Adam Ulrey's Montreal Expos Diary

July 18, 2002 - Game 95
Colon throws a complete game win over the Mets 2-1 

Mark Corey wanted to put his pitch in the dirt. Instead, Vladimir Guerrero put it in the seats. Guerrero hit his third homer in two games, a go-ahead drive off Corey (0-2) in the eighth inning that led the Montreal Expos over the Mets 2-1, ending the Mets' four-game winning streak. It was Guerrero's 26th homer, his seventh in eight games since the All-Star break.

"I was a little bit surprised," Guerrero said as third base coach Manny Acta translated. "I went looking for a pitch to hit. I felt the game was close enough that they might not give it to me, but I got it."

Bartolo Colon is doing what the Expos expected from him when they made the trade. Colon (3-0) scattered 13 hits as he threw 134 pitches for his second straight complete game, his sixth of the season.

"The only inning that I felt a little fatigue was in the seventh inning, but then after that I recharged and felt really strong enough to finish the game," Colon said. "I was going to ride him for nine full innings - at least - and he was willing to do it, and his pitch count was down enough the other day," Expos manager Frank Robinson said.

Wil Cordero, who hit his fourth homer of the year to give the Expos the early lead, supplied the other Expos run.

Montreal drew 117,655 to Olympic Stadium during a 3-5 home stand to boost home attendance to 432,516 and increase its per-game average from 8,427 to 9,496 during the home stand. "It motivates us to keep doing a good job," Guerrero said. "You could tell the difference after the All-Star Game with the crowds here. Everybody is kind of pumped and we don't want to disappoint them."

Now the Expos move on to play former owner Jeffrey Loria's Florida Marlins. After watching the team play horrible in back-to-back games earlier this week, manager Frank Robinson read the riot act to his young players. He then went into GM Omar Minaya's office and resigned, but was talked into staying on by Minaya.