MONTREAL - All the Royals, except for Randy Johnson, will enjoy their 3-day vacation in high spirits, having swept the Edmonton Oil Kings a crucial 3-game series. Two of the games were decided by 1 run, one of those going into extra innings, but the rubbermatch game was a 7-2 affair thanks to solid pitching by Kirk Rueter.
Besides helping their own postseason chances in that series, the Royals improved the hopes of rivals Deadwood and Hartford. Deadwood is 4 games behind the division-leading Oil Kings, while Hartford and Montreal are tied for third place, 5 games back.
"Our offense is finally starting to come through," said leftfielder, Rusty Greer. For the first time in more than a year, Greer has given up the leadoff position to Tim Raines. Raines, who can play several positions, has the highest batting average on the team, well over .300. In the Royals' last game, he connected for 3 hits.
If the Royals are to compete for a playoff spot, they will need some hot hitting from players like Bobby Bonilla and Rusty Greer, and some improved hitting from centerfielder Orlando Palmeiro.
Ottawa Players Express Concerns About Schedule
The rookie Red Penson pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief for the first ever Generals win, and baseball in Ottawa has come to a booming start.
Still, players are confused and angry about the schedule.
"Some days we are playing 3 games in a row," says catcher Alberto Castillo. "I've never heard of triple headers."
"I understand that the teams wanted to compact the schedule to catch up to the PVBL, but this is crazy," says Gil Velarde, a thirdbaseman for the Ottawa Generals. "I understand that there were many delays in getting the minor leagues started, and that Mr. Reese had to go on vacation, but it doesn't mean the players should have to pay for it."
Mark Portugal, the 32-year old Ottawa pitcher, will have to quit the leauge midway through the season if the current schedule continues for too long. "The way this is going," he says, "there will be times when I'll get less than a day to rest between starts."
"It makes me wonder how players like Rocky Coppinger can stay in the minor league rotation while competing in the majors. Obviously, he won't be able to perform at his current level. It's not human."
