Nashville Sounds
Nashville, TN – There is a recent trend of winning sweeping through Music City and Tuesday night was no different. Daniel Mengden was superb and the offense put on another show as the Sounds trounced the Omaha Storm Chasers 10-0. It was the third shutout in five games for the Sounds.
Mengden’s dominant performance followed suit with what Jharel Cotton and Daniel Gossett had done the previous two nights. The 24-year-old hurled seven shutout innings to extend the Sounds’ season long streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings from the starting pitchers. The previous high was 20 1/3 innings. Mengden surrendered just three hits, struck out five batters, and issued no free passes en route to his second straight win.
The first three batters in the second inning for the Sounds reached base with softly hit singles. Ryan LaMarre proceeded to crush a bases clearing triple into the right center field alley and give the Sounds a 3-0 lead. It was the ninth consecutive game Nashville opened up the scoring. Melvin Mercedes sacrificed himself for the sake of LaMarre who came in to score on a fly ball to left field to make it 4-0.
Matt Chapman continued to torch Pacific Coast League pitching as he led off the third inning with a mammoth home run to left. It was his tenth home run on the season, all of which have come in the month of May. His ten home runs this month are tied for the second most in a single month for any Sounds hitter since 2005 and lead all of professional baseball. Chapman’s solo blast also marked the 42nd home run for Nashville in May which tied June 2011 as the most explosive month for the Sounds since 2005.
The offense did not stop there for the Sounds in the third. Joey Wendle and the birthday boy Matt McBride laced back-to-back two-baggers to add to the total. Chris Parmelee then smoked a pitch right back up the middle that caught Storm Chasers pitcher, Christian Binford, trickled into shallow left field and allowed McBride to come home. It was the second straight inning the first four Sounds to come to the plate recorded a base hit.
Chapman and Wendle began the fourth inning with back-to-back triples and McBride drove in Wendle on a sacrifice to add to the already comfortable Sounds lead. Wendle collected his fourth hit in the eighth inning with an RBI single. The four hits for Wendle matched a career high, which he last accomplished in 2015. He finished a home run shy from the cycle.
The Sounds continue their nine-game, eight-day home stand tomorrow night against the Omaha Storm Chasers. Right-hander Paul Blackburn (2-4, 3.89) starts for Nashville against right-hander Josh Staumont (3-3, 3.32) for Omaha. First pitch is slated for 6:35pm.
The 2017 season is the Sounds’ 40th in franchise history and their third as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Season ticket memberships are available now by calling 615.690.4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com
