PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Butler Solid In First Start As Sounds Post 8-5 Victory

Published on July 25, 2010 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Right-hander Josh Butler turned in an outstanding effort in his first Triple-A start of the season and outfielder Adam Stern continued his red-hot hitting with a 3-for-4, three-RBI effort to lead the Nashville Sounds to an 8-5 victory on Saturday evening at Isotopes Park.

Butler (1-0) held Albuquerque to two runs on five hits over 7 1/3 innings of work in his quality start victory. He walked two batters and struck out four in his fourth career Triple-A outing.

Stern, whose three hits and three RBIs matched his season high, is batting .384 (33-for-86) over his last 27 contests for Nashville.

Sounds second baseman Eric Farris went 2-for-4 with a triple and double in his first appearance for the club since late April. The infielder missed nearly three months while on the D.L. with a knee injury.

The win was Nashville's third in a row against Albuquerque after the Sounds (54-46) had dropped their previous five meetings with the ‘Topes.

The Sounds jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead against Albuquerque starter Seth Etherton, getting some assistance from a former teammate in the process.

Nashville loaded the bases with two outs when Lorenzo Cain and Mat Gamel singled and Luis Cruz was hit by a pitch. Left fielder Adam Stern continued his red-hot hitting for the visitors when he followed with a two-run to right to plate Cain and Gamel. Isotopes right fielder Trent Oeltjen, who spent the first three months of the year in a Sounds uniform, then mishandled Eric Farris' fly ball, allowing two more runs to reach the plate.

The Sounds tacked on another run in the fifth when Norris Hopper (3-for-5) led off with a single and Mat Gamel followed with an RBI double to left, although the Sounds' third baseman was thrown out attempting to reach third on the play.

Nashville increased its advantage to 7-0 in the sixth, plating a pair of runs with hits by the first three batters of the frame. Stern singled and scored on Farris' RBI triple to center before catcher Martin Maldonado extended Nashville's longest hitting streak of the season to 12 games with a run-scoring single to right.

Albuquerque finally broke through against Butler in the home half of the sixth, scoring a pair of runs to make it a 7-2 contest. Oeltjen led off with a single and raced around the bases to register the first Isotopes run on Ivan DeJesus, Jr.'s triple to center. The second run scored later in the frame on a Jay Gibbons sacrifice fly.

Stern plated the final Nashville run of the night in the eight when his double to center off Albuquerque reliever Cory Wade plated Ray Olmedo, who had opened the inning with a single.

The Isotopes plated two more runs in the bottom of the eight against the Sounds' bullpen. After loading the bases against Tim Dillard with a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk, John Lindsey hit an RBI comebacker to the hill to make it an 8-3 contest. Jamie Hoffmann followed with a sacrifice fly to center that was misplayed by Cain, but he recovered to throw out Hoffmann at second on the play, which reduced the Nashville lead to 8-4.

After Dillard walked the next two batters to reload the bases, Mike McClendon was summoned from the bullpen and issued a four-pitch walk to Elian Herrera to force in Gibbons before striking out Oeltjen with the bags full to escape the frame with an 8-5 lead intact.

Nashville closer Chris Smith retired the side in order on eight pitches in the bottom of the ninth to notch his league-leading 20th save of the year.

Etherton (3-3) took the loss for Albuquerque after giving up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits over his six innings of action.

The teams continue the series with 7:05 p.m. CT contest on Sunday evening. Left-hander Chris Water (5-7, 4.00) looks to rebound from his shortest start of the season when he takes the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque right-hander John Ely (3-1, 3.24).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 25, 2010


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