June 7 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Reno Aces

TACOMA RAINIERS (32-28) vs. RENO ACES (29-31)
Friday, June 7 • 7:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA
RHP Emerson Hancock (1-1, 2.74) vs. RHP Jamison Hill (0-0, 0.00)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Rainiers and Aces will play game four of their six-game set tonight, with Tacoma currently leading the series two games to one. Tacoma will send Emerson Hancock to the mound for his fifth start of the season at Triple-A. He comes into play tonight with a 1-1 record and a 2.74 ERA, allowing seven earned runs on 17 hits and 10 walks over 23.0 innings pitched. Over that span, the right-hander has fanned 21 batters and is limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against him. On the other side will be Jamison Hill making his Triple-A debut for the Reno Aces. Hill is 1-4 with a 7.63 ERA in 10 starts with Double-A Amarillo, allowing 39 earned runs on 68 hits and 16 walks in 46.0 innings pitched. He has struck out 38 batters over that span, getting hit at a .342 clip in his 10 starts. Hill was signed by Arizona on July 22, 2021, and has pitched in 65 minor league games entering play tonight.

HOT START: Since being called up from Double-A Arkansas, first baseman Tyler Locklear has successfully recorded at least one hit in eight of his nine Triple-A appearances. With his double in the bottom of the fifth last night, Locklear drove in two runs to tie up the game. His second double of the series increased his RBIs to five in the last three games; the second most of the starters in this series behind Luis Urias. In nine games with the Rainiers, the No. 8 ranked prospect is hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two doubles, a triple and six runs batted in. He has taken six walks compared to just nine strikeouts over that span, getting on base at a .419 clip. Tonight, Locklear will bat fourth in the order and play first base.

STILL QUALITY: Despite not earning the win last night, Casey Lawrence still delivered a quality start. He tossed 6.2 innings of three-run ball, allowing just two earned runs. The veteran worked around six hits and a walk with five strikeouts. It was the first game in his last five that he did not earn a win, but Lawrence continued his run of good starts, giving him four quality starts in his last five outings. He lowered his ERA to 4.79 in 11 starts on the season.

JUST GET ON: Coming into play last night, Cade Marlowe was hitless in his last three games, going 0-for-13 with one walk and eight strikeouts over that span. Last night, he came through with a single in the seventh inning and manufactured a run virtually on his own. After he reached with his single, the outfielder proceeded to steal second and third base, later scoring on an RBI single from Luis Urias. Marlowe now leads all of Triple-A with 30 stolen bases this season, ranking sixth in Rainiers’ history with career stolen bases, with 66. The 26-year-old just needs to get on base and he can create a lot of problems for the opponent with his speed.

STAY HOT: Luis Urias went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a double, a run batted in and a walk last night, bringing his average on the year with Tacoma to .313. The infielder has had an impressive start to the series against Reno, hitting .500 with an on-base percentage of .750. In the three games, he is 4-for-8 with five runs scored, two doubles, a home runs and eight runs batted in. Urias has taken seven walks while not striking out once, raising his OBP on the season (10 games) to .511, getting on base in over half of his at-bats with the Rainiers. Since May 29, the 27-year-old has recorded at least one hit in seven of eight games played, reaching base in all eight games. Over that span, he is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with two doubles, two home runs, 12 runs batted in, 12 walks and seven strikeouts.

AGAINST RENO: Tacoma and Reno will play game four of their current six-game series and game 16 of the season between the two teams. Taking the loss last night, the home team is now 11-4 in the series, as Tacoma is 7-2 through eight home games and 2-4 in their six games at Greater Nevada Field. The Rainiers are leading the season series 9-6 but trail the all-time series by 39 games, at 110-149.

SHORT HOPS: Cody Bolton struck out the side in a scoreless ninth inning last night, keeping his ERA at 0.00 in seven relief appearances for Tacoma…the Rainiers’ 2-4 hitters collected all four hits for the team last night, combining to go 4-for-12.