* Tonight the Travs wrap up a three-game series in Midland against the RockHounds looking for a series win. The first two games of this season really can give you an idea of how crazy and unpredictable baseball can be. I can’t think of another example of a team firing on all cylinders one night then getting totally shutdown the next night. During Thursday’s opener the Travs pounded out 22 hits and scored 20 runs for just the second time during the 13-season affiliation with the Los Angeles Angels. Then Friday night tehy were shutout on six base hits for a discrepancy of 20 runs and 16 base hits.

* RockHounds pitcher Zach Neal deserves credit for keeping the Travs off balance with a good combination of off-speed pitches over his five innings. Neal, who is not a flamethrower, struck out six Travs batters and allowed just three batters to reach base.

* One of the more impressive parts of Friday’s 6-0 loss was pinpoint throw catcher Jett Bandy made to catch Athletics prospect Addison Russell stealing in the third inning.  With an 88 percent success rate at Single-A, Russell certainly isn’t used to being gunned down, but Bandy unleashed a great throw with a 1.9 pop time to second base to nail Russell, who was then pulled from the game after feeling a twinge in his hamstring.

* The Travelers bullpen has been very impressive over two games with ten scoreless innings thrown in Midland. Reliever Kevin Johnson threw two perfect innings last night with that great sinker he displays. R.J. Alvarez blew two batters away in a hitless inning and change-up artist Mike Morin struck out the side on 17 pitches in the eighth.