BEES 4, TINCAPS 1: Alvarado continues impressive string of starts

Bees pitcher Luis Alvarado allowed three hits in five innings in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

By John Bohnenkamp

It was an economical night for Luis Alvarado because of his command of the strike zone, and because of his defense.

Alvarado allowed three hits over six innings, and the Burlington Bees took a 4-1 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps in Wednesday’s Class A Midwest League game at Community Field.

It was the fourth consecutive win for the Bees (47-42 overall, 8-11 second half).

“Very impressive,” Bees manager Jack Howell said of Alvarado’s night.

Alvarado, a 17th-round pick for the Los Angeles Angels in last year’s Major League Baseball draft, walked one and struck out two. He threw 82 pitches, 55 for strikes.

“Just pounding the zone,” Alvarado said. “They were swinging at good pitches, making contact. It minimizes the pitches that I have to do in an inning.”

That’s been the key for Alvarado (4-5) in his current run. He has a 2.17 earned run average in his last 10 games, allowing 27 hits in 49 ⅔ innings, striking out 52 while walking just 12.

“He’s been good,” Howell said. “He’s the epitome of going after guys, pounding the strike zone. The more you’re going right at people, the better.”

“Throwing a lot of strikes, finishing hitters,” Alvarado said. “Not being so fine, having them make contact.”

Bees catcher Harrison Wenson tags Luke Becker out at the plate. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

The TinCaps (39-48, 6-13) had chances against Alvarado early, but had two runners thrown out at the plate.

Luke Becker led off the inning, and then headed home on Lee Solomon’s double to center field. But Bees center fielder Jordyn Adams made a perfect throw to shortstop Alvaro Rubalcaba, who then threw out Becker.

The TinCaps loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. Justin Lopez’s single scored Grant Little, but Bees left fielder Spencer Griffin made a strong throw to easily get Blake Hunt trying to score.

“Amazing defense,” Alvarado said. “It pumps you up. First, it’s limiting a run, which is very important. It takes stress away from you. It pushes me to do better, because I know that I have people that care and are playing lights-out behind me.”

The Bees tied the game in the fourth on Francisco Del Valle’s sacrifice fly, then took the lead in the fifth on Justin Jones’ solo home run to left field. Del Valle’s two-run double in the sixth capped the scoring.

“Timely hits,” Howell said. “Got ‘em over, got ‘em in.”

Tyler Smith pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out four. Mayky Perez pitched the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Fort Wayne’s Ryan Weathers (2-4), a first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in last year’s draft, gave up five hits and three walks in five innings.

ON DECK: The two teams continue their three-game series with Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. game. Burlington’s Kyle Tyler (4-0, 3.41) will face Fort Wayne’s Sam Keating (3-5, 4.87).

NOTES: Weathers is the son of former MLB pitcher David Weathers. David Weathers played 19 seasons for eight MLB teams. … Jones, who went 2-for-3, has a nine-game home hitting streak. He is batting .327 in the streak. … Adams scored twice and reached base twice. He has reached base in 12 of his last 15 plate appearances. … Attendance was 502.

SERIES PREVIEW: Bees vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps

A look at the three-game series between the Burlington Bees and the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

SERIES FACTS

Game times: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday.

Where: Community Field

Second-half records: Bees 7-11, TinCaps 6-12

Overall records: Bees 46-42, TinCaps 39-47

Season series: First meeting

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Wednesday: Luis Alvarado (Bees, 3-5, 2.77) vs. Ryan Weathers (TinCaps, 2-3, 3.38)

Thursday: Kyle Tyler (Bees, 4-0, 3.41) vs. Sam Keating (TinCaps, 3-5, 4.87)

Friday: Hector Yan (Bees, 3-2, 3.38) vs. Omar Cruz (0-0, 5.19)

TEAM COMPARISONS

Last 10: Bees 5-5, TinCaps 3-7

Home vs. road: Bees 28-19 at home, TinCaps 19-25 on the road

Run differential: Bees plus-6, TinCaps minus-40

Extra innings: Bees 7-3, TinCaps 0-4

One-run games: Bees 21-14, TinCaps 15-16

HEAD TO HEAD

Batting average: First meeting

ERA: First meeting

WHAT TO WATCH

It’s the beginning of the two-week second-half stretch of interdivisional play.

The Bees got back on track with a three-game sweep of the Peoria Chiefs. Fort Wayne took 2-of-3 from Great Lakes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The Bees have their rotation lined up well for this series. Alvarado, Tyler and Yan are coming off solid outings.

The Bees won’t see Fort Wayne starter Joey Cantillo, who leads the Midwest League in earned run average (2.07), batting average against (.167) and WHIP (0.86).

Fort Wayne reliever Henry Henry leads the league with seven wins, and also has seven saves.

Fort Wayne infielder Xavier Edwards leads the league in average (.336) and hits (103). He is third in on-base percentage at .392 and fourth in stolen bases with 20.

Photo: Bees pitcher Kyle Tyler (4-0) will start Thursday’s game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

BEES 9, CHIEFS 4: Deep into the night, but it’s a win

By John Bohnenkamp

Long night.

“Yeah,” Burlington Bees manager Jack Howell. “But it’s not as long when you win.”

It took 3 hours, 42 minutes, for the Bees to finish off the Peoria Chiefs, 9-4, in Monday’s Class A Midwest League game at Community Field.

Nobody in the Bees’ clubhouse, though, seemed to mind the marathon.

It was the third consecutive win for the Bees (46-42 overall, 7-11 second half), who swept the Chiefs (33-54, 3-15) in a three-game series for the second time this season. Burlington has won nine of the 12 games against Peoria in the season series.

What made the night so long was a lengthy and sloppy third inning. The Bees committed three errors in the top of the inning to help Peoria take a 4-0 lead, then came back with five runs in the bottom of the inning.

Spencer Griffin and Harrison Wenson opened the inning with back-to-back home runs. Alvaro Rubalcaba had an RBI single, and Justin Jones and Nonie Williams added sacrifice flies.

“It was good that we answered them,” Howell said. “Spencer and Harry started it off with the home runs, and we kept getting guys on base.”

When the Bees added three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, the only question would be if the game would get done in under four hours.

Every Bees hitter, with the exception of Williams, got on base at least twice. The Bees had 10 hits and 12 walks.

“If you’re not going to give us anything to hit, we’ll take the walk,” Howell said.

It was a night for strange numbers in the box score.

• Jordyn Adams went 0-for-2, but the Bees’ left fielder reached base five times — four times on walks and once on an error. He has been on base 10 times in his last 11 plate appearances.

• Rubalcaba walked three times.

• Jones drove in runs in three consecutive plate appearances.

• Seven Bees hitters had at least one walk.

Bees starting pitcher Cole Duensing struggled early, including facing eight batters in the third inning. But he got out of the inning with a double play, then retired the next four hitters he faced before a one-out walk in the fifth ended his night.

“It was good to see him get out of some trouble, and then finish strong,” Howell said.

Luke Lind (3-2) pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win. He allowed three hits while striking out five.

With Tuesday’s off day looming, Howell was able to get relievers Ed Del Rosario and Tyler Smith one inning of clean work. Del Rosario retired the side in the eighth on 11 pitches, striking out two. Smith pitched a perfect ninth with just 14 pitches, striking out the final two hitters to finish the game.

ON DECK: The entire league has Tuesday off before the two-week stretch of games between the two divisions begins. The Bees play host to Fort Wayne on Wednesday night. Burlington’s Luis Alvarado (3-5, 2.77) faces Fort Wayne’s Ryan Weathers (2-3, 3.38).

NOTES: Peoria has lost nine consecutive games. … Jones has an eight-game home hitting streak, currently the fourth longest in the league. He is batting .304 in the streak. … Jones has an eight-game home on-base streak as well. Wenson and Francisco Del Valle have been on base in seven consecutive home games. … Attendance was 942.

Photo: Spencer Griffin (left) and Harrison Wenson hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

THE MONDAY HIVE: King likes being back on the mound

By John Bohnenkamp

It had been almost 15 months since Dylan King threw a pitch in a game.

King, an 18th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels in last June’s Major League Baseball draft, didn’t pitch at all last season after tearing the UCL in his right elbow, an injury that required Tommy John surgery.

The rehabilitation process at the Angels’ training facility in Arizona, King said, didn’t seem like that long.

“For me, it flew by,” said King, who after two games with the Angels’ Rookie League team in Orem is now pitching for the Burlington Bees. “What made it seem longer was I was in the same place for so long. Getting here, and pitching now, it feels like a breeze.”

King, who played at Belmont University, injured his elbow in his first start in the 2018 season. King felt the injury in the first inning, but went on the pitch four more innings in the game.

“I knew I was hurt, because we had a radar on our scoreboard, and my velocity dropped about 10 miles per hour,” King said. “I thought my arm was just tight. It wasn’t like super-painful, but I knew something was wrong.

“It felt like it was a pull in my forearm area. Then my elbow locked up. I couldn’t put anything behind (my pitches). But I just kept throwing.”

King admitted he had some concerns when his injury was diagnosed, but he also knew of the success rate of comebacks from the surgery.

His goal was to pitch again, and he wasn’t even thinking about the draft that summer. Then the Angels selected him.

“I was just focused on getting my arm better for college the next year,” King said. “I was overjoyed, for sure. It was one of the best days.”

King went to Arizona and began work with the Angels’ RTP (Return to Performance) group. Other than a holiday break in December, when King went home to Tennessee, he stayed in Arizona.

“Getting back to playing, that’s been the fun part, the easy part,” King said. “All the rehab and stuff, you don’t want to go through it, but you have to. Now that I’m back playing, it was totally worth it.

“You have to be patient. You don’t throw for a lot of months. You’ve got to be patient, trust the trainers, trust the rehab, and you’ll get back to where you were.”

King started the season in extended spring training.

“My first game, it was weird,” he said. “It felt like I hadn’t pitched in three years. I got tired really quick.”

King pitched two games in Orem in mid-June, throwing 6 ⅔ innings with an 0-1 record. He allowed eight hits and struck out eight.

He was sent to Burlington on June 26, and has made two appearances. He didn’t allow a hit, walking two and striking out four, in three innings in a June 27 game at Quad Cities. He made his first appearance at Community Field in last Tuesday’s game against Cedar Rapids, allowing one earned run in four innings while striking out five.

“He was locating his fastball at the top of the (strike) zone, and they were chasing,” Bees manager Jack Howell said after the Cedar Rapids game. “And he was landing his breaking ball for strikes. It sounds basic, but if you can do that consistently, you’re going to be successful.”

King is a piggyback starter, which means a different routine than what he was used to in college, where he was a Friday starter and threw one bullpen session for the week.

“Now, it’s every five days,” he said. “I like that. I like being out there more. I feel like I’m more in tune with pitching. And I like it better.”

IMMACULATE INNING

It didn’t take long for Bees reliever Tyler Smith to get through the eighth inning in Friday’s game at Cedar Rapids.

Smith pitched an “immaculate inning” — nine pitches, three strikeouts.

Ricky De La Torre, the leadoff hitter in the inning, was the only hitter of the three to actually get a piece of a pitch — he fouled off the first pitch of the at-bat. He then went down on two swinging strikes.

Yeltsin Encarnacion, the next hitter, struck out on three called strikes.

Daniel Ozoria took two called strikes before a swinging third strike.

There have been 98 immaculate innings in the history of Major League Baseball, but it is unclear how many there have been in the minors.

Adrian De Horta had an immaculate inning earlier this season for the Angels’ Double-A team in Mobile.

THE NAME GAME

Sunday’s game between the Bees and Peoria Chiefs featured some unusual name combinations.

• Bees starting pitcher Robinson Pina pitched to catcher Keinner Pina.

• Parker Joe Robinson entered the game in relief of Robinson Pina.

• Parker Joe Robinson pitched the top of the eighth inning, Peoria’s Parker Kelly pitched the bottom of the inning.

FUTURES GAME

Jo Adell (2018) went 1-for-2 for the American League in Sunday’s Futures Game.

Adell, the top-ranked prospect in the Angels’ organization and the No. 4 overall prospect according to MLB.com, walked twice and scored a run.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Record: 3-4

Batting average: .231

Opponents’ average: .190

ERA: 2.19

Opponents’ ERA: 3.25

Notes: Jordyn Adams was on base all five times in Sunday’s 5-3 win over Peoria — two singles, a double, and two walks. … Nonie Williams has a seven-game on-base streak. … Kevin Maitan has a four-game hitting streak (.353). … Bees’ starting pitchers had a 2.41 ERA during the week. The relievers had a 1.85 ERA.

THE WEEK AHEAD

• Fort Wayne (6:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday) — After Tuesday’s off day, the Bees begin a two-week swing against Eastern Division teams. The TinCaps (39-46 overall, 6-11 second half) feature the league’s top hitter, Xavier Edwards. Edwards, ranked No. 8 among the San Diego Padres’ prospects by MLB.com, leads the league in average (.336) and hits (103) and is third in on-base percentage (.392).

• Lake County (6:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday, 2 p.m. Sunday) — The Captains (50-36 overall, 10-7 second half) were a first-half playoff qualifier in the Eastern Division. Catcher Bo Naylor is ranked the No. 4 prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization, while pitcher Luis Oviedo is the No. 8 prospect.

STAT PACK

Hector Yan leads the Midwest League in strikeouts with 98. Robinson Pina is fourth with 87. … Williams is seventh in the league with 45 walks.

Photo: Dylan King throws a pitch in last Tuesday’s game against Cedar Rapids at Community Field. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

BEES 5, CHIEFS 3: Pina’s hit snaps Burlington out of baserunning funk

By John Bohnenkamp

For a while, it looked like the Burlington Bees were going to run themselves out of a chance to win.

Mistakes on the bases, combined with some unusual double plays, caused problems early.

But a three-run seventh inning, sparked by Keinner Pina’s two-run single, carried the Bees to a 5-3 victory over the Peoria Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at Community Field.

Burlington (45-42 overall in Midwest League, 6-11 second half) has won back-to-back games after a four-game losing streak. It’s helped that the Bees are playing the Chiefs (33-53, 3-14) — Burlington has won eight of the 11 games between the two teams this season.

The Bees, though, almost ran themselves out of this game, squandering numerous opportunities before the seventh inning. They had baserunners in every inning, but hit into three double plays, had one runner thrown out trying to go from second to third, and had another runner thrown out at the plate.

“As the game went on, you started thinking of the game as a whole,” Bees manager Jack Howell said. “At that point, I thought the key was big baserunning mistakes.”

Two of the double plays happened on ground balls to Peoria third baseman Josh Shaw, who made wise plays to get the Chiefs out of two scoring threats.

The Bees’ first two batters of the game — Jordyn Adams and Kevin Maitan — singled. Nonie Williams followed with a slow grounder to third that, on a lot of occasions, would have been an infield hit. But it was in a perfect spot for Shaw, who stepped on the base for the force out, then threw to first to complete the double play.

In the sixth, Francisco Del Valle led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Connor Fitzsimons followed with a ground ball to shortstop Delvin Perez, who threw to third base to get Del Valle. Fitzsimons then advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw.

Justin Jones followed with a hard grounder to Shaw, who was guarding the line. Fitzsimons had nowhere to go, and was tagged out by Shaw, who then threw to first to finish another double play.

At that point, the Bees trailed 3-2 despite having runners in scoring position in every inning, including Maitan, who was thrown out trying to score on Pina’s two-out single in the fifth inning.

The fortunes changed in the seventh when, with the bases loaded, Pina lined a single into left field. Morgan McCullough scored to tie the game, then Adams slid in behind him to beat the throw home. Del Valle then delivered a double to right field to score Williams.

“Pitching was good to that point. I thought, with the hitters, we had made some good decisions,” Howell said. “We had just made some mistakes on the bases. Then Pina comes up with the big hit.”

Parker Joe Robinson (1-0) was the winning pitcher in relief, allowing one hit in three innings. Mayky Perez picked up his third save, walking Brandon Riley with one out in the ninth before getting Alexis Wilson to ground into a double play to end the game.

Rodard Avelino (0-1) was the losing pitcher.

The Bees had 11 hits. Adams, who came into the game with four hits in 39 at-bats in his previous 10 games, reached base five times on two singles, a double, and two walks.

“That was good to see,” Howell said. “He’s hit the ball hard at times, just right at somebody.”

ON DECK: The two teams conclude their three-game series with Monday’s 6:30 p.m. game. Cole Duensing (5-4, 4.14 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for Burlington.

NOTES: Perez, who went 3-for-4, has now reached base in 16 consecutive games, tied for the second-longest current active streak in the league. … Williams has reached base in seven consecutive games. … Jones has a seven-game home hitting streak.

BEES 9, CHIEFS 2: Bouncing back after a rough week

By John Bohnenkamp

They were back home, facing a team they’ve handled all season.

And suddenly all was right again with the Burlington Bees.

The Bees snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday night, rolling to a 9-2 win over the Peoria Chiefs in a Class A Midwest League game at Community Field.

A team that struggled with close games in the second half didn’t have to worry about that. The Bees scored four runs in the third inning to take control of the game, then added another four runs in the sixth to answer a Peoria comeback try.

The Bees, 5-11 in the second half, have been just 2-9 in games decided by two runs or less since the All-Star break.

“I think the reality was that we had lost a lot of games, and been walked off a lot,” Bees manager Jack Howell said. “That’s the reality. But the cup half-full was we had been in those games, and could have easily won three or four. You can’t dwell on that, though.”

It helped having the Chiefs (33-52 overall, 3-13 second half) in town — Peoria is now on a seven-game losing streak. Burlington has won seven of the 10 games so far against Peoria, and this one was decided early.

Nonie Williams scored on a passed ball in the first inning for a 1-0 lead.

Then, in the third, the Bees took charge. Spencer Griffin and Harrison Wenson drove in runs with singles, then Connor Fitzsimons delivered a two-run double.

But what pleased Howell was the other four-run inning in the sixth, which came after the Chiefs had scored two runs in the top of the inning and could have had more.

Williams grounded into a fielder’s choice for the first run. Wenson added an RBI single, then Francisco Del Valle drilled a two-run double.

“All those things we’ve talked about, to keep games from being like a 3-2 score and then getting walked off, is to keep adding insurance runs,” Howell said. “We started that little deal again where we scored five and then shut down for a couple (of innings). Then they get it to 5-2, and then we answered.”

The Bees had 14 hits, their highest single-game total of the second half.

“We were fairly patient, and we got the timely hit,” Howell said. “And we got good pitching. That script and that story is never going to change.”

The pitching came from starter Hector Yan (3-2), who struck out nine and allowed just five hits in 5 2/3 innings. Yan, who walked just one, threw 95 pitches, 65 for strikes.

Yan is 2-0 with a 1.23 earned run average in three starts against Peoria this season, striking out 20 in 14 2/3 innings while allowing just six hits.

“He’s seen them a lot,” Howell said. “I liked how he pitched tonight. We got him to 95 pitches, which was good.”

ON DECK: The two teams play the second of a three-game series at 2 p.m. Sunday. Burlington’s Robinson Pina (4-4, 4.20) will face Peoria’s Michael Brittell (2-6, 5.58).

NOTES: Plate umpire Jae-young Kim had to leave the game in the middle of the seventh inning after being hit by a pitch an inning earlier. Base umpire Lance Seilhamer finished the game behind the plate, and was the lone umpire on the field. … Peoria’s Delvin Perez went 2-for-4 to extend his on-base streak to 15 games. … Williams extended his on-base streak to six games.

Photo: Burlington Bees pitcher Hector Yan struck out 9 in shutting down the Peoria Chiefs. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

SERIES PREVIEW: Bees vs. Peoria Chiefs

By John Bohnenkamp

A look at the three-game series between the Burlington Bees and the Peoria Chiefs.

SERIES FACTS

Game times: 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday, 2 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Community Field

Second-half records: Bees 4-11, Chiefs 3-12

Overall records: Bees 43-42, Chiefs 33-51

Season series: Bees lead, 6-3

TEAM COMPARISONS

Last 10: Bees 2-8, Chiefs 1-9

Home vs. road: Bees 25-19 at home, Chiefs 14-24 on road

Run differential: Bees minus-8, Chiefs minus-73

Extra innings: Bees 7-3, Chiefs 2-5

One-run games: Bees 21-14, Chiefs 9-15

HEAD TO HEAD

Batting average: Bees .232, Chiefs .216

ERA: Bees 2.96, Chiefs 3.99

WHAT TO WATCH

A battle of two teams that are struggling in the second half. The Chiefs have lost their last six games, the Bees have lost their last four.

The Bees have controlled the season series, leading 6-3. But Peoria took 2-of-3 from the Bees in the final series of the first half, keeping Burlington from clinching the second playoff spot in the Midwest League’s Western Division.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bees outfielder Spencer Griffin and infielder Alvaro Rubalcaba have thrived against Peoria pitching. Griffin is batting .440 with a 1.163 OPS against the Chiefs, while Rubalcaba is hitting .353 with a 1.029 OPS. Griffin has 11 hits against the Chiefs.

Hector Yan, Saturday’s starting pitcher for the Bees, is 1-0 and hasn’t allowed an earned run in nine innings against the Chiefs. Reliever Tyler Smith is 2-0 with a save in four appearances against Peoria.

Peoria infielder Josh Shaw and outfielder Bryce Denton are each batting .300 against the Bees. Outfielder Brandon Benson has two home runs and a 1.020 OPS against the Bees.

Photo: Bees infielder Alvaro Rubalcaba has a .353 batting average against the Peoria Chiefs this season. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees

KERNELS 3, BEES 2: Late-inning magic has done a disappearing act

By John Bohnenkamp

CEDAR RAPIDS — Finding magic in the late innings was something the Burlington Bees did a lot in the first half of the Class A Midwest League season.

Now? Not so much.

The Bees were within one strike of getting a win on Friday night. Then Tyler Webb dumped a two-run double into right field, leading the Cedar Rapids Kernels to a 3-2 win.

Burlington led 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, but Tyler Smith (5-3) gave up back-to-back singles to Gilberto Celestino and Gabe Snyder, and two batters later both were steaming around the bases to score on Webb’s double that fell in between center fielder Spencer Griffin and right fielder Nonie Williams.

“They always say when you’re up 2-1, you’re a bloop and a blast away (from losing),” Bees manager Jack Howell said. “This was two hard hits, and then a bloop.”

Burlington fell to 4-11 in the second half. But deep inside that record are some other numbers.

The Bees are 2-5 in the half in one-run games, 0-4 in two-run games.

They’ve been close, but can’t finish. Which is something they were doing before the All-Star break. The Bees have 21 wins in one-run games.

The Bees were swept in the four-game home-and-home series to the Kernels. Burlington led in three of the games, and the Kernels won two games in their final at-bat.

“Two of these four games, we had the lead in the ninth and lost it,” Howell said. “There’s not a whole lot you can say. When you have leads in the ninth, you normally win.”

This was another pitching masterpiece. Bees starter Kyle Tyler allowed one run and struck out seven in seven innings. Cedar Rapids starter Josh Winder struck out eight and allowed three hits in seven innings.

Winder retired 15 consecutive Bees from the third through seventh innings. Tyler retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

“Those guys matched each other pitch for pitch,” Howell said. “They were both good.”

Two of Burlington’s four hits were home runs. Alvaro Rubalcaba had one in the third inning, then Tim Millard hit one in the eighth to give the Bees a 2-1 lead.

“In a game like this, two runs aren’t going to do it,” Howell said.

Smith entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and struck out all three Kernels he faced, part of a streak of six consecutive Cedar Rapids strikeouts.

In the ninth, he got Jacob Pearson on an easy grounder to second for the first out. Then came the hits, but it looked like Smith had a chance to get out of the inning when Jared Akins popped out before Webb worked the count to 3-2.

But Webb, playing in his first game with the Kernels, popped a ball that fell between Griffin and Williams. Williams had the better play on the ball once it fell, but he couldn’t get a handle on it. Celestino and Snyder, running on the pitch, scored easily.

“That’s why you play to the final out,” Howell said. “We have to find ways to close it out.”

The Bees begin a nine-game homestand with a 6:30 p.m. game on Saturday against Peoria at Community Field.

KERNELS 4, BEES 2: One pitch is enough to lead to loss

By John Bohnenkamp

CEDAR RAPIDS — The final line on Burlington Bees pitcher Luis Alvarado was 89 pitches, 52 for strikes.

One of those strikes was sent over the right-field wall, and it scarred what was otherwise a strong performance by the right-hander.

Jared Akins’ three-run home run in the sixth inning was the biggest hit in a 4-2 win for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in Thursday’s Class A Midwest League game at Perfect Game Field.

To that point, with one out in the inning, it had been a piece of pitching artwork by Alvarado and Cedar Rapids starter Luis Rijo. Combined, they had allowed just three hits until that bottom of the sixth.

Then Gilberto Celestino singled to lead off the sixth, Chris Williams drew a one-out walk, then Akins drilled his home run.

It was enough to make Bees manager Jack Howell shake his head when looking at the final box score.

“Six innings, 90 pitches, three runs on four hits, one home run,” Howell said, surveying Alvarado’s numbers. “One pitch, you know? Ninety pitches, one mistake.

“As I told him, that’s an unbelievable outing. The process is getting him up and down, and he got up and down for six innings. The one thing is, he knows he made one mistake in 90 pitches. And that’s going to happen.”

What pleased Howell was how Alvarado (3-5) finished the inning by striking out Wander Javier and Trevor Casanova.

“He gets two punch-outs,” Howell said. “Which shows that it was just that one mistake. That’s an incredible outing, he has nothing to think about. You’re pitching to good hitters, and hitters hit mistakes.”

Rijo (2-5) never made a costly mistake. He faced just one batter over the minimum in seven innings, striking out 10 and not giving up a walk. The lone hit was Justin Jones’ single to lead off the third inning.

Rijo threw just 14 pitches, 12 for strikes, in the first two innings. He finished with 71 pitches, 56 for strikes.

“He’s a guy with a lot of strikeouts, but not a guy who has a lot of walks,” Howell said. “So that says he can put up a game like that.”

The Bees wouldn’t get any more baserunners until the ninth inning, and they had a chance to tie the game.

Mario Sanjur singled to right field with one out, then Nonie Williams hit a two-run home run. Spencer Griffin was hit in the ribs on the next pitch from Kernels reliever Jose Martinez, but Martinez then struck out Connor Fitzsimons to end the game.

ON DECK: The two teams complete their four-game series with a 6:35 p.m. game on Friday. Burlington’s Kyle Tyler (4-0, 3.64 ERA) faces Cedar Rapids’ Josh Winder (6-1, 2.40).

NOTES: Akins has three home runs against the Bees this season, the most of any Kernel. … Fitzsimons was in the right place at the right time for the second consecutive night. The Kernels had runners on first and third in the eighth inning when Casanova hit a line drive toward first base. Fitzsimons, holding the runner on, caught the liner and stepped on the base for the double play. He turned the same kind of double play in the first inning of Wednesday’s game. … Attendance was 4,639. … The game was played in 2 hours, 11 minutes.

KERNELS 5, BEES 4: Ninth-inning comeback quiets the crowd

By John Bohnenkamp

Mayky Perez walked to the Burlington Bees’ dugout, a journey from the Community Field mound that felt too long.

The crowd of 2,555 — the largest for a night game this season — was quiet, moments after being loud when Yeltsin Encarnacion came to home plate with two outs and the Bees so close to a win.

Encarnacion’s slicing double to left field emptied the bases for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, a three-run line drive that led to a 5-4 win in Wednesday’s Class A Midwest League game.

Perez’s pitches in his one inning of work were electric at times. At other times, too many times in that wild ninth, they missed their spots.

A three-base error by Bees right fielder Francisco Del Valle opened the inning, walks to Daniel Ozoria and Jacob Pearson extended it, then Encarnacion’s hit finished it.

“Pretty simple what happened,” Bees manager Jack Howell said. “It happens pretty fast.”

It was a stunning loss for the Bees, who fell to 4-9 in the second half after falling short of a first-half playoff spot.

The Bees led 4-2 going into the ninth, having taken the lead on Tim Millard’s three-run home run in the seventh inning.

Trevor Casanova led off with a line drive to deep right field that Del Valle misplayed at the wall for a three-base error. Perez got Ricky De La Torre on a called third strike, then he walked Ozoria. Another strikeout looking, this one by Estamy Urena, had the Bees on the verge of a win.

But Pearson followed with a walk, and Howell headed to the mound.

“I was more talking to the infield, letting them know with the quick runner at second base, just knock the ball down,” Howell said. “Keep the ball in the infield.”

Encarnacion’s hit, though, wasn’t an infield problem. Left fielder Nonie Williams had a long way to run to track down the ball as it reached the fence, and all three runs easily scored.

Perez (0-3) struck out Gabe Snyder to end the inning, the damage complete.

It was a night when all of the runs scored by the Kernels were unearned.

The Bees got solid pitching from starter Cole Duensing and reliever Austin Krzeminski. Duensing threw five innings, allowing three hits while walking three and striking out three. Krzeminski allowed one hit in three innings, striking out five.

“Krzeminski was good,” Howell said. “And Duensing was really good.”

Burlington had five hits in the first five innings, but could only get one run. Harrison Wenson led off the second inning with a double, moved to third on Alvaro Rubalcaba’s deep fly ball to left-center field, then scored on Millard’s sacrifice fly.

The Bees struck in the seventh inning off Kernels’ reliever J.T. Perez. Wenson doubled with one out, then Rubalcaba walked. Millard then crushed a pitch over the left-field fence, and Burlington had the lead.

“We got the big blow to give us the lead,” Howell said.

The Bees seemed in a position to get more runs. Justin Jones followed with a single, and then Morgan McCullough was hit by a pitch. But the inning ended when Jordyn Adams struck out and McCullough was thrown out trying to steal second.

Brian Rapp (3-0) was the winning pitcher. Moises Gomez pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to gain his fifth save of the season.

ON DECK: The four-game series moves to Cedar Rapids for a 5:05 p.m. game on Thursday. Burlington’s Luis Alvarado (3-4, 2.59 ERA) faces Cedar Rapids’ Luis Rijo (1-5, 2.55).

NOTES: Encarnacion is hitting .406 in nine games against the Bees this season. He was 3-for-5 in this game. … Wenson was 2-for-4. He is batting .275 since June 1.

Photo: Tim Millard rounds the bases after his three-run home run in the seventh inning. Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees