Mahoney, Fresno wind up on wrong side of 1-0 pitcher’s duel to San Jose

San Jose, CA (Friday, June 28) – The Fresno Grizzlies (3-4, 41-31) dropped a 1-0 pitcher’s duel to the San Jose Giants (5-2, 42-30) Friday night from Excite Ballpark. Fresno fell to 9-11 in one-run affairs (2-7 away) and suffered just their second road loss on a Friday this season (5-2 overall). The Grizzlies are now 9-10 against the Giants in 2024 and will have to win the next two games to salvage a series split.

Buzz was in the air at Excite Ballpark as the scheduled pitching matchup was eagerly anticipated by fans and media alike. The Grizzlies gave the ball to reigning California League Pitcher of the Week and Rockies #19 prospect Jack Mahoney, who was coming off of a complete game shutout last Friday. On the other side, the Giants handed the rock to San Francisco rehabber and 10-year MLB veteran Robbie Ray, a former Cy Young Winner and All-Star. The two starters did not disappoint, both tossing shutout outings. Mahoney hurled five and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and two walks while fanning five. Two of the three hits permitted by Mahoney did not leave the infield. The South Carolina alum extended his scoreless streak to 20.2 frames, spanning three starts. Over four June outings, Mahoney is 1-0 with a 1.05 ERA. Ray chucked three and two-thirds innings, giving up three infield singles, while punching out four. The lefty looked dominant all evening as he continues to recover from Tommy John Surgery.

The teams traded zeroes until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Giants showed some life against Grizzlies righty Cade Denton. A trio of singles, which included a broken bat, loaded the bases for Drew Cavanaugh. The San Jose catcher watched a 3-2 pitch run inside, drawing a walk and plating the only run of the contest. Denton (0-1) took the defeat after appearing in his second straight game. Sam Weatherly followed the Oral Roberts product, shutting down any more damage in the seventh and again in the eighth. Weatherly yielded a pair of inning-ending double plays over two solid frames of work. The Giants’ piggy-back to Ray, Shane Rademacher (6-2) relished the victory after five and one-third dazzling innings of relief. Rademacher ran into slight trouble after a one-out triple by Andy Perez in the seventh, but struck out both batters to stop the chaos. He finished with six punchouts and was tagged for just two hits. The squads continue their six-game set tomorrow evening from the South Bay.

Top Performers: Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado Rockies)

• RHP Jack Mahoney (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
• LHP Sam Weatherly (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)
• DH Andy Perez (2-4, 3B)

Top Performers: San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants)

• RHP Shane Rademacher (5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K)
• LHP Robbie Ray (3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)
• 1B Guillermo Williamson (1-2, R, 2 BB)

On Deck:

Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm PT Fresno Grizzlies at San Jose Giants

Fresno LHP Isaiah Coupet (4-2, 3.81) vs. San Jose RHP Ubert Mejias (3-4, 3.55)

On That Fres-Not**es:**

For the second straight night, the Grizzlies offense did not record a walk. They had not completed that feat until yesterday’s contest.

Grizzlies’ DH Andy Perez collided with Giants’ 2B Jean Carlos Sio at first after an infield single by Perez in the fourth. Sio had to leave the game with blood rushing down his face.