Tuesday, May 19th: Chris Bassitt Helps Sounds Hang on to Win in 9th while Ben Zobrist & Sean Doolittle Make Rehab Appearances for Ports & Hounds

 

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE  (Triple-A)

New Orleans Zephyrs  1

Nashville Sounds       2

WP – Alvarez 2-1 / 6.48

Farmhand Of The Game:

Pitcher Chris Bassitt

(4 1/3 IP / 1 H / 0 ER / 2 BB / 5 K)

LHP Sean Nolin made the start for the Sounds on Tuesday and allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3, but he left with his team down by a run with 2 outs in the 3^rd inning after throwing a total of 59 pitches. With Nolin exiting early, RHP Chris Bassitt took over and shut down New Orleans on just 1 hit while striking out 5 in 4 1/3 shutout innings to give the Sounds the chance to come back and tie things up in the bottom of the 5^th on an RBI-single by catcher Luke Carlin. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 9^th, when left fielder Matt Carson doubled to lead off the inning and one out later right fielder Kent Matthes doubled him home to give Nashville the walk-off win on Tuesday. RHP R.J. Alvarez tossed a scoreless 8^th and 9^th to earn his 2^nd win for the Sounds.

Click here for more on Midland, Stockton & Beloit…

 

TEXAS LEAGUE  (Double-A)

Midland RockHounds  7

Frisco RoughRiders      15

LP – Atherton 1-2 / 5.79

HR – Nunez (1)

 

Farmhand Of The Game:

Outfielder Jaycob Brugman

(2 for 4 / Triple / 3 RBIs)

 

RHP Tim Atherton, who started the day with the best ERA among all A’s minor league starting pitchers, had his first really rough outing of the season on Tuesday, allowing 8 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 2 2/3 innings to take his 2^nd loss for the RockHounds. RHP Andres Avila then gave up 4 runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Rehabbing LHP Sean Doolittle came in for the 5^th and allowed just 1 hit, to rehabbing outfielder Josh Hamilton, in 1 scoreless inning. Doolittle threw 16 pitches, 10 of them for strikes, and was followed on the mound in the 6^th by his little brother Ryan Doolittle. “Little Doo” allowed 3 unearned runs, with the help of a fielding error by third baseman Renato Nunez, while getting two outs in the 6^th. Nunez hit his 1^st home run of the season in the 2^nd, while outfielder Jaycob Brugman tripled with two outs and the bases loaded in the 3rd to drive in 3 runs and briefly give Midland the lead. First baseman Ryon Healy had doubled in a pair earlier in the same inning to tie the game. Second baseman Colin Walsh had a pair of hits, a walk and a stolen base and scored twice in the loss.

 

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE  (High-A)

Stockton Ports    7

Bakersfield Blaze  8

LP – Bracewell 1-1 / 5.91

HR – Soto (4)

 

Farmhand Of The Game:

First Baseman Michael Soto

(Home Run / 2 RBIs)

 

After a near-perfect outing his last time out, RHP Kyle Finnegan had his worst start of the season on Tuesday, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits in just 2/3 of an inning of work for the Ports. RHP Corey Walter came in and calmed things down by tossing 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief. RHP Sam Bragg followed with another 2 scoreless innings, giving Stockton the chance to take the lead in the top of the 7^th. But RHP Ben Bracewell gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the 7^th to surrender the lead and take his 1^st loss for Stockton. First baseman Michael Soto hit a 2-run homer to put the Ports on the board in the 1^st, while third baseman Matt Chapman doubled in a pair in the 7^th, and Ben Zobrist, playing second base and batting leadoff in his first rehab appearance for the Ports, singled in a run on a bad-hop grounder in the 2^nd inning for Stockton.

 

MIDWEST LEAGUE  (Class-A)

Kane County Cougars  1

Beloit Snappers          2

WP – Wagman 1-0 / 0.00

 

Farmhand Of The Game:

Pitcher Kevin Johnson

(5 IP / 4 H / 0 ER / 0 BB / 2 K)

 

RHP Kevin Johnson had his best start yet for the Snappers, tossing 5 shutout innings, and he left with the game a scoreless tie on Tuesday. LHP Cody Stull allowed 1 run in the top of the 6^th, but Beloit came back to tie the game in the bottom of the 6^th when outfielder Robert Martinez’s sacrifice fly brought home shortstop Yairo Muoz. LHP Jose Torres tossed a scoreless 8^th and 9^th to send the game to extra innings, when pinch-hitter Jose Brizuela walked to lead off the inning and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch to allow Beloit to win in a walk-off. RHP Joey Wagman picked up his 1^st win for the Snappers after pitching a perfect inning in the top of the 10^th.

 

Wednesday’s Games:

Midland @ Frisco – 9:05am PT / 11:05am CT

Stockton @ Bakersfield – 7:30pm PT

Kane County @ Beloit – 4:30pm PT / 6:30pm CT

 

 

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