Doubleheader Sweep Features Double Shutouts

Against all odds at high-scoring Southwest University Park, Tacoma pitched two shutouts in a doubleheader sweep of the El Paso Chihuahuas on Thursday night.

Jon Niese had his best start for Tacoma in the opener, pitching five scoreless innings without allowing a runner to get past first base in a 4-0 win. Rehabilitating Mariners reliever Gerson Bautista pitched the final two innings, allowing one single and finishing the Rainiers sixth shutout of the season.

The second shutout – Tacoma’s seventh of the season, just one behind PCL leader San Antonio – was an Anthony Misiewicz special. As the National Spelling Bee drew attention from around the nation, M-I-S-I-E-W-I-C-Z delivered six terrific innings of scoreless ball, scattering just a pair of hits. He retired 14 straight batters between the first and sixth innings. Matt Festa finished off the game, and the Rainiers had a 7-0 win.

The two wins pushed Tacoma over the .500 mark for the first time all season – in fact, it’s the first time since July 22, 2018 when Tacoma was 51-50.

Tacoma moved into first place in the wacky Pacific-North Division, in which the Rainiers are at the moment the only one of the four teams to have an above-.500 record. It’s going to be an interesting division race this summer, for sure.

The Rainiers have won three in a row, and five of the last six, but we are in Triple-A and Tacoma’s scheduled starting pitcher for tonight has been scratched, creating a ‘bullpen game’ on a day in which the Mariners are shuffling the roster around. We’ll see if the team can keep it going tonight!

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma swept a doubleheader by pitching a pair of shutouts in El Paso. Jon Niese and Gerson Bautista combined on a six-hitter to win the first game, 4-0. It was Anthony Misiewicz and Matt Festa combining on a three-hitter for a 7-0 win in the nightcap. The Rainiers moved over .500 for the first time this season and took first place in the division.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Rainiers added reliever Reggie McClain from Double-A Arkansas. Also, reliever Sam Tuivailala‘s rehabilitation assignment ended. Today the Mariners announced that reliever Ruben Alaniz has been claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds, and scheduled starter Erik Swanson has been placed on the injured list (hamstring). The Mariners have called up reliever Chasen Bradford and optioned David McKay to Tacoma, with McKay expected to report tomorrow. There will be more moves before first pitch tonight.

TODAY: Tacoma (28-27) at El Paso (34-20), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 5-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Mike Wright (0-0, 9.00) at LHP Jerry Keel (4-1, 5.34)

HOT HITTERS: Tim Lopes has a seven-game hitting streak, and the last five games have been multiple-hit performances… Ian Miller has reached base safely in 12 straight games, and he is batting .351 in May… Kristopher Negron has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, collecting 20 hits during that span…   Braden Bishop is 22-for-68 with three homers since returning from the big leagues.

OPPONENT NEWS: El Paso just helped out the Rainiers by winning three-of-four in a road series at Fresno… Luis Urias had his 11-game hitting streak, and his streak of 29 straight games reaching base, end in the second game of the doubleheader… rehabbing catcher Francisco Mejia and infielder/outfielder Jose Pirela will be playing in this series.

FAMILIAR FACES: You want former Rainiers? El Paso has ’em. Seth Mejias-Brean, Boog Powell, and Dillon Overton are on the active roster, with Tyler Higgins on the injured list. They also have Seattle University product Eric Yardley, who hails from the Tri-Cities.

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:

• Yusei Kikuchi had a rough day and the Mariners lost to the Angels, 9-3.
• Out-of-touch Angels manager Brad Ausmus did not start Shohei Ohtani against Kikuchi. C’mon, dude.
• The MLB draft is coming next week. Todd Milles has five players from Washington likely to get picked. USS Mariner has some thoughts on what the M’s strategy might be.

In the PCL:

• Fresno outfielder Yadiel Hernandez had three hits and five RBI in a 13-7 win over Salt Lake. Bees outfielder Jarrett Parker hit three solo home runs, giving him nine homers on the year. Never mix politics and baseball: the Grizzlies have lost two corporate sponsors in the wake of their Memorial Day Mistake.
• Las Vegas outfielder Seth Brown had three hits including his 12th homer of the season in an 8-4 win at Sacramento.
• Brian Mundell reached base four times as Albuquerque took down Reno, 7-5.
• Oklahoma City scored twice in the top of the tenth inning to claim a 10-8 win over Memphis. Kyle Garlick had three hits and five RBI.
• Omaha starter Scott Blewett didn’t, allowing one earned run over 5.2 innings to beat San Antonio, 3-2.
• Iowa shut out Round Rock, 7-0, behind six innings of two-hit ball from Alec Mills.
• New Orleans stole five bases and rode a strong start by Dustin Beggs to a 5-3 win at Nashville.

A Double Dip In El Paso Today At 4

After yesterday’s unexpected postponement, we are ready to play a doubleheader today at 4:05. It will be two seven-inning games.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Yesterday’s game in El Paso was postponed due to the reasons outlined in the previous blog post, so we are playing a doubleheader today. We made it without a postponement until May 29, and rain had nothing to do with it. Go figure.

ROSTER MOVES: The Mariners have released veteran pitcher Christian Bergman – he’s a class act and we wish him the best moving forward. Apparently a reliever is coming up from Double-A Arkansas to take his spot. Infielder Connor Kopach reported from Class-A Modesto to fill Dylan Moore‘s spot.

TODAY: Tacoma (26-27) at El Paso (34-18), doubleheader, 4:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 3-3.

PITCHERS:

• Game One: LHP Jon Niese (2-1, 5.53) at RHP Cal Quantrill (4-1, 4.80)
• Game Two: LHP Anthony Misiewicz (1-1, 6.57) at LHP Logan Allen (4-1, 4.01)

HOT HITTERS: Jose Lobaton has ten hits in his last three games, and he has hit safely in nine of his ten nine games… Braden Bishop is 21-for-61 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… Kristopher Negron has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, collecting 18 hits during that span…  Tim Lopes has a five-game hitting streak… Ian Miller has reached base safely in ten straight games, and he is batting .343 in May.

OPPONENT NEWS: El Paso just helped out the Rainiers by winning three-of-four in a road series at Fresno… the Chihuahuas have won five of their last six games… Luis Urias has a ten-game hitting streak, he has reached base in 28 straight games, he’s batting .364 with 13 home runs, and it seems kind of silly that the Padres haven’t recalled him… rehabbing catcher Francisco Mejia and infielder/outfielder Jose Pirela will be playing in this series.

FAMILIAR FACES: You want former Rainiers? El Paso has ’em. Seth Mejias-Brean, Boog Powell, and Dillon Overton are on the active roster, with Tyler Higgins on the injured list. They also have Seattle University product Eric Yardley, who hails from the Tri-Cities.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 3:50 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 a day game to the Rangers yesterday. Three takeaways.
• Shortstop J.P. Crawford is going to miss a couple weeks, but the injury is not as bad as feared.
• Lookout Landing has a weekly State of the Farm report.

In the PCL:

• Trailing 6-4 going to the ninth, Reno scored three runs and upended Albuquerque, 7-6. The Isotopes made two crucial errors during Reno’s game-winning rally.
• Tanner Anderson pitched six strong innings and Las Vegas earned a 7-1 win at Sacramento. Nick Martini went 4-for-4 for the Aviators.
• Salt Lake snapped a 7-7 tie by scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning, and the Bees needed all three of them to beat Fresno. 10-9. Ty Kelly had three hits and scored three runs.
• New Orleans ace Zac Gallen became the PCL’s first pitcher to win seven games, allowing one run over 6.2 innings in a 3-1 win over Iowa. Gallen is 7-1 with a 1.70 ERA.
• Jimmy Nelson continued his comeback bid, pitching five solid innings as San Antonio defeated Memphis, 3-2.
• Oklahoma City hammered Omaha, 12-3. Justin DeFratus pitched seven strong innings and Cameron Perkins homered for the Dodgers.
• Round Rock won a ridiculous 13-inning game in Nashville, 13-12. It was tied 7-7 after nine innings when they started placing the automatic runners at second base. Each team finished the game with position players pitching: Nashville infielder Tyler Depreta-Johnson took the loss, with Round Rock’s backup catcher Jamie Ritchie getting the save.

Wednesday’s Game Postponed, Doubleheader Thursday

Tonight’s Rainiers game at El Paso was postponed due to an equipment problem. Specifically, the Chihuahuas baseball gear did not make it from Fresno (where they played last night) to El Paso in time for the game.

A doubleheader will be played on Thursday at 4:05 (Pacific). It will be two seven-inning games, with a half-hour for the players to enjoy PB&J’s between games.

Fresno-to-El Paso is probably the most difficult connection in all of the PCL, due to the limited number of flights and the small aircraft servicing each airport. The league (hopefully) tries to avoid this conjunction when making the schedule, but sometimes it is inevitable.

As for the Rainiers, they did a full workout on the field in El Paso and are ready for the series to start on Thursday. I even recorded my pregame interview with Jose Loboton for tomorrow’s broadcast – hear him talk about his 5-for-5, 5 RBI game on Thursday at 3:50.

We had a roster move, too: infielder Connor Kopach has returned from Class-A Modesto, to replace Dylan Moore who was summoned to Seattle.

Let’s play two on Thursday!

Rainiers Move On To El Paso, Mariners Infielder Comes Along For a Couple Hours

After a successful stop in Salt Lake City in which the Tacoma Rainiers took three-of-four from the Bees, the road trip moves on to El Paso for five games against the class of the PCL, the El Paso Chihuahuas.

At 34-18, El Paso has the best record in the league. The Chihuahuas opened the season 1-6, but have gone a remarkable 33-12 since.

Tacoma has played El Paso tough, going 3-3 against them over a pair of early-season, home-and-home three-game series.

One player won’t be here for the Rainiers tonight, and that’s infielder Dylan Moore. Moore was called up by Seattle today to replace the injured J.P. Crawford.

Moore played in Tacoma’s day game yesterday in Salt Lake City, and he flew with the team to El Paso. That meant a 7:30 Southwest flight to Las Vegas, an hour layover, and a connecting flight to El Paso. We arrived at the hotel around 12:30 AM El Paso time.

When the team landed in El Paso, Moore was informed he needed to fly back to Seattle. So he spent a couple hours in the El Paso hotel, woke up before dawn and went back to the airport to fly to Seattle in an attempt to get there in time for the Mariners day game today.

This guy has spent a lot of time in the air in the last 18 hours.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma batted around during a four-run first inning and a seven-run fifth inning in a 13-5 win over Salt Lake yesterday. Jose Lobaton went 5-for-5 with four singles and a double, driving in five runs and scoring two. He became the first Tacoma player to get five hits in a game since D.J. Peterson did it at El Paso in August of 2016. Lobaton was left on deck when the top of the ninth inning ended, narrowly missing an opportunity for six hits. Tacoma won the series, three games to one, and is back within one game of the .500 mark.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford sprained his ankle and he is being placed on the injured list, with Dylan Moore called up to take his place. The Rainiers will probably add a player from somewhere in the organization.

TODAY: Tacoma (26-27) at El Paso (34-18), 6:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASONS SERIES: Tied, 3-3.

PITCHERS: LHP Jon Niese (2-1, 5.53) at LHP Logan Allen (4-1, 4.01)

HOT HITTERS: Jose Lobaton has ten hits in his last three games, and he has hit safely in nine of his ten nine games… Braden Bishop is 21-for-61 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… Kristopher Negron has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, collecting 18 hits during that span…  Tim Lopes has a five-game hitting streak… Ian Miller has reached base safely in ten straight games, and he is batting .343 in May.

OPPONENT NEWS: El Paso just helped out the Rainiers by winning three-of-four in a road series at Fresno… the Chihuahuas have won five of their last six games… Luis Urias has a ten-game hitting streak, he has reached base in 28 straight games, he’s batting .364 with 13 home runs, and it seems kind of silly that the Padres haven’t recalled him… rehabbing catcher Francisco Mejia and infielder/outfielder Jose Pirela will be playing in this series.

FAMILIAR FACES: You want former Rainiers? El Paso has ’em. Seth Mejias-Brean, Boog Powell, and Dillon Overton are on the active roster, with Tyler Higgins on the injured list. They also have Seattle University product Eric Yardley, who hails from the Tri-Cities.

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 El Paso Times previews the series with a feature on Chihuahuas infielder Matthew Batten.
• The M’s lost to Texas and J.P. Crawford sprained his ankle, landing on the injured list. Three takeaways.
• The Mariners, um, “commemorated” Dan Vogelbach‘s massive home run after Monday’s game.
• Seattle’s step back plan is tough on the veterans like Mike Leake, Matt Calkins writes.
• Larry Stone has a good column on Bill Buckner‘s death and the media’s reaction.
• Top prospect Jarred Kelenic has been promoted from Low-A West Virginia to Advanced-A Modesto, where he will join 2018 first round draft pick Logan Gilbert.

In the PCL:

• El Paso scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to win at Fresno last night, 4-1. The Chihuahuas bullpen pitched five shutout innings.
• Franklin Barreto had four extra-base hits in a 12-8 Las Vegas win at Reno. Barreto hit three doubles and a triple. Tough day for the plate umpire: both team’s managers were ejected for arguing balls-and-strikes during the sixth inning. Reno is trying to cope while it’s best hitters all got called up at the same time. If you are looking to rent the swimming pool at the new Las Vegas Ballpark, you are out of luck. It’s sold out and there is a waiting list.
• Sacramento starter Ty Blach allowed just two runs over six innings in Albuquerque, earning a 7-2 win. The River Cats swept the series.
• Rehabilitating Lucas Duda contributed two hits with a double and an RBI as Omaha beat Oklahoma City, 5-3.
• Nashville starter Seth Maness pitched into the seventh inning in a 4-2 win over Round Rock.
• San Antonio shut out Memphis, 8-0, behind Bubba Derby. It is this blog’s policy to mention Nate Orf any time he does something notable, so we are here to tell you that Nate Orf went 4-for-5.
• Iowa’s Colin Rea continued his outstanding season, tossing seven innings of a 3-0 win at New Orleans. Rea is 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA.

Rainiers Go For Series Win In Early Game

Tacoma did not reach .500, and did not secure a series win on Monday at Salt Lake. They can’t accomplish the first goal today, but they can take care of the second.

The Rainiers wrap up the four-game series at Salt Lake with an 11:05 AM (Pacific) game on Tuesday. Tacoma has won two of the first three games of the four-game series.

After this game we are off to El Paso, for a five-game series against the PCL’s best team.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma got shut out for just the second time this season, 5-0 as Salt Lake’s Dillon Peters and Parker Bridwell combined on a four-hitter. Tim Lopes and Robert Perez Jr. each had two hits for Tacoma.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday outfielder Luis Liberato was placed on the seven-day injured list with a tight oblique (which is apparently contagious), and outfielder Billy Cooke was brought back from extended spring training. The Mariners claimed reliever Jimmy Cordero off waivers from Toronto and announced he will report to Tacoma, but no one knows when he is coming.

TODAY: Tacoma (25-27) at Salt Lake (23-27), 11:05 AM Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 4-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Tyler Cloyd (1-3, 4.60) at LHP Jose Suarez (2-0, 1.86)

HOT HITTERS: Braden Bishop is 19-for-55 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… … Kristopher Negron had his ten-game hitting streak end last night, he went 16-for-35 during the streak… Jose Lobaton has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, and he has homered in two straight… Ian Miller leads the PCL with 18 doubles.

OPPONENT NEWS: The Bees had won 12 of their last 14 games coming into this series… Salt Lake has already hit seven grand slams this season, which is three short of their franchise record – and it’s still May… Justin Bour has a six-game hitting streak and he has homered twice in this series.

FAMILIAR FACES: Ty Kelly played for Tacoma during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 10:50 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 came home and ended a six-game losing streak by beating Texas, 6-2. Three takeaways from the game.

Doubleheaders everywhere in the PCL, and they were all sweeps:

• El Paso beat Fresno twice, taking the opening game in extra innings 3-2 before coasting to a 6-1 win in the nightcap. Jason Vosler drove home the winning run in the opener and homered in the second game.
• Trailing 7-5 going to the ninth, Las Vegas scored four runs and upended Reno, 9-7. Beau Taylor hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth.
• Sacramento put the hammer on Albuquerque, 12-5. Anthony Garcia went 4-for-5 with a homer. Sam Hilliard keeps hitting dingers for the ‘Topes.
• San Antonio swept a road doubleheader at Memphis, 3-1 and 2-1. David Freitas hit a two-run homer in the first game, and Corey Spangenberg‘s two-run homer held up in the second game.
• Iowa kept Isan Diaz in the ballpark and topped New Orleans in ten innings, 2-1. Diaz’s streak ended at five straight games with a homer.
• Yordan Alvarez homered in the first game and drove in three runs in the second as Round Rock swept a doubleheader at Nashville, 2-0 and 8-5. Rehabbing Jose Altuve went 1-for-4 in the opener.
• Omaha swept Oklahoma City, 7-3 and 6-5. Brett Phillips homered twice and drove in five runs in the opener, and catcher Xavier Fernandez homered and drove in four runs in the second game.

Rainiers Push Towards .500 Mark

Here we are again.

Earlier this week the Rainiers won the first two games of a four-game series against Fresno, pulling within one game of the .500 mark and needing to just split the final two games to win the series. Instead, Tacoma lost the last two games of the series.

Now Tacoma has come to Salt Lake City, played excellent baseball, and won the first two games of the series. The Rainiers are one game under .500, and have not had a .500 record since the team was 1-1 after two games this season. And Tacoma needs to win just one of the final two games here to get a road series win.

Let’s see if they can get it done this time.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Young players led the offense for the Rainiers, as Robert Perez hit a go-ahead two-run double and David Sheaffer homered and drove in two runs during a 7-4 win over Salt Lake on Sunday afternoon. The Tacoma bullpen shined, as Christian Bergman, Gerson Bautista, and Chasen Bradford combined to pitch five shutout innings.

ROSTER MOVES: Reliever Ryan Garton reported to Tacoma yesterday, and outfielder Billy Cooke was transferred to extended spring training.

TODAY: Tacoma (25-26) at Salt Lake (22-27), 5:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 4-2.

PITCHERS: LHP Justus Sheffield (2-2, 3.89) at LHP Dillon Peters (1-1, 6.18)

HOT HITTERS: Braden Bishop is 19-for-51 with three homers since returning from the big leagues, and he has reached base in 11 straight games… … Kristopher Negron has a ten-game hitting streak, going 16-for-35 during the streak… Jose Lobaton has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, and he has homered in two straight… Ian Miller leads the PCL with 18 doubles.

OPPONENT NEWS: The Bees had won 12 of their last 14 games coming into this series… Salt Lake has already hit seven grand slams this season, which is three short of their franchise record – and it’s still May… Justin Bour has a five-game hitting streak; he went 4-for-5 yesterday.

FAMILIAR FACES: Ty Kelly played for Tacoma during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 5:20 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 Mariners finished a winless road trip with a loss in Oakland, and are now home to host Texas tonight.

In the PCL:

• The first place battle between division leaders El Paso and Fresno took an unexpected day off yesterday, as the game was rained out in Fresno. They’ll try to play two today.
• Sacramento enjoyed a day in Albuquerque, mashing out a 16-8 win. Mike Gerber homered twice and Aramis Garcia went 4-for-6 with a homer and four RBI.
• Wyatt Mathisen‘s go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning led Reno to a 6-3 win over Las Vegas.
• Omaha shut out Oklahoma City, 5-0, as rehabbing Kyle Zimmer, Jake Kalish, and Richard Lovelady combined on a two-hitter.
• Isan Diaz made it five straight games with a home run, but his New Orleans Baby Cakes still lost to Iowa, 14-10. Jim Adduci went 3-for-6 with a homer and six RBI to lead the I-Cubs. Elieser Hernandez – the New Orleans starter with the 1.07 ERA – got called up by the Marlins today.
• San Antonio snapped a 4-4 tie at Memphis in the top of the ninth inning when Tyler Saladino ripped a three-run homer, and the Missions won 7-4.
• Nashville banged out 16 hits and took down Round Rock, 9-5. Zack Granite and Hunter Cole each had three hits for the Sounds. Round Rock’s Kyle Tucker homered in his fourth straight game. Jose Altuve starts a rehab assignment with Round Rock today.

High-Elevation Road Trip Starts Out The Right Way

The Tacoma Rainiers had a great start to the nine-game road trip on Saturday night, with a 9-4 win over Salt Lake.

The win happened exactly the way it needs to when your are in Salt Lake City, or any of the other high-elevation, high-scoring PCL ballparks: once you take the lead, you need to keep scoring.

Tacoma took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, and led 4-3 after seven. The Rainiers added another run in the eighth, and then tacked on four insurance runs in the top of the ninth so that the Bees didn’t get any hare-brained ideas about coming back and winning the game.

That’s how you need to do it in Salt Lake City, Reno, Albuquerque, El Paso, and Las Vegas. Just keep scoring. Seems simple, right? If only it was.

—

Another key Tacoma player landed on the injured list on Saturday, with Ryan Court suffering oblique tightness. He joins Eric Young Jr (thumb), Orlando Calixte (left knee), and Aaron Northcraft (left oblique). Other than Young Jr who had surgery and will be out until at least July, we have little information on how long the players will take to recover.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma starter Anthony Misiewicz pitched well into the seventh inning, and new players Luis Liberato and Robert Perez each had two hits as Tacoma took down Salt Lake on Saturday night, 9-4. The Rainiers scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to break open a close game. Braden Bishop hit two doubles and drew two walks.

ROSTER MOVES: Reliever Ryan Garton was outrighted to Tacoma and will report today. Dylan Moore reported to Tacoma yesterday, and outfielder Luis Liberato was promoted from Class-A Modesto prior to yesterday’s game because Ryan Court landed on the seven-day injured list with a tight oblique.

TODAY: Tacoma (24-26) at Salt Lake (22-26), 12:05 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 3-2.

PITCHERS: RHP Erik Swanson (0-0, 3.38) at RHP Nick Tropeano (1-1, 7.66)

HOT HITTERS: Braden Bishop is 17-for-47 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… … Kristopher Negron has a nine-game hitting streak, going 15-for-31 during the streak… Jose Lobaton has hit safely in seven of his last eight games… Ian Miller leads the PCL with 18 doubles.

OPPONENT NEWS: The Bees have won 12 of their last 15 games, turning around their season after a 10-23 start… they just won three-of-four at Sacramento, and recently swept a four-gamer at Reno… Salt Lake has already hit seven grand slams this season, which is three short of their franchise record – and it’s still May.

FAMILIAR FACES: Ty Kelly played for Tacoma during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

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:

• Yusei Kikuchi had a tough day at the office and the Mariners lost in Oakland last night, 6-5.
• Seattle Times baseball writer Ryan Divish has his weekly Q&A.

In the PCL:

• Fresno topped El Paso, 5-2, in a battle between division leaders. Wilmer Difo had three hits and Jake Noll drove in three runs for the Grizzlies.
• Reno’s Abraham Almonte and Domingo Leyba each hit three-run homers in an 8-3 win over visiting Las Vegas.
• Sacramento banged out 16 hits in a 10-6 win at Albuquerque. Mike Gerber, Anthony Gomez, Henry Ramos, and Levi Michael each had three knocks. Mike Yastrzemski got called up by the Giants.
• PCL veteran Shane Peterson appeared in the Oklahoma City box score, drilling a two-run homer to help the Dodgers to a 4-2 win at Omaha.
• Kyle Tucker made it three straight games with a homer, and A.J. Reed also went deep in Round Rock’s 11-5 win at Nashville.
• New Orleans infielder Isan Diaz scoffed at Tucker and homered in his fourth straight game to lead the Baby Cakes to a 6-3 win over Iowa. UW product Jeff Brigham nailed down his first save.
• San Antonio shut out Memphis, 4-0, as Aaron Wilkerson and four relievers combined on a four-hitter.

Back On The Road: Return To Salt Lake

After a far-too-quick four-game home series, the Rainiers are back on the road for another nine-game, ten-day road trip. This time its four games at Salt Lake, then five at El Paso, and a travel day to fly home before returning to Cheney Stadium on June 4.

We had a pre-dawn flight today, so we’re jumping right into the Rainiers Daily.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Fresno topped Tacoma on Friday night, 9-6, and snuck out of town with a split of the four-game series after the Rainiers won the first two. Andrew Stevenson‘s two-out, two-run triple in the sixth inning gave the Grizzlies the lead. Jose Lobaton went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a homer for Tacoma in his biggest game of the season.

ROSTER MOVES: Reliever Ryan Garton was outrighted to Tacoma and is expected to report today. The Mariners activated Kyle Seager from the disabled list and optioned Dylan Moore to Tacoma, but at this point we don’t know when Moore will report.

TODAY: Tacoma (23-25) at Salt Lake (22-25), 5:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.

SEASONS SERIES: Tied, 2-2.

PITCHERS: LHP Anthony Misiewicz (0-1, 9.53) at TBA

Scheduled Salt Lake starter Jaime Barria got himself called up to the big leagues yesterday.

HOT HITTERS: Ryan Court saw his nine-game hitting streak end. He was 0-for-2 and removed from the game due to oblique tightness… Braden Bishop is 15-for-44 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… … Kristopher Negron has an eight-game hitting streak, going 14-for-28 during the streak… Jose Lobaton has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: The Bees have won 12 of their last 14 games, turning around their season after a 10-23 start… they just won three-of-four at Sacramento, and recently swept a four-gamer at Reno… that said, they don’t have any hitting streaks of note. Their pitching has been much improved, and they have a knack for hitting grand slams every time they load the bases.

FAMILIAR FACES: Ty Kelly played for Tacoma during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 5:20 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:

• Everybody got left on base in the Mariners loss to Oakland last night.
• Reliever Sam Tuivailala continues his rehabilitation with Tacoma, and The News Tribune caught up with him.

In the PCL:

• Salt Lake got a rare 1-0 win at Sacramento, and making it even rarer was the fact that the only run scored on a Matt Thaiss inside-the-park home run. 22-year-old Patrick Sandoval pitched six shutout innings for the Bees, Tyler Beede was dealing for the River Cats.
• El Paso starter Logan Allen was dominant for seven innings in a 4-1 win over Reno. Allen allowed just three hits and one walk, striking out ten.
• One day after a 1-0, ten-inning game, Albuquerque and Las Vegas were tied 1-1 after nine and went to the tenth again. This time the floodgates opened, as the Isotopes scored four runs in the top of the tenth and needed all of them to hang on for a 5-4 win. Peter Lambert pitched seven shutout innings with ten strikeouts for the ‘Topes.
• Omaha banged out 16 hits and won a home game, beating Iowa 6-2. Storm Chasers starter Foster Griffin tossed seven strong innings and improved his season numbers to 5-1, 3.40.
• Kyle Tucker ripped his 14th homer and A.J. Reed also went deep as Round Rock edged San Antonio, 4-3.
• PCL ace Zac Gallen did it again, allowing one run over seven innings and earning his league-leading sixth win as New Orleans took out Oklahoma City, 4-1. Gallen has a 1.74 ERA.
• Nashville was 10-6 winner over Memphis as former Raniers catcher Adam Moore had two hits, with a triple, and five RBI. The 35-year-old played for Tacoma in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Homestand Ends Tonight

Tacoma had a shot to reach .500 for the first time since the second day of the season, and pull into first place in the division while doing it, but it didn’t happen as Fresno held off the Rainiers 6-4 last night.

The Rainiers will try to settle for winning the four-game series with a victory on Fireworks Night.

Kyle Seager went 1-for-4 in his final rehab game. He was a class act throughout his stay with the Rainiers, simply by being himself while remembering where he came from. Hopefully he’ll help the Mariners pull out of their skid when he is activated from the injured list on Saturday.

After tonight’s game the Rainiers will take a brief nap before hopping aboard their earliest flight of the season (fun!) and heading to Salt Lake City to open a nine-game road trip. It’s four games at Salt Lake, followed by five games at El Paso.

We’ll be back home on June 4 for some inter-conference play, with Memphis and Nashville coming to town.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma missed a chance to pull into first place, as Fresno outfielder Yadiel Hernandez homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Grizzlies to a 6-4 win on Thursday night. Fresno has slowed down the Tacoma offense the past two days – yesterday the Rainiers managed seven hits. Kristopher Negron had two hits with a homer for the Rainiers.

ROSTER MOVES: In order to make room for relievers Nick Rumbelow and Mike Wright yesterday, pitchers Christian Pedrol and Carlos Hernandez were transferred back to extended spring training. Pitcher Tyler Danish was released after the game last night. Today, outfielder Robert Perez joins the club from extended spring training. Perez gives Tacoma 11 position players while we wait to see what move the Mariners make when they activate Seager.

TODAY: Fresno (24-23) at Tacoma (23-25), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Washington Nationals.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Randy Knorr.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 2-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Scott Copeland (2-2, ) at LHP Jon Niese (2-1, 5.16)

HOT HITTERS: Ryan Court has gone 13-for-26 during an eight-game hitting streak, and he has 13 RBI during the streak… Braden Bishop is 15-for-44 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… … Kristopher Negron has a seven-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Fresno shortstop Carter Kieboom is considered one of the top prospects in all of minor league baseball. He’s hitting .348 with eight homers in 109 at-bats for Fresno – but he struggled in his first MLB call-up, going 5-for-39 for the Nationals in an 11-game stint… Jacob Wilson is off to the best start of his career, batting .327 with 14 homers. This is new territory for the former Memphis Redbirds infielder, who has never hit like this in Triple-A.

FAMILIAR FACES: Austin Voth is a graduate of Kentwood High School (Class of 2010) and pitched three years at the University of Washington… former Mariner Vidal Nuno pitched briefly for Tacoma in 2015.

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:

• Online voting for the Triple-A All-Stars is open now. Tacoma has a couple of good candidates this season.
• Missed this one yesterday, or maybe it didn’t get posted until today: The News Tribune has a story on Justus Sheffield‘s great game on Wednesday.
• Larry Stone opens the history book and wonders if this might become the worst Mariners team in franchise history.
• Kyle Seager helped Dan Vogelbach when he was struggling, and now Vogelbach has helped out Mariners prospect Jered Kelenic.

In the PCL:

• We had a double no-hit bid in Las Vegas last night. Both Albuquerque’s Chi-Chi Gonzalez and Las Vegas’s Paul Blackburn took no-hitters into the seventh inning, when each was broken up. The game remained 0-0 until the bottom of the tenth inning, when Sheldon Neuse singled in the automatic runner to give Las Vegas a 1-0 win.
• Salt Lake Jose‘s Suarez and Rodriguez combined on a three-hitter as the Bees beat Sacramento, 7-1. Catcher Roberto Perez homered twice.
• El Paso walloped Reno, 10-4, but in the ninth inning Yasmany Tomas hit another homer. That’s four straight games with a homer, seven dingers total. The Diamondbacks are promoting Kevin Cron.
• Iowa edged Omaha, 3-2, on an RBI single in the eighth inning by Robel Garcia. The I-Cubs are back to ten games over .500. Strangely, Omaha can’t win at home.
• Baby Cakes leadoff man Monte Harrison had two hits, two walks, scored two runs, and drove in four as New Orleans waltzed to a 12-4 win over Oklahoma City.
• PCL veteran Cory Spangenberg had a big game for San Antonio in an 11-6 win at Round Rock. He had three hits with a pair of taters. The Express have had some strong starting pitchers.
• Zack Granite hit a go-ahead grand slam in Nashville 8-5 win over Memphis. The game featured a benches-clearing fracus that resulted in four ejections.

 

 

Sheffield, Scott Provide A Nice Break

After a ten-day stretch in which 10+ runs were required to win a Tacoma Rainiers baseball game, we had a return to old school, pitching-and-defense baseball on Wednesday afternoon.

Tacoma topped Fresno, 2-1, as Justus Sheffield and Tayler Scott limited the Grizzlies to seven hits.

Sheffield was throwing strikes, which has been his key this year. He got ahead of the hitters consistently on Wednesday, walking only one over his seven frames. The lone walk came in the sixth inning, right after he allowed his only run on a solo homer to top prospect Carter Kieboom.

Other than the homer and the walk in the sixth inning, it was ground ball after ground ball. Sheffield kept his infielders busy, recording 14 of his 21 outs via the grounder (13 actual ground balls, one of which was turned into a double play). Even the six singles that he allowed were mostly ground balls that found holes in the infield.

Tayler Scott protected a one-run lead by pitching scoreless relief in the eighth and ninth to earn his first save. It did get a little scary in the ninth when he issued two walks, but he was able to escape with the help of catcher Austin Nola, who threw out a base stealer.

Scott’s brutal month of April is safely in the rear-view mirror now. In May he has pitched in seven games, working 12 innings and allowing just one run on three hits. He has walked five and struck out 19 this month, posting a 0.75 ERA.

Tonight is expected to be the final game of Kyle Seager‘s rehabilitation assignment. Latest word from Seattle is that they intend to activate him from the 60-day injured list on Saturday. That means he would play for Tacoma today, fly to Oakland to meet the M’s tomorrow, and be ready to go in their 1:05 game on Saturday.

Ichiro made his second coaching appearance at Cheney Stadium on Tuesday, helping the Rainiers outfielders, working in the cage in the afternoon, and pitching batting practice. There is no set schedule to when he appears in Tacoma – right now it seems to happen when he wants to do it, and so far the only clue he might arrive is if the big club is on the road.

It’s fun to have Ichiro just randomly show up, like Rickey Henderson used to in Sacramento back when they were an Oakland A’s affiliate. Rickey would drive out from the Bay Area, hold court in the dugout before the game, coach first base and try to get the River Cats stealing bases, etc. I’d be sitting there thinking “that’s the greatest leadoff hitter in baseball history right there.” Now we’ve got a similar thing going, except it’s the player with the most hits in the world throwing batting practice right over there.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma starter Justus Sheffield put together his best outing of the season, staying in control and getting ahead in the count for seven innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 win over Fresno. Sheffield walked just one while generating 13 ground balls in the game. Tayler Scott pitched the final two innings for the save, and Ryan Court hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Mariners announced that relievers Nick Rumbelow and Mike Wright cleared waivers and were outrighted to Tacoma; they could arrive as early as today which will require some roster moves.

TODAY: Fresno (23-23) at Tacoma (23-24), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Washington Nationals.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Randy Knorr.

SEASONS SERIES: Tacoma leads, 2-0.

PITCHERS: RHP Kevin McGowan (-) at RHP Tyler Cloyd (1-2, 4.37)

McGowan was just acquired from the independent Atlantic League and makes his Fresno debut today.

HOT HITTERS: Tim Lopes has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games, collecting 26 hits during that time… Braden Bishop is 15-for-40 with three homers since returning from the big leagues… Ryan Court has gone 13-for-26 during an eight-game hitting streak, and he has 13 RBI during the streak… Jose Lobaton and Kristopher Negron have a six-game hitting streaks.

OPPONENT NEWS: Make sure to keep an eye on Fresno shortstop Carter Kieboom, who is considered one of the top prospects in all of minor league baseball. He’s hitting .352 with eight homers in 105 at-bats for Fresno – but he struggled in his first MLB call-up, going 5-for-39 for the Nationals in an 11-game stint… Jacob Wilson is off to the best start of his career, batting .329 with 14 homers. This is new territory for the former Memphis Redbirds infielder, who has never hit like this in Triple-A.

FAMILIAR FACES: Austin Voth is a graduate of Kentwood High School (Class of 2010) and pitched three years at the University of Washington… former Mariner Vidal Nuno pitched briefly for Tacoma in 2015.

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 the final game in Texas yesterday and got swept by the Rangers. They are off today and play in Oakland on Friday.
• Lookout Landing has a “State of the Farm” report.

In the PCL:

• Reno blasted five more homers in a 9-1 win at El Paso. Yasmany Tomas hit another one; he has six homers in his last three games.
• Salt Lake scored seven runs in the top of the second inning at Sacramento, but saw the River Cats tie it up before the Bees moved ahead in the late innings and won, 9-8. Justin Bour hit a grand slam for the Bees.
• Las Vegas closer Brian Schlitter nailed down his PCL-leading eighth save in a 7-5 win over visiting Albuquerque. The Aviators have been a good comeback team so far this season.
• Iowa swept a doubleheader on the road against Omaha. They won the first game 6-3 behind a 4-for-4, 5-RBI performance by Ian Happ. Jim Adduci‘s three-run homer was the key hit in a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.
• 24-year-old New Orleans starter Elieser Hernandez struck out 12 men over six innings of one-hit ball in a 9-1 win over Oklahoma City. He leads the league with a 1.07 ERA.
• Former Rainier Tyler O’Neill had three hits and a homer to help Memphis to a 10-0 win at Nashville. O’Neill is batting .316 with eight homers for the Redbirds, who visit Tacoma on the next homestand starting June 4.
• Cy Sneed tossed eight scoreless innings, and Yordan Alvarez belted his 19th home run as Round Rock took down San Antonio, 4-0.