Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at Sacramento (1:05 p.m. PT)

August 7, 2022 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) – Tacoma Rainiers News Release

Following Monday’s off day the Rainiers will open a 13-game homestand from August 9-21 at Cheney Stadium, beginning with Tuesday’s 7:05 PT first pitch vs. Las Vegas.

Tacoma Rainiers (47-56) at Sacramento River Cats (43-61)

Sunday, August 7, 2022, 1:05 p.m. PT | Sutter Health Park: West Sacramento, CA

LHP Justus Sheffield vs. RHP Tristan Beck

TURN-R-OUND: The Rainiers began this season 9-23 (through 5/11), but are 38-33 since. Tacoma’s low-water mark was 15 games under .500, first at 16-31 on 5/29 and most recently at 35-50 on 7/13. The club is 31-25 and 12-6 from each of those dates.

ASSIGNMENT BASED: Catcher Curt Casali enters the third day of a rehab assignment with Tacoma, that began with Sacramento before a trade deadline deal with San Francisco on 8/2 (Casali and LHP Matthew Boyd for RHP Michael Stryffeler and catcher Andy Thomas).

When Casali and newly-acquired Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo were together with the Cincinnati Reds (2018-2020), Casali caught the right-hander in 27 games, with these numbers: 169.0 IP, 2.61 ERA, 59 BB and 202 K. The Casali-Castillo battery limited hitters to a .191 average, a .269 OBP and a .571 OPS.

NICK OF TIME: LHP Nick Ramirez has emerged as Tacoma’s primary ninth inning option; his last five appearances have all been successful save opportunities dating to 7/28. The Rainiers are 9-5 post-break, and Ramirez has finished five of Tacoma’s last seven wins with very little drama: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, .167 BAA, 0.60 WHIP (0 BB), 5 K.

STEAL A BASE, STEAL A TACO(MA): Buffalo of the International League has re-taken the Triple-A lead in stolen bases (132) from Tacoma (128), who lead the Pacific Coast League. Rainiers outfielder Forrest Wall is third in the PCL in steals with 31. Last season, Wall stole 35 bases for Buffalo while in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, third-most in the IL (Triple-A East).

Wall is the first Rainiers player to steal 30 bases in a season since Ian Miller in 2018 (33), and if he were to reach 40, would be the first Tacoma Triple-A player to do so since Lance Blankenship swiped 40 for the 1988 Tacoma Tigers (Oakland A’s)…four players are tied at 40 for the fourth-most steals in a single season in franchise history. Jimmy Sexton (56, 1981 Tigers), Rusty McNealy (43, 1983 Tigers) and Del Alston (43, 1979 Tugs) own the top three stealing seasons in Tacoma’s Triple-A history.

SIX IN VARIOUS CITIES: Last night’s victory…