The Tacoma Rainiers are back playing at Cheney Stadium tonight, with the opener of a six-game series against the Salt Lake Bees starting at 6:05.
This is our start-of-summer homestand, with a game each night this week culminating with our massive July 3rd Fireworks Extravaganza on Sunday. There are still tickets available for the 3rd, and if you still need them we always recommend taking care of that before gameday because many years it sells out in advance.
In a tasty little bit of coincidence, the Rainiers are playing this series against the Los Angeles Angels affiliate. As you know, the two teams got into a big brawl in the majors on Sunday. At the time that I post this, there have been no transactions for either team involving any participants from the brawl, and I doubt that any bad blood will trickle down to the Triple-A level.
Chatting with a fellow longtime Rainiers employee (and big Mariners fan) last night, we found it kind of unlikely that the Mariners would get into a big brawl with a divisional foe and that it would be the Angels. Really, the Angels? Oakland A’s, sure. Astros? Definitely. We couldn’t remember any bad blood between the Rainiers and the Bees going back at least ten years, either. Seemed like a good, healthy, competitive rivalry and then all that happened.
Anyway, we’re not expecting any high tensions this week – just some solid baseball. The last time the Rainiers were at home, they posted their first winning homestand of the season, going 5-4 against Round Rock and Sacramento. We’ll see if they can keep it going this week.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: The whole league was off yesterday. On Sunday the Rainiers dropped the final game of the Sugar Land series, 3-2, on a walk-off home run by Alex De Goti. Sugar Land won the series, four games to two. Erick Mejia and Alex Blandino each had two hits for Tacoma.
TODAY: Salt Lake Bees (34-38) at Tacoma Rainiers (28-43), 6:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.
SEASON SERIES: Salt Lake leads, 9-6.
PITCHERS: LHP Jake Kalish (7-2, 2.45) at RHP Konner Wade (2-2, 5.68)
ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Mariners traded Rainiers reliever Wyatt Mills and Class-A pitcher William Fleming to the Kansas City Royals for major league hitter Carlos Santana. Mariners catcher Luis Torrens was injured in Sunday’s brawl with the Angels, so Tacoma catcher Andrew Knapp was promoted to Seattle. Outfielder Miguel Perez has been transferred back to the Arizona Complex League. Recently acquired outfielder Trey Amburgey is joining the team today, as are two just-acquired relief pitchers: Chris Mazza and Brennan Bernardino. The Mariners will need to make room on their 26-man roster before tonight’s game to add Carlos Santana.
HOT HITTERS: Forrest Wall has reached base safely in 11 straight games, and he has a .409 on-base percentage so far this month… Sam Haggerty has reached base safely in his last 20 PCL games… Marcus Wilson has an .860 OPS in June… Jarred Kelenic has a four-game hitting streak… both Alex Blandino and Mason McCoy have reached base safely in eight straight games.
OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake has won two straight games, prior to that they had lost 11 of 12 including a six-game sweep in Albuquerque… infielder Kean Wong has a four-game hitting streak, with eight hits and five RBI… Magneuris Sierra is hitting .333 in the month of June… Salt Lake batting title contender Michael Stefanic has been on the injured list, but he played in a rehab game in the Arizona Complex League yesterday and could be activated by the Bees this week… the Bees have three former Rainiers in their bullpen: Jonathan Aro, Brian Moran, and Zack Weiss. Former Rainiers outfielder Dillon Thomas is expected to rejoin Salt Lake during this series.
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.
PCL SCOREBOARD: Follow all league games in real-time with links to broadcasts and Gameday screens right here.
Links:
- The Mariners returned home and got shelled by Baltimore, 9-2.
- Here’s the initial story on the trade of Wyatt Mills for Carlos Santana. This was all about trying to help the major league lineup, obviously. That’s what you come here for, top-shelf baseball analysis.
- Surely you’ve heard by now that the Mariners got into a big brawl with the Angels on Sunday. The unbiased Associated Press story has quotes from all sides, and Ryan Divish has the aftermath.
- Matt Calkins writes that the Mariners are not to blame for the brawl.
- Larry Stone says the brawl may help with team bonding, but the suspensions are going to hurt the Mariners.
- Friend of the blog Bob Condotta chimes in with the Top 5 Seattle Sports Brawls Of All-Time.
- A teenaged Mariners infielder ranks high on this week’s edition of the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.
- Congrats to Mississippi for winning the College World Series. They were a true Cinderella, the last at-large team to make the bracket.
March 16, 2023