Nashville Notches Shutout Win in Tuesday’s Home Opener

by Bill Craig / A’s Farm Nashville Correspondent

Another strong performance by RHP James Naile helped the Nashville Sounds open their first homestand of the 2018 season with a 7-0 shutout win over the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday night. The Sounds are now 3-1 in home openers since taking up residence at First Tennessee Park back in 2015.

Home cooking must have really done the team good as the Sounds seemed to leave their cold bats and defensive struggles behind in New Orleans. The team was firing on all cylinders on Tuesday as Nashville breezed to victory in its first home game of the season.

RHP Naile made his second start of the season for the Sounds and earned his second win. He tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up seven hits while striking out three. Naile got some solid support from the defense as the Sounds turned double plays behind him in the first, second and fourth innings to help keep the Cubs off the scoreboard. The team turned a fourth double play in the seventh after Naile had already exited the game.

The Sounds got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning when left fielder B.J. Boyd singled in first baseman Slade Heathcott, who’d reached on his first double of the season with one out in the inning. Boyd quickly swiped second to notch his second stolen base of the year and then came around to score on a double by second baseman Steve Lombardozzi. The Sounds tacked on two additional runs in the fifth when center fielder Dustin Fowler lined the first pitch from reliever Brad Markey into the right-field corner for a 2-RBI double, scoring both Boyd and Lombardozzi.

Meanwhile, the Sounds bullpen continued its solid performance this season. RHP Josh Lucas relieved Naile in the sixth inning with two outs and two men on and got a pop fly to keep the shutout intact. Lucas remained in for a scoreless seventh before turning it over to RHP Ryan Dull, who’s currently with Nashville on a rehab assignment. Dull retired the side in order in the eighth, striking out the first two batters he faced. RHP Bobby Wahl then came in to close things out in the ninth and, after giving up a leadoff walk, set the next three batters down in order to complete the seven-hit shutout for the Sounds. Nashville’s bullpen combined to allow no hits and no runs while issuing two walks in 3 1/3 innings of work on Tuesday.

The Sounds have announced that RHP Frankie Montas (0-1, 54.00 ERA) will make the start on Wednesday and RHP Trevor Cahill (0-1, 2.25 ERA) will start the series finale against Iowa on Thursday.

Click here to check out our complete recap of all the day’s action in the A’s system.

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