Kernels streak to 6 after double-header loss

CEDAR RAPIDS - You're never as good as you are when things are going well, and you're never as bad as you are when things are going poorly. That's baseball gospel.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have been good most of this season. Really, really good.

But the last week, they've been bad. Really, really bad.

“I think we've just made some key errors and a few bad pitches, and we're not doing the job as hitters,” said Kernels first baseman D.J. Hicks, after a 10-3, 6-3 double-header loss to Burlington Monday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. “Kind of like a team (thing) all around. We're just not clicking, it's that simple. Tomorrow is a new day. I think we've shown flashes of getting better. We've just got to be a little more consistent.”

Enough was enough for manager Jake Mauer, who closed the clubhouse following the nightcap and addressed his team. There was no screaming and yelling because that's not the mild-mannered skipper's personality.

He didn't “throw the (food) spread around,” as he put it.

“It's mostly just doing what we need to do to get better,” Mauer said. “Everybody else in the league is getting better. We can't just roll the balls out there and expect they are going to beat themselves and expect that pitchers are going to give us a fastball to hit. We can't sit and wait for somebody to do something. We've got to do it ourselves. That's kind of what the gist of it was about. It's like ‘You guys, this is your team. We're going to be as good or as bad as you want us to be."

The Kernels (30-19) dropped to just 1 1/2 games ahead of Beloit for first place in the Midwest League's Western Division.

“I think (the postgame meeting) was much needed,” Hicks said. “We kind of just talked, (Mauer) left the floor open for everyone. I think that's always good for managers to do. I think it'll help us in the long run.”

Clinton comes to town for a three-game series that begins Tuesday at 6:35. Cedar Rapids hopes it can turn the page on these back-to-back three-game sweeps (including one at Beloit) and start playing winning ball again.

The Kernels have been successful because they've simply outscored teams this season. Right now, the offense has not been able to overcome so-so pitching and even worse defense.

“The effort is there,” Mauer said.

The Kernels welcomed pitcher Hein Robb to the team Monday. The lefty pitcher is from South Africa and is scheduled to start Thursday night's game.

Here are the game boxscores: