The Nashville Sounds used a flurry of hits in the final two innings to top the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 5-2. The Sounds trailed 2-1 through seven innings but erupted for four runs on seven hits in the final two frames to earn the victory.

The win was just the second for the Sounds all season in a game when they trailed after seven innings. Nashville is now 2-8 in such games.

Melvin Mercedes wasted no time settling in on a chilly evening in Colorado Springs. The second baseman ripped a triple to right field. Mark Canha drove in his fourth run of the season as he lifted a fly ball deep enough into center field to score Mercedes from third.

The Sky Sox matched the Sounds in the opening frame as Garrett Cooper scorched a two-out double over the head of center fielder, Kenny Wilson to score Lewis Brinson from first base.

After surrendering one run in the first inning, Chris Smith (0-1, 3.07) cruised through the next five frames en route to his first quality start of the season. The 36-year-old gave up one run on five hits in six innings. He was replaced by Tucker Healy (1-1, 2.70) who promptly was taken deep by Brett Phillips to give the Sky Sox the 2-1 advantage. Healy would earn the win, however as the Sounds scored two runs in the eighth inning.

The Sounds offense heated up in the eighth inning as they began the frame with four consecutive hits. Bruce Maxwell led off with a base hit to left field then advanced on the first hit of the season for Matt Chapman, a tapper to third base. With Kenny Wilson at the dish, the Sounds attempted a double steal. Maxwell was safe at third but Chapman was gunned down at second. With Wilson still at the plate, Colorado Springs’ David Goforth bounced a pitch in the dirt that eluded the catcher, Andrew Susac, allowing Maxwell to scamper home and tie the game at two.

Andrew Lambo crossed up the shift on a hit and run with Wilson to put runners on the corners and just one out. Mercedes then drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice to the shortstop as he was able to beat out the double play attempt.

Nashville posted a pair of insurance runs in the ninth inning as the first four batters reached base. Chris Parmelee, Ryan Lavarnway walked, and Maxwell stroked a double to left field to drive in two runs.

Bobby Wahl shut the door on the Sky Sox in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.

The Sounds continue a four game set with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Sunday afternoon for game two of the series. Right-hander Zach Neal (1-1, 3.77) takes the mound for the Sounds against Paolo Espino (2-0, 4.76) for the Sky Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin combed through the batter-pitcher matchups hours before Friday night’s game against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park and found only limited success against Bartolo Colon.

But the Phillies picked up 11 hits and four runs in seven innings against Colon in a 4-3 victory. Colon had been 10-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 14 starts against the Phillies the previous three seasons with the Mets. The Phillies had picked up more than six hits against him in just four of those 14 starts. They had never had more than 10, which happened once, in July 2014.
“You know what you’re going to get from him,” Phillies left fielder Aaron Altherr said. “He’s always going to throw that little running fastball and the sinker. You’ve just got to be ready to hit when it’s a strike. He throws a lot of those.”
Cesar Hernandez, Altherr and Cameron Rupp led the way with multi-hit games.
“To their credit, they were getting hits off of me and fortunately for me, a lot of those hits didn’t necessarily turn into runs,” Colon said through an interpreter. “So, I’m grateful that even though they got a lot of hits, we kind of contained them. I definitely wouldn’t say I had any bad luck.”
Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (3-0, 1.88 ERA) had another strong start. He allowed three hits, two runs and struck out five in seven innings. He has pitched seven or more innings in back-to-back starts.
The victory snapped the Phillies’ seven-game losing streak to the Braves, which dated to July 31. Atlanta has lost four straight since bouncing back from a 1-6 start with five straight wins.
“I feel like we’re just a tick away from something really good happening,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s one of those things where we’ve just got to keep playing. I don’t think we’re that far off.”
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman crushed a solo home run to right field in the sixth inning to cut the Phillies lead to one run. The ball left his bat at 109 mph and travelled a projected 425 feet, according to Statcast™. It was Freeman’s seventh home run of the season, but just his ninth RBI.
“That was a good one,” Freeman said of the shot that hit the right field’s second-level facade. “When you don’t really feel it hit the bat, those are good ones. I just need to keep doing that and hopefully do it when guys are on base.”
Hector Neris, who became the Phillies’ unofficial closer Thursday, made things interesting in the ninth. He allowed a solo homer to Adonis Garcia to start the inning to cut the Phillies’ lead to one.
Seconds later, the teams left the field for a 24-minute rain delay. Once play resumed Neris retired Freeman and Matt Kemp before allowing singles to Nick Markakis and Brandon Phillips to put the tying run at second base. But Neris struck out Tyler Flowers swinging on a splitter to end the game.
“Will I continue to pitch or not?” said Neris, asked what he was thinking during the rain delay.
He wasn’t thinking, “Oh, boy, once the rain ends I’ve got to face Freeman?”
“Nah,” Neris said, smiling.
Jaime Garcia will take the mound when this three-game series resumes Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Garcia limited opponents to a .167 batting average on sliders put in play last year, but that mark stands at .529 (9-for-17) through this season’s first three starts.  Thunder Radio will bring you that broadcast as part of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network beginning at 6 PM

With no outs and a runner on first base in the top of the eighth inning for the Sounds a bank of lights at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark went out causing the series finale between the Sounds and the Oklahoma City Dodgers to be suspended. The game will be completed the next time the Sounds visit Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark June 22-25.

On a gusty, damp Friday evening the Sounds offense hit another dry spell. Nashville lit up the scoreboard just once through 7+ innings against the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

20-year-old Julio Urias (0-0, 1.93) kept the Sounds batters off balance all night long as he tossed 5.2 shutout innings and allowed just two hits while striking out six batters. Sounds starter, Paul Blackburn (0-2, 2.12), turned in another stellar performance. Blackburn was spared the loss when Franklin Barreto went deep in the eighth inning to tie the game at one. Blackburn gave up a single run on three hits while tying a season-high with eight strikeouts. In the three games he has started this season the offense has mustered just three runs.

The Dodgers got the scoring started in their first trip to the plate. In the bottom of the first inning Blackburn issued a one-out walk to Cody Bellinger who promptly swiped second base. Alex Verdugo brought him home on a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
In the second inning Bruce Maxwell drew a two-out walk. Kenny Wilson ripped a double into the right center field alley and Maxwell attempted to score from first but was gunned down at home by shortstop Charlie Culberson to preserve the lead for the Dodgers. The hit extended Wilson’s hitting streak to a team-high nine games.

Barreto followed up his four-hit night on Thursday with a game-tying solo home run to lead off the eighth inning Friday. Melvin Mercedes was subsequently walked. Then with a 2-2 count on Mark Canha a bank of lights at the stadium went out causing a delay and ultimately a suspended ballgame.
The Sounds begin a four game set with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox Saturday evening. Right-hander Chris Smith (0-1, 4.15) takes the mound for the Sounds against a pitcher yet to be named for the Sky Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.