The Louisville Bats wasted yet another gem from their pitching staff Monday night in a 2-1 loss to the Durham Bulls. Louisville outhit Durham 10-6 but ultimately fell 2-1 before a Louisville Slugger Field crowd of 5,927 (and 114 dogs).
Chad Reineke (1-4) tossed his sixth quality start of the season for the Bats but once again went unrewarded. The Bats (18-40) got at least one base runner in every inning but went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base. Louisville has now lost seven consecutive games in which Reineke has started.
“(Reineke) used his cutter very well,” Bats manager David Bell said. “He did everything he could do.”
Durham (26-33) didn’t waste time in denting the scoreboard, getting an RBI single from Leslie Anderson in the very first frame.
Reineke settled in and did not allow another hit until the fifth but the decisive damage came in the sixth when Stephen Vogt launched a 405-foot home run to extend the Bulls’ lead to 2-0. It was Vogt’s third homer of the season—all of them have come against the Bats.
The Bats came right back in the bottom of the sixth, getting an RBI double from Cody Puckett to trim the Bulls’ lead to 2-1. That’s as close as the Bats got the rest of the night, though as Dane De La Rosa and Brandon Gomes combined to pitch the final two innings for the Bulls.
Durham starter Shane Dyer picked up his first win of the season in his fourth start with the Bulls.
The Bats travel to Syracuse to begin a five game series with the Chiefs Tuesday. Tim Gustafson will be on the hill for the Bats, making his debut. John Lannan (4-5, 5.63 ERA) will oppose for the Chiefs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
