[Westheim]

Raccoons (15-3) @ Bayhawks (9-9) – April 23-25, 2047

By Tuesday, the Stomping Stripes arrived at the Bay, where nothing good ever happens, to square off with the resident Hawks there. The Bayhawks had started weak, but had won their last four games (same for the Critters), and were second in runs scored in the league. Seventh in runs allowed, they had a +10 run differential (Portland: +27). They’re struggles were mostly in the rotation and had names. Apart from that, last year’s season series had been a 6-3 loss for the Coons, but at least San Fran was without one of their most dangerous bats, as Ramon Sifuentes had hit the DL the previous week (along with Dan Riley).

Projected matchups:
Sadaharu Okuda (2-1, 3.92 ERA) vs. Ryan Person (0-2, 8.00 ERA)
Bubba Wolinsky (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Jesse Bulas (1-2, 3.20 ERA)
Jason Wheatley (2-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. Kevin Nolte (0-0, 6.00 ERA)

Weird sight: an all-right-handed pitching staff. Not even a lefty reliever in sight!

Game 1
POR: SS Adame – RF Mercado – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – CF A. Herrera – LF Fernandez – 2B Waters – C Gonzalez – P Okuda
SFB: 1B S. Diaz – 3B Del Vecchio – 2B Quiroz – C J. Hill – LF Crum – SS B. Nelson – CF A. Marquez – RF A.L. Herrera – P Person

Dismal Ted Del Vecchio returned to the CL and immediately resumed torturing the Raccoons, hitting a homer in his first attempt off Okuda, giving the Baybirds a 1-0 lead in the first. While Okuda didn’t pitch too badly overall, but had an unnerving tendency to put the leadoff man on base, which led to another run in the fourth inning, which Ken Crum opened with a single to left, swiftly scoring on Bob Nelson’s double, the Raccoons offense was once again entirely absent. The first time through, they had a single from Manny Fernandez, and the second time through, nothing at all. And that against a pitcher with an ERA of EIGHT.

Bob Nelson and Armando Luis Herrera whacked doubles off Okuda in the sixth to add a third run for the Bayhawks. The Luis-less Armando Herrera on the Critters singled to center in the seventh, an astounding second base hit off Ryan Person! Manny popped to Del Vecchio for the second out, while Waters snuck a single into right to put TWO Critters on base at once. Would wonders ever cease? Yes. Ruben Gonzalez grounded out harmlessly. Neither pitcher appeared after the stretch, but the Coons had the tying run at the plate again in the eighth. Ricardo Ordas gave away a single to Alex Adame, and Sebastien Parham walked Nelson Mercado to bring up the big boppers, but Maldonado was out on a pop to Sergio Quiroz, and Toohey grounded out to Bob Nelson. But it wouldn’t be the Raccoons if they didn’t tease a third time! Top 9th against Matt Simmons, Manny drew a walk with one out, followed by a Waters single to center. Derek Baskins batted for Gonzalez – straight into a double play. 3-0 Bayhawks. Waters 2-4;

Game 2
POR: SS Adame – RF Mercado – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – CF A. Herrera – LF Fernandez – 2B Waters – C Morales – P Wolinsky
SFB: 1B S. Diaz – 3B Del Vecchio – 2B Quiroz – C J. Hill – LF Crum – SS B. Nelson – CF A. Marquez – RF A.L. Herrera – P Bulas

Bubba Wolinsky entered with 22 scoreless innings to begin the year, but almost stumbled in the first, after a four-pitch walk to Steve Diaz and the inevitable Del Vecchio single. Two on, no outs, Quiroz found a double play before John Hill grounded out to Maldo to complete #23. Phew! Portland then scored (!), the run being unearned (…), in the top 2nd. Nelson fudged Herrera’s grounder leading off, Herrera stole second base, then came around to score on a Manny single. Next, the old man in the #27 shirt stole second base after a K to Waters, but was stranded by Morales (grounder) and Wolinsky (flew out to Crum). More amazingly, with nobody on and two outs the next time up in the top 4th, Morales buried a triple in right-center, which was rather cavernous in this park, and then scored when Wolinsky slapped a single into shallow center to go up 2-0. Alex Adame then doubled to left, but Wolinsky got a hard stop sign at third base. Mercado then grounded out to Quiroz, stranding two, just as the Critters had done the previous inning, when they had left Mercado and Maldo on the corners.

Wolinsky’s scoreless streak ended at 25, done in by another four-pitch walk, this one to Quiroz. Hill doubled to center, and Crum’s sac fly got a run home in the bottom 4th. Nelson flew out to Mercado to at least leave him with the 2-1 lead. Bryce Toohey almost doubled our output in the fifth, but narrowly missed his as-many-eth homer, having to settle for a wallbanger double. It came with nobody out and with Maldo (leadoff single) going to third base, setting up a prime scoring opportunity; but the Bayhawks were smart – they walked Herrera in a full count, thus setting up three on with nobody out and dooming any effort to score a run. Manny promptly grounded to Quiroz right away – but Nelson dropped the feed and they didn’t get an out on the play, with Maldo scoring, 3-1. But before you got any ideas about a big inning, Waters lined out to Quiroz, and when Morales grounded to second base, they got the 4-6-3 right on the second try…

Three singles got the Bayhawks a run, RBI to Alex Marquez, in the bottom 6th, narrowing the score to 3-2 again, before the Coons’ Maldo and Toohey went to the corners to lead off the top 7th, this time with a double and single, respectively, off righty Brad Barnes. Herrera singled cleanly to center to send the team up 4-2, Manny struck out, but Waters found the rightfield corner for an RBI double. Morales got a single past the diving Steve Diaz to plate a pair, and there was the big inning! Four runs in the seventh, before a Mike Profitt triple and Diaz’ RBI double chased Wolinsky in the bottom 7th without logging another out. Josh Rella replaced him and got three outs without allowing Diaz across, keeping the Baybirds at slam range through seven. Preston Porter, Aaron Curl, and Nelson Moreno would put the last two innings together without allowing a rally to the Baybirds. 7-3 Raccoons. Maldonado 4-5, 2B; Toohey 2-5, 2B; Morales 2-5, 2 RBI;

The relative beating (6 IP, 3 ER), still left Bubba (0.96 ERA) in the CL ERA lead, ahead of Boston’s Kyle Turay (1.14 ERA).

For the rubber game we planned to give Armando Herrera an age-related day off in center, but the Pacific had other ideas, sending in dense fog and drizzle on Thursday that refuse to clear and led to a postponement of the game. The Raccoons had to travel to Indy with a split – but Herrera got his day off anyway…

Raccoons (16-4) @ Indians (10-12) – April 26-28, 2047

The Raccoons had recorded two wins in three attempts against the Indians to begin the season. Indy has since sunk to the bottom of the division, despite putting up the seventh-most runs and conceding the fourth-fewest, with a +7 run differential. They seemed to have really weird luck (in a bad way), but they for sure had the best-performing rotation with a 2.60 ERA against their starters… Could be a challenge for a team that had a hard time scoring right now!

Projected matchups:
Jason Wheatley (2-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. John Roeder (2-1, 2.30 ERA)
Victor Merino (2-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Justin Roberts (1-2, 2.14 ERA)
Jake Jackson (1-1, 5.66 ERA) vs. Bill Drury (1-4, 3.06 ERA)

Roeder would be the only lefty starter to come up against the Critters this week. Also, Drury was due a break, and I had a hunch…

Game 1
POR: SS Adame – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – RF Pellicano – LF Mercado – 2B Waters – C Gonzalez – P Wheatley
IND: SS Russ – 2B Tindle – RF B. Quinteros – LF D. Rivera – CF N. Galvan – 1B Kurtz – C Nunez – 3B A. Mendez – P Roeder

Roeder retired the first two before giving up a bomb to right to Maldonado and walking the pair after that. Nelson Mercado singled in another run, but Waters’ drive to center was caught by Nelson Galvan. The Indians’ resident pest, Andrew Russ, answered by reaching base with a drag bunt single in the bottom 1st, stole second, went for third, but was throw out there by Ruben Gonzalez. What a ******.

Both pitchers walked three batters before striking anybody out, in Wheats’ case in just two innings, leading to another pitch count that went well up well early. In Roeder’s case, it took him to the third inning, but with nobody out; after singles by Herrera and Maldonado, he walked Toohey to reach three – also three on base. Pellicano struck out, Mercado hit a sac fly, and Waters flew out to Danny Rivera … always the same with this team… Wheats, while pitching more efficiently after the wild first two frames, hit a single in the fourth that went nowhere, while Pellicano and Mercado went to the corners with 1-out hits in the top of the fifth. Waters grounded to Russ, but Mercado had gone early and took away the double play – only Waters was out at first, while Pellicano scored from third base. The .139 menace Ruben Gonzalez was not allowed to bat in a 4-0 game with first base open, the Indians preferring to face .400 slugger Jason Wheatley again, with Wheats wiggling the stick, salivating for more RBI’s. He ended the inning with a grounder… that actually went through the left side for a single! Mercado scored, while Gonzalez made the third out, erring around between second and third base with no clear purpose or plan, curtailing the inning with a 5-0 score.

All of that lead went to ******* hell in the bottom 5th in a spectacular meltdown. Angel Mendez singled and was bunted to second. Russ walked after fouling off six pitches, and both runners pulled off a double steal. Joe Tindle singled both in at 0-2. Bill Quinteros fouled off four pitches before singling, and Rivera singled quickly to score Tindle. Galvan reached on an Adame error, allowing Quinteros across and Rivera to third base, from where Wheats plated him with a wild pitch to Ron Kurtz before somehow finding a way out of the inning himself – but he was done for the day. The loss was staved off (never mind the shame), but was a scarcely-earned W in the cards? The Coons set up camp on the corners again in the sixth with Herrera and Maldonado on base and Toohey at the plate with one out – but Toohey got nothing from Roeder, who walked him (his sixth walk in the game), then was yanked for righty Bill Quinn. Pellicano ran a full count before squeezing out a walk, pushing home the go-ahead run again, 6-5, and putting Wheats up for a possible W after all. Mercado lined out to Tindle and Waters whiffed to end the inning with three runners left aboard, though… Preston Porter blew that lead rather unceremoniously in the bottom 6th, though, giving up a leadoff jack to Mendez, then fumbled Russ on base with his own error. Russ was at third before long, and Porter was yoinked after a walk to Tindle. Jake Bonnie K’ed Quinteros and got Herrera to catch Rivera’s fly to center to keep it even at six through six…

The next meltdown was Josh Rella’s in the bottom 7th. He was scorched for four hits, two walks, and three runs before Aaron Curl dug him out, and gave the game away for good, even though the tying run would be at the plate for Portland in both the eighth and ninth innings. Pellicano hit into a run-scoring fielder’s choice with Herrera and Toohey on the corners in the eighth, while Al Martell hit a pinch-hit single in the ninth but was thereafter pretty much ignored. 9-7 Indians. Herrera 3-5, 2B; Maldonado 3-5, HR, RBI; Toohey 1-2, 3 BB; Mercado 2-4, 2 RBI; Martell (PH) 1-1;

Despite this bitter loss, we were the only team with a winning record in the division that night. Even the Crusaders had sagged to 11-11.

Game 2
POR: SS Adame – CF Mercado – 1B Gurney – 3B Maldonado – RF Pellicano – LF Baskins – 2B Martell – C Morales – P Merino
IND: SS Russ – 1B Kurtz – CF B. Quinteros – LF D. Rivera – 2B Tindle – RF N. Galvan – 3B Lapinski – C Nunez – P Drury

The Coons shook things up a bit on Saturday, while the Indians moved Drury up into the middle game of the set. Merino retired Russ to begin the game, which was such a boon, then gave up a single to Kurtz, who, however, was doubled off first when Quinteros lined out to Gurney (Toohey wouldn’t have made that play…!), but walked Russ the second time through in the bottom 3rd. Russ stole another base (his 13th), but was stranded by the batters after him. At this point, the Raccoons had no base hits off Drury, having reached only with Baskins on a Kurtz error.

Danny Rivera opened the fourth with a single for Indy, upping his batting average to .412 (and probably .824 against Portland), but was caught stealing, while Derek Baskins took the no-hitter away with a 1-out single to right in the fifth. Drury lost Martell in a full count, and the Indians couldn’t turn two on Morales when he grounded to short. Merino batted with runners on the corners, but grounded out to Steve Lapinski, who then drew a leadoff walk immediately after, but was stranded all the same. Adame was on to begin the top 6th, but caught stealing (bites into clenched paw), while Mercado would have been out on a pop behind home plate, but Nick Nunez dropped that. Given a second life, Mercado singled. Gurney whiffed, Maldo was brushed, and Pellicano flew out to strand another pair…

Merino lasted six shutout innings, which took 104 pitches against the utterly annoying Indians, with Ibold adding a clean seventh. Top 8th, Hard-Luck Drury still on, the Coons had runners on the corners again after Adame and Gurney singles. Maldo batted with two outs, but struck out… The end then came with Russ and Kurtz singles off Nelson Moreno in the eighth, plus a Martell error and two more hits by Rivera and Tindle off Aaron Curl, plating a total of three runs for the ******** Arrowheads. Tommy Gardner didn’t fuss around for long with the Coons in the ninth. 3-0 Indians. Adame 2-4; Merino 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K;

(still bites into the clenched paw)

For Sunday, it was Bill Nichol (3-2, 2.56) – his dead body or Jackson’s!

Game 3
POR: SS Adame – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – 2B Gurney – LF Baskins – RF Fernandez – C Morales – P Jackson
IND: SS Russ – 2B Tindle – RF B. Quinteros – LF D. Rivera – CF N. Galvan – 1B Kurtz – C Nunez – 3B A. Mendez – P Nichol

Russ, the ******* *********** pest, reached on another bunt single to begin the bottom 1st, then was subject to six serious pickoff attempts by Jake Jackson *while* Jackson also whiffed two in retiring the next three batters and keeping the pest on first base the entire ******* time. Bottom 2nd, Nelson Galvan led off with a double, but hurt himself on the slide into second base and was replaced by Steven Elkin, who was also stranded on base. The Coons then went up 1-0 in the top 3rd without the benefit of a base hit in their ledger (at all) when Nichol nicked Tony Morales with an 0-2 pitch, and the runner advanced on a bunt, Adame’s groundout, and finally a balk. WHATEVER WORKS.

Russ was on with an outfield single in the bottom 3rd, and Jackson walked Tindle in what looked like the beginning of the end, but Morales caught Russ trying to snatch third base, and it unraveled for Indy from there, although the Coons played just as awfully. Gurney and Baskins hit back-to-back singles with two down in the fourth, and Manny reached on a misplay by Mendez. Morales then grounded out easily to Tindle, and another three runners were stranded… Bottom 5th, Russ was on base again, this time with a 2-out walk issued by Jackson. Three pickoff attempts followed before Tindle grounded out to Adame.

Jackson scattered six hits (mostly to Russ… grumble grumble) through seven shutout innings in defending the Coons’ wicked 1-0 lead. We were still down to those two fourth-inning singles that had proved abortive against Nichol, and Jackson’s spot led off the eighth. Mercado batted for him, but it was still another lousy 1-2-3 inning for the Coons. While Nelson followed on Nelson in the #9 hole, Waters replaced Gurney for defense after that top 8th, starting a 4-6-3 double play on Quinteros after Moreno had nicked Tindle – Russ had been out on another bunt attempt. Hah! ******! Waters also got an intentional walk after Toohey had whacked a 1-out double in the top 9th, which got Nichol into the generally failing left-handed squadron that had found their way to the enlarged bottom of the order. Baskins found a double play on the first pitch… which gave us an excuse to take the bubble wrap off Mike Lynn for the first time this week. He struck out PH Daniel Hertenstein (for Rivera??) before another pinch-hitter, Nate Massey, reached on an infield single. Kurtz also singled, Massey went for third, and Manny fumbled the ball for an extra base, allowing the tying run to score. I almost died on the spot. Lynn worked his way out of the inning, giving everybody more of this gruesome brand of baseball on display.

The Raccoons stayed in the game despite Josh Rella nailing backup catcher Jason Rose good to begin the bottom 10th. The Indians didn’t get him around, extending the torture further. Lefty Bobby Nelson retired Adame to begin the 11th, but Herrera walked in a full count. Maldo grounded out, which left Toohey with the go-ahead run in scoring position and two outs. Toohey had driven in 20 runs in the first three weeks and ZERO this week, which might explain a thing or two about how it had gone. He made amends by crashing his fifth homer of the year, a no-doubter to left-center that broke the tie to bits. The Raccoons then went to Jake Bonnie for the bottom 11th. Hertenstein opened with a 3-2 single, but was doubled off by Massey’s grounder to Waters. Kurtz also found Waters for the final out. 3-1 Blighters. Toohey 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; Jackson 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K;

Bonnie’s first Raccoons save, but the 85th of his career, most of them with the Wolves from 2041-44.

In other news

April 23 – Plantar fasciitis will keep CIN 3B Jesus Burgos (.313, 1 HR, 10 RBI) away from the field for at least a month.
April 24 – Stars and Cyclones don’t score for 12 innings, before Dallas puts out four runs in the top of the 13th. The Cyclones have no answer to that and take a 4-0 loss in 13 innings.
April 26 – VAN RF Jerry Outram (.306, 2 HR, 12 RBI) hits the DL with a quad strain. He might miss six weeks.
April 26 – SFW SP Mark Elzinga (2-3, 4.95 ERA) fires a 2-hit shutout against the Wolves, whiffing six in the 5-0 win.
April 26 – The Loggers acquire RF/1B/LF Ernesto Hernandez (.387, 1 HR, 13 RBI) from the Knights in exchange for 2B/SS Scott Davison (.182, 0 HR, 3 RBI).
April 28 – The Loggers beat the Crusaders, 8-0, scoring all their runs in the second inning.

FL Player of the Week: RIC LF/RF Pablo Gonzalez (.352, 3 HR, 16 RBI), hitting .462 (12-26) with 1 HR, 6 RBI
CL Player of the Week: VAN 1B Chris Delagrange (.193, 3 HR, 8 RBI), being revived at .523 (11-21) with 2 HR, 6 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Well, reality caught up with the Raccoons. Or should I say, no hitting finally met a few pitching meltdowns and we had our first losing week of the year at 2-3. Also, the Indians drive me insane, thankfully a third of the games against them is already ticked off for the year…

If Big Bryce ever breaks a leg, we can go ******* home…

To do list: get either catcher to hit, else call on Jimmy Dalton, that raker. Also, it would help if either Baskins or Manny could get their bat out of their own ******** to help with SOMETHING. Herrera, Waters, Gurney… the list is long, too long.

Wheats REALLY isn’t an April pitcher, huh? He had a bad April last year, and this year he spun a near-shutout on Opening Day, and since then hasn’t found out of the sixth inning. Friday was the first time somebody really took the war to him, but that pretty useless, but nice to talk about streak of 15 winning decisions survived – barely. Oh, he’ll warm up with the weather, which in Portland can’t take much longer than mid-July…!

Thursday’s rainout will be made up in a Monday double header in late August, which is a bad time to make up a game. There would be Thursday off days sandwiched around a 6-day trip to Charlotte and San Francisco at that point, though, so it could be worse.

We continue to tour the East next week, with four games in Boston and three more in Washington.

Fun Fact: Boston’s Kyle Turay took the CL ERA lead with eight innings without an earned run in a 1-0 loss to the damn Elks on Friday.

No problem. We’ll beat him up when we see him next week! – Right, Bubba? We’ll stick him six or so!

(Bubba Wolinsky looks unsure)