Los Sultanes (Sultans) lead the Northern Division of the Mexican League with an 11-3 record, and they won two of three in at series at Oaxaca March 30-April 1. They got a convincing 12-3 win in the first game of the series. In the second game, the Guerreros got two runs in the bottom of the ninth, on a home run by Barbaro Canizares and an RBI single by Erick Rodriguez, to win it 9-8.
RHP Sergio Valenzuela got the start for the Guerreros, and he was lucky to get out of the first inning. The first two batters of the game, CF Sergio Perez and 2B Maxwell Leon, got base hits, then RF Karim Garcia hit a three-run home run. The Guerreros needed a double play and a baserunner caught between third and home to get end the first inning. After this shaky start, Valenzuela settled down and allowed only two hits over the next five innings, and struck out six. He also pitched his way out of a jam in the fifth. The Sultanes loaded the bases with one out on a walk, a hit by Perez, and another walk. Valenzuela proceeded to strike out Garcia, then ended the inning by striking out Michel Abreu, who is batting .449.
The Guerreros got on the board with an RBI double by Christian Quintero in the bottom of the first, then tied it 3-3 on a two-RBI double by LF Yancarlo Angulo to deep right field in the sixth. (Although it was deep right field, baserunner 3B Sergio Gastelum barely made it from first base to home in time.)
The Sultanes took advantage of a four-out seventh inning to get the winning run. It started when 3B Ricky Alvarez reached first base when he hit a ground ball, and Guerreros reliever Jose Sanchez failed to cover first properly. Alvarez was forced out at second, but a stolen base and a walk brought up Garcia with two out and a runner in scoring position, and Garcia delivered with an RBI single.
The Guerreros had the tying run in scoring position with no outs in the eighth, but reliever RHP Pablo Menchada got a strikeout, a popup, and a fly out to end the inning. The Sultanes added two insurance runs in the ninth on RBI singles by 2B Maxwell Leon and Abreu.
Sultanes starter Dan Serafini, who allowed eight hits in six innings, and didn't record a strikeout, got the win. RHP Osiris Matos got a save. The Guerreros used seven pitchers; Sanchez, who pitched 2/3 of an inning, got the loss.
Leon finished the game 3-for-3 with an RBI, and drew two walks.
The Guerreros have been getting excellent fielding from Gastelum, who was a Mexican League all-star last season. He made three very good plays in Friday's game. In this one, he fielded a ground ball bare-handed and threw it to first base to end the Sultanes' half of the fourth inning. He caught a line drive to end the top of the sixth inning.
Sultanes catcher Robinson Cancel was injured by a foul tip and had to leave the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Attendance: 3,115
Abreu is a Cuban who defected to the US in 2004, and was signed by the Mets in 2006. He played for New Orleans of the Pacific Coast League in 2008, and Buffalo of the International League in 2009. Menchada was in the Padres organization. Serafini is from San Francisco, and was drafted by the Twins in 1992. He played in the Major Leagues for parts of seven seasons, most recently with the Rockies in 2007. He played in Japan 2004-2007. Matos is from the Dominican Republic, has been in the Giants organization since 2002. Leon was in the Tigers organization 2004-2010. Angulo was in the Padres organization for a while. Valenzuela was in the Braves organization 2004-2007,
During the seventh inning stretch at Guerreros games, they sing "Oaxaca vives en mi".
Bob Broughton is currently doing Spanish immersion in Oaxaca