Travs Weekly Report
Published on May 12, 2008 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
The Past Week: The Arkansas Travelers (14-22) hit the road last week to play two four-game series against the Springfield Cardinals and the Tulsa Drillers. After taking three out of four from Tulsa in North Little Rock, the Travs left town on a high note but went 3-5 on the trip. While the Travs and the rest of the division have been playing below .500, the NW Arkansas Naturals have won 14 of their last 18 games to take a two-game lead over Springfield.
Springfield Series: The Travelers' first look at Springfield started off well with a win in game one, but three straight losses gave the Travs a 12-20 record. Corey Smith had a great series, hitting .462/.462/.692 (average/on-base/slugging). The Travs hit well in the series, batting .277 as a team, but pitching was the problem. The Travs' pitchers got hit hard by the Cardinal hitters, which led to a 5.45 ERA. The Travelers allowed 39 hits in the four games, almost 10 per game.
The Travs powered up in game one, slugging four homers, two by Adam Morrissey. Everybody in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit as the Travelers tallied 17 total hits in the 10-4 victory. The defense was also a key to the win with the Travs turning five double plays. Anthony Ortega notched the win, pitching six innings and allowing only two earned runs. Ben Johnson and Morrissey each collected three hits.
Arkansas got off to a good start in game two, taking a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning, but then things turned south. Springfield scored eight runs in the next four innings, eventually winning 8-3. Corey Smith had two hits, and Hainley Statia hit his first home run of the year in the losing effort. Bobby Mosebach took the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits with five walks.
Cardinals' starter Cory Rauschenberger puzzled the Travelers' hitters, allowing one run on four hits over five innings. The Travs didn't fare much better against the bullpen and eventually fell 4-1. The Travelers' hitters have seemed to take every fifth day off when Dan Denham pitches. In Denham's first five starts, the offense scored a total of three runs. Corey Smith and Nate Sutton each collected a multi-hit game.
The Travs scored too little, too late in a 7-6 loss in the series finale. After trailing 7-2 after four innings, the Travs mounted a comeback. They scored three in the fifth and one more in the seventh but ran out of steam before completing the comeback. Corey Smith notched two hits for his third straight multi-hit game. Fernando Rodriguez went the first four innings, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits. Doug Brandt went the last four innings, allowing no runs on one hit.
Tulsa Series: Game one was called on account of rain, and two seven-inning games were played on Thursday. Arkansas got the bats going in Tulsa, hitting .299 in the series. After being held scoreless in game one, the Travs scored 20 runs in the next three games. Coby Smith was promoted to Triple-A after leading the Travs in batting average, walks and stolen bases. OF Drew Toussaint was called up from Rancho Cucamonga to take Smith's roster spot and hit a home run in his second game with the team. OF Adam Greenberg was signed to play centerfield for the Travs. Jeff Kennard was promoted back to Class AAA Salt Lake. OF Cody Fuller was sent to California to meet with the Angles' team doctor after injuring his right knee. He injured it colliding with Cliff Remole in the outfield.
Game one featured the Tulsa pitchers who held Arkansas to a mere two hits over seven innings. The Travs dropped their fourth straight, losing 7-0. Brok Butcher threw 71 pitches over 2.1 innings, allowing six runs, two earned, on five hits. Bill Edwards pitched the final 3.2 innings and allowed only one earned run on four hits.
Anthony Ortega set the tone in game two with the Travelers winning 9-3. Ortega retired 11 out of the first 13 batters he faced to start the game, and the offense stepped up. Adam Morrissey paced the team going 2-for-3 with a homer and a double. He also had an RBI and a run scored. The win for Ortega tied him for the lead in the Texas League with four.
The Travs left five runners in scoring position in game three, which led to a 4-2 loss. Starter Bobby Mosebach went seven innings and allowed all four runs on eight hits. Tulsa RF Daniel Carte went 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Drillers. Nate Sutton and Jordan Czarniecki each went 2-for-4, and Corey Smith hit a home run. Kevin Jepsen pitched one scoreless inning but did allow two walks.
Arkansas finished the road trip on a positive swing, winning game four, 9-5. A five-run sixth inning gave the Travs a lead they would not relinquish. The inning was highlighted by a three-run triple by Hainley Statia. Statia recorded four RBI in the game. In his first game as a Traveler, Adam Greenberg went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Dan Denham was finally rewarded for his efforts, picking up his second win of the year. Denham went six innings and allowed only two earned runs, striking out five.
Who's Hot: Adam Morrissey is mashing the ball lately, hitting .444 in his last five games and .417 in his last ten. He also has three home runs in his last ten games. Jordan Czarniecki is also on a tear, hitting .412 in his last five games. Doug Brandt has not allowed an earned run in his last seven innings pitched, spanning five appearances. Dan Denham has struck out nine batters in his last 12 innings pitched.
Who's Not: Michael Collins is batting just .143 in his last 10 games with only six hits in that time. Fernando Rodriguez gave up seven earned runs in his last start, only lasting four innings. He has given up eight earned runs in his last 10 innings.
The Week Ahead: The Travelers received a much-needed day off on Sunday and will follow that with four games against the Springfield Cardinals and four against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The Travs will get another off day on May 20th following the series with the Nats. After the off day, the Travs will travel to Corpus Christi for the first time this year.
Pitching Probables, Travs vs. Cardinals:
Mon: RHP Fernando Rodriguez (1-4, 7.47) vs. RHP Cory Rauschenberger (1-2, 6.05)
Tues: RHP Brok Butcher (2-1, 4.29) vs. RHP Jess Todd (0-0, 0.00)
Wed: RHP Anthony Ortega (4-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Clayton Mortsensen (1-3, 5.61)
Thurs: RHP Bobby Mosebach (3-3, 4.57) vs. RHP Tyler Herron (0-1, 4.66)
Texas League Standings:
W L GB
Texas League North
NW Arkansas Naturals 19 17 -
Springfield Cardinals 17 19 2.0
Arkansas Travelers 14 22 5.0
Tulsa Drillers 13 23 6.0
Texas League South
Frisco RoughRiders 23 12 -
Corpus Christi Hooks 21 15 2.5
Midland RockHounds 20 16 3.5
San Antonio Missions 16 19 7.0
For ticket or game information call (501) 664-1555 or visit travs.com
Texas League Stories from May 12, 2008
- Travs Get Bats Going In Win - Arkansas Travelers
- Travs Down Cards 8-3 on Monday Night - Springfield Cardinals
- Three Homers Lead Drillers Over Naturals - Tulsa Drillers
- Faris Shines for San Antonio - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Lo Recieves TL Honor - Tulsa Drillers
- Travs Lose Morrissey; Infante and Rodriguez Join - Arkansas Travelers
- Texas League update - TL1
- Travs Weekly Report - Arkansas Travelers
- Carlos Rosa Promoted to Omaha - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- First Half Pennant Race Begins - Midland RockHounds
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