1995 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

April 19, 1995
NL WEST: POTENTIAL FOR THE BEST RACE IN THE LEAGUE

The NL East is a two-team race. Everyone that knows anything about baseball knows that. The NL Central potentially has a four-team chase depending on extraneous factors and who comes through. And then there's the NL West, which has the potential to be a three- or even four-team race depending on how it shakes out. The Dodgers were leading at the strike last year, and the Giants won 103 games the year before only to miss the playoffs due to the Braves winning 104 and there being no wildcard. The Braves are gone. Unfortunately for the Giants, so is their starting pitching.

The Giants do have what might be the best 1-2 punch in all of baseball at the plate with Barry Bonds and Matt Williams, who was on a pace to break Roger Maris's single-season HR record last year when the strike hit. They also have one of the best closers in the game in Rod Beck. Problem? They have almost nobody else in the lineup that opposing pitchers will have to fear - and closers only get the ball if the team has the lead in the 8th or 9th inning. And with this Giants pitching staff that may be a problem. Mark Leiter, Terry Mulholland, and Mark Portugal anchor a staff that, well, isn't very good to put it mildly - and all 3 of them are 32 years old and beginning the decline phase of their pitching careers.Trevor Wilson is likely to be the fourth starter. The most likely scenario for the Giants is they begin unloading players after the All-Star Game who are potential free agents and build for the future. It must be acknowledged that most of their success in 1993 was due to a high number of players - including their two starters, John Burkett and Bill Swift - having career years. (Barry Bonds is the obvious exception to this rule on the Giants). The Giants may contend, but they'll need another move or two. Kirt Manwaring and Robby Thompson bring valuable experience, and Dusty Baker is demonstrating he's a competent manager, but the Giants will need a few breaks to go their way.

So, too, will the San Diego Padres, who are the odd team out this year. The Padres unloaded high-priced free agents in their 1993 salary purge (Fred McGriff to Atlanta being the most famous), and they have made a trade they think will help build them for the future, acquiring Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Jody Reed, and Steve Finley. There's talent on the mound with the "Andy Twins" - Ashby and Benes - and there's also an old-timer making another run, Fernando Valenzuela, whose 1981 days of being a marquee attraction ended, well, around the All-Star break of 1981. They also have Trevor Hoffman in the bullpen, and San Diego has a much better chance of reaching their closer with a lead than do the Giants. The Padres are like the Giants but with a better chance to make a run at the flag.

And then there's the real wild card in the deck, the Colorado Rockies. Boosted by the sales of 50,000 season ticket holders, the Rockies are making sure amateur night in Denver gets serious REAL quickly. And the new park has the potential for mischief as well. If the Rockies can keep games close - and they have some powerful offensive bats with the addition of Larry Walker to those of Andres Galarraga, Dante Bichette, and Vinny Castilla - they will have a home field advantage like no team since the 1987 Minnesota Twins, and that team won it all. The Rockies are trying to become Atlanta West, and they've done it by adding former Braves players who are no longer of any service to Atlanta. Two of their starting pitchers - Marvin Freeman and Armando Reynoso - were members of the 1991 Braves team that won the pennant, and they grabbed an unprotected Vinny Castilla in the expansion draft to the chagrin of the Braves who wanted to keep him but wanted to keep Chipper Jones even more. The Rockies even have solid defense up the middle with Walt Weiss at short, and Joe Girardi handles a pitching staff as well as any catcher in the league. The gaping flaw for the Colorado is the lack of a lights out closer. They will go with the bullpen by committee and hope for the best even though it never works. But if the Rockies are in the hunt at the trade deadline, look for them to make a deal for an available closer to cash in on the pennant.

And speaking of cash, we are left with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the most and go off as the clear favorite even though it's not for certain that they will be able to cash in this year in this division. The Dodgers have bid farewell to their pitcher of the 80s, Orel Hershiser, and they also jettisoned Kevin Gross. The Dodgers are in the midst of a youth movement to mimic what Montreal attempted last year (it is just coincidence that Manager Tom Lasorda used to be at the Dodger minor league facility in uh Montreal). The Dodgers continue to win the annual Dodger of the Year, I'm sorry, Rookie of the Year award as they have the last three seasons with Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, and Raoul Mondesi. This year's candidate is Japanese import Hideo Nomo, who reminds fans of Valenzuela and not merely because both were pitchers from other nations. Valenzuela's noticeable tic was that he rolled his eyes upward during delivery of a pitch. Nomo takes a very long windup before releasing the pitch, an advantage at surprising the hitter and disrupting his timing but a major disadvantage when he has someone on first base with speed. LA will go with a "United Nations" staff of knuckleballer Tom Candiotti (US), Ramon Martinez and Pedro Astascio (Dominican Republic), Nomo (Japan), Ismael Valdez (Mexico), and potentially newcomer Chan Ho Park (South Korea).

The Dodgers will have the best pitching staff and some good offense, the Rockies will have an okay pitching staff and a blistering offense. These two are likely to battle it out, but you have to give LA the advantage over a young team in the pennant race, particularly with Tom Lasorda still calling the shots.

PREDICTED FINISH
1) Los Angeles
2) Colorado
3) San Diego
4) San Francisco

Tomorrow: AL East

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 20, 1995
AL EAST PREVIEW: CAN THE YANKEES FINALLY WIN IT?

It has been fourteen years since the New York Yankees last played in a World Series, seventeen since they last won it. Since the Yankees won their first World Series in 1923, the longest previous drought between appearances was 12 years (1964-76), and the longest between wins was 15 years (1962-1977). The Yankees were running away with the division last year and had the best record in the AL (second-best in baseball behind Montreal) when the strike ended Don Mattingly's best chance to make the playoffs. Mattingly returns this year, a shell of the player he once was, hoping to capture the elusive championship. And the supporting cast is good enough to suggest the Yankees should probably win the division. The suspension of George Steinbrenner from overseeing day-to-day operations has apparently brought a level of stability to the organization - enough so that two Yankees, manager Buck Showalter and outfielder Danny Tartabull, both made appearances on TV's number one show last fall during the strike. That's the kind of thing that never would have happened ten years ago, but the Yankees in the second Steinbrenner era seem a bit more relaxed than the old days.

The Yankees will put the same core team on the field as last year with the exceptions of shortstop, where they have upgraded from Mike Gallego to Tony Fernandez, and left field where Gerald Williams is an even match for the departed Luis Polonia. And the pitching has been solidified with the addition of 1993 AL Cy Young winner "Black" Jack McDowell. Terry Mulholland and Jim Abbot have left, but the Yankees have perhaps the most solid rotation in the AL with McDowell, the always underrated Jimmy Key, and Any Pettite. They've also added one of the game's top closers in John Wetteland, so the Yankees present a formidable foe for the rest of the AL. Unless. You see that's just the thing with the Yankees, they have the money to put a powerful lineup on the field at all times, but they haven't done anything in 15 years. The wildcard gives them a back door that wasn't there in previous years, but the real question will be whether Mattingly's usual spring slump - hes a notoriously late starter at finding his groove - goes on longer than normal or if they can find a fourth and fifth starter (they can - they can always trade for somebody).

The Orioles, meanwhile, figure to have a successful year at the box office regardless. Cal Ripken is on the verge of breaking a seemingly unbreakable record, Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 games played, which has stood for over 50 years. If Ripken can put together another year like 1991 then the addition of Kevin Brown to Mike Mussina may pay off with a playoff run. However, the O's do not have a closer as they let Lee Smith go, and Mark Eichorn is out indefinitely due to shoulder surgery. They also lost Will Clark to the Rangers, but replace him with his college teammate and longtime personal rival, Rafael Palmeiro. If the rumored 100 mph fastball of Armando Benitez has the zip advertised and he can maintain movement, it's entirely possibly the young guy could replace Smith effectively. Baltimore will field a team that is good but not great this year, and it will take big years from a couple of guys (Ripken, Palmeiro and maybe Chris Hoiles) to deliver a spot in the playoffs to Baltimore.

Toronto may be the most anonymous back-to-back World Series winner in baseball history. Yes, folks, the Blue Jays are (technically) still the champions since there was no series last year. The core of the championship teams - Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Paul Molitor, Devon White, and even John Olerud - returns with Cito Gaston, but the pitching staff is a shell of itself, although the return of David Cone at least mitigates some of last year's debacle. But Duane Ward missed all of last season with an injury, and his return status is doubtful. And Juan Guzman, who at times looked like one of the five best pitchers in the game, was awful last season. His problem has always been inconsistency, and his 5.68 ERA in 1994 doesn't lend itself to optimism. Don't sell the Jays short as this is still largely the same team that won the 1992 and 1993 World Series, but they need a more stable bullpen situation, and they need the three new 22-year olds in their starting lineup - Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, and Alex Gonzalez - to play beyond their years.

Will the addition of Jose Canseco to protect Mo Vaughan in the Boston lineup be enough? The Red Sox hope so, just like they hope for the return to form of Roger Clemens. The Rocket turns 33 this August, and he hasn't been the same since winning 18 games in 1992, the year he won his fourth ERA title. Clemens is 20-21 in the past two seasons, and he isn't getting any younger. And who exactly is behind him? Two former Pirates, Zane Smith and Tim Wakefield, make up half of the other four spots in a five-man rotation. Smith had a couple of good seasons in Pittsburgh - when they Pirates had Barry Bonds. And a knuckleballer in a hitter's park like Fenway may be courting disaster. Erik Hanson is likely the other starter, and the bullpen is manned by guys who used to be famous for being sort of good, Rick Aguilera and Stan Belinda. But the Red Sox are frustrated, too, in that they attempted to get Marquis Grissom via trade only to see him go to the Braves, leaving Lee Tinsley to cover the massive center field in Fenway.

And then there's Detroit, a team whose only asset is their manager showed how much he was one of the boys by refusing to manage replacement players. Oh yeah, and the manager is one of the all-time greats, future Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson. Quite frankly, Detroit has nothing. They haven't had a pitching staff since 1987 (having been last in the league in ERA four times during that stretch) and other than Cecil Fielder and perhaps Travis Fryman, the long boomers of a few years ago are gone. Don't be surprised if this is Anderson's last year in Detroit because this team is just not very good. And not even Sparky Anderson can create ability where none exists. Detroit is a rebuilding project.


PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1) New York Yankees
2) Toronto
3) Baltimore
4) Boston
5) Detroit

Tomorrow: AL Central

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 21, 1995
AL CENTRAL: CAN THE INDIANS RUN AWAY WITH IT?

By all acoounts, it looks like a two-team race for the division flag in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox won the 1993 flag, and they were leading when the strike began last season. Cleveland has shaken off the tragedy of losing two pitchers, including closer Steve Olin, in a tragic boating accident two years ago and appears poised to party like it's 1954 - the last time the Tribe won a pennant and then lost the World Series in one of the most stunning sweeps of all-time. The prospective leaders of each team are the guy who won the last two MVPs, Frank Thomas of Chicago, and the guy who should have won that second one, Kenny Lofton of Cleveland. Lofton created 107 runs as the leadoff hitter, and he's become the premiere base stealer in baseball now that Rickey Henderson's legs have aged. But if you line them up and compare them by position then it is likely Cleveland prevails.

That's not to say the Tribe don't have at least two serious question marks. Their infield defense (excluding the dynamic Omar Vizquel) leaves much to be desired, particularly Carlos Baerga at second base. Will Albert Belle be a problem child or a problem for the competition? And finally, can the Tribe replace Olin with a closer capable of similar results? The Indians only had 21 saves in 113 games - and their starters threw 17 complete games. To a decent pitching staff of Dennis Martinez and Charles Nagy, the Tribe has added the one-time superstar Orel Hershiser plus the capable journeman fourth/fifth starter Bud Black. The Indians will score runs, the question is whether they can prevent the opposition from doing the same. They need someone from the triumvirate of Eric Plunk, Julian Tavarez, or Jose Mesa to step up and be Olin or even the mid-80s reliever Doug Jones. Get some quality pitching, and the Indians could run away with this division. And if 43-year old Dave Winfield can continue to build on his legend, they may do so anyway.

The White Sox have a better rotation, but they also have more questions. Jim Abbott, the ace of the Angels with 18 wins only four years ago, comes to Chicago as the #4 starter. The 1-2 punch of Alex Fernandez and Wilson Alvarez has great potential, but they've also lost their ace, Jack McDowell, to the Yankees. If McDowell were still on the White Sox, you'd have to give them the nod for the division. But the Sox also have Mike Devereaux, a good defensive outfielder, attempting to regain his old magic in right field where the latest attempts at the same from Ellis Burks and Darrin Jackson have obviously not gone so well. Tim Raines continues to add to his potential Hall of Fame numbers, but he also continues to do so under the cloak of anonymity. How many other players with over 700 steals were largely anonymous? The four guys ahead of him on the all-time stolen bases list are in the Hall, and he has a career average over .300. Raines is perhaps the most underappreciated star of our lifetimes, largely because he has played for two teams nobody overly cares about. The Sox outfield is not quite as talented overall as Cleveland's outfield of Manny Ramirez/Kenny Lofton/Albert Belle, but 2/3 of it is about as good, Devereaux being the obvious exception.

Speaking of outfields, the Kansas City Royals lost their entire starting outfield from last year in a cost-cutting measure. It was the worst outfield in baseball in terms of offensive output, but the replacements aren't likely to do any better. Rookies Michael Tucker and Joey Vitello will be joined by Tom Goodwin, at least until up-and-coming star Johnny Damon is ready to play in the majors. And KC lost their biggest name pitcher, David Cone, in order to keep Kevin Appier, who has nobody behind him. Throw in the firing of manager and tempest in a teapot Hal McRae, and it doesn't seem the Royals figure to be there at the end.

The same can be said to an even greater extent about the Minnesota Twins. This team has gone from the worst in the AL in 1990 to the champions in 1991 - and back. Only nine players remain from that team - three of them being Chuck Knoblauch, Scott Leius, and Kirby Puckett - and after a 20-win campaign in 1991, pitcher Scott Erickson has been two ticks short of terrible. The Twins' rotation will feature Brad Radke, Kevin Tapani, Erickson, and Mike Trombley. Pat Mahomes will likely spot start as the fifth man when necessary. Rick Aguilera will close - in the rare event of the Twins actually being in the lead late. This team is liable to chase Kansas City - to the bottom of the division.

And that leaves the Milwaukee Brewers, another small-market club, is a walking M*A*S*H unit, a team that is probably third-best in the division regardless, but is two free agent signings they cannot afford away from winning the division - and about as many injuries away from finishing last in the entire AL. They have no power (fewest HRs and RBIs in all of baseball last year), no depth whatsoever, no relief pitching - and nothing coming up in the farm system, either. Their four-man rotation of Ricky Bones, Cal Eldred, Bob Scanlon, and Bill Wegman is decent, and Mike Fetters did a decent job (17 saves) coming out of the bullpen. But their catcher (Joe Oliver) only played 6 games with Cincinnati last year and has arthritic knees, RBI guy Dave Nilsson is out until June with the Ross River Virus, and BJ Surhoff hasn't been the same since having a stomach muscle pull last season, either. In short, Milwaukee will hope to finish third but may finish worse.

PREDICTIONS
1) Cleveland
2) Chicago White Sox
3) Milwaukee
4) Kansas City
5) Minnesota

Tomorrow: AL WEST

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 22, 1995
AL WEST: BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAS TO WIN IT

For all of the bad things the baseball strike did to the sport, it's possible there was at least one good thing that happened: the strike prevented the debacle of a team with a losing record winning its division and making the playoffs for the first time in MLB history. The Texas Rangers were 52-62 - a full ten games under .500 last August 11 - when the plug was pulled. As if that isn't bad enough, the California Angels were an insane 21 games under .500 - but just 5 1/2 games behind in the standings. And the team-by-team records made virtually no sense. Texas was 1-9 against the Mariners, 3-7 against the Athletics, and 4-6 against the Angels. Almost their entire gap between wins and losses came from within a division they were leading. What if they had made the playoffs and beaten Cleveland in the first round - as they had 7 of the 12 times the two teams met? And fans, get ready, because it is probably going to happen somebody where a team with a losing record wins its division and makes the playoffs, reducing the entire regular season to a farce. When you have more divisions, this becomes more likely. It may happen as soon as this year: none of the four teams in the division is overly impressive, all have gaping flaws - and one of them is going to win the division simply because someone has to win it. But to be fair, each team has made changes in their effort to win, too.

Two of the four teams in the West - Texas and Seattle - have never won a division title. Texas has a brand new manager, Johnny Oates, who had a winning record and a Manager of the Year award in Baltimore but was sent packing by Peter Angelos. He landed in Dallas after the Rangers fired Kevin Kennedy, who had them in first place, and Kennedy landed in Boston (sound familiar?) when the Red Sox fired Butch Hobson. It's possible no team in baseball had more gains and losses in the free agent market than did the Rangers. Their most notable losses are their top starting pitcher (Kevin Brown), their leading home run slugger (Jose Canseco), and their closer (Tom Henke). But they grabbed Bob Tewksbury and Kevin Gross, who may be able to do as well as Brown has of late, added underrated catcher Mickey Tettleton, base stealer Otis Nixon, and closer Roger McDowell. Presumably, Tettleton will DH since nobody can imagine him replacing Pudge Rodriguez, but he will also provide relief when Pudge needs a day off. With the young Darren Oliver moving to the bullpen, the Rangers may have what it takes to win the division even if they go no further.

The excitement, however, is in Seattle for the first time ever. Last July, the Mariners promoted 18-year old 1993 number one draft pick Alex Rodriguez to the majors for an unsuccessful trial run where he hit .204 in 17 games with no home runs. Combine the all-world talents of Ken Griffey Jr in the outfield, where he has some solid offensive support from Jay Buhner, the bats of Tino and Edgar Martinez, and a pitching staff of Randy Johnson, Chris Bosio, and Tim Belcher, and there's every reason to believe the Mariners may finally see the playoffs somewhere besides television. They lost a large number of backups but nobody important, and Manager Lou Piniella is in his third year and has won a World Series previously. If the stars align - including Rodriguez - there may be some division title gold in the Emerald City.

There's always gold on the Oakland uniforms, but the days of the team that struck fear into the hearts of every team in baseball without two good pitchers are long gone even though Oakland won a division title just three years ago. They still have some superstars of the glory days - Terry Steinbach at catcher, Mark McGwire at first, and Rickey Henderson in left - but other than Dennis Eckersley out of the bullpen, this team is a shell of its former self and oh yeah five years older. Dave Henderson, Don Baylor, Dave Parker, Tony Phillips, Carney Lansford, and Walt Weiss are long gone, and the only starter remaining is Dave Stewart - who just came back to Oakland after two years in Toronto where he went 19-16. Remember, this is a guy who won 20 games in a season four years in a row. And he's now 38 years old. While you can never count out Tony LaRussa, he has been fired from previous jobs. The Athletics are in a rebuilding phase and their issue isn't so much the small market as it is a shared market with the much larger San Francisco Giants. The A's appear the least likely team to do anything major in the West.

And that leaves the California Angels, one of baseball's star-crossed franchises. Less than a decade ago, the Angels were one strike from a World Series berth and didn't make it. Since then they've plummeted to the depths of last place, put good teams on the field that were unfortunately in divisions with better teams, and watched as attention moved away from them to other things. They also have the best 1-2 pitching punch in the division if they can live up to their potential, Mark Langston and Chuck Finley. They've added all-time saves leader Lee Smith to shore up the bullpen, and.....well.....Mitch Williams, presumably for comic relief and to throw games when the manager needs to pay off a gambling debt. There's a lot of talent in the Angel lineup, including Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon, Darrin Erstad, and the rapidly aging Chili Davis. A few breaks and a few career years, and the Angels could be there in the end.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1) Seattle
2) Texas
3) California
4) Oakland


TOMORROW - how the post-season predictions stack up.

First game is in three days, Opening Day for everyone else is in four.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 23, 1995
PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR

We've assessed the teams and made general predictions, and now it is time to get specific with regards to the outcome of the 1995 baseball season - assuming there is a conclusion to said season, which is hardly a safe bet at this point.

DIVISION WINNERS (NL)
EAST - Braves
CENTRAL - Reds
WEST - Dodgers

DIVISION WINNERS (AL)
EAST - Yankees
CENTRAL - Indians
WEST - Mariners

Now we're left with selecting wildcards and ultimate winners.

Some teams are long gone before Opening Day this year - more so than ever. Scratch Montreal, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Minnesota as teams likely to bring up the rear. And only a slightly worse bet to finish last is San Francisco. Based on predictions, the following teams are possible wildcards:

Philadelphia
Houston
Colorado
Toronto
Chicago White Sox
Texas

Philadelphia is the safest bet in the NL to actuall finish second. Houston may finish 2nd but may be as low as 4th, and Colorado is liable to finish third. In the AL, the same is true in that the White Sox are the seeming safest bet to finish second in their division. Using the predictions, we thus have the most probable following outcomes:

DIVISION ROUND
Chicago White Sox vs New York Yankees
Cleveland Indians vs Seattle Mariners
Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies vs Cincinnati Reds

The Yankees, Indians, Braves, and Phillies will all advance, and the World Series figures to be the Yankees against the Braves. If that's the outcome: take the Braves in six games. Yes, they'll finally win it all this year.

Maybe. Who knows?

Play ball.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 24, 1995
SEASON STARTS TOMORROW; NO SETTLEMENT IN UMPIRE STRIKE

Barring a miracle, the 1995 baseball season will not begin with replacement players, but it will begin with replacement umpires. Although a settlement was reached in the previous strike on Opening Day in 1991, which resulted in replacement umps for all but one game and thus cannot be ruled out as possible, this situation looks more bleak than that one. Management negotiator Richard Kheel (no relation to the guy who played "Jaws" in the James Bond movies) and umpire union head Riche Phillipps will meet tonight, but there's little expectation of a settlement. AL President Gene Budig and NL President Leonard Coleman both denounced the salary demands of the umpire union as "unrealistic." The umpires are asking for a starting salary of $80K with a peak salary of $240K while the counter-offer by MLB is a starting salary of $70K (up from the current $60K) with a top salary of $215K. Also under debate - the reward for post-season games. As a reminder, this year will be the first to include an additional round of playoffs, which may add as many as TWENTY games to the post-season (if all four series went the full five games) but has not seen an increase per umpire commensurate with the additional games.

Tomorrow, the season begins with the Florida Marlins versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, aired on ESPN.
It's been over eight months since anyone has seen an MLB game.

Play Ball - it's been way too long to get here.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 25, 1995
BASEBALL'S BACK
(But Does Anybody Care Anymore?)

257 days.

That's how long it has been since the last pitch was thrown in a Major League Baseball game. In between we have had a strike, a cancelled World Series, a change in the party ruling power in Congress, Tom Osborne finally won a national championship, the murder trial of OJ Simpson began, Michael Jordan stopped playing baseball (like you know everyone else) and returned to the NBA, Mike Tyson was freed from prison, and just last week a pair of domestic terrorists (apparently) blew up the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. We've also had replacement players - one of whom was tragically murdered - and we still have replacement umpires.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, better get a replacement bullpen.

The season opener went off with the expected boos as 42,000 fans went to Joe Robbie to quench their thirst for the national pastime. Four pitches into the season, Dodger second baseman Delino DeShields launched a deep fly ball that center fielder Chuck Carr made a leaping catch in front of the warning track before running into the wall. If that first out is an omen of the season, it figures to be a good one. Free agent pitcher John Burkett was clearly not his sharpest perhaps due to the short spring training. After the deep fly out, he surrendered a single to Jose Offerman and then a two-run shot by Raoul Mondesi that shot the Dodgers out to a 2-0 lead only three batters into the season. Burkett, having given up a home run to the 1994 Rookie of the Year, got the 1993 and 1992 Rookies of the Year out to end the scoring. In the bottom of the first, Quilvio Veras doubled and then scored on a pair of infield ground outs to cut the lead in half. In his first at-bat since leaving the Braves, Terry Pendleton drilled a solo shot that tied the game at two. Pendleton's homer occurred right after Mike Piazza misplayed a foul against the screen. The score remained tied at two until the fifth.

Dave Hansen hit a one-out double to left and then scored when Ramon Martinez doubled a hard shot off Gregg Colbrunn at first. DeShields doubled, scoring Martinez, but was thrown out attempting to reach third on the relay. After Offerman singled and Terry Mathews replaced Burkett, Mondesi hit the fourth double of the inning, putting runners at second and third. The Marlins intetionally walked Piazza to load the bases and then unintentionally walked Eric Karros to make it 5-2 Dodgers. In the seventh, Offerman singled and Mondesi had the first multi-home run game of his career with a line drive shot into the left field seats that made the Dodger lead 7-2. A single by Piazza and a double by Karros made it 8-2 as the teams entered the bottom of the eighth. The game appeared over, but it as it turned out, it had only just begun.

Antonio Osuna made his MLB debut in the seventh and after picking off the lead runner (Jerry Browne), got through the inning without trouble. In the eighth, Jeff Conine hit a solo dinger that appeared to be little more than cosmetic as the Dodgers led by five, 8-3, entering the bottom of the ninth. That's when the game got really good. After striking out Andre Dawson to begin the ninth, Osuna walked the next two batters and gave up an infield single to Alex Arias that loaded the bases. Gary Sheffield then hit a potential double-play game-ender that only got one and gave the Marlins a run, leaving them with two on, two out, and trailing by four runs. Osuna then threw a wild pitch that enabled Sheffield to take second, so the Dodgers walked Conine and brought on reliever Todd Worrell to close it out. Worrell, most famous for being the pitcher who made the play that Don Denkinger missed in the 1985 World Series at first base, faced his old teammate, Terry Pendleton. Pendleton worked a 2-2 count then lined one through the right side of the infield, scoring two runs and making the game 8-6 with the potential winning run at bat with Colbrunn. He singled to left, scoring Sheffield and putting Pendleton on second in an 8-7 game, so Tom Lasorda yanked Worrell and went with Rudy Seanez. Seanez was up to the task, striking out Charles Johnson on a change-up to preserve a one-run in a game the Dodger pen had led by six.

Ramon Martinez got the win while Burkett got the loss.

The "real" Opening Day begins tomorrow.

Baseball IS back - but does anybody care anymore? We'll find out soon.

Highlights of April 25, 1995 are below:

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 26, 1995
Atlanta Braves 12 (W: Maddux, 1-0)
San Francisco Giants 5 (L: Mulholland, 0-1)
1-0
First place

BRAVES BEGIN LATEST TITLE QUEST WITH WIN OVER GIANTS;
ROCKIES WIN LONGEST DEBUT OPENER EVER; KC STARTER APPIER PULLED WITH NO-HITTER GOING

For the third year in a row, the Atlanta Braves are the consensus favorite to win the World Series. Two years ago, they battled the Giants to final hour of the season in baseball's last true pennant race. In just 18 months, the Braves have improved - as frightening as that must sound to the rest of the league - and the Giants have become little more than two sluggers (Barry Bonds and Matt Williams) surrounded by players slightly better than AAA. On Opening Day, the Braves demonstrated precisely what concerns their opponents and brightens the optimism of their fan base. But that fan base was much smaller post-strike - at least for now - as only 24,000 fans showed up to watch a team that averaged 47,000 fans per game last year. Though 32,000 tickets were sold, there were at least 8,000 no-shows. Yes, it was a Wednesday afternoon and with a 405 pm start, but the temperature was in the low 70s, a perfect day for baseball, and it showed even the Braves have a lot to do to get fans interested in them again.

In the top of the first, 3-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux - who had only one start in spring training due to a bout with chicken pox - retired the Giants in order, and in the bottom of the first, the Braves went right to work. Six hitters - I said six hitters - got base hits before Giants starter Terry Mulholland retired the first batter. By the end of the first, the Braves were up, 4-0, and by the end of the second, it was 6-0.

Marquis Grissom made his Atlanta debut with a double and then moved to third on a Jeff Blauser single. Another single by rookie Chipper Jones drove home the first run of the year, and a fourth straight hit, this one by Fred McGriff, plated Blauser to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead. David Justice followed with a single to stretch the lead to 3-0 and then catcher Javier Lopez singled to load the bases. It was only when Mike Kelly bounced into a 6-4-3 double play that the Giants recorded an out and even then McGriff scored to make it 4-0, Atlanta. A Mark Lemke fly out ended the scoring and the inning. Maddux retired the side in order in the second, and he then helped his own cause with a leadoff single in the bottom of the second. A walk to Jeff Blauser following a Grissom strikeout moved Maddux to second, and he scored when Chipper Jones bounced an apparent inning-ending double play to Mulholland, who got Blauser at second only to see Royce Clayton throw the ball away on the relay and allow Maddux to score to give the Braves a 5-0 lead. Jones took second on the overthrow and then came home on a McGriff single. With Greg Maddux on the mound - even with his early season pitch limitations - the game was as good as over with a 6-0 lead.

The Braves stretched the lead to 7-0 when McGriff drilled a solo shot in the fourth, and Maddux retired the first 11 batters he faced before walking Barry Bonds and then getting Williams to fly out to center. Maddux only threw one bad pitch, and J.R. Phillips hit it into the bleachers for a solo home run. It was the first run Maddux has surrendered in 20 2/3 Opening Day innings. Even Giants Manager Dusty Baker conceded that being that far behind Maddux meant the game was as good as over. Nevertheless, once Maddux was gone, the Giants made a solid effort against the Atlanta bullpen. Brad Woodall replaced Maddux and quickly found trouble though he was hardly to blame. Pinch-hitter Steve Scarsone singled to right, and Woodall got Darren Lewis to ground into a potential double play. Instead, Jeff Blauser - new contract and all - made an error, and the Giants had runners at the corners with nobody out. Robby Thompson singled home Scarsone, and Lewis wound up scoring after Woodall got consecutive ground outs from Bonds and Williams. Woodall then got one of the runs back when he came to the plate with Justice on second after a walk and a Mark Lemke single. Woodall singled Justice home to make the score 8-3. But in the eighth, John Patterson singled to left and when Robby Thompson golfed a Woodall delivery into the seats, the Giants had closed the gap to 8-5. Mike Stanton came on in place of Woodall and retired Bonds and then Mark Wohlers retired Glenallen Hill, surrendering only a harmless double to Williams. In the bottom of the eighth, though, Atlanta put the game away with a power surge. Blauser led off against reliever Jose Bautista with a double, came home on a Jones single, and then McGriff and Justice drilled back-to-back home runs to close out the 12-run barrage and make the final score 12-5.

Brad Clontz made his MLB debut in the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning. Perhaps Clontz, whose submarine delivery is reminiscent of Dan Quisenberry and Kent Tekulve, can be the closer Atlanta needs to seal the deal.

The players noticed the empty seats, too. David Justice, in fact, took up for the fans, saying they were staying away to send the players and message and "I don't blame them one bit." Tom Glavine, Atlanta's union rep, offered a slightly contrary opinion by saying that every single time there was a low crowd, the strike was going to get the blame. Glavine noted there were other reasons for the turnout to be so low, including the game being played before work was over and school kids could be there on a school day.

In Kansas City, they drew as many fans as the Braves did - by offering some free tickets to see a ballclub going nowhere. And for 6.2 innings, Royals ace Kevin Appier was brilliant, not allowing a hit. But rookie KC Manager Bob Boone, noting the shortened spring training, pulled his ace in the 7th and Rusty Meacham allowed Baltimore their two hits in the eighth. KC won, 7-1, which is what counted, but the fans were booing Boone on the move, louder when the O's got a hit. And speaking of hits - what a game in Colorado.

The Rockies opened Coors Field with a literal bang - as in Dante Bichette's walkoff three-run bomb in the bottom of the 14th that beat the Mets, 11-9. It was sweet revenge for Bichette, whose misplay gave the Mets the lead in the top of the 14th. The game was televised by ESPN - and a great way to win fans back to the sport.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 27, 1995
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Stanton, 1-0; SV: Clontz, 1)
San Francisco Giants 4 (L: Burba, 0-1)
2-0
First place

BRAVES SWEEP GIANTS ON JUSTICE HR BUT BULLPEN WOES CONTINUE;
AGREE TO CONTRACT WITH MERCKER; ROCKIES LATE-INNING MAGIC CONTINUES

The second game of the 1995 baseball season was a microcosm of the success and failures of the Atlanta Braves over the past four years. Tom Glavine found trouble in the first inning, the Braves rallied to take the lead, the bullpen blew the lead after the starter was out of the game, David Justice homered, and the Braves won the game late despite the erratic bullpen. Every single one of those occurred today as the Braves swept a short two-game series from the woeful Giants to start the season off on a positive note. That was as opposed to the dissonant chords struck from fans, 18,000 fewer than game two last year - which was on a Wednesday night, which sort of retires the "school tomorrow" argument that union activist and starter Glavine invoked yesterday. The wounds go deep, and they are not going away soon.

Glavine, heavily involved as the Atlanta player rep in the strike, was booed intensely, and one creative fan in the upper deck laid out twelve posterboards declaring those empty seats were "occupied" by "striking fans." Whether it was his traditional slow start to a game or a result of the booing, Glavine got off to a slow start, and the Braves were in the hole, 2-0, before they game to the plate. Strangely enough, it was again Robby Thompson who haunted Atlanta.

Glavine retired first batter Darren Lewis on a grounder to second, but Thompson doubled. Thompson then moved to third when Barry Bonds grounded out to short. Matt Williams walked and both Thompson and Williams scored when Glenallen Hill doubled. Glavine prevented further damage by getting J.R. Phillips to pop out to end the mini-rally. In the bottom of the second, the Braves regained the lead from a most unlikely source. Fred McGriff and David Justice reached base with singles, but Mark Portugal appeared to be through the worst of the threat when he struck out Ryan Klesko and got a short pop fly out to right from Javier Lopez. Mark Lemke, though, came up and drilled a three-run home run that put the Braves in front. Glavine got through his planned five innings with no further damage, allowing only one more hit and no runs. Greg McMichael then came on and tossed two more shutout innings, sending the game into the eighth with the Braves still in front 3-2. That's when the Atlanta fireman again became an arsonist. And - as has been the case since 1991 - it was the wildness of Mark Wohlers that contributed to the problem.

Wohlers walked John Patterson and then hit Darren Lewis, to put two on with nobody out. Thompson bunted the runners over, bringing Barry Bonds to the plate. Wohlers gave an intentional pass to Bonds, bringing up the ever dangerous Matt Williams with the bases loaded and one out. Wohlers made matters worse by throwing a wild pitch that brought Patterson home to tie the game and moved the runners ahead, which led Manager Bobby Cox to order an intentional walk to Williams and a hook for Wohlers. He faced four batters, and the only one he retired was the guy who sacrificed himself. Steve Bedrosian came on and struck out Hill, and then Cox opted for lefty Mike Stanton, who struck out Todd Benzinger to keep the game locked at three. Dave Burba came on in relief - and the Atlanta heroics of past seasons made their first appearance of 1995.

Burba struck out Marquis Grissom leading off the eighth, but his crucial mistake was walking Jeff Blauser. He induced Chipper Jones to pop out, but he got too careful with Fred McGriff and walked him as well. The walks set the table for David Justice, who launched a three-run homer to lift the Braves to a 6-3 lead. Brad Clontz came on to close it out for the second consecutive day, and though he surrendered a leadoff double to Royce Clayton who came around to score as Clontz recorded two ground outs, the excitement didn't begin until Darren Lewis singled, bringing up Robby Thompson with the tying run. Clontz struck him out, and the Braves had a sweep and another day in first place. It was a day where they added a fifth starter/middle reliever of high quality, Kent Mercker. The man who has pitched in two no-hitters in his first 12 major league starts signed a one-year deal with the Braves worth $2.24 million. The Braves probably wish he could work as a lights out closer for that kind of money.

Perhaps the most surprising development this early is the undefeated record of the Montreal Expos, who are tied with the Braves atop the East standings. Pedro Martinez continued his personal 16-plus scoreless innnings at the hands of the Pirates before turning it over to Mel Rojas and two other relievers, who surrendered one run in Montreal's 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.

Well, if the Colorado Rockies keep this up, they might not have any fans left from the cardiac kid excitement they've produced thus far. Former Braves middle reliever - doesn't every team seem to have a prominent former Brave on it? - Marvin Freeman was gone after two innings plus four batters, and after three the Rockies trailed the Mets, 5-0. After five, they trailed, 7-2. And after six, the game was tied at seven. Finally, with two outs in the 9th, Walt Weiss singled to center with the bases loaded and two outs to give Colorado another walk-off win against the Mets, and a 2-0 record tied with the Dodgers for first.

Cal Ripken made two errors before the smallest Opening Day crowd in Metrodome history while Twins newcomer Matt Merullo hit a two-run double to seal the win as the Twins beat the Orioles, 7-4. Pat Hentgen pitched into the ninth inning and Ed Sprague hit a grand slam as Toronto basted Oakland, 7-1. The smallest White Sox Opening Day crowd (again!) since 1982 saw the Sox lose to Milwaukee, 9-4.

Cleveland Indians starting catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. has had knee surgery and is out for 6-8 weeks. The job will be occupied by Tony Pena until Alomar returns.

The Braves begin an insane six-game road trip with three in Los Angeles in a possible playoff preview and then three in Miami against the Florida Marlins before returning home for a four-game series with their chief competitors in the East, the Philadelphia Phillies on May 5.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 28, 1995
Los Angeles Dodgers 9 (Daal, 1-0)
Atlanta Braves 1 (L: Avery, 0-1)
2-1
1st place

DODGERS BEAT BRAVES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE '93

The early conclusions after the season's first game between the presumed World Series contenders the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers are different for fans of each team. For the Dodgers, they believe this may signal the arrival of their return to being on par with Atlanta, something that hasn't been true since the Braves snagged the 1991 pennant from LA on the final day of the season. For the Braves, all the fans really want to know given the early season game is, "Will the old Steve Avery ever return?"

Avery entered the game with a career record of 8-2 with a 2.14 ERA against Los Angeles, and he, of course, beat them twice in September in key games in the 1991 pennant race. But Avery was gone in the fourth inning, pulled for Terry Clark with the Braves in a 3-0 hole and the bases loaded with one out. Terry Clark intentionally walked Carlos Hernandez and got Pedro Astacio to ground into a rally-killing double play. The Dodgers eventually plated nine runs, and Omar Daal came on to get the win in relief when Astacio couldn't get the final out in the fifth inning after the Braves loaded the bases and scored a run. The walk to Hernandez was key and only happened because starting catcher Mike Piazza is out for now with a hamstring injury.

Jason Schmidt, hoped to be yet another in the long line of pitchers the Braves develop into superstars, came on in the fifth and made his major league debut, but he didn't do very well, either. He gave up two runs in his only inning of work through a walk and a couple of hits. And then the Atlanta bullpen woes continued as Pedro Borbon gave up two runs and then Mark Wohlers gave up yet another home run on the first batter he faced despite there being little pressure in an 8-1 game. Billy Ashley homered, ending the scoring.

Ever since that 1991 pennant race, the Braves have gotten the best of the Dodgers, beating them 26 times in 37 chances, including a 6-0 run last season before the strike. Game two will see Kent Mercker take the hill against Ismael Valdes. The Dodgers remain unbeaten at 3-0.

So, too, the Colorado Rockies. They went to Houston and didn't need a late-inning miracle, scoring two early runs and making them hold up. Jason Bates hit a solo home run off Darryl Kile and then pitcher Kevin Ritz was hit by a pitch, stole second, and then scored on a Joe Girardi single. Ritz found trouble and got pulled - and Colorado has serious starting pitching issues - but five relievers ending with Bruce Ruffin nailed down the victory to lift Colorado to a 3-0 first-place tie with LA.

In other games, Tim Salmon's 10th inning home run and Lee Smith's tenth inning save lifted the Angels to a 7-6 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto. The game was notable for being the first appearance in Toronto of Mitch Williams since his pitch that ended the 1993 World Series, and he received a standing ovation. He also failed to retire the only hitter he faced, Lance Parrish. The city of Toronto also announced that starting May 9, replacement umpires will be barred from working games in the city. Hopefully, the umpire strike will be settled by then.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Wohlers was a helluva pitcher then he got the yips.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 29, 1995
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: McMichael, 1-0)
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 (L: Murphy, 0-1)
3-1
1st place

LOPEZ LEADS BRAVES WITH 3 RBI IN LATE WIN OVER LA;
PHILS RIP REPLACEMENT UMPS

It was another standard performance - almost - by the Atlanta Braves, the type for which they've become known over the past several years. Bolt out to an early lead, the middle relief gives it back or almost does, late inning heroics often by the most anonymous player in the lineup, and then hope the closer closes it. Basically, those are the type games the Braves play if their starting pitchers aren't able to go the distance, and it happened again in LA tonight as Javy Lopez donned the hero mantle against the Dodgers. Lopez slammed a two-run homer in his first at-bat in the second inning and then hit the game-winning single that scored Fred McGriff in the top of the ninth with what proved to be the winning run. Greg McMichael, who had taken the mound for the eighth, pitched a hitless ninth, and the Braves prevailed, 4-3.

The game also featured the typically shaky Atlanta middle relief. Brad Woodall made his third big-league appearance tonight, and he was typically terrible. Woodall had one start during a doubleheader last July - his first MLB appearance - and lost. He's faced 14 hitters in two appearances and given up five hits, a walk, and six runs. When Bobby Cox pulled Mercker after five innings - typical this year due to the short spring - Woodall came on holding a 3-0 lead and left with two on and nobody out. Steve Bedrosian came on and gave up two singles, one of which included an error by Mike Kelly, and just like that, the game was tied at 3. Mike Stanton, who tends to start the season quite well, continued that trend with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, setting the stage for McMichael. The loss is the Dodgers's first of the 1995 season. The Dodger bullpen, the source of much frustration the past two seasons, returned to form as well after starting the season with 10.1 scoreless innings of relief. (Braves highlights may be seen on the video below at 3:44).

The Phillies lost at home to Pittsburgh, 3-2, and afterwards Manager Jim Fregosi and outfielder Lenny Dykstra vented about a poor call by the replacement umps. And while its fashionable to blame officials for losing games, they had a bit of point this time. Trailing 3-2 in the eighth, the Phillies had runners at the corners and one out when Dave Hollins bounced the ball to first baseman Orlando Merced. Merced took the sure out at first base and then gunned the ball to shortstop Jay Bell, who tagged out Dave Hollins for the third out of the inning. The issue? Lenny Dykstra crossed home plate before Bell tagged out Hollins, but the replacement umpires apparently don't know that portion of the rule. The lead umpire, Mark Widowski, ejected Fregosi and after the game said he didn't see it the way they saw it, and "I saw it all the way." (The play can be seen at 1:29 in the video below). The video clearly shows Fregosi is correct.

Matt Williams' RBI double scored the game's only run as the Giants shut out the Marlins for the 2nd straight day, this time 1-0. Trevor Wilson made his first start since 1993 and got the win while Rod Beck got the save. Joe Orsulak's single with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 11th drove home Bobby Bonilla as the Mets won, 5-4, over St Louis. In their efforts to reclaim the fans, the Mets are selling seats for $1, which no doubt helped boost attendance to over 44,000. The Cubs, meanwhile, might rethink their promotions. The game was delayed five minutes in the 8th inning when fans threw hundreds of magnetic refrigerator schedules out onto the field in protest of the strike. (Good thing it wasn't Bat Day or Free Ball Day at Wrigley). Sammy Sosa homered, tripled, and singled as the Cubs edged the Expos, 5-4. For the second straight day, the Rockies got only 3 hits against the Astros. For the second straight day, they won the game. And they're undefeated at 4-0, leading the West.

There was also a delay in Kansas City, 81 minutes in fact, but it didn't stop the inevitable: the Yankees pounded Tom Gordon and Doug Linton, 10-1, making a winner of new acquisition Melido Perez. And there was a delay in Dallas, too, as a hail storm struck the Rangers-Indians game for a 65-minute delay in the 8th inning. The Rangers won in a walkoff, 6-5, when Rusty Greer singled home Otis Nixon. And the Red Sox, who had only 3 shutouts all last season, got their 2nd in only three games as Erik Hanson led Boston to an 8-0 pasting of the White Sox.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 30, 1995



4-1
1st place
1 game ahead

DODGERS LOSE TO BRAVES, 6-3, BLAME REPLACEMENT UMPS; LASORDA EJECTED

Anyone who thought baseball could quickly return to normal has clearly never experienced any sort of rehabilitation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a convenient scapegoat after their 6-3 loss to John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves tonight. And while it's admittedly a stretch to hinge the outcome of any athletic event on a bad call, the video evidence does support at least the Dodgers's interpretation of the rules. (The play may be viewed at the video below starting at 1:51).

In the top of the seventh with the Braves leading, 3-2, and two outs, Mike Kelly hit a dribbler to the third base side of home plate. Carlos Hernandez fielded the ball and threw to Eric Karros at first, but his throw struck Kelly and went into right field. Kelly, one of the fastest guys on the team, quickly made it all the way around to third, but Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda vehemently argued that Kelly had interfered with the throw by running "inside" the base line and thus should be out for interference. Replacement umpire Wade Ford, who was calling first base, ejected Lasorda, and the Braves followed what clearly should have been the third out of the inning with three hits that scored two runs and put Atlanta in front, 5-2. The Braves eventually won, 6-3.

While the umpires indisputably got the call incorrect, it is difficult to say that the call changed the outcome of the game. Atlanta still scored four runs regardless of what happened in the seventh - and the Dodgers only scored three, so who is to say regarding the outcome? After all, the replacement umpires had nothing to do with Los Angeles leaving eight runners on base, the Atlanta pitching was the cause of that reality. The larger point, however, to be taken away is that baseball needs to come to an agreement with their regular umpires as quickly as possible and get back to major league play with major league umpires.

It was the most memorable interaction of a decent game between two of the games finest pitchers, John Smoltz of the Braves and Ramon Martinez of the Dodgers. Smoltz went five innings and gave up three hits and one run before taking the Bobby Cox imposed "five inning maximum" exit while still leading, 2-1. His only mistake was a pitch Raoul Mondesi launched into the seats for a solo shot in the first and otherwise, Smoltz was effective. Javier Lopez tied the game when he led off the third with a response solo shot, and the Braves took the lead in the fourth when Jeff Blauser doubled and came home on a Chipper Jones single to give the Braves a lead they never relinquished. Two walks and a single in the sixth exended the Atlanta lead to 3-1, but LA closed the gap against Steve Bedrosian in the sixth. Mondesi, who is off to a fantastic start, singled, stole second, and scored on a Karros single. That set the stage for the seventh inning controversy, after which the Braves led, 5-2. It was Mondesi again in the bottom of the seventh, driving home Jose Offerman to cut the score to 5-3. Jose Oliva homered for Atlanta in the eighth to end the scoring, and rookie Brad Clontz came on to retire the Dodgers in order to get his second save. The Braves lose the opener but win the series, and they now head to Florida with a day off before a three-game set with the Marlins.

Ron Karkovice tied teammate Robin Ventura's Chicago White Sox career record with his fifth grand slam as Chicago finally won their first game of the season, 17-11, at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. Ventura, who has committed six errors in the season's first five games - a major contribution to Chicago's league-leading 19 errors, which included six today - said he hoped Karkovice would continue slugging home runs simply because Chicago desperately needs the offense. Ventura's error today on a Jose Canseco ground ball gave Boston two runs and closed the gap to 13-8, setting the stage for Karkovice's death blow grand slam. Mike Devereaux had a two-run home run as both he and Tim Raines had three hits apiece in formulating the Chicago 17-hit barrage. Kevin Appier came out on only three days' rest and gained his second win of the year with a dazzling 9-3 win over the Yankees that prevented a sweep and sent the Bronx Bombers to their first loss of the year. Appier struck out six in eight innings. Cleveland beat Texas, 7-6, in 12 innings after both Eddie Murray and Albert Belle singled and scored, surviving the trial of Jose Mesa giving up a home run to Dean Palmer in the bottom of the inning. A six-run fifth in Seattle led starter Mike Moore to his second win of the season as Detroit beat the Mariners, 10-1.

In the NL, a three-run home run by Danny Shaeffer was all the Cards needed to beat the Mets, 3-0. Will Cordero's home run sent the Cubs to their first loss of the season, 4-2, at the hands of the Expos. Houston finally beat the Rockies as Luis Gonzalez's single ignited a three-run inning that led to a 3-1 win for the Astros. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were postponed after 4.5 innings tied at one, and the game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 26.

Attendance is only down 4% from one year ago, but the ramifications of the strike may come later. After all, tickets are being given away or for reduced prices to try and boost attendance anyway.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 1, 1995
Off day
4-1
1 game lead

MLB UMPIRES REACH AGREEMENT WITH OWNERS; NOMO DEBUTS TUESDAY IN SF

An agreement between the locked out MLB umpires and the owners of baseball's 28 teams means the replacement umpires will be replaced by the regular umpires starting with the games of Wednesday, May 3. A five-year contract that gives most umpires a $20,000 raise and is calculated at 16% over the duration was approved by the Umpires Board by a unanimous 9-0 vote. The agreement avoids the pending showdown in Toronto where non-union umpires are barred from working games in the province starting May 9. The umpires will also be paid 100% of their 1995 salaries despite missing the first week of games.

Los Angeles Dodgers' rookie pitcher Hideo Nomo will become the first-ever Japanese PROFESSIONAL baseball player to jump to the major leagues of American baseball tomorrow as he takes the mound in Candlestick Park against the Giants. Nomo, 26, will start his game at 430 am Tokyo time, and the game will be broadcast nationally (and live) in Japan. Nomo led Japan's professional league in both wins and strikeouts each of the past four seasons, and his "defection" (if you will) has set off ambivalent reactions in Japan. Nomo has talked about coming to American baseball ever since his rookie season in Japan, when he won both their version of the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award. His move to the US is seen as full-blown rebellion by a large portion of the previous generation, particularly since in Japan he is not permitted to become a free agent until completing ten years in the professional league. Nomo idolizes Red Sox ace Roger Clemens and carries his baseball card with him.

Only half the teams in the majors had games today, so we'll cover those briefly.

Johnny Oates, the new Texas Rangers manager who had taken a brief respite to attend to his wife's health issues, returned four days early, but it wasn't enough as the Rangers lost to the Mariners, 4-1. The five Ranger errors - most in a game since May 1990 - probably had more bearing on the final outcome. Tim Davis got the win while Kenny Rogers took the loss. A Jim Leyritz double that scored Don Mattingly in the eighth proved to be enough as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 5-3. Former NL Rookie of the Year Steve Howe got the win while John Wetteland picked up his third save of the year. The Cardinals shut out the Pirates, 4-0, in St Louis, but nobody saw the game. Well, almost nobody. The announced attendance was 21,699, but that was the number of tickets sold. The precise count of fans who bothered to show up on a 50-degree and rainy Monday night by the Arch was 9,293, meaning there were over 12,000 no-shows. Ken Hill helped his own cause not only with his seven innings of five-hit ball but he drove in the only run that mattered anyway. Baltimore sold out their stadium for the 46th time in 47 home dates - and watched Ricky Bones give up two hits in seven innings en route to a 7-0 Brewers win. (Sure, I believe Peter Angelos was not playing because of labor laws and it had nothing to do with Cal Ripken; I also believe the moon is made of green cheese). Andres Galarraga - in the woes of an early season slump - hit a bloop single that ignited a five-run rally as the Rockies won late again, 8-3, over the Padres. And Shawn Boskie gave up a leadoff triple to Devon White but managed to avoid any scoring and Lee Smith sealed the deal as the Angels beat the Blue Jays, 2-0.

And the Florida Marlins were informed that closer Bryan Harvey needs elbow surgery and will miss the entire 1995 season. Harvey, 31, has probably seen a major league field for the last time. He led the AL with 46 saves in 1991 - on a last place team with a .500 record mind you - but he had a horrible 1992 and was left unprotected by the Angels during the MLB expansion draft prior to the 1993 season. His career record is 17-25 with a 2.94 ERA and 177 career saves.

The Braves head to Florida. Below are the projected pitching matchups:

Game 1: Greg Maddux vs Mark Gardner
Game 2: Tom Glavine vs Bobby Witt
Game 3: Steve Avery vs Pat Rapp

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 2, 1995
Atlanta Braves 7 (W: Maddux, 2-0)
Florida Marlins 1 (L: Gardner, 0-2)
5-1
1st place
1 game lead

MADDUX, BULLPEN LEAD BRAVES TO 7-1 WIN OVER MARLINS;
ROWDY DETROIT FANS HARRASS TRIBE IN HOME OPENER;
GIANTS TOP LA IN 15 TO SPOIL NOMO DEBUT

When Greg Maddux is on his game, one cannot help but think of Carly Simon's song, "Nobody Does It Better." The three-time defending Cy Young Award winner took the mound for only the third time this spring thanks to a bout with chicken pox and the shortened spring training, but you never would have known it in Miami tonight. Maddux went 5.2 innings and not only didn't give up a run, he didn't give up a hit until that moment, either. Whether he suddenly weakened or whatever happened, Maddux then gave up a single to Florida shortstop Mario Diaz, another to Gary Sheffield, and a third to Jeff Conine that scored Diaz and cut the Atlanta lead to 3-1. If this were July, odds are that Bobby Cox would have let Maddux continue in battle, but he pulled the starter for an erratic bullpen that came on and gave up zero hits over the last 3.1 innings, giving the Marlins only two baserunners (both via walk) as the Braves found solid pitching throughout the game for once and beat the Marlins, 7-1. For four innings, Mark Gardner, who has had several solid outings in his career but can't seem to put it all together, matched Maddux about as close pitch-for-pitch as any pitcher can do. In the fifth, however, Gardner was the primary cause the Braves took the lead they never relinquished. After both Javier Lopez and Mark Lemke singled to lead off the innings, Maddux went to the plate to bunt both runners into scoring position. But Gardner's error on the throw loaded the bases, and Marquis Grissom singled home the two lead runners to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. Gardner hit Jeff Blauser to load the bases again, and Chipper Jones hit a potential sacrifice fly to left field. But Conine threw Maddux out at the plate to keep the deficit at two.

After he gave up three straight singles with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and a 3-0 lead courtesy of a Lemke double that plated David Justice, Maddux was pulled in favor of letting Greg McMichael face Terry Pendleton. McMichael got out of the jam, and McMichael, Mark Wohlers, and Terry Clark covered the final 12 outs effectively. Atlanta had a four-run rally in the seventh, Lopez hitting a bases loaded triple serving as the key blow. The win leaves the Braves in first in the NL East with the 2nd best record in the NL behind 6-1 Colorado, who once again prevailed late in the contest, beating the Padres, 6-5, in 11 innings on Joe Girardi's single off San Diego pitcher Brian Williams's hand.

The smallest Opening Day crowd in Detroit since the 1972 season was delayed a week by (wait for it) a strike didn't prevent at least 20 fans from being arrested for being on the field during the contest. Fans were running onto the field and threatening players - to the point that not only did Cleveland Indians GM John Hart seek protection from the American League office but Tigers President John McHale Jr seriously considered canceling the game. Fans threw all matter of objects from the stands, including whiskey bottles, baseballs, and a napkin dispenser. Although fan unruliness has been seen several places post-strike, the scene in Detroit was the ugliest, so much so that Kenny Lofton said he'd never seen anything like it. The Tribe ripped four home runs in an 11-1 rout of the Tigers. Gee, you'd think the Tigers would learn not to act like those Disco Demolition fans who got the 1979 game cancelled in Chicago when the White Sox...were playing these same Tigers (managed even then by Sparky Anderson).

Hideo Nomo made his long-awaited MLB debut, and he was dazzling. Well, maybe he was dazzling. He struck out seven hitters in five innings, but the two teams combined for 33 strikeouts. Well, and fifteen innings. And no runs through the first fourteen, but the final frame was quite dazzling, too. With two outs in the top of the 15th, three straight singles and an Eric Karros double gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 15th, Rob Murphy came on to close it out. He retired the first two hitters and then walked Jeff Reed. When he gave up a single to Darren Lewis, Murphy gave way to Greg Hansell, who surrendered a three-run bomb to Robby Thompson that tied the game. A Barry Bonds single and Matt Williams double later, the Giants had a 4-3 win to spoil Nomo's debut. Yes, his delivery is unorthodox and confusing, and he struck out a lot of hitters. But so did everybody else pitching in that game today.

The Cincinnati Reds, thought by many to be a prime contender to the Braves in the NL pennant chase, are off to the worst start in the entire history of the franchise. The Reds dropped to 0-6 by losing 6-0 to Curt Schilling, who went seven innings and gave up three hits. The Reds are the only team remaining without a win this year. And if you're wondering, the all-time National League record for losses to start the season belongs to the 1988 Atlanta Braves at tend while the MLB record is 21 set by the Baltimore Orioles that same year, 1988.

Maybe the Reds' front office troubles will be too much to overcome.

MLB umpires return tomorrow. Thank God.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 3, 1995
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Glavine, 1-0; SV: Clontz, 3)
Florida Marlins 4 (L: Witt, 0-2)
6-1
1st place
1 game ahead

WILD WITT'S WALKS WASTE RUNS WHEN BRAVES WIN;
ROCKIES RALLY AGAIN

Hold the Atlanta Braves to eight hits, and you have to like your chances of winning.
Give them eight walks in addition to those eight hits, and you're not.

A lack of control on the mound wasted a solid effort from the Florida Marlin offense as the Braves raced six runs across the plate and made a winner of Tom Glavine in a 6-4 triumph tonight at Joe Robbie Stadium. Atlanta's first four runs reached first via a walk, and a fifth run was the result of an error that scored on a wild pitch. And although Tom Glavine has notoriously had some bad first innings in his career - and tonight was no exception - the lefty got it together after a shaky first and won his first game of the season. Bobby Witt took the loss, his second this year.

A walk to Jeff Blauser with one out in the first and a Fred McGriff doubled staked Glavine to a 1-0 lead, but the union rep couldn't hold it for even one inning. Quilvio Veras singled to right and then moved to second on a walk to Gary Sheffield with one out. Jeff Conine then struck out, but the Marlins played aggressively with the double steal, and Veras came home when Javy Lopez threw wildly past third base. Sheffield raced to third and then scored on Terry Pendleton's single that gave the Marlins a 2-1 lead.

Two walks to Marquis Grissom and Chipper Jones and a Fred McGriff sacrifice fly tied the game in the third and when Witt walked Chipper and McGriff to start the fifth, he got pulled for Rich Scheid. Justice singled Chipper home, and McGriff scored on a double by Mike Kelly that moved Justice to third. Javy Lopez hit a hard infield grounder, and Justice attempted to score but was thrown out at home. An inning later, Grissom singled, stole second, and scored on a Chipper double, giving Glavine a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. But when the Marlins loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, Glavine got the hook and Greg McMichael came on and retired Andre Dawson to end the threat. The Braves added a run when Pendleton threw past first base on a Kelly grounder, and the youngster stole second, went to third on a Lopez single and then scored on a wild pitch. A rally of four singles against the Braves' erratic bullpen scored two runs after the stretch, and that's where the game ended, 6-4, in favor of Atlanta.

The Braves win boring baseball and then there's the Colorado Rockies. This time they fell into a 5-0 hole, but Joe Girardi cranked out six RBIs himself as the Rockies scored a dozen and won, 12-7, to lead their division with a franchise best 7-1 record. Ron Gant lifted the Cincinnati Reds to their first win of the season with a bases loaded single and a home run as they beat the Phillies, 7-2. Pedro Martinez matched his career high of 10 strikeouts in a 3-1 Montreal win over the Mets. And Darryl Kile pitched six shutout innings as he allowed three hits and doubled home two runs himself in the Astros' 11-2 blowout of the Cubs, who dropped their third straight.

In the AL, Bernie Williams's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and nobody out lifted the Yankees to a 4-3 win over Boston. The Mariners are 6-1 after sweeping the Texas Rangers, the finale a 5-1 win for Chris Bosio. Milwaukee blew out Baltimore's awful bullpen (ERA? 9.51). Trailing 2-0 entering the eighth and 4-1 entering the ninth, the Brew Crew got six runs in the ninth before the O's pen could get three outs. The Brewers lead the Central at 6-1. And Roberto Alomar's second home run of the game sent Toronto into extras against the White Sox, and Ed Sprague scored the winner on a Tomas Perez single in the bottom of the tenth to give the Blue Jays an 8-7 win.

Ryan Klesko has a dislocated thumb and is headed to the DL, and the Reds signed Tim Belcher.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 4, 1995
Atlanta Braves 3
Florida Marlins 3
Game suspended in top of 9th due to rain
6-1
1st place
1.5 games ahead

BRAVES RALLY IN 9TH FORCES TIE, GAME TO BE CONCLUDED IN SEPTEMBER

Over the past four baseball seasons, the Atlanta Braves have become one of the best teams in baseball at rallying in the late innings. Tonight they did it once again - just ahead of the rain storm - and forced a 3-3 tie before the game was suspended under clouds of rain that followed an already 67-minute long previous delay. The game will conclude in September when the Braves make their next trip to Miami, and it could have pennant ramifications depending on how the race in the NL East plays out.

Steve Avery has clearly not recovered from his 1994 woes. He went 5.1 innings and gave up six hits but only two runs while striking out four, but he was pulled with two runners on in the sixth and was fortunate Mark Wohlers navigated the trouble effectively. The Braves bailed Avery out as the losing pitcher with yet another of their infamous late-inning rallies.

The Marlins scored first, getting two runs in the second on a single by Jeff Conine, a triple by Andre Dawson, and another single by Charles Johnson, who was caught stealing later in the inning. Florida starter Pat Rapp got through his assigned five innings with a lead and turned it over to Yorkis Perez. The Marlins added a third run in the seventh off Mike Stanton, utilizing two of the fastest runners in baseball. Chuck Carr singled, moved to third on Steve Decker single and then raced home on a suicide squeeze by Quilvio Veras. The game went into the 9th with the Braves having only five hits and no runs - and closer Rob Nen coming back out to work his second inning.

David Justice reached first on Eddie Zosky's error and short and then Jose Oliva launched a two-run shot that brought the Braves to within one run. Dwight Smith pinch-hit for Charlie O'Brien and hit a double and then came home to tie the game one batter later when Mark Lemke tripled. The game was suspended at this point, so the two teams packed it in until early September. The Marlins head to Montreal while the Braves go home for a four-game series with the Phillies.

The Phillies finished their day as victims of a Cincinnati team that was winless until just yesterday. The Reds started like a house of fire - uh after a 2:17 rain delay - and bolted to a 4-0 first-inning lead led by yet another home run by Ron Gant. But trailing 4-1 in the seventh, the Phillies unloaded for five runs over three innings off the Cincinnati bullpen and left Riverfront with a 6-4 victory that leaves them 1 1/2 games behind the Braves in the East. Todd Hundley hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the 10th that led the Mets to a 5-1 win over Montreal. The Expos pulled their better pitcher (Jeff Shaw) for lefty Brian Eversgerd in an effort to force Hundley to bat from his weaker side (.375 from left, .167 from right). Hundley responded with his third career grand slam. A walk to Barry Bonds with the bases loaded tied the game in the seventh and Matt Williams laced a two-run single that lifted the Giants to a 5-4 victory over the Padres, and the Astros rallied with a three-run eighth against the Cardinal bullpen to capture a 6-4 win.

In the AL, Boston took a 3-2 lead into the 8th at Yankee Stadium but solo home runs by Paul O'Neill and Don Mattingly, sandwiched around a Danny Tartabull strikeout gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead. They added another run and closed out the series with a 5-3 win over the Red Sox. Kevin Appier pitched seven scoreless innings and raised his record to 3-0 as the Royals shut out the Twins, 6-0. Cleveland rallied late against David Wells, but it wasn't enough. The Tigers had already jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on Orel Hershiser and added the crucial run later. Wells gave up three runs but still escaped with the win. Nine walks and a two-run RBI by Harold Baines gave Baltimore a 5-2 win before the second smallest crowd in the three-season history of Camden Yards.

In transaction news, the Twins released Carl Willis, a member of their 1991 World Series championship team, and put Kevin Maas on the 15-day DL. The Atlanta Braves called up Mike Sharperson from AAA to replace the injured Ryan Klesko.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 5, 1995
Philadelphia Phillies 9 (W: Green, 1-0; SV: Borland)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Mercker, 0-1)
6-2
1st place
1 game ahead

GREEN WINS FIRST MLB GAME IN FRONT OF DISAPPOINTING ATLANTA HOME CROWD;
ROCKIES FINALLY COME UP SHORT OF A MIRACLE;
REDS DROP TO 1-8

The Atlanta Braves are haunted by the recent past of failures, the most notable their shocking loss in the 1993 NLCS to the Phillies, whom everyone regarded as pretty much an upstart team that got a big lead and didn't lose it. The Braves are also haunted by the fact that despite their successes in the regular season, the strike tore a gaping hole into the fabric of fan support that won't soon heal. Both combined for a forgettable night for the Braves and an unforgettable first-ever MLB win for Phillies' pitcher Tyler Green in Atlanta tonight as the Phillies tore out to a 6-0 lead and the outcome was never in doubt as they prevailed against the new $2.4 million man, Kent Mercker, before a disappointing Friday night crowd of only 33,000 fans. The excuses offered during the first homestand for low attendance simply did not apply here, and it didn't help that their most recent nightmare made away with the victory pretty easily, particularly since Philly is the only team given a minimalist chance of challenging the Braves for NL East supremacy this year.

Both teams were retired in order in the first, but in the second the Phillies went to work quickly. Dave Hollins was walked and then balked to second by Mercker, who then walked Darren Daulton, setting up Charlie Hayes to launch a three-run blast into the seats to stake Philly to an early lead. Mercker got out of the jam with his second double play ball in as many innings to prevent further damage, but after giving up three straight singles to load the bases in the third, Mercker was yanked in favor of rookie Jason Schmidt. Schmidt performed brilliantly if the results weren't the best. He got Dave Hollins to fly out to center to score a run, walked Daulton intentionally, got Hayes (who had hit the 3-run bomb the inning before) to fly out to short center to prevent a run, but then he walked former Brave Dave Gallagher to give up a second run before getting Kevin Stocker to ground out to end the inning with Atlanta in a 5-0 hole. In the fourth, Schmidt surrendered a home run to light-hitting Mariano Duncan, and in the fifth, a Hayes double and Gallagher single stretched the Philly lead to seven. In the bottom of the inning, Atlanta struck back, but perhaps it could have been more with some smarter baseball.

Jose Oliva walked and then moved to second on a single by Javy Lopez. Mark Lemke doubled Oliva home for Atlanta's first run, and Lopez then scored on an infield ground out by pinch-hitter Dwight Smith. Lemke scored the third run of the inning to narrow the gap to 7-3 on a Marquis Grissom single, but Grissom ran the Braves out of the inning when he was caught stealing. Atlanta reliever Terry Clark came out and gave two of the runs right back when he walked Stocker, threw a wild pitch that moved the runner to second, and gave up a double to Len Dykstra that plated Stocker. Dykstra moved up on an infield grounder to first and then scored on a Gregg Jefferies single to make it 9-3 in favor of Philly. In the bottom of the ninth, Fred McGriff hit a cosmetic solo shot that brought the final to 9-4 and ended Atlanta's four-game winning streak. Jonathan Borland pitched the final three innings for the "Rollie Fingers" save.

The Colorado Rockies are not having trouble selling out, and they're not having trouble keeping the fans in their seats until the very end. They did it again tonight, but the comeback came up one swing of the bat short in a 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Trailing 5-1 entering the bottom of the 8th, the Rockies scored one in the eighth when Joe Girardi singled and Larry Walker doubled to plate Girardi, but the bottom of the ninth was the typical Colorado fireworks. Ismael Valdez came on to close out the 6-2 lead and after three batters was facing the tying run at the plate with the bases loaded in the form of Walt Weiss. Manager Tom Lasorda pulled Valez and went with Todd Worrell, who got Weiss to fly out to center, which scored Colorado's first ninth inning run. Girardi then singled the second run home, but he was forced at second on Larry Walker's ground out, which left the Rockies down to their last out and the winning run at the plate in the form of slugger Andres Galarraga. Lasorda summoned Rudy Seanez, who struck out "The Big Cat" to end the game, the Rockies first home loss of the season, but it cannot be denied they are the most exciting team in the league thus far in the season.

The Cincinnati Reds would probably like a do-over to the start of the season. They again lost, this time 3-0, thanks largely to Edgardo Alfonso, who drove in a pair of runs. The Reds also optioned Willie Greene and Johnny Ruffin to the minors.

The Detroit Tigers roared out to a 7-2 lead over the Red Sox after four innings, thanks largely to a Travis Fryman grand slam and then collapsed, losing to Derek Lilliquist and three bombs by Mo Vaughn, John Valentin, and Mark Whiten that gave Boston six runs in the final three innings to prevail, 10-7. And the Indians registered their 29th straight sellout at Jacobs Field to beat Minnesota in the Cleveland home opener, 5-1, behind Charles Nagy.

The game in its full broadcast with Phillies' announcer Harry Kalas is below:

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 6, 1995



6-3
1st place tie

MIMBS WINS DEBUT AS PHILLIES TOP BRAVES, 3-1; SCHOTT INSPIRES REDS WITH "HAIR OF THE DOG"

On a nightly basis, the Atlanta Braves usually send out one of the big stars from perhaps the greatest pitching staff baseball history has ever seen. A staff currently possessing five Cy Young Awards (with more no doubt to come), two no-hitters, two LCS MVPs, and the league's starting pitcher in three of the last All-Star Games takes the mound most nights, and the Braves don't usually have to worry about scoring too many runs because the starters tend to go deep into ballgames. But in the last two nights, the Braves have become the first career win for Tyler Green (last night) and a guy from AA ball making his MLB debut tonight, Mike Mimbs. Not intimidated by the powerful Atlanta lineup, Mimbs was dazzling as he allowed only one hit over six innings, leaving with a 2-0 lead thanks to Charlie Hayes's 2-run shot in the second off Atlanta starter John Smoltz. Smoltz did not pitch badly, but he was saddled with his first loss of the season thanks in large part to Atlanta's anemic offense, which got four hits, two by Javy Lopez. Outfielder David Justice left the field with an injury in the ninth when he dove for a ball that he missed. Justice has a history of shoulder and back injuries, so it remains to be seen if he will miss any time. The loss is Atlanta's second straight and now the two teams are tied atop the NL East standings with two games remaining in this series. Philly Manager Jim Fregosi missed the game in order to attend his daughter's graduation from the University of South Florida.

Baseball is a superstitious sport, but this one is unusual. Struggling all season thus far with a 1-8 record, the Cincinnati Reds opted for "Hair of the Dog." No, not the multi-platinum recording by Nazareth from 20 years ago but hair Reds owner Marge Schott kept from her late St. Bernard, Schottzie, who died in 1991. Reds players agreed to let her rub them with the dog's hair on their arms and chest while Manager Davey Johnson agreed to carry some in his pocket. It worked, too, to the chagrin of people with brains, so look forward to seeing this ritual repeated until October. The Reds entered the bottom of the eighth trailing, 11-4, and apparently the dog hair worked (or did they just get it all cleaned off by then) as the Reds erupted for 9 runs in the last two innings against the Mets bullpen to win their second game of the season, 13-11. Ron Gant ignited the beginning of the comeback with a three-run home run in the eighth, and Jerome Walton's 2-run walkoff shot ended it with exhilaration in the Queen City.

Kenny Rogers got his first victory since his perfect game last summer, giving up seven hits, including Mark McGwire's third home run of the year, in a 4-2 Rangers win over Oakland. Rookie Brad Radke, making his first career start for the Twins, stifled the Cleveland bats by allowing just two runs in his 5.2 innings as he got his first career win in a 5-2 Minnesota triumph over the Indians.

And the Colorado Rockies had the day off!!

Braves highlights begin at 2:56

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 7, 1995


6-4
2nd Place
1 game out

BRAVES BLOW 4-RUN LEAD TO CLINCH SERIES LOSS TO PHILLIES;
MADDUX LEAVES WITH TWISTED KNEE
FORMER RED GUS BELL DIES AT 66

At about 330 Eastern time this afternoon, the Atlanta Braves had to feel pretty good about themselves. They had a 4-run lead against Philadelphia's best pitcher, they had the best pitcher in baseball on the mound, and they appeared poised to take a game from the team that stole (in their view) a World Series berth from them two years ago and the potential to even the series tomorrow. Unfortunately, the Braves have to turn games over to an increasingly erratic bullpen, and thanks to some late inning Philly pheasting on phastballs by new closer Brad Clontz, the Braves dropped the third straight game to ensure they will lose the series, this time by a score of 5-4. Topping the bad news, Maddux collided with Dave Hollins at first base when he safely beat out a bunt in the third inning rally, and he left after five innings with a twisted knee. The Phillies gradually closed the gap until they won the game, and the Atlanta bullpen aren't firemen so much as they are arsonists.

Curt Schilling, a pitcher who always seems on the precipice of being one of the finest in the game, had one bad inning out of seven, which gave Atlanta their runs, but he battled back and kept Philly close so that he winds up the winnind pitcher of record while the loss goes to former Brave/former Phillie/current Brave Steve Bedrosian. The pitchers duel took place in front of 34,000 fans on a beautiful fall afternoon where despite the nine runs, the game was completed in just 2:30.

Neither team had a baserunner through two, but in the bottom of the third the Braves went to work. And it was Maddux that got the ball rolling - literally in this case - when he surprised the Phillies with a bunt hit. Unfortunately, Maddux and Hollins collided, and Maddux had to be checked out by the trainer. Thankfully due to his excellent conditioning, Maddux was okay and able to continue. Good thing, too, because Marquis Grissom and Chipper Jones singled to load the bases with two out, and Fred McGriff batting. McGriff lined a two-run single that put Chipper on third, and he came home moments later when catcher Darren Daulton's passed ball got far enough away from him to move the runners up one base. Dwight Smith singled to center, and the Braves had a 4-0 lead and their best pitcher on the mound. Then in the fifth, Schilling returned the favor when he doubled off Maddux with two outs and then scored on a Len Dykstra singled to narrow the gap to 4-1. Maddux left the game, and he took the anemic Atlanta offense with him.

Greg McMichael took over for Maddux and after retiring Gregg Jefferies, he gave up a single to Hollins and a two-run shot by Darren Daulton that cut the Atlanta lead to just one run. In the eighth, Mike Stanton got the first two Phillies out before giving up a single to Dave Hollins. Steve Bedrosian came on and after walking Charlie Hayes, he gave up an infield single to Mariano Duncan that loaded the bases. Needing four outs to seal the win, Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox went with his newest closer, Clontz. Gary Varsho's single scored the two lead runners to give the Phillies the lead, and that's the way it ended. Heathcliff Slocumb closed Atlanta out with a 1-2-3 ninth, and the Phillies had the win. Davd Justice did not play, injured from the night before. Maddux is not expected to miss his next scheduled start, either. But the Braves have these injuries plus the thumb injury to Ryan Klesko.

Royce Clayton drove in four runs, John Patterson three, and the San Francisco Giants swept the Padres with an 11-4 verdict for Mark Portugal. Rod Beck got the save while Andy Ashby got the loss, the seventh in a row for San Diego. After ending last night's "Hair of the Dog" game with a walkoff home run, Jerome Walton drilled the first pitch from Jason Jacome over the wall for a leadoff home run and 1-0 lead that Cincinnati and starter Jose Rijo turned into an 8-4 triumph. The Reds bats began working as Hal Morris drove in three runs while Jeff Branson and Reggie Sanders had two apiece. Darrin Fletcher homered, doubled, and scored three times to lift Jeff Fassero and the Expos to a 9-3 decision over the Florida Marlins. Two wild pitche, a passed ball, and a bad hop grounder - all in the same wild eighth inning - helped the Pirates avoid their first 0-5 home start in the 20th century as they beat the Cubs, 4-3.

In the AL, it took 17 innings, but the Indians beat the Twins, 10-9, on Kenny Lofton's one out single up the middle in what was the longest game ever - by time - for both clubs. The game lasted 6:36 and saw 47 players see action or at least get announced as playing in the contest. The game featured six home runs, 44 hits and 39 runners left on base. Eddie Murray hit two home runs and two singles and five RBIs that pushes him to just 51 hits short of the magical 3,000 mark. The game was so wild that the Twins had runners thrown out at home on infield grounders in both the 12th and 16th innings. Manny Ramirez scored the game-winning run on Lofton's single. John Valentin went 4 for 5, and the Red Sox blasted Detroit, 12-1. For the 51st time in his career, Oakland ace Dave Stewart won a game following a loss as the Athletics took advantage of eight walks by Texas pitcher Kevin Gross to beat the Rangers, 8-6. For the third straight game, Rafael Palmeiro homered, enabling Mike Mussina and the Orioles to beat David Cone and the Blue Jays, 6-2, in a battle of birds.

Gus Bell, a former major league outfielder for 15 years in the big leagues with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati the Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets died today at Bethesda North Hospital near Cincinnati following a heart attack he suffered last Monday. Bell was 66. Born David Russell Bell, Jr. in 1928, he got the name "Gus" due to his admiration of MLB catcher Gus Mancuso. His son, Buddy Bell, was a five-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner in the 70s and 80s, and his grandson (David Bell) just made his major league debut the day after Gus suffered his heart attack. Another grandson, Mike Bell, is in the minor leagues currently.

Braves highlights start at 3:46.