De Jong loses pitchers’ duel in first start for Travs

After the Frisco Rough Riders’ 3- 1 victory over the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock on Thursday night, both teams’ managers came away impressed with the starting pitching.

Arkansas’ right- handed starter Chase De Jong, in his first game with the Travelers, completed 8 innings and held Frisco to 2 runs on 7 hits with no walks, exactly the sort of performance he hoped for after a trip this season from the major leagues down to Class AAA Tacoma.

“I felt really good,” De Jong said. “The ball was coming out how I wanted it to. I felt very in control out there tonight. Through eight innings, I really couldn’t have asked for more from myself.”

“He did a nice job,” Arkansas Manager Daren Brown said. “He gave us a chance.”

Frisco’s right- handed starter Collin Wiles also excelled. He allowed 5 base runners on 4 hits and 1 walk and 1 run through 7 innings.

“That’s good baseball,” Frisco Manager Joe Mikulik said. “That’s good baseball when two guys get on the mound and throw the way those guys did tonight.”

Frisco got to De Jong in the third inning, starting with shortstop Michael De Leon’s leadoff single. De Leon came around on right fielder Royce Bolinger’s one- out triple and Bolinger scored on third baseman Isiah Kiner- Falefa’s sacrifice fly to center field to give Frisco a 2- 0 lead.

“De Jong is solid,” Mikulik said. “He can be very difficult to hit. He mixes it so well. He’s a strike thrower who’s very deceptive.”

“He was up in the zone a little bit early,” Brown said. “That one inning they got to him a little bit with a couple of balls squared up, but other than that, I thought he did a nice job. He was efficient with his pitches.”

Arkansas responded with a run in the bottom of the third inning after left fielder Willie Argo doubled and scored on center fielder Braden Bishop’s two- out single.

Bishop had two hits in four at- bats to improve his average in 20 games with the Travelers, since he was called up from Class A Modesto of the California League, to .429. He hit .280 in his first seven games with the Travelers but was noted more for his defensive play.

In 13 games since, he has 23 hits in 45 at- bats for a batting average of .511.