Modesto Nuts win finale to avoid sweep against Ports; A’s Griffin sharp in rehab stint

Fans who braved the heat at John Thurman Field on Sunday were treated to a duel between one of the winningest pitchers in the California League and its highest-profile pitcher – over the past week anyway.

By the time it was over, neither Modesto’s Harrison Musgrave nor Stockton’s A.J. Griffin – the Oakland A’s pitcher making his second rehab start with the Ports – figured into the decision, a 5-1 Nuts victory that snapped a three-game skid and prevented a four-game sweep by Stockton.

Griffin, battling back from Tommy John surgery, threw 56 pitches, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out five in four innings.

“I felt good, really good,” said Griffin, who may make his next start for Triple-A Nashville. “I was able to execute my pitches well, keep them off balance and building up arm strength.”

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder set a blistering pace, starting his windup almost immediately after receiving the ball from his catcher.

Perhaps he just wanted to get out of the heat, which reached triple digits.

“No, I’ve always worked fast,” said Griffin, who was 7-1 as a rookie in 2012 and 14-10 the following season. “I’ve thrown a 2-hour, 15-minute game before. My games are usually around 2:45, if I go deep.”

Sunday’s game lasted 2:30 – and that had as much to do with Musgrave, who entered the game tied for most wins (six) in the Cal League.

For the second time in his last three outings, Musgrave (6-1, 3.17 ERA) reached the fifth inning before giving up a hit. On May 25, in a 2-0 win over Visalia, he was perfect for 51/3. Against the Ports, while not quite as sharp, Musgrave scattered five hits, two walks and a hit batter over 61/3 with six strikeouts.

“He kept the hitters off balance and was effective with his change and pitching in,” Nuts skipper Fred Ocasio said. “Pretty much what the other pitcher (Griffin) was doing to our hitters.”

Switch hitter Rosell Herrera, batting about 100 points lower left-handed than from the right, had the lone hit off Griffin, from the left side, to extend his hitting streak to 10 games (he’s hitting .343 during that span).

“He’s been struggling a bit from the left side,” Ocasio said of Herrera, who also had a hit from the left side in Saturday’s 13-2 defeat. “A couple of years ago, he had a monster season in (Low-A) Asheville (N.C.), and he hit really well as a lefty.”

In 2013, Herrera hit .343 overall (.352 as a righty and .341 from the left with all 16 homers coming off right-handed pitchers). He was 2 for 4 on Sunday, with a hit from each side, but it was a groundout in the seventh that tied the score 1-1. He drove in Jordan Patterson, who led off with a single and moved to third on Ryan McMahon’s double to left.

The Nuts took the lead when catcher Troy Stein doubled to left with two outs.

Modesto tacked on three runs in the eighth. Wilson Soriano tripled to lead off and scored on Patterson’s single to center. McMahon belted his 21st double of the season to score Patterson, and Correlle Prime singled in McMahon.

“All three of those guys, Patterson, McMahon and Prime, had two-out, two-strike hits,” Ocasio said. “And Stein had a two-out RBI in the seventh, just not with two strikes.”

Matt Pierpont (3-1), who relieved Musgrave, picked up the win, allowing just a hit in 12/3 innings. Matt Carasiti worked a perfect ninth.

Rancho Cucamonga comes to town Monday for three at Thurman Field, which will close this seven-game homestand. All games start at 7:05 p.m.

This story was originally published June 7, 2015 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Modesto Nuts win finale to avoid sweep against Ports; A’s Griffin sharp in rehab stint."