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Pederson highlights big day for Cardenales

Dodgers top prospect goes 2-for-3 with a homer and three runs in rout

MLB.com | 10/13/2013 1:45 A.M. ET

Venezuelan Winter League

Lara 8, La Guaira 2

Dodgers top prospect Joc Pederson homered, stole a base and scored three times to key Lara's 11-hit attack and lead the Cardenales to their first win. Venezuelan Jairo Perez went 2-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs for Lara.

Aragua 9, Caracas 8

Aragua got five runs in the first inning and four in the seventh and held on to beat Caracas, 9-8, to move to 3-0 on the season. Phillies farmhand Jim Murphy was 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. Indians No. 17 prospect Jesus Aguilar was 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs for Caracas and is 7-for-10 over the first three games of the season.

Zulia 12, Magallanes 3

Aguilas del Zulia racked up 15 hits, including three by D-backs Minor League outfielder Ender Inciarte, who also scored three times, to beat Magallanes, 12-3. Reds Minor Leaguer Felix Perez and Giants farmhand Mark Minicozzi each went deep for Zulia, who moved to 2-1 on the season. Rangers No. 3 prospect Rougned Odor went 2-for-3 with a run scored for Magallanes.

Caribes 8, Margarita 6

Six Caribes players drove in at least one run and seven different players scored, as Anzoategui topped Margarita, 8-6. Longtime Yankees Minor Leaguer Jose Gil and former Braves Draft pick Cory Aldrige each went 3-for-4 for Caribes, while Giants prospect Adam Duvall doubled, homered and drove in three runs in a losing cause.

Mexican Pacific League

Los Mochis 3, Guasave 2

Former Padres, Phillies and Mets farmhand Brian Burgamy had a pair of doubles and an RBI, and Saul Soto belted a two-run homer to lead Los Mochis over Guasave in each team's season opener. Box score

Culiacan 3, Mazatlan 1

Veteran Mexican League All-Star Francisco Campos picked up his first win of the 2013 Mexican Pacific League season, leading Culiacan over Mazatlan. The 40-year-old right-hander allowed one run on five hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Mexicali 7, Obregon 5

Mexicali got two runs in the sixth inning, one in the seventh and four in the eighth to rally past Obregon and move to 2-0 on the season. Kevin Kouzmanoff was 2-for-4 to pace the Aguilas, and Jeremy Accardo picked up the save.

Around the Farm: October 10, 2013
Jesus Aguilar

By Tony Lastoria

October 11, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Several Indians players were in action on Thursday as the Arizona Fall League rolled on and the Venezuela Winter League kicked off.

Arizona Fall League

Will Roberts (SP): 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 HR. Roberts got the start and aside from an opposite field home run he pitched well. He did allow much hard contact and actually pitched the best of any Surprise player that pitched on the night as the staff gave up 11 runs. He threw 38 pitches and 21 for strikes. The one knock was a lack of swing and miss as he did not record a strikeout and I don't recall seeing a batter swing and miss the entire night.

Tyler Naquin (CF): 1-for-2. Naquin led off the game with a single up the middle but it went all downhill from there. He hit into a double play his next time up and then in the bottom of the third inning he raced back on a deep fly ball and dove on the track near the center field wall and landed funny. He crumpled to the ground and did not get up for several minutes before two trainers went out to retrieve him. After a few moments he got up and walked off the field under his own power, though was removed from the game. I have no idea at the moment the extent of the injury, but it looked like some sort of leg injury. Hopefully when I go to the field on Friday I will find out more about him. Stay tuned.

Tony Wolters (SS): 0-for-3, BB, 2 K. Wolters was out from behind the plate and played shortstop. This is something he is expected to do a lot this fall as he will likely split his playing time or see a decent proportion of his time spent at shortstop. If I were guessing, I would say 2-3 starts a week at catcher and 1-2 starts a week at shortstop.

Joe Wendle (2B): 1-for-4, K. Wendle recorded one of the three hits on the entire night for Surprise. He is in store for a fun and exciting campaign in the Arizona Fall League and has the proper mindset needed to be a consistent performer. He is the classic guy with average tools but who tends to overachieve and I predict he will continue that this fall and next season as well.

Venezuela Winter League

Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 3-for-4, 3 R, HR, RBI, BB. Aguilar must have heard me talking yesterday because I was discussing him with someone and how he needed to show some power in winter ball once it got underway. This qualifies as a very good start and hopefully a harbinger or things to come this offseason as far as the power, production and approach goes.

Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 1-for-4, R, BB, K, SB. Carrera is a minor league free agent so his days as an Indian are about over, but in the meantime we will continue to monitor his progress. The Indians would have no problem resigning him to a minor league deal, but he probably wants to go elsewhere where he might get a better major league opportunity. Regardless, he will get a ton of playing time this fall/winter and is playing to impress someone enough to give him a minor league deal with a major league spring training invite.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Around the Farm: October 11, 2013
Trey Haley

By Tony Lastoria

October 12, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

The Arizona Fall League and Venezuela Winter League were both in action on Friday night.

Arizona Fall League

Trey Haley (RP): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K. Haley struggled in this outing as he threw 29 pitches (15 strikes) to five batters before he was removed. That's a lot of pitches and traffic in one inning for a reliever, so the command issues are still continuing to plague him. The arm is beautiful and he is a tremendous worker, but that command issue is something that has haunted him since the day he debuted as an Indian in 2008. It is his Achilles heel and he knows it and is working on becoming more consistent with his strike throwing. He was 94-98 MPH with his fastball all night, and actually pounded the zone against the first two hitters with his curveball and fastball, but just lost it against the last two hitters.

Shawn Armstrong (RP): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR. Armstrong had trouble locating and throwing strikes as he threw just 10 strikes of the 23 pitches he threw. He was 91-94 MPH with his fastball and continues to see his velocity return, which is good, but the other aspects of his fastball with command and location are still a work in progress. This outing could have been a lot worse if not for a line out double play to end the inning.

Venezuela Winter League

Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB. Aguilar is off to an impressive start in two games so far in Venezuela and has been a run creation machine going 5-for-7 at the plate with a HR, 2 walks, 3 RBI and 6 runs scored. He had a very productive season at Double-A Akron and is primed to start next season at Triple-A Columbus and very well might be a bat the Indians will look to will a right-handed need at some point next season. At this point, because of his right-handed power and how he is very close to major league ready - and might very well be ready to play now in the big leagues - he looks like a pretty sure bet to be rostered this offseason.

Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 1-for-4, R, 3B, BB. Carrera has a solid game at the plate reaching base twice in five plate appearances and showcased his speed with a triple. It will be interesting to see where he ends up this offseason as he is playing winter ball all while negotiating with teams about a minor league deal for next season. I still believe he's a long shot to return to the Indians.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Around the Farm: October 13, 2013
Bryan Price

By Arthur Kinney

October 14, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Note, the Arizona Fall League was off on Sunday.

Venezuela Winter League

Jesus Aguilar (Leones del Caracas, 1B) - 2-4, 1 R, 1 K. Aguilar remains hot in the first weekend of the Venezuelan winter ball season as he is now 9-for-14 in four games. His hits came on a sharp grounder to left in the second (later scored on a Chad Hufman groundout to first for one of only two Leones runs on the day) and a line drive to right in the eighth (was forced at second on the next at-bat on a 3-6-3 double play off the bat of Leones LF Danny Dorn). A fly out to right to end the top of the third and a swinging strikeout in the fifth rounded out his day at the plate.

Bryan Price (Bravos de Margarita, SP) - 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 1 K. This was a solid first outing for Price. Most of his troubles came in his first inning when he gave up a fly ball triple to center field to Caribes de Anzoategui CFGorkys Hernandez, who scored on a Luis Nunez sac fly to left. Keep in mind that this was also his winter ball debut and he was likely a little rusty after the somewat long layoff since the end of the minor league season almost a month and a half ago.

Ezequiel Carrera (Navegantes del Magallanes, CF): 1-for-4, RBI, BB. Carrera is a free agent and looking to impress other teams looking for a depth fourth outfield option. He is 3-for-15 so far in four games.

Alex Monsalve (Bravos de Margarita, DH): 1-for-3, K. Monsalve made his offseason debut and looks like he might get a decent amount of playing time. He needs it as he missed a large part of the season with his arm injury.

Paolo Espino (Caribes de Anzoategui, SP): 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R/ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 2 HR. Espino is another player that is a free agent and is looking to impress some teams looking for some Triple-A pitching depth. It looks like he will get a chance to start which is a good thing, and the 7 strikeouts in 3.2 innings were impressive - although the 2 homers obviously hurt.

Jesus Aguilar, player of the week LVBP


The Lions baseman Caracas, Jesus Aguilar, was chosen as the player of the week after hitting for a .643 average in the first four games

By: Miguel Cicenia / mcicenia@cadena-capriles.com

CARACAS . -

The prospect of the Cleveland Indians, Jesus Aguilar, showed in the first week of the VBPL the great value of the organization as a player for the Leones del Caracas.

Aguilar was able to obtain the title of player of the week, hitting an average of .643 (14-9) accompanied by five RBIs in the first four games of the season 2013-2014.

First baseman with the Cleveland Indians this summer in 499 at-bats postulated a .275 average, 137 hits accompanied connecting 16 home runs, but the number that should be noted is that 105 RBIs ranked as team leader of the Akron Aeros of the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians , who compete in the Eastern League in the United States.

The native of Ottawa, received the most votes by the press followed by the Braves slugger Adam Duvall Margarita.

Aguilar over the first week, connected hits in each of the games he played , where he also homered negotiated four walks and was placed as a leader in runs scored in the league with eight.

This is the first award received by the player in his professional playing career over three seasons in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

CIBAO GIGANTES:

The team received this weekend its first imported player in the person of catcher Omir Santos. Santos, with major league experience will strengthen the position of the club. This year AAA level played in the International League with the Cleveland Indians with the Columbus Clippers, he batted .248 to connect 51 hits in 206 innings, scored 14 runs, 9 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs, with 23 RBIs . "I come to help at the position, I have very good reports of the team and also the coach Mako Oliveras is a man I know and I know we'll be fine," he said.

Katsuya Kakunaka greets fellow Lotte Marine Daichi Suzuki after the shortstop scored a rare home run in the fifth inning. | KYODO

Baseball

Marines cage Lions to reach final stage of PL Climax Series

by Jason Coskrey

Staff Writer

Oct 14, 2013

TOKOROZAWA, SAITAMA PREF. –

Many people would jump at a chance for an autumn getaway in Miyzaki.

Many people, but not Daichi Suzuki. Miyazaki’s nice and all, but only place the Chiba Lotte Marines shortstop wants to go right now is Sendai, where the temperature won’t get higher than 21 for at least the next 10 days.

Hopefully, he won’t forget to pack a jacket.

Suzuki hit a rare home run to lead off the fifth inning, Katsuya Kakunaka provided some insurance with a two-run triple in the eighth, and the Marines got four good innings out of their bullpen in a 4-1 win over the Seibu Lions in the third and deciding game of the Pacific League Climax Series First Stage on Monday at Seibu Dome. Lotte won the series 2-1.

“If we won, we’d go to Sendai (to continue to postseason), and if we lost we’d go to Miyazaki (to play in the fall league), and I was telling Kaku-san that we should go to Sendai, not Miyazaki,” Suzuki said.

The Marines will now face the PL champion Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the final stage beginning on Thursday. The winner of that series, at Sendai’s Kleenex Stadium, will represent the Pa League in the Japan Series.

Top prospects set, clear table for Tiburones

Rangers' Sardinas, White Sox's Sanchez combine for pair of runs, four RBIs in win

By Joey Nowak / MLB.com | 10/14/2013 1:04 P.M. ET

Venezuelan Winter League

La Guaira 6, Caracas 2

Edgmer Escalona scattered just one earned run over four innings for La Guaira on Sunday, as Rangers No. 2 prospect Luis Sardinas and White Sox No. 9 prospect Carlos Sanchez combined to go 3-for-6 with two runs and two triples at the top of the order. Indians No. 17 prospect Jesus Aguilar went 2-for-4 with a run for Caracas, and veteran Bobby Abreu went 1-for-4.

Magallanes 6, Zulia 4

The two teams combined for 22 hits, but Magallanes overcame four errors for its second win of the season. Left fielder Lew Ford went 4-for-4 with a double and a triple for the victors, while catcher Jesus Flores went 1-for-5 with a run.

Aragua 6, Lara 2

Seven batters recorded hits to help Aragua stay undefeated on the season, with Juan Infante going yard. Jairo Perez went 3-for-4 with three doubles for Lara, which also got six scoreless innings of one-hit ball from Anthony Vasquez.

Margarita 5, Caribes 3

Margarita earned its first win of the season with an 11-hit output and a two-run ninth inning to seal it. Manny Pina, Antoan Richardson and Adam Duvall each recorded multihit games, while Oscar Salazar went 2-for-4 for Caribes.

Mexican Pacific League

Obregon 8, Mexicali 5

Iker Franco cleared the bases with a three-run double in the top of the 12th to give Obregon the victory in the extra-innings slugfest. The two teams combined for 26 hits, with Dan Robertson homering for Obregon and Ricky Alvarez going yard as part of a 3-for-5 day for Mexicali. Veteran Karim Garcia went 0-for-5 for Obregon while reliever Jeremy Accardo took the blown save in one inning of work for Mexicali.

Guasave 8, Los Mochis 7

After the two teams combined for nine runs in the first inning, the bullpens settled things down in Guasave's first win of the season. Marco Tovar was rocked for five runs in two-thirds of an inning, but Jesus Pirela threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Jonathan Castellanos also threw just two-thirds of an inning for Los Mochis, surrendering four runs. Jesus Avila went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Los Mochis, and Mark Hamilton and Zelous Wheeler each homered for Guasave.

Hermosillo 3, Navojoa 1

Barry Enright allowed just one run while scattering five hits over 5 1/3 innings, besting Jose Oyervidez (two runs on four hits in five innings) in the teams' first game of the season. Jerry Owens went 1-for-4 with a double and Yunesky Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for Hermosillo. Rolando Acosta went 3-for-4 for Navojoa.

Mazatlan 6, Culiacan 5

A four-run ninth inning propelled Mazatlan to its first win of the season on Sunday. Each of its six runs came in the last two innings against Culiacan's bullpen, as Issmael Salas and Jose Orozco homered. Refugio Cervantes went 3-for-4 with a homer for Culiacan. Amauri Sanit took a no-decision after 7 1/3 innings of one-hit, one-run ball for Culiacan.

Australian Baseball League

Canberra 7, Perth 6

Both starters -- Warwick Saupold for Perth and John Holdzkom for Canberra -- gave up six runs in Sunday's ABL Championship, though Canberra's bullpen was able to keep Perth at bay for the remainder of the game after Holdzkom's 4 2/3 innings. Just five hitters between the two teams' starting lineups did not record a hit, and catcher Jack Murphy led the way for Canberra with a 3-for-4 day, including a double. Kody Hightower and Michael Wells both homered, while Perth's Luke Hughes tripled and drove in two runs.

MLB

Yankees in hot pursuit of perfect Japanese pitcher

QMI Agency

First posted: Saturday, October 12, 2013 10:58 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, October 12, 2013 11:02 PM EDT

The New York Yankees are set to bid for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, a 24-year-old righty who impressed MLB scouts recently, according to the New York Post.

The Yankees are interested in filling Andy Pettitte’s vacated starting role with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles starter, who went a perfect 24-0 with a 1.23 ERA in the Japanese Pacific League last season.

“The Yankees have seen him a lot,” a talent evaluator familiar with the pursuit told the New York Post. “Boston, Texas and the Dodgers will be there, too. This guy is very good.’’

The price to negotiate with Tanaka is expected to fetch as much as the posting price for Yu Darvish, around $60 million.

“He is better than Darvish because he is a strike thrower,” one scout told the Post. “Overall, Darvish’s stuff might be a little bit better, but this guy knows how to pitch. He is like Kuroda, he has a lot of guts. He throws four pitches but when it gets to (stone)-cutting time, it’s fastball and splitter.”

Winter Ball Participants To Date:

Jesus Aguilar Caracas VWL AVE .643, OBP .722, SLG .857, OPS 1.579, HR 1, R 8, RBI 5, G 4
Ezekiel Carrera Magallanes VWL AVE .200, OBP.368, SLG .333, OPS .702 G 4
Luis Hernandez Aragua VWL AVE .375, OBP .375, SLG .500, OPS .875, G 2
Alex Monsalve Margarita VWL AVE .333, OBP .333, SLG .333, OPS .667 G 1
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Eric Berger Margarita VWL (0-0), ERA .450, INN 2.0, SO 0, W 0, WHIP 1.00, AVg .250, G 1
Paolo Espino Oriente VWL (0-0), ERA 4.91, INN 3.2, SO 7, W 0, WHIP 1.09, AVG .267, HR 2, G 1
Jose Flores Magallanes VWL (0-0) ERA 0.0, INN 1.0, SO 1, W 0, WHIP 0.00, AVG .000, G 1
Bryan Price Margarita VWL (0-0), ERA 3.00, INN 3.0, SO 1, W 0, WHIP 0.67, AVG .222, G 1
Anthony Vizcava Lara VWL (0-0) ERA 0.00, INN 2.0, SO 2, W 1, WHIP 0.50, AVG .000, G 1

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2013 Indians winter ball assignments

By Tony Lastoria

October 12, 2013

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Here is a current listing of players from the Indians’ organization expected to play winter ball this offseason. This is not a complete list as it will undoubtedly change over the course of winter ball as players finish up play and other players end up being assigned to a league.

Also, 40-man players are currently not assigned to winter ball teams yet due to an expired agreement between MLB and the winter leagues that is holding things up. Once that is worked out, a few Indians players on the 40-man roster are expected to play this offseason in the various winter leagues.

Arizona Fall League
(Started October 8th)

RHP Shawn Armstrong - Surprise Saguaros
RHP Trey Haley - Surprise Saguaros
RHP Jeff Johnson - Surprise Saguaros
RHP Will Roberts - Surprise Saguaros
CA Jake Lowery - Peoria Javelinas
CA/INF Tony Wolters - Surprise Saguaros
2B Joe Wendle - Surprise Saguaros
OF Tyler Naquin - Surprise Saguaros

Dominican Winter League
(Starts October 18th)

INF Ronny Rodriguez - Estrellas Orientales

Puerto Rico Winter League
(Starts November 1st)

RHP Bryce Stowell - Criollos de Caguas
RHP Brett Brach - Gigantes de Carolina
OF Carlos Moncrief - Gigantes de Carolina
CA Roberto Perez - Indios de Mayagüez

Venezuela Winter League
(Started October 10th)

RHP Bryan Price - Bravos de Margarita
INF Jesus Aguilar - Leones de Caracas

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It looks like Tony is missing a few players whose assignments are in Venezuela: Ezekiel Carrera Magallanes VWL, Luis Hernandez Aragua VWL, Alex Monsalve Margarita VWL, Eric Berger Margarita VWL, Paolo Espino Oriente VWL (0-0), Jose Flores Magallanes VWL, and Anthony Vizcava Lara VWL.

Also! He does not list any assignments for Mexico. I haven't been able to find any either.

Around the Farm: October 15, 2013
Jesus Aguilar

By Tony Lastoria

October 16, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Arizona Fall League

Tyler Naquin (CF, Surprise Saguaros): 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI. Naquin put forth his first multi-hit effort of his AFL campaign and has had at least one hit in all four games played. He is 6-for-17 and hitting .353 in the early going, and probably most important is he escaped serious injury on Thursday after banging his knee up pretty good and getting a few days off to rest it and have it looked at.

Venezuela Winter League

Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones del Caracas): 2-for-3, R, BB. Ho hum, another game, another multi-hit performance for Aguilar. If you are counting at home he has now played in five games so far this fall and has at least two hits in every game. Overall he is off to a blistering hot start going 11-for-17 at the plate and also has five walks. As a result he is hitting .647 with a .727 on-base percentage and .824 slugging percentage. These numbers wil obviously do down significantly over the coming weeks, but through five games those are Nintendo-like numbers. This is exactly what we want to see out of him in an important offseason where he is up for roster protection, the Indians need to find suitable right-handed power bats for next season, and could use some trade ammunition.

Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 0-for-4, 2 R, BB, 3 K. Carrera with the hat trick going down three times on strikeouts and is the polar opposite of Aguilar as he is just 3-for-19 at the plate in 5 games so far this offseason.

Jose Flores (RP, Navegantes del Magallanes): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K. This was Flores' second outing this offseason, but I believe the first time he has been mentioned in ATF as he might have been missed the first time around. He is a minor league free agent so he is pitching winter ball to try and gain some interest from other teams.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Odor sparks Magallanes to comeback victory

Rangers infield prospect delivers singles in pair of three-run innings

By Paul Casella / MLB.com | 10/16/2013 3:00 A.M. ET

Venezuelan Winter League

Caribes 6, Caracas 5

In a back-and-forth game, Caribes ultimately plated the game-winning run on a balk call in the top of the ninth inning. The clubs earlier exchanged three-run home runs, with Caracas' Daniel Mayora staking his club to a 3-0 lead in the second, only to have it erased by a three-run shot from Caribes' Cory Aldridge in the fourth.

After falling behind 5-4, Caracas rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, thanks in large part to a key base hit by Indians prospect Jesus Aguilar, who finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. With a runner on first and no outs in the eighth, the Tribe's No. 17 prospect, according to MLB.com, singled to move the tying run to third base. The next batter delivered a run-scoring groundout to knot the game before Caracas' Diegomar Markwell balked one inning later with a runner on third, bringing in the game-winner.

Magallanes 7, Zulia 4

After a slow offensive start, Magallanes plated three runs each in the eighth and ninth innings to pull away from Zulia. Second baseman Rougned Odor [Rouglas Odor's son I do believe], the Rangers' No. 3 prospect, singled in each of those two decisive innings, yet it was the brother of a current Rangers middle infielder that ultimately delivered the significant blow.

With Magallanes clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Erold Andrus -- the older brother of two-time Rangers All-Star Elvis Andrus -- cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double to extend the lead to 7-3. Zulia added a run in the bottom of the inning to make the final score, 7-4.

Aragua 4, Margarita 3

Aragua rallied in the later stages of the game then held off a ninth-inning comeback attempt to remain unbeaten on the young season. Trailing, 1-0, after six innings, Aragua catcher Guillermo Rodriguez tied the game with a leadoff homer in the seventh before Hector Gimenez, who played 26 games this season with the White Sox, came through with a crucial two-run, bases-loaded single later in the inning to put Aragua ahead for good.

Aragua tacked on another run in the top of the ninth to stretch the lead to 4-1 before Margarita rallied for two runs in the bottom half. The loss dropped Margarita to 1-4, while Aragua improved to 5-0.

Mexican Pacific League

Hermosillo 6, Los Mochis 3

Hermosillo used a balanced offensive attack on Tuesday night to swing its way past Los Mochis and, in turn, improve to 2-0 on the season. Eight different players collected at least one hit for Hermosillo en route to its 6-3 victory.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the second inning, Hermosillo catcher Adan Munoz put his club on the board and tied the game with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the inning. Munoz's solo shot marked the only extra-base hit of the night for Hermosillo, which produced the rest of its offense behind 12 singles and eight walks. Leadoff hitter and former Major Leaguer Jerry Owens helped key the attack, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base, while also walking twice. Owens spent parts of four seasons with the White Sox from 2006-09, stealing 32 bases in 93 games in '07.

Mexicali 3, Obregon 2

Former Major Leaguer Kevin Kouzmanoff homered for the second straight night, providing all of Mexicali's offense with one swing. Kouzmanoff connected on a three-run homer in the third inning, driving in all three of his club's runs as Mexicali improved to 4-1.

Mexicali starter Irwin Delgado limited Obregon to two runs off four hits over 5 1/3 innings for the victory and the bullpen tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

Mazatlan 3, Guasave 2

A costly throwing error led to two early runs for Mazatlan, and Guasave never fully recovered as Mazatlan held on for a one-run victory. Following a third-inning error, Mazatlan center fielder Bryan Petersen hit a two-out, two-run double to open the scoring and, as it turned out, put his club ahead for good.

Mazatlan added another run one inning later and that was all the offense it would need. Starter Walter Silva allowed just one run over five innings before handing it over to the bullpen, which was nearly just as impressive, limiting Guasave to one run off three hits over four frames of relief. Guasave starter Manuel Flores took the loss despite allowing just one earned run (three total) over six innings.

Culiacan, Navojoa (PPD -- rain)

Providing a spark: Giants star Hayato Sakamoto belts a game-tying home run in the sixth inning against the Carp in Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage on Wednesday at Tokyo Dome. Yomiuri beat Hiroshima 3-2. | KYODO

Baseball / Japanese Baseball

Giants atone for early miscues, capitalize on late opportunities to edge Carp in Game 1

by Jason Coskrey

Staff Writer

Oct 16, 2013

The Yomiuri Giants overcame the mistake that put them in an early hole against the Hiroshima Carp.

The Carp weren’t as fortunate on the game’s final play.

Hayato Sakamoto hit a game-tying home run in the sixth, Shuichi Murata hit a go-ahead single in the seventh, and the infield pair combined to record the final out of Yomiuri’s 3-2 win when Hiroshima’s Masato Akamatsu overran third base in Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage at Tokyo Dome.