Rainiers drop series finale to Grizzlies to split four-game set
Getting a four-game series with division-leading Fresno right out of the All-Star break, the Tacoma Rainiers had a good chance to make up ground in their playoff push. But a 5-3 loss to the Grizzlies Sunday at Cheney Stadium sealed a series split between the teams, keeping Tacoma 4 ½ games back of Fresno in the American North.
Darren McCaughan earned his second call-up of the season from high Single-A Modesto after throwing 6 ⅓ shutout innings for the Rainiers in their June 1 win over Salt Lake. This time, the sailing wouldn’t be so smooth.
Derek Fisher got the scoring started for Fresno, leading off the top of the first with his seventh home run of the season. Five of the next six batters reached base for the Grizzlies, and by the Rainiers came to bat for the first time they already trailed, 3-0.
“He’s a strike-thrower, and I think we set up on the corners a bit too much,” manager Pat Listach said Sunday. “When he missed, he missed just off instead of just on. But he competed… He came from A-ball and gave us what he had and kept us in the game.”
Federal Way’s Nick Tanielu pushed the lead to 4-0 in the top of the third.
McCaughan showed good flashes once he settled down after the first, especially working in his offspeed pitches. He allowed six hits and walked six in his four innings.
Fresno added to its lead against Dario Alvarez in the top of the seventh on a deep fly ball to right field that Kirk Nieuwenhuis lost in the sun and overran.
Nick Rumbelow, making his first Triple-A appearance since June 10, pitched two perfect innings of relief between McCaughan and Alvarez’ outings, striking out the side in the fifth.
Tyler Higgins came in with one out in the seventh and nearly saw the game the rest of the way, throwing a season-high 36 pitches in a season-high 2.1 innings of work.
“I didn’t want Higgins to get up to 40 pitches,” Listach said. “If we keep him in the low-30s, he probably only needs one day off. He’s such a valuable piece of our bullpen, I didn’t want to lose him for two days.”
Zach Vincej notched a pair of RBIs on a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the fourth inning. A bases-loaded walk to Seth Mejias-Brean made it 4-3 in the fifth with just one out, but Brock Dykxhoorn fanned the next two Tacoma batters to escape the threat.
All told, Tacoma left 10 runners on, going 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
Tacoma will fly out tomorrow morning to begin a four-game series at Reno. Rob Whalen is scheduled to come back for the Rainiers after a pair of starts with Everett.