MEXICO BLANKS VENEZUELA IN PREMIER12 TUNEUP

The Mexican National Team opened a quick two-game series against Venezuela in Puebla with a 2-0 shutout Saturday afternoon in front of 4,514 onlookers at Estadio Hermanos Serdan.  The short set is serving as a warmup to next month's WBSC Premier12, during which Mexico will be one of four nations represented in Group A competition in Guadalajara for the first stage of the Olympic qualifying tournament.  Mexico is sixth in the WBSC's latest world baseball rankings while Venezuela is ninth.

As one might surmise from a 2-0 contest, pitching dominated Saturday's tilt, in which former Braves starter Horacio Ramirez opened for Mexico against Venezuela's Felix Doubront, who won Game Four of the 2013 World Series for Boston and spent last summer pitching for Saltillo in the Mexican League.  Both ex-MLBers went two scoreless innings before being replaced as Mexico manager Juan Castro and Venezuela skipper Carlos Subero made sure to avoid overworking any of their hurlers.  Ramirez, who went 40-34 over eight big league seasons and has pitched the last four years for Tijuana, only allowed one walk and no hits over his two innings of work.

The scoreless tie carried into the ninth inning, as it took a Jorge Flores double with one out in the top of the sixth (Venezuela was the designated home team) to record the Verdes Grande's first hit of the day.  Flores advanced to third on a Jose Vargas flyout to center, but a Javier Salazar popup and Noah Perio groundout ended the threat without any further damage.

The Venezuelans nearly broke the deadlock one inning later, but the hosts benefitted from a defensive gem via an unlikely source.  Matt Clark, who usually is pencilled in as a designated hitter and known far more for his power hitting, reached above the right field wall to nab a likely home run from Alexander Palma to earn an ovation from the crowd.

It was that kind of game until the top of the ninth, when the Mexicans rapped three doubles to end the orgy of 0's on the scoreboard.  Vargas opened the entrada with a two-bagger up the middle and then scored the first run of the game on Salazar's double down the third base line.  Efren Navarro later stroked a double to right that brought Salazar in to give Mexico a 2-0 lead.  Then it was left to Justin Kelly, who pitched in the Braves and Dodgers systems before joining eventual Mexican League champion Monclova this summer, to toss a scoreless ninth to save the victory for the Verdes Grande. Adam Quintana pitched the seventh and eighth innings for Mexico to earn the win.

Game Two of the so-called Giants of Latin America series was set for Sunday afternoon in Puebla, with Hernandez Alvarez scheduled to start for Venezuela.  Castro had not named a starter for Mexico as of Saturday.  Alvarez pitched a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins in 2013 and was picked for the National League team in the All-Star Game one year later.  As of BBM post time, results for Sunday's game were not available.

The Mexican Nationals will open the Premier12 tournament on Saturday, November 2 when they play the Dominican Republic at 7:00PM local time in Guadalajara's Estadio Jarros.  The USA will meet The Netherlands in the other Group A Saturday game at Noon.


OPPORTUNISTIC TOMATEROS IN LMP LEAD

Culiacan outfielder Sebastian Elizalde

Culiacan has won nine of their first 13 games in the 2019-20 Mexican Pacific League seasons and it's certainly been a collaborative effort to put the Tomateros in first place, primarily among their potent stable of batters.  The eleven-time Mex Pac champions are the only team in the loop batting above .300 with a .309 average and while manager Benji Gil's squad only has a combined seven homers to rank fifth in the LMP in that category, Culiacan has made up for it with speed on the basepaths (their 31 stolen bases are 19 more than anyone else) while their bullpen-by-committee has seen four relievers combine for a Mex Pac-best five saves, with former Pirates minor leaguer Ryan Kelly turning in two of them.

Six Culiacan regulars are batting above .300 thus far, led by the .396 average of one-time Cincinnati farmhand Sebastian Elizalde leading the way.  The Guaymas-born outfielder spent four years in the Reds system between 2014 and 2017, being named an organization All-Star his first campaign and playing in the Florida State League's 2015 All-Star Game, but never rose above AAA Louisville before being shipped back to Monterrey of the Mexican League early last year.  Shortstop Ramiro Pena (.347 with 8 runs), catcher Ali Solis (.324 and 8 RBIs) and second baseman Jose Guadalupe Chavez (.311 and a team-high 11 ribbies) have also been key to the Tomateros' fast start, but the real catalyst may be one of the guys hitting UNDER .300, outfielder  Rico Noel.

Tomateros speedster Rico Noel

Noel and manager Gil have had their past difference and nearly came to blows in the dugout during one game in Gil's first stint running the team, but the 2010 San Diego draft pick (who played in California and Texas League All-Star Games during his stint in the Padres system) has given the volatile Gil little reason to don the Everlasts.  Noel's .277 average is little to write home about, but he's made the most of  his opportunities when he's reached base, scoring ten runs, driving in eight, cracking a pair of homers and stealing nine bases in ten attempts.  Considering that the former Coastal Carolina speedster's career high in single-season homers is three, his two longballs for Culiacan are an unexpected bonus.

None of the Tomateros pitchers have really stood out, although Aldo Montes is 3-0 as both a middleman and starter.  A 10-year Mexican League veteran from Tijuana who pitched for Mexico in last March's Samurai Series against Japan in Kobe, Montes made three scoreless appearances for Culiacan  (winning two of them) before Gil picked him to start Saturday night at home against Navajoa. He tossed another five shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven in the Tomateros' 7-0 whitewashing of the Mayos.  Although Montes is not a "staff linchpin" type of pitcher, his early success has greatly helped a Tomateros team still hoping for the likes of slow-starters Romario Gil (2018 Mexican League Rookie of the Year), Manny Barreda (no-hitters in both leagues in 2017 and 2018) to round into shape.  Fortunately, Culiacan hasn't really needed them.  Yet.


FANS SELECT MEXICAN LEAGUE'S 2019 "DREAM TEAM"

Monclova Acereros slugger Chris Carter

The Mexican League is going through the unusual process of allowing its fans to pick the circuit's All-Star Team for the recently-concluded 2019 season.  People cast votes on the LMB's website on a daily position-by-position basis, starting with catchers on Monday, October 14 and concluding with relief pitchers last Thursday.  Each of the 16 Liga teams had one player per position on the ballot and fans around the world were allowed to vote three times a day during the eleven-day process.

According to the Septima Entrada site, here is the Mexican League "Dream Team" for 2019:

CATCHER: Bruce Maxwell, Monclova
A former Oakland catcher who was the first MLBer to take a knee during the National Anthem, Maxwell was signed by the Acereros as a free agent shortly after the season opened and went on to reach career highs by hitting .325 with 24 homers and 112 RBIs while being selected to represent the LMB North in the midseason All-Star Game.

FIRST BASE: Chris Carter, Monclova
Carter led the LMB in homers (49), RBIs (119), slugging percentage (.709) and OPS (1.158).  The hulking former National League's 2016 homer co-champ went stone cold in the postseason, batting .130 without a ribbie in the Serie del Rey against Yucatan, but the 2009 Texas League Player of the Year was a huge factor in Monclova's 75-45 regular season.

SECOND BASE: Michael Wing, Aguascalientes
A Californian who knocked around the Angels system and indy leagues for nine seasons and out of baseball for a year before signing with the Rieleros in 2017, Wing put together a great season in Aguascalientes, hitting .355 with 28 homers and 110 RBIs. Previously a utilityman, the 31-year-old All-Star played second base exclusively this year.

THIRD BASE: Emmanuel Avila, Mexico City
The only Dream Teamer to finish in the top ten in batting, Avila finished eighth with a .367 average while socking 16 homers and driving in 76 runs for the Diablos Rojos.  The 30-year-old Los Mochis product spent four summers in the White Sox system before coming to Mexico City in 2010.  He's hit .322 and been selected to four All-Star Games since.

SHORTSTOP: Amadeo Zazueta, Monterrey
Barred from playing in the LMB until 2016 because he'd signed directly with Houston twelve years earlier at age 18, Zazueta hit .326 and provided steady defense for the Sultanes (his fourth Liga team in the last three years) to earn his second All-Star Game appearance.  He then hit .308 with two homers against eventual champ Monclova in seven playoff games.

Oaxaca's MVP candidate Alonzo Harris

LEFT FIELD: Alonzo Harris, Oaxaca
An MVP favorite along with Monclova's Carter, the ex-Mets farmhand rebounded from an awful Fall 2018 season (.165 average for Quintana Roo) for a halcyon year in Oaxaca, hitting .343 with 39 homers, scoring an LMB-high 131 runs, driving in 117 and stealing 45 to narrowly miss becoming the Liga's first 40/40 man. Someone not a midseason All-Star.

CENTER FIELD: Juan Perez, Saltillo
A major reason for the Saraperos' second-half title and playoff berth, Perez quietly put together a .322 season at the plate with 23 homers and 30 steals, scoring 99 runs along the way.  A former Reds minor leaguer (where he was a 2014 organizational All-Star while playing for Class A Bakersfield), Perez also threw out 12 runners from center field.

RIGHT FIELD: Danny Ortiz, Puebla
Ortiz finished second to Monclova's Carter in homers (42), was fourth in RBIs (114) and just missed the top ten in runs scored (96), posting a solid .312 average.  The 2017 Puerto Rican League MVP, Ortiz was a midseason All-Star in both the Midwest (2011) and Eastern (2013) leagues before his LMB ASG appearance in Mexico City this July.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Japhet Amador, Mexico City
Back in the LMB after a three-year stint in Japan that ended controversially, Amador matched his 2015 batting average (.346), falling from 41 to 28 homers while his RBI totals dropped slightly from 117 to 115. Still, the 6'4" Mulege Giant, listed conservatively at 310 pounds, quickly regained his reputation as one of Mexico's most feared batsmen.

STARTING PITCHER: Cesar Valdez, Yucatan
As easy a choice as there was on this list. Valdez pitched in the Liga's 2015 All-Star Game amid four cups of MLB coffee between 2010 and 2017, but nobody predicted a 2019 campaign in which the Leones righty dominated LMB batters and went 15-2 with a 2.26 ERA in a hitter's year. Valdez struck out 122 batters and walked just 17 over 147.2 innings.

RELIEF PITCHER: Casey Coleman, Tijuana
Son of one former MLB All-Star pitcher and grandson of another, Coleman had success as the Toros closer with a 2.03 ERA.  Still, the ex-Cub's choice was puzzling at best after only 14 appearances out of the bullpen with six save for Tijuana over 13 innings.  Monterrey's Wirfin Obispo (6 wins, 30 saves, 2.62 ERA) might've been a more sensible pick for fans.

Ramirez, TJ blank Puebla, 4-0; Toros poised for title sweep

Horacio Ramirez turned in his third consecutive sterling playoff start for Tijuana on Friday night, tossing seven-plus innings of five-hit shutout ball while Roberto Lopez had two hits and socked a homer as the Toros went on to whitewash Puebla, 4-0, in the Mexican League championship series.  A season-high crowd at 11,906 at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan saw their hometown Pericos drop their third straight game in the Serie del Rey, putting Tijuana on the cusp of a four-game sweep for the border city's first-ever professional baseball pennant.

Tijuana 4-7-1, PUEBLA 0-6-2 (Tijuana leads series, 3 games to 0)
W-H. Ramirez (1-0).  L-Outman (0-1).  A-11,906.  T-2:40.

As Hurricane Katia neared landfall on the state of Veracruz to the east, Puebla remained dry long enough for the visiting Tijuana Toros to top the defending champion Pericos, 4-0, to reach the brink of an LMB Serie del Rey sweep after losing in six games last season to the Parrots.  Former big league starter Horacio Ramirez, ten weeks away of his 37th birthday, turned in another stellar performance for skipper Pedro Mere's Bulls to post his third consecutive playoff win.

TJ opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning after Ramirez and Puebla opener Josh Outman traded zeros through the first three entradas.  Cyle Hankerd was plunked by an Outman pitch to lead things off for Tijuana, then moved to second after a Jorge Cantu strikeout when Outman walked Dustin Martin.  Hankerd and Martin both advanced a base when Puebla first baseman Nate Freiman mishandled a Juan Apodaca grounder and was unable to make the out at first.  Johnson appealed the call, but replays upheld first base umpire Humberto Saiz' decision.  Hankerd then came in to break the scoreless tie on Alex Liddi's fielder's choice grounder up the middle.

The Toros extended their lead with a pair of runs in the fifth.  Roberto Lopez' one-out homer to left put the visitors ahead, 2-0.  Corey Brown then singled, stole second during an Outman walk to Hankerd, moved to third on a 6-4 forceout at second on a Cantu ground ball and plated a run on Martin's liner into left.  The final run of the night was pushed across in the top of the sixth as Liddi walked to open the inning, took second on Isaac Rodriguez' 1-3 comebacker to Outman on the hill and moved to third on an Outman wild pitch to Jose Guadalupe Chavez before scoring on Chavez' single to right to put the score at 4-0.

Ramirez carried his cushioned shutout two outs into the eighth, when Mere brought in Juan Sandoval from the bullpen after a walk to Pericos shortstop Alberto Carreon. Sandoval did what he's been doing since the opening series against Aguascalientes, closing out the eighth and turning in a scoreless ninth to mark his ninth consecutive postseason appearance without being scored upon, giving up two hits and striking out five over 9.2 innings.  Sandoval has pitched heroically in the playoffs for Tijuana, forming a terrific troika from the bullpen with middleman Mark Serrano and closer Jason Urquidez, both of whom were rested Friday.  While the Toros starters haven't always had it easy, those three relievers have been lights-out since the first round against the Rieleros.

But the true hero of the night was Ramirez.  Treated roughly at times by Seattle fans when he pitched for the Mariners in 2007 (one teammate was current Tijuana GM Jorge Campillo), going 8-7 in 20 starts but with a 7.16 ERA, the 6'1" lefty was rock-solid during his 7.2-inning stint, allowing no runs on five hits and two walks. Although Friday marked Ramirez' second straight outing with no strikeouts, the win was his third straight in the playoffs after beating Monterrey twice in the LMB North finals.  The Californian also registered four shutout innings at Aguascalientes in an August 17 no-decision.  His postseason ERA is now 1.13 in 24 total innings.

Outman took the loss for the Pericos, but the former Oakland starter/Colorado middleman did not pitch all that badly, giving up three earned runs in 5.1 innings on six hits.  However, the 32-year-old lefty had control problems for his second start in a row with four walks, making it nine Annie Oakleys (look it up) over his last 10.1 innings.  Lopez and Hankerd both had two hits for the winners, with the former homering and the latter doubling.  Six different Puebla batters had one hit apiece as Carreon and Cesar Tapia each hit two-baggers.

Two more games (if Game Four is scheduled for Saturday night in Puebla as Pericos manager Tim Johnson sends Andres Meza to the mound against former big leaguer Sergio Mitre for the Toros.  Meza was 5-6 with a 5.06 ERA in the regular season, but shut Leon out over 5.1 innings in the first round of the playoffs and beat Yucatan in the LMB South title set clincher, 4-3, on August 31.  Mitre was a combined 5-3 and 3.10 in nine game (eight of them starts) for Leon and Tijuana.  The ex-Yankees reliever has pitched in three postseason games, going 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA, shutting out Aguascalientes over four frames of relief in a 4-0 Game Five win in the LMB North semis on August 18.

However, it remains to be seen as this is written whether Hurrican Katia allows either game to be played.  Baseball may be life to some, but life itself is bigger than baseball.  Between life and baseball, only one is a game. Cuidense, muchachos!

Tijuana, Puebla both win series; Serie del Rey rematch set

The Tijuana Toros eliminated Monterrey from further contention for the Mexican League pennant by topping the Sultanes, 4-2, Thursday night in the border city to win their North Division championship series, 4 games to 2.  Manager Pedro Mere's club will advance to the Serie del Rey for a second year in a row against defending champion Puebla after the Pericos knocked out Yucatan, 4-3, Tuesday at home in Game Five of the LMB South finals.  Skipper Tim Johnson's Parrots will seek to bring Puebla its fifth Mexican League crown while the Toros are gunning for Tijuana's first-ever flag.

Since the Toros and Pericos were able to conclude their respective divisional championship sets in less than seven games, they'll be able to rest for four days before colliding in Game One of the Serie del Rey on Tuesday night in Tijuana.  Puebla defeated Tijuana in six games last year to win the pennant.

Jorge Cantu hoists LMB North title trophy
Photo courtesy of Rich McDaniel

TIJUANA 4-7-0, Monterrey 2-10-1
W-H. Ramirez (2-0).  L-A. Castro (0-2).         SV-Urquidez (2).  A-17,987.  T-3:03.

Tijuana starter Horacio Ramirez left the game in the sixth inning with a 4-2 lead and the Toros bullpen combined to hold Monterrey scoreless the rest of the way as TJ held off the Sultanes to clinch the LMB North title for the second year in a row.  A sellout crowd of 17,987 packing Estadio Gasmart was home happy after the home side concluded the set, 4 games to 2. Attendance was strong in this series, with 110,240 fans coming to the six games in both cities for an average of 18,373 per opening.

The Toros jumped on Monterrey starter Angel Castro early by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning.  The first three Tijuana batters reached base as singles from Jose Guadalupe Chavez and Corey Brown bracketed a walk to Roberto Lopez.  Cleanup batter Cyle Hankerd dribbled a grounder to Sultanes third baseman Agustin Murillo, who tagged the base to force Lopez out as Chavez streaked 90 feet to plate the game's first run.  After a Castro wild pitch to Jorge Cantu sent Brown and Hankerd to third and second, respectively, Cantu lofted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Brown.

Monterrey closed their deficit to 2-1 in the top of the second when Daniel Mayora lined a one-out homer over the left field wall, but the Toros responded with two more runs in the bottom of the third.  With one out, Castro plunked Hankerd, and then delivered a pitch to Cantu that the former big leaguer drilled into center field for a double.  Sultanes veteran Chris Roberson fielded the drive and sent in a throw to second sacker Ramon Rios, whose relay to the plate in an attempt to nail Hankerd at home sailed away from catcher Luis Flores' grasp to score both both Hankerd AND Cantu, who never slowed down after coming into second.  Monterrey manager Felix Fermin challenged the play but replays upheld home plate umpire Orlando Lopez' decision.  Castro was replaced on the hill later in the inning by Nick Struck, but the damage was already done and was later proved irreparable.

A Zoilo Almonte solo homer off Ramirez in the fifth brought the visitors to within two runs at 4-2, but relievers Mark Serrano, Juan Sandoval and closer Jason Urquidez held the Sultanes scoreless after Serrano took over for Ramirez in the sixth.  Serrano, Sandoval and Urquidez were all unscored upon over a combined 10.1 innings in ten appearances in the series.

It's been quite a year for Sandoval, a 36-year-old Dominican who was a AA Southern League All-Star n 2013 with Montgomery who led LMB pitchers during the regular season with 62 trips from the bullpen while his 28 holds were eleven more than Monclova reliever Arturo Barradas' 18.  After being touched for two runs in the second game of the Toros first round series with Aguascalientes on August 14, Sandoval has been unscored upon in his seven subsequent playoff appearances.  He didn't even allow a hit in that span until giving up an eighth-inning single to Murillo last night that was quickly wiped out on a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Sandoval has a combined six playoff holds in eight appearances heading into the Puebla series.

Ramirez earned the win after giving up two runs on seven hits (including two homers) and two walks over 5.1 innings, striking out eight Sultanes batsmen, while Urquidez earned his second save of the series.  Castro took the loss in the wake of allowing four runs on five hits, two walks and hitting a batter while throwing 58 pitches in just 2.2 innings.  Struck's own remarkable run as a setup man for Monterrey came to an end.  The Oregonian went 3.1 scoreless innings to bring his playoff string to seven scoreless appearances over 16 innings, adding 15 strikeouts and only walking four.  All, ultimately, for naught as Struck and his Sultanes teammates will head home while Pepe Maiz' favorite team moves on.

PUEBLA 4-9-1, Yucatan 3-11-1
W-Meza (1-0).  L-J. Russell (0-1).                   SV-Heath (3).  A-10,712.  T-2:40.

This one started out as a pitchers' duel, with Puebla starter Andres Meza and Yucatan opener James Russell swapped goose eggs on the scoreboard through four innings, but it was a four-run Pericos outburst in the bottom of the fifth that erased a temporary 1-0 Leones lead and propelled the defending Liga champs to a 4-3 victory and a second consecutive LMB South title over Yucatan, 4 games to 1.  A crowd of 10,712 clicked the turnstiles at Estadio Hermanos Serdan, bringing the three-game total attendance in Puebla to 33,613 and the overall series turnout to 57,613 over five games, an average of 11,523 per contest.

While ex-Cubs hurler Russell sailed through the initial four frames for Yucatan, retiring the first nine Pericos he faced, Meza struggled a bit to hold the fort.  He survived a scare in the top of the second, when Sebastian Valle stroked a one-out double to right and went to third on Ricardo Serrano's single up the middle, putting runners on the corners with one out.  However, Meza was able to get out of that jam by inducing a 5-4-3 double play grounder to third by Jose Aguilar to end the threat.  Leones manager Chico Rodriguez appealed the out at first, but the call by umpire Alan Izaguirre was upheld after a replay review.

Yucatan woke up the scorekeeper in the top of the fifth by manufacturing a run without benefit of a hit. Leadoff hitter Ricardo Serrano reached base when second baseman Hector Garanzuay bobbled his grounder, moved to second when a Meza pitch to Aguilar got past catcher Cesar Tapia, scooted over to third on Aguilar's sacrifice bunt and came in to score on a Julio Borbon sacrifice fly to give the Leones a 1-0 advantage.

The Pericos replied by batting through the order in the bottom of the fifth and scoring four times.  Ricky Rodriguez opened with a single and moved to second when Russell walked Tapia.  Both came in to score when Garanzuay dragged a bunt single down the third base line that Serrano threw past first baseman Ricky Alvarez into right field foul territory while Garanzuay scampered to third.  After Sergio Perez singled in Garanzuay to put Puebla up 3-1 with no outs, Russell was pulled in favor of Yoanner Negrin, who'd pitched in relief for the first time in two-plus years two nights before.  After Alberto Carreon's sacrifice bunt sent Perez to second, Negrin gave up back-to-back singles to Borbon (scoring Perez to make it a 4-1 contest) and Endy Chavez.  That was enough for manager Rodriguez to bring out his hook again to bring in closer Ronald Belisario, who threw out Borbon at home on an Issmael Salas comebacker and got Jesus Arredondo to fly out to center to finally end the inning.

A former Dodgers reliever, Belisario turned in a standout performance by tossing 3.2 shutout innings the rest of the way for the Leones, allowing only a pair of seventh-inning singles.  The 34-year-old Venezuelan had a standout postseason, with a 0.68 ERA in 13.2 innings over seven appearances, picking up three saves. Interestingly, after striking out seven Leon batters over four innings in his first two times out in the Leon series, Belisario failed to whiff a batter in any of his subsequent five trips from the pen against either the Bravos or Pericos for a total of 8.2 innings.

Yuniesky Betancourt brought Yucatan to within a run by belting a two-run homer off Meza's 58th and final pitch in the top of the sixth, but the LMB South's regular season champions were unable to score the rest of the way off four Puebla relievers.  Pericos closer Deunte Heath, who gave up runs in his previous two appearances, went the final two entradas for his third save of the series, allowing no hits and striking out three.

Meza wasn't at his sharpest for the Pericos, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits over 5.2 innings, but it was good enough for the win.  Russell took the loss for Yucatan after letting in four runs (all in the fifth) on five hits and a walk after such a strong start.  Borbon finished with three hits and an RBI for Puebla while Chavez added a pair of singles.  The Leones, who outhit the host team by an 11-9 margin, got two hits apiece from Valle, Juan Francisco and Ivan Araujo.  However, Yucatan went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position while Puebla was 3-for-6 in similar situations.

Ordinarily, without a break between games, Puebla manager Johnson (who took over the team after Von Hayes' midseason firing) might go with Josh Outman as his starter in the championship series against Tijuana while Johnson's counterpart with the Toros, Pedro Mere, would give the ball to Edgar Gonzalez.  However, with four days to rest all their pitchers, either manager might reshuffle their respective rotations prior to Tuesday's Serie del Rey opener in Tijuana.  We'll all see soon enough.

Спасибо за прочтение

Madero HR paces Yucatan win; TJ bops Sultanes again

Diego Madero cracked a three-run homer to key a five-run outburst in the sixth inning as the Yucatan Leones defeated the Puebla Pericos, 7-6, Friday night at home to even their Mexican League South Division championship series at one game apiece.  In the LMB North title series, Horacio Ramirez pitched seven innings of one-run, four-hit ball as his Tijuana Toros pulled away from the Monterrey Sultanes, 7-1, in the border city, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead in their best-of-7 set.

Saturday will be an off day as both series shift to Puebla and Monterrey, respectively, for Game Three action Sunday.  No pitching matchups have been announced for either contest.


YUCATAN 7-9-1, Puebla 6-14-1
W-Fr. Rodriguez (1-0).  L-Morales (0-1).  SV-Belisario (1).  A-12,000.  T-3:30.

Puebla took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning and built their advantage to 5-2 until the bottom of the sixth, when Yucatan scored five runs to go ahead, and the Leones never looked back in a 7-6 win over the defending champs in Merida Friday.  The Pericos had won Game One at Parque Kukulkan on Thursday.

The Pericos got things going early, scoring runs on doubles by Issmael Salas and Ricky Rodriguez in the first off Leones starter James Russell to go up, 2-0.  Yucatan got one run back in the second on Juan Francisco's leadoff homer and one more in the third on Diego Madero's RBI single to knot the score in the third, but the visitors plated three tallies in the fourth to regain the lead.  Puebla loaded the bases with one out against Russell, who gave up a go-ahead single to Alberto Carreon before being replaced on the mound by Alejandro Soto, making his first appearance for Yucatan since July 29.  After Julio Borbon brought in Jon Del Campo with a sacrifice fly, Soto hurt his own cause by dropping a two-out popup by Carreon as Sergio Perez (who was running on the pitch) motored in from third.

Puebla held their three-run lead until the sixth, when the first three Yucatan hitters got on base to chase Pericos starter Josh Outman.  Reliever Mario Morales was welcomed into the game by a two-run double by Sebastian Valle, bringing in.  With two on and two out, Diego Madero lofted a homer to left, giving the Leones a 7-5 lead.  The visitors closed the gap to one run in the eighth when a fielder's choice grounder to second by Carreon scored Cesar Tapia, but Yucatan closer Ronald Belisario got the final out of the inning and pitched a scoreless ninth with Jesus Arredondo grounding into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Onetime Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who's been a starter in Yucatan this year, pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn the win for the Leones while Morales' bad fifth inning tagged him with the loss.  Madero finished the night with three hits and four RBIs for the winners while Valle had a pair of hits, two ribbies and a run.  Salas had three hits for Puebla, scoring one run and driving in another, and Del Campo contributed two doubles and a run for manager Tim Johnson's Pericos.

With the series tied at one game apiece, the two teams will play Game Three Sunday in Puebla.


TIJUANA 7-10-0, Monterrey 1-5-0
W-H. Ramirez (1-0).  L-A. Castro (0-1).  A-17,021.  T-2:57.

The Toros registered their second one-sided win over visiting Monterrey Friday, but this one was closer than the final score implies.  Tijuana starter Horacio Ramirez fell behind, 1-0, in the top of the first inning when Ramon Rios scored for the Sultanes on a Luis Juarez sacrifice fly, then settled into a pitchers duel with his Monterrey counterpart, Angel Castro, as Rios' counter stood as the only score of the game heading into the bottom of the sixth.  Then the potent Toros offense went to work.

Isaac Rodriguez led off the frame with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jose Guadalupe Chavez and scampered to third when Castro uncorked a wild pitch to Roberto Lopez.  Castro then plunked Lopez to put runners at the corners, bringing up Corey Brown, who singled Rodriguez in to tie the game while Lopez moved to second.  Castro walked Cyle Hankerd to fill the bags and Jorge Cantu followed with a two-run single to left, giving the home team a 3-1 lead.  That was all for Castro, who was replaced by Nick Struck on the hill.  The Oregonian rewarded Monterrey skipper Felix Fermin by retiring Dustin Martin and Juan Apodaca to end the inning.

Tijuana essentially put the game away with a four-run eighth inning against Sultanes closer Wirfin Obispo.  Apodaca hit a two-run, ground-rule double with one out, then scored himself when Alex Liddi belted a two-run homer to left, bringing the score to 7-1.  It was left to Toros closer Jason Urquidez to take the mound in the top of the ninth, and while the Californian did allow a two-out double to Juarez, he induced Daniel Mayora into a groundout to Chavez at short to end the contest.

Ramirez earned the win for Tijuana as the ex-MLBer went seven innings and only allowed that single run in the first, scattering four hits and one walk while striking out four.  Castro was saddled with the loss, showing three earned runs on five hits for his 5.1 innings of work.  Rodriguez had three hits for the Toros while Brown had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run.  Juarez had two of Monterrey's five hits, including a double and his RBI sac fly.  A Tijuana crowd of 17,021 looked on, giving the Toros over 30,000 in attendance for Games One and Two.

The series shifts to Monterrey for Sunday's Game Three as the Sultanes try coming back from a 2-games-to-0 deficit.

Tijuana win skein at 13; Tigres fire skipper Vizcarra

Tijuana Toros pitcher Horacio Ramirez

Former Diamondbacks prospect Cyle Hankerd scored from third base when Tabasco third baseman Kristian Delgado bobbled Jorge Cantu's grounder in the top of the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie and the Tijuana Toros went on to post a 7-3 win over the Olmecas Sunday to stretch their season-high Mexican League winning streak to 13 games.  Dustin Martin's three-run homer in the seventh gave TJ their final margin of victory as former MLB pitcher Horacio Ramirez got the win to raise his record to 3-2 in his ninth start of the year after missing ten weeks between April and June due to injury.

The contest was played in front of a cozy gathering of 960 fans at Villahermosa's Estadio Centenario 27 de Februar, where the Olmecas have been plagued by poor attendance and a faulty ballpark lighting system all season.  The 67-28 Toros have the best record in the circuit and hold a three-and-a-half-game lead over 63-31 Monterrey in the LMB North standings with 15 games left in the regular season.  The Sultanes have mostly kept pace with their own six-game win string.  Manager Pedro Mere's Toros have found July to their liking, winning 18 of 20 contests thus far. Tijuana opened the month with a five-game winning streak before losing a pair of games in Monclova, then launched their current run with a 1-0 win over the Acereros July 9 to avoid the sweep.  Since then, they've reeled off consecutive sweeps against South Division weak sisters Campeche and Tabasco, first in a six-game homestand and then another six on the road.

The LMB North's top four teams have made hay in their two weeks of cross-divisional play.  Besides TJ's 12-0 run, Monterrey had a record of 9-3 against Veracruz and Oaxaca, as did Monclova (who played the same two clubs), while overachievers Aguascalientes posted an 8-4 mark against defending champion Puebla and Leon to continue the North's season-long mastery over their counterparts to the south.  Tijuana, Monterrey, Monclova and Aguascalientes are well out in front of the rest of the LMB North pack and all but assured playoff berths.

That dominance has not applied to the Yucatan Leones, however.  The LMB South leaders drew Union Laguna and Durango as their crossover opponents and came away winning 8 of 12 games.  Yucatan has brought in Monterrey coach Juan "Chico" Rodriguez to replace the fired Willie Romero as manager after coach Oswaldo Morejon filled in for a couple games.  Rodriguez was a Salon de la Fama shortstop during his 20-year Liga playing career, mostly with Veracruz and Aguascalientes.  Romero will manage in Navojoa next winter but has not landed with another LMB team yet.  That will likely change for someone with his credentials.  Puebla went 7-5 against Aguascalientes and Saltillo so it wasn't a total wash for the southern sides.  Teams will play only within their divisions over the final five series of the regular season schedule.

Romero isn't the only former helmsman looking for work.  The Quintana Roo Tigres relieved manager Roberto "Chapo" Vizcarra of his duties following a series-opening 3-1 loss at home to Union Laguna. Vizcarra was in his fifth season running the Tigres and had been quite successful over his first four, winning two pennants and posting a 182-122 record after taking over the team late in the 2013 season.  However, 2017 was not kind to the Sonora native as Quintana Roo was 36-49 after losing 12 of their first 14 games this month (including a nine-game losing skid).  Vizcarra, who becomes the ninth LMB manager fired this season but will remain with the Tigres organization working with prospects, was replaced by third base coach Hector Hurtado.  A former catcher who managed the ill-fated Reynosa Broncos last season, Hurtado led Quintana Roo to a four wins over his first five games.  The beleaguered team, which has been plagued by financial problems off the field under new owner Fernando Valenzuela, is now in a virtual tie for third with Veracruz in the LMB South at 40-50.  With the bottom four teams in the division fading to the finish line, both the Tigres and Rojos del Aguila are almost sure bets to join Yucatan and Puebla in the postseason.

Former Durango outfielder Yadir Drake's .385 average compiled before his exit to Japan (where paychecks presumably arrive on time) has made the LMB batting title the Cuban exile's to lose.  A former Drake teammate with the Generales, third baseman Daniel Mayora, now plying his trade in Monterrey, is second at .375.  Mayora was hitting .425 in his first nine games with the Sultanes but did not play during their weekend home series with Oaxaca as veteran Agustin Murillo manned the hot corner.  Mayora's absence from the lineup was not felt too acutely as manager Felix Fermin's squad, who lead the Liga with a collective .317 average, put 30 runs and 45 hits on the scoreboard in the Sultanes' three-game sweep of the Guerreros.

Tijuana outfielder Corey Brown pummeled two homers against Tabasco to give him a league-leading 22 for the season, one more than Aguascalientes infielder Jose Vargas.  A Ventura, California product, the 29-year-old Vargas is making his Mexican League debut in 2017 after spending three years in the White Sox system and another six playing independent ball, but he's making up for lost time after joining the Rieleros, homering in five straight games earlier this month and socking his 21st longball in 69 games Sunday against Leon.  Yucatan's Ricky Alvarez is regaining his stroke in Merida following his midseason trade from Laguna.  He had two homers and six RBIs last Tuesday against Durango and is hitting .366 over his last ten games with the Leones while his 97 ribbies lead Monclova's Manny Rodriguez by 13 in that category.  Monclova centerfielder Justin Greene had three stolen bases last week to bring his season total to 45 swipes, continuing to run away with the steals title (I'm not tired of that line QUITE yet).

Veracruz ace Nestor Molina had a no-decision Friday at Monclova in his first start in eight days, but pitched well (7 IP, 1 ER, 9 K) to lower his Liga-leading ERA to 1.62 and crack the century mark in strikeouts at 104.  The 11-1 Molina has singlehandedly kept the Eagle Reds in playoff contention and is the frontrunner for BBM's Summer Pitcher of the Year award.  Monclova's Josh Lowey hasn't been as dominant as in year's past at 7-5 with a 3.08 ERA, but the Floridian is cruising to his third straight strikeout title with 121 ponches over 108 innings.  Mexico City hurler Octavio Acosta was reached in Campeche for three runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings in Saturday's no-decision, but still leads the loop in wins with a 12-1 record in the Guasave product's breakout year.  There's a spirited competition for the saves crown among five closers going down the stretch.  Chad Gaudin (Monclova) and Wirfin Obispo (Monterrey) are tied for the lead with 25 saves each, one ahead of Jason Urquidez (Tijuana) at 24 while Tiago da Silva (Durango) has 22 and ex-MLBer Jose Valverde (Aguascalientes) has 21.  Da Silva may have trouble gaining ground with Generales management white-flagging the season via the jettisoning of stars Drake and Mayora, but Urquidez has been solid all year while Valverde has been the linchpin of an otherwise marginal Rieleros pitching staff, converting his 21 saves in 24 opportunities.

With the Liga's interdivisional games concluded until the Serie del Rey in September, the rest of the regular season schedule becomes doubly important as playoff contenders will now play head-to-head over the final five series.  The biggest midweek faceoff will undoubtedly be in Tijuana, where the Toros host a Monterrey side they've been unable to shake off despite TJ's dozen straight wins.  While this series won't settle the question of who wins the LMB North's top seed, it'll go a long way in that direction.  There are more than one series that matter next weekend.  Tijuana will be on the road to take on an Aguascalientes team playing well under manager Homar Rojas.  While the Rieleros may be the fifth-best team of the five given a realistic shot at the pennant, they may also be the squad that nobody wants to draw in the postseason.  They've been finding ways to win all year long.

An intruiging LMB South weekend matchup will be Yucatan at Puebla.  The Leones have led the division almost wire-to-wire this year and while the ouster of Romero (the defending two-time Manager of the Year) is a bit of a headshaker, the less-volatile Rodriguez has kept the team winning.  The Pericos, for their part, were emaciated following their 2016 pennant-winning campaign when owner Gerardo Benavides transferred Puebla's core players to his newly-purchased Monclova team, but they've hung in there this season and have played better since former Blue Jays skipper Tim Johnson took the reins from Von Hayes earlier this season.  The Parrots will not be a pushover.

One interesting sidebar is that Benavides is now making noises about possibly moving the Pericos to either Juarez or Nuevo Laredo next season, disappointed with attendance figures in Puebla this year (3,051 per game, a decline of 29 percent from 2016) but apparently not connecting the dots as to why.  Veracruz owner Jose Antonio Mansur has made similar comments about relocating the Rojos del Aguila to the Texas border.  Puebla and Veracruz are two of the LMB's longest-standing cities, although franchises have come and gone in both over the years.

Tijuana, Yucatan win first 3 out the gate as LMB season opens

After a fitful and acrimonious winter, the Mexican League was able to finally get down to some baseball over the weekend as the 2017 regualr season was opened.  The Tijuana Toros and Yucatan Leones each swept their home series to give themselves very early leads in the Northern and Southern divisions, respectively.

The Toros took three from the Union Laguna Vaqueros, including a 16-5 opening night win Friday in front of 17,988 fans at a packed Estadio Gasmart.  Ex-big leaguers Alex Liddi and Jorge Cantu each belted early two-run homers off Vaqueros starter Dustin Crenshaw, who was bombed for six runs and eight hits in three innings as Tijuana was ahead 15-2 after four frames.  Alex Sanabia allowed one earned run and struck out eight over five innings for the win.  Another former MLBer, Horacio Ramirez, tossed six innings of two-hit ball in the Toros' 5-0 shutout over Laguna on Saturday while Liddi homered for the third night in a row to augment Miguel Pena's five scoreless frames in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Vaqueros to complete the sweep.

Likewise, Yucatan met with little resistance in their broom job over Quintana Roo, outscoring the Tigres by a 29-6 margin in their weekend set at Merida's Parque Kukulcan.  The Leones put an exclamation point on both the sweep and their intention to fulfill lofty preseason predictions among many observers by stomping the Tigres, 13-1, Sunday as 10,392 fans braved the 102-degree heat to attend the game.  Jordany Valdespin knocked in four runs with a triple and single while Leo Heras and Diego Madero combined for six hits and five runs scored for Yucatan, who chased Quintana Roo starter Julian Arballo in the fourth inning.  Juan Delgadillo, a 34-year-old righty who missed the 2016 season, got the win after pitching five entradas of three-hit, one-run ball.  The Leones player and coaches were joined by owners Erick and Jose Juan Arellano last Wednesday in an official mass officiated by Father Lorenzo Mex Jimenez, a not-unusual occurrence in a country that is over 90 percent Catholic.

One Opening Night surprise came from the Durango Generales, whose participation this season was in doubt up until last week, when the LMB Assembly of Presidents drew a collective breath and approved the troubled franchise for 2017 despite a number of problems well-chronicled here.  The Generales, who will spend at least the first two weeks of the season on the road, began their schedule with a 2-1 win at Aguascalientes on Friday as Yadir Drake drove in the first run and scored the second tally in the fourth inning to give Durango starter Mario Gonzalez and six relievers all the support they needed.  Brazilian Tiago da Silva capped the five-hitter by tossing ten pitches for a scoreless ninth to earn the save, striking out pinch-hitter Jose Vargas swinging to end the contest.  The Generales dropped the final two games of the series, but that first win for manager Joe Alvarez' hastily-assembled troops was a huge one for them.

A total of 202,283 people attended 18 games over the weekend for an average audience of 11,238 per opening.  Monterrey saw the largest crowd on opening night, with 29,734 overflowing the stands at Estadio Monterrey Friday.  However, while Monterrey, Tijuana and Yucatan averaged more than 15,000 per game among them, the news wasn't as rosy elsewhere.  Mexico City, Oaxaca, Campeche and Aguascalientes each drew fewer than 5,000 per game over the inaugural weekend.  Defending champion Puebla, whose roster was gutted when owner Gerardo Benavides transferred most of the team's star players to his other team in Monclova, saw 5,132 turnstile clicks per opening in their series with LMB debutantes Leon.  While it's far too early for definitive statements, it looks like another year of Haves and Have Nots at the gate in the LMB in 2017.

LATER THIS WEEK IN BBM:  Salon de la Fama member Ruben Amaro dies at 81; Mexico City ballpark expected to be completed this summer, but Diablos will wait until 2018 to open it.

Toros stay alive; Serie del Rey moves to Tijuana

Roberto Lopez had a sub-.200 playoff batting average entering Monday night's Mexican League Championship Series Game Five in Puebla, but the Tijuana first baseman broke out of his slump in a big way to lead the Toros to a 9-2 win over the Pericos, staying alive in the Serie del Rey and sending the series back to the border city for Game Six on Wednesday.  The Toros trailed 2-1 before pushing eight runs across the plate in the top of the ninth, silencing the packed stands at Estadio Hermanos Serdan.

Lopez (pictured) cracked a double and homer in the ninth inning to the plate for the Toros, driving in three runs and scoring twice as Tijuana shaved Puebla's series lead to 3-games-to-2.  The Pericos had won the first two of three games played in Puebla, all before sellout crowds of 12,112.

Starting pitchers Horacio Ramirez of Tijuana and Orlando Lara of Puebla traded zeros until the top of the third inning, when Roberto Lopez crashed a solo homer to center off Lara to give the visitors a 1-0 nod.  The score stood until the bottom of the fifth, when Willy Taveras slashed a triple off Ramirez and later came in on Daric Barton's two-out single up the middle to tie things up for the host team.  The Pericos took the lead one frame later when Ruben Rivera led off the sixth with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Rudy Amador's seeing-eye single into center to give Puebla a 2-1 advantage.

The score held until the crazy top of the ninth, during which the visitors sent twelve batters to the plate and put those eight runs on the scoreboard.  Dustin Martin, who's having a Playoff MVP-worthy finals for Tijuana, led off the inning against Puebla closer Chad Gaudin with a triple past a diving Nyjer Morgan in left field  Martin scored on third baseman Amador's throwing error on a Carlos Valencia grounder to knot the game at 2-2 and the Toros eventually filled the bases for Lopez, whose two-run double broke the deadlock for good.  Gaudin registered his first out of the inning when the sixth batter faced, Miguel Torrero, grounded out to second.  After Gaudin got Jose Guadalupe Chavez to ground into a fielder's choice out as Puebla shortstop Alberto Carreon threw Alex Romero out at the plate for the second out, the bottom really fell out for the eleven-year MLB vet.

Throwing to pinch-hitter Emmanuel Valdez, Gaudin uncorked a wild pitch that brought Lopez rumbling in from third to make it a 5-2 Toros lead, then let up a Valdez double to center that scored Chavez.  Puebla skipper Cory Snyder deduced that Gaudin maybe just didn't have it after eight batsmen and four runs and brought in Benny Suarez.  It only took nine pitches and consecutive walks to Olmo Rosario and Martin for Snyder to figure that Suarez might not have it either, calling in Julio Felix from the bullpen to face Edson Garcia, who'd pinch-run earlier and stayed in the game defensively in center field.  While working on Garcia, Felix unleashed a wild pitch of his own to move Valdez in from third to bring the score to 7-2.  Garcia then drilled a liner into right to bring in Rosario and Martin, making it a 9-2 TJ  lead before Valencia mercifully ended the onslaught by grounding out to second.  It was then left to Toros closer Jason Urquidez to post a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth against the shell-shocked Puebla batsmen to end the game and send the Serie del Rey back to Estadio Gasmart.

Urquidez pitched the last 2.1 innings, allowing no hits and whiffing three Pericos for the win.  Gaudin was tagged with both a blown save and the loss for Puebla.  Both teams put up eleven hits on the night, with Chavez and Lopez each contributing two hits for Tijuana while Taveras and Amador split six hits for Puebla, five of them singles.  Lara scattered seven hits but let in just one run over 6.2 innings for the Pericos; Ramirez lasted into the sixth and had a tougher time, coughing up all 11 hits and both Puebla runs but five relievers (including Urquidez) allowed no hits or runs the rest of the way.  The game was delayed by rain for over an hour, stretching the contest past 12:30am local time.

After a travel day Tuesday, the two teams will convene Wednesday night in Tijuana at 10:30pm ET.  Game Seven, if needed, would be played Thursday, after which many players won't have time to either celebrate or drown their sorrows.  Training camps in the Mexican Pacific League are already opening for the coming winterball season...another reason to love baseball in Mexico.

Tijuana 9-11-1, PUEBLA 2-11-2 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 2)
W-Urquidez (1-0). L-Gaudin (0-1). HR-Lopez (R). T-3:30. A-12,112.

Martin walkoff homer hands Tijuana win in Serie del Rey opener

Dustin Martin has hit 130 home runs over his eleven-year pro baseball career, but none of them may have been bigger than the one he hit to end Wednesday's Mexican League Championship Series Game One.

The 6'2" Texan was 0-for-3 when he led off the bottom of the ninth inning for Tijuana, who were deadlocked in a 0-0 tie with Puebla.  With the count at 1-1, Martin launched a Carlos Bustamante pitch over the wall in left-center field for a walkoff homer to hand the Toros a 1-0 win over the Pericos in front of 17,399 delirious spectators at Tijuana's Estadio Gasmart.

As befits the score, the game was a pitcher's duel between Puebla starter Orlando Lara and Tijuana's Horacio Ramirez for six innings before Ramirez was replaced by Gerardo Sanchez after the ex-MLBer held Puebla scoreless on four hits.  Lara, whose playoff ERA was lowered to 0.67, sparkled over eight innings and let up just two singles and walked five until Bustamante came on to pitch to Martin in the fateful ninth frame.  Juan Sandoval pitched the final two innings in relief to earn the win for the Toros.

It's already been quite a year for Martin, who began 2015 with Sugar Land of the independent Atlantic League before landing in Tijuana for the last month of the Liga season, hitting .375 with 7 homers for the Toros in 26 games.  He then played winterball with Obregon of the Mexican Pacific League, turning in a .301 average for the Yaquis and playing a key postseason role in their ascension to the LMP title series against eventual champion Mazatlan.

This summer went even better for the former Mets/Twins/D-backs farmhand as he reached career highs in several offensive categories, including batting (.325), homers (19), RBI's (88) and even stolen bases (32) during the regular season.  That production has carried over into the playoffs, where he's hitting .302 with three homers and several key hits, including a go-ahead longball in Monday's LMB North Championship-clinching game at Monterrey.  And now this.

The two teams will lock horns for Game Two at 7:35pm local time Thursday night in the border city before the Serie el Rey moves to Puebla for Game Three on Saturday.

TIJUANA 1-3-0, Puebla 0-5-0 (Tijuana leads series, 1 game to 0)
W-Sandoval. L-Bustamante. HR-Martin. T-2:46. A-17,399.

LMB Division Championships results, highlights for Thursday, September 1

The Tijuana Toros registered their second win in as many nights, beating Monterrey, 2-1, to tie their North Division Championship Series with the Sultanes at two games apiece in Mexican League playoff action in the border city.  In the LMB South DCS, visiting Yucatan pulled away from Puebla, 5-1, at Estadio Hermanos Serdan to avoid being swept in their second-round series after posting the Liga's best regular season record at 77-33.

Game Five in both series are slated for Friday night in Tijuana and Puebla, respectively, before Saturday's travel day.

TIJUANA 2-6-0, Monterrey 1-12-0 (Series tied, 2 games to 2)
W-H. Ramirez. L-J. Solano. SV-Urquidez. HR-none. T-2:42. A-15,891.
Carlos Valencia (pictured) singled Juan Apodaca in with the tying run with two out in the fifth inning, then scored the go-ahead run on Edson Garcia's double as the Tijuana Toros topped Monterrey, 2-1, at Estadio Gasmart in front of 15.891 fans to tied their series at two games apiece.  It was a tough loss for Sultanes starter Javier Solano, who went the distance and scattered six Toros hits while striking out 12 batsmen in eight frames.  Ex-Atlanta hurler Horacio Ramirez got the win for Tijuana as Monterrey failed to help themselves, scoring just one run on 12 hits and a walk.

Yucatan 5-11-1, PUEBLA 1-5-0 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 1)
W-J. Castellanos. L-H. Garcia. HR-Serrano. T-2:43. A-12,112.
Jonathan Castellanos pitched 6.1 innings of four-hit, one-run ball and Ricardo Serrano belted a two-run homer in the eighth for insurance as the Yucatan Leones staved off elimination with a 5-1 win at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan Thursday night.  Jesus Valdez' groundout scored Corey Wimberly in the top of the first with the game's first run for the Leones, who never looked back.  Wimberly and Kevin Flores each had three hits for Yucatan, who avoided the series sweep. Daric Barton had two hits for Puebla, who will try again tonight to clinch a berth in the Serie del Rey.

Friday's Schedule
Yucatan (Negrin) at Puebla (O. Lara) 8:00pm EDT
Monterrey (E. Gonalez) at Tijuana (Enright) 10:35pm EDT

Sultanes catch up to Acereros, All-Star Break ahead

As the Mexican League's five-day All-Star break approaches, the Monterrey Sultanes have taken advantage of a four-game Monclova losing streak to pull into a tie atop the LMB's North Division standings.

Not that the Sultanes have been playing like world-beaters themselves over the past week, losing two of three games in both a series at Monclova and a set at home against Tijuana.  However, Monterrey's 11-6 win over the Acereros last Thursday kicked off the Monclova skid that included being swept in Aguascalientes as both teams ended the weekend with identical 32-19 records while the Rieleros vaulted into third place in the LMB North at 29-21.  Tijuana is fourth with a 29-22 mark, three game behind the co-leaders.

Monterrey pulled into their first-place tie with a 3-0 shutout of the Toros at home Sunday.  Starter Marco Tovar (pictured) scattered three hits over seven innings for the win to go to 2-4 on the season.  Ex-major leaguer Horacio Ramirez dropped to 0-3 with a 7.00 ERA for Tijuana after allowing all three Sultanes runs (including a two-run homer from Alex Valdez) over five innings.

While Monterrey was avoiding getting swept at home, Monclova dropped a 9-4 decision at Aguascalientes.  The Acereros led that one, 3-1, until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Railroaders put three runs on the board to take the lead.  One inning later, Aguascalientes scored four more times to put the game out of reach and went on to beat the Steelers, 9-4, collecting 17 hits on the way.  Brian Burgamy and Jesse Castillo each had three hits for the winners (with Castillo socking a solo homer in the eighth) while Eliezer Ortiz drove in three runs.  Jose Amador swatted his eleventh longball of the year for Monclova.

In the LMB South, Puebla won two of three home games against Veracruz before traveling to Campeche and doing the same against the Piratas over the weekend, although Campeche did pull out a comeback ten-inning win over the Pericos, 4-3, Sunday night at Parque Nelson Barrera.  The Piratas were trailing, 3-2, in the bottom of the ninth when Francisco Rivera lined a two-out single to left off reliever Chad Gaudin, ultimately sending the game into extra innings.  After John Yan retired Puebla without a score in the top of the tenth, Piratas third sacker C.J. Retherford rerouted Pericos hurler Benny Suarez' first pitch of the game over the left field wall for a walk-off homer, his eighth roundtripper of the season.

Despite the loss, Puebla still leads Yucatan by 5.5 games while Quintana Roo trails the leaders by 6.5 games.  Campeche evened their record at 25-25 in fourth place, five games up on 20-30 Oaxaca, who've won won eight of their last ten as new manager Houston Jimenez has breathed some life into the Guerreros since taking the helm earlier this month.  All 16 Liga teams will play three-game series from Monday through Wednesday before taking five days off while the All-Star Weekend is held in Monterrey.  The Sultanes will host Mexico City for a set, Monclova is at home against Saltillo and Puebla will be at Carmen.

Puebla catcher Cesar Tapia still leads the LMB in batting with a .398 average, six points ahead of Mexico City backstop Eliezer Alfonzo's .392.  Aguascalientes shortstop Diory Hernandez went a second week without hitting a homer, and now owns a share of the Liga lead in that category with 12, along with Quintana Roo third baseman Alex Liddi and Monclova first baseman Alex Ruiz, who hit one dinger against Monterrey last Wednesday and two bombs in Aguascalientes two nights later.  Hernandez still leads the league in RBI's with 59, 15 ahead of his nearest rivals.  Saltillo outfielder Justin Greene continues to top the loop in stolen bases with 18 swipes, three up on Puebla's Nyjer Morgan.

Tijuana pitcher Hector Ambriz hasn't pitched since a May 22 start against Aguascalientes but his 1.23 ERA is still best in the circuit.  Mexico City starter David Reyes is 8-0 in ten starts to share the LMB lead in wins along with Monclova's ace Josh Lowey, whose 8-2 record comes with a 1.78 ERA and a Liga-best 78 strikeouts over 65.2 innings pitched.  Lowey's moundmate on the Acereros, Jose Oyervides, has been almost as effective, posting a 7-1 record with a 1.78 ERA.  However, the 34-year-old McAllen, Texas native has not pitched since going eight innings against Reynosa May 17.