Kernels end 1st half with lopsided loss to Burlington

CEDAR RAPIDS - The first half of the Midwest League season for the Cedar Rapids Kernels was best represented by this moment Sunday. It's multiple choice.

- Kody Eaves of Burlington hooking a ball down the right-field line in the ninth inning and boinking a two-run home run squarely off the foul pole. That's happened maybe two or three times in the 15-year history of the newer Veterans Memorial Stadium.

- Starting pitcher Ethan Mildren taking a line-shot comebacker off his right forearm in the fourth inning, forcing him to be removed from the game. The ball went for a run-scoring single.

- Three-year-old Jakey Mauer laying down on the field and pouting pregame, refusing to throw a ceremonial first pitch to his dad, Kernels Manager Jake Mauer, because he didn't get to throw it from the mound and because his older sister, Lauren, beat him to the punch by throwing her ceremonial first pitch first. It was an adorable moment but a harbinger of what was to come.

'We didn't start out very good. That's right,” laughed the elder Mauer. 'That set the tone early.”

A mostly forgettable first half for the Kernels ended in a forgettable way, a 13-3 loss before 2,999 fans on Father's Day. Cedar Rapids played its first 70 games to the mediocre tune of 31-39.

The best thing about minor league baseball is that virtually every league plays a split season. That means teams starts over at 0-0 in the second half.

After a three-day break, the Kernels begin half number two with a week-long road trip that begins Thursday at Kane County.

'Looking forward to turning the page,” Mauer said. 'Taking these next three days off and getting back after it.”

It won't make a difference if Cedar Rapids doesn't pitch significantly better than it did in the first half. Sunday's beating (11 earned runs allowed on 19 hits) raised the Kernels' team earned run average to 4.80, next to last in the 16-team MWL.

Too many times, Kernels starters have gotten hit hard, forcing an overworked bullpen to come into games early. That has to change.

'That game was a pretty good summation of the first half,” Mauer said. 'That's how it's been. Our starter's ERAs have been pretty high. When you line them up, we have a pretty good bullpen. But when you run them out there in the fourth inning, that's not going to work too good.”

When asked about first-half positives, Mauer mentioned the heart of his batting order: Chad Christensen, Mitch Garver, Bryan Haar and Jason Kanzler. Haar and pitcher Kohl Stewart will represent the club in Tuesday's MWL All-Star Game at Grand Rapids, Mich.

Stewart, the No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft, has been very good in his first full season. Mauer said he really liked the way Todd Van Steensel has pitched out of the bullpen since coming to the club in May from extended spring training.

The manager said he doesn't know about any impending roster changes for the second half. The 2014 draft was last week and draft picks are starting to sign.

The Twins took a bunch of college pitchers in the first 10 rounds. Could some of those guys be headed this way?

That's hard to tell, though there is one easy thing to tell.

'We are not going to make the playoffs with the second-to-last ERA in the league,” Mauer said. 'That's just not going to work.”

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