[Westheim]

I may have calmed down enough to continue and finish. Maybe.

Raccoons (94-61) @ Canadiens (79-76)

Still two to go in Canadia.

The Raccoons took a quick 2-0 lead in the third game of the series on a Daniel Hall 2-shot in the first inning against Vernon Robertson. Scott Wade possibly would have to make do with that. He couldn’t. An error by Gustavo Flores cost one run in the third, and Raul Solis then tied up the game with a home run. But that wasn’t it – Wade was beaten up by the red-shirted baboons in the fifth, and well so. They scored four runs with two out, which transpired after Wade walked Robertson with one out and two on. Wade was knocked out, continuing dismal starting pitching. The offense remained just as terrible, and went to sleep completely once the team was behind. 6-2 Canadiens. Reyes (PH) 1-1; Miller 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;

At least Bobby Quinn’s hitting streak continues, now at 16 games. Gotta focus on something positive, no matter how measly and unimportant. The batting title race is over, with David Brewer of those Uglinadiens now having reached 502 PA – DESPITE repeated injuries. His .371 average is far out of reach for Neil Reece, who is still nursing the ankle and won’t play until the weekend.

Game 4. A sweep was imminent, and that against the team everybody in Portland hated most. Gaaahh. With Roberto Gonzalez pitching for us, chances were not really favorable. Bottom 1st: Gonzalez drilled Raul Solis with his very first pitch. Solis stole second about unimpeded by Vinson. As Solis went to third, Vinson’s throw was in the general direction of Vern Kinnear in left field and Solis scored. (reaches for heart medication) (it’s out of reach) (claws into edge of the table) [THUD]

Solis reached again the next time up and stole second unimpeded again, as Vinson dropped the ball while still crouching. Everything was unglued. To be fair, Vinson would throw out Javier Salcido in the fifth, but his 1991 season was merely a shadow of 1990. The Raccoons needed until the sixth to put a man in scoring position, then only on an error. Osanai would manage an actual clutch hit here, a 2-out RBI double for his 100th RBI and to tie the game, 1-1. The Canadiens instantly got their undeserved lead back from Gonzalez, who was pinch hit for in the top 7th with the tying run on third and two down, but the double play Matt Brown had hit into just ahead of him proved to be killing – Daniel Hall as PH went far into deep left, but a few feet shy of the wall and into the glove. At least Gonzalez didn’t remain on the hook. A 3-run bomb by Osanai turned the game around in the top 8th. Burnett and West came in for the last two innings and mowed down the Canadiens to ensure us a non-sweep lost series. 4-2 Coons. Quinn 2-3, BB; Osanai 2-3, BB, HR, 2B, 4 RBI; R. Gonzalez 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K;

Raccoons (95-64) @ Crusaders (63-96)

We need to win one game at the impotent Crusaders and their blunt swords to clinch a new franchise record for single season wins. One! Out of three!

Also on the series-opening Friday: our A level team would play game 7 of their championship. After falling behind against Farmington, three games to one, they won game 5 at home in 14 innings, then faced elimination entering the top 9th of game 6 and scored four to win 5-2, and now are hot to get out there. One more win and they will give our system the first ever proper championship.

We reworked our rotation for this game, once more. Kisho Saito would go for #20 right here in game 1. That would give him enough rest to pitch in game 3 of the CLCS and then possibly game 7 (mu-ha). Miguel Lopez (who would pitch out of the pen in the postseason) and Jose Fernandez would pitch the remaining games.

Come the second inning, Saito fell behind 1-0 when pathetic backup catcher Ruben Melendez hit a first-pitch homer off him. Everything was going well not to plan. The #20 operation had “won’t make it” written all over it from there. The Coons had no offense against so-so starter John Woodard. In the fifth, Vinson led off with a double. Saito, who had hit well all season, batted behind him, and lined a 3-2 pitch into - … a double play. Melendez would score Sean Bergeron from first on a freak single in the sixth. Won’t make it. Saito went seven good innings, beaten by a backup catcher to a 2-0 tune. Kinnear pinch-hit for Saito to start the eighth and singled. Salazar double played Saito finally into the loss. The tying runs were on in the ninth, but - … 2-0 Crusaders. Quinn 2-4; Higgins 2-4; Kinnear (PH) 1-1; Saito 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, L (19-7);

The Aumsville Beagles and Farmington Cosmos went into extra innings in the deciding game 7 of their championship series. The Cosmos walked off in the 10th, 2-1. Critter Empire remains title-less.

One of two. One of two. Just one of two.

Reece was back in the lineup once more, maybe he could stay healthy now. Lopez pitched, and Salazar, who had to make good for killing the eighth inning rally in game 1, homered for a 2-0 lead in the third inning. The next inning, Neil Reece, who had already extended his much-interrupted hitting streak to 12 games here, sent a huge flyer to dead center with two on and two out – and was caught. It just was not working out, nothing was. Lopez pitched a little gem, though, and so was able to hold off the Crusaders through the middle innings. A leadoff double by Matt Duncan in the seventh gave Lopez a chance to drive in a run, and he executed beautifully with a double into the gap in left center. Bobby Quinn would extend his hitting streak in the same inning with an RBI single, getting it to 19 games, and the Coons made it 5-0 here. Lopez went seven strong innings, but ran up a few too many 3-ball counts and crossed 110 pitches in the seventh already and that was too much to go the distance for our taste. The call-up relievers took over and held the fort and the offense piled on a few more now. 8-0 Raccoons. Reece 3-4, BB; Quinn 2-4, BB, RBI; Duncan 4-5, 2B, RBI; Johnston (PH) 1-1, RBI; Lopez 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, W (4-3) and 1-2, 2B, RBI;

Sigh of relief.

The Bayhawks and Condors entered game #161 tied for the CL South. The Bayhawks were shut out at home, 5-0 to Oklahoma, while the Condors slouched through 12 innings in Las Vegas to win 4-2. That puts the Condors in a win-one-of-two situation.

Game #162 was not entirely meaningless however. Both the Condors and the Raccoons entered with identical 96-65 records, so the postseason seeding was still in the air in the Continental League. We still sent Jose Fernandez to pitch game 3 against the Crusaders. I’d rather have Jason Turner open the CLCS in Tijuana (or San Fran) despite his recent outings. Opposing Fernandez was Salvador Flores, who made his major league debut in the season closer. Both starters were horrible. While the Raccoons left on five in the first two innings, Fernandez faced Flores in the bottom 2nd with two out and a runner on first, and managed to surrender three runs from there, although Osanai had his share in the mess with being overrolled by Flores’ grounder and a fielding error after that. The Raccoons didn’t get going until the fourth. O-Mo and Vinson got on and were bunted over by Fernandez. Reece’s 2-run double put him in scoring position as the tying run and he scored on Salazar’s single. The Coons loaded the bags with one out and Fernandez to the plate in the fifth. In a tied game, do you take your starter out? I wanted to conserve the pen for the CLCS as much as possible. Fernandez had to bat. He popped out and Flores managed to strike out Reece. Ugh. An error by Hall and a wild pitch and a few hits here and there then gave the Crusaders a 5-3 lead in the bottom 5th. Of course, because what else could have happened? Of course, the Raccoons mounted no offense for the rest of their regular season. 5-3 Crusaders. Reece 2-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Salazar 2-5, RBI; O’Morrissey 2-5; Miller 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

With this stinking loss, we have blown a) our first ever 15-3 season against an opponent, and b) home field advantage in the CLCS. The Condors lost in Las Vegas, 3-1, and the Bayhawks routed the Thunder, 10-1, forcing a 1-game playoff between the two teams. With all of us now tied at 96-66, the winner will also take precedence due to a 97-66 record.

Bobby Quinn completed a 20-game hitting streak here, nevertheless. Continuation next April. Maybe.

In other news

September 26 – ATL SP Glenn Ryan (8-10, 3.54 ERA) 3-hits the Aces in a 4-0 win.
September 28 – NAS MR Francisco Martinez (6-3, 2.87 ERA, 4 SV) will miss possibly all of next season with a damaged elbow ligament. The 32-year old veteran setup man will surely be missed by the Blue Sox.

Complaints and stuff

The Bayhawks would squeeze past the Condors narrowly on September 30, and won the tie-breaker 2-1. They might well be the a bit less uncomfortable opponent, but in the condition the Raccoons are in, not even the terribly terrible Crusaders were a comfortable opponent. I will provide a more in depth analysis soon, but the Raccoons are bound to be pummeled in the CLCS. This will be the Bayhawks second playoff appearance after 1977, the ABL’s first season. Then, they lost the World Series to the Cyclones. It was a long crawl out of the cellar for the Bayhawks, who from 1983 to 1988 posted six consecutive losing seasons, and finished bottom of the CL South five times during the stretch. This season marks their own single season record for wins, topping 1977 by two.

Vern Kinnear’s makeup is rather similar to Daniel Hall’s. Kinnear should take over once Hall retires. He has a bit less power and speed, but should make up for it by being left-handed, naturally getting more counter-siding at-bats.

I have decided to hit the CLCS with 11 pitchers and 14 batters. We had 26 eligible and surviving players. We need only four starters and seven relievers should be plenty, so Roberto Gonzalez was left off in favor of Jeff Martin, another lefty bat off the bench. Miguel Lopez will pitch out of the pen and we have Saito, Turner, Vazquez, and Wade in the rotation, although I have not made up my mind over the exact order yet. Saito can’t go before game 3, though. Everybody else is readily available for game 1. Sending Saito in game 3 will make him available for a hypothetical game 7, so that should be one pitcher set into position.

Daniel Miller, Qi-zhen Geng, Jose Fernandez, Matt Brown, Matt Duncan, Vern Kinnear, and whoever else may have been forgotten were all not eligible for the playoff roster.

For accolades: Grant West saved the most games in the majors this year with 46 (one ahead of WAS Domingo Rivera and SFB William Henderson), Jason Turner posted the best ERA in the CL with a 2.55 mark (just two tads ahead of TIJ Woody Roberts), and Neil Reece’s 32-game hitting streak was the longest in the majors this season.

Also kudos to the Titans – first ever winning season. The Loggers are still trying to get there. The Aces are the only other team to never make the playoffs. They don’t look too close at the moment.