Fresno Grizzlies Game Notes vs Visalia
Published on May 14, 2023 under California League (CalL)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release
The Grizzlies and Rawhide conclude their six-game series today. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm PT from Chukchansi Park. Grizzlies RHP Jackson Cox (home debut) and Rawhide LHP Brock Jones are the probable starters. I have attached the roster/game notes. The link below has everything needed for today.
To listen to today's game: https://www.milb.com/fresno/fans/audio-listen-live
Today's Promotion:
5/14 (Sunday, May 14th) - Mother's Day at the Ballpark! & Save Mart Sundays & Kids Run The Bases w/FREE Ice Cream from Producers Dairy!
First Pitch: 1:05pm
Opponent: Visalia Rawhide
Promotion: Mom's get in free! Special Mom-Mosa (alcoholic and non) with souvenir cup available in Kodiak Club and Fresno Social. Discount Ticket for the family!
Promotion: Save Mart Sundays w/ Kids Run The Bases Post-Game w/FREE Ice Cream from Producers Dairy!
Other Details: Fresno Social Bar Open, Water Slides, Splash Park Open, Bounce Houses & More!
Fres-Notes:
MOTHER'S DAY: In recognition of Mother's Day today, Susan G. Komen®, the world's leading breast cancer organization, and Major League Baseball are teaming up to put moms first and raise awareness to help reduce rates of breast cancer. In 2023, nearly 44,000 people in the U.S. are expected to die from breast cancer. Most women who get breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease and risk factors vary by race and ethnicity. Players will show their support and spread awareness through wearing pink, such as on their cleats, baseball bats or gloves. The Fresno Grizzlies would like to give a shoutout and big thank you to all the moms out there! Today is for you!
HIGHWAY 99: The Fresno Grizzlies and Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks Single-A affiliate) conclude their six-game series today at Chukchansi Park. This is the first of two regular season series between the clubs in 2023 and the only meeting in Fresno. The Grizzlies are 21-2 at home (three sweeps) and 38-9 all-time against the Rawhide. The Grizzlies have also won 16 of their last 18 contests against their Highway 99 rivals. On the other side, four of the Rawhide's nine wins have come via one-run walk-offs. The two cities are 39.26 miles from one another, or if you drive non-stop, 43 minutes or so. From Fresno to Visalia, you would drive in a southeast direction, following the CA 99 route.
CULTIVATING A SATURDAY WIN: On a beautiful Saturday evening at Chukchansi Park, the Grizzlies transformed into the Fresno Growers to celebrate Growers Night - Rooted in Agriculture. It proved to be a special contest for the Growers as they shut out the Rawhide (12-20) 2-0 for their second shutout of the season. The Growers wasted no time in taking the lead, with their bats coming alive in the second inning. Andy Perez kicked off the frame with a double to left field. The stage was then set for Robby Martin, who launched his second clout in as many games, a shot to left-center field. Both of Martin's homers in the series came in the second frame. The two-run blast put the Growers up 2-0. Three of the four Fresno hits in the game occurred during the second inning with all of them resulting in extra bases. Fresno starter Connor Staine (2-2) delivered a stellar performance, going a career-high six shutout innings. Staine allowed only two hits and three walks while tying his professional-best with seven strikeouts. The bullpen trio of Carson Skipper, Zach Agnos and Davis Palermo carried the torch, tossing three consecutive shutout frames. Skipper punched out all three batters he faced, earning a hold, while Agnos also contributed with a hold. Palermo secured his first save, closing out the game in style. The Grizzlies' victory further solidified their affinity for the Growers uniforms, as they now hold a 4-1 record in the past three seasons while donning them. In those games, Fresno has scored an impressive 45 runs on 53 hits, achieving double-digit hits and runs in three of the wins. Notably, Zac Veen recorded the only cycle by a Grizzlies player at home during one of these games. With their rich history of success as the Growers, the team hopes to continue this trend and make their mark as they pay homage to their agricultural roots.
CALIFORNIA LEAGUE HITTING LEADERBOARD: The Grizzlies have a plethora of players ranked among the Top 10 of the California League Hitting Leaderboard. Outfielder Jake Snider ranks fourth in runs (25), tied for fourth in triples (2), fifth in batting average (.320), seventh in OBP (.430) and tied for ninth in hits (32). Infielder Ryan Ritter ranks tied for second in homers (7), tied for fourth in walks (22), tied for fourth in slugging percentage (.500), tied for sixth in extra-base hits (12), seventh in OPS (.889) and tied for eighth in RBI (20). Infielder Andy Perez ranks tied for second in triples (3) and tied for eighth in RBI (20). Infielder Luis Mendez ranks tied for fourth in walks (22) and eighth in OBP (.427). Outfielder EJ Andrews Jr. ranks tied for seventh in homers (4). Outfielder Jesus Bugarin ranks tied for fourth in triples (2). Utility player Parker Kelly ranks third in OBP (.443) and tied for eighth in batting average (.310).
STARTING PITCHING SUCCESS: The Grizzlies starting rotation has thrown a quality outing in every game of this series. Over the five games, Fresno starters are 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA. They have combined to hurl 32 innings, allowing six runs (all earned) on 18 hits and seven walks while fanning 33. All five starters in this series have tied or surpassed their career-highs in innings with Blake Adams and Jordy Vargas going seven frames each. Connor Staine was once again the starting pitcher for a Fresno shutout, their second of the season.
JACKSON COX MAKES HOME DEBUT: Today, the Grizzlies hand the ball to righty Jackson Cox, who makes his home debut. The 19-year-old is ranked as the Rockies #13 overall prospect on MLB.com after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2022 MLB draft. You can read more about the Toutle Lake HS product on Page 2 of the Game Notes and Page 22 of the Media Guide.
LATE INNING MAGIC: Over their past seven games, the Grizzlies have scored 32 of their 43 runs in innings 7-9. In their last six contests, Fresno has recorded 16 runs in the eighth inning. The Grizzlies have enjoyed comeback wins and one walk-off in the seventh inning or later. On May 6, the Grizzlies trailed 3-1 in the seventh before scoring eight runs over their final three innings, winning 9-4. On May 7, Fresno once again trailed, this time 5-3. The Grizzlies erupted for 14 runs in the seventh and eighth frames, giving them a 15-7 victory. On May 11, Fresno allowed five runs in the top of ninth and trailed 6-4 heading into their last at-bat. Fresno's comeback claws came out in full force in the ninth. Andy Perez looped a single and Ryan Ritter walked to start the inning. A groundout advanced the runners and Parker Kelly drew a walk to load the bases. EJ Andrews Jr. worked the count and walked as well, bringing home a run. Then, Skyler Messinger tied the contest with a sacrifice fly, bringing Jesus Ordonez to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Ordonez slapped a single to right, past the first baseman and into right field. The party was on as the Grizzlies mobbed Ordonez at second, giving Fresno a walk-off and crucial win.
A FRANCHISE-RECORD INNING: On Sunday, May 7th at Stockton, Fresno scored an incredible 12 runs in the 8th inning, a franchise-record (since 1998). The previous Grizzlies run record in an inning was 11, done three times since 2005. On June 20, 2005, Fresno stomped Salt Lake 19-2 after an 11-run 5th. On June 29, 2007, Fresno beat Sacramento 13-4 after an 11-run 5th. The most recent time was on August 23, 2010 when Fresno defeated Colorado Springs at Security Service Field 12-3 after an 11-run 6th (the Grizzlies pitching coach was Pat Rice). The Grizzlies brought 16 batters to the plate and every starter tallied at least one run in the inning. Fresno did not record an extra-base hit, smacking seven singles (six recorded one or more RBI), walking five times and reaching on one error. Parker Kelly, Luis Mendez and Jake Snider reached base and scored in both of their plate appearances during the frame. Andy Perez laced two singles, driving in four runs during the absurd inning.
PUTTING THE INNING INTO PERSPECTIVE: The Grizzlies 12-run 8th inning were the most runs scored by any professional baseball team in 2023 (MLB and MiLB). The Chicago White Sox (May 7 at Cincinnati, 17-4), Los Angeles Angels (13-1 at Oakland), Everett Aquasox (15-2 at Spokane, High-A Rockies), Norfolk Tides (21-2 vs Gwinnett) and most recently, Spokane Indians (High-A Rockies, 18-1 vs Hillsboro) scored 11 runs in a single inning this year. The 12 runs by Fresno were the most scored by any minor league team since August 26, 2022 when Fredericksburg plated 13 runs in the 7th inning against Down East (23-8). A week prior to that (August 19, 2022), Sugar Land scored an insane 17 runs in the 6th inning against Oklahoma City in a double header (21-4). No MLB team has tallied that many runs in one inning since at least 1974. The closest any MLB team has come to that mark was the 1996 Texas Rangers, who put up 16 on the Baltimore Orioles. However, Sugar Land didn't set a MiLB record. The Waco Cubs scored 18 runs in an inning against the Beaumont Exporters way back in 1930.
WEAR THE BEAR: Beige (1-3), Red (8-6), Black & Gold (1-3), Gray (3-3), Fresno Tacos (0-0), Lowriders de Fresno (Copa de la Diversion, 1-0), Fresno Growers (1-0), Fresno Tigers (0-0), Specialty Promo (2-0), Red Pants (2-0).
Upcoming Probable Pitchers:
MAY 16, 2023 @ MODESTO NUTS (SEATTLE MARINERS): JOHN THURMAN FIELD - 7:05 PM PT
Fresno LHP Caleb Franzen (1-1, 4.00) vs. Modesto RHP Tyler Cleveland (2-1, 5.83)
MAY 17, 2023 @ MODESTO NUTS (SEATTLE MARINERS): JOHN THURMAN FIELD - 7:05 PM PT
Fresno RHP Blake Adams (1-1, 1.20) vs. Modesto RHP Tyler Gough (0-2, 9.00)
MAY 18, 2023 @ MODESTO NUTS (SEATTLE MARINERS): JOHN THURMAN FIELD - 7:05 PM PT
Fresno LHP Michael Prosecky (2-1, 3.91) vs. Modesto RHP Michael Morales (2-0, 2.22)
California League Stories from May 14, 2023
- Mother's Day Magic as Grizzlies Walk-Off Rawhide 6-5 on Wild Pitch - Fresno Grizzlies
- Ports Outlast Quakes in Slugfest 13-12 - Stockton Ports
- Rancho Rallies Fall Short on Sunday - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Fresno Grizzlies Game Notes vs Visalia - Fresno Grizzlies
- Giants Stay Hot With 8-4 Victory Over Storm - San Jose Giants
- Staine, Fresno Growers Plant 2-0 Shutout Against Visalia Saturday - Fresno Grizzlies
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