TACOMA RAINIERS (62-48) @ RENO ACES (54-55)
Thursday, August 8 • 6:35 PM • Greater Nevada Field • Reno, NV
RHP Emerson Hancock (4-2, 3.18) vs. LHP Tommy Henry (5-1, 4.79)

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: Tacoma and Reno will play game three of their six-game series, with the Rainiers having taken each of the first two games so far. Emerson Hancock will take the ball for Tacoma, set to make his 12 start of the year for the Rainiers. Through his first 11 starts, Hancock is 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA, allowing 22 earned runs on 56 hits and 26 walks. He has struck out 42 batters over his 62.1 innings with Tacoma, as opponents are hitting .238 against him. Opposite Hancock will be Tommy Henry getting the nod for the Aces, ready to make his 13th start of the season. The southpaw is 5-1 with a 4.79 ERA through his first 12 starts with Reno, allowing 35 runs (33 earned) on 60 hits and 38 walks, while striking out 65 batters in 62.0 innings. In two starts against the Rainiers this season, he has an 0-0 record and a 4.35 ERA. He has allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and 10 walks while striking out seven in 10.1 innings.

MAKING THEM COUNT: With his two-run homer last night, Jake Slaughter is up to six in 53 games played with the Rainiers. Of those six homers, five have occurred with a man on base, with Slaughter’s blast on July 14th at Albuquerque his only solo shot with Tacoma. Slaughter has homered twice in his past four games and will look to build on this against Reno.

MASHING STARTERS: In the two games this series, Tacoma’s offense has gotten going early, making life difficult on opposing starting pitchers. Over the first two contests of this series, Reno starters have surrendered 12 earned runs on 15 hits across just 9.0 innings. Going back a game to Sunday’s series finale against Salt Lake, the Rainiers have tagged opposing starters for an ERA of 11.37 and an 0-2 record. Fast starts have been key to Tacoma’s success this year, with 45 of the Rainiers’ 62 wins coming when striking first.

ON THE REBOUND: With Tacoma’s 10-8 comeback victory last night, the Rainiers improved to 62-48 on the season, moving to 14 games over .500 for the second time this season and first since their 4-1 victory on July 26th put their record at 57-43. The win was Tacoma’s fourth in a row, tied for their longest streak of the season. It marks the sixth time the Rainiers have won four in a row this year, with their last such streak stretching from July 19th through the 23rd. Interestingly enough, three of these six four-game winning streaks have involved wins over the Aces, including the present one. In terms of Tacoma’s playoff hopes, the Rainiers have improved to 19-16 in the second half, just 2.0 games out of a playoff spot (Sugar Land leads the league; however, they already won the first half).

HISTORY IN SIGHT: Tacoma enters tonight’s game with 228 stolen bases on the year, leading all Triple-A teams, with the next closest (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) coming in with 169 stolen bases this year. Tacoma’s 228 stolen bases are not only the most this season, but also give them the most for a Triple-A team in a single season dating back to at least 1988. The Omaha Storm Chasers, Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, had 223 last year, but the Rainiers have now surpassed that. In franchise history, Tacoma’s 1982 team stole 229 bases, so they are just one from tying and two away from setting a team record as well. The modern Pacific Coast League record of 281, set by the 1981 Albuquerque Dukes, is also in sight if the Rainiers keep their current pace. Three Tacoma players (Cade Marlowe – 43, Samad Taylor – 37 and Ryan Bliss – 35) are three of the top five base stealers among qualified Triple-A players. They have combined to steal more bases (115) than 15 Triple-A teams have had in 2024.

MR. CONSISTENT: In his nine MLB rehabilitation appearances, Mariner outfielder Dom Canzone has recorded at least one hit in each contest, hitting .371 (13-for-35) overall. Last night, Canzone delivered a big hit, launching a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth to give Tacoma a 10-8 lead. So far, Canzone has logged six extra-base hits (three doubles and three homers), worked two walks, driven in seven, and scored six runs while playing both corner outfield positions.

A FIRST FOR EVERYTHING: To date, Tacoma’s season can be summed up in one word: fast. Not only are the Rainiers setting stolen base records and running wild on the bases, but they have found success when starting fast. Entering tonight’s matchup, the Rainiers are 45-22 (.672) when scoring first, compared to just 17-26 (.395) otherwise. As such, Tacoma was just 3-33 when trailing after seven innings and 0-36 when behind after eight. That all changed last night. With two on and the Rainiers down 8-7 in the top of the ninth, the rehabbing Dom Canzone (himself a former Reno Ace), belted a three-run homer, helping Tacoma comeback for a 10-8 victory, their first when trailing entering the ninth.

BE LIKE MIKE: Since the calendar flipped to July, Tacoma catcher Michael Papierski has been on a tear. Dating back to July 1st, the switch-hitting backstop is slashing .320/.379/.420 with five doubles, eight RBI, eight runs scored, and six walks across 14 games. In August, Papierski has taken his game to another level, recording multi-hit games in all three contests this month for a .545 average. He now has 12 multi-hit games this year and they are all two-hit games.

A RAINIER DEALING: In his first season in Triple-A, Rainier starter Emerson Hancock has been dominant, going 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA across 11 PCL starts. Moreover, the righty has struck out 42, while issuing just 26 free passes. Against Reno, Emerson has been the real ace, going 2-0 with eight strikeouts across 15.0 scoreless frames. In fact, in his last start against the Aces on July 21st, Hancock delivered a complete-game shutout in Tacoma’s 9-0 victory, sealing a three-game sweep. To date, Hancock’s shutout is the only one in the PCL this season, and he’ll look to continue his dominance tonight.

AGAINST RENO: Tacoma and Reno will play their 24th game of the season tonight, with the Rainiers having already won the season series entering their final six games this week. Tacoma leads the season series 16-7, having gone 12-3 at home and now 4-4 here at Greater Nevada Field. Despite leading the season series, the Rainiers trail the all-time series to Reno by 33 games, at 117-150. Tacoma has won five straight games over the Aces, sweeping them at home in the first three games out of the All-Star break and now winning each of the first two games of the current series.

SHORT HOPS: Joey Krehbiel stranded two more inherited runners in last night’s win, stranding all nine runners he has inherited this year…last night was Tacoma’s first win all year when trailing after eight innings, moving to 1-36 in such games…the Rainiers are currently riding a four-game winning streak and five overall against Reno dating back to their sweep from July 19-21…Rhylan Thomas extended his hitting streak to eight games with a pinch-hit single last night, recording at least one hit in each game he has played with Tacoma; the 24-year-old has a hit in 10 straight games dating back to July 24 if you include his final two games with Syracuse prior to being traded.