Starting pitching rotation all brand new for Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS — Can you name the six guys who began this season in the Cedar Rapids Kernels starting rotation?

Can you guess how many of those guys are still in the Cedar Rapids Kernels starting rotation? How many are still Cedar Rapids Kernels?

The answer to Question One is Aaron Rozek, Brent Headrick, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Cade Povich, Sean Mooney and Casey Legumina.

The answer to the second question is one: Rozek. He’s also the answer to the third question.

Player movement is a consistent thing in minor league baseball, folks.

“Some of those guys did well, some of them went to Double-A,” said Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman, after his team’s 9-5 loss Wednesday afternoon to Beloit at Veterans Memorial Stadium. “We lost Povich in that trade yesterday. We’re a little short in the rotation right now.”

As the skipper mentioned, Povich was included in a Tuesday trade by the parent Minnesota Twins with the Baltimore Orioles for major league reliever Jorge Lopez. Gipson-Long, who was in Double-A, went Tuesday to the Detroit Tigers in a trade for big league reliever Michael Fulmer.

Headrick recently was promoted to Double-A Wichita. Legumina already was there. Mooney is on the injured list with Cedar Rapids.

Rozek (7-5) took the loss in this game, giving up three runs in two innings. This was the fourth consecutive game a Kernels starter has gone 3 2/3 innings or less, a troubling pattern.

“Hopefully we’ll get some (more) guys in here soon and help fill in,” Dinkelman said. “Just part of the game.”

Seth Gray went 3-for-4 with four RBIs for Cedar Rapids (59-39, 16-16 in the Midwest League’s second half). Marcus Chiu had two home runs and four RBIs for Beloit, which has won the first two games of this six-game series.

Dinkelman, by the way, was ejected in the top of the third inning for arguing balls and strikes. The manager and his coaching staff were particularly miffed about a borderline 3-2 pitch from reliever Tyler Palm with the bases loaded and two outs that was called ball four.

The start of the game was delayed by a half-hour because of rain.

Kernels General Manager Scott Wilson said Wednesday that next week’s game against the Quad Cities River Bandits at the Field Of Dreams near Dyersville is sold out. The teams will play the first minor league game at the movie site Tuesday, two days ahead of the major league game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.

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