Surprise, surprise

With aggressive moves, Montreal shows no signs of fading

The Expos are as shocked as you are. Not at the fact that they began the second half five games over .500 and in the thick of the wild-card race -- even in as bizarre a situation as these players find themselves, no one would ever admit that they expected to simply roll over this season. Management's ultra-aggressive attempts to improve the team have raised eyebrows in the clubhouse, however. "I'm a little surprised," first baseman Andres Galarraga said last weekend. Right-hander Bartolo Colon, newly acquired from the Indians, was standing across the Veterans Stadium locker room from Galarraga, and the word was out that general manager Omar Minaya was trying to pry outfielder Cliff Floyd and maybe right-hander Ryan Dempster away from the Marlins. "I didn't know if we had the ability to get players like that."

Even manager Frank Robinson seems blown away. "I was under the impression that we wouldn't be able to take on that type of salary," he said when asked about the Colon deal. "It happened so fast it was mind-boggling. Even after it happened I sat down and thought, Is this really true?"

As of Thursday afternoon, Robinson has reason to pinch himself even harder. Montreal landed Floyd in exchange for right-hander Carl Pavano and reliever Graeme Lloyd. (Dempster is packing his bags for Cincinnati.) Even without the slugging outfielder, many people around the game feel the Expos are strong enough to hang in the race as they are. "I think they have the talent," says one National League advance scout. "They're not going to catch Atlanta, but they have a chance to compete for the wild card."

Depth isn't a strength but, with Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Vidro, Fernando Tatis and the emerging Brad Wilkerson, Montreal does have enough pop in its lineup. The addition of Floyd would make the heart of the order one of the most dangerous in the league. Still, the Expos' playoff chances ride on the performance of the rotation. Colon gives them a reliable workhorse ace. Right-hander Javier Vazquez has electric stuff, but he is 6-5 with a 3.89 ERA, and there were concerns about a drop in his velocity in his last few starts before the All-Star break. Robinson isn't worried, however. "I think we'll see the real Javy after the All-Star break," he says.

"They'll get quality starts out of Colon and Vazquez," says the scout. "The guy who really needs to step up is Tony Armas."

Armas (8-7, 3.92 ERA) has a 94 mph fastball, an effective slider and a solid splitfinger fastball. But like many young pitchers (Armas is 24) he's maddeningly inconsistent. Pitching coach Dick Pole has been working to improve Armas' composure and poise; when he gets into jams he had a tendency to overthrow the ball, lose his command and make bad situations worse. "I've seen improvement since spring training," Pole says. "He gets out of trouble a little easier than he used to."

A composed and consistent Armas would give the Expos three above-average arms at the top of their rotation, one that can match up with the Braves in terms of stuff, if not experience. That should be enough to keep them in contention into September -- assuming there's baseball in September. But that situation is as uncertain as where the team will be playing next year. "I still don't know the personality of this team," says Robinson. It will fun to learn along with him in the second half.

Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella covers the baseball beat for the magazine. Touching Base appears every week on CNNSI.com

 

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