IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A BALLGAME: Louisville and Durham play the middle game of a three-game series Wednesday at Louisville Slugger Field. The Bats look to rebound after dropping the series opener by an 8-4 score. LOU scored on a pair of two-run home runs hit by D.J. Peterson
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A BALLGAME: Louisville and Durham play the middle game of a three-game series Wednesday at Louisville Slugger Field. The Bats look to rebound after dropping the series opener by an 8-4 score. LOU scored on a pair of two-run home runs hit by D.J. Peterson and Steve Selsky , but could not keep the Bulls off the board in the later innings, surrendering a 5-spot in the eighth inning.
AGAINST DURHAM: The Bats and Bulls meet for the third and final time this season, and for the second time at Louisville Slugger Field. In eight matchups this season, the Bulls are 6-2, sweeping the Bats in three games at DBAP from May 15-17. Durham has outscored Louisville 37-22 so far this season, outhomering the Bats by a narrow 8-6 margin after both D.J. Peterson and Steve Selsky went deep for LOU last night. The two clubs are meeting 10+ times in the regular season for the first time since 2007, when the Bats went 4-8 against the Bulls.
ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, I CAN DO BETTER: Third baseman D.J. Peterson went deep Tuesday night, hitting a two-run home run off Durham's Ryan Weber to pull the Bats within two runs, 3-2. It was Peterson's sixth home run of the season, tying Steve Selsky for the team lead. Selsky would regain the team lead in home runs with a two-run blast of his own in the ninth, hammering his seventh home run for Louisville this season and his first one at home. It was Selsky's first home run at Louisville Slugger Field since July 8, 2016 when he went deep off Columbus' Ross Detwiler in a 4-3 Bats win in 13 innings.
TOP PROSPECT RAKING: Infielder Nick Senzel is tied for the International League lead in hits in June with 25, batting .373 in the month which ranks fifth among qualified hitters. He's had an excellent run since moving into the leadoff spot on June 9, batting .429 (18-for-42) with 6 runs, 5 doubles, one home run, 9 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 9 games batting leadoff. His batting average before the run started was .256, with his season average now sitting at .301, tied for 8th-best in the International League.
PHIL IT UP: Center fielder Phillip Ervin went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in last night's 8-4 loss, registering his first three-hit game of the season. It was Ervin's first game with 3+ hits since August 17, 2017 with the Cincinnati Reds against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, going 3-for-4 with a double, home run and 4 RBI in a 13-10 Reds win.
HOME LEADERS: Louisville (37 home games) currently trails only Durham (38) for most home games played this season. With LOU currently hosting Durham, the Bats' 38th home game today will put them in sole possession for most home games played so far this season.
BATS ADD AUSTIN BRICE: On Tuesday the Cincinnati Reds optioned to Class AAA Louisville right-handed pitcher Austin Brice, who will become the 49th player to appear for the 2018 Bats when he makes his first appearance. Brice went 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 15 games out of the Bats' bullpen last season, and has gone 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA in 25 games out of the Reds' bullpen in 2018.
