Grizzlies Report for Aug. 11: League-wide off day
Day of rest – The defending Triple-A champion Fresno Grizzlies, who are four games behind Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific Northern Division, had their final day off of the season Thursday.
Wednesday recap – Jon Kemmer reached base four straight times to highlight a 13-hit attack in a 10-8 win over El Paso to close out a four-game series and season-long 13-game road trip.
Up next – Fresno returns to action at 7:05 p.m. Friday for its penultimate homestand of the season, which will feature visits from Iowa and Omaha for four games each through Aug. 19. Fresno is scheduled to start RH Cesar Valdez (10-1, 3.51), who has not lost since June 5. Iowa’s starter has not been announced.
Moving up – Grizzlies’ left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman was recalled to the parent Houston Astros on Thursday. Chapman went 2-4 with a 5.81 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 48 innings while in Fresno.
The Byrnes Show – Former A’s outfielder and current MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes will be at Chukchansi Park on Thursday for a Home Run Derby. Byrnes, who hit 106 home runs in an 11-year major-league career, will compete against six finalists (three baseball and three softball) in an event scheduled to start at 5:05 p.m.
Mexican showcase set – Naranjeros de Hermosillo and Aguilas de Mexicali will square off at Chukchansi Park on Sept. 17-18 as part of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta, which has brought Mexican teams to play in American minor league parks since 2011. Chukchansi is hosting a Mexican Baseball Fiesta game for the first time. Hermosillo is historically the most successful team in the Mexican Pacific League, winning Caribbean Series titles in 1976 and 2014. Mexicali has won three Mexican Pacific titles and captured the 1985 Caribbean Series. Tickets for the games, which are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Sept. 17 and 5:05 p.m. on Sept. 18, start at $10 and are available at the Grizzlies ticket office or at www.fresnogrizzlies.com.
The Fresno Bee
This story was originally published August 11, 2016 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Grizzlies Report for Aug. 11: League-wide off day."