[majesty95]

May 1, 1989

MONTREAL | MONDAY, MAY 1, 1989 | SINCE 1778 | SPORTS FINAL

Positives Emerge From Disappointing April

The first month of the season is in the books for the Expos. While their 10-14 record is undoubtably disappointing, there were some positives to take from the first 24 games.

April was basically a tale of two factions, the pitching and the hitting. While the Expos' hitters struggled for the most part, ranking in the bottom three in most offensive categories, the team's pitching was one of the league's best.

Leading the way for the Expos pitching was the rotation. Outside of Jim Deshaies, who was 0-1 with a 6.32 ERA, the rotation kept the team in many games and was a key factor in the 10 wins. Staff ace John Dopson led the way, posting a 3-2 record and 3.00 ERA in six starts. Newly acquired Jeff Russell posted the rotations best ERA with a 1.82 in five starts. Lee Tunnell had the rotation/s best WHIP, edging Russell (1.14) with a 1.13.

The Expos' bullpen was also very good at holding down leads and keeping the team in ballgames. Closer Gene Nelson got off to a rought start, blowing a save and taking two losses, but rebounded by allowing only one run in his last eight appearances and converting six straight saves. Rookie Mike Hartley was billiant, not allowing a run in 14 appearances. Reggie Patterson and Alex Madrid each posted ERA's under 2.00 (1.76 and 1.74 respectively) and Donn Pall and Gordon Dillard each posted ERA's under 3.00 (2.45 and 2.79).

The hitting was something of a different sort. Newcomer Johnny Ray leads the team with a .348 batting average but has been streaky, posting several multi-hit games while going hitless in several others. Fellow newcomer Dave Henderson has been good, posting a .291 average and a team high 11 runs scored. Two other newcomers, Manny Lee (.286) and Domingo Ramos (.333) were also good in limted action.

The big hitters in the lineup, however, struggled. Edgar Martinez, the team's best hitter by far, led the team with 11 RBI but hit only .235. Leadoff hitter Lloyd Moseby, outside of his team high tying three home runs, hit only .179 with a .242 on-base percentage as was supplanted late at the top of the order by shortstop Al Newman.

Terry Francona, the team's best average hitter last season, struggled with a .210 average. Catcher Craig Biggio, one of the best young players in baseball, only managed a .164 average.

As a team, the Expos hit only .231, ranking 7th in the National League. Conversely, the pitching staff posted a 2.77 ERA, good for fourth in the NL.

The positves from April were that the team was 6-5 in one-run games. They also had even records at home and on the road (5-7). Those stats indicate that, over a full season, winning close games will likely provide some additional wins that they did not get last year. Also, playing near .500 ball on the road leands itself to the possibility of a much improved record if the team can improve it's play at home