Gailen pounds Travs, still dreaming

The Tulsa Drillers swing through North Little Rock has been a bit of a homecoming for Blake Gailen.

Gailen, who played for the Arkansas Travelers in 2011 and 2015, helped lead Tulsa to a 13-1 victory over the Travs in front of an announced crowd of 7,729 at Dickey-Stephens Park on Saturday night.

“This is a good place to play,” Gailen said. “The fan base has proven that it’s always going to be supportive, so it’s really nice to come back and play in front of the fans.”

Gailen, the designated hitter, went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI, three of which came in Tulsa’s eightrun sixth inning that pushed its lead to 10-1.

“He got a couple of pitches he could handle, and he didn’t miss them,” Travs Manager Daren Brown said. “He’s a guy still putting a uniform on, still trying to play, and doing the most with his opportunity.”

Gailen, 32, is in his 11th minor league season, a career primarily spent with independent league clubs across the U.S. He has played as high as Class AAA for Buffalo of the International League in the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2013. After a start in an independent league this season, he was assigned by

the Los Angeles Dodgers to Tulsa of the Class AA Texas League to keep his dream of making the majors alive.

“If you have a uniform on, you always have a chance,” Tulsa Manager Scott Hennessey said. “The way he’s producing, you never say never. He’s got a chance.”

Arkansas struck first when designated hitter Ryan Casteel scored from third base on a second-inning wild pitch by Tulsa’s right-handed starter Yadier Alvarez.

It was not nearly enough. Tulsa left fielder Jacob Scavuzzo’s leadoff home run tied the score in the fifth inning. Catcher Garrett Kennedy singled with two outs and scored on shortstop Errol Robinson’s single to give Tulsa a 2-1 lead later in the

inning.

Gailen’s two-run home run in the sixth inning gave Tulsa a 4-1 lead, an advantage extended to 5-1 when second baseman Drew Jackson’s single scored Scavuzzo from third. Two batters later, third baseman Matt Beaty’s double knocked in three runs. Next up, first baseman Erick Mejia’s single scored Beaty to give Tulsa a 9-1 lead. Mejia moved to second on a wild pitch by Travs right-hander Blake Perry, then Gailen made it 10-1 with a single that scored Mejia.

Gailen tacked on three more RBI with a home run in the eighth inning to complete the scoring.

“I feel good,” Gailen said. “I feel healthy. I’m just trying to stay as consistent as I can. Something I’ve learned over the past 11 years is that it’s not always the amount of work, it’s working smart.

“When you’re feeling good, you don’t want to overwork and start falling into bad habits, and when you’re not feeling good, sometimes a day off is what you need. You learn a lot of things over the years.”

Gailen’s batting average rose to .298. His highest average in three previous seasons for major league affiliates was .286 for Buffalo.

“When a major league organization owns you, you play well enough, you never know,” Gailen said. “That’s kind of where I am. As long as I have a jersey on my back, I feel like I have a chance. That dream is never going to die before I retire.”