IL1 Louisville Bats

Bats Close Out Historic July in Style

Published on August 5, 2010 under International League (IL1)
Louisville Bats News Release


After starting the month of July at the bottom of the divisional standings and eight games below .500, the Louisville Bats now find themselves in the driver's seat for a playoff berth. Once the calendar turned to July, Louisville's performance heated up along with the area's temperatures, steamrolling to a 22-6 record that has put them at the top of the International League's wild card standings. To finish out the month, Louisville reeled off nine straight wins, a streak that has now trickled into August, thanks to an 11-inning victory against division leader Columbus on August 1st. Louisville's 22 wins during the month set a new franchise record for July, breaking the old mark of 21, which was set in 1998 by the Louisville Redbirds. That team, which put up a 21-7 mark, went on to a 77-67 record for the season, winning a division title.

Although Louisville is still chasing the Columbus Clippers in their quest for a third consecutive division title, their ten-game winning streak has them three games ahead of their nearest competitor for the league's one wild card spot. Despite Louisville's furious rally over the past month, they still find themselves six-and-a-half games behind Columbus in the race for the west division crown. With a little over a month left in the season, however, the Bats will have ample opportunity to catch the Clippers, as the two teams will square off seven more times before the regular season ends on September 6th.

The Bats' 10-game winning streak, which is the franchise's longest such streak since 2003 when the team won 12 in a row, has pushed the club's record to 59-50. Before going over the break-even point on July 23rd, Louisville had not been over the .500 mark since the first week of the season, and had fallen as many as eleven games under in early May.

While the team's 14-2 record since the all-star break has been made possible by a combination of lethal hitting and outstanding pitching, the team has particularly cleaned up at the plate. Thanks to some huge offensive numbers in the month, Louisville now leads the league in home runs (127) and is fourth in runs scored. Top prospects Juan Francisco and Yonder Alonso have been especially potent offensive weapons, while Wladimir Balentien, Chris Valaika, and Todd Frazier have all made July their most effective month thus far in the season at the dish.

In an attempt to match the team's offensive performance, Louisville's pitching staff has elevated their game and now rank second in the league with a 3.57 ERA. Five shutouts during the month of July, including back-to-back goose eggs against Indianapolis, has also moved the Bats into a tie for the league lead in that category with 11.

While repeating the club's 22-6 mark from July may be a tall task, the Bats are hoping that August continues to bring the team more good fortunes. With performances anywhere near those the club have put together over the past month, Louisville should be in prime contention for a third straight trip to the playoffs.

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International League Stories from August 5, 2010


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