Healthy Cardinals shut out Travelers

Springfield Manager Johnny Rodriguez said he is happy that clubs from the parent St. Louis Cardinals down the line to Memphis and Springfield have started to get healthy.

Rodriguez feels if he had his current team — especially the bullpen — at the end of the Texas League’s first half that the Cardinals’ overall record would have been better. Arkansas won the Texas League North’s first half, while Springfield finished last, two games behind the Travs.

“We retooled the whole bullpen,” Rodriguez said after Springfield defeated the Travelers 4-0 Sunday night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. “Only one guy from the first half is still here and we have six new guys.”

It’s all about getting healthy, he said.

“If we had this bullpen in the first half we would have won the division by nine games, and we still made it

close even with the injuries and promotions.”

After Sunday, the Cardinals have 40 games left to try and catch second-half leader Tulsa.

“We are 9 / behind Tulsa right now,” Rodriguez said. “Look at the 1969 Mets, they were plus-nine beginning September.”

Springfield starter Anthony Shew (5-5) lasted six innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 5 and striking out 5.

The Travelers loaded the bases with two outs in

both the second and fourth innings, but leadoff hitter Chuck Taylor fouled out to third in the second and flew out to center in the fourth.

Springfield took advantage of three hits and an error to score twice in the third. Luke Dykstra led off with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. Lane Thomas singled Dykstra to third. Blake Drake hit a ground ball to short that turned into a force out at second on Thomas, but Donnie Walton’s throw to first wasn’t handled by Dario Pizzano, allowing Drake to go to second and score Dykstra.

After a ground out, John Nogowski drove in Drake with a single for a 2-0 lead.

Arkansas starter Ashton Goudeau (0-1), in his Travelers’ debut, shut down the Cardinals over the next three innings.

In the seventh, designated hitter Chris Chinea hit a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left for a 3-0 lead. Dykstra doubled to left with two outs then scored on an error to set the final margin.