[Westheim]

Raccoons (8-10) @ Thunder (10-8) – April 23-25, 2058

The Raccoons were two games under .500 with a +5 run differential, while the Thunder were two games over .500 with a +9 run differential. They were fourth in runs scored and tenth in runs allowed, with the bullpen an especially sore spot after the first few weeks of the season. Oklahoma City had won the season series last year, 6-3, against the Coons. For now, they were without outfielder Danny Guzman, who was out with a herniated disc.

Projected matchups:
Justin DeRose (0-1, 8.27 ERA) vs. Juan Juarez (0-2, 6.19 ERA)
J.J. Sensabaugh (2-1, 3.93 ERA) vs. Aaron Harris (2-2, 2.73 ERA)
Bobby Herrera (0-1, 4.13 ERA) vs. Tan Brink (2-1, 4.12 ERA)

The Thunder brought up three right-handers here, but mind the off day on Monday.

Game 1
POR: 2B Labonte – SS Lavorano – CF Caswell – C Chavez – 1B Brassfield – 3B Brobeck – RF Martinez – LF Puckeridge – P DeRose
OCT: SS Lira – 3B Soberanes – 1B Worthington – CF Bagoim – 2B Whitlow – LF Weant – C T. Alvarez – RF J. Mendoza – P J. Juarez

The Raccoons had walks to Labonte and Caswell in the first, and a Brassfield single to center, but Labonte was thrown out at the plate trying to score and the inning ended – because scoring first was hard. Very hard. Brassfield also had the team’s second base hit, a fourth-inning single that also moved Marcos Chavez and his 1-out walk to second base. Juarez also lost Brobeck in a full count, but with the bases loaded rung up Jesus Martinez. Pucks then – and a 2-out, 2-run single to right, and actually a 2-0 lead for the Raccoons! DeRose struck out, but the more amazing thing was that he had yet to give up a run while scattering three hits in as many innings, including a leadoff double for Eric Whitlow in the bottom 2nd. Like all things, DeRose being semi-passable was transient. Raimundo Bagoim started with a single to center, stole second, but there were already two outs. But then DeRose walked Tony Alvarez, Jose Mendoza hit an RBI single to left, and Juarez tied himself up with DeRose with another RBI single to center. Omar Lira made it three in a row with another RBI single and gave the Thunder a 3-2 lead. Ed Soberanes popped out to end the too busy inning. It didn’t get any better for DeRose after that, giving up a single to Whitlow and a homer to Tim Weant in the fifth for a 5-2 deficit.

And that was about it for the game… almost. Nobody in the Raccoons’ lineup found another base hit until the ninth inning, when almost all was said and done. Patrick Jones was pitching for the Thunder. He walked Pucks, and he walked Tyrese Sheilds. Labonte popped out, bringing up Lonzo with two outs, and Lonzo snapped a single to center. Pucks scored, 5-3, and the tying runs were on base for Noah Caswell, who struck out… 5-3 Thunder. Brassfield 2-4; Puckeridge 2-3, BB, 2 RBI; Bribiesca (PH) 1-1;

How many abominable starts does Justin DeRose have left?

Game 2
POR: 2B Labonte – SS Lavorano – CF Caswell – C Chavez – 1B Brassfield – 3B Brobeck – RF Martinez – LF Puckeridge – P Sensabaugh
OCT: SS Lira – 3B Soberanes – 1B Worthington – CF Bagoim – 2B Whitlow – LF Weant – C T. Alvarez – RF J. Mendoza – P Aa. Harris

Sensabaugh struck out four the first time through the Thunder order, but also incurred a 1-0 deficit for the triple that Tim Weant hit in the bottom 2nd, after which Tony Alvarez’ sac fly to center got the runner home. Another run for Oklahoma in the third inning, but also an injury – Ed Soberanes walked and Bagoim singled, and they were on the corners with two outs for Whitlow, who doubled between Martinez and Caswell in right-center. One run scored, the other was thrown out at home plate by Martinez, and Whitlow strained some thing or other and left the game in favor of Alfonso Jimenez, a 25-year-old rookie on the Thunder bench.

Sensabaugh struck out seven batters in six innings, but took 109 pitches to make it that far thanks to a score of long counts in the middle innings, lots of 3-1 and 3-2. On the scoreboard it was still 2-0 home team, because the Raccoons were subsisting on a Caswell single and absolutely nothing else through six innings, whiffing eight times (Harris would eventually strike out a tenner’s worth of Coons). Lonzo hit a leadoff single in the seventh, but was immediately doubled up by Caswell, while the Thunder added a third run on Ricky Herrera in the bottom 7th when the left-hander allowed a 2-out single to Omar Lira, and then another one, and another one… and that was it for the game. 3-0 Thunder.

Game 3
POR: 2B Labonte – SS Lavorano – CF Caswell – LF Brassfield – C Lathers – RF Puckeridge – 1B Imai – 3B Sheilds – P B. Herrera
OCT: SS Lira – 3B Soberanes – 1B Worthington – CF Bagoim – 2B Whitlow – LF Weant – C T. Alvarez – RF J. Mendoza – P Brink

Lonzo singled in the first, stole second base, and on Caswell’s single to right – was thrown out at the plate by Mendoza. Instead, Whitlow on a leg and a half gave the Thunder the lead with a solo home run in the second inning. Bobby Herrera was again serviceable, but far from $6M-great, and needed over 50 pitches through three innings, also doing annoying things like allowing Tan Brink to hit a sharp leadoff single in the bottom 3rd.

The score remained 1-0 through four innings, but Pucks hit a single to begin the top 5th before the Rule 5ers in the lineup did – nothing. Herrera singled with two outs, moving Pucks to second base to begin with, and a wild pitch by Brink advanced both runners further. Paul Labonte hit a 2-1 up the middle, where a two-legged second baseman would have had a play, but Whitlow didn’t, and the infield single tied the game. Lonzo lobbed a duck snort over Omar Lira for a go-ahead RBI single, Brink walked Caswell, but Brassfield grounded out to leave those bags full. Bobby Herrera took 84 pitches through five innings in a 2-1 game, decidedly too many. He had two more full counts to Bagoim and Whitlow in the sixth, walking the latter, and since his spot led off the seventh, that was his game. Steve Royer batted for him, singled, was forced out by Labonte, who stole second, and Noah Caswell’s 2-out double actually got an insurance run home for the Critters. Even more astonishing was perhaps the fact that more or less for the first time the Raccoons got to actually “mix and match” Sencion and Tanizaki for the last two innings; Bravo set them up well with a scoreless seventh, and while both Sencion in the eighth and Tanizaki in the ninth gave up a single, Sencion got a double play grounder from David Worthington, who otherwise did zilch in the series, and Tony Alvarez flew out rather calmly to Caswell to end the game. 3-1 Raccoons. Lavorano 3-5, RBI; Caswell 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; Puckeridge 2-3, BB; Royer (PH) 1-2; B. Herrera 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (1-1) and 1-2;

Pray to every god you cherish that this isn’t the best Bobby Herrera has to show, because there’s another ******* $35M on that contract.

Raccoons (9-12) @ Canadiens (9-12) – April 26-28, 2058

Both these teams brought up the rear of the CL North at this point in the season, and to win the series was to break that unholy tie. Elk City ranked fifth in runs made and second-worst in runs suffered, but the Raccoons had just played three games against a team with ghastly pitching and had scored all of six runs. The Elks probably didn’t have to worry about their 2-0 season series lead.

Projected matchups:
Zach Stewart (2-1, 2.11 ERA) vs. John Morris (1-0, 6.60 ERA)
Ramon Carreno (0-2, 4.79 ERA) vs. TBD
Justin DeRose (0-2, 8.06 ERA) vs. Anton Jesus (0-5, 9.82 ERA)

Saturday would be Luis Arroyo (0-2, 6.86 ERA) taking a turn, but he was suspended for the weekend, and we didn’t know whether the Elks wanted to draw a spot starter or send the rest of the crew on short rest. They had no off day to utilize here to make things easier. Morris was the only left-hander we saw coming.

I wasn’t in Elk City anyway, but I was busy being at the ballpark in Portland while the game was going on and could only take casual quick glances at the TV while holding a critical meeting with an expert to improve the weather situation during the baseball season. Miraculous Moe was Portland’s most famous wizard, and if he didn’t have a solution, nobody would!!

Game 1
POR: 1B Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Brassfield – C Chavez – CF Caswell – 3B Brobeck – RF Martinez – 2B Bribiesca – P Stewart
VAN: LF D. Garcia – 1B Saunders – C Weese – CF D. Moreno – 3B Lundberg – RF Magnussen – 2B R. Price – SS Kuchta – P J. Morris

Danny Garcia walked, Manny Saunders walked, Kevin Weese singled – three on, nobody out in the bottom 1st, and just as Maud brought in the coffee. At my sign, she distracted Moe, and I was able to pour some Capt’n Coma into my coffee. Damian Moreno and Tyler Lundberg then struck out, and Adam Magnussen was retired on a grounder up the middle on a wonderful play by Bribiesca, and the Elks got no runs from their runners. Not that Stewart was getting actually good now; he just walked Rick Price and Rich Kuchta to begin the bottom 2nd, but Morris struck out bunting and the Elks didn’t get a run from that situation, either.

I missed the next two innings while going to the top of the ballpark with Moe, to check out the best spots for perpetually burning pyres to be installed, but when we came back with Jesus Martinez leading off the fifth inning, the game was still scoreless. The Coons actually took the lead right there while Moe looked into his crystal ball and stroked his flowing white beard, while I kept glancing at the TV, where Martinez, Stewart, and Royer hit three singles to put an actual run together. Lonzo walked, but then Brass grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to kill the entire effort… The Elks, too, hit into a double play in that inning, but NWSN informed me that this was the third one they hit into in three straight innings, so Stewart was sure busy on the hill.

“Flowers!”, Moe exclaimed, and we went down to the field where the grounds crew was doing basic maintenance and was looking on with curiosity as he drew a satchel from his purple tunic and sprinkled seeds around the infield, then pointed at a particular spot and demanded an oak tree be planted there. – But Moe, that’s second base. – Fine, fine, second base must go. (reassures head groundskeeper with a paw motion behind Moe’s back)

We came back to the office for the ninth inning, and still a 1-0 score, with Stewart and Ornelas shutting out the damn Elks. Bernardino Risso was out for the 6-7-8 batters, who were retired in order. Eloy Sencion was then brought in for the bottom 9th, with Tristan Waker pinch-hitting for Tyler Lundberg. Sencion nailed him on the first pitch, then struck out Magnussen. Rick Price, to my great dismay, rocked a double to left, but Waker couldn’t possibly score on that one and had to hold at third base, but those were the tying and winning runs in scoring position. Full count to Kuchta – and a K for the second out. Switch-hitter Shane Larsen then batted in the #9 hole. He ran a 3-1 count against Sencion, then swung big – and popped it up behind the plate! Chavez made the catch and I gave Moe a big old hug on the way out! 1-0 Blighters. Royer 2-4, RBI; Stewart 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, W (3-1) and 2-3;

Game 2
POR: 2B Labonte – SS Lavorano – CF Caswell – C Chavez – 3B Brobeck – LF Puckeridge – RF Martinez – 1B Imai – P Carreno
VAN: LF D. Garcia – SS Kuchta – RF Magnussen – C Waker – CF D. Moreno – 2B R. Price – 3B Lundberg – 1B V. Cruz – P A. Jesus

Anton Jesus went on short rest, but you couldn’t tell at a glance. The Raccoons were harmless to begin the game, and Carreno quickly corked up a big inning, which was his specialty. Waker and Moreno hit singles to begin the bottom 2nd, and eventually Victor Cruz romped a huge 2-out homer to give the damn Elks a 3-0 lead. Jesus Martinez answered in the fifth inning with a 2-run homer, finding Pucks on base after an infield single, to at least narrow the score, but Lonzo’s leadoff single in the sixth was met with a great big nothing response. Funnily enough, Carreno ONLY allowed those three hits from the second inning through five frames, and offered no walks while striking out three batters. Unfunnily enough, his bottom 6th then consisted of a Kuchta single, Magnussen walking, a Waker single, a Moreno’s sac fly to extend the damn Elks’ lead to 4-2, and Rick Price gave Noah Caswell quite the run for an inning-ending flyout in deep center. The Raccoons didn’t do anything in the seventh, the Raccoons didn’t do anything in the eighth, but in the ninth – … in the ninth…! In the ninth they didn’t do anything against Bernardino Risso either. 4-2 Canadiens.

Game 3
POR: 2B Labonte – SS Lavorano – 3B Brobeck – C Chavez – RF Martinez – LF Puckeridge – 1B Brassfield – CF Royer – P DeRose
VAN: LF D. Garcia – SS Kuchta – RF Magnussen – C Waker – CF D. Moreno – 2B R. Price – 3B Lundberg – 1B V. Cruz – P Kozloski

Jeff Kozloski (2-1, 2.10 ERA) also went on short rest on Sunday, not like doing so had hurt Jesus, but Marcos Chavez hit a tater to begin the second inning to put the Raccoons 1-0 ahead. Bottom 3rd, and DeRose gave up a 1-out single to Kozloski, and then Brassfield fudged Danny Garcia’s grounder for an error and a second runner on base. Could DeRose wiggle out of this one? Kuchta popped out to first, so that was a neat second out, but Magnussen singled to center in front of Royer, and that loaded the bases. And then Tristan Waker grabbed hold of a lazy fastball, and that one emptied the bases all over the 335’ sign in right.

Labonte drove in a run in the fifth inning, plating Royer to shorten the score to 4-2, but it was genuinely hard to out-hit a rotting pitcher like DeRose, who went six. Not that the lineup was all that brilliant. It took until the ninth inning for the Raccoons to get a paw into scoring position again, still trailing by two against Bryan McDuffie. Pucks hit a 1-out single, but Brass popped out. Royer singled with two outs, and Morgan Lathers pinch-hit for Mike Siwik. And he flew out to right. 4-2 Canadiens. Brobeck 2-4; Puckeridge 2-4; Royer 2-4; Imai (PH) 1-1;

All runs off DeRose were unearned after the Brassfield error, not that that would scratch us out of last place now…

In other news

April 24 – The only hit of TOP INF Alex de los Santos (.210, 3 HR, 11 RBI) in the Buffaloes’ 6-5 win in Los Angeles plates the winning run in the top of the *20th* inning. Apart from that, de los Santos goes 1-for-8 with two walks. Funnily enough, the game entered extra innings tied at two before both teams scored three runs in the 15th inning.
April 26 – The Aces score ten runs in the sixth inning alone as they beat the Thunder, 16-6. LVA OF Jose Ambriz (.340, 0 HR, 11 RBI) goes 5-for-6 with a double and three RBI.
April 28 – WAS SP Hironobu Hanzawa (2-3, 4.94 ERA) could be out for the season with a nasty case of should inflammation.

FL Player of the Week: SFW 2B Mike DeFusco (.256, 1 HR, 9 RBI), batting .565 (13-23) with 5 RBI
CL Player of the Week: CHA 1B Jason Schaack (.296, 3 HR, 16 RBI), hitting .458 (11-24) with 1 HR, 3 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Hey, hey, Bobby Herrera won a game. Now he’s merely cost $36M per win for the team!

There really isn’t a lot to say about this week, which was just crummy top to bottom. Pitching eh, offense meh (11 runs this week), and that’s how you go 2-4 against middling opposition and find last place eventually.

And I don’t have much of an idea on how to fix this situation right now.

Next week: Titans and Capitals.

Fun Fact: Jason Brenize leads the ABL in ERA with a 1.35 mark.

That’s the rookie we gave some on the snout when he had his September call-up last season. He is now 21 years old and I am very afraid of what he’ll be like when he’s 25.

He’s still on the wicked Titans, though, who can’t score for him (despite leading the division) and in addition to his league-leading ERA his actual record in four starts is 1-2.

Because baseball as usual makes no sense.