[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Questdog

Also, the meaning of your concluding sentence escapes me. I cannot argue against the logic of it, because I cannot even figure out what exactly it is suggesting to be logical.

I gave up at Vancouver being in the CL South, which has a Braves/Reds-in-the-NL-West touch to it.

+++

Raccoons (72-50) @ Crusaders (82-41) – August 26-28, 2014

Basically, the Raccoons had ONE chance at making the North a race again: sweep those goddamn invincible Crusaders under the ugly rug in their own house. That sounds easy enough on paper. Never mind them leading the league in offense and being second only to the Critters in runs allowed. They had scored a completely ridiculous 133 more runs than the Raccoons, 622 to 489. We were just by a whisker above four runs per game. They were at 5.1 runs per game. They have gone 37-11 in July and August. Like I said, sweep them like it’s nothing. We’re 6-5 against them this season.

Projected matchups:
Nick Brown (11-6, 2.84 ERA) vs. Paul Miller (11-7, 3.36 ERA)
Daniel Dickerson (7-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Kevin Wanless (9-6, 3.95 ERA)
Hector Santos (12-7, 2.88 ERA) vs. Jaylen Martin (15-5, 3.16 ERA)
Jonathan Toner (13-6, 2.70 ERA) vs. Colin Sabatino (13-7, 4.41 ERA)

Look how Sabatino is pitching like the last **** and still has a better record than Hector Santos. Those four are all right-handers by the way.

The series starts with a double header on Tuesday. Brown gets slotted ahead of Dickerson into the opener par my rationale that I like the pitcher that I assume to use up less bullpen to go first. Whoever between those two throws less pitches will go on Saturday on short rest, then packaged with Constantino to facilitate an early exit. Never mind the strings attached, just sweep them Crusaders.

Game 1
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – RF Bednarski – LF Richards – 1B Murphy – C Alexander – SS Taylor – 3B Hudman – P Brown
NYC: 2B J. Ramirez – SS Caraballo – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – 1B Manfull – 3B Salinas – C Durango – CF Brissett – P P. Miller

The Coons got off to a rabid start with a Cookie Carmona double and a walk by Sandy. Richards doubled up the rightfield line to plate both of them and scored on D-Alex’ single. 3-0 in the first, what was not to love about that? Well, for example the way that Jesus Ramirez absolutely creamed a Nick Brown pitch in the Crusaders’ first at-bat of the game to hit a leadoff jack and right away cut into the lead. While Ramirez’ dominance of Brown officially became habitual by the third inning when he whacked another homer off him, the Coons could already have extended their lead in the second inning if Mike Bednarski hadn’t hit into his own habitual inning-ending double play. The Crusaders scored the game-tying run in the bottom 5th also in power fashion. The stomach-turning fact was that Brown’s third meatball of the day was wonked out of leftfield by none other than the pitcher Paul Miller. That wasn’t the last punishment that Miller handed to Brownie. He also rammed a ball through Brock Hudman for a 2-out RBI single in the sixth inning, the final nail in the Raccoons’ coffin, although the Crusaders had already taken the lead earlier on Miguel Salinas’ RBI single that plated Stanton “Clockwork” Martin after his leadoff double.

Down 5-3 after six, the Raccoons hadn’t had a baserunner in some innings when Brock Hudman hit a leadoff single in the seventh. Matt Nunley was begging to get a bat and hit for Nick Brown, dropping a ball into shallow center for another single, which scored Hudman, who had advanced on a wild pitch. Cookie singled to right, no outs in a 5-4 game with two on. When Sandy rolled a ball to Ramirez at second, Cookie took out Francisco Caraballo to break up the double play. Bednarski also managed to find Ramirez, but this ball was very slow and Ramirez had to grab twice before he could make a throw to first and Bednarski beat it out! Infield single, Nunley scored, and we were tied! Ron Richards got to face Miller despite Ken McKenzie, a southpaw, warming up in the pen and rattling at the chainlink fence to get into the game. Richards hit a hard grounder up the middle on the first pitch from Miller, into center, and Sandy scored easily. The Raccoons are on top! Murphy then hit into the double play that killed the nice run. That wasn’t the only thing that was killed that afternoon. The other thing was Ron Thrasher. He inherited a runner with two out from Entwistle in the seventh, killed that off, then also got the switch-hitter Miguel Salinas and the following lefties in the bottom 8th. Amari Brissett drew a 2-out walk before PH Drew Lowe wonked a double to center (Seeley was there and couldn’t get to it, as Richards had ironically been replaced for defense, with Carmona over in left) and Brissett had been running from the get-go and scored the tying run. Then came Ramirez and crashed his third homer of the day. And now it was indeed game over. 8-6 Crusaders. Carmona 2-4, 2 RBI; Richards 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Hudman 2-4; Nunley (PH) 1-1, RBI;

Well, ****.

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 1B Murphy – RF Richards – SS Taylor – LF Seeley – C Torruellas – 3B Hudman – P Dickerson
NYC: 2B J. Ramirez – SS Caraballo – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – 1B Manfull – 3B Salinas – C Lowe – CF Brissett – P Wanless

Lowe, who had driven in the tying run in the eighth inning a scant 60 minutes earlier, hit a 2-out, 2-run double in the second inning to get something onto the board. The Coons had left the bases loaded in the first inning when Seeley had popped out to Ramirez, but got a new chance in the fourth inning. Taylor singled, Seeley walked, putting the tying runs on with one out. Here, Torruellas and Hudman hit back-to-back RBI singles to center to tie the score, and Dickerson brought home the go-ahead run with a groundout to short before Carmona fouled out. Unfortunately there was the little issue with Dickerson, who sucked hard, and conceded three singles to Stanton Martin, B.J. Manfull, and Miguel Salinas to start the bottom of the same inning. Bases loaded, nobody out, ****ing hell.

… and at first things went really well! Dickerson got bat**** lucky when Lowe lined out to Hudman and Stanton Martin was ALMOST doubled off, but then the Coons couldn’t turn the double play on Amari Brissett’s grounder, which scored the tying run. Then Dickerson completely butchered things by walking Wanless on four pitches (Raccoons and opposing pitchers, huh?) before conceding a 2-run single to Ramirez. Another run scored when Caraballo’s grounder to short was airmailed to center by Palmer Taylor, and that was also the end for Dickerson. Down 6-3, we could just as well send Constantino, who in the fifth invoked haunting memories of Juan Diaz when he drilled Manfull, balked, and threw a pitch past Torruellas. Salinas couldn’t swing anymore from laughing so hard and gladly took a 1-out walk, and somehow Constantino even got out of the inning without a run scoring. Like another one would have mattered. Actually, he coughed up a run in the sixth after he made a throwing error. Cookie homered in the top 7th for a faint sign of life before the Raccoons crumbled for another (earned) run after an error in the bottom of the inning, this one on Seeley’s botched pickup in left. That one was on Sugano, but Sakellaris also allowed a run in the eighth when the Martin Brothers shackled him with two outs. 9-4 Crusaders. Torruellas 2-4, RBI;

Boy, boy, you lot are playing a bit like a second-place team…

Game 3
POR: CF Carmona – 3B Sambrano – LF Richards – 1B Murphy – C Alexander – RF Bednarski – SS Taylor – 2B Bergquist – P Santos
NYC: 2B J. Ramirez – SS Caraballo – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – 1B Manfull – 3B Salinas – C Durango – CF Brissett – P J. Martin

It was Santos against “Midnight” Martin – and a pitching duel broke out, which was a nice change of circumstance for a team that had been battered for 17 runs the previous day. The Coons had only a Murphy single the first time through, while Santos twice had somebody reach scoring position but always found a timely K to bail out. Murphy hit a triple in the fourth, the second baserunner for the brown-clad team, and actually scored on D-Alex’ single up the rightfield line. Santos only was in real trouble in the fifth inning, when Eduardo Durango opened with a bloop single to right, swiftly followed by Amari Brissett’s bloop double to left. That put runners in scoring position with nobody out, but Santos struck out Martin and Ramirez before Caraballo’s drive to right was caught by a hustling Bednarski. In the sixth, Sandy Sambrano was charged with two errors, first for not catching a foul pop by Martin Ortíz (who would still strike out), and then he clumsily bobbled a grounder by Stanton Martin. Santos got around that, too. But that was also the end for Santos, who had thrown 98 pitches. Nunley hit for him in the top 7th and struck out, stranding Bergquist on first base. From there, Thrasher got four outs and Entwistle got two to set up Angel Casas, while “Midnight” Martin was still at it in the top of the ninth and coughed up a leadoff jack to … Stan Murphy! D-Alex whacked another homer! The Crusaders realized they had gambled wrong and removed him after the second thunderbolt, but the damage was done. Angel Casas pitched a comfy 401st career save. 3-0 Coons. Murphy 3-4, HR, 3B, RBI; Alexander 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Santos 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, W (13-7); Thrasher 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;

Bednarski was the only other Critter with a hit.

Brock Hudman, batting .227, was sent back to AAA after this game as Jon Merritt was activated off the DL.

Game 4
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – RF Richards – 1B Murphy – C Alexander – 3B Merritt – 2B Taylor – SS Howell – P Toner
NYC: 2B J. Ramirez – SS Caraballo – LF M. Ortíz – RF S. Martin – 1B Manfull – 3B Salinas – C Durango – CF Brissett – P Sabatino

Toner had two Crusaders on base in each of the first three innings, but twice they hit into a double play to kill their momentum. The Coons also had Jon Merritt hit into a double play in the second, but in the top of the third got Taylor and Howell on base. Toner bunted them over, and they scored on Carmona’s sac fly and Sambrano’s single for a 2-0 lead. More offense came in the top of the fourth, which D-Alex opened with a double. Taylor and Howell hit singles, 3-0, before Toner struck out. Carmona singled to right with two outs, but Taylor was held against Stanton Martin’s left-shoulder-mounted howitzer. Sabatino then engaged in a lengthy at-bat with Sandy Sambrano with the bases loaded, which ended with a full count walk, shoving home the Coons’ fourth run.

While Toner calmed down after the nervous first three innings, Sabatino never got better. The Coons were on him again in the sixth, with Taylor and Howell reaching on a walk and a single, respectively. Toner bunted them over once more before Cookie Carmona clanked a pitch down Broadway for a huge 3-run homer to right center! While that was all for Sabatino, seven runs in five and a third, Toner filed for seven shutout innings on 112 pitches. The Crusaders only made it onto the board when they were down to their last out. Eduardo Durango homered off Chris Mathis. 7-1 Raccoons. Carmona 2-4, HR, 4 RBI; Taylor 2-3, BB; Howell 2-4, RBI; Nunley (PH) 1-1, 2B; Toner 7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, W (14-6);

That was the first time the Crusaders lost back-to-back games since August 2-3 (against San Fran), with the previous instance before that being July 21-22 … to the Coons. If Mathis hadn’t served the fat pitch to Durango, they would have suffered consecutive shutouts for the second time this season, following consecutive 1-0 losses to the Elks on July 12-13.

Raccoons (74-52) @ Thunder (67-61) – August 29-31, 2014

The Thunder were four games behind the Bayhawks, or as you might say: the South was an actual race at the doorstep to September. They had won three straight against the Knights, which was a bit like winning 13 of 14 from the Loggers and feeling good about yourself. They were third in runs scored despite bottom three ranks in homers and stolen bases. They led the CL in on-base percentage. Their pitching was worse than average, with an especially bad bullpen. They also had a flurry of injuries, with SP Ralph Ford, SP Wes Yates, 2B Emilio Farias, LF Jose Gomez all out, and CF Tom Reese ailing with a bad knee. The season series was tied at three.

Projected matchups:
Bill Conway (8-4, 2.37 ERA) vs. Bryan Robbins (2-3, 5.50 ERA)
Daniel Dickerson (7-6, 3.93 ERA) vs. Ed Michaels (9-9, 5.18 ERA)
Nick Brown (11-6, 3.00 ERA) vs. Jorge Gine (9-9, 3.50 ERA)

This series starts with a pair of southpaws for Oklahoma, but at least we miss Curtis Tobitt (13-8, 2.71 ERA), which should count for something.

Dickerson had been knocked out early on Tuesday and so had to go on short rest. Brown had only lasted six innings as well, but had thrown over 110 pitches. Dickerson, who had thrown 82 pitches, was paired with Constantino, who was supposed to pitch long relief once Dickerson had thrown 80-85 pitches. That low pitch count was a nod to Dickerson’s general brittleness. If Brownie had gone on short rest, I would probably have given him more in the 90-95 pitch range.

Game 1
POR: CF Carmona – SS Sambrano – LF Richards – 1B Murphy – C Alexander – RF Bednarski – 3B Merritt – 2B Bergquist – P Conway
OCT: CF Reese – LF Britton – 1B Bailey – C Parks – 3B J. Soto – SS Janes – RF V. Diaz – 2B Dowdy – P Robbins

Safe for switch-hitter Jalen Parks, the Thunder managed to come up with an entirely left-handed lineup. Neither team amounted to a hit the first time through the order, but Robbins walked three while Conway walked two. Conway came to bat in the top 3rd with Merritt and Bergquist having drawn leadoff walks, but ever the black hole at the plate he bunted into a force play at third base, and the Coons still couldn’t buy a hit. Parks had the first hit in the game, a single following Will Bailey’s leadoff walk in the bottom 4th. Conway struck out Jesus Soto, Erik Janes popped out foul, and Vinny Diaz went down looking to quell the threat.

The Coons also got their first hit with nobody down, a Bednarski single, softly hit to right, in the top 5th. Bergquist walked, which brought up Conway with two on and two out, batting a crisp .020. He can’t hit, he can’t bunt, let’s just have everybody moving and close our eyes. So the runners took off, CONWAY ACTUALLY HIT A PITCH, and grounded it to left and through between Janes and Soto!! A single! A single! A single for Conway, and it scored Bednarski!! Cookie scored another run with a single, Sandy walked to load them up, but despite Robbins shaking and shattering, Richards and Murphy failed, and they let him off the hook with only two runs scored in the inning with two sorry shallow flies.

While Robbins walked six over as many innings, Conway had ill control himself and was yanked after a leadoff walk, his fifth on the day, in the bottom 6th. Sugano replaced him and got out of the inning. The Coons left the bases loaded in the top 7th, again with the middle of the order ****ing it up. Sugano’s spot came up in the top 8th, but he had gone through two innings quickly, and the left-handed bats never ended in this lineup, so we were eager to retain him. Well enough, Bednarski and Merritt were on base with nobody out and Sugano laid down a good bunt to move them to scoring position for Rob Howell, who hit a Tommy Costello pitch in a full count up the middle, and plated both runners, which was enough insurance not to bother Angel Casas and finish the game with another inning from Sugano and then a quick ninth from Mathis. 4-0 Raccoons. Bednarski 3-4; Merritt 1-2, 2 BB; Howell 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI; Sugano 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K;

Game 2
POR: CF Carmona – LF Sambrano – RF Bednarski – 1B Murphy – 3B Merritt – SS Howell – C Torruellas – 2B Bergquist – P Dickerson
OCT: CF Reese – LF Britton – 1B Bailey – C Parks – 3B J. Soto – SS Janes – RF P. Estrada – 2B Dowdy – P Michaels

The Thunder got on the board first against a sparkless Dickerson, with back-to-back 2-out RBI hits by Pedro Estrada and Elijah Dowdy in the second inning. The Raccoons had a chance to counter in the third when Carmona hit a 1-out triple. Sandy walked and Bednarski singled, getting them back to within a run, but Murphy failed with a sorry grounder for a fielder’s choice, erasing Bednarski, and Merritt fouled out. Dickerson was completely useless and didn’t even make it through five innings on his pitch allotment, but given a pitch count or not, after Jalen Parks’ RBI single in the fifth that ran the score to 5-1 for the Thunder he most likely would have been removed anyway. That brought in Constantino, whose long relief was admittedly the highlight of the day from the Raccoons’ perspective, despite Carmona swiping his 40th base, but he made that one only in his second attempt against Parks. The marquee sack came in the eighth, which saw two on with one out against right-hander Steve Rob when Murphy hit into a double play. The Thunder got a run off Constantino in the bottom 8th, but it really was on Rob Howell’s lazy defense. Years ago, Concie Guerin would have made both plays on the grounders that eluded Howell for singles, and that while having a plate with a piece of cake in one hand, and not dropping a single calorie. 6-1 Thunder. Carmona 3-4, 3B; Bednarski 1-2, BB, RBI; Seeley (PH) 1-1, 2B; Constantino 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K;

Not only was this Carmona’s 40th stolen base, but he was also caught for the 20th time. He swiped 45 bags last year, being caught 28 times, and he was 14-for-22 in 2012 when he debuted. The Raccoon fan adept in calculus will realize that he sits at 99 career steals, as many as Daniel Hall had in his entire career.

By the way, Sunday is his 23rd birthday! Have one, Cookie!

Game 3
POR: CF Carmona – 2B Sambrano – 3B Nunley – 1B Murphy – LF Richards – RF Bednarski – C Alexander – SS Taylor – P Brown
OCT: RF P. Estrada – SS Janes – 1B Bailey – CF Reese – C J. Martinez – 3B J. Soto – LF V. Diaz – 2B Bauer – P Gine

The Thunder sure had balls, still showing six left-handed bats to Brownie. They were clearly taunting him. Brownie, go get them!

Cookie walked to start the game, but didn’t get a chance to take off before Sandy hit a double to left center. Collective failure by the 3-4-5 batters held the Coons to one run on Murphy’s grounder to short. Then came Brownie and threw a complete mess of a first inning that lasted 31 pitches and which ended with the bases being left loaded on Jesus Soto’s grounder to first after a leadoff double by Estrada and two walks issued. No strikeouts. At least he had a quick second, and Carmona had a double and scored on another groundout, this time by Nunley, in the top 3rd. Brownie would strike out Bailey, Reese, and Jesus Martinez in order between the third and fourth innings, which tied him with Robbie Campbell for 13th all-time, and Bailey would be the next K to take the spot all for himself when he eagerly hacked out in the sixth inning (despite nobody on base).

After the outright ghastly start to the game, and a leadoff single by Estrada in the third inning, Brown retired the next FIFTEEN batters in flawless fashion until his spot came up with Taylor on first and nobody out in the eighth inning. His bunt was quite bad and Taylor was forced. Cookie grounded out, but Sandy was drilled and Nunley recovered from being 1-2 behind Steve Rob to single to right, just hard enough for Bill Bauer to have no chance, and just soft enough for Nick Brown to score from second base against Pedro Estrada, 3-0. Murphy walked to load them up for Richards, the Thunder didn’t bring a lefty, and Richards and Bednarski tore Rob in half with a pair of 2-out singles that plated three more runs. With that extra cushion, Brown continued to pitch and retired the side in the eighth on just eight pitches, giving him 100 for the game. He had Taylor on first again in the ninth, bunted successfully, but this time the Coons didn’t get things moving against closer Robert Parsons (no, I didn’t get it either). Brownie came back out for the bottom 9th, which saw Janes, Bailey, and Reese due up, all left-handers (and I have always been averse to replacing a lefty with a lefty). Erik Janes popped out to Ron Richards on the first pitch! Bailey struck out again, and Reese took the second pitch to hit it to left, high, but not deep at all, Richards had it – it’s a shutout!! 6-0 Brownies!!! Sambrano 2-4, 2B; Richards 2-4, 2 RBI; Taylor 2-4; Brown 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, W (12-6);

UN-believable! Brownie threw 31 pitches in the first inning, and then 77 for the rest of the game! How …!!??

Whatever dark magic was at work here, this was Brownie’s 14th career shutout, and the first this season. It was his first shutout of the Thunder.

In other news

August 26 – CHA LF/CF Jose Jimenez (.288, 13 HR, 56 RBI) is out for the season with a torn labrum.
August 26 – WAS LF/RF Danny Munn (.251, 17 HR, 53 RBI) has come down with shoulder soreness and will miss about four weeks on the DL.
August 27 – SAC SP William Kay (8-13, 3.38 ERA) sparkles with a 1-hit shutout of the Gold Sox, who are routed 10-0. Eugene Carter’s seventh-inning single breaks up the no-hitter.
August 28 – Indy’s 37-year old RF Juan Ortíz (.269, 19 HR, 55 RBI) is out for the season with a hamstring strain.
August 29 – A 20-game hitting streak has been completed by PIT 1B/3B Dave McCormick (.332, 6 HR, 23 RBI), who has an RBI single in the Miners’ 5-4 loss to the Stars.

Complaints and stuff

Thanks for coming and see you next year! (shakes hand of leaving fan) Thank you, thank you. (shakes another hand) Always a pleasure. (shakes another hand) Thank you, see you in April. (shakes another hand) Nice hat, Sir! See you in April.

We went 19-11 in August and lost 3 1/2 games on New York. (shrugs) It’s just not meant to be. If it’s consolation, that assembly of ball killers in the middle of their order gets old. They’re all over 30, and except for B.J. Manfull they are all 34/35 or around that.

Regardless of overall misfortunes, Jonathan Toner was CL Pitcher of the Month with a 5-0 record and a crisp 0.60 ERA, whiffing 46 batters in 45 innings!

ABL CAREER STRIKEOUTS

1st – Tony Hamlyn – 3,826 (active)
2nd – Martin Garcia – 3,783
3rd – Woody Roberts – 3,313 (HOF)
4th – Aaron Anderson – 3,225
5th – Carlos Castro – 3,198 (HOF)
6th – Javier Cruz – 3,164
7th – Chris York – 3,103 (active)
8th – Carlos Asquabal – 2,995 (HOF)
9th – Arnold McCray – 2,900 (HOF)
10th – Bastyao Caixinha – 2,844 (HOF)
11th – Kisho Saito – 2,800 (HOF)
12th – Kelvin Yates – 2,773 (active)
13th – Nick Brown – 2,766 (active)
14th – Robbie Campbell – 2,763
15th – Pancho Trevino – 2,714 (active)

Chris York has so far missed the entire 2014 season with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow that he suffered exactly one year ago. He is rehabbing that old wing right now and should be back with the Capitals in September.

PORTLAND RACCOONS STOLEN BASE LEADERS

1st – Matt Higgins – 220
2nd – Conceicao Guerin – 193
3rd – Tomas Castro – 143
t-4th – Daniel Hall – 99
t-4th – Ricardo Carmona – 99
6th – Sandy Sambrano – 81
7th – Armando Sanchez – 78
8th – Yoshi Yamada – 68
9th – Ben O’Morrissey – 63
10th – Ken Clark – 57

The entirely forgettable Ken Clark, still in the top 10… He batted .211 between 1980 and 1981, so I assume he stole a base every time he made it on base in the first place.

I miss Concie. He retired two years ago, a career .272/.328/.348 batter with 1,555 hits and excellent defense. He also stole 20 bases each year in his first stint with the Coons, which was entirely within the dark years. .272/.328/.348 is really not good (although his first career half were markedly better than the last half, so we got way more than a .676 OPS then), but in the context of those teams he was a really bright spot. He even had five 4+ WAR seasons. But WAR is useless, as I use to say. Still. Of his 36.8 career WAR, 31.1 came with the Coons.

Jesus Ramirez became the third Crusader to hit three homers in a game, and the second to do it against the Raccoons after Gabriel Ortíz in 2010. The other instance was way back in 1980, Michinaga Yamada hitting three against the Indians.

Funny thing. You know who is the only other player to hit three home runs against the Raccoons and who also did it against Nick Brown? True story! Stanley Murphy. And Murphy hit all three of his bombs off Brownie, and not just two like Ramirez. Not so funny: Aumsville SP Roger Kincheloe was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon and is out until next summer.

Home runs are NOT up for Nick Brown overall. He has allowed ten this year. He always had between 11 and 18 in the years between his two big injuries, with an abnormally high 8 HR allowed in the nine starts he made last year. He was simply crusadered on Tuesday… And he almost would have WON that game if a certain other left-hander hadn’t thrashered it.