Pippins Preview: June 19 vs. Kelowna

After dropping game two of a 3-game, midweek series to Kelowna last night at the Orchard, the Pippins continue their 7-game homestand with the third game of the series against the Falcons. Looking for the series win, the Pippins will send left-hander Mark Finkelnburg to the mound for his third start of the summer. He will be opposed by southpaw Marcus Cain for Kelowna, making his summer debut. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM PT, and pregame coverage with Miles Klotz will begin at 6:20 PM at pippinsbaseball.com/live.

Full Game Notes

PIPPINS FALL TO KELOWNA DESPITE MAGRISI’S STELLAR START: The Pippins got great pitching on the mound on Tuesday, but fell to Kelowna, 3-0, to even the midweek series at one game apiece. Joe Magrisi was fantastic in his third start of the summer, striking out 11 and facing one batter over the minimum (a walk) in 6 no-hit innings against the Falcons. The bullpen allowed 3 runs over three innings, with right-hander Ryan Jameson taking the loss, but only one of the three relief arms (left-hander Josh Hahn) allowed an earned run, and they struck out 4 batters to 2 walks. Righty Gage Wall started for the Falcons, shutting down the Pippins in 4-plus scoreless innings. He was followed by left-hander Nick Nygard, who earned the win with 5 innings of shutout relief, striking out 6 batters.

FOR THE PIPPINS: Left-hander Mark Finkelnburg will make his third start of the summer today for the Pippins. The left-hander out of Loyola Marymount last started on Thursday against Victoria, not allowing an earned run but only last 3.1 innings before he was relieved. In two starts this season, Finkelnburg has not recorded a decision, but has a 2.57 ERA and 6 strikeouts in 7 innings. A native of Portland, Oregon, Finkelnburg will be a redshirt senior at Loyola Marymount in the fall.

FOR THE FALCONS: Left-hander Marcus Cain is set to make his season debut for the Falcons as the starter tonight against the Pippins. A native of Mead, Washington, he will transfer to Gonzaga in the fall after two seasons at Spokane Falls Community College, where he was coached by Pippins assistant coach Justin Jacobs. A 6-foot-2, 175-pound southpaw, Cain posted a 4.16 ERA in 12 starts for the Bigfoot in the spring. As a freshman for Spokane Falls, Cain had a 2.36 ERA, striking out 45 batters in 57 innings of work.

PARKER PACES THE OFFENSE: Tanner Parker, the Pippins’ everyday second baseman, continued his early season hot stretch on Tuesday with another 2-for-5 performance. Hitting leadoff for the second consecutive, Parker extended his streak of multi-hit games to seven, with singles in both the second and fifth innings. After collecting just 2 hits in his first five games, Parker is hitting .500 (16-for-32) over his current 8-game hitting streak. His .386 batting average is good for 8th in the West Coast League.

LOTS OF QUALITY AT THE FRONT END: The Pippins have had strong starting pitching all season, with a team ERA of 2.32 from their starting pitchers this season. On the year, the Pippins have gotten 3 quality starts from their starting pitchers, with two of them coming in each of the last two games. Joe Magrisi went 6 innings, allowing 0 earned runs last night, while Mark Woinarowicz went a season-high (for a Pippins starter) 7 innings on Monday, allowing just 1 earned run. The only other quality start this year came from Dylan Barkley on Opening Day in Ridgefield.

MOWIN’ THEM OVER: Thanks in large part to Magrisi’s 11 strikeouts, the Pippins tied a team record with 15 strikeouts by the pitching staff on Tuesday. The previous time that Yakima Valley set down as many batters via the strikeout came on August 6, 2014, against Cowlitz, in a 7-6 Pippins victory.

ODDS & ENDS: Joe Magrisi became the first Pippins starter to strike out double-digit batters since Chase Farrell set a team record with 12 punchouts last July against Port Angeles…the Pippins tied a season-high by drawing 8 walks on Tuesday…the Pippins also set a season high by leaving 14 runners on base.

By Miles Klotz

June 19, 2019