September 23, 1995
Montreal Expos 5 (W: Martinez, 14-9; SV: Rojas, 29)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: McMichael, 7-2)
87-51
1st place
19 games ahead
EXPOS BEAT ATLANTA PEN; UNIT WINS 16TH AS SEATTLE PULLS AHEAD;
ANGELS LOSING STREAK REACHES 9;
PEREZ ARRESTED FOR RAPE AFTER LOSS VS BRAVES
The one positive Atlanta can take from the game is that Steve Avery pitched well, and it wasn't his fault the Braves lost.
The Braves got off to a quick start when Marquis Grissom tripled to open the game and then scored on a walk by starter Pedro Martinez after he'd walked one batter and hit another and then - probably wisely - walked David Justice with the bases loaded to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Avery made it stand up until he gave up a solo home run to Wil Cordero that tied the game at one in the top of the fifth, but the Braves got it back when Marquis Grissom doubled to right and Mike Devereaux, who replaced Grissom as a pinch-runner, scored on Fred McGriff's double to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. But in the seventh, Avery hurt his own cause.
With one out, rookie Yamil Benitez drew a walk, and Sean Berry singled through the pitcher's box to put runners on first and second. Both runners advanced when Avery threw a wild pitch, and the Braves intentionally walked Cordero to load the bases. Cox opted to let Avery stay in the game to get the two outs needed, and Avery struck out Mike Lansing for the second out of the inning. But he then drilled Mark Grudzielanek with a pitch, which tied the game, although Avery then struck out Darrin Fletcher to get out of the jam with the score tied at two. But when Greg McMichael took over in the eighth, he gave up what turned out to be the game-winning home run by Rondell White for the Expos. Montreal added two more cosmetic runs, and Mel Rojas shut the door on the Braves for a 5-2 win.
The Mariners went with their best, Randy Johnson, and played their best. Seattle raced out to a four-run lead in the bottom of the first, a three-run bomb by Jay Buhner serving as the key blow. Buhner later homered again while Johnson gave up four hits while striking out 15 batters and lifting his record to 16-2. The Angels came up in the top of the second with the game as good as over after Texas raced out to a 5-0 lead courtesy of long bombs by Juan Gonzalez and Mickey Tettleton; the game ended 5-1, California's ninth straight loss. The Yankees swept their first doubleheader in three years with victories of 5-2 and 3-1 over Detroit, John Wetteland getting saves in both to run his season total to 29. The Red Sox won the opener of their doubleheader as Roger Clemens struck out five in six innings for a 5-0 win, but the Blue Jays won the nightcap, 8-6, as Tim Wakefield lost for the sixth time. Albert Belle golfed two home runs and Dennis Martinez won his 11th game as the Indians beat the Royals, 7-3. Newcomer Jimmy Haynes won his second game as a major league pitcher by giving up just three hits while Baltimore slammed four homers in a 9-3 rout of the Brewers. The White Sox banged out 20 hits and 14 runs against three Twins pitchers that ended in a 14-4 laugher and lifted Chicago to an 8-0 record against Minnesota this year.
The Colorado Rockies have scored more runs than any team in the National League; they've also been shut out 11 times, second most in the majors. The 11th shutout came tonight, a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Giants that saw Colorado only able to muster a total of two hits against four San Francisco pitchers. Chris Gwynn's walkoff two-run bomb in the ninth beat his brother (Tony's) team, San Diego, 4-2, a win that leaves the Dodgers just 1/2 game behind the Rockies. Jose Hernandez hit a tie-breaking home run in the sixth, and Mark Grace added a two-run single in the ninth, but the ending of the Cubs-Pirates game was scintillating enough to earn Randy Myers his 36th save in 42 chances. The Cubs took an 8-4 lead into the ninth, but when Anthony Young - yes, the same one who holds the MLB record for 27 consecutive losing decisions - gave up a single to Midre Cummings and a walk to Al Martin, Myers got the call to save the day. He retired the first two batters - but walked the next two, forcing in a run and bringing Nelson Liriano to the plate as the winning run. Naturally, Liriano struck out and the Cubs escaped the lackluster Pirates, 8-5. The Reds and Phillies had to go 13 innings before Philly prevailed on a bases loaded walk to Mark Whiten, 3-2. Dave Magadan drove in two runs while Donnie Wall won his third straight start in Houston's 7-3 win over the Cardinals. Gary Sheffield's solo homer broke up a 3-3 tie in the seventh, and the Marlins held on for a 4-3 win over the Mets in the ongoing battle for "Who Will Finish Last This Year in the NL East?" Only five games separate last place from second in the NL East.
Will Dallas Green return to the Mets? He's noncommittal, and the Mets improved last year but perhaps not this year. A formal announcement is expected next week.
Will Barry Bonds return to baseball at all? The 31-year old Giants leftfielder says he's getting tired of getting blamed because his team isn't any good, and to be fair, he does have a point. Bonds has appeared in every game this season and will lead the NL in On Base Percentage as well as walks, and he's accomplished those numbers despite the absence of slugger Matt Williams to protect him for ten weeks of the season. My assumption is that Bonds is disappointed because his team was in pennant races the previous five seasons and now they aren't. The Giants have a plethora of problems, but Bonds's hitting isn't one of them. Watch for Bonds to return and, if the Giants aren't any good next year, demand a trade to some place he can win a World Series.
And a tragic story out of Atlanta as Carlos Perez has been accused of rape, which puts his loss in last night's game with the Braves into perspective. Perez apparently met a 20-year old woman in an Atlanta bar after the game last night and is accused of forcing the woman into a taxi and back to his hotel room, where he is accused of raping her. Details will be forthcoming as they are known.
The Braves send Kent Mercker to the hill tomorrow for their final regular season game at Fulton County Stadium this year. He will be opposed by Tavo Alvarez of the Expos. After a travel day, the Braves will close out the season with five straight road games against the Phillies and Mets. A reminder that Mark Belanger of the Dodgers made up the schedule.
Montreal Expos 5 (W: Martinez, 14-9; SV: Rojas, 29)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: McMichael, 7-2)
87-51
1st place
19 games ahead
EXPOS BEAT ATLANTA PEN; UNIT WINS 16TH AS SEATTLE PULLS AHEAD;
ANGELS LOSING STREAK REACHES 9;
PEREZ ARRESTED FOR RAPE AFTER LOSS VS BRAVES
The one positive Atlanta can take from the game is that Steve Avery pitched well, and it wasn't his fault the Braves lost.
The Braves got off to a quick start when Marquis Grissom tripled to open the game and then scored on a walk by starter Pedro Martinez after he'd walked one batter and hit another and then - probably wisely - walked David Justice with the bases loaded to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Avery made it stand up until he gave up a solo home run to Wil Cordero that tied the game at one in the top of the fifth, but the Braves got it back when Marquis Grissom doubled to right and Mike Devereaux, who replaced Grissom as a pinch-runner, scored on Fred McGriff's double to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. But in the seventh, Avery hurt his own cause.
With one out, rookie Yamil Benitez drew a walk, and Sean Berry singled through the pitcher's box to put runners on first and second. Both runners advanced when Avery threw a wild pitch, and the Braves intentionally walked Cordero to load the bases. Cox opted to let Avery stay in the game to get the two outs needed, and Avery struck out Mike Lansing for the second out of the inning. But he then drilled Mark Grudzielanek with a pitch, which tied the game, although Avery then struck out Darrin Fletcher to get out of the jam with the score tied at two. But when Greg McMichael took over in the eighth, he gave up what turned out to be the game-winning home run by Rondell White for the Expos. Montreal added two more cosmetic runs, and Mel Rojas shut the door on the Braves for a 5-2 win.
The Mariners went with their best, Randy Johnson, and played their best. Seattle raced out to a four-run lead in the bottom of the first, a three-run bomb by Jay Buhner serving as the key blow. Buhner later homered again while Johnson gave up four hits while striking out 15 batters and lifting his record to 16-2. The Angels came up in the top of the second with the game as good as over after Texas raced out to a 5-0 lead courtesy of long bombs by Juan Gonzalez and Mickey Tettleton; the game ended 5-1, California's ninth straight loss. The Yankees swept their first doubleheader in three years with victories of 5-2 and 3-1 over Detroit, John Wetteland getting saves in both to run his season total to 29. The Red Sox won the opener of their doubleheader as Roger Clemens struck out five in six innings for a 5-0 win, but the Blue Jays won the nightcap, 8-6, as Tim Wakefield lost for the sixth time. Albert Belle golfed two home runs and Dennis Martinez won his 11th game as the Indians beat the Royals, 7-3. Newcomer Jimmy Haynes won his second game as a major league pitcher by giving up just three hits while Baltimore slammed four homers in a 9-3 rout of the Brewers. The White Sox banged out 20 hits and 14 runs against three Twins pitchers that ended in a 14-4 laugher and lifted Chicago to an 8-0 record against Minnesota this year.
The Colorado Rockies have scored more runs than any team in the National League; they've also been shut out 11 times, second most in the majors. The 11th shutout came tonight, a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Giants that saw Colorado only able to muster a total of two hits against four San Francisco pitchers. Chris Gwynn's walkoff two-run bomb in the ninth beat his brother (Tony's) team, San Diego, 4-2, a win that leaves the Dodgers just 1/2 game behind the Rockies. Jose Hernandez hit a tie-breaking home run in the sixth, and Mark Grace added a two-run single in the ninth, but the ending of the Cubs-Pirates game was scintillating enough to earn Randy Myers his 36th save in 42 chances. The Cubs took an 8-4 lead into the ninth, but when Anthony Young - yes, the same one who holds the MLB record for 27 consecutive losing decisions - gave up a single to Midre Cummings and a walk to Al Martin, Myers got the call to save the day. He retired the first two batters - but walked the next two, forcing in a run and bringing Nelson Liriano to the plate as the winning run. Naturally, Liriano struck out and the Cubs escaped the lackluster Pirates, 8-5. The Reds and Phillies had to go 13 innings before Philly prevailed on a bases loaded walk to Mark Whiten, 3-2. Dave Magadan drove in two runs while Donnie Wall won his third straight start in Houston's 7-3 win over the Cardinals. Gary Sheffield's solo homer broke up a 3-3 tie in the seventh, and the Marlins held on for a 4-3 win over the Mets in the ongoing battle for "Who Will Finish Last This Year in the NL East?" Only five games separate last place from second in the NL East.
Will Dallas Green return to the Mets? He's noncommittal, and the Mets improved last year but perhaps not this year. A formal announcement is expected next week.
Will Barry Bonds return to baseball at all? The 31-year old Giants leftfielder says he's getting tired of getting blamed because his team isn't any good, and to be fair, he does have a point. Bonds has appeared in every game this season and will lead the NL in On Base Percentage as well as walks, and he's accomplished those numbers despite the absence of slugger Matt Williams to protect him for ten weeks of the season. My assumption is that Bonds is disappointed because his team was in pennant races the previous five seasons and now they aren't. The Giants have a plethora of problems, but Bonds's hitting isn't one of them. Watch for Bonds to return and, if the Giants aren't any good next year, demand a trade to some place he can win a World Series.
And a tragic story out of Atlanta as Carlos Perez has been accused of rape, which puts his loss in last night's game with the Braves into perspective. Perez apparently met a 20-year old woman in an Atlanta bar after the game last night and is accused of forcing the woman into a taxi and back to his hotel room, where he is accused of raping her. Details will be forthcoming as they are known.
The Braves send Kent Mercker to the hill tomorrow for their final regular season game at Fulton County Stadium this year. He will be opposed by Tavo Alvarez of the Expos. After a travel day, the Braves will close out the season with five straight road games against the Phillies and Mets. A reminder that Mark Belanger of the Dodgers made up the schedule.