Cedar Rapids Kernels finish first full week of season with another victory over Beloit

CEDAR RAPIDS - What did you learn about the Cedar Rapids Kernels the first full week of the Midwest League regular season?

“They’re resilient,” said Manager Brian Meyer, after the Kernels beat Beloit, 10-7, Sunday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Cedar Rapids took the series four games to two, winning the first one and the final three. It goes into Monday’s day off with a 6-3 record.

It’s then on the road for six games at Peoria beginning Tuesday night.

“If you look at our week, the first night was a close game, and we pulled it out,” Meyer said. “The second night didn’t go our way at all. The third night we were down big and battled back, got the tying run to the plate. But they’re resilient, they’re playing hard.”

Everyone has learned that the lineup is good, even short handed, which it is right now. Infielders Rayne Doncon and Kaelen Culpepper (last year’s top draft pick of the parent Minnesota Twins) both went on the seven-day injured list in this series with back and wrist injuries, respectively.

Pitchers Jack Noble and Ross Dunn got hurt in the same game Wednesday night and went on the IL. It’s way too early to have that many guys unable to go.

“If you look, they’re all over the place,” Meyer said of the injuries. “Guys come out of spring training, it just happens. It stinks for the kids. You know they’ve worked for a long time, and they’re trying to play and everything. It’s disappointing, but unfortunately it’s part of the process with their careers. Something happens every year, you just don’t know when it’s going to be.”

The Kernels still have been good enough offensively to rank second in the MWL in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. Corner infielder Billy Amick has been a machine at the plate, going 13 for his first 32 with six extra-base hits, seven RBIs and nine walks, including three Sunday.

Outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez is 12 for 35 with seven RBIs and as many walks (four) as strikeouts. Middle infielder Kyle DeBarge is 8 for his last 19, including three hits Saturday and two more Sunday.

Other guys have contributed.

“You see the depth of the roster right now,” Meyer said. “Because we’ve had four or five guys go out, including Caden Kendle today, and other guys stepped up.”

Outfielder Kendle was hit twice by a pitch Sunday and was removed in the fifth because of some discomfort in his hand, which is where he took a pitch. The Kernels were plunked six times, which ties a Midwest League record.

It should be noted this was a case of Beloit pitchers being extremely wild, not throwing at guys. Cedar Rapids scored seven times in the first inning, with nine of the first 10 batters reaching (seven hits, a walk and a hit batter).

Pitching has been iffy in the early going, though there were positive signs Sunday.

Samuel Perez threw three really good shutout relief innings to get the win after not pitching well in his first two outings.

Juan Mendez got the final out of the eighth inning and all three in the ninth, after walking two guys and giving up a double to start it. Meyer went out to the mound after Mendez got the second out via a liner to third base that was 108 miles per hour off the bat of Ryan Ignoffo.

“Really proud of Mendy there. Mendy’s been through a lot,” Meyer said. “I wasn’t sure as I was walking out to the mound whether I was going to go to (the bullpen) or stay with Mendy. Just talked to him, and from what he told me with his body language and his eyes and everything, I just decided ‘All right, go get them.’

“You’ve got to give the kid a chance.”

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