Coby Smith stops losing streak with Memorial Day walkoff hit

 

With the blossoms from Cottonwood trees and not rain drops pouring over Dickey-Stephens Park, Arkansas finally picked up a win late Monday afternoon.

The Travelers had lost the first game 2-1 and so by taking the second game of the Memorial Day doubleheader against Northwest Arkansas, the team picked up its first win since May 15, and snapped an eight game losing streak when Nate Sutton came streaking home (below)in the first extra inning of the seven inning contest.

 

The Travs' utility player scored the only run of the game on a single by left fielder Coby Smith, who was Arkansas' "Player of the Month" for April.

 

Sutton led the inning off with a walk against Naturals' reliever Greg Holland and then given a second chance because of extra innings, center fielder Peter Bourjos extended his hit streak to 18 games on this swing (above)to advance Sutton to second.

Holland hadn't given up a run in more than eleven innings and was bringing his fast ball at 95-96 mph on the Dickey-Stephen's gun before Smith (seen above #11, from first game of doubleheader) connected for his winning hit with one out to score Sutton.

 

Arkansas' pitching was outstanding in the win over the Naturals, and basically it was an "all-reliever" corps that got it done. Left-handed Barret Browning (above) had made 128 appearances in his Minor League career from the bullpen and had never started, until Monday. He pitched five scoreless innings with just two hits and no walks before giving way to right-handed Robert Mosebach (below).

 

Mosebach allowed only one hit in two innings and David Herndon, who relieved Mosebach, got the win after striking out the side in the eighth.

There was also another stellar relief performance Memorial Day.

    

 

Once again the grounds crew and interns saved the day after a twenty-two minute rain delay in the first game of the doubleheader. Pushed to the wall with the weather conditions over the holiday weekend this crew gets my vote as the "Most Valuable Players."

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As requested by The White House, all Americans were asked to stop what they were doing Memorial Day at 3:00 p.m. CST and to pause and honor our service men and women, who lost their lives fighting for freedom. This is how that moment looked at Dickey-Stephens.

 

 

 

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There was a new record set in Chicago Monday night at Wrigley Field and it was bad. I didn't think it possible anyone could top Mike Ditka for the all-time worst rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" but it happened when Mr. T sang or barked his version during the seventh inning stretch.

A close honorable mention (is honorable the right word to use here) would be Ozzy Osbourne's version but he was so stoned and/or drunk he basically just hummed it and really never sang, so I rank Mr. T's the worst over Ditka's.

Being a Chicago native, at least Mr. T knew he was at Wrigley Field, not Stadium as NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon pathetically called it when he sang his version drowned out by boos before he could finish.

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Coming Soon, "Five Questions" with Angels' #4 prospect and Traveler left-handed starter, twenty-year-old Trevor Reckling.

   

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And finally....here's a family that sticks together and plays together.

 

-- Lonesome Traveler

Comments

[The Travelerocity reporter]

Jeff Gordon's "Wrigley Stadium" is an all-time classic. That's what I'm calling it from now on when I talk about that game with Bartman.