At least half a dozen U.S.-focused energy firms say they will pump more oil and gas this year than initially expected, adding to a sense that eager drillers are quickly pivoting from months of retrenchment toward renewed growth. A closer look at the figures, however, suggests upgrades to their full-year output forecasts reflect minor adjustments rather than an emerging trend. At most they add up to around 50,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to data compiled by Reuters. On the low end, they might be shy of 20,000 bpd. They came from companies as large as Occidental Petroleum, which pumped nearly 200,000 bpd or over 2 percent of U.S. crude in the first quarter, and as small as Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc., which produced about a tenth as much. To be sure, brighter outlooks were not the norm. Bellwether shale firms including EOG Resources and Whiting Petroleum Corp […]