[Westheim]

On Monday, the generally accepted mantra around the place was that it could only get better from here.

Raccoons (40-26) @ Titans (38-31) – June 22-24, 2020

The Coons’ recent spill had brought the Titans back into the frame in terms of the division lead, as they were only 3 1/2 games out now and in third place. A 3-game set wasn’t enough to get them into the lead, but we had to be somewhat on our hind legs given that the Titans had already won four of six games from the Raccoons in 2020. They were tenth in runs scored and had the worst batting average, and were relying exclusively on their pitching, which conceded the second-fewest runs. Their rotation was even the best in the Continental League with a 3.35 ERA, although the Raccoons’ 3.41 mark (2nd) had probably suffered from Cole Pierson disproportionately, and he was no longer with the team.

Projected matchups:
Tadasu Abe (7-3, 3.03 ERA) vs. Jose Diaz (4-4, 3.45 ERA)
Hector Santos (8-0, 1.95 ERA) vs. Jose Fuentes (3-4, 3.65 ERA)
Bobby Guerrero (3-3, 4.15 ERA) vs. Chris Klein (4-5, 2.99 ERA)

Jose, Jose – the first one was a left-hander. We would not get their other southpaw, Rick Ling (4-5, 3.86 ERA). This was also the last series before the Raccoons had a needed day off after having played (after this series would be concluded) 16 games in as many days, though not on 16 consecutive days because of the rainout in Denver last week.

Game 1
POR: LF Carmona – CF Bareford – RF Jackson – 1B Mendoza – C Margolis – SS McKnight – 2B Prince – 3B Petracek – P Abe
BOS: CF Reichardt – 3B Ruggeri – RF Almanza – 2B Downing – LF J. Avila – 1B Cornejo – C R. Anderson – SS Kane – P J. Diaz

The week started exactly like the entire previous week had gone, with a colossally ****ed up inning early on to suck all life out of the team before they would trudge to another defeat by six or ten runs. The Coons were hitless through two and Abe had allowed singles to Gil Cornejo and Ryan Anderson in the bottom of the second when Mike Kane’s looper to shallow center was dropped by Andy Bareford, loading the bases for Boston. Diaz then zinged a 1-2 pitch through Dumbo Mendoza and up the rightfield line for a 2-run double, and the next two runs scored on Adrian Reichardt’s single past Ronnie McKnight into left center. That 4-run second inning would be followed by a 2-run fourth, which was also decisively supported by Jose Diaz, who singled to right before Reichardt doubled off the fence in left. The runs scored on D.J. Ruggeri’s sac fly and Abe balking home the centerfielder, and that was the last anybody saw of Abe in the game. The bullpen didn’t fare any better, with Adam Cowen scorched for three hits and two runs on Kane’s 2-out, 2-run double in the bottom of the fifth. While Chun and Davis would not allow any more runs from there to the finish line, there wasn’t even pep in the game, for Mendoza had lined over Josh Downing in the fourth inning, the ball falling into rightfield for the Coons’ first hit of the game. It was ultimately the last baserunner allowed by Jose Diaz, who retired the final 17 batters of the game in flawless fashion to finish with a 1-hit shutout. 8-0 Titans. Chun 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

More of that, please. More of that.

I am talking to the bartender by the way, and he says I have enough. I have enough, but only of this horrendous baseball they are playing. Not of the booze. More booze please, I need to kill the part of the brain where dreams are generated.

Adam Cowen (4.50 ERA and getting worse quickly) was waived and designated for assignment after the game. We promoted 22-year old swingman Jose Castaneda (1-2, 2.91 ERA) from AAA. Castaneda’s main problem was ill control, but whose pitcher’s main problem in the organization wasn’t ill control right now…?

Game 2
POR: RF Carmona – 2B Nomura – SS McKnight – 1B Mendoza – C Margolis – 3B Nunley – LF DeWeese – CF DeWald – P Santos
BOS: CF Reichardt – 1B J. Duran – RF Almanza – C T. Robinson – 2B Downing – LF J. Avila – 3B Ruggeri – SS Kane – P J. Fuentes

Santos had won six of his first seven starts, but only two of his last six, and it had not been his fault, with that ERA going down almost every game. While the Raccoons broke into the H column early with a first-inning single by McKnight, the very next baserunner for the Critters would be Santos, and their offensive hopelessness continued unabated. The game was scoreless through four, with Santos only in trouble in the fourth in which he walked a pair, Tim Robinson and Jose Avila, before Ruggeri struck out to end the inning. Fuentes was never really in trouble in those four innings… In fact, the hardest-hit ball off Fuentes in the first five innings was Santos’ second at-bat, in which he drove a ball almost to the warning track and forced Chris Almanza to make a *running* catch – what novelty!

Bottom 5th, Kane led off with a triple over Mendoza and into the rightfield corner, and while Santos struck out Fuentes, he couldn’t get Reichardt, who hit the 0-1 to left. DeWeese made the catch, but was too deep to seriously challenge Kane, who scored the first run of the game on the sac fly, irreversibly dooming Santos for his first loss of the season, because that team had nothing in them right now in terms of comebacks. Fuentes walked two in the sixth inning, Yoshi and Mendoza, but McKnight had already flown out poorly and Margolis and Nunley failed to make any sort of contact altogether, flailing out in tandem. On to the seventh, where Fuentes lost another two guys to walks, and it was the DeWhiff faction near the bottom of the order, in order words the first Coons to come up. Santos bunted them over well, placing the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position for Cookie, who was 0-for-7 in the series with 4 K and definitely soul-searching. He popped out to Ruggeri… Fuentes walked Nomura, which ended his day, as McKnight had to face left-hander Nestor Munoz. He hit the first pitch, just barely, and pathetically bounced out to the pitcher. Santos, unsalvageably forsaken, folded and allowed another run with two outs in the seventh, as Kane singled, Cornejo pinch-walked, and Reichardt found the gap to drive home Kane for an add-on run the Titans would not need. Matt Nunley hit a 2-out single in the eighth – bless him! – that was not quite enough to make up a 2-0 deficit, and Jeff Boynton was bombed by Almanza and then tickled to death by the bottom of the order in the bottom of the inning, allowing another two runs.

And then came the ninth. Down 4-0, the Raccoons got a leadoff single from Kevin DeWald off Brett Dill, who also walked Eddie Jackson. Desi Bowles replaced him, and walked the heretofore hopeless Cookie. The bases were now loaded with nobody out. Bowles was outta whack, walked Yoshi on four pitches to push in a run the Coons didn’t deserve, and another run scored on McKnight’s groundout. Bowles lost Mendoza to the fourth walk of the inning, refilling the bases for Margolis, 0-for-4 with a million strikeouts. Bareford hit for him, smacked a ball hard – right at the shortstop, Kane registering the lineout. Two down now, with Nunley grounding between Ruggeri and Kane. The latter cut the ball off, threw to first late, and the third run was across. DeWeese was a terrible batter to come up in this spot, but showed basic smarts and held still against a wickedly wild Bowles, who still couldn’t find the zone and walked DeWeese, tying the game, and exited while being booed and heckled. Prince batted for DeWald against the new pitcher, Alan Farrell, but grounded out to Ruggeri, ending the inning. Mathis held the Titans short in the bottom 9th, sending the game to extras, and the Coons got another walk from Farrell to leadoff man Ezequiel Olivares. Cookie singled, Yoshi grounded out to advance the runners, and then Downing missed McKnight’s roller up the middle that scored two. McKnight would be left on base after an intentional walk to Mendoza, with Bareford fouling out and Nunley’s drive to center spoiled by Reichardt. Mathis remained in the game for the bottom 10th, which featured the right-handed meat of the order. Almanza and Robinson made quick outs, but Downing reached with a 2-out infield single with a terrible roller near the third base line that was too far in even for Nunley. Mike Rivera hit for Farrell, and he was a persistent thorn in our sides for a decade. He had only seven career homers though, so even if left-handed, Mathis was still okay to face him. Rivera grounded to Yoshi on the first pitch, and this game was over on the 4-3 putout. 6-4 Raccoons. McKnight 2-6, 3 RBI; Nunley 2-6, RBI; Santos 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K and 1-2; Mathis 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (3-2);

Still no L for Santos. He didn’t deserve one. The team deserved one though, but did they deserve it more than Desi Bowles? In any case, Farrell got the loss…

Game 3
POR: LF Carmona – 2B Nomura – SS McKnight – 1B Mendoza – CF Bareford – 3B Nunley – C Olivares – LF DeWeese – P Guerrero
BOS: CF Reichardt – 1B J. Duran – RF Almanza – C T. Robinson – 2B Downing – LF J. Avila – 3B Ruggeri – SS Kane – P Klein

The rubber game started with the Coons hitting three hard liners to get going in the first, although only McKnight’s fell in for a single and that was all they got when Mendoza struck out. By contrast, the Titans were up 4-0 after five batters, three singles dropping in for a run before Josh Downing crashed a harmless Guerrero fastball for a 3-run homer to left center. Guerrero’s game hung in the tethers throughout, with him getting raked mercilessly by the Titans’ lineup, which by the way was in the bottom three in the Continental League, just in case you forgot somehow. The defense was all that held him in the game for as long as he did, with key double plays turned in the second and fourth innings, and amazing catches by Cookie in the third and Bareford in the fifth sparing extra-base hits and run(s). Through five, the Titans thus still were held to four runs, but the Coons were still hit to three scattered singles, displaying complete incompetence throughout the lineup for the umpteenth consecutive game. Their first actual scoring opportunity came in the sixth inning when Cookie led off with an infield single and Yoshi found the gap in left center for a double. The middle of the order completely ****ed up as usual, with McKnight grounding out to first, Mendoza grounding out to short (which scored a run at least) and Bareford striking out swinging. That run was pulled right back by the Titans, with Tim Robinson ramming a leadoff jack over the leftfield fence in the bottom 6th, and Guerrero was gone.

Downing would hit a double off Guerrero’s replacement, Mathis, right away when play resumed. He moved up on Jose Avila’s groundout after a swift replacement of Mathis with Kaiser, but the cocky arse hat was then put out at home when he tried to steal that. DeWeese would hit a home run off Klein in the seventh that was of course a solo shot, and while Cookie opened the eighth with a single to left to at least get the tying run into sight in a 5-2 game, Yoshi hit to short for a double play. Chun with two outs left a man on base in the bottom 8th, with Thrasher just having to retire Avila, who regrettably tripled into the rightfield corner. Switch-hitter D.J. Ruggeri almost tore an even bigger hole with a drive to center, but that one ended up with Bareford to end the inning. Chris Klein was still in the game by the ninth inning and became the second Titan in the series to finish what he started, retiring the 4-5-6 batters in order to come up with a complete game 7-hitter, whiffing seven. 6-2 Titans. Carmona 2-4;

If you counted, you noticed that the Titans held 4-0 leads in all games in this series…

Thursday was off, except for the Crusaders trying to trade 37-year old Carlos Martinez to us for Guillermo Aponte (who had that extremely brief appearance in April) and AA 1B Ruben Santiago. Truth be told, Santiago is batting like arse, but Martinez can only play first base and then I would have to move Mendoza to right and Cookie to center, and centerfield tries to murder Cookie or at least render him a quadriplegic, so this was a bad idea to begin with.

Nope on that deal!

Raccoons (41-28) @ Thunder (36-36) – June 26-28, 2020

The Thunder were almost relevant again, sitting 4 1/2 games out in the South near the midpoint of the season. They were ninth in runs scored and seventh in runs allowed, with a noticeable -23 run differential, though, so they were a .500 team just barely. Their rotation was the third-worst in the Continental League, but the Coons were comatose and nothing of this was meaning much. The Coons were still up 2-1 in the season series.

Projected matchups:
Travis Garrett (0-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Jesse Bowsher (3-2, 3.96 ERA)
Jonathan Toner (7-3, 3.24 ERA) vs. Evan Greenfield (4-7, 3.55 ERA)
Tadasu Abe (7-4, 3.40 ERA) vs. Bryan Hanson (8-4, 3.11 ERA)

Those were their three better starters, so no luck here. Hanson was also one of their two left-handers.

They had one of their corners outfielders in D.J. Fullerton on the DL, allowing Matt Pruitt, 36 years old, to play from time to time. It wasn’t pretty. He was batting .217 with one home run.

Game 1
POR: LF Carmona – 2B Nomura – SS McKnight – 1B Mendoza – RF Jackson – 3B Nunley – C Margolis – CF DeWald – P Garrett
OCT: SS R. Avila – 3B Marshall – C Schoeppen – RF T. Brown – 2B Becker – 1B Gershkovich – LF M. Pruitt – CF Jo. Stevenson – P Bowsher

The Raccoons SCORED FIRST in this game, plating two in the first inning as Bowsher first allowed singles to Cookie, McKnight, and Mendoza – the latter scoring the first run – and then walked both Nunley to fill them up and Margolis to push one in. DeWald struck out in a full count to leave three on. The joy was short-lived as joy always is, with Garrett being out of whack completely, walking two and throwing a wild pitch in the first inning and conceding the runs on Tom Brown’s groundout and Jeff Becker’s single to center. After Garrett somehow staved off Matt Pruitt’s leadoff double in the bottom 2nd, Margolis would give his team a 2-out lead for the second time in two attempts, coming up with Mendoza and Jackson on second and first, singling to center, and chasing home Mendoza. DeWald actually singled to load them up, but now Garrett struck out to leave them loaded and the score at 3-2. The Thunder hit three balls to deep right in the bottom 3rd, Jackson caught them all, but how many he would have caught without a 17mph wind blowing in from that side would forever remain shrouded in mystery.

No you had to hit it to the other side. Mendoza did in the fourth, smashing a 2-run homer to left to cash in Yoshi, who had doubled, with two outs. It was his 21st shot of the season, breaking a tie with Gil Rockwell for the league lead, his first since June 12 and only his third in the last MONTH. But even up 5-2 Garrett was in constant danger of being blasted from the game. Pruitt hit a shot to right that would have been out without the wind, but ended with Jackson, in the fourth. Then came the fifth, which Garrett in fact didn’t survive. Josh Stevenson led off with a drag bunt for a single. Bowsher bunted, with Ricky Avila walking onto the open base. Bobby Marshall then nailed a fastball for a 3-run home run to center, tying the score, and Garrett still couldn’t get anybody out, with Tom Brown and Jeff Becker hitting singles before a 2-out triple into the corner by Mike Gershkovich put the Thunder in front. Boynton got Pruitt to ground out, but the Coons were down 7-5 after the 5-run blitz. By the seventh, Jose Castaneda ****ed up in his major league debut. Marshall hit a leadoff single to center, before Castaneda walked Schoeppen. Brown hit into a double play, but Castaneda just kept handing out free bases by walking Becker. Joel Davis replaced him, Gershkovich grounded out to second, and the Thunder remained reasonably close. The Coons had the tying runs on the corners after a pair of walks in the eighth inning, but left-hander Jeff Kearney came in to face Mendoza and whiffed him, and the Coons also stranded the tying runs in the ninth against closer John Watson, who had 38 K in 33.1 IP and a 1.30 ERA to strike fear into batters’ hearts. Jackson still hit a leadoff single, but was forced on Nunley’s grounder. DeWeese had a pinch-hit single with two down, but Bareford harmlessly popped out to shallow right. 7-5 Thunder. McKnight 2-4, BB; Mendoza 2-4, BB, HR, 3 RBI; Jackson 2-5; DeWeese (PH) 1-1;

Game 2
POR: RF Carmona – 2B Nomura – SS McKnight – 1B Mendoza – C Margolis – 3B Nunley – CF Bareford – LF DeWeese – P Toner
OCT: SS R. Avila – 3B Marshall – C Schoeppen – RF T. Brown – 2B Becker – 1B Gershkovich – LF M. Pruitt – CF Jo. Stevenson – P Greenfield

With the mere info that Toner struck out none of the first 11 batters, you can already draw conclusions as to how this game went. The Raccoons had Cookie and McKnight on the corners with one out in the first, but managed to score neither. Cookie would score in the third after a leadoff single and circled around on Yoshi’s double to the base of the leftfield wall, but by then the Raccoons were already in arrears. With runners on the corners after a pair of singles, Toner had faced Josh Stevenson in the bottom 2nd and hadn’t managed to whiff him neither, with Stevenson lining up the rightfield line for a 2-out, 2-run double. Toner got better the second time through, struck out Schoeppen in the third inning and whiffed the bottom of the order, 7-8-9, in the fifth inning for five total within seven batters. That still didn’t give him a lead.

DeWeese had struck out twice with Bareford on base, leaving Toner to make the final out of an inning in the game, but Greenfield foolishly hit him with a 1-2 pitch leading off the seventh. Toner bunted him over, but Cookie flew out to left and DeWeese had to hold on second base. Yoshi walked, but McKnight was erased by Greenfield to keep the Raccoons 2-1 behind. Toner struck out the side again in the seventh. In the top 8th, Margolis yanked a ball to deep left, high and deep enough, but foul by less than a foot. That would have been the tied game, but Margolis had to go back to the box and eventually singled with one out. That removed Greenfield, but Ryan Corkum upon replacing him snuffed out Nunley and Bareford, keeping Toner on the short end. Toner fanned two more in completing eight innings, giving him 10 K in the game, but here was John Watson again, trying to save a 1-run game this time. DeWeese struck out, Jackson struck out, Cookie hit a ball for about 35 feet and was thrown out at first base by as much. 2-1 Thunder. Carmona 2-5; Toner 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, L (7-4);

After losing 10 of their last 12 games, the Raccoons also lost the lead in the CL North. The Loggers moved through with a 6-3 win over the Knights.

Game 3
POR: LF Carmona – 2B Nomura – RF Jackson – 1B Mendoza – C Margolis – CF Bareford – SS Prince – 3B Petracek – P Abe
OCT: SS R. Avila – 3B Marshall – C Schoeppen – RF T. Brown – 2B Becker – 1B Gershkovich – LF McWherter – CF Jo. Stevenson – P Hanson

Abe was perfect the first time through the Thunder lineup, whiffing three, but the Coons only got Bareford on thanks to an error by Becker, and while Bareford stole second base, Prince was victimized by Hanson. The left-hander conceded a pair of 2-out singles to Cookie and Yoshi in the third, but Jackson rolled out harmlessly to short, and in the fourth Margolis was left on second base after a single and a wild pitch. They continued like that in the fifth, with Petracek getting nailed, Yoshi walking, and Jackson stranding another pair with a lazy flyout to left.

Abe was still perfect through five, and Mendoza led off the sixth with an infield single. Maybe, this could be a spark. One of these days I will learn, I guess. Margolis hit into a 5-4-3 double play, after which Bareford singled to center. He reached third base on Casimiro Schoeppen’s error on his stolen base attempt, but Prince continued to not be worth the oxygen he was breathing and struck out, completely overwhelmed by the marginal Hanson. The same marginal Hanson broke up the perfect game and no-hitter after Abe had turned down 17 straight Thunder, singling to left center with two outs in the bottom 6th. Ricky Avila singled right behind him and I had good reason to expect another seventeen straight base hits out of the Thunder at this point, but Bobby Marshall flew out to center, keeping the scoreboard empty.

Abe held on to a 2-hit shutout through eight innings, but still could not get into the lead. Jeff Kearney was in the game in the ninth, walked the completely useless Prince before Petracek got hit for the second time in the game. McKnight batted for Abe, but after running a full count, bounced a pitch back to the pitcher. Kearney bobbled it once, which cost him the double play, and only Petracek was out at second base. Cookie had runners on the corners, but grounded out to first on the first pitch he saw from Kearney. OH COME ON, YOU ****S!!

Joel Davis retired the 1-2-3 in that fashion in the bottom 9th, sending a pathetic game to extra innings, presumably to torture the crowd even more, as they had not yet suffered enough. Kearney remained in the game, struck out Yoshi to start the 10th, but then walked Jackson in a full count. Mendoza singled to right, Jackson to second. Margolis singled to center, Jackson running. RUN, YOU ****, RUN! RUN FASTER!!! Stevenson’s throw was not very good and late, and Jackson slid across home plate with the first run of the game. Kearney lost Bareford on four pitches to fill the bases, but the Thunder left him in the game as Joel Davis approached in the #7 spot. To counter, we sent the only right-hander available, Olivares. The Thunder still didn’t budge. Rumor had it that the bullpen door was jammed shut, but what do we care!? Kearney fell apart wholly and completely, walking Olivares and Petracek to force in additional runs. When the Thunder finally got a pitcher in there, Chris Rountree allowed an RBI single to McKnight before securing flyouts from Cookie and Yoshi. Four runs were across at that point. Mathis took over the bottom 10th and retired the Thunder in order. 4-0 Blighters. Mendoza 2-4, BB; Margolis 2-5, RBI; McKnight 1-2, RBI; Abe 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K;

In other news

June 22 – PIT SP Pedro Hernandez (4-5, 3.30 ERA) will be out until the All Star Game. The 28-year old right-hander is suffering from an oblique strain. The news considerably dampen the joy over the Miners’ 14-3 rout of the Buffaloes.
June 23 – While the Thunder strangle the Bayhawks in a 19-2 crushing, Oklahoma’s Ricky Avila (.264, 0 HR, 15 RBI) has five base hits, including a double and two triples, and plates one run.
June 24 – The Knights announce a 7-yr, $24.72M extension with C Ruben Luna (.296, 12 HR, 45 RBI), which will keep him in town through his age 35 season.
June 24 – 21-year old rookie SAC INF Trey Rock (.265, 0 HR, 19 RBI) will miss a month with an intercostal strain.
June 25 – The Gold Sox acquire MR Helio Maggessi (1-1, 6.19 ERA, 1 SV) from the Indians, who receive three prospects, all more of the longshot variety.
June 26 – CIN LF/RF Yasuhiro Kuramoto (.301, 9 HR, 34 RBI) has his rookie season after coming over from Japan interrupted. The 25-year old left-hander will be out until August with a broken finger.
June 27 – Warriors and Capitals play to the 10th inning tied at two before the Warriors break out for six runs to squash the Capitals, 8-2.
June 28 – ATL SP Drew King (2-1, 3.62 ERA) announces his retirement after complications and re-injuring his torn flexor tendon. King, 29, went 24-23 with a 4.29 ERA in four seasons with the Knights.

Complaints and stuff

I wonder who we can trade at the deadline. By then none of the suckers should bat better than .245, or have an ERA better than 4.90, so things should get interesting.

Another week from the depths of horror. They scored 18 runs, but only eight off starting pitchers, and twice had 4-run innings against completely disintegrating bullpens, both leading to their only wins. With semi-decent relief on the Titans and Thunder, the Coons would have been swept for the week.

They still lost the CL North lead, mind.

Before he rolled that single in the ninth on Tuesday, DeWald was on the way to St. Petersburg. Batting .181 before the inning began and terrible in anything but defense, it was time to shake things up and bring up a new face. Then he started the rally and then I couldn’t can him. I am soft that way. Soft guys always lose.

Adam Cowen went unclaimed and arrived safely in St. Petersburg.

Jonny Toner whiffed ten in his start and still lost, but let’s not mind that right now. He reached 1,604 K with the outing, and he’s creeping ever closer to the career top 100, with 100th place now held by Raúl Chavez with 1,627 K.

Gee, who kicked out Stanton Martin, you might ask. I can tell you. It’s a career 116-80 pitcher with a 3.03 ERA and now 1,658 strikeouts that never gets talked nicely about because he pitches in the shadow of an even better, more dominating pitcher that steals just all the spotlight.

It’s Hector Santos.