[PilotMan]

9/16 16-7 W over the Braves
16 hits, 7 walks, and 3 dingers. Valenzuela (13-10) threw 6 shutout innings, then lost all control. He set a LA Dodger record with 9 walks and the Braves put up 6 in the 7^th. No matter, we already had 14 runs across the plate by that time. Fred Lynn's return was a good one. He went 2-5, hit a big 3-run homer (18) and had 6 RBI's. Bream scored 4 runs and went 3-6. Bream hit number 18 and Stubbs hit number 28 in our offensive blood bath. The most interesting news in the game though was the ML debut of top Braves prospect, Randy Johnson. The former #1 Braves pick could only manage 2/3 of an inning before getting yanked. He walked 2 and allowed 2 hits, but was also hurt by 2 errors in his 27 pitches of work. LA still managed to leave 9 on base, so this could have been much worse.


9/17 12-11 W over the Braves
We sure are making them look good. LA had an 11-5 lead going into the 8^th. Then Jim Beattie got, shall we say, completely torched. Franco came on with 2 outs, and proceeded to allow all inherited runners, plus 2 of his own and blew yet another, incredible save as Atlanta put up 6 in the bottom of the inning. It took Sax hitting a single with 2 out in the 9^th to plate Fred Lynn who lead off with a single to give us the win. Frank Tanana started, could only manage 4 innings and 4 runs allowed. Franco (5-7) blows his 6^th save of the year. Steve Howe allowed his first run against since June. He raised his ERA to 1.20 even though he's only pitched 30 innings this year.


It's really a race in the West right now. We're back to our winning ways, but we're still a half game behind the Padres. How is that possible? Well the Padres went 18-11 in August, but in September? They are a ridiculous 14-1. They could be running away with this, that's insane. How can we keep up with that? We'll see them 4 games, starting next week for 2, 2 game series.


9/18 9-2 W over the Braves
Why haven't we been killing this team all year like this? 37 Runs scored in 3 games. Rick Rhoden became the first 20 game winner in the NL, pushing his record to 20-6. For the most part, he pitched well. Pitching into the 8^th, but walking 4 and allowing 5 hits. Today's game belonged to rookie power hitter Pete Incaviglia. Inky went 4-4 with 3 runs scored, a walk and his 4^th HR of the year. LA forced Bob Walk (7-13) from the game in the 3^rd after we'd piled on 8 runs and 12 hits. Doug DeCinces also went deep for his 28^th of the year. Mike Scioscia went 3-4, with 3 RBI's (avg up to .223) and Steve Sax went 3-5. Hard to believe, but Bream and Lynn went a combined 0-10 today.


9/19 4-3 L to the Reds
LA went up 2-0 early on, but John Denny (14-8) couldn't hold it and lost his first game since June. LA came back and tied it up on an Steve Sax, solo home run (4), but Denny gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. LA squandered more chances before it was over. Sax went 3-5, but also left 4 guys on base.

The Padres have now won 11 in a row.


9/20 16-1 W over the Reds
Wow, imagine if we could score like this every time? Kelly Downs (9-6) struck out 7 over 6.2 IP, but who cares? DeCinces went 3-4 with 7 RBI and his 29^th HR. Stubbs went 3-5 with 3 RBI and his 29^th HR. Bream went 4-6 with 5 runs scored and 2 doubles. Tony Phillips went 2-5 with 4 RBI's. LA piled on 8 runs in the 8^th and 9^th innings to make the game go from blow out to ludicrous mode.


The Astros blew the 9^th at home, came back, tied the game to send it to extras, blew the 10^th, then came back again to win over the Padres and hand them their 2^nd loss of the month.


9/21 10-6 W over the Reds
A walk, a single and a 3-run HR by Fred Lynn (19) opened the game for LA. However, Fernando (14-10) wasn't on his game today. The Reds came back and by the 4^th they had taken the lead. Valenzuela only pitched 5 innings, walked 5 and allowed 5 runs. Danny Tartabull hit 2 HR's off of him too (24,25). LA added 2 in the 5^th and another 4 in the 6^th. Sid Bream went 4-5 and scored 3 more times. This was not a good day for pitchers. The offense is really hitting on all cylinders right now. Wonder how long it'll last?


9/22 2-1 (11) L to the Astros
Not long. I must have jinxed em. LA scored right away in the first when Sax came home on a DeCinces double, and then nothing else would happen. Frank Tanana pitched 9 innings of 1 run ball, his best game in weeks and weeks. Niedenfeur (4-9) took the loss after a couple walks and a hit. Ken Howell ended up serving up the walk off hit to Dale Murphy with the bases loaded and 1 out. The Padres lost again so we keep pace.


9/23 9-6 W over the Astros
The Astros scored first, then LA poured on the next 8 runs. LA had a comfortable lead until the young rookie prospect Fred McGriff put a 3-run homer in the right field seats. In the 9^th Charlie Kerfeld ended up with the bases loaded and John Franco actually had to come in, in a save situation to quell the rally. He did that for save #26, and we held on. Rhoden allowed 10 hits in 7.2, and because of 9 runs of support, got his 21^st win of the year. Pete Incaviglia went 3-4 with 4 runs scored.


9/24 4-1 W over the Padres
We take the first of the 4 games we have with them this month. We have 2 guys who can take responsibility for this win. First off, John Denny. Denny (15-8) takes a shut out into the 9^th inning then gives up a homer to Kevin McReynolds (24) and that's that. In the meantime he allows 6 hits and strikes out 7. The next is Franklin Stubbs. Against lefties all year, Stubbs had 4 home runs. Facing Bob Ojeda (16-9) he hit a solo shot in the 2^nd (30) and in the 4^th with 2 on he hit another (31) to give us all the runs. He was 3-3 on the day.


The races are winding down. Except for ours. We've cracked open a tight 1 game lead on the Padres with that win. Our magic number is 10. The Reds have fallen very far away. They lie 9 back on the verge of mathematical elimination. In the East, it's the Expos, once again, with a magic number of 4 and a 7 game lead on the Mets.


Over in the AL, not much has changed. The Angels lead the West with the best record and a magic number of 7 over both the M's and Royals. In the East, it's still the Blue Jays holding onto a shrinking 7 game lead over the Yankees.


9/25 5-2 L to the Padres
That's one missed chance to break out of this race. LA had exactly 1 really shitty inning. That was the 4^th. Downs had not allowed a hit all game until then. Then he allowed 6 hits in a row. In.A.Row. The Padres put all the runs on the board and then did nothing else. In fact, Niedenfeur and Pena combined for 4 more no-hit innings and 8 K's the rest of the way. Incaviglia homerd for the 6^th time and lead the offense going 3-4.


9/26 11-1 W over the Giants
A 4-run 3^rd inning that featured Fred Lynn's 20^th HR of the year set the stage for the big blowout. LA had 14 hits. Of those, 4 were doubles, 2 were triples, and 2 were HR's. Stubbs hit #32 in the 5^th and we still left 8 guys on base. Fernando Valenzuela (15-10) went the distance for the win. The Padres lost to the Reds dropping the magic number to 8.


The Brewers and Orioles are in a fight for worst record. The Brewers lead with 106 losses and Baltimore is right behind with 104. There are 8 games to play.


Oh, remember that race between Strawberry and Davis? Yeah, Strawberry won. He's leading the NL with 43 HR's, while Davis is stuck at 35.


9/27 6-3 W over the Giants
Frank Tanana (14-7) was his usual gopher ball allowing self and/or early run allowing self, but the O bailed him out. The Giants scored in the first, but Pete Incaviglia answered with a mammoth HR in the 2^nd (7). That's 27 games, 106 AB and 7 HR. Stubbs, who leads the team is HR's is averaging one every 17.78 AB, while Inky is currently at 1 every 15.14 AB. Where has this guy been all year? Oh yeah, the minors behind Larry Parrish, Ron Kittle, Mike Marshall, and Dwayne Murphy. LA added 2 more in the 4^th on a Tony Phillips 2-run triple and we started walking away. Tanana surrendered his gopher ball to the Giants pitcher, Jeff Stember. It was his 1^st career HR. Gregg Jefferies homered in the 7^th, again off of Tanana. That's 34 HR's allowed for him this year. The Padres won, but the magic number shrinks to 7. Sax has a 15 game hitting streak.


Both the Blue Jays and Expos have clinched their respective divisions. So if we can hold on here these last 4 games it'll be another Expos series. The Angels still have the best record, but their only 2.5 ahead of the Royals and at 4.5 back the M's are almost out of it.

9/28 3-2 W over the Giants
Rick Rhoden (22-6) struck out 9 in 7.2 innings of work and Giants rookier starter Glenn Barling (1-10) didn't allow a hit until a 6^th inning blast from Incaviglia cleared the fence (8). Rhoden added an RBI double in the 7^th and that was the winning margin. Ken Howell pitched the 9^th for his 6^th save of the year. Old Man Doug DeCinces was the major casualty of the game. He pulled an abdominal muscle running the bases and scoring. He's out indefinitely. So the guy who is probably the most important piece of the puzzle for the team is out and done for the year (most likely). Boooooo. Hiiiiiissss. The good news is that the Padres lost again to the Reds. This drops the magic number to 5, with 6 games to play. Up next is the final 2 game series against the Padres. We just need to split the series, and not lose them both.


DeCinces is done. He's on the 60 day DL and Chuck Jackson was brought up from Albuquerque. Jackson is a middle infielder, corner outfielder. His slash line is .298/.390/.419 and he has 10 HR, 63 RBI's and 38 SB. He was the 43^rd overall pick in 1983. 33yr old Ray Knight, who played in 67 games but only had 112 AB's will take over the hot corner.


9/29 6-4 W over the Padres
This was a big, big, big win. If the not biggest this year so far. LA committed 4 errors, it was awful. The Padres and Dodgers traded runs and after the 4^th it was tied at 3. The Padres took the lead in the 5^th, and it wasn't until the 8^th when LA tied it up, and in the 9^th a 2-run single by Fred Lynn, off the bench gave us the win. Now, Ray Knight, played his ass off. He batted cleanup, went 3-4 and hit a HR (2) in his first at bat. Ron Kittle also homered (6) and went 2-4. John Denny (16-8) pitched 8 and John Franco got his 29^th save of the year. The magic number is down to 3 with 5 to play.


Twins reliever Goose Gossage got his 300^th career save. The Expos are burying the Mets. They've won 9 in a row and lead by 10.


9/30 3-2 W over the Padres
That might just do it! The team was held in check by Dennis Leonard for 7 innings. Kelly Downs had held the Padres to 2 runs, but we hadn't put any on the board. In the top of the 8^th, Mike Marshall smacked a line drive HR that put 1 back on the board for us. Then.....in the 9^th....it was Ray Knight. The hero. After a Kittle pinch hit single, Knight hit an opposite field HR (3), that gave us the 3-2 lead. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 30^th save of the season.


The California Angels win their 99^th game of the year and seize the AL West crown. It's only us left. And we only need 1 win, or 1 San Diego loss.