Chris Campos delivers a pitching gem in his Drillers debut

Next: 19 o’clock, Friday and Saturday; Sunday 1 p.m., Tulsa Drillers vs. Amarillo Sod Poodles at ONEOK Field

Radio: KTBZ am1430

Expected pitchers: Friday – Amarillo, RHP Billy Corcoran (3-2, 2.40 ERA); Tulsa, RHP Jacob Meador (0-1, 3.24 ERA). Saturday – Amarillo, RHP Dylan Ray (0-1, 6.00 ERA); Tulsa, RHP Orlando Ortiz-Mayr (3-4, 6.28 ERA). Sunday – Amarillo, RHP Jamison Hill (1-4, 6.87 ERA); Tulsa, RHP Kendall Williams (3-7, 6.71 ERA)

Season series: Drillers lead 5-4

Promotions: Friday – fireworks. Saturday – Fireworks. It is also the 12th annual Mickey Mantle Night with the awarding of a 1962 MVP ring to the first 2,000 fans to come through the Tulsa World First Base, Oil Derrick or Greenwood/Osage Casino entrances. His sons David and Danny Mantle will visit with fans and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Sunday – Awarding of a Drillers Stars and Stripes baseball to the first 500 children. Also, children will receive a coupon for a free hot dog, drink, fruit and ice cream and can play catch on the field from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

On board: July 4-6 vs. Wichita (fireworks)

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Summary from Thursday: Alex Freeland hit a game-winning RBI double with two outs in the seventh inning to give the Drillers a 2-1 lead over the Sod Poodles at ONEOK Field. Freeland had gone 0-for-12 in the series before his hit chased home Brandon Lewis from first base after beating a single with one out.

Tulsa’s Jose Ramos had five hits in his last six at-bats with five RBIs after going 1-for-24. He knocked home the first run with a single in the fourth inning after Brendon Davis’ triple.

The Drillers (36-36, 2-1 second half) had averaged 15 runs in their four previous wins over Amarillo (31-41, 1-2) this season. At 2:04, it was the Drillers’ fastest nine-inning game of the season.

Excellent pitching: Chris Campos was impressive in his Double-A debut for the Drillers on Thursday. Campos, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick of the Dodgers out of St. Mary’s, Calif., pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits, striking out five and not giving a walk in his first appearance since being promoted from High-A Great Lakes.

“We got off to a great start with Chris Campos really setting the tone,” Drillers manager Scott Hennessey said. “I think he kept them off balance – a mix of fastball, slider and changeup, they couldn’t find a rhythm and he threw everything at strikes.”

Campos, who turned 56 of 76 pitches into strikes, maintained the same approach he used at Great Lakes, where he had 10 walks and 50 strikeouts.

“It was a lot of fun, there was a great excitement in the stadium,” said Campos.
“I just went out there and made my throws. I just kept it simple. I watch my walks and want to keep them low. I just try to be efficient and keep the number of throws I make low.”

Known enemy: Right-hander Cole Percival of Amarillo, who pitched for Tulsa in 2022-23, recently moved to the bullpen after nine starts. He is 3-5 with a 4.62 ERA and threw a perfect inning on Thursday.

Action plan: The Drillers announced their promotion plan for the second half of the year on Thursday. 11 fireworks displays are planned. Other highlights include the Raft Racers Weekend (August 14-18), OKC Thunder Night (September 6) and Harry Potter Night (September 7).

Winning debut: David Festa became the first member of the Drillers’ 2020 college team to reach the majors on Thursday, pitching five innings and earning the win for the Minnesota Twins (13-6) in Arizona.

Thursday

DRILL 2, SOD POODLE 1

Amarillo 000 000 100 — 1 6 1

Chicago 000 100 10x — 2 8 2

File, Alvarez (7), Percival (8) and Roberts; Campos, Hobbs (7), Boyer (8) and Rushing. S: Hobbs (2-1). N: Alvarez (0-1). Save: Boyer (5). RBI: Amarillo, Patino (12); Tulsa, Ramos (36), Freeland (20). E: Amarillo, Tawa (8); Tulsa, Campos (1), Rushing (2). LOB: Amarillo 7, Tulsa 6. DP: Amarillo 1. T: 2:04. A: 3,564.

— Barry Lewis, Tulsa World