[Westheim]

Raccoons (50-49) vs. Condors (45-54) – July 25-27, 2056

Having **** the bed on the latter part of the road trip, the Raccoons returned home heads hanging, having wholly humped the last six games, losing all of them while scoring five runs. In total. (shakes head) The Condors ranked sixth in runs scored and tenth in runs allowed and were generally playing out the string, being 20-ish games out in their division. Their bullpen was the worst in the league with an ERA of almost five… but you had to get to that bullpen first……. The Coons had a 2-1 edge in the season series.

Projected matchups:
Sean Sweeton (8-6, 3.05 ERA) vs. Juan Juarez (3-6, 5.25 ERA)
He Shui (9-7, 3.90 ERA) vs. Ivan Ornelas (3-2, 4.86 ERA)
Craig Kniep (6-7, 3.91 ERA) vs. Steve Hawkins (7-9, 3.88 ERA)

Again, only right-handers. Where had all the southpaws gone??

Game 1
TIJ: 1B Rosenstiel – 2B Sheilds – LF T. Duncan – RF D. Ramirez – C Poindexter – CF Hildebrand – SS Chapa – 3B Frasher – P J. Juarez
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – 1B Ramsay – RF Puckeridge – LF Kirkwood – 3B Venegas – 2B Allred – C Fiore – P Sweeton

Behold! – the Raccoons scored three runs… not in the game, but in AN INNING!! Okay, all the runs were unearned in that bottom of the second, which began grandly with … a throwing error for two bases for Chris Kirkwood, committed by Tyrese Sheilds. Venegas and Allred hit soft singles to get Kirkwood around to score, Fiore popped out, Sweeton bunted the runners onwards, and then Steve Royer came through with a 2-run single to center. It was the single-biggest rush of offense for the team in over a week. Lonzo then grounded out to end the inning. Ryan Allred then answered with a leadoff, 2-base throwing error of his own in the third inning, putting Luis Chapa on base for free, and he, too, scored in the inning, singled home by Juarez, depressingly. I don’t care – if you give up an RBI single to the opposing pitcher, the run should always be earned. Make it count double.

The middle innings passed calmly. The Condors had only two base hits (but also just two strikeouts) against Sweeton through six innings, while Juarez rung up seven Critters, but nevertheless remained on an unearned 3-1 hook. Sweeton wouldn’t get through the seventh inning, nicking Player of the Week Danny Ramirez to get it going, and then was clipped with singles by Danny Hildebrand and Luis Chapa, the latter singling home the Condors’ second run. Craig Sayre was seen off when he pinch-hit in the #8 spot, but with two outs and Nick Fowler pinch-hitting, the Coons went to Brett Lillis jr. in a double switch, and Fowler grounded out to short on the first pitch to kill the inning. Entering with Lillis in the double switch and leading off the bottom 7th was Tommy Hannoush, who landed his first big league hit with a dinker behind Chapa and Sheilds, advanced on a wild pitch and then scored easily on Lonzo’s 1-out gap triple in right-center – but Rams and Pucks failed at the plate against Jayden Durant and Lonzo remained unscored… Lillis and Tanizaki put the eighth together, before Matt Walters got bombed to left by Danny Ramirez to lead off the ninth, taking the cushion away. Manny Poindexter and Danny Hildebrand both whiffed before Luis Chapa bumped a single through the right side. Victor Velez raked and missed, though, and the Coons won their first game in nine days… 4-3 Critters. Royer 2-4, 2 RBI; Venegas 3-4; Allred 2-3, RBI; Hannoush 1-1; Sweeton 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (9-6);

Unearned anyway.

Game 2
TIJ: 1B Rosenstiel – 2B Sheilds – LF T. Duncan – RF D. Ramirez – C Poindexter – CF Hildebrand – SS Chapa – 3B V. Velez – P Ornelas
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – 1B Ramsay – RF Puckeridge – LF Kirkwood – 3B Venegas – 2B Allred – C M. Chavez – P Shui

John Rosenstiel hit a long leadoff double to center to begin Wednesday’s game, but Sheilds popped out, and Tim Duncan’s single was right in front of Kirkwood and didn’t suit itself to make a run for home plate. Ramirez’ 6-4-3 double play grounder kept the Condors off the board for the time being. The Raccoons took a 1-0 lead in the bottom 1st instead when Ornelas brushed Lonzo with a pitch, Lonzo took offense, and stole second base out from under the right-hander. Rams then singled him home with a ball past the diving Tyrese Sheilds. Pucks one-upped Rams by ramming a homer to straightaway centerfield, extending the lead to 3-0 with the Coons first longball since time immemorial. Pucks grounded out to leave the bases loaded with the 1-2-3 batters in the second inning, with Royer having singled home Marcos Chavez in between to extend the lead to 4-0.

Through five innings, the Condors didn’t have much against Shui, while the Raccoons could have had much more against Ornelas, who got three double plays turned behind himself in the first, fourth, and fifth innings to clean up surplus runners. Shui offered a leadoff walk to Sheilds in the fourth, but the runner was caught stealing, and then again to Victor Velez in the sixth. Nick Fowler popped out pinch-hitting, but Rosenstiel singled. Sheilds and Tim Duncan both went down on strikes, giving Shui seven whiffs on the day. Right-hander Miguel Batista offered leadoff walks to Venegas and Allred in the bottom 6th. Marcos Chavez flew out to left-center, moving the lead runner to third base, which took the bunt off Shui and he was told to rake away instead. Raking he did, an RBI double to left…! The pair in scoring position remained stranded though, and then some, with Royer whiffing, Lonzo walking, and Ramsay grounding out… the inning after, Kirkwood hit into the fourth double play on the home team’s side of the box score.

Shui completed eight shutout innings, but that took him 107 pitches and he was gassed and wouldn’t be brought back for the ninth. The ball went to Reynaldo Bravo with the lead upped to 6-0 thanks to Royer doubling home Fiore off Gabe Hill with two outs in the bottom 8th. The Condors went in order. 6-0 Coons. Royer 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Puckeridge 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Kirkwood 2-4; Shui 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, W (10-7) and 1-2, 2B, RBI;

Interlude: Trade

The Raccoons struck a superficially senseless deal with the Loggers between games, acquiring 1B/RF/LF Gaudencio Callaia (.327, 4 HR, 39 RBI) from Milwaukee for SP/MR Julian Dunn (7-3, 3.39 ERA) and left-hander Geoff Sather (0-0, 4.50 ERA).

Callaia ranked third in the CL batting title race and was signed through 2059, while Dunn had only 134.1 major league innings under his belt (101 of them this year) and Sather had been a rather occasional contributor and was 26 already as well. Dunn had been a waiver claim from the Miners. There was no doubt that Callaia could hit, but where the heck would he even play? The Raccoons already struggled to cram Kirkwood, Pucks, Rams, and Caballero into the lineup, and Callaia was competition for those spots exclusively. He also batted left-handed, so wasn’t an alternative to spell Rams and Pucks against southpaws.

However: both Kirkwood and Caballero were free agents after this season, so this deal fit into the bigger picture of building for a playoff run in 2057 again (anybody remember Kennedy Adkins?), and how long Dunn would keep his (admirably decent) act together was anybody’s guess. Sometimes there’s writing on the wall when you get a 28-year-old starter off waivers like that.

Roster moves were made, with Carlos Solorzano (.221, 1 HR, 11 RBI) axed to make room in the outfield. The Raccoons would start Kyle Brobeck on Friday, while Raffy de la Cruz had to return from a horrendous rehab assignment (8.55 ERA) in AAA by the start of next week, but couldn’t make the start on Friday (he had last been anal-probed by AAA hitting on Tuesday). The Raccoons called up the next-closest thing to a pitcher that was already on the 40-man roster in St. Pete and added left-handed Josh Mayo, who had last featured on the Critters in ’53 (!) and had a 4.44 ERA in swingman duty for the Alley Cats this year. Mayo had worn #34 in his time with the Coons, which had since gone to Adkins, but since Adkins wasn’t anywhere close in working himself back from elbow recalibration, Mayo would wear #34 again during this invariably brief cup of coffee.

Raccoons (50-49) vs. Condors (45-54) – July 25-27, 2056

Game 3
TIJ: 1B Rosenstiel – 2B Sheilds – LF T. Duncan – RF D. Ramirez – C J. Morales – CF Hildebrand – SS N. Fowler – 3B Chapa – P S. Hawkins
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – 1B Callaia – LF Caballero – RF Puckeridge – 2B Allred – C M. Chavez – 3B Espinoza – P Kniep

Callaia fit right in with the team in not hitting anything in his first times to the plate, but he wasn’t the only one not hitting a whole lot. The Condors would hold a 1-0 lead at the seventh-inning stretch, courtesy of a Luis Chapa homer. That was one of four hits off a rather well pitching Craig Kniep, who struck out six through seven innings, throwing 97 pitches, while the Raccoons had a Steve Royer single to lead off the bottom 1st, but had him doubled off by Lonzo, and then *nothing* until Ryan Allred legged out an infield single to begin the bottom of the seventh. Allred was caught stealing (…), and the Raccoons didn’t get anywhere in the inning. Eloy Sencion pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, then was hit for with Venegas to begin the bottom 8th. Venegas grounded out, but Royer singled over the head of Nick Fowler. He, too, was caught stealing. Mike Lane worked around an Espinoza error to keep the Condors close in the ninth, while Steve Hawkins was still going with a 3-hitter in the bottom 9th. But here came Callaia – a drive to right-center, and a double between Hildebrand and Craig Sayre to begin the inning! Caballero walked in a full count, and Hawkins was replaced with lefty Matt Otte, who had more walks than strikeouts. He got to 0-2 on Pucks, but Pucks crammed a single through the right side. Callaia was held at third base in deference to Sayre’s impressive arm. It was three on and nobody out in a 1-0 deficit, a.k.a no better time to choke. Chris Kirkwood batted for Allred, but popped out to Velez. Marcos Chavez batted for himself, but grounded hard at Velez, who didn’t trust the two-for-one, and instead fired home to kill off Callaia. Espinoza grounded out to Otte. 1-0 Condors. Royer 2-3, BB; Caballero 0-1, 3 BB; Kniep 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, L (6-8);

(looks old and gray and his stripes are all pale)

Raccoons (52-50) vs. Aces (41-59) – July 28-30, 2056

Here was another team that couldn’t keep others off the scoreboard, with the second-most runs allowed by these Aces. They ranked sixth in runs scored. Basically, the team was very good at mashing homers, and really not that good at literally anything else. The season series was even at three.

Projected matchups:
Kyle Brobeck (5-3, 4.34 ERA) vs. Josh Wilson (10-8, 4.94 ERA)
Seisaku Taki (9-10, 3.15 ERA) vs. Dave Washington (3-6, 5.25 ERA)
Sean Sweeton (9-6, 2.97 ERA) vs. Ray Benner (4-4, 2.44 ERA)

Hey, hey! A left-handed starter being offered up – Washington on Saturday.

Game 1
LVA: SS Veguilla – LF Kaniewski – 1B Austin – 3B A. Alfaro – CF Hummel – RF Epperson – 2B J. White – C Dixon – P Jo. Wilson
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – RF Callaia – LF Caballero – 1B Ramsay – P Brobeck – 3B Venegas – C Fiore – 2B Hannoush

Lonzo made his second 6-U double play in short succession in the second inning on Friday after Brobeck had walked Alex Alfaro on four pitches, Ken Hummel singled, and Gunner Epperson unleashed a real rocket that was right into Lonzo’s mitten and Alfaro was caught astray, all in all killing the inning for the Vegans. Brobeck would land the first hit for the Coons with a 2-out single in the bottom 2nd, and the bases filled with Venegas getting nicked and Matt Fiore drawing a walk, but then Tommy Hannoush grounded out. In turn, Brobeck loaded the bases in the top 3rd, but didn’t escape. Two hits and a walk filled them up, and Alex Alfaro drove in two with a single and Hummel added another run with yet another single. Epperson ended the 3-spot with a foul pop caught by Venegas. John Kaniewski’s and Aubrey Austin’s leadoff hits in the fifth would allow the Aces to score a fourth run on Alfaro’s groundout, and Brobeck was not seen again after that inning…

The Coons’ offense had yet to show up, while the Raccoons got two scoreless innings from Bravo, then were still down 4-0, shrugged, and tossed in Josh Mayo to mop up the game. He nailed Epperson to begin the eighth, but then retired the bottom third of the order without allowing Epperson to get into scoring position. Callaia socked a double in the bottom 8th and was stranded at second base. Mayo finished the game for the Coons, but so did Wilson for the Aces, putting a 6-hit shutout in the books… 4-0 Aces. Fiore 2-3, BB; Bravo 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K; Mayo 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

Game 2
LVA: SS Veguilla – LF Kaniewski – 1B Austin – 3B A. Alfaro – CF Hummel – RF Epperson – 2B J. White – C Dixon – P Washington
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – RF Caballero – LF Kirkwood – 1B Callaia – 3B Venegas – C M. Chavez – 2B Hannoush – P Taki

The Raccoons scored a run – wheee!! – in the first inning, which Royer opened with a double to center and then scored on two groundouts. Royer also had the second hit for the Coons, a leadoff single in the bottom 3rd, after Chavez and Hannoush had walked in the second inning, but had been stranded by Taki grounding out. Lonzo added another single, and so did Caballero, lining one past Jim White to load the bases with nobody out. Kirkwood’s sac fly to left upped the score to 2-0, and then Callaia’s single reloaded the bases. Washington fell to 3-1 against Caballero, who swung, I shrieked, but he found the gap between Hummel and Epperson for a 2-run double. Marcos Chavez’ groundout brought in the fourth and final run of the inning, giving Taki a 5-0 lead after he had struck out five in three innings. However, he had also needed 52 pitches to get through 11 batters, which was already annoying again. Austin doubled and Epperson hit a 2-run homer in the fourth to make my mood worse…

The Aces added two more in a rotten fifth inning. John Dixon drew a leadoff walk in a full count, was bunted to second by reliever Danny Bethea, and then Taki nailed Miguel Veguilla with a 1-2 pitch. Kaniewski doubled in a run, Austin walked, Alfaro singled home another run, and then Ken Hummel found Lonzo for a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play, leaving the Raccoons with a skinny 5-4 lead. Epperson finally homered the ******* game tied with a jack in the sixth…

Maud, can you check whether there’s any junkies in the dumpster behind the ballpark? – Because I have a twenny for them if they press this pillow into my face until I stop struggling.

Mike Lane began the seventh inning with a 3-0 count against Veguilla, who over-eagerly grounded out and allowed Lane to have a 1-2-3 inning after all. The Raccoons also started with a 3-0 count by Bob Kelly to Daniel Espinoza in the #9 hole, and Espinoza held out for a walk from the left-hander. Royer also walked, and a scratch single by Lonzo filled the bases with nobody out for the middle of the order. Kelly nailed Caballero before he could do something stupid, which gave the Coons a 6-5 lead, Kirkwood found an RBI single to center, but Callaia grounded into a force at home plate. Kelly was disposed of by means of Anton Venegas’ bases-clearing double, 10-5, and the inning ended after that against righty Aaron Erwin. Could we blow another 5-run lead? Sencion had a 1-2-3 eighth, and Tanizaki had the same result in the ninth inning. 10-5 Raccoons. Royer 2-4, BB, 2B; Lavorano 2-5; Venegas 2-4, 2 2B, 5 RBI;

Game 3
LVA: SS Veguilla – LF Kaniewski – 1B Austin – 3B A. Alfaro – CF Hummel – RF Epperson – 2B J. White – C Dixon – P Benner
POR: 3B Venegas – SS Lavorano – RF Callaia – LF Caballero – CF Puckeridge – 1B Ramsay – C M. Chavez – 2B Allred – P Sweeton

Veguilla singled to start the rubber game and was caught stealing, and then Sweeton still managed to walk four Aces batters and give up three runs in the inning. Lonzo’s triple and Callaia’s groundout scored a first-inning run for Portland, although that was it for base runners the first time through, except for Ryan Allred, who drew a walk, and then was also caught stealing in the third inning.

Bottom 4th, the Critters’ 3-4-5 batters loaded the bases with one out. Rams popped out on a 2-1 pitch, which gave me medium-intensity migraines, but Ray Benner then walked in a run with four balls to Marcos Chavez. Allred then dished a 1-1 pitch to right, Epperson couldn’t catch up, and the ball fell for a score-flipping double, 4-3 Critters. Better yet, Sweeton killed Benner’s outing for good with a single to center. Both remaining runners scored, which gave Sweeton his first RBI’s of the season. He’d pitch into the seventh – supported by a solo homer hit by Allred in the sixth – while allowing the leadoff man on base in the fifth, sixth, and seventh, and while that leadoff man never scored, the Aces still knocked him out in the seventh after Kaniewski’s fielder’s choice removed Veguilla and his leadoff single, and then Austin drew the sixth walk of the game off Sweeton. Lillis came in for the switch-bashing Alfaro, got the K, and then hung around for the right-handed Hummel, with the lefty Epperson lingering behind him. Lillis didn’t bother with Epperson, ringing up Hummel instead.

The Coons crushed the Aces’ pen for another four runs in the seventh inning. Lonzo and Callaia got on, did a double steal, and then scored both on Pucks’ single to center. Chavez and Allred would also both get another RBI with two outs before Espinoza grounded out to end the inning, batting for Lillis. The Coons, up by eight, went to Mayo again, who was sitting on a packed suitcase anyway. We wouldn’t miss him, thanks to him shuffling the bags full and then offering 2-out, run-scoring walks to both Kaniewski and Austin before Alfaro struck out. In turn, left-hander Jose Cintora conceded singles to Venegas, Lonzo, Caballero, and doubles to Pucks and Rams in the bottom 8th for another 4-spot before being replaced by another lefty, Tim Abraham. Chavez struck out, but that still brought up Allred, who was a triple short of the cycle, but had to settle for a walk. Tanizaki had another 1-2-3 ninth inning to put the blowout away. 15-5 Furballs! Venegas 2-5; Lavorano 3-5, 3B; Puckeridge 3-5, 2B, 4 RBI; Ramsay 2-5, 2B, RBI; Allred 3-3, 2 BB, HR, 2B, 4 RBI;

In other news

July 24 – The Canadiens trade RF/CF Aaron Walker (.276, 8 HR, 37 RBI) to the Bayhawks for CL Tony Negrete (4-0, 1.22 ERA, 19 SV) and #37 prospect RF Patrick Zehe.
July 25 – VAN SP Martino Barbiusa (9-4, 3.02 ERA), spins a 2-hit shutout at the Aces, whiffing four in a 4-0 win. Vegas’ last three outs of the game are all first-pitch groundouts.
July 26 – The Wolves send SP Mike Pohlmann (5-9, 4.95 ERA) to the Rebels for two prospects.
July 26 – IND 1B/LF/RF Bill Quinteros (.245, 5 HR, 32 RBI) figured to miss a month with a sprained ankle.
July 28 – The busy Loggers trade INF Travis Edwards (.219, 5 HR, 28 RBI) and a prospect to the Falcons for the return of SP Noah Hollis (8-4, 3.89 ERA).
July 28 – Los Angeles sends OF/1B Noah Caswell (.271, 3 HR, 34 RBI) to the Loggers, along with cash, for SP Brian Goldsmith (10-7, 3.03 ERA) and a prospect, #83 C Angel Perez.
July 28 – Aruban OF Neville van de Wouw (.264, 12 HR, 53 RBI) might miss at least a month; the Capitals player was down with a flexor-pronator strain.
July 28 – The Warriors beat the Miners, 5-4 in 11 innings. All runs score in extra innings, two each in the 10th for either team, and also for the Miners in the top of the 11th. The Warriors walk it off with a 3-spot in the bottom 11th.
July 28 – DAL INF Steve Diaz (.312, 10 HR, 41 RBI) gives the Stars a 14-inning, 6-3 win over the Buffaloes with a 3-run walkoff home run.
July 29 – The Knights acquire RF/LF Danny Rivera (.280, 12 HR, 52 RBI) from the Bayhawks for 1B Pat Fowler (.250, 12 HR, 55 RBI).
July 29 – Boston trades SP Chad Shultz (9-9, 4.37 ERA) to the Pacifics for 2B/SS Ken Sowell (.229, 8 HR, 46 RBI) and a prospect.
July 29 – The Loggers bring in SP Brad Blankenship (8-6, 3.77 ERA) from the Blue Sox for five prospects. The package includes #168 SP Bryan Roper.
July 30 – The Crusaders surprisingly trade INF Prince Gates (.295, 9 HR, 49 RBI) to the Canadiens 3B Alex Adame (.292, 0 HR, 13 RBI) and a prospect.
July 30 – The Knights beat the Loggers, 5-2 in 14 innings, after stranding 15 runners on base.

FL Player of the Week: RIC LF/RF Andres Velasco (.294, 1 HR, 8 RBI), hitting .500 (12-24) with 1 HR, 6 RBI
CL Player of the Week: ATL 1B/LF/RF Eddie Moreno (.272, 26 HR, 84 RBI), mashing .296 (8-27) with 4 HR, 11 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Every Coon in the lineup on Sunday had a hit, all but Sweeton had a run scored, and all but Venegas and Lonzo had an RBI. Solid team effort!

Who came up with the Callaia deal? The Loggers. Although they originally also offered a prospect I was rather indifferent about, and wanted Taki. I liked the actual deal in the end better.

Also, not sure what the Loggers were doing in general here. One day they went in, one day they sold off. They struck five deals in July, all in themselves somewhat defensible, but as a whole rather not.

And what are the Coons gonna do? Monday is the trade deadline! Are we gonna add another bat? Would that even make sense?? Who knows these things! We’re gonna add Raffy at the very least, since his time in rehab is up, and it wasn’t a good one…

Long road trip ahead, with the next two weeks being spent tingling between Atlanta, Milwaukee, Elk City, and Dallas.

Fun Fact: Matt Walters went 39.2 innings without getting taken deep this season.

…until he ran into Danny Ramirez at least.