[Westheim]

Short update. Don’t ask. You’ll see.

Raccoons (73-71) @ Titans (68-75) – September 13-15, 1994

The Titans have totally, completely, universally owned, raped, and chewed us up for the season. For whatever wacky reasons, the Raccoons were unable to mount anything remotely resembling a competitive team against them. That 11-4 advantage they held over us spoke volumes. Needless to say, if they humiliate us again, we will crash out of the division race as fast as we crashed into it the last two weeks.

Game 1. Gerardo Ramirez started. Gerardo Ramirez was awful. He didn’t hit the strike zone, and when he did, it came right down broadway. Alejandro Espinoza almost hit an inside-the-park home run off him leading off in the bottom 1st, but had a little stumble coming around third and retreated to settle for a triple. The Titans scored him anyway. A crushing 3-run homer by Mark Allen set the Coons ahead in the second inning, but there was one problem: Ramirez. He was just so … frickin’ bad …! Bottom 5th, up 3-2. He walks one, gives up a single, walks another one, only one out. Jack Burbidge singled into right, knocking Ramirez from the game, but Ken Burnett, as he came in, did nothing to help our cause, surrendering an RBI groundout to Daniel Silva (who alone had left FIVE on base, ending the first and third innings with outs), and then a 3-piece to curiously batting eighth 1B Julio Madrid. Doug Morrow (14-9, 3.07 ERA) started the top 6th surrendering a first-pitch single to Vern Kinnear, then walked Vinson and O-Mo, and we brought the tying run right back up, and with no outs. Of course, the Raccoons messed up. Allen lined into an out, Quinn – hitting for Burnett – grounded out, scoring Kinnear, and while Salazar singled in a run, they failed to strike back decisively. The Coons left two on in the seventh then, didn’t even get on in the eighth, and put – in an 8-6 game – the tying runs on base with one out in the ninth, but couldn’t break up closer Javier Navarro. 8-6 Titans. Salazar 3-5, RBI; Reece 2-5; Kinnear 2-4, BB; O’Morrissey 3-4, RBI; Mallandain 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;

We also managed to hit into three double plays in addition to leaving 12 men on base. And just like that, the Titans kindly allow us to kill ourselves OVER and OVER and OVER.

We faced Chris O’Keefe (11-12, 3.12 ERA) in the middle game, throwing Kisho Saito, who had struggled in his last few starts, at the Titans. And it just didn’t stop. He surrendered not one, but two home runs in the bottom 2nd, falling 3-1 behind early on. Saito surrendered good contact, and hard contact. It was like an impostor pitching. The Coons slept for a while, until Allen led off the top 5th with a double. Saito made an out, before Salazar hit a ground-rule double, scoring Allen, and standing at second base as the tying run. Higgins popped out, Green grounded out. Allen was on second base in the seventh as the tying run with one out. Like things happen, Salazar lined out to short – and Allen was caught so far astray of the bag, he didn’t even have to try to get back. Double play, out of the inning. Saito was still surrendering hard contact through seven, but the outfield made all the necessary plays. Royce Green then ripped a 1-out triple in the top 8th, stood at third base and waved to Neil Reece at the plate. “Woo-hoo, drive me in!” Reece grounded a 3-1 pitch to third base and Green had to hold. Two outs. Kinnear countered the right-hander O’Keefe, but took two rips through off-speed pitches to fall behind in a hurry. In a 1-2 count, O’Keefe focused on Kinnear, and his leg appeared to twitch. The second base umpire immediately called him out. O’Keefe’s foot had come off the rubber and he balked it back on – Green was awarded home, the game was tied. Saito started the bottom 8th, gave up two hits, and a run, and all the scrambling was for nought. The Coons entered the top 9th down by one and faced Navarro again. Vinson got one. O-Mo grounded to right, where Silva couldn’t make the play and all hands were safe. Allen popped out. No, no, no! Not again!! Baldivía hit in place of reliever Tony Vela and grounded up the middle for a single that loaded the bags. We need one more base from Salazar. We got that, but we didn’t get a hunch of a lick more, as Salazar hit a sac fly and Higgins grounded out. Can we please get this – a quit the optimism! Grant West came in, faced three men, and surrendered three singles and the Titans walked off. 5-4 Titans. Salazar 2-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Allen 2-4, 2B; Baldivía (PH) 1-1;

Nothing can ease that headache. Nothing. But … (pulls 9mm Browning out of top drawer)

Game 3. Get it over with, boys. Salazar and Reece worked together for one run in the first inning, which De La Rosa held on to for a while. De La Rosa also came up in the fourth with no outs and the bags full. There was no way we were hitting for him. Gabby, listen. Don’t ground to Silva at short, you understand me? He didn’t. He grounded to Jack Burbidge at second, and Burbidge started the double play. We scored one run in the inning. That 2-0 lead blew up in De La Rosa’s face in no time, with a walk to George Waller in the bottom 4th, an error by Green, and three singles, the last two of which scored single runs, and were hit by – yes – Burbidge and Silva. Top 6th, 2-2 game: Kinnear drew a leadoff walk. Higgins doubled, and the Titans felt the urge to put O-Mo on intentionally. Jose Rodriguez was up with the bases loaded and no outs. He struck out. Now, Philippe Villard had already walked six in the game (two intentional), and the bags were full. Let’s send Daniel Hall to bat for De La Rosa. Hall was impatient and grounded a 1-0 pitch to short, but the Titans got only one runner and that was Hall. Kinnear scored the go-ahead run. This time we got a second run at least, with a Salazar RBI single. Still, those were another two chances of blowing up a game – not used. Lagarde eventually entered in the bottom 9th to protect a 5-3 lead. Bloop single, full count walk, full count walk. With no outs, of course. Jose Martinez lobbed to shallow right to Green for a sac fly. Luis Lopez grounded to Ingall at second – uh, perfect double play ball, we’re gonna be fine! Zing it to Salazar and – AAARHGJH!!! Salazar dropped the ball …!!! Lagarde went on to throw a wild pitch to tie the game, continued that way to walk Hjalmar Flygt, and somehow got rid of Matt Smith to face that pesky Daniel Silva again with two outs. Lagarde threw only one more pitch, low and in, that Silva grounded past Salazar to walk off the Titans yet again. 6-5 Titans. Salazar 2-5, 2B, RBI; Reece 2-5, RBI; Kinnear 0-1, 4 BB; O’Morrissey 2-2, BB, 2B; Burnett 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

In other news

September 13 – MIL RF/LF Cristo Ramirez (.350, 4 HR, 58 RBI) will have to sit out for a week with a forearm strain.
September 13 – Salem’s Luis Guzman (15-13, 2.88 ERA) turns in a 2-hit shutout as the Wolves chew up the Scorpions, 6-0.

Complaints and stuff

Way too much pain.