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| Mike Cameron |
Sounds Get Mike Cameron
Outfielder Mike Cameron will join the Sounds tomorrow at Omaha and begin a five-game stint with Nashville before making his
Brewers debut next Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
He is scheduled to appear in all four games of the series at Rosenblatt
Stadium against the Royals as well as the Sounds' homestand opener at 6 p.m. on Monday night versus Colorado Springs.
The 35-year-old is currently serving a season-opening 25-game suspension handed down by Major League Baseball
for testing positive for a banned stimulant. Per MLB rules, Cameron is allowed to spend the final five games of his suspension
with a minor league club.
Before signing with Milwaukee as a free agent in January, Cameron spent the previous
two seasons with the San Diego Padres and hit .242 in 2007 with a .328 on-base percentage, his lowest marks in both categories
since 2004 with the Mets, but he has been a dynamic player during his 13 Major League seasons.
Since 1999, Cameron's
first year with more than 500 ML at-bats, he has hit at least 20 home runs and stolen at least 20 bases six times, and he
has driven in at least 75 runs seven times.
Cameron spent his last non-rehab stint in the minors with the Sounds
in 1997, when the club was the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He batted .275 (33-for-120) with six home runs
and 17 RBIs in 30 games for Nashville that season.
Sounds Acquire Richie Gardner
The Milwaukee Brewers claimed right-hander Richie Gardner off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds today and
assigned him to the Sounds' roster.
Gardner, 26, was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Reds'
system before shoulder surgery set him back in 2005. Last season, he pitched at three levels in Cincy's system -- Class
A Sarasota (5-1, 1.65 ERA in 7 games), Class AA Chattanooga (2-1, 1.82 in six games) and Class AAA Louisville (4-5, 5.71 in
13 games).
Gardner will join a rotation that is likely to include LHP Chris Narveson, LHP Zach Jackson, LHP Lindsay
Gulin, and RHP Nick Ungs.
The Sounds' Opening Day roster will be pared down to 24 active players by this Thursday,
when the Pacific Coast League season begins.
2008
Schedule
The three-time defending division champion Nashville Sounds released
their 2008 playing schedule and will host 72 games at Greer Stadium during their 31st season of competition.
The
2008 home schedule includes ten homestands consisting of 14 day games and 34 weekend dates (Fri.-Sun.). The slate also includes
a pair of scheduled doubleheaders (Sunday, June 15 on the road at Iowa and Saturday, July 12 at home versus New Orleans).
Returning manager Frank Kremblas will lead the Sounds into Pacific Coast League action when they take the field
on Thursday, April 3rd at Zephyr Field in New Orleans for the 2008 season opener. Nashville, which has captured the PCL American
Conference Northern Division title in each of the last three years, opens its season on the road for the second time in the
last three years.
Following a season-opening eight-day road trip, Greer Stadium will host the Sounds’ home
opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 11 against the division-rival Iowa Cubs.
The Sounds conclude the regular season
at Zephyr Field in New Orleans, where they’ll wrap up the 2008 campaign with a 2:00 p.m. contest on Labor Day against
the Zephyrs.
The Pacific Coast League continues its use of an unbalanced 144-game schedule format in 2008. The
Sounds will play 16 games (eight home, eight away) against teams in their own conference. Nashville will host each of the
four Pacific Conference Northern Division teams – Colorado Springs, Portland, Salt Lake, and Tacoma – in four-game
series at Greer Stadium. The Sounds will travel to each of the four Pacific Southern clubs – Fresno, Las Vegas, Sacramento,
and Tucson – for four-game sets.
Season tickets, mini-plans, and group outing packages are currently on
sale. Contact the Sounds box office at 615-242-4371 or visit the team’s website at www.nashvillesounds.com to order or for further details. Individual game
tickets will be available for purchase on March 1st.
The 2008 season will be the Sounds’ 11th year in the
Pacific Coast League and their fourth as the Milwaukee Brewers’ top affiliate. The 2008 promotional schedule will be
released at a later date.
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| PCL American North | |
| Omaha | 11 | 7 | .611 | - | W1 | | Memphis | 9 | 11 | .450 | 3.0 | W1 | | Iowa | 8 | 10 | .444 | 3.0 | W1 | | Nashville | 4 | 15 | .211 | 7.5 | W1 |
Former
Major Leaguer With Sounds
Russell
Branyan is red hot even though the Nashville Sounds are ice cold.
The Sounds third baseman ranks sixth in the
Pacific Coast League with a .400 batting average, but the two-time defending American North Division champions are in last
place with a 4-15 record.
"I started swinging the bat well the last week of camp, and it's carried over
here so far this season," said Branyan, who lives in Franklin. "Hopefully, we can turn this around from a team standpoint,
because we haven't been winning many ballgames. If you're getting hits, it's no good if you're not winning."
Patience and pitch selection have been two of the big keys for Branyan, who also ranks in the PCL's top 10
in slugging percentage (.709) and doubles (eight.)
"It's a combination of your swing being where you
want it to be and getting a good pitch to hit, because guys get to know you," Branyan said. "They know what you
can and can't hit, and at that point, it becomes a waiting game. You fight off their pitches that are close, and you try
to get a pitch that you can handle. If you don't get that pitch, you've got to be patient enough to take your walks."
Branyan, 33, takes an eight-game hitting streak into tonight's game at Omaha.
"He made a
little adjustment in spring training with where his hands were starting, and I think that helped free up his swing a little
bit," Sounds manager Frank Kremblas of Nolensville said. "He's able to drive the ball to all fields. Russell
is a veteran guy, and he knows how to take a change and not think about it too much in a game."
Over the
past 10 seasons, Branyan has played in the major leagues for seven teams. He hopes to earn another big-league opportunity.
He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Sounds' major-league affiliate, in 2004 and 2005.
"We
had some good teams there," Branyan said. "In 2005, it was the first year they finished .500 in (13) seasons. They
had what they called their breakthrough year, and it was kind of a plateau. Then last year they had a great year and just
missed the playoffs."
Milwaukee third baseman Bill Hall was struggling with a .185 batting average, and backup
Craig Counsell was hitting .333 entering Wednesday night's game against Philadelphia, but it's hard to predict when
Branyan might get a call-up to the big leagues. He can also play first base, left field, right field and has been the designated
hitter.
"Being left-handed with power is always good, too," Kremblas said. "He's the type of
guy that not only the Brewers, but other clubs are looking for: a guy that can play a corner position with power and be a
left-handed power guy off the bench." He has hit 322 career homers with 121 in the majors and 201 in the minors. Branyan
had trouble finding a rhythm off the bench last season as he hit .196 with San Diego, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
"My job the in the last couple years has been being a guy coming off the bench and not getting that much playing time,"
Branyan said. "It's very tough to get that rhythm, but thus far when I'm putting the ball in play I'm getting
my knocks and my average is where I'd like it to be.
"My main goal is to get back to the big leagues,
and my bat is going to get me there. I know what they want to see is a more consistent bat, and that's what I'm down
here working on."
Roster Moves
The Milwaukee Brewers announced a series of roster moves last
week.
Sounds reliever Mitch Stetter was recalled prior to Milwaukee’s game in Cincinnati.
To open a roster spot, the Brewers optioned outfielder Hernan Iribarren back to the Sounds.
Stetter, who made
his Major League debut with Milwaukee as a September call-up last season, opened the year with a 0.00 ERA and five strikeouts
in 6 2/3 innings over five relief outings for Nashville. PCL opponents batted .095 (2-for-21) against the southpaw.
Iribarren opened the year in Nashville before being recalled by the Brewers on April 10. He batted .368 (8-for-23) in seven
games as the Sounds' leadoff hitter before recording two hits in six at-bats with Milwaukee in his first Major League
experience. He concluded his initial Brewers stint with a pinch-hit RBI double in Thursday's extra-inning win in St. Louis.
In one additional announced move, outfielder Tony Gwynn joined the Sounds on a rehabilitation assignment on Friday.
He is currently on the Brewers' 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and has not appeared for Milwaukee since
April 3. He opened the year by going 4-for-7 with two runs scored in three games.
Gwynn spent parts of the past
two seasons in Music City and was a Pacific Coast League All-Star in 2006, when he recorded a career-best .300 average in
112 games with the Sounds.
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 Sounds To Come Home Monday
The Nashville Sounds return home to Greer Stadium on Monday, April 28 to open an eight-game
homestand, during which they’ll host series against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (AAA-Rockies) and the Salt Lake Bees
(AAA-Angels).
Highlighting the week’s worth of promotions will be the first two post-game fireworks shows
of the 2008 season as well as two morning games that will feature stands packed with area schoolchildren in attendance as
a reward for reaching their reading goals as part of the successful Sounds Reading Club program.
Monday’s
6:00 p.m. homestand opener against Colorado Springs is Red Hot Chicago Dollar Dog Night, when hot dogs are only $1 at all
concession stands.
Tuesday’s game starts at 6:00 p.m. with the gates opening at 4:30 p.m. The second game
of the series will be Popcorn, Indiana’s 2-for-1 Tuesday, where fans who present a receipt showing the purchase of a
4 oz. bag of Popcorn, Indiana Kettlecorn from Walgreen’s will receive two tickets for the price of one for every Tuesday
home game.
The Sounds will face off against the Sky Sox in the first morning game of the year at Greer on Wednesday
with the teams taking the field at 10:30 a.m. and gates opening at 9:00 a.m. This will be a Sounds Reading Club Day. Students
who participate in the Reading Club will receive free admission to the game, as well as the chance to participate in an on-field,
pre-game parade with Ozzie. With more than 137,000 students from 432 different schools enrolled in the program, it should
be an exciting day at the ballpark. All students will be eligible to win prizes if they have reached “home plate”
in the program.
The final game of the series against Colorado Springs will take place on Thursday night at 7:00
p.m. It will be another Thirsty Thursday. Fans can enjoy $1 draft beverages until 8:30 p.m. or the conclusion of the 5th inning,
whichever comes first. Our Miller Lite Concert Series will continue with a free one-hour, pre-game show by local band Delilah
Why on the stage inside the first-base entrance. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
On Friday, the Sounds will begin a four-game
series with the Salt Lake Bees with the first pitch at 7:00 p.m. This will be the first Fireworks Night of the season with
a dazzling fireworks display immediately following the game, presented by Your Select Buick-Pontiac-GMC Dealers.
The series will continue on Saturday with the Sounds battling the Bees at 6:00 p.m. with gates opening at 4:30 p.m. The
first 2,000 fans through the turnstiles on Saturday will receive a free Bryantman figurine from Bryant Heating & Cooling
Systems, and there will also be another spectacular fireworks show following the game.
Sunday’s afternoon
game will be at 2:00 p.m. with gates opening at 12:30 p.m. A Sunday home game means another Purity Sundae Sunday with $1 ice
cream sundaes available at Greer Stadium.
Sunday will also be Teacher Appreciation Day. All teachers, school staff
and administrators who present a school ID (or school pay stub) will receive up to four free tickets for the game as a show
of appreciation to all the hard-working school officials in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. No pre-order tickets will
be available as tickets are only given out on the day of the game at tables set up near the box office at the main entrance
of Greer Stadium. All school staff will be entered into drawings for gift certificates to restaurants, movie tickets and more.
The Sounds wrap up their eight-game homestand on Monday with the series finale against Salt Lake at 10:30 a.m.
This will be another Reading Club Day with the stands packed full of area schoolchildren, who will participate in an on-field
parade and drawings for prizes for those students eligible.
Following the homestand, Nashville will go on another
nine-day road trip before returning to Greer Stadium on May 15 for a pair of four-game series against the New Orleans Zephyrs
and division-rival Memphis Redbirds.
Individual and season tickets, as well as group packages, are currently on
sale. Call (615) 242-4371 ext. 2 or visit the Sounds’ website at www.nashvillesounds.com to order or for more information.
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Sounds Back On Winning Track
Right-hander Mark DiFelice turned in an outstanding outing in his 2008 debut and four Nashville home runs lifted the Sounds
to a 13-3 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes on Tuesday afternoon at Isotopes Park in the finale of a four-game series.
With its largest win of the season, Nashville (4-15) snapped a four-game skid and avoided a series sweep.
DiFelice (1-0) made his first start of the season after missing the first three weeks while recovering from off-season
knee surgery. He got off to a solid start, facing the minimum 15 batters through the first five innings, including eight strikeouts.
The lone batter to record a hit over that span, Paul Hoover, was caught stealing by catcher Vinny Rottino.
He
departed after six innings due to a planned pitch count, allowing one run on three hits and fanning 11 batters over six innings
of work while throwing 78 pitches, 59 for strikes.
Seven Sounds batters produced a multiple-hit effort on the
afternoon, led by three-hit days from Hernan Iribarren and Tony Gwynn. Gwynn went 3-for-4 with one run scored in his fourth
rehab contest for the Sounds and batted .538 (7-for-13) in the series.
The 13 runs were the most scored by the
Sounds since they plated 14 last May 1 at Iowa.
Nashville grabbed an early lead for the fourth time in the series
when Rottino belted a two-out, three-run homer off Isotopes starter Gaby Hernandez. The blast, which scored Gwynn (single)
and Joe Dillon (double), was the backstop’s third of the season.
The Sounds extended the lead to 5-0 in
the third on another longball, a two-run Dillon shot to deep left. It was the veteran’s first homer of the year in his
second game with Nashville. Iribarren, who opened the frame with a single, also scored on the longball.
Right
fielder Brendan Katin upped the advantage to 6-0 in the fourth when he belted his first career Triple-A home run off the scoreboard
in left-center field.
The Sounds chased Hernandez from the contest later in the frame after Adam Heether followed
Katin’s homer with a double and Iribarren and Gwynn rapped back-to-back two-out singles, the second of which extended
the lead to seven.
Hernandez (1-3) took the loss after being touched for seven runs on nine hits over just 3 2/3
innings of action.
Rottino turned in one of the Sounds’ finest plate appearances of the season in the top
of the fifth, turning a 13-pitch at-bat into a single against Albuquerque reliever Marcos Carjaval after fouling off seven
two-strike offerings.
The Isotopes finally broke through against DiFelice in the bottom of the sixth. Hoover led
off with a single and former Sound Chris Barnwell followed with an RBI double off the hill in deep center field to plate the
first Albuquerque run and make it a 7-1 contest.
Albuquerque added a second run in the seventh in the first inning
of work by Sounds reliever Richie Gardner. With one out, Dallas McPherson singled and stole second. Pinch-hitter John Gall,
who took over mid at-bat due to an undetermined injury to Tagg Bozied, followed with an RBI single to center to reduce the
Nashville lead to 7-2.
The Sounds got those two runs right back in the next half-inning as shortstop Ozzie Chavez
drilled a two-run homer to right off Scott Nestor, his first roundtripper of the year.
Nashville put the game
on ice with four runs in the top of the ninth against Isotopes reliever Chris Mobley to bring the score to its final 13-2
tally. Katin tripled and scored on a Chris Mobley wild pitch. J.R. Hopf added an RBI single and Iribarren produced a run-scoring
triple before Gardner helped his own cause with an RBI single.
Albuquerque tacked on the game’s final run
in the bottom of the ninth on a Gall RBI single.
Gardner earned a three-inning save for the Sounds, the club’s
first of the year. He allowed two runs on four hits while fanning four batters in his 52-pitch outing.
After joining
the entire Pacific Coast League for an off day on Wednesday, the Sounds continue their road trip on Thursday evening in Omaha,
where they’ll take on the division-rival Royals in the 6:35 p.m. CT opener of a four-game series.
Right-hander
Nic Ungs (1-2, 10.32) will attempt to rebound from a shaky outing in Albuquerque when he mans the bump for the Sounds to face
Omaha left-hander Tyler Lumsden (1-1, 6.39), who defeated Nashville last week at Greer Stadium.
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