2022 American Association Playoff Preview: East Division Finals, Milkmen vs. Railroaders
American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition, Robert Pannier previews the second-round playoff series between the Cleburne Railroaders and the Milwaukee Milkmen.
The Matchup
It is a battle of upstarts in the East Division Finals as the Cleburne Railroaders, the fourth-place team in the division, will take on the Milwaukee Milkmen, the team that finished in third. The Milwaukee Milkmen (53-47) finished one game behind the Chicago Dogs and Kane County Cougars for the top record in the division. Milwaukee went 17-15 since August 1. Milwaukee knocked off the Chicago Dogs in the first round of the playoffs, winning two of the three games.
The Cleburne Railroaders (50-50) finished in fourth in the East, 4.0 games behind the Chicago Dogs. Cleburne entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the American Association, going 16-4 in their last 20. They knocked off the Kane County Cougars in three games.
Tale of the Tape:
(League ranking shown in parentheses)
Cleburne Railroaders:
Team Batting Average: .275 (5)
HR: 117 (3)
Runs Scored: 592 (2)
Team ERA: 5.30 (8)
Team Fielding Percentage: .975 (11)
Milwaukee Milkmen:
Team Batting Average: .280 (2)
HR: 109 (6)
Runs Scored: 587 (3)
Team ERA: 5.39 (9)
Team Fielding Percentage: .973 (12)
Regular Season Results
May 19 – at Milwaukee, Railroaders 5-3
May 20 – at Milwaukee, Milkmen 3-2
May 21 – at Milwaukee, Milkmen 4-2
June 7 – at Cleburne, Milkmen 12-8
June 8 – at Cleburne, Railroaders 10-2
June 9 – at Cleburne, Railroaders, 6-2
June 10 – at Cleburne, Milkmen, 13-1
June 11 – at Cleburne, Milkmen, 6-4
June 12 – at Cleburne, Milkmen 8-2
August 2 – at Milwaukee, Milkmen 8-0
August 3 – at Milwaukee, Milkmen 6-3
August 4 – at Milwaukee, Railroaders 11-9
Milwaukee wins season series, 8-4.
Series Schedule
Monday, September 12 – in Cleburne, TX at 7:06
Wednesday, September 14 – in Franklin, WI at 6:35
Thursday, September 15 (if necessary) in Franklin, WI at 6:35
Who’s Hot?
Cleburne Railroaders
The Railroaders as a whole are hot. The team went 16-4 in the final 20 games of the season and had the best-earned run average in the American Association from August 1 on. There is a lot of praise for Zach Nehrir and Chase Simpson, but Hill Alexander was the hottest Cleburne player, hitting .327 in August with 17 RBI and 20 runs scored in 27 games. Alexander hit .333 against Milwaukee this season as did Nehrir.
Edwin Arroyo was ridiculous in the series against Kane County, hitting .538 with three runs scored and two RBI. Simpson hit .400 and Nehrir had .385. The club only hit one homerun against the Cougars, however.
Kevin McCarthy and Nick Gardewine did not allow a run against the Milkmen in nine combined relief appearances during the regular season, a span of 10.0 innings. Brendan Bell and Austin Fairchild both had ERAs near one against the Milkmen. Gardewine had a 1.64 ERA in August, allowing two earned runs in 11.0 innings pitched. Kevin Hilton and Josh Lucas both had 1.93 ERAs.
Milwaukee Milkmen
Peyton Gray continues to dominate during the regular season, allowing one run in 10 innings in August, striking out 15. Closer Rodrigo Benoit posted a 2.08 ERA down the stretch. Bryan Torres won the American Association batting crown, hitting .410 in 24 August games, scoring 23 runs and posting a .478 on-base percentage.
Hector Sanchez was spectacular after being acquired from Cleburne, hitting .386 in 19 games with five homeruns and 18 RBI. Sanchez was spectacular in the first round, hitting .300 with two homers and four RBI. Logan Trowbridge hit .364.
The top hitter against Cleburne during the regular season, Mason Davis, is on the disabled list, but Miguel Gomez hit .364 in three games. Torres appeared in all 12 contests, hitting .356 with nine runs scored and 10 RBI. Myles Smith was 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA against the Railroaders this season.
Keys for Cleburne Railroaders
Cleburne has to win Game 1 at home. While they have been one of the very best road teams in the American Association this season, they cannot expect to go into Milwaukee and win both of those contests. That is why it is absolutely imperative that they come away with a victory at the Depot.
The starting pitching is going to have to be spectacular as well. They have been very good, especially Hilton, recently. There is a lot of pressure on Kody Bullard to start the series, and he is going to have to give them at least five outstanding innings.
The offense should be fine, but the bullpen is going to have to continue to pitch as they have over the last six weeks. This is the most underrated bullpen in the American Association, and they will need to provide nine or 10 outstanding innings of relief in the series.
Listen to the Voice of the Cleburne Railroaders, Brad Allred, and his take on the series.
Keys for Milwaukee Milkmen
The Milkmen need outstanding starting pitching as well. A. J. Schugel has been great since joining the starting rotation, but Ryan Zimmerman is going to have to look like the Ryan Zimmerman of 2021. They may come back to Milwaukee trailing by a game, and need him to step up to keep this series alive.
This is the best bullpen in the American Association, but they are going to be called upon to deliver a lot of innings in this series. Manager Anthony Barone can depend on his starters for no more than four or five innings. If this series goes three games, that Milkmen bullpen will pitch at least 14 innings in the series. They need to deliver an ERA around 2.00.
The defense for Milwaukee needs to get better. They can get some spectacular plays but, when they lose, it is because the defense falters. You simply cannot give extra outs to a team like Cleburne.
Listen to the Voice of the Milwaukee Milkmen, Tom Wynn, and his take on the series.
Who Wins the Series
This is a very exciting series, because the things that make one of these clubs good is exactly what makes the other one good. Both have outstanding offenses, ranked second and third in the American Association in terms of runs scored. Both have outstanding bullpens, and both have had inconsistent starting pitching. Both finished at the bottom of the league in terms of fielding percentage.
Milwaukee is a little bit better at getting on base while Cleburne is a little better at hitting homeruns. In a series where there are likely to be a lot of runs scored early in contests, the homerun ball is going to be the difference.
Take Cleburne to win in three.
By Robert Pannier