Grizzlies launch four homers in offensive affair with Sacramento

The Fresno Grizzlies socked four home runs against the Sacramento River Cats in game two of "Rivalry Week" at Chukchansi Park, the final homestand of this season for the Grizz. A huge ninth-inning rally for the homestanding Grizzlies proved to be too little too late in a 12-10 loss, evening the series at a game apiece. Despite the result, four Fresno batters collected multiple hits in the slugfest.

Sacramento led 1-0 after an inning, after former Grizz Travis Ishikawa (2-for-3, 4 RBI) was plunked by Fresno starter Eury De La Rosa with the bases loaded, for the tough RBI. It was 2-0 in the second after Ruben Tejada (2-for-5) led off with a single, and scored on a gap double by Tony Sanchez (2-for-3, RBI). Sacramento blew the game open in the second, sending 10 batters to the plate, scoring four times total. De La Rosa (0-2) lasted just an inning and a third, allowing five earned runs on a walk and four hits.  

In the bottom of the second, the Grizzlies hit the first of three solo homers on the night, as they went deep three innings in a row in the second, third and fourth. With one out, Jon Singleton destroyed his team-leading 19th homer of the year off the batter's eye in center. In the top of the third Sacramento's Mac Williamson (2-for-5, 2 RBI) responded with his 10th homer, a two-run shot that also scored Kelby Tomlinson after a fielder's choice. It was Tyler White's turn to go yard in the third, as he smoked a liner way out to the left field alley, his 13th in Triple-A and his 20th homer overall this season, counting the seven he's hit in the big leagues with the Astros. White's blast made it an 8-2 Sacramento lead. The Grizzlies pulled within five runs in the fourth when Danny Worth (2-for-4, RBI) curved a deep fly ball around the foul pole in right field for his 10th homer, but in the fifth Ishikawa stroked a two-run single, giving him four RBI on the evening to make it 10-3 River Cats.

Jon Kemmer (2-for-5), who had two doubles on the night, led off the sixth with one of them, and moved to third on a Worth infield single. Kemmer scored on a one-out sac fly to center by Derek Fisher (2-for-3, 5 RBI), to make it a 10-4 game. Kemmer is batting .304 in the month of August, with eight home runs and 23 RBI since 8/1.  

River Cats starter Joan Gregorio went six innings for the win, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. He improved to 5-8 despite allowing three of the Grizzlies' four homers.

Trailing 12-4 in the eighth after Austin Slater's (2-for-4, 2 RBI) 12th homer of the year to lead off the inning and an Ali Castillo (2-for-6) RBI single, Fisher got another run back with his second RBI of the night. Colin Moran (3-for-5, 2 RBI) and Singleton reached on a single and walk respectively with one out, and Moran scored on a Fisher chopper into right field making it 12-5. The base hit for Fisher extended his current club-high hit streak to eight games, and he's 11-for-28 (.393) during the streak, with two homers and 10 RBI.  

Still trailing 12-5 in the ninth, the Grizzlies rallied for five runs to make it more than interesting. After loading the bases on two walks and an error, Sacramento reliever Jean Machi allowed a one-out, two-RBI single to Moran, before Fisher pulverized his fourth home run since being promoted to Triple-A, a bomb to center field off Machi. At 12-10, that put the tying run on deck for Fresno, but submarine right-hander Tyler Rogers entered for the final out, securing a Sacramento save and win. The defeat dropped the Grizzlies to 18-7 against the River Cats in two seasons as a Houston Astros affiliate, and the Grizz are still 7-2 against their rivals to the north this season.  

For Fisher, it was already his fourth multi-hit game in 17 Triple-A games (16 starts) since being moved up from Double-A Corpus Christi on August 7. Fisher's five RBI also gave the third-year pro and #7 Astros prospect according to MLB.com four multi-RBI games, having driven in two runs in a game for Fresno on three separate occasions before Thursday. 

Game three of the five-game set will be Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno. Astros top pitching prospect David Paulino will make his home debut for the Grizzlies, opposite PCL wins leader Ty Blach (13-7, 3.58), the Sacramento lefty.