Louisville Bats Notes: April 20

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A BALLGAME: The Louisville Bats open a three-game series and a six-game homestand Friday night against the Syracuse Chiefs. Due to inclement weather that caused cancellations/postponements in Buffalo, Louisville has not played baseball since April 15, going four days without playing a game (excluding the All-Star Break) during the season for the first time since April 8-11, 2016, when LOU was postponed four consecutive days at Toledo (4/8-4/10) and at Columbus (4/11).

SCHOFIELD NAMED INTERIM MANAGER: The Cincinnati Reds announced today that Dick Schofield has been named interim manager for the Louisville Bats. Schofield, who was serving as Louisville's bench coach, replaces Pat Kelly , who managed the first 10 games of the 2018 season for Louisville, compiling a 4-6 record. Kelly was recently promoted to Major League bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds also announced Darren Bragg will take over Schofield's previous role as Louisville's bench coach. Bragg is in his 12th season in the organization and was in his 10th as outfield coordinator at the time of his transfer to Louisville.
I SHOULD'VE YELLED TWO: Two of the Bats' games this season have been outright canceled due to inclement weather in Buffalo. Of the three-game series that was supposed to take place April 16-18, one was postponed to late July when the Bisons come to Louisville Slugger Field, and two will not be made up this season. The Bats will play, at most, 138 regular season games this season. It's the first time LOU will not play a full season's slate of games since 2014, when its August 30 game vs. Toledo was canceled due to rain. It's the first time Louisville has had to cancel multiple games in a season since 2009 (6/5 at PAW; 8/26 at TOL).
TRANSACTIONS: The Cincinnati Reds acquired right-hander Zach Neal and infielder Ibandel Isabel from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Ariel Hernández , who was designated for assignment last Friday to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Dylan Floro . Hernandez threw 17.0 innings in 15 relief appearances for Louisville last season. Cincinnati also traded catcher Tony Sanchez to the Texas Rangers on April 16 for a PTBNL or cash. Sanchez appeared in 2 games for Louisville this season, going 1-for-5 with a double and starting at catcher on April 12 at Lehigh Valley.
TOP PROSPECT: The Bats have the No. 7 ranked prospect (Baseball America) in baseball on their roster in infielder Nick Senzel . He blasted his first career Triple-A home run for Louisville on April 14 at Lehigh Valley, a solo blast in the ninth inning. Senzel, who was selected #2 overall in the 2016 MLB Draft, is the first Top 10 B-A prospect to appear in a Louisville uniform before making his MLB debut since LHP Aroldis Chapman in 2011, and the first position player since OF Jay Bruce in 2008.
CHECK IT OFF THE LIST: Louisville played in its first extra innings game under the new Minor League Baseball rules Sunday, winning the contest by a 5-4 score. Nick Senzel started the 10th inning on second base after making the last out in the ninth inning. In the 10th, he scored on a Steve Selsky RBI single to give the Bats a 4-3 lead. Selsky scored on a much-needed insurance RBI off the bat of D.J. Peterson , whose pinch-hit double made the difference in a 5-4 win in which the IronPigs scored an unearned run off Bats reliever Zack Weiss in the bottom of the 10th.
FIRST SAVE: Zack Weiss notched the Bats' first save of the season in the team's 10th game, the latest into a season that Louisville has gone before recording its first save since the 2006 season, when left-hander Brian Shackelford recorded the team's first save in LOU's 10th game of the season, a 3-0 win over Ottawa in game 2 of a doubleheader.
HELLO, GOODBYE, MR. KELLY: Pat Kelly's 10 games as manager of the Louisville Bats are third-fewest in franchise history. Only Dyar Miller (went 0-5 for the 1986 Redbirds) and Mack Jenkins (1-0 for the 2003 Bats) have managed fewer games in a Louisville uniform. Coincidentally, Jenkins was recently dismissed as Reds pitching coach in a flurry of moves that sent Kelly to the Majors.