O’Neill Leads Rainiers To Win

Tyler O’Neill had the big hits as the Rainiers picked up a come-from-behind 5-3 win over Fresno on Wednesday afternoon.

It was nice to see the 21-year-old outfield prospect come through in key situations, as it is no secret that his first Triple-A season hasn’t gone well for the opening seven weeks.

But things might be changing for the Mariners top position player prospect.

O’Neill has reached base via hit or walk in 11 of his last 12 games. His average is up to .221 – which is the highest it has been since the first week of the season.

Yesterday he doubled down the third base line, driving in a pair of runs to tie the game in the fifth inning.

He came up again with the score tied 3-3 in the seventh, and he lined a go-ahead homer to left field. It was his fourth home run of the season, and his first since April 24. He finished the game 2-for-5, with three RBI.

Let’s see if he can keep it going as he continues to adjust to Triple-A pitching.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

Yesterday: Tyler O’Neill broke out with a pair of big hits and the Rainiers had terrific relief work in a 5-3 win over Fresno on Wednesday afternoon. Kyle Hunter pitched 3.1 shutout innings of relief to earn the win. Danny Muno went 4-for-4, and Tyler Smith was 3-for-4.

Roster Moves: Yesterday the Mariners called up pitcher Rob Whalen and optioned reliever Emilio Pagan to Tacoma. They also claimed outfielder Andrew Aplin off waivers from the Houston Astros, and assigned him to Tacoma. Aplin has played in 248 career PCL games, all with Fresno, and has hit .245/.342/.329 but he is a good defensive outfielder. Pitcher Chris Heston was designated for assignment and is currently on waivers. The Mariners have surprisingly transferred hot-hitting Dario Pizzano and Seth Mejias-Brean to Double-A Arkansas, so more moves must be in the works. These guys have been hitting in the middle of the lineup and got sent down!

Today: Fresno (18-29) at Tacoma (29-16), 7:05.

Opponent Affiliation: Houston Astros.

Season Series: Tacoma leads, 2-0.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Mike Hauschild (0-1, 9.42) at RHP Andrew Moore (1-0, 4.34).

Hot Rainiers: Danny Muno has gone 9-for-17 with five RBI during a four-game hitting streak… Leonys Martin has reached base safely in 11 straight games… reliever Ryne Harper hasn’t allowed a run over his last seven appearances, covering 8.2 innings pitched… Mark Lowe has gone six appearances without allowing a run, spanning 6.1 IP – and also his velocity seems to have picked up a little bit.

Look Out For: Outfielder Derek Fisher is considered the top prospect among the position players on the club; he’s hitting .314 with ten homers… first baseman A.J. Reed was touted as a top prospect entering the 2016 season but fell off; he’s performing better in the PCL this year… Tyler White is 5-for-7 over the first two games of this series.

Local Guys and Ex-Rainiers: Casey Coleman was a productive reliever for Tacoma last year; he’s in Fresno’s starting rotation right now… reliever Aaron West was drafted out of the University of Washington in 2012, he’s a product of Snohomish High School.

Broadcast: The pregame show starts at 6:50 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 News Tribune’s John McGrath was at the Rainiers game yesterday, and he wrote about new infielder Danny Muno.
• The Mariners lost to the Nationals on Wednesday night, 5-1. Three takeaways from the game.
• James Paxton will be making a rehabilitation start for Double-A Arkansas tomorrow.

PCL Game Reports:

• A new pitcher helped Iowa shut out Reno yesterday, 5-0. That gives Tacoma a two-game lead over the Aces.
• El Paso topped Salt Lake in ten innings, 5-4, with Rocky Gale getting the go-ahead RBI double. Should note that El Paso’s Dinelson Lamet got called up to make his MLB debut tonight – against the Mets.
• Memphis outfielder Todd Cunningham went 4-for-4 in a 9-5 win at Sacramento.
• Paul Blackburn and Nashville shut out Omaha, 4-0. Outfielder Terrance Gore is hoping to get hot for the Storm Chasers.
• Albuquerque trailed Oklahoma City 8-3 in the bottom of the ninth, and walked away with a 9-8 victory after a wild comeback. The tying and winning runs scored on a throwing error by pitcher Brandon Morrow.
• The Baby Cakes ripped five homers – two by Destin Hood – in a 14-4 win at Colorado Springs. The paper has a feature on Sky Sox first baseman Garrett Cooper.
• Dillon Gee fanned nine over six shutout innings and Round Rock beat Las Vegas, 3-1.