[Westheim]

The news spread through Coon City like wildfire. The Willamette reversed its course and flowed back up to Salem. The Willis Frodo Center trembled, but didn’t fall – yet. Monday by lunch, the whole city knew that the Raccoons had placed Nick Brown on the disabled list with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

He was quite definitely out for the season –

Raccoons (21-22) @ Bayhawks (20-23) – May 20-22, 2013

The radically diminished Raccoons faced the almost-as-good-record-wise Bayhawks, who were second in the South, but nine games out. Their average offense failed to make up for the second-worst pitching staff in the league, and they were bleeding runs at a frantic pace. The Raccoons had beaten them 7-2 in 2012.

Projected matchups:
Hector Santos (1-2, 2.98 ERA) vs. Julio Munoz (4-2, 4.23 ERA)
Colin Baldwin (2-3, 4.05 ERA) vs. Jared D’Attilo (2-3, 6.51 ERA)
Rich Hood (2-2, 4.37 ERA) vs. G.G. Williams (1-0, 3.76 ERA)

G.G. is employed as a left-handed swingman by the Birds, while the first two guys are right-handers. Williams could also potentially pitch in the middle game.

The Raccoons could go without a replacement starter this week due to an off day on Thursday, with Conway, Santos, and Baldwin pitching on the weekend. With that, a reliever was added in George Youngblood, who had a 1.38 ERA in St. Petersburg despite issuing nine walks per nine innings, while striking out just as many.

Game 1
POR: 2B Nomura – LF Sambrano – C D. Alexander – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – SS Palmer – CF J. Alexander – 3B Rodgers – P Santos
SFB: LF J. Gomez – 3B J. Rodriguez – RF Alston – 1B A. Young – CF Holt – C McClendon – SS Robinson – 2B Brazeal – P J. Munoz

Either team had one baserunner the first time through the order. “Monte” Alston reached on a pop blatantly dropped by Michael Palmer, while Munoz plunked none other than Santos. With two outs in the bottom 3rd, the Bayhawks certainly got going, with Jose Gomez singling up the middle. Javy Rodriguez singled, too, and then it went rather quickly for Santos, who allowed a 2-run double to Alston, then a 2-run homer to Adam Young. The Raccoons answered this 4-spot in the third with a 3-spot in the fourth of their own, which started innocently enough with a Sambrano single that was almost banished to the confines of an obscure stat page when suddenly they also got going with two outs. Quebell doubled, 4-1, Palmer singled, 4-2, Palmer stole second and made it to third on Henry McClendon’s awful throw, and then scored on John Alexander’s single, 4-3. While the ball kept jumping off the Birds’ bats, and they had Gomez and Rodriguez reach base with 2-out singles again in the fifth, this time Alston would hit into a double play. The Raccoons tied the game in the next inning on the strength of a Bednarski double and J-Alex’ clutch 2-out RBI single, but Santos would disintegrate in a nightmare-inducing seventh inning, in which Mike Robinson led off with an infield single, Omarion Thompson had a pinch-hit single, and Santos then plated the go-ahead run with a wild pitch while having two outs and a .111 hitter at the plate. Sugano replaced him to strike out Alston, but the Coons were 5-4 behind, and Chris Mathis was skinned for three runs on four hard hits in the eighth to give this one completely out of hand. 8-4 Bayhawks. Sambrano 2-5; J. Alexander 2-4, 2 RBI; Canning (PH) 1-1;

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – 2B Palmer – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – C Bowen – SS Whitehouse – 3B Canning – P Baldwin
SFB: LF J. Gomez – 3B J. Rodriguez – CF Holt – RF Alston – C McClendon – 1B A. Young – SS Ingraham – 2B Richter – P G.G. Williams

When Adam Young popped leisurely to Bednarski in shallow right on a 3-1 pitch, he left the bases loaded in the first inning, and Zach Ingraham was left on third base the following inning, before the Raccoons got their own chance to sabotage in the top 3rd. Williams had walked Canning, then threw away Baldwin’s bunt to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Ricardo Carmona certainly made a big step towards another total team failure with a poor pop over third base, but Sandy Sambrano found the gap with a pretty fat 1-1 pitch by G.G. Williams and came up with a 2-run triple. Then, Palmer struck out, Bednarski came close until a 1-2 pitch hit him, Quebell walked, and Bowen was an obvious K with the bases loaded. The Bayhawks countered that failure with getting Rodriguez thrown out at home by Sandy on Jasper Holt’s single in the bottom 3rd, then stranded Holt on third base. The Coons went on to score single runs in each of the middle innings despite Carmona getting caught stealing in the fourth, Bednarski hitting into a double play in the fifth, and in the sixth it was another unlikely leadoff jack by Whitehouse.

Bottom 6th, down 5-0, Jasper Holt led off with a double against Baldwin. Alston popped out, but then the Coons’ battery broke down completely. Baldwin threw a wild 0-2 to McClendon, moving Holt to third. McClendon popped the next pitch foul behind home plate, and Bowen had it dink off the edge of his glove for an egregious error. They probably deserved to surrender a multitude of runs, but McClendon eventually lined out and Young grounded out to Palmer to end the inning and strand ANOTHER runner on third base. Too much fail cost the Bayhawks this game, while the Raccoons kept adding, somehow. Yoshi Nomura hit a pinch-hit RBI triple in the eighth, and Quebell threw in a 2-run homer in the ninth. The Bayhawks didn’t score until they were on their last out, putting four straight batters on to put two runs on Josh Gibson. 8-2 Critters. Carmona 2-5, RBI; Palmer 2-4; Quebell 2-4, BB, HR, 3 RBI; Nomura (PH) 1-1, 3B, RBI; Baldwin 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, W (3-3);

Game 3
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Nomura – C D. Alexander – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – LF Pruitt – SS Palmer – 3B Rodgers – P Hood
SFB: LF J. Gomez – 3B J. Rodriguez – CF Holt – RF Alston – C McClendon – 1B A. Young – SS Ingraham – 2B Richter – P D’Attilo

Nomura’s first home run of the season was of the solo variety and tied the game in the third inning, 1-1. It was also the Coons’ first hit in the game, while Hood was totally easily hittable and the Baybirds had already stranded three in the first two innings. Sloppy fielding didn’t help, but somehow the Bayhawks even failed to cash in on Quebell’s leadoff error in the bottom 5th that put the pitcher on base. They ended up stranding runners on the corners despite Javy Rodriguez’ infield single. Meanwhile the Coons had to wait until Yoshi Nomura’s next at-bat to get another hit, a single to left. Then things went quickly, however, as D-Alex singled and Bednarski completely crashed a fastball that came right down the middle of the road without doing much, cranking a 3-run homer to break the 1-1 tie. Even the normally dreaded leadoff walk was no help for the Birds. Zachary Richter drew one off Hood in the bottom 7th, and was also stranded, with Matt Pruitt making a bear of a catch on Jose Gomez’ drive to deep left. The Birds knew how to make contact, and they made a lot off Hood, but they completely failed to miss the fielders as soon as somebody was on base. Hood went eight with a line that looked treacherously good, while the Raccoons took a rubber game in which both sides had five hits apiece. 4-1 Raccoons. Nomura 2-4, HR, RBI; Bednarski 1-3, BB, HR, 3 RBI; Hood 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (3-2);

Raccoons (23-23) @ Falcons (18-29) – May 24-26, 2013

The Raccoons visited the worst offense in the Continental League, with the Falcons’ 3.8 runs scored per game already summing up a good number of their issues. Their pitching was not all that much better, with the third-most runs allowed, and the second-worst rotation. The Raccoons had won two of three in the first series of the year.

Projected matchups:
Bill Conway (2-3, 3.56 ERA) vs. Roberto Ramirez (0-7, 5.88 ERA)
Hector Santos (1-3, 3.41 ERA) vs. Max Shepherd (2-4, 2.74 ERA)
Colin Baldwin (3-3, 3.64 ERA) vs. Brian Patrick (2-5, 4.59 ERA)

Three right-handers waiting for the Raccoons.

Game 1
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Nomura – C D. Alexander – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – LF Pruitt – SS Palmer – 3B Rodgers – P Conway
CHA: CF Ibarra – C F. Chavez – 1B T. Avila – 2B C. Martinez – LF J. Jimenez – 3B Ladd – RF Puckett – SS Kester – P R. Ramirez

The infamous leadoff walk hurt Bill Conway rather quickly; issued to Rich Ibarra in the first, Fernando Chavez made this a 2-0 Falcons game in a real hurry and without a doubt. Bottom 2nd, leadoff walk to Wes Ladd, and that run damn sure scored as well after a Jaime Kester double. As if a 3-0 deficit wasn’t bad enough, Yoshi Nomura was hurt on a slide into second base, with some kind of lower body pain or other, after doubling in the top 3rd. Whitehouse replaced him with Palmer sliding over to second base – another warm body off the field. The Raccoons would pile singles on Ramirez in this and the next inning, scoring single runs in both while leaving on four men total, and after four trailed the Falcons 3-2, while out-hitting them 8-2. Conway went six and two thirds without allowing another hit, but sure did allow another leadoff walk in the bottom 7th to Chris Puckett. With the runner on third and two outs, Thrasher replaced Conway to face the top of the order, and walked Rich Ibarra before whiffing Chavez. The Coons had miffed up a chance in the fifth after Whitehouse had been hit by the pitch and Bednarski had drawn a walk, stranding both on poor flies by Quebell and Pruitt – and those were the Raccoons’ last runners in the game. The measly Ramirez and Matt Collins sat down the last 14 Critters in order. 3-2 Falcons. Nomura 2-2, 2B; Rodgers 2-3, 3B;

The Raccoons promoted 2B Jason Bergquist (.278, 4 HR, 25 RBI) from AAA, a 24-year old right-handed defense-first second-sacker, a supplemental round pick by the Titans in ’08 and eventually part of the big Jose Morales trade with the Capitals (along with Carmona), who had been claimed in the rule 5 draft by the Wolves before the 2012 season only to be returned to the Raccoons without playing in the majors.

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – C D. Alexander – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – LF J. Alexander – SS Palmer – 3B Canning – P Santos
CHA: CF Ibarra – C F. Chavez – 1B T. Avila – 2B C. Martinez – 3B Ladd – RF Puckett – LF Nieves – SS Best – P Shepherd

The Coons scored first in the top 2nd with some first-gear 2-out terror, Canning reaching with an awkward single, Santos on Carlos Martinez’ error, and then Carmona just barely found the gap between the convering Puckett and Ibarra to plate both runners, even Santos. D-Alex homered in the top 3rd, but the murky weather worsened quickly and by the fourth inning the teams had to deal with a lengthy rain delay that lasted for over an hour. D-Alex singled home another run when play resumed in the top 4th, 4-0, but Santos had clearly gone to junk during the interruption. He had a quick fourth, but the three batters he faced in the bottom of the fifth all reached base, including Domingo Nieves getting hit. Sugano replaced him, got a pop from Steve Best for the first out, then served up a pinch-hit grand slam to Jose Jimenez – oh yeah, that bullpen. While Gibson and Vega patched together outs after Sugano’s departure (not before adding two more baserunners), the Raccoons grabbed back the lead in the seventh, when Dylan Alexander hit another home run, a solo shot, off left-hander Pat Kling. Up 5-4, Thrasher walked a pair in the bottom 7th to continue his perpetual useless ways, with Chris Mathis replacing him and bailing out on a grounder to third by Martinez. Even worse than Thrasher would be Jerry Scott in the top 8th, walking Pruitt, throwing a wild pitch, walking Carmona, then another wild pitch. Runners on second and third with one out, all the Coons got was Sambrano’s grounder to first, D-Alex walking half-intentionally, and Bednarski flying out to center on the first pitch he saw, but in the ninth Jason Bergquist made his debut with Quebell on first and two outs, hitting for Canning and driving a ball into the left-center gap for an RBI double. Hoshi Watanabe turned out to get along without the insurance run, but it was certainly a nice thing to see from a debutee. 6-4 Furballs. D. Alexander 4-4, BB, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Bergquist (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI;

Interlude: trade

Saturday night, the Raccoons picked up SP Jack Berry (4-3, 4.20 ERA) from the Indians by dealing them AAA LF/RF Jeff Bowden, who had been involved in a trash deal already this year, having been flipped with Richard Williams from the Crusaders in April. Berry, 32, is the right-hander the Raccoons traded before his major league debut because he was expected to surrender countless home runs in the majors and especially Raccoons Ballpark. He led the FL in home runs allowed once, in 2008, but overall put up decent career numbers: 104-86 with a 3.76 ERA and 1,419 K.

Berry, making $880k both this and next year, figures to take over the rotation slot emptied by Nick Brown’s season-ending injury. Berry remained DFA’ed through the weekend, but was penciled in for a start on Monday when he would replace Youngblood on the roster.

Raccoons (23-23) @ Falcons (18-29) – May 24-26, 2013

Game 3
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – C D. Alexander – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – SS Palmer – 2B Bergquist – 3B Rodgers – P Baldwin
CHA: SS Ibarra – LF A. Chavez – 1B Puckett – 3B C. Martinez – RF Nieves – CF J. Jimenez – C F. Chavez – 2B Best – P Patrick

The Raccoons started the game in a hurry with two runs in the first, powered by a Sambrano triple, a D-Alex double, and Quebell’s bloop single. The Falcons would soon have their own triple by Nieves, with the ex-Titan and still-pitcher Brian Patrick plating the run with a 2-out single off the still not impressive Baldwin. The Coons had the bases loaded in the top 3rd, including two walks issued by Patrick, with Quebell hitting another RBI single with one out before Palmer lined out to Ibarra, who doubled a straying Bednarski off second base, but at least no Quebell double play and a 3-1 lead, although Armando Chavez’ leadoff double in the bottom of the inning quickly led to another run for the Falcons.

Top 5th, Patrick walked Sambrano, walked Dylan Alexander, and Bednarski hit a really hard single to left, so hard that Sambrano had to hold at third base. But the bases were loaded with nobody out and an excellent chance for Quebell to do something stupid, like hitting a soft grounder to the pitcher for a force at home. After Palmer’s sac fly, the Falcons were almost out of the inning at 4-2 until Steve Best misfiled Bergquist’s grounder for an error and Patrick – completely clueless as to the characteristics of the strike zone, walked Rodgers to force home the fifth run. Colin Baldwin was batting a destitute .045 for the season, jabbed away at the first pitch he saw and lined a rocket into the gap where the ball split Armando Chavez and Jose Jimenez and made it all the way to the wall for a bases-clearing double that put the Raccoons up 8-2 and got Patrick a ticket to the showers. Baldwin, for a minute the hero, opened the bottom 5th by walking relief pitcher John Key. After Ibarra’s groundout, Baldwin completely exploded for – in order – a double, a triple, and a homer. 8-6, he was yanked. Vega replaced him, but all he oversaw was a Domingo Nieves single and an error by Bergquist to put on the tying runs. Youngblood struck out Fernando Chavez, then got a grounder to first from Best, where Quebell simply missed it. Another grievous error, and the bases were loaded for pinch-hitter Jaime Kester, who struck out.

In his first major league game started, Bergquist got an intentional walk from lefty Pat Kling in the top 7th, with Quebell on second and one out. The Falcons thus got to Ken Rodgers, who beat Jimenez in center for a line drive double, scoring Quebell, 9-6, but the two runners in scoring position were stranded between John Alexander and Carmona. J-Alex had hit for Youngblood, whose five outs collected without a dozen runs allowed had been a welcome intermission from the usual dredge, but when Gibson started the bottom 7th, the leadoff man Carlos Martinez singled immediately. Nieves then hit into a double play to thwart a likely rally. Sugano got through the eighth mostly in shape, but in the bottom 9th it was Watanabe to create drama and bring up the tying run with two outs after a single by Armando Chavez and Carlos Martinez’ walk. Domingo Nieves promptly doubled, 9-7, tying runs in scoring position, and Jimenez singled to center, 9-8. With the left-hander Fernando Chavez up, Thrasher replaced Watanabe, with switch-hitter Maxime Da Silva batting for Chavez. An obvious walk later, the bags were full, and Thrasher could not get rid of Steve Best, either. The rookie had his first career hit with a game-tying infield single, sending the game to extras. A Rodgers error wasn’t quite enough to sink the Coons in the bottom 10th, but the following inning Gallegos walked Jimenez before Best hit another single. With two outs, the Falcons’ bench was empty and reliever Ralph Davis had to bat – and walked. The pen was so horrendously empty, Gallegos could not be replaced, and Rich Ibarra dropped to 0-for-7 with a groundout to Rodgers, prolonging the 9-9 game even further. Rodgers had a leadoff single in the 12th, but Sambrano killed the inning with a double play. D-Alex then had a leadoff single in the 13th, and Bednarski found the double play there. Davis lasted the Falcons into the top 14th, but there allowed singles to Palmer and Bergquist before he walked Rodgers. Bases loaded, Bowen hit for Gallegos, managed a sac fly, and that was already it once more, with Carmona singling to restock the sacks before Sambrano lined into a double play, caught by Martinez and Rodgers being doubled off second. Chris Mathis – the Raccoons’ last reliever – was handed the 10-9 lead, was 3-1 behind against reliever Jimmy Freeman (…!) before Freeman flew out to left, allowed a single to Ibarra, and then thankfully got a double play to end the game from Armando Chavez. 10-9 Raccoons. D. Alexander 3-6, BB, RBI; Quebell 4-7, 2B, 2 RBI; Rodgers 3-5, 2 BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Youngblood 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K; Gallegos 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, W (2-0);

In other news

May 20 – The Warriors will be without LF Gil Gross (.287, 8 HR, 32 RBI) for a month after the 27-year old slugger has sprained his ankle.
May 21 – Topeka’s Dave Flores (3-4, 2.49 ERA) spins a 3-hit shutout over the Gold Sox.
May 22 – Eight-time Gold Glover DAL INF Armando Rodriguez (.290, 1 HR, 18 RBI) also knows how to hit a bit, and gets his 2,000th career base knock in the Stars 4-1 loss to the Rebels. The milestone hit is a single off Richmond’s Tim Winston.
May 22 – Bad injury news for the Canadiens, who lose key slugger 1B Ray Gilbert (.370, 9 HR, 30 RBI) for three weeks with a broken rib.
May 22 – The Loggers lose SP Jim Baker (5-2, 2.78 ERA) for the season with a torn rotator cuff. Baker had been working on a 1-hit shutout against the Condors on Monday before leaving with the injury.
May 23 – SFW SP Fernando Cruz (5-3, 2.53 ERA) holds his ground in a 1-0 shutout over the Blue Sox, yielding only two hits.
May 24 – The Canadiens acquire SS Jeremiah Irvin (.277, 3 HR, 17 RBI) from the Warriors along with a minor leaguer, parting with SP Johnny Krom (5-1, 4.34 ERA).
May 26 – Dallas places OF/1B Hugo Mendoza (.283, 7 HR, 28 RBI) on the DL with an oblique strain. He might be good in a month.

Complaints and stuff

Hi, um. I’m Chad. Y’know. (Chad sits there in full costume, except fort he mascot head which is in his lap)

That other guy’s not here, y’know. He … (gestures slowly, yet wildly, and unhelpfully) … he called in sick on Monday and … and I don’t think anybody’s heard of him … since then. Ms. Maud said to me I should tell you that. Y’know. Um. And I should say some things about how it’s going. Well. … Well, the team’s on the road. Um. For one more week, y’know. And… and so I have two weeks off, which’s cool, y’know. Two weeks off is totally ace!

Y’know.

Oh, and Ms. Maud also said to me I should tell you that Doshi Uhura has an abominable drain or something. And he will not come back ‘til July, y’know. I like July. In July I always eat ice cream.

(looks around)

I wonder if he has glue in his desk. (puts on the head and goes rummaging)

(finds the pistol in the top drawer) Whoah, ace! Y’know! (fires through one of the acrylic glass panels and sends the groundskeepers below scattering)