[Westheim]

I didn’t expect to get much against the Crusaders but a bloody nose. The first won torched was Ned Ray, who was saddled with five in the fourth inning and was pulled. The Raccoons got some good hits late and rallied, but fell short in a 7-6 loss. This was followed up by a Jorge Romero performance that was razor sharp after two months of mild to considerable struggles. He allowed four hits and an unearned run in seven innings, laying the ground for a 2-1 win over the Crusaders. Both teams only had six hits, and the Raccoons won on a Johnston homer in the sixth. Johnston’s season was slowly coming around, it seemed. He was now .220 with 7 HR and 19 RBI after a very slow start.

We got an update on Ben Jenkins shoulder strain – it would keep him off the mound for at least another week. With that, he went to the DL, and we called up Robbie McNeill from AAA, a righty like Jenkins, but with poor movement. He had gotten his 1977 AAA ERA of 6.06 down to 2.89, so maybe he had matured some. It was about time for a guy aged 27.

Teams were offering me centerfielders now, but demanded either Christopher Powell or Juan Berrios for them and that was not a trade I’d do, especially now with my outfielders to slowly come back to join the team in the next weeks.

Two more against the Crusaders. Game 3 was lost entirely on errors committed as three runs in the 4-2 loss were unearned. Sullivan and Freddy Lopez were the culprits and Lopez had botched enough plays now and seated again. Sullivan shifted to third and Mendez came in at second. The series ended with another 4-2 loss, this time with three runs walked in by Berrios, Baker, and Vazquez. Better lock yourself in the clubhouse before I find my good belt, you bunch of suckers!

Jose Flores was back with the team and pinch-hit in the last game against New York already. He was back in the lineup starting against Sacramento. Robby Davis moved into center and Pickett, who was batting .171, was sat down.

The Scorpions were a team mirroring the Raccoons pretty good. They had solid pitching, but had a hard time scoring runs, ranking 11th in the FL in runs scored. The Raccoons ran right into “Mauler” Correa in the first game. His ERA was at 2.66 this year (after 1.27 in 1977) but he led the FL in K’s. Ned Ray was rapped hard again with four runs in the first two innings and the Raccoons hadn’t anything going. Darryl Maloney was mowed down in a home plate collision in the top 5th by Jorge Chavez. Now, Maloney got the out and ended the inning scoreless, but didn’t get to appreciate the home plate umpire bringing out the fist, instead he rolled around in the dirt holding his knee and screamed from the top of his lungs. That was the next injury, right there. The Raccoons lost 5-3. Hector Mendez provided a big RBI double in the bottom 8th, bringing runners to second and third with two outs, but Hernandez could not convert that big chance.

The Raccoons exploded for a 9-1 win the next day, courtesy to a few big shots. Ben Simon was 2-4 with two homers and five RBI, including a grand slam. Ed Sullivan also hit a 3-run shot, while the only Scorpions run was unearned. Of course, every good game was followed by at least one terrible game, as the Raccoons were rolled over in the rubber game for a 8-4 loss. Powell was removed in the fourth and the bullpen added to the mess as good as it could.

Ed Sullivan was the CL Player of the Week with a .414, 3 HR, 8 RBI stat line. This didn’t help going to Richmond against a strong team that led the FL East. Game 1 was a 4-3 loss with another poor start by Berrios and another key error that lost the game for two unearned runs. Johan Dolder was back to ready the next day, but was assigned to AAA to complete rehab for a few more days, while I brought Pickett back into the lineup in RF for Hernandez, who was batting a frightening .125. The team still lost the next game, 4-1, with only five hits, three of them in the last inning. This brought us to 32-32, the first time this season we were not over .500 and the way the team was playing, we wouldn’t get over again. The final Rebels game brought us below .500 instead. The Rebels out-hit us only 11-10, but out-scored us a whopping, stinging 9-1. Raccoons reached scoring position in six innings. No clutch hitting again. Sullivan and Johnston kept hitting streaks going this far, with Sullivan having hit in 13, Johnston in 14 straight.

Next up is the draft and a few physical punishments for the staff.

In other news:
June 7 – the Cyclones send Clarence Houston, a leftfielder batting .250, to the Capitals for two prospects, including minor league starter Dave Paul, who joined the Cincinnati pen right away. In an effort to shore up their bullpen the Cyclones also send two minor leaguers to Milwaukee for reliever Henry Peters.
June 10 – The Richmond Rebels lose 2-1 to the Charlotte Falcons in a grueling 6-hour, 22-inning struggle. The Rebels’ Riley Simon goes 6-9 on the day.
June 11 – Luis Nunez holds the Miners to a single hit in a 2-0 shutout with his Knights.
June 12 – The Cyclones lose Terence Nolan to shoulder inflammation, robbing them of a key piece to their bullpen with his 1.96 ERA.
June 12 – Salem’s Adam Quinn has now hit in 20 straight games.
June 13 – In what has become a pattern this season, Quinn can not extend his hit streak past 20, as his Wolves beat the Aces 7-4

Some choppy scheduling after the draft as we’ll be in Milwaukee, then host the Indians, go to Las Vegas, and then return home already again to host the Condors and Crusaders. We have lost seven of eight and are 4-9 in June.