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Montreal (AP)- The Hartford Whalers' slump continued today as they lost a heartbreaking 1-run game on the road in Montreal, Canada, 9-8. Hartford sent five total pitchers to the mound, but could not rebound after a 7-run Montreal second inning. Cal Eldred, the starter, allowed 6 earned runs (7 total) in an inning and a third of work, walking 3. Eldred was relieved by Aaron Sele, Jeff McCurry, Chris Gott and, the loser, Rick Huisman (3-4). Huisman only pitched the 8th inning but that's all Montreal needed as he allowed 1 run on 2 hits and a walk in the bottom of the 8th, putting Montreal up for good, 9-8. Hartford went down in order in the top of the 9th. Mark Whiten had a 3-run homer in the losing effort while Griffey knocked in 2 on 2 hits. Griffey declined comment while Mark simply said, "I obviously should've hit another one out of there." Meanwhile, starter Cal Eldred was somewhat frustrated and emotional following his porr effort today. A teary-eyed Cal said, "I blew it. I just blew it. I haven't had such a poor start since I was in the minors. I can't believe I've let the team down so much in my first two starts. That's all-go away, please." Of the comments, Manager Chrabascz sighed and said, "Cal had a bad day-we all do. He's not going anywhere and we're not messing with the rotation. Eldred is our 4th starter-period. End of story."
The Whalers now find themselves 4 games behind first-place Deadwood in the McCoy Division. Montreal moved to within 11 1/2 with its third victory in a row. The Whalers, since Deadwood tied them for first, have gone South, losing a season-high four in a row. The Outlaws, meanwhile, have racked up 10 in a row, a league season-high. Of the standings, Manager Chrabascz said, "There's plenty of time and there's certainly no need to panic or do anything drastic. We have a good ball club and we're only 4 games back. We've just had our worst slump while Deadwood has had its best surge. That's all. Not to take anything away from Philip's club, obviously, as they have been awesome of late. I just don't see a team other than Ponxatawney having the ability to sustain such a resurgence over a lengthy period of time." It should be noted that Deadwood travels to Hartford for a three-game set next week and perhaps, this race could get closer...or uglier.
TRADE WINDS/NEWS & NOTES
Few are blowing these days as OWNER/GM/MANAGER Chrabascz has insisted upon an increase in team unity and confidence. Few lineup or rotation changes will be made, he has stated. However, he has hinted at perhaps altering his lineup for the series against Deadwood upcoming. We'll have to wait and see.
Written by Jeremy Chrabascz