Baseball Mexico
Weekly Mexican Baseball Review
Vol. 1, No. 18 November 29, 2009
FERNANDEZ LET GO BY DIABLOS, INTERESTED IN VERACRUZ JOB
Winning a pennant in 2008 and turning in the Mexican League’s best record this year apparently wasn’t enough to save Daniel Fernandez’ job as manager of the Mexico City Diablos Rojos. Fernandez has been let go after what ordinarily would be considered two extraordinarily good seasons as skipper of the team he starred on as a player for over 20 seasons.
As a rookie manager last year, Fernandez led the Red Devils to a 66-39 record and their first pennant in five years (the team’s 15th flag since 1956). In 2009, Mexico City came in with a Liga-best 70-35 regular season record, but stumbled in the first round of the playoffs by losing a seven-game shocker to the Laguna Vaqueros, who were in their first postseason since 2003.
The Veracruz native is said to be interested in managing the LMB Veracruz Aguilas, who finished the 2009 season with a 51-56 record and missed the playoffs. While Fernandez says he hasn’t spoken with Veracruz chairman Jose Antonio Mansur, he’d like to have a conversation about landing a job with the Red Eagles.
As a player, Fernandez spent 25 seasons in the Mexican League, 24 of them with the Diablos. He retired fourth on the all-time hits list with 2,648 safeties (batting .313 lifetime), and is third in career stolen bases with 478 swipes.
DESSENS GETTING READY FOR DEBUT WITH HERMOSILLO
Pitcher Elmer Dessens, who declared himself a free agent after getting into 28 games for the New York Mets last summer, is preparing to be added to his hometown Hermosillo Naranjeros roster for their series this weekend in Culiacan. Dessens, who turned in a 3.31 ERA with no decisions for Mets manager Jerry Manuel in a relief role after spending part of the season with Class AAA Buffalo, tossed 40 pitches in a simulated game last week.
The 38-year-old righty has pitched for nine teams in his 13-year major league career, winning 21 games for Cincinnati between 2000 and 2001. Dessens, who has pitched for Mexico in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics, says he’d like to be a starter in Hermosillo. He was 2-1 with a 1.91 ERA in seven starts for the Naranjeros last winter.
CAMPILLO SIGNS WITH ROYALS, RETURNS TO MEX PAC
Right-hander Jorge Campillo has signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Royals and will spend the winter pitching for the Culiacan Tomateros. Campillo parlayed an outstanding 2004-05 Mex Pac season with the Tomateros into a deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2005. That winter, Campillo went 10-1 and led the LMP with a 2.05 ERA after a number of mostly average summers pitching for the Angelopolis Tigres of the Mexican League.
However, Campillo has been beset by arm injuries since being signed by the Mariners, who traded him to Atlanta in 2008. He was 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA for the Braves that year, but only pitched five games for Atlanta this year (1-0 and 4.15) before rotator cuff surgery ended his season early. The Braves offered the 31-year-old a contract for 2010, but Campillo turned it down and chose to sign with Kansas City, where he hopes to have a chance to start.
It’s likely that he’ll be in the starting rotation for Paquin Estrada’s Tomateros, who finished last in the recently-concluded first half.
This Week in the Mexican Pacific League
1) HERMOSILLO NARANJEROS (5-1/.833/0.0GB)
Hermosillo is off to a great start in the second half, winning 5 of 6 games. The Naranjeros opened by taking 2 of 3 in Mexicali. Nelson Teilon went 4-for-5 with a homer and 3 RBIs in an 8-3 win over the Aguilas Nov. 20, followed two days later by a 10-7, 10-inning win as Luis Alfonso Garcia and Geronimo Gil whacked homers.
The Orangemen then swept 3 at home against Mazatlan, outscoring the Venados by an aggregate 26-11 margin. Garcia hit two more homers in the opener, giving him an LMB-high 15 roundtrippers for the season.
2T) CULIACAN TOMATEROS (4-2/.667/1.0GB)
Culiacan is bouncing back from a last place finish in the first half, taking 2 0f 3 games against both Mazatlan and Mexicali. Mike Cervenak had a great series against the Venados, batting 6-for-11 with two doubles, 4 runs and 4 RBIs. Hector Rodriguez tossed 7 shutout innings in a Tomateros 4-1 win on Nov. 21.
Then Culiacan registered back-to-back shutouts over potent Mexicali. Andres Meza started in a 5-0 Nov. 25 victory, and Rodriguez pitched 7 more scoreless frames Nov. 26 in a 2-0 whitewashing of the Aguilas.
2T) OBREGON YAQUIS (4-2/.667/1.0GB)
Obregon put 25 runs on the board in sweeping a Nov. 22 doubleheader in Navojoa, then took two more games at home against Los Mochis to finish the week tied for second. Carlos Valencia had 2 doubles, a homer and 6 RBIs in the twinbill with the Mayos, while John Mayberry Jr. and Erubiel Durazo each homered.
Durazo then homered in the first 2 games against Mochis as the Yaquis won by 7-1 and 3-1 scores. Obregon stretched Game 3 to 12 innings before losing, 6-5, despite Agustin Murillo’s homer.
4T) LOS MOCHIS CANEROS (3-3/.500/2.0GB)
Los Mochis evened their second half record at 3-3 with a Nov. 26 win in Obregon. The Caneros won 2 of 3 over Guasave to start the week before dropping their first 2 to the Yaquis. Sandy Madera had a pair of 3-hit games against the Algodoneros, and still tops LMP batters with a .442 average, 72 points ahead of the rest of the pack.
Madera, Saul Soto and Sebastian Valle have combined for 34 homers, ranking 2-3-4 behind Hermosillo’s Garcia. Madera leads or is tied for the Mex Pac lead in seven offensive categories.
4T) NAVOJOA MAYOS (3-3/.500/2.0GB)
Navojoa rebounded from a 1-3 start by posting a pair of wins to end the week at .500. Javier Martinez threw 6 strong innings in a 2-0 shutout against Obregon before the Yaquis bombed the Mayos in a Nov. 22 doubleheader.
After losing a 7-4 contest in Guasave Nov. 24, the Mayos racked up 12-3 and 9-5 wins the next 2 nights. Reid Gorecki put on a show in those games, going 4-for-8 with 2 homers, 5 runs and 7 RBIs. Christian Zazueta had a 5-for-5 night Nov. 26 to crack the LMP’s Top Ten with a .326 average.
6T) GUASAVE ALGODONEROS (2-4/.333/3.0GB)
Guasave had their problems with Los Mochis and Obregon, losing 2 of 3 to both sides. The Algodoneros droped their first 2 in Mochis (despite a 4-for-9 showing with 2 doubles for Eduardo Arredondo) before pulling out a 4-3 win Nov. 22 as Benji Gil cracked a homer for the victors.
Guasave then won their opener with Navojoa, 7-4, on Nov. 24 as Francisco Mendez was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring 1 run and driving in 2. Mendez homered in the Cotton Pickers’ 9-5 loss to the Mayos on Nov. 26.
6T) MEXICALI AGUILAS (2-4/.333/3.0GB)
Mexicali rocked Hermosillo and Culiacan for 30 runs before being shut out by the Tomateros 2 nights in a row. Oswaldo Morejon went 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs in a Nov. 21 win over the Naranjeros, while Roman Pena and Adam Rosales combined for 5 RBIs in the Aguilas’ 11-7 win in Culiacan Nov. 24.
The Eagles have 4 of the Mex Pac’s top 10 hitters, so what’s the problem? How about a pitching staff that let in 32 runs in 6 games last week, including 20 by Hermosillo? Hardly fatal, but sometimes hitting won’t carry you.
8) MAZATLAN VENADOS (1-5/.167/4.0GB)
After a tremendous first half, Mazatlan had a disastrous first week in the second half, losing 5 of 6 games. The Venados won their opener over Culiacan, 8-2, as Pablo Ortega went 8 innings en route to his league-leading 6th win. After that, it was 5 losses in a row (including a sweep in Hermosillo) by an average score of 8-4.
Ortega remains on top of the LMP tables with a 2.16 ERA to go with his 6-1 record, but the Venados now trail Hermosillo in team ERA by a 3.66 to 3.71 margin. No other Mex Pac pitching staff is below 4.39.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Results (11-20-09 through 11-26-09)
FRIDAY, November 20
Los Mochis 3, Guasave 2
MOC-Juan Pena 7IP/0R/5H, Saul Soto 1-4/2RBI; GSV-Marshall McDougall 2-3/R, Eduardo Arredondo 2-4/2B
Mazatlan 8, Culiacan 2
MAZ-Pablo Ortega 7IP/2R/11H, Heber Gomez 3-4/2RBI, Jon Weber 3-5/2B/2RBI; CUL-Mike Cervenak 2-4/2B/R/RBI
Hermosillo 8, Mexicali 3
HMO-Nelson Teilon 4-5/HR/3RBI, Juan Pablo Oramos 5.2IP/1R/3H; MXI-Matt Camp 2-4/R, Adam Rosales 1-4/2RBI
SATURDAY, November 21
Los Mochis 7, Guasave 6
MOC-Saul Soto 2HRs/3RBI, Sandy Madera 3-5/HR/2R; GSV-Eduardo Arredondo 2-5/2R, Jose Rodriguez 3-5/2B/RBI
Culiacan 4, Mazatlan 1
CUL-Hector Rodriguez 7IP/0R/2H, Mike Cervenak 2-3/R/2RBI; MAZ-Jon Weber 2-4/RBI, Edgar Osuna 3IP/0R/2H/5K
Mexicali 9, Hermosillo 2
MXI-Oswaldo Morejon 3-4/2R/3RBI, Brad Snyder 2-4/2RHR/3R; HMO-Chris Roberson 2-4/2B/R, Geronimo Gil 2-3
Navojoa 2, Obregon 0
NAV-Javier Martinez 6IP/0R, Scott Thorman 2H/R; OBR-Luis Mendoza 8IP/1ER/8H
SUNDAY, November 22
Guasave 4, Los Mochis 3
GSV-Benji Gil 2R2B, Francisco Cordova 5.2IP/1R/4H; MOC-Sandy Madera 3-5/HR
Culiacan 9, Mazatlan 8
CUL-Mike Cervenak 2-5/2B/2R/RBI, Mike McCoy 1-2/2BB/2R/RBI; MAZ-Christian Quintero 3-5/2-2B/HR/5RBI
Hermosillo 10, Mexicali 7 (10)
HMO-Luis Alfonso Garcia 3-5/2HR, Geronimo Gil 2-4/2B/2R/RBI; MXI-Adam Rosales 2-4/2R/RBI, Oswaldo Morejon 2-4/R
Obregon 12, Navojoa 8 (first game)
OBR-Carlos Valencia 2-4/2B/2R/3RBI, John Mayberry Jr. 2-3/HR/3R; NAV-Adan Munoz HR, Christian Zazueta 2B/R/2RBI
Obregon 13, Navojoa 4 (second game)
OBR-Marco Tovar 6IP/2R/5H, Carlos Valencia 2B/HR/3RBI, Erubiel Durazo HR; NAV-Jesus Vega HR
TUESDAY, November 24
Obregon 7, Los Mochis 1
OBR-Erubiel Durazo 2-3/2RHR/2R, Andrew Kown 8IP/0R/2H; MOC-Ivan Terrazas 2-4/2B/R, Paul Llano 2-3
Hermosillo 9, Mazatlan 2
HMO-Luis Alfonso Garcia 2HR/3R/5RBI, Travis Blackley 7IP/2R/7H; MAZ-John Lindsey 2-4/2RHR, Ruben Rivera 2-2B
Mexicali 11, Culiacan 7
MXI-Roman Pena 2-5/2B/R/2RBI, Adam Rosales 2-3/2B/3R; CUL-Mike Cervenak 4-5/HR/5RBI, Alex Sanchez 3-5/3R
Guasave 7, Navojoa 4
GSV-Francisco Mendez 3-4/2B/R/2RBI, Mario Valenzuela HR; Robert Coello 7IP/1R/3H. NAV-Scott Thorman 2B/R/RBI
WEDNESDAY, November 25
Obregon 3, Los Mochis 1
OBR-Erubiel Durazo 2-3.HR, Mauricio Lara 6IP/0ER/5H; MOC-Sandy Madera 2-3, Luis Suarez 2-3
Hermosillo 8, Mazatlan 5
HMO-James Adduci 2-3/HR/3R/2RBI/SB, Edgar Gonzalez 5IP/1ER/5H, MAZ-Ruben Rivera 3-5/HR/3R, Miguel Ojeda 2-4/2RHR
Culiacan 5, Mexicali 0
CUL-Andres Meza 6IP/0R/5H, Jorge Vazquez 2RHR, Alex Sanchez HR; MXI-Roman Pena, 1-3/2B, Carlos Sievers 1-4/2B
Navojoa 12, Guasave 3
NAV-Reid Gorecki 2-4/2HR/3R/5RBI, Tim Gustafson 5IP/0R/3H; GSV-Mario Valenzuela 2-4/2-2B/R/2RBI
THURSDAY, November 26
Los Mochis 6, Obregon 5 (12)
MOC-Luis Suarez 3-5/R/RBI, Saul Soto 2B/3RBI, Carlos Orrantia 2-4/@/2RBI, OBR-Jason Botts 2-4/R/RBI, Agustin Murillo HR
Hermosillo 9, Mazatlan 4
HMO-Jose Luis Sandoval 2-3/2B/2R/RBI, Vinny Castilla 2-3/R/2RBI; MAZ-John Lindsey 2-5/2B/2RBI, Heber Gomez 2-4/R/RBI
Culiacan 2, Mexicali 0
CUL-Hector Rodriguez 7IP/0R/4H, Jorge Vazquez HR, Alex Sanchez 2-4/R; MXI-Oscar Rivera 6.1IP/2R/3H
Navojoa 9, Guasave 5
NAV-Reid Gorecki 2-4/HR/2R/2RBI, Christian Zazueta 5-5/2B/R/2RBI; GSV-Japhet Amador 2-4/3RHR, Francisco Mendez HR
NOTE: Home team scores in boldface type
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE SCHEDULE
NOV. 27-29 Culiacan @ Hermosillo, Los Mochis @ Navojoa, Obregon @ Guasave, Mazatlan @ Mexicali
DEC. 1-3 Guasave @ Navojoa, Obregon @ Los Mochis, Culiacan @ Mexicali, Hermosillo @ Mazatlan
DEC. 4-6 Mazatlan @ Culiacan, Los Mochis @ Guasave, Navojoa @ Hermosillo, Mexicali @ Obregon
MEXICAN BASEBALL ROAD TRIP Stop #9: Chihuahua, Chihuahua
We’ll be heading east into Mexican League territory for our Road Trip this week. Leaving Mexicali, we’ll retrace our steps on Highway 2 along the Mexico-USA border for 312 miles before heading south on Highway 15 to Hermosillo, another 120 miles. Then, it’s eastbound again on Highway 16 for 347 more miles to Chihuahua, home of the LMB Dorados the past three seasons. In case you’re keeping track, that’s 779 miles total (the longest stretch between cities we’ll have on this trip).
The city of Chihuahua lies about 400 miles south of the USA border in a central location between Mexico’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts. It was founded in 1709 by Spanish explorer Antonio Deza y Ulloa, and was named after a Tarahumara Indian word meaning “between two waters” because it sits between the rivers Sacramento and Chuviscar on the western edge of the Chihuahuan Desert. As you might expect, it’s a dry climate, with about 18 inches of annual rainfall, but the city’s altitude of 4,921 feet keeps the temperatures cooler than the desert floor.
With a 2007 population of about 825,000 residents, Chihuahua is Mexico’s 12th-largest city. While such historic revolutionary figures as Father Miguel Hidalgo, Benito Juarez and Pancho Villa have lived here (Hidalgo as a prisoner), Chihuahua has become a strong industrial city, with 79 maquiladora factories, the most in Mexico. Some of the larger companies in town are Ford, John Deere, Hallmark and LG Electronics. The state of Chihuahua is also Mexico’s largest producer of zinc and second in silver, and also tops the country in both apples and cattle.
Travelers have a number of historic landmarks to explore, including the former homes of both Juarez and Villa, plus a number of museums, parks and monuments. The Plaza Mayor in the city center features green spaces, fountains and a number of monuments, including the Angel of Liberty statue (which has a laser-tipped sword that rotates 360 degrees).
Chihuahua is home to the Dorados, who moved into town from San Luis Potosi in 2007. The city has hosted Mexican League baseball for 14 scattered seasons since 1940, but has never qualified for the playoffs. The Dorados play in the 14,500-seat Estadio Chihuahua, which was built in 2004. However, the team has struggled financially, and rumors have the club being courted by interested parties from the southern Mexico state of Chiapas.
Sunday, December 13 (Stop #10): Torreon, Coahuila
NEXT WEEK ON Baseball Mexico…
An interview with Mexican Pacific League President Omar Canizales
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