Joe Musgrove shines again in second Triple-A start, Grizzlies beat Memphis

Thanks to a pair of dingers, a quality start and a dominating bullpen performance, the Fresno Grizzlies edged out the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) in the series-opener, as Fresno's second-longest road trip of the season (nine games) resumed on Thursday.

The Grizzlies strung together their first three base hits in the second, with singles by Matt Duffy (2-for-4), Jon Kemmer and Jack Mayfield (RBI). Duffy has now hit safely in 10 of 11 games after losing a nine-game hit streak a game ago, and it was Mayfield's first Triple-A RBI since joining Fresno. 

Still leading 1-0 in the fifth, Andrew Aplin's one-out single proved to be costly for Memphis starter Jeremy Hefner, as Danny Worth blasted his sixth home run of the season to left field, staking the Grizz to a 3-0 advantage. With 21 RBI this season, Worth is in a three-way tie with A.J. Reed and Jon Singleton for second on the club; Colin Moran leads the way with 22 but is currently in the Majors with Houston. Aplin has now hit safely in four of five games.

David Washington slugged Memphis back into the game in the sixth, lifting his fourth homer of the season to right-center. The two-run shot with two outs came after a Greg Garcia infield single with one out. 

For Houston Astros top pitching prospect Joe Musgrove (win, 1-0), it was a quality start in his second Triple-A outing, and Fresno improved to 2-0 in games he's started. The right-hander went six innings, scattered six hits, and struck out seven with no walks. Both runs were earned on his lone blemish, the homer by Washington. 

Hefner (loss, 2-2) lasted 5.2 innings, allowing six hits, two runs (both earned) with seven strikeouts and a walk. 

Leading 3-2 in the eighth, catcher Tyler Heineman smashed his second homer of the season, a one-out solo shot to make it a 4-2 ballgame. With James Hoyt pitching in the bottom of the ninth, Heineman erased a one-out single by Nick Martini, picking him off first base with a snap throw from behind the plate. Hoyt struck out two batters in the scoreless frame, and now leads the PCL in saves (nine), games pitched (19) and games finished (16). 

Jordan Jankowski and Kevin Chapman teamed up to toss a scoreless, hitless two innings in the seventh and eighth to get from Musgrove to Hoyt, with four strikeouts. Chapman struck out the side in the eighth, and the last eight batters he's retired have come via punchout. 

The victory meant avoiding a season-high five-game losing streak for Fresno, and they also snapped a seven-game road losing skid. The Grizzlies improved to 14-0 when leading after eight innings, and the win also improved Fresno to 7-4 this season in the first game of a series. They're 35-12 (.745) in such games during the Tony DeFrancesco era, beginning with opening day last season.

The series resumes tomorrow, with game six of the eight-game Tennessee trip at AutoZone Park in Memphis. RHP Brad Peacock (0-1, 4.62) is the probable starter for the Grizz, opposite RHP Arturo Reyes (3-2, 4.15) for the Redbirds. Game time is 5:05 PT / 7:05 CT.