Rainiers Home This Week For Brief Respite

Tacoma opens a four-game homestand tonight against a struggling Albuquerque Isotopes team, and you should try to make it out to the ballpark this week because it’s your last chance for a little while.

After this four-game series, Tacoma embarks upon its longest road trip of the season: a 12-day, 13-game three-city jaunt which starts on Friday. In total, Tacoma is playing 18-out-of-22 games on the road, which is the toughest stretch of the 2018 schedule in terms of away games.

The Rainiers missed out on an opportunity to win the Fresno series, dropping the final game on Sunday afternoon before flying home. There were a lot of missed scoring opportunities early in the game, and a shortage of available relief pitchers hurt down the stretch.

Let’s see if the Rainiers can pick up some wins here at home!

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma missed out on multiple early scoring opportunities before allowing some late home runs in an 11-5 loss at Fresno on Sunday. Zach Vincej belted Tacoma’s second grand slam of the season in the fifth inning. Fresno won the series, three games to two.

ROSTER MOVE: Prior to yesterday’s game the Rainiers placed RHP Ryan Garton on the disabled list and brought RHP Lindsey Caughel back from Double-A Arkansas.

TODAY: Albuquerque (9-15) at Tacoma (12-11), 6:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Colorado Rockies.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 3-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Max Povse (1-3, 8.31) at LHP Sam Howard (1-3, 5.68)

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann has drawn at least one walk in 11 straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has reached base in ten straight games… Dan Vogelbach has homered in back-to-back games… Danny Muno was 4-for-14 with seven walks in the Fresno series.

OPPONENT NEWS: Albuquerque was in danger of being swept at home in a five-game series, but managed to beat Las Vegas 7-6 on Sunday to avoid that fate. After starting the season 5-2, Albuquerque has lost 13 of the last 17 games… Daniel Castro has the longest hitting streak in the minor leagues, a 22-game run that started immediately after he went 0-for-4 on Opening Night… Mike Tauchman has hit safely in seven straight games since being optioned to Albuquerque by the Rockies.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Isotopes have added former Rainiers and Mariners utility man Shawn O’Malley, who signed with the Rockies during spring training but was injured during spring training.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 5:50 on South Sound Talk 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 Mariners bombed the Cleveland Indians again, this time by a score of 10-4, and completed a remarkable 7-3 road trip on Sunday. Seattle scored 32 runs with ten homers in the four-game series at Cleveland. The M’s are 16-11, which is the most April wins the team has accumulated since 2003.
• On the injury front, Hisashi Iwakuma pulled himself out of a simulated game the other day, which is not good.
• While the situation is still fluid, it appears that Shoei Ohtani is going to pitch at Safeco this weekend.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

ALBUQUERQUE 7, Las Vegas 6 – the Isotopes avoided being swept in a five-game series at home as opening day starter Yency Almonte pitched more than one inning for the first time this season. Story from Albuquerque.

Salt Lake 6, EL PASO 4 – the bashing Bees hit four home runs, two of them by Ryan Schimpf. Story from MiLB.com.

SACRAMENTO 7, Reno 6 – this game was tied 6-6 before Sacramento loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Eury Perez singled home the game-winner.

MEMPHIS 6, Round Rock 1 – new Memphis starter Ryan Helsley struck out nine over seven innings, allowing just one run to earn the win in his Triple-A debut.

OKLAHOMA CITY 5, Iowa 3 – this is getting silly, as Oklahoma City is now 12-0 in home games. Breyvic Valera homered and drove in three runs. Recap from Oklahoma City.

COLORADO SPRINGS 7, Omaha 3 – outfielder Kyle Wren his two doubles and drove in a pair of runs for the Sky Sox.

NASHVILLE 7, New Orleans 2 – the Sounds banged out a dozen hits, with Dustin Fowler leading the way. Fowler doubled, tripled, and homered. Story from cycle-loving MiLB.com.

Interesting: home teams went 7-1 on getaway day in the PCL.

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Rainiers Have Chance To Win Tough Road Series

Early game – noon start, and immediately afterwards the Rainiers head to the airport and fly home for the quick little four-game homestand which begins Monday evening. Let’s get right to it!

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma methodically pounded out ten hits, drew five walks, hit a couple of homers, and had excellent relief pitching in a 7-3 win over Fresno on Saturday night. The series is tied, 2-2, which is quite a boon for Tacoma after dropping the first two games.

TODAY: Tacoma (12-10) at Fresno (15-8), 12:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Houston Astros.

SEASONS SERIES: Fresno leads, 4-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Rob Whalen (3-0, 3.09) at RHP Francis Marte (0-1, 6.91)

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann is 12-for-27 with a grand slam, 12 walks, and ten RBI over his last nine games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has reached base in ten straight games; I like it when he tries to bunt against the shift… Ian Miller has a five-game hitting streak… Danny Muno is 4-for-12 with four walks in the Fresno series.

OPPONENT NEWS: Tyler White has reached base safely in all 22 games he has played in this season… catcher Tim Federowicz has nine hits during a five-game hitting streak… A.J. Reed has homered in back-to-back games, giving him three on the season. He led all of the minors and won the Joe Bauman Award with 34 homers last year.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are no former Rainiers or local players on the Fresno roster.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 11:50 on South Sound Talk 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 Times has a brief recap of the Rainiers win.
• The Mariners hit four homers and blasted the Cleveland Indians, 12-4. They are 6-3 on a ten-game road trip which ends today. It’s been a very positive April for the Mariners, who are now 15-11.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

Reno 10, SACRAMENTO 7 – Reno treated this road game like it was being played at Greater Nevada Launching Pad, knocking 16 hits. Catcher Michael Perez went 4-for-4 with his first homer of the season.

EL PASO 7, Salt Lake 2 – tied 2-2, El Paso scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth. Diego Goris hit a three-run homer during the rally. Keep an eye on 23-year-old Padres sleeper prospect Brett Kennedy, who has made five starts and has a 1.29 ERA – and all five starts have been in extreme hitter’s ballparks.

Las Vegas 7, ALBUQUERQUE 5 – PCL veteran Zach Borenstein homered and drove in three runs to lead Las Vegas to its fourth straight win. The Isotopes come to Cheney Stadium tomorrow for four games, and they have some serious pitching issues. Story from Albuquerque.

OKLAHOMA CITY 7, Iowa 1 – that makes the Dodgers an amazing 11-0 in home games this season. That should sell some season tickets, right? Rocky Gale homered and drove in two runs.

Round Rock 7, MEMPHIS 5 – Express right fielder Scott Heineman went 4-for-5 with a double and a triple, and the Round Rock bullpen pitched 5.2 shutout innings. Recap from Memphis.

New Orleans 8, NASHVILLE 6 – Marlins prospect Magneuris Sierra went 4-for-5 with a double and a triple to lead the Cakes to the win.

COLORADO SPRINGS 3, Omaha 2 – Michael Brady and Aaron Brooks handled the majority of the pitching for the Springs in a rare low-scoring game at Security Service Field.

Heredia’s Return Helps Spark Rainiers

Tacoma played a terrific game on Friday night in Fresno, getting big contributions from several players in a tight 3-1 win.

One player who provided a lift was outfielder Guillermo Heredia, who surprisingly appeared in the starting lineup just two days after being hit on the hand by a pitch.

Leading off Wednesday’s game, Heredia was hit on the left knuckles by a pitch. He continued the at-bat (the umpire called it a foul ball and not a hit-by-pitch for reasons which are still unclear), popped up to the first baseman, and then was removed from the game.

Afterwards on Wednesday, Heredia said he had no broken bones but the hand was giving him a lot of pain. Manager Pat Listach said Heredia checked out fine but was going to need a few days off.

Well, a few in this case was one: after sitting out Thursday, Heredia was right back in there as the leadoff man on Friday night.

He opened the game by pulling a double down the left field line, starting a two-run rally which gave Tacoma a much-needed first inning lead.

All told, Heredia reached base four times: the double, a single, a walk, and once on an error. He scored a run, and he made all of the plays in center field.

It was good to have him back.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma edged Fresno, 3-1, behind a strong pitching performance. Casey Lawrence started and went five innings, Roenis Elias made his return to Tacoma with a pair of scoreless innings, and then Mike Morin and Erik Goeddel finished things up. Cameron Perkins drove in all three runs.

ROSTER MOVE: One additional roster move was made yesterday: pitcher Ashton Goudeau (ankle) was placed on the disabled list, and pitcher Tyler Jackson was brought back from Class-A Modesto.

TODAY: Tacoma (11-10) at Fresno (15-7), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Houston Astros.

SEASONS SERIES: Fresno leads, 4-2.

PITCHERS: LHP Ariel Miranda (0-0, 7.04) at RHP Mike Hauschild (2-1, 4.29)

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann was off yesterday; he is 11-for-23 with a grand slam, 11 walks, and nine RBI over his last eight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has reached base in nine straight games… Ian Miller has a four-game hitting streak… Danny Muno is 4-for-9 with three walks in the Fresno series.

OPPONENT NEWS: Third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis has hit safely in ten of 13 games since being optioned from Houston… Tyler White has reached base safely in all 21 games he has played in this season… catcher Tim Federowicz has nine hits during a five-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are no former Rainiers or local players on the Fresno roster.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 6:50 on South Sound Talk 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 Mariners lost in Cleveland on Friday, 6-5. There is concern about Erasmo Ramirez, who says he feels fine physically but his pitches are lacking his usual speed and movement.
• Edwin Diaz leads the majors in saves.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

SACRAMENTO 6, Reno 4 – Steven Duggar and Chris Shaw each hit a two-run homer for the River Cats, and starting pitcher Dereck “Pudge’s Son” Rodriguez earned his first Triple-A win. Sacramento lost infielder Alen Hanson to a call-up today; he was hitting .403.

Salt Lake 7, EL PASO 5 – Chris Carter launched his ninth homer of the season, part of a three-run eighth inning which gave Salt Lake the lead. Recap from El Paso.

Las Vegas 11, ALBUQUERQUE 9 – Vegas connected for 17 hits, including four-hit performances by Gavin Cecchini and Dominic Smith. Story from Albuquerque.

Omaha 6, COLORADO SPRINGS 5 (10) – after combining to score 47 runs in the first two games of the series, things slowed down in game three. This one was tied 4-4 after nine.

Round Rock 5, MEMPHIS 4 – Cameron Rupp snapped a 4-4 tie with a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning for the Express. Memphis is getting ex-Rainiers outfielder Tyler O’Neill back from the big leagues. Recap from Memphis.

OKLAHOMA CITY 4, Iowa 1 – Tyler Pill started and went four scoreless innings for the Dodgers, who improved to 10-0 at home this year. That’s right: they still haven’t lost a home game. Recap from Oklahoma City.

New Orleans 3, NASHVILLE 0 – Olympia native Adam Conley tossed six scoreless innings in his first good start of the year (he’s been learning to throw a new pitch, the slider).

Werth Gets First Hit But Rainiers Fall In Fresno

Jayson Werth pulled a hard ground ball double down the third base line in the second inning on Thursday night, collecting his first Tacoma hit while starting a two-run rally for the Rainiers, but ultimately Tacoma lost 4-3.

Werth’s double was one of seven hits for Tacoma in the game. The Rainiers had trouble getting baserunners before there were two outs in an inning, and couldn’t string together enough two-out hits to really generate a rally.

Fresno has won the first two games of this five-game series, knocking the Rainiers won-loss record back to .500 at 10-10.

Tacoma has lost four of the five games played against Fresno this year, which appears to be a continuation from last season when the Rainiers went 4-12 against the Grizzlies. Oddly, Tacoma beat Fresno 13-0 in the first meeting this season, and then lost the next four against them.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Fresno’s J.D. Davis snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a line drive double to left-center, bringing in the go-ahead run in the Grizzlies 4-3 win over Tacoma. Ian Miller, Danny Muno, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis each had two hits for Tacoma.

ROSTER MOVE: After last night’s game infielder Rey Navarro was surprisingly released by the Mariners. The move clears a space for Dan Vogelbach, who is expected to report today.

TODAY: Tacoma (10-10) at Fresno (15-6), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Houston Astros.

SEASONS SERIES: Fresno leads, 4-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Casey Lawrence (1-1, 3.00) at LHP Kent Emanuel (2-0, 1.08)

Look for Roenis Elias to pitch in relief today – the coaching staff wants to get him in a game.

Immanuel Kant was a highly influential German philosopher in the 1700s. Kent Emanuel has held Socrates Brito hitless in four at-bats this season.

HOT HITTERS: it’s been slow on the offensive side for Tacoma the last two days… Chris Herrmann is 11-for-23 with a grand slam, 11 walks, and nine RBI over his last eight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has reached base in eight straight games, and he has back-to-back two-hit performances… Ian Miller has a four-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis has hit safely in ten of 12 games since being optioned from Houston… Tyler White has reached base safely in all 20 games he has played in this season… catcher Tim Federowicz has eight hits during a four-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are no former Rainiers or local players on the Fresno roster.

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 Times has a brief recap of the Rainiers loss.
• In the 24th game of the season the Seattle Mariners put their expected starting lineup on the field for the first time, and they went out and beat Cleveland 5-4.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

SACRAMENTO 8, Reno 3 – the River Kitties hit four home runs off Reno starter Braden Shipley, who had been having a good season until, well, yesterday. Andrew Suarez was terrific for seven innings for Sacramento, striking out nine and allowing one run on three hits.

Salt Lake 6, EL PASO 5 – Salt Lake relievers Akeel Morris and Ian Krol each pitched two scoreless innings to protect a one-run lead in a tough environment. El Paso’s eight-game win streak came to an end. Recap from El Paso.

Las Vegas 6, ALBUQUERQUE 4 – Bryce Brentz – the 2018 Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby champion at Cheney Stadium last summer – hit his fourth homer for Las Vegas. Story from Albuquerque.

Omaha 13, COLORADO SPRINGS 9 – the first two games of this five-game series have featured 47 runs. Frank Schwindel and Billy Burns hit three-run homers for Omaha.

OKLAHOMA CITY 4, Iowa 2 – the Dodgers scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the game. Oklahoma City outfielder Henry Ramos has an odd superstition. Game story from Oklahoma City.

NASHVILLE 7, New Orleans 6 (10) – it was 4-4 after nine innings, and then the scoring started. Heralded A’s prospects Dustin Fowler and Franklin Barreto each had three hits.

Round Rock 6/1, MEMPHIS 1/2 – a doubleheader split at Autozone Park. Round Rock’s Andy Ibanez was 4-for-4 with three RBI in the opening game. Recap from Memphis.

Werth Joins Rainiers, Witnesses Ugly Game

Jayson Werth made his much-anticipated Tacoma Rainiers debut, starting at designated hitter and going 0-for-3 with a walk in Tacoma’s 10-0 loss at Fresno on Wednesday night.

The game was an ugly one for the Rainiers. At one point while Fresno was batting around during a dreadful six-run fifth inning, I joked on the air that Werth would be leading off the sixth inning if he still wanted to be on the team. Kidding!

Werth is still here. He’s serious about the comeback attempt.

Jayson, don’t worry. Your new team really isn’t as bad as it looked yesterday. In fact, they’re pretty good! The Rainiers are a game over .500 at 10-9. They have won six of the last nine games. Last night was the first time they have been shut out this season.

The team’s ace is on the mound tonight. Everything will be just fine.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers lost to a parade of Fresno hits, 10-0. It wasn’t defensive problems, it wasn’t homers, and there were only four walks (although three were leadoff walks)… it was just a string of base hits by Fresno. Fourteen of them, to be exact. Today is a new day.

ROSTER MOVE: Today the Mariners announced they activated Ryon Healy from the disabled list, and optioned Dan Vogelbach to Tacoma. Vogelbach is expected to report to the Rainiers tomorrow.

TODAY: Tacoma (10-9) at Fresno (14-6), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Houston Astros.

SEASONS SERIES: Fresno leads, 3-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Christian Bergman (2-1, 2.49) at RHP Rogelio Armenteros (0-0, 5.65)

Looking forward to calling this one. Rogelio Armenteros just flows off the tongue.

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann has hit safely in four straight games, and he is 11-for-20 with a grand slam, 11 walks, and nine RBI over his last seven games… Cameron Perkins went 0-for-3 last night, just his fourth hitless game of the season… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has reached base in seven straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis has hit safely in nine of 11 games since being optioned from Houston… Drew Ferguson has gone 8-for-16 in his last four games, and he has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games… Tyler White has reached base safely in all 19 games he has played in this season… catcher Tim Federowicz has eight hits during a four-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are no former Rainiers or local players on the Fresno roster.

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:

• Tacoma outfielder Guillermo Heredia was removed from last night’s game after being hit on the left hand by a pitch in the first inning. After the game, Heredia said that nothing was broken but there was a lot of pain. Manager Pat Listach said the pitch hit Heredia on the knuckle and he’s going to be out for a few days.
• The Mariners got out of Chicago with a series win over the White Sox. Mike Zunino hit a go-ahead homer in the 4-3 win yesterday. The M’s are 4-2 on the ten-game road trip, but have to face Cleveland in the final four games.
• The Mariners bullpen has been terrific on the road trip.
• Lookout Landing has one of its informative State of the Farm reports up today.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

SACRAMENTO 5, Reno 3 – Tyler Beede earned the win for the River Cats, allowing one earned run while pitching into the seventh inning. Alen Hanson had two hits and a homer, he’s batting .429.

EL PASO 6, Salt Lake 4 – that’s eight straight wins for the Chihuahuas. Diego Goris had two hits and two RBI. Recap from El Paso.

Las Vegas 7, ALBUQUERQUE 0 – the Las Vegas pitching woes were temporarily silenced by a gem from P.J. Conlon, who combined with two relievers on a nine-hit shutout. The Vegas paper has the story on Conlon, and the Albuquerque paper has a feature on South African utilityman Anthony Phillips.

NASHVILLE 4, New Orleans 2 – lefty Brett Anderson continued his comeback bid with another strong start, working six innings and allowing two runs.

OKLAHOMA CITY 6, Iowa 3 – infielder Breyvic Valera went 4-for-4 for the Dodgers. Former Rainiers lefty Brian Moran appeared in the box score, tossing a scoreless inning for Oklahoma City. OKC has not lost a home game.

COLORADO SPRINGS 13, Omaha 12 – this game was 10-10 in the fourth inning. Welcome to Colorado Springs! Kyle Wren led a host of big performances, going 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBI.

Round Rock at MEMPHIS – postponed, inclement weather.

New-Look Rainiers Open Series At Fresno Tonight

We’re back in action tonight after the first day off of the 2018 season on Tuesday. The boys got a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest to explore the area.

Then we all woke up before dawn today to catch the 4:45 AM bus from Cheney Stadium, rode up to the airport, flew to Fresno, took another bus to the hotel, waited around in the lobby for the rooms to be ready (it didn’t take too long), snuck in a brief nap, and now it’s time to walk to the ballpark.

A lot of Rainiers news happened on the off day. Fortunately, being the PCL veteran that I am, I spent a few hours working on the off day because I knew today would be a tough travel day. Did you know Jayson Werth originally signed as a catcher? Nope, me niether.

We’ve exchanged some players, picking up a World Series champion while losing a local guy. The M’s brought back an old friend. And the Rainiers open a five-game series against first place Fresno tonight.

Details below.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The entire league was off on Tuesday. On Monday the Rainiers rode another strong pitching performance from Rob Whalen to a 4-1 victory over Sacramento. Ian Miller and Zach Vincej hit solo homers, and Mike Marjama had a two-run single. Tacoma went 5-2 on the homestand.

ROSTER MOVE: Prior to Monday’s game, infielder Gordon Beckham was placed on the disabled list with abdominal soreness, and outfielder Guillermo Heredia was activated. After the game a lot happened: RHP Josh Smith and infielder Matt Hague were released, and it was announced that LHP Roenis Elias and outfielder Jayson Werth would join the team today.

TODAY: Tacoma (10-8) at Fresno (13-6), 6:35.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Houston Astros.

SEASONS SERIES: Fresno leads, 2-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Max Povse (1-2, 6.08) at RHP Cy Sneed (1-0, 2.45)

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann went 9-for-16 with a grand slam, nine walks, and nine RBI on the homestand… Cameron Perkins has gone 21-for-44 over his last ten games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has scored a run in six straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: When Tacoma visited Fresno April 10-12, the Rainiers won the first game and lost the next two. That sent Fresno off on a streak: the Grizzlies won seven straight and ten of 11 games, but have finally lost their last two at Reno… the streak coincided with the arrival of third baseman J.D. Davis from Houston; he’s been hot at the plate… Drew Ferguson has been a great table setter, hitting safely in 14 of his last 15 games… Tyler White has reached base safely in all 18 games he has played in this season.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are no former Rainiers or local players on the Fresno roster as far as I can tell.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 6:20 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 Mariners traded for pitcher Roenis Elias on Monday morning and assigned him to Tacoma. Elias has been a reliever this season for Triple-A Pawtucket; although his role with the Rainiers may change. More info coming as we get it.
• The News Tribune wonders who will play first base for Tacoma with Matt Hague gone and eight outfielders on the roster. The answer is Cameron Perkins and Taylor Motter. A first baseman should be coming from the big leagues shortly, when Ryon Healy is ready to come off the disabled list.
• Rob Whalen‘s hot start has caught the attention of MiLB.com (it’s a “notes” column; you need to scroll down a bit to get to Whalen).
• Seattle beat the White Sox on Tuesday, 1-0, and is playing a close day game in Chicago as I type this.
• There is lots of concern in the Mariners organization about the health of former pitcher Danny Farquhar.
• Rainiers manager Pat Listach is particularly concerned about Farquhar.
• There is good news and bad news about the Mariners top two prospects, Kyle Lewis and Sam Carlson.

Around the PCL – everyone was off yesterday, but a couple of items from Monday’s games:

Memphis starter Austin Gomber tied a franchise record with 16 strikeouts in a 3-0 win at Iowa. Gomber pitched eight innings and threw 112 pitches. You don’t see box scores like this too often. It’s the most strikeouts by a PCL pitcher since Dallas Braden of Sacramento fanned 17 in one game in 2007.

Fresno takes a two-game losing streak into tonight’s game because of a 3-2 loss at Reno on Monday. The Grizzlies received six shutout innings from Trent Thornton and took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth – only to give up three runs and lose. Thornton struck out eight straight Reno batters during his start, tying the PCL record.

Homestand Finishes With Day Game Today

Early game today! Come join us for lunch. We have an 11:35 AM first pitch in the final game of the homestand.

Tacoma is 4-2 on the homestand, so that’s a win regardless of today’s outcome. The three-game series against Sacramento is tied, 1-1, so let’s see if Tacoma can take that.

After today’s game there is the first scheduled off day of the season on Tuesday (note: there are no blog updates on off days!) and then Tacoma goes back to Fresno for a five-game series, Wednesday through Sunday. Look for a fresh post on Wednesday afternoon.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma scored six runs in the first inning and took down Sacramento, 12-5. Leadoff man Ian Miller had two hits in the first inning – that’s always a sign that it’s going to be a good day. Oddly, the two teams combined for more walks (18) than hits (17) or runs (17).

ROSTER MOVE: Prior to yesterday’s game the Rainiers placed outfielder John Andreoli on the seven-day disabled list with a dislocated finger, and added outfielder Sebastian Ojeda from extended spring training.

TODAY: Sacramento (7-10) at Tacoma (9-8), 11:35.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

SEASONS SERIES: Tied, 5-5.

PITCHERS: RHP Tyler Herb (1-0, 5.65) at RHP Rob Whalen (2-0, 3.78)

Whalen has had an encouraging last two starts, throwing very well. Let’s see if he can keep it going.

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann is 8-for-14 with a grand slam, seven walks, and nine RBI on this homestand… Cameron Perkins has gone 19-for-40 over his last nine games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has scored a run in six straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Alan Hanson has been on a torrid stretch, going 16-for-32 during an eight-game hitting streak… Steven Duggar has a seven-game hitting streak… Chase d’Arnaud has reached base in nine straight games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Sacramento manager Dave Brundage was Tacoma’s manager in 2006, and pitcher Chris Heston spent part of the 2017 season with the Rainiers.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 11:20 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:

• Seattle missed a chance for a rare road sweep of the Rangers, dropping the final game of the series on Sunday.
• The M’s decision to hold on to Ichiro and option the valuable Guillermo Heredia was criticized throughout the media. Beat writer Ryan Divish, who is with the team every day, was stunned by the move.
• John McGrath is baffled.
• Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins let her rip.
• Bob Dutton argues that keeping Ichiro really does make sense – for now.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

SALT LAKE 11, Albuquerque 9 – wild start and finish here. Trailing 8-5, Albuquerque scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 9-8 lead… only to give up tying and game-winning homers in the bottom of the ninth. Chris Carter hit the walk-off bomb. The game also featured a HBP battle and numerous ejections in the second inning. Story from SLC.

El Paso 9, LAS VEGAS 6 – Brett Nicholas continued his hot start, launching a homer and driving in three runs. He’s hitting .386 with six homers and 20 RBI for the Chihuahuas. Story from Vegas.

RENO 9, Fresno 4 – the Grizzlies lost for just the second time in the last 12 games. Ex-Rainiers catcher Marcus Littlewood started at second base for Reno and went 3-for-4 with four RBI. Recap from Reno.

OMAHA 4, Nashville 1 – longtime major league Clay Buccholz made his first start for Omaha and pitched into the seventh inning, allowing one run and earning the win. Story from Omaha.

Colorado Springs 6, ROUND ROCK 5 (10) – it was 2-2 after nine innings and then lots of runs scored in the tenth, with the Sky Sox holding on.

Memphis 8, IOWA 6 (12) – the new extra innings rules can result in this: 4-4 after nine innings, each team scored one run in the tenth and eleventh innings before Memphis managed two runs in the 12th. Iowa has a guy throwing 100 mph in the bullpen.

Oklahoma City at NEW ORLEANS – postponed, rain.

Throwback Weekend Part Two: The Twins

Today at Cheney Stadium we are throwing it back to the Tacoma Twins of 1972-1977. First 1,000 fans through the gates get the free hat. Jerseys available for bid online at www.RainiersAuctions.com. See you out there!

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Sacramento built a 7-0 lead and held on for an 8-4 win over Tacoma in the series opener on Saturday evening. Tacoma made some fielding mistakes, including two errors, and had some bad luck while Sacramento built the lead. Cameron Perkins continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-5 performance.

ROSTER MOVE: In a startling move, the Mariners activated Erasmo Ramirez from the disabled list and optioned outfielder Guillermo Heredia to Tacoma. Heredia won’t be here today, as he is in Texas with the M’s.

TODAY: Sacramento (7-9) at Tacoma (8-8), 1:35.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

SEASONS SERIES: Sacramento leads, 5-4.

PITCHERS: RHP Casey Kelly (1-1, 7.11) at LHP Ariel Miranda (0-0, 6.75)

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann is 8-for-14 with a grand slam, seven walks, and nine RBI on this homestand… Cameron Perkins has gone 18-for-36 over his last eight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has scored a run in five straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Alan Hanson has been on a torrid stretch, going 16-for-32 during an eight-game hitting streak… Steven Duggar went 3-for-5 last night and has a six-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: Sacramento manager Dave Brundage was Tacoma’s manager in 2006, and pitcher Chris Heston spent part of the 2017 season with the Rainiers.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 1:20 on South Sound Sports 850 AM. The broadcast also streams online via the TuneIn app – just click here. It’s a Sunday home game, so Bob Robertson will join me in the booth.

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

Links:

• The Mariners won a wild one in Texas on Saturday night, 9-7.
• Reliever Juan Nicasio is battling a “stiff shoulder.”

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

Fresno 7, RENO 2 – Tony Kemp had three hits and three RBI as Fresno won for the tenth time in 11 games. Reno has lost nine in a row.

SALT LAKE 8, Albuquerque 6 – old friend Jabari Blash homered twice, including the go-ahead shot, as Salt Lake overcame Albuquerque’s six-run third inning. Story from SLC.

El Paso 13, LAS VEGAS 4 – a close game until El Paso scored seven runs in the top of the ninth. Chihuahuas starter Walker Lockett pitched six solid innings and hit a three-run homer. Story from Vegas.

Memphis 8, IOWA 4 – Memphis had a dozen hits, including a pair of doubles from Triple-A rookie Max Schrock.

OMAHA 6, Nashville 2 – now this is how you rehabilitate: catcher Salvador Perez had three hits with a double and a homer in Omaha’s win. Story from Omaha.

ROUND ROCK 6, Colorado Springs 1 – the score was tied 1-1 at the stretch before Round Rock put together a five-run seventh, featuring a three-run homer by Jose Cardona. The game featured a fog delay. Recap from Austin.

NEW ORLEANS 2, Oklahoma City 0 – Zac Gallen and three relievers combined on a six-hit shutout. Story from New Orleans.

Throwback Weekend: Be Careful Who You Root For

The Rainiers missed out on their chance for a series sweep against Albuquerque, dropping the final game on Friday night by a score of 7-5. Tacoma had multiple situations in which they were one hit away from tying the game, but just couldn’t get that key hit. The win streak ended at four.

Now Sacramento flies in for its second and final series at Cheney Stadium this year, and it’s Throwback Weekend.

Today we’ll throw it back to the Tacoma Giants of 1960-65. The Rainiers will wear replica jerseys and hats, and the first 1,000 fans through the gates get a free hat.

One thing, though: the Rainiers will be wearing Tacoma Giants jerseys, and Sacramento is the San Francisco Giants affiliate. Please don’t accidentally root for the wrong team!

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Albuquerque strung together six consecutive hits in the fourth inning, building an early 5-1 lead and holding off numerous Tacoma threats for a 7-5 win. The Rainiers saw the four-game win streak end, but won the series against the Isotopes, 3-1.

ROSTER MOVES: Before yesterday’s game catcher Mike Marjama was optioned to Tacoma, and catcher Garrett Kennedy was transferred to Class-A Modesto. Today pitcher Ariel Miranda was added to the active roster, and pitcher Lindsey Caughel was transferred to Double-A Arkansas.

TODAY: Sacramento (6-9) at Tacoma (8-6), 5:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

SEASONS SERIES: Tied, 4-4.

PITCHERS: LHP Andrew Suarez (0-0, 0.00) at RHP Casey Lawrence (1-0, 0.00)

HOT HITTERS: Chris Herrmann went 7-for-11 with a grand slam and nine RBI in the Albuquerque series… two guys have tied Matt Hague for the lead in all of Minor League Baseball with 18 walks drawn, and one of them is Mariners Double-A outfielder Joey Curletta… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has scored a run in five straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento just lost three-of-four in a road series at Salt Lake, and has lost six of the last eight games… Alan Hanson has been on a torrid stretch, going 14-for-27 during a seven-game hitting streak… Mac Williamson was the hottest hitter in the PCL to start the season, but he’s gone: he got called up by the Giants yesterday and homered in his first game.

FAMILIAR FACES: Sacramento manager Dave Brundage was Tacoma’s manager in 2006, and pitcher Chris Heston spent part of the 2017 season with the Rainiers.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 4:50 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 Mariners said “goodbye!” to the Houston Astros and started winning again, taking down Texas 6-2 in the opener of a ten-game road trip.
• Mike Zunino is happy to be off the disabled list.
• Send some positive thoughts out to former Rainiers reliever Danny Farquhar, who is hospitalized after passing out in the dugout during yesterday’s White Sox game.
• Las Vegas has received over 2,000 suggestions for its new team name in 2019. The Las Vegas Baseball McBaseball Faces has been ruled out. I like the Las Vegas Hitmen – you could have fun with that.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

SALT LAKE 4, Sacramento 3 – Jabari Blash hit a three-run homer in the third inning and Salt Lake maintained the lead for the rest of the night. That’s six dingers for Blash. Story from SLC.

El Paso 11, RENO 3 – Brett Nicholas homered and drove in five runs. El Paso starter (and former Rainiers pitcher) Dillon Overton tossed four scoreless innings and went 2-for-2 at the plate. Reno outfielder Daniel Robertson – the former Tacoma player – pitched the ninth inning of the blowout and retired the side with two strikeouts.

Fresno 12, LAS VEGAS 4 – the Grizzlies remain scorching hot. J.D. Davis hit a three-run homer and Jack Mayfield drove in four runs. Story from Vegas.

IOWA 7, Nashville 1 – Cubs top prospect Adbert Alzolay made his Triple-A debut and pitched six innings of two-hit ball. Story from Des Moines.

Oklahoma City 6, ROUND ROCK 3 – the Dodgers jumped all over former Mariners starter Yovani Gallardo, knocking him out in the third inning.

OMAHA 5, Memphis 0 – apparently the only way to beat Memphis is to shut them out, which is exactly what Heath Fillmeyer and the Omaha bullpen did. Having Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon in the lineup helped, too. Story from Omaha.

Colorado Springs 3, NEW ORLEANS 2 – Sky Sox starter Freddy Peralta is the first PCL pitcher to win four games, although his ERA climbed up all the way up to 1.29. Story from New Orleans.

From 37 to 1 – Rainiers Win Anyway

Well, that was different.

After scoring 37 runs over three games – the team’s largest three-game output since a 2013 series at Colorado Springs – Tacoma managed just one run on Thursday night against Albuquerque.

And it was enough to win.

The Rainiers did not get a hit after Kirk Nieuwenhuis‘s leadoff home run in the second inning, but that lone run was enough for a rare 1-0 victory.

Max Povse, Mike Morin, Ryan Garton, and Erik Goeddel combined to pitch a six-hitter for the Rainiers third shutout of the season.

Albuquerque had impressive pitching of its own, coming from rehabilitating starter Jeff Hoffman and reliever Chris Jensen. Just one pitch doomed them: Hoffman’s fastball to Nieuwenhuis in the second inning, which was launched 426 feet onto the Foss High School hill that leads up to the tennis courts.

The start by Povse was particularly encouraging for both the Rainiers and the Mariners. The young right-hander cruised through the first four innings, escaped a jam in the fifth, and then pitched into the sixth. He got ahead of the hitters (for the most part), and topped out at 94 on the scoreboard radar gun.

Tacoma goes for a four-game sweep tonight on Fireworks Night.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers picked up a 1-0 win as Max Povse and three relievers combined on a six-hit shutout. Tacoma has won four straight games – the last three against Albuquerque, which they will attempt to sweep tonight.

ROSTER MOVES: Before yesterday’s game pitcher Lindsey Caughel was activated from the disabled list, and pitcher Tyler Jackson was transferred to extended spring training. Today the Mariners activated catcher Mike Zunino from the disabled list and optioned Mike Marjama to Tacoma – we’ll find out later today when Marjama is reporting.

TODAY: Albuquerque (6-9) at Tacoma (8-6), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Colorado Rockies.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 3-0.

PITCHERS: LHP David Holmberg (0-1, 10.13) at RHP Christian Bergman (2-0, 0.51)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli saw his eight-game hitting streak end when he left last night’s game in the fifth inning with a dislocated finger… Matt Hague leads all of Minor League Baseball with 18 walks drawn, and he has scored a run in eight straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has scored a run in five straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: After a hot start, the Isotopes have lost seven of the last eight games… Daniel Castro has a 13-game hitting streak… Josh Fuentes has hit safely in 12 straight… Drew Weeks has hit four homers in his last eight games… Noel Cuevas has hit safely in 14 of 15 games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Infielder Anthony Phillips played in four games for Tacoma in 2010; he is a former Mariners farm hand who received quite a bit of publicity due to his South African heritage.

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 Mariners lost the final game of the Houston series, 9-2, and dropped three of four to the reigning champions.
• It was a disappointing series, John McGrath writes.
• Nature has run its course, Larry Stone writes, and it is time for the Mariners to remove Ichiro from the active roster.
• Mike Zunino was activated from the disabled list this morning.
• The Mariners broadcast team’s starting lineup is on the disabled list.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

Fresno 10, LAS VEGAS 8 – oh boy. Las Vegas led 7-0 after six innings, and 7-1 going to the eighth… and Fresno scored nine runs in the final two innings for a huge comeback win. Almost makes you feel bad for Las Vegas. Here’s the story from Vegas.

El Paso 6, RENO 5 – Franmil Reyes and Brett Nicholas homered in the Chihuahuas win.

SALT LAKE 10, Sacramento 7 – another blown lead. Sacramento led 6-0 before Salt Lake scored eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take charge. Chris Carter homered twice, and Jabari Blash also went deep. Story from SLC.

Oklahoma City 2, ROUND ROCK 1 – former Rainiers pitcher Justin DeFratus – now a starter – won his season debut for the Dodgers. Recap from Austin.

Colorado Springs 3, NEW ORLEANS 0 – Corbin Burnes struck out nine over 6.1 innings for the Sky Sox in a shutout. Story from MiLB.com. Olympia’s Adam Conley is the subject of a story from New Orleans.

Nashville 1, IOWA 0 (10) – led by major league veteran Brett Anderson, three Nashville pitchers combined on a four-hit, ten inning shutout.

Memphis 6/2, OMAHA 2/1 – the red-hot Redbirds swept a doubleheader on the road and improved to 12-3 on the year. Wilfredo Tovar drove in five runs to support Jack Flaherty‘s complete game in the opener, and Adolis Garcia hit a two-run homer in the nightcap. Story from Omaha.