TONIGHT'S GAME: The Louisville Bats and Norfolk Tides continue a three-game series at Harbor Park, with the Bats winning 4-2 in the series opener Friday night. The victory snapped a 5-game losing streak for Louisville and a 9-game losing streak on the road. LOU avoided tying its season-high 6-game losing
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Louisville Bats and Norfolk Tides continue a three-game series at Harbor Park, with the Bats winning 4-2 in the series opener Friday night. The victory snapped a 5-game losing streak for Louisville and a 9-game losing streak on the road. LOU avoided tying its season-high 6-game losing streak behind solid starting pitching by right-hander Robert Stephenson , who won his second straight start.
AGAINST NORFOLK: The Bats and Tides met just two weeks ago at Harbor Park, with the top farm club of the Baltimore Orioles sweeping the Bats in four games from May 3-6, outscoring the Bats, 21-13. It's the second season in a row that Louisville will play Norfolk on the road for seven, and visit Louisville Slugger Field for three games. Last season, Norfolk took the season series 6-4, outscoring Louisville by a 44-33 advantage.
TRANSACTIONS: Outfielder Phillip Ervin was activated from the disabled list Friday, but did not appear in last night's 4-2 win. Ervin went 1-for-2 with a double, run, walk and stolen base in his only appearance for LOU this season on April 27, before being sidelined with a thumb injury. Right-handed reliever Kevin Shackelford was also recalled to Cincinnati to be the Reds' 26th man in their doubleheader Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Catcher Joe Hudson was also reinstated from the disabled list today, set to make his first appearance with Louisville since May 9 vs. Indianapolis.
THAT'S A WINNER: Before last night, the Bats had last won a road game on April 27, in the series opener of a three-gamer at Toledo. Louisville's 9 straight road losses were the most since August 8-19, 2013, losing 9 straight games away from LSF against Columbus (8/8-8/9), Pawtucket (8/13-8/16) and Rochester (8/17-8/19).
TROT DIXON: Brandon Dixon went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and a pair of walks in Friday's 4-2 win, raising his batting average on the season to .336 (41-for-122), good for 2nd in the International League, only behind Lehigh Valley's Joey Meneses (.372, 42-for-113). It was Dixon's fourth game this season with multiple extra-base hits, and he leads the team with 16 XBH on the season. It was his first time reaching base 4+ times, and also his first time walking multiple times in a game in 2018, with the last time he drew 2+ walks in a game coming on July 8, 2017 vs. Charlotte. He also tied his season-long 7-game hitting streak for the third time this season. With a hit in his next contest, he would have his longest hit streak since 2016, when he hit safely in 10 straight from August 20-29 with the Class AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
FIRST INNING JACKS: Both Josh VanMeter , who hit his first career Triple-A home run for Louisville on Friday, and Steve Selsky , who blasted his club-leading 4th homer of the season, homered in the first inning of the series opener against the Tides. It was the first time the Bats hit 2 homers in the first inning of a game since April 13 at Lehigh Valley, when Tyler Goeddel hit a leadoff homer and Rosell Herrera hit one as part of a season-high 4 home runs hit by the Bats that game.
SERIES OPENERS: The Bats' victory in their series opener against Norfolk improved their series opener record to 5-7. Louisville dropped its first 5 series openers to begin the season, going 5-2 in its last seven series openers.
BACK-TO-BACK WINNING OUTINGS: Bats starting pitcher, right-hander Robert Stephenson got the win Friday, going 5.0 innings and giving up two earned runs on seven hits, walking none for the first time this season while striking out seven. He surrendered an RBI single to Jaycob Brugman and a solo home run to D.J. Stewart . Stephenson has now won back-to-back outings, the first Louisville pitcher to accomplish that feat in 2018. He's the first Bats pitcher to earn a win in back-to-back appearances since RHP Rookie Davis won 3 straight starts from August 15-25 last season.
