May 7 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Reno Aces

TACOMA RAINIERS (19-14) @ RENO ACES (15-18)
Tuesday, May 7 • 11:05 AM • Greater Nevada Field • Reno, NV
RHP Casey Lawrence (0-3, 7.31) vs. RHP Chris Ellis (0-2, 7.36)

TODAY’S GAME: Tacoma and Reno are set to play game one of their six-game series today, with both starting pitchers in search of their first wins of the season. Casey Lawrence will take the ball for the Rainiers, entering play today with an 0-3 record and a 7.31 ERA. In his first game against Reno this year, back on April 13, the right-hander allowed five earned runs on nine hits including two home runs and one walk while striking out three over 6.1 innings. On the other side, Chris Ellis will toe the rubber for the Aces, set to make his first start of the year against Tacoma. The righty is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in two starts this year for Reno, allowing six earned runs on nine hits including three home runs and three walks while striking out four. Through his two starts with the Aces, opponents are hitting .300 against him.

ROAD WOES: Tacoma will look to turn around their struggles away from Cheney Stadium with their series against Reno this week. The Rainiers have lost their last two road series, going 2-4 against both Las Vegas and Sacramento, their only two series losses of the year. In all, Tacoma is 8-10 on the road while going 11-4 at home this year. Six of those home games came against Reno in which they were 5-1, so they will look to bring back that good play against the Aces here at Greater Nevada Field.

NOT ALWAYS PRETTY: Brett de Geus earned his team-leading third save of the season in Sunday’s win over Sacramento. It wasn’t perfect for de Geus, who allowed a leadoff walk followed by a two-run home run and another walk before recording the final three outs of the game. It marked the second save this year for de Geus in which he allowed two earned runs, doing so in his first save of the year back on March 31 against Oklahoma City. The right-hander holds a 7.71 ERA in seven games for Tacoma this year, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters.

IN SEARCH OF ONE: Today’s starter, Casey Lawrence, is still in search of his first win of the season. The 36-year-old comes into play today with an 0-3 record and a 7.31 ERA through his first five starts of the year, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Lawrence has spun two of Tacoma’s seven quality starts as a team, including his most recent outing against Sacramento, when he spun six innings of three-run ball.

NEED SOME CONTACT: Over their six-game series against Sacramento, Tacoma struck out 75 times, accounting for 22% of their 336 total strikeouts this year. They entered the series against the River Cats with 261 strikeouts, ranking seventh in the Pacific Coast League and ended the series with 336 strikeouts, ranking 10th. In Saturday’s 1-0 shutout loss, they struck out a season-high 18 times, striking out 12 more times in Sunday’s victory. They struck out 10 or more times in five of the six games, fanning nine times in Wednesday’s three-run loss. Their 336 total strikeouts this year are the second-most in all of Triple-A, trailing just the Norfolk Tides. Through five games in May, the Rainiers have struck out 65 times, averaging 13 strikeouts per game.

FORMER FRIENDS: Ryan Bliss was traded to Seattle along with infielder Josh Rojas and outfielder Dominic Canzone for reliever Paul Sewald last year, on July 31. At the time of the trade, Bliss was a member of the Reno Aces and will be returning to Greater Nevada Field today. In six games against his former team earlier this year, the infielder hit .300 (6-for-20) with a double, a triple, home run and seven runs batted in. He also walked five times, increasing his on-base percentage to .407 in the series. Bliss enters play today with a season-long six-game hitting streak, recording at least one hit in each of the six games played against Sacramento. The 24-year-old has played in all 33 of Tacoma’s games this year.

AGAINST RENO: Tacoma and Reno are set to play their second series of the season and first at Greater Nevada Field. The Rainiers took five-of-six from the Aces in their first six-game series, outscoring Reno by 21 runs over those six games, at 46-25. Despite taking five-of-six from Reno from April 9-14, Tacoma still trails Reno in the all-time series by 38 games, at 106-144.

SHORT HOPS: Jason Vosler hit a solo home run in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game against Sacramento, the eventual game winning hit after the River Cats scored two runs in the bottom of the inning; it was the lone home run of the series for the Rainiers…in four games against Reno last time they played, Michael Chavis hit .429 (6-for-14) with a home run and two runs batted in…the Rainiers have lost their last two series opener, with their last win in the first game of the series coming back on April 16 at Las Vegas.