[Westheim]

Raccoons (32-30) @ Wolves (21-41) – June 11-13, 2046

The Wolves were going through a lean period after a string of six division titles and two championships, cultivating a potential second-consecutive 100-loss season (which was one way to circumscribe their 47-115 campaign last year). They coupled a lean offense (ninth in runs in the FL) with no pitching whatsoever. By far the worst, and allowing almost SIX runs per game, they had 5+ ERAs in both their rotation and bullpen. Last year we had swept a 3-game set from them.

This was the last series before the draft on Friday, with Thursday being an off day for the Portlanders.

Projected matchups:
Sadaharu Okuda (2-7, 4.72 ERA) vs. Gabe Butler (2-5, 6.25 ERA)
Jake Jackson (4-5, 2.95 ERA) vs. Tim Scott (1-3, 5.26 ERA)
Victor Merino (5-4, 3.38 ERA) vs. Darren McRee (1-6, 6.51 ERA)

The Wolves would lead with their only lefty. We’d miss their “ace”, Justin Roberts (3-4, 3.48 ERA).

Knowing the Raccoons, we’d probably also score five runs total in the series.

Game 1
POR: LF Pellicano – CF Baskins – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – C Gonzalez – RF Mercado – 2B Castner – SS Floyd – P Okuda
SAL: 3B Del Vecchio – RF Casaus – 2B Mancini – 1B B. Jenkins – C J. Ortiz – CF Sanderfer – LF M. Colon – SS Jo. Jackson – P G. Butler

Butler faced seven and struck out five in the first two innings, which was such a surprise to nobody, because that was how the Raccoons always fared against pushovers. Josh Floyd legged out an infield single to begin the third inning, was bunted over, and then scored on Gene Pellicano’s double to left, which marked the first run of the game. Pellicano was left on, obviously, while Okuda retired the first eight batters he faced before giving up a single to left to Butler, upon which he walked dismal Ted Del Vecchio and former Coons farmhand Sandy Casaus to fill the bases. I looked skywards, grinning, but internally cursed the baseball gods .Nevertheless, Bob Mancini popped out, stranding a full set of runners.

Ruben Gonzalez’ leadoff jack to left in the fourth extended the lead to 2-0, and three singles by Castner, Floyd, and Pellicano added another run, but Okuda found ways and means to give back to the opposition. Again it was Butler to hit a 2-out single in the bottom 5th, then followed by three more 2-out singles, which scored two runs for Salem and got them back to 3-2, before Bill Jenkins grounded out to Floyd. The rest of the scaffolding came down the following inning, Butler, who had nine strikeouts of hapless Critters, getting his third and final single off Okuda, this one an RBI single to score Miguel Colon and take the 4-3 lead. Did I mention that it came with two outs? Del Vecchio singled off Okuda to knock out that bum, with Bob Ibold notching a K on Casaus to end the spook.

Top 7th, Butler still struggling along, the Raccoons loaded the bases with Pellicano and Baskins singles, Maldo getting brushed, and nobody out. Toohey tied the game with another single, but Gonzalez grounded into a force at home before the Critters did break through against left-hander Miguel Soler. Mercado walked in a run, and Castner singled home two, Floyd adding one more with a single to center. With two outs, Gene Pellicano raked a 2-out double to left before righty Miguel Montoya finally found out of the inning after the Wolves had been battered for seven runs. One more run was added to the smothering in the ninth inning, when Pellicano tripled to left and scored on Baskins’ groundout. 11-4 Raccoons. Pellicano 5-6, 3B, 2 2B, 4 RBI; Gonzalez 2-6, HR, RBI; Castner 2-5, 2 RBI; Floyd 2-4, BB, RBI; Hickey 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K;

By Tuesday, we finally placed Manny Fernandez on the DL to free up room on the roster. He was out with a torn meniscus, which was something that would take until after the All Star Game to mend. We called up the next replacement from AAA (though somehow playing with a 24-man roster was becoming a nice habit and we were also more successful with it…..) in 2042 supplemental round pick Ken Mills, a left-handed hitter with a keen eye, some speed, and decent defense on all outfield positions. H was hitting .255 with 5 homers in AAA this year, but with a .375 OBP.

Game 2
POR: RF Mercado – LF Pellicano – 2B Gurney – 1B Toohey – CF Baskins – C Morales – 3B Martell – SS Floyd – P Ja. Jackson
SAL: LF S. Petersen – 3B Del Vecchio – 2B Mancini – 1B B. Jenkins – RF Casaus – CF Sanderfer – C K. Morris – SS Jo. Jackson – P T. Scott

Steve Petersen was hitting .270 with a home run in the leadoff spot; he was the Raccoon on paper that we had picked up in the offseason in a trade deal, only to lose him immediately in the rule 5 draft. He was out trying to bunt his way on in the bottom 1st, but the Wolves still got an early run out of a Mancini double and a Jenkins single. The Raccoons failed their way through the early innings, while Jenkins hit a leadoff double in the bottom 4th, but then left the game with an apparent injury. Jackson balked pinch-runner Jose Garcia to third base, then surrendered the run on Casaus’ sac fly. That was 2-0, but the tying runs were in scoring position the following half-inning after a Floyd single and Scott’s errant throw on Jake Jackson’s bunt. Mercado struck out, Pellicano flew out, and the runners were stranded… Toohey hit a homer in the sixth, but that was a solo job, and Jackson instead got battered for three hits, two doubles, and two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Top 7th, the tying runs were on with Floyd and Mercado drawing walks around Maldo’s pinch-hit single – and nobody out. Pellicano fouled out (…), but Gurney got a soft single through the right side, advancing everybody by one base and narrowing the score to 4-2. Now a Toohey homer would come in handy, but he was held to a sac fly to Casaus, and Baskins grounded out to Mancini to end the inning. The tying run was stranded in scoring position again in the eighth inning, when Mercado grounded out, and the score was still 4-3 in the ninth, which saw right-hander Brian Johnson and his 6.47 ERA get the baseball. Pellicano flew out, Gurney grounded out, Toohey walked, then was run for with Castner, who was caught stealing to end the game. 4-3 Wolves. Toohey 1-2, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI; Floyd 1-2, 2 BB; Maldonado (PH) 1-1;

Game 3
POR: LF Pellicano – 1B Gurney – 3B Maldonado – RF Toohey – C Morales – 2B Martell – SS Floyd – CF Mills – P Merino
SAL: 3B Del Vecchio – RF Casaus – 1B B. Jenkins – CF Sanderfer – 2B Alvarado – C K. Morris – LF Santry – SS Jo. Jackson – P McRee

McRee had not only a 6.51 ERA, but also 47 walks in 55.1 innings, so he was trouble all-around, and would probably pitch a shutout. Actually, the Coons scored in the first, opening with Pellicano and Gurney hits, then a Maldonado grounder to get a run home, and Toohey managed the same trick. Then we allowed him to settle in, because pounding the fellow would have been impolite or whatever, and nobody drew a walk off him, either, in four innings, while we waited for Merino to implode, which sorta happened in the bottom 4th with two walks and a Josh Jackson RBI single with two outs. Floyd was still new around here and played McRee’s grounder for the third out, not having gotten the team’s gist yet of always giving up a 2-out single to the opposing pitcher. What a bum.

Ken Mills’ first major league hit was a triple then, finding the gap in left-center with one out in the fifth. Merino grounded to short to score him, 3-1, and a Toohey homer (isn’t he on fire neatly!?) ran the score to 4-1. Merino reached the seventh, but was lifted after a 1-out single by Miguel Colon in the #9 hole, with nothing but righty hitters coming up. Ibold bailed him out. Toohey whacked an RBI double to score Maldo in the eighth, 5-1, and the bags filled up against Guillermo Lastra, but didn’t empty, with Floyd whiffing and Mills grounding out to short to strand three runners. Maldo got an RBI of his own in the ninth against Lastra, who gave up a single to Pellicano, who stole second, nicked Gurney, and yielded to Jody Boerger (7.58 ERA, Jesus H. Christ…), who gave up the Maldo single for 6-1, then nailed Toohey good with a 1-2 pitch, so it was hard to claim intent… Additional runs scored on a Morales single and a fielder’s choice by Martell, after which the inning fizzled out, with the 7-run lead then going to Steven Johnston in the bottom 9th, and Johnston retired the Wolves on eight pitches to get the Coons back on I-5 and home. 8-1 Critters. Pellicano 2-5; Toohey 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Morales 3-4, BB, 2B, RBI; Merino 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, W (6-4) and 1-3, RBI;

Raccoons (34-31) vs. Indians (36-30) – June 15-17, 2046

Now here was an interesting series. The Raccoons had immemorably been swept by the Indians in a 4-game set earlier this year, but now had a chance to at least get within half a game of second place with a series win (with the Loggers a further three games ahead after a rough trip to Cincy). The Indians were without regulars Nelson Galvan and Andrew Russ (exhales!), which should in theory additionally cripple their bottom three lineup. But they also had the best rotation, conceded the second-fewest runs, and a top 3 defense surely also helped here and there with everything.

Projected matchups:
Jason Wheatley (7-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. Luis Anzaldo (6-2, 3.62 ERA)
Ryan Person (5-4, 2.98 ERA) vs. Jason Palladino (3-4, 4.50 ERA)
Sadaharu Okuda (2-7, 4.86 ERA) vs. Bill Drury (8-6, 3.59 ERA)

Only right-handers on offer for this weekend set.

Game 1
IND: C Ebner – CF Elkin – RF B. Quinteros – LF D. Rivera – 3B Hutson – 2B Tindle – 1B de Castro – SS A. Avila – P Anzaldo
POR: RF Pellicano – LF Baskins – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – CF Mercado – C Gonzalez – SS Martell – 2B Castner – P Wheatley

Wheatley just couldn’t line up a string of good starts anymore, proving once more that the Opening Day Starter Curse was alive and well. I watched annoyed and from afar in New York as he allowed a first-inning single to Steven Elkin, then immediately a homer to Bill Quinteros to fall into a 2-0 hole. Portland made up a run in the second, with Toohey, Gonzalez, and Martell loading the bases with two singles and a walk, but all the Critters got out of it was a Castner sac fly. Nobody then had a base hit the second time through the order – although Maldonado and Joe Tindle both got hit by pitches – until Castner cracked a leadoff double to left in the bottom 5th, putting the tying run in scoring position. Wheats, on six strikeouts against three hits, popped out, and Pellicano barely legged out a scratch single to put runners on the corners. Baskins kept it that way – by hitting a single to right-center that scored the tying run and sent Pellicano to third. But that was where they remained; Maldo popped out, Toohey whiffed, and the Raccoons failed to take the lead.

Wheats held on to what he got, which was a no-decision, going seven innings in the tied game. Nelson Moreno had more luck – holding the Indians off the bases in the top 8th, he got the 3-2 lead when Baskins reached base against Justin Johns, then got forced out by Maldonado, but Maldo was balked to second, and then scored on a Mercado single to right. That was all for offense – but at least the Indians got even less. Josh Rella retired Quinteros, Danny Rivera, and Dan Hutson in order to put the game away. 3-2 Critters. Castner 1-2, 2B, RBI; Wheatley 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K;

I called Maud in Portland after the draft and learned that Nick Valdes had unexpectedly dropped in and was now fuming that I wasn’t there to get **** on by him. I thanked her kindly for the information, hung up, then told Pat Degenhardt to cancel our tickets home and stick it out in New York and wait for the Critters to join us here on Monday.

Game 2
IND: 1B S. Jennings – CF Elkin – RF B. Quinteros – LF D. Rivera – 3B Hutson – 2B Tindle – C Ebner – SS A. Avila – P Palladino
POR: RF Pellicano – CF Baskins – 3B Maldonado – LF Toohey – 1B Gurney – C Morales – SS Floyd – 2B Castner – P Person

Like Wheats, Person gave up two hits in the first and fell behind. Steven Jennings and Elkin hit singles, and Quinteros brought home Jennings from third base with a sac fly before Person got a strikeout in and slowly started to get order into his pitches. Or so you’d think. Andres Avila’s single in the second opened the door to the abyss again. Palladino bunted, and Person fired away the baseball for a 2-base error. Jennings hit a sac fly, Person walked the bases full, then gave up two more runs on a Danny Rivera single. Hutson struck out, which was cold comfort, since the Arrowheads were already up 4-0. All the runs in this innings were unearned – yay. In turn, Gurney and Morales both made pathetic outs in 3-ball counts in the bottom 2nd – double yay!

Person only sunk deeper into his usual quicksand – ******** control and endless walk. He filled the bases with free passes in the fourth inning before Hutson somehow popped out to strand everybody. At that point he was already down for 86 pitches, and wasn’t seen after the fifth in which Avila doubled home Tindle to move the Indians out to 5-0 before Pellicano offered minimal damage control with a 2-out RBI single to score Josh Floyd in the bottom 5th. Baskins also singled, but Maldonado grounded out, keeping Palladino ahead by a slam. Top 6th, Steven Johnston walked the left-handers Quinteros and Rivera, and after the former was caught stealing third base by Morales, the latter scored on a Hutson homer off Preston Porter. I was just glad to be a continent’s width away from a fuming Nick Valdes, not that I wasn’t fuming myself.

Tony Morales countered with a 2-run homer of his own in the bottom 6th, a valiant entry in the “well, he tried” column that would not merit lasting fame, especially since he killed a rally in the eighth with two runners with a 4-6-3 double play. The Raccoons were down on their long man, Hickey, who whiffed four in three innings and gave up another homer to Quinteros, because if everybody did, why not join in? 8-3 Indians. Pellicano 2-4, RBI; Baskins 2-4; Toohey 2-3, BB;

That wasn’t the worst part of the day. At night in the hotel room, the phone suddenly rang. It was an angry Nick Valdes, demanding to know why I was hiding from him. I whacked up some pretty thin lie about the airport being closed due to snowdrifts, then hung up and ran screaming down the hallway into Pat Degenhardt’s room, hiding under the bed there until morning.

Game 3
IND: 1B S. Jennings – 2B Tindle – RF B. Quinteros – LF D. Rivera – 3B Hutson – CF D. Diaz – C Nunez – SS A. Avila – P Drury
POR: LF Mercado – RF Pellicano – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – C Morales – 2B Martell – SS Floyd – CF Mills – P Okuda

By Sunday, we added the reliably unreliable Okuda to the mix, although he not only became the first Coons hurler not to fall behind in the first in the series, he also faced the minimum through three innings. Well, yes, Joe Tindle and Nicolas Nunez both hit singles, but they were either caught stealing or doubled up by Avila to get rid of their presence on the bases. The Coons didn’t even have a hit through the first three innings, and while Quinteros was caught stealing to keep the Indians foiled in the fourth, the Raccoons finally broke into the H column with a 2-out Toohey double to left. Tony Morales then also got them into the R column, homering to right for a 2-0 lead.

Hutson countered with a single in the top 5th, and while he became the first Indians runner of the game not to get eight-balled one way or another, he still didn’t score, being stranded by Danny Diaz and Nunez. Drury whacked a double for agony in the sixth, but neither Jennings nor Tindle could get him home, which was simply just given that Mercado had also stranded Okuda after a 2-out knock by the pitcher in the bottom 5th. Hutson hit another 2-out single in the seventh, but that was as far as the Arrowheads got in that inning, either. Okuda looked really, really sturdy, completing seven innings in 71 pitches. If only we had another run or two …! The offense did not oblige, but Okuda struck out the bottom of the order in order in the eighth, staking a claim to the baseball in the ninth inning. He took his turn at-bat as Drury pitched an equally offensively-unimpressive eighth inning for Indy.

So, there they were – Okuda on a 5-hitter and 84 pitches, and the Indians with their top of the order, and down by two tiny runs. Jennings fell to 0-2, then grounded out to Floyd. Tindle grounded out to Maldonado on the second pitch. And now came the actual lefty hitters…! Quinteros fell to 2-2 before hitting a bloop to shallow left… which dinked in. Oh well, pretty close, huh? Nelson Mercado was unhappy with himself, and I was also unhappy with him for allowing that one to drop. Rella was ready by now, but Okuda would face the lefty Rivera after some pulse feeling on the mound by the trainer and pitching coach. Exhaustion was not a problem – he was on 95 pitches, and had thrown 130 every day in Japan. Stop wasting the man’s time! When they finally let him be, he struck out Rivera to nail own the shutout! 2-0 Furballs! Morales 1-2, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Okuda 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, W (3-7) and 1-3;

In other news

June 13 – The hitting streak of 31-year-old Warriors 2B Hugo Acosta (.344, 0 HR, 36 RBI) reaches 25 games with two knocks in a 4-1 loss to the Falcons.
June 14 – The Thunder acquire right-handed MR Brad Blankenship (3-3, 2.66 ERA, 7 SV) from the Titans for two prospects.
June 15 – In another move that looks like giving up, the Titans trade SP Hisami Furuya (3-3, 3.57 ERA) to the Canadiens for another prospect.
June 15 – Vegas OF/1B Matt Kinder (.267, 4 HR, 16 RBI) hits a home run for a 1-0 win over the Bayhawks.
June 16 – The Rebels drown the Buffaloes in a barrel in a 17-0 blowout. Richmond’s Pablo Gonzalez (.285, 17 HR, 50 RBI) leads the way with three hits, two homers, and five RBI.
June 17 – OCT C Jesus Adames (.294, 8 HR, 37 RBI) could be out until August with a broken finger.

FL Player of the Week: SAC LF/RF Mike Preble (.349, 8 HR, 38 RBI), batting .565 (13-23) with 2 HR, 9 RBI
CL Player of the Week: VAN OF Jerry Outram (.384, 11 HR, 38 RBI), being a terror at .593 (16-27) with 3 HR, 8 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Okuda’s second career shutout came just when he was really, really close to getting tried out in relief. Him and Morales share the W honors in that rubber game on Sunday.

Bryce Toohey meanwhile has a 14-game hitting streak, getting the only Coons hit not between those two guys. It sounds unnatural for a slugger to get that long a hitting streak, but it comes just as Maldonado is actively soul-searching in the #3 slot and is barely keeping the team alive, so I approve.

And none of Waters, Herrera, and Manny are gonna be back this month, so we’ll have to make do a while longer with those random faces in weird places. Floyd at least entered with some noise, hitting 8-for-22 and scoring six runs. Not too crappy for someone who didn’t even figure on the depth chart for middle infielders prior to the season. It was more or less Waters and Carreno, and then Martell, and Hiraoka and Castner, and then it fell apart really quick.

The team is off to a weeklong road trip, with three games in New York, where I’m changing hotels, and Tijuana. The latter series will already be part of the pre-All Star Game grind of 17 straight games without a day off. We’ll alternate two series at home and two series on the road until late July now.

Fun Fact: Getting Bryce the Destroyer from the Condors can be considered a Grand Theft Toohey.

While he is on pace for his best OPS in a full season (his second cup of coffee with the Condors in 2040 saw him hit for a .990 OPS in 27 games), we should also remember what we gave up for him: two top 100 pitching prospects and already-failed outfielder Justin Waltz, who has since arrived in Pittsburgh, and still doesn’t hit for anything worth bringing up in detail. The pitching prospects were #60 Generos de Leon and #90 Sean Belisle. De Leon made his major league debut last year and is doing decent, but below-average work in the Tijuana rotation with an ERA well over four. Belisle is still in AA, and has not been ranked since the trade.

I’d say that trade was a W!