Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe: 1994

Yes, it looks like just a matter of time for the Reds, and possibly the Braves too unless they catch the Expos for the Eastern title. That would make two collapses in as many threads for the Spos, who led the Cardinals by a game when I started the '81 thread and ended up nine games back and barely holding off the Phillies for second place in the East.
 
Now it's time for the National League Report for Saturday, September 3. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Montreal 11, Cincinnati 1
W - Jeff Fassero (9-7)
L - John Roper (7-3)
HR - MTL: Larry Walker 2 (24), Wil Cordero (17), Darrin Fletcher (11)
CIN: Reggie Sanders (22)


This time, the bats came alive for the Expos and the Reds were taken out of the game early.

NY Mets 7, Colorado 2
W - Pete Smith (6-11)
L - Mike Harkey (2-7)
HR - NYM: Bobby Bonilla (grand slam; 26)
COL: Andres Galarraga (36)


The Rockies have now been outscored 23-6 in two tough games in this series.

Philadelphia 5, Chicago 4 (10 innings)
W - Heath Slocumb (7-3)
L - Chuck Crim (7-6)
HR - PHI: Darren Daulton (19)
CHC: Mark Grace (10), Steve Buechele (17)


It was extra innings again with the same result. Dykstra doubled in Kevin Stocker with two outs in the tenth.

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Braves 4, Giants 3
W: Bedrosian (2-2)
L: Monteleone (6-5)
S: McMichael (26)
HR- ATL: McGriff (46), Pendleton (9)

Fred McGriff hit his forty-sixth home run, a two-run clout in the sixth. Terry Pendleton's homer in the ninth gave them their margin of victory. Greg McMichael closed the Giants out on ten pitches in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Williams pinch hit, and picked up an RBI single. The Braves thus remain a game and a half behind the Expos in the East.

Dodgers 9, Cardinals 7
W: Ramon Martinez (13-8)
L: Arocha (5-6)
HR- LA: H. Rodriguez (10)
STL: Pena (12)

The Dodgers erased a 7-4 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the ninth. They were down 6-1 at one point, with Geronimo Pena driving in four runs for the Cards. In the 7th, Mike Piazza's RBI single and Raul Mondesi's RBI double cut the St. Louis lead to 7-4.

In the 9th, the Dodgers staged their big comeback. After one out, Piazza singled, and Mondesi followed with a double. Tom Wallach doubled to score them both, and Eric Karros singled. That brought up Rodriguez, who bounced Rene Arocha's 2-1 pitch off the fight field foul pole for a game-winning three-run homer. The Dodgers now trail the Giants by just two games in the West.

Padres 9, Pirates 5

W: Sager (2-5)
L: Cooke (4-15)
S: Mauser (3)
Gwynn: 2-4 with BB (202-502, .4023)
HR- PIT: Hunter (13)
SD: Plantier (21)

The Padres continued their tear with their sixth straight win. Phil Plantier's three-run homer erased a 1-0 Pirate lead, and Tony Geynn singled in a run in the seventh to stay ho. The closest the Pirates could get was 6-2 after five and a half. Brian Hunter homered in the eighth for the visitors, who are just about assured of finishing the season with the National League's worst record. Tim Mauser pitched two perfect innings to earn the save, striking out three.

The Pirates have become the first team to be mathematically eliminated from Wild Card contention. Meanwhile, the Padres are within three and a half games of the West-leading Giants.

Finally, my Central report:

Marlins 5, Astros 3

The Fish scored two in the eighth to deal the Stros yet another devastating loss. Jerry Browne's single was the eventual game-winning hit. Orestes Destrade continued his solid offensive play, getting two hits and driving in two runs. Chuck Carr continued to be an effective table setter, going two for five and scoring twice. The Stros get a home run from Andujar Cedeno as part of a three for four evening, but little else. A season that showed great promise three weeks ago, with the Stros just a half-game out of first place in the Central, is spiraling out of control, with the prospect of being swept at home by the last-place Marlins tomorrow looming large.

W- Lewis (2-4)
S- Nen (20)
L- Jones (5-4)

HR- HOU: Cedeno (10)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 80-55
Braves: 79-57- 1.5 GB
Mets: 70-66- 10.5 GB
Phillies: 68-68- 12.5 GB
Marlins: 58-78- 22.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 80-55
Astros: 74-62- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 62-73- 18 GB
Cardinals: 57-79- 23.5 GB
Pirates: 53-84- 28 GB

In the West:

Giants: 70-65
Dodgers: 68-67- 2 GB
Padres: 68-70- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 66-73- 6 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 79-57
Astros: 74-62- 5 GB

Next: We look at September 4.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League Report for Sunday, September 4. We begin with Joe Ray in the West:

Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2
W: Rodriguez (5-6)
L: Worrell (6-7)
S: Habyan (2)
HR- STL- Zeile (23)

The Cardinals won their only game of the seriesin front of over 50,000 at Dodger Stadium. Todd Zeile's second-inning homer gave them the lead, which would go back and forth all safternoon. Jose Offerman tied the game in the bottom of the second with a triple, and the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double-play grounder. Zeile's sixth-inning single tied the game at 2-2. Finally, in the ninth, after a Tom Pagnozzi double and a walk, Gregg Jefferies got the game-winning hit, a two-out single. John Habyan saved it, but not without drama as the Dodgers put runners on the corners with two out. Pinch hitter Garey Ingram struck out to end the game.

The Cardinals head to Busch Stadium for a Labor Day date against San Diego, while the Dodgers travel to Atlanta to begin a huge series with the Braves.

Padres 5, Pirates 3
W: Mauser (3-5)
L: Dewey (4-3)
S: Hoffman (25)
HR- PIT: Midre Cummings (2)
SD: Luis Lopez (3), Derek Bell (16)
Gwynn: 1-3 with BB (203-505, .4019)

The torrid Padres win their seventh in a row and earned a four-game sweep of the hapless Pirates.. Craig Shipley’s single in the first gave the Pads a 1-0 lead, and Luis Lopez’s homer barely cleared the right field wall in the second for a 2-0 lead. It stayed that way until the 7th, when Midre Cummongs quieted the buzzing crowd with a game-tying two-run homer. Don Slaught singled in another run later in the inning to put the Bucs up 3-2. Bell's three-run homer to right in the eighth provided the Friars with their final margin of victory. Trevor Hoffman allowed a hit in the ninth, but closed the game with a foulout and a double play.

Giants 4, Braves 1
W: Torres (3-8)
L: Glavine (15-10)
S: Beck (34)
HR: ATL: Kelly (27)

The Giants allowed the Braves just four hits, and scored three times in the sixth to get the win. Darryl Strawberry tripled in two, and was doubled in by Royce Clayton. Rod Beck needed just ten pitches to put the Braves away in the ninth. Roberto Kelly's homer came in the top of the first, and the Braves did little after.

Now to Desmond in the East:

Cincinnati 5, Montreal 0

W - Jose Rijo (10-7)
L - Butch Henry (10-5)
HR - CIN: Barry Larkin (11)

The Reds crossed the border and took two of three from the Expos. Rijo allowed just two hits and struck out thirteen.

Chicago 6, Philadelphia 5
W - Mike Morgan (4-10)
L - Shawn Boskie (4-8)
S - Randy Myers (29)
HR - PHI: Jim Eisenreich (6)
CHC: Glenallen Hill (13)

With the score 6-5 in the seventh inning, Sammy Sosa gunned down Lenny Dykstra who was trying to score the tying run. Myers made it stand up, striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

NY Mets 5, Colorado 2
W - Mauro Gozzo (6-6)
L - Marvin Freeman (12-3)
HR - COL: Mike Kingery (5)

The Rockies were outscored 30-4 in the three-game sweep by the Mets.

Now for my Central report:

Astros 4, Marlins 0

Houston pitcher Darryl Kile stopped the Stros' slide in grand style, no-hitting the Marlins for six and a third innings before settling for a complete game two-hit shutout, his second complete-game shutout in a row. Bret Barberie's bang-bang infield hit broke up the no-hitter; third baseman Dave Magadan had the other Florida hit. Ken Caminiti drove in three of the four Houston runs, and Craig Biggio scored three out of the four Houston runs. Jeff Bagwell had the other RBI.

Now it's up to the Stros to use the momentum gained from Kile's performance to get themselves back in the thick of things for both the National League Central title and the Wild Card. They host the Phillies starting tomorrow afternoon.

W- Kile (11-6)
L- Hammond (5-6)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 80-56
Braves: 79-58- 1.5 GB
Mets: 71-66- 9.5 GB
Phillies: 68-69- 12.5 GB
Marlins: 58-79- 22.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 81-55
Astros: 75-62- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 63-73- 18 GB
Cardinals: 57-80- 24.5 GB
Pirates: 53-85- 29 GB

In the West:

Giants: 71-65
Dodgers: 69-67- 2 GB
Padres: 69-70- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 66-74- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 79-58
Astros: 75-62- 4 GB

Next: We look at September 5.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the National League Report for Monday, September 5. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Los Angeles 11, Atlanta 5
W - Kevin Gross (12-8)
L - Steve Avery (8-7)
HR - LA: Mike Piazza 2 (33), Tim Wallach 2 (26)
ATL: Fred McGriff (47)

Piazza and Wallach took full advantage of the launching pad. Also, Brett Butler made a basket catch just one level below that of Willie Mays and Jim Edmonds in the seventh inning.

Florida 2, San Francisco 1
W - Pat Rapp (10-8)
L - Mark Portugal (11-10)

In a rarity, both pitchers threw complete games. The difference was a sacrifice fly by Bret Barberie in the sixth inning. The Giants' lead over the Dodgers in the West is down to just one game.

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Rockies 16, Pirates 12
W: Reed (4-3)
L: Manzanillo (6-5)
HR- PIT: Orlando Merced 2 (12)
COL: Dante Bichette (30)

The Rockies won another high-scoring game at Mile High in front of a holiday crowd of 69.000. The Pirates took a 3-0 first-inning lead, led by a Al Martin triple and a Orlando Merced double, but Colorado quickly comes back with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. Pittsburgh, however, picked up two more in the top of the second, with the key hit being a Don Slaught single.

Merced smacked a home run down the left field line to give the Pirates a 6-2 lead in the top of the third, but the Rox scored three in the bottom of the third on a double by Mike Kingery and an error by Merced. The Pirates scored five more runs in the fourth on four extra-base hits, including Merced's second home run of the game. The Rox came back with four of their own in the bottom of the inning, with Charlie Hayes' double leading the way.

Dante Bichette's leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth cut the Pittsburgh lead to 11-10, and later in the inning, a two-run single by Eric Young gave the Rox the lead for good. They added one in the seventh and three in the eighth for good measure. The Pirates goy a run in the ninth to close out the scoring.

A total of fifteen pichers were used in the game, eight by the Rox and seven by the Pirates.

Now for my Central report:

Expos 3, Cubs 1 (ESPN: Gary Thorne, Dave Campbell)

Larry Walker's two-run homer in the top of the first got the Spos off to a flying start on their way to victory over the Cubbies. Marquis Grissom drove in the other run for Montreal, and Moises Alou provided two hits. Rey Sanchez drove in the only Chicago run. Ken Hill went seven on the mound for the NL East leaders to get his eighteenth win on just two days' rest, and John Wetteland recorded the save, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth and getting the last out when second baseman Mike Lansing gloved Sanchez's line drive before it could get down and either tie or win the game for Chicago.

W- Hill (18-11)
S- Wetteland (29)
L- Foster (3-5)

HR- MTL: Walker (25)

Astros 6, Phillies 3

The Phils turned out to be the cure for what ails the slumping Stros, who took control with four in the fifth to erase a 3-1 deficit. Jeff Bagwell was the main offensive force, scoring twice and driving in two more. Right fielder James Mouton added a pair of hits. Four different Phils got two hits, but the Fightins left ten men on base, dooming their chances. Greg Swindell pitched seven solid innings for Houston in victory, and John Hudek got the save. The Braves have already lost, so if the Reds can do the same against the Mets, the Stros will have picked up a game on each of the teams ahead of them.

W- Swindell (10-13)
S- Hudek (22)
L- Munoz (7-7)

Mets 8, Reds 4 (ESPN: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan)

The Mets continue their surge into the Wild Card race, defeating the Reds in front of a holiday sellout crowd at Riverfront Stadium. The big blow was a three-run seventh inning home run from Todd Hundley that broke open a 5-4 game. Ryan Thompson also went deep for New York, and Kevin McReynolds got a rare start in left field and showed a flash from days of yore, getting two hits and scoring three runs. The Reds got three hits from Barry Larkin, who's still playing with a severe groin pull that was thought earlier to be a tear. Left fielder Jerome Walton and center fielder Roberto Kelly also have two hits apiece for the NL Central leaders. whose lead is now down to five and a half games.

W- Hillman (2-3)
S- Franco (36)
L- Schourek (11-3)

HR- NYM: Hundley (24), Thompson (21)

Padres 10, Cardinals 8 (ESPN cutins for Gwynn at bats with St. Louis announcers Joe Buck, Al Hrabosky)

The Friars continued their improbable climb back into the race in the National League West by defeating the Cardinals at Busch. They hit four home runs in the game, but the winning run was scored on a single by catcher Brad Ausmus. This capped a three-for-five day for him in which he knocked in two runs, the other with a home run. Third baseman Archi Cianfrocco also homered and drove in three runs, and center fielder Derek Bell homered as part of his four-for-five day. Second baseman Geronimo Pena homered for St. Louis and drove in five of their eight runs. They also got two hits and two RBIs from shortstop Ozzie Smith. Tony Gwynn went one for five with a run scored.

The Padres are now just two and a half games back of the Giants in the West, though they still need to catch the second-place Dodgers as well.

The Geynn watch: 1 for 5 today; 204 for 510 on the season. Batting average to date: .400 exactly.

W- Mauser (4-5)
S- Hoffman (26)
L- Habyan (1-2)

HR- SD: Bell (17), Williams (13), Ausmus (9), Cianfrocco (5)
STL: Pena (13)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 81-56
Braves: 79-59- 2.5 GB
Mets: 72-66- 9.5 GB
Phillies: 68-70- 13.5 GB
Marlins: 59-79- 22.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 81-56
Astros: 76-62- 5.5 GB
Cubs: 63-74- 18 GB
Cardinals: 57-81- 24.5 GB
Pirates: 53-86- 29 GB

In the West:

Giants: 71-66
Dodgers: 70-67- 1 GB
Padres: 70-70- 2.5 GB
Rockies: 67-74- 6 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 79-59
Astros: 76-62- 3 GB

Next: We look at September 6.

Thoughts?
 
Don't forget the Rockies in the West either; they're just six back, and they're playing the worst team in the National League (the Pirates) right now.

The Braves are in pretty firm control of the Wild Card at the moment, but the Mets could make it a three-team race if they stay hot.
 
Now it's time for the National League Report for Tuesday, September 6. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 8, Los Angeles 0
W - John Smoltz (7-11)
L - Tom Candiotti (9-10)
HR - David Justice 2 (22), Jeff Blauser (7)

The Braves got everything they wanted on this night. Justice went deep twice, Candiotti's knuckleball led to three bases-loaded walks, and Smoltz went the distance with ten strikeouts.

San Francisco 6, Florida 3
W - Salomon Torres (4-8)
L - Chris Hammond (5-6)
HR - SF: Matt Williams (51), Barry Bonds (43)

This game turned on a throwing error from Kurt Abbott that would have been the last out of the fifth inning. Instead, Todd Benzinger reached and Williams hit a go-ahead home run on the next at-bat. The Giants never trailed again.They now lead the Dodgers by two games in the West.

Now for my Central report:

Cardinals 10, Padres 5

The Redbirds cooled off the Friars before a capacity house at Busch Stadium. Most of the fans were there to see Tony Gwynn chase .400, and he went one for four with an RBI. But they also thrilled to the performance of their heroes; Gregg Jefferies and Geronimo Pena each knocked in for runs to provide the bulk of the St. Louis offense. Ray Lankford scored three times, and even winning pitcher Bob Tewksbury got into the act, going two for three. Derek Bell drove in a pair for the Padres, and he and Bip Roberts had three hits apiece.

W- Tewksbury (14-12)
S- Habyan (3)
L- Sanders (6-9)

Gwynn watch: 1-4 today; 205-514 for the season; .399 for the year.

Cubs 10, Expos 9

The Cubs completed a marathon comeback with five in the bottom of the ninth and stunned the NL East leaders. Down 9-0 after three and a half and 9-1 at the seventh inning stretch, the Cubs got two in the seventh and two in the eighth, but still trailed 9-5 with one out and a runner on in the bottom of the ninth against Mel Rojas. Singles by Ryne Sandberg and Sammy Sosa loaded the bases, and Montreal skipper Felipe Alou turned to closer John Wetteland, who retired Glenallen Hill on a foul fly ball to left. A run scored, but the Cubs still trailed 9-6 with two out. Steve Buechele knocked in Sandberg with a base hit to make it 9-7, and then it was first baseman Eduardo Zambrano's turn at the plate. Here's the one and only Harry Caray:

"Zambrano stood and looked at that last one right down the pipe, it's 1-1. Expos lead 9-7, two outs, bottom of the ninth. Sosa at third, Buechele at first. We could use a gap shot right now. Of course, Eddie can just hit it over the fence and we can all get out of here, but that's gonna be hard against Wetteland. Checks the runners, here's the one-one...............DEEP TO CENTER, IT COULD BE, PLEASE LET IT BE.........I DON'T BELIEVE IT! CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! THEY CAME BACK ALL THE WAY! HOME RUN ZAMBRANO! HOLY COW!............"

Steve Stone: "You told them to score some runs at the seventh-inning stretch, Harry, and boy did they ever! What a comeback!"

Harry: "I wish my son Skip had listened to me like that! In case you still don't believe it, America, the final score again: Cubs 10, Expos 9."

W- Bautista (7-7)
L- Wetteland (4-7)

HR- MTL: Grissom (14), Cordero (18)
CHC: Buechele (19), Zambrano (7)

Phillies 3, Astros 2

Mariano Duncan's first-inning home run off of Doug Drabek was enough to send the Phils on their way to victory. It came after Drabek walks Lenny Dykstra on four pitches to start the game. An insurance run came in the sixth when Astros left fielder Luis Gonzalez lost Ricky Jordan's fly ball in the lights, allowing Dykstra to score. Jeff Bagwell and Ken Caminiti drove in the Houston runs.

Our final stop is Cincinnati, where the Reds meet the Mets, so we'll see if the Astros end up giving back the game they made up yesterday.

W- Schilling (6-9)
S- Jones (30)
L- Drabek (13-8)

HR- PHI: Duncan (9)

Reds 4, Mets 0

Erik Hanson and Johnny Ruffin combined on a five-hit shutout before a sellout crowd at Riverfront. Thomas Howard's two-run homer in the fourth gave the Reds all the runs they needed. Tony Fernandez and Roberto Kelly drove in insurance runs in the sixth. Jeff Kent had two of New York's five hits, while Fernandez had two of Cincinnati's six.

With the Astros' loss, the Reds once again lead the Central by six and a half games going into their home series with the Expos. Meanwhile, the Mets visit Denver.

W- Hanson (7-6)
L- Jones (13-10)

HR- CIN: Howard (6)

Finally, here's Joe Ray in the West:

Rockies 9, Pirates 8 (11 innings)
W: Munoz (8-7)
L: Wagner (8-11)
HR- PIT: Van Slyke (8)
COL: Meija 2 (6), Galarraga (37)

The Rockies scored a huge comeback win before over 60,000 at Mile High. The Pirates earned a 2-0 first inning lead, but lost it in the bottom of the first on a game-tying home run by Roberto Meija. It stayed that way until the fifth, when Don Slaught's two-run single scores Denny Neagle and Carlos Garcia to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead. The Rockies came back with a run when Ellis Burks' single scored Joe Girardi, and later tied the game at four on a Mike Kingery single. Jeff King answered with a two-run single to put the Bucs up 6-4. (Note: Joe Ray doesn't specify which inning for anything past the Pirates' fifth.)

Kingery's double and Girardi's single tied the game at six in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Orlando Merced singled, and Andy Van Slyke followed with a two-run homer to pit the visitors up 8-6. The Bucs had a chance for a bigger inning but left two men on. That came back to haunt them in the bottom of the ninth, when both Meija and Galarraga homered to tie the game at eight. The Rockies left two on, and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the eleventh, the Rox had two on and two out when Charlie Hayes lofted a base hit over Orlando Merced's head to score the winning run.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 81-57
Braves: 80-59- 1.5 GB
Mets: 72-67- 9.5 GB
Phillies: 69-70- 12.5 GB
Marlins: 59-80- 22.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 82-56
Astros: 76-63- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 64-74- 18 GB
Cardinals: 58-81- 24.5 GB
Pirates: 53-87- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 72-66
Dodgers: 70-68- 2 GB
Padres: 70-71- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 67-75- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 80-59
Astros: 76-63- 4 GB

Next: We look at September 7.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League Report for Wednesday, September 7. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 3, Los Angeles 2 (11 innings)
W - Steve Bedrosian (3-2)
L - Jim Gott (5-5)

It was a suicide squeeze for the Braves, but it turned into sudden death for the Dodgers in the eleventh. Tony Tarasco dropped the bunt; Jose Offerman fielded it, then threw it well toward one of the many Peachtree Streets in town. Making it even more heartbreaking, L.A. had tied it in the eighth inning on a two-run double from rookie sensation Raul Mondesi.

San Francisco 5, Florida 2
W - Billy Swift (10-7)
L - Charlie Hough (6-11)
HR - SF: Matt Williams (52)
FLA: Greg Colbrunn (9)

The big story here was Williams' 52nd home run, enabling him to take sole possession of the lead in the chase to beat Roger Maris' mark. Meanwhile, the Giants' lead over the Dodgers in the West is once again three games.

Now here's Joe Ray in the West:

Rockies 20, Pirates 11 (ESPN: Dave Sims, Jim Rooker)
W: Willie Blair (2-8)
L: Lieber (7-6)
HR- PIT: Orlando Merced (13)
COL: Andres Galarraga (38), Dante Bichette (31), Joe Girardi (6)

The Rockies won a wild one at Mile High in front of another huge crowd. scoring fourteen runs in the first three innings: five in the first, three more in the second on Galarraga's homer, and six more in the third on Girardi and Bichette's two-run shots and a two-run triple from Galarraga. In the fifth, The Bucs came back with four in the fifth on Orlando Merced's solo homer and a bases-clearing double by Tom Foley. Walt Weiss's two-run double keyed a five run Colorado fifth, but the Bucs batted around in the top of the sixth, scoring six runs. Merced and Al Martin each had a triple to key the rally. Charlie Hayes' double in the bottom of the sixth plated run number twenty for the Rox, and a Martin double closed out the scoring in the Pittsburgh ninth. Time of this offensive free-for-all: four hours and nineteen minutes.

Now for my Central report:

Padres 18, Cardinals 6 (ESPN alternate: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)

ESPN picked up this game because of Tony Gwynn's chase for .400, and he and the rest of the Pads put on an offensive show not soon to be forgotten. The biggest inning for them was the fourth, when they scored ten runs on eight hits. Center fielder Bill Bean led the way, going three for six and driving in six runs, but Gwynn was right behind him, going four for six and driving in three. Catcher Brian Johnson had three hits, scored three, and drove in three, and Phil Plantier and Eddie Williams had home runs. The Cards got three hits from Mark Whiten and a pair of RBIs each from Gregg Jefferies and shortstop Jose Oquendo.

The Padres are now just a half-game behind the Dodgers for second place in the West. As for the Cardinals, they've become the second team to be officially eliminated from Wild Card contention.

W- Hamilton (11-6)
L- Watson (8-7)

HR- SD: Williams (14), Plantier (22)

Gwynn watch: 4-6 today, 209-520 for the season, now batting .402.

Reds 5, Mets 3 (ESPN: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton)

The Reds took two out of three from the Mets at Riverfront, and the Amazins head for Denver with their playoff hopes on life support. Jacob Brumfield returned to the Cincinnati lineup and went three for four with a home run. Thomas Howard also kept his hot bat going, with two RBIs and two hits in four trips to the plate. David Segui, Jim Lindeman, and Joe Orsulak all homered for the Mets, but each was a rather harmless solo shot. John Roper only five innings, but that was enough to get the win, while Bret Saberhagen took the loss.

Depending on what happens in Houston between the Astros and Phillies, the Cincinnati lead in the Central could be seven and a half games before this night is through.

W- Roper (8-3)
S- Brantley (20)
L- Saberhagen (18-6)

HR- NYM: Orsulak (12), Segui (18), Lindeman (9)
CIN: Brumfield (6)

Astros 6, Phillies 3

The Stros kept their toes in the NL Central race by defeating the Phils at the Astrodome. Steve Finlay paced the offense by going four for four and driving in a pair of runs, and Andujar Cedeno's bases-clearing double capped off a four-run first that finished the evening for the National League champs before it could really get started. Craig Biggio had two hits and scored two runs. Starter Pete Harnisch, like Roper in Cincinnati, only got through the minimum five needed to get the win, but that was enough, as the Astros pen held the Phils hitless over the last four innings. John Hudek earned the save.

The Stros hope to continue their uphill battle this weekend in Miami against the Marlins.

W- Harnisch (10-5)
S- Hudek (23)
L- Williams (2-8)

Expos 8, Cubs 3

If the Spos were affected by yesterday's come-from-ahead loss for the ages, they sure did a good job of hiding it today, pounding out fifteen hits on their way to an easy win. Leading the way offensively was Larry Walker, who went four for five with a homer and four RBIs. Marquis Grissom, batting third today, added three hits and scores twice, and Moises Alou collected two hits and scored two runs. Jeff Fassero went seven strong innings on the mound to get the win. Steve Buechele homered for the Cubs.

The Spos finish this series tomorrow, then head to Cincinnati for a possible preview of the National League Championship Series over the weekend.

W- Fassero (9-7)
L- Trachsel (9-9)

HR- MTL: Walker (26)
CHC: Buechele (20)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 82-57
Braves: 81-59- 1.5 GB
Mets: 72-68- 10.5 GB
Phillies: 69-71- 13.5 GB
Marlins: 59-81- 23.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 83-56
Astros: 77-63- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 64-75- 19 GB
Cardinals: 58-82- 25.5 GB
Pirates: 53-88- 31 GB

In the West:

Giants: 73-66
Dodgers: 70-69- 3 GB
Padres: 71-71- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 68-75- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 81-59
Astros: 77-63- 4 GB

Next: We look at September 8.

Thoughts?
 
enabling him to take sole possession of the lead in the chase to beat Roger Maris' mark.
Seems Mr Griffin jr got out of gas halfway...unless he talk the NL.

If the padres sneak into playoffs that would prove that batting average Trump over HR as they would knock down the Giants.
 
Now it's time for the National League Report for Thursday, September 8. There are only two games, one from the Central and one from the East. Let's do the Central first:

Cubs 10, Expos 8

The wind was howling out of Wrigley Field today, and the home runs followed it: the two teams combined for no less than seven dingers. Mark Grace's fifth-inning blast put the Cubs ahead to stay, and Eddie Zambrano's bat stayed hot, as he crushed two more. Sammy Sosa added one of his own as well. Ryne Sandberg added two RBIs for Chicago. Darrin Fletcher was the main offensive force for Montreal, driving in three runs, while Larry Walker, Moises Alou, and second baseman Juan Bell all went deep.

A split was hardly the result the Expos, who are looking to put away the Braves in the NL East, were looking for from this series, especially with a weekend trip to Riverfront Stadium dead ahead. "We'll be al right," says manager Felipe Alou. "We just have to keep fighting and come out the other side of this thing."

W- Bullinger (11-3)
S- Myers (30)
L- Heredia (7-7)

HR- MTL: Walker (27), Alou (31), Bell (3)
CHC: Zambrano 2 (9), Grace (11), Sosa (33)

Now to the East:

Atlanta 6, San Francisco 4 (10 innings)

W - Steve Bedrosian (4-2)
L - William Van Landingham (8-6)
HR- ATL: David Justice (23), Mark Lemke (5)
SF: Barry Bonds (44)

Justice ended the game with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Matt Williams went 0 for 4. The Braves are now within half a game of the first-place Expos in the East. The Atlanta win also formally eliminates the Marlins from Wild Card contention.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 82-58
Braves: 82-59- .5 GB
Mets: 72-68- 10 GB
Phillies: 69-71- 13 GB
Marlins: 59-81- 23 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 83-56
Astros: 77-63- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 65-75- 18.5 GB
Cardinals: 58-82- 25.5 GB
Pirates: 53-88- 31 GB

In the West:

Giants: 73-67
Dodgers: 70-69- 2.5 GB
Padres: 71-71- 3 GB
Rockies: 68-75- 6.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 82-59
Astros: 77-63- 4.5 GB

Next: We look at September 9.

Thoughts?
 
No, those two games were regularly scheduled. I did the makeup games for the National League earlier in the thread.
Yeah i remember that but fell short(maybe this was an AL day) but just wait if expos react, collapsing before reaching before the finish line would be a hearthbreak for Quebec
 
Here's the National League Report for Friday, September 9. We'll begin with my Central report:

Padres 7, Pirates 5 (NBC: Greg Gumbel, Johnny Bench, Sam Nover)

We begin with the Gwynn watch, and Tony didn't disappoint, going two for three with an RBI. But it's catcher Brad Ausmus who led the San Diego offense, going two for three, driving in two runs, and scoring two. His two-run homer in the fifth put the game away for the surging Padres, who are bound and determined to make significant noise in the National League West. Former Pirate prospect Bip Roberts drove in another pair of San Diego runs. Orlando Merced led the Pirate offense with a pair of RBIs, but the Buccos drop their eighth in a row before close to 40,000 at Three Rivers, most of whom are there to see Gwynn.

Speaking of Merced, his father-in-law Bill Virdon, who serves as Bucco bench coach, ran the team tonight in the absence of Jim Leyland, who has dropped his appeal of a five-game suspension for flipping off umpire Harry Wendelstedt during the team's recent trip to Denver. He's expected to miss the current six-game homestand (taking an extra day for personal leave), and rejoin the Bucs in Montreal next weekend.

This loss was particularly painful because the Bucs got a runner into scoring position with two already in and nobody out off of a uncharacteristically rattled Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the ninth, but watched in disbelief as he rebounded to strike out two and get pinch hitter Dave Clark to tap weakly to first.

W- Benes (9-16)
S- Hoffman (27)
L- Hancock (0-1)

HR- SD: Ausmus (10)

Gwynn watch: 2-3 tonight, 221-523 for the season, currently batting .403

Cardinals 8, Dodgers 7 (NBC: Dick Enberg, Tom Seaver, Hannah Storm)

The Redbirds held off a furious ninth inning rally by the Men in Blue. Berrnard Gilkey powered the St. Louis offense, going three for five with a home run and five RBIs, while Ozzie Smith, Gregg Jefferies, and Todd Zeile each had two hits and scored twice. The Dodgers got two home runs and five RBIs from Mike Piazza in a losing effort, and Jose Offerman contributed two hits. They scored twice in the ninth and had the tying run at first, but St. Louis reliever Mike Perez got Eric Karros to fly out, ending the game.

As a result of this loss and the Padres' win, the Dodgers have fallen into third place in the West.

W- Palacios (4-9)
S- Perez (13)
L- Hershiser (7-8)

HR- LA: Piazza 2 (35)
STL: Gilkey (7)

Phillies 14, Cubs 3 (NBC to Philadelphia and Chicago: Jim Lampley, Jim Rooker)

The Phils had a grand old time at the Friendly Confines, racking up nineteen hits and looking like anything but a .500 ballclub. Leading the charge was Lenny Dykstra, who went five for six with an RBI and four runs scored. Mariano Duncan, starting this afternoon at short, and Darren Daulton each had three hits and three RBIs, and Jim Eisenreich went three for four. On the mound, Danny Jackson went all the way, giving up six hits and walking only one. Mike Morgan took the loss for the Cubbies, who got a home run from Steve Buechele.

The seventh inning stretch featured a duet of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray and Phils broadcaster Harry Kalas, which NBC's Jim Lampley called an "embarassment"; there's now an petition circulating around the city of Chicago seeking to bar Lampley from ever covering another sporting event within the city limits, while the Saturday Philadelphia Inquirer has a front-page cartoon of Lampley getting knocked out by Philly's number one cultural icon, Rocky Balboa, while the Harrys commentate in the background. (Note: Lampley apologized for his remarks during NFL Live two days later.)

W- Jackson (15-7)
L- Morgan (4-11)

HR- CHC: Buechele (21)

Reds 7, Expos 6 (11 innings; NBC: Bob Costas, Tony Kubek, Jim Gray)

In the game of the night so far, the Reds came from behind in the bottom of the eighth, scoring twice to tie the game at six. Each side threatened in the ninth to no avail. Fast forward to the bottom of the eleventh, where umpire Terry Tata is at the center of a controversy involving Expos closer John Wetteland. The Reds loaded the bases with a walk to Eddie Taubensee, a bloop hit by Jerome Walton, and an intentional walk ordered to Barry Larkin. Due to Larkin's bad groin, he was pulled in favor of Jose Rijo as a pinch runner. Reggie Sanders and Wetteland then engage in a pitched battle, with Sanders falling behind 0-2, taking two balls, then fouling off several pitches. Wetteland falls behind 3-2, and then the fun began. Here's Bob:

"This is it, everybody will be running. Tied at six, bottom of the eleventh. Wetteland takes a moment to wipe his face on this 80-degree night at Riverfront, and now........wait a minute.........Terry Tata's waving Taubensee in from third! The game is apparently over!"

Tony Kubek: "Huh?"

Costas: "Huh is right! Felipe Alou is all over Terry Tata. He can't believe it, whatever it is. Let's see if we can pick up the replay."

Kubek: "I can't see anything, Bob. Wetteland's just mopping his face. Pitchers do that all the time."

Costas: "Jim Gray apparently has something."

Gray: "Bob, Terry Tata ruled that Wetteland was going to his mouth while on the rubber, which is an automatic ball. His sleeve went across his mouth, which is a violation, so the Reds get a walk and the winning run scores, Back to you and Tony."

Kubek: "Talk about nickel and dime. How could he tell from in back of home plate?"

Costas: "Let's see if we can pick it up in slow motion. There it is........oh, that's wrong! He was going across his nose, not his mouth!"

Kubek: "If he touched his lip, though, even a glancing blow........yep, just lightly, but there it is. You can see it. A horrible way to end a great game."

Costas: "I guess we can call this one the Big Mouth Game or something. Final in eleven, the Reds 7, the Expos 6, and I've never seen anything like it. Forgive the pun, but there will be plenty of word of mouth about this one. Back to Ahmad Rashad in New York."

The Expos filed a protest, which was ultimately denied by National League President Leonard Coleman.

W- Brantley (7-8)
L- Wetteland (4-8)

HR- MTL: Alou (32)

Now here's Joe Ray in the West:

Mets 5, Rockies 3 (NBC: Charlie Jones, Fred Lynn)
W: Gozzo (7-6)
L: Nied (9-9)
S: Franco (37)
HR- COL: Bichette (32)

In front of 51,304 at Mile High Stadium, the Rockies blew a huge chance to cut into the Giants' lead in the West in this rare low-scoring game. The Mets strike first in the 4th on a sac fly by Jose Vizcaino which drove in Todd Hundley. Bichette tied it in the bottom of the fourth (Note: Joe Ray doesn't say how), but New York got the lead right back in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Bobby Bonilla and Jim Lindeman. They added another run in the seventh on a double by Hundley. Dante Bichette homered in the bottom of the seventh to make it 4-2, but a David Segui single in the top of the ninth gave the Mets a 5-2 lead. The Rockies scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to cut the Mets' lead to 5-3, but couldn't complete their comeback, leaving the tying run at third.

Now here's Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 8, San Francisco 5 (NBC - Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, Craig Sager)
W - Kent Mercker (11-5)
L - John Burkett (7-10)
S - Greg McMichael (27)
HR - SF: Matt Williams (53), Todd Benzinger (16)
ATL: Fred McGriff (48)

McGriff had a home run and bases-clearing double for a total of five RBIs. With this win and the Expos' loss, the Braves take over first place in the East by half a game.

Houston 6, Florida 1 (NBC - Don Criqui, Mike Schmidt)
W - Pete Harnisch (11-5)
L - David Weathers (9-14)
HR - HOU: Craig Biggio (8), Steve Finley (13)

Only about a hundred and fifty people were left at the ballpark when the game finally ended at 12:42 AM; there had been two hours and thirty-five minutes of rain delays.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Braves: 83-59
Expos: 82-59- .5 GB
Mets: 73-68- 9.5 GB
Phillies: 70-71- 12.5 GB
Marlins: 59-82- 23.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-56
Astros: 78-63- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 65-76- 19.5 GB
Cardinals: 58-83- 26.5 GB
Pirates: 53-89- 32 GB

In the West:

Giants: 73-68
Padres: 72-71- 2 GB
Dodgers: 70-70- 2.5 GB
Rockies: 68-76- 6.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

Expos: 82-59
Astros: 78-63- 4 GB

Next: We look at September 10.

Thoughts?
 
McGriff had a home run and bases-clearing double for a total of five RBIs. With this win and the Expos' loss, the Braves take over first place in the East by half a game.
Ouch for expos, they need to rebound quickly, is safer having the divisional title that the WC.

The seventh inning stretch featured a duet of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray and Phils broadcaster Harry Kalas, which NBC's Jim Lampley called an "embarassment"; there's now an petition circulating around the city of Chicago seeking to bar Lampley from ever covering another sporting event within the city limits, while the Saturday Philadelphia Inquirer has a front-page cartoon of Lampley getting knocked out by Philly's number one cultural icon, Rocky Balboa, while the Harrys commentate in the background. (Note: Lampley apologized for his remarks during NFL Live two days later.)
Did something like this happened OTL? or this was a ITTL exclusive event?
 
The thing with the national anthems was my invention........as far as I know. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if Harry the K did the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley while the Phillies were in town once they started going to guest singers after Harry Caray first got sick. I don't think they would have ever sung a duet, though.

The Expos certainly haven't fared very well in the Pythagorean universe, that's for sure. Two timelines, one collapse, and on their way to a second unless they can get themselves together in a hurry!
 
Here's the National League Report for Saturday, September 10. We begin with Desmond in the East:

San Francisco 6, Atlanta 5
W - Salomon Torres (5-8)
L - Mike Stanton (6-3)
S - Rod Beck (35)
HR - SF: Matt Williams (54), Royce Clayton (4)
ATL: David Justice (24), Fred McGriff (49), Ryan Klesko (22)

The Braves left runners on second and third to end the game.

Florida 7, Houston 1
W - Pat Rapp (11-8)
L - Shane Reynolds (10-8)
HR - HOU: Jeff Bagwell (43)
FLA: Gary Sheffield (30), Dave Magadan (2)

Rapp took a no-hitter into the eighth inning; it was broken up by the Bagwell home run.

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Rockies 13, Mets 6
W: Blair (3-8)
L: Gooden (3-6)
HR- COL: Galarraga (39), Bichette (33)

The Rockies pull off a big win in front of 64,000 at Mile High. After a second inning walk scores Ryan Thompson for the Mets, Colorado has one of their biggest innings of the season. They plate seven runs on seven hits, led by a Dante Bichette leadoff home run. Walt Weiss’s single scored Mike Kingery, and Eric Young’s single scored Joe Girardi. Nelson Liriano blasted a two-run triple, and Galarraga hit a homer of his own to give the Rockies a 7-1 lead.

The Mets cut the lead to 7-3 in the fourth with a triple by Jose Vizcainn and a double (Note: Joe Ray doesn't say by whom.), and to 8-5 in the top of the fifth with another Vizcaino triple. He drove in a total of four runs for the evening. The Rockies scored five more in the bottom of the fifth; Girardi led the charge with a two-run triple. Mauro Gozzo threw a wild pitch to make it 13-5. The Mets add one more on a pinch-hit triple in the ninth. (Note: Again, Joe Ray doesn't say by whom.)

Now for my Central report:

Pirates 14, Padres 0

The Pirates put a stop to their eight-game losing streak in style, pounding the Padres for eight runs in the first and going on from there. They piled up seventeen hits total, while Denny Neagle and Rick White combined on a six-hit shutout. If there's one piece of good news for the Padres, it's that Tony Gwynn went two for three to keep his average comfortably above .400. Meanwhile, the Bucs got a first-inning grand slam from Brian Hunter, and Jeff King went five for five, scoring three runs and driving in three more. Al Martin also had a perfect night at the plate, going three for three and driving in a pair. While the Bucs are going nowhere, this win was huge from a self-confidence standpoint.

W- Neagle (10-12)
L- Ashby (8-12)

HR- PIT: Hunter (14)

Gwynn watch: 2-3 tonight, 213-526 for the season, now batting .405

Expos 3, Reds 2

The Spos rebounded from last night's controversial loss by stopping a ninth-inning Reds rally short and preserving a much-needed win. John Wetteland gave up a two-run homer to Kevin Mitchell in the bottom of the ninth, and seemed to still be rattled from the events of the night before. But he got the last two outs and stranded the tying run at first. Larry Walker's seventh-inning home run opened the scoring and remained the difference in the game. Darrin Fletcher and Cliff Floyd had the other Montreal RBIs. Winning pitcher Ken Hill allowed only one Cincinnati hit through six, while Jose Rijo had a no-hitter going through five before Sean Berry broke it up with a leadoff single in the sixth. This series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Riverfront.

With this win, the Expos move back into first place in the East.

W- Hill (19-11)
S- Wetteland (30)
L- Rijo (10-8)

HR- MTL: Walker (28)
CIN: Mitchell (40)

Cardinals 13, Dodgers 12

Mark Whiten's walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth off of rookie pitcher Chan Ho Park scuttled a four-run comeback made by the Men in Blue in the top of the ninth. Down 12-8 with just three outs left, the Dodgers scored four runs on six hits and tied the game on a single by Eric Karros. But Whiten lined Park's 1-0 pitch over the left field wall to win the game for St. Louis. Even with the expanded rosters, said manager Tommy Lasorda afterward, he was out of reliable arms. "I'd used (Roger) McDowell and (Antonio) Osuna, and Todd (Worrell) has been a bit tired lately. I'd heard good things about the kid, so I figured he's at least give us a couple of innings before we had to go to the starters."

Brett Butler went three for six, (including a fifth-inning home run) and drove in three for the visitors. Tim Wallach and Mike Piazza also went deep for Los Angeles, while Whiten homered twice, including the game-winner. Gerald Perry also homered for the Redbirds. Whiten's total day: five for five, two home runs, four runs scored, and six runs batted in. Here's how Jack Buck called his walkoff shot:

"Whiten swings............LINE DRIVE DEEP TO LEFT, RODRIGUEZ BACK, BACK.........THAT'S A WINNER! Whiten hits his second home run of the night, and the Cardinals win it after all! They gave up four in the top of the ninth, but Mark Whiten takes the rookie Chan Ho Park downtown here in the bottom of the ninth, and the Cards score a very important win. Once again, your final: Cardinals 13, Dodgers 12. Joe will be back with the totals after this on KMOX St. Louis and the Cardinals Radio Network."

W- Frescatore (1-0)
L- Park (0-1)

HR- LA: Piazza (36), Butler (11), Wallach (27)
STL: Perry (4), Whiten (20)

Phillies 5, Cubs 2

For the second day in a row, the Phils put the Cubs away with ease. Mariano Duncan went two for four with a home run for the Phils, and starting pitcher Bobby Munoz helped his own cause with a second-inning home run. Mark Grace had both RBIs for the home squad, and he and Ryne Sandberg each had a pair of hits for Chicago.

W- Munoz (8-7)
S- Jones (31)
L- Foster (3-5)

HR- PHI: Duncan (10), Munoz (1)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 83-59
Braves: 83-60- .5 GB
Mets: 73-69- 10 GB
Phillies: 71-71- 12 GB
Marlins: 60-82- 23 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-57
Astros: 78-64- 6.5 GB
Cubs: 65-77- 19.5 GB
Cardinals: 59-83- 25.5 GB
Pirates: 54-89- 31 GB

In the West:

Giants: 74-68
Padres: 72-72- 3 GB
Dodgers: 70-71- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 68-77- 7.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 83-60
Astros: 78-64- 4.5 GB

Next: We look at September 11.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the National League Report for Sunday, September 11. We begin with my Central report:

Padres 5, Pirates 0

The Padres paid back the Bucs for last night's embarrassment, as Scott Sanders, Pedro Martinez and Tim Mauser combined on a two-hit shoutout. Sanders departed after seven due to a slight case of the sniffles, but he made the Pirate bats look sicker than he is, striking out twelve. Martinez adds two in his inning of work, bringing the total up to fourteen on the day. As for the Gwynn watch, Tony went three for five and drove in three, including two big insurance runs with a ninth-inning double. Three other Padres had two hits apiece, and Bip Roberts scored twice, while Eddie Williams homers. Don Slaught had both Pirate hits. Despite the Steelers being on at the same time, almost 30,000 showed up at Three Rivers Stadium to see a part of history in the making.

W- Sanders (7-9)
L- Smith (11-9)

HR- SD: Williams (15)

Gwynn watch: 3-5 today, 216-531 on the season, now batting .407

Cardinals 5, Dodgers 1

The Men in Blue are letting the NL West slip away, as they're now four games out. and could be four and a half back if the Giants beat the Braves tonight in Atlanta. Todd Zeile's first inning homer was all the Redbirds needed, and Ray Lankford had two hits and scores two runs. All the Dodgers could muster was a ninth-inning solo home run from Eric Karros, and they managed just three hits total on the day. "We're just not very good right now," sighs Tommy Lasorda after the game. Their next stop is Wrigley Field for three, but even the Cubs figure to be a challenge for the reeling Dodgers at this point.

W- Olivares (4-5)
L- Astacio (9-10)

HR- LA: Karros (16)
STL: Zeile (24)

Expos 5, Reds 4

The Spos held off a furious late rally to take two out of three in this possible NLCS preview. They built an early 5-0 lead, only to have the Reds cut it to 5-4 at the end of seven. Mel Rojas and John Wetteland then combined to retire the last seven Cincinnati hitters in a row to close out the game. Cliff Floyd bashed a two-run homer in the second to jumpstart the Montreal offense, and Larry Walker had a pair of hits and drove in two runs. Wil Cordero lent his support by going three for five. The Reds got three hits and two runs scored from Hal Morris, and two hits and two RBIs from Kevin Mitchell, but still fell just short. The Expos now hold a temporary one-game lead in the East, depending on events tonight in Atlanta. For the Reds, this series loss only delays the NL Central crown that is still almost certain.

W- Martinez (14-6)
S- Wetteland (31)
L- Smiley (13-12)

HR- MTL: Floyd (7)

Cubs 7, Phillies 5

The Cubs took the third game in this battle of National League also-rans. Eddie Zambrano belted a go-ahead pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the sixth off of Phils reliever David West to put the Cubbies ahead, and Ryne Sandberg uncorked a three-run bomb later in the inning to put the game away. Shawon Dunston provided valuable offensive support with two hits and three runs scored. For the Fightins, Mariano Duncan went three for five and scored a pair, while Ricky Jordan hit a solo home run. The Cubs get a taste of the pennant race beginning tomorrow night, when the slumping Dodgers stagger into Wrigleyville.

W- Banks (10-14)
S- Myers (30)
L- West (5-11)

HR- PHI: Jordan (9)
CHC: Zambrano (10), Sandberg (7)

Now here's Joe Ray in the West:

Rockies 16, Mets 8
W: Blair (4-8)
L: P. Smith (5-12)
HR- NYM: Lindeman (10), Thompson 2 (23),
COL: Bichette (34), Hayes (12)

The Rockies won in a slugfest on a warm afternoon (90 F at game time) in Denver before a crowd of over 64,000. . Dante Bichette hits a HR in his fourth straight game, a third-inning bomb to right that helped the Rox come back from a 4-0 deficit. They scored two in the third, three in the fourth, and six in the fifth. Ryan Thompson hits two homers in a losing cause, one in the first and another in the fifth, when he went back-to-back with Jim Lindeman.

Now to Desmond in the East:

San Francisco 9, Atlanta 7 (ESPN: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan)
W - Dave Burba (5-8)
L - Mike Stanton (6-4)
S - Rod Beck (36)
HR - SF: Matt Williams (55), Barry Bonds (45), Todd Benzinger (17)
ATL: Chipper Jones (1), Mike Kelly (4), Javy Lopez (20)

The Giants scored seven in the sixth to take the lead, but then had to withstand a late rally. Rookie Chipper Jones hit his first major league home

Houston 4, Florida 0
W - Pete Harnisch (12-5)
L - Mark Gardner (5-6)

Harnisch threw a complete game five-hit shutout for the Astros.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 84-59
Braves: 83-61- 1.5 GB
Mets: 73-70- 11 GB
Phillies: 71-72- 13 GB
Marlins: 60-83- 24 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-58
Astros: 79-64- 5.5 GB
Cubs: 66-77- 18.5 GB
Cardinals: 60-83- 24.5 GB
Pirates: 54-90- 31 GB

In the West:

Giants: 75-68
Padres: 73-72- 3 GB
Dodgers: 70-72- 4.5 GB
Rockies: 69-77- 7.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 83-61
Astros: 79-64- 3.5 GB

Next: We look at September 12.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the National League Report for Monday, September 12. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Montreal 13, NY Mets 4
W - Ken Hill (20-11)
L - Bobby Jones (13-11)
HR- MTL: Moises Alou 2 (34), Larry Walker (29), Sean Berry (12)
NYM: Bobby Bonilla (27)

The Expos gained a half-game on the idle Braves thanks to an opening line score of 2-1-3-1-3 (in other words, ten runs in the first five innings).

Now for my Central report:

Dodgers 7, Cubs 5

The Dodgers erupted for five in the eighth to turn back the Cubs and at least stay four and a half back in the NL West. Raul Mondesi's sacrifice fly gave them the lead for good, and he also had a home run for Los Angeles. Mike Piazza had two hits and drove in a pair, and Brett Butler contributed two hits and scored twice. Mark Grace drove in a pair for the Cubbies, as did starting pitcher Steve Trachsel, who was a perfect two for two at the plate. The Cubs threatened in the bottom of the ninth, getting two on with nobody out before Roger McDowell retired the side to get the save. Now it's up to the Dodgers' SoCal neighbors from San Diego to beat the Giants and get them within three and a half of the division lead.

W- Worrell (8-6)
S- McDowell (3)
L- Trachsel (9-10)

HR- LA: Mondesi (20)

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Padres 4, Giants 3
W: Martinez (5-3)
L: Monteleone (6-6)
S: Hoffman (28)
HR- SF: Bonds (46)
SD: Bell (18)
Gwynn: 3-4 on the day, 1 RBI. 219-535 (.409)

The Padres Drew closer in this amazing race, thanks mostly to Gwynn, who had three hits and the game-tying RBI. Phil Plantier's sac fly gave the Pads the lead in the bottom of the eighth, and Hoffman closed out the game in just nine pitches in the top of the ninth. The Padres are only two games behind San Francisco at the moment. As stated above, Gwynn is hitting .409, the highest batting average at this point in the season since the twenties. A crowd of over 44,000, the largest of the year this far. was present at Jack Murphy Stadium.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 85-59
Braves: 83-61- 2 GB
Mets: 73-71- 12 GB
Phillies: 71-72- 13.5 GB
Marlins: 60-83- 24.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-58
Astros: 79-64- 5.5 GB
Cubs: 66-78- 19 GB
Cardinals: 60-83- 24.5 GB
Pirates: 54-90- 31 GB

In the West:

Giants: 75-69
Padres: 74-72- 2 GB
Dodgers: 71-72- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 69-77- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 83-61
Astros: 79-64- 3.5 GB

Next: We look at September 13.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the National League Report for Tuesday, September 13. We begin with my Central report:

Dodgers 9, Cubs 4

The Men in Blue held serve in the battle to stay contenders in the NL West. Leading the way was rookie sensation Raul Mondesi, who went four for five with four RBIs, including a three-run homer. Tim Wallach also had a big day: three for four, two runs scored, and two RBIs, including a homer of his own. Tom Candiotti gave up just two runs on four hits through seven innings to get the win; the Cubs loaded the bases in the ninth and scored twice, but Todd Worrell came on to close things out. Rick Wilkins and Eddie Zambrano had the Chicago RBIs.

W- Candiotti (10-10)
L- Young (5-8)

HR- LA: Mondesi (21), Wallach (27), Rodriguez (11)

Rockies 9, Reds 1

The Rox laid a major whipping on the Central Division leaders before an almost-capacity crowd at Riverfront. Joe Girardi wenr three for five and drove in three runs, and Charlie Hayes also drove in three while getting a pair of hits. Nelson Liriano added a homer for the Blake Street Bombers. On the mound, Kevin Ritz left after four due to a hay fever attack, but Willie Blair allowed just two hits in three and a third innings to pick up the win for the third consecutive game. Erik Hanson took the loss for the Reds, and Barry Larkin had the only Cincinnati RBI.

W- Blair (5-8)
L- Hanson (7-7)

HR- COL: Liriano (4)

Braves 7, Astros 3

In the first game of this make-or-break series for the Stros' Wild Card hopes, they jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one.........and weren't heard from again. Fred McGriff became the fifth major leaguer this year to hit fifty home runs, and David Justice smacked two more. Jeff Blauser addeed two hits and two RBIs. The Stros got two hits each from James Mouton and Steve Finley, but are generally punchless after their big 'first inning. The Atlanta Wild Card lead is now four and a half, and their magic number to clinch is fifteen. The Stros need to win the next two to have any chance whatever to make the postseason, barring a miracle collapse by the Reds.

W- Avery (9-7)
S- McMichael (28)
L- Powell (0-1)

HR- ATL: McGriff (50), Justice 2 (25)

Marlins 6, Pirates 4

Gary Sheffield's eighth-inning single was the game-winning hit as the Fish downed the Bucs before less than eight thousand at Three Rivers. Sheffield went three for four on the evening with a home run, scored twice, and drove in three. Jerry Browne, normally at third base, moved to center field in place of the injured Chuck Carr and had a three-for-five night as well. Former Bucco Orestes Destrade got in on the act with two hits and two runs batted in. For the Bucs, Al Martin went three for five and scored twice, while Andy Van Slyke and Jeff King knocked in a pair of runs apiece.

W- Perez (5-1)
S- Nen (21)
L- Dewey (4-4)

HR- FLA: Sheffield (31)

Now here's Joe Ray in the West:

Giants 9, Padres 8 (10)
W: Jackson (5-2)
L: Hoffman (4-5)
HR- SD: Ausmus (10)
Gwynn: 2-6, 3 SO (221-541, 0.4085)

The Giants pulled out a huge win in San Diego, coming back from a 6-0 fourth-inning deficit. In the top of the fifth, they scored five times, with the key hit a Matt Williams two-run double. They scored twice more in the sixth, and tied the game in the eighth when Darryl Strawberry drew a bases-loaded walk. Williams double in the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth, and Mike Jackson shut the Padres sown in the bottom of the tenth to preserve the victory.

Finally, to Desmond in the East:

Montreal 3, NY Mets 2
W - Butch Henry (11-5)
L - Bobby Jones (13-12)
S - John Wetteland (31)

The Mets loaded the bases with none out in the nibth but failed to score. Wetteland retired the last two (Bobby Bonilla and Ryan Thompson) by way of strikeout.

St. Louis 9, Philadelphia 2
W - Allen Watson (9-7)
L - Bobby Muñoz (8-8)
HR - STL: Bernard Gilkey 2 (9), Mark Whiten (21)

The Cards scored four in the first and two in the third to cast the die.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 86-59
Braves: 84-61- 2 GB
Mets: 73-72- 13 GB
Phillies: 71-73- 14.5 GB
Marlins: 61-83- 24.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-59
Astros: 79-65- 5.5 GB
Cubs: 66-79- 19 GB
Cardinals: 61-83- 23.5 GB
Pirates: 54-91- 31 GB

In the West:

Giants: 76-69
Padres: 74-73- 3 GB
Dodgers: 72-72- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 70-77- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 84-61
Astros: 79-65- 4.5 GB

Next: We look at September 14.

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