Jose Olivares has look of future big league starting pitcher

CEDAR RAPIDS - Some days, you see it. Everyone sees it.

Like Wednesday afternoon.

Jose Olivares can be a big league pitcher. A good one.

“He’s special,” said Cedar Rapids Kernels co-pitching coach Hunter Townsend. “Really special.”

At least he was here, dominating Lake County in his five innings of starting work. He and the Kernels notched a 1-0 win at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Kaelen Culpepper’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning.

Olivares, a 22-year-old right-hander from Venezuela, had everything working: a mid-90s fastball, changeup, breaking ball. Every pitch was crisp, as was his location.

He gave up just one hit and one walk, striking out seven in his deepest outing this season, taking only 69 pitches to get there. The parent Minnesota Twins are being careful with his workload because they know what they might have if he can keep developing.

“He was in command of everything,” Townsend said. “He was flowing on the mound, looked like he wanted to compete and like he wanted to beat a lineup. Impressive ... I think it was his best outing of the year. Not even close.”

“I felt like my rhythm was good,” Olivares said, with the translation help of Kernels co-hitting coach Julian Gonzalez. “Then it was my direction towards home plate. That’s something I haven’t done well. I mixed pitches very well. I was paying attention to each batter today more than I have. Paid attention to what they were doing.”

Olivares had three good outings to begin this Midwest League season but things went a bit sideways from there, including a start in which he didn’t make it out of the first inning. Control has been an issue at times, as has an inability to mentally overcome adversity in games.

In the fifth Wednesday, Olivares allowed a leadoff single, stolen base and walk, only to regroup and retire the next three guys, two by strikeout. He has a 3.81 earned run average: only 16 hits allowed (though 17 walks) in 26 innings, with 37 strikeouts.

Jack Noble, Spencer Bengard and Jacob Wosinski finished up the shutout for the Kernels (26-20), with Wosinski pitching the ninth for his sixth save.

“Probably the last three starts for me weren’t as good as I’d hoped,” Olivares said, through Gonzalez. “So I’ve been talking to our (the Twins) mental skills department. Talking to them, speaking on some things, I was able to gain my confidence again. With that, just some stuff that I learned from them. Being able to recoup when things are going bad. Just be able to reel everything back in.”

The Kernels and Captains play again Thursday night at 6:35. Cedar Rapids is expected to place catcher-outfielder Khadim Diaw on the injured list after he incurred a broken right thumb Tuesday night by inadvertently hitting the bat of a Lake County player on a throw to second base to attempt to nab a basestealer.

Diaw was hitting .302 in 38 games.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com