Game 155: Ken Caminiti singles, triples, and drives in four while Carlos Delgado reaches base five times and the Spectres get six solid innings from Willie Blair to beat the Cosmos 9-4. Blair improves to 6-10. Edgardo Alfonzo hits two doubles, giving him 47 and an outside chance of joining Delgado in the 50-double club.

Game 156: Cosmo starter Jarrod Washburn lasts only 2.2 innings, but the Cosmo bullpen throws 6.1 scoreless innings at the Spectres and New York evens the series with a 7-1 victory.

Game 157: New York's Kevin Appier comes within one out of a complete game as the Cosmos down the Spectres 4-1. Dave Burba takes the loss for Montreal as the Spectres collect only six hits.

Game 158: Ken Griffey Jr. hits a three-run homer in the first, his 36th blast of the season, and Kelvim Escobar makes it stand up as the Spectres earn a split with New York, winning the finale 5-3. Robb Nen pitches a scoreless ninth for his 42nd save.

Montreal finishes the season at Pittsburgh.

Game 159: Ken Griffey Jr. hits two more home runs to pace a 13-hit Montreal attack and the Spectres clinch a tie for the wild card spot with a 9-4 win in Pittsburgh. Chuck Finley goes the distance for his 16th win.

Game 160: Montreal clinches a playoff spot as Ken Griffey Jr. hits two more homers, giving him five in the last three games and 40 for the season, and drives in four runs. Willie Blair is the beneficiary and gets his seventh win in a 9-4 victory.

Game 161: Montreal wins a slugfest featuring two blown saves by the Spectres and a seven-run ninth, 20-13. Montreal takes a 10-3 lead in the third, falls behind 11-10 in the seventh, scores three in the eighth to lead 13-11 but gives up two in the bottom half to tie the score at 13. Ken Griffey Jr. and Carlos Delgado draw bases-loaded walks in the ninth, Eddie Taubensee follows with a two-run single, and Jay Buhner homers to cap things off.

Game 162: The Spectres blow another save, Robb Nen's fourth of the season, but score in the 10th to win the regular season finale, 6-5. Jay Buhner hits a grand slam; Ricky Gutierrez and Edgardo Alfonzo also hit homers for the Spectres.

Montreal finishes the season 92-70, 12 games behind Philadelphia but with a better record than either of the Central or West division winners.

Montreal will face San Diego in the first round of the playoffs. The Spectres have not experienced much success against the Conquistadors in recent years.

GAME 1, at San Diego

Chuck Finley (16-8) vs Darren Dreifort (21-3)

San Diego strikes first, getting a one-out single in the opening frame from Chris Stynes followed by a run-scoring double by Jason Giambi.

San Diego adds another run in thr fourth on Lou Merloni's single and then two runs in the fifth; Moises Alou leads off with a home run and Jeff Kent later doubles home Giambi.

The score remains 4-0 through seven. In the eighth, Ken Caminiti leads off with a single and moves to second when Eddie Taubensee does likewise. Melvin Mora follows with a double that puts the Spectres on the board. Jay Buhner pinch hits for Finley and blasts a shot into the right field bleachers, tying the game at four. Mark Gardner relieves Dreifort but allows a single to Brady Anderson and a double to Edgardo Alfonzo. Spectres lead, 5-4.

Mike Fetters is hustled into the game to replace Gardner and strikes out Ken Griffey Jr. and Carlos Delgado before allowing a single to Geoff Jenkins, which scores Alfonzo with an insurance run.

Felix Rodriguez pitches a perfect eighth and Robb Nen allows only a two-out walk to Giambi in the ninth, retiring Alex Rodriguez on a grounder to end it. Montreal steals a game at Qualcomm and needs only win its two home games to advance.

Game 2, at San Diego

Dave Burba (13-9) vs. Daryl Kile (5-1)

The Spectres take an early lead as Brady Anderson leads off with a walk, steals second, and scores on Edgardo Alfonzo's hit. The Conquistadors, however, explode for four runs in the bottom of the first and could have scored more if Geoff Jenkins had not thrown Todd Hundley out at the plate on Jeff Kent's bases-loaded double.

Jenkins drives home a run in the third and then the Spectres get two more in the fifth to tie the game, with Ken Caminiti and Eddie Taubensee delivering RBI singles.

Jamey Wright relieves for San Diego in the sixth and allows a two-run homer to Ken Griffey Jr. Mike Remlinger gives half that lead back in the seventh on Jason Giambi's homer, but the Spectres get an RBI double from Carlos Delgado in the eighth to make it 7-5.

Hundley homers for San Diego in the eighth, and Matt Anderson is called in to relieve when the Conquistadors load the bases. Anderson walks Moises Alou, the first man he faces, to force in the tying run, then retires the next two to escape the jam with a tie score.

The Spectres do nothing in the ninth. Melvin Mora commits an error on Alex Rodriguez' grounder to start the San Diego ninth, and two outs later Rodriguez scores the game winner on Enrique Wilson's double.

The Spectres blow a golden opportunity to win another road game and head back to Montreal disheartened.

Game 3, at Montreal

Scott Shoenweis (9-10) vs. Kelvim Escobar (14-9)

The Conquistadors start the game like this:

Single, HBP, walk, walk, grand slam.

Escobar's day is done before even retiring a batter, and the Spectres are down 5-0.

Carlos Delgado homers in the bottom half to make it 5-2; San Diego scores single runs in the second, third and fourth to run their total to eight. Montreal gets two in the third on Ken Caminiti's single but they trail 8-4 after four.

Alex Rodriguez hits a two-run blast in the fifth to make it a 10-4 game, but the Spectres bounce back with four in the bottom half, taking advantage of a Jason Giambi error to extend the inning. Carlos Delgado then ties the game in the sixth, hitting his second two-run homer of the contest.

In the ninth, Albert Belle hits a one-out double, and with two down, Alex Rodriguez singles off new reliever Robert Ramsay to score Belle with the lead run.

Dave Veres pitches the ninth for San Diego and the Spectres go meekly in order.

Montreal now faces an elimination game with AAA prospect Rey Wergers on the mound.



GAME 4, at Montreal

Darren Dreifort (21-3) vs. Rey Wergers (1-1)

Wergers retires the first two batters, then a single and a two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez. The Montreal manager says, thanks for the effort, and Dave Burba is in to relieve.

Geoff Jenkins leads off the second inning with a home run, but San Diego starter Darren Dreifort makes it a 4-1 game with a two-run homer off Burba in the fourth.

An error by Jason Giambi, his second of the series, paves the way for a three-run homer by Melvin Mora in the bottom of that frame and the Spectres tie it up.

Tomo Ohka relieves Burba in the fifth and gives the lead back as Todd Hundley singles home Jason Giambi.

An error by Lou Merloni and a wild pitch by Dreifort pave the way for a three-run inning by the Spectres, who take a 7-5 lead.

Jason Giambi homers in the seventh, but another error by Lou Merloni opens the floodgates in the bottom half; Ricky Guttierez' pinch hit single drives in two and gives the Spectres a 10-6 lead.

Robert Ramsay pitches the final two innings, allowing a runner in each, but no runs, and the Spectres force a decisive fifth game in San Diego.

GAME 5, at San Diego

Chuck Finley (16-8) vs. Daryl Kile (5-1)

Montreal takes a 1-0 lead in the first on Ken Griffey Jr.'s single, but Jeff Kent drives home two for the Conquistadors in the bottom half to make it 2-1. The Spectres regain the lead with three in the third; San Diego gets a solo homer from Todd Hundley in the fifth and a two-run blast from Moises Alou in the sixth to go up 5-4.

Eddie Taubensee's bases-loaded single makes Montreal a 6-5 leader in the seventh. San Diego ties it in the eighth on a double play grounder.

Neither team scores in the ninth and we go to extras. Montreal leaves the bases loaded in the top half, while Omar Daal pitches a perfect inning for the Spectres.

Montreal goes in order in the 11th; San Diego starts the bottom half with three consecutive singles off Daal and wins the game 7-6, advancing to the LCS.

Season over.

go sphinctres!

there is no joy in Monville

Montreal gets the 20th pick in the 2001 player draft and needs to make four selections this season, as they bid adieu to stalwarts Brady Anderson and Jay Buhner, as well as Willie Blair and Eddie Taubensee.

In the first round, the Spectres go for pitching, taking young right-hander Jake Westbrook. He'll probably work out of the pen in '01 but will hopefully develop as a starter in the near future.

In the second round, Montreal takes another pitcher, y Joe Kennedy. Kennedy may get a couple tries as a starter this season but figures to spend most of his time as a long reliever.

Looking to plug a longstanding hole, the Spectres draft a young shortstop in Round 3, Angel Berroa. Good glove, questionable bat.

In the fourth round, Montreal completes its draft with a young OF/IF named Mark Bellhorn; he needs to learn some plate discipline but has some promising power.

2000 in review:

Hitters

C - Ramon Hernandez (.254/.326/.424) was mediocre in his first season as the starter, hitting 14 homers and driving in 66. Eddie Taubensee (.300/.355/.372) was very good in a backup role, though he showed no power (two homers in 277 AB)

1B - Carlos Delgado (.358/.493/.606) was incredible, reaching base nearly half the time. He clubbed 52 doubles, three triples, and 27 homers while walking 145 times. He scored 134 and drove in 124.

2B - Edgardo Alfonzo (.360/.451/.580) led the team with 215 hits and 152 runs scored and had 48 doubles to go with 26 homers. He was one of four Spectres with 120 RBI (121). Bret Boone (.237/.322/.362) had a nightmarish season as backup.

SS - Ricky Gutierrez (.215/.336/.323) showed patience at the plate but not much production, hitting eight homers and driving in 50. Prospect Kyle Mullaney (.282/.333/.340) started hot but tailed off down the stretch.

3B - Ken Caminiti (.345/.459/.558) was good in limited playing time (197 AB) while Andy Tracy (.238/.290/.364) was generally horrible. Alfonzo spent a fair amount of time here.

OF - Ken Griffey Jr. (.311/.422/.582) continues to chug along. He scored 144 and drove in 150 while hitting 29 doubles and 40 homers.

Brady Anderson (.261/.378/.429) started to tail off a bit, stealing only 16 bases and hitting only 20 homers. He did draw 99 walks and scored 137 runs.

Geoff Jenkins (.294/.353/.543) had a nice campaign, with 40 doubles, 30 homers, and 125 RBI. He also stole 14 times in 16 attempts.

Jay Buhner (.297/.408/.606) had a nice resurgence in his final season, hitting 15 doubles and 22 homers in 269 AB.

Mevlin Mora (.238/.301/.362) had a rough rookie season, playing some SS, 3B, and OF at times.

Bench - Billy McMillon (.359/.453/.516) had a nice stint early in the season, then disappeared from view.

Among the pitchers, Omar Daal drove in six while hitting .269; Willie Blair drove in four and Chuck Finley drove in three.

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PITCHING:

2001 Preview

Two key members of the outfield since the early '90s are gone, Jay Buhner retiring and Brady Anderson leaving the club in a contract dispute. Youngsters Melvin Mora and Geoff Jenkins will help fill their spots in the outfield, with veteran Ruben Sierra also on hand to lend a hand. The offense will suffer somewhat but should still rank in the top third of the league with returning sluggers Ken Griffey Jr., Carlos Delgado, and Edgardo Alfonzo.

The pitching staff could be a disaster, however. The club currently plans to use a six-man rotation and may need to use a seventh man on occasion. The bullpen remains solid but will have to cover a lot of innings with this rotation.

All other NL East members appear to have a similar payroll to the Spectres so it could be quite a battle of mediocrity this season.

As usual, the Spectres start the season on the road, at Houston this year, to face the Lone Stars.

Game 1: Bret Boone starts the season with a bang, collecting three hits and five RBI as the Spectres rough up Ryan Dempster and beat the Lone Stars 11-5 to spoil Houston's Opening Day festivities. Omar Daal pitches into the eighth and gets the win.

Game 2: Montreal's Dave Burba pitches brilliantly but is outshone by Houston's Rick Reed as the Lone Stars shut out the Spectres to win a 1-0 decision.

Game 3: After the 11-run outburst to start the season, the Spectres suffer two consecutive shutouts, losing the series finale 6-0 to Dustin Hermanson.

Montreal will start its home schedule with a visit from St. Louis.

Game 4: Kevlim Escobar gets the ball for the home opener and he is SHELLED, allowing seven runs in four innings. Tomo Ohka relieves him and matches the runs allowed total of seven, but in less than two innings. The Spectres finally get the offense going again but are crushed 16-7 in a performance that will not inspire much repeat business from the crowd.

Game 5: The Spectres' first extra-inning game of the season ends happily as Ruben Sierra homers in the 11th to give Montreal a 3-2 victory. St. Louis uses eight pitchers in the game; four Spectre relievers combine for six scoreless innings.

Game 6: Montreal gets back to .500 when they rally for two in the ninth off Keith Foulke, beating St. Louis 4-3. Edgardo Alfonzo drives in the winner.

The Spectres head to San Francisco to face the red hot 69ers, who are off to a 5-1 start and have thrown four shutouts in six games.

Game 7: Frisco's bullpen fails them as the first eight Spectre batters in the seventh inning not only reach base, but score, breaking open a 2-2 tie and launching Montreal to a 10-2 win in the series opener. Mike Kinkade caps the outburst with a two-run homer.

Game 8: Dave Burba leaves early, allowing four in the second inning, and the Niners even the series with an 8-3 victory. Kyle Farnsworth pitches three scoreless innings in relief to earn the save.

Game 9: Montreal loses a heartbreaker, two-hitting the Niners but getting shut out 2-0 by Mark Buehrle and Norm Charlton.

Montreal heads back home to host the Bootleggers.

Game 10: Montreal takes advantage of some fielding miscues by the Bootleggers to put some early runs on the board, then gets shutdown work from the bullpen before prevailing 5-4 in 11 innings when Ricky Gutierrez leads off the bottom of that frame with a home run off Jose Jimenez.

Game 11: Geoff Jenkins hits his first home run and the Spectres put together a four-run sixth to rally from a 5-2 deficit; the Montreal bullpen pitches five scoreless innings to bring home a 7-5 win. Robb Nen gets his first save.

Game 12: Chicago takes the series finale, 7-2, putting much stress on the Spectre bullpen in the process as starter Chuck Finley is knocked out in the first inning.

The Spectres start divisional play with a home series against Pittsburgh.

Game 13: The Spectres strike out a lot (11 times) but get home runs from Ken Griffey Jr., Geoff Jenkins, and Jason Dorgan along with two scoreless innings from Eddie Guardado to beat the Melons 8-3.

Game 14: Pittsburgh's fresher bullpen outlasts Montreal's; two walks, a groundout, and a wild pitch give the Melons a run in the top of the 14th; Montreal gets a man to second in the bottom half but can't bring him home. Pittsburgh wins 4-3.

Game 15: Montreal has just enough offense, and pitching, to beat the Melons 10-8. Bret Boone homers and drives in four runs.

Game 16: Pittsburgh takes a 5-0 lead in the third off Kelvim Escobar, but the Spectres score four in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take the lead back. Pittsburgh goes ahead in the seventh but Montreal retakes the lead in the bottom half and holds the Melons scoreless in the eighth and ninth to win 11-9. Mike Kinkade drives in six.

A trip to Shea Stadium to face the Cosmos is next.