June 25 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Sugar Land Space Cowboys

TACOMA RAINIERS (43-32) @ SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS
Tuesday, June 25 • 5:05 PM PT • Constellation Field • Sugar Land, TX
RHP Michael Mariot (4-3, 5.62) vs. RHP Ryan Gusto (1-1, 6.39)

TONIGHT’S GAME: Tacoma and Sugar Land will play game one of their six-game series tonight, matching up for the first time this year. The Rainiers will send Michael Mariot to the mound, set to make his 11th start of the season in his 14th game for Tacoma. Mariot is 4-3 with a 5.62 ERA entering play tonight, allowing 31 earned runs on 46 hits and nine walks. He has struck out 44 batters over his 49.2 innings, allowing opponents to hit .245 against him. Opposite Mariot will be Ryan Gusto taking the ball for the Space Cowboys, making his 13th start in his 15th game for Sugar Land. Gusto is 1-1 with a 6.39 ERA in his first year at Triple-A, allowing 40 earned runs on 73 hits and 28 walks while striking out 57 batters over 56.1 innings pitched.

BRIGHT SPOT: Despite losing 20-10 in the series finale on Sunday, Tacoma still won the series 4-2 and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Rainiers enter the current series against Space Cowboys having won each of their last three. They took four-of-five from Reno from June 4-9, five-of-six from Round Rock June 11-16 and most recently four-of-six from Las Vegas from June 18-23. The Rainiers will look to keep their hot stretch going as the face the best team from the Pacific Coast League in the first half.

JUST KEEP HITTING: Nick Solak continued to rake in Sunday’s finale against the Aviators. The outfielder led the way for the Rainiers with three hits and three runs batted in, going 3-for-5 with a run scored, a double and three RBI. He extended his hitting streak to a season-long five games dating back to June 13 against Round Rock. Despite playing in just 37 games for Tacoma this season, Solak keeps himself ready and all he does is hit when he is in the lineup. The 29-year-old is now hitting .319 (37-for-116) with six doubles and three home runs on the season, getting on-base at a .416 clip.

STAY HOT: Michael Mariot will make his third start and fifth appearance in the month of June, a month that has been kind to the veteran this year. Through his four games this month, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA, allowing just three earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out 13 batters over 12.1 innings. He is limiting opponents to an average of .190 over that span, surrendering two home runs. In his last two starts, Mariot has allowed just one earned runs on six total hits over his 10.1 innings pitched, walking one and striking out nine in the two games.

WELCOME BACK: Infielder Tyler Locklear will rejoin the Rainiers for this road trip in Sugar Land tonight. Locklear was had his contract selected and was called up to the Show after playing in just 10 games with Tacoma starting in late May. Before he was called up, Locklear was batting a .300 average with 12 hits and 7 RBI. In 11 games with Seattle, he batted a .200 average and recorded six hits, two of which were home runs. Locklear recorded a monumental RBI double for his first Major League hit in his Major League debut on June 9.

ZAVALA TO TACOMA: Catcher Seby Zavala has been added to Tacoma’s roster after being designated for assignment by Seattle on June 18. Drafted out of San Diego State in 2015, Zavala played for Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn alongside Seattle first baseman Ty France. Zavala was traded to Seattle’s organization in November of 2023 along with reliever Carlos Vargas in exchange for infielder Eugenio Suarez.

BEAT THE BEST: Tacoma ended the first half of the season finishing in second place in the Pacific Coast League West Division and third place overall in the PCL with a record of 43-32. They now start the second half of the season needing to be the best overall team to earn a spot in the playoffs. If they were to accomplish that feat, they would play the team they are about to face tonight, as Sugar Land won the first half of the season with a record of 49-26. Tacoma and Sugar Land will play for the first time this season tonight, as what Tacoma hopes will be a preview of the PCL playoffs come September.

AGAINST SUGAR LAND: The Rainiers will head to Sugar Land, Texas to play game one of the six-game series against the Space Cowboys tonight. Tacoma had a successful season against Sugar Land last season, going 8-4, but they still trail the all-time record by two games, at 14-16. Sugar Land finished the first half of the season leading the entire Pacific Coast League with an overall record of 49-26, allowing them to clinch the first playoff spot for September.

SHORT HOPS: Sunday’s game was the first loss of the season for the Rainiers when scoring at least 10 runs; they were previously 9-0 when scoring 10 or more runs, Tacoma is now 9-1 in that category after Sunday’s 20-10 loss…Sunday’s loss broke 2024 records for most hits (22) and runs (20) allowed by Tacoma in a single game this season; it also tied the most doubles (5) and home runs (6) allowed by the staff…Tacoma’s ERA as a staff in the month of June went up nearly an entire run after allowing 20 runs to score on Sunday, entering play at 3.81 and coming into tonight’s game at 4.63... Leo Rivas clubbed a home run in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game, marking his third deep fly of the season and first since April 14 against Reno.