by Rachel Davis / A’s Farm Nashville Contributor
Each week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the top performers for the A’s top affiliate, the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, over the past week. This week covers the period from Monday, June 4 through Sunday, June 10. So, let’s see who was busy making “sounds” for Nashville last week…
Pitcher J.B. Wendelken
Wendelken has been solid since moving up to Nashville from Midland in early May. With Friday’s scheduled starter Chris Bassitt scratched at the last minute so that he could make Saturday’s start for the A’s, Wendelken, who hadn’t started a game since 2014, was asked to make the emergency start for the Sounds, and he performed well. The 25-year-old tossed the first three innings of the match and gave up just one run on a wild pitch while walking none and striking out a career-best seven. Wendelken has now struck out 26 and walked just 3 while posting a 2.81 ERA over 16 innings for the Sounds.
Catcher Beau Taylor
The 28-year-old minor league veteran had a week worthy of recognition. Over six games last week, Taylor tallied three multi-hit games and went 8 for 21 with two walks and three RBIs, raising his average from .255 to .276 in the process. Since Bruce Maxwell’s recent return to Nashville, Taylor has already begun seeing more time in the designated hitter slot, which could become more common in the future.
Outfielder Anthony Garcia
Garcia put on an impressive performance against Tacoma on Friday. The 26-year-old free agent signee slugged a grand slam in the second inning and then added an RBI double in the fourth. For the week, Garcia collected five hits, a pair of walks and eight RBIs, and he currently leads the Sounds with nine home runs and 35 RBIs.
Pitcher Eric Jokisch
Jokisch turned in his best start of the season against Tacoma on Sunday, tossing six scoreless innings while striking out a season-high seven batters. Unfortunately, the Sounds bullpen wasn’t able to hold on to the lead after he exited the game. But thanks to the performance, the 28-year-old southpaw saw his ERA drop from 5.43 to 4.95.
Third Baseman Sheldon Neuse
After a difficult start to the season, Neuse finally seems to be settling in with the Sounds. Last week, the 23-year-old collected hits in five consecutive games, including a three-hit game against Reno on Wednesday. Neuse went 7 for 22 on the week to raise his batting average from .186 up to .200.
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