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On Aug. 23, Montreal had a comfortable six-game lead over Washington for third place in the East, and in fact was closer to second-place Brooklyn than it was to the fourth-place Monuments and Griffins. What happened in the next seven days was the most dramatic shift of the league's standings this season.

In the span of seven days, Washington chalked up seven wins, Montreal suffered seven losses, and the East Division race was flipped. By the time both teams hit the off-day on Aug. 31, Washington held third place with by one game over the Voyageurs.

A playoff team in three of the last five seasons, Washington was widely picked as a top-three team coming into 1991. But the upstart Voyageurs have exceeded expectations and Brooklyn has dominated to the point of challenging Toronto for the top spot in the division.

Washington's eight-game winning streak capped a 17-10 August, their best month of the season. The Monuments feature the best pitching staff in the league, with a 3.33 ERA for the starting rotation. Fifth starter Don Schulze, a former Denver 14er, turn his star turn in August, leading the staff with four quality starts, while Bret Saberhagen went 3-0 in five starts. Five of the eight wins, including two in extra frames, were one-run affairs, and closer Paul Assenmacher has four saves in four perfect innings, allowing a single hit and no walks.

Washington is the only team in the league with two pitchers in the top six in ERA, giving them an inherent advantage heading into the final month. Each team has six off-days in September, playing just 24 games, making a four-man rotation a feasible option down the stretch. Which means Higuera and Saberhagen could start half of the Monuments games.

Montreal
Montreal has been the turnaround story of the year. Coming off of back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the V's were hoping to approach .500 ball this season. Those hopes seemed misplaced after a 10-18 start landed the club in last place on May 1. But the Canoeists fortunes changed with the flip of the calendar, and over the next three months they compiled a 49-32 record that vaulted them into third place with a steady, if tenuous, hold on the final playoff spot in the division. But their newfound optimism came crashing back to early at the end of August. A seven-game losing streak, pair with Washington's eight-game winning streak, put Montreal outside of the playoff zone, one game back with 24 to play.

The league's sixth-best offense suddenly stopped scoring runs. In the nadir of the skid, the Voyageurs plated three runs or less in five straight games. And when they finally broke out with a nine-run game, it was an 11-9 extra-inning loss to Havana.

The coldest hitter in August was catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. An early contender for Rookie of the Year, Pudge had a 2.2 WAR in the first half, and has -0.3 in the second half. In August, Rodriguez batted .224 with a .587 OPS. Second baseman Leon "Bip" Roberts has cooled off as well. Bip batted .419 in his first 74 games, but since June 23 has hit just .289.

Heading into the final month, one thing Montreal has going for them is the all-divisional schedule. The Canoeists' toughest opponents this year have all been from the West: they are 0-8 vs. Havana, 1-7 vs. Los Angeles, 2-6 vs. Chicago, and 3-5 vs. Atlanta. Meanwhile, they are 6-2 against Manhattan, Detroit, and Keystone. Another huge advantage is Lee Smith, who has been the top closer in the league, with a 1.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and just one blown save in 28 opportunities.

Montreal's last winning season was 1986 and their last playoff appearance was 1982, when they swept through a 8-2 playoff runs, including allowing a record low 1.6 runs per game to Detroit to claim their first United League title.