Durham, NC – A tightly contested game once again got away from the Nashville Sounds (69-61, 29-27) in the middle innings as they fell 6-2 loss to the Durham Bulls (75-57, 35-22) on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. After starting their 12-game road trip with four consecutive wins, the Sounds dropped seven of the final eight contests.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first when Curtis Mead crushed a two-run blast off Nashville starter Janson Junk. But Monte Harrison delivered an equalizing double to right field in the top of the second, scoring Payton Henry and Chris Roller.
However, Durham returned to the lead in the fourth, using a leadoff walk, a pair of doubles, and a Nashville error to seize a 4-2 advantage that they would not relinquish. They added another tally in the sixth inning and then pushed the lead to four with a pair of doubles in the eighth.
Junk (6-9) took his third loss in four starts, going 5.0 innings plus one batter while allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits. He matched a season-high with seven strikeouts. Fernando Abad, Darrell Thompson, and Thyago Vieira handled the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, respectively.
Henry and Harrison each contributed a pair of hits, with the latter knocking two doubles and picking up two RBI. Abraham Toro swiped a pair of bases for the first time in his professional career. Cam Devanney and Chris Roller added a hit each.
Nashville returns to the comfort of home for the first time in two weeks to start a six-game series against their intra-state rival Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday. Starters for the series opener are to be announced. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm CT from First Horizon Park.
Post-Game Notes
- Recent addition Josh Donaldson played five innings in his first contest with the Sounds, going 0-for-2 with a walk and making a pair of plays at third base. Signed by Milwaukee on August 31st, the former American League MVP was on New York-AL’s injured list with a right calf strain before his release on August 29th.
- Keston Hiura extended his on-base streak to 27 games with a pair of walks. It is tied with Jon Singleton’s April 6th – May 10th span for the second-longest on-base streak by a Sounds player this season. He is batting .317 (33-for-104) with a .972 OPS dating back to July 28th.
- Abraham Toro extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a walk. He is hitting .389 (35-for-90) with a 1.088 OPS during the streak dating back to July 9th.
- The Sounds finish their second two-week road trip of 2023 with a 5-7 record, their first losing extended road trip since May 24th – June 5th, 2022 (5-7 at Toledo, Durham).
The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Single-game tickets for the rest of the 2023 season are on sale now.
For more information call 615.690.4487 or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.
