Bats Struggle In 7-2 Loss To Mud Hens
The Louisville Bats’ post-All-Star break offensive woes continued, suffering a 7-2 loss to the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday night. The loss marks the seventh time in eight games since the All-Star break that the Bats were held to three or fewer runs. Making his Triple-A debut, Bats starter Johnathan
The Louisville Bats’ post-All-Star break offensive woes continued, suffering a 7-2 loss to the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday night. The loss marks the seventh time in eight games since the All-Star break that the Bats were held to three or fewer runs.
Making his Triple-A debut, Bats starter Johnathan Harmon got a double play ground ball to escape a first inning jam unscathed. But in the second, a Bats error allowed Toledo to score the first run of the night.
Two innings later, the Mud Hens loaded the bases with two outs when Max Clark took a 3-2 pitch for a called strike three. However, Clark challenged strike three and overturned it int ball four, scoring a run with the bases-loaded walk. Jace Jung followed with a two-run single to center, doubling the Toledo lead to 4-0.
Harmon (L, 0-1) was pulled after Jung’s single. In his first Bats start, he tossed 3.2 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, with four walks and one strikeout to suffer the loss.
In the sixth, the Mud Hens looked to add on after a Cal Stevenson one-out triple. Andrew Navigato followed with a fly ball to center, where Carlos Jorge settled under it to make the catch. Jorge came up firing and made a perfect throw home to nab Navigato at the plate, ending the inning with the score still 4-0.
Jorge then got the rally started in the seventh with an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Rehabbing Reds infielder Matt McLain got the Bats on the board with a double off the right field fence, and he would come in to score two hitters later on a Will Benson RBI ground out.
Toledo got one of the runs back in the bottom half on Max Anderson’s RBI single, extending the home team’s lead to 5-2 against Johnathan Lavallee. Tyler Gentry put the game out of reach for good with a two-run homer off Lavallee in the eighth.
The loss drops the Bats two games under .500 for the first time all season at 48-50. In his first rehab game, McLain went 1-for-3 with the RBI double and a run scored. First out of the bullpen in relief of Harmon, Zach McCambley tossed 2.1 scoreless innings. Defensively, the Bats turned a season-high four double plays in the loss.
The Bats (48-50, 9-16 second half) and Mud Hens (48-51, 13-12 second half) continue their series on Saturday night at Fifth Third Field. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Nick Curran will be on the call for Sports Talk 790.