Fresno cruises to 7th straight win
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno Grizzlies (74-48) first baseman Tyler White improved his batting average with runners on base to .500 (39-78) and fell a triple short of the cycle in the club's 10-4 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs (51-72) on Monday night at Chukchansi Park. He was responsible for the first five Fresno runs and finished the scoring off with a ground rule double to right-center in the eighth. The victory puts the Grizzlies one win away from securing their third sweep in the last four series as they went to 15-1 in the month of August.
Dan Straily continued to make mincemeat of Pacific Coast League hitters, allowing two runs over seven innings, striking out eight and not issuing a walk. He's 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA (13 ER/52.0 IP), 54 strikeouts and a 0.88 WHIP over his last eight Triple-A starts. Tonight, he retired the first six batters he faced, surrendered a single run in both the third and fourth, and went on to scatter two hits over his final three frames to pick up his team-leading 10th victory.
Max Stassi collected his first three-hit game of the year, contributing an RBI single in a four-run fourth inning that pushed the Grizzlies lead to 7-2. The catcher has started six of the past seven games, going 8-23 (.348) with seven RBI.
Jon Singleton and Alex Presley both launched solo homers, which marked their first long balls since being optioned back to Fresno. Both jacks came off lefty Fabian Williamson, who joined the Zephyrs today after being promoted from Double-A Jacksonville.
The 10 runs by Fresno was the 19th time they've scored double-digit runs (18-1 record), while the 15 hits made it 62 times they've amounted double-digit hits in a contest (47-15 record).
The magic number for the Grizzlies to clinch their division and first playoff spot since 1998 is now eight. Right-hander Mark Appel takes the mound on Tuesday night looking to finish off a series sweep for Fresno. New Orleans counters with righty Blake Logan, who hopes to help snap the Zephyrs nine-game losing streak.
Tuesday night at Chukchansi Park is Armenian Heritage Night, which coincides with the best entertainment value in the Valley, with fans being able to get $2 Power Alley Tickets (day of game only), $2 Dos Equis, $2 Hot Dogs, $2 Sodas, and 2-for-1 ticket offers in the Phoenix Club and Field Box. The night will include a moment of silence for the Armenian Genocide, a ceremonial first pitch by KSEE24 evening news anchor Stefani Booroojian, and a dinner buffet by Kebab Express for Phoenix Club ticket holders. For more information on the promotions for Tuesday's game, contact the Chukchansi Park Box Office at 559.320.TIXS (open at 9 AM).