Jax, Kernels Fall to Paulino, Cubs

SOUTH BEND, IND. - South Bend Cubs southpaw Jose Paulino defeated Cedar Rapids Kernels right-hander Griffin Jax in a 1-0 four-hit shutout Saturday at Four Winds Field. The Cubs secured a 1-0 lead in this three-game series, and the Kernels have lost five consecutive contests including all four games on this Eastern Division road trip.
Paulino (5-2) posted a season-high-tying seven strikeouts within a career-best 7.1 innings for the win. Paulino only yielded four hits and did not allow any runners to advance past second base. He also retired 10 consecutive batters from the second inning into the fifth.

The Cubs (11-12, 50-42) scored a quick run in the first inning to take a 1-0 advantage. Andruw Monasterio led off with an infield single to third base. Alberto Mineo followed with an RBI double to the right-field wall that drove in Monasterio.
Jax (1-1) fought valiantly over seven innings but took the loss Saturday. He limited the Cubs to one run in the first inning after allowing the first three batters to get on base. He also escaped a jam in the third when Joe Cronin's unassisted double play ended the frame. Jax gave up just three hits and one run over seven innings pitched in a quality start.
The Kernels (10-13, 49-44) were shut down by reliever Wyatt Short at the end of the contest. Short replaced Paulino during the eighth with Caleb Hamilton at first base as the potential game-tying run. Short induced back-to-back groundouts to strand Hamilton and then retired all three hitters in the ninth inning to notch his team-high ninth save.
Cedar Rapids' loss was its fifth in a row and its fourth via shutout in this stretch. Both the Kernels and the Cubs were held to four hits apiece in the series opener.
The middle game of this three-game series will be played Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m. CT). Kernels left-hander Anthony Marzi (2-0, 0.66) will start the contest for Cedar Rapids. Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will call the game on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Cedar Rapids' next homestand starts Wednesday, July 19 and continues through Monday, July 24. Fans can purchase tickets for all Kernels home games by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.