6/26 at Buffalo Game Notes

The Bats are in the midst of a season-high eight-game winning streak right now. Needless to say, it’s fun to write about this team right now. So, I give to you a bunch of positive notes about your 2012 Louisville Bats. #TeamGrit

• VS. THE BISONS: The Bats and the Bisons square off for the first time in 2012. Last season, the Bats and Bisons split their season series (4-4), with the Bats winning two at Coca-Cola Field and two at Louisville Slugger Field. Buffalo and Louisville have faced each other every year since 1985 with Louisville going 170-230. They are 74-126 against BUF on the road.
• LET’S GO STREAKING: The Bats have won eight straight and nine of ten, each for the first time this season. Last season the Bats won a season-high eight straight games twice (4/8 to 4/15, 5/30 to 6/6g1). It marks the first time that the Bats have swept two consecutive four-game series since 2003 when they swept Rochester and Buffalo at the end of May. The Bats have not won nine straight since they won 11 in a row from 7/22 to 8/3 in 2010.
• DOT, DIGGITY: With a win tonight the Bats will be 18 games under .500 for the first time since 5/28 at 17-35…The Bats are 17-18 against teams with .500-plus records and 12-29 against sub-.500… The Bats are 17-19 against the IL North and 13-30 against the IL West and IL South…Bill Rhinehart leads the league with15 GIDP… Travis Webb’s 31 games are tied for second among IL pitchers… Donnie Joseph has yet to allow a run in 7.1 innings in Triple-A. He has allowed just 2h and is 2-0 with 2sv… As a team, the Bats are last in the IL with their .242avg and 13^th with their 4.33era. They are just one percentage point away from moving to 13^th in average as NOR is hitting.243… LOU is last in the IL with a .225avg w/ RISP. GWI is hitting .229 and BUF .229 w/RISP… The Bats are 17-17 when their starter records a quality start…The Bats are 25-29 against teams starting a RHP and 5-20 against LHP… LOU is 12-39 when their opponent scores first and have won five straight when their opponent scores first… Their opponent has scored first in 51 of 79 games… They are 8-36 when being outhit by their opponent and 20-7 when outhitting their oppenent… The Bats have used four or more pitchers in 58 of 79 games (1 pitcher: 1x, 2: 8x, 3: 12x, 4: 44x, 5: 11x, 6: 2x, 7: 1x)… The Bats are tied with Toledo for the most walks in the IL (322) and have a 1.62 k/bb ratio (523k/322bb). The average k/bb ratio for the other 13 IL teams is 2.21 k/bb… Ryan Feierabend, J.J. Hoover and Donnie Joseph combined for LOU’s second shutout of the season Sunday at PAW. The 3h they allowed ties the Bats’ season low for a nine-inning game… Joey Gathright recorded the Bats’ third 4-hit game Sunday at PAW, going 4-for-5. LOU had nine four-hit games and three five-hit games last year
• ON THE MOUND: RHP Tim Gustafson makes his fifth start of the season for the Bats. Last time out on 6/21 vs. SWB, he gained his third straight win after allowing five hits and three runs, just one of which was earned, with four walks and two strikeout in five innings. The Bats are 3-1 in his four starts, winning the last three games. The offense has averaged nine runs a game in his last three starts. Gustafson has not allowed a HR in his last two starts after allowing two apiece in his first two outings. Just one of his first starts with the Bats was a quality start. He pitched in 14 games, including seven starts, with Pensacola and went 2-2 with a 5.14 ERA. He earned one quality start.
• HOT BATS: Since 6/23, the Bats have averaged 6.3r (63r, 10g) and 10.8h (108h, 10g) per game and have gone 34-for-106 w/ RISP. LOU tied their season high in hits (16) Saturday night at PAW. Also Saturday night, eight of nine Bats hitters recorded hits and six of them (Negron, Perez, Costanzo, Janish, Puckett, Jones) had multiple hits. Miguel Rojas blasted his first career Triple-A home run Friday night at PAW. Thursday night, the Bats pounded out 14h and scored 11r, matching their season high that they set on 6/16 vs. ROC. The Bats are hitting .323 (118-for-365) in their last 11 games.
• RALLY KILLERS: The Bats’s bullpen allowed just 3er in the last eight games, good for a 0.95era (28.1ip, 3er). In their last 28.1 innings they have allowed 20h, and 13bb with 25k. Jordan Smith recorded his tenth save of the year last night at PAW. He led the team last year with 10sv. Donnie Joseph recorded his second save with LOU Sunday at PAW and has allowed just 2h and 0er in 7.1ip with the Bats. J.J. Hoover pitched a perfect eighth inning Sunday at PAW in his return to the Bats from CIN. Kanekoa Texeira recorded his first save of the year Friday night at PAW, pitching a scoreless 13^th inning. Texeira has allowed just 2er in 24.0ip (0.75era) and 0er on the road.
• LEATHERVILLE: The Bats lead the IL with a fielding percentage of .985 and have a league-low 44 errors, six less than SWB, who has the league’s second lowest error total of 50. The Bats are the only team in the IL to not commit at least three errors in a single game. Their team-high for errors in a game is two and they have committed multiple errors eight times, the most recent being 6/19 and 6/21 vs. SWB. Opponents have only scored 24 unearned runs against LOU, just two more than the league-best DUR (22). The Bats have played 43 errorless games and are 19-24. Bats’ catchers have combined to throw out 38% (30-79) of attempted base stealers.
• PUCKETT NAMED IL BATTER OF WEEK: A day after being named IL Batter of the Week, Cody Puckett continued his strong play by hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning last night. He hit .560 (14-25) during the week, scoring nine runs, knocking in seven and launching his first career Triple-A home run on June 19 against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, en route to receiving the honor. Paul Janish is the only other Bat to be named IL Batter of the Week this season.
• DIONER-ABLE NAVARRO: C Dioner Navarro went 1-for-4 Monday at PAW. He is hitting .412 (21-51) in June. The switch hitter has a .333avg in 42g this year, batting .424 at Louisville Slugger Field and .429 against lefties. His 15 multi-hit games lead the team. Navarro, who missed time earlier this year due to kidney stones, is one of three LOU players to record 4h in a game, the others being Willie Harris and Joey Gathright. Defensively, he has throw out 18-of-46 would-be base stealers, good for a .391 clip, and has a 4.09 catcher’s era.
• TRANSACTIONS: Today, the Bats added IF/OF Willie Harris, who was outrighted from CIN. IF Miguel Rojas was trasferred to Pensacola. Harris has played in 25g with CIN, batting .114 (5-44). He played in 6g after having his contract purchased by CIN on 6/15, batting .222 (2-9) with two doubles and a RBI. Rojas has played in 41 games with LOU, hitting .192 with a homer and 7rbi. He hit his first career Triple-A home run on 6/22 at PAW. Sunday, RHP J.J. Hoover was optioned by CIN. He was 1-0 with a 3.00era in 18.0ip and allowed 11h and 6er in 17g w/ CIN. Also Sunday, RHP Scott Carroll was placed on the 7-Day DL with a right ankle sprain. Saturday, RHP Josh Judy rejoined the Bats, returning from the temporary inactive list after missing three games to attend to family matters. Also Saturday, RHP Wirfin Obispo was transferred to PEN. Obispo was 0-1 with a 6.05era in 10g (3 starts) w/ LOU.

Still want more? You can read the rest of the notes and get all kinds of numbers by clicking here or by clicking the Game Notes tab at the top of the page.