[Westheim]

Raccoons (66-63) @ Thunder (74-54) – August 26-28, 2013

I’ve had avulsions in my not-so-good night’s sleep about this series for many weeks. I think it will not be pretty. The Thunder were almost at 700 runs scored for the season, which was mildly insane, over 5.4 runs per game and such, and while they had a terrible defense and mediocre starting pitching, they were capable of inflicting incredible hurt on opposing pitching as well. They also didn’t have meaningful injuries, although slugger Will Bailey (103 RBI) was DTD with a sore hammy. They were 3-2 against the Raccoons this season, with a rainout to be made up in this series.

Projected matchups:
Rich Hood (6-10, 4.83 ERA) vs. Art Cox (4-0, 2.91 ERA)
Sergio Vega (5-2, 1.59 ERA) vs. Edgar Amador (10-11, 6.05 ERA)
Ian Cumins (0-0) vs. Bob King (18-6, 3.18 ERA)
Bill Conway (5-9, 3.68 ERA) vs. Wes Yates (6-10, 4.98 ERA)

This series might see Wes Yates as the only southpaw to oppose the Raccoons, but starts with a much-dreaded double header. Ian Cumins will make a spot start on Tuesday (on regular rest). He has made two spot starts before, including one this year, and lost them both. In AAA this year, he’s 8-5 with a 3.92 ERA and almost even walks and strikeouts.

Game 1
POR: CF Carmona – SS Sambrano – 2B Nomura – 1B Quebell – RF Bednarski – LF White – 3B Canning – C McNeela – P Hood
OCT: 2B O. Torres – 3B Farias – LF Blanc – RF Bailey – C J. Martinez – CF Reese – 1B A. Martinez – SS Kim – P Cox

The Coons had two on in the first, including Nomura with a single that extended a hitting streak to 12 games, but Quebell and Bednarski failed once again. The Thunder would put two runners on base in each of the first three innings and never got through against Rich Hood, who threw more balls than strikes. Top 4th, White got on with a single before the Thunder broke down a bit. Cox drilled Canning, who had doubled home White in the second inning for the so far only tally in the game, then balked. McNeela got an intentional walk and Conway struck out for the second out. Ricardo Carmona however reminded us all that he might be the best thing since the invention of donuts when he lashed a bases-clearing triple to centerfield that Tom Reese scampered after in total vain. Sambrano singled to plate Carmona and the Coons held a 5-0 lead, prompting the Thunder to dig into their bullpen early as they hit for Cox in the bottom 4th.

By that point they already had two on (Armando Martinez being drilled and Myeong-keun Kim singling) with nobody out again. Pedro Estrada grabbed a bat and popped out before Oliver Torres bounced into a double play to end another inning in futility for the Thunder. Bottom 5th, leadoff double from Emilio Farias, a walk drawn by Will Bailey, and – nothing, again. Hood was at almost 100 pitches though, the dork. The sixth was Hood’s last, and the first in which the Thunder had less than two base runners, with only reliever Mickey McGrath hitting a 2-out single. Hood somehow wobbled through, after which the Raccoons turned to George Youngblood in an attempt to wipe a 5-run lead, while offensively they left the bases loaded against McGrath in the top 7th, and White hit into a killing double play in the ninth. Youngblood had NOTHING, but somehow covered two innings on 26 pitches without blowing up and more dice were thrown to have him finish the game. Bottom 9th, leadoff 4-pitch walk to Torres (and not one ball was close). Farias then popped out, bringing up Mohammed Blanc, who sent a quick bouncer to Sambrano at short, who started another double play on the Thunder. 5-0 Raccoons. Sambrano 2-5, RBI; Nomura 2-5, 2B; Bednarski 2-4; White 2-4, BB; Canning 1-2, BB, 2B, RBI; Hood 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K, W (7-10); Youngblood 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K, SV (2);

Yoshi now has 30 doubles. I’m crying.

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Nomura – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – C Anderson – LF Pruitt – 3B Rodgers – SS Whitehouse – P Vega
OCT: CF Reese – 2B O. Torres – RF Bailey – 1B J. Roberts – LF Blanc – 3B Farias – C B. Campbell – SS Kim – P Amador

Vega didn’t allow runners in the first two innings while the Raccoons had already facepalmed over their alleged RBI guys again. Top 3rd, another chance for Quebell to do horrible things to his own team, finding the bases loaded with nobody out. Carmona and Bednarski had walked against the Fat Cat, while Yoshi was on two singles already. Quebell almost struck out before slapping a 1-2 pitch into center for an RBI single. Daryl Anderson picked up the slack and hit into the unavoidable double play and the Raccoons were held to two runs, though.

Vega would only allow one hit, a single by Blanc in the fifth, but also didn’t finish six innings, walking four batters and throwing in long counts regularly. Manobu Sugano inherited an unpleasant situation in the bottom 6th, with Reese and Torres on second and first, respectively, and Bailey at the plate. The top four in the lineup, including Jimmy Roberts, were all left-handed bats. Sugano fanned Bailey, and Roberts would fly out easily to Pruitt to keep Vega’s sheet clean AGAIN.

The Coons had Yoshi thrown out at home after sending him from second on Quebell’s 2-out single to right to end the top of the seventh, but in turn Blanc tried to make two out of his leadoff single off Constantino in the bottom 7th and was thrown out at second base by Carmona. Constantino was able to cover five more outs after that, but the hardest part was probably the bottom of the ninth inning, which pitted Hoshi Watanabe against the left-handed 2-3-4 brigade, and Bailey and Roberts both had 16+ homers (a.k.a. more than any living Coon), and the score was still 2-0 after the Raccoons had stranded a flurry of runners. Watanabe promptly walked the leadoff man Torres, and the Coons got only the lead runner on Bailey’s grounder to third. Roberts wrestled a full count walk from Watanabe, bringing up the winning run. Mohammed Blanc also grounded hard to third base, where Canning had appeared an inning earlier. Swift pick, lightning throw to second base, Yoshi with the turn to first – OUT! 2-0 Raccoons! Nomura 3-4; Bednarski 0-1, 3 BB; Quebell 4-4, RBI; White (PH) 1-1; Vega 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K, W (6-2); Constantino 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;

No-no, don’t hug Yoshi! He’ll burn you to death! He’s batting .510 for his last 12 games.

Here’s something I never expected to happen. Sergio Vega has thrown 25 scoreless innings now, allowing only 10 hits, 14 walks (twists), and whiffed 15 over his last four starts – all victories. What a seventh spring at age 33, especially for an endless gum with rhubarb flavor. (Mind that he also had 18 innings without an earned run (3 R) to start his 2013 major league assignment)

To get Cumins onto the roster for a day, George Youngblood, who had just thrown three innings and was not available anyway, was sent to the minors. At the same time, Ron Thrasher was sent for a rehab assignment to St. Petersburg, but we fully expect him to rejoin the team on the weekend in place of, oh, perhaps Youngblood / Cumins?

Game 3
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – 2B Nomura – 1B Quebell – RF Bednarski – C McNeela – 3B Canning – SS Rodgers – P Cumins
OCT: CF Reese – 2B O. Torres – RF Bailey – 1B J. Roberts – LF Blanc – 3B Farias – C B. Campbell – SS Kim – P B. King

King started the game on short rest. Sandy reached on an error in the top 1st, but Yoshi hit into a double play, causing me to question my eyesight. Cumins had walked five in his other spot start this season, and that problem soon enough caught up with him as he walked Jimmy Roberts, Brian Campbell, and Myeong-keun Kim in the second inning to load the bases. Fortunately, King grounded out to Rodgers to end the inning, no Thunder tally through two. The Raccoons were up 1-0 after Quebell’s leadoff jack in the top of the second inning.

The Coons opened the score a bit in the top 5th. Canning singled, and was bunted to second base by Cumins. Carmona singled to right, scoring Canning, then got to third when he swiped his 32nd bag and Campbell’s throw went into center. Sandy scored him with a single, 3-0, but Yoshi grounded out for the third time on the day, ending the inning. Cumins was consistently erratic and ended up allowing six walks in 5 2/3 innings before Brian Campbell’s RBI triple got the Thunder onto the board after 23 innings of futility and ended Cumins’ suffering. Sandy Sambrano managed to intercept a rocket that Kim hit off Constantino to end the inning and stall Campbell at third base, keeping the score at 3-1.

Top 9th, still 3-1, Yoshi still hitless, and the fourth man up in the inning. Daryl Anderson hit for Slayton, who had gotten the last out in the eighth, and grounded slowly to Torres, who was also slow coming in and even the snail-paced Anderson managed to leg out an infield single. Carmona singled cleanly to left center, while Sandy struck out. C’mon Yoshi, show us how it’s done. Nope, his fly to deep left was caught by Blanc, and Quebell failed as usual. Watanabe went 1-2-3 on the Thunder in the bottom of the inning. 3-1 Coons. Carmona 3-5, RBI; Sambrano 2-5, RBI; McNeela 2-4; Canning 2-3, BB; Anderson (PH) 1-1; Sugano 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K;

After this 0-for-5, you may now hug Yoshi, if you still desire so.

Cumins won his first major league game. Congrats, Ian. Now pack your **** and go back to the swamps. Brett Gentry was flown in for the series finale to fill the roster spot – there were no healthy relievers left on the 40-man roster, which was full. Gentry had batted .308 in limited action with the Raccoons this year.

Game 4
POR: LF Carmona – 3B Canning – 2B Nomura – RF Bednarski – 1B Quebell – C Anderson – CF White – SS Whitehouse – P Conway
OCT: CF Reese – 2B O. Torres – RF Bailey – 1B J. Roberts – LF Blanc – 3B Farias – C J. Martinez – SS Kim – P W. Yates

Carmona opened with a single, stole second, and eventually scored on Bednarski’s sac fly. Conway loaded the bases in the bottom of the first walking Bailey, allowing a double to Roberts, and walking Blanc, but Farias flew out softly to Pat White to leave all three runners on base. Yoshi had a single his second time up in the third inning, but then put the leadoff man Reese on second base for the Thunder in the bottom of the inning when he flung a slow roller in one fluid motion well over Quebell’s head. Reese scored on consecutive groundouts, and the game was tied at one.

The middle innings were marked by futility from either team (but, spoiler, it wouldn’t get much better) before in the top 7th it was none other than Bill Conway to break the 1-1 tie. Pat White had doubled and stood on third base. With a short pen, the Raccoons longed to have another inning from Conway, who promptly sent an 0-2 pitch into center for an RBI single, 2-1. Conway then came immediately too close for comfort to obliteration, and it was all his own fault. Farias singled in the bottom 7th before Conway threw a wild pitch, walked Jesus Martinez, threw ANOTHER wild pitch, and then somehow bailed out when his last man, PH Josh Thomas, flew out to Carmona to end the frame and strand runners in scoring position. Top 8th, Canning and Yoshi led off with singles against former starter Carlos Castro, now 36 and not fooling anybody anymore with a 89mph heater. They were on the corners with nobody out for Bednarski, who grounded out to Farias, with Canning remaining at third and Yoshi moving up. Quebell was walked intentionally with first base open, bringing up Anderson, who already had a double play grounder on his ledger in this game. Pruitt hit for him and at least managed a sac fly for a single insurance run.

Sugano in the bottom 8th was out for the third day in a row and didn’t have much. Reese hit an infield single, Torres walked, Bailey hacked out. Right-hander Manny Cruz hit for Roberts anyway, with Slayton replacing Sugano and whiffing Cruz. Blanc then singled to left, Reese (29 SB) scored easily, 3-2, Farias walked, but White managed to fish Martinez’ drive to center out of the skies to strand another full complement of runners. The Coons also got three on in the top 9th against recently-unrotationed Takeru Sato, who hit McNeela before Carmona and Canning singled. One out, Yoshi up, struck out, and the sucker Bednarski damn sure found a fielder to ground out to. Bottom 9th, Watanabe, also in for the third straight day and the left-handers would come up with Kim leading off the inning. Watanabe did all he could to blow the game, walked Kim on four pitches, then put on Armando Martinez with clumsy fielding that handed Martinez an infield single. Two on, no outs. Reese walked in a full count. In highest desperation the Raccoons went to Josh Gibson with the bases loaded and nobody out, with dubious results, as a grounder by Torres was turned for two by Yoshi, but the tying run scored, and after an intentional walk to Bailey Cruz grounded out, meaning extras were upon the Coons.

It was GIBSON with a single in the top 10th, the entire offensive output for the Raccoons in the inning, to get wasted, but then walked Blanc to start the bottom of the inning, and Farias reached on an infield single. Seriously, what’s with the ****ty fielding? Martinez hit a hard single to left, loading the bags with nobody out, and Kim walked off the Thunder with a roller between Nomura and Quebell. 4-3 Thunder. Carmona 2-5; Canning 3-5; Nomura 2-5; White 2-5, 2B; Conway 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K and 1-3, RBI;

Bill Conway can’t buy a win, huh? All around ****ty game.

Raccoons (69-64) vs. Loggers (59-74) – August 30-September 1, 2013

The Raccoons had just ended a 7-game winning streak, while the Loggers had an active 3-game winning streak, and even worse a 6-game winning streak against the Raccoons, including a 4-game sweep at the beginning of the month, handling the Critters 8-3 overall on the season. All the while the Loggers were nothing special at all, eighth in runs scored, sixth in runs allowed, but with a healthy -46 run differential nevertheless. We hadn’t lost the season series to them in six years, but this might just be the year…

Projected matchups:
Hector Santos (6-10, 3.80 ERA) vs. Bruce Morrison (7-14, 4.65 ERA)
Jonathan Toner (3-2, 3.89 ERA) vs. Matt Crisler (4-5, 5.31 ERA)
Rich Hood (7-10, 4.64 ERA) vs. Gabriel Caro (11-12, 3.86 ERA)

Three right-handers in this series, which might not be a bad thing, as usual, giving that we barely top .400 against southpaws.

Ron Thrasher was back on the roster, with Brett Gentry demoted to St. Pete without getting into the Wednesday game.

Game 1
MIL: LF Knowling – SS Howell – RF Dally – 1B M. Rucker – C R. Hernandez – 2B O. Sandoval – CF MacNamara – 3B F. Cuevas – P B. Morrison
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – 2B Nomura – 1B Quebell – RF Bednarski – C Anderson – 3B Canning – SS Rodgers – P Santos

A pitching duel broke out despite a fair number of base runners for both teams, but the hitting display with runners on base were best summed up by one of the Raccoons offensive miscarriages. Sandy led off the bottom 4th with a single, then took second base. Yoshi walked, putting two on with no outs, but Quebell and Bednarski would both ground to Mike Rucker at first base, who was too slow to turn two on Quebell, but was in the groove by the time Bednarski showed up to log his personal 3-6-3 shame. A scary .210 hitter, Raúl Hernandez would break the scoreless tie in the seventh inning with a solo shot to dead center. Quebell hit a leadoff double in the bottom 7th and came around to score on deep fly outs to left by both Bednarski and Anderson to create a new tie, 1-1, that would presumably last forever. Except that it didn’t, and a solo shot by pinch-hitter Tim Pace off Ron Thrasher put the Loggers over the hump in the eighth inning.

Bottom 9th, Jose Ramos pitching with a 2-1 lead. Leadoff walk to Yoshi, another walk to Quebell, who was the winning run. GODDAMNIT BEDNARSKI I SWEAR – if you **** this up, I WILL TEAR ALL YOUR ****ING LIMBS OUT!! He struck out. Anderson struck out. Canning bounced back to Ramos, who fell over his own feet and hurt himself, but managed to get the out at first first. 2-1 Loggers. Santos 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K;

(walks up and down the lockers in the locker room long after everybody else has long gone, wielding a meat cleaver) COME OUT BEDNARSKI!! I KNOW YOU’RE HIDING IN SOMEONE’S ****ING LOCKER!! TIME TO GET SLUGGED!! (slams meat cleaver against Quebell’s locker)

Can we trade for Ron Alston again? That was the last trade that worked out.

Game 2
MIL: LF Knowling – SS Howell – RF Dallly – 1B M. Rucker – C R. Hernandez – CF Gilmor – 2B O. Sandoval – 3B F. Cuevas – P Crisler
POR: LF Carmona – 1B Sambrano – 2B Nomura – C Anderson – CF White – 3B Canning – RF Ayers – SS Rodgers – P Toner

Sambrano avenged Carmona, who had been smacked by Crisler and was in some visible discomfort, and slugged a 2-run homer in the first inning. Yoshi walked and scored on Pat White’s double to make it 3-0 early on, and the Critters added a pair in the bottom 2nd on a swath of singles. Carmona led off the fourth with a single and stole two bases before coming home on Anderson’s single after Yoshi had walked. That was it for Crisler, who would be loaded with seven runs when the Coons kept hitting against Dave Crawford and reached an 8-0 lead after four. Anderson singled home another run in the fifth, 9-0. While Toner struggled with control quite badly once more and issued four walks in the game, he nevertheless soldiered on into the seventh despite the Loggers loading the bases in the sixth, but Fernando Cuevas grounded out to Yoshi to end that frame.

Yoshi and Carmona were removed after six innings to get them off their feet early. Toner struck out the side in the seventh, his final inning, and Sugano and Gallegos took care of the shutout from there. Quebell and Bednarski did not appear in this rout. 10-0 Raccoons. Sambrano 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Nomura 2-2, 2 BB, RBI; Anderson 2-5, 2 RBI; Ayers 3-5, RBI; Rodgers 2-5; Toner 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, W (4-2) and 2-4;

With that, it became September (finally, the end of the season alighting on the horizon), and rosters expanded. The Raccoons did not add Matt Nunley or Jason Bergquist, trying to give them a chance at a rookie campaign in 2014, and for that they needed to not be called up until the latter half of September, for service time concerns.

Instead the following players were added: MR George Youngblood (…), MR Derrek Fredlund, who had not appeared in the Bigs since ’10 but had had a very fine year in St. Pete at age 27, C Pedro Torruellas, who had yet to make his major league debut despite accumulating two days of service time, 3B Jon Merritt of his second-try rehab assignment, plus Jason Seeley, slugging .500 in AAA. If Bednarski can’t be bothered to drive in runs, maybe Seeley can. Merritt had last worn the brown shirt on April 22…

Game 3
MIL: C R. Hernandez – SS Howell – RF Dally – 1B M. Rucker – CF Gilmor – 2B O. Sandoval – LF Hodgers – 3B Ito – P Caro
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – 2B Nomura – 1B Quebell – C Anderson – SS Canning – 3B Merritt – RF Seeley – P Hood

Jon Merritt returned with an inning-ending double play grounder in the bottom 2nd, and everybody was glad he had risen from the dead again… Neither team could overcome its own dead weight for a while, and Rich Hood even reached 100 K when he struck out Justin Dally in the fourth inning. 100 K while not being on the DL at all this year, mind you, and this is September.

Merritt grounded in the suspicious direction of short again when he came to the plate with the sacks full and one out in the bottom 4th. This time Rob Howell missed it, however, and the ball escaped to Victor Hodgers for an RBI single, the first run in the game, Yoshi scoring. Seeley then grounded into a force at home, nicely played by Gabriel Caro, and Hood lined out not too hard to right. Merritt had another double play opportunity in the bottom 6th, with Quebell and Canning on the corners after hitting singles, and one out. He jabbed Caro’s first pitch on a soft line into center, where it dinked in for another RBI single, 2-0. Seeley hit into the double play. Ricardo Carmona, who had been caught stealing in the fifth, then hit a solo homer in the seventh to extend the lead to 3-0, and that would almost be the last thing to happen in the game when a summer storm suddenly accumulated and discharged right over the park. Hood got one more out in the top 8th before we went into a rain delay, never to emerge again. 3-0 Raccoons. Carmona 2-4, HR, RBI; Nomura 3-4, 2B; Quebell 2-4; Canning 2-2, BB; Merritt 2-3, 2 RBI; Hood 7.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, W (8-10) and 1-3;

Maybe we should just take Jason Seeley behind the shed, though…

In other news

August 26 – WAS RF Victor Sarabia (.365, 7 HR, 64 RBI) is going to be out for three weeks with a sprained ankle.
August 27 – Five leads are blown in a see-saw battle in Milwaukee in which the Loggers ultimately top the Bayhawks, 11-10.
August 28 – Cincy’s ace Juan Garcia (17-6, 3.27 ERA) has badly torn his UCL and needs Tommy John surgery. He might miss all of next season.
August 30 – WAS SP Chris York (1-5, 5.97 ERA) keeps getting hurt. A torn flexor tendon will put him out for a full year.
August 30 – Also to the DL for the rest of the season at least: DAL SP Chris Domingue (7-8, 4.66 ERA), who has a tear in his rotator cuff.
August 31 – Season over also for BOS RF/LF Ricardo Garcia (.272, 17 HR, 78 RBI) who is felled by a torn back muscle. Garcia’s 3-year stint in Boston has been riddled with injuries and he only appeared in 261 games.
September 1 – OCT CL Robert Parsons (3-3, 2.30 ERA, 34 SV) is out for the year, needing to get a tear in his labrum fixed.

Complaints and stuff

Sergio Vega, at 33, will ACTUALLY and DEFINITELY reach salary arbitration this year – a great moment in the history of mankind without a doubt!

Also great: Rich Hood was the Player of the Week for the Continental League, going 2-0 with an ERA of nothing and 8 K*, plus (from a more personal standpoint) winning his eighth and removing their shares of the team lead from the departed Colin Baldwin and the part-time Raccoon reliever Pat Slayton. Especially Slayton is … I hate him, it’s that simple. Like Quebell. Quebell will happily hit nobody-on singles all day, but don’t bring him up with a man on first, or heck, at third and two outs. Quebell is as useless to a team as a doorknob on a pig’s back.

Temporarily ignoring the 3-6 disaster against the Aces, the Coons have handled the South this year, beating the Condors, Knights, and Thunder, and holding a 4-2 edge against the Bayhawks and Falcons. And who would have put ANY money on the Raccoons taking the season series against the Thunder? Especially after last year’s 1-8 debacle.

Jack Berry has started a rehab assignment in St. Pete. D-Alex is still one to two weeks off.

Next week, Titans, last stand with the Elks this year. I would LOVE to dump them under .500.

*Of course, OOTP gives him a shutout for the rain-shortened game which he doesn’t deserve and which I will soon forget about. It’s his first career “shutout” and “complete game”.