Dominican Winter League Championship Series Game 3: Leones de Escogido 3, Aguilas Cibaenas 0

Aguilas third baseman, 3-hole hitter, and one-time Rays Rule 5 Draft pick Hector Luna has pulled an Alex Rodriguez this postseason for the Aguilas, hitting under .200 just about the entire time. But the Aguilas decided to stick with him, and he finally came through on Tuesday night with a 3-hit game… and of course the Aguilas still lost. Luna went 3 for 4 in the game- the rest of the team, including fellow ex-Ray Manny Ramirez, went a combined 2 for 26 with a pair of walks. It was a tough day for them against former Boston Red Sox first round pick Kris Johnson, who went 6 innings allowing just 4 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1, followed by three Escogido relievers who have seen time in the big leagues including two of the best in the game: Octavio Dotel, ex-Rays minor leaguer Jhonny Nunez (who like Dotel appeared in the big leagues with the White Sox), and of course Fernando Rodney. The trio allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 4 in their 3 innings of shutout relief to end it. Also appearing for the Leones was Julio Lugo, who went 1 for 4 with a run scored, Jesus Feliciano, who went 1 for 5, Jorge Cantu, who went 0 for 4 but scored a run, and Leslie Anderson, who went 0 for 3 but actually drew a walk! Anderson is only hitting .211 in the postseason, but at least he’s taking his walks, something Rays fans have been waiting for him to do since the moment he signed. Probably just a fluke, but hey, a man can dream. Recent Rays signee Juan Sandoval also got into the game for Cibaenas, throwing 1.2 perfect innings of relief to follow 4.1 one-run innings for Lorenzo Barcelo, but 7 innings by the Aguilas’ bullpen allowing just one run went to waste as their offense (other than Luna) could not get anything.  The good news for the Aguilas is that the DWL Championship Series is a best-of-nine series. The bad news is that they’re down 3-0 now, and it’s going to be awfully hard to come back.

Mexican Pacific League Championship Series Game 1: Yaquis de Obregon 5, Aguilas de Mexicali 3

It the MPL Championship Series opener, and it quickly became apparent how important starting pitching is in the playoffs. This game was over pretty quickly after Mexicali’s starter Jorge Campillo allowed 4 runs in just 2.2 innings while the Royals’ Luis Mendoza went 6 innings for Obregon allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 11 while walking 3. Guided by former Rays catcher Iker Franco, Obregon pitching struck out 14 by the time the game was through. Franco isn’t hitting at all, but he’s catching so well that the Yaquis almost couldn’t care less (could the Rays or someone offer him a minor league deal?). Wes Bankston did have a solid game in the loss for Mexicali, going 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, while Jon Weber went 1 for 5.

Dominican Winter League Postseason: Aguilas Cibaenas 2, Estrellas de Oriente 0

In the 4th inning of this one, the Aguilas’ Hector Luna took fellow ex-Ray Ramon Ortiz deep for a 2-run home run. That would be the only scoring in the game as both teams got dominant performances from their pitching staffs. For Cibaenas, Dustin Richardson went 7 innings allowing just 4 hits, striking out 10 while walking 1. A pair of relievers finished off the effort for the Aguilas as they 4-hit Oriente, striking out 13 while walking just 1. The Estrallas’ hitters could not get anything against Cibaenas pitching, but you can blame their staff for that. Ortiz was great except for the home run, going 6.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1, and Jose Trinidad finished the game for Oriente, going 2.2 hitless innings, striking out 2 while walking 1, but their performances went to waste as the Cibaenas pitching was just too good. To wrap up the other performances by ex-Rays, Ray Olmedo went 1 for 3 with one of the Estrellas’ 4 hits and their only walk while Manny Ramirez went 0 for 3 for the Aguilas, reaching once on a hit-by-pitch.

Leones de Escogido 4, Toros del Este 3

Escogido had a remarkable comeback in this one, overcoming a 3-0 deficit with 4 runs in the 8th inning, including a Mauro Gomez 3-run home run, to come away with the win. A trio of ex-Rays had interesting performances. Jorge Cantu, making his Este debut after his Naranjeros de Hermosillo got eliminated from the Mexican Pacific League playoffs, went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI, Willy Aybar went 1 for 1 for Escogido before getting taken out of the game following a hit-by-pitch- hope he’s OK- and Jhonny Nunez tossed a perfect 9th to nail down the save for the Leones.

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs: Aguilas de Mexicali 5, Algodoneros do Guasave 4

Speaking off incredible comebacks, Mexicali has to be feeling awfully good about themselves after this one. Guasave took a 4-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning before the Aguilas responded with 1 run in the bottom of the inning to trail 4-1. The score remained that way until the 6th inning, when a Ricky Alvarez solo home run made it 4-2 Guasave. Then Mexicali kept chipping away in the 7th inning, with Oscar Robles doubling then scoring on an error to make it 4-3. And then a pair of slumping ex-Rays figured prominently in the Aguilas’ 8th inning rally to tie the game. After Alvarez singled to begin the inning, Weber, the Aguilas’ third-place hitter, bunted him over to second base knowing that he wasn’t hitting and just had to do whatever he could to help the team. A wild pitch moved Alvarez to 3rd base before Wes Bankston found a way to get him in on a flyball to centerfield to knot the game at 4. Then in the 9th, pinch-hitter Jorge Guzman came up with a walk-off RBI single as the Aguilas came up with a run each in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings to beat Guasave 5-4. Weber and Bankston combined to go just 0 for 5 with a walk in the game, but they did what they needed to do in that game-tying 8th inning rally.

Yaquis de Obregon 10, Tomateros de Culiacan 3

Unlike the games we saw above, Obregon rolled in this one and Iker Franco was in on the fun, going 2 for 4 with a run scored. Juan Miranda also went 0 for 3 with a walk for the Yaquis as 8 of the 9 Obregon starters reached base. Jesse Gutierrez slammed 2 home runs while Doug Clark went 4 for 5 with a homer, a double, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored.

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico) Postseason: Indios de Mayaguez 7, Cangrejeros de Santurce 6

Despite the best efforts of a pair of ex-Rays, Santurce came up just short in this one. Jose Ruiz went 1 for 2 with 2 RBI for Santurce, but was pinch-hit for in the 5th as he may be hurt, and Julio DePaula worked around a hit with a pair of groundouts as he tossed a scoreless 6th inning to hold a 5-5 tie. Ruiz has been huge for Santurce out of their cleanup spot, hitting .359, and it would be a major blow to them if he misses any time.

Gigantes de Carolina 3, Criollos de Caguas 1

I am completely befuddled by the fact that Carolina benched Jesus Feliciano in this one, but it worked as they won 3-1. Feliciano, who was the only Gigantes player who could say that he had a good game as he went 3 for 4 in the team’s 14-2 loss, was replaced at the leadoff spot and in centerfield by Osvaldo Martinez, who went 0 for 3 with a walk. Leslie Anderson did the same out of the Gigantes’ 3-hole (yay, Anderson drew a walk!). Catcher Rene Garcia drove in all 3 Carolina runs and that was enough as their pitching was phenomenal in a complete reversal of their last game. Gaby Hernandez allowed just an unearned run on 5 hits in 5 innings, striking out 4 while walking none, and then ex-Ray Eddie Morlan was incredible behind him, allowing just a hit and a walk in 3 shutout relief innings, striking out 3 and getting his other 6 outs on the ground. Sergio Espinosa tossed a perfect 9th for Caguas, striking out 1, but by then it was too late. Morlan has been exceptional this postseason for Carolina, managing a 0.90 ERA.

Dominican Winter League Postseason: Leones de Escogido 6, Estrellas de Oriente 1

Edward Valdez gave the Leones 5.1 innings of 1-run ball and the Escogido offense and bullpen did the rest as the Leones came away with a crisp 6-1 win. The Red Sox’ Mauro Gomez had a big game, going 1 for 3 with a 2-run homer and 2 walks, while the Mets’ Jordany Valdespin went 2 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI, and a run scored. In terms of the ex-Rays in the game, Willy Aybar went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored and Julio Lugo went 1 for 5 with an RBI for Escogido, and Ray Olmedo went 1 for 3 for Oriente. The most important Rays-related player in the game, though, was a player that the Rays will be relying heavily upon next season, Fernando Rodney, who made his Winter Ball debut and did hit a batter as he showed signs of rust, but worked an otherwise spotless inning, striking out 1.

Aguilas Cibaenas 5, Toros del Este 4

An improbable 3-run rally in the 9th inning finished off by a walk-off single by the Rangers’ Leury Garcia gave the Cibaenas an exhilarating win. Manny Ramirez‘s hot postseason took a day off as he went just 0 for 4, but Hector Luna did go 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI.

Mexican Pacific League Playoffs: Aguilas de Mexicali 4, Algodoneros de Guasave 3

This was a game of momentum shifts as Mexicali scored 3 in the 4th inning to take a 3-1 lead only to see their bullpen blow a beautiful outing by Marco Duarte (6 IP, 1 ER, 8 K), but they got a go-ahead single by Roman Pena in the 9th to win the game. In terms of the ex-Rays, Jon Weber had a tough day, going 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts, while Wes Bankston went 0 for 2 but with 3 walks and a run scored.

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico) Postseason: Idios de Mayaguez 14, Gigantes de Carolina 7

Not a good game for Carolina in this one, but a pair of ex-Rays did have good games. Jesus Feliciano went just 0 for 5 out of the Gigantes’ leadoff spot, but Leslie Anderson went 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored (although bizarrely, as a player with no speed, he was caught stealing), and Eddie Morlan went 1.2 perfect innings, striking out 2. Anderson is hitting .375 since joining Carolina for the RCPBL Postseason.