Grizzlies Report for Aug. 1: Fresno 9, Albuquerque 7
Saturday recap: The Grizzlies twiced faced doom Saturday yet still prevailed. Down a run going into the bottom of the 12th, Matt Duffy hit a game-tying homer and Max Stassi followed with a walk-off, two-run homer each off position player Tim Smalling as the Grizzlies rallied for an 9-7 win against the Albuquerque Isotopes on Saturday. The Grizzlies also rallied in the ninth after Tyler White delivered an RBI sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that tied the game at 6-6 going into extras. The extra-inning drama overshadowed the best pitching performance from Mark Appel while he’s been with the Grizzlies. Appel. the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 MLB amateur draft, tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run off three hits in seven innings. But as soon as Appel was removed from the game, the Grizzlies lost the lead after Albuquerque’s Wilin Rosario hit a grand slam off reliever Kevin Chapman and placed the Isotopes ahead 6-5. Rosario, who has spent the majority of this season with the parent Colorado Rockies, finished 4 for 6 with two homers and five RBIs. He was responsible for all three hits that Appel allowed. Appel threw 64 of 91 pitches for strikes. Smalling, who had been playing third base before tkaing the mound in the 12th, was the second position player to pitch for the Isotopes Saturday. Outfielder Jeremy Barfield took the mound in the 10th and 11th and struck out four and didn’t allow a run.
Grizzlies on Sunday: Fresno and Albuquerque continue a four-game series, the first part of a nine-game homestand for the Grizzlies, with first pitch at 6:05 p.m. The nine-game stay at Chukchansi Park is a season-high for Fresno, which played only eight home games in July, going 4-4. Grizzlies LH Brett Oberholtzer (3-3, 5.87 ERA) is scheduled to face LH John Lannan (6-5, 5.20). Oberholtzer is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA at home compared with 1-2 and 9.82 on the road. Lannan, who allowed nine runs in each of his past two home starts but is 5-1 with a 3.71 ERA on the road, has pitched in parts of eight major league seasons for Washington, Philadelphia and the New York Mets. He was an 11th-round pick by Washington in the 2005 amateur draft.
Stat of the day: 25 — hits for the Grizzlies in their past two games entering Saturday. And 1 — number of those hits that went for extra bases (a Tyler White solo homer on Thursday). The Grizzlies were No. 1 in runs scored, but ninth in the Pacific Coast League in slugging at .419.
Extra fun day for the kids: Characters from the PBS series “Peg + Cat” are appearing at the park during Sunday’s game. The two costumed characters will pose for pictures and sign autographs along the first base concourse. There also is an opportunity ahead of the first pitch to play catch on the field beginning at 5 p.m. Kids Run The Bases takes place shortly after the final out.
This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for Aug. 1: Fresno 9, Albuquerque 7."