I don't think that I've said this all season long, but the Tacoma Rainiers are bad. I focus on the players, because the players are really the only thing that matters, but they're a team too kind of. Despite how often they get players replaced with promotions and demotions. But through it all, Tacoma is in last place at 57-76 in the PCL Northern division and 17 games back of Reno.
They are even 11 games back of Salt Lake, the team ahead of them in the standings.
No different last night as the Rainiers lost 6-1 to the Las Vegas 51s, despite another half-decent start from Hector Noesi, who went 6 innings and struck out 6 while walking 2 and allowing 3 runs. Noesi is coming off of his most dominant start of the season after he struck out 11 and allowed 1 hit in 7.2 innings over first place Reno.
Noesi has been much better than right after he was demoted. He has a 3.21 ERA in August after posting a 10.80 ERA in July right after his demotion.
Nick Franklin was 2-for-5 in the loss and is hitting .295/.340/.545 in his last ten games.
Danny Hultzen will make just his third start of the month tonight after the organization has decided to slow him down at the end of the season. Tacoma has just eleven games left before they don't make the PCL playoffs and it's probable Hultzen will have just two starts left, if not this being his last.