Sounds Settle For Sunday Split in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two-homer games by Eddy Alvarez and Tyler Naquin highlighted the afternoon as the Nashville Sounds (31-31) split a twin bill with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (27-35) on Sunday at 121 Financial Ballpark. The Sounds won the continuation of Saturday night’s suspended game 6-4, needing an additional frame to secure the victory. Jacksonville rumbled early in game two, cruising to an 8-4 win. Nashville continues their tango with .500 with a doubleheader, series, and road trip split.

Jesse Winker led off Saturday’s contest with a homer that landed just inside the left field foul pole. The Sounds squandered further scoring opportunities in the second and third. Starter Janson Junk ran into some early trouble, needing 27 pitches to get through the bottom of the first. He allowed a run but limited further damage, leaving the bases loaded.

With the game tied at 1-1, showers arrived in the middle of the fourth, delaying the game until Sunday and cancelling the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Bats in both dugouts came alive in the Sunday afternoon sun as a two-run homer from Jacksonville’s Xavier Edwards and solo shot by Alvarez left the game tied after six innings. Brian Navarreto put the Sounds up for good with a go-ahead single in the eighth before Alvarez unloaded his second homer of the afternoon, providing Nashville with insurance in the 6-4 victory.

Rehabbing southpaw Eric Lauer was greeted rudely by Jacksonville in the second game, allowing a three-run homer before recording an out and needing 34 pitches to navigate the first inning. Tyler Naquin homered in the top of the second inning to temporarily cut the deficit to two.

But the bottom of the second did not go smoothly, with four runs scoring on a bases-clearing Little League homer to center, once again before Lauer could record an out. Naquin launched another homer in the top of the fifth, the sixth two-homer performance of his career. Payton Henry added a two-run blast in the seventh, bringing the final score to 8-4 Jacksonville.

The Sounds head home to kick off a 12-game homestand. They will start a six-game set against the Gwinnett Stripers, affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, on Tuesday night. Starters for both teams are TBD. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. central time.

Post-Game Notes

• The Nashville Sounds had zero multi-homer performances over their first 52 games. With Alvarez’s two-clout performance in game one and Naquin’s in game two, the club now has five in their last 10 contests.
• Tyler Naquin’s homers in game two were his 100^th and 101^st home runs of his professional career. He’s hit 61 in the Majors and 40 in the minor leagues.
• Rehabbing Brewers outfielder Jesse Winker went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a walk on Saturday before the game’s suspension. He went 0-for-3 in the Sunday’s second game. Winker is batting .222 (2-for-9) with two home runs, three RBI and a 1.306 OPS in four rehab games.
• A trio of rehabbing Milwaukee arms appeared in today’s games. Matt Bush took over to start the resumed game, tossing a 1-2-3 fourth inning. J.B. Bukauskas followed him, allowing a go-ahead two-run homer but striking out three. Eric Lauer allowed seven runs (five earned) over two innings, taking the loss in game two.

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