Charros Shut Out By Tomateros 4-0

Unlike the opening game where the Charros scored 18 runs, their bats went silent in the second game against the Tomateros de Culiacan, played in Culiacan.

Opening Day Ceremonies in Culiacan

The game started as a pitchers duel of sorts until the bottom of the 5th inning with both teams searching for an offense and depending on the defense to keep the game close.

Bruce Kern, the Jalisco starter, had flirted with danger in the 3rd and 4th innings, putting runners in scoring position both innings. The defense came to his aid both times, turning double plays to end the inning with no damage done.

Elizalde's Home Run

Kern's luck ran out in the bottom of the 5th. After getting the first two Tomateros out, he hit Rico Noel with a pitch. Noel stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Kern then walked Ronnier Mustelier. Sebastian Elizalde then took a 2 ball no strike pitch deep to right for a 3 run home run that broke up the scoreless game and gave Culiacan a 3-0 lead.

Culiacan would add an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th. After Mike Carp hit into a force out, Jose Orozco, the pinch runner, stole second. The Charros reliever, Ivan Salas, then unleashed a wild pitch that put Orozco on third. Orozco scored on a ground ball to third for the 4-0 lead and the game.

Bruce Kern on the Mound

Bruce Ken pitched 5 innings in the loss, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, including the home run in the 5th inning, to fall to 0-1 on the young season.

Daniel Rodriguez picked up the win, working 5 2/3 innings, striking out 5, walking 1 and holding the Charros scoreless on 4 hits.

It's on to Obregon tonight to begin a 3 game series against the Yaquis before returning home on Tuesday the 18th of October to face the Caneros de Los Mochis for three games.

IN OTHER LMP ACTION

Navojoa 6, Los Mochis 4

Yadir Drake hit 2 home runs for the Caneros but Los Mochis fell to the Mayos 6-4. Navojoa scored 2 runs in the 6th and 3 more in the 7th to secure the win and move to 2-0 on the year. Cole Garner was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs for the Mayos while Yadir Drake went 2 for 4 with the 2 home runs for the Caneros. Carlos Felix picked up the win in relief with Kyle Grana notching his 2nd save. Thomas Melgarejo took the loss for Los Mochis.

Kyle Grana with the Save

Hermosillo 4, Obregon 2

Carlos Valencia and Dave Sappelt homered for the Yaquis but it wasn't enough to offset Jose Amador's 2 run home run for the Naranjeros in the 4-2 win for Hermosillo. Juan Pablo Oramas got the win with Paul Seward picking up his 2nd save of the season. David Reyes took the loss for Obregon.

Mexicali 9, Mazatlán 4

Ramon Rios went 4 for 5 and Ricky Alvarez 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs for the Aguilas in the 9-4 win over the Venados. Luis Juarez was 3 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs for Mexicali. Cyle Hankerd went 1 for 3 with a home run for the Venados. Javier Solano picked up the win while Sergio Valenzuela took the loss for Mazatlán.

Aguilas Lineup Card

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Mexicali Wins Convincingly in Game 1 of the LMP Championship

SWAMP VENADOS 8-1 ON 14 HITS

Ricky Alavez and Luis Juarez homered, and CJ Retherford was 2 for 5 with an RBI. Newcomer Alex Liddi went 1 for 4 with 2 runs scored and Walter Ibarra, hitting 9th in the lineup, was 2 for 3 with an RBI as the Aguilas de Mexicali routed the Venados de Mazatlán 8-1 to win game 1 of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico Championship round.

After giving up a run to Mazatlán in the 1st inning, Mexicali starter Javier Solano, who picked up the win, scattered 4 hits and struck out 7 in 5 1/3 innings on the mound. After Solano threw his 96th pitch of the game, the Aguilas manager called in reliever Manuel Chavez to finish the 6th inning. 4 Mexicali relievers held the Venados to 2 hits and no runs while striking out 3 over the final 3 2/3 innings. Amilcar Gaxiola worked 5 innings for the Venados allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in taking the loss.

Mazatlán scored their only run in the 1st inning. Justin Greene singled to center and scored on a double to left center by Esteban Quiroz that put the Venados up 1-0. Mazatlán would only get a runner in scoring position once more.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Yuniesky Betancourt singled and went to second as Alex Liddi reached safely on a fielding error by the Venados shortstop. Ricky Alarez followed with a long home run to left that scored Betancourt and Liddi as Mexicali took a 3-1 lead.

Alvarez' 3 Run Home Run

Mexicali scored a run in the bottom of the 4th on a solo home run to left by Luis Juarez and a 4-1 Aguilas lead.

Two innings later the Aguilas broke the game open, scoring 4 runs on 4 hits. The Venados helped Mexicali in the inning by committing an error, throwing a wild pitch and walking 2 batters. Liddi led off the inning with a single to deep short and went to second on the throwing error. Alvarez waited out a walk. One out later Liddi scored on a ground rule double to left by Xorge Carrillo with Alvarez moving to third. With Walter Ibarra batting, the Venados pitcher uncorked a wild pitch that scored Alvarez and moved Carrillo to third. Ibarra followed with a single to score Carrillo. After a force out at second on a ground ball by Chris Roberson, Roman Urias drew the second walk of the inning. CJ Retherford singled to center to score Roberson and the Aguilas had an 8-1 lead and the win.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Thursday the 21st of January in Mexicali. Following a travel day on Friday, the series will resume in Mazatlán with game 3 on Saturday the 23rd. Games 4 and 5, if necessary, will be played on Sunday and Monday.

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Mexicali Tops Navojoa 4-3 in 16 Innings

WILL FACE MAZATLAN IN LMP CHAMPIONSHIP

Let the Cebration Begin in Mexicali

CJ Retherford's successful squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 16th inning scored Chris Roberson from third for the winning run as the Aguilas de Mexicali defeated the Mayos de Navojoa 4-3 to take game 7 of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico semifinal round and advance to the Championship series against the Venados de Mazatlán. This game was the longest in the history of the LMP Playoffs.

The Aguilas had tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the 6th inning when Retherford was hit by a pitch with 2 outs and scored in front of a home run to center by Luis Juarez. Those would be the last runs scored by either team for the next 10 innings.

19 pitchers were used in the game, 9 by the Mayos and 10 by the Aguilas. Yair Lozoya pitched the final 2 innings for Mexicali to pick up the win while Tomas Solis was charged with the run in the 16th and took the loss for Navojoa.

The teams combined to use 28 position players, 15 by the Aguilas and 13 by the Mayos. The Mexicali substitutes went 3 for 7 while the Mayos pinch hitters were 0-5. Navojoa was 1 for 9 and Mexicali 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Another sellout crowd of 17,000 in Mexicali sat through a game that lasted 6 hours and 2 minutes. There is no mention of how many fans were around at the end of the game that started at 8PM (local time) on the 18th of January and finished at 2:02 AM (local time) on the 19th of January.

Both teams scored in the 1st inning. Carlos Moncrief led off the top of the 1st for Navojoa by drawing a walk. 2 batters later, Jesus Castillo waited out a walk to put runners on first and second. A double by Jose Amador scored Moncrief for the early 1-0 lead.

Mexicali answered in their half of the inning when Chris Roberson singled with 2 outs, stole second and scored on a single to left by Yuniesky Betancourt to tie the game at 1.

Navojoa added a run in the 3rd inning on a lead off single by Moncrief, a double by Nate Tenbrink and a sac fly to right by Quincy Latimore. The Mayos had a 2-1 lead after 3 innings.

In the top of the 5th inning, Tenbrink reached on a 1 out single, Latimore's single to center moved him to third and Castillo hit a sac fly to left that scored Tenbrink for a 3-1 Navojoa lead.

Luis Juarez'  home run in the bottom of the 6the inning, with Retherford aboard, tied the game at 3 all. There would be no more scoring for 10 innings.

There are several choices for Most Valuable Player (MVP) in this series. Luis Juarez won game 1 for the Aguilas with a 2 out single in the bottom of the 9th and his home run in this game tied the score. CJ Retherford's ability to lay down the squeeze after 6 hours of play in this game, his .318 batting average for the playoffs and his consistent play at first base is certainly worthy of consideration. Although he didn't make the splashy plays as did Juarez and Retherford, Xorge Carrillo hit .382 and was solid behind the plate for Mexicali.

The LMP Championship Series has the Aguilas facing the Venados de Mazatlán with the series set to begin on Wednesday the 20th of January.

Mexicali Overwhelms Mayos 10-1

4 RUN 1ST INNING PORTENDS OF THINGS TO COME

The Aguilas de Mexicali batted around in the bottom of the 1st inning, sending 9 men to the plate and scoring 4 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks thrown in for good measure. All the runs were scored with 2 outs as the Mayos de Navojoa faced the offensive juggernaut that was awakened in the late innings of game 1.

Aguilas Score 2

CJ Retherford's double to deep center field was the big blow of the inning, driving in Luis Juarez and Yuniesky Betancourt for a quick 2-0 lead. After a walk to Wellington Dotel on a wild pitch, Retherford scored on a single by Ricky Alvarez with Dotel moving to third. Dotel scored on a single to center by Xorge Carrillo and the Aguilas led 4-0.

Carrillo led off the bottom of the 4th with a double and scored one out later on a single to right by Chris Roberson. After Walter Ibarra flew out to center, Luis Juarez singled to score Roberson. Betancourt singled to put runners on first and second. Retherford walked to load the bases. Dotel singled to left to score Juarez and Betancourt and Mexicali had an 8-0 lead after 4 innings.

Daniel Rodriguez, the Aguilas starter, held the Mayos hitless through 4 innings but lost the no hitter and the shutout when Jose Amador hit a 2-2 fastball over the wall in left center for a solo home run that cut the Mexicali lead to 8-1. Rodriguez picked up the win, giving up the one run on 1 hit while walking 1 and striking out 7 over 6 innings of work.

Jorge Castillo, the Mayos starter, lasted just 2/3 of an inning allowing 4 runs on 4 hits with 2 walks in being charged with the loss.

The Aguilas scored single runs in the 5th and 6th to put the game away with the final score of 10-1.

Luis Juarez was 2 for 4 on the night with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Betancourt, 2 for 4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored. CJ Retherford went 1 for 3 with the 2 run double, Dotel 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs and 2 walks and Xorge Carrillo was 2 for 3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored for the Aguilas.

Nate Tenbrink, Genaro Andrade and Quincy Latimore were all 1 for 3 for Navojoa. Jose Amador went 1 for 4 with the home run.

The Aguilas, counting the sweep of the Charros in round 1, are 6-0 in the playoffs. Game 3 will be played on Wednesday in Navojoa with Mexicali staked to a 2 games to none lead in the semifinal round. The winner of this series will face the winner of the Yaquis/Venados series for the LMP Championship.

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Charros Swept by Aguilas; Lose game 4 by a 7-4 Score

AGUILAS SCORE 6 RUNS IN THE 7th TO PUT AWAY CHARROS

The Charros de Jalisco were officially eliminated from the Liga Mexicana del Pacifco playoffs on Wednesday night. The Aguilas de Mexicali used a 6 run outburst in the 7th inning to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 7-3 lead from which the Charros would not recover.

Terance Marin on the Mound

Terance Marin, the Jalisco starting pitcher, took the loss working 6 innings and left the game after scattering 5 hits, giving up 1 run and striking out 2. Marin had thrown 83 pitches in those 6 innings.

I give these stats because the Charros manager, Homer Rojas, replaced Marin with reliever Manuel Flores to start the 7th inning. Flores walked the first batter he faced and gave up singles to Jon Del Campo and Roman Urias that allowed the Aguilas to cut the Charros lead to 3-2. Rojas replaced Flores with reliever Ivan Salas. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base, Salas unleashed a wild pitch that scored Del Campo and tied the score at 3 all. Mexicali went on to score 4 more runs in the inning to bury the Charros.

Should Rojas have left Marin in the game? The answer is a resounding yes! Marin had thrown 83 pitches in 6 innings, an average of 14 pitches per inning, and held the Aguilas in check. Even using a 110 pitch count, Marin should have been able to pitch 8 innings. This was an elimination game. Lose and go home. Rojas should have allowed Marin to pitch until he proved ineffective. Marin could not have pitched worse than Flores and Salas. He deserved the chance as did the 8,800 plus fans that hoped for a victory to extend the Charros season.

Cacao Scores the 1st Run

Jalisco jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the 1st inning. Cacao Valdez drew a 2 out walk and moved to second on a one hop fly ball to center by Alex Liddi. Valdez scored on a single to center by Agustin Murillo and Liddi came home on a single to left by Miguel Olive that gave the Charros a 2-0 lead.

Liddi Scores on a Single by Olivo

Asael Sanchez singled to lead off the 4th for Jalisco, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Luis Medina and scored on a throwing error by the Aguilas catcher to extend the Charros lead to 3-0.

Mexicali struck back in the top of the 5th inning on a walk to Luis Juarez, a single by Xorge Carrillo and a line drive single to center by Chris Roberson that scored Juarez and cut the Charros lead to 3-1.

The Aguilas scored all the runs they would need in the 7th inning and the Charros entered the bottom of the 9th inning behind 7-3. Asael Sanchez doubled to lead off the inning and scored, one out later, on a double by pinch hitter Ivan Araujo. That would be all the scoring and the Aguilas move on to the next round of the LMP playoffs with the 4 game sweep of the Charros under their belts.

Ex Charros player, CJ Retherford, went 3 for 5 on the night for Mexicali while teammate Wellington Dotel was 2 for 4.

Jesus "Cacao" Valdez and Miguel Olivo were both 2 for 4 for the Charros and Asael Sanchez was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored.

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Charros Drop Game 1 In Mexicali 6-2

Jalisco dropped the opening game of a three game set in Mexicali on Friday night by a 6-2 score. The turning point in the game happened in the 3rd inning when the Charros' relievers gave up 4 runs after getting the first two outs.

Mexicali started off the scoring in the bottom of the 1st. With two outs, Charros starter, Juan Delgadillo, issued a walk to Dave Sappelt who scored on a triple by Luis Juarez. The Aguilas jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.

Jalisco tied the game at 1all in the top of the 2nd on a solo home run by Jose Felix, his first of the year.

In the bottom of the third, Juan Delgadillo got the first two batters to fly out to center. At this point, Juan Navarrete brought in Charros reliever Ken Sigman to replace Delgadillo. Sigman immediately gave up a double to Josh Whitesell and a single to Humberto Cota that scored Whitesell. Sigman threw a wild pitch to move up the runner and then walked Ricardo Serrano. Chris Roberson followed the walk with a single to right that scored Cota. Manuel Flores was called on to relieve Sigman. Gil Velazquez doubled off Flores to drive in Serrano and Roberson. Justin Greene grounded out to third to end the inning but the damage was done. The Aguilas had a 5-1 lead after 3 innings.

The Aguilas scored again in the bottom of the 6th. With one out, Gil Velazquez singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Greene. Walter Ibarra singled to plate Velazquez and Mexicali led 6-1.

Brendan Harris singled to lead off the 9th for Jalisco. Ivan Araujo entered the game as a pinch runner for Harris. Japhet Amador grounded out to first base moving Araujo to second. A wild pitch got Araujo to third and he came home on a single by Jose Felix. The Aguilas lead had been cut to 6-2 but the Charros would not score again and Mexicali had won the game.

Ken Sigman took the loss for Jalisco. Coming on in relief of starter Juan Delgadillo in the 3rd, Sigman gave up 4 runs on three hits and a walk without recording an out. In this game, manager Juan Navarrete deserves a loss too as he replaced Delgadillo too early. Navarrete has had the quick hook all year. Javier Solano got the win for Mexicali, his 5th of the year, throwing a 4 hitter through 7 innings of work.

Jose Felix had 2 RBIs and a run scored, including a home run while going 2 for 4. Edson Garcia was 1 for 3 and Brendan Harris went 2 for 2 with 2 walks. 

Charros Take Game 2 From Aguilas 4-3

The Charros de Jalisco took game two of the three game series with Mexicali by a 4-3 score. Hugo Castallenos got the win to improve to 1-1 on the year. Brian Broderick pitched the final 1 ⅓ innings to pick up his 8th save of the year and lower his ERA to 0.69.

In the top of the 1st, with one out, Manny Rodriguez singled and went to second on a single by Leo Heras. After Japhet Amador popped out to first, Cory Vaughn walked to load the bases. Marquez Smith drew a 5 pitch walk to force in Rodriguez for the 1-0 Jalisco lead.

Luis Juarez doubled to lead off the bottom of the 2nd for the Aguilas. Juarez moved to third on a ground out by Xorge Carrillo. Jon Del Camp doubled to score Juarez. With Gil Velazquez up, Del Camp moved to third on a wild pitch. Velazquez then singled to plate Del Camp and Mexicali had taken the 2-1 lead.

The Aguilas would score again in the 3rd. Walter Ibarra waited out a walk. Dave Sappelt drew a four pitch walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs. Mike Jacobs grounded out 1-3 to move the runners up. Luis Juarez then grounded out to third to score Ibarra for the 3-1 Aguilas lead.

Eduardo Arredondo led off the top of the 5th for the Charros with a single. With two outs, Japhet Amador doubled to drive in Arredondo. Cory Vaughn followed with a double to left that scored Amador and the game was tied at 3.

The Charros would score what would be the winning run in the top of the 7th. Manny Rodriguez singled to lead off the inning and stole second. After the Aguilas pitcher, Mario Meza, caught Leo Heras looking at strike three for out number 1 and Japhet Amador to fly out to center, Cory Vaughn hit the 8th pitch he saw from Meza for a single that scored Rodriguez with the game winning run.

Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, raising his batting average to .371 on the year. Cory Vaughn was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs. Japhet Amador was 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI and Marquez Smith was 0 for 3 but had an RBI.

The Jalisco manager, Juan Navarrete, used 7 pitchers in the win. Murphy Smith started the game and went 3 innings, giving up all three runs on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 2. His ERA on the year stands at 11.25. Luis Rodriguez pitched 2 innings giving up 1 hit. Hugo Castallenos got the win with 1 inning pitched, striking out 2 of the three batters he faced and holding the Aguillas scoreless. Ivan Salas, Adrian Ramirez and Antonio Garzon were all credited with holds and Brian Broderick got the save, setting down the 4 batters he faced, striking out 2.

The Charros improved to 15-10 on the year. The Yaquis de Obregon lost to drop to 14-10, one half game behind the league leading Charros. With the loss to Jalisco, the Aguilas record is 13-12, two full games behind Jalisco.

The team that was leading the league on Tuesday morning, the Venados de Mazatlan, have lost 6 in a row and fall to 12-12 and 5th place in the Liga de Mexicana del Pacifico.

Jalisco and Mexicali play the rubber match of the series on Sunday night before the Charros travel to Hermosillo for three games beginning Tuesday the 11th of November.