Cleveland Sports Forum

Final games of the Round Robin tournament.

Licey will be visiting the Lions.

The Aguilas will be visiting the Giants.

Licey and the Aguilas are forced to win on the road to qualify for the finals. Licey lead their game 2-1 that game is in the top of the sixth. The Aguilas/Gigantes game has been rained out. Looks like they'll have to wait one more day to see if there is a qualifier or if there will be a sudden death playoff game.

The last game of Round Robin between the Cibao Eagles and San Francisco Giants was suspended by rain tonight. The game was scheduled to be played at 7:35 pm, at the Estadio Julian Javier in San Francisco de Macoris. The clash between these two teams is crucial for the classification in second place to see which team goes to the finals of the Dominican Winter Fall Tournament.

In the capital of the Licey Tigers face the Lions of the Chosen.

EAGLES .- Fausto Carmona made ​​his last start on Sunday and fired with glory. If the team advances beyond the round robin into the finals, we must "speak English" with the Cleveland Indians for the return to the mound of Carmona..... Brandon Moss (.429-2-10), is the leader in home runs (4) and RBIs (17) in the round robin, and Lorenzo Barcelo (1-0, 0.00), winner of Saturday's game with seven shutout innings were Baseball Players selected as the Stars of the Week award yesterday organized by Apollo Productions

LEONES .- Moises Alou said yesterday that Fernando Rodney will continue to pitch in the finals, but that looks difficult for Rodriguez and Jose Ceda Aneury..... It is not surprising that Rodney wants to continue pitching because Rodney is a pitcher who takes his job so seriously and so identifies with the cause that he even forgets to cash his paychecks. That's not very common these days ..... Francisco Liriano tonight seeks his first win of Round Robin against the Licey Tigers

The Creoles try to defend his home against the Indians

The left-hander Luis Cruz pitched consistently until the end of the regular season, but accumulated a negative record of 0-3 in his last four starts. (File)

The Caguas Creoles and Indios de Mayagüez will tonight, at 7:15 pm, on the field Yldefonso Sola Morales Stadium in Caguas with a mission will try to take command of the final series of the League of Professional Baseball Puerto Rico.

The war between the two winningest franchises of the tournament is tied at one victory apiece.

For Lino Rivera, manager of the Creoles, the team must attack early if they have any aspirations of the making of being victorious in the tournament.

"Mayagüez is the team that has played better in the second half of the tournament and are thus a rival not to overlook. So we have to start attacking their starters early, "said Rivera.

"If we wait until we get into the Mayagüez bullpen our opportunities to achieve success will be minimized, "said Rivera.

The Indians crushed, 10-1, the Creoles in the first game of the championship series on Saturday, and Caguas returned the favor by shutting out the Indians, 4-0, Sunday in the stadium Isidoro "Cholo" Garcia de Mayaguez.

For the game tonight, Caguas sends to the mound the lefty Luis Cruz, while for the Indians will pitch its new reinforcement, the Mexican Tomas Solis.

Facing Elimination The Tomateros (2-3) Extend Their Series

- 5 homer Offensive

GUASAVE, SIN. January 16, 2012 (LMP.mx / Alpha Communications) -

Under the requirement to keep his team alive, Andrés Meza gave solvent pitching work and was well-backed up offensively with five home runs. The Culiacan Tomateros forced the extension of the semifinal series on Monday, beating Guasave 8-3.

Meza (1-0) wove good work for six innings on five hits, four singles, one run, a walk and two strikeouts. It was the third win for the Algodoneros reinforcement Meza.

The offense was more than enough to support with the five homers, highlighted by Marshall McDougall and Corey Aldridge.

While Meza was devoted to hanging zeros on the board, his teammates took to harm the starter Edgar Gonzalez (1-1) by way of long-range bombs.

At the top of the third with one out, Maxwell Leon singled and then came Ramiro Pena homer to open the scoring.

Two innings later, McDougall hit his first homer in the game.

It was in the fifth inning where the Tomateros set course making sure the win. Jorge Vazquez one-out homer was followed by a Corey Aldridge homer.

Luis Alfonso Cruz's single caused the departure of Jorge Gonzalez and his replacement Luis Castillo struck out McDougall but Refuge Cervatos whacked him with vitamins and made it a 7-0 ballgame.

Gonzalez gave up ten hits and six runs in four and a third innings, no walks and five strikeouts.

The stain on the work of Meza was in the sixth inning where he gave up a pair of infield hits and eventually Jose Felix would score on a double play ball.

The hosts were without a major threat but in the ninth Daryle Ward double and Mario Valenzuela singled. Tony Thomas walked to load the bases with none out. This brought the left-hander Oliver Perez in to relieve. Daryl Ward would score on a sacrifice fly but Miguel Rubio relieved and struck out Francisco Mendez and Sergio Garcia to put an end to the game.

On Wednesday, in Culiacan, the sixth game in the series will likely see a duel between Culiacan's Matt Buschmann and Guasave's Walter Silva.

Aragua traveled to La Guaira this even to face the Sharks. The Tigers lead 5-2 in the top of the ninth.

The Caribes are visiting Magallanes. The Navigators not being very nice hosts lead the Caribbeans 5-2 in the sixth.

DAYAN VICIEDO
YOENIS CESPEDES
JORGE SOLER



Viciedo helps White Sox in push for Cuban pair

Countryman says Cespedes, Soler would be 'great fit' in Chicago

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | 01/17/12 7:54 PM EST

CHICAGO --

Dayan Viciedo didn't need any pushing or prodding from the White Sox to reach out to Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler, a pair of Cuban defectors who soon should be highly coveted free agents.

"There were no phone numbers given to me or anything coming from the organization," Viciedo said through manager of cultural development Jackson Miranda during a Tuesday afternoon conference call. "It's me reaching out to my fellow Cubans and wishing the best for them.

"They aren't signed yet, and I can't tell them which way to go. I can give them advice because it's a familiar situation for me. And I can tell them how much I would enjoy having them on this team and how good this organization really is. It would be a great fit if they came over and joined us."

Cespedes played hard for Cuba. Both Cespedes, 26, and Soler, 19, have yet to establish Dominican Republic residency and must accomplish that task before being able to petition Major League Baseball to join the free-agency process. Viciedo is more familiar with Soler because of their ages, and the young outfielder has been projected as needing some Minor League time upon signing, much like "the Cuban Tank" went through over the past three seasons.

White Sox shortstop and fellow Cuban Alexei Ramirez, 30, has greater knowledge of the five-tool potential possessed by Cespedes. But Viciedo certainly is aware of Cespedes' ability.

"Cespedes is definitely ready for the Major Leagues," Viciedo said. "Everything I heard about his game is on par for his playing. Being a little bit older, he has the experience to come in and play right away."

During an interview with the Associated Press before his recent Dominican Winter League debut, Cespedes said that the Cubs, Marlins, Tigers, White Sox, Indians and Orioles had shown the most interest in him to date. Of course, that wouldn't stop other teams from ramping up their efforts once the free agency becomes official.

Having Ramirez and Viciedo, not to mention Jose Contreras and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez being part of the 2005 World Series championship squad, establishes a Cuban connection for the White Sox. But the White Sox might not be able to spend in the area where Cespedes eventually commands, and Cespedes and Soler have different representation from Ramirez and Viciedo.

Detroit also could boost its pursuit of Cespedes with Tuesday's news of Victor Martinez likely being out for the 2012 season after tearing his left ACL during a workout last week. Ultimately, the White Sox might need a more serious Viciedo and Ramirez recruiting pitch to add on either of these Cuban prospects.

Smit stymies Criollos out of Indios' 'pen

Cubs prospect gives up one hit over 4 1/3 shutout innings

Puerto Rican Winter League

Mayaguez 2, Caguas 0

Cubs prospect Kyle Smit allowed one baserunner and struck out three over 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen as the Indios took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-9 Championship Series. Marlins farmhand Jeff Dominguez lifted a sacrifice fly and Major League veteran Jesus Feliciano singled home the other run for Mayaguez. Giants prospect Johnny Monell had two of the Criollos' four hits.

Dominican Winter League
Kyle Smit pitched at three levels in the Cubs system in 2011, going 4-2 with two saves and a 5.69 ERA. (Jordan Megenhardt/MLB.com)

Licey 6, Escogido 5

Ronny Paulino capped a four-run seventh inning with a two-run single as the Tigres held off the first-place Leones in the round-robin playoffs. Fellow Major League veteran Luis Matos also had a pair of RBIs, while Anderson Hernandez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Licey. Mauro Gomez slugged a two-run homer, tripled and scored twice in a losing cause.

Aguilas at Gigantes, postponed

Venezuelan Winter League

Aragua 5, La Guaira 2

Ramon Castro homered, doubled and drove in two runs as the Tigres grabbed sole possession of first place in the round-robin playoffs. Minor League veteran Jorge Cortes reached base three times, scored twice and added an RBI for Aragua, while Giants newcomer Gregor Blanco tripled and scored a run for the Tiburones.

Magallanes 6, Caribes 4

Adonis Garcia went 3-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored, helping the Navegantes reel off their fourth straight round-robin playoff win. Erold Andrus and Andres Blanco each chipped in two hits, an RBI and a run scored for Magallanes, while suspended Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo drilled a two-run homer for the Caribes, who have lost four in a row.

Mexican Pacific League

No games scheduled

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Venezuela Winter League

•Jose Lopez (3B, Caribes de Anzoategui): 0-for-4. After a nice regular season in Venezuela where in 43 games he hit .310/.350/.470 with 5 HR and 24 RBI, Lopez has struggled in the playoffs and in 11 games is hitting just .209/.255/.279 with 1 HR and 8 RBI. It may just be water finding its level, but his recent struggles probably have a lot more to do with the fact he has been nursing a minor injury sustained while running the bases two weeks ago that resulted in him missing a few games and having to DH a few games before returning to the field. Overall it has been a solid showing this offseason for him, and he could become an option in Cleveland if an injury crops up to some of the frontrunners on the bench to make the Indians’ opening day roster.

Dominican Republic

The Aguilas will be in a must win situation tomorrow versus the Gigantes just to force a sudden death playoff game against their major arch rival Licey Tigres. The Tigres hold the upper hand.

Ronniel Demorizi agrees to terms with TORONTO DPL/ January 17, 2012

Ronniel Demorizi is 16 years old from San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He’s 6’0, 170lb, Lg frame, well proportioned athletic body. His body type resembles Yuneski Betancourt.

During the 2010-2011 DPL season Ronniel Demorizi was ranked among the best participating SS in the league. He was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game, DPL Elite Travel Team last march as well as the DPL All-Star Game in 2011.

Demorizi is a switch hitter with bat speed from both sides, line drive gap hitter with occasional power; he has a sound approach and balance at the plate. He works on being inside the ball and has shown improvements in pitch selection. He's a natural, effortless fielder with instincts. He shows good foot work, fluidness, rhythm and solid range. He consistently makes the routine plays and makes the tough plays appear routine. Like many Latin American player at 16 yrs old; he's still in the polishing stages, but his athletic ability, actions and feel for the position will carry him to next level.

His trainer Basilio Viscaino and Demorizi recently agreed to terms with the Toronto Bluejays for $105,000.

Licey Rallys for Four Runs in the Seventh

Robinson Cancel singled leading off the top of the seventh inning. Engel Beltre ran for Cancel. Luis Matos sacrificed. Donell Linares pinch hit for Alexis Gomez. Linares came through with a basehit and Engel Beltre scored. Jordany Valdespin ran for Linares. Valdespin stole (4) 2nd base. Wii Nieves hit by pitch and Michael Martinez walked loading the bases. Anderson Hernandez singled and Jordany Valdespin scored as Wil Nieves and Michael Martinez advanced. Erick Aybar grounded into a force out, as Wil Nieves was thrown out at home and the bases remained loaded. Ronny Paulino singled driving home Michael Martinez and Anderson Hernandez.

Los Tigres del Licey crystallized the four-run rally in the seventh inning to overcome a Leones 3-2 lead and reversed the deficit into a 6-2 advantage and went on to defeat Leones by a score of 6-5.

The win over the Lions keeps their hopes alive for qualifying for the championship round of 2011-12. In the last regular date for the Round Robin, the Tigers (9-9) had their destiny in their own hands and fulfilled, especially by the suspension of the game between the Cibao Eagles (8-9) and the Cibao Giants (7-10) in San Francisco.

If the Eagles defeat the Giants on Wednesday, Licey and the Aguilas will then end up tied for second place, something that would require a sudden death playoff game on Thursday in Santiago. With an Aguilas loss, the Tigers are in the finals.

Sharks Bite Bengals 5-2 in the UCV

CARACAS. -

Aragua Tigers took a major step in its intentions to get to the finals of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball. As visitors, the Tigers are a direct rival versus La Guaira Sharks and came away with a win by the score of 5-2 in Universitario stadium in Caracas.

Ramon Castro was the star on offense for the winners opening the scoring with a homer in the first inning and then an RBI double in the second.

Yusmeiro Petit (3-0) won his third victory of the postseason showing that he has been one of the most effective replacement players in the playoffs. From the Bravos the starter worked 5.1 innings with two runs. Eduardo Sanchez took over the job in the eighth to earn the save.

For La Guaira the losing pitcher was Tyson Brummett (0-1) in 6.0 innings he allowed three runs.

The Tigres put their record at 9 wins and 4 losses to take first place in the standings, while La Guaira was with 7 wins and 6 losses in the third place.

Giants and Eagles game is moved to the Quisqueya
Dominican Baseball League announced that tonight's game between Giants and Eagles be held at the Quisqueya Stadium, instead of Julian Javier de San Francisco de Macoris, due to constant rains that recently hit the city of Jaya.

The clash of vital importance for the outcome of the round robin tournament, will start at 7:30 pm and will be broadcast on CRC, channel 37. The tickets for the same will be available from noon, according to the league's public relations representative, Jorge Torres, in his twitter account.

Although the Giants are eliminated, the game must be carried out because the Eagles are a half game behind the Licey Tigers for the important second position, which defines the companions for Lions of Escogido in the final series.

A victory for the Eagles forces a sudden death elimination game against Licey which would be played at the Estadio Cibao because the Aguilas won the season series against the Tigers. However, a defeat of the Felix Fermin led Eagles would automaticly qualify Licey in the finals.

Andrew Campbell takes a swing against Canberra (Scott Powick / SMP Images)

Just what the Bandits ordered

Andrew "Soupy" Campbell is playing his part in the team's playoff push

By Anna James

During the summer, your typical 19-year-old Australian male is doing everything but hard work. Luckily for the Brisbane Bandits, Andrew 'Soupy' Campbell isn't your stock-standard teenager, who has been busy slugging away, laying the foundations for a career in baseball.

Just a few months older than catcher Ryan Battaglia and pitcher Josh Warner, Campbell is one of the youngest Bandits. You could never tell - currently leading the team with a .395 on-base percentage, the Ipswich talent is certainly holding his own amongst the big boys.

Campbell has worn number 17 across the world, played club ball for 13 years, studied at the Australian Baseball Academy and since 2009, been in the Cleveland Indians organization. Now he is in the Australian Baseball League as a proud Bandit, all before hitting the big 2-0 next month.

Early success can be kryptonite to a young man's ego, but not Campbell's, who will be the first to tell you he "sucks" at golf, even though he likes having a go and he's happy just being wherever his friends are. His first club, Ipswich Musketeers, which he still plays for and "always will" is a lifelong connection, just because its "good fun, all my best mates are there".

Raised on tales of the old ABL, it's no wonder Campbell developed in to a 'child prodigy'. "My dad played ever since he was a child, so being brought up around him and the sport I guess I had no choice." An innate aversion to T-ball saw Campbell first pick up a bat at age seven.

Campbell's mum and dad are still at the core of his career, as "they are at every game and even follow me around the world. Without them I wouldn't be where I am today." His parents flew to Canada to witness his career breakthrough in 2010, playing for the Under 19 Australian AAA Baseball Team "It was awesome to wear Australia across your chest at the last stage of rep teams before the WBC team," the proud Aussie reflects.

2011 was a huge year for the rising star, sharing his five-month stint at the Arizona League Indians with a familiar face. "I roomed with Mitch Nilsson during extended spring and the season, it was a lot more comforting having not only an Australian, but a previous mate there with you. Together I think we surprised a lot of people with our Australian ways and 'language'".

His Indians experience redefined him as a player. "I had always been a shortstop/second baseman. Not until my 2011 pro season did I become an actual utility role, playing a lot of outfield". In exchange for more field time, you can call him whatever you want "At this point I still feel like an infielder but if playing outfield means I get to play games, and hit, well I will play anywhere."

"Taking thousands of swings, groundballs and fly balls" in the US improved his game tremendously. "Just the game situations you're in and the great one-on-one coaching I received really helped me with my knowledge of the game" which prepared him for the ABL season.

Since debuting with the Bandits in Sydney, Campbell was reunited with Ipswich teammate, who he reluctantly credits as a role-model "I don't want him to think he's my mentor, I won't hear the end of it, if I had to name one, it would be Josh Roberts. I have grown up with him and he has had a big input in my baseball life. It's funny to think I was just a young boy in the under 12 team he coached; now we're mates, playing in the same Bandits team."

"He's definitely a hard worker" Brad Dutton describes Campbell, speaking on behalf of the team "He'll go from overseas straight in to club ball, because he is loyal and just wants to play baseball every day. Soup plays the game the right way, that's why us older guys respect him".

Even the opposition agree; Campbell's performance in Perth had The Heat's commentators crying 'Where have they been hiding him!' with commendations on his 'flawless' executions of the ball.

Since his December debut Campbell has played 22 games, batting .307 (23-for-75) and has notched four doubles, a triple, driven in seven runs and stolen three bases.

"My goal is to work even harder than last year" in view of making a long-season team, his confidence is centered not on his talent, but his ability to put in the hard yards.

"2012 sees me going over to America for my first spring training. My plan is to finish the bandits season off feeling confident, and with some good results and then preparing for my time in the US."

"There is always something more you can do" Campbell states, revealing an attitude well beyond his years. "More ground balls, more tee-work, learning more about the game. Don't settle with comfort. The work you put in your own time is what counts". With the playoffs dangling in front of hungry eyes, the Bandits are fortunate that Campbell is proving the perfect addition to their menu.

Still no Giovanny Urshella sightings in Columbia.