[Griever20]

Week 4: 1 vs Cincinnati Eagles(7-8), 3vs Miami Marlins(7-9), 3@ Sacramento Cavaliers(6-10)

April 17th

Expos Top Eagles in Extras, 5-3

The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Eagles, 5-3, in 11 innings at Olympic Stadium. Fernando Perez, in particular, was impressive. He belted 2 home runs, while adding 3 RBI and scoring twice. The win gives Montreal a record of 10-7.

The game was still up for grabs in the bottom of the 11th. With no one out, Perez hit a fastball from Vince Wilkens for a 2-run home run. The Expos, in dramatic fashion, had a walk-off win.

"Put a star next to this win," Perez said. The rookie is batting .232-7-15 1.051OPS 0.9WAR in 16 games.

John Davis(R, 1-1 3.32) - Brett Asselin(L, 1-0 3.80) tomorrow. Failed to develop to potential.

SP Austin Roy 7IP 6H 2R 2ER 0BB 7K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R SB(4)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R 2RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 R DB
2B Fernando Perez 3-5 2R 3RBI 2HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 BB
HR CIN: Canales 2(5)
HR MON: Hernandez(4), Perez 2(7)
W: Glen McKeen(1-0 0.00) L: Vince Wilkens(2-2 5.68) SV: none
Perez killing it.

April 18th

Five in a Row as Expos Win, 4-1, Over Miami

Brett Asselin pitched a gem to lead Montreal to victory over the Miami Marlins, 4-1. The Marlins fall to 7-10 and continue to sputter in the early going.

"Brett mixed and matched," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. The rookie is 2-0 3.21 27K 0.3WAR in 4 starts.

The Expos got a big boost from first baseman Matt Talbert who had a run-scoring ground out in the bottom of the first inning off Marlins hurler John Davis. It was his 2nd RBI of the season and put Montreal on top, 1-0. The designated hitter is batting .286-0-2 .667OPS 0.0WAR in 14G/5GS.

Scott Burns(R, 1-2 6.91) - Juan Miranda(R, 3-0 0.44) tomorrow. All-Star in 2022.

SP Brett Asselin 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 3BB 7K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-3 2R BB
3B Julian Hernandez 3-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 2-4 RBI SB(3)
2B Fernando Perez 1-4
DH Matt Talbert 0-4 RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 R BB DB
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 R RBI
HR MIA: none
HR MON: none
W: Brett Asselin(2-0 3.21) L: John Davis(1-2 3.91) SV: Cesar Alvarado(1 15.00)
Our lefty with a strong start and a great hitting performance by our top of the order.

April 19th

Messer Walks it Off in Ninth

The Montreal Expos topped the Miami Marlins, 3-2, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. The game was highlighted by the performance of Montreal pitcher Dustin Jenkins. The 25-year old got the call to start late today as Juan Miranda was scratched an hour before the game, but Jenkins responded with a 6IP 3H 1ER 2BB 3K performance.

Joe Herzer snagged the win in relief. He goes to 1-0 on the season. Tim Carter suffered the loss. The loss puts Miami at 7-11.

The decisive blow was delivered by Ian Messer in the bottom of the ninth when he hit a solo home run off 24-year old right-handed pitcher Tim Carter to win the game for Montreal. The home crowd went nuts.

"I feel like we're rolling now," Messer told the Montreal Herald. "The dugout is coming alive." The 27-year old is batting .413-1-6 .930OPS 3/5SB 0.5WAR in 18 games.

Eibe Hoekstra(R, 1-3 11.29) - Sam Griffin(R, 1-0 4.02) tomorrow. Guy is due for a bounceback.

SP Dustin Jenkins 6IP 3H 1ER 2BB 3K ND PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 SB(1)
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 RBI
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R RBI BB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 BB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-3 BB
CF Bobby Martinez 2-4 R SB(1)
HR MIA: none
HR MON: Messer(1)
W: Joe Herzer(1-0 4.76) L: Tim Carter(1-1 2.25) SV: none
On a roll…

April 20th

W7 as Expos Prevail, 3-1, Over Miami

Montreal Expos starter Sam Griffin pitched his team past the Miami Marlins, 3-1. The veteran pitched 5.1 scoreless innings with 7 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Adam Rudolph closed it out for his 5th save. The Marlins drop to 7-12, as their fitful start to the 2023 campaign continues.

Julian Hernandez had a critical at-bat with one out in the bottom of the sixth for Montreal. He came through with a run-scoring single to put Montreal in front, 3-1. The rookie is batting .269-4-8 .762OPS -0.2WAR in 18 games.

"Whenever we hold the other team to one run," said Expos manager Aaron McCreery, "I like our chances."

Juan Miranda(R, 3-0 0.44) - Kellen Wildin(R, 1-1 2.79) tomorrow. Part of the 2019 World Series Winners.

SP Sam Griffin 5.1IP 7H 1ER 2BB 3K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 R RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R RBI SB(2)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 RBI
SS Fernando Perez 0-2 2BB
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R DB
LF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 BB
CF Bobby Martinez 2-4 BB
HR MIA: none
HR MON: none
W: Sam Griffin(2-0 3.00) L: Eibe Hoekstra(1-4 9.24) SV: Adam Rudolph(5 3.09)
And we keep on rollin…

April 21st

Interleague Game Ends Expos’ Steak, Cavs Win, 5-1

Kellen Wildin, who finished 5th in the WL in innings pitched with 206.0 in 2014, never let the Expos get in a groove. The right-hander used his bread and butter, his forkball, to pitch the Cavaliers to a win, 5-1. Wildin yielded 1 run over 6.1 innings to notch the win. He scattered 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. His record improves to 2-1. The loss drops Montreal to 13-8.

Sacramento first baseman Kevin Rothe contributed a timely at-bat in the bottom of the first. With two down, he hit a changeup to left field for a run-scoring single. It was his 19th hit of the season and put the Cavaliers ahead, 1-0.

"We'll pop the top on a cold beverage and get back to work tomorrow," Rothe said. The 25-year old is batting .311-1-5 .841OPS 0.2WAR in 17 games.

Dan Hinton(R, 2-1 2.10) - Dante Rodriguez(R, 0-1 6.86) tomorrow. 10 game winner last season with a good ERA.

SP Juan Miranda 7IP 7H 4R 4ER 2BB 6K L
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 BB
RF Ian Messer 1-3 BB
LF Vicente Rodriguez 2-3 R BB
HR MON: none
HR SAC: none
W: Kellen Wildin(2-1 2.45) L: Juan Miranda(3-1 1.63) SV: none
We were about due to lose, but it was still a decent start by Miranda.

April 22nd

Hinton, Expos get 8-0 Win

Montreal starter Dan Hinton pitched well against the Sacramento Cavaliers at Cavaliers Park. The right-hander led his team to a win, 8-0. The win puts Montreal at 14-8.

Hinton allowed no runs on 5 hits over 8.1 innings for Montreal. With the win, the southpaw is 3-1 with an ERA of 1.59.

"Throwing strikes was the main thing," Hinton said. The ace is now 3-1 1.59 38K 1.0WAR in 5 starts.

Austin Roy(R, 0-3 5.79) - Matt Bernstein(L, 1-1 6.30) tomorrow. Six minor league seasons with us prior to this season.

SP Dan Hinton 8.1IP 5H 0R 0ER 1BB 9K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 3-5 2R 2RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 R 3RBI 2DB HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 RBI BB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R RBI BB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 2R BB SB(2)
CF Vicente Rodriguez 0-4 R BB
HR MON: Grochowski(1), Talbert(1)
HR SAC: none
W: Dan Hinton(3-1 1.59) L: Dante Rodriguez(0-2 7.18) SV: none
Danny! What a way to bounce back from a loss. We went up 3-0 after three and never looked back.

April 23rd

Roy, Expos Win 5-1, at Sac Town

Montreal turned a fine outing from starter Austin Roy into a victory over the Sacramento Cavaliers at Cavaliers Park. The 2x All-Star worked 5.1 innings of 6-hit and 1-run ball and got his first win of 2023.

The final score was 5-1. The Expos, now 15-8, have been red hot.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Bobby Martinez? The Montreal center fielder had a 2-run double in the top of the fourth inning to put the Expos on top, 2-1. For the game, Martinez had 1 double and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"You need to show up when your number's called," said Martinez. With this game, the right-handed hitter improved to hit .217-1-7 .529OPS 2/3SB -0.1WAR in 20 games.

Brett Asselin(L, 2-0 3.21) - Jordan Arroyo(R, 1-1 4.81) tomorrow. Won 6 games out of 13 after he joined them at the deadline.

SP Austin Roy 5.1IP 6H 1R 1ER 2BB 5K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-2 RBI BB DB sore hamstring 2 days
PR/LF Vicente Rodriguez 1-2 R
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 R 2RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 BB DB
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R SB(4)
C Gabriel Cervantes 0-3 R BB
CF Bobby Martinez 2-4 R 2RBI DB SB(2)
HR MON: Hernandez(5)
HR SAC: Mendoza(6)
W: Austin Roy(1-3 5.02) L: Matt Bernstein(1-2 7.90) SV: none
A shame to hit a former workhorse AAA pitcher that was part of our depth chart for a couple of years. Benavides got us a scare but will just sit out tomorrow’s game.

Record: 15-8, 1st in EL Northeast, 2.5G lead
Week: 6-1 (1-0 vs CIN, 3-0 MIA, 2-1@ SAC)
Power Rankings: #4(+6)
Runs scored: 101(9th)
Runs against: 80(1st)
Starters ERA: 2.79(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.31(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .713(1st)
Zone Rating: +11.0(1st)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
SP Dan Hinton 3G 2-0 0.00 21.2IP 26K
SP Sam Griffin 3G 2-0 0.98 18.1IP 9K

Who's not?
DH Matt Talbert 8G 3-29 .103 1HR 2RBI

News:
April 17th - Jacksonville SP John Sanchez(24, 3/3.5*) pitched a complete game 7-hitter with 4BB and 10K today, beating the Houston Astros 10-0. The 6th overall pick in 2017 is 2-1 4.23 27K 0.2WAR in 4 starts.

April 18th - Toronto RF William Garcia(26, 2.5*) lost a long 26-game hitting streak today. The former Rule 5 draftee is batting .257-1-3 .763OPS 0.1WAR in 8 games.

April 22nd - Atlanta LF Robbie Thompson(32, 3*) saw his 22-game hitting streak end today. The 3x Gold Glover is batting .393-5-19 1.083OPS 0.8WAR in 21 games.

April 22nd - Canadians C Jake Williams(27, 5*) suffered the same fate with his 20-game streak. The 2x All-Star is having a torrid.432-6-19 1.123OPS 1.2WAR start to his season in 17 games.

April 24th - Cincinnati LF Francisco Canales(26, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 11-24 5HR 8RBI 8R. The 2021 EL MvP is batting .397-8-27 1.332OPS 1.6WAR in 22 games.

April 24th - Los Angeles 1B Tim Jammal(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 14-27 4HR 9RBI 9R. The righty is batting .372-6-16 1.091OPS 1.2WAR in 22 games.


Next: 3@ Boston Aeros(8-13), 3vs Houston Astros(15-7)

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I’m not a true believer yet. The pitching is lit, but the hitting has only improved a bit… if the pitching comes down to earth and the hitting regresses, we are back to 2022.