The Bats are Sleeping and Someone Needs to Wake Them Up

The visiting team’s hotel in Round Rock, Texas is pretty good for sleeping.

The beds are comfortable, and there are blackout curtains that eliminate the piercing Texas sunshine. With the time change for those of us that are used to the Pacific Time Zone, it’s really easy to sleep in.

And it’s not really a problem if you do sleep in. You can’t really get in trouble for over-sleeping, because it takes less than ten minutes to walk from the hotel room to the visitor’s clubhouse at the Dell Diamond. It feels like you can be at the field in an instant.

It’s beginning to seem like a particular part of the Tacoma Rainiers travel party is taking this sleep-friendly set-up a little too seriously. I’m talking about the team’s bats.

Yup, the baseball bats. The sticks have fallen into a deep slumber. The wood is hibernating. Nothing but snoring coming from the Tacoma Rainiers bat rack, and that moisture at the bottom of the bat rack… is that drool? Do sleeping baseball bats drool?

After scoring 68 runs in the first eight games of the season, for an average of 8.5 runs per game, the team has scored just ten runs in the last four games – 2.5 runs per game.

The drop in production coincides with the team’s arrival in the sleepy town of Round Rock. Tacoma has just 21 hits in the four games here, and the team’s batting average is .163 (21-for-129).

We need to wake up the bats. Someone has to poke the hibernating bear. Light some candles, perform a séance. Does anyone have a live chicken?

Rise and shine, bats! It’s time to wake up.

RAINIERS DAILY

YESTERDAY: Nap time continued for the Rainiers bats, as Tacoma mustered just four hits in a 7-1 loss at Round Rock on Friday night. Jose Caballero launched a solo home run in the top of the second inning, briefly giving Tacoma a 1-0 lead, but that was it for the Rainiers sticks. Round Rock starter Cody Bradford went five innings and allowed his first run of the season – he’s now 3-0 with a 0.55 ERA after three starts.

TODAY: Tacoma Rainiers (6-6) at Round Rock Express (8-4), 5:05 (Pacific).

OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Texas Rangers.

OPPOSING MANAGER: Doug Davis.

SEASON SERIES: Round Rock leads, 3-1.

PITCHERS: RHP Riley O’Brien (0-1, 2.25) at RHP Kyle Cody (0-0, 6.35)

It’s another bullpen game for the Rainiers. They pitched a shutout in the last bullpen game, just three days ago.

ROSTER MOVES: Yesterday the Mariners called up pitcher Tommy Milone, and designated Rainiers reliever JB Bukauskas for assignment. They also signed left-handed reliever Rob Kaminsky to a minor league contract and assigned him to Tacoma.

HOT HITTERS: Brian O’Keefe saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end last night… Mason McCoy reached base safely in 11 straight games, but that streak ended last night… Delino DeShields had his streak of reaching base in eight straight games end.

OPPONENT NEWS: The Express just won four-of-five in a rain-impacted series at Sugar Land, and they have won six of the last seven games overall… Justin Foscue has a six-game hitting streak… J.P. Martinez has reached base safely in nine straight games… Round Rock has three former Rainiers on its roster, pitchers Jacob Barnes, Robert Dugger and Dominic Leone.

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:

• Jarred Kelenic continued his torrid stretch at the plate, homering again as the Mariners beat the Rockies last night, 5-3. Tommy Milone did a very nice job filling in for Marco Gonzales, allowing one run in 4.2 innings.
• Kelenic wasn’t even supposed to be playing yesterday, since the M’s faced a lefty, but manager Scott Servais rolled with the hot hand.
• Jackie Robinson Day is being celebrated all around professional baseball today.
• In the PCL, Las Vegas starter Mason Miller had an amazing game last night against Salt Lake, pitching five perfect innings with 11 strikeouts while reaching 101 mph. He faced the Rainiers in a brief start near the end of last season.
• Diamondbacks outfield prospect Jorge Barrosa, who was injured last week when Reno played in Tacoma, belted his first Triple-A home run as the Aces downed Sacramento, 10-4.