The Louisville Bats are back home and in the midst of a six game split series with the Indianapolis Indians. There’s lots to get caught up on, so let’s not waste any time.
Let’s Go Streaking
This past week has been a story of streaks for the Bats. After not reaching three straight victories all season, the Bats won nine straight from June 18-26. The win streak included back to back four game series sweeps of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and the Pawtucket Red Sox. Their last victory of the streak came in Buffalo. After that, the Bats lost three straight to the Bisons and lost the first game of the series against Indianapolis last night for a four game losing streak.
All Star Navarro
Wednesday, the International League announced its roster for the Triple-A All Star game. The lone Louisville Bats representative selected was catcher Dioner Navarro. Navarro, despite starting the season 0-for-19 at the dish, is hitting .343 this season with eight doubles, three homers, and 20 RBIs. With his three hit game Saturday, Navarro finished his torrid June with a .419 batting average, three doubles, two homers and eight RBIs. Navarro is definitely worth the selection as an All Star for the International League.
Puckett named Batter of the Week
This past week Cody Puckett was named the International League’s Batter of the Week for June 18-24. During the week, Puckett had 14 hits and an on-base percentage of .656. Puckett had at least one hit in each game during the Bats’ nine game winning streak. Puckett played in 29 of the Bats’ 30 games in the month of June and hit .255 with three doubles, two homers, and 16 RBIs.
Perez heating up
Another guy who has been blistering hot in the month of June for the Bats is Felix Perez. Perez, who, like Puckett, played in 29 of the Bats’ 30 games in June, hit .327 in the month with ten doubles, two homers, and 11 RBIs. He also sports an on-base percentage of .373 and a slugging of .473 for the month. Perez raised his batting average from .227 to .273 in June.
Another losing month
With their loss Saturday, the Bats secured their eighth straight month of baseball without a winning record. The last time the Bats had a winning record in a month was April of last season. This season the Bats were 9-16 in April, 8-21 in May, and 14-16 in June.
Breaking: Donnie Joseph is human
Last night, Donnie Joseph gave up the first runs of his Triple-A career in the ninth inning of the Bats’ 10-3 loss to Indianapolis. That raises his ERA with the Bats to 0.96 in seven games and 0.91 in 33 games overall between Louisville and Pensacola. So, get over yourselves people. Donnie Joseph is not a robot. He is, indeed, human.
The Road Ahead
The Bats are in the midst of a string of 24 games in which they will play 19 at home. After playing four against Indy at home, they play two in Indy before a three game series with the Toledo Mud Hens. After the All Star break, the Bats host the Gwinnett Braves for four, travel to Columbus for four, and then host the Pawtucket Red Sox and Buffalo Bisons for back-to-back four game series. All in all, the Bats will play 18 of their 28 games in July at Louisville Slugger Field.
