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.

Culiacan, Hermosillo win; Game Seven semis set for Thursday

Both Culiacan and Hermsosillo had to win road games Wednesday to stay alive in their respective Mexican Pacific League semifinal series.  The Tomateros and Naranjeros responded to the "Win-or-go-home" challenges by copping victories to extend each set to a seventh and deciding game Thursday night.  Ramiro Pena's three-run homer highlighted a six-run outburst in the sixth inning, propelling Culiacan to a 9-2 triumph in Los Mochis as a standing-room crowd of 11,192 watched at Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada.  Hermosillo likewise won big, 7-2, in Mexicali as Dodgers farmhand O'Koyea Dickson (pictured) walloped two homers in front of a full house of 17,000 at the Aguilas' Estadio B'Air.

Thursday's Game Sevens in Los Mochis and Mexicali will both get underway at 7:30PM Mountain Time.

Culiacan 9-13-1, LOS MOCHIS 2-5-0

As seems his wont, Hector Daniel Rodriguez has brought his "A" game to the postseason for Culiacan.  The Tomateros' homegrown lefty went 4-6 with a 3.50 ERA in 13 starts during the regular season, a subpar winter for him.  Since the playoffs began, however, the 32-year-old lefty has kicked into overdrive and the result is a 4-0 record with a 2.52 ERA, including Wednesday's 9-2 win at Los Mochis.  Rodriguez allowed one run while scattering five hits in six innings for the Tomateros, striking out nine Caneros batsmen and walking two.  Sixty of his 93 pitches went for strikes before leaving the game with a 6-1 lead.  Rodriguez has earned a reputation as a big game pitcher, winning the MVP award at last winter's Caribbean Series as a reinforcement pickup of the champion Mazatlan Venados.

The contest was competitive for the first few innings.  Culiacan drew first blood by scoring a run on a Joey Meneses sacrifice fly to center in the top of the second that brought in Ronnier Mustelier.  Mochis tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when vet Saul Soto doubled in Leandro Castro from first.  One of the ageless wonders of Mexican baseball, the 38-year-old Soto is hitting .343 in the playoffs while, like Rodriguez, playing for his hometown team.  Culiacan broke the tie with two runs in the fifth as Caneros starter Luis Niebla self-destructed by giving up two hits, walking two more batters and hitting a batter before he was mercifully lifted for Isaaac Jimenez, who got Issmael Salas to fly out with the bases loaded to keep the floodgates from opening.  That happened in the sixth, when six more Culiacan runners crossed the plate to make it 8-1.  Pena's three-run bomb was the deepest cut as eleven Tomateros strode to the plate against four Mochis pitchers.  From that point it was acamedic, although the Caneros did score one final run in the seventh.

Mustelier finished the night with three hits, two runs scored and one driven in for Culiacan, who also got two hits each from longtimers Jose Manuel Rodriguez and Oscar Robles.  Niebla took the loss for Mochis, although special mention should be given to reliever Lenix Osuna, who faced five batters and allowed four runs (including Pena's blasted) without retiring a batter.  Onetime Red Sox minor leaguer J.C. Linares had two of the Caneros' five hits, including a double, while throwing out Culiacan's Ryan Lollis at the plate from center field to end the third inning.

Hermosillo 7-12-0, MEXICALI 2-12-2

Dickson had a huge game at the plate for the Naranjeros, going 3-for-4 with two homers, four RBIs and a pair of runs to pace Hermosillo's must-win 7-2 road triumph at La Nida in Mexicali.  It was a forgettable night for both starting pitchers, with Travis Blackley of Hermosillo and Mexicali's Hector Velazquez combining to cough up 15 hits and six runs over eight innings between them.  It was left to unsung Jose Samayoa to relieve Blackley and hold the fort until the Orangemen offense found its bearings.

The Naranjeros got on the board in the top of the first via a two-out Dickson solo homer off Velazquez to left. Xorge Carrillo scored on a force out in the second to pull Mexicali even.  Hermosillo responded by adding a run in the third when Jason Bourgeois came in on a Dickson groundout, but the Eagles came back again to knot the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the third as Luis Juarez doubled off Blackley and then scored on an Agustin Murrillo single up the middle.  Hermosillo effectively put the game away with two runs in the fifth on Dickson's second homer (with Carlos Gasteul on base) and two more in the sixth when a Bourgeois single and an error by Naranjeros centerfielder Chris Roberson plated Sergio Burruel and Jorge Flores to make it a 6-2 tilt.  Hermosillo added a final run in the ninth, but it was superfluous by then.

Blackley struggled into the fourth frame, when he was relieved by Samayoa with two on and one out.  It took two pitches for Samayoa to get Ramon Rios to ground to third for a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.  Samayoa, a Hermosillo product who spent time in the Rangers system, got the win after throwing four innings of shutout ball, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out two.  Velazaquez took the loss for the Aguilas as the Pitcher of the Year candidate's playoff miseries continued, giving up four runs on seven hits and two free passes to see his postseason ERA rise to 8.38.  Rafael Martin got his fifth save in January for the Naranjeros.  Besides Dickson, the Hermosillo bats were also led by Gastelum's two hits and two runs plus Bourgeois' two hits, a run and RBI. Yordanys Linares (no relation to Mochis' J.C., although both are Cubans) went 4-for-4 for Mexicali, but neither scored nor drove in a run.

Mexicali, Mochis win romps, both go up 2 games to 0

The Mexicali Aguilas chased Hermosillo starter Travis Blackley to the showers with an eight-run outburst in the bottom of the third inning en route to a 16-6 manhandling of the Naranjeros at Estadio B'Air Thursday night in their Mexican Pacific League semifinal series.  In the other MexPac Final Four matchup in Los Mochis, a three-run homer from Saul Soto (pictured) served as the centerpiece of the Caneros' seven-run seventh in their 14-2 blowout of Culiacan in Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada.

Both the Aguilas and Caneros now lead their series, 2 games to 0, heading into Friday's Game Three contests in Hermosillo and Culiacan, respectively.


LOS MOCHIS 14-17-1, Culiacan 2-10-2

Soto's homer was one of four Los Mochis longballs served up by three different Tomateros pitchers in the fateful seventh as the Caneros broke open what had been a competitive game.  Mochis scored the first run of the contest on a wild play that began when Phillies farmhand Leandro Castro bunted down the third base line, drawing a hurried throw from Culiacan's Issmael Salas that sailed into right field foul territory, allowing Castro to streak all the way to second.  He kept on going after rightfielder Sebastian Elizalde made a poor relay throw back toward the infield, scampering around third and coming in to score on a play even Ty Cobb would've smiled at in approval.

The Caneros scored twice more in the third to go ahead, 3-0.  Tomateros starter Zack Dodson intentionally walked Isaac Rodriguez to load the bases so he could face MLB vet Lew Ford, who poked a grounder into left field to score Sebastian Valle from third.  Culiacan ended Mochis' shutout bid in the top of the seventh, when reliever Fabian Williamson gave up a Salas homer to left, bringing the visitors to within two runs.  Then came the bottom of the seventh, when Juan Carlos Gamboa (solo), Eugenio Velez (solo), Soto (three-run) and Yosmany Guerra (solo) all homered as the Caneros bashed their way to a 10-1 advantage and the rout was on.  Culiacan did score a run in the eighth when Joey Meneses doubled and came in on Ramiro Pena's single, but Los Mochis put another four on the board to put the Tomateros away.  J.C. Linares stroked a bases-loaded triple to deliver the coup de grace.

The Caneros' 17-hit attack in front of another SRO home crowd of 11,372 should not obsure the standout work of Mochis starter Luis Niebla, who went to 2-0 in the postseason by tossing six innings of shutout ball, scattering five hits and a pair of walks.  Dodson took the loss for Culiacan to fall to 0-2 in the playoffs.  The former Pirates prospect didn't pitch badly (two earned runs in five entradas of work) and was spared from what came next.  The Caneros outscored Culiacan, 19-2, over two games in Los Mochis.


MEXICALI 16-21-0, Hermosillo 6-13-0

Mexicali sent eleven men to the plate in the third inning and put eight runs on the board to take a 9-0 lead and the hits just kept on coming the rest of the game as the Aguilas bombed Hermosillo, 16-6.

Naranjeros starter Travis Blackley was touched for a C.J. Retherford homer run in the bottom of the second as Mexicali took a 1-0 lead.  Blackley was chased in the third after allowing three runs on four hits in the third, including a two-out, two-run single from Xorge Carrrillo off the last pitch the ex-MLBer threw for the night.  Reliever Hector Galvan fared no better, eventually giving up a three-run double to Ramon Rios, who then came in on a Chris Roberson double for the final run of the inning. The toll?  Eight Mexicali runs on six hits, one walk, one hit bastman and two wild pitches.  From that point on, it was only a matter of time.

Mexicali put up three more runs in both the fourth (keyed by a Carrillo two-run double) and fifth (keyed by a Yordanys Linares two-run double) to go up 15-0 before Hermosillo showed their only sign of life by plating six runs in the sixth as Dodgers minor leaguer Julian Leon contributed a pinch-hit two-run homer, but it was academic by that point.  Linares went 4-for-6 for Mexicali while Carrillo had three hits and four RBIs.  Hector Velazquez got the win in his first start for the Aguilas, tossing five shutout innings before being roughed up for five runs in the Hermosillo sixth.  Maybe with a 15-run lead, he let up a little.  Blackley took the loss for his third defeat in as many playoff starts for the Naranjeros this winter.  A sellout crowd of 17,000 witness the onslaught in Mexicali.

In a circuit that historically has been known as a pitcher-friendly league, Thursday night's MexPac semis featured a combined 38 runs on 61 hits.

Defending champs ousted; Mayos, Tomateros win

Less than a year after fighting their way to a Mexican Pacific League pennant and the Caribbean Series championship, the Mazatlan Venados have been eliminated from this winter's LMP playoffs in five games after Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Los Mochis Caneros. Elsewhere, Culiacan pulled ahead in their series with Hermosillo after topping the Naranjeros, 6-2, while Navojoa staved off a first-round series loss to Mexicali by besting the Aguilas, 8-6, as all three visiting teams won Saturday.  Culiacan will host Hermosillo in Game Six on Sunday and Navojoa will return home to welcome Mexicali.


Los Mochis 4-5-3, MAZATLAN 3-15-1

The Venados put plenty of men on base via 15 hits, two walks, a hit batsmen and three Mochis errors, but only went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and ended up leaving 13 of them stranded in Saturday's season-ending 4-3 loss before 9,267 spectators at Mazatlan's Estadio Teodoro Mariscal.

The Caneros drew first blood in the top of the first inning when Eugenio Velez scored on Lew Ford's sacrifice fly off Mazatlan starter Jeremy Kehrt, then made it a 3-0 lead in the third on RBI singles from Isaac Rodriguez (pictured) and J.C. Linares.  The Venados tied the contest with three tallies in the fifth as Heber Gomez and Jesus Fabela contributed run-scoring singles, but Mochis pulled ahead in the top of the seventh when Sebastian Valle plated the game's final run on Velez' sac fly to center.  Mazatlan loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but failed to score and the game ended in the ninth when Samar Leyva was sent in by Venados manager Daniel Fernandez as a pinch-runner for Hector Paez, then was cut down stealing second on a throw by Valle to Mochis second baseman Jesus Arredondo.

Guillermo Trujillo pitched a scoreless sixth inning in relief for the Caneros to pick up the win after Mochis starter Roy Merritt struggled through five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits.  MLB free agent Sergio Romo got the final four outs of the game for his third save of the series.  Rodriguez had two of the Caneros' five hits, scoring one run and driving in another.  Drew Maggi and Brian Hernandez each had three hits for Mazatlan but neither figured in any scoring.


Culiacan 6-8-0, HERMOSILLO 2-5-1

Culiacan scored a single run in six of their nine innings to deliver a death-by-a-thousand-cuts deafeat to Hermosillo, 6-2, Saturday in front of an overflow throng of 16,581 at the Naranjeros' Estadio Sonora.  The win edges the Tomateros ahead, 3 games to 2, in their first-round matchup with Hermosillo in a battle between two franchises with 26 MexPac pennants between them.

The Tomateros got a run in the first when Jose Manuel Rodriguez singled in Ryan Lollis.  After three scoreless innings, Culiacan scored a run in each frame from the fifth through the ninth: Ali Solis scored on a Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the fifth, Ramiro Pena scored on a Jose Guadalupe Chanvez single in the sixth, Lollis scored on a Pena sac fly in the seventh, Sebastian Elizalde scored on a Lollis single in the eighth and Joey Meneses scored on a Issmael sac fly in the ninth.  Culiacan was up 4-0 when Dustin Martin whacked a two-run homer for the Naranjeros in the bottom of the seventh, but that was all the scoring the Orangemen could muster against Tomateros starter Hector Daniel Rodriguez and three relievers.

Rodriguez went to 2-0 in the playoffs by pitching six innings and allowing two runs on three hits, striking out seven with one walk.  Derrick Loop struck out three of Hermosillo's final four outs for his second save.  The Naranjeros' Travis Blackley suffered his second loss in as many head-to-head starts against Rodriguez, going five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and striking out three.  Blackley had control issues, however, giving up five walks and throwing two wild pitches.


Navojoa 8-11-2, MEXICALI 6-9-0

The Navojoa Mayos blew open a scoreless game by pushing six runs across the plate in the top of the fourth inning and went on the outlast Mexicali, 8-6, Saturday before 15,813 witnesses at La Nida in the border city.  Navojoa pulled to within a game of the Aguilas, who lead the series, 3 games to 2.

The Mayos batted through the order in that fateful fourth, picking up four hits and two walks after Mexicali starter Javier Solano had retired the first two batters he faced in the inning.  The key Navojoa hits were a two-run single by Jesus Castillo that was immediately followed by a three-run Quincy Latimore homer. The 6-0 cushion was more than enough for Mayos starter Hector Velazquez to hold the fort before being pulled with one out in the seventh, leaving the game with a 8-4 lead. Another Mexicali run charged to Velazquez came in, but it was too little, too late for the home team, who must now beat the top seeded Mayos Sunday in Navojoa to close out the series.

Velazquez ended up allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks for his second postseason win in what was not one of his stronger outings of the season.  Solano was yanked with two out in the fourth and took his second playoff loss, giving up six runs on seven hits and four walks.  Castillo led the Mayos with three hits and three RBIs while scoring a run.  Chris Roberson had a single and double for Mexicali, scoring twice and driving in a run while batting champ Luis Juarez doubled in Yordanys Linares and then scored on an Agustin Murillo in the fourth inning, but it was not to be the Aguilas' night.

Caneros top Venados, 2-1, in 11 to open LMP playoffs

LOS MOCHIS 2-6-2, Mazatlan 1-8-0 (11)

Sebastian Valle (pictured) socked Roberto Espinosa's first pitch of the game over the left field wall for a walkoff home run to give the Los Mochis Caneros a 2-1 win in eleven innings over Mazatlan Monday night in the Mexican Pacific League playoff opener for both teams.

The game was a pitcher's duel between Venados starter Jeremy Kehrt (8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 K) and Mochis' Roy Merritt (6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 9 K) that both bullpens carried into extra frames.  Saul Soto singled in J.C. Linares in the bottom of the fifth to give Mochis a 1-0 lead.  Carlos Munoz scored Mazatlan's only run in the top of the seventh by coming in on a throwing error by Caneros second baseman Isaac Rodriguez after Erick Rodriguez singled for the Venados.

Linares and Valle each had two of Mochis' six hits while Erick Rodriguez had three of Mazatlan's eight safeties.  Reliever Santiago Gutierrez got the win for the Caneros, who host the Venados in Game Two Tuesday night at Estadio Emilia Ibarra Almada.


NAVOJOA 4-9-0, Mexicali 2-5-0

Chris Roberson led off the game with a homer off Navojoa ace Hector Velazquez to give Mexicali an early 1-0 lead, but the Mayos scored three times in the bottom of the third and went on to vanquish the Aguilas, 4-2, in Navojoa.

The Mayos loaded the bases against Mexicali starter Javier Solano in the third before Solano dished up a bases-clearing double to left by Jesus Castillo, giving the home team a 3-1 advantage.  C.J. Retherford's RBI single to left in the top of the fourth brought the Aguilas to within one run, but a Fernando Flores single in the bottom of the sixth for the Mayos brought in Alan Sanchez with the game's final tally.

Velazquez allowed two runs on three hits in 7.2 innings to get the win for Navojoa while Solano (5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R) absorbed the loss for Mexicali.  Esteban Haro pitched a scoreless ninth for the save for the Mayos.  Yosmany singled and doubled while Lance Zawadski singled twice for Navojoa.  Roberson added a single to his homer, making it a two-hit night for the Mexicali centerfielder.  The Mayos entertain the Aguilas Tuesday at Estadio Manuel "Ciclon" Echeverria.


CULIACAN 6-10-0, Hermosillo 3-7-0

A four-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Culiacan a commanding 6-1 lead as the Tomateros then held off Hermosillo's rally in the ninth to finish with a series-opening 6-3 win in front of 16,138 fans at Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Culiacan.  The Tomateros scored single runs in the third and sixth innings off Naranjeros starter Travis Blackley to take a 2-0 lead before Jason Bourgeois' single pushed Tim Torres across the plate with Hermosillo's first run in the top of the seventh.

Culiacan erupted for four more scores in the eighth, keyed by an RBI single from Joey Meneses and a two-run double by Ramiro Pena.  The Naranjeros scored twice in the ninth on pinch hitter Luis Alfonso Garcia's run-scoring single and an Efren Navarro sacrifice fly that brought in Jorge Flores from third before Tomateros reliever Derrick Loop got the final out of the contest.

Hector Daniel Rodriguez got the win for Culiacan while Blackley took the loss for Hermosillo.  Maxwell Leon had three hits for the Tomateros, who outhit the Orangemen by a 10-7 margin.  Flores singled and doubled for Hermosillo.  Game Two is Tuesday night in Culiacan.

Five LMB players handed drug suspensions; Blackley, Hankerd under review

The Mexican League has given multiple-game suspensions to five players, including three members of the Tijuana Toros, for violation of Minor League Baseball's banned substance policy.  Two others, Puebla pitcher Travis Blackley and Mexico City first basemen Cyle Hankerd, will be reviewed by a committee.

The longest suspension belongs to Yucatan outfielder Albino Contreras, who will sit 100 games for use of amphetamines because it's his second such suspension.  Contreras will also be required to miss the playoffs shoud the Leones qualify.  The 36-year-old Obregon native hit .208 in 49 games last summer, his second in Merida after spending eight years in the Quintana Roo Tigres outfield.  Prior to that, Contreras was in Puebla from 2001 through 2006.  He's a career .294 batter over 15 Liga seasons with 82 homers.

Tijuana outfielder Olmo Rosario and pitcher Miguel Angel Gonzalez each received 50-game suspensions for amphetamine use while Monterrey pitcher Hassan Pena was docked 50 games after testing positive for marijuana.   The 36-year-old Rosario, who spent time in the Rays and Giants system as well as a number of years in independent leagues and two in Italy, batted .313 for the Toros in 2016 after hitting .343 for Monclova one year earlier.  Pena is a 31-year-old Cuban and former Nationals minor leaguer who was 5-1 with a 5.28 ERA in 30 outings for the Sultanes last summer.  Gonzalez, frankly, is a mystery to BBM.  There have been two pitchers named Miguel Angel Gonzalez in the Mexican League in past years, but half an hour of research has turned up no evidence that neither has thrown a pitch since 2012 while nobody by that name appeared in the LMB in 2016.  The only name on the Tijuana roster that comes close is 38-year-old Texan Michael Gonzalez, a former Major Leaguer who was 0-2 with five saves in 38 appearances for the Toros this year, but that's not the name on the press release put out by the LMB.

Contreras, Rosario, Pena and Gonzalez (by whatever name) will also be required to sit for the playoffs should they be on the roster of a team that qualifies for the postseason in August.  A fifth player, veteran second baseman Carlos Valencia (also of Tijuana) will miss 50 games in 2017 but allowed to appear in the playoffs.  Valencia, a 37-year-old veteran of 17 Liga seasons, is a career .284 batter with 229 homers who has played in four LMB All-Star Games, winning MVP honors in 2009.

The cases of Blackley and Hankerd are not so clear-cut.  Both tested positive for banned substances, but they are prescription-related.  As a result, the two extraneros will be interviewed by a committee of specialists who will determine whether the medications in question are enough to warrant the suspension of either player.  Blackley, 34, is a former MLB hurler went 8-8 for Puebla during the regular season before going on to be awarded Playoff MVP by the Liga as a key member of the Pericos postseason pennant run.  The 31-year-old Hankerd is a former USC Trojan and Diamondbacks farmhand who hit .322 with 16 homers for the Diablos Rojos while splitting time between first base and right field this summer after playing first base on Mazatlan's Caribbean Series champions last winter.

None of the players performing in the Mexican Pacific League this winter have received suspensions from that circuit, which operates independently from either the Mexican League or Minor League Baseball.

2016 BBM Summer Awards Playoff MVP: Mauricio Lara, Puebla

The Mexican League presented their Playoff MVP award to Puebla pitcher Travis Blackley immediately after the Aussie MLB alum tossed eight innings of two-hit shutout ball in the Pericos' pennant-clinching 2-0 win at Tijuana on September 14.   However, a different conclusion has been reached for BBM's Summer Playoff MVP.

Blackley did indeed literally save his best for last, but was also touched by the Toros for three runs in 5.2 innings in his previous Serie del Rey start and the 33-year-old made just three starts over the three-round postseason, missing the opening series against defending champion Quintana Roo altogether.

A case could be just as easily made for Pericos closer Chaud Gaudin, another former big leaguer.  Following a regular season in which he saved 33 games (second in the LMB to Monclova's Arcenio Leon's 36) with a microscopic 1.64 ERA over 44 games, Gaudin won one game and saved seven more in the playoffs for the Parrots, three in the title series against Tijuana.  Gaudin had a couple rocky postseason outings that drove his playoff ERA up to 2.53 (still a very good number), making him anything but automatic.  After analyzing the numbers for all players who made significant postseason contributions during Puebla's pennant run, BBM goes with lefty starter Mauricio Lara.

Like Blackley, Lara posted three playoff wins for Puebla.  His only blemish in four starts was a no-decision after pitching seven strong innings in the Division Championship Series against Yucatan on September 4, a game that went 13 innings until the Leones pulled out a 4-3 win.  Lara won one game in each of the Pericos' three series, allowing just four earned runs over 27.1 frames for a sparkling 1.33 earned-run average.  While he wasn't as dominant as Blackley when the latter was on his game, Lara was rock-steady every time he took the mound en route to a playoff WHIP of 1.15 and gave his teammates a chance to win all four outings.  His final start of the year came September 10 in the Serie del Rey when he let in just one run over eight frames as the Pericos held on to win Game Three, 8-5, to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the set.

Mauricio Lara was born April 2, 1979 in Hermosillo, Sonora.  He was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an undrafted free agent at age 20 in early 2000 and assigned to Class A Augusta of the South Atlantic League, where he went 1-0 with a 1.41 ERA in 16 relief appearances before being shifted to Lowell of the Short Season Class A New York-Penn League and used as a starter (4-3, 2.12 ERA in 14 starts). He spent the entire 2001 campaign back in Augusta, where he was 7-6 and 3.02 over 107.1 innings, striking out 96 and showing good control for a lefty by walking just 24.  Lara put in one more year in the Sox system in 2002, turning in a 4-2 mark and a 4.35 ERA over 23 appearances, 19 from the bullpen, in his last season playing ball in the USA.

He made his Mexican League debut with Monterrey in 2003 as a reliever, going 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA for the Sultanes in 26 outings in which he only toiled 19.2 innings.  After missing the 2004 season for unknown reasons, Lara spent four more years in Monterrey togs with mixed results.  He was unsuccessful as a reliever in 2005 and 2006 (going 1-2 and 5.77 combined) but showed better after being converted into a starter in 2007.  He was 15-8 over two years for the Sultanes in that role, turning in a 3.68 ERA through 2008.

The 5'11" 194-pound portsider found himself in Quintana Roo for the 2009 season, going 3-6/6.19 in 11 starts for the Tigres before being traded to Puebla that June. He's been a mainstay in the Pericos' starting rotation ever since.  Lara posted a so-so 37-34 record between 2011 and 2015 with a 5.02 in that timespan, but hit his stride this summer.  He went 13-3 for the Pericos with a 3.14 ERA to finished tied with Monclovas Josh Lowey for second in the LMB in wins behind the 18 of Yucatan's Yoanner Negrin.

While pitching almost exclusively for just two Mexican League teams since 2004, Lara has been constantly on the move during the winter in the Mexican Pacific League. Over the past ten LMP seasons, he's pitched for (in order) Navojoa, Obregon, Guasave, Los Mochis, Mazatlan and Mexicali, going 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 29 relief appearances for the Aguilas last winter.  Still, Lara has enough cache in the MexPac that he was the first overall selection by Culiacan in June's annual LMP draft of domestic players.  The Tomateros will host the 2017 Caribbean Series at their year-old ballpark in February.  The LMP regular season opens October 11.

Blackley, Pericos shut out Tijuana for LMB flag

Travis Blackley tossed eight shutout innings and Chad Gaudin closed out both the game and season as the Puebla Pericos defeated Tijuana, 2-0, Wednesday night in TJ to win the Mexican League Championship Series and claim Puebla's fifth LMB pennant.  A packed house of 17,893 was on hand at Estadio Gasmart to witness Game Six of the Serie del Rey.

Blackley, a former major league hurler from Australia, only allowed singles by Dustin Martin and Roberto Lopez while striking out six and walking two to post his third playoff win of 2016.  He was named Playoff MVP by the Liga following the contest.  This might not even be the highlight of the 33-year-old lefty's past year...Blackley married American model Jenna Cecil in the offseason, with no apparent deleterious effect on his stamina (football coaches, take note).

The game was a pitcher's duel from the onset, as Tijuana starter Barry Enright matched Blackley, zero for zero, until serving up a two-out homer to Puebla first baseman Daric Barton to center field in the top of the sixth inning.  Enright lasted 6.2 innings, scattering seven hits and walking one while striking out five Pericos batsmen in absorbing a loss he really didn't deserve.  After Jose Meraz replaced Enright (who'd thrown 103 pitches) to record the final out of the seventh, Juan Sandoval took the hill for the Toros and pitched a scoreless eighth.

Sandoval, a 35-year-old Dominican righty who pitched well for Tijuana after being released by Mexico City in late June, opened the top of the ninth by letting up a leadoff double to Sergio Perez, who lined a 1-1 pitch into left field.  It looked like the Toros might escape their predicament when Alberto Carreon grounded out and Rudy Amador struck pout swinging, but Nyjer Morgan's sharp grounder up the middle into center scored pinch-runner Oscar Sanay from second to make it a 2-0 Puebla lead.  The threat ended one pitch later when Morgan lit out to steal second but was nailed by a perfect throw from Toros catcher Juan Apodaca to second sacker Carlos Valencia for the third out.

It was then left to Gaudin, who pitched for nine MLB teams between 2003 and 2013, to close out the game and season for Puebla in the bottom of the ninth, but it didn't go as smoothly as Pericos manager Cory Snyder hoped.  After Oscar Robles led off for Tijuana by lining out to Carreon at shortstop, Olmo Rosario legged out a bunt single down the third base line to keep the Toros' hopes alive.  Gaudin then faced the dangerous Dustin Martin, who'd already had a pocketful of postseason plate heroics for Tijuana.  After working the count to 3-2, Gaudin got Martin swinging for the second out. During the at-bat, Rosario broke for second to steal the bag, drawing a throw from Tapia.  Umpire Jesus Lopez ruled Rosario safe, causing Pericos skipper Snyder to come out of the dugout to protest the decision, but the call was upheld.  Gaudin then took matters into his own hands by whiffing Apodaca on five pitches to pick up his seventh playoff save and clinch the title for Puebla.

Ex-MLB outfielder Willy Taveras had an outstanding Serie del Rey for the Pericos, batting .458 over the six-game set, while Barton and Tapia each hit two homers for Puebla.  This series was decided by pitching, however, as the Pericos staff held Tijuana to a .199 average.

Puebla 2-10-0, TIJUANA 0-3-1 (Puebla wins series, 4 games to 2)
W-Blackley. L-Enright. SV-Gaudin. HR-Barton (P). T-3:02. A-17,893.

Pericos outlast TJ, 6-3, title series tied at 1 game each

Dustin Martin hit his second homer in as many nights, a two-run shot that brought his Tijuana Toros to within a run of Puebla, but the Pericos added a pair of late runs and went on to beat the host team, 6-3, Thursday night to tie the Mexican League Championship Series at one game apiece.  An overflow crowd of 17,399 attended Game Two of the Serie el Rey at Tijuana's Estadio Gasmart.

Puebla got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning when LMB batting champ Cesar Tapia, who's had a fairly quiet postseason, jolted a full-count delivery from Toros starter Barry Enright over the left field wall for a solo homer. The 1-0 score held until the top of the fourth, when the Pericos plated three runs. Daric Barton led the frame off with a triple, with Tapia singling him in. Subsequently, Alberto Carreon singled and Nyjer Morgan walked to load the bases with two out, bringing up Willy Taveras.  After Enright got him to whiff on the first pitch, Taveras lined the Pepperdine product's next offering to center field to bring in both Tapia and Carreon to make it a 4-0 lead for the Pericos.

Up to that point, Puebla starter Travis Blackley (pictured) was sailing along and the Aussie carried a one-hitter into the bottom of the fifth, when he walked Oscar Robles, wild-pitched Robles to second and then let up a run-scoring, ground-rule double to Carlos Valencia, who bounced a liner past Morgan and over the left field fence to ruin Blackley's shutout bid.  Things got a little warmer for Blackley and the Pericos in the sixth, when Martin followed up an Alex Romero single with his fourth homer of the playoffs to close the gap to 4-3.

That was as close as TJ would get, however, as Morgan singled in Tapia with a Puebla run in the top of the eighth off reliever Juan Sandoval and Barton touched Jason Urquidez with an RBI single in the ninth, driving in Jose Rodriguez with the final score of the game to clinch the win for the Parrots.  It was the first postseason run allowed by Urquidez in eight appearances after the Arizonan had saved 26 regular season games in 27 opportunities for the Toros.  The former Diamondbacks minor leaguer also pitched a scoreless inning for the victorious North in June's LMB All-Star Game at Estadio Monterrey.

Blackley got the win, allowing three runs over 5.2 innings on four hits and three walks, while Chad Gaudin picked up his fifth postseason save.  Enright took the loss, his second defeat in three playoff decisions, after giving up four runs on eight hits in 3.2 frames.  Tapia had three of Puebla's 13 hits, scoring three times and driving in two runs.  Tijuana collected just four hits on the night and now have just seven safeties over the first two games of the title tilt.

The two combatants will have the day off Friday before resuming the Serie el Rey with three games at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Puebla is seeking its fifth Liga pennant since first fielding an LMB team in 1942 and their first since 1986.  Former big leaguer Cory Snyder has managed the Pericos since the All-Star Break, when the team shockingly fired Matias Carrillo even though the team had the best record in the league at the time.  Carrillo is now a member of the Toros coaching staff under skipper Pedro Mere, who himself assumed the reins July 4 after Luis Sojo was canned.  This is the first time Tijuana has played for a Mexican League title.

Puebla 6-13-0, TIJUANA 3-4-0 (Series tied at 1 game each)
W-Blackley. L-Enright. SV-Gaudin. HR-Martin (T). T-2:46. A-17,399.

LMB Division Championships results, highlights for Wednesday, August 1

Travis Blackley (pictured) picked up where he left off when rain delayed Tuesday night's game and went on to pitch seven strong innings as Puebla defeated Yucatan, 5-3, Wednesday at Estadio Hermanos Serdan extend the Pericos' Mexican League South Division Championship Series lead over the Leones, 3 games to 0.  In the LMB North DCS, Olmo Rosario had a big night for Tijuana as the Toros broke Monterrey pitchers' 33-inning shutout streak in a big way, pounding the Sultanes, 9-1, in Estadio Gasmart to hand the visitors their first loss of the postseason.

PUEBLA 5-12-0, Yucatan 3-7-1 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 0)
W-Blackley. L-T. Solis. SV-Gaudin. HR-J. Valdez (Y). T-2:56. A-12,112.
Former big leaguer Travis Blackley returned to the mound after tossing one scoreless inning Tuesday night and put in six more frames of work Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits to pick up his first win of the playoffs.  Tomas Solis, who allowed the first run of the game Tuesday, did not reappear but was handed the loss for the Leones.  Ruben Rivera had three hits for the winners while Nyjer Morgan singled and scored twice while driving in another run for Puebla.  Jesus Valdez cracked a solo homer for Yucatan, who face elimination by the Pericos in Thursday's tilt in the colonial city.

TIJUANA 9-11-0, Monterrey 1-5-3 (Monterrey leads series, 2 games to 1)
W-Sanabia. L-O. Villareal. HR-Rosario (T), Sappelt (M), Apodaca (T), R. Lopez (T). T-2:45. A-15,018.
Olmo Rosario went 3-for-5 with a grand slam as Tijuana doused Monterrey, 9-1, in front of 15,018 home fans at Estadio Gasmart Wednesday night.  Sultanes pitchers had extended their playoff shutout string to 33 innings (including four straight shutouts) into the third inning, when Alex Romero's single off Cesar Carrillo drove in Edson Garcia with the game's first run.  Tijuana had a 3-1 lead when Rosario's quad shot put the game out of reach four entradas later.  Toros starter Alex Sanabia allowed one run in six innings for the win.  The two teams meet again tonight in TJ.

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE
Yucatan (J. Castellanos) at Puebla (H. Garcia), Estadio Hermanos Serdan, 8:00pm EDT
Monterrey (J. Solano) at Tijuana (H. Ramirez), Estadio Gasmart, 8:35pm EDT

LMB Division Championships results, highlights for Tuesday, August 30

This won't take long.

One Mexican League playoff game was scheduled for Tuesday, with the Yucatan Leones in Puebla to face the Pericos in the LMB South Championship Series (Puebla leads, 2 games to 0).

Pericos starter Travis Blackley escaped the top of the first inning unscored upon after inducing a two-out comebacker groundout by Luis Alfonso Garcia with runners on second and third.  In the bottom of the frame, Puebla pushed a run across the plate when LMB vet Jose Rodriguez doubled off Yucatan hurler Tomas Solis to bring in former big leaguer Nyjer Morgan from third. Solis got the final two outs of the inning to limit the damage, but he couldn't keep the rain from falling at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan and umpires halted play before the second frame could get underway.

Game Three in Puebla is scheduled to resume Wednesday at 1:00pm EDT.  In the LMB North Championship Series, the Tijuana Toros will host the Monterrey Sultanes at 7:35pm EDT Wednesday.  Monterrey leads that set, 2 games to 0. Sultanes pitchers are on an incredible postseason run, stringing 31 consecutive shutout innings together including four straight shutouts.  They defeated the Toros by identical 3-0 scores last weekend at Estadio Monterrey.

Streaking Pericos complete second straight sweep

Ex-MLB pitcher Travis Blackley (pictured) left the game after six innings with an 11-1 lead as the Puebla Pericos went on to post a 14-7 win over the Tabasco Olmecas Thursday night in front of 4,451 fans at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan.  The victory was the seventh straight for the Parrots, who claimed their second consecutive series sweep after copping three straight triumphs against Yucatan in Merida last weekend.

Blackley allowed just two hits and struck out five Tabasco batters for his second win in three decisions in 2016.  The Australian lefty had one shaky inning, giving up a walk, hitting a batter and giving up a two-out RBI single to Jorge Guzman in the fourth to put the Olmecas on the board, but the Pericos had already scored four runs to that point to give Blackley a cushion before exploding for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Rodolfo Amador socked a two-run homer as Puebla sent ten batsmen to the plate.

After Blackley tossed two more scoreless frames, the Pericos scored three more times to make it a 14-1 lead after six innings.  To their credit, Tabasco showed late signs of life with four runs in the eighth, with Juan Silverio stroking a two-run single to left, and Rogelio Noris and Silverio hit back-to-back homers off Rogelio Bernal in the top of the ninth to bring the score to 14-7, but too much damage had already been done and Benny Suarez retired two of the Olmecas' next three batters to end the game.

The two teams combined for 27 hits (16 by Puebla) and 12 walks in the game, which lasted three hours and 27 minutes.  Pericos catcher Cesar Tapia, one of the top batters in the LMB thus far, went 4-for-4 with two doubles, four RBI's and three runs scored to raise his average to .394.  The 33-year-old Tapia is in his 12th Liga season (all but one with Puebla) and has a career .327 mark and has hit below .300 just once since 2006.

For his part, Blackley (also 33) recorded his best start of the young season.  The well-traveled hurler has pitched for five MLB teams in his 16-year career, mostly bouncing between AAA and the bigs along with stints in Korea and Japan.  He married model Jenna Cecil in the offseason.

The 19-10 Pericos are tied with Quintana Roo for first place in the LMB South.  Puebla is 11-2 on the road this year while the Tigres are 11-5, as are the third-place Yucatan Leones, who lost, 2-1, at Campeche Tuesday.  In the LMB North, Monclova withstood a five-run ninth by visiting Monterrey to hold off the Sultanes, 6-5, to go to 21-8 on the season while building their lead over the Sultanes to four games.

BLACKLEY SIGNS WITH KOREAN TEAM, DONE WITH HERMOSILLO

The Mexican Pacific League’s ERA leader is finished for the winter. Former major leaguer Travis Blackley (pictured), who was 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA for the Hermosillo Naranjeros, is back home in his native Australia and through pitching for the defending champion after signing a 2011 contract with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization. The Tigers have ordered him to stop pitching in Mexico despite a Naranjeros website claim that Blackley “did his utmost to get permission” to return to Hermosillo for the rest of the winter.

To replace Blackley on the roster, the Naranjeros picked up another ex-MLB lefty, Randy Keisler, off the Obregon Yaquis roster. Keisler, who went 4-4 in parts of three seasons with the Reds, Athletics and Cardinals between 2005 and 2007, was signed by Obregon in early December after a 3-3 summer with the Mexican League’s Laguna Vaqueros in 2010, but never pitched an inning for the Yaquis.

Elsewhere in the Mex Pac, Mazatlan’s Leo Rosales is out for the year with a shoulder injury after going 11-for-11 in save opportunities with a 2.95 ERA in 20 appearances. Rosales has been replaced on the roster by import third baseman Brian Barden. The Venados also picked up outfielder Edgar Quintero on loan from Los Mochis. Quintero hit .320 with 13 homers in 96 games for Monterrey in the Mexican League in 2010.

STANDINGS TIGHTEN IN LMP: THREE GAMES SEPARATE TOP SEVEN TEAMS

Pete Rozelle would love this. The former National Football League commissioner was a champion of parity in the NFL and he’d be happy if his league had the kind of competition that’s developed this year in the Mexican Pacific League, where just three games separate the top seven teams in the first half standings.

Guasave and Los Mochis are tied for first place with 17-12 records, one game up on Mexicali and Hermosillo (both 16-13) and two games ahead of 15-14 Mazatlan. Culiacan and Obregon are tied for sixth with 14-15 marks. Only 7-22 Navojoa appears out of contention for the first half title.

Guasave’s Eduardo Arredondo tops the circuit with a .411 batting average, just ahead of the .405 showing of Hermosillo’s Geronimo Gil. Gil’s teammate, Luis Alfonso Garcia, is seeking to repeat as the league MVP by leading the LMP with 13 homers and 36 RBIs to go with his .330 average.

Travis Blackley of Hermosillo (pictured) leads Mex Pac starting pitchers with a 2.52 ERA (just head of Mochis’ Dan Serafini’s 2.53), and his four wins in five decisions is tied for second behind Alberto Castillo’s five victories for Mochis. Mexicali’s Andy Sisco has 42 strikeouts and his 2.57 ERA is third in the LMP.