Neither weather nor injury is holding back Cedar Rapids Kernels’ infielder Luis Arraez

CEDAR RAPIDS - Not even a swollen knee or weather that's as un-Venezuelan as you can get is stopping Luis Arraez from hitting everything in sight and reaching base all the time.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels infielder had two more hits and two more walks, the highlight of a highlight-less 8-3 loss to West Michigan on a cold, wet and miserable Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Arraez, who turned 19 a couple of weeks ago, has been a surprise in the early going with a gaudy .395 batting average and .439 on-base percentage. The little lefty swinger has hit the ball with authority the other way, which is where his first two professional home runs went a couple of weeks ago.

He has only struck out twice in 37 at-bats. And, again, this is coming despite missing a good chunk of last week with a swollen knee and in conditions the San Felipe, Venezuela, native has never played in.

'I feel really happy with what I'm doing,” said Arraez, through teamate and translator Rafael Valera. 'I'm trusting myself. The cold weather is a little uncomfortable for me. My hands get pretty cold. It hurts sometimes.”

But not enough to affect him. By the way, Arraez originally banged his right knee on the ground during spring training and it locked up and swelled on him during the Kernels' recent road trip.

Anti-inflammatory medication has him back to feeling good again.

'He had a hard time there for a couple of days in Burlington, but ... he's back to being a little jitterbug again,” said Kernels Manager Jake Mauer. 'He strings at-bat after at-bat together. He puts some good swings on the ball, just competes. He knows the strike zone, which helps. He's a tough little out.”

Arraez hit over .300 last season in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and got a chance to play with some major leaguers over the winter in Venezuela's winter league.

Obviously, he has not been fazed by an aggressive jump to the Midwest League.

'I did not get too surprised by being sent here,” he said. 'I know what I did last year and was really positive about that. I know I can handle the bat. I feel comfortable being here.”

West Michigan (10-9) cuffed around Kernels starting pitcher Andro Cutura (2-1) for nine hits and eight runs in the first four innings. Michael Theofanopoulos and Zack Tillery shutout the Whitecaps the final five innings, but an early hole was too much for Cedar Rapids (11-9) to overcome.

J.J. Fernandez hit his first homer of the season for the Kernels, who host West Michigan to conclude a three-game series Thursday night at 6:35. A.J. Murray also had two hits.

Mauer said some sort of pitching move might be coming for the Kernels. Because of an elongated double-header last Saturday that included an 18-inning opener, the parent Minnesota Twins sent Kernels relief pitcher Kuo Hua Lo to extended spring training and brought in pitcher Miles Nordgren from extended.

But Lo remains with the Kernels.

Second baseman Manuel Guzman injured his quadriceps running out a comebacker to the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning and had to be replaced defensively for the ninth. Mauer was uncertain of the extent of the injury.

West Michigan left fielder Cam Gibson was ejected in the seventh inning ... while in the field. There didn't seem to be conflict for Gibson, who threw a Kernels runner out trying to stretch a single into a double earlier in the inning.

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