Louisville Bats Notes: August 16

TONIGHT'S GAME: Louisville will try to snap its 5-game losing streak tonight with right-hander Jackson Stephens expected to make a rehab start, his second in 4 games. The Bats' offense was stifled on Wednesday night at Gwinnett, with a masterful performance from Gwinnett starting pitcher Bryse Wilson , who struck out a franchise-record 13 batters. LOU looks to get back on track as it tries to avoid tying a season-high 6 losses in a row.

AGAINST CHARLOTTE: The Bats and Knights meet for a four-game series at BB&T Ballpark, the final out-of-division series for Louisville in 2018. In their last matchup back in late April, the Bats won 2 of 3 games, outscoring the top farm club of the Chicago White Sox by a narrow 10-7 advantage. In their last matchup, LOU won on a walk-off sacrifice bunt/E5 in the bottom of the 10th inning. Last season, Charlotte won 2 of 3 games at BB&T Ballpark over the Bats in the final series before the 2017 Triple-A All-Star break.
TRANSACTIONS: On Thursday the Louisville Bats placed left-handed starting pitcher Justin Nicolino on the 7-day disabled list with a left forearm strain, retroactive to August 14. Nicolino has made 22 appearances (21 starts) solely with Louisville this season, going 5-6 with a 4.99 ERA (65er/117.1ip) with 30 walks and 69 strikeouts. In a corresponding move, right-hander Keury Mella was optioned to Louisville and is expected to be the Bats' starting pitcher on Saturday against the Knights.
LET'S NIX SIX: With a loss in their next game, the Bats would tie a season-high 6-game losing streak set from May 1-6 vs. Columbus (5/1-5/2) and at Norfolk (5/3-5/6). Since the All-Star break, Louisville has been a relatively streaky club, losing 5 out of the gate before winning a season-high 9 consecutive games. Since then, LOU has strung together a 4-game winning streak from July 31-August 3, and its current 5-game losing streak that began back on August 11.
SCRATCHING AND CLAWING: Louisville did not go down without a fight in last night's ballgame, even after recording just one baserunner through eight innings. Blake Trahan singled in the fourth inning, but was quickly erased after Gabriel Guerrero hit into a double play, with GWN starter Bryse Wilson successfully facing the minimum 24 batters in 8.0 innings of work. The ninth frame was a different story, however, with the Bats scoring 3 runs on 4 hits as they came up just short. Pinch-hitter Nick Longhi , as well as Brian O'Grady, Trahan and Steve Selsky all produced ninth inning knocks in the 4-3 loss, as LOU avoided being shut out for the third time in its last 4 games.
NINE CATCHERS: 21-year-old Valentin Martinez started for Louisville last night, becoming the ninth different catcher to start for the Bats this season. The 2018 Bats are the first IL club to utilize 9 or more catchers in a single season since the 2010 Durham Bulls used 9 catchers. Of those nine, three caught for Louisville at one time in their respective careers: Alvin Colina, Dioner Navarro and Nevin Ashley .
SINCE THE WIN STREAK: Since falling to a season-high 20 games below the .500 mark (35-55) on July 16, the Bats are 17-12 in their last 29 games, and just 2-9 over their last 11 contests. The 29-game stretch was started by a 9-game winning streak from July 17-25, the club's longest win streak since the 2010 season. Since the winning streak was snapped in a 4-3 home loss vs. Buffalo on July 26, the Bats are 8-12 in their last 20.