Rubel Cespedes and Zebby Matthews Lead Kernels to Season's First Win

If you’re looking for the rest of today’s minor league report, click here. However, the Kernels first win of the season provided lots of postgame conversation, and I thought enough to add this Kernels report separately.  Click here for the remainder of today's minor league report. 

First, just a reminder that Cedar Rapids is around four to five hours from the Twin Cities, depending upon your starting point. It’s a pretty quick drive. If you haven’t previously attended a Kernels game, consider it. It’s a fun atmosphere. It is some quality baseball. You can see several future Twins. Of note, since the Kernels became an affiliate of the Twins in 2013, 75 former Kernels have reached the big leagues. You truly are seeing (at least part of) the Twins future. 

I also recommend Haciendo, Nachos and Spanish Rice!! And, if you’re there on a nice night, head down the left field line and get a frozen hot chocolate from Toms (Frozen Treats, maybe. I don’t remember the full name, but you’ll find it!). 

The Kernels came into Wednesday night’s game against Dayton having started the season with two losses in Beloit, a loss for their home opener, and really wanted to get the first win. A really solid combination of hitting and pitching (and an all-important mound visit) helped the team to their first win of the year. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 11, Dayton 2  
Box Score
The Kernels got a clutch start from Zebby Matthews, and Rubel Cespedes led an impressive offensive display on their way to an impressive win over the loaded Dayton lineup. 

We have to start with Rubel Cespedes. In the first inning, he drove in Ricardo Olivar with a single. He did the exact same thing in the third inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning, he crushed a long, three-run homer that scored Olivar and Danny De Andrade. In the bottom of the eighth, he came up one more time and drove in Luke Keaschall and Olivar on a single to right field. On the day, he went 4-for-5 with his second homer and seven RBI. His season line currently shows a .636 batting average with a 1.940 OPS.  

After the game, he said (via translator and co-pitching coach AJ Angulo), “We have a plan. We work in the cage, and we’ve executed the plan in the game. That’s why I’m getting good results.” 

Regarding the three-run blast, Cespedes noted, “I’m just looking for the ball and reacting to it. I’m executing the plan. I’m sticking to the plan and executing my plan.”  

He came to the plate with runners in scoring position in four at-bats and came through each time. “Same mentality. It fires me up, having runners on, so I can help the team win. At the end of the day, if we keep bringing runs in, we will have success and we’re going to win ball games.”  

His manager Brian Dinkelman, who once had a four-hit game in the big leagues, said, “Four-hit games are hard to come by and to have a three-run homer on top of it also. Really good game from Cespy tonight. He’s been swinging the bat really well the first four games already.” 

Dinkelman moved Cespedes from the seven spot on Tuesday night to the five-spot in the lineup on Wednesday night. “You kind of play around with the lineup a little bit and see what blends well. He's been swinging the bat as well as anybody so try to get him more toward the top of the lineup, get his at-bats, hopefully with runners on base, and it paid off tonight.” 

On his first post-teen day, the now-20-year-old Danny De Andrade went 3-for-4. Following Tuesday’s game, the manager said that most days he will find himself somewhere in the middle of the Kernels’ lineup. I asked him if he plans on playing him at shortstop everyday too. The response? “He’s going to play the majority of his games at shortstop, but I think we’re going to try to get him some action at second and third also. You never know. You get to the big leagues and they already have someone there that’s the everyday shortstop. We want you to go play second base. I think it’s good in the minor leagues to get some exposure to different positions, just so you have some awareness and understanding of each position. If you do make the big leagues, you’re not caught off guard having not played there before and not know what to do. This is the time for them to learn other positions too in case that opportunities comes.” 

Olivar went 2-for-3 with two walks and a double. He scored four runs. And, he did a nice job in left field on Wednesday after playing behind the plate on Tuesday.  

Luke Keaschall was robbed of a hit in his first at-bat on a bad call at first base. However, he ended the night 2-for-4 with a walk. Dinkelman says he “has a good approach at the plate. Good understanding of the strike zone. Has some thump in his bat when he gets into a ball. He can run. Defensively, he’ll continue to work at second base, throwing and stuff like that.” 

Keoni Cavaco had a single and a double in four at-bats. I told him before the game that I felt a three-hit game for him. When we reconvened after the game, we both agreed that two hits was just fine on this night. 

Zebby Matthews was Terrific on the Mound
It may not be evident from the final score, but this was a really tightly contested ballgame until the Kernels scored five runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth frame. 

Zebby Matthews took the mound for his first start of the season and looked really good. Let’s start with the stat line. Over five innings, he gave up just one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out eight batters. If that’s all I wrote, the report would be very positive. 

His catcher, Nate Baez, said, “Zebby is really good at just pounding the zone and attacking hitters. We just stuck with our plan and trusted what he had and his stuff. It was just working today.” 

Next, let's look at the scouting report. Matthews is known for filling the strike zone, not walking anyone. When drafted, he was touching 90, maybe 91 on occasion. On this night, he was sitting 93-96, and he hit 97 mph a couple of times. And, he has done that without losing control or command of the strike zone. His secondary stuff looked really good as well and he got a lot of swings and misses. This year, he also is throwing a cutter with higher vertical break in the 90-92 range. He is going with a more-traditional slider (as opposed to the sweeper). He's got a changeup that is thrown in the low-80s to keep hitters off balance. And, he's got a nice curveball that he continues to work on to try to throw it a little harder. 

Matthews said that adding velocity has been a goal, something he has worked hard to do. “It’s a part of the process. I think every pitcher wants to throw harder. I give props to the coaches and all of the player development staff. They do a really good job of keeping us, giving us goals to reach. They do a really good job of helping us get there.” 

Dinkelman noted, “Last year, we put him in the ‘pen at the end of the season. He was 94, 96, whatever. Throws strikes, and he got some swing-and-miss tonight with eight strikeouts. It was a good outing for him.” 

One Fantastic Mound Visit 
One more piece to the Zebby Matthews “puzzle” on this evening isn’t necessarily something that’s measurable, but you sure do notice when you see it. In the fourth inning, the Kernels held a 2-0 lead with one out. Suddenly, Dayton knocked three straight singles. Was their vaunted lineup about to put up a crooked number? 

Co-pitching coach Jonas Lovin and catcher Nate Baez walked out to the mound. It was a fairly extended trip to the mound, but when Lovin got back to the dugout, and Baez returned to the plate, Matthews had found a new level. He proceeded to strike out the next two batters, leaving two runners stranded. His competitive nature showed up and he played the role of bulldog.

Baez said, “We just slowed him down a bit, let him catch his breath, and then just had him stick with his plan.”  

Matthews said, “It just gave me a breather. I had given up three singles in a row. With that many consecutive at-bats, they gave me a breather, helped me re-focus. Reminded me to stick to the game plan.” 

Lovin added a little more detail to the conversation. “I told him I love that he works fast, but in this situation, take a second to catch your breath because he looked rushed. And, then I gave him the scouting report on the next two hitters, and he did the rest.”

Dinkelman summarized, “That was a big swing in the game to keep us ahead after they got three straight runners on. Good job by Zebby to get us through five innings.” 

Matthews came back out for the fifth and had a perfect inning. He had two strikeouts, and his night ended with a web gem from left fielder Ricardo Olivar. 

Matthews noted, “The only thing I want to do is go deep into starts and give my team a chance to win. I just go out there and do my job” 

You can see all eight strikeouts and Olivar’s catch here:  

AJ Labas came in. He was charged with an unearned run over 1 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Then Ricardo Velez entered the game. He gave up a couple of hits, but no runs. He struck out three batters. Miguelangel Boadas struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth. ‘

The Kernels pitching staff finished the night with 16 strikeouts and they didn’t walk a single batter.  While this type of result is always the goal, it isn't normal. Lovin added, "Control and command is a massive part of our minor-league development. Punch guys out, limit damage, and don't give free passes. Throw nasty stuff in the zone." 

Of course, that's easier said than done. 

Dinkelman was clearly happy after the game to have that first Win. “Like hitters, you always want to get that first hit and settle in and get going. We’ve had that with a lot of guys. I think, hopefully now, everybody settles in and feels better about themselves and continue that going forward.” 

Please feel free to ask questions about the Kernels and their roster. I've seen two games now, so the sample size is quite small. However, first impressions are sometimes interesting. I will be at Thursday night's Kernels' game before leaving Cedar Rapids. 

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