10/23/16

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP)


Giovanny Urshela (Aguilas del Zulia, 3B) - 1-4 - Urshela extended his season-opening hitting streak to four games but still saw his batting average drop below .300 (.294).

Yhoxian Medina (Leones del Caracas, backup 2B) - 0-1 - Medina continues to struggle at the plate (.211/.286/.316) and receive inconsistent playing time (19 AB in 9 games played, including five starts and two games where he didn't even come to the plate).

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Nellie Rodriguez (Leones del Escogido, 1B) - 0-2, 2 BB - While Nellie-Rod went hitless in his LIDOM season debut, he did get on base twice via a walk.

Anderson Hernandez (Tigres del Licey, 2B) - 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K - Hernandez has exactly one hit in each of the three games he has appeared in this LIDOM season. Hernandez was in the Indians organization in 2010, playing for both the Big Club and the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Anderson played his summer ball in 2016 for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Central League.

Josh Outman (Tigres del Licey, RP) - 0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (earned) - Outman, who pitched for the Indians and Clippers in 2014, followed up his solid LIDOM season debut on Saturday (1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) by allowing a hit to the only batter he faced, who later scored. Outman split his 2016 between the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate) and the independent New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League.

Roberto Hernandez (Leones del Escogido, RP) - 1 IP, 1 H - The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona made a solid 2016-17 Dominican debut on Sunday. Roberto pitched in the Indians organization from 2002-2011, making his major league debut in 2006. Hernandez pitched in the Triple-A International League for both the Toronto Blue Jays (Buffalo Bisons) and Atlanta Braves (Gwinnett Braves) organizations in 2016 and made two appearances for the major league Braves last season.

Preston Guilmet (Toros del Este, RP) - 1 IP, perfect, 1 K - Guilmet followed up an ugly season debut on Friday (3 ER on 2 H and 1 BB in 0.2 IP) by pitching a perfect inning on Sunday. Preston pitched int he Tribe org from 2009 to 2013, including four major league appearances in his final season with the Indians. He spent this past season with the Detroit Tigers Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.

Audy Ciriaco (Estrellas Orientales, 3B) - 0-3 - Ciriaco, in his fourth consecutive season with the Estrellas, has struggled at the plate to start the season, batting only .111 (1-for-9) in three games played. Audy played his two most recent seasons of summer ball in the Indians organization for the Columbus Clippers in 2014 and 2015.

The Hiroshima Carp’s Kosuke Tanaka slides past Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters catcher Shota Ono to score the tie-breaking run in the sixth inning on Sunday night in Hiroshima

Top of order shines again as Carp take 2-0 lead

HIROSHIMA —

It was a scene played out so many times this season.

The top of the Hiroshima Carp order gets a runner on base, and someone gets them home. And so it was again on Sunday night, when the Carp took a 2-0 lead in the Japan Series with a 5-1 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters at Mazda Stadium.

With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth inning, the top-order trio of Kosuke Tanaka, Ryosuke Kikuchi and Yoshihiro Maru — all born within 11 months of each other — took the stage and sparked a four-run rally that moved the Carp halfway to their first championship since 1984.

Tanaka, who went 10 for 12 during the Climax Series as the Carp made the Japan Series for the first time in 25 years, got things started with a lead-off double. No. 2 hitter Kikuchi then followed with a quality at-bat that put his full skills on display.

Kikuchi squared to bunt but let the third pitch go by. On the fourth pitch, seeing the Fighters first baseman playing in against the bunt, he pulled back and swung away. “We’re always told [as batters] to be aggressive,” Kikuchi said. “That’s what I thought in that situation.”

Shortstop Takuya Nakashima had moved toward second base to keep the runner close, and Kikuchi poked a single to left field through the hole left by Nakashima.

Tanaka was initially ruled out on a close play at the plate, but the ruling was overturned upon replay review. It was the first time video review on plays at the plate, which was adopted this season, was used in the Japan Series.

“I thought he was going to bunt,” said Fighters starter Hirotoshi Masui, who took the loss in a duel with Yusuke Nomura. “He crossed us up.”

Maru followed by laying down a bunt, and Masui, perhaps still shaken by Kikuchi’s hit, threw the ball away, allowing Kikuchi to score.

Maru said he had made the decision to bunt. “I saw how the infield aligned and thought it would work. At the very least, it would move the run over,” he said.

With the momentum clearly in the Carp’s favor, Seiya Suzuki added a sacrifice fly and Brad Eldred capped the outburst with a solo homer, his second of the series.

This season, Kikuchi led the Central League with 181 hits, while Maru batted .291 with 20 home runs. They provided a good mix of stable hitting and power, and it was the Carp’s strength that they could respond in any situation.

Nakashima tipped his hat to the Carp. “We lost on strategy. They were better than us.”

Said Maru: “How we can score runs is most important in a series like this. More than trying to drive in runners, I think about how to keep a rally going.”

Yandy Diaz Joined Caracas

As soon as he arrived in the country, Yandy Diaz was aligned with the team and participated in a special practice this morning in University stadium.

"I'm happy to be here," said the slugger. "The plan was to come earlier but I was in Arizona waiting to see if the Cleveland Indians called me to the big leagues. But I'm here in Caracas to help the team as best that I can. "

Diaz is a versatile player who can defend the infield and the outfield. "I am available for any position. Today I took batting practice and I felt very good. I have trained very hard and am ready to help Caracas at third base, outfield or wherever they want. I will try to do the best I can wherever I play. "

The Cuban had a great season in the minor leagues this year. Although he started in Double-A, the Indian rose quickly to Triple-A where he won the Rookie of the Year award in the International League.

In total between the two levels, Diaz batted .318 with 22 doubles, 4 triples, nine homers and 58 RBIs.

" I worked very hard this season and thank God everything went well and the work allowed me to win that award , "said the slugger. I also had the opportunity to play with Jesus Aguilar and Yhoxian Medina in Columbus.

"Aguilar, who is a player with a lot of experience here in Venezuela, told me that this league is very strong," he continued. "He told me to prepare well. I know I'll feel like I was in Cuba because it is a strong league also. "

There are a number of Cubans who are in the LVBP for this season and are so excited to do their best for Caracas. "We want to leave the name of our country high , " he said. "I am also happy to reconnect with them here. In Cuba I had the opportunity to play against Henry Urrutia, Felix Perez , Dariel Alvarez and Adonis Garcia so it's exciting to see them again. "

Jesus Aguilar expects the green light to play with the Lions

Jesus Aguilar surprised everyone by making an appearance yesterday at Jose Bernardo Perez stadium for the duel between Caracas and Magallanes. The first baseman, who had a brief appearance this year in the Major Leagues with the Cleveland Indians, said that he only waits for permission to play with Lions.

" I just need the management of the Lions to communicate with Cleveland to play as soon as possible. This year Cleveland put me on the list of extreme fatigue", Aguilar, said he already talked about it with Terry Francona and the coordinator of Cleveland minor leagues.

" If it were up to me, I would be playing for quite a while now. But we're working on that. I think this week it is going to happen , " he said.

Aguilar said he was training in Cleveland before traveling to Venezuela for a quick start upon arrival. " My swing is not 100 percent but I know I'll get it down because I feel strong and healthy "

Lions Hope for the arrival of Asdrubal Cabrera

Luis Avila, president of Caracas was skeptical to announce more additions of major league players, but he placed a call to the Mets about infielder Asdrubal Cabrera. "I think Asdrubal will come to play", said Avila. The head of Caracas also said that he expected next week the arrival of a new imported pitcher.

10/24/16

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP)

Leones del Escogido
Escogido Bottom of the 1st
Nellie Rodriguez called out on strikes.

Escogido Bottom of the 4th
Nellie Rodriguez called out on strikes.

Escogido Bottom of the 6th
Nellie Rodriguez grounds out, pitcher Jose Leclerc to first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

Escogido Bottom of the 8th
Nellie Rodriguez walks.
Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Ruben Sosa replaces Nellie Rodriguez.

10/25/16

Francisco Meija 1-3, 1B, batting .500
Yonathan Mendoza PH, W
Giovanny Urshela 1-3, 1R, 1B, W, batting .300
Toru Marata 0.1 INN, 2R, 3H, 1W
Yandy Diaz 1-3, 1B, 1RBI, 1W, 1K, batting .333, 3Errors (catch, throw, throw)
Michael Choice 1-2, 1B, 2RBI, 1K (Game in 4th inning)

10/25/16

Arizona Fall League

Yu-Cheng Chang (SS, Mesa Solar Sox): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K. Chang has gotten off to a great start to his Fall League campaign recording a hit in all but one of his six games so far. In 24 at-bats, the Taiwanese shortstop has seven hits, including two doubles, and three RBI's adding up to a .292 average. In a breakout season for Lynchburg, Chang batted .259 in 109 games with 13 homers and 70 RBI's.

David Speer (RP, Mesa Solar Sox): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K. After Speer's last outing where he was charged with six runs on six hits in just a third of an inning, there had to be nowhere to go but up. Tuesday's outing was better as he logged two innings allowing a run on just two hits while striking out one. The left-hander has now logged a strikeout in each of his five Fall League appearances so far.

Venezuela Winter League

Yandy Diaz (3B, Leones del Caracas): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K. Diaz got his first taste of winter ball action of the offseason in Venezuela as the third base prospect went 1-for-3 in a 20-7 blowout loss to Navegantes del Magallanes and Clippers teammate Toru Murata. Between Akron and Columbus this season, the Cuban native batted .318 with nine homers and 58 RBI's while continuing to get on base at a healthy clip of .408.

Toru Murata (SP, Navegantes del Magallanes): 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R/ER, 1 BB, 0 K. After pitching four shutout innings and earning the win in relief in his first winter ball appearance, Murata was handed the ball to start on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he only lasted a third of an inning giving up three runs on two hits. However, his teammates would do more than enough to pick him up as Magallanes went on to win 20-7.

Giovanny Urshela (3B, Aguilas del Zulia): 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB. Urshela has started his Venezuelan Winter League campaign this offseason with a five-game hit streak including a 1-for-3 performance in Zulia's 3-2 victory over La Guaire. The Tribe third base prospect also drew his first walk of the campaign, although he has also not struck out in his last three games and has only whiffed twice in 20 at-bats thus far.

Dominican Winter League

Francisco Mejia (C, Estrellas Orientales): 1-3. Only two games into his 2016 winter ball campaign, Mejia just keeps hitting. While he only has four at-bats, he has two hits in that small sample size. He has yet to be involved in a run-scoring play, however, or record an extra-base hit, but after his impressive regular season campaign, which included a historic 50-game hit streak, that likely won't last long.

Ronny Rodriguez (3B, Aguilas Cibaenas): 0-2. After two winter ball games so far, Rodriguez has yet to record a hit. He only logged two at-bats before being lifted for a pinch-hitter on Tuesday, however, as Aguilas would eventually fall in extra innings to Gigantes 5-4. One interesting note from Tuesday is that the 24-year-old infielder did get the start at third base where he had appeared just 45 times previously in his professional career.

Otani's RBI single in 10th gives Fighters 1st win

SAPPORO —

The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters struggled, but they came through late in Game 3 to post their first victory in the Japan Series, topping the Hiroshima Carp 4-3 on Shohei Otani’s sayonara hit in the 10th inning on Tuesday night at Sapporo Dome.

The Fighters took the lead in the first inning of what turned out to be a tight game on Sho Nakata’s RBI groundout, but Hiroshima slugger Brad Eldred put the Carp in front with a two-run blast.

The Fighters jumped back on top in the eighth inning on Nakata’s two-run double.

Hiroshima tied the score in the ninth inning, but Nippon Ham won it when Otani slapped a two-out single to right field to score the runner from second base and end the game.

Otani made good contact with a ball that rolled through the hole between first and second and plated Haruki Nishikawa. Players darted out from the dugout and mobbed the hero of the game in celebration.

“My pitching in Game 1 was embarrassing, and it was the reason we lost,” Otani said. “So my mindset when I went up there was to do about twice as much damage to them as they had done to us.”

Otani wasn’t able to pitch or hit the way he wanted to over the first two games, and said that fueled him. He spent the travel day mulling how he is being pitched in the series.

“I put a lot of time into thinking about what [Hiroshima catcher Yoshi- yuki] Ishihara’s approach is to me,” Otani said.

The Carp pitched around him in the eighth inning by issuing a walk, but he was convinced they would challenge him at the end.

“They were going to try to bury the ball inside on me, or they’d go with a forkball down,” Otani said. And with the count 1-2, he got just what he was expecting, a fastball inside.

It was a tough pitch to handle, but it was the pitch he was looking for, and he handled it well.

“I’ve been watching video on guys and studying,” said Otani, who also had two doubles off Carp starter Hiroki Kuroda.

Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama said Game 3 was of utmost importance.

“This game was our entire year, so we went after it,” he said. “Since the start of the Japan Series, we hadn’t been able to play our game, but the fans here in Hokkaido got us back to being ourselves.”

Meanwhile, Eldred’s homer in the second inning off Kohei Arihara made him the fifth player in Japan Series history with home runs in three straight games.

I haven't heard much about Michael Choice. So far, he's having a solid season down Mexico way. The LMP is a tough pitchers league. Not many pitchers that can throw 100 mph, but a lot of pitchers that attack the strike zone with a variety of pitches. If a player has a weak foundation for off speed pitches, this is the league to hone those skills. So far tonight, Choice is 1-2, a 2-run homer and a walk and he is hitting a solid .275.

10/26/16

Nellie Rodriguez Escogido was 1-3 with a run score, a run batted in, and two walks, and batting .125
Francisco Mejia Estrellas entered the game as a defensive replacement late in the game, he is batting .500
Randy Valladares Margarita worked a third of an inning and struck out the only batter he faced
Giovanny Urshela Zulia was 1-3 with a walk batting .304 Zulia only collected 4 hits
Yandy Diaz did not play as the Caracas game was rained out

10/26/16

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Mesa Solar Sox

Greg Allen (CF): 1-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB – Allen has had a nice, consistent offseason thus far. He has collected a hit in seven of his eight AFL games, and he’s 10-for-30 (.333) overall with seven runs, two doubles, a triple, three RBI, four walks, six K’s and five stolen bases (with only one caught stealing).

Bradley Zimmer (RF): 0-4, R, K – This was only the second game (out of nine total) that Zimmer hasn’t managed a hit in a ballgame. It was the first game in which he didn’t reach base at all. He’s reaching base at an impressive .474 clip this offseason and is hitting .259 (7-for-27).

Trevor Frank (RP): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 K – Frank hadn’t had a great start to the AFL season, allowing four earned runs in two innings of work prior to his outing on Wednesday. But he did his job in his fourth outing of his offseason, retiring the only batter he faced.

Cameron Hill (RP): 1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 – Hill’s rough outing was his first rough outing of the offseason. In his first five innings (four outings) of the AFL season, the right-hander had allowed just one run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

Randy Valladares (Bravos de Margarita, RP): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K, WP – Valladares struck out the only batter he faced on Wednesday. He has pitched in three games for the Bravos de Margarita so far this offseason, but he’s recorded just two outs (both strikeouts) with no runs on two hits.

Guillermo Quiroz (Tigres de Aragua, DH): 0-2, BB, K – In his offseason debut, Quiroz drew a walk in three plate appearances. During the 2016 minor league regular season, the 34-year-old backstop hit .264 with 11 homers and 38 RBI in 75 games with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

Giovanny Urshela (Aguilas del Zulia, 3B): 1-3, BB – Urshela has now compiled a seven-game hitting streak to begin his Venezuelan Winter League campaign. He’s hitting .304 (7-for-23) with three runs and three RBI so far. He’s also struck out just twice to two walks.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

Nellie Rodriguez (Leones del Escogido, 1B): 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB – Rodriguez has a solid day at the plate that included his first hit this offseason. He is now hitting .125 (1-for-8), and he’s drawn an impressive five walks to just two strikeouts thus far.

Brandon Laird celebrates after his two-run home run in Game 4 of the Japan Series on Wednesday night at Sapporo Dome.

SAPPORO —

Hokkaido Nippon Ham used its power to even the Japan Series as Sho Nakata went deep and Brandon Laird belted a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 4 to carry the Fighters past the Hiroshima Carp 3-1 on Wednesday night at Sapporo Dome.

Nakata slugged a solo shot in the sixth inning to get the Fighters even, and the Nippon Ham bullpen made Laird’s home run stand up.

The Carp had taken a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the fourth, and loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning but were unable to knock home a run.

“We didn’t play the kind of top-quality baseball that we are capable of, but we were able to get the Series even,” said Nippon Ham manager Hideki Kuriyama.

“In a battle of endurance, it was our main guys [Nakata and Laird] who stepped up and cleared out the negativity in the air. The tougher the situation gets, the bigger the home run gets.”

The Fighters were able to rally because of some tough pitching from their relievers.

“We’re a team that’s based on our bullpen,” said pitching coach Masato Yoshii.

Anthony Bass came on to start the sixth inning and even fired a pitch over 150 kph in getting through the seventh frame. Keisuke Tanimoto (1-0) tossed a scoreless eighth, and Naoki Miyanishi closed it out for the save.

23:29 27 October 2016

Baseball: Nishikawa slam sends Fighters to Hiroshima with Series lead

Haruki Nishikawa's two-out sayonara grand slam moved the Nippon Ham Fighters to within one win of their first Japan Series championship since 2006 on Thursday in a 5-1 Game 5 victory over the Hiroshima Carp at Sapporo Dome.

It was the Pacific League champion Fighters' third straight home win and gave them a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series with the Central League champion Carp.

Kensuke Tanaka got things started in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out walk off Carp closer Shota Nakazaki. The Fighters' fourth sacrifice bunt of the game moved him to second. An infield single and a hit batsman -- a pitch behind batter Hiromi Oka that brought players from both dugouts on to the field --loaded the bases for Nishikawa, who finished it in grand fashion.

"I'm so excited, I myself don't know quite what happened there," Nishikawa said. "Oka got hit and that fired me up, and since I hadn't been hitting with runners in scoring position, I'm grateful to the manager for sending me up to bat."

Nishikawa's was the second sayonara grand slam in Japan Series history.

Game 1 winner Kris Johnson, the recipient of the Sawamura Award as the season's most impressive starting pitcher, threw six scoreless innings on four-days rest. The lefty allowed four hits and two walks. The Fighters repeatedly put men in scoring position, but with Johnson precisely locating his pitches, the hosts went 0-for-7 against him in those situations. But it was all for nought as the Fighters bullpen delivered 7-2/3 scoreless innings.

The Fighters started rookie lefty Takayuki Kato, but he retired just four batters before Luis Mendoza delivered 5-2/3 innings of impeccable relief. With tremendous action on both his two-seamer and his changeup, the right-hander allowed one hit and one walk, while striking out five.

"I was getting warm from the second inning," Mendoza said. "Kato had a rough time and I knew they wouldn't wait long."

"I wanted to keep it a close game. I really thought we had a chance because we've been scoring runs late in the game."

Seiya Suzuki's RBI single gave Hiroshima a first-inning run, but the Carp wasted two chances to take a big early lead. Kosuke Tanaka opened the game with a single. A sacrifice and a single put runners on the corners and with two outs, Suzuki put the Carp in front. Kato, however, got out of the jam with a fly out.

With Johnson out of the game, the Fighters tied it against Takeru Imamura in the seventh. The right-hander, pitching in his fifth straight game, issued a leadoff walk to Kensuke Tanaka. A sacrifice and a single put runners on the corners, and Hiromi Oka flied out to center, and Tanaka just beat a wide throw home to score the tying run on the sacrifice fly.

Jay Jackson, who was also working his fifth straight game for the Carp, was amped up on the mound in the bottom of the eighth. After losing Game 4 the night before on a bad pitch, Jackson made a meal out of the meat of Nippon Ham's order, striking out Shohei Otani and Sho Nakata, and getting Brandon Laird to hit an easy fly out.

Keisuke Tanimoto worked a scoreless eighth for the Fighters, while Anthony Bass extended his scoreless inning streak in the postseason to 9-2/3 innings when Yoshiyuki Ishihara was rung up on a 3-2 slider that was nearly in the strike zone. He earned his second win of the series.

In the second inning, the Carp had loaded the bases against Kato with one out only for Mendoza to slam the door on the Central League champs scoring aspirations.

Johnson made a narrow escape in the home half after Sho Nakata and Brandon Laird opened the inning with back-to-back singles. With two outs and runners on second and third, Tanaka at short dove on the rock-hard carpet to stop a bouncer up the middle, scrambled to his feet and made a wide throw to first that required all of Brad Eldred's 1.96 meters to catch while keeping his toe in contact with the bag for the out.

Game 6 will be at Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium on Saturday. The Fighters lost the first two games of the series there by identical 5-1 scores.

"It's not going to be easy," Mendoza said. "They play great in their building. I'm glad we're going there leading 3-2."

Jesus Aguilar received permission to play with Lions

The Caracas Lions received permission from the Cleveland Indians for the major leaguer Jesus Aguila to be uniform with the team as soon as he finishes his physical preparation.

Aguilar visited his teammates on Sunday in Valencia and refealed to management his intentions to play this season so Caracas negotiated with his MLB organization to withdraw from his extreme fatigue status.

" We thank the Cleveland Indians for negotiating in this case , " said Jose Manuel Fernandez , sports manager of the lions. "They took him off of the extreme fatigue list and gave him permission to play here. Currently there are no restrictions or a specific period to be with the team. "

Luis Avila , president of the team also welcomed Aguilar. "With him, the middle of the lineup will have more power with him next to Jesus Guzman, Yandy Diaz and Felix Perez. Hopefully next week he will be active , "said the manager.

Management is looking into Aguilar taking some at bats in the parallel league (minor league) before adding him to the roster. "We want him to set the tone in parallel league as we have the same plan for Gregorio Petit , who arrived to the country , " said Fernandez.

Aguilar spent most of the year in the Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians with whom he had a .247 average with 30 homers and 92 RBIs. In addition, the slugger managed to participate in nine games in the majors.