June 15 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Round Rock Express

June 15, 2024 – Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release

TACOMA RAINIERS (37-30) @ ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (33-33)

Saturday, June 15 – 5:15 PM PT – Dell Diamond – Round Rock, TX

LHP Dallas Keuchel (5-4, 4.58) vs. RHP Peter Solomon (0-3, 9.15)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Rainiers and Express are set to play game five of their six-game set tonight, with Tacoma in search of their third straight win to take the series. Dallas Keuchel will take the ball for the Rainiers, ready to make his 12th start of the season. The southpaw is 5-4 with a 4.58 ERA through his first 11 starts, allowing 30 earned runs on 57 hits and 20 walks while striking out 35 batters over his 59.0 innings. He will face his former team (four starts in 2022) for the first time since 2012. Opposite Keuchel will be Peter Solomon toeing the rubber for Round Rock, entering play tonight with an 0-3 record and a 9.15 ERA through five starts. The right-hander has allowed 21 earned runs on 28 hits and 10 walks, striking out 18 batters in his 20.2 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .322 against him over that span, clubbing six home runs along the way.

NAIL BITERS: Tacoma is 7-3 over their last 10 games, outscoring their opponents by 25 runs over that span, at 67-42. A big reason for their run differential is each of their three losses in that 10-game span have come by just one run. They lost 4-3 on June 6 to Reno, 6-5 on June 9 to the Aces, and their lone loss of the current series to Round Rock came on June 12 by a score of 3-2. The Rainiers have played many close games over the stretch, also winning two extra-inning games by one run as part of their seven victories. On the season, Tacoma is 37-30 entering play tonight with a +58-run differential, scoring 390 runs compared to 332 allowed.

QUITE SOME TIME: Tacoma could win the series with a victory tonight, which is not something they have been able to accomplish away from home for quite some time. The Rainiers haven’t won a road series since their very first road trip of the year, taking four-of-six from Salt Lake back on April 2-7. Since then, they have lost four road series in a row, dropping to 1-4 in their five road trips prior to the current one. They have not had the same struggles at home, where they are 5-1-0 in their six series. Tacoma has been a much better team at Cheney Stadium than away from it this year, going 22-11 at home and just 15-19 on the road. Their wins the past two nights were the first back-to-back road wins…