| This Week in the Mexican Pacific League (Team by team reports) |
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 Culiacán, Sinaloa, a 20 de noviembre de 2009 (Bruce Belkin-Baseball Mexico).- 1) Mazatlan Venados (25-10/.714/0.0GB/8.0PTS) Mazatlan cruised to the Mex Pac’s first half title on the strength of their pitching, but their offense hasn’t been bad, either. Jon Weber is crushing the ball at a .469 clip in 10 games while Rogelios Noris is batting .369 in 15 games, giving the Venados a great tandem in left field. Ruben Rivera has 8 homers and an LMP-best 34 RBIs.
Pablo Ortega is 5-1 and leads the Mex Pac with a 2.09 ERA. When former 20-game winner Esteban Loaiza is your least effective starter at 2-1 and 4.35, you’ve got a good staff. Gabe DeHoyos has 11 saves in 15 outings. 2) MEXICALI AGUILAS (21-14/.600/4.0GB/7.0PTS)  While Mazatlan has won with pitching, Mexicali has done it with hitting. The Aguilas lead the LMP with a .305 team batting average. Roman Pena is second in the league with a .393 mark, and regulars Brad Snyder (.354), Oswaldo Morejon (.333), Matt Camp (.329), Emmanuel Valdez (328) and Adam Morales (.321) are all above .320.The Aguilas pitching has been mediocre at best. Newcomer Thomas Diamond is 2-0 with an 0.64 ERA after three starts, and although veteran Oscar Rivera is just 2-3, he does have a 3.69 ERA after six starts. 3) HERMOSILLO NARANJEROS (18-16/.529/6.5GB/6.0PTS)  Hermosillo has added former MLB All-Star Vinny Castilla, who hit .467 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs in his first 4 games. Geronimo Gil is hitting .327 while Luis Alfonso Garcia is tied for the LMP lead with 11 homers and ranks second with 31 RBIs, but Australian Trent Oeltgen’s.348 average is parked on the disabled list.The Naranjeros are second in the LMP with a 3.50 ERA. Starter Juan Delgadillo is 3-2 and has allowed 3 runs in 21.2 innings in his last 4 starts. Closer Dennis Sarfate has 7 saves with no walks in his last 8 appearances. 4) OBREGON YAQUIS (18-17/.514/7.0GB/5.0PTS)  After a slow start for Obregon, John Mayberry Jr. has gone 10-for-21 over his last 5 games to bring his average to an even .300. He’s hit 3 homers in that span. MLB vets Chris Snelling and Erubiel Durazo have joined the Yaquis, but defending Mex Pac MVP Agustin Murillo is hitting just .242 with 2 homers and 8 RBIs in 16 games.Luis Mendoza is 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 40 strikeouts, but has been inconsistent. Bryan Corey’s return this week from a tryout in Japan would help. Closer Mario Mendoza Jr. has 2 wins and 4 saves in his last 10 games. 5) NAVOJOA MAYOS (17-18-0/.486/8.0GB/4.5PTS)  Navojoa is last in the LMP with 21 homers and a .255 batting average, but the Mayos are far from helpless. Matt Young is batting .306 and is second in the league with 13 steals, and Francisco Arias has hit a productive .293. Longtime Mexican infielder Abel Martinez (.226) and Javier Robles (.194) need to pick up the pace, though.Mayos starters Orlando Lara, Tim Gustafson and Brian Adams have combined for a 7-2 record and each has a sub-4.00 ERA, but the bullpen has struggled. Brett Butts has 5 saves, but his ERA is a toxic 5.40. 6) LOS MOCHIS CANEROS (14-20/.412/10.5GB/4.0PTS)  Sandy Madera of Los Mochis continues to lead the LMP with a .442 batting average and is tied for the top with 11 homers. Saul Soto and Sebastian Valle have alternated catching and DH duties, combining for 19 homers, 42 RBIs and a .305 average. Beyond them, though, the Caneros offense is a mess. Expect lots of walks for the Big 3.The Mochis pitching is little better. Closer Jorge Vasquez has been rock solid, with 6 saves and a .171 ERA in 19 trips from the pen. Ex-Red Sox pitcher Juan Pena was just brought in, but the Caneros will need more help. 7) GUASAVE ALGODONEROS (13-20/.394/11.0GB/3.5PTS)  Like Mochis, Gusave is an “offensively challenged” team. Unlike the Caneros, the Algodoneros don’t have a Madera, Soto or Valle in the middle of the order. Marshall McDougall has hit .311 with 3 homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games and MLB vet Benji Gil arrived last week. Japhet Amador is batting .364, but rarely seems to get into a game.The Cotton Pickers pitching situation isn’t as dire. Robert Coello is 2-0 after 6 starts and his 2.70 ERA is fourth in the LMP while 4-1 Jim McGrane’s 3.20 ERA ranks sixth. Closer Tim Lavigne is 0-2, but has 4 saves and a 2.63 ERA. 8) CULIACAN TOMATEROS (11-22/.333/13.0GB/3.0PTS)  Paquin Estrada’s return as manager has not helped Culiacan as much as they'd hoped, as the Tomateros have gone 5-9 since Estrada replaced Nick Leyva. Mike Cervenak is hitting .348 and has combined with Refugio Cervantes for 16 homers and 51 RBIs, while Mike McCoy has a .327 average and leads the LMP with 15 steals.Chris Waters has gone 3-1 with a 3.98 ERA, and Hector Rodriguez is 1-0 and 2.05 after 4 starts. The Tomateros bullpen isn’t bad, and Jose Silva is now the closer with 2 saves and no runs allowed in 3 appearances. |
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