Whalers split four-game home series with Royals September 9, 1997
Hartford (AP)- Depending on how you look at it, Hartford Manager Jeremy
Chrabascz's experiment either worked or failed. After putting in an entire
lineup of bench players and rookies, Hartford split four games with visiting
Montreal. Of the moves, Chrabascz had said, "I simply wanted a look at my
bench. Hey, if my bench can be .500 I think we're in good shape." Hartford
was outscored 15-10 in the series. Greg Maddux and Ben McDonald picked up wins while rookie Jake Ruberto was shelled for 4 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings and
Kevin Brown was tanked and pulled after only an inning. Hartford lost the
first game of the series 4-2, won the second game 2-1, lost the third game 8-0
and won the finale, 6-2. Of the bench players, veteran Harold Reynolds and
rookie Ozzie Timmons were the most productive while rookie SS phenom, Ron
Choate, was held hitless in the series.
Wacky stuff: Hartford won the second game, 2-1 behind a sensational
performance by Greg Maddux (19-4). But it took a passed ball allowing catcher
Joe Girardi to score in the bottom of the 8th to pull out the win for the
All-Star. Hipolito Pichardo recorded his 22nd save, pitching a perfect 9th
innings.
The first and last games of the series aren't much to speak of on either end.
However, the third game deserves note...
One hitter: The Hartford Whalers' rag-tag lineup was held to only ONE HIT by
Montreal starter, Andujar and relievers Collins and Bonner. Hartford lost the
third game 8-0 as Kevin Brown was shelled for 4 earned runs on 4 hits in the
1st innings. Montreal ran away with the win from there, despite a valiant
relief effort by Aaron Sele.
With the split, Hartford currently maintains a slim 1.5 game lead in the McCoy
on second-place Deadwood. Of his experiment, Chrabascz said, "Timmons
impressed me and I'm sure you'll see more of him. I think Ron (Choate) needs
more time. I expected Harold (Reynolds) to perform well, as always. We split
the series, maintained our division lead and now it's back to normal, guys.
But it's nice to know I have a productive bench to work with."
Back to normal: By "back to normal," Chrabascz means that the lineup has
returned to its pre-Montreal state or normality. The lineup is as follows,
effective with the Edmonton series:
