NAVOJOA UP TWO ON MOCHIS, OBREGON IN LMP

Despite falling to Fabian Cota (left) and the Los Mochis Caneros, 8-2, Sunday night in Mochis, the Navojoa Mayos head into Monday’s series opener against Hermosillo with a two-game lead in the Mexican Pacific League’s second half standings.  Mochis and Obregon are tied for second.

Cota pitched six shutout innings for the Caneros (10-5), allowing only a Gerardo Andrade single in the sixth while striking out four Navojoa (10-5) batsmen for his first win.  The 23-year-old lefty has been a middleman most of the winter for Los Mochis, the same role he filled for Mexico City last summer.  D’Arby Myers had two hits, including his fourth homer, and 3 RBIs for Mochis. Navojoa had won the first two games of the series: a 2-0 shutout Friday behind seven innings from starter Eddie Gamboa and a 2-1 as starter Hector Velazquez went to 5-1 by blanking the hosts over 6.1 frames.

The Obregon Yaquis (8-7) took two of three home games against the Hermosillo Naranjeros (7-7) to pull into a second-place tie with Mochis.  The last-place Mazatlán Venados (5-10) won two against the Culiacan Tomateros (7-8) at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal while the Mexicali Aguilas (7-7) outscored the Jalisco Charros (7-8) twice at home in El Nido.

Mexicali’s Welington “Duke” Dotel has cooled down the past couple weeks but continues to lead the MexPac in batting with a .349 average.Dotel is just 4-of-33 over his past eight games. Jalisco’s Japhet Amador, who is still in The Land of the Winter Sun despite earlier rumors having him headed to Japan, has stayed atop the LMP with 13 homers and 42 RBI’s.  Rico Noel, who has stayed in Culiacan despite a near dugout fistfight with Tomateros skipper Benji Gil last month, leads the league with 21 stolen bases.