[Westheim]

Raccoons (56-42) vs. Condors (62-37) – July 24-26, 2028

The Condors not only led the South, but also had a the best record in baseball, which was some stark contrast to 2027, which if you remember failed to see the CL South send out a single above-.500 team for the postseason. The Condors scored the most runs, 5.2 counters per game, and were also surrendering the fewest runs, making them a serious contender. Their run differential was +157, which dwarved the Raccoons’ own of +41. There was not really a comparison between those teams… Tijuana led the season series, 2-1.

Projected matchups:
Rico Gutierrez (8-4, 2.36 ERA) vs. George Griffin (7-6, 4.07 ERA)
George James (6-8, 4.89 ERA) vs. Joe Perry (11-3, 3.15 ERA)
Mark Roberts (11-3, 2.79 ERA) vs. Adam Potter (4-3, 3.55 ERA)

Teams would send out opposite-handed starters for every game in the series, with the Raccoons facing two right-handers sandwiching a lefty in the middle game on Tuesday.

Game 1
TIJ: CF Murphy – C Teague – SS Showalter – 3B Sanks – 1B McGrath – RF Braun – 2B Fitzsimmons – LF Denzler – P Griffin
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – LF Correa – 3B Hereford – 1B Harenberg – RF Gomez – C Tovias – CF Magallanes – P Gutierrez

Chris Murphy hit a jack to open the game, which was such a great way to start a fresh week, just when Maud had almost managed to make me drink a coffee without any sort of shot in it for the first time since the President Bush administration (the very first one, not his son or the other one). The Coons put Hereford and Gomez on base with singles in the second before Tovias and Magallanes sucked the air out of the inning with a foul pop and a roller to first, respectively, but we did manage to tie it up in the following frame on a pair of doubles by Ramos and Correa. Not that this would put Rico in a better place; he shed six hits through four innings, including three singles in the fourth to load the bases with one out. Luckily, just there he arrived at George Griffin, got a K, and then exited the inning when Murphy flew out easily to Jon Correa.

Rico Gutierrez lasted six and a third before leaving on 111 pitches and without getting a decision. Neither did Griffin, who also didn’t last a full seven innings, but still didn’t yield another inch to the Critters, for whom Ricky Ohl and Jeff Kearney continued to hold the fort in the seventh and eighth before the tie was broken in the Coons’ favor in the bottom 8th when Jon Correa hit a solo shot to leftfield off southpaw Lisuarte Paradela. A Danny Morales walk in the previous inning aside, that was also all the Critters could coax from the Condors pen. Josh Boles got the ninth, starting with Joel Denzler in the #8 hole. Denzler grounded out the 2-3 way, Eric Little flew out to Correa (by then in rightfield after some shifting), and Ramos handled Murphy’s grounder to have the game end with him. 2-1 Coons. Ramos 2-4, 2B; Correa 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Gomez 2-3; Gutierrez 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K;

Yeah, it is really Rico’s fault. How dare he allow a run…? It was his third straight game in which he allowed but a single run, and still could not get his team to give him a win. He actually hadn’t won a game since June 29 against the Elks, and it really wasn’t his fault one teeny bit.

Game 2
TIJ: CF Murphy – LF Denzler – 3B Sanks – RF O. Larios – SS Showalter – C Teague – 1B Chaplin – 2B Bross – P Perry
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – 1B Correa – 3B Hereford – LF Morales – RF Gomez – C Leal – CF Magallanes – P James

Two quick runs put the Coons in a lead after the first inning. Ramos and Stalker hit singles, Ramos came home on a wild pitch, and Stalker was brought around eventually on a Danny Morales groundout. Unfortunately, right from the start, George James was being chased by a steamroller and hardly managed to gain any ground. Andrew Showalter hit a leadoff jack in the second to cut the lead in half, and he would also issue walks to Mike Chaplin, Dave Bross, and Chris Murphy in the same inning, escaping barely alive when Joel Denzler grounded out to Stalker to end the frame. That was already four walks after two innings, and he added two more to Shane Sanks and Omar Larios as the top 3rd began. Showalter ran a 3-1 count before singling, and now it was three on and nobody out. Jayden Teague emptied the bases with a double, putting the Condors up 4-2, and there was no real hope that George James would become a useful pitcher either right now or in the near future anymore. Somehow he would not allow another run in being dragged through five innings with five hits and seven walks charged against him eventually, but he was still on a 4-3 hook when he was pinch-hit for with Spencer to begin the bottom 5th. In between, Rich Hereford had singled home Ramos in the third inning. The lucky bastard got even taken off the hook in the inning when Spencer doubled to right, moved up on Ramos’ single, and ended up scoring on Jon Correa’s sac fly to center, with the game level at four after five innings.

It didn’t stay tied for long. Jeff Kearney got picked apart for a run in the top of the sixth by the top of the order, and the Raccoons struggled to mount any sort of response. Fleischer struck out every batter he faced in a 4-man outing, but that didn’t generate offense either, and then the ninth saw Nick Derks cough up a leadoff single to Tom Fitzsimmons, after which Billy Brotman came on and allowed a single to Bobby Marshall before misfielding Adam Braun’s bunt to load them up with nobody out. Dave Bross hit a sac fly, 6-4, before Eric Little pinch-hit and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. But the Coons carted up the bottom of the order in the ninth against Pat Selby and his 2.45 ERA, although Armando Leal’s leadoff double to right gave them a fighting chance. Tovias batted for Magallanes and grounded out, Harenberg batted for Brotman and lined out to Fitzsimmons, and then Ramos went down on strikes altogether. 6-4 Condors. Ramos 3-5; Spencer (PH) 1-1, 2B; Fleischer 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K;

The owner was in for the rubber game, which could only mean good things…

Game 3
TIJ: CF Murphy – C Teague – SS Showalter – 3B Sanks – 1B McGrath – RF Braun – 2B Fitzsimmons – LF Denzler – P Potter
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – LF Correa – 3B Hereford – 1B Harenberg – RF Gomez – C Tovias – CF Allan – P Roberts

Hereford drove in Stalker for a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Shane Sanks’ leadoff jack negated that early perk right away in the second inning. The Condors were making more contact off Roberts than I could find entertaining, but things could still get way worse. First it did for Fitzsimmons, who looked like a poor fielder twice to begin the bottom 2nd, having a wicked bouncer by Rafael Gomez go over his glove after it hit the edge of the infield dirt, and then he blatantly missed Tovias’ roller for another single. The Coons then sent up Ryan Allan, one of their two chronically inept centerfielders on employ. Since being called up again on July 13, Allan had batted 0-for-17. That he still got at-bats said something about Yeshiva Rambam alumnus Juan Magallanes and made us long for Abel Mora to heal speedily. The Coons, nothing if not shrewd, had ALLAN bunt to get Roberts to bat with runners in scoring position and one out. The bunt worked, but Roberts struck out and Ramos grounded out to Fitzsimmons, who finally handled a ball correctly to end the inning. The first two were on again in the bottom 3rd; Stalker singled, Correa walked, but we would not bunt with Rich Hereford, the ABL leader in RBI with 78. He struck out, Harenberg walked in a full count, and then took out Fitzsimmons to break up the double play Rafael Gomez was about to hit into, allowing Stalker to score and Portland to take a 2-1 lead. Tovias flew out to center to strand a pair here, and did the same to strand another pair in the fifth inning to continue his extended run of uselessness.

Roberts kept being held together by some slick defense in the infield and outfield. In fact, the defense was so notoriously mean to the Condors that Roberts did not pitch out of the stretch even ONCE through seven innings. The Condors had that Sanks homer … and NOTHING else. Meanwhile the Coons had Elias Tovias batting with two on (Hereford, Gomez) and two out for the third consecutive time in the bottom 7th. Hereford was Potter’s man, but Paradela had already walked Gomez. Tovias ame, saw, and walked, at which point Danny Morales OBVIOUSLY batted for Allan. 0-1 pitch, grounder to left, PAST Showalter – and two runs scored! Roberts batted and flew out to center, then conceded a run in the eighth after Adam Braun’s leadoff double finally got him out of the windup. Bobby Marshall pinch-hit and singled with two outs to get the run across, but the Coons still had a 2-run edge and Murphy struck out to end the top 8th, and entered the ninth with a 3-run edge after Alberto Ramos slapped Bobby Thompson for a leadoff homer in the bottom of the eighth inning! Josh Boles was a strike away from whiffing the side when Shane Sanks hit a 2-strike, 2-out single to right. McGrath singled to left, but Adam Braun popped out to end the game just before it could get truly ugly. 5-2 Coons! Ramos 1-3, 2 BB, HR, RBI; Stalker 2-5; Hereford 3-5, RBI; Gomez 1-2, 2 BB, RBI; Morales (PH) 1-1, 2 RBI; Roberts 8.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W (12-3);

The series win saw the Coons maintain a 4-game gap over the Crusaders, while the Elks stumbled over the Knights, got swept, and fell to 5 1/2 out.

Raccoons (58-43) vs. Knights (62-37) – July 24-26, 2028

The Knights, fresh off their sweep of the Elks, tried to get a last scratch at the eloping Condors, whom they trailed by 8 1/2 games at this point. The week had started well for them with their three wins and the Coons holding Tijuana to one, but now they had to come through against the same Coons, against whom they had so far tied the season series, 3-3. Atlanta sat third in runs scored and runs allowed, but even then their +70 run differential significantly outpaced the North-leading Raccoons.

Projected matchups:
Kyle Anderson (6-4, 4.04 ERA) vs. Tim Wells (11-6, 2.86 ERA)
Rin Nomura (9-5, 2.82 ERA) vs. Mario Rosas (6-12, 3.58 ERA)
Rico Gutierrez (8-4, 2.31 ERA) vs. Mike Cockcroft (4-9, 5.01 ERA)

Probably two lefties to begin this weekend set, although it is hard to tell without actually listening in on the Knights’ clubhouse conversations. The Knights’ rotation was a bit in a state of flux right now because of a trade this week that had send SP Estevan Delgado (7-7, 3.23 ERA) to the Elks for a prospect, #68 SP Jon Bleich, and a season-ending injury befalling his ostensible replacement Yoo-chul Kim (0-0, 3.60 ERA) who you may remember as being still on the Coons’ books in the aftermath of the Billy Ramm trade with the Loggers. We had released him after he passed waivers on Opening Day, and he had not signed with the Knights until earlier in the month and had only pitched five innings before going down.

By Friday, the Raccoons made two roster changes. George James (6-8, 4.99 ERA) and Butch Gerster (.325, 2 HR, 10 RBI) were sent to St. Petersburg, while we recalled Dan Delgadillo (2-4, 6.30 ERA) and Matt Nunley. The latter had amounted to only a single at-bat, an out, before breaking his leg on Opening Day, but had terrorized AAA pitching as a 37-year-old on rehab and we were keen to see whether any flame remained at the major league level.

Game 1
ATL: LF W. Lopez – 3B R. Miller – 1B Tadlock – 2B J. Johnson – CF Jennings – C T. Perez – RF Kym – SS Greene – P Wells
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – 1B Correa – 3B Hereford – LF Morales – RF Gomez – C Leal – CF Magallanes – P Anderson

While Anderson out of the gate struggled with command, the Coons still made it to the scoreboard first in the second inning. Morales led off with a single, Gomez doubled, and Leal singled over the head of Rich Miller for the first marker on the board. Magallanes also hit an RBI single (!), and Anderson moved over the runners, albeit with a groundout after falling to two strikes bunting in vein. Ramos hit a sac fly, 3-0, but Magallanes was thrown out at home to end the inning on Tim Stalker’s bloop single. The Knights went to work on Anderson right away; Tim Wells hit a leadoff single in the third, Willie Lopez doubled, and then a foul pop by Miller and Ron Tadlock whiffing out but a bit of a wrench into the gears, but Anderson still lost John Johnson on balls, his third walk in the game. Bases loaded, two outs for left-handed batter Billy Jennings, batting .375 in limited action (48 AB) – he flew out to Magallanes. He would fly out to Magallanes again in the fifth inning, stranding Tadlock and Johnson in scoring position, but by then the Knights were actually on the board, Johnson having dropped in an RBI single to score Rich Miller in a mild 2-out rally that shortened the lead to 3-1.

Anderson would not get old in this game, but was allowed to bat and ground out to short in the bottom 5th, then got through the sixth despite a Chun-yeong Kym single when Wells came up with two outs and popped out over the infield. He struck out Lopez to begin the seventh, but then lost Miller for his fifth walk and was removed in favor of Kevin Surginer, who secured outs from Tadlock and Johnson to end the inning with the 3-1 lead still intact. The Coons then went on to run Wells from the game in the bottom 7th. Magallanes opened with a single, Spencer singled for Surginer, Ramos hit an RBI double and just when Wells finally seemed ready for a break, Willie Lopez dropped a fly ball and the Coons started to run away. And just when they seemed to run away, Levi Snoeij entered, got a double play from Rich Hereford and got Morales to ground out, and the inning came to an end, now in a 6-1 game. But even Snoeij gave up a run in the seventh on a hit and a walk, but struck out Matt Nunley when the returnee pinch-hit for Kearney with two outs. Nunley then sat up camp at the hot corner for the ninth inning, Hereford taking a seat, but didn’t get a chance while Nick Derks turned away the Knights. 7-1 Furballs. Stalker 2-4, RBI; Gomez 1-2, 2 BB, 2B; Magallanes 3-4, RBI; Spencer (PH) 1-2, RBI;

Matt Nunley would then make a start the following day when the Knights decided to have righty Andy Jimenes (2-2, 4.47 ERA) take the ball. The 23-year-old “Dude” Jimenes had 13 appearances this season, six of them starts. He had not yet faced the Coons this season. And that U is as long as you can hold it.

Game 2
ATL: CF Collado – RF Jennings – 1B Tadlock – 2B J. Johnson – SS Greene – C T. Perez – 3B Moroyoqui – LF C. Mendoza – P Jimenes
POR: SS Ramos – C Leal – 2B Stalker – LF Hereford – 1B Harenberg – 3B Nunley – RF Gomez – CF Magallanes – P Nomura

Duuuude got shackled for three runs in the third inning when he walked Ramos, allowed a single to Leal that sent Ramos to third base, and then yielded deep flies to Stalker for a sac fly, and then Hereford for a 2-piece that put Rich at 80 RBI on the year. Portland added a run in the following inning that was part leadoff walk to Matt Nunley, who was forced on Gomez’ grounder, but mostly Billy Jennings throwing away a challenge when Gomez made for third base on Magallanes’ single to right. The throw would have been late, and also went past Jesus Moroyoqui into foul ground for an error, but when Jimenes didn’t get Nomura out cleanly (Rin grounded out), the run was earned. Nomura in the meantime went about his craft with skill and precision. Through five, he had shed two singles to Jennings, a walk to Drew Greene, but had logged nothing but (mostly soft) outs otherwise. That changed in the sixth; Ray Collado hit a leadoff triple, and then Nomura threw a fastball into Jennings’ rips to put runners on the corners with nobody out. The bases somehow emptied on Ron Tadlock’s run-scoring groundout, but then Johnson hit a double to left. Greene lined out softly to Matt Nunley to end the inning, but what looked like a sure shutout at first was now a real ballgame again, and definitely no shutout anymore. Top 7th, Moroyoqui singled, Chris Mendoza got nailed, but Trent Herlihy hit into a double play. So far, all still well…! … I proclaimed as I clutched Honeypaws against my chest.

The Coons added a run in times of panic; Ramos singled off Snoeij to begin the bottom 7th, advanced on Leal’s groundout, then stole third base and eventually scored on Hereford’s double to make it 5-1. Not that it helped Nomura – Collado led off the eighth with a single, and then Jennings got drilled again. Both teams had enough of this; the Knights of getting nailed three innings in a row, and the Coons of all the runners…! Ricky Ohl came on with two on and nobody out, whiffed Tadlock, then got a grounder to second from Johnson that Stalker inexplicably fudged, wholly and completely. The error loaded the bases for Drew Greene, who had no homers in 122 attempts this year, struck out, but Tony Perez dropped a single into shallow center that counted for two. When Kym, a lefty swinger, pinch-hit at that point, the Coons sent Brotman, who got him on a grounder to end the miserable inning. No insurance came forth, and once again Boles was one whiff away from striking out the side in the ninth, but then lost Collado in a full count. That brought up Jennings, who had reached base four times, twice on singles, and twice on bruises. Boles ended his streak here, striking him out to secure this game. 5-3 Raccoons. Leal 2-4; Hereford 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Magallanes 2-3, BB; Nomura 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (10-5);

Matt Nunley got his first hit of the season, a double that led nowhere nice in the middle innings. Meanwhile Hereford got to 81 RBI in the game, now nine ahead of *anybody* in the ABL. Jeff Wadley with 72 RBI was the closest opponent, and they were not really on our radar right now. If we faced the Warriors this season, it would be after the CLCS.

Our wins notwithstanding, the Crusaders kept hanging in there, while the Elks kept sliding towards .500;

Game 3
ATL: CF Collado – 3B R. Miller – 1B Tadlock – 2B J. Johnson – SS Greene – C T. Perez – RF G. Ramirez – LF W. Lopez – P Rosas
POR: SS Stalker – 2B Spencer – 1B Correa – 3B Hereford – LF Morales – RF Gomez – C Tovias – CF Magallanes – P Gutierrez

Even when Elias Tovias finally made fat contact, evil Willie Lopez robbed him to end the second inning. That stranded Rich Hereford at third base after he had hit a leadoff single and had stolen second base earlier in the inning and kept the game scoreless into the fourth inning when Rico yielded a pair of singles to Miller and Tadlock to begin the inning, then a sac fly to John Johnson. There it was – the run that would again deny him. The Coons could not get in Rafael Gomez from third base with nobody out, courtesy of a throwing error by Tony Perez on Gomez’ stolen base attempt, when Tovias struck out, Magallanes popped out, and Gutierrez struck out to run out the fifth inning. The Coons got nothing together at all and Rosas carried a 2-hitter through seven while Rico still hoped to somehow live long enough to still witness the coin flip to the other side, but Ron Tadlock’s 2-out, 2-run homer in the eighth, cashing Miller, pretty much put this one in the loss column with a 3-0 tally and Rosas still looking rather unimpressed by the Critters’ offerings. He retired them in order in the eighth, then came back out for the bottom 9th with the 3-0 lead and on 90 pitches. This time, the top of the order would have to answer. Stalker struck out. Spencer singled. Ramos batted for Correa and doubled up the leftfield line, which brought up Hereford with the tying run, but the Knights still stuck to Rosas, or had their manager just fallen asleep? In one of those major upsets that baseball would throw at you from time to time, Rosas ran a full count on Rich Hereford, who finally hit a pop right over home plate. Backup backstop Victor Ayala tossed the mask, planted himself, and the infielders watched intently as Ayala suddenly panicked, had the eventually returning ball glance off his glove, and chased it into the infield. Spencer scurried home, Ramos advanced, and Hereford had made for first base all the time on what became a run-scoring error. Now Rosas was yanked for righty Ed Blair. Wishing to counter, the Coons sent Nunley for Morales, but Matt couldn’t to better than a sac fly. Gomez struck out to end the game. 3-2 Knights. Ramos (PH) 1-1, 2B;

In other news

July 24 – IND SP Mo Robinson (5-5, 3.25 ERA) potentially faces Tommy John surgery after partially tearing his UCL. In any case he is lost for the season.
July 24 – VAN INF/LF Ted Gura (.293, 4 HR, 52 RBI) is also lost for the season with a torn posterior cruciate ligament.
July 25 – The Aces pick up super utility Brody Folk (.304, 4 HR, 35 RBI) from the Falcons, who receive a promising but unranked prospect.
July 26 – LAP 3B Jason LaCombe (.341, 0 HR, 30 RBI) will miss a month with a sprained knee.
July 26 – The Scorpions walk off on the Miners for a 10-inning, 7-6 win when PIT MR David Gerow (3-2, 4.09 ERA) nails rookie OF/1B John Blossom (.059, 0 HR, 1 RBI) with the bases loaded in the bottom 10th.
July 27 – The Bayhawks get SP Alex Lopez (6-7, 4.14 ERA) from the Falcons for 3B Greg Ortíz (.302, 4 HR, 30 RBI).
July 28 – The Thunder pick up the tab on NYC swingman Chris Klein (4-1, 2.31 ERA, 1 SV) in an exchange for LF/RF Carlos de Santiago (.283, 6 HR, 40 RBI). Klein was used in both start and relief roles by the Crusaders, but was put back into the rotation by the Thunder.
July 28 – LAP SP Dave Chrisitansen (15-3, 2.73 ERA) and LAP CL Joe Moore (3-2, 1.58 ERA, 32 SV) combine for a 1-hitter in a 2-1 win over the Cyclones. A fifth-inning single by LF/RF Manny Ramirez (.353, 0 HR, 6 RBI) is the Cylcones’ only entry into the H column.
July 29 – LVA OF David Allard (.245, 1 HR, 13 RBI) goes 4-for-5 with 3 RBI in a 13-3 drubbing of the Indians, in which the Aces score nine times in the fifth inning.
July 30 – The Indians give up and arrange for two deals. They send SP Chris Sinkhorn (10-6, 3.29 ERA) to the Canadiens for C Manny Sanchez (.217, 4 HR, 26 RBI) and a pitching prospect, then trade OF Matt Jamieson (.238, 3 HR, 12 RBI) to the Wolves for a low-key prospect.

Complaints and stuff

Oh look, Matt Jamieson is back in Oregon. – Yeah, don’t get me started. I also can’t say I dig Sinkhorn on the Elks. Guy knows how to win – he led the league in wins three times in his career, and remember he got his first scars on the Loggers, then went to the Gold Sox, who haven’t won as much as a coupon for decades.

A 4-2 week against the 1-2 punch in the South … that could have been much worse. Next week? The last-place Falcons and the Indians, who could theoretically get into last place by the weekend. That’s gonna be fun …?

After four months we finally found out that Juan Magallanes still had a pulse. That decided the centerfield conundrum for Abel Mora’s eventual return (late next week probably) in his favor. Unless more broken legs intervene with plans.

The international free agent hunt is over. The Raccoons ended up signing four players; two six-figure pitchers and two cheap position players. In total we spent $262k, so we will again be able to roll high with no restrictions next season.

Fun Fact: The Denver Gold Sox have finished second in the FL West nine times since their last playoff appearance in 2003.

That includes six straight runner-up finishes to the Scorpions from 2019 through 2024. However, on average in those six years they got beaten by a whopping 12.83 games, and they were never closer than eight games.