The Montreal Expos... Exposing the New MLB?

[Griever20]

Your 2024 Montreal Expos:

Starting Pitching

LHSP Brett Asselin(24, 3.5/4.5*) 16-6 3.84 172K 27GS 180.2IP 2.6WAR // 16-6 3.84 172K 27GS 180.2IP 2.6WAR (career)
Asselin put in a very respectable rookie season, leading the league in wins(ok, not exactly a metric that is only his work), but the intangibles are good. The changeup is his bread-and-butter out pitch with a mid 90’s fastball, a sinker, a splitter and a knuckle curve making out a deep arsenal to choose from. He has still room for growth in all areas and we love his clubhouse presence as a leader. #2 starter. Drafted 11th overall in 2020.

RHSP Sam Griffin(31, 3*) 12-8 3.56 142K 32GS 184.1IP 4.4WAR // 71-65 4.05 683K 235G/164GS 1067IP 18.7WAR (career)
The 3x All-Star always finds his way back into this rotation and finally, our scouting department has accepted that and bumped him up to 3*. He is a control artist by trait, generating a lot of groundballs by hitting the perfect pitch despite little speed on his sinker. His contract is up this offseason and his initial demand is 6y/$84M… may just be his walk year. Our #3 starter this year.

RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 4.5/5*) 3-1 1.58 49K 8GS 45.2 1.4WAR // 18-17 3.20 299K 56GS 332.0IP 7.6WAR(career) #3 SP
An extreme groundballer with mid 90’s zip on his sinking fastball, and a good slider and changeup with a still developing curveball, he promptly went down with injury twice in the first year where we make the playoffs. Hinton is pretty much a finished product on the development side apart from little gains on his off-speed stuff… Please light a candle that he will stay healthy. First rounder in 2017. Opening day starter in 2024. 21st overall pick in 2017.

RHSP Juan Miranda(26, 3*) 12-10 4.09 186K 31GS 191.2IP 2.3WAR // 21-22 4.10 367K 379.1IP 63GS 5.8WAR DNP (career)
We pretty much found the baseline here in the last two years. ERA of 4.00, 190IP, but a bit prone to the longball and some walks. A good fastball with the curveball as his outpitch and a deep arsenal of other breaking pitches, there is the potential for a long career in NMLB with this baseline tho. 4th rounder in 2016. #5 starter.

RHSP Marty Murrietta(27, 3*) 7-9 3.80 177K 161IP 25GS 3.1WAR // 36-29 3.74 593K 608.2IP 111G/98GS 10.03WAR (career)
Murrietta overcame his injury in spring last year and delivered a solid, albeit sometimes frustrating 2023 as he often times got betrayed by is career 3.4 BB/9 rate that can make him effectively wild… or ineffectively wild. He lacks a true breaking ball, nailing his opponents with a trio of fastball variations and a changeup, but somehow, it works. Acquired via trade from ATL in 2022.

Relief Pitching:

LHRP Joe Herzer(26, 3*) 5-1 1SV 2.60 62K 62.1IP 37G/1GS 0.5WAR // 8-4 2.69 132K 137.1IP 94G/1GS 1.3WAR (career)
The second year in a row, Herzer showed that he has got what it takes, destroying hitters with a devastating slider and a sinking fastball. Groundballs are his weapon of choice, but there are some lingering doubts as is fastball velocity went down a mile this spring. He will be an integral part of this pen once again and a bargain. 5th rounder in 2019.

LHCL Paul Ide(26, 5*) 6-7 38SV 2.83 101K 66.2IP 59G 2.1WAR (MON/BOS) // 19-20 105SV 3.05 406K 232G 277.2IP 6.8WAR (career) #1 CL
Ide was hit by the Montreal Expos closer curse right away and became Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. With a 100+mph fastball that is rated 85, an 80 rated splitter, a 60 rated sinker and a 55 rated changeup, he maybe has the best stuff in baseball for a closer, and is now in his second year of arbitration, being Super 2 Eligible for 2023. There is doubt we can keep him long term as our projected payroll peaks at $186.5 million in the year he becomes a free agent… Acquired via trade from BOS in 2023.

RHRP Wyatt Ings(23, 3*) 2-1 3.29 19K 27.1IP 19G 0.0WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Volatile stocks those relievers. Ings wasn’t on our radar for a while but has been steadily improving floor and ceiling since 2022. A groundball pitcher with a 95-97 fastball and a strong splitter, his control sometimes lacks, but the personality is absolutely spot on brilliant, a hard, intelligent worker that is loyal and has low financial ambition. Acquired in 2020 from BOS in the Ian Messer deal… we won that one by now.

RHRP Dustin Jenkins(26, 3*) 7-4 1SV 3.38 81K 69.1IP 40G/1GS 1.3WAR // 8-5 3SV 4.00 118K 123.2IP 72G/1GS 0.9WAR (Career)
Jenkins was a lucky find and really did a good job last year, pitching in a lot off middle relief innings and held his own while collecting 7 WAR. His ratings are average at best but he keeps doing good work and definitely knows how to pitch. Acquired via trade from SF in 2022.

RHRP Mitsuyasu Kai(27, 2.5*) 4-0 1SV 1.53 60K 53IP 45G 1.3WAR (MON/SAC) // 10-5 3.80 242K 215.2IP 203G 2.3WAR (career)
An inspired waiver claim last year, the big question is, was Kai lightning in a bottle or the real deal. Before 2023, his career ERA was closer to five than four and he is also fragile… but hell, his fastball slider combination can dominate. We’ll see if he can repeat 2023. Claimed off waivers from SAC in 2023.

RHRP Glen McKeen(24, 2.5*) 1-1 2SV 2.23 49K 44.1IP 44G 0.7WAR // 6-4 4SV 3.01 132K 134.1IP 121G 1.5WAR (career)
A waiver wire claim, McKeen was let go by the Denver Seahawks in 2021 and instead of bouncing around, now he is going into his fourth overall and third full season with us and never let us down. He is working off a fastball and a changeup with the fastball being above average. Wil be around for a while as he is cheap and dependable.

LHRP Faical Shimoda(23, 2.5*) 0-0 1.42 13K 12.2IP 11G 0.5WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Shimoda is here because he is the 5th best lefty in our org and with Mannino and Mendoza out, that wins him a roster spot. Nothing special here, move on. Scouting discovery in 2017.

RHRP Freddy Silva(27, 2.5*) 7-1 1SV 3.71 59K 51IP 21G 0.1WAR // 13-5 2SV 4.17 197K 179IP 158G 1.6WAR (career)
For the second year in a row, Silva found his footing as one of our middle relievers and has become a model citizen in our bullpen, working off his pinpoint control and four solid pitches. He is clearly the bullpen leader and a loud voice in the clubhouse, AND works as hard as everybody. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2015 draft, 321st overall.

Catcher

C Gabriel Cervantes(28, 3.5*, R) .243/.349/.386 15HR 43RBI 121G 2.5WAR // .265/.344/.448 82HR 267RBI 504H 260R 519G 13.8WAR (career) #14 C
An offseason regimen improved his already strong defense and framing, helping out our pitching even more, but the truth is that his hitting performance… let’s say, shows that his 2022 numbers with KCR were a fluke. We still hope for a rebound in hitting, but looking at his batting ratings… this may just be a .750OPS hitter… which is fine for me. Acquired via trade from Kansas City Royals in June 2022.

C Jordan Chavis(26, 2.5*, R) .238/.288/.417 8HR 20RBI 64G/39GS 0.2WAR // .222/.276/.389 14HR 38RBI 68H 47R 112G/85GS 0.5WAR (career)
Chavis was the perfect bench captain that will help the team chemistry and his defense is as good as Cervantes, and that is all we need from him. Acquired via trade from WSH in 2020.

Infield

1B Dave Grochowski(25, 4*, L) .321/.372/.570 30HR 115RBI 149G 4.1WAR // .336/.394/.550 50HR 207RBI 380H 176R 305G 10.2WAR (career) #3 1B
GROK!. After his miracle of 2022, he repeated most of that with a strong 2023, leading the EL in RBI, SLG and OPS while playing strong defense at first and staying humble and a good guy in the clubhouse. The contact rate and strikeout rate are elite, and he can have sneaky power from time to time. 9th rounder in 2017. 2x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, 2022 RotY.

1B/DH Matt Talbert(26, 3*, R) .271/.348/.482 30HR 87RBI 156G 2.0WAR // .265/.340/.471 39HR 110RBI 231G 111R 231G 2.5WAR (career)
It has been a long road for Talbert, but he finally broke through in 2023 when Hawk went down with injury, and being the everyday DH, he started mashing. A 60-rated power hitter that can hit .260, he does not do much else, but for us, he was part of the power surge we needed for the offense to finally get going. Acquired via trade from San Francisco in June 2021.

2B Joe Hawk(26, 2.5*, L) .264/.323/.432 6HR 24RBI 57G/34GS 0.0WAR // .267/.324/.454 27HR 94RBI 173H 96R 188G 2.3WAR (career)
After bursting onto the scene in 2022 as a Rule 5 draftee with the Royals that got sent back, Hawk failed to deliver big at the start of 2023 and had to watch Talbert take his AB’s while being injured. Still, we value him as a bat of the bench and backup 1B/2B/DH, but little more than that.

2B Fernando Perez(24, 4*, R) .255/.321/.513 37HR 85RBI 131G 3.9WAR // .255/.321/.513 37HR 85RBI 127H 78R 131G 3.9WAR (career) #4 2B
After a critical success in the D-Lab, Perez bursted into NMLB and won Rookie of the Year by hitting the cover off the ball in 2023. An elite power hitter that defends second base like only a few players in the league, his 75/80 rated power will keep him around for a while. Acquired from Jacksonville in December 2021.

3B Julian Hernandez(24, 3.5/4*, R) .291/.323/.454 19HR 83RBI 149G 15/24SB 2.2WAR // .291/.323/.454 19HR 83RBI 173H 80R 149G 15/24SB 2.2WAR (career) #5 3B
A strong rookie season that solidified our third base position after years of being an revolving door, Hernandez’ bat has not become the force that was advertised when he was a top 10 prospect, but the development of his defense negated that some. A 60/45/50/45/50 hitter with some speed to burn, he is also here to stay. International Amateur free agent in 2017.

SS/2B Rich Meilleur(25, 2.5*, L) .277/.349/.398 9HR 60RBI 148G 3.5WAR // .261/.326/.376 11HR 69RBI 169H 76R 1999G 3.8WAR (career) #25 SS
A career year with the bat in 2023 really helped us out here as the usually defensive minded shortstop, that hit .213 in 2022, suddenly became a productive hitter and therefore was an asset for the team that we didn’t expect. The Canadian native is well liked by the fans for his defensive play, and his humble personality. Acquired from VAN in 2021.

SS/2B Robby Weltzer(27, 2.5*, R) .235/.279/.333 1HR 68RBI 66G 0.2WAR // .248/.288/.357 22HR 131RBI 329H 149R 377G 4.2WAR (career)
The same way Meilleur’s star has risen, Weltzer’s star has fallen. He still will platoon with Meilleur at short, but it seems like there is no way both can be hot at the plate at the same time. Acquired via trade from Los Angeles in June 2021.

Outfield

LF/RF Ignacio Benavides(27, 3*, R) .275/.339/.417 17HR 59RBI 96R 155G 2.0WAR // .265/.328/.401 34HR 346H 177R 138RBI 334G 3.5WAR (career) #10 LF
Last year, we thought that “I still think that the kid can hit .270 and perform to a 2 WAR tune, and we will give him 2023.” He did exactly that, changing his approach a bit to avoid strikeouts and wear out pitchers from the leadoff spot. Acquired via trade from Cincinnati in November 2020.

LF/RF Ian Messer(28, 3*, L) .317/.365/.457 13HR 63RBI 153G 3.4WAR // .290/.344/.436 42HR 195RBI 492H 225R 446G 8.1WAR (career) #26 RF
From being a question mark to an exclamation mark in 2023… or not? Hitting the cover off the ball in the first half, Messer certainly had a career year, but there was little willingness by other teams to trade for him… His defense is lackluster and his track record spotty, but he collected and All-Star nomination and a Silver Slugger last season… Acquired via trade from Boston in the 2020 offseason.

CF Tyler Dean(21, 3/5*, L) .354/.417/.634 26HR 102RBI 122G 4.7WAR (A) // DNP (career) #1 prospect, #13 RF
We are putting the biggest chip in the middle. Bolstering his power up to 65/80 rated, he is moving strong to fill out his 75/55/80/50/45 potential and can play all outfield positions with 70-80 defense. He isn’t quite ready with the contact ability, but is definitely too good to keep him rotting in AAA. Our starting center fielder in 2023. 1st overall pick in 2021.

OF Vicente Rodriguez(25, 2.5*) .268/.324/.375 1HR 53RBI 139G 0.9WAR // .268/.304/.367 4HR 105RBI 383H 168R 380G 3.9WAR (career)
Elite speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, Rodriguez has held the fort for years now in center field… but his time has come to step back(we said the same thing last year). His new job for now is elite outfield backup, pinch-hitter and pinch runner. Drafted in the 14th round of the 2016 draft, 430th overall.

[Griever20]

Preseason Prediction:
90-72, 1st in EL Northeast, 1G lead over Philadelphia Grizzlies

Predicted Top Players:
RHSP Dan Hinton 16-7 2.79 257K 239IP
LHSP Brett Asselin 16-8 3.37 231K 219IP

DH Matt Talbert .277/.352/.505 39HR 98RBI
1B Dave Grochowski .310/.373/.467 19HR 85RBI
2B Fernando Perez .245/.317/.495 40HR 108RBI

Telling us that a 97-win season in 2023 was a little bit of a fluke? Still, this would be a great result again, making the playoffs and that is our main goal. Division, playoffs… but it will be a challenge with the Grizzlies and New York Mets in the division.

The huge questions going into 2022 are:
Will Dan Hinton stay healthy and stay productive? (as every year)
Can Ian Messer repeat his Silver Slugger performance from 2023?
Will the sohpomores (Asselin, Hernandez, Perez show that they are here to stay?
Can Tyler Dean show us that we promoted him for all the right reasons?
How will our prospects fare in the minor leagues?

The Division:

Philadelphia(87-75) won 83 games last season and are now predicted to go up to 89, and they had 87 in 2022… certainly in a window of contention. Fragile ace Ruben Torrez(24, 4/4.5*, 11-5 3.11 153K 4.3WAR 23GS) can be a force when healthy and if SP Hugh Kieninger(28, 3.5*, 10-9 4.59 192K 3.2WAR) goes back to his 2.78ERA form of 2022, their pitching is dangerous. Lineup wise, they are anchored around 1B Jose Maldonado(26, 4*, .281-4-46 .744OPS 56SB 2.5WAR) who is coming off a weaker season, 1B Alejandro Cano(24, 3.5*, .295-20-70 2.5WAR) who had a 5.4WAR season in 2022, and veteran and 2016 EL MvP 2B Fidel de Leon(32, 3.5*, .288-2-82 .912OPS 4.7WAR)… if they can get all pieces working, they are a World Series contender.

The New York Mets(95-67) won the World Series last year. Nuff said right? They added SP Eddie Baiamonte(32, 3*, 3-6 4.39 108K 1.3WAR) via trade from San José and he will be their opening day starter, but he real story is the offense. C Mario Toscano(27, 5*, .278-19-77 .832OPS 3.8WAR) is a good offensive player with amazing defense, CF Abel Lemke(25, 4.5*, .324-16-94 .877OPS 8.5WAR) obviously won the EL MvP and 1B Bernie Castillo(27, 4*, .312-14-87 .826OPS 2.9WAR) should rejoin them off the IL in 1-2 weeks. The fun part: Vegas has them at 76-86.

The Boston Aeros (69-93) sold off a LOT of stuff last year in a rebuilding season, and added to that by selling 10x All-Star and 2015 EL MvP Tim Aguilar(36, 3.5*, .323-25-81 .918OPS 4.7WAR) to LA this winter. On the pitching side… hey, there still is our former employee SP Ed Shaulis(25, 2.5*, 4-6 3.68 58K 1.2WAR) and offensively, SS Tim Kessler(26, 3*, .266-17-60 .727OPS 1.4WAR), 1B Manny Rodriguez(27, 3.5*, .281-23-72 .812OPS 1.9WAR) and 2B Ruben Barrales(26, 4*, .296-17-61 .818OPS 3.3WAR) are not that bad. Prediction: 75-87.

Our friends from the Canada Series, the Toronto Blue Jays(66-96) improved a bit in the offseason for a 72-90 season… but may sell at the deadline again to fill up the farm. Hitting arbitration, SP Paul Davis(24, 3*, 10-10 3.99 227K 196IP 3.6WAR) should be off limits and so should be 1B Rodolfo Medellin(26, 3.5*, .265-11-38 .798OPS 1.2WAR), but they tried selling 2019 EL MvP 1B/DH Mike Massie(30, 3.5*, .296-21-73 .840OPS 1.3WAR) is an option… $20M p.a. left until 2029 tho.

Top Pitcher


Top Position Player

[Griever20]

Week 1: 4@ Pittsburgh Kings(77-85)

March 28th

Transactions:
RHP Cesar Alvarado(24, 2.5*, 0-2 2SV 4.91 50K 55IP -0.3WAR) was claimed by the Sacramento Cavaliers.

Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 1.58) - Victor Alvarez(R, 14-8 3.62). Dynamite splitter…

Kings Hand Montreal 6-3 Opening Day Loss

The Pittsburgh Kings started the 2024 season win an impressive 6-3 win against the Montreal Expos at PMC Park. Victor Alvarez, who finished 3rd in the EL in strikeouts with 211 in 2022, led the way for Pittsburgh.

"Victor did a good job of managing their lineup," said Pittsburgh manager Randy Sandlin. Alfonso Siordia earned his 1st save, after closing out the game.

Pittsburgh designated hitter Bill Matthews contributed a timely at-bat in the bottom of the first. With two down, he hit a sinker to left-center field for a 2-run single. It was his 1st hit of the season and put the Kings ahead, 3-0. The 3x All-Star hit .269-22-67 .768OPS 0.7WAR in 2023.

SP Dan Hinton 3.1IP 7H 6R 6ER 5BB 4K L
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-3 First NMLB hit !
HR MON: none
HR PIT: Cruz(1)
W: Victor Alvarez(1-0 2.35) L: Dan Hinton(0-1 16.20) SV: Alfonso Siordia(1 0.00)
RED ALERT! Hinton was baaaaaad.

March 29th

Brett Asselin(L, 16-6 3.84) - Steve Miller(R, 5-6 3.35). Low stamina, high movement.

Dominant Performance by Miller in Pittsburgh Win

In a tight contest between the Pittsburgh Kings and the Montreal Expos, Steve Miller was the determining factor. The Pittsburgh right-hander sparkled in his team's 1-0 win. Alfonso Siordia closed it out for Pittsburgh, earning his 2nd save. Montreal is 0-2 after the defeat.

Miller, the Pittsburgh right-hander, went 8 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits. He collected 9 strikeouts.

"I went after the hitters," said Miller. "No pussyfooting around." The 23-year old was the 15th overall pick in 2019.

SP Brett Asselin 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 4BB 8K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4
DH Matt Talbert 1-2 BB
HR MON: none
HR PIT: none
W: Steve Miller(1-0 0.00) L: Brett Asselin(0-1 1.35) SV: Alfonso Siordia(2 0.00)
Umm… guys, can we show up for the season please?

March 30th

Sam Griffin(R, 12-8 3.56) - Jonathan Holder(R, 9-9 3.87). Low stamina, elite fastball.

Expos Suffer One-Run Loss at Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Kings right-hander Jonathan Holder pitched a good game against the Montreal Expos at PMC Park, leading his team to victory, 4-3. Alfonso Siordia closed the game out for Pittsburgh, earning his 3rd save. The win puts Pittsburgh at 3-0.

The Kings got a big at-bat from left fielder Danny Roman. For the game, Roman was 1-4 with a home run, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once. In the bottom of the sixth, with runners on 1st and 2nd, he stroked a 3-run home run. His 1st home run of the season gave Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead. The 2019 EL Silver Slugger is coming off a .273-16-60 .747OPS 1.0WAR year.

"Jonathan showed what he's made of," said Pittsburgh manager Randy Sandlin.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 4H 3R 2ER 1BB 1K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 SB(1)
RF Ian Messer 2-5 SB(1)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 R DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4
DH Matt Talbert 1-2 R 2BB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R 2RBI HR First NMLB HR
HR MON: Dean(1)
HR PIT: Roman(1), Sanchez(1)
W: Garret Morrison(1-0 3.00) L: Sam Griffin(0-1 2.84) SV: Alfonso Siordia(3 0.00)
No reason to panic.

March 31st

Marty Murrietta(R, 7-9 3.80) - Brent Perino(R, 12-9 3.39). Double digit game winner for the last four years.

Expos Collect First Win, 4-1, at Pittsburgh

Montreal Expos starter Marty Murrietta hurled his team past the Pittsburgh Kings, 4-1. He worked eight innings of 6-hit and 1-run ball, walking one and striking out 2.

With the loss, Pittsburgh is 3-1.

Montreal used the hitting of Ian Messer to pick up the win. The right fielder clubbed a solo home run in the top of the third inning to put the Expos on top, 1-0. For the game, Messer had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"Nice win for us," said Messer. "Now we'll go after the next one." The reigning AL Silver Slugger is coming off a .317-13-63 .822OPS 3.4WAR year.

SP Marty Murrietta 8IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 2K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 RBI BB
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R RBI HR SB(2)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-3 R RBI BB
CF Tyler Dean 1-3 R RBI HR
HR MON: Dean(2), Messer(1)
HR PIT: Paima(1)
W: Marty Murrietta(1-0 1.12) L: Brent Perino(0-1 4.76) SV: Paul Ide(1 1.12)
Finally! What a rotten series.

Record: 1-3, 4th in EL Northeast, 1.5G behind BOS
Week: 1-3 (1-3 @ PIT)
Power Rankings: #23
Runs scored: 10(11th)
Runs against: 12(7th)
Starters ERA: 3.70(8th)
Bullpen ERA: 1.04(4th)
Defensive Eff.: .770(1st)
Zone Rating: +0.9(7th)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
Nobody

Who's not?
Nobody

News:

March 28th - Detroit SP Seth Dykstra(31, 4*) beguiled Houston today, going 9IP 5H 0ER 4BB 5K in a 6-0 opening day win. The 5x Cy Young Winner is coming off a 12-2 2.32 112K 3.3WAR year that got halved by injuries.

April 1st - Chicago RF Alex Chanez(27, 2.5/3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 7-16 4HR 8RBI 5R.

April 1st - Calgary SS Jerry Santa Cruz(25, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 6-12 3HR 7RBI 4R.

Next: 3@ Detroit Trains(4-0), 3@ Cincinnati Eagles(1-2)

--

The good news, we can only go up. A home game would’ve been nice.

[Griever20]

Week 2: 3@ Detroit Trains(4-0), 3@ Cincinnati Eagles(1-2)

April 1st

Juan Miranda(R, 12-10 4.09) - Jose Mendez(L, 10-10 5.51) Home run prone lefty that walks 3.0 per nine.

Montreal Upended by Detroit, 8-3

Rocky Burleson was instrumental in his team's 8-3 triumph over the Montreal Expos. The shortstop went 3-4 with a double and 2 singles. He drove in 2 runs and scored once for the Detroit Trains. Montreal now is 1-4.

Center Fielder Pedro Figueroa made an impact for Detroit, when he swatted a 2-run home run off Juan Miranda in the bottom of the third. For the contest, Figueroa was 1 for 4 with a home run and a walk. He drove in 2 runs and scored once.

"Our approach was just to try to see something over the plate and be aggressive," Figueroa told the Detroit Chronicle. The 5x Gold Glover is batting .316-2-5 1.065OPS 0.4WAR in five games.

SP Juan Miranda 4.1IP 6H 4R 4ER 2BB 3K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-3 R BB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R TP
2Fernando Perez 2-4 3RBI DB
DH Matt Talbert 2-4
CF Tyler Dean 2-4
HR MON: none
HR DET: Munoz(4), Figueroa(2)
W: Jose Mendez(1-0 5.40) L: Juan Miranda(0-1 8.31) SV: David McCormick(1 0.00)
23-year old Victor Munoz is batting .263-4-10 1.213OPS 0.3WAR so far…

April 2nd

Dan Hinton(R, 0-1 16.20) - Seth Dykstra(R, 1-0 0.00) Not the guy we want to see right now…

Expos Rookie Tyler Dean 3-for-4 in Win

The Montreal Expos stormed past the Detroit Trains, 13-5, at Comerica Park. Montreal center fielder Tyler Dean , who is considered the best prospect in baseball by BNN, led the hit parade. He was 3-4 with a home run, 2 singles, and a walk. He scored 4 times and drove in 3. For the season, he is batting .381-3-6 1.244OPS 0.5WAR in 6 games.

Dan Hinton, who went 7 innings, was the winning pitcher. He was charged with 4 runs on 7 hits, while walking 0 and striking out 10. His record now stands at 1-1. The loss has the Trains at 5-1.

Ignacio Benavides had a big 2-run double for the Expos in the top of the second inning. With Montreal leading 2-0 and runners on 1st and 2nd, he got a fastball from Seth Dykstra and swatted a double to right. It was his 1st double of the season, and more importantly, it put
the Expos ahead, 4-0.

"It feels good to get this one," Dean told the Montreal Citizen.

SP Dan Hinton 7IP 7H 4R 4ER 0BB 10K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 2R 2RBI BB DB
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R RBI 2BB
1B Dave Grochowski 4-6 4RBI SB(1)
2Fernando Perez 0-2 RBI BB
DH Matt Talbert 1-6 R
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-5 2R RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 3-4 3R RBI BB DB
CF Tyler Dean 3-4 4R 3RBI BB HR PotG
HR MON: Cervantes(1), Dean(3)
HR DET: Hansen(2), Aguilera(1), Figueroa(3)
W: Dan Hinton(1-1 8.71) L: Seth Dykstra(1-1 5.40) SV: none
Dykstra got tagged by 7 earned runs in 2.2 innings… now we get offense, all in one game.

April 3rd

Brett Asselin(L, 0-1 1.35) - Bret Engling(L, 0-0 12.77) 3x All-Star and solid veteran.

Detroit Sledgehammers Montreal, 14-1

Detroit first baseman Josh Nadeau helped his team beat the Montreal Expos, 14-1. Nadeau, who finished 3rd in the EL in batting average with .313 in 2020, went 4 for 5 for the Trains. The loss drops Montreal to 2-5.

With Detroit leading 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Nadeau hit a splitter from Brett Asselin for a 3-run home run. It was his 1st home run of the season and put the Trains ahead, 4-0.

Montreal manager Aaron McCreery called the blowout loss "ugly." In more bad news, infielder Robby Weltzer left the game with what seems to be a back injury.

SP Brett Asselin 2.2IP 7H 8R 4ER 4BB 2K L
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 RBI DB
HR MON: none
HR DET: Nadeau(1), Armijo(2), Aguilera(2)
W: Bret Engling(1-0 4.50) L: Brett Asselin(0-2 4.82) SV: none
Two stinking hits…

Transaction:
IF Robby Weltzer(27, 2.5*, .0-3 2G) was placed on the 10-day IL with a herniated disc in his neck 1-2 weeks and IF Orlando Gonzalez(29, 2.5*) was recalled from AAA.

April 4th
Offday

April 5th

Sam Griffin(R, 0-1 2.84) - Matt Swanson(R, 0-0 3.86) Led the league in Wins two years ago.

Expos Win, 3-1, in Ten

Montreal used a superb performance from starting pitcher Sam Griffin to down the Cincinnati Eagles, 3-1, in 10 innings. He worked seven scoreless innings of 3-hit, 4 walk and 4 strikeout ball.

The loss drops Cincinnati to 3-4.

Joe Hawk provided a timely hit. The Montreal pinch hitter delivered a 2-run triple in the top of the tenth inning to put the Expos on top, 3-1. It was his only hit in the game, but he made it count.

"Our guys refused to lose," said Hawk.

SP Sam Griffin 7.0IP 3H 0R 0ER 4BB 4K ND PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R DB
1B Dave Grochowski 0-3 RBI
DH Matt Talbert 0-3 R BB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 R
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 DB
PH Joe Hawk 1-1 2RBI TP
HR MON: none
HR CIN: none
W: Paul Ide(1-0 4.50) L: Logan Worden(0-1 4.50) SV: Dusty Jenkins(1 0.00)
Jep, first blown save for Ide.

April 6th

Marty Murrietta(R, 1-0 1.12) - Ramon Ruedas(R, 0-0 7.71) 2017
WL Cy Young… when he was young.

Expos Pin 7-2 Loss on Eagles

Montreal pitcher Marty Murrietta did his part in helping his team beat the Cincinnati Eagles, 7-2. The right-hander kept opposing batters from doing too much damage. The winning pitcher was Murrietta, now 2-0. He tossed 5.2 innings of 4-hit ball, while walking 1 and fanning 7. Cincinnati drops to 3-5.

Gabriel Cervantes had a big 2-run home run for the Expos in the top of the fourth inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and a runner on 2nd, he sized up a curveball from 2017 Pitcher of the Year Award winner Ramon Ruedas and punished it. The result was his 2nd home run of the season, which put the Expos on top, 3-0.

"It never gets old," said Cervantes. "Winning, that is." The veteran catcher is batting .310-2-6 .920OPS 0.3WAR in 8 games.

SP Marty Murrietta 5.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 7K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R BB SB(2)
RF Ian Messer 1-5
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 RBI
2B Fernando Perez 1-3 R BB
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 2R 2RBI DB HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R SB(1)
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R 2RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R 2RBI HR
HR MON: Cervantes(2), Talbert(1), Dean(4)
HR CIN: Jackson(2)
W: Marty Murrietta(2-0 1.32) L: Ramon Ruedas(0-1 8.38) SV: none
Ok things are getting better.

April 7th

Juan Miranda(R, 0-1 8.31) - Jimmy McMahon(R, 0-1 16.88) Strong arm according to our scouts.

Expos Sweep Eagles with 6-1 Win

The Montreal Expos topped the Cincinnati Eagles, 6-1, in Eastern League action at Eagles Stadium. The game was highlighted by the performance of Montreal pitcher Juan Miranda. The loss lowers the Cincinnati record to 3-6.

Montreal used the hitting of Julian Hernandez to pick up the win. The third baseman clubbed a 3-run home run in the top of the first inning to put the Expos on top, 4-0. For the game, Hernandez had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

Miranda told a Montreal Citizen reporter that he was "satisfied" with the win. He pitched 8.1 strong innings of 1-run ball and collected his first win of the season.

SP Juan Miranda 8.1IP 6H 1R 1ER 0BB 5K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R
RF Ian Messer 3-4 2R DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 RBI DB
DH Matt Talbert 0-4 R
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 R 4RBI HR
CF Tyler Dean 2-3 R RBI BB HR
HR MON: Hernandez(1), Dean(5)
HR CIN: Ramos(3)
W: Juan Miranda(1-1 3.55) L: Jimmy McMahon(0-2 9.00) SV: none
That sweep was needed.

Record: 5-5, 4th in EL Northeast, 2.5G behind BOS
Week: 4-2 (1-2 @ DET, 3-0 @ CIN)
Power Rankings: #15(+8)
Runs scored: 43(8th)
Runs against: 43(8th)
Starters ERA: 3.64(6th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.72(11th)
Defensive Eff.: .706(3rd)
Zone Rating: +2.0(6th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
CF Tyler Dean 8G 10-29 .345 5HR 9RBI

Who's not?
Nobody

News:
April 3rd - Angels SP Dickie Bartyzel(24, 3.5*) agreed to a 6y/$125.7M contract extension today. The 2023 WL Cy Young winner is coming off a 9-6 3.01 227K 4.9WAR year in 32 starts. 40 stamina, not my kind of pitcher.

April 7th - San Francisco SP Tony Leal(25, 2.5*) blanked the Angels 5-0 with a complete game 3-hitter with 1BB and 5 strikeouts. Ther 2017 19th rounder is 1-0 4.50 10K 0.0WAR in 2 starts.

April 8th - Boston RF Kurt Alexander(29, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-21 3HR 6RBI 7R. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .438-3-7 1.298OPS 0.7WAR in 9 games.

April 8th - Calgary 1B John Foley(31, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-21 3HR 8RBI 11R. Another 2x Silver Slugger, the veteran is batting .406-3-8 1.349OPS 0.9WAR for his new team.

Next: 3 vs Boston Aeros(7-2), 3 vs Cincinnati Eagles(3-6)

--

Let’s show the Boston Aeros who’s boss in the division.

[Griever20]

Week 3: 3 vs Boston Aeros(7-2), 3 vs Cincinnati Eagles(3-6)

April 8th
Offday

April 9th

Tyrese Speed(R, 1-0 2.79) - Dan Hinton(R, 1-1 8.71) Home Opener!

Dean Hits Two Dingers, Expos Win, 14-6

The Montreal Expos used the hitting of center fielder Tyler Dean to subdue the Boston Aeros, 14-6. For the game, Dean went 3 for 4 with 2 home runs. He drove in 6 runs and scored twice.

The winning pitcher was Dan Hinton. He tossed 120 pitches over 7 innings, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits. The victory makes Montreal 6-5.

With Montreal leading 10-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Dean came up to bat against Boston pitcher Bryan Chandler. Dean hit a fastball to left for a 3-run home run. His 7th home run of the season put the Expos on top, 13-3.

"Every time I go up there, I try and hit a ball hard," said Dean. The rookie is leading the EL in home runs now, batting .359-7-15 1.303OPS 1.1WAR in 11 games.

SP Dan Hinton 7IP 9H 5R 5ER 0BB 11K W
PH Victor Rodriguez 1-1 R SB(1)
RF Ian Messer 2-5 2R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 2R 2RBI BB DB HR
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 2R 3RBI HBP 2HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 2R 2BB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-+3 3R BB
CF Tyler Dean 3-4 2R 6RBI 2HR
HR BOS: Alexander(4)
HR MON: Grochowski(1), Dean 2(7), Perez 2(2), Messer(2)
W: Dan Hinton(2-1 7.79) L: Tyrese Speed(1-1 3.97) SV: none
Random observations: Dean is NMLB ready. Hinton still sucks and McCreery deserves to be whipped for letting him throw 120 pitches. Perez finally is on the board with his first (two) home run(s).

April 10th

Eric Brooks(L, 1-0 5.40) - Brett Asselin(L, 0-2 4.82) Southpaw duel.

Alexander Stars in 4-1 Aeros Win

The Boston Aeros beat the Montreal Expos, 4-1, at Olympic Stadium. The win was due in part to right fielder Kurt Alexander, who went 3-4 with a home run and 2 singles. He drove in 4 runs and scored once.

Eric Brooks picked up the win with 5.1 innings of work. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits, while walking 4 and striking out 6. On the season, he is now 2-0. The win gives Boston a record of 8-3.

In the top of the sixth, with the game tied, the Expos allowed the Aeros to take a 3-1 lead on a base hit and Montreal error.

Alexander told a Boston Chronicle reporter that he was "satisfied" with the win. The 3x All-Star is batting .475-5-12 1.438OPS 1.1WAR in 11 games.

SP Brett Asselin 6.2IP 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 11K L
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
2B Fernando Perez 2-3 R RBI BB DB HR
RF Ian Messer 2-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-3
HR BOS: Alexander(5)
HR MON: Perez(3)
W: Eric Brooks(2-0 3.48) L: Brett Asselin(0-3 4.50) SV: Ian Starks(4 5.40)
Asselin didn’t deserve to go 0-3 for his pitching…

April 11th

Steve Behanna(R, 0-1 3.55) - Sam Grifffin(R, 0-1 1.35) 14-game winner in 2023.

Expos Win Extra-inning Affair, 6-5, in 13

It was pandemonium at Olympic Stadium after an exciting walk-off win.

The Montreal Expos faced a tough opponent in Boston pitcher Steve Behanna, but did just enough to pull out the victory at Olympic Stadium by a final score of 6-5. Behanna went 5.2 innings and allowed no runs. The loss makes Boston 8-4.

Montreal got a knockout punch from Dave Grochowski. The first baseman hammered a solo home run in the bottom of the 13th inning to win the game. It might've been his only hit, but it decided the outcome. The 2022 EL Rookie of the Year is batting .291-2-10 .783OPS 0.2WAR in 13 games.

"The game is never over 'til it's over," said a jubilant Aaron McCreery, the Montreal skipper.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 5H 4R 4ER 3BB 5K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 4-7 R RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-5
1B Dave Grochowski 1-7 2R 2RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 3-5 R BB
DH Matt Talbert 2-6 R 2RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 RBI 2BB
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R TP
HR BOS: none
HR MON: Talbert(2), Grochowski(2)
W: Freddy Silva(1-0 1.93) L: Justin Stokes(1-1 5.79) SV: none
We went through five relievers including two scoreless by Ide to get there… but important win.

April 12th

Ramon Ruedas(R, 0-1 8.38) - Marty Murrietta(R, 2-0 1.32) Another sweep would be nice here

Another Day, another Walk-Off, Expos Win 5-3 in 12

A good performance from shortstop Fernando Perez helped the Montreal Expos defeat the Cincinnati Eagles, 5-3. Perez was 4 for 6 with 2 home runs and 2 singles. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice for the Expos. The win puts Montreal at 8-6.

The game was still up for grabs in the bottom of the 12th. 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.

"The crowd was raucous," said Perez. The 2023 Rookie of the Year is batting .-296-5-13 .990OPS 0.4WAR in 14 games.

SP Marty Murrietta 5.2IP 4H 2R 2ER 4BB 7K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 BB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-6 2R 2DB
2B Fernando Perez 4-6 2R 4RBI 2HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-5 RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 SB(2)
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-5
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3
CF Tyler Dean 2-4 HBP
HR CIN: none
HR MON: Perez 2(5)
W: Joe Herzer(1-0 5.19) L: Vince Wilkens(0-1 6.23) SV: none
Perez now is heating up. By the way, the Eagles lost their starter Ramon Ruedas in the 4th… so their bullpen should be shot as well. Oh, and fun stat, Tyler Dean threw out a runner at home, and a runner at third base today!

April 13th

Jimmy McMahon(R, 0-2 9.00) - Juan Miranda(R, 1-1 3.55) Our pen is gassed so…

McMahon Now 1-2 Following 3-2 Win

Cincinnati Eagles starter Jimmy McMahon pitched a strong game against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium, leading the Eagles to victory, 3-2. With the loss, Montreal drops to 8-7.

McMahon delivered a quality start for Cincinnati. The 6-foot-1 right-hander allowed no earned runs on 4 hits over 8 innings of work.

"When you are able to locate the ball, good things are going to happen," said McMahon.

SP Juan Miranda 8.2IP 3H 2R 2ER 1BB 8K L
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 R DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R RBI TP
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 SB(3)
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4
HR CIN: Jackson(2)
HR MON: none
W: Jimmy McMahon(1-2 4.76) L: Juan Miranda(1-2 2.95) SV: Lamar Gladney(2 2.00)
Not that I’m happy to lose, but Miranda at least got our pen a day off apart from Jenkins.

April 14th

Transactions:
IF Orlando Gonzalez(29, 2.5*, .000-0-1 .111OPS -0.2WAR) and LHRP Faical Shimoda(23, 2.5*, 0-0 0.00 2IP 0.0WAR) were sent to AAA as IF Robby Weltzer(27, 2.5*, 0-3) and LHRP Pablo Mendoza(25, 2.5*, 3-2 3.86 36K 0.4WAR 28IP 2023) were activated off the IL.

Phil King(R, 0-1 8.44) - Dan Hinton(R, 2-1 7.79) Would be nice for our ace to have a good start…

Hinton Buzzsaws Cincinnati Bats in 6-0 Win

Cincinnati had no answer for Montreal Expos starter Dan Hinton, who flummoxed Eagles hitters as the Expos cruised to victory, 6-0. Cincinnati now is 6-9.

Hinton scattered 4 hits over 7.2 innings for the Expos. With the win, Hinton moves to 3-1 on the year with 37 strikeouts.

"I had pretty good command out there," said Hinton.

SP Dan Hinton 7.2IP 4H 0R 0ER 0BB 12K W PotG
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 2R 2DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 2R RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 4RBI DB
CF Tyler Dean 2-4 R RBI HR
HR CIN: none
HR MON: Perez(6), Dean(8)
W: Dan Hinton(3-1 5.40) L: Phil King(0-2 8.80) SV: none
That’s what I was talking about. Great start and Dean and Perez keep mashing.


Record: 9-7, 2nd in EL Northeast, 2.5G behind BOS
Week: 4-2 (2-1 vs BOS, 2-1 vs CIN)
Power Rankings: #9(+6)
Runs scored: 77(7th)
Runs against: 64(3rd)
Starters ERA: 3.55(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 3.74(6th)
Defensive Eff.: .701(3rd)
Zone Rating: +4.9(3rd)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
2B Fernando Perez 6G 14-26 6HR 9RBI
CF Tyler Dean 8G 12-29 .414 5HR 10RBI

Who's not?
Nobody

News:
April 9th - Canadians C Jake Williams(27, 5*, .368-2-2 .953OPS 0.5WAR) and his team have agreed to a life-changing 8y/$235.2M contract extension, keeping the 3x All-Star and 2023 WL Silver Slugger in Canada until 2032.

April 9th - Atlanta 1B Aaron Hilton(33, 3*) lost something that started in 2023, a 26-game hitting streak. The veteran and 2019 World Series winner is batting .292-0-5 .737OPS 0.3WAR in 11 games, being a premier contact hitter for most of his career.

April 10th - Portland RF Danny Tamez(24, 3*) hammered the Calgary Beavers with a 5-5 R RBI 2DB game, his first 5-hit game in NMLB. An elite defender an baserunner, he is batting .333-2-10 .907OPS 4/4SB 0.7WAR in 13 games.

April 15th - Montreal 2B Fernando Perez(24, 4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 14-26 6HR 9RBI 9R. The reigning Rookie of the Year is batting .306-6-14 1.024OPS 0.5WAR in 16 games.

April 15th - Calgary RF Joseph Floris(28, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-25 3HR 6RBI 6R. The 2023 WL All-Star is batting .377-4-14 1.042OPS 0.8WAR in 16 games.

Next: 4 vs Houston Astros(7-9), 3 @ San Diego Padres(6-10)

--

The rich kids from Houston Astros and the Padres, both teams that were predicted to win their divisions with 90+ wins…

[Griever20]

Week 4: 4 vs Houston Astros(7-9), 3 @ San Diego Padres(6-10)

April 15th

Andy Lindaman(R, 1-1 2.76) - Brett Asselin(L, 0-3 4.50) A riddle that goes from a 2.94ERA to a 5.15ERA in two years.

Asselin K’s 10 En Route to 2-0 Expos Win

The Montreal Expos topped the Houston Astros, 2-0, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. The standout performance belonged to Montreal pitcher and Brownsville, Texas, native Brett Asselin. The win brings the Expos to 10-7, a promising start as the team looks to return to the playoffs.

Houston had little success against Asselin and his changeup. Asselin tossed 104 pitches over 7 innings for the Expos.

"It was a solid team effort," said Asselin after the game.Both runs were scored, and in fact, driven in by Tyler Dean who hit two solo home runs today.

SP Brett Asselin 7.0IP 4H 0R 0ER 1BB 10K W PotG
2Robby Weltzer 1-4 DB DB
1B Dave Grochowski 0-2 2BB
CF Tyler Dean 2-3 2R 2RBI BB 2HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4
LF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
HR HOU: none
HR MON: Dean 2(10)
W: Brett Asselin(1-3 3.13) L: Andy Lindaman(1-2 2.38) SV: Paul Ide(2 1.50)
Dean and Asselin were our heroes today.

April 16th

Devin Bennett(R, 0-0 8.40) - Sam Griffin(R, 0-1 2.75) Led the league in losses with 15 last year.

Another Wild Walkoff Wins it of Montreal, 8-7, over Astros

Houston first baseman Sean Thomason had a terrific game, but it still wasn't enough to get his team a win. Thomason went 2 for 4 with a home run and a walk. He scored 2 times and drove in 2, even as Montreal beat the Astros, 8-7. The Astros fall to 7-11 and continue their lackluster start to the 2024 season.

Gabriel Cervantes was the walk-off hero for Montreal. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Expos catcher hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home.

"It feels good, just a great win all around," Cervantes said after the game. The 28-year old is batting .281-2-7 .795OPS 0.4WAR in 16 games.

SP Sam Griffin 3.0IP 5H 5R 5ER 1BB 2K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 3R RBI 2BB
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 R 3RBI DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 RBI BB SB(4)
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-5 RBI DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 R DB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R RBI 2DB
2Robby Weltzer 0-2 R BB
HR HOU: Zamora(4), Thomason(3)
HR MON: none
W: Dusty Jenkins(1-0 4.76) L: John Cole(0-2 5.02) SV: none
Wild one indeed, but every W counts. But, we got some bad news:

Transactions:
LHRP Pablo Mendoza(25, 2.5*) didn’t last long as he was placed on the 15-day IL again after one batter, suffering from chronic back soreness 4 weeks . LHRP Faicel Shimoda(23, 2.5*, 0-0 0.00 2IP) was recalled.

April 17th

Gong-sun Zhào(R, 2-1 4.50) - Marty Murrietta(R, 2-0 1.86) The ever pesky 2x Win leader…

Expos Clinch Series With 9-1 Win

The Montreal Expos and starting pitcher Marty Murrietta stifled the Houston offense en route to a comfortable 9-1 win at Olympic Stadium. The 27-year old worked six innings of 1-run ball.

The loss puts Houston at 7-12.

Fernando Perez, who is tied for 5th in the EL in RBI with 15, helped out the Montreal cause in the bottom of the sixth inning with a run-scoring hit-by-pitch. For the game, the second baseman drove in one run.

"We had some nice at-bats at the right time," said Expos manager Aaron McCreery.

SP Marty Murrietta 6.0IP 2H 1R 0ER 3BB 4K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 DB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 R 3RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R RBI BB
2B Fernando Perez 0-4 RBI HBP
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 R 3RBI HR
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 R
RF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 2R
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 2R BB
HR HOU: none
HR MON: Talbert(3)
W: Marty Murrietta(3-0 1.42) L: Gong-sun Zhào(2-2 4.97) SV: none
Well done by our offense… we are starting to cook.

April 18th

Jesse Dittus(R, 0-2 4.42) - Juan Miranda(R, 1-2 2.95) Another 15-game loser in 2023.

18-Run Barrage Seals 4-Game Sweep of Astros for Montreal

The Montreal Expos marched over the Houston Astros, 18-3, at Olympic Stadium. Fernando Perez, who finished 2nd in the EL in home runs with 37 last year, led the charge. He went 2 for 5 with 2 home runs and a walk, while scoring 3 and driving in 4. The loss puts Houston at 7-13.

Gabriel Cervantes hit a bases-clearing double off Jessie Dittus in the bottom of the first, which put the Expos in front, 4-2. In addition to the double, Cervantes had 2 singles and 1 walk, while going 3 for 5.

"I like our mindset right now," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

SP Juan Miranda 6.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 3BB 7K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 2R BB SB(3)
RF Ian Messer 4-6 R RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 3R 2RBI BB
2B Fernando Perez 2-5 3R 4RBI BB 2HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 4R 2RBI 2BB HBP HR
3B Julian Hernandez 3-4 2R 2BB DB SB(5)
C Gabriel Cervantes 3-5 R 3RBI BB DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-6 R 5RBI HR
CF Tyler Dean 2-5 R
HR HOU: Lynn(3)
HR MON: Talbert(4), Perez 2(8), Meilleur(1)
W: Juan Miranda(2-2 3.25) L: Jesse Dittus(3-3 5.87) SV: none
Whoa offense. Great series.

April 19th

Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 5.40) - Do-hyun Choi(R, 1-2 2.95) Good stuff, but with 35 stamina…

Padres Score Late as Ide Blows Game, Clip Expos 6-5

The San Diego Padres had to overcome a fine effort from Montreal pitcher Dan Hinton to win, 6-5, at PETCO Park. Hinton went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs. The winner was Scott Burns in relief. His record improves to 1-0. Paul Ide took the loss. The defeat makes Montreal 13-8.

San Diego got a game-changing hit from Alex Cabrini. The pinch hitter blasted a 3-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. It was his only hit in 1 at-bat, but it was a winner. The sophomore is batting .219-1-4 .743OPS 0.1WAR in 14 games.

"Winning in the last at-bat, there's nothing else like it," said Cabrini.

SP Dan Hinton 8IP 6H 2R 2ER 1BB 10K ND PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 RBI
2B Fernando Perez 3-5 2R 2RBI 2HR
CF Tyler Dean 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 R BB
1B Joe Hawk 2-4 R 2RBI DB
HR MON: Perez 2(10)
HR SDP: Cabrini(1)
W: Scott Burns(1-0 5.14) L: Paul Ide(1-1 6.75) SV: none
I’m so fed up with Ide…

April 20th

Brett Asselin(L, 1-3 3.13) - Joe Baier(R, 1-0 3.42) Led the WL with 16W last year.

Expos Win, 8-7, at San Diego

The San Diego Padres got a sterling performance from first baseman David Dose, but the Montreal Expos still prevailed, 8-7. Dose was 4-5 with a home run and 3 singles. He scored 2 runs. The win gives Montreal a record of 14-8.

Early in the game, first baseman Dave Grochowski had a 2-run home run for Montreal. It was his 3rd home run of the season and put the Expos on top, 2-0. He is batting .322-3-18 .910OPS 0.8WAR in 22 games.

"Being able to contribute to a win is always a great feeling," Grochowski told the Montreal Citizen.

SP Brett Asselin 6.1IP 8H 4R 4ER 3BB 7K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
RF Ian Messer 1-2 R RBI 3BB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 R 2RBI 2BB HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R BB
CF Tyler Dean 2-5 2R RBI HR
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 2R RBI SB(1)
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 2RBI
HR MON: Perez(11), Deal(11), Grochowski(3)
HR SDP: Dose(2), Capote(4)
W: Brett Asselin(2-3 3.68) L: Joe Baier(1-1 4.97) SV: Paul Ide(3 7.04)
Ide gave up another run in his save…

April 21st

Sam Griffin(R, 0-1 4.37) - Jerry Sullivan(R, 2-1 5.32) 15-game winner…

Padres Handle Montreal, Snag 8-4 Win

The home crowd had a good time watching the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres get after it.

Despite a fine performance by third baseman Julian Hernandez, the Montreal Expos lost to the San Diego Padres, 8-4. Hernandez was 4 for 5 with a home run and 3 singles. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. He is batting .295-2-13 .745OPS 5/6SB 0.4WAR in 21 games.

Montreal drops to 14-9.

San Diego took the lead, 8-4, on Octavio Gonzalos's 6th home run of the season. The 3-run home run came off Montreal pitcher Mitsuyasu Kai in the bottom of the seventh.

San Diego manager Greg Kramer commended his team for "putting the pedal to the metal."

SP Sam Griffin 5.1IP 8H 5R 3ER 3BB 1K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3
PH/CF Tyler Dean 1-1 BB
RF Ian Messer 1-5 R
3B Julian Hernandez 4-5 R 2RBI HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-5 R RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-5 R
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4
CF/LF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
PH/2B Joe Hawk 1-2 RBI
HR MON: Talbert(5), Hernandez(3)
HR SDP: Gonzalos(6)
W: Jerry Sullivan(3-1 4.82) L: Sam Griffin(0-2 4.50) SV: none
That was a combined effort… 2 errors by ‘PotG’ Julian Hernandez.

Record: 14-9, tied 1st in EL Northeast with BOS
Week: 5-2 (4-0 vs HOU, 1-2 @ SDP)
Power Rankings: #4(+5)
Runs scored: 131(1st)
Runs against: 96(7th)
Starters ERA: 3.58(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 4.27(6th)
Defensive Eff.: .689(3rd)
Zone Rating: +6.9(2nd)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Dan Hinton 2G 1-0 1.15 15.2IP 22K
2B Fernando Perez 11G 20-48 11HR 17RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 5G 12-23 .522 1HR 7RBI
CF Tyler Dean 7G 11-26 .423 4HR 4RBI

Who's not?
SP Sam Griffin 2G 0-1 8.64 8.1IP 3K

News:
April 18th - Cincinnati LF Leo Ramos(36, 2.5*) clobbered 3 home runs today, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR in a 10-4 win in Philadelphia. The 2x MvP is batting .222-7-11 .791OPS 0.3WAR in 19 games.

April 21st - Oakland 1B Sal Masariegos(31, 3.5*) took part in a 17-3 win over the Eagles including a 10-run inning, going 5-6 3R 5RBI DB HR for the day. The 2016 WL All-Star is batting .337-3-16 .878OPS 0.6WAR in 21 games.

April 22nd - Montreal 3B Julian Hernandez(24, 3.5/4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-23 1HR 7RBI 4R.

April 22nd - Padres 1B David Dose(30, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 14-26 2HR 4RBI 7R. The 2x WL All-Star is batting .372-2-6 .953OPS 1.1WAR in 22 games.

Next: 3 @ Houston Astros(7-16), 3 @ Los Angeles Angels(9-13)

--

Still a tough schedule looking at the preseason predictions.

[Griever20]

Week 5: 3 @ Houston Astros(7-16), 3 @ Los Angeles Angels(9-13)

April 22nd
Offday

April 23rd

Marty Murrietta(R, 3-0 1.42) - Gong-sun Zhào(R, 2-2 4.97) That guy again.

Astros Get Clutch Win. 3-2

Houston turned a good effort from starter Gong-sun Zhào into a win over the Montreal Expos at
Minute Maid Park. The final score was 3-2. Houston reliever David Kohler got the win, raising his record to 3-0. Paul Ide was tagged with the loss. Montreal falls to 14-10.

The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Houston designated hitter Jose Martinez, facing Paul Ide, had a run-scoring sacrifice fly. It gave the Astros the 3-2 win.

"Bottom line," said Montreal skipper Aaron McCreery, "we didn't play well enough to win."

SP Marty Murrietta 6IP 3H 1R 1ER 3BB 5K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
RF Ian Messer 1-5 R TP
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
2B Fernando Perez 2-3 R 2RBI BB DB HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 DB
HR MON: Perez(12)
HR HOU: none
W: David Kohler(3-0 1.93) L: Paul Ide(1-2 8.64) SV: none
Can someone please kill Paul Ide?

Expos Get Welborn, Nationals Ide
stadiumreport.bbn

April 23rd, 2024

In a move that has sent shockwaves throughout the league, the Montreal Expos have acquired 26-year old RHRP Zachary Welborn(26, 5*) from the Washington Nationals in exchange for 26-year old LHRP Paul Ide and 25-year old minor league CF Bobby Martinez(25, 2.5*, .421-2-5 1.108OPS 1.1WAR AA).

"Whenever you have the opportunity to acquire this kind of quality, you have to take it," GM Martin of the Expos explained to the press today. "We hope the fans are excited about this deal as we are."

This season, Ide has crafted a 1-2 won-lost mark, pitched in 8 relief appearances and rung up 3 saves. He has a 8.64 ERA and has allowed 10 hits over his 8.1 innings of work, struck out 7 batters and walked 4.

Up to this point in the season, Welborn has put up these stats: 11 relief appearances, 9 saves, 11 IP, 24 strikeouts and 3.27 ERA. His won-lost record is 0-0 with the opposition is hitting .154 against him.

--

Well, that is probably better than a life sentence in jail for me. Welborn is a righty that won Reliever of the Year last season and has one year less of service time. Let’s see if the jinx stays with us…

[Griever20]

Week 5: 3 @ Houston Astros(7-16), 3 @ Los Angeles Angels(9-13)

April 24th

Juan Miranda(R, 2-2 3.25) - Jessie Dittus(R, 0-3 5.87) Bound for a rebound...

Astros Pick Up 6-4 Win Against Montreal

Houston parlayed a decent outing from starter Jessie Dittus into a solid win over the Montreal Expos. The final score was 6-4. The winner was Dittus. He threw 6.2 innings of 3-hit ball. The loser was Juan Miranda. Houston goes to 9-16.

Houston took advantage of an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. The game was tied, 3-3, when Ed Bigalow hit a 2-run single that was misplayed. It put the Astros in front, 5-3.

"It's a long season," said Bigalow. "We'll keep working to improve." The veteran pinch-hit in this spot, batting only .176 off the bench.

SP Juan Miranda 5.1IP 6H 5R 4ER 2BB 7K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-5 R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 2R RBI DB HR
DH Matt Talbert 0-1 R 2BB
3B Julian Hernandez 0-3 BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 DB
SS Rich Meilleur 0-3 BB
HR MON: Perez(13), Messer(3)
HR HOU: Martinez(2), Thomason(6)
W: Jesse Dittus(1-3 5.46) L: Juan Miranda(2-3 3.82) SV: Andy Lindaman(1 2.43)
That one wasn’t on our closer… Messer had the error.

April 25th

Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 4.64) - Orlando Turrietta(R, 0-2 7.15) Once a 4x Cy Young winner…

Astros Sweep Expos with 7-1 Win

Houston pitcher Orlando Turrietta did his part in helping his team beat the Montreal Expos, 7-1. The right-hander kept opposing batters from doing too much damage. Turrietta yielded 1 run over 7 innings to notch the win. He scattered 6 hits, walked 0, and struck out 10. His record improves to 1-2. Montreal falls to 14-12.

The Astros picked up the win with a combination of good hitting and good pitching.

"Nice win for us," said Turrietta. "Now we'll go after the next one." Not going after the next one will be Montreal starter Dan Hinton. The 25-year old left the game early and was quickly diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff 14 months .

SP Dan Hinton 4.2IP 10H 4R 4ER 2BB 7K L torn rotator cuff 14 months
RF Ian Messer 2-4 DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-3 R RBI HR
HR MON: Dean(12)
HR HOU: Zamora(5)
W: Orlando Turrietta(1-2 5.76) L: Dan Hinton(3-2 5.02) SV: none
****

Transactions:
RHSP Dan Hinton(25, 4.5*) was placed on the 60-year IL and won’t be seen for 14 months, and AAA SP Alejandro Corral(23, 2.5/3*, 1-3 4.43 24K 0.4WAR) was recalled.

April 26th

Dickie Bartyzel(R, 2-2 1.64) - Brett Asselin(L, 2-3 3.68) Reigning Cy…

Expos Win 3-2 Walk-Off

Brett Asselin, the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft, was locked in. The left-hander led the Montreal Expos to a 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels at Olympic Stadium. The triumph makes Montreal 15-12, as the team begins another long trek toward the playoffs in 2024.

The Expos got a clutch hit from catcher Gabriel Cervantes. In the bottom of the 13th, he delivered a run-scoring single to win the game for the Expos. The 28-year old was 2-2 with an RBI, entering the game in the 11t.

"Brett was really on it," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. "He's got a feel for playing with the hitter front-to-back, side-to-side."

SP Brett Asselin 8IP 1H 0R 0ER 2BB 8K ND PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-6
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R RBI 2BB HR
PH/2B Robby Weltzer 1-1 R
DH Matt Talbert 1-5 R BB
CF Tyler Dean 1-5 RBI DB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 DB
RF Vicente Rodriguez 1-2
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-2 RBI
HR LAA: Meckes(1)
HR MON: Hernandez(3)
W: Faicel Shimoda(1-0 0.00) L: Alberto Vilchis(3-2 5.02) SV: none
Welborn made his debut! Giving up a run! Yaay!

April 27th

Josh Eisenberg(L, 3-1 4.78) - Sam Griffin(R, 0-2 4.50) Former NYM boy…

Los Angeles Tacks 5-4 Loss on Montreal

The Los Angeles Angels defeated the Montreal Expos, 5-4. Doing his part was first baseman Mike Meckes, who went 2-4 with a home run and a double. He drove in 3 runs and scored once. With the loss, Montreal sinks to 15-13.

With Los Angeles leading 1-0 in the top of the fifth, Meckes hit a sinker from Sam Griffin for a 3-run home run. It was his 2nd home run of the season and put the Angels ahead, 4-0.

"Every time I go up there, I try and hit a ball hard," said Meckes. The 2017 1st rounder is batting .212-2-9 .555OPS -0.2WAR.

SP Sam Griffin 4.2IP 7H 5R 5ER 0BB 3K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-2 R 2BB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 R 2RBI 2DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 RBI
DH Matt Talbert 0-3 R
RF Ian Messer 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 0-3 RBI
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R
HR LAA: Meckes(2)
HR MON: none
W: Josh Eisenberg(4-1 5.01) L: Sam Griffin(0-3 5.23) SV: Greg Martin(5 4.63)
Griffin isn’t exactly in form…

April 28th

Henry Rodriguez(R, 2-2 5.60) - Alejandro Corral(R, DNP) Welcome to the big leagues kid…

Expos Win at Home, 10-4

Rich Meilleur left his imprint on the 10-4 Montreal win against the Los Angeles Angels. Meilleur, who is tied for 9th in the EL in triples with 1, went 2 for 4 with a home run. He drove in 4 runs and scored once. Alejandro Corral picked up the win, improving his season record to 1-0. He struck out 4 in 5.1 innings. The loss drops Los Angeles to 13-15.

In the first inning, Meilleur had a 3-run home run for Montreal. It was his 2nd home run of the season and put the Expos on top, 7-0. The glove first shortstop is batting .255-2-11 .666OPS 0.4WAR in 25 games.

"We swung the bats good throughout the lineup," said Montreal skipper Aaron McCreery.

SP Alejandro Corral 5.1IP 5H 0R 0ER 0BB 4K W
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R BB DB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 BB
1B Dave Grochowski 2/4 2R 2RBI BB DB HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-5 RBI DB
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 2R BB
CF Tyler Dean 2-5 2R
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-5 R RBI
LF Vicente Rodriguez 3-4 R RBI DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 R 4RBI HR PotG
HR LAA: none
HR MON: Grochowski(4), Meilleur(2)
W: Alejandro Corral(1-0 0.00) L: Henry Rodriguez(2-3 7.50) SV: none
Corral with a strong debut.

Record: 16-13, tied 1st in EL Northeast with BOS
Week: 2-4 (0-3 vs HOU, 2-1 vs LAA)
Power Rankings: #12(-8)
Runs scored: 155(1st)
Runs against: 123(6th)
Starters ERA: 3.60(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 4.45(10th)
Defensive Eff.: .686(2nd)
Zone Rating: +9.0(3rd)
Fan Interest: 82(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Brett Asselin 3G 2-0 1.69 21.1IP 25K
SP Marty Murrietta 2G 1-0 0.75 12IP 9K
2B Fernando Perez 9G 11-38 .289 7HR 11RBI

Who's not?
SP Sam Griffin 3G 0-2 9.00 13IP 6K

News:
April 22nd - Padres SP Andre Ford(24, 3.5/4*) delivered a complete game 2-hitter with 1BB and 13K in a 8-0 win over the Sacramento Cavaliers. The 6th overall pick in 2018 is 4-1 2.00 37K 1.1WAR in 5 starts.

April 24nd - Atlanta SS Paulo Marcelo(28, 2.5*) not only had a 5-hit game, but also extended his own hitting streak to 20-games, going 5-5 R2RBI 2DB in a 6-5 win in Miami. The former #13 prospect had his career cut short by injuries, but 2024 is looking up, batting .370-2-19 .954OPS 0.8WAR in 24 games.

April 27nd - Atlanta SS Paulo Marcelo(28, 2.5*) hitting streak lasted two more days, but just one more game as it was snapped at 21 games.

April 28th - Detroit 3B Bryce Hansen(25, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-23 3HR 11RBI 5R. Acquired via trade in the offseason from Calgary, he is batting .314-6-22 .895OPS 0.9WAR in 28 games.

April 28th - Cavaliers CF Jesus Paredes(24, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-28 2HR 13RBI 6R. The Venezuelan is batting .280-3-22 .702OPS 0.3WAR in 27 games.

Next: 3 vs Vancouver Canadians(15-14), 3 @ Miami Marlins(9-19)

--

Fun stuff, the Kansas City Royals have put our former shortstop Jose Robles on the trading block. He hit .225-3-15 .600OPS last season in 50 games. Nothing for us anymore.

Besides, ever saw someone lighting $110.5M on fire? You now may just have… that’s Danny’s contract extension till 2030.

[Griever20]

Week 6: 3 vs Vancouver Canadians(15-14), 3 @ Miami Marlins(9-19)

April 29th
Offday

April 30th

Edgar Padilla(R, 2-3 4.78) - Marty Murrietta(R, 3-0 1.44) The rarer sort of Canada Series for us…

Expos Rally to Nose Past Vancouver

Montreal right-hander Marty Murrietta pitched his team to victory over the Vancouver Canadians at Olympic Stadium. The final score was 3-2. The win brings the Expos to 17-13, a promising start as the team looks to return to the playoffs.

Matt Talbert, who is tied for 6th in the EL in runs scored with 20, chipped in a solo home run for Montreal in the bottom of the eighth. For the game, the designated hitter had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI. He is batting .226-6-19 .757OPS 0.1WAR in 30 games.

"We came out on top and that's all I can ask for," said Talbert.

SP Marty Murrietta 8IP 6H 2R 2ER 0BB 5K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 DB
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 R RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 2-2 R RBI 2BB HR
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 TP
HR VAN: none
HR MON: Talbert(6), Benavides(1), Hernandez(4)
W: Marty Murrietta(4-0 1.60) L: Billy Gerovac(1-1 9.00) SV: Zach Welborn(10 3.14)
First save for our new boy.

News:
April 30th - Angels CF Carlos Gonzalez(23, 3*) capped off the month of April with a 5-hit performance, going 5-6 3R 7RBI 2HR in a 15-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. The second year pro is batting .259-5-16 .794OPS 0.8WAR in 21 games.

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Boston CF Kurt Alexander(29, 3*) .455-9-20 1.345OPS 2.4WAR 3x All-Star
Pitcher of the Month: Toronto RHCL Manny Ayala(27, 4*) 1-0 11SV 0.00 13K 11.1IP 12G 0.6WAR Best stretch of his career.
Rookie of the Month: Montreal CF Tyler Dean(21, 3/5*) .337-10-18 .1.083OPS 1.3WAR There he is...

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Calgary RF Joseph Floris(28, 3*) .330-10-31 1.088OPS 1.6WAR 2023 WL All-Star
Pitcher of the Month: Padres RHSP Andre Ford(24, 3.5/4*) 4-0 1.19 45K 5GSG 37.2IP 1.4WAR 2023 WL All-Star
Rookie of the Month: Salt Lake City LF Adrian Hollo(24, 3*) .341-5-20 1.069OPS 24G/22GS 1.3WAR 24th overall pick 2018

To be honest, we hoped for a bit more, but the other teams in the division had a lot to say and we were not quite as good as we hoped. The team to be concerned about seem to be the Boston Aeros as they have some pitching and strong bats despite their sale of many veteran players in the last months and years… there is talent in the lineup but their prospect potential is limited… their best prospect could fetch some talent.

The injury of Dan Hinton is the one thing that really hurts. The kid is one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy… but he simply isn’t able to keep his body on the field. For the next 13-14 months, we won’t have him around and after that… if he is healthy and gathers some interest, I see us trading him in 2025… no patience for him anymore.

I also obviously lost patience with Paul Ide. The final numbers: 3-5 23SV 4.74 57K 38IP and somehow 0.7WAR despite 7 blown saves and a.767 SV%. Goodbye mate. He is 1-1 with an ERA of 6 and a save in three starts with the Nationals. Enjoy him. That being said, many thanks to new Washington GM J.J. Goulette. The baseball veteran returned to GM duties last winter after a 10 year break and this was one of his most controversial moves since then… but he was all over it and negotiations were swift and easy.

Around the league, the biggest news probably is the downfall of the Las Vegas Gamblers. A season ending injury to 2022 WL Cy Young winner Chris Harkless(26, 3.5*, 14-10 3.43 194K 4.8WAR in 2023), the complete crash of 5x All-Star RF Trevor Wolthuis(31, 2.5*, .121-+4-9 .505OPS -0.8WAR) and a bullpen ERA of 6.82 including the strange decision of relegating 406SV righty Noah Fletcher(35, 4*, 1-0 4.09 8K 11IP 0.2WAR) to setup duties all alienated the fans and a long drought puts them at the worst record in baseball right now… after winning 95+ games from 2020-2022 and being respectable with a 81-81 record last season.

Pitching:

DL: RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 4.5*) 3-2 5.02 54K 1.0WAR 6GS torn rotator cuff 13-14 months, RHSP Austin Roy(26, 3*) DNP torn rotator cuff 5 months, LHRP Pablo Mendoza(25, 2.5*, 0-0 0.00 0.1IP) chronic back soreness 2 weeks

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
RHSP Marty Murrietta 1.60 ERA – 4th
RHSP Marty Murrietta 4 W – tied 5th
RHSP Marty Murrietta 0.94 WHIP – 2nd
LHSP Brett Asselin 1.1 WAR – 4th
LHSP Brett Asselin 46K – 3rd
LHSP Brett Asselin 16BB – 5th
LHSP Brett Asselin 3.11 FIP – 5th
RHSP Dan Hinton 1.0WAR – 5th
RHSP Dan Hinton 54K – 1st
RHSP Juan Miranda 1.06 WHIP - 5th
RHRP Zach Welborn 10 SV – 2nd

Our starting pitching wasn’t bad and especially Marty Murrietta shined this month, pushing us past some touch losses and winning four games. Losing Hinton hurts but we believe in Alejandro Corral as he could become the next solid arm in our rotation. The guy on the hot seat? Sam Griffin is struggling, a free agent this winter and is arguing by the pace of 6y/$75.6M for a contract extension… depending on how we are in the standings, his time could be over soon.

The bullpen… well Ide was a big factor in a 4.40 bullpen ERA, but youngster Wyatt Ings, sophomore Mitsuyasu Kai and Joe Herzer are also struggling to perform and especially Kai’s underlying numbers are… shocking. The best option in AAA for me? RHRP Adam Krebs who is posting an ERA around 1 and is well liked by our scouts… but we will give Kai some more time.

Position Players:

DL: none

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
2B Fernando Perez 13HR – 1st
2B Fernando Perez 26 RBI – 3rd
2B Fernando Perez .788 SLG – 2nd
2B Fernando Perez 1.052 OPS – 4th
CF Tyler Dean 12HR – 2nd
CF Tyler Dean .686 SLG – 4th
CF Tyler Dean 1.070 OPS – 3rd
CF Tyler Dean 1.9WAR – 2nd
DH Matt Talbert & LF Ignacio Benavides 15BB – tied 1st

The best hitter on this team and 2nd best hitter in the Eastern League? Tyler Dean. Boy did we make the right decision to call him up at the tender age of 21. Perez is also performing up to par and we are tied 2nd in runs scored… but it kinda feels like we lack something offensively right now… which sounds strange when you just added a probable Rookie of the Year bat.

The truth is, a lot of regulars from last year took a step back in the OPS department compared to last year, the only guys outperforming 2023 are Perez, Hernandez and Cervantes… big surge incoming, or back to reality?

Prospect Watch:
AAA LF Santiago Rodriguez(23, 2.5/4*) .236-3-13 .676OPS 23G 4/6SB 0.2WAR #29
AA SP Mack Faddis(21, 2/3*) 1-2 3.98 19K 0.6WAR 20.1IP 4GS #92
AA SP Dylan Schilling(23, 2/3*) 2-0 2.25 22K 0.9WAR 24IP 4GS #21
A+ 1B Brad Moody(21, 1.5/3.5*) .342-3-10 1.006OPS 0.5WAR 21G
A+ SP Jorge Ortega(21, 2/3*) 2-1 4.18 17K 0.6WAR 23.2IP 5GS #30
A SP Adam LeRoy(19, 1.5/4*) 1-2 3.51 15K 0.4WAR 25.2IP 5GS #84
S A RHRP Josh Reinke(20, 1.5/4*) DNP
R SP John Slade(19, 1.5/4*) 1-1 6.00 12K 0.2WAR 9IP 2GS #7
R SP Matt State(20, 1.5/3.5*) 1-0 4.50 13K 0.3WAR 10IP 2GS
R RHRP Manuel Sanchez(18, 1.5/4*) 0-0 4.91 5K 0.2WAR 3.2IP 3G
R RHRP Jose Herrera(18, 1.5/4*) 0-0 1SV 3.00 1K 0.1WAR 3IP 2G
R 2B Manny Ramirez(19, 1/4*) ,282-4-13 1.016OPS 0.2WAR 9G #5
R SS Javier Cordova(17, 1/5*) .390-2-13 1.054OPS 0.0WAR 10G #96
R CF Mauricio Gonsales(16, 1/5*) .429-2-5 1.087OPS 0.1WAR 9G #6

Our lower minors are stacked with international amateur free agents and some draft picks that we may have nailed. Our upper majors… not to much. Rodriguez is still injury prone, struggling and looking at a strong outfield at the NMLB level, and the AA arms are a year away. Difficult to get instant support from this group which means… are we in for the trade market this season?

[Griever20]

Week 6: 3 vs Vancouver Canadians(15-14), 3 @ Miami Marlins(9-19)

May 1st

Xavier Davis(L, 3-1 3.30) - Juan Miranda(R, 2-3 3.82) Offseason acquisition via trade from JAC

Vancouver Absorbs 2-1 Loss to Montreal

The Montreal Expos beat the Vancouver Canadians, 2-1. Montreal pitcher and Boyden, Iowa, native Juan Miranda led the way. He worked 6.2 innings of 1-run ball and got the win.

Zachary Welborn recorded the save for Montreal, his 2nd of the season. The win has Montreal at 18-13.

Montreal second baseman Fernando Perez contributed a timely at-bat in the bottom of the third. With two down, he hit a curveball to center field for a run-scoring single. It was his 33rd hit of the season and put the Expos ahead, 2-0.

Perez called the win a testament to his team's "grit." Perez is batting .287-13-27 1.047OPS 1.5WAR in 29 games.

SP Juan Miranda 6.2IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 4K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 RBI
2B Fernando Perez 1-3 RBI BB
DH Matt Talbert 3-44
RF Ian Messer 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-3 R
SS Robby Weltzer 2-2 R BB DB
HR VAN: none
HR MON: none
W: Juan Miranda(3-3 3.40) L: Xavier Davis(3-2 3.31) SV: Zach Welborn(11 2.93)
Not exactly stunning offense, but got the job done.

May 2nd

Eric Glen(R, 3-2 2.41) - Brett Asselin(L, 2-3 2.89) Sophomore that has low stamina, but loads of groundballs.

Walk’em Off Tyler! Expos Win in Ten!

The Montreal Expos did just enough to sneak past the Vancouver Canadians, 3-2, at Olympic Stadium. Montreal pitcher Brett Asselin, in particular, had a standout performance. The lefty worked 6.2 innings of 2-run and 8K ball, leaving with a no decision.

The loss drops Vancouver to 15-17.

Montreal got a clutch hit from Tyler Dean. The center fielder launched a solo home run in the bottom of the tenth inning to win the game. It was his only hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a kill shot.

"This place went bonkers at the end," Dean said. It was his 13th home run of the season, batting .321-13-22 1.071OPS 2.1WAR in 30 games.

SP Brett Asselin 6.2IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 8K ND PotG
PH Ian Messer 0-2 RBI SB(3)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 DB
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 BB DB
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R RBI HR HBP
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 BB
RF/LF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R
HR VAN: Ruiz(1)
HR MON: Dean(13)
W: Wyatt Ings(1-0 6.48) L: Carlos Guerrero(0-3 7.50) SV: none
Good start into May.

May 3rd

Sam Griffin(R, 0-3 5.23) - Alec Ferrell(L, 1-4 2.92) Extreme Groundballer with high stamina.

Marlins Win, Langdon 3-for-4

The Miami Marlins stopped the Montreal Expos, 8-2, at LoanDepot Park. The Marlins got a big game from Eric Langdon, who was 3-4 with a home run and a double. He scored 3 times and drove in 2. Montreal now is 19-14.

Pat Lennon helped his team take an early lead with a 2-run single. It came in the first inning, making the score 3-1, Marlins.

"I was just going up there trying to see good pitches, that was about it," said Langdon. The 25-year old is batting .256-5-11 .792OPS 1.0WAR in 29 games in his second season.

SP Sam Griffin 3IP 9H 6R 6ER 1BB 2K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 RBI BB DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R RBI HR
SS Robby Weltzer 1-4
RF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
C Jordan Chavis 1-4
HR MON: Dean(14)
HR MIA: Langdon(5), Rhodes(3)
W: Alec Ferrell(2-4 2.93) L: Sam Griffin(0-4 6.31) SV: none
Griffin continues to be godawful.

May 4th

Alejandro Corral(R, 1-0 0.00) - Gerry Smith(L, 1-3 5.64) 3rd lefty in a row…

Expos Sunk by Marlins, 5-3

LoanDepot Park was the site of a competitive game between the Montreal Expos and Miami Marlins.

The Miami Marlins picked up a win at LoanDepot Park, knocking off the Montreal Expos, 5-3. Starting pitcher Gerry Smith played a key role in the triumph. He worked 6 innings of 1-run ball.

Picking up the save was 25-year old right-handed pitcher Jordan Martinez.

Miami took a 5-3 lead on Alex Balderas's 2nd home run of the season. The 3-run home run, which Balderas hit in the bottom of the seventh, left Montreal pitcher Freddy Silva visibly frustrated.

"It was a solid, all-around game for us," said Miami manager Adam Robinette.

After today's action, Miami sits at 13-20; Montreal slips to 19-15.

SP Alejandro Corral 5IP 7H 1R 1ER 2BB 5K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 HBP bruised thigh one week
SS Robby Weltzer 1-5 RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 0-3 2BB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 RBI BB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
3B Rich Meilleur 2-4 R
HR MON: Messer(4)
HR MIA: King(1), Balderas(2)
W: Leo Carbajal(1-1 5.52) L: Freddy Silva(1-1 4.12) SV: Jordan Martinez(6 8.31)
Corral pitched well but Freddy Silva got tagged for 4 earned…

Transactions:
LF Ignacio Benavides(27, 3*, .250-1-7 .639OPS 0.2WAR) was placed on the 15-day IL with a bruised thigh one week . AAA OF Sam Spangler(23, 2.5*, .395-3-13 1.107OPS AAA) was recalled.

May 5th

Marty Murrietta(R, 4-0 1.60) - John Davis(R, 1-1 4.98) Still looking for a strong 3rd pitch.

Expos Avoid Sweep, Win 4-2

Marty Murrietta, who is tied for 5th in the EL in innings pitched with 46.1, had a strong outing for the Montreal Expos against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park. The right-hander was a big part of his team's 4-2 win. The victory gives Montreal a record of 20-15.

Tyler Dean, who is tied for 4th in the EL with a 1.014 OPS, had a direct impact on the outcome. Dean contributed a run-scoring hit-by-pitch in the top of the sixth inning to put Montreal up, 4-2.

Murrietta attributed the win to his team's "steely resolve." The right-hander worked 7 innings of 6-hit, 2-run, 3BB and, amazingly, no strikeout ball to move to 5-0.

SP Marty Murrietta 7IP 6H 2R 1ER 3BB 0K W PotG
RF Ian Messer 1-2 RBI 2BB
CF Tyler Dean 0-4 RBI HBP
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5
DH Matt Talbert 1-5
LF Sam Spangler 2-5 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 3-3 2R DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 R BB SB(2)
3B Rich Meilleur 2-4 2RBI
HR MON: none
HR MIA: none
W: Marty Murrietta(5-0 1.55) L: John Davis(1-2 5.26) SV: Zach Welborn(12 2.76)
At least we salvaged the series with one win…

Record: 20-15, 2nd in EL Northeast, 0.5GB BOS
Week: 4-2 (3-0 vs VAN, 1-2 @ MIA)
Power Rankings: #4(+8)
Runs scored: 172(3rd)
Runs against: 143(4th)
Starters ERA: 3.54(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 4.25(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .687(2nd)
Zone Rating: +11.8(2nd)
Fan Interest: 81(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Brett Asselin 2G 0-0 1.23 14.2IP 16K
SP Marty Murrietta 4G 3-0 1.33 27IP 14K

Who's not?
SP Sam Griffin 2G 0-2 12.91 7.2IP 5K

News:

May 4th - Memphis SS Jesse Wright(24, 2.5/4*) went 5-for-5 against the Nationals today, going 5-5 R 4RBI DB HR in a 10-4 win. The 7th overall pick in 2018 was the #39 prospect prior to the season and is batting .300-1-14 .745OPS 0.0WAR in 27 games.

May 6th - Boston SS Tim Kessler(26, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-25 3HR 7RBI 4R. The 2022 EL Gold Glover is batting .283-+4-133 .772OPS 0.8WAR in 27 games.

May 6th - Salt Lake 1B Fernando Rodriguez(30, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 9-23 4HR 8RBI 6R. The 3x All-Star is batting .262-4-18 .718OPS -0.1WAR in 28 games.

Next: 2 @ Arizona Diamondbacks(17-17), 3 vs Salt Lake City Bearcats(18-16)

--

The EL Player of the Week in Tim Kessler was a guy we took a look at last offseason… so far, Kessler 0.7WAR, Weltzer + Meilleur 0.9WAR.

[Griever20]

Week 7: 2 @ Arizona Diamondbacks(17-17), 3 vs Salt Lake City Bearcats(18-16)

May 6th
Offday

May 7th

Transactions:
RF Dave Silvera(27, 2.5*) agreed to a minor league contract today. A .220-4-11 .715OPS hitter in 41 games with BOS last season, he will join our AAA team for now.

Juan Miranda(R, 3-3 3.40) - Miguel Ricketts(R, 5-1 2.12) 3x All-Star and one of the best arms in the WL.

Diamondbacks Bridle Expos, 2-1

Starting Pitcher Miguel Ricketts was lights out, as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Montreal Expos, 2-1. Arizona is now 18-17, Montreal 20-16.

Arizona took a 2-1 lead on Tom Hubbard's 3rd home run of the season. The solo home run, which Hubbard hit in the bottom of the seventh, left Montreal pitcher Juan Miranda visibly frustrated.

"At the end of the day, it's always about your starting pitcher," said Arizona skipper A.J. Pascale.

SP Juan Miranda 6.2IP 4H 2R 2ER 3BB 5K L
RF Ian Messer 2-4
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 SB(2)
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 RBI
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3
HR MON: none
HR ARI: Lawrence(3), Hubbard(3)
W: Miguel Ricketts(6-1 1.98) L: Juan Miranda(3-4 3.30) SV: Justin Mestayer(4 7.71)
Ouch. Our offense was blacked out by a good pitcher today.

May 8th

Brett Asselin(L, 2-3 2.86) - Alfonso Ortiz(L, 0-0 1.29) Second career start.

Perez scores 3 runs to Fuel Expos Offense

Montreal and Arizona duked it out and the Expos came out victorious.

Fernando Perez was a vital contributor to the 9-6 Montreal victory over Arizona. The Expos second baseman was 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 walks, while scoring 3 runs and driving in 3. Zachary Welborn finished the game for Montreal and earned his 4th save.

With Montreal leading 6-3 in the top of the seventh, Perez hit a slider from Dante Rodriguez for a 3-run home run. It was his 14th home run of the season and put the Expos ahead, 9-3. He is batting .306-14-32 1.083OPS 2.2WAR in 34 games.

"It was offense that won us the game," said winning manager Aaron McCreery.

The win gives Montreal a season record of 21-16.

SP Brett Asselin 6.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 3BB 9K W
LF Victor Rodriguez 1-5 SB(2)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R HBP
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 2R DB
2B Fernando Perez 2-3 3R 3RBI 2BB HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 2R 3RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R RBI DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 0-4 RBI
SS Robby Weltzer 1-4 RBI
HR MON: Talbert(7), Perez(14)
HR ARI: Lemus(7), Rivera(6)
W: Brett Asselin(3-3 3.04) L: Alfonso Ortiz(0-1 4.50) SV: Zach Welborn(13 2.60)
There we go with offense.

May 9th
Offday

May 10th

Oscar Guevera(R, 2-3 3.86) - Sam Griffin(R, 0-4 6.31) Winless Sam…

Expos 6-3 Winners Versus Salt Lake City

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, taking down the Salt Lake City Bearcats, 6-3. Starting pitcher Sam Griffin was a big reason why. In 6 innings, Griffin surrendered 7 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 0. He allowed 3 runs.

"Sam is tough to beat when he's hitting his spots," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. Zachary Welborn was credited with the save for Montreal, his 5th of the season.

The Expos got a big at-bat from center fielder Tyler Dean. For the game, Dean was 1-4 with a home run. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. In the bottom of the second, with a runner on 2nd, he stroked a 2-run home run. His 15th home run of the season gave Montreal a 4-3 lead. The Rookie of the Year candidate is batting .280-15-26 .974OPS 2.0WAR in 36 games.

Montreal is now 22-16. Salt Lake City is 19-18.

SP Sam Griffin 6.0IP 7H 3R 2ER 0BB 5K W PotG
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R RBI BB HR
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R 2RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 2R DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 RBI DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 BB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-3 BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
SS Robby Weltzer 2-3 3R BB
LF Sam Spangler 1-3 RBI DB
HR SLC: Rodriguez(5)
HR MON: Messer(5), Dean(15)
W: Sam Griffin(1-4 5.83) L: Oscar Guevara(2-4 4.36) SV: Zach Welborn(14 2.45)
Not winless Sam anymore.

May 11th

Jay Kinsey(R, 4-3 3.60) - Alejandro Corral(R, 1-0 0.87) Strong Rookie

Expos Clip Bearcats, 5-4, in Ten

The Montreal Expos in 10 innings downed the Salt Lake City Bearcats, 5-4, at Olympic Stadium. Dave Grochowski led the way, going 2-for-4 for Montreal. After today's action, Montreal sits at 23-16, while Salt Lake City falls to 19-19.

Grochowski delivered a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth to win it for Montreal. In the contest, Grochowski was 2 for 4 with a home run, while adding 4 RBI and scoring once.

"Being able to contribute to a win is always a great feeling," Grochowski told the Montreal Citizen.

SP Alejandro Corral 6.0IP 8H 4R 2ER 0BB 5K ND
RF Ian Messer 1-4 2R BB
CF Tyler Dean 2-4 R BB 2DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R 4RBI HR PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 RBI
LF Sam Spangler 1-3 RBI DB
HR SLC: Dean(9), Salazar(4)
HR MON: Grochowski(5)
W: Zach Welborn(1-0 2.33) L: Luke Valliere(0-1 3.95) SV: none
We have a dynamite closer.

May 12th

Carlos Aguilar(R, 4-2 2.81) - Marty Murrietta(R, 5-0 1.55) Can Marty keep it up?

Murrietta Now 6-0 After Beating Bearcats

Marty Murrietta pitched a gem to lead Montreal to victory over the Salt Lake City Bearcats, 7-0. Montreal is now 24-16, Salt Lake City 19-20.

Murrietta allowed no runs over 8 innings. He also racked up 7 strikeouts.

"Nice to keep stacking the wins," said Murrietta.

SP Marty Murrietta 8.0IP 4H 0R 0ER 1BB 7K W PotG
RF Ian Messer 2-4 2R RBI DB TP
CF Tyler Dean 0-3 HBP
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 R 3RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R
LF Sam Spangler 2-4 R RBI DB
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R RBI
HR SLC: none
HR MON: Grochowski(6)
W: Marty Murrietta(6-0 1.33) L: Carlos Aguilar(4-3 3.48) SV: none
What a baller. Stretch of a career games.

Record: 24-16, 2nd in EL Northeast, 0.5GB BOS
Week: 4-1 (1-1 @ ARI, 3-0 vs SLC)
Power Rankings: #2(+2)
Runs scored: 200(4th)
Runs against: 158(2nd)
Starters ERA: 3.39(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.05(6th)
Defensive Eff.: .688(2nd)
Zone Rating: +13.5(2nd)
Fan Interest: 81(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Marty Murrietta 2G 2-0 0.60 15IP 7K

Who's not?
SP Sam Griffin 3G 1-2 8.56 13.2IP 10K

News:

May 8th - Chicago LF Edwin Jimenez(29, 3.5/4*) lost a long and impressive 26-game hitting streak today in a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets. The 2x All-Star is batting .380-1-16 .911OPS 14/15SB 1.7WAR in 35 games.

May 8th - Atlanta 1B Aaron Hilton(33, 3*) also lost his 21-game hitting streak today in a 6-1 loss to the Grizzlies. The 33-year old veteran is batting .331-0-17 .823OPS 1.1WAR in 37 games.

May 13th - Memphis 3B Tony Valdes(28, 2.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 9-16 2HR 5RBI 5R. Never a regular in his first two seasons, he is batting .288-6-22 .847OPS 0.7WAR in 32 games.

May 13th - Denver 1B Mike Campos(23, 2.5/3.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-18 4HR 7RBI 4R. The scouting discovery from the DR is batting .315-2-10 .877OPS 0.1WAR in 13 games.

Next: 3 @ Philadelphia Grizzlies(24-24), 3 vs Sacramento Cavaliers(24-23)

--

The worst team in our division is playing .500 ball in Philadelphia Grizzlies…

[Griever20]

Week 9: 3@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(24-24), 3 vs Sacramento Cavaliers(24-23)

May 20th

Sam Griffin(R, 2-4 5.48) - Oscar Guzman(R, 3-4 3.60) The righty has been pretty good…

Rodriguez Swings Expos to 6-3 Win

The Montreal Expos defeated the Philadelphia Grizzlies by the score of 6-3, with the biggest share of the credit going to center fielder Vicente Rodriguez. Rodriguez was 4 for 4 with a triple, a double, and 2 singles, while adding 4 RBI and scoring once for the Expos on the day. Picking up the win was Sam Griffin. He went 5.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits. The right--hander struck out 6 and walked 0. The loss makes Philadelphia 24-25.

Rodriguez contributed in the top of the second. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, he hit a run-scoring single. It was one at-bat among others that helped Montreal get the win.

"We take it day by day here," said Rodriguez, "and today was a good one for us." He is batting .429-0-7 .967OPS 0.8WAR in 20 games.

SP Sam Griffin 5.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 0BB 6K W
2B Fernando Perez 2-4
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-3 R BB
1B Joe Hawk 1-3 2R RBI BB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 2R
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4
CF Vicente Rodriguez 4-4 R 4RBI DB TP
HR MON: Hawk(1)
HR PHI: none
W: Sam Griffin(3-4 5.09) L: Oscar Guzman(3-5 3.90) SV: none
Griffin is getting better and guys that got rotated in performed well.

May 21st

Alejandro Corral(R, 2-0 1.99) - David Enriquez(R, 2-5 6.08) Good matchup for our rookie.

Grizzlies Lose at Home, 7-1

Expos right fielder Ian Messer put his stamp on his team's 7-1 win over the Philadelphia Grizzlies. Messer was 3 for 5 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 times and driving in 3 for Montreal in the contest. Alejandro Corral picked up the win with 5.2 innings of work. He allowed 1 run on 6 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 4. On the season, he is now 3-0. The win elevated the Expos to 31-18.

"Winning never gets dull," said Messer. The reigning Silver Slugger is batting .303-6-18 .819OPS 1.0WAR in 47 games, matching his 2023 numbers.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Fernando Perez? The Montreal second baseman had a 2-run double in the top of the fifth inning to put the Expos on top, 4-1. For the game, Perez had 1 double and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

SP Alejandro Corral 5.2IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 4K W
RF Ian Messer 3-5 2R 3RBI DB HR
CF Tyler Dean 0-4 R BB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 R DB
2B Fernando Perez 2-5 R 3RBI DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 RBI DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 R BB
SS Rich Meilleur 0-3 BB
C Jordan Chavis 0-2 R HBP
HR MON: Messer(6)
HR PHI: Contreras(4)
W: Alejandro Corral(3-0 1.91) L: David Enriquez(2-6 6.00) SV: none
Corral slots in nicely… FIP is 4.33 but hey.

May 22nd

Marty Murrietta(R, 6-0 1.37) - Ruben Torrez(L, 6-2 2.37) This may be the end of this strong run for Murrietta.

Grizzlies Mow Down Expos, 12-2

The Philadelphia Grizzlies picked up a win at Citizens Bank Park, topping the Montreal Expos, 12-2. On the mound for Philadelphia was left-hander Ruben Torrez. He played a principal role in the triumph, pitching seven innings of 2-run ball and got the win.

"We'll kick back tonight, then get set for the next one," Torrez said. The Grizzlies improved their record to 25-26 with the win over Montreal.

Jose Maldonado had a big grand slam home run for the Grizzlies in the bottom of the third inning. With Philadelphia leading 5-2 and the bases loaded, he sized up a fastball from Marty Murrietta, who is tied for 10th in the EL in quality starts with 6, and punished it. The result was his 6th home run of the season, which put the Grizzlies on top, 9-2.

SP Marty Murrietta 2.2IP 8H 9R 9ER 2BB 3K L
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
2B Fernando Perez 0-3 BB
DH Matt Talbert 0-3 BB
CF Tyler Dean 0-3 R BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-2 BB
SS Robby Weltzer 1-4 RBI DB
LF/RF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 DB
HR MON: Hernandez(5)
HR PHI: de Leon(4), Maldonado(6)
W: Ruben Torrez(7-2 2.39) L: Marty Murrietta(6-1 2.61) SV: none
Torrez is an ace, Murrietta is not. Nuff said.

May 23rd
Offday

May 24th

Jordan Wilkerson(L, 4-2 2.86) - Juan Miranda(R, 5-4 2.88) Waiver claim on January 1st.

Sacramento Downed, 6-2, by Expos

The Montreal Expos locked up a win at Olympic Stadium, knocking off the Sacramento Cavaliers, 6-2. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Juan Miranda. He played a major role in the triumph.

"Juan did what Juan does," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. In this case, he pitched 7.1 innings of 4-hit and 2-run ball, walking one and striking out 6.

Montreal pitcher Faical Shimoda got the win. He's now 2-0. Alex Marin was tagged with the loss. The Expos improved their record to 32-19 by beating Sacramento.

Fernando Perez, who is tied for 3rd in the EL in total bases with 110, helped out the Montreal cause in the bottom of the sixth inning with a run-scoring sacrifice fly. For the game, the second baseman drew 1 walk in 4 plate appearances.

SP Juan Miranda 7.1IP 4H 2R 2ER 1BB 6K PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 2-3 2R BB SB(7)
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 DB
PH Jordan Chavis 1-1 2R RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 0-2 R RBI BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R RBI
CF Tyler Dean 2-4 R 2RBI DB HR
HR SAC: none
HR MON: Dean(17), Chavis(1)
W: Faical Shimoda(2-0 1.04) L: Alex Marin(2-1 2.35) SV: none
Welborn got an inning of work without it being a save situation… don’t want him to just sit and wait.

May 25th

Mike Davis(R, 2-3 5.53) - Brett Asselin(L, 3-4 2.80) Low stamina, strong fastball arm.

Expos Beaten by Davis, Cavaliers, 6-5

Sacramento Cavaliers starter Mike Davis pitched a strong game against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium, leading the Cavaliers to victory, 6-5.

"I had pretty good command out there," said Davis. He pitched 5.1 innings of 1-run ball.

Sacramento is now 27-25, Montreal 32-20.

Nick Astle came through with a big-time hit for Sacramento. The pinch hitter smacked a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to give his team the lead, 6-5. It was his only hit, but it was clutch. The loss went to Expos closer Zach Welborn.

SP Brett Asselin 7.0IP 5H 4R 4ER 2BB 7K
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 R BB DB
2B Fernando Perez 3-5 2R DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R 2RBI HR
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 SB(4)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 2RBI BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
PH Vicente Rodriguez 1-1 R TP
HR SAC: Astle(7)
HR MON: Talbert(11)
W: Alpha Gonzalez(6-1 2.66) L: Zach Welborn(2-1 2.22) SV: Travis Godsey(13 2.55)
Welborn then blows it…

May 26th

Cesar Alvarado(R, 2-5 5.76) - Sam Griffin(R, 3-4 5.09) Pretty much what we feared… he regressed a lot.

Sacramento Upended by Montreal, 5-3

Getting a good performance from shortstop Rich Meilleur, the Montreal Expos defeated the Sacramento Cavaliers, 5-3. Meilleur went 3 for 3 with a double, 2 singles, and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once for the Expos. Wyatt Ings picked up the save, his 1st. After today's action, Montreal sits at 33-20; Sacramento slips to 27-26.

With Montreal leading 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Meilleur hit a cutter from Cesar Alvarado for a run-scoring double. It was his 5th double of the season and put the Expos ahead, 2-0.

"Being able to contribute to a win is always a great feeling," Meilleur told the Montreal Citizen. He is batting .279-3-20 .713OPS 1.1WAR in 43 games.

SP Sam Griffin 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 0BB 1K W
RF Ian Messer 1-5 2RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 R BB
2B Fernando Perez 2-3 BB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R 2RBI HR
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R
3B Julian Hernandez 2-3 2R RBI BB DB
SS Rich Meilleur 3-3 R 2RBI BB DB
HR SAC: Astle(8)
HR MON: none
W: Sam Griffin(4-4 4.68) L: Cesar Alvarado(2-6 5.93) SV: Wyatt Ings(1 5.28)
Alvarado is really done… so sad to see it, but the stuff disappeared.

Record: 33-20, 1st in EL Northeast, 1.5G lead over BOS
Week: 4-2 (2-1 @ PHI, 2-1 vs SAC)
Power Rankings: #3(-1)
Runs scored: 264(4th)
Runs against: 205(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.34(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.10(6th)
Defensive Eff.: .697(2nd)
Zone Rating: +19.6(1st)
Fan Interest: 79(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Juan Miranda 5G 3-1 1.87 33.2IP 28K
SP Sam Griffin 2G 1-0 1.50 12IP 7K
OF Vicente Rodriguez 7G 11-21 .524 0HR 4RBI

Who's not?
DH Matt Talbert 6G 1-23 .043 1HR 2RBI

News:
May 20th - Seattle 1B Giobbe DeMeo(32, 3*) hammered 3 home runs today, going 3-5 3R 4RBI HR in a 10-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 3x All-Star is batting .234-8-14 .748OPS 0.1WAR in 46 games.

May 27th - Washington 2B Brandon Slaughter(29, 4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 7-18 5HR 7RBI 5R. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .265-8-19 .841OPS 0.8WAR in 32 games.

May 27th - Oakland RF Ramiro Gross(23, 2.5/3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-26 2HR 12RBI 4R. Playing in his rookie season, he is batting .349-7-26 1.009OPS 1.0WAR in 35 games.

Next: 3 @ Boston Aeros(31-21) , 3 vs Jacksonville Patriots(29-24)

--

The team 1.5GB and the team leading the EL South next!

[Griever20]

Week 10: 3 @ Boston Aeros(31-21) , 3 vs Jacksonville Patriots(29-24)

May 27th

Alejandro Corral(R, 3-0 1.91) - Dylan Roberts(L, 3-2 4.97) Led the league in losses in 2022 with LAA.

Montreal Defeated by Aeros, 7-5

A 3-RBI performance from left fielder Alex Balderas, who finished 4th in the WL in home runs with 33 in 2015, led the Boston Aeros to a win over the Montreal Expos, 7-5. Carlos Duran wrapped it up, recording his 1st save. Boston is now 32-21. Montreal is 33-21.

Boston took a 7-4 lead on Balderas's 4th home run of the season. The 2-run home run, which he hit off Joe Herzer in the bottom of the sixth, propelled Boston to the win.

"I just tried to make good contact," said Balderas. Acquired via trade two weeks ago, Balderas is batting .252-4-19 .733OPS 0.3WAR between BOS and MIA.

SP Alejandro Corral 4IP 7H 5R 5ER 0BB 4K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-3 R 2BB SB(5)
3B Julian Hernandez 3-5 R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 0-4 R RBI
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 2R 2RBI BB HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-5
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI
CF Tyler Dean 1-4
C Jordan Chavis 1-4
SS Robby Weltzer 2-4 DB
HR MON: Perez(16), Hernandez(6)
HR BOS: Rodriguez(8), Balderas(4)
W: Dylan Roberts(4-2 5.08) L: Alejandro Corral(3-1 3.06) SV: Carlos Duran(1 6.04)
Corral was due and overwhelmed against a strong opponent.

May 28th

Marty Murrietta(R, 6-1 2.61) - Jordan Arroyo(R, 5-1 5.19) 5 wins with THAT ERA… did I mention that BOS leads the EL with 280 runs?

Arroyo in Cruise Control in 9-0 Win

The Montreal Expos went down to defeat to Jordan Arroyo and his Boston teammates. The final score was 9-0, in favor of the Aeros. The loss makes Montreal 33-22.

Arroyo allowed no runs on 5 hits over 8 innings for the Aeros. He walked 1 and struck out 9.

Boston manager Jordan Mendoza commended his team for "putting the pedal to the metal."

SP Marty Murrietta 5.2IP 8H 6R 6ER 2BB 5K L
RF Ian Messer 1-4
CF Tyler Dean 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3
HR MON: none
HR BOS: Smith(4), Marquez(14), Celestine(3), Hunter(4), Alexander(13)
W: Jordan Arroyo(6-1 4.57) L: Marty Murrietta(6-2 3.19) SV: none
Ouch.

May 29th

Juan Miranda(R, 5-4 2.83) - Eric Brooks(L, 4-2 3.93) Can we win one at least?

Dean Helps Expos Defeat Aeros, 11-6

The Montreal Expos downed the Boston Aeros, 11-6. The hitting star was center fielder Tyler Dean. Dean was 2-2 with a home run, a double, and a walk. He scored 3 times and drove in 2 for the Expos. Juan Miranda picked up the win, improving his season record to 6-4. He struck out 7 in 6.2 innings. Montreal is now 34-22, while Boston is 33-22.

Montreal shortstop Robby Weltzer contributed a timely at-bat in the top of the fifth. With two down, he hit a cutter to right field for a 2-run single. It was his 17th hit of the season and put the Expos ahead, 10-1. The right-handed part of their shortstop platoon, he is batting .246-0-6 .649OPS 0.5WAR in 24 games.

"We swung the bats good throughout the lineup," said Montreal skipper Aaron McCreery.

SP Juan Miranda 6.2IP 5H 1R 1ER 1BB 7K W
SS Robby Weltzer 1-3 R 2RBI BB
LF/CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 2RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 R RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 2R RBI HR HBP
RF Ian Messer 4-5 R RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-5 R
CF Tyler Dean 2-2 3R 2RBI BB DB HR PotG
3B/2B Rich Meilleur 1-3 R RBI HBP
HR MON: Talbert(12), Dean(20), Perez(17), Grochowski(7), Messer(7)
HR BOS: Vasquez(3), Balderas(5)
W: Juan Miranda(6-4 2.70) L: Eric Brooks(4-3 4.58) SV: none
At least one…

Transactions:
LHRP Joe Herzer(26, 3*, 1-0 1SV 6.55 27K -0.2WAR) suffered from a sore shoulder in today’s game and was placed on the 15-day IL. He will be out for approximately 6 weeks. LHRP Pablo Mendoza(25, 2.5*) was recalled from his rehab assignment where he pitched three innings, giving up one run.

May 30th

John Sanchez(R, 6-2 2.84) - Brett Asselin(L, 3-4 3.03) Their ace…

Patriots Drop Expos, 2-1

Jacksonville Patriots starter John Sanchez turned in a top-notch performance against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. The result was a win for the Patriots, 2-1. The save went to Randy Waters, his 21st this season.

"John's as tough as he is talented," said Jacksonville manager Matthew Guthrie. Jacksonville is now 31-25, while Montreal is 34-23.

Jason Netherton, the 5th overall pick in the 2016 draft, had a direct impact on the outcome. Netherton contributed a 2-run single in the top of the fifth inning to put Jacksonville up, 2-1. The 25-year old is batting .246-8-25 .709OPS -0.1WAR in 51 games.

SP Brett Asselin 5.2IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 8K L
CF Tyler Dean 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 DB
2B Fernando Perez 0-3 RBI
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 HBP
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-2 BB
LF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
HR JAC: Vasquez(3), Balderas(5)
HR MON: Talbert(12), Dean(20), Perez(17), Grochowski(7), Messer(7)
W: John Sanchez(7-2 2.69) L: Brett Asselin(3-5 3.04) SV: Randy Waters(21 2.66)
Oh boy… we are struggling against those winning teams.

May 31st

Paul Kirksey(L, 3-4 4.20) - Sam Griffin(R, 4-4 4.68) Oh, another strong pitcher.

Montreal Tacks 5-4 Loss on Jacksonville

No one was more impactful than Robby Weltzer in the 5-4 Montreal win over Jacksonville. Weltzer went 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 singles, while scoring 2 times. Montreal reliever Faical Shimoda picked up the win. Félix Montero took the loss for Jacksonville. Zachary Welborn closed out the game, earning his 7th save.

Montreal took a 5-4 lead on Fernando Perez's 18th home run of the season. The solo home run, which Perez hit in the bottom of the seventh, left Jacksonville pitcher Félix Montero visibly frustrated. He is batting .290-18-46 .978OPS 2.8WAR in 53 games.

"Nice to see our side come away with the win," Perez said after the game.

With the win, Montreal upped its record to 35-23

SP Sam Griffin 6.2IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 5K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-4 R 2RBI DB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 HBP
2B Fernando Perez 1-3 R 2RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 1-4
SS Robby Weltzer 3-4 2R RBI HR PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R
HR JAC: Netherton(9)
HR MON: Weltzer(1), Perez(18)
W: Faical Shimoda(3-0 0.87) L: Félix Montero(0-4 3.24) SV: Zach Welborn(16 2.05)
YES! At least we finish the May strong.

END OF MAY

[Griever20]

NMLB Deep Dive May 31st: Montreal Draft History 2015 - 2018
stadiumreport.bbn

May 31st, 2024

2015:
1st Round, 14th overall: C Alex Taylor(retired at age 26). Five games in 2021 is all he got. Traded for Huai-yu Mah and Dave Quiros in 2020.
2nd Round, 48th overall: LHRP Dusty Leone(28, 2.5* SEA in AAA) 17-25 28SV 4.10 341K 327IP 309G 4.1WAR career. 4.18ERA in 2023, DNP in NMLB this year. Traded in 2021 in 3-Team deal for R CF Mike Sather, A RHRP Justin Hammond, NMLB C Kyle Barr(.9-24 HR 3RBI 0.4WAR). Good pick and had his time, but regressed.
3rd Round, 77th overall: 1B Rafael Vazquez – retired
3rd Round, 79th overall: RHRP Chris Bobo – retired
4th Round, 111st overall: RHRP Nate Rodgers – retired
5th Round, 141st overall: C Travis Carpenter(30, 2*) – free agent - .195-8-27 .588OPS 91G 91G -0.5WAR career. Traded in 2021 in Austin Roy trade.
6th Round, 171st overall: CF Brian Schill(29, 2*) – free agent - .243-53-186 .705OPS 356H 425G 6.7WAR. Backup OF that had one stunning 28HR year in 2020. Traded in 2022 in the RHRP Dustin Jenkins(3-2 2SV 4.50 0.2WAR) deal. Has not played in 2024.
8th Round, 231st overall: RF Jeremy Meadows(25, 2.5* with MIA in AAA) .254-25-93 .695OPS 282G 0.9WAR. Traded in 2019 for useless reliever. Has been a an average corner outfielder.
11th Round, 321st overall: RHRP Freddy Silva(27, 2.5*) 14-6 2SV 4.07 225K 210IP 174G 1.8WAR. Solid middle reliever.
12th Round, 351st overall: RHRP Bill Smith(26, 2.5*) – free agent - 26-36 5.22 651K 620.2IP 167G 108GS 4.8WAR. Traded in 2021 for RHRP Jordan Robinson(released), NMLB IF Rich Meilleur(.266-8-14 5.0WAR 245GG), 3B Jonathan Boone(released). Stamina hurts him and he never really worked for VAN.
15th Round, 441st overall. RHRP Tim Thrower(27, 2*) – free agent - 0-1 4.50 47K 38IP 25G 0.2WAR. Let go as a minor league free agent and he never made the majors with another team.

Silva is still here, but the rest was trade bait, and the first rounder hurts.


2016:
1st Round, 33rd overall: LHP Matt Bernstein(25, 2.5* with OAK in AAA) 6-3 1SV 5.67 42K 27G/4GS 0.0WAR. Let go as a minor league free agent, bounced around with SAC and now OAK.
2nd Round, 69th overall: RHSP Evan Richards – retired
3rd Round, 99th overall: RHRP Myles Kirkpatrick – retired
4th Round, 130th overall: RHSP Juan Miranda(26, 3*) 27-26 3.88 432K 452.2IP 74G 6.7WAR. In NMLB rotation and will stay there for a while.
5th Round, 160th overall: 2B Nate Stone – retired
9th Round, 280th overall: RF Chris Nicholson(25, 2* with NYM AAA) hit .394-0-3 .897OPS 0.3WAR in 14G with ATL in 2023 and was in AAA since. Defensive Liability. Let go as a minor league free agent.
14th Round, 430th overall: CF Vicente Rodriguez(26, 2.5*) .274-4-114 .683OPS 22/51SB 405G 4.9WAR. A great player that was above average for four years now and cheap at $1.75M

We netted good with Miranda and V-Rod, but not a lot of depth.

2017:
1st Round, 21st overall: RHSP Dan Hinton(25, 4.5*) 21-19 3.38 353K 369.2IP 62GS 8.6WAR. Injury prone ace, currently on 60-day IL. Signed till End of 2030 for $110.5M, which may have been a mistake.
2nd Round, 59th overall: RF Chris Larson(27, 2*) – free agent - career minor league player that can’t field well and can’t hit well enough. Traded away in 2018 for a veteran 1B that collected 5.3WAR through two seasons.
4th Round, 123rd overall: LHRP Bill Cox – retired
5th Round, 153rd overall: 1B Justin Kriss – retired
6th Round, 183rd overall: LHRP Hitoshi Watanabe(25, 2.5* with DET AAA) 9-8 4.56 131K 144IP 26GS 0.2WAR. Fragile AAAA player that was traded for a pitching prospect in 2022/23 offseason. Banished to AAA for them, but could return to the show.
7th Round, 213th overall: LF Paul Lesage – retired
8th Round, 243rd overall: LHRP Jay Greene(24, 2* with OAK AAA) 2-0 2SV 7.29 23K 13G/1GS 0.2WAR with SAC and WSH last year. Bouncing around a lot…
9th Round, 273rd overall: 1B Dave Grochowski(25, 4*) .331-57-242 .926OPS 362G 11.5WAR. 2022 RotY, 2x EL All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger!
10th Round, 303rd overall: LHRP Mike Anderson - retired
11th Round, 333rd overall: LHRP Esteban Chavez(25, 2* with AAA KCR) Nothing special, released in 2020.
12th Round, 363rd overall: 2B Dan Campbell – retired
15th Round, 453rd overall: LHrP Roland Morris(24, 2.5* with ATL) 15-23 4.65 321K 317.2IP 94G/45GS 1.7WAR. Traded in the Marty Murrietta(22-17 3.58 329K 5.0WAR with MON) trade, is doing just fine, but won’t become a star.
16th Round, 483rd overall: C Kevin Craddock(27, 2.5* with CHI in AAA) .217-8-45 .607OPS 168G 0.6WAR. Good defender, not a good hitter. Traded away in 2023 for a fringe prospect.
21st Round, 633rd overall: 2B Kyle Oldham(25, 2.5*, with PIT in AAA) Played in 7 games last year, but stuck in AA/AAA right now for PIT. Fun one, the OSA has him at 3/3.5*. Why would he be in AAA then?

Still a banger of a draft class. Danny is a sad story as he has the talent, but not the body, but Grok and some trade pieces came our way here.

2018:
1st Round, 20th overall: 2B Lee Shapiro(25, 1.5/2*) – free agent, never made it out of A ball with us.
2nd Round, 55th overall: RHP Donovan Spare - retired
3rd Round, 89th overall: 1B Justin Gillaspie - retired
3rd Round, 91st overall: LHP Brian Ballester – retired
4th round, 119th overall: LHSP Bill Bugni – free agent - released in 2020 and circled through 10 other teams without success.
5th round, 148th overall pick: RHP Jeff McKenney – retired
6th round, 178th overall: SS Jeff Witherell(27, 2*) – free agent – Traded in 2020 in a 3-team deal that landed LHRP Kevin Cowden(AAA).
7th round, 208th overall: LHSP Alexis Montoya(24, 2*, with KCR AAA) – never made the majors, released in 2023.
8th round, 238th overall: RHRP Kyle Lausch(27, 2/2.5* with HOU AAA) – pitched 10.1 innings of 12.19ERA ball in 2022. Part of a 3-team deal that landed now fringe prospect 1B/3B Joe Townsend(AAA).
9th round, 268th overall: LF Alberto Arellano(27, 2*) – free agent – traded for a decent arm in 2019 at the deadline. Never made the majors.
10th round, 298th overall: RHRP Mike Boettger – retired – was a solid AAA arm at a time but was released in 2023 and retired 3 months later.
16th round, 478th overall: 3B Nate Dearing(24, 2.5* AAA) in our AAA team, batting .272-5-17 .771OPS 0.5WAR. Average defender at 3B without much upside.
19th round, 568th overall: RHSP Ryan Harrison(23, 2.5*, AAA) 0-0 2.81 21K 0.3WAR in 4 starts with us in the majors. Solid 6th starter with good control, but not a star.
22nd round, 658th overall: RHRP Bill Bell(24, 2/3*, AA) Once a solid relief prospect, he lacks the development on the second pitch to (ever?) become a solid reliever… 6.75ERA in AA this year.
28th round, 838th overall: RHRP Alex Rodriguez(24, 2.5/3*, AAA) A late riser that may become an option next spring, Rodriguez clawed his way up the ranks and lately was bumped up by Dave G. Bad news, he has a 5.73ERA in AAA.

Apart from the two relief arms, one of which is a bust in my book… this was a horrible draft class.

2019 next year… and then our first draft class.

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Detroit 3B Bryce Hansen(25, 3*) .356-6-22 1.040OPS 1.2WAR Traded over from CAL in January
Pitcher of the Month: Chicago RHCL T.J. Hoffman(28, 3.5*) 3-1 7SV 0.59 16K 10.0IP 13G 0.9WAR 2021 EL Reliever of the Year
Rookie of the Month: Blue Jays RF Jose Gutierrez(26, 2.5*) .318-7-18 1.010OPS 1.0WAR Signed as a free agent after getting released by CHI.

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Calgary RF Joseph Floris(28, 3*) .297-7-21 .962OPS 1.1WAR 2nd month in a row…
Pitcher of the Month: Calgary RHSP Vicente Segura(26, 3*) 5-0 2.52 29K 35.2IP 0.9WAR Led the WL in losses with 17 last year…
Rookie of the Month: Las Vegas RHSP Victor Macedo(25, 2.5/3*) 3-0 1.74 25K 22.2IP 0.9WAR Solid heater with some upside left.

The last days and the series defeat to the Boston Aeros was humbling for all of us. Boston has consistently outscored us over the first two months and while our pitching has been significantly better, we are only one game ahead right now.

Some things we are struggling with? Left-handed starters. We are 6-9 against southpaws and that is with six right-handed hitters in the starting lineup. We will experiment with seven of those as we will sit Ian Messer(.271-2-5 .702OPS against LHP) for V-Rod(.442-0-6 1.011OPS against RHP) for the month…

What is working well? Tyler Dean and Fernando Perez are leading the league in WAR and home runs. Works for me, the gamble to call up Tyler Dean paid off.

Around the league… can we talk about how insane the Detroit Trains are? They are on pace to make the playoffs for the eleventh straight year. Righty Seth Dykstra(32, 4*, 6-2 2.81 75K 2.1WAR) rebounded from his injury-riddled 2023 and is at least close to his 5x Cy-Young form, and they still hope that LF Victor Munoz(23, 3.5/4*, .237-15-37 .800OPS 1.1WAR) can make another step forward… what a timing for the international amateur free agent signee to come up to lengthen their window. By the way, they have not won a World Series in those ten straight playoff appearances. Their only win was in the inaugural season in 2000.

Pitching:

DL: RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 4.5*) 3-2 5.02 54K 1.0WAR 6GS torn rotator cuff 13 months, RHSP Austin Roy(26, 3*) DNP torn rotator cuff 4-5 months, LHRP Joe Herzer(26, 3*, 1-0 6.55 27K -0.2WAR) sore shoulder 5-6 weeks

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
LHSP Brett Asselin 1.9 WAR – 4th
LHSP Brett Asselin 88K – 1st
LHSP Brett Asselin 28BB – 3rd
LHSP Brett Asselin 3.36 FIP – 5th
LHSP Brett Asselin 10.3 K/9 – 4th
RHSP Juan Miranda 2.70ERA- 5th
RHRP Zach Welborn 16 SV – 4th

For Marty Murrietta, a 5.40ERA month put him down to earth in a hurry… no surprise here. Now, can we talk about a silent hero of this year so far? Lefty Faical Shimoda jumped in as Mendoza, Mannino and now Herzer struggled with injuries, and did a hell of a job as lefty specialist with his 98-100mph heater. He throws an assortment of fastballs with a four-seamer, a sinker and a cutter and somehow is very effective with that. Nice find by our scoting that found him in Brazil (his second nationality is Japanese) and brought him over.

As for the rest of the pen, Ings has a fine FIP and we hope he can rebound from that, but Mitsuyasu Kai… it may just be that the story is over.

Alejandro Corral really did make a good first impression, three wins without getting clobbered and at age 23, room for growth. The other truth is that we will be in trouble if another starter goes down. Our best bet would be righty Ryan Harrison(23, 2.5*, 6-22.88 51K 2.0WAR AAA) and his assortment of junk pitches…

Position Players:

DL: none

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
2B Fernando Perez 18HR – 2nd
2B Fernando Perez 46 RBI – 2nd
2B Fernando Perez .623 SLG – 1st
2B Fernando Perez .978 OPS – 3rd
2B Fernando Perez 2.7WAR – 2nd
CF Tyler Dean 20HR – 1st
CF Tyler Dean .606 SLG – 3rd
CF Tyler Dean .947 OPS – 5th
CF Tyler Dean 3.0WAR – 1st
CF Tyler Dean 40 R – 3rd
DH Matt Talbert 24BB – 5th
1B Dave Grochowski 17 2B – 4th

Led by Perez and Dean, our offense is doing quite well and we are hitting for a very high batting average with some power, albeit only three players with real home run power. The player we are a bit concerned about? Ignacio Benavides. The power is completely gone and he is even worse than his disappointing 2022 season.

Now, calling up our high flying prospect LF Santiago Rodriguez is not an option… he is injured once again (see below).

Another issue? Money will be an issue soon. 2025 is safe, but in 2026 we jump to a predicted $175M of salary, and there are some… in here. Grok $10M, Perez $7.2M, V-Rod $7M, Weltzer $7M, Dean $6.9M (Super 2), Hernandez $6.8M, Meilleur $5.5M, Talbert $4.6M.

We will eventually cut V-Rod and we won’t pay $12.5M for our light-hitting shortstop platoon… that is $20M saved. Alternatively, we get rid of Dan Hinton…

Prospect Watch:
AAA LF Santiago Rodriguez(23, 2.5/4*) .239-3-13 .687OPS 24G 4/6SB 0.2WAR #29 - torn quadiceps 2-3 months.
AA SP Mack Faddis(21, 2/3*) 2-4 5.37 42K 0.8WAR 52.0IP 10GS
AA SP Dylan Schilling(23, 2/3*) 4-3 4.08 53K 1.2WAR 57.1IP 10GS #17
A+ SS Bryan Booth(23, 2/4*) .304-2-8 .867OPS 0.7WAR 17G #18
A+ 1B Brad Moody(21, 2/3.5*) .287-3-17 .774OPS 0.0WAR 45G
A+ SP Jorge Ortega(21, 2/3.5*) 4-2 3.66 34K 1.3WAR 51.2IP 10GS #33
A SP Adam LeRoy(19, 1.5/4*) 3-3 3.57 34K 0.9WAR 53IP 10GS #91
S A RHRP Josh Reinke(20, 1.5/4*) 0-1 27.00 1K 2.1IP -0.4WAR
R SS Javier Cordova(17, 1/5*) .350-8-35 1.152OPS 0.6WAR 36G #98
R CF Mauricio Gonsales(16, 1/5*) .363-12-41 1.138OPS 0.9WAR 37G #6
R SP John Slade(19, 2/4.5*) 4-2 3.86 53K 1.3WAR 42IP 8GS #7
R 2B Manny Ramirez(19, 1.5/4*) .323-9-30 .978OPS 1.0WAR 35G #5
R RHRP Jose Herrera(18, 1.5/4*) 0-1 2SV 4.00 7K 0.1WAR 9IP 7G
R RHRP Manuel Sanchez(18, 1.5/4*) 2-0 1SV 3.18 12K 0.3WAR 11.1IP 9G
R SP Matt State(20, 1.5/3.5*) 6-0 4.06 43K 1.5WAR 44.1IP 8GS

Some risers? A+ starter Jorge Ortega got his potential bumped up to 3.5* and All-Year Rookie League starter John Slade, our 1st rounder in 2023, went from 1.5/4* to 2/4.5* and should be in short A, probably A ball next year.

The guys lowering their stock? Santiago Rodriguez is injured again after missing a bunch of games in 2023 and in AA, our scouts still don’t like our offseason acquisition of Dylan Schilling…

Oh, another trade acquisition, R-ball lefty Matt State won Pitcher of the Month, 5-0 3.93 30K 34.1IP. At age 20, it’s time for him to move up the ladder tho.

[Griever20]

Week 10: 3 @ Boston Aeros(31-21) , 3 vs Jacksonville Patriots(29-24)

June 1st

B.J. Pitcher(R, 4-5 5.48) - Alejandro Corral(R, 3-1 3.06) Once a 15-game winner.

Patriots Deal Expos 7-1 Loss

Jacksonville pitcher B.J. Pitcher did his part in helping his team beat the Montreal Expos, 7-1. The right-hander kept opposing batters from doing too much damage. In 6 innings, Pitcher surrendered 6 hits, while striking out 3 and walking 0. He allowed 1 run. The win gives Jacksonville a season record of 32-26.

Jacksonville took a 7-1 lead on Joe Nardelli's 4th home run of the season. The grand slam home run, which Nardelli hit in the top of the ninth, left Montreal pitcher Dustin Jenkins visibly frustrated. A free agent signing this April, he is batting only .215-4-15 .606OPS -0.8WAR in 42 games.

"B.J. did a heck of a job," said Jacksonville manager Matthew Guthrie.

SP Alejandro Corral 6.0IP 6H 3R 2ER 1BB 5K L
CF Tyler Dean 2-4 DB SB(1)
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 RBI
RF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3
HR JAC: Barajas(4), Nardelli(4)
HR MON: none
W: B.J. Pitcher(5-5 5.15) L: Alejandro Corral(3-2 3.05) SV: Jay Woodward(2 1.73)
Corral didn’t deserve that loss, but our offense was anemic and our relief corps (or corpse) as well.

June 2nd

Steven Gault(R, 2-0 4.42) - Marty Murrietta(R, 6-2 3.19) 19th overall in 2018, but never quite clicked.

Nardelli Slugs Patriots to 6-4 Win

Joe Nardelli was a major factor in the 6-4 Jacksonville win over Montreal. The Patriots right fielder was 4 for 5 with 2 home runs and 2 singles, while adding 4 RBI and scoring twice. Randy Waters earned the save for Jacksonville, his 22nd of the year. With the win, Jacksonville has a record of 33-26. Montreal falls to 35-25.

Nardelli had a game-changing home run in the top of the eighth. On a 0-2 changeup from Marty Murrietta, he banged a 2-run home run to left-center, giving the Patriots a 5-4 lead. It was the 6th home run of the year for Nardelli.

"We took home the win," said Nardelli. "What's not to like?"

SP Marty Murrietta 7.0IP 10H 5R 5ER 1BB 7K L
RF Ian Messer 1-5 RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R SB(8)
DH Matt Talbert 2-3 2R 2RBI BB DB HR
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 DB
1B Joe Hawk 1-4 RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R
HR JAC: Allen(3), Nardelli 2(6)
HR MON: Talbert(13)
W: Jeff Hawk(2-1 3.51) L: Marty Murrietta(6-3 3.50) SV: Randy Waters(23 2.55)
Nardelli really hates us….

Record: 35-25, 1st in EL Northeast, tied with BOS
Week: 2-4 (1-2 @ BOS, 1-2 vs JAC)
Power Rankings: #7(-4)
Runs scored: 291(4th)
Runs against: 246(5th)
Starters ERA: 3.58(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.16(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .693(3rd)
Zone Rating: +20.2(2nd)
Fan Interest: 79(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Juan Miranda 2G 1-0 1.93 14.0IP 13K
OF Vicente Rodriguez 9G 13-28 .464 0HR 6RBI

Who's not?
SP Marty Murrietta 3G 0-3 11.74 15.1IP 15K

News:
June 2nd - Kansas City SP David Gallagher(24, 2.5*) pitched a strong 3-hit shutout with 1BB and 12K in a 5-0 win over the Beavers today. The waiver claim from HOU is 5-4 3.16 69K 1.4WAR in 12 starts.

June 3rd - Chicago 1B Justin Farrell(29, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-22 3HR 10RBI 6R. The 3x All-Star is batting .263-10-34 ..816OPS 1.0WAR in 51 games.

June 3rd - Seattle 3B Mark Alderson(24, 3.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-27 5HR 11RBI 5R. A 4.1WAR player in 2023, he is batting .318-13-44 .923OPS 2.5WAR in 59 games.

Next: 2 vs Arizona Diamondbacks(32-27), 4@ Atlanta Minuteman(29-32)

--

Interleague play against a division leader, and the 2nd placed team in the EL South. Bad news for Arizona, 3x All-Star Miguel Ricketts(24, 4*, 7-1 2.09 70K 2.2WAR) is on the IL after starting into the season with Cy Young pace…