Grizzlies rough up Stingers with big 6th

FRESNO — The Fresno Grizzlies used a five-run sixth inning to overtake Salt Lake and then held on for the 7-3 win Monday night in the first game of a four-game road series.

Salt Lake starter Joe Saunders was cruising for five innings. He had allowed only two hits and three baserunners while throwing to a 3-0 lead, but in what has become a disturbing trend, he was unable to continue the effort through the sixth inning.

Saunders' ERA with Double-AA Arkansas before the sixth inning was below 4.00, but his sixth inning number skyrocketed into double digits. Fresno made that number even worse.

Ex-Stinger Julio Franco led off the inning with a monstrous home run over the left field wall. The shot must have rattled Saunders because the next five Grizzlies hit singles that resulted in five more runs. The rally was highlighted by Todd Linden's two-RBI single.

The Stingers jumped out front in the third with an RBI-double from Chris Prieto. They padded the lead in the fourth when Nick Gorneault hit a two-RBI triple— the two RBIs keep him tied for third in the PCL in that stat, and the triple moves him to second in the league.

Salt Lake could have easily added to its lead if not for some outstanding defensive plays by the Grizzlies. Linden robbed new call-up Alberto Callaspo of extra bases and a run batted in with a diving catch in the third. But the play of the game may have been Doug Clark's sliding catch. With the bases loaded, Jeff Mathis hit a shot to the left-center gap, it looked like a bases-clearing hit before Mathis covered the distance from left field and slid into the catch for the inning-ending play.

Fresno added an insurance run in the seventh on Clark's sacrifice-fly, and one more in the eighth on Tony Torcato's home run.

The series continues tonight at 8.