Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Sacramento (5:05 PT)
September 3, 2022 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) – Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (59-68) vs. Sacramento River Cats (57-70)
Saturday, September 3, 2022, 5:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
LHP Austin Warner vs. LHP Jonathan Bermudez
TURN-R-OUND: Tacoma began this season 9-23 (through May 11), but is 50-45 since. The Rainiers’ low-water mark was 16 games under .500 at 28-44 on June 28. They’re 31-24 since, 21-17 post-break and 29-24 in the second half.
TAMED: The Rainiers are 29-17 against the River Cats dating to the beginning of last season, and have won 18 of their last 28 games against Sacramento at Cheney Stadium. Triple-A clubs from Tacoma and Sacramento first played in 1960; the Tacoma Giants and Sacramento Solons, who were affiliated with the Milwaukee Braves. The Triple-A Giants (81-73) went 13-9 against Sacramento (73-81) during Tacoma’s inaugural Pacific Coast League season.
WHITE, OUT: After two homers on Wednesday, Tacoma first baseman Evan White has gone deep six times in 15 games dating to August 10. His OPS is 1.065 in that span (61 PA) while slugging .704 (.361 OBP)…13 RBI…10 runs scored. White is 15-for-54 (.278) during this stretch, with 11 of those hits going for extra bases.
MEJIA MASH: Rainiers INF/OF Erick Mejia has hit safely in 18 of his last 20 games. Mejia compiled the second-longest hit streak for Tacoma this season, 12 games from August 4-21 and has hit safely in six of seven dating to August 25; only Jarred Kelenic (13 games, May 24-June 8) has had a longer streak. In his last 22 games played, Mejia is batting .301 (.824 OPS)…7 XBH (2 HR, 2 3B, 3 2B)…9 BB…7 RBI…14 runs scored. The Rainiers are 14-8 in the last 22 games Mejia has appeared in (since August 1).
BIG WILLY STYLE: Since right-handed reliever Taylor Williams joined the Mariners org for a second time from San Francisco/Sacramento on July 22, he’s worked 14 scoreless outings in 15 for Tacoma: 16.1 IP, 13 H (.224 BAA), 2 ER (1.10) with four walks and 18 strikeouts. His strikeout rate is 28.1% (64 batters faced).
THE O’B RELIEVER: Rainiers RHP Riley O’Brien (Seattle-born, Shorewood High School) has struck out 40.5% of batters faced over his last seven appearances (10.1 IP); he’s K’d 17 of the last 42 hitters he’s faced.
DEFENDERS OF THE DIAMOND: The Rainiers have committed the fewest errors in the PCL entering today’s action (65), and the second-fewest in Triple-A (Nashville, 63). Tacoma is tied with Nashville at a .986 fielding percentage.
FELINE FRENEMIES: A flurry of transactions between the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners this season have seen infielders Alex Blandino (trade), Mike Ford (trade/waivers), Kevin Padlo (waivers) and Donovan Walton (trade) all suit up for both Sacramento and Tacoma this season, but none are currently rostered by either club. The River Cats did have catcher Andrew Knapp until his MLB promotion on Wednesday (started 19 games for Tacoma earlier this season before being selected by Seattle on June 27 and DFA on July 9). LHP Aaron Fletcher, a member of the 2021 Triple-A West Champion Tacoma Rainiers, has pitched in eight games out of the Sacramento bullpen.
Sacramento Manager Dave Brundage led the Rainiers for one season, skippering a 74-70 campaign in 2006. On Tacoma’s active roster, former River Cats include LHPs Fernando Abad (2019) and Tommy Milone (2014), infielder Zach Green (2019) and RHP Taylor Williams (2022). Milone pitched for Sacramento during their Oakland Athletics affiliation.
STEAL A BASE, STEAL A TACO(MA): The Rainiers lead all of Triple-A baseball with 160 stolen bases (Omaha of the International League is second with 158). Tacoma outfielder Forrest Wall is second in the PCL (and in Triple-A overall) with 37 steals, and became the first to steal 30 bases for the Rainiers since Ian Miller (33) in 2018. Wall is striving to be the first Tacoma player to steal 40 since Lance Blankenship of the 1988 Tacoma Tigers (Oakland A’s affiliate).
Last season, Wall swiped 35 bags for Buffalo while in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, third-most in the International League. He’s one shy of his career-high in steals, 38 in 2018, split between High-A Lancaster (Colorado) of the California League, Double-A Hartford (Colorado) and Double-A New Hampshire (Toronto) of the Eastern League following a mid-season trade.
Jimmy Sexton (56, 1981 Tigers- OAK), Rusty McNealy (43, 1983 Tigers- OAK) and Del Alston (43, 1979 Tugs- CLE) own the top three stealing seasons in Tacoma’s Triple-A history.
• Discuss this story on the Pacific Coast League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
