Sounds lock down PCL division title

The Nashville Sounds haven't left much room to question their supremacy in the Pacific Coast League's American Southern Division. On Friday night, they made it official.

By the time the Sounds completed a 5-3 win at Memphis, they'd already become the first PCL team to clinch a playoff berth, by virtue of second-place New Orleans' loss to Round Rock.

"Memphis has a big board out in left field and it shows big league games and PCL games," Nashville manager Steve Scarsone said. "Sometime during the top of the ninth, we were up at bat and I saw the [New Orleans] score go final. We had it, but we wanted to finish the game, a three-run game going into the bottom of the ninth. We wanted to win the division on a win, and it was fun to see everybody enjoy it."

Nashville (78-56), which claimed its first division crown since 2007, has been in first place since May 24.

"You never assume anything, but we've been playing well and we got a lead early," Scarsone said. "We figured it was going to be one of those things where it becomes inevitable, but we finally got the numbers to give us the division win and it's nice to be able to take a deep breath and relax."

Pitching has been a key, as the Sounds lead the PCL with a 3.38 ERA. Dillon Overton (3.38) has been a stalwart in the rotation and Chris Smith had a 3.93 ERA in 22 starts before moving up to the big leagues.

"We've had a lot of guys in and out, obviously, with lots of guys getting their first taste of the big leagues. Some have stayed up and some have come back. At this level, it's always a revolving door, but we've stayed consistent with what we're doing," Scarsone said.

"Our pitching coach, Ricky Rodriguez, is very focused and he keeps the pitchers very focused. He doesn't let them get distracted by callups, whether it's them going up or somebody else. It's been a good bunch of guys, very serious about winning, very personable, and we've been fortunate to have that bunch."

Newcomer Jharel Cotton, who was acquired in Trade Dadline deal with the Dodgers, got the win in the clincher. The A's No. 15 prospect gave up a pair of runs in the first but cruised through seven innings, retiring 17 of his last 18 batters. He yielding five hits and struck out four without walking a batter.

"We had the struggle of facing him earlier in the season when he was in Oklahoma City, and he gave us fits on the other side," Scarsone said. "When the trade went through and they let us know he was going to be joining us, we kind of all looked at each other and said, 'Yes, we'll take him!' It was kind of cool that it lined up to where it was his start tonight and he did a great job. He's become a great addition for us and we're excited to have him in the A's organization."

Matt McBride provided an offense jolt, staking the Sounds to a lead with a three-run homer in the fourth.

"We fell behind early and we chipped away to get one run and then Mac was able to get that ball up and out," Scarsone said. "At that point, there was a feeling of, 'Yeah, this is the night. We've got this one.' And Cotton did a great job giving us seven innings and the bullpen was able to close it out for us."