Consistent starting pitching and the powerful bat of first baseman Ryan Casteel paved the way for the Arkansas Travelers who completed their third sweep of the season Wednesday night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Travs right-hander Justin DeFratus (4-5, 4.70 ERA) pitched the teams' fourth consecutive quality start (6 or more innings, 3 or fewer runs), and Casteel went 3 for 4 with a double, home run and 3 RBI as the Travs defeated Northwest Arkansas 6-4 before an announced crowd of 2,698.
Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Evan Marshall pitched two-thirds of an inning on a rehab assignment with the Travs on Wednesday, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk and 3 runs after retiring his first 2 batters with groundouts.
Marshall has been out since May 6 with a strained right hamstring.
Casteel is 15 of 44 (.341) with 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 15 RBI for a .795 slugging percentage since July 16.
"I don't get too caught up in the result," said Casteel, who was out of the lineup from May 18 until June 19 with a sprained left thumb. "I came back and I'm just trying to pick up where I left off."
The Travs' fifth-ranked 4.12 team ERA is lower than the 4.37 mark which ranked seventh out of eight Texas League teams at the start of July.
DeFratus allowed 1 run over 7 innings -- a start that followed right-hander Lindsey Caughel's 7 scoreless innings Tuesday, left-hander Anthony Misiewicz's 8 scoreless innings Monday and right-hander Dylan Unsworth's 7 innings that included 1 earned run Sunday.
"The confidence is up with most guys," said DeFratus, who allowed six hits and struck out two. "But the focus has been making good pitches and not let innings get out of hand."
In the past 10 games, the Travs are 7-3 and their starters have a combined 2.55 ERA.
The sweep helped tighten the season series, which the Naturals led 11-5 before Monday's series-opener.
The Naturals clinched a spot in the Texas League playoffs when it topped the North Division first-half standings with a 39-31 record. In the month of May, the Naturals had a 7-1 record against the Travs, including a four-game sweep from May 6-9.
Since then, five from their starting lineup and three pitchers, including two starters, have been called up to the Naturals' Kansas City's Class AAA team in Omaha, Neb. Those hitters -- including first baseman Frank Schwindel, who has since hit 11 home runs in 60 games with Omaha -- combined for a .270 average, .385 slugging percentage and 87 RBI while with the Naturals. The three pitchers had a 9-6 record and 2.57 ERA.
Since the 7-1 stretch against the Naturals in May, the Travs have sent one position player, former Texas League batting average leader Ian Miller, to Class AAA Tacoma along with righthanders Max Povse (3-2, 3.46) and Thyago Vieira (2-3, 3.72).
Omaha's injuries also have meant the shuffling of the rosters throughout the Royals system. The Storm Chasers have four pitchers on the disabled list along with its starting center fielder. On Sunday, Omaha needed a temporary starter and called up right-hander Andres Machado, who had been pitching in Class High-A Wilmington with a 6-7 record and 5.03 ERA.
The Travs and Naturals were tied at the bottom of the league standings when they began Monday's series.
The Naturals are now alone in last.
"We're still replacing guys," said Naturals Manager Vance Wilson. "Some newer young guys, who are good players. But it takes time to catch up in the league."
Today’s game
TRAVELERS AT DRILLERS
WHEN 7:05 p.m. Central WHERE ONEOK Field, Tulsa RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas WEBSITE travs.com PITCHERS Travs: RHP Nick Neidert (0-1, 3.38 ERA); Drillers: RHP Mitchell White (0-0, 3.00) SHORT HOPS Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Evan Marshall pitched two-thirds of an inning on a rehab assignment with the Travs on Wednesday, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk and 3 runs after retiring his first 2 batters with groundouts. Marshall has been out since May 6 with a strained right hamstring.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m. FRIDAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m. SATURDAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m. SUNDAY at Tulsa 7:05 p.m. MONDAY at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m. TUESDAY at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m. WEDNESDAY at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.
Sports on 07/27/2017