MONTREAL -- They were left for dead in the winter, given little chance in the spring. That's why the Montreal Expos, the team that just won't go away, aren't too worried about their summer slump.

"It's too early to write the Expos off. We're not done yet," manager Frank Robinson said.

The Expos were a surprising 46-41 at the All-Star break, just months after baseball's owners tried to eliminate the team in the offseason.

With aspirations of playing in the postseason for the first time since 1981, Montreal has struggled in the second half, going 6-12 despite the midseason acquisitions of right-hander Bartolo Colon and left fielder Cliff Floyd.

"We're not going to give up yet," Robinson said. "Don't be so quick to write us off."

Robinson nearly wrote off the Expos two weeks ago. He threatened to resign during a team meeting that followed a 6-3 loss to Philadelphia on July 16 but was talked out of by his players, a top major league team official said then on condition of anonymity.

The threat to quit came after Robinson got upset with starter Tony Armas Jr.'s attitude when removed from the game. It also came one night after Robinson, with a tear streaming down his cheek, blamed himself for a loss after the Expos' bullpen blew a five-run lead in the ninth.

At 52-53, the Expos are seven games behind Los Angeles, the NL wild card leader -- which beat Montreal in the 1981 NL championship series, the Expos' only playoff appearance.

"This is the first time since I've been in the big leagues that we're really contending out there," Expos second baseman Jose Vidro said. "We've still got a lot of time to go. If we don't put too much pressure on ourselves and try to play the game we're supposed to play and take care of business, we should be battling for something in September and October."

Going into the season, it appeared the only goal for Expos players would be to impress other teams in their attempt to find jobs in 2003.

After surviving baseball's attempt to fold them and the Minnesota Twins, the Expos finished the first half of the season in second place in the NL East.

"Everybody was just thinking this ballclub was going to just show up and play out the schedule, period -- that was it," Robinson said. "A lot of people were so surprised by the way we played the first half because they didn't give this club the proper credit it deserved before the season started."

The team already boasted a solid nucleus of Vidro and right fielder Vladimir Guerrero -- both starters at the All-Star game -- Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Javier Vazquez, a 16-game winner last year. As part of baseball's ownership shifts, the other 29 teams bought the team in February from Jeffrey Loria just before the start of spring training.

General manager Omar Minaya, who -- like Robinson -- was appointed to his job by commissioner Bud Selig, immediately set about bolstering the lineup.

Some additions -- Jose Canseco and Henry Rodriguez -- didn't pan out. Others, such as Troy O'Leary, Andres Galarraga and Wil Cordero, contributed to the Expos' strong first half along with breakout performances by right-hander Tomo Ohka and rookie center fielder Brad Wilkerson.

Despite having to stay within the team's $40 million payroll budget, Minaya made a surprising trade on June 27 when he acquired Colon from Cleveland for first baseman Lee Stevens and prospects, including highly touted shortstop Brandon Phillips. Floyd arrived the week of the All-Star game.

But rather than being sparked by the trades, the team faltered, going 11-17 following the Colon deal.

"We're not playing the way we're capable of playing," Vidro said. "I don't know what the reason is. Maybe the guys are putting too much pressure on themselves."

Floyd has struggled in his second stint with Montreal. After hitting .287 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs with Florida, he is just 10-for-49 (.204) with two homers and three RBIs in 14 games since rejoining the Expos.

Colon has done his part, though, pitching three complete games, including a two-hitter against Florida on Sunday. He's 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA in six starts with the Expos.

"We need the other pitchers to step up and give us those same type of performances and give us a chance to win some ballgames," Robinson said. "We're going to score our share of runs, but we're not going to overwhelm teams offensively and we have to play good defense and our pitchers have to pitch a good solid ballgame and give us a chance."

With Minnesota leading the AL Central by 14 games, an Expos playoff berth would raise the possibility of having a World Series between two teams that weren't even supposed to exist this season.

"It would be unbelievable," Vidro said. "If they're trying to take this team out, we feel like they're taking something away from us."

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