Francis fires masterpiece in shutout
Crafty as ever, Francis easily outdueled hard-throwing Chris Archer, and the Bats' offense peeled off four runs in the fourth inning of a 7-0 victory over the visiting Durham Bulls on Sunday afternoon that snapped Louisville's four-game losing streak and ranked among the Bats' best games of the season.
It was the first shutout of the season for the Bats and first for a Bats pitcher since Sam Lecure did it on May 22, 2010.
Francis (3-6) hadn't twirled a complete-game shutout since the 2007 season, when he was a member of the Colorado Rockies. His last in Triple-A came in 2004 while playing for Wichita. He has a combined six career shutouts and seven complete games in his major and minor league career.
Francis strode to the mound in the ninth after scattering seven hits. The 31-year-old left-hander was masterful, allowing two runners to reach base in just one inning - the fourth. That was the only frame in which the Bulls advanced a runner to third base.
Francis began the ninth by inducing two nondescript ground outs by cleanup hitter Henry Wrigley and Leslie Anderson, one of the International League's leaders in batting average. Chris Gimenez had the final opportunity to get things rolling for the Bulls, but Francis and the Bats celebrated their first win in five games as rightfielder Bill Rhinehart hauled in a fly ball by Gimenez. Francis tossed 114 pitches, with 73 being strikes.
Francis tied Brett Tomko for the team lead in quality starts with six. He is the IL's leader in innings pitched and among the best in strikeouts. He fanned four Bulls and walked just one, leaving the mound after his gem to a rousing ovation by the Bats' faithful.
Francis was far from the only bright spot. Louisville excelled on the mound, at the plate and in the field. After struggling mightily all year with runners in scoring position, the Bats went 5-for-14 and left just four runners on base. Louisville's starting pitching has been sound, but Francis finally got a win he so richly deserved: It was his first since April 27. Louisville also had spectacular catches and splendid double plays on defense.
Joey Gathright stood out the most on a day in which Louisville's offense broke out after scoring seven runs combined while losing four in a row. He dumped a single into right center in his second at-bat to extend his hitting streak to nine games, the longest of the season for the Bats. Gathright added an RBI single in the fourth and a two-run double in the sixth. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Bats flashed some superb defense. After Felix Perez made a diving catch in the left field corner to start the fourth, Gathright raced in and left his feet to snatch a flare in short center field. Second baseman Cody Puckett skied to pick off a line drive by Craig Albernaz, and first baseman Danny Dorn made a fine scoop on a sharply hit ball by Cole Figuero to start a double play.
Brian Peacock highlighted the four-run fourth inning with a two-run double. That came with two outs, as did Gathright's RBI single that pushed Louisville's lead to 5-0. For the game, five of Louisville's seven runs came with two outs.
For only the 19th time in 57 games, the Bats scored first against their opponent. Dorn led off the second against Archer by slamming a double off the base of the wall in center field, and Rhinehart plated him with a two-bagger to right center. It was all the offense the Bats would require against Archer, who was rated as the No. 3 prospect in the Rays' system by Baseball America.
Louisville didn't take anything for granted. After an Archer pitch whizzed over his head in the fourth, Puckett poked an RBI single to right field. With two outs, Peacock slashed a line drive down the first base line for a two-run double. Gathright then lined an RBI single to center for a 5-0 advantage.
The Bats tacked on two more runs in the sixth on Gathright's two-run double to right. It capped an eight-hit outing for the Bats, who got two from Puckett.
Archer, the IL leader in strikeouts, fanned seven but allowed six hits and five earned runs in five innings. He lost for the third straight start, dropping to 3-7. He had made a quality start in six of his previous seven outings and struck out eight or more in his last four performances.
The conclusion of the four-game series and the Bats' homestand will take place at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Louisville Slugger Field. The Bulls' Shane Dyer (0-1, 6.30 ERA) and the Bats' Chad Reineke (1-3, 4.45) are the probable starting pitchers.