Playoff streak on the line, Cedar Rapids Kernels head to Ohio for 2 straight weeks

CEDAR RAPIDS — So you’re saying there’s a chance.

It’s questionable how good of a chance the Cedar Rapids Kernels have at extending what is a pretty impressive playoff streak.

The Kernels have been a postseason qualifier in the Midwest League or High-A Central League for 10 consecutive seasons. That’d be every season Cedar Rapids has been affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, including an MWL championship last year.

The COVID pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season. The following season was shortened with the two teams with the top overall records meeting for the championship, and the Kernels even were one of those.

Cedar Rapids beat South Bend, 4-1, Sunday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium to split a six-game series with the Cubs. It is right there in the battle for the second half’s available playoff spot.

Cedar Rapids is 24-24, tied with Peoria a game back of second-place Quad Cities. Wisconsin, which clinched a playoff berth by winning the division’s first half is in first place again.

The issue is the schedule. The next two weeks see the Kernels hitting the state of Ohio: six games beginning Tuesday at Dayton and six games the following week at Lake County.

Dayton leads the Eastern Division in the second half.

The regular season wraps with a home series against Wisconsin. All in all, that’s a hard ask for a ballclub that hasn’t been playing particularly well of late.

“Who knows?” said Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman said. “You never know. It’s baseball, we’ve still got three weeks left. I know we’ve got to go on this two-week road trip. All those games are against tough opponents, so it won’t be an easy road trip. Hopefully we can get through it, get back home for the last week and have a chance to get into the playoffs.”

They’ll hit the road on a winning streak, of sorts. The Kernels (61-51 overall) won the final two games against South Bend, this one thanks to exquisite pitching.

Jeremy Lee allowed just a scratch single (a routine grounder to shortstop that Jose Salas slipped on getting ready to throw to first) in four innings. Spencer Bengard, Nolan Santos and Gabriel Yanez finished up, with South Bend’s only run being unearned.

Mega-prospect Walker Jenkins went 2-for-4 and is 7 for his last 16 at the plate, a sure sign the 19-year-old outfielder is beginning to acclimate to high-A after a recent promotion from low-Class A Fort Myers. He has been the designated hitter as much as he has been in the field, with Dinkelman saying that is because the Twins want to keep him healthy the rest of season and get him as many at-bats as possible.

Jenkins missed a month and a half at the beginning of the season with a hamstring injury.

“We just want to make sure he’s getting as many at-bats as possible, whether it’s playing center field or DHing,” Dinkelman said. “First full season for him, just making sure he can make it to the end of the season. Get as many plate appearances as possible.”

Speaking of top prospects, shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota’s first-round draft pick last month, is expected to join the Kernels for their series at Dayton. He has been at Fort Myers.

The Kernels have gone 6-11 in their last 17 games, as promotions and some injuries seem to have caught up to them. But ... you’re saying there’s a chance.

“We have a lot of talented players,” said Kernels catcher Nate Baez. “Our mentality right now is we’ve got (three) weeks, and we’re just going to work our ass off and play as hard as we can in how many ever games we have left.”

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