Game 70: Sounds at Jumbo Shrimp

Cooper Huskey

Published in

Shrimp & Grits

6 min readJul 25, 2021

Sunday, July 25, 2021–6:35 p.m. ET

Nashville Sounds (41–29) at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (37–32)

121 Financial Ballpark — Jacksonville, Fla.

LAST TIME OUT:

A six-run eighth inning lifted Jacksonville to a nice 9–3 win over the Nashville Sounds and clinched a series victory for the Jumbo Shrimp for the first time since June 1–6 at Gwinnett. Tied at three, Bryson Brigman started the eighth inning off with a leadoff single. A couple of batters later, Corey Bird hit a single and Brian Navarreto drew a walk to load the bases for Jacksonville with just one out. The Sounds then went to their bullpen to try and get out of the jam and brought in Kyle Lobstein. Justin Twine worked a full count and then hit a chopper with just enough English to cause second baseman Weston Wilson to bobble the ball and not have a play. Brigman and Bird scored, giving Jacksonville a 5–3 lead, Navarreto went to third and Twine was safe at first. The next batter, Joe Dunand, hit a home run that just cleared the left field wall and surged the Jumbo Shrimp to an 8–3 lead. It was Dunand’s second homer of the season. Jacksonville scored their ninth and final run when Mason Melotakis hit a ball that caused another Nashville error and brought home Tristan Pompey.

Jacksonville scored their first run on a Brigman RBI triple in the third inning. The Jumbo Shrimp added two more runs in the fourth inning with a fielding error that allowed Bird to score and then an RBI double from Dunand.

With the win, Jacksonville clinched a series win for the first time since the first week of June when they traveled to Gwinnett and beat the Stripers five games to one. This is also their first home series win since the first week of the season when the Jumbo Shrimp beat Norfolk four games to two.

**Corey Bird** legging out a triple in the top of the third inning. The Jumbo Shrimp wore their alternate Jax Red Caps uniforms last night in their annual Salute to the Negro Leagues. (Matthew Bernanke/Matthew Bernanke Photography)

GAME INFO:

For the third series this season, Jumbo Shrimp pitchers will be required to bat in the game. This is because Minor League Baseball’s rule about designated hitters this year is that teams are allowed to use them unless it is a matchup of two National League affiliates, which tonight’s matchup is, with Jacksonville being affiliated with Miami and Nashville being affiliated with Milwaukee. In the two previous series, Jumbo Shrimp pitchers as a unit batted .194 with three RBIs. Jacksonville is 12–5 in games when pitchers bat.

MEET THE SOUNDS:

Nashville is the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Sounds enter with a 41–29 record and are in second place in the Southeast Division.

Nashville played in the Double-A Southern League from 1978–1984, the same time as the Jacksonville Suns. In 1982, the Suns and Sounds met the Finals, with Nashville beating Jacksonville three games to one.

The Sounds are managed by Rick Sweet, who returns for his second stint with Nashville. Sweet has been managing for 30 years, compiling a record of 2,207–2,096. Sweet managed the Sounds in 2014 to a 77–67 record. In 2015, Nashville and Milwaukee severed ties. The Sounds became the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s, and the Brewers moved all of their players in coaches, including Sweet, to Colorado Springs, as the Sky Sox became the new Triple-A affiliate of the Brewers. Sweet managed the Sky Sox for four years, going 282–275. Milwaukee changed Triple-A affiliates again in 2019, partnering with the San Antonio Missions, and Sweet moved again. With the Missions, he went 80–60. At the start of the 2021 season, Milwaukee and Nashville partnered once again and Sweet is now back managing the Sounds.

The Sounds tied a franchise record earlier this season, winning 15 games in a row. The streak started May 18 with a 9–8 win over the Gwinnett Stripers. During the streak, Nashville outscored opponents 106–50. The streak ended on June 4 when they lost to the Charlotte Knights 1–0.

Tim Lopes hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth yesterday to give the Sounds their first run of the season. It was Lopes’ seventh home run of the season for Nashville. This year through 52 games with the Sounds, Lopes is slashing .228/.293/.411. Lopes signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent in December of 2020. Previously, he had been in the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays farm systems.

PITCHING MATCHUP:

LHP Aaron Ashby (5–3, 5.26 ERA)

Araron Ashby will make his ninth start for the Sounds tonight. Ashby was drafted by the Brewers in 2018 out of Crowder Junior College. In 2018, Ashby led Division I JUCO pitchers with 156 strikeouts. This year, he made his MLB debut for Milwaukee on June 30, starting against the Chicago Cubs. Ashby was pulled in the first inning after only recording two outs, and surrendering seven runs, four earned, on four hits. Fortunately for Ashby and Milwaukee, the Brewers came back to win the game 15–7. His latest start for Nashville was July 17 against the Louisville Bats. Ashby tossed three innings and allowed three runs on four hits in a losing effort. Ashby has pitched in this series between the Sounds and Jumbo Shrimp, tossing two scoreless innings in relief on July 21. Ashby has four pitches in his repertoire: a sinker, changeup, slider, and curveball.

RHP Paul Campbell (0–0, 0.00 ERA)

Paul Campbell will make his second start for the Jumbo Shrimp tonight. Campbell was drafted in 2017 by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Clemson. The Marlins picked Campbell up off waivers in December of 2020. This season with the Marlins, Campbell has pitched in five games, mainly as a reliever, but he did start one game on May 1. With the Fish, he compiled a 0–2 record with an 8.74 ERA. Campbell made his first start for the Jumbo Shrimp earlier this week in the series opener against Nashville. He tossed four scoreless innings and struck out three batters. Campbell has four pitches in his repertoire: a fastball, slider, curveball, and a changeup.

LINEUP

Brian Miller, LF
Bryson Brigman, SS
Lewin Díaz, 1B
Joe Dunand, 3B
Zack Zehner, RF
Corey Bird, CF
Santiago Chavez, C
Devin Hairston, 2B
Paul Campbell, P

NEWS FROM THE TROUPE:

Deven Marrero hit his first MLB homer this season earlier today to tie the game for Miami at one. This season, Marrero played 43 games for the Jumbo Shrimp and hit five dingers.
Braxton Garrett was optioned back to Jacksonville again today. Garrett started for the Marlins yesterday, tossed seven innings, and allowed just two runs on four hits, earning his first major league win of the season. It was the first major league quality start of his career. This season, Garrett has registered four quality starts for the Jumbo Shrimp.

TRIPLE-A SOUTHEAST DIVISION STANDINGS