[Westheim]

494 Raccoons on record, and no K.T. in sight.

+++

Raccoons (59-43) @ Falcons (46-60) – August 4-6, 2014

The Falcons were bottom of the league in batting average, but still had scored more runs than the lovely Critters, though admittedly they had played four more games already. The difference was nine runs. Despite being in the doldrums overall, they had the fourth-best rotation, but it was just not good enough. Like the Coons didn’t know a thing about that. The series for 2014 was tied, with each team having swept the opposition once.

Projected matchups:
Daniel Dickerson (6-3, 4.37 ERA) vs. Jorge Silva (10-6, 3.05 ERA)
Nick Brown (9-6, 2.94 ERA) vs. John Key (3-7, 4.69 ERA)
Hector Santos (10-6, 2.64 ERA) vs. Ron Carter (8-9, 3.64 ERA)

And here … another full set of right-handers. Meanwhile, the Raccoons are two wins away from #3,100 in the regular season, so Brownie could be the first one to grab it.

Game 1
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – SS Taylor – C Margolis – P Dickerson
CHA: RF Puckett – C Lewis – 1B J. Garcia – LF J. Jimenez – 3B C. Martinez – SS Dahlke – CF DeBoer – 2B Best – P J. Silva

Cookie Carmona opened the week with a single to right, swiping second base, and being stranded at third. And in a very crisp 2:08 loss, Carmona was the only Raccoon to ever reach base on his own merit in the entire game. He did it again on a third-inning single, and that was the Coons’ last base runner. Dickerson pitched an eight-inning complete game, conceding an earned run in the bottom 2nd on Jose Jimenez’ leadoff triple and a Carlos Martinez single, and an unearned run when Taylor threw away a grounder from Jimenez and allowed Jorge Garcia to score in the sixth inning. Jorge Silva pitched a 2-hit shutout. And that was really ALL there was to this game. 2-0 Falcons. Carmona 2-4; Dickerson 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, L (6-4);

This was the Raccoons’ 3,000th regular season loss.

The hotel has a really nice bar. I think I’ll spend the rest of our days in Charlotte there and just forget that my ancestors evolved from being mere beasts.

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – 3B Merritt – 1B Murphy – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Howell – 2B Bergquist – P Brown
CHA: LF J. Jimenez – C Lewis – 3B C. Martinez – RF Nieves – CF Charles – SS R. Miller – 1B Puckett – 2B Best – P Key

The Coons somehow scored a run in the first. Carmona got on with an infield single, was forced by Sandy, but Sandy made it to third on Jon Merritt’s 0-2 single, and Murphy plated him with a single to left. With two on, Bednarski and Alexander plain failed. Can’t trust any but the top two, clearly. Cookie was on with another single to lead off the third, and Sandy found the corner with a vicious liner, and out there in rightfield, Domingo Nieves was not exactly gifted with a rocket launcher. Sandy easily had a triple, and Cookie scored to make it 2-0. Merritt walked, and Murphy grounded to short for a double - … or maybe Steve Best would drop Ryan Miller’s throw, and the Falcons got nobody. Sandy scored, and there were two on with nobody out for Bednarski, who struck out, and D-Alex wasn’t getting things done, either.

Now, some runs were on the board, one way or another (mostly one, by the speedy leadoff guys, and little the other, big hits that count for lots), and it was on Brownie to make them stand up. He didn’t allow a hit through the first three innings, but walked two against three strikeouts, but Nieves had a leadoff single in the fourth before being washed up in Jimmy Charles’ double play grounder to Rob Howell. He got out of that one, but the lead would evaporate with a loud bang in the fifth inning. A leadoff walk to Steve Best, who stole second base, got things rolling slowly before suddenly double, single, double – and we’re tied. Bottom 6th, leadoff single by Charles, who was forced out on Miller’s grounder, but the Falcons still took the lead on another huge double by Chris Puckett.

Somehow, SOMEHOW, Brown still wound up with a chance for the win by completing seven. The top 8th was led off by Murphy with a single, which chased John Key. Bednarski failed as usual before Nunley lobbed a floater to shallow center for a pinch-hit single. Charles misfielded it for an extra base, putting the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out. The Falcons left the bases loaded in the bottom 8th against Mathis (who left with an injury) and Sugano, but what did it matter? That’s when Danny Margolis led off the ninth inning against Cris Pena with a double, with the top of the order next. Pena had Carmona at two strikes when Carmona hit a liner to left center, and it went past Charles – Margolis scored, and Carmona to second! Then the Falcons walked Sandy intentionally, Merritt, Murphy, and Bednarski collectively ****ed up, and the Falcons walked off in the 10th inning on a 2-out walkoff single by the reliever Pena off Constantino. 5-4 Falcons. Carmona 4-5, 2B, RBI; Murphy 2-5, 2 RBI; Nunley (PH) 1-1; Margolis 1-2, 2B;

Chris Mathis was diagnosed with a tender shoulder, which sent him to the DL. He might be fine after the minimum 15 days. We called up Sergio Vega, the endless reliever, to fill the open spot. Vega had a 3.69 ERA with the dismal Alley Cats, doing some starting, some relieving, and some closing.

Game 3
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – 3B Nunley – RF Richards – 1B Murphy – SS Taylor – C Alexander – 2B Bergquist – P Santos
CHA: RF Puckett – C Lewis – 1B J. Garcia – LF J. Jimenez – 3B C. Martinez – CF E. Anderson – SS Dahlke – 2B Best – P Carter

Santos was broken down into lots of tiny pieces as early as the second inning. Jimenez led off with a double, Martinez singled him in, and scored on Eric Anderson’s single. After two outs, Ron Carter plated the runner with a single to center, then scored himself on a huge double by Puckett before finally Russell Lewis struck out to end a horrendous 4-run inning. While Ron Carter sat down the first 13 Raccoons in this game before Murphy singled to center, only for Taylor to hit into a double play, Santos lasted six innings, and never allowed a runner outside of the five hits that led to the four runs in the second inning, whiffing seven. No further Coons runners until Murphy was up again. He hit his first Raccoons home run in the eighth inning, but it came in a hopelessly lost game. Then Taylor singled and Alexander hit a ball into the left center gap that made it all the way to the wall unimpeded, and together with a weak throw in by Jimenez, Alexander had an RBI triple. Yet, Bergquist failed, and Bednarski, hitting for Thrasher, flew out gingerly to right, ending the inning. The Falcons banged up Ron Sakellaris for two return runs in the bottom 8th, but the Coons had Cookie on to start the ninth. He took second base and scored on Jon Merritt’s pinch-hit single. Richards hit a soft single against Cris Pena, as the Falcons scrambled to seal the sweep. Murphy came up as the tying run with one out, flew out to center, and Palmer grounded out to second base. 6-3 Falcons. Merritt (PH) 1-1, RBI; Murphy 2-3, BB, HR, RBI;

There’s nothing you can do but shrug. And pour yourself anodder one-ne.

*hggs*

Raccoons (59-46) vs. Indians (51-57) – August 7-10, 2014

The Indians were really nothing special, ninth in offense, third in pitching and defense, and unlucky to boot, but whatever they did, it worked against the Confusicoons, whom they had beaten five out of seven times this year.

Projected matchups:
Jonathan Toner (10-6, 3.18 ERA) vs. Tom Weise (9-5, 3.63 ERA)
Bill Conway (6-3, 2.40 ERA) vs. Dan Lambert (5-9, 5.04 ERA)
Daniel Dickerson (6-4, 4.08 ERA) vs. Tristan Broun (6-7, 3.74 ERA)
Nick Brown (9-6, 3.04 ERA) vs. Alejandro Mendez (8-9, 3.05 ERA)

They have two southpaws, but we’ll miss Chester Graham (7-6, 3.54 ERA). Broun is the other one.

While the math is not that hard, the Raccoons are still two shy of 3,100, and Conway would be the candidate to – ah, whom am I kidding?

Besides, we already started to weave in a few off days in this long 20-game stretch. There isn’t anybody left over to give a day off except for Murphy, Carmona, and Sambrano, at least this week, and the youngsters might not need a day off until next week. Murphy didn’t start on August 2, the second day of the 20-game stretch. All the older guys will get at least two days off in this stretch. Not that anybody’s hitting anything. Minus Cookie. I like Cookie. I like Cookie so much, I’m now crumbling cookies into my booze. Lotsa cookies in lotsa booze.

Game 1
IND: CF J. Wilson – C Padilla – RF Tanner – 1B S. Guerra – 2B Kym – 3B Mathews – LF Phillip – SS Bowers – P Weise
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – SS Taylor – C Margolis – P Toner

Toner was missing generously inside as well as outside in this game, up and down too, and the Indians had almost constantly somebody on base, but they didn’t get them home early on. Neither did the horrendous Raccoons, who had markedly less runners in general. Toner ran 3-ball counts in every inning, but it ended up costing the Indians first, who felt they were getting the short end on the calls by the home plate umpire. When Joey Mathews was called out on strikes to end the fourth inning, he slammed down his bat and barked some thing or other, for which he got tossed. Ryan Dawson replaced him.

The Coons broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning, which started with Sandy’s leadoff infield single. He stole second base before Murphy walked against Weise. Mike Bednarski hit a 2-out double to left, scoring Sandy, and then Palmer Taylor chipped a single to left center, which plated both runners once Taylor faked to second base far enough to draw a throw there, then lingered long enough for Bednarski to hustle home for the third run before being tagged out. A shutdown inning would have been swell, but Toner put the first two Indians, Clint Phillip and Tom Bowers, on with hits in the top 5th and somehow got out of the mess with just one run allowed – yet that one scoring on a wild pitch. Sandy led off the bottom 6th with a single, was caught stealing before Nunley singled, and that cost a run, since Stan Murphy then went well deep to right center, his second Critters dinger, running the score to 5-1. Toner managed to get through seven, before Thrasher came out for the top 8th. He faced three batters and put the two left-handers on as John Wilson singled and Rowan Tanner walked. Entwistle came in to face Santiago Guerra, ran a 3-1 count, and then Guerra singled to right. The Indians sent Wilson, but Bednarski threw him out. Jong-beom Kym grounded out to Sandy Sambrano then to end the inning. We tried to have Entwistle finish the game, but with two outs in the ninth the Indians put two on again. Angel Casas was called on and K’ed John Wilson to end the most recent spill. 5-1 Raccoons. Sambrano 2-4; Nunley 2-3; Bednarski 2-3, 2B, RBI; Merritt (PH) 1-1; Toner 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, W (11-6);

Game 2
IND: CF J. Wilson – 3B Mathews – RF Tanner – 1B S. Guerra – 2B Kym – LF A. Chavez – C Denny – SS Bowers – P Lambert
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Howell – P Conway

The Coons had a leadoff double by Cookie in the first, Sambrano reached on Bowers’ error, and then … pop, pop, pop. Three pops ended the inning. Cookie had another leadoff double in the third inning (that one to right, after the first one went to left), and was stranded AGAIN. Conway, undeterred by the abundant failure, struck out Mike Denny in the second inning, the fourth Raccoons starter to reach 100 K in 2014.

And then the Coons actually did get on the board. Ron Richards opened the fourth with a seeing-eye single past Kym before Lambert lost Bednarski on four pitches. Dylan Alexander hit a really hard bouncer through a diving Guerra and up the line for an RBI double. Howell got four wide ones, which was spectacular since there were no outs and Howell had batted .206 since being acquired, but up came Conway, a rabid 1-for-41 … with an RBI (more than Quebell had, right?). He popped out to Bowers, but Carmona legged out a grounder to short to stay out of the double play, allowing Bednarski to score, and Sandy singled to plate another run. They pulled off a double steal, but Nunley flew out to end things in a 3-0 score. The Coons tacked on a run in the sixth, which started with Rob Howell getting plunked. Nunley’s 2-out double drove him home. Conway pitched a 1-hitter for a while, but Denny and Phillip had singles in the eighth inning, and with the adversely-handed top of the order up, Sugano was called on. He was 1-2 against John Wilson who then lined out HARD to Ron Richards, who had moved over to right in a double switch that moved Bednarski out of the game and Seeley into centerfield. Mathews flew to deep left, but Carmona was there well in time. Seeley hit a triple in the bottom of the inning and scored on Cookie’s groundout, scoring an additional run that in the end didn’t make the difference as the Indians remained three-hit and shutout. 5-0 Coons. Carmona 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Sambrano 2-5, RBI; Alexander 2-4, 2B, RBI; Seeley 1-1, 3B; Conway 7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, W (7-3);

Conway also managed to pop up a bunt in his last plate appearance, ending up at 1-for-43 for the season, or a juicy .023 clip.

We also made up a game on the Crusaders with this win. Never mind the three we lost while in Charlotte.

Next up is the left-hander Broun. We’ll take the opportunity to rest Cookie. Sandy will bat leadoff this Saturday.

Game 3
IND: CF J. Wilson – C Padilla – RF Tanner – 1B S. Guerra – 2B Kym – LF A. Chavez – 3B Mathews – SS Bowers – P Broun
POR: CF Sambrano – 3B Merritt – RF Bednarski – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – 2B Bergquist – SS Howell – C Margolis – P Dickerson

Dickerson was all over the place from the start and the Indians loaded the bases on two hits and a walk in the first inning, only to leave them stranded when Armando Chavez struck out, seamlessly lining up with what the team had done in the first two games, one run in 18 innings. There was no offense through three, but the fourth opened with back-to-back walks to Kym and Chavez. Mathews rolled into a double play, before Bowers got four wide ones to bring up Broun, who grounded real hard to the right side, but Bergquist made the play and the Indians were left in the rain again. Chavez walked again with one out in the sixth inning, which was the fourth involuntary free pass issued by Dickerson. The game was still scoreless, but he was hauled in, the walk being finalized on his 100th pitch. In came Constantino and he single-handedly blew up the game. He walked Mathews, and allowed a single to Bowers. Broun struck a pitch hard to right; Bednarski caught it, but Chavez scored easily. Then John Wilson hit a massive 3-run homer and the Coons were sent trailing 4-0.

Well, technically the Raccoons had the tying run at the plate in the bottom 6th. Sandy singled, Merritt singled, Murphy walked. Richards came up with one out, had already a double play grounder on his ledger, and all he managed was a meager sac fly. Bergquist flew out to end the inning. Well, and Constantino had already been unable to provide long relief – or even ANY relief – and next up to get drummed was Sergio Vega. Top 7th, Guerra singled, and then Vega walked the next two. Bases loaded, no outs, a passed ball was charged to Margolis, scoring a run, and Vega walked the bases right full again. Tom Bowers singled in a run, Broun struck out, before Sugano was called on to restore order. And HE threw a wild pitch! Wilson scored another run with a groundout, Padilla singled right through the dumbass Howell, and we had a real rout on our hands. Wilson would cream another one off Angel Casas in the ninth inning. Since nobody got anybody out, the closer was pressed into service in a blowout and got licked. 10-3 Indians. Merritt 2-4;

Game 4
IND: CF J. Wilson – C Padilla – RF Tanner – 1B S. Guerra – LF A. Chavez – 3B Dawson – 2B Mathews – SS Bowers – P A. Mendez
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Taylor – P Brown

The continuing demise of Nick Brown was to clearly to see in the first inning. John Wilson, who had whacked two homers on Saturday and 14 on the year, hit the first pitch of the game so hard at Sandy, he almost shot a hole into his trunk. Sandy still played it for an out. Padilla and Tanner were down 0-2, but Padilla tripled and Tanner popped out. Guerra lined hard to left, but right to Nunley, somehow bailing out Brown, and all of that in ten pitches. The Coons in the first had Cookie and Sandy on … and left them there. Carmona and Nunley were on in the third inning, and Murphy lined into a shoestring double play on which neither Raccoon returned to his base, because nobody got a good look at how in hell Joey Mathews made THAT play. In between, Nick Brown had struck out five in a row (the #5 through #9 batters), before the Arrowheads went back to make hard contact in the fourth, but didn’t score. Bottom 4th, Richards singled, D-Alex doubled. Taylor was bypassed to bring up Brownie with one out. He had batted like a maniac in the first months of the season, but since then had dried up. One strike. Two strikes. Horrible swing. My eyes, they’re hurting! Next pitch … *clank*! … a liner up the leftfield line coming down – FAIR!! Into the corner! Richards in, Alexander in, Taylor in, a bases-clearing double for Mr. Nicholas Brown!!

One more run came on the board after Sandy walked and Nunley singled, plating Brownie, who was tantalizingly close to his tenth win of the season. And wasn’t it about time? He had a clean fifth, then had a 2-out single that loaded the bases in the bottom 5th and chased Alejandro Mendez. Jason Clements retired Carmona to end the inning. Wilson and Padilla opened the sixth with singles, and John Wilson was shoved home to get the Indians on the board, now 4-1 for the Coons. They then lost one to two runs in the bottom of the sixth, depending on how you’re counting. Sandy reached leading off, but was thrown out when Nunley failed the hit-and-run, THEN doubled two pitches later. Jason Clements threw a wild one before Murphy and Richards both struck out with the runner on third.

And things continued to go against Brown. In the seventh, he began to get squeezed by the blind-as-a-bat umpire and the Indians got two on with leadoff walks by Chavez and Dawson. Mathews flew out to center, and Bowers flew out to right. Chavez tagged from third, but was killed at home by Bednarski, ending the inning. Brown completed eight innings under 100 pitches despite two walks and eight strikeouts, owed to the fact that the Indians had made rapid contact (and equally rapid outs) in select stints in this game. But with a 3-run lead he’d only come back for the ninth if the team could scratch out some add-on offense in the bottom half of the eighth. The top of the order was up, and Cookie, Sandy, and Merritt went down in order against the southpaw Anthony Bryant. So it was off to Angel, who returned the 1-2-3 favor to the Indians. 4-1 Brownies! Nunley 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; Alexander 2-4, 2B; Taylor 2-3, BB; Brown 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, W (10-6) and 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI;

Normally I would have yanked Brown in the seventh after the back-to-back walks. At least this Brown, not the prime Brown. But the pen had had a rough day on Saturday, he was still around 80 pitches, and the walks came out of nowhere.

It was an odd game for him. He really looked alternatingly amazing and atrocious. How the Indians didn’t topple him we’ll never know.

In other news

August 4 – In a wild one, the Pacifics and Rebels clobber each other for 41 hits and 27 runs over ten innings. The game goes to extras tied at 12-12, the Pacifics score a run in the top 10th, but the Rebels walk off with four singles in the bottom of the inning, winning 14-13. Nine different players have 3-hit games, but nobody has a 4-hit game.
August 8 – MIL RF Justin Dally (.268, 10 HR, 48 RBI) might be out for almost all of the remaining season with a sprained ankle.

Complaints and stuff

So, franchise win #3,100 went to Bill Conway. Hooray, hooray. Yes, the Charlotte series beat all the remaining enthusiasm out of me. Completely - … (whiffing motion with one hand) … out of me. Que sera, sera.

We also got to witness first-hand the rare occasion of a pitcher being named Player of the Week. Of course it was Jorge Silva. He upped his Monday shutout with eight scoreless against the Aces, winning his fourth straight. He whiffed only seven in 17 innings, and six of those were Coons.

And it was unfathomable before the season, but Conway might deserve any little acknowledgement, as irrelevant as #3,100 might be, the most. Despite having no flash whatsoever about him and now competition in the wild beard department from Murphy, Conway has been insanely consistent. He also has not lost in his last eight starts, allowing only 12 earned run. The real crime is that he only won two of the games. But well, that’s what (offensively) last-place teams do, right?

This offensively last-place team at least as Cookie Carmona, who blazed back into the SB lead in the ABL and now leads with 35, three ahead of Mike Rivera, and four ahead of the FL leader Danny Flores.

Meanwhile, our offensive additions mid-season, and the difference in their slash lines after the trade compared to what they batted for their old team:

Rob Howell -.104/-.062/-.111
Ron Richards -.016/-.004/-.082
Stanley Murphy -.064/-.070/-.108

We’re in last place by nine runs, by the way.

Brownie is at 2,743 strikeouts now, 20 behind Robbie Campbell, and just 30 behind Kel Yates, who has been so bad for the Elks (5.51 ERA, more walks than whiffs), they demoted him to AAA Drummondville in late July! Beyond that, at 2,800 K, is Master Kisho, who as of today is exactly 1,000 K behind Tony Hamlyn, who's at 3,800 total. Of course he’s the first guy to get there.

Meanwhile, Dickerson - … it’s not pretty, is it? I will cry over those $9.6M forever. And the $3.2M for next year are a PLAYER option, so …

Edited the second-to-last paragraph which made no sense before.