May 22 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Las Vegas Aviators

TACOMA RAINIERS (24-21) vs. LAS VEGAS AVIATORS (23-22)
Wednesday, May 22 • 6:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA
RHP Levi Stoudt (3-3, 5.40) vs. RHP Luis Medina (0-0, -.--)

TONIGHT’S GAME: Tacoma and Las Vegas will begin their series tonight after yesterday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather. Levi Stoudt will take the ball for the Rainiers, set to make his eighth start and pitch in his ninth game of the year. Through his first eight games, the right-hander is 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA, allowing 22 earned runs on 41 hits including seven home runs. He has walked 19 batters compared to 25 strikeouts over hits 36.2 innings, allowing opponents to hit .287 against him. Stoudt allowed three earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four in 4.0 innings back on April 17 in his first-career matchup against the Aviators. Opposite Stoudt will be Major League rehabber Luis Medina toeing the rubber for Las Vegas. Medina was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right knee MCL sprain back on March 28 and was transferred to the 60-day injured list with the same injury on April 11. He was sent on a rehab assignment to the ACL Athletics on May 15 and allowed six earned runs on six hits while striking out three in 2.0 innings of work. Tonight will be his first start of the season with Las Vegas after going 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA in six games last season for the Aviators.

BACK IN ACTION: Outfielder Jonatan Clase is back with the Tacoma Rainiers and expected to play in tonight’s game against Las Vegas. Clase never left Tacoma’s roster, but was sent to Baltimore and was on Seattle’s Taxi Squad after Friday night’s game. In his last game with Tacoma, Clase went 3-for-3 with a run scored, a double, a walk and a stolen base. He has recorded two or more hits in four of his last seven games, dating back to May 10 against Reno.

OUT OF RELIEF: For the first time this season, Michael Mariot pitched out of relief for Tacoma on Sunday. He entered the game in the 10th inning, tied at 2-2. After recording the first two outs of the inning, Mariot allowed a three-run home run, and the deficit was too much for Tacoma to overcome. He suffered his second loss of the season, coming in back-to-back outings. Mariot is now 2-2 with a 6.27 ERA through eight games with the Rainiers this year.

GET ALL THREE: Tacoma lost the series finale to Salt Lake on Sunday in extra-innings, falling 5-3 to split the series. Four of Salt Lake’s five runs scored with two outs in the inning. In the second frame, after Tacoma had gone up 1-0 in the first, Emerson Hancock recorded the first two outs without anybody reaching base. An infield single followed by another single and some sloppy defense led to a run scoring for the Bees. Their second run was scored on a solo home run with one out, but the final blow also came with two outs. Tied 2-2 in the 10th frame, Michael Mariot recorded two outs and before allowing a three-run home run to blow the game open. Salt Lake doing damage with home runs was nothing new that series, as Tacoma pitchers allowed 14 home runs in the six-game series, including a season-high six on Thursday night.

NOT TOO SHABBY: Emerson Hancock made his first two career Triple-A starts last week against Salt Lake, turning in quality starts in both outings. The right-hander earned the win on Tuesday in his Triple-A debut, tossing six scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and four walks while striking out two. On Sunday, he didn’t receive a decision, but allowed just two earned runs over his 6.0 innings. He once again allowed just four hits, walking two and striking out a season-high seven batters. Through his first two Triple-A starts, the 24-year-old is now 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA, limiting opponents to just a .182 batting average against him.

ALWAYS ON: With his leadoff home run on the second pitch of Sunday’s matchup, shortstop Ryan Bliss has now successfully reached base in each of his last nine games. His five-game hitting streak was broken on May 16th after going 0-for-3, but he reached base with a walk in the first inning. He currently has a three-game hitting streak entering play tonight, giving him at least one hit in eight of his last nine games. Over that nine-game span starting back on May 9, he has recorded two or more hits in three games, increasing his batting average from .222 on May 8 to .241 entering play tonight.

RETURN OF RIVAS: Upon J.P. Crawford getting activated from Seattle’s injured list, infielder Leo Rivas was optioned to Tacoma. In 18 games prior to getting his contract selected by Seattle on April 25, the shortstop was hitting .308 (16-for-52) with two doubles and two home runs for Tacoma. He drove in 11 runs while taking 11 walks compared to just 13 strikeouts, raising his on-base percentage to .422. With Seattle, the 26-year-old hit .333 (2-for-6) with two runs scored, a triple and three strikeouts in five games played.

AGAINST LAS VEGAS: Tacoma and Las Vegas will meet tonight for game one of their six-game series. This is the second time this season the Rainiers and Aviators will play, with Las Vegas taking four out of the six games they played back in April at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Rainiers will look to add to their all-time series record of 305-302 against Las Vegas.

SHORT HOPS: Tacoma is now 6-4 this year when receiving a quality start from their starting pitcher after dropping Sunday’s contest…Sunday’s loss to Salt Lake was the first day game home loss of the season for the Rainiers, moving to 3-1 in day games at home…Tacoma split their most recent series against Salt Lake, marking the first home series all season that they haven’t won; the Rainiers are now 3-1-0 in series at Cheney Stadium entering their current series against Las Vegas…Tacoma allowed 14 home runs to Salt Lake last series, including a season-high six on Thursday night.