Cincinnati Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan (#29) congratulates third baseman Todd Frazier (#21), who hit two home runs, after their 6-3 win over the New York Mets in a baseball game at Citi Field on Wednesday, May 16.

Two players who admitted they were feeling the pressure came through under pressure for the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night in a huge way.

Mike Leake pitched his best game of the year. That put the Reds in a position to win. Todd Frazier had his best night of the year at the plate. That allowed the offense to come back and seal the deal in a 6-3 victory over the New York Mets before a crowd of 22,659 at Citi Field.

Leake knew his rotation spot was in jeopardy.

“Of course,” he said. “I felt like I needed to do something. I was kind of a hole in the rotation. It was a matter of time before I was going to come around. I need to string a few together. I’m not going to put pressure on myself to do it. I’m going to go out with the same attitude I had tonight.”

Leake went six innings and allowed three runs — one earned — on seven hits. He walked two and struck five. It was his best start of the year. He came in with a 7.11 ERA and one quality start in his past five. The difference?

“I was working on attacking them and throwing the ball with some attitude, instead of like a sissy,” Leake said. “I felt really good going with some attitude and not caring who was up there.”

Still, Leake left with the Reds down 3-1.

Frazier cut the lead to 3-2 with a solo home run in the seventh and then widened the gap with a two-run shot in the eighth. Coming into Wednesday, Frazier was 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts since Scott Rolen went on the disabled list.

“I put a little pressure on myself,” Frazier said. “I had a good talk with (coach) Chris Speier. He told me stuff: You don’t need to press. You don’t need to put pressure on yourself. You’re good enough. Do the stuff you’ve been doing. You’ve got a good opportunity here. Roll with it. Have fun.”

Frazier had a lot of fun Wednesday. He’s from nearby Toms River, N.J. and figured 35 or 40 friends and family were at the game.

“It was a fun night,” he said.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the third. Leake singled with two outs. He scored from first on Zack Cozart’s double into the left field corner.

“Great base-running, great slide to get us on the board,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

The Mets tied it in the bottom of the third. Mike Baxter singled with one out and stole second. David Wright walked. Lucas Duda singled to center to score Baxter. Leake got out of it from there.

That began a streak of eight in a row retired for Leake.

The Mets scored two unearned runs in the sixth, thanks to Joey Votto’s throwing error, to make it 3-1.

Frazier struck out on a change-up and a cut slider in his first two at-bats against Johan Santana.

“This game is about adjustments,” Frazier said. “That’s what you’ve got to do from pitch-to pitch and at-bat to at-bat.”

Frazier adjusted. He hit a first-pitch fastball from Santana out in the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2.

The Reds took the lead in the eighth.

Drew Stubbs led off with a single. Joey Votto followed with a double. Brandon Phillips shot one through the middle to get Stubbs home.

Chris Heisey nearly short-circuited the rally by popping to first on the first pitch.

The Reds then sent up Jay Bruce to hit for Ryan Ludwick. The Mets countered with left-hander Tim Byrdak. Bruce, of course, hit the NL Central clinching home run of Byrdak in 2010. Bruce skied the first pitch warning track in right. Votto trotted home with the go-ahead run.

The Mets brought in D.J. Carrasco to face Frazier. Frazier hit the first pitch he threw out to center to make it 6-3.

“We wanted Leake to get on the board with a victory,” Baker said. “But, more importantly, we got the victory. He threw the ball excellent. He was picking a little in the early innings, but he settled down and was the Mike Leake we know.”

Cincinnati and New York play again on Friday as Mat Latos (2-2, 4.54) will go up against the Mets’ R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.65).

Cincinnati batting

Individual Batting:

Doubles: Zack Cozart 1 (10), Joey Votto 1 (17)

Home runs: Todd Frazier 2 (3)

RBI: Zack Cozart 1 (9), Brandon Phillips 1 (13), Jay Bruce 1 (27) , Todd Frazier 3 (6)

Sacrifice bunts: Mike Leake 1

Sacrifice flies: Jay Bruce 1

Grounded into double play: Joey Votto 1

Fielding:

Errors: Joey Votto 1 (2)

New York Mets batting

Individual Batting:

Doubles: Ike Davis 1 (3)

RBI: Lucas Duda 1 (18), Ike Davis 1 (14), Mike Nickeas 1 (5)

Sacrifice bunts: Mike Nickeas 1

Base Running:

Stolen bases: Mike Baxter 1 (2)

Caught stealing: Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1 (1)

Fielding:

Double plays: Daniel Murphy 1, Ike Davis 1, Justin Turner 1

Cincinnati pitching

New York Mets pitching

Three Lansing pitchers combined to scatter seven hits as the Lugnuts defeated the Dayton Dragons 2-1 on Tuesday night before a crowd of 8,388 at Fifth Third Field. The Lugnuts completed a sweep of the four-game series with the win.

Lansing scored two runs in the fourth inning, both on sacrifice flies, to take a 2-0 lead. The Dragons cut the deficit to one in the fifth when Nick O’Shea drilled a long double to the fence in center field and scored from second on Juan Perez‘s bouncing single through the middle. Perez then went to third on Joe Terry‘s hit to right with one out. But Ryan Wright grounded into an inning-ending double play as the Dragons trailed 2-1.

Dayton had runners in scoring position in the sixth and eighth innings but could not come through with the big hit. They outhit the Lugnuts for the third straight game, 7-5, but went just 1 for 10 with men in scoring position.

Dragons starting pitcher Tanner Robles (2-3) worked the first four innings, allowing three hits and two runs with four walks and no strikeouts. He was ejected by plate umpire Dustin Klinghagen after the final out in the top of the fourth inning. Dragons catcher Yovan Gonzalez was ejected by Klinghagen just a few pitches previously.

For the Dragons, Silva went 2 for 4 with two infield singles. O’Shea’s double was the Dragons only extra base hit.

Dragons second baseman Ryan Wright turned in one of the finest defensive plays of the year in the fifth inning, making a lunging acrobatic catch of a looping fly ball off the bat of Lansing’s Markus Brisker in shallow right field. Carlos Perez tagged at third on the play and, after Wright’s throw home, Perez got around the tag of Dayton catcher Yovan Gonzalez to score what turned out to be the decisive run.

Once again, the Dragons bullpen turned in a great performance. Kyle McMyne, Lucas O’Rear, and Carlos Contreras combined for five shutout innings, allowing just two hits.

The Dragons fell to 14-25 with the loss. Lansing improved to 27-11.

The Dragons travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky to meet the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Wednesday at 7:35 p.m. EDT (WONE 980 AM Radio). Stalin Gerson (1-3, 4.66) will start for Dayton against Bowling Green’s Roberto Gomez (2-1, 4.04). The next home game is Saturday against Great Lakes at 7:05 p.m. at Fifth Third Field.

In a pair of 7-inning games, the Bakersfield Blaze won in dramatic fashion in the opener, and in runaway fashion in the nightcap, beating the Stockton Ports 2-1 and 6-1, respectively.

Game one was largely a game of contrast. The Ports put at least 1 runner on base in all 7 of their at-bats, getting 2 aboard in 6 of those 7 frames, but managed to plate just one. Blaze starter Daniel Renken allowed 11 base runners in his 5.0 innings of work, but surrendered only a single run on a 3rd-inning sacrifice fly. Daniel would not, however, factor into the decision, departing with the game tied at 1 run apiece.

Bakersfield got its runs in the 4th and 7th on solo homers from Bryson Smith and Juan Duran, the second of which came with 2 outs and the game teetering on the brink of heading to extra innings. Duran’s homer was his 4th of the year, the team’s 3rd walkoff win of the season, and Bakersfield’s first walkoff home run of 2012. Jamie Walczak (W, 2-0) pitched the 6th and 7th for the win, and Jose Guzman (L, 2-2) took the loss, giving up Duran’s game-ender.

The second game was, for the most part, over after 2 innings. Pat Doyle (W, 3-1), in a spot start, allowed a 2-out single the first inning before retiring the next 16 consecutive Ports and carrying a 1-hit shutout through 6 innings of work. On the other side, the Blaze got a run in the first on a Billy Hamilton triple and Devin Lohman sacrifice fly, then added 4 unearned runs in the 2nd on Hamilton’s bases-clearing, 3-run double and Lohman’s RBI hit immediately thereafter, all off Ports starter Ian Krol (L, 0-3). Bakersfield got its final run on Theo Bowe‘s first homer of the year, and only his 3rd professional dinger in 3-plus seasons of baseball.

The pair of wins moves Bakersfield to 23-15 on the year and, temporarily, to just 1.0 game back of San Jose, pending the outcome of the Giants’ game against Modesto. The quick three-night, four-game series with Stockton concludes on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM Pacific time.

Tim Crabbe fired seven shutout innings in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos' 2-0 win Tuesday night over the Birmingham Barons.

Pensacola starting pitcher Tim Crabbe, along with relievers Curtis Partch and Donnie Joseph, combined for the team’s fourth shutout win, while pinch hitter Josh Fellhauer launched an eighth inning two-run homer to give the Blue Wahoos a 2-0 win over the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday night at Pensacola’s multi-use stadium.

The win gives the Blue Wahoos a 3-2 series victory and improves their record to 19-21, while the defeat drops Birmingham to a 21-19 mark in 2012.

Crabbe (7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO) tossed his best outing of the year despite not receive a decision after yielding six hits in seven scoreless frames, while Partch and Joseph combined for two perfect innings of relief. Partch (1.0 IP, 2 SO) earned the win and struck out two before Joseph (1.0 IP, 3 SO) notched his seventh save of the year after striking out the side in the ninth. Barons starter Jose Quintana (7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 SO) did not factor in the decision either despite allowing just two hits in addition to eight strikeouts in seven scoreless frames, while Henry Mabee (1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 SO) suffered the loss after allowing the two earned runs on two hits in one frame.

Both offenses were held quiet until the eighth, when Fellhauer broke the scoreless draw with his second homer of the year. DH P.J. Phillips reached with a one out single up the middle before the pinch hitter came to the plate and launched the 0-1 pitch over the left field wall to make it 2-0.

Birmingham had a runner past second base once, with a solid defensive play in the fourth keeping them off the scoreboard. After Barons 1B Seth Loman led off the frame with a double, C Damaso Espino lined a single up the middle to Pensacola CF Ryan LaMarre. Loman was waived home on the play as LaMarre fired a strike home to C Mark Fleury, who held on to the ball after colliding with Loman to end the inning and prevent the run.

Loman and Espino were the lone batters to record multi-hit efforts for either side, while SS Tyler Saladino reached base three times via a free pass. No Blue Wahoos batters collected two or more hits, though LaMarre and SS Didi Gregorius each did make it on base twice.

Pensacola has an off-day Wednesday and will travel to Jacksonville in preparation for their five-game series with the Suns, with the opening game set for Thursday night at 7:35 ET. Jose Alvarez is expected to get the start for Jacksonville in the first game, while the Blue Wahoos are expected to give the ball to J.C. Sulbaran.

The Louisville Bats found some early offense, but could not turn the production into a win. After leading 3-0 and 4-3, the Bats fell to the Rochester Red Wings 5-4 at Frontier Field Tuesday night in the series opener.

The Bats entered the bottom of the eighth with a one-run lead, but Danny Valencia tied the game with an RBI groundout that plated Wilkin Ramirez. Two batters later, Sean Burroughs doubled to left, scoring Matt Carson for what turned out to be the winning run of the game.

Louisville (12-28) has now lost ten of their last 12 games. The Red Wings (15-23) snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory.

Miguel Rojas was the only Louisville player with two hits, and Bill Rhinehart homered for the second straight game, but the team was held hitless in their last 10 at-bats.

Ben Revere led the Red Wings with three hits, while Ramirez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Carson also extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest for any Red Wing player this season.

It was the first win of the season for Rochester in which they trailed after seven innings, and the Red Wings tied their season-high with 12 hits.

Louisville starter Pedro Villarreal allowed three runs off nine hits and struck out two in 6.2 innings and at one point retired ten straight batters. He left in position to pick up his second win in as many starts, but Nick Christiani gave up two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning, blowing his third save and getting saddled with his second loss of the season.

Rochester starter Luke French was shaky most of the game, throwing three wild pitches and giving up four runs on six hits while striking out three and walking two. French was replaced by Esmerling Vasquez, who allowed just one hit and struck out three over three innings, improving his record to 2-3 on the season.

Casey Fien retired the last two batters of the game to earn his sixth save of the season.

Rhinehart got the Bats going with a homer to right field, putting Louisville up front 1-0 in the second. Rhinehart now has four home runs on the season.

Louisville kept the offensive momentum moving in the third as Brian Peacock started the inning off with a double. One batter later Willie Harris hit an RBI double, scoring Peacock for the first run of the inning. Harris was moved to third on a sacrifice fly by Kristopher Negron, then slid into home after a wild pitch by French, giving the Bats a 3-0 lead.

Rochester got on the board in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI-groundout by Ramirez that scored Rene Rivera, cutting the Louisville lead to 3-1 after three.

The Red Wings added two more runs in the fourth, tying the game at three. Carson doubled down the right field line, scoring Valencia. Two batters later, Denis Phipps robbed Tsuyoshi Nishioka of a sure double, but injured his right shoulder on the play, allowing Carson to cross. Phipps came out of the game, but walked off on his own power.

Negron moved the Bats back into the lead with an RBI-single that scored Felix Perez for a 4-3 lead in the top half of the fifth. Louisville would go on to load the bases with one out, but Rhinehart grounded into a double play, ending the inning and the threat.

After that, things turned sour for the Bats, as their last base runner of the game came on a two-out single by Rojas in the sixth and their bullpen blew their sixth save of the season.

The two teams will meet again at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Scheduled to take the mound for the Bats is Chad Reineke (1-2, 3.96) going up against Rochester’s Jeff Manship (2-1, 4.15).

Johnny Cueto was so dominant in his first seven starts he had to laugh when others seemed surprised to be reminded those outings are not automatic.

The Atlanta Braves jumped on Cueto early Tuesday night and beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2, giving the right-hander his first loss of the season.

Brian McCann homered and the Braves scored four runs in the third inning.

Cueto (4-1) led the major leagues with his 1.12 ERA before allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits in four innings. He had allowed only one earned run in 23 innings in his past three starts.

“It’s part of the game. I’m not a robot!” a smiling Cueto said through interpreter Tomas Vera, the Reds’ assistant athletic trainer.

“It’s been a while,” Cueto said of his first rough start of the season. “I don’t think anything was wrong. I was feeling really well. All my pitches we good. It’s just part of the game. It’s the way it goes.”

Cueto’s ERA rose to 1.89, leaving Atlanta’s Brandon Beachy (1.60) with the majors’ best mark.

The Braves sent 11 batters to the plate while scoring four runs off Cueto in the third. Martin Prado and Chipper Jones had run-scoring singles, Jason Heyward doubled in a run and Dan Uggla added a sacrifice fly in the long inning.

“They hit him pretty good tonight,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “That was just not one of Johnny’s better outings.

“Just sometimes you get hit, you know what I mean? Especially against a hot-hitting team like the Braves. You’re not going to keep them down forever.”

Tim Hudson (2-1) gave up two runs on nine hits and two walks in seven innings. He has allowed two runs or less in three of four starts since returning from surgery to repair a herniated disc.

“I’m feeling better each time out,” Hudson said. “Every week that passes by I feel like I’m getting a little healthier. I’m really not concerned with it. I feel like I’m as healthy now as I have been in a really long time.”

Hudson, 36, threw six scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the seventh.

The Braves led 6-0 after four innings.

“We got a nice lead early,” Hudson said. “It makes my job a lot easier. I can go out there and be a lot more aggressive in the zone. I can challenge guys a little more.”

The first-place Braves moved one-half game ahead of the Washington Nationals in the NL East.

Michael Bourn had three hits and scored two runs and Prado also had three hits for the Braves, who had 12 hits.

Kris Medlen gave up two hits in the eighth before ending the inning on pinch-hitter Ryan Ludwick‘s flyball to left field. Craig Kimbrel gave up two-out walks to Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips in the ninth before closing out the win on Jay Bruce‘s groundout.

McCann hit his sixth homer, his first since May 2, in the second inning.

The Reds committed two errors to help the Braves score an unearned run in the fourth. Bourn singled and moved to second on Cueto’s wild pickoff attempt. A fielding error by Chris Heisey in left field on Prado’s single allowed Bourn to score for a 6-0 lead.

Ryan Hanigan‘s double drove in Todd Frazier for the Reds’ first run in the seventh. Drew Stubbs‘ single drove in Hanigan.

Cincinnati continues their tour of the National League East when they travel to New York to take on the Mets in a Wednesday affair at 7:10 PM Eastern time. Mike Leake (0-5, 7.11) gets the starting nod for the Reds while the Mets counter with Johan Santana (1-2, 2.92).

Cincinnati batting

Individual Batting:

Doubles: Jay Bruce 1 (11), Ryan Hanigan 1 (3)

RBI: Drew Stubbs 1 (11), Ryan Hanigan 1 (3)

Fielding:

Errors: Chris Heisey 1 (3), Johnny Cueto 1 (2)

Atlanta batting

Individual Batting:

Doubles: Jason Heyward 1 (5)

Home runs: Brian McCann 1 (6)

RBI: Martin Prado 1 (19), Chipper Jones 1 (23), Dan Uggla 1 (23), Brian McCann 1 (21), Jason Heyward 1 (19)

Sacrifice flies: Dan Uggla 1

Intentional walks: Eric Hinske (1)

Cincinnati pitching

Atlanta pitching

Lansing starting pitcher Marcus Walden fired six scoreless innings and the Lugnuts turned a triple play on the way to a 4-2 victory over the Dayton Dragons on Monday night. A crowd of 8,284 saw the game at Fifth Third Field. The Lugnuts have won the first three games of the set.

Walden (3-1) allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out two to earn the victory. He got some big defensive help in the bottom of the sixth after Dayton’s Juan Perez reached on an error and Brandon Dailey walked with no one out. The next batter, Ryan Wright, popped up a bunt attempt. Lansing catcher Carlos Perez caught the ball on the fly to retire Wright, fired to second to double off Perez, and second baseman Jon Berti‘s throw to first beat Dailey for a triple play. It was the first turned in the Midwest League in 2012 and only the fourth in the league in the last six years.

Dragons starting pitcher Radhames Quezada (1-4) had an unusual first inning. He walked the first batter of the game on four pitches, then surrendered a two-run home run to Kenny Wilson. Quezada then missed on his next 14 pitches, walking three straight batters to load the bases as the Dragons got the bullpen active. Suddenly, Quezada found his form, notching a strikeout, an infield popout, and another strikeout, to get out of the inning with just two runs in. Quezada stayed in the game through four innings, allowing another run in the fourth. He was charged with the loss. Quezada’s six walks in the game marked a season-high for a Dayton pitcher.

The Dragons trailed 4-0 in the seventh when they rallied to cut the deficit in half. Sean Buckley doubled to start the inning and scored on Joe Terry‘s ground rule double to right field to make it 4-1. Two outs later, Yovan Gonzalez singled up the middle to drive in Terry and pull the Dragons back within two at 4-2. The Dragons threatened again in the eighth and ninth, getting a two-out hit in each inning, but they did not score again.

The Dragons outhit the Lugnuts 7-5. Steve Selsky was 2 for 4 for Dayton. Buckley, Terry, and Kyle Waldrop all had doubles.

The Dragons bullpen turned in another strong performance. Ryan Kemp, El’Hajj Muhammad, and Carlos Contreras combined to throw five innings, allowing one run on one hit.

The Dragons fell to 14-24 with the loss. Lansing improved to 26-11.

The series concludes on Tuesday as the Dragons host the Lugnuts at 7:00 PM Eastern at Fifth Third Field (WONE 980 AM Radio). Tanner Robles (2-2, 2.72) will start for Dayton against Lansing’s Aaron Sanchez (4-0, 0.78). The Dragons play at Bowling Green, KY against the Hot Rods on Wednesday at 7:35 PM.

It wasn’t picture-perfect, but it counts just the same, as the Bakersfield Blaze dealt the Stockton Ports the team’s 14th consecutive loss with an 11-6 victory in the opener of a quick 3-night, 4-game homestand at Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield.

The game began in fairly clean fashion. Blaze starter Justice French went 5.0 shutout innings, extending his scoreless inning streak to 11, and allowed only 4 baserunners on 2 hits and 2 walks. Meanwhile, on the other side, the Blaze took a 4-0 lead on Stockton starter T.J. Walz (L, 2-3), scoring all 4 runs on 2-out base hits in the 2nd and 3rd innings.

From the 6th inning on, things took a turn for the wild. Brooks Pinckard entered from the Blaze pen and promptly issued 2 walks and a 3-run homer to cut the Blaze advantage to just 4-3. Pinckard got an out on a fine diving play at third by Travis Mattair, but walked one more, and Griffey went back to the pen. Daniel Wolford (W, 3-1) allowed a game-tying double to Josh Whitaker, but settled down to record 5 big mid-game outs while the Blaze retook the lead 5-4.

Two innings later, the Blaze put the game away, scoring 6 runs – all unearned – in the bottom of the 8th off Nate Long. Donald Lutz clubbed his California League lead-tying 11th homer of the season to seal the deal, putting a cap on his own 5-for-5 night.

Just when the game appeared over, however, Chris Joyce lost his command. Joyce walked 2 in the 8th, 3 more in the 9th, and it took Mike Griffin coming in to get the final out. The 11 walks issued was a season-high for Bakersfield, but the team squeaked through and got the win.

With the victory, the Blaze improve to 21-15 and claw back within 2 games of San Jose in the North. The series at Sam Lynn continues Tuesday with a day-night doubleheader, known now as Dollar Taco Tuesday, from Jack in the Box.

First pitch for Game one is set for 3:00 PM Pacific time, while Game two is set for 7:30 PM.

Joel Guzman launched his fifth homer of the year in Monday night's 8-4 loss to Birmingham.

Birmingham plated five runs in the top of the second inning, including a grand slam from third baseman Corey Smith, to lead the Barons to an 8-4 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Monday night at Pensacola’s multi-use stadium.

After Pensacola took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to part to DH Cody Puckett‘s seventh home run of the season, Birmingham grabbed a lead they would not relinquish with a big second frame. CF Jared Mitchell led off the inning with a solo shot to left before the Barons loaded the bases with two walks and a single from 2B Jose Castro, which set the scene for Smith. The third baseman slugged the first pitch he saw down the left field line to clear the bases and give the Barons a 6-2 advantage.

The Blue Wahoos brought home single tallies in the fourth and fifth frames with 1B Joel Guzman leaving the yard for his fifth longball of the year in the fourth, while CF Ryan LaMarre singled and then was driven in on SS Didi Gregorius‘ run scoring triple in the following frame. Birmingham would then plate additional insurance runs in both the sixth and seventh frames to increase the margin to 8-4.

LaMarre (2-3, 2 R, 1BB) and Guzman (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) accumulated two hits on the night for the Blue Wahoos, while no Barons hitters recorded a multi-hit effort.

Barons starting pitcher Pedro Hernandez (5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO) earned his fifth win in as many starts after allowing four earned runs on six hits in five frames, while relievers Brandon Kloess (3.0 IP, 5 SO) and Leroy Hunt (1.0 IP, 1 SO) combined for the four perfect innings in support of Hernandez. Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino (5.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO) suffered the loss after yielding six earned runs on five hits in his five innings pitched.

With the series now tied at 2-2, the Blue Wahoos and Barons will meet Monday evening for the rubber match with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 PM Eastern time at Pensacola’s bayfront stadium. Tim Crabbe is scheduled to take the hill for Pensacola, while Birmingham is expected to send Jose Quintana.

The fourth inning was the Bats‘ best friend in game one of a doubleheader Monday at Louisville Slugger Field and its worst enemy in game two.

Louisville utilized an explosive five-run fourth in the opener en route to a 5-1 victory, while Lehigh Valley earned the split behind a three-run fourth in a 4-3 victory in the latter contest. The IronPigs (21-16) took three of four games from the Bats (12-27) in the series and had to stave off a Louisville comeback in the finale.

The teams scheduled a doubleheader after Sunday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather. The contests were shortened to seven innings apiece.

Louisville nearly rallied in the last inning of game two. With his team down 4-1, Chris Valaika followed a single by Bill Rhinehart with a two-run homer to left center off Lehigh Valley reliever Brian Sanches. It was Valaika’s second round-tripper of the season and first since opening day.

Lehigh Valley manager Ryne Sandberg, the former Chicago Cubs superstar and a Hall of Famer, took Sanches out in favor of Joe Savery. Pinch hitter Dioner Navarro, the tying run, reached on an error in the infield and Corky Miller, the winning run, walked before pinch hitter Miguel Rojas laid down a sacrifice bunt.

With one out and the infield drawn in, Danny Dorn, another pinch hitter, grounded to second baseman Kevin Frandsen, who threw home in time to get pinch runner Brian Peacock. The Bats had another chance, but Willie Harris flew out to left center as Savery notched his second save of the season.

Louisville collected eight hits in game one, including doubles by Rhinehart, Dorn and Rojas. However, the Bats only managed four hits in the second game, although Rhinehart and Valaika did homer.

The Bats snapped their three-game losing streak in the first contest. Sean Gallagher collected Louisville’s fourth straight quality start, but this time the offense rewarded him for the strong effort on the mound. Gallagher (2-3) gained the win after allowing a single run over six innings while yielding seven hits and striking out three.

Louisville had a peculiar outing offensively in the opener. In four of their six innings, the Bats were retired in order and it almost happened a fifth time before Navarro knocked a two-out single in the sixth. There was no real threat of a perfect game or no-hitter, though, because the Bats erupted for five runs on six hits while sending 10 batters to the plate in the fourth.

After recording nine outs over the first nine hitters, Lehigh Valley starter Austin Hyatt walked Harris to begin the fourth. Leadoff walks are often ominous signs, and that was certainly the case here. Kristopher Negron punched a single to right, Denis Phipps laced an RBI single to center and Rhinehart crushed a two-run double to left center. It was the first time in 10 games that the Bats scored first against their opponent.

Hyatt, who dropped to 2-4, finally got an out, but it was an efficient one for Louisville as Neftali Soto lifted a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead. Dorn continued the push by slamming a double off the wall in right center, Navarro singled and, with two outs, Gallagher plopped an RBI single into the outfield. It was Gallagher’s second career RBI in Triple-A.

Lehigh broke up Gallagher’s shutout bid with a run in the fifth. Tug Hulett singled and eventually scored on safety squeeze bunt by Rich Thompson. The Bats got out of the inning with a nifty 5-4-3 double play that was started by Harris at third and turned by Negron at second.

With two outs in the sixth, two Lehigh Valley batters reached base before Gallagher ended the threat by getting Hulett to fly out. Travis Webb entered in the seventh inning and pitched a perfect frame. Rhinehart made a sliding catch in right on a sinking liner by pinch hitter Tuffy Gosewisch for the first out.

In the second game, Wirfin Obispo made his Triple-A debut with the Bats. The 27-year-old right-hander, who played four seasons in Japan, was transferred to Louisville after going 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in seven games with Double-A Pensacola.

Obispo struggled early, surrendering three hits to Lehigh Valley’s first four hitters. Louisville leftfielder Felix Perez cut down Rich Thompson at the plate on Frandsen’s single, but John Suomi followed with a two-out RBI double to right center for the 1-0 lead. Obispo retired the side in order in the second before being pulled in the third for Scott Carroll after a leadoff walk.

Louisville tied the game at 1-1 in the second when Rhinehart led off with his third home run of the season. Rhinehart smoked an offering from Lehigh starter Pat Misch on a line over the fence in right.

Like the Bats did in the initial game, the IronPigs piled up the runs in the fourth inning. Suomi, Michael Spidale and Derrick Mitchell all singled to center off Carroll, with Mitchell’s liner bringing in the go-ahead run. Hulett then chased Carroll with a two-run double to left center that boosted Lehigh Valley’s lead to 4-1 before Louisville gave the IronPigs a scare in the final inning.

Misch (2-5) secured the win after allowing one run on two hits in five innings, while Carroll (1-3) suffered the setback after giving up three runs on four hits in 1.2 innings. Josh Judy and Kanekoa Texeira combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for the Bats.

Suomi went 3-for-3 in game two for Lehigh. Rhinehart had two of Louisville’s four hits.

Louisville finished an eight-game homestand and will begin another road trip with a 7:05 p.m. game on Tuesday with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League‘s North division. The Bats’ Pedro Villareal (1-0, 3.18 ERA) is expected to duel with the Red Wings’ Luke French (0-0, 6.55).