Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball

Kernels face No.1 pick Appel Tuesday

Mark Appel can throw a baseball 100 mph and hopes to play in the Major Leagues with the Houston Astros as early as next season.

That's probably not good news for the struggling Cedar Rapids Kernels, who have to face Appel in a Class A Midwest League game Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels collected only four hits and lost to the Quad Cities River Bandits, 6-2, before 2,176 fans at the stadium Monday night and now have to battle one of the top pitchers in the minor leagues.

Appel, the No.1 overall pick in the draft this year from Stanford, unobtrusively sat in the stands Monday, charting pitches with a couple of his teammates and getting ready for his next start.

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Kernels never lose when Mauer gets tossed

Jake Mauer has done an excellent job as the manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels this season, but maybe he should get ejected from games more often.

The Kernels have a 3-and-0 record when he gets tossed.

Mauer was ejected in the fourth inning Sunday for disputing a call by the home-plate umpire and was listening to the game on the radio when it had a happy ending.

Joel Licon hit a game-winning single down the third-base line as the Kernels rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and trimmed Quad Cities, 3-2, before 2,447 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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Error-prone Kernels fall to Bandits

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have become generous to a fault, lately.

Instead of limiting opponents to their allotted three outs per inning, the Kernels defense has all too often been giving opponents extra outs by committing errors and various other lapses in the field.

The Quad Cities River Bandits were the beneficiaries of the Kernels’ generosity Saturday night. The River Bandits cashed in on four Kernels errors to claim a 5-2 win in front of 5,294 fans in the first game of a four-game series at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Quad Cities (25-15) moved to a half-game behind the Kernels (26-15) in the Midwest League's Western Division. The teams meet again Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

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6-run frame dooms Kernels

BURLINGTON - Cedar Rapids Kernels hitting coach Tommy Watkins summarized the team's feelings in five words after the Kernels lost their third game in four days to the Burlington Bees Friday night.

“Can’t wait to get home,” said Watkins.

The Kernels came out on the short end of a 6-2 score in front of 1,054 fans at Community Field. A fair number of those fans had headed home by the time the two teams sat through a one hour, six minute rain delay during the middle of the fourth inning.

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Altobelli joins Kernels, Rodriguez departs

The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Minnesota Twins announced Friday that catcher Bo Altobelli will join the Kernels from Elizabethton of the Appalachian (Rookie) League and catcher Jairo Rodriguez has been promoted to Fort Myers of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. Brad Steil, Director of Minor League Operations for the Twins, announced the move.

The Twins selected Altobelli in the 21st round of the 2012 First Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech and he spent last season at Elizabethton, where he hit .230 with six RBI in 18 games. In seven games at Elizabethton this year, he is batting .300 (6-20) with a double.

Rodriguez played in 16 games for the Kernels, batting .140 with four RBI. He was signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2007 and spent the 2012 season with Beloit.

Altobelli will join the Kernels in Burlington and be active and available for Friday night’s 6:30 game with the Bees.

Goodrum's inside-the-parker sparks Kernels

BURLINGTON - Cedar Rapids Kernels infielder Cartier Niko Goodrum is a little like the famed Cartier jewelry stores with the way he performs on a diamond.

If you're shopping for an expensive piece of jewelry or a watch, visit one of the Cartier stores that are located in 125 countries around the world. If you're shopping for a versatile ballplayer who can play all four infield positions and bat from either side of the plate, then Cartier Niko Goodrum (better known as Niko) is your man.

"I try to be versatile whatever I do, whether it's writing left-handed or shooting basketballs," said Goodrum, an ambidextrous switch-hitter. "I like being versatile."

That includes being fast enough to run around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

Goodrum accomplished the rare feat Thursday night to help the Kernels snap a two-game slide with a 3-2 victory over the Burlington Bees before 868 fans at Community Field.

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Murphy takes larger role with Kernels

A year ago, Jonathan Murphy was a 22-year old 19th-round draft pick out of Jacksonville University just starting his professional baseball career in the Minnesota Twins organization. His first assignment was with the Twins’ rookie level Gulf Coast League team in Fort Myers.

Today, Murphy is the primary leadoff hitter and center fielder for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

It’s  not at all unusual for a second-year professional player drafted out of college to be spending time with the Kernels, but Murphy, the younger brother of New York Mets infielder Daniel Murphy, didn’t take the normal path to Cedar Rapids this season.

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Kernels boot away game to Bees

BURLINGTON - Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Josue Montanez deserved better.

Montanez took the loss and worked just five innings as the Kernels fell, 3-1, to the Burlington Bees Wednesday night at Community Field.

But it’s hard to win games when the defense behind you allows opposing hitters four outs per inning. And that’s exactly what the Kernels defense did in four of the five innings Montanez (4-4) was on the mound.

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Trout highlights 2014 C.R. Hall class

It didn't take Mike Trout long to make an impact at the major league level.

Just two years removed from patrolling the outfield at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Trout was the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year and finished second in voting for the AL Most Valuable Player.

While his latter accomplishments may have been the start of a career that will eventually lead to Cooperstown, it was for his former tour of duty that Trout will grace his first baseball Hall of Fame.

Trout is among five people chosen for induction into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame, the ballclub announced Wednesday. The 2014 class also includes former player Chris Sabo, and contributors Verna Nance, Ron Gonder and Tom Barbee.

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