[Westheim]

Raccoons (47-52) @ Knights (56-42)

We were looking at “Mauler” Correa, young hotshot Glenn Ryan, and our old 1983 World Series nemesis Kiyo Sasaki in this series. We could have saved us the airfare, really.

Bases loaded, nobody out – the biggest fear of Raccoons management on either side of the mound. The Raccoons trailed 1-0 in the top 2nd and found themselves in that situation in the opener, then flailed against Correa and remained shut out. Bottom 5th: Wade was hit every which way by the Knights (especially their top lethal middle of the order with Root, Wodaj, McDonald, and Barrera in there), who loaded the bags with nobody out in the 1-0 game. Wade battled back, got two outs, then fell to a 2-run single by … Correa. Top 8th, bases loaded, nobody out against Correa in a 5-2 game, the go-ahead run comes to the plate, Dumont pinch-hitting for Higgins. Dumont hit a double past LF Jesus Berrios to score two, and now there was a great chance to save Wade an L. Dadswell doubled to left to get the Raccoons ahead. The Knights started to make errors on top of that and the Coons suddenly led 8-5. The bullpen crumbled mightily in the bottom 8th, but Dawson started a saving double play to get out of the inning. West pitched a quick ninth, seeing action for the third day in a row. 8-5 Raccoons. Weber 2-4, 2B; Hall 2-4, RBI; Dumont (PH) 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI; Dadswell 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Johnston (PH) 2-3;

In bad news, Glenn Johnston went down hurt in the bottom 9th. An oblique strain will put him on the DL for at least two weeks. We called up Bill Stevens as a replacement. We also demoted Matt Higgins for Joe Jackson.

Glenn Ryan (whom the Raccoons had tried to acquire before) was singed early in the middle game for six runs through the first three. That was a necessary amount of offense with Jerry Ackerman pitching. Through four, the Knights were only 6-3 behind. Top 6th, again bases loaded, nobody out. Oh, they did damage this time: Tetsu Osanai grand-slammed for a 10-3 lead. The Knights were far from defeated, though, rolling up Ackerman and Martinez with a 3-run sixth themselves. But the Raccoons got some great length out of Dirk Campbell and held the Knights at bay right there. 10-6 Raccoons. Weber 2-5; Osanai 4-5, HR, 5 RBI; Dadswell 2-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Dumont 2-4, BB, RBI; Campbell 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

After all that scoring, it was pitchers’ day in the last game. Alejandro Venegas pitched significantly better than Wade or Ackerman, yet he was the only one winding up with a loss. Sasaki hacked the Raccoons into finely grained dust, going into the ninth before becoming exhausted. The Raccoons were 3-hit, and Venegas took a griefing 2-0 loss. Venegas 7.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, L (4-10);

Trade

Late on July 27, the Raccoons swapped left-handed relievers again. Ed King, 36, just acquired this season from the Titans, was sent to Cincinnati for Ken Burnett, a 25-year old changeup artiste. Burnett’s big league career ERA so far reads a nasty 8.00, but encompasses only six games for the 1986 Indians and 1988 Cyclones.

But that was only half the deal. The Raccoons also acquired AAA 1B/3B Ben O’Morrissey, a 22-yr old prospect with a well-rounded and potent bat, very good defense, and tremendous running skills. In exchange, we sent over 2B Dani Perez, who was very good defensive player, but his bat was not that exciting. Perez had been discovered by us in Panama years ago. Now 24, he had made the majors, but O’Morrissey was the bigger talent. By far. The Cyclones needed middle infielders desperately, though, and accepted that trade. To put this right: I think Perez can still become a very useful player, but his niche is small. O’Morrissey should leave him in his shadows.

Overall, we got younger, and better, although the corner infield positions are pretty crowded by now. Don’t get this wrong: King is (was?) an amazing reliever, pitching 19 games for the Furballs to a 1.42 ERA. But we want to attract fresh blood, and at 36, he won’t be around to see the next great Coons dynasty to rise to the top.

Steve Walker was called up to replace Perez in the infield, reuniting with Winston Thompson for the sterling middle infield combo that helped the 1983 Raccoons into the postseason. Wally Gaston returned to the Raccoons bullpen, which now held only one lefty (Shaw) besides West, and both acquired players were placed with AAA St. Petersburg.

The off day that followed our series in Atlanta, made all the dealing easier as well.

Raccoons (49-53) @ Condors (60-42)

From one CL South powerhouse on to the next. They came in having won six in a row and started by throwing John Douglas (12-4, 3.48 ERA) at the Furballs. Douglas had the walks under control this season, and by this I mean that he actually had more K’s (96) than BB’s (78) coming in.

And dude, was Douglas on fire. He struck out the side (along with a walk to Hall) in the first inning, and axed them further to that tune. Jason Turner was pitching for the Furballs. Neither team landed a hit through three (Douglas fanned six, Turner three), before Kelly Weber managed a single into center. Weber was singled in by Osanai two batters later for a 1-0 lead. Turner’s no-hit bid held up into the sixth until broken up by 1B Jeremiah Carrell with a single to short right center, just after Dumont in right had made a great catch to retire Thomas Martin and keep the bid alive. Turner worked himself up with ill control and could not go for a complete game, though. But Vazquez and West ended the game on a high note, as the Furballs left the Condors with two hits and made their own six hits count for a 2-0 win. Osanai 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; Turner 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, W (3-2);

The Coons scored three early on Israel Gomes, including a 2-run home run by Daniel Hall in the middle game. Kisho Saito started to nurse a no-hit bid as well, but it was broken up in the fourth with two singles and almost a home run by Juan Valentin, just short of the fence, that Bill Stevens caught. While the Raccoons were laid to sleep by Gomes by then, Saito became messed up. He gave up three straight singles for a run in the fifth, and balked in a run with the bases loaded, two out, and Gomes at the plate in the sixth. Gomes popped out and Saito was removed after bunting Stevens over in the top 7th. It didn’t matter. Bentley loaded the bags in the bottom 7th, Shaw didn’t get anybody out, the Condors tied it, Gaston walked in two more runs, Campbell walked in another run, and the Condors put up a 7-spot. The Condors won in smacking fashion, 9-5.

Scott Wade was not on top of his game in the rubber match, with bad control and many hits against him. A misplay by Kelly Weber in right added to the horror in the bottom 4th, where the Condors tied the game 2-2. Before that, in the top 3rd, Joe Jackson (getting a start at third) and Daniel Hall executed a double steal to eventually score both in the inning. The Raccoons took the lead again in the fifth on a just-fair double by Osanai on the left side. Stevens and Walker added runs, 5-2, and Wade hit a hard spot in the Condors lineup again. O’Day, Ogawa and Valentin were three lefties he just could not get through. The first two got on with two out – then he struck out Valentin to get in line for a W. Then came the bottom 7th, and the same thing happened again. Bentley put two on and was relieved by Shaw, who did only make it worse. Bases loaded, one out, 5-4 Raccoons, Juan Martinez came out. John Fleury hit a grand slam. 8-5 Condors. Weber 2-5; Hall 2-4, BB, 2B; Osanai 3-3, BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Stevens 2-5, 2 RBI;

OH COME ON!!! BLOODY COW!!!! THAT BULLPAWN!!!

That bullpen was axed vehemently after the game on the trip up the coast to San Francisco. Both Jason Bentley and Wally Gaston were demoted to AAA. We were short on left-handers for various reasons, or Shaw would have gone along on the same boat. Emerson MacDonald (once here in ’86 for 13 games and a 5+ ERA) and Jake Pitts were called up. Pitts was to make his major league debut, a former 7th round pick with decent numbers in AAA this year. He had been acquired from the Falcons last year in a deal involving minor leaguers. Juan Ramirez was demoted for 1B Billy Mitchell.

Raccoons (50-55) @ Bayhawks (48-57)

A leadoff homer by Antonio Torres got Jerry Ackerman behind in the opener. Larry Marshall twice took doubles away from the Coons early, denying them at least one run, but Mark Dawson muscled #19 for the season in the top 4th to turn the game to 2-1 Coons. Ackerman went five 3-hit innings and was pinch-hit for in the top 6th with Mitchell with the bags full and two out, but Mitchell fouled out. The bullpen (Campbell) blew a starter’s lead with a big inning for the third straight day. Campbell put two on, and surrendered a 3-run homer to Marshall. MacDonald’s first batter was Kai Edwards, who homered as well. Another 4-spot to kill every nice effort the rotation put up. Top 8th, one more chance, with two in scoring position and nobody out for the Raccoons. And no scoring with Weber, Jackson, and Thompson to the plate. 5-3 Bayhawks. Thompson 2-5; Dawson 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; Dumont 3-4, 2 2B;

Joe Jackson was demoted to AAA and Matt Higgins was recalled, who had hit .423 down there in the short time he was there.

Dawson doubled in a pair in the top 1st of the middle game for a lead for Venegas. That was where the offense went to bad for Portland. Venegas saved the bullpen from the embarrassment to blow leads with 4- to 7-run innings for four days in a row by surrendering a game-tying homer to Marshall in the sixth. The Coons made two quick outs in a tied game in the top 7th. Venegas was sent batting, and hit a double down the right field line. Thompson dinked one into short center. Sanchez dinked one into short center, Venegas scored, back in the lead. Hall walked, giving Osanai the bags full, but he struck out. Then Venegas failed to get out the opposing pitcher, Chris O’Keefe, for the third time that day. And the moment was here: the pen took over to collect eight outs with a 3-2 lead – an impossible task. They didn’t even get ONE. Vazquez was taken deep by Cesar Cruz, and the Bayhawks won, 4-3, after the Raccoons left the tying run on third in the eighth AND the ninth. Thompson 2-4, BB; Sanchez 2-5, RBI; Osanai 2-4, BB; Pitts 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (big league debut);

Osanai scored Hall with a double for another first inning lead in the last game. Jason Turner came up in the bottom 1st to give an RBI walk to the #4 batter, Larry Marshall. He somehow wiggled out of the bases loaded jam in a 1-1 tie with a double play. Turner was struggling a ton, loading the bags in the third, before being helped out by Dawson catching a hard liner and a sprawling play by Osanai. Turner finally came apart in the fifth for the Bayhawks to lead 3-1. Most interestingly, the bullpen now seemed to hold up. Top 8th: the Raccoons loaded the bags with one out and Dawson up. He shattered a Russ McCallum pitch to hit a grand slam out of leftfield. And NOW the bullpen crumbled. MacDonald, left over from a clean seventh, and Shaw put the tying runs on and Grant West came out for a 4-out save attempt. He got out of the jam with a grounder to Mitchell (who had replaced Osanai at first), but before he could focus on the ninth, he had to grab a bat. Bases loaded, two out, he singled to left for an insurance run. And only then could West get back out and retire the Bayhawks in order to end a string of four just-kill-me losses. 6-3 Raccoons. Sanchez 2-5; Dawson 1-5, HR, 4 RBI; West 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, SV (24) and 1-1, RBI;

In other news

July 25 – The Wolves acquire outfielder Dale Cleveland, 25, from Washington for SP Carlos Reyes (5-8, 3.80 ERA). The Wolves have to see something in Cleveland, an AAAA player for years now, that nobody else does. Reyes is 74-87 with a 3.82 ERA for his career, all for the Wolves so far.
July 25 – 20 seems like an almost magical numbers this year, as Claudio Ayala’s hitting streak ends at 20 games.
July 26 – LAP C Gustavo Flores (.240, 1 HR, 27 RBI) is out for the season with a torn PCL. The Pacifics acquired him this season from the Raccoons.
July 27 – Another ex-(minors)-Coon going down: IND SP Pepe Acevedo (7-5, 2.73 ERA) is out for the year with bone spurs in his elbow.
July 28 – The Canadiens trade the struggling 29-yr old 3B Teo Colón (.211, 2 HR, 40 RBI) to the Rebels for MR Enrico Trujillo and a minor league catcher. Colón played some great seasons for the Falcons in the mid-80s, but has not found his bat the last few seasons.
July 29 – PIT Ricardo Torres (10-6, 3.02 ERA) 2-hits the Stars to take the 5-0 win.
July 30 – DAL Neil Ford (9-5, 2.54 ERA) returns the favor to the Miners the next day, hurling a 3-hitter in a 4-0 win for the Stars.
July 30 – The Aces acquire 1B Gilberto Alaniz (.267, 14 HR, 50 RBI) from the Indians for MR Mauro Gomez. To the naked eye, the Aces make a huge gain here for the unproven, yet still already 27 years old Gomez.
July 30 – NAS 3B Horace Henry (.293, 9 HR, 65 RBI) has a 20-game hitting streak going.
July 31 – Henry’s hitting streak is killed by the Gold Sox, while SFW C Jose Gomes (.307, 2 HR, 35 RBI) makes it a 20-game hitting streak for himself with a last-AB single against the Cyclones. The Warriors still lost 6-5.
August 1 – Jose Gomes becomes the sixth player this year with a hitting streak of exactly 20 games, going 0-4 against the Rebels. Only Isto Grönholm has gone farther (22).

Complaints and stuff

Somehow, neither Sam Dadswell, nor Tetsu Osanai have much trade value. I tried to trade both for young starting pitching (Evans and Saito getting old…er), yet no team was interested. OSA rates Tetsu at 3 1/2 stars recently.

Both are in their late 20s. Retaining them should keep them around for a push in 1991. Osanai would be 32 then. Dadswell and Vinson are both rated at 5-star potential, and Dadswell at actual five stars. Vinson could pan out to be magic, or couldn’t. Ah, those decisions! In the end, no further trades were made. There will be a winter after all.

And while Osanai was not considered valuable enough to pursue for several contending teams to shave their top prospects – who hit .392 with 3 HR and 19 RBI in July to be the CL Player of the Month? Tetsuuuuuu!

Jason Turner is a good kid, I think. With a bit better control he would have been able to go the distance in the game in Tijuana, but he needed 104 pitches through seven frames. He reminds me a bit of Logan Evans, who in his younger days always ran “negative” K/BB ratios (read: smaller than 1), while performing about league average. Now Evans, besides sitting on the DL, is 118-89 for his career (300 starts) and his K/BB has turned around to a more friendly 1.17 now. Turner has a bit more stuff and less command, it seems right now.

Let me tell you something else I envision to form either next year or 1990: our new outfield consisting of Daniel Hall, Glenn Johnston, Daniel Dumont, Kelly Weber, and Neil Reece. The middle three are lefties. Reece is an ace defensive centerfielder with good contact making abilities and some speed we just acquired. Him and Johnston could platoon in center. Johnston and Weber fit all positions well, and Dumont is a bit of the wild card in there. Johnston could have the greatest career of all of them (well, besides Hall, who ranks high on a few all-time leaderboards already and will always be pick number one).

And yes, I screamed obsceneties during the two collapses in Tijuana, and the window was open. The games after that, I merely managed to wince and squeal …