MEXICAN LEAGUE PLAYERS UNPAID DURING SHUTDOWN

Professional baseball has shut down almost everywhere around the world due to the Wuhan Virus, with only Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League still planning to open their season on time when the CPBL commences their regular season on April 11 playing in empty stadiums. While major and minor league players in the USA are being paid during their indefinite stoppage of play, most of their counterparts south of the border have not been as fortunate.

According to the El Fildeo website, players on 14 of the Mexican League's 16 franchises have gone unpaid since training camps were ordered shut down and the LMB season delayed until at least May 11, with members of the Mexico City Diablos Rojos and Oaxaca Guerreros reportedly being given 20,000 pesos (US$800) apiece by billionaire Alfredo Harp Helu, who owns both teams.

The situation has not only created financial hardships for Mexican League players, but also team owners and the league office. The regular season was originally scheduled to open Monday, April 6 in Monclova, where the Acereros were to host rival Monterrey, with a full slate of eight games slated for the next day. Instead, the cash-strapped circuit will miss a minimum of five weeks' worth of badly-needed ballpark revenues.

Some owners of other Liga teams were said to be considering measures similar to Harp's in helping their players, but the nationwide economic freeze due to the Wuhan Virus has affected most of their non-baseball businesses as well and in many cases, the money just isn't there. Supposedly some players were offered loans from their teams to be returned via paycheck deductions after the season finally opens, but that option was said to have been met with resistance by the players, many of whom have been calling for a union.

The Puro Beisbol website reports that people with ties to the LMB have written letters to Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador seeking financial support for its teams, including former Quintana Roo state adviser Niza Puerto (who has served a similar role with the Tigres baseball team). There is no word whether AMLO, a noted baseball supporter, has responded, but Puerto was said to also be seeking a meeting with PROBEIS head Edgar Gonzalez to work on a solution.

Although the LMB has set May 11 for opening play, the date is not set in stone given an order from the nation's Secretary of Health for a quarantine lasting until April 30 and the possibility exists that the season may be delayed further.  LMB president Horacio de la Vega has stated that he'd be willing to extend a revised schedule into mid-October in order to play the planned 102-game regular season with full playoffs, but an even later start would seemingly make that all but impossible.

Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales has said that while his loop has set their own season opener for October 14, the LMP is waiting to see what the Mexican League does first before making it official.

THREE MULTIPLAYER DEALS SWUNG IN MEX PAC

Christian Villanueva's rights traded to Jalisco

While on-field action has ground to a halt in the Mexican League due to the Wuhan Virus, the front offices of the Mexican Pacific League have taken up the slack. Over a four-day period last week, three multiplayer trades were swung involving four teams and a total of 13 players, ten of them pitchers.

The first deal was on last Tuesday, when the Obregon Yaquis sent the rights to third baseman Christian Villanueva and left-handed pitcher Alex Delgado to the Jalisco Charros for a trio of right-handed pitchers: Octavio Acosta, Felipe Gonzalez and Jesus Camargo. Villanueva is no stranger to LMP fans, having spent six winters in Yaquis togs including a banner 2015-16 season in which he hit .322 with nine homers in 64 games. He spent last summer in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, batting .223 with eight roundtrippers over 73 contests for the Central League team after belting 20 homers with San Diego as an LMB rookie in 2018. Delgado went 6-4 for the Yaquis last winter after posting an 8-4 record with Oaxaca in Mexican League in 2019, earning his first All-Star berth in the process. Though only 25, Delgado has pitched in the LMB for all or part of eight seasons (going 11-1 for Mexico City in 2016).

In return, Acosta gives the Yaquis a pitcher who was 6-1 with a 4.16 ERA for Jalisco last winter. He was the Mexican League Pitcher of the Year in 2017 after turning in a 14-1 mark (2.99 ERA) for Mexico City that year. A former Yankees prospect, Gonzalez was 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in eight starts for the Charros in 2019-20. Gonzalez went 3-0 and had a 3.22 ERA in 52 relief appearances last summer for Monterrey and, like Delgado, was a first-time All-Star Gamer. While only pitching twice for Jalisco two years ago, Camargo has been a Cubs farmhand since 2015 and gone 13-7 for that organization over four seasons, mostly as a starter, with a career 3.01 ERA over 221.1 innings.

One day later, Mazatlan and Monterrey swapped four pitchers as the Venados shipped Arturo Barradas and Jesus Alcantar to the Sultanes for Felipe Arredondo and Oscar Arzaga. The most recognizable may be lefty Barradas, a 14-year veteran who was 1-1 in 42 relief outings for the Venados in 2019-20. Barradas appeared in the 2015 LMB All-Star Game while pitching for Quintana Roo and the 2016 Caribbean Series with Mazatlan. Alcantar has gone 2-7 with a 7.02 ERA since 2017 with Durango but the Los Mochis native has never pitched in the Mex Pac.

A longtime veteran hurler like Barradas, Arredondo was an Angels prospect for four years before embarking on his 13-year LMB career in 2008 with Quintana Roo and is likewise a middleman who was 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 14 outings on loan for Jalisco last witner. The 21-year-old Arzaga signed with the Dodgers in 2016 and went 3-2 for their Arizona Rookie League affiliate that summer, but has been plagued by injuries and never pitched again before being released last May.

Jose Oyervides will return to Guadalajara

The week's final LMP trade was made last Friday when Jalisco dealt shortstop Alberto Carreon and pitcher Luis De Luna to Monterrey for outfielder Sergio Perez and hurler Jose Oyervides, who has previously pitched for the Charros. A two-time All-Star Game performer for Puebla, the versatile Carreon has a career .300 batting average over eleven seasons with the Pericos and can also play second and third bases as well as both corner outfield positions. He hit .254 for the Charros last season. De Luna has made 19 relief appearances for the Charros over two seasons with no record but had a good 2.74 ERA for the Guadalajara team. He's also pitched sporadically for Saltillo, with 40 outings since 2017 for the Saraperos.

In return the Charros get a veteran in Perez, who was a Puebla teammate of Carreon's for five years as a reserve outfielder before being sent to Aguascalientes by way of Monclova last December. A career .307 batter in the LMB, Perez adds little power (25 homers in 11 years) but can get on base and keep a rally going. He hit .260 for Monterrey last season, his first LMP campaign in six years. The 38-year-old Oyervides is a Texan who signed with the Angels in 2002 and has gone on to be one of the Mexican League's most effective pitchers, making five All-Star appearances between 2010 and 2017 and earning Comeback of the Year honors with Dos Laredos in 2018, leading to the question of what he was coming back FROM the year after pitching in an All-Star Game? At any rate, he has a 90-63 career record over 11 LMB seasons and was 1-3 with a 4.12 ERA for the Sultanes last winter after going 9-9 with his hometown Tecolotes in 2019.

PADRES SEND ESTEBAN "EL PONY" QUIROZ TO TAMPA BAY

Esteban Quiroz at 2016 LMB Home Run Derby

After spending seven years working his way into stardom in the Mexican League before signing with Boston, diminutive second baseman Esteban Quiroz will be playing for his third major league organization in as many years after the man called El Pony was sent by San Diego to Tampa Bay to complete a five-player swap between the two clubs. The Padres traded rightfielder Hunter Renfroe and middle infielder Xavier Edwards to Tampa Bay on December 6 in exchange for outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder Jake Cronenworth, who also opened six games as a pitcher for AAA Durham last summer and gave up no earned runs. Quiroz was added to the swap as the proverbial "player to be named later" on March 26.

The 5'7" Quiroz, an Obregon product who turned 28 in February, made his Mexican League debut with Quintana Roo as a teen in 2011. He was overmatched at first, hitting .120 with one RBI in 24 games for the Tigres, but showed his versatility by playing all three outfield slots as well as second base. Quiroz improved to .255 with four homers in 2012, playing every position but pitcher and catcher over 85 contests, but he would struggle at the plate the next two seasons while being shuttled around defensively (when he got to play at all). Although Quiroz had been a member of two LMB championship teams under manager Roberto Vizcarra, he faced an uncertain future at age 22.

Quiroz finally hit stride in 2015 for the Cancun team. Although he only spent eight games at second as Vizcarra played him at six positions that year, he hit .315 and knocked out seven homers over 96 games as the Tigres won their third title in five years as El Pony filled a role similar to Gil McDougald's with the Yankees dynasty of the 1950's. Quiroz also took part in the Home Run Derby in that summer's LMB All-Star Game an reached the finals before losing to Tigres teammate Alex Liddi (who runs 6'4" and 225 pounds). He then had a banner 2015-16 winter for his hometown Obregon Yaquis, batting .317 and winning the Mexican Pacific League's Rookie of the Year award, then hitting an even .400 while scoring seven runs in six errorless games at second as a reinforcement for Mazatlan's Caribbean Series champs.

Following a solid 2016 campaign for Quintana Roo (with career highs of a .335 average, 15 homers and 63 RBIs), Quiroz was traded to rival Yucatan. After being named Mexico's MVP in the 2017 World Baseball Classic (hitting .400 for the Verdes Grande), he rewarded the Leones with a .293 average, 11 homers and his first LMB All-Star game as a player. MLB scouts had noticed Quiroz during the WBC and Boston signed him at the conclusion of the 2017 season. The Red Sox invited him to their Florida training camp the following spring, assigning him to their AA Portland affiliate in the Eastern League to begin another odyssey.

After getting off to a great start with the Sea Dogs, beginning the season with a nine-game hitting streak and batting .302 with four homers and 11 RBIs over his first 15 games, Quiroz was shelved with a sports hernia. He rehabbed with an eight-game stint for the Bosox' Gulf Cost League affiliate before returning to Portland on August 24 and finished what ended up being a "lost" season with a .299 average, seven homers and 24 RBIs in 24 games. After the campaign, he was traded to San Diego for pitcher Colten Brewer.

El Pony looks to go deep for El Paso in 2019 

The Padres brought Quiroz to their major league camp as a non-roster invitee last spring and subsequently assigned him to El Paso of the AAA Pacific Coast League. Despite two stints on the 7-day disabled list, El Pony had a solid season for the Chihuahuas, batting .271 with 19 homers while turning double plays with fellow Sonoran Luis Urias, who spent time in San Diego before the Padres dealt him to Milwaukee last November. Popular among fans in the border city, Quiroz hit .351 with 11 four-baggers over 47 home games, including a May 6 contest against Salt Lake during which he went 4-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs at Southwest University Park.

After he hit .188 as a Padres non-roster invitee at this season's aborted spring training, though, Quiroz was sent packing to the Rays and assigned to Montgomery of the AA Southern League, where (once the sesaon starts) he'll be starting over. Again.

Entering his tenth season of pro ball, Esteban Quiroz has seemingly faced a litany of challenges all along the way. However, only someone who hasn't read the above seven paragraphs will doubt that he's up to facing this one.

Benavides shifts four ex-MLBers from Puebla to Monclova

Ever since the Cleveland Spiders' disastrous 1899 National League season (you can Google it), Major League Baseball has not allowed so-called "syndicate ownership" of franchises in which more than one team can be owned and controlled by the same owners.  That has not been the case south of the border, as no less than three ownership groups control two teams apiece.

One of those is Gerardo Benavides, the owner of the 2016 Mexican League champion Puebla Pericos who completed the purchase of the Monclova Acereros earlier this month.  Although Benavides can't yet be compared to the Robison brothers, he's taking a similar path in transferring players from his pennant-winning team to Monclova, located in his home state of Coahuila.  No less than four key members of the Pericos, all former big leaguers, were released by Puebla during the offseason, only to re-emerge with the Acereros:  Outfielders Nyjer Morgan and Willy Taveras, first baseman Daric Barton and closer Chad Gaudin will all be performing under new Acereros manager Wally Backman this summer.  A hyper-competitive sort who undoubtedly bristled regularly at edicts from farm directors telling him to to play (and for how long) during his seasons managing in the Diamondbacks, White Sox and Mets organizations, Backman should have no such problems as long as he lasts with the Acereros.

The most recognizable of the four, the 36-year-old Morgan (pictured) hit .306 with 11 homers and 22 steals in 101 regular season games for Puebla last year.  Morgan was a career .282 batter in seven MLB seasons for four teams between 2007 and 2014 before a ten-game stint in Korea in 2015.  Taveras batted .274 over seven big league seasons, leading the National League with 68 steals for Colorado in 2008.  The 35-year-old hit .325 for the Pericos in 2016, stealing 16 bases.  Barton, 31, hit .247 (with a .356 on-base percentage) in 551 games for Oakland from 2007 and 2014 and topped American League batters in walks with 110 in 2010.  Although he was never regarded as a power hitter before coming to Mexico, Barton swatted 20 homers for Puebla last season after hitting a total of 30 over eight MLB campaigns.  Like Barton, Gaudin spent time in Oakland during a somewhat nomadic 11-year stretch in the majors, compiling a 45-44 record and a 4.44 ERA for nine teams between 2003 and 2013.  The 33-year-old righty came out of retirement last year to post a 1.64 ERA with 33 saves for Puebla, striking out 48 of the 185 batters he faced.

One of the top pitchers in the Mexican League the past two seasons, Josh Lowey, is back in Monclova after having a rough time of it following a midseason move to Korea's KT Wiz.  Lowey was the Liga's Pitcher of the Year in 2015 for the Acereros, going 13-6 with a 3.06 and leading the circuit with 145 strikeouts in 142.2 innings.  He was off to an even better start last year, leading the LMB in all three pitching Triple Crown categories with 13 wins, a 1.65 ERA and 131 whiffs in 16 starts for Monclova before leaving for the Far East in early July.  Things didn't go as well for the 32-year-old Floridian in the KBO, where he ended up with a 3-5 mark and a 6.22 ERA in eleven starts for the Wiz.  He'll be rejoined in the Monclova rotation by fellow All-Star pitcher Jose Oyervides, who finished at 10-2 with a 2.78 ERA for the Acereros in 2016, striking out 120 batsmen in 102.2 innings.  Needless to say, Monclova is an early LMB North favorite this season.

As for the Pericos?  Besides losing the four aforementioned players to Monclova, last year's Playoff MVP, Travis Blackley (another ex-MLBer), has signed with Detroit while former White Sox hurler Deunte Heath has hooked on with Cincinnati.  Puebla recently signed their first foreign player for 2017, outfielder Cole Gillespie.  The 32-year-old Oregon native spent all or part of six seasons in The Show, including 41 games with Miami last year (where he hit .235).  In all, Gillespie is a career .251 hitter over 221 MLB games for six teams.  There may be more help on the way to the colonial city, but defending their pennant will be awfully difficult with so many important pieces of last year's champions gone.

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.

Monterrey, Puebla hot; Reynosa, Veracruz not

The Monterrey Sultanes have won ten of their last eleven games to pull even with Monclova atop the Mexican League Northern Division standings.  Both have 30-15 records and a five-game lead over third-place Aguascalientes and Tijuana, who are 25-20.

The Sultanes completed a three-game weekend home sweep over Reynosa Sunday with an 11-3 win over the Broncos.  Starting pitcher Edgar Gonzalez gave up two earned runs to raise his season record to 5-1 for the Sultanes, who got four-hit nights from leadoff hitter Chris Roberson and former Yankees farmhand Zoilo Almonte to lead a 17-hit attack.  A throng of 22,349 turned out Sunday to bring the Sultanes' season average at the turnstiles to 14,118, easily tops in all of minor league baseball.  No other MiLB team is drawing double-figure crowds this season as the two-decade minor league boom appears to be edging into recession, meaning fans face less competition in the stands for t-shirts fired from a cannon.  Hey, you need a positive spin when most of your teams are dealing with declining attendance.

Being swept at Estadio Monterrey extended Reynosa's current losing streak to twelve games while dropping the Broncos' season mark to 12-32, worst in the Liga.  The team canned Rafael Castaneda as manager last week, replacing him at the helm with Hector Hurtado in time for Friday's series opener with the Sultanes.  Hurtado is somewhat of an anomaly among the four men brought in to manage LMB teams in May in that he's never run a Liga team.  Having spent 22 seasons as a catcher in Mexico followed by several more campaigns as a coach, however, Hurtado is no stranger to the game south of the border and losing his first three games indicates a seamless change with the Broncos.  Ex-MLB pitcher Kyle Farnsworth may be putting the football pads back on before long after turning in an 0-1 record with an 8.31 ERA in 13 relief appearances for Reynosa.

In the LMB South, Puebla continues to dominate with a Liga-best 32-12 record (winning an incredible 18 of 22 road games in the process) while pulling to a five-and-a-half-game lead over 27-18 Quintana Roo in the standings.  The Pericos did have a nine-game win streak snapped in Tabasco Sunday, losing 5-1 as Olmecas starter Logan Duran let in one run over eight innings in front of 978 souls in the stands at Villahermosa's Parque Centenario del 27 de Febrero.  It was the Parrots' second defeat in 22 games since April 27.  It's hard to put a finger on the source of Puebla's dominance thus far.  Their team batting average of .304 is tied with Monterrey for second in the circuit behind Mexico City's .319 mark, which certainly is a good place to start, but the pitching staff's collective ERA of 4.91 is eleventh in the 16-team loop.  Whatever the cause, the Pericos have found a way to win under skipper Matias Carrillo in 2016.  It's a long season, but if it ended today, Puebla would be prohibitive playoff favorites.  Things may be different by August.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Veracruz Rojo Aguilas lost a tough 3-1 contest to Oaxaca at home Sunday for their tenth straight defeat and 15th loss in 16 games. There were 2,056 spectators in the stands at Parque Beto Avila as Red Eagles starter Jose Pina turned in a great performance on the mound over eight innings, allowing just one run on four hits, but reliever Jesus Parela allowed two Guerreros runs in the top of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie.  It's almost as hard to put a finger on the lack of success for manager Lino Connell's team, but you can start with the offense (or lack thereof).  Outside outfielder Enrique Osorio's .344 batting average, no Veracruz regular is batting above .290 and the club just isn't scoring enough runs to help the pitchers, whose team ERA of 4.93 is just behind Puebla on the Liga tables.  With his team now at 13-32, Connell's seat may be getting unbearably hot, as we've already seen five LMB managers canned this year.

Catchers Cesar Tapia of Puebla and Eliezer Alfonzo of Mexico are 1-2 in the Mexican League batting race at .404 and .400, respectively, with Monterrey shortstop Walter Ibarra third with a .395 average.  Another shortstop, Aguascalientes' Diory Hernandez, still leads the circuit with 12 homers despite not hitting any longballs last week, but Quinata Roo's Alex Liddi is now just one behind at 11 while Liddi's Tigres teammate, Esteban Quiroz, and Monclova's Jose Amador are tied for third with 10 apiece.  Hernandez' 54 RBI's give him a comfortable lead in that statistical race over Quiroz' 42.  Justin Greene of Saltillo is tops in stolen bases with 17, four more than Puebla's Nyjer Morgan and five up on Monterrey's Roberson.

Among pitchers, Tijuana's Hector Ambriz has been in lockdown mode thus far with a 1.23 ERA after nine starts, but his 3-2 record implies a lack of support among Toros batsmen.  Monclova's Jose Oyervides (7-1, 1.72) and Josh Lowey (7-2, 1.84) are tied for the lead in wins along with Mexico City's David Reyes, while Lowey's 68 strikeouts over 58.2 innings tops the LMB in that category.  Lowey (pictured above) was the Mexican League's Pitcher of the Year in 2015, his third such award after winning POY honors for the Frontier League in 2011 and one year later in the American Association, both independent circuits.  Not bad for a guy who didn't focus on pitching until his Junior year at Mercer University.  Now 31, Lowey won't likely find his way to the Majors, but hopes Japan or Korea may be in his future.  Acereros teammate Arcenio Leon has 20 saves and a pair of wins in 26 relief appearances.

LMB STANDINGS (as of May 23, 2016)
North Division:  Monclova 30-15, Monterrey 30-15, Aguascalientes 25-20, Tijuana 25-20, Laguna 23-22, Mexico City 23-22, Saltillo 20-25, Reynosa 12-32
South Division:  Puebla 32-12, Quintana Roo 27-18, Yucatan 26-19, Campeche 23-21, Tabasco 19-26, Oaxaca 15-29, Carmen 15-30, Veracruz 13-32

Monterrey closing gap on Monclova in LMB North; Diablos' Alfonzo average at .420

The Monterrey Sultanes have won three straight games to bring their Mexican League record up to 23-14, coming to within a game-and-a-half of North Division-leading Monclova, who fell to 25-13 after dropping two of three at home to Laguna.

The Sultanes outscored the Broncos, 5-2, in eleven innings Friday in Reynosa as 2,848 spectators at Estadio Adolfo Lopez Mateos looked on.  Monterrey starter Javier Solano put in eight strong innings on the mound, allowing two runs on five hits over eight innings while walking none, but the righty left the game trailing 2-1 as the Monterrey offense couldn't get untracked against Broncos hurler Ivan Maldonado, who gave up two hits (including a Luis Flores solo homer) in six frames.  The Sultanes knotted the score in the top of the ninth and took a 5-2 lead in the eleventh on RBI singles by Ramon Rios and Humberto Cota and a run-scoring triple from hot-hitting Walter Ibarra, who'd doubled earlier.  It was then left to reliever Marcos Rivas to close out the win with his first save of the year.  The win went to Wirfin Obispo, who pitched the ninth and tenth.  Jesus Duenas allowed all three Sultanes runs in the eleventh and took the loss.  The two teams were washed out both Saturday and Sunday, and a twinbill was scheduled Monday in Reynosa as makeup games.

Meanwhile in the LMB South, Puebla took all three games of a weekend home series against Tabasco, capped by a 9-4 triumph Sunday over the Olmecas in front of 4,715 at Eastadio Hermanos Serdan.  The game was scoreless through the top of the fourth the Pericos plated three runs in the bottom of the stanza and tacked on five more in the fifth to give starter Hector Galvan some breathing room.  The Monterrey native scattered two runs and eight hits over seven innings to bring his record to 4-1, not bad for a guy with a 5.70 ERA after his eighth start of the year and proving that when you pitch for a team scoring 6.37 runs per game, you can afford to be generous.  Nyjer Morgan had an RBI single in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the fifth to bring his average to .342 on the season.  The win was Puebla's fourth straight and 15th in their past 16 games, giving the Pericos a Liga-best 27-11 record, four games better than 23-15 Quintana Roo in the South.

Also over the weekend, the Oaxaca Guerreros snapped a five game losing skid with a win at Tabasco Thursday and a three-game battering of Veracruz at home, outscoring the Rojo Aguilas by a composite 35-12 over the set.  Yancarlo Angula had four hits of the Guerreros' 16 safeties during Sunday's 16-8 rout of Veracruz with 1,240 warm bodies in the seats at Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos.  Oaxaca broke the contest open early with eight second-inning scores as 13 Warriors came to the plate, starting with Brett Harper's homer to right on Remberto Romo's second pitch of the inning.  The Guerreros still have a long way to go to overcome their 0-11 start to the season, but new manager Houston Jimenez may be starting to turn things around.  A team ERA of 5.52 won't get it done, however.

Mexico City catcher Eliezer Alfonzo (pictured above) has taken over the LMB batting race with a .420 average over 28 games.  The 37-year-old Alfonzo missed all of last season and didn't appear in a game this year until being signed by the Diablos Rojos as a free agent April 15.  The former Giants receiver went 5-for-5 at Saltillo on May 5 and turned in a 4-for-6 night Saturday at Tijuana.  Never a gazelle, Alfonzo has two stolen bases this year after recording just 26 swipes over 19 seasons as a pro.  Monterrey's Ibarra is second at .394 while Puebla's Cesar Tapia is tied for third with the Tigres' Esteban Quiroz at .390.

Aguascalientes shortstop Diory Hernandez whacked two homers last week to increase his season total to 12, an incredible number for a guy who'd previously hit a total of 46 longballs in 13 minor league seasons.  Quintana Roo teammates Quiroz and Alex Liddi each have 10 dingers to tie for second place.  Hernandez also still leads the LMB in runs batted in with 49 in 39 games, ten more than Quiroz' 39.  Mario Lisson of Saltillo is third in RBI's with 37.  Lisson's Seraperos teammate, Justin Greene, tops the loop with 15 steals, two more than Puebla's Morgan.

Although the LMB has been considered a "hitter's league" for decades, there've been some strong pitching performances over the first six weeks of the 2016 campaign.  Tijuana's Hector Ambriz' 0.96 ERA leads all starters after seven starts (he's 3-1 for the Toros), but it's hard to find anyone who's looked better on the hill than Josh Lowey, who's 6-2 for Monclova.  The 31-year-old Floridian, who kicked around the U.S. independent leagues for six years before signing with the Acereros in 2014, is tied for the LMB lead with 6 wins, matching teammate Jose Oyervides and Mexico City's David Reyes, his 62 strikeouts leads Oyervides by 15 whiffs in that category and his 2.09 ERA ranks fifth.

Then again, Oyervides could stake a claim as the best pitcher in the league because his 6-1 record and 47 strikeouts over 41 frames comes with a 1.32 ERA, second to Ambriz.  Yet another Monclova pitcher, closer Arcenio Leon, has 16 saves in 18 opportunities.  The 12th-year pro had never saved more than 8 games prior to the current season.

LMB STANDINGS
NORTH: Monclova 25-13, Monterrey 23-14, Tijuana 22-17, Aguascalientes 20-19, Laguna 20-19, Mexico City 20-19, Saltillo 19-20, Reynosa 12-23
SOUTH: Puebla 27-11, Quintana Roo 23-15, Yucatan 22-16, Campeche 20-18, Tabasco 15-24, Carmen 13-26, Veracruz 13-26, Oaxaca 12-26

MexPac Playoff Scoreboard: FRI, Jan. 15, 2016

Obregon and Mazatlan went deep into extra innings in a pitchers' duel in one Game Five in the Mexican Pacific League semifinals Friday night, while Mexicali took advantage of Navojoa's penchant for self-destruction with three unearned runs in a crazy 4-3 Aguilas win on the Mayos' home turf in the other Final Four battle.

MAZATLAN 3-9-1, Obregon 2-7-1 (13)
W-R. Espinosa (1-0).  L-M. Carrillo (1-1).  T-4:36.  A-9,897.
Spectators at Mazatlan's Estadio Teodoro Mariscal had another thriller as the Venados and visiting Obregon took a 2-2 ballgame into the 13th inning before a wild pitch gave Mazatlan a 3-2 win. The Yaquis drew first blood in the top of the first inning when Justin Greene came in from third on Max Ramirez' sacrifice fly to right field, giving Obregon a 1-0 lead. The score stood until the bottom of the sixth, when Mazatlan pinch-hitter Carlos Munoz stroked a two-out, two-run single off Obregon starter Arturo Lopez to give the Venados a 2-1 advantage. The Yaquis came right back in the top of the seventh when Daniel Castro drilled a double off Mazatlan reliever Kenneth Sigman to plate Alfredo Amezaga with the game-tying run. And that's where the scoring stopped until the bottom of the 13th.
Olmo Rosario popped a leadoff single for the Venados, then moved to second on Munoz' sacrifice bunt. Obregon reliever Marco Carrillo intentionally walked Paul Leon (pictured) to get to Jose Felix, who then singled to left. Rosario rounded third but was cut down at the plate on a throw from Leo Heras while Leon advanced to third. Then, with a 1-and-2 count on Jesus Fabela, Carrillo uncorked a wild pitch that brought Leon streaking home with the game-winner.
Regular season ERA champ Alejandro Soto was merely terrific for Mazatlan, pitching six innings and allowing one run on three hits while throwing strikes on 64 of 92 pitches, good for seven strikeouts.  Five Venados relievers combined to hold Obregon scoreless over the final six innings, with Roberto Espinosa getting the win. Lopez went 5.2 frames for the Yaquis, letting in two counters on four hits. Nine men trotted out from the Obregon bullpen to hold Mazatlan scoreless from the sixth inning until the final pitch seven innings later.  Rosario and Cyle Hankerd each had two hits for Mazatlan while Greene and Amezaga both had two for Obregon, but this was a pitcher's night right up until the end. Despite losing the heartbreaker, the Yaquis still lead the semi series, 3 games to 2.  Game Six is Sunday in Obregon.

Mexicali 4-9-1, NAVOJOA 3-5-2
W-J. Sanchez (1-0).  L-Bustamante (0-2).  T-3:04.  A-10,982.
Navojoa took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning before imploding in the eighth inning as Mexicali scored a 4-3 road win Friday night in front of 10,982 horrified onlookers at Estadio Manuel "Ciclon" Echeverria.
After Mexicali starter Javier Solano battled Navojoa's Jose Oyervides over four scoreless innings, the Aguilas scored a run in the top of the fifth when Xorge Carrillo doubled and later came home when Mayos shortstop Jose Guadalupe Chavez coudn't find the handle on a Rickey Alvarez grounder in what was to prove a foretelling moment. Navojoa put up three on the board in the bottom of the frame as Fernando Flores smoked a two-run double and scored when Solano threw away a Diego Madera bunt, putting the Mayos up by two. Mexicali drew a run closer in the top of the sixth when C.J. Retherford's pop single just beyond Chavez' grasp at short sent Chris Roberson in to score, cutting Navojoa's lead to 3-2. After the teams swapped some zeros through the seventh, things got ugly.
Mexicali tied the game in the top of the eighth when Mayos third baseman Nate Tenbrink made a bad throw on a Welington Dotel grounder to bring in Roberson from third, then reliever Carlos Bustamante served up a wild pitch to Luis Juarez, allowing Yuniesky Bentacourt to plate the go-ahead run. The Mayos had two innings to make amends but couldn't advance anyone past second before time ran out.
Jake Sanchez pitched a scoreless seventh and got the win for Mexicali while Bustamante was tagged with the loss. Betancourt had three hits and a run for the Aguilas while Carlos Moncrief singled, doubled and scored for the Mayos. Mexicali now leads the series, 3 games to 2, as the two teams head north to the border for Sunday's Game Six.

MexPac Playoff Scoreboard: SUN, Jan. 10, 2016

Unheralded Luis Juarez (pictured) was the man of the hour in Mexicali by stroking a two-out, bases-loaded single to drive in the winning run as the Aguilas overcame an early 6-0 deficit to post a stunning 7-6 walkoff win over the Navojoa Mayos in Game 1 of their Mexican Pacific League semifinal series as 17,000 fans looked on in La Nida in Mexicali.  Despite starting an hour later than the Aguilas-Mayos game, Obregon's 4-1 Game 1 win in Mazatlan was concluded 15 minutes earlier.

MEXICALI 7-14-0, Navojoa 6-8-2
W-Caridad.  L-C. Bustamante (0-1).  T-3:56.  A-17,000.
The Mayos plated three runs in the top of the fourth as Jesus Castillo drilled a two-run single up the middle to open the game's scoring.  Jose Amador's RBI double and Victor Mendoza's run-scoring single paced a three-run fifth to make it a 6-0 Navojoa lead.  
The Aguilas finally broke through in the seventh, sending ten men up to bat and scoring five runs off five relievers to make it a 6-5 deficit as Chris Roberson poked a two-run single to right with two out.  After a scoreless eighth, the Aguilas completed the comeback when DH Luis Juarez lined a two-out, bases-loaded single to left that sent Yuniesky Betancourt scampering home with the winning run in the ninth.
Esmailin Calidad pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to get credit for the Mazatlan win.  Mayos starter Jose Oyervides was dominant over six scoreless innings, striking out nine Aguilas batters, but the bullpen failed him.  Carlos Bustamante's line on the ninth inning: 0.2 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 earned runs and the loss...not exactly "postcard to home" material.  Roberson had two hits, two ribbies and scored a run for the Eagles while Nate Tenbrink and Fernando Flores each had two hits for the Mayos.
Game 2 is Monday night in Mexicali.

OBREGON 4-6-0, Mazatlan 1-4-1
W-A. Lopez (1-0).  L-Alej. Soto (1-1).  T-2:46.  A-14,287.
Jeremias Pineda led off the top of the first with a double and came around to score on Agustin Murillo's ground-out to give the Venados an early lead.  The Yaquis came back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, including a two-out, three-run homer to left by Carlos Valencia off MexPac ERA champ Alejandro Soto, who'd sailed through his first three scoreless innings.  Soto lasted two more entradas but the damage was done. 
After his rocky start, Obregon starter Arturo Lopez settled down and tossed five scoreless innings before being pulled with one out in the seventh.  Justin Greene finished with three hits and a run for the Yaquis, who outhit the Venados a 6-4 margin.  
Game 2 is Monday night in Mazatlan.

MEXPAC PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: Monday, 1/4/16

Mexicali now stands a win away from punching their ticket to the semis, Navojoa kept Mazatlan from going up 3-0 in their series while Los Mochis is ahead 2-1 in their set with Obregon.  The Aguilas beat the Jalisco Charros in Guadalajara, 4-3, Monday night, Navojoa shut out Mazatlan, 5-0, and Los Mochis snuck past Obregon, 2-1, on J.C. Linares' walkoff homer in the ninth.

Pitching continues to be the primary facet of the Mexican Pacific League's first round of playoff action after nine games, with all pitchers sharing a collective 3.04 ERA (Mexicali's staff has a 2.00 mark). Several top-flight starts were recorded Monday night, with Navojoa's Jose Oyervides (pictured) and Obregon's Arturo Lopez shining the brightest.

NAVOJOA 5-8-0, Mazatlan 1-4-0
W-Oyervides (1-0). L-Meza (0-1). T-2:48.  A-9,150.
Oyervides turned in the most dominant performance thus far in the MexPac's pitching-dominated first round, limiting Mazatlan to two singles over 6.1 frames and striking out 11 as the Mayos copped a 5-0 win over the Venados at Estadio Manuel "Ciclon" Echevarria in Navojoa.  Jose Amador's two-out single drove in Nate Tenbrink to give the Mayos a 1-0 first inning lead.  One inning later, a Tenbrink single to center brought in two more runs to give Oyervides a three-run cushion.  Navojoa's lead was 5-0 in the top of the ninth when Mazatlan finally plated a run as Albino Contreras came in on Olmo Rosario's 4-3 double play grounder to second baseman Carlos Orrantia, ending the game. 

Mexicali 4-6-0, JALISCO 3-7-0
W-Marco Duarte (1-0). L-Orlando Lara (0-1). T-2:39. A-10,143.
The Jalisco Charros put on a late rally to make things close, but the Mexicali Aguilas were able to hold on for a 4-3 win in Guadalajara Monday night.  Mexicali now leads the series, 3 game to 0. Marco Duarte posted a standout start for the Aguilas, breezing through seven shutout innings by scattering four hits with one walk, striking out seven.   Ramon Urias stroked the second pitch of the night for a homer in the top of the first inning for Mexicali.  The Eagles led 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth when Alex Liddi poled a two-run homer for Jalisco, but Jose Manuel Lopez struck out the last two batsmen to register the save.  Orlando Lara took the loss for the Charros.

LOS MOCHIS 1-7-1, Obregon 2-8-1
W-Patton (1-0). L-Sandoval (0-1). T-2:55. A-9,962.
In yet another LMP postseason pitching showcase, Obregon starter Arturo Lopez was rock-solid on the hill, going six strong innings and letting in one fourth-inning run on Antonio Lamas' RBI single while spacing out four hits and a walk.  However, it was a first-pitch walkoff home run by J.C. Linares in the bottom of the ninth off Jose Sandoval that gave the Caneros the win, wasting Lopez' effort.  Spencer Patton tossed the final two scoreless innings for Los Mochis to earn the win while Sandoval was tagged with the loss along with Linares' bomb.