Grizzlies Report for July 16: New Orleans 5, Fresno 1

Saturday recap – Justin Nicolino hurled six shutout innings and New Orleans rallied in the fifth to beat Fresno 5-1 and clinch at least a series split at Zephyr Field. The Grizzlies suffered consecutive losses for the first time since June 10-11 against Salt Lake. Nicolino allowed three of the Grizzlies’ four hits while improving to 4-3 with a 2.44 ERA. Adrian Nieto and Robert Andino each hit RBI singles in a three-run fifth. The Grizzlies erased the shutout on Teoscar Hernandez’s solo home run in the seventh. Fresno’s Mike Hauschild (7-8, 2.81) gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings.

Streak update – Fresno’s Tyler White singled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and Hernandez pushed his to nine. Alex Bregman saw his end at 10.

Up next – Grizzlies RH Brad Peacock (3-4, 4.73) will face a New Orleans starter to be named in Sunday’s 2 p.m. series finale. Peacock ended the first half of the Pacific Coast League season with a seven-inning three-hit shutout to open a July 9 doubleheader against Reno. He struck out a Grizzlies’ season-high 12.

Roster move – Grizzlies infielder and 2015 PCL MVP Matt Duffy was designated for assignment by major league parent Houston to make room for Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel, 32, whom the Astros signed to a five-year deal worth $47.5 million. Duffy is hitting .226 with a Grizzlies-high 94 strikeouts. He made Houston’s opening day roster but was back in Fresno by mid-April.

The Fresno Bee

This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for July 16: New Orleans 5, Fresno 1."