Going for it all.... in Montreal!

[Big T]

April 30th, 1974
Pirates vs Expos

Another cool evening in Montreal and 20094 have come to watch the (5-9) Expos face the (5-9) Pirates. We will have a pretty good pitching match up tonight as the Pirates will send 31 year old Victor Cartagena to the hill. The RHP Cartagena is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his 3 starts this season. Cartagena was a free agent signing for Pittsburgh this off season after 5 seasons with the Blue Jays. Cartagena's best season was 1971 with Toronto, he was 13-5 with a 3.08 ERA in 22 starts that year, he also had a 0.93 Whip and 9.4 K/9 in 1971. So far this season he has a 13.0 K/9 rate.

The Expos will start 27 year old Javier Trevino. The RHP Trevino is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.81 Whip to start the year. The 1971 #1 Prospect in the MLB is coming off a 10 win season in 1973. The Expos will have 30 year old Willie Garcia in the starting lineup for the first time this season, he will bat 8th.

Pirates 6 Expos 2

Expos SP Javier Trevino (1-1) had a tough 1st inning giving up 4 runs on just 2 hits, 2 walks and a hit batter as he struggled with control and the Expos could never really recover. Trevino allowed 5 runs on 4 hits over 6.2 innings as he did settle down. Pirates SP and POG was Victor Cartagena (1-1) who allowed 2 runs on 7 hits with 7 strikeouts over 7 innings for the win.

The Expos got a pair of hits from 3B Gene Watkins and 3 hits from 2B/SS Ryan Maynard in the loss. The Expos had LF Joe Woodbury leave the game on a defensive play in the 8th, likely as a result of a wet field in a game that had a 27 minute rain delay. The Expos training staff have not released any injury info and a diagnosis is pending.



Around the league................

After the game, the Expos have announced that LF Joe Woodbury will miss 3 weeks with an herniated disc in his neck. The 30 year old Woodbury is hitting .302 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs in 15 games this season. He was on pace for a .972 OPS season, his previous high was
.811 in 1972 when he hit .270 with 13 HRs and 42 RBIs for the Expos. The Expos have placed him on the 15 day DL.

The Expos have promoted 24 year old LF Jake Mullins from AAA today. Mullins is hitting .320 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs in 14 games for Seattle. Mullins was the 2nd round, 50th overall pick of the Yankees in the 1970 draft. He was part of a trade in April 1972 with the Yankees and Expos.

Chicago White Sox SP Robby Green is now the winningest SP in league history with his 64th win today. The 33 year old Green is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 4 starts this season. Green had a career high wins of 14 during the 1972 season with the White Sox and he is now 64-20 with a career 2.77 ERA in 109 starts. The 2-time Cy Young Award winner is also a 4-time All-Star and 2-time World Series winner.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Chris Woodbury was named the NL Player of the Month. The 28 year old Woodbury is hitting .407 with 6 HRs and 20 RBIs in 14 games. Woodbury had a career high .350 batting average last season and in his 6th season, has never hit below .301. The 2-time All-Star was the 1969 NL Rookie of the Year.

New York Yankees SS Steve Printz was named the AL Player of the Week. The 32 year old Printz is hitting .424 with 9 HRs and 19 RBIs in 15 games. Printz was limited to 42 games last season due to a fractured cheek bone which limited him to just 8 HRs, he is on pace for 60 HRs this season. The 1970 AL Most Valuable Player is also a 4-time All-Star.

St Louis Cardinals SP Rene Navarro was named the NL Pitcher of the Month. The 27 year old Navarro is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 3 starts this season. The Trois-Rivieres, Que native is coming off a 6-10 season in which he had a 2.83 ERA in 22 starts. So far this season he has a 0.64 Whip. This is the first time he has won the Pitcher of the Month Award.

Seattle Mariners SP Tommy Larkman was named the AL Pitcher of the Month. The 24 year old Larkman is 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA in 4 starts. Larkman had a break out year last season as an MLBer, he was 9-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 22 starts for the Mariners. The 1st overall pick in the 1969 draft by the Mariners has had 2 games this season with 10+ strikeouts, 18 against the Royals on April 25th and 10 vs the Red Sox on April 20th.

Atlanta Braves RF Jong-ho Jun was named the NL Rookie of the Month. The 30 year old Jun is hitting .242 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs in 15 games. The veteran of baseball in South Korea, signed a 3 year deal with the Braves in November 1973. Jun had 3 HRs on April 20th vs the Reds.

Seattle Mariners 1B Justin Christian was named the AL Rookie of the Month. The 21 year old Christian is hitting .571 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in 7 games this season. Christian made a huge move this season after playing in A ball in 1972 and 1973. The 1st round, 5th overall pick of the Mariners in the 1971 draft had a 5-hit game vs the Tigers on April 19th. Christian was named the #4 prospect in the MLB in April 1974.

[Big T]

May 1st, 1974 MLB Standings

[Big T]

May 1st, 1974 MLB Top Performers

[Big T]

May 1st, 1974
Pirates vs Expos

The Expos are trying to avoid the sweep in front of just 20131 fans on this cold May evening. Pittsburgh will start RHP John Ferneyhough tonight. The 32 year old is 0-2 with a 1.52 ERA in 3 starts this year. Ferneyhough is in his 4th season as a Pirate after playing 2 years with the Cubs before signing as a free agent. Ferneyhough loves playing in his home country as the Regina, Saskatchewan native comes north. Don't let his 0-2 record fool you, he has a 0.85 whip and is averaging 8.4 K/9 this season.

The Expos will send 30 year old LHP Eric Stuart to the mound tonight. The struggling Stuart is 0-3 with a 6.28 ERA in 3 starts which has only been 14.1 innings this season. Just about everything has been off for Stuart so far this season, his career whip is 1.22 (1.67 in 1974), 2.3 BB/9 (4.4 in 1974) and his 6.7 K/9 (3.8 in 1974). At $7.5 M per season, the Expos expect him to turn around quickly.

Pirates 7 Expos 5 (16)

The Pirates scored 2 in the top of the 16th and the Expos squandered based loaded and 1 out in the 14th and a C Nate Samms attempt to stretch a double into a triple with 1-out in the 15th, RF David Haynes would follow with a potential RBI single. The Expos woes were increased when CL Charlie Rancourt, usually money gives up a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the 9th for his 1st blown save.

Pirates SS Jon Nelson was the POG, he had just 1 hit and 3 RBIs, but a key 2-run HR, his 3rd of the year. Nelson is now hitting .203 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs in 16 games. The Expos got a pair of hits from 1B Cory Carlson, including his 2nd HR and is now batting .315. 3B Gene Watkins had 2 hits and light hitting LF Matt Healy added 2 hits. CF Willie Garcia had his 1st SB of the year.

SP Eric Stuart allowed 4 runs on 7 hits with 6 strikeouts, but left the game tied. RP William Orta (0-2) took the loss in the 16th.



Around the league..............

St Louis Cardinals SP Jared Sims allowed 3 hits and struck out 9 over 8 innings in a 7-1 loss to the Braves. Sims left the game with a 1-0 lead and the Braves scored 7 in the top of the 9th. The 29 year old Sims is 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 4 starts. Sims is coming off a career high 11 wins for the Pirates in 1973.

[Big T]

May 2nd, 1974
Mets vs Expos

The 8-8 New York Mets are coming to town today and with they bring struggling SP RHP Arturo Garcia who will be starting. The 28 year old Garcia is 0-2 with a inflated 9.49 ERA in 3 starts. He is coming off a 8-6 season with 2.52 ERA in 18 starts so you gotta know that this is simply an tough start. He has a career 19-15 record with a 4.20 ERA in 72 games (45 starts) Last year in May of 1973 he rang up 10 strikeouts against the Expos in 8 innings, so I don't expect to see a plus 5.00 ERA for too long.

The announced attendance of only 18489 are in the seats to watch the Expos struggle to start the season. RHP SP Eric Marks will go for the Expos, he is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 3 starts. Marks has actually lowered his BB/9 from last years excellent rookie season and improved his K/9 from 5.0 to 6.5 this season, but has seen his Whip to from 1.04 to 1.38. The Expos need to start a streak, to get themselves back in the race, albeit early in 1974. The Expos pen has been a little taxed lately, so the Expos are looking for Marks to go deep into the game.

Montreal 5 New York 4

The Expos never made it easy on the themselves, but found a way. SP Eric Marks gave up a 3-run 1st and another run in the 2nd to fall behind 4-0 early. With the score 4-2 in the 8th, PH/2B Fernando Martinez belted a 3-run HR to give the Expos the lead. For Martinez it was his 1st HR of the season, he finished 2 for 2 with a HR and Double.

SP Eric Marks allowed 4 runs on 8 hits with 6 strikeouts while lasting 6.1 innings. MR Mark Holmgren (1-1) got the win for his work in the 8th, CL Charlie Rancourt got just his 2nd save of the year. LF Jake Mullins made his MLB career debut, he had a his in his 2nd at bat of the game.

For Martinez, he is closing in on being on track for another .300 hitting season, he is currently at .298. Last season about this time, he went on a tear and rolled off a 15-game hitting streak.

[Big T]

May 3rd, 1974
Mets vs Expos

Montreal looks to win for the 2nd straight game when they will face 29 year old LHP Mike Minchew. A nice crowd of 26324 come to Bell Park to see their Expos. Minchew is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in 3 starts in AAA this season and will be making his 1st MLB start this season. Minchew has 77 career MLB starts to his credit and has started 20 games twice in his career (1969 with the Reds and 1972 with the Mets)

Montreal counters with 28 year old RHP Scott Turner. Turner is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 2 starts so far in 1974. Turner has not pitched since the 24th of April, he went 8 innings in a 6-1 win over the Astros. The Expos bull pen certainly could use some rest, so another long start by Turner would certainly help out.

Montreal 5 New York 3

Montreal scored 2 in the 4th and 3 more in the 5th for a 5-1 lead and never looked back. 1B Cory Carlson led the Expos with a 3 for 4 game with a Triple and Double.

The Expos also got 3 hits from RF David Haynes, while SS Eric Forristall had 2 hits as did SP Scott Turner who is hitting .286 so far this season.

Expos SP Scott Turner (2-1) allowed 3 runs on 6 hits over 7.1 innings in the win, CL Charlie Rancourt got the final 3 outs for his 3rd save.

For Carlson, it was his 1st Triple of the season, he is now batting .339 on the season. Carlson had a career high .331 batting average in 1971 for Montreal when he played in 100 games for the Expos.



Around the league...........

Chicago White Sox LF Abel Kerns extended his hitting streak to 25 games in a 8-2 win over the Indians. The 32 year old Kerns is now hitting .370 with 1 HR and 11 RBIs in 17 games. For Kerns, this is not his longest career hitting streak, he went 29 games between July 23rd, 1971 to May 5th, 1972. Like that streak, this streak started in the previous season.

San Fransisco Giants RF David Bayles has his hitting streak snapped at 23 games in a 8-3 loss to the Dodgers. The 28 year old Bayles is hitting .483 with 2 HRs and 15 RBIs in 18 games. A career .302 hitter, Bayles hit .346 last year for the Giants.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Chris Woodbury went 2 for 3 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs in a 8-3 win over the Giants. The 28 year old Woodbury is hitting .400 with 8 HRs and 25 RBIs in 17 games. Woodbury is on pace for a career year in HRs and RBIs with his previous highs of 14 HRs and 58 RBIs. Although their is lots of season left and Woodbury has never missed more then 13 games a season.

[Big T]

May 4th, 1974
Mets vs Expos

Game 3 of the series and the Expos are looking for a sweep. The Mets will send 27 year old LHP Jeff Church to the hill. Church is currently 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in 3 starts. Church has been with the Mets since 1969 as he made his first and only appearance that year at age 22. Since then he has started 54 games and appeared in a total of 104. He started 20 games last year and was 5-10 with a 5.31 ERA. He had a career high in wins with 6 in 1970 and is on pace to beat that total.

The Expos will sent LHP Jamari Taft to the mound in front of a nice crowd of 29061 today. Taft has had a slow start to his first full season as an Expos starter, he is 1-0 with a 5.94 ERA in 3 starts. This will be Tafts 7th career MLB start, all with Montreal. He has a career record of 4-1 with 1 save, a 3.99 ERA in 42 games.

Montreal 9 New York 1

The Expos got a great performance from SP Jamari Taft, some timely hitting from Cory Carlson and a huge 7-run bottom of the 5th to easily beat the Mets and win for the third straight game.

Taft (2-0) threw a complete game allowing 8 hits and striking out 7 and only throwing 109 pitches while looking alot like the pitcher that we seen last season down the stretch. He even contributed with 2 hits and is hitting .375 on the year.

1B Cory Carlson had 2 hits and 3 RBIs giving him 17 on the season and in 3rd in the NL. His big hit was a 2-run single with the bases loaded in the 5th. Carlson is now hitting .343 on the year. SS Eric Forristall had 2 hits while stealing his NL league leading 5th and 6th bases on the season. 2B Fernando Martinez had 2 hits, CF Willie Garcia was 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and his 2nd stolen base of the year. RF Jon Sullivan also had 2 hits.

For Taft, it was a huge outing after surrendering 7 runs in his last start on April 29th in a loss to the Pirates. He also lowered his ERA from 5.94 to 4.20 in the win.

[Big T]

May 5th, 1974
Expos vs Phillies

The Expos will travel to Philadelphia to face the 8-11 Phillies. The Expos have improved to 8-11 as well with thier modest 3 game winning streak, but still find themselves 6 games back of the Division leading Chicago Cubs. 32 year old RHP Dan Johnson will start for Philadelphia, he is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 4 starts this season. Johnson started his career in 1969 with the Yankees and later signed with the Cubs in 1971 where he had a career year 13-6 record and 2.07 ERA in 21 starts. Last year he was 4-12 with a 3.56 ERA in 21 starts for the Cubs before signing as a free agent this season. The 5-time All-Star finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting in 1971.

The Expos will counter with RHP Javier Trevino. The 27 year old is 1-1 with a 3.90 ERA in 4 starts this year. Trevino has given up 9 ERs in his last 2 starts (12.2 innings). He is coming off his first full season of being a starter when he finished 10-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 21 starts. He had 20 relief appearances in total his previous 2 seasons with Montreal. (1971-1972) Named the MLB's #1 prospect in 1971 he missed 10 months with elbow ligament problems in May of 1969.

Philadelphia 11 Montreal 2

The Phillies humiliated the Expos out hitting Montreal 13 to 6 and scoring multiple runs in 4 innings. Phillies SP Dan Johnson (1-2) got his 1st win of the year going 8 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 7 strikeouts. He was selected as the player of the game.

Expos SP Javier Trevino (1-2) allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and lasted 5 innings. The bull-pen didn't fare any better, MR William Orta allowed 4 runs on 3 hits over 2.0 innings and MR Robby Jones allowed 2 runs in the 1 inning he worked.

The Expos got a pair of hits from RF David Haynes including his 3rd HR of the year. 1B Cory Carlson improved his average to .352 with 2 hits as well.

For Johnson, he looked alot like the pitcher that Philadelphia expected when they signed him to a 2 year, $29.2 M deal. Johnson now has 42 career wins in 112 MLB starts.



Around the league.................

St Louis Cardinals LF George Storm was named the NL Player of the Week. The 29 year old Storm is hitting .382 with 5 HRs and 17 RBIs in 20 games this year. Storm is in his 5th season as a Cardinal making his MLB debut in 1970. His best season was the 1972 season when he hit .279 with 14 HRs and 56 RBIs in 97 games. Storm is just coming off a 4 for 5 game with a HR and 6 RBI's vs the Pirates on May 3rd. He hit a Grand Slam in that affair.

Kansas City Royals LF Justin Schmidt was named the AL Player of the Week. The 30 year old Schmidt is hitting .329 with 5 HRs and 11 RBIs in 20 games this year. Schmidt started his career in 1969 with the Blue Jays before signing a 5 year, $60.0 M deal with the Royals for the 1973 season. Pretty much a free swinger, he led he AL with 125 strikeouts last year in 97 games. His best season was 1970 with the Blue Jays when he hit .240 had 29 HRs and 78 RBIs. He is a 4-time All-Star.

Atlanta Braves SP Robbie Morris allowed 4 hits and struck out 6 in a complete game 5-0 win over the Giants. The 32 year old Morris is 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in 5 starts. In his 2 past starts, Morris has given up 0 runs on 9 hits over 17 innings, he has given up only 1 ER in his past 3 starts covering 24 innings. The 1973 NL Cy Young Award winner has been with Atlanta since signing a 5 year, $71.0 M deal to start the 1973 season.

[Big T]

May 6th, 1974 NL East Standings and Expos Leaders

[Big T]

May 6th, 1974
Expos vs Phillies

The Expos are licking their wounds after a embarrassing loss in Philadelphia yesterday. They will face RHP Arturo Trevino in game 2 of the series. Trevino is 0-2 with a 5.95 ERA in 4 starts this year. He is coming off a 10 win season in which he had a 3.29 ERA in 22 starts for the Phillies. Trevino has spent his whole career in a Phillie uniform, since 1969 he has a 42-34 record with a 3.44 ERA in 110 starts. He had a career best 2.69 ERA in 1972 for the Phillies. The 29 year old is a free agent at the end of this season.

The Expos will have LHP Eric Stuart going today. The 30 year old Stuart is 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA in 4 starts. Stuart has certainly struggled this season so far. He career ERA is 3.55 and his Whip over his 104 career starts is 1.22 but at 1.55 this season so far. In 1970 and 1971 he won a combined 23 games, since then he has a 11-19 record.

Philadelphia 6 Montreal 4

The Phillies score 3 in the bottom of the 8th to overcome a Expos 4-3 lead as the Expos pen spoil a good effort by SP Eric Stuart. Phillies 1B Brendan Cotte was the POG with a 3 for 4 game at the dish. The key blow was a 2-run single by RF Andy Miller with the bases loaded against Expos reliever John Coulter.

Eric Stuart allowed 3 runs on 5 hits over 7 innings with the quality start, but MR John Coulter (1-1) blew his 2nd save opportunity giving up 3 runs on 4 hits in the 8th.

The Expos out hit the Phillies 11-9 with 1B Cory Carlson getting 2 and improving to .355 on the season. 3B Gene Watkins had 3 hits while SS Eric Forristall had 2 hits including his 1st career HR in the MLB. The Expos had 3 stolen bases including his NL leading 7th from Forristall.

For Phillies Brendan Cotte, he is off to a great season hitting .350 with 7 HRs and 11 RBIs in 21 games. In his first season with the Phillies after an off season trade with the Mariners Cotte has had 12 HRs in 2 seasons with the Mariners, 1971 and 1972. He has 2 career MLB Grand Slams as well.



Around the league................

Chicago Cubs SP Kyle Garside allowed 4 hits and struck out 9 in a 4-2 win over the Cardinals. The 36 year old Garside is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA in 5 starts this season. As an off season free agent signing by the Cubs, Garside is coming off a 6-6 season with a 4.06 ERA for the Orioles in 1973. In 1970, he led the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 21 starts for the Mariners and won the AL Cy Young Award. This season he has struck out 10 or more in 2 of his 5 starts.

[Big T]

May 7th, 1974
Expos vs Phillies

Montreal would like to leave Philadelphia with at least one win and they will have to get past RHP David Hanna. The 25 year old Hanna is 1-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 4 starts this year. Hanna is in his rookie season and on May 2nd, got his first career win in a 5-4 victory over the Padres. Hanna was signed as a scouting discovery by the Phillies scouts in this pas off season. He was named the MLB's #2 prospect prior to this season.

The Expos will send another 25 year old to the mound, RHP Eric Marks. Marks is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in 4 starts this year. After a terrible start to the season in his 1st start this season, Marks has allowed 6 ERs in his past 21.1 innings in his last 3 starts. Marks is in his first full season as a SP for Montreal.

Montreal 7 Philadelphia 1

Expos SP Eric Marks wins the battle of the 25 year olds while the Expos bats had 11 hits and turned the game around with a 4-run top of the 6th.

Marks (2-1) was named the POG with his 8 inning effort. He allowed 1 run on 7 hits and struck out 7 in the victory. Phillies SP David Hanna fell to 1-3 with a his 5.2 innings of work allowing 5 runs.

C Nate Samms provided 3 hits and 2 RBIs including his 3rd HR of the year. He is now hitting .304 on the season. 3B Gene Watkins also had 3 hits and improved his average to .311. CF Willie Garcia is slowly getting back to form and had 2 hits and 2 RBIs while stealing his 4th base this year.

For Marks, the 1969 1st round, 7th overall pick is starting to round back into the form that had him finish 3rd in the 1973 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

[Big T]

May 8th, 1974
Expos at Reds

The Expos will face the 4-17 Cincinnati Reds today. The Reds have the worst record in all of baseball and trail the NL West leading Astros by 10 1/2 games while only 21 games into the season. The Reds are pretty much last in all stat categories such as with 59 runs scored, .213 batting average, 10 HRs and 5.82 bullpen ERA. They are 11 of 12 in 114 runs against and 4.85 starters ERA. The Reds will send 24 year old RHP Nick Grace. Grace is 1-3 with a 6.23 ERA in 4 starts this season. Grace missed the end of the 1972 and most of the 1973 season with a partially torn labrum, he was limited to 14 starts in 1973 going 3-6 with a 4.40 ERA. Grace was the 4th overall pick in the 1st round by the Reds in 1969.

Montreal will have 28 year old RHP Scott Turner pitching tonight. Turner is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 3 starts this season. Turner is coming off his 1st season as a full time starter when he started 20 games in 1973 going 8-9 with a 4.98 ERA. Turner has been a starter for Montreal since about mid way through the 1972 season when being recalled from AAA and started 14 games before the end of the season.

Cincinnati 5 Montreal 3

The Expos had an early 3-0 lead after the top of the 2nd but the Reds chipped away despite getting out hit by Montreal 9 to 7. Reds SP Nick Grace (2-3) was named the POG with his 7 innings of work. He allowed 3 runs on 7 hits before turning the game over the the bull-pen, the NL's worst bullpen.

Expos SP Scott Turner allowed 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 walks which would go to haunt him and the Expos. He lasted 6.2 innings throwing 105 pitches. The Expos got a pair of hits from 1B Cory Carlson, he is not hitting .341 on the season. CF Willie Garcia had 2 hits as well.

For Grace, it was his 3rd straight start giving up 3 runs or less since he gave up 8 in just getting 1-out in a 19-1 loss to the Cardinals on April 22nd.



Around the league..............

Chicago White Sox Abel Kerns has extended his hitting streak to 30 games in a 2-1 win over the Mariners. The 32 year old Kerns is now hitting .365 with 1 HR and 14 RBIs in 22 games. With the hit, Kerns exceeded his previous best 29 game hitting streak that ended May 5th, 1972.

[Big T]

May 9th, 1974
Expos at Reds

It will be a couple of Lefties facing each other in todays match up with the Expos and Reds. For Cincinnati it will be 25 year old Ted Slade. Slade is 0-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 4 starts for the Reds. Slade is become a full time starter for the Reds after spending the 1972 and 1973 season's mostly in the pen. Todays start will be his 8th career start, but he has also appeared in 56 games in relief. He has a career 1-4 record with 17 saves as a closer for the Reds and a very respectable 2.97 career ERA. The native of Montreal, Quebec was the Reds 1st round, 6th overall pick in the 1970 draft.

The Expos will counter with 26 year old Jamari Taft. Taft is 2-0 with a 4.21 ERA in 4 starts this year. Taft is coming off a 1 run, 8 hit, 7 K, 9-1 complete game win over the Mets on May 4th, his last start.

Cincinnati 3 Montreal 1

Well it looks like the Reds found someone then can beat, as SP Ted Slade (1-3) slayed the Expos. Slade allowed 1 run on 3 hits over 6 strong innings in getting his 1st win of the season and named the POG.

Expos SP Jamari Taft (2-1) allowed 3 runs on 5 hits but had 9 strikeouts over 6.2 innings. The Expos got a pair of hits from C Nate Samms including his 3rd HR of the year. With those hits, Samms is now hitting .302 on the season. The Expos were held to just 5 hits today but did have a pair of SB's, SS Eric Forristall with his 8th and CF Willie Garcia with his 5th.

For Slade, the 38th ranked prospect in the MLB for 1972 is continuing to stymie opposition bats that only hit .222 against him this season and only hit .219 in 1973 vs Slade.



Around the league....................

New York Yankees SS Steve Printz was 4 for 4 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs in a 7-1 win over the Athletics. The 32 year old Printz is hitting .429 with 14 HRs and 27 RBIs in 24 games. Printz continues to hit HRs at a record pace which is on a 58 HR season. His previous high was 31 HRs in the 1970 season when he added 89 RBIs in 99 games.

Chicago White Sox LF Abel Kerns extended his hitting streak to 31 games today with a double and 2 singles in a 4-3 loss to the Mariners. The 32 year old Kerns is now hitting .376 with 1 HR and 14 RBIs in 23 games. Kerns is a .348 career hitter who hit .383 in the MLB's inaugural season in 1969.

[Big T]

May 10th, 1974
Expos vs Reds

Montreal needs to avoid the sweep by the worst team in baseball today as the Expos face the 6-17 Reds. 26 year old RHP Matt Peeples will start for the Reds, he is 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA in 5 starts this year. Peeples is coming off a 8 inning, 2 hitter in which he never allowed a run in a 3-1 win over the Padres on May 5th. At age 26, he is in his 6th season with the Reds but it is rumoured he is not happy being on a team so far out of the race this early in the season. Last year Peeples was 11-9 with a 3.19 ERA in 21 starts, the most wins of his career.

The Expos will start RHP Javier Trevino today. The 27 year old is 1-2 with a 4.68 ERA so far in 5 starts. Trevino has struggled in his last 3 starts giving up 14 ERs in just 17.1 innings. His last quality start was on April 20th when he went 7 innings allowing just 1 run. The Expos would like to see him get back to form when he was 10-8 with a 2.94 last year.

Montreal 16 Cincinnati 0

The old adage is "Don't get mad, get even". Well it worked in reverse today as the Expos had already lost the first two games of the 3 game set, but they certainly got mad and pounded the Reds for 16 hits and took advantage of some sloppy fielding in the 1st two innings for a blow out win. The Expos put up crooked numbers in each of the first 5 innings to get a 14-0 lead after the 5th. The Expos got exactly what they needed out of a struggling SP Javier Trevino, a complete game shut out. Trevino (2-2) allowed 7 hits while striking out 6, he was named the player of the game.

The Expos got from 7 of their 8 position players today, including 5 hitters with multiple hits. RF David Haynes was 4 for 6 with 3 RBIs including his 5th double of the year. He cleared the bases in the 4th with his double. 2B Fernando Martinez also had 4 hits and 3 RBIs, he had his 4th and 5th doubles of the season and his 2nd HR of the year. Martinez is now hitting .316. 3B Gene Watkins had 2 hits and 2 RBIs adding his 6th double of the year, he is now hitting .314. CF Willie Garcia had 2 hits including a 2-run HR, his 1st of the year. Rookie C RIcky Shvartsman had 2 hits including his 1st career Triple.

As for Trevino, it was his 2nd career MLB shutout and his 3rd career complete game which helped reduce his ERA to 3.67 on the year.



Around the league...........

Chicago White Sox RF Abel Kerns extends his hitting streak to 32 games in a 4-3 loss to the Mariners. The 32 year old Kerns was 1 for 4 with a double in the 7th to keep the streak alive. Kerns is now hitting .371 with 1 HR and 14 RBIs in 24 games.

[Big T]

May 12th, 1974
Expos vs Dodgers

After a day off for both leagues, the Expos will travel to Los Angeles to face the 14-11 Dodgers. The Dodgers will send 35 year old RHP Lee Policastro to the mound. Policastro is 1-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 5 starts for the Dodgers. Runs have been hard to come by against Policastro, he has allowed no more then 3 runs in any of his 5 starts this season and has a excellent 0.99 Whip in 30 innings. He has been an ironman through out his career not missing a start in his 5 previous seasons and so far this season. In 114 career starts, he has a 35-41 record with a 3.55 ERA but has never won 10 games in his career. (won 9 twice). He does have a tie with Expos RF David Haynes. Haynes was part of package from Los Angeles in a trade to acquire Policastro from the Orioles in January 1973.

The Expos will send RHP Eric Marks to the hill. The 25 year old Marks is 2-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 5 starts this season. Marks is coming off a 7-1 win over the Phillies on May 7th where he pitched 8 innings allowing 7 hits and 1 run while striking out 7. The Expos have won the last 3 games Marks has started.

Los Angeles 3 Montreal 2

The Expos made it interesting stranding runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out and unable to capitalize, but fall to the Dodgers despite out hitting Los Angeles 11 to 7. Dodgers SP Lee Policastro was the POG with his 6 inning, 6 hit and 1 run effort while striking out 5.

Montreal got a good start from Eric Marks (2-2) as he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings, but the Expos offense left 7 runners stranded and had 4 opportunities to score runners in scoring position with 2-out and could not get a clutch hit. RF David Haynes had 2 hits including his lead off HR in the 1st, his 4th of the season. 2B Fernando Martinez was 2 for 5 and is now hitting .321 on the year. CF Willie Garcia had another multiple hit game going 2 for 4, both were doubles. Garcia has had 2 hits in 4 of his last 5 games and has had 13 hits in his last 8 games.

For Policastro, he improves to 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 6 starts and continues to have a great start to the 1974 season.



Around the league.............

Chicago White Sox LF Abel Kerns extends his hitting streak to 33 games in a 5-4 loss to the Twins. The 32 year old Kerns was 2 for 5 with a single in the 1st and a triple in the 7th. Kerns is now hitting .373 with 1 HR and 14 RBIs in 25 games.

Chicago Cubs 3B Billy Tull was named the NL Player of the Week. The 28 year old Tull is hitting .412 with 9 HRs and 23 RBIs in 25 games. Tull was 16 for 27 (.593) this week with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs in 6 games. Tull had multiple hit games in all 6 games last week in 3 hits four times. Tull is a career .353 hitter and led the NL in hitting in 1972 with the Cubs with a .341 batting average.

New York Yankees SS Steve Printz was named the AL Player of the Week. The 32 year old Printz is hitting .434 with 15 HRs and 29 RBIs in 26 games. Printz was 11 for 23 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs in 6 games last week. The HR watch is definitely on with Printz, he is 5 HRs ahead of anyone else in the league and he is currently on pace for 58, the league record is 44 in 1969 by teammate 1B Brady Meyer. Meyer was with the Cubs that season and his 124 RBIs still stand has the league record.

[Big T]

May 13th, 1974
Expos vs Dodgers

Montreal are now 7 games back of the NL East leading Cubs and need to start finding some consistancy and some wins to get back in the race. They will face RHP Brandon Antoon today, the 31 year old is 1-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 5 starts this season. Antoon signed as a free agent for the Dodgers this off season, he was with the Astros last season where he was 8-9 with a 4.10 ERA in 20 starts. For Antoon that was a career high for wins while the veteran started his career in the leagues first season in 1969 where he was 3-14 with the Orioles and a 6.89 ERA in 21 starts. Things have much improved for Antoon since.

The Dodgers are loaded with talent but the straw the stirs the drink for this team is 2B Chris Woodbury. The 28 year old Woodbury is currently hitting .437 with 10 HRs and 30 RBIs in 25 games. Only Yankees SS Steve Printz has more HRs this year. Woodbury is a career .330 hitter but his best season was probably in 1969 as a 23 year old when he hit .314 with 14 HRs and 55 RBIs that season. That season he was awarded the NL Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers. He was a big part of the 1972 Dodgers that won the World Series that year.

Montreal will sent 30 year old Eric Stuart to the mound. The LHP Stuart is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA so far in 5 starts. It has been a tough season for the Expos veteran SP, the Expos are 0-5 so far in his starts as his run support of 2.40 runs per game is the lowest of the 5 starters.

Los Angeles 4 Montreal 2

The Dodgers won for the 3rd straight time despite getting out hit by the Expos for the 2nd straight game. Neither team hit the ball well but the Expos had 7 hits compared to 5 for the Dodgers. Dodgers SP Brandon Antoon was the POG with his 1 run on 5 hits over 7 innings while striking out 7.

Expos SP Eric Stuart (0-4) is still looking for run support has he had a quality start going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs on just 4 hits. He struck out 5 Dodgers before giving way to the bull-pen.

Montreal gave 1B Cory Carlson the day off and Juan Chapa hit 7th going 2 for 4 for the Expos. The Expos had 2 extra base hits in the game, 3B Gene Watkins had his 7th double while CF Willie Garcia hit his 6th double.

Dodgers SP Brandon Antoon improved to 2-1 on the year with his ERA dropping to 3.00 in his 6 starts this season.



Around the league............

Boston Red Sox LF Dillon Brereton was 4 for 5 with a HR and 2 RBIs in a 10-6 win over the Royals. The 26 year old Brereton is hitting .352 with 8 HRs and 17 RBIs in 26 games this season. Brereton was the 3rd overall pick in the 1st round of the 1970 player draft by the Red Sox. In April of 1972, he was named the 20th overall prospect of the MLB. The Tay, Ontario native was a regular for the Red Sox for the 1st time in 1973 when he hit .273 with 11 HRs and 65 RBIs in 97 games. He was named the AL's 1973 Great Glove at LF.

It is rumoured that Montreal Expos 1B Juan Chapa wants out. Chapa not satisfied with being used mostly as a pinch hitter and occasionally giving regular 1B Cory Carlson the day off asked management for a trade. The 35 year old Chapa is hitting .273 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs in 17 games (22 at bats). Chapa was acquired in a trade with the White Sox in May of 1973 when the Expos moved what was rumoured as a selfish C in Max Burton. Burton is currently the White Sox back up C appearing in just 4 games this season.

Chicago White Sox LF Abel Kerns extends his hitting streak to 34 games in a 5-3 win over the Twins. The 32 year old Kerns is now hitting .383 with 1 HR and 15 RBIs in 26 games. Kerns had 3 singles in the game and got the streak looked after in the 1st with his first hit of the night.

[Big T]

Imported this Dynasty from OOTP17 and another computer so we will see how this goes.

Played 1st game and the league seems to be working fine.... here we go...

[Big T]

May 14th, 1974


Montreal Expos at Los Angeles Dodgers


Montreal comes into the game with a 10-17 record good for 6th in the NL East, 7 games back of the Cubs. The Dodgers start 3 games behind the Astros with a 16-11 record.


The Expos will start SP Jamari Taft today, the 26 year old has a 2-1 record with a 3.90 ERA in 5 starts this season. The Dodgers will go with SP Pat Quinn, the 29 year old is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 6 starts. Quinn won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1972.


Montreal 4 Los Angeles 1


Montreal Expos SP Jamari Taft pitched 7 innings and allowed 4 hits while striking out 4 in the win. The 26 year old improves to 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 6 starts. CL Charlie Rancourt got the final 3 outs for his 4th save of the year. C Nate Samms hit his 5th HR and 1B Cory Carlson hit his 4th HR of the year in the win.


Around the MLB.


St Louis Cardinals SP Jared Sims allowed 3 runs on 7 hits with 8 strikeouts over 8 innings in a 4-3 loss to the Astros. The 29 year old now is 1-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 6 starts.


San Diego Padres SP Evan Stafford allowed 2 runs on 6 hits with 8 strikeouts over 6.2 innings in a 2-1 loss to the Braves. The 31 year old now has a 2-3 record with a 3.03 ERA in 7 starts. Stafford was an All Star in 1971.

[Big T]

May 15th, 1974


Atlanta Braves at Montreal Expos


The Expos are at home to host the 17-11 Atlanta Braves. The Braves are in 2nd place in the NL West, 3 games behind the Astros. Montreal are now 11-17 which is good for 5th in the NL East, 6 back of the Cubs.


The Braves will start 32 year old RHP Robbie Morris. Morris has a 2-2 record with a 2.95 ERA in 6 starts this year. The 2-time All Star was the 1973 Cy Young Award winner. Montreal starts 27 year old RHP Javier Trevino, he has a 2-2 record with a 3.67 ERA in 6 starts this year.


Montreal 2 Atlanta 0


Montreal Expos SP Javier Trevino allowed 5 hits and struck out 5 over 7 innings in the 2-0 win. Trevino now has a 3-2 record with a 3.14 ERA in 7 starts. CL Robbie Jones got his 2nd save of the season pitching the 9th. RF Jon Sullivan got his 1st HR of the year.


Around the MLB........


Kansas City Royals SS Miguel Cruz had a 3 for 4 game with a HR and 2 RBIs in a 13-10 win over the Twins. The 31 year old now is hitting .298 with 5 HRs and 15 RBIs in 28 games. Cruz is a 2-time All Star.


Detroit Tigers SP Justin Chrzanowski had 11 strikeouts and allowed 5 hits in a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays. The 31 year old now is 0-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 7 starts. Chrzanowski is a 4-time All Star and was the 1970 Cy Young Award winner.


Chicago White Sox RF Abel Kerns has extended his hitting streak to 36 games in a 3-1 loss to the Angels. The 32 year old is now hitting .376 with 1 HR and 17 RBIs in 28 games. The 2-time All Star is a 2-time World Series winner and 1973 World Series MVP.


The Montreal Expos have traded disgruntled 3B Juan Chapa to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for 3B Matt Capps. The 35 year old Chapa was hitting .273 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs in 17 games for the Expos. The 31 year old Capps is hitting .341 with 0 HRs and 4 RBIs in 13 games for the Blue Jays. Both teams exchanged some minor leaguers with the Expos also receiving 21 year old SP Claas Landheer, he has a 0.00 ERA in 7 IPs in A-ball. The Expos also got CF Danny Plantz, the 25 year old has no played this season.

[Big T]

May 16th, 1974


Atlanta Braves at Montreal Expos


The Expos will play the Braves in front of 19363 fans today. Montreal is now 12-17 with a .414 PCT and is 5 games back of the NL East. The Braves are 17-12 with a .586 PCT and are 4 games back in the NL West.


The Braves will start 27 year old RHP Wes Winchester, he has a 2-0 record with 3.00 ERA in 4 starts. He had a career best 1.46 ERA in 24 IPs in the 1972 season with the Athletics. Montreal will start 28 year old RHP Scott Turner, he has a 2-2 record with 4.18 ERA in 4 starts this year. He had a career best 2.35 ERA in the 1970 season with the Expos and Twins.


Montreal 3 Atlanta 2


Montreal Expos SP Scott Turner allowed 2 runs on 8 hits with 2 strikeouts over 7 innings in the win. The 28 year old Turner is now 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 5 starts. CL Robbie Jones got his 3rd save as Montreal wins 3 in a row.


Around the MLB.......


Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Chris Woodbury had a 3 for 5 night with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs in a 9-8 win over the Mets. The 28 year old is now hitting .437 with 12 HRs and 36 RBIs in 29 games. Woodbury had a career high .350 batting average last year in 77 games with the Dodgers.


St Louis Cardinals SP Rene Navarro allowed 1 hit and struck out 9 over 6 innings in a 5-0 win over the Padres. The 27 year old is now 5-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 7 starts. Navarro had a career best 2.38 twice in his career, in 1971 with the Cardinals in 50 games and in 1972 with the Cardinals in 20 starts.


New York Yankees SS Steve Printz had a 2 for 4 night with a HR and 4 RBIs in a 8-7 win over the Red Sox. The 32 year old is now hitting .430 with 16 HRs and 39 RBIs in 30 games. Printz had a career best .352 batting average in the 1970 season with the Yankees in 99 games.


Chicago White Sox RF Abel Kerns has extended his hitting streak to 37 games in a 6-5 win over the Angels. The 32 year old is now hitting .280 with 1 HR and 19 RBIs in 29 games. Abel had a career best .383 batting average in 1969 with the Cubs in 96 games.