The Fresno Grizzlies (52-41) won for the 17th time in 20 games Saturday night at Tacoma with a 9-2 victory, taking the first three games of the series from the homestanding Rainiers (46-46). In their last five games dating to before the All-Star Break, the Grizzlies have allowed just six
The Fresno Grizzlies (52-41) won for the 17th time in 20 games Saturday night at Tacoma with a 9-2 victory, taking the first three games of the series from the homestanding Rainiers (46-46). In their last five games dating to before the All-Star Break, the Grizzlies have allowed just six total runs, not allowing more than two runs in any game with one shutout (Friday). The nine-run margin of victory on Saturday was the largest for Fresno this season; having won by eight runs three times prior.
Fresno is 34-12 since May 25, going from 11 games under .500 to 11 games over. The Grizzlies have also won eight consecutive games on the road, the first time that's happened since the 2014 San Francisco Giants-affiliated club swept an eight-game road trip through El Paso and Albuquerque April 28 to May 5.
Daniel Vogelbach (2-for-3) opened the scoring for Tacoma with a two-run homer (11) to left field in the bottom of the first. The Grizzlies held serve a half-inning later, when A.J. Reed (2-for-5, 3 RBI) hit his 16th homer of the season after a Colin Moran (2-for-3) walk to even the score 2-2. In the third, Teoscar Hernández (3-for-5) narrowly missed a home run to the centerfield warning track, settling for an RBI double to give Fresno their first lead of the night, 3-2.
The Grizzlies blew the game wide open in the top of the fourth, when Tyler White (2-for-6) lifted his 15th homer, a grand slam to right field for a 7-2 lead. It was 8-2 Fresno in the fifth when Moran led the inning with a double to left and scored on a RBI single to center by Reed. After Derek Fisher and Hernandez led off the sixth with base hits, each scored on a Juan Centeno (2-for-4) two-RBI knock to center, making it 11-2.
Fresno starter Dean Deetz (2-3) tossed a solid five innings, allowing just two (earned) runs on two hits. Deetz struck out six and walked two in his sixth career Triple-A start for the win. Left-hander Kent Emanuel finished the game with four innings of scoreless relief in his Triple-A debut, with four strikeouts for the save. Emanuel had been promoted from Double-A Corpus Christi (Texas League) earlier in the day. The Grizzlies are now 8-3 against the Rainiers this season, with a 5-2 mark at Tacoma.
With a single to leadoff the top of the third, Tony Kemp extended his hit streak to 20 games, the second-longest this season by a Fresno batter. Kemp, who has also hit safely in 30 of his last 31 games, is one shy of Juan Centeno's long Grizz streak in 2017, which is also the longest franchise hit streak in the Houston Astros-affiliated era (since 2015).
The series finale is Sunday at 1:35 p.m., as the Grizzlies aim for their third four-game sweep of the season, and their second on the road. RHP Mike Hauschild (4-1, 5.36) will return from the disabled list for Fresno, starting opposite RHP Chase De Jong (3-4, 6.17) for Tacoma in the final meeting at Cheney Stadium between the clubs this season.
