the Rainiers will be tonight, placing him alone in seventh in franchise history (since 1960). Jim Hughes is sixth with 75 starts for the Tacoma Twins, from 1973-74 and 1977.
McCaughan has accumulated 345 strikeouts with the Rainiers, and enters today's action needing only one to pass Scott Atchison for sixth in Tacoma's Triple-A history. Atchison struck out 345 between the 2000 and 2002-06 Rainiers, and appeared in nine Major League seasons from 2004-15 (SEA, SFG, BOS, NYM, CLE- 298 G, 346.2 IP). McCaughan is nine shy of fifth all-time; Gerry Thomas fanned 354 batters for the 1962-64 Tacoma Giants.
MARLOWES & HIGHS: Cade Marlowe reached base 6x on Saturday, going 5-for-5 with a walk (HR, 3 RBI) and a career-high three stolen bases. It was Tacoma's second five-hit game in little over a month (Zach DeLoach, 5/21 at ABQ, W, 6-4). It was Marlowe's second-career day with five knocks; he did so on 5/29/21 for Class A Modesto vs. Visalia (5-for-5), tripling twice while driving in four runs in a 16-5 Cal League win.
Marlowe has reached base in 10 consecutive games (since 6/16), and has scored a run in seven straight games. He's batting .349 (15x43, 7 XBH, 3 HR, 7 RBI) and has tripled 2x during this stretch (7 BB, 1.138 OPS, 5 SB, 10 R).
STEALY MAN: Mason McCoy's 19 stolen bases lead the Rainiers and are tied for fifth-most in the Pacific Coast League; he has yet to be caught stealing this season. McCoy is already threatening his career-high of 22 steals, with the 2022 Rainiers (124 GP). Cooper Hummel is seventh in the PCL in swipes, with 18 (50 GP).
Tacoma's 103 steals (22 CS, 82.40%) are most in the PCL (Salt Lake, 101). Last season, Tacoma led all of Triple-A (by 13), with a franchise record 205 steals. The Rainiers have also allowed the most stolen bases in Triple-A, at 97 (Buffalo, 94).
RISP-Y BUSINESS: With runners in scoring position, Tacoma is carrying the second-highest OPS (.919) and OBP (.408) among Triple-A clubs (Reno leads in both categories). Tacoma's 60 home runs with at least one runner on base are the most in Triple-A (Albuquerque 59, Las Vegas 57, SWB 54 and first half IL winner Norfolk at 51).
HUMMING ALONG: Tacoma super-utility man Cooper Hummel has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games, dating to June 11. Since 6/11 he's had two 3-walk games (6/20 & 6/22 at El Paso), and has drawn multiple walks 4x during this on base streak, and 13x over his 50 games with the Rainiers. His season on base percentage has risen 20 points (to .430) during this stretch (14 BB, .282 BA, .876 OPS).
LEAD-R-BOARD: One game into the season's official second half, Rainiers INF Jake Scheiner is third in the PCL in home runs (19) and RBI (64), and is tied for fourth with 58 runs scored...1B/C Cooper Hummel is tied for second in PCL walks (52) and has the sixth-highest OBP at .430...Scheiner (46) and OF Zach DeLoach (45) also rank top 10 in PCL walks, as Tacoma leads all of Triple-A (*by 35*) with 443 BB (5.83 BB/game)...OF Cade Marlowe's six triples are tied for the Pacific Coast League lead.
RHP Darren McCaughan has the eighth-most strikeouts in the PCL (61 K, 66.1 IP)...RHP Matt Festa leads Triple-A in saves, with 12 (13 SVO). In 23 games with Tacoma (27.0 IP), Festa's ERA is 0.67 (2 ER). Triple-A hitters are batting a meager .103 vs. Festa (0.70 WHIP), who has also appeared in six MLB games this season (6.2 IP).
LOCALIZE IT: A pair of Puget Sound natives are on Salt Lake's roster; 3B Jake Lamb (Seattle, Bishop Blanchet HS) and 1B Taylor Jones (Kent, Kentwood HS); Jones is currently on the injured list. Bees right-handed reliever Zack Weiss was a member of Tacoma's 2021 championship club (30 G, 39.2 IP, 56 K).
AMERICAN HONEY: The current iteration of the Salt Lake Bees franchise joined the PCL in 1994, and has also been known as the "Buzz" and "Stingers" prior to Bees. The Tacoma Triple-A franchise is 381-368-1 against all teams from Salt Lake City, since 1960.
The Tacoma Tigers (Oakland Athletics affiliate) played against the Buzz in 1994 (10-6), before the Rainiers era and Seattle Mariners affiliation began in 1995 (9-7).
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