Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager Jake Mauer thought pitching would be the strength of his ballclub this season, but it has not turned out that way.

The Kernels rank 14th out of 16 teams in the Midwest League in earned run average, a prime reason the club is languishing with a 27-31 record and near the bottom of the standings.

The Kernels lost to Burlington, 6-4, before 3,003 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium Monday afternoon, and after the game Mauer told pitchers Derrick Penilla and Felix Jorge they are being shipped back to Extended Spring Training in Florida.

Penilla (1-2) was the starting pitcher in Monday's game and allowed 10 hits, three home runs and six runs in five innings, putting his ERA at 5.64.

Jorge did not pitch Monday, but he's struggled with a 2-5 record and 9.00 ERA in 12 games.

Mauer said the Minnesota Twins will send two new starting pitchers, but was not sure who they will be or when they will arrive.

"Hopefully they'll be here by tomorrow, so we could at least get them a uniform. That would be nice," he said, trying to find a little humor in a sad situation.

The Kernels are idle Tuesday and begin a road trip at Wisconsin Wednesday night.

The Kernels rank fifth in the Midwest League in hitting with a .263 batting average, which has been a pleasant surprise for the ballclub. But the club's 4.60 ERA entering Monday's game has been a disappointment, with only Beloit and Fort Wayne below them in pitching.

"It's not what I expected. I'll put it that way," said Mauer. "It's been really a roller-coaster. You don't now what you're going to get.

"Some days they throw the ball well, and some days they have a really hard time. It's not just one bad start, but three or four or five in a row."

Kohl Stewart has been the most consistent starting pitcher for Cedar Rapids with a 2.76 ERA in 10 outings, but has only one victory to show for it.

The other starting pitchers have been up and down with Ethan Mildren (4.76 ERA), Aaron Slegers (4.95), Ryan Eades (5.66), Josue Montanez (7.36) and Jorge (9.00) all above the league average of 3.97.

The Kernels left 13 runners on base Monday and hurt themselves with a base-running snafu in the sixth inning. They had runners on first and second with nobody out when Jason Kanzler hit a high fly ball to left-center field.

Mitch Garver, the runner at second, thought the ball might be caught and stayed near the bag, looking to possibly tag up and move to third base with one out. The wind was blowing out to left-center, however, and the ball hit the wall for what normally would have been an easy double.

But instead of scoring one run and having runners at second and third, the Kernels ended up with nobody scoring and the bases loaded. The next three batters were retired on a strikeout, infield pop and another strikeout, leaving all three runners stranded.

Instead of chipping into a 6-1 deficit, it remained a five-run game.

"If we score a couple of runs there, then who knows," said Mauer. "Bases loaded and nobody out and we can't score a run. That killed us right there."

Cedar Rapids scored an unearned run in the eighth inning to pull within 6-2. Chad Christensen hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth, making it 6-3 with his fifth homer of the season and second in two days.

Garver hit a double to right-center and scored with two outs on a single by Kanzler, making it 6-4. Jon Murphy looped a single to right-center, putting runners on the corners, but pinch-hitter Michael Quesada hit into a fielder's choice to end the game.

BURLINGTON (6): Eaves, 2b, 5 2 2 1, Hinshaw, cf, 4 3 3 2, Fish, lf, 4 0 1 0, Bayardi, dh, 4 0 2 2, Rosa, 3b, 4 0 1 0, Dalton, 1b, 4 1 2 1, Mendoza, rf, 3 0 0 0, Moye, c, 4 0 1 0, Salcedo, ss, 4 0 0 0. Totals 36 6 12 6.

KERNELS (4): Walker, 2b, 5 0 0 0, Vielma, ss, 5 0 0 0, Christensen, 1b, 3 1 1 1, Garver, c, 4 1 2 0, Haar, 3b, 4 1 2 0, Kanzler, cf, 4 1 3 2, Murphy, rf, 4 0 1 0, Thomas, lf, 3 0 0 0, Quesada, ph, 1 0 0 0, Vavra, dh, 4 0 1 1. Totals 37 4 10 4.

Burlington     201 120 000 - 6 12 1

Kernels        010 000 012 - 4 10 0

Nuss, Loconsole (4), Hurtado (6), Trygg (7), Carlson (8), Swanson (9),

Busenitz (9) and Moye. Penilla, Mazza (6), Boyd (9) and Garver. W -

Loconsole (1-2). L - Penilla (1-2). S - Busenitz (7). 2B - Hinshaw 2 (10),

Fish (13), Vavra (10), Garver (14). HR - Dalton (2), Eaves (4), Hinshaw

(5), Christensen (5). SB - Hinshaw (19). E - Mendoza (4). A - 3,003.