Ford drives Tacoma on successful Sunday

Salt Lake City, UT (5/7/23) – The Tacoma Rainiers (16-16) salvaged the end of a 12-game road trip (4-8) by winning on getaway day, 8-6 over the Salt Lake Bees (15-18) at Smith’s Ballpark. The Rainiers snapped a four-game losing streak, thanks mostly to an ongoing historic start by their designated hitter.

An early Salt Lake lead was short-lived. Preston Palmeiro lifted a sac fly in the second inning to make it 1-0, but Tacoma scored three times in the third. DH Mike Ford ripped a two-run double into the right field corner, plating his all of professional baseball-leading 42nd and 43rd RBI; Cesar Hernandez and Jake Scheiner each scored after singles. It was 3-1 after a Pat Valaika base hit and a Zach DeLoach RBI fielder’s choice, allowing Ford to cross home.

The Bees got one back in the fifth, when Jared Oliva’s second homer (solo) went out over the left field wall.

Rainiers RHP Konner Wade had a solid afternoon: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO. Tacoma improved to 3-1 in his starts this season.

With the score tied 3-3 in the seventh, the clubs traded single runs on a DeLoach bases loaded walk, and a bases loaded wild pitch.

At 4-4 in the eighth, the Rainiers took control despite beginning the inning with two quick outs and nobody on base. Hernandez singled and Cade Marlowe was hit by a pitch, and the former scored when Scheiner scorched a double off the left field wall, his third hit. A batter later, Ford stroked his second two-run double of the day, rolling onto the warning track in center. It was a four-run frame and an 8-4 advantage when Valaika’s second hit scored Ford.

Ford’s 45 RBI led all of pro baseball by nine at that moment. No other batter on the continent had more than 36 RBI (Las Vegas’s Cody Thomas) when Ford drove in his third and fourth runs of the afternoon. In only 30 games played, Ford is already over halfway to his career-high RBI total of 86, set over 126 games in 2017 split between Double-A and Triple-A with the New York Yankees organization.

Scheiner and Ford are tied for the club lead in doubles with 10 apiece, and Scheiner’s three-hit Sunday concluded a monster week at Salt Lake; 12-for-25 in six games, with a homer, five doubles, five RBI, three walks and seven runs scored. Hernandez joined Scheiner, Ford and Valaika with multiple hits on Sunday. Hernandez, who leads the Pacific Coast League with 32 walks (26 GP), walked three times in a game for already the fifth time this season.

Salt Lake added a single run in both the eighth and ninth; Oliva hit his second homer of the day (3) and Michael Stefanic singled for an RBI. RHP Riley O’Brien tidied things up for his second save, ending it with a strikeout.

The Rainiers are off Monday, and will begin a new homestand on Tuesday against the Reno Aces. Tacoma RHP Jose Rodriguez will get the ball for a 6:05 PT series opener at Cheney Stadium.

Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2023 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with a MiLB.TV subscription.

About the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Pacific Coast League and have been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.

The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.