Kernels rally past Clinton

OK, so we pretty much know who the Cedar Rapids Kernels will play in the first round of the Midwest League playoffs in a couple of weeks.

The Peoria Chiefs have all but cinched the top Western Division spot in the second half. That means a best-of-3 playoff matchup against the Kernels, the No. 2 division seed in the first half.

What we really don't know is what the Kernels' postseason pitching rotation will be.

Manager Bill Mosiello said after his team's 4-3 come-from-behind win over Clinton Monday night at Memorial Stadium that he hopes that will sort itself out in his team's final 13 regular-season games.

That includes seven more in a row at home with Clinton and Peoria.

“We'll start worrying about that with six or seven games to go,” Mosiello said. “(The starters) are going to continue to get their work. I haven't really talked to (pitching coach Brandon Emanuel), but there are some questions.”

It's hard to figure who the Kernels' top starters are right now.

Tyler Chatwood has had a good August, with a 3-1 record and 3.42 earned run average. You'd figure he might get a playoff start the way he has been pitching.

Ryan Chaffee and Will Smith have struggled this month, with ERAs over 7.00. Manuarys Correa, who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of his last start, has an August ERA of 5.87.

Kyle Hurst got the start last night and went 4 2/3 innings. Smith, who pitches Tuesday night against Clinton, is coming off a lengthy stint on the disabled list.

“Tomorrow is a big day for him to see if he is one of the top three,” Mosiello said. “He will be if he pitches like he can, but he hasn't been pitching like he can.”

Mosiello likes the way everything else is setting up for his club. The hitting has been solid of late, including 11 base hits last night.

Jon Townsend, who had two home runs and seven RBIs in a win Saturday over Wisconsin, was the hitting hero again. His two-run, game-winning single in the eighth completed a rally from a 3-1 deficit.

“We've been playing pretty good for a while,” Mosiello said. “We've been playing pretty good baseball. We've been swinging it for a bit.”

The skipper loves the fact that he has two and maybe three top-notch relievers to close games out. Andrew Taylor hasn't given up a run in 10 innings this month. Nick Pugliese (3-2), who got the win last night, has been solid most of the season.

Newcomer Johnny Hellweg made his Kernels debut last night and got the save by surviving a rocky ninth inning. The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder, who was closing games for the Arizona Rookie League Angels before his promotion over the weekend, walked two guys but stranded the bases loaded by getting Luis Nunez to pop to first for the final out.

Hellweg went 3-0 on Nunez before throwing a strike.

“We just wanted to put him into the fire tonight,” Mosiello said. “He was throwing the heck out of it in Arizona.''