Rainiers Go For…

I don’t want to jinx it.

We haven’t had one of these yet in 2015. It’s possible today. It’s time. You can feel it in the air, can’t you?

The Rainiers have a chance to (rhymes with tweep) the Round Rock Express. All they need to do is beat them today.

And this ain’t no chump squad. Round Rock is in first place in the American-South division. They entered this series on a 12-4 streak, and had a record of 30-16.

Now the Rainiers could take four straight.

First pitch is at 11:35.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Franklin Gutierrez hit the go-ahead three-run homer, Leon Landry went deep again, and Logan Kensing made an impact from the bullpen in his first game of the season as Tacoma beat Round Rock on Sunday afternoon, 6-3.

Today: Round Rock (30-19) at Tacoma (22-29), 11:35.

Opponent Affiliation: Round Rock is the Texas Rangers affiliate.

Season Series: Tacoma leads, 3-0.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Anthony Ranaudo (4-1, 2.70) at RHP Stephen Landazuri (0-1, 8.53)

Injury Update: Ketel Marte left yesterday’s game with a thumb injury on his left hand – he was getting x-rays after the game and no prognosis is available yet. Stefen Romero has missed nine straight games with a hip flexor. Reliever Edgar Olmos is away from the team as his wife just gave birth.

Hot Rainiers: Leon Landry has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, going 15-for-36, and he has hit three homers the past two days. Franklin Gutierrez is 13-for-30 over an eight-game hitting streak. Reliever Logan Bawcom has allowed just one run in his last 14.1 innings pitched.

Look Out For: Tyler Pastornicky is 5-for-8 with two doubles in the last two games, and he’s hit in 12 of 13 games since joining Round Rock on May 16th.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 11:20 AM (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• The Rainiers game story from The News Tribune is all about the possibility of getting a pweep. Or a mweep. Whatever – one of those things.
• The Mariners lost to Cleveland in 12 innings, 6-3. People will point to the pitching in the 12th inning, but Seattle had five hits. Five hits in 12 innings = a loss 99.9% of the time.
• Here’s an explanation of why the Indians played the game under protest (which no longer matters since they won).
• Uh-oh. The Mariners loss seemed to make my pal John McGrath a bit testy.
• It’s been tough in the big leagues this season for Dom Leone, Jayson Jenks writes.
• When asked why Mike Montgomery was scratched from his start for the Rainiers yesterday, Lloyd McClendon had a funny response.
• My alma mater lost a wild 12-inning game in the NCAA Regional last night.
• We don’t normally link to high school baseball stories, but when there is a modern-day version of Merkle’s Boner in a Washington state championship game, we sure do.
• Hey guys: vote for some Rainiers for the Triple-A All-Star Game, will ya? I strongly recommend Marte at SS – he’s been here longer and had a better year in the PCL than Correa and Seager (those two annihilated Double-A and then got moved up).
• In the PCL, the old lefty Barry Zito beat the young lefty Steven Matz, 1-0. This is a game I wish I was there to see. Nashville has won seven in a row.
• Oklahoma City starter Scott Baker helped Tacoma and everybody else in the Pac-North by tossing a complete game 4-1 victory over first-place Fresno. Top prospect Carlos Correa left this game early after a play at home plate – no reports yet on what happened.
• Sacramento whacked Colorado Springs 10-5 and the River Cats have won two straight after their franchise-record 10-game losing streak. Federal Way native and World Series hero Travis Ishikawa cleared waivers and will report to Sacramento.
• Hot-hitting Jamie Romak helped Reno top New Orleans, 4-3.
• Iowa scored seven runs in an inning, Javier Baez had three hits, and the I-Cubs won in El Paso, 8-4.
• Top prospect Jon Gray is starting to figure things out, but his bullpen couldn’t hang on in a 2-1 loss to visiting Omaha.
• Salt Lake’s game at Memphis was rained out and they’ll play two tonight. Your tickets are good to be exchanged for any future Memphis Redbirds home game except July 4.

After today’s game we go to a normal schedule of night games for the remainder of the week.

And hey: don’t forget to watch (or attend) tonight’s Yankees-Mariners game, which features two of the three most dominant Tacoma Rainiers pitchers I have ever seen. Michael Pineda against Felix Hernandez – should be quite the duel. If anyone watches this game with Ryan Anderson, please let me know.

Advertisement

Landry Leads Rainiers

Fairly new outfielder Leon Landry had a huge game as Tacoma topped Round Rock on Saturday evening, 7-3. It was the second straight win for the Rainiers.

Playing in just his 14th Triple-A game, Landry homered twice and made a terrific diving catch in right field. His first home run was a three-run blast which gave Tacoma a 4-0 lead in the third inning (part of a six-run Rainiers rally).

Landry has hit clean-up the last two days after doing it only one time previously in his 4.5-year professional career. He hasn’t been a power hitter in his career, but he’s been putting together good at-bats for the last two weeks so Cory Snyder decided to give him a shot in that spot. I’d say it worked.

Landry’s huge game overshadowed an effective outing by starter Forrest Snow, who allowed one run over six innings, and two more scoreless frames from hot reliever Logan Bawcom.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Leon Landry belted two home runs and made a diving catch to support starting pitcher Forrest Snow, and the Rainiers made it two straight wins with a 7-3 victory over Round Rock on Saturday.

Roster Moves: Prior to the game yesterday the Rainiers added pitchers Logan Kensing and James Gillheeney to the roster. Kensing was recently re-signed and has been working out at extended spring training; he was a PCL All-Star for Tacoma last year. Gillheeney returns to the club (for the first time this year) from Double-A Jackson.

Today: Round Rock (30-18) at Tacoma (21-29), 1:35.

Opponent Affiliation: Round Rock is the Texas Rangers affiliate.

Season Series: Tacoma leads, 2-0.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Alec Asher (0-0, 5.06) at LHP James Gillheeney (—)

Gillheeney is up from Double-A Jackson, where he went 3-1, 2.58 in 11 appearances (four starts). He’s starting in Mike Montgomery’s slot. Montgomery is “on hold” because the Mariners need a starter on Tuesday and they haven’t figured out what they are going to do yet. Since Montgomery is pitching well and is on the 40-man roster he’s a possibility to take that spot.

Injury Update: Stefen Romero has missed eight straight games with a hip flexor; he ran the bases and took batting practice yesterday.

Hot Rainiers: Leon Landry has hit safely in ten of his last 11 games, going 14-for-34. Franklin Gutierrez is 11-for-26 over his last seven games. Reliever Logan Bawcom has allowed just one run in his last 14.1 innings pitched.

Look Out For: Tyler Pastornicky went 3-for-5 yesterday, and he’s hit in 11 of 12 games since joining Round Rock on May 16th.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 1:20 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here. It’s a Sunday, so Pacific Northwest broadcasting legend Bob Robertson joins me on the air. Among his many accomplishments, he called Tacoma Giants television games in 1960.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• The Rainiers game story from The News Tribune focuses on Leon Landry.
• My Sunday Minor League Notebook for the paper looks at a teenage Mariners pitcher and some top prospects in the PCL.
• The Mariners dropped a 4-3 decision to Cleveland on Saturday and are a game under .500 again.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook reports that James Paxton won’t throw for two weeks.
• John McGrath writes that having a big payroll isn’t the most important thing in Major League Baseball. He also provides his power rankings.
• My alma mater won a ridiculous 14-inning game in the NCAA Regional.
• Ryan Divish took a tour of the Mariners competition in the AL West.
• Rainiers reliever Logan Bawcom gets a shout-out in this Q&A with Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard.
• Dude named Derek Fisher had 12 RBIs in one game for Lancaster in the California League. I wanted to see what a 12 looked like in the RBI column of a box score – check it out here.
• In the PCL, Sacramento’s long regional nightmare is over: the River Cats held on to beat Colorado Springs, 4-3, and end their franchise record ten-game losing streak.
• Starting pitching was the story as Fresno picked up a 2-1 win at Oklahoma City. Once again the dueling top prospects Carlos Correa and Corey Seager each went hitless. The Daily Oklahoman did a Q&A with PCL home run leader Jon Singleton.
• New Orleans ripped a hole in the sky above Aces Ballpark, 14-3.
• Nashville took down Las Vegas 6-1, and the Sounds have won six straight games.
• Salt Lake dropped a 6-2 decision at Memphis.
• A pair of rehabilitating Padres couldn’t come through with the bases loaded in El Paso’s 8-3 home loss to Iowa.
• Kyle Parker came a single away from hitting for the cycle in Albuquerque’s 9-5 win over Omaha.

Like day games? We have another on Monday: 11:35 AM first pitch at Cheney Stadium, to wrap-up the Round Rock series.

New Orleans comes in on Tuesday and they are currently slated to start ex-Rainiers pitcher Travis Blackley on Wednesday and Washington State Cougar Adam Conley on Friday.

Gaviglio Delivers Strong Start

Tacoma opened the eight-game homestand in style on Friday night, defeating Round Rock 5-3 behind a great start from Sam Gaviglio.

Gaviglio had never pitched a complete game or a shutout before, and he had a chance to do it on Friday – but he was going to need a very quick ninth. After eight innings, his pitch count was 98 – six higher than his previous season-high of 92.

Acting manager Cory Snyder let him start the inning, but Rougned Odor had a seven-pitch at-bat which ended with a double to start the inning. After Gaviglio got Jake Smolinski to line out, he was at 108 pitches and they decided to get him out of there.

The Express ended up scoring three runs in the ninth, but Tacoma held on for the win. Gaviglio was charged with one run in 8.1 innings – which was the longest start of his career.

—

Today should be the final day of the Rainiers graduation coaching carousel. Manager Pat Listach is still away for his son’s graduation, and pitching coach Jaime Navarro is missing tonight’s game to attend his daughter’s graduation.

For today’s game, Cory Snyder is the manager, Terry Clark the pitching coach, and Lee May Jr. the hitting coach. Clark and May are roving instructors in the Mariners farm system.

—

Here’s something cool: tonight is Tacoma Public Schools Night at Cheney Stadium, and the Rainiers are going to be wearing jerseys designed by middle schooler Tony Ngyuen. He won the contest for best design – his jerseys look sharp.

Read more about the contest, the winner, and what the purpose of this whole thing is right here.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Tacoma starter Sam Gaviglio had his best game of the year, carrying a shutout into the ninth inning of the Rainiers 5-3 win last night. Carlos Rivero hit a two-run triple for Tacoma, and Ketel Marte drove in two runs.

That Happened: After hitting two triples on Thursday in Omaha, Shawn O’Malley hit another one last night last night. That’s three triples in two days for O’Malley.

Roster Moves: Yesterday the Mariners called up two Tacoma relief pitchers: Lucas Luetge and Dom Leone, to fill in for James Paxton (disabled list) and Joe Beimel (restricted list for a few days). Tacoma did not immediately receive any replacements.

Today: Round Rock (30-17) at Tacoma (20-29), 5:05.

Opponent Affiliation: Round Rock is the Texas Rangers affiliate.

Season Series: Tacoma leads, 1-0.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Alec Asher (0-0, 5.06) at RHP Forrest Snow (1-4, 3.00)

Injury Update: Stefen Romero has missed seven straight games with a hip flexor; he said yesterday he’s feeling better.

Hot Rainiers: Franklin Gutierrez is 10-for-22 over his last six games. Reliever Logan Bawcom has allowed just one run in his last 12.1 innings pitched.

Look Out For:The Rainiers held Round Rock’s three hottest hitters hitless yesterday. Tyler Pastornicky, Jake Smolinski, and Ryan Strausborger each entered the series red-hot and went 0-for-yesterday.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 4:50 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• The Rainiers game story notes that Sam Gaviglio‘s long outing came at a very good time.
• Taijuan Walker brought his A-game and the Mariners edged the Cleveland Indians on Friday, 2-1.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook has the latest on James Paxton‘s injury and possible replacements in the starting rotation.
• In the PCL, top shortstop prospects Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are going head-to-head as Fresno opened a four-game series at Oklahoma City. Neither did anything last night, when Oklahoma City won the opener 2-1.
• Reno had a strong start from Robbie Ray and knocked off New Orleans, 4-2.
• They said the River Cats would stop winning when they switched from the A’s to the Giants, and so far that prediction appears true. Sacramento set a new franchise record with its tenth consecutive loss in an 8-3 defeat at Colorado Springs.
• In the Battle of Yohan, Albuquerque bludgeoned Omaha, 12-3. Yohan Flande got the win and Yohan Pino took the loss.
• El Paso cruised to a 14-2 win over the Iowa Cubs.
• Kyle Kubitza homered in the 12th inning to give Salt Lake a 5-3 win at Memphis.
• Nashville’s Chris Bassitt pitched well in a 2-1 victory over Las Vegas.

Rainiers Look For Home Cooking

Tacoma looks to turn things around at home after a tough Midwest road trip that saw the club go 2-6. The team went 1-3 in both Iowa and Omaha.

At least Iowa had the decency to throttle us. Omaha swiped two games with late rallies, including a 6-5 ten-inning game on Thursday in which Tacoma took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

The club hopes to get back on the right side with an eight-game homestand starting tonight against Round Rock and New Orleans.

Tacoma plays without manager Pat Listach tonight and tomorrow. He’s attending his son’s high school graduation, so hitting coach Cory Snyder will manage the game. By the way, Pat’s kid Blaine is the top prep high-jumper in the country and is going to Baylor next year.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Omaha stunned the Rainiers, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth to tie and then winning the game in the tenth on an RBI single by Lane Adams. It was a tense game – read the details in the story (first link below).

That Happened: Shawn O’Malley hit two triples last night. Two triples in one game is quite rare – and three is the PCL record. It’s only been done nine known times in 113 years of PCL baseball.

Today: Round Rock (30-16) at Tacoma (19-29), 7:05.

Opponent Affiliation: Round Rock is the Texas Rangers affiliate.

Season Series: First game tonight.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (4-2, 5.15) at RHP Sam Gaviglio (3-4, 5.63)

Injury Update: Stefen Romero has missed six straight games with a hip flexor; he’s listed as day-to-day. Also, reliever Edgar Olmos has been away from the team for the birth of his child; I heard he may rejoin the club today.

Hot Rainiers: Pat Kivlehan has hit safely in seven straight games – he’s 10-for-27 with two homers during the streak. Franklin Gutierrez is 10-for-22 over his last six games. Reliever Logan Bawcom has allowed just one run in his last 12.1 innings pitched.

Look Out For: Tyler Pastornicky, Jake Smolinski, and Ryan Strausborger are all red-hot for Round Rock. Really, we should look out for the Express as a whole: they lead their division, and they are 12-4 over their last 16 games.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 6:50 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• Here’s the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune, and the story from the Omaha newspaper covers the walk-off hit.
• The Mariners ran into strikeout machine Corey Kluber and lost to Cleveland, 5-3.
• There is encouraging news about Hisashi Iwakuma in Bob Dutton’s Christian Caple’s Mariners Notebook.
• In the PCL, Tacoma wasn’t the only team to get walked off. Joe Sclafani had the game-winner for Fresno in the 11th inning of a 5-4 win over Memphis.
• Iowa walked off Reno even more dramatically, when Matt Szczur launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Aces, 3-2.
• So Corey Seager is a little hot right now. Kyle’s bro went 6-for-6 with two doubles, a homer, and six RBI in Oklahoma City’s 14-11 win at Salt Lake yesterday. Salt Lake’s Andrew Heaney is waiting for the call to the show.
• Round Rock’s starter got scratched but they still knocked off El Paso, 5-3. Jake Smolinski hit a three-run homer.
• Nashville topped Sacramento 3-2 and completed a four-game road sweep, and the River Cats have lost nine in a row. Sacramento is feeling the on-field results of the affiliation change – I wonder if nine in a row is a franchise record?
• Kyle Parker had the big hit as Albuquerque rallied in the ninth to win at New Orleans, 4-2.
• Colorado Springs outfielder Shane Peterson homered twice in a 8-3 win at Las Vegas.

Rainiers Hope to Return Home On Positive Note

Tacoma lost Wednesday’s game in Omaha, 5-2, and is now 2-5 on the current eight-game road trip which ends tonight. Omaha hit a couple of two-run homers, including a big one in the eighth inning to break open a really tight game.

The good news is the Rainiers return home on Friday, starting an eight game homestand against Round Rock and New Orleans. The weather forecast is fantastic and it should be a fun time at Cheney Stadium this weekend and on into next week.

But there is one left in Omaha, and the Rainiers can still get a split of the Omaha series by bagging a win on Thursday.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Omaha’s Alex Rios and Brett Eibner each hit a two-run homer and the Storm Chasers downed Tacoma, 5-2.

Today: Tacoma (19-28) at Omaha (23-24), 4:35 (Pacific).

Opponent Affiliation: Omaha is the Kansas City Royals affiliate.

Season Series: Omaha leads, 2-1.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Justin Germano (3-2, 2.95) at RHP Andy Ferguson (1-1, 1.50)

Injury Update: Stefen Romero has missed five straight games with a hip flexor; he’s listed as day-to-day. Also, reliever Edgar Olmos is away from the team for the birth of his child; he’ll come back as soon as possible.

Hot Rainiers: Pat Kivlehan is 9-for-23 with two homers in his last six games. Franklin Gutierrez is 8-for-17 over his last five games. Reliever Logan Bawcom has allowed just one run in his last 12.1 innings pitched.

Look Out For: Rey Fuentes went 2-for-4 yesterday and hit the game-winning homer on Monday; he’s 10-for-17 in the last four games (and 7-for-12 in this series against Tacoma).

Local Guy: Rainier Beach HS and Green River CC product Matt Fields did not play for Omaha Wednesday.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 4:20 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• We start with the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune. The story from the Omaha paper focuses on hot-hitting Rey Fuentes.
• The Mariners finished off their road trip with a 3-0 win at Tampa, completing a three-game series sweep. Nelson Cruz homered and Felix pitched a shutout.
• Felix’s curveball is back, Jeff Sullivan writes.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook continues to look at the Mariners upcoming roster situation.
• Larry Stone writes that it is time for the Mariners to change closers.
• In the PCL, Ehire Adrianza has been a hot hitter for Sacramento, but his River Cats lost their eighth in a row when a rehabbing Jake Peavey got hit hard by Nashville.
• Reno swept Iowa in a doubleheader and goes for a road series sweep today.
• Tim Cooney tossed a gem and Memphis won at Fresno, 6-1. Meanwhile, the Astros aren’t sure what to do with Fresno starter Brett Oberholtzer.
• Colorado Springs blasted the Las Vegas 51s, 11-1.
• Round Rock built a big lead and hung on for an 8-6 win over El Paso.
• After 27 scoreless innings, Albuquerque finally put some runs on the board but then lost to New Orleans in a pinch.
• In his first game back from the big leagues, C.J. Cron helped Salt Lake beat Oklahoma City, 6-2.
• Ex-Rainiers slugger Carlos Peguero was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox and he’ll stay in the majors for now.

It’s the last game of the trip. The team flies home super-early on Friday morning and settles in for the eight-game homestand.

Ninth Inning Rally Ends Streak

Tacoma snapped a 3-3 tie by manufacturing a run in the ninth inning and ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 win at Omaha on Tuesday night.

Tacoma was up 3-0 in the middle of the sixth, because of a two-out, two-run triple by James Jones in the fifth and a two-out, RBI double by Pat Kivlehan in the sixth.

Two-time defending PCL champion Omaha scored twice in the sixth, but Tacoma starter Mike Montgomery finished the inning and left with a 3-2 lead (it was a valiant start by Montgomery, who has been sick – see the first link below).

Omaha literally stole a run against the unaware Rainiers in the seventh, tying the game. But Tacoma had a rally left.

Leon Landry led off the ninth with a single, and Kivlehan followed with a single of his own. John Hicks bunted the runners up, and Carlos Rivero delivered with a sac fly on a 3-1 count to drive in Landry.

Dom Leone survived a two-out threat in the bottom of the inning, getting the last out to secure the win.

It all added up to a much-needed win for the Rainiers.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: The Rainiers manufactured a run in the ninth inning and topped Omaha, 4-3, ending a four-game losing streak.

Roster Move: In order to make room for Danny Farquhar on the Tacoma roster, pitcher Andrew Kittredge was transferred to Double-A Jackson prior to last night’s game.

Today: Tacoma (19-27) at Omaha (22-24), 4:35 (Pacific).

Opponent Affiliation: Omaha is the Kansas City Royals affiliate.

Season Series: Tied, 1-1.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Stephen Landazuri (0-0, 10.57) at LHP John Lamb (4-1, 3.55)

Injury Update: Stefen Romero has missed four straight games with a hip flexor; he’s listed as day-to-day. Also, reliever Edgar Olmos is away from the team for the birth of his child; he’ll come back as soon as possible.

Hot Rainiers: Pat Kivlehan is 8-for-19 with two homers in his last five games. Speedy Leon Landry has hit safely in seven straight and started the game-winning rally in the ninth yesterday. Franklin Gutierrez is 7-for-14 over his last four games, but he left Tuesday’s game with dizziness.

Look Out For: Rey Fuentes went 3-for-4 yesterday after hitting the game-winning homer on Monday; he’s 11-for-20 over his last five games. And while he hasn’t played yet in this series, catcher Francisco Pena (Tony’s kid) hit 27 homers for the PCL champions last year, but he’s off to a slow start in 2015. That being said, he has hit safely in four straight games and ripped his second HR of the season against Reno on Friday.

Local Guy: Rainier Beach HS and Green River CC product Matt Fields went 2-for-3 with a double yesterday for Omaha.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 4:20 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• The Rainiers game story has reaction from Leon Landry and manager Pat Listach. The article from the Omaha newspaper describes the longest single in Werner Park history, which was hit by Brett Eibner last night.
• The Mariners survived a wild ride in Tampa on Tuesday night, earning a 7-6 win. Kyle Seager homered twice, including a grand slam. They play an early game today.
• In Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook, we learn that Danny Hultzen is on the disabled list at Double-A Jackson. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t pitch again until after the all-star break.
• In this notes column, Ryan Divish details an excellent defensive play Brad Miller made in left field to save a run on Monday.
• Today is the 24th anniversary of the most famous play in PCL history. Tim Hagerty has the story on the camera man who was lucky to get the famed video.
• In the PCL, Barry Zito returned to Raley Field and pitched six shutout innings in Nashville’s 3-0 win over Sacramento. The River Cats have lost seven in a row.
• Carlos Correa doubled and homered in Fresno’s 5-2 win over Memphis. Fresno first baseman Jon Singleton leads the minors in home runs and RBI, but he’s currently battling a sore ankle.
• Reno got rained out at Iowa, and they’ll play two today.
• The Salt Lake Bees’ bullpen includes graduates of Stanford and Harvard – making for an unlikely mix << good story alert! Salt Lake got hammered by Corey Seager and Oklahoma City last night, 11-5.
• Top prospect Steven Matz delivered seven scoreless innings as Las Vegas smoked Colorado Springs, 9-1. Matz is 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA.
• A day after the field was flooded, Round Rock split a doubleheader with visiting El Paso.
• New Orleans shut out Albuquerque in both games of a doubleheader. The Topes haven’t scored a run in 22 innings.
• Over in the International League, Durham’s Corey Brown hit the bull and won a free steak. Video.

Let’s see if the Rainiers can make it two in a row.

Omaha Hands Tacoma Memorable Loss

Omaha gave the Rainiers something to remember on Memorial Day, stunning Tacoma with five runs in the eighth to win 8-5.

This one felt like a Tacoma win. The Rainiers built the lead when Jesus Montero hit a two-out, two-run double in the third inning. Tacoma took a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning stretch.

Omaha scored one run in the bottom of the seventh, but Tony Zych got a big double play grounder to escape a jam.

Mayckol Guaipe was summoned for the eighth, and he’s had an excellent season so far. Here’s what happened:

• Batter grounds out.
• Rainiers drop a routine pop fly, batter reaches first.
• Dusty Coleman hits his second career Triple-A home run, 5-5 tie.
• Batter reaches on infield single off glove of diving third baseman.
• Rey Fuentes lines two-run homer to right field, Omaha leads 7-5

Omaha added another run, and the Rainiers lost their fourth in a row and dropped a season-worst nine games under .500

Here are some bad stats that can’t continue (Right? They can’t possibly continue): during the four-game losing streak, Tacoma has allowed 38 runs on 60 hits. That’s 9.5 runs and 15 hits per game. Yikes.

Hopefully things will turn around tonight. Omaha is the two-time defending Triple-A Champion, but they are only 22-23 this year.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Omaha stunned Tacoma, overcoming a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the eighth when Dusty Coleman and Rey Fuentes each hit two-run homers in the inning. Neither player is a power hitter.

Roster Move: Seattle activated Austin Jackson from the disabled list and optioned reliever Danny Farquhar to Tacoma.

Today: Tacoma (18-27) at Omaha (22-23), 4:35 (Pacific).

Opponent Affiliation: Omaha is the Kansas City Royals affiliate.

Season Series: Omaha leads, 1-0.

Starting Pitchers: LHP Mike Montgomery (3-4, 3.83) at RHP Aaron Brooks (3-3, 3.76)

Montgomery has been sick this week; we hope he is recovered enough to give the Rainiers a much-needed start of decent length. Brooks went 12-3, 3.88 for Omaha last year, then he tossed a complete game shutout in Game Five of the PCL Championship Series against Reno.

Injury Update: Stefen Romero has missed three straight games with a hip flexor; he’s listed as day-to-day. Also, reliever Edgar Olmos is away from the team for the birth of his child; he’ll come back as soon as possible.

Hot Rainiers: Pat Kivlehan is 6-for-15 with two homers in his last four games. Speedy Leon Landry has hit safely in six straight and is walking at a good clip. Franklin Gutierrez is 6-for-12 over his last three games.

Look Out For: Rey Fuentes hit the game-winning homer yesterday; he’s 8-for-16 over his last four games. And while he didn’t play yesterday, catcher Francisco Pena (Tony’s kid) hit 27 homers for the PCL champions last year, but he’s off to a slow start in 2015. That being said, he has hit safely in four straight games and ripped his second HR of the season against Reno on Friday.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 4:20 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• The Rainiers game story includes comments from manager Pat Listach. The story from the Omaha paper has perspective from Rey Fuentes and manager Brian Poldberg.
• Robinson Cano had a pair of key hits and Roenis Elias tossed a gem in the Mariners win at Tampa on Monday night.
• Ryan Divish has more on the Mariners roster move and what is going to happen later this week.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook includes his thoughts on the upcoming tough roster decision.
• This week’s edition of The 30 from Jonah Keri swings back around to the Mariners.
• Here’s a fun report on a road trip to the Mariners new Bakersfield affiliate.
• In the PCL, Memphis is red-hot. The Redbirds reeled off their eighth straight win, taking down first-place Fresno 5-1 in the series opener. Fresno Bee columnist Marek W. says the real show in Fresno occurs during batting practice.
• For four days, the Oakland A’s are back at Raley Field. The River Cats honored alum Barry Zito, then got shut out by Nashville 5-0.
• Reno’s Jamie Romak homered in an 8-3 win at Iowa. The story focuses on still-red-hot Iowa Cubbie Taylor Davis.
• Las Vegas lefty Duane Below pitched his first career complete game and shutout in his last start, which came against Tacoma. Then yesterday he tossed another CG in a 9-2 win over Colorado Springs.
• Corey Seager hit his first two Triple-A home runs in Oklahoma City’s 6-1 win at Salt Lake.
• Round Rock’s field was flooded, so the Express will host El Paso in a doubleheader today.
• Second verse, same as the first: Albuquerque was rained out at New Orleans and they are playing two today.
• ESPN’s Keith Law updated his Top 25 Prospects list and the No. 1 and No. 2 spots go to players in the PCL (Insider access required for link).

Looks like we’ll be dodging rain showers in Omaha tonight. This is no place for a rainout – let’s get ’em in.

On To Omaha

Post-game travel yesterday coupled with the early game today means we get straight to the round-up. The Rainiers face the two-time defending PCL champion Omaha Storm Chasers in a four-game series starting today.

But before we do that, let’s all take a moment to honor our fallen heroes on Memorial Day. Everyone in baseball appreciates this date, knowing that we have fortunate and – in the big picture – frivolous jobs that are only possible because of the freedoms our country allows.

Now, let’s get to the baseball.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: The Rainiers are happy to leave Iowa after dropping three straight games to end the series, including a 7-4 decision on Sunday. Jesus Montero and Pat Kivlehan each hit two-run homers to account for the Tacoma offense.

Today: Tacoma (18-26) at Omaha (21-23), 10:05 AM (Pacific).

Opponent Affiliation: Omaha is the Kansas City Royals affiliate.

Season Series: First game today.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Forrest Snow (1-4, 2.88) at RHP Clayton Mortensen (2-4, 6.67)

A Pacific Northwest collegiate battle: Snow is a University of Washington alum, and Mortensen was drafted out of Gonzaga in 2007.

Hot Rainiers: Pat Kivlehan has homered in back-to-back games and is 5-for-12 over his past three outings. Franklin Gutierrez is 5-for-8 over the last two games, though he did not play Sunday’s day game on a routine day off.

Look Out For: Catcher Francisco Pena (Tony’s kid) hit 27 homers for the PCL champions last year, but he’s off to a slow start in 2015. That being said, he has hit safely in four straight games and ripped his second HR of the season against Reno on Friday.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 9:50 AM (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• All of the details on Tacoma’s loss to Iowa on Sunday can be found in the game story. The Iowa newspaper story involves the two homers hit by top prospect Javier Baez.
• Taijuan Walker tossed four scoreless innings but got hit in the fifth and took the loss to Toronto on Sunday, 8-2. My opinion: Walker has special talent but needs time to learn to use it in the majors, he can’t learn what he needs to against Triple-A hitters, and the M’s need to ride it out with him in Seattle.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook discusses Carson Smith settling in to the primary set-up role.
• Welp, this was unexpected: Robinson Cano is in a slump.
• John McGrath has a notes column which includes items on Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon and Fresno super prospect Carlos Correa.
• In the PCL, Omaha was going for a four-game sweep of Reno but they got blasted in the series finale, 12-3. Peter O’Brien was 3-for-4 with a double, homer, and three RBIs.
• Meanwhile, Memphis successfully pulled off the rare road four-game series sweep with a 5-4 win at Sacramento.
• First-place Fresno picked up a 5-3 win over Nashville as Jon Singleton homered off rehabilitating Sean Doolittle. However, Fresno columnist Marek W. suggests the Grizzlies might be trade bait.
• Cody Decker homered twice and drove in six runs as El Paso won big at New Orleans, 10-3.
• Salt Lake keeps winning, picking up a 9-8 win over Colorado Springs on Sunday.
• Round Rock swept a doubleheader from Albuquerque and continues to build its lead in the American-South.
• Oklahoma City’s Zach Lee tossed a gem in a 2-0 win and the Dodgers took three-of-four from Las Vegas.

OK, I’ve got to go shotgun coffee (is that a Memorial Day tradition?) and get ready for this broadcast.

Rainiers Look To Slow Down I-Cubs

The Iowa Cubs are speeding right now, and the Rainiers will turn to Sam Gaviglio to try to slow ’em down in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

Iowa went into Friday’s game ranked 14th among the 16 PCL teams in runs scored, and then they beat Tacoma 10-9. They improved upon that Saturday, tallying 16 hits and wiping out the Rainiers 13-7.

That’s 23 runs on 33 hits the last two days – all after the Rainiers won the opener on Thursday night by the normal baseball score of 5-3.

Tacoma can still escape this town with a split if they win today. They need a good pitching performance to get it done.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Iowa jumped out early and scored five runs in the first two innings, eventually building an 8-1 lead after six. As has been happening all year, the Rainiers fought back. Pat Kivlehan‘s two-run homer in the eighth made it 8-5, and the Rainiers loaded the bases with two outs but didn’t add more. Iowa scored five in the bottom of the eighth and that was that.

Today: Tacoma (18-25) at Iowa (21-20), 11:05 AM (Pacific).

Opponent Affiliation: Iowa is the Chicago Cubs affiliate.

Season Series: Iowa leads, 2-1.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Sam Gaviglio (3-3, 5.23) at RHP Donn Roach (5-0, 1.97)

As you can see from the stats, Roach has been Iowa’s ace so far. He was with both El Paso and the San Diego Padres last year and mostly pitched out of the bullpen. The Cubs made a waiver claim to get him in November and so far that looks like an excellent move.

Hot Rainiers: We’ll keep Marte in here, but Franklin Gutierrez is 5-for-8 over the last two games, and he laced a sharp double to the opposite field last night. Ketel Marte leads the PCL with a .351 batting average; his 60 hits also tops the circuit.

Look Out For: Seriously, someone needs to check on Iowa’s Taylor Davis and see if he is human, because this is ridiculous. He hit two more doubles yesterday and is 13-for-20 with nine doubles during a five-game hitting streak. Nine doubles! Maybe you should try to stretch one into a triple, Davis, just to see what happens.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 10:50 AM (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• The Rainiers game story from The News Tribune notes that Justin Germano allowed just six runs in the first six weeks of the season – and then eight yesterday.
• Pat Listach is a popular man in Iowa.
• My Minor League Notebook for the TNT looks at Seattle native Blake Snell and new Rainiers reliever Tony Zych.
• Willie Bloomquist has a long history of hitting Mark Buerhle well, and he proved it in the Mariners 3-2 win at Toronto on Saturday.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook informs us that (among other things) Fernando Rodney is 60-for-64 in save opportunities since joining the Mariners. The Experience has been adventurous, but highly successful.
• Lots of good comments from John McGrath in his weekly MLB power rankings.
• Ryan Divish has an excellent Mariners minor league overview, including a lead segment on why first-round pick Alex Jackson was pulled out of Class-A Clinton.
• Mariners catcher Mike Zunino talked to Esquire about getting beat up behind the plate.
• In the PCL, Robbie Grossman gave Fresno a dramatic 3-2 win over Nashville in the 11th inning.
• Sacramento lost its fourth in a row – this one by a 6-4 decision to Memphis.
• Omaha starter Andy Ferguson had a career-high ten strikeouts in a 7-1 win over visiting Reno.
• New Orleans had a strong start by Justin Nicolino and a big game from first baseman Brady Shoemaker in a 4-2 win over El Paso. There has been some drama concerning the future of El Paso manager Pat Murphy.
• Alfredo Marte had a big game at the plate in Salt Lake’s 3-2 win over Colorado Springs.
• Oklahoma City emerged from Vegas with a 6-4 win last night.
• Round Rock’s home game against Albuquerque was rained out, and they’ll play a doubleheader today. Josh Hamilton is done rehabbing – he’s on his way to join the Texas Rangers.

After today’s game the Rainiers take a quick bus ride to Omaha (it’s only 2.5 hours away) and get ready for the Memorial Day game on Monday at 10:05 AM (Pacific).

Rainiers Fall In Ninth At Iowa

Tacoma suffered one of the tougher loses you can get in baseball on Friday night, coming back from a huge deficit to tie the game, then missing out on a chance to take the lead before losing in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out walk-off hit.

Iowa scored seven runs in the second inning, grabbing a 7-3 lead. It was a 9-5 Iowa advantage after Javier Baez homered in the fourth.

But the Rainiers bullpen went into shutdown mode (particularly Logan Bawcom, who pitched three highly efficient shutout innings), and Tacoma tied the game in the seventh.

Leury Bonilla singled in the tying run, which also loaded the bases with one out in the 7th. Tacoma had a great chance to take the lead, but Iowa reliever Gonzalez Germen struck out Austin Jackson and James Jones to escape with the tie still intact.

Then with two outs in the bottom of the ninth – after Bawcom and Mayckol Guaipe had combined to retire 13 straight batters – Iowa had three straight singles, including the game-winner by Rafael Lopez.

It was a tough one for Tacoma, but the Rainiers will try to bounce back today with Justin Germano on the mound. Germano ranks second in the PCL in earned run average.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Tacoma overcame Iowa’s seven-run second inning, tied the game 9-9, and then lost in the bottom of the ninth on three straight two-out singles. Rafael Lopez had the game-winning hit.

Today: Tacoma (18-24) at Iowa (20-20), 5:05 (Pacific).

Opponent Affiliation: Iowa is the Chicago Cubs affiliate.

Season Series: Tied, 1-1.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Justin Germano (3-1, 1.46) at RHP Dallas Beeler (0-3, 10.53)

Hot Rainiers: Ketel Marte had three hits and surged back into PCL lead with a .353 batting average; his 59 hits tops the circuit. Jesus Montero has two hits and four walks in the first two games of the Iowa series.

Look Out For: Iowa’s Taylor Davis didn’t hit any doubles yesterday, but he had three singles. He’s 11-for-15 with seven doubles during a four-game hitting streak. Javier Baez is batting .375 (15-for-40) with two homers in his last 11 games.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 4:50 (Pacific) on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here.

PCL Scoreboard: Follow all Pacific Coast League games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.

Links:

• Manager Pat Listach shook off the tough loss, calling it a typical PCL game in the Rainiers game story. The story from the Des Moines Register focuses on outfielder Matt Szczur.
• Felix Hernandez became baseball’s first seven-game winner as the Mariners topped Toronto on Friday night, 4-3.
• Excellent (albeit long) article by Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh on the development of Nelson Cruz, who went from Triple-A slugger to MLB superstar.
• Bob Dutton’s Mariners Notebook includes updates on some former Rainiers players now with Toronto.
• In the PCL, Omaha launched five homers in a 10-8 win over Reno. Of note: Tacoma has not yet played any of its 16 games against Reno, but this Peter O’Brien fellow is putting up huge numbers for the Aces. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a homer yesterday, and is batting .342-10-41. He’s a Triple-A rookie.
• A rehabbing Ben Zobrist helped Nashville topple Fresno, 7-2. Sean Doolittle also appeared for Nashville – meaning the Oakland A’s are closer to getting healthy.
• Memphis scored three runs in the ninth inning to claim an 8-6 win at Sacramento.
• El Paso swept a doubleheader at New Orleans. Each game was 4-1, and the Zephyrs had a total of just five hits on the day.
• Former Salt Lake outfielder Matt Long helped his new team Colorado Springs beat the Bees, 7-2.
• Chris Heisey belted his tenth homer and Oklahoma City downed Las Vegas, 6-3.
• Albuquerque’s Drew Stubbs is in a familiar place as he tries to find his swing. His Isotopes edged Round Rock, 5-4.

There was a farmer’s market right outside of our hotel this morning. Because we are in Iowa, I was expecting the most extraordinary farmer’s market I had ever seen. I anticipated piles and piles of corn, live bovines, the whole thing. Instead, it was a total disappointment. Come on, Iowa – show me something!