WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The day after his first career multi-homer game, Luis Rodriguez was the hero once again – but this time, in a more typical fashion.
Rodriguez looped a soft single to right field, driving in two runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to give Tacoma a 6-4 victory at the Sacramento River Cats on Thursday night.
When Josh Kinney struck out Wes Timmons with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Tacoma had earned its third win in a row after a game that lasted 3 hours, 41 minutes.
The victory came after the Rainiers saw an early lead slip away on a clutch hit by Sacramento’s Grant Green in the bottom of the eighth.
Mike Wilson put the Rainiers on the board with a long three-run home run to left field in the top of the second inning off Sacramento starter Travis Banwart.
It was the fourth homer of the season for Wilson – and his third in the past two games.
Tacoma starter Andrew Carraway battled control issues, walking a season-high four batters as Sacramento slowly got back into the game.
Sacramento tied the game, 4-4, in the bottom of the eighth when new reliever Bobby LaFromboise walked Timmons with one out, and wild pitched him to second base.
With two outs, Josh Kinney relieved LaFromboise to face Green.
Green pulled a game-tying single to left, and he took second base when left fielder Alex Liddi’s throw home was off line.
Kinney struck out Manny Ramirez to end the threat, keeping the game tied going to the ninth.
Ramirez, a 12-time major league All-Star, was 1-for-3 with an RBI single, two walks, and two strikeouts.
The Rainiers’ rally in the ninth seemed to be conjured out of thin air.
Sacramento reliever Danny Farquhar had struck out four batters in a row, and there were two outs and nobody on when Carlos Triunfel nubbed a grounder to third and beat it out for a hit.
Trayvon Robinson sliced a double to left-center – his third hit of the game – sending Triunfel to third.
Rodriguez hit his blooper to right, and the Rainiers regained the lead.
ROSTER ROULETTE
The Rainiers added four players in addition to Liddi. Relievers LaFromboise and Steven Hensley joined the team from Double-A Jackson, outfielder Darren Ford was activated from the disabled list, and pitcher Blake Beavan reported from the Mariners and will start Saturday. … Pitchers Forrest Snow and Yandy Sena were sent to Double-A Jackson. Snow was 1-4 with an 8.42 ERA in 562/3 innings, with 56 strikeouts and 38 walks.
ON TAP
Game two of the four-game series is at 7:05 tonight. Tacoma starts Jeff Marquez (4-7, 6.75 ERA) against Sacramento ace Graham Godfrey (5-0, 1.05).
Mike Curto is the radio broadcaster for the Tacoma Rainiers.
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