The Montreal Expos... Exposing the New MLB?

[Griever20]

All-Stars Nominations:

I only expected one nomination to be honest…

Transactions:
LF Huai-Yu Mah(26, 2.5*, .192-1-6 .563OPS 17G -0.4WAR) was demoted to AAA as CF Vicente Rodriguez(23, 2.5*, .275-1-14 .678 6/8SB 66G 0.9WAR) was activated off the IL.
1st Rounder CF Tyler Dean(18, 5*) has signed.
2nd Rounder SP Paul Ramsey(17, 4*) has signed.

As we watched our Eastern League All-Star Team win 4-2 with Griffin(1ER) and Nelson(0ER) pitching an inning each, it was about time to reevaluate our situation.

We are pretty bad this season, and our First Year Player draft basically became a High School Party. That means, we won’t get any immediate help out of this draft. Where does this put us at the trade deadline?

The truth is, preliminary talks show us that apart from Dusty Leone, Ryan Rasbach and Austin Roy, we don’t have much trade value on the roster. As for that, we had a deal on deck for a couple of prospects from the Las Vegas Gamblers
Org, getting SP Tristan Clark(20, 3*, #39) and C Travis Lukasiewicz(22, 3*, #31) for Rasbach and Leone. Dave G. didn’t like those two despite the rave reviews from Baseball America and we balked, and the trade has dissolved now.

In the end, the contenders with Win Now! stance don’t have a lot of prospects left, or they are soo covered that we can’t get them. In my wet dreams, we land CF Ricardo Sandoval(20, 4.5* HS, 5* OSA, #4), but right now it would take Rasbach, Roy, Leone and a prospect to get him… too steep. Maybe, something opens up at the deadline, but it would need a contender to really change their mood for us to make another big trade, subtracting from our NMLB roster.

That being said, we will continue to look for good trades like the Espinoza flip via the trading block, but the closest thing to a deal would be for 1B John Foley(28, 3.5/4*, .248-5-19 .772OPS 0.5WAR), a 2x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger that is due $14.5M this season, a free agent this winter… but unfortunately, his body is described as wrecked. It would take Benavides to get him, but I am not so sure about his trade value even if we eat his salary.

Overall, I expect us to stand pat until the trade deadline and then look for someone willing to overpay for some of our guys, but keeping Rasbach and Leone around would not be bad.

Austin Roy(R, 3-10 4.83) – Scott Becker(L, 6-5 5.03) tomorrow to start the second half of baseball against the Houston Astros(49-41). They sent too many arms to the All-Star game…

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Week 16: 3@ Houston Astros(49-41)

July 23rd

Expos Start Second Half With W, Beat Astros 4-3

Montreal pitcher Austin Roy had a large part in his team beating the Houston Astros, 4-3. The right-hander kept opposing batters in check throughout the game. Roy got the win, improving to 1-3. He gave up 5 hits and walked 1 over 7.2 innings. He allowed 2 runs.

In postgame comments to the Montreal News, Roy said, "If the effort is there, the wins will come." Earning the save was Ryan Rasbach. He's now cashed in 14 of 19 save opportunities.

Franklin Reyes had a direct impact on the outcome. Reyes contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth inning to put Montreal up, 4-0. The 27-year old is now batting .255-2-8 .665OPS in 37 games.

The win puts Montreal at 36-55.

Sam Griffin (R, 5-6 3.81) – Gong-sun Zháo(R, 11-5 3.10) tomorrow. One of the twoi s a boni-fide ace, and it’s not our pitcher.

SP Austin Roy 7.2IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 4K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 2R TP
DH Dan Cook 1-4 RBI
LF Karl Ferguson 2-3 BB DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI DB
2B Franklin Reyes 1-2 RBI BB
HR MON: none
HR HOU: Braswell(15), Lukasiewicz(8), Bigalow(25)
W: Austin Rush(4-10 4.67) L: Scott Becker(6-6 5.16) SV : Ryan Rasbach(14 2.91)
Roy with a great start and Vicente R. promptly returns with a 2-5 game with two runs scored… sweet.

News:
Arizona Diamondbacks SP Jonathan Bashor(24, 2.5*) pitched eight innings of 5-hit, 0BB and 7 strikeout ball in a 2-0 win over the Canadians today. The former 15th round selection is 9-4 4.05 97K 1.6WAR in 19 starts and exceeding expectations this season.

July 24th

Expos Rally to Nose Past Houston

The Montreal Expos besoiled an otherwise fine performance by Houston shortstop Kenny Reedy by beating the Astros, 6-5, at Minute Maid Park. Reedy went 3-4 with a home run and a double. He drove in 3 runs and scored once. The 2020 EL Gold Glover at shortstop is .257-16-43 .805OPS 3.5WAR.

Montreal pitcher Freddy Silva got the win, upping his record to 1-1. Stephen Usery got the loss. Ryan Rasbach earned his 15th save in 20 chances.

Jose Robles went 1 for 3 with a double for Montreal. The 27-year old shortstop had a key at-bat in the top of the eighth. With one out and a runner on 3rd, he broke a 5-5 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Stephen Usery. It was his 23rd RBI of the season.

"We'll pop the top on a cold beverage and get back to work tomorrow," Robles said. The slick fielding shortstop is batting .246-6-23 .672OPS 1.1WAR in 86 games.

The Expos go to 37-55 with the win.

Sam Rush (R, 3-5 5.31) – Grant Morea(R, 4-7 3.88) tomorrow. 2x Gold Glover.

SP Sam Griffin 3IP 7H 5R 5ER 0BB 2K ND
DH Dan Cook 1-5 R DB
LF Karl Ferguson 2-3 2R RBI BB DB HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-3 2R RBI BB DB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 2RBI DB
SS Jose Robles 1-3 RBI DB
HR MON: Ferguson(10)
HR HOU: Reedy(16), Fink(13)
W: Freddy Silva(1-1 4.58) L: Stephen Usery(0-1 7.04) SV : Ryan Rasbach(15 2.83)
Griffin got lit up but our offense came through… maybe Ferguson gets hot again???

July 25th

Astros Trounce Expos, 11-2

Houston parlayed a decent outing from starter Grant Morea into a solid win over the Montreal Expos. He worked seven innings of 1-run ball and got the win. The final score was 11-2. With the win, Houston upped its record to 50-43.

The Astros got a big boost from catcher Hector Zamora who had a run-scoring walk in the bottom of the first inning off Expos hurler Sam Rush. It was his 30th walk of the season and put Houston on top, 1-0. The 5x All-Star is batting .232-11-39 .723OPS 1.5WAR in 77 games in what clearly is an off year for him.

"Enjoyed this one," Zamora told the Houston Daily News. "But it's back to work tomorrow."

Melvin Magana (R, 1-1 6.28) – Doug Williams(R, 1-3 4.71) tomorrow. Toronto(49-44) next.

SP Sam Rush 2.2IP 4H 5R 5ER 3BB 0K L
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R
RF Ian Messer 2-4 RBI 2DB
2B Dave Quiros 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 RBI DB
HR MON: none
HR HOU: Braswell(16), Fuhriman(11), Fink(14), Valenzuela(3)
W: Grant Morea(5-7 3.71) L: Sam Rush(3-6 5.69) SV : none
Sam was wild today and our second ‘All-Star’ Rich Nelson then ballooned his ERA up to four with 6ER.

News:
Cincinnati Eagles SP Andy Spicer(22, 2.5/3*) threw up zeroes for eight innings of 3-hit, 0BB and 5K ball in a 2-0 win over Atlanta. The 22-year old is now 6-7 4.18 81K 1.4WAR in 16 starts.

Calgary Beavers 3B Billy Ruiz(34, 2.5*) had a couple of huge home runs today, going 2-5 2R 7RBI 2HR in a 12-1 rout of the Red Devils. The 4x All-Star is batting .240-9-34 .734OPS 0.2WAR in 57 games.

Record: 37-56 , 5th in EL Northeast, 12GB
Week: 2-1 (2-1 @ HOU)
Power Rankings: #25(+4)
Runs scored: 322(15th)
Runs against: 460(12th)
Starters ERA: 5.11(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.23(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .677(14th)
Zone Rating: +16.1(4th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
nobody

Who's not?
SP Cesar Alvarado 2G 0-1 19.29 4.2IP 1K
C Kevin Craddock 7G 1-24 .041 0HR 0RBI

Chicago Rangers C Jesus Jaramillo(27, 4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 6-12 2HR 4BIs 4R. The 2020 EL Gold Glover is batting .275-14-45 .863OPS 2.6WAR in 74 games.

San José Killer Whales RF Alex Balderas(29, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week, going 7-14 3HR 10RBIs 4R. The 3x All-Star is batting .267-22-61 .797OPS 0.6WAR in 86 games.

[Griever20]

Week 17: 3@ Toronto Blue Jays(49-44), 3 vs Arizona Diamondbacks(45-48)

July 26th

Blue Jays Mow Down Expos, 11-3

The Toronto Blue Jays downed the Montreal Expos, 11-3, at Skydome. The Blue Jays were led by Paul Ludgate. Ludgate was 3-5 with a double and 2 singles, while scoring 2 runs and driving in 2. The 2020 All-Star is batting .257-7-26 .721OPS 1.2WAR in 73 games.

Toronto starter Doug Williams was credited with the win after throwing 73 pitches over 5 innings. His record now stands at 2-3. With the win, Toronto raised its record to 50-44.

Ben Pollitt had a big 3-run home run for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the third inning. With Toronto leading 4-1 and runners on 1st and 2nd, he sized up a fastball from 27-year old right-handed pitcher Melvin Magana and punished it. The result was his 2nd home run of the season, which put the Blue Jays on top, 7-1.

Toronto manager Art Tierney commended his team for "putting the pedal to the metal."

Cesar Alvarado(R, 0-2 10.38) – Walt Laidlaw(R, 2-2 4.52) tomorrow. Last chance before we demote Alvarado and replace him with the mascot.

SP Melvin Magana 2.2IP 8H 7R 7ER 2BB 4K L
DH Dan Cook 2-5 R
RF Ian Messer 2-4 RBI
2B Dave Quiros 1-4 R
SS Jose Robles 2-4 R 2RBI HR
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3
HR MON: Robles(7)
HR TOR: Pollitt(2)
W: Doug Williams(2-3 4.28) L: Melvin Magana(1-2 9.00) SV : none
Magana may just be the latest living firecracker in our rotation…

July 27th
The trade frenzy prior to deadline day has begun, and there has been a number of minor trades and a trade offer by Las Vegas… Rasbach for a 2B prospect named Juan Idrovo, a 18-year old that is rated 3* tops but will be a first baseman at the end of his development… we have a ton of those.

Some bad news, we had AAA C Jimmy Eastwood(28, 3*) on our shortlist of guys we wanted to trade for. 28 years of age, and a 70-rated defensive player that hit .286 in AAA with Vancouver… we could not get a deal done and Seattle did… shame. The next comparable player is Roger Lindemann(30, 3*, .249-8-42 .671OPS 0.9WAR), who is a 4x Gold Glover and makes $8.5M.

Blue Jays Mow Down Expos, 11-3

Montreal turned a good performance from starting pitcher Cesar Alvarado into a 4-1 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays at Skydome. The righty worked 5.2 innings of 1-run ball in his first Major League win. Ryan Rasbach earned his 16th save in 21 chances. The win puts Montreal at 38-57.

Montreal won the game in part because of Ian Messer. The right fielder ripped a 3-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to put the Expos ahead, 3-0. For the game, Messer had 1 double and 1 home run in 4 at-bats.

Messer attributed the win to his team's "concerted effort." A trade acquisition this winter, he is batting .230-7-24 .641OPS -0.3WAR in 74 games.

Austin Roy(R, 4-10 4.67) – David Villalobos(R, 8-6 4.49) tomorrow. Former Expos that won two World Series with two different Canadian teams.

SP Cesar Alvarado 5.2IP 3H 1R 1ER 4BB 5K W PotG
DH Dan Cook 2-4 R BB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-5
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R 3RBI DB HR
2B Dave Quiros 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-3 R RBI BB HR
C Jordan Chavis 2-4
HR MON: Robles(8), Messer(7)
HR TOR: none
W: Cesar Alvarado(1-2 8.22) L: Tony de la Cruz(3-3 5.56) SV : Ryan Rasbach(16 2.75)
Alvarado may live for now…

July 28th

Expos Lose to Blue Jays, 7-2

The Toronto Blue Jays picked up a win at Skydome, knocking off the Montreal Expos, 7-2. On the mound for Toronto was right-hander David Villalobos. He played a key role in the triumph. Villalobos, the winner, moves to 9-6. He threw 6.1 innings of 4-hit ball, while fanning 3 and giving up 1 walk. The Blue Jays lead the Eastern League North East Division by 3½ games.

Toronto catcher Paul Ludgate contributed a timely at-bat in the bottom of the fourth. With two down, he hit a changeup to center field for a run-scoring single. It was his 69th hit of the season and put the Blue Jays ahead, 1-0.

"I'm just looking for a good pitch that I can hit well," said Ludgate. "And not try to do too much." The 2020 EL All-Star is batting .258-7-27 .724OPS in 75 games.

Miguel Ricketts(R, 11-5 2.61) – Sam Griffin(R, 5-6 4.13) the day after tomorrow. This rotation from Arizona(48-48) is insane.

SP Austin Roy 6IP 9H 5R 5ER 2BB 4K L
DH Dan Cook 1-4 RBI
LF Karl Ferguson 2-4
2B Dave Quiros 1-4 R RBI HR
SS Jose Robles 1-3 BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 R
HR MON: Quiros(3)
HR TOR: Garcia(9)
W: David Villalobos(9-6 4.31) L: Austin Roy(1-4 4.57) SV : none
Thrower threw 1.2 innings of 2-run ball and decisively brought this one out of reach.

July 29th
Offday

July 30th
The trade talks are heating up a bit and we did get offers by Las Vegas and Jacksonville that didn’t work out for us, but

Expos Beat Ricketts, D’backs, 3-2

Getting an impressive start from Sam Griffin, Montreal beat Arizona by the score of 3-2. Griffin yielded 2 runs over 8 innings to notch the win. He scattered 5 hits, walked 0, and struck out 5. His record improves to 6-6. The Expos go to 39-58 with the win.

Montreal took control in the bottom of the seventh. With one out and a runner on 3rd, Vicente Rodriguez hit a run-scoring single to make it 3-2, Expos. The 23-year old is batting .264-1-15 .656OPS 0.9WAR in 73 games.

"I was a little disappointed," said Arizona manager A.J. Pascale. "We could've and should've scored more runs."

Josh Dalton(L, 6-6 4.33) – Sam Rush(R, 3-6 5.69) tomorrow. Traded over from NYM for a bag of baseballs earlier this week.

SP Sam Griffin 8IP 5H 2R 2ER 0BB 5K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 RBI BB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-3 R
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R 2RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 2-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 R
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 R DB
HR ARI: Lemus(24)
HR MON: Kerzner(14)
W: Sam Griffin(6-6 3.99) L: Miguel Ricketts(11-6 2.69) SV : Ryan Rasbach(17 2.68)
Griffin with a monster of a start for a guy like him!

July 31st

D’backs Win Nail-Biter in 13

The Arizona Diamondbacks did just enough to secure a victory over the Montreal Expos, 6-5, in 13 innings at Olympic Stadium. Nobody did more than pitcher Josh Dalton. Arizona pitcher Ricky Valenciano earned the win, hiking his record to 3-2. Adam Rudolph suffered the loss. Picking up the save was Nelson Herrero. He's now 8 for 8 in save chances.

Arizona used the timely hitting of Bang-xao Lu to seize the win. The catcher stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the 13th inning to put the Diamondbacks on top, 6-5. It was his only hit in 6 at-bats, but it was a game-changer.

"Winning the game is always the first objective," Lu said. He is batting .209-8-25 .570OPS -0.1WAR in 63 games.

The triumph puts Arizona at 49-49 for the season.

Nate McLean(R, 4-4 4.29) – Melvin Magana(R, 1-2 9.00) tomorrow. McLean has a stamina rating of 35… interesting.

SP Sam Rush 5.1IP 4H 3R 3ER 2BB 6K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-6 R
DH Dan Cook 3-6 R 2RBI HR
LF Karl Ferguson 2-5 BB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-6 R RBI HRR
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-6 R
RF Ignacio Benavides 3-6
SS Jose Robles 1-6 R 2RBI HR
HR ARI: Lemus(25), Martinez(24)
HR MON: Kerzner(15), Robles(9), Cook(9)
W: Ricky Valenciano(3-2 6.10) L: Adam Rudolph(3-2 2.60) SV : Nelson Herrero(8 3.35)
13 inning drama with a late comeback in the 7th for us and some fine for a while. Shame.

Following the game, we focused on the trade deadline…

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Boston LF Kurt Alexander(27, 3.5*) .360-9-23 1.200OPS 1.8WAR 2x All-Star, leads EL in OPS(.963) and runs(67)
Pitcher of the Month: Houston RHSP Gong-Sun Zhao(30, 4.5*) 5-0 1.79 36K 45.1IP 1.3WAR 2020 EL RotY, leads EL in W(12)
Rookie of the Month: Pittsburgh LF Chris Adler(22, 3/4*) .329-6-13 1.050OPS 22G 1.2WAR All-Star in his rookie year.

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Denver 1B Jeff Urban(33, 4.5*) .351-7-22 1.108OPS 1.7WAR Leads WL in runs(79), 5th in OPS(.928)
Pitcher of the Month: Oakland SP Amir Fletcher(27, 2.5*) 4-0 2.78 35K 6GS 35.2IP 1.2WAR 9th rounder with a 4.82 season ERA
Rookie of the Month: Kansas City 3B Keith Ervin(24, 2.5*) .341-6-16 .943OPS 23G 1.0WAR 10th rounder in 2015

All celebrate the 2nd worst team in baseball behind the San Diego Padres. We had another not too bad month with 11-13 even without our ace and our defensive and pitching metrics have improved some, however our offense is still horrible. That made the decisions at the trade deadline all to complicated as our only real trade chips that I was willing to move in the end, Rasbach and Leone, would’ve landed us only a decent but not great prospect.

Both are still under contract/arbitration eligible for us… so we were not forced to make at trade at the time and I wanted more than that Clark guy in return. That also means we have two more month of pain and suffering in front of us.

The reason why the Gamblers(65-33) wanted the sharp end of our bullpen is obvious… the Denver Seahawks(68-31) in their division. A run scoring machine that leads the WL in most offensive categories, the slugging of 3x MvP Devin Grose(36- 4.5*, .310-31-90 1.070OPS 4.2WAR 96G) and WL Player of the Month Jeff Urban(see above) and a great year by their (on paper) not so talented starting rotation around ace SP Danny Huber(28, 3*, 11-1 3.25 109K 21GS 2.5WAR) makes them super scary.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the San Diego Padres(38-62) fighting us for the worst team in baseball. A playoff team in 2019, their rebuild is technically further ahead with SP Joe Baier(24, 4/5*, 4-9 5.21 102K 2.7WAR), SP Jerry Sullivan(22, 3.5/4.5*, 11-5 3.62 113K 20GS 2.8WAR) and the experienced bats of 1B David Dose(28, 4*, .312-8-45 .874OPS 94G 3.2WAR) and 2B Gary McBride(30, 4*, .264-16-60 .808OPS 84G 2.2WAR) are around for the next two years.

Pitching:

DL: SP Dan Hinton(22, 4/5*) torn flexor tendon (elbow) 7-8 months 4-0 1.93 38K 42IP 7GS 1.7WAR
DL: SP Danny Sandoval(23, 2.5*) ruptured UCL 11 months 0-5 5.36 59K 50.1IP 11GS 0.1WAR
DL: RHSP Adrian Hilscher(26, 2.5*) bone chips (elbow) 1 week 0-7 4.84 56K 61.1IP 13GS 0.9WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
none

So, our big trade acquisition Austin Roy is now 1-4 4.57 37K 0.3WAR in 7 starts… I mean, he is more productive than Vinny Roman(.208-5-15 .694OPS 30G 0.2WAR), but I hoped for a tad big more. Our best pitcher in the month of July was once again Sam Griffin who worked 2-0 4.60 19K 29.1IP 0.6WAR for the month… I like that cheap 4y/$13.25M extension a lot. Adrian Hilscher is due to return in a week and we may have to decide whether to axe Alvarado or Magana or no one here…

Our bullpen pitched to a good FIP around 3.5 last month but a way better ERA, and Ryan Rasbach picked up some pace with a 2-0 6SV 0.00 16K 13.1IP 0.8WAR month. We won’t be touching this group barring injury.

Position Players:

DL: 2B Robby Weltzer (24, 2.5/3*) strained hamstring 1 week .254-2-9 .659OPS 19G/19GS 0.3WAR
DL: LF Brian Oatley(27, 2.5*) ruptured ACL 4-5 months .289-1-8 .728OPS 27G/20GS 0.5WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
1B Dan Cook 27 DB – 5th

Last month, we talked about Kevin Craddock’s new job behind the plate… and he is now batting .138 for the season… Hello Jordan Chavis… what a revolving door behind the plate.

That is basically the problem we have. No consistency. Cody Kerzner(.191) and Dan cook(.250) were our best hitters in June and were cold in July, and on the other hand, a AAAA player like Orlando Gonzalez hit .301-1-7 .799OPS 0.3WAR in July and Karl Ferguson picked up some pace with a .303-3-7 .839OPS 0.7WAR month but is still not performing as expected over a full season.

The truth is, we need to look for impact bats next season or have one of our prospects or a Cody Kerzner make a power breakthrough to get this lineup to a higher level.

Prospect Watch:
AAA SS Julian Hernandez(5*) .239-8-32 .657OPS 68G 8/10SB 2.1WAR
AAA RHRP Kevin Cowden(3.5*) 2-5 23SV 4.67 42K 34.2IP -0.6WAR
AAA SP Juan Miranda(3*) 8-5 3.54 89K 114.1IP 23G/18GS 1.9WAR
A LHSP Brett Asselin(4*) 2-13 4.68 81K 98IP 20G -0.2WAR
R SP Matt Porter(3.5*) 5-7 1.21 111K 112IP 20GS 2.2WAR
R 1B Joe Townsend(4*) .250-3-5 .790OPS 12G 0.9WAR broken bone in elbow 6-7 months
R LF Santiago Rodriguez(4*) .220-14-31 .694OPS 85G 5.4WAR
R CF Tyler Dean(5*) .209-1-1 .540OPS 12G 0.3WAR

All rejoice! Baseball America has put Tyler Dean as the #2 prospect in baseball in their past trade deadline list, behind the ridiculous LF Jason Barlett from San Francisco. The 21-year old is batting .333 in A ball and has a 85 rated contact and Avoid K’s potential… holy…

But wait, there is more! LF Santiago Rodiguez may have been the #201 prospect when we got him, but he is now up to #46. Aand Dave G. rated up the potential of Matt Porter to 3.5*, correlating nicely with him being the #68 prospect in baseball. We have the best system in baseball, in front of the contending Las Vegas Gamblers… and we could’ve gotten something out of them at the deadline.

[Griever20]

Big 3-HR Day for Fitzmaurice
stadiumreport.bbn

August 1st, 2021

The fans at Ballpark of San José witnessed Sam Fitzmaurice(31, 3*) write his name into the league record book with three home runs, but the Miami Marlins still dropped the decision to the San José Killer Whales, 7-6.

"I've always loved hitting in Ballpark of San José," Fitzmaurice said, speaking with reporters after the game. "You can see the ball so well. I'm glad I got the homers, but three hits and a win would have been nicer."

For the day, he collected 3 hits in 5 at-bats, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs.

Sam Fitzmaurice grounded out in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off Eddie Baiamonte in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Eddie Baiamonte in the 5th, grounded out in the 7th and hit a solo-shot off Jim DeFeo in the 9th.

At the moment, Fitzmaurice is hitting .248 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs. He has played in 93 games and scored 52 times while posting a .704OPS and amassing 0.4WAR.

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Week 17: 3@ Toronto Blue Jays(49-44), 3 vs Arizona Diamondbacks(45-48)

August 1st

Robles Walks off Snakes!

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, downing the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Melvin Magana, who played a pivotal role in the win. The righty worked 7 innings of 4-hit and 1-run ball, but got a no-decision.

The victory puts Montreal at 40-59.

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

Robles called the win a test of his team's "mettle." The 27-year old is batting .248-9-29 .699OPS 1.4WAR in 93 games.

Steve McKinzie(L, 8-3 3.98) – Cesar Alvarado(R, 1-2 8.22) the day after tomorrow. Strong fastball pitcher from Kansas City(44-57).

SP Melvin Magana 7IP 4H 1R 1ER 0BB 5K ND PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
DH Dan Cook 1-4
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R RBI HR
SS Jose Robles 1-4 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 R RBI HR
C Jordan Chavis 1-2 R RBI BB
HR ARI: Haddad(11), Roos(13)
HR MON: Gonzalez(3), Chavis(3)
W: Glen McKeen(2-1 3.05) L: Ricky Valenciano(3-3 6.24) SV : None
Another close and thrilling game, McKeen blew the save, and we turned back to take the win!

Record: 40-59 , 5th in EL Northeast, 11.5GB
Week: 3-3 (1-2 @ TOR, 2-1 vs ARI)
Power Rankings: #25(+-0)
Runs scored: 343(15th)
Runs against: 490(12th)
Starters ERA: 5.09(15th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.23(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .677(14th)
Zone Rating: +16.3(4th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
RHCL Ryan Rasbach 12G 7SV 0.00 16.1IP 18K

Who's not?
SP Cesar Alvarado 3G 1-1 9.58 10.1IP 6K
C Kevin Craddock 7G 2-23 .086 0HR 0RBI

Memphis Bolts CF Tony Munoz(31, 2.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 11-21 3HR 5RBIs 9R. The veteran journeyman is batting .232-8-35 .617OPS 0.3WAR in 92 games.

Denver Seahawks CF Gabe Robinson(26, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week, going 10-23 3HR 12RBIs 9R. A rookie this season, he is batting .305-4-16 .909OPS 0.8WAR in 14 games.

[Griever20]

Oseguera on Fire: 5-for-5 for Portland
stadiumreport.bbn

August 5th, 2021

It was a big day for Victor Oseguera(25, 4*) and he brought the Portland Bears along for the ride.

Oseguera led his club to victory, 9-4, over the Calgary Beavers at Bearsdome, smoking Calgary pitching for 5 hits in 5 at-bats. The 25-year-old shortstop later called the victory "sweet."

Victor Oseguera singled in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Jon Marquardt in the 5th, singled in the 6th and singled in the 7th.

So far this season, Oseguera is batting .279 with 14 home runs, 44 RBIs and 66 runs scored. The 2x All-Star has an OPS of .820 with 3.4WAR for the season.

--

Benefield Slams 5 Hits for Sacramento
stadiumreport.bbn

August 5th, 2021

It wasn't just another day at the ballpark for Jason Benefield(24, 2.5*). Benefield went on a tear and cracked hit after hit off San José pitchers. When the dust settled on the diamond at Cavaliers Park, he had a 5-for-5 line and a day he will long remember. And the Sacramento Cavaliers had a win, 16-2, over the Killer Whales.

"Yeah, it'll be something nice to tell the grandkids, but it won't get me a hit tomorrow," he joked in the postgame interview.

Jason Benefield doubled in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off Mike Hamey in the 7th and doubled in the 7th.

So far this year, Benefield is batting .276 with 8 home runs, 27RBIs and a OPS of .775. A Rule 5 Draftee this winter, he has amassed 0.6WAR so far.

[Griever20]

Week 18: 3vs Kansas City Royals(44-57), 4@ Memphis Bolts(49-53)

August 2nd
Offday

August 3rd

Expos Earn 8-3 Home Win

Behind a fine performance from Dan Cook, the Montreal Expos knocked off the Kansas City Royals, 8-3. Cook hit 2 home runs. He drove in 3 runs and scored twice for the Expos. Cesar Alvarado, the winner, is now 2-2. He struck out 2 and walked 2 over 5.1 innings, while allowing 3 runs on 3 hits. The Expos sport a record of 41-59.

Cook contributed in the bottom of the third. With a runner on 1st, he hit a 2-run home run. It was one at-bat among others that helped Montreal get the win. The rookie is batting .289-11-42 .797OPS 1.0WAR in 98 games.

"We maximized our offense today," said Montreal skipper Aaron McCreery. "That makes everyone's life easier."

Phil Frey(R, 4-6 5.69) – Austin Roy(R, 4-11 4.80) tomorrow. Rule 5 Draftee from POR this winter.

SP Cesar Alvarado 5.1IP 3H 3R 3ER 2BB 2K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R RBI
DH Dan Cook 2-4 2R 3RBI 2HR PotG
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 2R BB
2B Franklin Reyes 2-4 R 2RBI 2DB
SS Jose Robles 1-3 R 2RBI DB
HR KCR: Cervantes(17)
HR MON: Cook 2(11)
W: Cesar Alvarado(2-2 7.62) L: Steve McKinzie(8-4 4.41) SV : None
Alvarado with his second win in a row and Cook with a good game.

August 4th

Expos and Royals Split Series as KC Wins 5-4

Kansas City and Montreal duked it out and the Royals came out victorious.

The Kansas City Royals overcame a good performance by Montreal shortstop Jose Robles to knock off Montreal, 5-4, at Olympic Stadium. Robles went 2 for 4 with a home run. He drove in 3 runs and scored once. Juan Ospina got the save, his 19th in 22 chances.

Gabriel Cervantes helped out the Kansas City cause in the top of the sixth inning with a 3-run home run. For the game, the catcher went 1-4 with a home run, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once.

"We found a way to get it done," Cervantes said. The 26-year old is having a fine season .256-18-42 .802OPS 2.4WAR in 80 games.

The last-place Royals now have a record of 45-58.

Isaiah Parker(L, 9-3 3.06) – Sam Griffin(R, 6-6 3.99) tomorrow. #66 prospect prior to the season.

SP Austin Roy 6IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 7K ND
DH Dan Cook 3-4 R
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R
1B Cody Kerzner 1-3 RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R
SS Jose Robles 2-4 R 3RBI HR PotG
HR KCR: Cervantes(18)
HR MON: Robles(10)
W: Phil Frey(5-6 5.71) L: Adam Rudolph(3-3 2.72) SV : Juan Ospina(19 3.09)
Robles is red hot right now, but unfortunately the usually reliable Adam Rudolph gave up one run too much…

August 5th

Expos Hammer Memphis, 14-0

The Montreal Expos topped the Memphis Bolts, 14-0, in Eastern League action at Bolts Grounds. The standout performance belonged to Montreal pitcher and Florence, Alabama, native Sam Griffin. Griffin got the win, improving to 7-6. He gave up 6 hits and walked 1 over 5.1 innings. He allowed no runs. Rich Nelson earned his 1st save in 1 chances.

The Expos benefited from an error in the top of the second inning. Montreal was leading 6-0 when Franklin Reyes hit a 2-run single that was misplayed. It put Montreal in front, 8-0. Reyes is batting .261-2-12 .677IOS -0.2WAR in 42 games.

Said losing manager Mike Baber: "Obviously, we wished for a better outcome."

Montreal is now 42-60, while Memphis is 51-55.

Sam Rush(R, 3-6 5.65) – Yossi Zangi(R, 5-6 7.07) tomorrow. This could be fun…

SP Sam Griffin 5.1IP 6H 0R 0ER 1BB 5K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodiguez 4-6 3R 3DB
DH Dan Cook 1-5 2R BB
LF Karl Ferguson 2-5 R 2RBI BB DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R 2RBI BB DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 25 3R 2RBI 2DB
RF Ignacio Benavides 2-3 2RBI
2B Franklin Reyes 1-5 2RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-5 R
C Jordan Chavis 3-5 2R RBI
PH/RF Brian Schill 1-2 R 2RBI HR
HR MON: Schill(4)
HR MEM: none
W: Sam Griffin(7-6 3.81) L: Isaiah Parkar(9-4 3.20) SV : Rich Nelson(1 3.67)
WHOA!

August 6th

Bolts Lose at Home, 4-2

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Bolts Grounds, knocking off the Memphis Bolts, 4-2. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Sam Rush. He played a key role in the triumph. Rush, now 4-6, was the winner. In 6 innings, he gave up 3 hits, while striking out 3, walking 1, and allowing 1 run. Rush attributed the win to "an all-around good team performance."

Ryan Rasbach was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 18 of 23 save opportunities.

Jordan Chavis had a direct impact on the outcome. Chavis contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth inning to put Montreal up, 3-1. The 23-year old is batting .264-3-6 .811OPS 0.4WAR in 16 games.

With the win, the Expos improved to 43-60.

Melvin Magana(R, 1-2 6.75) – Jose Archuleta(R, 8-7 3.46) tomorrow. Extreme groundballer with a good defence behind him.

SP Sam Rush 6IP 3H 1R 1ER 1BB 3K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodiguez 1-5 R DB
DH Dan Cook 1-3 R BB TP HBP
LF Karl Ferguson 2-5 2RBI
1B Cody Kerzner 1-5 R
RF Ian Messer 2-3 R RBI BB 2DB
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 RBI
HR MON: none
HR MEM: Corsaut(6), Correa(12)
W: Sam Rush(4-6 5.38) L: Yossi Zangi(5-7 6.97) SV : Ryan Rasbach(18 2.45)
We only allowed two solo shots and our offense I cooking right now…

August 7th

Expos Win 10 Inning Affair 8-7

Expos designated hitter Dan Cook left his mark on his team's 8-7 win over the Memphis Bolts. Cook, who is tied for 6th in the EL in hits with 117, was 2-4 with a home run, a double, and 2 walks. He scored 3 runs and drove in 2 for Montreal in the contest.

"Sweet win for us, tough loss for them," said Cook.

Ryan Rasbach notched his 19th save in 24 chances. The Bolts, now 51-57, have lost 4 straight.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Karl Ferguson? The Montreal left fielder had a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the top of the tenth inning to put the Expos on top, 8-7. For the game, Ferguson had 1 double and 1 single in 4 at-bats. The 26-year old is batting .259-10-42 .719OPS -0.2WAR in 99 games.

Cesar Alvarado(R, 2-2 7.62) – Andres Colon(R, 5-7 5.21) tomorrow. 12- game winner and All-Star last year.

SP Melvin Magana 5IP 5H 5R 4ER 2BB 8K ND
CF Vicente Rodiguez 1-6 R DB
DH Dan Cook 2-4 3R 2RBI 2BB DB HR SB(2) PotG
LF Karl Ferguson 2-4 R 2RBI BB DB
1B Cody Kerzner 2-6 RBI
RF Ian Messer 3-4 2R
2B Dave Quiros 2-5
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-5 2RBI DB
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 R BB
HR MON: Cook(12)
HR MEM: Collier(2)
W: Dusty Leone(6-0 1.83) L: Chad Schultz(1-1 4.00) SV : Ryan Rasbach(19 2.40)
What’s going on ???

August 8th

Bolts Avoid Sweep with 3-1 Win

Bolts Grounds was the site of a tense game between the Montreal Expos and Memphis Bolts.

Andres Colon never let Montreal get something going. The Memphis right-hander commanded his slider in pitching the Bolts to a 3-1 win. He worked 6.2 innings of 1-run ball. Mike Rodriguez recorded the save, making him 22 for 24.

"That was a really good outing by Andres," said Memphis manager Mike Baber. Memphis is 4th in the Eastern League South East Division with a record of 52-57.

Memphis shortstop Kyle Corsaut contributed a timely at-bat in the bottom of the fourth. With two down, he hit a fastball to right field for a 2-run single. It was his 70th hit of the season and put the Bolts ahead, 3-1. A 10th round selection in 2018, he is batting .246-6-26 .657OPS 1.3WAR in 85 games.

Austin Roy(R, 4-11 4.86) – Brian Peduzzi(R, 7-7 3.98) tomorrow. Solid righty from the 50-56 Aeros

SP Cesar Alvarado 6.1IP 4H 3R 3ER 1BB 6K L
DH Dan Cook 0-2 2BB SB(3)
LF Karl Ferguson 2-3 R BB DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
2B Dave Quiros 2-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4 SB(5)
HR MON: none
HR MEM: Diaz(21)
W: Andres Colon(6-7 5.01) L: Cesar Alvarado(2-3 7.01) SV : Mike Rodriguez(22 2.70)
Alvarado got a quality start, but our bats didn’t show up, still a good week for us.

Record: 44-61 , 5th in EL Northeast, 11.5GB
Week: 4-2 (1-1 vs KCR, 3-1@ MEM)
Power Rankings: #25(+-0)
Runs scored: 382(15th)
Runs against: 510(11th)
Starters ERA: 5.02(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.11(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .677(13th)
Zone Rating: +17.0(4th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 2G 2-0 1.35 13.1IP 10K
RHCL Ryan Rasbach 14G 9SV 0.00 18.1IP 20K
DH/1B Dan Cook 6G 9-22 .409 3HR 5RBIs

Who's not?
C Kevin Craddock 13G 5-45 .111 0HR 0RBI

Miami Marlins 1B Joey Lawrence(31, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going .12-29 3HR 7RBIs 5R. The 4x All-Star is batting .298-17-59 .872OPS 2.5WAR in 106 games.

Denver Seahawks 3B Edwin Suarez(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week, going 9-18 4HR 8RBIs 6R. The 2x Gold Glover is batting .272-9-27 .842OPS 1.3WAR in 43 games.

[Griever20]

Sultan of Swing: Villeda Goes Deep 3 Times
stadiumreport.bbn

August 9th, 2021

Seattle Mariners bombardier Manny Villeda(23, 3*) set his sights on the stands and blasted three balls over the fence as his club beat the Portland Bears, 12-0.

"I guess you could say I was a good guesser today, especially on the last one," Villeda told writers in the postgame press room. "I was ahead in the count, so I gambled that I'd get a certain pitch, and got all of it."

For the game, the Seattle right fielder had 3 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 5, and scored 3 runs.

Manny Villeda struck out in the 1st, flied out in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Bill Gonzalez in the 5th, hit a two-run home run off Bill Gonzalez in the 6th and hit a two-run home run off Tim Sipka in the 8th.

Currently Villeda is batting .263 with 83 hits and 24 home runs. He has knocked in 68 runs and scored 48 times while posting an OPS of .861 in 81 games.

--

Oseguera Connects for 3 Homers for Astros
stadiumreport.bbn

August 13th, 2021

Whatever Richard Oseguera(31, 2.5*) ate for breakfast before his game against the Oakland Oaks, it gave him some impressive power.

The Houston catcher smacked three balls up and out of the park at Oakland Coliseum. His home run barrage helped the Astros defeat the Oaks, 7-1.

"When they throw it in your wheelhouse, you've got a shot at a homer," he told BNN reporters after the game. "I got three shots today and nailed them all."

On his 3-homer day, he went 3-for-4, scored 3 times, drove in 3 and put on a display that history will remember.

Richard Oseguera grounded out in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Gabriel Lopez in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off Gabriel Lopez in the 7th and hit a solo-shot off Chris Howard in the 9th.

On the year, Oseguera is hitting .244 with 22 hits, 11 home runs, 23 RBIs, .953 OPS and has scored 18 runs in 30 games.

[Griever20]

Week 19: 3@ Boston Aeros(50-57), 3vs Toronto Blue Jays(57-50)


August 9th

Transactions:
After careful considerations, we demoted RHSP Cesar Alvarado(21, 2.5*) and his ERA of 7.01 to AAA again and activated RHSP Adrian Hilscher(26, 2.5*, 0-7 4.84 56K 0.9WAR).
Also, 2B Franklin Reyes(27, 2.5*, .261-2-12 .677OPS -0.2WAR) was sent back down to AAA with 2B Robby Weltzer(24,3 2.5/3*, .254-2-9 .659OPS 0.3WAR 19G) coming off the DL.

Roy Now 5-11 After Beating Aeros

Starting pitcher Austin Roy pitched well enough to help the Montreal Expos beat the Boston Aeros, 4-3. Ryan Rasbach earned his 20th save in 25 chances. The third-place Aeros have lost 8 straight games.

Montreal starter Austin Roy was a master of his craft. The right-hander allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 8 innings.

"Austin did a nice job," said Expos manager Aaron McCreery. The young righty moved to 5-11 4.64 128K 1.7WAR in 22 starts between MON and SLC.

Sam Griffin(R, 7-6 3.81) – Patrick Kallemeyn(L, 5-10 5.58) tomorrow.

SP Austin Roy 8.0IP 2H 1R 1ER 1BB 9K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 DB
LF Karl Ferguson 2-2 2R RBI 2BB HR
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R
SS Dave Quiros 1-4 R RBI HR
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 RBI
HR MON: Ferguson(11), Quiros(4)
HR BOS: Hancock(1), Barrales(22)
W: Austin Roy(5-11 4.64) L: Brian Peduzzi(7-8 4.02) SV : Ryan Rasbach(20 2.76)
Roy with the best start of his season and his lowest ERA mark now… sweet.

August 10th

Chavis Hits 2 Home Runs in Expos Win

The Montreal Expos defeated the Boston Aeros, 11-6, at Fenway Park. Montreal catcher Jordan Chavis had a superb performance. He slugged 2 home runs. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice. Adam Rudolph notched his 3rd save in 5 chances. The losses continue to mount for Boston, which has now dropped 9 in a row.

Chavis contributed in the top of the fourth. With runners on 1st and 2nd, he hit a 3-run home run. It was one at-bat among others that helped Montreal get the win. The rookie catcher is batting .262-5-11 .847OPS 0.6WAR in 19 games.

"We need to get back to basics," said Boston manager Tony Rodriguez.

Sam Rush(R, 4-6 5.38) – Tyrese Speed(R, 1-1 4.02 3GS AAA) tomorrow. Very talented starter and former #69 prospect, but injury prone as hell.

SP Sam Griffin 2.1IP 7H 5R 2ER 1BB 4K ND
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R BB
RF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R 2RBO
LF Ian Messer 3-5 R RBI
CF Brian Schill 2-5 2R DB
C Jordan Chavis 2-4 2R 4RBI 2HR RBI PotG
3B Dave Quiros 1-3 R 2RBI BB
SS Jose Robles 2-4 2R 2RBI HR
HR MON: Chavis 2(5), Robles(11)
HR BOS: Alexander(30)
W: Chris Ball(1-1 3.44) L: Cris Garcia(0-1 5.14) SV : Adam Rudolph(3 2.84)
I kinda enjoy winning… Griffin got betrayed by three errors by other fielders… and one all by himself today.

August 11th

Gonzalez goes 3-for-4 to Fuel Expos Offense and Sweep

A 3-RBI performance from third baseman Orlando Gonzalez led the Montreal Expos to a win over the Boston Aeros, 8-7. Sam Rush, the winning pitcher, is now 5-6. He went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, while fanning 4 and walking 2. Dusty Leone, credited with the save, is now 6 for 8 in save opportunities.

With Montreal leading 6-4 in the top of the eighth, Gonzalez hit a fastball from Bob Sims for a 2-run home run. It was his 4th home run of the season and put the Expos ahead, 8-4.

He is batting .282-4-17 .772OPS in 40 games since taking over from Vinny Roman at third base, amassing 0.7WAR so far.

"Losing puts me in a bad mood," said Boston manager Tony Rodriguez. "And right now nobody wants to be around me."

Boston is in the throes of a long losing streak, which is now 10 games.

Walt Laidlaw(R, 2-3 4.14) – Melvin Magana(R, 1-2 6.83) the day after tomorrow. Those pesky Blue Jays(58-51) will end this party I fear…

SP Sam Rush 6IP 8H 4R 4ER 2BB 4K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 RBI BB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-5 R
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R BB
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R
2B Robby Weltzer 2-3 2R 3RBI DB HR HBP
3B Orlando Gonzalez 3-4 2R 3RBI HR
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 RBI
HR MON: Weltzer(3), Gonzalez(4)
HR BOS: Saavedra(4)
W: Sam Rush(5-6 5.42) L: Tyrese Speed(0-1 11.57) SV : Dusty Leone(6 1.76)
Thrower tried to throw things with a 1.1IP 3R 2ER outing with kind help by a Robles error but we salvaged a SWEEP in the end!

August 12th
Offday

August 13th

Expos Win Opener, 5-3

The Montreal Expos besoiled an otherwise fine performance by Toronto second baseman Leo Torres by beating the Blue Jays, 5-3, at Olympic Stadium. Torres was 2-3 with a home run and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. The 2021 All-Star is batting .302-21-65 .885OPS 3.3WAR in 101 games.

Montreal has run its win streak to 4 in a row.

The Expos got a big at-bat from third baseman Orlando Gonzalez. For the game, Gonzalez was 1-3 with a double, while adding 2 RBI. In the bottom of the second, with runners on 2nd and 3rd, he stroked a 2-run double. His 13th double of the season gave Montreal a 2-0 lead.

"It never gets old," said Gonzalez. "Winning, that is."

David Villalobos(R, 10-7 4.30) – Adrian Hilscher(R, 0-7 4.84) tomorrow. Is this the day for Adrian?

SP Melvin Magana 4.2IP 4H 3R 3ER 4BB 3K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-4
LF Karl Ferguson 2-4 RBI
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R
RF Ian Messer 2-4 2R
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4
SS Jose Robles 1-3 R 2RBI BB HR
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 2RBI DB
HR TOR: Torres(21)
HR MON: Robles(12)
W: Rich Nelson(3-0 3.51) L: Walt Laidlaw(2-4 4.52) SV : Ryan Rasbach(21 2.70)
Stop Winning! My draft picks! (just kiddin’) Neither starter went five so Nelson inherited the win on a day where the pen threw 4.1 scoreless.

August 14th

Blue Jays Knock Off Montreal, 8-2

The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Montreal Expos, 8-2, at Olympic Stadium. The Blue Jays got a fine performance from center fielder Mario Lopez, who was 1-3 with a home run and 2 walks, while scoring 2 times and driving in 2. The #83 prospect in baseball prior to the season, Lopez is batting .241-13-39 .734OPS -0.1WAR in 83 games.

Toronto now has a record of 59-52 with the win.

Toronto used a well-timed hit by Paul Ludgate to capture the win. The catcher socked a run-scoring double in the top of the second inning to put the Blue Jays ahead, 1-0. Though it was his only hit in 5 at-bats, it was important.

"We'll need a much better effort, the next time out," said losing manager Aaron McCreery.

Paul Davis(R, 6-9 5.90) – Austin Roy(R, 5-11 4.64) tomorrow. Suffers from low movement and control, but the stuff is fine.

SP Adrian Hilscher 5IP 6H 4R 4ER 2BB 5K L
1B Cody Kerzner 3-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R SB(4)
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4 RBI DB
C Jordan Chavis 0-2 R BB
HR TOR: Torres(22), Lopez(13)
HR MON: none
W: David Villalobos(11-7 4.27) L: Adrian Hilscher(0-8 5.02) SV : Harley Wilson(2 3.12)
Hilscher can’t buy a win

August 15th

Montreal Defeated By Blue Jays, 4-1

The Toronto Blue Jays knocked off the Montreal Expos, 4-1, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. Toronto pitcher and Knoxville, Tennessee, native Paul Davis had an outstanding performance. In 6.1 innings, Davis surrendered 3 hits, while striking out 2 and walking 2. He allowed 1 run. With the victory, the Blue Jays upped their record to 60-52.

Mario Lopez had a direct impact on the outcome. Lopez contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the third inning to put Toronto up, 3-1.

"Very pleased with the effort on our side," said Lopez.

Isaiah Parker(L, 10-4 3.01) – Sam Griffin(R, 7-6 3.89) the day after tomorrow. We have the Bolts(56-59) coming.

SP Austin Roy 5.2IP 8H 3R 3ER 2BB 6K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4
DH Dan Cook 1-4
LF Karl Ferguson 2-4 R RBI HR
HR TOR: Torres(23), Cabrera(23)
HR MON: Ferguson(12)
W: Paul Davis(7-9 5.65) L: Austin Roy(5-12 4.65) SV : Ron Pavlovich(23 2.91)
Five stinking hits… Maybe it was Boston being weak…

Record: 48-63 , 5th in EL Northeast, 11.5GB
Week: 4-2 (3-0 @ BOS, 1-2 vs TOR)
Power Rankings: #24(+1)
Runs scored: 413(15th)
Runs against: 541(10th)
Starters ERA: 5.01(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.10(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .677(15th)
Zone Rating: +16.9(4th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
nobody

Who's not?
nobody

New York Mets RF Yong-Gwan Lee(26, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-26 2HR 5RBIs 4R. The 2021 All-Star is batting .306-22-58 .904OPS 3.6WAR in 103 games.

Kansas City Royals 1B Josh Dempsey(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week, going 13-31 2HR 3RBIs 3R. The 2018 World Series Winner is batting .296-16-57 .823OPS 1.6WAR in 111 games.

[Griever20]

Week 20: 3vs Memphis Bolts(56-59), 3@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(53-62)

August 16th
Offday

August 17th

Expos Lose Series Opener, 4-1, to Bolts

The Memphis Bolts defeated the Montreal Expos, 4-1, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. Memphis pitcher Isaiah Parker had a standout performance. Parker got the win, improving to 11-4. He gave up 6 hits and walked 1 over 7 innings. He allowed 1 run. Mike Rodriguez earned the save, his 24th in 26 tries.

Who knows how it would've ended, had it not been for Cody Shepard? The two-time All-Star Shepard stroked a 2-run single in the top of the eighth inning to put Memphis up, 4-1. For the game, he was 2 for 3, including 1 double and 1 single.

Shepard said his team "executed a good game plan." The 2x All-Star is batting .248-3-25 .611OPS 0.2WAR in 87 games.

Memphis, now 57-59, holds down 4th place in the Eastern League South East Division.

Michael Brown(L, 3-7 5.48) – Sam Rush(R, 5-6 5.42) tomorrow. Struggling with control (4.8BB/9).

SP Sam Griffin 5.2IP 5H 2R 2ER 2BB 3K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
DH Dan Cook 1-4 RBI DB
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4
RF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 TP
C Jordan Chavis 0-2 R BB
HR MEM: none
HR MON: none
W: Isaiah Parker(11-4 2.90) L: Sam Griffin(7-7 3.86) SV : Mike Rodriguez(24 2.70)
No offense. We are just not consistently creating runs.

August 18th

Bolts Upend Expos, 5-0

Memphis Bolts starter Michael Brown hurled his team past the Montreal Expos, 5-0. Brown, now 4-7, was the winner. In 6.1 innings, he gave up 4 hits, while striking out 3, walking 2, and allowing no runs. Montreal, at 48-65, has lost 4 straight.

"We take it day by day here," said Brown, "and today was a good one for us."

Tony Munoz was 2-4 with 2 singles for Memphis. The 31-year old center fielder had a key at-bat in the top of the second. With one out and runners on 1st and 2nd, he broke a 0-0 tie with a run-scoring single off Sam Rush. It was his 88th hit of the season. Signed on a 1-year deal, the veteran is batting .240-10-42 .645OPS 0.6WAR in 106 games.

Jose Archuleta(R, 8-7 3.40) – Melvin Magana(R, 1-2 6.68) tomorrow. Magana to avoid the sweep…

SP Sam Rush 4.1IP 9H 5R 5ER 0BB 4K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 HBP
SS Jose Robles 2-4 SB(6)
HR MEM: Correa(13), Corsaut(7)
HR MON: none
W: Michael Brown(4-7 5.12) L: Sam Rush(5-7 5.63) SV : Mike Rodriguez(25 2.68)
Anemic.

August 19th

Expos Swept at Home by Bolts, Lose 5-1

Behind an impressive start by Jose Archuleta, Memphis beat Montreal, 5-1. The 23-year old pitched 6.1 innings of 5-hit and 1-run ball.

Montreal's current losing streak has reached 5 games.

Memphis used the hitting of Alfredo Diaz to pick up the win. The right fielder clubbed a 2-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to put the Bolts on top, 2-0. For the game, Diaz had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"If the personal accolades come, so be it," said Diaz. "I just want to win ballgames." The 7th rounder in 2010 is batting .266-24-67 .871OPS 2.5WAR in 108 games.

Adrian Hilscher(R, 0-8 5.02) – Oscar Guzman(R, 6-7 4.81) tomorrow. Good at avoiding home runs, but very hittable this year.

SP Melvin Magana 5IP 8H 2R 2ER 1BB 5K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 RBI
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4
C Jordan Chavis 2-2 BB
HR MEM: Diaz(24)
HR MON: none
W: Jose Archuleta(9-7 3.31) L: Melvin Magana(1-3 6.28) SV : none
We suck badly. Magana actually was decent but we only hat 7 hits, all singles, and one walk.

August 20th

Expos Beaten by Grizzlies, 6-2

Grizzlies designated hitter Pablo Vargas left his imprint on his team's 6-2 win over the Montreal Expos. Vargas went 2 for 4 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 and driving in 2 for Philadelphia in the contest. Montreal is still trying to get off the schneid, having lost 6 in a row.

With Philadelphia trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Vargas hit a fastball from Adrian Hilscher for a 2-run home run. It was his 4th home run of the season and put the Grizzlies ahead, 3-2.

"We'll take some time to unwind," said Vargas, "and then get after it again." The backup first baseman/DH is batting .240-4-10 .697OPS -0.3WAR in 36 games.

Austin Roy(R, 5-12 4.65) – Colin Taylor(R, 5-8 3.78) tomorrow. Flyball pitcher that can hit triple digits.

SP Adrian Hilscher 5IP 5H 4R 4ER 3BB 6K L
LF Karl Ferguson 4-5 R DB
1B Cody Kerzner 0-4 R BB
RF Ian Messer 1-5 2RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 BB
C Kevin Craddock 2-3 BB
HR MON: none
HR PHI: Jimenez(20), Vargas(4), Maradiaga(18)
W: Oscar Guzman(7-7 4.74) L: Adrian Hilscher(0-9 5.17) SV : none
Winless Adrian. I had some hope after the Boston series last week but this is horrible.

August 21st

Grizzlies Win Nail-Biter in 13

Manny Olmos helped his team muscle past the Montreal Expos, 8-7. In the game, the Philadelphia designated hitter was 3-7 with 2 home runs and a double. He scored 3 runs and drove in 2. The 25-year old is batting .276-39-88 .953OPS 3.3WAR in 111 games.

Montreal has now lost 7 consecutive games.

The Grizzlies got a clutch hit from left fielder Pablo Vargas. In the bottom of the 13th, he delivered a run-scoring single to win the game for the Grizzlies.

"This stadium was a-rockin'," said Vargas.

Sam Griffin(R, 7-7 3.86) – Jessie Dittus(R, 8-9 4.29) tomorrow. Reliever turned starter is doing well.

SP Austin Roy 3.2IP 7H 5R 4ER 2BB 4K
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-4 R DB
DH Dan Cook 4-7 2R RBI DB
LF Karl Ferguson 2-6 2R 2RBI HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-5 R RBI BB DB
RF Ian Messer 2-6 2RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 1-5 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 3-6 R
HR MON: Ferguson(12)
HR PHI: Olmos 2(39), Flesner(5), Maldonado(5)
W: Danny Pagan(2-1 5.12) L: Freddy Silva(1-2 5.66) SV : none
Roy is the reliable part of our rotation and got blown to bits, and then we managed to score some runs to make sure that our pen will be gassed… Next offday in 9 days.

August 22nd

Slumping Expos Lose 8th Straight

Philadelphia Grizzlies pitcher Jessie Dittus was in fine form, leading his team past the Montreal Expos, 3-1. Dave Golberg notched the win in relief. The left-hander allowed no runs on 1 hit in 1.2 innings. His record now sits at 4-2. T.J. Delaney earned his 16th save in 19 chances.

Alejandro Cano chipped in a 2-run home run for Philadelphia in the bottom of the eighth. For the game, the center fielder had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 2 runs batted in. The rookie is batting .229-12-41 .675OPS -0.5WAR in 71 games.

"We certainly don't want to get used to losing," said losing manager Aaron McCreery.

Montreal's current losing streak has reached 8 games.

Sam Rush(R, 5-7 5.63) – Doug Williams(R, 2-6 6.43) tomorrow. Toronto(65-53) to add to the pain.

SP Sam Griffin 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 3K ND
DH Dan Cook 0-3 R BB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI TP
1B Cody Kerzner 1-2 2BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
HR MON: none
HR PHI: Maldonado(6), Cano(12)
W: Dave Golberg(4-2 3.79) L: Tim Thrower(0-1 3.54) SV : T.J. Delaney(16 2.79)
Griffin pitched a good one and deserved more…


Record: 48-69 , 5th in EL Northeast, 16.5GB
Week: 0-6 (0-3 vs MEM, 0-3 @ PHI)
Power Rankings: #30(-6)
Runs scored: 425(15th)
Runs against: 572(11th)
Starters ERA: 5.03(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.10(6th)
Defensive Eff.: .676(15th)
Zone Rating: +18.7(4th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 5G 2-1 2.25 28IP 20K

Who's not?
RF Ian Messer 5G 3-23 .130 0HR 4RBI
SS Jose Robles 7G 2-24 .083 0HR 0RBI

Memphis Bolts LF Victor Nieto(29, 2.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 13-26 4HR 7RBIs 5R. A trade acquisition at the 2020 deadline, he is batting .260-12-43 .758OPS 1.9WAR in 111 games.

Salt Lake City Bearcats SS Josh Barr(27, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week, going 9-20 3HR 8RBIs 5R. The 2018 Rookie of the Year is batting .285-15-39 .851OPS 1.5WAR in 87 games.

[Griever20]

Thrice Is Nice: Benson Unloads 3 Homers
stadiumreport.bbn

August 29th, 2021

The old superstition that "bad news comes in threes" certainly came true for the Vancouver Canadians.

Salt Lake City center fielder Kelly Benson(26, 3*) tripled up on the home runs to propel the Bearcats to a win, 13-7, at Canadians Field.

"We had our chances to win the game, but we just didn't come through," Vancouver manager Rod Hernandez said. "Benson hit the heck out of the ball."

In addition to the homers, Benson collected 3 hits in 5 at-bats, 5 RBIs and scored 3 runs.

"Easy swings get you home runs," he said after the game. "I kept telling myself not to press. They have to be nice and easy swings."

Kelly Benson struck out in the 1st, flied out in the 3rd, hit a three-run home run off Jaden Davis in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off Angelo Gonzalez in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off Roberto Natal in the 8th.

So far this season, Benson is hitting .268 with 39 home runs, 70 RBI’s, 62 runs scored and an OPS of 1.062, good for 3.4WAR.

[Griever20]

Week 21: 4@ Toronto Blue Jays(65-53), 3 vs Denver Seahawks(78-41)

August 23rd

Expos Stop Losing Streak with 3-2 Win

In a low-scoring tilt between the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays, 25-year old right-handed pitcher Sam Rush was the difference-maker. The Montreal right-hander spearheaded the 3-2 win.

"What's not to like about a win?" said Rush. The right-hander worked 5.2 innings of scoreless 3-hit ball today, but got a no-decision.

At 49-69, the Expos find themselves in last place in the Eastern League North East Division.

Montreal used a well-timed hit by Karl Ferguson to capture the win. The left fielder socked a 2-run double in the top of the sixth inning to put the Expos ahead, 2-0. Though it was his only hit in 4 at-bats, it was important. The 2019 EL Rookie of the Year is batting .266-13-50 .747 0.2WAR in 112 games.

Melvin Magana(R, 1-3 6.28) – Walt Laidlaw(R, 2-5 4.91) tomorrow. Canadian native by the way.

SP Sam Rush 5.2IP 3H 0R 0ER 2BB 5K ND PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 R
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 2RBI DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-3 R RBI BB HR
HR MON: Kerzner(16)
HR TOR: Garcia(10), Lopez(17)
W: Chris Ball(2-1 3.43) L: Tony de la Cruz(4-4 5.03) SV : Ryan Rasbach(22 2.72)
Rush had a fine outing and Chris Ball stumbled into a W after allowing two earned runs and blowing a save.

August 24th

Big Day for Benavides in 10-4 Expos Win

The Montreal Expos cut down the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 10-4, with the largest share of the credit going to left fielder Ignacio Benavides. Benavides was 2-3 with a home run and 2 walks. He scored 2 times and drove in 3 for the Expos. The rookie is batting .378-2-13 1.012OPS 0.5WAR in 15 games.

Montreal reliever Rich Nelson picked up the win, raising his record to 4-0. Romano Albertoni was tagged with the loss. The last-place Expos improved to 50-69.

Brian Schill came through for Montreal with a run-scoring double in the top of the fifth. The center fielder went 2 for 3 for the game, including 1 home run and 1 double. He scored 1 run and collected 4 runs batted in.

"We hit the ball hard," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. "Line drive after line drive."

Adrian Hilscher(R, 0-9 5.17) – David Villalobos(R, 11-7 4.10) tomorrow. 3-0 against us this year…

SP Melvin Magana 4.1IP 5H 4R 4ER 3BB 3K ND
2B Robby Weltzer 0-3 2R BB
DH Dan Cook 2-4 2R RBI BB
RF Ian Messer 1-3 2R 2BB DB
1B Cody Kerzner 2-5 R 2RBI DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-3 2R 3RBI 2BB HR
CF Brian Schill 2-3 R 4RBI BB HR
HR MON: Schill(5), Benavides(2)
HR TOR: Torres(24)
W: Rich Nelson(4-0 3.09) L: Romano Albertoni(1-1 4.70) SV : none
And now we start winning again. Magana struggled to get through five and his ERA is still garbage…

August 25th

Blue Jays Get Hard-Earned Win

The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Montreal Expos, 5-4, at Skydome. The win was due in part to catcher Joe Wurth, who was 2-3 with a home run and a walk. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. Ron Palovich converted his 28th save in 31 tries. The victory gives Toronto a record of 66-55.

Wurth had a timely hit for Toronto in the bottom of the eighth. With Toronto trailing 4-3, he turned a 1-2 curveball into a 2-run home run. It was his 8th home run of the season, making it 5-4, Toronto. The 26th overall selection in 2016 is batting .287-8-25 .962OPS 1.5WAR in 34 games in his rookie season.

"Very pleased with the effort on our side," said Wurth.

Austin Roy(R, 5-12 4.78) – Paul Davis(R, 7-9 5.73) tomorrow. Rookie that has not had a great year.

SP Adrian Hilscher 5.2IP 8H 3R 3ER 1BB 5K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4
DH Dan Cook 2-4 2R RBI HR
LF Karl Ferguson 2-3 R BB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-3 R RBI BB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 RBI
HR MON: Cook(13)
HR TOR: Massie(25), Wurth(8)
W: Tony de la Cruz(5-4 4.97) L: Freddy Silva(1-3 5.76) SV : Ron Palovich(28 2.63)
Hilscher of course pitched kinda good but we got beaten in a close one.

August 26th

Jays and Expos Split Series After 8-6 Toronto Win

The Toronto Blue Jays topped the Montreal Expos, 8-6, with youngster Mario Lopez playing a key role. Lopez belted 2 home runs, while scoring 3 and driving in 3 for the Blue Jays in the win. Toronto reliever Romano Albertoni picked up the win, upping his record to 2-1. Ryan Rasbach absorbed the loss. With the victory, the Blue Jays upped their record to 67-55.

The decisive blow was delivered by Ryan LaRiviere in the bottom of the ninth when he hit a 2-run home run off two-time All-Star Ryan Rasbach to win the game for Toronto. The home crowd went nuts. Also an All-Star this season, Ryan LaRiviere is batting .269-19-63 .809OPS 2.5WAR in 111 games.

"What a buzz," said LaRiviere after it was over.

Tom Frost(R, 10-3 4.08) – Sam Griffin(R, 7-7 3.73) tomorrow. I don’t want to play against the best team in baseball…

SP Austin Roy 4IP 9H 5R 5ER 1BB 3K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4
DH Dan Cook 2-4 R 2RBI BB DB HR
LF Karl Ferguson 1-5 R
1B Cody Kerzner 2-5 2R
RF Ian Messer 3-5 R RBI DB
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 2RBI DB
2B Dave Quiros 1-4 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R DB
HR MON: Cook(14)
HR TOR: Lopez 2(19), Massie(26), LaRiviere(19)
W: Romano Albertoni(2-1 4.41) L: Ryan Rasbach(5-5 3.28) SV : none
We always find new dumb ways to lose… ty Ryan Rasbach...

August 27th

Denver Stop Expos Comeback to Win, 7-6

The 7-6 Denver win over Montreal was due in large part to Danny Santiago. The Seahawks shortstop went 3 for 5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs and drove in 3.

"We got the victory," said Santiago. "That's all that matters at the end of the day."

Tom Frost, the winner, goes to 11-3. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, with no walks and 7 strikeouts over 6 innings. Denver improves to 80-43 with the win. They lead their division by 4 games.

Denver first baseman Jeff Urban contributed a timely at-bat in the top of the fourth. With two down, he hit a fastball to center field for a run-scoring single. It was his 127th hit of the season and put the Seahawks ahead, 7-0. The 9x All-Star is batting .305-19-70 .948OPS 4.9WAR in 117 games.

Alex Saenz(R, 3-1 5.15) – Sam Rush(R, 5-7 5.33) tomorrow. The guy could actually be beatable, first start of the season.

SP Sam Griffin 3.1IP 9H 7R 7ER 2BB 3K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 R
DH Dan Cook 2-5 2RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R SB(7)
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 2R 2RBI BB HR
C Jordan Chavis 2-4 2R 2RBI HR
HR DEN: Santiago(11)
HR MON: Chavis(6), Gonzalez(5)
W: Tom Frost(11-3 4.10) L: Sam Griffin(7-8 4.10) SV : Bob Thrall(33 1.46)
We go 7-0 down as Griffin got chopped to bits, and then we get 5.2 scoreless from the pen, score six runs… and fall one short.

August 28th

Expos Blanked by Seahawks, 12-0

The Denver Seahawks took on the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.

The Denver Seahawks rode a solid performance from 30-year-old starting pitcher Alex Saenz to a win, beating the Montreal Expos, 12-0, at Olympic Stadium. The reliever turned starter worked 6.2 innings of 2-hit, 1BB and 4K ball in his fourth win of the season.

Montreal has now lost 4 straight. "I have nothing to complain about," said winning manager Valerio Cota after the game.

In the top of the second, Denver shortstop Danny Santiago had a productive at-bat. With the bases loaded and one out, Santiago stroked a 2-run single to center. It made the score 3-0, Denver. For the game, he was 1-5 with a walk. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. Their leadoff man, he is batting .290-11-64 .783OPS 8/9SB 72R 3.0WAR in 113 games.

Orlando Soto(R, 7-2 4.26) – Melvin Magana(R, 1-3 6.49) tomorrow. This cannot go well.

SP Sam Rush 3.2IP 9H 6R 6ER 0BB 3K L
1B Dan Cook 2-3 BB 2DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4
HR DEN: Grose(39), Harris(2), Urban(20)
HR MON: none
W: Alex Saenz(4-1 4.72) L: Sam Rush(5-8 5.64) SV : none
Three hits against a reliever turned starter… THREE HITS!

August 29th

Expos Nudge Past Seahawks, 6-5

Melvin Magana propelled his team to victory over the Denver Seahawks. The final score was 6-5, Montreal. He worked six innings with 3 unearned runs while striking out a season high 11 batters.

"We have a lot of confidence in Melvin," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. I don’t know about that one but…

Ryan Rasbach was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 23 of 30 save opportunities. The Expos improved their record to 51-73 by beating Denver.

Montreal took a 6-5 lead on Karl Ferguson's 14th home run of the season. The 3-run home run, which Ferguson hit in the bottom of the eighth, left Denver pitcher Leo Carbajal visibly frustrated. The 2019 All-Star is batting .265-14-53 .745OPS 0.1WAR in 117 games.

Manny Garcia(R, 5-10 3.8) – Adrian Hilscher(R, 0-9 5.14) the day after tomorrow. The 51-75 Nats and their ace…

SP Melvin Magana 6IP 3H 3R 0ER 1BB 11K ND PotG
1B Dan Cook 0-3 R HBP
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R 3RBI HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R TP
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R RBI DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R DB
C Kevin Craddock 1-2 R RBI BB DB
HR DEN: Caraza(23), Santiago(12)
HR MON: Ferguson(14)
W: Dusty Leone(7-0 2.42) L: Leo Carbajal(8-4 5.50) SV : Ryan Rasbach(23 3.21)
I don’t know anymore. Never thought Magana could strike out that many batters.

News:
Boston Aeros SP Tyrese Speed(24, 3*) managed to work eight scoreless with 2H 1BB 7K in a 3-0 win over Jacksonville. The injury prone righty has only started four games so far this season, going 1-2 5.25 27K 0.5WAR.

Record: 51-73 , 5th in EL Northeast, 17.5GB
Week: 3-4 (2-2 @ TOR, 1-2 vs DEN)
Power Rankings: #29(+1)
Runs scored: 460(15th)
Runs against: 615(13th)
Starters ERA: 5.13(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.13(5th)
Defensive Eff.: .675(15th)
Zone Rating: +19.7(4th)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
1B/DH Dan Cook 6G 10-23 .435 2HR 6RBIs
CF Brian Schill 8G 10-20 .500 2HR 8RBIs

Who's not?
SP Austin Roy 2G 0-0 10.57 7.2IP 7K
RHRP Freddy Silva 13G 1-2 8.62 15.2IP 18K
SS Jose Robles 10G 1-34 .029 0HR 0RBI

Philadelphia Grizzlies 3B Jose Maldonado(23, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 13-23 0HR 5RBIs 3R. The #77 prospect prior to the season, he is batting .300-6-39 .786OPS 2.9WAR in 115 games.

Kansas City Royals 1B Brian Garcia(28, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-24 4HR 8RBIs 10R. The 3x All-Star is batting .270-30-74 .942OPS 4.7WAR in 123 games.

[Griever20]

Trains Take It on Chin, Lose, 12-0 to Houston
stadiumreport.bbn

August 31st, 2021

Gong-sun Zhào(30, 4.5*) came out firing strikes and, when the game ended, the Houston Astros hurler had struck out 11, leading Houston past the Detroit Trains, 12-0. Zhào allowed just 1 hit in the ballgame.

"I'm glad that one is in the rearview mirror," said Detroit manager Andy Musa.

This year, Zhào has compiled a 14-6 record with a 3.08 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 27 starts good for 3.7WAR. He won the Rookie of the Year Award last year after joining the league from Taiwan.

--

Week 22: 3 vs Washington Nationals(51-75), 3vs Toronto Blue Jays(69-56)

August 30th
Offday

August 31st

Transactions:
LHRP John Mannino(22, 2.5*) was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets, put on the 40-man, and sent down to AAA as he has 2 option years left. The 18th rounder was 1-1 2.35 7K 7.2IP 0.2WAR in limited time in the majors.

Hilscher Finally Wins as Expos Beat Nats, 4-1

Montreal turned a good effort from starter Adrian Hilscher into a win over the Washington Nationals at Olympic Stadium. He worked 6.1 scoreless innings of three hit and 8 strikeout ball in the win.

The Expos won the game, 4-1. Ryan Rasbach notched his 24th save in 31 chances. The Expos saw their win-loss record go to 52-73. At the same time, the Nationals fell to 51-76.

Dan Cook had a big solo home run for the Expos in the bottom of the third inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and the bases empty, he sized up a changeup from Manny Garcia, who is tied for 9th in the EL in quality starts with 13, and punished it. The result was his 15th home run of the season, which put the Expos on top, 2-0.

"It doesn't matter if you're 10 games over .500 or 10 games under, it feels good to win," Cook told the Montreal News. He is batting .288-15-53 .8142OPS 1.5WAR in 123 games.

Nelson Flores(R, 5-5 4.86) – Austin Roy(R, 5-12 4.95) tomorrow. $16.2M veteran that has fallen off the cliff.

SP Adrian Hilscher 6.1IP 3H 0R 0ER 2BB 8K W PotG
1B Dan Cook 1-4 R RBI HR
LF Karl Ferguson 2-4 R RBI HR
SS Jose Robles 1-3 RBI DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI HR
HR WSH: Slaughter(28)
HR MON: Ferguson(15), Gonzalez(6), Cook(15)
W: Adrian Hilscher(1-9 4.75) L: Manny Garcia(5-11 3.94) SV : Ryan Rasbach(24 3.19)
Hilscher finally won and we got some home run power out of those suckers.

END OF AUGUST

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Boston LF Kurt Alexander(27, 3.5*) .404-8-22 1.174OPS 1.8WAR 2x All-Star, leads EL in OPS(1.011), and RBIs(99)
Pitcher of the Month: Detroit RHSP Seth Dykstra(29, 4.5*) 4-0 2.19 52K 37IP 1.8WAR 3x PotY, leads EL in W(14), IP(184), WAR(5.5)
Rookie of the Month: Toronto CF Mario Lopez(23, 2.5/3.5*) .269-11-20 1.017OPS 25G 1.2WAR #83 prospect in baseball

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Kansas City 1B Brian Garcia(28, 4*) .391-7-19 1.230OPS 2.1WAR 3x All-Star, leading WL in extra base hits(71)
Pitcher of the Month: Seattle SP Bob Paniagua(24, 2.5/3*) 4-0 1SV 1.14 21K 7G/4GS 31.2IP 0.7WAR minor league FA signing in 2015
Rookie of the Month: Vancouver SS Vince Shumaker(25, 3*) .360-4-27 .960OPS 23G 1.2WAR Leads WL rookies in BA .312

It didn’t feel like a 13-14 month, but it was one. We had some high highs by winning eight out of the first ten in August, and then losing eight in a row days later… fun times. The Washington Nationals(51-76) and LA Angels(49-78) are battling with us for the #1 pick next season, but we kinda want to be borderline competitive the rest of the way so…

That being said, we recalled LHRP John Mannino(22, 2.5*) who we just claimed off waivers and LF Huai-yu Mah(26, 2.5*, .285-5-25 .771OPS 1.5WAR AAA) to bolster our roster…

40 more days before this rotten regular season is over.

Pitching:

DL: SP Dan Hinton(22, 4/5*) torn flexor tendon (elbow) 6-7 months 4-0 1.93 38K 42IP 7GS 1.7WAR
DL: SP Danny Sandoval(23, 2.5*) ruptured UCL 10 months 0-5 5.36 59K 50.1IP 11GS 0.1WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
LHRP Dusty Leone 12 Holds – 2nd

BREAKING NEWS: Austin Roy has developed a cutter and added it to his repertoire, raising his ceiling to a 4* pitcher! Bad news, he had an ERA of 5.60 last month… out best starter was Melvin Magana with an ERA 3.94. That being said, Magana is slated to make $2.2M next year via arbitration… forget about that.

However, we have the future of relievers in our minors. Joe Herzer(23, 3*) is 3-3 25SV 3.42 61K 50IP 1.5WAR in AA and our future lefty reliever besides Leone, and Kevin Cowden(3/3.5*) is 2-5 28SV 3.80 5IP -0.6WAR in AAA but looking ready according to Dave G. so we can bolster our pen next year. Which also means, some of the suckers will fly off the 40-man like Pelletier or Oldt that didn’t do much for us.

Position Players:

DL: LF Brian Oatley(27, 2.5*) ruptured ACL 3-4 months .289-1-8 .728OPS 27G/20GS 0.5WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
1B Dan Cook 34 DB – 2nd

I really dislike this offense. Kerzner is kinda fine but living off his hot start, and Dan Cook(.290-6-14 .919OPS Aug.) outperforms his ratings, Vicente in center field is ok-ish and Karl Ferguson hit .320-5-18 .914OPS 0.9WAR in August, collecting his second .300+ month in a row. And I hand some praise to Jose Robles for being a 1.1WAR player for the season… but… RUNS!

Unlike our bullpen, we have no easy answers in AAA or AA that are NMLB ready. You ask, are there some interesting free agents coming this winter? Nope. First baseman that are fragile or wrecked, a left fielder that is fragile, starting pitchers that are fragile and a 35-year old star reliever… thrilling.

Prospect Watch:
AAA SS Julian Hernandez(5*) .223-10-39 .604OPS 93G 11/13SB 1.8WAR
AAA RHRP Kevin Cowden(3.5*) 2-5 28SV 3.80 51K 42.2IP -0.5WAR
AAA SP Juan Miranda(3*) 10-8 4.00 116K 139.2IP 28G/23GS 2.3WAR
A LHSP Brett Asselin(4*) 3-17 4.41 109K 130.2IP 26GS 0.1WAR
R SP Matt Porter(3.5*) 5-10 1.30 142K 138.2IP 25GS 3.4WAR
R 1B Joe Townsend(4*) .250-3-5 .790OPS 12G 0.9WAR broken bone in elbow 6-7 months
R LF Santiago Rodriguez(4*) .222-14-31 .689OPS 88G 5.3WAR sprained ankle 1-2 weeks
R CF Tyler Dean(5*) .208-5-12 .603OPS 34G 1.6WAR

Some more development news… we shall keep an eye on 2019 4th rounder RHSP Alejandro Corral(20 1.5/3.5* HS). His velocity jumped a notch and he is currently the #68 prospect… interesting. We still have by far the best minor league system and there are some names rocketing up the rankings… bright future ahead… but its 2-3 years away.

[Griever20]

Oseguera Goes Long 3 Times
stadiumreport.bbn

September 1st, 2021

It was a good day for the Houston Astros and an exceptional one for Richard Oseguera(31, 2.5*). The 31-year-old catcher sent three bombs out of the park to help the Astros beat the Detroit Trains, 13-3, at Comerica Park.

"When you're in the zone, the game really slows down," Oseguera said when asked about his performance later. "I couldn't even tell you what pitches were thrown. Today feels great, but it is a long season and tomorrow is another day."

For the day, he scored 3 times, drove in 8 runs and smacked 3 hits in 5 at-bats.

Richard Oseguera struck out in the 2nd, hit a two-run home run off Tristan Belk in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off Andy Garcia in the 6th, flied out in the 7th and hit a GRAND SLAM off Joel Hernandez in the 9th.

Oseguera is currently hitting at a .236 pace with 14 home runs, 31 RBIs, .965OPS and 1.4WAR in 35 games.

--

Patriots End Hilton Streak
stadiumreport.bbn

September 3rd, 2021

Aaron Hilton(30, 3*), left fielder for the San José Killer Whales, gave it a good try, but his time chasing history came to an end when he went hitless in 5 tries against the Jacksonville Patriots. Not only did the Patriots break his 26-game hitting streak, they also beat San José by the score of 1-0.

"Now that the streak has ended, I can admit I'll breathe a bit easier the next time I step up to bat," Hilton said, speaking with the media after the game. "It was tough because I put a little pressure on myself. Now that it's over, I will definitely be a little bit looser at the plate."

This season, Hilton has banged out 130 hits in 409 at-bats for a .318 average with 4 home runs. He is getting on base at a .356 pace and his totals also include 32 RBIs and 57 runs scored good for 2.7WAR.

[Griever20]

Week 22: 3 vs Washington Nationals(51-75), 3vs Toronto Blue Jays(69-56)

September 1st

Expos Win at Home, 5-2

The Montreal Expos defeated the Washington Nationals, 5-2, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. Montreal pitcher Austin Roy had a standout performance. The winner was Roy. He threw 5.2 innings of 4-hit ball.

"Austin gave us a heck of an effort," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. The righty is now 3-5 4.72 since joining the team. The loser was Nelson Flores. The Montreal win streak is now 3 games.

With two out in the bottom of the third, Cody Kerzner put Montreal in front, 3-1, with a 2-run single. The Expos went on to win the ballgame. He is batting .253-16-46 .767OPS 0.8WAR in 84 games.

Juan Alvarez(R, 5-11 4.96) – Sam Griffin(R, 7-8 4.10) tomorrow. Former 2x All-Star

SP Austin Roy 5.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 4BB 5K W PotG
CF Vince Rodriguez 3-4 2R
LF Karl Ferguson 2-4 R 2RBI DB HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 2RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-3 SB(8)
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R
HR WSH: Krenisky(7), McFadyen(17)
HR MON: Ferguson(16)
W: Austin Roy(6-12 4.83) L: Nelson Flores(5-6 4.55) SV : Ryan Rasbach(25 3.12)
Roy was showing off his new pitch huh?

September 2nd

Montreal Finishes Sweep with 3-1 Win

In a tight tilt between Montreal and Washington, pitcher Sam Griffin was a key contributor. The right-hander earned accolades for his standout performance in the 3-1 Expos win. Montreal has now won 4 games in a row.

"Sam was exceptional and he pitched with a purpose," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. He worked 7.1 innings of 5-hit, 1 run and 4K ball, improving to 8-8 3.96 90K in 26 games. He leads Montreal in pitcher’s ERA with 3.0.

The Expos benefited from an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. Montreal was leading 2-1 when Robby Weltzer hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put Montreal in front, 3-1.

Dave Rodgers(R, 2-6 5.03) – Sam Rush(R, 5-8 5.64) tomorrow. 2.61 ERA against us…

SP Sam Griffin 7.1IP 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 4K W PotG
CF Vince Rodriguez 2-4 R 2DB
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI
1B Cody Kerzner 2-3 R RBI BB HR
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 RBI
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 DB
HR WSH: none
HR MON: Kerzner(17)
W: Sam Griffin(8-8 3.96) L: Juan Alvarez(5-12 4.90) SV : Adam Rudolph(4 3.09)
Make no mistake, those wins are purely on pitching and an opponent that is as bad as we are. Toronto is going to crush us again.

September 3rd

Expos Take Tight Tangle

The Expos faced a stiff challenge from Toronto pitcher David Rodgers, but persevered to claim a win at Olympic Stadium. The final score was 2-1. Rodgers went 6.2 innings and allowed no runs. The winner was Glen McKeen in relief. His record improves to 3-1. Romano Albertoni took the loss. The last-place Expos have won 5 straight games.

Montreal took a 2-1 lead on Karl Ferguson's 17th home run of the season. The 2-run home run, which Ferguson hit in the bottom of the eighth, left Toronto pitcher Romano Albertoni visibly frustrated. The 26-year old is now batting .269-17-59 .766OPS 0.5WAR in 121 games.

"We need better swings, better at-bats," said losing manager Art Tierney.

Doug Williams(R, 3-6 5.82) – Melvin Magana(R, 1-3 5.69) tomorrow. 1-1 2.87 ERA against us.

SP Sam Rush 3.1IP 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 4K mild calf strain 2 days
DH Dan Cook 2-4
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R 2RBI HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-2
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R
HR TOR: Ludgate(14)
HR MON: Ferguson(17)
W: Glen McKeen(3-1 2.17) L: Romano Albertoni(2-2 4.91) SV : Ryan Rasbach(26 3.06)
Pitching, pitching, pitching and Ferguson maybe coming around?

September 4th

Extra-Inning Win by Expos over Blue Jays

The Montreal Expos, with some walk-off drama, delighted their fans at Olympic Stadium.

Montreal center fielder Brian Schill was a significant contributor in his team's 5-4 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays. He was 2 for 5 with a home run, while scoring 2 and driving in 2 for the Expos. Montreal reliever Ryan Rasbach was the winner. His record is now 6-5. Ron Palovich took the loss.

The Expos got a clutch hit from shortstop David Quiros. In the bottom of the tenth, he delivered a run-scoring single to win the game for the Expos. The backup infielder is now hitting .227-4-28 .597 -0.1WAR in 96 games.

"Walking a team off at the end -- there's no greater feeling," said Quiros.

Montreal has now won 6 straight.

Walt Laidlaw(R, 3-5 4.72) – Adrian Hilscher(R, 1-9 4.75) tomorrow. Another 35 stamina pitcher.

SP Melvin Magana 1IP 1H 1R 1ER 1BB 0K back tightness 4 days
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R BB DB
DH Dan Cook 2-5
LF Karl Ferguson 2-5 R
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-3 RBI
C Kevin Craddock 1-5 R
CF Brian Schill 2-5 2R 2RBI HR PotG
3B/SS Dave Quiros 1-5 RBI
HR TOR: Massie(30), Pollitt(7)
HR MON: Schill(6)
W: Ryan Rasbach(6-5 3.00) L: Ron Pavlovich(10-7 2.96) SV : none
Now it’s the pen working extra… two series wins in a row and this one against our division leader.

September 5th

Expos Sweep Second one in a Row, Win 5-4

The Montreal Expos stopped the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, at Olympic Stadium. The Expos got a big game from Ian Messer, who went 3-4 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 times. Adrian Hilscher got the win, improving to 2-9. He worked 6.2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 4 and walking 3. The last-place Expos have won 7 in a row.

"I like the roll we're on right now," said Messer after the game. A trade acquisition from Boston this winter, he is batting .247-8-38 .653OPS -0.3WAR in 105 games.

Montreal took control in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on 1st and 2nd, David Quiros hit a run-scoring single to make it 3-2, Expos.

Austin Roy(R, 6-12 4.83) – Zach Laurents(R, 7-10 3.82) tomorrow. The New York Mets(61-69) away next.

SP Adrian Hilscher 6.2IP 4H 2R 2ER 3BB 4K W
DH Dan Cook 1-4 R BB
RF Ian Messer 3-4 2R RBI HR SB(5) PotG
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4 R RBI DB
LF Huai-yu Mah 1-4 R RBI SB(1)
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-2 2BB DB
2B Dave Quiros 1-4 RBI
HR TOR: Garcia(13), Pollitt(8)
HR MON: Messer(8)
W: Adrian Hilscher(2-9 4.60) L: Gabe Parks(1-1 4.36) SV : Dusty Leone(7 2.66)
Hilscher with his second win in a row (and of the season) and now Messer hits balls… Great week.

Record: 57-73 , 5th in EL Northeast, 13GB
Week: 7-0 (4-0 vs WSH, 3-0 vs TOR)
Power Rankings: #13(+16)
Runs scored: 484(15th)
Runs against: 628(11th)
Starters ERA: 4.96(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.07(5th)
Defensive Eff.: .680 (12th)
Zone Rating: +23.5(3rd)
Fan Interest: 82(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Adrian Hilscher 2G 2-0 1.38 13IP 12K
CF Brian Schill 9G 12-25 .480 3HR 10RBIs

Who's not?
SS Jose Robles 16G 5-52 .096 0HR 1RBI

Philadelphia Grizzlies CF Alejandro Cano(22, 2.5/3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 11-23 4HR 12RBIs 6R. The rookie is batting .247-18-58 .746OPS 0.2WAR in 82 games.

Las Vegas Gamblers C Omar Vega(23, 5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 13-22 4HR 14RBIs 8R. The 2021 WL All-Star is batting .335-34-86 .1.045OPS 6.9WAR in 100 games.

[Griever20]

NMLB Deep Dive September 21: Top Five Prospects in Baseball
stadiumreport.bbn

September 1st, 2021

The Contact King:

Drafted first overall in 2018, Jason Barlett was described as a freak of nature by opponents in high school and still lives to the this name. After struggling a bit in rookie ball, he broke out in 2021, batting .336-7-26 .898OPS 6/12 SB in 75 games between short A and A ball and is now the consensus #1 prospect in baseball. While people close to the San Francisco Red Devils org say he is a difficult character and not a model citizen, his talent in undeniable.

The Raw Diamond:

Drafted first overall this year, Tyler Dean is going through the growing pains of a high school bat in rookie ball. Batting .205 with the Newport News Barons, albeit with six home runs, he has developed his center field defence quite well and asked about that, the Montreal Expos aim to play him in right and left also though the next years, making him an outfielder that can play all three positions. His raw power potential is insane, but it is a long way to the majors.

The College Slugger:

Drafted two spots behind Tyler Dean this year, Benito Morfin is moved through rookie ball quickly by hitting .262 and now already gets a shot at Short A Garden Grove. The Canadians love his bat, but the question marks are around his defence and personality more than around his bat.

The Soon to be Called Up?:

Signed as a international amateur free agent in 2017, Julian Hernandez seemed to be on the fast track to the major leagues when he started the season in AAA, but he since stalled with his batting, not breaking out over a .225-.235 clip at any point in the season. There are a lot of rumors around him, including moving him to second base and that the Expos are not as high on his ceiling since head scout Dave Gomes joined the org in the winter and since Hernandez failed to improve his batting in the offseason.

The Trade Chip That Did Not Get Traded:

The Las Vegas Gamblers are in the race for the World Series this year, make no mistake. Yet, they balked at any trade that would’ve involved Ricardo Sandoval. Another international amateur free agent, this time in 2018, he has struggled to really hit his stride in rookie ball, batting .221 this season, but many scouts are still optimistic that a big surge in power, followed by batting average, is about to come.

[Griever20]

Merino 5-for-5 for Bears
stadiumreport.bbn

September 1st, 2021

It was a parade of hits for Mike Marino(26, 4*) of the Portland Bears at Bearsdome.

Connecting almost every time he went to the plate, Marino finished the day with a total of 5 hits in 5 at-bats. His strong individual effort propelled the Bears to a win, 9-3.

"Marino was really good and we were really bad," groaned Killer Whales manager Ki-tong Su. "Next time he's that hot, we'll just walk him."

Mike Marino hit an RBI double in the 1st, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off Justin Hagen in the 6th and singled in the 8th.

This year, Marino has hit at a .284 pace and produced 63 RBIs, 12 home runs and scored 73 runs.

--

D’backs Offense Explodes, 3HR Day and 5-Hit fpr Lemus and Martinez
stadiumreport.bbn

September 1st, 2021

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Marco Lemus(23, 3*) put on a dazzling display of power at Chase Field against the Las Vegas Gamblers. In the 13-5 Diamondbacks victory, Lemus penned his name into the record books, slamming a trio of home runs in one of baseball's finest single-day efforts.

"He can hit them out anywhere, right, center, left, it doesn't matter," Las Vegas manager Josh Moore said. "He's super strong and stays on the ball so well."

Along with his three home runs, the 23-year-old had 4 hits in 5 at-bats, 8 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

"Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off," Lemus said after the game, when asked about his hitting philosophy. "The right pitch will come, and when it does, be prepared to run the bases. Or trot around them, like I did today."

Marco Lemus doubled in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off Ivan Gonzales in the 3rd, hit a two-run home run off Antonio Tamayo in the 5th, struck out in the 7th and hit a GRAND SLAM off Matt DiGilio in the 8th.

This season, Lemus has banged out 124 hits in 466 at-bats for a .266 average with 33 home runs. He is getting on base at a .343 pace and his totals also include 94 RBIs and 69 runs scored good for 3.2WAR.

In addition to that, Miguel Martinez put on a hitting clinic, lashing Las Vegas pitching for 5 hits in 5 at-bats in the game.

Miguel Martinez hit a solo-shot off Jose Mendez in the 1st, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, hit a two-run single in the 5th, doubled in the 7th and hit an RBI single in the 8th.

On the season, Martinez is batting .304/.364/.569 with 32 home runs and 98 RBIs. He has played in 130 games and amassed 4.4WAR.

[Griever20]

Week 23:3@ New York Mets(61-69), 3@ Boston Aeros(62-69)

September 6th

Mets Rough Up Expos, 9-3

David Steiner helped his team muscle past the Montreal Expos, 9-3. In the game, the New York left fielder slugged 2 home runs, while adding 4 RBI and scoring twice. Zach Laurents, the winning pitcher, is now 8-10. He went 5.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, while fanning 6 and walking 3. A.J. Pinkerton got the save, his 1st in 1 chances.

With New York leading 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Steiner hit a cutter from Austin Roy for a 2-run home run. It was his 24th home run of the season and put the Mets ahead, 4-1. The Mets, now 62-69, have won 4 in a row.

"What's not to like about a win?" said Steiner. The 2019 EL Silver Slugger is batting .285-24-77 .828OPS 2.2WAR in 113 games.

Sam Griffin(R, 8-8 3.96) – Joel Gaspar(L, 16-9 2.35 in 2020) tomorrow. First start since he returned elbow surgery.

SP Austin Roy 3.2IP 5H 5R 5ER 1BB 3K
DH Dan Cook 1-3 BB DB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-4 2R DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 3RBI
HR MON: none
HR NYM: Lemke(8), Steiner 2(24), Dones(3), Stuart(19)
W: Zach Laurents(8-10 3.86) L: Austin Roy(6-13 5.00) SV : A.J. Pinkerton(1 3.09)
Roy got lit again… here ends the winning streak and starts the losing streak I bet.

September 7th

Transaction:
RHSP Austin Roy(24, 3.5/4*) has put his name under a 6y/$71M contract that will buy out his arbitration years and first three years of free agency. The deal is $3.5M/$7.5M/$10.5M/$16.5M/$16.5M/$16.5M.

Expos Dealt 3-2 Loss by New York

Riding the 3-hit performance of the three-time All-Star Bernie Castillo, the New York Mets stopped the Montreal Expos, 3-2. The third baseman is batting .346-13-62 .893OPS 4.8WAR in 122 games.

David Steiner hit a run-scoring double off Sam Griffin in the bottom of the fifth, which put the Mets in front, 3-2. In addition to the double, Steiner had 1 single and 1 walk, while going 2 for 3.

In postgame comments to the New York Citizen, Steiner said, "If the effort is there, the wins will come." This win makes it 5 in a row for New York.

Sam Rush(R, 5-8 5.48) – Willie Fernandez(R, 0-2 4.72) tomorrow. Another injury returnee after a 3 month hammy injury.

SP Sam Griffin 5.2IP 9H 3R 3ER 1BB 2K
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R RBI
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-2 2BB
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R DB
HR MON: none
HR NYM: none
W: Joel Gaspar(1-0 3.18) L: Sam Griffin(8-9 3.99) SV : Ron Millett(25 2.45)
Griffin had a good start, but the offense just is anemic again.

September 8th

Expos Sunk by Mets, 4-2, in Sweep

Mets right fielder Yong-gwan Lee left his imprint on his team's 4-2 win over the Montreal Expos. Lee was 2 for 3 with a home run, a double, and a walk. He drove in 3 runs and scored once for New York in the contest. New York has run its win streak to 6 in a row.

With New York trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, Lee hit a fastball from Sam Rush for a 3-run home run. It was his 23rd home run of the season and put the Mets ahead, 3-2.

Lee attributed the win to "energy and focus on the part of everyone." The 2021 EL All-Star is batting .293-23-61 .857OPS 3.2WAR in 122 games.

Melvin Magana(R, 1-3 5.76) – Tyrese Speed(R, 2-2 5.04) the day after tomorrow. He gave him his first loss of the season, lets see if we can do more.

SP Sam Rush 5IP 3H 3R 3ER 2BB 4K
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R
DH Dan Cook 2-4 R 2RBI HR
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
HR MON: Cook(16)
HR NYM: Lee(23)
W: Willie Fernandez(1-2 4.55) L: Sam Rush(5-9 5.47) SV : Ron Millett(26 2.41)
As expected, the Mets were too tough for our offense.

September 9th
Offday

September 10th

Speed Now 3-2 After Subduing Expos

Boston beat Montreal on the strength of starting pitcher Tyrese Speed's fine effort. The right-hander led his team to a win, 2-1. Paul Ide converted his 23rd save in 26 tries. The losing streak for Montreal has now reached 4 games.

Boston starter Tyrese Speed was exceptional. The 1.93 m right-hander allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 8 innings of work.

"We found a way to get it done," Speed said. The 24-year old moved to 3-2 4.23 37K 0.6WAR in six starts.

Adrian Hilscher(R, 2-9 4.60) – Brian Peduzzi(R, 8-10 4.28) tomorrow. 1-1 against us…

SP Melvin Magana 4.2IP 2H 1R 1ER 4BB 5K L
PH Huai-yu Mah 1-1 R RBI HR
HR MON: Mah(2)
HR BOS: none
W: Tyrese Speed(3-2 4.23) L: Melvin Magana(1-4 5.43) SV : Paul Ide(23 1.32)
Yep. That was a 1-hitter.

September 11th

Montreal Defeated by Aeros, 7-3

The Boston Aeros defeated the Montreal Expos, 7-3, at Fenway Park. Boston was led by 24-year old shortstop Tim Kessler, who was 3-4 with a triple, a double, and a walk, while scoring 2. Brian Peduzzi picked up the win, lifting his record to 9-10 on the season. He struck out 8 and walked 1 in 7 innings, while yielding 3 runs. Montreal now owns a losing streak of 5 games.

With Boston leading 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Kessler hit a changeup from Adrian Hilscher for a run-scoring double. It was his 21st double of the season and put the Aeros ahead, 2-0.

Kessler said his team "played with determination." The 4th overall pick in 2018 is batting .295-13-63 .799OPS 3.2WAR in 105 games.

Austin Roy(R, 6-13 5.00) – Manuel Amezola(R, 9-8 4.15) tomorrow. Good first year as a starter after being a reliever the last seasons.

SP Adrian Hilscher 4IP 9H 5R 5ER 2BB 6K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R
DH Dan Cook 1-3 BB DB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R 2RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 2-4 DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 R RBI HR
HR MON: Ferguson(18), Gonzalez(7)
HR BOS: none
W: Brian Peduzzi(9-10 4.26) L: Adrian Hilscher(2-10 4.88) SV : none
Yep. We suck.

September 12th

Expos Wrap Up Winless Week with 1-3 Loss to Boston

Boston pitcher Manuel Amezola did his part in helping his team defeat the Montreal Expos, 3-1. The opposition could never get too much going against the right-hander. Montreal has now lost 6 consecutive games.

Tim Kessler hit a run-scoring double off Austin Roy in the bottom of the sixth, which put the Aeros in front, 2-1. In addition to the double, Kessler had 1 single, while going 2 for 4.

"It was a solid team effort," said Amezola after the game. He worked 7.2 innings of 1-run ball and got his 10th win of the season.

Scott Becker(L, 9-10 4.90) – Sam Griffin(R, 8-9 3.99) tomorrow. 7x veteran All-Star


SP Austin Roy 6IP 8H 3R 3ER 1BB 7K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 TP
DH Dan Cook 1-3
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI HR
HR MON: Gonzalez(8)
HR BOS: none
W: Manuel Amezola(10-8 4.02) L: Austin Roy(6-14 4.98) SV : Paul Ide(24 1.30)
Oh boy. Austin Roy pitched well, but we had no offense again…

Record: 57-79 , 5th in EL Northeast, 13GB
Week: 0-6 (0-3 @ NYM, 0-3 @ BOS)
Power Rankings: #29(-16)
Runs scored: 496(15th)
Runs against: 656(12th)
Starters ERA: 5.01(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.06(5th)
Defensive Eff.: .680 (12th)
Zone Rating: +24.8(3rd)
Fan Interest: 81(-1)

Who's hot?
RHRP Glen McKeen 23G 1SV 3-0 0.77 23.1IP 18K
CF Brian Schill 9G 12-25 .480 3HR 10RBIs

Who's not?
C Jordan Chavis 6G 2-20 .100 0HR 0RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 6G 2-21 .095 0HR 0RBI
SS Jose Robles 10G 3-26 .115 0HR 0RBI

Houston Astros 1B Ed Bigalow(28, 3.5x*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 9-21 4HR 8RBIs 7R. The 2x All-Star is batting .290-44-76 1.004OPS 4.5WAR in 121 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks 1B Miguel Martinez(30 4.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 14-22 2HR 8RBIs 12R. The 2x MvP is batting .305-32-98 .936OPS 4.5WAR in 132 games.

[Griever20]

Thomason Sensational, 5-for-5
stadiumreport.bbn

September 14th, 2021

5 times is the charm -- at least for Sean Thomason(29, 3.5*).

The Las Vegas Gamblers second baseman tore up the Kansas City Royals to the tune of 5 hits in 5 at-bats at Kauffman Stadium. The offensive onslaught from Thomason powered the 6-2 Gamblers win.

"Thomason was a tough out," Kansas City manager Ryan Johnson said to the press in the postgame interview. "He hit some very good pitches with that quick bat of his. Not an easy out, that's for sure."

Sean Thomason singled in the 1st, hit a two-run triple in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, singled in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off Juan Ospina in the 9th.

Thomason is hitting .259/.355/.469 this year with 23 home runs, 64 RBIs and 91 runs scored. He has 128 hits in 495 at-bats, 73 walks and amassed 3.3WAR. Thomason has played in 125 games.

--

Trains, Dykstra Stonewall Chicago
stadiumreport.bbn

September 14th, 2021

Seth Dykstra(29, 4.5*) of the Detroit Trains was on top of his game.

The 29-year-old tantalized the Chicago Rangers with crisp curves and changeups, mixed in with just enough fastballs to keep the batters honest, shutting them out, 6-0.

"He had the changeup working," Chicago manager Brett Morse said in postgame comments. "You knew it was coming and you still grounded out -- and then he threw it even slower."

The Detroit hurler had 13 strikeouts, gave up 1 walk and surrendered 3 hits in his complete-game effort.

Dykstra told reporters after the game that "keeping the ball down is the key to being successful in this league."

"If you don't do that, they'll make you pay," he said.

On the season, Dykstra has 15 wins and 6 losses, a 3.10 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 29 starts, good for 6.1WAR.

[Griever20]

Week 24: 4vs Houston Astros(74-63), New York Mets(65-71)

September 13th
Little side note, we decided to give Kevin Craddock another shot behind the plate. Catcher is the one position where we don’t have anything in the minors that is remotely interesting, only two 28 and 31 year old veterans and 24-year old AA C Ryan Perry(24, 2.5*, .243) who is not a good defensive player.

Robles Walks off Astros in 6-5 Win

Cody Kerzner left his imprint on the 6-5 Montreal win against the Houston Astros. Kerzner was 2-3 with a double and 2 walks. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. The winner was Montreal reliever Freddy Silva, now 2-3. The loser was Jeff Strickling. Montreal is now 58-79. Houston is 74-64.

The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Montreal shortstop Jose Robles, facing Jeff Strickling, had a run-scoring sacrifice fly. It gave the Expos the 6-5 win.

"We just try to have good at-bats, whether we're winning, losing, or tied," said Robles. The 27-year old is batting .220-12-42 .636OPS 0.8WAR in 128 games.

Grant Morea(R, 10-9 3.86) – Sam Rush(R, 5-9 5.47) tomorrow. 2x Gold Glover and with the team since 2010.

SP Sam Griffin 7IP 8H 3R 3ER 1BB 4K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-4 R 2SB(9)
1B Cody Kerzner 2-3 2R 2RBI 2BB DB PotG
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 4-4 R BB SB(1)
SS Jose Robles 1-4 2RBI
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 2R RBI DB HR
HR HOU: Reedy(24), Braswell(22)
HR MON: Craddock(1)
W: Freddy Silva(2-3 5.22) L: Jeff Strickling(4-6 4.83) SV : none
Griffin pitched a strong one, Nelson blew it, and Robles won it in big days by Kerzner and Benavides… I managed that one manually and it was fun.

September 14th

Expos Beaten by Astros, 6-4

Behind a fine performance from Ed Bigalow, the Houston Astros knocked off the Montreal Expos, 6-4. Bigalow was 2 for 3 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 and driving in 3 for the Astros. The winning pitcher was two-time Gold Glove Award winner Grant Morea. He tossed 85 pitches over 7.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits. The triumph puts Houston at 75-64 for the season.

Houston took a 5-2 lead on Bigalow's 45th home run of the season. The 2-run home run, which he hit off Adam Rudolph in the top of the seventh, propelled Houston to the win.

"We took home the win," said Bigalow. "What's not to like?" the 2x All-Star is batting .292-45-79 1.009OPS 4.6WAR in 123 games.

Jeremy Haley(L, 7-7 3.04) – Melvin Magana(R, 1-4 5.43) tomorrow. 5x All-Star and somehow has not pitched against us this year.

SP Sam Rush 5IP 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 5K L
DH Dan Cook 2-4 DB
LF Karl Ferguson 1-4 R
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R 2RBI HR
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 R DB
CF Brian Schill 1-4 RBI
HR HOU: Fink(19), Bigalow(45), Lautenslager(16)
HR MON: Kerzner(18)
W: Grant Morea(11-9 3.85) L: Sam Rush(5-10 5.47) SV : Andy Lindaman(4 6.38)
Rudolph failed to keep the game close and Rasbach was brought in to get some work and promptly have up another run…

September 15th

Magana Leads Expos to 4-2 Win Over Astros

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, knocking off the Houston Astros, 4-2. Starting pitcher Melvin Magana was a big reason why. Magana picked up the win for Montreal, going 6 innings. He gave up 1 run on 3 hits. He now sports a record of 2-4. By defeating Houston, the last-place Expos improved to 59-80.

The game was on the line with two out in the top of the seventh inning, but John Mannino didn't flinch. With runners on 1st and 3rd and Houston trailing 3-2, Mannino retired Salomé Penhascos to end the threat. "Nothing to it," said Mannino, with a wink.

Gong-Sun Zháo(R, 16-6 2.89) – Adrian Hilscher(R, 2-10 4.88) tomorrow. Boni-fide ace.

SP Melvin Magana 6IP 3H 1R 1ER 1BB 6K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R
DH Dan Cook 1-3 R
LF Karl Ferguson 0-4 RBI
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4 R RBI
RF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 R RBI BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 RBI DB
2B Dave Quiros 1-3
HR HOU: Penhascos(13)
HR MON: none
W: Melvin Magana(2-4 5.04) L: Jeremy Haley(7-8 3.15) SV : Ryan Rasbach(27 3.06)
Magana with a good start and our offense made stuff. Still, I won’t pay Melvin Magana $2.2M next year.

News:
Today marks the day where the Pittsburgh Kings lost their first owner as Jim Cushmen has passed away after a prolonged illness. The owner of a big hardware store chain in Pennsylvania and the eastern USA founded the Kings and was able to celebrate the 2001 World Series with the team, but overall, the franchise was 1700-1841 during his reign and only reached the playoffs 6 times. His son Brian takes over the ownership and company. He is described as “normal in financial matters and demanding in personality traits”.

September 16th

Expos Suffer 5-3 Home Defeat

Houston right-hander Gong-sun Zhào pitched his team to victory over the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. The final score was 5-3. Zhào yielded no runs over 6 innings to notch the win. He scattered 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. His record improves to 17-6. Stephen Usery converted his 3rd save in 6 tries.

Dylan Braswell had a big 2-run home run for the Astros in the top of the second inning. With Houston leading 1-0 and a runner on 1st, he sized up a fastball from 26-year old right-handed pitcher Adrian Hilscher and punished it. The result was his 27th home run of the season, which put the Astros on top, 3-0.

"I just tried to make good contact," said Braswell. The 26-year old is batting .257-27-88 .775OPS 1.7WAR in 130 games.

Houston raised its record to 76-65 with the win.

Zach Laurents(R, 9-10 3.88) – Austin Roy(R, 6-14 4.98) tomorrow. Maybe Roy will finally pitch to his ratings?

SP Adrian Hilscher 6IP 6H 4R 4ER 2BB 5K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 tired arm DTD 1 week
CF Brian Schill 1-2 R
DH Dan Cook 1-5 R
RF Ian Messer 3-5 R
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 2RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 SB(3)
SS Dave Quiros 1-4
HR HOU: Braswell(27), Lukasiewicz(16)
HR MON: none
W: Gong-Sun Zháo(17-6 2.80) L: Adrian Hilscher(2-11 4.95) SV : Stephen Usery(3 5.16)
13 hits, but no extra base power to help out Hilscher here. With us carrying an extra outfielder, we won’t place Vicente Rodriguez on the DL but just keep him out of the lineup.

September 17th

Expos, Roy Gets 6-0 Win

Austin Roy, who is a two-time All-Star, propelled his team to victory over the New York Mets. The final score was 6-0, Montreal. Their 60-81 record puts the Expos last in the Eastern League North East Division.

Roy, a native of Rochester, Minnesota, was dealing all game. He kept New York hitters off-balance, while giving the Expos 8.1 quality innings. Roy threw 104 pitches, allowing 4 hits and striking out 4.

"There's never a lack of effort in our clubhouse. We're willing to do the little things to get the win," Roy told the Montreal News. The 2016 first rounder moved to 6-14 4.74 160K 1.4WAR in 29 starts.

Joel Gaspar(L, 1-1 8.68) – Sam Griffin(R, 8-9 3.98) tomorrow. Got lit in his second start of the season.

SP Austin Roy 8.1IP 40H 0R 0ER 2BB 4K W
CF Brian Schill 0-4 R BB
1B Dan Cook 1-3 R 2BB
DH Karl Ferguson 3-4 R 3RBI 3DB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 R
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R RBI TP
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI BB
HR NYM: none
HR MON: none
W: Austin Roy(7-14 4.74) L: Zach Laurents(9-11 3.93) SV : none
Roy finally comes through with a great start!

September 18th

Mets Win Drama Filled 11-Inning Affair

The New York Mets found a way to sneak past the Montreal Expos, 5-4, in 11 innings. New York pitcher Joel Gaspar, for one, had a standout performance. Brian Sirianni got the save, his 5th in 5 chances. The Mets, at 67-75, sit in 4th place in the Eastern League North East Division.

Miguel Romo came through with a big-time hit for New York. The third baseman smacked a 3-run home run in the top of the 11th inning to give his team the lead, 5-2. It was his only hit, but it was clutch. The rookie is batting .260-9-33 .792OPS 1.6WAR in 59 games.

"Our guys just had that look of determination," said winning manager Alan Driscoll. Yet, they nearly blew it when Karl Ferguson and Cody Kerzner scored a couple in the bottom half of the eleventh, but the tying run was stranded at first.

Willie Fernandez(L, 1-3 5.45) – Sam Rush(R, 5-10 5.47) tomorrow. Beat us last time out…

SP Sam Griffin 6.2IP 8H 2R 2ER 1BB 5K ND
DH Dan Cook 3-5 2R DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-5 RBI
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R 3RBI HR
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-4
HR NYM: Romo(9)
HR MON: Kerzner(19)
W: Rom Millett(6-6 2.59) L: Ryan Rasbach(6-6 3.44) SV : Brian Sirianni(5 2.28)
Rasbach could not hold the tie as the start by Griffin was really good.

September 19th

Four-Run 8th Makes Expos Winner on Sunday

Robby Weltzer was a vital contributor to the 6-3 Montreal victory over New York. The Expos second baseman was 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. Montreal pitcher Dusty Leone earned the win, hiking his record to 8-0. Jose Avila suffered the loss. Montreal's record now stands at 61-82, placing them last in the Eastern League North East Division.

Weltzer had a game-changing home run in the bottom of the eighth. On a 2-1 fastball from Jose Avila, he banged a 2-run home run to left, giving the Expos a 4-3 lead. It was the 4th home run of the year for Weltzer.

"We take it day by day here," said Weltzer, "and today was a good one for us." The slick-fielding second baseman is batting .212-4-19 .551OPS -0.1WAR in 54 games.

Tyrese Speed(R, 3-3 4.33) – Melvin Magana(R, 5-10 5.47) the day after tomorrow. Boston(71-73) again.

SP Sam Rush 7IP 8H 3R 3ER 0BB 6K ND
CF Brian Schill 2-5 R 2RBI HR
DH Dan Cook 1-5
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 BB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-3 R BB
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 R 2RBI DB HR
2B Robby Weltzer 3-4 R 2RBI DB HR
3B Dave Quiros 1-4 R
HR NYM: Stuart(21), Romo(10)
HR MON: Craddock(2), Weltzer(4), Schill(7)
W: Dusty Leone(8-0 2.53) L: Jose Avila(2-3 4.31) SV : Freddy Silva(1 5.05)
Another wild one. Good games by Craddock and Weltzer, especially Craddock hit .400-2-4 1.240OPS in 6 starts for the week.

Record: 61-82 , 5th in EL Northeast, 14GB
Week: 4-3 (2-2 vs HOU, 2-1 vs NYM)
Power Rankings: #29(+-0)
Runs scored: 529(15th)
Runs against: 682(12th)
Starters ERA: 4.89(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.09(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .680 (13th)
Zone Rating: +26.5(3rd)
Fan Interest: 81(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Melvin Magana 2G 1-1 1.69 10.2IP 11K
RHRP Glen McKeen 15G 2-0 1.17 15.1IP 13K

Who's not?
C Jordan Chavis 8G 4-27 .148 0HR 0RBI
SS Jose Robles 12G 3-28 .078 0HR 4RBI

Pittsburgh Kings RF Angelo Paima(24, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 9-21 4HR 8RBIs 6R. The 2015 7th Rounder is batting .296-22-72 .908OPS 3.2WAR in 126 games.

San Francisco Red Devils 2B Ralph Pelletier(24, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-24 3HR 7RBIs 5R. The 2021 WL All-Star is batting .292-24-73 .898OPS 5.3WAR in 133 games.