Rainiers notes: Murfee’s second save lifts Tacoma to Sunday win
Triple-A Tacoma manager Tim Federowicz needed three outs for a road win Sunday in Albuquerque.
The longtime catcher — who says he spent the final seasons of his 13-year playing career studying the game from a managerial perspective — made a potentially game-changing call to the bullpen.
He requested the arm of Penn Murfee, Tacoma’s starter-turned-reliever who has yet to allow a run 2022. And the 27-year-old right-hander delivered — a quick, clean, eight-pitch inning that gave the Rainiers (4-8) their fourth win and granted Murfee his second save.
“My past four or five years have been basically managing anyways,” Federowicz said. “Just always thinking about the game, thinking about different situations. .... It’s honestly been pretty fun. Even though we haven’t won a lot of games, it’s been a lot of fun just to be out there and think through all these situations.”
Sunday’s final was a 12-11 win over the Isotopes.
Tacoma plated nine runs in the first inning alone, but quickly surrendered the margin. By inning three, Albuquerque had trimmed Tacoma’s lead to 9-6. After four frames, it was 9-8, and after seven innings, it was tied, 11-11.
Joseph Odom’s eighth-inning solo home run put Tacoma back in front and represented his fourth blast in five games.
Murfee’s second save came an inning later. After slimming his arsenal to a fastball and slider, Seattle’s 33rd-round draft pick from 2018 tossed a pair of scoreless innings in Tacoma’s season-opener on April 5, good for his first save of the year.
Murfee earned wins in relief on April 9 and April 12, and posted his fourth consecutive scoreless outing over Albuquerque on April 15.
His five appearances in 2022 feature just one allowed hit and 10 strikeouts. On Murfee’s watch — eight innings, to be exact — only four batters have reached base.
“This is going to be (Murfee’s) first full season as a reliever. I think it’s going to help him,” Federowicz said. “Just being able to really narrow down those two and just attack hitters with a two-pitch mix, rather than trying to worry about four or five pitches like he was as a starter. It’s really going to help him out and he’s really bought into it.
“It’s been impressive to see.”
Five of Tacoma’s six games with the Isotopes featured at least 13 total runs. Tacoma’s other win on the trip was Tuesday, 10-9, but with a flipped script.
Compared to Sunday’s nine-run cushion, the Rainiers stormed back from an early seven-run deficit. Tacoma trailed by three in the ninth inning, but tied the game without recording a hit, instead tacking on base runners via walk and advancing on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly.
“The attention to the at-bats was amazing,” Federowicz said regarding Tuesday’s comeback win. “When we’re down like that, especially early, we’re out in the field a lot. It’s tough to go out there and grind those at-bats. So that shows a testament to a lot of our hitters and how they were able to still lock it in (during) that situation. It was cold, windy. They didn’t have to go out there and grind those at-bats like that, and they did.”
Tacoma took two of six games from the Isotopes, bookending their week-long series with victories.
The club scored a combined 14 runs on Tuesday and Wednesday despite losing both contests, and plated 41 runs in the series. Friday, Tacoma lost, 5-2. The Rainiers dropped another game Saturday, 10-3, before rebounding Sunday.
“It was just tough to put guys away,” Federowicz said. “(Albuquerque) was having great at-bats, they were able to foul off some tough pitches, and just worked up our pitch counts.
“And that ended up being the killer.”
SHORT HOPS
▪ Seattle acquired RHP Riley O’Brien from Cincinnati on Saturday for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Subsequently optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, O’Brien graduated from Shoreline High School in 2013 and pitched for Everett Community College before transferring to the College of Idaho in 2016. The 27-year-old appeared in one major league game for the Reds in 2021, allowing two hits and two runs in 1 1/3 innings.
▪ Roenis Elias posted a scoreless frame and whiffed a batter on Saturday in his first regular-season action since 2019 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Elias, 33, pitched for the Mariners during two stints from 2014-15 and 2018-19.
Tacoma’s recent six-game road series in Albuquerque was manager Tim Federowicz’s first away trip as manager. Before retiring from a 13-year playing career, Federowicz played in 116 career games in Albuquerque and posted a .335 average with 22 home runs and 90 RBI.
▪ Since his walk-off home run at Cheney Stadium on April 9, first baseman Mike Ford is hitting .370 and reaching base more than 46 percent of the time. He’s leading the club with a .317 batting average, 10 runs, and five RBI.
Infielder Donovan Walton was 8-for-21 (.381) before Seattle recalled him April 16.
“I think they’re just getting their at-bats,” Federowicz said of Ford and Walton. “Shortened spring training this year, they didn’t get a full 40-50 at-bats that they’re used to, so I think they’re just getting to that point now and they’re starting to feel more comfortable in the box. Their rhythm’s there, and you can just tell they’re a little more locked in and a little more comfortable.”
ON TAP
After Sunday’s roller-coaster win, Tacoma’s flight home to Cheney Stadium should have been a happy one.
The Rainiers had Monday off, and return Tuesday for a six-game home series with Sugar Land (3-9), the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.
