Louisville Bats Notes: July 5

I THINK IT WAS THE FOURTH OF JULY: The Bats dropped their Independence Day matchup against the Indians by a 4-2 score, in what was the sixth July 4 game against Indianapolis since 2012. Right-hander Domingo Tapia made the spot start for Louisville, with Indy jumping out to a 4-0 lead after four innings. Phillip Ervin, Dilson Herrera and D.J. Peterson all registered 2-hit games for the Bats.

AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: Louisville and Indianapolis have met 11 times this season, with IND owning a 7-4 advantage. The Indians have outscored the Bats 43-31, with the Bats outhomering them 6-5. It's the first time the clubs are playing 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.
TRANSACTIONS: On Wednesday the Cincinnati Reds made a flurry of roster moves that involved Class AAA Louisville. A recap of the moves that occurred on July 4:
-RHP Zach Neal was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Neal was originally acquired by the Reds from LAD in an April 17 trade that sent RHP Ariel Hernández to the Dodgers.
-LHP Cody Reed and RHP Tanner Rainey were recalled by Cincinnati. Reed was optioned back to LOU following yesterday's game.
-RHP Zack Weiss was activated off the disabled list, where he had spent time since being placed on April 30.
-IF Brandon Dixon was optioned to Class AAA Louisville after having his contract selected and making his MLB debut on May 22.
-On Thursday, RHP Keury Mella (KAY-oo-ree MAY-uh) was transferred to Louisville from Class AA Pensacola.
100 MOVES: The Reds optioning LHP Cody Reed to Class AAA Louisville was the Bats' 100th transaction of the 2018 season. Last season, the 100th transaction took place on June 18, when LOU added RHP Jimmy Herget from Class AA Pensacola. The Bats had 198 transactions in 2017 and 186 in 2016.
MORE HITS IN A LOSS: Louisville out-hit Indianapolis by a 10-8 advantage on Wednesday, but dropped the game by a 4-2 score. It was just the sixth time all season that the Bats recorded more hits than their opponent and lost the game, falling to 22-6. It was the first time since May 22 at Indianapolis that it happened, when LOU out-hit IND 5-3 but lost the game by a 13-7 score.
GET YOUR PHIL: Left fielder Phillip Ervin went 2-for-2 with 2 walks in last night's game, reaching base safely 4 times. It was the first time he's reached base 4 or more times in a game since August 17 at Wrigley Field while playing for the Reds, going 3-for-4 with a walk, 3 runs, a double, home run and 4 RBI in a 13-10 win.
THAT'S QUACK-TASTIC: Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush has been one of Minor League Baseball's most dominant relief pitchers in 2018, recording his 12th save for Louisville Tuesday night. The IL All-Star ranks second in the league with his 12 saves. Quackenbush won the most recent IL Pitcher of the Week award, notching 3 saves from June 25 to July 1. His 15.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio (2 BB, 30 K) easily ranks best among IL relievers.