Portland Raccoons (ABL)

[Westheim]

2066 DRAFT POOL ANALYSIS

The 2066 draft pool was an odd one, in that there were clearly more interesting pitchers (by number) than batters on the shortlist, which had a head count of 107 this year, including six two-way players – all of whom were probably better served as pitchers, for either offensive or defensive reasons.

In fact, the young pitcher that we were putting tops of the annual hotlist of the most delicious prospects was entered into the draft as a position player, even though nobody thought he could play any position that existed in the ABL. Maybe first base, if you close your eyes (*denotes high school player; ^two-way player):

SP^ Steve Dunn (12/13/13) *
SP Jasper Madsen (13/11/10) *
SP/OF^ Chris Rawlins (13/12/10 // 11/16/9)
SP T.J. Herbert (11/14/10)
SP Bill Logalbo (14/14/10)

CL David Wright (16/13/15)

C Ken Flaminio (10/10/15) *

1B Danny Huckaby (11/14/14) *
LF/RF/1B Mike Eggert (12/9/14)
OF Jack Hamel (10/13/11) *

Chris Rawlins was perhaps the exception to the “better as pitchers” rule here, because of the tremendous power potential. Can we just split him in two and have two players? No?

[Westheim]

Raccoons (20-37) vs. Crusaders (31-23) – June 8-10, 2066

The Raccoons were a crisp 0-4 against New York this season, and I had little hope of quick improvement, even though the Crusaders had fallen significantly behind the Titans after some early tight battling. They scored the most runs in the CL and were at least third in pitching, so it was hard to figure out why they weren’t winning more games with their +72 run differential (Coons: don’t ask). Perhaps all they needed was a little luck, or facing some listless lowlifes. Here we are.

Projected matchups:
Juan Sanchez (3-6, 3.79 ERA) vs. Ricardo Montoya (6-2, 2.72 ERA)
Duarte Damasceno (2-6, 5.63 ERA) vs. Jeff Kozloski (2-3, 6.52 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (3-7, 3.20 ERA) vs. Ben Seiter (6-3, 1.95 ERA)

The Crusaders had played three games in the last five days, and on two different days; like the Coons they had enjoyed a previous off day on Thursday, but had suffered a rainout on Saturday in Milwaukee and had played two on Sunday. As a result, none of their three right-handers here was likely to start on anything resembling regular rest.

Game 1
NYC: CF Box – 2B O. Sanchez – 3B B. Wilken – RF Takeuchi – C Reyna – SS Spehar – LF Menchaca – 1B Jose Alvarez – P R. Montoya
POR: LF Spicer – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – SS Novelo – 1B Starr – 2B Arantes – CF Wilson – P J. Sanchez

Both teams had nothing on offense in the first inning, then hit into an inning-ending double play in the second inning, the Coons’ Joel Starr starting a 3-6-3 on Eddie Menchaca. However, only Sanchez allowed a single to Ricardo Montoya and then a homer to Bryant Box in the third inning. That put the Crusaders up 2-0, although the Raccoons got Leon Arantes on base to begin the bottom 3rd. Jaden Wilson forced him out, but stole second base. Sanchez popped out, but Malcolm Spicer hit an RBI single, then was caught stealing to end the inning.

Montoya hit another single off Sanchez in the fifth inning, but was left on base that time around, while the Raccoons got Jaden Wilson back on base to begin their half of the inning. Neither pitcher was having the high octane, and Montoya saw the tying run bunted to second base, then gave up another RBI knock to Spicer, this time an RBI double to right, and this tied the ballgame! Montoya walked the bags full with Jose Corral and Ramon Lopez, but then battled successfully against Rich Monck, who struck out in a full count, and got Novelo to ground out.

Sanchez battled his way into the seventh, but got stuck with one out and departed after walks to Ryan Spehar and Jose Ambriz. Soriano replaced him against righty pinch-hitter Dave Blackshire, gave up a single, and departed immediately when left-handed batter Jared Allen appeared in place of Montoya. Garvey came in, struck out both Allen and Box, and that stranded three Crusaders on base. Bottom 7th, the Coons got 2-out singles from Wilson and Jamie Colter off twice-a-disaster-in-brown Ryan Harmer, but Spicer was denied a third RBI knock and struck out. It then all fell apart for Ricky McMahan in the eighth as he allowed a leadoff walk to Omar Sanchez, and then was battered around for three hits and two runs, Victor Reyna and Jose Ambriz hitting RBI singles.

Bottom 8th, the Coons loaded the bases with Corral, Monck, and Novelo against three different pitchers, then brought up Starr with one out and facing the fourth pitcher of the inning lefty Pedro Mendoza. Starr fell to 0-2, but then lobbed a clean single over the head of Spehar to shorten the score to 4-3, and then the minor league free agent Leon Arantes singled to center to flip the score to 5-4 Coons. Wilson and Tallent made the outs from there, and the Raccoons brought in Jesse Dover for an out-of-the-blue save attempt. He got two outs, then into trouble; Omar Sanchez hit a single, Ben Wilken worked a walk, but Kazuhide Takeuchi’s grounder to Starr was the final out of the game. 5-4 Raccoons. Spicer 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Novelo 2-4; Arantes 2-4, 2 RBI; Wilson 2-4; Colter (PH) 1-1;

The Crusaders thought they had to suffocate this vague showing of competence in the crib and moved Seiter up to the middle game against DD.

Game 2
NYC: LF Jose Alvarez – 2B O. Sanchez – CF Box – RF Takeuchi – 3B B. Wilken – C Reyna – SS Spehar – 1B J. Allen – P Seiter
POR: LF Spicer – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – SS Novelo – 1B Starr – 2B Arantes – CF Wilson – P Damasceno

The Crusaders immediately gave DD a few on the snout in the first inning, as Jose Alvarez worked a walk and was immediately doubled home by Omar Sanchez, who would also score on two groundouts. Like on Tuesday, the Raccoons made up one run immediately, as Corral doubled himself in the bottom of the inning and then scored on Lopez’ groundout and a wild pitch. Spicer, though – he doubled home Jaden Wilson in the bottom 3rd to tie the game at two, and he was suddenly the most effective hitter on the team. Seiter walked Corral, but then got Lopez to rumble into a double play to end the inning. The Raccoons went on and loaded the bases in the bottom 4th on Novelo and Arantes singles surrounding Starr walking. Wilson hit a comebacker for an out at the plate, and DD struck out, and thus nobody scored.

The Crusaders then knocked out Damasceno after five; they had run up his pitch count with lots of long at-bats to 75 in just three innings, and then had him cooked two frames later. On the way out, they put him on the hook again when Bryant Box singled in Jose Alvarez with the go-ahead run in the top 5th. DD walked four and struck out only one batter in a trying outing.

The Coons turned that around really fast, though; Seiter allowed a leadoff single to Spicer in the bottom 5th, then a double to Corral. Spicer had to hold at third base, since Takeuchi and Box got close to that fly ball, but it dropped between them for the double. Lopez kept the string going and singled to left-center, flipping the score by driving in both runners, 4-3. Seiter met his grisly end with a walk to Monck and Novelo’s RBI single, to be replaced with lefty Jorge Quinones. Arantes grounded to first, where Allen ****** the play for a run-scoring error, Quinones threw a wild pitch, leading to an intentional walk to Wilson, and then Colter hit a sac fly in DD’s spot before Spicer grounded out to end the inning, Portland up by a slam.

The Raccoons then absolutely stole eight outs with Steven Hudson, first against the three righty batters up in the sixth, and then just kept him going until he hit a log jam, which was with two outs in the eighth and singles hit by Wilken and Reyna, ironically the first two right-handed batters he had retired smoothly earlier. The Raccoons went to Dover again with Spehar up and Allen being the tying run in the on-deck circle. Dover had nothing, walked both of them to force in a run, and then was yanked for Garvey, who struck out Menchaca to get out of the inning. Garvey would go on to retire the Crusaders’ top of the order without much fuss in the ninth. 7-4 Critters! Spicer 2-4, 2B, RBI; Corral 2-4, BB, 2 2B; Novelo 3-4, RBI; Hudson 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Garvey 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, SV (5);

Wow! Wins!

Game 3
NYC: SS Spehar – 2B O. Sanchez – CF Box – RF Takeuchi – 3B B. Wilken – C Reyna – LF Menchaca – 1B J. Allen – P Kozloski
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Colter – 2B Arantes – SS Arredondo – P Nakayama

Of course disaster had to strike in the final game of the series. Not only did the Crusaders take another quick 2-0 lead on Box’ 2-out walk, a Takeuchi RBI double, and a Wilken RBI single, but Nakayama then also would not return to the mound for the second inning, having been sent down the tunnel by Luis Silva with elbow discomfort. At that point there wasn’t much to do but to insert Sensabaugh for long relief and chalk the game off a loss, and hope that Nakayama’s arm wasn’t gonna come off.

Sensabaugh did what was asked of him, pitching four innings while giving up one run on a Jared Allen homer in the fifth until he was chased by rain resulting in a 90-minute rain delay, as if we didn’t have any other problems. The Raccoons scored a run in between when Jamie Colter singled home Ramon Lopez in the bottom 4th, but apart from that were rather silent and were down 3-1 when play resumed after the rain delay, now with Soriano thrown in and allowed singles to Sanchez and Box, then a sac fly to Takeuchi for New York to extend their lead to 4-1. Soriano was certainly not a long relief guy, but he managed to give the Raccoons two innings when they really needed it, seeing Allen reach in the seventh, but doubled up by Dave Blackshire.

Cullum pitched the top 8th without problems, but the Raccoons were thin enough now – both Dover and Garvey had been out two days in a row against the Crusaders – that Pablo Novelo was tossing in the bullpen in the bottom 8th, but then Rich Monck took Ryan Harmer deep in the bottom 8th, 4-2, Harmer also walked Starr, and when lefty Nate Nilson replaced him, the Coons sent Tallent to bat in place of Colter, and Tallent bashed another oddball homer to tie the ballgame! Arantes singled, but Arredondo grounded out. The Raccoons left Cullum in now for a tie in the ninth, and he gave the Critters another scoreless inning. Ex-Coon and right-hander James Murdock came out for the bottom 9th. Corral batted for Cullum, drew a 4-pitch walk, but Wilson and Spicer popped out on the infield before Murdock threw a wild pitch to get the winning run into scoring position; …and just in time for Ramon Lopez to knell a walkoff double into the rightfield corner…! 5-4 Furballs!! Lopez 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; Starr 1-2, 2 BB; Tallent (PH) 1-1, HR, 2 RBI; Arantes 2-4; Sensabaugh 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K; Cullum 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-1);

Tell you, I did have a sweep on my mind, but not quite like this…

Shoma Nakayama was day-to-day with a sore elbow, but it looked like he would not be able to make his next start, so the problems with juggling the rotation would continue unabated…

Carlos Matas and his 0-for-6 bat were sent back to St. Pete ahead of the Buffaloes series, as Tommy Branch and his much more formidable 12-for-87 stick returned from the DL.

Raccoons (23-37) vs. Buffaloes (32-29) – June 11-13, 2066

The Buffos had lost five in a row and were seventh in runs scored and third in runs allowed in the Federal League. They had neither speed nor power in any great abundance, but the pitching as a whole was very balanced with a stingy defense behind the hurlers. They did have a bunch of injuries, including starter Goffredo Merlin, closer Justin Round, who had just gone down this week, and also Grant MacKinnon and Wade Griffith.

Projected matchups:
Nick Walla (6-4, 3.38 ERA) vs. Antonio Santelices (3-1, 4.60 ERA)
Vinny Morales (0-2, 7.30 ERA) vs. Justin Kent (7-4, 2.46 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (3-6, 3.71 ERA) vs. Preston Young (1-4, 4.34 ERA)

Left-hander on Friday, left-hander on Saturday, and … no left-hander on Sunday, as Coby Strutz (2-6, 3.12 ERA) had pitched on Wednesday and would not be rested enough to give the Critters a full slate of southpaws. While being terrible against all teams regardless of the pitching involved, the Coons had struggled against southpaws especially this year, going 3-10 in the 13 times they had faced a lefty starter.

Game 1
TOP: 2B A. Rodriguez – 1B R. Guzman – 3B A. de los Santos – RF MacDonnell – C Jack – CF T. Lopez – LF Cowan – SS Flug – P Santelices
POR: 2B Arantes – SS Novelo – C R. Lopez – 3B Monck – LF Branch – RF Tallent – 1B Spink – CF Wilson – P Walla

The first Raccoons hit on Friday was a 2-run double for Randy Tallent with the bases loaded and two outs, as Santelices had walked Novelo and Branch while nicking Monck in between. Tony Spink grounded out, leaving two on base. That was the only early scoring; Walla allowed just one hit, a single, to the second batter he faced, Rafael Guzman, and otherwise had the Buffaloes under control, although it was mostly on weak contact rather than strikeouts. The Raccoons had only a few hits, but ran up an erratic Santelices’ pitch count, who walked four and was in many more long counts before Rich Monck singled on his 98th pitch with one out in the bottom 5th and the Buffos pulled him for righty Allan Bergerud, who quickly got out of the inning.

Walla was then double-doubled by David Cowan and John Flug in the sixth to put a Buffos run on the board, although this was reclaimed in the same inning when Wilson and Arantes went to the corners with singles and Novelo hit a sac fly to center. Lopez hit another single, but Monck grounded out to Guzman and left two runners on in a 3-1 game. Walla however was completely out of tune now and threw a wild pitch after a leadoff walk to Alex de los Santos, and John MacDonnell and J.P. Jack whacked singles off him to get the runner home and Walla out of the game. McMahan replaced him and was met with pinch-hitters, but handled a comebacker from Jeff Buss for an out at third base, then struck out David Milian. Flug hit a scratch single to load the bases, but Omar Lira struck out to leave the bags full in the 3-2 game.

The lead survived an eighth-inning appearance by Hudson (which should not be misconstrued as a vote of confidence) before Wilson singled his way on base to begin the bottom 8th and was left on. Garvey got the ball for the ninth, struck out MacDonnell, got Jack on a grounder, but then saw the Buffos take the corners with singles by Andy Chairez and Milian. Mound conference to check Garvey’s pulse, but we wanted him to stay in against Flug, who was a switch-hitter, but clearly weaker against left-handers. Garvey got to a 2-2 count before allowing a liner to the left side – but Rich Monck was positioned perfectly and snatched it to end the game. 3-2 Coons! Arantes 2-3, BB; Tallent 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Wilson 2-3, BB;

Game 2
TOP: CF T. Lopez – 1B R. Guzman – 3B A. de los Santos – RF MacDonnell – C Jack – 2B O. Lira – LF Buss – SS Flug – P Kent
POR: 2B Arantes – RF Spicer – SS Novelo – 1B Starr – LF Branch – 3B Tallent – C Spink – CF Wilson – P Morales

Vinny Morales continued to not get out of the gates and walked Guzman and was taken deep by Alex de los Santos right in the first inning on Saturday. Jeff Buss added a solo shot in the second, and when Morales wasn’t giving up bombs, he was walking people, like Guzman and de los Santos in the third inning. MacDonnell hit into a 6-4-3 double play on that occasion, ending the inning. Morales had a 1-2-3 fourth, but then got smacked around some more in the fifth and gave up another two runs. The pitcher Kent, hurling a 2-hitter, singled, Tony Lopez doubled, and the runners scored one by one on a Guzman grounder and de los Santos’ single. Morales, completely overmatched, got through the sixth because Omar Lira got himself caught stealing after reaching base, and then was quietly ushered away.

Wilson reached base on Lira’s 2-base throwing error to begin the bottom 6th, which was as far as any Coon had gotten against Kent so far, but Kent came back with K’s on Arredondo and Arantes before Spicer flew out to center. Soriano had a 3-pitch seventh inning before the Coons made it onto the board with leadoff knocks by Novelo and Starr to get to the corners, and a run-scoring groundout for Tommy Branch, but Tallent then struck out. Spink hit a single, but Wilson popped out to end the inning. Kent kept going through eight before Mike Perez got the ball and the 5-1 Buffos lead in the bottom 9th. Novelo struck out, but Starr singled. With the righty up, the Raccoons sent some pinch-hitters, but Monck flew out before Lopez walked. Colter was still on the bench, but he was the last batter available, and the Coons might yet bring up the pitcher in this inning, so Tony Spink had to bat for himself and lazily flew out to Jeff Buss to end the game. 5-1 Buffaloes. Novelo 2-4, 2 2B; Starr 2-4;

Game 3
TOP: 2B A. Rodriguez – LF Milian – RF MacDonnell – 1B Buss – CF T. Lopez – C Wheat – 3B O. Lira – SS Flug – P P. Young
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C R. Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Corral – SS Novelo – 2B Arredondo – P Sanchez

There was a lot of futile poking to begin the rubber game, with just one single per side the first time through the order. Young was a bit loose with control and ran into trouble in the bottom 4th after a walk to Corral and a Novelo double to right. Corral was held, Arredondo wasn’t serviced, and instead Juan Sanchez got to bat with three on, two out, and lobbed a single into shallow right, near the line and far away from MacDonnell, which allowed Corral and Novelo to score the first runs of the game. Jaden Wilson then cranked a homer off a visibly discombobulated Preston Young, who had now paid with five runs all for failing to get the pitcher out in that situation.

Sanchez paid for the excitement of running the bases with a derailment of his own in the fifth inning and loaded the bases with nobody out, admittedly starting with an infield single by Omar Lira. The Buffos got a run on Alex Rodriguez’ sac fly and then another one on a 2-out single by MacDonnell, but Buss struck out as the tying run to end the troublesome frame, but it only got worse in the sixth. Tony Lopez drew a leadoff walk, advanced on a passed ball, and Tom Wheat’s RBI single and John Flug’s RBI double narrowed the score to 5-4. Sanchez was yanked, Cullum and Colter entered in a double switch that ended Corral’s day, and the right-hander found his way out of the inning without conceding the tying run.

Cullum and Garvey got the Coons through the seventh before the ball ended up with Hudson again in the eighth – which was still not a vote of confidence, but more a necessary Evil. Capital E, because he not only blew the lead, but first walked Wheat and then was taken *deep* by light-hitting Lira for a score-flipping homer, 6-5 Topeka.

Brian Burkey walked Arredondo and Colter in the bottom 8th, but neither Wilson nor Spicer could get a hit in against the right-hander, and so the tying and go-ahead runs were left on the corners in the inning. Hudson, still crap, and Wilson, who fudged Flug’s leadoff single in the ninth for an error, then conspired to give the Buffaloes an insurance run in the ninth inning. The Coons got only a Starr single in the ninth against Mike Perez and went down in defeat. 7-5 Buffaloes. Starr 2-4, BB;

In other news

June 7 – The hitting streak of Aces OF Victor Lorenzo (.364, 3 HR, 21 RBI) ends at 24 games with an 0-for-5 in an 8-3 loss to the Bayhawks.
June 7 – A torn triceps might rob the Buffaloes of their closer Justin Round (1-1, 2.90 ERA, 16 SV) for the rest of the season.
June 8 – Dallas CF Tyler Wharton (.323, 12 HR, 43 RBI) is suffering from knee tendinitis and will be shut down for a month.
June 8 – The Loggers acquire SP Jonathan Vale (3-4, 4.48 ERA) from the Capitals in exchange for SS/2B Tyler Gilliam (.258, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and a prospect.
June 9 – CIN OF Melvin Avila (.344, 7 HR, 40 RBI) might miss two weeks with a bruised neck.
June 10 – Ruptured finger tendons threaten to end the season of DAL SP Ray “Crabman” Walker (7-3, 3.92 ERA), who will miss at least three months on the DL.
June 11 – The Bayhawks walk off on the Miners, 9-5 in ten innings, on a walkoff grand slam by RF/LF Juan Paez (.319, 4 HR, 26 RBI) off 23-year-old sophomore MR George Christensen (1-1, 4.11 ERA).
June 11 – The Knights beat the Warriors, 3-2 in 14 innings.
June 13 – 42-year-old Knights SP Kodai Koga (5-5, 3.18 ERA) 3-hits the Warriors and strikes out eight batters in a 7-0 shutout.
June 13 – The Stars acquire infielder Tony Villarreal (.330, 1 HR, 16 RBI) and $2M in cash from the Gold Sox for three prospects.

FL Player of the Week: DAL OF Chad Pritchett (.327, 19 HR, 67 RBI), bashing .286 (8-28) with 4 HR, 13 RBI
CL Player of the Week: OCT 1B Ian Stone (.291, 7 HR, 36 RBI), hitting .429 (12-28) with 2 HR, 12 RBI

Complaints and stuff

4-2 week with a surprise sweep of the Crusaders (they didn’t see it coming, either) but still without the offense getting back on track even though we actually broke the lofty four runs per game mark … this week. Not for the season. No, no. Far away from that. 200 runs in 63 games. Brrr!

With Nakayama having the barking elbow, the Raccoons will need another spot starter on Tuesday. Looks like it will be Applecore in his first appearance this year, and he walks more than he strikes out in AAA for jolly goodness. My sole consolation is that the team will be in Salem that day and I will be in New York for the draft and won’t have to see *any* of it.

The Raccoons have that 3-game set against the Wolves starting on Monday, a day off on Thursday, and then a home set against Boston. Nakayama was hoped to be available for that weekend set.

Fun Fact: By June 10, the Raccoons had cashed more wins on the month than in all of May.

The bar was not unreasonably high. In fact, going under that bar would have been the real challenge.

[DD Martin]

I have always wondered how on earth did Salem of all places get a major league team? If not Seattle then why not Tacoma?

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by DD Martin

I have always wondered how on earth did Salem of all places get a major league team? If not Seattle then why not Tacoma?

Let's just say somebody could have done a little bit more research while setting up the league (cough) throwing it together in an afternoon (cough) in 2012.

[Westheim]

The draft takes place on Tuesday in the upcoming week, and I’ll just slip it in here after the opener of the Critters-Wolves series. That week will be posted tomorrow.

+++

2066 AMATEUR DRAFT

Thankfully I could escape the depressing duel of two teams in last place in runs scored in their league that was going on in Oregon and head to New York for the annual draft with actual designs on drafting a two-way player with the #5 pick. Because why fail once with a #5 pick if you can fail TWICE with it!?

The annual hotlist contained only two such multi-talented players, and only one that was really efficient on defense, although you could always hide Steve Dunn at first base, perhaps. It was worth a try? (*denotes high school player; ^two-way player):

SP^ Steve Dunn (12/13/13) *
SP Jasper Madsen (13/11/10) *
SP/OF^ Chris Rawlins (13/12/10 // 11/16/9)
SP T.J. Herbert (11/14/10)
SP Bill Logalbo (14/14/10)

CL David Wright (16/13/15)

C Ken Flaminio (10/10/15) *

1B Danny Huckaby (11/14/14) *

LF/RF/1B Mike Eggert (12/9/14)
OF Jack Hamel (10/13/11) *

Barring Dunn or Rawlins I wouldn’t be entirely mad to draft a position player with power potential. The good news were that there were enough such players on offer that the Raccoons would at least get *something*.

Leading off the draft, however, were the Wolves. They went with a pitcher, but selected Bill Logalbo. The Indians, however, right away dug into my preferred players and drafted Chris Rawlins with the #2 pick, and right after that Steve Dunn went #3 to the Capitals. (sigh!) FINE. No two-way fun for the Raccoons…!! (looks like a moping little girl, arms crossed in front of his fuzzy chest)

Since the Miners used their #4 pick on not-hotlisted pitcher Jimmy Cockrum (yes, actually), the Raccoons still had plenty of power bats on offer. It was really between Huckaby and Hamel here, and the Coons ended up opting for the more versatile defensive option with Canada’s Jack Hamel, who besides being the stud on the baseball team had also delivered a graduation speech and had been voted most popular boy in town every year since his family moved to California from Manitoba. This time nothing could go wrong with our top pick!

The Gold Sox helped themselves to another pitcher in Jasper Madsen with the #6 pick, before Ken Flaminio went #7 to the Aces. T.J. Herbert was made the #8 pick by the Buffos. After that a few picks passed, but then the Pacifics took David Wright with the #13 pick, while Mike Eggert fell all the way to the #22 selection, made by the Crusaders. That still left Danny Huckaby, who fell all the way into the second-round proper and into the Raccoons’ paws. That should be reason for concern, but when has it ever stopped me? Hot potatoes are delicious.

+++

2066 PORTLAND RACCOONS DRAFT CLASS

Round 1 (#5) – OF Jack Hamel, 19, from McCreary, Canada – can play all three outfield positions and can also hit the ball over any fence in addition to good contact potential and some speed. Also a natural leader keeping his team in order.
Round 2 (#47) – 1B Danny Huckaby, 17, from Indian Hill, OH – not a defensive expert, but he can wait out the garbage until he gets a fat one to thunder across thee entire ballpark, and that sort of left-handed power should be able to play at all times.
Round 3 (#71) – SP Matt Burgan, 22, from Huntsville, AL – spoiled only-child, but with a 98mph heater and at least two workable side offerings, a slider and a forkball; and we’re not above fostering right-handed power pitchers with an attitude…
Round 4 (#95) – CL Tom Michael, 20, from Prairie Village, KS – right-hander with three promising pitches including a 94mph heater, but unfortunately not enough stamina to be an efficient starter; also has two given names and maybe that can additionally confuse batters…
Round 5 (#119) – C/1B Bobby Kymer, 19, from Las Vegas, NV – a singles-slapping catcher with ordinary defense and a good head on his shoulder; he could actually hit for a high batting average and be valuable in that regard
Round 6 (#143) – INF/LF Frank Ruggerio, 21, from Victorville, CA – Gold Glove level of defense at three infield positions and considerable speed on the base paths, but he doesn’t really hit for a lot
Round 7 (#167) – OF Charlie Langohr, 18, from New York, NY – smoking outfielder that so far still has great speed and a good eye at the plate; his surname means “long ear” in German, whatever that can be worth on the field…
Round 8 (#191) – CL Dave Drake, 21, from Plantation, FL – right-hander with a fastball/slider combo and serious control issues
Round 9 (#215) – 3B Nate Jones, 18, from Plano, TX – our scouting department says he’ll hit for power, a stance with which they’re pretty much alone in the league
Round 10 (#239) – MR Zach Clemens, 20, from Naples, TX – in the draft as an infielder, but he actually throws a nifty slider we want to see more of, so he’ll be turned into a righty reliever
Round 11 (#263) – SP James Swink, 18, from San Diego, CA – this year’s mandatory left-hander is a starter with an 86mph fastball and a complementary curve and changeup; no there was not a lot on offer in terms of left arms anymore
Round 12 (#287) – 2B Jonathan Maxey, 20, from Philadelphia, PA – left-handed hitting second baseman with next to no throwing arm so that he has to carry the ball to first base, and no speed, either; also lazy.
Round 13 (#311) – LF/RF Josh Koths, 18, from Lewisville, TX – some guy that sat next to our scout swore on the Bible that his brother-in-law once saw Koths’ father hit a ball 450 feet, and he’s gotta have at least half those genes, right?

+++

All picks were assigned to single-A Aumsville, except for Burgan, who went straight to Ham Lake.

For novelty, not a single pitcher was disposed of from the minors at this point, since there were a total of nine pitchers on the various DL’s and some of them were not going to come back any time soon. We did cull position players, though, and some of them were even known by name.

Jonathan Parfet (2064, 12th round) was hitting nothing as catcher in Aumsville and was let go, as was the 12th-rounder preceding him, 3B Casey Pederson. Last year’s last-rounder INF Brian Poppe was for some reason getting a lot of playing time in Aumsville, hitting .171 in 112 games since being drafted 12 months ago, and I was gonna put an end to those shenanigans. 1B Bob Scarce (2064, 7th round) was scarcely hitting in single-A as well and was made redundant.

For outfielders we split ways with Puerto Rican outfielder Jorge Moreno, who was 29 and hitting nothing in AAA. He had two cups of coffee with the Critters, batting .212 with 9 RBI across 59 games; also the odd scouting discovery here and there.

As another notable move we promoted 17-year-old SP Crispino D’Urso from the international complex to Aumsville. He had been signed for $590k last July as international free agent and looked like he was on the fast track up the ladder.

[Westheim]

It is May 20 in Germany - the Raccoon Capital of Europe - and this marks the Raccoons' 13th birthday, which means that I have now continuously fumbled the baseball with them for over one third of my life.

Spare a thought for the persistently hapless Critters today, maybe light a candle in your window, and pray for better times.

And don't forget snacks.

Snacks are a very important part of your daily routine.

Raccoon doctors recommend at least seven snacks a day! So make sure to join Joel Starr here with a gentle slice of pizza.

Or the whole damn pizza.

[DD Martin]

Originally Posted by Westheim

It is May 20 in Germany - the Raccoon Capital of Europe - and this marks the Raccoons' 13th birthday, which means that I have now continuously fumbled the baseball with them for over one third of my life.

Spare a thought for the persistently hapless Critters today, maybe light a candle in your window, and pray for better times.

And don't forget snacks.

Snacks are a very important part of your daily routine.

Raccoon doctors recommend at least seven snacks a day! So make sure to join Joel Starr here with a gentle slice of pizza.

Or the whole damn pizza.

Happy 13th birthday to the Raccoons and you. Let the pennant celebration begin!!!

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by DD Martin

Happy 13th birthday to the Raccoons and you. Let the pennant celebration begin!!!

Pennants? I think the boys use those as napkins...

+++

Raccoons (24-39) @ Wolves (22-39) – June 14-16, 2066

In the middle of June, these two teams were already combining for a proud 40 1/2 games behind the leaders in their respective divisions, which was a sight to behold. Both teams were also bottoms in runs scored in their leagues, while having somewhat usable pitching and a halfway decent rotation. The Wolves were also amazingly last in stolen bases in the Federal League with SIX stolen bases. For the entire team! Chris Bauer was 2-for-11 in stealing, so maybe they should stop trying altogether. These two teams have played for three straight years already, and the Coons had won all three of those series.

Projected matchups:
Duarte Damasceno (3-6, 5.61 ERA) vs. Jimmy Nelson (3-5, 4.50 ERA)
Jeff Applegate (0-0) vs. Josh Jackson (2-6, 4.05 ERA)
Nick Walla (7-4, 3.35 ERA) vs. Ian Lowry (2-6, 4.70 ERA)

Applegate was not yet on the roster and would only be activated on Tuesday. The Coons would see only right-handers in this set, and the three worst ones by ERA for the Wolves.

Game 1
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – 2B Arantes – SS Novelo – CF Wilson – P Damasceno
SAL: 2B Labonte – RF J. Acuna – C F. Contreras – CF B. Davidson – 1B Eaves – LF Bauer – SS Katzman – 3B Roller – P J. Nelson

Fears of a 17-inning scoreless game were unfounded, since DD managed to cough up a run in the second inning on a leadoff double by Tyler Eaves, a groundout by Bauer, and then a wild pitch. The Raccoons drew even in the third with Corral tripling into the corner in right and then scoring on Spicer’s sac fly. Things then continued with relatively little offense through five innings, although Damasceno still managed to throw 75 pitches while issuing three full count walks, even when Javier Acuna helped out by being thrown out at third base by Corral, trying to go first-to-third on a Fernando Contreras single.

The Coons then threatened in the sixth, starting with Starr walking in a full count and continuing with soft Arantes and Novelo singles to load the bags with nobody out. Jaden Wilson came through with a 2-run single to right. Damasceno swung and flew out to center, but Corral found the corner again with an RBI double. Nelson lost Spencer in another full count, which filled the bags again, and from here the meltdown shifted into fifth gear for the Wolves. The count went 2-2 on Ramon Lopez before a passed ball ran the count full and scored Wilson, 5-1. Lopez fouled off one more pitch, then grounded to short, but John Katzman bungled the ball for an error and another run scored. That was the end for Nelson, who was replaced by B.J. Butrico, who got a grounder from Monck to first base. Eaves eagerly went to second base for a lurid double play, but threw the ball over the head of Katzman and into center for another error, and Spicer scored. Seven pitches to Joel Starr later, the bags were full again with another walk. Arantes hit a sac fly, and Novelo grounded out to short to end the inning; all in all the Coons scored seven runs on four hits, three walks, and two errors.

And then Damasceno went back out and was immediately beaten over the head for four more hits and two runs by the first five batters in the bottom 6th before he was removed. Soriano replaced him and got a groundout from Matt Roller and a fly from pinch-hitter John Tyner to keep the runners on base. Cullum got the ball in the seventh, but was also slapped around for three singles and a run, shortening the score to 8-4. He finished the inning and then a disturbingly competent J.J. Sensabaugh was thrown in to get the last six outs – which he did! 8-4 Raccoons. Corral 2-5, BB, 3B, 2B, RBI; Monck 2-4, BB, RBI; Starr 1-2, 3 BB; Wilson 3-5, 2 RBI; Sensabaugh 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K;

Jamie Colter (.286, 1 HR, 4 RBI) was returned to AAA to make room for the spot starter Applegate.

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – CF Wilson – SS Novelo – 2B Tallent – P Applegate
SAL: 1B Eaves – RF J. Acuna – 3B Frasher – LF Grulke – SS Katzman – CF Bauer – C Opsahl – 2B Labonte – P Jo. Jackson

Applecore was going on 27 and after over 100 innings of 3.07 ERA ball for the Coons in ’63 had gone straight into the bin, so nothing was expected from him here. So of course he went out there and pitched eight innings of 2-run ball against the dazzled Wolves, and those two runs were even unearned after a bad throw by Monck skipped past Joel Starr’s glove. The Wolves got six base hits off him, but he didn’t walk everything with legs – and I missed it, being in New York! Bother!

Offense for the Raccoons was hard to come by for a few innings, but Spicer opened the fourth inning with a single, stole second, and was doubled home by Rich Monck for the game’s first run. Jaden Wilson would cash Monck in the same inning, and the Raccoons scored in the next three innings as well; Corral drove in Tallent in the fifth, Starr struck a 2-run homer in the sixth, and Tallent was on base again to begin the seventh inning, stole second base and with two outs scored from second when Javier Acuna dropped Spicer’s fly for an error and two bases. The top four in the batting order would produce two more runs (one earned) on right-hander Guido Branco in the ninth inning, as Corral singled, Spicer reached on an error, Lopez hit an RBI ground-rule double, and Monck added a sac fly. McMahan allowed a run in the bottom 9th by allowing leadoff hits to Paul Labonte and Matt Roller, with the former scoring on a groundout in the inning. 8-3 Raccoons. Corral 2-5, RBI; Spicer 2-5, 2B; Lopez 2-5, 2 2B, RBI; Applegate 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (1-0);

Game 3
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – CF Wilson – SS Novelo – 2B Arantes – P Walla
SAL: 2B Labonte – RF J. Acuna – C F. Contreras – CF B. Davidson – 1B Eaves – LF Bauer – SS Katzman – 3B Roller – P Lowry

Walla was taken deep by Paul Labonte immediately in the bottom 1st, then issued walks to Acuna and Davidson, who were only left on base in the inning because Corral made a running catch on a Chris Bauer drive in the right-center gap. 3-ball counts became the norm for Walla pretty quickly in this game, and the Wolves shackled him in the bottom 3rd, which began with Labonte drawing a walk. Acuna singled, Davidson was plunked, and the bases were loaded. Tyler Eaves brought in a run with a groundout, but Bauer drove in two more, and then Walla even walked John Katzman. Matt Roller rolled out to second base, but Vinny Morales was warming for garbage relief by the fourth inning, which began with three singles on three pitches, beginning with Lowry, and then an RBI single by Fernando Contreras, and that was all for Walla. Morales came in and got out of the inning for a Davidson sac fly, whiffing Eaves and getting Bauer to ground out to short, but by now the Raccoons were down 6-0. Jose Corral changed that briefly with a solo homer in the top 5th, but the next solid contact the Raccoons made was Joel Starr disagreeing with the umpire’s strike three call in the sixth and waving his paws around enough to accidentally slap him on the arm, for which he was swiftly ejected. Spicer went to first and Tommy Branch played leftfield from there.

Morales pitched three innings in garbage relief, with the garbage being officially put in there in the bottom 6th with Acuna and Davidson homers to left, which counted for three runs in total. Sensabaugh pitched the last two innings on defense, entering in a double switch that also replaced Spicer with Spink at first base. Tony Spink drew a walk in the top 9th after leadoff singles by Novelo and Arantes off Zach Johnson, but Corral then hit into a run-scoring double play. Arredondo popped out in place of Sensabaugh to end the game. 9-2 Wolves. Novelo 2-4; Arantes 2-4, 2B; Sensabaugh 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;

Thursday was a day off for the Critters and they balanced the roster again by sending Vinny Morales (0-3, 7.59 ERA) back to AAA. Jorge Caballero had by no means found his stick again in St. Petersburg, but he was added to the roster anyway.

Raccoons (26-40) vs. Titans (45-21) – June 18-20, 2066

The Titans had swept the Raccoons with great brutality in a 4-game series in May (34-6 runs), and were now visiting Portland for the first time this year. They enjoyed an 8-game lead in the division, but had actually lost four games in a row. They had the #5 offense and the best pitching, and already a +90 run differential. Would the Raccoons be able to keep them under a hundo? Notably, Boston had placed Eddie Marcotte on the DL this week, robbing them of their best stick.

Projected matchups:
Shoma Nakayama (3-7, 3.38 ERA) vs. Jason Brenize (10-1, 1.81 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (3-6, 3.91 ERA) vs. Bryce Wallace (5-4, 3.92 ERA)
Duarte Damasceno (4-6, 5.57 ERA) vs. Matt Taylor (9-2, 2.50 ERA)

Those were three right-handers, and I had a hunch that Nakayama’s oddly shaped record would not improve by a lot against Blazing Brenize.

Game 1
BOS: LF S. Humphries – CF Joe Washington – SS Z. Suggs – C Arviso – RF A. Lee – 2B Onelas – 1B Ellwood – 3B C. Pena – P Brenize
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – CF Wilson – SS Novelo – 2B Arantes – P Nakayama

For two innings Nakayama held it together against Brenize, but a leadoff single by Bobby Ellwood, a walk to Cesar Pena, and then a bunt by Brenize put a pair in scoring position, and from there Steve Humphries got the game’s first run home with a groundout. Nakayama stranded Pena, but now he was 1-0 behind and Brenize, who struck out five in the first four innings, looked locked in – and then he did the same thing Nakayama had done earlier, and put the 7-8 batters on base to begin the bottom 5th. However, Nakayama popped up the bunt, making me groan audibly, and Corral and Spicer both hit tame flies that got the Critters absolutely nowhere.

Nakayama struck out Brenize to begin the sixth, except that the ball got away from Lopez and Brenize hustled to first base. Steve Humphries walked, but Joe Washington flew out to center and Zach Suggs hit into a double play, which sure sugged for him. Brenize remained dominant and on a 2-hitter through seven innings, but the Titans made a move and hit Damian Moreno for him to begin the eighth, and Moreno doubled. Nakayama continued until Washington tripled and Suggs took him deep to left with one out, which now sugged for us. Garvey replaced him, but gave up another homer to Jorge Arviso on his very first pitch. He would find his way out of the inning eventually, which was more than could be said about Steven Hudson, who got pummeled again in the ninth, allowing two hits, two walks, and departed with one run in, three runners aboard, and one out. Soriano walked in a run against Arviso, struck out Andy Lee, but then Bill Joyner drove in two more. Ellwood finally grounded out to Monck. The Raccoons never amounted to anything. 9-0 Titans. Lopez 2-4; Novelo 1-1, 2 BB; Arantes 0-1, 2 BB; Caballero (PH) 1-1;

(sigh!)

Juan Soriano (0-1, 4.28 ERA, 1 SV) was on waivers after this game. The Raccoons finally called up Josh Carrington, who had gotten his ERA in St. Pete back into the 5’s, so huzzah!

Game 2
BOS: 3B C. Pena – RF Ellwood – LF S. Humphries – SS Z. Suggs – CF Joe Washington – 1B Joyner – C S. Moreno – 2B Onelas – P B. Wallace
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – CF Branch – 2B Caballero – SS Arredondo – P Sanchez

Boston was up 1-0 right away with a Pena double and Suggs’ RBI single in the first inning. Sanchez held it from there despite issuing four walks across the next four innings, so his pitch count was right up there through five innings. Bryce Wallace put six strikeouts on the board and didn’t allow a base hit into the bottom 5th, when he was taken deep by Tommy Branch, out of all ******* people, which tied the score at one and lifted Branch’s batting average all the way to .140!

Caballero hit a single after the homer, but was left on base. Sanchez walked Ellwood to begin the sixth, and even with that runner getting doubled off by Suggs in 5-4-3 fashion to end the inning, Sanchez was at 102 pitches and that was it for him. The Coons made two outs in the bottom 6th before Ramon Lopez doubled and Rich Monck snuck a single to right. Lopez dashed home ahead of Ellwood’s throw, and the Raccoons took a 2-1 lead…! Starr walked, but Branch grounded out and left two on.

The Raccoons got a scoreless seventh from Cullum to hold on to the lead, and then tried McMahan in the eighth, but Cesar Pena singled and then it was Carrington’s season debut with a runner on first and one out, and two right-handed batters up. He walked Humphries on four pitches, but then got another double play from Suggs, who was 40 years old and was sure running like it. After Wallace finished eight innings with ten strikeouts, the Raccoons sent Dover into the ninth inning. Washington popped out and Brendan Snyder struck out, and with two outs the drama unfolded again. Sandy Moreno singled and was run for with Ricardo Alvarez. Andy Lee walked. Damian Moreno batted for the pitcher, slapped a low 2-2 pitch into play, but right at Caballero for the final out of the game. 2-1 Blighters.

Yay, a win against the Titans!

Cherish those, you can’t know whether you get more than three or four a year…

Game 3
BOS: LF S. Humphries – CF Joe Washington – SS Z. Suggs – C Arviso – 1B Joyner – RF A. Lee – 2B Onelas – 3B C. Pena – P M. Taylor
POR: RF Corral – 1B Spicer – SS Novelo – 3B Monck – CF Wilson – LF Branch – 2B Tallent – C Spink – P Damasceno

DD made it through the lineup once just fine, but then Spicer committed an error with two outs in the top 3rd, putting Washington on base, and from there Damasceno nailed Suggs, and gave up an RBI single to Arviso. Joyner grounded out, but it was 1-0 Boston and the Coons were hitless. DD hit a single with one out in the bottom 3rd, but Corral was robbed by Washington on a drive into the gap to keep the Raccoons from scoring in that inning.

Nobody scored in the middle innings, even though DD gave up some more singles to the Titans, but he also got a total of five strikeouts whenever he really needed one. The Coons were on only three hits through six innings against Taylor, and didn’t look like they were going to make it onto the board in that game. Humphries drew a leadoff walk in the seventh against Damasceno, who got two more outs before being replaced with Garvey, who inherited the runner on second base from DD, but stranded him with a three-pitch strikeout against Arviso.

Bottom 7th, and Jaden Wilson singled softly to center. Taylor remained in the game, but gave up a ball over the head of Washington to Tommy Branch, who legged out an RBI triple…! Tallent whiffed, but Tony Spink singled through the left side to flip the score to the Coons, 2-1. Garvey was retained to bunt, bopped the ball back to Taylor, and Taylor was on his last nerve at that point, and threw the ball away for an error and two bases. The Titans tried to solve this issue with an intentional walk to Corral, loading them up with one down for Spicer, who failed and popped out to Washington in shallow center for the second retirement. Novelo however bashed the ball into the left-center gap, Washington couldn’t get there, and the Coons moved away on a bases-clearing double…! Monck grounded out, and Garvey returned to the hill, and between him and Novelo immediately ****** two lefty hitters onto base. Joyner singled, Novelo dropped Lee’s pop, and that was that. Garvey was yoinked, and Cullum got three outs to get out of the inning, although on Onelas’ grounder to short an Pena’s sac fly, the Titans at least got a run. No more though – Dover retired them relatively quickly in the ninth inning. 5-2 Raccoons. Novelo 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Damasceno 6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K and 1-2;

In other news

June 14 – The Thunder score in every inning but the second in a 16-5 takedown of the Buffaloes. OCT 1B Ian Stone (.295, 9 HR, 41 RBI) drives in five runs from the #8 spot, both hits being homers.
June 15 – Boston LF/CF Eddie Marcotte (.316, 9 HR, 38 RBI) would be on the shelf until the end of July after suffering a pretty bad hamstring strain.
June 15 – The Warriors beat the Crusaders, 3-2 in 15 innings.
June 16 – Rebels outfielder Willie Ospina (.264, 1 HR, 19 RBI) was also down with a hamstring strain, and expected to miss four weeks.
June 18 – Denver MR Josh Carlisle (4-3, 4.79 ERA) pitches three innings from the 11th to the 13th and hits a walkoff grand slam (!) to beat the Pacifics, 8-4.
June 18 – RIC SP Pedro Acebedo (2-5, 4.58 ERA) was going to miss the rest of the season after suffering a tear in his flexor tendon.
June 18 – Thunder OF Coby Thore (.261, 6 HR, 23 RBI) was out for at least two months with a broken hand.
June 18 – San Francisco destroys Tijuana, 14-1. Every position player in the Bayhawks lineup has at least one hit, one run scored, and one RBI.
June 20 – Season over for PIT SP Cameron Parks (5-6, 5.44 ERA), who will have surgery for a torn rotator cuff.
June 20 – The Knights deal SP Danny Ortiz (4-6, 3.31 ERA) to the Capitals, receiving prospects in #96 SP Freddie DeWitt and #197 SS/2B Keith Lewis.

FL Player of the Week: LAP 2B/1B Rich Cabrera (.282, 15 HR, 44 RBI), socking .400 (10-25) with 4 HR, 9 RBI
CL Player of the Week: OCT 1B Ian Stone (.303, 10 HR, 43 RBI), batting .393 (11-28) with 3 HR, 7 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Tommy Branch is hitting a ******* .143, but he more or less single-handedly got the two wins going against the Titans this weekend, both times hitting for extra bases to erase a deficit, even when the actual winning runs came from other people later on.

Oh what that says about a team that has one qualifying batter left (Lopez) with an OPS+ over 100. Even Rich Monck has sucked his way to below-average territory now.

Suddenly Applecore looks like a contributor to the pitching staff. Keep in mind though that it is a pitching staff with bottlers and chokers, and people that give up eight runs in the last two innings of a ballgame.

The Coons will be back on the road next, visiting Elk City and Atlanta next week.

Fun Fact: Jason Brenize is well on his way to a Triple Crown right now.

He was up 22 points in ERA, two wins, and 14 strikeouts. Spare a thought for Mike Bell, his own teammate, who was in the top 3 in all triple crown categories as well, but always the bridesmaid:

Brenize: 11-1, 1.69 ERA, 121 K
Bell: 9-3, 2.29 ERA, 107 K

[Westheim]

Raccoons (28-41) @ Canadiens (32-36) – June 21-23, 2066

The damn Elks had so far won four of six games from the Raccoons, but were also struggling to score runs and … everything else, too. They were in the bottom four in both runs scored and runs allowed, didn’t rank better than sixth in any major category, and 11th in team defense. SP Jose Villegas was on the DL.

Projected matchups:
Jeff Applegate (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Ray Rath (2-6, 3.75 ERA)
Nick Walla (7-5, 3.89 ERA) vs. Dallas Samson (8-2, 3.36 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (3-8, 3.50 ERA) vs. Martyn Polaco (3-7, 5.87 ERA)

Polaco was the only left-hander in that trio of Elks starting pitchers.

The Monday opener was then immediately rained out. The Raccoons would go on and adjust their rotation to have Walla go first on Tuesday for the double header that was scheduled. The Elks stuck with Rath as the first guy up.

Game 1
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – SS Novelo – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – CF J. Wilson – 2B Arredondo – C Spink – P Walla
VAN: SS C. Castro – 2B Kilday – LF Whetstine – CF R. Atkins – RF Lozada – 1B N. Vaughn – C Varner – 3B Yue – P Rath

Nick Walla had runner(s) on base in every one of the first five innings, with the Elks stranding runners on the corners right in the first inning, and that wasn’t the last time that happened. There were two double plays turned and Spicer made two crucial running catches to somehow remain on top of the seven hits and two walks that Walla gave up inside the first five innings. In effect, the Elks did not score, although they sure ran up Walla’s pitch count, while a third-inning Jose Corral homer gave the Raccoons, who didn’t have much going besides that once again, a skinny 1-0 lead.

Rath walked Novelo and gave up a single to Rich Monck in the top 6th, putting runners on the corners with two outs and departing for lefty Jesse Connors, who got a grounder from Joel Starr, but the grounder died halfway to Hsi-Chuen Yue, and Starr legged it out for an infield single, plating Novelo from third base, 2-0. Jaden Wilson ended the inning with a strikeout, while Walla finally had a clean sixth, but then departed after Chris Richardson’s pinch-hit, 1-out single in the bottom 7th. McMahan gave up another single to Carlos Castro upon replacing him, but then got outs from Matt Kilday and Chad Whetstine to keep the Elks away. Josh Carrington got the ball for the eighth and had a scoreless inning, and the 2-0 lead was Dover’s in the ninth. He was gonna have a 1-2-3 ninth for a clean save until Novelo dropped Rico Cordero’s 2-out pop to short, and that brought Castro to the plate as the tying run. Dover lost him in a full count, but Arrendondo then got a grounder from Kilday that he handled for the final out. 2-0 Blighters. Walla 6.1 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, W (8-5);

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – CF Wilson – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – 2B Arantes – LF Branch – SS Caballero – P Applegate
VAN: 3B C. Castro – SS Kilday – CF R. Atkins – RF Lozada – LF Whetstine – 1B R. Cordero – C Orphanos – 2B Yue – P Samson

Whatever Applecore had found in his last start he seemed to have left in Salem, since he had the bases full just 19 pitches in after allowing a hit and two walks, but then Rico Cordero was nice enough to swing at every piece of garbage that came his way and the Critters’ tenth-string starter bowed out of a jam that way. The Elks then lost Whetstine to injury on a defensive play in the second inning, and Tyler Chenette replaced him. Still a better fate than Applecore, who walked FIVE batters in the bottom 2nd, including Rick Atkins and Roberto Lozada with the bases already walked full and two outs. Chenette then grounded out by foolishly poking. Applecore then walked Cordero to begin the third inning, which already tied him with the Raccoons franchise record for free passes issued by a starter that *wasn’t* shot afterwards. He then walked Castro to begin the fourth, allowed a single to Kilday, and was yanked. Sensabaugh surrendered one of his runners on a Lozada single, but at least got out of the inning with a 3-0 deficit, somehow.

The Raccoons, who had not done a whole lot so far, then loaded the bases in the fifth with Branch and Caballero singles and Corral being nicked after Sensabaugh’s bunt. Wilson batted with one out, and at once tied the game with a bases-clearing triple well over the head of Atkins in center! Of course after that Lopez had to whiff and Monck lined out to Castro, and the go-ahead run was stranded. Instead, Sensabaugh gave up a leadoff homer to .138 hitter Mike Orphanos to start off the bottom 5th…

Sensabaugh was beaten through four innings and held the Elks to their 4-3 lead while striking out six, which was still a commendable effort for an old quad-A pitcher, even though the loss was now hanging on him. The Raccoons got a leadoff walk to Wilson in the eighth, but then couldn’t do anything with that besides Ramon Lopez hitting into a double play. Last-year Critters southpaw Jon McGinley then got the save opportunity in the ninth inning. Starr struck out in a full count, and Leon Arantes and Tommy Branch both grounded out to Kilday at short… 4-3 Canadiens.

The Coons would need a fifth starter again next week, but it wasn’t gonna be Applecore (1-0, 2.45 ERA), who was sent right back to AAA. Tony Gaytan’s debut was leading at the bookies, but to get through the rest of the week, the Coons had to give in to the indignity of recalling Rich Read again.

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – SS Novelo – C Lopez – 1B Starr – RF Tallent – 3B Arantes – LF Branch – 2B Caballero – P Nakayama
VAN: SS C. Castro – 2B Kilday – CF R. Atkins – RF Lozada – C Varner – 1B N. Vaughn – LF Chenette – 3B Spalding – P Polaco

Ramon Lopez’ home run put the Coons up 1-0 in the first, and Joel Starr would add a 2-piece with Wilson on base to make it 3-0 with two outs in the third inning. That was an amount of offense that Nakayama better not take for granted and gamble responsibly with. Nakayama was generous with the pitches with a pitch count that rose early, allowed two hits in the second inning, but managed to get around that and held the Elks scoreless on four hits through five innings. Branch and Caballero then got on base with one out in the top 6th and Nakayama hit a sac fly to center, giving him his first RBI of the year, and Wilson singled home Caballero, who had stolen second base in the meantime. Novelo struck out to end the inning, but now in a 5-0 game.

Nakayama was then in a whole spot of bother to begin the bottom 6th as he nicked Kilday, walked Atkins, and gave up a single to Lozada. Three on, nobody out, Steve Varner popped out in foul territory to a hustling Starr, and then Nick Vaughn spanked a grounder at Caballero, on which the Raccoons turned two to dispel the threat. Top 7th, and Lopez led off with a double to center, his second extra-base bash of the day. Starr struck out against lefty ex-Coon Josh Mayo, but Tallent walked. Leon Arantes then singled through the right side; Lopez went for home and Tallent for third, and Lozada tried to get the trail runner, but threw the ball into no man’s land somewhere north-by-northwest of third base. While Steven Spalding had to scamper after that egg, Tallent also turned third base and scored, 7-0, and Arantes went to second base. Mayo walked Branch before being replaced with right-hander Mike Spire, who allowed a single to Caballero to fill the bases again. However, Nakayama whiffed and Wilson grounded out to end the inning.

The Raccoons pressed eight shutout innings on 108 pitches out of Nakayama before letting go. Southpaw Paul Wolk walked Branch with two outs in the ninth inning and Rich Monck pinch-hit for Caballero, socking a double to center for a ninth-inning run. Rich Read then finished the game and the series with a quick ninth inning. 8-0 Furballs! Wilson 2-5, RBI; Lopez 3-5, HR, 2B, RBI; Starr 2-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Tallent 2-3, 2 BB, 2B; Monck (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI; Nakayama 8.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W (4-8) and 1-3, RBI;

Raccoons (30-42) @ Knights (30-42) – June 25-27, 2066

On to Atlanta, where the Knights were sitting 11th in runs scored and eighth in runs allowed, and how were we constantly facing the next-worst team in scoring? Their pen was the worst in the league, and they had the second-lowest batting average and OBP … outsucked only by the Coons, of course, whom they had beaten two outta three earlier in the season. No injuries on the Knights right now.

Projected matchups:
Juan Sanchez (4-6, 3.73 ERA) vs. Sean Sweeton (8-4, 2.90 ERA)
Duarte Damasceno (4-6, 5.11 ERA) vs. Adam Lunn (5-8, 4.96 ERA)
Nick Walla (8-5, 3.61 ERA) vs. Steve Hunter (0-1, 7.71 ERA)

Both teams had been rained out on Monday, had played two on Tuesday, but only the Coons had been off on Thursday. We’d face one right-handed ex-Coon (Sweeton), miss another in Angel Alba (1-11, 6.53; yikes!), and would also miss the foremost Wonder of the Ancient World, Kodai Koga (5-7, 3.26 ERA). Righty Lunn and lefty Hunter had pitched in the double-header; putting them in this order was wishful thinking for a Southpaw Sunday.

Game 1
POR: RF Corral – CF J. Wilson – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Spicer – 2B Arredondo – P Sanchez
ATL: CF Fumero – C Hart – 1B M. Medina – RF J. Evans – SS C. Ramsey – LF J. Austin – 2B M. Weber – 3B Baxley – P Sweeton

Portland scored first in the Friday opener, as Monck, Starr, and Novelo landed straight hits to begin the top 2nd, two singles following a Monck double to left, and Novelo got the RBI for driving home the leadoff man, but the remaining runners were left on base by the bottom of the order, and Jake Evans shrugged and tripled into the leftfield corner to begin the bottom 2nd. Casey Ramsey struck out, but John Austin’s groundout tied the game, while Mike Weber’s homer to right then flipped the score to 2-1 Atlanta.

Right around that time it also began to rain, and the intensity of that rain varied a bit until the fourth – it got briefly quite hard when Monck hit into a double play to kill the top 3rd after Wilson and Lopez had reached base, but that coulda been my tears – before a rain delay was called in the top 4th and lasted for over an hour. Both pitchers had offered just over 40 pitches at that point and tried to continue, and both made it through five full innings just fine. Sanchez was however hit for after a 2-out Spicer double and intentional walk to Manny Arredondo in the sixth inning; however, Arantes flew out easily to Evans and the Raccoons remained behind.

Cullum remained clean in the bottom 6th, but the Rule 5er Steven Hudson and rookie Josh Carrington were beaten around for three runs in the bottom 7th as the game got away; all the runs were on Hudson, who allowed two hits and two walks before Carrington waved the remining runners home with two outs, and was becoming harder to explain why we kept taking Hudson on trips. The Coons offense was dormant until the ninth inning when Spicer singled leading off, stole second, and an infield single for Caballero put runners on the corners and the tying run in the on-deck circle. Tommy Branch batted for Garvey, who had gotten the last out in the eighth, but struck out. Corral singled over Weber, cleanly, brought in Spicer, and Wilson to the plate as the tying run with one down. Closer Brad Fales allowed another single, filling the bases, but then escaped when Lopez smashed into a double play, 6-4-3, to end the game. 5-2 Knights. Wilson 3-5; Spicer 3-4, 2B; Caballero (PH) 1-1;

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – CF J. Wilson – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Spicer – 2B Arantes – P Damasceno
ATL: RF V.D. Morales – C Hart – CF J. Evans – SS C. Ramsey – LF Consuegra – 1B M. Medina – 2B Fumero – P Lunn – 3B Baxley

DD struck out with the bases loaded and two outs in the top 2nd, then went to the hill and threw eight straight balls to Jose Consuegra and Miguel Medina to start the bottom 2nd on Saturday. Carlos Fumero’s grounder to short was bungled by Novelo, the error filling the bases, and DD uncorked a wild pitch before walking the pitcher Lunn. John Baxley hit a 2-run single to left, 3-0, before the top of the order made three meek outs to let Damasceno out of the inning at all, but by now he was on a staggering 57 pitches after having seen only 12 batters.

DD went through five awful innings, offering more walks to Casey Ramsey in the third and Justin Hart in the fifth, and then those two were both doubled off by the next respective batter in line, and Damasceno still almost filled 100 pitches in five innings. The Coons were actually out-hitting the Knights through five, a mere 3-2, but didn’t have a run, and hadn’t been close to one since Damasceno had whiffed with Novelo, Spicer, and Arantes on base in the second.

Jose Corral then led off the sixth with a double to right. Wilson walked, but Lopez flew out to left, and Monck hit into another double play before making an error behind Sensabaugh that led to an unearned run for Atlanta in the bottom 6th. Spicer singling and stealing second put a runner in scoring position against Lunn in the seventh, and Leon Arantes finally came through with an RBI single to right, putting Portland on the board. Branch batted for Sensabaugh and smacked an RBI double into the left-center gap, but Lunn struck out Corral and that ended the inning. Cullum got the ball in a 4-2 game, did away with the Knights on seven pitches in the home half of the seventh, which was a stark contrast to Rich Read filling the bases, as clueless as ever, in the eighth. Ricky McMahan had to come in to strike out Matt McLaren and strand a whole set of Knights. Fales was then back with the 2-run lead in the ninth, facing the 5-6-7 batters, and those went down in order, and fast. 4-2 Knights. Corral 2-4, 2B; Spicer 2-4; Arantes 1-2, BB, RBI; Branch (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI;

The Raccoons asked “but what if we put ALL right-handed bats in there?” for their Sunday lineup, and ended up with Tommy Branch batting fourth, which automatically made them deserve the loss and sweep.

Game 3
POR: SS Novelo – RF Arantes – 3B Monck – LF Branch – 1B Starr – CF Tallent – 2B Caballero – C Spink – P Walla
ATL: RF V.D. Morales – C Hart – CF J. Evans – SS C. Ramsey – LF Consuegra – 1B M. Medina – 2B Fumero – P S. Hunter – 3B Baxley

The crammed all-right-handed approach (well, minus Monck and Starr…) didn’t work on offense, and then not at all once Pablo Novelo came up limping after a 1-out double in the third inning. It was the weirdest play, following a walk to Walla, who went first-to-third, while it was Victor David Morales, who caromed hard off the wall in pursuit of Novelo’s fly ball, but picked himself up and was good to go. Arredondo would take over at short, getting stranded on second base on Arantes’ sac fly and Monck’s groundout. This left the Coons down 2-1, as the Knights’ 4-5-6 batters had clipped straight singles off Walla in the bottom 2nd, going to the corners before Medina drove in the game’s first run, while Consuegra scored on Fumero’s double play grounder.

In the fourth, the Coons followed a Branch single and a walk to Starr with three straight strikeouts. Walla didn’t strike out *anybody* through four innings, but then opened the top 5th with a Walla-banger and a double against the southpaw Hunter. Arredondo dropped in a duck snort for a single behind the shortstop, moving Walla and the tying run to third base. Arantes (seriously, who are these people, and why are they begging *me* for snacks all the time??) grounded up the middle, where Ramsey contained the ball behind the bag, but had no play, and that infield single tied the game at two. Those two scrubs then did a double steal, allowing Monck to get his 40th RBI on a sac fly to right, which was also the go-ahead RBI. Branch walked, Starr whiffed, and then Tallent knocked out Hunter with a 2-out, 2-run double into the rightfield corner, 5-2. Josh Doyle walked Caballero, Tony Spink slapped an RBI single to center, and the 5-run inning ended with a K to Walla, who had nevertheless sparked that rally.

That 5-spot also dulled the Knights’ lances and they went down rather meekly against Walla in the next four innings, with only one eyebrow-raising play made by Branch behind the pitcher; nothing more was needed anymore to get through eight innings on exactly 100 pitches. Top 9th, and southpaw Ed Nadeau put Arredondo and Branch on the corners, allowing a double and a 2-out walk, respectively. Starr was hitless and lifted for Ramon Lopez, who cracked a 2-run double into the leftfield corner. When right-hander Larry Wilson replaced the pitcher, Jaden Wilson batted for Tallent and won the battle of the Wilsons with a single to center, although Lopez stopped at third base. Caballero fanned to leave them on base, while Hudson got the ball in the bottom 9th, was two thirds on his way to load the bases again, but then Fumero hit into a double play to end the game. 8-2 Raccoons. Novelo 1-2, 2B; Arredondo 2-3, 2B; Arantes 2-4, 2 RBI; Lopez (PH) 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI; Wilson (PH) 1-1; Walla 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (9-5) and 1-3, BB, 2B;

In other news

June 21 – SAL SP Ian Lowry (4-6, 3.72 ERA) throws a 2-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts to beat the Pacifics, 5-0. Both Pacifics hits are doubles off the bat of 1B Alejandro Olivares (.304, 8 HR, 30 RBI).
June 22 – San Francisco gets 31-year-old 3B Chad O’Donnell (.421, 1 HR, 8 RBI) from the Falcons while trading away 25-year-old INF Tony Gaines (.235, 2 HR, 37 RBI) and #94 prospect SP Jason Holzmeister. The whole transaction was hard to explain.
June 24 – CIN SP John Steele (6-5, 4.38 ERA) shuts out the Rebels on three hits in a 9-0 game.
June 27 – The Loggers rout the Falcons, 13-3, in the second game of a double-header, with five hits – three singles and two doubles – and four RBI coming from 24-year-old OF/2B Tim Goss (.298, 3 HR, 31 RBI). The Loggers also sweep the entire day, having taken the first game by a score of 3-2 and with another two hits and an RBI from Goss.
June 27 – Indians CF/LF/1B/3B Matt Martin (.279, 5 HR, 39 RBI) is expected to be out for a month with a broken foot.
June 27 – The Thunder beat the Indians, 4-3 in 15 innings. The deciding runs in the 15th are preceded by nine innings of nothingness.

FL Player of the Week: DAL 3B/SS/LF Xavier Reyes (.338, 2 HR, 23 RBI), clipping .560 (14-25) with 2 RBI
CL Player of the Week: NYC SP Jerry Washington (9-2, 3.35 ERA), going 2-0 with 12 K across 15 innings pitched

Complaints and stuff

Yes, I am very proud of Walla-banger. I’ll keep it.

There were no news about Novelo’s injury available by Sunday night. Why not pack more nameless infielders on the roster with him going down…!? (pulls fur) It would not be Carlos Gutierrez, who was banished to AAA last month, had been highly unproductive there, and was now down for two months with a strained hammy of his own. What a season!

The open spot in the Coons rotation is for Tuesday now, with no more off days until the All Star Game. Is that gonna be Tony Gaytan’s time? The 22-year-old (23 in July) #98 prospect was 6-5 with a 3.46 ERA, and 83 strikeouts to 32 walks in 104 innings in AAA.

Reliever Juan Soriano cleared waivers and was assigned to AAA.

The consecutive string of games until the All Star Game would consist of a home week against the Condors and Crusaders, then a road week against the Loggers and Indians. We would then also see the Loggers to complete the four-and-four on the other side of the All Star break.

Fun Fact: We all lived long enough to witness a Raccoons starter walk nine batters in a game.

What an achievement for Applecore!

Gone was the old record of eight walks held jointly by (deep breath) … Jose Berrios (1980), Román Ocasio (1981), Logan Evans (1981), Nick Brown (2002), Chris Brown (2015), “Tragic” Travis Garrett (2024), Darren Brown (2034), Jared Ottinger (2038), Jesus Guzman (2055), and Craig Kniep (2056)!

Aren’t we proud…

[Westheim]

Raccoons (31-44) vs. Condors (38-38) – June 28-30, 2066

The Condors were almost annoyingly average; seventh in runs scored and seventh in runs allowed, and playing .500 ball, they also hugged the league average in several offensive team categories. Notably though, they were very bad on defense and had the third-worst rotation by ERA. Those sort of hiccups notwithstanding, they had swept the Raccoons in the first 3-game set played between these teams in ’66, back when the team couldn’t get out of bed without slamming their snouts into the ground. Outfielder Mike Pinault was the only notable injury on the Condors.

Projected matchups:
Shoma Nakayama (4-8, 3.21 ERA) vs. Brett Bebout (5-4, 3.17 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (0-0) vs. Ryan Davis (6-5, 4.00 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (4-7, 3.72 ERA) vs. Marco Clemente (5-6, 4.70 ERA)

Yes, it is happening; Tony Gaytan would make his major league debut on Tuesday – but he was not on the roster yet to begin the series. The Portlanders were already short-pawed due to the Pablo Novelo injury; no news had come forth for that so far, but he was still on the roster.

The Condors only had right-handers to throw up there.

Game 1
TIJ: C Brann – SS M. Moreno – 2B Nye – 1B Metz – LF Ewig – RF J. Martinez – 3B Lange – CF K. Hawkins – P Bebout
POR: RF Corral – CF Wilson – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Spicer – SS Arredondo – 2B Arantes – P Nakayama

Both teams scored early with the help of a leadoff double, the Coons doing so in the bottom 1st when Corral doubled and was maneuvered around to score on Ramon Lopez’ sac fly, while Nakayama stranded two runners in the first, but allowed a double to left to Jesus Martinez. Ralph Lange and Kyle Hawkins were retired easily, but none of that helps when you then fumble a 2-out RBI single to the opposing pitcher…

The leadoff batter kept getting on base for the Condors, with Mario Moreno singling and being doubled off by Andy Metz in the third, while Matt Ewig drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and then jogged home casually when Jesus Martinez, seven years removed from being a Critter, belted a homer to right, 3-1. Martinez would follow up those heroics with an RBI double in the sixth inning, again driving home Matt Ewig, while the Raccoons were still on that Corral double for hits and … nothing else at all through five innings. Corral also had the Critters’ second hit, a single to left in the bottom 6th with tow outs, and Jaden Wilson doubled to left as well, but Corral was held and Lopez grounded out to keep them in scoring position. Raccoons were back on second and third in the bottom 7th with a Starr single and Spicer double, and one down. This time, the Raccoons’ rickety middle infield ended up striking out and grounding out, respectively.

Two Raccoons were on *again* in the eighth, this time to start the inning. While Carrington and Read held the Condors to their 4-1 lead in relief of Nakayama, Jorge Caballero batted for Read to begin the inning and singled to left. Bebout then struck Corral into the unprotected elbow with a fastball; both left the game, one wincing, and one being relieved by ex-Coon Takenori Tanizaki. Randy Tallent ran for Corral, Jaden Wilson popped out, and Ramon Lopez loaded the bags with a single in front of Ewig. Left-hander Joe Allen replaced Tanizaki, struck out Rich Monck for the second out of the inning, and then got beaten by Joel Starr for about 380 feet to right – GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!

Spicer would hit a single and stole his 22nd base, but was left on by Arredondo to end the bottom 8th before Jesse Dover retired the Condors in order to end the game entirely. 5-4 Critters. Corral 2-3, 2B; Starr 1-4, HR, 4 RBI; Spicer 2-4, 2B; Caballero (PH) 1-1;

(gives a confused Joel Starr, standing around in his underpants in the clubhouse, a thick smooch on the cheek)

The win went to Rich Read, the third of his messy quad-A career, and the first in four years.

Tuesday then brought injury news as Jose Corral was found out to have an elbow contusion. He was out for the rest of the week in all likelihood, while Pablo Novelo was ailing from a back strain that would keep him out for most of July. Novelo went to the DL and for the time being that roster spot went to Tony Gaytan, but Corral was left on the roster. This meant that the Raccoons had a 3-man bench on Tuesday.

Game 2
TIJ: 3B Lange – SS M. Moreno – 2B Nye – 1B Metz – LF Ewig – RF J. Martinez – C F. Rivera – CF K. Hawkins – P R. Davis
POR: CF Wilson – RF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Branch – 2B Caballero – SS Arantes – P Gaytan

Ralph Lange greeted Tony Gaytan with a double to left and scored on groundouts by Moreno and Nick Nye for an early deficit. Ewig hit another leadoff double to center in the second inning, but he was stranded on a grounder, a pop on the infield by Felix Rivera, and another grounder by Kyle Hawkins. Ryan Davis then clipped a leadoff single off Gaytan in the third inning, which wasn’t ideal, either, but Gaytan would reach back and get his first big league strikeouts on Lange and Andy Metz to get out of the inning, even when Moreno hit a single with one out, without allowing another run.

The Raccoons were retired in order the first time through before Jaden Wilson hit a single in the fourth… and that was about that. Gaytan never stopped getting hit; Lange doubled and was singled home by Nye in the fifth inning, 2-0, and then was taken well deep by Metz to double that score, and then allowed even more singles in the inning. He barely made it out of the fifth, but would not return after allowing ten hits for four runs in a shoddy debut.

The Coons answered with three runs of their own in the bottom 5th as Branch and Caballero got on base with one out before Arantes’ groundout scored Branch from third base. Arredondo and Wilson both landed RBI knocks, but Spicer grounded out to end the rally. Futile poking then broke out all the way to the ninth inning, with Ryan Davis going all the way there, while the Raccoons pieced it together with Hudson, McMahan, and Cullum before giving the ball to Read in the ninth. This time he grossly failed again and loaded the bases with long counts, two walks, and a single, before Dover replaced him with two outs and struck out Jason Thorpe in the #5 spot to strand Miguel Veguilla, Nick Nye, and Leonardo Jimenez on base. Matt Nelson then got the ball for the bottom 9th, but immediately gave up a double to Monck to put the tying run on base. Joel Starr then bashed another long fly, and that one went out as well…! It’s a walkoff!!! 5-4 Furballs! Wilson 2-4, RBI; Starr 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Branch 2-3, 2B; Arredondo (PH) 1-1, RBI;

Gaytan was allowed to stay, but Rich Read (1-0, 0.00 ERA) ended up on waivers by Wednesday. We needed a stick; in AAA we had three catchers and five infielders – none on the 40-man roster – and five outfielders, ALL of whom were on the 40-man roster. Since Jamie Colter had all his limbs on right now, he was brought up.

Rich Monck was scheduled for a day off on Wednesday before *everybody* got a day off on Wednesday because it rain incessantly and the game was washed out.

Raccoons (33-44) vs. Crusaders (43-33) – July 1-4, 2066

The Crusaders were six games behind the Titans in the division. They were also up 4-3 on the Raccoons this year, but both teams had swept a series to get there. They had the third-best team OBP and the third-best starters’ ERA, but lacked power and the pen was aching. To make matters worse, they had just moved ace Ben Seiter (7-6, 2.72 ERA) to the DL with a sore shoulder, and regulars Ryan Spehar and Eddie Menchaca were out as well.

Projected matchups:
Juan Sanchez (4-7, 3.72 ERA) vs. Jerry Washington (9-2, 3.35 ERA)
Nick Walla (9-5, 3.49 ERA) vs. Jeff Kozloski (3-3, 4.99 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (4-8, 3.38 ERA) vs. Ricardo Montoya (9-2, 2.46 ERA)
Duarte Damasceno (4-7, 5.02 ERA) vs. Erik Lee (7-6, 3.65 ERA)

Those were only right-handers lined up for New York, although you had the possibility to add a left-hander to the rotation with Seiter down.

The Coons took the rainout and skipped DD behind Walla and Nakayama, who would thus go on regular rest.

Game 1
NYC: CF Box – 2B O. Sanchez – LF Ambriz – RF Takeuchi – 3B B. Wilken – SS Blackshire – C Villafan – 1B Jose Alvarez – P Jer. Washington
POR: CF Wilson – RF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Branch – 2B Caballero – SS Arantes – P J. Sanchez

Juan Sanchez walked Ben Wilken and Dave Blackshire to begin the second inning and of course surrendered those runs on a 2-out, 2-run single by Washington that dropped behind Caballero. The Coons also had two base runners in the bottom 2nd, as Starr and Branch reached, but Caballero grounded out and Arantes whiffed to keep them stranded. Omar Sanchez drew a leadoff walk from Juan Sanchez to begin the third inning, then advanced on Jose Ambriz’ groundout, and tried for home on a single to right by Kazuhide Takeuchi. Spicer’s throw was in time, and Lopez and Sanchez collided forcefully at the plate, but Lopez held on to the ball and all his limbs, and Sanchez was out. And for what? For Juan Sanchez to issue another walk to Wilken, and then give up three 2-out runs on knocks by Blackshire and Willie Villafan… He then also allowed another single to Jose Alvarez before getting the pitcher out. His awful start continued for another two innings and two more runs allowed in the fifth inning before he was whisked away.

The Raccoons had just five hits through as many innings, and their only run had come in the third inning when Spicer’s grounder forced out Jaden Wilson, but he stole second base and then was driven in from there by Ramon Lopez. The Raccoons went to J.J. Sensabaugh after Sanchez’ awful start, but for the first time since coming up this season, Sensabaugh also fell straight into a bucket of ****, and walked five batters while getting just four outs before trotting off the hill after 41 largely useless pitches. He allowed three runs in the top 6th, and McMahan had to clean up his mess in the seventh. Well beaten, the Raccoons made up one run in the eighth against Jarod Nesbit, when Rich Monck singled home Wilson, but that was it for rallying. 10-2 Crusaders. Wilson 2-4, 2B; Lopez 2-4, RBI; Monck 2-4, RBI; Branch 2-3, BB;

11 walks and five strikeouts for Raccoons tossers in this game. Hopefully not a prelude for the next three days…

Game 2
NYC: LF Jose Alvarez – 2B O. Sanchez – CF Box – RF Takeuchi – 3B B. Wilken – C Reyna – SS Blackshire – 1B J. Allen – P Kozloski
POR: CF Wilson – 1B Starr – C Lopez – 3B Monck – LF Branch – RF Colter – 2B Arantes – SS Arredondo – P Walla

Bryant Box hit a 2-run homer over the Walla in the first inning, and the Raccoons right away resumed trailing, and Dave Blackshire and Jared Allen pooled hits together in the second inning to allow the former Raccoons infielder to score on Alvarez’ groundout in the second, 3-0. The Coons made outs with their first four batters against Kozloski before he walked Branch and Colter back-to-back, and while Arantes was no help, Arredondo snuck a 2-out RBI single through the left side to get the Coons on the board before Walla popped out to Omar Sanchez.

The score was still 3-1 when we got an hourlong rain delay in the fourth inning as some weather with thunder and lightning moved through, announcing that this year the Oregon summer would fall on a weekend. Walla returned after that delay, retired Jose Alvarez to begin the fifth, and then it started flashing in the sky *again* and we headed for another 45-minute delay. This one killed Walla’s start for good, but the Crusaders actually sent Kozloski back out long enough for him to give up fifth-inning dingers to Jaden Wilson and Rich Monck, the latter with Lopez on base and flipping the score to 4-3 Portland…!?

The Raccoons then tried to gain length with Steven Hudson, which was just doomed to fail. The Crusaders made three outs on four pitches against him in the sixth inning – which was not to mean they didn’t whack the ball – but the first pitch in the seventh was a game-tying homer by Allen, and after Cesar Santiago flew out to right, Jose Alvarez tripled and Sanchez walked. Hudson was yanked, and McMahanentered, walking the bags full and serving up a bases-clearing double to Ben Wilken that gave New York a 7-4 lead. Justin Cullum got the ball in the eighth, but ****** the bags full before giving up a 2-out grand slam to Takeuchi, which Jamie Colter tried to answer with a solo shot to right in the home half of the inning. Carrington got the last four outs in this particular blowout and struck out in his first big-league at-bat with two outs and nobody on in the bottom 8th. 11-5 Crusaders. Arantes 3-4, 2B, RBI;

This was the 30th and last game in which the Raccoons tried to make Steven Hudson somehow work out. He was walking 26 batters in 36.2 innings and was getting whacked on top of that, and was now 0-2 with a 6.38 ERA. By Saturday, he was the Cyclones’ problem again, having his Rule 5 status revoked.

Bring on the debutants! The Coons called up another right-hander, the 2060 fifth-rounder Matt Schmieder, who had bounced around between Ham Lake and St. Pete for the last three years. He was prone to homers, but the curveball might actually play in the majors.

Game 3
NYC: LF Jose Alvarez – 2B O. Sanchez – CF Box – RF Takeuchi – 3B B. Wilken – C Reyna – SS Blackshire – 1B J. Allen – P R. Montoya
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Colter – 2B Tallent – SS Arredondo – P Nakayama

For a change the Raccoons scored first on Saturday as Jaden Wilson doubled up the line in left and then scored on a grounder and Lopez’ sac fly to get the team on the board. Wilson also had to work hard in the field, having to rush for no fewer than three fly balls to center in the first two innings, helping Nakayama to retire the first seven New Yorkers to bat until a Starr error put Allen on base, but Montoya and Alvarez were retired calmly to keep the Crusaders at bay for the moment.

Nakayama then doubled in the bottom 3rd to put up a threat with one out. Wilson singled shyly, and Spicer was brushed by the pitch to load the bases for Lopez, who jammed one to Blackshire or a 6-4-3 double play in a full count, and that was that; Nakayama then went on to get an out from Omar Sanchez before Bryant Box singled, Takeuchi waited out a walk, and then Ben Wilken thundered a 3-run homer to give New York the lead. Nakayama still held them to three hits in five innings, then gave up five singles in the sixth as the game blew up on him for good. Takeuchi led off the inning with a single, and then the bottom four in the order knocked them out straight after Wilken flew out to center. Allen drove in two more runs, while Blackshire blundered running the bases and was tagged out at third base on the play. Garvey came in for the left-handed top of the order, but allowed another two RBI singles to Alvarez and Sanchez before Box grounded out, and by now the Crusaders were half a dozen ahead on the Raccoons, who had just three hits against Montoya, who got through six without major issues despite his low stamina.

Garvey allowed another leadoff single to a left-handed batter, Takeuchi, in the top 7th before being shanked, and the Raccoons threw the towel with Sensabaugh replacing him. Sensabaugh was useless *again*, and didn’t make it out of the inning. He filled the bags right away, plated Garvey’s run with a wild pitch, and then allowed two more runs with bases-loaded walks to Alvarez and Sanchez before Box cleared the bases with a double into the right-center gap. Two hits, four walks, and two outs was all the Coons got from Sensabaugh, and Matt Schmieder made his debut in a blowout. He right away walked Takeuchi on four pitches, threw a wild pitch, and then allowed a long drive to center, but Wilson got back and caught that. Schmieder then failed the bases full in the eighth and walked in a run with Alvarez and one out, then was also yanked for Dover, who had to come in just to stop the hemorrhage. He allowed a run on Sanchez’ groundout, then struck out Box to end the third ****** inning in a row. The ninth inning was on a volunteer basis and Manny Arredondo took the baseball. Takeuchi doubled and walks to Wilken and Reyna filled the bags with nobody out before Blackshire popped out on the infield. Jared Allen socked a bases-clearing double, Jose Ambriz walked, and the Raccoons needed another volunteer, which turned out to be Joel Starr. He allowed straight singles to Alvarez, Sanchez, and Box, with Jamie Colter chipping in a throwing error to cause additional kerfuffles on the third single there. Takeuchi finally found a ******* glove on the infield for a groundout, but Starr plated the last runner on base with a wild pitch that scattered the home plate umpire, before Monck handled a grounder for the final out. The Coons saw Monck score on a wild pitch by Dave Hyman in the bottom 9th, but it didn’t make a particularly big dent in the final score. 23-2 Crusaders. Wilson 3-4, 2 2B;

11 walks and five strikeouts – for the second time in this series. Arredondo’s hapless appearance had something to do with that, but nevertheless… three in the fourth, four in the sixth, six in the seventh, two in the eighth, and eight in the ninth.

CAN ANYBODY HERE GET A ******* OUT????

The Raccoons now needed arms in the worst way, but there was NOTHING in AAA that was still worth calling up. It was the midpoint of the season, and we appeared to have run entirely out of tossers.

Game 4
NYC: LF Jose Alvarez – 2B O. Sanchez – CF Box – RF Takeuchi – 3B B. Wilken – C Reyna – SS Blackshire – 1B J. Allen – P E. Lee
POR: CF Wilson – RF Spicer – 1B Starr – 3B Monck – LF Branch – 2B Caballero – SS Arredondo – C Spink – P Damasceno

It was made clear to DD before the game that he wasn’t gonna come out of the game without throwing 100 pitches, which, knowing him, would probably take him five and a third for six runs. He put two on and threw 20 pitches in the first inning, putting him right on pace, and then loaded the bases with the 6-7-8 batters and no shred of a clue in the second inning. He struck out the pitcher Lee, but then Alvarez singled home two. DD walked the bags full again with Sanchez, Box hit a sac fly, and Takeuchi hit one 365 feet the ugly side past the foul pole for a 6-0 score. – Slappy, I will need the number of that guy you know that makes the worst stains disappear. I have about ten **** stains that need to disappear off this roster…

Branch doubled and Caballero plated him with a single in the bottom 2nd for the day’s token offensive effort, while Damasceno was on 59 pitches through two ******* innings. Wilson tripled in the bottom 3rd and scored on a Spicer single, but Spicer was then caught stealing. Top 4th, Alvarez led off with a single and stole second o course, and Damasceno walked Sanchez. Spink threw away the ball on a double steal attempt, allowing one runner to score and the other into third base, from where he scored on Box’ sac fly to Branch, 8-2. Takeuchi hit another homer to right, 9-2, and that was the extent of damage done to Damasceno, who tossed 108 times in a ******* disgrace of an outing that ended with a 1-2-3 fifth, courtesy of three eager fly balls for outs by the 7-8-9 batters. Jamie Colter batted for Damasceno in the bottom 5th after Spink reached on an error and socked a homer to right, not that that was gonna change anything. Right away, McMahan ****** another run onto the board in the sixth, allowing leadoff single and a sac fly to Takeuchi, 10-4. Carrington allowed three singles and a run in the seventh. Cullum and Dover finished out the blowout sweep with scoreless innings, although Cullum put a pair on base. 11-4 Crusaders. Arantes (PH) 1-1; Colter (PH) 1-2, HR, 2 RBI;

In other news

June 28 – SAC SP Curt Green (4-6, 4.77 ERA) will miss the rest of the season and probably the start of the next with a partial tear in his UCL.
June 28 – Vancouver beats Atlanta, 5-4 in 14 innings, with the only run in the latter seven innings of that game.
June 29 – BOS INF Cesar Pena (.299, 2 HR, 30 RBI) will miss the rest of the season due to a torn back muscle.
July 2 – A sixth-inning triple by VAN INF Matt Kilday (.331, 0 HR, 23 RBI), after which he scores on a sac fly, is the only Canadiens hit in a 6-1 loss to the Indians, for whom SP Victor Perez (5-4, 3.10 ERA) and MR Victor Ramirez (2-4, 4.59 ERA, 1 SV) combine for the Victorious 1-hitter.
July 3 – TOP SP Josh Barcellona (7-4, 3.66 ERA) 1-hits the Blue Sox and strikes out ten Nashville batters in a 7-0 shutout. The only hit is a double by NAS RF Austin Gordon (.299, 9 HR, 46 RBI), who later leaves the game with a quad strain and would miss time until the All Star Game.
July 3 – The Indians send SP Keith Thompson (4-6, 4.15 ERA) and $1.36M in cash to the Cyclones for outfielder Wil Martinez (.196, 0 HR, 5 RBI).
July 3 – The Loggers deal their closer Steve Keller (1-2, 3.52 ERA, 14 SV) to the Capitals for two prospects.
July 3 – SAC INF/LF/RF J.P. Gallo (.287, 18 HR, 65 RBI) was out for at least three weeks after spraining his ankle in a game against the Wolves.

FL Player of the Week: SAC INF Alex Castillo (.281, 9 HR, 32 RBI), hitting .417 (10-24) with 2 HR, 5 RBI
CL Player of the Week: NYC LF/RF Kazuhide Takeuchi (.317, 19 HR, 65 RBI) scorching .419 (13-31) with 3 HR, 10 RBI

FL Hitter of the Month: DAL OF Chad Pritchett (.326, 23 HR, 90 RBI), bashind .324 with 8 HR, 36 RBI
CL Hitter of the Month: OCT 1B Ian Stone (.305, 13 HR, 49 RBI), cracking .349 with 9 HR, 27 RBI
FL Pitcher of the Month: NAS SP Tony Marquez (9-4, 3.03 ERA), going 4-0 with 2.64 ERA, 26 K
CL Pitcher of the Month: MIL SP Girolamo Pizzichini (6-6, 4.87 ERA), a perfect 6-0 with a 2.21 ERA, 22 K
FL Rookie of the Month: DEN UT Chris Blasey (.325, 1 HR, 7 RBI), going .329 with 1 HR, 7 RBI
CL Rookie of the Month: LVA INF Koji Hatakeyama (.257, 0 HR, 16 RBI), batting .232 with 8 RBI

Complaints and stuff

(looks like he has more black eyes than usual)

So the Coons chose to follow up a .640 June by getting SWEPT by the Crusaders. And I mean SWEPT: over four games, we scored 13 runs, which was up to snuff by ’66 Coons standards. The Crusaders started by scoring a tenner on Thursday, and built from there, and ultimately RAPED the Raccoons for *55* runs in a 4-game series.

Yes. RAPED. I feel personally violated. And the poor Crusaders had to fall over each other for Player of the Week honors. Could just as well have been Box or Alvarez. Takeuchi had four hits and one RBI against the Falcons. He turned into the Eliminator in Portland.

Actual solutions are not in sight. There is only doldrums and dandruff left in St. Pete, and any help now has to come from the waiver wire, which is as depressing as it sounds.

The Condors rainout from Wednesday would be made up on August 27 with a double header to begin the Condors’ return to Raccoons Ballpark. This would be the fourth of 13 straight games between off days, but with the off day on the 23rd and rosters expanding on September 1 the pitching disruptions might be minimal. It was one of three rainouts that day.

Tony Gaytan specifically requested to wear #69. I don’t know why, but Cristiano is snickering, so it can’t mean anything good.

The international free agent signing window opened on Thursday, however, due to our spending spree last year we were in the highest penalty bracket this season and could not sign anybody for more than $70k.

The battered Coons would now drag themselves on the road for four games in Milwaukee and three in Indy. The reward for making it that far would be the All Star break with enough time to a good manly cry.

Fun Fact: Ben Seiter, age 36, was on the DL for the first time in his career.

He had shown up four times in the injury report before, but always for minor things like finger blisters and the like. He had never missed a beat after making his debut in mid-2052, two years removed from being the #6 pick. From 2053 through 2065, he made 33+ starts every year but that one time he had to make a super-extra-innings appearance and made just 32 starts.

Seiter for his career was 232-137 with a 3.33 ERA and 2,773 strikeouts. He had won two Pitcher of the Year awards in 2056 and 2057, and had led the CL in wins six times, in ERA once, and in strikeouts once. He also pitched the most innings four times, including twice in the last three years. His entire career had of course been spent with the Crusaders, but he was a free agent after this season.

[Westheim]

Raccoons (33-48) @ Loggers (33-49) – July 5-8, 2066

The bottom feeders of the CL North would meet for eight of their next eleven games, with a 2-2 tie so far in the season series. The Coons couldn’t score, and the Loggers couldn’t pitch, but they were second in runs scored in the league, somehow, and had just a -41 run differential. The Raccoons, after getting utterly destroyed by the Crusaders in the last four games, had their run differential blasted all the way down to -111. Loggerland was without a battery’s worth of Nick Waldron and Tommy Guitreau; Waldron was out for the year, but Guitreau should be able to return for the back end of the four-and-four in Portland after the All Star Game.

Projected matchups:
Tony Gaytan (0-0, 7.20 ERA) vs. Luis Palacios (5-4, 3.95 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (4-8, 4.22 ERA) vs. Jonathan Vale (4-7, 4.93 ERA)
Nick Walla (9-5, 3.61 ERA) vs. Julio Robles (1-3, 5.52 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (4-9, 3.78 ERA) vs. Girolamo Pizzichini (6-7, 5.11 ERA)

Palacios was the only southpaw we would meet in the series, their other left-handed starter Ignazio Flores (2-6, 3.15 ERA) having been out to pitch on Sunday. With that, Rich Monck, Joel Starr, and Malcolm Spicer would get their last day off before the All Star Game, but we only had six right-handed batters, so Jaden Wilson and Manny Arredondo played anyway.

Game 1
POR: CF Wilson – RF Arantes – C Lopez – LF Branch – 1B Spink – 3B Tallent – 2B Caballero – SS Arredondo – P Gaytan
MIL: LF Franks – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – SS F. Carrera – 2B Goss – 3B Reber – RF D. Wright – C Chinea – P L. Palacios

The Coons started the Monday opener with three straight hits by Wilson (single), Leon Arantes (double), and Ramon Lopez (RBI single on which Arantes was thrown out at the plate…), but unfortunately Gaytan had nothing in his second career start. The Loggers had five lefty sticks at the top of the order, and put the leadoff man on base in every inning to begin the game. They fell short with some defensive heroics by Caballero and Branch in the first two innings, then had Scott Franks caught stealing in the bottom 3rd, but Gaytan lost both Jonathan Merrill and Cesar Ramirez on balls, and then surrendered the tying run on a double steal and Fidel Carrera’s groundout. Tim Goss then popped out to leave the go-ahead run on third base. Kyle Reber and Dave Wright drew two more walks from Gaytan to begin the bottom 4th, but a pop, a bunt, and another pop from Franks to Tallent in foul territory kept those runners stranded. Merrill hit a leadoff single in the fifth, but was also caught stealing to keep us tied at one – which in itself had to be considered a success after the complete demolition and despoilment of all things holy we had witnessed the Crusaders do to the Critters on the previous weekend…

After some mellow innings, the Raccoons then exploited an error by Goss that put Arantes on base to begin the sixth inning. Ramon Lopez romped a homer to left for a 3-1 lead, and Gaytan FINALLY got a leadoff batter when Reber grounded out to short to begin the bottom 6th – then immediately walked Wright and was taken well deep by Jerry Chinea…

The Coons saw themselves forced to go back to Gaytan in the bottom 7th, but he walked Merrill and Ramirez and was yoinked. Garvey fared little better, giving up a single to PH Dave Robles on which Merrill was thrown out a the plate, then the go-ahead groundout from Goss to Caballero. Cullum replaced him, which the Loggers answered with the left-handed Carlos Dominguez with two outs, and the pinch-hitter singled home a tack-on run. Cullum then got Wright out.

The Coons were not dead quite yet, though. Palacios retired Arantes to begin the eighth, but then walked Lopez and gave up a double to Branch. That put the tying runs in scoring position, and Randy Birnbaum replaced the lefty starter. With a righty on the hill, the Coons unleashed their regulars; Monck batted for Spink, but grounded out very poorly, but in Tallent’s spot Joel Starr bashed a game-tying double to right-center! Caballero then struck out. Now Cullum issued a leadoff walk, but ached his way around that to keep the game tied through eight. But Portland didn’t score in the top of the ninth, then ended up with Matt Schmieder in the bottom of the inning. Schmieder allowed a double to Goss to get going, walked the bases full, and took the L on Chinea’s sac fly. 6-5 Loggers. Wilson 2-5; Lopez 3-3, BB, HR, 3 RBI; Tallent 2-3; Starr (PH) 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI;

Again, Raccoons tossers walked 11 batters. This time they struck out only TWO (both by Gaytan, who walked SEVEN).

In other words, another day at the office… although putting the leadoff man on base in every inning but ONE was perhaps even worse than usual…

Game 2
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Corral – 2B Arantes – SS Arredondo – P Sanchez
MIL: 3B Reber – CF Merrill – LF C. Ramirez – 1B D. Robles – RF C. Dominguez – SS F. Carrera – 2B Goss – C Chinea – P Vale

The Tuesday game began with Jaden Wilson walking after 12 pitches from Jonathan Vale, then stealing second on the 13th pitch. Spicer grounded out, but Lopez made it 1-0 with a single to left. He gained a base on an errant pickoff throw by Vale, then scored on Monck’s single to right. Starr singled, Corral walked the bags full, and Arantes hit a sac fly for a 3-0 lead before Arredondo was struck out to leave two on. Three Loggers singles off Sanchez right away scratched off one run in the bottom 1st, and Cesar Ramirez’ homer in the third narrowed it down to 3-2. Robles and Dominguez then went to the corners with 2-out hits, but Carrera grounded out to short to keep the Coons on top a little longer.

So, no, Juan Sanchez was not any good, either. He wasn’t walking everything with legs at least, but he scattered TEN hits through five innings, which made it almost astonishing to see the Raccoons still ahead, 3-2 on their four meager base knocks. Sanchez was on 92 pitches through five, and was wrung out for 16 more and three more outs in the sixth, allowing one more hit to Reber, a 2-out single. He left with the lead, though, with the gap being doubled to two runs on Jaden Wilson’s solo homer that chased Vale in the top 7th.

The pen then immediately buckled. McMahan walked Robles with one out and gave up a double to Carrera with two outs in the bottom 7th, putting the tying runs in scoring position for righty PH Dave Wright. Carrington walked him on four pitches, then gave up a very high drive to deep right to Chinea – but it came down in a waiting Corral’s glove on the edge of the warning track to end that inning… Aiden Shaw was then actually taken deep by Monck to begin the eighth, 5-2, and walked Starr, who was doubled home by Arantes. Shaw was replaced with starter-turned-mopup guy Oliver Graham, who conceded Shaw’s run on a pinch-hit double by Branch, batting for Josh C with two outs. Wilson flew out to end the inning, but the Coons were now up by five and squinted, then gave the ball to Sensabaugh, who had been ATROCIOUS in all caps in his last two outings. Scott Franks popped out, but the 1-2-3 batters loaded the bags with two singles and a walk. Robles’ sac fly made it 7-3, and then he walked Dominguez to fill the bases yet again. The Coons pulled the emergency parachute, which was Jesse Dover, who couldn’t help himself either and blew the lead entirely on an RBI single to Carrera, a bases-loaded walk to Devin Willoughby, and a 2-run single by Chinea. Only then did he get the final ******* out. The Raccoons were then out of pitching again in the bottom 9th, and Dover proceeded to **** up the rest of the game – along with Arredondo, who made an error – with a leadoff double to Reber and eventually a walkoff sac fly for Dominguez. 8-7 Loggers. Spicer 2-5; Monck 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; Arantes 2-3, 2 RBI; Branch (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI;

Alright, more roster moves!

The Coons sent down Manny Arredondo (.145, 0 HR, 2 RBI) and placed J.J. Sensabaugh (0-2, 5.26 ERA), who all of a sudden had turned turds again, on waivers and designated him for assignment. Infielder Joe Gardner returned (sigh), and we had absolutely no idea who to still give a ball to in terms of pitchers. Sean Thomas, age 23, was a former fifth-rounder that had been released by the Rebs and signed to a minor league deal by the Raccoons some years ago. The left-hander had only appeared in nine AAA games. Whatever. Keep throwing them at the wall until one sticks.

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Corral – 2B Arantes – SS Tallent – P Walla
MIL: LF Franks – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – SS F. Carrera – 2B Goss – 3B Reber – RF D. Wright – C Chinea – P J. Robles

I was begging Walla on my knees for seven innings before the game, and I had very bad knees, and it hurt very much. It didn’t *really* work; he started very nicely in the first two innings, which were scoreless and quick, but beginning with the third inning he ran long counts, offered leadoff walks in the third and fourth, and it was generally hard to watch. The Loggers only got one hit through five and didn’t score, although Wilson also made two running catches in the depths of centerfield to keep them contained. He threw 81 pitches through five.

The Coons had the leadoff man on in the first, when Starr ended up flying out to leave Wilson and Lopez on the corners, and the second, when Corral was doubled off; Wilson was on base again with a leadoff walk in the third, Spicer doubled, and Lopez’ groundout was good enough to bring in the game’s first run, and Monck matches his output for a 2-0 lead. An unearned run was added in the fourth when Arantes singled to get going, and Tallent reached on an error by Reber that sent Arantes to third base. Walla hit a sac fly to extend his own lead to 3-0, but Wilson and Spicer left Tallent at third base. That remained the score through five innings.

Walla began the bottom 6th with a walk to Merrill, his fourth walk against no strikeouts in the game. He was talked to on the mound by everybody that felt entitled to still give a ****, and then got a double play grounder to second from Cesar Ramirez. Carrera grounded out to Monck, completing six, and Walla then got another three grounders on four pitches to actually complete seven shutout innings. He then returned for the eighth and Chinea, gave up a single, and was immediately mothballed for Garvey, who had nothing ******* better to do than to allow singles to Dominguez and Franks, walk in a run against Merrill, allow another on a sac fly by Ramirez, and then walked Robles, too. Goss popped out, and with two outs and righty sticks up, the Raccoons handed the 3-2 lead with the bags full to Josh Carrington, who wasted no time to give up a score-flipping double to Reber, walked Wright, and then was taken very deep for three more runs by Chinea. 8-3 Loggers. Wilson 2-4, BB, 2B; Corral 2-4; Walla 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 0 K;

Useless *****.

On Thursday I was just wandering the cheap seats until I found a pair of fifth-graders who were opening packs of baseball cards. I tried to trade for a couple of their relievers with the promise of a hot dog for both of them, but then found out that I didn’t have any coins with me, and had to walk away crying.

Game 4
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Colter – SS Arantes – 2B Gardner – P Nakayama
MIL: LF Franks – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – RF C. Dominguez – 3B Reber – SS Willoughby – 2B Brantly – C Chinea – P Pizzichini

The Coons took a 1-0 lead again, this time on a home run to right by Joel Starr in the second inning, then waited for somebody to blow it, which Nakayama, after some sturdy innings to begin the game, did in the fourth, where Cesar Ramirez hit a leadoff double off him, and then scored on Willoughby’s 2-out single. The Raccoons got Arantes on with a single in the fifth; the where-did-he-come-from infielder stole second, reached third on a shy single by Nakayama with one out, but then Wilson whiffed and Spicer grounded out to short to keep them on the corners.

Top 6th, and straight 1-out singles by the 4-5-6 batters loaded the bases for Portland. Arantes hit a grounder to second, but the Loggers could only get the out at first base and Monck scored with the go-ahead run. Joe Gardner was walked intentionally with two outs, but Nakayama burned the Loggers with an RBI single to right! And Wilson whiffed again… That left three runners stranded in the 3-1 game.

At this point we hoped that we could get Nakayama to the end of the game, but he ran out of glue in the eighth inning, ran a bunch of long counts, walked Ramirez with two outs, but got a K on Dominguez to get out. However, he was now over 100 pitches, and his spot led off the ninth inning, so the Coons gave in to temptation and batted for him in a vain attempt to get a bigger lead to blow in the ninth. Angelo Ramirez allowed a single to Corral in Nakayama’s spot, then walked Wilson before getting replaced with lefty Vincent Hernandez. Spicer hit into a fielder’s choice, but Lopez found the gap for a 2-run double, 5-1. He was left on, and the 4-run lead then went to … the only rested right-hander in the pen, which was Schmieder. The Loggers had Reber lead off, the first of four righty sticks, but there was southpaw action going behind Schmieder, who got two groundouts before allowing a double to Chance Brantly and then nicked Chinea. McMahan got the ball against Goss in the #9 hole, gave up an RBI single, but then resisted the urge to be taken deep by Dave Robles, who pinch-hit for Franks, and flew out to center. 5-2 Raccoons. Lopez 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Monck 2-5, 2B; Starr 2-4, HR, RBI; Corral (PH) 1-1; Nakayama 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, W (5-9) and 2-3, RBI;

Raccoons (34-51) @ Indians (40-45) – July 9-11, 2066

The Coons were up 7-2 in this season series, which had to end at some point. These two teams were bottoms in runs scored in the CL – but the Indians still outscored the Raccoons by a depressing 59 runs. They ranked fourth in runs allowed, with a +18 run differential and had the second-best defense. Their only injury right now was infielder Matt Martin on the DL.

Projected matchups:
Duarte Damasceno (4-8, 5.64 ERA) vs. Joe Napier (5-8, 3.77 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (0-0, 6.55 ERA) vs. Mike DeWitt (6-4, 2.24 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (4-8, 4.14 ERA) vs. Vince Ellison (7-6, 4.45 ERA)

DeWitt was the last southpaw before the All Star Game for these rancid Critters.

Game 1
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – RF Corral – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – C Spink – 2B Tallent – SS Gardner – P Damasceno
IND: CF E. Ramirez – 2B Falcon – RF Dowsey – 1B Starwalt – C Atencio – LF T. Torres – SS B. Ellis – 3B DeRosia – P Napier

Wilson walked to begin the series, but was caught stealing; however, the Coons still scored a pair in the opening inning as Spicer singled and both Corral and Starr socked RBI doubles on Ramon Lopez’ night off, which meant Spink ended the inning with a groundout. DD immediately gave a run back on Eddy Ramirez’ leadoff double and Danny Starwalt’s RBI single with two outs, walked Vinny Atencio, threw a wild pitch, and then somehow coaxed Tony Torres into hacking himself out to strand the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Portland answered with a Tallent leadoff single and a 2-out RBI knock from Wilson, 3-1, and the next inning had Corral on – at least until he was picked off – and then got Starr on with a 2-out single. He advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on a soft single by Spink, 4-1. Randy Tallent then socked a homer, adding two more runs to the tally!

So that was 6-1 in the third inning, but there was still DD on the hill and the seven square pegs trying to fit into round holes in the bullpen, so things were almost guaranteed to remain interesting. At least the Damasceno problem disappeared quickly… sorta. He got swamped in the bottom 3rd with two walks, two hits, and two runs from the top five in the Indians order, then left the game with a bleeding thumb and that was that. Josh C got the ball, walked the bags full, but got the last two outs in the bottom 3rd and the Raccoons were still up 6-3 while Cullum readied himself for long relief, which he began by giving up a homer to right to former starter, now garbage reliever Steve Hawkins in the bottom 4th… Cullum got him back for half with a double in the sixth, except that there was nobody on base when he did that and nobody could be bothered to drive in Cullum either.

Cullum nursed the 6-4 game through six, after which we’d have to come up with a new idea. Garvey gave the Raccoons a scary seventh with two long fly outs, but pulled through, while Joel Starr then smacked his tenth homer of the year off Justin Esch to tack on a run in the eighth, 7-4. Garvey struck out to end that inning with Gardner on base, then allowed a leadoff walk to Torres in the bottom 8th and was whisked away anyway. Dover struck out Ben Ellis and got a double play from DeRosia – who had saved the Indians from getting no-hit in Boston just 24 hours ago – to escape. McMahan was up for the ninth. Matthew Parker flew out before he walked Ramirez, got another fly from Miguel Falcon, but then Justin Dowsey singled, and he lost Starwalt with a 3-2 pitch in the dirt. That loaded the bases with the tying runs and two outs. Right-hander Oscar Aredondo came out to pinch-hit for Atencio, but the only remaining relievers in the pen were Schmieder and Thomas, who had not actually appeared in a game yet. FINE. We’ll die with McMahan this time! – But Tallent caught a pop on the infield, and the Raccoons boogied away with that one. 7-4 Raccoons. Corral 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; Starr 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Tallent 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Arantes (PH) 1-1; Cullum 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K and 1-1, 2B;

Josh C got the W, the first of his career. DD was expected to live, but would only be seen again on the other end of the break.

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – 2B Arantes – C Lopez – 3B Monck – CF Branch – LF Tallent – 2B Caballero – 1B Spink – P Gaytan
IND: CF E. Ramirez – SS Aredondo – RF Dowsey – 1B Starwalt – C Atencio – LF T. Torres – 2B Falcon – 3B DeRosia – P DeWitt

Eddy Ramirez punched a Gaytan pitch over the wall to begin the bottom 1st, although it got a bit less sticky for the rookie afterwards. He allowed just three hits in the first four innings, although that third hit was another homer by Atencio in the fourth that made it 2-0 Indians. The Coons had no hits the first time through until Corral singled his second time up, which led nowhere. The Indians then got Falcon and DeRosia on with a walk and a single to begin the bottom 5th, but Gaytan pounced on DeWitt’s bunt and got the lead runner at third base, then went on to escape the inning when Ramirez grounded sharply to short for a 6-4-3 double play. Gaytan went off to have his own first ABL hit with a sixth-inning leadoff singles, but was also doubled off by Arantes to end the inning. He then got around an Aredondo double in the bottom 6th, and completed seven basically competent innings with only those two homers for blemish. That 2-0 lead was still standing up, and we didn’t get on base until Corral singled with two outs in the eighth. Justin Esch then struck out Colter, batting for Arantes, turning away the threat. Schmieder managed to pitch a complete inning without stepping on his own tail in the bottom 8th, but Cody Kleidon eviscerated the Raccoons’ 3-4-5 batters in the ninth to put the game away. 2-0 Indians. Corral 2-4; Gaytan 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, L (0-1) and 1-2;

First decent start for Gaytan, and also the first L.

Baseball loves no one, good luck for following or playing it.

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Arantes – LF Spicer – 2B Caballero – P Sanchez
IND: CF E. Ramirez – RF T. Torres – 1B Starwalt – LF Dowsey – SS Aredondo – 2B Falcon – C J. Edwards – 3B DeRosia – P Ellison

The rubber game began with a walk to Wilson and a Corral double, putting a pair in scoring position for Ramon Lopez, who cranked a ball to deep left-center, but saw Dowsey warp there and make a catch; it was still a sac fly, however. Monck was robbed of an RBI when Ellison plated Corral with a wild pitch before Monck singled. Starr singled as well, but Arantes and Spicer made outs to leave them on. Sanchez then immediately failed the bags full before striking out Dowsey and getting a double play from Aredondo for no Indians runs in the bottom 1st. Two calm innings followed before Arantes reached on a 2-base error by Aredondo and then scored on Spicer’s single to center, 3-0. Sanchez was still 1-hitting the Indians when he flicked an RBI single to drive in Arantes again in the sixth inning, getting Ellison with two outs to extend his lead to 4-0.

Sanchez took the shutout into the bottom 7th (though with a questionable pitch count) before giving up singles to Dowsey and Falcon. Dowsey went to third base on the latter, then scored on John Edwards’ sac fly, 4-1. Sanchez struck out DeRosia to leave Falcon stranded, then got a double play from Ramirez after Wil Martinez’ infield single to begin the eighth and struck out Tony Torres to finish that inning off as well…! The Coons left Corral and a 1-out double on base in the ninth inning, and Sanchez had thrown 102 pitches already, so we went to Dover in the bottom 9th. He struck out Starwalt, got a grounder from Dowsey to Monck, then walked Aredondo with two outs. However, Falcon popped out, and that was the first half of the season suffered through successfully. 4-1 Critters. Corral 2-4, BB, 2 2B; Monck 2-5; Spicer 2-4, RBI; Sanchez 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (5-8) and 1-4, RBI;

In other news

July 8 – BOS SP Jason Brenize (14-1, 1.61 ERA) strikes out 11 Indians in eight no-hit innings, but is well over 100 pitches with a skinny 1-0 lead and replaced with CL Tyler Gleason (2-4, 2.82 ERA, 25 SV), who saves the game, but blows the (combined) no-hit bid with a single allowed to IND UT Philip DeRosia, who goes 1-for-3 in his season debut.
July 8 – OF Elmer Maldonado (.235, 3 HR, 17 RBI) is sent from the Scorpions back to the Miners for SP Austin Cross (8-6, 3.47 ERA).
July 8 – SP Goffredo Merlin (6-4, 4.78 ERA) is dealt from the Buffaloes to the Falcons in exchange for outfielder Dan Geiger (.211, 2 HR, 13 RBI) and a prospect.
July 8 – The Indians deal 1B Alex Mendez (.278, 3 HR, 17 RBI) to the Capitals for a prospect.
July 8 – The Capitals crunch the Rebels, 19-5, with a pair of 6-spots. Everybody in the Capitals lineup has at least one base hit.
July 9 – Dallas INF Adam Yocum (.354, 1 HR, 33 RBI) is expected to be out until late August with a strained hamstring.
July 9 – The Titans need 16 innings to beat the Canadiens, 4-3. Vancouver infielders Carlos Castro (.276, 2 HR, 27 RBI) and Hsi-chuen Yue (.262, 3 HR, 31 RBI) both had 4-hit days, while nobody on Boston has more than two hits.
July 11 – The Condors acquire CL Javier Arocho (5-3, 3.61 ERA, 12 SV) from the Pacifics for the #29 prospect, INF Leo Ventura.
July 11 – Blue Sox OF/1B Tony Roman (.253, 22 HR, 53 RBI) was expected to miss two weeks with a knee contusion.
July 11 – The Crusaders and Loggers work overtime for a 15-inning, 7-5 New York win on the Sunday before the All Star Game. Both teams already scored a run in the 12th inning.

FL Player of the Week: LAP LF/RF/1B Brady Terrell (.296, 6 HR, 41 RBI), batting .440 (11-25) with 3 HR, 11 RBI
CL Player of the Week: NYC 3B/SS Ben Wilken (.266, 7 HR, 56 RBI), hitting .382 (13-34) with 1 HR, 10 RBI

Complaints and stuff

The Raccoons have no All Stars. Big shock. I can’t contain myself.

This week the Coons tried to sign free agent veteran reliever Hector Estevez, age 36, to fill out the pen for the rest of the year, but couldn’t scratch enough pennies together to make him get off his arse. We were then able to get 27-year-old Japanese reliever Manabu Yamauchi, who had come over in 2064 only to go unsigned ever since. He had sat at a bus stop in San Francisco ever since and was glad to sign for the promise of minor league meal money. He was assigned to AAA.

The Raccoons also went from “we got no arms!” to calling up Sean Thomas and then not using him at all for five straight days. Please keep on watching after the break, I promise we know what we’re doing.

International free agent glory this year was limited to a pair of Dominican switch-hitters with some vague promise of hitting for contact. They cost less than $100k in total, but we were over budget as things were anyway.

It will be four games with the Loggers to resume baseball on Thursday, after which we’ll have another three games with the damn Elks before the next road trip to Charlotte and San Francisco.

Fun Fact: The Titans have seven All Stars.

Bell, Brenize, Taylor, Arviso, Humphries, Marcotte, Washington, and deary me, will this list ever end.

+++

The forum is absolutely refusing to attach pictures right now (or work much at all). Been trying for hours, it won't work. Standings and stats will come when the good people at OOTP flick the internet switch back on...

[Westheim]

Tah!

No proper update today, but probably tomorrow, and then I have a 5-day weekend from Thursday to Monday.

[Westheim]

All Star Game

The Federal League beats the Continental League, 5-2, in the All Star Game. Offense is supplied by Nashville’s Kris DiPrimio with three singles and an RBI, and by Cyclone Roberto Soto, who goes 2-for-2 with an RBI. Jason Brenize takes the loss for the CL by allowing two runs in the first inning, a deficit never overcome by the rest of the CL boys. Blue Sox pitcher Tony Marquez gets the W for the FL.

Raccoons (36-52) vs. Loggers (36-53) – July 15-18, 2066

The last-place playoffs continued with four games in Portland and the Loggers now 5-3 ahead in the season series, but still half a game behind in the standings. The Loggers ranked second in runs scored and worst in runs allowed, and had lost four games in a row, including the last one of last week’s four-game set in Milwaukee. Nick Waldron was now the only player on the DL for them.

Projected matchups:
Nick Walla (9-5, 3.46 ERA) vs. Girolamo Pizzichini (6-8, 5.07 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (5-9, 3.59 ERA) vs. Ignazio Flores (2-7, 3.40 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (5-8, 3.91 ERA) vs. Jonathan Vale (4-7, 4.94 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (0-1, 5.00 ERA) vs. Luis Palacios (5-4, 4.10 ERA)

Right, left. Right, left.

Game 1
MIL: LF Franks – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – SS F. Carrera – RF C. Dominguez – 2B Goss – 3B Reber – C Guitreau – P Pizzichini
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Arantes – LF Spicer – 2B Caballero – P Walla

Jonathan Merrill drew a four-pitch walk from Walla before being caught stealing in the top 1st of the Thursday opener, while Cesar Ramirez and Fidel Carrera then dropped in singles. Ramirez went to third base on Carrera’s single to right, and once Jose Corral airmailed the ball over Rich Monck’s head and into foul territory, for home to score. Carlos Dominguez grounded out to leave Carrera on second. Ramon Lopez tied the game in the bottom 1st with a homer to left, but Walla allowed more singles to Kyle Reber and Tommy Guitreau, and then a go-ahead sac fly to “Pizza”.

The Coons had a pair of walks drawn by Walla and Wilson in the third inning, but they were left on base, and then had Monck and Starr reach base in the fourth before Leon Arantes crashed into a double play. Walla had a tough old go at the Loggers and ran up his pitch count early and consistently. He needed 105 pitches through six innings, holding them to their two early runs, and thanks to no Raccoons offense, also remaining on the hook until he got his pat on the tush. Garvey handled the seventh nicely with plenty of left-handed bats to put him against, and the Raccoons then rallied with Arantes … reaching on an error…? That was with one out in the bottom 7th. Spicer was useless, but Caballero hit a double off the base of the wall in left, from where Scott Franks got a favorable bounce while the despaired Critters waved Arantes around third and towards home plate, where he was then thrown out to end the inning.

Sean Thomas, after sitting on the roster doing nothing for eight days, then made his big league debut against the 4-5-6 batters in the eighth inning. He walked Carrera on straight balls, gave up a double, another walk, and another double, and two runs in the inning before it finally ended… Still beat Josh C appearing in the ninth inning and issuing THREE walks around two doubles and getting torched for FOUR runs. 8-1 Loggers. Caballero 2-3, 2B;

Will we ever have something vaguely resembling a functional bullpen again?

Game 2
MIL: LF Franks – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – SS F. Carrera – 2B Goss – 3B Reber – RF D. Wright – C Guitreau – P I. Flores
POR: CF Wilson – 2B Caballero – C Lopez – 3B Monck – LF Branch – RF Tallent – SS Gardner – 1B Spink – P Nakayama

The only player to reach base for either team the first time through the lineups on Friday was Randy Tallent, who drew a walk and was duly stranded on first base. Nakayama retired the first ten Loggers in order before walking Merrill and Ramirez in the fourth, but Carrera and Tim Goss both flew out harmlessly. Things continued nicely enough for him until Dave Wright struck a home run to left for the Loggers’ first base hit, to which they swiftly added a Guitreau double to right, a Flores RBI double to left, and an RBI single for Franks, jumping the score to 3-0 before Nakayama found his mojo again and got out of the bloody inning.

Nakayama went seven innings, allowing five hits, four of them bunched together for a big lead. The Raccoons didn’t get a base hit until Tony Spink singled in the fifth, and then brought up that spot again in the bottom 7th with one out and Branch, Tallent, and Gardner all crowding the bases. Joel Starr batted for Spink, but struck out, and Leon Arantes batted for Nakayama and cranked a bases-clearing, 2-out triple into the rightfield corner, thus tying the game, but Wilson grounded out to third base to keep him and the go-ahead run stranded.

But fear not – because the Raccoons would get *another* 2-out triple to score a run in the bottom of the eighth inning! Tommy Branch found Lopez on base and drilled a ball into the left-center gap to bring in the go-ahead run! …and to then also be stranded by the next guy up, Tallent, who ran out of such and popped out to Kyle Reber. That made for a 4-3 lead which was then swiftly blown by Rich Monck throwing away Reber’s grounder to begin the ninth inning, and then Jesse Dover was taken *deep* by Guitreau to flip the score… The Raccoons got a double from Starr in the bottom of the ninth against Vincent Hernandez, but couldn’t figure out what to do with that stupid runner and instead just lost the game… 5-4 Loggers. Tallent 1-2, 2 BB; Arantes (PH) 1-1, BB, 3B, 3 RBI;

Game 3
MIL: 3B Reber – CF Merrill – LF C. Ramirez – 1B D. Robles – RF C. Dominguez – SS F. Carrera – 2B Goss – C Guitreau – P Vale
POR: CF Wilson – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – RF Colter – SS Arantes – 2B Tallent – P Sanchez

The Loggers made two outs before putting four straight batters on base and getting RBI knocks from Dominguez and Carrera for a 2-0 lead. Goss then flew out to Colter to leave the pair on base. The Raccoons did precious little once more until Juan Sanchez reached on an error by Goss with one gone in the bottom 3rd, and Wilson singled. Spicer hit a sac fly, but Sanchez gave that run right back by nailing Goss and throwing away Vale’s bunt for two bases in the top of the fourth. He walked the bags full with Reber, gave up an RBI single to Merrill, and then somehow got a double play grounder from Ramirez to get out of the mess. Starr hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, 3-2, but then also right away ****** another run on the board for the Loggers in the next half-inning, dropping a throw from Monck that would have ended the inning, but instead allowed Carlos Dominguez to score from third base. Sanchez then struck out Vale, but was also done after five drawn-out and frankly awful innings.

You could see why these two teams were at the bottom of the league, because the stupid crap just kept on raging unabated. Caballero batted for Sanchez in the bottom 5th and reached when Merrill dropped his fly to center. Vale threw a wild pitch, walked Wilson, and then Spicer banged into a 4-6-3 double play to make it all not matter anymore.

Schmieder pitched a scoreless sixth before Monck doubled to right and Colter tied the game with a homer coughing just barely over the wall in left with two outs in the bottom 6th, which knotted the score at four. Arantes added a single and was stranded, and Corral singled in place of the pitcher to begin the seventh, but was also stranded. Thomas and Cullum held on to the tie while Randy Birnbaum put Starr and Colter on base with one out in the bottom 8th, but they fell victim to the double play that Arantes hit into… Garvey turned away the Loggers on nine pitches in the ninth inning, which made it four straight Raccoons relievers that had entered a game and left it again without worsening the score on the board, which had to be a record in the mid-60s. However, Birnbaum did away with Tallent, Corral, and Wilson in seven pitches in the bottom 9th and sent the game to extras.

Garvey then ran out of juice in the tenth, got one out from Carrera, but then saw Goss reach on a single before being taken well deep by Guitreau. Carrington got out of the inning, with the damage already done. Tommy Branch then led off the bottom 10th in the #2 spot, popping out against Vincent Hernandez. Lopez singled to center, and Monck socked an RBI double to right. Monck gained 90 feet on Starr’s groundout, and then another 90 feet to score when Colter singles and the teams were even at six! Oliver Graham replaced Hernandez and got rid of Arantes to extend the game further into the 11th, where Cesar Ramirez drew another walk off confused Josh C, but was doubled off by Dominguez, which was highly unusual and also ended the inning. McMahan was in for the 12th, but allowed straight hits to Carrera, Goss, and Guitreau, all singles, to allow the go-ahead run to score again. Graham was a free out in the #9 hole and Reber popped out to Tallent to strand a pair in scoring position. The Coons did not have an answer this time as Graham retired the 3-4-5 batters in order to put the game away. 7-6 Loggers. Spink (PH) 1-1; Monck 2-6, 2 2B, RBI; Starr 2-6, HR, RBI; Colter 2-4, BB, HR, 3 RBI;

No, Slappy, I have a better idea. Even the holes in the donuts would make for better baseball players. And there’s LITERALLY NOTHING THERE.

Game 4
MIL: LF Franks – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – SS F. Carrera – 2B Goss – 3B Reber – RF D. Wright – C Guitreau – P L. Palacios
POR: CF Wilson – 2B Arantes – LF Branch – 1B Starr – RF Tallent – 3B Monck – SS Gardner – C Spink – P Gaytan

A Cesar Ramirez homer again put the Raccoons in a 1-0 hole in the first inning, although a Wilson double and Branch’s RBI single tied the game at one just minutes later. Things just kept not working out for Gaytan, though. While the Loggers did not have a hit besides the Ramirez homer the first time through, they made up for that in the fourth inning by putting five hits all at once on Gaytan, including four in a row between a Merrill homer and three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out afterwards. Reber hit into a 5-4-3 double play that scored a run, and Wright drove in another, 4-1, with the fifth hit of the inning. When Monck and Joe Gardner then began the bottom of the same inning with a pair of singles, the Raccoons quickly devolved into a strikeout orgy to leave them on base. Gaytan ached through six innings of 9-hit ball, the score unchanged when he was done with his misery.

For the rest of everybody in attendance – paid to do so or paying to do so – the misery was far from over. The Raccoons got a scoreless inning out of Schmieder in the seventh before Thomas was cut to size with three sharp hits by the all-lefty 3-4-5 batters in the eighth. Cullum replaced him, but gave up two more hits to Reber and Wright for five straight and three runs on Thomas’ already ghastly ledger. Bottom 8th and mild excitement as Starr and Tallent hit 2-out singles, but Monck’s drive to center was tracked down and snared by Merrill. Yay, what a rally!

Things were bad enough for Joel Starr to make another pitching appearance in the ninth inning. He fooled nobody, but got three outs to Spicer in left and Wilson in center on four pitches. Spicer hit an RBI triple from the #9 spot in the ninth inning, plating Ramon Lopez, but that couldn’t prevent Palacios from pitching a… a complete-game 11-hitter??? 7-2 Loggers. Branch 2-4, RBI; Starr 2-4; Monck 2-4; Lopez (PH) 1-1; Spicer 1-1, 3B, RBI;

In other news

July 15 – Rebels OF Jeremy Jenkins (.270, 10 HR, 32 RBI) could be out for a month after suffering a strained rib cage muscle.
July 16 – The Warriors trade veteran 2B/SS Jim White (.323, 2 HR, 24 RBI) to the Indians for a pair of prospects.
July 18 – Dallas’ CF Tyler Wharton (.331, 13 HR, 49 RBI) shines in a 9-8 win against Sacramento. Wharton has five hits and five RBI from four singles and one grand slam.
July 18 – CHA 1B Manny Rubin (.275, 15 HR, 65 RBI) also has five RBI on just one hit, a 3-run homer, in a 16-6 creaming of the Aces.
July 18 – SP Preston Young (4-4, 3.70 ERA) goes from the Buffaloes to the Aces in exchange for infielder Wally Leggett (.277, 1 HR, 12 RBI) and #115 prospect INF/RF Dave Cisneros.

FL Player of the Week: NAS 1B Kris DiPrimio (.319, 10 HR, 40 RBI), hitting .556 (10-18) with 4 RBI
CL Player of the Week: VAN RF/LF Roberto Lozada (.295, 7 HR, 51 RBI), clipping .438 (7-16) with 2 HR, 7 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Swept by the Loggers, the Raccoons had the worst record in the CL again. There were however no fewer than FOUR teams in the FL with marginally worse records. We were just two-and-a-half games away from absolute rock bottom though.

An alphabetical list of players currently injured and/or on the DLs in the system:
Paul Barton
John Bentley
Ryan Bonner
Nick W. Brown
Marco Campos
Victor Chavez
Crispino D’Urso
Marquise Early
Chance Fox
Gary Gates
Carlos Gutierrez
Victor Herrera
Barrett Krumland
Cruz Madrid
Josh Mireles
Pablo Novelo
Sandy Pineda
Pat Reynolds
George van Otterdijk

Not that all of these would be options, but when you look at what we’re treating like options, you never really know. The waiver wire is also giving me little hope, and nobody on this team is doing nearly well enough to be turned into a pair of prospects. We can’t trade Nakayama or any starting pitcher, unless you want to see the house of cards burst into flames entirely.

Next week: Elks, Falcons, Tears.

Fun Fact: Elijah LaBat led the FL with 25 saves for the Capitals.

If we had all those “he ain’t working out” relievers back now that they’re actually not sucking anymore, we might actually be a remotely decent team.

LaBat was with the Critters from 2059 through 2061, appearing in 135 games to a 3.04 ERA, but always with the usual complaints of “walks too many” and “doesn’t strike out a lot”. Somehow he started to strike out people in Denver, and now he’s actually good.

(mopes)

[DD Martin]

Wow lost 7 out of 8 to the Loggers…..the LOGGERS! This might be rock bottom.
Things can only get better, right!

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by DD Martin

Wow lost 7 out of 8 to the Loggers…..the LOGGERS! This might be rock bottom.
Things can only get better, right!

Indeed - we're currently scouting a few local kids that throw bricks through windows like you've never seen before!

[Westheim]

Raccoons (36-56) vs. Canadiens (44-48) – July 19-21, 2066

The Raccoons were both having another .200 month and to play the damn Elks again, who had beaten them five out of nine games so far this season. They were scoring the seventh-most runs in Elk City, but also gave up the second-most, and maybe – just maybe! – the Raccoons’ offense could finally put up some offense again…!?

Projected matchups:
Duarte Damasceno (4-8, 5.79 ERA) vs. Dallas Samson (9-3, 4.46 ERA)
Nick Walla (9-6, 3.36 ERA) vs. Ray Rath (2-10, 4.17 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (5-9, 3.61 ERA) vs. Ken Nielsen (8-6, 2.64 ERA)

Two southpaws in that rotation and we weren’t getting either one.

Game 1
VAN: SS C. Castro – 2B Kilday – RF Lozada – C Varner – 1B N. Vaughn – CF D. Moore – LF Friend – 3B Yue – P Samson
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Spicer – SS Arantes – 2B Caballero – P Damasceno

The Coons continued to try and steal innings with Damasceno, which didn’t work out at all for them. Jose Corral put the Coons up 1-0 in the bottom 1st with a homer to left, but Damasceno filled the bases without getting an out in the second inning and got a pop from Hsi-chuen Yue before giving up a bases-clearing double to the opposing pitcher, a lineout to Carlos Castro, and a single to Matt Kilday, a walk to Roberto Lozada, and finally a homer to Steve Varner. He was purged after Nick Vaughn drew another walk. Josh C would pitch four outs after that before we went to Garvey, who was just absolute trash cans again. Nick Vaughn got him for a 2-run homer in the fourth, 9-1, and he was then exploded entirely for a 6-run fifth inning, capped by a grand slam for Varner, which was an impressive amount of getting ****** up the *** for 41 pitches.

There was some Schmieder pitching on the third straight day after that, resulting in another two runs in the sixth, and a third one once Dover took over and plated another stinking Elk with a wild pitch. Dover however did the miracle of pitching for five outs in one game without giving up a single run on his own ledger, which automatically made him the participation trophy hero of the day. The Coons also scored three runs (two earned) in the bottom 6th, although I wasn’t really paying attention to the game anymore as I was busy cutting out faces from the team photo from the start of the season. Sean Thomas also pitched the third day in a row, delivering a scoreless eighth (!), but Randy Tallent got to try his luck with tossing in the ninth inning and gave up a 2-out, 3-run homer to Andy Friend. Samson pitched a complete-game 6-hitter. 21-4 Canadiens.

That night, the hammer came down.

Interlude: Trades

I don’t know how, but the Raccoons disposed Duarte Damasceno (4-9, 6.36 ERA) onto the Crusaders that night and got two serviceable (if old) relievers back for him, both left-handers: Jorge Quinones ((2-3, 3.76 ERA, 1 SV) and Pedro Mendoza (0-1, 2.52 ERA, 3 SV), both 36 years old. Quinones was a swingman that had already made five starts this year and had triggered his vesting option for 2067.

Both arrivals were put on the ABL roster and would pitch out of the pen irrespective of starter abilites for now, because the team had off days on Thursday AND Monday coming up and didn’t need a fifth starter until July 31. Room was made with demotions of Matt Schmieder (0-1, 6.75 ERA) and Sean Thomas (0-0, 13.50 ERA), while Jeremy Garvey (2-2, 7.31 ERA, 6 SV) ended up on waivers.

To fill up the pen, we brought up Manabu Yamauchi, who had made four relief appearances in AAA without getting a bat stuck in his bottoms.

Tuesday morning, a second trade was made, with Tommy Branch (.191, 5 HR, 18 RBI) getting exiled to Los Angeles for FL West veteran and 32-year-old left-handed SP Evan Alvey (2-2, 3.79 ERA), whom the Pacifics had used exclusively out of the pen this year after he made at least eight starts and seven relief appearances each season – and for three different teams! – since 2059.

Just stack them in the pen over there, I’ll sort them out later!

The final roster spot was taken by 23-year-old catcher Jake Flowe, who was on a 100-AB run of batting .390 for the Alley Cats. Tony Spink’s days were numbered, but the Raccoons – between the trades and the absolute avalanche of injuries in AAA – didn’t have an outfielder to bring up. Pablo Novelo did start a rehab assignment on Tuesday, though, so at least *something* was moving.

Raccoons (36-56) vs. Canadiens (44-48) – July 19-21, 2066

Game 2
VAN: SS C. Castro – 2B Kilday – LF Whetstine – RF Lozada – C Varner – 1B N. Vaughn – CF D. Moore – 3B Yue – P Rath
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Spicer – SS Arantes – 2B Caballero – P Walla

No word on whether the Elks were confused to face a whole new ballclub on Tuesday, although coincidentally the lineup was the same for the Coons for the middle game. Never mind the five new faces in the pen and on the bench. Alvey and Quinones did not arrive fully rested, so everything was touch-and-go anyway.

As on this cursed Monday, the Raccoons scored first, although it took until the bottom 2nd, which began with a Starr single. Spicer also singled, Arantes walked, and there were three on with nobody out, which of course meant Caballero hit into a run-scoring 6-4-3 double play and Walla was easy prey to end the inning with Spicer left on third base. The Elks, who had not been on base so far, then also got singles from Dan Moore and Yue to go to the corners, but Rath struck out trying to bunt, Carlos Castro hit a comebacker that Walla took to second base for a force, and then he struck out Kilday to bugger out of the inning. That’s what I liked about Nick Walla – he was at least ******* TRYING!!

The lead still went away with a Vaughn homer tying the score in the fifth inning, but Walla hit a soft 1-out single in the same inning and then scored on Corral’s 2-out double into the right-center gap. Lopez stranded Corral with a groundout, and Walla took the lead into the seventh inning, which he would have cleared if he hadn’t flubbed Rico Cordero’s grounder for a 2-out error. He then walked Castro and was removed for McMahan, who got Kilday to ground out to second to strand the two runners.

But just because we had a new pen didn’t mean we wouldn’t continue to blow leads stupidly, which happened in the eighth. McMahan faced Chad Whetstine and Roberto Lozada, retiring neither on account of two singles, then was replaced with Justin Cullum, who walked the bags full, nailed PH Chris Richardson, and walked Yue, which tied and untied the game, and still left three aboard with one out. Dover now had to come in for this mess, walked Cordero in a full count to force in a run, conceded another on an infield single by Castro, and then struck out Kilday and got a pop from Whetstine. Another four runs on the board in a ******* bullpen meltdown. ******* WONDERFUL. Pedro Mendoza made his Coons debut with a 1-2-3 ninth inning when everything was already too late, and then Jake Flowe batted for him against Jon McGinley for his major league debut, but grounded out. Nobody else reached in that bottom of the ninth either. 5-2 Canadiens. Corral 3-4, 2 2B, RBI; Spink (PH) 1-1; Walla 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K and 1-2;

Interlude: Waiver claim

More arms!

On Wednesday, the Raccoons claimed left-hander Ubaldo Piteira (0-1, 4.08 ERA, 1 SV) off waivers by the Aces. Pitira had made 22 starts in the majors in the past and was another attempt at flinging stuff at the wall and pray for it to stick.

Chance Fox was moved to the 60-day DL to free up space on the 40-man roster, and Tony Spink (.207, 0 HR, 4 RBI) was sent back to AAA, so we now again had two catchers on the roster – and six left-handed pitchers among 13 tossers in total.

Cristiano, stop complaining about the six southpaws. – I don’t care whether that is too many left-handers for a baseball team. – Well, and YOU have too many wheels for a baseball person!!

This team was such a mood.

Raccoons (36-56) vs. Canadiens (44-48) – July 19-21, 2066

Game 3
VAN: SS C. Castro – 2B Kilday – LF Whetstine – RF Lozada – 1B N. Vaughn – C Orphanos – CF Chenette – 3B Yue – P Nielsen
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – 1B Starr – 3B Monck – LF Colter – SS Arantes – C Flowe – 2B Gardner – P Nakayama

Rich Monck chucked a first-inning, 2-run double after Corral singled and Starr walked, and Nielsen threw a wild pitch to advance both of them into scoring position. Jamie Colter added a soft single, but Monck and him were stranded on the corners on poor outs by Arantes and Flowe. In the second inning then it started to both A) rain, and B) go all skins up again for Nakayama, who got the first two outs before Tyler Chenette singled, Yue drew a walk, and Nielsen rolled an RBI single through the right side. Castro grounded out to Joe Gardner to prevent it from getting even worse…

Nakayama allowed another two singles in the third inning, then a leadoff single to Chenette, who stole a base and was on third base with one out after Yue’s grounder to first, but this time Nielsen whiffed and Castro grounded out to Arantes, who made a nifty play with the bare paw to beat him to first base. All of this took place in on-and-off rain, and with “gotta get through five” being a real consideration. The Coons had two silent innings after Monck’s 2-run gapper, but then got Arantes on base with a 1-out double in the bottom 4th. That brought up Flowe, in his first ABL start and second appearance. He crushed a homer to right! Oh yeah, that’s where I like it!!

And for what? Another 2-out battering for Nakayama, who had two Elks down before giving up a fifth-inning triple to Roberto Lozada. Vaughn singled him home, Monck had a wet grounder from Mike Orphanos flub from his paw for an error, and then Chenette singled home an unearned run. Yue flew out to Jaden Wilson before it could get really ugly, but the lead was down to a skinny run again, 4-3.

Nakayama got through six messy innings, but the rain had also stopped at that point, so we had to bring in the pen for surely more highlights for the other team, but first lefty Jesse Connors – one of three lefty pitchers in the league NOT on the Coons now – allowed leadoff singles to Monck and Colter in the bottom 6th. Arantes popped out, Flowe struck out, and Gardner dropped a ball into right-center to get Monck home from second base. Spicer grounded out in place of Nakayama, with pitching duties then devolving onto Yamauchi, making his own ABL debut. He had a 1-2-3 seventh and I’ll try not to lose too many words on how his first pitch was driven to the warning track in centerfield and hustled down by Wilson. Quinones also got the Elks 1-2-3 in the eighth inning before the other ex-Crusader, Mendoza, got the ball for the ninth and started with two walks to Castro and Cordero. Whetstine struck out, and Lozada grounded to short, a 6-4-3 ending the ballgame. 5-3 Critters. Corral 2-4; Monck 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Colter 2-4;

Raccoons (37-58) @ Falcons (49-45) – July 23-25, 2066

The Coons were up 2-1 in the season series, which did not sound like something that would last past Sunday. The Falcons were sixth in runs scored and fourth in runs allowed with a +58 run differential, while the Portlanders had sucked themselves down to a -143 run differential, so that was a 200-run difference right there…

Projected matchups:
Tony Gaytan (0-2, 5.25 ERA) vs. Jose Lugo (6-7, 4.60 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (5-8, 3.89 ERA) vs. Aaron Ledbetter (11-6, 3.91 ERA)
Nick Walla (9-6, 3.24 ERA) vs. Goffredo Merlin (7-5, 4.38 ERA)

Only right-handers here as well.

We moved Gaytan ahead on Sanchez, where he would pitch on regular rest, as part of a plot to have him go early and without significant improvement he would be sent back to AAA.

Game 1
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Spicer – SS Arantes – 2B Tallent – P Gaytan
CHA: 3B J. Schmidt – SS Tr. Taylor – C O. Matos – 1B M. Rubin – RF Nakamura – CF T. Garcia – 2B Duhe – LF Padgett – P Jo. Lugo

At least he made the Coons score first with two scoreless innings before Arantes and Tallent got on base to begin the third against Lugo. They stole a pair of bags, Gaytan struck out, but Wilson singled the runners home before being caught stealing himself. That was mostly it for Coons offense in the first five innings, while Gaytan allowed three singles in the first four innings, of which one runner was doubled off in a 3-6-3 play and another one was caught stealing. Natsu Nakamura then hit a double to lead off the bottom 5th, but three consecutive poor outs kept him stranded at third base and Gaytan kept the shutout going.

Gaytan retired eight in a row before Nakamura came back and hit a single, but Tony Garcia popped out to second to leave him stranded again, which already ended the seventh inning in a briskly advancing game. Gaytan remained in the game in the eighth after Tallent hit a single to lead off the inning, but struggled to get a bunt down and Tallent ended up advancing on a 2-strike groundout, but then scored on a Wilson double to left, 3-0. Corral was walked intentionally and Lopez and Monck obeyed and stranded the runners, while Gaytan kept going with two easy pops and a grounder to Starr from the bottom of the Falcons order in the eighth.

After Caballero and Arantes singles with one out in the ninth, and a Tallent pop to short, the Raccoons decided not to bat for Gaytan. He made the final out, and then took the ball again for the bottom 9th. That sort of greediness was probably not going to become anybody but the Falcons, but here we were… Indeed, Gaytan didn’t finish the game. He got a first-pitch grounder to Monck from John Schmidt, but then allowed a single to Trent Taylor and walked Oscar Matos. Dover replaced him, got a double play grounder from Manny Rubin, and THAT ended the game. 3-0 Coons! Wilson 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Caballero (PH) 1-1; Arantes 2-4, 2B; Gaytan 8.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W (1-2);

That result both saved Gaytan’s tush for the time being and also meand that Josh Carrington (1-0, 6.00 ERA) went to the Alley Cats instead. Pablo Novelo returned from his rehab assignment.

Game 2
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Spicer – 2B Arantes – P Sanchez
CHA: 3B J. Schmidt – CF T. Garcia – C O. Matos – 1B M. Rubin – SS Tr. Taylor – 2B Duhe – RF Nakamura – LF Padgett – P Ledbetter

Sanchez retired the first seven batters before allowing a single to Padgett, who was stranded by Ledbetter and John Schmidt. At this point the Raccoons were up 2-0 thanks to a third-inning, 2-out homer by Jose Corral that had collected Wilson, who had reached base by forcing out Schmidt and his 1-out single to right. Oscar Matos got Sanchez for a solo homer in the fourth, and that already described much of the offensive action through the first five innings of the game. Sanchez didn’t even have a strikeout at the time, not getting strike three past any Falcons batter until Tony Garcia went down swinging in the sixth inning. He also didn’t walk anybody until Trent Taylor waited out ball four in the bottom 7th, and then soon enough came around to score the tying run on a 2-out single by Nakamura.

Sanchez was done after seven, being hit for with Jamie Colter in the eighth inning. While Colter singled, he was then also left on base. Cullum got around a Garcia single and a Wilson error on the pickup in the bottom 8th before Piteira made his Coons debut in a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning. He immediately gave up a leadoff triple to right to Trent Taylor, who went for home on Jared Duhe’s fly out to Spicer in medium-depth left – and Spicer threw him out at the plate!! Huzzah! …and then Nakamura, Padgett, and Tony Gaines hit three straight singles to win instead… 3-2 Falcons. Monck 2-4; Colter (PH) 1-1; Sanchez 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K and 1-2;

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – SS Novelo – RF Corral – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Colter – C Flowe – 2B Caballero – P Walla
CHA: 3B J. Schmidt – SS Tr. Taylor – C O. Matos – 1B M. Rubin – RF Nakamura – CF T. Garcia – 2B Duhe – LF Padgett – P Merlin

The Coons fielded a lineup with six players whose given names began with J on Sunday, which was our newest bid for a winning game plan besides putting shoes and pants on Nick Walla.

Portland again scored first despite Novelo doubling up Jaden Wilson in the first inning. Corral then doubled and scored on Monck’s single through Schmidt, but Monck was left on base. To my great annoyance, Walla then ran 3-ball counts to the first three Falcons batters in the bottom 1st – and they all reached, walk, single, walk. Manny Rubin drove in two runs with a single before Nakamura grounded out and Garcia hit into a 9-2 double play as Matos was thrown out at the plate by Jose Corral.

Walla would remain hexed for the rest of the game. In the third inning, he allowed a run on three straight singles by the 2-3-4 batters – all of which were hit in an 0-2 count!! His pitch count was also exploding and he only managed to make it through five innings, which still took him a shocking 109 pitches. He left with a 3-2 deficit, the Raccoons having made up a run mostly from Joel Starr scoring on a wild pitch in the fourth inning after him and Flowe had made it to the corners. Quinones had a scoreless sixth, but Yamauchi allowed a tack-on run with Padgett and Schmidt singles in the bottom 7th.

The Raccoons didn’t amount to a nominal threat until the eighth inning when Wilson led off with a single to left and Novelo added a double to put the tying runs in scoring position with nobody out. Corral flicked a 1-2 pitch over a leaping Duhe for an RBI single to shorten the score to 4-3, but Monck grounded out to short and Novelo didn’t dare to go home; Corral moved up to second on the play, after which Starr walked in a full count. Merlin then fell 2-0 behind Colter, who dumped a single into no man’s land to tie the game, and the Raccoons got the go-ahead sac fly from Flowe, which ended Merlin’s day. Alvaro Garza struck out Caballero to end the inning. McMahan then retired the 3-4-5 batters in order for the Falcons, maintaining the 5-4 lead.

Top 9th, and Garza saw Wilson reach on a single, walked Corral with two outs, and then allowed an insurance run to Rich Monck, who singled up the middle. Duhe dove and ticked the ball, but couldn’t keep it in his glove. Starr flew out to Padgett to strand a pair, and Dover got the ball for the ninth inning – but ****** it all up and walked Duhe and David Flores, allowed a 1-out RBI double to Tony Gaines, and then walked Schmidt as well. It was bases loaded in a 6-5 game, with Cullum replacing Dover to face Taylor, walking in the tying run, and giving up the winning run on Matos’ sac fly. 7-6 Falcons. Wilson 4-5; Corral 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; Monck 2-5, 2 RBI;

(hits head against the nearest solid object, which turns out to be a security guard)

In other news

July 20 – The Miners lose slugging catcher Nick Dingman (.307, 16 HR, 48 RBI) for two weeks after he has suffered an oblique strain.
July 21 – The Indians out-slug the Loggers, 15-11, although there is actually only one home run hit in the entire game – the first career home run of 24-year-old rookie IND 3B/2B Paul Weber (.333, 1 HR, 9 RBI), who is in his fifth major league game and drives in six runs.
July 21 – The Rebels and Cyclones play 18 innings before Richmond comes out on top, 4-3. Nobody scores from the 10th through the 17th innings before Cincy puts up one run in the top of the 18th, only to be immediately overturned for two by the Rebs.
July 22 – Loggers OF/2B Tim Goss (.283, 3 HR, 37 RBI) goes down with a knee sprain and will miss at least three weeks.
July 23 – Wolves outfielder Bill Davidson (.235, 7 HR, 34 RBI) could be out until September with his own knee sprain.
July 24 – Gold Sox SP Ernesto Culver (7-7, 5.58 ERA) strikes out a dozen Rebels in a 4-hit, 4-0 shutout.
July 24 – The Canadiens acquire SP Nate Freeman (4-7, 4.47 ERA) from the Rebels in exchange for two prospects.
July 24 – NYC LF/RF Kazuhide Takeuchi (.314, 21 HR, 79 RBI) hits an RBI single in the first inning of a 2-1 loss against the Bayhawks. It is the Crusaders’ only hit in the game against no fewer than six different Bayhawks pitchers.
July 25 – The Stars might lose OF Chad Pritchett (.320, 25 HR, 101 RBI) for much of the remaining regular season. The 34-year-old was down with an oblique strain.
July 25 – Cincinnati picks up 40-year-old SP Sean Sweeton (11-6, 3.06 ERA) from the Knights in exchange for #114 prospect SP Felix Morales.

FL Player of the Week: CIN RF/LF Roberto Soto (.330, 20 HR, 77 RBI), batting .391 (9-23) with 2 HR, 5 RBI
CL Player of the Week: IND 3B/2B Paul Weber (.371, 4 HR, 14 RBI), bursting out to bat .417 (10-24) with 4 HR, 11 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Is it getting better yet?

The Raccoons also offered Nakayama, Monck, and Starr to other teams this week, but didn’t get a lot of offers, especially not for top prospects.

Jeremy Garvey cleared waivers and was released on Thursday.

The State of North Carolina seems determined to get me the help that I apparently need, but the Raccoons will travel on to the Bay of Tears for a 3-game set starting on Tuesday on the way home for a single-series stint of sleeping in their own dens against the Aces.

Fun Fact: The Raccoons have already used 49 players this season.

Including some of which you have already forgotten, I guarantee. Paul Barton? Marco Campos? Sandy Pineda? Yes, those and more have all been here *this year*.

I don’t think that is what happens to winning teams.

That count by the way does not yet include Evan Alvey, who has not gotten into a game for Portland yet, but has already stuck it to the national media that he hates having been traded here and will plot his escape immediately.

I don’t think that is what happens to winning teams either.

…

[Player profiles in a separate post due to the attachment limit]

[Westheim]

And here the trade/waiver additions!

[Westheim]

Raccoons (38-60) @ Bayhawks (51-45) – July 27-29, 2066

The listless Raccoons were on the way home and stopped over in San Francisco at the Bay of Tears, although there was hardly anything that could make this season yet more worse and irritating than it already was. San Francisco was fifth in runs scored and ninth in runs allowed in the league, with the very worst rotation, which ran an ERA of 5.38 between them, which was kind of astonishing. They had won two of three games against the Critters in the first meeting of the year, though. Outfielder Juan Paez was the only DL case for them.

Projected matchups:
Shoma Nakayama (6-9, 3.58 ERA) vs. Justin Wittman (10-7, 4.25 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (1-2, 3.90 ERA) vs. Paul Egley (8-8, 3.94 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (5-8, 3.81 ERA) vs. Vince Vandiver (4-1, 3.52 ERA)

We would miss the worst offenders in that rotation and instead get only right-handers with decent ERA’s.

Game 1
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Colter – 2B Arantes – P Nakayama
SFB: RF J. Ward – 1B Jer. White – LF Streng – 2B A. Montoya – CF Navarre – C Haynes – SS Yniguez – 3B O’Donnell – P Wittman

Nakayama adopted a paws-on approach for generating victories and not only pitched a scoreless first inning, but also hit a 2-out, 2-run double to center to plate Pablo Novelo and Jamie Colter for an early lead after Leon Arantes couldn’t get anything done ahead of him. Unfortunately that was as good as it got and Armando Montoya immediately sounded the rally horn for the Bayhawks, hitting a leadoff jack over the wall in left, his 16th of the season. Nate Navarre and Chris Haynes added singles to right, the latter of which was overrun for an error by Corral, and the Bayhawks added an Adan Yniguez sac fly and Chad O’Donnell singled in the go-ahead run right away in the inning. Rich Monck tied the game again in the top 3rd with a sac fly after Corral drew a leadoff walk and Ramon Lopez doubled to left, but the go-ahead run was stranded on base. Jeremy White then tried to take the lead back, doubling to left to begin the bottom 3rd, but Nakayama struck out the next three batters in order, his first three whiffs of the game, to complete the inning, and then made it four in a row with Haynes in the fourth inning.

The teams remained locked at three with little offense in the middle innings, but Jaden Wilson then stuck a ball into the rightfield corner to lead off the seventh inning with a triple. The Coons threatened not to score after an intentional walk to Corral and a K on Lopez, but Rich Monck dinked in the go-ahead single in shallow center, on which Corral tried to reach third base and was thrown out by Nate Navarre for the second out, and Joel Starr popped out to short to bring on the stretch. Nakayama only got two more outs before hitting lefty PH David Blackham in the #9 spot in the home half of the seventh. When another left-hander appeared – Josh Bursley batting for Jake Ward – the Raccoons went to Quinones, who got the out on an easy fly. Bob West and Jose Salazar for San Francisco and Manabu Yamauchi for Portland then held the score into the bottom 9th, when the 4-3 lead went to the recently battered Jesse Dover. He struck out Haynes, Yniguez, and O’Donnell in order to finish off the game! 4-3 Raccoons. Wilson 2-5, 3B; Monck 2-4, 2 RBI; Colter 2-4; Caballero (PH) 1-1;

Both teams brought back Tuesday’s lineup for the middle game, where Tony Gaytan would make his sixth big-league start on his 23rd birthday!

Game 2
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Colter – 2B Arantes – P Gaytan
SFB: RF J. Ward – 1B Jer. White – LF Streng – 2B A. Montoya – CF Navarre – C Haynes – SS Yniguez – 3B O’Donnell – P Egley

Ramon Lopez singled and stole his first base as a Raccoon in the first inning, but was left on anyway. Neither team scored in the early innings, but Gaytan was behind in the count quite a bit. He allowed a hit and a walk the first time through before striking out Egley and Ward back-to-back in the bottom 3rd. He had a quick fourth inning and appeared to turn it around, but then ran a few full counts in the fifth inning. Yniguez singled and O’Donnell walked with one out, and Egley’s bunt was bad and taken by Gaytan to third base to get a force out there. Ward then flew out to Wilson in center, keeping the game scoreless, and both teams on just two base hits, through five innings.

Jaden Wilson led off the sixth with a single to left and stole second base, after which Corral was walked intentionally and successfully, as Lopez hit into a double play. Didn’t cover Rich Monck, though, who clipped a 2-out RBI single for the game’s first run, was balked to second base, and then left there when Starr popped out. Jeremy White hit a leadoff single in the bottom 6th for San Fran, but was stranded. The Coons didn’t know what to do with a Colter double in the seventh, and the score was still 1-0 as Gaytan pitched into the eighth inning, where Egley struck out for himself, oddly enough, and then Ward doubled to right, which marked the biggest Bayhawks threat in a while. Gaytan rung up White while we were waiting for the inevitable lefty pinch-hitter that never came – almost that entire Bayhawks lineup was right-handed! – so he bumped into the meat of the order with two outs. After a mound conference it was decided to have him face Ian Streng, whom he rung up on his 107th pitch of the game, and that would be it for him.

The Raccoons got Novelo on with a single in the ninth inning and used Malcolm Spicer to run for him. He stole second before being stranded. Joe Gardner then took over the shortstop position in the bottom 9th, which again featured Dover on the bump. He allowed a leadoff single to Armando Montoya, threw a wild pitch, and a grounder moved Montoya to third. Critically, Haynes struck out, and the Bayhawks still didn’t bat for Yniguez, who struck out on three pitches to end the game…! 1-0 Critters. Wilson 1-2, 2 BB; Colter 2-4, 2B; Gaytan 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, W (2-2);

Look at you, Tony Gaytan, turning it around!

Hopefully. Maybe.

I see you already helped yourself to a present. (pats Gaytan on the head while he’s nearly choking on an entire chocolate cake, burning candles on it and all)

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – LF Colter – RF Corral – 3B Monck – SS Novelo – C Flowe – 1B Spicer – 2B Caballero – P Sanchez
SFB: RF J. Ward – 1B Jer. White – LF Streng – 2B A. Montoya – CF Navarre – C Haynes – SS Yniguez – 3B O’Donnell – P Vandiver

The Bayhawks hung on to their right-handed lineup as the Raccoons rocked up with the southpaw Sanchez, but it didn’t help them a lot in the early going. While they got a hit in every inning from the first through the fourth, they couldn’t overcome Sanchez, who also walked a pair, to get on the board. Nor did the Coons – the Critters had only one hit through four innings against Vandiver until Spicer hit a single in the fifth inning, stole second base, and then was tripled in with a ball into the leftfield corner hit by Caballero for the game’s first run. Sanchez got the run home with a fly out to Ian Streng, 2-0, then put Jeremy White and Streng on the corners with 2-out hits in the bottom 5th, but Montoya popped out to Spicer in shallow right. For White, who was hitting .290 with six homers and 40 RBI, this was a 20-game hitting streak.

Rich Monck had an 11-game hitting streak once he singled up the middle in the sixth, following another single by Corral, but both of them were then made to walk back to the dugout when Novelo wrapped it into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Sanchez held on through six, but then allowed a leadoff single to Vandiver in the bottom 7th before getting taken deep by Jake Ward, tying the game at two. He walked White and allowed another double to Streng, and then was unceremoniously removed. Shockingly, with runners on second and third and nobody out, Justin Cullum came in and got a pop from Streng, a K on Montoya, and a cozy fly to center from Haynes to strand the runners and keep the game tied, sparing Sanchez a loss for which McMahan then applied by giving up a homer to Josh Bursley, batting for Yniguez, on the first pitch in the bottom 8th. Righty Jose Salazar got the ball for San Francisco in the ninth inning, facing the meat of the Coons’ order with a 1-run lead. Corral fanned, but Monck singled. He was however forced out on a grounder to short by Novelo. Jake Flowe, playing in this game because we expected lefty opposition on the weekend, then lined out to first to end the game. 3-2 Bayhawks. Monck 2-4; Spicer 1-2, BB;

Raccoons (40-61) vs. Aces (42-58) – July 30-August 1, 2066

Final call for the Aces this year, with the season series even at three. Both teams were in last place in their divisions, in the bottom three in runs scored in the CL, and while the Aces were also tenth in runs allowed, they were only ten runs behind the eighth-place Critters. Vegas led the league in stolen bases, but sat bottoms in homers. Joe Hade was their only injury, but he was out for the year.

Projected matchups:
Nick Walla (9-6, 3.33 ERA) vs. Chris Monahan (5-9, 5.14 ERA)
Evan Alvey (2-2, 3.79 ERA) vs. Ben Peterson (10-6, 5.14 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (7-9, 3.60 ERA) vs. Preston Young (4-5, 3.65 ERA)

The Aces had three southpaw starter, but had shuffled them so that the Coons would only face one of them, Peterson. Our next off day was not until August 12, but it was probably too early for extra off days for Rich Monck… assuming he survived the next 48 hours on the roster.

Game 1
LVA: LF Lorenzo – CF Marazzo – SS Vic. Morales – C A. Gomez – 3B A. Alfaro – 1B M. Davis – 2B Medford – RF Caceres – P Monahan
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Colter – 2B Caballero – P Walla

Walla fell behind in the first, walking Vic Lorenzo and getting two outs before surrendering the run on 2-out singles by Alexes Gomez and Alfaro. Mike Davis then grounded out to strand a pair. Jaden Wilson also drew a leadoff walk, but all that got him was getting doubled off by Corral. Walla kept leaking hits, six in total in just three innings, and allowed a Nate Marazzo single to begin the third inning before being taken over the fence by Alex Gomez for a 3-0 score. The Raccoons scored a run in the bottom 3rd on a Caballero double and Wilson’s RBI single, but couldn’t do anything with a 2-base throwing error by Daniel Medford that put Monck into scoring position in the fourth.

Walla never got it together in this start and was yanked with two outs in the fifth after giving up a double off the wall to Alfaro. Ubaldo Piteira and Arantes entered in a double switch that removed Caballero, but the left-hander conceded Walla’s fourth run on a 2-out single by left-handed hitter Mike Davis before Medford flew out to Colter. Portland got back to 4-2 with a Wilson triple and Corral single in the next-half inning before Lopez hit into the next inning-ending double play… Colter then singled home Starr with two outs in the bottom 6th to narrow the score further to 4-3. Spicer then batted for Piteira, but grounded out.

After a scoreless seventh by Yamauchi, the Aces brought ni David Gaither for the bottom 7th, and he kept disintegrating. Arantes landed a hit, and Gaither then immediately walked the bags full with nobody out. Lopez’ sac fly tied the score at four, and Monck hit a soft single that reloaded the bases for Starr, who singled to left and drove in one run as the Coons went station-to-station, 5-4. Novelo hit another sac fly before Javier Huichapa came in and retired Colter to end the inning. The Raccoons got two more outs from Yamauchi, in line for the W, before a second double-switch inserted Pedro Mendoza with the delirious thought of a 4-out save; Novelo was out of the game, Tallent joining the infield. Mendoza finished off the Aces in order then. 6-4 Critters. Wilson 2-3, 2 BB, 3B, RBI; Starr 1-2, 2 BB;

Game 2
LVA: LF Lorenzo – SS Hatakeyama – 3B Vic. Morales – C A. Gomez – 1B A. Alfaro – CF Marazzo – 2B M. Roberts – RF Caceres – P B. Peterson
POR: CF Wilson – SS Novelo – C Lopez – 3B Monck – LF Arantes – 1B Starr – 2B Caballero – RF Tallent – P Alvey

Evan Alvey pitched for the first time in 13 days after the Raccoons hadn’t gotten him into a game in relief earlier, and had only pitched 3.1 innings in the entire month of July with the Pacifics before being traded to Portland; nevertheless he had already voiced his displeasure with the trade and was demanding another trade to get outta here. Solid foundation for a good work relationship!

Vic Lorenzo drew a leadoff walk off the rusty Alvey, but was hit by a batted ball of former Furball Vic Morales’ bat and was thus ruled out, while Morales got a 1-out single. Gomez also singled, but the inning ended with Alfaro flying out to Arantes in left. The Raccoons had three on and nobody out in the bottom 2nd as the 5-6-7 batters were all put on by Peterson. Randy Tallent hit a clean RBI single to center for the game’s first run, Alvey struck out, and Peterson walked in a run against Wilson, 2-0, before the inevitable inning-ending double play from Novelo to Koji Hakateyama. The lead was temporary and erased in the fourth when Alvey walked Morales and was taken deep by Alfaro, leveling the score at two.

The Raccoons were silent in the middle innings while Alvey soldiered on until there were two outs in the sixth inning and he allowed a hit to Gomez, then walked the bags full with Alfaro and Marazzo, and then was removed. Cullum Houdinied the Raccoons out of another bases-full situation, getting a fly from Mike Roberts to Randy Tallent to end the inning. Peterson also rejoined the bases-loaded fun club in the same inning, allowing singles to Monck and Arantes, then walked Starr, all with one out. While Caballero popped out on the infield – which at least was an interesting variant to the double play! – Peterson lost Tallent on balls to force in the go-ahead run. Corral batted for Cullum, but flew out to left, leaving three runners on base, and then Quinones and Yamauchi were upended quickly in the seventh inning. Singles by Jorge Caceres and Lorenzo off the former tied the game, and PH Phil LeVan then took the latter deep for a new 5-3 Aces lead.

While I muttered to Honeypaws that the bullpen would never be fixed and that it was all hopeless, Ubaldo Piteira pitched two scoreless innings to keep the Aces’ lead manageable, and the Raccoons went down meekly in the eighth. Right-hander Danny Zepeda had more walks then strikeouts in 42.2 innings this year, but got the save opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, with Tallent leading off the inning and singling to center. Spicer pinch-hit and flew out, but Zepeda walked Wilson and the winning run came to the plate. Novelo indeed ended the game – by jamming into another double play. 5-3 Aces. Arantes 2-4; Tallent 2-3, BB, 2 RBI; Piteira 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

The trade deadline passed with no further action by the Raccoons ahead of the rubber game.

Game 3
LVA: LF Lorenzo – CF Marazzo – SS Vic. Morales – C A. Gomez – 3B A. Alfaro – 1B M. Davis – 2B M. Roberts – RF Caceres – P P. Young
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Colter – 2B Caballero – P Nakayama

Nobody reached in the first inning on Sunday before the Alexes got singles off Nakayama to begin the top 2nd, but Gomez hurt himself sliding into third base and walked off the field with the trainer. Ex-Coon Angel Perez would replace him; the pinch-runner scored on Davis’ 4-6-3 double play grounder for the game’s first run. Vegas got another run in the third when Preston Young singled and was forced out by Lorenzo, who then scored easily on Marazzo’s double to left-center. Nakayama walked Vic Morales, and Angel Perez singled, but Marazzo was thrown out at the plate by Colter to end the inning.

Nakayama then labored through another three innings while holding the 2-0 score and while the Raccoons were absolutely not taking place, drawing only 44 pitches from Young, less than HALF of what the Aces made Nakayama throw through six innings, and he was then hit for to begin the bottom 6th without landing a single strikeout in the game – except for striking out against Preston Young. Spicer singled in Nakayama’s place, but advanced on a wild pitch before being singled home by Corral, 2-1.

Colter hit a deep fly that was caught at the wall by Lorenzo in the seventh inning, denying the Raccoons their first homer of the week with time running out. Instead, an overdue bullpen meltdown occurred. McMahan had pitched a scoreless seventh, but walked switch-hitting Vic Lorenzo to begin the eighth and was replaced with Dover, who was doubled off by Marazzo and Perez, then walked Alfaro before being replaced with Pedro Mendoza, who got a 4-6-3 double play grounder from Davis to end the inning.

Bottom 8th, down 4-1, the Raccoons got walks drawn by Flowe and Wilson with one out. Corral whiffed, but Lopez dropped a shy single to left to load the bases ahead of Rich Monck, who had yet to extend his 13-game hitting streak, and the Raccoons could also kinda use a grand slam. He struck out in a full count, and that was kinda it for the day… and the hitting streak. Monck then added an error to all the other crap and helped Quinones allow an unearned run in the ninth inning before the ball went to Adam Edge.

Starr drew a leadoff walk in a 4-run hole, but was forced out by Joe Gardner, batting for Novelo. Gardner stole second, then scored on a double by Colter to center, but Colter also tweaked his calf and was run for with Tallent by necessity. The Aces went to Zepeda, who walked Caballero and set up Flowe, who had remained in the game instead of Ramon Lopez, as the tying run. He singled to fill the bases, with Tallent held in deference to Jorge Caceres’ killer arm in rightfield. Wilson now batted as the winning run. He took a ball, but Zepeda then made a mistake in the middle of the plate, and blew the save all in one go when Wilson crammed that ball into the rightfield corner, where it bounced awkwardly, and Caceres had to chase the ball halfway into centerfield while Wilson legged out a game-tying, bases-clearing triple…! (throws Honeypaws in the air!) Wheee, Coons!! The game wasn’t won, though, because that winning run still needed 90 feet. Corral was walked intentionally, and Arantes batted for Quinones – he was the last stick off the bench. He grounded to second base, there was no shot for two, and Vic Morales aggressively went home – and got Wilson thrown out at the plate…! Noooo…!! But here came Monck with another shot at extending his hitting streak…! – but he grounded out to Alfaro at third base, and the game went to extras.

The Raccoons were not exactly endowed with pitching anymore for the tenth inning (and the bench was empty). We ended up with Tallent in left, Gardner at short, and Cullum pitching in the tenth, and he retired the Aces in order with two strikeouts in the inning. Joel Starr then singled off Zepeda to begin the bottom 10th and then took off with Gardner swinging (and missing) to get in one of his two or three odd ninja steals a season – and Perez’ throw was late, and the Coons had the winning run in scoring position. It got chewy from here, as Gardner grounded out to left side, Tallent walked in a full count, and Caballero grounded out to advance the runners, bringing up Flowe with two outs, and Zepeda still tossing. He fell behind, 2-1, and then gave up a grounder up the middle that escaped between Morales and Roberts, and Jake Flowe walked off the Critters with a single…! 6-5 Furballs! Spicer (PH) 1-1; Flowe (PH) 2-2, BB, RBI;

None of the five pitchers the Raccoons employed in regulation got a strikeout on an Ace. Still managed to walk five, though.

In other news

July 26 – Dallas SP Alan Deakin (10-5, 3.99 ERA) throws a 3-hit shutout with nine strikeouts against the Rebels, claiming a 4-0 win.
July 28 – The Condors acquire MR Dave Lister (3-5, 3.61 ERA) from the Warriors for no fewer than three prospects, including the ranked #101 Brady Mefford and #167 Zachary Wyld, both relief pitchers.
July 30 – Knights UT Carlos Fumero (.342, 2 HR, 44 RBI) misses the cycle by the double in a 4-hit, 5-RBI romp against the Indians, who fall to the Knights by a score of 13-3.
July 30 – The Capitals beat the Stars, 2-0 in ten innings, after neither team could be bothered to score in regulation.
July 30 – The Loggers trade SP Ignazio Flores (2-9, 4.21 ERA) to the Indians for a prospect.
August 1 – Falcons SP Goffredo Merlin (8-5, 4.10 ERA) 3-hits the Canadiens in a 7-0 shutout.

FL Player of the Week: LAP 1B Alejandro Olivares (.303, 13 HR, 52 RBI), clicking .500 (11-22) with 2 HR, 5 RBI
CL Player of the Week: LVA 1B/3B Alex Alfaro (.290, 5 HR, 36 RBI), flicking .476 (10-21) with 2 HR, 7 RBI

FL Hitter of the Month: SFW OF Danny Perez (.326, 8 HR, 49 RBI), batting .326 with 3 HR, 17 RBI
CL Hitter of the Month: MIL 1B/RF/LF Cesar Ramirez (.362, 14 HR, 77 RBI), bashing .349 with 6 HR, 21 RBI
FL Pitcher of the Month: LAP SP Sergio Davila (11-5, 4.09 ERA), going 3-0 in 6 starts, with 2.31 ERA, 40 K
CL Pitcher of the Month: BOS SP Matt Taylor (14-4, 2.63 ERA), hurling for a 5-1 record with 2.81 ERA, 25 K
FL Rookie of the Month: SAC INF Alex Gonzilez (.270, 4 HR, 11 RBI), batting .348 with 4 HR, 8 RBI
CL Rookie of the Month: BOS INF/RF Israel Diaz (.275, 0 HR, 20 RBI), making his ABL debut this month

Complaints and stuff

Despite a 4-2 week against meh competition we remain the worst team by record in the CL, but there’s four sub-.400 teams in the Federal League right now. That winning week was also not enough to prevent us from posting a (basically) .300 month, which somehow isn’t even close to our worst month this season.

Tony Gaytan keeps getting watched with great interest and will get two turns next week. He won his second ABL game on his 23rd birthday on Wednesday and survived the ensuing cake orgy, and I want to see more starts like Wednesday’s going forward. Despite his late start to the season, he is tied for third in the league in quality starts by a rookie (3), trailing only Denver’s Juan Ybarra (6) and the Condors’ Bronson Vanderven (5).

The Raccoons tried to trade for the #28 prospect, Boston’s AAA outfielder Manuel Garcia this week, but couldn’t get it done with just one of Rich Monck and Shoma Nakayama – the Titans wanted both, and not chip in anything else. I passed, and by then the trade deadline did so as well.

Jamie Colter is day-to-day with a tweaked calf, so Spicer will invariably be back in the lineup next week agains the Knights after being used in more homeopathic doses this week. After a weird single-city trip to Atlanta the Raccoons will return right back home to face the Titans and Loggers.

Fun Fact: Titans pitchers Jason Brenize, Mike Bell, and Matt Taylor are 1-2-3 in wins in the CL.

Yes, that rotation fascinates me. I wish we had a rotation like that.

Or a bullpen that can pet a kitten without having a fatal accident.

[Westheim]

Raccoons (42-62) @ Knights (47-58) – August 2-4, 2066

The Knights’ season was also winding down with a 17-game deficit to first place and no areas in which the fundamentally cruddy team, which hovered right around league average or below in all major categories, managed to stand out. They were 4-2 up on the Raccoons for the year, but who wasn’t?

Projected matchups:
Tony Gaytan (2-2, 3.12 ERA) vs. Adam Lunn (7-10, 4.97 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (5-8, 3.77 ERA) vs. Luis Briseno (0-0, 15.00 ERA)
Nick Walla (9-6, 3.49 ERA) vs. Angel Alba (4-12, 4.80 ERA)

The Knights offered up only right-handers in this series. Briseno was a 28-year-old quad-A starter that had really been poured on with boiling oil, trying to scale the ladder up the Loggers’ castle last week.

Jamie Colter’s sore calf would leave him day-to-day for the entire series.

Game 1
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Spicer – 2B Caballero – P Gaytan
ATL: RF V.D. Morales – C Hart – CF J. Evans – SS C. Ramsey – LF J.D. Johnson – 1B M. Medina – 2B Fumero – P Lunn – 3B Baxley

Justin Hart and Jake Evans reached base for Atlanta in the first inning, but Casey Ramsey’s double play ended that threat; however, Gaytan was taken deep by J.D. Johnson to begin the bottom 2nd. He wasn’t much impressed, though, and when Jorge Caballero began the third inning with a double to right, struck another one of those, tying the game himself with his first RBI of the year. Jaden Wilson made an out, but Lunn walked the bases full with Corral and Lopez, then allowed a 2-run single to Monck and a sac fly to Starr for a 4-1 score before Novelo’s groundout to short ended that inning. However, a walk to Victor David Morales and a hard Hart homer helped hugely to get the Knights right back into the thick of things, shortening the score to 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning. So, no, Gaytan was nowhere near as good as in his last couple of starts. His first strikeout didn’t come until Carlos Fumero whiffed to begin the fourth, and then he walked John Baxley and Morales with two outs. Hart singled to right, and Jose Corral threw out Baxley at the plate to bugger out of the inning.

Rich Monck tacked on a run with a fifth-inning home run, but 2-out knocks by Johnson and Miguel Medina scraped it right back off the board, and Gaytan wasn’t seen after the fifth inning. The Coons pen then appeared to blow the 5-4 lead effortlessly in the bottom 6th, as McMahan allowed a single to Adam Goldesberry – this was the first career hit of the 26-year-old infielder – and walked the bags full, and Dover came in with three on, one out, and Evans batting. He grounded to second base, from where Caballero went home and got Goldesberry thrown out at the dish, and then Ramsey swung and missed on a 3-2 pitch to strand the bases loaded. Ubaldo Piteira would be next, pitching a 1-2-3 seventh before being taken deep by PH Willie Acosta to tie the game in the eighth inning. The Raccoons didn’t come close to scoring in those late innings, and instead Manabu Yamauchi appeared to lose the game with two outs in the bottom 9th when he allowed a single to Johnson and a double to left to Medina – however, Johnson became the THIRD Knights runner thrown out at the plate by Malcolm Spicer to extend the game into overtime. Both Yamauchi and Brad Fales for Atlanta pitched the ninth and tenth innings, with Fales recording six strikeouts, and Yamauchi returned to pitch the 11th as well, but by then was thoroughly squeezed out. The Raccoons only had Pedro Mendoza left, and two relievers (Cullum, Quinones) that had pitched two days in a row already.

The tie was broken in the 12th inning when Josh Doyle walked Spicer to begin proceedings. Spicer stole second, and came around on productive outs by Tallent and Joe Gardner, who batted for Yamauchi and emptied the bench, but hit the tie-breaking sac fly to left. Pedro Mendoza thus inherited a lead and had a chance for a save, but allowed a leadoff single to PH John Austin in Johnson’s spot. Medina flew out to center, and Fumero’s grounder to Novelo was good to erase the lead runner. That brought up the pitcher’s spot – and the Knights were out of bench pieces. Doyle struck out looking. 6-5 Critters. Monck 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Flowe (PH) 1-1; Yamauchi 3.0 P, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W (2-0);

Unfortunately for Yamauchi (2-0, 2.16 ERA), going three innings in the current bullpen squeeze, and having options, meant that he was optioned to AAA after this game. He would however be back by September 1, if not earlier. Matt Schmieder rejoined the team, although he only beat out Rich Read on account of already being on a full 40-man roster when Read wasn’t.

Game 2
POR: CF Wilson – SS Novelo – RF Corral – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – C Flowe – LF Spicer – 2B Arantes – P Sanchez
ATL: LF V.D. Morales – C Hart – 1B M. Medina – RF J. Evans – SS C. Ramsey – CF Fumero – 2B W. Acosta – 3B Baxley – P Briseno

Nobody scored in the first four innings, as the Raccoons didn’t know what to do with Briseno, who appeared non-edible, and Sanchez faced the minimum; although the Knights had an Evans hit in the second and Morales drew a walk in the fourth, both runners were eventually doubled off to shorten the innings, which was fine by us. Evans then homered leading off the bottom 5th and Ramsey walked and was brought around to score with two outs on a Baxley single, which was less fine by us…

However, somehow that solved the knot the offense was trying to unpick, as Briseno now walked Jaden Wilson to lead off the sixth and he was doubled home by Jose Corral with one out, and then Monck struck a homer to right to flip the score to 3-2 Portland – only for V.D. Morales to tie the game with another leadoff homer in the bottom of the same inning.

The Knights then made more questionable decisions. With Wilson on second base and one out in the eighth, they walked Corral intentionally so Briseno could face Rich Monck again for some reason. Monck doubled to left now, giving the Critters the lead for the second time in the game. Starr then drew another walk, and Briseno was yanked for Kody Mello, who gave up consecutive RBI singles to Jake Flowe, Spicer, and Leon Arantes before the entire Portland battery was retired on a fly by Sanchez to right that was caught by Evans, who then threw out Flowe at the plate. Sanchez then continued tossing until the bases were loaded in the bottom 8th, which took him only four batters, and Morales, Medina, and Evans were then inherited by Cullum. Ramsey doubled to center against him, driving home two, but Evans was thrown out at the plate, with the out at the plate rapidly becoming the theme song of the series. Fumero’s pop to short ended the inning, Portland still up 7-5. Cullum finished the game, getting around a Consuegra single in the ninth inning, and won himself a spotty save. 7-5 Raccoons. Wilson 2-3, 2 BB; Corral 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; Monck 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Spicer 2-4, RBI;

Monck getting hot JUST as the deadline has passed. Sneaky bugger.

Game 3
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Spicer – 2B Gardner – P Walla
ATL: RF V.D. Morales – C Hart – CF J. Evans – SS C. Ramsey – 1B M. Medina – 3B Baxley – LF Consuegra – 2B Fumero – P Alba

Atlanta was 1-0 up quick in the game on Wednesday as Morales singled, moved up on Hart’s grounder, and scored from second easily on another single by Jake Evans. Walla’s offerings had no bite whatsoever, and the Knights continued to make ready contact, even though Ramsey hit into an inning-ending double play. But they bashed him for three more hits in the second inning, getting two more runs, and a Medina homer made it a 4-0 game in the third inning. It was bad enough that Schmieder and a couple of left-handers were warming as early as the top of the fourth in which Joel Starr hit a homer to right to get the Coons on the board.

In the event, Walla was chased by rain after four innings before the Knights could finish him off, but left trailing 4-1 anyway, and battered. The Coons asked Schmieder for two innings, which they got, but he also walked two and gave up a run on those walks in the bottom 5th before Pablo Novelo could bash a 3-run homer off ex-Coon Alba, who was still going after the rain delay, but was hauled in when the score was swatted down to 5-4. Luis Morales got the ball for Atlanta in the seventh, allowed a pinch-hit double to Arantes, who then stole third base on a mistaken sign (!) and yet was stranded by Wilson and Corral.

Jesse Dover got four outs and Quinones two more to get the team through eight innings before they appeared before Fales again, who had completely eviscerated them on Monday. This time Novelo chopped the first pitch he offered into play and Medina bobbled Goldesberry’s throw for an error, which put the tying run on base. Spicer grounded to Fumero at second base, who thought of two, but got only one with a flick to Ramsey, who had no time to get out of the way before he was clobbered by Novelo, landed awkwardly on his hand, and appeared to break a finger. He left the game for long-ago three-time Player of the Year Willie Acosta to take over, who then turned a double play with Fumero on Joe Gardner to end the game. 5-4 Knights. Starr 2-4, HR, RBI; Novelo 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Arantes (PH) 1-1, 2B;

Raccoons (43-64) vs. Titans (74-34) – August 5-8, 2066

There was no reason to not expect this series to turn ugly. The Titans were up 5-2 in the season series, and while they had not beaten the Raccoons quite as convincingly and insultingly as the Crusaders this season, they *had* a 4-game sweep on the books as well, with 34-6 runs against the Critters, although that had been in May, and we won’t talk about May anymore here. They were in a groove now, 4-0 in August and 16-3 since the All Star Game, as if their #4 offense and #1 pitching were not intimidating enough. Cesar Pena was the only injury for Boston.

Projected matchups:
Evan Alvey (2-2, 3.70 ERA) vs. Mike Bell (14-5, 2.63 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (7-9, 3.58 ERA) vs. Bryce Wallace (8-8, 3.34 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (2-2, 3.57 ERA) vs. Will Glaude (4-4, 4.00 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (6-8, 3.91 ERA) vs. Matt Taylor (14-4, 2.71 ERA)

All-righty rotation, and the Coons would miss Jason Brenize (15-1, 1.70 ERA), who had pitched on Wednesday. Oh, how terrible…! Oh, how will I live…!

Jamie Colter was fully ready to go again, having pinch-hit twice in Atlanta.

Game 1
BOS: SS I. Diaz – LF S. Humphries – CF Marcotte – 3B Z. Suggs – RF Joe Washington – 1B Joyner – C S. Moreno – 2B Onelas – P M. Bell
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Colter – 2B Caballero – P Alvey

Colter returned to the lineup and immediately drove in the game’s first run on Thursday with an RBI single to plate Novelo, who had reached on Zach Suggs’ 2-base throwing error, which sure sugged for the Titans.

Alvey didn’t allow a base hit the first time through the Boston lineup, but was then tagged for three knocks to tie the game in the fourth, as Steve Humphries doubled, Eddie Marcotte (who was just back from injury) singled, and then Joe Washington rolled one up the middle to plate Humphries after Alvey had rung up Suggs for the first out of the inning. He also struck out Bill Joyner, but then fell to a 2-out RBI single by backup catcher Sandy Moreno that put Boston on top. Marcos Onelas flew out to Wilson. Alvey hung in there after falling behind, although his pitch count was approaching 80 after five frames. Bottom 5th, however, and the Coons flipped the score back on a knock by Corral and then Ramon Lopez’ 2-run homer – and that was before Rich Monck hit another homer on the very next pitch! Starr doubled after that, but was left on when Novelo whiffed. Bill Joyner then took Alvey deep to shorten the score to 4-3 in the sixth.

The Coons squeezed seven out of Alvey and carried the 4-3 lead to the stretch, after which Cullum got quick outs from the right-handed 2-3-4 batters in the eighth. Jason Rhodes got the ball for Boston after seven innings from Bell and allowed Starr and Colter on base, but lefty pinch-hitters Spicer and Flowe didn’t leave much of a mark and the runners were stranded. The Titans now brought up lefty hitters Washington and Joyner, so the Raccoons went to McMahan in the ninth with their 4-3 lead. He struck out those two, then walked Moreno on four pitches, which put the tying run on base. He would face Onelas, while Dover was up potentially get a righty pinch-hitter in the #9 spot, but we didn’t get that far, because Onelas swung at and missed a 3-2 from McMahan to end the game. 4-3 Coons. Lopez 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Starr 3-4, 2B; Colter 2-3, BB, RBI; Alvey 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (3-2);

Game 2
BOS: SS I. Diaz – LF S. Humphries – C Arviso – CF Marcotte – RF Joe Washington – 1B Joyner – 3B Macomber – 2B Onelas – P B. Wallace
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – SS Novelo – LF Colter – 2B Caballero – P Nakayama

Uncharacteristically, Shoma Nakayama was behind in the count a lot on Friday, walked two and allowed three singles in the early going, but didn’t buckle enough to actually allow a run to the Titans. He did not get a strikeout until he faced Phil Macomber for the second time, 16 batters into the game, in the fourth inning. Portland had a Caballero double the first time through and not much else, although Wallace also issued two walks in the first three innings. The game was still scoreless when he began the bottom 4th by nicking Monck, Starr singled, and Novelo walked, which made it three on and nobody out for Colter, who poked at a 3-1 pitch, hit a comebacker, and Wallace gladly took it to home plate to get Monck out on a force play. Caballero fanned, and Nakayama rolled over to Onelas, who flipped the ball at Joyner very poorly, the Gold Glover couldn’t come up with it, and the Coons took the lead on a rather baffling 2-out error. Even Honeypaws looked disgusted with that play. Wilson flew out to left before we could add more unearned runs.

Corral, Monck, and Starr all scratched hits together to add a run in the fifth inning, 2-0, but Novelo popped out and Colter flew out casually to Humphries to keep a pair stranded. This had to come back and bite at some point, and did so quickly when Nakayama melted down for good in the sixth inning. Marcotte led off with a single over Caballero’s head, but Joe Washington flew out to Wilson. Joyner walked, though, and Macomber filled the bases with a single. Nakayama talked his way into staying in the game, but allowed an RBI single to Onelas and then walked in a run against the opposing pitcher to tie the game before being disposed of. Pedro Mendoza came in to run a full count against Israel Diaz, who then hit into a 4-6-3 double play to preserve the 2-2 tie.

Quinones got the ball in the seventh after Mendoza was hit for to no great effect with Arantes in the bottom 6th. Humphries and Marcotte got on base for Boston, but Zach Suggs pinch-hit and whiffed, and Joyner flew out to Corral to keep the runners stranded. The Coons then hit back-to-back jacks between Corral and Lopez off reliever Jose Gomez in the bottom 7th to take a new 4-2 lead. The Coons felt like they needed to try and steal outs from the bottom of the order with Schmieder in the eighth, who allowed a single to Macomber before striking out Onelas. McMahan then found out of the inning beginning with the left-handed Brendan Snyder in the #9 hole. No further runs were tacked on, but Dover axed the Titans in order in the ninth inning. 4-2 Critters. Corral 2-3, BB, HR, 2B, RBI; Monck 2-3; Starr 2-3, BB, RBI;

Jaden Wilson got a day off on Saturday. The Raccoons’ next off day was not until Thursday next week.

Game 3
BOS: 2B Onelas – LF S. Humphries – C Arviso – CF Marcotte – RF Joe Washington – 1B Joyner – SS Z. Suggs – 3B Macomber – P Glaude
POR: RF Corral – SS Novelo – 1B Starr – 3B Monck – LF Colter – CF Tallent – C Flowe – 2B Caballero – P Gaytan

Joel Starr hit into a double play after the first two Critters reached base against Will Glaude, but Monck continued his strong week with an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead, which Gaytan blew immediately with a walk to Eddie Marcotte, nicking Joyner, and a Suggs single in the top 2nd, which sugged. Macomber flew out and Glaude popped out to keep the score even at least. He allowed another leadoff walk to Onelas in the third inning, but got around that one, and then hit a leadoff single to right himself against Glaude in the bottom 3rd. Corral also singled, but was forced out on Novelo’s grounder to Suggs, which sugged, but Glaude then uncorked a wild pitch and Gaytan scored to give himself a new lead. Starr and Monck, however, left Novelo in scoring position.

Gaytan didn’t have a clean inning until the sixth, when he sat down the 5-6-7 batters with strikeouts beginning and ending the inning, but then was taken deep by Macomber to begin the seventh, and immediately melted down completely. Glaude singled, and he drilled (!) the bags full by hitting Andy Lee and Humphries. All of his runners would score with the generously ******ed bullpen issuing bases-loaded walks to Marcotte and Joyner (Mendoza), and a wild pitch (Cullum) without the Titans ever making contact.

The Raccoons hit into double plays in the seventh and eighth innings, but in between managed to get Spicer on with a pinch-hit single. He stole second, advanced on wild pitch by ex-Coon Sansao Tyson, and then scored on a sac fly by Corral to shorten the gap to 5-3. The Coons then got the tying runs on base in the ninth against left-hander Tyler Gleason as Monck and Tallent hit singles by the time there was one out on the board. Ramon Lopez batted for Flowe against the southpaw, but struck out, and Caballero flew out easily to Washington to end the game… 5-3 Titans. Corral 1-2, BB, RBI; Monck 2-4, RBI; Tallent 2-4; Flowe 2-3; Spicer (PH) 1-1;

Well, you can’t beat them all the time, I guess. There’s a reason why they lead the division by double digits. However, even a decently conducted L on Sunday for a split would still be a bit of a success for these Coons.

Novelo was off on Sunday.

Game 4
BOS: SS I. Diaz – 1B Joyner – CF Marcotte – 3B Z. Suggs – C Arviso – RF Joe Washington – LF A. Lee – 2B Onelas – P M. Taylor
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – 2B Arantes – LF Spicer – SS Gardner – P Sanchez

The Coons had Wilson on with a leadoff walk in the first, but he was caught stealing, then slapped three straight singles in the bottom 2nd, but Monck was thrown out at the plate by Washington on Arantes’ 3-2 single, and then Spicer lined out to Onelas, with Arantes caught far off base and doubled off to end that inning quite shamefully. Sanchez only allowed a walk to Suggs and no hits the first time through, then reached when Andy Lee dove for his floater to shallow left, but it hit off his wrist rather than into the mitten and dropped in for a hard-luck error. Wilson and Corral hit soft singles, but the Coons new better than to send their pitcher against Washington’s weapon attachment in rightfield. Three on and one out for Ramon Lopez, he lined out to Suggs on the first pitch, but Sanchez had still been standing there with a hindpaw on the base and was not doubled off. Monck fell to 0-2, poked a blooper to left, Lee dove for another ball – and this time made the catch to leave a full complement of (unearned) runners on base.

The Titans found the H column with back-to-back 1-out singles by Marcotte and Suggs in the fourth, but poor outs by Arviso and Washington left them stranded, too. Starr came close to a homer to left in the inning, but had that thing caught at the fence by very active backup outfielder Andy Lee, who opened the top 5th with a single, but was picked off by Nakayama, who then walked Taylor with two outs as the game continued as another episode straight out of a madhouse. Israel Diaz singled, but Joyner flew out to Spicer to end the inning. Bottom 5th, Wilson singled and was caught stealing AGAIN, and then the Coons put two more runners on as Corral doubled with two outs and Lopez walked, but Monck could not get them home, either. 12 hits between the two teams and still scoreless through five…!

Juan Sanchez had a 1-2-3 sixth for a change, while Taylor walked Arantes with one out in the home half of the inning. Spicer’s grounder moved him to second and the Titans walked Gardner intentionally to get to Sanchez – who hit an RBI single to put the Coons on the board. Baffling! Wilson then of course grounded out easily to Onelas, inning over.

The lead didn’t last, because Sanchez allowed a single to Washington in the seventh, who gained a base on Lee’s groundout, and then scored when Monck fired Onelas’ grounder away for two bases. Sanchez retired Taylor and PH Bobby Ellwood and then left the game at the stretch. He got a posthumous 2-1 lead when Lopez doubled off Taylor and was brought in by a 2-out wild pitch that almost took Starr’s legs off in the box. Starr would reach base on a walk, but was stranded by Arantes, and the Coons’ Quinones and Cullum then blew the lead with hits allowed to Joyner, Suggs, and Arviso in the top 8th… What a game. (unscrews Capt’n Coma) Colter batted for Cullum with two out and nobody on against Jason Rhodes in the bottom 8th and drove a rocket into the gap that was somehow caught by Washington.

Top 9th, McMahan walked righty pinch-hitters Macomber and Moreno, then got a double-play grounder from Ellwood in the #1 spot to bugger out of the inning with a 2-2 tie. Rhodes remained in the game or Boston against the top of the Portland lineup, and allowed a leadoff single to Wilson in the bottom 9th, who was then caught stealing for the third time in the game, which went to extras, where the Coons arrived at Schmieder, who gave up a leadoff double to Steve Humphries in the #2 spot, at which point I mentally resigned from the game, but he then allowed just one more base to the runner on Marcotte’s fly to left before striking out Suggs and Arviso! Arantes hit a 2-out single in the bottom 10th and was caught stealing by Arviso, and maybe at one point the Raccoons would get the message. Schmieder pitched the 11th as well before the ball went to Piteira, who allowed long fly outs to Moreno and Ellwood before striking out the pitcher Gleason – Boston was out of bench, but the Raccoons still had plenty. Sansao Tyson got the ball for the bottom 12th, and Wilson hit a leadoff single, then stayed his ******* *** on first base until Ramon Lopez smashed a walkoff double! 3-2 Blighters! Wilson 4-5, BB; Corral 2-6, 2B; Lopez 2-5, BB, 2 2B, RBI; Arantes 2-4, BB; Sanchez 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K and 1-3, RBI; Schmieder 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

In other news

August 5 – Both the Loggers and Canadiens lose their starting pitchers Luis Palacios (7-5, 4.42 ERA) and Ray Rath (2-12, 4.40 ERA), respectively, to minor injuries early on and then use a total of 17 hurlers in a slogfest that becomes a somewhat Pyrrhic 13-10 Loggers win.
August 6 – OCT SP Jose Ortega (10-7, 4.29 ERA) throws a 2-hit shutout against the Falcons as the Thunder win 6-0.
August 6 – To add insult to already existing insult and injury, the Canadiens beat the Loggers, 6-5, in *20* innings on Friday in a game that includes 11 consecutive scoreless innings and another 16 pitchers being driven to exhaustion before VAN OF/1B Chad Whetstine (.240, 2 HR, 23 RBI) ends the misery with a walkoff home run off MIL SP Tony Espinosa (3-6, 5.49 ERA).
August 7 – The Canadiens beat the Loggers, 2-0, on just three hits, two of which are home runs by outfielders Roberto Lozada (.295, 10 HR, 59 RBI) and Nick Vaughn (.301, 16 HR, 61 RBI). VAN SP Ken Nielsen (10-8, 2.93 ERA), who pitched in relief on Thursday, gets the win, while the Loggers claim a moral victory with MIL SP Oliver Graham (6-6, 4.30 ERA) at least chalking up a complete-game loss to revive their pen.
August 8 – The wild Loggers-Canadiens series concludes with a 15-12 Loggers win, fueled substantially by a 6-RBI day by MIL 1B Dave Robles (.239, 5 HR, 26 RBI), who has two hits, including a grand slam.

FL Player of the Week: PIT OF Sal Andon (.270, 9 HR, 47 RBI), batting .464 (13-28) with 3 HR, 7 RBI
CL Player of the Week: MIL OF Jonathan Merrill (.331, 3 HR, 31 RBI), poking .467 (14-30) with 3 RBI

Complaints and stuff

How close was Rich Monck to Player of the Week honors? Not particularly close. He batted .367 (11-30) with 3 HR and 8 RBI. He’s just so eager to hit dingers that he’s readily exploited right now. He has not waited out a walk in almost a month! His last walk came on July 15, the first game after the All Star break…!? Granted, he makes contact, in that time he has also only struck out SEVEN times, against 11 multi-hit games. But those three homers were his first since the break, so it’s not all going great… and he is STILL under 100 for his OPS+…

Every time Ramon Lopez gets a day off, I find a dead butterfly in my breakfast bowl the next day. I feel like this is supposed to be a message, but I don’t speak the language.

Also, Maud, please stop adding chunks of banana to my chocolate sugar puffs, I’m not eating that. – What do you mean, that’s not chocolate sugar puffs?? – Why did you coat more banana with chocolates???

THE BETRAYAL!

This was a surprisingly competent week by the Critters, who beat the Titans three outta four, not that it put a big dent into their division lead. The Crusaders can’t get going, and it looks like the division is well over, even though the Coons still have 51 games to play. Three of those will be at home against the Loggers starting on Monday, and then a single-city trip to Dallas over the weekend. That latter series is framed by off days. After that we’ll have a 2-week homestand including that Condors double-header that’s still looming.

Fun Fact: Milwaukee’s Cesar Ramirez has been in the majors since ’62, but he now seems to develop power.

Ramirez debuted at 21 after being named the league’s #1 prospect prior to that 2062 season, and has been hitting over .300 in every season since, but never hit more than five homers. This year he’s at .348 with 14 HR and 79 RBI, all of which are career-best marks by a significant margin. His .953 OPS and 167 OPS+ fill me with envy. He was an All Star for the first time this year, and looks like a menace for years to come – unless the Loggers lose him to some FL team when he reaches free agency after the 2068 season.

So far for his career he’s batting .321 with 28 HR and 258 RBI – not shabby for a scouting discovery that wasn’t signed until 17 years old.

[Westheim]

Raccoons (47-64) vs. Loggers (46-66) – August 9-11, 2066

The Loggers miraculously managed to sit in the bottom of the CL North while scoring the most runs in the Continental League. Key to their success was to allow EVEN MORE runs than they scored, and they had a -50 run differential, which was kinda tame compared to the Critters’ mark of -136. Milwaukee was tops in batting average and OBP, good in homers, and terrible in literally everything else. But they knew how to play the Raccoons this year, winning nine of a dozen games played so far. With starter Nick Waldron on the DL for the year, and three regulars (Fidel Carrera, Tommy Guitreau, Tim Goss) nursing minor injuries, quite a few teeth were pulled from that lineup right now.

Projected matchups:
Nick Walla (9-7, 3.65 ERA) vs. Girolamo Pizzichini (8-8, 4.23 ERA)
Evan Alvey (3-2, 3.72 ERA) vs. Luis Palacios (7-5, 4.42 ERA)
Shoma Nakayama (7-9, 3.57 ERA) vs. Julio Robles (3-4, 5.01 ERA)

One left-hander coming up here, which was Palacios on Tuesday.

Game 1
MIL: RF D. Wright – CF Merrill – 1B C. Ramirez – SS Brantly – LF C. Dominguez – 3B Reber – C Burchell – 2B Willoughby – P Pizzichini
POR: CF Wilson – RF Corral – C Lopez – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Colter – SS Novelo – 2B Caballero – P Walla

Ironically, with two of the worst pitching groups clashing again in this series, nobody managed to get a base hit the first time through on Monday for either team. The Coons got a couple of walks early on, while Dave Wright reached on a Monck error in the fourth, but was doubled off by Jonathan Merrill right away. Walla then walked Cesar Ramirez, but struck out Chance Brantly, who was subbing for Fidel Carrera, and not too great. It took until the bottom 5th for Jamie Colter to hit an infield single for the game’s first knock, and then the ball didn’t even reach the infield dirt before dying in between “Pizza”, Devin Willoughby, and Cesar Ramirez, and nobody covering first base anymore. Novelo flew out to right, and Caballero grounded to short, where Brantly threw the ball wildly past Willoughby for an error, putting a second Critter on base. Walla bunted the runners over, Wilson drew a walk, and then Corral got a roller through the middle for a 2-out RBI single before Ramon Lopez grounded out to Brantly to leave three on base. Willoughby then led off the sixth with a double to center, but was thrown out at third base when Walla pounced on a bad bunt by “Pizza”.

Walla kept trucking along, lacking great stuff, but getting a great amount of easy groundballs for the infielders. He only struck out two batters up to stretch time, but he also needed only 65 pitches to make it that far. Carlos Dominguez also grounded out to begin the eighth, but then Kyle Reber worked a walk and Sam Burchell singled past Novelo at short. Now required to reach back, Walla prevailed, struck out Willoughby as well as PH Dave Robles, and got out of the inning. Ramon Lopez got on base in the bottom 8th, but was stranded, and then Walla went back out – it wasn’t like we had a functioning closer anyway, and Walla was on 84 pitches even after a hairy eighth. He struck out Wright for three in a row, and Merrill grounded out to Joel Starr. Cesar Ramirez hit the first pitch at Caballero – and that was the ballgame! 1-0 Blighters! Walla 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W (10-7) and 1-2;

Nick Walla! This was his first career shutout; he had thrown three complete games so far, all in 2065.

Game 2
MIL: 3B Reber – CF Merrill – LF C. Ramirez – 1B D. Robles – RF C. Dominguez – SS Brantly – C Burchell – 2B Willoughby – P L. Palacios
POR: CF Wilson – SS Novelo – C Lopez – 1B Starr – 3B Arantes – LF Spicer – 2B Caballero – RF Tallent – P Alvey

Alvey got the first six Loggers out on Tuesday while getting an early run in the second inning when Randy Tallent doubled home Arantes with two outs in the bottom 2nd. Sam Burchell then drew a leadoff walk in the third inning before Willoughby flew out to Jaden Wilson in center … with Wilson making a diving catch and leaving a noticeable crater in centerfield. He was slow to get up and even slower to walk off the field with Luis Silva. Corral replaced him, with Tallent going to centerfield. The runner Burchell was stranded on first base after that, and the Raccoons loaded the bases with their 1-2-3 batters and nobody out in the bottom 3rd. This yielded minimal actual results as Starr flew out to Ramirez in shallow left, and only Arantes managed to get a run home with a sac fly. Spicer lined out to Willoughby to end the inning.

While Alvey was holding the Loggers to one hit through five innings, he wasn’t as economical as Walla had been at all, throwing 67 pitches with a bunch of longer counts and requiring more outfield assistance as well. (looks at the hole left by Jaden Wilson in shallow center) The score was 3-0 after five, as Joel Starr doubled home Corral with two outs in the bottom 5th, but was then tagged out trying to retreat to second base after going halfway to third base for a greedy triple that wasn’t meant to be.

Top 6th, and things got chewy. Palacios led off the inning with a double to right, which was never good, and scored after a 1-out Merrill single and Ramirez’ sac fly. Alvey then felt the need to fill the bases with a walk to Robles and drilling Dominguez, but Brantly flew out easily to Spicer to leave the bases loaded. Alvey added another 1-2-3 seventh after that and brought the 3-1 score to the stretch, to which the Raccoons added a run in the bottom 7th when Corral tripled and scored immediately on Novelo’s sac fly, 4-1. Jorge Quinones got the ball for the eighth and immediately had Kyle Reber reach base on a throwing error by Arantes, but retired the next three batters to get out of the inning himself. He got one more out from the lefty-hitting Dominguez before Dover took over for the final two outs from Brantly and Burchell. 4-1 Raccoons. Wilson 1-1; Corral 3-3, 3B; Alvey 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (4-2);

Rich Monck did not appear in this game, only the second game all year that he did not feature in at all. The Raccoons left him in the on-deck circle by going down in order in the bottom 8th. Joel Starr had only missed four games so far, and Jaden Wilson had missed six, although it looked like that number was going to go up.

However, there was no immediately available diagnosis for Wilson, so the Raccoons would play the final game of the series a set of paws short.

Game 3
MIL: RF D. Wright – CF Merrill – SS Brantly – LF C. Dominguez – 3B Reber – C Guitreau – 1B D. Robles – 2B Willoughby – P J. Robles
POR: RF Corral – SS Novelo – 3B Monck – 1B Starr – LF Colter – C Flowe – CF Tallent – 2B Caballero – P Nakayama

Tommy Guitreau returned to the lineup on Wednesday, but the Loggers managed to go up 1-0 in the first without him as Merrill and Brantly put a run together on a pair of doubles to right. The top of the order produced another run in the third inning, as Wright and Merrill reached base and Dominguez singled home his fellow corner outfielder, but Reber and Guitreau then made poor outs. Nakayama kept falling apart after that, allowing a leadoff walk to Dave Robles in the fourth inning before giving up back-to-back doubles to the 8-9 hitters, giving two RBI’s to Julio Robles. Mound counseling got him two more outs from Wright and Merill, but he then got bopped for an RBI double by Brantly and an RBI single by Dominguez, and unceremoniously removed from the 6-0 game. Schmieder replaced him, and poured oil onto the fire by allowing a triple into the leftfield corner to Reber, 7-0, before Guitreau popped out.

What little offense the Raccoons had disappeared in double plays hit into in the fourth and fifth innings, and Schmieder reached on an error to begin the sixth before being forced by Corral, who was forced out by Novelo, who didn’t get around to score either. Schmieder had gotten seven outs for no issues so far, then suddenly filled the bases to begin the seventh inning; Dominguez and Reber singled, Guitreau walked, Robles hit a big double… and I just put the sleep mask on and rolled into a ball beneath the pillows. One of those games! I only missed Guitreau taking Pedro Mendoza deep in the ninth inning, and the Coons getting a pair of unearned runs as Julio Robles was undone by his own defense, and Reber especially, in a bottom of the ninth during which the ballpark was rapidly emptying already. 12-2 Loggers. Corral 2-5, RBI; Monck 2-4; Caballero 1-2, 2 BB, 2B;

Thursday was a travel day to Dallas, although Jaden Wilson remained home, having been shunted to the DL with a herniated disc. He was probably out for the rest of the month, but would return in September.

Raccoons (49-65) @ Stars (75-38) – August 13-15, 2066

The Stars had another lightyears-sized lead in the FL West, so I was hoping they would not stomp on the Critters too hard, and instead conserve forces for October ball. Please? The Texans had won five in a row, led the Federal League in runs scored, but unlike the Loggers were also competently pitching and allowed the second-fewest runs. They had a +165 run differential. Yeah of course they were gonna stomp us! The Coons had lost two of three meeting the Stars last year, and had lost the last two series played between these two teams.

Projected matchups:
Tony Gaytan (2-3, 4.03 ERA) vs. Alan Deakin (11-6, 4.09 ERA)
Juan Sanchez (6-8, 3.71 ERA) vs. Willie Valdez (2-0, 4.56 ERA)
Nick Walla (10-7, 3.42 ERA) vs. Andy Canada (10-2, 2.56 ERA)

The Stars had not been off on Thursday; Valdez was an injury replacement for “Crabman” Walker, who was out for until late September at least. The Stars were also without thundering outfielder Chad Pritchett and Juan de Luna, and hoping to get all the pieces back in time for the postseason. We would begin the series facing another southpaw, Deakin.

The Raccoons called up Carlos Matas as a defensive centerfield option. To get him back on the 40-man roster, the Raccoons first had to claw Sandy Pineda from the minor-league DL and put him on the 60-day DL to free up a roster spot.

Game 1
POR: RF Corral – SS Novelo – C Lopez – 3B Monck – LF Arantes – 1B Starr – 2B Caballero – CF Tallent – P Gaytan
DAL: LF C. Bautista – 2B Maudlin – CF Wharton – 3B X. Reyes – 1B Fresco – C Bothe – SS R. Vargas – RF Robichaud – P Deakin

The Raccoons jumped out to an unearned 2-0 lead in the first inning, which began with a Corral single and a 2-base throwing error by Xavier Reyes, that put Corral and Novelo in scoring position. Lopez hit an RBI single, Monck hit a sac fly, and the inning fizzled out after that. That was the Raccoons’ offense – earned or not – for the early innings, while Dallas from the start made solid contact against Gaytan. This went well for a while, with enough contact made right at the defense, but a sharp single by Reyes, Belchior Fresco’s smacked RBI double, and a 2-out RBI single by Ricardo Vargas would tie the game in the fourth inning. However – Portland was right back on top by two in the fifth thanks to a lazy homer by Rich Monck out of the Dallas shoebox, this one coming with two outs and Lopez on base; but Gaytan couldn’t make it last and was chewed up in the bottom of the same inning. Deakin singled, which was always great, to begin the inning, and then he lost Carlos Bautista in a full count. Jeff Maudlin struck out, but Lopez catastrophically threw away Tyler Wharton’s infield roller for two bases and a run, and Xavier Reyes drove the nails in with a 2-run single. Gaytan crawled out of the inning, but trailed 5-4, and had the little consolation offered by all three runs in the bottom 5th being unearned on the Lopez error.

And he was also taken off the hook after a sixth inning in which nobody reached, Portland pitching duties being taken over by McMahan. Spicer batted for the southpaw to begin the seventh and singled, then stole his 30th base of the year and scored on a Novelo single to tie the game at five. Lopez hit another single, but another Monck drive came up short and was caught, and the inning ended with Arantes flying out.

The Stars got seven innings from Deakin (two of whose runs were unearned as well) and two outs from Mike Rocheford before he left with an injury. The Coons followed Gaytan and McMahan with Justin Cullum, who retired four straight Stars before Reyes hit a 1-out double in the bottom 8th and Fresco managed to leg out an infield single. Runners on the corners, he fell to 3-1 on Jason Bothe, but the catcher then hit the ball at Monck, and a 5-4-3 double play ended the inning…! Still tied, the Stars had Roberto Ramirez retire the Raccoons in order in the ninth inning before Pedro Mendoza came up against the Stars’ bottom of the order in the ninth, but walked Vargas and saw Jared Rochibaud reach on an error by Starr. Tony Villarreal bunted the runners into scoring position, and while Bruce Burkart pinch-hit for a comebacker to spare his former teammates the loss for another 30 seconds, another pinch-hitter, Ben Marmie, singled through the right side to end the game. 6-5 Stars. Corral 2-5; Lopez 3-3, RBI; Spicer (PH) 1-2; Cullum 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

Game 2
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 2B Monck – 1B Starr – 3B Colter – SS Novelo – CF Tallent – P Sanchez
DAL: 3B X. Reyes – 1B Fresco – CF Wharton – C Bothe – 2B Maudlin – RF T. Pritchard – SS Robichaud – LF C. Bautista – P W. Valdez

Bad weather was in the forecast, so an early lead could be worth a lot. The Raccoons obliged, Corral walking to begin the game before Spicer singled and Ramon Lopez cranked a 3-run homer over the fence in left. However, the weather turned sour not after five innings, but after ONE, and we had a 1:15 rain delay in the top 2nd. Sanchez had thrown 17 pitches in the first inning against the Stars and was good to return for the time being, but it didn’t look like the weather was done with this game yet.

Nor were the Stars, who slapped Sanchez for a Bothe single – 18-game hitting streak there – a Tommy Prichard RBI double, and an RBI single by Carlos Bautista to shorten the score to 3-2 in the bottom 2nd, and he gave up two more loud hits to Fresco and Bothe in the third inning before getting yanked; Willie Valdez had also been removed for Brad Walker in the top of the inning. Quinones replaced Sanchez, got two outs to escape the jam, but then returned for the bottom 4th and retired … nobody. He walked Robichaud, Bautista singled, Vargas walked, Reyes doubled home two, and Fresco singled in another run. Schmieder replaced him, got two outs – including Tyler Wharton singing Novelo’s glove with a HARD lineout – and then got completely demolished as well as Maudlin doubled, Pritchard singled, Robichaud singled, Bautista singled, Vargas walked, Reyes singled, and Fresco ******* finally flew out, but by then the Stars had scored nine, and the Raccoons were getting shoved down a woodchipper once more. Tyler Wharton then homered off Piteira in the fifth, making the Dallas dozen full in four-plus innings…

Piteira hung around long enough to give up another home run to Wharton down the road, which would count for three runs in a 4-run seventh for the Stars. The Raccoons had by then completely disappeared, as usual, and Novelo was up once again to pitch a garbage inning in the eighth. Marmie hit a single off him, but was caught stealing, and should I get a hold of him in the parking a lot, I would tear out all his toe- and fingernails, because what did that ******* ****** have to steal bases in a 13-run game??? Novelo didn’t allow a run – how novelo! – but the Raccoons didn’t have a base hit after the second inning in another complete embarrassment. 16-3 Stars. Lopez 1-2, BB, HR, 3 RBI;

Useless piece of **** Matt Schmieder (0-1, 8.36 ERA) was off the roster by Sunday, and the Raccoons brought back Yamauchi.

Game 3
POR: RF Corral – LF Spicer – C Lopez – 2B Monck – 1B Starr – 3B Colter – SS Novelo – CF Tallent – P Walla
DAL: 3B X. Reyes – 2B Maudlin – SS Yocum – CF Wharton – 1B Fresco – C Bothe – RF Marmie – LF C. Bautista – P Canada

Bothe extended his hitting streak with a solo jack against Walla in the second inning, which was the first run of the ballgame. While the Raccoons played being invisible again, the Stars would crowd Walla in the fourth inning by getting Wharton and Fresco on base with one out. Bothe hit a sac fly to right, 2-0, and Marmie singled, but Bautista then popped out to end the inning.

With Walla’s pitch count already right up there at 61, the Raccoons threatened to empty their bullpen again, with the associated fireworks. Joel Starr though hit a homer off Canada leading off the fifth inning, which unexpectedly narrowed the score down to 2-1. After that, three straight outs were made to finish the inning, and while Corral struck a double to center in the sixth inning, neither Spicer nor Lopez proved of any use in tying up this ballgame. Monck popped out to begin the seventh against Canada, but Starr singled to left. Colter popped out, but Novelo singled, and then Tallent found a hole on the right side and shoved a third single through there. Starr came around to score from second base, the game was tied, and with a pair of runners still on base and two outs, Arantes would bat for Walla – but lined out to Fresco; however, Walla at least didn’t catch a loss, nor did McMahan for a scoreless seventh.

Lefty David Figueroa was on the hill for Dallas in the eighth and retired Corral before Spicer pushed a single up the middle and stole second base. That gave four wide ones to Lopez, and Monck cracked a liner to the left side – but right at Reyes for the second out. Starr also hit a liner – but Maudlin dove for it and snatched it to end the inning. Robbery!!

The offense didn’t do any heroics in the ninth inning, either, while Cullum followed Yamauchi in trying to keep the Stars in the tie inning by inning. Cullum got two outs from Bothe and Pritchard to begin the inning, but was then singled to death with two outs by Bautista, Vargas, and Reyes for a walkoff….. 3-2 Stars. Starr 2-4, HR, RBI; Tallent 2-4, RBI;

In other news

August 9 – DEN SP Juan Ybarra (4-8, 3.74 ERA) and MR Ricky Baca (3-6, 6.33 ERA) pitch a combined 1-hitter against the Wolves, who get beaten 5-1 with nothing but a single by LF/RF Kyle Grulke (.280, 10 HR, 35 RBI) to show for.
August 13 – The Cyclones beat the Thunder, 5-4, in 14 innings after seven consecutive innings of no scoring.
August 15 – Crusaders INF/RF/LF Omar Sanchez (.275, 1 HR, 44 RBI) connects for two hits in an 8-5 win against the Pacifics, including getting his 3,000th career hit, a double off LAP MR Jim Schaubert (1-0, 2.06 ERA, 2 SV).

FL Player of the Week: DAL 3B/SS/LF Xavier Reyes (.336, 3 HR, 42 RBI), clipping .500 (13-26) with 1 HR, 12 RBI
CL Player of the Week: NYC LF/RF Kazuhide Takeuchi (.308, 26 HR, 92 RBI), bashing .346 (9-26) with 4 HR, 8 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Getting swept by the Stars is not the worst thing. The worst thing is putting up another two double digit blowouts this week, including another one against the Loggers. The pitching staff remains entirely dysfunctional and needs to get torched wholesale.

Almost wholesale. Walla threw a shutout after all to begin the week.

Nothing else to report, really. We’re just counting the games to the merciful conclusion of the season.

Off day on Monday to travel home on, and then we will have a 13-game homestand against the Cyclones, Crusaders, damn Elks, and Condors.

Yes, I can’t make myself call them their actual name, EVEN IF I AM RUINING A FOUR-LEG ALLITERATION WITH IT!!

Fun Fact: Omar Sanchez has led the CL in WAR four times despite having fewer career home runs than “Berto” Ramos.

Ramos had 20 homers. Sanchez has 19.

Apart from that, Sanchez, age 37 by now, was a career .308/.425/.382 hitter with three batting titles, had seven times led the CL in OBP, and twice in stolen bases. A persistent threat, and a career Crusader, the generational scouting discovery was just plonking away from whatever infield spot the Crusaders felt like using him in any given year, although more than half of his career innings played had come as shortstop.

Sanchez sat now at 3,000 hits, including 427 doubles and 117 triples, had 885 RBI, and 711 stolen bases. The latter stat put him just 41 behind career stolen base leader Lonzo Lavorano, who had retired with 752, and Sanchez had already stolen 22 bags this year. He was third overall in steals, as Pablo Sanchez – no relation – was still in between with his 721 steals.

For silverware, Sanchez had two rings, a Player of the Year award (2060), three Gold Gloves, two Platinum Sticks, and had been an All Star ten times.