Louisville Bats Notes: June 21
BATS LOOK TO WIN ANOTHER SERIES: Louisville and Durham meet for the 10th and final time this season, with right-hander José López starting the rubber match for the Bats. With a win, LOU would have back-to-back series wins for the first time all season, last winning back-to-back series from May
BATS LOOK TO WIN ANOTHER SERIES: Louisville and Durham meet for the 10th and final time this season, with right-hander
AGAINST DURHAM: The Bats and Bulls meet for the third and final time this season, and for the second time at Louisville Slugger Field. In nine matchups this season, the Bulls are 6-3, sweeping the Bats in three games at DBAP from May 15-17. Durham has outscored Louisville 43-31 so far this season. The two clubs are meeting 10+ times in the regular season for the first time since 2007, when the Bats went 4-8 against the Bulls.
WINNIN' IN THE RAIN: Louisville was victorious Wednesday night, defeating the Durham Bulls 9-6 in a game that was called due to rain in the eighth inning. The game itself took 2 hours and 36 minutes, with a combined 1 hour and 30 minutes in delays. It was the first rain-shortened Bats game since August 28, 2016 at Columbus (L 4-1 F/8), and the first at LSF since July 3, 2016 vs. Gwinnett, with LOU winning 2-1 after the game was called in the sixth.
WE'RE HALFWAY THERE: With the Bats' 68th game of the season tonight, they will have officially crossed the halfway point of their regular season. After three cancellations (two at Buffalo; one at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre), LOU is set to play a 137-game regular season schedule.
GRANDMETER: Left fielder
MULTI-RUN COMEBACK: The Bats fell down 4-2 after a four-run third inning by the Durham Bulls yesterday, before taking a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the inning. It was the Bats' 12th come-from-behind win this season, but their first win when trailing by multiple runs in a game.
FIRST MIGHT NOT BE THE WORST: The Bats improved to 16-15 when scoring first this season, the first time all season they have been above .500 when scoring first in a ballgame.
NICK TENZEL: Infielder
BATS ADD AUSTIN BRICE: On Tuesday the Cincinnati Reds optioned to Class AAA Louisville right-handed pitcher
JVM! JVM! JVM!: Josh VanMeter hit his first career grand slam Wednesday night, catapulting the Bats to a 9-6 victory over the Bulls. VanMeter last recorded a 4-RBI game on May 23 at Indianapolis, accounting for half of the four 4-RBI games by Louisville batters this season.