Nashville Sounds Baseball
Nashville’s Hector Gomez Belts Two Homers in Loss; Leon Debuts
Nashville, TN – Despite a pair of home runs from Sounds shortstop Hector Gomez, the first-place Nashville Sounds (32-29) dropped their series opener against the Memphis Redbirds on Thursday night at AutoZone Park by a 7-4 final margin.
Trailing 3-0, Nashville leveled the game in the top of the fifth with a pair of two-out extra-base knocks, but Memphis followed with three runs of their own in the inning, which proved to be the difference.
Sounds catcher Robinzon Diaz started off with a single and moved into scoring position via Ariel Pena’s sac-bunt, before third baseman Jeff Bianchi hit a double to right field to put Nashville on the board by scoring Diaz.Shortstop Hector Gomez cleared the bases and tied the game with a home run over the left-field wall. The shot was Gomez’s sixth of the season and his first of two on the night.
In the home half of the inning, Sounds starting pitcher Pena (4-5) offered up three consecutive walks to load the bases for Memphis with no outs. Reliever Michael Blazek entered, but the Redbirds plated one on a groundout and two more on Stephen Piscotty’s two-run single.
Pena took the loss, his fifth, allowing six runs, five earned, on three hits and six walks over four innings of work. The right-hander failed to qualify for the quality start, snapping the regular rotation’s streak of eight consecutive QS outings.
Redbirds starter Zach Petrick (3-3) earned the win by holding the Sounds to three runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. It is his third win of the year.
Gomez, 2-for-3, connected for his second home run in the seventh inning to pull Nashville within two runs. It is only the second time this season a Sounds batter has recorded a multiple homers in a single game.
The Redbirds took the initial lead in the first inning courtesy of Bianchi’s throwing error. A two-run homer from third baseman Scott Moore in the third inning made it a 3-0 game for Memphis.
Relievers Michael Blazek, Brent Leach, Jeremy Jeffress and newcomer Arcenio Leon each saw work out of the Nashville bullpen.
Blazek logged 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Leach entered with the bases loaded in the sixth to record the final out without even throwing a pitch. The lefty used his effective pickoff move to catch Ed Easley in a rundown that had Hunter Morris throw home to out the lead runner.
The Sounds will play game two against the Memphis Redbirds on Friday night at 7:05pm. Milwaukee Brewers lefty Tom Gorzelanny (0-0, 1.59) will make a rehab start for Nashville and will be followed by Sounds starter and PCL-ERA leader Jimmy Nelson (6-1, 1.64) Memphis sends RHP Scott McGregor (1-5, 6.66). Broadcaster Jeff Hem has the call on 102.5 FM The Game.
Box Score
June 5, 2014
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nashville Sounds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Memphis Redbirds | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | x | 7 | 6 | 0 |
Nashville | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bianchi, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .375 |
Gomez, H, SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .260 |
Gindl, LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .258 |
Halton, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .260 |
Morris, H, 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .284 |
Herrera, 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .346 |
Mattison, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .200 |
Diaz, R, C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .241 |
Pena, A, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .083 |
Blazek, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Leach, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
a-Orr, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .272 |
Jeffress, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Leon, Ar, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
b-Hermida, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .252 |
Totals | 31 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | .258 |
a-Grounded out for Leach in the 7th. b-Popped out for Leon, Ar in the 9th. | ||||||||
BATTING 2B: Bianchi (3, Petrick). HR: Gomez, H 2 (7, 5th inning off Petrick, 1 on, 2 out; 7th inning off Rondon, J, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Gomez, H 8; Bianchi 2; Diaz, R; Morris, H. RBI: Bianchi (4), Gomez, H 3 (21). 2-out RBI: Bianchi; Gomez, H 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Diaz, R. SAC: Pena, A. Team RISP: 2-for-4. Team LOB: 5.FIELDING E: Bianchi (1, throw). Outfield assists: Mattison (O’Neill at home). Pickoffs: Leach (Easley at 3rd base). |
Memphis | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Garcia, G, 2B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .227 |
Robinson, S, CF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .366 |
Moore, S, 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .248 |
Piscotty, RF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .288 |
Pham, LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .290 |
Kozma, SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .235 |
Scruggs, 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .234 |
Easley, C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
Petrick, P | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Greenwood, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
a-Curtis, PH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .279 |
Rondon, J, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Feliciano, P, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
b-O’Neill, PH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .444 |
Aardsma, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Totals | 27 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 14 | .274 |
a-Walked for Greenwood in the 6th. b-Walked for Feliciano, P in the 8th. | ||||||||
BATTING HR: Moore, S (6, 3rd inning off Pena, A, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Moore, S 4; Piscotty 2; Robinson, S 2; Easley. RBI: Moore, S 3 (24), Piscotty 2 (32), Robinson, S (4). 2-out RBI: Robinson, S. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Kozma 2. Team RISP: 3-for-10. Team LOB: 7.BASERUNNING SB: Kozma (5, 3rd base off Leon, Ar/Diaz, R). CS: Scruggs (2, 2nd base by Pena, A/Diaz, R), Easley (2, home by Leach/Diaz, R). PO: Easley (3rd base by Leach). |
Nashville | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pena, A (L, 4-5) | 4.0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4.53 |
Blazek | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5.06 |
Leach | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.49 |
Jeffress | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.71 |
Leon, Ar | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9.00 |
Totals | 8.0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 3.42 |
Memphis | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Petrick (W, 3-3) | 5.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4.47 |
Greenwood (H, 2) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.25 |
Rondon, J (H, 3) | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.86 |
Feliciano, P (H, 1) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
Aardsma (S, 11) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.05 |
Totals | 9.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4.01 |
Pitches-strikes: Pena, A 91-42, Blazek 35-20, Leach 0-0, Jeffress 12-10, Leon, Ar 30-12, Petrick 88-54, Greenwood 5-4, Rondon, J 15-10, Feliciano, P 6-3, Aardsma 17-11.
Groundouts-flyouts: Pena, A 3-3, Blazek 2-0, Leach 0-0, Jeffress 2-1, Leon, Ar 1-0, Petrick 7-2, Greenwood 0-0, Rondon, J 1-2, Feliciano, P 0-2, Aardsma 0-1.
Batters faced: Pena, A 20, Blazek 9, Leach 0, Jeffress 3, Leon, Ar 6, Petrick 24, Greenwood 2, Rondon, J 5, Feliciano, P 2, Aardsma 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Blazek 3-3, Leach 3-0, Greenwood 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Brian Reilly. 1B: Alex Ortiz. 3B: Jordan Ferrell.
Weather: 72 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 12 mph, Out to CF.
T: 3:06.
Att: 4,112.
Venue: AutoZone Park.
June 5, 2014