Kernels third baseman on a White-hot roll

CEDAR RAPIDS - T.J. White is so locked in at the plate right now.

For proof, check out the Cedar Rapids Kernels third baseman's final two at-bats Tuesday night in a 7-4 loss to Peoria at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

White took a fastball from Peoria starting pitcher Matt Pearce straight to the helmet in the sixth inning but barely flinched. He simply bent down, picked up the lid that had just been knocked off his head and trotted down to first base.

Then in his next at-bat two innings later, he roped a ball high off the tall wall in left field for a two-run double. Take that.

'I'm seeing it really well, a lot better,” White said. 'Yeah, for sure. A little more confident.”

The former University of Nevada-Las Vegas Runnin' Rebel is riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he has gone 13 for 27 at the plate. He had four hits and five RBIs in a 23-3 blowout win Monday night.

He seems to be a different player since returning to the Kernels from high-Class A Fort Myers, where he spent a couple of weeks as an emergency fill in.

'Just experience. That was a higher level, but not much difference, really,” White said. 'It's still baseball. I actually got myself started a little more, (I'm) calming myself down, both fielding and hitting. It's been working out. We'll see if I can finish strong.”

'He has really solidified third base for us defensively,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer, who has called White the best defensive third baseman in the league. 'He put in a lot of work down in Fort Myers with (coach) Jim Dwyer, who was mine and Tommy's (field) coordinator when we played. The guy's had 18 years of big-league experience. So when T.J. came back, he had, not only a confidence about him, but he seems to be on just about everything at the plate.

'He went from .220 to .250-something now. If he ends up about .270 or so, that's tough to do this late in the year.”

One bad inning was enough to fell the Kernels (72-55, 31-26) and starting pitcher Felix Jorge. That was the fourth, when the Chiefs scored four times, thanks to a couple of seeing-eye hits, a throwing error on shortstop Nick Gordon and a dropped fly ball by left fielder Max Murphy.

Jorge was charged with 10 hits in six innings, dropping to 6-6. Edgar Corcino had a pair of hits and runs for Cedar Rapids.

These teams conclude their three-game series Wednesday night at 6:35.

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