Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball

Kernels avoid sweep, top Bees, 5-2

BURLINGTON - Nick Gordon and Tanner English had three hits apiece and Zack Granite came through with a key triple in the seventh innings as the Cedar Rapids Kernels avoided a sweep with a 5-2 win over the Burlington Bees in a Midwest League game Monday at Community Field.

The matinee crowd of 1,705 watched three Kernels' pitchers limit the Bees to eight well-spaced hits. Gordon drove home three runs, raising his RBI total to 13 on the young season. English, batting in the No. 9 spot, also scored a pair of runs for the Kernels (8-4).

Jared Wilson (2-0) pitched five innings to gain the victory. he allowed one run on four hits, striking out three and walking four on a cold, damp afternoon. Michael Theofanopoulous pitched two scoreless innings followed by C.K. Irby, who also pitched two innings, allowing a ninth-inning run before shutting down a late Bees' rally.

Former University of Iowa shortstop Jake Yaninich had two hits and scored both runs for Burlington (7-5). Michael Bolaski (0-2) took the loss.

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Kernels' Jorge named MWL Pitcher of the Week

Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Felix Jorge was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on Monday for the week ending April 19th

In two starts for the Kernels, Jorge posted a 1-0 record and 0.75 ERA, allowing one run on seven hits, walking just four and striking out 19 in 12 innings.

Jorge, a non-drafted free agent, pitched in 12 games for the Kernels last season (eight starts) posting a 2-5 record and 9.00 ERA. In 39 innings, he allowed 57 hits and 40 runs (39 earned) with 20 walks and 23 strikeouts.

Kernels put Fernandez on DL

The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Minnesota Twins announced Monday that catcher Brett Doe will join the Kernels from Extended Spring Training and that catcher J.J. Fernandez has been placed on the 7-day DL with a concussion.

Fernandez was injured during Sunday's game at Burlington.

The Twins selected Doe in the 38th round of the 2014 draft from Baylor University. Last season at Elizabethton he hit .207 with one home run and five RBIs in 23 games.

Fernandez has played in seven games for the Kernels this season, batting .293 with three doubles and four RBIs. He was selected by the Twins in the seventh round of the 2012 draft from Colegio Hector Urdaneta High School in Puerto Rico.

Doe is active and available for Monday's game at Burlington at 11:30 a.m.

Bees sting Kernels in 12 innings

BURLINGTON - The Cedar Rapids Kernels fell to the Burlington Bees in 12 innings Sunday afternoon, 2-1, in a soggy Midwest League game before 562 fans at Community Field.

Michael Hermosillo's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning scored pinch-runner Erick Salcedo. Hermosillo's hit into left-center came with two outs.

Sam Clay (0-1) took the loss for the Kernels, allowing one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Four Kernels pitchers combined to strike out 18 Bees. Felix Jorge struck out nine in five innings, allowing one run on five hits. Cam Booser punched out three hitters in two perfect innings. Trevor Hildenberger went three innings, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out four.

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Nolasco will make rehab start for Kernels

The Minnesota Twins announced Sunday that right-hander Ricky Nolasco will make an MLB rehab start with the Cedar Rapids Kernels when they take on the Kane County Cougars on Saturday, April 25 at 2:05 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Nolasco will be making his second rehab stint with the Kernels. He made two starts (both no-decisions) last year with a 2.89 ERA, allowing three runs on 10 hits, walking one and striking out eight in 9.1 innings.

Nolasco, 32, has a 95-88 record and 4.51 ERA in 10 years in the Major Leagues. He is currently on the 15-Day Disabled List with elbow inflammation. He has pitched in one game this year, allowing six runs in three-plus innings against Detroit.

The Twins also announced Sunday that right-hander Miles Nordgren will be joining the Kernels from Extended Spring Training. He replaces John Curtiss on the 25-man roster. Curtiss is currently on the 7-Day Disabled List with a concussion.

The Twins picked Nordgren in the 23rd round of the 2014 draft from Birmingham Southern. He compiled a 1-3 record and 2.23 ERA in the Gulf Coast League last summer.

Kernels fall to Bees in opener

BURLINGTON - The Burlington Bees topped the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 4-3, Saturday night before 765 fans at Community Field in Burlington.

Burlington scored three of its four runs in the first two innings and held the Kernels to just six hits.

Austin Robichaux (1-1) recorded his first Midwest League win. The Bees right-hander allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three.

Michael Cederoth (1-1) suffered the loss for Cedar Rapids. Cederoth allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six in his second start of the season.

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Vavra delivers for Kernels in pinch

Trey Vavra loves coming to the ballpark. There's nothing he'd rather do, and he plans to keep doing it long after his playing days are over.

He'll play first base and the outfield for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. When they need a bullpen catcher, he's their man. He also practices at third base and second base, and he takes his job seriously when he's asked to coach first base.

"That's my game," he said. "Wherever they need me, I try to get in the lineup and help the team win."

Friday night he was asked to take a swing in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter. He did it superbly.

Vavra clobbered a three-run homer to deep left-center to help the Kernels trip Peoria, 5-1, before 1,914 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Kernels starter Stephen Gonsalves was terrific for seven innings, but got a no-decision. He struck out 10 batters, walked only one and allowed just one run.

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Kernels fall quietly to Peoria

The Cedar Rapids Kernels struck out 12 times Thursday night and lost to the Peoria Chiefs, 3-1, in a Midwest League game before 1,259 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels lost quietly and quickly in just 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Cedar Rapids began the season with six straight victory, but now the Kernels have dropped two straight low-scoring games to Peoria. The Chiefs beat the Kernels, 3-2, in 12 innings Wednesday night in the first game of the series.

Both clubs have 6-2 records, but the Peoria pitchers have held the Kernels batters to just three runs in 21 innings.

Kernels starter John Curtiss blanked the Chiefs for five innings and took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but the Chiefs touched him for three runs on five hits in the sixth to claim a 3-1 lead. As it turned out, that was the ballgame.

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Clay sparkles for Kernels in setback

Sometimes your mother knows best when it comes to pursuing a college baseball career.

Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Sam Clay is proof of that.

He never thought about playing baseball in college, but his mother saw it differently when he was a high school junior in Georgia.

"I never really thought I was that good," Clay said Wednesday. "Then I went out to some showcase, because my mom pushed me out there.

"Apparently I did pretty well and started getting some looks from colleges."

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