MEXICO – The Mazatlan Venados won five straight games last week to pass Hermosillo on the Mexican Pacific League leaderboard. The Venados came into the weekend with an 11-6-0 record, a half-game up on the 10-6-1 Naranjeros, who went 2-4 last week.

Los Mochis is in third place at 9-7-1, Mexicali and Navojoa are tied for fourth with 9-8-0 marks, followed by 8-9-1 Obregon, 6-9-1 Culiacan and 3-12-1 Guasave. It was a rough week for the Algodoneros, who were swept in consecutive road series in Mazatlan and Navojoa.

Mochis first baseman Sandy Madera (pictured) has taken the MexPac batting lead with a .413 average over 17 games. Madera’s Caneros teammate Sebastian Valle and Culiacan’s Refugio Cervantes are tied for the lead in homers at five apiece, while Cervantes and Hermosillo’s Darnell McDonald are knotted up at the top of the RBI list with 19 each.

Several pitchers have fared well early, perhaps none more so than Mazatlan’s Oscar Bustillos, who is 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA and seven hits allowed 17 innings over three starts.

MAZATLAN VENADOS (11-6-0)
Mazatlan won five of six games last week, including a three-game sweep of Guasave. Heber Gomez hit a game-winning 13th-inning single in a 2-1 Venados triumph October 23 as Mazatlan went on to hold the Algodoneros to three runs over the weekend series.

Pablo Ortega hurled seven frames in a 3-0 blanking of Hermosillo last Tuesday, followed by a 2-1 win over the Naranjeros Wednesday as Christian Quintero’s walkoff single in the 9th ended it.

HERMOSILLO NARANJEROS (10-6-1)
Hermosillo lost two of three home games against Los Mochis last weekend, avoiding a sweep with a 10-4 win last Sunday as Trent Oeltgen hit two doubles and a single, scoring three runs with an RBI.

The Naranjeros then lost the first two games of a midweek series in Mazatlan before topping the Venados, 4-2, Thursday night. Oeltgen had another strong night with a single and triple, scoring once and driving in two to back up Juan Delgadillo’s six innings of two-hit shutout pitching.

LOS MOCHIS CANEROS (9-7-1)
Los Mochis went 3-3 last week to hang onto third place. The Caneros won two of three in Hermosillo last weekend. Sebastian Valle homered and drove in three in an 8-6 win over the Orangemen October 23, and last year’s ERA champ, Ismael Castillo, went six innings in Mochis’ 3-1 win a day later.

The Caneros then lost two home games against Obregon after winning Tuesday’s opener, 9-4, as Saul Soto went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs while Ivan Terrazas doubled twice with three RBIs.

MEXICALI AGUILAS (9-8-0)
Mexicali took two of three home games against Navojoa last weekend, thanks to the bat of Brad Snyder. The Cubs farmhand had four hits and two RBIs in the Aguilas’ 9-8, ten-inning win over the Mayos on October 23, and went 2-for-3 with three ribbies in last Sunday’s 9-4 victory over Navojoa.

The Aguilas then lost two home contests with Culiacan before a 6-4 win Thursday night as Snyder doubled and stroked a two-run homer while Adam Rosales scored three runs for Mexicali.

NAVOJOA MAYOS (9-8-0)
Navojoa won four of six games to pull into a fourth-place tie with Mexicali. The Mayos lost two of three against Mexicali last weekend, winning a 9-7 Saturday match behind Abel Martinez’ three-hit work.

The Mayos went on to sweep Guasave in a midweek set. Raul Lopez had a homer and three RBIs in a 9-6 win Tuesday, Javier Robles’ two homers paced a 6-4 Wednesday victory, and Navojoa broke out the brooms Thursday when Adan Munoz’ three-run homer helped the Mayos to a 12-4 triumph.

OBREGON YAQUIS (8-9-0)
Obregon went 2-1 against both Culiacan and Los Mochis to end last week three games out of first. The Yaquis clobbered the Tomateros 20-6 October 23 as John Mayberry Jr. went 5-for-6 with a homer, scoring five runs and driving in three. Obregon beat Culiacan one night later, 12-3.

After losing 9-4 in Mochis on Tuesday the Yaquis won the next two. Neil Sellers was 5-for-5 and homered in Wednesday’s 7-4 win, and Carlos Valencia hit a three-run homer in a 5-4 victory Thursday.

CULIACAN TOMATEROS (6-9-1)
Culiacan won three of four games after losing their first two against Obregon. The Tomateros broke through Sunday with an 8-2 triumph behind Mike Cervenak’s homer and three RBIs.

The Tomato Growers then won two straight in Mexicali. Refugio Cervantes hit a grand slam en route to a six-RBI night as Culiacan beat the Aguilas, 12-5, Tuesday. Dee Brown was 2-for-4 with a homer in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Mexicali as starter Chris Waters let in one run in 6.2 innings.

GUASAVE ALGODONEROS (3-12-1)
Guasave had a week they’d rather forget, losing all six games they played. The Algodoneros wasted 8.1 shutout innings by starter Jim McGrane October 23 in a 1-0, 13-inning loss to Mazatlan, and David Welch’s five innings of one-run ball went for naught in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Venados.

Guasave then lost three straight in Navojoa. Leonardo Heras hit a two-run homer in the opener, Japhet Amador doubled and homered in Wednesday’s loss and Marshall McDougall homered Thursday.

DOMINICAN, VENEZUELAN WINTER SEASONS UNDERWAY

While the Mexican Pacific League is entering the third week of winterball action, two of the other three Caribbean Series circuits have also begun regular season play.

The Caracas Leones and Magallenes Navegantes are battling for the early lead in the Venezuelan League standings. Caracas is 13-4 for a one-game lead over Magallenes.

Well-travelled minor league veteran Selwyn Langainge leads batters with a .424 average. Among pitchers, Margarita’s Carlos Monasterios is 3-0 with an 0.64 ERA.

In the Dominican League, the Escogido Leones are 7-3 and hold a one-game lead over the Licey Tigres and Este Toros, who are both 6-4.

Victor Mercedes of Este leads Dominican batters with a .412 average, while pitcher Tobi Stoner of Escogido is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA.

The Puerto Rico Baseball League has not begun play. Opening day in the six-team league is scheduled for November 12.

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Bruce Baskin is Editor/Producer at Baseball Mexico

Photo courtesy of paulsrandomstuff.wordpress.com

Tags: Mexico