ALBUQUERQUE, NM (September 4, 2026) — The Tacoma Rainiers (32-29/65-71) fell short, surrendering four unanswered runs in an 11-6 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes (28-34/66-70) on Friday night at Isotopes Park. Reid Van Scoter tied his season-high with 2.1 innings of relief, doing so for the third time this year and first time with Tacoma. Miles Mastrobuoni extended his hitting streak to seven games while Leo Rivas extended his on-base streak to 19 games on Friday night.
Ryan Bliss laced a leadoff double (32) to begin the contest on Friday night but Tacoma came up empty facing the starter, Eiberson Castellano, in the first inning. Albuquerque jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after back-to-back singles from Drew Avans and Nic Kent put runners on the corners. A throwing error from the Rainiers starters, Simeon Woods Richardson, allowed a run to score and the Isotopes led 1-0. Sterlin Thompson singled to drive in Kent and extend a 2-0 advantage after one.
In the top of the third inning, Miles Mastrobuoni led off the inning with a double (12) then moved to third on a single from Axel Sanchez. Leo Rivas put Tacoma on the board with an RBI groundout that scored Mastrobuoni. Michael Arroyo drove a triple (4) to the gap in right center field to score Sanchez and tie the game at two. Andy Ibáñez quickly delivered the go-ahead run with a single up the middle to score Arroyo and Tacoma led for the first time, 3-2.
Reid Van Scoter took over on the mound for the Rainiers with two outs in the second inning and went on to complete 2.1 scoreless allowing just one baserunner in that span to keep the Isotopes off the board. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Albuquerque regained the lead. Avans singled with one out before a double from Thompson put two in scoring position. Charlie Condon worked a walk to load the bases before Tyler Freeman scored two with a single to put Albuquerque on top, 4-3. Braxton Fulford padded the advantage with a three-run homer to left field, 7-3.
In the top of the sixth inning, Albuquerque turned to the bullpen and Tacoma capitalized with another three-run frame. Sanchez worked a walk followed by a single from Bliss. The pair executed a double steal to put two in scoring position before Rivas was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Arroyo hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Sanchez before Nolan Jones drove in two with a single to right field to make it a one-run game, 7-6 Albuquerque.
The Isotopes quickly countered in the home half of the inning when Kent drilled a two-run homer to left center field, 9-6. The scoring continued in the bottom of the seventh inning when Fulford launched his second homer of the game, a solo home run to left field to make it 10-6. Albuquerque added one more run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a solo homer from Avans to lead 11-6. Tacoma came up empty in the top of the ninth inning and the Rainiers dropped their first game of the series, 11-6 on Friday night.
The Rainiers will face Albuquerque for game five of the six-game series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 12:35 PM (PST). Tacoma will send LHP Jhonathan Diaz to the mound to start.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- The Rainiers surrendered four home runs on Friday night, doing so for the seventh time this season and the first time since August 11 against Reno
- INF/OF Michael Arroyo tripled in the third inning, his second consecutive game with a triple…he’s the seventh PCL hitter to hit a triple in back-to-back games this season and the first Rainiers hitter to triple in consecutive games since OF Cade Marlowe did so from July 6-9, 2024…Arroyo’s four triples since his Triple-A debut on July 7 are the second-most in the PCL, trailing only Marlowe’s five…over his last 11 games, Arroyo is slashing .357/.442/.619 for a 1.061 OPS, hitting two doubles, three triples and a home run.
- LHP Reid Van Scoter tied his season-high with 2.1 innings of relief, doing so for the third time this year and first time with Tacoma…it’s the second time he’s thrown 2.1 innings of scoreless relief this season (also: May 16 at Northwest Arkansas)
- INF Miles Mastrobuoni extended his hitting streak to seven games with a double in the third inning on Friday night…over his seven-game streak, Mastrobuoni is hitting .393 (11x28) with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI
- INF Leo Rivas extended his on-base streak to 19 games as he was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning…his 19-game streak is third-longest by a Rainiers player this season…Rivas has extended his streak across three different stints with Tacoma (5/22-31, 7/17-28, August 27-c), reaching base at a .444 clip in that span.