[Griever20]

Week 15: 4@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(46-39), 3@ New York Mets(36-50)

July 11th

Expos Get Clutch Win, 4-3

The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Grizzlies, 4-3. Montreal pitcher and Boyden, Iowa, native Juan Miranda led the way. The rookie worked 6 innings of 2-hit and 2-run ball and got a ND. Montreal reliever Dustin Jenkins picked up the win, upping his record to 1-0. Luke Greenberg took the loss. Adam Rudolph notched his 5th save in 6 chances.

Dave Grochowski, who is tied for 5th in the EL with a .910 OPS, had a direct impact on the outcome. Grochowski contributed a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning to put Montreal up, 4-3. The 23-year old is batting .346-8-46 .910OPS 2.7WAR in 83 games.

"Honestly, I'm not frustrated," said Philadelphia manager Pat Pierce. "The effort was great."

At 37-50, the Expos find themselves in third place in the Eastern League North East Division.

Dan Hinton(R, 5-6 3.63) - Hugh Kieninger(R, 7-2 2.22) tomorrow. Ace duel again.

SP Juan Miranda 6IP 2H 2R 2ER 3BB 8K ND PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-2 R RBI 2BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 3-5 R
DH Tim McKusick 1-4 RBI
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 RBI BB
LF Chris Allen 0-3 R BB SB(4)
HR MON: Messer(4)
HR PHI: Maradiaga(12)
W: Dustin Jenkins(1-0 4.20) L: Luke Greenberg(3-1 3.31) SV: Adam Rudolph(5 1.54)
John Mannino came in in relief and allowed a 3-run homer with two inherited runners… living on borrowed time by now.

July 12th

Transactions:
Our 7th rounder, CF George Cooper(18, 3*) has signed.

Expos Lose Game, 4-2, And Hinton

Starting pitcher Hugh Kieninger fulfilled his part of the bargain, helping the Philadelphia Grizzlies stymie the Montreal Expos, 4-2. Kieninger picked up the win for Philadelphia, going 8 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits. He now sports a record of 8-2. Ricky Espinal got the save, his 2nd in 2 chances.

The Grizzlies got a big at-bat from designated hitter Roberto Jimenez. For the game, Jimenez was 1 for 4 with a double, while adding 2 RBI. In the bottom of the first, with runners on 2nd and 3rd, he stroked a 2-run double. His 13th double of the season gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

Jimenez attributed the win to his team's "focus and intensity." He is batting .227-6-32 .662OPS -0.5WAR in 72 games.

The victory gives Philadelphia a record of 47-40.

Marty Murrietta(R, 7-7 4.23) - Cristiano Zavala(R, 4-3 2.85) tomorrow. 96-98 on the heater…

SP Dan Hinton 0.2IP 2H 2R 2ER 0BB 0K ND strained back 1 week
RF Ian Messer 1-4 SB(3)
1B Matt Talbert 1-4 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4
DH Tim McKusick 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-2 R RBI BB HR
HR MON: Weltzer(6)
HR PHI: none
W: Hugh Kieninger(8-2 2.22) L: Dustin Jenkins(1-1 4.34) SV: Ricky Espinal(2 3.53)
Hard day on the bullpen…

Transactions:
Danny(23 4.5/5*, 5-6 3.77 92K 2.5WAR) gave me quite a scare… He was placed on the 15-day IL and we recalled RHSP Cesar Alvarado(22, 2.5*, 1-0 0.00 3K 0.2WAR) to take his rotation slot.

July 13th

Grizzlies Popped by Expos, 9-1

Montreal turned a good effort from starter Marty Murrietta into a win over the Philadelphia Grizzlies at Citizens Bank Park. The righty worked 7 innings of 1-run ball.

"Marty pitched his heart out," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. The Expos won the game, 9-1. Montreal's record now stands at 38-51, placing them third in the Eastern League North East Division.

Montreal used the hitting of Mitku Kazemd to pick up the win. The third baseman clubbed a 2-run home run in the top of the third inning to put the Expos on top, 2-0. For the game, Kazemd had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats. He is batting .229-7-23 .608OPS -0.2WAR in 72 games.

Austin Roy(R, 5-8 3.71) - Oscar Guzman(R, 2-5 4.84) tomorrow. 5.12ERA last year.

SP Marty Murrietta 7.0IP 4H 1R 1ER 0BB 4K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 2RBI
RF Ian Messer 0-1 HBP fractured thumb 6 weeks
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 R RBI
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R BB
DH Tim McKusick 2-5 2R 3RBI DB HR
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
2B Robby Weltzer 2-3 R RBI 2DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-4 R 2RBI HR
HR MON: Kazemd(7), McKusick(1)
HR PHI: none
W: Marty Murrietta(8-7 4.03) L: Cristiano Zavala(4-4 3.69) SV: none
The league hates Ian Messer… ANOTHER HBP -> IL.

July 14th

Transactions:
RF Ian Messer(26, 2.5*, .292-4-20 .811OPS 1.0WAR) was placed on the 10-day IL for the third time and as expected by everyone, Huai-yu Mah(27, 2.5*, .273-2-10 .666OPS 0.3WAR) was recalled…
Also, IF Franklin Reyes(28, 2.5*, .273-1-2 .860OPS -0.1WAR) was sent back down to AAA and IF Orlando Gonzalez(27, 2.5*, .256-5-13 .792OPS 0.9WAR) was activated off the IL.

Grizzlies Pull Out Late Win, 5-4

Dave Griffiths left his imprint on the 5-4 Philadelphia win against the Montreal Expos. Griffiths, who finished 3rd in the EL in triples with 10 in 2018, was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 times and drove in 4. The win went to Jeff Mathias in relief, making him now 4-3. Kevin Cowden took the loss for Montreal. Philadelphia now has a record of 48-41 with the win.

The game was decided with no one out in the bottom of the ninth. With Philadelphia trailing 4-1, Griffiths jumped on a fastball from fireballing right-hander Kevin Cowden and hit a grand slam home run to left. With one swing, the Grizzlies had a walk-off win. The 2016 Gold Glover is batting .259-2-13 .633OPS -0.5WAR in 66 games.

"I'll probably toss and turn tonight," Montreal manager Aaron McCreery said, following the tough loss.

Sam Griffin(R, 7-7 4.23) - Joel Gaspar(L, 3-4 4.13) tomorrow. NYM… maybe we can buy some more wins?

SP Austin Roy 7.0IP 6H 1R 1ER 3BB 9K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 R RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 RBI
DH Tim McKusick 1-4
2B Mitku Kazemd 1-4 R RBI HR
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R DB
RF Huai-yu Mah 3-4 R RBI 3DB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4
HR MON: Kazemd(8)
HR PHI: Griffith(2)
W: Jeff Mathias(4-3 4.02) L: Kevin Cowden(1-6 5.71) SV: none
Cowden blew that one AGAIN… Congrats to Adam Rudolph, you are the new closer…

July 15th

Transactions:
4th rounder RHRP Josh Reinke)(18, 3.5* HS, 3* OSA) has signed.

Montreal Gets 7-2 Win

Montreal Expos starter Sam Griffin pitched his team past the New York Mets, 7-2. The control artist worked 7 innings of 1-run ball and got the win. The Expos improved to 39-52.

"Felt great, felt really good," said Griffin.

Ignacio Benavides had a big 2-run double for the Expos in the top of the fifth inning. With Montreal leading 3-0 and the bases loaded, he got a slider from Robby Avery, who finished 5th in the WL in saves with 36 in 2015, and swatted a double to right-center. It was his 14th double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 5-0. Hopefully breaking out of his slump, he was 2-4 for the day and is batting .247-9-37 .718OPS 1.0WAR in 81 games.

Juan Miranda(R, 4-8 4.36) - Zach Laurents(R, 5-9 4.88) tomorrow. He won last week against us… you hear that guys???

SP Sam Griffin 7.0IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 3K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-2 2R BB TP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3R 2RBI 2BB DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R RBI BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 2RBI DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 R 2RBI HR
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-3 R BB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R DB
HR MON: Talbert(3)
HR NYM: Oatley(9), Garcia(6)
W: Sam Griffin(9-7 4.19) L: Joel Gaspar(3-5 4.47) SV: none
Jep, that is our former outfielder Brian Oatley hitting his 9th home run AND he threw out a runner from left… he is also batting .203, so I’m fine with that… -1.4WAR in 75 games… Jesus…

July 16th

New York Beaten, 8-4, by Montreal

No one was more impactful than Rich Meilleur in the 8-4 Montreal win over New York. Meilleur went 1 for 2 with a home run and a walk, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once. The 24-year old is batting .182-1-4 .501OPS 0.0WAR in his first 10 NMLB games.

The third-place Expos sport a record of 40-52.

Montreal used a timely hit from Matt Talbert to get the win. The pinch hitter stroked a run-scoring double in the top of the eighth inning to put the Expos ahead, 5-4. It was his only hit in 1 at-bat, but it made an impact.

"The boys were really swinging the bats today," winning manager Aaron McCreery said.

Cesar Alvarado(R, 1-0 0.00) - Andy Siler(R, 3-7 5.78) tomorrow. 2* pitcher according to our scouting department.

SP Juan Miranda 6.0IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 3K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R 2RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 0-3 R 2BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R 2RBI BB TP
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-5 2R
SS Rich Meilleur 1-2 R 3RBI BB HR
PH Matt Talbert 1-1 R RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 R
HR MON: Meilleur(1)
HR NYM: Lee(12)
W: Melvin Hernandez(1-1 0.36) L: Hector Elias(3-4 4.46) SV: none
Whoa offense. We are on a little roll here…

July 17th

Transactions:
1st rounder IF Bryan Booth(21, 4*), 2nd rounder 1B Tyler Aurand(18, 4* HS, 5* OSA) and 5th rounder CF Dusty Eckel(18, 3* HS, 4.5* OSA) have all signed. Bryan Booth was assigned to Short A.

Expos Sweep Mets with 7-1 Sunday Win

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Citi Field, topping the New York Mets, 7-1. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Cesar Alvarado. He played a principal role in the triumph. The winning pitcher was Alvarado, now 2-0. He tossed 6.1 innings of 4-hit ball, while walking 2 and fanning 6.

"When this team comes together and plays the way we can, we can compete with anyone," said Alvarado. "I think we're going to keep proving that." Montreal has now won 3 straight, while the Mets have lost 3 in a row.

Montreal used the hitting of Huai-yu Mah to pick up the win. The right fielder clubbed a 3-run home run in the top of the first inning to put the Expos on top, 3-0. For the game, Mah had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats. He is batting .276-3-14 .701OPS 0.5WAR in 45 games.

SP Cesar Alvarado 6.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 2BB 6K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 2R
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 2R 2RBI 2DB TP
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 RBI BB
RF Huai-yu Mah 2-4 R 3RBI HR
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI HR
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R BB
HR MON: Mah(3), Gonzalez(6)
HR NYM: none
W: Cesar Alvarado(2-0 0.67) L: Andy Siler(3-8 6.28) SV: none
Nice to beat up a worse team.

Record: 41-52, 3rd in EL Northeast, 9.5GB
Week: 5-2 (2-2@ PHI, 3-0@ NYM)
Power Rankings: #16(+10)
Runs scored: 345(13th)
Runs against: 362(7th)
Starters ERA: 3.96(7th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.09(3rd)
Defensive Eff.: .716(1st)
Zone Rating: +25.3(1st)
Fan Interest: 78(-2)

Who's hot?
RHSP Marty Murrietta 2G 2-0 0.56 16IP 13K

Who's not?
RHRP Kevin Cowden 16G 9SV 7.63 15.1IP 15K
LF Ignacio Benavides 17G 8-65 .123 0HR 6RBI

News:
July 12th - Cincinnati SP Jimmy McMahon(25, 3.5/4*) pitched 8 strong innings of 2-hit, 0BB and 12K ball in a 3-+1 win over the Chicago Rangers. The 2015 2nd rounder is 8-5 3.34 120K
3.8WAR in 18 starts.

July 13th - Houston 1B Ed Bigalow(29, 3*) hammered 3 home runs in a 11-8 loss to Atlanta, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .253-19-54 .773OPS 0.4WAR in 86 games.

July 13th - Arizona 3B Lance Ralich(24, 2.5/3*) had a 5-hit game today in a 15-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals, going 5-5 3R 8RBI 2HR for the night. The rookie is batting .226-9-23 .799OPS 1.2WAR in 35 games.

July 18th - Atlanta Minuteman 1B Ryan Jackson(27, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-20 1HR 7RBI 4R. The right-handed hitter is batting .262-9-37 .734OPS 0.6WAR in 84 games.

July 18th - Arizona 3B Lance Ralich(24, 2.5/3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-24 4HR 14RBI 7R. The rookie is batting .243-11-29 .839OPS 1.5WAR in 38 games.

Next: All-Star Game, 3vs Toronto Blue Jays(37-56)

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We are slowly but surely getting better, especially the starting pitching is performing insanely good with an elite defence behind them. Yes, Rich Meilleur is batting .194 right now but I believe that he can do better, and the defensive plays are spectacular. And ye, Tim McKusick is batting .179… but somehow this has provided the team with a spark.