Grizzlies Report for June 14: Fresno 6, Sacramento 3
Tuesday recap – Nolan Fontana’s two-run homer in the second tied it up and Max Stassi followed with his own solo shot in the third that pushed the Grizzlies past Sacramento for a 6-3 comeback win at Raley Field on Tuesday. It was the third win in a row for Triple-A Fresno, which also took 2-0 lead in the four-game series against the River Cats. Jon Singleton extended the Grizzlies’ lead in the fifth when his line drive into the right field corner popped out of the glove of Sacramento RF Austin Slater, allowing A.J. Reed and Matt Duffy to score on the error. Jon Kemmer added an insurance run on an RBI single in the eighth. Starting pitcher Tommy Shirley (4-4, 5.46) picked up his fourth win of the season, holding Sacramento to three runs (all earned) on seven hits in five innings with five strikeouts and two walks.
Up next – Fresno RH Brad Peacock (0-3, 5.40) will aim for his first win of the season as he leads the Grizzlies against River Cats RH Clayton Blackburn (4-3, 3-36) in game 3 of the series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Raley Field. Peacock has struggled on the mound, with the Grizzlies just 2-9 when he starts. He’s had one quality start (May 2 against Reno), the least among Fresno pitchers who have started more than 10 games. Blackburn is 3-0 in his past four starts (all quality starts), and has given up just two earned runs over his last five appearances spanning 27 1/3 innings.
Monday recap – With two outs, runners on second and third and the score locked 1-1 in the top of the ninth, Fresno’s Jack Mayfield picked the perfect time to launch his first Triple-A home run, launching a three-run bomb to left field that lifted the Grizzlies over Sacramento, 4-1, in the series opener. Mayfield, who joined Fresno from Double-A Corpus Christi on May 11, extended his hit streak to five games with the homer. Grizzlies closer James Hoyt sealed the win, getting the final three outs on strikeouts, earning his second save in as many days to lead the PCL with 13.
Moving up – Fresno infielder Danny Worth is back in The Show for the first time in two seasons, getting called up to parent-club Houston ahead of Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Worth, who in his final two games with the Grizzlies made his first two starts of the season at third base, started at third base and batted second in his Astros debut. Worth, 30, had a Grizzlies team-high .340 batting average with 12 doubles, two triples, eight homers and 36 RBIs in 54 games this season. He appeared in 135 games for the Detroit Tigers from 2010-14, batting .230 in 261 at-bats. To make room for Worth on the 40-man roster, Grizzlies reliever Juan Minaya was designated for assignment. Worth was 1 for 4 in his first game with the Astros, taking Jaime Garcia’s 93-MPH fastball for a line-drive single to right, for his first Major League hit in 756 days.
The Fresno Bee
This story was originally published June 14, 2016 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for June 14: Fresno 6, Sacramento 3."