[Westheim]

Here come the news: on July 14, the days before the All Star game, the Raccoons traded left-handed MR Brett Justice to the Washington Capitals in exchange for minor league SP Iván Díaz, the reasons for which were manifold. Díaz was a talented end-of-rotation or middle to long relief guy. Justice in turn was our lefty setup, but had struggled mightily during the last year or so. He had a 2.74 ERA, but rarely had any clean innings. His groundball percentage was 43%, and he could not be trusted – bad for a setup guy. In addition to that, he was 30 years old, and was due $180k each of the next two years. That was too much for a guy that could not be trusted. We recalled Bill Baker from AAA (where he had a 1.17 ERA), and would use him and Bojorquez as needed.

July 15 saw the All Star game, where the Continental League won 4-3 against the Federal League. Simon and Bocci only pinch hit and both went 0-1.

Raccoons (40-49) vs. Loggers (38-51)

Jorge Romero pitched 6.2 scoreless innings in a pitcher’s duel with Bill Warren. Bojorquez and Craig lost it in the eighth, when the Loggers scored the only two runs of the game. The 2-0 loss also brought the Raccoons to within one game of last place, after they only landed four hits the entire game.

Game 2 had a few nice things. First, Pedro Sánz went 3-4 with 4 RBI, and Christopher Powell went eight innings with 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He was then removed as the Raccoons led 6-1. It also had a few bad things. Baker was to pitch the ninth, and failed. I sent in Moran, and he failed. Gaston saved a 6-3 win with a runner on third.

Sánz was only 1-4 the next day, but his 2-run double plated the winning run in the sixth. Logan Evans had three wobbly innings to start the game, but then covered seven frames with only one run in the first allowed. Hermundo was 3-4 with a solo homer. Hoyt Cook and Angel Costa also hit solo home runs in the 5-1 win. Bill Baker failed to get out his only batter and Cooper pitched two scoreless to end it.

I saw problems coming in the middle of the lineup. Both Simon and Johnston were in a slump and weren’t producing a lot. Thank god Daniel Hall had finally kicked it up a bit, and was hitting .271 at the moment, but with less power than before, where he had batted .230 – I was split as to what I preferred, but possibly the .271 …

Johnston was to platoon with Cook from now, at least Cook would play against left-handed pitching. Cook had only 60 AB so far, but was putting up his best career numbers in HR, AVG, OBP, and SLG. Johnston was 38, maybe he was fading. He was under contract through next year, while Cook’s contract expired after the 1980 season. Better do something about that.

The last game of the series brought something new: Gary Simmons (3-4, 3.18 ERA) pitched against Gary Simmons (9-5, 2.48 ERA). Of course, my Simmons was the bad one. My Simmons was 22, white, and from Ashland, OR; the Loggers’ Simmons was 25, black, and from Memphis, TN. Mine was a righty, theirs a lefty. Basically, they had nothing in common, with the exception of pitching very well in a pitcher’s duel. The Raccoons’ Simmons had a shutout going into the ninth with a 2-0 lead. He got one batter, but then surrendered two hits and I went with Gaston to close it, but he had still delivered a very fine outing with 6 H, 3 BB, 5 K. The Loggers’ Simmons had pitched eight frames, 4 H, 6 BB, 5 K. Pedro Sánz delivered an RBI double for the third game in a row.

Our rotation had pitched 30.1 innings in the series (Berrios at #5 had gotten one out in relief in game 1) while allowing two runs. That’s an ERA of 0.59 and I’m tempted to say if we could continue on that line, we’d be better off than 5th at season’s end. (Of course, the pen had surrendered five runs in 5.2 innings: ERA of 7.94 ……..) And we had gotten back at the Loggers for the series a week ago, and now led them again all time. Yaay!

Prospect watch: Lefty reliever Grant “Demon” West was drafted last year by the Raccoons in round 1, 4th overall. Right now he’s tearing up AAA hitters in the ninth: 31 G, 31.0 IP, 2-3 record, 20/22 SV/OPP, 3.19 ERA, 1.32 WHIP. He has surrendered runs in only six outings, including a nasty 4-run mangling and 2 runs twice. He could be ready for the majors next year, possibly.

Raccoons (43-50) vs. Indians (49-43)

Again the matchup of the two lowest scoring teams in the CL, and also matchup of no-hitter hurlers Juan Berrios (0-7, 7.32) and Salah Brunet (5-7, 3.46) – time had not been kind to them. The Indians quickly got to a 2-0 lead with a homer by Francis Bell, his 16th this year, but then it was Berrios, who slammed a home run to left to tie it in the third! Berrios fought his way through six innings and took the win, as the Raccoons prevailed 6-3. Daniel Hall was 2-4 with a 2-run homer. Sánz, Simon, Cox were all 2-4 as well.

Everything looked like a shutout for Jorge Romero in game 2. Daniel Hall had shot one to center for a 1-0 lead in the first, which stood into the ninth, when the Indians tied it on a groundout. Another rapid bullpen demolition later, the Indians won 9-1 in the tenth. Craig 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER. Baker 0.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 ER. Jenkins 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER. Moran 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 ER. Moran and Baker were banished to AAA after the game, and called up were Stanton Coleman (who had last played in the majors in ’78 and was out of options), and lefty Rich Hughes, who reached this level for the first time.

Powell started game 3 and retired 14 straight Indians, before surrendering a sharp double to right center. Same scenario as the day before: Hall batted in a single run along the way, then it was 1-0 Raccoons to start the ninth. Powell was at 99 pitches, 2-3-4 hitters up (two lefties in there) and I didn’t trust anyone in the pen, not even Gaston. Powell, stayed and needed only eight more pitches to retire them in order, registering a 4-hit shutout with no walks and three K’s! The Raccoons had only had five hits themselves.

We had taken two of three against the division leaders, but that loss in between stung terribly. My pen was a major concern by now. I had some talent at AAA, but I had counted Moran and Bojorquez to that group, too, and they had done nothing but to wave guys around the bases.

July 24 was an off day. Hoyt Cook signed his escalating 4-year, $628k contract, securing first base for the next few years (except in the case that Matt Workman will break through, which we might try next year). We also signed Alberto Colón to a minimum contract.

Alberto Colón was a versatile defensive infielder, playing all four positions well. He had played with the Buffaloes in ’77, struggling to a .189 average in 53 AB. He was now 30 and had bounced around the Buffaloes and Gold Sox minor league systems in the last few years. He was not a threat with his bat, but he could possibly provide us with some more flexibility in the infield, since the only guys at AAA capable of being called up were first basemen, and I already had enough of those. He was just there to pluck a hole and would go away again after this season. Gustavo Zuniga (.127 …..) was sent down.

Raccoons (45-51) @ Knights (44-51)

The Knights’ rotation struggled mightily with a 4.41 ERA, last in the league. We immediately got a glimpse of this, as their starter Manuel Hernandez went eight frames of 2-hit ball against the Raccoons in game 1. Logan Evans struggled and took the 5-2 loss. We got back on them the next day with a 3-1 win behind Gary Simmons, who went seven, and also batted in a run with his first hit in 27 AB’s this season. Ken Clark had two RBI doubles.

Berrios was passed over and Romero pitched game 3 with the next off day already up before a longer stretch of games. Romero had one of the rough starts, surrendering three runs each in the second and sixth innings, and while the Raccoons out-hit the Knights 13-10, they were out-scored 6-5 for a very sour loss.

Raccoons (46-53) @ Falcons (57-41)

We couldn’t hurt the worst rotation of the league – now we were up against the best, with the Falcon’s pitching also best overall with only 308 runs allowed in 98 games.

The series opened with a true nail biter, as Christopher Powell went up against their ace Joe Ellis, who was throwing fireballs for a Cy Young award, ranking in the top 3 in all important categories and leading the K’s department by a mile. The Falcons scored one off Powell in the second, but Hall took Ellis deep in the fourth to tie it. The two pitchers grinded through the lineups once more before the Falcons took another lead on a wild pitch from Powell, a high control and contact pitcher. The Raccoons tied it in the top 7th, then Powell got another one against him in the bottom 7th. Ellis went eight, then handed over to closer McCoy. Simon and Cook got on base, before Hermundo sliced one down the right foul line, that just barely stayed fair and got the Raccoons a 4-3 lead. Gaston came in and whiffed two, then put two on base. The tying run on third, Gaston struck out Mario Ventura to complete his 27th save and clinch a big struggle. Hermundo was 2-4 with 3 RBI.

There was some early damage in game 2 with the game at 3-3 quickly. All Falcons runs were unearned after a Hoyt Cook error had preceded a 3-run homer. Things got ugly in the fourth, when Mitch Carr mowed down Pedro Hermundo throwing himself into third base. Hermundo left with an injury and Colón came in. Carr was still out, as brave Pedro held on to the ball and the inning was over. Logan Evans twisted his ankle on a play in the fifth and also left, out for a few weeks. The bullpen imploded again for five runs in the eighth and the Raccoons lost 8-3. Craig plunked two batters to lead off, and Jenkins was out of control giving up a hit and two walks. His ERA was at 5.09 and he was close to getting the boot as well.

Gary Simmons lost the rubber game after dominating the Falcons through six with a 1-0 lead. He was shelled in the seventh after allowing a single hit that far, when the Falcons chained together hit, walk, hit, and a homer for four runs, all they needed to win 4-1.

In other news:
July 23 – Three weeks rest for David Burke (10-6, 3.05) of the Pacifics are prescribed due to a knee sprain.
July 25 – Cyclones 1B Alex White goes 6-6 against the Warriors in a 16-4 blowout. White has a homer, a double and four singles with four runs batted in. It is the first 6-hit performance by an ABL player since Mike White of the Bayhawks did it exactly one year and one month ago. White’s team mate Juan Díaz has five hits.
July 26 – The Buffaloes send slugger Ramon Borjon to the Gold Sox for their closer Eric Blake. Borjon hit 20+ homers every year from 1977 to 1979, but struggled with injuries this year and slowed down heavily.
July 29 – LF Ryan Childress goes 5-5 as his Wolves down the Blue Sox 9-6. He lacks a triple for the cycle, chalking up a homer, three doubles and a single and 5 RBI.
July 30 – The Miners unload infielder Rich Johnson to Vancouver to acquire powering 3B prospect Santiago Gonzalez.
July 30 – On a similar note, the Loggers send starter Eduardo Jimenez (5-13, 4.78 ERA) to San Francisco to get outfield prospect Todd Baker.

Evans’ injury will force me to use Ocasio again, which is dreading. He’s also posting a 5+ ERA at AAA, but I see no point in adding another loser to the 40-man roster. Next up are the Thunder, Condors, Titans, and Loggers before interleague play, where we’ll meet up with the Wolves again.

The Raccoons are last again in the all time records table with 236-352, 1.0 game behind the Gold Sox, 2.0 behind the Loggers, and 4.0 behind the Miners.