[Westheim]

2017 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (95-67) vs. San Francisco Bayhawks (102-60)

I filed our playoff roster to the league office on Monday morning, and it was swiftly rejected on the grounds that it included 35 players, including six left-handed relievers, and that only 25 players were permissible. After I threw a tantrum, Maud walked me through the rules again. Turns out that the Raccoons in fact had only 25 eligible players to begin with, so there weren’t any hard choices to make. Nick Lester, Will West, Tom McNeela, Danny Ochoa, Alex Duarte, and Ricky Moya were removed from the roster for the playoffs. We wouldn’t particularly miss any of them.

The Raccoons would be the road team in the best-of-seven matchup with the Bayhawks in the Continental League Championship Series, our first in seven years. This was the third time that we matched up with them in CLCS play, and the Raccoons’ record in those meetings was a swift 1.000, beating them in both 1991 and 1992 on the way to matchups with the Capitals in the World Series.

The Bayhawks had beaten the Raccoons five out of nine times during the regular season, but this had to come with an asterisk attached. The first two series were played in the horrid, no-good first half of the year. The Raccoons lost them both, and four times failed to score more than one run. The last series was in late July with “Tiger” Mendoza already attached, yet technically in a slump, but the Raccoons plated 14 runs in that series and took two of three from the Birds, and the one they didn’t take was Damani Knight’s last throwaway game of the season, in which he got stuffed with six runs in the first two innings.

Both teams were roughly even in their run differential, which was in the +180’s. The Raccoons held the edge in pitching, theirs having allowed the least runs in the league, but had been third in runs scored. The Bayhawks occupied second place in both categories, with roughly 30 runs more scored as well as allowed. The Raccoons occupied first place in many pitching categories, and were always in the top 3 outside of home runs allowed, which their park and Hector Santos weren’t lending itself to. The Bayhawks were in the top 3 throughout, except for walks allowed, in which they were ninth, but the Coons had struggled to draw walks as a team and were actually second from the bottom in walks drawn. They also hadn’t stolen many bases (8th), but were a solid top four team otherwise in offensive categories, and had led the team in batting average, base hits, and the least strikeouts, despite R.J. DeWeese on the team. The Bayhawks ranked in the top 3 in all batting categories except for walks drawn (4th) but didn’t lead any of them.

While the Critters had finally found a lineup that worked for them with power potential spread thickly throughout the middle and bottom parts of the lineup, and four .300 batters in the top five spots, the Bayhawks could match them in the number of players with double-digit home runs (five), and also had a 30+ homer guy in the #3 slot in Dave Garcia (.294, 36 HR, 103 RBI). They had two .330 batters in Will McIntyre (.338, 10 HR, 54 RBI) and Javy Rodriguez (.330, 6 HR, 51 RBI), but neither had qualified for the batting title. If anything, they lacked a strong leadoff option like the Coons had in Cookie Carmona, making do with Eddie Jackson, whom the Raccoons had wanted, but hadn’t gotten before this season. Jackson’s OPS was less than Cookie’s league-leading batting average.

But there was no glaring weakness in either lineup; roughly equal values ended there, however. The Bayhawks had a rotation of four pitchers that had all performed well, but not exceedingly wonderful. Alex Maldonado led them with a 2.95 ERA, but had only pitched 183 innings, making a few appearances out of the bullpen during the season. Southpaw Joao Joo (15-11, 3.35 ERA) was a real workhorse and had spun almost 250 innings, and he was perhaps their best starter overall, and was banked on to get wins in this series against the Raccoons lefty-dominated lineup. Their bullpen was strong at the end and solid in the middle, with ex-Raccoon Ray Kelley a surprise success as closer in his late 30s, pitching to a 1.84 ERA and saving 46 games for them. Maybe they would get hurt by having only one left-handed reliever in Mike Stank.

The Raccoons’ rotation had a stark contrast between Pitcher of the Year applicant Jonathan Toner, who had pitched to a 1.94 ERA in 232.1 innings and had struck out a rousing 293 batters, through Tadasu Abe, who led the league in wins, to Hector Santos, who was homer-prone and short on breath, but routinely good and solid, down to the few remains of Nick Brown (8-4, 4.53 ERA) the dogs had refused to gnaw up. Brown was still better than their other options, foremost Bruce Morrison, who had fallen into a well in July, and had never gotten back out. While Nick Brown was a weak link in only his second playoff campaign, the bullpen had been a source of constant horrors for the Raccoons, who had no official closer, and who had only two relievers with an ERA better than 2.80 in Ron Thrasher and Chris Mathis, and who had to replace the injured left-hander Kevin Beaver with wonky rookie Ryan Nielson. And even Jonny Toner dropped off in the second half of the season, so there might actually be more question marks about the Raccoons’ pitching than their lineup, which was a new thing for sure…

2017 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (95-67) @ San Francisco Bayhawks (102-60)

Game 1 – Jonathan Toner (18-9, 1.94 ERA) vs. Milt Beauchamp (13-11, 3.81 ERA)

POR: CF Carmona – 2B Walter – 1B Mendoza – LF DeWeese – 3B Nunley – SS McKnight – C Denny – RF Waggoner – P Toner
SFB: LF E. Jackson – SS Claros – CF D. Garcia – RF Almanza – C D. Alexander – 1B McIntyre – 3B J. Rodriguez – 2B Ingraham – P Beauchamp

Cookie opened the playoff festivities with an infield single, but was stranded when none of the next three batters got the ball out of the infield. Toner hit Raul Claros with a pitch in the bottom 1st, and Javy Rodriguez singled in the second inning, but Rodriguez was caught stealing and no team put up a serious threat in the early innings.

The Raccoons reached the corners with two 2-out singles by DeWeese and Nunley in the top of the fourth. While that at least ended the string of 11 consecutive Raccoons being retired by Beauchamp, Dave Garcia sucked up McKnight’s fly to center to end the inning. Garcia singled himself with one out in the bottom 4th, stole second base, but then was left there when Chris Almanza struck out and Dylan Alexander grounded out in 2-3 fashion.

After those calm and collected four scoreless innings it was time for the first upset of the series. William Waggoner hit a 1-out single in the fifth to become the Raccoons’ next runner. Jonny Toner was a pretty decent hitter and was signaled to swing away, which seemed to have met the outfielders by surprise when he sent a fly to right center on a 1-0 pitch. Garcia and Almanza converged, but neither got to the ball, which split them and made it all the way to the wall. Waggoner scored from first and Jonathan Toner slid into third base with an RBI triple! He scored on Cookie’s groundout and now held a 2-0 lead.

While Jonny saw off the Bayhawks 1-2-3 in the bottom 5th and was nursing a 2-hitter with 7 K through five innings, the Raccoons got an extra run when R.J. DeWeese jumped on a Beauchamp pitch in the sixth inning and sent it soaring for about 410 feet to right center. The solo homer ran the score to 3-0, but the Bayhawks would get the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning. Eddie Jackson and Raul Claros hit 1-out singles to the right side, and Shane Walter could not turn two on Garcia’s grounder to him. Chris Almanza batted with two outs, 19 homers in the regular season, of which he missed a chunk with an injury. Toner had before whiffed him twice – and whiffed him thrice.

Two deep flies to right occurred in the seventh inning. Mike Denny’s went out, 4-0, but Rodriguez’ was caught by Waggoner on the track. Toner maintained his shutout, while the top 8th saw Jared D’Attilo – fifth starter sent to the pen – walk Matt Nunley with two outs before a callous error by Will McIntyre gave the Raccoons two bases on Ronnie McKnight’s grounder. Denny batted with the chance to put the game away, but struck out on three pitches. Toner struck out Victor Sarabia and Eddie Jackson in the bottom 8th before walking Claros, which led to his removal with a pitch count over 110 now. Jayden Reed replaced him, walked Garcia, but escaped the inning when he hung a golden sombrero on Chris Almanza. Reed also sat down the Baybirds in the bottom of the ninth, three outs on three grounders.

Raccoons 4, Bayhawks 0 – Raccoons lead the series 1-0 – Carmona 2-5, RBI; DeWeese 2-4, HR, RBI; Nunley 2-3, BB; Waggoner 2-4; Toner 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K, W (1-0) and 1-3, 3B, RBI;

Jonny visibly didn’t appreciate the fat smooch I gave him after the game. I don’t care. I could smooch him all day long, even when he doesn’t pitch!

Game 2 – Hector Santos (13-6, 2.50 ERA) vs. Alex Maldonado (14-5, 2.95 ERA)

POR: CF Carmona – 2B Walter – 1B Mendoza – LF DeWeese – 3B Nunley – SS McKnight – C Denny – RF Waggoner – P Santos
SFB: LF E. Jackson – SS Claros – CF D. Garcia – RF Almanza – C D. Alexander – 1B McIntyre – 3B J. Rodriguez – 2B Ingraham – P Maldonado

Maldonado had walked 93 in his 183 innings, which was quite a bit high, but he had also struck out a tad over nine per nine innings and hung three K’s on the Raccoons in the first inning, with only Shane Walter sneaking a single into centerfield.

The Raccoons reached scoring position for the first time in the second inning when McKnight hit a 1-out double past Eddie Jackson. Mike Denny was at 2-2 before connecting and sending a bouncer up the middle. Zach Ingraham stretched, but missed it, and McKnight was on third base after the single. William Waggoner strolled up, having recovered from injury merely a week earlier, and roped a drive to deep right center that was outta here, sneaking through just fair inside the foul pole, and giving the Critters a quick 3-0 lead. It didn’t remain that way for long, though, with Santos brushing McIntyre in the belly region, and then allowed a juicy moonshot to Javy Rodriguez right afterwards, reducing the lead to a tiny run immediately, 3-2.

Santos remained power-vulnerable afterwards. Claros hit a drive to right in the bottom 3rd that Waggoner just barely spoiled while going back at full speed. That ended the third inning, but the fourth started with Dave Garcia driving the ball the other way. DeWeese went back in vain on this one, for it was gone and tied the score.

Zach Ingraham hurled a ball to deep left to lead off the bottom of the fifth. DeWeese could cope with that one, but with two outs Jackson singled sharply to left, and Claros walked in a full count, which pulled up Garcia again. The Venezuelan right-hander was an established star at a tender 22 years old and the Raccoons were in active danger here. The pitching coach tended to Hector Santos, which seemed to work out fine because Garcia ended up fooled on the first pitch and popped out to short, wasting the opportunity.

The Raccoons got an opportunity for free in the top of the sixth inning. Maldonado had not walked anybody so far, but started the inning by whacking DeWeese and then lost Nunley on four pitches. McKnight bunted the runners into scoring position, from where Maldonado plated DeWeese when he mailed a pitch over a befuddled Mike Denny’s head and far out of what Gold Glover Dylan Alexander could be reasonably expected to cover in terms of airspace. While the Coons were ahead again, Denny managed to hack himself out, which allowed the Bayhawks to walk Waggoner intentionally to put them on the corners with two outs. Adam Young batted for Santos, but flew out easily to Eddie Jackson to end the inning with only a 4-3 lead.

While the Raccoons got six outs from six batters when Alex Ramirez delivered them the sixth and seventh innings on the pitching side, their top of the order remained hapless and went down in order against Maldonado in the top of the seventh. Jeff Boynton replaced Maldonado for the eighth inning. He had pitched to a 3.57 ERA during the regular season and allowed a single to DeWeese right away. The slugger ended up caught stealing before Matt Nunley could single, and the Raccoons didn’t score in the inning. The Birds also got a leadoff single in the bottom 8th, Jackson reaching against Jayden Reed. Jackson was not a base stealer at all, but the power department had to be watched after Claros lined out to Walter at the keystone. Garcia struck out before Almanza, who was 0-for-7 with 5 K in the series, lined hard to center. Cookie threw himself into the shot and ended the inning with a tumbling grab.

Cookie also had a single in the top of the ninth off Boynton. It came with one out and sent Brandon Johnson, who had pinch-hit for Reed and had singled, to third base. Shane Walter’s grounder up the middle was intercepted by Ingraham, who tapped second base to force Cookie and had easily time to throw to first to double off Walter. Thus, there was no cushion for the bottom 9th, for which Ron Thrasher got the ball with two left-handed bats coming up in the first three batters. Dylan Alexander and Will McIntyre both hit hard grounders up either line. Mendoza and Nunley made incredible plays on the bouncing balls and both ended being outs. Pat Eaton, a right-hander pinch-hit for Javy Rodriguez, which was the call for Chris Mathis to end the game, yet he ended up walking him on four pitches. With that, left-hander Victor Sarabia pinch-hit for Ingraham, grounded a 2-2 pitch hard to first, but the “Tiger” was still on his mark and collected this one as well for the final out.

Raccoons 4, Bayhawks 3 – Raccoons lead series 2-0 – Nunley 2-3, BB; Waggoner 1-3, BB, HR, 3 RBI; Johnson (PH) 1-1; Ramirez 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;

Every starting position player for the Raccoons ended up with one hit, except for Nunley, who had two.

Homewards, with some happy swing in our steps!