May 10 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Reno Aces

TACOMA RAINIERS (19-17) @ RENO ACES (18-18)
Friday, May 10 • 6:05 PM • Greater Nevada Field • Reno, NV
LHP Jhonathan Diaz (5-0, 2.37) vs. LHP Tommy Henry (1-0, 1.50)

TONIGHT’S GAME: After dropping each of the first three games, Tacoma will send their ace, Jhonathan Diaz to the mound to try on get them back on the winning track. Diaz enters play tonight with a 5-0 record and a 2.37 ERA through seven games (six starts). The southpaw will be facing the Aces for the second time this year, as he spun seven innings of one-run ball his last time out against them back on April 10. On the other side, Tommy Henry will toe the rubber for Reno, set to make his second start for the Aces. The southpaw made six starts for Arizona this year, going 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA. In his lone start with Reno on May 4 against Las Vegas, he tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out eight.

DO IT AGAIN: Unfortunately for Tacoma, they are in the exact same situation as they were on their most recent road trip against Sacramento, having lost each of the first three games. Jhonathan Diaz made the start for the Rainiers in the fourth game of that series as well, and stopped the bleeding, getting his fifth win of the year. Tacoma will look to lean on the Pacific Coast League’s leader in wins yet again tonight, as they send him to the mound in search of snapping a three-game losing streak.

DOWN TO TWO: After last night’s loss, Tacoma is now just two games above the .500 mark, at 19-17. It has been a tough stretch for the Rainiers, going 3-7 in their last 10 games and 2-7 through the first nine games of their 12-game road trip. The last time Tacoma was just two games over even was well over a month ago, on April 4, when they were 4-2. From 4-2 they won nine of their next 11 games, getting all the way to nine games over .500, at 13-4.

LUCKY NUMBER SIX?: Jhonathan Diaz gets the start for Tacoma tonight, looking for his sixth win of the season. The southpaw has been spectacular this year, winning both Seattle Mariners and Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month honors for the month of April. Diaz comes into play tonight with a 5-0 record and a 2.37 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs on 29 hits and eight walks, striking out 42 batters in his 38.0 innings. Eight of his 10 earned runs allowed came over two outings, giving up three in a relief effort on April 21 against Las Vegas and five on April 28 against El Paso. Diaz has had interesting problems with control this year, as he has only walked eight total batters (four in his last start) but has hit nine. He has hit at least one batter in five of his seven games this year. The 27-year-old will try to repeat his last outing against Reno, where he allowed just one earned run in a season-long 7.0 innings pitched.

FINALLY CAUGHT UP: Brett de Geus suffered a blown save and a loss in last night’s game, his first tally in both columns. The right-hander entered play last night a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities, leading all Rainiers’ pitchers. Just one of the saves had been clean, however, back on April 24 against El Paso, when he spun a scoreless inning while striking out two. In his first save of the year, on March 31 against Oklahoma City, de Geus entered the ninth with a three-run lead. He allowed two earned runs on three hits but worked out of trouble to escape with the save. He had a similar outing in his most recent save on May 5 against Sacramento, allowing two earned runs on a home run and two walks, but once again, escaping with the save. Last night, the luck ran out for the right-hander, as de Geus retired the first two batters he faced but then allowed four consecutive singles and two runs, losing the game.

IT JUST CONTINUES: Down to their final out last night, Reno rallied with four straight singles to score two runs and beat the Rainiers, giving them their third straight loss. The loss made it seven out of their nine games played on their current 12-game road trip, moving them to 19-17 overall while going just 8-13 on the road. With three games of the road trip and series left, Tacoma will look to salvage the series and stay above the .500 mark.

DID HIS PART: Isiah Gilliam led Tacoma’s offense with three hits last night, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs batted in out of the eight-hole. For Gilliam, it marked his first three-hit game of the year and third multi-hit effort. It was the second two-double game this year for the 27-year-old and third for the team, as Blake Hunt hit two doubles back on April 17.

AGAINST RENO: The Rainiers and Aces are set to meet for game four of their six-game series tonight, with Reno bringing the opportunity to win the series. The Aces have won each of the first three games here at Greater Nevada Field, bringing the season series within a game, at 5-4 in favor of Tacoma. The Aces have grown their all-time series lead over the Rainiers to 41 games, at 147-106.

SHORT HOPS: Tacoma dropped to 1-5 when their opponent’s starter works six or more innings, with all six of those games coming on the road…last night marked the second consecutive quality start for Reno’s starting pitchers…the Rainiers lost their first game when holding a lead after eight innings last night, falling to 15-1 in such games…all five of Reno’s runs scored on singles last night, as just two of their 11 total hits went for extra bases…Tacoma enters play tonight a perfect 6-0 when Jhonathan Diaz starts.