Guardians Baseball Insider

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE (LBPRC)

CRIOLLOS DE CAGUAS 7, RA12 5

CURRENT INDIANS

Joab Gonzalez (SS, RA12): 0-4, 1 R, 3 K – Gonzalez, who spent the summer of 2019 playing for the Arizona League Indians Blue and Mahoning Valley Scrappers, struck out thrice on Opening Day in Puerto Rico, but scored in the fourth inning after reaching on a fielding error. For those unfamiliar with RA12, it is a prospect team owned by former Indians 2B Roberto Alomar that joined the LBPRC as an expansion team this season. Last night’s contest was the first game in franchise history. The coaching staff includes a pair of former Indians players: Alomar’s predecessor at second base, Carlos Baerga, and current first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. (For those of you wondering if Sandy Sr. is involved, he is. He’s the general manager.). It will be interesting to see how Robbie’s more talented but less experienced side fares against their more veteran-laden competition.

Angel Lopez Alvarez (C, RA12): 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K – Lopez Alvarez, who played for the Lake County Captains in 2019 in addition to the Blue squad in Goodyear, was the offensive star for RA12 in their inaugural game, driving in all five of their runs, including four of them on a ninth-inning grand slam.

FORMER INDIANS

Jonathan Laureano (1B, RA12): 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K – Laureano, who was recently released by the Indians organization, was one of the runers on base when Lopez Alvarez hit his aforementioned grand slam.

Giovanni Soto (RP, Criollos de Caguas): W (1-0), 2 IP, perfect, 4 K – Soto pitched a pair of perfect innings, including striking out the first four men he faced, to get the Opening Day individual victory after starter Jose De Leon only pitched four frames.

INDIOS DE MAYAGUEZ 8, ATENIENSES DE MANATI 7

CURRENT INDIAN

Johnathan Rodriguez (RF, Atenienses de Manati): 0-5, 2 K – Rodriguez, who was a teammate of Gonzalez’s on the final professional Scrappers team, had an uneventful Opening Day.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LIDOM)

GIGANTES DEL CIBAO 11, TIGRES DEL LICEY 10 (8 INNINGS – GAME 2)

CURRENT INDIAN

Jean Carlos Mejia (SP, Tigres del Licey): ND, 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP – Despite struggling with his command, Mejia only allowed one run, his first earned run allowed, to score in a trio of innings in his first start of the Dominican season. He had also allowed a run in his season debut (2.2 innings of relief, two hits, two walks), but that one had been unearned.

FORMER INDIAN

Jairo Asencio (RP. Tigres del Licey): 0 IP, 1 R (earned), 1 BB – Asencio walked Gigantes LF Steven Souza Jr. to lead off the seventh before leaving the game with a groin injury.

TOROS DEL ESTE 15, AGUILAS CIBAENAS 4

CURRENT INDIAN

Anthony Gose (RP, Toros del Este): 1 IP, perfect, 1 K – Gose, who was re-signed by the Indians on November 17, has allowed only two hits and a walk in 3.1 shutout inning with four strikeouts in 3.1 shutout innings through his first four relief appearances of the LIDOM campaign.

FORMER INDIANS

Melky Cabrera (starting LF, Aguilas Cibaenas): 0-3, 1 R – Cabrera scored his run in the fourth after reaching on a fielder’s choice. The hitless evening was only Melky’s second in twelve games this season and ended a seven-game hitting streak.

Robel Garcia (starting 2B, Aguilas Cibaenas): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 K – Cabrera’s aforementioned run was scored on Garcias lone hit of the game, a two-out single later in the fourth frame.

TIGRES DEL LICEY 5, GIGANTES DEL CIBAO 4 (7 INNINGS – GAME 1)

FORMER INDIAN

Jairo Asencio (RP, Tigres del Licey): S (4), 1 IP, perfect, 1 K – Asencio set the Gigantes down in order to seal the victory for Licey and pick up his fourth save in six relief appearances this season.

ESTRELLAS ORIENTALES 3, LEONES DEL ESCOGIDO 1

FORMER INDIAN

Edward Paredes (RP, Leones del Escogido): 0.2 IP, perfect, 1 K – Paredes, in his season debut, got Escogido out of a jam in the seventh inning after fellow reliever Henry Henry issued two straight one-out walks before being replaced by Edward.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE (LVBP)

CARDENALES DE LARA 15, AGUILAS DEL ZULIA 1

CURRENT INDIAN

Luis Oviedo (RP, Cardenales de Lara): 2 IP, 1 H – Oviedo has yet to allow an unearned run this season (he gave up four unearned ones to the Navegantes del Magallanes last Thursday) in 5.1 innings in four outings. The aforementioned disastrous Thursday effort also accounted for half of his four hits allowed during the current LVBP campaign.

FORMER INDIANS

Yonathan Mendoza (SS-LF, Cardenales de Lara): 0-4, 1 R, 1 HBP – The Cardenales were so dominant on Tuesday that even going hitless was enough to keep a Lara hitter from scoring. Mendoza crossed the plate safely in the eighth after getting hit by a pitch to reach base and continue a season-opening ten-game on-base streak. Even after an 0-fer that ended a four-game hitting streak, Yonathan is still slashing .371/.476/.629 with six extra-base hits (4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR), eight RBI and only one strikeout (compared to six walks).

Carlos Rivero (starting 3B, Cardenales de Lara): 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K – Rivero only has four hit in 14 at-bats this season, but all of the m are of the extra-base variety (a trio of doubles and his first homer of the season last night), resulting in an astronomical .428 ISO!

BRAVOS DE MARGARITA 6, NAVEGANTES DEL MAGALLANES 0

FORMER INDIANS

Ezequiel Carrera (starting RF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 0-3, 2 K – The Navegantes offesnse struggled on Tuesday night, and Carerra was no exception. A three-game 0-for-8 stretch has lowered his slash line to .242/.286/.303 in ten games this season.

Jose Rodriguez (RP, Navegantes del Magallanes): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 1 K – Jose-Rod got a pair of Margarita batters out in order to get the Navegantes out of the fourth inning unscathed and pitched a solid, one-hit fifth, but gave up a leadoff hit to the only batter he faced in the sixth, who later scored the Bravos fourth run of the game.

TIGRES DE ARAGUA 7, CARIBES DE ANZOATEGUI 1

FORMER INDIAN

Niuman Romero (3B, Caribes de Anzoategui): 1-4, 1 K – Romero is still hitting .316 despite the quiet night at the plate. Most impressive, however, has been his plate discipline, as evidenced by his 4:7 K:BB ratio and .106 isolated plate discipline (OBP minus AVG).

LEONES DEL CARACAS 10, TIBURONES DE LA GUAIRA 9

FORMER INDIAN

Juan Apodaca (C, Tiburones de La Guaira): 1-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 K – Apodaca started his LVBP season with a bang, literally, by hitting a three-run double in the top of the first inning of his season debut, before he ever even squatted behind the plate to catch an official pitch.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE (LMP)

SULTANES DE MONTERREY 2, VENADOS DE MAZATLAN 1

FORMER INDIAN

Jeff Johnson (RP, Sultanes de Monterrey): 1 IP, perfect, 1 K – While he didn’t earn his third save of the LMP campaign, his perfect top of the ninth was still crucial as it kept the game tied, allowing the Sultanes Invernal to score the game-winning run in the bottom of the frame.

NARANJEROS DE HERMOSILLO 3, TOMATEROS DE CULIACAN 1

FORMER INDIAN

Jose Guadalupe Chavez (SS, Tomateros de Culiacan): 2-4, 1 K – Chavez’s multi-hit performance was his fourth in his last ten games played and third in his last six.

AGUILAS DE MEXICALI 6, CANEROS DE LOS MOCHIS 4

FORMER INDIAN

Michael Choice (LF, Aguilas de Mexicali): 1-4, 1 BB, 1 K – Choice has a hit in three of his last four games after going hitless in three straight to start the month.