SHL Expansion Two–Up for Grabs

The Blue Jays’ Roger Clemens was knocked from the mound in the second inning two weeks ago wondering where he might find that old magic as the Expos scored six against him on their way to a memorable 17-1 thrashing of Canadian rival Toronto–the high point of a great Expos’ home stand. Then the Padres came to town and returned the favor, taking a three game series from the Expos and climbing into a first place tie with Montreal as SHL heads into the heart of the season.

Quebecois: The Expos started a nice run with a series in Montreal that has taken them to the top of the SHL Expansion Two where they have remained for most of the past few weeks.  They are tied with San Diego with identical 24-24 records.  On May 14 -16 the Expos out-pitched and out-hit provincial rivals the Toronto Blue Jays and looked like the better team on the field when matched against the best in the three SHL Divisions.

After Steve Rogers won the laugher against Clemens, Charlie Lea followed with a 6-4 win and Pedro Martinez won the finale 5-2. The three wins vaulted the Expos into sole possession of first place in Expansion Two for the first time.  Then the Expos won two of three in Florida to go above .500 for the first time.

Andre Dawson, filling in for Vlad Guerrero, was a big part of the turn around and Jonah Keri’s decision to get him more playing time has looked good. Even more impressive was Charlie Lea who got four straight wins the last of which was his best game and maintained the streak against a good White Sox team. Rusty Staub and Gary Carter lead the team offensively but Larry Walker and Dawson are hot and Keri has a problem trying to work Guerrero back into the lineup with three great outfielders already playing at the top of their games.

Expo pitching has been very steady if not outstanding. Both Pedro and Dennis Martinez are on pace to throw 240 innings and have ten of the team’s 24 wins. Charlie Lea gave the team a huge lift for several weeks, but he came back to earth last weekend, losing 6-2 to the Orioles. The Expos’ bullpen also has evened out. John Wetteland has six saves and has been very steady, but the addition of Woody Fryman should help as SHL moves into the heart of the season with the most balance of any team in SHL Expansion Two.

Padre 2.0: San Diego looked like they were headed south until they went to Montreal and found enough of their potent offense to take three straight from the resurgent Expos. Overuse may have caught up with Dennis Martinez who was touched up by the Padres in the opening game for five runs in five innings.

The Padre’s offense is the best in the SHL and it has pushed them to the top. They lead the SHL in runs per game at 5.8, fourteen runs ahead of the Dodgers who can manage only 5.5. Gene Tenace has five home runs in his last ten games and leads the team with nine. Tony Gwynn is another team leader with a .338 average and he is second in the SHL in runs with 43. They have five players hitting over .300 including Tony Fernandez and Steve Finley.

But the Padres don’t win every game 9-5. Scoring almost six runs a game means that teams have to score to beat them, however, and for now it is a dead heat. Both Montreal and San Diego begin the month of June with identical 24-24 records.

Bruce Hurst continues to pitch very well and if he had help, the Padres would be running away with the SHL Expansion Two. But Jake Peavy (6.07), Randy Jones (7.65), and Andy Benes (5.90) are finding ways to lose by giving up more runs than even the Padres score.

Flat Beer in Milwauke: A great bullpen does not a team make. Rollie Fingers, Bob Wickman, Dan Plesac, and Francisco Cordero comprise the best bullpen in the SHL. “Boxcar” Bosio anchors the rotation. But the offense is falling flat. Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Pince Fielder are trying, but the rest of the offense is not getting it done. When the pitchers get support they win, as they did against the Mets, 12-2 and 10-1. But after pulling even with the Expos in mid-May they have lost seven of their last ten games and fallen off the pace by three.

Bosio needs help. He has pitched extremely well, going deep into every game, giving up no more than four runs in any of his last ten starts, but he has only four wins to show for his trouble. Pitching in the Beer capital of the world has always been an inspiration for Chris, but he cannot pitch like he did against Oakland (4-1) every time. Jeremy Burnitz lead the team in homers with eleven but Don Money at third and Ben Ogilvie in the outfield have been disappointing and GM Patrick Ryan, who clearly knows a few things about bullpen pitching, may want to make a few moves to shore up his offense and rotation before he reports to Arizona.

The End of the Road and Kansas City: The road is a weary place and Wily Coyote’s record against the Roadrunner is only slightly worse than the “away” record of the Royals. Combining the very worst offense in the SHL with a very mediocre pitching staff is hardly a combination for excellence. Hal McRae and Willie Aikens are tearing up Triple-A and GM Sam Mellinger needs someone to light a fire under a very cold team. Its only June, but it is looking very late for the Royals.