Wounded Mariners scouring minors for assistance
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs pitcher Justin De Fratus was battling the flu Wednesday when he slogged into the office of his manager, John Harris.
Harris didn’t have a cure for the flu, but De Fratus left Harris’ office with a bounce in his step after Harris told De Fratus, a former major-league pitcher, that his Independent League contract had been purchased by the Seattle Mariners to fill a roster spot in Class AA Arkansas.
“He told me to ‘Pack your bags,’ ” De Fratus, 29, said.
De Fratus boarded a flight to Little Rock, arrived Thursday, and was in a Travelers uniform but did not pitch in Friday’s doubleheader at Dickey-Stephens Park.
Springfield won the first game 7-5, extending Arkansas’ losing streak to seven consecutive. The Travelers lost their eighth in a row in the nightcap, falling 4-0.
DeFratus was glad to be in North Little Rock.
“That was the happiest I’ve ever been with the flu,” said De Fratus, a former Philadelphia Phillie who was released by three MLB teams, including Seattle, in 2016 before landing with the Blue Crabs.
De Fratus joined an Arkansas Travelers pitching staff that sent two pitchers to Class AAA Tacoma and reliever Zac Curtis to the Mariners this week. Travs Manager Daren Brown said he couldn’t recall a time when the Mariners had that many injured pitchers.
On Wednesday, Seattle starters Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma were both placed on the 10-day disabled list with inflammations in their throwing shoulders, leaving the Mariners tight on personnel with eight injured Major League pitchers. The organization had already moved more than 10 pitchers to fill the gaps across their system since April 15, and they needed outside help.
“You always expect you’re going to have some injuries,” said Brown, who has managed nine seasons in the Mariners’ minor league system. “But four guys in the starting rotation? I think that’s a bit much for any club.”
The Mariners have four pitchers on their roster who weren’t there on Opening day, and two Travs pitchers — Kyle Hunter and Andrew Moore —were sent to Class AAA this week to fill in spots left by players who were called up to Seattle.
“That’s why we’re here,” Brown said. “We’re trying to get guys ready who can help at any time. We don’t know when that time will be. … The fact is, it always could be tomorrow. That’s the way you have to look at it.”
Moore is the Mariners’ No. 4 prospect, according to MLB.com, and in his third season with the organization when the injuries at the top provided an opportunity for him to ascend.
Travs right-hander Max Povse, the No. 5 prospect, said he doesn’t think much about how the injuries affect his progression.
“All I can do is to work, be a better pitcher every day,” said Povse, 23, who has a 3-1 record and a 3.51 ERA in six starts with the Travs this season. “I want to be ready and make the most of it if I get a chance.”
That state of mind is something De Fratus said he may share with other Travs pitchers, if any of them start to feel unsettled.
“As an 11-year pro, I don’t really think about those things anymore,” De Fratus said. “When you do, you try to control the uncontrollable … You have to understand the plan and process.”
On Friday night, Springfield buried Arkansas with six first-inning runs in the first game of the doubleheader.
Travs starting pitcher Dylan Unsworth (1-3, 5.86 ERA) settled down after yielding 6 runs on 6 hits and lasted 5 1/3 innings. Three of the runs were unearned thanks to three Travs errors.
Unsworth gave up the last of his four earned runs in the fifth — a home run by Cardinals first baseman Casey Grayson.
Springfield starter Jack Flaherty (6-0, 0.99 ERA) earned the win after pitching six innings with 6 hits, 5 strikeouts and 2 earned runs.
The Travs combined for five runs in the fifth and seventh innings, and catcher Tyler Marlette went 2 for 4 with two RBI. Cardinals right-hander Blake McKnight earned the save after striking out Chantz Mack with two runners on base.
Cardinals left fielder Thomas Spitz scored the game-winning run in the second game, when Bruce Caldwell drove him in with a single in the fifth inning.