Kinley Pitches Strong, Dogs’ Offense Falls Quiet in Game One Defeat

September 8, 2022 – American Association (AA) – Chicago Dogs News Release

FRANKLIN, Wisc. – The Chicago Dogs could not get their offense going, as they fell in game one of the divisional round to the Milwaukee Milkmen, 2-1.

The night was an encapsulation of the Chicago Dogs from the past month and a half: Strong starting pitching and middling offense. Starter Jeff Kinley put together a strong start with six innings pitched and allowed two runs, neither earned, off four hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Outside of a second-inning hiccup, Kinley was his typical dominant self.

The only problem was that Milwaukee starter A.J. Schugel was just a little bit better. The righty and former Pittsburgh Pirate allowed one run off of six innings and only three baserunners.

It was ultimately the offensive struggles from the heart of the Dogs’ lineup that hindered any positive momentum. The three through six hitters for Chicago were a combined 1-for-15, including Stevie Wilkerson going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. This comes after an August in which the Dogs put together a team average of just .239 and a September that wasn’t much better.

Milwaukee broke the scoring open in the bottom of the second with a two-out rally capped off with a Logan Trowbridge double. With a runner aboard, Kinley struck out his first two batters of the night. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, shortstop Jeremiah Burks spiked a ball just over the head of Kinley. Second baseman Grant Kay fielded it and fired to first base, but K.C. Hobson wasn’t able to maintain possession at first base and Burks advanced safely.

Bryan Torres was hit on a pitch at the chest to load the bases. Trowbridge then stepped up and quickly got the count to 3-0. Already with two walks in the inning, Kinley tried to work his way back in the count with an outside fastball, but Trowbridge played aggressive and sent the ball into left field for an easy double. The ball easily scored two and Torres tried his hand at clearing the bases, but was tagged out with a perfect throw from left fielder Eric Rivera. Nevertheless, the Dogs left the inning down 2-0.

While Kinley did not allow an earned run, Schugel’s dominance kept Chicago’s offense dormant. The former MLB pitcher retired 13 straight hitters from the first to fifth inning. With two outs in the fifth, the Dogs finally got to Schugel. Anfernee Grier hit a line drive to the right field corner and used his blazing speed to cruise into third base for a sliding triple. On the next pitch, Cody Bohanek lined a ball up the middle for a single to bring in Grier and make the game 2-1.

Chicago stayed in this game through its fruition because Kinley gave a Kinley-level start. The lefty retired 11 of the next 12 hitters and the lone baserunner, Torres, was thrown out on the basepaths to keep the Milkmen retired in order. That stretch included four strikeouts and four ground ball outs.

From there, it was a battle of the bullpens. Joe Cavallaro and James Reeves combined for two perfect innings in relief and Milwaukee shut down Chicago with the trio of Peyton Gray, Frankie Bartow and Rodrigo Benoit. The Dogs struck out six times across three innings against the Milkmen relievers.

The Dogs are now faced with a do-or-die situation at home on Friday. A win would push the series to game three on Saturday at Impact Field. Chicago will send out righty Jordan Kipper, who is coming off of 6.1 shutout innings against the Kane County Cougars in a division-sealing game on Sunday. The second-year Dog holds a 4-2 record and 2.39 ERA at home and will need to come with his ace stuff in order to keep Chicago’s season alive.

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