Jermaine Palacios with 5 hits, Kernels with 22 in 15-5 drubbing of Burlington

CEDAR RAPIDS — Clark Beeker was asked how he would pitch to teammate Jermaine Palacios. He just smiled.

'I wouldn't,' the Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher said. 'I'd probably stick him in the ribs once, get him off the plate. Other than that, not throw what they did to him tonight. Because that was impressive.'

Yeah, impressive is one way to describe what the shortstop and Beeker's locker room neighbor did. He had five hits, including a pair of home runs, as the Kernels blasted Burlington, 15-5, Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

If only he'd have missed touching home plate on one of those longballs, he'd have had the cycle, too. A single, two doubles and two homers isn't such a bad deal, though.

'I think he's definitely making a case for himself,' Kernels Manager Tommy Watkins said, when asked his thoughts on a possible Palacios promotion to high-Class A Fort Myers. 'I wouldn't be surprised at the break if we try and push him, maybe. I think he deserves it. We've got nine games left in the first half, and, hopefully, he can stay here and help us clinch (a playoff spot), play in the all-star game and then go. I don't make those decisions, so I don't know what will happen.

'But as much as I'd like to see him here the whole year, he has made a case for himself. It's fun to watch.'

The 20-year-old Venezuelan has hit the entire season, boosting his batting average 13 points, to .327, with this gargantuan performance. He doubled over third base to get the Kernels (35-26) on the board in what turned out to be a five-run first inning.

Then it was a double high off the left-field wall in the second, a drive over the wall in left in the fourth, another homer to left in the seventh and a double past third in the eighth. He scored five times, including the only time he didn't get a hit, reaching base on an error in the sixth.

Palacios all of a sudden has 10 home runs, which surpasses his career high. Already, with over a half-season remaining.

'That does surprise me, but, like we've talked before, he puts the barrel on the ball,' Watkins said. 'When you put the barrel on the ball, good things happen.'

Cedar Rapids had 22 hits, at least one from every starter but poor Christian Cavaness. Travis Blankenhorn, Mitchell Kranson and Ben Rortvedt had three apiece.

Beeker (6-2) threw six innings for the win, allowing just a pair of two-run homers. The Kernels moved two games up on Kane County for first place in the Midwest League's Western Division with nine to go in the first half.

That includes another game with Burlington at 6:35 Saturday night.

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