June 18 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Las Vegas Aviators

TACOMA RAINIERS (39-30) vs. LAS VEGAS AVIATORS (35-34)
Tuesday, June 18 • 6:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA
RHP Casey Lawrence (4-5, 4.85) vs. RHP Brandon Bielak (0-1, 6.57)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Rainiers and Aviators will play the first game of their six-game series tonight, with the season series even at six games apiece. Casey Lawrence will take the ball for Tacoma, set to make his 13th start of the year. The right-hander enters play tonight with a 4-5 record and a 4.85 ERA, allowing 39 earned runs on 87 hits and 18 walks. He has struck out 49 batters over 72.1 innings, as opponents are hitting .292 against him. Lawrence has made just one start against Las Vegas this year, earning the win back on May 25. In the outing, he allowed just one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over 6.2 innings. Opposite Lawrence will be Brandon Bielak toeing the rubber for the Aviators. Bielak enters play tonight with an 0-1 record and a 6.57 ERA through three starts, allowing nine earned runs on 12 hits and seven walks. He has also struck out seven batters over his 12.1 innings and this will be his first outing of the year against the Rainiers.

BUILD ON IT: Tacoma had their best road series of the season at Round Rock, taking five of the six games the two teams played. For the Rainiers, it was just their second road series win of the season and first since their very first road series of the year, from April 2-7 at Salt Lake. Despite their elimination number being one entering play tonight, Tacoma can build on their strong road series into the second half of the season which starts a week from tonight.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: Tacoma is coming off one of their better offensive performances of the season, scoring 13 runs on a season-high 20 hits against Round Rock in the series finale on Sunday. The Rainiers scored in six of the nine innings, putting up a crooked number in four of the six. They had back-to-back hitters collect nine of the 20 hits, as Jason Vosler had a four-hit game and Spencer Packard recorded a five-hit game. Their two-through-six hitters each recorded multi-hit games, knocking 16 of the team’s 20 hits and the three-through-six hitters drove in 11 of the 13 runs scored, led by Vosler with five on his own. Four of Tacoma’s 20 hits went for extra bases, as they used two doubles and two home runs in the win. The offense struck out 13 times, but also drew eight walks, leaving 14 men on-base.

GOT IT DONE: Jhonathan Diaz earned his league-leading eighth win of the season on Sunday, recording yet another quality start. The southpaw didn’t have his best stuff, allowing six walks, the most for any Tacoma pitcher in a single game this year. He worked around those walks with 11 groundouts, three fly outs and two strikeouts, allowing just five hits over his 6.0 innings. Despite not having his typical control, Diaz is now among league leaders in wins (8, 1st), ERA (2.99, 1st), strikeouts (69, 4th), innings pitched (72.1, T-2nd), batting average against (.244, 2nd) and WHIP (1.22, 1st). The 27-year-old has had a special season so far, holding an 8-1 record through his 13 games. Tacoma is 10-2 in his 12 starts this year and Seattle won the game he started for them a week ago tonight, his lone outing with the Mariners this year.

NEW LEVEL, NO PROBLEM: Spencer Packard played his first series at Triple-A last week, starting all six of the Rainiers’ games at Round Rock. The outfielder showed no problem adjusting to the new level, hitting .400 (10-for-25) with six runs scored, four doubles, two runs batted in and two walks compared to four strikeouts. Packard capped off the strong week with a five-for-six game, becoming the first Tacoma hitter to record five hits in a single game this year and the first since Cade Marlowe on Sept. 17 last year at Oklahoma City. Tonight will be his first career game at Cheney Stadium and seventh overall at Triple-A.

SHUT THEM DOWN: After scoring three runs over six innings against Jhonathan Diaz, Round Rock was silenced by Tacoma’s bullpen. Three relievers allowed just one hit over their three scoreless frames, striking out seven of the 10 batters they faced. Tacoma’s bullpen performed well all week against the Express, going 2-0 while allowing just six earned runs over 28.1 innings pitched. They surrendered just 18 hits while striking out 30 batters over that span, lowering their ERA from 5.33 on Tuesday to 4.95 entering play tonight.

DELIVERY MAN: Jason Vosler has been Tacoma’s best hitter all year long and it shined through in Sunday’s finale against Round Rock. The utility-man went 4-for-6 with three runs scored, a home run and five runs batted in, becoming just the third player to record four or more hits in a single game for Tacoma all year. Vosler leads the team in hits (71), doubles (11), home runs (13) and RBI (51). His 13 home runs, 51 RBI and 49 runs scored are tied for sixth in the Pacific Coast League among qualified hitters. The 30-year-old leads the Rainiers with 22 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games this season. He is one of 11 players who have been on Tacoma’s active roster all year long and one of just five position players.

AGAINST LAS VEGAS: Tacoma and Las Vegas will meet for their third and final series of the season, splitting the first 12 games evenly, at six games apiece. Each team has gone 4-2 at their respective home ballparks through the first two series. The Rainiers lead the all-time series over Las Vegas by five games entering play tonight, at 309-304. Tacoma comes into play tonight on a one-game losing streak to the Aviators, dropping the finale of their most recent series back on May 26 at Cheney Stadium.

SHORT HOPS: Tacoma enters play tonight with their elimination number for the first half at one, six games behind Sugar Land with six games to play; they are in third place in the Pacific Coast League overall and second in the PCL West…despite the season series being even at 6-6, Tacoma has outscored Las Vegas by 24 runs this year, at 91-67…the Rainiers enter play tonight on a four-game win streak, tying their season long; they are also tied for a season-high nine games above the .500 mark, at 39-30.