Drillers return home Tuesday, finding stride on the road

 April was tough for the Tulsa Drillers. The few bright spots for them in their first month of play came on the road, as five of their seven wins came away from the friendly confines of ONEOK Field. In all, they stood at 7-14 when May rolled in.alt

Now the Drillers have something going for them. They are currently riding a three-game winning streak as they look to tie their season-best of four when they close out their four-game road stint against the Springfield Cardinals this afternoon in Missouri. A win today could give the Drillers a nice boost of momentum heading into their upcoming seven-game home-stand that begins tomorrow evening.

LOOKING BACK

Last week the Drillers dropped a four-game set on the road to the Arkansas Travelers, including two one-run decisions and a no-hitter. Arkansas defeated Tulsa 6-5 and 8-7 to start the week then grabbed a four-run win on Wednesday. Thursday night saw Arkansas pitcher Ryan Brasier toss the first complete-game no-hitter in the Texas League since 2002.

One night later, outfielder Jeff Kindel hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs on the night to lead the Drillers past the Cardinals 7-5. On Saturday Tulsa took advantage of a five-run third inning to put the game away early, defeating Springfield 7-2. Then Sunday the Drillers jumped on top early once again, turning a four-run first inning into a 8-4 win.

Tulsa’s record for the week was 3-4, with Sean Jarrett, Cory Riordan and Brandon Durden all notching their first wins of the season. Overall on the season they are 9-14, 2-8 at home and 7-6 on the road.

THE WEEK AHEAD

A 12:10 p.m. start at Springfield on Monday will close out an eight-game road stretch. They will host Arkansas (10-12, 3rd in TL North) Tuesday through Thursday then remain at home to play a four-game set with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (14-8, 1st in TL North) beginning Saturday.

As the 2010 Texas League season kicks into high gear, check back with us here for the latest Tulsa Drillers news.