TL1 Tulsa Drillers

Tulsa Playoff Chances Take Hit with 2-1 Loss

Published on August 27, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
Tulsa Drillers News Release


Wednesday night's game against the Arkansas Travelers felt a lot like Tuesday night's contest. Once again, the Drillers received a strong performance from their pitching staff, but the offense was unable to get the clutch hit when it mattered as the Drillers lost their sixth straight game 2-1 at Dickey-Stephens Park.

It was the second straight night Tulsa dropped a one-run decision against the Travs. On the flip side, the game marked the seventh straight win for the home team in Arkansas.

Tulsa actually outhit Arkansas 6-4 on the night. But the Drillers were unable to get the key hit with runners in scoring position, leaving two runners stranded at third.

Arkansas scored its lone runs of the game in the first inning with just two swings of the bat. Following a leadoff single from Ruben Sosa, Sherman Johnson launched a home run over the right field fence to give the Travs a quick 2-0 lead.

Tulsa second baseman Brandon Dixon cut the deficit in half the very next inning as he began his big day at the plate by blasting a solo shot over the left field fence to bring the Drillers to within one.

Despite the early scoring, both offenses were shut down from there as the opposing starting pitchers settled into a pitcher's duel.

After surrendering the two-run homer in the first to go with two more hits in the second inning, Ross Stripling bore down on the mound for Tulsa. The right-hander out of Texas A&M did not surrender another hit over his next three innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen in the sixth.

The Drillers bullpen did its job as a trio of Tulsa relievers retired 19 of the last 21 Arkansas hitters to close out the game.

One of those relievers was Joel Peralta, pitching on a Major League rehab assignment from the Drillers' parent club, the Dodgers. Peralta turned in a perfect inning of work, striking out two as he prepares for a return to Los Angeles.

On the other side of the diamond, the Arkansas hurlers had to dodge some Driller threats.

A leadoff double in the fifth inning by Dixon did not result in a run as starter Michael Brady was able to escape the jam unscathed.

The Drillers saw another scoring opportunity go to waste in the eighth inning against the Travs bullpen. With Robbie Garvey on second and Jeremy Rathjen on first, both runners took off. Arkansas catcher Ray Willy Gomez alertly fired to second base to cut down the slower baserunner in Rathjen for the second out of the inning while letting Garvey advance to third. Reliever Eduard Santos responded by striking out Ronald Torreyes swinging to maintain the Arkansas advantage.

Following two quick outs in the ninth inning against Travs closer Danny Reynolds, Lars Anderson kept the Tulsa hopes alive with a two-out single into center to bring Dixon to the plate. But Reynolds got Dixon to strike out on a full count offering for the final out of the contest, preserving the narrow Arkansas lead.

Dixon led all Tulsa hitters at the plate as he went 3-4 with the homer, the double and an infield single on the night before his ninth inning strikeout.

With the loss, the Drillers fell 6.0 games behind the first-place Arkansas Travs with 12 games remaining to play.

Tulsa will aim to rebound over the remaining two games of the series in hopes of making up some ground. The Drillers will send out Eric Stults (3-4, 3.69 ERA) to try and end their six-game losing streak Thursday while the Travs will send Kyle McGowin (8-7, 4.52 ERA) to the hill in hopes of extending their winning streak. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10PM.

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Texas League Stories from August 27, 2015


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