TEXAS LEAGUE

Travelers can’t figure out Hooks’ starter

Vance Albitz was moved to the leadoff spot for the Arkansas Travelers because of his ability to hit left-handers, but Thomas Shirley’s funky delivery negated what was perceived as a favorable matchup.

The left-handed starter held the Travs to one hit over six innings Wednesday night to lead Corpus Christi to a 7-2 victory in front of an announced crowd of 3,627 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

Shirley struck out five while relying heavily on a fastball, confusing the Travs with a wind-up that started with him hiding his left hand in his glove above his head and not revealing it until late in his delivery. He retired the first five batters he faced and didn’t give up a hit until Zach Borenstein’s one-out double in the fourth.

“He’s very herky-jerky,” said Albitz, who led off for the first time this season. “I think the first time around it was a little bit different, but by the second time around we should have made an adjustment.”

The Travs never did and were held scoreless until Borenstein’s home run to lead off the seventh off reliever Alex Sogard and were held to five hits.

The Travs were coming off a split of a four-game series at Springfield in which they scored 26 runs. Albitz entered Wednesday having hit .500 over his past five games and .368 against left-handers, but he was hitless in three at-bats against Shirley and 0 for 4 for the game.

Albitz was there because Kyle Hudson and Adam Melker, Arkansas’ most prominent leadoff hitters, were hitting .170 and .162 against left-handers, respectively.

“You can only run your head in the wall so many times,” Travs Manager Phillip Wellman said. “Neither one has performed up to their expectations against lefties, and it’s silly to keep doing it and doing it.”

Rene Garcia gave the Hooks a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the second off starter Kramer Sneed, then Nolan Fontana’s two-run double sparked a five-run fifth that made it 7-0.

One bright spot for the Travs was left-handed reliever Sean Burnett’s ability to get out of the sixth inning. With one out and runners on second and third, Burnett struck out Fontana and retired Andrew Aplin on a fly-out.

Burnett, making his sixth appearance in a rehabilitation assignment from the Los Angeles Angels, hasn’t given up a run in his past five outings with the Travs and lowered his ERA to 5.06.

“He’s probably pitched well enough to move on,” Wellman said. “It looks like to me he can throw nothing but sinkers and get guys out. The ball just drops. It’s unbelievable.”

MISSIONS 2, NATURALS 0

Reymond Fuentes’ first home run of the season, a two-out shot in the top of the eighth inning, was enough offense for the San Antonio Missions in a victory over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in front of 2,559 Wednesday night at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

Teammate Jason Hagerty hit his fourth home run of the year in the top of the ninth inning to give the Missions (21-24) some insurance as five San Antonio pitchers combined to limit the Naturals (16-28) to four hits.

Fuentes’ home run came off Matthew Murray (0-2) who relieved starter Sam Selman in the top of the seventh. Selman allowed 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 in 6 scoreless innings. Hagerty’s home run came off Wilking Rodriguez with two outs in the ninth. Rodriguez had picked off Rymer Liriano, who had singled, just before Rodriguez’s home run to right field.

The Naturals’ best chance at scoring came in the fifth when Mark Threlkeld led off with a single but was erased when Edinson Rincon grounded into a double play. Micah Gibbs followed with a single before Ethan Chapman walked. Reliever Matt Branham forced Justin Trapp to ground out to second to end the threat. Orlando Calixte doubled to lead off the Naturals’ sixth, but Branham retired the next three batters in order.

Luis De La Cruz (1-4) earned the victory, pitching a hitless seventh for the Missions.

Today’s game

ARKANSAS VS. CORPUS CHRISTI

WHEN 7:10 p.m. WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas WEBSITE travs.com

PITCHERS Travelers: Drew Rucinski (RHP, 3-2, 3.35 ERA); Hooks: Kyle Smith (RHP, 0-2, 6.75) TICKETS Gates open 1 hour before first pitch. $12 box; $8 reserved ($5 children); $6 general admission ($4 children) PROMOTIONS Free tickets at select locations in Maumelle and Mayflower like Playball Arkansas, American Pie Pizza, BEI Precision Systems and Space, Edward Jones Investments and Skinner Chiropractic.

SHORT HOPS Right-handed pitcher R.J. Alvarez was placed on the seven-day disabled list Wednesday, while left-hander Brandon Sisk was activated from the disabled list. Alvarez, the Angels’ No. 4 prospect according to Baseball America, hasn’t given up an earned run while striking out 28 in 19 innings. Sisk, who had been on the disabled list since May 15, is 0-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 131/3 innings.

THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY Corpus Christi, 7:10 p.m. FRIDAY Corpus Christi, 7:10 p.m. SATURDAY San Antonio, 7:10 p.m. SUNDAY San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. MONDAY San Antonio, 2:10 p.m. TUESDAY at Corpus Christi, 7:10 p.m. WEDNESDAY at Corpus Christi, 7:10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Corpus Christi 7, Arkansas 2 San Antonio 2, Northwest Arkansas 0

Springfield 5, Midland 2 Frisco 2, Tulsa 1

TODAY’S GAMES

All times Central

Tulsa at Frisco, 11:05 a.m. Springfield at Midland, 7 p.m.

San Antonio at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m. Corpus Christi at Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Springfield at Midland, 7 p.m.

San Antonio at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.

Tulsa at Frisco, 7:05 p.m.

Corpus Christi at Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.

Sports on 05/22/2014

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