STANDINGS TIGHTEN IN LMP: THREE GAMES SEPARATE TOP SEVEN TEAMS

Pete Rozelle would love this. The former National Football League commissioner was a champion of parity in the NFL and he’d be happy if his league had the kind of competition that’s developed this year in the Mexican Pacific League, where just three games separate the top seven teams in the first half standings.

Guasave and Los Mochis are tied for first place with 17-12 records, one game up on Mexicali and Hermosillo (both 16-13) and two games ahead of 15-14 Mazatlan. Culiacan and Obregon are tied for sixth with 14-15 marks. Only 7-22 Navojoa appears out of contention for the first half title.

Guasave’s Eduardo Arredondo tops the circuit with a .411 batting average, just ahead of the .405 showing of Hermosillo’s Geronimo Gil. Gil’s teammate, Luis Alfonso Garcia, is seeking to repeat as the league MVP by leading the LMP with 13 homers and 36 RBIs to go with his .330 average.

Travis Blackley of Hermosillo (pictured) leads Mex Pac starting pitchers with a 2.52 ERA (just head of Mochis’ Dan Serafini’s 2.53), and his four wins in five decisions is tied for second behind Alberto Castillo’s five victories for Mochis. Mexicali’s Andy Sisco has 42 strikeouts and his 2.57 ERA is third in the LMP.