LITTLE ROCK — An inside-the-park home run overshadowed a solid performance by Marco Albano on Saturday night.
Albano, a right-handed starter, continued to show improvement for Arkansas, holding the San Antonio Missions to 4 hits over 6 innings and striking out 6 as the Travelers won 8-1 before 7,231 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Yet the spotlight was stolen by center fielder Peter Bourjos, who had an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
"I had my head down, so I was thinking try to score," said Bourjos, who said his last inside-thepark home run came in extended spring training.
Bourjos' home run on a line drive to center field was part of a five-run sixth inning and helped give Arkansas its fourth victory in six games.
"It's exciting," Arkansas Manager Bobby Magallanes said. "It's even exciting for the opposing players. It's like, wow. There waselectricity after that play. It definitely causes a spark."
Albano, who was promoted in midseason from the bullpen to the starting rotation, lowered his ERA to 3.66 on Saturday. With the recent promotion of starter Tommy Mendoza to Class AAA Salt Lake City, Albano has effectively become the No. 2 starter in the Travelers' rotation behind lefthanded ace Trevor Reckling.
Albano walked the bases loaded in the third before walking in Craig Cooper, putting the Travelers behind 1-0. Arkansas countered in the bottom of the inning, getting an RBI double from Flint Wipke and an RBI single from Nate Sutton.
That was all the runs Albano needed.
"In the first half of the season, I was in the back of the bullpen, and I'd just go out there when I was called on," Albano said. "Now I've been able to get out there every five days and get some sort of routine going."
Albano said he prefers the certainty of knowing when he'll be called on to pitch, and outings like Saturday's show how he's taken to it. Yet having just started six games, Albano might still be growing into his new role.
"It's a lot easier when you know you're going to pitch," Albano said. "My job's not done yet. I have four or five starts left. I've still got some work left to do to help this team make a playoff run."
Sports, Pages 31 on 08/23/2009