GUTIERREZ HITS 3-RUN HOMER AS REYNOSA STAYS ALIVE

The Reynosa Broncos averted a potential sweep in their first round series by scoring seven third-inning runs en route to a 10-8 road win in Monterrey Tuesday night. Marshall McDougall’s two-run double was followed by a Jesse Gutierrez (pictured) three-run homer two batters later as the Broncos pulled to within 2 games to 1 of the Sultanes, who host Game 4 tonight.

Mexico City took a 2-games-to-1 lead over Puebla by posting four runs in the top of the first (with Luis Alfonso Cruz cracking a two-run homer) and backing up a solid start from Nerio Rodriguez in Tuesday’s 4-1 win in Puebla. Rodriguez tossed seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball against the Pericos as the Diablos took a 2-to-1 series lead.

Veracruz and Campeche finally got the first games of their series in. The Aguilas opened with a 10-4 victory Monday night in Campeche as Jorge Guzman and Victor Diaz cracked two of four homers on the night for Veracruz to support Joel Vargas for the win. On Tuesday, Enrique Quintanilla hurled four scoreless innings in relief to combine with six other Veracruz pitchers on a seven-hitter in a 4-2 Aguilas win. The series moves to Veracruz for the next three scheduled games.

Meanwhile, Game 3 of the Quintana Roo-Oaxaca series was postponed by rain Tuesday night. They’ll try again Wednesday night with the Tigres holding a 2-games-to-0 lead in the set.

VENADOS DROP CABRERA, ADD GUTIERREZ TO ROSTER

The second half of the Mexican Pacific League season is barely underway and teams continue to tinker with their rosters with a watchful eye on January’s playoffs, including the Mazatlan Venados.

The Deer have added veteran infielder Jesse Gutierrez (pictured) to their lineup after dropping import Jolbert Cabrera, who had a very non-productive stay in the port city. A former big leaguer, Cabrera came to Mazatlan on the heels of a banner Mexican League season in which he hit .364 for Oaxaca, but batted just .073 in 11 games for the Venados. Gutierrez is envisioned as a corner infielder for Mazatlan.

A 2001 Reds draft pick, Gutierrez has topped the .300 mark in the Mexican League and averaged 16 homers over three seasons. The Texas native swatted 21 homers and drove in 84 runs for Reynosa last summer. Gutierrez is no stranger to the Mex Pac. He belted 15 homers for Navojoa in 2005-06 and has also played for Los Mochis and Mexicali.

The Culiacan Tomateros also made a player move last week, bringing in outfielder Jason Botts. Botts played for the Texas Rangers between 2006 and 2008 and spent last summer with Washington’s AAA affiliate in Durham, hitting .279 with 8 homers in 80 games. He hit .326 for Obregon in the LMP in 2007-08.

GUTIERREZ WHACKS THREE HOMERS IN REYNOSA WIN OVER SALTILLO

If the Saltillo Saraperos are due any deference from opposing players, nobody told Jesse Gutierrez. The Reynosa third baseman showed the defending Mexican League champions no respect last Friday night, blasting three homers and driving in all eight runs during the Broncos’ 8-0 win in Reynosa.

Gutierrez bludgeoned Saltillo starter Efrain Navares with a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the first to put Reynosa up 4-0, then sent a solo shot off Navares over the left field wall in the fourth to stretch the Broncos lead to 5-0. After singling off Saltillo reliever Fernando Villalobos in the sixth, Gutierrez launched his third bomb of the night (all to left field) with two runners on base in the seventh to close the scoring for Reynosa as Broncos starter Alejandro Astorga combined with two relievers on a one-hitter.

The Broncos went on to defeat the Saraperos, two games to one, over the weekend to inch to within one game of third-place Guadalajara and Saltillo in the Zona Madero standings. Monterrey leads the LMB North with a 30-17 record despite dropping two of three weekend games at home against Mexico City. The Diablos Rojos are two games out of first at 28-19, followed by Saltillo and Guadalajara at 25-22, while Reynosa holds fifth with a 24-23 mark.