COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Tacoma Rainiers’ record-setting offense was unusually quiet during an eight-game losing streak – but that ended Wednesday night.
Tacoma scored four runs in the top of the first inning and cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the opening game of a five-game series.
Tacoma had been swept in back-to-back series by Omaha and Reno, scoring just 28 runs over the eight games – an average of 3.5 runs a game. That’s a pittance for a club that broke the franchise record for most runs scored in a season.
Against the Sky Sox, the first five Tacoma batters reached base, with Luis Jimenez hitting a two-run single to center.
After an out, Johan Limonta singled home a run and Matt Tuiasosopo drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-0 against Sky Sox starter Alan Johnson (4-10).
The Rainiers tacked on three more runs in the third – two coming on Carlos Triunfel’s double to right-center.
“It was nice to jump out to a 7-0 lead,” manager Daren Brown said. “Even though in this ballpark you never feel safe, you feel a lot better with a 7-0 lead.”
Jarrett Grube, starting for Tacoma, took the run support and rolled through eight innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. Four of the hits came off the bat of former major leaguer Jorge Cantu, who homered to center in the sixth inning.
Grube (4-3) walked two and struck out two, getting most of his outs on routine infield grounders and non-threatening flies to the outfield.
“Any time you pitch through the eighth and get us to the ninth inning in this ballpark, you’ve done a nice job,” Brown said. “Grube’s slider is good against right-handers, and they’ve got a lot of right-handed hitters.”
Grube has allowed four runs in his last 22 innings, lowering his ERA from 8.31 to 5.25.
ON TAP
The teams play at 5:05 p.m. (PDT) today. Tacoma will start Erasmo Ramirez (3-0, 4.68 ERA) against the Sky Sox’s Clayton Mortensen (1-7, 9.45).
Mike Curto is the radio broadcaster for the Rainiers.
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