[Westheim]

Raccoons (17-11) @ Blue Sox (17-10)

The Blue Sox had already turned in 127 runs, 2nd in the Federal League, and their pitching ranked 2nd as well. This, despite some losses in the off season, was still a tough cookie to bite into.

Alejandro Venegas was up first and we faced the longtime Wolves starter Carlos Lopez. He was holding the Coons sharp early on. Venegas loaded the bags in the first inning even after Daniel Hall threw out a runner at the plate on the second play of the inning. The Blue Sox again left the bags full in the fourth without scoring, when Venegas struck out Lopez to escape his most recent nightmare, which lasted seven innings with only that one K. Nashville finally got to the struggling Venegas in the fifth with one run, but it was perhaps the worst 7 IP, 1 R outing we had seen in a while. Lopez hurled eight frames of 1-hit ball, a Thompson single, before yielding to Matt Sims in the ninth. Thompson walked with one out and Sanchez singled into left. Go-ahead runs aboard, Daniel Hall struck out and Osanai grounded out. 1-0 Blue Sox. Venegas 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, L (1-2);

We faced Jose Arroyo, a quad-A player for some time, in the middle game. Called up when Chris Lacy went to the DL, Arroyo had turned in 6.1 innings of 1-run ball in his first game of the year. Compared to Carlos Gonzalez … while the Furballs scored a quick run in the first after a walk to Sanchez to start the game, a stolen base, and a Dani Perez double, and Dadswell added a run with a second inning home run, Gonzalez was wobbling back and forth. The command was poor, the stuff not there, but he managed to hold a 3-1 lead through five. The Coons broke up the game with a sixth inning parade in which they sent 12 batters to the plate, including eight straight reaching base with two outs, including a bases-clearing double by Tetsu Osanai and a subsequent 2-run homer by Mark Dawson, breaking not only Arroyo, but also the game wide open, 11-1. Now, everybody in Portland waited for that collapse with a 10-run lead, and it came INSTANTLY. A Winston Thompson error on a harmless grounder by John White got things moving, and Gonzalez was knocked out of the bottom 6th after conceding three runs. Juan Martinez got that inning over with, but the misery continued in the seventh with two quick runs on Tim Moss. Cunningham got out there, but failed to navigate the eighth in turn. Ronaldo Cabrera took him deep, shooting his ERA from 0.00 to 5.11 in about a week. David Jones somehow patched the final four outs together. Osanai drove in two in the top 9th, 13-7 Raccoons in a mess of a game bullpen-wise. A. Sanchez 3-4, 3 BB, 3B; Perez 3-5, BB, 2B, 4 RBI; Osanai 3-6, 2 2B, 5 RBI; Dumont 2-5; Dadswell 2-5, HR, RBI; Jones 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, SV (1);

At this point, we have a MAJOR bullpen issue. While our rotation has some flaws, it combines for a 3.48 ERA, 4th in the league, but our relievers rank LAST in the Continental League with a 4.48 ERA and it is time to look at options at AAA. Emerson McDonald and Robert Vazquez perform quite well, but there was no left-handed option down there. Besides, Tim Moss was out of options and a 10/5 veteran. We were also looking at outside options now, but there were virtually no left-handed relievers on the market.

But you know you’re in trouble anyway if you get your first two guys on in the rubber game and then the meat of the lineup (Hall, Osanai, Dawson) strikes out in unison. Salvador Fierro killed the Coons at a rapid (rabid?) pace, and when he did load the bags with two out in the top 4th, Gustavo Flores popped out on a 3-1 pitch. Fierro struck out ten in his outing, while Logan Evans worked quickly for the Raccoons as well. But he also worked for the wrong team. Two walks he issued were costly, since both scored, and he found himself on the losing end of a 3-0 shutout. The Coons threatened exactly once in the game, and botched that up as well. Osanai 2-3, BB, 2B;

Backup catcher Gustavo Flores (4-31 at the plate) was placed on waivers (out of option) to be demoted to AAA. We called up our off-season acquirement David Vinson, whose bat had shredded AAA pretty good.

Raccoons (18-13) vs. Stars (16-15)

The Stars had problems with pitching just like the Raccoons. Getting shut out twice against them would be even more insulting than it was against the Blue Sox.

3B Claudio Ayala tattooed Kisho Saito with a 2-run homer in the top 2nd of the opener. The Raccoons trailed 3-0 before ever getting close to scoring. Dadswell homered in the bottom 5th, 3-1 down. Dani Perez got on to start the sixth, but was erased on a fielder’s choice with Hall batting. Osanai then launched a pitch into deep right, where Gabriel Cruz misplayed it, turning a double into a triple for Osanai, and he was able to score on Mark Dawson’s groundout. Tied game. But not for long, as Saito surrendered a 2-run homer to pinch hitter Raúl Flores in the top 7th right away. The Coons went down without as much as raising the tail once more, 6-3 Stars. Dadswell 2-4, HR, RBI;

The Pacifics claimed Gustavo Flores before the middle game, so we had to turn to the free agent market for another catcher for our system.

David Vinson made his major league debut in the middle game, batting 8th, getting a switch-bat into the lineup for the first time in a few years. Both teams scored single runs in the second inning, and Wade was taken deep by Cruz in the fourth. Daniel Hall’s RBI double tied the game again in the bottom 4th and we now had two runners in scoring position with nobody out. The Coons got both of them in with a single up the middle by Dumont and a double play grounder that scored Hall from third by Jose Sanchez. Wade went six, going out once he was to face Cruz again. The Stars scratched one run off the lead against Bentley in the seventh, but Cunningham and West held on late. 4-3 Raccoons. Dawson 2-3, BB, 2B; Osanai 2-3; Hall 2-3, 2 2B, RBI; Wade 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (4-0); Cunningham 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K;

Game 3 saw Venegas being crushed quickly for five runs through 2.1 innings and six overall in 5.2 innings. The Raccoons never even threatened, being 3-hit by Neil Ford, who won his first game of the season. 7-0 Stars, out-hitting the Hemiplegic Badgers 14-3. There is *really* not more to report about that mess.

Raccoons (19-15) @ Loggers (10-24)

A lot of things went wrong in the second inning of the series opener. First, the Coons had bases loaded, nobody out in the top of the inning – and wasted it entirely. Bottom 2nd: Daniel Hall made a huge grab for the second out, then grabbed his foot and was carried off. Carlos Gonzalez then surrendered a 2-run homer to Luis Gonzalez. The Coons plated four in a big top 3rd, but Gonzalez came back loading the bags with two out and facing Cisco Banda in the bottom 3rd. He struck him out to escape disaster this time, but then didn’t make it through the fifth. Banda was his last batter, worked a walk, which put on two runners with two down and a 4-3 lead, and Gonzalez was gone. Jason Bentley surrendered a 2-run double to Charlie Justin to create the perfect ending to Gonzalez’ outing. The Loggers added to that with four runs in the bottom 6th around Bentley and Jones being unable to do anything and a Jose Sanchez error at short. The Coons brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh and scored three. The game was still 9-7 into the ninth, and the Raccoons loaded the bags in the top 9th with two out and Grant West in the #2 slot next. Sam Dadswell came out to pinch hit, but grounded out. 9-7 Loggers. Dumont 2-4, 2B; Dawson 1-3, 2 BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Thompson 2-5, RBI; J. Sanchez 3-4, BB, 2 RBI; Vinson 2-4;

Isto Grönholm helped the Raccoons to three unearned runs in the top 1st in the middle game. Home runs by Armando Sanchez in each of the next two innings gave Logan Evans a comfy cushion, 6-0. Emilio Roman homered off him in the bottom 3rd, but it was still a 5-run lead. Bottom 6th: the mother of all collapses went off. Logan Evans allowed three runs with a 2-run triple by German Roldan, then put another two runners on. Cunningham came in, and Charlie Justin hurt the Coons again with an RBI single. Cunningham could not get anybody out, and Roman hit his second homer of the day. 8-6 Loggers now. The Coons left the tying runs on base in each of the last two innings. 8-7 Loggers. A. Sanchez 3-4, BB, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Thompson 2-4, BB, RBI; Perez (PH) 1-1, 2B; Weber (PH) 1-1, 2B;

Amidst all the agony, the Raccoons left runners on third base in the first inning, and in the second inning, left a runner on in the third, and had two on with two out and Kisho Saito to the plate in the fourth. Scoreless game. If Saito wanted a shot at a W, he had to do it himself. He did, a 2-run double to deep left. Of course, Saito was subsequently stranded in scoring position. They left TWO in scoring position in the fifth, and it was all about waiting for Saito to walk a guy and give up a stray long ball. The bottom 5th started with a walk to German Roldan. Three hits for the Loggers after that, three runs in. Top 6th, 1-out triple by Sergio Martinez – STRANDED. They actually did not leave a runner in scoring position in the seventh, Osanai homered to center to cut a 4-2 deficit in half. In the eighth, a runner was on second base, and Jose Sanchez lined into an inning-ending double play, so technically they did not leave a runner in scoring position there either. Dani Perez was left on first in the ninth. 4-3 Loggers. Perez 3-5, 3B;

Daniel Hall was diagnosed with a herniated disc and will be out for another week. In addition to that, Sergio Martinez was hurt in the last game.

In other news

May 6 – A herniated disc will keep Oklahoma’s Scott Strong (.253, 1 HR, 12 RBI) out of the game for a month. The 24-yr old outfielder hit .309 last season.
May 7 – Oklahoma City deals MR Morton Jennings, 35, with a 3.77 career ERA, to Tijuana for 3B Jose Moreno and a minor leaguer. (Even really big contracts can apparently eventually be shipped)
May 8 – Another youngster goes down in ATL 1B Marcinek Wodaj (.237, 3 HR, 15 RBI). He suffered a fractured thumb and will miss up to a month.
May 8 – RIC OF Manuel Doval (.391, 3 HR, 20 RBI) will miss one to two weeks with a foot contusion.
May 8 – IND INF Jorge Salazar (.331, 1 HR, 12 RBI) has a 20-game hitting streak put together. The streak would end the next day already.
May 11 – Las Vegas’ outfielder Claudio Garcia (.364, 4 HR, 28 RBI) will miss the rest of the month with a strained hamstring.
May 11 – NAS CL Matt Sims (10 SV, 0.63 ERA) will miss a few weeks with a sore back.
May 11 – SFW David Castillo (2-4, 2.18 ERA) spins a 2-hitter in a 1-0 win over Atlanta.
May 14 – DEN SP Hisanobu Higuchi (1-1, 4.21 ERA) 1-hits the Wolves in a 7-0 win by Denver, undoubtedly the highlight in an undistinguished career.

Complaints and stuff

Did I say that Sanchez, Hall, Osanai, and Dawson were getting hot the last time around? How did they fare in the interleague week?
Sanchez: 6-22 (.273), 0 HR, 0 RBI
Hall: 3-22 (.136), 0 HR, 1 RBI (12 K!!)
Osanai: 8-22 (.364), 0 HR, 6 RBI
Dawson: 3-20 (.150), 1 HR, 3 RBI
Osanai is excused. The rest was scheduled for extra whippings on the off day following the Milwaukee series.

And, OH MY GOD, it is … they … they SUCK SO HARD. They are TERRIBLE. They are so TERRIBLE. They are NO FUN and they are TERRIBLE.

Aaaaahh!!

We have signed Wally Gaston to a 1-yr contract on the last day of the Loggers series. I have a vague imagination of where to put him on the roster.

I need something against this headache. I hate this team. I hate this team. I hate this team…