Julio's back but Travs in Frisco

Grant Black heads to Springfield plus stats, scores and so much more

Aug 16, 2021

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The Travs went 4-2 in last week’s homestand with the Springfield Cardinals. Now the Travs hit the road for a trip to league-leading Frisco.

There’s just four weeks of baseball left after that, with first two weeks at Dickey-Stephens Park, then the last two weeks on the road.

Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez was activated on Friday as his Olympics hiatus is over.

Rodriguez, the No. 3 prospect in all of Minor League Baseball, and won a Bronze Medal in the Olympics. He returned to action on Saturday and was two-of-four with two runs scored. For the season, he’s batting .309 spread over two teams.

With the Travs at Frisco, it should be huge crowds in the Metroplex to watch him in play this week.

He wasn’t the only roster move as a slew of pitchers were sent up to Triple-A Tacoma and replaced by pitchers from High-A Everett. To see last week’s transactions, just scroll down.

Individual leaders

Jake Scheiner is in at No. 22 in hitting, while catcher Josh Morgan in No. 25
Alejandro Requena stays at No. 9 in pitching.

Transactions

Aug. 15: Arkansas Travelers activated RHP Levi Stoudt.
Aug. 13: Arkansas Travelers activated RF Julio Rodriguez from the temporarily inactive list.
Aug. 12: RHP Moises Gomez assigned to Tacoma Rainiers from Arkansas Travelers.
Aug. 12: RHP Nick Duron assigned to Tacoma Rainiers from Arkansas Travelers.
Aug. 11: RHP George Kirby assigned to Arkansas Travelers from Everett AquaSox.
Aug. 9: RHP Adam Hill assigned to Everett AquaSox from Arkansas Travelers.
Aug. 9: RHP Emerson Hancock assigned to Arkansas Travelers from Everett AquaSox.

Players of the Week

BJ Boyd - Wichita and Andre Pallante - Springfield

The scores

Tuesday: Springfield 9, Travs 0
Wednesday: Travs 14, Springfield 4
Thursday: Springfield 4, Travs 3
Friday: Travs 4, Springfield 3
Saturday: Travs 6, Springfield 3
Sunday: Travs 5, Springfield 1

The standings

Wichita ... 52-38 ... .578
Travs ... 48-42 ... .533
Tulsa … 48-42 ... .533
NW Arkansas ... 47-42 ... .528
Springfield ... 34-56 ... .378

Grant Black’s Corner

About Grant Black’s Corner: This is a weekly look at current Minor-League players with Arkansas roots. Have an addition to this list? Email us at arkansas@substack.com or leave a comment on the post.

As the Springfield Cardinals put pitchers Edgar Escobar, Alex FaGalde and Johan Quezada on the injured list earlier in August, it became pretty clear that the team would need some arms.

And that's where Newport's Grant Black comes in, along with Memphis Redbirds teammate Garrett Williams and Cory Thompson, called up from High-A Peoria, to fill the injury-caused gaps in the pitching rotation in Springfield.

Black got the start last Saturday night, the first in his Double-A career, and his third overall as he started two games for Memphis earlier this season.

Nate Olson @ndosports

Appreciate @GrantBlack16 for taking pics with JD and Luke.

The start ended with a loss, as Black threw 3.1 innings, with one strikeout and gave up three runs.

He also pitched in relief on Aug. 10 for Springfield, a game the S-Cards won, 9-0.

As for Black, it is likely he’ll stay in Springfield for the rest of the season despite pitching well and picking up his first career save on Aug. 5.

Escobar and FaGalde went from the seven-day injured list, to the 60-day list, meaning their minor-league seasons are over and Springfield will still need arms.

Many thanks to Arkansas high school baseball expert Kevin Bohannon for his help in compiling this list. You can catch him on the radio at 103.7 The Buzz as he's the station’s high school insider. He is also the co-host of The Hawg Talk podcast, which can be listened to here. He’s also on Twitter, @CoachKBo_HTP, so give him a follow.

Others on the Corner

Note: Click the player’s name to get current stats.

Luke Bandy, Springdale: Was released. He previously played in the Boston Red Sox farm system and @Luke_Bandy
Gray Fenter, West Memphis: Bowie Baysox, Double-A Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and @Bear_Fenter
Logan Gragg, Prairie Grove: Peoria Chiefs, High-A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and @GraggLogan23
William Hancock, Little Rock Catholic: Quad Cities River Bandits, the High-A Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals
Tink Hence, Watson Chapel: GCL Cardinals, the Rookie Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and @HenceTink3
Blaine Knight, Bryant: Bowie Baysox, the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
Grant Koch, Fayetteville: Altoona Curve, the Double-A Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Evan Lee, Bryant: Wilmington Blue Rocks, the High-A Affiliate of the Washington Nationals and @Evan_Leeeee
Casey Martin, Lonoke: Clearwater Threshers, the Low-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies and @cmartin15_
Jake Reindl, Fayetteville: Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Low-A Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and @jreindl24
Cody Scroggins, Bentonville: Greenville Drive, the High-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and @cody_scroggins
Gavin Stone, Riverside High School (Lake City): Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Low-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and @gavinstone02
Nick Starr, Conway: Hickory Crawdads, the High-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers and @nickstarr6

Schedule, tickets and promotions

On deck this week

AWAY GAMES | Tuesday: at Frisco; Wednesday: at Frisco; Thursday: at Frisco; Friday: at Frisco; Saturday: at Frisco  and Sunday: at Frisco

Next week

Tuesday, Aug. 24: Corpus Christi

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Kid's Night; Free Train Rides & $1 Select Ice Cream.* Presented By Hiland Dairy

Wednesday, Aug. 25: Corpus Christi

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Dog Days of Summer; $3 General Admission Ticket at the Box Office if you bring your dog and $1 Hot Dogs.* Presented By Moix RV

Thursday, Aug. 26: Corpus Christi

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Thirsty Thursday; $2 Busch Light, $3 Select Draft Beer for Mug Club members

Friday, Aug. 27: Corpus Christi

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Pyro In The Park; Presented By Cutwater Spirits/Budweiser

Saturday, Aug. 28: Corpus Christi

Start time: 6:10 p.m.
Promotion: Tooth Ball Giveaway; Presented By Rock Dental Brands
Game Highlight: Teacher Appreciation Night

Sunday, Aug. 29: Corpus Christi

Start time: 2:10 p.m.

Ticket offers

Operation Military Appreciation Day: $3 off a Box, Reserved, or General Admission ticket with a Military ID; Presented By Mid-South Ford
Edward Food Giants $3 Off: $3 off a Box, Reserved, or General Admission ticket with an Edward Food Giant Coupon. Redeemable at the Box Office.
$10 Church Bulletin Family Pack: $10 for up to 6 General Admission tickets when you bring your church bulletin, no upgrades available with this package. Redeemable at the Box Office.

Rest of the schedule

Tuesday, Aug. 31: Wichita

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Kid's Night; Free Train Rides & $1 Select Ice Cream.* Presented By Hiland Dairy

Wednesday, Sept. 1: Wichita

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Dog Days of Summer; $3 General Admission Ticket at the Box Office if you bring your dog and $1 Hot Dogs.* Presented By Moix RV

Thursday, Sept. 2: Wichita

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Game Highlight: Thirsty Thursday; $2 Busch Light, $3 Select Draft Beer for Mug Club members

Friday, Sept. 3: Wichita

Start time: 7:10 p.m.
Post Game Fireworks Show; Presented By MiCampo

Saturday, Sept. 4: Wichita

Start time: 6:10 p.m.
Game Highlights: Diamantes Night; Presented by Univision
Post Game Fireworks; Presented By Fuller & Son Hardware
Promotion: Growth Chart Giveaway; Presented By Fuller & Son Hardware

Sunday, Sept. 5: Wichita and last home game

Start time: 2:10 p.m.