Game 22: Milwaukee takes an early 5-0 lead which evaporates when Larry Parrish hits a seventh-inning grand slam off Ray Fontenot. Milwaukee takes the lead back in the eighth, however, as Bruce Benedict leads off with a single, advances to second on a wild pitch, moves to third on Damaso Garcia's grounder, and scores on Donnie Hill's sacrifice fly. Rich Gossage allows a one-out single in the ninth but gets the final out to earn his third save.

Game 23: Mariner reliever Greg Minton's error allows Bruce Benedict to reach first in the bottom of the ninth of a 2-2 game. With Andy Van Slyke pinch running, Damaso Garcia doubles to left center. Van Slyke races around third and beats the relay from Dickie Thon to win it for Milwaukee.

Game 24: Jerry Mumphrey hits a two-run homer during a five-run second inning and Rich Gossage throws a perfect ninth for his fourth save as Milwaukee tops Seattle 5-3 to complete a sweep.

The Riders head to Chicago next to face the Goats.

Game 25: The Riders take a 3-0 lead in the first but go into shutdown mode after that. The Goats have three separate 2-run innings off Mike Smithson and beat Milwaukee 6-3.

Game 26: Jerry Mumphrey has four hits, three runs scored, and three driven in as the Riders beat the Goats 7-1 and give Britt Burns his first victory of the season in four decisions.

Game 27: Jerry Mumphrey strikes again, collecting three more hits, three runs, and two RBI. Milwaukee wins 9-2 and John Montefusco becomes the second straight Rider pitcher to get his first win of the season. Sammy Stewart adds to the "firsts" by throwing four scoreless innings for his first save.

The Riders head to Minneapolis to face the Lame Ducks, who are an amazing 23-4.

Game 28: Bill Madlock has five hits and Roy Smalley drives in three runs as the Riders use a five-run fourth to launch themselves to a 10-3 win over Minnesota. Rick Sutcliffe strikes out eight and pitches into the eighth.

Game 29: Milwaukee falls behind early, but then comes the eighth inning. Roy Smalley starts things going with a three-run home run. Not long thereafter, Mike Marshall crushes a grand slam. When all is said and done, the Riders have an 11-6 lead. They add another run in the ninth and win 12-6.

Game 30: AFter each team scores five runs through the third inning (Mike Marshall contributing another home run), the bats go silent for the next six frames and we go to extras still tied at five. Andy Van Slyke is caught stealing in the 10th, seemingly ruining the Riders' chance at taking a lead, but Mike Marshall follows it up with his second home run of the game (and sixth of the season). Rich Gossage strikes out the side in the bottom half and Milwaukee sweeps Minnesota with a 6-5 win. Minnesota has only seven losses this season, and four of those were to Milwaukee.

From one division leader to another; the Riders return home to face Georgia Force (18-12).

Game 31: Atlanta leadoff man Claudell Washington has three doubles to spark a 16-hit attack as Georgia Force rocks the Riders, 10-5. Ron Guidry throws a complete game for the winners, despite allowing 12 hits. He walks none and finishes with a near-economical 114 pitches.

Game 32: Milwaukee uses three pitchers; each of them allows a home run, and the Force rout the Riders again, 10-4. Bo Diaz hits his first homer of the season for Atlanta, Jim Gantner his second.

Game 33: Ron Kittle hits three home runs to help the Riders rally from an early 5-0 deficit to salvage the series finale, 9-8. Rich Gossage allows two runners in the ninth but strikes out three to record the save.

The Riders head back on the road to Cleveland.

Game 34: Jeffrey Leonard is 5-5 with two home runs and six driven in; Tim Raines adds four hits with a homer; the Riders survive a six-run inning by the Saltdogs to win 11-9.

Game 35: The Riders hit six home runs, score eight times in the first three innings, and cruise to a 10-2 win. Sammy Stewart gets the win in relief of John Montefusco, improving to 4-0.

Game 36: Montreal scores in every inning from the fourth through the ninth, hitting three more home runs along the way, to beat the Saltdogs 8-3. Rich Gossage enters a tight situation in the ninth and strikes out both batters he faces to earn the save.

The road trip continues in New York.

Game 37: Danny Darwin throws a complete-game 2-hitter at the Riders. Mike Smithson nearly matches him pitch for pitch until the ninth, when Dwayne Murphy walks to lead off and steals second with two down. Bob Horner is walked to bring up Dave Engle. Mike Madden relieves Smithson... Engle singles Murphy home iwth the game's only run.

Game 38: Milwaukee suffers another one-run loss, 3-2, scoring once in the ninth to narrow the lead but stranding two men on when Lee Smith retires Ron Kittle to end it.

Game 39: The series finale is much less supenseful, if more painful. The Mammoths pounce on Rider starter John Montefusco, scoring seven times in the first inning. They go on to a 23-hit, 15-run performance to beat Milwaukee by 10.

The Riders return home to face Washington, somehow only two back of division leader Minnesota.

Game 40: Britt Burns gets off to a horrible start as the Commandos score four times in the first. Milwaukee puts together their own 4-run frame, in the fourth, and takes a 6-4 lead. It doesn't last long. Washington gets three more in the fifth and holds on for an 8-7 win.

Game 41: Milwaukee finally snaps their skid, answering a six-run Washington fifth with their own five-run frame in the sixth. Jeffrey Leonard's seventh-inning homer gives the Riders an important insurance run, as the Commandos score once in the ninth to make the final 10-9.

Game 42: The Riders have historically had trouble with the knuckleball, and things haven't changed much this season. Joe Niekro throws a complete game 3-hitter at Milwaukee, allowing only a single unearned run, and the Commandos take the series with a 2-1 decision.

We are off to Jack Murphy Stadium to face the Mariners.

Game 43: Albert Williams throws seven effective innings and picks up his first win of thes season as the Riders beat San Diego 6-2. Bill Madlock and Damaso Garcia have three hits each while Roy Smalley his his fifth home run.

Game 44: Milwaukee starts the day with a 6-run first, caps it with a 6-run eighth, and routs the Mariners 18-4. Willie Aikens drives in five runs, Bill Madlock four. John Montefusco makes it through the fifth to improve his record to 2-4.

Game 45: Milwaukee has another six-run first, this one on the way to a 14-2 beatdown of the Mariners. Roy Smalley and Ron Kittle drive in three apiece; Britt Burns goes seven for the win.

The Riders head to Chicago to face the Goats.

Game 46: Rick Sutfcliffe doesn't walk anybody, but he does allow 13 hits in 6.1 innings of work, which results in six runs charged to him. Chicago uses a four-run seventh to put things away in a 7-3 defeat of the Riders.

Game 47: Mike Smithson strikes out 11 but also allows 11 hits, and the Rider offense can't get going; Chicago scores a 4-3 win.

Game 48: Hal McRae's second homer of the season is one of four longballs by the Riders, who pound out 22 hits in a 14-2 rout of the Goats. Albert Williams wins, improving to 2-1.

We have first place Minnesota in town now, three games ahead of us. Big series. Potentially.

Game 49: The series gets off to a bad start as the Lame Ducks score mostly in two-run increments while the Riders are limited to one at a time. Sammy Stewart allows two 2-run frames in only three innings of work, essentially dooming the Riders to defeat, the final score of which is 7-4.

Game 50: The Riders cannot even match yesterday's performance, mustering only six hits in a 7-1 loss at the hands of Moose Haas.

Game 51: Things continue to get worse for Milwaukee, who suffers a 10-0 shutout loss in the series finale, putting the Lame Ducks back in firm control of the division. Dave Stieb throws a complete game 3-hitter for the winners, who get three home runs.

Georgia Force is in town next.

Game 52: In what could be a hopeful sign, the Riders find some offense, at least for one inning, knocking usual nemesis Phil Niekro out of the box in the first with a 6-run outburst. Unfortunately that is all we do for the day, and the Force gradually come back to eventually take an 8-6 win.

Game 53: Milwaukee puts together a six-run inning for the second straight game, this one in the eighth to deliver a comeback 12-7 win over Atlanta. Jeffrey Leonard and Jerry Mumphrey each have two-run singles in the inning.

Game 54: Ron Guidry isn't buying the new-found Rider offense, throwing a complete game 2-hitter to give Georgia Force the series with a 7-1 victory.

We're heading to Cleveland to face the Saltdogs.. rumor is there could be some changes in the starting rotation.

Game 55: Britt Burns, whose spot in the rotation was thought to be in jeopardy, does make the start in the opener against Cleveland. He has a rocky third inning, but otherwise is clean through five, and evens his record at 4-4 as the Riders pound four home runs en route to a 12-5 win. Bruce Benedict hits his first of the season; Willie Aikens hits two.

Game 56: Young lefty Frank Viola makes his first start of the season and puts his team in an early 4-0 hole, but the Riders rally back to tie it in the seventh and the game goes to extras. In the tenth, Bruce Benedict hits a one-out double and pinch-runner Mike Marshall scores two batters later on Damaso Garcia's single. Rich Gossage retires the Saltdogs in the bottom half for his 10th save.

Game 57: Willie Aikens and Damaso Garcia have four hits each and Rick Sutcliffe allows only one earned run (four total) in eight innings as the Riders complete a sweep of Cleveland with an 8-4 victory.

The Riders will go back to Milwaukee to host New York next.

Game 58: Mike Smithson leaves the game in the first inning, down 5-0 and having retired only one batter, but the Riders bounce back with four in the second and put together a five-run rally in the seventh that gives them an 11-10 lead. Roy Smalley's two-run homer in the eighth ices it; Milwaukee wins 13-10.

Game 59: New York's Ron Cey ties the game in the seventh with a two-run homer, but Milwaukee takes the lead back with a score in the eighth. Rich Gossage pitches a scoreless ninth to preserve a 4-3 win.

Game 60: The Rider bullpen has a complete meltdown, including Rich Gossage. The Mammoths score seven times in the seventh and then five more in the ninth to rally for a 13-9 win to avoid a sweep.

Milwaukee hosts Washington next.

Game 61: Frank Viola makes another solid start, but he is outdone by 1-8 Steve Rogers, who throws a complete game 4-hitter to beat the Riders 4-1.

Game 62: Rick Sutcliffe takes a beating and the Riders have their usual inept performance against Joe Niekro (no earned runs) as they are routed 12-3 by the Commandos.

Game 63: Bill Madlock hits two solo homers and prospect Robert Murtaugh drives in his first major league run as the Riders salvage the series finale, beating Washington 7-3.

Division opponent San Diego visits Milwaukee next.

Game 64: Ron Kittle's three-run homer caps a five-run sixth that puts Milwaukee in front 6-2, but the Rider bullpen has one of the worst days in recent memory, allowing seven runs over the final three innings to give the Mariners a 9-7 win.

Game 65: Milwaukee rallies for three runs in the eighth and Rich Gossage pitches a perfect ninth to give the Riders an 8-7 win.

Game 66: San Diego destroys Frank Viola and a number of Milwaukee relievers, pounding out 17 hits to rout the Riders 14-5 to take the series.

Milwaukee heads to Chicago to face the Goats.