Steele makes case for spot in Kernels’ playoff rotation

CEDAR RAPIDS - Despite his recent struggles, you can likely pencil in Felix Jorge as one of the playoff starters for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Just go ahead and pen him in, actually.

The pitching rotation is up in the air after that, though Keaton Steele made a strong, strong case to be included Tuesday night.

He faced one batter over the minimum in eight innings, yet took the loss as his team was shutout by Kane County, 1-0, before 1,638 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Cougars tied a Midwest League record - actually, a professional baseball record - held by more than a few clubs by leaving zero runners on base. They came in leading the league in hitting, which shows you just how good Steele was in this game.

'Definitely. I want to compete,” the right-hander said, when asked if he hopes his name is mentioned as a possible playoff pitcher. 'I'm here to help the team win. If that's pitching in the playoffs, good. If that's sitting on the bench cheering my guys on, fine.”

Steele (4-4) bemoaned the way this two-hour and 12-minute quickie began. He hit leadoff man Chuck Taylor, who went to third base on an ensuing hit-and-run single and scored on a fielder's choice groundout.

That was the extent of the offense all around. Kane County (73-45, 37-13) got two more singles off Steele, but those runners were erased on double plays.

Another runner was thrown out trying to steal.

'I need to be better in the first inning, need to be locked in. Hit the first guy of the game, that just kind of sets the whole tone,” said Steele, who finished his college career at the University of Missouri after beginning at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs. 'They're a good-hitting team, got a couple of guys in the lineup who can really hurt you. Not so much the home-run ball, but kind of going gap to gap and stringing together hits. So I really just tried to sink the ball, stay down as much as I could and get them to chase, hopefully.”

The Kernels (68-52, 27-23) had baserunners in seven of the nine innings but only got one guy to third base. They had runners at the corners with none out in the sixth, but Rafael Valera was tagged out at home plate trying to score on a wild pitch and nothing came of that rally.

Cedar Rapids will likely have to play the remainder of the season without sparkplug center fielder Tanner English, who injured his left thumb diving for a ball in his team's series last weekend at Fort Wayne. The speedy leadoff hitter, who has 37 stolen bases, had an MRI done Monday, but Manager Jake Mauer said even if that's clean, he doubts English would make it back in time for the playoffs, which begin September 9 at home against Quad Cities.

That's a best-of-three series, with the final two games (if necessary) at Davenport.

'I think everybody is hitting a wall, but they (Kane County) are, too,” Mauer said. 'It's the same for everybody, If you're not tired this time of year, there's something wrong.

'You can use whatever (excuse) you want to. Too tired, too sunny, too hot, too cloudy, too wet. Insert excuse here ... It's a test, no doubt. I guarantee you (shortstop) Nick Gordon has never played this much baseball. Some of our pitchers haven't thrown this much, I know that. It's the same everywhere. It's a matter of finding a way to get it done.”

The teams play the second game of their three-game series Wednesday night at 6:35.

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