[Westheim]

Still weak offensively, the Raccoons shut out the Crusaders 4-0 in the first of four games in the series. Our luck was that their starter Juan Torres walked four, while Jorge Romero went 7.1 innings and struck out five. He still allowed nine hits, but we got a few lucky double plays. So, this was a shutout of the highest-scoring team in the league, but for once luck had been on our side. Note that luck has been mentioned thrice in this paragraph.

The luck ended right that evening. We got news that in an A level game our prospect Juan Martinez had torn his posterior cruciate ligament. He was out for at least nine months. We had signed him right out of Mexico this winter.

We played game 2 without Ben Simon, who was a little worn out. Jeffries was in, but Simon pinch hit later in the game, grounding out. He has so far played in every Raccoons game in franchise history. The Raccoons lost 4-2 on poor offense and another shoddy performance by Christopher Powell, who gave up ten hits and all the runs in 4.2 innings. Next guy up with an inability to throw strikes as a recognized disability? Berrios. He walked four, but left a 2-2 tied game, that the Raccoons only lost through a combo of Wally Gaston walking three in the top 9th, combined with an Ed Sullivan error that cost three unearned runs. 5-2 loss. Sullivan deserved a day off along with Maloney, and both saw the Raccoons lose in ten innings, 2-1, with once again four hits. Logan Evans got a no-decision again with one run allowed in seven frames.

Now, allowing only 11 runs to the Crusaders over four games, that was certainly not that shabby. Of course, it was almost all bullpen. Berrios and Powell were in a slump, and Evans was walking them in scores. And then the team scored only nine runs themselves, losing three of four. I realize I continue to sing the same song here. But at 36-45 now, the first half of the season was over, and we were 262-329 in runs. That’s actually just over three runs scored per game. We were relying heavily on the long ball, leading the CL in home runs. Almost every other offensive category (including steals with Flores losing his timing): 11th or 12th.

Canadiens in Vancouver for four games next. Jorge Romero went six good innings allowing one run and Hoyt Cook later bashed the go ahead home run in the top 9th. Hatfield got his 23rd save in the 2-1 game with an amazing catch by Pedro Sánz to end the game, but then was in pain afterwards. He had a sore shoulder and was out for for one to two weeks. Which was terrible. One week, keep him and play Gaston as closer. Two weeks, disable him. One to two weeks? Gnarf. I thought about disabling him and calling up Brett Justice, but Justice was still struggling after a year on the DL, so I got Ned Ray to replace him in the pen. Gaston would close the next 15 days.

There was no save opportunity the next day, when the Raccoons beat the Canadiens 6-2. They only had five hits, but were walked eight times and Ben Simon got the ship righted early with a 2-run slam in the first inning. This was followed by a 7-3 win the next night. Berrios one-hit the Canadiens in five innings, then crumbled in the sixth and couldn’t get out of there. Tony Lopez actually got his first career save, pitching the last two, entering at 5-3, before Flores homered in the top 9th. Flores, Sullivan, and Simon all had three hits. Maybe things were just slightly coming around. The Raccoons finished the four games in Vancouver with a sweep, rapping Canadiens starter Vic Underwood hard for seven runs in four innings, winning it 9-2. Logan Evans: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K. The kid was sometimes erratic, but this was a stellar outing for him.

A warm wind was blowing through the clubhouse. Rapping the Canadiens by 24-8 runs and sweeping them in four had helped a lot to rebuild lost confidence. Sure, we had temporarily lost our closer, but the good thing was that the All Star break was up – three off days either way. Of course, it was bad for Hatfield, who, leading the ABL in saves, might have had a shot at a selection. Only the Titans left for three in Boston before the Federal League and Continental League would match up.

A few guys got a day off to start the series, with Pickett and Jeffries in for Flores and Swift. Jorge Romero went the distance in game 1 as the troubled Titans pitchers were rolled up by the Raccoons, 8-1. Everything went right out of whack again from there. Boston’s Sean Critch shut down the Raccoons, while Christopher Powell continued to throw like a girl. Six runs in two plus innings, that guy was about to get shafted. Raccoons lost 9-0. Game 3 was more of the same with a 6-1 loss. Raccoons were fanned nine times and Berrios pitched five scoreless before melting down epically in the sixth.

Ben Simon was the only Raccoon nominated for the All Star game. The Continental League won 3-0. Simon played the whole game at shortstop, but went 1-4 with 2 K’s.

Break over, back to business. At 41-47 and very erratic play this meant to try to optimize the lineup. Dolder was out, batting below .200 and not getting plays in several times against Boston. Pickett was in CF against the Canadiens, in another four game series, this time at home.

Logan Evans started the series at home and allowed two runs in the first inning. He then settled in, but the Raccoons didn’t score for him and only got moving in the bottom 8th with three runs scored by the bottom of the lineup. Gaston got his first save in place of Hatfield (second overall this season) in the 4-2 win, but walked two again – this was why he was not the normal closer for the team. Lack of control. Next game, lack of everything in a 4-1 loss. Once again only four hits, a common theme this summer.

Game 3. Powell was given a 1-0 lead, but blew it. The Raccoons trailed 3-1 in the bottom 8th, with the bottom of the lineup loading the bases, and nobody out. Flores flew out, Sullivan flew out, Sánz singled in one, Simon flew out. It was both pathetic and embarassing. They loaded the bases AGAIN in the bottom 9th with one out and didn’t score at all, Johnston was thrown out at home while trying. For crying out loud!! They put up at least one strong inning in the last game for a 4-1 win and a tied series.

In other news:
July 2 – Harry Beauman (.314, 6 HR, 34 RBI) of the Pacifics is out for six weeks with a fractured rib.
July 4 – The Indians trade Jorge Vallejo (9-8, 2.99 ERA) to Los Angeles for slugging CF Danny Latham and a prospect in outfielder Jim French.
July 4 – David Burke tosses a two-hitter as his Pacifics blank the Wolves 3-0.
July 4 – The Loggers’ Ethan Michael goes 6-6 in a 17-9 thumping of his team over the Indians. Mike Cummings also was 5-5 in the game.
July 6 – Esteban Hernandez is a triple shy of the cycle as his Indians beat Milwaukee 6-5.

By now I’m pretty confident that this will not get better this year anymore. It’s hard to make out the one critical malfunction in this lineup. Simon strikes out a lot, but he’s also leading the team in home runs. Nobody is hitting over .300, which is certainly contributing. Injuries have added their share. We also won’t get back to .500, and all this after that mega start … sigh.

While we’re at injuries, Brett Justice is back on the roster, replacing Ned Ray, and Luis Hernandez was struck from the 40-man roster to accommodate Justice. Hernandez, 35, batting .125 in the majors, was claimed by the Gold Sox and Rebels the next day.

It’s July 16, and we’re boarding a plane for Indianapolis. Oklahoma City after that. The Bayhawks and Knights will come to Portland after that, and the next road trip will start on July 31 in Las Vegas.