Sounds Cut Down Cubs at First Tennessee Park

Four Nashville Sounds' pitchers shut down the Iowa Cubs in a 4-1 win in front of 8,879 fans at First Tennessee Park Friday night.
Raúl Alcántara started for the Sounds and one-hit the Cubs over three scoreless innings before giving way for Oakland Athletics right-hander Daniel Mengden. Pitching on a Major League rehab assignment, Mengden went 3 2/3 innings and limited Iowa to one unearned run.
The Sounds built an early lead behind Alcantara with a pair of runs in the first inning. Ramón Laureano started the bottom of the first with a triple to the gap in right-center. Steve Lombardozzi followed with a run-scoring single to plate the first run of the night. Lombardozzi later scored on a wild pitch to give Nashville a 2-0 lead.
With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Jake Smolinski started a rally with a sharp single to left field, his second hit of the game. Anthony García followed with his team-leading 14th home run of the season to give the Sounds a 4-0 lead.
Mengden followed Alcantara in his first rehab assignment since landing on Oakland's disabled list on June 23 with a sprained right foot. Iowa scored a run in the seventh with the help of a throwing error.
Dean Kiekhefer relieved Mengden with two outs in the seventh and stranded a runner. The southpaw started the eighth before Bobby Wahl entered with one out and a runner at first. He retired Chesny Young and Taylor Davis to hold the 4-1 lead.
Wahl came back out for the ninth and issued a lead-off walk before retiring the next three hitters to earn his 10th save of the season.
Game four of the five-game series is scheduled for Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Trevor Cahill (0-1, 3.72) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Jen-Ho Tseng (2-9, 7.25) for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Post-Game Notes
- With tonight's 4-1 win, the Sounds improved to 40-45 on the season.
- Daniel Mengden made a Major League rehab appearance for the Sounds and picked up his 11th career win with Nashville. His pitching line: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He threw 66 pitches, 38 for strikes.
- Anthony Garcia hit his team-leading 14th home run of the season - a two-run shot in the fifth inning. He also leads the Sounds with 44 RBI.
- Bobby Wahl recorded his 10th save of the season. The 10 saves are tied for fourth-most in the Pacific Coast League.
The 2018 season is the Sounds' 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics' top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.