[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Questdog

I must say that the new curse you put upon hitters acquired by the Raccoons is the most effective I have yet seen. I would have never believed that it could turn Adam Young from a bankable 25 home runs and 100 RBIs every season into a singles hitter....and a crappy singles hitter at that! You have my respect, sir, if not my admiration.....

It's one of those things you don't want to have a hand at, but it's unfortunately my only talent. Well, at least the only one I can show off in public...

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Raccoons (9-4) @ Titans (3-9) – April 17-19, 2017

Not much had gone well for the Titans so far in 2017, as they had allowed a league-leading 79 runs, more than six per game, and had scored only 46, which ranked in the bottom three. They were also without slugging catcher Tim Robinson, who was suffering from a bad back and had just been placed on the DL. Robinson had hit 29 home runs in 2016 and was kind of unreplaceable. They had won the season series from the Raccoons in 2016, 10-8.

Projected matchups:
Tadasu Abe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. Chris Klein (1-0, 1.65 ERA)
Bruce Morrison (1-0, 1.98 ERA) vs. Jose Fuentes (1-1, 4.76 ERA)
Jonathan Toner (0-1, 1.19 ERA) vs. Dave Priest (1-0, 12.60 ERA)

Their Wednesday starter was still a bit in the air. Priest had relieved Eric Rasmussen on Saturday in a harsh rout at the hands of the Indians, and it looked like the Titans were willing to make a permanent switch of roles. In any case, all candidates to start for them are right-handed.

Game 1
POR: 2B Walter – 3B Nunley – SS McKnight – RF Waggoner – C Denny – 1B Young – CF Petracek – LF Ochoa – P Abe
BOS: SS M. Rivera – 2B J. Gutierrez – 1B S. Butler – RF Branch – CF Blake – C Galan – 3B J. Stephenson – LF X. Williams – P Klein

Shane Walter started the game with a bang, roughly 390’ to right center, giving Abe a quick 1-0 lead to mess with. With no shortage of runners, the Titans would leave pairs of runners on base twice and the Coons would do so once through the end of three. The Critters’ chance came in the third inning, with McKnight sending a drive to right center with two outs, which Ezra Branch made a headlong catch on. Branch in turn popped out to end the bottom 3rd with two on. Top 4th, the Raccoons were in business again. Waggoner was hit by a Klein pitch to get going, and Mike Denny doubled past the reach of Xavier Williams, who somehow, somewhere had once won a Gold Glove. Young singled determinedly to right, plating Waggoner, and a walk to Petracek filled the sacks with still nobody out, but the Coons would be held to an Ochoa sac fly and ‘only’ a 3-0 lead after the top of the fourth. However, with the way Abe was pitching (hint: not well), ‘only 3-0’ was justified, especially with the Titans getting two hard hits off him in the bottom of the inning and scored a run on a bobbled ball that put the fourth error for the season into Nunley’s ledger. With Abe pitching, there was also no need for any outfielder to hold a gym membership. The Titans hit three deep drives in the fifth, but all three were caught.

Top 6th, and maybe Klein would suffer total collapse before Abe could. The Critters opened the inning with three straight singles, loading them up for Ochoa with no outs. But we had been in this unhappy place before and it had not worked too well. This time, it did; Ochoa lined the first pitch way over Steve Butler and up the rightfield line, plating two runs with a double, 5-1. Abe’s run-scoring groundout ended Klein’s day, and a seventh run came onto the board when Walter singled to right. Butler made an error and Jeff Lyon threw a wild pitch in Klein’s relief, but the Coons left runners in scoring position when Waggoner grounded out to short. Abe allowed a run in the sixth, but eventually managed to line up 6 2/3 innings of so-so ball, handing a roomy lead to the pen. Beaver collected three outs before Chun took over, while the Titans had shunned starter Rasmussen pitching in relief of Klein by the late innings. Chun got four outs from four Boston batters to end the game. 7-2 Raccoons. Walter 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; Denny 2-5, 2B; Young 3-4, RBI; DeWeese (PH) 1-1; Petracek 2-4, BB; Ochoa 1-2, BB, 2B, 3 RBI;

Also on Monday, Jimmy Oatmeal had five hits for the Condors in their loss to the Knights. Only batting .245 out of the gate, but we all know that we got worse problems than that.

Finally, on Tuesday morning the Druid announced that he had read the cards and that he had properly diagnosed now that Nick Brown merely had a forearm cramp and would be fine by the end of the week.

First, that’s wonderful! Second, it’s probably also old age. Third, I think I can persuade Martinez to just shoot the Druid, which would be better for all involved.

While Brownie would miss his next start, this was not an issue for the team as a whole, since his turn would have fallen onto our off day on Thursday. We will see whether we reinsert him early or whether he will have to wait until his true next turn which would only be next Tuesday.

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – SS Walter – 3B Nunley – LF DeWeese – RF Waggoner – 2B Bergquist – 1B Young – C Margolis – P Morrison
BOS: SS M. Rivera – C Galan – 1B S. Butler – RF Branch – 3B T. Thomas – CF Blake – 2B J. Stephenson – LF Mascorro – P J. Fuentes

The Coons scored two runs without the benefit of a hit in the first inning as Cookie and Walter both walked, Cookie stole third base with Walter moving up to second only on the throw, and Nunley and DeWeese grounded both to Joe Stephenson to allow the runners to score piecemeal. The lead was short-lived, with Morrison getting stripped in quick fashion in the bottom of the inning. Armando Galan and Butler both singled, he walked Branch, and Tom Thomas drove in a pair with a single to center. Jonathan Blake sent a drive to left that DeWeese got to, or it could have ended even worse. But the lead would be restored just as quickly – and STILL without a base hit! Margolis reached when Stephenson dropped his pop in the top 2nd. Morrison bunted him to second base, and Cookie grounded to first, where Butler’s throw was catastrophically wild and escaped both Fuentes, with Galan having to recover the ball. Margolis scored, out-running Tom Thomas down the third base line. Shane Walter ended the team’s hitlessness with a double up the rightfield line, scoring Cookie handily from second base, 4-2. And then Morrison blew it again… He walked Robert Mascorro, Mike Rivera tripled, and scored on Galan’s groundout. Four a side after two in a real mess of a game.

The next two innings were scoreless, but still long, with the Raccoons stranding runners on the corners in the fourth when Walter fouled out and Nunley rolled over to Stephenson. Fuentes was exhausted by the fifth and had to be replaced by Brett Dill, but the Raccoons struggled to work the second-worst pen in the CL to their advantage. The Titans were much closer to taking a lead, especially with Blake hitting a leadoff double in the bottom 6th. Stephenson grounded out to Nunley, who managed to keep Stephenson at second base, and the inning ended with a K to Mascorro and a soft pop to Bergquist by PH Jasper Holt. Morrison made it to the seventh before issuing a 1-out walk to Galan. With the left-handed bats in the #3 and #4 slots, Ron Thrasher took over, and allowed a deep drive to center to Butler. Cookie had to swing all four paws pretty hard, but managed to get a claw on the ball, robbing Butler of extra bases and the Titans of a potential lead. Branch struck out, ending the seventh. Jayden Reed struck out the side in the eighth, and the Coons finally got into scoring position when Cookie hit a 2-out double in the top 9th, just before limping off the field. Oh noes, not again …! Petracek ran for him, but Walter flew out softly to end the inning. Kevin Beaver allowed a double to Alex Mata, hit Rivera, threw a wild pitch, yet the Titans still failed to walk off, somehow, and the game was sent to extras, where the Raccoons ended a 7-inning scoring drought for the contest when Nunley hit an infield single, Matt Branch walked Ochoa, and Young hit a blooper to shallow center that fell in and allowed Nunley to dash home from second base. Alex Ramirez retired the first two Titans (although Ezra Branch’ scorching liner to center was barely contained by Petracek), but then allowed singles to Miguel Sanchez and Jose Gutierrez. Sanchez hurt himself sliding into third base, but he had been the last guy off the bench for Boston. Starting pitcher Zach Boyer, well known ‘round these parts of the country, had to pinch-run. Ramirez was melting now, walking Mascorro on four pitches, and with the bases loaded faced Alex Mata, another left-hander. Ramirez got him to 1-2 before Mata sent a fly to shallow center. Petracek came hustling in, hustling, hustling – got it! 5-4 Raccoons! Carmona 2-4, BB, 2B;

We have made up our deficit with the Crusaders by now. New York has yet to play a game this week. They had Monday off, and Tuesday’s game with the Loggers was rained out. We are now virtually tied atop the North, with us having played four more games than them. They will play a double header on Wednesday, or at least try to do so.

So, we’re tied for first, but at what price? Tell me, Mena, at what price? PUT DOWN THAT ****ING ALMANAC!!

Game 3
POR: 2B Walter – SS McKnight – 3B Nunley – LF DeWeese – RF Waggoner – 1B Young – C Denny – CF Johnson – P Toner
BOS: SS M. Rivera – 2B J. Gutierrez – 1B S. Butler – 3B T. Thomas – CF Blake – C Galan – RF Mata – LF Mascorro – P Priest

The Coons took the lead in the top of the first again, Nunley grounding out to plate McKnight, who tried to break out of an early-season funk with a triple. Breaking out of funks should be on a lot of players’ list, right at the top, and Mike Denny at least made a bid, knocking a solo shot to left in the second, 2-0. Too bad that Jonny slipped in the bottom 2nd. Thomas and Blake led off with singles and he walked Galan to load the bases. Mata plated a run with a groundout before Jonny regained control and struck out Mascorro and Priest. Scoring continued, with McKnight hitting a 2-run homer in the third, but Toner gave a run back on Mata’s RBI double in the bottom 4th. In between, the Coons had hit three singles in the top 4th, but Waggoner had been thrown out at home by Mata. Toner was at almost 80 pitches after five innings, and over 90 after the sixth, in which Butler led off with a double to center, but never got to touch third base. He didn’t make it through seven, walking Holt with two outs. Thrasher bailed him out, retiring Rivera on a grounder, and pitched a perfect eighth. The Coons would get an insurance run in the top of the ninth after singles by Young and Johnson when Margolis batted for Thrasher against the lefty Bill Dean. Margolis wasn’t considered a threat by the Titans, but singled to center to score Young for a 3-run lead for Ramirez, who soon created a mess. He walked Blake and Galan to start the inning. Mata hit to Nunley, who only got the out at second base, but Mascorro’s sac fly was at least the second out. Then Xavier Williams pinch-hit for a double. This put the tying runs in scoring position and brought up the weasly Rivera. Despite first base open and the next batter a right-hander, we didn’t walk him intentionally, since he was a speed demon and would be the winning run. Nope, the Titans had to earn this one the hard way – and Rivera popped out to McKnight to end the game. 5-3 Coons. McKnight 2-4, HR, 3B, 2 RBI; Young 2-4; Denny 2-4, HR, RBI; Johnson 2-4; Margolis (PH) 1-1, RBI; Toner 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (1-1);

The Crusaders split their double header, moving the Raccoons into sole possession of first place in the North, at least for one night (and in fact they restored the virtual tie on Thursday, squeezing past the Loggers, 4-3).

On our idle day we found out that Cookie would miss six weeks with a strained posterior cruciate ligament, so the operation to play 140 games this year was already in the bin at this point. He was sent to the DL, and we were sent scrambling for a replacement on the field – he was not replaceable in our hearts. Well, Alex, show us what you got. Duarte had batted .313/.389/.500 in the first nine games for the Alley Cats.

Raccoons (12-4) @ Bayhawks (10-6) – April 21-23, 2017

The Bayhawks were a bit the opposite of the Titans. They led the league in scoring, had an insane team batting average of .298, and were also quite competent pitching-wise with the fifth-least runs allowed. Their bullpen was the best in the league. They had won the season series in 2016, 5-4, over the Critters.

Projected matchups:
Hector Santos (1-2, 7.02 ERA) vs. Joao Joo (0-1, 3.32 ERA)
Tadasu Abe (2-1, 5.03 ERA) vs. Milt Beauchamp (2-1, 2.18 ERA)
Nick Brown (2-0, 2.60 ERA) vs. Manuel Rojas (2-1, 3.20 ERA)

Nominally, this wasn’t even a great rotation the Baybirds had. “Doom” Rojas was definitely the best they had, with Chae-ku Lee and Jared D’Attilo the starters the Coons would not see on this weekend. Joo was their only left-handed starter.

Game 1
POR: 3B Nunley – CF Duarte – SS McKnight – LF DeWeese – C Denny – 2B Bergquist – RF Waggoner – 1B Petracek – P Santos
SFB: 1B B. Thomas – LF E. Jackson – CF D. Garcia – RF Almanza – C D. Alexander – 2B Ingraham – SS R. Miller – 3B J. Rodriguez – P Joo

The first pitch of the game went right into Nunley’s ribs, after which Joo struck out two and got DeWeese to pop out. On the other side of the box score, Santos’ first pitch was grounded to short by Bill Thomas, with McKnight throwing wildly past Petracek to place Thomas at second base. He moved up on Eddie Jackson’s grounder (yes that Eddie Jackson…) and then made for home when Dave Garcia flew out to DeWeese – but had underestimated R.J.’s arm. Thomas was out by a good 15 feet at home, and the game was still scoreless. While that changed soon on Brian Petracek’s first homer for the Raccoons, a 2-run shot in the top 2nd that collected Waggoner, who had singled, the Bayhawks would not get another base runner through the end of five, by which time Santos had developed a considerable no-hit bid, which Ryan Miller (…) broke up with his leadoff single in the bottom 6th. Javy Rodriguez also singled, and after a bunt the tying runs were in scoring position. In their four previous innings the Raccoons had not amounted to more than a deep fly out by Denny, and now Santos glared into the abyss again. Thomas lined out to Nunley, who tried to double off Miller, but the former Critter was quick back to the bag and the inning continued with two outs and Jackson up, who looked like just the guy to soil Santos here after the contract drama in April. He sent a hard drive to center, which looked a lot like a message to me to stick it, but Duarte denied him with a determined dash and sure grab, and THAT ended the inning.

While the Critters remained pathetic, Dave Garcia livened up the crowd in the bottom 7th, hitting a liner past Waggoner, who fell down just as the ball was whizzing past him. Duarte had to hurry over, but by the time he collected the ball on the warning track, Garcia was already turning third base and slid in safely with an inside-the-park homer. Santos wobbled around a leadoff single by Miller in the bottom 8th, but managed to hold the flimsy 2-1 lead in once piece just long enough to feel good about himself, and the Critters cobbled together an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Ochoa hit a pinch-hit double in Denny’s spot against right-handed ex-Coon Ray Kelley and scored on Waggoner’s single to left center, just barely getting in under Dylan Alexander’s tag. Alex Ramirez just couldn’t have a calm ninth this week. After two dramatic outings in Boston, he got the first two batters in this bottom 9th before Chris Almanza sent a huge rocket to right. It lacked length, however, having traded it in for excessive height – Waggoner made the catch against the wall, and the game was in the books. 3-1 Raccoons! Ochoa (PH) 1-1, 2B; Waggoner 2-4, RBI; Santos 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (2-2) and 1-3;

Duarte went 0-for-4 with 3 K. He flew out to Jackson on a 1-2 pitch in his last at-bat, which is awfully close to a golden sombrero for someone tagged to start center for the next six weeks.

Game 2
POR: 2B Walter – SS McKnight – 3B Nunley – LF DeWeese – 1B Young – CF Duarte – RF Waggoner – C Denny – P Abe
SFB: 1B B. Thomas – LF E. Jackson – CF D. Garcia – RF Almanza – C D. Alexander – 2B Ingraham – SS Claros – 3B J. Rodriguez – P Beauchamp

It took until the fourth inning and R.J. DeWeese’s leadoff jack (which his frighteningly pale slash line bitterly needed) that the Raccoons scored the first run of the game, giving them the first blood stroke in all games of the week so far. Duarte doubled in the inning, but was stranded when the Bayhawks retired Waggoner on a pop, walked Denny intentionally, and Abe struck out. Bottom 4th, the useless Adam Young blew the lead with a forked play on Dave Garcia’s grounder, dropping the perfect feed he got from Nunley. Two 2-out singles by D-Alex and Zach Ingraham scored the runner and tied the score again. Nunley then made his own throwing error in the bottom of the fifth, misfiring Beauchamp’s bunt with Rodriguez already on first base and no outs. The ball escaped into the dugout, sending the Bayhawks in there scattering as it caromed off the bullpen telephone. Abe was no help in containing the mess, conceding one run on Thomas’ groundout and the other on a wild pitch. Abe would eventually go seven innings without allowing an earned run and still left the game with a 3-1 rope tied around his neck. The wholly disregardable Raccoons managed only two hits after the DeWeese homer. Nunley doubled in the eighth, but with two outs and after McKnight had double-play-balled Walter back to the dugout, and then Ochoa in the ninth, another double to right, and again with two outs against Kelley. Ochoa, however, didn’t stop and made for third base, finding himself thrown out there by Chris Almanza’s mighty sling to end the game. 3-1 Bayhawks. Abe 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, L (2-2);

Believe it or not, at this point this abysmal lineup actually produced a first-division amount of runs. Sixth place in the CL with 4.06 R/G. The drop into the bottom three, however, will be a quick one if they don’t get THEIR **** TOGETHER RIGHT NOW!!!

Game 3
POR: 2B Walter – SS McKnight – 3B Nunley – LF DeWeese – 1B Young – CF Duarte – RF Waggoner – C Denny – P Brown
SFB: SS Claros – LF E. Jackson – CF D. Garcia – RF Almanza – C D. Alexander – 2B Ingraham – 1B McIntyre – 3B J. Rodriguez – P M. Rojas

Brownie had felt merely old, but not hurt, throwing a semi-bullpen and some long tossing on Friday, so he was penciled in for the Sunday game rather than waiting for the order to circle around to his position again by Tuesday. This was probably a bad decision we would regret in no time, and Raul Claros hit a double on his second pitch of the game. The first inning was nothing less than a never-ending nightmare, and in fact didn’t end until everybody in the Bayhawks’ order had taken a turn. They hit three more singles through the seams on the infield, but Brown also walked two and conceded four hard-earned runs. Also, all runs scored with two outs. To add headaches to indignity, Brown was the only Raccoon to reach base the first time through against “Doom” Rojas, drawing a walk before Walter struck out to end the top 3rd. Brown had the trainer’s assistant rub his shoulder before the bottom 3rd, went back out there, allowed two singles, and then headed straight for the dugout. Oh come on, Nick! What’s tweaking now!?

John Korb got a long relief assignment here. He had been marked to pitch in this game anyway, not having seen action the entire week. He allowed both of Brown’s runs to score with a groundout by Ingraham, a Will McIntyre sac fly, and then a single by Rodriguez. Rojas hit an RBI double for good measure, with the 7-0 score enough to beat these embarrassing Critters thrice. They didn’t get a hit until the fourth, when DeWeese singled and was left on, and when Duarte had a leadoff single in the fifth, Waggoner was right there to hit into a double play, while Chun would get bludgeoned for two runs in the bottom 6th, and that was with Duarte throwing out a runner at home. The Raccoons didn’t reach second base until the eighth inning when Denny and Bergquist hit back-to-back 2-out singles, only for Walter to pop out to Ingraham. Rojas pitched a 4-hit shutout in a terrible rout in which the Raccoons sucked regardless of definition or scale. 9-0 Bayhawks. Bergquist 1-1;

In other news

April 17 – In a shocking move, the Capitals exchange 33-yr old 2B Ieyoshi Nomura (.291, 0 HR, 5 RBI) for the Cyclones’ SP Shunyo Yano (1-1, 3.86 ERA).
April 18 – RIC 1B Alberto Rodriguez (.310, 1 HR, 8 RBI) joins the 2,000 hits club with a 3-for-5 performance in a 6-2 Rebels win over the Blue Sox. Rodriguez hits a single off Diego Mendoza jr. for the milestone hit. The 34-year old right-hander, who was taken eighth overall by the Wolves in the 2003 draft, was the 2006 Rookie of the Year and has spent his entire career in the Federal League, batting .291/.372/.433 with 119 HR and 886 RBI. He also won a Gold Glove in 2014, and two Platinum Sticks in 2011 and 2013.
April 19 – NYC INF Carlos Martinez (.371, 5 HR, 13 BRI) has strained his posterior cruciate ligament and will be out for a month, while the team will also be without MR Salvadaro Soure (0-0, 1.69 ERA) for a week at least, who is laboring on a sore shoulder.
April 20 – TOP LF/RF Bill Adams (.351, 1 HR, 10 RBI) finds himself on the DL with shoulder tendinitis.
April 21 – A torn triceps might cost MIL SP Brian Cope (1-1, 4.70 ERA) most of the season. He should be out for about four months.
April 22 – Los Angeles’ 2B/SS Bobby Torres (.301, 1 HR, 7 RBI) has five hits, including a homer and a double, and 2 RBI in his team’s 13-2 rout of the Capitals.

Complaints and stuff

I think we were shown our place as sub-carpet team on Sunday, which brings us directly to Brownie, who was diagnosed as having a mild shoulder strain. This time he was going to the DL (although the minimum 15 days might be enough to restore operable condition, whatever that meant right now), opening a spot for someone from AAA. Of course, Chris Munroe will be the front runner here. He had a 3.47 ERA in St. Pete, whiffing three for every walk. The only other starter down there that wasn’t getting rolled was ironically Jeff Magnotta with a 3.38 ERA and 2 K/BB. Well, yeah, I’ll stick with Munroe, thanks.

Before anyone asks, there is no obvious offensive help buried down there. In fact, there is only one remaining player with the Alley Cats that has a meaningful number of at-bats and even a .600 OPS. That would be Andy Bareford, batting .325, mostly singles. He was a supplemental rounder four years ago and is only 22, so the jury is still out on him. The Alley Cats are 3-9, by the way, and the other minor league teams had similarly brilliant starts to their season.

What else? I hate posterior cruciate ligaments. Are they even good for anything? Mena! – No, the Druid doesn’t know either.

The Yoshi/Yano move makes no sense for the Capitals, at all. I can’t get my head around it. If I had known they wanted to get rid of him so badly……. Nah, he wouldn’t fit into the budget.