[Westheim]

Originally Posted by MarkCuban

How are the boys in AAA doing? Particularly, what is Graham Wasserman up to? Nothing good, I bet.

Graham Wasserman is 5-12 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.2 K/BB in AAA, so thankfully we don’t need starting pitching.

+++

The trade deadline kept zooming up on the Raccoons, who led the CL in pitching in most categories (they will never lead it in home runs allowed, which makes a ninth place in home runs hit that bit more sad), while ranking a paltry 11th in runs scored, and their lead on the last-place Falcons was … TWO runs.

The Raccoons might still have a chance at catching up with the Crusaders, who had gone 17-6 in July so far (and 17-4 against non-Raccoons), but they needed another bat.

That bat would have to be - … well, in a perfect world Adrian Quebell would stop ****ing up and we’d be fine. But wishing on a star was not how baseball worked, so let’s have a look at what we had. The outfield was definitely set as it was. Ron Richards was on the surface not overly flashy, but secretly had hit .340/.456/.585 since the trade with the Aces and had driven in 14 runs. (Quebell and Alexander combined since addition: 10 RBI) Matt Nunley was set at third base, also having a strong rookie season, batting .298/.359/.469 while adding solid defense to the job. Rob Howell however had batted a very Raccoons-like .229/.315/.292 since coming over, and wasn’t cutting it. Bergquist had mostly moved over for Sandy to play. D-Alex had a hit a few homers recently, but his performance was still nothing to enjoy. And then there was Quebell, who was already only hitting for a .752 OPS, but with runners in scoring position managed to drop that to a decidedly non-slugging .660, and with the bases loaded – cover your children’s eyes – was batting .167/.143/.167 …

Say, are there any first basemen worth trading in some spares for?

While I was busy on the phone for most of Monday, trying to arrange for a trade for the first baseman on a Federal League team that had thought it had a dynasty and was now double digits out, there was also the possibility of instead finding a slugging middle infielder.

Ya, good luck with that.

And so the era of Adrian Quebell at first base in Portland ended on July 27 with an 0-for-4 with 2 K in that dismal 8-2 defeat by the Bayhawks.

Trade!

On Monday, the Raccoons acquired 34-year old 1B Stanley Murphy (.273, 13 HR, 46 RBI) from the Pacifics, parting with 32-year old 1B Adrian Quebell (.257, 9 HR, 43 RBI) and three prospects of varying potential: AA SP David Tingley (our 2011 first-rounder), AA LF/2B/SS Tony Viera (international free agent in 2012), and AA RF Ruben Cervantes (international free agent in 2011). All three were 21 or 22 years old. Tingley’s K/BB was appallingly bad for a first-rounder in his fourth professional season, but the Pacifics were greatly interested. Viera might be the best of the bunch. Cervantes looks like a clumsy Matt Pruitt to me.

Initially I had tried to shed Jason Seeley and go with four outfielders in August, but the Pacifics – rightly so – had no interest in him. After a hot April he had returned to being the total dud he always had been.

Quebell had been our first base regular since 2006, normally hitting for more than an .800 OPS, but in recent years he had produced more and more double plays and less and less clutch performance. Despite never missing more than EIGHT games in a full season, he had never made it to 100 RBI, despite hitting as many as 64 extra-base hits (2010). He had ruined Al Martin’s career, and he was close to completely ruin my nerves. He had to go.

While Murphy had been with the Pacifics organization since being the #7 draft pick in the 2001 draft, Quebell had been acquired in a trade with the Warriors in 2005, in which we sent Dan Nordahl and Randy Farley to Sioux Falls.

Murphy sheds a bit of defense, but has a better hitting record. In a notable change he bats right-handed. His 2014 .273/.345/.457 performance in 2014 was his worst in many years, and Calderón was convinced that hard luck was involved, so things couldn’t even get any worse on the Portland Hardlucks. He also had missed three weeks with a back injury in May, keeping his countables down. He had 73 XBH as recently as 2012, a year in which he achieved the rare feat of starting 163 regular season games. His career slash of .293/.376/.468 has led to 235 homers and 963 RBI for him and he was the 2011 FLCS *and* World Series MVP before landing Player of the Year honors in 2012.

There’s one big drawback, and that is his $2.76M paycheck that is promised to him for 2015. We will have to work something out, I suspect.

… and thus the middle of the order suddenly got very crowded!

Raccoons (56-40) vs. Condors (50-49) – July 28-30, 2014

The Condors continued to play average baseball, sixth in offense, seventh in defense, which was decidedly better than anything they’d done recently. They were also 2-1 on the Raccoons in 2014.

Projected matchups:
Bill Conway (6-3, 2.35 ERA) vs. Zach Boyer (11-4, 3.40 ERA)
Daniel Dickerson (5-3, 4.52 ERA) vs. Michael Colvard (4-8, 3.70 ERA)
Nick Brown (9-5, 2.87 ERA) vs. Blaine Barnard (9-5, 3.90 ERA)

That’s three more right-handers as we miss their southpaw Eric Knight (3-3, 4.82 ERA) by a day. The average age of their rotation is 26, and they are not bad at all, so maybe the Condors can have something going in the next few years.

Neither team has injuries to start the series, as Matt Nunley reported fit for duty on Monday morning.

The Raccoons can win their 3,100th regular season game this week if they lose at most one game between the Condors and Knights. They are also only four losses away from being defeated 3,000-times. I REMEMBER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE LOSSES, YOU SUCKERS. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Like June 30, 1995. Esteban Baldivía hit into a double play with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom 8th, David Vinson flew out to right (surprised he got a ball THAT far!), and the Crusaders scored two in the ninth to beat us 3-1. EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!

Game 1
TIJ: 3B Dasher – SS Eroh – LF Newman – RF Branch – CF Feldmann – C J. Vargas – 2B Valles – 1B McDermott – P Boyer
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Taylor – P Conway

Ron Eroh homered in the first and there was not much in Conway’s pitching that made a long outing likely. The Condors readily piled up singles, but either ran themselves out of innings (Craig Dasher being thrown out by D-Alex in the third), or brought up the pitcher at the worst moment to strike out and strand a pair, like in the fourth. The Coons finally tied the game in the bottom 4th, in which Boyer walked Nunley and Murphy, the first two batters up. Ryan Feldmann contained Richards’ drive to center and Bednarski struck out, but D-Alex came up with a 2-out bloop single to plate Nunley before Taylor flew out to left. Jimmy Eichelkraut (.193, 2 HR, 12 RBI) made a pinch-hitting appearance in the top 7th, but grounded out to short. Conway finished the inning, not having allowed a hit in his last three frames after the shaky beginning, and then actually got in line for a W when Taylor drew a walk in the bottom 7th. With Merritt batting for Conway, Boyer threw a wild pitch, then allowed a double into the gap to the veteran right-hander, plating Taylor comfortably from second base. Cookie (who was in a dreadful slump) and Sandy failed to get Merritt in from second base, and then Sakellaris blew the lead when he walked Eroh and conceded an RBI double to Will Newman in the top 8th. Angel Casas wobbled in the ninth, walking Sean McDermott, who was then also thrown out by D-Alex.

Extra innings were the result of an especially anemic offensive day for the Raccoons, who managed THREE hits in regulation, and none until the 11th when Eroh narrowly missed Bednarski’s bouncer up the middle. Richards, who had walked for the third time in the game, moved up to second on the 1-out single. D-Alex had already prevented the team from losing with his arm, but could he make the Coons winners with the stick? Dave Shannon got him to ground into a double play, inning over. Chris Mathis in the 12th, his third inning, was singed by Ezra Branch’s 2-out, 2-run homer, and the Raccoons went down like rocks in the bottom of the inning. 4-2 Condors. Alexander 2-5, RBI; Merritt (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI; Conway 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K;

Four hits for the suckers in this one. FOUR. Murphy had three strikeouts. Exactly like I imagined it. EXACTLY.

Carmona went 0-for-6. I think we’re in trouble.

Game 2
TIJ: 3B Dasher – 2B Lafon – LF Newman – RF Branch – CF Feldmann – SS Valles – C Bedinghaus – 1B McDermott – P Colvard
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Taylor – P Dickerson

The Coons scored two runs on one hit in the bottom of the first inning, and weirdly enough that hit got things started when Sandy singled after Carmona had continued his drought with a grounder to Roland Lafon. Sandy swiped second before Nunley walked, and then both took off with Murphy batting. The throw was supposed to go to third, but the Condors’ Bill Bedinghaus tried to get Nunley instead, but threw the ball over Melvin Valles into center. Sandy scored, Nunley to third with his first career steal, and from there he scored as Murphy flew out to deep left. The score quickly jumped to 4-1 thanks to homers by Branch (in the second) and Bednarski (in the third), for both it was the 16th dinger of the season. Bednarski’s came with Murphy on base, his first Coons hit being an infield single blamed on Craig Dasher. Murphy’s next hit was a proper single in the fourth inning, moving Nunley to second after the youngster had singled home Sandy Sambrano, 5-1, but those two were left on base when Will Newman made a sprawling catch on Ron Richards’ drive to left.

Dickerson was wildly adrift and not fooling anybody. The Condors made contact so reliably, but also so poorly, that Dickerson spent NINE pitches in the fifth and sixth innings COMBINED. He didn’t make it out of the seventh, however. McDermott singled with one out before Jimmy Oatmeal walked on four pitches. The two pulled off a double steal (how do we like them apples?) before Dasher’s groundout to short scored a run. That put the score at 5-2 with Oatmeal on third, and Entwistle was brought on in a double switch (Richards vacated, Howell came in, Sandy and Taylor moved). Entwistle got Lafon to ground out, and the 3-run distance was maintained, and the game was safely brought home to end a 4-game losing spell when Entwistle also pitched the eighth, whiffing two, and Angel Casas allowed a single to McDermott but otherwise struck out three in the ninth inning. 5-2 Coons. Sambrano 2-5, 2B; Murphy 2-3, RBI; Bednarski 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Dickerson 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, W (6-3) and 1-3; Entwistle 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K;

Cookie is now 6-for-38. I’m suffering. Yet, it is – didn’t I just mention the Portland Hardlucks? – hard luck all the way. Among his 32 outs are TWO strikeouts. 30 times he found a fielder.

Game 3
TIJ: 3B Dasher – 1B Jaeger – RF Branch – CF Feldmann – C J. Vargas – SS Eroh – LF Eichelkraut – 2B Lafon – P Barnard
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – LF Richards – 1B Murphy – RF Bednarski – 3B Merritt – SS Taylor – C Margolis – P Brown

Brownie was sent into a tailspin early on with a walk to Dasher and a really massive homer by Kevin Jaeger right in the first inning. Oatmeal walked in the second inning, but was thrown out by Danny Margolis, his first victim in the Bigs. Not that it helped Brown any. Lafon hit a double with two outs in the inning, and then Barnard hit a blooper to shallow center that fell well in front of Carmona and plated Lafon, 3-0. Another out on the basepaths bailed out Brown in the third; Bednarski threw out Jaeger at third base on a single by Ezra Branch. Bottom 3rd, Cookie hit a single to right, stole his 30th base of the year, Sandy was nicked, and Ron Richards as the tying run – struck out.

Nick Brown had long lost – he just didn’t know it yet. Carmona’s single remained the lone Raccoons hit for way too long, and the Condors lengthened their lead in the sixth in a gigantic fail that involved just about everybody. Brownie hit (and hurt) Eroh with a 1-2 pitch, Oatmeal singled (…!), and then Merritt threw away Lafon’s grounder. Two unearned runs scored in the inning, and the Coons didn’t get onto the board until the bottom of the inning, when Merritt hit an RBI double in an attempt to escape his expected punishment for the throwing error (spending the off day in the team’s iron maiden). That moved him and Bednarski into scoring position with one out, and next Kevin Jaeger couldn’t come up with Taylor’s grounder, which escaped up the line for a 2-run double. The tying run appeared at the plate with one out, but Margolis grounded out and Nunley flew out to center as Brown’s miserable day ended.

Bottom 7th, the moment of truth came. Cookie opened with a single and Sandy walked, putting on the tying runs with the next three batters combining for 47 home runs on the season (though only 21 with this team). Barnard was still holding out, having struck out one over six-plus innings. Ron Richards rolled into a double play, and Murphy bounced out to the pitcher. The moment of truth had gone. 5-3 Condors. Carmona 2-5; Bednarski 2-3, RBI;

Mike Bednarski has an entirely worthless 12-game hitting streak.

(shrugs helplessly)

Raccoons (57-42) vs. Knights (41-60) – August 1-3, 2014

Last in the South, last in runs allowed, and eighth in runs scored, the Knights were a sorry thing to look at. Their bullpen ran a 5.35 ERA, which was the worst in the CL by miles and miles, and the rotation was not a sight to behold either. The Raccoons had already ripped the season series from them, 5-1, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get swept here. At least the Knights could point at six players dwelling on the DL, some for months, and all of those they had counted on.

Projected matchups:
Hector Santos (10-5, 2.48 ERA) vs. Dave Hogan (4-8, 4.90 ERA)
Jonathan Toner (9-6, 3.32 ERA) vs. Steven Quirion (2-3, 5.04 ERA)
Bill Conway (6-3, 2.29 ERA) vs. Ramón Huertas (4-1, 2.60 ERA)

That’s three right-handers again. Southpaw Dave Butler cashed in his fourth W (not outweighing his 12 losses) on Wednesday.

Game 1
ATL: CF Arnette – 3B W. White – LF Rockwell – RF Raupp – 2B Downing – 1B T. Cardenas – SS Hibbard – C Luna – P Hogan
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Taylor – P Santos

Cookie hit a leadoff single in the first only to get doubled off when Sandy lined out to Tomas Cardenas, who then singled home Jimmy Raupp in the second inning to give the Knights the lead. Things quickly got worse in the third inning. Pat Arnette drew a leadoff walk, Wade White tripled and scored on a wild pitch, and then Gil Rockwell homered. That was 4-0, and Santos quickly had two more batters on base to worry about. Only Carmona’s quick feet prevented Ruben Luna from landing a 2-run double to center, instead making the third out. The Raccoons showed some faint sign of life in the bottom 4th, which opened with a Cookie double and two quick singles by Sandy and Nunley. 4-1, tying run at the plate with nobody out, and Murphy had yet to land an extra base hit … or a double play with the Coons. He rolled a sorry ball over to Hogan, but Hogan slipped once while trying to make a play – costing him the play. Murphy had his third hit as a Coon, and his second infield single. What an addition! Now, let’s be glad the bases are loaded, because I was already scared there would not be some ghastly offensive cluster**** in this game. Bases loaded, no outs, three more wannabe sluggers to go. Or maybe two. Richards struck out, and Bednarski found a way for a 4-6-3 to hit into.

I don’t remember much else about the game, but Maud found me the next morning, huddled up on the couch with eyes red and swollen, a Daniel Hall bobblehead clutched in each fist, and there was a huge crack in one of the walls. The box score indicated I hadn’t missed much in my blinding fury. Apparently the Raccoons had had the tying run at the plate with two outs in the ninth, but it had been D-Alex, so… 5-2 Knights. Carmona 2-4, 2B; Nunley 2-3, BB, RBI;

Game 2
ATL: CF Arnette – 3B W. White – LF Rockwell – RF Raupp – 2B Downing – 1B T. Cardenas – SS Hibbard – C Luna – P Quirion
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – RF Bednarski – LF Richards – 1B Merritt – SS Taylor – C Margolis – P Toner

The Coons had only Nunley on first with a 2-out single in the first inning, but somehow the Knights managed to create danger when Devin Hibbard misfiled Bednarski’s grounder (his 17th error) and Steven Quirion threw a wild pitch. Not to fear, Atlanta fans, Ron Richards dutifully struck out. Give credit to Jonny Toner, however; he realized that he was going to be left for dead out there unless he would manage to concede negative runs, so he had to take care of himself. Batting with two outs and Merritt on second base in the second inning, he cranked a Quirion pitch to deep left – and outta here!! LOOK AT THAT, YOU SUCKERS!! THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE!! Maud poured me another cup of the calming tea that Ivan the Druid had cooked up before the game, then tightened the ropes that fixed me to the chair a bit more.

Not that Toner didn’t have his issues. He was perfect through two, but then walked Hibbard in the third. Well, Hibbard was caught stealing, but Luna was then hit by Toner with a 1-2 pitch. Quirion’s bunt was bad and Merritt got Luna forced out, and Toner STILL couldn’t get out of the inning as Pat Arnette and Wade White hit consecutive singles to load the bases. Up came Gil Rockwell, 34 homers heavy, and ran a 3-0 count … before grounding out to Taylor. EVERYBODY in the park was stunned, even the couple hundred Knights fans. Merritt drove home a run in the third, but Toner’s pitching was becoming a problem. Luna was on in the fifth inning, only to get rounded up on another bad bunt by his pitcher, leading to a double play. Two outs, Arnette homered, getting the Knights back to 3-1, and then Toner walked White, allowed a soft single to Rockwell, and walked Raupp. Josh Downing flew out to deep left center, Cookie’s quick paws saving Toner’s hairy butt.

Two on with one out and Richards batting was not good enough to create a run in the bottom 5th, but maybe Palmer Taylor’s leadoff triple in the sixth could be turned into a run? Ha-haha-haaah!! (mad laughter) Ha-hah. No. Cut down your sick jokes!! Margolis popped out, Toner lined out to Downing, and Cookie found Arnette to keep Taylor stranded and lengthen the lines at the beer stands, and Maud dropped some sleeping pills into my not-so-calming tea to kill off the incessant barking and cussing. And all this was with the Raccoons actually WINNING. Toner went eight, and Angel had a 1-2-3 ninth. 3-1 Blighters. Sambrano 2-4; Nunley 2-4; Merritt 2-4, RBI; Toner 8.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, W (10-6) and 1-2, BB, HR, 2 RBI;

The Crusaders lost to the Bayhawks, 5-2, their first loss since the Coons had left New York.

By the way, we’re now last in runs scored. Thanks, Stanley. Also, Bednarski’s 13-game hitting streak ended.

Game 3
ATL: CF Arnette – 3B W. White – LF Rockwell – RF Raupp – 2B Downing – 1B T. Cardenas – SS Hibbard – C Luna – P Huertas
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – C Alexander – SS Howell – RF Seeley – P Conway

The Knights scored two runs right out of the gate. Conway drilled Arnette, White singled, they pulled off a double steal and scored on Rockwell’s groundout and Jimmy Raupp’s single, respectively. The Coons weren’t going anywhere in particular in the bottom 3rd when Cookie got brushed with a pitch to give them a 2-out baserunner. Sandy singled, Nunley singled, Cookie scored, 2-1, and then Murphy walked to fill the bags. Richards hit a liner to right center for an RBI single, tying the game, and Gil Rockwell’s limited range cost the Knights when D-Alex’ floater to left landed safely in front of him. Two runs scored, and the Coons held a 4-2 lead. Conway promptly set out to **** around with that lead, walking the first two Knights in the fourth inning, and a run promptly came home on Huertas’ sac fly. Seeley was thrown out at home by Raupp in the bottom 4th, costing a run there, and Conway opened the fifth with a walk to Wade White. The headache was unbearable.

Murphy was close to his first double play as a Critter in the bottom 5th, but Hibbard made another clumsy error, giving the Raccoons two on with nobody out (Nunley had drawn a leadoff walk). Ramón Huertas had no strikeouts through four innings, but now whiffed the left-handers Richards and Alexander before Howell flew out to Raupp. Top 6th, Ruben Luna’s 2-out double didn’t prompt the Knights to hit for Huertas, the tying run in scoring position be damned. Conway couldn’t kill him at 2-2, he popped to short, and Rob Howell dropped the ball. AAAAHHH!!! USE TWO HANDS, ASSHOLE!!! YOU SU-

Which was the point where Maud was out of options, with families in the park on the Sunday afternoon affair, the glass windows decidedly being not soundproof, and Ivan’s “medicine”, reportedly good enough to lay a tiger to rest for 72 hours, really just not working. She shoved a Daniel Hall Bobblehead into my mouth and swiftly taped over the bottom of the bobblehead and my cheeks to keep it in there, to at least muffle the obscenities. Good choice, Maud, good choice! When Sugano replaced Conway in a double switch (out went the ****er Howell), he walked Arnette in a full count, then walked White in a full count, forcing home the tying run. My head was bright red and the rope-replacing chains started to crack. Sakellaris came in and struck out Rockwell.

Bottom 6th, a renaissance? Bergquist hit a 1-out single after coming in defensively for Howell (Sandy had gone to short). Cookie walked to move him to scoring position and when Sandy singled through between Downing and Cardenas, Bergquist had a good enough lead to score, restoring the Coons lead. And here came the big bats. Nunley walked on four pitches, loading the bases, which was in theory fine. Murphy still had no double plays on his ledger, and that continued to be so, but his fly to left was caught by Rockwell, and Cookie scampering home on the sac fly was the last run in the inning. Again, not a knockout. Murphy hit another sac fly his next time up in the eighth, where the Coons stranded two more, and despite the 7-4 lead Angel did not come out. Thrasher was in the game and had logged two outs in the eighth, but the top of the order and the pesky Arnette and White were up, both left-handed hitters. Thrasher K’ed them both, but then walked Rockwell. Only now did Angel get into the game and struck out Raupp to end the game and take the series. 7-4 Furballs. Carmona 2-3, BB; Sambrano 3-4, BB, RBI; Bergquist 1-2; Sakellaris 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (3-3); Thrasher 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K;

In other news

July 28 – The Scorpions trade for the Rebels’ SP Tim Winston (4-5, 5.03 ERA) and cash, parting with an infield prospect, and send #37 prospect SP Cameron McSweeney to the Loggers for MR Orlando Valdez (2-2, 3.50 ERA). Since being drafted in 2010, McSweeney has been traded from the Cyclones to the Raccoons to the Stars to the Scorpions and now to the Loggers.
July 28 – The Titans send LF Earl Clark (.294, 5 HR, 26 RBI) to the Miners and receive four prospects, all in single-A.
July 28 – Another rout takes place in the Federal League as the Stars pound the Blue Sox for 25 hits in an 18-2 beating. Roberto Pacheco, Armando Rodriguez, and Jesus Amador all have 4-hit games for Dallas, and every player on the lineup card has multiple hits (except pitcher Jesus Cabrera, who has one) and at least one run and one RBI.
July 29 – The Scorpions acquire INF Victor Flores (.244, 2 HR, 22 RBI) from the Pacifics for LF/1B John Gartner (.333, 2 HR, 29 RBI) and a prospect.
July 30 – Oklahoma’s Ed Michaels (8-6, 5.18 ERA) 3-hits the Indians in a 2-0 shutout.
July 31 – CIN SP Rich Hood (6-11, 5.96 ERA) is out for the year and maybe longer with a torn rotator cuff.

Complaints and stuff

The most amazing pitching ever assembled – and it just isn’t enough, is it?

Stanton Martin hit TEN homers in July and was the CL Hitter of the Month (and Player of the Week). No Raccoon was in the running for any award except maybe Dylan Alexander as Best in Show at the 2014 Portland Dud Parade. Now that Quebell was gone, especially.

Cameron McSweeney came in when Rob Howell (and Logan Taylor) were sent out in 2011, but was then parted with Brendan Teasdale for Dylan Alexander. We might have spared ourselves the hassle, you might say.

In the 2001 draft in which the Pacifics picked Stanley Murphy at #7, the Coons selected Chris Beairsto at #2… yeah, I don’t know how I still have a job.