Rainiers Win, Listach Approaches Top 5

Tacoma ended a three-game losing streak by taking down Reno in the opener of a five-game series on Friday night, 4-2. The Rainiers are three games over .500 and within 5.5 games of first place in the Pacific-North standings.

It was the 257th career win for Rainiers manager Pat Listach with Tacoma, and he’s about to crack the top five on the Tacoma managerial wins list. Take a look:

1. 433-429 – Daren Brown (2007-2013)
2. 375-340 – Dan Rohn (2001-2005)
3. 366-343 – Dave Myers (1996-2000)
4. 269-316 – Whitey Lockman (1967-1970)
5. 259-203 – Red Davis (1960-1962)
6. 257-253 – Pat Listach (2015-current)

Barring something unexpected, Listach is going to finish this season ranked fourth on the all-time list. He would need two more seasons to crack the top three and make a run at Brown for the top spot.

It is a list of longevity, and it is good that Pat is keeping his record over .500 – unlike one guy on the list!

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over Reno. After six strong innings from starter Bryan Evans the Rainiers were trailing, 2-1, but Dan Vogelbach homered in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, and Gordon Beckham hit an opposite-field two-run homer in the seventh to put Tacoma ahead. The Rainiers bullpen pitched three scoreless innings.

TODAY: Reno (37-44) at Tacoma (42-39), 5:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Arizona Diamondbacks.

SEASONS SERIES: Reno leads, 3-2.

PITCHERS: RHP Jake Buchanan (4-7, 5.38) at LHP Ross Detwiler (2-1, 4.24)

HOT HITTERS: Gordon Beckham has reached base in 15 straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gone 10-for-27 during a seven-game hitting streak… David Freitas has a seven-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Socrates Brito has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games, and is batting .415 with ten home runs in June… Rey Fuentes had his 11-game hitting streak end last night… Yasmany Tomas is 12-for-20 with 11 RBI over his last six games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Reno starting pitcher Anthony Vasquez pitched for Tacoma in 2011 and 2012.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 4:50 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:

• We start with the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune.
• The Mariners won their fifth in a row as Marco Gonzales pitched a complete game against Kansas City.
• Kyle Seager is playing through a fractured toe. Also in the notebook: we may see an Erasmo Ramirez rehabilitation stint down the road a bit.
• ESPN has an article on the best pitching performance in the history of each of the 30 MLB teams. This took a ton of research and it is a fun read.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

SACRAMENTO 4, Fresno 0 – a rehabilitating Johnny Cueto and three relievers combined on a five-hit shutout, and the Rainiers pulled back within 5.5 games of first place Fresno. PCL All-Star Chase d’Arnaud hit a three-run homer.

LAS VEGAS 8, Salt Lake 0 – the top offense in minor league baseball got shut out for the first time in 154 games, and it happened at Cashman Field of all places. Drew Gagnon tossed seven shutout innings with ten strikeouts, and Kyle Regnault finished the deed. Vegas has won four in a row. Story from Las Vegas.

Albuquerque 10, EL PASO 3 – PCL All-Star third baseman Josh Fuentes homered and drove in four runs. He’s batting .331 with nine homers and 63 RBI. The El Paso paper has a feature on Carlos Asuaje.

Memphis 6, IOWA 2 – Redbirds starter Kevin Herget tossed six innings and gave up just one run to earn the win.

OMAHA 10, Nashville 1 – Kansas City Royals prospect Nicky Lopez got promoted to Triple-A and he went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer, three runs scored, and two RBI in his debut. Story from Omaha.

Colorado Springs 3, ROUND ROCK 2 – Sky Sox third baseman Dylan Moore had three extra-base hits, including the go-ahead RBI triple in the top of the ninth inning.

NEW ORLEANS 4, Oklahoma City 2 – starter Dillon Peters lasted seven innings for the win, with Isaac Galloway launching a two-run homer for the Cakes. Story from New Orleans.

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Armstrong An All-Star; Reno Arrives Tonight

The Pacific Coast League All-Star Team was announced on Thursday afternoon, and Tacoma is sending reliever Shawn Armstrong to the Triple-A All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio on July 11.

It’s the third Triple-A All-Star appearance for Armstrong, who used to pitch for Columbus in the International League. This will be a return to his old city as an all-star for the opposing league.

Armstrong has a 2.27 ERA in 30 appearances out of the Tacoma bullpen. In 35.2 innings pitched he has struck out 47 batters and allowed only 26 hits.

There is some deeper meaning to this all-star selection for Armstrong. He explained on the Rainiers pregame show yesterday that Columbus Clippers home clubhouse manager Matt Pruzinsky passed away unexpectedly this past winter. Armstrong was friends with Pruzinsky – the Columbus players called him the “26th Man” –  and he’s looking forward to seeing the rest of the crew and paying his respects to Matt.

The rest of the PCL All-Star Team can be found in this article. The International League squad is here. The game will be televised nationally on the MLB Network on Wednesday, July 11.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma continued to have trouble scoring, plating exactly two runs for the third consecutive game in a 5-2 loss to Las Vegas. The Rainiers bullpen pitched five shutout innings, but it didn’t stop the club from losing for the third day in a row.

TODAY: Reno (37-43) at Tacoma (41-39), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Arizona Diamondbacks.

SEASONS SERIES: Reno leads, 3-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Matt Koch (0-0, 1.42) at RHP Bryan Evans (1-0, 7.27)

HOT HITTERS: Gordon Beckham has reached base in 14 straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gone 9-for-23 during a six-game hitting streak… David Freitas has a six-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Reno has won three straight after losing six-of-seven… the Aces have been scoring a lot and have some hitting streaks… Socrates Brito has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, and is batting .423 with ten home runs in June… Rey Fuentes has an 11-game hitting streak… Kevin Cron has a seven-game hitting streak… Yasmany Tomas is 12-for-19 with 11 RBI during a five-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: Reno starting pitcher Anthony Vasquez pitched for Tacoma in 2011 and 2012.

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:

• Here’s the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune. It includes a mini-feature on Andrew Aplin and game reaction from Pat Listach (“we need to score more than two runs”).
• MiLB.com has a story on the PCL All-Star Team, focusing on the prospects.
• The Mariners won another extra-innings game and finished a four-game road sweep of Baltimore.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

Fresno 12, EL PASO 4 – the Chihuahuas eight-game win streak came to an end, and Fresno avoided being swept by blasting four home runs. New first baseman Taylor Jones went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in his Triple-A debut. Story from MiLB.com.

RENO 8, Salt Lake 1 – Yasmany Tomas hit two doubles and drove in four runs as the Aces won on a bullpen day.

ALBUQUERQUE 3, Sacramento 1 – the Isotopes had a stellar start by Antonio Senzatella, who pitched 7.2 shutout innings allowing just three hits. Story from Albuquerque.

Iowa 5, NEW ORLEANS 3 – Victor Caratini had two hits including a homer to help the I-Cubs get a win. Story from New Orleans.

Nashville 10, OKLAHOMA CITY 9 – the Sounds scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to finish off a four-game road sweep in Bricktown. Beau Taylor hit the go-ahead two-run triple.

ROUND ROCK 7, Omaha 2 – the Express had home runs from Tommy Joseph and Christian Lopes. Round Rock finished a four-game sweep.

Memphis 7, COLORADO SPRINGS 5 – former Rainier Tyler O’Neill enjoyed his trip to the Springs, homering in his third straight game as the Redbirds scored all seven runs in the top of the seventh inning. O’Neill is up to 18 home runs. Redbirds pitcher Dakota Hudson was named the starting pitcher in the Triple-A All-Star Game, then he went out and allowed two runs over six innings to pick up his league-leading 11th win. Story from MiLB.com.

Jayson Werth’s Days With Tacoma Have Ended

It felt inevitable over the past few days, and yesterday the word came out: veteran outfielder Jayson Werth has retired.

The 39-year-old Werth was trying to get back to the big leagues with the Mariners (or any other team that liked what they saw), but his hamstring wouldn’t let him do it. After missing a week with a tight hamstring, Werth returned to the field for a few games before re-pulling it in Nashville on June 8. He had been on the Rainiers disabled list since that day, but he hasn’t been around the team.

A 15-year Major League veteran who appeared in the playoffs nine different seasons, Werth told respected baseball writer Jon Heyman that he was hanging ’em up. Heyman’s story appears right here – check it out if you enjoyed having Werth on the team.

He accomplished a lot in the game. As Heyman wrote, he was a good player on a lot of good teams.

—

The Pacific Coast League All-Star Team was announced right as I posted today’s blog. Congratulations to reliever Shawn Armstrong, who is Tacoma’s All-Star. We’ll have a full write-up on it for you tomorrow, and I’ll try to get him on the radio pregame show tonight.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers lost a frustrating game to Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, 5-2. Tacoma matched a season-high by drawing 11 walks, added seven hits, and left 14 runners on base by going 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. The Rainiers need a win tonight to split the series with Las Vegas.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Rainiers activated Ariel Miranda from the disabled list. Ian Miller was placed on the Temporarily Inactive List to tend to some personal business – he’ll be out for about three days, I was told.

TODAY: Las Vegas (35-44) at Tacoma (41-38), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: New York Mets.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 7-5.

PITCHERS: RHP Cody Martin (1-2, 5.06) at RHP Christian Bergman (4-5, 4.47)

HOT HITTERS: Gordon Beckham has reached base in 13 straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gone 8-for-19 during a five-game hitting streak… David Freitas has a five-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Las Vegas is playing better recently, winning seven of their last nine games… the offense received a boost when top prospect Peter Alonso and infielder Jeff McNeil were promoted from Double-A; both were tearing up the Eastern League… McNeil has a nine-game hitting streak… Patrick Kivlehan is 12-for-24 over his last six games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Las Vegas now has four former Tacoma Rainiers players: pitcher Cody Martin, infielder Ty Kelly, and outfielders Patrick Kivlehan and Ezeqiuel Carrera.

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:

• Here’s the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune.
• The Mariners had a terrific comeback win in extra innings at Baltimore last night, and are going for a sweep in the day game today.
• Mike Zunino feels like he’s about to break out of a slump.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

EL PASO 5, Fresno 4 – the Chihuahuas scored five runs in the fourth inning against Fresno ace Cy Sneed and it was enough to win. Tacoma remains 5.5 games behind Fresno.

Sacramento 4, ALBUQUERQUE 3 – River Cats started Matt Gage conquered Isotopes Park, lasting six innings and giving up just two runs. Steven Duggar and Chase d’Arnaud homered for Sacramento. Story from Albuquerque.

RENO 14, Salt Lake 4 – the Home Run Derby came early this year. Jabari Blash homered three times and drove in all four Salt Lake runs, he leads the league with 22 homers. But Reno’s Socrates Brito and Kevin Cron hit back-to-back home runs in back-to-back innings, with Cron adding a grand slam (off a position player) later in the game. Story from MiLB.com.

ROUND ROCK 6, Omaha 4 – Tommy Joseph launched a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Express.

Nashville 5/1, OKLAHOMA CITY 4/0 – a doubleheader sweep on the road for Nashville. Remember early in the season when Oklahoma City could not lose at home? They have now lost five straight home games.

COLORADO SPRINGS 9, Memphis 8 – trailing 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth, Sky Sox outfielder Tyrone Taylor tripled in the tying run before scoring on a walk-off balk. Tommy Layne balked him in.

Iowa 12, NEW ORLEANS 8 – Iowa was ahead 10-0 in the third inning, with Ryan Court driving in four runs. Story from New Orleans.

Las Vegas Wins Late; Early Game Today

Tacoma lost to Las Vegas in the late innings on Tuesday night, 3-2, and plays an early game today at 11:35 AM.

The Rainiers led 1-0 after seven innings last night, but Las Vegas scored three times in the top of the eighth to win it. Tacoma loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, but only scored one run.

It was the first time this season Tacoma had a lead after seven innings and lost. The Rainiers are now 36-1 this year in that situation.

The bullpen had a stellar 2.88 ERA in the month of June prior to yesterday’s game. Somebody finally got the Rainiers in the late innings, and it was Vegas.

With the quick turnaround, there was no time for anyone to dwell on last night’s game. We’ll be on the air at 11:20 on 850 AM.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma’s six-game home win streak ended with a 3-2 loss to Las Vegas. Williams Perez tossed six shutout innings in his Tacoma debut, but former Rainier Patrick Kivlehan went 4-for-4 with three doubles, including the go-ahead RBI in the eighth.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Rainiers added Williams Perez to the active roster, and placed pitcher Tucker Healy on the disabled list with a sprained ankle.

TODAY: Las Vegas (34-44) at Tacoma (41-37), 11:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: New York Mets.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 7-4.

PITCHERS: RHP Corey Oswalt (4-4, 5.32) at RHP Casey Lawrence (6-2, 2.37)

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games… Gordon Beckham has reached base in 12 straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gone 7-for-16 during a four-game hitting streak… David Freitas has a five-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Las Vegas is playing better recently, taking 3-of-4 from Reno prior to coming to Tacoma… the offense received a boost when top prospect Peter Alonso and infielder Jeff McNeil were promoted from Double-A; both were tearing up the Eastern League… McNeil has an eight-game hitting streak… Patrick Kivlehan is 11-for-19 over his last five games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Las Vegas now has four former Tacoma Rainiers players: pitcher Cody Martin, infielder Ty Kelly, and outfielders Patrick Kivlehan and Ezeqiuel Carrera.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 11:20 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 Rainiers game story from The News Tribune also includes a section on the improved Shawn Armstrong.
• Kyle Seager and James Paxton led the Mariners to a 3-2 win in Baltimore.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

EL PASO 9, Fresno 5 – a six-run rally in the third inning spurred the Chihuahuas. Franmil Reyes doubled twice and drove in three runs, and Shane Peterson hit a two-run homer. Tacoma remains 5.5 games behind Fresno.

RENO 13, Salt Lake 2 – Angels pitching prospect Griffin Canning learned about pitching in Reno, allowing seven runs in 3.2 innings. Yasmany Tomas hit two doubles, a homer, and drove in four runs.

ALBUQUERQUE 13, Sacramento 8 – the Giants sent Jeff Samardzjia to Albuquerque on a road rehab assignment, and he gave up five runs in the first inning on homers by Mike Tauchman and Jordan Patterson. Story from Albuquerque.

Memphis 11, COLORADO SPRINGS 4 – Luke Voit scored four runs and Tyler O’Neill drove in four runs for the Redbirds. O’Neill hit his 16th home run.

ROUND ROCK 3, Omaha 2 – hot hitting Willie Calhoun hit a two-run double for the Express.

Nashville 5, OKLAHOMA CITY 4 – Jorge Mateo drove in the winning run with a triple in the top of the ninth inning (and he was thrown out at the plate going for an inside-the-parker).

NEW ORLEANS 3, Iowa 1 – I’ve been dreading this. Odrisamer Despaigne pitched 5.1 scoreless innings for New Orleans, making me have to spell his name.

Rainiers Win Again, But Place Key Starter On Disabled List

The Rainiers beat Las Vegas on Monday night in the opening game of a nine-game homestand, 6-1. Ross Detwiler had a terrific outing, pitching into the eighth inning and earning the win.

There was some bad news, though. Starting pitcher Rob Whalen was placed on the seven-day disabled list prior to the game. Whalen, who leads the team with seven wins and has made 14 starts this season, left his previous start after just three innings due to shoulder stiffness.

Whalen has been one of three Tacoma starting pitchers who have been very consistent this season, along with Christian Bergman and Casey Lawrence.

With Ariel Miranda still on the disabled list due to his ongoing fingernail/blister problems, the Mariners have moved Williams Perez up from Double-A Arkansas to make the start in Whalen’s spot tonight.

The team continues to play well, with last night’s win moving the club to a season-best five games over .500.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: A simple game, really: Ross Detwiler was dominant, shutting down Las Vegas into the eighth inning, while Dan Vogelbach and Garrett Kennedy homered with men on base. Tacoma won, 6-1. The Rainiers have won eight of the last ten games overall, and their last six in a row at home.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday RHP Ryan Cook reported from Seattle, OF Cameron Perkins was activated from the disabled list, and infielder Adam Law returned from Double-A Arkansas. RHP Rob Whalen and INF Danny Muno were placed on the disabled list, and infielder Logan Taylor was sent to Arkansas. A move will have to be made today to open up a spot for Williams Perez.

TODAY: Las Vegas (33-44) at Tacoma (41-36), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: New York Mets.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 7-3.

PITCHERS: LHP P.J. Conlon (2-5, 7.39) at RHP Williams Perez (-)

Perez makes his Tacoma debut today, coming up from Double-A Arkansas where he went 1-0, 2.86 in four starts. The Mariners signed him in early June; he has pitched in the majors for the Atlanta Braves and was with the Iowa Cubs last season.

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games… Gordon Beckham has reached base in 11 straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gone 7-for-16 during a four-game hitting streak… David Freitas has a four-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Las Vegas is playing better recently, taking 3-of-4 from Reno prior to coming to Tacoma… the offense received a boost when top prospect Peter Alonso and infielder Jeff McNeil were promoted from Double-A; both were tearing up the Eastern League… infielder Christian Colon has a six-game hitting streak… McNeil has a seven-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: Las Vegas now has four former Tacoma Rainiers players: pitcher Cody Martin, infielder Ty Kelly, and outfielders Patrick Kivlehan and Ezeqiuel Carrera.

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 Rainiers game story from The News Tribune focuses on the performance by Ross Detwiler.
• The Mariners won the opening game of the Baltimore series behind Felix Hernandez.
• MiLB.com has a PCL Notebook, which includes a little blurb on Ian Miller.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

EL PASO 7, Fresno 5 – Shane Peterson hit two doubles and a homer, driving in four runs for the Chihuahuas. Tacoma picked up a game on first place Fresno and is currently 5.5 games out of first.

Salt Lake 9, RENO 6 – the Bees welcomed Jose Fernandez back from the big leagues, put him in the leadoff spot, and watched him collect three hits including a home run.

Sacramento 9, ALBUQUERQUE 4 – the River Cats hit four home runs, including two by Chris Shaw. Story from Albuquerque.

Iowa 4, NEW ORLEANS 3 – infielder Ryan Court hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning and the I-Cubs won for just the second time in their last 12 games. Story from New Orleans.

ROUND ROCK 7, Omaha 1 – the Express connected for 14 hits, including three by leadoff man Drew Robinson. Andy Ibanez and Hunter Cole homered.

COLORADO SPRINGS 8, Memphis 3 – Keon Broxton‘s pinch-hit three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning opened up a close game.

Nashville at OKLAHOMA CITY – postponed due to wet grounds, doubleheader today.

Rainiers Home For Lengthy Stretch

The Rainiers survived their four-game trip to Salt Lake City, getting a series split with the Angels Triple-A club and returning home for another nice, long homestand.

Tacoma has nine straight home games at Cheney Stadium, starting with tonight’s game at 6:05. Las Vegas is in town for the first four games, and then Reno visits for a five-game series. The homestand ends with the annual July 3rd Fireworks Extravaganza next Tuesday.

The last homestand was a big success, with Tacoma going 6-1 over a week at Cheney. The team has won its last five home games coming into tonight.

Overall, the club continues to perform well. The Rainiers are 11-4 over the last 15 games, and is sitting a season-best four games over .500.

Both Las Vegas and Reno are well under the .500 mark this year, but we need to put an asterisk by that sentence. Las Vegas has been playing better lately, winning five-of-six coming into town. And Reno, well… we have always had trouble with them.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Tacoma used terrific relief pitching to take down Salt Lake on Sunday, 5-4, and earn a split of the four-game road series. Darin Gillies, Tyler Higgins, and Shawn Armstrong combined to work four scoreless innings while protecting a one-run lead in difficult pitching conditions. Ian Miller connected for a two-run triple, and Seth Mejias-Brean doubled home the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning.

ROSTER MOVES: We are expecting several today. Of note, outfielder Cameron Perkins played in four rehabilitation games with Everett while the Rainiers were in Salt Lake City; it seems likely he’ll come off the disabled list.

TODAY: Las Vegas (33-43) at Tacoma (40-36), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: New York Mets.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 6-3.

PITCHERS: TBA at LHP Ross Detwiler (1-1, 5.63)

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has hit safely in ten of his last 12 games… Gordon Beckham has had multiple hits in each game of a five-game hitting streak, and he has reached base in ten straight games… Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gone 6-for-12 during a three-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Las Vegas is playing better recently, having won five of the last six games including taking 3-of-4 from Reno… the offense received a boost when top prospect Peter Alonso and infielder Jeff McNeil were promoted from Double-A; both were tearing up the Eastern League… infielder Christian Colon has a five-game hitting streak, and he has homered in two straight games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Las Vegas now has four former Tacoma Rainiers players: pitcher Cody Martin, infielder Ty Kelly, and outfielders Patrick Kivlehan and Ezeqiuel Carrera.

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 M’s were shut out by Chris Sale and lost in Boston, 5-0.
• Bob Dutton looks at the big picture concerning the Mariners.
• Several PCL players, including a Las Vegas player who will appear at Cheney Stadium tonight, make appearances on Baseball America’s weekly Prospect Hot Sheet.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

LAS VEGAS 4, Reno 3 – Zach Borenstein hit a walk-off RBI double to give Las Vegas the win. Story from Las Vegas.

El Paso 12, SACRAMENTO 6 – there were Chihuahuas all over the bases at Raley Field, as El Paso banged out 19 hits. Javy Guerra, Shane Peterson, and Carlos Asuaje had three hits apiece.

Round Rock 5, NASHVILLE 2 – Drew Robinson led off the game with a home run and the Express rolled to victory.

OMAHA 8, Oklahoma City 0 – Trevor Oaks pitched six shutout innings against his former team, lowering his ERA to 2.05. Donnie Dewees tripled and homered for Omaha. Story from Omaha.

MEMPHIS 11, New Orleans 5 – two Redbirds had huge games: Rangel Ravelo was 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBI, and Adolis Garcia went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.

Colorado Springs 2, IOWA 0 – rehabilitating Zach Davies and three relievers combined on a three-hit shutout. Iowa has lost ten of its last 11 games.

Rainiers Look For Split In SLC

The quick little four-game road trip to Salt Lake City ends with a day game today. The Rainiers need a win to get out of town with a series split.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: One day after scoring 17 runs on 21 hits, Tacoma’s offense was shut down in a 4-1 loss to Salt Lake on Saturday night. The Rainiers did get nine hits, but they hit into four double plays effectively ending several rallies. Gordon Beckham and David Freitas each had two hits.

TODAY: Tacoma (39-36) at Salt Lake (43-32), 12:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

SEASONS SERIES: Salt Lake leads, 6-2.

PITCHERS: RHP Bryan Evans (0-0, 7.36) at LHP Jose Suarez (0-2, 3.57)

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games… Gordon Beckham has a four-game hitting streak, and he has reached base in nine straight games… in his last six games John Andreoli has reached base 13 times, with eight hits and five walks, scoring seven runs.

OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just went 3-4 on a road trip through Oklahoma City and Colorado Springs… the Bees lead minor league baseball in runs scored and home runs… Jabari Blash is 6-for-10 with three homers in his last three PCL games… Dustin Ackley is batting .522 (12-for-23) with runners in scoring position and two outs in the inning… Rymer Liriano has been a problem for the Rainiers in this series; he’s 6-for-10 with a homer.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Bees currently employ former Rainiers Jabari Blash, Dustin Ackley and Dylan Unsworth.

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 News Tribune has an article on the Rainiers recent defensive prowess.
• Mike Leake was the stopper as the Mariners ended their five-game losing streak with a 7-2 win at Boston on Saturday.
• The Mariners need Robinson Cano, Larry Stone writes.
• Ryan Divish has one of his Sunday Mariners mailbags.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

Albuquerque 3/1, FRESNO 2/2 – a doubleheader split in Fresno, and the Rainiers now trail the first place Grizzlies by seven games. Fresno won the second game on a walk-off hit by Kyle Tucker.

El Paso 3, SACRAMENTO 1 – the River Cats had a solid rehab start by Johnny Cueto, but Colin Rea tossed six strong innings for El Paso and earned the win.

LAS VEGAS 14, Reno 11 – it was a Sin City Slugfest, with Las Vegas first baseman Peter Alonso hitting three home runs including a grand slam. Story from Las Vegas.

Round Rock 2, NASHVILLE 1 (10) – Drew Robinson homered in the ninth to tie it, and Hanser Alberto drove in the winning run in the tenth for the Express.

Oklahoma City 7, OMAHA 5 – the Dodgers were led by Alex Verdugo, who had three hits. Story from Omaha.

MEMPHIS 2, New Orleans 1 – Dakota Hudson became the PCL’s first ten-game winner, delivering eight strong innings. He’s 10-2, 2.04.

Colorado Springs 4/2, IOWA 2/0 – a doubleheader sweep for the visiting team, and Iowa has now lost nine of the last ten games.

Rainiers Exterminate Bees, 17-1

The Rainiers absolutely whacked Salt Lake on Friday night, claiming a 17-1 victory in front of 9,324 disgruntled Bees fans. It was a successful evening.

Tacoma had runners on base all game: 21 hits and 11 walks makes 32 base runners over nine innings.

It got so bad for Salt Lake that this happened: with a runner at second base and one out in the ninth inning, Zach Vincej lined out to third baseman Taylor Ward. Thinking it was the last out of the inning, Ward tossed the ball to a fan in the seats. Since it actually was the second out of the inning, the umpires awarded two bases and the runner at second base was pointed home.

That’s how the Rainiers scored their 17th and final run, and it was a fitting end to the proceedings.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers trounced Salt Lake, 17-1, setting season highs for hits (21) and runs. Kirk Nieuwenhuis broke out of a slump by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, while John Andreoli, Andrew Aplin, and Gordon Beckham each had three hits. The Rainiers have won 10 of their last 12 games.

ROSTER MOVES: The Rainiers did not have any roster moves yesterday, and at the moment none are expected today.

TODAY: Tacoma (39-35) at Salt Lake (42-32), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

SEASONS SERIES: Salt Lake leads, 5-2.

PITCHERS: RHP Christian Bergman (4-4, 4.30) at TBA

This was supposed to be a ‘bullpen day’ for Salt Lake, but yesterday became a bullpen day when their starter got knocked out in the second inning. Not sure what their plan is for today’s game.

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games… Gordon Beckham has a three-game hitting streak, and he has reached base in eight straight games… Dan Vogelbach has reached base safely in 11 straight games, mostly due to walks… in his last five games John Andreoli has reached base 12 times, with seven hits and five walks, scoring seven runs.

OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just went 3-4 on a road trip through Oklahoma City and Colorado Springs… the Bees lead minor league baseball in runs scored and home runs… Jabari Blash is 6-for-10 with three homers in his last three PCL games… Dustin Ackley had a two-out RBI single last night; he’s batting .522 (12-for-23) with runners in scoring position and two outs in the inning.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Bees currently employ former Rainiers Jabari Blash, Dustin Ackley and Dylan Unsworth.

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 had a rough one, wasting a pair of three-run homers by Nelson Cruz and blowing two big leads in a 14-10 loss to the Red Sox.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

Albuquerque 7, FRESNO 5 – the Grizzlies six-game win streak ended, and the Rainiers are 6.5 games out of first. ‘Topes centerfielder Garrett Hampson went 5-for-5, and Raimel Tapia hit three doubles. Story from MiLB.com.

El Paso 3, SACRAMENTO 0 – Luis Perdomo and three relievers combined on a four-hit shutout for the Chihuahuas.

Reno 5, LAS VEGAS 4 – the Aces snapped a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth inning when Ildemaro Vargas tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Socrates homered and boosted his batting average to .355. Story from Las Vegas.

IOWA 4, Colorado Springs 3 – the I-Cubs ended a seven-game losing streak when David Bote drew a bases loaded, walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Round Rock 3, NASHVILLE 2 – former Rainiers pitcher Adrian Sampson started for Round Rock, lasting six innings and allowing one run. He’s coming back from elbow surgery.

OMAHA 6, Oklahoma City 3 – rehabilitating Lucas Duda singled, homered, and drove in three runs to lead the Omaha attack. Story from Omaha.

MEMPHIS 5, New Orleans 4 – trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Oscar Mercado hit a game-tying two-run double, stole third base, and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Bees Do Their Thing, Take Opener

The Salt Lake Bees lead all of the minor leagues and are second in professional baseball when it comes to hitting home runs, and that’s how they beat the Rainiers in the series opener on Thursday night.

Jabari Blash hit an early solo shot for the Bees, and then after the Rainiers cut a 4-0 deficit down to 4-3, Rymer Liriano launched a two-run blast in the eighth inning to seal the game for Salt Lake. The Bees won, 6-3.

Salt Lake’s 110 home runs trails only the New York Yankees 122. As you surely noticed, the Yankees just swept the Mariners by hitting eight dingers in a three-game series.

So, the question is, can the Rainiers keep the Bees in the ballpark and win two of the next three games to steal a split on the road?

Tacoma is starting Casey Lawrence tonight, and he is on a run of terrific pitching. Over his last three starts Lawrence has allowed just two earned runs in 22.1 innings pitched, lowering his ERA from 3.64 down to 2.52. He would rank fourth in the league in ERA if he had pitched enough innings to qualify (he is six innings short).

Lawrence has allowed five home runs in 52 innings this season, but none during this three-start stretch in which he has been so dominant.

Hopefully Lawrence can keep the Bees in check, and the Rainiers can get the offense going tonight.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: Salt Lake took the first game of the series, 6-3, ending the Rainiers five-game winning streak. Rob Whalen allowed eight hits and three runs in three innings before leaving the game with shoulder discomfort. Tacoma pulled within one run at 4-3 in the eighth, but a two-run homer by Rymer Liriano sealed it for the Bees.

ROSTER MOVES: Today the Mariners activated reliever Nick Vincent from the disabled list, and optioned reliever Ryan Cook to Tacoma. Cook has three days to report, which might mean that we won’t see him until the team returns home on Monday. He does not count on the Tacoma roster until he arrives.

TODAY: Tacoma (38-35) at Salt Lake (42-31), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

SEASONS SERIES: Salt Lake leads, 5-1.

The Rainiers are having trouble with the first-place Bees. Most of the games have been close, but Salt Lake has had the advantage.

PITCHERS: RHP Casey Lawrence (5-2, 2.42) at RHP Felix Pena (1-0, 1.80)

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has been successful in his last ten stolen base attempts, and he has hit safely in eight of his last ten games… Gordon Beckham hit a pair of doubles last night, and he has reached base in six straight games… Dan Vogelbach has reached base safely in ten straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just went 3-4 on a road trip through Oklahoma City and Colorado Springs… the Bees lead minor league baseball in runs scored and home runs… Ben Revere has a seven-game hitting streak… Dustin Ackley had a two-out RBI single last night; he’s batting .522 (12-for-23) with runners in scoring position and two outs in the inning.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Bees currently employ former Rainiers Jabari Blash, Dustin Ackley and Dylan Unsworth.

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:

• With top prospect Griffin Canning making his Triple-A debut against the Rainiers last night, the game generated some media attention. Here is the local report from one of the Salt Lake City papers, and we have a report on Canning from MiLB.com.
• The Mariners ended up getting swept by the bashing Bronx Bombers, dropping a 4-3 decision on Thursday. Seattle has lost four in a row for the first time this season.

Around the PCL (home team in CAPS):

FRESNO 8, Albuquerque 0 – Cy Sneed had a no-hit bid broken up in the seventh inning, but he shook it off and completed a two-hit shutout in one of the PCL’s finest pitching performances of the season. He struck out 11 and used just 105 pitches. Story from MiLB.com.

El Paso 10, SACRAMENTO 1 – rehabilitating Austin Hedges went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, three runs scored, and three RBI. Allen Craig added four hits for the Chihuahuas.

LAS VEGAS 5, Reno 3 – the 51s received a strong start from P.J. Conlon, and Peter Alonso doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. Story from Las Vegas.

New Orleans 2, MEMPHIS 1 (10) – after a strong start by Jarlin Garcia, New Orleans won the game in the tenth on a bases loaded walk drawn by Braxton Lee.

Oklahoma City 7, OMAHA 1 – Dodgers starter Manny Banuelos continued his fine season, tossing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts to improve his numbers to 8-3, 2.88 on the year. Story from Omaha.

NASHVILLE 7, Round Rock 4 – Ramon Laureano and Sheldon Neuse homered to lead the Sounds. It was the first Triple-A home run for Neuse.

Colorado Springs 5, IOWA 0 – Sky Sox starter Aaron Wilkerson along with three relievers combined on a seven-hit shutout.

Rolling Rainiers Take Show On Road

After an off day spent entirely at home yesterday, the Rainiers woke up early this morning and took the short flight to Salt Lake City to start a four-game series tonight.

Tacoma is the hottest team in the PCL at the moment, having won nine of the last ten games and moving a season-best four games over .500 on the year.

The Rainiers just completed their best homestand of the season – by far. Tacoma won six of the seven games against Omaha and Iowa, and they won the last five in a row.

Now the team hits the road, where success has been happening for a while now. The Rainiers have a winning record away from home this season, 19-17. More recently, the team has won 14 of its last 22 away games.

A tough opponent awaits. Salt Lake is in first place in the Pac-South, although it has recently stumbled having los six of the last nine while the roster has been in a state of churn. However, the Bees are getting several key players back from the big leagues for this series (Jabari Blash, Kaleb Cowart, Nolan Fontana, Juan Graterol).

Salt Lake looked impressive the one time the Rainiers faced them. The Bees won four-of-five at Tacoma, May 30 – June 3. Two of Salt Lake’s wins were one-run games, and a third one occurred in extra innings.

Tacoma is playing a lot better now than it was during that previous series. This should be a fun four games in Salt Lake City.

RAINIERS ROUND-UP

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers were off yesterday. On Tuesday they beat Iowa, 5-4, to complete their first four-game sweep of the season. Danny Muno hit the go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning. Tacoma used eight pitchers on a true “bullpen day.”

ROSTER MOVES: Tacoma expects to add catcher David Freitas and pitcher Rob Whalen to the active roster today. Both were optioned to Tacoma by the Mariners a couple of days ago. Left-hander Anthony McIver was transferred back to Class-A Modesto, apparently because he was pitching too well in Triple-A. Outfielder Cameron Perkins has started a rehabilitation stint with Everett.

TODAY: Tacoma (38-34) at Salt Lake (41-31), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

SEASONS SERIES: Salt Lake leads, 4-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Rob Whalen (7-3, 4.50) at RHP Griffin Canning (-)

We get to see the Triple-A debut of Griffin Canning, who is one of the fastest-moving pitching prospects in the minors. A second round pick out of UCLA in 2017, Canning has moved from Class-A to Double-A to Triple-A in half of a season. He put up a 1.97 ERA in ten Double-A starts.

HOT HITTERS: Ian Miller has been successful in his last ten stolen base attempts, and he has hit safely in eight of his last ten games… Zach Vincej is 7-for-19 in his last six games… Seth Mejias-Brean has a three-game hitting streak… Dan Vogelbach has reached base safely in nine straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just went 3-4 on a road trip through Oklahoma City and Colorado Springs. The Bees have gone 3-6 over the last nine games amidst a plethora of transactions due to a crazy number of injuries suffered by the major league Angels… Ben Revere and Nolan Fontana have six-game hitting streaks… the Bees had 24 hits in their final game at Colorado Springs on Tuesday.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Bees currently employ former Rainiers Jabari Blash, Dustin Ackley and Dylan Unsworth.

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 News Tribune has a report on Tuesday’s Rainiers victory.
• The paper also has a feature on outfielder Ian Miller.
• Salt Lake leads the minors in home runs, and the local newspaper has a story on it.
• The Mariners have dropped the first two games in New York, losing a five-run lead last night. On Tuesday they lost the series opener to the Yankees, 7-2.
• While covering the College World Series, Larry Stone turned in a story on the Omaha roots of Mariners manager Scott Servais.
• Lookout Landing has another edition of the State of the Farm.
• Seats by Ben Cheney’s statue gained some national attention from MLB.com’s cool Cut4 spinoff.

Around the PCL:

The entire league was off yesterday. Of note from Tuesday’s games: Fresno completed a four-game sweep at Round Rock with a 5-3 victory, maintaining a 6.5-game lead over Tacoma. Salt Lake won its final game ever at Colorado Springs 17-9, collecting 24 hits.