Shutout Saturday:  R pitching leads the way

Tacoma, WA (7/1/23) – The Tacoma Rainiers (40-39, 3-1) continued their strong start to the second half with a 5-0 win over the Salt Lake Bees (38-40, 1-3) at Cheney Stadium on Saturday. Tacoma is now above .500 for the first time since May 4, when the Rainiers had a 15-14 record.

For the first time this series, the Rainiers got on the scoreboard before the Bees after Cade Marlowe mashed an opposite-field home run to plate Sam Haggerty (1B), giving Tacoma a 2-0 lead in the home half of the first inning. The round-tripper was Marlowe’s ninth of the season and his fifth during a seven-game hit streak.

A Tacoma batter has now hit a home run in 10 straight games, the longest such streak for the Rainiers this year. The previous best was nine games between May 31 and June 9.

LHP Kyle Hart (W, 1-1) had his best outing as a member of the Rainiers, throwing six innings of scoreless ball (5 H, 3 BB, 5 K) for his first quality start since September 20, 2022. Hart was on the starting end of the third shutout the Rainiers have pitched, and the first since April 12. Tacoma improves to 3-0 in shutouts, and is the only PCL West team yet to go scoreless in a game this season.

The Rainiers added onto their lead in both the sixth and seventh frames to put the score at 5-0, as Taylor Trammell had two RBI (SF, bases-loaded BB) and Jake Scheiner brought in the fifth run of the game with a HBP while the bags were full. Marlowe, scoring his second run of the game off of Trammell’s sacrifice fly, has come around to touch home plate 14 times in his last 13 appearances.

Nolan Blackwood and Diego Castillo came out of the bullpen to throw the last three innings and finish out the shutout for Tacoma. Blackwood pitched two frames and has been sharp on the mound as of late. In his last 12 appearances, the righty has a 3.00 ERA (15.0 IP, 5 ER, 17 H, 5 BB, 16 K).

Tacoma, as a team, has a Triple-A leading 461 walks, drawing another six free passes against the Bees. Oklahoma City, the PCL first-half champion, has the second-most walks in Triple-A with 426, giving the Rainiers a 35 walk cushion.

The Rainiers play their fifth game of the series against the Bees at Cheney Stadium on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 PT. LHP Eric Stout gets the nod for Tacoma, with LHP Kenny Rosenberg starting on the mound for Salt Lake.

Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2023 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with a MiLB.TV subscription.

About the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Pacific Coast League and have been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.

The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.