Expos take 2 of 3 from Amazin’s

8/20 - 8/22 - Olympic Stadium - Montreal, Quebec
GAME 1 - Expos 4, Mets 0
The Expos hammered Met starter Jon Matlack in the 1st to the tune of 3 runs.  It looked like they would blow the doors open on this one, but Matlack righted the ship and only yielded 1 unearned run the rest of the way.  It didn't matter, since Charlie Lea was masterful en route to a 6 hit shutout.  Things started well for Matlack, who fanned leadoff hitter Raines to start the game.  Doug Flynn singled up the middle, but Al Oliver fanned of 6 pitches for the second out.  The Hawk, Andre Dawson singled to put runners on the corners with 2 out and Gary Carter doubled home Flynn to make it 1-0.  Tim Wallach followed it up with a two run single to score future HOF'er Dawson and Carter.  The only time Lea remotely had trouble was in the 7th where the Mets had runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out, but Lea fanned Jerry Grote to snuff out any chance New York had in scoring.

GAME 2 - Mets 4, Expos 3

Montreal staked ace Steve Rogers to an early run when Carter singled home Flynn, but they could not get the big inning off of Met starter Hank Webb.  New York took the lead in the top of the 3rd when Rogers had a mini meltdown.  Returning to the site of former glory, Le Grande Orange (Rusty Staub) led off the 4th with a clean single to left.  Steady Eddie Kranepool walked on 4 pitches and Dave Kingman doubled home Staub to tie the game at 1 all.  Del Unser flew out to left for the first which plated Kranepool and Grote grounded to short for the second out, but in the process Kingman scored to make it 3-1 Mets.  The Expos nibbled away at Webb with solo runs in the 5th and 6th innings, both on solo homers.  Al Oliver hit one to right center in the 5th and Warren Cromartie pulled one down the right field line in the 6th.  Both Rogers and Webb were gone before the 7th ended.  Neither would figure in the decision.  For Rogers this is the story of his career. He seemingly pitches good enough to keep his team close, but not good enough to win and certainly not bad enough to lose.  Webb on the other hand is a young man trying to escape the shadow of men who have won the heart of his team's city.  Webb is one of those back end of the rotation guys who never seems to come up big.  Rick Baldwin came on for the Mets and tossed a scoreless 8th, so did Dan Schatzeder for the Expos.  Unfortunately for Schatzeder he would not escape the 9th with out being victimized.  After getting Phillips to ground out and fanning pinch hitter Mike Vail it looked like the Mets would go easy, but that wasn't the case.  Felix Millan doubled off the wall in left and Wayne Garrett with a great at bat vs the lefty Schatzeder.  Skip Lockwood tossed a perfect 9th for the save.

GAME 3 - Expos 4, Mets 3 (11 inn)
"The Franchise", Tom Seaver went 9 full innings and gave up 3 runs and walked away with another no decision.  Like Expo ace Steve Rogers, seaver has to beg, borrow and steal his way to get run support.  On most nights 3 runs would qualify as enough for Seaver, but tonight when he needed a little extra from his offense it just wasn't there.  New York opened the scoring in the top of the first without the benefit of a hit.  Joe Torre led off with a walk and moved to second when Millan grounded back to the box on a hit an run.  Staub flew to right and Torre tagged and went to third and scored when former Met and former gold glover Doug Flynn booted a routine grounder to second.  The Mets would go up 2-0 when Mike Phillips singled home Del Unser with 2 outs.  Montreal tied it in the bottom of the inning with 2 runs of Tom Terrific.  Tim Raines led off and singled and promptly stole his 8th base of the season.  Seaver easily got the next 2 batters out and when "the Hawk", Andre Dawson stepped to the plate it looked like out #3 was coming.  Dawson had been in a deep slump coming into the game batting just over the Mendoza line (.211).  With another future HOF'er (Gary Carter) on deck, there was no way Seaver was going to pitch around the slumping Dawson, who got a pitch he could hit and boy did he hit it deep into the night to tie the game up at 2.  The Mets were not going fold so easy and the retook the lead the following inning when Kranepool doubled home Torre with 2 out.  Steady Eddie has been a clutch hitter this season playing only vs righties and not vs the troublesome lefties that he just can't handle.  Chris Speier led off the bottom of the 6th as a pinch hitter for Expo starter Bryn Smith.  Speier single to right .  Seaver got Raines to fly to right and fanned Brian Little for out number 2.  With Al Oliver at the plate Seaver tried to get him to fish for a low curve.   Oliver did not offer and Grote could not block it, so Speier was able to advance to second without a throw.  On the following pitch Oliver served one just over Torre's head at 3rd for an opposite field RBI single to tie it again at 3-3.  Neither team could post a run in the final 3 frames, so extra innings were in order.  Neither team scored in the 10th, even though the Mets had 2 men on board.  New York went down easy in the 11th to reliever Scott Sanderson.  Skip Lockwood started the 11th and got Oliver to line out to 2nd.  The next batter up was Dawson who fanned in his previous AB.  Lockwood tried to make the perfect pitch, but his breaking ball just didn't break.  The Hawk turned on it and  hit one over the wall in left center for a walk off solo shot.