Fresno Grizzlies punch their ticket to the playoffs, Hartford Yard Goats fall just short.

It’s been a fantastic 2022 season for the Fresno Grizzlies, and that magic continued on Thursday as the Grizzlies captured the first-half title with a 4-2 victory over Modesto (SEA). The win secured their spot in the California League playoffs in September and marks the first time in franchise history the team has reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

They weren’t the only affiliate in the hunt for a playoff spot at the end of the first half, however. The Hartford Yard Goats battled the Somerset Patriots (NYY) on the road, with first place on the line between the two teams. The title came down to the final game on Sunday, and a late rally by Hartford took the game to extra-innings. After posting a run to start the tenth, the Yard Goats sat three outs away from a playoff berth but were unable to seal the deal and ultimately fell short.

Elsewhere around the system, the Albuquerque Isotopes were unable to out-slug Las Vegas (OAK) in Nevada while the Spokane Indians split their home series with Everett (SEA). The ACL Rockies swept the week, posting five wins while the DSL squads posted six wins between the two teams. Aside from the playoff chase, one of the biggest stories of the week was the return of Benny Montgomery (No. 2 PuRP), who appeared for the ACL Rockies on a rehab assignment in his first game-action since the middle of May.

For more on each affiliate’s first-half, check out our recap here.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (2-4, 34-38 overall)

The ball was flying in Las Vegas last week, as the Isotopes and Aviators combined to score 94 runs in six games. There were home runs aplenty for Albuquerque, as all but two hitters who stepped up to the plate went deep in the series with 18 total balls being driven out of the yard. Wynton Bernard, Sam Hilliard, Coco Montes and Jonathan Morales all collected multiple homers with Hilliard and Morales leading the way with three each. Montes produced the most impressive week overall, posting a 1.471 OPS with a team-high nine hits, eight RBI and 18 total bases.

As you would expect, with the good from the offense came the bad with the pitching. Jose Ureña was the only starter to allow less than four runs in his start, surrendering just one in five innings pitched. There were strong performances by lefty relievers Nick Kennedy and Reagan Todd, however. The two southpaws combined to throw 4 ⅓ scoreless innings over five appearances with six strikeouts amassed.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 43-26 overall)

Noah Davis (No. 19 PuRP) had two excellent starts last week, including the deciding game of the Eastern League first-half on Sunday. Davis allowed two runs in each start and finished the week with 12 strikeouts, a 2.84 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over 12 ⅔ IP. Michael Baird also delivered a two-run outing in his win, striking out six in 6 ⅔ innings. Out of the bullpen, P.J. Poulin appeared in three games, allowing one unearned run over 5 ⅓ innings with six strikeouts and a 0.56 WHIP.

At the plate, Ezequiel Tovar (No. 6 PuRP) had another fantastic week, going 11-for-29 with three doubles. He now has ten more hits and sits eight points higher in AVG than the next closest Eastern League hitters. Michael Toglia (No. 7 PuRP) also had a strong week with three homers and five walks drawn, resulting in a 1.010 OPS despite a .200 AVG. Jimmy Herron also went deep, his eighth of the season in 163 AB.

High-A: Spokane Indians (3-3, 35-32 overall)

It was an up-and-down week for the Indians’ rotation. Headliners Tony Locey (HM PuRP), Joe Rock (No. 16 PuRP) and Mike Ruff each allowed at least five runs in their starts while Will Ethridge and Andrew Quezada permitted two runs or less in theirs. The bullpen did their part, however, as Anderson Bido, Austin Kitchen and Anderson Pilar combined to toss 12 scoreless frames with 15 strikeouts.

Zac Veen (No. 1 PuRP) delivered another fantastic week to close out the first-half, posting a 1.324 OPS with five of his six hits going for extra-bases and three stolen bases. Veen’s three swipes paled in comparison to Eddy Diaz (No. 30 PuRP) who tallied an impressive seven stolen bases. Julio Carreras (HM PuRP) and Grant Lavigne (No. 22 PuRP) each posted four extra-base hits and an OPS north of 1.000 in the series.

Fresno Grizzlies (2-4, 41-28 overall)

After a tough start to the year in High-A Spokane, Ben Sems had his best week of the season with a team-high three extra-base hits and four RBI. His 11 total bases tied with Zach Kokoska and Adael Amador (No. 17 PuRP). Each had seven hits in the series with Amador drawing three walks without striking out and Kokoska scoring five runs.

On the hill, McCade Brown (No. 29 PuRP) recorded a career-high ten strikeouts in six innings. He now has 57 punch-outs in 38 IP. Mason Green delivered another strong start with seven strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in seven innings. His 64 strikeouts is tied for the team-lead with Case Williams, who allowed just two runs to cross and one walk over five innings in his start.

★ ★ ★

★ ★ ★

Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 6/28-7/3 vs Sugar Land (HOU)

Double-A Hartford: 6/28-7/3 vs Binghamton (NYM)

High-A Spokane: 6/28-7/3 @ Vancouver (TOR)

Low-A Fresno: 6/28-7/3 @ Stockton (OAK)