Series Preview: Peoria Chiefs vs. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers IV

It’s all about getting back on track.

After a series to forget against Cedar Rapids, the Peoria Chiefs return home to Dozer Park this week to face-off against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. With a team the Chiefs are all too familiar with, the upcoming series provides a perfect opportunity for Peoria to get back on track in the win column.

This Season vs. Wisconsin

The season series between the Chiefs and Timber Rattlers is even at 9-9. This series will be the final time the two teams meet this season, which means both teams will have faced each other in 24 of the first 66 games this season when the series concludes on Sunday. Wisconsin tied the series after taking four out of six games from the Chiefs in Appleton from June 22-27. The two teams last faced off at Dozer Park in the second week of the series from May 11-16 where Peoria won the series 4-2 off the back of a four game win streak.

Scouting Report: Wisconsin

The T-Rats are currently sitting a half-game ahead of Beloit for third place in the High-A Central West Division and are coming off a series split against the first-place Quad Cities River Bandits. They took the split not by way of the long ball, hitting only three home runs in the series. As a team, the Timber Rattlers are proven to get on base at a high rate with a .346 on-base percentage. The team's high OBP gives them more opportunities to steal bases, which they excel at, leading the High-A Central with 111 stolen bases. In all, Wisconsin is good at getting on-base at a high rate, stealing bases, and using situational hitting tactics to score runs.

Player Reports: Wisconsin

Since the last time Wisconsin faced off against Peoria, catcher Thomas Dillard has been hitting the ball well with five homers in the last two weeks of play along with 13 runs batted in and a 1.002 OPS. Additionally, Je’Von Ward has continued to hit the ball well for the T-Rats, batting .294 over the past week with a .400 on-base percentage. Although he has cooled down since the start of the season, Korry Howell has hit four of his nine home runs this season against the Chiefs despite only hitting two home runs in the past month. On the basepaths, David Hamilton has stolen 31 bases this season, which is third highest in the High-A Central. On the mound, Carlos Luna has been performing well with a 0.92 ERA in seven appearances and 29.2 innings pitched. After securing a split against the River Bandits, things could be moving in the right direction for the Timber Rattlers going forward.

Chiefs Last Series:

The last series was one to forget for Peoria as they were swept in six games by Cedar Rapids. The Chiefs scored fewer than two runs in four out of the six games of the series. With the Timber Rattlers coming to town, Peoria has a good opportunity to snap out of the funk they are in as they have hit 24 of their 59 total home runs against them.

Who to Watch: Peoria

Leandro Cedeno: After cooling off a bit against West Michigan, Cedeno picked up where he left off last week, slashing .316/.409/.526 with a homer and four runs driven in. In his last nine games against the Timber Rattlers, Cedeno has hit safely in six of those games. Peoria’s most consistent hitter is in a great position to keep producing this week.

Jordan Walker: As high as the expectations were for Jordan Walker in his first foray into High-A baseball, he was due to have some struggles in his first reps as a Peoria Chief as he adjusts to better quality pitchingOn Friday night, we saw glimpses of what was to come as he drove in three runs in the loss against Cedar Rapids. With Walker getting his feet wet against High-A pitching, he is due to go on a hot streak at some point.

Jhon Torres: Torres has been in a long slump as of late. In the month of July, he is 3-32 with 10 strikeouts. As consistent as he has been at the plate this season, Torres was due for a long slump at some point. This series is the perfect opportunity for him to get back on track. In the last series against Wisconsin, Torres hit two of his four home runs on the season. Can Torres get back on track or will his slump continue?

Michael YaSenka: YaSenka won the High-A Central Pitcher of the Week award last week for his performance against Cedar Rapids last week, striking out eight batters in six innings of scoreless baseball. When his command is on point, he can be next to unhittable. If YaSenka can find his command, Peoria has a pitcher in the rotation they can rely on consistently going forward.

Connor Lunn: Last time out against Wisconsin, Lunn was fantastic. He gave up only one run in seven innings while striking out nine batters. Although he did not have his best stuff in his last three outings, this week is a good opportunity for Lunn to get back on track.

Single Game Ticket Information

July single game tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Friday’s from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The box office will be closed for lunch daily between 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Peoria Chiefs are locally owned and operated and play their games at Dozer Park. The Chiefs are a committed community asset and premier entertainment venue for families and individuals in Central Illinois.