[ctorg]

5/1

Another heartbreaker. The Robins get an early lead and are up 5-3 after five innings. Koufax falls apart in the sixth, letting Milwaukee tie it. The teams battle it out until the ninth. With the score at 7-7, reliever Stan Williams gives up three runs. The Robins score once in the bottom of the inning, but they cannot come back all the way and fall 10-8.

5/2

In the fourth game against Milwaukee, the Robins fall again, dropping their record to 3-12. They have now won just one of every five games and have lost seven straight. This particular game ends 5-3. McLish takes the loss in his first start, despite pitching reasonably well, giving up five runs on eight hits and a walk in a complete game effort. If they lose tomorrow, it will be the completion of a five game sweep by Milwaukee.

After the game, Harrelson announces to his staff that he will fire one of them for each loss until they win another game.

5/3

The Robins fall again. Podres is the victim of several bloop hits and poor fielding plays. The offense is potent, led by Neal, who is 3 for 3 with a homer, two runs scored, and three RBI, but the pitching just doesn’t hold up. It is the eighth straight loss and a five game sweep for the Braves.

Harrelson fires the VP of operations after less than a week of employment. The offices are quiet with fear.

5/4

A double header against Chicago. The Robins lose the first game, and Harrelson fires his human resources manager. The staff is baffled at how the firing could possibly impact the game, but it sends the message that no one in the organization is safe until the team wins. Brooklyn scores four times in the first, but again, as always, the pitching does not hold up. Drysdale gives up seven runs in four innings. The game ends at 9-6. Everyone in the organization is making suggestions about what to do, what pitchers to get and bring to Brooklyn. And this is all before the start of the second game.

The second game is worse. Up 4-1 after 7 innings, the Robins look to be in good shape. Then they give up two in the eighth and two in the ninth to lose the game 5-4. On top of everything else, Podres has to leave the game with a sore shoulder that is diagnosed later as a pulled rotator cuff muscle.