Kinney misses chance for 9th straight win

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A rocky first inning undermined Bangor native Matt Kinney’s bid for a ninth consecutive victory Thursday night as the Salt Lake Bees scored five runs in the first inning and held on for a 5-4 victory over the Fresno (Calif.) Grizzlies in a Pacific Coast League baseball game.

Kinney, who had recorded a victory in each of his last eight appearances overall and each of his last six starts, allowed five runs – four earned – in the first inning before settling down to allow just one more hit in six innings of work.

The 30-year-old Kinney, who may be in line for a September call-up to the parent San Francisco Giants, struck out six and walked two in what was likely his final Class AAA appearance of the season. The righthander threw 101 pitches, 63 for strikes.

After suffering his first loss since July 12, Kinney now has a 12-10 record this season with a 4.02 earned run average for the Grizzlies.

Bartolo Colon earned the victory for Salt Lake, allowing three runs on six hits in five innings. The 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner, who was placed on the disabled list by the Los Angeles Angels earlier this summer with a sore elbow, was making his second rehab start for the Bees.