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* Contact Metro Sports Report * Jim Ecker, President & Editor jim.ecker@metrosportsreport.com 319-390-4236 |
Cedar Rapids Kernels pitching coach Gary Lucas has some new toys to play with in the months and years ahead.
Twenty-three of them, to be exact.
The Minnesota Twins picked 23 pitchers in the Major League draft this past Thursday through Saturday. Sooner or later, most of them will end up working with Lucas in Cedar Rapids or at Minnesota's training camp in Florida.
Kane County closed the door early on a sliding Cedar Rapids Kernels team Saturday night. And following the 15-1 defeat, Kernels Manager Jake Mauer had the clubhouse door closed for a meeting.
Cedar Rapids was never in the opener of the three-game series before a fireworks night crowd of 5,251 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The loss, the third straight for Cedar Rapids (37-23) combined with Beloit's win over Burlington, cut the Kernels' lead to 1 1/2 games in the Midwest League's Western Division. The magic number for a playoff spot did fall to six as Quad Cities lost at Peoria.
The injury bug has bitten the Cedar Rapids Kernels pitching staff yet again.
Lefthander David Hurlbut will be placed on the disabled list retroactive to June 5 and Kaleb Merck has been summoned from extended spring training to take his spot on the roster.
Kernels Manager Jake Mauer said Friday that Hurlbut has been experiencing some soreness in the area of his armpit for a few days and has not been able to pitch without discomfort.
What appeared to be a comfortable run to a first half championship is becoming a little uncomfortable for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
With nine games to play before the All-Star Game in Dayton, the Kernels' lead in the Western Division of the Midwest League is down to 2 1/2 games after a 6-1 loss to the Quad Cities River Bandits before a crowd of 4,001 on Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Cedar Rapids' cushion over Quad Cities was shaved to three games as the River Bandits got outstanding pitching from their bullpen to take the decisive game of the three-game set.
In a much-anticipated head-to-head matchup of last year’s first and second picks in the Major League First Year Player Draft, the No. 2 pick, Kernels center fielder Byron Buxton, may have claimed the first round with a five-hit game on Wednesday night.
But No.1 pick Carlos Correa struck back on Thursday, leading his Quad Cities River Bandts to a 9-5 win over the Kernels in front of 2,364 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Correa ended the night with three hits, including a first-inning solo home run off of Kernels starting pitcher Jose Berrios that staked his team to a 1-0 lead. Correa added a single in the second inning and a double in the fourth inning, finishing just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Buxton was hitless in four at-bats, with a sacrifice fly.
Paul Molitor’s Hall of Fame Major League career spanned 21 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins. He accumulated more than 3,000 hits, had a career batting average above .300 and stole more than 500 bases. No other Major Leaguer in the past 70 years has accomplished that combination of career milestones and only three other players in history have done so (Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Eddie Collins).
These days, Molitor is sharing his knowledge and experience with young players as the Twins’ Minor League Coordinator for Baserunning and Infield Play. That title may sound like a mouthful, but as Molitor, who is in Cedar Rapids working with the Kernels during the current homestand, says, “Titles are overrated a little bit.”
“It’s an opportunity for me to travel around the system and help try to teach, along with the staff on each club,” Molitor explained, prior to Thursday night’s game between the Kernels and Quad Cities at Veterans Memorial Stadium, “and I do focus on those two areas, but invariably I get involved with some of the hitting aspects.”
Cedar Rapids Manager Jake Mauer called the Kernels together Wednesday afternoon and let them know that eight of them have been picked for the Midwest League All-Star Game.
The Kernels celebrated the good news and then went out and played like all-stars Wednesday night.
Cedar Rapids collected a season-high 21 hits and belted the Quad Cities River Bandits, 14-5, before 1,885 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels will be well represented at this year's Midwest League All-Star Game.
The Midwest League announced the rosters for the 2013 MWL Summer All-Star Classic, scheduled for June 18th at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and the Kernels had eight players selected to the Western Division team. The All-Stars were nominated and selected by the field managers of the 16 MWL teams.
Four Kernels were selected as starters: Dalton Hicks at first base, Jorge Polanco at second base, and Byron Buxton and Adam Brett Walker as outfielders. Travis Harrison and Niko Goodrum were selected as reserve infielders and Tyler Duffey and Jose Berrios were selected as pitchers. Duffey has been promoted to Fort Myers of the Florida State League and will not play in the game.
Kernels southpaw Steve Gruver was named to the team to replace Duffey.
It’s an event that will go largely unnoticed by even the most loyal Cedar Rapids Kernels fans, but the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft that stretches over three days beginning Thursday evening will likely play a critical role in determining the Kernels’ on-field fortunes for at least the next two summers.
While local fans are enjoying a successful season that has the Kernels sitting atop the Midwest League’s Western Division standings with less than two weeks to play in the first half of the season, the front office of the parent Minnesota Twins organization is busy finalizing decisions that will determine, in large part, who will wear Kernels uniforms in 2014 and 2015.
If you want a sneak peek at who is likely to play starring roles for the 2014 Cedar Rapids Kernels, here’s a suggestion: Pay close attention to who the Twins select with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the draft on Thursday and any college-age players drafted in the following 15 rounds or so.
The Minnesota Twins have promoted Kernels pitchers Tyler Duffey and Manuel Soliman to Fort Myers of the Florida State League, Manager Jake Mauer confirmed Tuesday night.
Duffey was 3-2 with a 2.78 ERA in nine starts. He walked only six and struck out 47 in 58.1 innings.
Soliman was 3-1 with one save and a 5.28 ERA in 17 relief appearances. He walked 18 and struck out 28 in 29 innings.
The Twins have assigned to the Kernels right-handed pitcher Christian Powell from extended spring training and right-handed pitcher Caleb Brewer, who recently was released by the Atlanta Braves organization.
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