by Bill Craig / A’s Farm Nashville Correspondent
Musicians in Nashville say that life on the road can be rough, and after getting knocked around in a four-game series out west, the Sounds might agree.
The boys from Nashville left Music City on Monday with a team ERA of 2.67 and a lineup that was heating up for the cooler climes of Colorado Springs…
Monday’s Game #1: Colorado Springs 17 – Nashville 3
RHP Chris Bassitt (1-1, 4.80) took the mound on Monday for his first start of the season after not pitching for two weeks. The 29-year-old struggled as Colorado Springs scored a run on a wild pitch in the first inning before pounding him for six more runs in the second. The Sky Sox then sent ten batters to the plate in the third against RHP Raul Alcantara (2-0, 7.04) and RHP Jake Sanchez (0-0, 1.35) and pushed seven of them across the dish to take a 14-2 lead.
RHP Bobby Wahl (2-0, 1.98) took over in the sixth and walked the first batter he faced. This proved costly when he later came around to score on a two-out wild pitch. And due to a shortage of available arms in the ‘pen, infielders Jake Heathcott and Steve Lombardozzi were both called upon to pitch for the first time in their careers. Heathcott held the Sky Sox scoreless in the seventh inning while registering a strikeout, and Lombardozzi then toed the rubber in the eighth, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.
Hot-hitting center fielder Dustin Fowler continued to blister the ball in this game, going 4 for 5 on the evening to increase his team-leading total of multi-hit games to ten. The left-handed hitter fell just short of hitting for the cycle for the second straight night after achieving the feat last year on April 30th against New Orleans. The Sounds lost the game by a final score of 17-3.
Tuesday’s Game #2: Colorado Springs 10 – Nashville 6
RHP Kendall Graveman (0-0, 9.53), who was optioned to Nashville last week, was called upon Tuesday night to make his first start for the Sounds and hopefully cool off the Sky Sox’ hot bats. The 27-year-old was solid early on, holding Colorado Springs scoreless for four innings before things came apart in the fifth and sixth. The right-hander exited after allowing six runs on eleven hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.
The Sounds put a pair of runs on the board in the top of the fourth when right fielder Anthony Garcia and first baseman Slade Heathcott each drove in a run, but the Sky Sox tied it up with two runs in fifth off Graveman. Third baseman Sheldon Neuse slapped a two-run double past third base to put Nashville back in the lead in the sixth. A sacrifice fly by catcher Dustin Garneau later in the same inning extended Nashville’s lead to 5-2. But six of the first seven Sky Sox batters reached base off Graveman in the bottom of the 6th, resulting in four runs for the home team, who took a 6-5 lead.
Neuse added to his RBI total for the day by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the seventh to even the score. Unfortunately, the Sounds failed to produce any more runs with the bases loaded and no outs. The Sky Sox took the lead for good after left fielder Kyle Wren‘s RBI single and shortstop Mauricio Dubon‘s three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th off RHP Simon Castro (1-1, 7.56), who took the loss. And it proved to be Castro’s last appearance for the Sounds as he was released on Thursday. In the end, the Sky Sox prevailed by a score of 10-6 on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s Game #3: Colorado Springs 8 – Nashville 1
A day game on Wednesday didn’t seem to change the dynamic for either team. The Sky Sox jumped ahead early thanks to a three-run blast off Sounds starter Eric Jokisch (0-4, 4.88 ERA) by former A’s farmhand Jacob Nottingham in the first inning. The Sounds got on the board when hot-hitting outfielder Dustin Fowler led off the fourth inning with a double and was driven in by designated hitter Beau Taylor to make it a 4-1 game at that point. But Jokisch gave up two more runs in the fifth inning and ended up allowing six runs, five earned, over six innings of work to take the loss as the Sounds went down to defeat by a score of 8-1.
Thursday’s Game #4: Nashville 14 – Colorado Springs 6 (Suspended)
RHP James Naile (3-2, 2.41), who was dominant in this first three starts of the season, made the start on Thursday with hope of stopping the Sounds’ three-game losing streak. Leadoff hitter Jorge Mateo got the Sounds on the board early Thursday afternoon by belting a home run on the second pitch of the game. Sky Sox catcher Christian Bethancourt ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the first and then crossed home plate on a single by second baseman Tyler Saladino to give his team an early 3-1 lead.
Sounds right fielder Anthony Garcia hit a solo shot in the second to cut the Sky Sox’ lead to one. But Colorado Springs answered with RBI doubles by shortstop Mauricio Dubon and first baseman Ji-Man Choi to put their team up 5-2. The Sounds continued to show life in the fourth when first baseman Slade Heathcott plated third baseman Sheldon Neuse on a double to right field. Heathcott scored when Jorge Mateo hit his second home run of the day, a shot to center field, that tied the game at 5-5. Starter James Naile exited after allowing five runs on nine hits and striking out four over four innings of work.
The Sounds’ bats stayed hot despite the 40-degree weather in Colorado Springs. Second baseman Steve Lombardozzi hit an RBI triple in the sixth to give the Sounds the lead, and he then came around to score on a double by Heathcott. The hits kept on coming in the seventh as catcher Beau Taylor ripped a triple that scored designated hitter Franklin Barreto, who’d singled to start the inning. Garcia then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Taylor.
RHP Emilio Pagan (0-0, 0.00), who was optioned to Nashville on Wednesday, took over on the mound for the Sounds in the fifth and struck out three in two hitless and scoreless innings of relief in his first appearance for Nashville. RHP Bobby Wahl came on to pitch the seventh and retired the side in order, striking out two.
The Sounds tacked on five more runs in the eighth thanks to run-scoring singles by center fielder Dustin Fowler and Franklin Barreto followed by a three-run homer by Garcia, his second round-tripper of the day. In the bottom of the eighth, Wahl walked the leadoff hitter, who eventually came around to score on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice. But the game was suspended with the Sounds up 14-6 after the eighth inning due to the Triple-A travel curfew rule. It will be resumed when Nashville travels back to Colorado Springs in August.
Up Next:
The Sounds will look to get back on the winning track when they return to Music City for an eight-game homestand at First Tennessee Park, where the team is 8-4 on the season. The Sounds will welcome their in-state rivals, the Memphis Redbirds, for four games, followed by a four-game series with Colorado Springs. RHP Frankie Montas (0-3, 6.19) will take the mound to start the homestand on Friday, while RHP Daniel Gossett (1-0, 0.96) is set to go on Saturday, and RHP Kendall Graveman (0-0, 9.53) is scheduled to get the start for the Sounds on Sunday.
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