[Westheim]

Can 2025 be a Year of the Ring-Eyed Rats!? (c)Questdog, wherever he is

Only one way to find out!

+++

Raccoons (27-16) @ Thunder (23-20) – May 26-28, 2064

It was a bit of ho-hum in Oklahoma City, with a lot of rather average and mediocre rankings for the team. The Thunder were eighth in runs scored and sixth in runs allowed. They had problems on defense and were bottoms in runs scored. The offense was wholly unremarkable. Two infielders (Miguel Veguilla, Daniel Richardson) were on the DL. The Raccoons had won five of nine games against the Thunder the past season.

Projected matchups:
Chance Fox (2-3, 4.57 ERA) vs. Aaron Harris (1-2, 3.58 ERA)
Jarod Morris (2-1, 2.86 ERA) vs. Joe Napier (1-3, 3.76 ERA)
Angel Alba (3-3, 3.47 ERA) vs. Jerry Washington (3-4, 3.70 ERA)

We’d draw three right-handers here ahead of an off day on Thursday.

Game 1
POR: RF Corral – LF Kozak – 1B Starr – 2B Monck – 3B Morales – C Burkart – CF Maldonado – SS Novelo – P Fox
OCT: C L. Miranda – LF Ramires – 1B I. Stone – RF Whitlow – SS McNeal – 2B F. Gomez – CF R. Miles – 3B Bonilla – P Aa. Harris

Offense was absent in this single Monday night game in the league. The Raccoons had a Maldonado single (and him doubled off by Novelo right away) through three innings and brought up the minimum, while Fox walked two (but Alberto Bonilla was caught stealing), but did not allow early base hits. It continued like that until Rick Miles rolled a 2-out single up the middle in the bottom 5th and stole second base, but Fox then struck out Bonilla to strand him there. The Coons didn’t get another runner until the seventh against Harris, who was by no means overpowering (4 K at the stretch), when Jack Kozak drew a walk, but was left on base. Instead, Fox fell apart in the bottom of that inning. Ian Stone singled, Eric Whitlow tripled, and Burkart bumbled a slow grounder by Josh McNeal to bring two runs on the board against Fox. The Raccoons had a single in the eighth, the Thunder had two singles against Kurihara in the same frame, but nobody scored. Harris was still going against the top of the order in the ninth inning, but Corral knocked him out with a leadoff single and righty Brian Doster took the hill. Kozak struck out, but Starr singled and Monck walked to fill the bases. Vic Morales hit a sac fly to Bill Ramires, but Burkart grounded out to short and that was that. 2-1 Thunder. Fox 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, L (2-4);

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – LF Kozak – 1B Starr – 2B Monck – C Burkart – CF Maldonado – 3B Novelo – SS Aoki – P Morris
OCT: SS Curiel – 1B I. Stone – RF Whitlow – C L. Miranda – 3B Bonilla – LF D. Garcia – 2B J. Caballero – CF F. Gomez – P Napier

The Coons scored first, getting in an unearned run in the top 2nd on Tuesday as Monck doubled to begin the inning, but was still on third base with two outs when Ernesto Curiel bungled Pablo Novelo’s grounder for a run-scoring error. Don’t you worry about the Thunder, though, because the Raccoons had them covered. Morris had struck out two in the first inning, but began the bottom 2nd with eight straight balls to Luis Miranda and Alberto Bonilla before Danny Garcia rolled a shy single to fill the bags with nobody out. Jorge Caballero flew out to shallow left for no gains, but Felix Gomez stayed out of a double play on a grounder to short, bringing in the tying run. He then stole second and Burkart threw the ball away, allowing Bonilla to score, and when Joe Napier then flew to Elmer Maldonado in center, Maldonado dropped that clunker for another run-scoring error. Mind, that just was TWO run-scoring errors while the ******* opposing pitcher was batting WITH TWO OUTS.

A great calmness then descended over the ballpark and nothing exciting happened for several innings. The Raccoons had left the sticks in Portland and the Thunder were just waiting for another chance, e.g. the pitcher batting with two outs and a pair in scoring position, as happened in the bottom 6th. Morris willingly gave up another 2-run single in that situation and was purged soon after. Paul Barton pitched two messy but scoreless innings in relief after him while the Raccoons amounted to a grand total of four hits against Napier and Kevin Mowery in the game, the other three coming bunched together as straight 2-out singles by Corral, Kozak, and Starr in the eighth inning. Starr drove in a run, but Monck lined out to Jorge Caballero as the tying run, and that was the ballgame. 5-2 Thunder.

Oh boy.

Game 3
POR: RF Corral – CF Kozak – 1B Starr – 2B Monck – 3B Morales – LF Valencia – C Arellano – SS Aoki – P Alba
OCT: LF Consuegra – 1B I. Stone – 2B Ramires – C L. Miranda – 3B Bonilla – SS Curiel – RF D. Garcia – CF R. Miles – P J. Washington

Jerry Washington lasted three outs or seven batters and then left with an injury just after Marcos Arellano singled home Vic Morales and his leadoff double. In between Washington had drilled Valencia in an apparent display of arm malfunction, but the Thunder checked him out, left him in, and then checked him out again after the run scored and collected him after all. Lefty Jason Bair took the ball, struck out Aoki, Alba, and Corral in order, and that was that. He was hit for with Eric Whitlow after the Thunder loaded the bases with two outs against Alba in the bottom 2nd. Whitlow failed – but only after Alba balked in the tying run. One of those series…

Right-hander Juan Juarez fell behind right away in the top 3rd when he allowed straight singles to Kozak, Starr, and Monck. Morales flew out to right, but four balls to Rafael Valencia filled the bases for Arellano, who hit a sac fly before Aoki whiffed again. Alba with a 3-1 lead pitched in a lot of terrible counts in the third and fourth innings to escalate his pitch count before having a 5-pitch fifth inning, and didn’t allow a run anywhere in that stretch, so maybe we could still grab a W on our way outta here…?

By the sixth, Mike Chartrand was biding time for the Thunder and gave up a leadoff double to Arellano into the leftfield corner. Aoki made it strike three for the third time, but Alba singled to left-center to get his battery mate home, 4-1, but himself was left on base. He would drag his tush through two more innings for seven in total, which was decent enough, and then was hit for anyway in the eighth inning. The Raccoons offense went off for a snooze in the late innings, but at least Mike Hall and Jon McGinley were up to snuff and held the Thunder off the board in the eighth and ninth. 4-1 Raccoons. Oley (PH) 1-1; Kozak 2-5; Morales 2-3, BB, 2 2B; Arellano 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Alba 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (4-3) and 1-3, RBI;

What a brisk and comatose series. All three games clocked in at well under three hours, with the third one the longest at 2:45.

Raccoons (28-18) @ Knights (29-19) – May 30-June 1, 2064

Battle of the first-place teams – the Knights were two games up in the South on Friday morning while the Coons were virtually tied with the Titans again. Atlanta had the #1 offense in the CL and a .272 team batting average, while they were also struggling with a leaky back end and the fourth-most runs allowed. Still made for a neat +52 run differential just behind the first quarterpost, though. The Coons, who were up 2-1 on the Knights this year, had a +38 run differential coming in. The Knights were missing outfielder Jesus Martinez on the DL.

Projected matchups:
Tyler Riddle (6-3, 2.33 ERA) vs. Danny Ortiz (6-0, 2.35 ERA)
Josh Elling (7-1, 2.69 ERA) vs. Jay Phillips (2-3, 3.63 ERA)
Chance Fox (2-4, 4.30 ERA) vs. Brian Fuqua (2-3, 5.82 ERA)

Another set of only right-handers here. Phillips was a 25-year-old Washingtonian and Rule 5 pick and rookie who was making his eighth career start. He had been drafted from the Pacifics and was struggling with the walks a bit, and was perhaps not the best fit on a contending team.

Game 1
POR: RF Corral – LF Kozak – 1B Starr – 2B Monck – 3B Morales – SS Novelo – CF Maldonado – C Burkart – P Riddle
ATL: 2B Kilday – CF J. Parker – RF J. Evans – 3B Lange – C McLaren – SS Andon – LF Garmon – 1B Ovalle – P D. Ortiz

The Raccoons did not accidentally wake up on the way to Atlanta and went in order against undefeated Danny Ortiz in the first three innings, which was not the way to make Danny Ortiz un-undefeated. At least Atlanta also only hit one ball out of the infield on a Matt McLaren single the first time through against Riddle. The Raccoons went down 12-for-12 in the fourth, but the Knights not so much, as they put their first one, two, three, four, FIVE batters on base against Riddle. Jake Evans walked, and then Ralph Lange singled, McLaren singled, Sal Andon doubled, and Corey Garmon drew another walk. Overall the Knights would score three runs in the inning.

While Vic Morales singled finally after 13 Raccoons went up and down in the fifth inning, the Knights got another run on a walk drawn by Matt Kilday and a Johnny Parker double, then Evans’ sac fly in the bottom 5th, which was also the inning after which they got rid of Riddle, who needed nearly 100 pitches on his imploding way there. Ortiz then allowed a leadoff double to Burkart in the top 6th. Rafael Valencia singled, and Corral hit a sac fly, 4-1, but the inning then fell apart, and the Knights beat that run right back out of Kurihara. The Coons never found a groove, but Sal Andon grooved a silly Barton pitch over the fence for a tack-on run in the eighth inning. Jose Corral answered with a home run off Ortiz entering the ninth inning, but that was about it; Ortiz finished a complete-game 5-hitter. 6-2 Knights.

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – LF Kozak – 1B Starr – 2B Monck – 3B Morales – CF Oley – C Arellano – SS Tallent – P Elling
ATL: 2B Kilday – RF J. Evans – C McLaren – 1B Ovalle – SS Labonte – CF J. Parker – LF Andon – 3B Lange – P J. Phillips

The Coons put their first two batters on on Saturday before Starr fanned and Monck hit into a double play, but then got a 1-0 lead in the second again on straight singles by their 6-7-8 batters; Randy Tallent singling home Todd Oley – oh gloria! The inning dragged on some more and Corral got a 2-out RBI single to plate Arellano before Kozak walked and Starr struck out again. That seemed to be *it* then for offense as the next few innings were rather dry. At least Elling dragged a no-hitter into the fifth inning before a 2-out triple by Parker and Andon’s RBI single over the head of Tallent not only took that away, but also the shutout, and the score was 2-1 through five.

Phillips walked Vic Morales to begin the top 6th and the lead runner dashed to third base on a single to right-center by Oley. From runners on the corners and nobody out, the bottom of the order barely got a run home on Tallent’s sac fly; Arellano popped out on the infield and Elling grounded out to Ralph Lange at third base. The Knights then took one deep breath and swept all that carefully built 3-1 lead away in the bottom 6th … and then some. Brendan Snyder pinch-hit for Phillips and singled through the right side, and a pair of RBI doubles by Kilday and McLaren got the teams even at three before ex-Coon Paul Labonte (…) hit a 2-out, 2-strike RBI single that put Atlanta up 4-3. Elling finished the inning, but was done, while a throwing error by Ovalle put Corral on second base as the tying run with nobody out in the top 7th. Kozak grounded out. Starr popped out. Monck – FINALLY got something done and singled up the middle to tie the game with the unearned run…! He was then promptly left on, while Jesse Dover handled the Knights’ bottom of the order in the home half of the seventh.

Top 8th then, and lefty David Concha put Oley on base with an infield single. Arellano flew out, and Tallent flew out … of the bloody ballpark with a huge homer to left! That broke the 4-4 tie, and the Raccoons then got a chance to pile on when the Knights sent Ben Lussier, but he retired Valencia and Corral to end the inning. The Knights had an infields single off a lefty pitcher (Hall) of their own when McLaren got on base with two outs in the bottom 8th, but Ovalle struck out to end the inning. Rich Monck instead took Hyun-soo Bak deep in the ninth for a 3-run lead, but McGinley retired the side in order after that anyway. 7-4 Critters. Kozak 1-2, 3 BB; Monck 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; Oley 3-5; Tallent 2-3, HR, 4 RBI;

That was the first game this week where the team didn’t appear dead from the waist up for the entirety of the proceedings. Progress? Please?

It was also the last game of the month of May, and June would begin with the Sunday rubber game.

Game 3
POR: RF Corral – 1B Kozak – 3B Morales – 2B Monck – CF Maldonado – C Burkart – LF Valencia – SS Aoki – P Fox
ATL: 2B Kilday – CF Garmon – RF J. Evans – 3B Lange – LF K. Fisher – C McLaren – SS Andon – 1B Ovalle – P Fuqua

Chance Fox had his ********* start yet and lasted only four outs. Jake Evans and Ralph Lange scratched out a first-inning run for Atlanta with a pair of 2-out hits, and then in the second inning he basically retired nobody anymore. McLaren was hit by the pitch, Andon walked, Ovalle singled, and Fuqua struck out. That was the last out he recorded before it went on single, walk, walk, single, walk, and exit stage right. McDaniel replaced him, got beaten around for another four runs and a 10-0 Knights score, and I began to pack my **** because this game was ******* over.

The Knights lost Ralph Lange to injury on a bad slide – Snyder replaced him – but the Raccoons lost all basic decency even when Jack Kozak singled home a pair of runs in the third inning of this rout-in-progress. Aoki singled home another run in the fourth while Paul Barton pitched erratic long relief and the Knights suffered another injury when Pedro Ovalle pulled something on a sixth-inning double, when they were still up 10-3. Kurihara and Carrillo would continue with scoreless relief afterwards, but the offense remained at a safe distance from the Knights pitchers Fuqua, and whoever followed him afterwards until Pablo Novelo opened the ninth with a pinch-hit triple off Concha and was plated by Corral. Kozak then romped a homer to left. That still left the team short by a slam, and they would remain short by a slam… 10-6 Knights. Kozak 3-5, HR, 4 RBI; Aoki 2-4, RBI; Oley (PH) 1-1; Novelo (PH) 1-1, 3B; Barton 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K;

In other news

May 27 – TOP 1B/RF/LF Aubrey Austin (.327, 5 HR, 26 RBI) might miss six weeks with an oblique strain.
May 27 – NAS INF/LF/RF Adam Peltier (.290, 3 HR, 33 RBI) hits a home run for the only tally in a 1-0 win against the Wolves.
May 30 – Indians LF/RF Nick Vaughn (.265, 5 HR, 22 RBI) will miss a month due to a sprained wrist.
June 1 – It takes 14 innings to settle a 2-1 game the Scorpions eventually win against the Miners.

FL Player of the Week: SAC 1B Jared McLaughlin (.323, 3 HR, 21 RBI), hitting .542 (13-24) with 2 HR, 5 RBI
CL Player of the Week: LVA LF/RF Ken Hummel (.310, 8 HR, 35 RBI), bashing .409 (9-22) with 3 HR, 8 RBI

FL Hitter of the Month: DAL CF Tyler Wharton (.426, 14 HR, 53 RBI), swatting .453 with 11 HR, 32 RBI
CL Hitter of the Month: POR INF Rich Monck (.359, 7 HR, 31 RBI), swinging .387 with 6 HR, 23 RBI
FL Pitcher of the Month: NAS SP Josh Rivera (9-1, 2.49 ERA), going 5-1 with a 2.52 ERA, 39 K
CL Pitcher of the Month: POR SP Josh Elling (7-1, 2.97 ERA), an unbeaten 5-0 with a 2.36 ERA, 37 K
FL Rookie of the Month: CIN OF Melvin Avila (.321, 3 HR, 22 RBI), poking .413 with 2 HR, 12 RBI
CL Rookie of the Month: SFB OF/1B/3B Nate Navarre (.272, 5 HR, 23 RBI), plinking .317 with 5 HR, 21 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Our string of brown-clothed Players of the Week ended this week with a parade of meh in the box score (the team batted .229 as a whole) and the only starting pitcher that went twice is currently getting treated for bruises from the beatings he has taken…

There’s probably no trouble for anybody to make up a list of ten players on this roster that could be axed tomorrow and on lasting damage would result from it. And that would very much include Chance Fox (1.1 IP, 9 ER on Sunday).

For now we can bask in two monthly awards after three straight weekly awards, but the writing is still on the wall for the team and it’s glowing ever brighter.

Is there any help in AAA? (sharply draws in air between his teeth) The Alley Cats are 17-34, please draw your own conclusions. The best hope for help there would be Mike Rybarczyk, a former 12th-rounder we once got from the Crusaders with Nick Fowler for Kelly Konecny. He’s a 24-year-old shortstop hitting .346, and he is good at the glovework, but beyond that…

After this woeful week we’ll have a homestand against the Falcons and Crusaders starting on Monday.

Fun Fact: Our rotation is now third-worst by ERA in the CL again.

The much maligned bullpen is second? (looks up from report) Cristiano, I want you to see Luis Silva and take a drug test.