Chiefs Headed to Playoffs After 2-1 Win Thursday
August 27, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
Chiefs Headed to Playoffs After 2-1 Win Thursday
Peoria back in post-season for first time since 2006; Division Title still in sight
Peoria, IL - After a 10-15 start to the second half of the season, the Peoria Chiefs playoffs hopes looked bleak. It's time to look again as the Chiefs continued one of the franchise's best regular season runs, clinching a post-season berth with a 2-1 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits Thursday night at O'Brien Field. The magic number to clinch the Midwest League Western Division crown is down to three for Peoria, who will taste postseason baseball for the first time since 2006.
The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the first. David Macias singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on Ryan Flaherty's single to right. Rebel Ridling came up and delivered his 91st RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Macias and give Peoria an early one-run edge.
Peoria added a run in the bottom of the fifth with some wildness from Bandits starter Eric Fornutaro. Macias beat out a bunt single before Flaherty drew a four-pitch walk. Ridling struck out looking and Quad Cities intentionally walked Kyler Burke to load the bases. D.J. LeMahieu hit a grounder to second and Jason Stidham forced Burke at second. However, Domnit Bolivar's return throw to first was not in time to get LeMahieu as Macias scored for a 2-0 Chiefs lead.
Aaron Shafer blanked the Bandits through six innings on five hits and one walk. The Chiefs' opening day starter only had to work out of one threat as Quad Cities put runners on first and second with two down in the third. Shafer got Xavier Scruggs to bounce out and end the inning.
Josh Whitlock, who returned from Boise on Wednesday, relieved Shafer to start the seventh with the Chiefs up 2-0. Bolivar greeted Whitlock with a double to right-center and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a lineout to center, Bolivar came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jack Cawley to cut the Chiefs' lead in half.
Quad Cities threatened in the eighth as Jermaine Curtis walked with one out and Rich Racobaldo reached on an infield single to third. Reliever Kevin Kreier rebounded to strike out Scruggs and Freddy Parejo swinging to strand two runners.
Shafer (10-8) threw six shutout innings while striking out two and walking one. He allowed four hits and did not allow a runner past second base. Whitlock allowed one run on one hit in his lone inning of work. Kreier picked up his third save of the season, firing two scoreless innings and giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three.
Playoff Watch - With 10 games remaining, the Chiefs have a seven game lead over Burlington who was rained out at home against Wisconsin Thursday night. That puts the magic number for a division title at three as the Chiefs hold the tiebreaker over the Bees, winning eight of 11 in the season series. Clinton was rained out of their double header at Cedar Rapids and will not make up either of those games, allowing the Chiefs to clinch with their win Thursday night.
Casey's General Store Player of the Game - Aaron Shafer (RHP) - Shafer was dominant for the second straight start on this homestand. With the win, Shafer tied the single season high for wins at O'Brien Field with seven.
Notes... Ridling went 0-for-3 with a sac fly to end his season-high 15-game hit streak...Macias has now reached base 11 times in 22 plate appearances at home in the first inning as the leadoff hitter...He has scored on eight of those occasions...With their 47th home win, Peoria tied a franchise record for wins at home in a season...The 2002 team went 47-24 split between Pete Vonachen Stadium and O'Brien Field...Burke was walked intentionally for the team-leading fifth time this season...Peoria is 19-7 in August, marking their most wins in a month since the eventual 2002 Championship team went 20-10 in August of that season...The Chiefs finish the homestand 6-2...Peoria is 21-16 in the final game of series... Peoria finished the season series going 14-6 against Quad Cities...The 14 wins ties most the Chiefs have ever had against any opponent in a single season...The Chiefs are unbeaten in their last 10 series...The last time the Chiefs lost a series was from July 18-20 when they lost two of three at Clinton... The Chiefs begin a four-game series Friday night at 6:35 PM with the playoff bound Cedar Rapids Kernels in a potential post-season first round matchup...Peoria will send RH Justin Bristow (5-7, 4.12) to the mound opposed by RH Tyler Chatwood (6-7, 4.10) for Cedar Rapids...The game can be heard starting with the pre-game show at 6:20 PM on 96.5 ESPN Radio and www.peoriachiefs.com
Midwest League Stories from August 27, 2009
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- Lansing Rallies Late Beat The Caps - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Chiefs Headed to Playoffs After 2-1 Win Thursday - Peoria Chiefs
- Bandits Lose Series, Chiefs Clinch Playoff Spot - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Bees and Timber Rattlers Rained Out - Burlington Bees
- Weather Stops Rattlers In Burlington - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Hawks Take Three Game Lead with Sweep - South Bend Silver Hawks
- Hawks Complete Sweep of Dragons - Dayton Dragons
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- Loons, Jenkins Create Gem of a Promotion - Great Lakes Loons
- Douglas activated from DL, Palacios sent to Oneonta - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Dragons Gameday August 27th - Dayton Dragons
- Ex-Snappers Head to AZ Fall League - Beloit Sky Carp
- Chiefs Playoff Tickets Go on Sale Thursday - Peoria Chiefs
- Embark on a Genesis Summer Movie Series adventure with The Goonies - Quad Cities River Bandits
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