[Westheim]

Raccoons (12-12) @ Canadiens (12-13) – May 2-5, 2072

The Elks had scored the most runs in the CL so far (confused look), but had given up almost as many and were just under .500 on a +3 run differential. Their defense was the very worst in the league, and both rotation and bullpen were in the bottom three by ERA. These teams tied for second place with 19 dingers each. The Raccoons had won the season series last year, 13-5. The Elks had added quite a few players this winter, including Jose Palominos, but he had already gone on the DL.

Projected matchups:
Tony Gaytan (0-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Jay Williams (4-1, 3.60 ERA)
Vinny Morales (0-2, 7.58 ERA) vs. Guido Branco (1-3, 4.94 ERA)
Nick Walla (3-0, 2.56 ERA) vs. Dan Speake (1-1, 6.45 ERA)
Crispino D’Urso (1-1, 3.09 ERA) vs. B.J. Butrico (3-2, 7.45 ERA)

The Elks only carried right-handed starting pitchers.

Game 1
POR: 2B Yocum – C Rivas – RF V.D. Morales – 1B Woodley – CF Hamel – LF van Otterdijk – 3B Gonzales – SS McFarland – P Gaytan
VAN: SS Barraza – 2B Ratliff – LF Dille – RF Bustillos – CF D. Moore – 1B Eaves – C Ma. Lopez – 3B Terrazas – P Jay Williams

It was frosty cold in Elk City, and soon enough in my heart back in Portland as well when the damn Elks unloaded for three doubles by Roberto Barraza, John Bustillos, and Dan Moore, and another RBI single by Tyler Eaves right in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead against a really, really, REALLY useless looking Tony Gaytan.

Jay Williams wouldn’t get the W, and not for anything the Raccoons’ offense did; he left after three innings with an apparent injury, and the bullpen got involved on the right side of the box score. Initially undeterred, the Elks got an inning from Juan Rosado, but lifted him for a pinch-hitter with two outs in the bottom 4th, and Ben Craig drove in Juan Terrazas to tack on a fourth run against Gaytan. The Coons’ starter was sent packing after five, and a 2-run homer by Bustillos that extended the score to 6-0. Guerrero pinch-hit for him and singled in the top 6th, Yocum also singled, and Rivas hit into a double play to keep the team very much down. Bottom 6th, Cam Jackson got the ball and walked the leadoff batters, 7-8 pair Mario Lopez and Terrazas, and gave up a bases-filling 1-out single to Barraza. Yanked, he was replaced by Gabriel Rios, who struck out Andy Ratliff and then fell 3-1 behind Kevin Dille, before the left-handed batter grounded out to Yocum.

The Raccoons didn’t get on the board until the final inning, facing lefty Paul Wolk. Yocum opened with a single and Rivas, having done enough damage to exclusively his own team in the game, was hit for by Nick Luebbert, who sluebbered a homer to left. John Steele replaced the southpaw, was taken deep by V.D. Morales, and then Danny Nava, ex-Coon, took over. Woodley singled, Brown batted for the pitcher Newhard and singled, and then the Otter hit an RBI double to right, and suddenly the tying runs were in scoring position with nobody out…! Gonzales promptly grounded out, scoring a run, and there were still two outs to play with. Nava lost McFarland to ball four in a full count, had Morentin at 1-2 in the #9 hole before giving up an infield roller that became an infield single, and now the bases were loaded for Yocum – and he also fell to 1-2, but then shoved a grounder past Barraza at short! The Otter scored to tie the game, and McFarland was sent around from second and scored ahead of Dille’s throw to home plate to give Portland the lead after a MASSIVE meltdown for the damn Elks!! Jason Stine was the FOURTH Elks tosser of the inning, struck out Luebbert, and then gave up a 3-run homer to Morales, his second of the inning…!! The Elks fans now began to boo and harass their own team. Woodley hit another single before Brown made the last out of the TEN-run inning with a K. Rismiller got the ball for the bottom 9th, gave up a hit to Bustillos, but put the lid on before it got dicey. 10-6 Furballs!!! Yocum 4-5, 2 RBI; Luebbert (PH) 1-2, HR, 2 RBI; V.D. Morales 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI; Woodley 2-5; Brown (PH) 1-2; van Otterdijk 2-4, 2B, RBI; Guerrero (PH) 1-1;

(snickers all the way to bed)

Game 2
POR: 2B Yocum – CF Hamel – RF V.D. Morales – 1B Woodley – LF van Otterdijk – C Brown – 3B Gonzales – SS Mata – P Vin. Morales
VAN: SS Barraza – 2B Ratliff – LF Dille – RF Bustillos – CF D. Moore – 1B Eaves – C Ma. Lopez – 3B Terrazas – P Branco

A pair of extra-base knocks by Hamel and Woodley put the Coons on top in the first, 1-0, but the Elks got singles to center from Barraza and Ratliff to start the bottom 1st against a listless Vinny Morales and scored the tying run on productive outs, but left Ratliff at second base. The top *three* in the lineup all hit singles to begin the third inning, but we got off relatively lightly on Bustillos’ sac fly and then two poor outs by Dan Moore and Tyler Eaves. Mata and Yocum got singles in the fifth inning to tie that one back up at two runs a-side, and in between the Raccoons had done a big ol’ nothing. Dan Moore drove home two more runs for the damn Elks in the bottom 5th, plating Ratliff and Dille, who had piled more singles onto Vinny Morales.

Morales pitched six innings, but they were six dreadful innings, before McMahan added four and Jackson two outs of scoreless relief, but the Raccoons were on the short end of the score into the ninth again thanks to a severe lack of hitting, but the Otter’s leadoff single past Barraza off John Steele put the tying run in the box again. Steele struck out Gonzales, and Mata flew out to right. Rivas batted for the pitcher, but made the final out to second base. 4-2 Canadiens. V.D. Morales 2-4;

Sucky game, but at least Humph started a rehab assignment in AAA on Wednesday, and maybe we could get him back before the end of the week.

Game 3
POR: 2B Yocum – CF Hamel – RF V.D. Morales – 1B Woodley – LF Morentin – C Rivas – 3B Gonzales – SS McFarland – P Walla
VAN: SS Barraza – 2B Ratliff – LF Dille – RF Bustillos – CF D. Moore – 1B Eaves – C Ma. Lopez – 3B Terrazas – P Speake

The Coons rushed for a 4-0 lead before Walla got to touch the baseball, getting Hamel and Morales on base before scoring two pairs on a Woodley double, then a Morentin homer – the first of his career. Walla then began to throw zeroes on the board – as you’d hope for – but not too cleanly. The Elks had a runner on base in each of the first three innings, although Eaves in the second inning reached on a Gonzales error. In the fourth, Dille and Bustillos hit a pair of leadoff singles to create a bit of a jam, but a fly to center by Moore, a K on Eaves, and Mario Lopez’ grounder to short prevented them from scoring as well.

The Coons had stopped hitting altogether by now, and the Elks did not reach base in the fifth and sixth innings, but then got a run on a pair of singles by Moore and Lopez in the bottom 7th, reducing the lead to 4-1. Barraza hit another leadoff single in the eighth, and that knocked out Walla, with Rios coming in to face the left-handed 2-3-4 array. Two pops and a grounder, all to Yocum, stranded the runner at first. On the other paw, and still in a 4-1 game, the Raccoons barely partaking in the top halves of innings after the first, Pedro Valentin came in and gave up a single to Moore and a homer to Eaves in the bottom 9th, and suddenly this was an uncomfortably close 4-3 game. Valentin, mad at himself, then blasted away Lopez and Terrazas, and Ben Craig flew out easily to Morales, but good grief… 4-3 Raccoons. Hamel 2-4; Morentin 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Gonzales 2-4; Walla 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (4-0);

Game 4
POR: 2B Yocum – CF Hamel – RF V.D. Morales – 1B Woodley – LF Morentin – C Brown – 3B Gonzales – SS Luebbert – P D’Urso
VAN: SS Barraza – 2B Ratliff – LF Dille – RF Bustillos – CF D. Moore – 1B Eaves – C Ma. Lopez – 3B Terrazas – P Butrico

Hamel homered in the first for a quick 1-0 lead, and Gonzales and Luebbert took the corners on 1-out hits in the second inning, but then had D’Urso hit into a double play. Crispy Bear at least got six straight outs to begin his day, and then a bigger lead in the third inning, which began with a pair of outs, but then Morales hit a sharp single to right, Butrico walked the bags full with Woodley and Morentin, and Sam Brown then shanked another sharp liner to right-center for a 2-run single and a 3-0 lead. There was then a wild pitch, a full count and a walk to Edgar Gonzales, but Luebbert grounded out to Ratliff to end the inning. Crispy Bear was perfect the first time through the Elks order, with only one strikeout though, then hit a double to left for the first base hit of his career, but was left on base by the 1-2-3 batters.

After nobody reached in the first three innings, everybody reached base for the Elks in the fourth, beginning with a Barraza single to left. Ratliff whiffed, but Barraza stealing second, a wild pitch and a walk to Dille added traffic. Bustillos got the Elks on the board with a sac fly, and Moore’s and Eaves’ 2-out singles plated another run before Lopez popped out to leave the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Top 5th, Morentin singled, Brown drew the sixth walk from Butrico, and a groundout by Gonzales led to another intentional walk to Luebbert with one down. Crispy Bear then put the 0-1 pitch into play, but right at the shortstop for an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Hamel tripled in the sixth, having all the hard parts of the cycle down, but not that much time left; for the moment, Morales plated him on a groundout for a 4-2 score. D’Urso then took that into the eighth inning, but walked the leadoff man John Sargent in the #9 hole. Barraza popped out, and then it was lefty time with five outs to go. McMahan got two of them when Ratliff grounded to Yocum for a 4-6-3 double play. The Raccoons did nothing of value in the ninth, and while Valentin was up, the Raccoons sent McMahan back out for the ninth since Dille and Bustillos were still lingering along with their natural musk. Both grounded out, and the Coons tried to end it with the lefty, but Moore singled. Right-hander John Vaillancourt then pinch-hit for the pitcher in the #6 spot and here came Valentin, punching a cheap save with a strikeout. 4-2 Coons. Hamel 2-4, BB, HR, 3B, RBI; Woodley 2-3, 2 BB; Morentin 2-4, BB; Luebbert 1-2, 2 BB; D’Urso 7.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, W (2-1) and 1-4, 2B;

Raccoons (15-13) @ Buffaloes (10-17) – May 6-8, 2072

The Coons closed out the loooong road trip by visiting the last-place Buffos, who sat tenth in runs scored and seventh in runs allowed in the Federal League. The rotation was decent, but the pen had an ERA over ive, undoing much of the good work done before them. They had little power in addition to only hitting .241 as a team. The only injury was pitcher Aaron Ledbetter. These teams had met in both of the last two seasons, and both times Portland had only gotten one win in the series.

Projected matchups:
Jimmy Wharton (3-2, 3.74 ERA) vs. Ignazio Flores (2-1, 2.57 ERA)
Tony Gaytan (0-3, 5.40 ERA) vs. Alfredo Picun (1-3, 3.95 ERA)
Vinny Morales (0-3, 7.20 ERA) vs. T.J. Herbert (0-5, 3.77 ERA)

Flores was the only lefty starter we’d get this week.

Game 1
POR: 2B Yocum – CF Hamel – 1B V.D. Morales – RF van Otterdijk – LF Guerrero – C Rivas – 3B Gonzales – SS McFarland – P Wharton
TOP: 2B Jer. White – CF J. Velazquez – RF Pinault – 3B Hood – C R. Perez – SS M. Young – LF Banuelos – P I. Flores – 1B Ferrari

Batting the pitcher eighth and the first baseman ninth merited a 10-run drumming, but the Raccoons did nothing in the first, and Jimmy gave up a single to Jeremy White, balked, and gave up quick runs on Javier Velazquez and Roland Hood knocks, then walked Ruben Perez and saw Matt Young reach on an error by Gonzales before Jose Banuelos popped out to short – and the pitcher batting EIGHTH made the easy third out with the bases loaded. Everybody on the visiting brown team needed a little while to rally from that, and at least the next few innings from Jimmy were a little less frightful. The Coons entered the fourth inning still trailing 2-0, then got Hamel on base with a leadoff single. Morales flew out, and the Otter reached on an error by White. Jesus Guerrero ran into a fast fatball and BELTED a 3-run homer to flip the score…! The bottom of the inning saw Matt Young draw a leadoff walk, then steal second. Banuelos singled to right, Young went home, but van Otterdijk struck the tying run down at the plate with a strong throw, and subsequently Banuelos was stranded at second base after a bunt and a groundout. In turn, Banuelos then threw out McFarland at the plate to end the top 5th, the Coons having gotten him and Yocum on base with a pair of free passes, and into scoring position on a double steal. We didn’t score there, either.

An orgy of outs followed until Banuelos hit a leadoff double in the bottom 7th, putting the tying run back into scoring position. Flores bunted him to third, and Jimmy rung up Ferrari, but then was replaced with Holzmeister, who hadn’t pitched at all in Elk City. He entered in a double switch, Luebbert replacing Gonzales at third base, and nearly gave up a score-flipping 2-out homer to the .194 hitter White, but the Otter made the catch on the dirt after hustling back.

Luebbert led off the eighth with a soft single. Yocum lined out to center, but Hamel and Morales dumped more singles off Flores, and Luebbert made for home from second. Velazquez fired home, and would have had him on distance if his aim had been true, but he pulled Ruben Perez off the plate, and Luebbert slid in safe, 4-2. The trailing runners advanced, the Otter was walked intentionally, Guerrero fanned, and Ramon Mata pinch-hit for a hitless Rivas against the lefty Flores… and got his first career RBI’s with a 2-out single to left! That knocked out both Flores and Holzmeister, as Sam Brown pinch-hit for the righty against right-hander Jaden Kelly, hit a fly to left that Banuelos dropped for two bases and an unearned run, but Banuelos then actually caught McFarland’s fly to left. Down five, the Buffos suffered injury to insult when Velazquez hurt himself running the bases in the bottom 8th against Newhard, and had to be replaced with Tyler Chenette. 7-2 Raccoons. Hamel 2-5; Mata (PH) 1-1, 2 RBI;

Despite the two runs, Ramon Mata (.222, 0 HR, 2 RBI) was sent back to AAA after this game to get Steve Humphries back on the roster after three games in AAA rehab for the veteran leftfielder. Morentin remained on the roster since he could play some backup infield, but technically we now carried six outfielders.

Yocum got a day off on Saturday after a pair of oh-fers.

Game 2
POR: LF Humphries – CF Hamel – RF V.D. Morales – 1B Woodley – 3B Gonzales – C Brown – 2B Luebbert – SS McFarland – P Gaytan
TOP: SS M. Young – RF Banuels – CF Pinault – 1B Ferrari – 2B Jer. White – C R. Perez – LF Chenette – 3B Gallo – P Picun

Humph returned with a single, then right away scored on Hamel’s homer to left for an instant 2-0 lead. Morales walked, Picun balked, Woodley singled, and Gonzales hit an RBI double. Sam Brown finally made an out with a grounder to first, not bringing in a run, but Luebbert hit a sac fly, 4-0, and McFarland was pitched to and did not make it a bad move, flying out easily to Banuelos in right.

Gaytan gave up a couple of long fly balls as well as a few walks in the early innings, but no runs; however, he drilled Pinault in the bottom 4th and then was taken quite deep by Jeremy White to cut the lead in half. The Raccoons responded by … stranding pairs of runners in the next two innings, including Hamel and his leadoff double in the top 5th… Morales and Woodley got singles to begin the seventh inning, but Gonzales and Brown made meek outs. Luebbert was walked intentionally by the Buffos for some odd reason, and we sent the Otter to bat for McFarland with three on and two gone… but he popped out behind home plate.

All of this was building towards a late collapse, and Gaytan promptly gave up a leadoff double to Ruben Perez in the bottom of the seventh. Chenette and former Critters third baseman J.P. Gallo made soft outs, though, and the runner was still at second base. Outfielder Felix Casares then made his season debut as switch-poking pinch-hitter. Cam Jackson replaced Gaytan, got the K, and the Raccoons maintained their 4-2 lead.

For the moment; Rios came in for the eighth, put Young and Banuelos on base immediately, the Coons couldn’t turn two on Pinault’s grounder to short, where Morentin was now playing and wasn’t quick enough to spin it for a pair, and so the inning continued after a K to Ferrari. Holzmeister came in for White, got him to 1-2, gave up a rocket to left-center, but Hamel managed to throw himself into that missile and made the catch to end that inning, too, leaving the tying runs on the corners.

The Raccoons scratched out another insurance run in the ninth inning, which Morales led off with a single, stole second, and then came in on Gonzales’ 1-out double to left, giving a 5-2 lead to Valentin after the 6-7 batters made unhelpful outs. Valentin then gave up another homer in the inning, a 2-out solo shot by Gallo, to make us wonder whether his expiring contract wasn’t a blessing after all. He retired the other three Buffos he faced. 5-3 Raccoons. Humphries 2-4, BB, 2B; Hamel 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; V.D. Morales 2-3, 2 BB; Woodley 2-5; Gonzales 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI;

Y’know what? This victory launched the Raccoons into first place in the North. We had started the week 3 1/2 games behind the Crusaders, who were now playing like the Critters had played to begin the year: woefully!

Game 3
POR: LF Humphries – 2B Yocum – CF Hamel – RF V.D. Morales – 1B Woodley – 3B Gonzales – C Rivas – SS McFarland – P Vin. Morales
TOP: SS M. Young – RF Banuelos – LF A. Barnes – CF Pinault – 1B Ferrari – 2B Jer. White – C Cohen – 3B Hood – P Herbert

Sunday’s starters were a total of 0-8 on the season. Young reached on an error by Vinny, who struck out a pair before Young got himself caught stealing to end the bottom 1st. The only base hit the first time through (for either team) was a Ferrari single in the second inning. The Coons failed to convert McFarland getting plunked to begin the third inning, and then Hamel got hit to begin the fourth! Morales grounded out and Woodley at least found the H column with a scratch single, putting runners on the corners with one out in the scoreless affair. Gonzales’ long sac fly broke the ice, but Rivas fanned to leave Woodley on base. Vinny Morales then exploded *immediately*, giving up a double to Banuelos, a homer to Alex Barnes, two more singles in the inning, but Hamel held the Buffos from scoring even more runs, rushing down Roland Hood’s 2-out drive for the third out of the inning.

While Herbert piled up nine strikeouts in six innings and just allowed that Woodley single, Morales kept scattering runners everywhere and was yanked with nobody out in the bottom 6th after Barnes singled (and was run for with Luis Vazquez), Pinault walked, and McFarland fudged Ferrari’s grounder for an error. Jeremy White POUNDED a grand slam off Rismiller to put the game away.

Or did he? Down by five, the Coons got Gonzales and McFarland to the corners for one out in the seventh. Van Otterdijk batted for the pitcher and shunted an RBI double to center, 6-2 and two in scoring position. Humph fanned and Yocum’s drive was rushed down by Tyler Chenette, now playing leftfield, and the runners remained on base. Scoreless relief from McMahan and Newhard was valiant enough, but the game was too far gone. Rivas and McFarland made easy outs to begin the ninth inning against Josh Morris, and Morentin pinch-hit and grounded out to third ba- … nope, Ferrari dropped the throw. Error, and the game continued. Humph walked, and the Buffos sent closer Alvaro Garza. Yocum flew out to center, and now the inning was *really* over. 6-2 Buffaloes. Woodley 2-4; van Otterdijk (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI;

In other news

May 2 – Knights outfielder David Mendoza (.303, 5 HR, 19 RBI) was expected to miss three months minimum after tearing his labrum.
May 5 – Trade between World Series foes: the Miners acquire LF/RF Alfredo Rosado (.375, 1 HR, 7 RBI) from the Aces, along with #195 prospect SS Ramon Fernandez, for SP Harrison Bucci (4-0, 2.31 ERA).
May 5 – Knights OF/2B Joel Ehlers (.242, 2 HR, 10 RBI) suffers a concussion in an on-base collision and is expected to miss at least three weeks.
May 5 – The Crusaders beat the Loggers, 5-3 in 14 innings. NYC SS Bobby Wildman (.200, 1 HR, 2 RBI) hits his first career home run, but otherwise goes 0-for-6.
May 5 – Sacramento beats the Stars, 6-5 in 14 innings.
May 6 – Hardly any of 18 pitches used gets off scot-free in the Warriors’ 17-16 victory over the Canadiens, which takes 13 innings to complete, in which no hurler goes further than 3.1 innings, and in which the lead changes hands six times. VAN RF/LF John Bustillos (.336, 5 HR, 19 RBI) has five hits, a triple shy of the cycle, and drives in four runs for the best individual offensive performance.
May 7 – Miners SP Alex Perez (3-1, 3.31 ERA) 3-hits the Crusaders in a 4-0 shutout.
May 7 – The Knights dismember the Wolves by a score of *23-1*, scoring 14 runs in the eighth inning alone. Every Knight in the starting lineup reaches base safely at least twice and scores at least one run. All but the 8-9 batters get RBI’s. SAL MR Tomas Restrepo (0-0, 10.57 ERA) gives up six runs without retiring anybody.
May 8 – Rebs LF/CF Juan Licona (.291, 6 HR, 11 RBI) might miss the rest of the month with an intercostal strain.

Player of the Week (FL): SAC SP Bobby O’Connor (4-2, 2.25 ERA), hurling for a 2-0 mark and 15 scoreless innings
Player of the Week (CL): ATL RF/LF Tom Troxel (.341, 5 HR, 13 RBI), drilling .407 (11-27) with 5 HR, 12 RBI

Complaints and stuff

Our surprise appearance in first place on Saturday didn’t survive another Vinny Morales appearance, and by now the question beckoned whether his 129th ABL start was indeed his last. He couldn’t get anybody out this year, and he had a 1.83 WHIP, which was outlandish.

In scheduling terms, the Raccoons had the next three Mondays off, so we needed that spot next week. I didn’t like Centeno’s K/BB numbers too much, so it seemed like Steve George would make a comeback rising from the dead in AAA, much like Vinny had made in ’68 two years after a craptastic first ten games in ’66. George had posted a 5.84 ERA in 16 relief appearances for the 2070 Raccoons, and last year had only been brought up for a single inning (scoreless, at least). He’d turn 26 in June, his arsenal was nothing to write home about, he had a flyball tendency (5 HR in 24.2 innings in ’70), but it was worth the attempt. Vinny was out of options, by the way.

Gaytan at least won a game… let’s dismember our rotation one guy at a time, shall we?

Getting Humph back should help a bit, although Yocum hasn’t landed a hit in four straight games (including a dry PH appearance on Saturday). I’m sure it’s gonna be fiiiiiine.

After this rough road trip we get to spend two straight weeks at home, facing the Stingers, Loggers, Titans, and Thunder in that order.

Fun Fact: While the Raccoons had gone 15-6 after a 2-8 start, the Crusaders tried to go the other way round.

The Crusaders had started the season *13-1*, before losing three straight, and then another eight outta nine from April into May, the only victory in that stretch being the middle game of the Raccoons series from the 29th to May 1. This week they went 2-5, and they had lost four series in a row for a 5-13 record since their start in sixth gear.