[Westheim]

The upcoming 7-game road trip – ending at the All Star break for the Raccoons to scatter to their homes, maybe minus Kisho Saito and Jason Turner – could help us a big deal to … hold our ground? A 10-game lead was comforting, but slowly and surely the offense had to pick it up. Instantly.

And Neil Reece still had that 30-game hitting streak going. He already tied for 5th place on the all time streakiest streaks list, and should he go until the break, he’d jump to third, trailing only Claudio Rojas. Twice.

Raccoons (53-29) @ Loggers (31-51)

We had four in Milwaukee to get us going.

The top 1st of the opener saw Quinn, Osanai, O’Morrissey, and Vinson chain together four 2-out singles to take a 3-0 lead. We had Vazquez on the mound, and he was struggling badly, with the Loggers crowding him every inning, but they only scored one run through three. The stuff was there for Vazquez, but the control was very bad this time out. Top 4th, Reece came up hitless with Gonzalez on second base and one out. Reece lined into deep left and managed to get it past Gates Golunski – run scored, streak extended. Vazquez meanwhile got a lot better after the fourth and then axed down the Loggers in fast manner, logging seven innings along the way. The bullpen (Miller, Burnett, West) went from there with only two more Loggers reaching base. 4-1 Raccoons. Reece 2-4, 2 BB, 2B, RBI; Quinn 2-4; O’Morrissey 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; Brown (PH) 1-1; Vazquez 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (11-2);

Individually, they left 30 men on base, and the team LOB was 16. Not quite the numbers I want to see there. NOT BLOODY QUITE.

Bob Arnold was diagnosed (finally…) with a strained Achilles tendon. He will hit the DL for about three weeks. We needed a middle infielder and we called up Matt Duncan from AAA as long as Alberto Reyes was contemplating over whether he could be bothered to wear a coonskin cap.

Duncan, 24, was a 1987 supplemental round pick by the Warriors. We had acquired him in 1989 from the Capitals, sending over 1B Orlando Alvarado. He can defend all around the infield. He can do little else. He is already on the 40-man roster, which is his main perk. But Salazar and Gonzalez need rest, too. They’re human. I was told.

Game 2. We loaded our lineup with left-handed scrubs Brown, Martin, and Duncan against Judd Montgomery, who was living every former hotshot’s nightmare: everybody knew his stuff and he was burdened under a 5.15 ERA. Before any scrub ever grabbed a bat, Neil Reece took charge of things, socking a leadoff jack. I LOVE THAT BOY!! Things went downhill a bit from here. David Vinson hit a leadoff double in the second inning, but made an awkward step on first base on the way there and then hobbled off the field with the trainer. In came Flores, the lineup looked like a joke more and more. The Loggers made it 2-1 in the bottom 2nd, the Coons came back to turn it to 4-2 in the top 3rd, and 5-2 in the fourth. More lead was better here, since Scott Wade was a bit shaky, too. We had the bases loaded in the sixth with one out, and Quinn walked a run in, followed by an RBI groundout by Osanai. The Loggers were still threatening and Wade was saved by a close and questionable call in favor of the Coons at first base that ended the bottom 6th. Key moment to put the game away in the top 7th: the Coons had men on first and second, one out, and Wade batting. The runners were sent in a run-and-hit, and Wade made contact, getting a groundball through 1B Drake Evans for a 2-run double. Wade was then scored by Salazar. Wade went eight with the help of the defense and umpires, and the Coons won the game stomping: 13-2!! Reece 2-6, HR, 2 RBI; Salazar 3-5, BB, 2 RBI; Vinson 1-1, 2B; Duncan 2-5, 2B; O’Morrissey (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI; Wade 8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (9-6) and 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI;

Neil Reece is to 32, and now also qualifies for the batting race. At .373 he trails VAN 2B David Brewer by 11 points. Brewer missed time early in the season and also just recently has appeared on the boards.

We scored double digit runs for only the third time this season, and for the first time since May 31 (12 against NYC), and the 13 are also the most this season.

David Vinson was out with a sore knee. The outlook was not bad, he would miss only three days or so. Still, we needed a catcher. Matt Brown was sent to AAA, and we called up Alarico Violante.

Game 3, and what comes after every barrage? A duel of usually pathetic, but suddenly electric pitchers. Steven Berry and Rafael Garcia dropped both just five hits between them through seven innings, and no runs. Worst of all: Neil Reece was dry going into the eighth. Martin pinch hit and walked for Berry with one out, bringing up Reece. He grounded into a fielder’s choice, and barring a barrage in the ninth or extra innings, his streak was over. He certainly had to hope for the former as Johnston got on and Quinn doubled both in. No, you don’t hope for your team to blow a lead, and I was sure Neil didn’t either. Well, they still tried. Emilio Roman’s leadoff triple off Martinez in the bottom 8th spelled trouble, but while the run scored, the 2-1 lead held up. Top 9th: Reece would come on no earlier than sixth in the inning. Two on, two out, Reece was in the on-deck circle, hoping for his chance, but first Jeff Martin had to get on. Nope, with the left Diego Guzman dealing, we called for Ennio Sabre to pinch hit. He popped out. That was it. Grant West made quick work of the Loggers in the ninth. That was the saddest 2-1 win we had had in a while. Quinn 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Berry 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, W (5-7);

Neil Reece’s streak of 32 games now ranks 5th all time in the ABL.

Game 4. Sweeping time? Kisho Saito was up, facing consistently inconsistent Scott Murphy. Reece got a day off (he deserved it), and Violante was to catch. Struggling slugger 3B Jesus Jimenez, who historically had Kisho Saito’s number, took him deep for two runs right in the first inning. Thankfully, Murphy was too wild to stay untouched and walked three in the second inning, with two singles by O-Mo and Salazar in there for a 4-run inning. Unthankfully, the Raccoons were ripping at junk all game long, and Saito was not in top form, as the lead ran away from him through the fifth, 4-4, and he got a no-decision after six innings. Bottom 8th, still tied, Carrillo put the first man on. Jim Stein bunted in front of the plate, and Violante threw the ball past first base. Two men in scoring position against Carrillo. And what did Carrillo do? Punched out one, punched out two, punched out three. Awesome! We eventually went into overtime after Duncan left runners on the corners in the top 9th. Bottom 10th, Duane Smith led off with a single off Cordero. Grady Young’s bunt was played aggressively by O-Mo, forcing Smith. Young set out to steal, and Flores, having replaced Violante, threw the ball into the outfield. Young went to third. One out. Stein rolled out so that Young had to hold. Two outs. Lefty Cristo Ramirez, batting .344 came up, behind him was Jimenez, hitting .180. We called for Ramirez to be put on and for Cordero to go after Jimenez. He grounded out. Gates Golunski was then on third base with nobody out in the 11th after a walk to him and a double to German Roldan. And the Coons survived THAT! Now, can we have some offense? Remember how Juan Martinez had homered to walk off in the 12th against the Canadiens? Well, he led off the top 12th here, with the bench empty. And again he hit a soaring fly ball to center, OFF THE WALL FOR A DOUBLE!! Duncan singled, Martinez to third, and – O’Morrissey and Salazar made very poor outs. Runners in scoring position for Quinn, a grounder to Jimenez, BUT HE HAD NO PLAY!! Martinez scored, as everybody was safe. Flores struck out (Osanai was long gone) and now one run had to be enough for Martinez (we did not go to West, since he was the last man left in the pen and we only had a 1-run lead). Martinez sat the Loggers down, 1-2-3. YES!! 5-4 Furballs! Salazar 2-6, RBI; Johnston 0-2, 3 BB; Reece (PH) 1-1; Duncan (PH) 1-2; Carrillo 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K; Martinez 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-1) and 1-1, 2B;

Alarico Violante, out of options, was waived with Vinson ready again. Matt Brown was recalled.

By the way, we have a new hitting streak: Jorge Salazar, 12 games in a row.

Raccoons (57-29) @ Crusaders (31-55)

Neil Reece got the Raccoons rolling with a solo homer in the third inning and they scored all of three runs before stopping. Jason Turner had bouts of wildness in an otherwise good game, but then we left him in for too long: the Crusaders loaded the bags with a single and two walks in the bottom 8th, and there was only one out. Jackie Lagarde had to keep Turner’s otherwise good start together against Antonio Esquivel. 1-0 pitch on the ground, 6-4-3, PHEW!! West had a 1-2-3 inning. 3-0 Coons! Reece 2-5, HR, RBI; Salazar 3-4, BB; Johnston 2-4, 2B; Turner 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K, W (10-5) and 1-3, RBI; Lagarde 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;

INF Alberto Reyes signed on for 1-yr, $124k that night, and was placed on the active roster. Matt Duncan, batting 4-13 with 5 K, was demoted to AAA.

Reyes started in the middle game of the Crusaders series that night, playing second and batting seventh. After three scoreless innings, it was doubles galore at the park, the teams scoring back and forth, 2-0 Coons, 2-1, 4-1, 4-3 in quick succession through five. Vinson, bumped to eighth in the lineup, tripled with one out in the sixth. Pinch hit for Vazquez? No, he has 11 RBI’s, let him swing. He hurled Luis Andrade’s offering into shallow center, with Dale Hunter racing in, but he couldn’t get it – RBI single for Vazquez, and after a Reece double Vazquez scored on a groundout. 6-3, and the Coons made it four consecutive multi-run innings in the seventh, plating two. Reece had two in scoring position then, coming up with two down. WHAT A BOMB!!! THREE-RUN HOMER FOR REECE!!! The demolition was complete, another run in the eighth changed nothing anymore. The Raccoons crushed the Crusaders, 12-3. Except for Tetsu Osanai, all starters had multi-hit games. Reece 2-6, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Salazar 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI; Quinn 2-5, BB, RBI; O’Morrissey 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Johnston 2-5, RBI; Reyes 2-4, BB, RBI; Vinson 2-4, BB, 3B, 2B, RBI; Vazquez 7.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (12-2) and 2-3, 2B, RBI; Miller 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K;

Could we finish the road trip 7-0? That’d be swell. Wade got the ball, and Reece got the day off so he would come back with proper rest after the break. Martin played left, and Johnston center, like once earlier this week. The game was again scoreless through three with Wade leaving a lot of Crusaders on base, before the Coons got bases loaded, no outs in the fourth. Martin hit a run-scoring double play and the second run scored on a wild pitch, but we take everything we get. A Douglas Donaldson homer and Mauro Fernandez RBI triple would tie the game off Wade in the sixth, though. Wade did not get #10, being pinch hit for in the top 7th, but O-Mo double played the Furballs out of the inning. That was the middle one of three DP’s the Coons hit in regulation, and the game into extra innings. In the top 10th, O-Mo’s 1-out triple gave us a good chance, bringing up Salazar. And what did he do? He had a clutch hit, an RBI double! Two walks loaded the bags, but then they stopped clutching. Meh. West had to save it without cushion. He put two men on, but ended the game with a K to Esquivel. 3-2 Coons! Salazar 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; O’Morrissey 1-2, 3B; Martinez 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K;

Clutch hits! That’s all new!! Perfect road trip!!! We’re on a roll!!!!

In other news

July 4 – SAC INF Rodrigo Morales (.299, 4 HR, 34 RBI) will miss two months with a partially torn labrum.
July 5 – The Gold Sox whip the Stars to a 7-2 tune and also shut down Xiao-wei Li and his 24-game hitting streak, holding him 0-3.
July 6 – TIJ SP John Douglas (9-7, 3.76 ERA) may be out for the season with a herniated disc.

Complaints and stuff

We will have four All Stars, and none of them are surprises, really: SP Kisho Saito, SP Jason Turner, SP Robert Vazquez, and LF/CF Neil Reece. Grant West seems to have been right at the borderline when I look at the closers in the game, and I thought Bobby Quinn might have a chance, but his numbers are dwarved by the other outfielders selected.

Alberto Reyes was auto-assigned #2 on the uniform. That had to be changed (to #42). Nobody can wear #2. Why? That’s our Question of the Day! (answer tomorrow or whenever…)

Matt Duncan is such an unimportant figure, I didn’t realize until later in the week that he had made a cameo with the Raccoons last year already. Well, he’s been a .218 hitter prior to his call-up, in 220 AB between three different teams. He’s that much of a game winner.

Alarico Violante was claimed by the Rebels and is gone. Well, we have more catchers. He's no revelation.

By the way, you may have noticed and shame of you if you didn’t, but I can’t get the ‘ things on the vowels properly once again. Time for a new laptop. But first a paycheck. Please.