LINCOLN, NE – Kyle Kinman tossed seven shutout innings and the Lincoln Saltdogs beat the Chicago Dogs 7-2 on Saturday night at Haymarket Park. The victory clinched the series win for the Saltdogs (21-14), breaking a two-series losing streak.
Kinman, an Omaha native and Bellevue University product, ran into trouble in the first inning. The Dogs (9-23) loaded the bases in the first inning but the lefty induced an inning-ending pop out to get out of the side. Chicago didn’t get a runner to third base against Kinman for the rest of the game.
The southpaw has been dominant since re-signing with the Saltdogs. He struggled out of the bullpen and was released on June 5th. Since rejoining the team, Kinman has allowed just one run and struck out nine batters over 12 innings. He has tossed 11 straight scoreless innings on the way to earning wins in consecutive starts.
The Saltdogs offense provided run support for their pitcher. Curt Smith opened the fourth inning with a hit and was erased on a fielder’s choice grounder from Chase Simpson. The next batter, Angel Reyes, ripped a double to score Simpson. Then, Dashenko Ricardo came through with a two-out single to send home Reyes and make it 2-0.
Lincoln kept the hitting coming in the fifth. Christian Ibarra and Cesar Valera notched back-to-back hits to start the inning with Ibarra moving to third on a groundout. Smith drove him in with a sacrifice fly to build the lead to three runs.
Chicago got on the board in the eighth. Edwin Arroyo tripled off reliever Shairon Martis when his line drive got past the diving center fielder. Trey Vavra drove him in with a sac fly to make it 3-1.
The Saltdogs broke the game open in the next half inning. Simpson doubled and Randolph Oduber came up with two outs. He hit a high chopper off the tip of the third baseman’s glove and Simpson wheeled around to score. Then, Ricardo got a sharp grounder through the infield to send in Oduber. Next, Brant Whiting pulled a home run over the right field wall to put an exclamation point on the inning. Lincoln led 7-1 after sending nine batters to the plate in the inning.
Tyler Herron made his first relief appearance of the season in the ninth inning. The right-hander gave up a run on a triple to bring the game to its final score.
Whiting’s homer broke a three-game homerless streak for the Saltdogs, their longest gap between homers this season. The team is still on pace to break the league’s single season record.
The Saltdogs look to get the sweep with a win on Sunday. First pitch is at 1:05 PM with coverage beginning at 12:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and saltdogs.com.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.