Arkansas Travelers shortstop Drew Maggi didn't spend any time at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday.
Maggi and the Travelers had a day off in the middle of an eight-game, nine-day homestand, and Maggi didn't leave his apartment. Rather than taking ground balls or swings in the batting cage, he watched old episodes of the The Walking Dead.
"On off days, I try to get as bored as possible," Maggi said. "Just so I'm hungry the next day."
Neither Maggi nor his teammates feasted on the Tulsa Drillers Thursday night, but Maggi's fourth-inning double sparked a two-run rally and the Travs held on for a 2-1 victory in front of an announced crowd of 5,334.
Maggi's one-out double was one of four hits off Tulsa starter Deck McGuire, but it was followed by a Cal Towey double that drove in Maggi and tied the game at 1-1. Two batters later, Wade Hinkle singled to right to score Towey to make it 2-1 and Travs' starter Albert Suarez limited Tulsa to Luis Mateo's third-inning home run while striking out 6 over 5 innings to earn the victory.
Arkansas' victory came two days after the Northwest Arkansas Naturals completed a four-game sweep, the first time the Travs had been swept at home in three seasons, and it knocked them out of first place for the first time this year.
Nobody went to the park on Wednesday, instead using it as a day to recharge.
Manager Bill Richardson said he spent the day at a local driving range and then "found a couple of pale ales to my liking."
"Let's call it what it was, they [the Naturals] did a nice job on us," Richardson said. "And the only time you start feeling better about this game is when you're back playing it."
McGuire, who struck out 10 over 7 innings, held the Travs in check as much as he could, but was outdone by Suarez, who held Tulsa to five hits.
Suarez pitched around a first-inning double by Yadir Drake, and after Mateo's third-inning home run to left, retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. Suarez (3-3) lowered his ERA to 2.57, third lowest among active Texas League pitchers.
"The guy has been as steady as can be," Richardson said.
Maggi made sure Suarez got his first home victory in five tries, too.
Maggi's double off of a curveball came while he was hitting second in the order for the third consecutive game, a spot in the lineup that became his when center fielder Chad Hinshaw injured his hand in Sunday's doubleheader. It was the second role change for Maggi, who had been hitting ninth, this season. Maggi, a 25-year-old in his fourth Class AA season, was a reserve when the season began, but became the Travs' everyday shortstop when Eric Stamets injured his shoulder April 16.
Maggi raised his average to a team-best .322 on Thursday.
"I've been that guy before," Maggi said. "Some guys get hurt so you just get plugged in. You just do what you can with it, make the most of your opportunities and play hard."
Sports on 05/15/2015