PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Sugar Land (6:05 PT)

April 20, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (4-9) vs. Sugar Land Space Cowboys (4-9)

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 6:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA

RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon vs. RHP Hunter Brown

ASTRONAUTS NEAR THE OCEAN: The Sugar Land franchise is making its first visit to Cheney Stadium this week, in its second season in the PCL and as Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Originally a member of the Atlantic League as the Sugar Land Skeeters beginning in 2012, they were champions of that circuit twice, in 2016 and 2018 before joining the Houston organization for 2021; the team was re-branded from Skeeters to Space Cowboys this past winter. Sugar Land and Tacoma split their only previous meeting, a six-game series at Constellation Field from July 8-13 last season.

CLOSE QU(AAA)RTERS: Once upon a time, the Tacoma Rainiers and Seattle Mariners stood as the nearest Triple-A to MLB affiliation (36 miles). That title was then shared with the advent of the Atlanta Braves shifting Triple-A operations to Gwinnett County, GA (also a distance of 36 miles) for the 2009 season. When St. Paul (12 miles to the Minnesota Twins) and Sugar Land (22 miles to the Houston Astros) joined the Triple-A ranks prior to last season, the Rs-M's proximity was pushed to a tie for third-shortest.

STRIKE COWBOYS: Sugar Land enters action tonight with the most strikeouts by a pitching staff in all of professional baseball, 146, an average of 11.2 punchouts per game (13 GP). The next closest is Jacksonville (Miami Marlins Triple-A) with 132 (13 GP). The New York Mets lead the Majors (124 K) in one fewer games (9-3).

R SPEED: The Rainiers have stolen 21 bases in 13 games, and lead all of Triple-A in steals by four; Indianapolis (PIT), Nashville (MIL) and Omaha (KC) are tied for second (17). Caught only four times as a club so far, the Rainiers are stealing at an 84% success rate and swiping 1.6 bags per game. Tacoma OF Forrest Wall is tied for the individual PCL lead with six.

LOCALIZE IT: The current Tacoma active roster has three Puget Sound natives: OF Steven Souza, Jr. (Everett, Cascade High School), RHP Riley O'Brien (Seattle, Shorewood High School) and OF Trent Tingelstad (Everett, Marysville-Pilchuck High School). Souza is a veteran of 499 MLB games, and signed with the Mariners at the outset of spring training. O'Brien was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to Seattle for future and/or cash considerations last week, and optioned to Tacoma on Tuesday. O'Brien made his MLB debut last season for the Reds, working 1.1 IP on 9/28/21 at Chicago-AL. Tingelstad, the Mariners' 22nd round draft pick in 2019, made his Double-A debut earlier this season, playing in four games for Arkansas between April 9-16 (3-for-10, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 4 BB, .900 OPS).

BULL-PENN-ING: "Hug Watch" on Rainiers RHP Penn Murfee? Through his first five appearances this season, he's yet to allow a run in 8.0 IP, having allowed only one hit. Murfee has struck out 10, walked just two and has saved two games; the 4-2 opening night victory over Salt Lake on 4/5, and the wild 12-11 triumph at Albuquerque on Sunday. Murfee had yet to earn a professional save prior to this season.

HOMER ODOM-ETER: Rainiers catcher Joe Odom homered in four of five games at Albuquerque (April 13-17), including the final three games of the road trip (GW-hit on Sunday). All were tape-measure shots to the left field alley that could not be solely attributed to the notoriously thin ABQ air; his blast off the Isotopes Park video board on Saturday traveled an estimated 446 feet according to Statcast, which chased a 452-foot shot on Friday night. Odom, he of 41 professional home runs entering tonight's action, hit just shy of 10% of his career total of dingers during the trip to Albuquerque. Odom currently leads Tacoma's active roster in OPS at 1.168 (.375/.793) as well as homers.

A REAL DONNIE-BROOK: When Mitch Haniger landed on Seattle's IL Saturday and infielder Donnie Walton was recalled from the Rainiers by the Mariners, it marked the 10th time he's been summoned to the Major Leagues, and the ninth time from Tacoma in some fashion. Last season, Walton was recalled from Tacoma off either the Rainiers roster or from the Alternate Training Site six times; during the abbreviated 2020 season he was recalled on three occasions from the ATS at Cheney Stadium. Walton made his MLB debut on 9/10/19 at Cincinnati, the day Seattle selected his contract to the Major League roster from Double-A Arkansas. A fifth round draft pick of the Mariners in 2016 out of Oklahoma State, this is his final option year.

UNI WATCH: The 2022 Tacoma Rainiers have the following record by uniform top: Home white (2-3), red (1-2), navy (0-1), road grey (1-2), "La Familia de Tacoma" (0-1, Copa de la Diversion). "Throwback Weekend" is upcoming at Cheney Stadium, and "faux-back" uniforms on April 23-24 will imagine what the Rainiers brand might have looked like on field in the 1960s.

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