Pitching allows Kernels to have good 1st half

CEDAR RAPIDS – This is a fun time in the Midwest League.

The league's all-star game is Tuesday night at Peoria's Dozer Park, with the Cedar Rapids Kernels represented by four pitchers: Cam Booser, Trevor Hildenberger, Felix Jorge and Jared Wilson. Infielder Trey Vavra was selected as a starter at first base for the Western Division but is injured.

The second half of the season begins Thursday night. The fun part is guessing which Kernels will still be here Thursday and which Kernels, if any, will be promoted to advanced-Class A Fort Myers.

'I think the position players will pretty much still be here,” Manager Jake Mauer said late last week. 'I don't think there will be a lot of changes there. But I'd be shocked if we have the same pitching staff. You don't know what's going to happen, but what's nice now is that we've been healthy relatively all the way through (the organization). So guys that are moving deserve to move. They are getting a promotion, not getting the (out of) necessity stuff.”

The Kernels finished 41-29 in the first half and secured their third consecutive playoff berth as a Minnesota Twins affiliate. As you can tell by the positions of the all-star participants, pitching was the reason for the nifty record.

Cedar Rapids is first in the MWL in team earned run average (2.74), the only club that's sub-3.00. It has allowed the fewest hits and recorded the most strikeouts.

Two starters in the opening-night rotation (Mat Batts, Stephen Gonsalves) already have been moved up, with Jorge and Wilson eventual possibilities, too. The bullpen has been great, with guys like Hildenberger and Booser prime promotion candidates, you'd think.

Hildenberger, a sidearming right-hander, definitely doesn't have much left to prove here. His numbers are just this side of obscene: 0.51 earned run average in 20 games, 15 hits allowed in 35.1 innings and 46 strikeouts.

'I thought they'd be pretty good, but I didn't think they'd be this good,” Mauer said of his relievers. 'I'm not trying to be negative, but coming out of spring training, we didn't have a lot of roles set … We knew we had good starting, but relieving was the big question mark. It's probably been the best bullpen in the league. It's a testament to those guys. Guys like Booser and Hildenberger have stepped up and always take the ball in the ninth pretty much every time we have a chance to win.”

The offense, on the other hand, has been inconsistent. The Kernels sit in a tie for 11th in league batting (.244) and have hit the second-fewest home runs (23). Mauer bemoaned the approaches of some of his hitters, saying they haven't made the necessary adjustments to be successful, or successful enough.

'Pitching has been the beginning and ending for us,” he said. 'Those guys have thrown the ball real well, and they have all year. Our starters have been outstanding, middle relief has been good, the back end (of the bullpen0 has been outstanding. We catch the ball pretty good for the most part. We catch it, play defense and pitch. That's the reason we're in the playoffs. We've got 70 games here to figure out offense a little bit. We need some games where the offense carries us because the pitching has done it the first 70 games.”

The Kernels and Twins did announce one player move Monday, as reliever Jose Velez was given his release. He went 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings.

METRO-AREA-IOWA HAWKEYE PLAYERS IN PRO BASEBALL

- Chad Christensen (Cedar Rapids Washington): Has hits in nine of his last 10 games to raise his batting average to .282 for advanced-Class A Fort Myers (Twins). Has two home runs, 23 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 59 games.

- Jon Keller (Cedar Rapids Xavier): Has a 3-4 record, three saves and 3.64hree saves and 3.64 earned run average in 19 relief appearances for advanced-a Frederick (Orioles). Has allowed just 38 hits in 42 innings.

- Derrick Loveless (Solon): Outfielder hitting .234 in 58 games for high-A Dunedin (Blue Jays). Has four doubles, four homers and 19 RBIs.

- Colin Rea (Cascade): Has not given up a run in two starts since coming off the disabled list for Double-A San Antonio (Padres). Has 1.18 earned run average in 10 starts, allowing just 41 hits and nine walks in 61 innings.

- Scott Schebler (Cedar Rapids Prairie): Outfielder has gone 9 for his last 12 for Triple-A Albuquerque (Dodgers) to bump his batting average to .251 in 62 games. Has nine doubles, nine homers and 25 RBIs.

- Justin Toole (Iowa): Infielder is with Double-A Akron (Indians) and has .200 batting average in 37 games.

- Jake Yacinich (Iowa): Shortstop has played in 46 games for low-A Burlington (Angels) and has .297 batting average, with a home run and 18 RBIs.

- Taylor Zeutenhorst (Iowa): Outfielder for low-A Clinton (Mariners) has .231 average in 40 games. Also has a home run and 15 RBIs.

Rookie leagues begin play this week. Though not all rosters are known, former Cedar Rapids Xavier prep Mitch Keller has been assigned to Bristol (Pirates) of Appalachian League, former Iowa Hawkeye pitcher Blake Hickman has been sent to the Arizona Rookie League White Sox, former Hawkeye outfielder Eric Toole is with Boise (Rockies) of Northwest League and former Hawkeye pitcher Nick Hibbing is with low-A West Virginia (Pirates) of South Atlantic League.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com