Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes - vs. Sugar Land
April 26, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
TODAY'S GAME - 4/26 vs. Sugar Land
FIRST PITCH - 6:05 PM (PT) at Cheney Stadium - Tacoma, WA
PITCHING MATCHUP - Tacoma RHP Sauryn Lao (0-0, 2.00) vs. Sugar Land LHP Colton Gordon (1-0, 3.33)
ROSTER MOVES - The Tacoma Rainiers, in conjunction with the Seattle Mariners, have made the following roster moves:
DEL LHP Tayler Saucedo - recalled by Seattle
DEL RHP Troy Taylor - recalled by Seattle
DEL RHP Jesse Hahn - placed on the 7-Day Injured List
ADD RHP Sauryn Lao (#14) - optioned to Tacoma
BROADCAST - TV: Bally Live App/MiLB.TV RADIO - KIXI 880 AM
THE RAINIERS: Held Sugar Land to two runs on four hits in a 3-2 victory on Friday night...Michael Mariot tossed a season-high 5.0 innings, allowing just two hits to earn his first win of the season...all five of the game's runs were scored in the first two innings, as the Space Cowboys scored in the first inning when Brice Matthews hit a solo home run...Shay Whitcomb followed with a double, which would go down as the final hit that Mariot gave up in the start...the Rainiers tied the game in the bottom of the inning, thanks to an RBI double from Tyler Locklear...the Space Cowboys scored their only other run in the second inning as Mariot walked three, loading the bases, leading to a sacrifice fly to tie the game...RBI singles from Nick Dunn and Rhylan Thomas gave Tacoma the 3-2 lead in the second inning...Matt Cronin spun 2.0 scoreless innings in his Rainiers' debut and Josh Fleming got the six-out save to finish off the 3-2 victory.
THROWBACK WEEKEND: The Rainiers will be honoring their rich baseball history in Tacoma tonight by taking the field as the 'Tacoma Tugs'...the Tugs played at Cheney Stadium for just one season in 1979, as a Cleveland affiliate...in 1979, the Tugs went 74-73 under Manager Gene Dusan...on Sunday the Rainiers will take the field as the 'Tacoma Cubs' honoring the Cubs affiliation from 1966-1971...in the Cubs Era, the team went 410-466, winning the PCL North Division in 1969.
LOCKLEAR IS LOCKED IN: Tyler Locklear has collected an RBI double in each of his last three games, the longest doubles streak for a Rainiers hitter this year, he is now tied for sixth in the PCL with his nine doubles this year...in his last 12 games (since April 12), Locklear it hitting .354 (17x48) with six doubles and a home run, driving in 12 runs...Locklear has also been getting it done in two-strike counts, hitting .306 (15x49) with two strikes...his 15 hits with two strikes are tied for the most in minor league baseball with Charlotte's Tim Elko...seven of Locklear's nine doubles have come with two strikes.
ROSTER RECAP: The Rainiers made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday, as LHP Tayler Saucedo and RHP Troy Taylor were recalled by Seattle...RHP Jesse Hahn was also placed on the 7-Day Injured List...RHP Sauryn Lao was added to the active roster after he was optioned down from Seattle, coming off his Major League debut with the Mariners.
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 12 games since April 12, Taylor is hitting .388 (19x49) with four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and five stolen bases...since April 12, Taylor ranks third in the PCL with 19 hits, fourth with five stolen bases, ranks fifth in batting average, eighth with a .653 SLG and eighth with a 1.087 OPS.
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 11 games since April 11, OF Spencer Packard has hit .342 (13x38) with four doubles, one home run, seven RBI and five walks...in that span, Packard has gotten it done against both left and right-handed pitchers, hitting 4x8 (.500) against southpaws and 9x30 (.300) against right-handers...since April 11, Packard ranks 10th in the PCL in on-base percentage at .432
RHYLAN'S ROLLING : In his last 11 games, OF Rhylan Thomas has hit .417 (20x48) with a double and a home run, five RBI and nine runs scored...Thomas is also hitting .448 (13x29) when leading off an inning...his 13 hits when leading off the inning are the second-most by any minor league hitter this season...Thomas has only struck out four 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 dropped their series opener against Miami on Friday night, falling 8-4...the Marlins scored six of their eight runs in the fifth inning...Casey Lawrence pitched 5.0 innings of relief after Logan Gilbert left the game after the third inning...Jorge Polanco clubbed a three-run homer in the sixth inning in the loss.
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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 26, 2025
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- Tacoma Pitchers Hold Sugar Land to Four Hits in 3-2 Victory - Tacoma Rainiers
- Brice Matthews Homers in Close Friday Night Defeat - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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