The weekly poop on the Louisville Bats.
Where They Stand: The Bats are 32-32 and in third-place in the International League West, 8.5 games behind Indianapolis (41-24), which has the best record in the IL.
The Week That Was: The Bats went 2-5, winning one of three games at Columbus and one of four games against visiting Durham at Louisville Slugger Field.
Who’s Hot: Third baseman Irving Falu went 10-for-24 (.417 batting average) at the plate with a home run and six runs batted in while scoring seven runs. Outfielder Jose Constanza went 7-for-19 (.368 batting average) with three RBIs and five runs scored. Right-handed pitcher Keyvius Sampson had a dazzling debut with the Bats, giving up three earned runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five in six solid innings in their 8-6 win over Durham on Saturday night at LSF.
Who’s Not Hot: Catcher Devin Mesoraco, who was down on a rehab assignment from the Cincinnati Reds, went 1-for-7 (.143) in three games while playing left field as part of an experiment to see if he could play the outfield with a hip impingement that has kept him from his catching duties since the first week of the regular season. Shortstop Eugenio Suarez went 1-for-8 at the plate in three games before his promotion to the Reds. Pitcher Dylan Axelrod lasted only 1 and 2-3 innings Friday night against Durham, giving up seven earned runs on six hits while walking two and striking out one.
Welcome To Town: Mesoraco and outfielder Jason Bourgeois are down on rehab assignments from the Reds while Sampson is up from Double-A Pensacola, centerfielder Nick Benedetto is up from Class A Dayton and shortstop Josciel Veras is up from Rookie League Billings.
The Week Ahead: The Bats host Gwinnett (30-32), which is in the IL South cellar, for a three-game set beginning at 7:05 p.m. Monday night (FYI: Wednesday’s game is at 11:45 a.m.) before starting a 10-game road trip with a three-game series at Rochester then heading for a four-game set at IL North-leading Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Photo courtesy Louisville Bats Facebook Page