[Westheim]

It’s been a month since the draft. How is our #1 pick, Alejandro Lopez, doing at the A level? He batted .092 for 18 games, then broke his shoulder.

Whyyyy …!?? Howwww …!!!?? (lies on the floor weeping)

Raccoons (42-45) @ Canadiens (51-37)

We went back to start the series with the #1 in our rotation, Christopher Powell. He made a single mistake in seven innings, giving up a home run to RF Michael Martin, that tied the game 1-1 in the fourth. But the Raccoons rallied from there and scored four in the sixth and two more in the seventh for a 7-1 win. Moran pitched two scoreless in the end. Dawson 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI; Sanchez 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI; this was win #11 for Powell this season, making him an active chaser of the all-time Raccoons best of 14 wins in one season. Evans and Ackerman had nine and eight so far, respectively, and also had mathematical chances to get there.

Evans and Kisho Saito traded zeros for four frames in game 2, before the Canadiens moved 3-0 ahead. Saito whiffed eight in the outing, while Evans left in the seventh in line for the loss. Nixon and Green mounted long balls to tie it in the top 8th, 3-3. The Raccoons still lost, 4-3, in the tenth on a 2-out walk-off home run by Eddy Bailey, hit off Richard Cunningham, after they had left the bags full in the top 10th. Gonzalez 3-5;

Vancouver’s Kinji Kan showed why he was a 12-game winner already in game 3, holding the Raccoons short safe for a solo jack by Ben Cox. Ackerman had lacked any stuff and took the 2-1 loss.

Game 4. Romero got a 2-0 lead early, but the Canadiens scored one in the third. In the fourth, they were on the corners with nobody out. Romero responded with back-to-back full count punchouts, and Sanchez nailed Miguel Guzman, who tried to steal on the second one, to end the inning – a big break for sure. But it still didn’t help, the Canadiens tied it in the fifth. For the second time in the series the game went to extra innings, and again the Raccoons succumbed there to a home run, this time in the 12th, leading off, and hit by Guzman off Bill Craig, 3-2 Canadiens.

Raccoons (43-48) vs. Titans (42-52)

The Raccoons were no-hit into the seventh inning of the first game, before they broke the bid up, but still lost, 5-2. Yoelbi Maurinha’s pitching was a nightmare to watch, he took the loss. The Raccoons amassed two hits, with Enrique Sanchez’ 2-run double undoubtedly the biggest sparkler.

Game 2, Powell against inaccurate fireballer Kevin Williams, 11-game winner against 12-game loser. The Titans were always a step ahead here. Powell gave a home run to Carlos Hernandez and trailed 4-2 in the sixth. Workman and Dawson reached base to lead off the bottom 6th. Sanchez rolled a grounder to short, but the throw to first ended in the seats. Workman scored and runners were on second and third with nobody out! Guerrero was walked to fill the bags. Bowling fanned as PH for Powell, Gonzalez grounded out and Green flew out, only Gonzalez scored a runner and the game was only tied. Powell got a no-decision. Kelley was shelled in the seventh for a 7-4 Titans lead that held into the bottom 9th, where suddenly the skies opened and the game was delayed for almost an hour. When play resumed, the Raccoons put two on with one out and Daniel Hall ripped a pitch from Robinson Borquez into the stands to tie the game, 7-7. Cunningham entered in extra innings and pitched two scoreless, then singled to lead off the bottom 11th in his second AB of the season. Gonzalez bunted him to second, Green K’ed, Hall singled, but Cunningham couldn’t score. But Ralph Nixon singled to center to score him and the Raccoons walked off, 8-7. Hall 4-6, HR, 4 RBI;

The rubber game pitted current wild Raccoon Logan Evans against former wild Raccoon Bruce Wright. Both lefties. Both were struggling in 1982. A first inning Daniel Hall homer put the Raccoons ahead, 1-0, but it could have been 2-0: Cameron Green had singled before Hall, but had been caught dozing at first and was picked. But it got worse from here. Dimian Barrios mowed down Edgardo Gonzalez in an ugly second base collision. Gonzalez got the out, but also a bad oblique strain from getting drilled into the ground – he would miss several weeks. The next inning, the Titans put up a 4-spot. Evans was chased soon, and the Raccoons looked pretty much beaten. Down 5-1, they somehow loaded the bags in the bottom 8th. Sanchez came up – GRAND SLAM, the game was tied. But they couldn’t get ahead. Grant West pitched in the ninth, his first outing since the All Star break (that’s how little use the miserable Raccoons had for their closer). It didn’t matter. West was lifted for a pinch hitter (Dicks) in the bottom 10th, without effect, and the Raccoons lost in the 11th, when Craig coughed up a run and they loaded the bags with NOBODY out, and DID NOT SCORE. The patheticness was undescribable…

Edgardo Gonzalez’ injury brought back Angel Costa, and the thrill I felt … wow… Cameron Green was forced to bat first now, with Workman second. That was so far from an ideal setup, … that … I don’t know.

Raccoons (44-50) vs. Falcons (61-33)

They didn’t have no chance anyway. The Raccoons ran into Juan Correa in game 1. He mowed down eight and the Raccoons lost 4-2. There was not really more to tell about this game. It was a no-brainer from the beginning. Green 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI;

Jorge Mora pitched a 5-hitter the next day in a 3-0 Falcons win. One run was given up by Grant West, who was not getting any work and appeared rusty, in the ninth.

This second loss also marked the loss of second place in the division, down to fourth, since both the Titans and Indians won their games. 2.0 games left to the cellar.

The team then slapped three runs on Joe Ellis in the first inning of game 3, but it was already another crippling game. Cameron Green left injured in the same inning, putting three of five qualified infielders out of action. Dawson added a run with a long ball in the third, and the Raccoons held the gap there for the rest of the distance. Yoelbi Maurinha got his first major league win: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Workman 3-5, RBI;

The Raccoons are 8-13 in July, and have lost four straight series. Plus the occasional starter from the lineup. Cameron Green had pulled a abdominal muscle plunging into second base and was day-to-day for the next series. Costa started at 3B and Cox started CF over Guerrero, because the former was a speedier runner and I desperately was searching for someone to bat leadoff. That Cox probably wouldn’t reach base … ah, well, you have to keep up with things such as .154 / .214 / .308 lines from time to time.

Raccoons (45-52) vs. Bayhawks (50-50)

Powell started the series against Walt McCorkindale, who was 10-5 but with an ERA a full point higher. The two neutralized each other pretty well. The Bayhawks scored in the fifth, the Raccoons tied it with a solo jack by Matt Workman in the sixth. Powell went 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K when he left in the 1-1 tie. Paul Cooper lost the game in the ninth with a leadoff walk that went around to score. 2-1 Bayhawks. Workman 3-4, HR, RBI; the rest of the bunch totaled two hits.

The Cox experiment was ended quickly and Guerrero batted leadoff in game 2. The Raccoons pieced together a 3-0 lead by the bottom 3rd, that was busted in the most miserable fashion in the top 5th: two walks by Logan Evans, a couple of hits, and two errors by Jayson Bowling plated four. While I spent the time between the fifth and sixth innings slamming my head against the concrete wall in the dugout, Evans held the lead to one run in the top 6th, then was lifted for Pedro Sánz to pinch hit with runners on the corners in the bottom 6th. Sánz drove in Bowling to tie the game, and the inning developed into a nightmare for the Bayhawks now: they committed three errors and the Raccoons rapped a number of hits to score six runs and lead 9-4! Carlos Moran was taken deep by Vincent Sauvage in the eighth, but the Raccoons held on to win 9-5. Bowling went 3-4 with a double, which was the only thing that saved him from being tarred and feathered. Evans moved to 10-8 with a 3.66 ERA.

Cam Green was back to bat leadoff in the rubber game, but he was hardly a difference maker, as the Raccoons were shut out by Eduardo Jimenez on five hits, while Jerry Ackerman was trashed in the second inning. Raccoons lost 6-0.

Five consecutive series losses.

Raccoons (46-54) vs. Aces (49-53)

There was little hope for improvement against the Aces. They were a losing team as well, and in fact just like the Raccoons had never turned a winning season (they had gone 81-81 in 1978). They had already clinched the season series against the Raccoons at 5-1. They were 3rd in runs scored, but they were last in defense. Whether the Raccoons would make them pay? Or even cry? Or even win two, please?

Game 1. The Raccoons had runners in scoring position in the first, second, third, fourth, seventh, and eighth. They scored a total of one run and Jorge Romero, who pitched a good game, got the loss, 3-1. Romero is 4-10 with a 3.16 ERA.

Mark Dawson homered off Vicente Cruz in the second inning to make it 1-0 Raccoons. This was his 14th long ball, tying for the CL lead. Chris Lynch then bashed a 2-run shot off Maurinha in the top 3rd – and also tied, since this was also #14. Maurinha then hit a homer himself to lead off the bottom 5th, but the Aces led 3-2 at this point. On the mound, Maurinha just didn’t get the job done, for which he took the 3-2 loss. The Raccoons did not convert leadoff doubles in either the seventh or eighth inning and took another unnecessary loss. Dawson was 3-3, BB, HR, RBI;

Nixon brought in a run in the first for an early 1-0 lead. Powell pitched well, but couldn’t hold the slim lead. He left in the seventh in a 1-1 tie and a jam. Cunningham struck out two to end the threat and Powell had to settle for a no-decision. Cunningham ended up going 1.2 inning – with four K’s! He was rewarded with a W, when Mark Dawson hit an inning-ending 2-run single, where the Aces nailed Nixon at third. This broke out Grant West in his first save opportunity in *33* days! He completed the save 1-2-3, it was #18, and the win went as mentioned to Cunningham. The Raccoons won 3-1 on four hits.

Six consecutive series losses.

In other news:
July 13 – The Continental League beats the Federal League 3-1 in the All Star Game. Daniel Hall is the starter in RF for the CL, but goes 0-3, before being relieved by the Falcons’ Joe Powell.
July 14 – The FL East-leading Miners add rightly MR Stephen Rice (3-3, 2.68 ERA, almost 3 K/BB) to their fold from the Capitals, trading backup infielder John Howard and a minor league pitcher.
July 14 – The Canadiens need more pitching, yet this seems strange: they add SP George Harris (2-2, 6.11 ERA) for two minor leaguers, but these include highly touted outfield prospect Mario Ibarra, who is now in the Cyclones system.
July 15 – Pacifics and Wolves meet for a tightly contested series for the lead in the FL West after the break. To start it, Alex Miranda beats the Pacifics 1-0, tossing a 1-hitter. Yes, this is a former Raccoon.
July 20 – The Indians acquire 1B Arturo Garcia (.252, 6 HR, 36 RBI) from the Buffaloes for SP Ray Lynch (6-4, 3.09 ERA) and a minor leaguer.
July 22 – The Aces lose 33-yr old ace reliever Geronimo Tortima (3-1, 2.25 ERA, 1 SV) to bone spur in his elbow. He is out for the season.
July 25 – The Scorpions have their injury issues as well. A thumb injury sidelines 1B Pete Ross for two weeks, removing his .343 bat from the lineup.
July 25 – Also down: Rebels 1B Ramon Diaz, a .337 slugger. He suffered a strained hip muscle and is out for six weeks.
July 25 – SAL SP Jason Gurston (11-2, 2.37 ERA) tosses a 2-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Miners.
July 27 – The Bayhawks send shortstop Manuel Flores (.269, 0 HR, 33 RBI) to Cincinnati for outfielder Tom Simmons (.271, 6 HR, 42 RBI). A pair of prospects is also exchanged.
July 29 – The Indians add more pitching with righty reliever Ramiro Quintero (2-0, 2.83 ERA). Outfield prospect Pedro Ortiz is sent to the Cyclones.
August 1 – The Canadiens will have to continue their playoff run without slugging shortstop Eddy Bailey (.361, 7 HR, 35 RBI), who is out until mid-September with a torn meniscus.

Other complaints and stuff:

Matt Workman was Rookie of the Month of July, hitting .299 with 4 HR and 13 RBI. It is his second ROTM trophy.

Steve Walker first, and then Edgardo Gonzalez and Ramón Borjón should all return at some point during the next two weeks and in this case would rejoin the team on the road. Oklahoma City, New York, Vancouver, and Sacramento will be up. The last interleague series of the year will be against the Cyclones at home, August 17-19.

It was the trading season. The Rebels offered me two minor leaguers for AAA outfielder Fernando Gonzalez, including outfielder Dick Daughtery. He was a former Raccoon prospect, once traded in the Padilla/Baker deal in January 1978. I made a counteroffer, going for their AAA SP Hisanobu Higuchi, who was not exactly a future major league star, but could serve as #5 starter, perhaps. I was desperate for starting pitching. The deal was completed the morning before play resumed after the All Star game: Higuchi and Daughtery for Gonzalez; both acquisitions joined the struggling AAA team.

The Capitals offered a backup outfielder for Mark Dawson *and* A level infielder William Bray. Not in my lifetime. Dawson was popular anyway, most proposals were for him.

On July 30, I reached an agreement with the Vancouver Canadiens to deal our former first round pick SP Carlos Gonzalez for their young starter Kisho Saito, a strong lefty. The agreement was ready to be signed – but I didn’t. Gonzalez’ performance at the AA level could best be described as highly erratic. He is 8-6 with a 4.21 ERA at the moment. He has a number of games where he was trashed for six or more runs early on. In his last game he hurled 4-hit ball over eight frames, no walks, and struck out fourteen. Admittedly, the opponents were the Tampa Pugs, the Scorpions’ miserable .367 affiliate. Still, 14 K’s are a huge performance for a 19-yr old (he turned 20 on August 1, the last day covered in this post) in AA ball. Saito is a rookie with a 12-8 record and with a 2.68 ERA in the majors. He has a walk issue. They won’t accept another deal, except for Richard Cunningham, Grant West, and Logan Evans. I can’t make myself trade Gonzalez…

This agony will never end.