RENO, Nev. – For the second time in the month of July the Reno Aces and Tacoma Rainiers will lock horns as the Rainiers, Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, arrive in Reno for a six-game series beginning on Tuesday.
All three games last week with the Salt Lake Bees were within two runs entering the game’s final inning, but they walked away victorious in only one thanks to a five-run ninth inning in game two of the series on July 18.
Danny Serretti was on fire in the set, batting .500 for the series with six RBI and five walks in just the three games. His 1.567 OPS barely topped that of Jose Fernandez (1.500), who himself had an impressive trio of contests as he batted .417 with five runs scored, two homers, and seven RBI.
Reno and Tacoma just linked up earlier this month from June 30 through July 5 as the Aces spent their July 4 holiday in the Pacific Northwest. The Aces walked away victorious in that set by a 4-2 margin, which was their first series win since meeting in Sugar Land in late April/early May. That was the first time the two teams had met since opening the season with three games in Reno from March 27-29 when the Rainiers took opener and finale.
While Reno holds just a 5-4 (.556) edge over the Rainiers in the season series, Reno has posted their second-best ERA against Tacoma as the 4.22 mark against the Rainiers is second only to the 1.73 ERA they have compiled against Albuquerque. Additionally, their five wins against Tacoma are tied for their third most against any opponent this season, tailing the six against Las Vegas and seven against Salt Lake.
However, Reno’s hitting has struggled against the Rainiers as their .242 batting average is the second lowest of any of their nine opponents in 2026. Though they have logged 32 extra-base hits when playing Tacoma, tied for fourth most against any opponent this season, they also have their fourth-highest strikeout rate (21.4 percent) and third-lowest walk rate (10.3 percent).
In the nine games since the Rainiers last faced the Aces, Tacoma has gone 5-3 thanks to splitting a six-game set in Las Vegas before the break while taking two of three from Oklahoma City this past weekend. Over that span the Rainiers have been hitting .304, a mark that ranks third in the PCL (Reno in first at .323). Tacoma is also second to Reno in extra-base hits (44-43), runs (78-66), and home runs (19-15) during that span.
While Reno has the PCL’s worst ERA since July 7, Tacoma is near the top in fourth place having logged a 5.65 mark. The Rainiers have not struck out a lot of hitters with their 63 tying for fourth fewest in that time, which is compounded by the fact they are also tied for second in walks issued with 44.
Of the PCL hitters with 20 or more plate appearances since July 7, Ryan Bliss ranks second in batting average at .541 and is second only to the recently promoted Tyler Locklear who was hitting .560. Bliss has tallied 10 RBI in that time to go with eight extra-base hits (six doubles) and a 1.433 OPS.
Overall, the Rainiers have four of the top-20 averages since July 7, with Jhonny Pereda checking in as the next highest in seventh at .450 with seven runs scored, four doubles, and six RBI.
Tacoma boasts four of Seattle’s top-30 prospects, the top three of which are position players in outfielder Lazaro Montes (No. 3), utility player Michael Arroyo (No. 4), and infielder Brock Rodden (No. 17). Arroyo has played just nine games and thus far is batting .350 with five extra-base hits, 12 RBI and a .991 OPS, while Montes has been at the other end of the scale in that same time by hitting just .179 six extra-base hits (two homers) and four RBI.
This six-game series begins on Tuesday, July 21 from Greater Nevada Field at 6:35 p.m. PT.
Single-game and season tickets are currently on sale for the 2026 season. For more information, fans can visit RenoAces.com or call the ticket office at (775) 334-7000.