[Westheim]

We opened the Loggers series and the month of June with a complete game performance by Ned Ray in a 6-3 win. Two scored against Ray on a long ball in the bottom 9th. Costa and Simon both went 3-5. We also killed Alex Garcia’s 25-game hitting streak in this game, but Darryl Maloney bruised his toe early and had to leave the game. He was back in the lineup the next day, though. Garcia took revenge the next day and homered off Tony Lopez in the first inning. Lopez made another start and just like last year it was a horrible sight. Bill Craig was rocked for more late and the Raccoons lost 7-3. Juan Berrios was pitted against Pablo Ruiz in the rubber game. Both sported ERAs over five and had a K/BB ratio below 1.00 – accordingly the game was scoreless through five. (blinks) While Berrios relied heavily on his defensive backups, Ruiz fanned six early, before he started to crumble. The Raccoons wrecked him in the sixth and seventh for five runs, while Berrios and Justice combined for the 5-0 shutout.

From now until the All Star break beginning July 9, the Raccoons would only have one more off day. That’s six weeks with 40 games in them. Yay.

First in that grind were the Indians, who were running away with the division. The Raccoons got up 2-0 in the top 1st, but Powell ended up losing it 5-3. Daniel Hall was injured, a strained hamstring ended his June early. He was DL’ed after the Indians series and Ben Cox recalled for further audition.

Game 2. Ned Ray was pitted against Du Tong. Both left after five being pinch hit for and 3-1 down against a pitching heavy team with my offense I threw in Jerry Morris, who hadn’t pitched in over a week for sucking. He managed to wind through 1.1 innings with a walk, a wild pitch, and a hit batsman. Between innings, Sánz had launched a 3-run shot to turn the game around 4-3 for the Raccoons. Morris went after putting two on with one out in the bottom 7th. Justice got a ground ball double play to end the inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. Still up 4-3, Gaston entered in the bottom 9th to save it. Walk, groundball out, then he plunked Kurt Taylor, who was faster than lightning and represented the winning run. Gaston was yanked for Hatfield, who couldn’t keep it tight and the game went to extra innings. My head was glowing red by then. Hatfield somehow wobbled through the 10th and 11th innings with the winning run on third each time. Craig pitched a scoreless 12th, then led off the 13th by bunting, but was thrown out. Zuniga whiffed, and Flores whopped a pathetic ball to left. He would have been out, but the Indians botched the play and Flores reached second on a throwing error. Sànz pierced one up the middle to score him and the Raccoons entered the bottom 13th with a 1-run lead. Craig failed, but O’Rearden came in and got two ground balls that Johnston and Sullivan made into outs for the 5-4 win. O’Rearden got his first majors save.

Tony Lopez made another start in the rubber game. The Raccoons scored four off Ray Lynch in the first two innings, but Lopez found no way out of the bottom 2nd and was removed after giving up four walks and four hits for four runs. Covering nine frames now with that depleted bullpen was an extra challenge. Simon scored Johnston in the fifth for a new 5-4 lead, while entering the bottom 6th I had only five relievers left: the exhausted Hatfield (bad choice), the struggling Gaston (bad choice), the terrible Morris (terrible choice) and Jenkins and Justice. Jenkins got the task to cover three scoreless innings. He surrendered four runs in the sixth. Raccoons lost 8-5.

The Blue Sox were next for the second week of interleague play. They were thoroughly average so far with a 31-28 record as they came to Portland. We entered with only two rested relievers, so Berrios had to go deep in game 1. He gave up four runs in the top 4th en route to a 7-3 loss. Six were on Berrios, who in turn slashed a solo home run himself. All effort in vain of course, this team can’t afford to give up four over nine innings, let alone seven. We then got a much needed long outing from Powell, who went eight frames with only one run against him, while also starring at the plate with a 2-4, 1 RBI outing. Simon went 2-4 with a homer, and Ben Cox went 3-5 with his first home run, which was also his first RBI in the majors, in his first complete game since replacing Hall again. Lopez pitched a scoreless ninth, indicating already that he would not have another start to be slapped around in. Slapped around was Ned Ray, who took the loss in the rubber game. A late rally fell short and the Raccoons lost 5-3.

The Gold Sox were up next and we had to beat them hard. They were 9th or worse in the FL in all of average, runs scored, runs against, ERA for starters and the pen, with two 12th places. The Raccoons were not quite as bad, 12th in average and runs scored, 6th in runs allowed, 11th in starters ERA, and 3rd in bullpen ERA.

Then of course, we sent out Jerry Morris to start it. He lost it with a 3-run fourth inning that crashed a tender 1-0 lead, and the Raccoons lost 5-3 with four runs on Morris, who didn’t make it through the fifth. I was sick of that guy.

Looking for opportunities to dump him and get a replacement and minimum sacrifices I came across Jeff Thompson of the Scorpions. They would give him up and swallow Morris if I packaged him with minors 3B Cameron Green, who was batting .281 with 13 homers at AAA. Tempting, I admit. I made an offer without Green, but I don’t think they’ll take it.

Then there was still the Gold Sox series left to complete. Berrios pitched game 2 and was horrible again, allowing all runs in the 5-4 loss, going six innings. Pedro Sánz was injured in the game making a tough catch landing awkwardly. With Sánz out for the moment, I tried Robby Davis in RF in game 3. The Raccoons tried to salvage at least one game against the FL’s worst team.

But … the Gold Sox put five runs on Powell into the fifth inning – and *then* topped that off with nice grand slam. Raccoons lost 10-5.

In other news:
June 2 – The Scorpions trade Bill Peterson to Oklahoma City for Glenn Williams and a catching prospect. Peterson has 38 career home runs and is with his fourth team now.
June 2 – As the Wolves shut out the Warriors 1-0, Victor Soto pitches a 2-hit shutout.
June 6 – Rebels 1B Craig Snow, who’s earning a quarter million bucks this year at age 41 and only had to come to bat seven times so far, has been traded to the Gold Sox for centerfielder Fernando Silva, who is actually producing. The Gold Sox management must be completely retarded.
June 8 – Indian Salah Brunet pitches a 3-hit shutout of the Cyclones in a 7-0 win.
June 9 – Big deal, as the Indians acquire shortstop Ken Adams from the Titans in exchange for starter Du Tong (5-5, 3.57) and a minor leaguer.
June 11 – The Bayhawks beat the Wolves 6-0, with Kinji Kan pitching a 3-hit shutout.
June 12 – The Loggers shut out the Rebels 7-0, as Greg O’Brien pitches a 3-hit shutout.

Next, a 4-game series against the Crusaders, then on the road the rest of the month. The draft will take place during the Crusaders series.

And for bad news: Pedro Sánz was diagnosed as having torn ligaments in his ankle. He was out for at least a month.

100% pain. 110% frustration. I’m about sick of it …