[Westheim]

The Raccoons added two more players in right-hander Juan Barzaga and 2020 supplemental-rounder Jake Burrows, already 26, who would be the third-string catcher we had lacked so far.

Raccoons (73-76) vs. Thunder (79-70) – September 16-18, 2024

Both teams played out the string, since despite the Thunder having won six more games than the Raccoons, they were just about as far ahead of the division leader in the South. Their mix of doing everything reasonably well, but excelling at nothing, had not sparked into a playoff run, but at least they were one win away from taking the season series against the Raccoons, which stood at 4-2.

Projected matchups:
Rico Gutierrez (14-7, 2.98 ERA) vs. Bryan Hanson (10-7, 3.10 ERA)
Josh Whitaker (0-5, 4.31 ERA) vs. J.J. Menendez (12-10, 4.32 ERA)
Jack Sander (9-8, 4.15 ERA) vs. Chris Munroe (11-16, 4.56 ERA)

Left, right, right, and after that another ten games and then it's finally over.

Game 1
OCT: SS L. Rivera – 2B Serrato – 1B A. Baker – C Burgess – CF Bareford – 3B Castellanos – RF F. Larios – LF Millan – P Hanson
POR: LF Spencer – 2B Walter – 1B Gonzalez – RF Kopp – SS Stalker – 3B Nunley – C Burrows – CF Borg – P Gutierrez

Jake Burrows played himself right into everybody's hearts with a throwing error in the first inning that allowed Lorenzo Rivera to go to third base on a steal attempt of second, from where Gutierrez balked him in, so, yeah, every inning in the books was a relief at this point. Nothing got better from there, with the Coons stranding a pair in the first, Nunley and his leadoff double in the second, and then sunk to 3-0 down when Frank Larios hit a 2-out, 2-run homer off Rico in the fourth inning. Alex Serrato added a solo shot in the fifth, 4-0. Gutierrez lasted six and a third before being relieved in another outing that indicated why he would not win the ERA title, with the Raccoons still trailing, pulling out only one run against Hanson in the fifth. Greg Borg hit a leadoff single, was bunted over by Gutierrez, then scored on Jarod Spencer's single. That one aside, Hanson mostly created very weak contact, but occasionally a grounder sneaked through, like for Burrows in the seventh. The not-so-young rookie catcher hit a leadoff single to left, but was quickly removed from the bases on Borg's fielder's choice. Grigsby hit for Kevin Surginer and flew out to right, and Spencer grounded out to short on a 3-0 pitch, which was not a promising approach to winning. Jon Gonzalez smacked into a double play in the eighth after Hanson drilled PH Justin Gerace to begin the inning. Portland entered the bottom 9th trailing 5-1 (after a run scored on Jimmy Lee in the top 9th) and facing Andy Palomares, who was entirely unknown to me and retired nobody. Stalker got hit, Nunley hit a homer, 5-3, and here comes Jesus Lopez, a right-hander, to close things. Abel Mora walked in Burrows' spot to bring up the tying run, which – after Borg made an out – became Omar Alfaro, who ended the game with a nifty double play grounder. 5-3 Thunder. Spencer 2-4, RBI; Nunley 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI;

Game 2
OCT: SS L. Rivera – 2B Serrato – 1B A. Baker – RF Dobbs – CF Bareford – 3B Castellanos – C Kubesh – LF Camarillo – P J.J. Menendez
POR: CF Mora – 2B Walter – C Tovias – 1B Gonzalez – RF Kopp – 3B Nunley – LF Carmona – SS Armetta – P Whitaker

Jon Gonzalez murdered another inning with a double play grounder, this time right in the first. Walter (having forced out Abel Mora) and Tovias (error) had been on the bases, and he left on nobody with a zinger at Lorenzo Rivera. Meanwhile Whitaker faced an entirely right-handed lineup, which went so-so for a while until John Kubesh hit a solo homer in the second inning in his first official at-bat of the season (he had already a sac fly on his ledger). Whitaker hit a hard liner to center his first time at the plate, which came with Cookie and Sam Armetta on the corners after a pair of 2-out singles in the bottom 2nd, but former Raccoons centerfielder Andy Bareford felt playing spoiler and caught the ball on the run, denying the Raccoons a run again. And those Critters sprinkled plenty of singles early on, six in the first four innings, without getting a run moved across. Armetta singled twice, both times with two outs and a runner on first, and the inning always died with Whitaker, which was not all Whitaker's fault, but … eh.

Elias Tovias finally tied the score in the fifth with a solo homer, which was not enough for Whitaker to finally get into the W column yet. He also ran into Kubesh again with Jesus Castellanos on second base in the sixth inning, and Kubesh sure enough didn't miss another pitch and hit an RBI double to the fence in leftfield, giving birth to another Thunder lead, 2-1. Both teams stranded pairs of runners in the seventh, with Vince D doing the rounds for Portland after Whitaker expended 103 pitches in completing six innings. Terry Kopp singled off Peter Gill in the eighth inning, but then Nunley found a way into a double play. The Thunder failed to get an insurance run, though, against Surginer and Lillis in the eighth and ninth, and the bottom of the ninth inning began with the leadoff man reaching base again as Cookie Carmona singled to right off Jesus Lopez. Zach Graves flew out to left. Jarod Spencer flew out to left. Abel Mora … struck out. 2-1 Thunder. Walter 2-4; Carmona 2-4; Armetta 2-3; Whitaker 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, L (0-6);

This loss eliminated the Raccoons from playoff contention mathematically.

Game 3
OCT: SS L. Rivera – RF Branch – 2B Serrato – 1B Kuzman – 3B Flournoy – C A. Baker – LF Cesta – CF Millan – P Munroe
POR: 2B Spencer – CF Mora – C Tovias – 1B Kopp – 3B Nunley – RF Alfaro – LF Carmona – SS Stalker – P Sander

The Thunder obviously scored first again, utilizing a Chris Kuzman single, a walk to Adam Baker, a wild pitch, and then Mike Cesta's sac fly to score a run in the second inning. Serrato hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, and that was all the scoring through five. Sander wasn't exactly fooling anybody, but got some help from the defense (if he let them), while the Thunder's Chris Munroe – a former Raccoon seven years removed – held the home team to two base hits through five, both soft singles that led nowhere nice. Sander reached 105 innings after just 5.2 innings and was removed, with Hector Morales getting the last out in the sixth from Cesta. David Kipple was less fortunate in the seventh inning, allowing a leadoff single to Omar Millan and walking Rivera to put two aboard that Ryan Corkum couldn't clean up efficiently. Alex Serrato's 2-out single scored Millan from third base, putting the Thunder 3-0 ahead. Come the ninth, never-used closer Jonathan Snyder was ripped apart by wild animals for a leadoff walk to Rivera and then doubles, back-to-back, by Serrato and Kuzman, both plating a run for a 5-0 lead. The Raccoons were still 2-hit by Munroe at that point, got a pinch-hit single from Shane Walter in the bottom 9th, but failed to reach even second base in the inning. 5-0 Thunder. Walter (PH) 1-1;

(groans)

Raccoons (73-79) @ Loggers (73-80) – September 20-22, 2024

Technically we were playing for third place in the North, but actually nobody cared. The Loggers had lost six in a row, the Raccoons would never win another game, and it was all horrible. Milwaukee, tenth in runs scored and sixth in runs allowed, had a 9-6 lead in the season series against the Raccoons. They had not won the season series in TEN years.

Projected matchups:
Jesus Chavez (7-15, 4.22 ERA) vs. Pedro Hernandez (9-14, 3.74 ERA)
Mark Roberts (11-9, 3.40 ERA) vs. Ian Prevost (13-10, 3.36 ERA)
Rico Gutierrez (14-8, 3.08 ERA) vs. Jorge Villalobos (11-7, 2.80 ERA)

Three right-handers; not like we can hit anybody, no matter if left-handed, right-handed, or no-handed.

Game 1
POR: 2B Spencer – CF Mora – C Tovias – 1B Gonzalez – 3B Nunley – RF Graves – SS Stalker – LF Gerace – P Chavez
MIL: LF W. Trevino – 2B March – CF Coleman – RF Gore – SS Tadlock – C Wool – 1B Gilmor – 3B A. Velez – P P. Hernandez

Every left-handed batter he saw, Jesus Chavez shuffled on base; Dan March doubled to right, and he walked Ian Coleman. Brad Gore's single loaded the bases, and Ron Tadlock – a right-hander – lined out to Nunley. Josh Wool was a left-handed batter and singled to score two, which was when the pattern ended with left-hander Nick Gilmor popping out foul on a 3-2 pitch. And again, the Raccoons were trailing – the most familiar sight. Another very familiar sight presented itself in the second inning, when the Raccoons had the bases loaded thanks to Nunley working a walk, Graves and Stalker singling, and then Justin Gerace hit into an inning-ending double play. They were just blastingly bad…

Meanwhile Chavez, loser of 15, worked hard for his 16th loss in keeping a steady supply of runners available for cash-in for the Loggers. Josh Wool hit another RBI single with two outs in the bottom 3rd, plating Coleman, who had drawn a 4-pitch walk earlier. Those were all the runs off Chavez, who lasted six innings on a bit more than 100 pitches, continuing the Raccoons' starters' run of futility – and also with no support whatsoever. The most notable offensive things the Raccoons did through six was Jarod Spencer smacking a single to center in the sixth only to get caught stealing immediately, which I personally found very offensive.

An actual threat developed in the eighth inning. Tim Stalker singled on Hernandez' first pitch of the inning (and only his 84th overall), and then Hernandez lost Gerace to a walk in a full count. That brought up the tying run in Omar Alfaro, in other words: maybe we can re-rally with one on and two outs. Actually, Alfaro's grounder up the middle was too quick and eluded Ron Tadlock and Dan March for a single, loading the bases for the top of the order. The Raccoons continued to ground in the direction of the second base bag, which was the most dangerous way to go about things. Spencer's grounder was intercepted by Tadlock, but they only got an out on Alfaro as the Coons scored their first run in what was now a 3-1 game, and 3-2 when Mora singled to center. Tovias tied it with a dying swan single into shallow right. Gonzalez grounded out, which advanced the runners, but continued to leave him completely useless. Nunley batted with two outs, and before he could drive in the go-ahead run, Hernandez plated it himself with a wild pitch. Nunley popped out. Ron Tadlock hit a triple off Ryan Corkum in the bottom 8th, but that came with nobody on and two outs, and Josh Wool popped out to have both teams strand a man on third base in the eighth inning. Snyder had been cooked by the Thunder in the ninth on Wednesday, but nothing undue happened to him in this game as he added a save to his ledger. 4-3 Coons. Carmona (PH) 1-1; Stalker 2-4;

Game 2
POR: CF Mora – 2B Walter – C Tovias – 1B Gonzalez – RF Kopp – 3B Nunley – SS Stalker – LF Carmona – P Roberts
MIL: 2B Mancia – C Wool – SS Tadlock – RF Gore – CF Coleman – LF W. Trevino – 1B G. Sauceda – 3B A. Velez – P Prevost

Abel Mora drew a walk to begin the game, was caught stealing (like all other four Coons trying to swipe one so far this week), and there was really no point in not putting this one into the L column and hit the bar to drink as long as the stool would hold me. The Loggers burst ahead in the second inning on what was really two teams working together neatly. Brad Gore hit a leadoff double off Roberts, a chump just like the other Bayhawk we got last winter, scored on a Willie Trevino single for the first tally in the game, and when Gabriel Sauceda singled to center, Trevino went for third. Mora fired a rocket that missed third base grossly, and Trevino scored on the error, 2-0. Roberts drilled Alberto Velez, but someone evaded further damage; Prevost bunted over the runners, and Danny Mancia hit one sharply at Stalker to end the inning.

It wasn't quite a case of "Ballgame!" yet, thanks to Mora dabbling aboard again in the top 3rd and being collected on Shane Walter's game-tying homer to right center, but the Coons then also stranded a pair afterwards. Jon Gonzalez was included in that pair, but only reached base for getting plunked. The Loggers also lost Mancia to injury in the inning, and replaced him with Dan March. Brad Gore put the Loggers back on top in the bottom 3rd, hitting a solo piece off Roberts right in the area where Walter had sent his pitch to exit, and yes, this is left-handed starters getting clobbered by left-handed batters now, but what does it matter anymore? Roberts struck out only two in another dispiriting appearance that lasted six innings. Spencer batted for him to begin the top 7th against Prevost and knocked a single to right to become the tying run in the 3-2 affair. Abel Mora hit an infield single that was to be blamed on March, and the Raccoons appeared in business, at least until they hit two pop outs and Gonzalez struck out.

The first two were on again in the eighth. Kopp doubled past Gore, and Nunley walked onto the open base. Prevost struck out Stalker, but brushed Cookie's uniform, which put Cookie aboard on the barely-grazed-by-pitch, loading them up for Spencer. He fouled out, which was out number two, and slowly but surely the room started to spin around me. Yet, I needed more booze unless Abel Mora could pull this one out of a rat's arse. He grounded to first base, Gilmor MISSED IT, and two runs scored on the "single". OH **** IT, WE'LL TAKE IT!! Mike Kress replaced Prevost, got Tony Delgado to ground out, which was all dandy. We had Billy Brotman. My last coherent thought resulted in him ordered into the game and not removed until he had saved this ****. Saving it he did, but by then I had passed out at the foot of the bar. 4-3 Furballs. Mora 3-4, BB, 2 RBI; Kopp 2-5, 2B; Spencer (PH) 1-2; Brotman 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, SV (4);

So now we still have a chance to extend our string of not losing the season series to the Loggers, so horrendous things will happen to Rico Gutierrez in the Sunday game.

Game 3
POR: 2B Spencer – C Delgado – CF Mora – 1B Gonzalez – LF Kopp – 3B Nunley – RF Alfaro – SS Stalker – P Gutierrez
MIL: 2B Mancia – 1B Jaeger – SS Tadlock – RF Gore – CF Coleman – LF W. Trevino – C T. Williams – 3B A. Velez – P Villalobos

Try to grasp the following: the Coons … SCORED FIRST. When Terry Kopp hit his 17th long one of the season in the top of the first, the Coons jumped up 3-0 on Spencer walking and Gonzalez singling (!!), which was so unheard of that Gutierrez was out of shape immediately, bewildered and confused. Mancia, laboring on a tweaked oblique, singled, and he hit Kevin Jaeger. Somehow, the infielders kept him in shape in the first, even after a wild pitch. Rico continued to shuffle runners aboard; Ron Tadlock hit an RBI double in the bottom 3rd to get the Loggers on the scoreboard, 3-1, their only run in the first five innings.

Terry Kopp smacked another one, a leadoff jack off Villalobos in the sixth inning to restore the 3-run lead, while Gutierrez was the first Raccoon to conclude six innings this week without having a pitch count at, over, or near 90 (if they even got there…). Rico threw only 68 pitches through six, but that was also a bit of a testament to the Loggers not having to wait around very long for something hittable. Gutierrez only spent ten pitches on the seventh for two hard outs to Stalker by Ian Coleman and Willie Trevino, a Travis Williams single up the middle, and then Velez flying out to Alfaro in pretty deep right. The eighth was less dramatic, and Gutierrez batted for himself, making the final out in the ninth inning against lefty Tim Dunkin with nobody on base (after Stalker had hit into a double play…). That put him up with the 4-1 lead in the bottom 9th, facing the core of the Loggers' order. Ron Tadlock flew out to right. Brad Gore went down on strikes. Ian Coleman bounced back to Gutierrez for an easy final out. 4-1 Raccoons!! Kopp 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI; Grigsby (PH) 1-1; Gutierrez 9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, W (15-8);

In other news

September 16 – PIT OF Jorge Lopez (.263, 0 HR, 42 RBI) is on the shelf for the season with shoulder inflammation.
September 17 – CHA MR George Barnett (1-1, 6.53 ERA, 3 SV) hits New York's Angel Diaz and then issues three walks to allow the Crusaders to walk off without putting a ball in play, 4-3.
September 18 – With a 2-1 win over the Warriors the Topeka Buffaloes clinch the FL East for the first time in 20 years.
September 19 – LAP 3B/2B Alex Mesa (.235, 11 HR, 51 RBI) will miss the rest of the season with torn ankle ligaments.
September 21 – The Gold Sox' Cory Briscoe (.281, 2 HR, 43 RBI) extends his hitting streak to 25 games with a single against the Wolves, who beat the Gold Sox anyway, 6-5.

Complaints and stuff

The Titans won the North on Sunday with a 7-6 win over the Elks. Oh well, so it shall be.

Throw Gonzalez on the pile of Adam Youngs, I'm sick of the chump.

.195/.287/.268 … .164/.243/.194 … .163/.268/.224 – these are the September slash lines of three Cons position players that were locks as starters when the season began. Well, two of them still are starters. The third is Alfaro. The others are Gonzalez and Stalker. I am not saying whose line which is. You don't need to know. They speak for themselves.

Fun Fact: 40 years ago today, on September 22, 1984, the Canadiens' Raúl Herrera collected six base hits in a 14-1 crushing of the Titans.

That was the first of five times an Elk hit six times in a game, but of course in our book Herrera stands for something else … the inability to add a player and actually have him be a valuable member of the team in particular, or society in general. Decades of substance abuse could not erase the memory of Herrera actually starting that 1984 season as a Raccoon before batting .217/.257/.332 for 81 games. That one coming off an '83 campaign where he hit .311/.341/.430 with the Blue Sox as a 23-year-old. He would retire at 33 eventually, never again reaching that 1983 .771 OPS for either the Elks or the Stars, and ended up a .279/.318/.384 batter that happened to be in the right spot to win two rings.

We acquired Herrera in a trade in November of '83, along with a flurry of soon-to-be-failed prospects, for Fletcher Kelley and Alejandro Lopez. He never produced in centerfield (and it would be a few more years before Portland found a centerfielder worth the oxygen), but … in that case it was a good thing!

The loot the Raccoons got for him in the July 22, 1984 trade with the Elks to get rid of his face?

Kisho Saito.