Kernels rally past Burlington, clinch playoff spot

CEDAR RAPIDS – It was seven innings of questionable at-bats.

'Terrible at-bats,” Manager Jake Mauer corrected.

But it also was one inning of great at-bats, and those were enough to help the Cedar Rapids Kernels clinch a Midwest League playoff berth.

Tanner English and Nick Gordon worked back-to-back walks with the bases loaded, as the Kernels rallied to beat Burlington, 2-1, Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The win allowed Cedar Rapids to secure one of two Western Division playoff spots in the first half.

It's 3-for-3 with that, by the way, as a Minnesota Twins affiliate. Well done, boys.

'We've worked hard the first half of this season, and that's a big compliment to us,” Gordon said. 'To be able to make the playoffs early is a really good feeling. Now we know we've got a chance for the big prize.”

'When you start, you hopefully make the playoffs,” Mauer said. 'You want to get in and give yourself a chance. The kids just battled. We've had some injuries, as most everybody does. But they gave themselves a chance.”

Mauer took a pair of speakers into the clubhouse showers, an indication he wanted his players to celebrate and where he wanted them to celebrate. Everyone congregated there to whoop and holler and douse each other in a hailstorm of Coors Light and Miller Lite.

That's how it works in the minor leagues: beer over champagne.

'We hung in there, and Gordon and English both had huge at-bats,” Mauer said. 'They fouled off some close pitches, didn't panic.”

The Kernels (39-25) appeared on the verge of wasting a great pitching start from Felix Jorge for his second outing in a row. He went seven wonderful innings, with one of the three hits allowed being a Wade Wass solo home run in the third inning.

J.J. Fernandez worked a full count and grounded a single through the right side to lead off the bottom of the eighth. T.J. White walked with one out, and Brian Navarreto singled through the left side to load the bases.

Pat Kelly popped to first for the second out, with Burlington going to closer Eduardo Paredes after that. He got behind English and walked him on a 3-2 fastball up and in to tie it.

Gordon then put together a great 11-pitch at-bat, getting behind in the count early but fouling off pitches, taking pitches and eventually working a walk. It was an extremely positive sign for the Twins' first-round pick in 2014, as he came into the game with a .239 average, at times displaying his youth.

'I was looking for pitches to drive early. Kind of took a big hack there,” Gordon said. 'Then I knew I had to cut it down some. I knew he wasn't going to get beat with his third pitch, so I knew it was going to be either a breaking pitch or a fastball. He's a big power guy, so I thought maybe it'd be fastball. I was able to foul off a couple pitches, got it to a full count, so there was more pressure on him.”

'You keep making pitchers throw pitches, eventually they are going to make a mistake, whether they put you on or whether you get them,” Mauer said. 'I hope that's a turning point for him.”

Trevor Hildenberger pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, and the celebration was on. The Kernels probably aren't going to catch Quad Cities for first place (they were four behind with six games left going into Tuesday.

But they are in the playoffs, and no one can take that away from them.

'Anytime you have a chance to play in the playoffs, it's nice, and it's exciting for us,” Mauer said. 'But it's good for their development. The kids have to learn how to play in playoff games. The teams that have been successful are the teams that have moved up together.”

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