The Cedar Rapids Kernels had been manhandling the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers this season, racking up an 8-0 record and outscoring the Rattlers 53-17 coming into their series finale Thursday night in Cedar Rapids.

That dominance came to an abrupt end as a “Thirsty Thursday” crowd of 1,957, along with former Major League closer Lee Smith, watched the Rattlers end the Kernels' four-game winning streak with a convincing 6-0 win at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Smith, a seven-time big league All-Star, was in attendance to sign autographs for fans before and during the game.

Jared Wilson (4-1) has been a warrior in the Cedar Rapids rotation, giving his team at least five innings in all seven of his starts and accumulating a 4-0 record.

Wilson survived five tough innings again Thursday, but took his first loss of the season. He gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits, walked two and hit two batters. He struck two Wisconsin hitters.

The Rattlers sent Kodi Medeiros, the Milwaukee Brewers’ first-round choice (12th overall) in last summer’s draft to the mound and Kernels hitters had no answer for the lefty, who turned 19-years old Monday.

Cedar Rapids managed just two hits off of Medeiros during his seven innings.

The first hit was a fourth-inning single by Zack Larson that moved Nick Gordon to second base. Gordon, who had reached on a hit-by-pitch, would get as far as third base before being stranded. He was the only runner to advance beyond first base against the Rattlers’ starter.

Max Murphy legged out an infield single in the seventh inning for his team's second hit, but was erased on an inning-ending double play.

Besides Murphy, Larson and Gordon, only TJ White -- with a second-inning base on balls -- reached base against Medeiros, who struck out five Kernels.

Gary Lucas, who served as the Kernels' pitching coach in 2013, holds the same position now with Wisconsin and he thought this performance might have been Medeiros’ best of the season.

“I would say so,” Lucas said, “as far as how deep he went in the game and the few pitches that he had and the repeatability, the mix. He got a lot of unbalanced swings. For 19, and he just turned 19, that was pretty good.”

Kernels manager Jake Mauer agreed.

“That kid was pretty good,” Mauer said. “He moved the ball around, a little bit away, then moved it in. He threw more strikes than the last time we’d seen him, but also it was 20 degrees out (last time).

“But we didn’t do too much to make it very difficult on him, either.”

Rattler reliever David Burkholder followed with a pair of scoreless innings to cap things off. Burkholder gave up a pop fly single to center field by Tanner English and a line drive single by Larson in the Kernels’ ninth inning, but preserved the shutout.

Larson had two hits in four at-bats for Cedar Rapids.

Michael Thefanopoulos worked three innings of relief for the Kernels, giving up one run on two hits.

Trevor Hildenberger struck out a pair while pitching a scoreless ninth inning for the Kernels. He has now thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings in relief.

Mauer and Twins farm director Brad Steil both indicated that they had no firm plans yet on how to replace injured Kernels first baseman/outfielder Trey Vavra, who was placed on the disabled list Thursday.

The Kernels will open a four-game series with Clinton on Friday. The game, on “Star Wars Night” at the ballpark, will start at 6:35 p.m.

WISCONSIN (6): Munoz, ss, 4 0 0 0, Castillo, lf, 4 2 3 1, DeMuth, dh, 4 0 0 0, Leal, c, 3 1 1 0, Matos, 3b, 3 0 1 2, Neuhaus 2b, 3 0 1 0, Rubio, rf, 4 0 0 0, Sharkey, 1b, 4 2 2 0, Diaz, cf, 3 1 2 3. Totals 32 6 10 6.

KERNELS (0): English, cf, 4 0 1 0, Gordon ss, 3 0 0 0, Larson, rf, 4 0 2 0, Murphy, lf, 4 0 1 0, Fernandez, dh, 3 0 0 0, White, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Kuresa, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Navarreto, c, 3 0 0 0, Schmit, 2b, 3 0 0 0. Totals 29 0 4 0.

Wisconsin     011 210 100 – 6 10 0

Cedar Rapids 000 000 000 – 0  4 0

Medeiros, Burkhalter (8) and Leal. Wilson, Theofanopoulos (6), Hildenberger (9) and Navarreto. WP – Medeiros (2-2), LP – Wilson (4-1). 2B – Sharley (2). 3B – Leal (2). HR – Castillo (1), Diaz (3). SB – Diaz 2 (13).