Lidge, Grier with Two Hits, But Dogs Go Scoreless in Loss
By Jack Ankony, The Chicago Dogs
It was a night of missed opportunities as the Dogs fell to the Milwaukee Milkmen, 5-0.
The Dogs’ bats weren’t completely silenced, as the lineup recorded five hits, walked seven times and reached on a hit-by-pitch. But driving in the runners once they reached base was the problem, as the Dogs stranded 11 runners on Saturday.
Dogs leadoff hitter Michael Crouse had two prime RBI opportunities in the second and fourth inning, but he struck out looking and flew out to right field. Ryan Lidge and Anfernee Grier started off the fourth inning with back-to-back doubles, but Lidge was forced to wait and make sure Grier’s fly ball dropped.
Lidge hit two doubles tonight to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. But other than Lidge and Grier’s four hits, the only other Dogs hit came in the seventh inning on a Crouse single.
Milkmen starter Myles Smith kept the Dogs quiet. He improved his record to 4-0 on the year. Smith pitched five scoreless innings and struck out five while allowing four hits and four walks. Milwaukee’s bullpen came to play tonight, pitching three scoreless innings with just one hit and two walks.
Garrett Christman toed the rubber for the Dogs on Saturday and got off to a shaky start. Christman allowed three runs in the first inning, but was able to settle in over the next three innings and allow just one run. Christman suffered his first loss of the season after giving up seven hits and walking three batters.
The Dogs later saw intriguing signs out of the bullpen, as Tyler Ferguson pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three while allowing zero hits. Ferguson’s fastball-cutter combination kept Milkmen hitters off balance, and his slider was there to finish the job.
Justin Goossen-Brown tossed the final two innings and allowed one run on four hits. With the recent loss of bullpen arms Kevin Marnon and Paul Schwendel to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dogs bullpen generated a promising outlook on Saturday.
With this loss, the Dogs are now tied for second place in the American Association North Division with the Milkmen. Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. game will decide the winner of this series.
