DAVENPORT - The Cedar Rapids Kernels have accomplished some great things during the first half of the Midwest League campaign, but now the chase is on for the title.

Yes, folks, we have ourselves a pennant race.

The Kernels lost to the Quad Cities River Bandits, 8-4, Tuesday night before 4,679 fans at Modern Woodmen Park and fell into a virtual tie with the Beloit Snappers for first place in the Western Division.

The Kernels have a 39-24 record for a winning percentage of .6190476. Beloit, which defeated Wisconsin Tuesday night, is sitting at 40-25 for a winning percentage of .6153846.

The Kernels and Snappers have five games left in the first half of the campaign in a spirited sprint for the first-half flag. Both clubs are in good shape to make the playoffs as the runnerup for the first half of the season, but there are no guarantees.

"We've been in first place the whole freaking year and it comes down to the last week," Cedar Rapids Manager Jake Mauer said after Tuesday's tough loss.

"It's just disappointing," he said. "We had some chances. Couldn't get a hit. Couldn't get a big hit. Couldn't make a pitch. And they beat us, flat-out."

The River Bandits (35-28) are four games behind Cedar Rapids and Beloit in the standings with five games left. Peoria (34-28) is 4 1/2 games behind the leaders, giving both clubs hope of making the playoffs.

The Kernels and River Bandits will clash again Wednesday night and Thursday night in Davenport, then the Kernels will come home to finish the first half of the season with a three-game set against Peoria.

Mauer will give the ball to 19-year-old righthander Jose Berrios Tuesday night in the biggest game of the year so far.

"There's probably going to be a decent crowd here," said Mauer. "There usually is. And these guys (the Bandits) are still in the hunt."

Berrios sat in the stands Tuesday night, munching on some concession stand pizza and charting pitches along with fellow Kernels starters Mason Melotakis, Brett Lee and Hudson Boyd.

Berrios struck out New York Yankees all-star Robinson Cano while pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic this year, so he's been in tough spots before.

The Kernels rallied from a rocky start Tuesday and grabbed a 4-2 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by J.D. Williams and a three-run triple by Jorge Polanco, but there was a long way to go on a perfect night for baseball along the banks of the Mississippi River.

Cedar Rapids took a 4-3 lead into the seventh and nearly escaped without damage, but the inning had an unhappy ending for the Kernels. Relief pitcher Josue Montanez walked a man to load the bases with two outs, then weak-hitting designated hitter Jobduan Morales ripped a two-run single to center to give the Bandits a 5-4 edge.

"We walk a guy and load the bases and the next guy, hitting .190, gets a base hit up the middle. That's kind of how it goes," said Mauer. "These guys have our number, for whatever reason. I don't know what it is."

Jesse Wierzbicki belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give Quad Cities an 8-4 lead.

The Kernels did not get anybody on base in the ninth inning and that was that, ending the 3 hour, 13 minute game. They returned to Cedar Rapids after the contest, just like they do for almost all of their in-state games, and they'll come back to Davenport on Wednesday hoping for better luck.

KERNELS (4): Buxton, cf, 5 0 0 0, Williams, lf, 5 1 1 1, Polanco, ss, 3 0 1 3, Hicks, 1b, 4 0 1 0, Walker, rf, 4 0 1 0, Harrison, 3b, 4 0 0 0, Grimes, dh, 2 1 1 0, Quesada, c, 4 1 1 0, Pimentel, 2b, 3 1 2 0. Totals 34 4 8 4.

QUAD CITIES (8): Hernandez, cf, 3 2 0 0, Correa, ss, 2 3 2 0, Wierzbicki, 1b, 5 3 3 4, Ruiz, 3b, 4 0 1 1, Pena, c, 3 0 0 0, Elkins, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Morales, dh, 4 0 1 2, Scott, rf, 4 0 1 0, Sosa, lf, 4 0 2 0. Totals 31 8 10 7.

Kernels          004 000 000 - 4 8 3
Quad Cities  200 010 23x - 8 10 0

Robb, Brewer (5), Montanez (7) and Quesada. McCullers, Minor (5), Neely (8) and Pena. W - Minor (4-1). L - Brewer (0-1). S - Neely (10). 3B - Polanco (8). HR - Wierzbicki (4). SB - Ruiz (4), Elkins (11), Correa (6), Sosa (6). E - Harrison 2 (14), Quesada (2). T - 3:13. A - 4,679.