Chiefs' O'Reilly twirls eight two-hit innings

Throughout a season that began in the Gulf Coast League and has produced two near-milestones, an astonishingly low walk total for Class A Peoria's Mike O'Reilly might be the most impressive note on his ledger, even as he turned in another gem Friday night.
"I think that's a big part of my game," he said. "Just try to attack hitters, you don't want to let them on for free -- make them earn it. Just try to attack them early in counts and just get ahead and then stay ahead and finish them off."

The Cardinals prospect allowed two hits -- and no walks -- and struck out nine over eight innings on Friday night as the Chiefs blanked Kane County, 1-0, at Northwestern Medicine Field. 
Gameday box score
Over 64 2/3 innings in nine starts, O'Reilly (6-2) has a 1.95 ERA with 58 strikeouts and nine walks while holding opponents to a Midwest League-low .172 average. After being elevated to Peoria on April 20, the 27th-round pick in last year's Draft made three appearances out of the bullpen before getting his first start on May 9.
Twice, he's pitched into the late innings as a starter, falling two outs shy of a no-hitter against Beloit while recording a career-high 10 strikeouts on May 20 and tossing a two-hit shutout against Kane County on June 7, with D-backs No. 9 prospect Anfernee Grier recording both knocks for the Cougars.
Grier also tagged O'Reilly for his only homer of the season in their next matchup on June 17, a 4-3 Cougars win, but went 0-for-3 against the right-hander Friday.

"We [me and catcher Brian O'Keefe] wanted to establish the changeup early because I faced this team a couple times already and it's just the pitch for me all night," he said. "Just go to my changeup whenever I needed to and that's what I felt like I could get a swing and miss with."
O'Reilly retired the first 12 batters he faced, striking out four, before surrendering a leadoff double to Mark Karaviotis in the fifth. He coerced a potential double play grounder from Ramon Hernandez that third baseman Danny Hudzina booted.
"That's when you really try to focus and not let them hit it, just try and get a strikeout," O'Reilly said.
Louis Silverio bounced back to O'Reilly, who caught Karaviotis between third and home for a fielder's choice to put runners in scoring position with one out. In just 11 pitches, the Flagler College product ended the threat with back-to-back strikeouts of Manny Jefferson and Francis Christy.
"I just went to my off-speed stuff there," O'Reilly said. "I was fortunate enough to get a couple strikeouts in big spots."

The Long Island native worked around a one-out bunt single by Ben DeLuzio in the sixth and entered the seventh with a lead, thanks to his batterymate. O'Keefe led off the inning with a double and broke for third as Kane County starter Ryan Atkinson uncorked a wild pitch. The 6-foot, 210-pound backstop did not hesitate, rounding third and scoring the game's lone run. 
"I think we were all a little surprised when he took off for home," O'Reilly joked. "He's a little faster than we thought, I guess."

O'Reilly plunked Karaviotis to start the home half of the frame but got the next three outs on seven pitches, including a strikeout of Silverio. He began the eighth by fanning Christy and Adam Walton before getting DeLuzio to ground out and complete his outing in 91 pitches, 68 for strikes.
"I was happy with my night and I understand the situation that we got to watch our pitch counts," O'Reilly said. "I had a good night's work and I trust the bullpen enough to turn it over to them."
The Chiefs gave way to Eric Carter, who pitched around a leadoff walk to Grier to record his seventh save. 
Atkinson (2-3) surrendered a run on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts over seven frames for the Cougars.