9-News: 39.078 – Kernel Pitchers Launch Warning Flare

[RonCo]

It’s liable to get lost in the bitter dross of the dregs of the season, but for the past two days, Yellow Springs Nine fans have been given a peek into their Heartland future, and what they’ve seen should scare them senseless. The Des Moines Kernels are in town, and as a general rule the Nine have struggled with the team from Iowa anyway, managing to go 5-4 against them prior to this series. But the fact is that come next year, it’s likely to get worse.


GAME 2: Smith, Smith, Smith

Yesterday’s game, a tilt that saw the Nine slip away with a 2-0 victory, was staged against the highly touted young phenom Don Smith. For those living under a rock, Smith is a fireballing lefty who, at 19 years of age, has people in the YS9 organization using the phrase “Jose Chavez, but better.” Smith limited the Nine to two runs in 5 and a third, one being a solo shot from John Ginn. He struck out 5 YS9 hitters, and essentially lost only because the Nine’s bullpen combined for a shutout.

Hence the idea that Wins don’t tell you enough, eh?

It was the second time the Nine have faced Smith, and in those two games the team has managed four runs in 13 innings, which works out to a 2.77 ERA. Yikes. If he stays healthy he will give the Kernels the ace they haven’t had since as far back as I can remember.


GAME 1: Garcia Throws Goose Eggs

But what should concern Nine fane even more is that the first game of the series featured the Kernel’s more under-touted arrival in Juan Garcia. The 21-year-old right hander threw a 2-hitter into the eighth inning, striking out five and walking none as his team eventually recorded a 3-0 victory.

These are the first two young Kernel pitchers to arrive from a wave that an earlier publication suggested was the best set of young arms in baseball. If these games are the forerunner of the future, Nine fans suddenly believe.

“Everyone knew Smith was going to be tough,” sand manager Bill Inkster, “But we couldn’t get much going against Garcia at all. He’s a good pitcher.”

Smith was drafted in the first round of the 2038 process. Garcia came to the team in the deal that sent John Hale to Omaha (and then later to Madison). He was nicked up earlier in the season, but scouts have upgraded their assessment of him recently, and suddenly he’s looking quite interesting. Given that AA reliever Pedro Tanon, who also came in that deal, is still looking prospect as he nears 19, that deal is looking stronger for Kernel fans every day. With guys like Karnes and Palmer coming along a season or two behind Smith and Garcia, Des Moines fans are suddenly hopeful in ways that are almost to painful to bear.

Combined, the Nine offense—which had been hot coming off a sweep of Edmonton in Canada, managed only a pair of runs off these two young guns.

Of course, the name of the game is to win, and the Nine lucky enough and talented enough to scratch out at least the one victory despite anemic bats, bringing their yearly tally vs. the Kernels to six victories on five defeats.

Enjoy that advantage while it lasts.

The Kernels are 74-81 going into the last week of the season. They were in the playoff hunt until just recently. And that was done with a young team--mostly before Smith and Garcia arrived.

So, yeah, the future is always in doubt, but for two days Juan Garcia and Don Smith showed the Nine a glimpse of a more than possible one in which hits and runs are very hard to come by.

[Edward Murphy]

love all the young arms I have coming up.

[HoosierVic]

Don't worry, Ron. You'll still have all those games against Huntsv ... er, Chicago.