The Montreal Expos... Exposing the New MLB?

[Griever20]

Week 1: 3@ New York Mets(77-85)

April 7th
The new home of Brian Oatley who will start for them in left field…

Mets Walk-Off in 10th as Cowden Blows Save

Fans of the New York Mets who packed the stands for the home opener were rewarded with a New York win over the visiting Montreal Expos, 6-5. Joel Gaspar started for the home team against Dan Hinton. Karl Ferguson earned accolades for his performance. The 2018 Rookie of the year started his season with a 2-4 R 4RBI HR performance.

New York pitcher Brian Sirianni earned the win, hiking his record to 1-0. Ryan Rasbach suffered the loss.

The decisive blow was delivered by Chase Guidry in the bottom of the tenth when he hit a solo home run off 30-year old right-handed pitcher Ryan Rasbach to win the game for New York. The home crowd went nuts.

"Our team found a way to get it done," said Guidry. They certainly got it done against rookie closer Kevin Cowden who got handed a 2-run Montreal lead in the 9th inning, but ultimately blew it on a Brian Oatley RBI-single.

Austin Roy(R, 8-17 4.69) - Zach Laurents(R, 10-13 4.02) the day after tomorrow. Maybe we can buy a win in this one?

SP Dan Hinton 6IP 7H 3R 3ER 0BB 6K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-5 2R DB
RF Ian Messer 1-5
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R BB
DH Karl Ferguson 2-4 R 4RBI HR PotG
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-5
SS Jose Robles 1-4 R RBI HR
HR MON: Ferguson(1), Robles(1)
HR NYM: Guidry(1)
W: Brian Sirianni(1-0 0.00) L: Ryan Rasbach(0-1 infinity) SV: none
Cowden sucked. We got a 3-run home run in the first and two insurance runs and still lost… as usual. And of course, Oatley tied the game in the ninth… hnnnnngg

April 8th
Offday

April 9th

Expos Use Longball to Win, 6-2

The Montreal Expos converted a terrific effort from starter Austin Roy into a win over the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Expos won the game by a final score of 6-2. The winner was Roy. He threw 6.0 innings of 4-hit ball. The loser was Zach Laurents. The defeat makes New York 1-1.

Montreal used a well-timed hit by Kevin Craddock to capture the win. The catcher socked a run-scoring double in the top of the sixth inning to put the Expos ahead, 3-2. Though it was his only hit in 3 at-bats, it was important.

Montreal manager Aaron McCreery was pleased with the team's effort. "Our guys played hard, they played all the way through," he said. Which is especially true as they used three home runs to extend their lead late in the game.

Sam Griffin(R, 9-11 3.97) - Josh Eisenberg(L, 12-8 4.46) tomorrow. Another lefty, we got Gaspar pretty good in game one so…

SP Austin Roy 6IP 4H 2R 2ER 2BB 3K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 0-4 R BB SB(1)
RF Ian Messer 1-4 DB BB SB(1)
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI BB HR
DH Karl Ferguson 0-3 R RBI 2BB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 2R 2RBI DB HR First NMLB hit & HR
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 RBI BB DB
2B Robby Weltzer 3-4 R RBI HR
HR MON: Grochowski(1), Benavides(1), Weltzer(1)
HR NYM: Castillo(1), Martin(1)
W: Austin Roy(1-0 3.00) L: Zach Laurents(0-1 5.06) SV: none
Roy was pretty dialed in apart from two solo shots, Herzer got his NMLB debut and pitched 0.2 scoreless innings, striking out NMLB’s best Mario Toscano in his first AB with two on and one out. Good boy!

April 10th

Transactions:
1B Dan Cook(28, 2.5*) and SP Adrian “Winless“ Hilscher(27, 2.5*) passed through waivers and were assigned to AAA Spring Valley.

Expos Drop Mets, 7-4, Behind Rodriguez’ Slam

New York got a decent performance from pitcher Josh Eisenberg, but it wasn't enough to beat the Montreal Expos. Montreal won the Citi Field contest, 7-4. Eisenberg threw 6.1 innings of 5-hit ball for the losing team. Kevin Cowden picked up his 1st save of the season. The loss has the Mets at 1-2.

Montreal shortstop Jose Robles contributed a timely at-bat in the top of the fifth. With two down, he hit a changeup to right field for a run-scoring single. It was his 3rd hit of the season and put the Expos ahead, 1-0.

"It's the best feeling when you come through for your teammates," said Robles. The at-bat that generated the most buzz happened in the seventh however. With the bases loaded and one out, Montreal center fielder Vicente Rodriguez hit a GRAND-SLAM to make it 7-0 Expos.

Juan Miranda(R, DNP) - Xavier Davis(L, DNP) tomorrow. Duel of the rookies in their first NMLB game.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 3K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R 4RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 1-4 DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 R
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-2 2R BB HBP
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R
SS Jose Robles 1-3 R 2RBI HBP
HR MON: Rodriguez(1)
HR NYM: none
W: Sam Griffin(1-0 5.68) L: Josh Eisenberg(0-1 4.26) SV: Kevin Cowden(1 9.00)
Griffin had a 2-hitter going before the engine went out in the bottom of the 7th… but this way, young Kevin hot a chance to grab a (wobbly) save with 2BB allowed.

Record: 2-1, tied 1st in EL Northeast
Week: 2-1 (2-1 @ NYM)
Power Rankings: #7
Runs scored: 18(3rd)
Runs against: 12(5th)
Starters ERA: 4.42(9th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.12(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .703 (7th)
Zone Rating: +1.4(5th)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
nobody

Who's not?
nobody

News:
April 7th - San Diego Padres SP Joe Baier(24, 4.5/5*) pitched a 4-hitter with 10K’s in a 5-0 win over San José on opening day, The 24-year old was 9-13 4.43 199K in 34 starts in 2021, good for 5.6WAR and may expect good things from the former top 10 prospect.

April 9th - San Diego Padres SP Jerry Sullivan(23, 4/5*) makes it two in a row, pitching a 1-hitter with 1BB and 8K in a 7-0 win in the second game of the season. Another former top 10 prospect, he was 17-7 3.96 176K 4.1WAR in 32 starts last season.

April 9th - Philadelphia Grizzlies SP Alberto Cordoba(26, 4*) hurled his team to a 4-0 win over Boston, allowing 6 hits and walking one while striking out 12 and going all the way. The former 8th overall pick pick in 2014 is coming off a 14-9 3.95 195K 4.7WAR year in 2021.

Next: 3@ Jacksonville Patriots(2-1), 3vs Miami Marlins(1-2)

--

How about we stop the season right now? Well, now comes the not so save part of our rotation and Jacksonville who we loaded up with NMLB talent in the offseason trades. This will be fun.

[jksander]

This is a really cool series of writeups I can't believe no one else has jumped in to say so, so I had to do it ... keep it up!

[Griever20]

Originally Posted by jksander

This is a really cool series of writeups I can't believe no one else has jumped in to say so, so I had to do it ... keep it up!

Thank you for following along! I really have a lot of fun with this one, this is the way I enjoy playing OOTP the most. If I just play the game without writing, I tend to rush through games and seasons and miss all the cool small stuff

[Griever20]

Week 2: 3@ Jacksonville Patriots(2-1), 3vs Miami Marlins(1-2)

April 11th

Patriots Use Late Score to Top Expos, 6-5

Ruben Garcia left his imprint on the 6-5 Jacksonville win against the Montreal Expos. Garcia, who finished 5th in the WL in home runs with 32 in 2015, was 1 for 3 with a home run and a walk, while scoring 2 times and driving in 2. Jacksonville pitcher Jose Pena got the win, upping his record to 1-0. Melvin Hernandez got the loss. Alberto Vela, summoned from the bullpen, notched his 2nd save.

Garcia had a game-changing home run in the bottom of the eighth. On a 0-2 sinker from Melvin Hernandez, he banged a 2-run home run to right-center, giving the Patriots a 6-5 lead. It was the 1st home run of the year for Garcia. He is batting .333-1-3 .908OPS in the first four games.

"Enjoyed this one," Garcia told the Jacksonville Times. "But it's back to work tomorrow." Overall, the Montreal Expos outhit Jacksonville 17-8, but still lost the game.

Jacksonville, with the win, is 3-1.

Roland Morris(L, DNP) - Norm Coffey(R, DNP) tomorrow. Missed all of 2021 with injuries

SP Juan Miranda 6.1IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 5K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-6 2RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-5 R BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 RBI DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 R 2BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-5
1B Cody Kerzner 3-4 R RBI 2DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 R RBI
SS Jose Robles 2-3 BB
HR MON: none
HR JAC: Crews(2), Ostros(1), Garcia(1)
W: Jose Pena(1-0 0.00) L: Melvin Hernandez(0-1 0.00) SV: Alberto Vela(2 0.00)
Miranda was solid for most of the game and had a 5-4 lead… that did not survive a Robles error and Melvin Hernandez…

April 12th

Expos Grind Out 2-1 Win in Morris’ Debut

The Montreal Expos downed the Jacksonville Patriots, 2-1, at Patriots Park. Stellar pitching by Roland Morris had a lot to do with it. The left-hander handcuffed his opponent all game. The win gives Montreal a record of 3-2.

Morris called the win a testament to his team's "grit." The lefty worked 6 innings of 4-hit and 1-run ball, walking three and striking out 7 while working out of two jams.

Montreal used a clutch at-bat from Ignacio Benavides to capture the win. The left fielder hammered a 2-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to put the Expos ahead, 2-0. It was his lone hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a humdinger. The 25-year old is batting .333-2-4 1.106OPS in 5 games.

Dan Hinton(R, 0-0 4.50) - Paul Kirksey(L, 1-0 2.35) tomorrow. Two 23-year old aces…

SP Roland Morris 6IP 4H 1R 1ER 3BB 7K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R 2BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R 2RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4
HR MON: Benavides(2)
HR JAC: Masariegos(1)
W: Roland Morris(1-0 1.50) L: Norm Coffey(0-1 3.18) SV: Kevin Cowden(2 6.00)
Morris with another quality start and our bullpen held up. The thing that stuns me the most… man do we get hits. Right now, .299BA(3rd in EL)…

April 13th

Expos Victorious at Jacksonville, 4-1

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

Dan Hinton, the 21st overall pick in the 2017 draft, was terrific for the Montreal Expos in his team's 4-1 triumph over the Jacksonville Patriots. His performance earned Hinton rave reviews. The winner was Hinton. He threw 8.0 innings of 4-hit ball. "I was just trying to execute one pitch at a time," said Hinton.

The loser was Paul Kirksey. Adam Rudolph earned save number 1 this season. The loss drops the Patriots to 3-3.

Montreal used a cltch at-bat from Karl Ferguson to capture the win. The designated hitter hammered a 3-run home run in the top of the first inning to put the Expos ahead, 3-0. It was his lone hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a humdinger. He is batting .227-2-8 .870OPS in 6 games.

Scott Burns(R, 0-1 8.10) - Austin Roy(R, 1-0 3.00) tomorrow. Genuine 5 ERA pitcher.

SP Dan Hinton 8IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 2K W PotG
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 R 3RBI HR
2B Robby Weltzer 1-2 R RBI BB HR
HR MON: Ferguson(2), Weltzer(2)
HR JAC: none
W: Dan Hinton(1-0 2.57) L: Paul Kirksey(1-1 4.15) SV: Adam Rudolph(1 0.00)
Hinton pitched to contact and our defence sucked up everything.

April 14th
Offday

April 15th

Marlins Spoil Home Opener for Expos, Win 7-3

Scott Burns, who finished 5th in the EL in wins with 13 in 2019, had a strong outing for the Miami Marlins against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. The right-hander was a big part of his team's 7-3 win. The win puts Miami at 4-3.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for John Forbes? The Miami third baseman had a 2-run double in the top of the second inning to put the Marlins on top, 3-0. For the game, Forbes had 1 double and 1 single in 3 at-bats.

"I really like what we did out there today," Forbes said after the game. Batting ninth, the 29-year is batting .182 in 7 games so far.

Eibe Hoekstra(R, 1-0 2.84) - Sam Griffin(R, 1-0 5.68) tomorrow. 10-game winner last year.

SP Austin Roy 6.2IP 5H 5R 5ER 1BB 4K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R DB strained oblique 5 days
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-4 R 2RBI HR
C Kevin Craddock 1-4
HR MIA: Knight(2), Malloy(2)
HR MON: Kazemd(1)
W: Scott Burns(1-1 4.72) L: Austin Roy(1-1 4.97) SV: none
McCreery should’ve pulled Roy after the 6th but let him in to get blown to bits, and Glen McKeen added more earnies…

April 16th
After careful consideration, we decided to not put Vicente Rodriguez on the DL but run with 25 players instead as we have an extra outfielder in Ferguson as DH to shuffle things around.

Expos Take Down Marlins, 8-7, in Seesaw Battle

The Montreal Expos outlasted Tom Knight and the Miami Marlins, 8-7. Knight was impressive in the loss. The Miami center fielder went 3-5 with 3 singles. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. He is batting .429-2-5 1.143OPS in 8 games so far.

Joe Herzer was the winner in relief. His record is now 1-0. The losing pitcher was Alec Ferrell. The win has Montreal at 5-3.

Had Brian Schill not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the eighth, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and a runner on 2nd, Schill hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 8-7, in favor of the Expos.

"I like the grit of this ballclub," Schill said. Replacing Vicente Rodriguez due to injury, Schill went 2-4 R RBI BB in the win, saving the bacon of starter Sam Griffin who got lit for 6ER in 2.1IP.

Arnel Acasio(L, 1-0 1.17) - Juan Miranda(R, 0-0 5.68) tomorrow. Second round of starts for our rookies, this time against a 32-year old veteran & 1x All-Star

SP Sam Griffin 2.1IP 7H 6R 6ER 0BB 1K ND
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 R 3RBI DB TP
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R 2RBI HR
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 R 2BB
DH Karl Ferguson 2-3 R RBI 2BB TP
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R RBI BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 3-5 R
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 R
CF Brian Schill 2-4 R RBI BB
HR MIA: Clinton(1)
HR MON: Messer(1)
W: Joe Herzer(1-0 0.00) L: Alec Ferrell(0-1 10.38) SV: Kevin Cowden(3 4.50)
Joe Herzer with his first NMLB win!

April 17th

Marlins Hammer Expos, 10-1

Miami and Montreal got after it at Olympic Stadium.

The Miami Marlins pinned a convincing loss on the Montreal Expos, 10-1, at Olympic Stadium. Tom Knight was a main factor in the win. He was 2 for 5 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 and driving in 4 for Miami. The win puts Miami at 5-4.

With Miami leading 4-0 in the top of the sixth, Knight came up to bat against Montreal pitcher John Mannino. Knight hit a fastball to right for a grand slam home run. His 3rd home run of the season put the Marlins on top, 8-0. He is now batting .425-3-9 1.200OPS in 9 games.

"We swung the bats good throughout the lineup," said Miami skipper Matt Knight.

Gerry Smith(L, 0-0 1.29) - Roland Morris(L, 1-0 1.50) tomorrow. I fear that Morris is not going to survive that well…

SP Juan Miranda 5.2IP 7H 5R 3ER 1BB 6K L
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-2
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-2 R BB DB
CF Brian Schill 1-3 RBI DB
SS Jose Robles 1-2
HR MIA: Fitzmaurice(2), Knight(3)
HR MON: none
W: Arnel Acasio(2-0 1.26) L: Juan Miranda(0-1 5.25) SV: none
Miranda was not as bad as those numbers suggested… but three errors derailed a solid effort. Oh, and we are back to sucking offensively. Great.

Record: 5-4, 3rd in EL Northeast, 1GB
Week: 3-3 (2-1@ JAC, 1-2vs MIA)
Power Rankings: #10(-3)
Runs scored: 41(5th)
Runs against: 44(11th)
Starters ERA: 4.89(13th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.71(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .701 (6th)
Zone Rating: +4.8(3rd)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
nobody

Who's not?
nobody

News:
April 16th - Houston Astros SP Gong-Sun Zhao(31, 4*) pitched a 9IP 2H 0ER 0BB 3K gem in a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canadians today. The 31-year Taiwanese stud led the EL in Wins(20) and ERA(2.83) last season, but started slow, 1-1 4.63 5K in two starts, so far.

April 18th - Houston Astros C Hector Zamora(30, 5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 11-18 3HR 6RBIs 6R. The 3x Silver Slugger is batting .379-3-6 .1.162OPS 0.7WAR in 8 games.

April 18th - Kansas City Royals 1B Brian Garcia(29, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 9-22 3HR 6RBIs 5R. A 3x All-Star, he is batting .371-3-6 1.333OPS 1.0WAR in 10 games.

April 18th – All-Year Rookie League Leadmine Canucks CF Tyler Dean(19, 1.5/5*) was named SL1 Player of the Week after going 11-26 2HR 4RBIs 5R.

Next: 1vs Miami Marlins(5-4), 3vs Toronto Blue Jays(4-6), 3@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(6-4)

--

Getting a couple of wins against Jacksonville felt nice (I played those games myself for the sake of getting to know the new team), but the Marlins got us down to earth again… and they are not even that much better.

[Griever20]

In Hospital for 3-5 days. Games will resume after

[Griever20]

Service Announcement: Back from Hospital and feeling better. As for the Dynasty, I will keep it in OOTP 25 until the 2022 playoffs are over.

Week 3: 1vs Miami Marlins(5-4), 3vs Toronto Blue Jays(4-6), 3@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(6-4)

April 18th

Messer Swings Expos to 8-3 Win

With right fielder Ian Messer leading the charge, the Montreal Expos defeated the Miami Marlins, 8-3, at Olympic Stadium. Messer went 4 for 4 with a home run, a double, and 2 singles. He scored 3 times. For the season, he is batting .341-2-4 1.001OPS in 10 games.

Roland Morris earned the win for Montreal. He lasted 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 2. With the win, he raised his record to 2-0. The Marlins drop to 5-5 and continue their inconsistent start to the 2022 season.

Montreal took advantage of an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. The game was tied, 3-3, when Dave Grochowski hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put the Expos in front, 4-3. "It was a solid, all-around game for us," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

Paul Davis(R, 0-1 6.10) - Dan Hinton(R, 1-0 2.57) tomorrow. A 22-year old fireballer that does not have any movement and had an ERA of 6.12 last season.

SP Roland Morris 6IP 4H 3R 2ER 2BB 2K W
RF Ian Messer 4-4 3R RBI DB HR PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-2 2R 2RBI 2BB HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-1 wrist soreness 2 weeks
PH/1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 R 2RBI DB
C Kevin Craddock 1-2 2RBI DB
CF Brian Schill 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR MIA: Young(3)
HR MON: Ferguson(3), Messer(2)
W: Roland Morris(2-0 2.25) L: Gerry Smith(0-1 3.38) SV: Adam Rudolph(2 0.00)
They left in Smith waay too long and then brought in a lefty to face our right-handed barrage… surprise, he got lit for four ER. This sudden offensive output is scary.

April 19th

Transaction:
1B Cody Kerzner(27, 2.5/3*) was placed on the 10-day IL with wrist soreness 2 weeks that influences his hitting and throwing abilities. After going back and forth, the Montreal Expos bought the contract of 24-year old 1B Matt Talbert(24, 2.5/3*) from AAA Spring Valley. The right-handed batter was acquired from San Francisco Red Devils in 2021 and is batting .324-2-5 .972OPS 0.5WAR in AAA in 10 games.

Expos Win Squeaker, 6-5, Over Blue Jays

Olympic Stadium played host to some exciting baseball.

Expos catcher Kyle Barr put his stamp on his team's 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Barr was 2-4 with a home run, a double, and a walk. He scored 2 times and drove in 2 for Montreal in the contest. "This house was rockin'," Barr said. For him, it was his second NMLB game and first career, hit, something to celebrate.

Matt Talbert however had the even bigger first career hit, as he was the walk-off hero for Montreal. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Expos right fielder hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home.

The Expos raised their record to 7-4.

David Villalobos(R, 1-0 1.42) - Austin Roy(R, 1-1 4.97) tomorrow. Injury prone 11-game winner in 2021.

SP Dan Hinton 4.2IP 5H 5R 5ER 5BB 5K ND
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 R DB SB(1)
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI bruised shoulder 3 days
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R 2RBI HR bruised forearm 5 days
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 0-2 R 3BB
C Kyle Barr 2-4 2R 2RBI BB DB HR PotG
CF Brian Schill 2-5 R 2SB(2)
PH/RF Matt Talbert 1-2 RBI
HR TOR: none
HR MON: Barr(1), Benavides(3)
W: Kevin Cowden(1-0 3.60) L: Fradique Alte(0-1 6.75) SV: none
Hinton had a bad day, the bullpen however was able to cover 4.1 scoreless and now we have to think about putting one outfielder on the IL as two DtD injuries are a bit much.

April 20th

Transaction:
As Victor Rodriguez returned from his minor injury, we decided to not put a player on the IL, but instead use Ian Messer, whose shoulder only affects throwing, in the DH spot and shuffle things around a bit.

Blue Jays Come Back on Bullpen to Top Expos, 6-3

Blue Jays designated hitter Mike Massie left his mark on his team's 6-3 win over the Montreal Expos. Massie, who is tied for 8th in the EL in hits with 16, was 3-5 with a home run and 2 singles, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once for Toronto in the contest. "We'll take some time to unwind," said Massie, "and then get after it again." The 2019 EL MvP is batting .364-4-6 1.133OPS 0.8WAR in 12 games.

The win went to Elijah Saunders in relief. His record improves to 1-0. Adam Rudolph took the loss. Earning his 5th save for Toronto was Ron Palovich.

Who knows how it would've ended, had it not been for Oscar Vargas? The 26-year old second baseman Vargas stroked a 2-run double in the top of the eighth inning to put Toronto up, 5-3. For the game, he was 3 for 4, including 1 double and 2 singles.

The loss has the Expos at 7-5.

David Rodgers(R, 0-1 5.23) - Sam Griffin(R, 1-0 10.38) tomorrow. Despite his low stamina and only 153IP in 33 starts, he still is in the rotation…

SP Austin Roy 6IP 5H 2R 2ER 2BB 8K ND
1B Dave Grochowski 1-2 2BB
C Kevin Craddock 2-4 R
LF Brian Schill 2-3 R RBI BB TP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 RBI DB
HR TOR: Massie(4)
HR MON: none
W: Elijah Saunders(1-0 3.68) L: Adam Rudolph(0-1 5.40) SV: Ron Pavlovich(5 0.00)
Rudolph and Cowden were our only rested relievers and we went with Rudolph and got burned… unlucky.

April 21st

Blue Jays Deal Expos 6-1 Defeat

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Rodgers was in fine form, leading his team past the Montreal Expos, 6-1. He worked 5.1 scoreless innings but had to leave with a minor leg injury.

"It's a mindset," said Rodgers. "Just trying to do your job, trying to be consistent." Montreal falls to 7-6.

In the top of the third, Toronto right fielder Ricardo Orta had a productive at-bat. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, Orta stroked a 2-run single to center. It made the score 3-0, Toronto. For the game, he was 2-4 with 2 singles. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .273-2-8 .817OPS 0.2WAR in 12 games.

Juan Miranda(R, 0-1 5.25) - Jessie Dittus(R, 1-0 5.06) tomorrow. Back to our kids…

SP Sam Griffin 3.2IP 9H 5R 5ER 0BB 3K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-3
C Kevin Craddock 2-3 R RBI HR
HR TOR: Cabrera(2)
HR MON: Craddock(1)
W: David Rodgers(1-1 3.45) L: Sam Griffin(1-1 10.95) SV: none
Griffin’s performance is concerning…

April 22nd

Expos 10-7 Victors at Citizens Bank Park

The Montreal Expos had to overcome a big game from Philadelphia second baseman Fidel de Leon to leave Citizens Bank Park with a victory. And they did, winning, 10-7. de Leon went 2-5 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 times and driving in 3. The 2016 EL MvP is batting .327-3-14 1.057OPS 1.0WAR in 12 games so far.

Kevin Cowden got the save, the 4th for him this season. The win puts Montreal at 8-6.

Orlando Gonzalez's at-bat in the top of the second inning was a big one for Montreal. Coming to bat with two out, runners on 2nd and 3rd and Montreal trailing 2-1, the shortstop reached on an error by the 3B, driving in 1 run. "I still think this team can play even better," Gonzalez told the Montreal Daily News.

Roland Morris(L, 2-0 2.25) - Colin Taylor(R, 0-2 10.29) tomorrow. 3.71ERA in 2021 between rotation and pen.

SP Juan Miranda 5IP 9H 6R 5ER 1BB 2K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 2R RBI 2BB DB
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R 2RBI DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 R RBI BB DB
3B Dave Grochowski 1-5 RBI
1B Matt Talbert 1-5 R 2RBI HR First NMLB HR
C Kyle Barr 3-4 R BB
LF Brian Schill 2-5 R SB(3)
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 R RBI SB(2)
SS Orlando Gonzalez 1-5 2R DB
HR MON: Talbert(1)
HR PHI: de Leon(3)
W: Juan Miranda(1-1 6.35) L: Jesse Dittus(1-1 5.11) SV: Kevin Cowden(4 3.00)
Every starter had a hit today! The team is performing deceivably well despite sucking in 2021 and being in the middle of 17 straight games…

April 23rd

Expos Lose to Grizzlies, 6-3

The Philadelphia Grizzlies defeated the Montreal Expos, 6-3, at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia was led by 22-year old left fielder Alejandro Cano, who went 2 for 4 with a home run. He drove in 3 runs and scored once.

Colin Taylor earned the win for Philadelphia. He lasted 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 4. With the win, he raised his record to 1-2. Jose Gutierrez closed the game out for Philadelphia, earning his 4th save.

With Philadelphia leading 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Cano hit a 2-run single off Montreal hurler Roland Morris. It was the 13th hit of the season for Cano and put his team ahead, 5-1.

"It's nice to deliver when your team's counting on you," said Cano. The 22-year old is batting .224-2-11 .661OPS 0.1WAR in 14 games.

Philadelphia goes to 8-7.

Dan Hinton(R, 1-0 4.34) - Ruben Torrez(L, 0-1 2.75) tomorrow. Duel of the Aces.

SP Roland Morris 3.2IP 5H 5R 5ER 2BB 1K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R TP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R RBI DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI HR
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 BB
RF Brian Schill 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-3
HR MON: Benavides(4)
HR PHI: Victor(3), Jimenez(1), Cano(2)
W: Colin Taylor(1-2 7.50) L: Roland Morris(2-1 4.60) SV: Jose Gutierrez(4 1.42)
Morris got finally lit in his third start, and we could not match their home run power.

April 24th

Grizzlies Bridle Expos, 3-1

Philadelphia turned a good performance from starting pitcher Ruben Torrez into a 3-1 triumph over the Montreal Expos at Citizens Bank Park. The lefty worked 7.1IP 5H 1ER 3BB 9K in the win and spoiled a strong Dan Hinton start, 6.1IP of 2 earned run ball with 8 strikeouts.

Jose Gutierrez finished to wrap up his 5th save. The loss puts Montreal at 8-8.

The Grizzlies had to work out of trouble in the top of the ninth. The score was 3-1, Philadelphia, with one out. Montreal, with runners on 1st and 2nd, was mounting a threat. Jose Robles dug in at the plate, but on a 1-0 curveball, he hit into a double play. Robles is only batting .163 in the early going and there are calls for Julian Hernandez replacing him soon.

Austin Roy(R, 1-1 4.34) - David Villalobos(R, 1-0 3.48) tomorrow. 2x All-Star vs. 2x World Series Winner…

SP Dan Hinton 6.1IP 6H 2R 2ER 2BB 8K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-2 BB DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4
C Kevin Craddock 2-4
DH Orlando Gonzalez 1-4 R DB SB(1)
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 0-2 2BB
HR MON: none
HR PHI: Cano(3)
W: Ruben Torrez(1-1 2.33) L: Dan Hinton(1-1 3.96) SV: Jose Gutierrez(5 1.23)
Hinton took a tough loss here as our bats cooled off significantly lately…


Record: 8-8, 3rd in EL Northeast, 1GB
Week: 3-4 (1-0vs MIA, 1-2vs TOR, 1-2@ PHI)
Power Rankings: #18(-8)
Runs scored: 73(4th)
Runs against: 80(14th)
Starters ERA: 5.58(15th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.27(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .688(11th)
Zone Rating: +3.7(4th)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
nobody

Who's not?
SP Sam Griffin 2G 0-1 16.50 6IP 4K
3B Mitku Kazemd 6G 3-23 .130 0HR 1RBI

News:
April 18th - Arizona Diamondbacks 1B/3B Marco Lemus(24, 3*) hammered three home runs today in a 13-9 win over the San Francisco Red Devils, going 3-6 3R 4RBI 3HR for the day. The 2021 Rookie of the Year is batting .362-7-13 1.305OPS 1.2WAR in the first 11 games.

April 20th - Arizona Diamondbacks 1B Miguel Martinez(31, 4.5*) collected career home run #300 today in a 8-4 loss to the Red Devils. A career .321/.385/.606 300HR 843RBI 820H 1371H 41.2WAR hitter in 1100 games, Martinez is a 2x WL MvP, 8x All-Star and 4x Silver Slugger.

April 20th - Jacksonville Patriots SP B.J. Pitcher(25, 4*) worked a beauty today, 8IP 5H 0ER 0BB 4K in a 3-0 win over the Mets. The 2021 EL All-Star is 3-0 0.84 15K 0.8WAR in 3 starts.

April 23rd - Detroit Trains SP Seth Dykstra(29, 5*) pitched eight scoreless in typical Dykstra fashion, 8IP 3H 0ER 0BB 6K in a 2-0 win over the Nationals. The 4x EL Pitcher of the Year is 1-1 1.76 28K 1.0WAR in 4 starts so far.

April 24th - Jacksonville 2B Brent Lynn(29, 2.5*) had a big day at the plate, going 4-4 3R 3RBI 2HR in a 9-1 win over Portland. The ex-Montreal Expos player is batting .348-3-9 1.018OPS 0.9WAR in 15 games after a 2.6WAR season in 2022. We got Franklin Reyes, who is stuck in AAA and sucks, for him… but we saved $11.2M on him.

April 24th - Cincinnati SP Andy Spicer(23, 3.5/4*) continued a strong start to his season with 8IP 5H 0ER 2BB 8K and a 7-0 win over Boston. The 23-year old is 3-0 0.98 26K 0.8WAR in four starts.

April 25th - Toronto 1B Mike Massie(28, 4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-26 2HR 6RBIs 5R. The 3x All-Star is batting .377-5-10 1.097OPS 1.0WAR in 16 games.

April 25th - Arizona Diamondbacks 1B/3B Marco Lemus(24, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 8-20 4HR 7RBIs 5R.

Next: 4@ Toronto Blue Jays(7-9), 3@ Boston Aeros(8-8)

--

Things are normalizing. We are .500 and the weaker parts of our roster start to show. Still, the offense is a pleasant surprise and may continue like that.

[Griever20]

Week 4: 4@ Toronto Blue Jays(7-9), 3@ Boston Aeros(8-8)

April 25th

Robles Fuels Extra-Inning Win for Expos

The Montreal Expos got a marvelous performance from pitcher Austin Roy. The right-hander kept the Toronto offense from ever getting much traction. The 2x All-Star worked 7 innings of 2-run, four hit, and four strikeout ball and got a no-decision. "I'm just trying to make sure I'm focused for each and every pitch," said Roy.

The result was an impressive 4-2 Montreal victory at Skydome. Montreal reliever Freddy Silva got the win, raising his record to 1-0. Adam Kovacs was tagged with the loss. Montreal goes to 9-8.

Montreal needed the clutch hitting of Jose Robles to seal the deal. The shortstop swatted a 2-run home run in the top of the 11th inning to put the Expos on top, 4-2. For the game, Robles had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats. The 28-year old is batting .189-2-5 .597OPS 0.2WAR in 16 games.

Sam Griffin(R, 1-1 10.95) - David Rodgers(R, 1-1 3.45) tomorrow. A 35 stamina starter after a 11-inning bullpen day. I smell a chance here.

SP Austin Roy 7IP 4H 2R 2ER 1BB 4K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-6
RF Ian Messer 1-6 DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R BB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 R BB HBP
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-3 2BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 RBI 2BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-5 R
SS Jose Robles 2-4 R 2RBI BB HR
HR MON: Robles(2)
HR TOR: Rivera(1), Cabrera(4)
W: Freddy Silva(1-0 2.00) L: Adam Kovacs(0-3 7.30) SV: Kevin Cowden(5 2.57)
Villalobos and their pen kept us guessing for a while, but with their starter leaving injured, Toronto tried their closer for a 2-inning save and got burned for that.

April 26th

Griffin, Expos Dominate Jays, Win 3-0

Sam Griffin, who finished 2nd in the EL in wins with 15 in 2019, had a strong outing for the Montreal Expos against the Toronto Blue Jays at Skydome. The right-hander was a big part of his team's 3-0 win. He pitched eight scoreless innings and got his ERA down to 6.64.

The Blue Jays fall to 7-11.

Karl Ferguson, who is tied for 2nd in the EL in bases on balls with 11, had a direct impact on the outcome. Ferguson contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the sixth inning to put Montreal up, 2-0. Their everyday DH, Ferguson is batting .200-3-14 .726OPS 0.1WAR in 18 games.

Montreal manager Aaron McCreery commended his team for delivering "maximum effort."

Juan Miranda(R, 1-1 6.35) - Kyle McCall(R, 1-1 4.50) tomorrow. Once an All-Star closer in 2018, but had an ERA of 5.21 last season as a part-time starter.

SP Sam Griffin 8IP 6H 0R 0ER 0BB 2K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 0-2 strained rib cage muscle 1 week
CF Brian Schill 1-2 R BB DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI HR
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 R RBI SB(1)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 R BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4
C Kyle Barr 2-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR MON: Benavides(5)
HR TOR: none
W: Sam Griffin(2- 1 6.64) L: Dave Rodgers(1-2 3.38) SV: Kevin Cowden(6 2.25)
Griffin with a great game finally, but the offense is sputtering against mediocre starters and a super gassed opposing bullpen. We will keep Rodriguez off the DL by the way, if needed we rotate with Ferguson.

April 27th

Expos Sunk by Blue Jays, 5-2

The Toronto Blue Jays picked up a win at Skydome, taking down the Montreal Expos, 5-2. Starting pitcher Kyle McCall was a big reason why. He worked six solid innings of 2-run ball. Dennis Dick recorded his 1st save for Toronto.

"I just tried to focus on getting that first guy out every inning," said McCall. The win has Toronto at 8-11.

Alex Rivera had a big 2-run double for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the third inning. With Toronto leading 2-1 and runners on 1st and 2nd, he got a splitter from 24-year old right-handed pitcher Juan Miranda and swatted a double to center. It was his 3rd double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Blue Jays ahead, 4-1. The 25-year old is batting .241-1-5 .599OPS 0.0WAR in 15 games.

Roland Morris(L, 2-1 4.60) - Walt Laidlaw(R, 1-2 3.14) tomorrow. Canadian native that has been between rotation and bullpen for the last four years.

SP Juan Miranda 3IP 8H 5R 5ER 1BB 2K L
CF Brian Schill 1-4 R DB
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R RBI BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
1B Dave Grochowksi 0-3 RBI BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4
2B Orlando Gonzalez 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR MON: none
HR TOR: none
W: Kyle McCall(2-1 4.05) L: Juan Miranda(1-2 7.65) SV: Dennis Dick(1 2.61)
Miranda is going through some growing pains it seems, but our scouting department and McCreery are firm that there is potential.

April 28th

Expos Rally Falls Short, Lose 5-4

Toronto Blue Jays starter Walt Laidlaw found his groove in his team's 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos. He worked 5 innings of 1-run ball. Dennis Dick picked up the save, his 2nd. The loss puts Montreal at 10-10. "I was trying to do what I do, go out there and compete," said Laidlaw.

Toronto took control in the bottom of the seventh. With one out and runners on 1st and 2nd, Ryan LaRiviere hit a run-scoring single to make it 2-1, Blue Jays. The Canadian native and 2021 EL All-Star is batting .219-1-3 .561OPS -0.4WAR in 18 games.

Dan Hinton(R, 1-1 3.96) - Scott Scanlon(R, 1-1 2.25) tomorrow. Rule 5 Draft pick this winter…

SP Roland Morris 5.1IP 2H 1R 1ER 6BB 0K ND
CF Brian Schill 1-4 RBI SB(4)
RF Ian Messer 1-4
DH Karl Ferguson 2-4 R RBI HR
3B Dave Grochowksi 2-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 2RBI TP
SS Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R TP
HR MON: Ferguson(4)
HR TOR: Orta(4)
W: Adam Kovacs(1-3 6.38) L: Glen McKeen(0-1 6.43) SV: Dennis Dick(2 2.38)
Morris was very wild and therefore only lasted five, but our pen was the problem today.

April 29th

Aeros Suffer 4-1 Home Defeat to Montreal, Hinton

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

Montreal beat Boston on the strength of starting pitcher Dan Hinton's fine effort. The right-hander led his team to a win, 4-1, pitching eight innings of 1-run ball. Kevin Cowden collected save number 7.

The Expos got a big at-bat from left fielder Ignacio Benavides. For the game, Benavides was 1 for 4 with a triple. In the top of the fourth, with a runner on 1st, he stroked a run-scoring triple. His 1st triple of the season gave Montreal a 1-0 lead. The young left-fielder is batting .229-5-10 .818OPS 0.5WAR in 18 games.

Said losing manager Tony Rodriguez: "Obviously, we wished for a better outcome." The Aeros fall to 9-11 and continue to sputter in the early going.

Austin Roy(R, 1-1 3.86) - Tyrese Speed(R, 1-2 3.68) tomorrow. A bit injury prone, but good stuff.

SP Dan Hinton 8IP 5H 1R 1ER 1BB 7K W
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 R BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI TP
RF Karl Ferguson 1-3 R 2RBI BB HR
1B Dave Grochowksi 1-3 R RBI HR
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4 TP
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 DB
SS Jose Robles 1-4 DB
HR MON: Ferguson(5), Grochowski(2)
HR BOS: Aguilar(5)
W: Dan Hinton(2-1 3.27) L: Scott Scanlon(1-2 3.44) SV: Kevin Cowden(7 2.00)
Hinton once again put a stop in after two losses, and by the way, Cowden is dialed in.

April 30th

Four Run Sixth Enough for Expos to Win, 4-2

Montreal Expos starter Austin Roy turned in a top-notch performance against the Boston Aeros at Fenway Park. The result was a win for the Expos, 4-2. Roy, now 2-1, was the winner. In 7 innings, he gave up 7 hits, while striking out 7, walking 3, and allowing 2 runs. The Aeros fall to 9-12 and continue their lackluster start to the 2022 season.

Montreal used a well-timed hit by Mitku Kazemd to capture the win. The third baseman socked a 2-run double in the top of the sixth inning to put the Expos ahead, 3-2. Though it was his only hit in 3 at-bats, it was important.

"We'll put this win in our pocket and go after the next one," said Kazemd. The rookie is batting a solid .263-1-5 .647OPS 0.0WAR clip in 20 games.

Sam Griffin(R, 2-1 6.64) - Manuel Amezola(R, 1-2 6.05) tomorrow. 11-game winner last season…

SP Austin Roy 7IP 7H 2R 2ER 3BB 7K W
RF Ian Messer 1-4
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-2 R 2BB DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowksi 1-4 R RBI
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-3 R 2RBI DB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 BB
SS Jose Robles 1-4 DB
HR MON: none
HR BOS: Rodriguez(1)
W: Austin Roy(2-1 3.58) L: Tyrese Speed(1-3 4.23) SV: Adam Rudolph(3 3.86)
Roy now with a great start… one more until we finally get an offday.

END OF APRIL

News:
April 25th - Cincinnati SP Jimmy McMahon(25, 3.5/4*) dominated the big budget Houston Astros today, working 9IP 6H 0ER 0BB 10K in a 5-0 win at home. The fourth year pro is now 3-1 1.15 29K 1.1WAR in four starts.

April 28th - San Diego SP Griffin Welsh(24, 2.5*) had a fun time at the park, pitching 8.1 scoreless innings of 3-hit, 1BB and 7K ball in a 11-0 rout of the Cavaliers. The 10th round selection in 2016 made his first NMLB start after three relief appearances, going 1-0 0.00 12K 0.5WAR in 4 games.

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Washington RF Jorge Saldana(25, 4*) .349-7-25 1.104OPS 1.5WAR 3rd year pro and team captain
Pitcher of the Month: Jacksonville RHSP B.J. Pitcher(26, 4*) 4-0 0.92 20K 29.1IP 0.8WAR 2021 All-Star, love the name
Rookie of the Month: Montreal RHCL Kevin Cowden(22, 3*) 1-0 7SV 2.00 11K 9IP 0.3WAR The kid is alright!

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Arizona 1B Marco Lemus(24, 3.5*) .350-9-20 1.178OPS 1.5WAR 2021 RotY and Silver Slugger, former 2nd overall pick
Pitcher of the Month: San Diego SP Joe Baier(24, 4.5/5*) 4-1 0.93 36K 5GS 38.2IP 1.8WAR 8th overall in 2015, in his fourth season and finally clicking
Rookie of the Month: Arizona 2B Danny Rivera(22, 25/3*) .347-5-24 1.015OPS 21G 1.4WAR Made his debut late in 2021, int. FA signing for max money.

I wasn’t traveling with the team for the Boston series and was in my office in Montreal, which led to me getting ambushed by our lovely owner Rich Buchanan. He came by as he saw light in my office and just wanted to tell me that he loves to see a winning team on the field. That being said, he also asked why we have a disgruntled top prospect in AAA, batting .322 while our starting shortstop is batting .203. I asked that one myself… but ended up reminding Rich of the value of PATIENCE. The front office and Hernandez that he will spend most of 2022 in AAA, working on his power swing. Going through the minors, he shortened his swing to get the hitting prowess that he has right now, but to fulfil his potential, the batspeed has to come.

Buchanan nodded and accepted that call… but it will get more complicated if we continue to play like we play right now. 12-10, the second best offense in the EL, and a pitching staff that is better than its ERA. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There are some fake offensive numbers in there, and some regression that is bound to happen. Also, Dan Hinton is deceivably healthy so far…

Things will be more clear in about two weeks as we have three games against the 16-6 Cincinnati Eagles, three with the 12-9 Atlanta Minuteman and two with the 15-7 Arizona Diamondbacks coming up next… that will be the true test.

Pitching:

DL: SP Danny Sandoval(24, 2/2.5*) ruptured UCL 8 weeks DNP

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
RHRP Kevin Cowden 7 SV – tied 3rd
LHSP Roland Morris 13 BB – tied 1st
RHSP Dan Hinton 4 Quality Starts – tied 3rd

Can someone tell Roland Morris that the walks issued leaderboard is NOT one to be on? Thanks. The pitching staff is alright, just has three guys struggling. Sam Griffin had a rough start to the season, but with a bad BABIP and the underlying numbers show a 3.02FIP, which is absolutely fantastic. Juan Miranda has suffered a similar fate and is at a 4.19FIP, and our pen problems with Mannino and McKeen don’t bother me that much… yet. They were good last season.

Kevin Cowden was a huge surprise and the Rookie of the Month Award was well deserved as he really recovered from his first 2ER outing to not allow anything after that… apart from walks, but we expected that. As for our AAA team, things are alright down there with Quiros, Alvarado and young Watanabe posting ERA’s of sub 4.50 and closer Bill Bell having pitched 8 scoreless innings so far… we have options.

Position Players:

DL: 1B Cody Kerzner(27, 2.5/3*) wrist soreness unknown .273-0-1 .636OPS 6G/6GS -0.2WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
DH Karl Ferguson 1.02 Win Probabilitly Added – 1st
DH Karl Ferguson 12 BB – 2nd
DH Karl Ferguson 17 RBI – tied 3rd
C Kevin Craddock .420OBP – 2nd
1B Dave Grochowski .406OBP – 4th

Whoa. Offense. Speaking about that, Karl Ferguson and Ignacio Benavides with their power (and RBI) surge, and Dave Grochowski with his overall good performance really transformed #3-#5 in our lineup and I believe that they can keep similar numbers up without much problem, which is a nice thing to say compared to 2021.

That being said, Robby Weltzer is going to regress a lot, batting .296 with a .354BABIP, and Kevin Craddock will NOT get on base with a .420 clip as a 45 rated eye hitter… but it is good to have a catcher hit above .250 for once.

As mentioned above, Julian Hernandez is batting a hot clip in AAA, but the rest of the team is struggling offensively and they are 6-16 overall… sad.

Prospect Watch:
AAA SS Julian Hernandez(2.5/3.5*) .322-1-4 .763OPS 21G 4/4SB 0.8WAR
AA LHSP Brett Asselin(2/4*) 0-1 1.55 23K 29IP 4GS 0.4WAR
AA RHSP Jorge Estrella(2/3*) 1-0 0.76 8K 23.2IP 3GS 0.6WAR
AA RHSP Ed Shaulis(2.5/3*) 2-0 1.95 23K 32.1IP 4GS 1.2WAR
A 1B Joe Townsend(1.5/4*) .196-2-5 .619OPS 17G 0.1WAR
A RHSP Alejandro Corral(1.5/3.5*) 1-2 2.49 20K 21.2IP 4G 0.5WAR
A LF Santiago Rodriguez(2/3.5*) .216-2-5 .635OPS 17G 1/1SB 0.0WAR
R CF Tyler Dean(19, 1.5/5*) .258-4-10 .810OPS 2/2SB 17G 1.7WAR
R SS Manny Ramirez(0.5/5*) .161-1-3 .456OPS 1/1SB 18G 1.1WAR

Keep an eye on AA Golden Valley. We are growing the next generation of our rotation there. If two out of the three come through, and I hope Asselin is one of them, we are looking at Hinton, Roy, Asselin + 2 3* guys in the future… that sounds lovely.

As for A Newark, we aggressively promoted Townsend and Rodriguez to A ball to give them playing time and for them to not block young players in AYR Leadmine, and they are struggling a bit at the plate. Not horribly and I expect them to push through that.

As for the draft… we are currently evaluating the draft pool and Dave G. is on his way to scout a ton of players… it will be an interesting choice as the draft does not seem as deep as the last one, and there are some choices to be made. We will continue to scout this one for a while, so don’t expect a draft pool analysis before July… tricky.

[Griever20]

Week 4: 4@ Toronto Blue Jays(7-9), 3@ Boston Aeros(8-8)

May 1st

Aeros Sneak Past Expos on Sunday Night, Win 5-4

The Montreal Expos could not turn a fine performance from center fielder Brian Schill into a win. Instead, the Boston Aeros prevailed, 5-4. Schill belted 2 home runs. Replacing the ailing Vicente Rodriguez, Schill is batting .327-2-6 .953OPS 1.0WAR in 14 games.

Bob Sims got credit for the win, improving to 1-1. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits in 1.2 innings. Picking up the save was Paul Ide, his 3rd.

Tony Munoz, who is tied for 8th in the EL in RBI with 15, chipped in a solo home run for Boston in the bottom of the seventh. For the game, the center fielder had 2 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 1 run batted in.

"What's not to like about a win?" said Munoz. The veteran journeyman is batting .357-3-15 .944OPS 0.9WAR in 21 games.

Boston goes to 10-12.

J.R. Heilman(R, 2-1 3.71) - Juan Miranda(R, 1-2 7.65) the day after tomorrow. 2019 All-Star, was with VAN/SEA last season, signed 5y/$67.5M contract in the offseason.

SP Sam Griffin 5IP 7H 3R 3ER 1BB 5K ND
CF Brian Schill 3-5 2R 2RBI DB 2HR SB(5)
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 R 2BB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 R 2RBI HR
C Kyle Barr 1-3 BB
HR MON: Schill 2(2), Grochowski(3)
HR BOS: Aguilar(6), Munoz(3), Rodriguez(2)
W: Bob Sims(1-1 3.38) L: Joe Herzer(1-1 3.60) SV: Paul Ide(3 4.00)
Herzer came in in relief and had his worst outing so far this season. And by the way, Schill is very streaky and looks hot right now, but never batted for an OPS+ over 100, including in his freak 28HR year in 2020.

Record: 12-11, 1st in EL Northeast, 1G lead
Week: 4-3 (2-2@ TOR, 2-1@ BOS)
Power Rankings: #14(+4)
Runs scored: 98(3rd)
Runs against: 100(12th)
Starters ERA: 4.69(13th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.18(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .697(6th)
Zone Rating: +6.1(4th)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
nobody

Who's not?
SP Juan Miranda 2G 1-1 11.25 8IP 4K

News:
May 1st - Padres SP Brian Trask(28, 3*) worked 8IP 3H 0ER 1BB 7K in a 2-0 win over the Mariners, sealing a 3-game sweep. The 28-year old is having a mediocre season apart from today, going 3-1 5.17 30K 0.4WAR in 5 games.

May 2nd - Atlanta RF Aaron Hilton(31, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 14-26 0HR 3RBIs 8R. The 2020 WL batting champ is batting .378-0-5 .922OPS 5/5SB 1.2WAR in 22 games.

May 2nd - Sacramento 2B Jason Benefield(25, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-27 2HR 5RBIs 15R. A liability in the field, he is hitting only and batting .284-3-8 .805OPS 0.5WAR in 22 games.

Next: 3vs Cincinnati Eagles(16-7), 3vs Atlanta Minuteman(13-9)

[Griever20]

Week 5: 3vs Cincinnati Eagles(16-7), 3vs Atlanta Minuteman(13-9)

May 2nd
Offday

May 3rd

Heilman Dominates Expos in 6-0 Win

The Cincinnati Eagles defeated the Montreal Expos, 6-0, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. Cincinnati pitcher J.R. Heilman had a standout performance. Heilman pitched eight innings of 7-hit, 1BB and 3K ball and got the win.

The Eagles, now 18-7, have been red hot.

Cincinnati used the timely hitting of Danny Tutton, former Montreal Expos, to seize the win. The catcher stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the seventh inning to put the Eagles on top, 2-0. It was his only hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a game-changer. He is batting .174-1-7 .461OPS -0.3WAR in 20 games.

Tutton attributed the win to his team's "focus and intensity."

Andy Spicer(R, 3-0 1.95) - Roland Morris(L, 2-1 3.86) tomorrow. 11-game winner with a dominant fastball/changeup combo.

SP Juan Miranda 6IP 3H 2R 2ER 3BB 6K L
RF Ian Messer 1-4 DB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4
HR CIN: none
HR MON: none
W: J.R. Heilman(3-1 2.86) L: Juan Miranda(1-3 6.58) SV: none
Ouch. Seven hits, one walk, no runs. Stymied by a 34-year old with no stuff.

May 4th

Eagles Suffer 7-2 Road Loss to Morris, Expos

Montreal turned a good performance from starting pitcher Roland Morris into a 7-2 triumph over the Cincinnati Eagles at Olympic Stadium. The winning pitcher was Morris, now 3-1. He tossed 7 innings of 2-hit ball, while walking 1 and fanning 9. Cincinnati, with the loss, is still a hardy 18-8.

"Roland kept them off-balance, threw a great game for us," said Expos manager Aaron McCreery.

Dave Grochowski had a big 2-run double for the Expos in the bottom of the fifth inning. With Montreal leading 3-2 and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he got a fastball from Andy Spicer and swatted a double to right-center. It was his 4th double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 5-2. Grochowski is batting a hot .366-3-15 .994OPS 1.0WAR in 22 games so far.

Jimmy McMahon(R, 3-2 2.83) - Dan Hinton(R, 2-1 3.27) tomorrow. Their second best arm after Spicer.

SP Roland Morris 7IP 2H 2R 2ER 1BB 9K W
CF Brian Schill 2-5 3R RBI HR 2SB(7)
RF Ian Messer 1-5 2RBI DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 R BB DB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 R 3RBI DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-3 RBI DB HBP
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R
HR CIN: Barrios(1)
HR MON: Schill(3)
W: Roland Morris(3-1 3.54) L: Andy Spicer(3-1 3.11) SV: none
That was a surprise! Morris had control over his pitches for once and was dialed in apart from a 2-run homer, and we hit Spicer pretty hard.

May 5th

Expos Rally in Middle Innings to Win, 6-4

Montreal starter Dan Hinton pitched well against the Cincinnati Eagles at Olympic Stadium. The right-hander led his team to a win, 6-4. He pitched 5IP 4H 3ER 3BB 9K against a tough offense.

Glen McKeen, credited with the win in relief, is now 1-1. He allowed no runs on no hits in 1 innings. Picking up the save was 22-year old right-handed pitcher Kevin Cowden.

Brian Schill, who is tied for 9th in the EL in triples with 1, helped out the Montreal cause in the bottom of the fifth inning with a run-scoring sacrifice fly. For the game, the center fielder was 1-3, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once.

"We took advantage of our opportunities," Schill told the Montreal Daily News. "It's as simple as that." He is now batting .312-3-9 .911OPS 1.1WAR in 17 games.

Cincinnati drops to 18-9.

Adam Warren(R, 2-0 0.61) - Austin Roy(R, 2-1 3.58) tomorrow. 2nd rounder in 2016, pitched mostly out of the pen the last years. Easy part of their rotation.

SP Dan Hinton 5IP 4H 3ER 3BB 9K ND
CF Brian Schill 1-3 R 2RBI
RF Ian Messer 2-3 R RBI SB(2)
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 2RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 R DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 R RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3 2R BB
HR CIN: Tutton(2), Ramos(6)
HR MON: none
W: Glen McKeen(1-1 5.62) L: Jimmy McMahon(3-3 3.70) SV: Kevin Cowden(8 1.80)
We beat their 1-2 punch here in this series, unexpected. By the way, Vicente Rodriguez is back and healthy, but we are riding the hot streak of Brian Schill as long as it lasts. Atlanta next.

May 6th

Expos Lose 4-3, in 14

The Atlanta Minutemen did just enough to nip the Montreal Expos, 4-3, in 14 innings. Atlanta pitcher Adam Warren, in particular, had a standout performance. He worked 7 innings of 3-run, 1ER ball. Montreal falls to 14-13.

Atlanta used the timely hitting of Bill Reavis to seize the win. The catcher stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the 14th inning to put the Minutemen on top, 4-3. It was his only hit in 6 at-bats, but it was a game-changer. He is batting .257-3-11 .731OPS 0.7WAR in 20 games.

Atlanta manager Tom Middleton commended his team for exhibiting "no shortage of effort."

Devin Bennett(R, 2-2 4.08) - Sam Griffin(R, 2-1 6.31) tomorrow. Scouts love the kid, but he had an ERA of 5.16 last year.

SP Austin Roy 7.1IP 7H 3R 3ER 2BB 4K ND
CF Brian Schill 1-7
RF Ian Messer 3-6 R DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R BB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 R RBI
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-6 2RBI
C Kevin Craddock 2-6 DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 BB
HR ATL: none
HR MON: none
W: Jordan Martinez(1-1 7.59) L: John Mannino(0-1 6.48) SV: none
How to kill a bullpen. We have encountered a power outage lately… only Schill with a home run so far this week… and now come the tough hurlers.

May 7th

Minuteman Beat Expos, 4-1, behind Bennett

The Atlanta Minutemen got a good effort from starter Devin Bennett in defeating the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. The righty worked 6.2 innings of 1-run ball and got his third win of the season.

"I'm happy we won," said Bennett. "That's first and foremost. My goal is for the team to win the day I pitch, however it's done." The final score was 4-1. Atlanta goes to 16-11.

Robbie Thompson, who finished 5th in the WL in runs with 104 in 2016, had a direct impact on the outcome. Thompson contributed a run-scoring double in the top of the third inning to put Atlanta up, 2-0. Their designated hitter, the 4x All-Star is batting .269-5-17 .806OPS 0.3WAR in 26 games.

Eddie Aguilera Jr.(R, 1-2 3.13) - Juan Miranda(R, 1-3 6.58) tomorrow. 17-game winner against rookie…

SP Sam Griffin 6IP 7H 4R 3ER 1BB 0K L
CF Brian Schill 1-5 SB(8)
RF Ian Messer 1-5
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 R BB DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-4
C Kyle Barr 1-2 RBI BB
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR ATL: none
HR MON: none
W: Devin Bennett(3-2 3.57) L: Sam Griffin(2-2 5.97) SV: Jaden Simon(10 0.00)
Griffin had no strikeout stuff, but it wouldn’t have mattered as we stopped scoring altogether.

May 8th

Miranda Beats Aguilera Jr. As Expos Win, 6-2

The Montreal Expos cut down the Atlanta Minutemen by the score of 6-2, with the largest share of the credit going to center fielder Vicente Rodriguez. Rodriguez was 4-5 with a double and 3 singles for the Expos.

"If we play like this, we can win a lot of games," Rodriguez told the Montreal Daily News. He returned to the lineup today in center field and improved his season stats to .303-1-9 .773OPS 0.6WAR in 17 games.

The victory makes Montreal 15-14 with the win going to rookie Juan Miranda. He pitched 5.1 solid innings of 1-run ball.

Montreal took a 5-2 lead on Karl Ferguson's 4th double of the season. The 2-run double, which Ferguson hit in the bottom of the seventh, left Atlanta pitcher Jordan Arroyo visibly frustrated. He is batting .216-5-19 .760OPS 0.3WAR in 28 games.

Roland Morris(L, 3-1 3.54) - Tony Romero(R, 1-1 2.87) tomorrow. Lost most of 2021 with injury, but is a leader and decent pitcher…

SP Juan Miranda 5.1IP 5H 1R 1ER 3BB 5K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 4-5 R RBI DB
RF Ian Messer 2-5 2R 2RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 RB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 2RBI BB DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-3 BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R SB(3)
SS Orlando Gonzalez 0-3 R BB SB(2)
LF Brian Schill 1-3 RBI
HR ATL: Witherell(2)
HR MON: Messer(3)
W: Juan Miranda(2-3 5.74) L: Eddie Aguilera Jr.(1-3 3.35) SV: none
Seems like V-Rod had some frustration that wanted to get out of the system.

Record: 15-14, 1st in EL Northeast, 1 game lead
Week: 3-3 (2-1vs CIN, 1-2vs ATL)
Power Rankings: #12(+2)
Runs scored: 121(5th)
Runs against: 122(9th)
Starters ERA: 4.42(12th)
Bullpen ERA: 2.90(5th)
Defensive Eff.: .699(7th)
Zone Rating: +4.7(6th)
Fan Interest: 82(+-0)

Who's hot?
1B Dave Grochowski 7G 13-24 .542 1HR 6RBIs

Who's not?
nobody

News:

May 4th – The Arizona Diamondbacks slaughtered the Kansas City Royals 29-6 today, moving to 18-9. Some batting lines:
CF Josh Haddad 5-5 4R 5RBI BB HR(2)
3B Enrique Martinez 3-5 3R 2RBI 3BB
RF Miguel Martinez 3-6 3R RBI 2BB
1B Marco Lemus 4-6 4R 7RBI 2BB 2HR(11)
LF Alex Ibarra 4-7 3R 3RBI
SS Mike Phillips 3-7 3R 2RBI
C Bang-Xao Lu 3-6 4R 5RBI BB 2HR(5)

May 9th - Detroit C Carlos Armijo(30, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-20 3HR 9RBIs 4R. The 3x All-Star is batting .308-3-16 .856OPS 0.9WAR in 23 games.

May 9th - Arizona RF Miguel Martinez(31, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 14-24 2HR 8RBIs 7R. The 2x MvP is batting .303-7-23 .867OPS 0.9WAR in 28 games.

Next: 2@ Arizona Diamondbacks(19-11), 3@ Washington Nationals(13-13)

--

Well, we survived with three wins in this one and still lead a relatively weak division. This is a tricky one as we may win the division… or miss the playoffs all together… but we are talking about something that may dissolve quickly. I’m still not buying this one.

[Griever20]

NMLB Deep Dive May 22: Montreal Draft History 2015 & 2016
stadiumreport.bbn

May 22nd, 2022

2015:
1st Round, 14th overall: C Alex Taylor(25, 2* with VAN AAA). 2-7 in 5G in 2021. Traded for Huai-yu Mah and Dave Quiros in 2020.
2nd Round, 48th overall: LHRP Dusty Leone(26, 2.5* with SDP) 15-21 25SV 3.79 259K 247IP 235G 4.3WAR career. Traded in 2021 in 3-Team deal for R CF Mike Sather, A RHRP Justin Hammond, NMLB C Kyle Barr(.9-24 HR 3RBI 0.4WAR)
3rd Round, 77th overall: 1B Rafael Vazquez – retired
3rd Round, 79th overall: RHRP Chris Bobo – retired
4th Round, 111st overall: RHRP Nate Rodgers – retired
5th Round, 141st overall: C Travis Carpenter(28, 2.5*, with SLC AAA) .246-3-13 .703OPS 33G 44G 0.8WAR. Traded in 2021 in Austin Roy trade.
6th Round, 171st overall: CF Brian Schill(27, 2*) .246-46-148 .725OPS 277H 324G 5.3WAR. Backup OF.
8th Round, 231st overall: RF Jeremy Meadows(25, 2.5/3* with MIA) .247-8-24 .707OPS 74G -0.1WAR. Traded in 2019 for useless reliever.
11th Round, 321st overall: RHRP Freddy Silva(25, 2.5*) 3-3 1SV 4.77 85K 83IP 65G 0.9WAR. In our pen.
12th Round, 351st overall: SP Bill Smith(25, 2.5* with VAN) 19-32 5.32 431K 409.2IP 80GS 3.7WAR. Traded in 2021 for RHRP Jordan Robinson(released), AA 2B Rich Meilleur, 3B Jonathan Boone(released)
15th Round, 441st overall. RHRP Tim Thrower(25, 2.5*) 0-1 4.50 47K 38IP 25G 0.2WAR. In AAA pen.

Loads of depth, two guys that are on our NMLB roster, one on the 40-man and Bill Smith, Dusty Leone and Alex Taylor who we traded away for some baseballs and soda.


2016:
1st Round, 33rd overall: LHSP Matt Bernstein(24, 2.5*) in AAA, was 11-4 2.43 106K 148.1IP 3.0WAR last season there.
2nd Round, 69th overall: RHSP Evan Richards – retired
3rd Round, 99th overall: RHRP Myles Kirkpatrick – retired
4th Round, 130th overall: RHSP Juan Miranda(24, 2.5/3*) 2-3 5.74 26K 31.1IP 6GS 0.5WAR. In NMLB rotation.
5th Round, 160th overall: 2B Nate Stone – retired
9th Round, 280th overall: RF Chris Nicholson(24, 2.5*) in AAA, was .266-12-38 .765OPS 64G 1.8WAR last season there, defensive liability.
14th Round, 430th overall: CF Vicente Rodriguez(24, 2.5*) .278-2-31 .681OPS 11/17SB 146G 2.6WAR. In NMLB in center field.

Not a lot, but some quality here in V-Rod and Miranda as well as Bernstein and Nicholson for depth. As for Bernstein, Dave G. and McCreery clearly think that Morris is the better arm.

See you next year for 2015-2017 as I will expand this one every year.

[Griever20]

Week 6: 2@ Arizona Diamondbacks(19-11), 3@ Washington Nationals(13-13)

May 9th
offday

May 10th

Diamondbacks Win Thriller, 2-1, in Eleven

The Arizona Diamondbacks had to weather a strong performance from Montreal pitcher Roland Morris before claiming a 2-1 win in 11 innings. Morris went 6.1 innings and allowed 1 run. Arizona reliever Justin Whitt picked up the win, upping his record to 3-3. Kevin Cowden was saddled with the loss. The win gives Arizona a record of 20-11.

The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the 11th inning, when Arizona first baseman Marco Lemus, facing Kevin Cowden, had a run-scoring sacrifice fly. It gave the Diamondbacks the 2-1 win.

Lemus called the win a test of his team's "mettle." He is batting .328-12-32 1.066OPS 1.9WAR in 29 games.

Dan Hinton(R, 2-1 3.55) - Nate McLean(R, 3-1 3.86) tomorrow. Our chance to escape with a series tie here, kids got low stamina.

SP Roland Morris 6.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 4K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5
RF Ian Messer 1-5
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
DH Karl Ferguson 1-5 DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-3 R RBI 2BB HR
HR ARI: Kazemd(2)
HR MON: none
W: Justin Whitt(3-3 4.66) L: Kevin Cowden(1-1 1.93) SV: none
Cowden with his first blunder since his first appearance and we suck offensively.

May 11th


Transaction:
The Montreal Expos have claimed 25-year old RHRP Matt Bow(2.5*) off waivers. He was 2-1 3SV 6.75 24K 26.2IP -0.3WAR with Seattle. Insurance for Ryan Rasbach’s dropping ratings.

May 11th

Expos Win in Extras, 10-9 with V-Rod Grabbing 5 Hits

The Montreal Expos outlasted Marco Lemus and the Arizona Diamondbacks, 10-9, in 12 innings. Lemus was impressive in the loss. The Arizona first baseman was 4 for 6 with 2 home runs and a double. He scored 3 runs and drove in 4. Glen McKeen, now 2-1, was credited with the win in 1.1 innings of relief. He allowed no runs on 1 hit, while striking out 0 and walking 0. Arizona drops to 20-12.

Montreal took advantage of an error in the top of the 12th inning. The game was tied, 9-9, when Vicente Rodriguez hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put the Expos in front, 10-9.

"I just tried to see the ball and put a good swing on it," said Rodriguez. The center fielder went 5-7 with four runs scored, two doubles, a triple and an RBI.

Austin Roy(R, 2-1 3.60) - Jesse Osborn(R, 1-3 3.41) the day after tomorrow. Made his debut in 2021 in the bullpen.

SP Dan Hinton 4.2IP 8H 5R 5ER 2BB 1K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 5-7 4R RBI 2DB TP
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R RBI
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 2R 2RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 4-6 R 4RBI DB HR
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI 2BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-5 R BB
2B Robby Weltzer 3-6 R DB
HR ARI: Martinez(8), Lemus 2(14)
HR MON: Grochowski(4)
W: Glen McKeen(2-1 4.35) L: David Gonzalez(0-1 6.17) SV: none
Hinton got lit, but our offense picked things up big time. At least a draw of the series, and we got an offday tomorrow to revive our bullpen.

May 12th
Offday

May 13th

Expos Dealt 3-2 Loss by Washington

In a low-scoring affair between the Washington Nationals and the Montreal Expos, pitcher Jesse Osborn was the difference between victory and defeat. The Washington right-hander earned accolades for his stellar performance in the 3-2 Nationals win. Osborn got the win, improving to 2-3. He gave up 6 hits and walked 0 over 5.1 innings. He allowed 1 run. The Expos drop to 16-16 and continue their inconsistent start to the 2022 season.

Jonathan McFadyen had a big solo home run for the Nationals in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Washington leading 2-1 and the bases empty, he sized up a fastball from Austin Roy, who is a two-time All-Star, and punished it. The result was his 6th home run of the season, which put the Nationals on top, 3-1.

"If we play like this, we can win a lot of games," McFadyen told the Washington Times. The 2020 EL Silver Slugger at DH is batting .267-6-11 .811OPS 0.4WAR in 27 games.

Sam Griffin(R, 2-2 5.97) - Steve Behanna(R, 0-0 6.52) tomorrow. Veteran righty, won nine with an ERA of 4.68 last year.

SP Austin Roy 6.2IP 6H 3R 3ER 3BB 3K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-5 R RBI DB
RF Ian Messer 1-5
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3
DH Karl Ferguson 0-4 RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-3 R BB DB
HR MON: none
HR WSH: McFadyen(6)
W: Jesse Osborn(2-3 2.92) L: Austin Roy(2-2 3.66) SV: Zachary Welborn(11 2.20)
No offense.

May 14th

Benavides 3-Run Shot Fuels to 5-4 Expos Win

Montreal left fielder Ignacio Benavides picked up 3 ribbies while helping his team beat back the Washington Nationals, 5-4. Montreal leads the Eastern League North East Division by 2 games.

With Montreal trailing 2-1 in the top of the third, Benavides hit a splitter from Steve Behanna for a 3-run home run. It was his 6th home run of the season and put the Expos ahead, 4-2. The righty is batting .265-6-17 .834OPS 0.7WAR in 29 games.

Montreal manager Aaron McCreery said his team played a "no nonsense" game.

Juan Miranda(R, 2-3 5.74) - Ian Munson(R, 3-1 2.43) tomorrow. 11-game winner last season as a rookie.

SP Sam Griffin 6IP 7H 4R 4ER 0BB 1K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R
RF Ian Messer 3-5 R 2DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R 3RBI BB HR
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R BB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-5 RBI
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 R DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 RBI
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR MON: Benavides(6)
HR WSH: Saldana(9), Matsumura(2)
W: Sam Griffin(3-2 5.97) L: Steve Behanna(0-1 7.24) SV: Kevin Cowden(9 1.80)
A Benavides 3-run jack was needed to win this one…

May 15th

Expos Suffer 6-3 Road Loss

The Washington Nationals knocked off the Montreal Expos, 6-3, in Eastern League action at Nationals Park. Washington pitcher and Roanoke, Virginia, native Ian Munson had an outstanding performance. The win was credited to fireballing left-hander Pete Dimick in relief. His record improves to 1-1. Juan Miranda took the loss. With the win, Washington raised its record to 18-15.

A crucial at-bat came with a runner on 1st and no one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. That's when third baseman Kevin Jones hit a double. The Nationals went on to win.

"There's never a lack of effort in our clubhouse. We're willing to do the little things to get the win," Jones told the Washington Times. Following that double, Ryan Rasbach, the former Montreal Expos closer, came in for relief, and served up a 3-run home run to put this game out of reach.

Hagane Noguchi(R, 2-2 6.17) - Roland Morris(L, 3-1 3.15) tomorrow. He guchi. 2018 WL PotY and 5x All-Star

SP Juan Miranda 6IP 6H 4R 4ER 4BB 8K L
RF Ian Messer 0-2 2BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-2 R 2RBI BB HR HBP
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 R RBI HR
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4 DB
C Kevin Craddock 0-3 R BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-3
HR MON: Benavides(7), Ferguson(6)
HR WSH: McFayden(7), Newcomb(5)
W: Pete Dimick(1-1 7.71) L: Juan Miranda(2-4 5.79) SV: Zachary Welborn(12 2.08)
Rasbach blew that one, but the truth is, he was faced with two on and nobody out as Miranda was let out there over the breaking point.

Record: 17-17, 1st in EL Northeast, 0.5 game lead
Week: 2-3 (1-1@ ARI, 1-2@ WSH)
Power Rankings: #16(-4)
Runs scored: 142(7th)
Runs against: 146(9th)
Starters ERA: 4.53(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.00(4th)
Defensive Eff.: .704(6th)
Zone Rating: +8.0(6th)
Fan Interest: 82(+-0)

Who's hot?
1B Dave Grochowski 5G 10-21 .476 1HR 4RBIs
LF Ignacio Benavides 5G 10-20 .500 2HR 7RBIs

Who's not?
C Kevin Craddock 6G 3-25 .120 0HR 0RBI

News:
May 10th - Philadelphia Grizzlies SP Hugh Kieninger(26, 3.5/4*) had a big outing in a 4-0 win over Cincinnati, working 8.1 innings of 4-hit, 0BB and 9K ball. The 4th rounder in 2016 made his first start of the season as he missed 13 months with torn elbow ligaments.

May 13th - Cincinnati Eagles SP Matt Swanson(25, 3.5/4*) delivered a complete game 10-hitter with 0BB and 2K in a 5-0 win over Detroit. The 25th overall selection in the 2015 draft is 5-0 2.37 31K 0.7WAR in 7 starts.

May 15th – AA Golden Valley Blackbirds(MON) SP Ed Shaulis(23, 2.5/3*) pitched a complete game 1-hitter against the Anaheim Raiders(OAK), walking none and striking out 8 in a 4-0 win. The 6th rounder in the 2020 draft has developed nicely and is now 4-1 2.43 46K 1.9WAR in 7 starts in AA. In Baseball America’s dynamic top prospect list, he is listed as #105.

May 16th - Montreal LF Ignacio Benavides(25, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-20 2HR 7RBIs 4R. A trade acquisition from CIN in 2020, he is batting .270-7-19 .873OPS 0.9WAR in 30 games.

May 16th - Las Vegas 1B Pablo Mayorga(24, 3.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-29 5HR 11RBIs 6R. A prototypical first baseman, he is batting .294-9-25 .943OPS 1.2WAR in 34 games.

Next: 3vs Chicago Rangers(18-17), 4vs Pittsburgh Kings(20-15)

--

Wanna know how bad our division is? The Chicago Rangers are 18-17 and LAST in the EL Central. LAST. We are first with 17-17. Yet, positively, we finally get a PotW Award again after V-Rod got one last year.

[Griever20]

Week 7: 3vs Chicago Rangers(18-17), 4vs Pittsburgh Kings(20-15)

May 16th

Transactions:
1B Matt Talbert was sent back to AAA after batting .147-1-3 .459OPS in 14G/6GS, and 1B Cody Kerzner was FINALLY ready to return off the DL as his day-to-day injury took extra time to heal.

Expos Top Rangers, 5-4, with Kazemd Walk-Off Double

The Montreal Expos defeated the Chicago Rangers, 5-4, in 13 innings in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. Montreal pitcher Roland Morris had a standout performance. He worked 5.2 innings of 2-hit and 1-run ball, but got betrayed by Freddy Silva who allowed three earned in relief.

The winner was Montreal reliever Joe Herzer, now 2-1. The loser was Jared Hughes. The victory gives Montreal a record of 18-17.

The decisive blow was delivered by Mitku Kazemd in the bottom of the 13th when he hit a run-scoring double off six-time All-Star Jared Hughes to win the game for Montreal. The home crowd went nuts.

"We took home the win," said Kazemd. "What's not to like?" The 22-year old rookie is batting .229-2-11 .602OPS -0.1WAR in 33 games.

Victor Salgado(R, 4-2 2.17) - Dan Hinton(R, 2-1 4.22) tomorrow. Control pitcher that got lit for a 5.38ERA last season.

SP Roland Morris 5.2IP 2H 1R 1ER 4BB 6K ND PotG
RF Ian Messer 1-3 RBI mild hip strain 3 days
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 RBI BB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
DH Karl Ferguson 2-6 R 2DB
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-6 R RBI DB
C Kyle Barr 1-5 R RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 2R BB
SS Jose Robles 4-5 RBI 2DB
HR CHI: none
HR MON: none
W: Joe Herzer(2-1 3.10) L: Jared Hughes(0-1 2.70) SV: none
Morris was wild again, but lived at least through 5.2. Oh, Messer will not be put on the DL, he will play around his injury/he has to play through and be a tough guy.

May 17th

Hinton, Expos Mow Down Rangers, 11-1

Chicago had no answer for former first round draft pick Dan Hinton. The Montreal Expos starter stymied Rangers hitters, helping the Expos cruise to victory, 11-1. Hinton yielded 1 run over 7 innings to notch the win. He scattered 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 9. His record improves to 3-1. With the win, Montreal raised its record to 19-17.

Jose Robles had a big run-scoring double for the Expos in the bottom of the fourth inning. With Montreal leading 2-1 and a runner on 2nd, he got a sinker from Victor Salgado, who is tied for 3rd in the EL with a 0.91 WHIP, and swatted a double to left-center. It was his 9th double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 3-1. The light-hitting shortstop got his bat hot again, batting .229-2-7 .645OPS 0.5WAR after a slow start in April.

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

Jacob Smucker(R, 2-4 4.76) - Austin Roy(R, 2-2 3.66) tomorrow. 12-win pitcher in 2021, throws an assortment of six pitches.

SP Dan Hinton 7IP 4H 1R 0ER 2BB 9K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R RBI
RF Ian Messer 4-4 2R RBI 2DB sprained knee 3-4 weeks
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 2R RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 R 2RBO
DH Karl Ferguson 2-5 R 2RBI
C Kevin Craddock 1-5 R RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 R 2RBI DB
SS Jose Robles 2-3 R RBI BB 2DB
HR CHI: none
HR MON: none
W: Dan Hinton(3-1 3.62) L: Victor Salgado(4-3 2.92) SV: none
DANNY! Great start from him but… Ian Messer… the team trainer mumbled something about… overcompensating for the hip injury… should’ve taken him off the table for McCreery…

May 18th

Transactions:
After going back and fourth on a number of options, we put RF Ian Messer(.310-3-16 .848OPS) on the 10-day DL to fully heal his sprained body. Without much hype, we recalled LF/RF Huai-yu Mah(.221-2-10 .635OPS AAA). He will start in right field… the other option in AAA would’ve been 24-year old switch hitter Roberto Pedraza(.213-3-11 .593OPS AAA), a kid we got from Las Vegas way back in 2020. He was not putting up better numbers and is not on the 40-man so…

3x Gold Glover, 1x Silver Slugger, 4x All-Star and 6x World Series Winner Ricardo Acosta(.281/.354/.416 83HR 805RBIs, 2043H 67.2 WAR career) is a free agent… but wants $4.6M, forget it. We offered 29-year old Jason Antonsen a minor league contract. He never played in the majors and hit .247-3-23 .669OPS 17/23SB 2.0WAR in AAA last season and Dave G. likes him.

Expos Lose 4-2, Get Injury Scare

The Chicago Rangers picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, dropping the Montreal Expos, 4-2. Jacob Smucker, who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2013 draft, was the difference-maker. He worked 6.1 innings of 2-run ball and got the win.

"Winning never gets dull," said Smucker. Getting the save was Gianpaolo Saldana, his 1st. Chicago raised its record to 19-19 with the win.

Jesus Jaramillo, who is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, helped out the Chicago cause in the top of the fourth inning with a run-scoring single. For the game, the catcher was 1-4. He is batting .237-4-15 .779OPS 0.9WAR in 29 games.

The home team got quite a scare when starting pitcher Austin Roy left the game after the first inning after a defensive play where he stumbled and fell. He was later diagnosed with a sore ankle but won’t miss a start.

Joe Russo(R, 4-1 4.05) - Sam Griffin(R, 3-2 5.97) tomorrow. Will we ever see a lefty again?

SP Austin Roy 1IP 2H 1R 1ER 1BB 0K ND sore ankle 5 days
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R RBI HR
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R SB(1)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3
DH Karl Ferguson 0-3 BB
C Kevin Craddock 2-4
SS Jose Robles 1-3 DB
HR CHI: none
HR MON: Rodriguez(2)
W: Jacob Smucker(3-4 4.50) L: Ryan Rasbach(0-2 4.58) SV: Gianpaolo Saldana(1 0.90)
Never do this again to my heart. Roy will be fine as we have an offday next Monday. Oh, and Mah was 0-4 3K in his season debut.

May 19th

Ferguson Hits 2 home runs in Expos Win

The home crowd had a good time watching the Pittsburgh Kings and Montreal Expos get after it.

The Montreal Expos downed the Pittsburgh Kings, 6-1. The hitting star was designated hitter Karl Ferguson. Ferguson went 2-4 with 2 home runs. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice for the Expos. He is now batting .227-8-29 .797OPS 0.6WAR in 37 games.

Sam Griffin, the winner, goes to 4-2. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits, with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts over 7.2 innings. Glen McKeen closed it out for Montreal, earning his 1st save.

The Expos got a big at-bat from left fielder Ignacio Benavides. For the game, Benavides was 1 for 4 with a home run. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. In the bottom of the first, with a runner on 2nd, he stroked a 2-run home run. His 8th home run of the season gave Montreal a 2-0 lead.

"I like the vibe in the clubhouse after a win," said Benavides. "It sure beats the alternative."

Montreal now has a record of 20-18 with the win.

Jaylen Stewart(L, 4-2 4.66) - Juan Miranda(R, 2-4 5.79) tomorrow. Look, a lefty!

SP Sam Griffin 7.2IP 5H 1R 1ER 1BB 7K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R 2RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 4-4 2R DB SB(1)
DH Karl Ferguson 2-4 2R 4RBI 2HR
SS Jose Robles 1-3
HR PIT: none
HR MON: Benavides(8), Ferguson 2(8)
W: Sam Griffin(4-2 5.16) L: Joe Russo(4-2 4.21) SV: Glen McKeen(1 3.75)
I like this! Ferguson hitting for some power and positive WAR is a nice revelation and Grok is batting .417-4-22 1.069OPS so far this season… insane kid.

May 20th

Transaction:
LF Jason Antonsen(29, 2.5*) has signed a minor league contract and was assigned to AAA.

Kings Victorious at Montreal, in Tight Tilt

Both teams had their chances, but the Pittsburgh Kings eventually prevailed.

The Pittsburgh Kings, despite a fine performance by Montreal pitcher Juan Miranda, grabbed a 3-2 win at Olympic Stadium. Miranda allowed 3 runs over 6.1 innings. Jaylen Stewart, who is tied for 3rd in the EL in wins with 5, was the winner. He's now 5-2. The loser was Juan Miranda. T.J. Hoffman earned the save for Pittsburgh, his 12th.

Pittsburgh used a clutch at-bat from Elias Mora to capture the win. The catcher hammered a 2-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to put the Kings ahead, 3-2. It was his lone hit in 3 at-bats, but it was a humdinger.

"I'm just trying to make good contact," said Mora, "one at-bat at a time." The 2020 EL MvP is batting .287-7-19 .918OPS in 30 games.

The triumph puts Pittsburgh at 22-18 for the season.

Victor Alvarez(R, 3-2 2.98) - Roland Morris(L, 3-1 2.92) tomorrow. Alvarez is the better pitcher here…

SP Juan Miranda 6.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 3BB 8K L PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 R DB
RF Huai-Yu Mah 2-5 R DB
1B Cody Kerzner 3-3 RBI BB
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-3 RBI
HR PIT: Mora(7), Kersey(4)
HR MON: none
W: Jaylen Stewart(5-2 4.40) L: Juan Miranda(2-5 5.56) SV: T.J. Hoffman(12 4,.00)
Miranda didn’t deserve this loss. Maybe I should not have asked for a lefty?

May 21st

Kings Deal Expos 8-5 Loss, Hammer Morris, Cowden

Pittsburgh Kings starter Victor Alvarez found his groove in his team's 8-5 win over the Montreal Expos. With the win, Pittsburgh upped its record to 23-18.

Pittsburgh won the game in part because of Elias Mora. The catcher ripped a solo home run in the top of the tenth inning to put the Kings ahead, 3-2. For the game, Mora had 1 double and 1 home run in 5 at-bats.

"It doesn't matter if you're 10 games over .500 or 10 games under, it feels good to win," Mora told the Pittsburgh Daily.

It was a black day for Montreal pitching as starter Roland Morris needed 97 wild pitches to get through 3-1 innings and then, closer Kevin Cowden got lit for 6ER in the 10th to lose a long bullpen game for the Expos.

Jonathan Holder(R, 0-1 9.31) - Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 3.62) tomorrow. That pitching matchup should favor us…

SP Roland Morris 3.1IP 6H 2R 2ER 2BB 3K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 DB
RF Huai-Yu Mah 1-5 2R
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R RBI BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-4 3RBI DB
SS Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 2BB
LF Brian Schill 2-5
HR PIT: Mora(7), Kersey(4)
HR MON: none
W: Jordan Benson(2-0 2.60) L: Kevin Cowden(1-2 4.19) SV: T.J. Hoffman(13 4.19)
Morris was awful and that meant 6.2 innings for the bullpen… poor Kevin had nothing today. In other news, Grok is now at .421

May 22nd
Being in a 3-22 slump, Mitku Kazemd(.218-2-12 .563OPS -0.4WAR) was benched for Orlando Gonzalez(.220-0-0 .606OPS -0.1WAR)… desperation moves.

Slumping Expos Lose Three in a Row

The Montreal Expos were defeated, 2-1, by the Pittsburgh Kings at Olympic Stadium, even though Dan Hinton pitched well for Montreal. The righty pitched a complete game, 9IP 5H 2ER 2BB 4K and it still was not enough to collect a win.

Pittsburgh reliever Trevor Roark snagged the win, upping his record to 1-1. Dan Hinton shouldered the loss. The win puts Pittsburgh at 24-18 this season.

Pittsburgh used a well-timed hit by Jim Creamer to capture the win. The catcher socked a 2-run double in the top of the fifth inning to put the Kings ahead, 2-0. Though it was his only hit in 3 at-bats, it was important. The 24-year old is batting .217-0-5 .538OPS -0.3WAR in 13 games.

"Runs were at a premium," said Pittsburgh manager Randy Sandlin.

Austin Roy(R, 2-2 3.78) - Eddie Aguilera Jr.(R, 3-3 2.68) tomorrow. We beat him last week so…

SP Dan Hinton 9IP 5H 2R 2ER 2BB 4K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 DB
RF Huai-Yu Mah 2-4
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 BB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
C Kyle Barr 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R RBI BB
HR PIT: none
HR MON: Gonzalez(1)
W: Trevor Roark(1-1 3.00) L: Dan Hinton(3-2 3.38) SV: Juan Rodriguez(4 1.29)
Danny can’t buy a win huh. THE GUY PITCHED A COMPLETE GAME LOSS WITH HIS INJURY PRONE WRECK OF A BODY AND YOU CAN’T SCORE MORE THAN ONE RUN…

Record: 20-21, 2nd in EL Northeast, 0.5GB
Week: 3-4 (2-1vs CHI, 1-3vs PIT)
Power Rankings: #18(-2)
Runs scored: 174(6th)
Runs against: 169(9th)
Starters ERA: 4.15(10th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.17(5th)
Defensive Eff.: .711(4th)
Zone Rating: +9.5(6th)
Fan Interest: 83(+1)

Who's hot?
1B Dave Grochowski 6G 13-22 .591 0HR 2RBIs
LF Ignacio Benavides 5G 10-21 .476 1HR 3RBIs

Who's not?
C Kevin Craddock 6G 3-25 .120 0HR 0RBI

News:
May 17th - Arizona LF Miguel Martinez(31, 4.5*) hammered three home runs today in a 10-3 win over the Sacramento Cavaliers, going 3-5 3R 4RBI 3HR for the night. The 2x MvP is batting .320-12-33 .969OPS 1.7WAR in 35 games.

May 22nd - San Francisco C Danny Smith(26, 4.5*) collected a 5-hit game in a 11-4 win over the Gamblers, going 5-6 R 3RBI. The 2020 Silver Slugger is batting .313-8-29 .886OPS 1.4WAR in 33 games.

May 23rd - Boston 3B Tim Aguilar(34, 4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-25 4HR 6RBIs 6R. The biggest free agent signing of the winter, the 8x All-Star is batting .365-12-20 1.178OPS 2.3WAR in 31 games.

May 23rd - Kansas City 2B Curt Stillwell(30, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-23 2HR 9RBIs 5R. The 2021 WL All-Star is batting .333-5-15 1.064OPS in 16 games this season after missing five weeks with a fractured shoulder blade.

Next: 3@ Atlanta Minuteman(25-18), 4vs Boston Aeros(21-21)

--

The Boston Aeros had a 4-3 week and pushed ahead of us, and the next week will be crucial for the early season. For some reason, we have a double header scheduled in Saturday next week (these shedules give me a headache) and play another one on Monday, so five with the division leader.

[Griever20]

Week 8: 3@ Atlanta Minuteman(25-18), 4vs Boston Aeros(21-21)


May 23rd
Offday

May 24th

Expos Win as Roy Deals

Montreal got a strong outing from Austin Roy as the Expos defeated the Atlanta Minutemen, 2-1, at SunTrust Park. After leaving his last start injured, Roy showed no ill effects and pitched six innings 1-run ball and got his third win. Atlanta has now lost 4 straight.

"Tough loss," said Atlanta manager Tom Middleton. "This one will sting for a while."

Kevin Craddock had a direct impact on the outcome. Craddock contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth inning to put Montreal up, 1-0. He is batting .244-1-11 .668OPS 0.4WAR in 33 games and has significantly cooled off compared to April, but is still better than in 2021.

Sam Griffin(R, 4-2 5.16) - Marty Murrietta(R, 3-3 4.96) tomorrow. 11-game winner with a 3.50ERA, looking for a good start.

SP Austin Roy 6IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 5K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
RF Huai-Yu Mah 1-2 RBI SB(1)
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 RBI BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3R
HR MON: none
HR ATL: Witherell(3)
W: Austin Roy(3-2 3.52) L: Eddie Aguilera Jr.(3-4 2.66) SV: Kevin Cowden(10 3.98)
Roy with a great start, but the offense is concerning.

May 25th

Griffin with Complete Game as Expos Win, 5-1

Montreal Expos starter Sam Griffin found his groove in his team's 5-1 win over the Atlanta Minutemen. Griffin, who is tied for 2nd in the EL in complete games with 1, went the distance for Montreal. He gave up 1 run on 6 hits. Atlanta, at 25-20, has lost 5 straight.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Karl Ferguson? The Montreal designated hitter had a run-scoring double in the top of the fourth inning to put the Expos on top, 2-0. For the game, Ferguson had 1 double and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

"You need to show up when your number's called," said Ferguson. The 2019 EL Rookie of the Year is batting -224-8-31 .766OPS 0.4WAR in 42 games.

Juan Miranda(R, 2-5 5.56) - George Ostermeyer(R, 3-3 2.51) tomorrow. Their ace, very similar to Danny as he can be dominant, but is injury prone.

SP Sam Griffin 9IP 6H 1R 1ER 1BB 1K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 RBI DB
RF Huai-Yu Mah 3-5 R RBI
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R RBI BB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 RBI
DH Karl Ferguson 2-5 RBI DB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 BB
2B Robby Weltzer 0-2 2R 2BB SB(4)
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 R BB DB
HR MON: none
HR ATL: none
W: Sam Griffin(5-2 4.47) L: Marty Murrietta(3-4 4.76) SV: none
Griffin is IN SHAPE.

May 26th

Santa Cruz with the Walk Off to Avoid Sweep

The Atlanta Minutemen picked up a win at SunTrust Park, knocking off the Montreal Expos, 5-3. On the mound for Atlanta was right-hander George Ostermeyer. He played a key role in the triumph. He pitched 8.2 innings of 6-hit and 3ER ball and kept things close for the team to eventually win it.

"George had good stuff. When he did get into a compromising count, he made the most of it," said Atlanta manager Tom Middleton. The win elevated the Minutemen to 26-20.

Atlanta got a knockout punch from Jerry Santa Cruz. The second baseman hammered a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the game. It might've been his only hit, but it decided the outcome. A fourth rounder in 2016, he is batting .209-3-7 .646OPS 0.1WAR in limited action, only 16 games.

Scott Scanlon(R, 2-4 6.38) - Roland Morris(L, 3-1 3.12) tomorrow. AAAA starter at best.

SP Juan Miranda 6.1IP 5H 3R 3ER 1BB 5K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
DH Karl Ferguson 0-3 R 2BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-3
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 R
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R 3RBI HR
SS Jose Robles 1-4 DB
HR MON: Gonzalez(2)
HR ATL: Carmona(1), Santa Cruz(3)
W: Jaden Simon(3-0 0.00) L: Kevin Cowden(1-3 4.15) SV: none
Miranda got a good start under his belt, but we were limited to 7 hits for the day and Grok was 0-5, dropping below .400 in the batting average department. Boston for 4 next. This will be crucial as we are 1.5GB now.

May 27th

Boston Beats Offensively Challenged Expos, 4-1

The Boston Aeros defeated the Montreal Expos, 4-1, in Eastern League action at Olympic Stadium. Boston pitcher Scott Scanlon had a standout performance. He worked 7.1 innings of 6-hit ball and improved to 3-4 5.52 33K 0.2WAR in 9G/7GS.

Paul Ide earned his 8th save, after closing out the game. Boston has now won 4 in a row.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Tim Aguilar? The Boston third baseman had a run-scoring double in the top of the third inning to put the Aeros on top, 2-0. For the game, Aguilar had 1 double and 2 singles in 5 at-bats.

"We cashed in when we had the chance," said Boston manager Tony Rodriguez.

Tyrese Speed(R, 2-4 3.38) - Dan Hinton(R, 3-2 3.38) tomorrow. Duel of Aces.

SP Roland Morris 6.2IP 6H 3R 3ER 3BB 10K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 RBI TP
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 DB
3B Orlando Gonzalez 1-3
HR BOS: none
HR MON: none
W: Scott Scanlon(3-4 5.52) L: Roland Morris(3-2 3.24) SV: Paul Ide(8 4.88)
Aguilar is in our league and division for 35 games now and I already dislike him with everything I have…

May 28th

Dominant Performance by Hinton in Montreal Win

Montreal turned a good effort from starter Dan Hinton into a win over the Boston Aeros at Olympic Stadium. The final score was 3-0. Kevin Cowden closed out the game, earning his 11th save. The win for the Expos lifted their record to 23-23.

Hinton allowed no runs on 2 hits over 8 innings for the Expos. With the win, he is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.97.

"I'm happy we won," said Hinton. "That's first and foremost. My goal is for the team to win the day I pitch, however it's done." The ace moved to 4-2 2.97 61K 1.6WAR in 10 starts.

T.J. Birdwell(R, 1-0 1.57) - Chris Ball(R, DNP) later today. Claimed off waivers earlier this year, was in their bullpen for the year. Fun fact: Kid is 2.10m/6’11’’

SP Dan Hinton 8IP 2H 0R 0ER 2BB 10K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-3 R
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 R 2RBI BB TP
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 2DB
HR BOS: none
HR MON: none
W: Dan Hinton(4-2 2.97) L: Tyrese Speed(2-5 3.49) SV: Kevin Cowden(11 3.97)
DANNY!

Transactions:
In order to keep the rotation intact, we optioned Joe Herzer to AAA and recalled Chris Ball(23, 3*) to start the second game of the double header. Ball is 2-4 3.75 44K 1.1WAR in AAA and turned some heads earlier this season as he improved his fastball velocity from 94-96 to 95-97. We will reverse this after the game unless Ball pitches a no-hitter.

Aeros Take Down Expos, 4-3, in Tenth

The Boston Aeros picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, knocking off the Montreal Expos, 4-3. Starting pitcher T.J. Birdwell played a key role in the triumph. He pitched 7.1 innings of 1-run ball and outpitched Chris Ball in this one. With the victory, the Aeros upped their record to 26-22.

Who knows how it would've ended, had it not been for Manny Rodriguez? The 25-year old first baseman Rodriguez stroked a run-scoring double in the top of the tenth inning to put Boston up, 4-3. For the game, he was 2 for 5, including 1 double and 1 single. The DH is batting .306-6-20 .908OPS 1.1WAR in 30 games.

"We didn't go down without a fight," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. That is a true statement as first baseman Dave Grochowski tied the game in the bottom of the 9th with a 2-run double off former Montreal Expos pitcher Sam Rush.

Brian Peduzzi(R, 3-2 3.00) - Austin Roy(R, 3-2 3.52) tomorrow. Low Stamina arm that won 11 games last year…

SP Chris Ball 4.1IP 6H 2R 1ER 6BB 3K W
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 2R
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 2RBI DB
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR BOS: none
HR MON: none
W: Sam Rush(3-0 3.31) L: Freddy Silva(1-1 5.59) SV: none
Bloddy Sam Rush… Thanks for the innings Chris Ball, but those 6 walks in an important game were not impressive.

May 29th

Aeros Win Bullpen Day as Peduzzi Leaves after 3 Pitches

The Boston Aeros got a rain-soaked win over the Montreal Expos. It was a short outing for Brian Peduzzi as the righty left the game after three pitches with a shoulder problem. Add some rain delays, and you got a messy game in your hands.

The Boston Aeros still trumped the Montreal Expos, 5-3, at Olympic Stadium. Boston second baseman Mario Garcia was terrific. He was 2 for 2 with a triple and a walk. The 26-year old is batting .262-8-24 .803OPS 1.0WAR in 38 games.

"What's not to like about a win?" said Garcia. Boston is now 27-22, 3½ games up in the Eastern League North East Division.

Boston used the timely hitting of Manny Rodriguez to seize the win. The designated hitter stroked a 2-run single in the top of the seventh inning to put the Aeros on top, 5-3. It was his only hit in 5 at-bats, but it was a game-changer.

Patrick Kallemeyn(R, 4-1 5.77) - Sam Griffin(R, 5-2 4.47) tomorrow. Another lackluster pitcher for them…

SP Austin Roy 6.1IP 9H 5R 5ER 2BB 2K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 R RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R 2RBI HR
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4
C Kevin Craddock 1-3 BB
2B Mitku Kazemd 0-3 R BB SB(1)
RF Brian Schill 1-4
HR BOS: Beals(15)
HR MON: Gonzalez(3)
W: Hector Perez(2-2 5.22) L: Austin Roy(3-3 3.90) SV: Paul Ide(9 4.68)
Roy was lit up and should not have returned after a short rain delay…

Record: 23-25, 2rd in EL Northeast, 3.5GB
Week: 3-4 (2-1@ ATL, 1-3vs BOS)
Power Rankings: #21(-3)
Runs scored: 194(7th)
Runs against: 189(8th)
Starters ERA: 3.91(9th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.08(2nd)
Defensive Eff.: .711(5th)
Zone Rating: +11.9(3rd)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Dan Hinton 3G 2-1 0.75 23K 24IP
SP Sam Griffin 2G 2-0 1.08 16.2IP 8K

Who's not?
SS Jose Robles 10G 4-37 .108 0HR 0RBI
IF Mitku Kazemd 6G 3-25 .120 0HR 2RBIs
DH Karl Ferguson 8G 3-32 .093 0HR 1RBI

News:
May 24th - Las Vegas 1B Marvin Almanza(35, 3*) collected career hit #2000 today in a 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks today. A 2x MvP, 3x Gold Glover, 5x Silver Slugger and 9x All-Star is a career .309/.386.509 279HR 949RBI 2000H 1058R 118/155SB hitter in 1686 games, good for 55.1 career WAR. Bad news, he got injured on the day and is out for 3 weeks with a sprained ankle.

May 26th - Detroit SP Seth Dykstra(30, 5*) signed a 6y/$183M extension worth $30.5M p.a. to stay with the team that drafted him 2nd overall in 2010. A 4x Pitcher of the Year and 4x All-Star, he is a career 141-66 2.82 1695K 1889IP 267GS 49WAR pitcher and may be a future Wall of Legends player.

May 28th - Detroit SP Doug Williams(29, 2.5*) was visibly unhappy as he was pulled after eight no-hit innings with 2BB and 9K in a 4-0 win over the Washington Nationals. He was even more aggregated when RHRP Nelson Cardenas gave up the combined no-hitter to the Nats #9 hitter Victor Nieto.

May 30th - Boston 1B Manny Rodriguez(25, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 14-29 1HR 11RBIs 5R. Signed till 2029 on a cheap 8y/42.3M deal, he is batting .302-6-22 .889OPS 0.9WAR in 31 games.

May 30th - Sacramento Cavaliers 1B Kevin Rothe(24, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 10-21 2HR 6RBIs 3R. An elite contact hitter, he is batting .367-6-28 1.042OPS 2.1WAR in 43 games this season.

Next: 1vs Boston Aeros(27-22), 2vs Oakland Oaks(21-27), 3@ Detroit Trains(34-16)

--

When a player you played for four gets PotW, you are in trouble. Next week is another hard one as we would need to win one against Boston to stay close, and the Trains… could run us over big time.

[Griever20]

Bearcats Held Hitless by West
stadiumreport.bbn

May 30th, 2022

Dave West(31, 3.5*) of the Kansas City Royals was the King of the Hill at Kauffman Stadium.

The Kansas City starter dominated the Salt Lake City Bearcats, giving up zero hits in his 1-0 victory. This is his second no-hitter in his career, having pitched one in 2020 against Sacramento while in the uniform of San José.

"The toughest part was the last couple of innings," West recounted after the game. "You know you have a no-hitter going, and so does everybody in the ballpark. That was the hard part, keeping focused and concentrating while your heart is pounding."

West, who is tied for 5th in the WL with a 1.10 WHIP, recorded 10 strikeouts and 3 walks in the game.

This year, West has fanned 60 in 75.2 innings and collected a 4-1 record with a 2.14 ERA.

---

Montreal – Philadephia Trade: Quiroz for Verdugo
stadiumreport.bbn

May 30th, 2022

Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Expos announced today the acquisition of 19-year old minor league C Hector Verdugo(0.5/2.5*, R ball) from the Philadelphia Grizzlies in exchange for 23-year old minor league RHP Mike Quiroz(2.5*, 3-4 4.25 53K 0.9WAR AAA). "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Expos, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."

In addition to that deal, the Montreal Expos announced the release of several minor league players, including 2018 first round pick 2B Lee Shapiro(1.5/2*). The 22-year old never made much headway with the team and was banished to Short A after batting .181-3-12 .465OPS -0.8WAR in single A last season. The Expos paid a bonus of $3.49M for him back in 2018.

--

Cleaning house a bit. Quiroz is not a bad kid, but we have a flurry of younger, more talented kids coming through the system, and Mike would’ve been a minor league free agent this winter. His roster spot in AAA ultimately went to LHSP Rich Lange(21, 2/2.5*) who we got from KC last winter.

We have to clear some depth in AAA soon, too many 23-24 year olds that are not going to become regulars with us, and the wave of young talent coming through the minors.

[Griever20]

Week 9: 1vs Boston Aeros(27-22), 2vs Oakland Oaks(21-27), 3@ Detroit Trains(34-16)

May 30th
In a surprising move, the Miami Marlins placed LF/RF Nick Schluter(28, 3*) on waivers. The 28-year old has hit .258 in limited action this season and .274-6-43 .716OPS 18/18SB in 117 games in AAA last season. Dave Gomes thinks he is as good as any outfielder we have so we put in a claim.

Alexander Homers Twice as Aeros Beat Expos, 3-2

The Boston Aeros defeated the Montreal Expos, 3-2, at Olympic Stadium. Boston was led by two-time All-Star Kurt Alexander, who slugged 2 home runs. He drove in 3 runs and scored twice. Patrick Kallemeyn, who is tied for 5th in the EL in wins with 5, was the winning pitcher. Over 5.2 innings, he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. Paul Ide earned the save for Boston, his 10th.

Early in the game, Alexander had a 2-run home run for Boston. It was his 10th home run of the season and put the Aeros on top, 2-0.

"There's never a lack of effort in our clubhouse. We're willing to do the little things to get the win," Alexander told the Boston Herald. He 2x Silver Slugger is batting .238-10-29 .764OPS 0.3WAR in 47 games.

The Aeros bumped their record to 28-22 with this latest triumph.

Christian Cannata(R, 2-1 2.44) - Juan Miranda(R, 2-5 5.40) tomorrow. Kid got an ERA that is above his talent level.

SP Sam Griffin 7IP 7H 3R 3ER 1BB 4K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R SB(6)
1B Cody Kerzner 2-4 RBI
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 R DB
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-3 RBI BB SB(2)
CF Brian Schill 1-4
HR BOS: Alexander 2(10)
HR MON: none
W: Patrick Kallemeyn(5-1 5.44) L: Sam Griffin(5-3 4.40) SV: Paul Ide(10 4.50)
Those games against BOS start to hurt. We lacked offense again.

May 31st

Oaks Bridle Expos, 3-1

Oakland pitcher Christian Cannata did his part in helping his team beat the Montreal Expos, 3-1. The right-hander kept opposing batters from doing too much damage. In 5.2 innings, Cannata surrendered 8 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 0. He allowed 1 run.

"If you pitch well, you give yourself some opportunities," said Oakland manager Raul Quiles. Earning his 8th save of the year was Danny Arauz.

Oakland took advantage of an error in the top of the sixth inning. The game was tied, 1-1, when Brian Pfannenstiel hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put the Oaks in front, 2-1. A second rounder in 2014, he is batting .228-55-22 .640OPS -0.3WAR in 45 games.

The current losing streak for Montreal has reached 4 games.

Frank Galaz(L, 6-4 3.88) - Roland Morris(L, 3-2 3.24) tomorrow. Spoiler: One of them won PotM in May… not our guy.

SP Juan Miranda 6IP 5H 3R 3ER 3BB 5K L
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-4
2B Robby Weltzer 3-4
SS Jose Robles 1-4
HR OAK: none
HR MON: none
W: Christian Cannata(3-1 2.34) L: Juan Miranda(2-6 5.14) SV: Daniel Arauz(8 4.74)
Not a bad start by Miranda. We lack oompf.

News:
May 31st - Washington 1B Dave Newcomb(35, 2.5*) collected career hit #2500 today in a 9-6 win over the Grizzlies. The former Cincinnati and Montreal player was the 2009 EL RotY, 9x All-Star and 5x Silver Slugger and a career .306/.345/.535 463HR 1438RBIs 2500H 2024G 41.3WAR hitter.

May 31st - Atlanta SP Eddie Aguilera Jr.(25, 4*) pitched eight scoreless innings of 1-hit, 1BB and 10K ball while beating the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1. The 2x Gold Glover moved to 4-4 2.35 69K 2.2WAR in 10 starts.

END OF MAY

[Griever20]

Expos and Red Devils Trade Six Players!
stadiumreport.bbn

June 1st, 2022

Proving the old adage that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Expos announced today the acquisition of 19-year old minor league C Andy Beckmann(R, 19, 0.5/2.5* .184-1-2 .500OPS) and 24-year old minor league RHRP Dustin Jenkins(24, 2.5*, 0-0 1SVB 0.67 14K 13.1IP 0.3WAR) from the San Francisco Red Devils.

In exchange, the Red Devils receive 20-year old minor league RHSP Matt Porter(A, 20, 1.5/2.5*, 3-3 2.21 43K 0.5WAR), 30-year old RHRP Ryan Rasbach(30, 2.5*, 0-2 3.60 34K 0.1WAR), 26-year old minor league 2B David Quiros(AAA, 26, 2.5*, .241-0-1 .611OPS 0.0WAR), and 27-year old CF Brian Schill(27, 2*, .257-3-10 .689OPS 0.9WAR). "This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Expos, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."

In corresponding moves, the Montreal Expos signed free agent CF Chris Allen(24, 2/2.5*) and put him on the major league roster. The former 13th round pick hit .167 in 18 games with Cincinnati this season and .280 with Oakland last season, but was eventually released four days ago.

Dustin Jenkins was placed on the 40-man and activated to take the roster spot of Ryan Rasbach. A 23rd round pick in 2019, the righty shot through the minors, never posting an ERA over 2.50 and posting positive WAR values every season.

--

Dead wood. Ryan Rasbach had to be packaged with something that had value, and we decided that Matt Porter was something that has value. He is the #231 prospect and was as high as #66 last year, but his star has fallen a lot since then as his secondary pitches had continued to falter, and I have a strong opinion about starters with a stamina rating below 50…

Dave Quiros was done with us and was only taking a roster spot in AAA as we have a duo of strong 2B in AA, and Brian Schill is slated for $2M in arbitration next season… too much for a 2* backup outfielder, albeit a flashy one.

News:
Nick Schluter was claimed by Memphis, so he is gone, and good news, RF Ian Messer made miracle recovery and will be back in four days.

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Boston 2B Tim Aguilar(34, 4.5*) .372-7-12 1.168OPS 2.0WAR Feels like most of those hits against us…
Pitcher of the Month: Cincinnati RHSP Matt Swanson(25, 3.5/4*) 5-0 2.28 20K 43.2IP 0.6WAR Perfect 8-0, leads EL in Wins
Rookie of the Month: Montreal 1B Dave Grochowski(23, 3.5*) -442-2-17 1.505OPS 1.6WAR Leads EL in AVG(.393), OBP(.448), 2nd in OPS(.981)

WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Arizona RF Miguel Martinez(31, 4,5*) .360-11-23 1.107OPS 2.2WAR 2x MvP, 4x Silver Slugger and 7x All-Star
Pitcher of the Month: Oakland LHSP Frank Galaz(29, 4*) 5-0 1.54 32K 5GS 35IP 1.0WAR All-Star in 2019, only 6-4 3.88 for the season.
Rookie of the Month: Padres RHSP Griffin Welsh(24, 2.5*) 3-1 2.27 25K 35.2IP 0.2WAR Fragile, flyball pitcher.

That went down the drain rather quickly. A 11-17 month puts us down into 3rd in the division, and if we don’t win, the division, no playoffs. No playoffs means we would be sellers at the deadline. We aren’t selling bit yet tho, but we are re-adjusting things and looking to sort the roster out, which was why Rasbach and Schill flew off the roster the last days, and we will continue to look for small deals. This is the time where I look closely at the upcoming free agent list for our org, especially if we are not contending. Feeling way more comfortable to do so now tho as I’m in the job for a second year and know the team.

That being said, we have a draft upcoming in six weeks and the second overall pick and a lot of preparation to do as well. Our scouting department has identified five main targets, two starters and three hitters, all infielders. Only one of them, a second baseman, is a college player with only average defense at second base… I kinda want a college player to insert him into the rising level of our minor league system, but I also want to take the best player… more soon as we are finishing our draft board as we speak.

Pitching:

DL: SP Danny Sandoval(24, 2/2.5*) ruptured UCL 4 weeks DNP

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
RHSP Juan Miranda 6 L – tied 2nd
RHSP Sam Griffin 0.9 BB/9 – 2nd
LHSP Roland Morris .193 OAVG – 4th

Having two months of a healthy Dan Hinton surely is a treat that helps us to keep afloat and out of those prolonged losing streaks. Things behind him are fine, Roland Morris still looks like someone who is going to get shelled very soon as his BABIP and OAVG indicate that he has been VEERY lucky, and for Miranda, things should go the other way.

For the bullpen, things are moving along fine. Ryan Rasbach will be missed and with Dustin Jenkins, we are taking a chance here, but McCreery was insistent to get his hands on him. What we lack right now is a prototypical long reliever/emergency starter, but there is no one I’d sent down for that. Not even Freddy Silva, a guy McCreery really likes and whose FIP is better than his ERA by 2.

Our AAA options are doing fine, and especially our AAA RHCL Bill Bell(0-5 7SV 20K 21.2IP 0.2WAR) shows some promise for a 22-year old, but his splitter still needs a lot of work to fulfil his potential… he won’t fool major league hitters with a fastball only.

Position Players:

DL: RF Ian Messer(26, 2.5*) sprained knee 4 days .310-3-16 .848OPS 34G/34GS 1.2WAR

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
1B Dave Grochowski .393 Batting Average – 1st
1B Dave Grochowski .448 OBP – 1st
1B Dave Grochowski .981 OBP – 2nd
1B Dave Grochowski 64 H – 1st
1B Dave Grochowski 177 OPS+ – 2nd
1B Dave Grochowski 1.97 WPA – 1st
RF Ian Messer .310 Batting Average – 4th
CF Vicente Rodriguez .308 Batting Average – 5th
DH Karl Ferguson 31 RBI’s – tied 4th

All hail Dave Grochowski, the best hitter of all times. Just kiddin’. Having someone in the team that is able to hit the ball a lot surely helps, but he will regress eventually and we will have to look elsewhere for that extra production. As for our problem kids from 2021, Ian Messer’s first 34 games indicate that he has turned things around somewhat and is his 2020 self again, but Karl Ferguson is a mixed back. The 8 home runs and the 31RBI’s are fine, but his .198 BA put him at a -0.1WAR… and we extended him for some bucks…

The other big hole in our lineup is at short with Jose Robles but the kid is a +4,1 zone rating, and apart from a trade or a waiver wire claim, there are little options to chance that. Yes, we have a Gold Glove(70/75 Def at SS) calibre middle infielder Josh Donald in AAA… hitting .175 there. Nope. And Hernandez will stay in AAA.

Prospect Watch:
AAA SS Julian Hernandez(2.5/3.5*) .319-5-15 .860OPS 45G 9/12SB 2.7WAR
AA LHSP Brett Asselin(2.5/4.5*) 1-4 1.93 64K 70IP 10GS 1.6WAR
AA RHSP Jorge Estrella(2.5/3*) 2-5 4.20 26K 55.2IP 9GS 0.8WAR
AA RHSP Ed Shaulis(2.5/3*) 5-1 2.26 53K 71.2IP 9GS 2.2WAR
A 1B Joe Townsend(1.5/3.5*) .160-4-9 .524OPS 43G -0.1WAR
A RHSP Alejandro Corral(2/3.5*) 3-2 2.05 42K 48.1IP 9G 0.8WAR
A LF Santiago Rodriguez(2/3.5*) .215-5-15 .619OPS 40G 4/4SB 0.0WAR
R CF Tyler Dean(19, 1.5/5*) .190-6-12 .621OPS 2/4SB 43G 2.4WAR
R SS Manny Ramirez(0.5/5*) .155-1-4 .394OPS 1/2SB 43G 0.99WAR

Our AA Pitching Coach Matthew Krome seems to be doing a hell of a job with the pitching staff as both Asselin and Mike Estrella improved this month and Asselin may make his way to the AAA roster come July 1st if he continues his hot form.

The Single A Newark Ducks kids are struggling a bit with the higher level and we may just sent Townsend and Rodriguez back to Short A Mill City when their season starts on the 21st of June, but Corral is doing just fine. Looking at the records, only Single A is above .500 with AA only 2 games below, but our AAA team is a hot mess despite having a pretty solid, young roster… Their first-year Manager Alex Villacis will get some more time, his skills are excellent, but he is very young.

[Griever20]

Week 9: 1vs Boston Aeros(27-22), 2vs Oakland Oaks(21-27), 3@ Detroit Trains(34-16)

June 1st

Oaks Take Home 4-2 Win Over Montreal

Oakland left fielder Josh Stanley played a vital role in his team's 4-2 conquest of Montreal. He went 1-5 with a home run. He drove in 3 runs and scored once for Oakland. Danny Arauz earned the save, his 9th. Montreal has now lost 5 consecutive games.

With Oakland trailing 2-0 in the top of the fifth, Stanley hit a slider from Roland Morris for a 3-run home run. It was his 5th home run of the season and put the Oaks ahead, 3-2. The 24-year old is batting .205-5-19 .638OPS -0.4WAR in 38 games.

After the game, Oakland manager Raul Quiles applauded the team's effort. "They busted their tails out there," he said. That was especially true for the Oakland bullpen as they had to cover 8.2IP with starter Frank Galaz leaving the game after five pitches with a hammy strain.

Dan Hinton(R, 4-2 2.97) - Doug Williams(R, 5-2 4.20) the days after tomorrow. We need Danny to buy us a win here…

SP Roland Morris 5IP 7H 4R 4ER 3BB 5K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 BB
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4 R RBI DB
3B/SS Orlando Gonzalez 1-3 RBI BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-4
HR OAK: Stanley(5), Miller(3)
HR MON: none
W: Orlando Soto(3-0 3.98) L: Roland Morris(3-3 3.60) SV: Daniel Arauz(9 4.56)
The positive from this game… four scoreless by our bullpen.

June 2nd
Offday

June 3rd

With Late Score, Expos Beat Trains

The Montreal Expos defeated the Detroit Trains by the score of 4-3, with the biggest share of the credit going to right fielder Huai-yu Mah. Mah went 3 for 4 with a home run, 2 singles, and was hit by a pitch. He drove in 2 runs and scored once for the Expos on the day. By defeating Detroit, the third-place Expos improved to 24-28.

Had Mah not come through in the top of the eighth, who knows how the game would've ended? But with two down, Mah hit a run-scoring single. The Expos took the lead, 4-3, and never looked back.

"I was just going up there trying to see good pitches, that was about it," said Mah. The Taiwanese outfielder is batting .263-1-5 .651OPS 0.0WAR in 15 games.

Austin Roy(R, 3-3 3.90) - Bret Engling(L, 6-2 3.03) tomorrow. 3x All-Star with a lot of groundballs.

SP Dan Hinton 6IP 10H 3R 3ER 0BB 6K ND
RF Huai-yu Mah 3-4 R 2RBI HR SB(3) PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-4 R BB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-2 R 2BB
PH/1B Cody Kerzner 1-1
DH Karl Ferguson 3-5 2RBI DB
2B Robby Weltzer 2-5 SB(7)
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-3 R BB DB SB(3)
HR MON: Mah(1)
HR DET: none
W: Joe Herzer(3-1 2.15) L: Nelson Cardenas(1-1 5.47) SV: Kevin Cowden(12 3.80)
Hinton did his job and Mah stepped up at the right time before he will be sent down to AAA.

June 4th

Trains Win Despite Roy’s Big Start, 2-1

The Montreal Expos wasted an impressive 7.2-inning effort from starter Austin Roy, falling, 2-1, to the Detroit Trains at Comerica Park. The right-hander allowed 5 hits and 2ER with one walk and 6 strikeouts. With the win, Detroit upped its record to 36-19.

Had Anthony Mason not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the seventh, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and a runner on 2nd, Mason hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 2-1, in favor of the Trains. Their young 21-year old designated hitter Victor Munoz added a solo home run, and the rest was pitching, especially the Detroit that had to cover 8.1IP due to injury to Bret Engling.

"I like our moxie," said Trains manager Andy Musa.

Sam Griffin(R, 5-3 4.40) - Seth Dyksta(R, 6-3 2.39) tomorrow. 4x PotY.

SP Austin Roy 7.2IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 6K L PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4
DH Karl Ferguson 2-4 R RBI HR
1B Cody Kerzner 1-4
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 SB(8)
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-2
PH/3B Dave Grochowski 1-1
HR MON: Ferguson(9)
HR DET: Munoz(7)
W: Antonio Pineda(1-0 2.77) L: Austin Roy(3-4 3.72) SV: Elliot Malloy(19 2.17)
Roy was dealing against a contender, but we could not break through their bullpen…

June 5th

Transactions:
LF/RF Huai-yu Mah(.271-1-5 .662OPS 0.0WAR) was sent back to AAA and RF Ian Messer(.310-3-16 .848OPS 1.2WAR) was activated and placed back into the lineup immediately.

Expos Win Game, 5-2, Lose Messer Again

Montreal pitcher Sam Griffin had a large part in his team beating the Detroit Trains, 5-2. The right-hander kept opposing batters in check throughout the game, pitching 7 innings of 5-hit and 1-run ball while striking out 4. Today's win puts Montreal at 25-29, while Detroit falls to 36-20.

"When Sam is on, he can really move the ball around," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

The Expos picked up the win with a combination of good hitting and good pitching, however they lost a good hitter today. In his first game off the DL, Ian Messer was hit by a pitch on his foot and will be out for 4 weeks with a fractured foot..

Juan Miranda(R, 2-6 5.14) - Andy Spicer(R, 4-4 4.70) tomorrow. Tagged him for 6ER last time.

SP Sam Griffin 7IP 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 4K W PotG
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-1 RBI 2HBP fractured foot 4 weeks
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 BB SB(2)
DH Karl Ferguson 2-4 2R BB DB
2B Robby Weltzer 3-4 2R RBI DB SB(9)
3B Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R 2RBI DB
HR MON: none
HR DET: Velez(5), Armijo(9)
W: Sam Griffin(6-3 4.08) L: Seth Dykstra(6-4 2.72) SV: Kevin Cowden(13 3.75)
We can’t hit garbage pitchers but tag Dykstra for 5ER… By the way, you read that correctly, Messer was hit twice by them and we by the way retaliated with two by ourselves. Surprisingly, nobody got ejected.

Record: 25-29, 3rd in EL Northeast, 5GB
Week: 2-4 (0-1vs BOS, 0-2vs OAK, 2-1@ DET)
Power Rankings: #21(+-0)
Runs scored: 209(10th)
Runs against: 206(6th)
Starters ERA: 3.86(8th)
Bullpen ERA: 2.88(3rd)
Defensive Eff.: .712(5th)
Zone Rating: +12.6(3rd)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
RF Ian Messer 7G 12-24 .500 0HR 4RBI

Who's not?
CF Chris Allen 9G 4-26 .153 0HR 0RBI
C Kyle Barr 8G 2-23 .086 0HR 1RBI
C Kevin Craddock 5G 1-20 .050 0HR 0RBI
SS Jose Robles 9G 2-28 .071 0HR 0RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 5G 2-21 .095 0HR 0RBI

News:
June 5th - Miami 1B Joey Lawrence(32, 3.5*) collected career home run #300 today in a 10-8 victory over Toronto. The 2013 Rookie of the Year with Cincinnati is a career .278/.357/.517 300HR 871RBIs 1413H 149/202SB hitter in 1352 games, good for 29.9WAR.

June 6th - Cincinnati 1B Leo Ramos(34, 3.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 8-21 5HR 11RBIs 5R. The veteran 2x MvP is batting .246-13-31 .865OPS 1.1WAR in 46 games.

June 6th - Denver Seahawks 1B Devin Grose(37, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-28 4HR 6RBIs 8R. A future Wall of Legends player, he is batting .237-12-38 .785OPS 0.8WAR in 51 games.

Next: 4@ Cincinnati Eagles(31-24), 3@ Pittsburgh Kings(31-23)

--

Transactions:
Ian Messer was placed on the 10-day IL and Huai-yu Mah was recalled… nuff said.
In addition to that, Jose Robles(.192-2-7 .531OPS) was banished to the pine with Orlando Gonzalez(.274-3-9 .827OPS) moving to short and Mitku Kazemd(.215-2-12 .554OPS) playing 3B again. Yes, I’m desperate.

[Griever20]

Week 10: 4@ Cincinnati Eagles(31-24), 3@ Pittsburgh Pirates(31-23)

June 6th

Eagles Beat Expos, 8-3, Behind Spicer

The Cincinnati Eagles picked up a win at Eagles Stadium, dropping the Montreal Expos, 8-3. Andy Spicer, who is tied for 10th in the EL with a 8.6 K/9 rate, was the difference-maker. He worked 8IP 6H 3ER 1BB 6K. The win elevated the Eagles to 32-24.

Alberto Lopez helped his team take an early lead with a run-scoring single. It came in the first inning, making the score 2-0, Eagles.

"It's nice to deliver when your team's counting on you," said Lopez. Their designated hitter, Lopez is batting .253-6-24 .743OPS 0.4WAR in 51 games.

Roland Morris(L, 3-3 3.60) - Jimmy McMahon(R, 5-4 3.50) tomorrow. Fan Favorite for them, and is having his best season.

SP Juan Miranda 1.2IP 6H 5R 5ER 2BB 2K L
RF Huai-yu Mah 2-4 2DB
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 0-3 R BB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 RBI DB BB
SS Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 R RBI DB HR
HR MON: Benavides(9), Gonzalez(4)
HR CIN: none
W: Andy Spicer(5-4 4.56) L: Juan Miranda(2-7 5.77) SV: none
Miranda is really struggling…

June 7th

Expos Hammered by Ramos, Eagles

Leo Ramos was a vital contributor to the 12-3 Cincinnati victory over Montreal. The Eagles first baseman went 2-5 with 2 home runs, while adding 5 RBI and scoring twice. He is batting .256-15-38 .903OPS 1.4WAR in 48 games.

Jimmy McMahon got credit for the win, improving to 6-4. He allowed 3 runs on 10 hits in 6.2 innings. The win gives Cincinnati a season record of 33-24.

Early in the game, designated hitter Alberto Lopez had a 2-run double for Cincinnati. It was his 12th double of the season and put the Eagles on top, 2-0.

Said Cincinnati manager Jason Swarens: "We squared some balls up."

Dan Hinton(R, 4-2 3.10) - Ramon Ruedas(R, 3-5 4.39) tomorrow. Wrecked body, but a 2017 WL PotY.

SP Roland Morris 3IP 5H 7R 7ER 2BB 3K L
RF Huai-yu Mah 2-5
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 2BB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-4 RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 3-3 R BB
SS Orlando Gonzalez 2-4 RBI
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4 R RBI HR
HR MON: Kazemd(3)
HR CIN: Lozano(3), Ramos 2(15)
W: Jimmy McMahon(6-4 3.54) L: Roland Morris(3-4 4.50) SV: none
Jep. Back to sucking again.

June 8th

Expos Lose Third in a Row to Eagles, 5-2

Cincinnati right-hander Ramon Ruedas pitched his team to victory over the Montreal Expos at Eagles Stadium. The final score was 5-2. The victory gives Cincinnati a record of 34-24.

Leo Ramos, who finished 2nd in the EL in runs with 113 in 2017, chipped in a run-scoring single for Cincinnati in the bottom of the third. For the game, the first baseman had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 3 RBI.

Ramos called the win "a team effort." He is now batting .261-116-41 .922OPS 1.6WAR in 49 games.

Austin Roy(R, 3-4 3.72) - Matt Swanson(R, 9-0 2.61) tomorrow. Soon to be 10-0.

SP Dan Hinton 7IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 3K L
RF Huai-yu Mah 2-4
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-3 BB
DH Karl Ferguson 1-3 R RBI DB BB
C Kevin Craddock 2-4
3B Mitku Kazemd 1-4 RBI DB
HR MON: none
HR CIN: Ramos(16)
W: Ramon Ruedas(4-5 4.04) L: Dan Hinton(4-3 3.26) SV: none
And our stopper is not working.

June 9th

Swanson Moves to 10-0 as Eagles Sweep Expos

Cincinnati got a first-rate effort from pitcher Matt Swanson, who frustrated Montreal hitters en route to a 2-0 Eagles triumph at Eagles Stadium. With the win, Cincinnati pushed its record to 35-24.

Swanson, a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, was dealing all game. He kept Montreal hitters off-balance, while giving the Eagles 7.1 quality innings. Swanson threw 101 pitches, allowing 3 hits and striking out 6.

"I found a nice groove out there," said Swanson. He improved to 10-0 2.38 53K 1.1WAR in 12 starts, leading the EL in Wins and quality starts(11).

Sam Griffin(R, 6-3 4.08) - Brent Perino(R, 6-4 3.31) tomorrow. Fastball merchant that had a 4.04ERA last year.

SP Austin Roy 7IP 4H 2R 2ER 2BB 3K L
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-3
HR MON: none
HR CIN: Mancillas(2)
W: Matt Swanson(10-0 2.38) L: Austin Roy(3-5 3.62) SV: Ray Rosario(14 2.93)
April was such a nice month.

June 10th

Kinds Pop Expos, 10-1

The Pittsburgh Kings beat the Montreal Expos, 10-1. Pittsburgh pitcher and Santa Ana, California, native Brent Perino led the way. The winner was Perino. He threw 8.0 innings of 4-hit ball. The loser was Sam Griffin. Pittsburgh now has a record of 33-25 with the win.

Pittsburgh right fielder Angelo Paima delivered a solo home run in the bottom of the third. Overall, he went 3 for 5, picking up 1 home run, 1 single, and 1 double. He scored 3 runs and knocked in 1. The 25-year old is batting .244-7-25 .747OPS 0.7WAR in 48 games.

Kings manager Randy Sandlin had nothing but praise for his players after an impressive win, calling the result one of the team's best performances of the season. "Everything just came together on our end," he said. "I didn't need to do too much."

Juan Miranda(R, 2-7 5.77) - Jon Russo(R, 6-2 3.31) tomorrow. 2018 EL All-Star

SP Sam Griffin 3.2IP 9H 6R 4ER 0BB 3K L
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 RBI
3B Mitku Kazemd 0-3 BB
C Kevin Craddock 1-4
SS Jose Robles 1-2 R 2SB(3)
HR MON: none
HR PIT: Paima(7), Mora(10), Adler 2(11)
W: Brent Perino(7-4 3.08) L: Sam Griffin(6-4 4.38) SV: none
We stopped hitting all together.

June 11th

Kings Get Riveting Walk-Off Win in 14

The fans at PMC Park witnessed quite a game.

The Pittsburgh Kings overcame a big game from Montreal first baseman Dave Grochowski to pick up a win at PMC Park. The final score was 7-6, Pittsburgh, in 14 innings. Grochowski was 2-3 with a home run, a double, and 3 walks, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once. The winner was Pittsburgh reliever Daniel Gonzalez, now 2-0. The loser was Glen McKeen.

The decisive blow was delivered by Alex Elizalde in the bottom of the 14th when he hit a run-scoring double off 23-year old left-handed pitcher John Mannino to win the game for Pittsburgh. The home crowd went nuts.

"This place went bonkers at the end," Elizalde said. The 2020 EL Wildcard Series MvP is batting 318-4-11 1.444OPS 0.7WAR in 5 games.

This loss makes it 6 in a row for Montreal.

Roland Morris(L, 3-4 4.50) - Humberto Ybarra(R, 1-0 1SV 6.05) tomorrow. Basically their long man for years.

SP Juan Miranda 6IP 5H 4R 3ER 1BB 4K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-7 R TP
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-6 BB
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-3 R 4BB SB(3)
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 R 3RBI 3BB DB HR PotG
C Kevin Craddock 2-6 R BB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-7 RBI
SS Orlando Gonzalez 1-6
3B Mitku Kazemd 2-6 R 2RBI HR
HR MON: Grochowski(5), Kazemd(4)
HR PIT: Elizalde(4), Howe 2(6), Paima(8)
W: Daniel Gonzalez(2-0 1.21) L: Glen McKeen(2-2 2.79) SV: none
We can’t buy a win this week…

June 12th

Kings Seal 0-7 Week for Expos

The Pittsburgh Kings beat the Montreal Expos, 9-5, at PMC Park. The win was due in part to right fielder Angelo Paima, who was 2-3 with a home run and a walk. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. The 25-year old is batting .250-9-28 .787OPS 0.9WAR in 50 games.

Juan Rodriguez was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 5 of 5 save opportunities. The Expos, at 25-36, have lost 7 in a row.

Paima contributed a big hit, a 2-run home run, for Pittsburgh in the bottom of the third. With his team trailing 4-3, Paima took a fastball from Roland Morris and stroked the home run to right. His 9th home run of the season allowed the Kings to leap in front, 5-4.

Said losing manager Aaron McCreery: "These are the grinding hard days that all good teams go through, and this is when we've got to stick together and believe in one another."

Dante Gomez(R, DNP) - Dan Hinton(R, 4-3 3.26) tomorrow. 4th NMLB start for the 23-year old kid.

SP Roland Morris 2.1IP 5H 5R 5ER 2BB 4K ND
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5
RF Huai-yu Mah 1-5
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 2R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R RBI BB DB
DH Karl Ferguson 3-5 R 3DBI DB HR
C Kyle Barr 1-3 R DB HBP
2B Robby Weltzer 2-4 RBI SB(10)
HR MON: Ferguson(10)
HR PIT: Cruz(6), Adler(12), Paima(9), Franklin(1)
W: Trevor Roark(2-0 1.21) L: Joe Herzer(3-2 2.70) SV: Juan Rodriguez(5 0.92)
0-7. Agony.

Record: 25-36, 3rd in EL Northeast, 8.5GB
Week: 0-7 (0-4@ CIN, 0-3@ PIT)
Power Rankings: #29(-8)
Runs scored: 229(10th)
Runs against: 259(11th)
Starters ERA: 4.28(13th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.29(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .708(7th)
Zone Rating: +12.7(3rd)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
RF Ian Messer 7G 12-24 .500 0HR 4RBI

Who's not?
LHSP Roland Morris 2G 0-1 20.25 5.1IP 7K
CF Chris Allen 12G 4-36 .111 0HR 0RBI
SS Jose Robles 11G 3-34 .088 0HR 0RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 6G 3-29 .103 0HR 0RBI

News:
June 10th - Denver LF Armando Caraza(28, 3.5*) collected 3 home runs in a 7-5 win over the Chicago Rangers, going 4-5 3RBI 4R for the night. The 4x All-Star is batting .287-11-33 .894OPS 2.0WAR.

June 10th – In the same game, Denver 1B Jeff Urban(34, 4.5*) collected his 2000th hit. The 2013 WL MvP, 9x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger, and 2011 WL Rookie of the Year is a career .304/.400/.521 275HR 994RBI 2000H 473/561SB 69.3WAR in 1672 games.

June 11th - Seattle 1B Toki Asakura(35, 4*) belted home run #300 today in a 11-9 win over Portland. The 2015 WL MvP, 2013 WL RotY, 4x Gold Flover, 2x Silver Slugger and 6x All-Star is a career .285/.379/.526 300HR 946RBI 1474H 56/112SB 39.1WAR hitter in 1399 games.

June 13th - Cincinnati 1B Leo Ramos(34, 3.5*) was
named EL Player of the Week after going 13-27 5HR 14RBIs 9R. The 6x All-Star is batting .278-18-45 .968OPS 2.0WAR in 53 games.

May 30th - Seattle 1B Toki Asakura(35, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-23 4HR 10RBIs 7R. The 4x Gold Glover is batting .239-7-23 .732 0.7WAR in 59 games.

Next: 3vs Detroit Trains(38-24), 3@ San José Killer Whales(26-36)

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Excuse me, on the phone. Trading the whole team for Rick Vaughn and Pedro Cerrano.