Extra Innings Strategy Works Out For Rainiers

Tacoma returned to the field with a 3-2 win over Omaha on Tuesday night. The game was won in the tenth inning, on a walk-off wild pitch.

With each team getting an automatic runner placed at second base to start the tenth inning, minor league extra-innings strategies were on display.

Omaha did not play for one run in the top of the tenth, swinging away against Rainiers reliever Matt Carasiti. Carasiti did a terrific job of escaping the automatic jam, ultimately stranding runners at first and third. That meant the Rainiers needed only one run to win it in the bottom of the tenth.

With Kelby Tomlinson placed at second base as the automatic runner, Daren Brown had John Andreoli swing away… and he ultimately walked, which plays to Omaha’s advantage setting up a force out at three bases and a double play possibility.

Brown had new addition Daniel Castro sacrifice bunt, which he promptly did, moving the runners to second and third (after the game Brown said it was only the third time this season he has put on a sacrifice bunt sign).

Now it was Omaha’s turn to respond. They elected to intentionally walk Jake Fraley, loading the bases to set up a force at home plate and a double play possibility. The next hitter was Jose Lobaton.

Lobaton checked his swing on an 0-1 pitch, and the ball got away from catcher Nick Dini. Dini looked around and couldn’t find the ball, Tomlinson took off for the plate, and he slid in with the winning run.

The automatic runner rule in extra innings is a very Minor League Baseball rule, and I’m still not really a fan of it, but it does bring a lot of strategic small-ball elements into play.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Tacoma beat Omaha in ten innings, 3-2, when Kelby Tomlinson raced home and scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Rainiers starter Anthony Misiewicz had a great game, lasting six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) with just one walk while striking out eight.

TODAY: Omaha (48-60) at Tacoma (50-58), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Kansas City Royals.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Brian Poldberg.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 1-0.

PITCHERS: RHP Arnaldo Hernandez (3-7, 7.17) at LHP Sean Nolin (3-1, 3.80)

HOT HITTERS:  Jordan Pacheco has a ten-game hitting streak, and he went 7-for-11 during the three-game series at Sacramento… Jaycob Brugman is 11-for-32 with five homers over his last nine games… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 26, and he is tied for third on the Tacoma all-time list with 72 career steals. Miller also has a five-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Omaha has lost four straight games… most of Omaha’s hitters have much better stats in home games than away games… Kevin Gutierrez has a five-game hitting streak… outfielder Nick Heath was just promoted from Double-A where he has fifty (50) stolen bases this season, which leads all of minor league baseball.

FAMILIAR FACES: The only ex-Rainiers player on the Omaha roster is infielder Erick Mejia, who appeared in four games for Tacoma in 2015 as a fill-in player up from Everett.

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 News Tribune has a Rainiers game story which includes a segment on how players deal with the trade deadline in Triple-A.
• The Mariners are playing like it’s April all over again. They won their sixth in a row last night at Texas, 8-5.
• Keon Broxton joined the Mariners and jumped right into the starting lineup.

In the PCL:

• San Antonio leadoff man Trent Grisham went 5-for-5 with a cycle and two home runs to lead the Missions to an 8-4 win over Sacramento. The 22-year-old Grisham is batting .381 with 13 homers in his first 34 Triple-A games.
• Framber Valdez and Round Rock shut out Fresno, 5-0. Valdez struck out 11 over seven innings of four-hit ball.
• Light-hitting Reno infielder Juniel Querecuto homered twice and drove in five runs as the Aces blasted Iowa, 13-7. Reno has won seven straight games – here come the Aces?
• El Paso scored twice in the top of the tenth inning and beat Nashville, 6-4. El Paso’s lead in the Pac-South grew to two games, because…
• Las Vegas lost at home to New Orleans, 8-7. Baby Cakes third baseman Eddy Alvarez went 3-for-3 with a homer and four RBI.
• Edmundo Sosa‘s three-run homer highlighted a six-run 5th inning for Memphis in a 6-3 win over Albuquerque.
• Oklahoma City won at Salt Lake, 9-3, as third baseman Edwin Rios had a fun line in the box score: 1-4-1-3. The Bees walked him four times, and the one time they didn’t walk him Rios hit a three-run homer.

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Rainiers Welcome Bernie Williams, Add New Infielder

It’s time for some more inter-conference play, as the Rainiers open a seven-game homestand tonight facing two American Conference opponents, followed by a road trip to face two more cross-conference foes.

Tonight the Omaha Storm Chasers arrive to begin a three-game series. The Kansas City Royals affiliate has the exact same record as the Rainiers, and is kind of a similar team: they don’t hit many homers despite this being the Year of the Home Run, and they make up for it by stealing a lot of bases.

After the Omaha series, the Iowa Cubs arrive for four games at Cheney Stadium which will take us through the weekend and into Monday’s homestand-ending day game.

Tacoma has just 18 home games left: this seven-game homestand, and an 11-gamer that begins in mid-August.

—

New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams will be at Cheney Stadium today. Despite the pleas of manager Daren Brown, we are not playing him in center field and hitting him third.

Williams is touring ballparks to raise awareness of rare lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) that sadly took his father’s life.

We hope to have Bernie stop by the radio booth in the third inning and talk about what he’s doing today, and also dig up some of his favorite (and maybe a not-so-favorite – hello, 1995) memories of all of those playoff teams.

—

The Mariners made a trade on Sunday afternoon, sending utility man Kristopher Negron to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Daniel Castro.

It’s a great opportunity for Negron, who gets to join a playoff-bound Dodgers club that has reached the World Series two years running. The Dodgers lost their two multi-position players to injury, as both Kike Hernandez and ex- Rainier Chris Taylor are out. Negron will fill in, and hopefully stick with them for a while – perhaps even into the playoffs?

Tacoma is going to add Castro, who was playing for Oklahoma City before injuring his hand at the end of May. He’s been playing in rehab games in Arizona for the last week and will join Tacoma today.

Castro, 26, is known for his smooth glove more than his bat. He’s played in the majors with the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies, appearing in 98 big league games. We have seen him as a Rainiers opponent during his time with Albuquerque in 2017 and 2018.

Look for manager Daren Brown to play Castro regularly in the middle infield.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: The whole PCL was off yesterday, as teams traveled to start inter-conference play. On Sunday the Rainiers lost in Sacramento, 6-2, finishing up a 1-5 road trip. Jordan Pacheco continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-3 game, and Reggie McClain pitched 3.2 scoreless innings from the bullpen.

ROSTER MOVES: The Mariners traded utility man Kristopher Negron to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Triple-A infielder Daniel Castro, and Castro is expected to report to Tacoma today. Infielder Connor Kopach and his seven-game hitting streak have been returned to Class-A Modesto. The Mariners optioned reliever Matt Carasiti to Tacoma and he is expected to join the team today.

TODAY: Omaha (48-59) at Tacoma (49-58), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Kansas City Royals.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Brian Poldberg.

SEASON SERIES: 0-0.

PITCHERS: LHP Eric Skogland (1-3, 6.64) at LHP Anthony Misiewicz (5-6, 7.52)

HOT HITTERS:  Jordan Pacheco has a nine-game hitting streak, and he went 7-for-11 during the three-game series at Sacramento… Jaycob Brugman is 9-for-30 with five homers over his last eight games… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 26, and he is tied for third on the Tacoma all-time list with 72 career steals. Miller also has a five-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Omaha just got swept at home in a three-game series by the PCL’s best team, San Antonio. The Missions scored ten runs in each of the three games… most of Omaha’s hitters have much better stats in home games than away games… Jorge Bonifacio has six hits with a homer during a four-game hitting streak… Kevin Gutierrez has a four-game hitting streak… outfielder Nick Heath was just promoted from Double-A where he has fifty (50) stolen bases this season.

FAMILIAR FACES: The only ex-Rainiers player on the Omaha roster is infielder Erick Mejia, who appeared in four games for Tacoma in 2015 as a fill-in player up from Everett.

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 finished the sweep of Detroit with a walk-off win on Sunday.
• The News Tribune has a trade deadline story including details on the Kristopher Negron for Daniel Castro deal.
• The Seattle Times also has a trade deadline story, covering the usual suspects.
• Baseball America’s weekly Prospect Hot Sheet includes an under-the-radar Mariners pitching prospect.
• Because of the juiced major league baseball, El Paso is going to shatter the PCL record for home runs in a season, and manager Edwin Rodriguez sort of hates it.

In the PCL:

The whole league was off on Monday. Some sweeps were completed on Sunday, most notably Las Vegas taking three straight at El Paso to pull within one game of first in the Pac-South. Vegas outfielder Seth Brown hit five homers during that sweep and won the Player of the Week award. Reno polished off Fresno for a three-game sweep, knocking the Grizzlies five games behind Sacramento in the Pac-North.

 

Rainiers Skid Ends In Sacramento

Woooooooo Hoooooooooo!!!!!! The Rainiers won one! Losing streak *over*. Got ’em!

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: It’s over! The Rainiers seven-game losing streak came to an end with a 5-2 win at Sacramento. Mike Wright started and pitched five scoreless innings, Gerson Bautista recorded key outs in the seventh and eighth innings, and Aaron Northcraft nailed down the save. Connor Kopach hit an RBI double in the first, Jaycob Brugman lined a solo homer, and Chris Mariscal hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning for some breathing room.

ROSTER MOVES: All is quiet pregame today, but we’ll have some moves before the next game on Tuesday for sure. The Mariners claimed major league outfielder Keon Broxton, so somebody is coming back to Tacoma.

TODAY: Tacoma (49-57) at Sacramento (57-49), 1:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.

SEASON SERIES: Sacramento leads, 11-4.

PITCHERS: RHP Darren McCaughan (0-2, 6.30) at LHP Andrew Suarez (5-6, 5.82)

HOT HITTERS:  Jordan Pacheco has an eight-game hitting streak… Connor Kopach has a six-game hitting streak in the PCL… Jaycob Brugman is 9-for-26 with five homers over his last seven games… Ian Miller still leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25, despite not stealing one since July 13.

OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento is 11-6 since the all-star break… Sacramento has scored six or more runs in nine of the last 11 games… Chris Shaw had his 11-game hitting streak end last night… Joey Rickard has an 11-game hitting streak… Francisco Pena had his streak of reaching base safely in 22 straight games end yesterday.

FAMILIAR FACES: The only ex-Rainiers player involved with the River Cats is manager Dave Brundage, who was a Tacoma hitting coach around the turn of the century before becoming a manager, and he returned to manage the club in 2006.

BROADCAST: The pregame show starts at 12:50 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 pelted the Tigers again, 8-1. Ryan Court had his first two major league hits and drove home three runs.
• Ryan Divish has his Mariners Q&A.

In the PCL:

• Reno jumped out to an early lead on Carlos Asuaje‘s three-run homer and took down Fresno, 8-6, for the Aces fifth straight win. Fresno remains four games behind Sacramento in the Pac-North.
• Las Vegas trampled the Chihuahuas, 11-2. Seth Brown homered twice to give him 25 on the year.
• Salt Lake swept a doubleheader at Albuquerque, 8-4 and 8-7. Taylor Ward had four hits in the opener, and Nick Franklin hit a grand slam in the second game.
• Tied 1-1 after nine innings, Nashville took down New Orleans 4-2 in the tenth. Veteran starters Tim Dillard and Mike Kickham were locked up in the pitcher’s duel.
• San Antonio banged out 14 hits and coasted to a 10-4 win at Omaha. Trent Grisham homered with three hits and two walks in the leadoff spot, while David Freitas had three hits and three RBI.
• Memphis outfielder Lane Thomas belted three homers in a 9-4 win at Oklahoma City.
• Leading 3-2 in the seventh inning, Round Rock’s Kyle Tucker launched a grand slam and the Express went on to beat Iowa, 10-2.

After today’s game the Rainiers fly home and enjoy a day off in Tacoma on Monday, and the blog is taking the day off too. We’ll be back with a new post on Tuesday afternoon prior to the start of the seven-game homestand against Omaha and Iowa.

Rainiers Overcome By River Cats

The streak continues, as Tacoma lost its seventh in a row last night by getting creamed in Sacramento, 18-3.

Tacoma has had only six longer losing streaks since 2000: five eight-game streaks, and one nine-game streak which occurred last July.

It’s time to put this one to bed. Tacoma is hoping for a strong start from Mike Wright, and most of the bullpen is fresh and ready to go.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: The Rainiers losing streak extended to seven games with an 18-3 loss at Sacramento on Friday night. Tacoma scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning to make it 5-3, but the River Cats scored four in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings to blow it open. Chris Shaw had four hits and six RBI, and Steven Duggar tied the PCL record by drawing five walks. Jordan Pacheco had three hits for Tacoma.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday Ryan Court was promoted to Seattle for his first taste of the big leagues, and Connor Kopach returned to the Rainiers from nearby Modesto. Today the Mariners announced that reliever Parker Markel has been claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

TODAY: Tacoma (48-57) at Sacramento (57-48), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.

SEASON SERIES: Sacramento leads, 11-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Mike Wright (0-2, 3.71) at RHP Enderson Franco (5-4, 6.44)

Sacramento’s listed starter had been Ty Blach, but he was designated for assignment by the giants earlier today.

HOT HITTERS:  Jordan Pacheco has a seven-game hitting streak… Connor Kopach has a five-game hitting streak in the PCL… Jaycob Brugman went 8-for-18 with four homers during a five-game hitting streak that ended last night… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25, despite not stealing one since July 13.

OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento is 11-5 since the all-star break… Sacramento has scored six or more runs in nine of the last ten games… Chris Shaw has an 11-game hitting streak, going 21-for-43 during the streak… Joey Rickard has a ten-game hitting streak… Francisco Pena has reached base safely in 22 straight games, collecting at least one hit in 20 of them.

FAMILIAR FACES: The only ex-Rainiers player involved with the River Cats is manager Dave Brundage, who was a Tacoma hitting coach around the turn of the century before becoming a manager, and he returned to manage the club in 2006.

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 suddenly hot (or maybe just the suddenly playing Detroit) Mariners picked up a 3-2 win over the Tigers yesterday, for their fourth win in five games.
• J.P. Crawford made a terrific play on defense, right here if you haven’t seen it yet. Lauren Smith has a story on Crawford’s progress so far.
• The Mariners called up 31-year-old Ryan Court for his first stint in the big leagues. Great story.

In the PCL:

• Reno scored six runs in the fourth inning and took down Fresno, 11-7. That knocked the Grizzlies four games behind Pac-North leading Sacramento.
• Las Vegas established a new PCL record by hitting 11 home runs in a 20-11 win at El Paso. Sean Murphy hit three of them, Jorge Mateo, Dustin Fowler, and Mark Payton each hit two, while Seth Brown and Nick Martini each connected once. This record was destined to fall during this season of juiced major league baseballs.
• Salt Lake at Albuquerque was monsooned out; they’ll play two today.
• Round Rock got to Iowa ace Collin Rea for nine runs in a 10-8 win. Rea is now 11-3 on the year, and his ERA ballooned to 3.77.
• Memphis outfielder Randy Arozarena hit for the cycle – he finished it in the fifth inning – in a 13-10 win at Oklahoma City.
• New Orleans stole six bases in a 6-1 win over Nashville, with starter Joe Gunkel pitching well and earning the win.
• San Antonio coasted to a 10-3 win at Omaha, with Corey Spangenberg and Hernan Perez each collecting four hits.

Last Chance Against The Cats For Tacoma

The Rainiers have picked a bad time to go into their longest losing streak of the season, dropping six straight against division rivals to fall eight games out of first place.

Tonight the club begins a three-game series at first place Sacramento, and only a three-game sweep will get the Rainiers back into the playoff picture. Otherwise, we’ll be playing out the string in August while looking for signs of progress for the future.

It doesn’t appear that the Rainiers will be adding any more of the Mariners prospects from Double-A Arkansas. All indications are that the Mariners are going to keep that group together to try to win a Texas League championship. There are a few players there who are clearly ready (or even long overdue, cough Justin Dunn cough) for a promotion to Triple-A, but we’ll have to wait until next year to see them.

In the meantime, Tacoma will continue to get fill-in players from Class-A Modesto, and we’ll see some guys come down from the big leagues if the Seattle roster ever gets any healthier. The M’s have 12 players on the major league injured list; some of them have to get healthy eventually, right?

Anyway, we’ll see if the Rainiers can make up some ground on the River Cats starting tonight at 7:05.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Reno scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to earn a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Rainiers on Thursday night, completing the three-game sweep. Jaycob Brugman and Ryan Court homered for the Rainiers. Sean Nolin returned to form, allowing two runs over 5.2 innings without walking anyone. Tacoma and Reno split the 16-game season series, with each team winning eight times.

ROSTER MOVES: We will have some today!

TODAY: Tacoma (48-56) at Sacramento (56-48), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.

SEASON SERIES: Sacramento leads, 10-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Nabil Crismatt (0-2, 8.59) at LHP Conner Menez (2-0, 3.82)

HOT HITTERS: Jaycob Brugman is 8-for-18 with four homers during a five-game hitting streak… Jordan Pacheco has a six-game hitting streak… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25, despite not stealing one since July 13… John Andreoli has reached base safely in 37 of his 42 games with Tacoma.

OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento is 10-5 since the all-star break… the River Cats won two-of-three from second place Fresno, building a three-game lead in the Pac-North… before last night’s 3-1 loss, Sacramento had scored six or more runs in eight straight games… Chris Shaw has a ten-game hitting streak, going 17-for-37 during the streak… Joey Rickard has a nine-game hitting streak… Francisco Pena has reached base safely in 21 straight games, collecting at least one hit in 19 of them.

FAMILIAR FACES: The only ex-Rainiers player involved with the River Cats is manager Dave Brundage, who was a Tacoma hitting coach around the turn of the century before becoming a manager, and he returned to manage the club in 2006.

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 News Tribune has a story on the call-up of Tim Lopes.
• Tim Beckham hit a grand slam and Lopes had an eventful first major league start in the Mariners win over Detroit last night.
• Ryan Divish has an excellent story on Felix Hernandez pondering his future.

In the PCL:

• Fresno’s Jose Marmolejos and Brandon Snyder homered in the bottom of the seventh inning, leading the Grizzlies to a 3-1 win over Sacramento. Fresno avoided the sweep and is three games behind first place Sacramento.
• El Paso had 19 hits in a 15-9 win at Las Vegas. The game featured three players with five hits each, and that doesn’t include Jason Vosler who hit for the cycle.
• Jose Rojas and Jared Walsh each hit their 25th home run of the season in Salt Lake’s 8-3 win over Albuquerque.
• Nashville topped Oklahoma City 7-5 as Patrick Wisdom drove in three runs with three hits.
• San Antonio hit four homers, including a three-run shot by Cory Spangenberg, and coasted to a 9-1 win over Iowa.
• Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Memphis outfielder Adolis Garcia launched a three-run homer to give the Redbirds a 3-1 win over New Orleans.
• Omaha edged Round Rock, 2-1, as Arnaldo Hernandez delivered five shutout innings from the bullpen.

Rainiers Look To End Streak Tonight, Add New Outfielder

The Rainiers season-worst losing streak reached five straight games last night in rather emphatic fashion, with the club dropping a 14-3 decision at Reno. Tacoma needs a win tonight to end the streak and avoid being swept by the Aces.

Tacoma still has a chance to win the season series against Reno, which is kind of amazing considering the statistics. Tonight is the final game between the two teams, and Tacoma has gone 8-7 against the Aces.

Reno has hit 39 home runs against Tacoma in the first 15 games. Thirty-nine. Like, just about forty. Kevin Cron hit eight against Tacoma while playing in just eight of the games. Yasmany Tomas has hit six against the Rainiers, with four coming in one game. A guy named Andy Young who was recently promoted from Double-A has already hit three dingers against the Rainiers. Even light-hitting Juniel Querecuto, who has just five home runs all season as an everyday player, has hit two of them against Tacoma.

Despite all of these homers, the Rainiers can still win the season series. Tacoma has been out-homered 39-19, but only outscored 116-109 because the Rainiers are batting .325 against Reno pitching this year.

—

Outfielder Eric Filia worked out with the Rainiers yesterday and is expected to be activated from the suspended list today.

Something of a forgotten man, Filia was suspended for 100 games by Major League Baseball when he tested positive for “drugs of abuse.” It was his second such suspension – he served a 50-gamer for the same thing in 2018.

The 27-year-old Filia is a singles hitting corner outfielder and first baseman who posts high on-base percentages. He is difficult to strike out, which is a rarity in today’s game.

Filia (pronounced fuh-LEE-uh) said that during his suspension he worked out at UC Irvine with his personal hitting coach. That being said, this will be his first time facing live pitching since his suspension was levied on March 22. It may take him a little while to get going.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Reno ripped the Rainiers, 14-3, and goes for a sweep tonight. Reno led 3-1 with two outs and nobody on base in the bottom of the fourth inning before scoring five runs on five consecutive two-out hits, blowing the game open.

ROSTER MOVES: Today we expect Eric Filia to be activated from the suspended list, and infielder Connor Kopach has been transferred back to Class-A Modesto.

TODAY: Tacoma (48-55) at Reno (44-59), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Arizona Diamondbacks.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Chris Cron.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 8-7.

PITCHERS: LHP Sean Nolin (3-1, 3.89) at RHP Taylor Widenor (6-6, 8.17)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli has reached base safely in 14 straight games, and in 37 of his 41 games with Tacoma… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25… Jordan Pacheco has a six-game hitting streak… Jaycob Brugman is 7-for-15 with three homers over his last four games.

OPPONENT NEWS: The Aces are 5-9 since the all-star break… PCL nightmare Kevin Cron landed on the injured list with an elbow problem… Yasmany Tomas has an eight-game hitting streak, with three homers and 11 RBI… infielder Domingo Leyba has a six-game hitting streak… both Leyba and Andy Young have homered in each of the first two games of this series.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers with the Aces include outfielder Abraham Almonte and hard-to-spell lefty relievers Lucas Luetge and Marc Rzepczynski.

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:

• Mike Leake pitched the Mariners to a 5-3 win over Texas yesterday.
• Dan Vogelbach homered twice in the game, and Matt Calkins writes that Vogey is the reason to keep watching the M’s.
• Mariners outfielder Domingo Santana is hurting.
• Round Rock will host the 2021 Triple-A All-Star Game.

In the PCL:

• Sacramento opened up a four-game lead in the Pac-North by winning at Fresno, 9-1. This was a 3-1 game going to the eighth inning. Yoanys Quiala tossed five innings of one-hit ball for the River Cats.
• Ty France hit a three-run homer off rehabilitating Sean Manaea, leading El Paso to a 5-3 win at Las Vegas. The Chihuahuas are back up to a three-game lead in the Pac-South.
• Albuquerque infielder Peter Mooney had a huge game, going 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI, and the Isotopes took down Salt Lake 10-6.
• DJ Peters had three hits including his ninth homer (in just 24 games) to lead Oklahoma City to a 10-6 win at Nashville.
• Hector Noesi allowed one run over five innings and earned his PCL-leading 11th win as New Orleans took down Memphis, 5-2.
• Round Rock shut out Omaha, 3-0. Kent Emanuel pitched seven scoreless innings and two relievers finished off a four-hitter. Carlos Correa finished up his rehabilitation assignment.
• Iowa second baseman Trent Giambrone belted his 20th homer to help the Cubs beat San Antonio, 5-4. The possible playoff preview series between the American Conference division leaders is tied at a game each. Ian Happ is being called up.

More Gaming In Reno

Quick post today, as I am busy researching the North American Scrabble Championship which is taking place in our team hotel. This place is inundated with elite Scrabble players!

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Reno out-slugged the Rainiers, 10-7, in a game that featured seven homers. Ryan Court, Jaycob Brugman, and Chris Mariscal went deep for Tacoma. The Rainiers trailed all game but were never out of it, and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday was a big day. Mac Williamson was released so he could sign with a team in Korea (Samsung Lions), Tim Lopes was called up to Seattle, Parker Markel was designated for assignment, Matt Festa reported, and both Kevin Santa and Connor Kopach joined the team from Modesto.

TODAY: Tacoma (48-54) at Reno (43-59), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Arizona Diamondbacks.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Chris Cron.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 8-6.

PITCHERS: LHP Anthony Misiewicz (5-5, 6.79) at RHP Jon Duplantier (0-2, 4.76)

HOT HITTERS: John Andreoli had his 12-game hitting streak come to an end last night. He has reached base safely in 13 straight games, and in 36 of his 40 games with Tacoma… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25… Jordan Pacheco has a six-game hitting streak… Jaycob Brugman is 6-for-12 with three homers over his last three games.

OPPONENT NEWS: Reno was swept at home by Fresno in a three-game series. The Aces are 4-9 since the all-star break… PCL nightmare Kevin Cron landed on the injured list with an elbow problem… Yasmany Tomas has a seven-game hitting streak, with three homers and 11 RBI… infielder Domingo Leyba has a five-game hitting streak.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers with the Aces include outfielder Abraham Almonte and hard-to-spell lefty relievers Lucas Luetge and Marc Rzepczynski.

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:

• MiLB.com has a PCL Notebook.
• The Mariners lost to the Rangers, 7-2.
• Ryan Divish has a story on Dee Gordon‘s trade value (or lack thereof).
• The Mariners hired a 25-year-old to manage the Everett Aqua Sox for the remainder of the season.
• Baseball America has a Q&A with Mariners top prospect Julio Rodriguez.

In the PCL:

• Sacramento took the first game of the showdown with Fresno, 8-6 in ten innings. Both Joey Rickard and Francisco Pena homered in the four-run top of the tenth. Sacramento leads the division by three games.
• Las Vegas pulled within two games of first place El Paso in the Pac-South by beating the Chihuahuas last night, 9-6. Seth Brown homered twice in the first three innings, and touted prospect A.J. Puk delivered two scoreless innings from the bullpen for Vegas.
• Salt Lake set a franchise record by belting eight homers in a 17-6 wipeout of Albuquerque. Jared Walsh hit three of the dingers, with Justin Bour contributing a pair.
• Oklahoma City knocked out 19 hits in a 16-1 road win at Nashville. Kyle Garlick had four hits with a homer, and starting pitcher Dustin May reeled off six scoreless innings.
• San Antonio scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge Iowa, 4-3, with Trent Grisham driving home the winning run. A rehabbing Cole Hamels pitched 2.1 scoreless innings for Iowa, walking three.
• Ryan O’Hearn doubled and homered, driving in three runs, as Omaha took down Round Rock 9-2.
• Memphis rode a grand slam by John Nogowski to a 6-4 win over New Orleans.

Rainiers Look For Rebound On The Road

The Rainiers open a six-game road trip tonight with the first of three games at Reno. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Tacoma leads the season series, 8-5. With just one victory in this town Tacoma will win the 16-game season series against Reno for the first time since Reno joined the PCL in 2009.

The Rainiers are staggering into this road trip. Tacoma was swept in a series for the first time all season, with Sacramento finishing the job on Sunday. The club has fallen six games out of first place, and five games under .500. This is a team in need of a winning streak.

Hopefully the day off yesterday provided the guys with an opportunity to clear their heads and relax, and gear up for the trip.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: The whole PCL was off yesterday. On Sunday the Rainiers dropped a 6-5 decision to Sacramento, despite a 3-for-4 performance by Tim Lopes which included a two-run homer. The Rainiers were swept in a series for the first time this season, and now trail the River Cats by six games in the standings.

ROSTER MOVES: Outfielder Eric Young Jr. was released after Sunday’s game. He was injured most of the season, and by the time he got healthy the Rainiers had too many outfielders to keep him. Reliever Matt Festa has been optioned to Tacoma by the Mariners. There may be more moves before tonight’s game.

TODAY: Tacoma (48-53) at Reno (42-59), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Arizona Diamondbacks.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Chris Cron.

SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 8-5.

PITCHERS: RHP Darren McCaughan (0-1, 5.40) at RHP Riley Smith (1-0, 4.44)

HOT HITTERS: Tim Lopes has a 14-game hitting streak, and he has homered in four of his last seven games… John Andreoli has a 12-game hitting streak, and he has reached base safely in 35 of his 39 games with Tacoma… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25… Jordan Pacheco has a five-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Reno was swept at home by Fresno in a three-game series. The Aces have lost five in a row, and they are 3-9 since the all-star break… PCL nightmare Kevin Cron is back with the Aces, but he has just one pinch-hit at-bat over the last three games, so he’s either hurting or on his way back to the Diamondbacks. We’ll find out later today… Yasmany Tomas has a six-game hitting streak, with two homers and nine RBI… infielder Domingo Leyba has returned from a brief stint in the majors.

FAMILIAR FACES: Former Rainiers with the Aces include outfielder Abraham Almonte and hard-to-spell lefty relievers Lucas Luetge and Marc Rzepczynski.

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 News Tribune has a game story on Tacoma’s loss to Sacramento on Sunday.
• Better reading: a fun story on catcher Jose Lobaton and his son Manuel, who you may have seen scampering around Cheney Stadium.
• The Mariners beat the Rangers on Monday behind Austin Nola‘s three-run homer. They lost to the Angels on Sunday, 9-3.
• Larry Stone has his wrap-up of the Edgar Martinez Hall of Fame experience.
• Old pal John McGrath came out of retirement to write an Edgar column for The News Tribune.
• Justus Sheffield makes an appearance on this week’s edition of the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

Monday was a league-wide off day in the PCL. A couple notes from Sunday’s action:

• Fresno had 17 hits and finished a road sweep at Reno with an 11-4 win, remaining two games behind Sacramento in the Pac-North.
• El Paso and Las Vegas both lost in the Pac-South, so the Chihuahuas maintain a three-game lead.
• Memphis outfielder Adolis Garcia drove in eight runs in a 13-2 win at Omaha, launching a grand slam and a three-run homer in the contest.
• The Dodgers promoted 21-year-old catching prospect Keibert Ruiz to Oklahoma City and he went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI against San Antonio in his Triple-A debut.

Brugman Belts Two But Rainiers Fall To Cats

Tacoma lost to Sacramento on Saturday night, 8-4, despite two home runs by right fielder Jaycob Brugman. The Rainiers fell five games behind the first place River Cats.

Since joining the Rainiers on June 1, Brugman has hit 11 homers in just 39 games. He has a .569 slugging percentage, and in a rare move for a Tacoma player he has hit more homers at Cheney (six) than on the road (five). Yesterday was his second two-homer game of the season.

The Rainiers will try to salvage a win in the final game of the Sacramento series today at 1:35.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Sacramento scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning, breaking open a close game and beating Tacoma, 8-4. Jaycob Brugman homered twice for the Rainiers, giving him 11 on the season. Sacramento’s bullpen delivered four scoreless, no-hit innings to seal the game.

TODAY: Sacramento (53-47) at Tacoma (48-52), 1:35.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.

SEASON SERIES: Sacramento leads, 9-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Enderson Franco (4-4, 6.53) at RHP Mike Wright (0-1, 2.70)

HOT HITTERS: Tim Lopes has a 13-game hitting streak, and he has homered in three of his last six games… John Andreoli has an 11-game hitting streak, and he has reached base safely in 34 of his 38 games with Tacoma… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25… Jordan Pacheco has a four-game hitting streak.

OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento went 3-2 in a five-game series at Salt Lake, and is 7-4 since the all-star break… Francisco Pena has a nine-game hitting streak, and he has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games… Joey Rickard has reached base safely in 15 straight games… Chris Shaw went 11-for-22 in the series at Salt Lake.

FAMILIAR FACES: Sacramento has former Rainiers switch-pitcher Pat Venditte. River Cats manager Dave Brundage played, coached, and managed (2006) for Tacoma.

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:

• The News Tribune has a Rainiers game story which includes some of Daren Brown‘s most frequently used quotes.
• The Mariners lost to the Angels in the ninth inning.
• Seattle acquired reliever Matt Magill from the Twins this morning, for cash considerations. Magill will report to the major league club, and Tacoma will probably get a reliever back. Magill has pitched for El Paso and Albuquerque in the past.
• It’s Edgar Martinez day in Cooperstown! He told Larry Stone he’s nervous about today’s induction.
• Ryan Divish has an article about Edgar and Harold Baines getting in, and if it opens the door for more designated hitters.
• Baseball America unearthed some of its early reports on Edgar Martinez from when he was a minor leaguer.
• Fun story for longtime PCL fans on the Salt Lake Bees celebrating their 25th season.

In the PCL:

• Fresno topped Reno, 3-2, to remain two games behind Sacramento in the Pac-North. J.J. Hoover tossed six innings of one-run ball for the Grizzlies.
• El Paso and Albuquerque were tied 8-8 after six innings, and no one scored again until the 11th when El Paso erupted for five runs and won, 13-9. Ty France had four hits, and Austin Adams had three hits with five RBI. The Chihuahuas had a rare no-homer game. Good feature on outfielder Yonathan Daza in the Albuquerque paper.
• Las Vegas took down Salt Lake, 8-5, to remain three games behind El Paso in the Pac-South. Seth Brown connected on four hits, and Dustin Fowler homered.
• Omaha infielder Erick Mejia belted a game-ending homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 win over Memphis.
• Scott Heineman homered and drove in three runs to lead Nashville in a 7-4 win over Iowa.
• Oklahoma City’s Jake Peter launched a grand slam during a seven-run third inning, and the Dodgers held on to beat San Antonio 9-8. Gavin Lux went 0-for-4, his first hitless Triple-A game, ending his 17-game hitting streak.
• Round Rock flattened the Baby Cakes, 13-0, as Brandon Bielak tossed seven innings of one-hit ball. Chas McCormick homered twice and drove in six runs.

Sacramento Strikes First In Key Series

Score one for the River Cats.

Sacramento struck first, picking up an 8-6 win over the Rainiers in the opening game of a key stretch of games between the two clubs. The Rainiers now trail the first-place River Cats by four games, with five head-to-head battles remaining over the course of the next nine days.

The River Cats scored seven runs against Tacoma starter Sean Nolin, who had not allowed more than two runs in any of his first six appearances for Tacoma. Sacramento took an 8-1 lead into the seventh inning stretch, getting a strong outing from starting pitcher Aaron Phillips in his Triple-A debut.

As is their custom, the Rainiers rallied late to make things interesting. Tacoma scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, with Tim Lopes launching his first career grand slam.

In the ninth against Sacramento closer Fernando Abad, Eric Young Jr. and Lopes hit back-to-back singles with one out, putting the tying runners on base. But Abad was able to retire Ryan Court and Jaycob Brugman to end the game, and Sacramento had the 8-6 win.

Now there is a little pressure on the Rainiers to even the series tonight. Nabil Crismatt will make his first start since being promoted from the Texas League, where he was leading the circuit in ERA. First pitch is at 7:05.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Sacramento scored in five of the first six innings, building an 8-1 lead before the Rainiers made things interesting at the end. A five-run rally capped by a grand slam from Tim Lopes made it 8-6 after seven, and the Rainiers put two runners on base in the ninth before falling to the River Cats, 8-6. Tacoma is four games out of first place.

ROSTER MOVES: Mac Williamson is expected to report tonight, and Mariners reliever Hunter Strickland may begin a rehabilitation assignment tonight.

TODAY: Sacramento (52-47) at Tacoma (48-51), 7:05.

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.

SEASON SERIES: Sacramento leads, 8-3.

PITCHERS: RHP Dereck Rodriguez (1-0, 4.63) at RHP Nabil Crismatt (0-1, 8.47)

HOT HITTERS: Tim Lopes has a 12-game hitting streak, and he had homered in three of his last five games… John Andreoli has a ten-game hitting streak, and he has reached base safely in 33 of his 37 games with Tacoma… Ian Miller leads the PCL in stolen bases with 25.

OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento went 3-2 in a five-game series at Salt Lake, and is 6-4 since the all-star break… Zach Green has hit 23 home runs, and he missed a month with an injury and has only played in 64 games… Francisco Pena has an eight-game hitting streak, and he has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games… Joey Rickard has reached base safely in 15 straight games… Chris Shaw went 11-for-22 in the series at Salt Lake.

FAMILIAR FACES: Sacramento has former Rainiers switch-pitcher Pat Venditte. River Cats manager Dave Brundage played, coached, and managed (2006) for Tacoma.

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 Rainiers game story in The News Tribune includes a segment on reliever David McKay.
• Mike Leake was perfect for eight innings against the Angels last night, and he finished with a 1-hit shutout. Dan Vogelbach pulled a Lobaton, hitting two three-run homers in the same game.
• Lauren Smith has details on Hunter Strickland‘s projected return, and more information on the progress of injured Mariners.
• In Cooperstown, Larry Stone takes us for a walk down Main Street.

In the PCL:

• Tied 4-4 going to the 11th inning at Reno, Fresno scored four times and hung on for an 8-5 win. Carter Kieboom‘s two-run homer was part of the 11th inning rally. Fresno is two games behind Sacramento, and two games ahead of Tacoma.
• El Paso hit four more homers, including a go-ahead two-run shot by Michael Gettys in the top of the seventh inning, and beat Albuquerque 7-5.
• Sheldon Neuse launched a three-run homer in the top of the first inning and Las Vegas never gave up the lead, beating Salt Lake 5-2.
• Memphis picked up an 8-4 win at Omaha as Adolis Garcia homered twice, giving him 20 on the year. Home plate umpire Jason Starkovich had a big game, ejecting a pitcher on each team, and he also got Omaha’s manager.
• Oklahoma City cruised to an 11-3 win over San Antonio. DJ Peters hit two homers and drove in three runs, Will Smith and Kyle Garlick also went deep, and Gavin Lux extended his hitting streak to 17 games (although his batting average fell to .515).
• Nashville topped Iowa, 6-5, as new acquisition Nick Solak homered twice. Sounds starter Tim Dillard lasted seven innings, allowing two runs.
• New Orleans beat Round Rock in the bottom of the tenth inning, 6-5, on a walk-off wild pitch.