[Westheim]

All Star Game

The Continental League routed the Federal League (or the Thunder routed the Miners?) in the annual All Star Game, 11-2. Thunder Jonathan Ban was named MVP with four hits and two RBI while the only home run was hit by Denver’s Ivan Villa.

Portland’s Sean Suggs starts as the CL catcher, but goes 0-for-3 before being replaced by Thunder Jesus Adames, who lands two hits and an RBI.

Raccoons (47-42) @ Indians (46-42) – July 13-16, 2051

One week no see; there were four more to play with the Indians after losing three of four last week at home. They had been swept on the weekend by the Elks, which had allowed the Critters to sneak back into first place in the first place, and were now chasing again. Fifth in offense, seventh in defense, which didn’t sound like a playoff team, but here *we* are… The season series was even at four.

Projected matchups:
Rafael de la Cruz (1-3, 4.25 ERA) vs. Alfredo Llamas (9-8, 3.36 ERA)
Bubba Wolinsky (10-5, 3.17 ERA) vs. Enrique Ortiz (8-1, 3.41 ERA)
Jason Wheatley (10-4, 3.06 ERA) vs. Martino Barbiusa (4-1, 3.00 ERA)
Victor Salcido (3-5, 4.12 ERA) vs. Bill Nichol (4-8, 5.45 ERA)

Only right-handed pitchers to see here for Indy, but they also shed a lot of personnel in the week between 4-game sets. Tan Brink, Juan Arguello, and Chris Edwards were still on the DL from last week, but since then Aaron Brayboy and Bobby Anderson had also hit the bed with back and oblique woes, respectively.

The Coons made a roster move, resolving the redundancy between Matt Glodowski and Oscar Rivera (.215, 3 HR, 12 RBI) by sending the latter back to AAA. Ever useless Roberto Medina, hitting .286 with five homers for the Alley Cats, was brought back up once more, mostly because he was a switch-hitter and every other halfway sensible option in AAA was right-handed.

Game 1
POR: 2B Waters – SS Lavorano – RF Puckeridge – LF Crum – 1B J. Maldonado – C Suggs – CF Suzuki – 3B Crispin – P de la Cruz
IND: SS de Castro – 3B A. Mendez – RF B. Quinteros – 2B R. White – C Poindexter – CF Locke – LF Hare – 1B Ed. Ortiz – P Llamas

Raffy nipped his first career RBI in the second inning, doubling past Philip Locke to chase home Sean Suggs with the game’s first run, and only run in the top 2nd, as Matt Waters ended the inning with a K. Top 3rd, Pucks and Crum took to the corners with a pair of 1-out singles to right, but Maldo popped out to first and Suggs flew out to center, which sugged. The Coons didn’t score in the fourth inning either, which wasn’t surprising with no base hits, but Llamas walked all of Suzuki, Waters, and Lonzo before Puckeridge floated out to Josh Hare and leave everybody on base. Meanwhile, de la Cruz made a habit out of putting the leadoff man on; between the five hits he allowed through five innings, three came to begin an inning – but they were all stranded, although f.e. in the bottom 4th the Indians put a pair in scoring position with one out through Bill Quinteros and Manny Poindexter singles. A wild pitch advanced them, but Maldo snagged a liner by Philip Locke and Josh Hare struck out looking. Rusty White singled with one gone in the bottom 6th, but was then caught stealing by Suggs. Edwin Ortiz found the hole on the right side in the seventh, but was then doubled up 4-6-3 style by Chaz Kokel, hitting for Llamas.

Ironically, Raffy held a 1-0 lead for seven innings, and then had his day end because of *Raccoons* runners. Sean Suggs and Mikio Suzuki hit singles and Ed Crispin walked against Indians righty Dave Serio, all with nobody out, in the top 8th. The Coons opted for the sledgehammer and sent Glodowski to bat, but he struck out. Matt Waters, though, sent a drive to deep center that went out of Locke’s range and became a bases-clearing double! Finally, a breather!! Adam Foley replaced Serio, but gave up the runner on second base when Lonzo singled, 5-0. From there, Snyder and Lillis would finish the game for the Coons on the hill. The righty got two outs, the lefty got four… but also surrendered a run in the ninth, nailing Rusty White, who stole second and scored on two productive outs. 5-1 Raccoons. Suggs 2-4, BB; Suzuki 2-4, BB; de la Cruz 7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, W (2-3) and 1-3, RBI;

Game 2
POR: 2B Waters – SS Lavorano – RF Puckeridge – LF Crum – 1B J. Maldonado – C Suggs – CF Suzuki – 3B Crispin – P Wolinsky
IND: 3B A. Mendez – 1B Briscoe – LF Kokel – RF B. Quinteros – 2B de Castro – C M. Gilmore – SS Clover – CF R. White – P En. Ortiz

The Indians scored against Wolinsky right away, putting the 2-3-4-5 batters all aboard with singles, except for Kokel, who drew a walk. Alex de Castro’s bases-loaded single gave them their only run before pops by Mike Gilmore and Chase Clover stranded three. De Castro drove in another run in the third inning, then Kokel, who had opened the inning with a double, while the Coons had yet to wake up. Lonzo got on to begin the fourth inning, though, not exactly evading a pitch heading for his bum. He stole second and was singled home by Ken Crum. Maldo dropped a bloop single between Quinteros and de Castro, but the inning ended quickly with Suggs and Suzuki.

The middle innings were a drag otherwise, neither team managing to get near scoring position, but the Indians at least managed to get Wolinsky out of the game after six innings and just over 100 pitches. The Raccoons got Crispin on with two outs in the seventh, but Glodowski again made a poor out while batting for the pitcher, and then the pen fell apart entirely in the bottom 7th. Waldo faced the 1-2-3 hitters, retired none of them, and when Eloy Sencion replaced him he was not exactly calming proceedings, getting an out from Quinteros before nailing de Castro and giving up a grand slam to Mike Gilmore. The Indians fumbled away a run in the eighth, wild-pitching Lonzo across home plate, and Serio had another rough outing in the ninth, allowing leadoff singles to Suggs and Suzuki. Crispin hit into a fielder’s choice, and Ruben Gonzalez pinch-hit for an RBI groundout, but the inning ended with a K to Waters. 7-3 Indians. Crispin 2-4;

Game 3
POR: 2B Waters – SS Lavorano – CF Puckeridge – LF Crum – 1B J. Maldonado – C Gonzalez – RF Glodowski – 3B Kaufman – P Wheatley
IND: SS de Castro – 3B A. Mendez – RF B. Quinteros – 2B R. White – LF Kokel – C Poindexter – CF Locke – 1B Briscoe – P Barbiusa

Wheats leaked singles against five lefty hitters… and Barbiusa, who drove in the tying run with a 2-out single in the second inning, plating Chaz Kokel. The Coons had taken the lead in the first when Crum drove home Waters in the top 1st, then also reached in the fourth with Maldo on back-to-back 1-out singles. Ruben Gonzalez ran a full count, but grounded into a double play to kill the inning. Wheats didn’t get a strikeout through four, then had to bat with Glodowski (reached on error) and Kaufman on the corners in the top 5th, and nobody out. Barbiusa also had yet to land a strikeout, and got it from Wheats. Waters grounded to the right side, and White’s only play was at first, while the go-ahead run scored. Lonzo’s RBI double through Angel Mendez made it 3-1, but Pucks struck out. Kokel remained a pain in the bum though, hit a double in the bottom 6th that hit off the base of the fence in rightfield, and was driven home by Poindexter right away. Wheats lost Locke on balls, then finally found the K column and struck out Joe Briscoe and Martino Barbiusa in order, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs.

But Wheats held the 3-2 lead through seven, throwing 101 pitches, while the Coons worked out a chance against Barbiusa in the top 8th. Lonzo singled on the first pitch, while Pucks walked on six pitches. Maldo would get a crucial hit after the pair pulled off a double steal, shoving a ball through between de Castro and White for a 2-run single, 5-2! Wheats returned to get a groundout from Kokel, then left with three opposite-handed batters coming up next. Lillis got those, getting them all on pops, which left a 2-out save for Hitchcock, starting with PH Mike Gilmore, who also popped out. De Castro secured first spot through Sunday for the Coons with a groundout to Lonzo. 5-2 Raccoons. Waters 2-5, 2B, RBI; Lavorano 2-5, 2B, RBI; Crum 3-4, RBI; J. Maldonado 2-4, 2 RBI; Kaufman 2-4, 2B; Wheatley 7.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (11-4);

Somehow, we keep scratching them out!

Game 4
POR: 2B Waters – SS Lavorano – 1B Puckeridge – LF Crum – C Suggs – CF Suzuki – 3B Sivertson – RF Medina – P Salcido
IND: CF Ragen – SS de Castro – RF B. Quinteros – 2B R. White – LF Kokel – C Poindexter – 3B Ed. Ortiz – 1B Briscoe – P Nichol

The Coons opened with a pair of singles, but then found a double play and a weak out from Crum and didn’t score. Indy also got a leadoff single from Allen Ragen, then a de Castro double, and scored on a Quinteros groundout. A pop and a whiff kept de Castro stranded, and the Raccoons kept fumbling. Salcido and Waters hit back-to-back singles in the third, but Lonzo hit into the double play. The fifth began with hits by Mitch Sivertson and Roberto Medina, who went to the corners for Salcido, who fell to 1-2, put a grounder into play, but it went to Edwin Ortiz for an out, though Medina at least advanced. Waters popped out, Lonzo lined out to fellow shortstop de Castro, and again nobody scored…

It took NINE hits to score a run on Sunday, and that did not include Suggs getting drilled by Bill Nichol to push Pucks to second base in the sixth inning. Puckeridge had opened the inning with a single, then scored on another single – the ninth – by Suzuki to right-center. Sivertson and Medina then shone with more pathetic outs, a first-pitch pop to first base, and an easy grounder to the same position…

Top 7th, leadoff singles for Salcido to right (…!) and Waters to center, which was two on, no outs, and routinely the point where **** hit the fan in this game. Lonzo went to 3-2, then grounded up the middle for a force at second, before getting caught stealing. While I was still gasping, Pucks looped a single over Briscoe to break the tie, however, chasing home Salcido from third base. Crum hit another single, the 13th Coons hit on the day, but Suggs grounded out, which sugged beyond words, especially with a Poindexter double to right leading off the bottom 7th. Somehow, Salcido nailed the runner down at second base though, retiring the 7-8-9 batters on three weak and also unproductive outs…! That was it for him; his spot came up with Suzuki on third base, two outs, and Jesus Maldonado on the bench. Maldo grounded out to White, stranding the 85th runner of the game. Willie Cruz held the line in the bottom 8th at least, and after the Coons failed to tack on, Hitchcock won three grounders to the middle infielders to end the four-and-four with a total of four and four. 2-1 Blighters. Waters 3-4; Puckeridge 2-5, RBI; Crum 2-5; Salcido 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (4-5) and 2-3;

We left 11 men on base. Felt like more.

In other news

July 11 – The Blue Sox send SP Chris Cornelius (8-7, 4.04 ERA) to the Aces, along with cash, for five prospects.
July 12 – CIN INF/LF Chris Delgado (.318, 5 HR, 35 RBI) is expected to miss a month, suffering from recurring back spasms.
July 13 – The Knights acquire SP Israel Mendoza (5-7, 4.00 ERA) from the Knights in exchange for three prospects, including #59 SP Bob Ruggiero.
July 16 – WAS SP Felix Castano (5-4, 2.98 ERA) finishes a 3-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over the Miners.
July 16 – The Thunder pick up SP Zach Boyer (6-9, 3.57 ERA) from the Buffaloes in a deal for two prospects, including #75 UT Aaron Butler.

FL Player of the Week: DEN LF/CF Sandy Castillo (.325, 11 HR, 37 RBI), hitting .467 (7-15) with 2 HR, 6 RBI
CL Player of the Week: OCT 3B/SS/RF Ed Soberanes (.330, 20 HR, 71 RBI), scoring five times while spitting .467 (7-15) with 1 HR, 2 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Is there much to complain about after getting back at Indy and taking three of four in this set? Not really, at least nothing that I haven’t already complained about all year long. Can’t score, somehow still wins – it’s a weird team, this.

However, we actually passed the Condors this week in runs scored and are now up to 11th in the CL – huzzah! The Condors lost three of four to the Aces, scoring only six runs in the process. We at least had 17 markers on the board, which still isn’t outlandish for a four-game set.

The road trip will conclude with the Elks and Knights next week.

Fun Fact: Raffy de la Cruz has back-to-back scoreless outings of seven innings each.

(salivates)