Fresno puts exclamation on roadtrip with 10-2 thrashing at Stockton

Stockton, CA (Monday, July 3) – The Fresno Grizzlies (44-31, 8-1) stomped the Stockton Ports (28-47, 3-6) 10-2 Monday night from Banner Island Ballpark. The red-hot Grizzlies took five out of six from the Ports and finished 10-2 on their 12-game roadtrip. Fresno improved to 11-2 in their last 13 games and 21-5 in their last 26 contests. The Grizzlies moved to 57-21 (14-10 this year) all-time against the Ports with a 30-6 (8-4 this year) record at Banner Island Ballpark. The Grizzlies have scored double-digit runs, 91 total, over their last eight wins against the Ports. In Fresno’s five triumphs during the series, the offense recorded 56 runs on 67 hits and 28 walks while the pitching staff punched out 65 Stockton batters (75 strikeouts overall in the series).

The Grizzlies’ pitching staff was unbelievable all evening, allowing two runs on seven hits while fanning a season-high 19 Ports’ batters. Jackson Cox started the fun with three shutout frames, his best outing in his young professional career. Cox allowed a pair of doubles and walks, stranding all four runners. Every out Cox recorded was via punchout, giving him a personal-best nine. Gabriel Barbosa (6-3) earned the win after three and one-third innings of work. Barbosa permitted a run on one hit and walk while striking out six. Braxton Hyde fanned one of his two outs while Sergio Sanchez punched out a pair in a 1-2-3 eighth. Tyler Hoffman gave up a late run despite tallying the 19th and final strikeout.

Fresno’s offense matched the outstanding pitching effort with 10 runs on 12 hits and four walks. The Grizzlies plated five runs in the second, four runs in the eighth and one final run in the ninth. Four batters relished multi-hit and RBI affairs while three different starters added two runs to their lines. In the second, Fresno hit for the inning cycle. Jake Snider roped a triple and waltzed home on a Jesus Bugarin double. Bugarin raced home on a Jesus Ordonez single to center. Parker Kelly rounded out the inning cycle with a two-run homer to right, his second longball of the year. Dyan Jorge mustered the fifth run of the frame with a groundout, his first Fresno RBI. Jorge, the Rockies #16 overall prospect made his Grizzlies debut Monday.

In the eighth, Fresno yielded four more runs that started with a Jamari Baylor solo shot to center. Bugarin whacked a triple to center, inches away from being a clout, plating Snider. An Ordonez sacrifice fly netted Bugarin and Daniel Amaral knocked in EJ Andrews Jr. with a single to right. Both Amaral and Bugarin extended their hit streaks to nine games. Amaral has hit safely in every contest since joining the Grizzlies. In the ninth, Baylor blasted his second solo fly of the game, providing him with six wallops on the year. It was the fourth time in 2023 that a Fresno batter went deep twice (Ryan Ritter 2x, Andrews Jr.).

Stockton starter Wander Guante (1-3) took the defeat after seven innings of five-run ball. Colby Thomas led the Ports’ lineup with three hits and one RBI. Dereck Salom and Cooper Uhl reached base three times apiece. Salom scored both Stockton runs. The Ports announced a sold-out crowd of 4,600, the largest road crowd of the season. The Grizzlies are back in action tomorrow night for their July 4th game against the San Jose Giants at Chukchansi Park.

Tonight’s article was written by ChatGPT

Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies)

• RHP Jackson Cox (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K)
• 2B Jamari Baylor (2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB)
• 1B Parker Kelly (2-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB)
• CF Jesus Bugarin (2-4, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R)
• LF Jake Snider (2-5, 3B, 2 R)

Top Performers: Stockton Ports (Oakland Athletics)

• CF Colby Thomas (3-5, 2B, RBI)
• 2B Dereck Salom (2-3, 2 R, BB)
• C Cooper Uhl (1-2, 2 BB)

On Deck:

Tuesday, July 4 vs. San Jose Giants, San Jose LHP Hayden Wynja (4-1, 4.17) vs. Fresno LHP Caleb Franzen (2-2, 4.45), 6:35 pm PT

ON THAT FRES-NOTE:

This season, the Grizzlies have scored 37% of their runs in innings 7-9 (162 runs of 437 total runs). The seventh inning has been the most productive for Fresno with 68 runs scoring.