July 9 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers @ Albuquerque Isotopes

TACOMA RAINIERS (49-38) @ ALBUQUERQUE ISOTOPES (32-55)
Tuesday, July 9 • 5:35 PM PT • Isotopes Park • Albuquerque, NM
LHP Rob Kaminsky (0-0, 1.86) vs. RHP Peyton Battenfield (2-4, 8.95)

TONIGHT’S GAME: Southpaw Rob Kaminsky will get the ball for Rainiers in their series opener at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. In three appearances (two starts) for Tacoma this season, Kaminsky is 0-0 with a 1.86 ERA over 9.2 innings pitched. Kaminsky has faced the Isotopes just once in his career, when he threw two shutout innings on May 20th at Albuquerque in game one of a doubleheader. Opposing Kaminsky will be right-hander Peyton Battenfield (2-4, 8.95), who will be facing Tacoma for the first time in his career. The Rainiers will look to continue their momentum after taking four of six from Salt Lake, while the Isotopes will look to win another series after splitting their last two.

ROAD REBOUND: With Saturday’s win at Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake, the Rainiers secured just their third road series win of the season. On the year, Tacoma is 3-5 in road series (21-24 in road games overall), compared to an almost-perfect 7-1-0 series record at home (28-14 overall). However, things could be looking up for the Rainiers on the road, as Tacoma pitchers own a 4.60 road ERA, the best in the PCL. Meanwhile, the Isotopes’ staff has posted an 8.09 ERA at home, the highest in the league at home.

BOLTON DOWN: Rainiers reliever Cody Bolton continued his dominance of Triple-A on Saturday, logging a scoreless seventh while allowing a hit and striking out one. On the year, Bolton has yet to allow a run in 10.2 innings, surrendering just seven baserunners (four hits, one hit batter, and two walks) compared to 10 strikeouts. Moreover, opposing batters are hitting just .114 against Bolton so far, a big reason for his 0.56 WHIP. Bolton is one-for-one on saves this season, and has recorded two holds as well, serving as a key arm in Tacoma’s ‘pen.

BACK TO TWO: Tacoma added catcher Seby Zavala after he was designated for assignment by Seattle on July 6. When he was previously with the Rainiers, they were holding three catchers, limiting the playing time of all three. Today, however, to make room for Zavala on the active roster, Tacoma released catcher Michael Perez to free agency. Now it will be just Michael Papierski and Zavala as the primary catchers, likely alternating days in the starting lineup behind the dish.

BASE THIEVES: In Saturday’s game, Tacoma was 3-for-3 in base-stealing attempts, with Leo Rivas (19) and Jonatan Clase (2; 25, 26) adding to their totals. On the season, the Rainiers rank first in Triple-A with 179 stolen bases, 46 more than second-place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Tacoma’s ability to swipe a base has been a true team effort, with Rainiers (Cade Marlowe – 39, Samad Taylor – 30, Ryan Bliss – 28, and Clase – 26) occupying the top four spots in the PCL stolen-base leaderboard. Meanwhile, the Isotopes were also 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts in their last contest Sunday at El Paso, with Hunter Stovall (6), Willie Maclver (4), and Julio Carreras (21) all swiping a bag. Though not as prolific as Tacoma, Albuquerque also tends to run frequently, ranking third in the PCL with 115 stolen bases, led by Carreras’ 21 (which is tied for seventh in the league).

VOSLER STREAKING: Jason Vosler has been a force offensively, ranking top-10 in the PCL in seven categories, including first in RBI with 72. However, Vosler has taken his production to another level, riding an 11-game hitting streak since June 25th at Sugarland -- the second-longest active streak in the PCL, trailing Jacob Wilson’s 13-game mark. During that stretch, Vosler is slashing .311/.367/.622 (.989 OPS) with seven extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple, and three home runs), 13 RBI, nine runs scored, and a stolen base.

AGAINST ALBUQUERQUE: Tonight’s game at Albuquerque marks the Rainiers’ first game against the Isotopes in 2024. The two sides will meet again for a final time this season in September at Cheney Stadium. Last season, the clubs split both series, with each team going 3-3 at home and on the road for a 6-6 record on the year. Albuquerque leads the all-time series between the two clubs, having gone 268-283-1 against Tacoma.

SHORT HOPS: Tacoma enters play tonight with 49 wins on the season, in search of their 50th win of the year tonight; this would be the fastest they have reached 50 wins in a season since 2013, when they were 50-36 on July 2 after a 10-4 win over Colorado Springs…after their comeback win in the finale over Salt Lake on Saturday, the Rainiers are now 4-15 on the road when their opponent scores first.