Grizzlies Report for April 14: Salt Lake 10, Fresno 9
Thursday recap: Elite prospect A.J. Reed hit his first homer with the Grizzlies, a two-run shot, and Colin Moran a grand slam but Salt Lake broke a 7-7 tie with three in the seventh and held off Fresno 10-9. The Grizzlies went 3-3 on their opening road trip of the 2016 season. Down three runs in the ninth, the Grizzlies loaded the bases with one out via two singles and a walk. Moran, however, wasn’t able to come through in his second chance with the bases loaded and struck out looking. The Grizzlies did cut the deficit to one when Nolan Fontana hit a shot to first base that Jefry Marte failed to field cleanly, allowing two unearned runs to cross. With the tying run on third and potential go-ahead run on second, pinch hitter Jon Kemmer stepped to the plate. Salt Lake’s Al Albuquerque finally ended the threat by catching Kemmer looking – the closer’s third strikeout of the inning.
Still struggling: Eight days after Michael Feliz allowed six runs and seven hits and two home runs with the Houston Astros, the 22-year-old looked awful in Triple-A, too. Feliz gave up seven runs off six hits, including one home run, and issued four walks while lasting just 3.1 innings for the Grizzlies.
Up next: Fresno opens the home portion of its 19th season of Triple-A baseball when it hosts Las Vegas at 7:05 p.m. Friday for the first of a four-game series at Chukchansi Park. The Grizzlies are anticipating close to a sellout crowd. The eight-game homestand will feature the same two teams the Grizzlies faced on their season-opening road trip, with Salt Lake visiting for four starting Tuesday. Right-hander Brad Peacock gets the nod in Game 1 of the series against the 51s. He allowed two runs on two hits and a pair of walks while striking out five in five innings in the April 7 season opener – a 6-4 Las Vegas win. The 51s starter had not been posted.
Giveaways galore: The defending Pacific Coast League and Triple-A national champ Grizzlies will celebrate “championship weekend” against Las Vegas with opening night fireworks. Title-themed giveaways include 35-by-15-inch championship replica banners on Friday, magnet schedule Saturday and T-shirts Sunday.
This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for April 14: Salt Lake 10, Fresno 9."