Game 25: Vernon Wells greets Spectre reliever Brandon Lyon with a three-run homer in the seventh that puts Pittsburgh on top 4-3, but the Spectres get two infield singles and a walk in the ninth to load the bases with one down for Ken Griffey Jr. Griff comes through, singling to right field, scoring two runs for a 5-4 win.

Game 26: Jon Garland allows five runs in six innings, but nearly makes up for that with his bat, going 4-4 with four RBI; his Pittsburgh teammates have a field day (as you might imagine) and pummel the Spectres 11-5.

Game 27: Ryan Dempster may have cost himself the closer's job with this one, allowing three runs in the ninth to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead and wasting a brilliant performance by Kelvim Escobar. It's Dempster's third blown save of the young season and his ERA climbs to 8.53.

Game 28: Pittsburgh outhits Montreal 13-6, but Dan Uggla's three-run homer caps a four-run sixth and the Spectre bullpen tosses three scoreless innings to protect a 6-4 win. Jeremy Bonderman gets his first win of the season.

Interleague sets with Cleveland and Oakland are next.

Game 29: Visiting Cleveland gets a three-run homer from starting pitcher Kris Benson and limits the Spectres to one extra base hit on the way to a 9-4 win.

Game 30: At Cleveland, the Classics shut out the Spectres 4-0, getting seven blank frames from a pitcher named Van Thorn.

Game 31: Carlos Delgado greets reliever Cole Hamels with a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth and the Spectres beat visiting Oakland 7-4. Ryan Dempster, still holding onto the closer's job after all, throws a six-pitch ninth for his seventh save.

Game 32: Montreal's bulpen throws four scoreless innings to hold on for a 5-4 win at Oakland, giving Jeremy Bonderman his second win of the season. Carlod Delgado and Geoff Jenkins hit home runs for the victors.

Montreal head to Houston (12-20) to resume NL play.

Game 33: The Spectre offense struggles, held hitless over the final three innings by a trio of Lone Star relievers, and Houston takes the series opener by a 3-2 score.

Game 34: Jake Westbrook allows only an unearned run in 6.1 innings of work and Salomon Torres throws two scoreless frames for his first save as Montreal defeats Houston 5-1 to even the series.

Game 35: Carl Crawford hits a leadoff home run off Danny Haren... and the Spectres offense calls it a day. Haren throws a complete game and Houston takes the rubber match 3-1.

Interleague sets against Orange County and St. Paul are next.

Game 36: Montreal finally finds its offense; unfortunately it comes on a day when the pitchers allow 10 runs. Visiting OC edges the Spectres 10-8.

Game 37: The Spectres have the last laugh in this roller coaster of a game, scoring three times in the sixth to take a lead they never relinquish, though Ryan Dempster gives it a try in the ninth. In the end Dempster allows only one run and earns his ninth save as Montreal holds on for a 7-6 win.

Game 38: In a crazy game that sees four blown saves, 40 hits, and at one inning of at least seven runs from each team, the Spectres edge St. Paul 16-15 in 10 innings, allowing a game-tying run in the ninth and then two more in the 10th before rallying to win with none on and two down in the bottom of that frame. Ramon Hernandez walks, followed by prospect Conrad Rush's fifth hit of the game. Pinch hitter Ryan Doumit singles home one run and Carl Crawford follows with a game-winning triple.

Game 39: Yesterday's excitement was too much for the Spectres to take... they are shut out 6-0 at St. Paul as Brandon Webb improves to 6-0 on the season.

The Spectres will host San Diego next.

Game 40: A flurry of run-scoring over the final few innings ends in Montreal's favor as they edge the Conquistadors 9-8 to open the series. Ryan Doumit's seventh-inning pinch hit homer, his first of the season, turns a 7-5 deficit into a 8-7 lead, but AJ Burnett allows a homer to Ryan Theriot in the eighth that ties the game. Melvin Mora leads off the eighth with a walk and Carlos Delgado follows with an RBI double. Burnett retires the side in order in the ninth to close it out.

Game 41: Another crazy, roller-coaster, 40-hit affair ends in Montreal's favor as Carlos Delgado drives home Ryan Doumit in the bottom of the ninth with the winning run in a 17-16 decision. Ramon Hernandez' second home run of the game, a three-run shot, had completed a five-run comeback in the eighth that tied the score at 16. Hernandez' seven RBI trumps San Diego 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who drove in six.

Game 42: The hitting continues apace in the series finale, but San Diego has the upper hand in this one, outhitting Montreal 21-12 and winning 12-7 after bludgeoning starter Aaron Cook.

The 28-14 Milwaukee Bears are next on the schedule as Montreal hits the road.

Game 43: Khalil Greene puts Montreal on top with a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the sixth and Melvin Mora goes yard twice as the Spectres stun the Bears 9-5 to open the series.

Game 44: Brandon Lyon is closer for the day and he allows only a one-out walk to preserve a 6-4 win for the Spectres.

Game 45: Salomon Torres blows the save in this one, allowing an RBI double in the eighth and then three straight hits to open the ninth. He leaves with the score tied but two on base; Ryan Dempster retires one batter before allowing the game-winning single to Todd Helton. Milwaukee wins, 5-4.

Montreal returns home to face the Bootleggers (25-20).

Game 46: Carey Sabo lasts five innings and Dan Uggla has four hits as the Spectres beat Chicago 6-3, giving Sabo his first major league win.

Game 47: Aaron Cook throws seven scoreless innings and the Spectres beat Chicago 7-0. Cook improves to 2-5, lowering his ERA to 8.08. Dan Uggla homers for Montreal, his eighth of the season.

Game 48: Ramon Hernandez hits three doubles and his teammates add three homers as the Spectres finish a sweep of Chicago with a 10-5 win. Reliever AJ Burnett picks up ihs sixth win with four 1-hit innings and adds an RBI single.

Interleague matchups with Boston and Baltimore are next.

Game 49: Boston scores four times in the first, putting Montreal way down before they even get to bat, and adds another five off Kelvim Escobar before he leaves in the fourth. Montreal manages 10 hits for the game, but none for extra bases, and loses big, 9-2.

Game 50: Geoff Jenkins and Melvin Mora, the 1-2 hitters in the Spectre lineup, combine for nine RBI as Montreal beats the Brawn 12-8 at Fenway, surviving a seven-run Boston sixth inning.

Game 51: Montreal's trip to Baltimore is less productive; AJ Burnett allows three Aureole runs in the eighth which snaps a 3-3 tie and gives Baltimore a 6-3 win.

Game 52: Baltimore uses five relievers but they're all more effective than Montreal starter Jake Westrbook, who allows 11 hits in 4.2 innings of work as the visiting Aureoles crush the Spectres 9-2.

Now back at .500, the Spectres will host Frisco next.

Game 53: The Spectres blast Mark Buerhle, sending him to the showers in the fifth having allowed 12 hits and responsible for nine runs, beating the Niners 13-3 to start the series.

Game 54: Jeremy Bonderman pitches six solid innings, then allows a three-run homer to Todd Walker with no one out in the seventh; Frisco evens the series with a 6-3 victory.

Game 55: The Spectres build an early lead and then need to hang on through some adventurous relief pitching to exit the ninth with a 6-5 win. Ryan Dempster comes in to get the last out of the game but allows an RBI single first, cutting the margin to a single run. AJ Pierzynski grounds to short, mercifully, to end it.

Divisional play is back; the Spectres are off to Philly to face the red hot Cold Stealers (40-15).

Game 56: Philly breaks the game open late of a fatigued Spectre bullpen, winning the opener 6-2. Montreal manages only solo home runs by Ken Griffey Jr. and Khalil Greene.

Game 57: The Cold Stealers put three on the board against Kelvim Escobar in the first, add two homers off him later, and double up the Spectres 8-4 to give Mike Mussina his tenth win of the season.

Game 58: The Spectre bullpen fails again; Salomon Torres suffers his fourth blown save and drops to 1-6 as the Cold Stealers rally for three in the seventh and three more in the eighth to edge Montreal 6-5 and sweep the series.

Montreal heads home to face New York, which has crept past us into second place in the division.

Game 59: Though it has become painfully apparent that the Spectres must now focus on the wild card, the pain of being swept by Philadelphia lingers and they manage only five hits in a series-opening 3-2 loss to New York.

Game 60: The Spectres wake up a bit and hit four home runs, then hold on through another adventurous ninth inning as the Mad Men fall one run short in a 5-4 decision. Ryan Dempster allows two in the ninth but still gets his 11th save.

Game 61: Carey Sabo goes five innings again to even his record at 2-2 as the Spectres down the Mad Men 5-3 to take the series. Carlos Delgado and Ken Griffey Jr. hit home runs for the victors; Ryan Dempster throws a scoreless ninth for his 12th save.

The Spectres head to Pittsburgh to face the Melons.

Game 62: Montreal outhits the Melons 9-8 but Kelvim Escobar allows three home runs and the Melons win, 5-2.

Game 63: The Spectre offense continues to struggle and the Melons clinch the series with a 5-1 victory behind Brett Myers (6-3).

Game 64: The Spectres jump on Gil Meche for five runs in the fourth and then hang on for a 5-4 win, salvaging the series finale from Pittsburgh. Dan Uggla hits a three-run double and Ryan Doumit drives in the other two.

The Spectres are two under at 31-33 but only three games back of the wild card spot. Next up is a home-and-home with Colorado.

Game 65: At Denver, Ray Durham hits two of the Rockies' four home runs and they bludgeon the Spectres 14-2.

Game 66: Results at Olympic Stadium are no better; Erik Bedard strikes out 11 and the Rockies roll to a 9-1 victory.

The Spectres head to St. Louis next.

Game 67: Montreal finally gets the bats going, scoring eight times in the seventh and collecting 18 hits for the day in an 11-1 win over St. Louis.

Game 68: Prospect Wade Jarvis gets his first start of the season, and it goes poorly. St. Louis scores four times in the fifth and goes on to a 7-4 win over Montreal.

Game 69: St. Louis has another four run inning, this time in the third off Aaron Cook (all four runs unearned thanks to a Khalil Greene error) and beats Montreal 6-3.

The Spectres will host Los Angeles next.

Game 70: Montreal falls behind 6-1 in the third, with Jake Westbrook putting in only 2.2 innings of work, but rally to tie the game with a four-run sixth inning. After that, there isn't any scoring for a looonnnnnggg time. The game goes to extras tied at six, and the Spectres blink first, forced to pitch Carey Sabo in the 14th. LA scores a run on a walk, steal, single. Montreal puts a man on base in the bottom half but can't score him and suffer a heartbreaking 7-6 loss.

Game 71: Montreal scores five times in the first and never looks back, beating the Granny Lovers 8-3. AJ Burnett goes 3.1 scoreless innings in relief of Jeremy Bonderman to get his seventh win.

Game 72: Montreal wins a series for the first time since facing New York, beating LA 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth after allowing the Granny Lovers to tie the game with three in the top half. Ryan Dempster gets his fifth blown save and AJ Burnett picks up his eighth win as Ramon Hernandez and Carl Crawford hit consecutive doubles to lead off the ninth.

We are headed to Cincinnati to face the Stingers.