Ports' Welcome in Grizzlies for First Time in Franchise History

STOCKTON, Calif.- The Stockton Ports are back home at Banner Island Ballpark for a six-game series hosting the first-place Fresno Grizzlies. This is the first time in franchise history the Fresno Grizzlies have come to Banner Island and will open action on Tuesday night at 7:05 pm. A full schedule, including links for radio broadcasts on Fox Sports 1280 AM are below.

At Bat This Week

Stockton is back at home for the Fresno Grizzlies as they’ll look to build off their previous series against their Northern Division rival. The Ports tabbed their first season series win just a few weeks ago down in Fresno winning four out of six games. The Grizzlies come into town after handing San Jose their first series loss of the season taking five out of six this past week and overtaking first place.

vs. Fresno Grizzlies

Banner Island Ballpark // Stockton, Calif.

· Tuesday, July 13th // 7:05 p.m. PT

· Wednesday, July 14th // 7:05 p.m. PT

· Thursday, July 15th // 7:05 p.m. PT

· Friday, July 16th // 7:05 p.m. PT

· Saturday, July 17th // 7:05 p.m. PT

· Sunday, July 18th // 6:05 p.m. PT

Radio Stream: https://ihr.fm/3rbZgKn

Twitter: @stockonports

On Deck

Following this week’s series against Fresno, the Ports are back on the road traveling to Excite Ballpark for the first time this season taking on the San Jose Giants. The previous 18 games between the two teams have been at Banner Island Ballpark.

Against Fresno Grizzlies

The Stockton Ports and Fresno Grizzlies have a minimal amount of games against each other as the two met for just the first time in either’s franchise history back in June. This is the Grizzlies' first season in the California League and Low-A as they were previously a Triple-A affiliate and a part of the Pacific Coast League since 1998. The Ports came out on top when they went to Chuckchansi Park taking four out of six against the Grizzlies.

The Ports had one of their best offensive series against the Grizzlies out-scoring them 50-48, including two blowout wins and three games of 10+ runs of 11-6, 14-4, and 10-8.

About Last Series

Stockton dropped their first series in nearly a month after a setback losing four of the six games this past week against the third-place Modesto Nuts at John Thurman Field on the road.

The Ports fell quiet to the Nuts being outscored 35-33. The pitching took a step back this series with a 5.10 ERA after posting a stingy sub 4.00 ERA coming into it.

Despite losing the series, the Ports were able to achieve a first as they notched their first shutout win of the season in their 9-0 route over the Nuts Thursday night.

Five Runs is Key

Through the first 60 games of 2021, scoring five runs has been the barometer for the Ports’ success. Stockton is 21-12 when scoring five or more runs, and just 4-22 when scoring four or less. The Ports have scored 173 total runs in their 25 wins (6.9 runs/game) and 118 runs in their 35 losses (3.4/game). During their series with the Giants, however, each of the Ports' three wins came when scoring less than five runs.

Ports' Staff Rounding Into Form

Although the Ports' pitching staff is sixth in Low-A-West with a 4.95 ERA for the season, Stockton has enjoyed a good stretch of quality pitching over the past two weeks-plus. Over their last 18 games since June 22 the Ports are second in the league with a 4.78 ERA, trailing only the San Jose Giants. The Ports also notched their first shutout of 2021 with a 9-0 win over Modesto on July 8. During the previous two weeks from June 7-20, the Ports sported an ERA of 6.53, last in the league during that stretch.

Player To Watch

Over his last 24 games, Lawrence Butler is 28-for-91 (.294) with five doubles, three triples, and five home runs while adding 17 RBIs. He has scored 18 runs, walked 18 times, and has a slugging percentage just south of 1.000. Butler also leads the club with 116 plate appearances during that stretch and had a six-game hitting streak snapped in yesterday's 14-3 loss against Modesto.

Who’s Hot/Who Else

During the series in Modesto, Junior Perez is 6-for- 20 with four doubles, a triple, and four RBIs. Perez leads the club over the last six games with 16 total bases, a .600 SLG, and 1.082 OPS.

After batting just .150 in 2021 through the end of the Ports' last series against the Giants, Gavin Jones found his stroke in the series against the Nuts. The Ports' infielder is 8-for-20 (.400) with a double against Modesto.

Soderstrom Season-High Hitting Streak

Stockton Ports catcher Tyler Soderstrom enters this week’s series with a 12-game hitting streak, the longest by a Ports player this season. Soderstrom is slated to be back in the lineup for the Ports Tuesday after being out Saturday and Sunday appearing in the All-Star Futures Game Sunday. During that stretch, the Turlock native is hitting .365 (19-52) with 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, a .731 SLG, and a whopping 1.152 OPS.