Kernels win fourth straight, down Chiefs

CEDAR RAPIDS - They could win the rest of their games and still miss the Midwest League playoffs. Though you'd like to see them give it a try.

All of a sudden, the Cedar Rapids Kernels are hot, baby. Albeit likely a little bit too late.

They won their fourth straight last night, 6-2, over Peoria before 1,667 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium. That's the third game in a row the opponent and final have been the same, by the way.

Kind of weird.

“Yeah, that's a little freaky,” said Kernels Manager Brent Del Chiaro. “But I'll take it every day of the week ... We're playing really good defense right now. It's kind of all clicking. The pitching has been good, the relievers have been tremendous.”

The Kernels continue to win and not gain any ground in the Western Division. Cedar Rapids (24-32) is seven games behind Clinton for the second and final available second-half playoff spot with 14 games remaining.

Simply too much ground to make up in too little time. And the parent Los Angeles Angels aren't helping by promoting the team's best players to playoff-bound Inland Empire in the high-A California League.

Outfielder Randal Grichuk is the latest former Kernel, going out with a 2-for-3 game and an RBI last night. Grichuk, of course, is the guy taken one pick ahead of Angels outfielder and mega-prospect Mike Trout in the first round of the 2009 draft.

His career has been foiled by injury, including this season, as he didn't join the Kernels until July 20. He went out with a bang here, though, tripling in three consecutive games.

The Kernels had 10 hits and got seven solid innings from starter P.J. Jang (2-5). They also turned two more double plays to go with the three they had Sunday.

It's been four days of good baseball, maybe not a coincidence since farm director Abe Flores is in town.

“We've been saying all year long that it's not the first impression, it's the last impression that matters,” Del Chiaro said. “I'll be really interested to see how we play when he leaves.”