Game 121: Both teams have five run innings early; Jay Buhner hits a grand slam in the top of the ninth to break a 6-6 tie. Luke Wilkins allows consecutive singles to start the bottom half; Robb Nen relieves and allows a two-run triple to the first batter he faces. The next three batters result in a strikeout, a single, and a walk. Kelvim Escobar relieves and walks the first batter he faces. Bases loaded, Montreal clinging to one-run lead. Roberto Kelly grounds to third and Moises Alou strikes out; Spectres win 10-9.

Game 122: Bret Boone gets a rare start and responds with four hits and five RBI; Jay Buhner adds four hits and four RBI himself; the Spectres destroy the Cosmos 20-6. Alex Fernandez hits his ninth double of the season, drives home two runs, and wins his 13th game.

Game 123: Jeffrey Hammonds hits a homer and drives home three as Scott Erickson is outpitched by a tired Jeremi Gonzalez; New York avoids a sweep with a 7-2 win in the finale.

Montreal returns home to face Pittsburgh.

Game 124: Robb Nen blows another save, this time with some help from Willie Greene, who commits three errors, allowing the Melons to tie the score in the ninth. Montreal leaves two men on base in both the ninth and 10th; Mike Remlinger walks home the lead run in the 11th, and Pittsburgh goes on to win, 8-5.

Game 125: Robb Nen melts down again, choking up a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth and putting the Spectres behind 4-3. Jay Buhner and Tony Phillips draw walks to lead off the bottom half (Phillips drawing his third walk of the game) and Ken Caminiti pinch hits.. he doubles to .. Phillips races around third, slides... he's safe!!!! Spectres win, 5-4.

Game 126: Willie Greene's leadoff home sparks a five-run 7th for the Spectres, and Robb Nen finally gets through a scoreless inning to earn a save as the Spectres take the series finale 6-5.

Montreal heads to Busch Stadium for a showdown with St. Louis (82-44).

Game 127: Alex Fernandez gives up four home runs in the first four innings and the Spectres are defeated by Greg Maddux, 6-2. Maddux improves to 11-5 while Fernandez falls to 13-6.

Game 128: St. Louis' Justin Thompson strikes out 10 and walks only one as he shuts out the Spectres for eight innings; the Blue Storm crushes Scott Erickson and routs Montreal 10-0.

Game 129: Montreal outpitches St. Louis but cannot outfield them; two Spectre errors lead to four unearned runs for the Blue Storm and St. Louis sweeps the series with a 4-1 win.

Meanwhile, the Keystones have won eight straight and are only seven back now. Montreal heads home to face Houston.

Game 130: Dave Burba gets rocked and Mike Remlinger doesn't provide much relief, none of which matters much because the Spectres are shut down by Dustin Hermanson (6-10). Houston takes the opener 13-1.

Game 131: Houston scores four times in the fourth and the Lone Star bullpen tosses three scoreless innings to preserve a 6-3 win over the Spectres. Montreal's division lead is trimmed to six games as Philly beats Frisco.

Game 132: The Spectres lose their sixth straight game and the closer situation has reached critical status as Robb Nen surrenders a two-run homer to Mike Bordick in the ninth that gives the Lone Stars a 3-2 win. Nen has now blown eight saves, many of them in the last 10 games.

The schedule does Montreal no favors as they welcome San Francisco to town.

Game 133: The first of two Edgardo Alfonzo errors leads to three unearned runs in the first for Frisco, but Alfonzo makes up for that lapse with four hits and four runs scored as the Spectres roar back for a 16-5 win. Carlos Hernandez and Brady Anderson each has four hits as well; Ken Griffey Jr. drives in four. Erickson gets his 15th win.

Game 134: Ken Griffey Jr. hits two home runs and drives home five as the Spectres outlast the Niners, 9-6. The two blasts give Griffey Jr. 40 home runs for the season.

Game 135: Montreal draws eight walks and Robb Nen pitches a clean inning, striking out Tino Martinez to end it, earning his 31st save as the Spectre beat Frisco 6-4 in the series finale.

Montreal heads to Milwaukee to face the Krauts.

Game 136: Montreal hits five home runs, three of them in a six-run seventh, and tacks on another six in the eighth as they win the opener in Milwaukee 14-6. Chuck Finley pitches well, improving to 11-7.

Game 137: Carlos Delgado hits a grand slam, Jay Buhner adds a three-run homer, and Eddie Taubensee has four hits as the Spectres beat Milwaukee 15-4. Alex Fernandez lasts into the seventh and gets his 14th win of the season.

Game 138: Montreal goes quietly in the first but scores in every inning thereafter, beating Milwaukee 14-2. Eddie Taubensee has four hits and five RBI; Brady Anderson is 4-4 with two walks and four runs scored. Scott Erickson gets his 16th win and Mike Remlinger pitches the final three for a save.

Montreal returns home to face Los Angeles, currently battling for a wild card spot.

Game 139: Willie Blair has control problems, walking five in five innings, and Jeff Juden shuts the Spectres down as the Looters take the opener in an 11-1 rout. Ken Griffey Jr.'s 43rd home run accounts for Montreal's only tally.

Game 140: Edgardo Alfonzo hits a three-run home run to erase a 2-0 deficit, the bullpen pitches 2.1 scoreless innings, and the Spectres tack on a few late runs to even the series with a 6-2 win.

Game 141: LA takes the series as the Spectre bullpen blows another save, this time with Bob Wickman and Rick Aguilera on the mound. The Looters explode for eight runs in the eighth and win the game 11-4.

The Spectres are off to Cincinnati to face the Stingers.

Game 142: Ken Griffey Jr. is really stepping up; he has a 5-5 game, with two home runs and a double, driving in six and scoring four, as the Spectres rout the Stingers 13-2 in the opener. Alex Fernandez pitches a complete game, hits his 11th double, and earns his 15th win of the season.

Game 143: Scott Erickson pitches 8.1 scoreless innings and Ken Caminiti drives in his 100th run of the season as the Spectres defeat Cincinnati 7-0.

Game 144: Tony Phillips hits his second home run of the season, one of three longballs by the Spectres, and Bob Wickman pitches two scoreless innings for the save as Montreal wins 5-4.

The Spectres return home to face San Diego.

Game 145: Bob Wickman and Rick Aguilera conspire to give away another game, allowing four runs in the eighth to erase a 5-4 Montreal lead. Ken Griffey Jr. hits his second home run of the game in the bottom half and Eddie Taubensee drives in a run to make the score 8-7, but the Spectres can't score again and lose the opener. Montreal leaves the bases loaded in the first, second, and fifth innings, with Ken Caminiti striking out to end two of those threats.

Game 146: Chuck Finley pitches six 1-hit innings, but the Spectres cannot touch Shawn Estes and the San Diego bullpen is more effective than Montreal's today; the Conquistadors score some runs late and win a 4-0 decision.

Game 147: Mark Clark shuts down the Spectres for eight innings and Mel Rojas picks up his 45th save as San Diego sweeps the Spectres with a 3-1 victory.

Montreal heads to Chicago to face the Bootleggers at Wrigley before finishing the season with 12 divisional games; despite this sweep Montreal's magic number to clinch the division is at four.

Game 148: Jose Cruz Jr. leads off the second inning with a home run off Montreal starter Scott Erickson, then hits a two-run shot later in the inning (which is immediately followed by a Cal Ripken Jr. homer). Erickson allows nine runs in that frame and the Spectres go down to a 12-5 defeat at the hand of the Bootleggers.

Game 149: Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 50th home run and drives home six as the Spectres win a Wrigley slugfest, 14-10. Bob Wickman gets the win in relief, improving his record to 3-6. Tony Phillips has four hits for Montreal.

Game 150: Robb Nen faces three batters in the ninth; all eventually score. Chicago rallies to beat the Spectres 8-7 as the Montreal bullpen fails again.

The final round of divisional play will close the season; Montreal's magic number is down to one despite their recent slump and they have a chance to clinch the division as they host Philadelphia for four games.

go sphinctres!

Game 151: Philly's Henry Rodriguez hits a three-run homer in the first inning; Montreal gets consecutive solo shots from Ken Griffey Jr. and Carlos Delgado in the fourth, but Juan Gonzalez gets those runs back with a two-run blast in the sixth. Griffey Jr. hits another home run in the eighth, but the Spectres fall just short, dropping the opener 5-4. Griffey Jr. now has 52 home runs and 165 RBI. Delgado's home run gives him 99 RBI.

Game 152: Carlos Delgado hits and RBI double in the first, giving him 100 RBI for the season, and Alex Fernandez takes over from there, pitching a complete game 1-hit shutout as the Spectres clinch their second straight NL East title with a 6-0 win over Philadelphia.

Game 153: Montreal breaks open a close game with a 5-run eighth, Ken Griffey Jr. hitting his 53rd home run, and Scott Erickson wins his 18th game as the Spectres defeat the Keystones 7-1.

Game 154: Montreal rallies late, scoring three in the seventh, and takes the series finale 6-3 over Philly; Bob Wickman gets the win in relief and Robb Nen gets the save, his 32nd. Ken Griffey Jr. homers, his 54th of the season.

The Cosmos will be in town for four next.

Game 155: Brady Anderson and Willie Greene each drive in four runs as the Spectres win a slugfest with New York, 15-8. Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 50th double of the season, becoming one of a select club of players with both 50 doubles and 50 homers in the same season, and drives in his 170th run. Dave Burba gets his 14th win and Rick Aguilera picks up his first save of the season.

Game 156: Greg Gagne drives in four runs, hitting his ninth home run, and Ken Griffey Jr. stays red hot with his 55th homer as the Spectres beat New York 11-3. Chuck Finley has two hits, two runs, and two RBI to help his own cause as he improves to 12-8 on the season.

Game 157: Montreal scores five runs in the fifth inning, then holds on for a 7-6 victory; Robb Nen gets the last out for the save. Willie Greene and Carlos Delgado hit home runs for the Spectres; Alex Fernandez hits his 13th double.

Game 158: Jay Buhner hits two home runs and drives home four; Ken Griffey Jr. adds his 56th blast of the season and Scott Erickson gets his 19th win in a 9-3 decision over New York.

The Spectres will finish the regular season in Pittsburgh.

Game 159: Ken Griffey Jr. and Jay Buhner hit home runs; Willie Blair allows no earned runs in six innings, and the Spectres beat the Melons 10-7. Blair becomes the fifth member of the rotation to earn 10 wins this season.

Game 160: Alex Fernandez finishes his regular season with a complete-game gem, and Bret Boone hits his first home run of the season as Montreal wins 3-1.

Game 161: Montreal hits four home runs, including Jay Buhner's 30th, and Chuck Finley strikes out eight Melons as the Spectres beat Pittsburgh 10-5 for their 10th straight win.

Game 162: A five-run fifth gives Montreal the lead, and Robb Nen gets the last out to preserve a 7-6 win in the season finale. Ken Griffey Jr. homers (his 58th) and doubles (his 53rd) and drives in a run (his 179th). Dave Burba wins his 15th game.

red hot and rolling