The Bats tied a season-high with their sixth consecutive loss in the 13-7 defeat to the Gwinnett Stripers on Saturday night at Louisville Slugger Field.
Jose Azocar rudely greeted starter Carson Spiers during his first game for Louisville in the top of the first. The Stripers' right fielder smashed a 0-1 changeup deep onto the berm in left-center field for a quick 1-0 Gwinnett lead.
An electric 16-pitch duel between Carlos Jorge and the Stripers’ starter Cedric De Grandpre ended in a walk to begin the bottom of the first, but the Bats failed to score him.
Spiers' changeup faltered again in the second. Brett Wisely smashed the 0-1 offering 425 feet over the Humana Cabana in right field to boost Gwinnett’s lead to 2-0.
Louisville’s offense finally responded in a big way in the third. With two on and two out, Noelvi Marte crushed a 1-0 cutter 112 mph and 412 feet onto the berm in left-center to give Louisville a short-lived 3-2 lead.
That lead was erased in the fourth when Lizandro Espinoza singled home Brett Wisely to tie the game.
The scoreboard roller coaster continued when Dayne Leonard’s RBI single in the fourth gave Louisville another short-lived lead at 4-3. Spiers' tough night continued in the fifth as he allowed a single, walk, and double that scored a run and tied the game at four.
He was then lifted after throwing 70 pitches and recording just one out in the fifth frame. Chase Petty entered and immediately allowed a two-run single to Rowdy Tellez, tilting the score back in Gwinnett’s favor, 6-4.
Tellez rounded first base too far, and Leonard threw him out to secure the second out of the inning, but the damage wasn’t over. Petty walked the next batter and allowed a single to Lizandro Espinosa to bring up DaShawn Keirsey Jr, who singled home both runners. The hit boosted Gwinnett’s lead to 8-4.
Jared Lyons came out of the bullpen in the sixth and was unable to stop the bleeding. He allowed a leadoff double which later scored on David McCabe’s single to increase the Stripers' lead to 9-4.
The Bats were gifted a golden opportunity after two singles and a walk opened the sixth inning but failed to score. Leonard grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, and Francisco Urbaez struck out, which stranded runners on second and third.
Gwinnett got back on the board in the seventh when a bases loaded double-play scored a runner to increase the lead to 10-4. The Stripers tacked on three more runs off Bats’ reliever Cameron Cotter in the eighth with Wisley’s second home run of the game. Wisley’s three-run shot increased the Bats' deficit to 13-4.
Louisville didn’t go away quietly in the ninth as Juan Brito singled home two and Marte singled him home to score three runs and create the final 13-7.
Spiers allowed six runs on six hits, walked two and struck out five over 4.1 innings of work in his second outing of the season. Leonard’s two-hit game was his first multi-hit performance since July 9. Jorge extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a third inning double. Louisville has lost six consecutive games to Gwinnett dating back to June.
Louisville (57-72, 18-38 2nd Half) will host Gwinnett (67-63, 29-27 2nd Half) for the series finale on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Jose Acuna (1-4, 6.96) will get the ball for the Bats. He’ll oppose J.R. Ritchie (6-3, 3.22) for the Stripers. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will have the call on Sports Talk 790.