Streak Ends at Six Straight, Nuts Lose 6-2
Frazier (7-9) gave up three straight hits to start the game, but allowed just one run to score. He gave up a lead off triple in the second, but retired the next three in order to end the inning without allowing a run. He retired nine straight following the second inning triple before giving up a double to start the fifth.
Bakersfield (51-51) starter J.C. Sulbaran earned the win after allowed just one unearned run on five hits over 6.1 innings. Sulbaran (7-2) walked two, struck out four and improved to 3-0 versus Modesto this season.
Sulbaran's lone run allowed came in the third when Delta Cleary Jr. started the inning with a drag bunt single and moved to third on a throwing error by catcher Kevin Coddington. Coddington threw low to first in an attempt to catch Cleary on the bunt play, but the ball bounched away and into right field. Cleary moved from first to third on the error and scored on a groundout to second from Rutledge to tie the game. The Nuts (49-53) managed to tie the game at 1-1 with the unearned run in the third, but fell behind 5-1 when Greene hit his grand slam off Frazier in the fifth.
Frazier retired nine straight after the lead off triple to Stephen Hunt in the second, but failed to keep Coddington off the bases to start the fifth. He led off the inning with a double and was joined on base by Devin Lohman after he reached on an one out single to short. A.J. Means followed with a pop out to second, but Frazier walked Ryan LaMarre and then gave up the two-out grand slam to Greene.
The Blaze led 5-1 after the fifth and would add one more run and two hits against Frazier in the eighth. Frazier got out of the eighth when Greene was caught at home trying to score from third on a fly out to right by Chris Richburg. Greene had a RBI double in the inning, moved to third on a groundout from Jorge Jimenez and was caught at home by Kent Matthes when trying to tag and score from third on Richburg's flyout.
Modesto managed one more run in the ninth after Cleary started the inning with a double and scored on a single to right from Rutledge. Nolan Arenado grounded into a double play to end the inning and the Blaze finished their 6-2 win in game one of the series.
Derek Lutz followed Sulbaran in the seventh and would keep the Nuts scoreless over 1.2 innings pitched. Scott Gaffney pitched the ninth and allowed two hits and one run in the inning.
Will Harris pitched the ninth and kept the Blaze without a run in the inning. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one in his appearance. It was his first scoreless appearance since July 8.
The four game series continues on Thursday night with Alan DeRatt starting for the Nuts against Bakersfield's Curtis Partch. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. at John Thurman Field.