BBM 2017 Summer Awards: Pitcher of the Year

Veracruz Rojos del Aguila pitcher Nestor Molina

There were a number of strong pitching performances in the Mexican League during the 2017 season.  Yucatan's Jose Samayoa was a surprising 11-2 while finishing second with a 2.29 ERA, Tijuana's Carlos Hernandez (10-2, 2.67) and Miguel Pena (11-2, 2.77) led the circuit's top mound staff while 2016 Pitcher of the Year, Yoanner Negrin of Yucatan (11-4, 2.93), had a second straight standout season.  However, the choice for our 2017 Summer Bammy Pitcher of the Year Award came down to two hurlers.

Mexico City's Octavio Acosta, who won only a combined three of eight decisions over the previous two campaigns for Oaxaca in 2015 and the Diablos Rojos, turned in a career year this summer.  The onetime Mets minor leaguer led the league in wins while posting a superb 14-1 record for a team that missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, finished tenth with a 2.99 ERA and registered 102 strikeouts to come in sixth in that category.  The Guasave native's lone loss in 2017 came back on May 21, when defending champion Puebla topped Acosta and the Red Devils, 7-4, at Estadio Fray Nano in the capital city.  It was a career year for the 27-year-old righty, but not quite enough to edge out an even more spectacular season-long performance by Veracruz ace Nestor Molina.

Like Acosta, not much was expected from Molina when the 2017 campaign dawned.  The Valencia, Venezuela product had turned in a combined 7-4 record for Oaxaca and Tabasco with a 4.94 ERA last year before going 2-0 and 2.95 in a late-season, four-game stint with the Braves' AA Eastern League affiliate Richmond under manager Miguel Ojeda, who ironically served as Acosta's skipper this year in Mexico City.  Although he had his moments in 2016 (winning seven games for either the Guerreros or Olmecas in one season is no mean feat), nothing prepared the Mexican League for what was to come this season.

Pitching for one of the Liga's most underpowered lineups, Molina had to bring his "A" game every five nights and while he faded a bit in the late going, he was otherwise up to the task.  After showing an 0-1 record following his second start on April 8, Molina would not lose a second game until dropping a 1-0 heartbreaker to Tabasco on July 27 in Villahermosa.  Over the 15 weeks between defeats, the 6'1" right-hander won eleven straight decisions and lowered his ERA to a microscopic 1.41 after tossing six scoreless innings in Tabasco during a 3-2 win.

Although only two of his final five starts in the regular season could be considered "quality," Molina finished with a league-leading 1.89 ERA and was tied for second in wins with Aguascalientes starter Yohan Flande with a 12-3 record.  Molina also led the LMB with a 1.08 WHIP, his 124 strikeouts were second to Monclova's Josh Lowey's 148 while his three complete games topped the loop.

One cursory glance at Veracruz' everyday lineup might bring a sense of wonder that they were able to qualify for the postseason, even if it was a single play-in game home loss on August 11 to Walter Silva and fifth-place Leon in the weaker LMB South.  Molina was not one of the seven Rojos del Aguila pitchers sent to the mound in that contest by manager Eddy Castro, who surprised some by surviving the entire season at the helm in Veracruz (where in-season firings had become as common as shrimpboats in the port city's harbor).  The Eagle Reds finished fourth in the LMB South with a 48-57 record.  While that may be the definition of backing into the playoffs, they wouldn't have had a sniff of playing beyond the regular season without Molina.

With all due respect to Octavio Acosta, whose great year while backed by one of the the Liga's top offenses (the Diablos posted a team .301 batting average), Molina was performing miracles with a lineup that came in 15th with a .271 average and finished near the bottom in nearly all offensive categories.  Whether the Rojos del Aguila remain in Veracruz for 2018 or move to the Texas border, Nestor Molina should give his team a chance to win no matter where they're playing or who's in the field behind him.

BBM PITCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Summer 2010    Bobby Cramer, Quintana Roo
Winter 2010-11  Jose Silva, Culiacan
Summer 2011    Francisco Campos, Campeche
Winter 2015-16  Javier Solano, Mexicali
Summer 2016    Yoanner Negrin, Yucatan
Winter 2016-17  Jake Sanchez, Mexicali
Summer 2017    Nestor Molina, Veracruz

Tijuana blows out Puebla, 15-3, to clinch first LMB title

Tijuana Toros DH Cyle Hankerd 

Cyle Hankerd belted a pair of homers, driving in four runs, and starting pitcher Miguel Pena allowed one run in 5.2 innings as the Tijuana Toros defeated the Puebla Pericos, 15-3, Sunday afternoon in Puebla to clinch the 2017 Mexican League championship.  In winning Game Five of the Serie del Rey, the Toros bring Tijuana the city's first Liga pennant.  It was the second flag for TJ manager Pedro Mere, who led the Veracruz Rojos del Aguila to the 2012 LMB title. The Pericos were attempting to stay alive in their quest for a second consecutive LMB title despite having had their roster decimated by player transfers to Monclova during the offseason.

Tijuana 15-19-0, PUEBLA 3-9-0 (Tijuana wins Serie del Rey, 4 games to 1)
W-M. Pena (1-0).  L-Roenicke (0-2).  A-6,954.  T-3:13.

The Pericos actually led this one early.  Julio Borbon led off the bottom off by getting hit by a Pena pitch, then moved to second when Pena walked Endy Chavez.  Issmael Salas then grounded into a 5-4-3 double play but Borbon was able to advance to third on the play, then scored when Jesus Arredondo poked a grounder past second into center field.

Puebla held on to their slim 1-0 lead until the top of the third, when Tijuana scored six runs.  Isaac Rodriguez started things off with a one-out single to right, went from first to third on Jose Guadalupe Chavez' single to left and scored the tying run on a Roberto Lopez sacrifice fly to right.  Pericos starter Josh Roenicke then lost his control while trying to record the third out of the inning, walking Corey Brown, Hankerd (2006 MVP of the Class A Northwest League) and Jorge Cantu in succession, the latter forcing Chavez across the plate with the go-ahead tally.  Dustin Martin then cleared the bases by launching a grand slam over the centerfield wall to make it a 6-2 contest.

The Toros posted four more counters on the scoreboard in the fourth to knock Roenicke out of the game and effectively put the contest (and pennant) out of Puebla's reach.  With one out and runners on second and third, Lopez lifted another sacrifice fly to right, this time scoring Alex Liddi from third.  A Brown single plated Rodriguez from third to make it an 8-2 score, sending Roenicke to the showers and bringing in Angel Rodriguez from the bullpen.  The first batter Rodriguez faced, Hankerd, belted his second homer of the Serie del Rey, a two-run shot to right that brought the score to 10-2.  One inning later, Liddi took Henry Garcia deep to left, giving the Toros a nine-run bulge.

Puebla got one run back in the bottom of the seventh when Alberto Carreon greeter TJ middleman Mark Serrano with a leadoff homer over the leftfield wall, but the Toros scored twice in the top of the eighth when Hankerd hit his second homer of the afternoon, a two-run shot to center off Julio Felix that brought in Brown, who'd just doubled off Felix.  The Pericos scored once more in the bottom of the eighth when Cesar Tapia singled in Arredondo, narrowing the gap to 13-3, but Brown put an exclamation point on the Toros' playoff run by slamming a two-run dinger off yet another Pericos reliever, Fabian Williamson, to bring the count to 15-3. Jason Urquidez then came in and ended the game and Mexican league season with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, with Salas flying out to Lopez to bring the 2017 schedule to a close.

While Pena's 5.2 innings were decent enough on their own merit (giving up one run on five hits, striking out four and walking three to earn the win), he had plenty of support as the Toros went on to batter six Puebla hurlers for 19 hits, including five homers.  Hankerd finished the day with two homers and four RBIs while Brown was 3-for-5 with a homer, three runs and three ribbies.  Tapia led Puebla with three hits while Arredondo and Ricky Rodriguez each had two safeties.  Roenicke absorbed his second loss in the Serie del Rey after being knocked around for nine runs on eight hits and three walks.

After drawing crowds of 10,000 for every home game in both the LMB South championships and the Serie del Rey, attendance at Estadio Hermanos Serdan dipped to 6,954 on Sunday.  Pericos owner Gerardo Benavides has threatened to move the team, perhaps to Nuevo Laredo or Juarez along the Texas border, one year after Puebla won the Liga pennant over Tijuana in six games.  Benavides then bought his hometown Monclova Acereros last winter and shifted more than twenty members of Puebla's champions to his new club.  The Steelers were a playoff team before the massive influx of Pericos stalwarts and a preseason pick among many to win the flag this year, but fell to Monterrey in the first round of the playoffs.

The Toros win caps quite a year for what has become perhaps the leading organization in the Mexican League. Tijuana home games were perhaps the loop's most-entertaining openings (finishing second to Monterrey in regular season attendance with an average of 10,872), the team sold a number of prospects they'd developed to MLB organizations during the summer and now the "Gateway to Mexico" has its first Mexican League championship team and first organized ball pennant winner since the 1952 Potros, led by Triple Crown winner Pete Hughes (.366/28/131), won the Class C Southwest International League crown.  The Tijuana Potros also won winterball titles in the Mexican Pacific League for 1987-88 and 1990-91.

Six-run sixth highlights TJ's 8-2 win in Serie del Rey opener

Tijuana Toros leftfielder Roberto Lopez

Roberto Lopez lined a two-run double and then scored on Corey Brown's single to key Tijuana's six-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth inning, blowing open a 2-2 ballgame as the Toros went on to defeat the visiting Puebla Pericos, 8-2, Tuesday night  in the opening game of the Mexican League's Serie del Rey championship finals.  A crowd of 15,105 at Estadio Gasmart saw the Toros send ten batters to the plate against the defending LMB champions in the sixth, facing four pitchers in the frame.

TIJUANA 8-12-1, Puebla 2-5-2
W-J.J. Reyes (1-0).  L-J. Roenicke (0-1).  A-15,105.  T-2:53.

Puebla starting pitcher Josh Roenicke and TJ starter Miguel Pena carried a duel shutout into the bottom of the third, when the Pericos defense handed the Toros the first run of the game.  After leading off with a single and moving to second when Roenicke walked Alex Liddi, Juan Apodaca stood a few steps away from the bag towards third while Isaac Rodriguez when Pericos catcher Cesar Tapia uncorked a throw down to shortstop Alberto Carreon, who was covering second on the play.  Carreon dropped Tapia's throw, however, and Apodaca scampered safely down to third and later came in to score on a Lopez sacrifice fly to center field.  The Bulls added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Cyle Hankerd led off with a double, took third on a Jorge Cantu single and then scored on a Roenicke wild pitch to Dustin Martin to give Tijuana a 2-0 lead.

Pena was working on a one-hit shutout in the top of the fifth when the defending champs scored their first run of the game when Sergio Perez stroked a one-out single and then motored around the bases to hit paydirt when Carreon doubled to make amends for his third inning defensive gaffe.  The Pericos were able to knot the score up at 2-2 in the top of the sixth when leadoff batter Issmael Salas reached base when Tijuana second sacker Rodriguez muffed his ground ball, advancing to second on the play.  Jesus Arredondo's single sent Salas to third and another safety by Ricky Rodriguez sent Salas in with the tying run.

However, what had been a fairly tight (if not the most aesthetically pleasing) game was blown wide open with the Toros' six-run sixth.  After Cantu opened the frame by grounding out, Martin drew a walk from Roenicke and then stole second while Apodaca was batting.  Apodaca then lined a single to left, scoring Martin from second while Apodaca scooted to second on Perez' throw to Tapia at home.  That was enough for Roenicke after 95 pitches, as Puebla skipper Tim Johnson brought in Mario Morales from the bullpen.  Morales got Liddi to fly to center for the second out of the inning before walking Rodriguez.  Exit Morales, enter Henry Garcia, who gave up a bases-loaded single to Jose Guadalupe Chavez, scoring Apodaca with the go-ahead run.  Exit Garcia, enter Julio Felix, who coughed up Lopez' two-run double and a Corey Brown single that scored Lopez from second to make it a 7-2 game.  Brown then stole second and scored on a Hankerd single to left, putting the Toros up by six.

After that, it was left to a combination of TJ relievers Carlos Hernandez, Pedro Villareal and Edwin Quirate to each contribute a hitless inning and close out the game, with pinch-hitter Jon Del Campo grounding out to Cantu at first for the final out of the contest.  Although Pena gave Toros manager a solid five-inning start, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks, the win went to reliever Jo-Jo Reyes, who recorded the last two outs of the top of the sixth before his teammates put the final six runs of the game on the board in the bottom of the entrada. Roenicke absorbed the loss for Puebla, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks in 5.1 innings of work, striking out seven.   Hankerd finished the night 3-for-5 at the plate, scoring one run and driving in another, while Lopez ended up with three RBIs for the game while Arredondo had two of Puebla's five hits.

Game Two is slated for Wednesday night in Tijuana.  Jaime Lugo will be on the mound for Puebla while Alex Sanabia, who allowed one run over 14 innings in two starts (both wins) against Monterrey is scheduled to take the hill for the Toros.  Thursday will be a travel day before the series resumes in Puebla.  While the Pericos seek to repeat their 2016 pennant with only seven players back from last year's champions, the Toros are looking for Tijuana's first Mexican League title.

спасибо за чтение ... поздороваться с владом

Pitching rules the night in Monterrey, Puebla clutch wins

Puebla closer Deunte Heath receiving high-fives after win

Although the Mexican League has gained a well-earned reputation as a hitter's league over the decades, both of Sunday's division championship series games were most influenced by the men on the mound.  Puebla starter Jaime Lugo scattered five hits over seven shutout innings to lead the Pericos to a 2-1 home win over Yucatan to take a 2-games-to-1 lead in their LMB South title series.  In the LMB North, Monterrey's Edgar Gonzalez combined with two relievers to limit Tijuana to two runs on seven hits in the Sultanes' 4-2 victory against the Toros.  Tijuana still leads that set, 2 games to 1.

Game Four in both series is slated for Monday night.  Yucatan will send Jonathan Castellanos to the mound in Puebla against Pericos starter Andres Meza while in Monterrey, Jorge Reyes will take the hill for the Sultanes against Sergio Mitre and Tijuana.


PUEBLA 2-10-0, Yucatan 1-5-0
W-Heath (1-0).  L-Fr. Rodriguez (1-1).  A-11,812.  T-2:37

Puebla's Jaime Lugo and Yucatan's Jose Samayoa locked up in a pitcher's duel into the seventh inning and the respective bullpens carried it to the end as the Pericos slipped past the Leones, 2-1, on a ninth-inning run Sunday night in Puebla.  A season-high crowd of 11,812 witnessed the proceedings at Estadio Hermanos Serdan in the colonial city.

Lugo and Samayoa swapped zeros until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Pericos catcher (and 2017 LMB batting champ) Cesar Tapia lined a Samayoa delivery over the left field wall for a home run to give Puebla a 1-0 lead.  The Parrots clung to their narrow lead through the seventh, but the Leones tied it up in the top of the eighth when closer Deunte Heath (who was replacing Lugo) was touched for a solo homer to left by Yucatan catcher Sebastian Valle.  Heath settled down to retire the side without any further damage and pitched a scoreless ninth, setting up late heroics by Tapia and Alberto Carreon.

Ex-MLB hurler Francisco Rodriguez took over on the hill for Yucatan in the bottom of the ninth and immediately gave up a leadoff single to Tapia, who then advanced to second when Hector Garanzuay walked. Both runners moved up on Sergio Perez' bunt single and Carreon delivered the game-winning blow by smoking a Rodriguez delivery to left, bringing Tapia across with the walkoff run.

Tapia, Perez and Carreon each had two of Puebla's ten hits while Valle singled and homered for Yucatan. While Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings for the Pericos, allowing three hits and striking out five, the win went to Heath, who blew the save on Valle's homer but otherwise had a creditable two-inning appearance. Samayoa let in one run on five hits and one walk over six frames for the Leones, good enough to win most nights, but Rodriguez was tagged with the loss after giving up three hits, a walk and the game-winning run without retiring a batter in the ninth.


MONTERREY 4-9-0, Tijuana 2-7-1
W-Ed. Gonzalez (1-0).  L-M. Pena.  A-23,176.  T-3:04.

Although the pitching in this game wasn't as dominant as the contest in Puebla, former Arizona hurler Edgar Gonzalez turned in a strong performance Sunday in Monterrey as the Sultanes topped Tijuana, 4-2, in Game Three of their LMB North Division championship series.  The Toros still lead the set, 2-games-to-1, but a throng of 23,176 were in the Estadio Monterrey stands to see the Sultanes bounce back after two losses in the border city.

Gonzalez and Toros starter Miguel Pena were both working on shutouts through the first three innings before Tijuana scored the first run of the night in the top of the fourth when Corey Brown clubbed a Gonzalez serving over the wall in right-center field to put the visitors up, 1-0.  Pena was struck by three bolts of lightning in the bottom of the fourth when he gave up solo roundtrippers to Ramon Rios, Luis Juarez and Daniel Mayora to fall behind, 3-1.  Pena recovered to get the final two outs of the inning, but the wounds would prove mortal with Gonzalez shutting down the potent Bulls.  The Sultanes added an insurance run in the fifth when Rios doubled in Chris Roberson.

The Toros did score once more in the top of the sixth on Roberto Lopez' leadoff homer off Gonzalez, but that would prove to be the last hit of the night for Tijuana as Gonzalez, Nick Struck and Wirfin Obispo would combine to allow just one walk en route to recording the final twelve TJ outs of the contest.  The Toros ended the night with seven hits, but the longballs by Brown (who also singled) and Lopez were the only ones of any significance.  Rios had two doubles and a homer for the Sultanes, scoring twice for the winners, while Juarez and Luis Flores each had a pair of hits.

Gonzales tossed six innings of two-run, seven-hit ball for the win, striking out five in a solid performance while Obispo's scoreless ninth was worth a save.  Pena suffered the loss by allowing all four Monterrey runs on five hits in 4.2 entradas, striking out five and walking one.

Toros eliminate Aguascalientes; division championships next

Tijuana outfielder Dustin Martin

Dustin Martin singled in Chris Valencia with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning and closer Jason Urquidez held Aguascalientes scoreless in the ninth, striking out the final two Rieleros batsmen, as the Tijuana Toros scored a 4-3 comeback win over the Railroaders Sunday night in front of 17,608 fans in the border city.

The victory gives the Toros a 4-games-to-2 first round playoff series win over Aguascalientes and a ticket to the Mexican League North Division championship series against Monterrey.  Yucatan and defending champs Puebla will square off in the LMB South championship set.  Both series will open Thursday night.

TIJUANA 4-10-1, Aguascalientes 3-8-1
W-Sandoval (1-0).  L-Merritt (0-1).  Sv-Urquidez (3).  A-17,608.  T-3:02.

Aguascalientes took an early 2-0 lead by scoring single runs in the first and second innings against Toros starter Miguel Pena.  Richy Pedroza lined a one-out single to right field in the opening frame and came all the in from first one out later when longtime vet (and former Rieleros player-manager) Saul Soto rapped a double to left to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.  In the second, Eliezer Ortiz drew a two-out walk off Pena but, with Dave Sappelt batting, appeared to be picked off for the third out.  However, a throwing error by TJ first baseman Jorge Cantu during the ensuing pickle allowed Ortiz to take second.  Sappelt then punched a single through the left side of the infield to bring Ortiz home.

The Toros tied the game at 2-2 by posting single runs of their own in the third and fourth innings.  With Dustin Martin occupying first base, Isaac Rodriguez tapped a double-play grounder to Rieleros starter Yohan Flande, who threw to Pedroza covering second for the first out but Pedroza's relay to Jesse Castillo was off the mark and allowed Rodriguez to scamper to second.  Jose Guadalupe Chavez, who had a great series at the plate, then drove Rodriguez with a single up the middle.  Chavez went 14-of-24 (.583) at the plate over the six-game set, scoring six runs and driving in seven more.  Tijuana's second run came a bit more directly when Corey Brown lofted a solo homer to right off Flande to even the score.

Aguascalientes regained the lead in the sixth on a Carlos Rodriguez solo homer after Pena had opened the inning by whiffing Jose Vargas and Cristhian Presichi, but the contest was knotted back up at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh when Alex Liddi lined a leadoff homer to left off Rieleros reliever Roy Merritt, a Southern University alum who'd pitched 6.1 solid innings against the Toros in a start four nights earlier.  Liddi displayed a couple of shimmy-shake moves while circling the bases that won't bring him an invite to "Dancing With the Stars" but delighted the Tijuana fans regardless.  Merritt was pulled just before Liddi's next plate appearance in the eighth, but the Texan hurler may file Liddi's trip around the bags in his memory banks for next season.

The game-winning run came in the bottom of the eighth when Cyle Hankerd led off the inning by drilling a double to center.  Valencia was brought in as a pinch-runner to replace Hankerd while Alfredo Amezaga was sent up to the plate as a pinch-hitter for former Florida Marlins teammate Cantu and laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Valencia to third.  Merritt then intentionally walked Juan Apodaca to pitch to Martin, a dangerous hitter but only going 2-for-21 in the series when he strode to the plate.  The strategy failed, as Martin lined a single to left, scoring Valencia from third to put the Toros up by a 4-3 count.  Urquidez then came on in the ninth and after allowing a single by pinch-hitter Edson Garcia, got both Sappelt and Pedroza looking to end the game and series, collecting his third save in Tijuana's four wins in the process.

Chavez finished with a 3-for-4 night at the plate while Hankerd had two hits for the winners.  Aguascalientes, who'd overachieved all season with a dollar-store roster cobbled together by manager Homar Rojas, got two hits apiece from Pedroza and Julian Castro but the Rieleros were unable to overcome the Brown and Liddi homers as well as their own defensive miscues along the way.  Pena went 5.2 innings on the mound for Tijuana, allowing three runs on seven hits, but the win went to reliever Juan Sandoval, who tossed a scoreless eighth before Martin's heroics made him the pitcher of record.  Merritt took the defeat for Aguascalientes after giving up two runs in 2.1 frames out of the bullpen.  Urquidez earned a save in all three of his appearances for the Toros, allowing only Garcia's single and one walk while striking out eight Rieleros in 3.1 innings of work.

Manager Pedro Mere's Toros will now face the Monterrey Sultanes in a rematch of last season's LMB North championship series.  That set, won by Tijuana, lit a match under Monterrey owner Jose "Pepe" Maiz over the Toros' use of Mexican-American players that became a full-blown schism in the offseason.  With Maiz now in the background after selling half the team to the Grupo Multimedios in February, the level of volatility should be ratcheted down a notch but in the Mexican League, one never knows for sure.  We'll all find out starting Thursday.

Yucatan beats Leon in 11 on Francisco HR, lead series 2-0

Yucatan Leones designated hitter Juan Francisco

Designated hitter Juan Francisco was hitless as he approached the plate for what turned out to be his final at bat of the night, but the former Atlanta Braves infielder more than made it for it by belting a two-run homer in the bottom of the eleventh inning to give his Yucatan Leones a 5-3 win over the visiting Leon Bravos in their Mexican League South Division semifinal playoff series game in Merida.  The LMB South regular season champs now have a 2-0 lead in their best-of-7 set as the two teams move to Leon for at least two more games.

In the other LMB South semi Monday night, defending champs Puebla defeated Quintana Roo, 5-2, to go up 2-0.  In the LMB North opening round, Tijuana rebounded to beat Aguascalientes, 6-3, to even their series at 1-1 while Monterrey held off Monclova, 6-5, taking a 2-0 lead in that series.  Tuesday will be a travel day as all eight participants shift to ballparks in the cities of the lower-seeded teams for their respective Games Three on Wednesday night.

YUCATAN 5-8-0, Leon 3-10-0 (11)
W-Belisario (1-0).  L-F. Quintero (0-1).  T-9,682.  A-3:41.
Visiting Leon was able to build a 3-0 lead after Junior Lake scored from third base on a Niko Vasquez infield single in the top of the fourth inning, followed two frames later when Dan Johnson singled in Gilberto Mejia and a Vasquez sacrifice fly plated Lake.  Yucatan narrowed the gap to 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh when a groundout to first by ex-MLBer Juan Francisco brought in Diego Madero from third to break up Bravos pitcher Guillermo Moscoco's shutout bid.  Leon held their two-run advantage until the bottom of the ninth, when Ronnier Mustelier's run-scoring single to left brought in Leo Heras and a Francisco sac fly plated Diego Madera with the tying run, sending the contest into extra innings.  In the eleventh, Mustelier line a single to right, setting the stage for Francisco against incoming reliever Sergio Alvarado.  Francisco drove an Alvarado delivery over the left-field wall for the walkoff triumph.  Former Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario tossed three perfect innings for the win, striking out four, as the Leones took a 2-0 series lead.  Game Three is in Leon Wednesday.

PUEBLA 5-10-1, Quintana Roo 2-5-1
W-Outman (0-1).  L-Ortega (0-1).  A-7,305.  T-2:16.
Puebla broke a scoreless tie by putting three runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning and the Pericos went on to a 5-2 win over visiting Quintana Roo Tigres, taking a 2 games to 0 series lead in the process.  Starting pitchers Josh Outman of Puebla and venerable Pablo Ortega of the Tigres swapped zeros until the fourth, when an Issmael Salas double was followed by a homer to right by Jesus Arredondo to give the Parrots a 2-0 lead.  Ricky Rodriguez then hit a ground-rule double over the center-field wall and scored from second one out later on Hector Garanzuay's single to right.  Salas finished the night with two doubles and a single, scoring once and driving in two, while Garanzuay contributed a pair of singles to give the Pericos middle infielders five of Puebla's ten hits between them. Former MLB hurler Outman went eight innings for the win, giving up one earned run.  Deunte Heath, another ex-big leaguer, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.  Ortega, who turns 41 in November, let in five runs on nine hits in five innings for the loss.  Game Three is Wednesday in Cancun.

TIJUANA 6-8-1, Aguascalientes 3-9-1
W-M. Pena (1-0).  L-Flande (0-1).  A-15,327.  T-3:46.
Tijuana leadoff batter Jose Guadalupe Chavez collected three hits, scoring twice, and the Toros posted four runs (three unearned) in the bottom of the third inning to take a lead they'd never relinquish as the LMB North's top seed beat Aguascalientes, 6-3, Wednesday as 15,327 fans watched at Estadio Gasmart.  The Toros' win evened their series with the visiting Rieleros, 1 game to 1.  Aguascalientes took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Dave Sappelt's two-out double up the middle brought in Eliezer Ortiz from first.  Things got rugged for Rieleros starter Yohan Flande in the bottom of the third as he walked Roberto Lopez to open the frame, committed a fielding error on a Chavez bunt and walked Dustin Martin to load the bases after striking out Isaac Rodriguez.  Flande then served up a two-run single to Cyle Hankerd. A Corey Brown sacrifice fly scored Martin with TJ's third run and Alex Liddi's single brought in Hankerd with a fourth score.  Miguel Pena pitched five strong innings for the win while Flande took the loss.  Game Three is slated for Wednesday night in Aguascalientes.

MONTERREY 6-14-2, Monclova 5-8-2
W-A. Castro (1-0).  L-R. Verdugo (0-1).  A-18,543.  T-3:22.
The Monterrey Sultanes built up a 6-1 lead in the fifth inning, then had to hold on for dear life to outlast the Monclova Acereros, 6-5, Monday to take a 2-0 lead in their series.  Jesus Montero's RBI single put the Sultanes ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first but it was a four-run third inning, keyed by Luis Juarez' three-run homer, that provided most of the Monterrey cushion.  Trailing 6-1 late, Monclova shaved one run off their deficit when Ruben Rivera belted a solo homer to lead off the eighth, but it was the ninth when things really got interesting.  Sultanes closer Wirfin Obispo replaced starter Angel Castro and gave up a leadoff walk to Carlos Quentin before striking out Matt Clark.  Quentin stole second uncontested with Tim Torres at the plate and scored on Torres' single to center.  2016 All-Star Game MVP Jose Amador then belted a two-run homer to make it a 6-5 contest before Obispo got the final two outs to end the game, then making an obscene gesture toward the Monclova dugout.  Montero and Zoilo Almonte each had three hits for the Sultanes, who travel to Monclova for Wednesday's Game Three.

WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE
Yucatan at Leon (Yucatan leads series, 2 games to 0)
Puebla at Quintana Roo (Puebla leads series, 2 games to 0)
Tijuana at Aguascalientes (Series tied, 1 game to 1)
Monterrey at Monclova (Monterrey leads series, 2 games to 0)

Mexicali nips Cubans, 1-0, reach CS final vs. Caguas

Miguel Pena (pictured) built a shutout over the first five innings and Hector Daniel Rodriguez carried it another three before Jake Sanchez closed the deal as the Mexicali Aguilas shut out Cuba's Granma Alazanes, 1-0, Monday night as another sellout crowd of 19,177 looked on at Culiacan's Estadio Tomateros.  The win punches Mexico's ticket to a fifth consecutive Caribbean Series championship game, this one against Puerto Rico's Caguas Criollos on Tuesday night.

However, this win didn't come easily for the Mexican Pacific League champions, whose recent offensive struggles continued after a hot start.  Mexicali now has 11 hits combined over their past two games after collecting 33 safeties in their first three contests.


MEXICALI (MX) Aguilas 1-5-0, Granma (CU) Alazanes 0-2-1

Starting with Sunday's 4-0 loss to Granma, Mexicali's scoreless string against Alazanes pitching reached 13 innings before the Aguilas broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth on Monday.  Cuban expat Ronnier Mustelier led off with a walk against Granma starter Lazaro Blanco, scurried to third when Sebastian Valle's bunt single drew a bad throw by Cuban third baseman Yunior Paumier and then came in to score on Agustin Murillo's single to left.  It was as close to home as anyone would get the rest of the night.

Blanco settled down and resumed his duel with Aguilas starter Pena, who gave up no runs on two hits in five innings before making way for Rodriguez.  The Culiacan native, who won Mexicali's opening game against Caguas on Wednesday, picked up the shutout and carried it through the eighth.  For his part, Blanco lasted through the seventh, allowing just one run on four hits for an excellent start.  Livan Moinelo took the mound in the bottom of the eighth for Granma and blanked the Aguilas.  It then came down to closer Sanchez, the MexPac Reliever of the Year who has allowed one earned run all winter, to close out the win and clinch a berth against Caguas in Tuesday's finale.

Sanchez opened the ninth by getting Roel Santos to tap a comebacker to the hill, which Sanchez threw to first for the out.  The Cal Baptist product then walked Victor Mesa on a full count, breaking the string of 24 consecutive Cuban batters retired in a row by Pena, Rodriguez and Sanchez.  Pinch-hitter Guillermo Aviles grounded to second baseman Isaac Rodriguez, who flipped the ball to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to force Mesa at second, but Betancourt's relay to C.J. Retherford was ruled not in time to beat Aviles to the bag.  That brought Mexicali manager Roberto Vizcarra out of the dugout and an appeal was made, but the call was upheld with Aviles safe at first on a fielder's choice and two out.  Sanchez went back to work and caught Alexander Ayala looking for strike three to complete the shutout for his second CS save, sending the Aguilas into the championship game against the Puerto Ricans.  Mexicali opened their first round schedule with a 4-2 win over Caguas on Wednesday.

Pena got the win with his first start of this CS.  Pena, Rodriguez and Sanchez combined to limit the Cuban batting order to two hits and one walk, striking out ten Granma batters (Rodriguez had five in three innings).  Blanco gave up one run on four hits with five whiffs over seven innings in a tough-luck loss.  Chris Roberson singled and drew two walks for Mexicali as the Eagles gathered just five hits.  Mesa singled and Ayala doubled for Granma's lone hits of the night.

Hector Velazquez will get the start against Caguas in Tuesday's CS title game.  The LMP's choice for Pitcher of the Year went five innings and struck out seven Licey hitters in Mexicali's 7-2 win over the Tigres last Thursday.


Caguas (PR) Criollos 9-11-0, ZULIA (VZ) Aguilas 6-16-1

Caguas jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead and David Vidal socked his third Caribbean Series homer as the Criollos surprised Venezuela's Zulia Aguilas, 9-6, Monday afternoon in the first CS semifinal of the day.  The victory gave the Puerto Rican champs, who'd barely snuck into the Final Four after losing three of their four round-robin games (including a 4-3 loss to Zulia last Thursday), a berth in Tuesday's title game against Mexicali.

Aguilas starter Mitch Lively, who spent time in the Mexican League with Reynosa and Laguna last summer, was knocked out of the box with two out in the first after allowing four runs, including RBI singles from Rusney Castillo and Yadiel Rivera. The Criollos built on their lead with two more runs in the top of the third and single scores in the fourth and fifth frames to go up 8-0.  Zulia plated their first run in the bottom of the fifth when Jose Castillo came in from third on Alex Romero's groundout.  Both teams scored a run in the sixth to put the Puerto Ricans lead at 9-2, which the Criollos maintained until the Venezuelans scored four times in the bottom of the eighth.  Ronny Cedeno doubled in two runs and Castillo singled in two more to bring Zulia within three runs of Caguas.  The Criollos threatened in the bottom of the ninth when Romero, Jesus Flores and Denis Phipps led off the frame with consecutive singles off reliever Ricardo Gomez to load the bases, but Gomez bore down and struck out Ali Castillo, got Freddy Galvis to fly out to center with no baserunners advancing and then struck out Cedeno swinging to end the game.

Criollos opener Orlando Roman pitched with a cushion from the get-go and went on to register five innings, letting in one run while scattering seven hits and three walks, striking out seven.  Lively took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.  Henry Ramos led Caguas with three hits (including a triple) and scored once while Vidal homered, singled and drove in two runs.  Castillo and Jose Pirela each had three hits for Zulia (who outhit the winner, 16-to-11), with Castillo driving in a pair of runs and Pirela doubling twice.  Pirela and Aguilas manager Lipso Nava were both ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Jair Fernandez after Pirela ended the bottom of the eighth by popping out to Caguas first sacker Ruben Gotay in foul territory.

Caribbean Series championship game

Tuesday, 6 February 2017

Caguas (PR) at Mexicali (MX)

7:00pm MST (0200 UTC)

Aguilas hold on for Game 5 win, series moves to Mochis

Former White Sox farmhand C.J. Retherford (pictured) knocked in two runs with a fifth-inning single to give Mexicali the lead and the Aguilas bullpen combined to hold Los Mochis scoreless the rest of the way as the Eagles came away with a 5-2 victory Thursday in Game Five of the Mexican Pacific League championship Series. The third sellout crowd in as many nights at Mexicali's 17,000-seat Estadio B'Air saw the Aguilas take the lead in the best-of-seven series, 3 games to 2.

MEXICALI 5-6-0, Los Mochis 2-9-3

After both sides were set down in order in the first inning, Mochis put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the second for the early lead. With two out, J.C. Linares smoked a double to left off Mexicali starter Miguel Pena and came in to score when Eugenio Velez singled.  However, Velez got caught in a rundown trying to take second for the third out.

After three good innings, Caneros starter Julian Arballo struggled early in the fourth by walking Mexicali leadoff hitter Yuniesky Betancourt and plunking Retherford.  Both runners moved up a base on Luis Juarez' flyout to right for the first out.  After Arballo walked Agustin Murillo to load the bases, Betancourt came in from third to score when Yordanys Linares topped a slow roller down to Mochis third baseman Rudy Amador, who had to throw to first for the sure out as Retherford and Murillo advanced 90 feet.  Xorge Carrillo grounded to second for the final out of the frame.

J.C. Linares put Los Mochis back on top with a leadoff homer off Pena's third pitch in the top of the fifth, but the home side put another two runners across the plate in the bottom of the entrada.  With one out, Arballo issued consecutive walks to Chris Roberson and Jason Bourgeois, followed by a two-strike Betancourt grounder to shortstop Yosmany Guerra, who mishandled the ball in an attempt to force Bourgeois at second to load the sacks for C.J. Retherford.  The ten-year minor leaguer out of Arizona State stroked the first Arballo delivery into left field to plate Roberson and Bourgeois, giving Mexicali a 3-2 advantage.  Caneros manager Luis Sojo then waved Isaac Rodriguez in from the bullpen to replace Arballo.  Retherford was thrown out by catcher Sebastian Valle trying to steal second while Rodriguez was in the process of walking Juarez and the Aguilas' rally ended when Murillo grounded out to second.

After that, it was nothing but zeroes until the bottom of the eighth, when Mochis setup man Santiago Gutierrez allowed back-to-back singles to Murillo and Yordanys Linares with one out, with Missael German replacing Linares as a pinch-runner. Xorge Carrillo then reached base on a throwing error by first baseman Jesus Arredondo, who'd just replaced Saul Soto at the initial hassock after the latter doubled in the previous inning and was replaced by a pinch-runner.  Ramon Rios then tapped a sacrifice bunt that Arredondo made yet another throwing error on to bring in Murillo and German with the final two runs of the game to give Mexicali a 5-2 lead.  It was left to closer Jake Sanchez to retire the side in order on seven pitches in the ninth to finish the contest.

Pena pitched 5.1 innings for Mexicali to earn the win, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk.  Arballo, who was coming off an outstanding start his last time out, struggled this time in being tagged with the loss as the Californian let in three runs (two earned) on three hits and four walks in 4.1 frames, striking out two.  Sanchez retired all four batters he faced for his fifth playoff save.  Velez had three hits and J.C. Linares two for Los Mochis, who outhit the hosts by a 9-6 margin, with Yordanys Linares the only Mexicali batter
with two hits.  Errors cost the Caneros dearly, with three of the Aguilas' five runs recorded as unearned.

The two teams will take Friday off for travel before resuming the series with Game Six at Los Mochis' Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada on Saturday at 6:00PM MT (0100 UTC).  Hector Velazquez, who won his first start against the Caneros, will be on the mound for Mexicali while Manny Barreda will be on the hill for Mochis.  The Aguilas have outscored Mochis by an aggregate score of 24-15 and stand one win away from their first MexPac pennant since 1998-99 under manager Francisco "Paquin" Estrada, who is the father-in-law of current Mexicali skipper Roberto Vizcarra.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
2016-17 Championship Series
Gm 1  Sat, 1/21    LOS MOCHIS 3, Mexicali 1
Gm 2  Sun, 1/22   Mexicali 7, LOS MOCHIS 3
Gm 3  Tue, 1/24    Los Mochis 6, MEXICALI 5 (11)
Gm 4  Wed, 1/25  MEXICALI 6, Los Mochis 1
Gm 5  Thu, 1/26   MEXICALI 5, Los Mochis 2
Gm 6  Sat, 1/28    Mexicali at LOS MOCHIS
Gm 7  Sun, 1/29   Mexicali at LOS MOCHIS (if necessary)

Linares, Arballo sparkle as Mochis wins title set opener

J.C. Linares socked a two-run homer to stake Los Mochis starter Julian Arballo (pictured with a good reason to smile) a first-inning lead and the former Yankees prospect went on to toss six innings of shutout ball as the Caneros topped Mexicali, 3-1, Saturday in the opening game of the Mexican Pacific League championship series.  An SRO crowd of 11,132 jammed into the Caneros' venerable Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada, which opened in 1947 as Estadio Mochis.

LOS MOCHIS 3-4-0, Mexicali 1-9-0

After the visiting Aguilas were held scoreless in the top of the first, Mexicali starter Miguel Pena got the first two Mochis outs of the bottom of the frame before walking Lew Ford.  Pena was one strike away from retiring the side when Linares cracked a homer over the wall in left center to put the Caneros up, 2-0.  From that point, Arballo and Pena were locked in a pitcher's duel that lasted through the sixth with no more scoring from either side. A leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh by Ford off a Pena pitch brought the Mochis lead to three.  After Pena allowed a Linares single next, Mexicali skipper Roberto Vizcarra came to the mound and waved in Edgar Gomez from the bullpen.  Gomez finished the inning without further damage, but the only sign of life the Aguilas would show the rest of the night was a Ramon Rios solo homer in the eighth off Oliver Perez, a reinforcement pickup from Culiacan.  For all intent and purposes, the night belonged to Arballo and the Caneros bullpen as Sergio Romo recorded the final three Mexicali outs in the top of the ninth to end the game and earn the save.

Arballo allowed only six baserunners over his six innings, all on singles with only Xorge Carrillo reaching second base.  The Cal Baptist product struck out six in his 82-pitch outing as five Caneros pitchers combined to whiff ten Mexicali batsmen.  Despite allowing all three Mochis runs on two homers in six innings of work, Pena did not pitch badly.  The left-handed Texan, who spent four years in the Red Sox system, only allowed two other hits, walked one and struck out four.  All Pena was lacking over 78 pitches was luck as his Aguilas teammates actually outhit Mochis, 9-to-4.  Jason Bourgeois (a reinforcement from Hermosillo) and Yuniesky Betancourt each had two hits for Mexicali.  Linares, himself a former Bosox farmhand who was Pena's teammate at Portland in 2013, had two safeties for the Caneros, including the biggest one.

Game Two will be played Sunday night at 5PM MST (0000 UTC) in Los Mochis.  After Monday's travel day, the next three games of the title series are scheduled to be played in Mexicali, all at 7:30PM PST (0330 UTC) in the 17,000-seat Estadio B'Air, or La Nida (The Nest).  The Caneros are looking for their fourth pennant since their first season in 1947.  Their last championship came in 2002-03.  Mexicali has won three flags since their 1976 debut, most recently in 1998-99.  The 1985-86 Aguilas went on to win the Caribbean Series under Salon de la Fama manager Ben "Cananea" Reyes.

Pena, Aguilas top Hermosillo, 6-1, to take LMP semifinal series lead

Mexicali 6-11-1, HERMOSILLO 1-6-2

The Mexicali Aguilas knocked Hermosillo starter Juan Pablo Oramas out of the game in the second inning and went on to beat the Naranjeros, 6-1, Tuesday to take a 3-games-to-2 lead in their Mexican Pacific League semifinal series.  A near-sellout crowd of 15,932 watched the contest at Hermosillo's Estadio Sonora as Mexicali pitcher Miguel Pena (pictured) turned in a strong 6.1 innings of work on the mound, throwing 67 of his 88 pitches for strikes.

The Aguilas staked Pena an early 2-0 lead by scoring twice in the top of the first inning.  Chris Roberson and Ramon Rios led the game off with back-to-back singles off Oramas, with Robo moving to third on Rios' safety.  After Oramas struck out Yuniesky Betancourt and got C.J. Retherford to pop out to first, MexPac batting champ Luis Juarez singled up the middle to bring Roberson in from third.  Agustin Murillo then lifted a fly ball to center that dropped in for a single to plate Rios from second, giving Pena a cushion before ever taking the hill.

Pena, a Texan who spent four years in the Red Sox system, recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the first before his teammates provided him an added pillow by scoring twice more in the second.  Yordanys Linares led off with a bunt toward the mound and was able to reach second when Oramas threw the ball past first sacker Efren Navarro. After Pena walked Roberson with one out, Naranjeros manager Lorenzo Bundy replaced him with Pablo Ortega, a 40-year-old veteran who was the Mexican League Pitcher of the Year in 2009 with Quintana Roo.  Rios greeted Ortega by lining a first-pitch single to left that brought Linares in and moved Roberson to second.  After a Betancourt single loaded the bases, Retherford sent a sacrifice fly to right that allowed Roberson to score from third, giving the Aguilas a 4-0 advantage.  O'Koyea Dickson led off the bottom of the second with a homer to right that put the Naranjeros on the scoreboard, but that was the only mistake Pena would make all night.

Hermosillo's Tim Torres made things interesting in the bottom of the fifth by protesting a called third strike, which earned him an early shower courtesy of home plate umpire Jaime Gutierrez, but that proved to be the last time the Orangemen would be heard from.  Mexicali scored insurance runs in the eighth and ninth, including a Retherford homer to straightaway center, but they weren't really needed as Pena and three relievers combined to scatter six Hermosillo hits, walking none and registering a combined seven strikeouts.  Aguilas closer Jake Sanchez whiffed Dustin Martin swinging to end the tilt and give the visitors the lead in the series, which now shifts back to Mexicali for Game Six.

Pena earned his second win of the playoffs (and first of the series) while Oramas, who just missed winning the regular season ERA title, was tagged with the loss as his postseason ERA ballooned to 9.64.  Ortega settled down to put in 6.2 innings for Hermosillo, allowing no earned runs on five hits while striking out six. Betancourt finished with three hits for the Aguilas while Roberson and Rios each chipped in with two.  Hermosillo had two-hit nights from Jose Amador and Sergio Burruel.

Since the series had been pushed back one day due to Saturday's rainout in Hermosillo, there will be no travel day break as the two teams play tonight in Mexicali.  Los Mochis hosts Culiacan for Game Six of their Final Four series with Culiacan Wednesday, with the Caneros holding a 3-games-to-2 edge in that set.

Mexicali pounds Navojoa, Mazatlan stays alive

The Mexicali Aguilas routed top-seed Navojoa, 14-1, Friday to take a 3-games-to-1 lead in their Mexican Pacific League first round playoff series.  Also Friday, the Mazatlan Venados prevented a Los Mochis sweep with a tight 7-6 win in the Pearl of the Pacific while Hermosillo evened up with Culiacan at two games each by doubling up the Tomateros, 8-4.  Game Five action is slated for Saturday in Mazatlan, Mexicali and Hermosillo before the series shift locales on Sunday as needed.

MEXICALI 14-16-0, Navojoa 1-3-1
Believe it or not, the Mayos led this one early.  After a scoreless first inning, Navojoa went up 1-0 in the top of the second when Christian Zazueta drilled a two-out double to left field off Mexicali starter Miguel Pena, scoring Niko Vazquez from third base. The roof promptly caved in for the visitors as the Aguilas scored five runs in the bottom of the second and three in the third to go up 8-1.  The two teams swapped zeros from the fourth frame until the bottom of the sixth, when the Eagles erupted for four more runs to make it a 12-1 game.  The hosts added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth as 15,577 people watched at  Estadio B'Air in the border city.

Key scoring plays for the Aguilas were Yuniesky Betancourt's three-run double in the second inning, RBI doubles by Ramon Rios and C.J. Retherford in the third, Jon Del Campo's three-run homer in the sixth and Rios' two-run longball in the eighth.  In all, Mexicali collected 16 hits and 6 walks off five Navojoa pitchers, with Mayos starter Fabio Castro (1 IP, 5 R, 5 H, 4 BB) taking the loss after allowing the first Mexicali batters to reach base in the second, including a leadoff homer from Mets farmhand Xorge Carrillo (pictured).  The bottom third of the order did the most damage for the winners as Carrillo, Del Campo and Rios combined for 11 hits (including three homers and two doubles), 9 runs scored and 8 RBIs.

All that offense made life easy for Aguilas starter Pena, who lasted seven innings and gave up just three hits and one run, walking none and whiffing three for the win.  Yair Lozoya and Francisco Rodriguez each turned in 1-2-3 innings in relief against the shellshocked Mayos.


MAZATLAN 7-5-2, Los Mochis 6-9-5

It wasn't pretty, but Mazatlan manager Daniel Fernandez wasn't in the position to be choosy about how his team won.  The defending LMP and Caribbean Series champion Venados parlayed five hits, two walks and five Los Mochis into a 7-6 home win over the Caneros Friday night.  In doing so, the Deer stayed alive by bringing their series deficit to 3 games to 1.  A crowd of just 8.572 was on hand at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal, the lowest attendance of all twelve postseason encounters involving six cities.  It's been a season-long puzzle for Mazatlan, the only MexPac team to draw fewer than 200,000 fans during the regular season (albeit barely below that number).

Mazatlan went up 2-0 on Jesus Fabela's RBI single in the second inning and Drew Maggi scampering home on a double-play grounder in the third entrada.  Los Mochis roared back with three runs in the fourth, taking the lead when Sebastian Valle lumbered in from third on a Jesus Sanchez wild pitch, and racked up three more scores in the fifth (key blow: two-run double from Fernando Inzunza) to take a 6-2 lead.  The Venados got one run back in the bottom of the fifth when Fabela scored on a double-play grounder, ironically topped by Maggi, to cut Mochis' lead to three.  Mazatlan drew even with three runs in the seventh, tying the score when Caneros reliever Jon Sintes uncorked a wild pitch to Cyle Hankerd, allowing Roberto Valenzuela to come in from third.  The Venados won in walkoff fashion when Fabela opened the bottom ninth by beating out an errant throw to first by Mochis shortstop Isaac Rodriguez, moved to second on a Valenzuela sacrifice bunt and scored on Maggi's line drive single to right, ending the contest.

Arturo Barradas went a third of an inning in the ninth as the last Mazatlan pitcher and his one out was enough for him to be the winning pitcher.  Ernesto Zaragos started for the Venados and struck out six in 3.1 innings, but he also let in three runs on four hits and three walks over 76 pitches before skipper Fernandez had finally had enough (conversely, home plate umpire Oswaldo Meza had finally had enough of Fernandez in the eighth and tossed him.  Sintes both blew a save opportunity and took the loss despite 20 of his 29 pitches going for strikes.  The real story for Mochis pitchers was that of seven runs allowed by three pitchers, only two were earned as the trio otherwise combined on a five-hitter.


HERMOSILLO 8-7-2, Culiacan 4-7-2

Outfielder Jason Bourgeois scored three runs on two hits (including a homer) and a walk as the Hermosillo Naranjeros topped the Culiacan Tomateros, 8-4, Friday with a standing-room-only crowd of 16,302 at Hermosillo's Estadio Sonora.  The first-round series is now tied at two games apiece.

The contest was tied ar 2-2 when Bourgeois led off the bottom of the third inning with a single and sped to third on Carlos Gastelum's single to left.  Bourgeois then scored on a sacrifice fly, Gastelum took second when Culiacan reliever Jose Sanchez balked with O'Koyea Dickson batting.  Clearly rattled, Sanchez then walked both Dickson and Dustin Martin to load the bases for Jose Amador.  At this point, Tony Cordova came in for Sanchez and induced Amador to ground into a fielder's choice, with Gastelum coming in from third to make it a 4-2 Hermosillo lead.  The Naranjeros added two more runs during another crazy inning in the fourth (two singles, three walks, two wild pitches) and were never threatened again.  In all, Culiacan pitchers issued nine walks, hit a batter and allowed seven base hits for a total of 17 baserunners.  Amazingly, the Naranjeros were only 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position yet still scored eight times.  Ryan Lollis and Oscar Robles each had two singles for the Tomateros.

The recipient of all the Culiacan mound staff largesse was Naranjeros starter Pablo Ortega, who turned 40 in November.  The ageless righty struck out seven in five innings but it was anything but smooth sailiing.  Ortega let in four runs on five hits and a pair of free passes, but still got the win.  Gerardo Sanchez was tagged with the loss for the Tomateros but it was a group effort by the eight pitchers who saw duty.  Victor Marte did toss 2.2 hitless innings in relief with four strikeouts, but Marte also let fly with a bases-loaded wild pitch that brought Bourgeois in from third.

It was that kind of night.

Big inning propels Pericos to win, 3-1 title series lead

A four-run outburst in the fourth inning put Puebla ahead for good and starter Hector Galvan (pictured) and three relievers combined to toss shutout ball over the final eight frames as the Pericos went on to beat Tijuana, 5-1, Sunday in the Mexican League Championship Series at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan with a sixth consecutive sellout crowd of 12,112 looking on.  With the win, the Parakeets took a 3-games-to-1 lead in the Serie del Rey in their quest for their hometown's first LMB pennant in 30 years.

The Toros took a 1-0 lead in a crazy top of the first inning.  After walking leadoff batter Jose Guadalupe Chavez and inducing Alex Romero to foul out to Pericos left fielder Nyjer Morgan, things started getting weird when Olmo Rosario stepped up to the plate for Tijuana.  Galvan threw a wild pitch to Rosario that allowed Chavez to scamper to second, then a delivery that eluded catcher Cesar Tapia gave Chavez the green light to advance to third.  It was left to Rosario to loft a fly ball that fell to earth in front of center fielder Willy Taveras for a single, bringing in Chavez with what turned out to be the Toros' only run.  Dustin Martin and Carlos Valencia also singled to load the bases before Oscar Robles grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Pericos knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first when Jose Rodriguez' grounder found its way to left field to bring Morgan in from third, but it was the fourth inning that effectively put the game away for Puebla.  Rodriguez opened the inning by being plunked Tijuana starter Miguel Pena, moved to third on a Daric Barton double and (after Pena walked Tapia to load the bases) came in on an infield single by Ruben Rivera.  Alberto Carreon then stroked a two-run double to give Puebla a 4-1 lead.  Rudy Amador grounded out on a comebacker to Pena on the mound with no more runs coming in, but that was enough for Tijuana manager Pedro Mere.  Mark Serrano was brought in to face Oscar Sanay, who nubbed an infield single to third that brought Rivera in from third before Morgan ended the inning by lining to first sacker Roberto Lopez for an unassisted double play to end the inning and (in effect) the game, as nobody scored the rest of the way.

Taveras went 3-for-5 to lead the Pericos' nine-hit effort while Carreon recorded his third straight two-hit game to raise his playoff batting average to .360.  Rosario collected two of Tijuana's six hits.  Galvan ended up allowing the Toros' lone run on five hits over his five innings of work to take the win, scattering five safeties.  Pena absorbed the defeat to fall to 0-2 in the playoffs, giving up six hits, hitting two batters and walking another in 3.1 frames.  He was charged with all five Puebla runs.  One day after the two teams combined for six homers in Game Three, neither side hit one out Sunday.

The Pericos will try to clinch Puebla's first Liga pennant since 1986 and fourth since 1925 on Monday while the Toros try to keep the Serie de Rey alive and send the proceedings back to Tijuana for Games Six and Seven.  Lefty Horacio Ramirez will be on the hill for the Toros while fellow portsider Orlando Lara will start for Puebla.  The first pitch is scheduled for 8:00pm ET.

PUEBLA 5-9-0, Tijuana 1-6-0 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 1)
W-Galvan. L-M. Pena. T-2:46. A-12,112.