Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball

Chiefs 'slam' pennant door shut on Kernels

Un-freaking-believable.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels came so close to winning the pennant for the first half of the Midwest League season Sunday.

They could taste it.

The Kernels owned a 9-5 lead over the Peoria Chiefs with one out in the top of the ninth, thanks to a three-run homer and six RBIs by Dalton Hicks.

Meanwhile, the Beloit Snappers were losing their game to Clinton in the bottom of the eighth inning in Wisconsin.

If both games had ended there -- with Cedar Rapids winning and Beloit losing -- the Kernels would have claimed the Western Division pennant.

The Father's Day crowd of 3,302 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium was ready to celebrate. The television cameras were ready to capture the moment. And then disaster struck.

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Goodrum activated; Pimentel promoted

The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Minnesota Twins announced Sunday that infielder Niko Goodrum has been activated from the 7-day disabled list and that infielder Candido Pimentel has been promoted to Fort Myers of the Florida State League. Brad Steil, Director of Minor League Operations for the Twins, announced the move.

Goodrum went on the disabled list on June 3 with a concussion after a collision at home plate in the Kernels game at Kane County on June 2. In 48 games, he is batting .270 with a home run, 28 RBI and 12 doubles.

Pimentel played in 47 games for the Kernels, batting .269 with two doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.

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Kernels enter final day in trouble

Mason Melotakis planned to relax, get plenty of rest Saturday night and not worry about his big assignment as the starting pitcher for the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Sunday.

The Kernels face a "must-win" situation Sunday as they chase a first-half pennant in the Midwest League.

The Kernels must beat Peoria Sunday to retain any hope of winning the pennant, but that's not enough. The Beloit Snappers must lose to Clinton on Sunday as well for Cedar Rapids to finish in first place.

That's the predicament the fading Kernels face after losing to Peoria, 8-3, Saturday night before 4,373 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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Kernels fall to Peoria in 10 innings

It was “Superman T-shirt Giveaway Night” for the Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday night, but in the end, the Kernels would have needed the “real” Man of Steel to emerge from the crowd of 4,580 at Veterans Memorial Stadium to avoid a 6-2 extra-inning loss to the visiting Peoria Chiefs.

Through the first seven innings, the Kernels hitters were anything but super as the Peoria pitching limited Cedar Rapids to just four singles and a J.D. Williams triple that was wasted in the Kernels’ third inning.

The Chiefs scored first on Patrick Wisdom’s 10th home run of the season in their half of the fourth inning, then added a second run in the top of the eighth inning to take a 2-0 lead.

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Kernels suffer stinging defeat to Bandits

DAVENPORT - There was not a peep in the somber Cedar Rapids Kernels locker room Thursday night in the bowels of Modern Woodmen Park.

The Kernels had just suffered their toughest loss of the season, 9-8, to the Quad Cities River Bandits on a two-out, two-run double by a .208 hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning.

It was now 15 minutes later. Players stared at the floor. Slowly, some undressed and headed silently to the showers. Manager Jake Mauer sat in a room with his coaches, mulling it over.

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Kernels clinch playoff spot, but want more

DAVENPORT - The Cedar Rapids Kernels clinched a spot in the Midwest League playoffs Wednesday night, but there was no champagne in the visitor's clubhouse at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport.

First of all, many of the Kernels are too young to drink (legally) in Iowa. Secondly, they want more.

Cedar Rapids dumped the Quad Cities River Bandits, 12-4, Wednesday before 3,636 fans to clinch at least a wild-card spot in the playoffs, but the Kernels won't be satisfied until they cinch first place in the Western Division for the first half of the campaign.

The Kernels (40-24) have a half-game lead over Beloit (40-25) with four days left in the race. And make no mistake, the Kernels want that flag.

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Kernels' lead down to percentage points

DAVENPORT - The Cedar Rapids Kernels have accomplished some great things during the first half of the Midwest League campaign, but now the chase is on for the title.

Yes, folks, we have ourselves a pennant race.

The Kernels lost to the Quad Cities River Bandits, 8-4, Tuesday night before 4,679 fans at Modern Woodmen Park and fell into a virtual tie with the Beloit Snappers for first place in the Western Division.

The Kernels have a 39-24 record for a winning percentage of .6190476. Beloit, which defeated Wisconsin Tuesday night, is sitting at 40-25 for a winning percentage of .6153846.

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Buxton, Kernels wow Twins fans on TV

Byron Buxton sent a greeting card to all the Minnesota Twins fans who were watching the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Fox Sports North Monday afternoon.

So did 6-foot-3 lefty Mason Melotakis.

Buxton went 3-for-4, socked a three-run double and made a sensational diving catch as the Kernels topped Kane County, 6-2, before 3,559 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Melotakis (6-2, 3.24 ERA) tossed seven shutout innings to give the Kernels' over-worked bullpen a good rest coming down the stretch in the first half of the regular season.

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Kernels make migrant Twins fans happy

After tallying just one run in each of their past two games, the Cedar Rapids Kernels found their offense Sunday in topping the visiting Kane County Cougars, 8-4, before 1,677 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium in a Midwest League ballgame.

That crowd brought the total attendance for the three-day weekend to 10,929 with another game against Kane County on tap for Monday at 12:05 p.m.

A sizable contingent of Twins fans have been making the trip south from across Minnesota to watch the future Twins in Cedar Rapids. Their presence was evident this weekend.

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