Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - vs. Sugar Land
April 24, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TODAY'S GAME - 4/24 vs. Sugar Land
FIRST PITCH - 7:05 PM (PT) at Cheney Stadium - Tacoma, WA
PITCHING MATCHUP - Tacoma RHP Blas Castano (2-0, 2.45) vs. Sugar Land RHP Tyler Ivey (0-2, 3.24)
BROADCAST - TV: Bally Live App/MiLB.TV RADIO - KIXI 880 AM
THE RAINIERS: Struck out a season-high 15 batters and tied their season-high with 10 runs in a 10-3 victory over Sugar Land on Wednesday...Nick Dunn got Tacoma on the board with a two-run homer in the second inning, his first of the year...Jhonathan Diaz scored his first win of the season, allowing three runs on four hits over 5.0 innings, striking out 10, the most for a Rainier's pitcher this year and the first 10-strikeout game since Blas Castano struck out 12 on August 4, 2024 against Salt Lake...the Rainiers used a six-run fourth inning, the most runs they've scored in a single inning this season...Samad Taylor logged another three-hit game, his fifth of the season and second in a row...Hagen Danner, Matt Brash and Tayler Saucedo tossed the final 4.0 innings, keeping the Space Cowboys off the board, allowing just two hits.
BLAS IS NOW IN SESSION: RHP Blas Castano will make his third start of the season tonight, having worked in a long relief role in three of his five outings this year...Castano ranks third in the PCL in ERA (2.45), fifth in opponent batting average (.186) and sixth in WHIP (1.20)...Castano has also kept the ball on the ground this season, ranking fifth in the PCL (min 10.0 IP) in groundball/flyball ratio at 3.38 (per FanGraphs)...he also ranks ninth in opponent batting average on balls in play (BABIP) at .216 (min. 10.0 IP).
TAKING A LONG WALK: Since April 17, the Rainiers have drawn 35 walks in six games, the most in the PCL and the second-most in Triple-A...in that span they have struck out only 36 times, the fewest in the PCL...in that six-game stretch, the Rainiers are drawing .972 walks per strikeout, the best ratio in all of minor league baseball, and just one of two teams to be over .900 walks per strikeout... the other is Modesto, Seattle's Class-A affiliate.
SLAMMIN' SAMAD : Samad Taylor went 3-for-5 again on Wednesday night, marking his fifth three-hit game of the season, the most in the PCL this season...in his last nine games, Taylor is hitting .429 (15x35) with four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and five stolen bases... Taylor also ranks among PCL league leaders in: home runs (T-3rd - 5), slugging percentage (8th - .618) and OPS (T-8th - 1.015)...since April 12, Taylor leads the PCL with 18 hits, ranks second with 31 total bases, five stolen bases and seven extra base hits, he ranks third with a .450 average and a 1.275 OPS and tied for third with 10 RBI.
SUGAR SWEET: This week will be the first and only trip to Tacoma for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, and the first of two meetings between the two teams this year...the Rainiers will travel down to Sugar Land from July 29-August 3 for the other six-game set...in 2024, the Rainiers hit .249 against the Space Cowboys, winning five out of six games at Cheney Stadium and taking two out of six at Sugar Land...Rainiers pitchers worked a 3.12 ERA at home, compared to a 4.68 mark at Constellation Field.
PACKING A PUNCH : Over his last nine games, OF Spencer Packard has hit .387 (12x31) with four doubles, five RBI and four walks to three strikeouts...in that span, Packard has gotten it done against both left and right-handed pitchers, hitting 4x8 (.500) against southpaws and 8x23 (.348) against right-handers...since April 11, Packard ranks seventh in the league in batting average and tied for ninth with his four doubles.
RHYLAN'S ROLLING: In his last 11 games, OF Rhylan Thomas has hit .375 (15x40) with a home run, four RBI and eight runs scored...Thomas is also hitting .458 (11x24) when leading off an inning...his 11 hits when leading off the inning are tied for the second-most by any minor league hitter this season...Thomas has only struck out three times in 2025, tied for the second-fewest of any qualified minor league hitter.
REHAB RUNDOWN: RHP Matt Brash was sent to Tacoma to begin a Major League Rehab assignment on April 13...Brash missed the entire 2024 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery...he was placed on the Mariners 15-Day injured list on March 27 (retro March 24)...Brash has made four appearances with Tacoma, last throwing on Wednesday, throwing a scoreless inning, striking out one...in his four appearances, he has allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out four in 3.2 innings.
MARINERS UPDATE: The Mariners put up eight runs on 13 hits in an 8-5 victory in Boston on Wednesday...Emerson Hancock picked up his first win of the season, logging a quality start with two runs allowed on five hits in 6.0 innings, walking two and striking out seven...Ben Williamson went 3-for-5 with an RBI...JP Crawford hit his first home run of the season in the fourth inning, a three run blast in the victory.
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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 24, 2025
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- Daly, Lugo Go Deep, Bees Can't Overcome Early Deficit to Comets - Salt Lake Bees
- Sugar Land Belts Three Home Runs But Falls on Wednesday Night - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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