Gutierrez and Drillers Beat Travelers in Series Opener

North Little Rock, AR – Roque Gutierrez has spent most of this season working out of the Tulsa Drillers’ bullpen, but on Tuesday night in North Little Rock, he made just his sixth start, and it was an impressive one. Gutierrez worked into the sixth inning and allowed just two hits and zero runs against the Arkansas Travelers.

Offensively, the Drillers took an early lead thanks to a five-run second inning. Gutierrez and the bullpen worked together to preserve the lead as Tulsa defeated Arkansas 9-2 at Dickey-Stephens Park in the first game of a six-game series between the two teams.

BOXSCORE

Gutierrez turned in his longest outing of the year, working 5 1/3 innings, and he did not allow a hit through the first five. He issued his only two walks in the first inning, but he escaped the trouble and retired 16 straight batters.

That streak ended with one out in the bottom of the sixth when Jonny Farmelo and Felnin Celesten delivered consecutive singles. Tulsa manager Eric Wedge called on Evan Shaw from the bullpen and he sandwiched a walk between a pair of strikeouts to end the bases-loaded threat with the shutout still intact and Gutierrez’s score line still spotless.

During most of his outing, Gutierrez had the benefit of pitching with the lead thanks to the big second inning. Jake Gelof opened the rally with a leadoff double before three walks gave Tulsa its first run.

Kendall George plated the second run when he grounded out, leaving runners at second and third. Josue De Paula delivered the first of two, two-out hits when he singled home both runners. After De Paula stole second base, Mike Sirota capped the rally with an RBI single that put the Drillers in front 5-0.

Tulsa’s shutout bid ended in the seventh inning when Shaw issued a leadoff walk and Jared Sundstrom followed with his ninth home run of the year to pull the Travelers to within 5-2.

The Drillers put the game away with a four-run ninth inning. Taylor Young started the rally with a one-out single. After a wild pitch, Young scored on a base hit from Jose Izarra. After George walked and De Paula flew out, Sirota delivered a two-run triple. Zyhir Hope completed the inning with a double that scored Sirota that upped the lead to 9-2.

GAME NOTES

*With the victory, Gutierrez improved his season record to a perfect 7-0. It ties him with Adam Serwinowski and Wyatt Crowell for the team lead in wins. The trio of hurlers are tied for the second-most victories in the Texas League, one behind eight-game winner Kade Anderson of the Travelers.

*The victory also moved Tulsa back into a first-place tie with Springfield atop the Texas League's North Division.

*Hope’s ninth-inning double produced his 84th RBI of the season, the second-most in all of professional baseball. Hope’s total has come in 86 games played.

*The Drillers totaled nine hits in the game with seven of them coming in the second and ninth innings.

*Young and Sirota led the way with two hits each. Sirota also knocked in three runs.

*Lucas Wepf replaced Shaw in the seventh inning and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Carson Hobbs worked a scoreless ninth.

*Temperature in North Little Rock at game time was 100 degrees.

*Tulsa now leads the season series between the two teams, 7-6.

*The Travelers bolstered their roster for the final six weeks of the season by making five roster changes prior to Tuesday’s game. Famelo and Celesten were two of the additions and they are ranked by MLB Pipeline as the fifth and sixth best prospects in the Seattle Mariners farm system.

UP NEXT

The Drillers will continue their series with the Travelers on Wednesday night at Dickey-Stephens Park with game two of the six-game set. Starting time is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and the pitching matchup is expected to be:

Tulsa – RHP Patrick Copen (4-6, 7.62 ERA)
Arkansas – RHP Ryan Hawks (4-5, 5.73 ERA)