I don't know how much longer Glavine can post these numbers, or Montreal lose on the road.
Expos want to make a statement in the division, and that road takes you right through Atlanta.
Tho I'm sure they are looking more for that tomorrow when Colon starts. He's likes to show off in big games ( I'm taking the under there!).
Vazquez will surely focus to try and bounce back with a fine outing after his worst of the season, and maybe start to show everyone that Colon isn't automatically the ace of the team.
Article here from Globe and Mail on Vazquez' last start sez he is at the point he took off last year on a winning tear.
Vasquez struggles in loss
By JEFF BLAIR
BASEBALL REPORTER
Thursday, June 27, 2002 ?C Print Edition, Page S3
PITTSBURGH -- Michael Barrett has been Javier Vazquez's catcher ever since they were teammates in 1996 at Single-A Delmarva. So he has a word of advice for those who see Vazquez's so-so 5-4 record and wonder about the 15 home runs allowed: relax.
"Javier had a game similar to this last year against the Atlanta Braves and was lights out the rest of the way," Barrett said last night after Vazquez laboured through his worst outing in more than a year in a 7-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. "It's pretty simple: To be successful, Javier needs to keep the ball down in the zone. That was what Jeff [Torborg, the Expos' former manager] preached. Down and away. Down and away. [Last night] he was up in the zone."
The loss was the Expos' second in as many games of this three-game series.
You can add the name of Vazquez to those who can't understand why the Expos are 13-24 on the road and 27-12 at Olympic Stadium. He bears some responsibility, since his road record is 2-3 (4.89 earned-run average) and he has given up 11 of his 15 homers away from home, where he is 3-1 (2.61 ERA).
Brian Giles had a two-run homer for the Pirates and Rob Mackowiak hit his 10th. But it was Kevin Young's two-run single that brought in two runs and signalled Vazquez's departure from the game with two out in the fifth. Vazquez, one of the premier righty pitchers in the game, gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs.
It was Vazquez's shortest start since lasting three innings in a game on April 29, 2001 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The last time Vazquez gave up as many earned runs was July 28 against the Braves, the game to which Barrett referred. From that point on, he went 7-1, winning National League pitcher of the month in August when he went 5-1 (0.55 ERA) and had a 23-inning scoreless streak. After going 7-9 (4.93 ERA) at the All-Star Game break, he was 9-2 (1.60 ERA.)
"You people are the only ones who worry about giving up home runs," Vazquez said. "Curt Schilling gave up more than just about anybody else last year and nobody even knows how many he gave up [37]. I'm aggressive and I throw strikes. Hitters know that. I'm not going to throw a ball way out of the zone just to avoid giving up a homer. What you don't want to do is give up two- or three-run homers, and I'm usually good at that."
Schilling gave up 37 homers in 2001 and is on pace to allow 30 this year. Vazquez, who has given up 24 in each of the last two seasons, is on pace for 32.
For the Expos, Jose Vidro slugged his eighth homer in the fifth, a two-run shot. Fernando Tatis's solo homer, also his eighth, opened the scoring in the second. Vladimir Guerrero singled in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 19 games.
