Top 20 All-Time Crowd Sees Grizzlies Defeat Las Vegas 2-1 in Home
April 16, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Fresno Grizzlies News Release
A.J. Reed of the Fresno Grizzlies Completes his Swing
(Fresno Grizzlies, Credit: Kiel Maddox)
Worth a Reed: Two homers, 11 strikeouts thrill fans in home opener Top 20 all-time Chukchansi Park crowd saw Grizzlies beat Las Vegas 51s 2-1 on Friday
For the most anticipated Fresno Grizzlies home opener in years, 13,415 fans poured through the gates at Chukchansi Park, the 16th-largest crowd in the history of the facility.
Unless someone made the drive from Las Vegas, not one among them left disappointed.
Taking the field at home for the first time as defending Pacific Coast League and Triple-A National Champions, the Fresno pitching staff dazzled on Friday night, striking out a season-high 11 batters in a 2-1 win over the 51s. While offense was at a premium, how the Grizzlies (4-3) got there produced maximum excitement for the capacity-plus crowd.
Danny Worth (3-for-4) broke a scoreless stalemate in the sixth, lifting a towering home run to the Fulton Mall beyond left field for a 1-0 lead. A double to left-center in his first at-bat extended Worth's hit streak to a club-high seven games, as he's hit safely in every Grizzlies game thus far. Through seven games, Worth currently tops Fresno's club in homers (three), and multi-hit games (five). After four two-hit efforts, Friday's three-hit outburst was his first of the season. Worth's .419 average (13-for-31) actually ranks second to Tony Kemp (.435) at the moment for the team lead, as Kemp is 10 for his last 21. Worth's seven RBI trail only Colin Moran (1-for-3) for the Grizzlies lead; Moran too has hit safely in each game he's played (six), thanks to a sixth inning single.
A T.J. Rivera sac-fly for Las Vegas (3-4) tied the game in the seventh, scoring Mets top prospect Gavin Cechini with two out after Cecchini, a shortstop, singled earlier in the inning.
That only set the stage for Astros top prospect A.J. Reed (2-for-4) to make as grand a home debut in Fresno as possible. If any of the prospect talk and the specter of a big league call-up this season is getting to Reed in his first Triple-A season, you'd never know it. With one out in the eighth, first pitch swinging, Reed stroked his second Grizz homer to left, and his second in as many nights, sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy. It proved to be the game winner, and Reed fittingly squeezed a throw at first from Nolan Fontana at third to end the game on a ground out, a 1-2-3 ninth inning for James Hoyt. Hoyt also added Fresno's 11th strikeout in the final frame, converting his second save in as many chances in 2016.
Fresno starter Brad Peacock (ND) nipped a five-strikeout performance on opening day at Las Vegas with six punchouts of the 51s at home. He allowed just one hit- not until the fifth, in five scoreless innings. Jandel Gustave (1.2 IP) and Kevin Chapman (1.1 IP) each struck out two before Hoyt set the season-high. Chapman earned the winning decision, his first of the year.
Las Vegas reliever Dario Alvarez took the loss in relief, while 51s starter Andrew Barbosa was excellent as well, in his Triple-A debut no less. He scattered seven hits but just a lone earned run, with six strikeouts in five innings of work.
Prior to the game-winning blast, Reed dropped in his fourth double of the season in the sixth. Friday capped a two-day stretch between Salt Lake and Fresno where Reed went 5-for-9 with two homers, three RBI and four runs scored. After both losses came by one run in a series split Monday through Thursday at Salt Lake, Friday was the Grizzlies' first one-run victory of the season.
Game two of this four-game set at Chukchansi Park is slated for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night. Scheduled starters are RHP Gabriel Ynoa (0-0, 3.60) for Las Vegas and RHP Asher Wojciechowski (1-0, 10.80) for Fresno.
Images from this story
 A.J. Reed of the Fresno Grizzlies Crosses the Plate (Kiel Maddox, Fresno Grizzlies) |
 A.J. Reed of the Fresno Grizzlies Completes his Swing (Kiel Maddox) |
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