Reno Readies for a Showdown with Tacoma at Greater Nevada Field

Reno, Nev. -- The Reno Aces (32-25) lost four of six on the road in Oklahoma City and looked to rebound at home against the Tacoma Rainiers (28-29).

This is the third meeting of the year between the Aces and Rainiers, with the season set tied at 1-1. Both teams are seeking a bounce back after disappointing weeks. Reno couldn’t contain the surging Dodgers in a highly anticipated PCL series, while Tacoma scuffled at home versus Sacramento.

It was a tale of two series in the first two matchups. Tacoma’s lineup exploded with a slew of three-run homers in the early April affair at Cheney Stadium. The Rainiers won four of five games as part of a 14-12 month of April, leaning on Mike Ford as their catalyst offensively.

Ford has since moved up to Seattle, and the Rainiers have hit a wall. Reno handed Tacoma five losses in a uniquely low-scoring series in their last meeting at Cheney Stadium in the middle of May. The Rainiers went just 12-15 in the month, while the Aces went 16-11.

The lineup is still the main attraction for the Aces. Alek Thomas and Dominic Fletcher have returned to a potent offense that was oddly inconsistent in Oklahoma City. Buddy Kennedy and Phillip Evans remain lethal as the team’s qualified leaders in average and OPS, leading the charge in a heroic comeback Saturday night.

Tacoma’s offense has taken a giant step back since that first series win but still presents some challenges. Jake Scheiner is the team’s qualified leader in OPS and brings patience and power from the right side. Scheiner has homered five times off Aces pitching this season with nine runs driven in.

Blake Walston went 13 innings, allowed three earned runs, and struck out 14 in two starts against Tacoma in May. Walston is working through a tough stretch, allowing 13 earned runs over his last two starts. The promising young lefty owned a 1.60 ERA with 25 strikeouts in the six starts before these previous two hiccups.

The Aces and Rainiers pitching staff have had their struggles this season as Reno’s pitchers continue to walk over five batters a game, while Tacoma’s staff has surrendered almost 10 hits a game.

Reno’s uber-talented reliever Justin Martínez hasn’t allowed an earned run since April 16th, a span of 16 innings with 22 strikeouts and a 3-for-3 mark in save opportunities. Martínez figures to see more high-leverage opportunities this week against Tacoma.

The six-game series begins Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. from Greater Nevada Field.

Single Game tickets are on sale at RenoAces.com, the Greater Nevada Field Ticket Office, or by texting “TIXX” to 21003. Season Memberships are available via RenoAces.com, texting “MEMBER” to 21003, or calling (775) 334-7000.

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