Sun. 3/31 - Looking to Avoid the Early Sweep

[Jim Goulart]

Thread will be utilized for any minor league news Sunday, lineup updates, etc.

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores

[Ro Mueller]

25-year old RHP Tobias Myers makes his first AAA start since September 2022 after spending most of last season back in AA ball. He leads a Sounds team seeking to avoid a 3-game road sweep in Toledo. 2B Isaac Collins and C Nick Kahle make their first starts of 2024, while Tyler Black continues to mysteriously only DH. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Let's grab a 'W' and get back to Nashville, men. Time to start executing with men on base. 

[Ro Mueller]

Nashville grabs 2 runs in the top of the 1st inning; the first without needing a hit (2 walks, 2 groundouts), then RF Brewer Hicklen smashes a triple to center for the second run. Go Sounds!

[Ro Mueller]

Tobias Myers off to a nice 3-up, 3-down start, needing only 12 pitches in the 1st inning.

[Ro Mueller]

Myers worked himself out of 2-on, nobody out trouble in the 2nd inning: ground out, K on fastball up in the zone, ground out. Touched 95mph on the radar gun.

[Ro Mueller]

After Myers works around a walk and 2 singles to put up another Zero in the 3rd inning (aided by a GIDP and another ground ball out), the Sounds post a 4-run 4th inning, chasing Mud Hens' starter Brant Hurter via 2 walks and an RBI single (Patrick Dorrian), then greeting the reliever with consecutive RBI doubles (Isaac Collins and Nick Kahle). 6-0 Sounds, still in the 4th inning.

[Ro Mueller]

Myers' control started to escape him in that 4th inning, then he issued a walk to Ryan Vilade to open the bottom of the 5th after getting ahead with an 0-2 count.

So that's all for Myers today (4 innings, 0 runs but responsible for Vilade), yielding to newcomer 29-year old RHP Nolan Blackwood, who produced a 4.75 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 6.7 K/9 for Seattle's AAA squad last year in the hitter-friendly PCL and was Mexican League bound this offseason before inking a minor league contract with the Crew in late February.

[Ro Mueller]

The Sounds pour it on in the top of the 5th inning, adding 3 runs on 2 doubles (Collins' second of the game, Vinny Capra's first extra-base hit of the season). It's 9-0 and RHP Blake Holub comes in for his 2nd appearance of the season.

[Ro Mueller]

For the second time in the game, a batter challenged a low strike 3 call and was incorrect - once for each team. Will MLB implement a similar system in 2025? 2026? 2060?

[Ro Mueller]

Make it 10! Make it 12!

Watch Blackwood retire all 3 batters in an inning. Then Holub. Then LHP Nick Bennett.

It's 12-0 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, all Sounds.

[Ro Mueller]

RHP JB Bukauskaus couldn't quite earn a save, but he did deliver a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the 12-0 shutout victory.

That 7-hour bus-ride (or maybe they grab a flight from Detroit?) back to Nashville will be loads more fun than if the Sounds had been on the other side of this shellacking.

[Joseph Zarr]

Fantastic bounce back today! That's the way to end a frustrating 3 game early season series on the road. Get back to it Tuesday where I'll finally get first action in front of the screen. Wiemer continues to do, well, absolutely nothing at the dish 😅. Let's hope he can get the motor running.