Memphis, TN – The Nashville Sounds topped the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds, 6-3, on Tuesday evening at AutoZone Park in Memphis in the opener of a four-game series.
Hitting three home runs for the fifth time this season and first time in more than a month, Nashville (39-32) temporaily ties Omaha for first place in the PCL Northern Division with the victory.
Sounds starter Chase Wright (6-3) beat the Redbirds for the second time in less than a week, scattering a season-high ten hits while allowing three runs and striking out two in six innings.
The Sounds jumped on the board in the second inning, scoring two runs off Memphis starter Evan MacLane. After Erick Almonte and Luis Cruz recorded consecutive singles to reach base, Norris Hopper brought home Almonte from second for the club’s first run. Catcher Martin Maldonado then followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Cruz and make the score 2-0.
The Redbirds got to Wright in the bottom of the next frame, reducing the Nashville lead to one run at 3-2. Allen Craig and Joe Mather led off the inning with singles to reach base. Daniel Descalso then upped his team-leading RBI total as he grounded out and brought home Craig from third. Later in the inning, James Rapoport hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Descalso for Memphis’ second score.
After Ray Olmedo led off the top of the sixth inning with a line drive base hit to left field, Brendan Katin extended the Nashville lead to 5-2 after crushing his eight homer over the center field wall.
Memphis got one run back to cut the lead to 5-3 in the next frame as catcher Matt Pagnozzi hit an RBI single to right field.
In the top of the seventh inning, leadoff batter Maldonado belted MacLane’s first pitch of the frame over the left field wall and extended the Nashville lead to 6-3.
MacLane (4-7) went the distance for Memphis and took the loss, surrendering six runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.
Back in a relief role for the Sounds, Mike McClendon tossed two shutout innings while fanning one after Wright departed the contest after the sixth. Joining the Sounds today from Milwaukee, closer Chris Smith pitched a perfect ninth inning to collect his PCL-leading 17th save.
The Sounds and Redbirds will play two seven-inning contests as part of a scheduled doubleheader on Wednesday evening, with Nashville left-hander Sam Narron (1-2, 3.57) starting against Memphis right-hander Lance Lynn (4-5, 4.84) in game one beginning at 6:05pm CT. Sounds righty Marty McLeary (1-5, 11.07) will toe the rubber against Redbirds right-hander David Kopp (NR) in the nightcap.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 | |
| Memphis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | |
| Nashville | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oeltjen, T, LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .276 | |
| Olmedo, 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .279 | |
| Gamel, 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .282 | |
| Katin, RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .264 | |
| Almonte, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .307 | |
| Cruz, L, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .301 | |
| Hopper, CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .255 | |
| Maldonado, M, C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .119 | |
| Wright, C, P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .368 | |
| McClendon, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| a-Koshansky, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .247 | |
| Smith, C, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Totals | 33 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 9 | .257 | |
| a-Grounded into a double play for McClendon in the 9th. |
|||||||||
| BATTING 3B: Cruz, L (2, MacLane). HR: Cruz, L (6, 4th inning off MacLane, 0 on, 2 out), Katin (8, 6th inning off MacLane, 1 on, 1 out), Maldonado, M (2, 7th inning off MacLane, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Olmedo 2; Katin 4; Almonte; Cruz, L 8; Hopper; Maldonado, M 4; Wright, C. RBI: Hopper (22), Maldonado, M 2 (5), Cruz, L (40), Katin 2 (23). 2-out RBI: Cruz, L. SF: Maldonado, M. GIDP: Oeltjen, T; Koshansky. Team RISP: 1-for-3. Team LOB: 3.FIELDING E: Cruz, L (12, throw). DP: 2 (Cruz, L-Olmedo-Almonte, Cruz, L-Olmedo). |
|||||||||
| Memphis | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay, LF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .316 | |
| Greene, T, SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .292 | |
| Craig, A, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .306 | |
| Mather, RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .321 | |
| Descalso, 2B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .268 | |
| Gotay, 3B | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .293 | |
| Rapoport, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .268 | |
| Pagnozzi, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .229 | |
| MacLane, P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .200 | |
| a-Howard, K, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | |
| Totals | 36 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | .270 | |
| a-Grounded out for MacLane in the 9th. | |||||||||
| BATTING 2B: MacLane (1, Wright, C), Craig, A (14, Wright, C), Gotay (8, Wright, C). TB: Jay; Greene, T; Craig, A 4; Mather; Gotay 5; Pagnozzi; MacLane 2. RBI: Descalso (47), Rapoport (16), Pagnozzi (6). 2-out RBI: Pagnozzi. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Mather 3. S: Greene, T. SF: Rapoport. GIDP: Pagnozzi. Team RISP: 1-for-9. Team LOB: 8.FIELDING DP: 3 (Craig, A, Gotay-Descalso-Craig, A, Craig, A-Greene, T). |
|||||||||
| Nashville | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright, C (W, 6-3) | 6.0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.79 | |
| McClendon (H, 2) | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.10 | |
| Smith, C (S, 17) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.64 | |
| Totals | 9.0 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.71 |
| Memphis | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacLane (L, 4-7) | 9.0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4.62 | |
| Totals | 9.0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4.52 | |
IBB: Maldonado, M (by MacLane).
Pitches-strikes: Wright, C 84-52, McClendon 25-17, Smith, C 6-6, MacLane 98-64.
Groundouts-flyouts: Wright, C 11-3, McClendon 4-1, Smith, C 3-0, MacLane 15-6.
Batters faced: Wright, C 27, McClendon 8, Smith, C 3, MacLane 36.
Umpires: HP: Matt Schaufert. 1B: Jason Millsap. 2B: . 3B: Chris Tiller.
Weather: 93 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, R to L.
T: 2:19.
Att: 5,181.
Compiled by MLB Advanced Media
