Sounds Drop Third Straight One-Run Contest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Sounds and Cubs played tight all night long on Monday, but Nashville was on the wrong side of a one-run game for the third consecutive contest and dropped the series opener to Iowa at First Tennessee Park, 2-1.

Nashville fell to 4-6 in one-run games this season and is now 9-15 overall. The two teams had three double plays a piece, eliminating various chances throughout the night. Monday's loss was only the sixth time all year that the Sounds have been outhit.

The Sounds pushed the first run of the game across in the home half of the first. Andy Parrino hit out of the leadoff position for the first time this season and kicked the inning off with his fourth double of the year. Joey Wendle followed it up with a single and Nate Freiman, who was activated on a rehab assignment earlier in the day, brought him in with a sacrifice fly. Nashville is outscoring their opponents 21-4 in the first inning of games.

Arnold Leon turned in his best start of the season in the homestand opener but ended up suffering the loss. The right-hander recorded the club's third quality start of the year, managing 6.0 innings with six hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts. The pair of runs came on one swing of the bat when Iowa's Matt Szczur hit a two-run shot in the third inning.

Relievers Seth Frankoff and Fernando Rodriguez kept it tight with a combined 3.0 innings of scoreless work. Rodriguez fanned all five batters he faced and left a pair of inherited runners stranded in the eighth.

The two teams are back at it again tomorrow night from First Tennessee Park with a 7:05 p.m. start. Lefty Barry Zito (0-2, 5.96) will face off against Carlos Pimentel in the second contest of the set.