Sounds Pitching Dominant in Shutout Win

NASHVILLE – Patrick Dorrian mashed two home runs and Robert Gasser stifled the opposition as the Nashville Sounds (56-48, 16-14) stomped the Durham Bulls (57-49, 17-14) 6-0 on Friday night at First Horizon Park. It is Nashville’s seventh shutout of the season, the most in Triple-A.

It went Nashville’s way early as they sent all nine men to the plate in a busy second inning. After Patrick Dorrian led off the frame with a solo blast to the deepest part of the ballpark, Cam Devanney lofted a two-run homer to left field. Keston Hiura then lined an RBI double to the gap in left center, pushing Nashville’s lead to 4-0. Dorrian wasn’t done, ripping another home run to deep center to lead off the next frame and extending the lead to a comfortable five runs.

Five was plenty for starter Robert Gasser (W, 6-1), who allowed only two hits and struck out a season-high 10 Bulls over 6.0 scoreless innings. The southpaw retired the first 10 hitters he faced, then worked around some traffic in the fifth and sixth innings. With Durham threatening with two on and only one out in the sixth, Gasser locked it down, fanning Ruben Cardenas and Alex Jackson to polish off a fantastic start.

Nashville wasn’t quite done scoring. After Payton Henry led off the eighth with a first pitch double, Cam Devanney drove him in with an RBI single, his third run batted in of the night. Eric Lauer locked down the shutout, striking out five in 2.0 innings. After the first two Bulls reached in the ninth, Lauer fanned the next three to clinch the 6-0 win.

A night after hitting 11 singles, eight of Nashville’s hits went for extra bases. Dorrian paced the club with two homers and a double, while Devanney smoked a homer and triple as part of his three-hit night. Hiura, Henry and Tyler Naquin each added doubles.

The Sounds look to seize the series advantage tomorrow night. Right-hander Janson Junk (6-6, 4.44) will start for the Sounds against Durham’s Nathan Wiles (3-0, 5.40). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CDT at First Horizon Park.

Post-Game Notes

• Gasser matched a team season high with 10 strikeouts tonight. Southpaw Thomas Pannone fanned 10 in a seven-inning complete game vs. Norfolk on June 22.
• Patrick Dorrian set a new career high with 10 total bases, extending his on-base streak to 11 games in the process. During the on-base streak, Dorrian is batting .325 (13-for-40) with a .438 on-base percentage and 1.188 OPS.
• Cam Devanney continued his recent stretch of good performances, extending his hitting streak to six games. He’s batting a scorching .458 (11-for-24) with a double, a triple, two homers, five RBI and a 1.313 OPS over the span. He’s also reached base in 18 of his last 19 contests.
• Eric Lauer has looked sharp in his two outings since returning from ACL Brewers on August 1. He’s struck out seven of the 15 hitters he’s faced (46.7%) and surrendered a .231 average (3-for-13) in two appearances.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Single-game tickets for the rest of the 2023 season are on sale now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].