[Westheim]

Raccoons (19-26) @ Falcons (17-27) – May 22-24, 2001

The Falcons were second-to-last in runs scored in the CL, and their rotation was also second-to-last. (The Coons’ was not last anymore, although I wonder how that could be…). They had a good bullpen however, and the Coons were not in a position currently to stress it.

Projected matchups:
Carl Bean (4-2, 3.90 ERA) vs. Fernando Chavez (3-4, 6.75 ERA)
Felipe Garcia (0-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. Angel Romero (3-4, 4.96 ERA)
Ralph Ford (2-3, 3.35 ERA) vs. Terry Wilson (3-3, 3.94 ERA)

That was the right-hander Chavez, 36, and two southpaws. We hadn’t faced too many left-handers recently. But the way the team was hitting, we could easily lose against right-handers, left-handers, and even double above elbow amputees.

Game 1
POR: LF Cavazos – 2B Palacios – RF Brady – CF Reece – 1B Martin – 3B Sharp – SS M. Ramirez – C Mata – P Bean
CHA: 2B H. Green – C M. Castillo – RF Lugo – 1B Soto – CF Morton – LF R. Wilson – 3B J. Munoz – SS Vieitas – P F. Chavez

The veteran Chavez retired the Coons in order the first time through the lineup, while the Falcons twice left a runner in scoring position, and that was it for the first three innings. Then, a bang, Ramiro Cavazos led off the fourth with a home run, 1-0. Bean lacked stuff again, struck out only one through five innings, and then was hit with a game-tying 2-out RBI double by Chavez, and the Falcons tore him up in the sixth when he just couldn’t get anybody out. Reece and Brady made a lot of good catches in this game, but couldn’t help against the line drives in the sixth, neither when Elliott Meeks insisted on walking four Falcons in the eighth. Closer Tom Brooks held a 3-run lead in the ninth, drilled Brady with one out, and then allowed a double to Reece, bringing up the tying run in Albert Martin, who countered him, and rammed a doubled past Luis Soto at first. Tying run at second now, and Daniel Sharp proceeded with a bloop to right that Jose Lugo couldn’t get. It was a single, and Martin had run like crazy and scored – tied ballgame! Both our catchers struck out after that, leaving it to Scott Wade to get into extra innings, which he did, and Jesus Palacios lifted the team with a 2-run homer in the top 10th off Haden Helton, and Miller managed a perfect nin- … tenth. 7-5 Coons. Cavazos 2-4, BB, HR, 2B, RBI; Palacios 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Reece 2-5, 2B; Sharp 2-4, 3B, RBI;

Game 2
POR: LF Cavazos – 2B Palacios – CF Reece – RF Brady – 3B Sharp – 1B Heart – SS M. Ramirez – C Thomas – P F. Garcia
CHA: 2B H. Green – C M. Castillo – RF Lugo – 1B Soto – CF Morton – LF R. Wilson – 3B J. Munoz – SS Vieitas – P A. Romero

The game started like the previous one: no scoring. This time it lasted through four, and it ended like the last time as well, with Cavazos going yard. This time around it counted for two, and was followed up by Palacios reaching and then Reece hit another homer! Up 4-0, Garcia, who had put two in scoring position with no outs in the first, but has somehow wiggled out of that jam, looked like primed for his first big league win, but the game blew up on him faster than we could get anybody warmed up. Two runs across in the bottom 6th, we walked Herberto Vieitas to get the pitcher up, but Angel Romero hit an RBI single, too. Now Bruno entered with the house on fire, and got Hubert Green to pop out to Ramirez, but it didn’t matter, because Diaz couldn’t handle the bottom 8th, and Nordahl couldn’t bail him out, and the Falcons got the tying run driven in by Green to make it 4-4. Top 9th: after Ramirez made the first out, Thomas, PH Flores, and Cavazos all got on to load them up against Steven Anderson. Palacios grounded hard to short, where Ramón Trinidad couldn’t glove it properly – and the Coons took the lead on the error. And the Falcons collapsed: Reece brought home two with a single, Brady hit an RBI double, and Anderson was yanked and tarred and feathered. Max Heart would also managed to drive home a run, but got hurt on the next play in a collision with Green. Scott Wade pitched the ninth perfectly. 10-4 Coons! Cavazos 3-5, HR, 2 RBI; Reece 2-5, HR, 4 RBI; Ramirez 2-5, 2B, RBI; Thomas 2-3, 2 BB; Bruno 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

Bad news with Max Heart, who sprained his elbow and would be out for three weeks. That worsened our predicaments somewhat with Guerin also ailing. Heart had to be disabled either way, and we added Manny Gabriel, but by now the AAA team was down to four infielders…

Game 3
POR: LF Cavazos – 3B Sharp – RF Brady – CF Reece – 1B Martin – 2B M. Ramirez – C Mata – SS Gabriel – P Ford
CHA: SS H. Green – C M. Castillo – RF Lugo – 1B Soto – LF Trinidad – 2B Sullivan – 3B J. Munoz – CF R. Wilson – P T. Wilson

For a change, scoring started early in the last game of the series, with Miguel Ramirez having the first big knock of his career, a 2-out, 2-run single in the first inning. Ford was better this time, going after hitters AND the strike zone at the same time. He struck out five in the first four innings, including a run given up in the bottom 4th, but Neil Reece put it back onto the board in the top 5th with a 2-out RBI single, making it a 3-1 game. The same inning, “Loudmouth” Wilson left the game with an injury. Inclement weather would limit Ford to five innings however, before the rain forced a delay after he had struck out to conclude the top 6th. Martinez handled the next frame, and the Falcons’ bullpen had another nightmare outing in the seventh, when both Martin and Gabriel roughed them up with 2-run hits to run the score to 7-1, and we added two more in the eighth as their bullpen was completely in flames. 9-1 Coons! Brady 2-5, RBI; Reece 4-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Martin 2-5, 2 RBI; Ford 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (3-3); Bruno 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;

The Falcons had less to offer than I thought. On the weekend, we go up against the Bayhawks, which is scary. Concie might be available again on Saturday, so that would certainly help us.

Raccoons (22-26) vs. Bayhawks (27-19) – May 25-27, 2001

While the Bayhawks’ pitching staff was not quite as lights out as last season, it was still a very good troop that was not easily scored upon and allowed less than average runs in the Continental League. Their offense was ranked 2nd in runs scored, and this did not match well with the Raccoons’ nightmare pitching staff that ranked last in runs allowed, and with the Thunder next on our platter, this could easily become ugly…

Projected matchups:
Cipriano Miranda (1-5, 5.69 ERA) vs. Tony Hamlyn (8-1, 2.55 ERA)
Miguel Lopez (3-3, 6.17 ERA) vs. Ricardo Sanchez (2-3, 4.87 ERA)
Carl Bean (4-2, 4.09 ERA) vs. Dani Alvarado (2-4, 5.93 ERA)

Game 1
SFB: RF Javier – 3B Foster – 1B D. Carroll – LF W. Jackson – SS B. Hall – C G. Ortíz – CF A. Marquez – 2B Navarro – P Hamlyn
POR: LF Cavazos – 2B Palacios – CF Reece – RF Brady – 3B Sharp – 1B Martin – C Mata – SS M. Ramirez – P Miranda

Odds weren’t in the Raccoons favor for sure, and things weren’t made better by Miranda with things like hitting batters. He drilled Will Jackson to lead off the second inning, but the Bayhawks fell short of scoring. In the bottom 2nd, Hamlyn put the first two men on before Martin hit into a double play and Mata readily struck out. Dave Carroll’s leadoff homer in the fourth got the scoring going, and Miranda hit Jackson again. Jackson had enough, made for the mound and threw Miranda to the ground before Daniel Sharp pushed him over and a brawl ensued. The umpires needed ten minutes to get everybody sorted out and play resumed, minus Miranda and Jackson, who were both ejected. Elliott Meeks continued for the Coons, and went three innings, striking out SIX. Yet, the Raccoons failed to muster anything remotely resembling offense. Significantly, it would be Daniel Miller to be blown up in a 3-run ninth, but it wasn’t like the Raccoons had had any chance to score a run on Tony Hamlyn in the first place. Hamlyn shut out the Raccoons on five hits, whiffing eight. 4-0 Bayhawks. Thomas (PH) 1-1; Meeks 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K;

Time to look for a new closer. Miller can’t even pitch a clean inning when he doesn’t close.

Game 2
SFB: RF Javier – LF Walls – 1B D. Carroll – CF Black – SS B. Hall – C G. Ortíz – 3B T. Smith – 2B Navarro – P R. Sanchez
POR: SS Guerin – LF Cavazos – CF Reece – RF Brady – 1B Martin – 2B Palacios – 3B Sharp – C Thomas – P M. Lopez

Luke Black, the replacement for the suspended Jackson, got the Bayhawks going with an RBI triple in the first inning and would also have his hand in their second run later in the game. The Raccoons were awful, getting on base, but not home. They left two on when the right-handed Sanchez struck out Brady and Martin to end the first, and also left men on with inning-ending strikeouts in the third and fourth. The second was killed on a double play. They stopped getting on after that. Lopez went 7.1 innings, but was booked for four runs, with the balls flying anywhere and everywhere at the end. Sanchez went eight but wasn’t allowed to follow up on Hamlyn’s shutout. Instead, the Bayhawks sent Andrew Schaefer into the ninth which was led off by an ice cold Brady, but even Clyde still had enough to beat the air out of a plastic bag and homered to dead center, exiting Schaefer right away. Closer Johnny Smith (0.00 ERA) then quickly ended the contest. 4-1 Bayhawks. Wade 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

We also made three errors, all by corner infielders, with one on Martin and two on Sharp, the latter costing Lopez a run.

Game 3
SFB: RF Javier – CF Walls – 1B D. Carroll – SS B. Hall – C G. Ortíz – 3B Foster – LF A. Marquez – 2B Navarro – P Alvarado
POR: SS Guerin – 2B Palacios – CF Reece – 1B Martin – LF Cavazos – RF Parker – C Mata – 3B Gabriel – P Bean

We loaded up on left-handers for the occasion, which had no negative effect on Alvarado, but maybe on Bean, because he sucked once again. The Bayhawks would have nuked him in the second inning if not for Jesse Foster lining to Manny Gabriel for a double play, but got him the next inning anyway for two runs, one of which Bean even walked in. Down 2-0, the Raccoons failed, failed, and failed, first not getting on at all, and then leaving pairs of runners on in the fifth and sixth, scoring only on a Mata sac fly along the way in the sixth. Jesse Foster’s leadoff homer kind of negated that in the top 7th. Alvarado managed to run his count to seven walks in the bottom 7th, still was not scored on, but Bean managed to give up another leadoff homer to Paco Javier in the eighth. Miller was lit up for two more runs in the ninth. Pointless, it was all pointless. Any team sending out Andrew Schaefer twice in a series and still manages a sweep, must be playing the Raccoons. 6-2 Raccoons. Martin 2-5, 2B, RBI;

Pointless, it was all pointless.

In other news

May 22 – OCT SP Pancho Trevino (5-0, 1.61 ERA) was well en route to become a ROTY contender, but is now out for the year with a torn achilles tendon.
May 23 – The CL leader in saves, IND CL Arthur Joplin (1-1, 0.45 ERA, 12 SV) is out for two weeks with a mild hamstring strain.
May 24 – The Loggers and SP Martin Garcia (4-4, 2.99 ERA) agree on a 7-yr, $13.64M contract.
May 24 – LVA INF Oliver Torres (.282, 3 HR, 28 RBI) is out for the season with a severe concussion.
May 27 – The Thunder announce a 3-yr, $4.02M extension to CL Jimmy Morey’s contract. Morey is 3-2 with a 2.22 ERA and 9 saves this year, and has 267 for his career.

Complaints and stuff

Pointless, all pointless.

Pointless stat of the week #1: Ramiro Cavazos was Player of the Week at .423 (11-26) with 2 HR, 4 RBI. Too bad the rest of his team played like crap.

Pointless stat of the week #2: no team is even close to the Raccoons’ 46 home runs allowed.