Louisville Bats Notes: May 6

BATS LOOK TO AVOID GETTING SWEPT BY THE TIDE: The Louisville Bats dropped their third straight game to the Norfolk Tides by an 8-3 score Saturday night, also losing their season-high fifth consecutive game. The Bats fall to a season-worst seven games below the .500 mark, owning the lowest winning percentage in the International League at .360. Louisville looks to avoid getting swept at Norfolk in a four-game series for the first time since May 16-19, 2009.

AGAINST NORFOLK: The Bats will face off against Norfolk 10 times this season across three series, two at Harbor Park and one at Louisville Slugger Field. Norfolk and fellow IL South member Durham are the only out-of-division clubs that Louisville will meet for more than two series in 2018. Last season, LOU faced NOR 10 times, going 4-6 against the Tides, 1-2 at home and 3-4 on the road.
DIXON HOMERS: Bats left fielder Brandon Dixon went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the fourth inning of last night's game, his second blast of the season. He increased his hitting streak to 6 games, his second-longest hit streak of the season. In 21 games with plate appearances this season, Dixon has reached base in 20 of them, including going 2-for-2 in pinch-hit appearances. He has hit safely in 17 of the 21 games.
FIVE ERRORS: The Bats made a season-high 5 errors in last night's game, translating into a total of 4 unearned runs for Louisville relievers last night. Errors were committed by first baseman Steve Selsky (throwing, 4th inning), second baseman Hernan Iribarren (throwing, 6th), right fielder Tyler Goeddel , 2 (throwing, 6th; fielding, 7th) and shortstop Blake Trahan (throwing, 7th). The 5 errors were the most committed in a single game by a Louisville team since it made 6 errors in a 10-4 home loss to the Rochester Red Wings on August 18, 2017.
BIG SEVENTH INNING: The Tides scored 5 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday night, led by a pair of Louisville errors and Audry Pérez and Sharlon Schoop two-run homers. It was the most runs the Bats have allowed in an inning this season, having given up 4-run innings on 7 different occasions, most recently in the third inning on May 1 against Columbus. In Louisville's four-game series at Lehigh Valley in mid-April, the IronPigs put together three different 4-run innings against the Bats, including two in one game on April 12.
1/3 OF THE TIME, IT WORKS EVERY TIME: The Bats fell to 5-10 when scoring first in a game, by far the league's worst winning percentage when scoring first at .333. On the contrary, the Bats are 4-6 when their opponent scores first, a very solid .400 winning percentage given the scenario. Last season, LOU also had the worst record in the IL when scoring first, going 38-27 (.585).
REED'S SCORELESS START: Left-hander Cody Reed pitched excellently last night, going 5.0 scoreless innings, giving up just five hits while walking three and striking out six. The 5.0 innings marked the longest outing of the season for Reed, who lowered his ERA with Louisville this season to 2.25. He and José López (6.0ip, 4h, 0r, 2bb, 5k) on April 22 vs. Syracuse are the only LOU pitchers to toss a scoreless start this season, yet the Bats are 0-2 when their starting pitcher does not yield a run.
JUSTIFIED: Including yesterday, the Bats own a 5-7 record since 2008 on Derby Day, all road games. In 2009, LOU split a doubleheader at Buffalo on Derby Day. Since 2010, the Bats have entered a Derby Day pattern, going L-W-L-W-L-W-L-W-L after the 8-3 loss to Norfolk in Saturday night's ballgame at Harbor Park.