[Westheim]

Raccoons (34-35) @ Loggers (38-31) – June 18-20, 2068

The Raccoons would then be led to the slaughter again as another 3-game set against the Loggers was up. They were scoring the most runs in the CL – although not quite at last year’s prodigious pace – with 5.3 runs per game. They were also giving up the most runs, for a +47 run differential. The pitching was awful, and losing Fidel Carrera for the rest of the season was certainly gonna hurt the offense. Apart from that, Kyle Reber had left Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury and was unavailable to begin the series. The Loggers held a 4-2 lead in the season series.

Projected matchups:
Tony Gaytan (4-5, 4.95 ERA) vs. Ramon Carreno (5-6, 6.35 ERA)
Alex Dominguez (10-2, 3.09 ERA) vs. B.J. Butrico (5-6, 4.19 ERA)
Girolamo Pizzichini (1-4, 4.60 ERA) vs. Brett Bebout (7-1, 3.06 ERA)

We were up against only right-handed pitchers here.

Game 1
POR: CF Wilson – 2B Duhe – 1B Starr – RF Corral – LF Dowsey – C Flowe – 3B Mendoza – SS Novelo – P Gaytan
MIL: RF D. Wright – CF Merrill – LF C. Dominguez – 1B C. Ramirez – 2B Goss – SS Y. Valdez – C Guitreau – 3B R. Murcia – P Carreno

Pressed into service at short, Yoslan Valdez committed both an error and turned a double play right in the first inning, so things could still go either way here, at least until Tony Gaytan got near a baseball. Dave Wright hit a leadoff single in the bottom 1st, but was left on; however Tim Goss hit another leadoff single in the second and was doubled in by Tommy Guitreau for the game’s first run. The Coons made that up with Novelo and Duhe singles in the top 3rd, then took the lead on Joel Starr’s tenth home run of the year. However, Gaytan got double-bombed by Wright and Cesar Ramirez to tie the score at three in the bottom of the same inning, just before Tim Goss limped off after legging out an infield single and the Loggers’ middle infield woes intensified. Ricardo Vargas took over second base.

Gaytan’s no-good outing continued into the fifth inning, where he faced five batters and retired a grand total of none. Wright singled, Jonathan Merrill walked, Carlos Dominguez doubled in a run, Ramirez walked, and Vargas hit an RBI single. Carrington gave up a sac fly to Valdez, walked the bags full again with Guitreau, but then retired Rafael Murcia and long-ago Coon Carreno to extricate the team from the inning, three runs later.

The sixth was uneventful and the Raccoons got their 7-8 batters on base against Carreno to begin the seventh. Eddy Ramirez pinch-hit for Sean Thomas and struck out, and then Wilson hit an RBI single to right, 6-4, but Novelo was stopped at third base fearing the warm of Wright, but then Duhe rumbled into another double play… We then got two absolutely woeful (three walks) scoreless innings from George Kehoe, keeping it a 2-run gap while Carreno staggered through eight innings before being replaced with another ex-Coon, Nick Robinson, who retired Early, Mendoza, and Novelo in order to finish the game. 6-4 Loggers. Wilson 2-4, RBI; Novelo 3-4;

Blech.

Reber was off to the DL with knee tendinitis, and Goss was day-to-day with groin soreness by Tuesday, which probably meant they would be able to have a middle infield tighter than Goss’ groin again.

Game 2
POR: CF Wilson – 3B Mendoza – 1B Starr – RF Corral – LF Dowsey – C Flowe – 2B Gates – SS Novelo – P A. Dominguez
MIL: RF D. Wright – CF Merrill – LF C. Dominguez – 1B C. Ramirez – 2B Goss – C Guitreau – SS R. Murcia – 3B R. Vargas – P Butrico

Alex Dominguez was perfect the first time through the order (!) on two strikeouts and 32 pitches. Unfortunately, the Raccoons had not used the opportunity to build a bit of a lead, either. However, Jose Corral went yard for a solo homer in the fourth inning to grab a skinny lead. Dominguez went on to retire 13 straight Loggers before losing Goss on ball four in a full count, but he was easily doubled up on Guitreau’s grounder to Novelo that followed, ending the inning. The Raccoons extended the lead slightly in the sixth with back-to-back doubles by Starr and Corral, who was then thrown out at the plate on a Dowsey single, which helped bring the inning to a quicker end. Vargas doubled in the bottom 6th, but was stranded when Butrico popped out and Wright whiffed.

This meant the bottom 7th began with the left-handed array in the 2-3-4-5 slots of the Loggers lineup, and Merrill and Carlos Dominguez immediately hit soft singles. Goss and Guitreau made weak outs, but Guitreau then grinded out a walk in a full count to load the bases with two outs. The Raccoons hung with Dominguez against Murcia, but he walked in a run in another full count and then was replaced with Dover, who walked in the tying run in another full count against Vargas… Mario Alaniz batted for Butrico and struck out to end the ******* inning.

Mendoza and Dowsey singles against reliever Jose Lugo led nowhere in particular in the eighth inning and Dover and McMahan kept the game tied in the bottom of the frame, despite McMahan nicking Carlos Dominguez with two outs and in an 0-2 count… The Raccoons still would not score against Robinson in the ninth inning as Gates, Novelo, and Early went down in order against the old southpaw, and instead McMahan allowed a single to Guitreau, a walk to Vargas, and then, with two outs, a grand old walkoff homer to pinch-hitter Yoslan “Not a Shortstop” Valdez. 5-2 Loggers. Starr 2-4, 2 2B; Corral 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Flowe 2-4; Dominguez 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K;

Maybe there just are no words to describe this team anymore…

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – 3B Mendoza – 1B Starr – RF Corral – LF Early – SS Duhe – 2B Arredondo – C D’Alessandro – P Pizzichini
MIL: RF D. Wright – CF Merrill – LF C. Dominguez – 1B C. Ramirez – 2B Goss – C Guitreau – SS R. Murcia – 3B R. Vargas – P Bebout

Pizza was getting whacked around by the Loggers, which was something everybody could see coming from a mile away. Merrill singled and scored on a Dominguez double in the first, while Goss was thrown out at the plate on a Murcia double in the second inning, and Merrill spanked a grounder into a double play after a leadoff single by Dave Wright in the third. In short, Pizza was a 4-run inning waiting to happen. The Raccoons took a 3-1 lead in the fourth, though with a leadoff single by Starr, a Corral double, and after Early made a poor out, a 2-run double by vaunted .208 hitter Jared Duhe, who scored on an Arredondo single for the third and final run of the inning. Pizza somehow got around a leadoff single by Cesar Ramirez in the bottom 4th, followed by three lineouts in the fifth. Dominguez hit a leadoff single in the sixth, after which Ramirez flew out to deep center, and then Goss and Guitreau actually struck out. SOMEHOW Pizza wobbled like that through seven innings without getting torn up – the Loggers never got a second run out of him – but the aesthetics were none too pleasing.

The Coons were seemingly done after their 3-run fourth. Bebout was out of the game after five and a third, but the Loggers pen then held tight against the Critters, while McMahan tried to recover from last night’s loss in the bottom 8th, allowed a single to Domiguez, but retired enough lefty bats to get through the inning with the 3-1 score intact. Pedro Valentin then walked the leadoff man Goss in the bottom of the ninth, which was far from ideal. Guitreau grounded out, Murcia legged out an infield single, and Vargas whiffed before Mario Alaniz pinch-hit in the pitcher’s spot with two outs. He tied the game with a triple in the right-center gap, I hated my closer again, and Wright’s fly out sent the game to extra innings.

Jaden Wilson struck a double against Nick Robinson to begin the tenth inning. Mendoza walked, and the runners pulled off a double steal. The Loggers walked Starr intentionally, making it three on and nobody out. The Raccoons got an RBI single from Corral, and then struck out, struck out, and – with Gary Gates – grounded out to strand three runners. Jesse Dover got the ball in the bottom 10th since there was no trust in Sean Thomas against this lefty battery, with Merrill leading off again. He grounded out sharply to short, but Dominguez singled up the middle. Ramirez hit another spanker, but right at Gates at second base, who went to first base before Starr fired a throw over to second that somehow beat the bumbling Dominguez for a game-ending 4-3-6 double play…! 4-3 Raccoons. Corral 3-5, 2B, RBI; Duhe 2-3, 2 BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Pizzichini 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K;

Raccoons (35-37) vs. Thunder (43-29) – June 22-24, 2068

The Thunder were back in first place in the South and hoped to stay there by taking games off the Raccoons on the weekend. They had so far won two of three games from Portland this year, had won six games in a row, and were allowing the fewest runs in the CL while scoring the third-most. Yeah, things were looking dire, even though they were two starters short with Danny Baca and Jeff Kozloski on the DL, along with outfielder Roberto Almanza, who was about to return though.

Projected matchups:
Nick Walla (3-7, 2.63 ERA) vs. Ben Seiter (4-5, 5.74 ERA)
Vinny Morales (4-2, 2.39 ERA) vs. Matthew May (2-1, 2.45 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (4-5, 5.36 ERA) vs. Ken Nielsen (8-4, 2.68 ERA)

May was left-handed, the only lefty in that rotation right now.

Game 1
OCT: 2B C. Gutierrez – 1B I. Stone – SS Palominos – CF Thore – C Bohannon – RF B. Johnston – LF Anker – 3B B. Robinson – P Seiter
POR: CF Wilson – 3B Mendoza – 1B Starr – RF Corral – LF Dowsey – C Flowe – SS Duhe – 2B Novelo – P Walla

Walla in his chase up the ERA leaderboard didn’t strike out a batter the first time through, but also allowed only a soft single to Coby Thore, who then hit another harder single in the fourth inning. Walla walked Martin Bohannon, all with one out, but Bryan Johnston popped out and Grant Anker struck out, stranding a pair of Thunder on the bases. The Coons scattered four hits and two walks against an aged Ben Seiter in the first four innings, but didn’t get a single run across, either. Walla then opened the bottom 5th with a single. Wilson and Starr hit more singles, Walla blundered through the stop sign at third on the latter and was out by a mile at home plate, but the Raccoons still got a 2-out RBI single from Corral to grab the lead. Dowsey grounded out to Ian Stone to keep two stranded, then homered the game tied again on Walla’s first pitch in the sixth inning…

The failing for the offense continued in the sixth when Duhe and Novelo went to the corners with one out, but Walla hit into a double play. He pitched his way to the stretch, but was looking at another no-decision unless the Coons could scratch a run in the bottom 7th. Seiter had already given up ten hits in six innings, and Wilson hit a single for #11 leading off the bottom 7th. He was right away forced out on a Mendoza grounder, but Starr singled and Mendoza went to third. Seiter plunked Corral to fill the bags for Dowsey, who struck out very helpfully, but Jake Flowe pressed a single through the right side for a pair of 2-out runs! Duhe’s RBI single was the 14th and final hit off Seiter in this game – what five years ago would have been described as “a season’s worth” for any team facing him – as Javier Arocho replaced him. Eddy Ramirez pinch-hit for Novelo, but flew out to center to end the inning.

Walla then returned for the eighth, walked Jose Palominos, and was replaced with Josh C, who was utterly useless, walked Thore, gave up an RBI single to Bohannon, and was yanked for McMahan, who allowed a single to Johnston, got a double play bouncer from PH Daniel Richardson, and then gave up the game-tying hit to Brian Robinson, and I had the urge to murder the **** out of them all. Matt Ewig made the third out in this ******* inning of a 4-4 game.

The Portland Dimwits continued with leadoff singles from Gates and Wilson in the bottom 8th, then a double play from Mendoza and Starr whiffing. Useless. George Kehoe, also ******* useless, then allowed straight hits to Carlos Gutierrez, Stone, and Palominos in the ninth inning to concede a run to the Thunder without getting an out. Thore flew out and Bohannon hit into a double play after that, while the Raccoons drew nothing but duds against Erik Swain in the bottom 9th, because what else was new… 5-4 Thunder. Wilson 3-5; Starr 3-5; Duhe 3-4, RBI; Gates (PH) 1-1; Walla 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K;

The useless ********* had SIXTEEN base hits in the game and still couldn’t get ******* in front of the ******* Thunder.

******* *********!!!

Game 2
OCT: RF Almanza – 1B I. Stone – SS Palominos – 3B B. Robinson – CF Thore – C Bohannon – LF Ewig – 2B C. Gutierrez – P May
POR: SS Duhe – CF Ramirez – LF Early – 1B Starr – 3B Mendoza – RF Corral – 2B Gates – C D’Alessandro – P Morales

Ian Stone took Vinny Morales deep before most people got their first $38 hot dog, and the Raccoons then wasted leadoff walks to Duhe in the first and Mendoza in the second. Duhe and Ramirez then both walked in the third inning for the home team, and while Marquise Early merrily kept failing, Joel Starr did the occasional good thing with a ball in the left-center gap for a score-flipping 2-run double with two gone. He was then left on by Mendoza.

Morales had not given up a hit since the Stone homer going into the fifth when he lost Thore on balls in a full count leading off and Bohannon then singled. Ewig bunted the runners into scoring position before Carlos Gutierrez flew out to Early. Thore went for home – and was thrown out to end the inning, 7-2 on the scorecard.

Jose Corral extended the lead to 3-1 in the sixth with a solo home run, his ninth of the season, while Morales then got around a Gary Gates error in the seventh while holding the Thunder to three hits at the stretch. Since there was no trusting this ******* pen once again, and Morales’ pitch count was rather decent, he kept hitting for himself and then gave up a leadoff single go Gutierrez in the eighth, but struck out Travis Anderson and then got a double play grounder from Almanza to Duhe to complete eight inning. Those were now all long counts though and his pitch count suddenly rose to 99. The Raccoons in the bottom 8th got Early on base before Wilson pinch-hit for Mendoza against Arocho and was walked intentionally. With two outs, Dowsey batted for Gates – and was nailed. The bags were loaded and Flowe batted for D’Alessandro, but lined out to a sliding Matt Ewig to strand the set…

Pedro Valentin then ******* blew that lead as well in the ninth, giving up a leadoff double to Stone, who scored on Brian Robinson’s 1-out single. Thore flew out, but Grant Anker cranked a game-tying gap double with two outs. Ewig grounded out to end the inning, while I climbed into Valentin’s locker armed with a hatchet. The Remaindercoons were batting in the bottom 9th, which we hadn’t intended to contest, against Jon McGinley. Novelo grounded out before the left-handed ex-Coon walked Duhe. Arredondo reached on an error by Stone, moving Duhe to second base with the winning run. Marquise Early then hit into a double play and the game went to extras, where the Thunder overran Yamauchi, the useless **** bag, for four runs with rockets. Wilson and Corral reached with one down in the bottom 10th, bringing up the pitcher’s spot. The Coons’ bench was empty, because WE HADN’T ******* INTENDED TO PLAY FOR THIS LONG. Dominguez batted for Yamauchi, struck out anyway, and then Flowe grounded out to end another ******* STUPID LOSS. 7-3 Thunder. Wilson (PH) 1-1, BB; Corral 2-5, 2B, RBI; Morales 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K;

The whole bullpen belongs in a bubbling volcano. Useless pieces of ****, all seven of them.

Game 3
OCT: RF Almanza – 1B I. Stone – SS Palominos – 3B B. Robinson – CF Thore – C Bohannon – LF Goll – 2B C. Gutierrez – P Nielsen
POR: SS Duhe – CF Wilson – 1B Starr – RF Corral – LF Dowsey – C Flowe – 3B Mendoza – 2B Gates – P Gaytan

Gaytan tried to save the bullpen’s tushes by getting blown up early and decisively on Sunday, starting with a Stone triple in the first inning, which of course immediately led to a run for the Thunder. The Coons got Duhe on with a leadoff walk in the bottom 1st, and Wilson right away sucked into a double play. Starr also walked, then was left on base by Corral. Gaytan loaded the bases with 2-out singles by Gutierrez and the opposing pitcher, then a walk issued to Almanza in the second inning, but now Stone popped out. Palominos’ single and Robinson’s RBI double made it 2-0 Thunder in the third, after which the Thunder started hitting rockets right at defenders for a change, which didn’t make Gaytan’s tossing any better.

The Raccoons had no hits the first time through until Duhe hit a 2-out single in the third that was soon forgotten, how I wished to be forgotten once the sands of time had turned by bones to dust. Starr hit a leadoff single in the fourth, Corral walked, and then the 5-6-7 sucked the air out of that inning. Gates hit another leadoff single in the fifth. He stole second, Gaytan whiffed, Duhe walked, and then Wilson snuck an RBI single, but Starr’s foul pop and Corral’s groundout kept the tying and go-ahead runs on base.

Gaytan pitched five and two thirds **** innings, then left with Gutierrez (triple) and Ewig (walk) on the corners in the top 6th. Carrington replaced him and survived a first-pitch spanker from Almanza to Mendoza for a 5-3 third out of the inning. Instead he crapped the bags full in the seventh with a leadoff walk to Stone, putting paws on a Palominos bouncer that was not his business to turn it into an infield single, and then put Thore on base by throwing away his comebacker for an error. He was yanked with the bags full and one out, but Jesse Dover was no less awful. Bohannon lined out HARD to Gates for the second out, and then Grant Anker struck a pinch-hit 2-run double to extend the score to 4-1. Gutierrez grounded out. Duhe hit a useless solo homer in the bottom 7th before Sean Thomas got whacked around for three hits and two runs in the eighth inning, although Duhe was generous enough to mix in an error as well.

Bottom 8th, and somewhere the Thunder had picked up Mike Hall, who faced PH Eddy Ramirez and Flowe, and put both on base. Mendoza then flew out to Almanza in the gap, and Gates hit an RBI single against Danny Zepeda. Matt Maylath became the third pitcher of the inning, facing Novelo as the tying run in the pitcher’s spot, and Novelo shanked a drive through Brian Robinson for a 2-run double, 6-5. The tying run was now at second with one out, so Duhe grounded out, advancing the runner to third. Maylath walked Wilson, and then ran a full count on Joel Starr, whose fly to left-center eluded Grant Anker and fell for a 2-run double, flipping the ******* score. Erik Swain had expected to readying himself for a save, but now had to come in and just *end* a 5-run inning, which he did with a K on Corral. The silly Coons had no other options but Valentin for the ninth, and for a change he actually put the goddamn save in the books. 7-6 Disastercoons. Duhe 2-3, 2 BB, HR, RBI; Starr 3-4, BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Gates 2-4, RBI; Novelo (PH) 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI;

In other news

June 18 – OCT SP Danny Baca (1-0, 4.58 ERA), who already missed most of the year with a broken thumb and a forearm strain, will now miss the rest of the year with a broken elbow.
June 22 – The lead changes three times in the late innings of the Loggers’ 15-11 win against the Knights. MIL 1B/RF/LF Cesar Ramirez (.344, 14 HR, 67 RBI) hits two home runs and drives in seven runs.
June 23 – DAL SP Ray Walker (11-2, 2.36 ERA) is expected to miss two months with a torn triceps.
June 23 – TIJ SP Jason Brenize (3-9, 4.24 ERA) and three relievers pitch a combined 1-hitter against the Crusaders for a 3-0 Condors win. New York outfielder Bryant Box (.323, 3 HR, 32 RBI) hits a leadoff double to knock out Brenize in the eighth inning, but the serial Pitcher of the Year struck out ten batters at least.
June 24 – A ruptured achilles tendon ends the season of NAS 1B Kris DiPrimio (.284, 8 HR, 32 RBI).
June 24 – Dallas INF Adam Yocum (.322, 2 HR, 37 RBI) will miss six weeks with a groin strain.

FL Player of the Week: NAS RF Austin Gordon (.301, 21 HR, 63 RBI), rushing .462 (12-26) with 4 HR, 12 RBI
CL Player of the Week: LVA OF Victor Lorenzo (.319, 0 HR, 33 RBI), clipping .607 (17-28) with 5 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Last five games:
Starters ERA: 2.10 ERA and winless
Bullpen ERA: 10.95 ERA and all wins blown to pieces

I can’t work with these people. They must all go. Again.

No rest for the wicked, though, as we will have no more off days until the All Star Game, with three games at home against the Condors, followed by eight on the road in Indy and New York. The final set before the break will be three games with the Titans, the start for a wicked 2 1/2-week, 13-game homestand.

Except for our All Stars of course. (nervous snicker)

Fun Fact: Pedro Valentin blew three saves in a row in the last three series, and has allowed multiple runs in four of his last six outings.

They must all go.

Again.