[Westheim]

Raccoons (62-29) @ Indians (50-43) – July 16-18, 2007

The Indians were dropping like rocks from their awesome start that lasted into early May (21-9 on May 5), but so far had demonstrated ownage of some certain hairy creatures, beating them six out of nine, including a sweep in three games in April. However their team, which was by now permanently Ron Alston-less more and more turned out to be disturbingly average, sixth in runs scored in the league, and fourth in runs allowed. Outside of Curtis Tobitt, their rotation was quite dull, but we would not be fortunate enough to miss him this time.

Projected matchups:
Jose Dominguez (3-6, 5.05 ERA) vs. Curtis Tobitt (12-3, 2.82 ERA)
Nick Brown (10-5, 2.73 ERA) vs. Bob King (6-6, 4.11 ERA)
Kelvin Yates (12-1, 2.21 ERA) vs. Ramiro Gonzalez (7-9, 3.19 ERA)

Right-right-left; meanwhile they had four other batters (apart from Alston) on the DL, three of those outfielders, including recent acquisition Robbie Luxton and recent pain-under-the-tail Bill Miller.

Game 1
POR: 3B Flores – CF Castro – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – SS R. Miller – 2B Nomura – C Wood – P Dominguez
IND: RF J. Lugo – SS J. Lopez – 1B S. Stevens – C Paraz – 3B Fugosi – LF A. Solís – 2B J. Miller – CF Martines – P Tobitt

Three Joses among the first four batters had got to be a record, and they soon enough all put their brand into the hapless Dominguez, whose only achievement it was to beat Tobitt defending for an infield single in the top 3rd when the decidedly better pitcher in the contest had already retired eight in a row. The Indians broke through for two runs in the third inning, and then another in the fourth, which ended on Castro throwing out Jose Lopez going first-to-third on a Stevens single, but Lopez took out Vic Flores, who had to leave the game. The Raccoons threatened only once in the game when they got their first two men on with Sharp drawing a walk (in place of Flores) and Castro hitting a single before the well fell dry. Dominguez went six and allowed three runs, and the Indians got another one off Riddle in the seventh. Simon Stevens had a 4-hit day, totaling the amount of offense generated by all Hairballs. 4-0 Indians. Castro 2-3, BB, 2B;

We probably never had a chance looking at the pitching matchup (but remember we beat Tobitt in May in a 3.1 IP, 6 ER rush, and that game was started by Dominguez as well…). Now we have to hope that Vic Flores ain’t hurt too badly. Normally I would have demoted Ryan Miller after this one, but with Flores out and waiting on a sure diagnosis, he stays around a few more days.

Instead, the perennially pathetic Bobo Wood was sent to AAA, and we called up Sergio Esquivel (.286, 2 HR, 45 RBI in AAA; .241, 0 HR, 6 RBI with POR last year).

Game 2
POR: CF Castro – SS R. Miller – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – C Bowen – 3B Sharp – 2B Nomura – P Brown
IND: RF Rey – SS J. Lopez – 1B S. Stevens – C Paraz – 3B Fugosi – LF A. Solís – 2B J. Miller – CF Martines – P B. King

Nick Brown had been a mess in his last start, and it got a whole lot worse. He walked Claudio Rey on Jose Lopez without registering a strike, walked Stevens in a full count, got Paraz to hack himself out at balls, and finally walked a run in against Fugosi. Five batters, four walks, and the Indians took a 2-0 lead on Solís’ sacrifice fly to right. The Indians didn’t actually get a hit until Paraz singled with two out in the third, but the damage had been done already.

Meanwhile the Raccoons indulged themselves in running up that LOB count. Castro had been left on third base in the opening frame, and they had left pairs on in the next two innings, not scoring against Bob King. The third saw them load the bases on two walks and a Yoshi single, with Brown batting with no outs. Had it been an inning later, we might have hit for our messed up ace, but - … nah. Brown hit a sac fly, Bowen scoring against Solís’ poor throw, before Castro almost ended the inning with a grounder to second. They only got Yoshi, though, but Ryan Miller also grounded right to a defender, but this time to King, who couldn’t make a good play on it, taking an extra step to recover from offering the pitch, and Miller legged out a game-tying 2-out infield single. Pruitt then flew out to left to strand two more.

The game tied, Brownie was unusually silent. Normally he’d always be seen babbling with the team mates in the dugout between innings, but now resolved to retreating to the most remote corner of the dugout, torturing an innocent baseball in his fists. It worked, a bit at least. He did not walk anybody else after that horrendous first inning, but hit Fugosi in the sixth, except for a 2-out walk in the seventh to PH Jim Stein, and then struck out another pinch-hitter in Jose Lugo. That he did make it through seven after all after expending 34 pitches in the first inning was achievement enough, and a lot of it was done with generating very poor contact rather than strikeouts, of which he had six eventually. Yet his team let him down more than he let himself down, getting their first two runners, Pruitt and Black, on in the seventh, and still not scoring.

With over 100 pitches on the odometer and his spot up in the eighth, Crespo was clearly hitting for Brown in the eighth, and Brown vanished in the clubhouse immediately (we would later find a smashed vending machine surrounded by bat splinters). Crespo batted with one out and nobody on, and lined to right, where Lugo made a spectacular flying catch that was for certain going to make the weekly ABL highlights. While we got robbed there, Castro would then hit a double, but couldn’t score on Miller’s soft single to center, putting runners on the corners with two out for Pruitt. Please, not again, not another pair stranded. Facing Javier Navarro, Pruitt ripped at the first pitch and rammed a liner into the gap in right center, and that was never going to be caught: Castro scored, Miller scored, and the Raccoons (and Brownie) held a 4-2 lead. Only Paraz’ early single still stood between the Indians and a combined no-hitter against them, and Rockburn and Casas were not going to open the door for them again. Their only late runner was Fugosi, who drew a walk off Angel, before the closer retired the next three batters. 4-2 Brownies. Castro 2-5, 2B; Miller 2-5, 2B, RBI; Pruitt 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Sharp 2-4, BB; Brown 7.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, W (11-5) and 1-2, RBI;

I debated with myself for a while whether to include Brownie in the post-game honorary mentions. 7 IP, 2 R is normally good enough, and one hit allowed for damn sure is, but oh my god that first inning …

We’re now 4-7 against the Indians, the same mark we hold against the Elks, and those are our only losing records so far this year. We have already claimed seven season series, including all four interleague matchups, and three against CL South teams.

Game 3
POR: LF Castro – SS R. Miller – 1B Pruitt – RF Black – C Bowen – 3B Sharp – CF Crespo – 2B Sato – P Yates
IND: RF J. Lugo – SS J. Lopez – 1B S. Stevens – C Paraz – 3B Fugosi – LF A. Solís – 2B C. Aguilar – CF Martines – P R. Gonzalez

Castro started the game with a single and went to third on a hit-and-run in which Paraz’ throw to second was well high and well into center. Miller struck out, but Pruitt singled to right for an early 1-0 lead before we had to see the Indians snip three straight 1-out singles off Yates in the bottom 1st. That loaded the bases, but nobody scored once Fugosi, who had not been retired at all on Tuesday, grounded into a double play. But after being denied there, the Indians had Solís draw a walk to start the bottom 2nd before Aguilar hit a no-doubter to right to flip the score in the Indians’ favor, 2-1. Like Brown, Yates was scuffling, and couldn’t get into good counts consistently, which had made him unbeatable in the first half of the season. Kel struck out only four in six innings before being hit for by Quebell following Kuni Sato’s 1-out triple in the top 7th. Quebell squeezed a grounder past Aguilar for a single, and that tied the score at two, so Yates was off the hook, but would not get a win either.

Defensively, Crespo kept being defeated in this game, and Stevens hit a 2-out double off Bennett in his direction in the bottom 7th. When Paraz then hit another rocket to deep center, I closed my eyes and sighed, but then the attendance in the park sighed even louder, and that was for Crespo making a strong catch on Paraz to end the inning. Both teams left runners on the corners in their halves of the eighth inning, and the Raccoons would even leave them loaded in the ninth, with Miller being robbed on Lugo’s strong play on his line drive, and Black with two out simply sending a hopper right back to pitcher Leonardo Sosa. Following that, Luis Beltran retired two left-handers in the bottom 9th before Kaz Kichida faced only one batter with two outs. Jose Lopez took him so deep, it legally qualified as a colonoscopy. 3-2 Indians. Pruitt 2-4, BB, RBI; Sharp 2-3, BB; Quebell (PH) 1-1, RBI; Trevino (PH) 1-1;

Performing in the clutch is an issue at this point…

It won’t likely get better soon, either. Vic Flores was placed on the DL with a spained thumb and might miss another four weeks. So, that’s our batting title going away right here…

While Luis Beltran was replaced by Marcos Bruno on the roster, we also needed a replacement for Vic Flores – again. Anybody remember that other Yoshi guy? Nah, just kidding. We decided to give a look to 2B Jose Gutierrez, 22. A right-handed contact batter without any power, Gutierrez batted .274/.360/.346 with two homers and 31 RBI in 81 games for St. Petersburg this season. He is more glove than anything else, most likely. We acquired him in 2006 from the Pacifics for C Curt Cooks.

Raccoons (63-31) @ Thunder (46-48) – July 20-22, 2007

Two games under .500, the Thunder were still second in their division, somehow competing with below-average runs scored and runs allowed. They had an ace up their sleeve with SP Daniel Dickerson returning from a stretched elbow ligament and posting a 2-0, 1.80 ERA mark so far, but we would not face him in this series. We had taken two of three from them the first time we encountered them this year.

Projected matchups:
Cássio Boda (3-1, 3.53 ERA) vs. Manny Guzmán (5-7, 4.88 ERA)
Raúl Fuentes (8-5, 4.37 ERA) vs. Aaron Anderson (7-5, 4.23 ERA)
Jose Dominguez (3-7, 5.01 ERA) vs. Luis Martinez (7-8, 3.63 ERA)

The only guy in the park so old to actually have played for a Raccoons team that definitely logged a winning record, and talented enough to be on his eighth major league team, was Iván Costa. He appeared in three games for the 1996 Raccoons, posting a 6.35 ERA. Samy Michel was also on the team, but he had only debuted in 1997.

Game 1
POR: CF Castro – SS R. Miller – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – 3B Sharp – 2B Nomura – C Esquivel – P Boda
OCT: LF V. Sanchez – 1B T. Cardenas – RF Takizawa – CF W. McCormick – 2B Michel – 3B Reese – SS Heathershaw – C L. Paredes – P M. Guzmán

Defense remained strong as both pitchers were rescued by good defensive plays made in their support early. The Critters still scored first, scratching out a run on Nomura’s groundout in the second inning which followed a Quebell single and Sharp doubled. Esquivel’s first AB of the year saw him looking at strike three to end the inning. Duke Smack hit his 17th homer in the fourth, 2-0, and as the inning progressed, Quebell walked, Sharp singled, and Nomura’s line to left was caught, then dropped by Sanchez. The bases were loaded with one out for Esquivel, who made sure not to look at too many pitches this time and slapped Guzmán’s first pitch into play, a soaring drive, and then out of play – GRAAAAND SLAAAAAMMM!!!!

That knocked Guzmán from the game, and the Raccoons would add a run against Jimmy Morey, the old nemesis, in the fifth on doubles by Pruitt and Duke Smack. In turn the Thunder got on the board when Bradley Heathershaw, he with the winner’s name, hit a home run off Boda in the bottom 5th, 7-1, and another run scored on 2-out heroics by Victorino Sanchez (single) and Tomas Cardenas (RBI double). Boda got stuck for good in the bottom 6th where Ed Bryan replaced him with two on and two out to face left-handed pinch-hitter Ignacio Arreola, who hit a hard ball to right that was nevertheless right into Black’s glove. Bryan proceeded to allow a home run to Victorino Sanchez in the next inning to get the Thunder back within four, but finished the inning. The bottom 8th saw Rockburn allow singles to the first two batters he faced. Marcos Bruno made his return from the DL in a really tight nook, but excelled fantastically, striking out Heathershaw, Luis Paredes, and Alonso Baca in order. But the scuffle continued, and no 4-run lead was safe. Bennett allowed a single to Sanchez and walked Cardenas to start the ninth inning, which prompted a move to Angel Casas, facing two more left-handers. He got a grounder from Takizawa to Quebell, who went to second for the only out on the play. McCormick struck out before Samy Michel lobbed an uncatchable bloop into shallow left for an RBI single. That was all the Thunder got, though: Tom Reese struck out. 7-4 Raccoons. Castro 2-5; Black 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Sharp 2-4, 2B; Esquivel 2-4, HR, 4 RBI;

Somewhere in the swamps of Florida, when Bobo Wood received news of Esquivel’s slam, he probably knew it was time to update his resume.

Game 2
POR: SS R. Miller – 1B Quebell – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 3B Sharp – C Bowen – CF Trevino – 2B J. Gutierrez – P Fuentes
OCT: LF V. Sanchez – 2B Metting – 1B T. Cardenas – SS Heathershaw – CF Reese – C L. Paredes – RF Rangel – 3B Arreola – P A. Anderson

Raúl Fuentes continued to get whacked furiously as Tom Reese beat him with a 2-out, 2-run triple in the first inning. A Black error cost an unearned run in the second, immediately negating Craig Bowen’s solo shot from the top of the inning. Apart from Bowen, all Raccoons that hit a ball to left, no matter how hard, found themselves robbed by Victorino Sanchez, who had been charged an error in the second inning for dropping a pop by Black in foul ground, but on fair balls was unbeaten until Bowen hit a 1-out double in the seventh. Trevino reached with a single as the tying run, and now it was bedtime for 0-for-2 debutee Jose Gutierrez as Tomas Castro hit for him and hit right into a double play. The Thunder proved a little less inept in their ambitions in this game, and Adam Riddle was torn up with an Arreola triple and Anderson double(!) in the bottom of the inning. Bennett failed to clean up, and the Coons lost this one handily. 7-1 Thunder. Bowen 2-2, HR, 2B, RBI;

Kaz allowed another home run to the first man he faced in this game, a 2-run shot to Reese in the bottom 8th.

Game 3
POR: CF Castro – 3B Sharp – LF Pruitt – RF Black – C Bowen – 1B Quebell – SS Sato – 2B J. Gutierrez – P Dominguez
OCT: LF V. Sanchez – 1B T. Cardenas – RF Takizawa – CF W. McCormick – 2B Michel – 3B Reese – SS Metting – C Baca – P L. Martinez

Same old, same old, early for the Coons, as Quebell hit into a double play, and Castro hit a triple in the third, but was unscored once Sharp popped out to short. No, you had to hit one out here, and who better for the job than the Duke? He made it 1-0 in the fourth with his 18th piece of the year before Bowen singled up the middle and a balk by the lefty Luis Martinez in a 2-2 count outrageously took the double play away from Quebell, who then worked a walk. But Sato and Gutierrez filled in competently for Miller and Nomura and both grounded out without any danger to Martinez’ line. There was danger to Dominguez’ line in the bottom of the fourth. So far that line had not included any hits, but after Takizawa drew a walk, Wes McCormick hit a soft blooper into left for a single. A walk to Reese loaded the bases with two outs, but Kurt Metting grounded out to Sato.

Still 1-0 in the top 6th, which opened with Black striking out. Bowen singled, Quebell walked to resemble the fourth, only this time Sato hit a single to right to load them up. Yet, Gutierrez’ soft line was snagged by a leaping Reese at third, and Dominguez went down flailing. Top 7th, Castro drew a leadoff walk against Martinez, and was in motion when Sharp grounded to short, which was all that kept us out of a double play. More so, Metting’s throw was exceptionally poor, bounced right in front of Cardenas and almost struck him in the private place. The Coons had two men on AGAIN. Boys, we need runs! Dorkminguez is still pitching! Matt Pruitt heard, Matt Pruitt listened, Matt Pruitt homered forcefully off reliever Bartolo Gomez to run the score to 4-0 while a light rain set in. Luke Black was not done striking out yet when gusting wind turned the drizzle into a driving rain storm, and the grounds crew struggled to get the tarp on, with two members almost getting swallowed by the covering. With the Raccoons in need of getting out of town, the game was called two hours later. 4-0 Raccoons! Bowen 3-3; Dominguez 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K, W (4-7) and 1-3;

That’s twice this week that the opposition only tallied one hit, but plenty of walks. The ABL is going to credit a complete game shutout to Dominguez, but we know it was really not going to be one as he was on 93 pitches through six innings. It’s his third career shutout, and the second this year. In his previous lockout this season, of course, he allowed less than one hit AND went the distance of nine, barely.

In other news

July 16 – For once more, the Pacifics are unloading. They send SP Francisco Garza (10-7, 3.89 ERA) to the Knights for two prospects, including #63 pitcher Lance Tinker.
July 16 – SFW INF Oliver Torres (.353, 1 HR, 30 RBI) is out for a month with plantar fasciitis.
July 16 – The Titans place INF Daniel Silva (.267, 3 HR, 22 RBI) on the DL with a groin strain. He might not be available again until September.
July 22 – DAL CF/LF Cesar Morán (.323, 10 HR, 57 RBI) is out for six weeks with an elbow sprain.

Complaints and stuff

May Daniel Silva’s groin forever burn in the eternal fires of hell. There, I said it. Now, how are our injured guys doing? Any karma repercussions, yet? Umm, no.

The team is just not any good at the moment. Our co-aces are outdoing another in pulling stupid **** on the mound, and the bottom of the rotation has not been a delight for months. In addition to that, the offense has stopped producing. We scored 4.7 R/G in June. In July we’re back down to a rotten 61 runs in 18 games, or 3.4 R/G…

And those Crusaders are drawing closer and closer…