Hinojosa the hero for Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS - He came here last week a career .200 hitter, but Jonatan Hinojosa has been way more Wade Boggs than Mario Mendoza since his return to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Or Joe Mauer, if you want to use someone from the parent Minnesota Twins.

The 21-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic had two more hits and three more RBIs Saturday night, including a go-ahead two-run triple in the eighth inning as the Kernels inched closer to a Midwest League playoff berth with a dramatic 4-2 win over Peoria before 4,922 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

That's four consecutive games with two hits for Hinojosa, who drove in four runs in a victory Friday night.

'I've been working a lot in the cage,” Hinojosa said. 'I feel comfortable. I'm going to keep going with that.”

The Kernels (64-60, 33-21) are a half-game behind first-place Kane County in the Western Division's second-half standings but three and a half up on Wisconsin for second place and a full six ahead of Peoria. Kane County and Burlington qualified for the playoffs in the first half, so the top two teams other than them get in.

There are 16 regular-season games remaining. The teams play again Sunday afternoon at 2:05.

You can bet Hinojosa will be in the lineup somewhere. He drove a pitch from reliever Kyle Barraclough over the center fielder's head with one out in the eighth to plate Logan Wade and Ryan Walker.

Engelb Vielma's single through a drawn-in infield scored him. Jake Reed (3-0) got the win with two perfect relief innings, extending his scoreless streak to 16.

'Energy,” Kernels Manager Jake Mauer said, when asked what Hinojosa brings. 'He just gives us kind of a leadoff man, an electric guy who can run around.”

'When Jake told me to hit, I was preparing good for the fastball,” said Hinojosa, who speaks good English. 'He threw it to me, and I hit it. I knew that ball was over his head in center field. I just ran really fast to third base.”

Hinojosa played one game for the Kernels in late April, then sat out 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He tested positive for Nandrolone, claiming he took a supplement during the offseason at home in which he wasn't aware of the contents.

He was hitting .247 for Rookie-level Elizabethton when promoted to Cedar Rapids. A shortstop by trade, he is being forced to play third base for the first time in his professional career due to the recent promotion of Bryan Haar to high-A Fort Myers.

'I took some products in the offseason to work in the gym,” he said. 'When they told ‘Hey, you are suspended,' I felt really bad.”

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