[Westheim]

We successfully claimed INF/LF Mauro Morales from the Wolves on the day following the Aces series, an off day, before the team would head to Milwaukee. Morales, 28, is a career .250 batter with five homers and 283 RBI in 3,151 AB. His career OPS+ is 79. And yes, I think he’s gonna help us as much as Matt Duncan or some other slacker. Matt Brown was sent back to AAA as Morales was added to the 25-man roster.

Raccoons (29-22) @ Loggers (19-34)

Their offense wasn’t much to begin with and they had surrendered the most runs in the league. The Loggers continued their perpetual embarrassing ways in the CL North. Yet, while they ranked 10th in runs scored, the Raccoons were 8th, so things were not as rosy for us as they seemed. Even the Loggers had to be scored upon first before winning these games.

The Loggers were scored upon in the first inning of the opener, two on struggling Rafael Garcia (3-5, 5.40 ERA). The Coons then drew advantage of innate inabilities after a leadoff HBP to Osanai in the top 4th. A Higgins single went just past 2B Jim Stein, and Johnston and Vinson hit infield singles that didn’t even reach past the dirt. Even Jason Turner singled, but ultimately the Coons only scored three after bases loaded, nobody out, and Vinson’s and Turner’s singles for a 5-0 lead. Turner didn’t allow a hit until the bottom 4th, but then was battered by Jose Perez with a 2-run homer. The Coons got those back instantly in the top 5th, but the Loggers were much more efficient with the runners they had. Turner allowed six of them, and they scored three runs in six innings. The Raccoons piled up almost 20 base runners, and had to bring in Grant West in the eighth to preserve a 7-3 lead with two on and two out. West sat down four in a row to end the game. 7-3 Coons. O’Morrissey 4-5; Higgins 3-4, RBI; Johnston 2-5; Vinson 3-4, 2B, RBI; West 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, SV (13);

Despite a so-so outing and being pinch-hit for in the sixth (Quinn made the final out and left two on), Turner got back to 4-4, which sardonically makes Master Kisho at this point the only starter to have a losing record.

Morales made his Raccoons debut in game 2, starting at short in place of Salazar. O’Morrissey’s leadoff jack made it 1-0 Coons instantly, and O-Mo would drive in Robert Vazquez after the pitcher had tripled in the third, 2-0. Vazquez struggled a bit with control early on, but settled in by the third inning. O’Morrissey meanwhile was a bit on fire, and a double in the fifth left him only a triple shy of the cycle, but he grounded out in the sixth with Morales on third to end the inning. Still, that would give him another chance in the ninth at the latest. Meanwhile the Coons led 4-0 although the Loggers had a base runner each inning. Sooner or later it had to go wrong, and it went wrong in the bottom 6th with a 2-shot by Gates Golunski. While the Coons left two on every inning from the fifth to the seventh, the Loggers still threatened, bringing the tying run to the plate in the bottom 7th, but Vazquez prevailed. Bottom 8th, Lagarde came in, put two on, then gave up a game-tying double to Armando Fernandez. Yeah. Great. O-Mo fanned in the ninth, but extra innings got him another chance in the 11th with Rodriguez on first. He singled to right, and a 2-out walk by Kinnear gave Hall a game-winning opportunity. He flew deep to left, but Golunski caught it. Daniel Miller put runners on the corners with two out in the bottom 11th, then struck out Jim Stein. But since the Raccoons were so incredibly bad at everything, they wouldn’t score past the 11th, either, and Miller lost the game in the 13th on three straight singles. 5-4 Loggers. O’Morrissey 4-6, BB, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Hall 2-5, RBI; Rodriguez (PH) 2-2; Vazquez 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K;

We faced a 6.08 ERA pitcher in the rubber game, Martin Garcia. Scott Wade’s ERA wasn’t half that, but he had been shredded the last time out. Accordingly, the Coons led 3-2 after the first inning. While they added on two more in the next two innings, the question was whether Wade would live long enough to qualify for a win, since he gave up lots of sound contact. Somehow, the defense held the damage to two runs through six, but Wade put another man on in the seventh and was yanked. The run scored against the bullpen. Both teams added a run in the eighth for a 7-4 score, and after messy bullpen work in the last two innings, Grant West performed a 1-2-3 ninth to save the game with ease. 7-4 Coons. O’Morrissey 3-5; Higgins 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; Rodriguez 3-5, 2 RBI; Quinn 1-2, BB; Salazar 1-2;

Raccoons (31-23) @ Indians (34-23)

This was for the division (yet a sweep was unlikely, so it was more about closing up). They were strong overall, and boosted a very powerful offense, besting the Coons by 48 runs this early in the season.

We skipped the struggling Raimundo Beato in the rotation and went to Kisho Saito for game 1. The Raccoons drew first blood of a hopelessly wild Albert Villa in the first inning and saddled him with five runs right away. Villa would surrender six walks, five hits, and six runs in just three innings of work. Once the Indians sent Jorge Mora in for long relief, however, the Raccoons offense dried up. He went 4+ innings, but put on the first two men in the eighth. Vinson’s line drive was turned into a double play by Mario Haider, and the inning fell apart instantly. Daniel Hall also lined into a hard luck out in the ninth and the Raccoons never scored after the second inning. Thankfully, Kisho Saito was dealin’ and the Indians had only one serious threat up in the entire game, but O-Mo started a double play with a nifty grab. Saito’s control was a bit off in the middle innings, but he bounced back to finish the game unaided, and even contributed two ribbies in that first inning rush. 6-0 Raccoons. Hall 2-4, RBI; Higgins 2-4, BB, RBI; Osanai 2-4, 2B, RBI; Saito 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K, W (4-5) and 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI;

This is Kisho’s 13th career shutout, of which now ten have come with the Coons. It is SHO #2 for him this year, marking the first multiple-shutout year for him since 1988.

Fortunes pretty much reversed early on the next day. Jason Turner’s two leadoff walks in the bottom 2nd became two runs, including one batted in by pitcher Jesus Lopez. Top 4th, two on, two out. Morales singled to right and Osanai was waved around third – and scored. The runners moved up, and the Indians then put on Jeff Martin to force Turner to bat – but Lopez first threw a wild one, scoring Bobby Quinn with the tying run. Turner popped out, then barely stalled a runner at third base in the bottom 4th. Top 5th, Hall had O-Mo on first with one out. Down 1-2, Lopez threw another one missing a mile, this time off Hall’s buttocks. That pushed O-Mo to second, from where Osanai scored him with a single up the middle. Lopez then hit Quinn. The bases were loaded and the Raccoons dugout became highly unruly, yelling at Lopez. With Tomas Maguey on second and one out, Raul Vazquez came to bat for the Indians in the bottom 5th – and happened to be nicked. Warnings were issued right here by the umpires. Again, the tying run was barely stopped on third base when O’Morrissey made a great play for the final out. Top 6th, the Coons’ batters gripping their bats a bit tighter than usual. Martin’s leadoff double got something going, as Turner moved him over to third. O-Mo was walked intentionally, but Rodriguez (batting second because why not) singled to left. Higgins grounded out, placing two in scoring position for Hall with two down. 2-2. Grounder up the middle – THROUGH!! O’Morrissey scored and Rodriguez was waved home and was SAFE!! Up 6-2, what could happen? Turner happened. Luis Gonzalez and Vincente Rodriguez both singled their way on in the bottom 6th, nobody out. Jose Martinez flew out to Quinn, but Gonzalez tagged and went home, taking out Jose Rodriguez in a close play. Both players were shaken, but continued. The Indians scored two, and the game was close again at 6-4, and made it 6-5 in the bottom 7th with a Paul Connolly homer off Carrillo. Lagarde almost was toppled, but Bobby Quinn held on to the lead. Hall was grazed by a tight pitch from Eddie Jackson in the top 8th, and himself barely noticed it, but was awarded first base. No ejection. The air was electric, still. Too electric for Morales, whose error to start the bottom 8th put the tying run on base. Two on, two out, Raul Vazquez was due up, a 11-homer lefty. If that was not the time for Grant West, it would never come. Vazquez took a called strike one, then fouled off and watched another one. West tried to get him with junk, and Vazquez fouled off two more. Then, a fastball, STRIKES HIM OUT!!! Jim Durden pitched the ninth for the Indians – and the Raccoons made him bite the dust with three 2-out RBI hits! GO COONS!!! West walked one in the bottom 9th, but the game was not in danger anymore. The Coons chewed through the Indians in a crackling battle for the division lead – and came out atop, 9-5 Furballs!! O’Morrissey 2-4, 2 BB, 2B, RBI; Rodriguez 2-6, 2 RBI; Hall 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Osanai 2-4, RBI; Morales 2-5, RBI; Salazar (PH) 1-1, BB, 2B, RBI; West 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (15);

THANK THE HEAVENS THAT WE HAVE GRANT WEST ON OUR SIDE!!

Game 3 was for the sweep, pitting Robert Vazquez against Arthur Young, who also issued two leadoff walks in the game, but Hall’s RBI groundout was all the Coons mounted in the first. Rain was looming and started in the top 4th. The Coons still led 1-0, but Victor Cornett’s leadoff homer in the bottom 4th tied it up, and a minute later the game was put into a delay by intensifying rain for a while. When Vazquez returned, Paul Connolly socked him for a go-ahead homer. The Indians didn’t bring back Young for the fifth and tried to hold their 2-1 lead with the bullpen. Hall got on in the sixth, but K’s by Osanai and Johnston left him on third. Top 8th, still down by a measly run. Morales got on with one out with a hit through the seam on the left, and after a poor out by Vinson, Quinn came up with an infield single. Runners on the corners, two down for Johnston, and that hadn’t worked against a right-hander, it wouldn’t work against left-handed career saves leader Andres Ramirez. Rodriguez pinch-hit for him and grounded out. Jake Martin hit another home run off Carrillo in the bottom 8th, that was it. Kinnear reached on an error in the ninth, but this time Jim Durden held up. 3-1 Indians. Quinn 2-4; Martinez 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K;

Division leaders for a day. Bwah.

In other news

June 4 – The Cyclones hold L.A.’s Mike McCain hitless in a 6-1 win over the Pacifics, ending his hitting streak at 21 games.
June 6 – The Titans cream the Canadiens, 11-0, and also hold Salvador Mendez dry, ending his hitting streak at 22 games.
June 7 – NO-HITTER! The Indians’ Larry Davis (6-3, 2.92 ERA) befuddles the helpless Crusaders all day long, while the offense does it’s grisly work, smacking the Crusaders 11-0, while Davis does not allow a hit, and walks only one. The offending walk is drawn by Sean Bergeron in the second inning. It is the 15th no-hitter in ABL history, and the second for the Indians (Salah Brunet, 1977), while the Crusaders are no-hit for the first time. It is also the seventh no-hitter in June, including Brunet’s as well as those of Roger Weaver (RIC) and Eric Edmonstone (NYC, both 1984), Carlos Guillen (NYC, 1985), Rafael Espinoza (1989, and Chris O’Keefe (both SFB, 1991).
June 8 – While the Knights hack through the Bayhawks, Clement Clark (.343, 3 HR, 20 RBI) extends his hitting streak to 35 games with a first-inning single.
June 9 – The Bayhawks get to Clement Clark, hold him 0-3 and end his hitting streak at 35 games. They still lose to Atlanta, 5-4. Clark ties Manuel Doval for the 3rd-longest hitting streak in ABL history. Claudio Rojas’ marks of 47 and 40 games remain untouched.
June 10 – SFB INF Roberto Rodriguez (.241, 1 HR, 34 RBI) sprains his ankle in an on-base collision and will miss up to a month.
June 11 – LAP OF Lucio Hernandez (.352, 6 HR, 41 RBI) can’t stay healthy this year. He will now miss two weeks with a strained rib cage muscle.

Complaints and stuff

Woulda been great to hold on there. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.