Bats Lose Third Straight With 5-2 Defeat To Stripers

The Louisville Bats dropped the second of a six-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers 5-2 on Wednesday evening at Louisville Slugger Field.

Ben Wereski (L, 2-2) made his fifth career Triple-A start with the Bats, coming off a second straight win last week. The Stripers got on the board early with a single and stolen base from leadoff hitter Patrick Clohisy, followed by an RBI single from Jim Jarvis. After consecutive steals of second and third, Wereski limited the damage with a strikeout and two fly outs.

The Bats answered back in the bottom of the first inning, after Edwin Arroyo walked and Juan Brito moved the runner to third on a hit-and-run single.

Noelvi Marte scored the tying run on an RBI base hit to right, also moving the runner from first to third. But a failed double-steal attempt saw Brito thrown out at home. A kinetic first inning would conclude tied 1-1.

Wereski strengthened in the second despite allowing a double, as he struck out two batters.

Francisco Urbaez opened the following frame with a single, and the Bats loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch and walk. The two-out threat would not come to pass, as Arroyo harmlessly flew out to center field to end the inning.

Gwinnett regained the lead with a solo home run by David McCabe in the top of the third. It was the only blemish in an otherwise strong inning from Wereski, who struck out his fourth and fifth batters of the game.

A leadoff fielding error in the fourth from the Stripers shortstop allowed Urbaez to reach base. The inning ended inauspiciously, when, with one out, a rare combination of strikeout and catcher’s interference unfolded with P.J. Higgins at the plate and the base runner in motion.

Wereski allowed a leadoff single in the fifth but retired three consecutive batters, keeping the Gwinnett advantage minimal at 2-1.

Louisville threatened to tie or take the lead in the bottom of the fifth, after Carlos Jorge used his speed to reach on an infield single and Arroyo drew his second walk of the game. Neither runner advanced further as a harmless pop out by Brito and a called third strike to Marte ended another scoreless frame.

The Stripers extended the lead in the sixth, chasing Wereski from the game following a leadoff single and his second permitted walk of the evening. Chase Solesky relieved the Bats starter, allowing two runs to score on individual RBI base hits from Lizandro Espinoza and Chuckie Robinson. Gwinnett’s lead had grown to 4-1.

The Bats offense went down 1-2-3 for the second time in the game the next half inning, while Solesky delivered a clean frame leading into the seventh inning stretch.

Jorge showcased his speed once more with two out in the bottom of the seventh, using a high-arching fly ball that found grass in right field to make his way to third for his first triple as a member of the Bats. He later scored on a wild pitch to reduce the deficit to two runs.

Solesky delivered another scoreless inning on the mound in the top of the eighth, conceding slightly on a two-out walk, followed promptly by his second strikeout to end the inning.

After another inning without a Bats base runner, Zach Maxwell took over in the ninth. A walk and two singles extended Gwinnett’s lead back to three runs on McCabe’s second RBI of the game.

Trailing by the eventual final score of 5-2, the Bats could not rally in the final half inning. Higgins doubled before the game’s last out was recorded with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.

Jorge was the only Bats player to record two hits in the contest, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Four Bats went hitless, and the team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Bats (57-69, 18-35 2^nd half) continue their penultimate homestand against the Gwinnett Stripers (64-63, 26-27 2nd half) on Thursday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Sports Talk 790 AM.