[Westheim]

Raccoons (96-59) @ Crusaders (97-58) – September 24-27, 2007

Allright, boys. Crunch time! Who’s got anything left? We gotta take three out of four from the Crusaders to take the lead in the division, then hold it over the weekend. So far, we’ve beaten the #1 offense and #2 defense in the league nine out of 14. By the way, the Raccoons are merely seventh in runs scored, but have allowed the least runs (although the Crusaders’ offense, which had regained Stanton Martin by now, could easily slash their way through the Coons to gain first place in both tables).

Projected matchups:
Kenichi Watanabe (5-3, 2.44 ERA) vs. Greg Connor (13-6, 3.17 ERA)
Nick Brown (14-9, 2.57 ERA) vs. Whit Reeves (17-11, 3.98 ERA)
Kelvin Yates (21-3, 2.34 ERA) vs. Angel Javier (19-6, 3.14 ERA)
Cássio Boda (6-6, 4.28 ERA) vs. Jim Baker (13-10, 3.72 ERA)

As mentioned, our co-aces will start the games on short rest, as will Boda. We have to keep Fuentes out of this series, because his start will be an auto-loss. We might be able to hide him in the Titans series on the weekend, but he can’t start in this series, because it would be the end of us. We’ve been slightly protective of Brown and Yates over the season, but now the game is on. No more babysitting.

Besides, the Crusaders seemed to have the same thoughts, as it appeared they skipped George Kirk (3-5, 4.76 ERA), to get all worthy arms into this series. All their starters are righties, which might help us, or might not (our LHP/RHP splits are fairly even).

Game 1
POR: SS Flores – CF Castro – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – C Bowen – 3B Sharp – 2B Nomura – P Watanabe
NYC: CF R. Pena – 2B J. Hernandez – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – SS Caraballo – 1B T. Mullins – 3B M. Williams – C D. Anderson – P Connor

The Martin Brothers produced a run in the first inning when Ortíz doubled and Stanton singled him in with two outs to take a 1-0 lead. Through four innings, the Raccoons’ half of the box scored showed a Quebell walk and Bowen hitting into a double play and really nothing else. The Crusaders got Martin and Caraballo on with singles to start the bottom 4th, but Mullins grounded into a fielder’s choice (and then was almost picked off), Marc Williams struck out, and Anderson grounded out to Flores. Still 1-0, Coons still hitless, but Luke Black led off the fifth with a single, only to be starved out at first base.

The Crusaders worked their way through the Coons’ battery in the bottom of the inning. Roberto Pena drew a leadoff walk, then stole two bases off a shamefully challenged Craig Bowen. Hits by Hernandez and Ortíz plated two runs for a 3-0 lead. Ted Mullins’ leadoff jack in the bottom 6th put the game to rest at 4-0. The Raccoons still had not enjoyed a RISP situation the entire game. The Crusaders’ Greg Connor carried a 3-hit shutout into the ninth inning until Castro singled his way on there, and Pruitt homered out of the blue to cut the Crusaders’ lead in half. No outs, Scott Hood appeared to close this one, 97 strikeouts in 73 innings. He walked the Duke to bring the tying run to the plate, but those tying run batters were then chainsawed into fine grain, as Quebell, Bowen, and Crespo went down in order. 4-2 Crusaders.

Well, that… That was a team not getting the bats up. We’ve seen enough of this recently. Alright, boys, that was your free loss. You gotta win three now!

Elks lost, too, falling four behind.

And how about cockiness? The Crusaders now felt comfortable enough to bring George Kirk into the second game against Brownie!

Game 2
POR: SS Flores – CF Castro – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – C Bowen – 3B Sharp – 2B Nomura – P Brown
NYC: CF R. Pena – 2B J. Hernandez – RF S. Martin – LF M. Ortíz – SS Caraballo – C J. Lopez – 1B T. Mullins – 3B M. Williams – P Kirk

While Kirk’s otherwise spotty resume showed “mild” success against the Raccoons in years prior, he had been lit up by them this year already. But the first guy to get lit up in this game, unfortunately, was co-ace Brown. Hernandez and Martin chipped singles, Ortíz battled out a walk, and while Caraballo lined out softly to Sharp, Jorge Lopez fired a grand slam to explode the Raccoons into a million splinters. After that four-piece Brown always came up in big spots in the top of innings. He was up with the bases loaded in both the second and third innings, resulting in an RBI groundout once, and with the score 4-3 after a 2-run double by Sharp in the top 3rd made the final out on a line drive to Ortíz in left. On the mound, he struggled mightily, and didn’t retire anybody in the fifth inning. Martin doubled, Ortíz walked again, and Brown was gone. Marcos Bruno was placed in the tight spot, figuring that if he could get out of this without the runners scoring, the Raccoons were still trailing by only one run and could still climb back into this game. Bruno struck out Caraballo (who actually led this team in RBI with 108), and Lopez hit into a double play.

The top 6th started with Kirk’s sixth walk of the day, handed to Sharp. Nomura and Crespo both made outs to Ortíz before Vic Flores also walked. Castro game up, pulled a grounder through the hole on the right side and Sharp was sent to score from second – tied game! Unfortunately, Pruitt’s grounder was intercepted by Caraballo to end the inning, and Pruitt was removed in a double switch as Law Rockburn entered and Crespo stayed in left – which came mighty close to being the move that ended the Coons’ season.

The Coons had runners in scoring position against Kirk, who had now walked eight, in the top 7th, only for Nomura to swing over a bouncer for the third strike and third out. In the eighth, the #3 spot came up with Flores on base and two outs. Ryan Miller hit for Ed Bryan, but was taught a lesson by Robbie Wills and handed a no-doubt K. Facing Scott Hood again, the Coons didn’t do anything in the ninth, but once John Bennett held the Crusaders down for two innings got another chance in the top 10th, where Sharp hit a leadoff single, which was Yoshi Yamada’s call. However, the Crusaders had by now replaced Jorge Lopez and his mediocre arm with Daryl Anderson and his strong arm. Yamada didn’t find a spot to steal and was ultimately stranded on second.

In the bottom 10th we faced the heart of the order, right-left-right. I was unwilling to use Angel in a tied game on the road, but Bennett had already pitched two innings, Bruno, Bryan, Rockburn had all been used already, and the next-best pick was Adam Riddle, which was no good pick at all. Bennett stayed in the game, retired Stanton Martin to short, and then we rolled the dice by putting Martin Ortíz (.297, 23 HR, 100 RBI) on base intentionally so Bennett could face a right-hander. It was gutsy, ballsy, and it worked. Caraballo popped out, PH Hector Cardenas grounded out, the game continued. Jose Cruz hit a pinch-hit single in Bennett’s place in the 11th, only for Luke Black to go to 0-6 on the day with a double play. By the 12th, Angel Casas was pitching.

Ricardo Chavez made his major league debut in 1997, at the age of 20, for the Wolves. He had 106 AB that year, batting .255, the most AB he would ever have for one team in one season. Since 2003 he had totaled 41 AB, batting .317, for three different teams. He batted with no outs in the bottom 13th, grounded to Nomura, and Nomura blew the play. The winning run was on, was bunted to second, and then Chavez stole third against the still unchallenging Bowen. Angel needed a strikeout against Marc Williams really hard, the count ran full, close call on the edge of the zone – and he got the call, Williams was out. Anderson then flew out softly to right, and we continued playing.

After that close call, the Coons had Castro draw a walk off Rodrigo Garcia to start the 14th. Kuni Sato had been inserted in the #3 slot, playing short, earlier when Angel had entered, and hit a ball into the gap for an RBI double, and the first run since the sixth inning! Black was walked intentionally, Quebell struck out, and Bowen singled to load the bases, which brought up Angel Casas. We needed him to pitch another inning really badly, so he batted with the sacks full and one out. His only PA this year had resulted in him being hit by a pitch. Here, he popped out. When Gutierrez hit for Nomura, he popped out. Three more stranded.

And then Ian Burns hit a leadoff single in the bottom 14th. Jorge Ortega bunted him into scoring position for the Martin Brothers. Casas battled down Stanton to strike him out in a full count. With a base open, Ortíz was walked intentionally again, pulling up Caraballo, who sent an 0-1 pitch to left, Crespo moved over, and had it. 5-4 Raccoons. Castro 3-6, BB, RBI; Cruz (PH) 1-1; Sato 1-1, 2B, RBI; Bowen 2-5, 2 BB; Sharp 2-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Bruno 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K; Rockburn 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K; Bennett 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K; Casas 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, W (5-1);

WHOAH.

Nick Brown’s poor outing saw him strike out four, which was not enough to even match his own franchise record for strikeouts, falling short at 239. The record was 240, and 238-K-Kelvin was up next.

The Elks pounded the Indians, 11-5, to reset the division to the same position we had started the week in. Crusaders leading the Coons by one, Elks by three.

It was a costly win. Angel is probably rendered out for the next two games, but definitely for game 3. Bruno will assume closing duties, which means our middle relief is getting thin. If Kel doesn’t go at least six, better seven, we’re in a boatload of trouble.

Game 3
POR: SS Flores – CF Castro – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – 3B Sharp – C Esquivel – 2B J. Gutierrez – P Yates
NYC: CF R. Pena – 2B J. Hernandez – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – SS Caraballo – 1B T. Mullins – 3B M. Williams – C D. Anderson – P Reeves

Wednesday’s first inning was WAY more pleasant that Tuesday’s. After Vic Flores got nicked by a pitch, Castro singled, and Pruitt drove them in with a liner into right. 2-0 Coons, and Kel maintained that in the bottom half, and he tied Brownie’s single season strikeout mark in the second when he sat down Williams, and when Julio Hernandez went down looking to end the bottom 3rd, we had a new record holder (but mind that Brownie will start the season finale).

A leadoff walk to Ortíz in the bottom 4th spelled trouble, and when Vic Flores bombled Stanton Martin’s grounder the Crusaders had the tying runs on with no outs. Sharp made a strong play on Caraballo’s grounder, and managed to turn it into a double play, bailing out Yates and Flores, who played Ted Mullins’ grounder to satisfaction to end the inning.

The sixth inning turned out to be pivotal, and not in a good way. Black hit a leadoff double, and the Crusaders put Quebell on intentionally only to have Sharp hit right into the teeth of the defense for a double play. The Coons didn’t score, and then Hernandez led off the bottom half with a single. Martin Ortíz hit his 24th bomb to tie the game, and then Martin singled, Caraballo singled, and all **** was going down. Law Rockburn entered and registered three outs, but the lead was gone (and so was Kel’s chance to bump Scott Wade out of the joint most-wins-in-a-season leadership). The Coons had runners on the corners with two outs and Pruitt batting in the seventh. With the count 3-0, Pruitt swung and popped out to short. After stranding two more in the eighth we were able to watch in awe as Francisco Caraballo took Kaz Kichida deep in the eighth, two more men were put on base by Kaz, and when Bryan appeared to face the left-handed Apasyu Britton, he allowed an RBI single in his typical uselessness. For all intents and purposes this should have been game over, but Tomas Castro reached base with two outs in the ninth against lefty Rodrigo Garcia. Pruitt batted and rammed a double off the wall (and not far beneath the top) in right center, scoring Castro and representing the tying run for the Duke, who grounded a full-count pitch to left and past Jorge Ortega for a single, and Pruitt scored, AND WE’RE STILL NOT DEAD YET!!

Jose Cruz batted for Quebell, was hit, and that brought up Sharp, who grounded out. In the bottom of the inning, Bryan got two outs before we put Stanton Martin on intentionally. Too bad Ortega singled, bringing up Ted Mullins. With defeat looming, Marcos Bruno was brought into the game, but it was too late. The Crusaders walked off on Mullins’ single, on a 2-2 pitch, to left. 5-4 Crusaders. Pruitt 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI; Black 3-5, 2B, RBI; Sharp 3-5; Rockburn 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

Yeah, it’s over. Because look what’s left in our quiver. Cássio Boda, and a burnt out pen. And even if they somehow squeeze out a win, a split ain’t enough.

****ing Ed Bryan.

Game 4
POR: SS Flores – LF Castro – 1B Pruitt – RF Black – C Bowen – 3B Sharp – CF Trevino – 2B J. Gutierrez – P Boda
NYC: CF R. Pena – 2B J. Hernandez – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – SS Caraballo – 3B M. Williams – 1B O. Rios – C D. Anderson – P A. Javier

The Raccoons squeezed out a run in the top 1st before the Crusaders physically stomped Boda into the mound, ravaging him for eight hits and four runs in four innings. The Coons amounted to three hits in five innings before that burnt out bullpen came into play. Sergio Vega was tabbed, the only guy not used so far in this series (apart from Fuentes), and promptly gave up another run in the fifth, and another one in the sixth, which he didn’t even finish after 2-out walks to Pena and Hernandez. The Raccoons never even came close to scoring again versus Angel Javier, who pitched eight strong innings whiffing as many, as the Crusaders in a very controlled manner pretty much decided the CL North in their favor. The Raccoons had runners on the corners with two out in the ninth, but Bob Evans struck out Tomas Castro to turn a narrative that had started wonderfully in April into a French drama where everybody dies in the end. 6-1 Crusaders. Castro 2-4, BB; Bowen 1-2, 2 BB, 2B; Cash 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K;

TECHNICALLY, the magic number was one, but c’mon, whom are you gonna –

Raccoons (97-62) vs. Titans (78-81) – September 28-30, 2007

Do we really have to play this? I don’t feel like it.

Projected matchups:
Raúl Fuentes (10-12, 4.70 ERA) vs. Jason O’Halloran (15-10, 3.41 ERA)
Kenichi Watanabe (5-4, 2.78 ERA) vs. Bryce Hildred (7-16, 3.97 ERA)
Nick Brown (14-9, 2.69 ERA) vs. Jeremy Peterson (8-16, 4.33 ERA)

Game 1
BOS: 2B D. Silva – SS Hutchinson – 1B A. Munoz – C Suda – CF J. Gusmán – LF Bayle – RF Garrison – 3B B. Boyle – P O’Halloran
POR: 3B Flores – CF Castro – 1B Pruitt – RF Black – C Bowen – LF Cruz – 2B Sato – SS R. Miller – P Fuentes

Daniel Silva – leadoff double. Of course he scored, and the Titans didn’t back down afterwards. In the third they had two on when Rudy Garrison singled to right. Suda scored, Black’s throw home went into nowhere, and another run scored on the error to make it 3-0. The Raccoons were donated an unearned run in the fifth on a Hutchinson error, and scored a second run in the bottom 6th when Cruz had a triple to center and scored on a sac fly, but Fuentes’ date of expiration didn’t read “best before the seventh inning” for no reason. He drilled Bruce Boyle to start the seventh, then allowed a gigantic pinch-hit home run to Jim Brulhart. Kichida replaced Fuentes, had Silva pop to left, where Castro couldn’t contain the bloop and dropped it for a single(!?), and then Flores couldn’t play Hutchinson’s bunt and the Titans had another single. Anastasio Munoz doubled, 6-2, and Kichida then threw a wild one to make it 7-2. Then he walked two, and Rudy Garrison singled, 9-2. Riddle replaced Kichida, and walked Boyle before the Titans somehow made the required second and third outs. 10-3 Titans. Flores 3-5, 3B, 2B; Pruitt 2-4, BB, RBI; Bowen 2-4; Cruz 1-2, 2 BB, 3B;

The Crusaders fell 6-3 to the Indians, but since the Elks also lost against the Loggers, 7-5, after Juichi Fujita blew a 5-2 lead, the division was locked up in the Crusaders’ favor. It’s their first division title since *1979*! They had finished last TEN times in the meantime. The Cyclones also clinched the FL East to set the playoff field, with only home field advantage left to be decided between the 101-59 Stars and 100-60 Crusaders. Falcons will be #3, Cyclones #4.

Game 2
BOS: CF J. Gusmán – SS Hutchinson – 1B A. Munoz – C Suda – LF Garrison – 3B B. Boyle – RF Bayle – 2B D. Silva – P Conner
POR: 3B Flores – CF Crespo – LF Pruitt – RF Black – C Bowen – 1B Quebell – SS R. Miller – 2B J. Gutierrez – P Watanabe

A Black sac fly put the Raccoons ahead 1-0 in the bottom 1st, but Watanabe unraveled for a single to Suda and two subsequent walks to load the bases with no outs in the second. Jimmy Bayle’s infield single didn’t help, and Silva plated the go-ahead run with a groundout before Bruce Boyle was cut down at home by Black on Ray Conner’s (10-5, 4.33 ERA) fly out to right. Daniel Silva hit a 2-out RBI single to make it 3-1 on an ineffective Watanabe by the fourth. The Titans later got their fourth run on a Bowen throwing error. Miller drove in Quebell with two outs in the seventh to maintain a faint illusion of a close game, and when Daniel Sharp had a leadoff single as pinch-hitter in the bottom 8th, the tying run came to the plate. Crespo would single to put the tying run on base, but Pruitt whiffed and Black popped out to shallow left before Manuel Martinez shut up the Raccoons in the ninth. 4-2 Titans. Crespo 2-4; Sharp (PH) 1-1;

****ing Daniel Silva ought to be arrested for cruelty to small animals… ****head.

Game 3
BOS: 2B D. Silva – SS Hutchinson – 1B A. Munoz – C Suda – CF J. Gusmán – RF Brulhart – LF Bayle – 3B M. Austin – P Hildred
POR: CF Castro – 3B Sharp – LF Pruitt – RF Black – 1B Quebell – SS R. Miller – C Esquivel – 2B Nomura – P Brown

After Sharp doubled home Castro in the first, the Coons had runners on the corners with no outs for Nomura, who hit into a double play to Hildred, with Miller not twitching. Brown hardly met a 1-2 pitch from Hildred and chopped it into the ground five feet from home, but managed to outrun Suda’s clumsy play to be safe at first with an RBI infield single. At that point he had already matched his career high with strikeout #240 (Suda), the franchise record of 241 K set by Yates in New York (Gusmán), but then had to wait until the fourth when he fooled Suda again for the new franchise mark of 242 strikeouts. Not that he had a good start. His control was overly wonky and he walked three in the first four innings, but the Titans couldn’t get the ball to fall in for hits when they didn’t take ball four and were held to two hits through seven, scoring no runs.

The Raccoons left runners everywhere after the second inning before loading the bases on a Quebell single, Miller walk, and Esquivel single in the bottom 6th. Yoshi batted with one out, straight into a double play. Brownie hit a leadoff single in the bottom 7th and went to third on Castro’s double. Sharp popped out and Pruitt was walked intentionally to bring up the Duke, who sent a slow grounder up the middle that Silva couldn’t turn into two and not even one: infield single, third run in. The Coons scored one more on Quebell’s single.

The Titans broke the spell put on them by the Raccoons’ defense after that, with Mark Austin hitting a leadoff double in the eighth. Thomas Watts singled, and Silva’s groundout scored their first run and also chased Brown in the process. Bruno took over, walked Hutchinson, and surrendered the game-tying home run to Munoz. 13-5 hits, 4-4 runs.

Facing Risto Mäkelä in the ninth, Matt Pruitt led off with a double. Mäkelä struck out three to send the game to extras. They would eventually walk off on consecutive 2-out doubles off Manuel Martinez in the 11th, hit by Black and Quebell. The walkoff was rather uncelebratory. 5-4 Raccoons. Castro 2-5, BB, 2B; Black 3-6, 2B, RBI; Quebell 3-5, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Esquivel 2-3, BB; Brown 7.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K and 2-3, RBI; Rockburn 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;


In other news

September 25 – TOP INF Jim Phillips (.241, 2 HR, 46 RBI) might miss 10 or more months with a torn labrum.
September 26 – The Rebels’ OF/1B Gerardo Rios (.281, 32 HR, 102 RBI) ends his season with a concussion.
September 29 – CIN INF Dennis Berman (.290, 20 HR, 85 RBI) is lost for the playoffs with a sprained ankle.
October 1 – It’s contagious: CIN 1B Ray Gilbert (.288, 8 HR, 55 RBI) will miss the playoffs with – a sprained ankle.

Complaints and stuff

Pitching everybody on short rest in New York was probably a mistake, but they botched the season well before that. Being up 10 1/2 games on June 27*, the Raccoons sat at 55-21. They played .500 ball from there to completely blow a wonderful picture being painted of a playoff fairytale. All that’s left now are some shards in a broken frame.

We haven’t won a season series against the Indians since ’99, and against the Titans since ’96.

Nick Brown’s last eight starts: 0-2, 3.51 ERA, 43 H, 22 BB, 56 K – make of that what you want.

The key questions are now on our free agents, of which we have a number. Flores, Sharp, Bennett, Sato, Bruno.

*I mentioned June 26 before, which isn’t quite true. They went to 55-21 on June 26, then had a rainout on June 27, with the Crusaders losing on the 27th to give them the 10 1/2 lead.