Chiefs Eliminated With 9-2 Loss
GENEVA, IL- Needing to win both remaining games and get some help along the way, the odds of the Peoria Chiefs making the playoffs going into Sunday's game were slim. After a 9-2 loss to the first-place Kane County Cougars Sunday night, the 71-67 Chiefs have officially been eliminated at 34-35 in the second half. The Wisconsin TimberRattlers, winners Sunday afternoon at Beloit, have clinched the Wild Card and will host Kane County on Wednesday while the Chiefs wrap up the season with a meaningless game Monday afternoon.
Starter Luis Perdomo (3-6) struggled from the start in falling to 1-5 in the month of August. The first batter, Shawon Dunston Jr. doubled to right and stole third before scoring on a first-inning RBI single by Yasiel Balaguert.
After hitting into two double plays in the first six batters of the game, the Chiefs got even in the second against former Chiefs pitcher Ben Wells. With two down in the inning, Luis Perez launched his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to left-center for a 1-1 tie.
The Chiefs took the lead in the fourth as Wells continued to miss the strike zone. Justin Ringo walked to start the inning and moved to second as Rowan Wick also drew a free pass with one out. Carson Kelly singled to left on a full-count pitch for his 49th RBI of the season as Ringo scored and Wick motored to third. Wells recovered to strikeout Perez and Rafael Medina was retired to end the frame with the Chiefs up 2-1.
The lead was very short lived as Perdomo imploded in the bottom of the inning. Danny Lockhart and Jeff Baez started the inning with singles and with one out Lockhart scored on a base-hit by Dunston. Perdomo hit Mark Zagunis with a pitch to load the bases and with outfielder Perez playing second base due to the Chiefs being short-handed, Kane County scored two runs on what should have been an inning-ending double play. Instead Baez scored on the fielder's choice and Dunston came home from second when Perez's throw bounced at first base.
Cael Brockmeyer homered off Tyler Bray in the fifth for a 5-2 Kane County lead. The Chiefs got a leadoff double in the sixth against Michael Heesch but the next three batters struck out and the Chiefs did not get another hit the rest of the game.
Kane County put the game away with a four-run seventh against Blake McKnight and Robert Stock. The inning started with an error by Richy Pedroza at shortstop and included two sacrifice flies, two walks and a double as the Cougars took an insurmountable 9-2 lead.
Perdomo took the loss as he allowed four runs for the sixth straight start. He surrendered a season-high eight hits in a season-low 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out four, walked one and hit one. Bray allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out four over 2 2/3 innings. McKnight allowed four runs, two earned, on two hits and two walks in 1/3 of an inning. Stock allowed a hit in 2/3 of an inning and Jacob Booden threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Notes: The Chiefs have not made the playoffs since going 81-57 in 2009, the longest drought in the MWL…Chiefs batters drew six walks but only one of those walks came around to score…The home run by Perez is the 60th for the Chiefs this season, their lowest total since hitting 61 in 2007…The Chiefs need 15 runs on Monday to avoid having the lowest tally since 1995…The current total of 549 is the fourth lowest in franchise history and the .245 batting average is the sixth lowest…Kelly has 49 RBI this season and 62 in his career…The Chiefs had two more double plays hit into on Sunday and now lead the league with 110, three shy of the franchise record set in 2005…The Chiefs are 11-34 when allowing five runs or less and have scored four runs or less 96 times this season with 2 runs or less in 50 games…The Chiefs finished August with a 13-17 record with a .234 average and …At 7-16, the Chiefs lost more games on Sunday this season than any other day of the week…The final game of the regular season is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Monday as the Chiefs start LH Rob Kaminsky (8-2, 1.69) against Cougars RH Paul Blackburn (9-4, 3.29)…The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 12:45 p.m., on www.peoriachiefs.com/listenlive which also has downloads for a free app on the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android. The broadcast is also available on the Peoria Chiefs Network in the Tune-In Radio App.