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Old 07-26-2025, 02:40 PM   #202
Griever20
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Dortmund, Germany
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2023 Week 26

On vacation for a week, play will resume next Sunday

Week 26: 3@ Washington Nationals(79-70), 3vs Atlanta Minuteman(67-83)

September 18th

Nationals Win, 2-1, Versus Montreal

Fans watched the Washington Nationals and the Montreal Expos fight to the finish.

In a low-scoring contest between the Washington Nationals and the Montreal Expos, 24-year old left-handed pitcher Tony Allmon proved to be the difference. The Washington left-hander earned props for his performance in the 2-1 Nationals win. Washington is now 80-70. Montreal is 91-60.

Washington took advantage of an error in the bottom of the eighth inning. The game was tied, 1-1, when Carlos Sustache hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put the Nationals in front, 2-1.

"I'm proud to be a part of what we've got going on here," Sustache told the Washington News. "It's a great group and we're happy with the win." The 25-year old is batting .277-20-68 .770OPS 0.9WAR in 134 games.

Cesar Alvarado(R, 0-1 6.00) - Benito Wittenhall(R, 2-3 3.89) tomorrow. Venezuelan groundballer without much skill.

SP Juan Miranda 7.2IP 7H 2R 1ER 1BB 3K L
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
RF Ian Messer 2-4
1B Joe Hawk 1-4
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R RBI HR
HR MON: Chavis(8)
HR WSH: none
W: Antonio Barcia(4-2 3.84) L: Juan Miranda(11-10 4.11) SV: Zach Welborn(31 1.95)
Miranda got betrayed by our offense. That offense was mostly on the bench as the big guns needed some rest tho.

September 19th

Expos Suffer One-Run Loss at Washington

Getting an impressive start from Benito Wittenhall, Washington beat Montreal by the score of 1-0. Wittenhall got the win, improving to 3-3. He gave up 3 hits and walked 2 over 6.1 innings. He allowed no runs. Washington is now 81-70, Montreal 91-61.

"Benito gave us a heck of an effort," said Washington manager Israel Lopez.

Vince Shumaker, who finished 4th in the WL in hits with 188 in 2021, took Montreal hurler Cesar Alvarado deep in the bottom of the second. His solo home run put the Nationals on top, 1-0. In all, Shumaker had 1 single in addition to the home run, while going 2 for 3. He is batting .313-15-41 .927OPS 2.1WAR in 77 games between VAN and WSH.

Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 1.67) - Manny Garcia(R, 11-11 4.16) tomorrow. Aceoff… just ours is rusty.

SP Cesar Alvarado 6.2IP 8H 1R 1ER 3BB 2K L
RF Ian Messer 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-1 3BB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-2 BB
HR MON: none
HR WSH: Shumaker(15)
W: Benito Wittenhall(3-3 3.38) L: Cesar Alvarado(0-2 5.36) SV: Zach Welborn(32 1.92)
Alvarado was fine… our offense went completely MIA tho…

September 20th

Hinton Out for Season as Expos Drop Nationals, 3-2

The Montreal Expos fans long ancipated the return of Dan Hinton, however they got disappointed. The Expos ace only lasted 2.2 scoreless innings before leaving with a sore shoulder 6 weeks. He is therefore out for the season and, via GM K.C. Martin, out for the playoffs.

However, the Expos still turned back the Washington Nationals, 3-2, at Nationals Park. Fernando Perez, in particular, had a fine performance. He was 2-4 with a home run, while scoring 2. Montreal is now 92-61, Washington 81-71.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Matt Talbert? The Montreal designated hitter had a 2-run double in the top of the first inning to put the Expos on top, 2-0. For the game, Talbert had 1 double and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"This was a nice win for us," said Talbert. "It's one more step toward our ultimate goal." He is batting .273-28-83 .830OPS 1.8WAR in 147 games.

Roland Morris(L, 3-12 5.55) - Ryan Harrison(R, 0-0 3.18) the day after tomorrow. Boy has he gotten shelled this year…

SP Dan Hinton 2.2IP 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 2K ND sore shoulder 6 weeks
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 2R RBI HR PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 DB
3B Robby Weltzer 1-4 DB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 TPP
HR MON: Perez(36)
HR WSH: Chavez(13)
W: Mitsuyasu Kai(4-0 1.56) L: Manny Garcia(11-12 4.16) SV: Paul Ide(37 2.89)
Knew it. It feels like this 7y/$110,.5M contract extension to Danny may have been a mistake…

Transaction:
RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 3-1 1.58 49K 1.4WAR 8GS) was placed on the 15-day IL with sore shoulder 6 weeks.

September 21st
Offday

September 22nd

Expos Take Nail-Biter Over Minuteman in 11

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, downing the Atlanta Minutemen, 4-2, in 11 innings. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Ryan Harrison, who played a pivotal role in the win. Montreal reliever Freddy Silva was the winner. His record is now 6-1. Matt Gutknecht took the loss. Montreal is now 93-61, while Atlanta is 68-86.

The decisive blow was delivered by Sam Spangler in the bottom of the 11th when he hit a 2-run home run off 24-year old right-handed pitcher Matt Gutknecht to win the game for Montreal. The home crowd went nuts.

Spangler told a Montreal Herald reporter that he was "gratified" with the win. He is batting .283-3-12 .826OPS 0.5wAR in 51 games.

Adam Warren(R, 12-9 3.60) - Sam Griffin(R, 12-8 3.53) tomorrow. Tends to be a bit wild, but effective lately.

SP Ryan Harrison 7.2IP 7H 1R 1ER 0BB 8K ND PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 BB DB
2B Fernando Perez 0-4 R HBP
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 2R RBI BB
PH/CF Sam Spangler 2-2 R 3RBI BB TP HR
HR ATL: McComas(6)
HR MON: Spangler(3)
W: Freddy Silva(6-1 3.66) L: Matt Gutknecht(6-9 4.26) SV: none
Needless to say, Ide blew the save.

September 23rd

Atlanta Dispatched, 7-2, by Montreal

Montreal pitcher Sam Griffin had a large part in his team beating the Atlanta Minutemen, 7-2. The right-hander kept opposing batters in check throughout the game, pitching 7.1 innings of 2-run ball.

"I was trying to do what I do, go out there and compete," said Griffin.

Montreal reliever Joe Herzer picked up the win, raising his record to 5-0. Jonathan Ridge was tagged with the loss. The victory gives the Expos a record of 94-61.

The game was at a stalemate until third baseman Julian Hernandez came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. Facing Atlanta pitcher Jonathan Ridge, he hit a 2-0 fastball for a 2-run single. It was a game-changer, putting Montreal on top, 4-2. The rookie is batting .288-17-78 .768OPS 1.9WAR in 142 games.

George Ostermeyer(R, 7-2 2.62) - Marty Murrietta(R, 7-8 3.70) tomorrow. Led the EL in ERA in 2022 with 2.53…

SP Sam Griffin 7.1IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 5K ND PotG
RF Ian Messer 0-3 R BB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R
DH Matt Talbert 0-3 R BB
3B Julian Hernandez 3-4 2R 2RBI
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 R 3RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 2-3 BB
HR ATL: Sanchez(22)
HR MON: Cervantes(15)
W: Joe Herzer(5-0 2.39) L: Jonathan Ridge(3-1 6.75) SV: none
Griffin with another good start and today, our pen held up without extra innings.

September 24th

Expos Rack Up 7-5 Win Versus Atalanta

Atlanta catcher Bill Reavis had a good game, even if his team did not. The Minutemen dropped a 7-5 decision to Montreal at Olympic Stadium. Reavis was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once. Montreal reliever Kevin Cowden snagged the win, upping his record to 2-3. Ricardo Morales shouldered the loss. With the win, Montreal raised its record to 95-61.

In the bottom of the sixth, with the game tied, the Minutemen allowed the Expos to take a 6-5 lead on a base hit and Atlanta error.

"It was a solid, all-around game for us," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

Cristiano Zavala(R, 7-8 3.84) - Juan Miranda(R, 11-10 4.11) the day after tomorrow. 0-1 6.10 in two starts against us.

SP Marty Murrietta 5.2IP 5H 5R 5ER 2BB 9K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 2R RBI TP
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R 3RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 R RBI BB HR
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 R 2SB(15)
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-2 R
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 RBI
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 RBI
HR ATL: Reavis(5), Thompson(21)
HR MON: Talbert(29)
W: Kevin Cowden(2-3 3.17) L: Ricardo Morales(4-2 4.25) SV: Paul Ide(38 2.92)
Talbert and the rest saved us today with offense…

Record: 95-61, 1st in EL Northeast, 2G lead over NYM
Week: 4-2 (1-2 @ WSH, 3-0 vs ATL)
Power Rankings: #1(+1)
Runs scored: 767(4th)
Runs against: 576(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.49(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 3.47(1st)
Defensive Eff.: .690(2nd)
Zone Rating: +49.5(1st)
Fan Interest: 82(+1)

Who's hot?
RHSP Cesar Alvarado 3G 0-1 2.04 17.2IP 9K
2B Fernando Perez 9G 10-30 .333 6HR 8RBI

Who's not?
LF Ignacio Benavides 10G 4-42 .095 0HR 1RBI

News:
September 18th - Chicago 1B Justin Farrell(28, 3.5*) has hit for the CYCLE today in a 11-2 win over the Boston Aeros, going 5-5 3R 4RBI DB 2TP HR for the night. The 3x All-Star is batting .262-24-84 .816OPS 1.5WAR in 138 games.

September 20th – The Arizona Diamondbacks and RHSP Miguel Ricketts(24, 3.5/4*), a 3x All-Star, agreed to a 5y/$68.06M contract extension, buying out arbitration and the first two years of free agency. He is 10-9 3-44 205K 4.6WAR in 31 games for 2023.

September 25th - Chicago 1B Justin Farrell(28, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 14-26 3HR 9RBIs 9R.

September 25th - Angels SS Craig Sexton(26, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 8-22 5HR 9RBI 6R. The 2023 WL All-Star is batting .271-30-97 .821OPS 4.8WAR in 139 games with stellar defense.

Next: 2vs Philadelphia Grizzlies(79-78), 4@ Boston Aeros(65-91)

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2 games of cushion. I REALLY want that division… but no reason to risk this team’s health…
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