Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Las Vegas (7:05 PT)
September 13, 2022 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) – Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (64-71) at Las Vegas Aviators (67-68)
Tuesday, September 13, 2022, 7:05 p.m. PT | Las Vegas Ballpark: Summerlin, NV
LHP Justus Sheffield vs. LHP Zach Logue
THE OPEN-R: The Rainiers are 17-7 in series-opening games this season, and 10-2 in road series openers. 26.6% of Tacoma’s 64 wins have come in a game one.
TURN-R-OUND: Tacoma began this season 9-23 (through May 11), but is 55-48 since. The Rainiers’ low-water mark was 16 games under .500 at 28-44 on June 28. They’re 36-27 since, 26-20 post-break and 34-27 in the second half. The Rainiers will need to finish 11-4 to go .500.
WINNING TIME: After taking four of six last week at Oklahoma City, the Tacoma Triple-A franchise (est. 1960) now has a winning all-time record against four current PCL member locales: Round Rock (46-27), OKC (84-83), Las Vegas (290-287) and Salt Lake (378-364-1). Tacoma’s 378 wins over Salt Lake (City) are second only to their 383 all-time victories over teams from Portland, Oregon.
THANKS KING: Rainiers hitting coach Brad Marcelino (Great Britain) and athletic trainer Michael Feliciano (Spain) are away from the club to join their respective coaching staffs for European World Baseball Classic qualifying in Regensburg, Germany. The next WBC will take place during 2023 spring training, and there are two qualifying tournaments for nations that do not receive an automatic berth.
In Germany, the top two finishers of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, South Africa and Spain will advance to the WBC. In Panama City, it’s the same for Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan and Panama. Each tournament is a double-elimination. Great Britain’s first game is on Friday vs. France; Spain will open against South Africa on Friday.
Marcelino, born in Essex, England, first played in international competition for Great Britain in 1999 at 17. As of 2022, he’s the all-time leader in games played for the British National Team.
THE FUT-R?: Mariners Double-A starting RHP Taylor Dollard has earned 16 winning decisions this season for the Arkansas Travelers (Texas League), the most in Travs franchise history as a Double-A club. Dollard currently leads all of Minor League Baseball in wins- by two (all levels). Dollard’s 2.27 ERA is seventh-lowest in all of MiLB, his 0.96 WHIP ranks sixth. Only six minor league pitchers have logged more than his 139.0 IP coming into today’s action.
BARRELED KELENIC: In 80 games this season with Tacoma, outfielder Jarred Kelenic has 92 hits (.281 AVG). 47 of those knocks have gone for extra bases (15 HR, 3 triples), a staggering 51% of his Triple-A hit total this season (.526 SLG, .881 OPS). Kelenic’s 29 doubles lead the Rainiers and are fifth-most in the PCL. His 47 XBH rank ninth in the league despite not joining Tacoma until mid-May. Kelenic is seventh in the league in slugging and 10th in OPS.
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 16 scoreless outings in 17 for Tacoma: 18.1 IP, 14 H (.219 BAA), 2 ER (0.98) with four walks, 19 strikeouts and a save. His K rate is 27.1% (70 batters faced). Williams has 97 career MLB games dating to the 2017 season.
SMOOTH OP-R-ATORS: Tacoma is equal to Nashville (International League) with only 69 errors this season, fewest in Triple-A. The Rainiers have committed nine fewer errors than runner-up Reno (78), to lead the PCL and are tied with Nashville at a .986 fielding percentage. The dandy defense is organization-wide; the Mariners have the fewest defensive miscues in MLB (56, .989)- two fewer than St. Louis.
STEAL A BASE, STEAL A TACO(MA): The Rainiers lead Triple-A with 179 stolen bases (Omaha of the International League has 177), and hold a 32-steal cushion over Reno (147) to lead the PCL. Tacoma outfielder Forrest Wall ranks second in Triple-A with 42 steals, and is the seventh player in franchise history (since 1960) to steal 40 or more bases. 42 puts Wall with the fourth-most steals in a single season: 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.
Wall has set a new career-high in steals this season, his previous being 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.
UNI WATCH: The 2022 Tacoma Rainiers have the following win-loss record by uniform top: White (20-17), red (21-26), navy blue (7-7), road grey (9-8), “Familia de Tacoma” (6-6, Copa de la Diversion), specialty auction (1-7).
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