Hot Rods' Michael Velasquez (9) delivers to the plate Thursday, July 7, 2016, during a game against the Lake County Captains at Bowling Green Ballpark. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

It will be time to see some new faces for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who host the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday.

It’s the start of a 12-game stretch against Midwest League Western Division opponents, with the first six at home. Bowling Green will face Wisconsin for three games before Beloit (Wisc.) comes to town for a three-game series starting Saturday.

Bowling Green has enjoyed success against the west this season, going 8-4 against the west in late April and early May. 

“It’s definitely going to be fun for us to come back home and face new teams and see how they play,” Bowling Green manager Reinaldo Ruiz said. “We know they have been playing well in their division. Hopefully we can play well and try to win some series at home.”

The Hot Rods come home after a four-game split in South Bend (Ind.) in which BG won the opener and the finale, but blew big leads in the middle two games. The Cubs rallied from six runs down to walk-off Bowling Green with a 12-11 win on Saturday and rallied from 4-0 down to win Sunday.

Ruiz said recent shuffling in the bullpen hurt in the South Bend series.

Reece Karalus was unavailable with a hand issue and Diego Castillo was promoted to Port Charlotte prior to the series.

“It’s been tough for us because Diego Castillo was doing a really good job for us, especially late in the game,” Ruiz said. “He was our closer and it’s tough to fill his shoes. We have been swinging the bats really well and hopefully the pitching is going to start to perform better. We have to give credit to South Bend, because they are leading the league in batting average.”

The offense will get challenged by a pair of pitching staffs that are among the best in the Midwest League.

The Timber Rattlers, a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate, is second in the league with a 3.26 team ERA. Nate Gripe leads the league in saves, while Isan Diaz leads the league in home runs with 12 – one better than Bowling Green’s Kevin Padlo.

Beloit, an Oakland A’s affiliate, is third in the league with a 3.32 ERA. Angel Duno, Evan Manarino, and James Naile are all in the top 10 in ERA, with Naile leading the league in WHIP. The offense has struggled however, with the Snappers 14th in the league in batting average.

The six-game homestand is Bowling Green’s longest since a nine-game home-stand from June 7-15 and ends a stretch in which the Hot Rods played 15 out of 22 games on the road, sandwiched around the All-Star break.

A good homestand could help strengthen Bowling Green’s chances for a playoff spot. The Hot Rods are 9-9 in the second half, which would currently be good enough to be the second-half wild card team from the Eastern Division.

Ruiz said between having a Tuesday day off at home and getting the chance to be home for the next week, he expects to see the Hot Rods rejuvenated and ready for the challenge on the homestand.

“It’s going to be good for us to be back and have an off day at home,” Ruiz said. “It’s a most needed break for us, especially after this tough road trip.”

— Follow Bowling Green Hot Rods reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter @mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.