Lindblom, Ruiz Lead Sounds to Another Win

Josh Lindblom fired his fifth consecutive quality start and Esteury Ruiz hit a two-run homer to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 6-1 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Thursday night at First Horizon Park.

Lindblom was blessed with a couple of early runs when Sal Frelick singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and Ruiz followed with a two-run blast to the seats in left field. It was Ruiz’s third home run in his last five games.

Nashville led 3-0 when Lindblom allowed his lone run of the night on a solo homer by Jacksonville’s Luis Aviles Jr. The right-hander put zeroes on the board from the fourth through sixth innings and picked up his seventh win of the year. He scattered five hits and struck out four.

The Sounds picked up three insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, Ruiz doubled down the left field line, promptly stole third base and scored when the throw went into left field. The stolen base was Ruiz’s 76th of the season.

After consecutive singles by Jon Singleton and Joey Wiemer, Pablo Reyes cleared the bases with a two-run double to the gap in right-center to give Nashville a 6-1 lead.

Following Lindblom’s solid start, Brewers reliever Trevor Gott tossed a 1-2-3 top of the seventh in his second MLB rehab appearance. Jake Cousins put up a zero in the eighth and Cam Robinson followed suit in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Game four of the series is scheduled for Friday night at First Horizon Park. Left-hander Robert Gasser (1-0, 5.23) starts for Nashville against right-hander Elieser Hernandez (3-2, 4.46) for Jacksonville. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

• The Sounds are now 83-54…the 83 wins are tied for 5th-most in Sounds franchise history.
• With the win and Columbus’ loss, the Sounds magic number to clinch the International League West Division is down to nine.
• Sal Frelick (2-for-5, R, RBI, 2 K) extended his on-base streak to 32 games with a leadoff single in the first inning. He is hitting .362 (46-for-127) with 30 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, 15 RBI and 15 walks during the streak. The 32-game on-base streak is the second-longest active streak in the International League.
• Josh Lindblom (W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) recorded his fifth straight quality start and ninth of the season.
• In five games since being optioned by Milwaukee, Esteury Ruiz is hitting .421 (8-for-19) with 5 runs, 1 double, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, 2 walks and 6 stolen bases.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Single-game tickets are on sale now for all home games in 2022. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].