Kernels fall to Burlington, setting up exciting final week of 1st half

CEDAR RAPIDS — This is getting good.

Not that the Cedar Rapids Kernels want it that way. They'd prefer to strut and stroll into the Midwest League playoffs.

That doesn't appear it's going to happen after a 4-1 loss Sunday afternoon to Burlington at steamy Veterans Memorial Stadium. The race for the two available Western Division postseason spots in the first half essentially has come down to three teams.

The Kernels are 36-27, one game up on Kane County for first place. Quad Cities lurks ever so closely two games back of C.R. and one behind Kane County.

There are seven games left for each team. That includes one last encounter for the Kernels with Burlington at noon Monday.

Adding intrigue is that Cedar Rapids plays three games beginning Tuesday at Quad Cities. It closes first-half play at home against Clinton. After a Monday game at Beloit, Kane County has its final six first-half games at home. Quad Cities also finishes at home, against Beloit.

OK, so who you got?

'I don't know, man. It's getting close,' said Kernels Manager Tommy Watkins. 'I wish it was a little easier, but that's baseball. It's like I tell the guys, it's exciting to have a chance to play for something. I tell them it's just fun to have a chance to get into the playoffs.'

'It's coming down to the end, so we need to come out every day ready to play,' said Kernels third baseman Travis Blankenhorn. 'Just play good baseball all around, and we'll get the wins.'

The Kernels scored a run on three hits in the first inning, but had just two hits the rest of the way. That isn't going to get you to the playoffs.

Max Cordy threw four shutout innings in a spot start, but Burlington scored three times against what appeared to be a nervous reliever Evan Sanders in the fifth to go ahead for good.

Lefty Sanders was making his first professional appearance after being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the parent Minnesota Twins in early March out of NCAA Division II Arkansas-Fort Smith. Burlington relievers Mike Kaelin and Sean Isaac combined to strike out eight the final four innings, as Kernels hitters continually flailed away at breaking balls out of the strike zone.

'I think we've been playing pretty good,' said Blankenhorn, who had two of his team's five hits. 'Today our bats weren't going as good as they usually are. Two days ago we had, like, what, 22 hits or something? We're just trying to keep consistent, keep hitting the ball and watch our pitchers post zeroes.'

Despite this setback, Watkins expressed confidence in his club, which has been in first or second place in the division the vast majority of the first half.

'I like our chances,' he said. 'We've been playing pretty decent. As long as the effort is there, we definitely have a chance.'

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