If presented with the news that the Tacoma Rainiers game against Sacramento was going to last four hours, and the score was going to be 8-0 Sacramento heading to the fourth inning, you might say “yuck!” or something similar.
Instead, the Rainiers had one of their more entertaining games of the year, once we got those first three innings out of the way. I guess we should modify that sentence to say it was one of the Rainiers most entertaining losses of the year, as Sacramento did end up hanging on for an 8-7 win. But the Rainiers really made ’em sweat.
Dillon Thomas hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 8-1. Alen Hansen roped an RBI triple into the gap in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 8-2. Still, it wasn’t a particularly close game as we went to the bottom of the sixth.
Thomas singled and Brian O’Keefe walked with one out in the sixth, and Jose Marmolejos followed with an RBI double to make it 8-3. That put a couple runners in scoring position, and fans (and radio announcers) could start having visions of possibility. Both of those runners ended up scoring, as Jose Godoy hit an RBI single, and Luis Liberato walked with the bases loaded to make it 8-5 – and the Rainiers actually had the go-ahead run at the plate, but Jake Hager struck out to end the rally.
In the seventh inning, after there were two outs, Tacoma drew three straight walks to put the tying runners on base. Jantzen Witte hit a long fly ball to right-center that was caught at the warning track to end the inning.
In the eighth inning Thomas singled home a pair of runners with one out, making it 8-7. Taylor Trammel walked to put the tying and go-ahead runners on base with one out, but both O’Keefe and Marmolejos flied out to end the inning.
Perhaps out of energy after all of this frantic rallying, the Rainiers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth inning and the comeback bid came up just short.
All told, it was an entertaining game at Cheney. We’ll do it again tonight, with a fireworks show immediately following the game.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Sacramento took an 8-0 lead after three innings, but the Rainiers rallied for a big comeback attempt before ultimately losing, 8-7. Tacoma had excellent relief work from Williams Jerez, Ryan Dull and Justin Grimm while the bats made their comeback attempt. Dillon Thomas went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in his first game since returning from the Mariners. Luis Liberato and Alen Hanson each had two hits, a walk, and an RBI.
TODAY: Sacramento (28-38) at Tacoma (35-31), 7:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: San Francisco Giants.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Dave Brundage.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 4-2.
PITCHERS: RHP Tyler Beede (0-3, 6.56) at RHP Vinny Nittoli (2-2, 4.73)
Nittoli starts a bullpen game for the Rainiers, filling what was Darren McCaughan’s spot in the starting rotation.
ROSTER MOVES: A couple more roster moves occurred shortly before the start of last night’s game. Reliever Zack Weiss was placed on the inactive list while he pitches for Team Israel in the Tokyo Olympics. The Mariners activated Donovan Walton from the Taxi Squad, and reliever Yohan Ramirez was optioned to Tacoma.
HOT HITTERS: Jantzen Witte has an eight-game hitting streak, and he has gone 27-for-73 (.370) over his last 21 games… Jose Marmolejos is batting .407 in July, and he has hit seven home runs over his last 11 games… Jake Hager has had ten of his last 13 hits go for extra bases (six doubles and four homers)… Brian O’Keefe has a five-game hitting streak.
OPPONENT NEWS: Sacramento just lost five-of-six in a home series against Round Rock… former Rainiers outfielder Braden Bishop is on a 16-game hitting streak, and he has reached base safely in 25 straight games… Arismendy Alcantara homered in five of six games during a series at Salt Lake, July 8-13… Sacramento manager Dave Brundage was the manager of the Rainiers in 2006… catcher Joey Bart is considered one of the top prospects in the league… SF Giants 2017 first round pick Heliot Ramos made his Triple-A debut yesterday and went 1-for-5.
BROADCAST: All games will be broadcast free on a live audio stream which is available right here.
Unfortunately, there is no traditional terrestrial radio station carrying the games at this time.
TRIPLE-A WEST SCOREBOARD: Follow all league games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.
STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- The Mariners dropped the first game of the crucial four-game series against Oakland, 4-1.
- We have updates on quite a few Mariners injuries in this notebook.
- A story on the Round Rock Express from the Austin newspaper touches on an unusual trend of road teams with winning records in the Triple-A West. The Rainiers have not been a part of this, playing better at home.
- Baseball America has a write-up on the ridiculous 22-21 win for the Mariners team of teenagers in the Dominican Summer League over the Yankees.
Listen to every home and away Tacoma Rainiers game for free HERE. You can also download the MiLB First Pitch app for a free and easy one-click listening experience at home, work or in your car. Watch an HD video broadcast of every game with an MiLB.TV subscription. Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.
About the Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.
Find more information and purchase single game tickets here. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to Tickets@WeRTacoma.com.
The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.
March 16, 2023