Cedar Rapids Kernels have tenuous 1st-place division lead with 2 weeks left in 1st half

CEDAR RAPIDS - If the first half ended today, the Cedar Rapids Kernels would be a playoff qualifier and Western Division champs. But there are 13 games remaining, and it appears it's going to be an absolute free-for-all before it's all said and done.

A 9-4 loss Sunday afternoon to Peoria at Veterans Memorial Stadium sliced the Kernels' division lead to just a game on the Chiefs and Clinton. Burlington's three games back, Beloit and Kane County four.

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'Whenever you take the field, you want to get into the playoffs, obviously,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer. 'It'd be a good experience for our guys. It's something they've worked hard towards throughout this half. To their credit, they've put themselves in position to do something here, but we've got to go out and do it. The nice thing is we're not relying on anybody to win or lose. The ball's in our court. Giving up eight or nine runs ain't going to do it, though.”

Pitching hasn't been quite as solid in recent days for C.R., as Peoria scored 13 runs in a win Friday night, Beloit seven in a win Thursday night. The Chiefs pecked away at newbie Eduardo Del Rosario for five early runs here, including four in the second inning.

Del Rosario just came to town from Minnesota Twins extended spring training to replace promoted Randy LeBlanc in a six-man starting rotation. He appeared to have plenty of stuff to eventually succeed.

'He was a little wound up. You could tell,” Mauer said of the paper-thin right-hander (6 foot, 145 pounds). 'But I thought he got better in the third, and in the fourth, he looked good ... He's getting his feet wet. He's got a lively arm, so he's going to be OK.”

Mauer bemoaned his pitchers giving up a whopping nine two-strike hits Sunday, saying they've got to begin getting more strikeouts. On a positive note, the Kernels' offense has picked things up quite well of late.

It ranks third in the 16-team MWL in runs, fourth in batting average and second in on-base percentage. Every starter but one had a hit Sunday, with Alex Perez and Kevin Garcia picking up two each.

'We've really been swinging the bats OK the last week, week and a half here,” Mauer said. 'We just haven't pitched the way we're capable of pitching.”

The entire Midwest League has Monday off. The Kernels begin a three-game home series Tuesday night at 6:35 against Kane County.

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