The Montreal Expos... Exposing the New MLB?

[Griever20]

Preseason Prediction:
84-78, 3rd in EL Northeast, 9G behind New York Mets

Predicted Top Players:
RHSP Dan Hinton 16-6 2.81 222K 217.2IP

So, we are predicted to pick up five wins compared to 2022 and Danny being a stud. The wins are based on not allowing a lot of runs and having the best ERA in the EL, which would be insanely good. The offense is the problem… I trust our kids.

The huge questions going into 2022 are:
Will Dan Hinton stay healthy and stay productive? (as every year)
Can Ignacio Benavides make the next step?
Will the kids (Asselin, Hernandez, Perez provide a spark?
Can Grok be remotely close to what he did last season?
How will our prospects fare in the minor leagues?

The Division:

The Toronto Blue Jays(74-88) fought with us at the bottom of the division and became out bogey team last year, but their fortunes are not expected to turn around this year. At a 75-win mark in the predictions with 1B Mario Lopez(25, 3/3.5* .272-28-71 .850OPS 1.6WAR) predicted as a top player and struggling righty Paul Davis(23, 3*, 4-11 5.18 ) and 2019 EL MvP 1B Mike Massie(29, 3.5*, .288-22-63 .848OPS 1.9WAR), they have a good core, but lack a bit more.

Philadelphia(87-75) should repeat their strong season that won them the division with exactly 87 wins and their top players are plenty with LHSP Ruben Torrez(23, 4/5*, 9-6 3.24 154K 4.5WAR), LF Alejandro Cano(23, 4*, .282-37-112 .895OPS 5.3WAR) and 1B Jose Maldonado(25, 4*, .291-8-68 .820 53/61SB 5.3WAR). There have two more strong arms and a deep lineup that is better than ours for sure…

The Boston Aeros (86-76) were pretty solid last season but sold off a lot of their ageing core last season, but they still have some good talent that makes me doubt the harsh 66-96 prediction. Opening day starter Tyrese Speed(26, 3*, 12-11 3.72 205K 3.2WAR) had a career year in 2021 and we have already grown to hate 1B Tim Aguilar(.295-29-76 .919 5.3WAR), the former 2015 EL MvP.

The New York Mets(72-90) hope to rebound finally after not making the playoffs the last two seasons and Vegas has them at 93 wins, pointing at 2020 6th overall pick CF Abel Lemke(24, 4*, .257-10-45 .681OPS 46/52SB 5.2WAR) becoming even better and 2x batting champ 1B Bernie Castillo(26, 4*, .310-16-74 .815OPS 4.4WAR) rebounding to his .330+ batting ways, as well as C Mario Toscano(26, 5*, .228-+12-49 .677OPS 2.9WAR) going back to hit for .800OPS or higher…

Top Position Player

Top Pitcher

Next Up: OPENING DAY ROSTER

[Griever20]

Your 2023 Montreal Expos:

Starting Pitching

LHSP Brett Asselin(23, 3/4*) 3-4 2.52 88K 93IP 15GS 1.5WAR (AAA) // DNP (career) #12 prospect
Asselin is one of three big youngsters making their way to the majors, and we hope that he will become the lefty ace to complement Danny. The changeup is his bread-and-butter out pitch with a mid 90’s fastball, a sinker, a splitter and a knuckle curve making out a deep arsenal to choose from. He has still room for growth in all areas but he is ready and we love his clubhouse presence as a leader. #3 starter

RHSP Sam Griffin(30, 2.5*) 16-12 4.26 103K 32GS 194.1IP 1.6WAR // 59-57 4.15 541K 203G/132GS 882.2IP 10.9WAR (career)
The 2x All-Star was winningest starter in 2021 and really has been a fan favourite for his hard work and dedication. He is a control artist by trait, generating a lot of groundballs by hitting the perfect pitch despite little speed on his sinker. He is signed for this and next year on a cheap contract given his work, but will be in danger by Murietta once he returns. Our #4 starter this year.

RHSP Dan Hinton(23, 4/5*) 11-10 2.97 168K 31GS 4.4WAR) // 15-16 3.46 250K 48GS 6.3WAR(career) #10 SP
An extreme groundballer with mid 90’s zip on his sinking fastball, and a good slider and changeup with a still developing curveball, he showed last season that he can pitch 30+ games despite his injury history and we locked him up until 2030… as said last year, please light a candle that he will stay healthy. First rounder in 2017. Opening day starter in 2023.

RHSP Juan Miranda(25, 3*) 9-12 4.12 181K 32GS 3.4WAR // 9-12 4.12 181K 187.2OP 32GS 3.4WAR DNP (career)
The right-hander had a challenging start to his NMLB career last season but Miranda bounced back and finished well in the final months. A good fastball with the curveball as his outpitch and a deep arsenal of other breaking pitches, there is the potential for a long career. 4th rounder in 2016. #5 starter.

RHSP Austin Roy(24, 3.5/4*) 10-14 3.97 155K 183.2IP 31GS 2.4WAR // 45-56 3.94 728K 790.2IP 130GS 15.4WAR (career)
A 2x All-Star, Roy features a great assortment of pitches including the cutter he invented with us, above average movement and control, and a good clubhouse personality. He clawed back from two bad seasons to finish with an ERA under four, yet ways away from his league leading 2.98ERA in 2020. Signed for 5 more years, he was acquired in June 2021 in the Vinny Roman deal.

Relief Pitching:

RHRP Cesar Alvarado(23, 3*) 4-1 2SV 2.55 44K 53IP 26G/3GS 0.6WAR // 6-4 2SV 4.31 66K 34G/11GS 87.2IP 0.2WAR (career)
Alvarado had a bad start to his NMLB career as a starter in 2021 but really learned his ways in AAA after that and has become a dynamite high leverage reliever/long man/spot starter in 2022, depending on what we need. Also a leader in the clubhouse, his four seam fastball/cutter/changeup mix can dominate at times and we think he is a mainstay in our pen for a while. Acquired via trade from CIN in 2020.

RHRP Kevin Cowden(23, 3*) 3-8 25SV 5.92 72K 59.1IP 59G -0.6WAR // 3-8 25SV 5.92 72K 59.1IP 59G -0.6WAR (career)
Kevin Cowden was slated to be the fireballing, 99-101mph fastball throwing closer of this bunch at age 22… he wasn’t. Control were an issue, simply earned runs were an issue, and there was no way in hell we would let McCreery use him as a closer this season again. He is on borrowed time in some ways, but will get a chance to redeem himself as a setup man. Acquired in December 2020 from Calgary.

LHRP Joe Herzer(25, 3.5*) 3-3 2.76 70K 75IP 57G 0.8WAR // 3-3 2.76 70K 75IP 57G 0.8WAR (career)
The second kid that made his debut out of our pen Herzer made a name as one of the best lefty relievers in the EL by destroying hitters with a devastating slider and a sinking fastball. Groundballs are his weapon of choice, and apart from a little work on his control, he is pretty much a finished product. He will be an integral part of this pen once again and a bargain. 5th rounder in 2019.

RHRP Dustin Jenkins(25, 2.5*) 1-1 2SV 4.80 37K 54.1IP 32G -0.4WAR // 1-1 2SV 4.80 37K 54.1IP 32G -0.4WAR (Career)
Jenkins is here because of McCreery endorsing him, and because of seniority. His ratings are average at best and his performance last season was underwhelming and it if wasn’t the manager screaming his name, the job would’ve went to Robert Estrada who will instead hold down the AAA closer job… for now.

RHRP Glen McKeen(23, 2.5*) 2-2 1SV 3.59 47K 47.2IP 39G 0.1WAR // 5-3 2SV 3.40 83K 90IP 77G 0.8WAR (career)
A waiver wire claim, McKeen was let go by the Denver Seahawks in 2021 and instead of bouncing around, now he is going into his third overall and second full season with us. He is working off a fastball and a changeup that still can add some zip, but apart from that he is a finished product.

LHRP Pablo Mendoza(24, 3*) 1-1 6.14 16K 14.1IP 20G 0.1WAR (KCR/MON) // 1-1 6.14 16K 14.1IP 20G 0.1WAR (KCR/MON) (career)
Mendoza was part of the Cervantes deal and we think that the Royals underestimated him. Apart from two short NMLB stints, he pitched to a 1.23ERA with 15SV in AAA last year and has two devastating pitches in his 97-99 four seamer and a slider. Control… can be iffy at times but we want to give him a shot over Mannino due to upside.

RHRP Adam Rudolph(24, 3*) 1-3 22SV 2.71 81K 66.1IP 61G 0.5WAR // 4-7 26SV 3.40 179K 119G 153.2IP 0.6WAR (career)
Rudolph has a cannon for an arm, firing a 98-100mph cutter with a strong curveball over the plate… mostly. He is an extremely hard worker and while he only has two pitches, he can pitch multiple innings. That, and the fact that he had a good year and didn’t hide well enough, made him our closer late in 2022 and we will run with it. Acquired via trade from Toronto in 2017.

RHRP Freddy Silva(26, 3*) 4-1 0SV 3.57 67K 58IP 51G 0.7WAR // 6-4 1SV 4.36 138K 128IP 106G 1.6WAR (career)
After a BABIP plagued 2021, Silva found his footing in 2022 and has become a model citizen in our bullpen, working off his pinpoint control and four solid pitches. He is clearly the bullpen leader and a loud voice in the clubhouse. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2015 draft, 321st overall.

Catcher

C Gabriel Cervantes(27, 3.5*, R) .288/.346/.480 21HR 80RBI 124G 4.1WAR (KCR/MON) // .271/.343/.465 67HR 224RBI, 404R 210R 398G 11.1WAR (career) #12 C
Getting over via trade when we just wanted to shake things up and close the hole behind the plate, Cervantes really showed us his worth by accumulating more WAR in 77 catchers than all other catchers we had in 2021 and 2022 combined. His blocking and framing is great but his bat is maybe not as good as his 2022 numbers suggest… but the next tier of catcher is unobtanium in trade talks. Acquired via trade from Kansas City Royals in June 2022.

C Jordan Chavis(25, 2.5*, R) .278/.337/.444 10HR 29RBI 70G 1.5WAR (AAA) // .206/.263/.361 6HR 16RBI 32H 20R 48G 0.3WAR (career)
Chavis and Craddock were engaged in a battle for the backup spot, and after four weeks of spring, our new third base coach and catching teacher Tom Acevedo gave us the input we needed. Chavis is the perfect bench captain that will help the team chemistry way more than Craddock, and both have hit around the Mendoza Line anyways. Acquired via trade from WSH in 2020.

Infield

1B Dave Grochowski(24, 3.5*, L) .351/ .416/.410 20HR 92RBI 156G 6.0WAR // .351/.416/.410 20HR 92RBI 194H 86R 156G 6.0WAR (career) #10 1B
GROK!. A miracle season from a rookie that we were not sure would outperform Dan Cook at first, Grochowski inserted himself into the elite contact hitter category right with one big season. Still a humble person, he says that he would be happy to hit over .270 thos season, but a 60 contact and 70 avoid K rating seems legitimate, and I see him hitting .300 again. 9th rounder in 2017.

1B Matt Talbert(25, 2.5/3*, R) .245/.313/.439 9HR 23RBI 75G 0.6WAR // .245/.313/.439 9HR 23RBI 48G 24R 75G 0.6WAR (career)
Using him as an everyday player at DH did not work out the first time, but he found a job in torturing lefty starters as part of a platoon, and he will return for that. Talbert is a solid overall hitter with some untapped power potential(55/60) and I personally think he is a bit overrated by our scouts, but he will get another shot this season. Acquired via trade from San Francisco in June 2021.

2B Joe Hawk(25, 2.5*, L) .269/.325/.461 21HR 70RBI 131G 8/9SB 2.3WAR (KCR/MON) // .269/.325/.461 21HR 70RBI 134H 75R 131G 2.3WAR (career)
A spark that we didn’t expect to get from him, we underestimated Hawk in 2021 and lost him in the Rule 5 draft, and in a move that they should regret, the Royals sent him back… just for him to hit .283-8-17 .934OPS in 27 games. The lefty part of our DH platoon, our scouts have him as a 50/60/50/50/50 against RHP and he can steal a base or two.

2B Fernando Perez(23, 3/3.5*, R) .230/.307/.411 18HR 54RBI 111G 2.4WAR (AA) // DNP (career) #27 2B
Suddenly our biggest hope in the power department and a great 65 rated defender at various infield positions, his scouting report of 65/75 power and his great result at the development lab make it hard not to see our saviour in him… but we have to stay calm. McCreery wanted him in the cleanup spot, but we decided to move him down a spot to ease the pressure… and there are some concerns. He struck out 144 times in 111 AA games and he is only 23 and jumped AAA… Acquired from Jacksonville in December 2021.

3B Julian Hernandez(23, 2.5/4*, R) .304/.356/.448 8HR 33RBI 102G 16/19SB 3.1WAR (AAA) // DNP (career) #5 prospect, #20 3B
The kid is there! A top prospect for years, the Venezuelan has a 60/45/55/45/50 potential bat with 65 rated defense at third and good, but not great speed and stealing. That makes him an overall very strong player that the OSA likes even more, and we see no reason to keep him in AAA after a strong showing last year. International Amateur free agent in 2017.

SS/2B Rich Meilleur(24, 2.5*, L) .213/.254/.311 2HR 9RBI 51G 0.4WAR // .213/.254/.311 2HR 9RBI 35H 17R 51G 0.4WAR (career)
I know. He hits as bad as Robles did, but his defense is a bit better and he is Canadian! Seriously, I think we have seen the floor of Meilleur in 2022 and will see a better offensive showing in addition to Gold Glove defense as our lefty hitting part of our shortstop platoon.

SS/2B Robby Weltzer(26, 2.5*, R) .269/.304/.388 10HR 50RBI 146G 3.1WAR // .250/.289/.361 21HR 113RBI 286H 131R 311G 4.1WAR (career) #28 SS
I know this is a bit cruel to a guy coming off a career year, but we need the power at 2B more than the +5 defense that Robby provides at second base. Instead, he will be our right-handed shortstop platoon and riding the pine as a substitute. Gotta take one for the team mate. Acquired via trade from Los Angeles in June 2021.

Outfield

LF/RF Ignacio Benavides(26, 3*, R) .244/.305/.375 14HR 62RBI 146G 0.7WAR // .255/.318/.387 17HR 172H 84R 79RBI 179G 1.5WAR (career) #17 LF
A good contact hitter that can steal a base, he lacks a good throwing arm to become a great defender, and another boost to become a great hitter… and that showed in 2022 after a hot debut in 2021. I still think that the kid can hit .270 and perform to a 2 WAR tune, and we will give him 2023. Acquired via trade from Cincinnati in November 2020.

LF/RF Ian Messer(27, 2.5/3*, L) .277/.336/.417 6HR 29RBI 73G 1.1WAR // .276/.333/.426 29HR 132RBI 308H 132R 313G 4.6WAR (career)
The most hated player in 2022, Messer got hit by pitch 10 times in 73 games(and 33 times in his career) and lost close to a hundred games due to that, became fragile… and had a good season at the plate when healthy. His bat maxes out at 55/50/45/40/50 as he will never reach his potential and his playing time will be limited this season as he will platoon in right field. Acquired via trade from Boston in the 2020 offseason.

CF Bobby Martinez(24, 2.5*, R) .252/.299/.403 4HR 15RBI 35G 9/11SB 1.0WAR // .252/.299/.403 4HR 15RBI 30H 18R 35G 9/11SB 1.0WAR (career)
A late addition to our final roster last season, Martinez surprised us with 65 rated defense in center, good overall hitting and a lot of swiped bags in limited time. McCreery wants to try him out as everyday CF which is a risk for me, but we have the wiggle room to try. Acquired via trade from SDP in July 2022.

RF/CF Vicente Rodriguez(25, 2.5*) .258/.287/.358 2HR 30RBI 112G 1.2WAR // .267/.295/.363 3HR 52RBI 265H 59R 241G 3.2WAR (career)
Elite speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, Rodriguez was a revelation in 2021, playing great defence as we hoped, while batting for a solid clip and scoring some runs for us, but 2022, he took a step back. His new job for now is elite outfield backup, pinch-hitter, and right-fielder against LHP. Drafted in the 14th round of the 2016 draft, 430th overall.

Tyrese Speed(R, 12-11 3.72) - Dan Hinton(R, 11-10 2.97) as we open up 2023 at home the Boston Aeros!

[Griever20]

Week 1: 3vs Boston Aeros(86-76)

March 30th

Kessler Helps Aeros Win on Opening Day, 9-6

The Montreal Expos inaugurated the 2023 campaign with a disappointing 9-6 loss to the Boston Aeros at Olympic Stadium. Boston shortstop Tim Kessler had a big impact on the outcome. He was 4-5 with a home run and 3 singles. He drove in 4 runs and scored once. The 2022 EL Gold Glover is coming off a .281-17-65 .741OPS 5.5WAR year.

Picking up the win was Tyrese Speed. He went 7.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits. The right--hander struck out 3 and walked 1. Paul Ide earned the save for Boston, his 1st of the year.

Boston used the hitting of Kurt Alexander to pick up the win. The right fielder clubbed a grand slam home run in the top of the third inning to put the Aeros on top, 4-1. For the game, Alexander had 1 home run and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

"What's not to like about a win?" said Alexander.

Jordan Arroyo(R, 6-4 3.71) - Austin Roy(R, 10-14 3.97) the day after tomorrow. Maybe we get a better pitching performance?

SP Dan Hinton 4.2IP 6H 6R 3ER 2BB 7K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 2R RBI BB DB HR First NMLB hit and HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
DH Joe Hawk 2-4 R RBI
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R First NMLB hit
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R RBI
RF Ian Messer 2-3 RBI DB
PH Matt Talbert 1-1 R DB
PH Vicente Rodriguez 1-1 RBI
HR BOS: Alexander(1), Kessler(1)
HR MON: Hernandez(1)
W: Tyrese Speed(1-0 4.91) L: Dan Hinton(0-1 5.79) SV: Paul Ide(1 0.00)
Well, that was anticlimactic. A great show, full Olympic Stadium, the rookies getting their hits in early… and Danny and Herzer blowing up on bad pitching and errors.

March 31st
Offday

April 1st

Aeros Plate 11 to Win over Montreal

Boston designated hitter Manny Rodriguez had 3 ribbies while helping his team defeat the Montreal Expos, 11-5. Boston pitcher Jordan Arroyo earned the win, hiking his record to 1-0. Austin Roy suffered the loss. The defeat makes Montreal 0-2.

"This was one of those games you love to be a part of," said Rodriguez. He was 3-5 with 3RBI, 3 runs scored and two doubles for the day.

Savion Smith drove in one run for Boston. The 26-year old catcher had a key at-bat in the top of the sixth. With one out and the bases loaded, he broke a 2-2 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Austin Roy. It was his 1st RBI of the season.

Brian Peduzzi(R, 7-13 4.44) - Brett Asselin(L, DNP) tomorrow. The third rookie enters the show…

SP Austin Roy 5.2IP 7H 5R 5ER 3BB 5K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 SB(1)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R RBI HR
DH Joe Hawk 1-4 R
2B Fernando Perez 2-3
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 R BB
RF Ian Messer 3-4 R SB(1)
CF Bobby Martinez 1-3 RBI BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 R 2RBI HR
HR BOS: none
HR MON: Hernandez(2)
W: Jordan Arroyo(1-0 3.00) L: Austin Roy(0-1 7.94) SV: none
5 for Roy, 5 for Alvarado, 1 for Jenkins…

April 2nd

Expos Win Slugfest, 12-8

The Montreal Expos and Boston Aeros lit up the scoreboard.

The Montreal Expos besoiled an otherwise fine performance by Boston second baseman Ruben Barrales by beating the Aeros, 12-8, at Olympic Stadium. Barrales went 2 for 4 with 2 home runs, while adding 4 RBI and scoring twice. The 2021 EL Silver Slugger coming off a injury plagued .296-5-18 .782OPS 2.0WAR year. Boston is 2-1 after the loss.

Montreal took the lead, 11-8, on Jordan Chavis's 1st home run of the season. The 3-run home run came off Boston pitcher Tim Mayer in the bottom of the eighth.

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

Brian Trask(R, 12-10 4.54) - Sam Griffin(R, 16-12 4.26) tomorrow. Pretty similar pitchers.

SP Brett Asselin 5.2IP 4H 6R 6ER 5BB 5K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 2R
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 2R RBI BB HR
1B Dave Grochowski 3-3 2R RBI TP
DH Joe Hawk 0-5 RBI
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 2R 3RBI DB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 2R 2RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R
CF Bobby Martinez 2-4
PH Jordan Chavis 1-1 R 3RBI HR
HR BOS: Barrales 2(2), Kessler(2), Quintero(1)
HR MON: Hernandez(3), Perez(1), Cervantes(1), Chavis(1)
W: Freddy Silva(1-0 6.75) L: Sam Rush(0-1 27.00) SV: none
Jaay. Offense. Don’t think this team has scored so many runs in a series since I took over… shame we only won one game tho.

Record: 1-2, 3rd in EL Northeast, 1GB
Week: 1-2 (1-2 vs BOS)
Power Rankings: #17
Runs scored: 23(5th)
Runs against: 28(15th)
Starters ERA: 7.88(14th)
Bullpen ERA: 9.00(15th)
Defensive Eff.: .618(13th)
Zone Rating: -0.3(10th)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
Nobody

Who's not?
Nobody

News:
April 1st - Nationals RF Jonathan McFadyen(27, 3*) collected the first 5-hit game of the season, going 5-5 2R RBI BB DB at the plate in a 14-7 win over the Gamblers. The 2020 EL Silver Slugger coming off a .256-18-51 .701OPS -1.1WAR season.

Next: 3vs San Diego Padres(2-1), Jacksonville Patriots(1-2)

--

First three games: Julian Hernandez 4-13 3HR 3RBI 5R 1.477OPS, Fernando Perez 5-11 1HR 3RBI 3R 1.273OPS. Not to get excited too early… but we got some good early signs.

[Griever20]

Week 2: 3vs San Diego Padres(2-1), Jacksonville Patriots(1-2)

April 3rd

Expos Suffer 6-5 Home Defeat

Montreal got a terrific game from designated hitter Joe Hawk. It wasn't enough, though, to prevent the team from falling to San Diego, 6-5. Hawk was 2-3 with a home run and was hit by a pitch, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. The 25-year old is batting .312-1-4 .853OPS 0.0WAR in 4 games so far.

San Diego reliever Sérgio Zuniga picked up the win, raising his record to 1-0. Dustin Jenkins was tagged with the loss. The Padres, now 3-1, have been playing some good baseball.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Gary McBride? The San Diego second baseman had a run-scoring double in the top of the fifth inning to put the Padres on top, 6-5. For the game, McBride had 2 doubles and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

"We've got a great group of guys," McBride said, "and we're having fun right now."

Alberto Avalos(R, DNP) - Juan Miranda(R, 9-12 4.12) tomorrow. 23-year old rookie.

SP Sam Griffin 2.2IP 7H 5R 5ER 0BB 4K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R RBI 2DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 RBI
DH Joe Hawk 2-3 R 2RBI HBP HR PotG
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 R RBI
HR SDP: Gonzalos(1), Torres(1)
HR MON: Hawk(1)
W: Sérgio Zuniga(1-0 0.00) L: Dustin Jenkins(0-1 3.60) SV: Logan Worden(2 0.00)
Ouch. Another starter got lit here…

April 4th

Miranda Dominates Padres as Expos Win, 3-0

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

Montreal used a superb performance from starting pitcher Juan Miranda to down the San Diego Padres, 3-0. San Diego is 3-2 after the loss.

Montreal starter Juan Miranda was a master of his craft. The right-hander allowed no runs on 3 hits over 8 innings.

"Juan showed what he's made of," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

Jerry Sullivan(R, 1-0 6.43) - Dan Hinton(R, 0-1 5.79) tomorrow. Aceoff

SP Juan Miranda 8IP 3H 0R 0ER 1BB 9K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 R 2RBI BB HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 DB
DH Joe Hawk 1-3 R BB DB SB(1) intercostal strain 1 week
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-3 RBI BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-2 R BB SB(1)
HR SDP: none
HR MON: Benavides(1)
W: Juan Miranda(1-0 0.00) L: Hector Mata(0-1 4.05) SV: Adam Rudolph(1 0.00)
Miranda with a GREAT start.

April 5th

Transactions:
DH Joe Hawk(25, 2.5*, .316-1-4 .907OPS 5G) was placed on the 10-day IL and we recalled UT James Slowik(25, 2.5*) from AAA.

Expos Take Series Behind Hinton, Win 4-3

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, dropping the San Diego Padres, 4-3. Dan Hinton, the 21st overall pick in the 2017 draft, was the difference-maker. The righty worked 7.2 innings of 6-hit, 3-run, 3BB and 5K ball and got the win.

The win puts Montreal at 3-3.

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

"Bottom line," said San Diego skipper Greg Kramer, "we didn't play well enough to win."

Austin Roy(R, 0-1 7.94) - John Sanchez(R, 0-1 10.38) tomorrow. 3.54ERA last year.

SP Dan Hinton 7.2IP 6H 3R 3ER 3BB 5K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-3 R RBI BB
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 RBI
DH James Slowik 0-1 R BB
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 RBI
HR SDP: Katz(4)
HR MON: none
W: Dan Hinton(1-1 4.38) L: Jerry Sullivan(1-1 4.91) SV: Kevin Cowden(1 0.00)
Danny! We singled them to death today and actually, Kevin Cowden get a save chance for a tired Rudolph and didn’t blow it!

April 6th

Patriots Win Home Opener, 5-3

The Jacksonville Patriots picked up a win at Patriots Park, taking down the Montreal Expos, 5-3. Starting pitcher John Sanchez was a big reason why. Sanchez, now 1-1, was the winner. In 8 innings, he gave up 7 hits, while striking out 5, walking 2, and allowing 3 runs. Jose Pena was called on to finish, recording his 1st save.

Mike Ostos, who finished 5th in the WL in OPS with .979 in 2016, took Montreal hurler Austin Roy deep in the bottom of the fifth. His 2-run home run put the Patriots on top, 3-1. In all, Ostos had 1 single in addition to the home run, while going 2 for 4. The 3x All-Star is batting .280-2-5 .917OPS in 7 games.

"A confident pitcher is a dangerous thing," said Jacksonville manager Dave Meyer. "That's what John is right now."

The loss drops Montreal to 3-4.

Brett Asselin(L, 0-0 9.53) - B.J. Pitcher(R, 1-0 1.35) the day after tomorrow. Deserving 2x All-Star

SP Austin Roy 5.2IP 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 7K L
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R 2RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 R BB
RF Ian Messer 2-4
CF Bobby Martinez 1-4 R
DH James Slowik 1-4 First NMLB hit.
HR MON: Perez(2)
HR JAC: Ostos(2)
W: John Sanchez(1-1 5.84) L: Austin Roy(0-2 6.35) SV: Jose Pena(1 0.00)
Roy was bad today and our rookie 3B Julian Hernandez already committed his third error…

April 7th
Offday

April 8th

First Win For Rookie Asselin, 6-0 over Patriots

Montreal Expos starter Brett Asselin found his groove in his team's 6-0 win over the Jacksonville Patriots. Montreal goes to 4-4.

Asselin, who was born in Brownsville, Texas, threw 107 pitches over 8.1 innings, while allowing no runs.

"Brett doing his thing just hyped us all up," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. He got a lot of help by fellow rookie second baseman Fernando Perez who was 2-4 with 2 runs scored, three RBI's and two home runs for the day.

Sam Griffin(R, 0-1 16.88) - Xavier Davis(L, 0-1 4.76) tomorrow. Another fairly young kid with 3* potential.

SP Brett Asselin 8.1IP 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 8K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 R RBI SB(2)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R RBI
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 2R 3RBI 2HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-3
DH James Slowik 2-4 R
SS Rich Meilleur 0-3 R BB
HR MON: Perez 2(4)
HR JAC: none
W: Brett Asselin(1-0 3.86) L: B.J. Pitcher(1-1 3.14) SV: none
Holy cow. Our rookies combined for a great win today.

April 9th

Patriots Win in Walkoff Fashion

Jacksonville picked up a win at Patriots Park, bumping off the Montreal Expos, 2-1. Pitcher Xavier Davis was a major reason the Patriots emerged victorious. The lefty worked 7 innings of 5-hit, one run, two walk and 7K ball but did not get the win.

Montreal now is 4-5.

The decisive blow was delivered by Hector Perez in the bottom of the 12th when he hit a solo home run off 24-year old right-handed pitcher Adam Rudolph to win the game for Jacksonville. The home crowd went nuts.

"It's great when the crowd gets into it," Davis said.

Juan Miranda(R, 1-0 0.00) - Cristiano Zavala(R, 1-0 3.12) tomorrow. Aand another young 3* potential guy.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 3K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-3 RBI BB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 BB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 BB
DH Matt Talbert 1-5
RF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R TP
HR MON: none
HR JAC: Perez(1)
W: Jose Pena(1-0 0.00) L: Adam Rudolph(0-1 2.08) SV: none
Shame. I want the offense from last week back.

Record: 4-5, 4th in EL Northeast, 3GB
Week: 3-3- (2-1 vs SDP, 1-2@ JAC)
Power Rankings: #20(-3)
Runs scored: 45(9th)
Runs against: 44(7th)
Starters ERA: 4.28(6th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.88(12th)
Defensive Eff.: .700(4th)
Zone Rating: +2.2(7th)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
Nobody

Who's not?
3B Julian Hernandez 6G 3-25 .120 0HR 1RBI
CF Bobby Martinez 6G 2-20 .100 0HR 1RBI

News:
April 3rd - Cincinnati CF Chisen Nakamura(28, 3*) had some fun at the plate, going 5-6 R RBI in a 9-3 win over the Pittsburgh Kings. The 2022 EL Silver Slugger is batting .421-0-3 .976OPS 0.1WAR in four games.

April 5th - Diamondbacks 1B Marco Lemus(25, 3.5*) collected five hits today, going 5-5 4R 2RBI HR in a 12-2 win over the Killer Whales. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .360-2-6 .986OPS 0.2WAR in 6 starts.

April 10th - Toronto C Paul Ludgate(28, 2.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-24 5HR 11RBI 8R. The 1x All-Star is batting .375-5-11 1.319OPS 0.8WAR in 8 games.

April 10th - Vancouver CF John Leiferman(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 10-18 3HR 6RBI 7R. The 2020 All-Star is batting .433-3-6 1.267OPS 0.7WAR in 8 games.


Next: 4@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(5-4), 3vs Cincinnati Eagles(5-4)

--

Hernandez cooled off completely and our offense is cold when the pitching works, and vice versa… it’s only Week 2…

[Griever20]

Week 3: 4@ Philadelphia Grizzlies(5-4), 3vs Cincinnati Eagles(5-4)

April 10th

Philadelphia Beaten by Montreal, Miranda, 2-1

Starting pitcher Juan Miranda was a major factor in the 2-1 Montreal Expos triumph over the Philadelphia Grizzlies. He worked 5.2 innings of 6-hit, 1-run, 2 walk and 5K ball and got the win.

Picking up the save was fireballing right-hander Adam Rudolph. Philadelphia now is 5-5.

Dave Grochowski, who led the EL in on-base percentage with .416 last year, had a direct impact on the outcome. Grochowski contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the third inning to put Montreal up, 2-0. The 2022 batting champ is batting .316-0-4 .797OPS 0.0WAR in 10 games.

Grochowski called the win a testament to his team's "tenacity."

Dan Hinton(R, 1-1 4.38) - Ruben Torrez(L, 2-0 1.76) tomorrow. And again, the aces are lined up.

SP Juan Miranda 5.2IP 6H 1R 1ER 2BB 5K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R SB(3)
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 RBI
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-3
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R
HR MON: none
HR PHI: none
W: Juan Miranda(2-0 0.66) L: Cristiano Zavala(1-1 3.14) SV: Adam Rudolph(2 1.69)
Back to 2022, we win games by one run as our hitting sucks?

April 11th

Hinton Schools Philadelphia in 6-1 Montreal Triumph

The Montreal Expos reigned over the Philadelphia Grizzlies in damp conditions.

The Philadelphia Grizzlies had their hands full with Montreal Expos starter Dan Hinton, who frustrated Philadelphia hitters while leading Montreal to a comfortable, 6-1 win. The win has Montreal at 6-5.

Though he did not get the decision, Hinton did all he could to keep his team close, twirling a shutout through 6.1 innings, until Montreal eventually rallied past the Grizzlies.

"We can always improve and get better, but we're feeling confident after that win," said Hinton.

Austin Roy(R, 0-2 6.35) - Jessie Dittus(R, 0-0 1.80) tomorrow. Effective but wild says the scouting report.

SP Dan Hinton 6.1IP 1H 0R 0ER 3BB 7K ND PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 BB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R DB SB(1)
1B Dave Grochowski 0-4 R BB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 BB
DH Matt Talbert 2-5 R RBI DB
CF Bobby Martinez 1-5 R
RF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R 3RBI DB
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 R 2RBI HR
SS Robby Weltzer 2-4 DB
HR MON: Chavis(2)
HR PHI: none
W: Freddy Silva(2-0 1.69) L: Jeff Mathias(0-1 11.57) SV: none
Danny! He matched a tough pitcher zero by zero until we blew their pen to bits… well done everyone.

April 12th

Grizzlies 11-3 Winners Versus Montreal

Philadelphia parlayed a decent outing from starter Jessie Dittus into a solid win over the Montreal Expos. The final score was 11-3. Dittus, now 1-0, was the winner. In 8 innings, he gave up 7 hits, while striking out 7, walking 0, and allowing 3 runs. The loss puts Montreal at 6-6.

Tony Munoz had a big 2-run home run for the Grizzlies in the bottom of the second inning. With Philadelphia trailing 3-2 and a runner on 1st, he sized up a fastball from Austin Roy, who led the WL in ERA with 2.98 in 2020, and punished it. The result was his 2nd home run of the season, which put the Grizzlies on top, 4-3. The 33-year old is batting .188-2-3 .610OPS -0.1WAR in 10 games.

Philadelphia manager Pat Pierce commended his team for "putting the hammer down."

Brett Asselin(L, 1-0 3.86) - Alberto Cordoba(R, 0-2 4.26) tomorrow. Not the best matchup for our rookie.

SP Austin Roy 5IP 8H 5R 5ER 2BB 8K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 R RBI DB HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 RBI
CF Bobby Martinez 2-3 R RBI BB HR
DH James Slowik 1-4
HR MON: Benavides(2), Martinez(1)
HR PHI: Munoz(2), Maradiaga(1), de Leon(4), Rodriguez(2)
W: Jesse Dittus(1-0 2.77) L: Austin Roy(0-3 7.16) SV: none
Ouch. The Grizzlies’ train had no brakes today, killing Roy, Alvarado and Jenkins in the process.

April 13th

Grizzlies Collect Series Split with 5-4 Win over Expos

The Philadelphia Grizzlies had to overcome a fine effort from Montreal pitcher Brett Asselin to win, 5-4, at Citizens Bank Park. Asselin went 7.1 innings and allowed 3 runs. The loss lowers the Montreal record to 6-7.

Calvin Victor was the walk-off hero for Philadelphia. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Grizzlies pinch hitter hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home.

Victor told a Philadelphia Bulletin reporter that he was "satisfied" with the win.

Jimmy McMahon(R, 0-0 8.18) - Sam Griffin(R, 0-0 6.00) tomorrow. Can our control pitcher bounce back.

SP Brett Asselin 7.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 1BB 7K ND PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5
1B Dave Grochowski 4-5 R
2B Franklin Perez 2-4 R 2RBI BB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-5 R
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R
DH James Slowik 2-3 RBI BB DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 RBI
HR MON: Perez(5)
HR PHI: Ayres(2), Rodriguez(3)
W: Jose Gutierrez(2-2 7.71) L: Adam Rudolph(0-2 4.50) SV: none
Asselin with a great start but this time, out pen failed… again.

April 14th

Expos Downs Cincy, 6-3

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, knocking off the Cincinnati Eagles, 6-3. Starting pitcher Sam Griffin was a big reason why. Griffin yielded 1 run over 6.2 innings to notch the win. He scattered 3 hits, walked 0, and struck out 3. His record improves to 1-0. Picking up the save was Adam Rudolph, his 3rd.

The Expos benefited from an error in the bottom of the fifth inning. Montreal was leading 2-1 when Robby Weltzer hit a 2-run single that was misplayed. It put Montreal in front, 4-1.

"Nice win for us," said Weltzer. "Now we'll go after the next one." He is batting .231-0-2 .593OPS 0.0WAR in 5 games.

The loss has the Eagles at 7-6.

Ramon Ruedas(R, 0-0 3.18) - Juan Miranda(R, 2-0 0.66) tomorrow. 2017 PotY, was 15-10 last year.

SP Sam Griffin 6.2IP 3H 1R 1ER 0BB 3K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 2R DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 2RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 R BB DB
RF Ian Messer 1-3 2RBI
PH Matt Talbert 1-1 R
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R
LF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 RBI
DH James Slowik 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 R
HR CIN: Ayres(2), Rodriguez(3)
HR MON: Perez(5)
W: Sam Griffin(1-0 4.02) L: James McMahon(0-1 7.00) SV: Adam Rudolph(3 3.86)
Sam with a good bounce back start and some good hitting.

April 15th

Transactions:
UT James Slowik(25, 2.5*, -320-0-1 .730OPS -0.1WAR) was demoted to AAA and 2B/DH Joe Hawk(25, 2.5*, .316-1-4 .907OPS 0.1WAR) was activated.

Miranda 3-0 as Eagles Lose by a Run in Montreal

Montreal Expos starter Juan Miranda turned in an exceptional performance against the Cincinnati Eagles at Olympic Stadium, resulting in a Montreal win, 3-2. The winning pitcher was Miranda, now 3-0. He tossed 7 innings of 5-hit ball, while walking 2 and fanning 4. The loss drops Cincinnati to 7-7.

Rich Meilleur had a big 2-run double for the Expos in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he got a slider from 31-year old right-handed pitcher Kyle Stewart and swatted a double to right. It was his 1st double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 3-0. The Canadian native is hitting .244-1-7 .610OPS 0.2WAR in 13 games.

"Juan is tough when he's hitting his spots," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

J.R. Heilman(R, 0-0 4.15) - Dan Hinton(R, 1-1 2.89) tomorrow. 35-year old veteran and 1x All-Star.

SP Juan Miranda 7IP 5H 0R 0ER 2BB 4K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 TP
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
RF Ian Messer 4-4 2R
DH Joe Hawk 3-4 R DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 3RBI DB
HR CIN: none
HR MON: none
W: Juan Miranda(3-0 0.44) L: Ramon Ruedas(0-1 4.22) SV: Glen McKeen(1 0.00)
Miranda wants to keep his job when Murietta is back healthy it seems.

April 16th

Hinton Neutralizes Eagles

The Montreal Expos got a magnificent performance from pitcher Dan Hinton, who muffled the Cincinnati offense en route to a tight, 3-0 Expos win at Olympic Stadium. Adam Rudolph picked up the save, his 4th. The win puts Montreal at 9-7.

Hinton made it look effortless. He scattered 3 hits over 7 innings, while racking up 10 strikeouts. The Montreal right-hander encountered little resistance from the Cincinnati hitters. His season record is now 2-1.

"Dan did what Dan does," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

Andy Spicer(R, 2-0 3.72) - Austin Roy(R, 0-3 7.16) tomorrow. Talented kid waiting for the breakout year.

SP Dan Hinton 7IP 3H 0R 0ER 3BB 10K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
2B Fernando Perez 2-4
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 R
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R RBI DB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R 2RBI HR
CF Bobby Martinez 1-3
HR CIN: none
HR MON: Meilleur(2)
W: Dan Hinton(2-1 2.10) L: J.R. Heilman(0-1 4.12) SV: Adam Rudolph(4 3.38)
Danny! We had a good start when Messer and Meilleur hit a double and a homer in the 2nd, and we never looked back.

Record: 9-7, 3rd in EL Northeast, 1GB
Week: 5-2 (2-2 @ PHI, 3-0@ CIN)
Power Rankings: #10(+10)
Runs scored: 72(12th)
Runs against: 67(4th)
Starters ERA: 3.25(2nd)
Bullpen ERA: 5.48(11th)
Defensive Eff.: .710(1st)
Zone Rating: +4.5(5th)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
SP Dan Hinton 2G 1-0 0.00 13.1IP 17K

Who's not?
C Gabriel Cervantes 6G 3-24 .125 0HR 1RBI

News:
April 13th - Detroit 3B Kevin Blatter(30, 2.5*) collected a 5-hit game today in a 11-8 win over the Boston, going 5-5 2R 6RBI DB 2HR. The 2x All-Star is batting .444-2-7 1.242OPS 0.4WAR in 8G/6GS.

April 17th - Detroit 3B Kevin Blatter(30, 2.5*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 15-31 2HR 7RBI 5R. The 2x All-Star is batting .425-2-8 1.114OPS 0.5WAR in 11 games.

April 17th - Los Angeles SS Craig Sexton(25, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-24 4HR 9RBI 5R. The 2016 6th rounder is batting .321-4-11 .905OPS 0.6WAR in 15 games.


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

--

Bullpen is a concern, but it is early.

[Griever20]

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

April 17th

Expos Top Eagles in Extras, 5-3

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

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

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

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

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

April 18th

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 19th

Messer Walks it Off in Ninth

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 20th

W7 as Expos Prevail, 3-1, Over Miami

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

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

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

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

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

April 21st

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 22nd

Hinton, Expos get 8-0 Win

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

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

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

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

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

April 23rd

Roy, Expos Win 5-1, at Sac Town

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

--

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

[Griever20]

Week 5: 3@ Boston Aeros(8-13), 3vs Houston Astros(15-7)

April 24th

Weltzer Has Hot Hand, Bangs 5 hits

Montreal shortstop Robby Weltzer could do no wrong in his team's 11-3 win over the Aeros, as he collected 5 hits.

"Things were in his favor in every one of his at-bats," Aeros skipper Tony Rodriguez said to the press corps after the game. "He got hitters' counts."

Weltzer agreed, saying that getting ahead early in the counts was "the key" to his game.

"Once you get ahead, it makes it a lot easier because you get a better pitch to hit," he said. "You know the pitcher has to come in with it. And you're ready."

Robby Weltzer singled in the 1st, grounded out in the 2nd, doubled in the 4th, doubled in the 6th, singled in the 8th and hit a two-run triple in the 9th.

Looking at his present stats, Weltzer has compiled a .314 batting average in 11 games with a .333 on-base percentage, while hitting no home runs and driving in 5 runs.

Sam Griffin(R, 2-0 3.00) - Brian Peduzzi(R, 0-0 8.20) tomorrow. No idea why they keep a 45 stamina guy around for the third year.

SP Brett Asselin 6IP 8H 3R 3ER 4BB 6K W
LF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 R RBI BB
2B Robby Weltzer 5-6 R 2RBI 2DB TP PotG
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 R 3RBI BB HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 R BB TP
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R
PH Julian Hernandez 1-1 R
CF Bobby Martinez 2-5 R 4RBI 2DB
C Jordan Chavis 2-4 2R BB
HR MON: Grochowski(2)
HR BOS: Aguilar(7)
W: Brett Asselin(3-0 3.44) L: Jordan Arroyo(1-2 4.71) SV: Kevin Cowden(2 0.79)
Robby with a strong game for a tired Hernandez and Cowden starting to show signs of being a good reliever…

April 25th

Transactions:
RHSP Marty Murrietta(26, 3*, 13-11 3.84 154K 1.7WAR) was sent to AAA on a rehab assignment. We have too many good starters around and with him missing most of spring, the rehab assignment should be a long one.

Peduzzi Now 1-0 Following 2-1 Win

Brian Peduzzi was locked in. The right-hander led the Boston Aeros to a 2-1 win against the Montreal Expos at Fenway Park. Paul Ide picked up his 5th save of the season. The loss drops Montreal to 16-9.

The Expos had trouble solving Peduzzi, who surrendered no runs on 1 hit over 7 innings.

"Scoring was at a premium tonight," Peduzzi said. The 2017 6th rounder is now 1-0 5.96 28K 0.3WAR in 5 starts, coming off a 7-13 4.44 123K 1.0WAR year.

Juan Miranda(R, 3-1 1.63) - Steve Behanna(R, 1-1 5.87) tomorrow. 32-year old groundballer without highlights.

SP Sam Griffin 7.2IP 6H 2R 2ER 1BB 7K L
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 2DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 R BB
RF Ian Messer 1-4
PH Jordan Chavis 1-1 RBI
HR MON: none
HR BOS: Kessler(6)
W: Brian Peduzzi(1-0 5.96) L: Sam Griffin(2-1 2.83) SV: Paul Ide(5 0.90)
Sam had a decent one but the offense was limited to two doubles and three singles.

April 26th

Aguilar Helps Boston Cruise to 10-3 Win

The Boston Aeros pinned a convincing loss on the Montreal Expos, 10-3, at Fenway Park. Tim Aguilar was a main factor in the win. He was 3-4 with a home run, a double, and a walk, while adding 6 RBI and scoring once for Boston. Steve Behanna earned the win to go to 2-1. He allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts in 6 innings of work. Montreal drops to 16-10.

With Boston leading 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Aguilar hit a fastball from Glen McKeen for a bases-clearing double. It was his 6th double of the season and put the Aeros ahead, 7-3.

"Hustle and hard work is a big part of our success," said Aguilar. "Those qualities define our team." The 9x All-Star is batting .361-8-22 1.106OPS 1.4WAR in 23 games.

Gong-sun Zhào(R, 5-0 1.89) - Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 1.59) the day after tomorrow. Aceoff.

SP Juan Miranda 5.1IP 7H 3R 3ER 1BB 9K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 BB DB
3B Julian Hernandez 0-4 R BB
SS Fernando Perez 3-4
DH Joe Hawk 2-4 R 3RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 DB
2B Robby Weltzer 1-3
CF Bobby Martinez 1-4
HR MON: Hawk(2)
HR BOS: Aguilar(8)
W: Steve Behanna(2-1 5.48) L: Glen McKeen(1-1 0.00) SV: none
McKeen got tagged with 4 unearned runs as Weltzer made two errors today… bad luck. But, good news… finally an offday after 19 straight.

April 27th
Offday

April 28th

Expos Steal Win Late Over Houston, 3-2

Gong-sun Zhào pitched well, but the Houston Astros still lost the game, falling, 3-2, to the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium. The 2x All-Star pitched eight innings of 3-run ball with 0BB and 7K, but got tagged with the loss. The loss makes Houston 17-9.

Had Bobby Martinez 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, Martinez hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 3-2, in favor of the Expos.

"We put together a nice win," Martinez said.

Jeremy Haley(L, 0-2 4.62) - Austin Roy(R, 1-3 5.02) tomorrow. 2015 EL PotY, lost all of 2022 to injury.

SP Dan Hinton 7.1IP 8H 2R 2ER 2BB 7K ND
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R TP
2B Fernando Perez 0-2 RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 R DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 R RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3
CF Bobby Martinez 2-3 RBI
HR HOU: none
HR MON: none
W: Pablo Mendoza(1-0 4.50) L: Gong-sun Zhào(5-1 2.15) SV: Adam Rudolph(6 2.84)
Hinton DID pitch well but we took a bit longer to score.

April 29th

Twice is Nice For Fernandez as Astros Win, 9-6

Behind a solid performance from shortstop Danny Fernandez, the Houston Astros defeated the Montreal Expos, 9-6. Fernandez slugged 2 home runs. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice for the Astros. Houston, now 18-9, has gotten their season off to a good start.

Fernandez contributed a big hit, a 2-run home run, for Houston in the top of the ninth. With his team trailing 5-4, Fernandez took a cutter from Adam Rudolph and stroked the home run to left. His 3rd home run of the season allowed the Astros to leap in front, 6-5.

"It's nice to step up when your team needs you," said Fernandez. Playing in his first full year, the 23-year old is batting .182-3-8 .563OPS 0.1WAR in 25 games.

Shane Kelley(R, 0-0 6.28) - Brett Asselin(L, 3-0 3.44) tomorrow. Can we escape with a 3-3 week?

SP Austin Roy 6.1IP 10H 4R 4ER 0BB 6K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 4-5 RBI
DH Matt Talbert 3-4 R BB
2B Fernando Perez 2-5 R
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R 3RBI HR
CF Bobby Martinez 2-2 R 2BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 RBI
HR HOU: Lauterslager, Fernandez 2(3), Braswell(5)
HR MON: Cervantes(2), Benavides(3)
W: Gianpaolo Saldana(2-0 3.09) L: Adam Rudolph(0-3 6.07) SV: none
Rudolph got doused in gasoline and lit on fire by them…

April 30th

Messer 5-for-5 as Expos Trounce Astros, 15-0

Ian Messer really sizzled at the plate in his team's 15-0 win over the Houston Astros. The Montreal right fielder blistered Houston for 5 hits in 5 at-bats.

"Messer was too tough to get out today," the Astros skipper said in the postgame interview. "No matter what we threw him, he hit it. And he hit some good pitches, too."

Ian Messer singled in the 1st, singled in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off Chris Roberts in the 5th, was hit by a pitch in the 7th and singled in the 8th.

Thus far this year, Messer has hit .409 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs, assembling 0.9WAR while hitting for a .960OPS.

Tim Jones(R, DNP) - Sam Griffin(R, 2-1 2.83) tomorrow. Rookie time.

SP Brett Asselin 8IP 7H 0R 0ER 1BB 12K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 3R RBI 2BB HR
RF Ian Messer 5-5 5R 2RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 2-6 2R 3RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 3-3 2R 4RBI HR SB(1) sprained thumb 5 days
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 R 3RBI
DH Joe Hawk 2-5
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 RBI BB
C Jordan Chavis 1-5 R RBI HR
HR HOU: none
HR MON: Perez(8), Benavides(4), Messer(2), Chavis(3)
W: Brett Asselin(4-0 2.79) L: Shane Kelley(0-1 8.83) SV: none
Asselin’s 12K were impressive, and so was the offense. As for Grok(24, 4*, .330-3-16 .905OPS 0.7WAR), he was placed on the 10-day IL and we recalled UT James Slowik(25, 2.5*, .294-0-4 .645OPS 0.1WAR AAA) to help us out.

Record: 18-11, 1st in EL Northeast, 4G lead
Week: 3-3 (1-2 @ BOS, 2-1 vs HOU)
Power Rankings: #6(-2)
Runs scored: 140(6th)
Runs against: 106(1st)
Starters ERA: 2.85(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.62(10th)
Defensive Eff.: .695(1st)
Zone Rating: +14.6(1st)
Fan Interest: 83

Who's hot?
SP Dan Hinton 4G 2-0 0.62 29IP 33K
SP Sam Griffin 4G 2-1 1.38 20.2IP 16K
SP Brett Asselin 3G 3-0 1.74 20.2IP 25K

Who's not?
nobody

News:
April 30th - Marlins RHSP Eibe Hoekstra(25, 3*) had a career night today as he struck out 16 hitters in a 4-0 win over the Memphis Bolts, pitching a 7.1IP 6H 0ER 1BB 16K game. The Dutch right-hander is 3-4 5.90 51K 0.6WAR in 7 starts.

May 1st - Jacksonville 2B Seth King(24, 2/3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 11-22 2HR 6RBI 6R. The rookie is batting .409-6-14 1.367OPS 1.0WAR in his first 11 games.

May 1st - Calgary 1B Arturo Melendez(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-19 1HR 4RBI 3R. The 2x Gold Glover is batting .329-4-13 .905OPS 0.5WAR in 24 games.


Next: 4vs Toronto Blue Jays(13-15), 3@ Las Vegas Gamblers(16-13)

--

Our 2022 bogey team from the division and my 2022 World Series favorites…

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Cincinnati LF Francisco Canales(26, 4*) .370-10-36 .1.243OPS 1.9WAR 2021 EL MvP, 2x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger
Pitcher of the Month: Montreal LHSP Brett Asselin(23, 3/4*) 4-0 2.79 45K 42IP 6GS 0.7WAR The kid is alright.
Rookie of the Month: Montreal LHSP Brett Asselin(23, 3/4*) 4-0 2.79 45K 42IP 6GS 0.7WAR


WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Denver 1B Devin Grose(38, 3.5*) .362-12-36 1.125OPS 1.8WAR 3x MvP and future Wall of Legends player
Pitcher of the Month: Denver RHSP Steve Grant(36, 2.5*) 5-1 1.64 24K 6GS 33IP 0.5WAR 2013 EL PotY
Rookie of the Month: Calgary SS Mike Hunter(23, 3/3.5*) .386-4-10 1.104OPS 26G 1.3WAR 11th rounder out of high school in 2017

Well, THAT is a start to the season. With the latest 15-0 laugher of a win, we are up to 6th in the runs scored column and our pitching and defense are still gold standard… AND we match out Pythagorean record exactly, 18-11. In other words, we are HOT. We have some problems right now, mainly the bullpen, but they have not had a lot of innings yet.

Looking over to the WL… we had a good April, but those 21-8 teams over there are… scary. The San Francisco Red Devils are tapping into the seemingly endless potential of RF Jason Bartlett(23, 3/5*, .296-2-9 .786OPS 0.5WAR) but looking over the roster, they are overperforming a bit as they lack an ace, and so do the Denver Seahawks… but I would not overlook a team led by 3x MvP Devin Grose… 101.7 career WAR and still going strong in his 17th season.

Pitching:

DL: none

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
LHSP Brett Asselin 4W – tied 2nd
LHSP Brett Asselin 15 BB – tied 2nd
LHSP Brett Asselin 45K – 5th
RHSP Dan Hinton 1.74 ERA – 2nd
RHSP Dan Hinton 1.3 WAR – 3rd
RHSP Dan Hinton 0.98 WHIP – 3rd
RHSP Juan Miranda 2.28 FIP – 1st
RHSP Juan Miranda 2.18 ERA – 5th
RHSP Juan Miranda 1.4WAR – 4th
RHCL Adam Rudolph 6SV – tied 5th

Our starting pitching is scarily good right now and I honestly don’t know how Brett Asselin managed to win two monthly awards in his first month of big league baseball. The performance of the other starters means that we have to make a tough decision soon when Marty Murrietta is well stretched out in AAA and ready to return… Right now, I would demote Alvarado from the pen and sent a starter into the pen… tricky one.

Adam Rudolph is concerning. We need a real good closer and all we got are “better than average” arms that perform well in middle relief and seem to struggle in the closer role when used over a longer period of time. Kevin Cowden is auditioning hard to return to the role tho… We may keep an eye on the trade market when the trade market heats up and we are still in contention.


Position Players:

DL: 1B Dave Grochowski(24, 4*, .330-3-16 .905OPS 0.7WAR) sprained thumb 4 days / 10 day IL

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
RF Ian Messer .409 Batting Average – 2nd
1B Dave Grochowski 10 DB – tied 3rd

The dark side of Fernando Perez hitting 8 home runs in 27 games? He leads the EL with 42 strikeouts as well. We wanted some power, we got it. But overall, no reason to complain about. Right now, all starters and both DH’s are hitting over .220 and the underlying numbers in batting average(.295, 2nd), OBP(.342, 2nd) and OPS(.792, 2nd) indicate that we may have been a bit unlucky to not perform even better.

With all that talked about, this is pretty much the group we can expect to play, similar to the last two years, no big callups expected and unless there is a ridiculous trade offer on the table, I don’t see us adding a big bat soon.


Prospect Watch:
AAA LF Santiago Rodriguez(2/3.5*) .259-1-6 .701OPS 16G 2/2SB 0.1WAR
AA RHSP Alejandro Corral(2/3*) 0-3 2.08 19K 0.6WAR 26IP 4GS
AA SS Gabe Rivera(1.5/3* HS, 1.5/4* OSA) .177-1-6 .535OPS -0.2WAR 18G
A 1B Joe Townsend(2/3*) .313-3-12 .895OPS 16G 0.3WAR
A SS Bryan Booth(21, 1.5/4*) .232-1-8 .696OPS 16G 0.2WAR
A OF Tyler Dean(19, 2/5*) .393-3-12 .1.138OPS 16G 1.1WAR
R 2B/3B/SS Manny Ramirez(1/4.5*) .426-5-15 1.339OPS 16G 0.9WAR
R LF Antonio Estrada(0.5/3.5*) .361-3-10 1.018OPS 16G 0.1WAR

Some good starts to the season, and some bad news for some of the kids. Our 2nd rounder in 2023, Tyler Aurand, was genuinely rated down to a 2.5* bust , our top infield prospect in Manny Ramirez lost half a star in potential and so did our second best infield prospect in Gabe Rivera.

Good news, out A ball stars in Tyler Dean and Bryan Booth are doing fine to spectacular. The next wave of talent hopefully as the current class of rookies looks really good…

[Griever20]

Week 6: 4 vs Toronto Blue Jays(13-15), 3@ Las Vegas Gamblers(16-13)

May 1st

Blue Jays Drop 4-1 Decision to Expos

Sam Griffin brought his A-game to help Montreal defeat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1. Adam Rudolph earned save number 7 this season. Toronto drops to 13-16.

Julian Hernandez had a big 3-run home run for the Expos in the bottom of the fourth inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he got a fastball from Tim Jones and swatted a home run to right-center. It was his 6th home run of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 4-0.

"We take it day by day here," said Hernandez, "and today was a good one for us." Hernandez is batting .314-6-19 .864OPS 0.5WAR in 28 games his rookie year.

Paul Davis(R, 0-3 5.50) - Juan Miranda(R, 3-1 2.18) tomorrow. One day, he may become a good pitcher with his 3* rating… hopefully not tomorrow.

SP Sam Griffin 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 7K W PotG
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R DB
1B Matt Talbert 2-4 DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R RBI
DH Joe Hawk 1-4 R DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R 3RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3
HR TOR: none
HR MON: Hernandez(6)
W: Sam Griffin(3-1 2.55) L: Tom Jones(0-1 6.00) SV: Adam Rudolph(7 5.65)
Hernandez came up big to back another strong showing by Griffin! The home run makes the difference…

May 2nd

Davis Silences Montreal Bats

Toronto and Montreal duked it out and the Blue Jays came out victorious.

Toronto Blue Jays starter Paul Davis pitched his team past the Montreal Expos, 4-2. Montreal is 19-12 after the defeat.

Davis, the winner, is now 1-3, after putting the clamps on the Montreal offense. In 8 innings of work, he gave up 1 run on 1 hit, while collecting 5 Ks.

"Getting ahead of the hitters was the key," said Davis. The 23-year old moved to 1-3 4.68 44K 0.6WAR in 7 starts in his third NMLB season.

Dennis Dick(R, 0-0 2.86) - Dan Hinton(R, 3-1 1.74) tomorrow. 2nd start for him, worked out of the pen before…

SP Juan Miranda 6.2IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 6K L
1B Matt Talbert 1-3 R RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4
CF Bobby Martinez 1-2 R RBI BB HR SB(3)
HR TOR: Massie(3), Ayala(1)
HR MON: Martinez(2), Talbert(2)
W: Paul Davis(1-3 4.68) L: Juan Miranda(3-2 2.72) SV: Manny Ayala(6 5.52)
Miranda is mortal after all. Oh, and three hits, albeit two home runs, is not enough to wins games.

May 3rd

Expos Win 10-3, Lose Hinton

The home crowd had a good time watching the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos get after it.

The Montreal Expos powered past the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-3, at Olympic Stadium. Matt Talbert provided some of the pop. He was 2 for 3 with a double and 2 walks. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. Toronto, with the loss, is 14-17.

Early in the game, designated hitter Joe Hawk had a grand slam home run for Montreal. It was his 3rd home run of the season and put the Expos on top, 4-0.

"It was a solid team effort," said Hawk after the game. However, the took a hard hit in the 2nd inning when starting pitcher Dan Hinton left the game with serious discomfort in his right arm. The diagnosis came swift and was devastating. He has suffered a partially torn labrum and will be out for 4 months.

Melvin Magana(R, 1-1 12.08) - Austin Roy(R, 1-3 5.14) tomorrow. Jep, it is THAT guy. He didn’t pitch at all in 2022 and now has a starting job… with THAT ERA.

SP Dan Hinton 1.2IP 2H 0R 0ER 2BB 2K L partially torn labrum 4 months
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R DB
RF Ian Messer 1-2 3R 2BB
1B Matt Talbert 2-3 2R 2RBI 2BB DB PotG
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 3RBI DB
DH Joe Hawk 1-4 R 4RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 SB(2)
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4
C Jordan Chavis 2-4 2R RBI HR
HR TOR: Neal(3)
HR MON: Hawk(3), Chavis(4)
W: Dustin Jenkins(1-1 4.12) L: Dennis Dick(0-1 4.26) SV: none
Agony. That solves the question where Murrietta will pitch….

Transactions:
RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 4/4.5*, 3-1 1.67 47K 1.3WAR 7GS) and his 7y/$110M contract extension are placed on the 60-day IL with his partially torn labrum and RHSP Marty Murrietta(26, 3*) was recalled after a 1-1 2.19 9K 0.1WAR 2GS rehab stint in AAA.

May 4th

Blue Jays Win in Ten

The Toronto Blue Jays did just enough to secure a victory over the Montreal Expos, 7-6, in 10 innings at Olympic Stadium. Nobody did more than first baseman Mario Lopez. The winner in relief was Jeff Martinelli. He is now 2-2. The left-hander allowed 3 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings. With the loss, Montreal sinks to 20-13.

Toronto needed the clutch hitting of Ricardo Orta to seal the deal. The right fielder swatted a solo home run in the top of the tenth inning to put the Blue Jays on top, 7-6. For the game, Orta had 1 home run and 2 singles in 5 at-bats.

"We took home the win," said Orta. "What's not to like?" The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .295-7-17 .941OPS 0.8WAR in 30 games.

Brett Asselin(L, 4-0 2.79) - Jose Mendez(L, 2-1 4.46) tomorrow. 15-game winner as a minor league free agent signee last season.

SP Austin Roy 6.1IP 10H 5R 5ER 3BB 4K ND
RF Ian Messer 1-4 BB
1B Matt Talbert 1-5 R
2B Fernando Perez 2-5 R RBI HR
DH Joe Hawk 0-2 R BB
PH/DH Julian Hernandez 1-2 R 2RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-2 R 2BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 RBI
2B Robby Weltzer 1-4 R DB
CF Bobby Martinez 1-3 2RBI
HR TOR: Lopez(4), Orta(7)
HR MON: Perez(9), Hernandez(7)
W: Jeff Martinelli(2-2 5.79) L: Adam Rudolph(0-4 5.87) SV: Elijah Saunders(1 1.02)
Rudolph… bye bye closer role. Cowden, please take over.

May 5th

Expos Rally Late to Clip Vegas in Extra Innings

Robby Weltzer was a major contributor to the 9-8 Montreal win over Las Vegas. The Expos shortstop went 4-4 with a double, 3 singles, and a walk, while scoring 2. He is batting .370-0-6 .918OPS 3/3SB 0.6WAR in 15 game.

Kevin Cowden snagged the win in relief, but blew the save. He goes to 1-0 on the season. Noah Fletcher suffered the loss. The Gamblers have now dropped 5 straight.

Montreal used the timely hitting of Joe Hawk to seize the win. The pinch hitter stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the tenth inning to put the Expos on top, 9-8. It was his only hit in 1 at-bat, but it was a game-changer.

"Sometimes winning takes more than 27 outs," said Expos manager Aaron McCreery.

Sam Griffin(R, 3-1 2.55) - Emilio Hinojosa(R, 1-4 7.76) tomorrow. 12-14 win pitcher with a mid-4’s ERA.

SP Brett Asselin 6.2IP 6H 5R 5ER 2BB 6K ND
CF Bobby Martinez 1-6 2RBI
DH Joe Hawk 1-5 BB
1B Matt Talbert 1-4
3B Julian Hernandez 1-6 RBI
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 2R RBI 2BB HR
RF Ian Messer 1-5 2R BB
2B Robby Weltzer 4-4 2R RBI BB DB SB(3)
PH Joe Hawk 1-1 RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 2R DB
PH/LF Ignacio Benavides 1-2
LF/2B James Slowik 1-4 R 3RBI
HR MON: Cervantes(3)
HR LVG: Lukasiewicz(3), Petry(6), Cabala(2)
W: Kevin Cowden(1-0 1.88) L: Noah Fletcher(1-2 2.30) SV: none
We used everything we had today as McCreery managed this game like game 7 in the World Series, including our new bad closer.

May 6th

Expos Edge Gamblers, 3-2

Montreal Expos starter Sam Griffin pitched a strong game against the Las Vegas Gamblers at Gamblers Stadium, leading the Expos to victory, 3-2. The winner was Griffin. He threw 6.1 innings of 5-hit ball. The loser was Emilio Hinojosa. The losing skid has reached 6 games for Las Vegas.

Joe Hawk helped out the Montreal cause in the top of the fourth inning with a run-scoring single. For the game, the designated hitter went 1-3 with a walk. The 25-year old is batting .288-3-13 .825OPS 0.2WAR in 18 games.

"Every loss stings," said Las Vegas manager Erik Smith. "This one is no exception."

Juan Miranda(R, 3-2 2.72) - Jesse Bahena(R, 3-3 4.30) tomorrow. Reigning 2x Cy Young winner.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 6K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 R RBI DB SB(3)
1B Matt Talbert 2-4 R
DH Joe Hawk 1-3 RBI BB
CF Bobby Martinez 1-2 R BB
HR MON: none
HR LVG: none
W: Sam Griffin(4-1 2.38) L: Emilio Hinojosa(1-5 6.42) SV: Cesar Alvarado(2 7.13)
Alvarado promptly gave up a run in a save situation with the back end of the pen tired…

May 7th

Gamblers Prevail, 6-4, Over Montreal

Behind the hitting of Josh Davis, the Las Vegas Gamblers stopped the Montreal Expos, 6-4. Davis went 3-4 with a home run and 2 singles. He drove in 2 runs and scored once for the Gamblers. Jesse Bahena got the win, improving to 4-3. He pitched 6.2 innings, giving up 9 hits and 3 runs, while striking out 8 and walking 2. Noah Fletcher, who finished 2nd in the WL in saves with 42 last year, earned the save for Las Vegas.

With Las Vegas leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Davis hit a changeup from Juan Miranda for a 2-run home run. It was his 1st home run of the season and put the Gamblers ahead, 4-0.

"We were able to get some things going offensively," said Davis. The 2020 ELDS MvP is batting .292-1-7 .768OPS 0.4WAR in 27 games.

Las Vegas is now 17-18, Montreal 22-14.

Marty Murrietta(R, DNP) - Tony Romero(R, 1-2 2.82) the day after tomorrow. Their team captain and 3.24ERA pitcher in 2022.

SP Juan Miranda 4.2IP 6H 5R 5ER 1BB 8K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R RBI SB(5)
RF Ian Messer 3-4 RBI BB DB SB(5)
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 BB DB
DH Joe Hawk 1-5 SB(2)
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 2R DB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R 2RBI TP
HR MON: none
HR LVG: Davis(1), Mayorga(5)
W: Jesse Bahena(4-3 4.26) L: Juan Miranda(3-3 3.45) SV: Noah Fletcher(8 2.16)
Bahena vs Miranda is not a really fair matchup, but we still got 12 hits today, but it wasn’t enough.

Record: 22-14, 1st in EL Northeast, 2.5G lead
Week: 4-3 (2-2 vs TOR, 2-1 @ LVG)
Power Rankings: #6(+-0)
Runs scored: 178(4th)
Runs against: 137(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.20(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.36(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .689(2nd)
Zone Rating: +18.6(1st)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 4G 2-1 1.38 20.2IP 16K
2B Robby Weltzer 7G 11-20 .550 0HR 3RBI

Who's not?
nobody

News:
May 2nd - Jacksonville LF Hector Perez(24, 2.5*) put on a hitting clinic as the Patriots dumped the Royals 10-1 with Perez going 5-5 2R 4RBI HR. The 24-year old is batting .255-3-10 .682OPS 0.0WAR in 27 games.

May 2nd - Detroit 1B Juan Velez(28, 3*) had everything come together at the plate in today’s game, going 5-6 R 6RBI DB HR in a 15-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Kings. The 2020 EL All-Star is batting .311-5-25 .916OPS 0.7WAR in 27 games.

May 5th - Marlins RHSP Scott Burns(30, 2.5*) pitched the best game of his career today, throwing a NO-HITTER with 3 walks and 10 strikeouts in a road win in Houston. The 2022 EL All-Star moved to 3-3 4.31 32K 1.1WAR in 7 starts.

May 6th - Sacramento SS Steve Rice(25, 2.5*) jacked three home runs into the stands in a 14-5 win over the Canadians, going 4-5 3R 5RBI 3HR. The 6th rounder in 2019 is batting .275-4-12 .750OPS 0.4WAR in 32 games.

May 8th - Detroit 1B Juan Velez(28, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 12-26 3HR 10RBI 7R.

May 8th - Seahawks 3B Miguel Fernandez(24, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-23 2HR 5RBI 5R. The sophomore is batting .333-6-17 .933OPS 1.6WAR in 33 games.


Next: 2@ Arizona Diamondbacks(14-22), 3vs San José Killer Whales(18-17)

--

Grok is due to return after the ARI series and we are curious about Murrietta’s season debut. But, another good week.

[Griever20]

Week 7: 2@ Arizona Diamondbacks(14-22), 3vs San José Killer Whales(18-17)

May 8th
Offday

May 9th

Diamondbacks Slaps 8-4 Loss on Montreal, Murietta

Getting offensive support from Luis Morales, the Arizona Diamondbacks topped the Montreal Expos, 8-4. Morales was 1-1 with a home run and 2 walks. He scored 3 times and drove in 2 for the Diamondbacks. Tony Romero, who finished 3rd in the WL in ERA with 3.24 last year, was the winning pitcher. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, with 2 walks and 9 strikeouts. The 4th-place Diamondbacks have won 4 consecutive games.

The Expos had been locked in a 4-4 tie with the Diamondbacks going into the bottom of the fifth inning. That changed quickly when the 2021 Rookie of the Year Award winner Marco Lemus came to the plate. Lemus hit a solo home run on a 1-0 sinker from Montreal hurler Marty Murrietta. It was Lemus's 6th home run of the year.

He is batting .254-6-18 .753OPS 0.0WAR in 37 games.

"I like the roll we're on," said Arizona manager A.J. Pascale.

Austin Roy(R, 1-3 5.44) - Carlos Barroso(R, 1-2 6.30) tomorrow. A good start by Roy would be nice…

SP Marty Murrietta 5.1IP 7H 6R 5ER 4BB 4K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R BB
RF Ian Messer 2-3 2R 2DB
1B Matt Talbert 1-4 RBI
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R 2RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 R RBI BB SB(4)
HR MON: Perez(10)
HR ARI: Ibarra(8), Lemus(6), Morales(2)
W: Tony Romero(2-2 3.30) L: Marty Murrietta(0-1 8.44) SV: Justin Whitt(2 2.33)
Murrietta with a sensational debut…

May 10th

Arizona Sweeps Short Series with 5-3 Win

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

Despite a fine performance by right fielder Ian Messer, the Montreal Expos lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-3. Messer was 3-3 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 times. Arizona reliever Justin Whitt snagged the win, upping his record to 1-1. Adam Rudolph shouldered the loss. Jon Martin nailed down his 4th save.

Had Luis Morales not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the eighth, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Morales hit a 2-run single. That made the score 5-3, in favor of the Diamondbacks.

"Nice to see our side come away with the win," Morales said after the game. He is batting .315-2-16 .881OPS 6/9SB 0.5WAR in 26 games out of the leadoff spot.

The Arizona win streak is now 5 games.

Jim Mansfield(R, 0-2 8.10) - Juan Miranda(R, 3-3 3.45) tomorrow. Miranda is on a negative trajectory…

SP Austin Roy 7IP 8H 2R 2ER 1BB 7K ND
RF Ian Messer 3-3 2R RBI HR PotG
1B Matt Talbert 2-4 R RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-3 BB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 DB
CF Bobby Hernandez 2-4 DB
HR MON: Messer(3), Talbert(3)
HR ARI: none
W: Justin Whitt(1-1 2.21) L: Adam Rudolph(0-5 6.75) SV: Jon Martin(4 7.80)
Let’s get out of the desert, the snakes are not nice to us.

May 11th
Offday

Transactions:
UT James Slowik(25, 2.5*, .310-0-4 .689OPS -0.1WAR) was sent back down to AAA as 1B Dave Grochowski(24, 4*, .330-3-16 .905OPS 0.7WAR) was activated off the IL.

May 12th

Killer Whales Beats Expos, 7-4

Behind a solid performance from first baseman Nate McClory, the San José Killer Whales defeated the Montreal Expos, 7-4. McClory went 2-4 with a home run. He drove in 2 runs and scored once for the Killer Whales.

"Our approach was just to try to see something over the plate and be aggressive," McClory told the San José Chronicle. He is batting -313-10-28 -951OPS 1.3WAR om 38 games.

The Killer Whales hit five home runs today. After today's action, San José sits at 20-19; Montreal slips to 22-17.

Aaron Knopsnyder had a big solo home run for the Killer Whales in the top of the third inning. With San José leading 1-0 and the bases empty, he sized up a curveball from Juan Miranda, who is tied for 8th in the EL in strikeouts with 53, and punished it. The result was his 2nd home run of the season, which put the Killer Whales on top, 2-0.

Eddie Baiamonte(R, 0-3 4.56) - Cesar Alvarado(R, 0-0 7.32) tomorrow. Murrieta’s slot, but he needs another day off after his injury.

SP Juan Miranda 3.1IP 4H 5R 5ER 1BB 6K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
3B Julian Hernandez 3-5 R RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 RBI 2TP
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 R
HR SJ: Knopsnyder(2), Breslin(1), Olmos(8), Kaneshiro(5), McClory(10)
HR MON: Talbert(4)
W: Jim Mansfield(1-2 7.11) L: Juan Miranda(3-4 4.15) SV: Manny Echevarria(11 5.40)
We are going down to earth it seems…

May 13th

Expos, Benavides beat San José on Bullpen Day, 4-0

The Montreal Expos defeated the San José Killer Whales, 4-0, at Olympic Stadium. Montreal was led by 26-year old left fielder Ignacio Benavides, who went 3 for 5 with a double and 2 singles. He drove in 2 runs. The win belonged to Joe Herzer in relief. His record improves to 2-0. Eddie Baiamonte took the loss for San José. The victory gives Montreal a record of 23-17.

Early in the game, Benavides had a 2-run double for Montreal. It was his 9th double of the season and put the Expos on top, 2-0.

"Our goal is to improve each and every day," Benavides told the Montreal Herald. He is batting .278-4-16 .768OPS 5/6SB 0.6WAR in 39 games.

Chris Ball(R, 3-0 2.55) - Sam Griffin(R, 4-1 2.38) tomorrow. Who else…

SP Cesar Alvarado 4.2IP 3H 0R 0ER 2BB 4K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 2RBI DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 TP
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 R RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 R RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3
CF Vicente Rodriguez 0-3 R BB
HR SJ: none
HR MON: Talbert(5), Perez(11)
W: Joe Herzer(2-0 2.35) L: Eddie Baiamonte(0-4 4.66) SV: none
Great power hitting and pitching.

May 14th

Griffin, Expos Collect 6-0 Win

Montreal Expos starter Sam Griffin worked his magic, to help his team defeat the San José Killer Whales, 6-0. Griffin picked up the win for Montreal, going 6.1 innings. He gave up no runs on 6 hits. He now sports a record of 5-1. Montreal leads the Eastern League North East Division by 2 games.

Vicente Rodriguez had a big bases-clearing triple for the Expos in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and the bases loaded, he got a sinker from 27-year old right-handed pitcher Jim DeFeo and swatted a triple to left-center. It was his 3rd triple of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 4-0.

"We took advantage of our opportunities," Griffin told the Montreal Herald. "It's as simple as that." The 2x All-Star improved to 5-1 2.06 41K 1.2WAR in 8 starts.

Jonathan Holder(R, 2-1 3.82) - Marty Murrieta(R, 0-1 8.44) tomorrow. Sophomore who bounced between pen and rotation last year.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 6H 0R 0ER 2BB 8K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R 2RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 DB
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 DB TP
DH Matt Talbert 0-3 R BB
RF Ian Messer 1-3 R BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-3 R BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R 3RBI DB TP
HR SJ: none
HR MON: Benavides(5)
W: Sam Griffin(5-1 2.06) L: Chris Ball(3-1 2.83) SV: none
Yees. We beat Ball. Most important result.

Record: 24-17, 1st in EL Northeast, 1.5G lead
Week: 2-3 (0-2 @ ARI, 2-1 vs SJ)
Power Rankings: #8(-2)
Runs scored: 199(8th)
Runs against: 157(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.29(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.29(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .685(2nd)
Zone Rating: +19.9(1st)
Fan Interest: 83(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 3G 3-0 0.93 19.1IP 21K
2B Robby Weltzer 7G 11-20 .550 0HR 3RBI
RF Ian Messer 6G 11-20 .550 1HR 2RBI

Who's not?
SP Juan Miranda 2G 0-2 11.25 8IP 14K

News:
May 8th - Calgary 2B Vinny Luna(23, 3.5*) provided a spark to his club, going 5-5 4R 4RBI DB HR in a 12-3 win over the Seahawks. The sophomore is batting .321-8-21 .928OPS 1.1WAR in 34 games.

May 15th - Philadelphia 2B Melvin Chacon(33, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-24 4HR 9RBI 6R. The $8.3M veteran is batting .308-13-29 .944 1.0WAR in 39 games.

May 15th - Beavers RF Joseph Floris(27, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 12-28 3HR 14RBI 5R. The right-handed hitter is batting .316-10-35 .981OPS 0.8WAR in 41 games.


Next: 3 vs Pittsburgh Kings(19-21), 3@ Seattle Mariners(24-17)

--

We gave Matt Talbert the chance to play as everyday DH… .316-3-4 1.170OPS. He will get another week in that role, that was STRONG.

[Griever20]

Week 8: 3 vs Pittsburgh Kings(19-21), 3@ Seattle Mariners(24-17)

May 15th

Pittsburgh Topples Montreal, 2-0

Kings designated hitter Bill Matthews left his mark on his team's 2-0 win over the Montreal Expos. Matthews, who finished 5th in the WL in OPS with .904 last year, was 3-4 with 2 home runs for Pittsburgh in the contest. With the win, Pittsburgh has a record of 20-21. Montreal falls to 24-18.

In the top of the fifth of a scoreless game, Matthews hit a solo home run to put his team ahead. The 3x All-Star is batting .280-6-+16 .805OPS 0.4WAR in 41 games.

Pittsburgh manager Randy Sandlin said his team played a "no nonsense" game.

Brent Perino(R, 4-2 2.90) - Brett Asselin(L, 4-0 3.33) tomorrow. Always wins 10-12 games every year.

SP Marty Murrietta 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 6K L
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4
RF Ian Messer 1-2 TP HBP
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-3 R BB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-2 BB
C Jordan Chavis 1-3
PH Joe Hawk 1-1
HR PIT: Matthews 2(6)
HR MON: none
W: Jonathan Holden(3-1 3.25) L: Marty Murrietta(0-2 4.50) SV: T.J. Hoffman(6 11.08)
Not Murrietta’s fault.

May 16th

Grochowski Leads Expos to Win, 6-2

Montreal first baseman Dave Grochowski had a 3-RBI game, which helped his team beat the Pittsburgh Kings, 6-2. Montreal is now 25-18, while Pittsburgh is 20-22.

With Montreal leading 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Grochowski hit a fastball from Brent Perino for a 3-run home run. It was his 4th home run of the season and put the Expos ahead, 4-0. The 2022 Rookie of the Year is batting .339-4-20 .976OPS 1.1WAR in 33 games.

Said losing manager Randy Sandlin: "Obviously, we wished for a better outcome."

Victor Alvarez(R, 2-1 3.83) - Austin Roy(R, 1-3 5.03) tomorrow. 18-game winner on merit in 2022.

SP Brett Asselin 8IP 6H 2R 2ER 0BB 9K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-5 2R RBI DB TP
3B Julian Hernandez 1-3 R RBI BB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 2R 3RBI 2DB HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 RBI DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4R
HR PIT: none
HR MON: Grochowski(4)
W: Brett Asselin(5-0 3.18) L: Brent Perino(4-3 3.44) SV: none
Grok!. Asselin with another great start and the offense kept it a 4-run game so our closer could not blow it!

May 17th

Perez Slugs Expos to 10-6 Win

The Montreal Expos beat the Pittsburgh Kings, 10-6, at Olympic Stadium. Montreal second baseman Fernando Perez had an outstanding performance. He slugged 2 home runs. He scored 3 times and drove in 4. Austin Roy, the winning pitcher, is now 2-3. He went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, while fanning 7 and walking 2. Montreal raised its record to 26-18 with the win.

"I felt good up there," said Perez. "I saw the ball well." The rookie is batting .261-13-32 .836OPS 1.2WAR in 42 games.

Montreal catcher Gabriel Cervantes contributed a timely at-bat in the bottom of the fifth. With two down, he hit a fastball to center field for a run-scoring single. It was his 28th hit of the season and put the Expos ahead, 5-4.

Juan Miranda(R, 3-4 4.15) - Brian Gick(R, 3-4 4.82) the day after tomorrow. 23-year old sophomore that was the #9 prospect in 2022.

SP Austin Roy 6IP 6H 4R 4ER 2BB 7K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-4 2R BB DB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 3R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-5 R RBI
2B Fernando Perez 4-5 3R 4RBI 2HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R RBI
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 RBI
HR PIT: Paima(8)
HR MON: Perez 2(13), Hernandez(8)
W: Austin Roy(2-3 5.13) L: Victor Alvarez(2-2 4.47) SV: none
The rookies combining for 5RBIs and three homers! Those were the games that we always lost last year and the year before.

May 18th
Offday

May 19th

Miranda Stops Skid as Expos Win, 4-2

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at T-Mobile Park, knocking off the Seattle Mariners, 4-2. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Juan Miranda. He played a key role in the triumph. Miranda picked up the win for Montreal, going 7.1 innings. He gave up 1 run on 4 hits. He now sports a record of 4-4. Getting the save was Kevin Cowden, his 3rd.

Montreal used a clutch at-bat from Fernando Perez to capture the win. The second baseman hammered a 2-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to put the Expos ahead, 3-1. It was his lone hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a humdinger.

"Juan is good at sticking to his strengths," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

The Expos improved their record to 27-18 with the win over Seattle.

Sam Griffin(R, 5-1 2.06) - Frank Montoya(L, 5-2 3.25) tomorrow. Solid southpaw that can go deep into games.

SP Juan Miranda 7.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 2BB 5K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 0-3 BB SB(5)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R 2RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-2 R 2BB
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 BB
CF Victor Rodriguez 2-4 RBI
HR MON: Perez(14), Talbert(6)
HR SEA: none
W: Juan Miranda(4-4 3.76) L: Brian Gick(3-5 4.94) SV: Kevin Cowden(3 2.08)
Don’t get too excited, Cowden allowed two singles, a double, a walk and a run scored in his save…

May 20th

Expos Pocket 10-4 Win Against Seattle

The Montreal Expos topped the Seattle Mariners by a score of 10-4. Leading the way was second baseman Fernando Perez. Perez was 2-5 with a home run. He scored 2 times and drove in 3 for the Expos. Sam Griffin got credit for the win, improving to 6-1. He allowed 3 runs on 9 hits in 6.1 innings. The first-place Expos have won 4 straight games.

"Nice to tuck this win away," said Perez. He has now hit four home runs in the last three games and is batting .265-15-37 .862OPS 1.4WAR in 44 games for the season.

With one out in the top of the first, Dave Grochowski put Montreal in front, 1-0, with a run-scoring single. The Expos went on to win the ballgame.

Marty Murrietta(R, 0-2 4.50) - John Robinson(R, 1-2 4.43) tomorrow. 2020 All-Star

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 9H 3R 3ER 1BB 3K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 2R RBI BB DB SB(6)
3B Julian Hernandez 3-5 R 2RBI 2DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3 R BB HBP
2B Fernando Perez 2-5 2R 3RBI HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-5 R RBI DB
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R RBI DB TP
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-5
CF Victor Rodriguez 1-4 R RBI BB
SS Robby Weltzer 1-4 R strained oblique 5 weeks
HR MON: Perez(15)
HR SEA: none
W: Sam Griffin(6-1 2.32) L: Frank Montoya(5-3 3.53) SV: none
Every starter got a hit today… but we lost an infielder.

Transactions:
IF Robby Weltzer(26, 2.5/3*, .333-0-6 .820OPS 0.5WAR 18G) was placed on the 10-day IL and with Mitku Kazemd and Orlando Gonzalez both out for multiple months with their own injuries, we recalled UT James Slowik(25, 2.5*, .310-0-4 .689OPS -0.1WAR 9G NMLB) again to play backup infielder.

May 21st

Murrietta Bags First Win as Expos Beat Mariners, 8-1

Starting pitcher Marty Murrietta took care of business, helping the Montreal Expos stifle the Seattle Mariners, 8-1. Montreal is now 29-18, Seattle 25-22.

Murrietta delivered a quality start for Montreal. The 6-foot-0 right-hander allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits over 9 innings of work.

Murrietta called the win the result of "everyone being in sync."

Brett Asselin(L, 5-0 3.18) - Ramon Ruedas(R, 1-4 4.30) tomorrow. 2017 Cy Young Winner.

SP Marty Murrietta 9IP 3H 1R 1ER 2BB 7K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R RBI DB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-4 2R RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 2R 5RBI DB HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-2 BB
DH Matt Talbert 0-4 RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 3-3 2R SB(3)
HR MON: Grochowski(5)
HR SEA: none
W: Marty Murrietta(1-2 3.00) L: John Robinson(1-3 4.78) SV: none
That is the best start in a Montreal Expos uniform for Murrietta since he came over.

Record: 29-18, 1st in EL Northeast, 1.5G lead
Week: 5-1 (2-1 vs PIT, 3-0 @ SEA)
Power Rankings: #4(+4)
Runs scored: 237(4th)
Runs against: 174(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.17(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.29(10th)
Defensive Eff.: .690(2nd)
Zone Rating: +24.2(1st)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 8G 6-1 1.57 51.2IP 40K
SP Marty Murrietta 2G 1-1 1.15 15.2IP 13K
2B Fernando Perez 6G 8-23 .348 4HR 9RBI

Who's not?
CF Bobby Martinez 7G 2-21 .095 0HR 0RBI

News:
May 15th - Los Angeles CF Carlos Gonzalez(22, 2.5*) needed 38 career games for his first gem, a 3 home run game in a 8-4 win over the Chicago Rangers, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR. The rookie is batting .262-6-28 .776OPS 1.1WAR in 38 games.

May 19th - Denver SS Danny Santiago(25, 3.5*) lost his impressive 24-game hitting streak today in a 9-2 loss to the Canadians. The 2022 WL Silver Slugger is batting .315-5-26 .868OPS 2.0WAR in 42 games.

May 22nd - Chicago RF Alex Chanez(26, 2.5/3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 9-21 3HR 8RBI 6R. The 2021 EL All-Star is batting .228-6-21 .757 0.7WAR in 35 games.

May 22nd - Las Vegas CF Trevor Wolthuis(30, 2.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-21 5HR 9RBI 7R. The four time home run king is batting .224-13-29 .798OPS 0.1WAR in 41 games.


Next: 3@ Cincinnati Eagles(27-21) , 3@ Calgary Beavers(16-31)

--

First things first… Perez got robbed a PotW in my opinion. Second, we are rolling offensively now that Grok is back. Third, Bullpen remains a concern.

[Griever20]

Week 9: 3 @ Cincinnati Eagles(27-21) , 3@ Calgary Beavers(16-31)

May 22nd

Cincinnati, Ruedas Edge Montreal, 3-2

Cincinnati pitcher Ramon Ruedas did his part in helping his team defeat the Montreal Expos, 3-2. The opposition could never get too much going against the right-hander. Cincinnati goes to 28-21, Montreal to 29-19.

With scoring opportunities rare, the Eagles had to cash in when they had the chance. One such opportunity presented itself in the bottom of the third, when first baseman Nicolá Gardini hit a run-scoring single. The single came off Brett Asselin and made the score 3-2, Eagles. Gardini was 1 for 4.

"That was a really good outing by Ramon," said Cincinnati manager Jose Carrera. Gardini is batting .315-5-24 .888OPS 1.6WAR in 42 games.

Austin Roy(R, 2-3 5.13) - Vince Wilkens(R, 4-2 4.82) tomorrow. Solid arm, but only three kinds of fastballs and a bad changeup.

SP Brett Asselin 8IP 3H 3R 3ER 0BB 6K L
1B Dave Grochowski 3-4 R RBI HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 R RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3
SS Rich Meilleur 2-3 BB
HR MON: Grochowski(6), Perez(16)
HR CIN: Saldana(4)
W: Ramon Ruedas(2-4 4.12) L: Brett Asselin(5-1 3.20) SV: Lamar Gladney(10 1.88)
Two solo shots are not enough despite a strong outing by Asselin.

May 23rd

Roy Gets 6-3 Win over Eagles

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

Montreal pitcher Austin Roy had a large part in his team beating the Cincinnati Eagles, 6-3. The right-hander kept opposing batters in check throughout the game. Getting the save was Kevin Cowden, his 4th.

The Expos got a big at-bat from right fielder Ian Messer. For the game, Messer was 1 for 4 with a home run. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. In the top of the second, with a runner on 1st, he stroked a 2-run home run. His 4th home run of the season gave Montreal a 2-0 lead.

"Today was a lot of fun," said Messer. He is batting .366-4-14 .942OPS 1.6WAR in 45 games.

After today's action, Montreal sits at 30-19; Cincinnati slips to 28-22.

Juan Miranda(R, 4-4 3.76) - Andy Spicer(R, 4-2 4.88) tomorrow. One day, the 3.5/5* rated pitcher will be good…

SP Austin Roy 7IP 1H 1R 1ER 7BB 3K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R DB
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5 RBI DB
2B Fernando Perez 1-4
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 2R RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 1-4 R 2RBI HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-3 2R RBI BB DB HR
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 RBI
HR MON: Messer(4), Talbert(7), Cervantes(4)
HR CIN: Sandoval(3)
W: Austin Roy(3-3 4.70) L: Vince Wilkens(4-3 5.29) SV: Kevin Cowden(4 1.96)
Roy’s control was out of the category ‘effectively wild’…

May 24th

Expos Beats Cincinnati, 7-4

Dave Grochowski was a major contributor to the 7-4 Montreal win over Cincinnati. The Expos first baseman was 3-3 with 3 singles, a walk, and was hit by a pitch. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. He is batting .351-6-29 1.014OPS 1.5WAR in 40 games.

Dustin Jenkins, 2-1, earned the win in relief. He allowed 1 run on 1 hit in 2 innings. The Expos have an impressive 31-19 record.

Montreal used the hitting of Fernando Perez to pick up the win. The second baseman clubbed a 3-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to put the Expos on top, 4-3. For the game, Perez had 1 home run and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

"You can't get too high when things go well, or too low when things go bad. Right now, I'm just happy we got the win," Grochowski told the Montreal Herald.

Sam Griffin(R, 6-1 2.32) - Eddie Puga(R, 3-3 4.93) the day after tomorrow. Unhappy righty.

SP Juan Miranda 4.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 4BB 7K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 2R
1B Dave Grochowski 3-3 R 2RBI BB
2B Fernando Perez 2-5 R 4RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 2-4 R
3B James Slowik 2-3 2R BB
HR MON: Perez(17)
HR CIN: none
W: Dustin Jenkins(2-1 3.86) L: Andy Spicer(4-3 5.22) SV: Kevin Cowden(5 1.86)
Miranda had a bad control day but we got enough hits to compensate.

May 25th
Offday

May 26th

Grok Goes Yard Thrice as Expos Win, 12-2

A nice crowd turned out for a clash between the Montreal Expos and Calgary Beavers.

Dave Grochowski was a major factor in the 12-2 Montreal win over Calgary. The Expos first baseman hit 3 home runs, while adding 4 RBI and scoring three times. Picking up the win was Sam Griffin. He went 5.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits. The right--hander struck out 6 and walked 1. Glen McKeen picked up his 2nd save of the season.

Montreal used the hitting of Matt Talbert to pick up the win. The designated hitter clubbed a 2-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to put the Expos on top, 5-2. For the game, Talbert had 1 home run and 1 single in 5 at-bats. A regular at DH now, the 25-year old is batting .261-8-17 .802OPS 0.3WAR in 46 games.

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

The win for the Expos lifted their record to 32-19.

Marty Murrietta(R, 1-2 3.00) - Jesus Archibeque(R, 3-2 3.99) tomorrow. 23-year old sidearmer with a good season out of the pen, 2nd start.

SP Sam Griffin 5.2IP 6H 2R 2ER 1BB 6K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R RBI BB DB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 3R 4RBI 3HR PotG
2B Fernando Perez 2-4 R BB
DH Matt Talbert 2-5 R 2RBI HR
RF Ian Messer 4-5 2R
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 2-5 R 3RBI HR
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 R DB
HR MON: Grochowski 3(9), Talbert(8), Cervantes(5), Meilleur(3)
HR CAL: none
W: Sam Griffin(7-1 2.40) L: Eddie Puga(3-4 5.36) SV: Glen McKeen(2 2.13)
GROK! That was an unexpected power outburst against a weak team.

May 27th

Expos Down Beavers, 9-4

Montreal catcher Gabriel Cervantes made his presence felt in the 9-4 Expos triumph over the Calgary Beavers. Cervantes was 2 for 4 with a home run, a double, and a walk. He drove in 4 runs and scored once. The 27-year old is batting .262-6-17 .776OPS 1.2WAR in 40 games.

The first-place Expos have won 4 in a row.

Matt Talbert had a big run-scoring double for the Expos in the top of the first inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and a runner on 1st, he got a fastball from 23-year old right-handed pitcher Jesus Archibeque and swatted a double to center. It was his 8th double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 2-0.

"We'll keep playing hard and let the chips fall where they may," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

Brett Asselin(L, 5-1 3.20) - Jon Marquardt(R, 0-2 6.02) tomorrow. Lost 14 games last year, traded away by us in 2021.

SP Marty Murrietta 6IP 7H 3R 3ER 1BB 2K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 2R BB
3B Julian Hernandez 3-5 2R RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R BB
2B Fernando Perez 1-5 R RBI
DH Matt Talbert 2-5 2RBI 2DB
RF Ian Messer 3-4 2R HBP
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R 4RBI BB DB HR PotG
HR MON: Hernandez(9), Cervantes(6)
HR CAL: Doherty(7)
W: Marty Murrietta(2-2 3.33) L: Jesus Archibeque(3-3 4.67) SV: Adam Rudolph(8 6.00)
And that’s the difference between 2021/22 and this season. He whack three homers and win this game.

May 28th

Expos Move to 34-19 With Sweep of Calgary

Montreal first baseman Dave Grochowski contributed significantly to his team's 7-3 win over the Calgary Beavers. Grochowski, who is tied for 2nd in the EL with a .363 batting average, went 3 for 5 with 1 run scored to lead the offensive attack for the Expos. Montreal has now won 5 straight, while the Beavers have lost 4 in a row.

Early in the game, Grochowski had a 2-run home run for Montreal. It was his 10th home run of the season and put the Expos on top, 2-0. He is batting .363-10-36 1.087OPS 2.2WAR in 43 games.

Afterward, Calgary manager Tony Binet said: "We've hit a rough patch."

Adam Billock(R, 2-1 3.33) - Austin Roy(R, 3-3 4.70) the day after tomorrow. 2021 WL All-Star

SP Brett Asselin 7IP 8H 1R 1ER 1BB 5K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 R 3RBI BB DB SB(7)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 R 3RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 R BB
RF Ian Messer 3-5 R RBI 3DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R BB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 2R BB
HR MON: Hernandez(9), Cervantes(6)
HR CAL: Doherty(8), Floris(15)
W: Brett Asselin(6-1 3.01) L: Jon Marquardt(0-3 6.45) SV: none
Firing on all cylinders.


Record: 34-19, 1st in EL Northeast, 4G lead
Week: 5-1 (2-1 @ CIN, 3-0 @ CAL)
Power Rankings: #2(+2)
Runs scored: 280(3rd)
Runs against: 193(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.16(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.21(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .692(1st)
Zone Rating: +27.7(1st)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Brett Asselin 9G 6-1 2.45 66IP 66K
SP Sam Griffin 9G 7-1 1.73 57.1IP 46K
C Gabriel Cervantes 7G 10-25 .400 3HR 6RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 7G 15-29 .517 6HR 15RBI
RF Ian Messer 5G 13-22 .591 1HR 3RBI

Who's not?
CF Bobby Martinez 9G 2-22 .090 0HR 0RBI

News:
May 24th - Chicago RHRP Alex Espinosa(37, 3*) collected career save #300 today. The veteran is a career 50-69 300SV 3.18 814K 814.1IP 17.3WAR in 760 games.

May 26th - Sacramento CF Mauricio Mendoza(26, 3*) lost his 21-game hitting streak today, going 0-4 in a 4-2 loss to the Canadians. The 9th overall pick in 2018, he is batting .338-9-34 .920OPS 0.9WAR in 49 games.

May 29th - Montreal 1B Dave Grochowski(24, 4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 13-25 5HR 10RBI 7R. The 2021 EL Rookie of the Year is batting .363-10-36 1.087OPS 2.2WAR in 43 games.

May 29th - Diamondbacks RF Miguel Martinez(32, 4*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 13-28 6HR 12RBI 7R. The 2020 WL OPS leader is batting .345-14-40 1.013 OPS 1.7WAR in 52 games.

Next: 3 vs Oakland Oaks(28-26), 3vs Philadelphia Grizzlies(29-26)

--

Oakland is 28-26 and fourth in the WL South West… crazy division.

[Griever20]

Week 10: 3 vs Oakland Oaks(28-26), 3vs Philadelphia Grizzlies(29-26)

May 29th
Offday

May 30th

Montreal Takes Win To Open Interleague Series, 6-2

Riding the 3-hit performance of the 2022 Rookie of the Year Award winner Dave Grochowski, the Montreal Expos stopped the Oakland Oaks, 6-2, in 9 innings. Austin Roy, the winning pitcher, improved to 4-3. He pitched 7.2 innings, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 7 and walking 2. The first-place Expos have won 6 in a row.

Early in the game, Grochowski had a 3-run home run for Montreal. It was his 11th home run of the season and put the Expos on top, 3-0.

"I like the roll we're on," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery.

Frank Galaz(L, 2-2 4.78) - Juan Miranda(R, 4-4 3.94) tomorrow. Miranda is struggling so…

SP Austin Roy 7.2IP 4H 2R 2ER 2BB 7K W
3B Julian Hernandez 0-3 R 2BB
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 2R 4RBI HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 3-5
RF Ian Messer 0-2 RBI 2BB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-4 2R DB SB(1)
HR OAK: none
HR MON: Grochowski(11)
W: Austin Roy(4-3 4.43) L: Adam Billock(2-2 3.69) SV: none
Grok is putting on a show this month…

May 31st

Montreal Beaten, 11-7, by Oakland in 11

The Montreal Expos could not turn a fine performance from shortstop Rich Meilleur into a win. Instead, the Oakland Oaks prevailed, 11-7. Meilleur was 3-5 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 and driving in 3. The glove first infielder is batting .291-4-21 .739OPS 1.0WAR in 50 games.

Elliot Henderson came out of the bullpen to earn the win. The right-hander allowed no runs on 1 hit in 3 innings. His record now stands at 3-1. The win puts Oakland at 29-27 this season.

Ron Goodman came through with a big-time hit for Oakland. The shortstop smacked a 2-run home run in the top of the 11th inning to give his team the lead, 9-7. It was his only hit, but it was clutch.

In postgame remarks, Goodman simply said: "Here's to a great win!"

Jose Franco(R, 3-5 5.85) - Sam Griffin(R, 7-1 2.40) tomorrow. Waiver claim from NYM, AAAA player.

SP Juan Miranda 5.2IP 5H 5R 5ER 3BB 1K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 3-4 2RBI BB DB
3B Julian Hernandez 3-6
2B Fernando Perez 2-6 R DB
DH Matt Talbert 2-5 2R RBI BB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-5 R RBI BB DB
SS Rich Meilleur 3-5 2R 3RBI DB HR
HR OAK: Dowling 2(5), Goodman(8)
HR MON: Meilleur(4), Talbert(9)
W: Elliot Henderson(3-1 1.20) L: Cesar Alvarado(0-1 6.90) SV: none
Silva 1ER, Cowden 1ER and BS #3, Alvarado 4ER… this bullpen.

END OF MAY!

News:
May 29th - Diamondbacks 3B Marco Lemus(25, 3.5*) was the king of Detroit today, going 3-4 4R 6RBI 3 home runs in a 10-5 road win. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .291-11-34 .872OPS 1.0WAR in 54 games.

May 30th - Boston 1B Tim Aguilar(35, 4*) collected career home run #300 today in a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros. The 2015 EL MvP, 9x All-Star and 6x Silver Slugger is a career .308/.388/.526 300HR 934RBI 1780H 864R 1534G 57WAR hitter for BOS,SLC and SF.

[Griever20]

NMLB Deep Dive May 31st: Montreal Draft History 2015 - 2017
stadiumreport.bbn

May 31st, 2023

2015:
1st Round, 14th overall: C Alex Taylor(25, 2* with VAN AAA). Stuck as backup C in AAA. Traded for Huai-yu Mah and Dave Quiros in 2020.
2nd Round, 48th overall: LHRP Dusty Leone(26, 2.5* with SDP) 16-25 27SV 4.21 323K 312IP 297G 4.0WAR career. 4.78ERA in 2022, 6.23ERA so far in 23. 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 *, with SLC) .227-5-18 .656OPS 58G 52G 0.5WAR. Traded in 2021 in Austin Roy trade.
6th Round, 171st overall: CF Brian Schill(27, 2* with SF) .243-53-186 .705OPS 356H 425G 6.7WAR. Backup OF that had one stunning 28HR year in 2020. Traded in 2022 in the NMLB RHRP Dustin Jenkins(3-2 2SV 4.50 0.2WAR)
8th Round, 231st overall: RF Jeremy Meadows(25, 2.5* with MIA) .248-16-62 .669OPS 216G -0.1WAR. Traded in 2019 for useless reliever.
11th Round, 321st overall: RHRP Freddy Silva(26, 3*) 8-4 1SV 4.16 157K 147IP 127G 1.8WAR. In our pen and getting better every year.
12th Round, 351st overall: RHRP Bill Smith(26, 2.5* with VAN) 23-36 5.34 581K 564.2IP 131G 107GS 4.8WAR. Traded in 2021 for RHRP Jordan Robinson(released), NMLB IF Rich Meilleur(.253-6-30 1.5WAR 101G), 3B Jonathan Boone(released). Stamina hurts him.
15th Round, 441st overall. RHRP Tim Thrower(26, 2.5* with AA CIN) 0-1 4.50 47K 38IP 25G 0.2WAR. Let go as a minor league free agent.

Silva is still here and improving, and some of the others were good trade bait…


2016:
1st Round, 33rd overall: LHP Matt Bernstein(25, 2.5* with SAC) 3-3 1SV 7.50 33K 16G/4GS 0.0WAR. Let go as a minor league free agent.
2nd Round, 69th overall: RHSP Evan Richards – retired
3rd Round, 99th overall: RHRP Myles Kirkpatrick – retired
4th Round, 130th overall: RHSP Juan Miranda(25, 3/3*) 13-16 4.17 247K 252.2IP 43G 4.6WAR. In NMLB rotation.
5th Round, 160th overall: 2B Nate Stone – retired
9th Round, 280th overall: RF Chris Nicholson(25, 2* with AAA ATL) hit .394-0-3 .897OPS 0.3WAR in 14G with ATL this season. Defensive Liability. Let go as a minor league free agent.
14th Round, 430th overall: CF Vicente Rodriguez(25, 2.5*) .265-3-68 .658OPS 12/26SB 281G 3.5WAR. In NMLB in center field after losing his job momentarily.

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

2017:
1st Round, 21st overall: RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 4/4.5*) 18-17 3.22 297K 329.1IP 55GS 7.5WAR. Injury prone ace, currently on 60-day IL. Signed till End of 2030 for $110.5M.
2nd Round, 59th overall: RF Chris Larson(27, 2* with CIN AAA) career minor league player that can’t field well and can’t hit well enough. Traded away in 2018 for a veteran 1B that collected 5.3WAR through two seasons.
4th Round, 123rd overall: LHRP Bill Cox – retired
5th Round, 153rd overall: 1B Justin Kriss – retired
6th Round, 183rd overall: LHSP Hitoshi Watanabe(24, 2.5* with DET) 5-3 4.71 57K 63IP 11GS 0.7WAR. Fragile AAAA player that was traded for a pitching prospect in 2022/23 offseason.
7th Round, 213th overall: LF Paul Lesage – retired
8th Round, 243rd overall: LHRP Jay Greene(24, 2.5* with AAA SAC) 4-3 2.77 41K 55.1IP 8GS 1.1WAR in AAA. Released in 2020.
9th Round, 273rd overall: 1B Dave Grochowski(24, 4*) .353-31-132 .976OPS 201G 8.2WAR. 2022 RotY, 2022 EL All-Star, 2022 Silver Slugger.
10th Round, 303rd overall: LHRP Mike Anderson(26, 2*) Free agent, Released in 2021.
11th Round, 333rd overall: LHRP Esteban Chavez(24, 2* with AA KCR) Nothing special, released in 2020.
12th Round, 363rd overall: 2B Dan Campbell – retired
15th Round, 453rd overall: LHSP Roland Morris(24, 2.5/3*) 11-17 4.85 203K 211.2IP 47G/36GS 0.0WAR. Scouts say he added some potential… Traded in the Marty Murrietta(11-8 3.46 122K 1.7WAR with MON) trade.
16th Round, 483rd overall: C Kevin Craddock(26, 2.5*, AAA) .203-6-37 .580OPS 146G 0.1WAR. Good defender, not a good hitter. Lost the NMLB backup spot this spring.
21st Round, 633rd overall: 2B Kyle Oldham(24, 2.5*, AAA) .229-3-12 .647OPS 0.3WAR 44G in AAA this year. Speedy guy with good defense, soon part of our backup plans maybe?

Banger of a draft class. Danny and Grok and some depth pieces? I take it every year. Good job by my predecessor that year.

See you next year for 2015-2018. (Spoiler, 2018 is a stinker)

[Griever20]

EL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Montreal 1B Dave Grochowski(24, 4*) .397-8-24 1.313OPS 1.5WAR Our boy!
Pitcher of the Month: Astros RHSP Orlando Turrietta(36, 4*) 5-0 1.88 48K 43IP 6GS 2.0WAR 3x Cy Young Winner
Rookie of the Month: Cincinnati RHCL Lamar Gladney(23, 3/4*) 3-0 7SV 1.69 10K 10.2IP 11G 0.0WAR


WL Awards:
Batter of the Month: Arizona RF Miguel Martinez(32, 4*) .404-10-31 1.201OPS 2.0WAR 2x MvP
Pitcher of the Month: Portland RHSP Ryan Stoodley(24, 3/3.5*) 4-1 2.09 53K 6GS 38.2IP 1.6WAR 6th Rounder 2017
Rookie of the Month: Oakland RHCL Elliott Henderson(23, 2.5*) 3-1 6SV 1.59 9K 11.1IP 0.4WAR 17th Rounder 2017

It’s time! We are good! Two years of rebuilding, now contending. One thing I have to mention however is… Hinton, Asselin, Miranda, Henandez, V-Rod, Griffin, Silva and Herzer were leftovers from the old administration, and well picked ones. That, and a bunch of trades make for a 18-10 and 17-9 team whose Pythagorean Record is 36-19.

Don’t ask me how we pay this crew in 3-4 years, but that’s a future GM problem.

Now, depth. In AAA, we got IF Mitku Kazemd and Orlando Gonzalez out for multiple months, so our only infielder left right now is 2017 21st rounder 2B Kyle Oldham(24, 2.5*. 55/45/35/50/50 with 65/65/60 speed). He is batting .229 in AAA. No more injuries please.

That being said, we are not out of the woods yet. The New York Mets are behind us and their top of the lineup with CF Abel Lemke(25, 4*, .306-4-27 .818OPS 34/39SB 2.7WAR), C Mario Toscano(26, 5*, .280-4-27 .810OPS 1.2WAR) and 1B Bernie Castillo(27, 4*, .300-3-25 .755OPS 0.9WAR) is pretty good with room for improvement…

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Red Devils are destroying the Western League with former #1 prospect RF Jason Barlett(23, 3/5*, .275-3-20 .735OPS 0.6WAR) starting his MLB career and 2B Ralph Pelletier(25, 4*) hitting a hot .354-2-6 .823OPS 0.4WAR since coming off the IL after a early torn quadriceps.

Pitching:

DL: RHSP Dan Hinton(24, 4/4.5*) 3-1 1.67 47K 1.3WAR 7GS partially torn labrum 3 months

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
RHSP Sam Griffin 2.40 ERA – 3rd
RHSP Sam Griffin 7 W – tied 2nd
RHSP Sam Griffin 5.6 K/BB – tied 4th
RHSP Sam Griffin 1.4 BB/9 – 2nd
RHSP Sam Griffin 1.10 WHIP – 4th
LHSP Brett Asselin 6W – tied 5th
LHSP Brett Asselin 1.07 WHIP – 3rd
LHSP Brett Asselin 2.5 rWAR – 4th

The Dan Hinton injury hurts. Sure. But the rest is doing fine already as we have a 3.22 starters ERA and are 1st in the EL. Danny would be a bonus. The bullpen is the problem. Cesar Alvarado has a 6.90ERA and would’ve been the one to get demoted to AAA when Marty Murrietta would’ve come back… now we have to think about stuff.

AAA options:
RHCL Robert Estrada 5.03ERA 9SV on the IL
RHCL Bill Bell 4.34ERA 2SV -0.2WAR
… and a bunch of 2.5* pitchers with an ERA over 5. Horrible.

Trade options? Not yet. We have 8 teams that are in Win Now! mode, including us. No teams are rebuilding. The trade block has two 3.5* relievers on it… both lefties. Not helpful.

And then, there is the back end with Adam Rudolph pitching to a 5.82ERA.

Position Players:

DL: SS Robby Weltzer(26, 2.5/3*, .333-0-6 .820OPS 3/3SB 0.5WAR) strained oblique 3 weeks

NMBL Montreal Expos Players on the leaderboard:
1B Dave Grochowski .358 Batting Average – 2nd
1B Dave Grochowski 4 TP – tied 4th
1B Dave Grochowski .401 OBP – 4th
1B Dave Grochowski .670 SLG – 1st
1B Dave Grochowski 1.071OPS – 1st
1B Dave Grochowski 2.2WAR – 4th
2B Fernando Perez 17HR – tied 1st
2B Fernando Perez 43 RBI – tied 3rd
2B Fernando Perez 81K – 1st
LF Ignacio Benavides 17 DB – tied 3rd
RF Ian Messer .386 Batting Average – 1st
RF Ian Messer .435 OBP – 1st
RF Ian Messer 39 R – tied 4th

Two observations. #1 Having a power hitter in Fernando Perez behind Dave Grochowski to protect certainly helps out his AB’s. #2 Ian Messer can never keep this one up, I don’t see a 6.1WAR season in him… but we take every hit he gives us.

In other news, V-Rod took the center field job away from Martinez and I think he will keep it until Tyler Dean is ready… V-Rod gets his hits and does the job every game, I should not have doubted him. And Matt Talbert won the DH job as he is batting a solid .267-6-15 .791OPS against RHP while destroying lefties.

The success story of this season… rookies. Fernando Perez with 1.6WAR and Julian Hernandez with 1.4WAR and are in our team top 3 for home runs. Playing the waiting game with Hernandez and Perez acing the development lab paid off big time. And somehow, our light hitting shortstop Rich Meilleur added .170 points of OPS compared to last season… party!


Prospect Watch:
AAA LF Santiago Rodriguez(2/3.5*) .265-2-12 .741OPS 27G 2/4SB 0.2WAR strained abdominal muscle 2 weeks
AA RHSP Alejandro Corral(2/3*) 2-6 4.66 45K 1.1WAR 58IP 10GS
AA SS Gabe Rivera(1.5/3* HS, 1.5/4* OSA) .185-3-13 .521OPS -1.0WAR 41G
A 1B Joe Townsend(2/3*) .333-6-22 .883OPS 44G 0.6WAR
A SS Bryan Booth(21, 1.5/4*) .291-6-22 .886OPS 41G 1.4WAR
A OF Tyler Dean(20, 2/5*) .333-8-36 1.012OPS 42G 1.8WAR
R 2B/3B/SS Manny Ramirez(1/4.5*) .390-11-42 1.176OPS 42G 1.7WAR
R LF Antonio Estrada(0.5/3.5*) .335-9-30 1.000OPS 43G 0.2WAR

Santiago Rodriguez is doing ok… but injured again and already rated as fragile by our favorite team trainer… ****. Truth is, our next wave of talent is in AAA and of those, I deem Booth and Dean untouchable… if we find a good trade… some of those kids are trade bait.

[Griever20]

Week 10: 3 vs Oakland Oaks(28-26), 3vs Philadelphia Grizzlies(29-26)

June 1st

Griffin Collects #8 in 9-2 Win over Oaks

The Oakland Oaks went down to defeat to Sam Griffin and his Montreal teammates. The final score was 9-2, in favor of the Expos. The Eastern League North East Division-leading Expos have a record of 36-20.

Julian Hernandez had a big 3-run home run for the Expos in the bottom of the third inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and runners on 1st and 2nd, he sized up a curveball from 27-year old right-handed pitcher Jose Franco and punished it. The result was his 10th home run of the season, which put the Expos on top, 4-0. He is batting .321-10-36 1.3WAR in 53 games.

Said losing manager Raul Quiles: "Give the Expos credit. They played a better game than we did."

Hugh Kieninger(R, 2-1 4.96) - Marty Murrietta(R, 2-2 3.33) tomorrow. 2022 All-Star and #2 starter.

SP Sam Griffin 6.1IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 9K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R 3RBI HR
1B Dave Grochowski 4-5 2R RBI TP HR
2B Fernando Perez 1-5
DH Matt Talbert 0-3 R BB HBP
RF Ian Messer 2-4 2R 2RBI BB HR SB(6)
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 R RBI BB HR
SS Rich Meilleur 3-5 R RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-3 R BB
HR OAK: Mathis(11)
HR MON: Cervantes(7), Hernandez(10), Grochowski(12), Messer(5)
W: Sam Griffin(8-1 2.31) L: Jose Franco(3-6 6.23) SV: none
The great Grochowski strikes again, and the man that only throws big balls in Griffin as well…

June 2nd

Expos Bag 4-2 Win

Montreal got a strong outing from Marty Murrietta as the Expos defeated the Philadelphia Grizzlies, 4-2, at Olympic Stadium. Murrietta picked up the win for Montreal, going 7 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. He now sports a record of 3-2. Kevin Cowden collected his 6th save.

The Expos benefited from an error in the bottom of the second inning. Montreal was leading 1-0 when Ignacio Benavides hit a run-scoring single that was misplayed. It put Montreal in front, 2-0. Hitting leadoff this year, the 26-year old is batting .270-5-28 .768OPS 8/11SB 0.9WAR in 56 games.

Montreal manager Aaron McCreery called it "a pretty good win."

The loss makes Philadelphia 31-28.

Oscar Guzman(R, 3-3 4.87) - Brett Asselin(L, 6-1 3.01) tomorrow. One a 14-game winner.

SP Marty Murrietta 7IP 4H 2R 2ER 4BB 7K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-3 2R RBI BB SB(8)
3B Julian Hernandez 0-2 2BB
1B Dave Grochowski 0-3 RBI BB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 R
C Jordan Chavis 1-3 R
HR PHI: none
HR MON: none
W: Marty Murrietta(3-2 3.18) L: Hugh Kieninger(2-2 5.10) SV: Kevin Cowden(6 2.01)
Murrietta got the win as we played smallball today, no extra base hits, just six singles and five walks.

June 3rd

de Leon with #17 as Philadelphia Wins, 8-2

The performance of Fidel de Leon proved critical in helping Philadelphia beat Montreal, 8-2. The Grizzlies second baseman was 3-5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. The 2016 EL MvP is batting .314-17-33 1.008OPS 2.4WAR in 54 games.

Oscar Guzman, the winning pitcher, is now 4-3. He went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, while fanning 7 and walking 1. Jeff Mathias, credited with the save, is now 1 for 1 in save opportunities.

Philadelphia won the game in part because of Pablo Vargas. The right fielder ripped a 2-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to put the Grizzlies ahead, 4-2. For the game, Vargas had 1 double and 1 home run in 4 at-bats.

"The boys were really swinging the bats today," winning manager Pat Pierce said.

With the win, Philadelphia raised its record to 32-28.

Ruben Torrez(L, 9-1 2.25) - Austin Roy(R, 4-3 4.43) tomorrow. Unfair matchup :/

SP Brett Asselin 6.1IP 8H 5R 5ER 0BB 9K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 SB(9)
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4
2B Fernando Perez 2-3 R RBI BB HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-3 SB(7)
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 DB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 0-2 R BB SB(2)
HR PHI: de Leon(17), Vargas(1), Ayres(10)
HR MON: Perez(18)
W: Oscar Guzman(4-2 4.71) L: Brett Asselin(6-2 3.35) SV: Jeff Mathias(1 9.31)
Not a good second game. Mathias got a 3-inning save, so we didn’t even get to their bullpen.

June 4th

Hernandez Drives in Five as Expos Win, 9-3

Montreal third baseman Julian Hernandez had 5 ribbies while helping his team defeat the Philadelphia Grizzlies, 9-3. By defeating Philadelphia, the first-place Expos improved to 38-21.

Early in the game, Hernandez had a bases-clearing double for Montreal. It was his 17th double of the season and put the Expos on top, 4-1. The rookie is batting .322-10-42 .879OPS 1.4WAR in 56 games.

"It was a good night for them and a bad night for us," said Philadelphia manager Pat Pierce.

Jesse Dittus(R, 3-5 4.96) - Juan Miranda(R, 4-3 4.29) tomorrow. Our favorite former Reliever of the Year

SP Austin Roy 7.1IP 7H 1R 1ER 0BB 9K W
3B Julian Hernandez 3-5 5RBI DB PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-3 2R RBI BB HR
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-2 BB bruised forearm one week
C Jordan Chavis 1-1 R RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 2-3 3R BB 2DB
2B James Slowik 0-3 R 2RBI BB
HR PHI: Cardenas(4)
HR MON: Talbert(10), Chavis(5)
W: Austin Roy(5-3 4.36) L: Ruben Torrez(9-2 2.81) SV: none
Hernandez comes up clutch and Cervantes comes up injured…

Transactions:
C Gabriel Cervantes(27, 3.5*, .268-7-19 .791OPS 1.5WAR) was placed on the 10-day IL with a bruised forearm one week . AAA C Kevin Craddock(26, 2.5*, .254-4-18 .750OPS 0.9WAR AAA) was recalled.

Record: 38-21, 1st in EL Northeast, 3G lead
Week: 4-2 (2-1 vs OAK, 2-1 vs PHI)
Power Rankings: #3(-1)
Runs scored: 317(2nd)
Runs against: 221(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.25(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.37(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .693(1st)
Zone Rating: +28.5(1st)
Fan Interest: 82(-1)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 2G 2-0 2.25 12IP 15K
1B Dave Grochowski 10G 19-43 .442 6HR 15RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 5G 10-20 .500 1HR 4rBI

Who's not?
CF Bobby Martinez 9G 1-21 .047 0HR 0RBI

News:
June 5th - Astros 3B Jose Martinez(26, 3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 11-24 2HR 5RBI 4R. The Dominican is batting .381-6-18 1.010OPS 1.6WAR in 41 games.

June 5th - Denver LF Sandy Alcorn(25, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 11-23 4HR 11RBI 6R. He is batting .314-10-23 .937OPS 1.2WAR in 35 games and was promptly rewarded by getting sent back down to AAA.

Next: 1vs Philadelphia Grizzlies(32-29), 3@ Houston Astros(32-27), 3@ New York Mets(36-25)

--

That’s seven games against contenders…

[Griever20]

Montreal, Sacramento Agree to Swap
stadiumreport.bbn

June 5th, 2023

According to BNN there were mixed emotions by the players involved in the trade between the Montreal Expos and the Sacramento Cavaliers. As part of the deal, the Expos swapped 18-year old minor league 1B/3B Alex Franco(18, 3*) to the Cavaliers getting 28-year old RHCL Austin Williams(28, 3.5*) in return. The players indicated it was good to get a fresh new start in another city, but it was difficult to leave your friends on the old team.

This season, Williams has earned 10 saves, made 19 relief appearances, fanned 37 hitters in 22 innings and posted an ERA of 2.45 and a 2-1 record. He is a 2x All-Star and was the WL Reliever of the Year in 2022.

The Cavaliers receive the Venezuelan scouting discovery Alex Franco, a 55/45/55/45/55 potential hitter according to OSA’s scouting reports that has hit .366-2-6 .955OPS -0.2WAR in All-Year Rookie Ball.

In a corresponding move, Cesar Alvarado(23, 2.5*, 0-1 2SV 7.26 -0.3WAR) was demoted to AAA.

--

The Cavaliers set their focus to rebuilding, and we jumped on them right away. The 28-year was dominant for his last four years with an ERA under 2.80 every year and a 3.5WAR season in 2022 and is under team control for another year.

Franco would’ve been an option way in the future when Talbert would near arbitration and he would’ve been ready… but finding a DH is easier and Grok will stay on our roster for a while so…

[Griever20]

Lost the Week 11 post... must have deleted the Word document by accident.

Short Update:
MON 8 PHI 5
HOU 1 MON 8
HOU 6 MON 2
HOU 6 MON 5
NYM 0 MON 3
NYM 6 MON 5
NYM 5 MON 3

--

Week 12: 3 vs Portland Bears(23-44), 3 vs New York Mets(40-27)

June 12th

Portland Upended by Montreal, 6-2

Montreal picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, bumping off the Portland Bears, 6-2. Pitcher Marty Murrietta was a major reason the Expos emerged victorious.

"The only difference is executing pitches and not executing pitches," said Murrietta. "When you don't execute, you get beat. When you execute, you usually give your team a chance to win." The Expos improved their record to 42-25 with the win over Portland.

James Slowik was 1 for 4. He drove in 2 runs for Montreal. The 25-year old second baseman had a key at-bat in the bottom of the second. With one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he broke a 0-0 tie with a 2-run single off Ricky Perez. It was his 14th hit of the season. The utility player is batting .264-0-10 .624OPS -0.1WAR in 17 games.

Bill Bttischer(R, 0-5 5.93) - Brett Asselin(L, 6-2 3.49) tomorrow. Winless groundball pitcher.

SP Marty Murrietta 7IP 4H 4R 4ER 1BB 6K L PotG
RF Ian Messer 1-4
1B Dave Grochowski 2-3 R BB
2B Fernando Perez 1-2R 2RBI BB HR
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R
CF Sam Spangler 2-4 2R RBI HR First NMLB HR
3B James Slowik 1-4 2RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 1-4 RBI TP
HR POR: none
HR MON: Spangler(1), Perez(21)
W: Marty Murrietta(4-3 4.12) L: Ricky Perez(2-6 5.95) SV: Dusty Jenkins(1 3.56)
They are an easy opponent on paper and were today.

June 13th

Portland Ties Series with 7-2 Win

Portland took on Montreal in front of a lively crowd.

Getting offensive support from Willie Chacon, the Portland Bears topped the Montreal Expos, 7-2. Chacon was 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and a walk, while adding 3 RBI and scoring twice for the Bears. Portland now sits at 24-45, while Montreal falls to 42-26.

With Portland leading 2-1 in the top of the third, Chacon hit a changeup from Brett Asselin for a 2-run home run. It was his 14th home run of the season and put the Bears ahead, 4-1.

"Every time I go up there, I try and hit a ball hard," said Chacon. The 3x All-Star is batting .288-14-51 .851OPS 1.3WAR in 68 games.

Henry Rodriguez(R, 4-5 4.50) - Austin Roy(R, 6-3 3.95) tomorrow. 2018 Cy Young Winner.

SP Brett Asselin 5.1IP 10H 5R 5ER 1BB 7K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 BB
3B Julian Hernandez 0-4 R SB(6)
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
2B Fernando Perez 1-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 2-4 SB(9)
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 RBI
C Kevin Craddock 1-3
HR POR: Chacon 2(14), Evans(2)
HR MON: none
W: Bill Bttischer(1-5 5.73) L: Brett Asselin(6-3 3.79) SV: Ben Hayden(2 6.04)
Power outage.

June 14th

Portland Stopped by Roy, Montreal, 5-3

The Montreal Expos picked up a win at Olympic Stadium, knocking off the Portland Bears, 5-3. On the mound for Montreal was right-hander Austin Roy. He played a key role in the triumph. The winner was Roy. He threw 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball. The loser was Henry Rodriguez. Austin Williams notched his 3rd save in 3 chances.

The game was on the line with two out in the top of the eighth inning, but Kevin Cowden didn't flinch. With runners on 1st and 2nd and Portland trailing 5-3, Cowden retired Sam Fitzmaurice to end the threat. "Nothing to it," said Cowden, with a wink. The former closer is 1-1 6SV 2.84 31K 0.4WAR in 26 games.

The win elevated the Expos to 43-26.

David Honecker(L, 3-4 5.08) - Sam Griffin(R, 9-2 2.45) the day after tomorrow. Lost a week ago against us.

SP Austin Roy 7.2IP 4H 3R 1ER 1BB 5K W PotG
3B Julian Hernandez 3-3 3R BB 3SB(9)
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 2RBI SB(3)
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-4 RBI SB(10)
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
LF Sam Spangler 1-3 R TP
C Jordan Chavis 0-2 R BB
HR POR: none
HR MON: none
W: Austin Roy(7-3 3.72) L: Henry Rodriguez(4-6 4.67) SV: Austin Williams(13 3.08)
Good start and a good bullpen performance.

June 15th
Offday

Transactions:
C Kevin Craddock(26, 2.5*, .238-0-1 .571OPS -0.0WAR 7G) was demoted back to AAA as C Gabriel Cervantes(27, 3.5*, .268-7-19 .791OPS 1.5WAR) comes off the IL.

June 16th

Six run 8th Wins it For Montreal, 9-7

Getting a good performance from designated hitter Matt Talbert, the Montreal Expos defeated the New York Mets, 9-7. Talbert went 2 for 3 with 2 home runs and a walk. He scored 3 times and drove in 2 for the Expos. Pablo Mendoza was the winner in relief. His record is now 2-0. The losing pitcher was Will Butler. Austin Williams was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 4 of 4 save opportunities.

The game was at a stalemate until center fielder Vicente Rodriguez came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. Facing New York pitcher Will Butler, he hit a 1-1 splitter for a run-scoring single. It was a game-changer, putting Montreal on top, 6-5.

"What's not to like about a win?" said Rodriguez. He is batting .269-0-21 .699OPS 0.5WAR in 53 games.

Today's win puts Montreal at 44-26, while New York falls to 41-29.

Josh Eisenberg(L, 4-6 4.27) - Juan Miranda(R, 4-4 4.50) tomorrow. So we see both lefties… 7-5 against LHSP so far.

SP Sam Griffin 4IP 6H 3R 2ER 2BB 3K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 0-3 R RBI 2BB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 R 2RBI
DH Matt Talbert 2-3 3R 2RBI BB 2HR PotG
PH Jordan Chavis 1-1 R RBI DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R RBI
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-3 RBI BB DB
SS Rich Meilleur 0-2 2R 2HBP
HR NYM: Romo(13), Cantu(14)
HR MON: Talbert 2(13)
W: Pablo Mendoza(2-0 4.09) L: Will Butler(2-2 5.24) SV: Austin Williams(14 3.00)
Pitching was messy for both sides but we finally came through in the 8th with 6 runs

June 17th

Mets Pin 5-4 Loss on Montreal

New York designated hitter Alejandro Cantu contributed significantly to his team's 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos. Cantu, who is tied for 7th in the EL in home runs with 15, went 1 for 3 with 1 run scored to lead the offensive attack for the Mets. He is batting .317-15-41 .940OPS 1.4WAR in 64 games.

The winner was Josh Eisenberg, who threw 99 pitches over 5.1 innings. The left-hander was charged with 3 runs on 8 hits. Brian Sirianni was called on to finish, recording his 11th save.

Mario Garcia helped out the New York cause in the top of the ninth inning with a run-scoring hit-by-pitch. For the game, the second baseman drove in one run.

"I'm just looking to see the ball, hit the ball," said Garcia.

The victory gives New York a record of 42-29.

Edgar Hernandez(R, 4-0 3.02) - Marty Murrietta(R, 4-3 4.12) tomorrow. Got the W in last week’s game.

SP Juan Miranda 6IP 7H 4R 4ER 0BB 6K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5
3B Julian Hernandez 2-5
1B Dave Grochowski 3-5 RBI
DH Matt Talbert 1-2 2R 3BB
RF Ian Messer 1-5 RBI DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-4 R 2RBI HR
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R BB DB
HR NYM: Alfaro(13), Cantu(15)
HR MON: Cervantes(8)
W: Jesse Eisenberg(5-6 4.32) L: Juan Miranda(4-5 4.61) SV: Brian Sirianni(11 3.97)
Miranda is really struggling. 6.47ERA in Mai, 5.68 in June.

June 18th

Mets Edge Expos, 4-3

The New York Mets earned a win at Olympic Stadium, knocking off the Montreal Expos, 4-3. On the bump for New York was right-hander Edgar Hernandez. He had a starring role in the triumph. The 23-year old worked 6.1 innings of 1-run ball and moved to 5-0.

The defeat makes Montreal 44-28.

Mario Garcia had a direct impact on the outcome. Garcia contributed a 2-run single in the top of the second inning to put New York up, 2-0.

Garcia attributed the win to "a well-rounded effort by the whole team." The Montreal Expos now trail the season series 2-4 as they lost both series.

Brett Asselin(L, 6-3 3.79) - John Davis(R, 2-7 5.27) tomorrow. 1st rounder 2018 that at age 26 may never hit his potential.

SP Marty Murrietta 6IP 9H 4R 3ER 1BB 7K L
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
2B Fernando Perez 1-3 R
PH Sam Spangler 1-1
DH Matt Talbert 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4 RBI
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 R
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-4 R 2RBI HR
HR NYM: none
HR MON: Rodriguez(1)
W: Edgar Hernandez(5-0 2.81) L: Marty Murrietta(4-4 4.17) SV: Brian Sirianni(12 3.80)
Ouch.

Record: 44-28, 1st in EL Northeast, 1G lead
Week: 3-3 (2-1 vs POR, 1-2 vs NYM)
Power Rankings: #8(-4)
Runs scored: 380(2nd)
Runs against: 278(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.47(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.23(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .690(2nd)
Zone Rating: +30.2(1st)
Fan Interest: 82(+-0)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 13G 9-2 2.09 82IP 68K
SP Austin Roy 2G 2-0 0.57 15.2IP 12K
C Gabriel Cervantes 13G 19-49 .388 5HR 12RBI

Who's not?
nobody

News:
June 18th - Seattle 2B Matt LaLonde(25, 3.5*) saw his impressive 20-game hitting streak come to an end today in an embarrassing 16-3 loss to the Philadelphia Grizzlies. The right-handed hitter is batting .293-7-20 .851OPS 2.4WAR in 68 games.

June 19th - Rangers RF Alex Chanez(26, 2.5/3*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 10-19 5HR 9RBI 9R. The 2021 EL All-Star is batting .254-17-39 .922OPS 2.4WAR in 60 games.

June 19th - Las Vegas C Omar Vega(25, 4.5*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 9-23 4HR 6RBI 7R. The 2021 WL MvP is batting .285-14-31 .870OPS 1.1WAR in 52 games.

Next: 4@ Miami Marlins(29-43), 3@ Atlanta Minuteman(28-45)

--

The Mets showed us our limitations… we struggle against other contenders and are down to a 1 game lead in the division. More jolly good news? Adam Rudolph’s scouting report was just updated and it told us something that we already feared. His velocity is down a couple of miles and stamina is not what it used to be, putting him down to a 2.5* quality reliever…

[Griever20]

Week 13: 4@ Miami Marlins(29-43), 3@ Atlanta Minuteman(28-45)

June 19th

Perez Slugs Expos to 8-5 Win

The Montreal Expos topped the Miami Marlins, 8-5, with second baseman Fernando Perez playing a big role. Perez hit 2 home runs. He scored 3 times and drove in 4 for the Expos in the win. He is batting .262-23-56 .854OPS 2.0WAR in 68 games.

The winning pitcher was Brett Asselin. He tossed 103 pitches over 5.1 innings, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits. Austin Williams was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 5 of 5 save opportunities.

The Expos benefited from a costly error in the top of the fifth. With Ignacio Benavides at bat and Montreal leading 6-5, the Miami miscue allowed Montreal to plate 1 and take the lead, 7-5.

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

With the win over Miami, the Expos improved to 45-28.

Austin Roy(R, 7-3 3.72) - Scott Burns(R, 4-7 4.93) tomorrow. 2023 EL All-Star

SP Brett Asselin 5.1IP 6H 5R 5ER 3BB 1K W
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4
3B Julian Hernandez 1-5 R
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R BB
2B Fernando Perez 4-5 3R 4RBI 2HR PotG
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R
RF Ian Messer 1- R
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-3 RBI BB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4 R BB
HR MON: Perez 2(23)
HR MIA: Fleming(10), Crawford(5), Langdon(5)
W: Brett Asselin(7-3 4.05) L: John Davis(2-8 5.65) SV: Austin Williams(15 2.89)
Asselin had a bad start but collected the win thanks to our offense.

June 20th

Burns Shuts Out Montreal

Scott Burns was in a mood to talk following the Miami Marlins contest against the Montreal Expos, expounding to BNN reporters on his pitching philosophy. He had good reason to be excitable, having tossed a complete game shutout of the Expos, 4-0.

"There are three important elements in pitching success: location, location, and location," Burns said. "I was hitting my spots time and time again."

The right-hander blanked Montreal on a 1-hitter, allowing no walks and racking up 6 strikeouts.

This year, Burns has compiled a 5-7 mark with a 4.41 ERA.

Sam Griffin(R, 9-2 2.55) - Edgar Padilla(R, 2-6 5.43) tomorrow. Injury prone.

SP Austin Roy 5.2IP 8H 3R 3ER 2BB 5K L
1B Dave Grochowski 1-3
HR MON: none
HR MIA: Cox(2)
W: Scott Burns(5-7 4.41) L: Austin Roy(7-4 3.78) SV: none
Burns destroyed us today.

June 21st

Expos Rally Late to Nip Marlins

Dave Grochowski was instrumental in his team's 8-7 triumph over the Miami Marlins. The first baseman was 2-2 with a home run and was hit by a pitch. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2 for the Montreal Expos. Montreal reliever Adam Rudolph was the winner. His record is now 1-5. The losing pitcher was Brian Umbaugh. Montreal, at 46-29, is 2 games up in the Eastern League North East Division.

Montreal won the game in part because of Matt Talbert. The designated hitter ripped a 2-run double in the top of the eighth inning to put the Expos ahead, 8-7. For the game, Talbert had 1 double and 1 home run in 4 at-bats. He is batting .271-14-31 .829OPS 0.9WAR in 70 games.

"If you want to be considered a good team, these are the kind of games you have to win," said Montreal manager Aaron McCreery. However, there were some very bad news for him as second baseman was hit by a pitch on the foot… and will be out for 3-4 weeks with a fractured foot.

Juan Miranda(R, 4-5 4.61) - Alec Ferrell(L, 0-1 4.12) tomorrow. AAAA groundball machine.

SP Sam Griffin 1.2IP 3H 2R 2ER 1BB 1K ND mild oblique strain 2 days
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 DB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-5 R RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-2 2R 2RBI DB HBP PotG
2B Fernando Perez 0-0 HBP fractured foot 3-4 weeks
PR/2B Joe Hawk 1-2 R
DH Matt Talbert 2-4 R 4RBI HR
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 R RBI BB HR
3B James Slowik 1-3 R
HR MON: Grochowski(13), Meilleur(5), Talbert(14)
HR MIA: Osorto(6), Acosta(5)
W: Adam Rudolph(1-5 5.16) L: Brian Umbaugh(2-1 2.25) SV: Austin Williams(16 2.79)
I blacked out after the game. Please call me tomorrow.

June 22nd

Transactions:
2B Fernando Perez(23, 3/4*, .258-23-56 .844OPS 2.0WAR) was placed on the 10-day IL with his fractured foot 3-4 weeks and after giving up two more earned runs in yesterday’s game, RHRP Adam Rudolph(24, 2.5*. 1-58 8SV 5.16 29K -0.7WAR) was optioned to AAA.

On the other hand, we successfully claimed RHRP Mitsuyasu Kai(26, 3*, 2-0 1.30 30K 27.2IP 0.7WAR) off waivers from the Sacramento Cavaliers. The 26-year old is deemed as a bit fragile, but has had a great season.

As for the open infield position… Robby Weltzer(26, 2.5/3*, .333-0-6 .820OPS 0.5WAR) will return off the IL tomorrow. We play one man short today.

Ortiz Hits 2 Home Runs in Marlins Win

The Miami Marlins welcomed the Montreal Expos to an afternoon game at LoanDepot Park.

Miami center fielder Jose Ortiz made his presence felt in the 11-4 Marlins triumph over the Montreal Expos. Ortiz belted 2 home runs, while adding 5 RBI and scoring twice. Miami is now 31-45, while Montreal is 46-30.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins grabbed the lead when Ortiz hit his 4th home run of the season. The 2-run home run off Kevin Cowden made it 6-4, Miami. He is batting .255-4-20 .701OPS -0.1WAR in 38 games.

"Their at-bats were really impressive against us," said losing manager Aaron McCreery.

Marty Murrietta(R, 4-4 4.17) - George Ostermeyer(R, DNP) tomorrow. ERA leader with 2.53 last year…

SP Juan Miranda 5IP 7H 3R 3ER 0BB 6K ND
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-3 R RBI BB
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R RBI
RF Ian Messer 1-4 2RBI TP
CF Sam Spangler 1-1 oblique strain one week
PR/CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 R DB
SS Rich Meilleur 2-4 R
HR MON: none
HR MIA: Meadows(7), Duran(2), Balderas(10), Ortiz 2(4)
W: Jordan Martinez(1-4 6.55) L: Kevin Cowden(1-2 3.77) SV: Mike Ray(1 3.86)
Wild series, and a costly one for us with Spangler going down.

June 23rd

Transactions:
2B Robby Weltzer(26, 2.5/3*, .333-0-6 .820OPS 0.5WAR) was activated off the IL, while OF Sam Spangler(22, 2.5/3*, .320-1-1 .974OPS 0.2WAR 11G) was placed on the IL with a oblique strain one week.

AAA OF Roberto Pedraza(25, 2.5*, .281-5-38 .770OPS 1.0WAR AAA) was called up as fourth outfielder for now. His CF defense is a mess, but we don’t want Chris Allen back on the 40-man or active roster so…

Pedraza Homers in MLB Debut as Expos Beat Atlanta, 8-3

The Montreal Expos powered past the Atlanta Minutemen, 8-3, at SunTrust Park. Julian Hernandez provided some of the pop. He went 3-4 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. The Expos have an impressive 47-30 record.

Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Ian Messer? The Montreal right fielder had a bases-clearing double in the top of the seventh inning to put the Expos on top, 5-3. For the game, Messer had 1 double and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

Hernandez told a Montreal Herald reporter that he was "gratified" with the win. Also happy was 25-year old Roberto Pedraza who just arrived from AAA Spring Valley, had to start in center field… and collected his first NMLB hit in the fifth, and his first NMLB home run in the 8th.

Brett Asselin(L, 7-3 4.05) - Devin Bennett(R, 4-8 4.35) tomorrow. 15-game winner in 2022.

SP Marty Murrietta 5.2IP 8H 3R 3ER 2BB 8K ND
2B Joe Hawk 1-5 R
RF Ian Messer 2-5 R 3RBI DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 RBI
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 R
3B Julian Hernandez 3-4 2R 2RBI DB HR
CF/LF Roberto Pedraza 2-3 2R 2RBI BB HR First NMLB hit and HR
HR MON: Hernandez(11), Pedraza(1)
HR ATL: none
W: Dustin Jenkins(3-1 3.31) L: Roland Morris(3-10 6.39) SV: none
Pedraza certainly knows how to make a good first impression.

June 24th

Expos Bounce Minuteman, 7-3

The Montreal Expos defeated the Atlanta Minutemen, 7-3, at SunTrust Park. Montreal was led by 25-year old designated hitter Matt Talbert, who was 3-4 with 3 singles and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once.

"Matt is still learning," said Expos manager Aaron McCreery. "The sky's the limit for him." He is batting .275-14-33 .829OPS 0.9WAR in 73 games.

Brett Asselin was the winner. He's now 8-3. The loser was 28-year old right-handed pitcher Devin Bennett. With the victory, the Expos upped their record to 48-30.

Rich Meilleur was 1-3 with a triple, while adding 2 RBI for Montreal. The 25-year old shortstop had a key at-bat in the top of the sixth. With one out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, he broke a 3-3 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Devin Bennett. It was his 30th RBI of the season.

Austin Roy(R, 7-4 3.78) - Adam Warren(R, 5-5 3.32) tomorrow. Another strong starter.

SP Brett Asselin 5IP 6H 3R 3ER 4BB 4K W
2B Joe Hawk 1-4 R BB SB(3)
RF Ian Messer 1-5 R SB(11)
DH Matt Talbert 3-4 R 2RBI BB
3B Julian Hernandez 3-4 RBI
LF Roberto Pedraza 0-5 R
CF Vicente Rodriguez 3-5 2R RBI TP
SS Rich Meilleur 1-3 2RBI TP
C Jordan Chavis 1-4 RBI DB
1B James Slowik 1-4 R DB
HR MON: none
HR ATL: Torrez(7)
W: Brett Asselin(8-3 4.11) L: Devin Bennett(4-9 4.54) SV: none
Touch stretch of games, everybody is tired… but fighting.

June 25th

Expos Seal Sweep with 10-1 Win

Montreal Expos starter Austin Roy turned in a top-notch performance against the Atlanta Minutemen at SunTrust Park. The result was a win for the Expos, 10-1. Roy yielded 1 run over 7.2 innings to notch the win. He scattered 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8. His record improves to 8-4. Montreal has now won 3 straight, while the Minutemen have lost 3 in a row.

Montreal used a well-timed hit by Joe Hawk to capture the win. The second baseman socked a 2-run double in the top of the first inning to put the Expos ahead, 3-0. Though it was his only hit in 5 at-bats, it was important.

"We'll pop the top on a cold beverage and get back to work tomorrow," Hawk said. The 25-year old is batting .263-4-20 .752OPS -0.2WAR in 37 games.

Danny Huber(L, 5-5 4.08) - Sam Griffin(R, 9-2 2.71) the day after tomorrow. 2019 WL Cy Young winner.

SP Austin Roy 7.2IP 7H 1R 1ER 1BB 8K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 4-5 3R
RF Ian Messer 3-5 2R 2RBI DB SB(12)
1B Dave Grochowski 2-5 R 4RBI HR
3B Julian Hernandez 1-4 R BB
2B Joe Hawk 1-5 2RBI DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 0-4 2R BB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 1-3 RBI BB DB
SS Robby Weltzer 1-4 R
HR MON: Grochowski(14)
HR ATL: Bruno(9)
W: Austin Roy(8-4 3.59) L: Adam Warren(5-6 3.56) SV: none
Kai with a good outing in relief, 1.1 scoreless, think we stole a good one here.

Record: 49-30, 1st in EL Northeast, 1.5G lead
Week: 5-2 (2-2 @ MIA, 3-0 @ ATL)
Power Rankings: #1(+7)
Runs scored: 425(2nd)
Runs against: 312(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.58(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.33(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .683(2nd)
Zone Rating: +27.3(1st)
Fan Interest: 84(+2)

Who's hot?
SP Sam Griffin 14G 9-2 2.26 83.2IP 69K
SP Austin Roy 4G 3-1 1.55 29IP 25K
RHRP Mitsuyasu Kai 23G 2-0 0.76 23.2IP 23K

Who's not?
nobody

News:
June 25th - Astros RHSP David Kohler(25, 3*) blanked the Sacramento Cavaliers 6-0 with a 9IP 2H 0ER 1BB 10K performance. The 2016 5th rounder is 3-1 1.59 37K 1.3WAR in 5 starts after starting the year in AAA.

June 26th - Jacksonville 3B Fernando Robles(28, 3.5/4*) was named EL Player of the Week after going 13-22 1HR 7RBI 8R. The 4x All-Star is batting .301-12-47 .848OPS 1.8WAR in 70 games.

June 26th - Seattle LF Manny Villeda(25, 3*) was named WL Player of the Week after going 13-25 5HR 9RBI 5R. The 2020 WL RotY is batting .274-13-46 .768OPS 0.3WAR in 74 games.

Next: 3vs Denver Seahawks(44-35), 3@ Toronto Blue Jays(35-44)

--

We will finish a tough June with only two offdays, one tomorrow, with another contending team before traveling for another Canada series to Toronto. The list of injures is not that short now with Hinton, Martinez, Spangler and Perez but we keep on holding our own with the Mets behind us… good boys.

[Griever20]

Week 14: 3vs Denver Seahawks(44-35), 3@ Toronto Blue Jays(35-44)

June 26th
Offday

June 27th

Montreal Defeated by Seahawks, 4-3

The inspired effort of Montreal center fielder Vicente Rodriguez was not enough to prevent a loss, 4-3, to the Denver Seahawks. Rodriguez went 2-3 with a triple and a walk. Danny Huber, the winning pitcher, is now 6-5. He went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, while fanning 5 and walking 2. Alpha Gonzalez notched his 4th save in 4 chances.

Jason Bates had a direct impact on the outcome. Bates contributed a 2-run single in the top of the fourth inning to put Denver up, 4-3. The 27-year old is batting .256-10-37 .755OPS 1.0WAR in 61 games.

"Our guys are never satisfied," said Denver manager Valerio Cota.

With the win over Montreal, the Seahawks improved to 45-35.

Tom Forst(R, 5-2 3.41) - Juan Miranda(R, 4-5 4.65) tomorrow. Career year so far for the 32-year old

SP Sam Griffin 5.2IP 8H 4R 4ER 1BB 4K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 2-5 RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 2-4 R RBI HR
DH Matt Talbert 2-4
C Gabriel Cervantes 2-3 R BB
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-3 R RBI BB TP PotG
HR DEN: none
HR MON: Grochowski(15)
W: Danny Huber(6-5 4.15) L: Sam Griffin(9-3 2.93) SV: Alpha Gonzalez(4 3.77)
Griffin was not that bad, but the whole engine was sputtering today.

June 28th

Expos Beaten by Seahawks, 5-1

Tom Frost pitched a gem to lead Denver to victory over the Montreal Expos, 5-1. Frost yielded 1 run over 6.2 innings to notch the win. He scattered 7 hits, walked 0, and struck out 5. His record improves to 6-2. After today's action, Denver sits at 46-35; Montreal slips to 49-32.

Denver won the game in part because of Octavio Lanuza. The second baseman ripped a 2-run home run in the top of the second inning to put the Seahawks ahead, 3-1. For the game, Lanuza had 1 double and 1 home run in 4 at-bats.

"I'm just trying to make good contact," said Lanuza, "one at-bat at a time." The right-handed hitter is batting .306-3-30 .777OPS 1.3WAR in 57 games.

Steve Grant(R, 9-5 3.51) - Marty Murrietta(R, 4-4 4.23) tomorrow. Again the veteran 2013 EL Cy Young winner

SP Juan Miranda 6.1IP 7H 4R 4ER 0BB 12K L
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4 R DB
RF Ian Messer 2-4 2DB
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 RBI DB
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 DB
C Gabriel Cervantes 1-4
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-4
HR DEN: Lanuza(3)
HR MON: none
W: Tom Frost(6-2 3.27) L: Juan Miranda(4-6 4.72) SV: none
Can’t blame Miranda for throwing strikes…

June 29th

Expos, Murrietta Avoid Sweep with 2-1 Win

The Montreal Expos downed the Denver Seahawks, 2-1, at Olympic Stadium. Stellar pitching by Marty Murrietta had a lot to do with it. The right-hander, who is tied for 4th in the EL in complete games with 1, handcuffed his opponent all game. Montreal now has a record of 50-32 with the win.

Had Matt Talbert not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the seventh, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and runners on 1st and 3rd, Talbert hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 2-1, in favor of the Expos.

Talbert called the win the result of "everyone being in sync." The designated hitter is batting .273-14-34 .818OPS 0.9WAR in 77 games.

Brett Asselin(L, 8-3 4.11) - David Rodgers(R, 0-3 3.26) tomorrow. 4th start after pitching out of the pen before. CANADA SERIES NEXT!

SP Marty Murrietta 8IP 5H 1R 1ER 3BB 3K W PotG
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-4
RF Ian Messer 1-3
DH Matt Talbert 1-4 RBI
3B Julian Hernandez 0-3 R BB
2B Joe Hawk 2-4
PH/SS Robbie Weltzer 1-2 R DB
HR DEN: none
HR MON: none
W: Marty Murrietta(5-4 3.84) L: Antonio Anchia(2-3 4.38) SV: Austin Williams(7 3.00)
Murrietta was stellar, but we only scored juust enough against the grizzly veteran and their pen. But… another series loss against a contender.

June 30th

Transactions and News:
We have signed 3-year contract extensions with our bench coach Jose Rivera, pitching coach John Santangelo, hitting coach Rafael Jimenez and first base coach Enrique Alvarez today. They all are doing a great job.

Expos End June with 11-3 Win in Toronto

The Montreal Expos pasted the Toronto Blue Jays with a convincing 11-3 defeat at Skydome. Matt Talbert was a prime factor in the Montreal win. He went 4-5 with a double and 3 singles. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. The defeat makes Toronto 37-46.

Vicente Rodriguez had a big 2-run double for the Expos in the top of the first inning. With Montreal leading 1-0 and the bases loaded, he got a fastball from 28-year old right-handed pitcher David Rodgers and swatted a double to center. It was his 16th double of the season, and more importantly, it put the Expos ahead, 3-0.

"Winning is contagious," said Rodriguez. "We're looking forward to the next game." He center fielder is now batting .298-1-31 .790OPS 1.3WAR in 65 games.

Austin Roy(R, 8-4 3.59) - Brendan Lucas(R, 6-2 2.66) tomorrow. 15-game winner last year as a rookie.

SP Brett Asselin 7.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 0BB 8K W
LF Ignacio Benavides 1-5 R
RF Ian Messer 3-4 R RBI
1B Dave Grochowski 1-4 R BB
DH Matt Talbert 4-5 2R 2RBI DB
2B Joe Hawk 1-4 2R RBI BB HR
CF Vicente Rodriguez 2-5 2R 3RBI 2DB
SS Rich Meilleur 3-5 R 3RBI DB
C Jordan Chavis 1-5 R RBI HR
HR MON: Chavis(6), Hawk(5)
HR TOR: none
W: Brett Asselin(9-3 4.00) L: David Rodgers(0-3 4.05) SV: none
Asselin did well enough to cash in on a 16 hit barrage.

END OF JUNE