Louisville Bats Notes: July 17

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Louisville Bats dropped the opening game of a 7-game road trip to the Rochester Red Wings on Monday night by a 13-6 score. The offensive affair included the Bats' largest comeback in terms of runs this season, but the Red Wings answered with an 8-run bottom of the fifth to effectively silence Louisville. Right-hander Robert Stephenson , who struck out a career-high 12 batters in his last start, looks to snap Louisville's current 5-game losing streak.

AGAINST ROCHESTER: The Bats and Red Wings met last night for the first time all season. Last season, Louisville went 2-4 against the top farm club of the Minnesota Twins, with Rochester taking two out of three games in both series. In 2016, the Bats swept the Red Wings in 3 games at Frontier Field from June 24-26. After this series, the clubs will meet again at Louisville Slugger Field during the Bats' next homestand.
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK: The Bats trailed 4-0 after four innings in Monday night's game, before tagging the Red Wings with a five-spot in the top of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. If the lead had held, it would have been the Bats' largest comeback win of the season. Instead, LOU's largest comeback remains the 3 run deficit it overcome at Toledo on July 1 in a 9-6 win.
TRANSACTIONS: On Monday the Cincinnati Reds made a flurry of roster moves that involved Class AAA Louisville. Both OF C.J. McElroy and RHP Jesús Reyes were transferred from Class AA Pensacola to the Bats, while OF Nick Longhi and RHP Evan Mitchell were placed on the 7-day disabled list.
-McElroy made his Triple-A debut on Monday night, coming in as a defensive replacement in center field and going 0-for-1 with a strikeout.
-Reyes, who will also be making his Triple-A debut, has made 27 appearances (6 starts) for Pensacola this season. He was also recalled by Cincinnati on May 29, but was optioned back the next day to the Southern League without making an appearance.
-Longhi was placed on the DL with a left wrist sprain, and Mitchell was placed on the DL with neck stiffness and muscle spasms.
PLEADING THE FIFTH: While Louisville scored 5 runs in the top of the fifth, Rochester answered with an even bigger inning, scoring 8 runs in the bottom half to take a 12-5 lead. It was the highest scoring inning for a Bats opponent this season, edging out Toledo's 7-run bottom of the first on June 29 in an 8-4 Mud Hens win over the Bats. The 13 combined runs that occurred in Monday's fifth inning was the highest scoring inning in a Bats game since at least the 2006 season.
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO: Today marks the final scheduled morning game the Bats will play in 2018. Louisville owns a 2-4 record in games that have started before noon this season, dropped their last 3 after winning 2 of their first 3 morning games.
ERVIN MAGIC PHILLIP: Outfielder Phillip Ervin reached base 3 times in the series opener, going 1-for-3 with 2 runs, one home run, 2 RBI and 2 walks. For the month of July, he's batting .340 (16-for-47) with 5 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 16 RBI and 6 walks, with his RBI total ranking second for the month in the IL