Casilla remembers Kernels, ‘good times’

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids Kernels Host Family Program, in which local residents house players during the season, can forge friendships that last years.

Witness former Kernels and current Minnesota Twins infielder Alexi Casilla, who, with his wife and young son, took in the Kernels' 6-2 win over the Clinton LumberKings Monday afternoon along with 3,243 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

"We have a day off today in Minnesota, so we had an early game yesterday," Casilla said. "So I just decided to drive down here to Cedar Rapids and come down and visit my host family, the Pumroys."

Casilla, 27, a native of the Dominican Republic, played for the Kernels in 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he finished fourth in the Midwest League with 47 stolen bases, hitting .325 while scoring 62 runs in 78 games for a Cedar Rapids team that finished 65-75.

"I have good memories from this stadium, from this league, and I just wanted to come down here and just remember the good times that I stayed here," Casilla said.

Following the 2005 season, Casilla was traded to the Minnesota Twins for relief pitcher J.C. Romero.

Currently in his seventh season with the Twins, he is hitting .230 with 11 RBIs in 47 games for the last-place Twins, though they have won nine of their last 12 games.

"You know it's not how you start, it's how you finish," Casilla said. "We started playing real, real poor baseball and now we're getting back on track."

Cedar Rapids reliever Frank De Jiulio (3-1) earned the win in relief of starter Eswarlin Jimenez, who left the game after four scoreless innings with blisters on both his index and middle fingers. Jimenez will likely miss his next start and return after the All-Star break. Left fielder Ryan Jones left the game in the third inning with a twisted right ankle but should be fine.

Frazier Hall extended his hitting streak to eight games with his sixth-inning solo home run, while Matt Scioscia hit a two-run shot as the Kernels won the rubber game of this three-game series.

Cedar Rapids (28-36) begins a three-game series with Burlington tonight at 6:30.