[Westheim]

Don’t assume I was completely idle the last few days. I have looked over the draft pool, which shows a chronic shortness in starting pitchers, catchers, and shortstops. Basically, every position you have to have some ability for, isn’t there. At all.

Since we will pick 22nd, the point is almost moot, but here are the top players in the pool:

SP Patrick Clark (17/17/11)
MR Ryosei Kato (20/17/14)
CL Paco Leoniedas (20/17/14)

1B/LF David Ramos (18/6/13)
1B/LF/3B Anastasio Hernandez (13/13/20)
LF/RF Eduardo Sanchez (14/14/8)
LF/RF Bakile Hiwalani (13/15/13)
LF/RF George Wood (14/15/15)

We’ll see, what comes about. I have an eye on 2B Ed Edwards, too. He’s scouted 14/1/14, but with good speed and gap power for doubles and triples galore.

There was one week left to this miserable home stand with a potential to lose seven games.

Raccoons (26-31) vs. Indians (29-27) – June 6-9, 1994

The Indians were just over .500, but potentially fake. They weren’t scoring at all, and had a run differential of -10. The Indians were also unique in their almost completely left-handed rotation. We would potentially face all-lefties in the series. We’d have them for four, then the FL West-leading Warriors over the weekend. I would have Vinson batting cleanup for at least a few games. Oh, I can see bad things coming.

Game 1. 1B Carlos Paredes put the Indians on top in the second inning with a solo homer off Jose Rivera. An error on Royce Green made it 2-0 in the third, while Neil Stewart was perfect the first time through the Coons’ order. While Rivera pitched neatly despite four walks, and only allowed the two runs in seven innings, Stewart was sparkling. Everything that stood between Neil Stewart and Eternity in the end was Vern Kinnear and a shy hobbler up the middle in the fourth inning. Stewart pitched a 1-hitter. 2-0 Indians. Rivera 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, L (0-2);

Okay, it can not get MUCH worse from here on.

In game 2, Kisho Saito’s first pitch drilled 2B Claudio Ayala (who had just missed Kinnear’s single the day before), and Ayala came around to score in the inning. Down 1-0 early (once again), the Raccoons left the tying run on third base in both the bottom 1st and 2nd. Vinson got on in the fourth, and Mark Allen came up with two down. He tattooed Dan George’s offering into the stands for a 2-run homer for the go-ahead runs, 2-1 Coons. As Saito pitched a controlled game and didn’t allow the Indians to threaten too much, the Raccoons kept rummaging in the trash cans of batters’ fate and – lo and behold – found a 3-run seventh inning in there, in which doubles by Green and Kinnear were big parts to success. The Indians were as poor at the plate as described and tallied four hits in the game. 5-1 Raccoons. Salazar 2-5, 2B, RBI; Vinson 2-4; O’Morrissey 2-4, 2B; Allen 1-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Saito 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (4-4);

About everything Mark Allen hits, becomes a dinger. Unfortunately he ain’t hitting much.

Jason Turner and Arthur Young both entered game 3 with 5.30-ish ERA’s, but Young had a history of trashing the Coons. Ayala would hit two triples off Turner, one leading off the game, and one with two down and one man on in the fifth, that both led to runs, while the Raccoons, with the score 2-0 halfway through, were no-hit by Young. Quelle surprise. While Young gave up four walks over time, it took the Raccoons until the seventh to hit against him, a 1-out single by O’Morrissey to shallow right. With two out in the inning, Bobby Quinn came up and mashed a home run to center – we were ahead! It was Quinn’s first homer of the year, and because it was time for it, Salazar followed that up with his first shot of the season as well, a 2-run piece in the eighth. The Indians brought the tying run to the plate against Lagarde in the ninth, but this time around, Ayala grounded out. 5-2 Coons. Quinn 1-3, HR, 3 RBI; Baldivía (PH) 1-1, 2B;

Between the Raccoons and a series win stood Vernon Robertson (4-2, 2.40 ERA) in game 4. O-Mo drove in Higgins in the first for an actual 1-0 LEAD in this series, but in turn it didn’t hold up, LF Rich Tracy – imported from the Bay – doubling over an overwhelmed centerfielder Royce Green to tie the game in the third. Mamoru Sato took Miguel Lopez deep in the fourth to make it 2-1 Indians, but that didn’t hold up for long, as Bobby Quinn homered again to turn around back-to-back games, this time a 2-shot in the bottom 4th, 3-2 Furballs, and two innings later, Jose Rodriguez doubled in a pair and was scored by Miguel Lopez to make it 6-2 on the poor Robertson, who was coming apart. It was not all roses with Lopez, though. He put two men on in the seventh and then came out quickly with some sort of pain. Miller came in, and within two batters, the game was tied. Tracy doubled, Tomas Maguey homered, 6-6. Jin drove in the go-ahead run for the Coons again in the bottom 8th, hitting for Green, but the Coons left the bases loaded and Lagarde without a cushion. With two out, Maguey again hurled a deep fly ball to left – but this time into an out. 7-6 Coons. Kinnear 3-4; Quinn 3-4, HR, 2 RBI; Rodriguez 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Jin (PH) 1-1, RBI; Vela 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-1);

The bad news about Miguel Lopez came quickly: shoulder inflammation, he’s out for the year. Another puzzle piece to our grave.

Raccoons (29-32) vs. Warriors (36-25) – June 10-12, 1994

The Warriors led the FL West by 4 1/2 games over the Pacifics. They ranked 2nd in both runs scored and runs allowed in the Federal League, and the Raccoons would have to stretch themselves pretty thin to stink up to them. Maybe if we sneaked a skunk into our lineup ……..

Game 1 featured Beato and Juan Sanchez (6-2, 2.58 ERA), who wasn’t faring too bad for not having a strong third pitch. “Pooky” had five pitches, and none wanted to bite, and in the fourth inning he stopped throwing strikes completely, giving up three four-pitch walks, with a 2-0 pop out in between, as the Warriors went ahead 1-0. No Raccoon reached base until Kinnear drew a leadoff walk in the bottom 5th. They were that bad. Sanchez ended up walking the bases full with one out, and Alejandro Lopez tied the game with an infield single, before Beato and Salazar struck out. Beato finally ran himself into a wall in the sixth. With two on, Grant West replaced him, and did not retire anybody. Four runs scored. The Raccoons were 3-hit. 7-1 Warriors.

At 6-7 and a 3.87 ERA, Aaron Anderson was as easy as it would get this weekend. Jose Rivera was about awful, giving out walks like candy, while the Warriors left all those presents unopened early on. When Jesus Arias then finally put them over the hump with a 2-run homer in the fifth inning, it was merely the inevitable happening. Rivera tossed 100 pitches in six innings, walking six (against three hits and three K’s), while the Raccoons only managed a sac fly by O’Morrissey in the bottom 6th to get on the board at all. The Furballs looked severely beaten, still down 2-1 in the eighth. Baldivía doubled with two out. Anderson was still in the game and was not removed for a lefty as Kinnear came to bat. Kinnear tripled, and the game was tied. O-Mo made it the perfect 2-out terror with a bloop single, scoring Kinnear. Lagarde hurriedly and unexpectedly warmed up, before he sat down the Warriors in seven pitches! 3-2 Coons. Salazar 2-4; Baldivía 2-4, 2B; O’Morrissey 1-3, 2 RBI;

Vinson went 0/4 in getting stealers again.

It was a duel of excellent veterans in the rubber game, as Saito took on Ricardo Torres (8-3, 2.99 ERA) – although it shall not be muted that Saito’s excellency has suffered a chunk the last 12 months. Early in this game, however, Torres was iffier. The Coons left two on in the second, then had the bases loaded (starting with Saito on third) with no outs in the third, and the heart of the lineup to come. Baldivía singled in Saito, Kinnear doubled in two, before they started to make outs, but they still took a 4-0 lead in the inning. Saito was carrying a shutout through seven innings, before SS Esteban Areizaga ended it with a leadoff homer in the eighth. We were still up 4-1 into the ninth. Lagarde had been out three times the last four days and I tried to close it out with Martinez with two switch hitters and a righty up. The righty sat them down in order. 4-1 Coons! Baldivía 2-4, RBI; Vinson 1-2, 2 BB; Saito 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (5-4) and 1-2, BB;

In other news

June 6 – The Gold Sox will have to make do without LF Dale Wales (.308, 4 HR, 31 RBI) for three weeks. The 31-year old is out with a herniated disc.
June 8 – The Canadiens’ ace SP Arnold McCray (5-6, 3.21 ERA) could be out for the year with a torn triceps.
June 10 – As the Capitals down the Titans, 8-3, WAS OF Diego Rodriguez (.360, 5 HR, 29 RBI) knocks his 2,000th career base hit, a fourth inning single off Santiago Perez.

Complaints and stuff

Miguel Lopez is out for the year, which is limiting our perspectives even more. Scott Wade was still on the DL at the time of his injury, but he will be back in time to take over Lopez’ slot in the rotation. That means that Rivera will stay a little longer, until he sucks himself out of luck or I can come across something.

Apart from that injury, everything was a bit less terrible this week, and Saito had two great outings, WAY back from where he was in May and his first start in June. Some things were actually not that bad, to be honest. We're also back in the top half in Power Rankings (9th). However, with Lopez out for the year, that takes a chunk out of the middle of our rotation that can not be replaced adequately and I doubt we will contend come September. I severely doubt that.