Hobson Homers, Dahlberg Dominates in Dogs Fifth-Straight Win
July 6, 2021 - American Association (AA)
Chicago Dogs News Release
After being robbed of a home run by RailCats left fielder Alec Olund in the fifth inning, K.C. Hobson spun his helmet between his hands and walked slowly back to the dugout.
But as Hobson dug into the batter's box in the seventh inning, he made sure Olund had no chance of reaching his next ball. Hobson tattooed a pitch from Robbie Coursel to the identical spot in left center field, but this time, nearly 15 feet further.
It was Hobson's third home run in as many games and gave the Dogs a 4-0 lead to begin the final third of the game. The Dogs wouldn't look back after Hobson's team-leading ninth home run of the season, defeating the Gary SouthShore RailCats 7-2.
Hobson's long ball was an important checkpoint for the Dogs on Monday night, as the Dogs now move to 20-4 in games where they hit a home run. This also marked the Dogs 27th win of the season, catapulting them into first place in the American Association North division.
Keeping the RailCats' bats quiet on Monday was Jake Dahlberg, who turned in another sparkling outing. After tossing a complete game shutout against the Milwaukee Milkmen on June 30, Dahlberg was named the American Association Pitcher of the Week presented by PointStreak.
Dahlberg continued his dominance against the RailCats, tossing six scoreless innings. He held Gary SouthShore to just three hits while walking three batters and striking out eight. Dahlberg's three walks were uncharacteristic, as he walked just six batters all season before Monday's game.
Butch Hobson turned to lefty reliever Jeff Kinley late in the game, who saved his fourth game of the season. Kinley was perfect in two innings of work on Monday, striking out one batter to lower his ERA to 1.00 across 27 innings.
Supporting Dahlberg's efforts on Monday was Danny Mars and Ryan Lidge in the middle of the Dogs order. Each slugger finished with two RBI, while Lidge totaled a team-high three hits to improve his batting average to .374 on the season.
The Dogs are in an unprecedented rhythm for the 2021 season, winning their season-high fifth game in a row. They'll look to keep the streak going tomorrow night against the Gary SouthShore railcats at 7:10 p.m. as new signee Andro Cutura makes his Dogs debut on the bump.
American Association Stories from July 6, 2021
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- Cougars Take First Meeting against Apollos - Kane County Cougars
- Curt Smith Enters Record Book - Lincoln Saltdogs
- World Series Champion Arthur Rhodes Named Pitching Coach - Cleburne Railroaders
- Hobson Homers, Dahlberg Dominates in Dogs Fifth-Straight Win - Chicago Dogs
- Dogs Top 'Cats in Series Opener - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- American Association Game Recap - AA
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