Lopez Shines in 2-0 Win over Toledo
Published on July 31, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Louisville Bats News Release
TOLEDO, Ohio - Powered by starter Jose Lopez's finest start of the season, the Louisville Bats (47-58) finished a successful month with a 2-0 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens (56-51) Tuesday evening at Fifth Third Field. The game was called due to rain with two pitches thrown in the bottom of the ninth, the second time this season for Louisville following an eight-inning contest against the Durham Bulls on June 20.
Tuesday's victory closed out a 16-12 July for the Bats, their second-consecutive winning month. Louisville has now won 12 of its last 15 games, including eight of the last nine away from home. With a win on Wednesday, the Bats will clinch their fifth-straight series victory.
Lopez (5-9, 4.51) allowed only three hits with five strikeouts and no walks over seven innings of work, the fourth time this season that a Bats pitcher has thrown seven shutout innings. The effort also improved the Bats record in quality starts to 27-9. Lopez's game score of 81 tied teammate Cody Reed's performance on July 28 for the second-best this season by a Louisville pitcher. Toledo starter Tyler Alexander (2-5, 4.59) earned the loss, but turned in a solid performance, allowing six hits and two runs with six strikeouts over 7.2 innings.
Due to the strong pitching performances, both teams' offenses were held in check for most of the night. After each side stranded a runner in the first, first baseman D.J. Peterson put Louisville on the board with the team's second inside-the-park home run of the season on a fly ball to center that caromed off the wall. In the third, designated hitter Scott Schebler added the game's other run with a line drive home run to right, the first of his rehab stint with the Bats. Despite the team's struggles at the plate, Schebler was terrific as he went 3-for-4 with a RBI.
Following the homer, neither team was able to muster much on offense with retired batter streaks of 15 for the Bats and 13 for the Mud Hens in the middle of the game. In the sixth, Toledo threatened as center fielder Jacob Robson tripled to right, but consecutive pop-ups kept the margin at two. Louisville had one last chance at insurance runs in the eighth with bases loaded, but a fly-out ended the opportunity.
The Bats and Mud Hens will close out their three-game set with a rubber match Wednesday evening at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Domingo Tapia (4-6, 4.03) is slated to start for Louisville, with southpaw Matt Hall (1-0, 2.60) countering for Toledo.
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