Venados win 2 of 3 in Jalisco, four-way tie for MexPac lead

Mazatlan Venados outfielder Garin Cecchini

The Mazatlan Venados posted two wins in an important early-season road series at Guadalajara to pull into a four-way tie for the Mexican Pacific League lead with the host Jalisco Charros, Hermosillo and Culiacan.  All have identical 10-7 first-half records.

Mazatlan won Friday’s opener, 9-8, as Carlos Munoz’ two-run homer keyed a four-run seventh in the comeback effort. The Charros came back Saturday night with a 6-1 triumph behind Manny Rodriguez’ third-inning grand slam and Manuel Al Flores’ 4.2 innings of two-hit shutout pitching.  The Venados copped Sunday’s rubber match, 12-8, behind Garin Cecchini’s three-run homer.  Cecchini, who hit .268 last summer for the Royals’ AAA Omaha affiliate, finished a double away from hitting for the cycle.  Jalisco was coming off a sweep of defending champion Mexicali in a midweek home series.

Culiacan likewise won a three-game home set with Navojoa to take their place in the logjam on top.  Lefty Danny Rodriguez registered a brilliant 8.1 innings, allowing one hit in the Tomateros’ 1-0 win.  Culiacan earned a similar 1-0 victory Saturday behind Aldo Montes’ six goose-egg frames.  The Mayos offense finally woke up in Sunday’s 5-0 conquest.  This time it was Navojoa starter Tyler Kane who contributed six shutout innings while Alan Sanchez cracked a two-run homer for the visitors.  The trifecta of games was well-attended, with more than 46,000 fans in the Estadio Tomateros stands.

Hermosillo lost two of three in Los Mochis to fall into a tie for the lead.  The Naranjeros took Friday’s opener, 8-5, with Domonic Brown’s three-run homer highlighting a four-run top of the ninth.  The Caneros won the next two: Leandro Castro’s three-run walkoff homer ended Saturday’s 6-3 game in the thirteenth while Noel Cuevas’ three-run blast in the fourth was Sunday’s difference-maker in a 6-4 Mochis series-clincher.

The four upcoming MexPac midweek series will include matchups of the four co-leaders: Hermosillo will host Culiacan Tuesday through Thursday while Culiacan visits Mazatlan for three games.  Next weekend’s biggest encounter looks to be in Hermosillo, where the Naranjeros will host Mexicali from Friday through Sunday.  The Aguilas sit one game behind the leaders and hope to gain some ground at home against Los Mochis before heading south to Hermosillo.  An interesting note is that Mexicali has a total of two stolen bases as a team through their first 17 games.  In comparison, eleven individual players have three or more steals, led by the six apiece of Mazatlan’s Jeremias Pineda and Billy Burns of Jalisco.  Pineda’s six swipes have come in just nine games after going 25-of-26 on steal attempts over 25 games for Veracruz in the Mexican League last summer.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Standings (as of October 30, 2017)

Culiacan 10-7, Hermosillo 10-7, Mazatlan 10-7, Jalisco 10-7, Mexicali 9-8, Navojoa 7-10, Los Mochis 7-10, Obregon 5-12.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Batting Leaders

Batting-Sebastian Elizalde (CUL) .400, Runs-Jose Aguilar (MAZ) and Manny Rodriguez (JAL) 15, Homers-Bruce Brentz (HMO) 5, RBIs-Manny Rodriguez (JAL) 20, Stolen Bases-Billy Burns (JAL) and Jeremias Pineda (MAZ) 6.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Pitching Leaders

Wins-Thirteen pitchers tied at 2 each, ERA-Danny Rodriguez (CUL) 0.89, Strikeouts-Cesar Vargas (HMO) 25, Saves-Ryan Kussmaul (MXI) 7, WHIP-Danny Rodriguez (CUL) 0.64.

Japhet Amador returns to Jalisco, season debut Friday vs. Mayos

Rakuten Golden Eagles DH Japhet Amador

Slugging first baseman-designated Japhet Amador will return from Japan to Guadalajara this week and is expected to be in Jalisco’s lineup Friday when the Charros open a home series against Navojoa.

The 6’4” and 330-pound “Mulege Giant” had a largely successful second Nippon Professional Baseball season, where he hit .237 with 23 homers and 65 RBI’s for the Pacific League’s Rakuten Golden Eagles.  The 23 roundtrippers eclipsed the old single season record for a Mexican player of 21, set by Orix’ Karim Garcia in 2005.  Garcia became the only player in NPB history to belt three homers in two consecutive games, turning the trick August 10-11, 2005 (somewhat ironically against Rakuten, an expansion team that year).

Amador has played professionally since 2007, breaking into the Mexican League with Minatitlan as a 20-year-old.  After playing sparingly for the Petroleros for two years, Amador got off to a hot start in 2009 prior to a midseason trade to Veracruz (finishing with 21 homers and 74 RBIs that year), but it was when he debuted with Mexico City in 2010 that the hulking right-handed batter would really hit stride, batting .366 with 14 homers and 63 ribbies in 79 games for the Diablos Rojos.  In nine LMB seasons, Amador has batted .330 with 167 homers and 599 RBIs over 693 games.

He’s also done well in the Mexican Pacific League over the years, starting in 2009-10 when he hit .270 with eight homers in 44 contests for Gusave, a franchise that shifted to Guadalajara in 2014.  In eight winterball seasons for the Algodoneros and Charros, Amador has a respectable .271 average with 83 homers in 426 games.  He cracked a combined 55 longballs for the Diablos and Charros in 2015-16 before signing with Rakuten that winter.

Amador’s injury-plagued first year in Japan ended with a disappointing nine homers in 39 games in 2016 before turning in better totals during a healthier 2017.  Amador, who makes Boog Powell look like Mark Belanger, even stole his first base since 2013, leading to questions of the third base coach’s sanity in sending him while scientists scrambled to gather Richter readings.

The first-place Charros were already a power-laden outfit even before Amador’s arrival, with sluggers like Matt Clark, Manny Rodriguez, Adan Munoz and former MLBer Chris Colabello on the roster, but first-year manager Tony Tarasco will no doubt find a place for the Mulege Giant in the lineup; he’s a hard one to ignore.

Academy Rookie League 2017-18 season underway

The Mexican League Academy’s Rookie winter league has begun its 2017-18 season at the complex near Monterrey. The academy was the brainchild of former Mexico City Tigres owner Alejo Peralta and opened in 1996 under the auspices of the LMB.  New Liga president Javier Salinas is the nominal president of the Liga Academia, but the campus and the dozens of teen prospects are overseen by director Raul Martinez Salazar.  Two separate leagues are operated at the facility: A Rookie league during the winter months and a class A circuit during the spring and summer.  All six Academy Rookie teams are operated by LMB clubs, with Tijuana, Monterrey and Quintana Roo each supplying one squad and each of the other three Rookie teams shared by two Liga teams apiece.

The rookieball season began Tuesday, September 26 with three games played simultaneously on three diamonds.  As of games through Sunday, Tijuana had an 11-2-2 record (ties count) after 15 games, good for a four-game lead over 8-7 Veracruz/Leon.  Toros prospect Alejandro Gutierrez is hitting an even .500, going 21-of-42 with ten walks in 53 plate appearances. Another intriguing batsman is Mexico City/Oaxaca’s Roberto Mendez (.327), who has five doubles and three homers among his 18 hits in 55 at-bats, with just six strikeouts.  Among pitchers, Tijuana relievers Fernando Gallegos (0.00) and Fernando Olguin (3.57) are both 3-0, as is Monterrey’s Jorge Ramos (3.68).  Luciano Reynoso (2-2, 1.73) of Veracruz/Leon has 30 strikeouts in 20 innings, walking just six.

The Academy Rookie League season will run through Sunday, December 10.

All-Star benefit games played in Culiacan, Monterrey

The benefit All-Star baseball series jointly organized by the Mexican League and Mexican Pacific League is in the history books, with the two teams splitting games in Culiacan and Monterrey over the weekend while, more importantly, raising money for relief efforts in the wake of September's devastating earthquakes in the southern portion of the country.  According to Puro Beisbol columnist Hector Bencomo (and partly confirmed in a comment below by BBM reader Bob Broughton in Guanajuato), about 7,000 fans turned out for Saturday's game in Culiacan while 12,000 were in the stands in Monterrey on Sunday.

Walter Silva was tabbed by manager Daniel Fernandez to start for the Red team in Saturday's opener in Culiacan while hometown lefty Danny Rodriguez received the nod from Green skipper Pedro Mere.  A third-inning single to Luis Garcia that plated the game's first run to give the Rojos an early lead, but the Verdes fought back with three runs off Red reliever Fabian Cota on an Eduardo Arredondo single, Carlos Gastelum sacrifice fly and a double by ex-MLBer Jorge Cantu.  The Greens scored four more runs in the bottom of the fourth, courtesy of a Gastelum single, a two-run single by Yordanys Linares and another RBI safety from Jose Amador.  Arned with a 7-1 advantage, five Verdes relievers were able to shut out the Rojos the rest of the way to preserve the win.  Rodriguez was given the win for the Greens while Cota took the loss for the Reds.

The Rojos came back from Saturday's loss with a 6-1 triumph over the Greens in Monterrey Sunday.  The Verdes took an early lead in the first inning when Eduardo singled off Rojos starter Edgar Gonzalez to drive in Ramon Rios with the game's first run.  Green starter Pablo Ortega pitched two scoreless innings as the Verdes held their precarious 1-0 lead until the fifth inning, when the Rojos scored four runs to take the lead. An Antonio Lamas RBI single tied the game for the Reds and Garcia's safety drove in the go-ahead (and game-winning) run.  Ricardo Valenzuela's sacrifice fly brought in Lamas to make it a 3-1 game, and Alex Gonzalez scored Garcia with a single to put the Reds up 4-1.  Jesse Castillo belted the only home run of the series in the seventh, giving the Rojos a four-run lead, and Garcia's later RBI single provided the Reds with their final margin of victory.  Reliever Marco Carrillo earned the win for the Rojos while Ozzie Mendez absorbed the loss.

While neither contest was particularly competitive, fans in both Culiacan and Monterrey were treated to games featuring many of the top performers in Mexican baseball while raising funds for the crucial relief efforts (BBM readers wishing to do so can click on the Salvation Army icon atop the right-hand column on this site).  The following are pictures from both nights taken off the LMP and LMB websites:

Puro Beisbol will be hosting a celebrity softball game of their own on Wednesday night in Mazatlan.  That tilt was originally organized as a fundraiser to help pay medical expenses for retired Mexican ballplayers such as ex-pitcher Juan Manuel Palafox, who ended up comatose in a Guadalajara hospital after initially suffering a burst bowel in early 2016.  Palafox is recovering, but he lacks a pension from either the LMB or LMP to help pay his considerable medical expenses, a condition that has repeated itself a number of times with former players south of the border.  While the Puro Beisbol benefit has been revised to be an earthquake relief fundraiser, their efforts on behalf of old ballplayers

2016-17 BBM Winter Awards: Danny Rodriguez, Playoff MVP

What is it about Hector Daniel "Danny" Rodriguez and the postseason?  The 32-year-old lefty has established himself as one of Mexico's premier southpaws since his 2006 debut with the Saltillo Saraperos (for whom he still pitches during the summer months), including a habit of kicking into overdrive once the playoffs begin.

First, there was the 2010 Mexican League season with the Saraperos.  Although he'd had a so-so regular season (4-4 and a 3.97 ERA with a July 25 no-hitter against Mexico City) under Saltillo skipper Orlando Sanchez, Rodriguez found his groove in the Saraperos' championship run in the playoffs, going 5-0 at an 0.66 rate and beating Puebla twice in the title series to take home the Liga's Playoff MVP award on Saltillo's second straight pennant-winning team.  He was given a look-see by the Colorado Rockies in September that year, but not signed.  Rodriguez did eventually toil for the Braves' AAA affiliate in Gwinnett in 2013 and 2014, going a combined 9-16, and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in one appearance for the Orioles' AAA team in Norfolk before being returned to Saltillo in 2015.

Pitching for his hometown Culiacan Tomateros of the LMP last winter, the 5'11" portsider had a solid 2015-16 regular season with a 7-3 record and a 3.00 ERA for a last-place team but he really shone in the playoffs as a reinforcement pitcher for Mexicali (2-1, 1.38) as the Edgar Gonzalez-led Aguilas fell a game short of the MexPac title against Mazatlan.  The Venados then picked up Rodriguez as a Caribbean Series reinforcement and it paid off, as he went five innings to earn Mazatlan's opening day 3-2 win over Dominican champs Escogido and then tossed six shutout innings to earn the W in the Mexicans' 7-2 semifinal win against Cuba's Ciego de Avila.  For all that, he was named BBM's Winter Playoff MVP.

Finally, there's the recently-ended 2016-17 LMP campaign.  Rodriguez was so-so for the Tomateros between October and December, finishing the regular season with a 4-6 ledger in 13 starts (although he did come in seventh in the ERA table at 3.50).  However, once again, he rose to the occasion in the postseason, going a combined 4-0 in the MexPac playoffs with a 2.52 ERA for both Culiacan and Los Mochis, who picked him up as a reinforcement.  After the Caneros were defeated by Mexicali in the LMP championship series, the Aguilas added Rodriguez for the Caribbean Series.  All he did in front of his hometown fans in Estadio Tomateros was allow one hit over six shutout innings in a no-decision against eventual champions Caguas of Puerto Rico on February 1, then come back five days later to hurl three perfect innings of relief with five strikeouts in Mexico's semifinal win against Cuban champs Granma to total nine shutout frames with one hit allowed and nine whiffs for the CS, where the Aguilas lost the final to Puerto Rican champ Caguas.

Surprisingly, Rodriguez was left off Mexico's roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic even though Verdes Grande skipper Edgar Gonzalez managed him in Mexicali last winter and Culiacan this season.  Still, Danny Rodriguez' mound work in January and February is enough to make him the first multiple BBM Award winner for summer OR winter ball since the Bammys were inaugurated in 2010.

BBM PLAYOFF MVP WINNERS
2010-11  Iker Franco, Obregon
2015-16  Danny Rodriguez, Mexicali
2016        Mauricio Lara, Puebla
2016-17  Danny Rodriguez, Mexicali

Mexican Nationals split two-game series in Japan

Ramiro Pena went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and Esteban Quiroz (pictured) bashed a solo homer to lead the Mexican National Team to a 7-3 win over Samurai Japan Thursday night at the Tokyo Dome in the first of a two-game series between the two countries in a World Baseball Classic tuneup.

Mexican starter Jose Oyervides endured a forgettable first inning, walking four batters to give Japan a 1-0 lead.   Three innings later, Alex Verdugo's double brought Jesse Castillo home to knot the game up for Mexico.  Quiroz' fifth-inning longball brought the Mexicans into the lead, but Japan scored a run of their own in the bottom of the frame to make it a 2-2 game.

Mexico put two on the board in the sixth when Amadeo Zazueta's single drove in Agustin Murillo and Sebastian Valle later scored on an error.  The Samurai came to within 4-3 in the eighth on Seiya Suzuki's run-scoring double, but Mexico effectively put the game away with a three-run ninth as Valle, Efren Navarro and Pena (who drove in Valle) all crossed the plate to put the visitors up by four.  It was then left for Oliver Perez and Jake Sanchez to combine on a shutout inning to seal the deal for Edgar Gonzalez' squad.  Rafael Martin got the historic win in relief.  What made it "historic?"  I can't tell you.  Neither Mexican website where I looked up the tidbits of into used to cobble this piece together gave a reason why.

Japan did recover Friday night and registered an 11-4 win over the Big Green.  Mexican starter Hector Daniel Rodriguez got in trouble early by serving up back-to-back doubles to Shohei Ohtani and Sho Nakata to give the home team a 1-0 lead.  That touched off what would become a back-and-forth contest that saw Japhet Amador (who played for Japan's Rakuten Eagles last summer) sock a solo homer in the second frame while both Pena and Verdugo went deep in the fourth.

The Japanese opened things up with a three-run seventh and although a Tim Torres single brought Mexico to within 8-4, Japan put three more runs on the board, ending the scoring when Akira Nakamura whacked a late two-run homer off Sergio Romo to make it an 11-4 victory for the Samurai.

Samurai Japan will host The Netherlands National Team in two more WBC warmups Saturday and Sunday at the Big Egg.  The Mexican Nationals were scheduled to return to Los Angeles Friday night before returning to their individual points of origin.  Whatever made Thursday's win an historic one, you're doing pretty well to fly into Japan and split with the best team in the world (according to the latest World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings).  Mexico went into the trip rated eighth by the WBSC, but that could change.

Thanks to reader Chris Kabout of Amsterdam, Netherlands for links to info used in story.

Yomiuri Giants looking at Saltillo LHP Rodriguez

It doesn't matter where baseball is played for one axiom of the game to hold true: There is no such thing as too much good pitching.  In this case, the Yomiuri Giants are expanding their search to improve their pitching staff to Mexico, specifically Saltillo, where veteran left-hander Hector Daniel "Danny" Rodriguez is working for the Saraperos.

After going 7-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 14 regular season start for Culiacan, Rodriguez was named as BBM's Winter Playoff MVP following a strong performance in the Mexican Pacific League playoffs and two wins for the champion Mazatlan Venados at the Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo.  He also pitched Mexico to victory over Nicaragua in last month's World Baseball Classic qualifier final at Mexicali.

The 31-year-old Culiacan native had a couple of rough outings for the Saraperos to start the Mexican League season before settling down to throw seven shutout innings against Oaxaca with seven strikeouts on April 16, followed by another strong outing at Veracruz on April 22.  In that one, Rodriguez allowed just one Aguila Rojos hit with nine strikeouts in six frames, recording nine strikeout and just one walk.

Edgar Gonzalez, who managed Rodriguez in the WBC qualifier, doubles as Yomiuri's Mexican scout in addition to his role as skipper for the Mexicali Aguilas in the LMP (for whom Rodriguez pitched in the playoffs before the Aguilas lost to the Venados in the championship series).  Gonzalez was in Veracruz with other Giants reps for Danny's last start, during which he wore a splint on his right arm because of a fracture but obviously showed no worse for wear.

Although Rodriguez is pitching for Saltillo (where he's 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA after four starts), his rights still belong to the Baltimore Orioles after spending all or part of three seasons pitching for AAA Gwinnett in the Braves system (he pitched briefly for the O's AAA affiliate in Norfolk last spring before returning to Saltillo), so the Giants will have to negotiate with Baltimore if they decide to bring him to Japan.

Mexico's WBC Qualifier roster announced, Adrian Gonzalez to play

Now that the Mexican League has given its blessings to allowing Liga players to take part in next week's World Baseball Classic qualifier tournament in Mexicali's La Nida ballpark, the names on Mexico's 27-man roster have been released.

Thirteen of the 27 players in uniforms will be pitchers, including BBM Winter Award winners Hector Daniel Rodriguez (Playoff MVP) and Javier Solano (Pitcher of the Year).  Former major leaguer Oliver Perez will be wearing the green along with Mexican Pacific League ERA champ Alejandro Soto and record-setting reliever Andres Avila.

There are plenty of familiar names among position players, including Caribbean Series title game hero Jorge Vazquez, but none more prominent than Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (pictured), who will play under both his brother and former San Diego and Mazatlan teammate Edgar, Mexico's manager for the four-team tourney and current Mexicali Aguilas skipper, and father David, who'll serve as first base coach.  The 34-year-old Adrian (also known as "El Titan") has played in five MLB midsummer classics, including last year's event, and has a career .290 average with 290 homers and 1,056 RBI's in all or part of twelve seasons.

Here is the complete roster of Mexico's national team for the 2016 WBC Qualifier:

Pitchers (13)
Armando Aguilar, Andres Avila, Arturo Barradas, Carlos Fisher, Jesus Garcia, Geovanny Gallegos, Steven Landazuri, Oliver Perez, Hector Daniel Rodriguez, Jake Sanchez, Mark Serrano, Javier Solano, Alejandro Soto
Catchers (3)
Xorge Carrillo, Erick Rodriguez, Humberto Sosa
Infielders (6)
Adrian Gonzalez (1b), Walter Ibarra (ss), Alejandro Mejia (1b-3b), Agustin Murillo (3b), Esteban Quiroz (2b), Issmael Salas (ut)
Outfielders (4)
Sebastian Elizalde, Leo Heras, Efren Navarro, Juan Perez
Designated Hitter (1)
Jorge Vazquez
Manager
Edgar Gonzalez
Coaches
Rigo Beltran (pitching), David Gonzalez (first base), Bobby Magallenes (bench), Anthony Medrano (third base), Alejandro Pelaez (batting), Jose Silva (bullpen)

The Mexicans will open their qualifier schedule on Thursday, March 17 against the Czech Republic.  Germany and Nicaragua will square off that afternoon.

2015-16 BBM Winter Awards: Playoff MVP

Before I say anything else, I wanted to mention how tough it's been to pick these awards for this season. There were a lot of worthy recipients and I've had to agonize over every selection even more than American League managers and coaches did when they gave Rafael Palmeiro a Gold Glove in 1999 after he played all of 28 games at first base that year. Now that took courage.

Bearing all that in mind, the Baseball Mexico Winter Award winner for Playoff Most Valuable Player is going to left-handed pitcher Hector Daniel Rodriguez, who went 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA for Mexicali through three rounds of the LMP postseason, striking out 28 batters in 26.1 innings.  Rodriguez turned in an 0.84 WHIP after allowing just 16 hits and six walks as a reinforcement for the Aguilas followed a good regular season for his hometown Culiacan Tomateros, for whom he was 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 14 starts to give stability to a pitching staff that saw 31 hurlers combine for an LMP-worst 4.97 ERA during the Tomateros' 28-40 season.

After beating Jalisco 5-2 on January 2, topping Navojoa 10-1 on January 11 and throwing 6.1 shutout innings in a ten-inning 1-0 Aguilas loss to the Mayos on January 17, Rodriguez went all the way in a 1-0 Mexicali loss to Mazatlan in Game Three of the MexPac championship series on January 23.  That outing was enough for Venados manager Juan Jose Pacho to pick him up for the Caribbean Series in what turned out to be a prescient move for Pacho.

The 31-year-old opened the Caribbean Series for Mazatlan February 1 against Dominican host Escogido, tossing five innings and striking out five to earn the win in the Venados' 3-2 win over the Leones.  He then pitched six innings of shutout ball five days later in a 7-2 semifinal win against Cuba's Ciego de Avila to win his second CS start, setting the table for the Venados' series-clinching win over Venezuela's Aragua Tigres the following day.

It's been a rocky road for Rodriguez since he won the 2010 BBM Summer Award for Playoff MVP after going 5-0 in the postseason, including two victories over Puebla in the title series, to lead Saltillo to the Mexican League pennant.  At least four MLB teams were interested in the 5'11" portsider at the time, but the restrictive (some would say punitive) nature of Mexican baseball meant he would toil for two more seasons with the Saraperos before finally signing with Atlanta in 2012 after going 11-4 for Saltillo and leading the Liga in strikeouts with 135 that summer.  He had two uneventful years with the Braves' AAA Gwinnett affiliate in 2013 and 2014, turning in an aggregate 9-16 record with an equally-unimpressive 5.26 ERA over two years.

After one scoreless relief appearance last season for Norfolk (the Orioles' AAA farm team), "Dany" returned to Saltillo and pitched in 33 games, all in relief, going 3-1 plus three saves with a respectable 3.16 ERA over 44.1 innings.  While it's unknown whether Saraperos manager Noe Munoz plans to return Rodriguez to the bullpen for the upcoming season, the starting rotation thins out when one gets past 2015 LMB ERA champ Edgmer Escalona, import Michael Nix and Santiago Gutierrez (who all combined for a 29-15 record last year), so it would seem logical that Rodriguez should get a shot at regaining a starting berth this spring.

While his summer address has changed from time to time the past few years, Rodriguez has been a constant during the winter, spending the past eight MexPac seasons with Culiacan, mostly as a starter.  While he's had his moments with the Tomateros in that span, this past season was easily the best of his LMP career.

Five Venados named to CS Dream Team, Bentacourt bypassed

Five members of the Mezatlan Venados, including manager Juan Jose Pacho (pictured), have been named to the 2016 Caribbean Series "Dream Team" following the MexPac champions' six-game sweep of the 58th edition of Latin baseball's annual showcase.

Pacho was named skipper of the Dream Team, which also included Mazatlan outfielder Justin Greene, catcher Sebastian Valle and pitchers Hector Daniel Rodriguez and Steven Hensley.  Here's the list of all selections:

LHP - Hector Daniel Rodriguez (MEX)
RHP - Freddy Garcia (VEN)
  RP - Steven Hensley (MEX)
    C - Sebastian Valle MEX)
  1B - Neftali Soto (PR)
  2B - Yulieski Gourriel (CUBA)
  3B - Adonis Garcia (VEN)
  SS - Juniel Querecuto (VEN)
  LF - Jose A. Martinez (VEN)
  CF - Justin Greene (MEX)
  RF - Alex Romero (VEN)
MGR-Juan Jose Pacho (MEX)

Rodriguez won both his starts for the Venados (most in the CS) and had a 2.45 ERA, Hensley had a CS-best two saves over four scoreless appearances, Valle hit .455 with 7 RBI's in three games, Greene batted .360 with three steals (most in the tournament) and Pacho won his second Serie del Caribe for the Venados.

Venezuela's Aruagua Tigres, who the Venados beat twice, also placed five members on the all-tournament squad, Santurce of Puerto Rico got first baseman Neftali Soto on the list and Cuban second baseman Yulieski Gourriel (who defected with brother Lourdes Jr. after the tournament) was also accorded Dream Team honors.  Aragua outfielder Jose "Cafecito" Martinez (son of the late Carlos "Cafe" Martinez, a seven-year MLB infielder) was named MVP of the tournament after leading all batters with 12 hits, 7 runs and a .480 average.

One curious Dream Team omission was Mazatlan infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, who was edged out as the all-tourney shortstop by Aragua's Juniel Querecuto.  Betancourt hit .438 and led all hitters with a .526 on-base percentage, eight RBI's and three doubles, scoring six times in the bargain.  For his part, Querecuto hit .259 with seven hits (four in one game against Cuba), scored twice and drove in one run, going 1-for-8 in two games against Mazatlan.

Rodriguez, Betancourt power Venados to CS final vs. Venezuelan champs

Hector Daniel Rodriguez (pictured) pitched six innings of four-hit shutout ball and Yuniesky Betancourt had three hits, driving in four runs and scoring another to lead the Mexican Pacific League champion Mazatlan Venados to a 7-2 win over Cuba's Ciego de Avila Tigres in Saturday evening's semifinal in Santo Domingo to reach the 2016 Caribbean Series title game Sunday at 3PM Eastern against Aragua of Venezuela.

Rodriguez needed to be sharp as Tigres starter Vladimir Banos matched him over the first three innings, allowing two hits and no walks while retiring nine of the first eleven Mazatlan batters he faced.  Then came the fourth inning, in which the Venados pushed three runs across the plate to break the deadlock.  Banos gave up a leadoff double to Alex Liddi, then walked Cyle Hankerd and Jorge Vazquez to load the bases with nobody out.  Betancourt then punched a single to left to bring in Liddi from third with the game's first run, enough for Ciego de Avila manager Roger Machado to yank Banos and bring in Livan Moinelo from the bullpen.

That strategy backfired when Moinelo walked Esteban Quiroz on four straight pitches, forcing Hankerd in with Mazatlan's second run.  Yander Guevara replaced Moinelo and got Erick Rodriguez to ground into a 4-6-3 double play as Vazquez lumbered in from third to stake the Venados to a 3-0 lead.

Mazatlan scored once more in the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez and Betancourt singled to lead things off.  After Vazquez was forced out at third on a Quiroz bunt, Rodriguez drove in Betancourt from second by singling to left, making it a 4-0 game.

Terance Marin took over for Rodriguez in the top of the seventh after the latter issued a leadoff walk to Yoelvis Fiss.  Guillermo Avilles cracked a liner that was deflected by Marin's glove to short, where Betancourt was unable to make a play as Fiss moved to second and Avilles crossed first.  Osvaldo Vazquez then lined a single to left that brought Fiss to bring the Cubans to within two runs.

The Mexicans blew the game open in the bottom of the seventh.  After Chris Roberson led off with a double, Ciego de Avila reliever Yalfredo Dominguez intentionally walked Hankerd to fill the open sack at first and pitch to Vazquez, another strategy backfire when Dominguez hit Vazquez on an 0-2 pitch to load the bases for Betancourt, who smoked the first pitch he saw for a three-run double to center to give the Venados a 7-1 advantage.

The Tigres got one run back in the eighth when Alfredo Despaigne doubled Yulieski Gourriel in from first and after Esmailin Caridad walked both Lourdes Gourriel Jr. and Avilles to load the bases with two out, Jake Sanchez replaced Caridad on the hill for the Venados and struck out Vazquez on four pitches to end the inning and the Cuban threat.  Steven Hensley then pitched the ninth and, after walking Yulieski Gourriel and walking Despaigne with two out, battled Ariel Borroto for eight pitches before getting a swinging strikeout to end the game and clinch a spot in Sunday's title game.

Rodriguez earned his second win of the Caribbean Series for Mazatlan while Banos fell to 0-2 in the CS-ending loss for the Tigres.  Eddie Gamboa, who threw five decent innings in the Venados' Game Two win over Ciego de Avila Tuesday, is the scheduled starter for Sunday's championship game against Aragua.  The Venezuelan club dominated Puerto Rico's Santurce Crabbers, 13-3, in Saturday's earlier semifinal as the Tigres' Jose Martinez singled twice, tripled, homered and drove in four for Aragua.  Former MLB All-Star Freddy Garcia is the likely starter for manager Eddie Perez' Venezuelan League champs.

Opportunistic Greene, Venados beat Dominicans, 3-2, in Caribbean Series opener

Mazatlan centerfielder Justin Greene (pictured) singled and scored twice, including the eventual game-winner, as the Venados opened their schedule at the 2016 Caribbean Series with a 3-2 win over Dominican champion Escogido Monday in Santo Domingo.  The game was hard-fought throughout with strong pitching on both sides, but it was defensive miscues by the host Leones that held the door open for the Venados win.

Mazatlan took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Cyle Hankerd stroked a leadoff single up the middle, moved to second on Yuniesky Betacourt walk, advanced to third on Olmo Rosario's fielder's choice grounder to shortstop (with Betancourt getting forced at second) and came in to score when Esteban Quiroz' tapper back to the mound drew a throwing error from Escogido pitcher Greg Reynolds.

The Venados added a run in the third after Greene punched a one-out grounder that eluded Leones shortstop Pedro Lopez for an infield single.  The former Chisox and Arizona farmhand then streaked to third when Chris Roberson's soft liner landed safely in right field for a single.  After Hankerd walked to fill the bases, Betancourt hit a grounder to Leones third baseman Pedro Ciriaco, who had to settle for throwing to second to force Hankerd after having no play to make against Greene, who'd streaked across home plate to make it a 2-0 game.

Escogido came back with a pair of runs against Mazatlan starter Hector Rodriguez in the bottom of the third inning when Leury Garcia lined a ball to right center field that eluded both Greene in center and Jeremias Pineda in right for a two-run, inside-the-park homer to tied the score up.

Another boo-boo by the Leones defense led to Mazatlan's winning run in the top of the fifth. Greene and Roberson led off the frame with back-to-back singles off Reynolds, who was then pulled in favor of Edgar Garcia.  Betancourt then hit a double-play grounder to Lopez at short, who made the toss to Garcia at second to force Roberson but Garcia then threw the ball past first baseman Diory Hernandez, allowing Greene to cover ground and scamper home for the Venados' third and final run of the game.

It was then left to the Mazatlan bullpen to hold the Leones at bay the rest of the night, with closer Steven Hensley getting pinch-hitter Jimmy Paredes to hit a grounder to Hankerd at first for the final out of the night, earning Hensley the save and the Venados the win.  Rodriguez allowed two runs on Garcia's homer over five innings, striking out five for the win, while Terance Marin contributed two no-hit innings in relief for Mazatlan.  Reynonlds suffered the loss for Escogido and was carged with all three Venados runs over four-pus innings.  Greene and Roberson each had two hits for Mazatlan while rightfielder Zoilo Almonte went 2-for-4 for the Leones, who went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

In Monday's other Caribbean Series opener, Venzuela's Aragua Tigres held off Santurce of Puerto Rico, 2-1, as Jose Martinez' second-inning triple scored Felix Perez and Dariel Alvarez to back up Freddy Garcia's six innings of one-run pitching.

The Venados will be back Tuesday at 2:30PM Eastern time when they take on Ciego de Avila, the defending Cuban National Series champion who currently hold the best record in the 16-team circuit.

MexPac Playoff Scoreboard: SUN, Jan. 17, 2016

Both the Navojoa Mayos and Mazatlan Veados won their Mexican Pacific League semifinal road games Sunday, forcing Game Sevens on Monday in Mexicali and Obregon. Navojoa overcame their own anemic offense with ten innings of shutout pitching and an opportunistic last frame in their overtime victory over the Aguilas while the Venados offense lit up Yaquis pitcher for 14 hits in their tilt.

Following Monday's games, the winning teams will take a two-day breather before opening the MexPac championship series Thursday.

Navojoa 1-4-0, MEXICALI 0-7-1 (10)
W-Moskos (1-0).  L-M. Lara (0-1).  T-2:53.  A-17,000.

After Friday night's comedy of errors, the Navojoa Mayos pulled it together Sunday with an error-free 1-0 win in ten innings at Mexicali in front of 17,000 spectators at La Nida to tie their series at three games apiece, setting up Monday's Game Seven.

Starters Hector Velazquez of Navojoa and Hector Daniel Rodriguez of the Aguilas locked into a pitcher's duel, as Velazquez allowed two hits and struck out seven Mexicali batsmen and walking none over seven innings on the mound while Rodriguez scattered three singles and one walk in 6.1 frames, whiffing eight.  Both bullpens came through as three Navojoa relievers combined for three scoreless innings and four more Aguilas hurlers went 3.2 frames and allowed one Mayos hit, but that safety ended up being the game's difference-maker.

Navojoa first baseman Jesus "Jesse" Castillo (pictured) led off the tenth by rapping a single to right field off Mauricio Lara, then advanced to second when Lara made a bad throw on Jose Guadalupe Chavez' sacrifice bunt back to the mound.  Nate Tenbrink followed Chavez with another bunt to the hill, but Lara was able to nip him at first while both runners advanced.  The call was disputed by Navojoa skipper Enrique "Che" Reyes, but replays upheld it.  Jose Manuel Lopez was brought in to pitch to pinch-hitter Fernando Flores, who lofted a fly ball to centerfielder Chris Roberson.  The 36-year-old Californian made the catch, but Castillo beat the throw to the plate to score the first and only run of the contest.  Mayos closer Daniel Moskos let up two singles in the bottom of the tenth before inducing Luis Juarez to hit into a 5-3 game-ending double play.

Eddie Gamboa will pitch for Navojoa in Monday's Game Seven.  Mexicali manager Edgar Gonzalez did not name his starter as of press time.  Marco Duarte started against Gamboa in Game Three for the Eagles but gave up four runs on two hits and three walks in 3.1 innings in a 6-3 losing effort.
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Mazatlan 6-14-0, OBREGON 3-7-2
W-A. Meza (2-1).  L-R. Valdez (1-2).  T-3:33.  A-15,133.

The Mazatlan Venados built themselves a 5-0 by the fifth inning and went on to down the Obregon Yaquis, 6-3, Sunday at a jam-packed Estadio Tomas Oroz Gaytan, leveling their MexPac semifinal series at three games each.

Mazatlan's Cyle Hankerd opened the scoring in the top of the fourth by singling in Agustin Murillo, then came in himself on Olmo Rosario's single to right, barely beating Dustin Martin's throw to the plate.  The call was disputed but upheld by replay officials.  The Venados plated three more runs in the fifth, two scoring on Esteban Quiroz' line-drive double to straightaway center field.  The Yaquis finally broke through with a run in the sixth and two in the seventh, but never came closer than two runs.

Mazatlan collected 14 hits for the game, including three for Rosario and two each for Hankerd, Murillo, Jeremias Pineda, Carlos Munoz and Paul Leon.  Rosario and Quiroz each drove in two runs. Yaquis second baseman Carlos Valencia jacked his fifth postseason homer in the fifth off Venados starter Andres Meza, who got the win after letting in all three Yaquis runs in 5.2 innings.  Justin Green went 2-for-4 for Obregon to raise his postseason batting average to .429 while Martin chipped in two singles.  Yaquis starter Rolando Valdez was ripped for eight hits and five runs before being yanked with one out in the fifth and took the loss.

Game Seven will be Monday night in Obregon.  Venerable Walter Silva will be on the mound for Mazatlan while the Yaquis will send David Reyes to the hill.

MexPac Playoff Scoreboard: MON, Jan. 11, 2016

Precious little drama involved in the Mexican Pacific League semifinals Tuesday night as the Mazatlan Venados rang up an 8-4 win in Obregon, thanks in part to two-run homers by Agustin Murillo and Cyle Hankerd, while Mexicali pummeled Navojoa, 10-1, behind a superb performance by lefty Hector Rodriguez (pictured), who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.  Rodriguez spent last summer as a middle reliever in Saltillo after spending two years as a starter in the Braves and Orioles system.

With their win, Mazatlan evened up their series with the Yaquis at a game apiece while Mexicali opened up a 2-0 series lead over the Mayos.  Tuesday will be an off day before play resumes Wednesday night with games in Mazatlan and Navojoa.

Mazatlan 8-14-0, OBREGON 4-7-0
W-Meza (1-1).  L-R. Valdez (1-1).  T-3:20.  A-10,381.
Things started well enough for the Yaquis, who scored twice in the bottom of the first when Max Ramirez doubled in Justin Greene and then scored on Dustin Martin's Texas League single to left to stake Obregon a 2-0 lead.  Mazatlan got one run back in the second when Olmo Rosario's single brought in Yunesky Sanchez, then went ahead in the third as Agustin Murillo scored on a single by Cyle Hankerd, who came around to score two batters later when Mike Jacobs whacked a two-out double. The Venados went up 7-2 in the fourth thanks to a pair of two-run homers by Murillo and Hankerd, and while Justin Greene scored on Alex Liddi's ground-out in the sixth for the Yaquis,  Esteban Quiroz' leadoff homer in the seventh padded the Venados lead and it was just a matter of time from that point, although Carlos Valencia did sock a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth for Obregon.
Andres Meza got the win despite a mediocre start for the Venados, letting in three Obregon runs in 5.2 innings, but Mazatlan's 14-hit outburst might've meant a "W" for a batting tee as Mazatlan devoured servings from the Yaquis' Rolando Valdez for six runs on eight hits in 3.2 frames.

MEXICALI 10-11-0, Navojoa 1-5-2
W-H. Rodriguez (2-0).  L-Jo. Castillo (0-1).  T-2:49.  A-16,465.
With two out and nobody on in the bottom of the first, Mexicali put four on the board as C.J. Retherford stroked a two-run double and Ricky Alvarez and Xorge Carrillo added RBI singles.  The Aguilas batted around and pushed four more runs across in the fourth, keyed by Welington Dotel's two-run, bases-loaded single with two gone to make it an 8-0 Mexicali lead.  Navojoa's Jose Amador broke up Hector Rodriguez' no-hit bid by belting a leadoff homer in the top of the fifth, but the Ags scored one run in the bottom of the frame on Walter Ibarra's RBI single and another in the sixth when Yuniesky Betancourt slammed Miguel Ruiz' first pitch of the inning over the wall in left-center for a homer.
Rodriguez ended up going six innings and that Amador roundtripper was the only safety he gave up while striking out seven Mayos for his second playoff win.   Jorge Castillo started for the Mayos but got first dibs on the showers after lasting only two-thirds of an inning and giving up four runs.  The series now shifts to Navojoa after the two tilts in Mexicali drew 33,465 fans to Estadio B-Air.

MEXPAC PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: Saturday, 1/2/16

Mazatlan and Mexicali have taken command of their respective Mexican Pacific League playoff series, but Los Mochis rode the pitching of Tomas Solis, the legs of D'Arby Myers (pictured) and the bat of Jesus Arredondo to even their series with Obregon at a game apiece Saturday night.  A total of 83,431 attended games Friday and Saturday for an average of 13,905 per opening.

Sunday will be an off day for all six playoff teams, with sets resuming Monday when Obregon travels to Los Mochis, Mazatlan visits Navojoa and Mexicali heads to Guadalajara for the next three games, if needed.

Los Mochis 6-8-0, OBREGON 1-7-2
W-Solis (1-0). L-Dav. Reyes (0-1). T-3:16. A-14,304.
Solis carried a shutout into the sixth inning before allowing Max Ramirez' two-out homer, but Los Mochis scored early and often enough to come away with a 4-1 triumph in Obregon Saturday. Myers staked the Caneros a 1-0 lead in the first by scoring on Saul Soto's sacrifice fly, but it was a three-run second frame highlighted by Arredondo's two-run roundtripper than gave Solis a solid lead to protect. Sebastian Valle added his second homer in as many nights for the Caneros.

MAZATLAN 6-13-1, Navojoa 2-7-2
W-A. Soto (1-0). L-H. Velazquez (0-1). T-3:35. A-13,905.
MexPac ERA champion Alejandro Soto tossed 6.1 innings of four-hit shutout ball for Mazatlan as the Venados converted another strong start into a home win in a second night in a row.  Back-to-back RBI singles by Cyle Hankerd and Olmo Rosario put Mazatlan up 2-0 in the first and ex-Marlins DH Mike Jacobs' run-scoring single in the third made it a three-run advantage for the Deer.  Hankerd finished with three hits and two RBI's while Diego Madero went 2-for-2 with a double, RBI and run scored for Navojoa.

MEXICALI 5-9-1, Jalisco 2-7-1
W-H.D. Rodriguez (1-0). L-Nix (0-1). T-2:42. A-16,302.
Hector Daniel Rodriguez (1-0) pitched six-plus solid innings for Mexicali, scattering two runs on seven hits and striking out seven Charros. Alex Liddi's RBI single in the top of the first gave Jalisco an early lead, but C.J. Retherford smoked a two-run homer to key the Aguilas' four-run second frame and Mexicali never looked back. Charros starter Michael Nix let in five runs on eight hits and three walks in a shaky five-frame outing.

YAQUIS BEAT HERMOSILLO, CLINCH HALF TITLE

OBREGON 5, HERMOSILLO 3

The Obregon Yaquis parlayed a three-run sixth inning into a 5-3 win over the Hermosillo Naranjeros Sunday night to clinch the Mexican Pacific League’s second-half title and the eight points that come with it.  A crowd of 13,172 gathered at Obregon’s Estadio Tomas Oroz Gaytan.

Dustin Martin lined his fifth homer of the winter over the right field wall in the bottom of the first to stake the Yaquis an early lead, but the Orangemen knotted the score at 2-2 in the top of the sixth when Mario Santana singled with the bases loaded and Carlos Gastelum followed with a sacks-full walk.  Obregon broke the game open in the bottom half of the frame, keyed by Max Ramirez’ two-run double off Hermosillo starter Edgar Gonzalez.

Yaquis reliever Angel Ramirez got his first win by retiring the last Naranjeros batter in the sixth before the winning runs came along while ex-Indians hurler Josh Judy (pictured) tossed a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.  Gonzalez fell to 3-5 with the loss.  Hermosillo actually outhit Obregon 12-6 for the night as Jose Amador went 3-for-5, but the Naranjeros left 11 runners stranded on base and batted just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Obregon is now 20-11 with two games left in the half, three games up on both Navojoa and fast-rising Mazatlan.  Hermosillo fell to 15-15 and hold fourth place.

NAVOJOA 9, LOS MOCHIS 1

The Navojoa Mayos plated seven runs over the first two innings and cruised to a 9-1 win over Los Mochis Sunday as 6,834 attendees watched at Estadio Manuel “Ciclon” Chavarria in Navojoa.  

Quincy Latimore poled his tenth homer of the season for the Mayos, a three-run blast in the second that gave the hosts their 7-0 lead.  Starter Eddie Gamboa continued his strong winter for Navajoa by allowing one run and scattering three hits over six innings of work, striking out six, to go to 5-2 while lowering his ERA to 3.12.  Caneros hurler Derrick Miramontes (5-6) was chased early after allowing five runs on as many hits in just over one inning.  Antonio Lamas had two of Mochis’ four hits.

Navojoa is now 17-14 while Mochis falls to 14-17.

CULIACAN 8, MEXICALI 1

Hector Daniel Rodriguez pitched seven innings of one-hit shutout ball as the Culiacan Tomeratero posted an 8-1 win over Mexicali as 19,851 spectators looked on in the Sinaloa city Sunday night.  C.J. Retherford was the only Mexicali batsman to reach base off Rodriguez by slicing a leadoff single to center in the second, but Retherford was cut down in an inning-ending double play as Rodriguez (7-3/3.00) faced the minimum 21 batters over his seven frames, whiffing five Mexicali batters.  

Jose Manuel Orozco whacked a two-run homer for Culiacan while leadoff batter Rico Noel singled three times and scored twice.  With the win, Culiacan raised their record to 15-16 while Mexicali dropped to 14-16.

MAZATLAN 8, JALISCO 1

Esteban Quiroz had three singles, drove in three runs and scored two more to lead Mazatlan to an 8-1 win over Jalisco Sunday in a contest of two teams heading in opposite directions before 13,101 onlookers at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mazatlan.  The win was the Venados’ ninth straight (starting December 16) while the Charros have lost 12 of their last 14 contests.  

Alejandro Soto went six strong innings, allowing one run on three hits in combining with three Mazatlan reliever on a five-hitter. Soto evened his record at 4-4 while his ERA dropped to a sparkling 2.63.  Jeremias Pinedas stole two bases to take sole league leadership in that category with 28 and scored three times for the Venados.  

Mazatlan was sitting in last place when Juan Jose Pacho took over as manager from Miguel Ojeda on December 9, but have gone 12-3 under Pacho to move into a tie for second with Navojoa at 17-14.  Jalisco has plummeted to 11-20 and have clinched last place in the second half.

RODRIGUEZ BACK IN CULIACAN AFTER WORKOUT WITH ROCKIES

The pitching sensation of this year’s Mexican League playoffs has returned to Culiacan for the upcoming Mexican Pacific League season after working out with the Colorado Rockies’ Arizona Instructional League team.

Hector Daniel “Danny” Rodriguez, who was named the Liga’s Playoff MVP after going 5-0 in the postseason for Saltillo’s pennant winners this summer, spent time conditioning with the Rockies under Cuban-born trainer Bernardo Penalver. Rodriguez’ sensational playoff performance raised the eyebrows of a number of MLB organizations, including the Rockies (for whom Mexican baseball legend Vinny Castilla is an assistant general manager).

A Culiacan native who turns 26 in December, the 6’0” lefty pitched for the Tomateros last winter and turned in a 4-2 record and a 2.39 ERA in eleven starts.

RODRIGUEZ TO AUDITION FOR ROCKIES

Pitcher Hector Daniel “Danny” Rodriguez is scheduled to travel to Arizona later this month to workout for the Colorado Rockies organization. Rodriguez was lightly regarded as a major league prospect after compiling a 20-18 career record over five seasons in the Mexican League with Saltillo, but the 25-year-old lefty from Culiacan put together an outstanding playoff record for the Saraperos this year, going 5-0 with a microscopic 0.66 ERA, tossing a no-hitter against Mexico City in the first round and winning the Playoff MVP for the two-time champions.

Many major league teams are now interested in Rodriguez, but Colorado may have an inside track with Mexican baseball legend Vinny Castilla in their front office while LMB Manager of the Year Houston Jimenez (who manages Culiacan in the winter) was a Rockies minor league instructor until two years ago. Rodriguez will pitch for the Rockies in Tucson on September 24.

RODRIGUEZ NAMED LIGA PLAYOFF MVP

Saltillo pitcher Hector Daniel “Dany” Rodriguez has been named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 LMB playoffs.

The 25-year-old Rodriguez came off a so-so regular season record of 4-4 in 13 starts for the Saraperos to catch fire in the postseason, going 5-0 in six starts with a microscopic 0.66 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 41 innings. He tossed a no-hitter on July 25 against Mexico City and won both his starts in the Bicentennial Series against Puebla as the Saraperos defeated the Pericos in five games to become the twelfth team ever to win two consecutive Liga pennants. Only the Monterrey Industriales of 1947-1949 have won three straight LMB flags.

Rodriguez pitched last winter for his hometown Culiacan Tomateros in the Mexican Pacific League, but it’s not certain whether he’ll be back in the Mex Pac this season. At least four major league organizations are said to be interested in signing the six-foot lefty.

FOUR MLB TEAMS REPORTEDLY INTERESTED IN SALTILLO PITCHER RODRIGUEZ

There wasn’t a whole lot of attention paid to Saltillo pitcher Hector Daniel Rodriguez during the regular season. The 25-year-old Culiacan native had a so-so summer for the Saraperos, with a 4-4 mark and a 3.97 ERA. Not bad, but not eye-raising, either. Then came the Mexican League playoffs.

Rodriguez was nothing short of dominant in the postseason, turning in a perfect 5-0 record (including a July 25 no-hitter against Mexico City) while recording a 0.66 ERA. Now, according to the Vanguardia website, no less than four teams are lining up to talk to the six-foot lefty about a contract, including the Rockies, Mets, Dodgers and Yankees. The website quotes Saltillo general manager Sergio Ley as saying the four teams have contacted the Saraperos about Rodriguez, but “nothing concrete” has come from the talks.

Any MLB team seeking to sign Rodriguez will first have to acquire his rights from Saltillo before negotiating an individual contract…and after the past four weeks, he won’t come cheap.

MEXICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS: August 15, 2010

RODRIGUEZ, SARAPEROS BLANK PUEBLA, 5-0, AS SALTILLO NEARS PENNANT REPEAT

Hector Daniel Rodriguez (pictured) continued his dominant postseason pitching to lead the Saltillo Saraperos to a 5-0 shutout of the Puebla Pericos Sunday in Game Four of the Mexican League’s Bicentennial Series. Rodriguez tossed eight shutout innings for the Saraperos in front of 15,111 witnesses at Saltillo’s Parque Francisco I. Madero. The defending champs now lead Puebla, 3 games to 1.

The Saraperos drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning when Gabriel Martinez stroked a two-out single to left to score Carlos Eduardo Gonzalez and Willie Romero. Saltillo then plated a run in the fifth on a Jose Rodriguez RBI single, once in the sixth when Noe Munoz chased Puebla starter Omar Espinoza with a leadoff line drive homer to left, and one more time in the seventh when Rodriguez came in from third on a Martinez sacrifice fly to left. Romero finished 3-for-4 for Saltillo with two runs scored while Martinez, Jose Rodriguez and Munoz each gathered two hits. Valentin Gamez and Miguel Torrero had two hits apiece for the Pericos.

After a regular season in which he finished 4-4 with a 3-97 ERA in 12 starts for Saltillo, Rodriguez saw his playoff record rise to 5-0 by scattering seven hits and a pair of walks through his eight frames of work, striking out nine Pericos batsmen. The 25-year-old lefty’s earned-run average in the Liga postseason was 0.66 going into Sunday’s contest. According to the Vanguardia.com website, four major league organizations are said to be interested in signing Rodriguez, who was 4-2 with a 2.39 ERA for Culiacan last winter in the Mexican Pacific League.

The Saraperos will try to end the 2010 LMB season at home Monday when they take on Puebla in Game Five of the title series. If the Pericos win, Game Six will be played Wednesday at Estadio Hermanos Serdan in Puebla.

MEXICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS: July 25, 2010

RODRIGUEZ NO-HITTER KEEPS SARAPEROS REPEAT HOPES ALIVE

With the season riding on Sunday’s game, pitcher Hector Daniel Rodriguez (pictured) stepped up in a big way to ensure the Saltillo Saraperos would continue to defend their Mexican League pennant at least a little longer. Rodriguez tossed a no-hitter as Saltillo bopped Mexico City, 7-0, to cut the Diablos Rojos’ series lead to 3 games to 2 while staving off postseason elimination.

Rodriguez was a rather ordinary 4-4 for the Sarape Makers during the regular season, but there was nothing ordinary about his performance Sunday as he struck out six Diablos batters and walked four. In all, he threw 99 pitches in nine innings, 62 of them for strikes.

A second-inning Refugio Cervantes homer gave Rodriguez all the runs he’d need. Cervantes added a single and double and scored three times for the Saraperos. Hernando Arredondo also homered for Saltillo before 10,921 gleeful fans at Saltillo’s Parque Francisco I. Madero.

The series shifts to Foro Sol in Mexico City for Tuesday night’s Game Six.

GONZALEZ OUTDUELS SUZUKI (AGAIN) AS SULTANES ADVANCE

For the second time in less than a week Monterrey’s Edgar Gonzalez hooked up with LMB ERA champion Mac Suzuki, and once again Gonzalez and his Sultanes prevailed over Suzuki and the Chihuahua Dorados, this time with a 3-0 shutout. The blanking handed the Sultanes a 4-games-to-1 series win and punched their ticket to the LMB North Finals against either Saltillo or Mexico City.

Gonzales (who bested Suzuki and the Dorados, 6-3, last Tuesday) scattered three hits and a walk over eight innings for the victory while closer Julio Manon turned in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his third playoff save. Suzuki got knocked out early, giving up three runs on five hits and six walks before Chihuahua manager Chico Rodriguez brought his hook to the mound with one out in the third inning.

Heber Gomez’ two-run single in the second was the key hit for Monterrey as the Sultanes shortstop went on to a 3-for-4 game. Fernando Rios had two of the Dorados’ three singles for the night.

MOREJON HR LIFTS YUCATAN TO WIN OVER PERICOS, SERIES TIED 2-2

Veteran second baseman Oswaldo Morejon lifted a two-run, two-out homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Yucatan Leones went on to beat the Puebla Pericos, 4-1, leveling their Zona Hidalgo series at two games each as a crowd of 3,818 at Merida’s Parque Kukulkan watched.

Serafin Rodriguez led off the game with a homer to left for the Pericos in the top of the first, but the Lions tied the score one inning later when Sandy Madera scored on a Gonzalo Meza single. Yucatan added an insurance run in the sixth on a Heriberto Salas RBI single.

Oscar “Perfecto” Rivera was sharp in his eight innings pitched for the Leones, allowing just one run and striking out six Puebla batsmen for the win. Guadalupe Perez gave up all four Yucatan runs in five-plus innings of work.

The Leones and Pericos will meet in Merida once again for Game Five tomorrow night.

OAXACA AND TIGRES TO CARRY 0-0 GAME OVER TO MONDAY AFTER RAINS HIT

The Oaxaca Guerreros and Quintana Roo Tigres were locked up in a 0-0 dandy Sunday night until rain halted the contest after four innings at Cancun’s Estadio Beto Avila. Oaxaca’s series lead of 2-games-to-1 will be held over for a day, too.

Guerreros starter Rolando Valdez pitched well enough, spreading three hits and three strikeouts over his four innings on the hill, although two baserunners reached scoring position in the second after a walk and a hit batsman. Quintana Roo opener Arturo Barradas was even better. The 6’3” lefty had yet to allow a Oaxaca baserunner and had thrown 31 strikes in 46 pitches through four frames.

The game will be resumed Monday afternoon at 1PM local time (weather permitting) but the rest of the series has been pushed back a day, moving Game Five in Cancun to Tuesday evening.