The Arkansas Travelers dropped the final game of its four-game series with the Tulsa Drillers, 3-2, Thursday night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
The loss snapped a four-game victory streak and the Travs (10-8) and Drillers (10-8) are now tied atop the Texas League North Division standings.
Tulsa first baseman Luke Raley hit two home runs, and right-hander Corey Copping (2-0, 4.15 ERA) earned the victory after relieving righty starter Frank Duncan in the fifth inning.
Travs right-handed starter Johendi Jiminian (1-1, 2.49 ERA) earned his first loss of the season despite pitching his second consecutive quality start. In 6 innings, he allowed 3 runs with 5 hits, 3 walks and had 5 strikeouts.
Raley put Tulsa ahead 1-0 in the third inning, with a 415-foot home run to right field that bounced between patrons in an outfield pavillion.
Travs catcher Joseph Odom, who hit a go-ahead home run in Tuesday's 6-3 victory, gave Arkansas a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third with a two-run, 349-foot home run to left.
Tulsa regained the lead in the fourth, when catcher Will Smith hit an RBI single and Raley hit a 383-foot solo home run to left field to make it 3-2.
Drillers righty Dylan Baker earned the save, getting Travs center fielder Braden Bishop into a game-ending double play after third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean walked.
The Travs have not won five consecutive games since June 22-26, 2016.
The Travs ascended to the top of the Texas League North standings this week, going 4-1 since its 10-7 victory over the Springfield Cardinals on Friday.
In those five games, the Travs radically improved its plate discipline and pitching efficiency.
In the five previous games, when the Travs went 1-4, batters had a .263 batting average, struck out more than two times the amount they walked (44 strikeouts, 20 walks), and went 16 for 52 (.308) with runners in scoring position.
During the past five games, Travs batters had a .289 batting average, decreased their strikeout rate (37 strikeouts, 32 walks), and went 20 for 59 (.334) with runners in scoring position.
"I think we've been doing our best to hit off the fastball," said Travs second baseman Adam Law, who went 1 for 2 Thursday and extended his hit streak to 10 games. "Things have been going our way, we've been swinging at good pitches and the ball's been falling for us for hits."
The Travs had a 6.40 team ERA and a 1.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio during the 1-4 stretch, and then notched down to a 4.20 ERA and a 2.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the 4-1 stretch.
"I thought we made some big pitches when we needed to," Travs Manager Daren Brown said.
Today’s game
ARKANSAS TRAVELERS AT
SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS
WHEN 7:10 p.m. WHERE Hammons Field, Springfield, Mo. RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas WEBSITE travs.com PITCHERS Travs: RHP Nathan Bannister (1-0, 7.71 ERA); Cardinals: RHP Mike O’Reilly (1-1, 2.12 Class A-Advanced)
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY at Springfield, 7:10 p.m. SATURDAY at Springfield, 4:10 p.m. SUNDAY at Springfield, 2:10 p.m. MONDAY at Springfield, 11:10 a.m. TUESDAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m. WEDNESDAY at Tulsa, 12:05 p.m. THURSDAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
Sports on 04/27/2018