CLINTON - Tyler Jones was talking on his cell phone after he starred in relief for the Cedar Rapids Kernels Monday night, but he wasn't talking to anyone from Minnesota about a quick jump to the Twins.

He was merely ordering a pizza to be delivered to the ballpark in Clinton, but if he keeps pitching like this he'll be ordering his pizzas at Target Field in Minneapolis some day.

Jones buzzed the LumberKings with 94 and 95 mph fastballs in the eighth and ninth innings as the Kernels snapped their three-game slide with a 5-3 victory over Clinton at Ashford University Field before 712 fans.

The LumberKings put a big bow around the victory and handed it to the Kernels with four errors that led to four unearned runs. Cedar Rapids got its only earned run in the ninth on a double by RBI king Dalton Hicks to make it 5-3, and then Jones put a snappy end to the game in the bottom of the ninth.

"We stole that game, to be honest with you," said Manager Jake Mauer. "We took advantage of their errors. We didn't do much offensively."

Cedar Rapids starter Jose Berrios had a few command problems (four walks, one hit batter) and lasted only four innings, but the bullpen took control of the game from there.

Steve Gruver (5-2) pitched three strong innings in relief and got the victory. Jones took the ball in the eighth inning and began blowing people away with his fastball and nasty slider.

"Gruver and Jones were dominant," said Mauer. "Gruver set the tone. He got the game back. We weren't doing too well."

Jones struck out the side in the eighth inning with a steady diet of mid-90's fastballs and an unhittable slider that broke away from right-handed batters. He got the first two outs in the ninth inning on weak ground balls, then finished the game with another strikeout with his slider.

Jones looked like a Major League closer Monday night, but it's a long way from the Class A Midwest League to Minneapolis. "A few more levels before that," he acknowledged. "That would be nice, though."

Jones, 23, is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-hander from Milwaukee. The Twins picked him in the 11th round of the 2011 draft after his days at LSU and used him as a starter last year in Beloit, but the organization converted him into a relief pitcher this season. He's 7-for-7 in save opportunities and has 41 strikeouts in 35.2 innings with a 2.02 ERA.

"I like it," he said about working in the bullpen. "I can't say I don't miss starting. It's nice having a game in your control from the first pitch and however long you can go. It's different, but I like it."

Jones battled some tightness in his right elbow earlier in the season and spent a few weeks on the disabled list, but he's back now and looking good.

"He had that look like he had earlier in the year, before he had that little elbow deal," said Mauer. "He's been dominant his last two outings, and we needed it."

Jones understands why the Twins asked him to become a relief pitcher. "I was walking too many guys, not throwing first-pitch strikes. Not attacking hitters, I guess, as much," he said.

He used four pitches as a starter, but sticks mostly with his fastball and slider now, with an occasional curveball or changeup thrown into the mix. He's not trying to be cute out there. He's trying to attack.

"Really get after hitters," he said. "When you're a reliever, there's more of an urgency to throw strikes. You don't have as much time to get acclimated to the hitters. Just go after them."

Jones has thrown a 96 mph fastball in games and hit 95 twice on Monday, according to members of the Kernels pitching staff who were charting the game and using a radar gun.

"I like to say I've got a low to mid-90's fastball," he said. "Velocity matters, but if you're hitting your spots that's the main thing."

His slider flies away from right-handed batters at 84 mph. "It's more of a slurve the way it comes out," he said. "People ask me what it is, but I call it a slider. I throw a curveball, too."

Jones was happy with his performance.

"I'd say that was probably as good as I've been," he remarked.  "I felt good. I hadn't thrown in two days, so my arm was pretty fresh.

"I've been throwing a lot of strikes lately. I'm not over-throwing things and putting the ball in the zone."

Hicks collected a pair of RBIs, giving him 79 RBIs in 86 games to lead the league.

The Kernels will enjoy a day off Tuesday before hosting Dayton Wednesday night at 6:35 in the first game of a six-game homestand.

KERNELS (5): Williams, lf, 3 2 0 0, Polanco, ss, 3 0 1 0, Hicks, dh, 5 0 2 2, Harrison, 3b, 3 1 0 0, Kepler, 1b, 4 1 0 0, Walker, rf, 3 1 1 0, Licon, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Quesada, c, 3 0 0 1, Murphy, cf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 30 5 4 3.

CLINTON (3): Henry, cf, 3 1 0 0, Marte, 2b, 5 0 2 0, Pizzano, lf, 3 1 0 1, Ard, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Marlette, c, 3 1 2 0, Lara, 3b, 4 0 3 1, Guerrero, rf, 4 0 1 1, Lopes, dh, 4 0 1 0, Peguero, ss, 4 0 0 0. Totals 32 3 9 3.

Kernels    010 002 101 - 5 4 1
Clinton    111 000 000 - 3 9 4

Berrios, Gruver (5), Jones (8) and Quesada. Pike, Bordonaro (6), Holman (7), Ogando (9) and Marlette. W - Gruver. L - Bordonaro (1-3). Sv - Jones (7). 2B - Hicks (27). E - Licon, Peguero, Marlette, Marte, Holman. T - 2:55. A - 712.