Reno Wins PCL Title

Congratulations to the Reno Aces, winners of the 2012 Pacific Coast League championship.

The Aces defeated Omaha on Saturday night, 8-2. That gave them the series victory, 3-1.

Reno split the two home games and then won two straight on the road to take down the defending PCL champions. Reno has only been in the league since 2009 and this is their first title.

Last night’s deciding victory was a one-sided affair. The Aces out-hit Omaha, 15-7. A.J. Pollock and Mike Jacobs each homered in the eighth inning off Omaha relief ace Donnie Joseph to put the game out of reach. Pollock was named MVP of the series.

Tyler Kuhn went 4-for-5 and scored three runs, and Jacobs had three RBI for Reno. Starting pitcher Charlie Brewer pitched into the seventh inning and allowed just two runs, striking out eight while earning the win. The Reno bullpen – which improved dramatically as the season wore on – tossed 2.2 scoreless innings.

Reno, of course, is a division rival of Tacoma’s. Reno is the first team from the Pacific-North other than Tacoma to win the league championship since Edmonton took the crown in 2002.

Congratulations to the entire Aces organization, with a special RG-to-RG congrats to Reno radio guy Ryan Radtke.

Reno has one game left to play: the Triple-A Baseball National Championship game, on Tuesday. It’s being played in Durham, North Carolina this year and will be nationally televised. Reno will send Trevor Bauer to the mound against International League champion Pawtucket.

Links:

• Hard-working Rob White wrote two stories: an Aces-related article for the Reno newspaper, and an Omaha-centric story for his own employer.
• After the game, Kansas City called up a number of Omaha players, including former Rainiers catcher Adam Moore and top starting pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi.
• Justin Smoak delivered twice late in the game and the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers on Saturday, 8-6. The M’s can win the series on the road with a victory today.
• Larry Stone’s Sunday baseball package is up at the Times: a column about the low-scoring environment in MLB these days, a notebook leading off with an item on former Mariners prospect Phillippe Aumont, power rankings, and thumbs up-and-down.

There will be no new blog on Monday – we’ll be back Tuesday, with a closer look at the Triple-A National Championship Game.

Good Match-Up, Bad Result

The Rainiers lost another in Reno on Thursday night, an 8-3 decision that was a lot closer than the final score indicates.

Tacoma trailed 4-3 in the seventh, but the Rainiers had some momentum having scored three unanswered runs.

With two outs and runners at second and third in the bottom of the seventh, Cesar Jimenez intentionally walked right-handed (and red-hot) Cole Gillespie, to face left-handed Mike Jacobs.

This gave Tacoma a left-versus-left platoon advantage and set up a force out at any base.

The move backfired when Jacobs lined a fastball for a two-run single to right. The ball dropped just in front of hard-charging right fielder Casper Wells.

That hit made it 6-3, and all of the helium leaked out of the Rainiers balloon when two more runs scored on a single and a wild pitch.

Tacoma is now 0-7 against Reno this year, with all seven games played here. The team tries to avoid a sweep today at 7:05. Tacoma starts RHP Forrest Snow (1-4, 7.79) against Reno RHP Barry Enright (4-3, 4.66). Catch the broadcast on 850 AM or streaming online right here.

Links:

• Here’s my Rainiers game story from The News Tribune.
• John McGrath thought about the promotion of Stephen Pryor and the release of Jamie Moyer, somehow ending up at Old Hoss Radbourn.
• Rhubarb The Reindeer crashed City Hall.
• Interesting story from Larry LaRue on little-used Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma.
• For you baseball coaches and players, Geoff Baker has a detailed look at how the Mariners take batting practice.
• Not a Mariner to be found on this week’s Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet – but I’ll link to it anyway, because it’s fun.
• Sports broadcasting is complicated: Hawk Harrelson had an outburst on the air, so he was chewed out by two people he doesn’t even work for.
• In the PCL, Chris Woodward hit the go-ahead three-run double and started a triple play as Las Vegas edged Tucson, 5-4. What a day!
• Tucson catcher Yasmani Grandal was promoted to San Diego. Tucson slugger Matt Clark had a huge May, and he might be the face of the franchise.
• In his Triple-A debut, Fresno’s Chris Dominguez batted cleanup, struck out his first three times up, and then singled in the winning run in the ninth to beat Sacramento, 2-1.
• Fresno lefty Jason Stevenson is back on the mound after six years out of baseball.
• Manny Ramirez Watch! Manny was a late scratch from the Sacramento lineup yesterday, due to “leg tightness.”
• Salt Lake bounced back from a 22-8 loss and coasted to a 7-1 win over Colorado Springs. Eric Hurley tossed seven shutout innings.
• Round Rock jumped all over wild Memphis starter Shelby Miller and won easily, 9-3.
• Tom Koehler led the way as New Orleans pitched its fourth shutout of the year, a 3-0 win over Albuquerque.
• Omaha and Iowa split a doubleheader, and my main man Wil Myers went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in the nightcap.
• Oklahoma City starter Brian Bass was recently playing in South Korea.

Let’s try to get out of here with a win.

Twenty-One, Delabar/Pryor, and Manny

The yucky taste of the Rainiers 13-5 loss in Reno on Wednesday afternoon was quickly washed away by a stream of interesting news: the Mariners scored 21 runs, then they announced a relief pitcher swap, and then we heard that one of the greatest hitters in baseball history is (almost certainly) coming to Cheney Stadium.

Let’s tackle these one at a time:

First, the Mariners scored 21 runs. It’s the second highest total in franchise history, and it seemingly came out of nowhere. They had scored 21 runs total in their previous six games! The had 20 hits, and 11 went for extra bases.

For me, the best part is that it came against the two-time AL champion Texas Rangers. That made it a lot sweeter.

I’m curious to see if that game causes some increased production in the next series, this weekend in Chicago. The young hitters were heavily involved in the 21-run uprising; they should be carrying a lot of confidence into Chicago.

Second, after the game the Mariners announced they are sending Steve Delabar to Tacoma, and that they will call up a reliever on Friday. Not soon thereafter, Stephen Pryor‘s agent tweeted that Pryor is going to the big leagues. We’ll go ahead and believe the agent – if he tweeted that and was wrong, he’d be the worst agent ever, wouldn’t he?

Mariners fans are going to wonder if Pryor will be closing games. I’d advise them to slow down and wait a while. Yes, Pryor has closer stuff, but he’s a rookie. He’s hard to hit, but he can be wild at times. He’ll probably pitch in middle relief at first, perhaps some set-up work. He’ll certainly see more action than Iwakuma.

One thing to keep an eye on is Pryor’s usage. He has not pitched in back-to-back games this season, and has done so just twice in his professional career – once in 2010, and once in 2011. It will be interesting to see if Eric Wedge treats him carefully.

The lack of back-to-back game experience precludes Pryor from closing right there – unless you aren’t planning on going on any winning streaks.

(As an aside, it makes no sense to me that the Mariners do not allow minor league relief prospects to pitch in back-to-back games. If they reach the majors, they will be asked to do it all of the time. Why not start doing it in the minors, as part of the developmental process?

The Mariners used to use minor league relievers up to three games in a row, to prepare for future boss Lou Piniella. In recent years they have stopped doing this.)

Third, I learned this morning that it is almost a certainty that Manny Ramirez will be travelling with the Sacramento River Cats to Cheney Stadium on Saturday.

Manny’s suspension is over, as is his rehabilitation assignment. He is an official member of the Sacramento 25-man roster.

The A’s haven’t called him up yet because he is rusty. After yesterday’s 0-for-4, three strikeout game against Fresno, Manny is batting .222 (8-for-36), and all eight of his hits have been singles.

The A’s want to see Manny improve his timing, and drive some extra base hits. He’ll probably be in Sacramento until that happens.

Sacramento plays at Tacoma on Saturday (7:05), Sunday (1:35), Monday (7:05), and Tuesday (11:35 AM). Tickets are available at the Cheney Stadium Box Office and online right here. No refunds if Manny doesn’t show up* – as you know, we can’t control Manny being Manny!

Tonight, the Rainiers have a job to do: win a baseball game in Reno. It’s long overdue. First pitch is at 7:05, and you can hear the broadcast on South Sound Sports 850 AM and streaming online right here. Tacoma starts RHP Jeff Marquez (4-4, 6.52) against Reno LHP Patrick Corbin (0-1, 7.20).

Links:

• I wrote the Rainiers game story for The News Tribune, with quotes from manager Daren Brown. The story includes an explanation of Reno’s two-run sacrifice fly.
• The Mariners scored 21 runs – which is pretty much what the Rainiers need to do in Reno. Here’s Larry LaRue’s game story (with a very Reno-centric headline and a great lede), Geoff Baker’s story from the Seattle Times, and Larry Stone’s 21-Run Salute.
• Don’t tell anyone, but Mariners reliever Lucas Luetge still has a 0.00 ERA.
• Jason Churchill thinks its time for Danny Hultzen and Nick Franklin to be promoted to Tacoma. I certainly agree on Hultzen, not so sure about Franklin. It will probably be three weeks until anything happens – Jackson is in first place with a 1.5-game lead and 17 to play in the first half, and they clinch a playoff spot if they hang on. The Mariners might want to try to win that before shifting players around.
• In the PCL, Colorado Springs looked at the Mariners 21 runs and said “no big deal.” The Sky Sox edged Salt Lake on Wednesday, 22-8. Salt Lake’s starter had an especially rough Triple-A debut.
• Travis Banwart tossed a gem and Sacramento beat Fresno, 3-1, to pull within 1.5 games of first place in the South.
• Las Vegas was a winner at Tucson, 7-4. The Tucson paper has a nice feature on Padres closer Brad Boxberger.
• New Orleans was shut out at home by Albuquerque, 4-0.
• Memphis has been one of the worst teams in the PCL this season, but they had a rare cause to celebrate last night.
• Oklahoma City coasted to a 7-2 win over Nashville.
• Iowa and Omaha were rained out, they’ll play a doubleheader today.

Looking forward to seeing Manny this weekend, but the Rainiers have business to take care of here in Reno tonight and tomorrow.

* my biggest concern about Manny is that he could retire before the series. Or, he might go 4-for-4 with three homers against Fresno tonight and get himself called up.

The Belly Of The Beast

Greetings from the Rainiers own house of horrors, Aces Ballpark in downtown Reno, Nevada.

The Rainiers lost to Reno in the opening game of the series on Tuesday night, 7-5. It was a surprisingly low-scoring game from the PCL’s best hitter’s park.

Reno took a 7-1 lead early against Tacoma starter Andrew Carraway, who got knocked around for his first time this season.

Carraway couldn’t put away innings: six of Reno’s seven runs scored on two-out hits, and most of them were line shots into the outfield.

Tacoma had some plate discipline issues in the first six innings, chasing sliders out of the strike zone. Reno starter Joe Martinez struck out seven in 5.2 innings.

Once the Aces bullpen entered the game, the Rainiers bats came alive – but it was too little, too late.

Special shout-out to Leury Bonilla, who hit his first Triple-A home run in the ninth inning off Reno closer Jonathan Albaladejo.

Bonilla was playing because Luis Jimenez fouled a ball of his right ankle, and had to be helped off the field by trainer Tom Newberg. Hopefully it’s nothing serious and Luis can get back in there today or tomorrow.

Tacoma has now lost 11 straight games to Reno, including an 0-5 record this year. The Rainiers are 6-23 all-time at Aces Ballpark, which opened for the 2009 season.

We have three games left in this series, and at this point the Rainiers want to take baby steps: win one, and build from there.

Today’s game is at 1:05 PM (it was incorrectly listed as 7:05 on early prints of the Rainiers schedule). We’ll have the broadcast on 850 AM and streaming online right here. Tacoma starts LHP Anthony Vasquez (5-2, 5.15) against Reno RHP Charles Brewer (1-4, 6.75).

Links:

• I wrote the Rainiers game story for The News Tribune – the game ended too late to get quotes, but it does have the blow-by-blow.*
• The Mariners piled up the runs and beat Texas yesterday, 10-3. That was very, very good to see.
• Larry LaRue has more on Franklin Gutierrez and his upcoming 20-day stint with the Rainiers.
• Steve Kelley at the Times writes that Eric Wedge should not be blamed for the Mariners struggles. I agree 100% – this is a rebuilding year.
• One of my favorite yahoos – John McGrath - wrote about the three players he thinks the Mariners are looking at for next week’s first-round draft pick.
• In this Geoff Baker notebook, we learn that Dustin Ackley’s teammates are mocking him for not playing on his bobblehead day. Also, James Paxton at Double-A Jackson is going to miss a few starts with a knee problem.
• Larry Stone has a blog item on Brandon League and the Mariners closer prospects.
• In the PCL, Sacramento walked-off Fresno on a homer by Brandon Hicks. This is a good rivalry series.
• A’s first baseman-turned-pitcher Sean Doolittle has made a rapid ascent to Triple-A Sacramento. Yoenis Cespedes is on rehab with the River Cats.
• Salt Lake found the bats! Fourteen hits and a 7-3 win over Colorado Springs to end a six-game losing streak.
• Down at the Austin Statesman, my favorite headline writer got the score wrong – again. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s just a poorly programmed bot.

That’s all the links I have time to get to today – early game!

* w/r/t the newspaper headline, you cannot bet on PCL games in Nevada casinos – even though the Harrah’s sports book is about 500 feet from the entrance to Aces Ballpark. There was a very funny story in the Reno newspaper about this when the team first moved here in 2009 - a “fan” was actually quoted as saying “Why would I go to the game if I can’t bet on it?”

Long Night, Tough Loss

Reno dropped Tacoma in 12 innings last night, 7-6. The Aces now have an 8.5-game lead and their magic number to clinch the North is down to seven.

Tacoma was down 5-1 early but the Rainiers fought hard and came back, eventually tying the game in the top of the ninth inning, 6-6.

A key was Tacoma’s bullpen, as Forrest Snow, Fabio Castro, Scott Patterson, and Shawn Kelley combined to pitch seven innings of no-hit, no-run relief.

But Tacoma’s offense could not score in the extra innings, and Andy Tracy and Ryan Langerhans hit back-to-back doubles to end the game in the bottom of the 12th.

The Rainiers have lost seven straight games, which is the longest streak of the year.

Tacoma hopes to salvage the final game of the Reno series tonight at 7:05. The Rainiers starts LHP Chris Seddon (8-6, 6.43) against Reno RHP Wes Roemer (0-0, 1.69). Catch the broadcast on South Sound Sports 850 AM or streaming online right here.

Links:

• I wrote the Rainiers game story, sending it in well after The News Tribune’s deadline – it probably didn’t get into the print edition. No quotes, but the blow-by-blow is in there.
• The Mariners picked up a win yesterday and they are playing the first of two in Cleveland as I type this.
• Seattle is calling up Anthony Vasquez to start game two – go get ‘em, kid!
• Here’s the story from Reno, with quotes from Ryan Langerhans. It’s clear the Aces want to bury Tacoma today.
• Las Vegas manager Marty Brown enjoyed his years managing in Japan.
• Chris Carter hit two home runs and Sacramento will clinch its fifth consecutive division title with a victory tonight at Tucson. Fellow RG Johnny D is preparing for his annual beer shower…
• From the Nashville paper, we finally have some reaction to that amazing triple play turned by Logan Schafer a couple of days ago (scroll down to see the incredible video).
• Round Rock starter Mark Hamburger wasn’t exactly Awful, Awful – he got the win, and the Express clinch tonight with another win coupled with an Albuquerque loss.
• Iowa shut out Oklahoma City behind former Mariners farmhand Austin Bibens-Dirkx. The I-Cubs lost a relief pitcher in a frisbee tossing incident.
• Results from rehabilitating major leaguers can be mixed. Ryan Spilborghs had one of the best rehab games I’ve ever heard about: two home runs, including the walk-off three-run blast to win it for the Springs in the 10th inning.
• Wily Peralta was dealing, but Nashville needed a tenth inning rally to beat Omaha.
• It was 50-cent hot dog night in Albuquerque, and the ‘Topes always release the stats: 21,069 hot dogs sold to 6,675 fans, for an average of 3.16 hot dogs per fan. Oh, Albuquerque!

Let’s see if the Rainiers can salvage a game here. Aces Ballpark has been a house of horrors for the Rainiers ever since they opened this joint in 2009.

Desperation Time

Tacoma lost to Reno on Sunday afternoon, 4-2 – and now the Rainiers must win the final two games of this series just to maintain a longshot hope of winning the division title.

Tacoma had scoring opportunities early against Reno starter Zach Kroenke, who walked four batters in the first two innings. But Kroenke settled down after allowing two early runs, and he coasted through seven innings to earn the win.

The Rainiers had a good start from Nate Robertson, but he ended up taking the loss because of the team’s offensive struggles. Tacoma has scored just 18 runs during this six-game losing streak, for an average of just three runs per game.

Now the team is 7.5 games out of first with 15 to play. Win these next two, pull within 5.5 games, and then hope for a miracle down the stretch – that’s the only possible recipe for a Rainiers repeat now.

Tonight’s game is at 7:05, and you can hear it on South Sound Sports 850 AM and streaming online right here. Tacoma ia scheduled to start LHP Anthony Vasquez (4-3, 3.21), but I won’t be surprised if Luke French is inserted into the rotation today – I guess we’ll find out in a few hours. Reno is slated to start ex-Tacoma RHP Gaby Hernandez (4-6, 6.49).

Cheap Tickets Alert: The Rainiers are doing a “roll back the prices to opening day 1960″ event at the start of the next homestand: on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week, tickets are just 50 cents for kids 12 and under. That’s how much they were for the first season at Cheney Stadium. You can get the details on the Rainiers official site.

Links:

• I wrote the Rainiers game story for The News Tribune.
• The Mariners took a tough loss, but Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 20 games. He had a 22-game streak with Tacoma back in June, and the only thing that ended it was when he was promoted to Seattle mid-game after going 0-for-1.
• Even Rob Neyer has noticed Carp’s streak.
• Larry Stone has discovered the Mariners biggest problem: it’s Larry Stone.
• Here we have the weekly USS Mariner Minor League Wrap.
• At Lookout Landing, Wily Mo Pena’s first home run as a Mariner caused Jeff Sullivan to unleash his writing talents.
• Reno “shaved” its magic number to nine. What kind of razor do you need for that?
• Pedro Feliz had three hits and a homer, but Tucson lost to Sacramento, 11-6. Sacramento had a 9-run inning and shaved its magic number down to mere stubble: three.
• In Round Rock, they don’t shave magic numbers – they shrink ‘em. Round Rock’s is down to four.
• Round Rock’s Brad Nelson won the PCL Player of the Week award.
• Omaha’s Luis Mendoza is going to win the ERA title, and yesterday he finally earned a win at home.
• Iowa had one hit against Oklahoma City, getting shut down by J.A. Happ.
• Las Vegas has a new Cuban shortstop, Adeiny Hechavarria, and here is his story.
• Salt Lake beat Colorado Springs as Alexi Amarista hit an inside-the-park home run. It looks like the Sky Sox are going to be loaded with rehabbers when we get there on Wednesday.

Time to take the three-block walk (past three casino hotels, a train station, and a “men’s club”) to the ballpark.

Rainiers Come Up Short In Opener

Tacoma lost the first game in Reno, an 8-7 defeat in a back-and-forth ballgame.

Angel Berroa had the game-winning hit for Reno, a high fly ball that bounced halfway up the 25-foot-tall left field fence for a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning. That hit gave Reno the 8-7 lead that they held for the win.

Tacoma was down 5-0 early but tied it in the sixth inning, with Matt Tuiasosopo’s two-out, three-run double the key hit.

The Rainiers rallied for a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh, scoring the go-ahead run on a passed ball. But another baserunning mistake ended the Rainiers rally in the eighth, and the team went down in order against Reno closer Ryan Cook in the ninth.

The Rainiers are 6.5 games back with 16 to play. A look at my list of possible outcomes (yesterday’s entry) shows that the Rainiers need to win the next three games here in Reno, or else they will need a miracle down the stretch.

Today’s game is at 1:05, and you can hear it on 850 AM and streaming online right here. Tacoma is scheduled to send LHP Nate Robertson (5-5, 6.53) to the mound against Reno LHP Zack Kroenke (8-2, 6.04).

Sunday links:

• We lead off with the Rainiers game story. It ended too late for me to get quotes, but the complete blow-by-blow is here.
• Here is my Minor League Notebook for The News Tribune, on how Carlos Peguero and Greg Halman are doing for Tacoma since being sent down by the Mariners.
• The Mariners got blown out in Tampa, but at least Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 19 games. I wonder who the last person to have a 20-game streak in AAA and MLB in the same season was?
• In Larry Stone’s weekly package, we have a column on the promise of the Mariners youth movement, a MLB notebook, and of course… power rankings.
• The Reno Aces know this is a big series.
• Matt Clark is the anchor of the Tucson Padres.
• Colorado Springs beat Salt Lake, 5-4, and Jorge Cantu has taken the place of Mike Jacobs.
• Round Rock leads the PCL with 77 wins, and none may have been wilder than yesterday’s.
• Iowa lost a slugfest at home to Oklahoma City, 11-10. Jordan Schafer had five hits for the RedHawks.
• If you click on any of these links today, click on this one: video of the amazing triple play turned by Nashville centerfielder Logan Schaefer yesterday against Omaha. Here is the newspaper story.
• Seriously – watch that video of the triple play. I’m not kidding over here! It went glove, head, glove, out, out, out. Great one-camera video from Omaha’s WOWT-TV.

Off to the ballpark. It’s a huge one.

Stumbling Into Reno

Tacoma lost on Friday night, 3-1, getting swept away by the Omaha Storm Chasers. For details on the game check the first link down below.

The loss puts Tacoma back under .500 at 63-64 on the year, and the Rainiers now trail first place Reno by 5.5 games with 17 to play.

The big four-game series in Reno starts today. Here are the possible outcomes:

• Rainiers sweep: Tacoma is 1.5 games back with 13 to play, chance to get to playoffs and bid to repeat as PCL champions looks good!
• Rainiers win three of four: 3.5 games back with 13 to play; will need help down the stretch but definitely in reach.
• Series split: 5.5 back with 13 to play, will require a 2009-style miracle.
• Rainiers lose series, three games to one: 7.5 back with 13 left – well, not mathematically eliminated… yet.
• Rainiers get swept – it’s football season!

Reno beat Oklahoma City on Friday, 5-3, avoiding a sweep and ending a five-game losing streak. Even with that win, Reno has lost 10 of the last 12 games, and they are 5-16 over the last 21 games.

However, Reno has had the Rainiers number this year, going 8-4 against Tacoma. But this is a very different Reno team now.

Let’s look at the pitching match-ups:

1. SAT, 7:05: RHP Erasmo Ramirez (3-0, 3.26) vs. RHP Kevin Mulvey (3-7, 6.97)
2. SUN, 1:05: LHP Nate Robertson (5-5, 6.53) vs. LHP Zach Kroenke (8-2, 6.04)
3. MON, 7:05: LHP Anthony Vasquez (4-3, 3.21) vs. RHP Gaby Hernandez (4-6, 6.49)
4. TUES, 7:05: Tacoma TBA vs. RHP Wes Roemer (0-0, 1.69).

Offensively, Reno doesn’t really have any hot hitters right now – although 34-year-old former American League Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa has a seven-game hitting streak, and he had two triples and a homer on Friday. Reno signed Berroa from the independent Atlantic League after Cody Ransom was promoted to Arizona (part of the domino effect after Stephen Drew went down).

The hitters who led Reno to the big division lead are gone (I voted for Reno’s Collin Cowgill as PCL Most Valuable Player*, he’s now up with the Diamondbacks).

Tonight’s series opener is at 7:05 and you can catch the broadcast on South Sound Sports 850 AM, and streaming online right here.

Links:

• I got pressed into duty to write the Rainiers game story for The News Tribune, and baserunning blunders were the big issue.
• Felix Hernandez tossed a gem and lost. Same old, same old. At least Kyle Seager went deep.
• Here’s the story out of Oklahoma City, where the RedHawks were unable to complete the sweep of Reno. Ex-Rainiers pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith took the loss.
• Omaha closer Kelvin Herrera was very impressive the last three days, blowing 98 mph with a nasty breaking ball. He’s got a big league future.
• Salt Lake got swept at home by Iowa. We know what it’s like, Bees, we know.
• Chris Carter went yackity-yack and Sacramento shut out Albuquerque. The Kitties magic number to clinch their fifth straight division title is seven. Five straight division titles will match a PCL record. 109 years, folks.
• Holy moly did Round Rock beat down Fresno last night to complete a series sweep. Joey Butler (who received an All-PCL vote from yours truly) hit a grand slam. Fresno has lost seven straight, all at home.
• Tucson claimed a victory in Nashville as Jeremy Hefner pitched well and hit a homer.
• Chris Sampson tossed seven shutout innings and his New Orleans Zephyrs beat Colorado Springs.

We’re at the airport, ready to board our flight to Reno. This is going to be a tense series!

* this is bad news for Cowgill - the player I vote for never wins the MVP. I’ll never forget the year a player I didn’t even consider for the award won it (I’m talking about you, Scott McClain). I take this vote seriously and put a lot of thought into it.

What A Comeback!

Last year I counted the shocking comeback wins, and the terrible meltdown losses. I was a little surprised at the end of the year to find out that we had only two of each.

Last night Tacoma had its first of either category in 2011: a shocking win, scoring four runs with two outs in the ninth inning when all hope seemed lost. Tacoma stunned Reno for a 9-6 win.

The Rainiers trailed 6-5 going to the ninth. They managed to advance a runner to third base, but there were two outs. Matt Tuiasosopo was at the plate – and he was having a dreadful game offensively, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and two groundouts to the catcher – just little nubbers in front of the plate.

Tui got it done when it mattered most, grounding a single between short and third to bring in the tying run.

Then, the floodgates opened. Matt Mangini hit a broken-bat single off the label to right field, sending Tui to third. And then Carlos Peguero jumped on the first pitch he saw a laced a double down the right field line, scoring two runs and Tacoma had a 8-6 lead. Peguero took third on the throw home, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-6.

All this occurred with two outs – a shocking win, indeed!

The Rainiers have won three of the last four games, and are now 3-3 on this road trip after dropping the first two games in Salt Lake City.

Tacoma will face Reno tonight at 6:05 (broadcast on 850 AM and streaming live here). Tacoma starts LHP Chris Seddon (0-1, 2.28) against Reno RHP Kevin Mulvey (1-2, 15.00).

Seddon was not on Tacoma’s active roster so a move had to be made: outfielder Brandon Haveman was transferred back to Class-AA Jackson. Haveman did a nice job filling in while Peguero was in the big leagues, even helping the Rainiers win a game. I’m sure we’ll see him again in the future.

Links:

• I wrote the game story for The News Tribune. It includes quotes from manager Daren Brown. In the Reno account, Brett Butler wasn’t as pleased by the outcome.
• The Mariners are playing with confidence and they’ve won four in a row.
• Read this one: Jim Caple wrote about Michael Pineda.
• In the PCL, Omaha’s nine-game win streak came to a dramatic end.
• Wow – Las Vegas has lost nine straight games, and they’re blaming the bullpen.
• Tucson outfielder Aaron Cunningham is from Port Orchard, and he’s red-hot right now.
• Ex-Rainiers outfielder Brad Nelson had the game-winning hit for Round Rock last night.
• Nashville starter Zack Greinke had a good rehabilitation outing, but the Sounds lost.
• New Orleans beat Round Rock, 1-0, on a Josh Kroeger home run.

That’s it for today – I’ve got a treat for you long-time fans tomorrow! Also, don’t forget about the Fan Go-Round at Cheney on Sunday.

Former Teammate Stings Rainiers

As you are well aware, David Winfree was one of the leaders of last year’s PCL Championship team.

He left the Mariners after the season as a minor league free agent, signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Winfree got injured in spring training and didn’t play much, so an assignment to Triple-A Reno was in the cards.

Last night he beat his former team with a long home run to centerfield with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning. Winfree’s third homer of the season gave Reno a 13-12 win.

Winfree’s blast was one of six homers for the Aces, who lead the league in home runs by a team. The wind was howling out to right field, but that was an advantage for both team’s hitters – and the Aces out-homered Tacoma, 6-1.

Matt Tuiasosopo had a big game for Tacoma, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and five RBI. Alex Liddi and Matt Mangini each had three hits as well.

Mike Carp left the game after singling in the fourth inning. It turned out to be a cramp in his hamstring and he should be fine.

The second game of the four-game series is tonight at 6:05. Tacoma starts RHP Blake Beavan (1-0, 4.50) against Reno RHP Micah Owings (3-0, 2.81). It will be interesting to see if Reno manager Brett Butler uses a DH for Owings, who is the best hitting pitcher in baseball. The game will be broadcast live on 850 AM and streaming online here.

Links:

• The game ended so late I couldn’t get quotes, but here is my Rainiers game story for The News Tribune. The Reno newspaper’s account has quotes from Winfree.
• Michael Pineda tossed another gem and the Mariners swept the Detroit Tigers.
• Even Buster Olney is jumping on the Michael Pineda bandwagon (subscription required).
• Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo is heating up at the plate.
• In the PCL, Omaha won its 9th straight game by shutting out Iowa, 7-0. Eric Hosmer had four hits, Mike Moustakas pounded two homers, and Danny Duffy tossed six innings of one-hit, nine-strikeout ball.
• Salt Lake lost its series opener at home to Fresno, 5-4. Fresno closer Marc Kroon recorded his 200th professional save.
• Crazy game in Vegas: Sacramento hit three homers in the top of the 13th inning off former Rainiers reliever Chad Cordero and the River Cats won it, 13-9. Each team scored in the 11th and the game clocked in at 4:34.
• Tucson has a player who’s father pitched for the team 20 years ago. All Mike Clark remembers is the old Toros mascot, Tuffy the Taco.
• Las Vegas outfielders Dewayne Wise and Scott Podsednik reminisced about Wise’s perfect-game saving catch – one of the best any of us have ever seen.
• Oklahoma City’s Anderson Hernandez hit a 3-run homer to beat his former team in New Orleans.
• Memphis catcher Tommy Cruz singled home the winning run in the 10th inning to beat Round Rock, 6-5.
• Here’s a fun story on teams manipulating scoreboard radar gun readings to get an advantage.
• A couple of PCL players – but no Rainiers – appear in this week’s Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

OK, let’s see if we can get a more normal baseball game tonight – and hopefully one that ends with a Rainiers win.