Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager Jake Mauer has learned to live with losses like Wednesday night's 9-4 setback to the Beloit Snappers, but it's what happened the day before that gave him a sleepless night.

Mauer had to tell catcher Bryan "BK" Santy and infielder Carlos Avila after Tuesday night's game that the Minnesota Twins organization had decided to give them their outright release from baseball.

Mauer has delivered bad news like that behind closed doors before, but that doesn't make it any easier.

"It's the worst part of the job, by far," he said after Wednesday's loss in the series finale before 1,886 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium. "Santy and Avila played hard for us. They worked hard and did everything you asked. Sometimes it turns into a numbers game."

Santy, 23, joined the club April 18 after catcher Michael Quesada got hurt. Avila, 24, was summoned to Cedar Rapids May 14 as a replacement player.

The guys they replaced are healthy now, and the Kernels needed room on their roster when they decided to activate Jason Kanzler and Engelb Vielma from the Disabled List Wednesday.

The Twins could have kept Santy and Avila in the organization somewhere else, but the decision was made to give them their unconditional release. Santy hit .204 in 15 games with two homers and nine RBIs. Avila hit .333 in limited duty in three games.

The Kernels had four catchers on the roster with Santy, which was one too many. And they have several middle infielders who can play shortstop and second base.

"Both kids understood," said Mauer. "Both still want to play, and hopefully they'll hook on somewhere else."

Mauer said the Twins made the decision to release Santy and Avila right before Tuesday night's game.

"Literally a couple of minutes before the game," he said. "It puts you in a tough spot. Both guys were in the lineup, but that's the way it goes sometimes."

Mauer kept them in the lineup Tuesday and delivered the bad news after the game.

"They both handled it really well. It's never easy, when somebody let's you go. Guys, rightfully so, want to know why," he said.

Santy was drafted in the 30th round in 2012 from the University of Washington. Avila was picked in the 32nd round in 2013 from Cal State-Dominguez Hills.

Mauer was released by the Minnesota Twins organization when he was 26, after he had reached Double-A, but his release was due to an injury and the Twins immediately offered him a job as a minor league coach.

This is Mauer's seventh year as a skipper in the Minnesota organization, so he's had to deliver bad news too many times to count.

"It's never fun," he said. "It stinks, plain and simple.

"That's one thing about baseball. You get released at some point. Everybody does."

Kernels starting pitcher Felix Jorge (2-5) had a rough outing Wednesday against Beloit. He was touched for seven runs (all earned) in 2.2 innings. He allowed seven hits and walked five batters as his ERA climbed to 9.99.

Kanzler, who was activated Wednesday, started in center field and belted a three-run home run to dead center field to pull the Kernels within 9-4 in the sixth inning after they had fallen behind 9-0.

Beloit scored six runs in the third inning and led 9-0 after four innings.

"We didn't give ourselves much of a chance in that one," Mauer said after the game.

The Kernels open a three-game series at Quad Cities Thursday night. They'll return home on Wednesday, May 28 to begin a six-game homestand against Wisconsin.

BELOIT (9): Powell, cf, 4 1 3 2, Boyd, lf, 4 1 0 0, Brugman, dh, 4 0 1 1, Marincov, rf, 5 1 1 0, Vollmuth, 3b, 5 2 1 1, Baez, 2b, 6 1 2 1, Huck, 1b, 4 1 1 0, Paz, c, 4 2 3 3, Mercedes, ss, 5 0 2 1. Totals 41 9 14 9.

KERNELS (4): Williams, lf, 3 1 0 0, Vavra, 2b, 3 0 0 0, Christensen, dh, 4 1 2 0, Garver, 1b, 4 1 1 1, Kanzler, cf, 4 1 2 3, Quesada, c, 4 0 0 0, Licon, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Thomas, rf, 2 0 0 0, Vielma, ss, 4 0 0 0. Totals 30 4 5 4.

Beloit     016 200 000 - 9 14 0
Kernels    000 004 000 - 4 5 1

Finnegan, Mendez (7), Bragg (9) and Paz. Jorge, Bixler (3), Penilla (5), Boyd (8) and Quesada. W - Finnegan (4-1). L - Jorge (2-5). 2B - Paz 2 (2), Mercedes (4), Vollmuth (8), Baez (14). HR - Powell (2), Kanzler (3). SB - Boyd (5). E - Vielma (7). T - 2:59. A - 1,886.