Northern Expos-ure

Phillies 7, Expos 4
Clay Kirby vs Tom Underwood
One again Kirby served himself up as a human punching bag.  Montreal was down 6-0 after 3 innings and Kirby was gone after 4.  In the top of the 5th the "never say die" Expos exploded for 4 runs off of Underwood to make it a ballgame.  Larry Parrish's 2 run homer was followed by a two run double by Bombo Rivera.  Underwood was able to right the ship and blank the 'Spos until he left the game with 1 out in the 8th.  Ron Schueler would take it the rest of the way for the final 5 outs.  The prodigal son, Dick Allen hit a 3 run blast off of Kirby in the 3rd.  The secretary of defense, Garry Maddox hit a 2 run shot in the 1st to pace the Phightin's offense.

Phillies 3, Expos 2
Dan Warthen vs Larry Christenson
Larry Christenson had a 4 hitter heading into the 9th, when he decided to make the game interesting.  A leadoff walk to Pepe Mangual was followed by a clean single up the middle by Jim Lyttle.  After pinch hitter Jerry White struck out looking Mike Jorgensen doubled home Mangual to make it 3-1.  A sac fly by Barry Foote made it 3-2, but Montreal needed hits at this point and was not in a postion to trade outs for runs.  Gene Garber, who replaced Christenson after Lyttle's hit got Foli to ground weakly to short to end the game.

Expos 6, Dodgers 4
Tommy John vs Don Carrithers
Down 4-2 after 5 innings the Dodgers rallied for 2 runs off of Expo starter Don Carrithers to tie the game at 4-4.  Ron Cey's 2 run double with 1 out put Carrithers on the ropes.  After Russell was given and intentional pass Steve Yeager singled to load the bases.  Carrithers had a visit from his manager who told him that Dusty Baker would be the last batter he would face.  Carrithers made the most of his opportunity by getting Baker to ground into a 6-4-3 DP to end the inning.  Montreal rallied to score 2 in the bottom of the inning thanks to a RBI double by Tim Foli and an RBI single by pinch hitter Jim Cox.  Carrithers was done for the day and poised to get the win.  Chip Lang would hand that win to Carrithers by pitching three scoreless innings in relief for his second save of the season.  Montreal's sweep of the Dodgers now has the team only 3 games under .500.

Expos 5, Dodgers 3
Doug Rau vs Don Stanhouse
Montreal spotted overnight sensation Don Stanhouse (6-1, 2.58)  four big runs in the bottom of the second.  Jim Cox's bases clearing triple was the back breaker for Rau, who has had himself a fine season (9-3) to this point.  LA began to chip away, but could not overcome Montreal's lead.  Bombo Rivera would go 3 for 4 to improve his season average to .309.  Barry Foote banged out 2 more hits and is now hitting an incredible .331.  Dale Muray pitched a scoreless 9th to notch his 6th save of the season.  Murray, who had an abysmal start of the season now has his ERA below 4 (3.86).

Expos 3, Dodgers 1
Burt Hooton vs Woodie Fryman
Fryman was caught up again in another tense pitcher's duel.  Montreal was able to spot him 3 runs, which doesn't usually happen when he's on the hill.  Ron Roenicke's sac fly scored Pepe Mangual in the 4th to make it 1-0.  An error by Davey Lopes and a ground out by Pat Scanlon would plate 2 more in the bottom of the 6th.  Fryman would start the 8th and give up a lead off triple to Dodger shortstop Bill Russell.  Russell would score on a ground out and Fryman was done for the day having given up 1 run over 7 innings of work.  Granger, Scherman and Murray, who got Manny Mota to pop out to left to end the game, combined to relieve Fryman and not allow any additional scoring.

Dan Warthen (5 IP) and Steve Dunning (4 IP) combined for a 6 hit shutout of the only team with a more anemic offense than the Expos, the San Diego Padres.  Pete Mackanin's 2 run shot in the 4th broke a scoreless tie.  An RBI single by Jim Dwyer in the 5th and an RBI ground out by Pepe Frias in the 6th rounded out the score as the Expos ended a very successful 6-3 West Coast swing.  Barry Foote went 3 for 4 and improved his season average to .325 as he battles Gary Carter for the #1 catcher slot.

Padres 15, Expos 3
Don Carrithers vs Allan Foster
San Diego's 10 run explosion in the bottom of the second made it 14-2.  Sadly for Allan Foster he was not able to go the requisite 5 inning to notch the win.  That would be the only dark spot on a bright and shiny day for the home team.  Both Johnny Grubb and light hitting Enzo Hernandez posted 4 hit days.  The aging Willie "3-Dog" Davis had 6 RBI's thanks to a Grand Slam and a 2 run shot.  The lone bright spot for the 'Spos was the 4 shutout innings Clay Kirby tossed in relief vs his ex-mates.

Expos 5, Padres 0
Don Stanhouse vs Brent Strom
In a series that featured two teams that were going nowhere fast the Expos fired the opening salvo thanks to Don Stanhouse's 5 hit shutout.  Stanhouse, who has shocked even his greatest supporters with a 5-1 start looked sharp from the beginning.  Tim Foli's RBI single in the 3rd gave Stanhouse a 1-0 lead, which he would nurse until his offense unloaded on reliever Rich Folkers for 4 runs in the 6th.  After Bombo River's lead off single, Foli executed the hit and run to perfection with a run scoring double.  Ron Roenicke's seeing eye single scored Foli to make it 3-0 and Barry Foote put the game out of reach with a 2 run shot to end all the scoring.  Foli's 3 for 4 day would make him the hitting star.  San Diego would not have a runner advance past second all day and only threatened in the 4th when Willie McCovey led off with a double, only to be stranded where he started.

These two teams combined for their 3rd consecutive 1 run game.  Doug Rau would go the distance earning his 9th win with just 2 defeats.  Fryman was once again the hard luck loser as his record fell to 3-4 with a 2.35 ERA.  LA scored their first run in the 4th when the "Penguin" Ron Cey grounded into a 3-6-3 DP.  An error by Jim Cox in the 7th would lead to LA's eventual winning run.  After Cey and Buckner single, Cox booted Ted Sizemore's grounder, which allowed Cey to score.

Dodgers 1, Expos 0
Dan Warthen vs Burt Hooten
Pete Mackanin's 14th error of the season allowed Davey Lopes to reach first with two out.  Lopes would steal second and come home on Bill Russell's RBI single off of Dan Warthen, who was immediately removed from the game.  Burt Hooten would give up just 4 hits in 8 1/3 innings of work and hand off the ball to Mike Marshall for the final 2 outs.  Both starters turned in fantastic performances.

Expos 3, Dodgers 2
Clay Kirby vs Don Sutton
Getting a rare start, pinch hitter extraordinaire Jose Morales clobbered a 3 run homer off of Don Sutton in the top of the first to stake Clay Kirby to all the runs he would need.  LA would get solo runs in the 2nd and 7th, but could not overcome Sutton's first inning generosity.  Chip Lang pitched 3 1/3 innings of solid relief and Granger got the final two outs for his second save of the campaign.

Expos 6, Giants 1
Don Carrithers vs Ed Halicki
Tied at 1 apiece and heading into the 5th Halicki and his defense melted down simultaneously.  Barry Foote doubled home Pete Mackanin, then moved to third on Halicki's wild pitch.  Jerry White would single home Foote to give the Expos a 3-1 lead.  An error by catcher Dave Rader allowed White to take second and then move to third on a steal attempt.  Ron Roenicke's RBI single would make it 4-1.  Andy Thornton's 2 run blast in the 7th put the game away for good and gave the Expos a rare series sweep.  Montreal is beginning to look real smart acquiring Thornton for Steve Renko.  Since coming over from Chicago the young slugger is hitting .305 with 6 homeruns. 

Expos 3, Giants 2
Don Stanhouse vs Jim Barr
Jim Barr carried a 2-1 lead into the top of the 6th, but was victimized by a 2 out 2 run shot by Andy Thornton (his 5th since the trade with Chicago).  Three Expo relievers would come on board to hold down the fort and close the game out for Stanhouse who increased his record to 4-1.  Granger, Scherman and Chuck Taylor combined to get the final 9 outs with Taylor notching his 2nd save since being activated.

Expos 4, Giants 0
Woodie Fryman vs Rob Dressler
Basically Woodie Fryman needs to pitch a shutout just to have a chance of winning.  Montreal's crafty southpaw scattered 7 hits in this complete game effort to even his record at 3-3.  The 'Spos would do all their scoring over the first 3 innings.  Jose Morales singled home Andy Thornton in the first to break the ice.  Fryman would lift a sac fly in the second to score Tim Foli, who reached base on a throwing error by Giant hurler Rob Dressler.  Morales would knock in Ron Roenicke with an RBI single in the third to make it 3-0 and a base loaded walk to Foli would provide the final margin.

Expos 4, Braves 1
Frank LaCorte vs Dan Warthen
Atlanta struck first as 3 of the first 4 batters that Warthen would face would work out walks.  Earl Williams seeing eye single scored Office to make it 1-0.  Wynn was held up at third, so the Braves could play for the big inning that would never come thanks to Tom Paciorek hitting into a tailor made 6-4-3 DP.  LaCorte was baffling the normally challenged Expo offense until the bottom of the 6th when he lost his control and walked Jorgensen with the bases loaded to tie the game.  The contest would stay tied until the bottom of the 8th when the Expos had their expected weekly offensive outburst of 3 runs.  Larry Parrish singled home Gary Carter to break the 1-1 tie.  Mike Jorgensen's double would plate 2 more and give the home team a 4-1 lead.  Chip Lang would be credited with the win thanks to his 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.  Dale Murray would be called on to put out an impending fire as Lang walked Office and Gilbreath with Wynn coming to the plate as the potential tying run.  Wynn hit into a fielder's choice and Ken Henderson kept the bat on his shoulders while looking at a called strike 3 to end it.

Braves 5, Expos 3
Carl Morton vs Clay Kirby
Former Expo Carl Morton would get his first win of the season at the expense of his former teammates.  The Braves staked Morton to a 2-0 lead thanks to some walks, a wild pitch and an RBI single from Morton himself.  Andy Thornton's 4th homer as an Expo tied the game up in the 6th and Larry Parrish's sac fly gave Montreal a short lived 1 run lead.  Larry Parrish's error on Morton's slow grounder in the 7th would prove to be Expo reliever Steve Dunning's undoing.  After fanning Jerry Royster, Dunning got Morton to hit a slow roller up the third base line that Parrish fielded and threw in the dirt past Thornton.  Rolland Office doubled home Morton and after Galbreath struck out looking the "toy cannon" Jimmy Wynn hit a 2 run shot to put the Braves up 5-3.  All 3 runs in the inning were unearned, but they still counted on the scoreboard.  Elias Sosa would pitch 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and Adrian Devine would get his 5th save with a perfect 9th.

Braves 3, Expos 2
Andy Messersmith vs Don Carrithers
A 3 run outburst by the Braves in the top of the first sealed the fate of the offensively challenged Expos.  Successive RBI singles by Ken Henderson and Earl Williams plated two runs and a sac fly by Chaney plated the third.  Carrithers would settle down nicely after that embarrassing first and almost go the distance.  His opposing number Andy Messersmith did go the distance.  Larry Parrish's RBI single in the bottom of the first made it 3-1.  Mike Jorgensen would deliver home Pepe Mangual in the 5th to make it 3-2, but the Expos would not get any closer.  Jorgensen who had 3 successive singles missed a game tying homer in the 7th that ran out of legs as it sliced toward the opposite field foul poll.  Messersmith would improve his record to 3-5 with a 2.72 ERA, so 3 runs must have seemed like a lot to him.

Attendance:  11,085
Record Tracker:
Real Life (17-26) & Replay (17-26)

Pirates 11, Expos 5
Jim Rooker vs Don Stanhouse
This one was a cakewalk for the visitors, who had an 11-1 lead   after 6 1/2 innings of play.  The Expos managed to score some "window dressing" runs just to make the final score respectable, but they were never really in it.  Don Stanhouse, who came into the game with a 3-0 record was hammered for 10 runs (7 earned) in 6 2/3 innings.  Al Oliver had 4 RBI's for the Bucs, including his 4th homer of the season.  Willie Stargell went 3 for 5 with an RBI.  Andy Thornton has been red hot since arriving from Chicago.  He's now hitting .295 thanks to a 2-4 day and his 3rd homer as an Expo.  Barry Foote went 3 for 4 to increase his average to .325 and put pressure on Carter (.220) for the rights to the starting catcher spot.

Pirates 7, Expos 5
Jerry Reuss vs Woodie Fryman
For the first time all year Fryman didn't have anything.  The "Lumber Company" torched him for 5 runs in just an inning and a third of work.  Montreal didn't roll over an die.  In fact they rallied back with 3 in the 7th thanks to a two run shot by Pete Mackanin and a solo shot by Ellis Valentine.  Jim Lyttle's pinch hit RBI single in the 8th made it a 1 run ball game until the top of the 9th when Rennie Stennett's pinch hit RBI single pretty much put it away.  Dale Murray once again gave up a ill timed run in relief.  With Kent Tekulve on in relief the bottom of the 9th went easy.  After two ground outs to second Mike Jorgensen single and Gary Carter came to the plate as the tying run, but grounded weakly to thrid to end it.  Making a rare spot start at second base for the Bucs, Tommy Helms made the most of it with a 2 for 3 day, which included a homer and 3 RBI.  Larry Parrish had a 3 hit day for Montreal, but his season average is still below the Mendoza line.  Editor's note:  Mendoza made an appearance in the 8th for defense for the Bucs.

Kid Carter with a walkoff hit as the 'Spos battle back from 2 deficits to force extras then win it in the 11th after giving up 1 run in the top of the inning.  Granger gets the win and LaGrow gets the L.  Jerry White had 3 bunt hits on the day.  Bake McBride had a 3 for 5 day himself.  Dan Warthen was putrid and got yanked for a pinch hitter after just 2 terrible innings.  Chip Lang kept the boat floating with 5 decent innings of long relief.  St. Louis used 6 pitchers on the day.  The Redbirds stay 3 games (4 in the loss column) ahead of Montreal for that coveted last place slot.

Phillies 10, Expos 6
Clay Kirby vs Jim Kaat
The pitiful Clay Kirby gave up 9 runs in 3 2/3 innings of forgettable work.  Steve Dunning came on board to mop up and was impressive with 4 1/3 innings of 1 run ball.  Results like that question why Dunning wasn't starting and Kirby wasn't departin'.  Montreal wasted their best offensive showing in days on a pitcher who couldn't find the strike zone with a map (8 walks).  Andy Thornton continues to impress by going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's and 2 homers.  Dick Allen was the offensive star for the Phightin's going 2 for 3 with 2 homers and 4 RBI's.  The series sweep puts the Phils back over .500 and back in the NL East race, while the Expos erased all the good they did with their 5 of 6 win stretch.

Phillies 6, Expos 0
Don Carrithers vs Steve Carlton
Call this one a no contest.  Steve Carlton was brilliant in tossing a complete game 6 hit shutout.  Dick Allen hit a solo shot.  Carlton even got into the action on the offensive side with an RBI single.  Montreal's team batting average fell to an anemic .237.  Don Carrithers was sub par on the hill for the 'Spos, but he needed to be Don Corleone to order us some hits if he was going to win this one.  The Expos made 4 more errors in the field, which explains how the Phils scored 6 runs on just 5 hits.

Phillies 3, Expos 2 (13 inn)
Don Stanhouse vs Ron Reed
Once again the dormant Expo offense squanders a classic pitching performance by one of their starters.  Don Stanhouse, who's ERA now stands at 1.82, gave up 1 lousy unearned run in the 2nd and left the game with a no decision.  With 2 outs in the second Larry Parrish booted a grounder hit by his opposite number Mike Schmidt.  With Schmitty on 1st Bob Boone walked and Larry Bowa came through with a clutch RBI single.  Stanhouse was forced to pitch to Bowa, because pitcher Ron Reed was on deck & Reed is an above averge hitting pitcher.  Montreal tied it up in the 5th when Pepe Mangual hit a sac fly with 1 out and the bases loaded.  It's great to get the run across to tie the game, but you have to get more than just 1 when the bases are loaded.  This would come back to haunt the Expos, because they would not score the rest of the way.  Neither team scored in regulation, nor did the score in the 10th, 11th or 12th innings.  After Tug McGraw struck out the side in the top of the 13th the Phillies decided to put an end to this marathon.  With 2 outs and Dick Allen on 1st Bob Boone hit a line shot into the bullpen to send everyone on Broad Street home happy.

Expos 4, Pirates 3 (11 inn)
Woodie Fryman vs Doc Medich
Pete Mackanin's second error in successive days led to Pittsburgh's first run of the day in the bottom of the 3rd.  Woodie Fryman, who has had a tough time getting run support, was able to get out of the jam by getting Stennett to ground into a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.  Stennett's DP occurred with the bases loaded and prevented the Bucs from opening up a large lead.  Frank Taveras, just like yesterday would turn a walk into a stole base and then a run thanks to Dave Parker's sac fly to right to make it 2-0.  Fryman would make it 2-1 by laying down a perfect safety squeeze bunt to score Mike Jorgensen in the 5th, but he (Fryman) would give that run right back on a tape measure Willie Stargell homer to right center.  Medich was doing well keeping the Expo hitters off stride, but left after 6 innings and handed the ball over to Kent Tekulve and the Pirate pen.  Tekulve came on like a house of fire fanning the first 2 batters he faced (Jorgensen/Mackanin).  Since there were 2 outs and nobody on Fryman hit for himself and sent a flare into left center for what seemed to be a harmless hit.  Pepe Mangual beat out an infield single to put runners on 1st and 2nd.  Jerry White flared one to left center to score Fryman and make it a 3-2 ballgame.  Jim Lyttle was called on to pinch hit for Andy Thornton.  On a 2-2 count Lyttle lined a bullet down the right field line for a two bagger that scored Mangual to tie the game at 3-3.  Carter would strike out to end the inning, but the game was now tied.  Neither team could muster up enough offense to score again in regulation.  Dale Murray and Rick Langford carried the torch for their team into extra innings.  Murray, who has been nothing short of an adventure out of the pen all year, walked the first 2 batters to start the 10th.  Stargell hit a low sinking liner to right that Mangual caught off his shoe top and then fired into first behind Richie Zisk for the uncommon 9-3 DP.  Mangual wasn't done being heroic.  As is so often the case, the man who make a stellar defensive play usually winds up making a stellar offensive play in the following half inning.  With a 3-1 count Mangual, who is not a power hitter, turned quickly and hit a low liner that just hooked inside the left field foul poll to make it a 4-3 game.  After making a great defensive play in the bottom of the 10th and hitting a homer to put his team up in the 11th, Mangual still had some more cards left to play.  Manny Sangullens slicing liner off reliever Chuck Taylor looked destined for the outfield grass until Mangual came out of nowhere to make a sliding catch for out number 1.  After Stennett ground out to third Mangual would fittingly corral Taveras pop fly to right to end the game and give the Expos their second consecutive series victory in a row.  Buc manager Frank Aluzzi said after game 1, "Break up the Expos".  While 16-20 isn't exactly the record of a contender it is more than just a modest gain for a team that looked completely dead in the water a week ago.

Pirates 3, Expos 2
Steve Rogers vs Bruce Kison
"Hard Luck" Steve Rogers was once again victimized by his defense.  With 1 out and 1 on Pete Mackanin booted a sure fire DP ball hit by Frank Taveras.  Bruce Kison now found himself in a sacrifice situation and easily advanced both runners up 90 feet into scoring position.  Dave Parker, hitting leadoff, lined a 0-2 shot into right to score Richie Hebner and Frank Taveras to break a scoreless tie and make it 2-0 Bucs.  Montreal would cut the Bucs lead in half when Jerry White scored on Larry Parrish's slow roller to Stennett at second.  In the bottom of the 7th Frank Taveras would help manufacture a big insurance run by working out a walk, stealing second and scoring on an RBI single by reliever Larry Demery.  That run would loom large because the Expos would score once in the top of the 9th.  Larry Parrish would lead off the inning with a single and wind up on second on a botched hit and run play.  Tim Foli made up for his missing the sign on the hit and run, by lining a single to put runners on the corners.  The league's best pinch hitter, Jose Morales, strolled to the plate with runners on the corners and nobody out.  Ramon Hernandez would make the pitch of the game and Morales would hit a room service hop to Taveras at short, who would easily start the 6-4-3 DP.  Parrish would score on the play to make it 3-2, but all the wind was now out of the Expos' sails.  Pinch hitter Ellis Valentine singled, but when Hernandez got pinch hitter Bombo Rivera to fly out weakly to Parker in right, the game was over and the Bucs had a well earned 1 run victory.  Bruce Kison, who pitched 5+ solid innings, became the NL's first 7 game winner.  Kison (7-2, 1.76) is definitely in the hunt for the NL Cy Young Award with his great start.

Expos 3, Pirates 2
Dan Warthen vs John Candelaria
RBI singles by Al Oliver and Willie Stargell put the Bucs up 2-0 after 3 innings.  Usually the Expos go into the tank when they go down by more than 1 run so early in the game.  Shockingly the "candy man", John Candelaria did not have his good stuff and (most importantly) the moribund Expo offense was able to take advantage of it.  Pepe Mangual led off the 4th with a clean single to center and was followed by Jerry White who worked out a walk.  Newly acquired slugger Andy Thornton lined a single to right to put runners on the corners and score Mangual.  Gary Carter's sac fly scored White to tie the game at 2-2.  Larry Parrish's single once again put runners on the corners and Tim Foli delivered a line shot to left center to score Thornton to give the Expos a 3-2 lead, which they would miraculously protect to the finish.  Dan Warthen (1-4, 3.60) would earn his first win of the season by going 6 and giving up just 2.  The normally porous Expo bullpen held tight.  Fred Scherman, Chuck Taylor and Granger (who earned the save) allowed just 1 hit over the final 3 innings.  Candelaria departed with 2 outs in the 5th with the Expos threatening again.  Dave Giusti got the final out to prevent further damage.  Pete Mackanin was the only Expo starter, other than Warthen, not to get a hit.  Dave Parker and Rennie Stennett had 3 hit games for the Bucs.

Expos 3, Mets 1
Craig Swan vs Don Carrithers
After 2 straight wins Expo fans decided to turn out in record numbers on a beautiful 71 degree Sunday afternoon getaway day game.  Their hometown team treated them to two quick runs in the bottom of the first when Gary "kid" Carter doubled home Pepe Mangual and Jerry White with 1 out.  Both runners reached base thanks to walks issued by Craig Swan, who normally has fine control.  An error by Pepe Frias at short was followed by a two out opposite field single by John Milner, which cut Montreal's lead in half.  By this point Swan had overcome his 1st inning wildness and had now settled into a nice groove.  Six shutout innings for Swan kept his team in the game, but Carrithers was in the process of shocking all in attendance by going toe to toe with “Swannie”.  The Mets threatened to tie it in the 7th when Hodges came to the plate with runners on the corners and two out.  Chip Lang was brought in from the pen to replace the rapidly fading Carrithers and got New York's backup backstop to fly out weakly to center to end the threat.  Back to back doubles by Jerry White and Jim Lyttle added an insurance run for the Expos in the bottom of the 8th.  Fearing another Murray collapse the Expos stuck with Lang in the 9th even when he walked two of the first 3 batters that he faced.  Lang rebounded nicely by getting Hodges to fly out to center again for the second out and fanning pinch hitter Bruce Boisclair for the final out.  Swan, who would fan 7 would be the hard luck loser, while Carrithers, who walked 6 would luck out and get the win.  Break up the Expos !  Three straight wins and a series sweep vs the 2nd place Metropolitians is nothing to sneeze at !

Expos 6, Mets 2
Jerry Koosman vs Don Stanhouse
Pepe Mangual's dropped fly ball in center opened the door for two runs to score in the 4th and give the Metsies a 2-1 lead.  Typically such a gaffe would be the beginning of the end for the Expos, but not today as the Mets gold glove shortstop Bud Harrelson made a huge faux pas in the 6th that helped lead to 4 unanswered runs being scored by Montreal.  After Nate Colbert worked out a walk to lead off the 6th, Harrelson threw wide of first on Andy Thornton's slow roller.  Carter would follow that with an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2.  Larry Parrish fanned and Foli popped out to shallow center for the second out.  Successive singles by Pete Mackanin, Bombo Rivera and pinch hitter Jose Morales plated 3 unearned runs, because Koosman should have easily been out of the inning if not for the error.  Rivera's RBI single in the 8th scored Parrish, who led the inning off with a walk.  Don Stanhouse (3-0, 2.38) left the game after 6 and Steve Dunning turned in a fantastic 3 inning save performance to close out the game and give the Expos their second win in a row.  Stanhouse would give up just 4 hits and 1 unearned run in his 6 frames.  Dunning held down the fort and never let the Mets get back in it.

Expos 6, Mets 5
Jon Matlack vs Steve Rogers
Everyone has begun to wonder when and if it would actually stop raining up here.  The Cubs came for a 3 game series and were only able to get 1 game in.  The Mets crossed the border looking to beat up on the Poor Sisters of Charity (aka..the Montreal Expos).  For 7 innings they were only able to get 2 hits off of Steve Rogers.  Then in the 8th New York put on their hitting shoes and chased Montreal's young ace from the hill.  An RBI single by "the hammer", John Milner was followed by a bases loaded walk to Dave Kingman to score the second run of the inning.  Fred Scherman was summoned from the pen to face the lefties and go Kranepool to fly out to center and Unser to end the inning with a line out to first.  Kranepool's fly out scored Felix Millan to make it a 5-3 ball game.  Dale Murray started the 9th in relief of Scherman needing just 3 outs to protect the 2 run lead he was handed.  Murray once again failed in his task, thus blowing his 4th save of the season.  A walk to Mike Phillips with 1 out was followed by an opposite field homer by third string catcher "Grandma" Ron Hodges, who was pinch hitting for reliever Bob Apodaca.  Just like that Steve Rogers' 5-0 shutout was now a 5-5 ballgame.  All 5,000+ fans in attendance had this eerie sense of Deja' Vu come over them.  Like so many times before in this young season the Expos looked to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Nobody expected much from the home team in the bottom of the 9th.  Even after Gary Carter reached first thanks to Lockwood hitting him on the arm, nobody held out much hope.  Larry Parrish popped out weakly to short for out #1.  Tim Foli came to the plate.  The sure-handed shortstop was having himself a 2 for 3 with a walk day heading into this at bat, but nobody expected anything special.  Foli was given the hit and run sign and took Lockwood's second pitch and lined it down the line in right field.  "Kid" Carter, who was moving on the pitch, turned third and began chugging home.  Dave Kingman, who is no Roberto Clemente in rigfield, bobbled the ball a bit, then airmailed the cutoff man because his throw had to come to the plate.  After a skip and a short hop John Stearns fielded  Kingman's throw, but was a hair too late to sweep tag Carter who scored the improbable winning run in a game the Expos tried so hard to lose.

Cubs 4, Expos 2
Steve Renko vs Woodie Fryman
1st game after the big trade !  What an easy move for the guys who switched uniforms.  They literally walked out of one clubhouse and into the one across the hall.  How strange it must have been for Steve Renko to walk into the visitor's clubhouse in Jarry Parc after spending 7 years, his whol major league life, as an Expo.  Call it the revenge factor or call it the anemic Expo offense factor...call it what you want, but it was just the tonic for Renko who went 7 1/3 innings and gave up just 2 unearned runs.  Renko's former teammates were very generous as their former mate shut them out for 7 innings until Tabb made a huge two out error that allowed Andy Thornton a chance to start cementing his legacy in Expo lore.  Thornton, the young slugger the Expos acquired for Renko, lined a 2 out single to right center to score Jorgensen and Foote to make it a 3-2 ball game and give life to a team that was barely on life support.  Renko was removed from the game having lost his  shutout, but he was greeted with a rousing ovation from the remnants of the original 5,610 people who attended this game that was played in cold / rainy conditions.  Pete LaCock's pinch hit RBI single off of reliever Joe Kerrigan in the top of the 9th, gave the Cubs an insurance run that Paul Reuschel really didn't need.  Fryman once again pitched his butt off (1 ER in 7 innings) only to get the loss.  His season record is now 2-2 with a stingy 2.14 ERA.  Larry Biittner, the third member of the big trade, did not see action in the contest even though the few remaining fans left in the ballpark began chanting for him in the top of the 9th when LaCock came up to pinch hit.

Expos 4, Braves 3
Clay Kirby vs Dick Ruthven
Most of the offensive fireworks occurred in the opening frame.  Montreal jumped out to a quick 3 run lead thanks to errors by Earl Williams and Jerry Roster.  Sandwiched amongst Atlanta's folly were singles by Jerry White and Mike Jorgensen plus two stolen bases by Pepe Mangual.  A wild pitch and a RBI single by Darrell Chaney made it 1 run game.  Dave May's RBI triple tied it up in the 3rd, which is how it stayed until the top of the 9th.  With two out Foli doubled to the opposite field and Pete Mackanin lined a clutch single to right center to score the go ahead run.  No lead is safe when Dale Murray is on the hill in relief.  Seeking to notch his first win of the campaign Murray decided to make his work tougher than it needed to be.  Rookie catcher Dale Murphy led off with a double and moved to third on a infield single by pinch hitter Ken Henderson.  On a wild pitch Murphy broke for the plate but was thrown out by a great throw by Barry Foote who played the carom off the backstop in text book fashion.  Royster then grounded out to second with Henderson crossing over to third with 2 outs.  Gilbreath rolled one weakly to Foli at short for the final out of the game as the 'Spos salvaged the final game of this close 3 game set.

Braves 2, Expos 0
Dan Warthen vs Phil Niekro
Dangerous Dan Warthen walked 6 batters in almost 5 innings of  work and luckily gave up just 2 solo runs.  The bad news was that once again the Expos couldn't muster up much offense.  Future HOF'er Phil Niekro's knuckleball confounded a normally absent offense even further.  Niekro exited after 7 2/3 innings of 3 hit shutout ball and Adrian Devine closed out the final 4 outs.  Montreal had runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out in the 9th, but Devine was able to get Pete Mackanin to ground into a picture perfect 6-4-3 DP to end it.

Braves 4, Expos 3 (14 Inn)
Steve Rogers vs Frank LaCorte
Once again Rogers pitches his heart out only to get a no decision.  For a while it actually looked like the bearded one was going to lose until Bruce Dal Canton gave up a 2 run single to Barry Foote in the top of the 8th.  Since both teams seem to be offensively challenged the game headed to extra innings where it became a war of attrition.  Chip Lang pitched a perfect 13th inning then got a quick out in the bottom of the 14th before walking Rowland Office.  Marty Perez doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd and the "Toy Canon" Jimmy Wynn hit a shot to the warning track to score Office easily to end a game that was played amidst a fine drizzle.

Astros 6, Expos 2
Woodie Fryman vs J.R. Richard
Big James Rodney Richard was throwing darts today.  7 strikeouts and a complete game of domination later helped the 'Stros even up this quick 2 game set.  Woodie Fryman (2-1, 2.27) had his first bad outing of the season.  The "Wood-man" gave up 11 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings of work.  Jose Cruz was a terror with the bat going 3 for 5 on the day.  Cabell had two Rib-eye steaks while going 2 for 5.  Everyone in Houston's lineup had a hit except Richard, who surprisingly is only 4-3 with a 4.19 ERA so far in the campaign.

Expos 8, Astros 3
Clay Kirby vs Joe Niekro
The bats came alive today for the Expos in the pitcher's paradise know as the Astrodome.  Joe Niekro's knuckler did everything but find the strike zone in the top of the first.  As a result Montreal netted 3 runs.  Niekro's antics included 4 walks and a wild pitch sandwiched around an error by Enos Cabel at 3rd and a past ball charged to Ed Herrmann, who after catching Wilbur Wood for years in Chicago should have been used to the knuckler.  Clay Kirby was on cruise control until the bottom of the 5th when with 2 outs he fell apart.  After walking Herrmann and fanning the next two Kirby would be victimized by back to back singles by Cabell and Rob Andrews, which made it 3-1.  A pair of wild pitches would score Cabell and end Kirby's day 1 out short of qualifying for win.  Chip Lang would be called on for long relief and turn in a stellar performance that just might earn him a spot in the rotation someday.  Lang would go 4 1/3 innings to finish out the game and allow just 1 unearned run in the bottom of the 8th.  Montreal would explode for 4 in the top of the 6th to make Lang's day easier.  With the bases loaded Jerry White walked to make it 4-2.  Mike Jorgensen would slam a ball off the left center wall to clear the bases and make it 7-2.  Barry Foote's double in the 8th would make it 8-2.  Niekro would never make it out of the 6th and was charged with 6 earned runs (7 total) on the day.  Jorgensen would be th the hitting star, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's.  Barry Foote would have 3 hits as well as the Expos moved to double digits in wins for the season.

Expos 4, Giants 2 (Game 2 - DH)
Greg Minton vs Steve Rogers
Back to back errors by Pepe Frias in the top of the 1st looked to open up the floodgates, but Steve Rogers was able to bare down and minimize the damage to 1 run.  The Giants had bases loaded with nobody out, but Gary "Sarge" Matthews struck out looking and Willie Montanez grounded to short.  On that play Von Joshua would score, but after Chris Speier walked to reload the bases Roger easily got Ken Reitz to ground out to short to end what could have been a huge inning for San Fran.  Mike Jorgensen would lift a fly ball ot left to score Rogers in the 3rd, but even though the Expos tied the game on that play they couldn't have been happy only scoring 1 with the bases loaded and nobody out.  To this point both clubs blew their chance at posting a crooked number on the board.  That was until the bottom of the 4th when Minton got wild and threw back to back wild pitches to allow Barry Foote to score.  Pepe Mangual's slow grounder to second scored Frias, who aptly reached on an infield error.  Derrell Thomas's RBI single in the top of the 7th made it a 1 run ball game once again.  Barry Foote's sac fly in the bottom of the 8th would give Montreal a much needed insurance run, because Rogers' day was over and their porous bullpen would now have to hold the lead.  Dale Murray, who's ERA is slightly higher than the national debt, pitched a shockingly perfect 9th to gain his 3rd save.  Rogers was the star of the day going 8 and giving up just 1 earned run (2 total), while fanning 9.  Rogers' record improved to 2-3.  With a 2.35 season ERA one can't help but feel that Mr. Rogers offensive support has not been overly neighborly.  The Expos took their second consecutive series by taking the night cap of this twi-light double header.

Giants 3, Expos 2 (Game 1 - DH)
John Montefusco vs Dan Warthen
A three run blast by Bobby Murcer was the only blemish on Dan  Warthen's day.  Montreal's embattled lefty would go on to throw 7 shutout innings after Murcer's opening salvo in the top of the first, but the Expo offense once again never arrived.  Jim Dwyer's two run single in the bottom of the 4th would cut San Fran's lead to 1, but John "the Count" Montefusco was not about to give up anymore.  The Count would go the distance for his second win of the season.  Montreal had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, but Montefusco was able to get Gary Carter to hit a slow roller to Derrell Thomas at second to end the inning and Montreal's chances to tie it.  Warthen would fan 6, but would see his season record fall to 0-3 thanks to his first inning troubles.

Expos 2, Giants 1
John D'Acquisto vs Woodie Fryman
Fryman once again pitched his butt off and received a no-decision.  An RBI single by Bobby Murcer in the top of the 5th scored D'Acquisto to make it 1-0 Giants.  The way the Expos score runs there was a good chance that 1-0 lead just might stand up.  Then with 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th Larry Parrish doubled home Gary Carter, who walked with 1 out.  Tim Foli would come up clutch with a single that scored Parrish to make it 2-1.  With Fryman out of the game after 5 innings of stellar work the bullpen of Chip Lang and Joe "don't call me Nancy" Kerrigan shutout the Jints over the final 4 frames as Montreal recorded it's 3rd straight win.  Break up the 'Spos !

5/6/76
Expos 6, Padres 2
Dan Spillner vs Clay Kirby
Not exactly a marquee pitching matchup on paper, but both hurlers turned in respectable performances just the same.  Kirby would give up a 2 run shot to banjo hitting shortstop Hector Torres in the top of the second to put the Friars up 2-0.  That would be the only tally against Kirby, who righted his ship immediately until he ran out of gas in the 6th.  Steve Dunning did a great job bailing Kirby out in the 6th.  In fact the normally leaky Expo pen seemed waterproof on the day.  The same could not be said for the Padres pen, who needed to protect a 1 run lead over the final 3 innings.  Dan Spillner gave up just 1 run on a fielder's choice in the 4th.  Roger Metzger was called on for the second day in a row to protect a 1 run lead and once again was not up to the task.  Metzger would give up 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to give Montreal a one run lead.  His replacement, Ken Reynolds, would completely let the game get away by allowing an additional 3 tallies.  Pinch hitter Jose Morales came through again in the clutch with an RBI single that put the Expos up 3-2.  Consecutive walks to Pepe Mangual and Jerry White forced in runs and and error by Reynolds on a dribbler by Mike Jorgensen was responsible for the 5th and final run of the inning.  The final score (6-2) indicates a one sided affair, but the reality is that this game was a nail biter up until the bottom of the 8th.  Montreal now has a modest 2 game winning streak to be proud of.

5/5/76 - Jarry Parc
Expos 2, Padres 1
Brent Strom vs Steve Rogers
Montreal entered this contest sporting a 6 game losing streak, which was part of a stretch where they lost 9 of their last 10 games.  Sure they showed signs of coming around by losing 3 close contests to defending champ Cincy, but this is a results oriented business, not a place for moral victories.  This game set itself up to be another one of those "moral victory" type of losses.  Once again Steve Rogers would pitch just good enough to not win.  "Stretch" McCovey's RBI single in the first was the lone run on the scoreboard for most of the afternoon.  Montreal's lack of hitting prowess was making Brent Strom look like a Cy Young candidate.  Entering the bottom of the 9th things did not look good for the home team.  Strom took the mound in hopes of finished off a complete game shutout.  After getting Gary Carter to pop out to the catcher Strom began to breakdown.  A walk to Nate Colbert and a single by Pete Mackanin put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.  Roger Metzger was brought in to put out the fire.  Bombo Rivera hit a one hop bullet to Rader at third.  Since Rader was playing back his only play was to first.  This allowed the runners to advance 90 feet with 2 outs.  Larry Parrish was now up in a do or die situation.  A hit could win it, but an out would surely end it.  Metzger tried to come inside and jam Parrish, but the strapping third basement turned quickly on the inside offering and lined it into the gap in left center to easily score the runners and give Montreal a walk off win.  The 6 game losing streak was now history.

See the video of Montreal’s 9th inning rally (below):

If you haven't noticed by now, the Expos find ways to lose.  Today they would snatch defeat right from the jaws of victory.  Carrying a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 8th Montreal once again put the ball in the hands of their porous pen and came up craps.  Woodie Fryman pitched 6 strong innings giving up just 1 earned run (2 total).  Fryman's ERA on the season is a stingy 1.47, but if he can't close the door himself he will be hard pressed to get wins.  The bottom of the 8th saw lefty Fred Scherman give up a run, which allowed Cincy to make it a 1 run game.  A two out pinch hit double by Ed Armbrister plated "Dogie" (Tony Perez) to make it 4-3.  Dale Murray, who has been nothing short of putrid this season, was tasked with closing out the 9th.  A lead off walk to Geronimo turned into a de-facto double as Cincy's speed centerfielder easily stole second off of Murray.  Pete Rose uncharacteristically struck out and Griffey hit a blast to the base of the wall that Ellis Valentine corralled for out number 2.  Murray needed to just get one more out, but that out would be the reigning NL MVP Joe Morgan.  Murray walked Morgan on 4 pitches then lost track of him and let him steal second to put both runners in scoring position.  With the count 3-0 on Perez Murray was told to walk him and load the bases.  Former Red Wayne Granger was brought in to replace Murray and face All-Star catcher Johnny Bench.  With a 1-0 count Granger put one right down Broadway and Bench lined it into right center to score both runners and cap off a great comeback.  Cincy sweeps the Expos who are now firmly in control of the NL East cellar.

Record Tracker:
Real Life (6-12) & Replay (5-13)

Call this one:  the battle of the Don's.  Both Don's were on their "A" game early on.  Cincy broke a scoreless tie with a solo shot by Mike Lum in the bottom of the 5th.  Dan Driessen's RBI single in the 6th made it 2-0.  The bottom of the 7th saw Carrithers completely fall apart along with his defense.  Nate Colbert was handcuffed by a sinking liner by Gullett with 1 out in the 7th.  A walk to Rose and a single to Griffey loaded the bases for Joe Morgan who lifted an elevator in a silo to shallow center.  Pepe Mangual kind of nonchalanted it assuming the pitcher would not try to tag up.  Instead Gullett broke from third, while Mangual double clutched, which was just enough to allow him to score and make it 3-0.  Dan Driessen would make the previous play insignificant by lining a bases clearing double off the right center wall just below the orange stripe to make it 5-0.  Gullett, who seemed to get up slowly from that play at the plate, was not the same pitcher when he went back out to the mound to start the 8th.  A walk to Mangual and a long homer to Bombo Rivera told the tale that this lefty was hurting and he needed to go.  Pedro Borbon would be summoned from the pen and given unlimited time to warm up.  Borbon would allow just one hit in two innings of work to post his second save of the year.

Record Tracker:
Real Life (6-12) & Replay (5-13)

Future Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen gassed his speedball up to 100 mph and for 6 innings kept the Big Red Machine at bay.  His opposing number, Gary Nolan, was busy doing Warthern one better.  Nolan had himself a no hitter going until Gary Carter doubled with 2 outs in the 7th.  6 2/3 innings of no hit ball and still the game was scoreless.  Something had to give, and it did.  Warthen's defense betrayed him in the bottom of the 7th to the tune of 2 unearned runs afforded to Cincy.  Larry Parrish's error on Cesar Geronimo's slicing grounder to third was followed by an RBI single from Dave Concepcion, who would score two batters later on a sac fly by Pete Rose.  Joe Kerrigan would replace Warthen and help Cincy put the game out of reach.  With one out and 1 on Geronimo would triple in the third run.  Concepcion would lift a sac fly to deep right to make it 4-0.  The only suspense would be if Nolan could hold on and get the shutout.  Bombo Rivera would lead off the 9th with a pinch hit single to center.  Nolan would fan Jerry White and Larry Biittner, but Gary Carter would slice an opposite field single to put runners on the corner.  Nolan was just about done, so Dr. Hook came and got him.  Rawly Eastwick would battle Nate Colbert in a classic 9 pitch at bat before sneaking a back door slider by the big man to end the game and post his 4th save of the young season.

Record Tracker:
Real Life (6-11) & Replay (5-12)