The first several games of the Drillers season have been nothing short of average, with the new-look team at 3–3. After the offensive explosion on Opening Night, the Drillers haven’t scored more than four runs since.
The same offense that put up ten runs on Opening Night was shut down the following evening, unable to score a run in the loss. The Missions weren’t much better offensively, scoring the game’s single run in the ninth inning due to an error by left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker.
Highly-rated pitching prospect Julio Urias showed his potential to the Tulsa crowd, striking out four while only allowing two hits in five innings. The Drillers salvaged a series win on Saturday, with Brandon Dixon earning a pair of RBIs in the 4–2 victory.
The Corpus Christi Hooks came to town and quickly made their presence known, promptly shutting down the Drillers 4–0. The Hooks’ effort was led by starting pitcher Lance McCullers, who struck out seven in five innings of work. The Drillers were beat the next night by a score of 6–3, despite Corey Seager’s four hits and Jeremy Horst’s six strikeouts in two innings.
Tulsa managed to get a win in the series on Tuesday afternoon, beating the Hooks 2–1. Chris Anderson followed up his solid Opening Night start, striking out seven without giving up a run in six innings. Seager carried the offense again, hitting a two-run home run to account for both Tulsa runs.
After taking a travel day on Wednesday, the Drillers started their first road trip strong with a 4–1 victory over San Antonio. Julio Urias struck out ten batters in five and two-thirds innings, while Seager and centerfielder Travis Witherspoon both hit home runs. Tulsa had its second double-digit night offensively the next night, tallying 14 runs on 17 hits. The three-game set ended with a 2–5 loss to the Missions.
The 5–4 Drillers end their road trip with a three-game series in Corpus Christi until Tuesday. The next home series for Tulsa takes place on Thursday, hosting a four-game set against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
