Fresno Grizzlies Game Notes vs San Jose
July 9, 2022 - California League (CalL)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release
The Grizzlies/Lowriders de Fresno and Giants continue their six-game series tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 6:50 pm PT from Chukchansi Park. Grizzlies/Lowriders de Fresno RHP Victor Juarez and Giants RHP Eric Silva are the probable starters. I have attached the roster/game notes. The link below has everything needed for tonight.
This link FresnoGrizzlies.com/media has our 2022 Media Guide, Current Roster and our Game Notes throughout this season. This year, you can go to the above link for all things Grizzlies Game Day Media. This page will be updated EVERY GAME DAY.
Tonight's Promotion:
7/9 (Saturday, July 9th)- Lowriders de Fresno, Copa de la Diversion
First Pitch: 6:50pm
Opponent: San Jose Giants
Promotion: Low Riders Weekend, team taking field in special game-worn jerseys that can be found in team store!
Other Details: Splash Park, Bounce Houses, EVERYONE runs the bases post-game & More!
Upcoming Promotions:
7/10 (Sunday, July 10th)- Lowriders de Fresno, Copa de la Diversion, Save Mart Sundays & Kids Run The Bases w/FREE Ice Cream from Producers Dairy!
First Pitch: 5:05pm
Opponent: San Jose Giants
Promotion: Low Riders Weekend, team taking field in special game-worn jerseys that can be found in team store
Promotion: Save Mart Sundays w/ Kids Run The Bases Post-Game w/FREE Ice Cream from Producers Dairy!
Promotion: Pre-Game Catch on the Field! Play catch on the field from 4:05pm - 4:35pm, on the right field line.
Other Details: Splash Park, Bounce Houses & More!
LOWRIDERS DRIVE IT OFF ON FRIDAY: In celebration of Minor League Baseball's Copa de la Diversion, the Grizzlies transformed into the Lowriders de Fresno for the weekend, starting with a drive-off win Friday night. The Lowriders fueled a comeback victory with a 9th inning single by Adael Amador, defeating the San Jose Giants 6-5. After witnessing the eighth comeback and fourth walk-off triumph of the season, the fans were rewarded with a fireworks show presented by Hertz. San Jose grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first from a Grant McCray leadoff homer to center field. It was McCray's 12th longball of the season. Fresno took a 2-1 advantage in the bottom half of the frame after a pickoff error and a Juan Brito RBI double. The Giants tied the affair at two when Hayden Cantrelle went deep to right field, his first bomb of the year. In the sixth, Riley Mahan pushed San Jose ahead 4-2 after a two-run double to right. Juan Guerrero cut the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth when he roped a double to center, plating Benny Montgomery. The Giants extended the lead to 5-3 in the seventh after a deflected single by Aeverson Arteaga. Once again, the Lowriders chipped at the advantage with a Montgomery RBI single to center. In the eighth, Guerrero knotted the game at five with a booming blast to left field. It was Guerrero's ninth clout of 2022. After San Jose went down quietly in the ninth, Fresno approached the plate looking to end the evening. A one-out walk to Yorvis Torrealba brought up Adael Amador. The Rockies #4 overall prospect swung at a 0-1 pitch and lined it to right field. The single dropped in front of Alexander Suarez, who came up throwing. Unfortunately for Suarez, the ball sailed high on him, going into the third base net, allowing for Yorvis Torrealba to scamper home with the winning run. The wild finish gave Lowriders righty Tyler Ahearn (3-2) the win and Giants reliever Hunter Dula (2-3) the loss. Fresno starter Brayan Castillo tossed five and one-third frames of four-run ball. He struck out five and only issued one walk. Luis Amoroso (1.2 IP) and Felix Ramires (1.0 IP) both had solid appearances out of the bullpen for the Lowriders.
GIANT AMOUNT OF MATCHUPS: The Fresno Grizzlies and San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants Single-A affiliate) continue their six-game series tonight at Chukchansi Park. This is the third series between the clubs in 2022 and the first meeting in Fresno. This season, the two clubs play 30 times against one another with 18 of those contests being held in San Jose. Last season, the two squads faced each other 33 total times with three of those games being held in the playoffs.
FROM FRIEND TO FOE: The San Jose Giants coaching staff have a few names that the Central Valley may recognize. Giants pitching coach Dan Runzler was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 9th round of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft. He would play for the Grizzlies from 2009-2014, appearing in 144 games. Runzler would then end up pitching in the major leagues for parts of five seasons (Giants 2009-2012, Pirates 2017) before playing overseas and in independent ball. Over 97 big league games, he had a 4-2 record with a 3.89 ERA, 82 strikeouts. 46 walks and 72 hits allowed in 76.1 innings pitched. The other coach and former Grizzlies player fans may remember is Giants hitting coach Travis Ishikawa. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 21st round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft out of Federal Way HS in Washington. Ishikawa would play eight Major League seasons starting in 2006 and ending in 2015 with time spent in San Francisco (2006, 2008-2010, 2014-2015), Milwaukee (2012), Baltimore (2013), New York AL (2013) and Pittsburgh (2014-15). Ishikawa would also don a Grizzlies uniform in 2008, 2011 and 2014, playing in 175 games. In 2008, Ishikawa would bat .310 with a 1.107 OPS over 48 games, one of the best stretches by any Fresno hitter.
GRIZZLIES SWEEP MONTHLY AWARDS FOR JUNE: Two Fresno Grizzlies were awarded by Minor League Baseball for their outstanding performances in the month of June. First baseman/catcher and Colorado Rockies #20 prospect Hunter Goodman received California League Player of the Month, while right-handed pitcher and Rockies #29 prospect McCade Brown was named Pitcher of the Month. This is the first time the Grizzlies have swept monthly awards since becoming a Rockies affiliate. In the month of June, Hunter Goodman batted .330/.439/.660 and led the league in homers (eight), total bases (62), slugging percentage (.660) and OPS (1.099) while finishing fifth in runs (22). Goodman was recently promoted to High-A Spokane after winning Player of the Week for his efforts at Stockton. He went 10-for-24 (.417) with four homers, two doubles, eight RBI, seven runs, five walks and two hit-by-pitches over the series against the Ports. Goodman, 22 was selected by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Memphis. On the other side, McCade Brown went 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in five starts as he scattered 19 hits over 26.1 innings. He led the league with 39 strikeouts and held opponents to a league-best .194 average. Brown fanned eight or more batters in his last three June starts, including a season-high 10 on June 23 versus Modesto. On June 30 at Stockton, Brown allowed one hit over six shutout innings, earning his first win in a Grizzlies uniform. Brown, 21, was selected by Colorado in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Indiana University.
TIME TO GET A VICTORY WITH VICTOR: Tonight's scheduled starter is righty Victor Juarez, a 19-year old from Mexico. Juarez is the youngest member of the 2022 Grizzlies roster and is ranked as the Rockies #30 overall prospect. Last season, he split time between DSL Colorado and ACL Rockies (both rookie ball). Juarez started the year with DSL Colorado, going 2-0 with a robust 0.68 ERA. That ERA was the second-best in DSL Rockies history behind Jeffri Ocando's mark (0.39) in 2016. That same year (2016), Juarez was playing for Team Mexico in the Little League World Series. You can read more about Juarez on Page 2.
GUERRERO IS ON FIRE: Rockies #23 overall prospect Juan Guerrero has also been on fire over the past couple of weeks. Guerrero is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak, the longest span in his professional career. In that stretch, Guerrero is 24-for-52 (.462) with three homers, five doubles, 18 RBI, 13 runs, three walks, three stolen bases and one hit-by-pitch. Besides dominating at the plate, Guerrero has continued to show impressive plays on the defensive side of the ball.
WEAR THE BEAR: Red (12-12), Beige (7-3), Black & Gold (9-1), Gray (18-11), Specialty Promo (1-2), Fresno Tacos (0-0), Lowriders de Fresno (Copa de la Diversion, 1-0), Fresno Growers (1-0), Fresno Tigers (0-1), Red Pants (2-2).
FLURRY OF ROSTER MOVES: The Grizzlies made a plethora of roster transactions over the past few days. Infielder Warming Bernabel, catcher/first baseman Hunter Goodman and left-handed pitcher Mason Green were all assigned to High-A Spokane. To counter the moves, Fresno added outfielder Benny Montgomery back from rehab and the injured list, utility man AJ Lewis from High-A Spokane and right-handed pitcher Angel Chivilli from ACL Rockies.
MAN, HUNTER IS GOOD: Former Fresno Grizzlies first baseman/catcher and Colorado Rockies #20 prospect Hunter Goodman was selected by Minor League Baseball as the California League Player of the Week for June 27 - July 3. Goodman's impressive series in Stockton helped the Grizzlies earn a series win over the Ports and improve to 22-2 at Banner Island Ballpark. During the week, Goodman went 10-for-24 (.417) with four homers, two doubles, eight RBI, seven runs, five walks and two hit-by-pitches over six games. Goodman picked up three multi-hit contests, which included a four-hit game on June 30. In that contest, Goodman homered twice, drove in a trio of runs and scored three times (all career-highs). On Saturday July 2, Goodman tallied the 100th homer hit by the Fresno offense in 2022. Prior to his promotion, Goodman ranked first in the California League in homers (22), total bases (167) and extra-base hits (40). Goodman was also second in RBI (68), second in slugging percentage (.592), second in OPS (.960) and tied for seventh in doubles (17). Of those mentioned stats, Goodman ranks third in all of Minor League Baseball in total bases and is fifth in both homers/RBI. The University of Memphis product is one of six Grizzlies player to earn California League Player or Pitcher of the Week honors this season and the first 2022 Fresno batter to win the award twice.
PLAYOFF BOUND IN THE "GROWL"IFORNIA LEAGUE: For the second straight season, the Fresno Grizzlies are headed back to the playoffs after a 4-2 win over the Modesto Nuts on June 22nd from Chukchansi Park. Over those two years, Fresno has clinched both times against Modesto. The Grizzlies claimed the California League Northern Division and the best first half record among the eight teams (41-25). This is the first time in Grizzlies history that the team has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The last time Fresno baseball made it to the postseason in back-to-back years were the Fresno Cardinals in 1955-1956. With the California League being split into two halves, the Grizzlies will not know their playoff opponent until the second half ends on September 11th. If the Grizzlies were to also win the second half, the team with the next best record in the Northern Division will play Fresno in the playoffs. The first (Grizzlies, Northern and Lake Elsinore Storm, Southern) and second half (to be determined) division winners will meet in a best-of-three game series. The winners of those series will meet for a best-of-three championship series. Similar to 2021, each Monday will be a day off in the league except for July 4th. All but two series will be six-game series this season. The break for players and coaches will be four days long from July 18th to July 21st.
NEW RULES IN 2022: Major League Baseball announced in March that experimental rules will expand in the California League for the 2022 season. The following rules include the return of the pitch clock and pickoff limits. Pitchers must deliver a pitch within 14 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds with runners on base. Hitters must be in the batter's box and be alert to the pitcher with nine seconds left. Pitchers will also be limited to two pickoff attempts or step-offs per plate appearance; any more without retiring the baserunner will effectively function as a balk. The league also added larger bases, increasing the size from 15 to 18 inches, a rule in place at Triple-A during the 2021 season. The increase is aimed to provide more room for players to operate around the bases, while modestly shrinking the distance between bases themselves. Additionally, the larger bases are composed of material that is expected to perform better in wetter conditions. Finally, teams must have a minimum of four defensive players on the infield when a pitch is delivered, with at least two infielders on either side of second base. The penalty for violation is an automatic ball, but if the hitter swings and gets a better outcome, the offensive team can take that. Goal is to increase batting average on balls in play.
JULY 10, 2022 VS. SAN JOSE GIANTS (SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS): CHUKCHANSI PARK- 5:05 PM PT
RHP Nick Sinacola (5-5, 3.58) vs. RHP Cullen Kafka (3-1, 3.55)
JULY 12, 2022 @ RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (LOS ANGELES DODGERS): LOANMART FIELD- 11:00 AM PT
RHP Jarrod Cande (3-2, 2.93) vs. LHP Maddux Bruns (0-2, 5.16)
JULY 13, 2022 @ RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (LOS ANGELES DODGERS): LOANMART FIELD- 6:30 PM PT
RHP Case Williams (7-2, 4.38) vs. LHP Benony Robles (3-2, 6.60)
JULY 14, 2022 @ RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (LOS ANGELES DODGERS): LOANMART FIELD- 6:30 PM PT
RHP McCade Brown (2-3, 4.32) vs. RHP Jerming Rosario (2-6, 7.84)
Recent Transactions:
7/6: OF Benny Montgomery: Returned from rehab assignment and reinstated from the IL
7/6: C AJ Lewis: Assigned to Fresno from A+ Spokane
7/6: RHP Angel Chivilli: Assigned to Fresno from ACL Rockies
7/6: LHP Mason Green: Assigned to High-A Spokane from Fresno
7/6: C/1B Hunter Goodman: Assigned to High-A Spokane from Fresno
7/1: INF Juan Brito: Activated off IL
California League Stories from July 9, 2022
- Fresno Grizzlies Game Notes vs San Jose - Fresno Grizzlies
- Grizzlies Rally Late To Walk-Off Giants - San Jose Giants
- Bats Held at Bay, Ports Shut Out by Nuts - Stockton Ports
- Lowriders Drive-off Against Giants - Fresno Grizzlies
- 66ers Top Quakes on Friday - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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