Final homestand for what has been great regular season for the Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS — In case you missed it this summer, the Cedar Rapids Kernels have been good. Real, real good.

Like historically good.

They beat Lake County, 2-1, Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium to improve their overall season record to 76-45. When you reach 30-plus games over .500, that’s doing some business.

Some real, real good business.

“It’s enjoyable, and hopefully the guys are learning something while we’re in the process of winning these games,” Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman said. “I think the guys know that we’ve had a good season. We talk every day about trying to go out and win a game. It’s better than losing, that’s for sure.”

Cedar Rapids went 40-26 to win the Midwest League Western Division’s first-half championship, securing a spot in the MWL/High-A Central League playoffs for the 10th season in a row. That’d be all 10 years as an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

The Kernels are now 36-19 in the second half, which leads the entire league. They lead the Midwest League in run differential at +107.

The overall record and .628 winning percentage is the second best since the Kernels and Twins married, behind only the 2013 team, one that went 88-50 (for a .638 winning percentage) and included longtime big leaguers Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios.

In the modern era of Cedar Rapids professional baseball (since 1949), only that ‘13 club, the 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds (88-46, .657 winning percentage) and the 1966 Cedar Rapids Cardinals (81-40/.669) have been better than this one from a winning standpoint. That’s something.

“I think the camaraderie in the clubhouse is really good,” Dinkelman said. “They get along really well, and I feel like they pull for each other. There’s not so much of the ‘Me’ or ‘How am I doing?’ or whatever. They’re trying to perform for themselves, but they’re also trying to perform to help the team.”

The bulk of this club played together last season in low-A Fort Myers, so that familiarity must help. The position player group has gone mostly untouched since opening day way back in April, a generally young core that has shown improvement as the season has progressed.

Ten of the 14 position players currently on the active roster were here on opening day.

The pitching staff has seen its share of movement up and/or out, with five of the six guys in the starting rotation different from opening day. The Kernels have four new players since last week in second baseman Luke Keaschall (second-round pick of the Twins in July out of Arizona State) and pitchers Jackson Hicks, Ricardo Velez and Gabriel Yanez, all coming in from Fort Myers.

Dinkelman said the additions were both to help the Kernels down the stretch, as well as being individually warranted. By the way, Keaschall had a pair of RBI hits Tuesday night in his first Kernels game to account for his team’s runs.

“Great group of guys that have welcomed me and made me feel comfortable coming in here,” Keaschall said.

Dinkelman said the club has a pretty good idea about its starting rotation for the playoffs, which begin with a best-of-3 divisional series against the highest second-half finisher outside of the Kernels. It’s looking very much like the opponent will be Peoria.

The last two weeks, this series through Sunday and six games next week at Wisconsin, are about sharpening things up, getting guys a bit of rest if needed and adding to individual season numbers.

“Just continue to play good baseball and get ourselves ready for the playoffs,” Dinkelman said. “Whatever happens in the playoffs, happens. But just finish out strong here. We’ve had a good season, and hopefully we’ll finish out strong here the last two weeks of the regular season and carry some momentum into the playoffs.”

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