Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Sugar Land (6:05 PT)
Published on September 2, 2023 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
The Rainiers have won 16 of 21 at Cheney Stadium, with two games remaining on this 12-game homestand. Tacoma is currently 2.0 GB of a playoff spot (more below).
Tacoma Rainiers (70-60, 33-22) vs. Sugar Land Space Cowboys (51-79, 18-37)
Saturday, September 2, 2023, 6:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Darren McCaughan vs. RHP Spencer Arrighetti
DO YOU REMEMBER?: It's September (1-0), and since the Triple-A regular season schedule expanded past Labor Day weekend beginning in 2021, Tacoma is 33-21 (.611) after 9/1. The 2021 championship club went 18-10 (2-1 in October); last year's Rainiers had a 14-11 September.
GET YOUR SCHEIN ON: Tacoma infielderJake Scheiner leads the PCL in home runs (30), RBI (102, by 11), runs scored (91) and extra-base hits (T-1st, 54). He's second in the league in total bases (231). Scheiner is batting .306 (44x144) with runners in scoring position (15 HR). With 20 games remaining, his 102 RBI are already the most for Tacoma since 2011, when Alex Liddi drove in 104 runs (T-10th in franchise history, single-season). In 2022 at Double-A, Scheiner drove in 100 runs for the first time (105 RBI). With three homers in four games, he has 102 HR for his career during the regular season.
JAKE RHYMES WITH RAKE: Jake Scheiner is homering exactly once every four games over the first 120 games of his Triple-A debut, and has achieved the seventh 30-home run season in Tacoma's Triple-A history (since 1960), and the first since Alex Liddi (30) for the 2011 Rainiers. Scheiner has homered 18x during home games, and is threatening Adrian Garrett's record of 19 homers in a season at Cheney Stadium (1971). Garrett, an OF for the 1971 Tacoma Cubs, still holds the franchise single-season home run record, 43 (131 GP). Eight home games remain.
THE REAL DELO: Tacoma outfielder Zach DeLoach leads the Rainiers with 127 hits (Jake Scheiner, 114) through the first 118 games of his Triple-A debut. DeLoach has the second-most hits in the Pacific Coast League; Round Rock's Elier Hernandez leads the circuit with 146. Every DeLoach home run (19) extends his career-high; he hit 14 homers in each of his first two professional seasons (2021 and 2022). DeLoach's 216 total bases and 28 doubles each rank fifth in the PCL, and he's climbed to 10th in RBI with 74; that RBI total sets a new career-high, after he drove in 73 at Double-A last year.
SEVY TIME: Rainiers catcher Pedro Severino batted .362 in August (16 GP), and is batting .346 (27x78) over his last 22 games, dating to July 19. He has 11 extra base hits in this span (seven doubles, four homers), with a .968 OPS (.378/.590) and 19 RBI. Severino hit Tacoma's fourth grand slam this season on August 25 (vs. LV) and added another homer (2-R) on Tuesday.
GOTTA BE IN IT TO WIN IT: The Rainiers (33-22, second half) enter today's action 2.0 games back of the PCL's second playoff spot (Round Rock, 35-20); Tacoma has won 16 of 21 at home, Round Rock has won 19 of their last 22 overall. The Rainiers end the regular season with six at home vs. Round Rock (September 19-24).
#DarrenDay: 2023 is the fifth season in which right-hander Darren McCaughan has pitched for Tacoma. His 81st career start for the Rainiers will be tonight, and he's alone in fifth in franchise history; Steve Luebber is fourth with 86 starts, between 1972 and 1977 for the Tacoma Twins. McCaughan has accumulated 394 strikeouts for the Rainiers, which are fourth-most in Tacoma's Triple-A history (since 1960). Brian Sweeney is third, with 403 K between 1999 and 2013. McCaughan is fifth in the PCL in IP (116.2), and sixth in both strikeouts (110) and starts (21).
RILED UP: Over 18.1 IP (18 G) since July 5, Rainiers RHP Riley O'Brien is holding PCL hitters to a .191 BAA with seven saves. O'Brien has struck out 28 batters in this span, walking only five (13 H) for a WHIP of 0.95 dating to 7/5 (5 ER, 2.37 ERA). His ERA was 0.90 in August (10 G, 10.0 IP, 1 ER, 16 K, 0.70 WHIP, .118 BAA).
KO-SIGN: Rainiers RHP Stephen Kolek has allowed only three ER over his past 29.0 IP (0.93 ERA), and has been scoreless in 18 of his last 21 outings. Since June 11, Kolek's ERA is 1.53 (24 G, 35.1 IP, 18 H, 6 ER, 15 BB, 38 K, 0.93 WHIP, 4 SV). Kolek is limiting to a .153 BAA since 6/11.
RISP-Y BUSINESS: Tacoma has the second-most home runs in Triple-A with men on base, at 96 (Las Vegas, 100). With runners in scoring position, Tacoma has the second-highest OPS among the 30 Triple-A clubs at .904; Sugar Land has the lowest OPS in the PCL with RISP (.765).
MAYBE TAKE A PITCH: The Rainiers lead all of Triple-A in walks drawn *by 35* with 734 (5.65 BB/game); Reno is a distant second with 699 walks. Jake Scheiner (2nd, 77 BB), Zach DeLoach (3rd, 75 BB) and Cooper Hummel (5th, 72 BB) are all atop the PCL free pass leaderboard.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 2, 2023
- Machado Homers, Drives in a Pair in Space Cowboys' Loss - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Hjelle, Ramos Catalysts in Walk-Off Sacramento Victory - Sacramento River Cats
- Schein On: Rainiers R One Game Out of First - Tacoma Rainiers
- El Paso Wins Over Reno, 8-6 - El Paso Chihuahuas
- Six-Run Seventh Haunts Aces in 8-6 Loss to Chihuahuas - Reno Aces
- Dodgers Topple Express, 7-1 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Dugger Makes History as Express Fall to Dodgers - Round Rock Express
- Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Sugar Land (6:05 PT) - Tacoma Rainiers
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 2, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
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