View Single Post
Old 10-11-2012, 06:20 PM   #72
Westheim
Hall Of Famer
 
Westheim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Germany
Posts: 11,803
Raccoons (47-55) vs. Thunder (60-40)

Oklahoma City had the second-best record in the majors and the best in the Continental League. They looked like they were seriously playoff-bound. The Raccoons had lost four of their last six and had not scored more than six runs in 29 days. The Thunder had done it six times in the same timeframe, and twice in the last week. The Raccoons, accordingly, wore their good diapers for this series…

Berrios started it and surprisingly kept the score 0-0 for seven innings, but put on the first two batters in the eighth and took the loss, when Bill Craig was taken deep. Ken O’Hoey shut out the Raccoons over eight frames and we lost 3-0. The next day Jorge Romero allowed eight hits over seven innings, but the damage done was limited: two runs. Daniel Hall’s 3-run blast in the fourth was already enough, and the Raccoons won 5-2, although we had a scary eighth, pieced together with three different relievers, after Ben Jenkins again could not get outs. Gaston had his 28th save on eight pitches. This was Romero’s 10th win of the season, the first Raccoon to get there this year, on August 2. He had won 15 for the Condors in ’77 and 14 for the Raccoons in ’78, but only one in his injury-ridden 1979 season.

Game 3 saw Pedro Hermundo back. His elbow had been bruised by a baseball a few days earlier, and we had played Alberto Colón at third. He had been very good in the field (as expected) but had gone 0-10 at the plate with two walks (as feared).

The Raccoons never had a stake in game 3. Powell as a contact pitcher was hurt big time by two home runs and six runs total over 5.2 innings. The Thunder scored one more off Jenkins and two off Bojorquez (this one a jack, too), and won 9-3. Bocci was 3-4, and Hermundo was so as well and also had 2 RBI.

Raccoons (48-57) @ Condors (45-60)

The series started with Roman Ocasio and an early 1-0 lead for the Raccoons, but Ocasio imploded as early as the second. This was however not about Ocasio here, it was the game of Daniel Hall. He had scored the Raccoons’ first run, then hit a liner into the left field corner and circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run! Up again in the next inning, he shot a 3-run bomb to left (both balls passed through the realm of LF Ed Sullivan, a former Raccoon). Ocasio was chased in the fourth and Rich Hughes brought 3.2 wobbly innings. The Raccoons won 8-4 with Hall’s stats being 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB and a few good catches as well. Clark, Sánz, Simon, and Cook all had two hits. Rich Hughes earned his first major league win.

Hall now also led the team in home runs with 10 this year, which was a poor number looked back to the last seasons, but Simon had an off year. Nixon had been out front with nine, but he was hurt now and stuck there.

We needed Gary Simmons to go deep in game 2, since the bullpen had gotten a lot of work, but Simmons was very wild. Over 6.1 innings he had all sixes: 6 H, 6 BB, 6 K. 3-1 down, he was pulled, and the Raccoons lost 5-1, because Bojorquez gave up two runs trying to get out three lefties.

Bojorquez had an ERA of 9.95 and was sent where Bill Baker and his 9.98 ERA had gone: AAA. Carlos Moran had given up a single run in 10.2 innings since being sent down and was recalled. Rich Hughes was now the only lefty in the pen. What do I care?

Rubber game. The Raccoons scored three in the first and four in the fourth. When Berrios started the bottom 4th, he had not given up a bit. When the inning was over, Carlos Moran was in and the game had gone from 7-0 to 7-6. Moran gave up another run in the fifth to tie it, and the Raccoons were on the corners with nobody out and didn’t score in the top 6th. Angel Costa doubled to lead off the top 7th, and the Raccoons DIDN’T SCORE. Daniel Hall led off the eighth and slammed it a mile over Ed Sullivan in left field to make It 8-7. Bocci doubled in pinch hitter Ben Cox in the ninth and Wally Gaston held on to it for a nerve-wrecking 9-7 win.

Raccoons (50-58) vs. Titans (54-55)

The 4-game series opened with a complete game win by Jorge Romero, 5-1, with the only Titans run unearned after a throwing error by Stephano Bocci. Hoyt Cook was 2-3 with a walk and is now hitting .309 for the season! He has pushed Wyatt Johnston over to the bench for the moment. No replacement player ever came into the game for either team.

Sean Critch returned the favor of domination the next day. Through eight innings, he 3-hit the Raccoons, while Powell was good, but gave up three (two earned) over seven frames. Up 3-0, the Titans brought in Chip Ellis for the bottom 9th. Both Cox and Sánz were walked, which brought up Ben Simon with two down. He worked a full count, then sunk one into the left field bleachers to tie the game and get Powell off the hook. The game went to extra innings, where all offense screeched to a halt for a few innings. Jenkins went three frames, and Cooper went two, but stuttered in the 15th inning. Hughes came in to get lefties, but the Titans scored two. Simon and Clark, the last Raccoon off the bench, were retired by Tim Moss (in his fourth inning himself), then Hermundo squeezed one down the left field line. Johnston came up and bashed a home run – tied again! The lefties then got to Wally Gaston in his second inning and the Raccoons lost 6-5 in the 17th inning…

The bullpen now was wrecked for the next few days – how fittingly the Roman Ocasio was up next and he hadn’t even covered four innings his last time out. Such a start would kill me for good until the next off day (another series away). This was too critical with the next series being against the Loggers (last place no more! (shakes fist menacingly)), and we called up Tony Lopez to eat innings just in case. Sherwood Henderson was sent down, being in a deep hole at the plate anyway.

Ocasio surprised in a positive way, going 6.2 innings, and although he allowed four runs, he fanned seven, which was one short of his season total thus far. Lopez ended the seventh, but busted the Raccoons’ 5-4 lead in the eighth. We tied it at 6-6 and went to extra innings yet again. We had our chances in the ninth and especially in the 11th, where Pedro Sánz hit a sharp liner with two out and the bags full, but right into the glove of SS Dimian Barrios. We lost it in the 13th inning, when the Titans scored twice and the Raccoons only once, for an 8-7 loss.

Those two games stung again. With a sweep we would have passed the Titans in the division, but now we were on the verge of sinking to last again. Simmons pitched like Ocasio the day before, seven innings, seven K’s, but also allowed four runs (two earned). Unlike the day before, the Raccoons didn’t make it up and lost 4-3.

What a bitter series. We outscored the Titans 20-19 (that alone should earn us some medals), but lost three of four. The bullpen was seriously used up in the series, although only Jenkins pitched in game 4.

At least Daniel Hall got Player of the Week honors with a 12-31 (.387), 4 HR, 8 RBI line.

Raccoons (51-61) vs. Loggers (49-63)

Get swept and get passed for last. No, we want to sweep the Loggers, but it will have to start with Berrios.

Many things started with Berrios, but mostly it was the Loggers’ scoring. Berrios went 3.2 innings and surrendered six runs and the Raccoons lost 7-4. The seventh run was on Lopez. Daniel Hall had been rested, and the offense was lacking, getting in just one dangerous inning against Bill Warren.

After a 3-1 loss in game 2, where the Raccoons only had four hits and failed to support Jorge Romero, game 3 was Powell (7-6, 3.07 ERA) against Greg O’Brien (6-12, 4.46 ERA). This was for last place. Powell surrendered a home run to Steve Bean (his first of the season) in the fourth – and the Raccoons let him die out there. They lost 2-1, and dropped to last place, having lost six straight.

Raccoons (51-64) @ Wolves (61-54)

I wasn’t in the mood for an Oregon series, not at all. We had lost the only one so far, in 1977, 1-2. The Wolves had a good team and had all it took to sweep this Raccoons, where Hall had cooled off to ice within days, fanning in almost every AB. Simon had never been a clutch hitter and Sánz and Hermundo couldn’t carry the team alone.

With Ocasio and Berrios included in the rotation for this series, another loss was already acknowledged here, even before the first pitch.

Ocasio (0-3, 5.60 ERA) vs. Javier Martinez (2-11, 4.99 ERA). Of course this led to seven scoreless innings for both to start the game, then Ocasio was lifted for a pinch hitter. Ben Jenkins allowed a run in the bottom 8th and the Raccoons lost 1-0. The next day, somehow the offense got it going and the Raccoons led 5-0 after six and 10-0 after eight. Lopez was in the game to start the bottom 9th and it derailed massively in an unbelievable way. He surrendered a leadoff jack to Christian Hampton, then put two out and two on. Rich Hughes walked the only batter he faced. Stanton Coleman surrendered three straight hits (that’s why I hate him). Enough, bring me Wally Gaston! It was not a safe situation, with the Raccoons up 10-5 and two on. Gaston walked Hampton on four straight, facing Ryan Childress with the bases loaded. Childress stuffed one into deep center for a grand slam. 10-9 Raccoons. Then Luis Camacho flew out to Sánz in right.

Why the hell can’t they once hold on to a big lead, if they ever have one?? What is wrong with that bullpen, for god’s sake!!??

Tony Lopez was sent down again, his services were no longer needed. Cameron Green came up again (the pen had held eight relievers for the last week or so).

The rubber game ended 14-3 Wolves. I don’t really want to say much about it. Raccoons pitching allowed 10 H, 8 BB with 2 K. Juan Berrios didn’t even last two innings. Half the runs were unearned, but that didn’t really help soothing the pain.

How did Daniel Hall do in the week after being Player of the Week? He went 0-18, 0 HR, 0 RBI.

In other news:
August 1 – NYC Mark Lee and TIJ David Rivera brawl with each other and get suspended for five games, robbing the Condors of their shortstop against the Raccoons later in the week.
August 1 – Miguel Sanchez has a 3-hitter, as the Indians beat the Knights 3-0.
August 5 – The Cyclones drafted MR Chris Nelson in the first round and 24th overall this June and sent him straight to the majors. Ten games later, he’s torn his flexor tendon, and will have to sit out a year.
August 5 – Rebels RF Mitsuharu Yamada has hit in 20 straight games.
August 6 – The Cyclones’ Jack Pennington 3-hits the Gold Sox in a 5-0 win.
August 7 – Yamada goes 0-5 against the Capitals, ending his streak at 21.
August 15 – Canadiens closer Jose Gonzales goes down to a flexor-pronator strain for at least four weeks.
August 16 – Rebels 3B Riley Simon has a 20-game hitting streak.

After the Wolves series the Raccoons had a depressed off day. They had lost eight of nine and were 5-11 in August. Remaining is a home stint against the Buffaloes, Canadiens, Indians, and Aces.

That day the Portland Raccoons released Juan Berrios (1-10, 7.32 ERA in 1980; 26-59, 4.23 ERA overall) from his contract. There are many things a no-hitter does for you on your resume, but you can not live off of it forever.
Attached Images
Image Image 
Westheim is offline   Reply With Quote