Jesús Aguilar home run Terminates Lions losing streak

With the Lara Cardinals already qualified for post season play and sitting on top of the standings, and the Lions of Caracas sitting alone in the basement badly in need of wins to quality, came up with an important 5-4 come from behind victory.

Leones snapped a five - game losing streak Saturday none other than against the leaders of the LVBP, which in turn saw their six - game winning streak come to an end.

The Caracas team understood the urgency of winning and from the first inning received a pair of leadoff doubles, the first by Wilfredo Tovar and the second, a run producing double by Yandy Diaz produced the first run of the game. Diaz was thrown out at third on the throw to home, but Henry Rodriguez and Jesus Aguilar followed with walks. Both advanced a base on a ground out. An error by the pitcher on a ground ball to second allowed Rodriguez and Aguilar scored on the play.

Leones took that early three run advantage but did not back down after the red birds responded with a run in the second inning to cut the lead to one run. The red birds rallied once more in the sixth inning and produced three more runs to take a 4-3 advantage.

However, in the eighth inning Jesus Aguilar had the last word, a two - run homer, his eighth of the season that reversed the score board at 5-4.

"We all 'F'd up here. It's do or die. We're at war and we placed ourselves in this position, "said the slugger after finishing the game. "We struggled hitting late in games. We were being too aggressive and swinging at bad pitches. We must be patient from now on. We have work to do, " said Aguilar.

Jim Patterson, reliever for Caracas picked up his first win of the year while David Martinez took the loss. For his part, Juan Carlos Gutierrez won his fifth save of the season.

JESUS AGUILAR GAME WINNING HOMER

https://youtu.be/OqOtMQ17zBI

2B: Diaz, Y (8, Molina, N);
HR: Aguilar (8, 8th inning off Martinez, D, 1 on, 2 out)
TB: Diaz, Y 4; Aguilar 5
RBI: Diaz, Y (16); Aguilar 2 (19)
2-out RBI: Aguilar 2

Ronny Rodriguez & Abraham Almonte

Toros beat the Eagles Have Three Game Winning Streak

Los Toros del Este defeated 5-3 over the Aguilas Cibaeñas to string together three wins in succession.

With 12 hits, the home team prevailed for the second consecutive day over the Cibaeños to stay within the possibilities to qualify for the round robin of the championship.

The winning pitcher was the reliever Fabio Castillo , who entered the sixth inning, faced five batters in one and a third innings, with no runs or walks, with 3 strikeouts. The save went to Preston Guilmet. Losing was the reliever of Aguilas Samuel Deduno.

For the Toros also going to the mound, besides the opener Edwar Cabrera was Michael Dimock (4), Luis Santos (5), Dario Alvarez (6), Jose Rafael Diaz (Jumbo) (8).

For the Eagles on the mound was Francisley Bueno, the opener of the game, who pitched 3.1 inputs; Kelvis Valerio (4), Tony Peña Jr. (4), Samuel Deduno (6), Roberto Gómez (6), Juan Grullón (8) and Esmerling de la Rosa (8).

For the Bulls excelling on the offensewas Abraham Almonte 2-3, two RBIs; Eugenio Velez 1-2, an RBI; Alen Hanson 2-3, an RBI and a run scored; Angelys Nina 1-4, an RBI and a run scored; Cristhiam Adames 2-4, a run scored, and Austin Wynns , 1-5, a single.

For the Eagles Jose Constanza 2-4, one RBI; Johan Camargo 2-4, two RBIs, and one scored; Alfredo Marte 2-3, a run scored; Juan Carlos Pérez, Daniel Santana and Ricardo Nanita , one hit each.

Bulls with 20 victory (20-25) remains a game behind the Leones Escogido (21-24), occupying the fifth position and 2 games behind Estrellas (22-23) occupying the important fourth and qualifying spot for the round robin tournament.

Francisco Lindor Wearing His Country's Uniform Will Represent Puerto Rico in the Upcoming World Classic

Yandy just keeps hitting. Probably not considered an alternative to Encarnacion or Napoli since he's not a slugger so he'll have to shove some incumbent aside for a roster spot [unless they fail to sign one of those 1B bats].

Noted this old friend in one of your game stories:

Carlos Rivero was the main ally of Martinez with a two run homer in the first inning.

Still only 28, he's a solid AAA bat [277/316/484 in 2016]
His major league career consists of 8 plate appearances with the RedSox in 2014 for a 1.911 OPS.
He plays 3B almost exclusively. His defense must be pretty bad or he would get occasional big league shots.

JESUS AGUILAR

12/17/16

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP)

Alex Monsalve (Bravos de Margarita, starting C) - 1-1, 1 BB,1 Sac Bunt - Monsalve had a productive, if not flashy, evening before being replaced by pinch hitter David Gonzalez in the top of the ninth inning. Alex is batting .333 in his last ten games despite being hitless in half of them thanks to two big nights (3-for-3 on 12/2 and 2-for-3 on 12/8). Outside of those two games and last night, he is 2-for-17 (.118) in the other seven contests.

Randy Valadares (Bravos de Margarita, RP) - 0 IP, 1 H - Valladares allowed a hit to the only batter he faced as he continues to struggle following his previous outing in which he allowed an earned run on four hits in 0.1 IP.

Guillermo Quiroz (Tigres de Aragua, DH) - 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K - Quiroz extends his hitting streak to three games as he continues to improve (3-for-11 [.273] during the streak, 4-for-14 [.286] in his last five, and .250/.351/.250 in his last ten compared to .182/.308/.182 in 16 games this season). The lack of any extra base hits is notable, but that's from a sample size of only eight hits.

Yandy Diaz (Leones del Caracas, CF) - 3-4, 1 2B. 1 RBI - Diaz has multiple hits in his last two games and five of his last ten, a stretch during which he is hitting .390/.457/.488. His season totals of .375/.449/.525 with 16 RBI in 31 games are also impressive.

Jesus Aguilar (Leones del Caracas, 1B) - 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB - Aguilar makes it back-to-back multi-hit, multi-RBI games and is batting .353/.476/.735 with 4 HR, 8 RBI, and a 8:7 K:BB ratio. Say hello to the RBI Machine 2.0, now with better plate discipline!

Yhoxian Medina (Leones del Caracas, PR-backup DH) - no plate appearances - Medina pinch ran for starting DH Jesus Guzman in the top of the ninth and the batting order didn't get back to his spot before the game ended.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Michael Martinez (Estrellas Orientales, 2B) - 1-4, 1 K - Martinez is unable to make it two multi-hit games in a row as he continues to make a habit of one-hit efforts (five in his last ten games). While consistently getting hits is good, his inability to hit in multi-hit nights has made keeping his batting average (increased from .205 to .209 lat night) above the Mendoza Line a struggle.

Erik Gonzalez (Leones del Escogido, 3B) - 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB - Maybe Gonzalez's slump isn't over quite yet. After ending a five-game 3-for 20 (.150) stretch with a three-hit performance on Friday, Gonzalez went hitless on Saturday. While it is clear that his production has declined from the start of the season, there are still many questions surrounding Erik's recent run of form. Is this a slump we need to worry about or just a long season taking its toll? Is he beginning to improve or still mired in a slump? There may not be enough time left in the regular season (Escogido's hardly a lock to make the playoffs and Gonzalez isn't getting postseason playing time playing like this) to find out the answers this offseason.

Ronny Rodriguez (Aguilas Cibaenas, 1B) - 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K - Ronny-Rod's four-game hitting streak comes to an end, but he reached base safely for his fifth consecutive game.

Abraham Almonte (Toros del Este, CF) - 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - An all-around solid evening for Almonte, who now has a five game hitting streak and has reached base safely in each of his last ten games. He is batting .361 (13-for-36) in those ten games and .368 in 17 games this Dominican season.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Alexis Pantoja (Tiburones de Aguadilla, SS) - 0-4, 1 K - Pantoja's hitless effort ended a three-game hitting streak in which he batted .500 (6-for-12). Hopefully, this is an anomaly and not a return to being a streaky hitter (he preceded the hitting streak with a five-game 0-for-11 drought).

Torrealba celebrated his first win as manager | AVS

Yorvit Torrelba: "We have no margin of error"

The Caracas Lions, in addition to being at the bottom of the standings, are the only team in the LVBP totaling 30 losses (31) in the season. That is very clear to Yorvit Torrealba, who, during the middle of this week, assumed the role of manager of Caracas.

Torrealba could finally celebrate his first win as coach of Caracas 0n Saturday against the Lara Cardinals in his third appearance in his new position.

"I spoke to everyone earlier and told them they had to be ready to play every day because we have no margin for error," the boss told the Lions team, knowing that before they started the duel against the Red Birds there were 10 games left to play.

The win did not come easy. Ahead 3-0 in the first inning, the Cardinals came back to take a 4-3 lead before Jesus Aguilar rescued the team in the 8th inning with a two run homer reversing the scoreboard 5-4. Torrealba used his best pitchers to secure the game with Jim Pattterson, the-eventual winner, coming on in relief followed by Jesus Pirela and Juan Carlos Gutiérrez. "If we were going to win, we were go to it with our best pitchers. Juan Carlos Gutiérrez started and pitched in an excellent way."

"Thank God it was the result we expected and tomorrow we will go for more", closed the manager.

Jesús Aguilar has reached the 40 home run total for the Lions;
the eighth highest total in franchise history

Posted on Friday 12/16/2016

And in his return to the lineup after a week off, Yandy Diaz drove in a run with a triple. "Yandy is an important part for us and it's good to have him back in the lineup. He's been consistent throughout the year."

[ Aguilar hit number 41 last night Saturday 12/17/16 ]

12/18/16 HR: Aguilar (9, 7th inning off Arredondo, J, 0 on, 2 out).
RBI: Aguilar (20); Diaz, Y (17).
SB: Martinez, M (1, 2nd base off Gaviglio/Paulino, C); Almonte (5, 3rd base off Holmberg/Castillo, W)
CS: Diaz, Y (3, 2nd base by Arredondo, J/Diaz, F).

Aguilar keeps Lions alive

The Caracas Lions beat the Braves Margarita 6-4 in University Stadium Caracas a result that excites the fans in the capital that is the beginning of a streak that can take them to a miraculous classification. Caracas reached its twenty-third victory of the season and their postseason struggles appears to be within reach.

The battle to qualify will be more intense than ever, even more so when the two arch rivals, Caracas and Magallanes are not assured of a postseason berth, both the Navigators and the Lions seem to have taken an oxygen cylinder with the refreshment of their new managers. Yorvit Torrealba knows he does not have an easy mission but the Lions show that they are still in the fight.

Yandy Diaz was the chief figure on the offense for Caracas by hitting 3-4 with a walk, with two runs scored and an RBI. Jesús Aguilar also played an instrumental roll in the win going 1-3 with his third home run in three days breaking a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning.

The winning pitcher was Jose Ascanio (2-1). The defeated was Luis Arredondo (1-4) and the save was credited to Juan Carlos Gutierrez (6), his second in two days.

Aguilar homered for third consecutive game (Photo: AVS Photo Report)

Jesus Aguilar played the hero for a second straight day after dispatching a solo home run in the seventh inning allowing the Lions of Caracas to defeat the Margarita Braves 6 runs to 4 in the home park University Stadium Caracas.

In the botom of the seventh inning, before the pitches of Anthony Ortega, Jesus Aguilar hit his ninth homer of the season, which broke the tie on the scoreboard.

"We must continue. There's no tomorrow. We are there giving 100%, warring. Thank God I had the opportunity to make the big at bat. I do not feel like a leader or fundamental piece of the puzzle, here we are not looking for heroes but wins", said the big first baseman after the encounter.

In the eighth came one more run for the Leones cause thanks to Yandy Diaz's single with the bases loaded, an insurance run that put the definitive touches on the game.

With his home run, Aguilar placed himself in a tie with Bob Abreu in seventh place all-time in the history of Caracas baseball.

"It motivates me to get past Bob, who is a superstar of baseball in Caracas. Hopefully many more hits will come from everybody which also means that the team scores runs and we get much needed wins," he said.
JESUS AGUILAR #75; YANDY DIAZ FAR RIGHT

12/18/16

Yandy Diaz continues to mash in Venezuela

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE (LVBP)

Guillermo Quiroz (Tigres de Aragua, PH-backup DH) - 0-1, 1 K - Quiroz struck out in a pinch hit appearance for starting DH Renato Nunez. Not an outing that any conclusions can be made from.

Yandy Diaz (Leones del Caracas, CF-LF) - 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 CS - Despite grounding into a double play, Diaz continued a spectacular offseason with this effort that extended his hitting streak to six games and increased his slash line to .387/.461/.532 this season.

Jesus Aguilar (Leones del Caracas, 1B) - 1-3,1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K - Aguilar continues to prove adept at both driving in runs and drawing walks this Venezuelan season.

Randy Valladares (Bravos de Margarita, RP) - 0 IP, 1 H - Valladares repeats his exact stat line from Saturday's contest.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Michael Martinez (Estrellas Orientales, 2B) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 SB - Martinez has a three-game hitting streak for the first time this LIDOM season and also stole his first base of the campaign (in his second attempt) on Sunday.

Ronny Rodriguez (Aguilas Cibaenas, 2B) - 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K - Hopefully back-to-back hitless games don't mark the start of a slump for Ronny-Rod.

Abraham Almonte (Toros del Este, CF) - 1-4, 1 K,1 SB - Not a spectacular offensive night for Almonte, but he stole his fifth base of the season in the Dominican in six attempts (18 games).

Erik Gonzalez (Leones del Escogido, 3B) - 1-2, 2 BB, 1 K - While Gonzalez's recent form remains uneven, he had a solid night at the plate on Sunday.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Alexis Pantoja (Tiburones de Aguadilla - Game 1, SS) - 0-2, 1 K - Pantoja didn't do much in the first seven-inning game of the Tiburones' doubleheader.

Alexis Pantoja (Tiburones de Aguadilla - Game 2, SS) - 1-4, 1 K - Alexis was slightly better in the nightcap, which went 11 innings (four extra innings in a 7-inning contest). He has struggled recently (.233/.281/.233 in his last ten games) compared to his season as a whole (.281/.303/.375 in 23 games).

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JESÚS AGUILAR WON THE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Caracas.-

Jesus Aguilar unleashed his power to win the Player of the Week award for the period between December 12 and 18.

The Caracas Lions' first baseman led the circuit with four homers, three in consecutive games, driving a double, totals that helped him reach 20 bases, another high mark during the week.

Aguilar, who was 7-18, exhibited a .389 batting average and a .560 OBP, his slugging was 1,111 and the OPS 1,671, both were league high numbers. The stout right handed hitter played in six games during this stretch, batted in seven runs, more than any other hitter, and scored five times.

It is the second time that Aguilar has won the prize, before he had done it in the 2013-2014 campaign.

The press of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League supported the first baseman of the Lions with 75% of the votes.

Also considered in the election were outfielder Yonathan Daza (12.5%), Tiburones de La Guaira, Ronny Cedeño (6.25%), Navegantes del Magallanes, and Jean Machi (6.25%), Of the Tigers of Aragua.

Diaz is fundamental piece of the Caracas team. /AVS

Yandy Diaz: "We Always Come to Game Day With a Positive Attitude"

Diego Calderon / @Dicalgo

The Cuban Yandy Diaz spoke from the University Stadium in Caracas on his good offensive performance with the Lions of Caracas, now under the command of manager Yorvit Torrealba.

Diaz returned to the Lions after a week off due to an injured wrist and is making more contact and has become a key player for the Caracas team

"When I'm not playing I'm always watching batter videos taking notes," the Caribbean told reporter Carlos Escalona.

On his return to the team with a new manager commented: "I always have the same mentality, no matter that they changed managers, I work to get things right."

"All my qualities I leave on the field. I try to be aggressive when it comes to batting and running the bases. When it comes to pitching I can have some problems but I can do better," said Diaz.

"If the team qualifies, I would talk to Cleveland to be able to return. I would love to. Inside the club house we always have a positive mind and thank God things are working out right now," concluded the Caribbean.

JESUS ​​AGUILAR: "I JUST THINK OF WINNING GAMES"

Aguilar is another Lions player living a sweet moment on offense.

"We have to win every game, we have no tomorrow, there are chief rivals Tigres and Magallanes ahead. We must go out and play hard and expect good things to happen , " said Aguilar .

"With Yorvit we breathe tranquility inside the team, we are going to give it all and hope the results will be positive," concluded Aguilar.

[ Yandy Diaz does not appear to have the physique to be a power hitter - looks like maybe a 10-15 home run a season kinda guy. But! Who cares if he can put up the rest of those numbers. ]

Adonis García and Jesús Aguilar are the main offensive cards / AVS Photos

Magellanes and Lions In The Final Battle

Manuel García Velázquez

The last meeting of the year between Leones del Caracas and Navegantes del Magallanes in University Stadium Caracas has more at stake than the rivalry feature. The Lions are last in the league in the standings, but with Jesus Aguilar handing the bat the Lions should not lose hope to continue fighting. Caracas and Magallanes still have a head-to-head with the Tigres de Aragua who hold the sixth and qualifying spot in the standings.

Manager Yorvit Torrealba , does not plan to give up on such an important game. "We are not eliminated. We have key games left and we have to start earning them. We are a team that has the capacity to overcome the encounters and we will not surrender at any time, "he said. The Lions have a collective average of .267, but against the Navigators they have an average of .281. However, the manager only thinks of one game at a time: "Let's go day by day. It does not matter what happened in the past. Let's keep fighting. No one is going to surrender here. "

In the last 10 encounters, Jesus Aguilar has batted .353 with four home runs and eight RBIs. The slugger has homered in the last three games to overcome deficits and win the games. He is the offensive spark plug and the Lions follow at his rhythm. "We were all f'd up here but we go to war or die fighting. We are playing hard and we hope the results will be positive, "said Aguilar to the press department of the Caracas Lions.

Aguilar made it clear that the main adjustment he made to be in such a fruitful offensive position is knowing how to choose the right pitches when he comes to the plate: "Being impatient has cost us ball games. We have to be patient, we have been too aggressive and stop swinging at bad pitches. But now we are confident that we have overcome the impatience and hope to classify as the team that we are. "

The Navegantes del Magallanes seem to be in calm waters since the arrival of Omar Malave at the helm. The Navigators hold a slim 1.5 game advantage (1 run in the loss column) over the last place Caracas team. The pitching has been a stronghold in the last 10 games, as it has a collective effectiveness of 4.09 during this ten game span. In the month of November they had an ERA of 5.51. Timely hitting by Ronny Cedeno and Adonis Garcia is another factor that has turned the team around since they last fell into the basement and now contend for the sixth and qualifying spot in the playoffs 1.5 games behind 6th place holders Aragua Tigers.