Pitcher Tyler Beck’s first professional start goes very, very well

CEDAR RAPIDS – He had to think about it. The specifics were a bit sketchy in his mind.

Tyler Beck made his first professional start Wednesday night for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in their 4-3 loss to Beloit at Veterans Memorial Stadium. His first start in a long time.

“That’s a good question. It’s been a solid four years ago,” the right-handed pitcher from Indiana said. “Like 2017 when I was at my junior college? It’s been a little bit.”

Beck did start at Pasco-Hernandez junior college in Florida but was exclusively a bullpen guy for two years at NCAA Division II powerhouse University of Tampa before being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 30th round in 2019. He spent that rookie pro season also working strictly relief.

His first two appearances this season for Cedar Rapids came spotting Tyler Watson. Those two are piggybacking each other right now, with Beck finally getting the opportunity to start a game, with Watson relieving him.

Five innings of one-hit, one-run ball tell you it was a smashing success.

“Obviously just talking to other starters, just kind of getting their routines down and everything,” Beck said. “Like timing wise, when to go stretch, when to go throw, everything like that. But it was pretty solid. I had a good background knowledge, like I said, in talking to some of the guys. It was pretty solid, I didn’t mind it. Yeah, it was four years ago, but I kind of got back to some of my old routines.”

Beck, who began his college career as a two-way guy at Purdue, threw about 70 percent offspeed pitches to stymie Beloit’s bats. That’s going to be his modus operandi moving forward, the “new normal,” as he put it.

It’s pitching backward, his breaking stuff and changeup setting up his fastball, which is generally low-90s. The right-hander has now given up just three hits in 12 2/3 innings for the Kernels, with two walks and 15 strikeouts.

“The biggest thing for me this year has been offspeed in the zone early,” Beck said. “That’s the biggest thing. Early in the counts, the way my profile goes, how my pitches work off my fastball, getting ahead in the count early sets me up for success.

“It’s definitely exciting. Even from upper-level guys and everything like that, when we’re talking about our coordinators, it kind of takes a little more pride in, like, a starter just because it’s usually more of a four-pitch mix, going with my profile. I enjoy it. I’m cool with either or, but I was definitely enjoying (this) a little bit.”

Beloit scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning against losing relief pitcher Tyler Palm for the victory. Nic Ready singled leading off the frame, went to third on Ricky Aracena’s double off the glove of drawn-in third baseman Seth Gray and scored on Bubba Hollins’ sacrifice fly to center.

Aracena also tagged and went to third on the play. He scored on a Zach Owings single past a drawn-in Grey.

Cedar Rapids got all three of its runs in the third, on a two-run Michael Helman home run and Matt Wallner RBI double. The Kernels were denied what turned out to be a very important fourth run in the sixth when Gabe Snyder sliced a ball down the third-base line onto the short porch in left field.

The ball clearly landed inside the left-field foul pole fair, which was confirmed by video replay, but the home-plate umpire ruled it foul. Snyder then struck out.

“From my vantage point, I thought it looked fair,” Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman said. “Kind of tailed around the pole. The umpire had it different. It’s a tough call. The guy’s standing 330 feet away or whatever away from the ball. He called it foul, so that’s what it is.”

The final 16 Kernels hitters were retired in this game. Dinkelman said he felt his guys may have gotten away from their proper approaches in the later innings.

Kernels center fielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. appeared to re-aggravate a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week’s entire six-game series at Quad Cities on a double he hit in the third inning. He pulled up and limped his way into second base, immediately calling for a trainer and being removed from the game.

The teams play again Thursday night at 6:35.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com

BOX SCORE - Beloit at Cedar... by Jeff Johnson