Series Preview: Peoria Chiefs at South Bend Cubs
Published on August 3, 2021 under Midwest League (MWL)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
It's rivalry week, minor league edition. The Peoria Chiefs will make the trip 220 miles east to Indiana this week to take on the South Bend Cubs, the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The South Bend team has a new look as of late after acquiring prospects from the Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo deals at the trade deadline. Here is what you need to know for this week.
South Bend's Season So Far
South Bend currently stands fifth out of six teams in the High-A Central West Division, 18.5 games behind the first place Quad Cities River Bandits. Like Peoria, South Bend is currently riding a four game losing streak, recently taking the first two contests against Quad Cities but losing the last four. The team is not known for their offensive prowess as they have hit only 47 total home runs on the year, which ranks 11th out of 12 teams in the High-A Central. Additionally, South Bend ranks dead last in the High-A Central with a .228 team batting average, a .316 on-base percentage, a .343 slugging percentage, and a .659 OPS. On the other hand, the team pitching also ranks near the bottom of the list with a 5.28 ERA. This week has the potential to be a "get right" week for a Chiefs team coming off a series loss against Beloit.
Who to Watch For: South Bend
Alexander Canario: Canario is one of the two prospects acquired by the Cubs in the Kris Bryant trade to the San Francisco Giants and ranks as the seventh best prospect in the system, according to MLB Pipeline. After spending most of the season in Low-A, Canario made the jump to High-A last week in his debut with South Bend. On the season, Canario is slashing .239/.326/.432 with nine homers and 30 runs driven in. He is sure to get more reps this week as he settles in with his new ballclub.
Alexander Vizcaino: Vizcaino was one of two prospects acquired by the Cubs from the New York Yankees in exchange for Anthony Rizzo. After dealing with shoulder issues for the first two months of the season, the 24-year-old right hander made his season debut last month. Vizcaino features a plus-fastball and a low-90s changeup that is straight up nasty. It will be worth seeing if Vizcaino sees any action this week either as a starter or out of the bullpen.
Nelson Velazquez: Velazquez has been a leading bat for a sluggish Cubs offense this season, slashing .264/.322/.461 with 12 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He hits well against right-handed pitching with nine of his home runs coming against them. A key cog in the Cubs lineup is sure to be one to watch this week.
Peoria's Last Series: It looked as if Peoria was about to cruise to a series win against Beloit after taking the first two contests. Instead, the opposite happened. Beloit managed to win the last four games to take the series 4-2. The Chiefs held the Snappers to only two runs on Tuesday and Wednesday while putting up six and four runs respectively. On Thursday, the two teams played an extra inning contest that saw the Snappers score eight runs in the top of the 12th inning en route to a 10-3 victory, which was the beginning of their four game winning streak to close out the series.
Who to Watch For: Peoria
Matt Chamberlain: Chamberlain was solid in last week's series, slashing .357/.400/.643 with a homer, three runs driven in, and a 1.043 OPS. In addition to his solid offensive performance, he played solid defense in the outfield wherever he was asked to play. Chamberlain is playing as if he has something to prove.
Francisco Hernandez: After having his fair share of struggles in the previous month, Hernandez played exceptionally well in place of Moises Castillo this week. His .389/.421/.556 mark in five games is a dramatic improvement. With Castillo on the seven-day injured list, Hernandez will be given a bigger opportunity for the near future.
Wilfredo Pereira: Pereira has been fantastic for the Chiefs after being moved to the starting rotation. In his start last week, he allowed only one run while striking out seven batters. In the month of July, Pereira struck out more than five batters in four of his outings. Look for the right-hander to continue his success as a starter in the month of August.
Single Game Ticket Information
August and September 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.
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
