[Westheim]

Raccoons (48-57) @ Condors (50-55) – August 4-6, 2042

Both teams were out of the race by double digits and in fourth place in their divisions. The season series was even at three, but at least the Raccoons’ random assortment of hitters would get to tee up against the worst pitching in the Continental League, with the Condors allowing a creepy 4.8 runs per game. Rotation and pen were equally bad for them. They were sixth in runs scored and had a -64 run differential (Coons: +7).

Projected matchups:
Cory Lambert (0-4, 5.24 ERA) vs. Tommy Kubik (4-9, 4.71 ERA)
Angelo Montano (1-4, 4.83 ERA) vs. Edward Flinn (7-10, 5.57 ERA)
Jake Jackson (6-9, 3.96 ERA) vs. Derrick Forbes (9-6, 4.49 ERA)

Southpaws would booked the series for the Condors here, with only one right-hander in the middle.

The Coons placed Travis Sims on waivers to begin the week and brought back (reluctantly) Angelo Montano for the fifth spot in the rotation. Sims’ ERA might have been under three, but his actual performance had not been…

Game 1
POR: 2B Trevino – SS Cox – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – C Kilmer – RF Casaus – CF Nettles – P Lambert
TIJ: LF S. Martin – 1B Willie Ojeda – CF Phinazee – C McCullar – 2B J. Matos – RF R. Phillips – 3B Lorensen – SS Espinoza – P Kubik

The Condors loaded the bags with nobody out against Lambert in the second inning after a double by Ethan McCullar and two walks issued to Jesus Matos and Ryan Phillips. A comebacker by Ryan Lorensen led to a force play at home, and only Ricky Espinoza got a run in with a sac fly to Stephon Nettles in center. When the Raccoons tied the game at one in the fourth inning, they did so on Sandy Casaus’ first career RBI, driving home Manny Fernandez (single and stolen base) with a 2-out single to center. Manny then gave the Coons the lead with two outs in the fifth, finding Cosmo and Maldo on base and hitting a 2-out RBI single to left-center himself. Yamamoto then popped out to end the inning.

It came as a decent surprise then that the Condors could not do anything else against Cory Lambert, who was not exactly overwhelming, but generated lots of soft contact for comfy outs from the Condors lineup. They remained stuck on two base hits, while the Raccoons added a run in the eighth inning when Kilmer doubled home Maldonado, also with two outs. Lambert pitched a surprising 7.2 innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball before being lifted when Willie Ojeda, hitting .340 with 15 homers from the left side, was at the dish again. Chuck Jones came out, issued a full-count walk, then two singles that scored Ojeda, and was yanked without getting anybody out. Tim Hale struck out Matos to finally end the inning. The Raccoons answered with a 2-out rally in the ninth inning against right-hander Natanael Abrao. With two out and nobody on, Eric Cox (0-for-4) was hit for with Omar Gutierrez, who doubled to right. Maldonado was walked with intent, and Manny chipped another 2-out RBI single to get an insurance run on the board. Miguel Reyna batted for Yamamoto (just as bad as Cox), but whiffed, giving the ball and a 2-run edge to Josh Rella, who conceded pinch-hit screamers to Greg Dowden and Chris Rose to have the tying runs in scoring position with two outs and Scott Martin back at the dish. One run scored on a wild pitch, 4-3, before Martin grinded out a walk. Teeth-gnashingly, the Raccoons went to get a left-hander, Brent Clark, but now it was Kilmer, who bobbled a ball and had to chase it to the nearest dugout, and the tying run scored on that play. I forgot about pride and swallowed the worm, dead and adrift in my drink, before Ojeda’s grounder to Cosmo sent the game to extras, where a leadoff hit by Mal Phinazee began the bottom 10th, he advanced on a groundout by Ethan McCullar, and then scored on Matos’ single to right-center. 5-4 Condors. Trevino 2-5; Gutierrez (PH) 1-1; Maldonado 2-3, 2 BB; Fernandez 3-5, 2 RBI; Lambert 7.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K and 1-3;

Not quite sure how they can take Lambert’s fundamentally decent start and then cock it up so badly.

Game 2
POR: 2B Trevino – CF Reyna – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Casaus – C Sieber – SS Gutierrez – P Montano
TIJ: 2B J. Matos – LF S. Martin – C McCullar – RF Willie Ojeda – SS Ragsdale – 3B Lorensen – CF Coca – 1B Phinazee – P Flinn

Angelo Montano batted and made the last out in the first inning before he pitched, taking the mound with a 4-0 lead spotted on six hits. Manny drove in a run with a single, Yamamoto plated two with a homer, and Gutierrez had an RBI double to get guys plated. Then the bases were loaded with Condors before they made an out, on a bone-twisting sequence of walk, walk, single by the top three hitters in the lineup. Willie Ojeda’s sac fly was all they got, though, with Dylan Ragsdale whiffing and Lorensen grounding out. The Raccoons then lost Reyna when he was hit by a Flinn pitch in the second inning and replaced with Nettles, while Montano walked Phinazee in the bottom 2nd and conceded that run on a Matos single, 4-2. The newest arrivals then countered with a run in the third inning; Sandy Casaus hit a triple into the corner and scored on a soft floater dinking in for a single hit by Sean Sieber for the Critters’ fifth run – that was Sieber’s first career RBI in his second game. And yet, Montano was yanked from the game well before five innings were completed, loading the bases with more inept tossing in the fourth inning before giving up a 2-run single with two outs to Ojeda. McCullar was struck down in a rundown for the third out of the inning, but Montano would be excused from further participation after 90 ****** pitches in four innings and blowing most of a 5-run advantage – it was 5-4 after four.

Top 6th, the Coons had three aboard with nobody out against reliever Matt Schwartz. Cosmo singled, Cosmo reached when Matos dropped a pop, and Maldonado was nailed outright. Manny popped out in foul ground and Yamamoto and Casaus both whiffed miserably to keep the runners precisely where they were at all times, and Derek Barker blew the lead in his second inning of work on a 2-out RBI double by Scott Martin, getting teams even at five through six innings… Sieber and Gutierrez led off the seventh with singles, but neither scored., while another Raccoons tosser gave the Condors three on with nobody out in the bottom 7th. The 4-5-6 reached against Zack Kelly on two hits and a walk, and the ancient fossil Tony Coca, who belonged in the British Museum for all I cared, whacked a gapper for a 2-run double to give the Condors the lead. A third run would score on a groundout, while another Matos error put Manny Fernandez on base in the eighth, swifltly followed by another Yamamoto homer off Abrao, reducing the gap to one run. Casaus and Sieber hit soft singles, new left-hander Bob Thomson walked Gutierrez, and PH Jay de Wit tied the game with a sac fly to center. Right-hander Gabriel Lara walked Cosmo in a full count, refilling the bags for Nettles, who predictably flew out to Ojeda to strand the next full set.

That game, too, went to extras when the Raccoons could not get anything off Phil Harrington, future Hall of Famer, in the ninth inning. Jon Craig held out for Portland, while Jeremy Truett was on the mound for Tijuana to begin the 10th. Casaus flew out, after which Truett walked Sieber, who – in his second start! – sat on five base hits somehow. Gutierrez walked as well, while Van Anderson batted for Craig. He was the last guy off the bench, flew out to center, and Cosmo’s grounder to second ended the inning. The Condors then ended the game on straight hits off Hale from their 1-2-3 hitters in the bottom 10th… 9-8 Condors. Trevino 3-5, 2 BB; Maldonado 2-5, 3B; Yamamoto 2-5, BB, 2 HR, 4 RBI; Casaus 3-6, 3B; Sieber 5-5, BB, RBI; Gutierrez 2-4, 2 BB, 2B, RBI; Craig 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K;

Sean Sieber 5-for-5 with a walk. Baseball sometimes makes no sense.

Game 3
POR: 2B Trevino – SS Cox – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – C Kilmer – RF Casaus – CF Anderson – P Jackson
TIJ: LF S. Martin – 1B Willie Ojeda – CF Phinazee – C McCullar – 2B J. Matos – RF R. Phillips – 3B Rose – SS Ragsdale – P Forbes

Jake Jackson hit for more bases (2) the first time through than the Condors’ lineup, which amounted to a Chris Rose single and absolutely nothing else, yet the score remained equally goose-egged on both sides, and through five innings the Raccoons tallied four base hits for no runs, while the second time through Rose hit another single of Jackson, was forced out on Ragsdale’s grounder, and the Condors also politely remained off the board through five altogether. Cox singled for Portland in the sixth, then was doubled off by Maldonado, and Mal Phinazee hit a 2-out single for the Condors, but was stranded when McCullar popped out to conclude six.

The end encroached on the Critters in the eighth. Still in a scoreless game, PH Greg Dowden led off the inning with a single from the #9 spot. Martin reached on a Cosmo error, putting two on with nobody out, and Ojeda’s grounder only got Martin out at second base, but the go-ahead run was at third with one gone. A mound conference felt the pulse of Jackson, who was on only 81 pitches and determined to be just fine. He then threw pitch #82, which was barfed out of the stadium with great noise by Phinazee to break the scoreless tie. Jackson finished the inning, but Harrington finished off the Critters altogether in the ninth inning and completed the sweep. 3-0 Condors. Cox 2-4; Jackson 8.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, L (6-10) and 1-2, 2B;

Raccoons (48-60) vs. Crusaders (55-51) – August 7-10, 2042

The Raccoons returned home to find the Crusaders eager for some free wins to get back into the division race, and also the Agitator’s front page sporting a shot of Sandy Casaus looking after the Phinazee homer with fists in his sides under the headline “******* HOPELESS”. There was no arguing with that.

New York in turn were third in the division, 10 1/2 games out. They were giving up the fewest runs in the CL, but were tenth in scoring, hardly a mix that could get them by the damn Elks long-term. They led the season series, 4-3.

Projected matchups:
Corey Mathers (2-7, 4.87 ERA) vs. Ernie Quintero (5-10, 3.42 ERA)
Nelson Moreno (6-10, 5.39 ERA) vs. Jeff Johnson (9-9, 3.62 ERA)
Cory Lambert (0-4, 4.67 ERA) vs. Juan Garcia (4-9, 4.00 ERA)
Angelo Montano (1-4, 5.30 ERA) vs. Tony Galligher (6-13, 3.15 ERA)

Southpaw Sunday was back with Galligher, and the Raccoons would get another lefty in Garcia, but didn’t know quite when – him and Johnson had both pitched on Monday in a double header, and the Crusaders had yet to make up their mind about who’d go first between them.

The Crusaders had a few injuries to position players, most notably Mario Briones and Jose Platero. The Raccoons placed Miguel Reyna on the DL with a broken claw; he’d be out until the middle of September. We went out and grabbed right-handed hitter Justin Waltz from AAA, who had arrived in a trade with the Aces in July, and had since hit .338/.442/.465 with the Alley Cats, but had not hit a home run. There was a lot of things to like about that player, but he had only a centerfielder’s power potential while otherwise being a perfect fit for rightfield. He would make his debut right away, while we marked Friday for “bench players’ day”, intending to give allll the regulars a day off in that game.

Game 1
NYC: 1B Rudd – C Alba – RF Melendez – 2B S. Pena – LF Zimmerman – SS K. Elder – CF Levy – 3B Nash – P E. Quintero
POR: 2B Trevino – CF Nettles – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Waltz – C Sieber – SS Gutierrez – P Mathers

Waltz ended the first inning with a fly to right, stranding two, but the Raccoons were up 1-0 on a home run by Stephon Nettles. Sieber upped his average to .889 with a leadoff double in the bottom 2nd, then scored on a Cosmo single to get to 2-0, and reached the vaunted .900 level when he opened the fourth with a single past Kenny Elder, but was stranded. While the Coons’ backup catcher continued to make no sense, their makeshift starter #3 also was something of an enigma to the Crusaders, who amounted to a grand total of one base hit and no runs through five innings. But he also struck nobody out and if we knew anything then that defensive positioning fortitude could give, and take it away again in an instant. For early signs of trouble, Sieber made an out in the bottom 6th, indicating that the end was near – but Mathers got another three groundouts in the seventh inning and continued to be unbothered by the Crusaders. He batted for himself in the bottom 7th (nobody reached anyway), then continued in the eighth on only 76 pitches. Chris Levy popped out, but Randolph Nash singled to center. Now what? PH Devin Phillips hit a fly to center, it was caught by Nettles, and inexplicably Nash went to second base on a ball that was not quite as deep as he thought it was, and was thrown out there in an 8-6 double play. Shuta Yamamoto hit his third homer of the week in the bottom of the inning, a 2-out solo jack to left off ex-Coon Josh Livingston, and Mathers returned to the ninth inning because our bullpen was porous like a bucket peppered with a machine gun. Tom Rudd flew out to left. Fernando Alba singled to right. Bill Melendez grounded out, runner to second. And Sergio Pena hit a liner to right, Waltz was right there, and the snag ended the game. 3-0 Raccoons. Nettles 2-4, HR, RBI; Yamamoto 1-2, BB, HR, RBI; Sieber 2-3; Mathers 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K, W (3-7);

Need I say that this was Mathers’ first career shutout?

Good for you, Corey. Good for you. I will reserve the right to hitch convoluted schemes to replace you with an actual pitcher, though.

(walks away mutteringly while Mathers looks after him confused, both paws digging in the big food bowl with a W printed on it)

We got the lefty Garcia on Friday, which changed plans slightly – only Manny Fernandez and Cosmo Trevino got their day off on Friday, while Maldo remained in the lineup and would instead get Saturday off.

Game 2
NYC: SS Adame – C Alba – RF Melendez – 2B S. Pena – CF Salek – 1B Rudd – LF Rico – 3B K. Elder – P J. Garcia
POR: CF Nettles – SS Cox – 3B Maldonado – 1B Yamamoto – LF Casaus – RF Waltz – C Kilmer – 2B de Wit – P Moreno

While Waltz had gone 0-for-4 with a K in his debut, he flexed the murder arm for the first time on Friday, throwing out Alex Adame for the very first out of the game as Adame tried to go first-to-third on Fernando Alba’s single, and yes, Nelson Moreno was having early meltdowns again… Waltz, though, hit a single his first time up on Friday, moved to third on Kilmer’s double, and scored when Jay de Wit clonked a bouncer off Garcia’s leg for a curious 1-4-3 putout.

The bottom of the order was also involved the next time the Raccons came to scoring, with Casaus getting hit with one out by Garcia, who also didn’t retire any of the next bunch of Critters. Waltz walked, Kilmer hit an RBI single to go up 2-0, and de Wit singled to load the bases for … Moreno. He grounded to short, 6-4-3, and sometimes I wish they’d just take the 2-2 pitch for a strike and give somebody else a poke at it. As it was, the double play ended the inning, and brought back Moreno to the mound, with his eight best friends trying to keep harm away from him. Danny Rico hit a leadoff single in the fifth inning, but was stranded on soft contact for easy outs, while Nettles opened the bottom 5th with a triple to right. He did not score on Garcia’s watch, with the left-hander yanked once the bags were full with two outs, having walked Maldonado and Casaus. Aaron Hickey, right-hander with a 2.94 ERA, took over for Waltz, who ran a full count before having to poke at a borderline pitch and grounding out to waste all the effort. Bill Melendez then took half the lead away with a solo homer to left in the sixth…

Moreno completed seven innings on 90 pitches, with the first few innings more burdensome on the defense than the last two or three, meaning that after this proper decent outings, he’d have three **** ones for the rest of the ******* month. Chuck Jones found his way through the eighth, while the Raccoons put Waltz and Kilmer on with two outs, but de Wit flew out to Rico to leave Josh Rella with no cushion in the ninth. Danny Monge grounded out to short. Danny Rico flew out to plenty deep center. Jason Zimmerman singled. I grew restless. But Nash grounded out pinch-hitting in the pitcher’s spot. 2-1 Coons. Waltz 2-3; Kilmer 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; Moreno 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (7-10);

Game 3
NYC: SS Adame – C Alba – RF Melendez – 2B S. Pena – CF Salek – 1B Rudd – LF Levy – 3B K. Elder – P J. Johnson
POR: 2B Trevino – CF Nettles – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Waltz – SS Gutierrez – C Kilmer – 3B de Wit – P Lambert

Adame opened with a triple to left off Lambert, but was stranded by the Crusaders on a pop to Kilmer, Melendez’ bouncer to de Wit, and a grounder to Yamamoto. In the second inning the Crusaders loaded the bags on a single and two walks, then had Johnson slap a grounder into an inning-ending double play without scoring. Hey! Stop imitating us! That’s our brand! … Almost on cue, the Raccoons loaded the bags with two walks (Waltz, de Wit) sandwiching a Gutierrez double in the bottom of the second inning. Lambert struck out, but Cosmo shoved a ball through the right side for a 2-out, 2-run single, the first markers on the board. Nettles added an RBI single, as did Manny, one to right and one to left. The inning ended with a Yamamoto K, but with Portland up 4-0. But my whiskers twitched. I didn’t like how Lambert tossed, and I felt a Crusaders comeback crawling up on me.

And yet, the Coons kept tacking on. Waltz hit a leadoff single to left in the bottom 3rd, stole second, and was brought in when Lambert singled with runners on the corners and two outs. The 5-0 score came up big in the fourth inning, with Pena and Rudd in scoring position, two outs, and Nash at the plate. We had a hunch that Johnson would be hit for in a big spot, but walked Nash intentionally anyway. Indeed, Danny Monge stepped into the box instead, but lined out to Omar Gutierrez to end the inning. Lambert remained on the mound for another three innings before getting a pat on the bum after seven shutout innings on a 7-hitter, but 98 pitches expended and no shutout within reach. The Raccoons never scored after the third inning, but got a scoreless eighth from Zack Kelly before turning the ball over to Derek Barker for the ninth. The shutout ended with a Devin Phillips single and the 2-out RBI double by Alba, while Nettles then fudged a Melendez fly into a 2-base error and another run that wouldn’t be charged to Barker. With three left-handed hitters up and a 5-2 lead, the Raccoons turned to Chuck Jones, who’s first pitch went to center for a cozy, two-handed snag by Nettles to end the game. 5-2 Raccoons. Trevino 3-5, 2 RBI; Nettles 3-5, 2B, RBI; Gutierrez 2-4, 2B; Lambert 7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, W (1-4) and 1-3, RBI;

Second save of the year for Jones, and so unexpected…

Meanwhile both Waltz and Gutierrez stole their first career bases in this game.

And thus Sunday arrived and the Raccoons would go for the throat and a 4-game sweep with … Angelo Montano. Oh well, you can’t win all of them…

Game 4
NYC: SS Adame – C D. Phillips – RF Melendez – CF Levy – LF Zimmerman – 1B Monge – 2B K. Elder – P Galligher – 3B Nash
POR: 2B Trevino – CF Nettles – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Waltz – C Kilmer – SS Gutierrez – P Montano

Montano walked three batters in the second inning, and a Cosmo error contributed to a huge mess. The Crusaders scored three runs in the inning, two of them on Devin Phillips’ scratch 2-out single, while the Raccoons scattered six hits through three innings, and scored their only run on a wild pitch by Galligher…

Montano was done after five completely chaotic innings, despite allowing only three hits and three walks and all the runs from the second inning being unearned. There were all the long counts, multiple mound pep talks, and in the end he needed 101 pitches to even make it *that* far. Jon Craig inherited the 3-1 deficit and pitched two scoreless innings, with the only runner he put on base being Galligher, who was offered a leadoff walk in the seventh inning….. Yes, it was one of those utterly unbelievable games that begged belief. The Raccoons, out-hitting New York 7-3, could cobble nothing together despite also being offered the occasional walk, like to Cosmo with one out in the seventh, by Galligher, who infuriatingly hit eighth in their order. The Cosmo walk was their last base runner. Dreary weather turned to drizzle in the seventh and to rain in the eighth, and after the tarp chased Tim Hale off the mound with two outs in the top 8th and an hour of waiting time had passed, the umpires correctly deduced (correctly) that the Raccoons had no more rally in them and called the game due to bad weather. 3-1 Crusaders. Maldonado 2-4; Craig 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K;

In other news

August 4 – The Falcons will be without C/1B Chris Kokoszka (.220, 1 HR, 25 RBI) for the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old is out with a broken hand.
August 5 – SFB RF/1B/LF Carlos Cortes (.290, 14 HR; 58 RBI) will miss a month with a broken rib.
August 5 – Veteran SFW SS Mario Colon (.226, 9 HR, 27 RBI) is out for a month with a broken thumb.
August 7 – CIN 1B Victor Chavez (.421, 2 HR, 11 RBI) hits a single for the Cyclones’ only base hit in a 4-0 loss to the Capitals. WAS SP Chris Inderrieden (5-10, 4.44 ERA) and Dennis Citriniti (0-1, 4.84 ERA) combine for the 1-hit shutout.
August 8 – TOP 3B/SS/RF Marshall Greer (.263, 11 HR, 51 RBI) could be out until the second half of September with a strained hammy.
August 10 – CIN RF/LF Dan Meyer (.750, 1 HR, 5 RBI), the #41 prospect in the game, goes 4-for-4 with 4 RBI and misses the cycle by the triple in his second major league game, a 14-1 rout of the Capitals.

FL Player of the Week: LAP OF Juan Benavides (.353, 23 HR, 90 RBI), batting .333 (10-30) with 4 HR, 12 RBI
CL Player of the Week: CHA SS Tony Aparicio (.295, 12 HR, 63 RBI), hitting .448 (13-29) with 4 HR, 12 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Losing week. And yes, there will be many more of those. We have some bits together for a future contending team, but lack others… like, uh, most of a functioning rotation and bullpen. A catcher that can hit (Sieber doesn’t count as of now). And mind that the only remaining veteran wisdom next year might be that of Manny and Maldo (and that non-hitting catcher). The former two might still be traded. The latter will definitely not.

Yes, Maud. Jason Wheatley will be promoted … soon-ish. You can get the shirts printed. We basically want to maintain his rookie eligibility for ’43, so it’s a bit of a math problem from here on out. Our experts are on it. Chad? How’s it going with calculating when we can – … apparently not so well.

(cut to the weeping Raccoons mascot in a corner, covered in paper rolls from a mechanical calculator)

With all the highly-ranked SP prospects we have, it is apparently only a matter of time until we have a strong pitching staff together. But I have been in this loveless business long enough to know that bubbles bust and arms fall off. Not that this helps me one scratch with the curious case of Nelson Moreno.

Nels has four pitches, of which two are very good to great and two are mediocre. The newest wicked thought is to convert him to a closer. Is 23 too young to give up on a starting pitcher?

Arturo Carreno hit the DL with an elbow sprain that will cost him the rest of August, but he should be available for an early-September call-up still. He was hitting .301/.383/.386 in AAA right now, including nine multi-hit games in his last 14 outings. 2B prospect John Castner hit .302 in Aumsville and .290 in Ham Lake, but is currently laid up with an undiagnosed injury, so it looks like Nick Lando might return for depth in September.

Next week: Loggers, Scorpions.

Fun Fact: According to our latest scouting update, Eric Cox should better not play shortstop at all.

That’s good to know, Scout Guy. Thank you for that information.

Sigh.