[Westheim]

And here is Week II of what the evil internet wouldn't let me post yesterday!

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The new week started with expanded rosters, with the Raccoon calling up a bushel of players from St. Petersburg for increased depth / agony. Well, at least one gem was presumed to be hidden among the dross, but then remember that two years ago we thought Nelson Moreno was a gem, and now…

Additional garbage time relief coverage was achieved by adding Jake White and Travis Sims (…), while the gem was of course #24 prospect Jason Wheatley, the #31 pick in the 2038 draft, and reaped (with Matt Waters) in a big trade with the Knights in July of 2040. Jason Wheatley was called up and handed #22 at the age of 22 years and 22 days.

On the batting side the Raccoons brought in veteran third-string catcher Chris Lancaster and outfielder Jordan Gonzalez, who had a combined zero base hits in the majors this year.

Raccoons (63-67) @ Thunder (71-59) – September 1-3, 2042

The Thunder were second in the South, now 1 1/2 games out after losing four straight. They needed to get on the horse *now*, but the season series was tied at one. Their rotation was their main issue, sitting third from the bottom in ERA, ruining everything before the best bullpen in the league could get a hand on the ball. Overall they gave up the fourth-most runs and scored the second-most. How much playoff glitter was to that roster with a +22 run differential was probably in the eye of the beholder.

Projected matchups:
Corey Mathers (3-10, 4.14 ERA) vs. Raymond Pearce (3-6, 5.02 ERA)
Jason Wheatley (0-0) vs. Alan Fleming (11-5, 3.72 ERA)
Nelson Moreno (10-11, 4.98 ERA) vs. Bruce Dickinson (4-2, 3.02 ERA)

Dickinson, a 25-year-old sophomore swingman, was the only left-hander we saw coming up here.

Game 1
POR: 2B Trevino – SS Gutierrez – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Waltz – CF Anderson – C Kilmer – P Mathers
OCT: 2B C. Vega – 3B M. Lopez – C Adames – CF Kinder – LF E. Moore – SS O’Keefe – 1B Stedham – RF Heskett – P Pearce

Manny Fernandez hit his second 3-run homer in as many days, going deep in the first inning, collecting Gutierrez and Maldonado. The latter would add a fourth run with a sac fly in the third, bringing in Cosmo, who had hit a leadoff double to extend his hitting streak to 21 games. Not doing much hitting at all were the Thunder, who were sat down in order by Mathers for a dozen batters before Matt Kinder opened the bottom 5th with a single to right. To be fair, the writing was on the wall – Mathers struck out absolutely nobody in the four perfect innings, and at some point the defense had to miss one. Then Mathers missed a bunch, walking Ethan Moore, advancing the runners with a wild pitch, and walking Chris O’Keefe, too. All of a sudden, the tying run was at the plate with nobody out, and it was ex-Coon Jesse Stedham, who muscled a ball to deep center, but couldn’t beat Van Anderson and had to settle for a sac fly. Brian Heskett and Pearce struck out for a deflating end to the inning if you were a Thunder fan hoping for some rally.

Mathers held out into the seventh, when Ethan Moore tagged him with a solo homer to left. O’Keefe made an out, but Stedham singled and was run for by Angelo Zurita, signalling it was time for a pitching change. Chuck Jones concededthe Zurita run with two singles while getting only one out, and it took Tim Hale and everybody to survive a slight bobble by Yamamoto on the throw from Maldonado, fielding PH Adrian Wade’s grounder, but the Critters remained on top through seven, 4-3. Not that it made for comfortable watching… The top 8th saw them scratch out a run on singles by Gutierrez and Yamamoto, which was *something*, but it got better in the ninth, when lefty Roland Warner loaded the bases on a single here and a single there, then fell to a 2-out, bases-clearing double by Maldonado in the right-center gap. That blew the door out of its hinges, increasing the lead to five runs.

Enter Travis Sims. O’Keefe single, walk to Sansao Tormenta (you don’t say), walk to Brian Heskett. Exit Travis Sims. Brent Clark got a sac fly out of Al Martell, which was at least *an* out, then whiffed Jimmy Kuhn for the second out. Anderson caught a Wade fly in center to end the game after all… 8-4 Raccoons. Trevino 2-5, 2B; Gutierrez 2-5; Fernandez 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Yamamoto 3-4, RBI;

Never again a player named Travis. Never again!!

What do you mean, Jason, your middle name is Travis??

Game 2
POR: 2B Trevino – SS Gutierrez – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Nettles – C Sieber – CF Gonzalez – P Wheatley
OCT: 2B C. Vega – 3B M. Lopez – C Adames – CF Kinder – LF E. Moore – SS O’Keefe – 1B Stedham – RF Wade – P Fleming

The Raccoons were up 1-0 when Cosmo tripled and Gutierrez singled him home… and Jason Travis Wheatley was nowhere to be found all of a sudden. When Fernandez made the third out, he suddenly staggered back into the dugout, white as a ghost in the face and slightly shivering, announcing he had just quickly been barfing, and no no, it was nothing physical, just a slight case of the jitters. Great…! Carlos Vega hit a ball almost to the fence – but had it caught by Manny – to begin Wheatley’s major league career, and he retired the side in order, somehow, despite a couple of weird stains on his uniform shirt, which was changed before the next inning. Matt Kinder opened the bottom 2nd with a single, but was caught stealing, and Wheatley continued to face the minimum, at least until Fleming and Vega hit back-to-back 2-out singles in the third inning. Miguel Lopez grounded out, stranding them, but Wheatley had yet to strike out anybody. He walked Moore in the fourth, but no K, and before anything else positive could happen, Omar Gutierrez was broken in half in an on-base collision with Stedham in the fifth inning, requiring replacement with David Harroun. One camera caught Wheatley dry-heaving as Gutierrez was carried off the field, but he finished five scoreless anyway.

While nothing good happened to the Raccoons on offense either – Fleming held them to four hits and that first-inning run through seven – at least nothing adverse occurred to Wheatley himself, neither. While that first big-league whiff remained elusive, he found his way through seven shutout innings, scattering four hits, two walks, and a welt on Kinder’s elbow when he nailed him with that 96mph heater. The Raccoons stranded Harroun and Maldonado in the eighth inning when neither Manny nor Yamamoto could get a ball to fall in, and then the question was how much further we should push Wheatley, who entered the eighth on 90 pitches, facing the top of the order. Vega hit a leadoff single and advanced on a Lopez groundout, and it looked like Wheatley was getting dizzy now, so we quickly made a pitching change before he could barf on the mound. Derek Barker replaced him, immediately blew the lead when he conceded a single to Jesus Adames, and Wheatley had to settle for a no-decision and a cold towel on his striped face. The Raccoons insisted on continuing to not score in the ninth, while Chuck Jones put leadoff man O’Keefe on base in the bottom 9th. Stedham struck out, Hale replaced Jones against PH “Mastodon” Allen and nailed him, then surrendered a walkoff single to Al Martell… 2-1 Thunder. Gutierrez 1-2, RBI; Wheatley 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K;

Yes, Jason, that is how it always goes for promising talent. – No-no-no! Keep that bucket in front of your snout!

Game 3
POR: 2B Trevino – 3B de Wit – CF Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – RF Waltz – C Kilmer – SS Harroun – P Moreno
OCT: 2B C. Vega – 3B M. Lopez – CF Kinder – LF E. Moore – SS O’Keefe – 1B Stedham – C Whitley – RF Zurita – P Dickinson

The rubber game saw no offense to speak of in the early going. The Thunder had two hits in the first inning, but Moreno surprisingly wiggled out of there, then came up with three on and two outs in the top 2nd and struck out. Dickinson did not put a Critter on base the second time through the order, while the Raccoons at least had Moreno not yield another base hit – give or take a gross miss by Yamamoto for a 2-base error at first base in the meantime – until Dickinson singled in the fifth. None of those shenanigans led to a run and the game was scoreless through five.

Cosmo opened the sixth with an infield single, good enough to extend that hitting streak to 23 games, and also stole another base with Maldonado when the latter also singled, on the first pitch to Manny Fernandez. Manny singled on the second pitch, plating both runners from scoring position for the first markers on the scoreboard. Yamamoto also singled, but the inning fizzled out with Waltz and Kilmer. Moreno held out through six, then conceded leadoff singles to O’Keefe and Stedham in the bottom 7th. Dan Whitley grounded to short for two …… or for none, as Harroun threw the ball away. That put three Thunder aboard with nobody out. Moreno got one last out on the fielder’s choice that Zurita hit into, then left in a 2-1 game with runners on the corners for Zack Kelly to face PH Adrian Ringel, who struck out, and the inning ended with a grounder to Yamamoto that for once wasn’t bobbled. Yamamoto also cashed de Wit’s leadoff double with a single off Brian McAllister in the eighth inning, restoring the 2-run gap. Waltz then grounded out to end the inning, and the Thunder scratched out a run against Alexis Cortes in the bottom of the inning on a hit batter, a walk, and a single, before Chuck Jones dug him out. The leftover lead of a single skinny run was protected by Josh Rella in the ninth as he got groundouts from Josh Kalinowski, Adrian Wade, and Al Martell. 3-2 Critters. Maldonado 1-2, 2 BB; Fernandez 2-4, 2 RBI; Yamamoto 3-4, RBI; Moreno 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (11-11);

As we returned to Portland, Dr. Padilla reported that 27-year-old boy wonder Omar Gutierrez (.340, 4 HR, 22 RBI) had his season end with a herniated disc and that he would not be back for baseball in ’42… unless the Raccoons rallied to reach the playoffs.

Good one, Dr. Padilla. Good one.

Raccoons (65-68) vs. Crusaders (70-62) – September 5-7, 2042

We led the season series, 6-5, against the New Yorkers, who still harbored slightly wild playoff dreams at seven games out. They had to start *winning* now, and not just a little bit – they had to win big. Whether their roster, sixth in runs scored behind the scroogiest pitching and defense in the league, was good enough for that remained to be seen.

Projected matchups:
Cory Lambert (3-5, 3.78 ERA) vs. Tony Galligher (7-14, 2.88 ERA)
Jake Jackson (9-11, 3.81 ERA) vs. Dave Hils (12-11, 4.16 ERA)
Brent Clark (5-3, 2.41 ERA) vs. Jeff Johnson (11-10, 3.89 ERA)

Clark took the rotation spot of Corey Mathers (4-10, 4.15 ERA) for at least this turn through the rotation. He had already pitched two fine starts, and maybe there was something to it that many scouts thought he could be a starter. (Not that our scout was so fond of him…)

Galligher was the only left-hander we expected to see here.

With Omar Gutierrez off to the DL, the Raccoons made another roster move, bringing up super utility Phil Haley, the 2038 fifth-rounder, who batted righty and like a one-armed shortstop, but was actually a very decent middle infielder. We preferred his 23-year-old bum to more of Steve Nickas…

Game 1
NYC: SS Adame – C Alba – 2B Briones – RF Melendez – CF Salek – LF Zimmerman – 1B Rudd – 3B Nash – P Galligher
POR: 2B Trevino – SS Harroun – 3B Maldonado – 1B Yamamoto – RF Waltz – C Kilmer – CF Gonzalez – LF Casaus – P Lambert

The Crusaders drew a walk off Lambert in each of the first three innings, added a pair of base hits, too, yet couldn’t break through to score. Lambert allowed only one more runner through the completion of five, and would have been admirably applauded, if there hadn’t been Galligher, casually no-hitting the Critters through five innings. David Harroun broke into the H column with a 1-out single in the bottom 6th, but then was promptly stranded at first base.

Lambert completed seven shutout innings on just over 100 pitches – four walks and some erratic wayward pitching in general accelerated his pitch count – and looked ready to settle for a no-decision until Jordan Gonzalez broke an 0-for-20 spell this season with a 2-out single in the bottom 7th and was doubled home with a gapper slapped by otherwise invisible Sandy Casaus. Manny Fernandez batted for Lambert, but grounded out. The eighth inning saw Tim Hale retire the top of the order before Cosmo hit a leadoff single off Galligher in the bottom of the inning, extending his hitting streak to 24 games just before the shutters came down. Harroun singled, Maldo grounded out to advance them both, and the Crusaders elected to walk Yamamoto intentionally to bring up a slumping Justin Waltz. The Coons countered with Jay de Wit, who at least sent a sac fly to left, 2-0. Kilmer, also hopeless, flew out to end the inning. Rella struck out Bill Melendez and Rich Salek before Jason Zimmerman flew out to Nettles in rightfield. 2-0 Coons. Harroun 2-4; Casaus 1-2, 2B, RBI; Lambert 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K, W (4-5);

Jake White had yet to get into a game since being called up no September 1, now was out with the flu. I called it a lack of motivation and put him on quarter rations.

Game 2
NYC: SS Adame – C Alba – 2B Briones – CF Salek – 1B D. Phillips – LF Zimmerman – RF Levy – 3B Nash – P Hils
POR: 2B Trevino – C Sieber – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – CF Anderson – SS Harroun – RF Nettles – P Jackson

Cosmo, bidding for 25, was on base both of his first times up, but never with a hit, or even a walk. He reached on Hils’ error in the first, then forced out Jackson in the third inning. This also adequately expressed the standard of hitting on either side – NOBODY had a hit through three innings, or had reached scoring position.

That changed in the fourth inning, with New York getting a 1-out single from Fernando Alba through the left side. Mario Briones was retired, but Rich Salek’s grounder was misfielded between Yamamoto and Jackson for an error. Devin Phillips though struck out to end the inning. Maldonado then opened the bottom 4th with a double to left. Manny’s grounder and Yamamoto’s sac fly scored him for the first run of the game. The score remained 1-0 into the sixth when Sieber was nicked by Hils and Maldo and Manny joined him on base to present Yamamoto with three on and nobody out. He hit the first pitch high and deep to left and there was no reaching that one – GRAAAAAAAAAND SLAAAAAAAAAMMMM!!!

The only guy not partaking in the offense was Cosmo, who was 0-for-4 through seven and faced the end of the hitting streak. Jackson meanwhile was almost automatic through the middle innings and looked shutout-bound – until the Crusaders waffled him for four hard base hits and two runs and knocked him out of the game in the eighth inning. Alba and Briones were on board and Salek was the tying run at the plate for Chuck Jones, who secured a groundout to escape the inning. Rella got the ball again for the ninth and this time retired the 5-6-7 hitters in order to put the game away. 5-2 Raccoons. Maldonado 2-4, 2B; Yamamoto 1-3, HR, 5 RBI; Nettles 2-3; Jackson 7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (10-11);

In a change of plan, the Crusaders presented us with Paul Paris on Sunday. The 24-year-old righty would make his season debut after a 12-3 campaign with a 2.45 ERA in AAA Lexington. Paris was no longer a rookie, having pitched 96 innings in 24 games (11 starts) for New York last season, going 5-5 with a 3.74 ERA.

Game 3
NYC: SS Adame – 2B Briones – RF Melendez – CF Levy – 1B D. Phillips – 3B Nash – LF Rico – C Alba – P Paris
POR: RF Nettles – C Sieber – 3B Maldonado – LF Fernandez – 1B Yamamoto – 2B de Wit – CF Anderson – SS Haley – P Clark

Portland took a 2-0 lead in the first mainly on the Crusaders’ stupidity. All we had were singles by Sieber and Maldonado, but Maldo’s single being overrun for an error by Danny Rico and not one, but TWO wild pitches by Paris allowed both runners to score. Not that Brent Clark was flawless – he hit Devin Phillips in the second and Danny Rico in the third inning. Alba and Paris loaded the bases with singles in the latter case, with one run scoring on Alex Adame’s 6-4-3 grounder before Briones grounded out to leave the tying run on third base. The Crusaders also had two runners being caught stealing by Sean Sieber by the fourth inning… while Stephon Nettles poked and grounded out on a 3-0 pitch in the fifth… in short, neither of those two teams should be allowed in October baseball…!

Clark whiffed six and allowed five hits while maintaining the questionable 2-1 lead through five innings. He retired the 1-2-3 in order in the sixth while the Raccoons put Sieber and Yamamoto on the corners, where they remained when de Wit de Whiffed. A Randolph Nash double with two outs in the seventh then ended Clark’s day. With the tying run in scoring position, Derek Barker came on and blew the second tight lead of the week with a pinch-hit single conceded to Sergio Pena. In retrospect, not a midseason acquisition that had paid off… By this point, the Raccoons just could not get on base anymore, while the Crusaders got Rich Salek on against Craig in the ninth. He was caught stealing, just before Joe Graf smashed a homer to center to break the 2-2 tie. The Raccoons thus ran into Andy Hyden in the bottom 9th, trailing by one. Yamamoto, de Wit, and Anderson struck out in order to end the game. 3-2 Crusaders. Sieber 2-3, BB; Clark 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K;

In other news

September 1 – The Knights’ and Loggers’ 15-inning game is decided by ATL OF Nelson Velez (.258, 0 HR, 8 RBI) legging out a leadoff triple and scoring on a wild pitch by MIL MR Marvin Verduzco (0-1, 3.09 ERA, 1 SV) for a 6-5 Knights win.
September 1 – The Federal League also has a 15-inning game on Monday, which ends with a 10-9 walkoff win for the Pacifics against the Rebels when RIC RF/CF Joe Ritchey (.242, 21 HR, 59 RBI) throws away a single hit by LAP OF Juan Benavides (.342, 27 HR, 103 RBI).
September 3 – RIC RF/CF Joe Ritchey (.254, 21 HR, 59 RBI) will miss at least two weeks with a concussion.
September 4 – MIL C Felipe Gomez (.219, 8 HR, 29 RBI) caps off a spirited 6-run comeback in the ninth inning with a walkoff grand slam off VAN CL Josh Boles (3-5, 4.42 ERA, 31 SV), giving the Loggers an 8-4 walkoff win in the opener of a 4-game set.
September 4 – Buffaloes utility player Felix Marquez (.287, 14 HR, 59 RBI) could be out for almost the remainder of the season with a calf strain.
September 6 – Riding high: tender 22-year-old DAL SS Leo Villacorta (.302, 11 HR, 68 RBI) hits for the cycle in a 14-5 win over the Scorpions. Villacorta goes 4-for-5, getting one of every hit, and drives in four runs in the rout. It is the second cycle of the season, both occurring in Dallas (PIT Rusty Dirks on May 23).
September 6 – Hanging low: it’s season over for DAL OF/1B Mario Sedillo (.255, 9 HR, 56 RBI), who has gone down with a strained hamstring.
September 7 – The first run in the Knights-Falcons game immediately ends it, with 3B/2B/OF Jose Farfan (.258, 12 HR, 59 RBI) hitting a walkoff single for a 12-inning, 1-0 Falcons win.

FL Player of the Week: LAP INF Brian Bowman (.288, 15 HR, 56 RBI), hitting .444 (12-27) with 2 HR, 6 RBI
CL Player of the Week: MIL 1B/RF/LF Aaron Brayboy (.333, 16 HR, 51 RBI), batting .344 (11-32) with 2 HR, 7 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Yes, the Crusaders killed Cosmo’s hitting streak (leading swiftly to a day off on Sunday), but on the other paw we won the series. The team now seems hellbent to finish with a winning record out of spite, just so I won’t get a juicy single-digit pick next June…

Jason Wheatley came, saw, barfed, and got a no-decision. It wasn’t all bad and maybe his second start he’ll do without the barfing part. He won’t pitch to the home crowd for a while, though, since we go back on the road immediately… well, the team does. After an off day on Monday, they’ll be in Elk City, and I’ll join them again in Milwaukee and New York. We have two more homestands of two opponents each, and a weekend trip to Indy in between those.

For giggles, the only season series against the CL North that we’re not currently leading is the one against the damn Elks (2-10). Even a .500 clip against that ghastly outfit would have gone a long way to making this team competitive…..

Fun Fact: Villacorta landed the 10th cycle in Stars history.

This makes them the first team to have ten of anything – cycles, no-hitters, 3-homer games… all the fun stuff basically. They have only one no-hitter to their name, but that’s from playing in that silly shoebox.

The Raccoons have eight no-hitters and six cycles and can’t really complain all that hard.