In a matchup between two of the top pitchers who could potentially be moved before Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline, Jeremy Hellickson outdueled Julio Teheran on Saturday night at Turner Field, as the Phillies defeated the Braves, 9-5.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI single by Cameron Rupp, but Atlanta quickly stormed back. Nick Markakis drove in Jace Peterson with a single to tie the game in the third before Adonis Garcia handed the Braves their only lead with an RBI single in the next at-bat.
Teheran appeared to settle in after the second inning, retiring eight straight batters before running into trouble in the fifth. With runners on first and second, Hellickson provided his own support, doubling down the left-field line to score both and give the Phillies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Opposing pitchers were 3-for-34 vs. Teheran this year before the at-bat.
“The big hit for me was Hellickson’s double after he couldn’t get a bunt down,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
After the Phillies scored two more runs in the sixth, the Braves cut the deficit to 5-3 and knocked Hellickson out of the game on Anthony Recker’s RBI single in the bottom of the frame. After surrendering four runs on no hits to the Phillies in the eighth, Atlanta couldn’t mount a comeback despite scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame. It fell to 8-4 against Philadelphia this season.
“[Until that inning], we were right there,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It just didn’t happen in that inning, pretty much. We could have kind of kept the game right there in the eighth, but there were just a couple of tough plays that didn’t go our way.”
Scouts got a final look at Hellickson before Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline. Hellickson did not pitch his best, allowing nine hits and three runs in just 5 2/3 innings, although he doubled down the left-field line in the fifth inning to score two runs and give the Phillies a 3-2 lead, but he also bruised his pitching hand during the same at-bat. The bruise made it difficult to grip his curveball and cut his outing short.
“Still not really sure what it is,” Hellickson said. “A bruise. Or I popped something in there. But I felt fine, though, after I did it.”
After going only four innings in his start vs. the Rockies on July 22 because of a tight lat muscle in his back, Teheran struggled with bouts of inconsistency in his first outing since the injury. The right-hander bounced back after giving up a run in the second inning, but he labored through the Phillies’ two-run fifth, throwing 32 pitches. The long inning ended Teheran’s night after 86 pitches, marking the first time since April 17 and 23, 2015, that he pitched five innings or fewer in back-to-back starts.  Teheran said. “But just the one mistake I made [on the pitch to Hellickson] — I think I was doing well until that point.”
Nine up, four runs, no hits: The Phillies scored four runs in a most unusual way in the eighth inning. They sent nine batters to the plate, but nobody got a hit. Here’s how they fared: Tyler Goeddel (walk), Freddy Galvis (fielder’s choice), Taylor Featherston (walk), Cesar Hernandez (walk), Odubel Herrera (walk), Maikel Franco (error), Ryan Howard (error), Aaron Altherr (hit by pitch) and Rupp (grounded into double play).
With his 2-for-4 effort on Saturday night, Ender Inciarte extended his hitting streak to a season-best 11 games. Since the All-Star break, the Atlanta outfielder is batting .321 (18-for-56) and has recorded two or more hits in a game four times after doing so on three occasions in his final 25 games before the break.
Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-12, 3.83 ERA) pitches the finale of a four-game series Sunday at 12:35 p.m. CT against the Braves at Turner Field. Eickhoff has been inconsistent lately, but he allowed five hits and one run in seven innings last week against the Marlins in Miami. He is 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA in four career starts against the Braves.  Atlanta will turn to Joel De La Cruz to assume Lucas Harrell’s spot in the starting rotation for Sunday’s series finale. De La Cruz has made his past seven appearances out of the bullpen — most recently pitching 2/3 of an inning on Thursday vs. the Phillies — after going 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA in his first two career starts.  Thunder Radio will bring you coverage of that game beginning at noon.

The Nashville Sounds got two solo home runs from Chad Pinder and Renato Nunez in route to their 2-0 series opening win over the New Orleans Zephyrs Saturday night at Zephyrs field.

Renato Nunez and Chad Pinder each sent solo home runs to lead the Sounds to the win. Pinder launched his 14th home run of the season in the top of the first to center to give the Sounds the early 1-0 lead. Nunez then got in on the fun in the sixth inning as he led off the frame with a solo shot of his own to left to double the Sounds lead to 2-0. The Nunez home run was the 22-year olds team leading 17th home run of the season.

Sounds starter Ross Detwiler pitched 6.1 shutout inning and allowed just four hits and struck out seven and earned the win. The win notched Detwiler’s third win as a Sound since being traded by the Cleveland Indians on July 7.

Detwiler retired 19 of the 23 batters he faced before leaving in the seventh inning after giving up two singles in the frame. Ryan Brasier came on in relief of Detwiler and inherited the two runners and allowed a Pedro Ciriaco base hit to load the bases with one out. Brasier then got Austin Nola to pop up to Matt McBride and Carlos Carporan to ground out to Joey Wendle to end the Zephyrs threat in the seventh.

Brasier then pitched a perfect eighth inning to preserve the Sounds 2-0 lead.

Tucker Healy would come on to pitch the ninth and try for his seventh save. Healy made quick work of the first two batters he would see in Justin Bour and Destin Hood. Matt Juengel then hit a base hit to left-center, however Healy shut the door on any potential Zephyr come back striking out Pedro Ciriaco to end the game.

The Sounds continue their four-game series with the New Orleans Zephyrs Sunday afternoon with game two of the series. Nashville will send right-hander Chris Jensen (1-4, 4.15) to face off against New Orleans left-hander Justin Nicolino (4-4, 3.00). First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Zephyr field.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

While Vince Velasquez auditioned for the crowd of scouts that came to see him at Turner Field on Friday night, Tyrell Jenkins provided a more encouraging glimpse of his potential as a starting pitcher and helped the Braves claim a 2-1 win over the Phillies.

Gordon Beckham and Nick Markakis recorded RBI singles during a two-run second inning that doomed Velasquez and proved sufficient for Jenkins, who allowed just one unearned run over six innings en route to claiming his first career win. The Phillies had won each of the past five games played against the Braves.
“[Velasquez] was tough, and our guys hung in there pretty good against him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You’re not going to get a whole lot, and thank God we didn’t give up a whole lot. It was a good ballgame.”
Velasquez escaped multiple threats as he surrendered two earned runs and seven hits over six innings. The Dodgers and Rangers were among the teams that had scouts in the stands to watch the Phillies right-hander, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 18 starts. Philadelphia’s only run was tallied in the third inning, when Cesar Hernandez scored from first base after Jace Peterson bobbled Odubel Herrera’s single in left field.
“Their guy was effectively wild, let’s put it that way,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “We had him on the ropes early.”
Markakis highlighted his three-hit game with a pair of doubles, but it was his two-out single in the third inning that proved to be the game’s decisive blow. Erick Aybar began the third with a single and scored on the single by Beckham, who entered Friday hitting just .143 (6-for-42) since the All-Star break. Markakis has been trending the other way, hitting .347 since the break.
“It’s all about having good at-bats,” Markakis said. “You go up there with a plan and stick to it and try to execute. Once you hit the ball, you can’t do much about it. You just have good plans and good approaches and try to hit it where they’re not.”
The Phillies acquired Velasquez from Houston in December as part of the Ken Giles trade, so would they really trade him less than eight months later? It is unlikely, but the presence of scouts, particularly three from the Rangers, is noteworthy and the rebuilding Phillies certainly will listen to what teams have to say. After all, what if they get an offer they can’t refuse?
“Am I aware of it? Yeah,” Velasquez said about the trade speculation. “I can’t control anything. If they trade me, they trade me. I can’t do anything about it. What am I going to do? The only thing I can do is pitch. That’s my job.” More >
Jenkins rebounds: Coming off an ugly start at Coors Field, where he allowed seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, Jenkins issued a walk to begin the game and then retired each of the next five batters he faced. The rookie right-hander, who has made two of his four starts against the Phillies, pitched around Cody Asche’s one-out double in the second inning and got Herrera to fly out with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning. He retired each of the final seven batters he faced.
“It’s a special night,” Jenkins said. “I was just glad I was keeping the guys in the game. It was a close game, and luckily we pulled away with a [win].” More >
Howard makes things interesting: Ryan Howard hit a pinch-hit double to center field with two outs in the ninth inning to put the tying runner on base, and Hernandez worked a walk to put the go-ahead run at first. But Herrera grounded out to shortstop Aybar, who threw to third to end the game.
“The play to end the game was a good play,” Mackanin said. “It just worked out perfect, going to his backhand. There’s nothing [pinch-runner Tyler] Goeddel could have done. Just a [heck] of a play.”
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson is scheduled to start the third of a four-game series on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. CT against the Braves at Turner Field. Hellickson (7-7, 3.65) is the mostly likely Phillies player to be traded before Monday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline and talks could pick up with Andrew Cashner traded Friday to the Marlins, which removed one more starter from the board.
Atlanta will counter with Julio Teheran, who will be making his first start since exiting his July 22 outing at Coors Field with tightness in the upper right portion of his back. Teheran has held opponents scoreless in four of his past six starts.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as we join the Atlanta Braves Radio Network at 6 PM.

The Nashville Sounds surrendered an early lead and fell to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3-2 Friday night at First Tennessee Park in front of 9,402 fans.

Garrin Cecchini and Eric Young Jr. had back-to-back one out singles in the seventh to put the tying run on base. After a Michael Reed line out to short, Yadiel Rivera then saw a first pitch fastball and sent it over the left field fence to take a 3-2 lead for the Sky Sox.

The Sounds had a chance to tie or take a commanding lead in the bottom of the eight after three straight singles loaded the bases. Billy Burns, Arismendy Alcantara and Chad Pinder each singled to start a potential Sounds rally in the eighth inning. Alcanatara’s single extended his hitting streak to 13 games, tying with Andrew Lambo for the team’s seaon-high hit streak.

Renato Nunez then stepped to the plate with the game on the line and launched a 1-1 changeup that hooked left of the left field foul pole at the last minute. Nunez then struck out swinging two pitches later. Matt Olson and Matt McBride then both popped out to Sky Sox shortstop Orlando Arcia to end the Sounds threat.

The Sounds then had yet another opportunity slip through their fingers in the ninth inning. Joey Wendle led off the frame with a base hit to left field to put the tying run on. Colin Walsh then walked and was replaced by Tyler Ladendorf at first to pinch run. Rangel Ravelo then attempted a bunt to move both runners, but Sky Sox closer Damien Magnifico fielded the bunt and threw out Wendle at third and Ravelo was thrown out at first as well. With Ladendorf at second, Burns struck out on a foul tip to end the game.

The Sounds took an early lead in the first when Pinder just missed his 14th home run of the season; instead the shortstop roped a RBI triple off the left-center wall scoring Burns who walked to lead off the inning. Nunez then followed with an RBI groundout to second to score Pinder from third to put the Sounds up 2-0.

Sounds starter Jesse Hahn (1-6, 3.66) was sharp threw the first six innings, not allowing a run and keeping Sky Sox batters in check. That came apart in the seventh with Rivera’s three-run home run of the right-hander who was tabbed with his sixth loss of the season.

Hahn gave way to Eduard Santos out of the Sounds ‘pen in the eighth. Santos kept the Sounds in it pitching a 1-2-3 eighth. After giving up a single and a walk in the ninth, Santos retired the next three batters to keep the Sounds alive.

Sky Sox starter Josh Hader was just as good but ended up with a no decision on the night. The left-hander tossed five innings and allowed just two first inning runs and struck out nine batters.

The Sounds begin a 12-game road trip Saturday night as they travel to New Orleans for a four-game series with the Zephyrs. Nashville will send left-hander Ross Detwiler (2-0, 4.09) the Zephyrs have yet to announce a starter for the series opener. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Zephyr field.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Alontae Taylor back to pass during a spring scrimmage with Franklin County

Coffee County quarterback Alontae Taylor announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he will be an early enrollee to the University of Tennessee in January of 2018. Taylor, a junior, will have all of his requirements completed to earn his high school diploma after the 1st semester of his senior year. The opportunity to enroll early will allow Taylor to participate in spring workouts at Tennessee prior to his first season of eligibility. Taylor, who is rated as a 4 star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports, has been listed as high as the 69th overall player in the US in the Class of 2018.
Taylor will enroll at Tennessee in the spring of 2018 after Coach Ryan Sulkowski helped him put together the required information. Alontae will be allowed to return to Manchester to participate in the graduation ceremony with his classmates in May of 2018. After his early enrollment, Taylor will be the first known Coffee County athlete to report to college early for athletics. Additionally, Taylor is the first Coffee County athlete to receive a football scholarship to Tennessee out of high school in more than 30 years.
When asked about what was attractive about enrolling early, this is what Taylor had to say:

The opportunity to train at the college level early also means that Alontae will have to begin a college curriculum in the classroom early as well. When asked if he was worried about jumping into the classroom, Taylor had this to say:

Taylor projects to play wide receiver or defensive back at the college level. Taylor officially committed to the Vols on June 18th.

The Phillies entered Thursday having lost nine of their past 13 games, while their offense had not scored more than four runs in a game since the All-Star break. But in a 7-5 win over the Braves at Turner Field, the Phillies snapped their recent run-scoring drought, registering a five-run first inning and three homers.

Matt Wisler put Atlanta in a first-inning hole when he allowed a three-run home run to Maikel Franco. Tommy Joseph followed with a solo shot, marking the fourth time this year the Phillies have hit back-to-back homers. Two more batters reached base before Wisler recorded the first out of the game on his 27th pitch.
“That’s what you kind of like to have,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “When 3-4-5 come up, you hope the other team gets nervous.”
The Braves right-hander settled in after that, retiring 13 of the next 15 batters. But after giving up a two-out single to Joseph in the fifth, Aaron Altherr hit a two-run homer to give Philadelphia a 7-0 lead.
Aaron Nola held Atlanta scoreless until the fifth, when Freddie Freeman sparked a three-run inning with an RBI double. The Braves tallied a run in the sixth and ninth innings, but it wasn’t enough, as they fell to 3-7 against the Phillies this year.
“It’s just hard when you get down,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The biggest pitch was the two-run homer [Wisler] gave up. You can live with the five [runs in the first inning] and then he settled in, but that was huge right there I thought. Five is doable with all of the at-bats we had left.”
The Phillies expected Altherr to be an everyday outfielder this season, but he tore a tendon in his left wrist in March. He rejoined the Phillies on Thursday and in his first game back, he singled and scored in the first, hit a two-run homer in the fifth and singled in the seventh.
“Definitely, especially sitting around thinking about how that first game’s going to be being back,” Altherr said, asked if this was the perfect season debut. “For it to be like that it was definitely special.”
Wisler surrendered only six home runs in his first 68 1/3 innings this year. But after giving up three homers on Thursday, the right-hander has allowed 16 over his past 53 2/3 innings. With a 7.15 ERA over his past seven starts, the 23-year-old has looked more like the pitcher from late last season than the one that posted a 2.93 ERA through his first nine starts this year. In the wake of Wisler’s struggles, the Braves optioned the right-hander to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game.
“I didn’t pitch very well the last month and a half, so I definitely know I’ve earned the demotion,” Wisler said. “There’s nothing they can do about that. It’s on me. I’ve got to go fight and go back down there and try to earn my way back up.”
Nola continues to search for consistency. He has a 9.82 ERA in his last eight starts after allowing three runs in five innings against the Braves, finding himself in trouble much of the night. In three of his first four innings he retired the first two batters he faced before putting runners on base. Odubel Herrera then lost a ball in the lights to start the fifth, which led to a three-run inning. Still, Nola picked up his first win since June 5.
“He’s not the same guy,” Mackanin said. “He’s just struggling with command once again. He’s not dotting his fastball like he normally does. His curveball is erratic. He needs to get back on track.”
After extending his on-base streak to 18 games when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning, Adonis Garcia later improved his career-best hitting streak to 10 games with an RBI single in the fifth. An inning later, the Atlanta third baseman drove in another run on a double. During his hitting streak, Garcia is batting .415 (17-for-41) with four doubles, three homers and six RBIs.
“He’s just been swinging that bat really well,” Snitker said. “He’s been on fire. He’s real aggressive. He’s not missing his pitch and he’s swinging the bat really well.”
Tyrell Jenkins will look to bounce back from the roughest outing of his young career on Friday in the second game of a four-game series at Turner Field at 6:35 p.m. CT. against the Phillies. The right-hander struggled with his fastball command on Sunday against the Rockies, allowing seven runs on eight hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast as we join the Atlanta Braves Radio Network at 6 PM.