PCL1 Fresno Grizzlies

Grizzlies Impressive Comeback At Tacoma All For Naught

July 27, 2015 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release


TACOMA, Wash. - The Fresno Grizzlies (58-45) erased a six-run deficit by scoring seven runs in the top of the seventh to grab a one-run lead, but reliever James Hoyt tossed two wild pitches that plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth and allowed the Tacoma Rainiers (49-54) to escape with an 11-10 victory Monday afternoon at Cheney Stadium. First-place Fresno has dropped three straight games and seven of their last 10 as their division lead has shrunk to single digits (9.0 game advantage).

Much like the theme of their previous three losses on the current road trip, Fresno let the lead slip away on Monday afternoon. They went up 2-0 in the first when Domingo Santana followed Tyler White's RBI single with a moonshot homer (16) into the parking lot in left-center field.

However, Tacoma retaliated in the bottom of the first by plating five runs off Fresno starter Brady Rodgers (ND; 8 ER/2.0 IP), four of which came with two outs. Rodgers looked like he was about to get out of the inning with a 2-1 advantage when Robbie Grossman's throw home on a single by Jabari Blash was well ahead of Jesus Montero attempting to score, but the ball bounced off the glove of catcher Max Stassi. With the game tied 2-2 due to the missed catch and tag, John Hicks took advantage of the extra opportunity by crushing a three-run homer to left to hand the Rainiers a three-run cushion.

The Rainiers tacked on three more runs in the second when Stefen Romero (RBI single) and Patrick Kivlehan (two-run single) added run-scoring hits. The end of the inning marked the last pitch for Rodgers, who not only turned in the shortest outing by a Grizzlies starter this season (2.0 IP), but also matched his career-high runs allowed with eight.

But the Grizzlies showed extreme resiliency when they entered the seventh inning trailing 9-3. Tony Kemp, who broke a 0-for-24 skid earlier in the game with a bunt single, led off the seventh with a single and scored along with Max Stassi on a single by Andrew Aplin. Robbie Grossman added an RBI single two batters later to cut the deficit to three, which prompted Tacoma manager Pat Listach to yank starter Roenis Elias and put in reliever Danny Farquhar. The change didn't prove fruitful for the Rainiers as Matt Duffy plated Sclafani on a single, while Nolan Fontana doubled in Domingo Santana to bring Fresno within a run. With Listach wanting a lefty-lefty matchup for the upcoming at bat, Tyler Olson entered the game, but he gave up a go-ahead two-run triple to Tony Kemp that made it 10-9 Grizzlies. Kemp became the third Grizzlies player to record two hits in an inning this season (last, Alex Presley on June 1st at Oklahoma City).

But a defensive mental error by second baseman Joe Sclafani and two wild pitches by James Hoyt in the eighth handed the game back over to Tacoma. With a runner on first and nobody out, Ketel Marte grounded deep into the hole at shortstop, but Sclafani failed to cover second, giving Nolan Fontana nowhere to throw the baseball. Hoyt replaced Stoffel after the righty retired Stefen Romero on a fly ball and proceeded to retired his first batter faced when Jesus Montero lined out to second to make it two outs. Still holding a 10-9 lead with runners on second and third and Justin Ruggiano at the plate, Hoyt bounced a wild pitch in front of the plate and all the way to the backstop to allow Marte to race home from third and plate the tying run. Following the wild pitch, manager Tony DeFrancesco signaled to intentionally walk Ruggiano with a runner on third, but Hoyt airmailed a soft toss to Stassi, which let the go-ahead run come across to score.

Fresno failed to score in the top of the ninth off reliever Tony Zych, which effectively handed a loss to Jason Stoffel, who was responsible for the two runners who scored in the eighth.

The Grizzlies enjoy the rest of the evening off and all of Tuesday. They'll pick up the last leg of their season-long road trip on Wednesday when they begin a three-game series against the Reno Aces in Nevada before returning home to Chukchansi Park on Saturday, August 1st at 7:05 PM. To inquire about promotions and ticket offers to the Grizzlies upcoming nine-game homestand, call the ticket office at 559.320.TIXS.

TIDBITS TO KNOW

Andrew Aplin went 4-4 with 2 RBI ... the four hits were a season-high

Both Tyler White (14 games) and Joe Sclafani (11 games) extended their career-high hitting streaks

The Houston Astros announced earlier this morning that outfielder Alex Presley has accepted his assignment to Fresno and will report to the team for their series opener at Reno. A corresponding roster move will be announced prior to the Wednesday night game.

Check out the Fresno Grizzlies Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from July 27, 2015


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