Drillers Again Fall to Cards, Losing Streak Hits 8
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Tulsa Drillers are still looking for their first win in the month of September. The Drillers losing streak increased to eight straight games on Saturday night in Springfield following a 7-2 loss to the Cardinals at Hammons Field. Tulsa is now 0-8 in September. The eight-game
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Tulsa Drillers are still looking for their first win in the month of September. The Drillers losing streak increased to eight straight games on Saturday night in Springfield following a 7-2 loss to the Cardinals at Hammons Field. Tulsa is now 0-8 in September.
The eight-game losing streak is a historical skid for the Drillers. The last time a Tulsa team lost eight straight games came during the 2013 season, from July 3-11. It has been over 20 years since the Drillers have had a longer streak. In 2002, the Drillers lost nine straight games from August 24 through September 1.
In Saturday’s loss, the Drillers took an early lead when Imanol Vargas opened the game’s scoring with his 20th home run of the season in the second inning.
The Cardinals tied the game in the bottom of the third when Jacob Buchberger tripled and scored on a double by Victor Scott II.
They basically put the game away with five more runs in the fourth. The first two came home on a two-run single by former Drillers infielder Errol Robinson. Aaron Antonini and Buchberger followed with back-to-back homers that put Tulsa in a 6-1 hole.
Brandon Lewis got one of the runs back in the top of the fifth with his seventh homer of the season, but the Drillers gave it right back in the bottom of the fifth. Chandler Redmond singled, stole second base, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.
Springfield upped its lead to 8-2 with a run in the sixth before Tulsa’s Jose Ramos closed the scoring with a run-scoring single in the eighth inning.
The game drew the largest crowd of the season at Hammons Field with paid attendance of 7,942.
HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS
*Tulsa starting pitcher Ben Casparius was charged with the loss, dropping his Double-A record to 2-7. Casparius gave up seven runs, six earned, on ten hits.
*The Drillers have been outscored 20-56 in their eight-game losing streak. They have scored more than three runs in just one game of the streak.
*The home run from Vargas produced his 88th RBI of the season. He has seven games to drive in 12 runs and reach 100 RBI for the year. He has also now reached base safely in 12 straight games.
*Four Tulsa pitchers combined to walk just one batter in the game while striking out nine.
UP NEXT:
The Drillers will look to snap their losing streak in the series finale with the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. It will be Tulsa’s final road game of the 2023 season. First pitch is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. at Hammons Field, and the starting pitchers are expected to be:
Tulsa – RHP Kendall Williams (2-3, 4.45 ERA)
Springfield – RHP Brandon Komar (4-6, 4.74 ERA)