The Tulsa Drillers needed a win Tuesday night to avoid a four-game series sweep to the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field. Starting pitcher Dennis Santana was magnificent, and D. J. Peters delivered a pair of big blows, but it was a wild pitch that proved to be the biggest event
The Tulsa Drillers needed a win Tuesday night to avoid a four-game series sweep to the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field. Starting pitcher Dennis Santana was magnificent, and D. J. Peters delivered a pair of big blows, but it was a wild pitch that proved to be the biggest event of the evening.
Trailing 3-2 entering the eighth inning, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa got a run-scoring hit from Errol Robinson to tie the game, before Keibert Ruiz raced home on the two-out wild pitch that proved to be the winning run in a 5-3 victory for the Drillers.
The late heroics stopped a season high three-game losing streak for the Drillers and allowed them to move to within 1½ games of the first-place Cardinals.
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa started quickly as Luke Raley led off the game with his second triple of the season, and Peters followed with his sixth home run of the year to give the Drillers a 2-0 lead.
Santana kept the lead in place yielding only a solo home run to Lane Thomas to open the bottom of the second. The <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa right-hander turned in six dominant innings, striking out a career high 11 while allowing 5 hits and 0 walks.
Reliever Dylan Baker took over for Santana to open the seventh inning, and he was also victimized by the long ball. Jeremy Martinez belted a two-run homer with one out in the seventh to turn <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tulsa's one-run lead into a 3-2 deficit.
In the top of the eighth, Drillers outfielder Yusniel Díaz led off with a base hit. Following a fly out and a ground ball force out, Ruiz kept the inning alive with a two-out single, bringing Robinson to the plate. The second baseman fell into a quick 0-2 hole before lining a base hit to center field to tie the game at 3-3. With Drew Jackson at the plate, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Springfield reliever Landon Beck threw a wild pitch that allowed Ruiz to come home with the run that put the Drillers back in front.
Peters added an insurance run in the ninth inning with his second homer of the night and his seventh of the season. The towering drive easily cleared the right field fence at Hammons Field.
Corey Copping and Josh Sborz ensured this lead held. Copping struck out two in a scoreless eighth, and Sborz struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to close out the victory and pick up his sixth save of the year.
WHAT YOU MISSED
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa pitchers combined to strike out 17 Cards batters in the game, one shy of matching a season high.
Peters, Ruiz, Robinson and Jackson accounted for eight of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tulsa's 10 hits, picking up two hits each.
St. Louis Cardinals reliever Brett Cecil pitched a scoreless sixth inning on an injury-rehabilitation assignment for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Springfield. Cecil pitched around a two-out single by Ruiz to work the scoreless frame.
The Drillers announced two more roster moves on Tuesday. Catcher Will Smith and infielder Wes Darvill were both placed on the disabled list. Hamlet Marte and Eric Peterson were added to the roster to replace the injured pair. Marte was promoted from <st1:place w:st="on">Rancho Cucamonga, while Peterson had been in extended spring training.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
The Drillers will have an off day on Wednesday before continuing their road trip Thursday night with the first game of a four-game series at <st1:place w:st="on">Northwest Arkansas. Starting time at Arvest Ballpark is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The pitching matchup will feature:
Tulsa LHP Caleb Ferguson (2-0, 0.33 ERA)
NWA LHP Foster Griffin (2-3, 372 ERA)
