[Westheim]

It was interleague week, and it started against certain other woodlands creatures from Oregon. Since dueling in the World Series last year, the two teams from Oregon had gone a combined 51-68, and by now it was widely accepted by the local baseball fans that neither team would be playing past September this time around.

Raccoons (25-34) vs. Wolves (26-34)

Some less crappy start from Steven Berry here would be nicey-nice. The Wolves had their issues with their pitching as well, but Berry had to stop giving away so many hits and runs. His stuff was dominating early on and he struck out five in three scoreless innings to start the game. Matt Higgins provided him with a lead in the bottom 3rd, a solo shot into the bleachers behind the left field wall. Jon Robinson looked frustrated at the mound. Two down, nobody on, Daniel Hall came up and was hit squarely in the shoulder after ducking away from it. Hall hurled the bat away and went after Robinson, and the benches emptied. Berry came apart in the fifth. The Wolves loaded the bags with one out (including a HBP to Dale Cleveland), and two singles later, three runs were in, and Berry was out. Again. And the Raccoons did not get back. Again. 3-2 Wolves. Higgins 2-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Powers 1-2; Matthews 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

Daniel Hall and Jon Robinson got 5-game suspensions for their brawl. In turn, Randy Powers, who entered the game in place of the ejected Hall, landed his first big league hit. Hall’s suspension rips another hole into the hole-stacked Swiss cheese lineup we have. Leo Smith batted third in the middle game. So much for that. Powers replaced Hall in left field for the duration of his suspension, so this series and the next.

Jose Fernandez matched up with Alejandro Venegas for said game 2. Fernandez surrendered leadoff doubles in both of the first two innings, and both times the run scored. The Coons scored an unearned run on a throwing error by C Les Harper when Matt Higgins stole second in the first inning. Higgins went to third and eventually scored. In the bottom 4th, the Raccoons loaded the bags with one out and Antonio Gonzalez up. The sucker blew it, of course, with a poor lazy flyer to central center, and Powers lined out to 2B Mark “Icon” Allen. Gonzalez came up again in the sixth with two on and was pinch hit for with Salazar even there. Salazar’s knock was heard all over the city, hitting a huge RBI double and putting the go-ahead run at third. Powers was put on to get Fernandez into the box, and he remained in, hitting a single through 3B Sixto Moreno, being his own best friend (once more…). Bobby Quinn scored two runs with a single in the leadoff spot for a substantial 5-2 lead. Fernandez struck out a guy in the top 7th, then put one on, struck one out, put another one on, and faced Cleveland as the tying run – STRUCK HIM OUT!! That was the 10th and final K for Fernandez that day. The pen took over, and how it did: Cordero walked Benny Carver in the eighth, and Jackie Lagarde came in to be taken deep by Sean Bergeron. Grant West managed to hold on, but also put a runner on. 5-4 Raccoons. Smith 2-3, RBI; Osanai 2-4; Reece 2-4; Salazar (PH) 1-2, RBI; Martin (PH) 1-1; Fernandez 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, W (2-0) and 1-3, RBI;

With Kisho Saito you always hoped for a long outing and a W for the team, but rubber game day was not his best outing. The Wolves scored two off him in the first inning. Bottom 3rd: Saito walked, pitcher Evan Dawson misfielded Jorge Salazar’s grounder, and Quinn singled to left. Bases loaded, nobody out. Smith scored a run with a sac fly, that was it. Again. There was some scoring into the fifth, the bottom of which the Coons entered down 4-2. Quinn doubled to start the frame, and Smith also doubled. Nobody out, tying run on second base – didn’t score. Osanai struck out and Higgins and Martin left Smith at third. 5-3 Wolves. Quinn 2-4, 2B; Carrillo 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K;

After the series, some players departed to Cincinnati, while others were to go to St. Petersburg. These were Antonio Gonzalez and Alarico Violante. David Vinson was recalled from his rehab stint, and Elmer Hawley was brought back, too.

Raccoons (26-36) @ Cyclones (27-33)

Another team average in many aspects, the Cyclones tried to stay in contention in the FL East, which was a lot to ask with the Capitals playing .700 ball.

Scott Wade pitched three strong innings in game 1, got no support, then lost cohesion and fell 1-0 behind in the fourth. Osanai’s 2-out RBI single tied the game in the sixth, scoring Higgins, and Wade added two more innings, holding the fort with a 1-1 tie. He got no further support and no W, and the Coons left the go-ahead run on third base in the ninth, too. Matthews got two outs in the bottom 10th, then loaded the bases. Lagarde came in to face Billy Rowland, and punched him out. Top 11th, and Quinn and Osanai were in scoring position with nobody out. Vinson was put on intentionally and again they merely managed a sac fly (Martin). West came in to save it and sat down the Cyclones in order. 2-1 Raccoons. Salazar 2-5; Quinn 2-5; Osanai 2-5, 2B, RBI; Wade 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; Martinez 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;

This was Jackie Lagarde’s first W as a Furball after mysteriously going 0-5 last year despite pitching magnificiently.

Game 2. Can we please, PLEASE …! Give Mr. Correa a win? He really deserves better than this. The Coons instantly left runners on the corners in the top 1st. Quinn stole a home run from Joey Jones in the second, but Jones and Jesus Galindo hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth, putting three runs on the board. The Coons yet had to get into the H column. Powers doubled in the top 5th to end that drought, but the only run scored was batted in by Correa and then they left the bases loaded in that inning. They were just incredible. Bases loaded, two out, Correa up in the top 6th. What the heck, old man, hit away. He grounded out. The tying run came to the plate twice after that, but … 3-1 Cyclones. Powers 2-4; Correa 8.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, L (0-4) and 1-3, RBI;

Daniel Hall returned from his suspension for the rubber game, relieving us of Randy Powers’ .200 bat. As if that had been our only problem.

Hall also did little to jump start the invisible offense, as Jim Harrington no-hit the Coons into the sixth inning in the rubber game. With Berry on the mound, that meant trouble, and it came in the form of almost 100 pitches and two runs in through five innings. Berry didn’t get through the sixth eventually. Top 7th, Hall leading off. He singled, and Osanai singled, and Vinson singled. Bases loaded, nobody out, two runs needed to tie the game. Higgins, Martin, O’Morrissey … didn’t score A SINGLE *** RUN. The tying run came to the plate one more time in the ninth, with two down. Higgins was on first when Martin was hit by closer Joe Roberts. O’Morrissey was replaced by Dawson. If Dawson can do one thing, it’s hitting a home run. He CAN NOT hit into a double play here. That’s a possible win-win-win situation. He struck out. 3-0 Cyclones. Osanai 2-4;

In other news

June 8 – TIJ OF Preston O’Day (.260, 9 HR, 35 RBI) is having a down season and now has an oblique strain as well that may shelf him for the rest of the month.
June 12 – The Miners get wiped out by the Titans, 10-1, but there is still a minor ceremony after the game, honoring 35-yr old OF Armando Sanchez, who collected his 2,000th career hit in the game, a ninth inning single off Jesus Cortez.
June 12 – New York’s Antonio Esquivel (.293, 5 HR, 31 RBI) brings his hitting streak to 30 games.
June 12 – TOP Jorge Ramos (4-3, 4.95 ERA) puzzles the Loggers and pitches a 2-hitter in a 5-0 win.
June 12 – The Wolves look for improved pitching and acquire veteran SP Terry Reynolds (2-6, 5.20 ERA) from the Indians, sending over utility infielder Sixto Moreno (.313 in 131 AB) and minor leaguer Gordon Smith.
June 12 – Struggling to keep pace with Washington, the Blue Sox lose CL Matt Sims (5-2, 3.25 ERA, 15 SV) to a strained abdominal muscle. Sims should not miss more than two weeks.
June 13 – MIL SP Davis Sims (1-8, 5.49 ERA) is out for the season with a torn back muscle.

Complaints and stuff

Runs scored/against these three weeks: 13-19. THIRTEEN RUNS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!

1989 Steven Berry: 29 G, 22 GS, 9-8, 1 SV, 3.01 ERA, 155.1 IP, 154 H, 52 ER, 36 BB, 141 K, 1.22 WHIP, .253 OAVG, .306 BABIP
1990 Steven Berry: 13 G, 13 GS, 3-8, 6.23 ERA, 69.1 IP, 90 H, 48 ER, 33 BB, 68 K, 1.77 WHIP, .311 OAVG, .370 BABIP
He’s striking out nine a game, but these H/9 and BB/9 are killers! How can that be!?

Also, why does this piece of junk of a game not state a team’s offensive BABIP?? Manually calculated it is .266, which seems outright cheap. Our defense has rallied to rank 3rd in BABIP with a .283 mark. That pretty neatly masks the 59 homers surrendered by Raccoons pitching, dead last in the CL.

Offensive categories the Coons rank not 10th or worse in: XBH (8th), HR (7th), K (3rd);
Offensive categories the Coons rank 10th or worse in: AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, R, H, BB, SB;
Offensive categories the Coons rank LAST in: AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, R

It’s draining me. It’s so badly, heavily, soul-wrenchingly draining me.