Long’s Inside-The-Park Grand Slam Caps Rainiers Win

We witnessed a truly rare event on Saturday night: an inside-the-park grand slam.

Shed Long blasted a drive off the fence in deep left-center at Cheney Stadium, under the video board where the shorter left field fence meets the giant wall in center, and the ball bounced away from two outfielders allowing Long and everyone else to scamper around the bases for the inside-the-parker. There was no play at home plate.

This is truly a rarity. An inside-the-park home run itself only happens once or twice an entire season. Hitting one of those with the bases loaded is rare air.

We’re trying to find the last Tacoma player to do this, and it may have been decades ago. For comparison, the Salt Lake franchise has kept meticulous records since re-joining the PCL in 1994, and they have had only one inside-the-park grand slam in 25 years (that’s for or against them). It happened to come against Tacoma (July 24, 2011, hit by Jeremy Moore in Salt Lake City on a fly ball lost in the sun by Rainiers left fielder Carlos Peguero).

I’m still researching some past games. For example, I need to check Wladimir Balentien‘s time with Tacoma, he had a knack for performing rare tricks like this. Someone vaguely recalled Luis Ugueto may have done it; I checked his homers and found an inside-the-parker but it wasn’t a slam.

If any readers think they recall seeing an inside-the-park grand slam hit by a Rainiers player, please message me or leave a comment and I’ll try to check it out.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma was clinging to a 3-2 lead going to the bottom of the eighth inning when the Rainiers erupted for their biggest rally of the season, a nine-run inning, and beat Salt Lake 12-3. Shed Long‘s inside-the-park grand slam capped the rally, which saw 14 batters come to the plate. Kristopher Negron went 5-for-5 in the game, including his third home run in the past four days.

ROSTER MOVES: Prior to yesterday’s game, infielder Ryan Court and reliever Aaron Northcraft were activated from the Injured List, and catcher Brennon Kaleiwahea was transferred to extended spring training.

TODAY: Salt Lake (35-46) at Tacoma (40-42), 1:35.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 6-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Matt Ball (0-1, 4.05) at RHP Tyler Cloyd (1-7, 7.23)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 13 straight and 21 of his last 23 games, and he is 16-for-46 with four homers and 15 walks over the last 13 games… Ian Miller has a seven-game hitting streak, and he is tied for second in the PCL with 24 doubles… Kristopher Negron has a seven-game hitting streak, and he has reached base via hit or walk in 11 straight games… Shed Long has a five-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just got swept at home in a four-game series by Reno, and they have lost eight of the last nine games… Brennan Lund saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end yesterday… Jarrett Parker broke the Salt Lake franchise record by homering in six straight games last week. He’s hit safely in ten of his last 12 games… Roberto Pena has hit in 12 of his last 13 games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers with Salt Lake include pitcher J.C. Ramirez, infielder Ty Kelly, and catcher Ryan Scott.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 1:20 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:

• Shed Long told The News Tribune that the inside-the-park grand slam was “one of the dopest moments of my career.” The paper also posted a pregame Rainiers Notebook.
• The Mariners lost another one-run game in Houston.
• Matt Calkins wrote about Ketel Marte, the former Rainiers infielder who is having a huge season for Arizona.
• At Double-A Arkansas, Justus Sheffield carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning last night. He’s had impressive results since joining the Travelers.

In the PCL:

• Fresno’s Andrew Stevenson had three hits and drove in two runs to help the Grizzlies take down El Paso, 9-4.
• Sacramento starter Yoanys Quiala tossed seven shutout innings as the River Cats coasted to a 6-1 win over Albuquerque.
• Reno tied the non-asterisked* PCL record by belting nine homers in a 20-9 win at Las Vegas. Domingo Leyba had five hits with two homers, and J.R. Murphy also hit a pair of homers.
• Ex-Rainiers outfielder Cameron Perkins homered and drove in four runs in the Dodgers 10-7 win at Nashville.
• Iowa blasted San Antonio, 12-2, as James Adduci, Taylor Davis, and Trent Giambrone each had three hits.
• Bubba Starling drove in all of Omaha’s runs in a 3-2 win at Round Rock.
• New Orleans starter Hector Noesi pitched into the eighth inning and the Cakes held off Memphis, 6-3.

* Will all of the 2019 home run records be asterisked after the season? They might be, or else most of the PCL’s home run records will be set in 2019.

Rainiers Survive Crazy Game In Albuquerque, Come Home For A Long Stretch

Oh boy, did we have a wild one on Friday night in Albuquerque.

Tacoma beat the Isotopes, 15-14, in ten innings. The game was ridiculous from the very start, when the ‘Topes belted three homers in the first inning and took a 5-0 lead.

Down 5-0 going to the third, the Rainiers scored 11 unanswered runs over the next three innings and went up 11-5. Everyone in the lineup started hitting rockets all around the ballpark.

Albuquerque never quit, and next thing you know we are in the bottom of the ninth inning, it’s 13-13, and Albuquerque has the bases loaded and one out… and the ‘Topes called for a suicide squeeze. It was a colossal failure, with the batter popping up the bunt into a double play, and we went on to extra innings.

Tacoma scored twice in the top of the tenth, which is the desired result when you are on the road with the automatic runner placed at second base, and held on for the win as Reggie McClain nailed down his first professional save.

That gives the Rainiers a road series win (three games to one), and a season-series win over Albuquerque (9-7). Tacoma has won three in a row.

After scoring 36 runs on 57 hits during the four-game series at mile high Albuquerque, the Rainiers now play 16 of the next 20 games at sea level… at beautiful Cheney Stadium. Let’s see if the Rainiers can get it going at home, starting with tonight’s game at 5:05.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers won a classic Albuquerque slugfest on Friday night, topping the Isotopes 15-14 in ten innings. Tacoma had 20 hits, with Jake Fraley going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, and five RBI to lead the pack. Jose Lobaton went 4-for-5 with two RBI, and John Andreoli hit two doubles and a homer with four RBI.

TODAY: Salt Lake (35-45) at Tacoma (39-42), 5:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 5-3.

PITCHERS: RHP J.C. Ramirez (1-1, 8.22) at LHP Sean Nolin (1-0, 3.29)

Ramirez, a one-time Mariners prospect, is rehabbing as he comes back from “Tommy John” surgery.

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 12 straight and 20 of his last 22 games, and he is 16-for-42 with four homers and 14 walks over the last 12 games… Ian Miller has a seven-game hitting streak, and he is tied for second in the PCL with 24 doubles… Jaycob Brugman homered three times during three games in Albuquerque… Kristopher Negron has a six-game hitting streak, and he has reached base via hit or walk in ten straight games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just got swept at home in a four-game series by Reno, and they have lost seven of the last eight games… Brennan Lund is working on an 11-game hitting streak, during which he has raised his batting average from .201 to .246… Jarrett Parker broke the Salt Lake franchise record by homering in six straight games last week. He’s hit safely in ten of his last 11 games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers with Salt Lake include pitcher J.C. Ramirez, infielder Ty Kelly, and catcher Ryan Scott.

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:

• Seattle got walked off in the tenth inning at Houston, 2-1.
• Fun post from Greg Johns on four newcomers who are helping the Mariners.

In the PCL:

• Fresno moved back into first place in the Pac-North, taking down Las Vegas 7-6 when Jose Marmolejos launched a go-ahead homer in the bottom of the seventh inning.
• Sacramento dropped into second with a 9-5 loss at El Paso. Esteban Quiroz had three hits, a double, two runs, and two RBI.
• Reno completed a four-game sweep at Salt Lake as recent addition Carlos Asuaje homered and drove in three runs.
• San Antonio lost PCL All-Stars and No. 3 and No. 4 hitters Keston Hiura and Tyler Saladino to major league call-ups, and then got ripped by Round Rock, 9-2. For the longtime die-hard Missions fans, that’s something that didn’t happen when you were a Double-A club, but now you are Triple-A and it’s a part of life. Ouch.
• Nashville’s Pedro Payano pitched five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a 3-1 win at Memphis.
• All-Star infielder Isan Diaz went 4-for-4 with two doubles, his 17th homer, and four RBI as New Orleans picked up a 9-7 win at Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, the Dodgers had a Peterson, a Peters, and a Peter in the starting lineup. RIP Alex Freedman.
• Iowa ace Colin Rea improved his record to 9-2 with seven shutout innings in a 9-0 win over Omaha.

Rainiers Go For Series Win In Albuquerque Tonight

The Tacoma Rainiers had strong pitching on Thursday night in Albuquerque, leading to a 5-3 win in a rare low-scoring game at Isotopes Park.

Tacoma has won back-to-back games after losing the opener of the four-game series. The Rainiers will get a road series win if they can take tonight’s game.

Andrew Moore will make the start for the Rainiers – his first appearance for Tacoma since August of 2017. Since then, Moore was called up by the Mariners that September, sent to Double-A Arkansas at the start of 2018, traded to Tampa (like everyone else) for Denard Span and Alex Colome, made a handful of starts for the Durham Bulls, claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants, started one game for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, claimed off waivers by the Mariners, and assigned to Double-A Arkansas once again.

Moore is one of five members of the Tacoma Rainiers current roster that the Mariners traded away or let go via free agency, only to re-acquire later. He joins Tyler Cloyd, Anthony Misiewicz, John Andreoli, and Tim Lopes.

Moore made five starts for Arkansas this season, going 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He struck out 29 and walked four in 28 innings there.

—

Today three Mariners prospects were selected to participate in the MLB All-Star Futures Game, to be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland as part of All-Star Week. Double-A Arkansas pitcher Justin Dunn and first baseman Evan White received the honor, as did Class-A Modesto outfielder Jarred Kelenic.

Don’t be surprised if one or both of the Arkansas players get bumped up to Tacoma after the break. Dunn has now made 29 career Double-A starts, which is a full season’s worth, and you’ve got to think the M’s will present him with a new challenge soon. White has only appeared in 51 Double-A games – not many for an everyday player – but he has been on a tear for the past month with a 23-game hitting streak.

—

Tacoma ends the quick road trip today and comes home tomorrow to start a five-game home series against Salt Lake. The series ends with the July 3rd Fireworks Extravaganza Spectacular, which is close to sold out. Tickets are available for the rest of the homestand, so come on out!

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma pitching held Albuquerque to three runs on eight hits as the Rainiers picked up a 5-3 victory on Thursday night. Jon Niese went the first five innings to earn the win, while relievers Ryan Garton and Parker Markel combined to toss four scoreless innings to close it out. Ian Miller and Shed Long each had three hits, with Miller including a homer and three RBI.

TODAY: Tacoma (38-42) at Albuquerque (34-46), 5:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Colorado Rockies.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Glenallen Hill.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 8-7.

This is the final meeting of the year between these two teams. Tacoma will either win the season series, or split it, depending on tonight’s outcome.

PITCHERS: RHP Andrew Moore (–) at LHP Kyle Freeland (0-3, 8.84)

Kyle Freeland finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting last season, and now he is here.

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 11 straight and 19 of his last 21 games, and he is 13-for-37 with three homers and 13 walks over the last 11 games… Ian Miller has a six-game hitting streak, and he is tied for second in the PCL with 24 doubles… Jaycob Brugman has homered three times during the first three games in Albuquerque.

OPPONENT NEWS: Roberto Ramos has gone 8-for-17 with a homer and six RBI over the last four games… Yonathan Daza has hit safely in 22 of his last 24 games, and he ranks second in the PCL with a .378 batting average… Brian Mundell has hit .409 vs. Tacoma, and four of his six homers this season have been against the Rainiers.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Mariners and Rainiers lefty reliever James Pazos is with the Isotopes.

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 News Tribune has an article on the Rainiers league-leading base stealing efforts, with lots of talk from Ian Miller. Even veteran catcher Jose Lobaton has gotten in on the action.
• Seattle was unable to complete the road sweep in Milwaukee, dropping the final game yesterday 4-2.
• Three Mariners prospects will be playing in the MLB All-Star Futures Game: Justin Dunn, Evan White, and Jarred Kelenic. Story from the Times. You can go to MiLB.com to read about the entire Futures Game rosters.

In the PCL:

• El Paso hammered Sacramento, 17-6. Michael Gettys homered and drove in six runs, Ty France went deep, and Seth Mejias-Brean had four hits. However, the River Cats remain in first place by a half-game in the Pac-North.
• Fresno got creamed by Las Vegas, 16-3. They trailed 15-2 in the fifth inning. Corban Joseph went 4-for-6 and raised his batting average to .382, taking the PCL lead. Jesus Luzardo coasted to the win. Veteran Fresno manager Randy Knorr was the wisest man on the field, getting himself ejected from this debacle in the first inning.
• Kevin Cron went deep again – he’s up to 25 dingers now – as Reno took down Salt Lake, 10-6. The Aces are going for a four-game road sweep tonight.
• Four Iowa pitchers combined to toss a five-hitter as the Cubs beat Omaha, 4-1.
• New Oklahoma City outfielder Jon Kemmer hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Dodgers a 6-5 win over New Orleans. Gavin Lux had three hits in his Triple-A debut.
• Nashville’s bullpen shined with four scoreless innings in a 3-2 win at Memphis.
• Burch Smith and three relievers combined to shut out Round Rock on one hit in San Antonio’s 3-0 win.

Brugman Just Misses Three Homers In Rainiers Victory

Rainiers outfielder Jaycob Brugman had a chance to hit three homers in one game last night, and he just barely missed it. He had to settle for three hits, two homers, and four RBI in Tacoma’s 9-8 win at Albuquerque.

Brugman homered in each of his first two at-bats, driving the ball to the opposite field. A left-handed batter, Brugman belted a two-run homer to left field in the second inning, and a two-run homer to left-center in the third inning.

Two homers after three innings meant that Brugman would have several opportunities to become the first Tacoma batter to hit three homers in a game since Justin Ruggiano did it at Cheney Stadium in 2015.

He struck out in his third at-bat, but Brugman came really close to doing it in his fourth. Facing lefty reliever Phillip Diehl, Brugman roped a hard line drive to deep left. This bid for another oppo-bomb came just short, as outfielder Drew Weeks caught it up against the fence for the out.

Brugman had one final at-bat in the ninth, and he singled for his third hit of the game. In the end, Brugman had to settle for his first two-homer game since August 16, 2014 when he was playing in the Class-A California League.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma hit four early homers and took a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, only to barely hold on for a 9-8 victory. Jaycob Brugman homered twice and drove in four runs, Kristopher Negron belted a two-run homer, and John Andreoli lined a solo shot. Anthony Misiewicz delivered a quality start, lasting six innings and allowing three runs for the win.

TODAY: Tacoma (37-42) at Albuquerque (34-45), 5:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Colorado Rockies.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Glenallen Hill.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 7-7.

PITCHERS: LHP Jon Niese (3-2, 4.47) at LHP Pat Dean (2-7, 7.05)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in ten straight and 18 of his last 20 games, and he is 12-for-33 with three homers and 12 walks over the last ten games… Ian Miller has a five-game hitting streak, and he is tied for the PCL lead with 24 doubles… … Jose Lobaton has homered in back-to-back games… Jaycob Brugman has homered three times during the first two games in Albuquerque.

OPPONENT NEWS: Roberto Ramos has gone 8-for-17 with a homer and six RBI over the last four games… Yonathan Daza has hit safely in 21 of his last 23 games, and he leads the PCL with a .376 batting average… Brian Mundell has hit .450 vs. Tacoma, and four of his six homers this season have been against the Rainiers.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Mariners and Rainiers lefty reliever James Pazos is with the Isotopes.

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 Albuquerque Journal has a full report on last night’s game.
• J.P. Crawford had a big game as the suddenly red-hot Mariners beat the Brewers on Wednesday night, 4-2. Crawford had three extra-base hits and drove in three runs.
• Dan Vogelbach wants to do the Home Run Derby, but he has not been invited.
• Lookout Landing has a “State of the Farm” report.

In the PCL:

• Fresno took a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning, only to see Las Vegas score seven runs and win the game, 10-5. Jorge Mateo hit a big three-run homer during the rally. Fresno was knocked into second place in the Pac-North.
• Sacramento moved into the top spot in the division with a 5-4 win at El Paso. The River Cats bullpen delivered four scoreless innings in a tight game.
• Kevin Cron‘s two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning made Reno a 6-4 winner at Salt Lake. Cron has taken the PCL home run lead with 24. Michael Hermosillo is off the IL and back with Salt Lake.
• Iowa’s Alec Mills delivered six solid innings and Trent Giambrone hit his 16th homer in a 5-4 win over Omaha.
• New Orleans had home runs by Lewis Brinson and Yangervis Solarte in a 3-1 win at Oklahoma City. Top shortstop prospect Gavin Lux was promoted from Double-A and is expected to join OKC today.
• Trailing 2-1 going to the top of the ninth inning, Round Rock rallied for three runs and claimed a 4-2 victory at San Antonio. Jamie Ritchie drove in the go-ahead run.
• Nashville scored 12 unanswered runs over the final four innings and won at Memphis, 17-11. Jett Bandy hit a three-run homer in the decisive sixth inning rally.

Parker Markel To Represent Tacoma In Triple-A All-Star Game

The Pacific Coast League has selected Tacoma Rainiers reliever Parker Markel as the club’s representative in the Triple-A All-Star Game. The 32nd annual contest will be played at El Paso’s Southwest University Park on July 10, and televised nationally on the MLB Network.

Markel has appeared in just 18 games for Tacoma, but has gained the notice of the league by posting massive strikeout numbers while dominating the late innings. Markel is 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA, he has six saves, and he has struck out 38 batters in 22.2 innings pitched.

Not bad for a guy who was pitching for an independent team in Sioux City, Iowa last season.

Congratulations to Parker, and I’m sure he’ll represent the team well.

—

You can check out the rest of the PCL All-Star Team right here.

Tacoma has another player who would have made the team, except he’s in the big leagues right now. Austin Nola won the fan balloting at the catcher position, drawing support from two different fan bases (Tacoma and his former team New Orleans). Nice job voting him in, guys! However, being in the majors means he can’t play in this game.

—

Infielder/outfielder Shed Long has not been playing this week. Long has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury he suffered while diving for a ball in left field this past weekend. As of now, he is not on the Injured List and is considered “day to day.” Like us all, like us all.

—

Andrew Moore is back with the Rainiers. The former Oregon State Beaver, second round draft pick, hyped Mariners prospect, and Mariners starting pitcher who got traded to Tampa like everyone else was re-acquired by the organization via a waiver claim on May 17th. He’s spent the last five weeks pitching for Double-A Arkansas, with the exception of one spot start for Seattle.

Yesterday Moore walked into the Rainiers clubhouse in Albuquerque, looked around and realized he didn’t recognize anyone except for the coaches and Ian Miller, and found out he is starting on Friday. It will be his first appearance for Tacoma since 2017.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Albuquerque took the lead on Yonathan Daza‘s three-run homer in the second inning and never looked back, holding off Tacoma for a 9-7 win in the opening game of the series. Tacoma had home runs from Jaycob Brugman and Jose Lobaton; Lobaton is the first Rainiers player to reach ten homers this season.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday reliever Tayler Scott was unexpectedly claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, pitcher Ljay Newsome was transferred back to Class-A Modesto, and pitcher Andrew Moore was promoted to Tacoma from Double-A Arkansas.

TODAY: Tacoma (36-42) at Albuquerque (34-44), 5:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Colorado Rockies.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Glenallen Hill.

SEASON SERIES: Albuquerque leads, 7-6.

PITCHERS: LHP Anthony Misiewicz (2-4, 7.39) at RHP Rico Garcia (0-0, 1.80)

Garcia is making his second Triple-A start after posting a 1.85 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 68 innings for Double-A Hartford. It seems like the Rockies have a never-ending stream of starting pitching prospects these days.

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in nine straight and 17 of his last 19 games, and he is 9-for-29 with two homers and 11 walks over the last nine games… Ian Miller is second in the PCL with 23 doubles, he has been successful on his last 14 stolen base attempts, and he has a four-game hitting streak… Jose Lobaton has homered in back-to-back games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Albuquerque has won three straight, but that came after dropping the first three games of a series at Reno. Prior to that, the ‘Topes went 4-10 in cross-conference play… Roberto Ramos has gone 7-for-12 with a homer and six RBI over the last three games… Yonathan Daza has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games, and he leads the PCL with a .375 batting average.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Mariners and Rainiers lefty reliever James Pazos is with the Isotopes.

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:

• New Rainiers catcher/infielder Jordan Pacheco is relishing this series in his hometown. Good feature here, from the local newspaper.
• The Mariners bashed the Brewers on Tuesday night. The Mariners Notebook has an extensive list of the injured players and their current status.
• The Seattle Times got an exclusive interview with Mariners CEO John Stanton. It is divided into Part One and Part Two.
• Adam Jude of the Times handed out some mid-season Mariners minor league awards.

In the PCL:

• Las Vegas had home runs from Seth Brown, Corban Joseph, and Franklin Barreto in an 11-5 win at Fresno.
• El Paso drilled 20 hits and edged Sacramento in a wild one, 12-11. Esteban Quiroz went 5-for-5 with three RBI to lead the Chihuahuas.
• Reno shut out Salt Lake, 7-0, at Smith’s Ballpark. Taylor Widener did the majority of the work, tossing six scoreless innings.
• Matt Swarmer, Danny Hultzen, and Craig Kimbrel pitched the Iowa Cubs to a 5-1 win over visiting Omaha. Swarmer went seven innings. Hultzen has not allowed a run in three brief appearances for Iowa, totaling 2.2 innings, and he has drawn the notice of the Chicago Cubs front office.
• Oklahoma City turned three double plays in the infield to help beat New Orleans, 8-5.
• San Antonio stars Keston Hiura, Mauricio Dubon, and David Freitas each had three hits in a 10-2 win over Round Rock. It was the opening game of a big series between the top two teams in the American Conference. Top Round Rock starter Corbin Martin has landed on the injured list with elbow problems.
• Zack Granite had four of Nashville’s 18 hits in a 10-4 win at Memphis.

Rainiers Win On Mariscal Miracle

The fans who stuck it out until the bottom of the tenth inning on Monday night at Cheney Stadium got to see a real treat: a game-ending grand slam.

Chris Mariscal belted a two-out homer with the bases loaded to give the Rainiers a 7-4 win over El Paso in the final game of the homestand.

It was the Rainiers first walk-off grand slam since Stefen Romero hit one against Fresno on August 9, 2014. Tacoma also had one in 2013, when Carlos Peguero did it against Colorado Springs. Prior to that, you have to go back six years to Wladimir Balentien in 2007.

🚨 CHRIS MARISCAL WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM 🚨 THIS. IS. R. CITY. pic.twitter.com/WBhvUvDJ08

— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) June 25, 2019

Tacoma is finished playing El Paso for the year, going 8-8 over 16 games against the best team in the Pacific Coast League.

Now we are off to Albuquerque for a quick four-game road trip.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Chris Mariscal‘s third homer of the season was a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning off El Paso reliever Trevor Megill, giving the Rainiers a 7-4 win on Monday night. Aside from Mariscal’s Miracle, the Rainiers received a strong start from Sean Nolin, who allowed two runs over six innings.

TODAY: Tacoma (36-41) at Albuquerque (33-44), 5:35 Pacific.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Colorado Rockies.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Glenallen Hill.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 6-6.

PITCHERS: RHP Tyler Cloyd (1-6, 6.35) at TBA

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 16 of his last 18 games, and he is 9-for-26 with two homers and nine walks over the last eight games… Ian Miller is second in the PCL with 23 doubles, and he has been successful on his last 13 stolen base attempts… Chris Mariscal has a four-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Albuquerque has won two straight, but that came after dropping the first three games of a series at Reno. Prior to that, the ‘Topes went 4-10 in cross-conference play… Roberto Ramos has gone 5-for-9 with a homer and six RBI over the last two games… Yonathan Daza has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Mariners and Rainiers lefty reliever James Pazos is with the Isotopes.

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:

• Here’s the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune. We also have a Rainiers notebook with an item on reliever David McKay.
• The Mariners were off yesterday, so the Seattle Times caught up with red-hot first base prospect Evan White, who has a 22-game hitting streak at Double-A Arkansas.

In the PCL:

• Roberto Ramos hit a grand slam to help Albuquerque to a 10-4 win at Reno yesterday. Catcher Dom Nunez scored four runs.
• Salt Lake took down Fresno, 14-9, as Taylor Ward went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, a homer, and three RBI.
• Las Vegas stayed on 20 – hits, that is – in a 15-6 win over Sacramento. All nine starters had two or more hits for Vegas.
• Tyler O’Neill homered for Memphis in a 9-6 win at Oklahoma City.
• Nashville belted four homers, including Matt Davidson‘s 20th of the year, in a 6-5 win at New Orleans.
• Round Rock’s Joshua Rojas ripped a grand slam in a 6-4 win at Iowa. Starter Brandon Bielak tossed seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball.
• San Antonio and Omaha finished Sunday’s suspended game, which was tied 7-7, and ended up lasting 13 innings before David Freitas hit a grand slam and the Missions won 12-9. Omaha won the second game on a walk-off dinger by Samir Duenez.

One Mistake Spoils Newsome’s Spot Start

The homestand ends for the Rainiers with a 6:05 game tonight against El Paso, but don’t fret: the team is returning quickly. Up next is a four-game trip to Albuquerque, and then the team will fly back home and face Salt Lake this Saturday at Cheney.

Yesterday a large crowd got to see Class-A fill-in starter Ljay Newsome dazzle for four innings, before one bad pitch left a mark on his final line. Newsome was filling in for scheduled starter Mike Wright, who was called up by Seattle late on Saturday night.

Newsome coasted through the lineup the first time, retiring nine straight batters to open the game, while striking out seven of them. He allowed a single during a scoreless fourth inning, but then ran into trouble in the fifth.

With a run in, two on base, and two outs, Newsome committed a big no-no: he left an offspeed pitch over the plate to Michael Gettys, who hammered it over the wall in left field for a three-run homer. Gettys has homered in all four games of this series, and each one has come on a breaking ball or change-up in the middle of the strike zone.

Still, Newsome left the game with a 6-4 lead. He went 5.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits, with ten strikeouts and just one walk. It was the second time a Tacoma pitcher has struck out ten in a game this year, joining Tommy Milone.

The Rainiers went on to lose the game, 8-7, and need a win today to split the season series against El Paso.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma had leads of 6-0 after four innings, and 7-4 after six. but El Paso’s Ty France launched a grand slam with two outs in the seventh and the Chihuahuas won the game, 8-7. The game-winning hit came shortly after a playable foul pop-up landed uncaught, extending the inning. Ian Miller went 3-for-4 with two triples, and Kelby Tomlinson hit a two-run triple.

TODAY: El Paso (47-28) at Tacoma (35-41), 6:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASON SERIES: El Paso leads, 8-7.

PITCHERS: RHP Robert Stock (3-0, 3.33) at LHP Sean Nolin (1-0, 3.52)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 15 of his last 17 games, and he is 8-for-21 with two homers and nine walks over the last seven games… Ian Miller is second in the PCL with 23 doubles, and he has been successful on his last 13 stolen base attempts… Kelby Tomlinson has a four-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Michael Gettys has hit safely in nine straight games, with six homers, and he has homered in each of the first four games of this series… Ty France is back from the big leagues and he homered in five straight games last week… Jose Pirela saw his 16-game hitting streak come to an end yesterday… Luis Urias has an eight-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers 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:

• We’ll start with the Rainiers game story from The News Tribune.
• J.P. Crawford had a huge game as the Mariners rolled to a win over Baltimore on Sunday. The M’s are off today.
• Robert Perez hit his first homer for Everett in an 8-6 win over Salem-Keizer yesterday.
• Two players from the Mariners Double-A Arkansas affiliate make appearances in this week’s edition of the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

In the PCL:

• Fresno beat Salt Lake, 22-9, in a game in which the winning team used position players on the mound for the final five innings. Hard to figure how Fresno found itself with one available pitcher on its entire roster, but after reliever Scott Copeland started the game and went four innings, they used position players the rest of the game. And they won, with 24 hits, as both Andrew Stevenson and Matt Reynolds had five hits apiece. It sounds like they had a lot of fun with it.
• Sacramento earned a 4-3 win at Las Vegas as Zach Green homered twice and Fernando Abad nailed down a tough five-out save.
• Albuquerque scored twice in the top of the ninth inning and beat Reno, 8-6. Kyle Freeland‘s wild PCL adventure continued: the deposed Colorado Rockies ace allowed five runs in 2.2 innings and got ejected.
• Memphis outfielder Lane Thomas had three hits with a pair of dingers in an 8-2 win at Oklahoma City.
• A.J. Reed doubled and drove in three runs as Round Rock handed a rare loss to Iowa ace Colin Rea, 8-3. Rea had won five straight decisions.
• New Orleans scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in an 8-5 comeback win over Nashville. Former Rainier Robert Dugger made his first Triple-A start for New Orleans, allowing two runs in 5.1 innings.
• San Antonio and Omaha were suspended by rain after five innings, tied 7-7, and they are completing the game as I type this sentence.

Tacoma’s Starter Called Up, Class-A Modesto Ace To Fill In

Just another Sunday with your team’s starting pitcher scratched in the PCL… but we should get to see interesting Class-A starter Ljay Newsome make a spot start today; he’s putting up big strikeout numbers in the California League. Check his full stat line here.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma held a 1-0 lead for seven inning, but El Paso hit three-run homers in both the eighth (Jose Pirela) and ninth (Michael Gettys) innings to win the game, 6-1. Jon Niese started for Tacoma and did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the sixth, he left the game after six full innings of shutout ball. Jake Fraley tripled and scored Tacoma’s lone run on a wild pitch.

ROSTER MOVES: The Mariners have called up today’s scheduled starter for Tacoma, Mike Wright, along with reliever Matt Carasiti. They optioned reliever Gerson Bautista to Tacoma, and designated reliever Jesse Biddle for assignment. Ljay Newsome is flying in from Modesto today and will start for Tacoma if he doesn’t run into any travel delays.

TODAY: El Paso (46-28) at Tacoma (35-40), 1:35.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 7-7.

PITCHERS: LHP Kyle McGrath (3-2, 6.51) at RHP Ljay Newsome (–)

Newsome is up from Class-A Modesto to make the spot start. He’s 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA for the Nuts, with 103 strikeouts and eight walks in 77 innings pitched. He was the starting pitcher in the California League All-Star Game on Tuesday, pitching one scoreless inning.

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 14 of his last 16 games, and he is 6-for-17 with two homers and nine walks over the last six games… Ian Miller is second in the PCL with 23 doubles, and he has been successful on his last 13 stolen base attempts.

OPPONENT NEWS: El Paso has the best record in the PCL, but they just finished a losing homestand (3-4) against Oklahoma City (2-2) and New Orleans (1-2)… Ty France is back from the big leagues and he homered in five straight games last week… Jose Pirela has a 16-game hitting streak… Michael Gettys has hit safely in eight straight games, with five homers, and he has homered in each of the first three games of this series.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers 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 1:20 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:

• Josh Kirshenbaum is back with The News Tribune for the summer, and he’ll be covering the Rainiers home games. We have a story on last night’s game, and a pregame notebook focusing on Jake Fraley.
• The Mariners three-game win streak and the Orioles ten-game losing streak both ended on Saturday.
• Seattle Times reporter Ryan Divish has his weekly Mariners Q&A.
• Former Rainiers pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith tried out for American Ninja Warrior and the TV episode airs Monday.

In the PCL:

• Fresno won a slugfest at Salt Lake City, 13-12. The Grizzlies had 18 hits, with Carter Kieboom‘s 4-for-5 leading the way. Salt Lake’s Jarrett Parker tied the franchise record by homering in his fifth straight game.
• Sacramento scored in the top of the ninth inning and squeaked past Las Vegas, 4-3, on Finn the Bat Dog bobblehead night. The struggling River Cats bullpen delivered 4.1 scoreless innings.
• This must be a computer error, because it says that Reno beat Albuquerque 1-0 at Reno. There is literally zero chance of that ever occurring, and we’re just going to ignore it until we find out what really happened.
• Iowa took a rain-shortened game from visiting Round Rock, 6-1. Trent Giambrone hit a three-run homer, and Danny Hultzen made his Iowa debut with a scoreless inning.
• Omaha scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to upend San Antonio, 6-5. Jecksson Flores singled home the go-ahead run.
• Jake Woodford and Dominic Leone combined on a two-hit shutout for Memphis in a 5-0 win at Oklahoma City.
• Nashville wiped out New Orleans, 10-3, collecting 18 hits. Carlos Tocci had four hits, while Andy Ibanez went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI.

Fraley Makes Very Loud Debut

Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Jake Fraley didn’t quietly ease into the Tacoma lineup after being promoted from Double-A Arkansas on Friday.

Instead, he had one of the most impactful Triple-A debuts in recent memory, getting involved in everything as the Rainiers eeked out a 6-5 win over El Paso.

In his second at-bat, Fraley launched a three-run homer to right field off El Paso left-hander Dietrich Enns, giving Tacoma a 4-0 lead in the third inning.

Next time up, Fraley snuck a broken bat single into center field to score another run, making it 5-2 Rainiers. He then stole second base, but was stranded there.

With the score tied in the top of the seventh inning, Fraley made a diving catch in right-center field after racing over from his spot in center, bailing out right fielder John Andreoli who had lost the high fly ball in the twilight sky.

Then in the bottom of the seventh, Fraley drew a two-out walk and scored all the way from first base on a double by Jose Lobaton. That proved to be the winning run, as the Rainiers won the game 6-5.

Fraley was involved in five of Tacoma’s six runs. It seemed like he did everything but pitch.

I think he’ll be back in the lineup today…

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma edged El Paso, 6-5 as Jake Fraley did a whole lot of everything to help the Rainiers get the win. Fraley went 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk, a stolen base, four RBI, a diving catch in center, and scored the winning run on Jose Lobaton‘s seventh inning double. Parker Markel struck out the side in the ninth to earn the save.

ROSTER MOVES: There was one additional move prior to last night’s game: veteran infielder/catcher Jordan Pacheco was acquired from Monclova in the Mexican League and joined Tacoma, and outfielder Billy Cooke was transferred to Everett.

TODAY: El Paso (45-28) at Tacoma (35-39), 5:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 7-6.

PITCHERS: RHP Dinelson Lamet (0-0, 7.20) at LHP Jon Niese (3-2, 5.03)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 13 of his last 15 games, and he is 6-for-14 with two homers and eight walks over the last five games… Ian Miller is second in the PCL with 23 doubles, and he has been successful on his last 13 stolen base attempts.

OPPONENT NEWS: El Paso has the best record in the PCL, but they just finished a losing homestand (3-4) against Oklahoma City (2-2) and New Orleans (1-2)… Ty France is back from the big leagues and he homered in five straight games last week… Jose Pirela has a 15-game hitting streak… Michael Gettys has hit safely in seven straight games, with four homers.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers 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 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:

• The Mariners out-slugged the Orioles last night, 10-9, and look at this: they have won three in a row.
• Yesterday the Mariners recalled Dan Altavilla from Tacoma, and optioned Tayler Scott.
• The Everett AquaSox lost their home opener last night, 10-9, at Funko Field (RIP Pat Dillon). Robert Perez had two hits and two RBI.

In the PCL:

• Andrew Stevenson went 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBI, Carter Kieboom hit another three-run homer, and Fresno won at Salt Lake 12-8.
• Sacramento blew another lead, this time a 6-2 advantage going to the bottom of the ninth inning, but they rebounded with a six-run top of the tenth and took down Las Vegas 12-7. Austin Slater went 4-for-4 with four RBI. By the time the game ended, Sacramento starter Conner Menez‘s 12-strikeouts start was long forgotten. Las Vegas third baseman Sheldon Neuse had four more hits and he is 11-for-13 over the last three games. 11-for-13!
• Braden Shipley was dealing and Reno beat Albuquerque, 5-1. Shipley pitched 6.1 innings and allowed just one run. Albuquerque infielder Garrett Hampson gets to play a series in his hometown.
• San Antonio’a seven-game win streak came to an end with a 4-3 loss at Omaha. Ryan O’Hearn‘s three-run homer was the crushing blow.
• Round Rock picked up a 6-5 win at Iowa as both Kyle Tucker and Drew Ferguson had three hits.
• Memphis banged out 18 hits including five homers in a 14-7 win at Oklahoma City. New left fielder Conner Capel went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI.
• And in the game of the night, Nashville trailed at New Orleans 5-3 going to the ninth, the ‘Cakes brought in closer R.J. Alvarez to finish ’em off, and Nashville’s Tyler Pill, Patrick Wisdom, and Matt Davidson launched back-to-back-to-back home runs for a 6-5 win.

M’s Promote First Prospect From AA

With the minor league season at the midway point, the Seattle Mariners have promoted the first of their Double-A position player prospects to Tacoma.

Jake Fraley, come on down!

Acquired from Tampa in the Mike Zunino trade, Fraley is a 24-year-old left-hand swinging outfielder who has been hitting very well for the Arkansas Travelers. Fraley batted .313 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI for Arkansas, posting a .386 on-base percentage and a .539 slugging percentage. Fraley also swiped 16 bases in 21 attempts, so Daren Brown has another speed guy in his lineup.

Defensively, Fraley can play all three outfield positions. Look for him to immediately hold down a spot in the middle of Tacoma’s batting order.

Fraley is the first of the handful of touted prospects at Double-A Arkansas to be promoted to Tacoma this year, and the second position player promoted after Chris Mariscal (who would have opened the season as Tacoma’s utility man if not for the logjam of infielders back in April).

Hopefully Fraley easily assimilates to Triple-A ball. It should be noted that he was in a bit of a slump at Arkansas these past few games (a 2-for-20 slide). We’ll see how it goes – he should be in the lineup tonight.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: El Paso scored early and often, cruising to a 10-4 win over the Rainiers on Thursday night. Tacoma was down 5-1 in the third inning, and 9-2 by the end of the fifth. The Rainiers did collect ten hits in the game, but left 11 runners on base.

ROSTER MOVES: We’ll have some before tonight’s game. That’s what I wrote yesterday, and there were none. I guess I totally lied. But today… there are moves. Outfielder Jake Fraley arrived from Double-A Arkansas late last night, and he will be added to the roster today. The 18-year-old slugger Robert Perez is off to Everett for their home opener tonight. The Mariners have recalled reliever Dan Altavilla, and optioned Tayler Scott back to Tacoma. And there may be more roster action before 7:05.

TODAY: El Paso (45-27) at Tacoma (34-39), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Diego Padres.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 6-6.

PITCHERS: RHP Miguel Diaz (0-0, 0.00) at RHP Erik Swanson (0-0, 3.75)

Each team is using an “opener.” El Paso will follow with “regular starter” Dietrich Enns, and Tacoma will be using Anthony Misiewicz as its “bulk guy.” The Tampa Bay Rays should be forced to play half of their games in Montreal for inventing this stuff.

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base in 12 of his last 14 games, and he is 5-for-11 with two homers and six walks over the last four games… Ian Miller is second in the PCL with 23 doubles, and he has been successful on his last 13 stolen base attempts.

OPPONENT NEWS: El Paso has the best record in the PCL, but they just finished a losing homestand (3-4) against Oklahoma City (2-2) and New Orleans (1-2)… Ty France is back from the big leagues and he homered in five straight games last week… Jose Pirela has a 14-game hitting streak… Michael Gettys has hit safely in six straight games, with three homers.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers 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 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 Times has a story on Jake Fraley‘s promotion to Tacoma, and takes a stab at guessing who might be next.
• The Mariners beat the Orioles last night and have won two games in a row for the first time in over a month.
• Outfielder Domingo Santana has been heating up.
• Larry Stone writes that spending money on players for the 2021 season is soon going to be a big part of the Mariners step-back plan.
• Jim Moore wonders if Felix Hernandez has thrown his last pitch for the Mariners.
• Fun story on Salt Lake (and PCL All-Star) pitching coach Pat Rice, a former Mariners pitcher and coach, who played in Salt Lake City for a legendary minor league team. In the story we learn that Rice signed his Mariners contract at Duffy’s Tavern, which still exists just a few blocks from the ballpark.

In the PCL:

• Fresno moved into first place in the Pac-North by splitting a pair of games at Salt Lake. First they completed a suspended game from April 10, which Fresno won 8-4 getting a three-run homer from Carter Kieboom. Salt Lake won the second game 12-11 when Fresno reliever Fernando Rodney threw a game-ending, bases loaded wild pitch to bring in the winning run. That’s a Fernando Rodney Experience, indeed.
• Sacramento blew a 10-1 fifth inning lead and got walked off in Las Vegas, 11-10. Yowza. Corban Joseph had the game-ending RBI single.
• New Reno second baseman Andy Young hit a bases loaded triple in the eighth inning to lead the Aces to a 6-4 win over visiting Albuquerque.
• Iowa made it four straight wins with a 4-3 victory over Round Rock, as Taylor Davis hit a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth to end it. Craig Kimbrel is with Iowa.
• Trent Grisham belted a three-run homer in his Triple-A debut to help San Antonio win at Omaha, 7-5.
• Oklahoma City had home runs from Edwin Rios and Shane Peterson in a 5-3 victory over Memphis.
• New Orleans second baseman Isan Diaz hit two homers and ended the game with a web gem double play in a 6-2 win over Nashville.