It rained, it poured, and the Louisville Bats slipped into the wrong end of the history books. The Indianapolis Indians pounded the Bats 11-6 on a rainy Sunday night before 8,935 at Louisville Slugger Field. The loss was the Bats’ sixth straight and their 92nd on the season. The 92 losses equaled the 1991 Redbirds for the most in franchise history.
Indians hitters throttled Bats pitching all night, getting 16 hits and drawing seven walks while sending 45 men to the plate in the shortened game. Every Indians player reached base at least once and seven had at least one hit. Hector Luna, who joined the Indians Aug. 31, went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
After playing most of the game under a steady rain, the game was called in the middle of the eighth inning.
After Indy got a solo homer from Luna in the first to take a 1-0 lead, the Bats responded with a three spot in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Indianapolis came back strong, scoring the next five runs of the game and ultimately outscoring the Bats 10-5 the remainder of the game.
Bats started Todd Redmond was pinned with the loss. He made it just two innings, giving up six runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two.
James Allen, who made his Triple-A debut with the Bats, didn’t fare much better, giving up four runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out just one.
On the bright side of things for the Bats, Felix Perez went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Since the beginning of June, Perez has hit safely in 53 of 72 games and is hitting .333 with three homers, 21 doubles, and 24 RBIs in that span. Perez, who was hitting .227 at the end of May, has raised his average to .301, good for the team lead.
With one game remaining, the Bats will get their opportunity to set the franchise record for the most losses in a season. Starters have yet to be announced for their 1:05 p.m. game against Indy. Fans are invited to arrive to Slugger Field early and watch the Wounded Warriors softball team take on local Louisville celebrities. First pitch for the softball game is 11 a.m.
