Saving montreal! (2000-???)

[gskweres9]

With MLB's offseason in full swing, my general manager itch is insatiable, and I can't get it to go away. I also love doing stuff that is different, like alternate histories. Here is the story of how Spencer Lewandoski hopes to save the Montreal Expos.

The Montreal Expos were bought by Jeffrey Loria in 2000. Jeffrey Loria is a scumbag. But what if they weren't bought by a scumbag? What if they were bought by a competent owner? Would the Expos still exist?

It's an interesting question. The team ranked towards the bottom of baseball in attendance for a handful of years following the strike of 1994, and they desperately needed a new stadium. The team made a pitch for a new stadium downtown, but the local government refused to put up any public funding, completely shutting down that option.

But, winning cures all. If the Expos won maybe the government would've been more inclined to pony up some funding. Maybe the fans would've come out to the ballpark more often. Maybe...just maybe the Expos would still be in Montreal.

So in this universe, the Expos weren't purchased by Jeffrey Loria. They were purchased by Nike CEO Phil Knight. Knight, an avid sports fan and one of the richest people in the world, saw the Expos as an opportunity to buy low on a franchise. If he can get the franchise to win quickly, then there's potential to turn them into the darlings of Canada and be a baseball team that dominates a country. If they fail, he could move them in a few years. Maybe he could even move them to Portland, his hometown.

Phil Knight, new owner of the Montreal Expos, tabbed me, Spencer Lewandoski, a former D1 baseball player at a school in the Northeast, and front office analyst in the Houston Astros organization to lead the Expos to glory.

[gskweres9]

23 February 2000

SPRING TRAINING PREVIEW

There are a lot of interesting battles in spring training. The outfield is mostly set, as All-Star Vladimir Guerrero will man right field and the solid Rondell White will start in left field, however center field is up for grabs.

Peter Bergeron, a 22-year-old who got a cup of coffee in September in '99, Terry Jones, a 29-year-old with a good glove and suspect bat, and Milton Bradley, a hotshot 21-year-old who tore up AA last year will compete for the starting job. Regardless of who wins, the outfield will be a strength for Montreal.

The infield has just as much intrigue heading into 2000. Shortstop is a battle between 25-year-old Orlando Cabrera and 26-year-old Geoff Blum. Cabrera has an elite glove, but a career slash line of .263/.305/.402 is holding him back from being an every day shortstop. Blum has had more success at the plate, slashing .241/.327/.504 in his first year as a big leaguer in '99, however he probably belongs at either second or third base.

Third base could be Blum, but it will likely be 32-year-old Mike Mordecai, who is the only third baseman on the roster with legitimate major league experience. Jose Vidro will start at second base and 32-year-old Lee Stevens will start at first. One of Blum, Cabrera, or Jamey Carroll will be the primary backup infielder.

23-year-old Michael Barrett will start behind the dish, and he'll be backed up by veteran Chris Widger.

Over to the mound, where there are some intriguing arms for Montreal. 23-year-old Javier Vasquez, 30-year-old Hideki Irabu, 24-year-old Carl Pavano, 27-year-old Dustin Hermanson, and 23-year-old Jeremy Powell will make up the rotation. 1999 NL Reliever of the Year Ugueth Urbina will close, joined by Steve Kline, Scott Strickland, Miguel Batista, Anthony Telford, Felipe Lira, and Scott Mitchell.


NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE

Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez signs a 7-year, $116.6M deal that will keep him in Texas through 2007. The deal makes him the highest paid player in baseball history.

[gskweres9]

29 March 2000

Opening Day Roster

OUTFIELD:

LF - Rondell White (Age 28)
CF - Peter Bergeron (Age 22)
RF - Vladimir Guerrero (Age 25)
BENCH: Fernando Seguignol (Age 25)
BENCH: Terry Jones (Age 29)

INFIELD:

C - Michael Barrett (Age 23)
1B - Lee Stevens (Age 32)
2B - Jose Vidro (Age 25)
3B - Mike Mordecai (Age 32)
SS - Geoff Blum (Age 26)
BENCH: Orlando Cabrera (Age 25)
BENCH: Wilton Guerrero (Age 25)
BENCH: Chris Widger (Age 28)

ROTATION:

Hideki Irabu (Age 30)
Dustin Hermanson (Age 27)
Javier Vasquez (Age 23)
Carl Pavano (Age 24)
Jeremy Powell (Age 23)

BULLPEN:

CL - Ugueth Urbina (Age 26)
SU - Steve Kline (Age 27)
SU - Scott Strickland (Age 23)
MR - MIguel Batista (Age 29)
MR - Felipe Lira (Age 27)
MR - Anthony Telford (Age 34)
LR - Trey Moore (Age 27)

The Expos have placed waiver claims on 32-year-old Orioles starter Scott Erickson, 25-year-old Pirates outfielder Emil Brown, and 24-year-old Cubs outfielder Roosevelt Brown.

MLB TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1) Albert Pujols, 3B (Age 20) - St. Louis Cardinals
2) Cliff Lee, LHP (Age 21) - Montreal Expos
3) Miguel Cabrera, LF (Age 16) - Florida Marlins
4) Ben Sheets, RHP (Age 21) - Milwaukee Brewers
5) Josh Hamilton, CF (Age 18) - Tampa Bay Devil Rays
6) Jake Peavy, RHP (Age 18) - San Diego Padres
7) Roy Oswalt, RHP (Age 22) - Houston Astros
8) Victor Martinez, C (Age 21) - Cleveland Indians
9) Josh Willingham, C (Age 21) - Florida Marlins
10) Brandon Webb, RHP (Age 20) - Arizona Diamondbacks

The Expos have 5 more prospects rated in MLB's top 200 prospects. They are:

21-year-old RF Jason Bay, Rank #25
17-year-old CF Grady Sizemore, Rank #40
21-year-old CF Milton Bradley, Rank #64
22-year-old LF Brad Wilkerson, Rank #89
18-year-old SS Brandon Phillips, Rank #112
21-year-old OF Val Pascucci, Rank #172

We are projected to finish 69-93, 23 GB of the New York Mets in the NL East.

Time to save Montreal!

[gskweres9]

Monday, April 3, 2000-Sunday, April 9, 2000

The Montreal Expos had a tough first week of the season, going 1-6. Our 1-6 record is good for last place in the NL East, 3 GB of the 4-3 Florida Marlins.

4/3:

Dodgers Throttle Expos On Opening Day

LAD: 15
MON: 0

WP - Kevin Brown (1-0, 0.00) LP - Hideki Irabu (0-1, 24.00)
HR - LAD: Adrian Beltre (1), Todd Hundley 2 (2), Kevin Elster (1)

4/4

Chan Ho Takes No Decision, K's 10

LAD: 5
MON: 4 (F/10)

WP - Terry Adams (1-0, 0.00) LP - Anthony Telford (0-1, 9.00) SV - Jeff Shaw (1 SV, 0.00)
HR - LAD: Adrian Beltre (2), Todd Hundley (3), Chris Donnels (1)

4/5

Beltre Continues Hot Start, Leads Dodgers Past Expos

LAD: 9
MON: 5

WP - Darren Dreifort (1-0, 5.87) LP - Scott Erickson (0-1, 9.00)
HR - LAD: Adrian Beltre 2 (4), Shawn Gilbert (1)

4/6

Dodgers Win Extra Inning Affair

LAD: 6
MON: 3 (F/13)

WP - Ricardo Rodriguez (1-0, 0.00) LP - Miguel Batista (0-1, 14.54)
HR - LAD: Adrian Beltre (5) MON: Jose Vidro (1), Vladimir Guerrero (1)

4/7

Expos Win First Game

SD: 2
MON: 10

WP - Carl Pavano (1-0, 0.00) LP - Brian Tollberg (0-1, 10.80)
HR - N/A

4/8

Irabu Shelled Again

SD: 8
MON: 6

WP - Matt Clement (2-0, 1.80) LP - Hideki Irabu (0-2, 13.50) SV - Trevor Hoffman (2 SV, 0.00)
HR - SD: Ryan Klesko (3) MON: Vladimir Guerrero (2)

4/9

Nevin Drives In 5, Padres Beat Expos

SD: 14
MON: 3

WP - Brian Meadows (1-0, 3.00) LP - Dustin Hermanson (0-1, 10.97)
HR - SD: Phil Nevin (1), Ed Sprague Jr. (1) MON: Vladimir Guerrero (3)

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

April 5 - Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Jamie Moyer tossed the first no-hitter of the season in a 7-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. Moyer walked two and struck out nine on the way to picking up the win.



April 6 - Chipper Jones signed a 7-year, $129.5M contract, eclipsing Ivan Rodriguez as the highest paid player in MLB history. Rodriguez signed a record-breaking deal with the Texas Rangers just one month ago.



April 8 - Ken Griffey Jr. is off to a hot start in a new uniform, as he's already homered three times for the Cincinnati Reds in his first week with the team. The third of which gave him 400 for his career.

[gskweres9]

Monday, April 10, 2000-Sunday, April 16, 2000

The Montreal Expos had an off day Monday. The team went 3-3 during the week to improve to 4-9 on the season. We are still in last place in the NL East, 5 GB of the first place Florida Marlins.

4/11

Vlad Shines as Expos Take Down Pirates

MON (2-6): 9
PIT (1-6): 4

WP - Scott Erickson (1-0, 6.75) LP - Todd Ritchie (0-2, 6.00)
HR - MON: Fernando Seguignol (1) PIT: John Vander Wall (1), Warren Morris (1)

4/12

Kline Blows Save

MON (2-7): 1
PIT (2-6): 2

WP - Jason Christiansen (1-0, 3.00) LP - Steve Kline (0-1, 2.08)
HR - N/A

4/13

Late Rally Lifts Montreal

MON (3-7): 6
PIT (2-7): 4

WP - Felipe Lira (1-0, 1.93) LP - Josias Manzanillo (0-2, 13.50) SV - Ugueth Urbina (1 SV, 8.31)
HR - MON: Lee Stevens (1) PIT: John Vander Wal (2), Jason Kendall (2), Rod Brewer (2)

4/14

Hermanson Outduels Schilling

MON (4-7): 6
PHI (4-6): 2

WP - Dustin Hermanson (1-1, 6.63) LP - Curt Schilling (1-2, 5.50)
HR - N/A

4/15

Abreu Hits Walk-Off Homer

MON (4-8): 3
PHI (5-6): 4 F/12

WP - Chris Brock (1-0, 0.00) LP - Miguel Batista (0-2, 10.80)
HR - PHI: Bobby Abreu (1)

4/16

Guerrero's Three Hits Not Enough

MON (4-9): 6
PHI (6-6): 7

WP - Mark Brownson (2-0, 4.50) LP - Scott Erickson (1-1, 8.04) SV - Brandon Duckworth (5 SV, 1.74)
HR - MON: Mike Mordecai (1), Vladimir Guerrero (4), PHI: Bobby Abreu (2)

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

April 14 - Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. picked up his 3,000th career hit in a 7-6 loss against the Minnesota Twins. Ripken became the 24th player to reach 3,000 hits. On April 15th he picked up two more hits to pass Roberto Clemente for 23rd all-time. He is six hits shy of passing Al Kaline for 22nd.

[gskweres9]

Monday, April 17, 2000-Sunday, April 23, 2000

The Montreal Expos went just 1-6 this week as our record stands at a putrid 5-15. We are 8 GB of the Florida Marlins for the NL East lead.

Transactions

Reliever Steve Kline is suffering from shoulder inflammation and is expected to miss four months. Kline had appeared in 5 games, pitching 4.2 innings with a 1.93 ERA.

27-year-old right hander Julio Santana was recalled from AAA Ottawa to take his place on the 25-man roster. Santana had appeared in 4 games in AAA, picking up 4 saves and not allowing a run.

4/17

Wolf Befuddles Montreal

MON (4-10): 0
PHI (7-6): 5

WP - Randy Wolf (1-1, 0.87) LP - Javier Vazquez (0-1, 3.26)
HR - PHI: Scott Rolen (4)

4/18

Cubs Win Barn Burner

CHI (6-10): 11
MON (4-11): 10

WP - Jon Lieber (2-2, 3.67) LP - Jeremy Powell (0-2, 11.42) SV - Mark Guthrie (3 SV, 1.80)
HR - CHI: Jeff Reed (1), Ivan Cruz (3) MON: Rondell White (1), Jose Vidro (2)

4/19

CHI (7-10): 5
MON (4-12): 4

WP - Rick Aguilera (3-0, 2.25) LP - Scott Strickland (0-1, 4.15) SV - Mark Guthrie (4 SV, 3.00)
HR - CHI: Willie Greene (1), Ivan Cruz (4) MON: Vladimir Guerrero (5)

Greene's Heroics Sink Montreal

4/20

Cubs Crush Expos

CHI (8-10): 10
MON (4-13): 3

WP - Kevin Tapani (1-2, 7.16) LP - Carl Pavano (1-1, 3.66)
HR - N/A

4/21

Wright is Right

MIL (6-10): 9
MON (4-14): 4

WP - Jamey Wright (1-1, 6.06) LP - Scott Erickson (1-2, 7.89)
HR - MIL: Mark Loretta (2), Geoff Jenkins (8), Jose Hernandez (2) MON: Michael Barrett (1), Vladimir Guerrero (6)

4/22

Expos Expose Brewer Bullpen

MIL (6-11): 2
MON (5-14): 5

WP - Javier Vazquez (1-1, 2.30) LP - Bob Wickman (1-1, 4.15)
HR - N/A

4/23

Brewers Beat Expos in Extras

MIL (7-11): 3
MON (5-15): 1 F/10

WP - Curt Leskanic (2-1, 4.91) LP - Ugueth Urbina (0-1, 8.31)
HR - N/A

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

April 22 - The Houston Astros have lost top prospect Roy Oswalt for the season as he will undergo Tommy John surgery. Oswalt has been pitching out of the Astros bullpen this season.



April 23 - New York Yankees Starting Pitcher Roger Clemens picked up the 250th win of his career, leading the Yankees past the Toronto Blue Jays in an 18-2 victory. Clemens is 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA this season.



April 23 - The Boston Red Sox will be without star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra for quite some time. Garciaparra suffered a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch.

[gskweres9]

END OF APRIL REVIEW

April didn't treat the Expos well. We went 0-5 the last week of the month, dropping to 5-20 on the season. The 0-5 week included going 0-2 in a series at Olympic Stadium against the Rockies and then going 0-3 in San Francisco against the Giants.

The 5-20 record is the worst in the National League. We are 11 1/2 GB of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The Anaheim Angels have the worst record in all of baseball. They are 5-21.

Transactions

Beginning with the San Francisco series Mike Mordecai was benched. Geoff Blum, who led the league in errors, has shifted from shortstop to third base. Orlando Cabrera will be the every day shortstop. Beginning next week center fielder Peter Bergeron will be coming off the bench. Roosevelt Brown will be the every day center fielder.

RHP Miguel Batista was optioned to AAA, LHP Trey Moore was recalled from AAA Ottawa to take his place on the roster

Statistics

1) CF Peter Bergeron - .189/.246/.245, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB
2) 3B Geoff Blum - .357/.394/.500, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB
3) RF Vladimir Guerrero - .361/.426/.680, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 3 SB



4) 2B Jose Vidro - .396/.463/.573, 3 HR, 21 RBI
5) LF Rondell White - .265/.311/.439, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 2 SB
6) 1B Lee Stevens - .204/.233/.337, 2 HR, 14 RBI
7) SS Orlando Cabrera - .207/.258/.310, 0 HR, 1 RBI
8) C Michael Barrett - .290/.357/.403, 1 HR, 5 RBI

BENCH:

C Chris Widger - .229/.250/.400, 1 HR, 5 RBI
2B Wilton Guerrero - 16 PA, .062/.062/0.62
3B Mike Mordecai - .222/.300/.389, 1 HR, 10 RBI
OF Roosevelt Brown - 23 PA, .429/.455/.429

ROTATION:

Dustin Hermanson: 6 GS, 35.2 IP, 1-3, 7.07 ERA, 3.8 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
Javier Vazquez: 5 GS, 33.1 IP, 1-1, 2.70 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9
Scott Erickson: 5 GS, 28.0 IP, 1-2, 6.75 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 4.5 BB/9
Carl Pavano: 4 GS, 24.2 IP, 1-2, 4.01 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 4.0 BB/9
Hideki Irabu: 5 GS, 23.1 IP, 0-2, 8.87 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 4.2 BB/9

BULLPEN:

Anthony Telford: 10 G, 13.0 IP, 0-2, 1 SV, 2.08 ERA, 11.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9
Ugueth Urbina: 10 G, 10.0 IP, 0-1, 1 SV, 8.10 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 4.5 BB/9
Scott Strickland: 8 G, 6.2 IP, 0-1, 2.70 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 2.7 BB/9
Felipe Lira: 8 G, 7.2 IP, 1-1, 7.04 ERA, 4.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9
Julio Santana: 4 G, 7.1 IP, 4.91 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 9.8 BB/9
Trey Moore: 1 G, 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA
Jeremy Powell: 12 G, 18.2 IP, 0-2, 8.68 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 5.8 BB/9

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

AL Hitter of the Month: Cleveland Indians OF Manny Ramirez - .386/.518/.761, 8 HR, 29 RBI



NL Hitter of the Month: St. Louis Cardinals OF Jim Edmonds - .330/.442/.742, 11 HR, 33 RBI



AL Pitcher of the Month: Boston Red Sox RHP Pedro Martinez - 6 GS, 44.1 IP, 5-1, 2.64 ERA, 13.4 K/9, 1.6 BB/9



NL Pitcher of the Month: Arizona Diamondbacks LHP Randy Johnson - 6 GS, 42.1 IP, 3-0, 0.21 ERA, 13.4 K/9, 2.1 BB/9



AL Rookie of the Month: Minnesota Twins OF John Barnes - .337/.419/.495, 3 HR, 13 RBI

NL Rookie of the month: Arizona Diamondbacks OF Rob Ryan - .284/.351/.489 2 HR, 9 RBI

[tarryhilis]

Excited to follow this!

[gskweres9]

Monday, May 1, 2000-Sunday, May 7, 2000

The Expos went 3-3 in the first week of May. We are now 10 1/2 GB of the Braves and Marlins, who are tied atop the NL East. We are now 8-23.

5/1

11-Run Fourth Lifts Colorado

MON (5-21): 12
COL (15-12): 16

WP - Masato Yoshii (2-4, 9.00) LP - Scott Erickson (1-3, 8.33)
HR - COL: Ben Petrick 2 (2), Todd Helton (7)

5/2

Expos Blow Early Lead

MON (5-22): 10
COL (16-12): 11

WP - Stan Belinda (2-0, 10.12) LP - Ugueth Urbina (0-2, 11.70) SV - Mike Myers (8 SV, 0.00)
HR - MON: Michael Barrett (2), Geoff Blum (2) COL: Terry Shumpert (2)

5/3

Expos Win In Extras

MON (6-22): 4
COL (16-13): 3 F/10

WP - Anthony Telford (1-2, 2.57) LP - Stan Belinda (2-1, 9.31) SV - Ugueth Urbina (2 SV, 10.64)
HR - MON: Vladimir Guerrero (8) COL: Scott Bullett (4), Todd Helton (8)

5/5

Expos Win Second Straight

MON (7-22): 7
MIL (11-18): 1

WP - Dustin Hermanson (2-3, 6.02) LP - Jimmy Haynes (1-5, 4.84)
HR - N/A


5/6

Erickson's Struggles Continue

MON (7-23): 3
MIL (12-18): 10

WP - Jason Bere (2-2, 3.76) LP - Scott Erickson (1-4, 9.26)
HR - MIL: Raul Casanova (1)

5/7

Expos Win Second Extra Inning Affair This Week

MON (8-23): 10
MIL (12-19): 6

WP - Anthony Telford (2-2, 2.25) LP - Bob Wickman (1-2, 3.38)
HR - Jose Vidro (4)

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

May 2 - Atlanta's Kevin Millwood no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was already the second no-hitter of the season. Millwood struck out 8 and walked 4.

[gskweres9]

Monday, May 8, 2000-Sunday, May 14, 2000

The Expos finished over .500 in a week for the first time this season, going 4-2 this week. The successful week improved the club to 12-25. It is still the worst record in the National League, however we gained a game on the Atlanta Braves for the division, sitting 9 1/2 GB.

5/8

Expos Hold Off Phillies Ninth Inning Charge

PHI (17-16): 5
MON (9-23): 6

WP - Scott Strickland (1-1, 1.46) LP - Carlos Silva (0-3, 4.98)
HR - MON: Rondell White (3), Geoff Blum 2 (4)

5/9

Irabu Finally Wins

PHI (17-17): 1
MON (10-23): 7

WP - Hideki Irabu (1-2, 8.37) LP - Curt Schilling (2-4, 5.86)
HR - PHI: Hal Morris (1) MON: Rondell White (4), Lee Stevens (3), Vladimir Guerrero (9)

5/10

Expos Sweep Phillies

PHI (17-18): 0
MON (11-23): 10

WP - Dustin Hermanson (3-3, 5.05) LP - Brandon Duckworth (0-1, 1.80)
HR - MON: Michael Barrett (3), Lee Stevens (4), Geoff Blum (5)

5/12

Sosa Slams Expos

CHC (18-19): 12
MON (11-24): 6

WP - Kevin Tapani (2-4, 5.58) LP - Scott Erickson (1-5, 9.00)
HR - CHC: John Wehner (1), Sammy Sosa (8) MON: Michael Barrett (4), Roosevelt Brown (1)

5/13

Vazquez Takes Another No Decision

CHC (19-19): 4
MON (11-25): 3

WP - Steve Rain (1-1, 7.80) LP - Ugueth Urbina (0-3, 10.38) SV - Rick Aguilera (1 SV, 2.60)
HR - N/A

5/14

Expos Avoid Sweep

CHC (19-20): 2
MON (12-25): 7

WP - Carl Pavano (2-2, 4.75) LP - Ruben Quevado (2-3, 4.62)
HR - CHC: Henry Rodriguez (1) MON: Vladimir Guerrero (10)

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

May 10 - Toronto Blue Jays outfielder collected six hits in a single game, going 6-for-7 in a 16-12 win over the Baltimore Orioles.



May 13 - Greg Vaughn launched the 300th homer of his career in a losing effort, as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4.

[gskweres9]

Monday, May 15, 2000-Sunday, May 21, 2000

The Expos were back to their losing ways, going 2-4 this week. We're now 14-29, still the worst in the National League and second worst in baseball. We are 13 GB of the Atlanta Braves for the NL East lead.

5/16

Diamondbacks Win In Extras

ARZ (22-17): 6
MON (12-26): 2

WP - Greg Swindell (1-1, 1.62) LP - Ugueth Urbina (0-4, 12.15)
HR - N/A

5/17

Colbrunn Powers Snakes Past Expos

ARZ (23-17): 11
MON (12-27): 7

WP - Armando Reynoso (7-1, 1.73) LP - Scott Erickson (1-6, 9.89)
HR - ARZ: Greg Colbrunn 2 (3) MON: Geoff Blum (6), Vladimir Guerrero (11), Roosevelt Brown (2)

5/18

Vazquez Magnificent, Expos Win

ARZ (23-18): 4
MON (13-27): 6

WP - Javier Vazquez (2-1, 3.08) LP - Omar Daal (4-5, 4.72) SV - Anthony Telford (2 SV, 3.26)
HR - ARZ: Rob Ryan (5)

5/19

Expos Top Stros

HOU (18-24): 3
MON (14-27): 4

WP - Carl Pavano (3-2, 4.25) LP - Scott Elarton (2-5, 4.81) SV - Anthony Telford (3 SV, 3.10)
HR - MON: Vladimir Guerrero (12)

5/20

Reynolds Helps Himself to Victory

HOU (19-24): 5
MON (14-28): 2

WP - Shane Reynolds (5-3, 5.09) LP - Hideki Irabu (1-3, 8.45)
HR - MON: Vladimir Guerrero (13)

5/21

Guerrero's Huge Night Wasted

HOU (20-24): 12
MON (14-29): 11

WP - Rick Huisman (1-0, 3.57) LP - Ugueth Urbina (0-5, 12.60) SV - Octavio Dotel (5 SV, 3.05)
HR - HOU: Lance Berkman (12), Jeff Bagwell (14), Moises Alou (9), Bill Spiers (2), Mitch Melusky (6) MON: Rondell White (5), Vladimir Guerrero (14)

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

May 20 - Reliever Rheal Cormier signs a two-year extension worth $3M per year with the Boston Red Sox

May 21 - Baltimore Orioles outfielder Harold Baines has suffered a season ending injury and has elected to retire. The 41-year-old retires a six-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger. He finishes his career with 2797 hits and 374 homers.

[gskweres9]

END OF MAY REVIEW

May treated the Expos better than April, as we followed up a 5-20 April with a 13-13 month of May. The team has crawled out of the National League cellar, as the 18-33 record in 1/2 game better than the San Diego Padres. Even though the team's play improved, we dug ourselves quite the hole at the start of the year, and we're 10 GB of the wild card and 14 1/2 GB of the division.

TRANSACTIONS

Rondell White suffered a strained hamstring on May 27th. He was placed on the 15-day DL. 23-year-old left fielder Brad Wilkerson was called up to take his place on the 25-man roster. Wilkerson was slashing .329/.437/.561 with six homers in 47 games in AAA.

White also requested a trade to a contender. The Expos are currently unwilling to meet his request.

Scott Erickson was waived and designated for assignment following the his last start on May 25th. Erickson was 1-7 with a 10.84 ERA in 10 GS. The Expos claimed Erickson off waivers following spring training. 25-year-old lefty Brent Billingsley was called up from AAA Ottawa to replace Erickson in the rotation. Billingsley was 2-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 11 starts.

Reliever Ugueth Urbina was waived and designated for assignment at the end of the month. Urbina, who was the NL's Reliever of the Year just last year, was 0-5 with an 11.00 ERA and 2 saves. Miguel Batista was recalled from AAA Ottawa to replace Urbina on the 25-man roster.

Outfielder Peter Bergeron was optioned to AAA Ottawa. He was hitting .185/.246/.242 1 HR, 5 RBI. 29-year-old Terry Jones was called up to replace him on the 25-man roster.

LINEUP

1) LF Brad Wilkerson - .250/.308/.917, 2 HR, 3 RBI
2) 3B Geoff Blum - .367/.412/624, 11 HR, 29 RBI
3) RF Vladimir Guerrero - .405/.461/.722, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 8 SB
4) 2B Jose Vidro - .372/.441/.538, 6 HR, 37 RBI
5) CF Roosevelt Brown - .360/.386/.528, 4 HR, 20 RBI
6) 1B Lee Stevens - .226/.281/.367, 5 HR, 33 RBI
7) C Michael Barrett - .283/.337/.421, 4 HR, 15 RBI
8) SS Orlando Cabrera - .228/.277/.307 1 HR, 8 RBI

BENCH/DISABLED LIST

LF Rondell White (DL) - .328/.386/.523, 5 HR, 30 RBIs
OF Fernando Seguignol - 51 PA, .292/.314/.396 1 HR, 8 RBI
3B Mike Mordecai - 87 PA, .215/.287/.380, 1 HR, 10 RBI
2B Wilton Guerrero - 20 PA, .211/.250/.211
C Chris Widger - 49 PA, .196/.245/.348, 1 HR, 5 RBI

ROTATION

Javier Vazquez - 11 GS, 74.0 IP, 2-2, 3.41 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9
Dustin Hermanson - 12 GS, 77.1 IP, 4-4, 4.77 ERA, 3.6 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
Carl Pavano - 9 GS, 54.2 IP, 4-2, 5.10 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 4.6 BB/9
Hideki Irabu - 9 GS, 45.1 IP, 2-3, 7.15 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 4.8 BB/9

BULLPEN

CL - Anthony Telford - 21 G, 24.2 IP, 2-2, 7 SV, 2.92 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9
SU - Scott Strickland - 20 G, 21.2 IP, 1-1, 3.32 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 3.7 BB/9
SU - Trey Moore - 9 G, 15.0 IP, 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 4.8 BB/9
MR - Felipe Lira - 12 G, 13.2 IP, 1-1, 6.59 ERA, 3.3 BB/9, 4.0 K/9
MR - Julio Santana - 11 G, 14.0 IP, 1-0, 2.57 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 7.7 BB/9

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

NL Hitter of the Month - Colorado Rockies 1B Todd Helton



AL Hitter of the Month - Toronto Blue Jays 1B Carlos Delgado



NL Pitcher of the Month - Los Angeles Dodgers SP Kevin Brown



AL Pitcher of the Month - Boston Red Sox CL Derek Lowe



NL Rookie of the Month - Colorado Rockies C Ben Petrick


AL Rookie of the Month - Kansas City Royals 2B Aaron Guiel

[gskweres9]

Thursday, June 1, 2018-Wednesday, June 7, 2018

The Expos continue the trend of mediocrity, going 2-5 to begin the month of June as baseball begins interleague play. We are now 20-38, 17 GB of the Atlanta Braves for the division, and 12 GB of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the wild card.

6/1

Reds Scorching Hot

MON (18-34): 3
CIN (29-24): 6

WP - Elmer Dessens (5-3, 5.93) LP - Hideki Irabu (2-4, 7.15)
HR - CIN: Ed Taubensee (2), Alex Ochoa (10), Dante Bichette (2)

6/2

Vazquez to Victory


BAL (23-31): 3
MON (19-34): 5

WP - Javier Vazquez (3-2, 3.32) LP - Mike Mussina (4-6, 3.80) SV - Anthony Telford (8 SV, 2.73)
HR - BAL: Jeremy Giambi (7) MON: Brad Wilkerson (3), Jose Vidro (7)

6/3

Ponson Poison for Montreal Bats

BAL (24-31): 6
MON (19-35): 1

WP - Sidney Ponson (2-6, 4.69) LP - Carl Pavano (4-3, 5.46)
HR - N/A

6/4

Orioles Take Rubber Match

BAL (25-31): 5
MON (19-36): 2

WP - Patt Rapp (3-7, 6.51) LP - Jeremy Powell (0-3, 5.70) SV - Buddy Groom (7 SV, 3.27 ERA)
HR - BAL: Charles Johnson (13)

6/5

Struggling Yanks Take Down Montreal

NYY (23-31): 11
MON (19-37): 7

WP - David Cone (6-5, 5.65) LP - Dustin Hermanson (4-5, 5.29) SV - Mariano Rivera (10 SV, 2.91)
HR - NYY: Kevin Orie (2) MON: Michael Barrett (5), Brad Wilkerson (4), Vladimir Guerrero (15), Orlando Cabrera (2), Roosevelt Brown (5)

6/6

Posada Scatters Five Hits, Yanks Win

NYY (24-31): 9
MON (19-38): 1

WP - Brandon Knight (1-0, 1.17) LP - Hideki Irabu (2-5, 7.38)
HR - NYY: Jorge Posada (10), Scott Brosius (2)

Seguignol Blasts Pinch Hit Walk Off Homer

NYY (24-32): 2
MON (20-38): 4

WP - Anthony Telford (3-2, 3.49) LP - Andy Pettitte (2-8, 4.33)
HR - NYY: Tom Wilson (1) MON: Orlando Cabrera (3), Fernando Seguignol (2)

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

June 5 - The Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a trade. RHP Jason Bere, RHP Jeff D'Amico, and cash considerations will go to the Toronto Blue Jays in return for minor league RHP Chris Baker and minor league SS Chris Woodward

June 6 - The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost starting pitcher Kris Benson for the year to Tommy John surgery

[tarryhilis]

Not Benson

The Expos don't seem to be doing great. What do you see for their future in Canada?

[gskweres9]

Spencer Lewandoski woke up on June 15th excited. It was the first day he could truly make an impact since being named GM of the Montreal Expos. He was dealt a horrible hand, being named GM just two days before the start of Spring Training, and being given a roster that was average at best. He also felt an immense pressure to win immediately.


At 22-42, the Expos weren't contenders. They were tied for the worst record in the National League, they were 13 GB of a wild card and 19 GB of the division. Essentially, they were sunk.

Most teams and most GM's would sell off and rebuild for the future, and the pieces were there to build a successful franchise with time, however time wasn't a luxury the Expos had.

Everyone knew the rumors that if the Expos didn't start winning soon they were leaving town, and Spencer felt an extreme pressure to keep them from leaving.

A native Houstonian and avid sports fan, Spencer saw the Houston Oilers leave and become the Tennessee Titans just a few years earlier, and he knew how much that hurt the city. He didn't want Montreal to experience that same hurt. He didn't want to be partly responsible for the demise of a franchise that had roots in the city for over 30 years.

The Expos had the fifth overall pick in the 2000 draft. The Minnesota Twins took Joe Mauer with the first overall pick, a 17-year-old catcher from St. Paul, Minnesota. Then the Marlins took 19-year-old pitcher Dan Haren, the Royals took 18-year-old pitcher James Shields, and the Cubs took 19-year-old 3B Jose Bautista.

That put the Expos on the clock, with an opportunity to change not just the future of one franchise, but the future of Major League Baseball.

Build for the future...or win now? Spencer's brain told him to build for tomorrow, but his heart told him to build for today.

He chose his heart.

With the 5th overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, the Montreal Expos select...

[gskweres9]

With the 5th overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, the Montreal Expos select...

Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki was a legend in Japan, and he was ready to make his jump to the United States. A 26-year-old, Ichiro will be able to slot into the lineup immediately and be an All-Star caliber player. The only problem is the outfield was already a strength for Montreal, especially in the farm system, but they can be used to help patch up the leaky pitching rotation.

The odd man out will likely be Rondell White, who already requested a trade and is currently on the disabled list. Roosevelt Brown will move back into a fourth outfielder role, even though he's played spectacularly well during his time as the starting center fielder. Brad Wilkerson will move forward as the starting left fielder, Ichiro will start in center field, and Vladimir Guerrero will start in right field.

Milton Bradley, Grady Sizemore, and Jason Bay, three of the club's top prospects, all become expendable immediately.

Spencer also focused in on players that can rise through the minors quickly and help sooner rather than later with the rest of his draft picks.

In round two he took Runelvys Hernandez, a 22-year-old starter that profiles as a reliable back of the rotation arm. In round three he took 21-year-old third baseman Greg Dobbs, a talented college bat that should rise through the ranks quickly. In round four he took 19-year-old pitcher Santiago Casilla. Casilla will require more development than the first three draft picks, but he possesses a 96 MPH fastball that could come in handy out of the bullpen quickly. In round 5 he took pitcher Mike Wood, a soft tossing sidearmer that doesn't miss his spots, and another guy that should rise through the ranks quickly.

Spencer walked away from his draft satisfied, but there was plenty of more work to do, especially if he was going to turn this team into a winner quickly.

[gskweres9]

END OF JUNE UPDATE

Ok, so I wanted to get all my draft picks locked up and every thing, so I kind of flew through June. Obviously getting to draft Ichiro instead of signing him on the international market is lucky, but it's OOTP and I wasn't going to say no to Ichiro, especially when the goal is to win now.

So at the end of June the Montreal Expos are 30-47, 19 GB of the Atlanta Braves for the NL East lead, and 12 1/2 GB of the Florida Marlins for the wild card.

The San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, and Detroit Tigers all have worse records. The Milwaukee Brewers have the same record as us.

TRANSACTIONS

Reliever Jeremy Powell is suffering from shoulder inflammation and will miss a month. Ugueth Urbina was recalled from AAA. Urbina was DFA'd earlier in the year after having massive struggles at the MLB level, but he seemed to right the ship in AAA after going unclaimed on waivers.

Wilton Guerrero was optioned to AAA Ottawa. Jamey Carroll was called up to replace him on the roster.

The Expos also have a MAJOR TRADE to announce.

The Montreal Expos Receive:

31-year-old RHP Mike Mussina
32-year-old LHP Chuck McElroy
25-year-old 1B Jeremy Giambi
Cash Considerations

The Baltimore Orioles Receive:

28-year-old OF Rondell White
21-year old LHP Cliff Lee (#2 ranked prospect in MLB)
21-year-old OF Jason Bay (#25 ranked prospect in MLB)
21-year-old OF Val Pascucci (#172 ranked prospect in MLB)

"We are very happy with this deal. Rondell had voiced displeasure with being in Montreal, so we were happy to find him a new home, and I think adding Mussina and McElroy to our pitching staff will not just help us win games now, but they will be great mentors for some of the young pitchers on our staff like Javier Vazquez and Carl Pavano. We're definitely not done making moves. There's more up our sleeves. We know how far back we are of the playoff picture, but anything is possible in baseball, and we want to win now." - Statement from Expos GM Spencer Lewandoski



ROSTER

1) CF Ichiro Suzuki - 17 PA, .353/.353/.412, 1 RBI, 1 SB
2) 3B Geoff Blum - .314/.360/.512, 13 HR, 35 RBI
3) RF Vladimir Guerrero - .385/.443/.701, 23 HR, 75 RBI, 13 SB
4) 2B Jose Vidro - .384/.442/.570, 11 HR, 55 RBI
5) LF Roosevelt Brown - .319/.354/.502, 9 HR, 37 RBI
6) 1B Lee Stevens - .240/.288/.366, 6 HR, 39 RBI
7) C Michael Barrett - .302/.348/.461, 6 HR, 29 RBI
8) SS Orlando Cabrera - .211/.270/.362, 7 HR, 22 RBI

BENCH

C Chris Widger - 64 PA, .217/.266/.383, 1 HR, 7 RBI
1B Jeremy Giambi (with BAL) - .226/.335/.367, 8 HR, 26 RBI
2B Jamey Caroll - N/A
OF Brad Wilkerson - .218/.312/.473, 7 HR, 13 RBI
OF Fernando Seguignol - 85 PA, .295/.341/.423, 2 HR, 12 RBI

ROTATION

Mike Mussina (with BAL) - 18 GS, 134.2 IP, 5-7, 3.61 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 1.3 BB/9
Javier Vazquez - 17 GS, 114.0 IP, 5-3, 3.32 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 1.5 BB/9
Dustin Hermanson - 17 GS, 103.1 IP, 5-7, 5.66 ERA, 3.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
Carl Pavano - 15 GS, 84.0 IP, 4-5, 5.89 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 4.8 BB/9
Julio Santana - 19 G, 2 GS, 32.2 IP, 1-1, 5.23 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 5.2 BB/9

BULLPEN

CL - Anthony Telford - 31 G, 35.1 IP, 11 SV, 3-3, 4.08 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9
SU - Chuck McElroy (with BAL) - 28 G, 28.1 IP, 1 SV, 4-2, 4.45 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 6.0 BB/9
SU - Ugueth Urbina - 24 G, 21.0 IP, 2 SV, 1-5, 9.86 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 4.7 BB/9
MR - Scott Strickland - 28 G, 29.1 IP, 2-2, 4.30 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 4.0 BB/9
MR - Miguel Batista - 18 G, 22.2 IP, 1-2, 6.35 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9
LR - Trey Moore - 21 G, 35.1 IP, 1-1, 5.09 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
LOOGY - Brent Billingsley - 14 G, 19.0 IP, 6.16 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 7.6 BB/9

[gskweres9]

ALL-STAR BREAK UPDATE

The Expos were hot from July 1 through July 9, going 7-2 to start the month heading into the All-Star break. That 7-2 included a sweep of the Florida Marlins, who were the wild card leaders at the time, and a series win over the division leading Atlanta Braves.

The Expos head into the All-Star break 37-49, 17 GB of the Atlanta Braves for the NL East crown, and 10 1/2 GB of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins, who are tied for the wild card right now.

The most impressive performance of the week was by Mike Mussina, who threw a complete game shutout against the Braves in his Montreal debut.

TRANSACTIONS

The Expos made another MAJOR TRADE on the final day before the All-Star Break.

Montreal Expos Receive:

31-year-old RHP Hideo Nomo - 16 GS, 96.1 IP, 7-5, 4.02 ERA
34-year-old RHP Steve Sparks - 18 GS, 131.0 IP, 7-9, 4.53 ERA

Detroit Tigers Receive:

22-year-old CF Milton Bradley (#64 prospect in MLB)
23-year-old OF Brad Wilkerson

"We're very excited about adding Hideo and Steve to the rotation. Both of them are veteran pitchers that will provide stability to our rotation. Hideo, Steve, Mike, Javier, and Carl combined with our lineup give us a chance to win ballgames every day. Milton and Brad are both very good players, but we have a very crowded outfield in Montreal. We wish them good luck in Detroit." - Statement from Montreal Expos GM Spencer Lewandoski




ALL-STAR ROSTERS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Note: The starter at each position will be listed first

C - Mike Piazza (NYM), Javy Lopez (ATL), Mitch Melusky (HOU)
1B - Todd Helton (COL)
2B - Jeff Kent (SF), Jose Vidro (MON), Bret Boone (SD), Edgardo Alfonso (NYM)
3B - Chipper Jones (ATL), Scott Rolen (PHI)
SS - Barry Larkin (CIN), Rich Aurilia (SF)
LF - Barry Bonds (SF), Geoff Jenkins (MIL)
CF - Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN), Richard Hidalgo (HOU), Jim Edmonds (STL)
RF - Vladimir Guerrero (MON), Sammy Sosa (CHC), Bobby Abreu (PHI)
SP - Greg Maddux (ATL), Randy Johnson (ARZ), Kevin Millwood (ATL), Mike Hampton (NYM), Ryan Dempster (FLO), Francisco Cordova (PIT), Kevin Brown (LAD)
RP - John Franco (NYM), Ricky Bones (FLO), Octavio Dotel (HOU), Mike Remlinger (ATL), Dave Veres (STL), Gabe White (CIN)




AMERICAN LEAGUE

C - Jorge Posada (NYY), Darrin Fletcher (TOR), Javier Valentin (MIN)
1B - Carlos Delgado (TOR), Edgar Martinez (SEA), Will Clark (BAL)
2B - Roberto Alomar (CLE), Todd Walker (MIN)
3B - Corey Koskie (MIN)
SS - Alex Rodriguez (SEA), Jose Valentin (CWS), Deivi Cruz (DET)
LF - Shannon Stewart (TOR), Darin Erstad (ANA), Johnny Damon (KC)
CF - Bernie Williams (NYY), Tony Barron (TEX)
RF - Manny Ramirez (CLE), Jose Canseco (TB)
SP - Pedro Martinez (BOS), Dave Burba (CLE), Roger Clemens (NYY), Bartolo Colon (CLE), Aaron Sele (SEA), Mike Sirotka (CWS)
RP - Todd Erdos (NYY), Keith Foulke (CWS), Steve Karsay (CLE), Billy Koch (TOR), Arthur Rhodes (SEA), Jeff Tam (OAK)

[gskweres9]

Thursday, July 13, 2000-Thursday, July 20, 2000

The first week of action following the All-Star break saw the Expos play .500 baseball, going 4-4. We are now 41-53, 15 GB of the division and 10 1/2 GB of the wild card.

WHO'S HOT

Mike Mussina - The Mussina trade is looking like a win for the Expos in the early going. In 4 starts as an Expo, Mussina is 3-0 with a 3.64 ERA. In his two starts since the All-Star break, Mussina went 6 2/3 allowing 4 runs and picking up the win against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He then took a tough luck no decision against the Boston Red Sox, where he pitched 8 innings and allowed just three runs.

Jose Vidro - Vidro had his 32-game hit streak come to an end on Thursday. The hit streak was the longest in MLB this season. In the month of July Vidro is hitting .343/.400/.552 with 3 HR and 9 RBIs.

TRANSACTIONS UPDATE

Aside from Mussina, we also picked up Hideo Nomo and Steve Sparks prior to the All-Star Break.

Nomo has made two starts as an Expo, going 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Nomo struggled in his first start, going 4 2/3 and allowing six runs in a start against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He threw the ball well in his second start, going 7 1/3 and allowing just 1 hit and no runs, picking up a no-decision in a 1-0 loss to the New York Mets.

Sparks only has one start as an Expo. The knuckleballer pitched eight innings and allowed one run in his no-decision against the Boston Red Sox. While Sparks didn't pick up the win, the Expos did, winning 2-1.

THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL

July 16 - The Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers agreed to a trade. 31-year-old outfielder Rusty Greer and 24-year-old prospect Danny Solano will join the Boston Red Sox. In return the Rangers have received 33-year-old second baseman Jeff Frye.

Frye was hitting .282/.375/.436 in 80 G with Boston. He will be replaced in the lineup by Jose Offerman. Greer was hitting .282/.375/.436 in 80 G with Texas. The Red Sox will start him in left field.

"This is a great deal for our ball club as we continue our pursuit of the postseason," Red Sox GM Dan Duquette said. The Red Sox are 2 GB of the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.



July 17 - The Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers agreed to a trade. The Marlins will receive catcher Brad Ausmus in return for two minor leaguers.

Ausmus is known as one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball. He's also having a solid year at the plate, batting .269/.334/.375 in 76 G with the Detroit Tigers.

"It's refreshing to have a fresh start and I'm excited to be part of a playoff race," Ausmus said.

The Marlins are 2 1/2 GB of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL wild card.

[gskweres9]

Monday, July 24, 2000

EXPOS MAKE BIG SPLASH

The Montreal Expos continue to be aggressive in the re-envisioning of their roster, trading for two-time reliever of the year Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman has 19 saves with a 2.70 ERA in 42 G with the Padres this season.

Going to San Diego will be 18-year-old outfielder Grady Sizemore, 19-year-old shortstop Brandon Phillips, and 24-year-old reliever Carl Pavano.

Pavano was 5-6 with a 6.01 ERA with the Expos and was recently relegated to the bullpen after the acquisitions of Hideo Nomo and Steve Sparks. Sizemore had a .243 average with 1 homer in Low-A ball, while Phillips was hitting .285 with 9 homers in Low-A ball.

"Carl, Grady, and Brandon are three very good ballplayers that will go on to have fantastic careers, but we simply couldn't pass up on the opportunity to add Trevor to the roster," Expos GM Spencer Lewandoski said.

"We've completely overhauled our pitching staff over the last month. With Trevor, Chuck [McElroy], and Anthony [Telford] in the back end, plus Steve Kline's return being around the corner, we have one of the best bullpen's in baseball. Throw in the fact that [Ugueth Urbina] has returned to form recently, and we might have the best bullpen in the National League. Couple that with a solid rotation that keeps us in ballgames every night, and we will have the chance to win a lot of games," Lewandoski continued.

The Expos are 43-54, 14 GB of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves and 9 1/2 GB of the Dodgers for the NL wild card.