June 28 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers at Sugar Land Space Cowboys

June 28, 2024 – Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release

TACOMA RAINIERS (44-34) @ SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS (51-27)

Friday, June 28 – 5:05 PM PT – Constellation Field – Sugar Land, TX

RHP Casey Lawrence (4-6, 5.75) vs. LHP Eric Lauer (1-2, 7.13)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Rainiers and Space Cowboys will play the fourth game of their six-game series tonight, with Tacoma trailing by a game after last night’s loss. The Rainiers will send Casey Lawrence to the mound looking to even the series back at two games apiece. Lawrence comes into play with a 4-6 record and a 5.75 ERA through 14 starts with Tacoma, allowing 52 earned runs on 101 hits and 22 walks. He has struck out 57 batters in his team-leading 81.1 innings pitched this year, but opponents are hitting .299 against him. The veteran will be looking to bounce back, coming off his worst start of the year last Sunday. Opposite Lawrence will be Eric Lauer toeing the rubber for Sugar Land, set to make his 15th appearance and 12th start of the year overall. The southpaw spent eight games (six starts) with Triple-A Indianapolis, going 2-2 with a 5.52 ERA over that span before getting released and signed by Houston to a minor league contract. In his six games (five starts) with the Space Cowboys, Lauer is 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA, allowing 19 earned runs on 36 hits and eight walks while striking out 26 batters in 24.0 innings.

BOUNCE BACK: Tonight’s starter, Casey Lawrence, is coming off his worst start of the season and one of the worst starts in his long career. The right-hander allowed nine earned runs on nine hits and four home runs, walking two while striking out two over 3.0 innings. His nine earned runs allowed tied a career-high from back on May 13, 2015, while his four home runs allowed set a career-mark. The nine earned runs over 3.0 innings raised his ERA on the year nearly an entire run, from 4.94 to 5.75 entering play tonight. After winning four consecutive starts from May 12-31, Lawrence has now lost two of his last four, dropping his overall record to 4-6. Lawrence will be making his first-career appearance against Sugar Land tonight and will be looking to get back on track.

CYCLE WATCH: Tacoma had two hitters come one piece shy of hitting cycles last night, as Jonatan Clase and Luis Urias each went 3-for-5. Clase, the Rainiers’ leadoff hitter, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a triple, a home run and an RBI. He struck out once and also stole his 23rd base of the season. The switch…