New Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Hein Robb spent a good part of Monday on airplanes as he hustled into town from extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.

Robb, a native of South Africa, arrived safely Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, his luggage got lost somewhere along the way from Fort Myers to Atlanta to Cedar Rapids.

"It figures," Kernels Manager Jake Mauer said with an ironic grin.

When things go wrong for a ballclub, even a new player's luggage gets misplaced on the day he's promoted to the Midwest League.

The struggling Kernels dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Burlington Bees on Memorial Day, 10-3 and 6-3, as their losing streak reached six games before 1,105 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Kernels (30-19) enjoyed a fat five-game lead in the Western Division a week ago, but that lead has shrunk to just 1 1/2 games over the Beloit Snappers with 19 games left in the first half of the season.

Mauer held a rare closed-door meeting with his team after the twinbill.

"I'm not a big meeting guy," said Mauer. "That's basically what I told them.

"I said, 'Guys, this is your team. You guys can be as good as you want to be, or we can be as bad as you want to be.

"If I throw the spread (of food) off the wall, is that going to make us any better or any worse? You'll probably get mad at me because you don't have anything to eat.'"

There were no signs of lasagna on the clubhouse walls.

"In my opinion, I think we're very tentative right now. We're waiting," said Mauer.

"We have to start to understand, teams are going to make adjustments, they're going to get better, and we have to do the same. That's exactly it."

Cedar Rapids had not lost more than two straight games all season before now. The Kernels were swept in a three-game series at Beloit, then got swept at home by Burlington in another three-game set.

The Bees (19-26) arrived in town Saturday with one of the worst records in the Midwest League, but they got healthy against the Kernels.

Robb, the new player from South Africa, walked into an unhappy clubhouse after the games. He knows most of the players from his previous three years in the Minnesota Twins organization and greeted the guys after the doubleheader.

Robb replaces Matt Tomshaw, who has been promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League.

Robb did not know he was headed to Cedar Rapids until early Monday morning.

"I got the call this morning at 7," he said. "I was still sleeping. I've been on a plane the whole day.

"The connections were fine, but my bags are gone. Just lost. They'll probably arrive sometime, hopefully.

"I carry my gloves in my hand luggage, so that's all right. All my cleats and all that stuff are in the bags. I pretty much need that stuff tonight or tomorrow morning."

Robb, 21, is from Brakpan, South Africa. He signed with the Twins in 2008 and played for South Africa in the 2009 World Baseball Classic when he was only 16 years old.

"I was the youngest player in the tournament," he said. "I threw one inning against Mexico in the ninth. It didn't go too well, but obviously the experience is all that matters, really."

That game was played in Mexico before approximately 45,000 fans, with Mexican fans banging drums and blowing horns.

"Obviously I was just nervous, I was just scared," he said. "Sixteen years old, what are you doing on the mound? Everything just rushed at me."

Robb pitched for South Africa in the WBC qualifying round last September and threw five shutout innings against France, but South Africa did not advance.

Robb thinks he'll pitch for the Kernels Thursday night against Clinton. He said he's excited about playing in Cedar Rapids and hopes to become the first player from South Africa to play in the Major Leagues.

"That would be nice," he said.

Mauer is looking for someone to spark the Kernels when they open a three-game series against Clinton Tuesday night at 6:35. Maybe Robb will be the guy, assuming his luggage shows up.

GAME 1

BURLINGTON (10): S.Johnson, 3b, 2 3 1 0, K.Johnson, rf, 3 2 1 2, Hinkle, 1b, 3 1 1 1, Bolaski, dh, 4 0 2 5, Walsh, lf, 3 0 0 1, Clarke, cf, 4 1 1 0, Ross, ss, 4 0 1 0, Livingston, c, 4 1 1 0, Moesquit, 2b, 3 2 1 0. Totals 30 10 9 9.

KERNELS (3): Buxton, cf, 3 1 3 1, Pineda, rf, 3 0 0 0, Polanco, ss, 2 0 0 1, Hicks, 1b, 3 0 2 1, Walker, dh, 4 0 0 0, Harrison, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Quesada, c, 2 1 0 0, Pimentel, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Williams, lf, 2 1 0 0. Totals 25 3 6 3.

Burlington    011 044 0 - 10 9 1
Kernels        110 000 1 -  3  6 1

Keudell, Powell (7) and Livingston. Lee, Soliman (5), Muren (6) and Quesada. W - Keudell (4-1). L - Lee (3-3). 2B - S.Johnson (10), Bolaski (8). SB - Moesquit (3), Buxton (23). E - Livingston (2), Pimentel (7). T - 2:07.

GAME 2

BURLINGTON (6): S.Johnson, 3b, 4 2 2 2, K.Johnson, rf, 4 1 1 1, Hinkle, dh, 3 0 1 1, Bolaski, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Gowens, lf, 3 0 1 0, Clarke, cf, 2 0 0 0, Ross, ss, 2 1 0 0, Martinez, c, 2 1 1 0, Toribio, 2b, 2 1 0 0. Totals 25 6 6 4.

KERNELS (3): Buxton, cf, 2 0 0 0, Goodrum, ss, 2 0 0 0, Polanco, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Hicks, 1b, 2 2 1 0, Harrison, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Grimes, c, 2 1 1 2, Williams, lf, 2 0 0 1, Quesada, dh, 3 0 0 0, Pineda, rf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 22 3 4 3.

Burlington   240 000 0 - 6 6 1
Kernels       010 200 0 - 3 4 2

Lowery, Diaz (7) and Martinez. Boyd, Hurlbut (7) and Grimes. W - Lowery (2-1). L - Boyd (1-3). S - Diaz. 2B - S.Johnson (11), Gowens (2), Hicks (14). HR - Grimes (3). E - Bolaski (12), Grimes (4), Goodrum (9). T - 1:43. A - 1,105.