IL1 Louisville Bats

Game Notes: Norfolk Tides (8-14) at Derby City Mint Juleps (8-14)

Published on April 27, 2019 under International League (IL1)
Louisville Bats News Release


Game 23, Home 13

Norfolk Tides (8-14) at Derby City Mint Juleps (8-14)

RHP Keury Mella (1-1, 5.06) vs. LHP Luis Ysla (0-2, 4.85)

6:30 PM | Saturday, April 27, 2019 | Louisville Slugger Field

LISTEN: Nick Curran, 790 KRD; iHeartRadio.com; iHeart app

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Louisville Bats and Norfolk Tides continue a three-game series at Louisville Slugger Field on Saturday night, as the Bats re-brand as the 'Derby City Mint Juleps' one more time. Louisville will look to snap its season-long 5-game losing streak, which started back on April 21 in the series finale at Indianapolis. Right-hander Keury Mella, coming off a 7.0-inning scoreless performance, toes the rubber for the Mint Juleps on "Derby at the Diamond" Night.

AGAINST NORFOLK: The Bats and Tides will face off 6 times in 2019, 3 at Louisville Slugger Field and 3 at Harbor Park in a little over a month (5/31-6/2. The 6 scheduled meetings between the teams this year will be the fewest since meeting 6 times in 2016, and only the second time since 1998 they will meet fewer than 8 times.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FIELD RECORD: The Bats and Tides combined for 30 runs on Friday night, the highest scoring game in Louisville Slugger Field's history, since the ballpark opened in 2000. The 30 runs surpassed LSF's previous-high of 28 combined runs, which had occurred twice, once in 2002 and again in 2014 (see chart below).

- It also tied the highest-scoring game in Louisville franchise history (since 1982), the third time that Louisville and its opponent combined for 30 runs. Oddly enough, the 1987 Redbirds played each of those first 2 games, combining for 30 runs twice in the same month, losing 18-12 at Iowa on June 9 and winning 19-11 at Denver on June 21.

Louisville Slugger Field (est. 2000): Highest Scoring Games

Date Opponent Runs Score

April 26, 2019 Norfolk 30 L, 14-16

April 13, 2014 Toledo 28 L, 8-20

May 12, 2002 Syracuse 28 L, 13-15

Louisville Redbirds/RiverBats/Bats (since 1982): Highest Scoring Games

Date Opponent Runs Score

April 26, 2019 vs. Norfolk 30 L, 14-16

June 21, 1987 at Denver 30 W, 19-11

June 9, 1987 at Iowa 30 L, 12-18

JOSH SPICE: Louisville's Josh VanMeter had a monster game, going 5-for-6 with 2 home runs, the second of which tied the game at 11-11 in the 5th inning. The multi-homer game is already his second of the season, and his 4 game-tying homers this season have accounted for all of Louisville's as a club. VanMeter's 5 hits make him the first Bat to register a 5-hit game since Scott Schebler on July 26, 2016 vs. Charlotte. VanMeter now leads the International League in home runs (8), extra-base hits (13) and total bases (58), while tied for the IL lead in hits (29) and RBI (20).

SURE, MAN: Louisville's Sherman Johnson also hit 2 home runs in Friday night's offensive showcase, teaming up with VanMeter to become the first pair of Bats with 2 homers in the same game since Phillip Ervin and Dilson Herrera combined to do it on June 27 last season at Columbus. Johnson drove in 6 runs with a pair of 3-run blasts, becoming the first Bat with 6+ RBI in a game since Brandon Dixon drove in 7 as part of a 3-homer game on August 20, 2017 vs. Rochester. Johnson is the first Bat with two 3-run homers in a game since Wladimir Balentien on July 23, 2010.

PUTTING THE 'HOME' IN HOME RUN: The Bats hit 5 home runs as a team last night, their most in a game since June 27 last year at Columbus, and just the second time since 2010 they've homered 5+ times in a game. It was the first time the Bats homered 5 times at home since June 22, 2009 vs. Gwinnett, in an 11-5 win. In that game, Darnell McDonald hit 2, and Kevin Barker, Edwin Encarnacion and Luis Bolivar each hit one.

I'VE GOT THE POWER: Through 12 games at Louisville Slugger Field this season, there have been a combined 39 home runs (15 by the Bats, 24 by opponents), averaging over 3 homers/game. In the early going, the number of homers/game (3.25) in 2019 is over double compared to the 2018 season (1.61 homers/game), with 114 total homers (47 by the Bats, 67 by opponents) hit in 71 games at LSF in 2018 season.

CENTURY MARK: The Bats scored their 100th run of the season last night, when Nick Senzel crossed the plate on Josh VanMeter's game-tying 2-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bats' 10th run of the ballgame.

Check out the Louisville Bats Statistics

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International League Stories from April 27, 2019


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