TooLiveBrew

Sounds Fall To 'Topes; Drop Series Nashville's Cole Garner Homers Twice In 7-4 Loss Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/RRkJpWj.jpg Cole Garner (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Khris Davis' RBI-Single AUDIO: Cole Garner's Game-Tying Homer AUDIO: Garner's 2nd Home Run AUDIO: Caleb Gindl's Game-Tying Bunt Play NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Despite erasing a two-run deficit late in the game, the Nashville Sounds lost 7-4 to the Albuquerque Isotopes on Memorial Day at Greer Stadium. The loss gives Albuquerque the 3-1 series win. After the Sounds tied it up 4-4 in the seventh, the visiting team quickly recaptured the lead with a three-run double from Alfredo Amezaga in the top of the ninth. Albuquerque used a fielder's choice and two hits off reliever Tim Dillard (0-1) to set the table for Amezaga's game-winning hit. Prior to the ninth, Sounds center fielder Caleb Gindl tied the game by tapping a sacrifice bunt to Albuquerque pitcher Chris Withrow. The bunt moved Khris Davis to third, who singled to get on base and stole second; and a throwing error on the play by Withrow over first base scored Davis. Cole Garner had a big game for the Sounds, going two-for-three, with two home runs to left-field. Garner's first home run leveled the game in the fifth inning, sending Aaron Laffey's pitch off the top of the wall in left field; and his second, off reliever Red Patterson in the seventh, pulled the Sounds to within one. Garner's multi-homer game is the sixth recorded by a Sounds hitter this season and the second of Garner's career. Garner has six homers on the year. The Sounds scored first on a hit-and-run single from outfielder Khris Davis, two-for-four, but the one-run advantage did not last long as the Isotopes plated one in each of the following innings. Starting pitcher Aaron Laffey drove in Albuquerque's first run on a two-out single into left field in the second inning, while his battery-mate Tim Federowicz made it 2-1 with a solo home run to left field in the third. Federowicz finished with three RBIs for Albuquerque. His base knock to left field off reliever Jesus Sanchez in the seventh put the Isotopes up 4-2. Sounds starter Tyler Thornburg limited the Isotopes to two runs on seven hits through five innings of work. Thornburg faced a bases-loaded jam in his final inning and twirled two strikeouts to avoid any damage. The righty fanned a total of eight batters and walked one. Travis Webb also saw work out of the 'pen for Nashville, loading the bases with two outs in the eighth, before Dillard entered to retire Justin Sellers on a fly ball. Withrow (4-0) picked up the win for Albuquerque, his fourth, and was charged with a blown save. Kelvin De La Cruz netted the save with a hitless ninth inning. The Sounds welcome the division-rival Iowa Cubs (Cubs affiliate) to Greer Stadium Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. LHP Zach Kroenke (2-6, 5.23) gets the start for Nashville opposite Iowa's LHP Chris Rusin (3-4, 3.88). Nashville Box Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

Those are the precise reasons to trade Aoki: being under control and inexpensive, plus having a larger sample now of proven ability to hit MLB pitching, gives Aoki some trade value. Wouldn't that be the type of player to stockpile, if you're building for the future? Definitely, but not when he's already 31. His value will never be higher than it is currently.

Aaron Hicks was the 14th overall pick in 2008, taken just two spots ahead of Brett Lawrie. Iirc there were reports of the Brewers being interested in Hicks heading into that draft. He hit well on his way up through the minors, and was Baseball America's #72 overall prospect heading into this season. In spite of his current .504 OPS, he's a player I'm sure the Twins are viewing as central to their future plans. Prior to his last three games, his OPS was actually at .712 for the month of May... albeit with a Yuni-esque .264 OBP/.448 SLG. Also, Yuni this month? A .498 OPS (.353 over his past 16 games). Ladies & gentlemen -- your cleanup hitter, courtesy of crack(pot) skipper Ron Roenicke! If you wanted to find a way to lose to a club that's lost eleven of their last twelve, running a lineup like this out there would be a good start...

How was Pena's first option season already burned? He was never on the 25-man, was he? Pena is on the 40 man. He was optioned out of spring training. He's actually used 2 option years as he was added to the 40 man by the Angels 11/18/11 (with Johnny Hellweg and Jean Segura). Los Angeles optioned him out of spring training in 2012 and Milwaukee optioned him in 2013. When cutting down from 40 to 25 to start the season, players, in most cases, are optioned to keep them in the system and not expose them to waivers. The standard is 3 option years. There are cases (Scarpetta and Rogers) where a player can obtain a 4th year usually due to extenuating circumstances. I'm aware of the 3 option years. But I didn't realize the 40->25 drop in ST would require the 40-man players to burn an option or be exposed to waivers, and certainly didn't realize that two of Pena's three option years have already been burned. Thanks!

Because the starting options are either hurt or ineffective? Jimmy Nelson is really the only starter at the upper levels of the minors who is pitching well. Ariel Pena has been really good lately. He's already on the 40 man roster. Already used his option year for 2013 so there would be no concern there. His regular start day would be Wednesday though, not Tuesday. How was Pena's first option season already burned? He was never on the 25-man, was he?

What on earth are the Brewers/'Tees doing only throwing Brooks Hall for five innings when he was in such complete control? In his final three innings, he faced the minimum... could he have possibly been close to 100 pitches? I have the same scrutiny for his last start -- one hit through five innings, and that's his night? I'm aware of piggybacking, but at some point common sense has to come into play. If you drafted Hall as high as you did, there was a scouting-based reason for it, right? I feel like a recurring issue with the Brewers & their MiLB pitchers is guys' starts being cut short for arbitrary/babying reasons. Is this one reason why the farm system doesn't churn out productive big league arms? How is a player supposed to build up the arm strength required to succeed at the MLB level when he's consistently having productive starts cut short in the minors? I mean, Hall turns 23 in a month -- he was a 4th round pick out of high school in '09, and this is his third season in full-season ball. And he's being held back in back-to-back strong starts? I just don't think that's the right gameplan. When a guy is pitching effectively like that, you let him go. That doesn't mean you let him throw 187 pitches in a start, but for freakin' freak's sake, you don't cut him off like this. On top of all that, you consistently hear the message from the front office that a guy should 'master a level' before he's promoted. What that turns into more often than not, for example, is a guy like Hall being at least 2 seasons away from the majors in his age-23 season. Suffice it to say that I'm just not buying what the Brewers' front office is selling, in terms of the minor league gameplan.

Hellweg, Sounds Defeat Isotopes On Sunday Afternoon, 3-2 Morris, Davis Homer For Nashville In Victory Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/9zFqBuN.jpg Johnny Hellweg (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Hunter Morris Go-Ahead HR AUDIO: Khris Davis HR AUDIO: Rob Wooten Game-Ending Strikeout NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Johnny Hellweg tossed a quality start and was backed by home runs by Hunter Morris and Khris Davis as the Nashville Sounds defeated the Albuquerque Isotopes, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Hellweg (3-4) earned a victory for the second time in his last three outings for Nashville. The fireballer held the Isotopes to one run on two hits over six innings of work, striking out five batters while walking four during his 94-pitch effort. The 6-foot-9 right-hander combined with a trio of relievers to hold Albuquerque to five hits on the afternoon. Tim Dillard and Michael Olmsted each worked a hitless inning before Rob Wooten closed out the victory in the ninth to notch his sixth save of the year. First baseman Hunter Morris continued his recent power surge when he put the Sounds on the board with a leadoff solo homer to right in the bottom of the second inning. The blast against Albuquerque starter Blake Johnson was Morris' team-leading tenth roundtripper of the year and his sixth in the past nine games since his return from the D.L. The big fly also extended the slugger's longest hitting streak of the year to seven games (9-for-25, .360). Nashville doubled the lead to 2-0 in the third when they loaded the bases against Johnson before Scooter Gennett raced home from third on a Josh Prince groundout. Johnson (4-3) took a hard-luck, quality-start loss for Albuquerque after allowing two runs on eight hits over his six frames of action. The visitors pulled within a run in the fifth with their first hit of the afternoon against Hellweg, a one-out homer to right by catcher Matt Wallach. The backstop's second homer of the year cut the Sounds' lead to 2-1. Left fielder Khris Davis upped the Nashville lead to 3-1 in the seventh with his sixth home run of the year, a one-out shot to left-center off Albuquerque reliever Anthony Ortega. Davis went 3-for-4 for the Sounds for the second day in a row and is hitting .362 over his last 16 games (21-for-58). After having only one baserunner over the previous three frames, the Isotopes put together a rally against Wooten in the ninth. Chili Buss and Rusty Ryal opened the inning with consecutive singles before the Nashville closer struck out Jeremy Moore and Justin Sellers in succession. Ex-Sound Tony Gwynn, Jr. followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to center that reduced the Sounds' lead to 3-2. Wooten then struck out Wallach on a check-swing to close the door and secure the one-run win. The Sounds will go for a series split when the clubs wrap up the four-game set with a 2:05 p.m. Memorial Day finale tomorrow. Right-hander Tyler Thornburg (0-6, 6.99) will start for the Sounds and face Albuquerque southpaw Aaron Laffey (1-2, 7.78). Nashville Box Gennett: 1-4 Davis: 3-4, HR, RBI Stephen Parker: 2-3, 2B, BB Prince: 0-3, RBI, BB Morris: 1-3, HR, RBI, BB Hainley Statia: 2-4 [pre]Hellweg: 6 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 4 BB 5 K 94 TP (61 strikes) 8:2 GO:FO[/pre] Olmsted worked his third straight scoreless relief outing (0 H, 0 BB, 2 K), and Dillard has yet to surrender a run through his first eight appearances with Nashville. Nashville PbP Here's every inning from Hellweg. Aside from the HR, you'll count exactly zero Albuquerque batted balls described as line drives: Albuquerque Top of the 1st -Matt Angle strikes out swinging. -Elian Herrera walks. -Nick Buss flies out to center fielder Josh Prince. -Rusty Ryal grounds into a force out, shortstop Hainley Statia to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Elian Herrera out at 2nd. Albuquerque Top of the 2nd -Jeremy Moore grounds out, pitcher Johnny Hellweg to first baseman Hunter Morris. -Justin Sellers grounds out, third baseman Stephen Parker to first baseman Hunter Morris. -Brian Barden walks. -Matt Wallach walks. Brian Barden to 2nd. -Blake Johnson grounds out, pitcher Johnny Hellweg to first baseman Hunter Morris. Albuquerque Top of the 3rd -Matt Angle called out on strikes. -Elian Herrera flies out to right fielder Caleb Gindl. -Nick Buss strikes out swinging, catcher Anderson De La Rosa to first baseman Hunter Morris. Albuquerque Top of the 4th -Rusty Ryal strikes out swinging. -Jeremy Moore walks. -With Justin Sellers batting, Anderson De La Rosa picks off Jeremy Moore at 1st on throw to Hunter Morris. -Justin Sellers grounds out, third baseman Stephen Parker to first baseman Hunter Morris. According to Gameday, Wallach hit his HR on the first pitch he saw in this PA in the 5th, which was belt-high & right down the middle. I'm guessing he sat on, got, & ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Hellweg: Albuquerque Top of the 5th -Brian Barden grounds out, third baseman Stephen Parker to first baseman Hunter Morris. -Matt Wallach homers (2) on a fly ball to right field. -Blake Johnson strikes out swinging. -Matt Angle grounds out, shortstop Hainley Statia to first baseman Hunter Morris. Albuquerque Top of the 6th -Elian Herrera pops out to shortstop Hainley Statia. -Nick Buss singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Stephen Parker. -Rusty Ryal pops out to shortstop Hainley Statia. -Jeremy Moore grounds out, third baseman Stephen Parker to first baseman Hunter Morris. Nashville Gameday

I agree -- & it's why I said '15 would be the first season to expect or hope they'd contend again... I think I'd lean far more towards "hope" than "expect." I'm not sure I think it'd take them until 2018 to contend (as long as they get to selling asap), but I'd definitely bet on '18 over '15, regardless of what approach the front office winds up taking.

Nashville with a nice 3-2 win today. Hellweg gave up just two hits, one solo homer & one single, over six innings. He had a 8:2 GO:FO ratio, and even with four walks allowed this has to go down as a good start. Up 3-1 heading into the top half of the 9th, Rob Wooten took a page from K-Rod's manual but got the job done to secure the win: Albuquerque Top of the 9th -Pitching Change: Rob Wooten replaces Michael Olmsted, batting 9th, replacing Blake Davis. -Nick Buss singles on a ground ball to center fielder Josh Prince. -Rusty Ryal singles on a soft line drive to left fielder Khris Davis. Nick Buss to 2nd. -Jeremy Moore strikes out swinging. -Justin Sellers strikes out swinging. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn replaces Anthony Ortega. -Tony Gwynn singles on a ground ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Nick Buss scores. Rusty Ryal to 2nd. -Matt Wallach strikes out swinging. I won't be able to get to the L.R. post for this game until later this evening. If anyone else wants to step in & get it posted sooner, be my guest.

So I've put a lot more thought into this topic on my own end, and I think I'd go with the following: 1) Replace front office staff leadership immediately (before the start of this season would've been my target time) I completely agree with nate82's point that it's time for a fresh approach from the F.O., and I like his concept as to who he'd seek out to step in as GM. Target the organizations that are building well, and give a successful SD or Asst. GM his/her shot at a GM position. Realistically, changing SDs right before the draft is a little bonkers, but making a change at SD would've been my plan this past offseason as well... and the point for me is that I don't want Seid with the reins for even one more draft. The repeated, far too frequent targeting of 'safe' pitchers/picks has to be brought to an end; it has killed the franchise's pitching depth. Just like at GM, I'd look to poach here from a forward-thinking organization like ATL/BOS/STL/TB/TEX/etc. 2) Entertain offers on any 25-man player not named Braun, Lucroy or Segura. I'm not saying I'd sell everyone else off; the offer(s) would have to be right. I'd be inclined to keep young & cheap players like Peralta, Maldonado, etc. I would want to focus on acquiring young pitching, but wouldn't limit myself to it. Young, high-upside talent of all kinds would be the target. Moving players like Gallardo, Lohse, Estrada, Ramírez, Gómez, & Aoki should really help to bolster the organization's stable of young talent. I'd be inclined to keep players on whom I'd be selling low -- like Weeks & Axford. I suppose their potential '14 salaries alone might make it a good idea to get anything you can for them, but I'd still give them time to see if they can recover form & increase value. I think the situation with Hart is tricky, and if I'd been in control, I would've moved him last trade deadline or earlier this past offseason. Now, I think you just have to hope he comes back & hits enough prior to the trade deadline that you can get some kind of value for him in trade. Not sure that I'd want to keep him & make a qualifying offer next offseason, but that's always an option (with a certain amount of risk). 3) I would actually retain Roenicke as manager for the near future (as long as he still commands the respect of the dugout). He strikes me as someone who'd be good to have in charge of helping young players develop & grow. I agree with others' sentiments that 2015 would be the first realistic season to expect or hope for the team to start to return to contention. However, at this point 2014 looks like a non-contending season no matter what the Brewers do. So I'd rather start to build up for '15 or '16 rather than push this problem down the road yet again. The big point for me in all of this is that last one -- the current ship is sinking, and we can either patch the holes one more offseason so that the problem is eventually worse & we have less to offer in trade... or the organization can shift gears to take a proactive approach to solving the problem both now & going forward. The choice is obvious, for me. There's a reason the Packers are so successful with Thompson's draft & develop model -- and, although the financial landscapes of the two sports are vastly different, the core philosophy is the same. Always work on strengthening the organization's cycle of talent, because players never stop getting older, more expensive, & less productive. You need to be prepared to address those problems before they begin to weaken the big club, not after.

Hunter Morris with another (solo) HR already tonight. He's been nothing short of white-hot since returning from the 7-day DL trip for concussion symptoms/concerns. In the 8 games he's played since returning to action on the 18th (not counting tonight): 11-29 (.379), with 5 HR, 10 RBI, & an OPS north of 1.300

Thankfully, Hunter Morris started tonight at 1B & played the whole game Sounds Fall To Isotopes, 3-2, On Safari Night Seidel Sharp In Quality-Start Loss, Morris Homers In 9th For Lone Nashville Runs Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/mwRGOFF.jpg R.J. Seidel (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Hunter Morris Two-Run HR NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Albuquerque Isotopes defeated the Nashville Sounds by a 3-2 margin in front of 8,301 fans on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium. The defeat was the league-leading 12th one-run loss of the year for Nashville (13-34). Outfielder Khris Davis went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to account for three of the Sounds' four hits in the contest and first baseman Hunter Morris his team-leading ninth home run of the year in the ninth to help Nashville avoid suffering its fifth shutout of the year. It was a pitchers' duel between the night's starters as both hurlers worked quality starts. Albuquerque right-hander Matt Magill (1-0) earned his first victory of the year by working six scoreless frames. He held the Sounds to a pair of hits (two Davis doubles) while walking three batters and striking out eight batters. Sounds starter R.J. Seidel (0-2) took a hard-luck loss after striking out a career-high nine batters while allowing only one run on three hits over six innings of work. The lone blemish on his evening's work was an Alex Castellanos home run. Castellanos broke up a scoreless deadlock in the top of the sixth inning when he belted his sixth home run of the year, a two-out shot to right off Seidel. The visitors added to their lead in the eighth, plating two runs against Kyle Heckathorn. Brian Barden led off with a walk and former Sound Tony Gwynn Jr. drew a pinch-hit walk before Matt Angle faked a bunt before pulling back and slapping an RBI single down the right field line to make it a 2-0 contest. Elian Herrera followed with a well-executed safety squeeze bunt to bring home Gwynn from third. Morris broke up the Albuquerque shutout bid in the home half of the ninth when he crushed a two-out, two-run homer to right-center off Isotopes closer Steve Ames. Davis, who had opened the inning with a single, also scored on the blast, which drew the Sounds within a run at 3-2. Ames then retired Stephen Parker on a lineout to secure the one-run victory and notch his fifth save of the year. Sounds center fielder Josh Prince went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks on the night to snap his season-best nine-game hitting streak. The teams continue the series with a 2:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Johnny Hellweg (2-4, 4.33) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque right-hander Blake Johnson (4-2, 3.88). Nashville Box Davis: 3-4, 2 2B Prince: 0-2, 2 BB Morris: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI Hainley Statia: 0-2, BB, E (throw) Anderson De La Rosa: 0-0, BB [pre]Seidel: 6 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 9 K 87 TP (59 strikes) 3:2 GO:FO[/pre] Nashville PbP After going groundout-popout-groundout in the 7th, Heckathorn wasn't able to get the job done in the following frame: Albuquerque Top of the 8th -Brian Barden singles on a ground ball to shortstop Hainley Statia. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn replaces Chris Withrow. -With Tony Gwynn batting, throwing error by Kyle Heckathorn on the pickoff attempt, Brian Barden to 2nd. -Tony Gwynn walks. -Matt Angle singles on a ground ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Brian Barden scores. Tony Gwynn to 3rd. -Elian Herrera hits a sacrifice bunt. Tony Gwynn scores. Matt Angle to 2nd. Elian Herrera to 1st. -Alex Castellanos strikes out swinging. -Tim Federowicz grounds into a double play, shortstop Hainley Statia to second baseman Scooter Gennett to first baseman --Hunter Morris. Elian Herrera out at 2nd. De La Rosa drew a leadoff BB in the home half, but the double play ball quickly shut down any potential rally: Nashville Bottom of the 8th -Defensive switch from center field to right field for Matt Angle. -Pitching Change: Josh Wall replaces Chris Withrow, batting 3rd, replacing right fielder Alex Castellanos. -Tony Gwynn remains in the game as the center fielder. -Anderson De La Rosa walks. -Scooter Gennett grounds into a double play, first baseman Rusty Ryal to shortstop Justin Sellers. Anderson De La Rosa out at 2nd. -Caleb Gindl grounds out, second baseman Elian Herrera to first baseman Rusty Ryal. In the final frame, Morris made it a ballgame -- but it wound up being too little, too late: Nashville Bottom of the 9th -Pitching Change: Steve Ames replaces Josh Wall, batting 3rd. -Khris Davis singles on a soft line drive to center fielder Tony Gwynn. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Dayton Buller replaces Rob Wooten. -Dayton Buller grounds into a force out, second baseman Elian Herrera to shortstop Justin Sellers. Khris Davis out at 2nd. Dayton Buller to 1st. -Josh Prince flies out to center fielder Tony Gwynn. -Hunter Morris homers (9) on a fly ball to right field. Dayton Buller scores. -Stephen Parker lines out to second baseman Elian Herrera. Nashville Gameday

Both R.J. Seidel & Matt Magill have been dealing through the first half of the Sounds game. Seidel is through 5, with just two hits allowed, 0 BB, & 8 K.

Picked up a sixer of New Glarus Edel Pils. I definitely recommend it for anyone who likes a German-or Czech-style Pilsner. Not mind-blowingly great, but another good brew from New Glarus.

Great match. It definitely was an even contest, and just came down to one magical moment for Bayern.

What an outstanding first half! Already feels like this one is going to have a scintillating finish.

Bump! I did my timezone math wrong in my earlier CL Final preview post. The broadcast today begins at 1p CT, with kickoff scheduled for 1:45p CT.

No note in Jeff's game story on Morris getting pulled in the 6th. No news is good news... right? Sounds Topped By 'Topes, 10-7 Nashville's Prince Goes Yard For Second Straight Night Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/vVgGZaI.jpg Josh Prince (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Josh Prince's Three-Run Bomb AUDIO: Blake Davis' Third RBI NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds allowed a season-high 16 hits to the Albuquerque Isotopes Friday night at Greer Stadium to lose the homestand opener 10-7. The Sounds never recovered from Albuquerque's early jump on Sounds starting pitcher, Frankie De La Cruz (1-6), who allowed four runs in the first inning, one in the second, and two in the third. The right-hander took the loss, his sixth, with two walks and one strikeout. Reliever Johnnie Lowe entered in the fourth and held Albuquerque scoreless through 2.1 innings of work, allowing three hits and walking none. Tim Dillard, Michael Olmsted and Jesus Sanchez also saw work out of the pen and did not surrender a run. The Isotopes found their final runs against Travis Webb in the sixth with a two-run homer from Chili Buss. Webb added a bases-loaded walk later in the frame to give the visitors a 10-3 lead. He finished with four walks, a hit by pitch, and two strikeouts through 1 1/3 innings. Offensively, the Sounds plated three runs in the second inning, started by catcher Anderson De La Rosa's leadoff single. The catcher moved to second on a fielder's choice and third on Elian Herrara's throwing error. Cole Garner hit an infield single to score De La Rosa and later scored on Blake Davis' single to center. Hunter Morris scored for the home team in the second inning on an Angel Castro wild pitch and extended his hit streak to a season-best five games with his single in the third. Centerfielder Josh Prince extended his hit streak to nine games, the longest active streak by a Sound, with a three-run homer off the top wall in left field. The bomb was his second in his last two games and pulled the Sounds to within four. Blake Davis drove in the Sounds' final run in the seventh with a single through the gap at second. Davis and Caleb Gindl each had three of the Sounds' 13 hits. Angel Castro (4-2) picked up the win for Albuquerque, limiting Nashville to three runs, two earned, on six hits across six innings. He fanned four Sounds and walked two. Peter Moylan picked up the save, his second. Half of the Isotopes' hits went for extra bases. Short stop Justin Sellers led the way, going four-for-five with two runs and three RBIs. The Sounds play game two against the Isotopes on Saturday night at Greer Stadium and will wear giraffe-style jerseys to benefit the Nashville Zoo as a part of the Sounds CARE Program. RHP R.J. Seidel (0-1, 5.14) gets the start for Nashville against Albuquerque's RHP Matt Magill (0-0, 2.84). Nashville Box Scooter Gennett: 1-5 Gindl: 3-4, BB Prince: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB Stephen Parker: 0-4, BB De La Rosa: 2-5 Morris: 1-3 Khris Davis: 1-2 Cole Garner: 1-4, RBI, E (fielding) Davis: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI Nashville PbP I'll focus on the positive, so here are the Sounds' two scoring innings. Three in the 2nd: Nashville Bottom of the 2nd -Anderson De La Rosa singles on a ground ball to right fielder Alex Castellanos. -Hunter Morris reaches on a force attempt, throwing error by second baseman Elian Herrera. Anderson De La Rosa to 3rd. Hunter Morris to 2nd. -Cole Garner singles on a ground ball to shortstop Justin Sellers. Anderson De La Rosa scores. Hunter Morris to 3rd. -With Blake Davis batting, wild pitch by Angel Castro, Hunter Morris scores. Cole Garner to 2nd. -Blake Davis singles on a ground ball to center fielder Tony Gwynn. Cole Garner scores. -Frankie De La Cruz reaches on a force attempt, throwing error by third baseman Alfredo Amezaga. Blake Davis to 2nd. -Scooter Gennett pops out to second baseman Elian Herrera on the infield fly rule. -Caleb Gindl grounds into a double play, second baseman Elian Herrera to first baseman Brian Barden. Frankie De La Cruz out at 2nd. Four more in the 7th: Nashville Bottom of the 7th -Pitching Change: Kelvin De La Cruz replaces Angel Castro, batting 7th, replacing third baseman Alfredo Amezaga. -Defensive switch from first base to third base for Brian Barden. -Defensive Substitution: Rusty Ryal replaces pitcher Angel Castro, batting 9th, playing first base. -Scooter Gennett doubles (7) on a ground ball to left fielder Nick Buss. -Caleb Gindl singles on a line drive to left fielder Nick Buss. Scooter Gennett to 3rd. -Josh Prince homers (3) on a line drive to left field. Scooter Gennett scores. Caleb Gindl scores. -Stephen Parker walks. -Anderson De La Rosa singles on a line drive to left fielder Nick Buss. Stephen Parker to 2nd. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Khris Davis replaces Tim Dillard. -Khris Davis pops out to shortstop Justin Sellers on the infield fly rule. -Cole Garner strikes out swinging. -Blake Davis singles on a line drive to center fielder Tony Gwynn. Stephen Parker scores. Anderson De La Rosa to 2nd. -With Blake Lalli batting, wild pitch by Kelvin De La Cruz, Anderson De La Rosa to 3rd. Blake Davis to 2nd. -Blake Lalli called out on strikes. Nashville Gameday

Hunter Morris was taken out of tonight's game in a 6th inning double switch. Not sure of the circumstances, but that's not exactly good news.

Passively-aggressively calling people 'fairweather fans' who have lost interest this season & last because of the manner in which the team has been run. Nice. You know, I can only speak for myself, but I've watched as many games as possible of this team whether they've been good (rarely) or stunk (all too often). But if you consider someone fairweather because he/she recognizes that the way Melvin & Attanasio have run the organization has led the team to the precipice of having little talent on the MLB roster & having a pretty barren farm system, then I'm not sure what to say. I guess it makes you feel better to belittle someone? I mean, hey, if so many people on this site are beaming with pride that this team won a single playoff series with the kind of talent Melvin & Co. had to work with for the better part of a decade, more power to them. I guess I'm not that kid that's happy to just be included. I want this organization to develop a gameplan so it has a realistic shot at contending for more than a season or two. To lump that kind of desire in with being a fairweather fan is ignorant & lazy imo. I can handle the ups & downs of winning & losing in MLB, that's the way it goes. But I'm sick of seeing a rudderless organization.

Unfortunately, in my moderator n00b-ness, I accidentally deleted TheCrew07's long Baseball America post. For some reason, the last few posts on p.2 of the 5/23 L.R. were displaying multiple times, so when I went to delete what I saw as the 2nd duplicate of your long Baseball America Hot Sheet post, it deleted the original as well. I PM'd 1992casey for help. Sorry!

Gallardo is absolutely in his prime seasons, which makes the velocity loss (whether it's a temporary or permanent thing is another issue entirely) all the more concerning.

Since he's already 25, he'd have to get to Nashville & rip it up asap to be considered anything "of the future." He's put up some nice stats, but I'm not sure the organization views him as much more than filler, given how they've handled his promotion/track.

Sounds Tee Off In Tacoma To Win Finale, 11-2 Lalli Records Two Homers; Combines With Prince For Back-to-Back Jacks Nashville Sounds http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/9/4/48440794/cuts/523_teamWin_n0sbz38h_5leu43xu.jpg Sounds archive photo (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Blake Lalli Goes Yard AUDIO: Josh Prince's Back-To-Back Blast AUDIO: Hunter Morris Home Run AUDIO: Lalli's Homer In Ninth TACOMA, Wash. - The Nashville Sounds avoided a four-game sweep Thursday night at Cheney Stadium, using the long ball to pick up an 11-2 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers. The Sounds plated runs in six different innings, highlighted by Nashville's explosive fifth. Already out to a 5-2 lead, catcher Blake Lalli and outfielder Josh Prince connected for back-to-back home runs off of Tacoma starter Jeremy Bonderman (2-4). Lalli's homer, his third of the year, scored two for Nashville, before Prince attacked his first pitch from Bonderman to make it 8-2. Lalli picked up his second home run in the ninth inning to become the fourth Sound this season to have multiple homers in a single game. Each Sound in the line-up recorded a hit against Rainiers' pitching, combining to total 14. Lalli led the way with three, while Prince, Hunter Morris and Blake Davis each had two. Prince extended his hitting streak to a season-best eight games with his double in the second inning, and scored on a double from Morris, who batted sixth. Morris hit Nashville's third homer in the eighth. The four dingers match a single-game season high for the Sounds. The Sounds added to a 1-0 lead in the second inning with two runs, as Blake Davis led off the frame with a grounder into right field. He was driven around by a double into right-center from Scooter Gennett, who has now reached base in 38 of his 40 games this season. Right fielder Caleb Gindl placed a bunt single towards third base to advance Gennett, who scored on a double-play ball to make it 3-0. In the fourth, the Sounds scored another pair on three straight singles from the bottom of the order. Stephen Parker hit the first single to advance Prince to third after he reached base on balls. Hainley Statia followed with a single up the line to score Prince and set Parker up to come home on Blake Davis' base knock into left. Statia's single extended his season-best hit streak to seven games. Starting pitcher Zach Kroenke (2-6) held the Rainiers to two runs on four hits across seven innings of work to pick up his second win of the season. He offered two walks and fired seven strikeouts. His only misstep in the winning effort was the two-run homer in the fourth to Tacoma's Nate Tenbrink. His seven innings of work matches Mike Fiers' seven-inning effort against Memphis for the longest by a Sound this season. Relievers Johnnie Lowe and Rob Wooten both logged one inning on the hill for Nashville, each allowing a hit and fanning two. The Sounds finish the road trip with a 3-5 record, during which the team hit .311 (91-for-293) with 30 extra-base hits: 14 homers. Baseball returns to Greer Stadium Friday as the Sounds host the Albuquerque Isotopes (AAA-Dodgers) to a four-game set. RHP Frankie De La Cruz (1-5, 7.15) gets the start for Nashville against the 'Topes RHP Angel Castro (3-2, 3.64). Nashville Box Nashville PbP Kroenke admirably worked his way out of a potentially nasty inning in the 2nd, with at the time merely a 1-0 lead: Tacoma Bottom of the 2nd -Carlos Peguero singles on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. -With Stefen Romero batting, wild pitch by Zach Kroenke, Carlos Peguero to 2nd. -With Stefen Romero batting, passed ball by Blake Lalli, Carlos Peguero to 3rd. -Stefen Romero pops out to third baseman Hainley Statia. -Mike Zunino pops out to first baseman Hunter Morris. -Nate Tenbrink grounds out to first baseman Hunter Morris. Nashville Gameday