Astros Fresno Recap July 10 – 16: Grizzlies earn road sweep after break

The Houston Astros’ Triple-A affiliate Fresno Grizzlies swept a four-game road series coming out of the All-Star break.

Arguably the hottest team in Triple-A, the Astros’ Fresno Grizzlies seemed to come back stronger after the All-Star break. With no games Monday through Wednesday, the team started a four-game road series against Tacoma on Thursday. Thanks to some strong pitching performances, Fresno earned the sweep. Here are the details.

Breaking out the Brooms

The Grizzlies opened the series with a 5-1 win on Thursday. Trent Thornton earned the win, tossing five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts. Teoscar Hernandez hit a pair of solo homers, while Jon Kemmer smacked a two-run triple.

Fresno took Friday’s game in a 4-0 shutout. David Martinez settled for a no-decision despite throwing six shutout innings. A.J. Reed hit a two-run double in a four-run eighth inning, while Tony Kemp had three hits and a walk.

The Grizzlies blew out Tacoma 11-2 on Saturday. Dean Deetz got the win after giving up two runs in five innings. Tyler White hit a grand slam, Reed homered and drove in three, and Juan Centeno reached base three times and drove in two runs. Hernandez added three hits, including two doubles.

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Fresno capped off the sweep with a 5-4 victory on Sunday. White hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning after Mike Hauschild allowed one run in four innings. Kemp finished a triple shy of the cycle, driving in two with his homer.

Player of the Week: Tony Kemp

Again, Kemp is the man. He extended his hitting streak to 21 games and had hit safely in 31 of his last 32. He hit an even .500 in the Tacoma series to raise his season average to .340. Kemp also had three walks and just one strikeout in that span. He’s basically Fresno’s version of Jose Altuve at the moment, meaning he’s a big part of the team’s recent surge.

Next: Astros: Collin McHugh starts in AA and will return this weekend

What’s Next

The Grizzlies open up a four-game road series at Las Vegas on Monday. They then open up an eight-game homestand on Friday, starting with four games against Round Rock. Fresno sits at 53-41 on the year, just two games behind first-place Reno, which has lost three straight.

***Statistics courtesy of MiLB.com***