Results tagged ‘ Omaha Royals ’
PREVIEW: Rainiers End Series with Fireworks
Tacoma will look to salvage a series split with the Royals,
and most assuredly has the firepower to do it. Over the course of the first
three games of their series with Omaha, the Rainiers have scored 21 runs on 33
hits, including five home runs, six doubles and a triple.
Omaha lefty Dusty Hughes will try to hold one of the PCL’s
most explosive offenses down–a tall task to say the least, especially
considering that Hughes owns a 5.58 ERA with runners on and a 7.20 ERA with
runners in scoring position.
Tonight after the game, enjoy our traditional Friday Night
Fireworks, brought to you by US Foodservice.
After tonight’s series finale against the Omaha Royals, the
Rainiers will go on the road for four games against the Fresno Grizzlies
(67-59) and five games against the rival Portland Beavers, who own a
league-worst 53-73 record and are 3-8 against Tacoma this season.
The Rainiers return home for their final homestand of the
season on August 31.
Omaha Outslugs Rainiers
Last night, the Cheney Stadium faithful
got to see 20 runs, 28 hits, eight doubles and three home runs. Unfortunately,
most of those stats fell on the Omaha Royals’ side of the ledger, as they
downed the Rainiers 13-7.
The first inning of the slugfest followed
the same pattern as the first two games of the series: Omaha pulls out to an
early lead, only to see it evaporate in the bottom half of the first frame. The
Royals battered Tacoma lefty starter Chris Seddon for three runs on a single, a
double, three walks, a wild pitch and a balk. But Seddon’s offense picked him
right back up in the bottom half, plating a trio of its own.
With one out, second baseman Matt
Tuiasosopo drew a walk from Omaha ace Lenny DiNardo, and took second on a Mike
Carp single. Third baseman Chris Shelton then annihilated the third pitch he
saw from DiNardo to the base of the wall in center for a double, taking third
when Tim Raines, Jr., bobbled the ball twice off the wall. Shelton then came
home on a Bryan LaHair RBI single to left.
The Royals (52-72) began to pull away,
scoring single runs in the fourth and the fifth on a home run by Raines–his
second of the day–and a run-scoring double play by Kila Ka’aihue, but it was the
seventh inning that sealed the deal.
Third baseman Alex Gordon–just optioned
to Omaha from Kansas City–led off the frame with a ground ball single to
center, and was followed by two one-out walks to Ka’aihue and catcher J.R.
House by reliever Denny Stark. Rather than taking a few pitches from Stark,
designated hitter Brian Buchannan slugged Stark’s second offering just fair
down the left field line for a grand slam, putting the Royals up 10-3.
Omaha added three more runs in the eighth
on Raines’ second circuit shot of the night, a three-run, two-out shot to
right.
The Rainiers (61-65) came back in the
bottom of the inning to make things interesting though, with Tuiasosopo
crushing his 13th double of season to lead off the frame and taking third on a
fly out to center by Carp. A Shelton walk and a Bryan LaHair RBI double spelled
the end for DiNardo, who was lifted for reliever Carlos Rosa. Rosa promptly
gave up two straight RBI singles to Mike Wilson and Alex Cintron and then walked
to Adam Moore to load the bases.
Rosa was able to strike out shortstop
Oswaldo Navarro and force center fielder Jerry Owens to ground into a force out
to second to end the threat.
Notes: The Rainiers fell to 6.5 games back of first-place Colorado Springs in the race for the PCL Pacific North title as the Sky Sox doubled up Oklahoma City 6-3. Tacoma remained in second place, though, despite a 7-0 victory by third-place Salt Lake, which remains 7.5 games back.
PREVIEW: Rainiers Go for Three in a Row
After taking the
first two games of the series from the Omaha Royals, the Rainiers will look to
make it three of a kind with lefty Chris Seddon on the hill.
Seddon has had a rough go of it in his
past two starts, going 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA, but in the three starts before
that, he went 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Seddon will face major-league veteran
Lenny DiNardo, who has gone 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in his past 10 games.
Tomorrow night is
Tasty Thursday here at Cheney Stadium, where you can get great deals on $1 hot
dogs, soda, ice cream and coffee.
Enjoy $2 Miller
Lite and Miller Genuine Draft with Hooters girls in the terrace level beer
garden, the place for singles to mingle every Thursday night.
The Tasty Thursday
Beer Garden opens at 5:30 p.m. each Thursday night with music and beer specials
sponsored by Miller Lite and Hooters.
Rainiers Ride Longball to Win
Coming into last night’s game, the Tacoma
Rainiers had hit four home runs in a single game twice, and had played nine
games in which every single starter registered a hit. Much to the joy of the
home crowd, the Rainiers did both against the Omaha Royals, shellacking their
PCL American Conference foes to the tune of 10-5.
Third baseman Chris Shelton led the
bombardment, going 2-for-4 with two circuit shots, the biggest being his
three-run round tripper that was a part of a five-run second inning.
Tacoma scored all five of their
second-inning runs via the longball, including back-to-back shots from right
fielder Mike Wilson and catcher Adam Moore. Wilson’s dinger was his first
Triple-A homer–a first-pitch line-drive to left off of Omaha starter Michael O’Connor.
After Wilson’s leadoff blast, Moore
deposited a 3-1 84-mph change up from O’Connor over the left field wall for his
seventh jack of the season. Center fielder Jerry Owens then rapped a single
through the right side and took third when second baseman Matt Tuiasosopo
stroked a line drive to deep left center that glanced off the mitt of a
sprinting Tim Raines, Jr.
With two men on and two down, Shelton
crushed the first pitch he saw from O’Connor to put the finishing touches on
the explosive frame.
The Rainiers (61-64) blasted O’Connor for
eight runs on 10 hits and three walks in 4.2 innings, and kept up the scoring
against reliever Chris Hayes, banging out six more base-knocks and plating two
more runs.
Shelton struck again in the bottom of the
fifth with his 14th home run of the season, and Tacoma stretched its lead to
9-2 by tacking on another run on a Mike Carp RBI single in the bottom of the
sixth.
Omaha (51-72) made things interesting
in the top of the eighth thanks to a three-run blast by first baseman Kila Ka’aihue,
but the Rainiers got some much-needed insurance thanks to a two-out RBI single
by Tuesday night’s hero Brad Nelson in the bottom of the frame.
Six Tacoma hitters registered multi-hit
games, including leadoff man Owens–who went 3-for-5 with two runs–and Tuiasosopo, who went 2-for-5 with three runs scored.
On the mound, Rainiers starter Brandon
Morrow turned in another strong start, allowing just three hits and two runs
through five innings, walking two and striking out five on 85 pitches–50 of
which he threw for strikes–to earn his third win of the season.
Notes: The Rainiers kept pace with first-place Colorado Springs in the PCL Pacific North, staying in second place, 5.5 games back of the Sky Sox, who throttled Oklahoma City 13-3. Third-place Salt Lake fell to 7.5 games back, losing to New Orleans 1-0.
PREVIEW: Morrow Continues to Dominate
The last time tomorrow’s starter Brandon Morrow took the hill, he turned in a four-hit complete-game
shutout on August 14 against the Iowa Cubs at Cheney Stadium.
In his past three outings, the
25-year-old righty is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA, striking out 15 and walking just
three in 22 innings of work.
He will face an
Omaha offense that ranks second-to-last in the Pacific Coast League with a .256
batting average and is tied at third-to-last with a .328 on-base percentage.
Remember that
tomorrow is Tasty Thursday, where you can get great deals on $1 hot dogs, soda,
ice cream and coffee.
Enjoy $2 Miller
Lite and Miller Genuine Draft with Hooters girls in the terrace level beer
garden, the place for singles to mingle every Thursday night.
The Tasty Thursday
Beer Garden opens at 5:30 p.m. each Thursday night with music and beer specials
sponsored by Miller Lite and Hooters.
PREVIEW: Rainiers Looking to Gain Ground
With the race for the PCL Pacific North
still too close to call, Tacoma will welcome the Omaha Royals into town. Omaha owns the second-worst record in the entire Pacific Coast League at 51-70.
Despite their
record, the Royals are the best defensive club in the PCL, posting a .982
fielding percentage and allowing just 548 runs–the third-fewest in the circuit.
Omaha will face a challenge against the Tacoma offense, which owns a
league-high 140 home runs and ranks second in the league with a .446 slugging
percentage.
Tomorrow night is
Puyallup Night at Cheney Stadium, with proceeds from special $15 tickets going to
benefit the Children’s Therapy Unit at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, whose
comprehensive treatment model allows children with developmental disabilities
to discover their possibilities with unparalleled care from a wide range of
specialized therapies.
As insurance
coverage for therapies is limited, families depend on philanthropy to bridge
the gap, keeping our patients connected to the very best care.
Tickets to benefit
the Children’s Therapy Unit will remain on sale before the game in front of the
Cheney Stadium box office.
PREVIEW: Pennant Race Beckons Rainiers
With just 25 games left in the regular season, the Tacoma
Rainiers find themselves right in the thick of one final sprint for the Pacific
Coast League Pacific Northern Division crown.
After a huge 6-2 road trip against the Round Rock Express
and the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Tacoma Nine return to Cheney Stadium tonight
to kick off an eight-game homestand against the Iowa Cubs (60-58) and the Omaha
Royals (48-69), who have a combined .460 winning percentage on the year.
The last time the I-Cubs paid a visit June 2-5, 2007, they
took three of four from Tacoma. But the past is merely prologue, as only Bryan
LaHair, Oswaldo Navarro and Iowa’s Micah Hoffpauir remain from those teams.
The Rainiers come into tonight winners of a league-best
seven of their last 10, averaging 5.8 runs per game over that stretch–nearly
half a run more than their season average–and sit just 4.5 games behind the
sinking first-place Colorado Springs Sky Sox and one game behind the
second-place Salt Lake Bees. Both of the top two teams are just 5-5 in their
last 10 games, and are struggling down the stretch.
In contrast, Tacoma finds itself armed with a resurgent
starting rotation featuring PCL Pitcher of the Week Andy Baldwin, the stifling
southpaw Chris Seddon (2-1, 2.74 ERA since the All-Star Break) and tomorrow’s
starter Brandon Morrow, who has gone 1-0 in his last two starts with a 2.08 ERA
over 13 innings.
At the dish, the Rainiers have re-acquired the services of
slugging cornerman Chris Shelton, outrighted back to Tacoma from Seattle on
August 5. Wearing a Tacoma uniform this season, the redhead from Salt Lake City
has hit .315 with 24 doubles, 12 homers and 66 RBI.
Along with Shelton, Tacoma has also benefitted from the
return of third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo from midseason elbow surgery. Since his
return to the lineup on July 16, Tui is hitting .296 (29-for-98) with five home
runs, eight doubles, 22 RBI and a slugging percentage of .531.
But it hasn’t been all new faces for the Rainiers. Big Brad
Nelson has been a cornerstone of the Tacoma lineup since the All-Star Break,
hitting .292 (19-for-65) with 13 runs, three doubles, six home runs, a triple,
10 RBI and 10 walks to just 13 strikeouts. But thunder like Nelly’s needs its
lightning, and for the past month an a half, center fielder Jerry Owens has
been pure electricity at the top of the lineup. In July and August, the
speedster from Hollywood, Calif. has gone 51-for-129 (.395) with 29 runs, three
doubles, six triples, two home runs, 17 RBI, six stolen bases and an on-base
percentage of .451.
Be sure to stay after the game tomorrow night for our
traditional Friday Night Fireworks, brought to you by Charles River Clinical.
Remember that Saturday is our Little Caesars Family Meal
Deal, where with your purchase of four special tickets, you get four limited
edition Rainiers ballcaps, four slices of pizza at Cheney Stadium, two youth
passes to Point Defiance Zoo or Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and vouchers for
two large Hot-N-Ready Pizzas and two orders of Crazy Bread.
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