Whalen Shines In Rainiers 4-1 Victory Over River Cats

TACOMA, Wash. - The Tacoma Rainiers (10-8) secured a series win with a 4-1 victory over the Sacramento River Cats (7-11) on Monday afternoon at Cheney Stadium.
Rainiers starting pitcher Rob Whalen (3-0) carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and ultimately tossed his third straight quality start to earn the win. Whalen worked 6.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing just five hits while striking out a season-high nine batters.

Catcher Mike Marjama put the Rainiers out in front early with a two-run single to left field in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Ian Miller added to Tacoma's lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the third - it was his first career Triple-A home run and it gave the Rainiers a 3-0 advantage.
Sacramento eventually found their way onto the scoreboard with a run in the top of the seventh inning. Ryder Jones stroked a one-out double to left-center and was brought in to score on an RBI single from Chase d'Arnaud, cutting the Rainiers lead to 3-1.
Tacoma scored once more on a solo home run from second baseman Zach Vincej that was blasted into the R Yard in left field in the bottom of the seventh, creating the final margin of 4-1.
Mike Morin (1.1 IP) held the River Cats to just one run in relief of Whalen and set up Erik Goeddel, who tossed a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the year.
The Rainiers enjoy their first off day of the year on Tuesday before hitting the road to kick off a five-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. PT.
All tickets, group outings, and suites packages for the 2018 season are available for purchase in person at the Cheney Stadium Box Office, online at TacomaRainiers.com, or over the phone at (253) 752-7707. The most up-to-date news and notes about the Rainiers throughout the season can be found by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand) or liking the team on Facebook.