Lodolo Shines Again but Bats Drop Game Two to Toledo, 5-3

TOLEDO, OH- Cincinnati rehabber Nick Lodolo (0-0, 2.53) made his third rehab start with Louisville Bats (27-46) this season in a 5-3 loss to the Toledo Mud Hens (39-33) on Wednesday afternoon at Fifth Third Field.

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Nick Lodolo (0-0, 2.53) made his third rehab start with the Bats today and was dialed in from first pitch. The southpaw worked 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and a lone run, whiffing five Mud Hens while walking just one. Lodolo has seen a slightly increased workload in each start with the Bats; working just 2.0 innings on June 18 (49 pitches), 4.0 innings on June 23 (57 pitches), and 4.2 innings today (78 pitches).

Toledo’s starter Garrett Hill (2-2, 4.06) was up for the matchup with Lodolo and finished after tossing 6.0 innings of one-run baseball, surrendering just three hits and three walks while striking out seven Bats.

In fact, the Louisville offense was held hitless into the fifth inning until Bats’ backstop Chuckie Robinson delivered with an opposite field base knock to break up the no-hit bid.

Robinson’s two-out effort in the fifth was not in vain as TJ Friedl followed with his first triple of the season and giving Louisville the first run of the ball game. Friedl led the team in 2021 with 5 triples for the season en route to being voted the 2021 recipient of the team’s Mary E. Barney MVP Award.

Louisville would only hold the lead briefly, as the Toledo offense struck for three runs in the home half of the fifth when the Mud Ducks were able to string together three hits and a pair of walks after the first two hitters of the inning were retired in order.

Toledo added a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings, thanks to two lead-off, solo homers from Zack Short (7th inning) and Josh Lester (8th inning) with both long balls coming on the first pitch of each at-bat.

Louisville pulled to within two runs and Chuckie Robinson hit his second career home run in the top of the ninth, but could draw no closer. Chuckie Robinson and Cristian Santana each had multi-hit games and combined for 9 of Louisville’s 13 total bases on the day.

Game three of the six game series at Fifth Third Field is scheduled for Thursday (June 30) and the first pitch will be delivered at 7.05 p.m. Louisville right-hander Randy Wynne (1-9, 5.14) will get the nod and will face off with fellow righty Drew Hutchison (1-0, 2.79) of Toledo.