AUGUST 8Th PAWTUCKET (52-60) at LOUISVILLE (50-61) 7:05 Pm
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AUGUST 8th PAWTUCKET (52-60) at LOUISVILLE (50-61) 7:05 pm Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Chandler Shepherd (6-7, 3.91) vs. Louisville Bats LHP Cody Reed (4-8, 4.06) Late Summer Trip to Kentucky – This week, the Pawtucket Red Sox pay their only visit of the season to the great State of Kentucky when they take on the Louisville Bats in a series that continues tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. The PawSox usually make their only sojourn to Louisville either early in the season or by mid-season, but in a scheduling rarity they have now landed in Kentucky in August last year and this year. Following Tuesday’s 3-2 Pawtucket win in the opener, the Sox and Bats play tonight and tomorrow night (both at 7:05 p.m.) before Pawtucket moves on to Indianapolis for a 3-game weekend series vs. the Indians on Friday (7:15 pm), Saturday (7:05 pm), and Sunday (1:35 pm) at Victory Field in downtown Indy. Pawtucket — who has lost 9 of their last 11 road games dating back to July 17 — will return to McCoy on Monday for a 7-game homestand from August 13-19 (three vs. Norfolk and four vs. Durham). When Last We Met – Pawtucket took 2 of 3 at home vs. Louisville two months ago when the teams met for the only other time this season from June 5-7 at McCoy Stadium. In the series opener, the Bats scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th to win, 7-4. The next night the PawSox rolled to an 8-1 rout of the Bats. And on the morning of June 7 at McCoy, Pawtucket won the series with a well-played, 5- 1 victory in a game that took just 2 hours & 25 minutes to complete. Sweep Dreams Don’t Come True – For the second straight weekend, the PawSox had a chance to complete a 3-game sweep, but they came up just short and had to settle for taking 2 of 3 vs. Rochester at McCoy this past weekend. The Sox won the first two games over the Wings on Friday and Saturday nights by 7-4 and 8-1 scores, but Rochester scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th to salvage the finale on Sunday afternoon, 6-3. The weekend before, the Sox took the first two games of a 3-game weekend set vs. Charlotte at McCoy (6-1 & 6-5) but then were blanked in the finale, 8-0. Sad Finishes – Since July 17, the PawSox have lost 13 games (going 7-13) and rather amazingly (and difficult to swallow), 9 of those 13 defeats have occurred during the opponent’s final at-bat of the game. During this span the Sox have lost games in the bottom of the 11th-inning, bottom of the 9th, bottom of the 8th, bottom of the 9th, bottom of the 10th, top of the 10th, bottom of the 13th, bottom of the 12th, and top of the 9th. Overall this season, the Sox have lost 14 games during the opposition’s last AB while winning 11 times during their own last AB (6 walk-offs). Down the Stretch – The 2018 regular-season comes to an end in less than four weeks (Labor Day Monday, September 3rd vs. Scranton/WB at McCoy). Pawtucket now has 27 games remaining this season (12 at home and 15 on the road). The Sox have just three homestands remaining…a 7-gamer from August 13-19, 3-games from August 28-30, and the final two games of the season on September 2 & 3. Pitching vs. Hitting – Pawtucket has taken over the International League lead in Team Pitching with their 3.46 ERA, as this past weekend they surpassed Rochester as the Red Wings are now 2nd with their 3.47 ERA. The Sox and Wings are still holding up near the rear of the league in Team Batting as Rochester is last at .224 while Pawtucket is 21 points higher at .245 but still 12th in the IL. Home Has Been Sweet, But Road Bumpy – The PawSox have won 7 of their last 11 games at home dating back to July 14. Pawtucket was a season-high 5-games over .500 on Saturday but are now 31-27 at McCoy. The Sox are 21-33 on the road and have dropped 9 of 11 away games and 14 of their last 19 on the road since June 26. NEXT ON TAP - The probable pitching matchup for the rest of the series at Louisville: Thur. 7:05 pm RHP Mike Shawaryn (0-0, 5.68) vs. RHP Tyler Mahle (NR) What Have You Done for Me Lately – The PawSox are 6-5 in their last 11 games but they are 7-13 since July 17. Included during that stretch was a season-high 6-game losing streak from July 17-22. They have not been able to win more than two in a row since a 3-game winning streak from July 14-16. Trending – The PawSox (now at 52-60) were again a season-low 10-games below .500 on July 31 and August 2 (49-59) for the first time in almost three years since they ended the 2015 season with a 59-85 record. One and Done – The PawSox have lost nine of their last 11 1-run decisions since July 6. They were 16-9 in 1-run games on July 4 which was the best winning pct. in the league, but they are now 18-18 in 1-run games this season. Left at the Altar – The PawSox are 1st in the league with 814 runners left on base this season for an average of 7.3 LOB per game. The club-record is 1121 LOB in 2005 in 144 games (or an average of 7.8 per game). 2018 Stats vs. the Bats - The PawSox are hitting .321 in the first 4 games vs. Louisville this season (45-for-140) with 6 HR (Butler, Castillo, De Jesus, Lind, Ohlman, and Tavarez). PawSox pitchers are 3-1 with a 2.50 ERA (10 ER in 36 IP) and 4 HRA vs. the Bats. Pawtucket has out-scored the Bats, 20-11 thus far. Going Batty – Despite going 2-4 vs. the Bats last year (but 3-1 thus far this season), Pawtucket is 28-13 against Louisville dating back to the 2012 season. The PawSox won the season-series vs. the Bats in 2013 (7-1), 2014 (6-2), and 2016 (5-1). They did drop the 2015 season-series by a 3-4 count and last year by a 2-4 margin. Before this recent stretch of success for the PawSox, Louisville had traditionally given Pawtucket a tough time over the years. The PawSox had just one winning season against the Bats from 2001 - 2013 (5-3 in 2011) as the Sox finished at .500 or below vs. Louisville in 12 of 13 years. The 2017 Season-Series vs. Louisville – Pawtucket went 2-4 vs. Louisville last season going 1-3 in Louisville last August. The Bats swept a make-up twinbill at Louisville Slugger Field last August 15 by 3-1 and 5-1 scores. The PawSox got on the board with an 11-5 triumph the next night, but Louisville captured that 4-game series and the season-series by outlasting the Sox, 6-5 in 14-innings in the finale last August 17. Series Business – Pawtucket is 13-19-4 in their 36 series this season (13 wins, 19 losses, and 4 splits). The PawSox have been swept in a series four times this season (suffering three 3-game sweeps and a 2-game sweep). They have posted three 3-game sweeps this season along with a 2-game sweep and a 1-game sweep (in Rochester on July 4). Nice While it Lasted - After winning on June 25, the PawSox went over the .500 mark at 38-37 for the first time since May 8. On May 6 the Sox had matched their season-high of 3-games over the .500 mark (15-12) from April 28 when they were 11-8. They also (for one night anyway on June 25) moved into sole possession of 2nd-place in the IL North for the first time since they were alone in 1st-place on May 11. Pawtucket is now alone in 3rd-place in the IL North as they trail Lehigh Valley by 17 games (the IronPigs own the best record in the league). North Face - From June 11 July 15 the PawSox played 31 straight games against IL North rivals. The Sox had been playing outside their division from July 16 through July 29 before returning to IL North foes on July 30 at Syracuse. Pawtucket is 33-41 vs. their IL North rivals. They are 9-10 vs. the IL West and 10-9 vs. the IL South including a 5-1 mark at home vs. Southern foes. The Sox are back outside the North from August 7-19, playing Louisville, Indianapolis, Norfolk, and Durham. August Moon – Pawtucket has posted some fine numbers in the early going here in August batting .284 in the first 6 games (63-for- 222) with 6 HR & 33 runs scored. Sox pitchers are 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA this month (16 ER in 56.1 IP). Bye to July - The PawSox concluded July with a 10-16 record in which they battled in a wave of close games.