Grizzlies Report for May 7: El Paso 6, Fresno 4

Homer barrage not enough – Lance McCullers gave Fresno five shutout innings in a rehab start and the offense smashed three homers in building a four-run lead on El Paso at the seventh-inning stretch, but the bullpen gave it all back as the Chihuahuas rallied for a 6-4 win Saturday in game two of the four-part road series. Ex-Grizzly Nick Noonan started the comeback with a two-run double in the seventh, and in the eighth drove in the go-ahead runs on a two-out, two-run single. Noonan went 3 for 4. McCullers, looking to return to major league parent club Houston, gave up two hits (both singles) and struck out seven in his first Triple-A start after jumping from Double-A to the majors a year ago. The Grizzlies took a quick lead in the first on Danny Worth’s two-run homer. Tony Kemp added a solo shot in the fourth, his first homer, and Jon Singleton a solo homer in the seventh.

Up next – Two starters who have logged almost 400 innings in the majors combined will seek their first win of the season Sunday. Fresno RH Brad Peacock (0-0, 3.51 ERA), who has four years and 232 innings pitched in the majors, has not allowed more than three runs in any of his five starts in 2016 while registering at least five strikeouts. He will face El Paso LH Christian Friedrich (0-1, 5.40), who has three seasons and 167.1 innings of big league experience with Colorado. Friedrich has lasted five innings or less in his three starts after enduring an odd start to his spring training. Initially with the Rockies, Friedrich was designated for assignment and picked up via waivers by the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels then asked for the waiver claim to be reversed because of potential health questions. San Diego then signed him to a minor league deal. Sunday’s first pitch is 12:05 p.m.

Worth impressing – Worth, who signed a minor league contract with the parent club Houston Astros in the offseason, continued to rank among the top hitters in the PCL. Worth’s .367 ranked fifth in the league. His .454 on-base percentage was fourth. And his on-base-plus slugging percentage was fifth in the PCL at 1.031.

The Fresno Bee

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for May 7: El Paso 6, Fresno 4."