Grizzlies Report for July 6: Fresno 8, Tacoma 2

Monday recap: Max Stassi homered for the second straight game, cranking a grand slam in the seventh as the Grizzlies downed the Rainiers 8-2 on Monday before an announced crowd of 3,467 at Chukchansi Park. Stassi, who a week ago sported a season-worst .166 average, has pieced together a four-game hit streak and could match his season-high hit streak today. The Grizzlies bruised Rainiers starting pitcher Forrest Snow for four runs off eight hits. Snow (7-5, 2.55 ERA) entered Monday as the Pacific Coast League’s ERA leader among starting pitchers still in the minors. Grizzlies starting pitcher Brady Rodgers scattered eight hits for two runs (one earned) and three strikeouts over seven innings. The Grizzlies retired 13 in a row to end the game with reliever James Hoyt throwing a perfect eighth and ninth innings. Fresno’s Tony Kemp, Robbie Grossman, Matt Duffy and Tyler White each had two hits.

Grizzlies on Tuesday: The Fresno Grizzlies get an opportunity to face a pitcher who has spent the majority of the season in the majors and isn’t on a rehab assignment. Tacoma Rainiers LH Roenis Elias (2-0, 8.04 ERA) takes the mound against Grizzlies RH Mike Hauschild (1-1, 3.38). First pitch is 7:05 p.m. Elias, 26, made 13 starts with the Seattle Mariners and went 4-6 with a 4.27 ERA, 64 strikeouts and 25 walks in 78 innings. Elias, however, was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma with 2013 All-Star pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma activated from the disabled list Monday. Hauschild is coming off a 10-strikeout performance.

Stat of the day: The Grizzlies, who were 48-36 entering Monday, were in reach of achieving 50 wins before the All-Star Break for the first time since 2012. The Grizzlies needed to win five of their next seven games to match their best start since going 53-38 before the break in 2010.

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for July 6: Fresno 8, Tacoma 2."