The news of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Checked into the hospital last Monday to get some tests done before the new year, ended up having an appendix removed. Whoops. Oh well, that dumb thing isn’t gonna bother nobody no more!
Which brings us the Coons here, who had a forced hiatus while I was lying down and moaning a lot. This week was actually started two days ago, and it took me that long to get through seven games with the bothersome Critters… The update pace should soon pick up now.
Thx for all the messages that tried to feel my pulse 
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Raccoons (40-34) vs. Bayhawks (38-38) – June 25-27, 2046
The Raccoons returned home to see the Baybirds, who they had won two of three against earlier in the year. San Francisco was third in runs scored and eighth in runs allowed, with a much tougher rotation than bullpen. Moises Avila was out for the season for them and Carlos Cortes was day-to-day, and they were also short a few pitchers.
Projected matchups:
Victor Merino (6-4, 3.35 ERA) vs. Chris Turner (7-6, 4.03 ERA)
Jason Wheatley (7-3, 3.94 ERA) vs. Rafael Pedraza (7-4, 2.74 ERA)
Ryan Person (6-5, 2.75 ERA) vs. Noe Candeloro (4-1, 4.48 ERA)
The Raccoons would come up against left-handers at either end of the series, with a righty in between.
With Tony Morales day-to-day as well, the Raccoons added a third catcher, doing away with Ben Coen again. 29-year-old righty hitter Jimmy Dalton was called up, who had been through various cups of coffee with the Buffaloes from 2039 through 2044, hitting .224 with eight homers in 195 games.
Game 1
SFB: 2B Quiroz – 3B R. Sifuentes – RF Platero – 1B C. Cortes – C J. Hill – CF A. Marquez – SS B. Nelson – 1B Crum – P C. Turner
POR: RF Pellicano – LF Baskins – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – C Gonzalez – SS Floyd – 2B Castner – CF Mills – P Merino
Jose Platero singled, but Merino struck out four others in the early innings to not let anybody near the Raccoons’ fruit baskets. Merino also singled to begin the bottom 3rd, but was easily doubled up by Gene Pellicano. In turn, Platero drew a walk in the fourth, but was doubled up by Carlos Cortes’ grounder to short. The scoreboard got active the same inning, though, when Jesus Maldonado fired a leadoff jack to left in the bottom 4th. “Tuba” Turner left minutes later with an apparent injury, but was spared the loss when Merino leaked a walk to Alex Marquez in the top 5th, and Ken Crum slapped a 2-out single to tie the game after Marquez had stolen second base. Things fell apart entirely in the sixth, with a leadoff single on 0-2 by relief pitcher Donovan Mason, another soft single by Sergio Quiroz, and then a Ramon Sifuentes grounder to Toohey that he fired past a hustling John Castner for two bases and a run. Platero hit a fly to left on the next pitch, which Baskins caught. Quiroz went for home, was thrown out at the plate, and Cortes popped out to end the inning with much less damage than possible, but the Coons now 2-1 behind. They remained behind on Merino’s seven-inning watch, despite a leadoff double by Baskins in the sixth and a leadoff single from Josh Floyd in the seventh. Zack Kelly entered in the eighth, gave up singles to Crum and Nick Duncan, then a 1-2 homer to Quiroz to fire the game into the bin with some real vigor… Bob Ibold chimed in, giving up another two runs on three hits and a nailed Bryce Toohey. A Sean Suggs homer off Preston Porter in the ninth concluded the drowning. 8-1 Bayhawks. Baskins 2-4, 2 2B; Castner 2-4; Merino 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, L (6-5) and 1-2;
Ay, ay, ay.
Game 2
SFB: RF Kristoff – C Suggs – 1B D. Riley – CF A. Marquez – 2B Quiroz – 3B R. Sifuentes – LF Crum – SS B. Nelson – P Pedraza
POR: LF Baskins – CF Mercado – 3B Maldonado – RF Toohey – 1B Gurney – C Gonzalez – 2B Martell – SS Floyd – P Wheatley
Ruben Gonzalez delivered an inside-the-park home run for something special on Tuesday, collecting Gurney in the second inning for a 2-1 lead, erasing the deficit that Wheats had given up in the top of the inning. Gonzalez’ ball split the outfielders, who also almost took each other out, and went all the way to the fence in slow fashion, enough time for Gonzalez to bumble ‘round the bases too. Wheats answered with getting socked for five hits, all singles, and three runs in the top 3rd, looking like the Opening Day Starter Curse would not be broken in 2046 either. Baskins tripled and scored on a Mercado grounder in the bottom 3rd, shortening the gap to 4-3, which would also be the score Wheats would depart with after 111 pitches and 11 hits in six innings. After a forgettable outing by Johnston, who walked two of the three batters he faced, the Raccoons went to Aaron Hickey, trying their best to blow out his arm with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief ball, whiffing four, without a doubt the team’s peak performance in the game. That also meant the score remained a close 4-3, but the Raccoons had trouble even reaching base much at all. Jeremy Mayhall turned out to face the Coons in the bottom 9th. Toohey and Morales (hitting for Hickey) both grounded out before Gonzalez singled to nominally keep the game alive. Martell was out on strikes though. 4-3 Bayhawks. Baskins 2-3, 3B; Gonzalez 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Pellicano 1-1; Hickey 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K;
Reinforcements arrived from the DL on Wednesday, with Armando Herrera taking over centerfield again from Ken Mills.
Game 3
SFB: RF Kristoff – C Suggs – 1B D. Riley – CF A. Marquez – 2B Quiroz – 3B R. Sifuentes – LF Crum – SS B. Nelson – P Candeloro
POR: RF Pellicano – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – LF Baskins – SS Floyd – 2B Castner – C Dalton – P Person
Dan Riley tripled to right, Marquez singled him home, and the Coons managed to trail in the first inning. Herrera, just back in the lineup, was nicked by Candeloro, as was Maldonado, who was struck in the wrist and left the game. So much for reinforcements! Martell would inherit the #3 spot, and the Raccoons inherited no runs from two on and one out, because Toohey managed to hit the running Herrera with a batted ball for additional abuse. I grabbed Honeypaws a little tighter and looked a little grumpier. The Bayhawks instead added a second-inning run with doubles from their 7-8 hitters, 2-0, and things kept merrily going downhill for Person, with walks to Suggs and Marquez around a Riley single in the top 3rd for three on and nobody out. He allowed one run on a Quiroz single, walked Sifuentes with the bags full, and Toohey fumbled a grounder by Crum for another run on an error. One o’ those games! The Bayhawks scored another three on a bases-loaded walk to Bob Nelson (…!) and Justin Kristoff’s 2-run single. Down 8-0, the game was over. Person was left to his own devices for a lack of bullpen depth, before another walk, single, and Floyd error chased him in the fifth. Spotless relief followed from there, even including Steven ******* Johnston, although matter it did not. The Raccoons scored a run in the sixth – on a wild pitch. 9-1 Bayhawks. Pellicano 2-4; Toohey 2-4;
What’s worse? Swept by the Baybirds at home? Maldonado day-to-day with a bum wrist? Or is it just a perfect picture of a team that just can’t add two and two together and hadn’t been able to do so all year long?
Oh by the way, here are the damn Elks.
Raccoons (40-37) vs. Canadiens (33-42) – June 28-July 1, 2046
We were 2-4 behind in the season series against the northern stinkers, and I did not have a great feeling going into the long weekend set, even though the damn Elks also came off getting swept. They were still first in runs scored and last in runs allowed, with a -11 run differential. Not a winning mix for sure, but neither did we have one…
They had no injuries, while the Coons had Maldo and Morales day-to-day, a depleted pen, but at least also got Matt Waters off the DL. John Castner was returned to St. Pete to make room on the roster.
Projected matchups:
Sadaharu Okuda (3-7, 4.35 ERA) vs. Mario Godinez (5-8, 4.42 ERA)
Jake Jackson (5-6, 3.50 ERA) vs. Aaron Jones (4-6, 4.95 ERA)
Victor Merino (6-5, 3.19 ERA) vs. Raul Velasquez (0-0, 2.16 ERA)
Jason Wheatley (7-4, 4.06 ERA) vs. Hisami Furuya (4-4, 3.84 ERA)
Only right-handed opposition for the weekend; their only lefty, Mario de Anda (5-4, 4.24 ERA) had gone on Wednesday.
Game 1
VAN: LF Escobido – 3B K. Saito – CF Outram – C Julio Diaz – 2B Malkus – RF van der Zanden – SS Price – 1B Bejarano – P Godinez
POR: RF Mercado – CF Herrera – 3B Gurney – 1B Toohey – LF Baskins – SS Waters – C Gonzalez – 2B Martell – P Okuda
Nothing much happened in the first few innings, especially from a Critters perspective. Gonzalez singled the first time through, and that was pretty much that. Okuda struck out five in the first three innings for a nice change from the last few days, but then ran into trouble in the fourth inning, and trouble in connection with the Elks was usually spelled Outram, who drew a 1-out walk. Jerry Outram came around to score after Julio Diaz singled, Travis Malkus got nicked, and Arnout van der Zanden hit a sac fly to center, but a K to Rick Price ended the inning. The walls didn’t come down until the sixth, which Outram opened with a homer, and which then devolved into a hits parade with RBI knocks with two outs from Price and ex-Coons farmhand Ricardo Bejarano, leaving Portland 4-0 down on two hits. In despair, I clutched for Honeypaws, but Bryce Toohey almost made it a new ballgame in the bottom of the sixth, CRUSHING a 3-piece with two outs off Godinez after Mercado had doubled and Herrera had drawn a walk.
We were in the silly pen of ours by the seventh, but Hickey and Kelly held up for the time being, allowing Ruben Gonzalez to secure a no-decision for Okuda when he went yard to left off Godinez in the bottom 7th. Kelly promptly retired next to nobody when he resumed pitching in the eighth. Leadoff walk to Diaz, and the meltdown went from there, with two singles and two walks in five batters. Nelson Moreno inherited a 5-4 deficit (Price with the RBI), three on and one out after PH Justin Becker. All runners scored as Moreno allowed a single through the right side to Becker, another single to Angel Escobido, then walked in a run against Kenichi Saito. I felt utter doom, but the damn Elks kept crumbling, too; their pen put Mercado and Gurney on base in the bottom 8th, with Sebastian Parham pitching only to one batter before retiring with injury. Tony Morales pinch-hit for Moreno in the #5 hole and cracked the Coons’ second 2-out, 3-run homer in the game, narrowing the gap to 8-7 against Matt Fries, who struck out Waters to close out the eighth. Right-hander Sam Gibson then put the tying run on base in the ninth with a 1-out walk to Al Martell, and walked Mercado with two outs for the winning run to get on, but Armando Herrera flew out to Felix Rojas in center to nail another loss into the coffin. 8-7 Canadiens. Morales (PH) 1-1, HR, 3 RBI; Gonzalez 2-4, HR, RBI;
Game 2
VAN: LF Escobido – 2B O. Aguirre – CF Outram – C Julio Diaz – 3B Malkus – SS Price – RF van der Zanden – 1B K. Saito – P A. Jones
POR: RF Mercado – CF Herrera – 3B Gurney – 1B Toohey – LF Baskins – SS Waters – 2B Martell – C Dalton – P Jackson
Outram rammed one out in the first for a 1-0 Elks lead, which was neutralized in the third inning on doubles by Jimmy Dalton (!), who had his suitcases packed back to St. Pete already, and Nelson Mercado. Derek Baskins’ homer to right in the fourth even gave the Critters a 2-1 lead, and that was already the extent of the Critters’ hitting through six innings – three knocks, but at least all for extra bases.
And Jackson did his very best, striking out eight batters in 6.2 innings and working out of a jam in the fifth, but he didn’t get out of the next jam in the seventh, leaving after 113 pitches and with the tying run on second base in the opposing pitcher, who had doubled to right-center. Chris Robinson drew a walk in Escobido’s spot, while Jackson rung up Oscar Aguirre before departing. There was Outram – and the Raccoons could pick between a dismembered Zack Kelly and a wholly inept Steven Johnston. We picked Kelly, and Outram singled home the tying run on the first pitch. Diaz grounded out, 2-2 at the stretch…
Bob Ibold held the game tied in the eighth, Al Martell hit a leadoff single in the bottom half of the inning, but Dalton popped out. The Coons sent Maldonado against Jones, but his fly was caught by van der Zanden. Mercado singled, moving Martell to second base, but Herrera grounded out and nobody scored… Rella worked around a leadoff single by Felix Rojas from the ninth spot in the ninth inning, still giving the Raccoons a chance to walk it off in regulation with a single run off lefty John Roeder. Pat Gurney didn’t wait around long and hit a walkoff homer to stop the losing at least for one night. 3-2 Raccoons. Mercado 2-4, 2B, RBI; Jackson 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K;
Tony Morales reported back 100% on Saturday, so Dalton was sent back to AAA. We recalled Ben Coen again, briefly at least, until Maldonado would get over the sore paw.
Game 3
VAN: LF Escobido – SS O. Aguirre – CF Outram – C Julio Diaz – 2B Malkus – 3B K. Saito – RF J. Becker – 1B Bejarano – P R. Velasquez
POR: RF Mercado – CF Herrera – 1B Gurney – C Morales – LF Baskins – SS Floyd – 2B Martell – 3B Coen – P Merino
Speaking of Maldo; for Saturday Bryce Toohey needed a day off. No Maldo, no Toohey, no clue or whatever – go get ‘em, boys!
Of course we were promptly retired in order the first time through, with Velasquez, who made his fourth start with the Elks this year after nine in AAA, retiring ten in a row before walking Herrera. Pat Gurney then stuffed a double into the leftfield corner, Herrera scoring with the game’s first run. He’d score on a Baskins single with two outs, 2-0, giving a lead to Merino, who had only one strikeout in four innings, but also had not allowed more damage than Outram and Saito singles so far. As if on command, he walked the bags full in the fifth inning, conceding a run on a groundout… but at least got Aguirre to foul out with the bases loaded before Outram could get a taste of the bags full.
Merino walked two more in the sixth, and thus blasted through the 100 pitch mark for no good reason after the strong start (he had thrown 51 pitches in four innings, then needed 56 more to get through two more…). Porter then blew the lead in the seventh, giving up a leadoff double to Bejarano on 0-2, misfielding the pitcher’s bunt, and then giving up a dizzyingly long sac fly to PH Chris Robinson. When it rains, it pours, eh? He somehow made it through Outram and Diaz *after* an Aguirre single, so the game at least remained tied. It remained to Bob Ibold to apply for soaking the loss, giving up a 2-run homer to Becker on an 0-2 pitch in the eighth. Lefty Alex Lewis walked Herrera and Gurney with one out in the bottom 8th then, putting the tying runs aboard. The Coons sent Maldonado to bat for Morales, but still found their way into a 4-6-3 double play… Bottom 9th, Sam Gibson gave up a single to Baskins to begin the inning. Floyd grounded out, advancing the runner to second, but Martell singled to center. Baskins went for it, and Outram perhaps made an error with a throw to home plate that was late, and only allowed Martell to scamper to second with the tying run. In an obvious move, Bryce Toohey hit for Ben Coen, singled up the middle on 2-1, and Martell scored easily to tie the game. Gonzalez whiffed, Mercado walked, a wild pitch moved Toohey and the winning run to third base – and then Herrera struck out anyway.
Extras. Malkus and Becker hit singles off Josh Rella to give the damn Elks the lead again in the 10th inning, 5-4, before Bejarano found a double play. The Coons had Gurney, Waters (hitting for Rella), and Baskins up in the bottom 10th against Gibson, who was still in the game after his ninth-inning whooping. Only Baskins reached on a single, and Floyd popped out after that. 5-4 Canadiens. Baskins 3-5, RBI; Toohey (PH) 1-1, RBI;
Maud and Cristiano tried their best, but they couldn’t unclench my jaws from the table after the game and just left me there, trying to bite through the table altogether, overnight.
Game 4
VAN: RF van der Zanden – 2B O. Aguirre – CF Outram – 3B Malkus – SS Price – C T. Phillips – LF J. Becker – 1B Bejarano – P Furuya
POR: RF Mercado – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – C Morales – LF Baskins – SS Waters – 2B Martell – P Wheatley
Maldo bickered himself into the lineup on Sunday despite not being 100%, and scored the tying run in the bottom 1st, walking and getting doubled in by Toohey, whom Morales then scored with a single for a 2-1 lead for Wheatley, who continued to look cursed and had given up a run on a walk to Aguirre and Outram and Malkus singles in the top 1st, but at least drove in Matt Waters for an extra run with a second-inning single, 3-1, but the upper-middle of the order got him again for a run in the top 3rd, Malkus getting the RBI again, same in the fifth, when he hit a score-flipping 2-run homer off Wheatley with Aguirre already on board. Curses. Curses. Curses.
You could not say, the Coons’ middle of the order didn’t try, though. Maldo and Toohey had hit leadoff singles in the third, only to get stranded, and in the fifth Maldo hit another single before Toohey caught up with a 3-2 pitch and blasted it to Asia, his 20th bomb of the year in the game that marked the completion of the first half. Baskins homered solo to begin the sixth, extending the new lead to 6-4, while the Raccoons tried to find the sweet spot to yank Wheatley. He came back out for the seventh, whiffed Aguirre, and then was hauled in after 108 pitches before Jerry Outram could do the dirty business to him. Outram almost homered on the first pitch he got from Steven Johnston, but Baskins picked the ball off the top of the fence (playing as far back as the fence helped). Hoping for two outs from Johnston was too much – he put Malkus and Price on base, then was dug out when Moreno rung up Tim Phillips, then added a 1-2-3 eighth for a completely new experience. The real problem arrived in the ninth – Josh Rella had pitched two days in a row, and the top of the order was up. There was also no trust in Kelly, or really anybody. Moreno was technically still eligible … and had thrown only 14 pitches. The Coons boldly tossed him back out there for the 7-out save attempt. He didn’t get it – while whiffing two, Aguirre and Outram reached with one out. Rick Price was a .300 lefty hitter, and with the tying runs aboard, the Raccoons went to Kelly. Elk City countered with right-handed .276 batter Angel Escobido, but his slasher ended up with Maldo, and the game ended. 6-4 Raccoons. Maldonado 2-3, BB; Toohey 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Pellicano (PH) 1-1; Moreno 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K;
In other news
June 25 – Warriors 2B Hugo Acosta (.341, 0 HR, 39 RBI) extends his hitting streak to 35 games with a fifth-inning triple for his only hit in a W over the Buffaloes, 6-4.
June 25 – OCT C Jose Zarate (.295, 1 HR, 9 RBI) ends almost a full free game of baseball with a walkoff single in the 17th inning to beat the Canadiens, 5-4.
June 25 – RIC RF/LF Chris Morris (.236, 5 HR, 24 RBI) hits a double for the only Rebels hit in a 4-1 loss to the Stars. He also scores the only run against DAL SP Jay Carroll (4-5, 5.99 ERA) and Dale Mrazek (3-2, 3.48 ERA, 15 SV).
June 26 – Snap! The Buffaloes go down 8-2 to the Warriors, but they keep SFW 2B Hugo Acosta (.338, 0 HR, 39 RBI) off the bases, ending his hitting streak at 35 games.
June 29 – IND SP Bill Nichol (10-3, 2.06 ERA) 3-hits the Titans in a 3-0 shutout, striking out six.
FL Player of the Week: SAC LF/RF Mike Preble (.354, 10 HR, 51 RBI), batting .400 (10-25) with 1 HR, 10 RBI
CL Player of the Week: TIJ RF/LF/1B Rikuto Ito (.245, 7 HR, 54 RBI), swatting .467 (14-30) with 1 HR, 6 RBI
FL Hitter of the Month: LAP 3B/SS David Reid (.312, 15 HR, 56 RBI), hitting .376 with 8 HR, 23 RBI
CL Hitter of the Month: VAN OF Jerry Outram (.365, 14 HR, 44 RBI), batting .404 with 8 HR, 18 RBI
FL Pitcher of the Month: DEN SP Edward Flinn (11-3, 2.95 ERA), hurling for a 6-0 record with 1.74 ERA, 20 K
CL Pitcher of the Month: IND SP Bill Nichol (10-3, 2.06 ERA), firing for a 4-1 mark with 1.99 ERA, 38 K
FL Rookie of the Month: SAL C Jose Ortiz (.259, 8 HR, 28 RBI), batting .281 with 4 HR, 17 RBI
CL Rookie of the Month: TIJ 3B/SS Alex Lopez (.300, 3 HR, 35 RBI), hitting .380 with 1 HR, 17 RBI
Complaints and stuff
Rotten 2-5 week. Thing is, the Loggers drowned just as badly, 1-5 with a rainout, so we technically gained half a game and the wicked Arrowheads suddenly look like playoff material. The Loggers had their next 11 games against the Indians (four and four) and the Coons (three before the All Star Game), so they could make or break their season at this point. Our four-and-four opponent were the Titans, starting with the road set on Monday.
It didn’t bloody feel like it, but we actually had a winning June after all, 15-12.
Just like the Raccoons are having a poor, fur-raising season, this year’s international teen boy auction, which started on Sunday, has a rather poor talent pool. We went in for a few offers, but I don’t see us spending more than $200k, nowhere near the cap in any case.
Fun Fact: We have the second-best starters’ ERA in the league.
No, I can’t believe it either.