Grizzlies tamed by Giants 8-2 Saturday Night

Fresno, CA (Saturday, April 27) – The Fresno Grizzlies (12-6) were caged by the San Jose Giants (8-11) 8-2 Saturday evening from Chukchansi Park. After Fresno won their first five games against San Jose, they have now lost the last three and hope for a series split tomorrow. The Grizzlies suffered their first loss of the season when scoring first (11-1) and fell to 0-3 in the black and gold jerseys.

In his second game and first start since joining the Grizzlies, GJ Hill made a great first impression by launching a leadoff homer to right field. Hill netted both of the Fresno runs, after racing home on a wild pitch in the third inning. Thanks to a single in the eighth, Andy Perez has now hit safely in 18 consecutive games to start the season. That is tied for the second-longest hit streak in the Grizzlies/Rockies affiliation (since 2021). Drew Romo enjoyed a 21-game hit streak in 2021. Fresno southpaw Isaiah Coupet (2-1) was tagged with the defeat after permitting 12 hits and six runs over four innings of work. Coupet fanned a career-high seven batters and did not issue a walk. Collin Baumgartner and Braden Carmichael both tossed scoreless outings, combining for four punchouts. Stu Flesland III whiffed five batters, knotting the 2024 record for most strikeouts by a Fresno reliever. The quartet of arms logged 16 punchouts, the most by the pitching staff this year.

The Giants offense went wild, recording eight runs on 18 hits, which included a five-run fourth inning (10 batters). Six different starters registered a multi-hit game, with four of them producing three or more knocks. Jonah Cox supplied four hits at the top of the lineup, tallying two RBI. Ty Hanchey, Javier Francisco and Jean Carlos Sio each mustered three hits, pooling together for five runs scored. Sio laced a triple while Hanchey roped a double. San Jose righty Ubert Mejias (1-1) was awarded the win after five innings of two-run ball. The duo of Shane Rademacher and Cole Hillier struck out five over four shutout innings to end the night. The squads conclude the series tomorrow afternoon from Chukchansi Park.

Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies)

• 2B GJ Hill (2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R)
• SS Andy Perez (1-4, SB)
• RHP Collin Baumgartner (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)

Top Performers: San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants)

• CF Jonah Cox (4-6, 2 RBI, R, 3 SB)
• SS Jean Carlos Sio (3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R)
• 2B Javier Francisco (3-5, RBI, 2 R)

On Deck:

Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 1:05 pm PT San Jose Giants at Fresno Grizzlies

San Jose LHP Dylan Carmouche (0-1, 2.77) vs. Fresno RHP Jace Kaminska (1-0, 0.71)

On That Fres-Note:

In Collin Baumgartner’s first seven games of the year (April 6-27), the Kansas product is 1-0 with three holds. Baumgartner has hurled 11 scoreless innings, permitting two hits and two walks while fanning 19.