[Westheim]

Raccoons (40-64) @ Aces (52-54)

We batted around the lineup in the first inning in game 1, scoring five runs, including a 3-run home run by Ben Simon, all off former Titan Kinji Kan. The Raccoons gave the Aces a good thumping overall with 17 hits in a 10-4 win. Powell went seven frames of 2-run ball. The other two were given up by White in the bottom 9th with two outs. I became more and more convinced that he was just not cutting it at the major league level. Johnston went 4-5, Simon 3-5 with the home run and 5 RBI, Clark 3-4 with 2 RBI.

Next game, more offense, right? Yeah? What, are you new here!? The Raccoons and Logan Evans in particular were brutally slaughtered. Evans didn’t make it through five innings, being charged with six runs. Raccoons lost 6-1, plus Ralph Nixon, who was injured on a play.

Nixon would be out six weeks with an oblique strain, which effectively was almost the rest of the season. He would come back with about two weeks remaining. That put me with Angel Costa, and I was not amused.

Game 3. Costa was now playing second base, which meant that any hopes on offense could be effectively buried. He still got his first hit since June 7, 59 days and 32 AB’s ago! The Raccoons had 10 hits to the Aces’ five, yet lost 4-2. Romero gave up four RBI doubles in seven innings. Bocci 3-4, Clark 3-5 with an RBI, but struck out with Johnston on base to end the game.

Nixon went to the DL after the Aces series, but I had another ace in my sleeve. Edgardo Gonzalez, the remains of the Dawson/Pennington trade. He could play all infield positions, but was best at short. With Simon moved to 2B, this would be a better alternative to Angel Costa. Seen, thought about, executed.

Who was Edgardo Gonzalez? He was 27, from Glendale, AZ. He had been in the Buffaloes system since 1977 and had played in the majors since 1979, but had never stuck there. In 856 AB’s with the Buffaloes he had racked up a skewed .245 / .338 / .313 line. He was drawing tons of walks, but was a singles hitter. He had a grand total of one home run. He was not very fast (3 SB in his ML career), but his defense made him a valid alternative to … let’s say Angel Costa.

Raccoons (41-66) vs. Loggers (45-63)

Gonzalez made his debut against the Loggers, playing short and batting eighth. In his first chance, he committed a throwing error. By then, the Raccoons were down 2-0, anyway, so the game was already out of reach. Why bother. Moran was awful, as was the defense, as Simon committed another error and the Raccoons were down 6-0 after the top 4th and remained so into the bottom 7th. There, Loggers starter Bill Warren lost control and walked the bases full. Henderson pinch hit for Jason White for one run. Clark struck out, which was the second out in the inning. Bocci drew a walk, 6-2, bases still loaded. Antonio Cordero came in to face Daniel Hall, who had hit only three homers this season, but he took this one deep and tied up the game with one big rip. The Raccoons walked off in the bottom 9th on a Mark Dawson RBI double that scored Ken Clark from second. The Loggers had walked Daniel Hall intentionally to get to Dawson before that. Raccoons won, 7-6. Hall was 2-3 with two walks, the homer, and 4 RBI. This was the Raccoons’ 300th win. They have 456 losses.

Simmons was shelled the next game, for nine runs in 4.2 innings. Two hits and three RBI to the opposing pitcher – way to go! Raccoons lost 10-2, Dawson hit a home run. They were shut out the next day, 2-0, on just five hits.

Game 4. Evans surrendered five runs in the second inning, three earned. Bocci kindly helped killing another game by throwing the ball a mile past Johnston at first on a sac bunt by pitcher Dominic Beniniger. Daniel Hall hit a 2-run shot, but that was all. Raccoons lost 6-2 and at the same time punched their ticket for last place four years in a row.

Raccoons (42-69) vs. Canadiens (58-52)

The Raccoons delivered – at least partially – a very fine game to open the Canadiens series. Jorge Romero pitched seven scoreless with a solo home run by Ben Simon for a 1-0 lead. Gaston and West both pitched around leadoff walks in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win, but the offense only had five hits in the game again.

Simon hit another solo shot, again in the bottom 2nd, in game 2, but this time it only tied the game after Moran had already fallen behind 1-0. We had another chance at scoring, but Edgardo Gonzalez was thrown out at the plate on a Moran double to end the inning. Daniel Hall would get the Raccoons ahead 2-1 in the bottom 6th with a solo home run. Moran would hold that through eight. In the bottom 8th Clark, Hall, and Dawson loaded up the bases with one out. Sánz and Simon were up next. What happens? 2 K’s. Of course 2 K’s. Grant West saved the 2-1 win despite walking the leadoff man again.

Next up: 15-game loser Gary Simmons. (Funny: the Loggers’ Gary Simmons has 15 wins now) he almost surrendered a 2-run homer to Luis Romero in the top 1st that Pedro Sánz scratched off the top of the wall. The Raccoons lost 4-0, amassing a total of three hits. Simmons got his 16th loss with all runs against him in seven innings. I don’t blame him. I blame the no-offense offense.

Mark Dawson got some rest in game 4, so that reduced our punch to mainly Daniel Hall. And that was it? Pedro Sánz was also taken out, but not for rest. He was benched.

(short break for that to sink in)

His K’s were getting way overboard and his hitting was down almost 50 points from last year. This could not go on this way. We’d try Sherwood Henderson in right for a few days, and maybe Troy Scott (with Clark in right) in center as an alternative. And if those replacements were done with racking up a 1-38 record at the plate, we’d go back to Sánz.

So, what happened in the first inning? The Raccoons filled the bags, and Henderson came up with two out – and was struck out by Robbie Campbell (who led the CL in K’s anyway). Jorge Romero was perfect the first time through the Canadiens lineup, but was taken deep by Luis Romero in the fourth for two runs. Eddy Bailey made it 3-0 with a long ball to start the top 7th, before the Romeros faced each other again. This time Jorge plunked Luis and a brawl ensued when the Canadiens batter stormed the mound. Both Romeros were tossed from the game and suspended for three games. Raccoons lost 5-0.

Three runs in four games. Wow.

In other news:
August 4 – Mitsuharu Yamada, just acquired from the Rebels by the Condors a month ago, is out for the season with a ruptured finger tendon.
August 7 – As the Rebels beat the Cyclones 8-5 in a tight race for the division title, Rebels 2B David Rivera bangs three home runs, going 4-4. All long balls are solo shots, and off three different pitchers (including former Raccoon Bill Baker).
August 13 – Cyclones hurler Tom Simmons tosses a 2-hit shutout against the Blue Sox in a 2-0 win.
August 13 – And one more for the wounded Raccoons soul: Alex Miranda pitched a 4-hit shutout as the Condors beat the Falcons 7-0. Miranda is 10-9 and has a 1.5 K/BB ratio.

The last week of interleague play is going to get socky with the Gold Sox and Blue Sox up. The rest of August will bring the Raccoons around a bit, to New York, Indianapolis, Tijuana, and Oklahoma City.

The team is scoring 3.21 R/G this year. This is worse than ever. No matter what I do, it only gets worse. Maybe it is me.

Is it me? :-((