A shorthanded outfield helped the Arkansas Travelers overwhelm the Frisco RoughRiders 11-2 Tuesday night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
After a series of weekend transactions, the Travs entered the game with only two outfielders on the roster: Braden Bishop and Chuck Taylor, who were a combined 4 for 9 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored before an announced crowd of 2,401.
Former Travs right fielder Kyle Waldrop -- the Texas League's Player of the Month for July (.374 batting average in 30 games) -- was called up to Class AAA Tacoma on Monday.
Bishop and Taylor looked at each other Tuesday after reading they were the only outfielders left on the roster.
"We were like, 'Yeah, we have no days off no more,' " said Taylor, who played right field in place of Waldrop. "There's no rest days. We're riding it out for the rest of the season."
Every Travs batter recorded a hit, including six consecutive hits in the second inning that gave the team a 4-1 lead. Designated hitter Ryan Casteel and second baseman Nelson Ward both hit doubles in a five-run sixth inning, and Casteel hit a 361-foot home run to left field in the seventh.
The Travs grounded into a season-high four double plays, but the team still managed to score 11 runs for the second time since July 31.
"We go on little stretches like that," Taylor said. "Sometimes we get out of it and put up nothing in three games. We just need to stay consistent."
Travs right-hander Bryan Evans (1-1, 6.55 ERA) earned the victory after pitching 6 innings with 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.
"Felt pretty good -- a lot better than last time, that's for sure," said Evans, who gave up seven earned runs in his start against Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 2.
That day, Evans was signed from the Independent Lancaster Barnstormers, where he was 6-3 with a 5.05 ERA. He pitched three games for the Seattle Mariners' Class AA club last season -- which was in Jackson, Tenn. -- and the club called him to ask whether he would return.
"I'm just here to help out this team as much as I can," said Evans, who went 0-1 with a 3.44 ERA in Jackson before his contract expired at the end of the season. "They were struggling for starting pitching. Hopefully I can come in and give them some quality starts."
The Mariners made two trades Sunday, which included sending Travs starting left-hander Anthony Misiewicz to the Tampa Bay Rays for right-handed reliever Ryan Garton. Waldrop was called up to Tacoma the next day, where he joined former Travs center fielder Ian Miller, who is hitting .348 since being called up from Arkansas on July 22.
The move prompted Travs Manager Daren Brown to place third baseman Jeff Kobernus in left field, where he went 1 for 3 with an RBI.
"I wasn't too concerned about it," Brown said of Kobernus, a former outfielder for the Washington Nationals organization who hit .139 in 28 games.
Brown said he is confident the Travs would acquire another outfielder soon.
Three Tacoma outfielders, including Dario Pizzano, began this season with the Travs. Taylor is the only original outfield starter left in Arkansas, and he represented the Travs in the Texas League All-Star Game.
"I don't like to stay in that, because you can control what you can control," Taylor said. "All I can do is play hard, play good and everything will take care of itself."
Today’s game
TRAVELERS VS. ROUGHRIDERS
WHEN 7:10 p.m. WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas WEBSITE travs.com PITCHERS Travs: RHP Lindsey Caughel (8-9, 4.09 ERA); RoughRiders: RHP Tyler Davis (2-1, 2.54) TICKETS $13 box, $9 reserved ($6 kids), $7 general admission ($5 kids). Gates open one hour before start of game. PROMOTIONS $1 Hot dog night; College Night, show college ID and receive $3 off admission
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY vs. Frisco, 7:10 p.m. THURSDAY vs. Frisco, 7:10 p.m. FRIDAY vs. Midland, 7:10 p.m. SATURDAY vs. Midland, 6:10 p.m. SUNDAY vs. Midland, 6:10 p.m. MONDAY Off TUESDAY at Frisco, 7:05 p.m.
Sports on 08/09/2017