Game 65: Eddie Murray blasts three home runs and drives home five to back a shaky Alex Fernandez as the Spectres stop their skid with an 11-6 win in Washington. Fernandez improves to 8-3; Tony Phillips and Ken Caminiti also hit homers.

Game 66: Washington outhits Montreal 9-7 at Olympic Stadium, but Eddie Murray continues to chew up Senator pitching, hitting two doubles and driving home three runs. Ken Caminiti homers for the second straight day and Edgardo Alfonzo goes deep as well; Montreal wins 8-5.

Montreal is now six games back of the wild card spot, having lost only one game in a 2-3 stretch, and heads to Wrigley to face the Bootleggers.

one game in the standings, read between the lines.

Game 67: Chuck Finley's erratic season continues; he allows three runs in the first, three more in the seventh, and falls to 8-5 as the Bootleggers open the series with an 8-3 win. Montreal chases Chicago starter Bob Tewksbury in the fifth but is shut down by Donovan Osborne adn Roger Bailey thereafter.

Game 68: Ron Karkovice blasts two home runs and drives in six, including a three-run shot in the eighth that caps a five-run rally. Montreal evens the series with a 12-7 victory, thanks in large part to a heroic effort from the bullpen, which allows only one run in 6.1 innings.

Game 69: Willie Blair has yet another disastrous outing, allowing six runs in three innings, as the Bootleggers take the series with a 10-7 win. Ken Caminiti doubles and homers for Montreal, driving home four runs, but the deficit is too much to make up.

Montreal returns home to face San Diego (27-42).

Game 70: Alex Fernandez gets shelled again, and Eddie Guardado is blown out of the park as the Conquistadors score a convincing 11-7 victory in the opener. San Diego's Rickey Henderson has four hits and four RBI; even two homers from Jay Buhner cannot save the Spectres.

Game 71: Vinny Castilla's three-run homer caps a seven-run second inning for San Diego, and the Conquistadors survive a late Spectre rally to clinch the series with a 12-8 win. Ron Karkovice homers for Montreal; Dave Burba takes the shelling and falls to 2-6.

Game 72: Tino Martinez hits a two-run homer in the first for San Diego, but Chuck Finley, Bob Wickman, and Rick Aguilera combine for 8.1 shutout innings thereafter. Montreal scrapes together single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, salvaging the finale with a 2-1 decision.

Montreal heads to California to face Orange County. Montreal ranks 21st in the league in runs scored with 346, a massive decline from last year's top three performance. The pitching staff is hardly blameless, ranking 17th in the league.

Game 73: The Choppers collect 11 hits to Montreal's five, but the Spectres make more of theirs as Scott Erickson beats Kevin Brown in a tense battle, 3-2. Rick Aguilera pitches a scoreless innings for his 18th save.

Game 74: Previously winless William van Landingham tosses five shutout frames against the Spectres; Montreal doesn't score until the ninth. It's far too late by then, and Orange County evens the series with an 8-1 win.

Game 75: Montreal outhits Orange County 8-6, and even hits two home runs, but Alex Fernandez has another rough outing and the Choppers take the finale 5-3.

Montreal comes home to face San Francisco (37-38).

Game 76: Game 1 features Dave Burba vs. Tony Martin. Sounds like a pitcher's duel, no? um... no. Both teams score seven times in the first five innings (each team having an inning with one, two and four runs), but the bullpens are dominant in the sixth and seventh, leaving the game tied at seven going into the eighth. Bob Wickman allows the first four batters he faces in that frame to reach base, and the 69ers score four times to bust the game open. Or do they? Montreal gets six straight hits to start the bottom of the eighth, the fifth one being a three-run homer by Jay Buhner that gives them a 12-11 lead. Rick Aguilera tosses a 1-2-3 ninth and the Spectres win.

Game 77: Far fewer runs are scored in the second game of the series, in which Chuck Finley throws seven good innings and picks up his 10th win of the season. Ken Caminiti homers and drives in two, and the Spectres win 6-2.

Game 78: Montreal cannot finish off the sweep; Scott Erickson gets hit HARD and the Spectres manage only a two-run homer by Jay Buhner (his 20th of the season). Frisco wins the finale 9-2.

Montreal heads to Cincinnati for the final series of the first half.

Game 79: Two punchless teams finish the ninth inning tied at one (a near miracle considering that Willie Blair started for Montreal) and head to extras. Neither team advances a runner past first base in the 10th or 11th. Eddie Taubensee leads off the 12th with a single, then sccores the lead run on Brady Anderson's home run. Montreal puts two more runners on base with two outs, and Jay Buhner cements the win with a three-run blast. Scott Sanders pitches his second straight 1-2-3 inning and the Spectres win, 6-1.

Game 80: No shortage of punch in this one; Chuck Finley's bid for win number 11 is derailed as he allows 10 runs in four innings of work; the Stingers have problems on the mound as well but hold on for a 13-9 win. Tyler Green improves to 5-0 for Cincinnati despite allowing seven runs. Jay Buhner hits his 22nd homer for the Spectres.

Game 81: Montreal's hopes of finishing the first half on a good note are dashed by Robb Nen and Bob Wickman, who combine to allow seven runs in 1.1 innings of work. The Stingers pull away late for an 11-3 win in the series finale. Bret Boone hits his.. um.. second home run of the season for Montreal.

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Despite a 38-43 record, the Spectres place three players on the NL All Star Team: Rick Aguilera, Ken Caminiti, and Jay Buhner. Buhner is second in the NL with 22 homers while Buhner and Caminiti both rank in the top 20 in the NL in RBI.

Eddie Murray was snubbed despite a .389 batting average with 60 RBI.

Montreal will host Houston to start the second half.

Game 82: Ken Griffey Jr. makes a surprise visit to the Spectre clubhouse, and starts the game in field! Is he ready to come back? Well, maybe not quite (he takes an 0-5) but the inspired Spectres pound out 15 hits and destroy Houston 11-1. Alex Fernandez tosses a complete game for the win. Eddie Murray drives in four runs.

Game 83: Griffey Jr. remains hitless, but at least reaches base for the first time, walking twice. Jay Buhner and Ron Karkovice hit two-run homers and the Spectres survive a late grand slam from Barry Larkin to win, 7-5.

Game 84: Montreal scores twice in the first, but does absolutely nothing thereafter, mustering only three more hits on the day. Chuck Finley pitches pretty well, but allows single runs in three consecutive innings. Houston salvages the finale, 3-2.

Long interleague stretch up next as we will face Milwaukee, Oakland and Baltimore.

Game 85: Willie Blair avoids "That" inning, Eddie Guardado tosses three scoreless frames, and Ken Caminiti hits a two-run homer as the Spectres beat visiting Milwaukee and David Cone, 4-1. It's only Cone's third loss of the season (against 12 wins).

Game 86: Milwaukee gets revenge at County Stadium, sending Alex Fernandez to the showers in the third and then rallying for two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings (all off Bob Wickman) to win a 14-12 slugfest.

Game 87: Montreal gets only one extra base hit, a triple by Edgardo Alfonzo, but surrenders five doubles to Baltimore. The Aureoles beat Scott Erickson, 5-3.

Game 88: Brady Anderson hits three doubles and Tony Phillips has three RBI as the Spectres even things out with Baltimore in a 6-4 home win. The Montreal bullpen contributes three scoreless innings, with Rick Aguilera picking up his 23rd save.

Game 89: Dave Burba pitches possibly his best game of the second half (including future starts), allowing only one run in five innings, but Tony Fossas fills in for the usual Burba performance admirably. Fossas faces four batters; all score; Oakland wins 5-1.

Game 90: Alex Fernandez has another horrible outing, allowing four runs in the first. The bullpen matches him, allowing four runs in the ninth. In between the Spectres dominate, but they lose 10-6. One bright spot: Ken Griffey Jr. hits his first home run of the season.

Montreal heads to St. Louis to face the Blue Storm, with Glavine, Maddux, and Martinez slated to pitch against us.

Game 91: Scott Erickson is sent to the showers during a four-run second inning; the middle of the Spectre lineup produces all eight of Montreal's hits, but not in a productive fashion. St. Louis runs away with a 7-1 victory in the opener.

Game 92: As you might expect, Greg Maddux has little to fear from the moribund Spectre offense. Chuck Finley puts up a good effort but is on the losing end of a 4-1 game.

Game 93: Dennis Martinez doesn't have his best stuff; Willie Blair, shockingly, does. Montreal scores seven times in the first two innings, hits six home runs, and rolls to a shockingly easy 11-2 victory to salvage the finale.



The Spectres head to San Diego to visit the Conquistadors, who have given us some problems this season.

Game 94: Alex Fernandez continues to sink deeper into the depths, victim of a six-run fourth inning by the Conquistadors. Eddie Taubensee and Ken Griffey Jr. each hit their third home run of the season, but San Diego holds on for a 7-5 win.

Game 95: San Diego just has our number this season.. they hit seven doubles and a home run to score their second straight victory, 8-4. Scott Erickson takes the loss. Jay Buhner hits a triple.. his first of the season.

Game 96: Facing a 2-10 pitcher in Rheal Cormier, Montreal manages to salvage the finale, but the game is not without its frustrations. Brady Anderson is 0-6 with six men on. Bret Boone has three hits but also strands eight baserunners. Eddie Murray hits Montreal's only home run; Chuck Finley lasts through the eighth for the win.

We return home to face Chicago.

"Game 93: Dennis Martinez doesn't have his best stuff"

he had NO stuff...and he had been doing so well staying sober

Game 97: For the second straight turn, the Burba/Blair spot in the rotation performs well. Unfortunately, the bullpen does not. Bob Wickman, in particular, who is victim of a three-run inning; the Bootleggers take the opener 6-4.

Game 98: Eddie Taubensee blasts a three-run homer and Alex Fernandez looks like a major league pitcher for a change; Montreal evens the series with a 7-2 win.

Game 99: Scott Erickson looks decidedly unlike a major league pitcher, exiting in the third. Montreal manages only seven hits and drops the series finale, 7-3.

Montreal heads west to face the Looters with an exhausted bullpen.