Louisville Bats Notes: July 2

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Bats and Indians face off tonight for the first of 4 consecutive games against each other and the first of 2 at Louisville Slugger Field. Monday marks the first meeting between the clubs in over a month, when they wrapped up a series at Victory Field on May 24. The Bats look to win 3 straight games for the third time this season, salvaging a series tie at Toledo with a 9-6 win on Sunday.

AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: Louisville and Indianapolis have met 8 times this season, with IND owning a 5-3 advantage. The Indians have outscored the Bats 30-25, with both teams hitting 5 home runs. It's the first time the clubs will play each other in back-to-back series since the end of the 2016 season, when they played 4 at Victory Field on September 1-3 (DH on 9/1), and closed out the season with 2 at LSF from September 4-5.
BIGGEST COMEBACK WIN: After trailing 3-0 in Sunday's series finale at Toledo, the Bats wound up earning a 9-6 victory and capturing their biggest come-from-behind win of the 2018 season. On two occasions prior, the Bats had overcome 2-run deficits to win (6/20 vs. DUR; trailed 4-2 and won 9-6, and 6/27 at COL; trailed 7-5 and won 11-10). Sunday was the first Bats win when trailing by 3+ runs since August 29 last season vs. Indianapolis, when LOU won 7-4 after trailing 4-0.
WINNING IN GRAND FASHION: The Bats were trailing 6-5 in the eighth inning of Sunday's ballgame, when Dilson Herrera blasted a home run with the bases loaded for the Bats' third grand slam of 2018. For Herrera, it was his first grand slam since June 22, 2016, when he hit one for the Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets) at Reno.
QUACKENBUSH NAMED IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK: The International League announced today that right-handed relief pitcher Kevin Quackenbush was named Pitcher of the Week for June 25-July 1.
-He made 3 appearances (6/27, 6/30, 7/1) for Louisville during the week, recording saves in each of the games. In 3.1 innings, he allowed no runs, 2 hits, walking none and striking out 3, one strikeout in each appearance.
-His 14.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio (2 BB, 28 K) ranks best in the IL (min. 20 IP) and his 11 saves are tied for second in the IL.
-He, along with fellow RHP Tanner Rainey , were named to the IL All-Star roster.
-He's the first Louisville Bat to win IL Pitcher of the Week since RHP Daniel Wright (5/16-5/22/2016), and the first relief pitcher to win the award since Scranton RHP Jonathan Holder (8/22-8/28/2016).
STARTING OFF THE MONTH RIGHT: After starting off June with 4 straight wins, the Bats have now won the first game of a month in back-to-back months for the first time since May-June 2015.
RETURNER: In his first game since coming off the disabled list, catcher Stuart Turner went 1-for-4 with 2 runs, an RBI and a walk. It was his first game with LOU since May 3, appearing in 8 rehab games for the AZL Reds as he recovered from his injury.
GET YOUR KICKS FOR MONTH #6: The Bats finished the month of June with a 14-13 record, their first winning calendar month since May 2016, when they went 16-14.
-LOU batted .280 as a club in June, their highest batting average in a full calendar month since June 2015, when the Bats batted .286 as a team and went 14-15.
-LOU hit 27 home runs as a team in June, over twice as many as they hit in April (13). The 27 homers were the most they've hit in a month since May 2013, when the Bats hit 31 home runs and went 15-14.