Two Innings for K-Rod
Veteran reliever Francisco Rodriguez has been added to the active Nashville roster, joining the club from Advanced-A Brevard County where he made a pair of scoreless relief appearances (2.0 IP). The MLB single-season saves record holder (62 for Angels in 2008) signed a minor league contract with the Brewers on April 17.
He is expected to pitch one inning for the Sounds tonight (5.13) and tomorrow (5.14).
Sounds 5.13 Line-Up
presented by Academy Sports
2B – Scooter Gennett
DH – Hainley Statia
LF – Caleb Gindl
RF – Khris Davis
1B – Sean Halton
3B – Stephen Parker
C – Anderson De La Rosa
SS – Blake Davis
CF – Josh Prince
P – R.J. Seidel
Winning For The Kids
The Nashville Sounds hosted a Disability Dream and Do baseball clinic for disabled children as part of the team’s partnership with the Dave Clark Foundation Saturday morning. The children participated in 90 minutes of on-field instruction then enjoyed a post-clinic lunch with the players. Two days prior, four Sounds players hosted a baseball clinic for hearing-impaired children as part of the team’s 13th Annual Sertoma Club Fantasy Camp.
Update: Here is a photo album posted by Dave Clark Baseball Facebook page, featuring 200+ photos of the clinic.
Had a blast this morning working with the disabled kids. Great experience! @nashvillesounds#BLESSED
— Rob Wooten (@RobWooten35) May 11, 2013
Awesome day at Greer with the camp for disabled kids.. Awesome experience and was truly a blessing @nashvillesounds #blessed
— Donovan Hand (@DonovanHand) May 11, 2013
Now the team gets set to face former Vanderbilt hurler Sonny Gray of the Sacramento River Cats. This will be the only start of the four-game series for the Smyrna native.
May 11 Sounds Lineup
(presented by Academy Sports)
2B – Scooter Gennett
CF – Josh Prince
LF – Caleb Gindl
RF – Khris Davis
3B – Stephen Parker
1B – Sean Halton
SS – Blake Davis
DH – Hainley Statia
C – Dayton Buller
Extra Innings from APR’13
Well it’s official, Sounds Swaggin’ is taking off!
Don’t believe me? Then you must have missed the April 29 airing of Conan, in which Nashville-band Old Crow Medicine Show played a new song called ‘Mississippi Saturday Night’.
The toe-tapping performance featured harmonica, banjos, one animated front-man, and an authentic Sounds Throwback Thursday cap. When you watch the full performance over on tbs.com, you’ll find Critter holds it down the best. Thanks to @ulikabbq and @Kid_Forrest for the tip.
To join in on the Sounds Swaggin’ revolution, check out the Sounds Pro Shop online here.
Related at the Juke Box: ‘Wagon Wheel‘ by Old Crow Medicine Show. Pre-Darius.
Lalli Wickers One To Left
Only 12 games into the season, the Nashville Sounds have already seen two players called up to Milwaukee. The first, Josh Prince, has one hit in five at-bats thus far, but making the headlines today is what Blake Lalli did with his debut hit as a Brewer on Wednesday night. The lefty came in with the bases loaded to pinch hit for the Crew and, well, he delivered.
With the hit, Lalli joins Floyd Wicker (1970) as the only other player in team history to record a walkoff hit as his first Brewers hit. Wicker had an RBI-single to beat the White Sox, 3-2, in extra innings on 9/4/70. (via Elias Sports Bureau & Mike Vassallo)
As for the Sounds, the team is still looking for their first successful pinch hit of the season, currently 0-for-8, with one walk, two strikeouts and two runners left on base.
Shutout? No worries.
The Sounds were just inches away from breaking the Zephyrs eventual 12-0 shut out on Friday night at Greer Stadium. Trying to score on Scooter Gennett’s single in the 5th inning, catcher Dayton Buller was tagged out at home by the Z’s Koyie Hill. The loss was Nashville’s largest shutout defeat since the Sounds joined the Pacific Coast League in 1998, surpassing an 11-0 blanking by Joel Pineiro and the Tacoma Rainiers on June 18, 2000.
The good news is the Sounds bounced back with a win the following day, defeating Tacoma 7-6.
April 6 Line Up
presented by Academy Sports
2B Scooter Gennett
CF Caleb Gindl
1B Hunter Morris
LF Sean Halton
3B Stephen Parker
RF Cole Garner
SS Blake Davis
C Blake Lalli
P Johnny Hellweg
Solid Opener & Debut
The Sounds netted their 22nd winning home opener Thursday night, powered by the bat of Hunter Morris (above). The first baseman picked up right where he left off last season in his Triple-A debut last night. The 2012 Southern League MVP, who ranked second in the minors in RBIs a year ago, went 2-for-4 with a homer, double, and four RBIs to power the Sounds to victory. His four RBIs co-lead the PCL with Andrew Brown of Las Vegas.
Morris is rated as the Brewers #4 prospect by Baseball America and will be receiving his 2012 Rawlings Minor League Golden Glove Award prior to Sunday’s game by MiLB president Pat O’Conner.
Sounds 4/5 Line-Up
(presented by Academy Sports)
SS Josh Prince
2B Scooter Gennett
1B Hunter Morris
LF Sean Halton
CF Caleb Gindl
RF Cole Garner
3B Stephen Parker
C Dayton Buller
P Hiram Burgos
The Sounds stand alone in first place in the PCL American Conference Northern Division today, marking the first time since April 22, 2011 that Omaha has not had at least a share of first place in the division (a span of 269 games).
For more news links from Opening Night, check out On the Air…and Off, by Sounds play-by-play broadcaster Jeff Hem.
Baseball’s Big Day Out
MLB kicked things off on Monday with baseball’s first Opening Day and now it’s Minor League Baseball’s turn to follow suit.
The Sounds are gearing up for a 7:05 PM start against the New Orleans Zephyrs (Marlins affiliate). This marks the third-straight time Nashville has faced NOLA in the season opener and is the seventh time in nine years since becoming a Brewers affiliate in 2005. Nashville is 2-4 against the Z’s in those opening contests.
All-time, the Sounds are 16-19 in season openers, including a 6-2 loss at New Orleans last year. The team is 21-14 in openers with the guitar scoreboard at their backs.
Sounds 2013 Opening Day Line-up
(presented by Academy Sports)
CF Josh Prince
2B Scooter Gennett
1B Hunter Morris
LF Sean Halton
RF Caleb Gindl
3B Stephen Parker
C Blake Lalli
SS Blake Davis
P Tyler Thornburg
For more game notes, check it: 04.04 Sounds Notes
Related at the Jukebox: “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones (not my favorite Stones song, but may be worth it for the moves like Jagger)
Stars, Bars & Baseball
Nashville is a city where people come from all over to try and ‘make it’ in the music business. Similar comparisons can be made to the rounds of Brewers minor leaguers coming to Greer in hopes of getting to play at the Major League level, their hit song being a walk-off blast in Milwaukee.
But the two camps (of baseball players and singers) really aren’t that far apart. Or at least, won’t be when the season begins. You see, this Saturday is our all-day national anthem tryouts and we want YOU! Many will come with the words of Francis Scott Keys on their hearts, in hopes of joining the likes of the Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio, Craig Morgan, Linda Davis, and Little Texas, who have all graced the field at Greer Stadium in year’s past fire up the Sounds to win one for America.
Still need inspiration? Here is Emmylou Harris doing her thing at Greer.
For anyone interested in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to a 2013 Sounds game and perhaps becoming a Country Music Hall of Famer down the road, here are the details.
Where: Greer Stadium / When: Saturday, March 16
Time: 9AM-2PM / Must be registered by 1PM (online form here)
Contact our music booking manager Buddy Yelton at (615) 690-HITS ext. 124 for further information.
Related at the Jukebox: ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock
Extra Innings from FEB’13
10th Inning: Baseball started last month. Spring Training anyways, which is plenty to get excited about. And only 10 games in, so much has already happened to whet our appetites for the summer, from Ryan Braun’s (2007 Sound) first at-bat home run, to Caleb Gindl’s (2011-12) impressive .500 (7-for-14) batting average. No doubt the sun is shining down in Arizona.
11th Inning: But meanwhile back in Nashville, where we eagerly await the team’s return to Greer Stadium, a different sound has been making the local news. It was reported last week that Nashville will be installing new tornado warning sirens (hear the difference). Lucky for us, many of our #SocialSounds helped keep us from repeatedly clicking the siren noises, by offering up these pictures.
Most notable was Ross Thornton (@rossthornton17), who couldn’t resist sending this image: a senior photo of his taken at Greer stadium. If only I had been so clever; mine was just in front of some gate.
Post month: But now as we look to March, so much is coming up: Unveiling the Promotional Schedule, Starting Single Game Ticket Purchases, Pocket Schedule Deliveries, The World Baseball Classic, National Anthem Tryouts, Sound Bytes Spring Training coverage and who knows what else.
Whatever the case, keep your ear close for the Sound Bytes.
Get Your Eye Black Ready
Dr. Phil predicts an early spring.
The calendar says it’s due March 20.
But by baseball standards — and what better standard is there really? — as pitchers and catchers report to Arizona, spring is officially here. Brewers players, a collection of future and former Sounds, report to Maryvale on Tuesday; and Wednesday marks 50 days until the Sounds home opener against New Orleans on Thursday, April 4.
And because we’re not too far from leaning against the BP cage as Hunter Morris and company crack the white in Nashville this summer, we found an amusing memory from a 1989 batting practice session at Greer Stadium via ESPN’s Buster Olney.
It came Monday, when ESPN changed the format of its longtime Baseball Today podcast, featuring Eric Karabell, Keith Law and Mark Simon, and turned it over to Olney in what is now called Baseball Tonight (the podcast). In his debut show, which you can hear here (advance to 24:50 mark), Buster recounts a run-in (or not) with Deion Sanders at Greer Stadium in the very early stages of his sports journalism career.
Greer, being a 35-year-old stadium, is packed with classic stories. And as Sound Bytes Blog discovers them, we’ll get them to you right here. Thanks to @WaltClark for the casual tip.
Related at the Jukebox: “Deion May Have Wanted To” by the Ramones
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