Going for it all.... in Montreal!

[Big T]

June 8th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (22-26) will try to avoid the sweep by the hands of the lowly St Louis Cardinals (17-31). The Cardinals lead the seasonal series 3-2. The Expos will start LHP Jordan Hall, the 27 year old is 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 10 starts. The Cardinals will send RHP Burton Landry, the 34 year old is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 9 starts.

Montreal 3 St Louis 2


The Expos beat the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, eking out a 3-2 win. The win was in large part to SP Jordan Hall who earned the player of the game. Hall went 7 innings to notch the win, he scattered 7 hits, walked 2 and struck out 3. Montreal is in 3rd place in the NL East.

The 27 year old Hall is now 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 11 starts. 1977 was Hall's best WAR season when he was 0-0 with a 4.59 ERA in 32 relief appearances with the Expos and Giants.

Raul Rodriquez who is tied for 9th in the NL with 11 SB's, aided the Expos cause with a solo HR in the top of the 3rd. For the game the RF was 1 for 3 with a HR and a walk.

Expos CF Danny Plantz had his 15th and 16th SB's in the game. CL Aidan Beasley collected his 12th save.


Baltimore Orioles RF Andy Lemle was 3 for 4 with a HR and 4 RBIs in a 13-5 win over the Tigers. The 26 year old is not hitting .253 with 2 HRs and 11 RBIs in 48 games. Lemle is in his 4th season in the MLB, he previous best WAR season was 1977 with he hit .232 with 12 HRs and 41 RBIs in 65 games for the Orioles.

[Big T]

June 9th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (23-26) are nearing the half way point of the season as they visit the Chicago Cubs (21-28). The Expos put RHP Eric Marks on the bump, the 30 year old is 3-6 with a 4.17 ERA in 10 games, including 9 starts. The Cubs counter with their ace, RHP Justin Chrzanowski, the 35 year old is 5-2 with a 1.72 ERA in 10 starts. The Cubs hope to break a 9 game losing streak.

Chicago 4 Montreal 1


Whats the cure for a losing streak?... the Montreal Expos.

Cubs SP Justin Chrzanowski turned a top notch performance against the Expos at Wrigley Field. The result was a win for the Cubs, 4-1. The Cubs at 22-28 sit in 4th place in the NL East.

Chrzanowski put the clamps onto the Expos offense, in 8 innings of work he gave up no earned runs on 3 hits while collecting 11 Ks. The 35 year old is now 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA in 11 starts. Chrzanowski's best WAR season was 1970 when he was 12-4 with a 1.52 ERA in 21 starts for the Padres.

Eric Marks with the loss falls to 3-7.


Kansas City Royals CF David Sanchez was 3 for 3 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs in a 5-4 loss to the White Sox. The 23 year old is now hitting .267 with 8 HRs and 27 RBIs in 48 games. This is Sanchez's 3rd season in the MLB, last year was his previous best WAR season when he hit .170 with 7 HRs and 31 RBIs in 79 games for the Royals.

[Big T]

June 10th, 1978


MLB Standings and Top Performers

[Big T]

June 10th, 1978


Montreal Expos Stats

[Big T]

June 10th, 1978


MLB First Half Review

The MLB season has reached it's half way point with the All Star game behind us and most teams near 50 games. We see a good race in the NL East, despite a weak division. The Dodgers and Reds look like they will fight it out in the NL West. The Jays have a healthy lead in the AL East, but the Red Sox are within striking distance. But the biggest surprise continues to be the very strong AL West leading Kansas City Royals.

The Royals are winning with the best pitching in the AL.
Pat Quinn 4-0, 1.53 ERA
Victor Cartegena 5-2, 3.32 ERA
Brian Rohde 6-3, 2.85 ERA
Tommy Vega, 4-0. 0.85 ERA
Luis Gutierrez 1-5, 5.73 ERA.

The bull pen features CL Adrian Mitchell with 18 saves and a 1.14 ERA.

The biggest dissappointment so far has to be the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were expected to be the NL East pennant winners this year. Instead they are 22-28, although still within striking distance. The Cubs have trouble in the 3-5 spots in the rotation. After ace, Justin Chrzanowski and Mike Fiscus, the remainder of the rotation looks like this.
Jeremy O'Dell, 1-8 6.06 ERA
Abel Murphy, 2-3 5.05 ERA
Nick Kalbaugh, 1-3 4.79 ERA

Add to the fact that former Rookie of the Year John Josey is hitting .230 with 4 HRs and 26 RBIs in 49 games compared to the guy that his worst season in the past 3 was 1976 when he hit .321 with 17 HRs and 69 RBIs..... they are lacking their big offensive weapon.

One of the nice surprises to the season have been the trio in Cincinnati, CF Ismael Valle, C Pat Emmel and RF Ed Betancourt. This group has combined for 41 HRs, 124 RBIs compared to a combined 23 HRs and 78 RBIs in 1977. And its only half way through the season.

The biggest dissappointment this year has to be the signing of former Yankee SS Steve Printz by the Dodgers. Coming into the season, Printz was just 12 HRs shy of 200 and many thought the 36 year old would reach that milestone midway through this season. Compare Printz's worst previous season (1977) to his current season. In 1977 Printz hit .268 with 13 HRs and 42 RBIs in 83 games. This season he has hit .191 with 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in 44 games. To add insult to injury, Printz was just diagnosed with a broken bone in his elbow and his season is done.


The Montreal Expos First Half Review.

After a good start to the season offensively, the Expos bats have certainly cooled right off. The Expos have struggled in close games (3-10 in 1-run games) mostly due to not getting a clutch hit when needed. Some concerns are...

1B Darren Maher hit 20 HRs and had 59 RBIs in 1977, he is currently on pace for 12 HRs and 36 RBIs.
2B Chris Nichols hit .316 with 4 HRs, he was hitting just .227 with 3 HRs when he was demoted to AAA.
SS David Sanchez hit .276 with 7 HRs and 32 RBIs in 1977, he didnt make the team out of Spring training and has just been called up 10 games ago.
LF David de la Torre hit .247 with 10 HRs and 41 RBIs in 1977, he is on pace for 8 HRs and 24 RBIs.
LF Mat Garnett hit .258 with 4 HRs and 21 RBIs in 1977. He was demoted to the minors after hitting just .147 with 0 HRs and 2 RBIs in 11 games.
Veteran RF Luis Sanchez hit .364 with 4 HRs and 42 RBIs in 79 games in 1977, he is hitting just .158 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs in a pinch hitting role.
RF Yue-jiu Zhou hit .316 with 0 HRs and 17 RBIs with 26 SBs in 1977. He was injured after just 12 games and was hitting .178 with 0 HRs and 5 RBIs.

Some big financial decisions to make.

C Nate Samms is likely on his retirement season, he does have a team option for 1979 for $7.5 M, but I doubt we will execute it.
LF Luis Sanchez is making $7.5 M and has arbitration rights for 1979, the Expos will most likely try to trade him or release him.
SP Jamari Taft is a free agent, looking for $12-14M, the Expos cannot afford that contract, he could be good trade bait to get some offense.
SP Eric Marks has arbitration rights for 1979 and it is expected to be around $7 - 8 M, the Expos could trade him or simply let him play out his last arbitration year, the Expos have some starters in AAA to replace him though.
LHP Robby Jones is has a team option for 1979, but he seems less effective than he used to be.
LF David de la Torre and LF Mat Garnett both have arbitration rights for 1979, both could be upgraded for younger and cheaper, or at least one of them.

Looking at my roster I could see the following players gone for 1979.
C Nate Samms 36 years old
LF Luis Sanchez 35 years old
SP Jamari Taft, 30 years old
SP Eric Marks, 30 years old
RP Robby Jones, 33 years old
LF David de la Torre, 31 years old.

[Big T]

June 10th, 1978


The Montreal Expos made a couple of moves prior to today's game. The Expos have traded SP Jamari Taft to the Houston Astros for LF Donato Bem. The 30 year old Taft was 3-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 10 starts for Montreal. The 25 year old Bem is hitting .278 with 8 HRs and 18 RBIs in 39 games. This deal will allow the Expos to free up some salary expense for 1979, it will also add some instant offense. As far as pitching goes it will allow a AAA call up that the Expos were waiting on a opportunity to do so.

The Expos have promoted SP Joey Caputo from AAA Seattle. The 25 year old was 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 10 AAA starts. He will likely move into a relief role and allow RHP Jim Pearcey to move into the rotation.

To make room on the roster for the moves, the Expos have released RF Luis Sanchez, the 35 year old was hitting .158 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs in 38 at bats, mostly as a PH. He was making $7.5 M on a arbitration contract.

Today the Montreal Expos (23-27) will try to get back on track with a visit to the Chicago Cubs (22-28). The Expos will have some new faces in uniform today including RF Donato Bem hitting in the 4th spot. Expos will start LHP Jim Lea, the 26 year old is 2-3 with a 4.78 ERA in 7 starts. The Cubs go with LHP Nick Kalbaugh, the 28 year old is 1-3 with a 4.79 ERA in 13 games this year, including 3 starts. The Cubs have won 3 out 4 this season with the Expos.

Montreal 2 Chicago 1


Expos SP Jim Lea was in fine form against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, leading his team to 2-1 win. The save was credited to Aidan Beasley, his 13th. Montreal is now 24-27 and Chicago is 22-29.

The 26 year old Lea is now 3-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 8 starts. Last season was Lea's best career WAR season when he was 3-1 with 1 save, a 2.98 ERA in 43 relief appearances for the Mariners and Expos.

A critical at bat came with the bases empty and no outs in the top of the 8th. That's when CF Danny Plantz who is tied for 4th in the NL with 16 SB's hit a triple. He later scored and the Expos went onto win. IT was Plantz's 7th triple of the year.

Expos 2B David Sanchez had 3 hits, 3B Gilberto Luna had 3 SB's including his 25th of the year and RF Donato Bem collected his 5th SB of the year.


Chicago White Sox SP Ben McKelvey NO HITS the Kansas City Royals. The 31 year old allowed 1 walk and struck out 5 in the 1-0 win. McKelvey is now 2-3 with a 6.30 ERA in 9 starts.

[Big T]

June 11th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (24-27) will finish off their series with the Chicago Cubs (22-29) today. The Expos will start RHP Eddie Hernanez, the 25 year old is 7-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 12 starts. The Cubs go with LHP Mike Fiscus, the 34 year old is 3-4 with a 1.70 ERA in 10 starts. Chicago leads the series 3-2.

Chicago 10 Montreal 4


The Cubs embarrass the Expos 10-4. Steve Rogers left his imprint on the Cubs win. Rogers who is tied for 7th in the NL with a .948 OPS went 4 for 5 with 4 singles, while adding 3 RBIs and scoring once. The Cubs are now 23-29 and the Expos fall to 24-28.

Rogers is now hitting .301 with 7 HRs and 31 RBIs in 49 games. Rogers is a 2-time All Star in his 1st 2 seasons.

Expos CF Danny Plantz was 3 for 4 in the game. RP Joey Caputo was saddled with the loss and is now 0-1.

The Montreal Expos are now ranked 15th in the MLB Power Rankings



Houston Astros 3B Gregorio Cortes was named the NL Player of the Week. The 25 year old is hitting .320 with 12 HRs and 41 RBIs in 50 games. Cortes was the 1976 NL MVP, he is a 2-time Best Hitter at 3B and a 5-time All Star.

Oakland Athletics 3B Lorenzo Espinosa was named the AL Player of the Week. The 23 year old is hitting .318 with 4 HRs and 27 RBIs in 49 games. Espinosa won a World Series Ring with the Athletics in 1977.

[Big T]

June 12th, 1978


The Philadelphia Phillies (15-36) are in town to face the Montreal Expos (24-28). The Phillies will start RHP Travis Harness, the 27 year old is 2-5 with a 4.79 ERA in 11 games. The Expos will go with LHP Jordan Hall, the 27 year old is 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 11 games. Just under 29000 fans are in attendance for this one. The Phillies have won 2 of 3 against the Expos this year.

Philadelphia 5 Montreal 4


Fans gathered at Bell Park saw a good contest between the Phillies and Expos. The Phillies did just enough to sneak past the Expos 5-4. Philadelphia RF Kumimichi Yamamura earned the player of the game honors. Omar Baez was called on to finish, recording his 1st save.

The 30 year old Yamamura is now hitting .218 with 3 HRs and 9 RBIs in 47 games. Yamamura was the 1976 NL Best Hitter at RF winner and is a 2-time All Star.

The Phillies got a big at bat from 3B Mike Sullivan, for the game the former Expos was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. In the top of the 9th with a runner on 2nd, he stroked a run scoring single. His 17th hit of the season gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead.

Expos LF David de la Torre swiped his 10th base of the season. Expos RP Mike Holmgren takes the loss, he is now 1-1.

[Big T]

June 13th, 1978


The Philadelphia Phillies (16-36) are in town for game two of a three game series with the Montreal Expos (24-29) The Phillies have won 3 of 4 against the Expos this year. The Phillies will start RHP Shawn Singleton, the 29 year old is 2-4 with a 4.76 ERA in 10 games. The Expos will counter with RHP Jim Pearcey, the 25 year old is 0-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 21 relief appearances and is making his 1st start of the year. There is an announced crowd of just over 28400 in attendance.

Montreal 11 Philadelphia 4


The Montreal Expos had 4 doubles and a triple in the 6-run 5th inning to beat the Phillies.

Expos RF Donato Bem was the player of the game, he was 4 for 5 with 3 runs scored, and 2 RBIs. He hit his 1st double as an Expos. The Expos had a total of 6 doubles in the game. The 25 year old Bem is now hitting .298 with 8 HRs and 22 RBIs in 43 games (.438 0 4 as an Expos in 4 games). Bem was the 1976 NL League Championship MVP and was an All Star in 1977.

Expos CF Danny Plantz scored 3 times in the game, 1B Darren Maher had 4 RBIs and C Bobby Rodriquez was 3 for 5 in the win. Expos SP Jim Pearcey improves to 1-3 with the win.

[Big T]

June 14th, 1978


The Montreal Expos made a minor trade prior to todays game. The Expos have sent 1B Brooks Drennan, C Jaya Soedjatmoko and RHP Juan Gonzalez to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for SS Yeong-il Shin, LHP John Madden and LF Paul Orchard. The 27 year old Drennan was hitting .243 with 9 HRs and 22 RBIs in 50 AAA games. Drennan has played 64 career MLB games including 30 with Montreal and was hitting just .162 with 0 HRs and 5 RBIs. The Expos got back 29 year old Shin, he was hitting .248 with 2 HRs and 15 RBIs in 42 games with the White Sox this season. The 23 year old Madden is 5-1 with 7 saves, a 1.13 ERA in 20 AA games this year. Our scout feels that the lanky left hander has elite stuff and should eventually end up in the Expos bullpen. The 22 year old Orchard is hitting .201 with 0 HRs and 13 RBIs in 44 A ball games. He is a long shot for the majors though according to our scout.

The trade allowed the Expos to demote SS Mike Howard to AAA Seattle, the 26 year old was hitting .152 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs in 17 games for the Expos.

The Philadelphia Phillies (16-37) will conclude their series with the Montreal Expos (25-29) today. The Expos are 2-3 against the Phillies this year. Philadelphia will go with RHP Wyatt Myers today, the 35 year old is 3-6 with a 4.91 ERA in 10 games. The Expos counter with RHP Eric Marks, the 30 year old is 3-7 with a 4.03 ERA in 11 games. The two teams will play in front of just over 29200 today.

Montreal 2 Philadelphia 1


Unfortunately for the Phillies, SP Wyatt Myers injured himself after facing just 3 Expos hitters and had to leave the game. The Phillies had to go to the pen early.

For the Expos, player of the game SP Eric Marks stymied the Phillies hitters over 7 innings. Marks is now 4-7 with a 3.74 ERA in 12 games. The 1974 NL All Star was voted 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1973.

The key at bat for the Expos was 2B David Sanchez's RBI single in the 6th. With runners on 1st and 2nd, his RBI single gave the Expos a 2-1 lead.

Expos CL Aiden Beasley got his 14th save, but he did leave the bases full getting the final out via a K.


San Diego Padres SP Aaron Stovall allowed 3 hits and struck out 7 in a complete game 3-1 win over the Reds. The 33 year old is now 3-4 with a 2.16 ERA in 12 starts. Stovall was an NL All Star in 1972, and 1978.

[Big T]

June 15th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (26-29) will travel to the bay area to face the San Francisco Giants (25-29) The Expos will start LHP Jim Lea, the 26 year old is 3-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 8 games. The Giants will send LHP Ryan Hinton to the hill. The 35 year old is 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA in 9 games, including 5 starts. The Giants have won 2 of 3 meetings this season but are in the mist of a 5 game losing streak.

Montreal 4 San Francisco 3 (11)


The Expos seemed to have everything in hand until Giant 1B Adam Genuario hit a 3 run HR in the bottom of the 8th of RHP Will Gibson to tie the score 3-3.

Player of the game SP Jim Lea was motoring along nicely but was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the 8th. Although Gibson's 2nd blown save ensured that Lea could not get the decision, he did have a great game. Lea is now 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 9 starts.

The key at bat for the Expos was from 1B Darren Maher. In the top of the 11th with a runner on 2nd, his RBI single gave the Expos a 4-3 lead and eventually they win for the 3rd straight time. With the win the Expos now lead the NL East by a half game.

Expos 2B Gilberto Luna had 3 hits, newcomer RF Donato Bem was 3 for 5 in the game as well. LHP Charlie Rancourt got the win and is now 1-1 and CL Aidan Beasley collected his 15th save, this time facing just 3 hitters.


Cleveland Indians LF Jose Ramos was 3 for 4 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs in a 11-7 loss to the Orioles. The 25 year old is now hitting .289 with 16 HRs and 45 RBIs in 54 games. Last year was Ramos's first full season and he hit .272 with 14 HRs and 48 RBIs in 77 games for the Indians.

[Big T]

June 16th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (27-29) will play game two of a three game series with the San Francisco Giants (25-30). The Expos will start RHP Eddie Hernanez, the 25 year old Hernanez is 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 13 games. Hernanez is struggling as the Expos have lost all 3 of his last 3 starts. Hernanez has given up 18 ER's in his last 16 IP's. The Giants go with RHP Justin Bruton, the 26 year old is 2-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 12 games. The two teams have split 4 games this season.

San Francisco 2 Montreal 1


The Expos left SP Eddie Hernanez in one batter too long today. After giving up a 2-out single but pretty much still pitching strong, SS Willie Cuellar hits a 2-run walk off HR in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Expos 2-1.

Giants SP Justin Bruton was named the player of the game, the 26 year old was not part of the decision but is still 2-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 13 starts. This is Bruton's 3rd season in the MLB, he had only pitched 38 innings prior to this season though.

The Giants were down to their final out when Cuellar smashes Hernanez's 2-1 pitch over the RF wall.

With the loss, Hernanez falls to 7-4 on the season.


Cleveland Indians SP Sean Prestage allowed 5 hits with 5 strikeouts over 7 innings in a 4-3 win over the Orioles. The 23 year old is now 2-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 13 starts. In his 3rd year in the MLB, Prestage set is career best 2.18 ERA in 1977 when he was 9-5 in 22 starts for the Indians.

[Big T]

June 17th, 1978


The Montreal Expos made a trade today prior to the game. The Expos will send SS Mike Howard to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for former Expos 3B Gene Watkins and 2B Tyler Johnson. The 26 year old Howard hit just .152 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs for the Expos in 17 games. Watkins is hitting .275 with 3 HRs and 13 RBIs in 46 games. The 23 year old Johnson is hitting .255 with 0 HRs and 1 RBI in 18 AA games for the Jays. Our scout discribes Johnson as a speedy, strong above average defender that has an outside chance of seeing MLB action. In bringing back Watkins, they add a utility player that can play 2B, 3B and SS. In 491 games with the Expos from 1971-1976 Watkins hit .272 with 37 HRs and 190 RBIs.

With adding Watkins, the Expos have demoted SS/2B David Sanchez to AAA Seattle.

The Montreal Expos (27-30) complete their 3 game series with the San Francisco Giants (26-30) today. The Giants lead the seasonal series 3-2. The Expos will start LHP Jordan Hall, the 27 year old is 4-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts. The Giants go with LHP Al Hewett, the 31 year old is 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 11 starts. Expos new comer Gene Watkins will not be in the starting lineup today.

San Francisco 9 Montreal 3


The Montreal Expos patience with RHP Joey Caputo is wearing thin. After having a terrific start to the AAA season, the Expos were excited to give him another shot at the MLB.... that excitement has definitely worn off. With the Expos up 3-1 going into the bottom of the 6th, with 2 runners on and 1-out they gave Caputo another shot, and it failed. He promptly gave up a couple of hits and let the Giants back into the game. Gave up another couple of hits in the 7th and one of them scored and Caputo was saddled with his 2nd blown save and 2nd loss in just 4 appearances.

For the Giants, 1B Mike Leland was the player of the game, he was 1 for 2 with 2 runs scored. The 31 year old is now hitting .309 with 5 HRs and 28 RBIs in 55 games. Leland had a career best .317 batting average in 1977 when he also had 15 HRs and 68 RBIs in 98 games for the Giants.


June 18th, 1978

There are no games scheduled in the MLB.

Houston Astros LF William Morgan was named the NL Player of the Week. The 27 year old is hitting .259 with 7 HRs and 24 RBIs in 39 games this year. In his 7th season in the MLB, Morgan had a career high .325 batting average in 1974 when in 72 games with the Astros also had 14 HRs and 42 RBIs.

Cleveland Indians LF Jose Ramos was named the AL Player of the Week. The 25 year old is now hitting .291 with 16 HRs and 46 RBIs in 56 games. Last year was Ramos's 1st full season in the MLB when he hit .272 with 14 HRs and 48 RBIs in 77 games for Cleveland.

The Montreal Expos are now ranked 15th in the MLB Power Rankings.

[Big T]

June 19th, 1978


The Montreal Expos did the predictable today and demoted RHP Joey Caputo to the AAA Seattle Pilots. The 25 year old was 0-2 with a 19.64 ERA in 4 appearances. The Expos promoted RHP Mark Upton. The 25 year old is 1-4 with 15 saves, a 2.73 ERA in 28 games. In 3 seasons of AAA, Upton is 5-7 with 35 saves, a 1.92 ERA in 70 game.

The San Diego Padres (34-24) are in town to face the Montreal Expos (27-31) The Padres will start RHP Aaron Stovall, the 33 year old is 3-4 with a 2.16 ERA in 12 games. The Expos go with RHP Jim Pearcey, the 25 year old is 1-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 games, he is making his 2nd start of the year. There are just over 27200 fans in the stands today. 3B Gene Watkins is in the lineup batting 5th. The Padres are 3-0 against the Expos this year.

Montreal 4 San Diego 3 (13)


It was LF David de la Torre's walk off single that spoiled player of the game SP Aaron Stovall's party. With 2-out and runners on 1st and 3rd de la Torre's single sent over 27000 fans onto the Montreal streets extremely happy.

Although Stovall was not part of the decision, he kept his team in it. Stovall is now 3-4 with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts. In his 10th season in the MLB, Stovall's career best 2.18 ERA was achieved in 1977 when he had a 7-6 record in 22 starts for the Padres.

For 1B Darren Maher, his HR must have taken a huge weight off his shoulders as he had just gone 24 games with out a HR after hitting 20 HRs in 1977.

Expos 2B Gilberto Luna collected his 30th SB of the season today. Expos got solid 3 inning relief appearances by Mark Holmgren and Will Gibson, Gibson gets the win and is now 4-2 on the year.


Minnesota Twins SP Adalgiso Wieland allowed 2 hits and struck out 4 over 8 innings in a 13-0 win over the Blue Jays. The 25 year old is now 8-2 with a 2.46 ERA in 13 starts. In his 5th season in the MLB, Wieland set a career best 1.71 ERA in 1974 when he pitched 12 games in relief for the Twins.

[Big T]

June 20th, 1978


The San Diego Padres (34-25) are in for game two of the three game series with the Montreal Expos (28-31). The Padres lead the seasonal series 3-1. San Diego will start RHP David DeVeau, the 27 year old is 3-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 12 games. The Expos counter with RHP Eric Marks, the 30 year old is 4-7 with a 3.74 ERA in 12 games. The is an announced crowd of 28600 in the stands.

Montreal 3 San Diego 0


The Expos didn't get much in offense today, but behind the great pitching of SP Eric Marks they did not need much as the player of the game kept the Padres in check.

The 30 year old Marks is now 5-7 with a 3.41 ERA in 13 games, including 12 starts. His career best for ERA was 3.18 in 1974 when he was 7-7 with 21 starts for the Expos.

Expos CF Danny Plantz had a key hit in todays game. Plantz who is tied for 5th with 17 SBs hit a run scoring single in the bottom of the 4th.

Expos RF Donato Bem swiped his 10th base as an Expos and now has 14 on the season. CL Aidan Beasley came on in the 9th to get his 16th save.

[Big T]

June 21st, 1978


The San Diego Padres (34-26) will attempt to avoid the sweep in game three of the series with the Montreal Expos (29-31). The Padres do lead the seasonal series 3-2. The Padres will rest their hopes on RHP Carlos Jimenez, the 23 year old is 1-2 with 1 save, a 3.45 ERA in 18 games, including 3 starts. Montreal goes with RHP Eddie Hernanez, the 25 year old is 7-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 14 starts. There are 30,500 Expos fans hoping to see the Expos get a little closer to .500.

San Diego 11 Montreal 8 (10)


Ok, so you are tied going into extra innings and your closer is fresh, you should be in good shape.... right? Well not today if you are the Montreal Expos. CL Aidan Beasley allowed 2 hits, 5 runs, walked 3, hit a batter and had a runner get on base due to an error in just 0.2 innings to take the loss and fall to 0-2.

Padres C Willie Cordero was the player of the game with his 3 for 6 game including a HR and 4 RBIs, 3 on his HR alone in the 5th. Cordero is now hitting .265 with 6 HRs and 39 RBIs in 51 games. Cordero was drafted by the Padres in the 1st round, 29th overall in the 1969 MLB draft. In April of 1972 he was named the MLB's 54th overall prospect.

Expos 2B Gilbero Luna had 3 hits, all doubles and scored all 3 times. For 3B Gene Watkins, it was his 1st HR since coming back to Montreal. Expos PR Tyrell Triche stole his 5th base of the year. The Expos used 6 relievers in the game.

[Big T]

June 22nd, 1978


The Montreal Expos (29-32) travel to the West coast and a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers (39-22). The Expos will start LHP Jordan Hall, the 27 year old is 4-2 with a 3.68 ERA in 13 starts. The Dodgers will start RHP Ivan Pellegrino, the 29 year old is 6-2 with a 2.50 ERA in 13 starts. The Didgers have won 2 of 3 so far this season with the Expos.

Montreal 5 Los Angeles 2


Was it a good sign that the Expos CF Danny Plantz hits a lead off HR in the top of the 1st to start the game? It certainly didn't hurt.

The Expos must really thank SP Jordan Hall, as the player of the game kept the Dodgers offense in low gear all game. The 27 year old is now 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts for the Expos. Hall was acquired by the Expos in a trade with the Giants in July 1977. He was originally drafted by the Pirates in the 5th round, 106th overall in the 1970 MLB draft. He failed to sign with Pittsburgh and was later drafted by the Giants in the 2nd round, 56th overall in the 1971 MLB draft.

The big blast for the Expos that sort of put the game on ice was Vince Bowman's 2 run double in the top of the 6th. The Expos called in CL Aidan Beasley to get the final out and that was enough for his 17th save of the season.

Expos 2B Gilberto Luna left the game after a collison at 2nd base during an double play attempt. The Expos training staff say he is day to day with a sore wrist.

[Big T]

June 23rd, 1978


The Montreal Expos (30-32) are on the road for game two with the Los Angeles Dodgers (39-23) The two teams have split 4 games so far this season. The Expos will start LHP Jim Lea, the 26 year old is 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 9 starts. The Dodgers counter with LHP Antonio Carias, the 32 year old is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in 11 games including 7 starts.

Montreal 5 Los Angeles 1 (10)


The Expos were in trouble early as SP Jim Lea left the game after giving up a hit to start the 2nd inning, but the Expos got solid performances from the bull-pen in RP Will Gibson and RP Mark Holmgren as they combined for 6.2 innings, 3 hits and 1 ER.

Despite the loss, Dodgers SP Antonio Carias was the player of the game, the 32 year old is now 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA in 12 games, including 8 starts. Carias was originally part of the 1969 allocation draft when he was selected by the Mets. He was traded to the Dodgers by the Mets in June 1971. Carias signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays for the 1975 season but was traded before the season began to the Twins. Carias signed as a free agent with the Dodgers for the 1978 season.

The Expos had big 10th inning that started with a David de la Torre Sac Fly to score a run and give the Expos a 2-1 lead. Expos RP Robby Jones picked up the win improving to 1-1.


Chicago White Sox 1B Matt Betty was 3 for 4 with a HR and 5 RBIs in a 19-5 win over the Yankees. The 28 year old is now hitting .342 with 16 HRs and 45 RBIs in 55 games. Betty was originally part of the 1969 allocation draft to the Cubs. In September of 1970 he was traded to the Pirates by the Cubs in a deal that included current Expos RP Mark Holmgren. In April 1973, Betty was named the MLB's 53rd ranked prospect. In July 1977, he was traded to the White Sox.

The Montreal Expos announced that SP Jim Lea is considered day to day with a mild calf strain.

[Big T]

June 24th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (31-32) will try to complete the sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers (39-24) today. The Expos are 3-2 against the Dodgers so far this season. Montreal will start RHP Jim Pearcey, the 25 year old is 1-3 with a 2.97 ERA in 23 games, including 2 starts. The Dodgers will go with ace LHP Robby Green, the 37 year old is 5-3 with a 2.05 ERA in 13 starts.

Los Angeles 7 Montreal 3


The Expos had only 2 available arms in the bull-pen and needed to milk as much as they could out of SP Jim Pearcey, C Matt Aston put even more pressure on the Expos pitching when he hits a 2 run double in the 1st and helps the Dodgers get off to a 3-0 lead. After that it was all in the hands of Dodgers ace and player of the game, Robby Green.

Green is now 6-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 14 starts. Green was originally drafted by the Angels in the 1969 allocation draft. He then signed a 4 year free agent deal with the White Sox for the 1971 season. After that contract ran out he signed a 4 year deal with the Dodgers for the start of the 1975 season.

With the loss, SP Jim Pearcey drops to 1-4.


Kansas City Royals CF David Sanchez was 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, a triple and 5 RBIs in a 13-0 win over the Tigers. The 23 year old is now hitting .271 with 9 HRs and 46 RBIs in 61 games. Sanchez was signed as a internation free agent by the Royals out of Puerto Rico in July 1971. In April 1977 he was named the MLB's #2 ranked prospect.

Chicago Cubs SP Justin Chrzanowski allowed 1 hit and struck out 9 over 7.1 innings in a 6-5 win over the Padres. The 35 year old is 6-2 with a 1.72 ERA in 14 starts. Chrzanowski was orginally drafted by the Phillies in the 1969 allocation draft. He signed a 6 year free agent contract with the Padres for the 1970 season. After exercizing an opt out clause, he signed a 6 year deal with the Tigers for the 1973 season. Again he opted out of his contract and then signed for 4 years with the Cubs for the 1976 season.

[Big T]

June 25th, 1978


The Montreal Expos (31-33) are on the road to the Big Apple for a three game set with the New York Mets (27-36). The Expos are 4-1 against the Mets so far this season. The Expos will start RHP Eric Marks, the 30 year old is 5-7 with a 3.41 ERA in 13 games including 12 starts. The Mets go with RHP Jeremy O'Kelley, the 27 year old is 2-2 with 3 saves, a 3.31 ERA in 13 games, including 9 starts.

New York 5 Montreal 0


The Expos offense was stymied by player of the game SP Jeremy O'Kelley. The game came down to a critical at bat that the Expos could not capitalize on. In the top of the 7th with the bases loaded, 1 out and Nate Samms pinch hitting for the pitcher, Samms grounds into the 3-6-3 double play to end the threat and possible comeback.

The 27 year old O'Kelley is now 3-2 with 3 saves, a 2.97 ERA in 14 games including 10 starts. O'Kelley was drafted by the Tigers out of high school in the 1969 MLB draft, 9th round, 215th overall. In July 1972 he was released by the Tigers, he was signed to a minor league deal shortly after by the Reds. This past off season, the Reds traded O'Kelley to the Mets.

With the loss, Eric Marks falls to 5-8.


Chicago Cubs CF Keegan Coffin was named the NL Player of the Week. The 32 year old is hitting .247 with 9 HRs and 23 RBIs in 63 games. For his career, Coffin is hitting .274 with 71 HRs and 265 RBIs in 615 MLB games over 9 seasons.

Toronto Blue Jays 3B Matt Ross was named the AL Player of the Week. The 27 year old is now hitting .326 with 7 HRs and 21 RBIs in 25 games. For his career, Ross it hitting .234 with 16 HRs and 52 RBIs in 104 MLB games over 4 seasons.

The Montreal Expos are now ranked 15th in the MLB Power Rankings.