Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Round Rock (6:05 PT)
July 15, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (44-44, 7-6) vs. Round Rock Express (53-34, 9-4)
Saturday, July 15, 2023, 6:05p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA
RHP Marcus Walden vs. RHP Chase Lee
SEA US RAKE: Prior to the All-Star Break (games through July 9), Seattle Mariners minor league affiliates (all levels) led all organizations in runs (1,911), doubles (616), RBI (1,748), walks (1,615), OBP (.361) and OPS (.780).
Entering today's action, Mariners affiliates are tied with Yankees farm clubs for the third-best combined winning percentage, at .541 (210-178). Double-A Arkansas has already clinched a postseason berth, after a 45-24 first half to win the Texas League's North Division. Only the Phillies (.547) and Dodgers (.635) are winning at a higher MiLB clip this season.
WHAT A BUNCH OF HOMERS: Tacoma has hit 40 home runs over their last 19 games, and the Rainiers' 70 total home runs with at least one runner on base are the most in Triple-A, by three (Albuquerque, 67). Tacoma homered in 16 consecutive games between June 20 and July 7, a season-high streak which included 13 games with multiple homers.
FUTURE FOES: The Rainiers welcome Round Rock (Texas Rangers) to Cheney Stadium for the first time this season, with a 13-18 record against American League West affiliates; 6-6 vs. Las Vegas (OAK), 5-7 vs. Salt Lake (LAA), and all 12 scheduled games vs. Sugar Land (HOU) will be on/after August 1. Tacoma has lost five of seven vs. Round Rock, but are 20-8 at home vs. the Express since 2012 (HOU & TEX). The Rainiers still have 18 more games against Las Vegas and Salt Lake (12 at home).
BUH-LAK-EH: Tacoma lefty Blake Weiman has worked eight straight scoreless outings since June 18, striking out 10 batters over 11.1 IP; Weiman has issued only one walk during this span (7 H, 0.71 WHIP, .171 BAA).
KO-SIGN: Rainiers right-hander Stephen Kolek is excelling in a long relief role, and has gone scoreless in four of his last five appearances, all of which have been at least 2.0 IP. Kolek has allowed only one run during his last 11.0 IP since June 21 (0.82 ERA), with 11 strikeouts. Kolek's WHIP is 0.91 (5 H, 5 BB) during this span, while holding batters to a .143 BAA. He's throwing 65% of his pitches for strikes during this stretch.
FAST FRIENDS: Tacoma's 119 stolen bases equal Salt Lake for most in the PCL, with three players ranking in the league's top 10 (Marlowe- 21, McCoy- 20, Hummel- 18).
YO...JAKE!: Rainiers 3B/1B Jake Scheiner hit his 22nd home run in game #76 of his Triple-A debut season on July 7, already establishing a new career-high homer total. He hit 21 homers last year at Double-A Arkansas.
Scheiner has homered 13x during home games, and is threatening Adrian Garrett's record of 19 homers in a season at Cheney Stadium (1971). Garrett, an outfielder for the 1971 Tacoma Cubs, still holds the franchise single-season home run record, with 43 (131 GP). Scheiner has 94 home runs as a professional (since 2017, 613 GP), an original 4th round draft pick of Philadelphia, who traded him to Seattle for OF Jay Bruce on 6/2/19.
SCHEIN BRIGHT: Rainiers INFJake Scheiner has accumulated the PCL's second-most RBI (75) and home runs (22), and leads the league in runs scored (69)...the PCL MVP candidate also ranks top five on the circuit in walks (52), extra-base hits (41) and total bases (169). Scheiner is batting .343 (35x102) with RISP (11 HR).
HIGHS & MARLOWE: Tacoma outfielder Cade Marlowe has reached base safely in 20 straight games, dating to June 16. During this stretch he's batting .346 (28x81, 13 XBH, 17 RBI, 15 BB, 1.152 OPS, 10 SB, 22 R). Marlowe has a hit in 14 consecutive games (since 6/23), which matches OF Zach DeLoach (May 12-27) for the longest Rainiers hitting streak this season. Marlowe has homered in seven of those 14 games, batting .400 (22x55) during the streak, with 16 RBI and 18 runs scored (12 BB, .507 OBP). Marlowe's six triples are tied for second-most in the PCL.
SUMMER OF SAM: Rainiers super-utility man Sam Haggerty is batting .422 (19x45) over 10 games since June 30 (8 XBH, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 SB, 11 R, 7 RBI). His OPS is 1.160 during this span (.449/.711), and he's hit safely in nine of 10.
BACK ON THE TRAM: Since being optioned to Tacoma on June 1, outfielder Taylor Trammell is slugging .545 (9 HR) with a .923 OPS (25 RBI, 22 BB, 24 R)...he's played in 31 games since June 4, and 16 of his 33 hits in this span have gone for extra bases (seven doubles).
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