Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 5, Bravos de León 2
Written by Administrator - Sunday, May 23 2021The Bravos de León (0-3) were defeated by the Algodoneros (Cotton Farmers) de Unión Laguna (3-0) at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on May 23.
3B Carlos Rivero hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to give the Algodoneros a sweep of the season-opening series.
The game was scoreless for the first four innings. In the bottom of the third, the Bravos tried a hit-and-run with SS Gilberto Carrera on first and CF Tony Campana batting. Campana failed to make contact, and Carrera was an easy out at second base. Carrera ended up hitting a single, and was balked to second base, but was stranded there. In the bottom of the fourth, LF Anthony Giansanti was robbed on a base hit by a good grab by Rivero, ending the inning.
The Algodoneros opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by C Alejandro Flores in the top of the fifth. (The runner on third, 2B Ciro Norzagaray, got there because of a bad throw to second base.) The Bravos answered with a solo home run by DH Frank Diaz in the bottom of the fifth. His home run actually bounced off the top of the fence, and a review determined that it was a home run.
The Algodoneros took the lead for good with Rivero's home run. The Bravos made it a one-run game with a two-run home run by 1B Felix Perez in the bottom of the seventh with nobody out. The Bravos then loaded the bases with consecutive singles by Giansanti and Diaz, and a bunt single by C Alfredo Hurtado. This was the Bravos' big chance; bases loaded, nobody out, and trailing only by a run. The Algodoneros made a pitching change, bringing in RHP Jordan Suarez. The Bravos sent in a pinch-hitter, Daniel Cornejo. Cornejo hit a ground ball, and Giansanti was thrown out at the plate. Then Carrera hit into a double play to end the inning, and the Bravos didn't threaten the rest of the way.
Bravos de León 5, Leones de Yucatán 4
Written by Administrator - Sunday, August 25 2019The Bravos de León (46-68) defeated the Leones (Lions) de Yucatán (64-51) at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on August 25. This was the Bravos' final home game of the season. They lost the previous four games. This was a good ball game, so they finished the season on a positive note, in front of a good crowd.
The Bravos got all five of their runs in the bottom of the third inning. SS Marco Jaime got it started with a single. 3B Marco Guzman hit a double, the 1B Matt Clark was hit hard by a pitch to load the bases. (Clark returned to first base in the top of the fourth, but was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fourth.) The next batter, DH Carlos Rivero, hit a ground ball that resulted in a force out at second base, but Jaime scored. LF Felix Pie hit a double to score Guzman. RF Cedric Hunter drew a walk to load the bases again, then CF Jose Cardona hit a two-RBI single. 2B Carlos Alvarez hit a single to score Hunter, then C Omar Renteria hit into a double play to end the inning.
Guerreros de Oaxaca 6, Bravos de León 1; Bravos de León 9, Guerreros de Oaxaca 3
Written by Administrator - Sunday, August 11 2019The Bravos de León (42-60) split a double-header with the Guerreros (Warriors) de Oaxaca (57-46) at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on August 11. The Guerreros won the first game 6-1, and the Bravos won the second game 9-3.
First game: LHP Alex Delgado when the seven-inning distance for the Guerreros. The Guerreros out-hit the Bravos 13-6, and Delgado struck out seven, walked one.
The Guerreros got on the board in the top of the third inning when LF Alonzo Harris hit a double with two out, and scored on a single by 2B-1B Alex Valdez. The next batter, 1B Moises Sierra, hit a single, but missed a chance to do further damage with a base-running blunder. A pitch by Bravos starter RHP Alex Sanabia bounced off the catcher's mitt and back to the mound. Sierra had gone to second, thinking that it was a passed ball. Valdez started for third, then went back. Sanabia threw to second, and Sierra was tagged out because he and Valdez were unable to occupy second at the same time.
Bravos de León 3, Acereros de Monclova 0
Written by Administrator - Tuesday, July 09 2019The Bravos de León (31-44) defeated the Acereros (Steelers) de Monclova (47-29) 3-0 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on July 9. On a night designated as "the night of the Samurai" by the Bravos, RHP Yasutomo Kubo and RHP Manny Acosta combined for a one-hit shutout of one of the best teams in the Mexican League.
The Bravos got the only run they needed in the bottom of the first inning, on a home run by LF Cedric Hunter. They added a run in the bottom of the second when 2B Marco Guzman led off with a single, then scored from third base on a ground out by RF Jeremias Pineda. The Acereros got their only hit of the game when 3B Rodolfo Amado led off the top of the third inning with a double. He went to third on a ground ball, but was stranded after a ground out and a strikeout. The Acereros didn't get a runner past second the rest of the game.
The Bravos got an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. The inning started with Acereros starter RHP Francisco Rodriguez being relieved by RHP Jaime Lugo. C Israel Nunez led off with a single. He was bunted to second. The Acereros replaced Lugo with LHP Justin Kelly. He walked the first batter he faced. Nunez went to third on a fly out by by SS Marco Jaime. Hunter then hit a high popup that should have ended the inning, but CF Juan Carlos Perez lost track of it. Nunez was already home when the ball hit the ground.
Bravos de León 7, Saraperos de Saltillo 4
Written by Administrator - Thursday, May 16 2019The Bravos de León (13-22) defeated the Saraperos (Serape Makers) de Saltillo (18-17) 7-4 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on May 15. A lot of the Bravos games this season have been more like batting practice, but this was a good ball game.
It didn't start out that way. The Saraperos had a 2-0 lead before Bravos starter RHP Yasutomo Kubo recorded his first out. CF Juan Perez led off with a hit, and the next batter, 2B Manny Rodriguez, hit one over the left field fence. DH Jorge Vasquez followed with another hit, but Kubo got a break when the next batter, RF Rainel Rosario, hit into a well-executed double play. Kubo got out of the inning with his first strikeout of the game.
The Saraperos extended their lead to 3-0 with an RBI single by Vasquez in the third inning. In the top of the fourth, a balk was called on Kubo. He proceeded to hit the next two batters, loading the bases. However, he got out of the inning with another double play.
The Bravos got into the game in the bottom of the fourth. 3B Carlos Rivero started it with a double. He moved to third on a single by LF Felix Pie. Then, something unusual happened. RF Cedric Hunter hit what should have been a routine fly ball to left field, but it landed on the ground a couple of meters from the left fielder, Leandro Castro. Rivero scored, and Pie went all the way to third base. Pie then scored on a single by 2B Brandon Macias. The inning ended with a double play, and the Bravos trailing 3-2.
The Saraperos went three-up, three-down in the top of the fifth, with Kubo recording two strikeouts. The Bravos then took over the game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. DH Carlos Lopez hit an RBI single. 1B Matt Clark followed with another RBI single, and CF Jeremias Pineda made a great dive at home plate when he scored. The next batter, Rivero, hit a ground ball to third, and the third baseman, Christian Zazueta, stepped on the bag for one out, and threw to first for the double play. However, Clark went to second, and scored on a close play at the plate on a single by Pie. Pie then scored on a triple by Hunter, which ended the night for Saraperos starter RHP Raul Carillo. Hunter scored on a single by Macias, and the inning ended with the Bravos leading 7-3.
Rieleros de Aguascalientes 15, Bravos de León 9
Written by Administrator - Sunday, April 07 2019The Rieleros (Railroaders) de Aguascalientes (2-1) defeated the Bravos de León (1-2) 15-9 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on April 7. After an excellent start by RHP Yasutomo Kubo in the season opener, the Bravos have given up 37 runs in their last two games.
The Bravos led this game 6-4 going into the seventh inning, but the Rieleros put up ten runs in the top of the seventh. The inning started with RHP Normand Mendoza on the mound. He gave up a three-run home run by DH Saul Soto. He was replaced by LHP Marco Ramirez, who walked the only batter he faced. The next pitcher was RHP Tony Amezcua, and he was greeted with a two-run home run by 3B Jose Vargas. Amezcua walked the next two batters, then a run scored on a single by RF Edson Garcia. That chased Amezcua, and he was replaced by RHP Fredy Quintero. Quintero struck out the first batter he faced (he had an ERA of infinity coming into the game), but the next batter, SS Richy Pedroza, hit a two-RBI single. He was followed by 2B Michael Wing, who hit a two-run home run, his second hit of the inning, and second home run of the game. Quintero gave up another home run, by Vargas, in the eighth inning.
Tigres de Quintana Roo 12, Bravos de León 4
Written by Administrator - Sunday, August 19 2018The Tigres de Quintana Roo (Cancun) (16-26) defeated the Bravos de León (20-20) 12-4 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on August 19. The win competed a series sweep for the Tigres, and the Bravos have lost four straight.
RF Ruben Sosa had a big day for the Tigres: 4-for-5 with three doubles, an RBI (on a sacrifice fly) and a run scored.
The Tigres started with two cheap runs in the top of the first. Sosa led off with a double, but the ball got from the outfield to second base well before Sosa did. However, the second baseman mussed the tag. Sosa then went to third when the Bravos failed to complete a double play. He then scored on a passed ball. Bravos starter LHP Carlos Teller then walked the next two batters, loading the bases. The next batter, C Francisco Cordoba, hit a ground ball to third base, and the third baseman threw to second for the force out. The call on the field was out at second, but the called was reviewed and overturned, allowing a run to score.
The Tigres got a double play in the bottom of the first, but with the bases empty, RF Quincy Latimore hit a double (Sosa just missed a sliding catch on the right field line) and scored on a single by CF Cedric Hunter.
Bravos de León 12, Olmecas de Tabasco 2
Written by Administrator - Sunday, August 05 2018The Bravos de León (17-11) defeated the Olmecas (Olmecs) de Tabasco (11-18) 12-2 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on August 5. The Bravos are in first place in the South Division of the Mexican League.
The Bravos were firing on all cylinders. Five pitchers held the Olmecas to five hits, all of them off starter RHP Rogelio Martinez. Defensively, they were charged with three errors, but that’s misleading. One of the errors probably should have scored a hit instead, and the Bravos made a lot of good defensive plays, especially by SS Marco Jaime (Phoenix, AZ).
Martinez was shaky the first three innings. He gave up the first run on the game in the top of the third. The Olmecas loaded the bases with one out on a walk, an error, and another walk. The second out of the came on a ground ball to third resulting in a force out at home. The next batter, 2B Anderson Hernandez, took the count to 3-2. He fouled off a couple of pitches, then took ball four to get the RBI. The following batter, LF Daniel Carbonell, also took the count to 3-2, but this time, Martinez blew strike three by him, and the inning ended with the bases loaded. Martinez then settled in, recording three strikeouts over the next 2 1/3 innings, and got the win. He was helped by a good defensive play by RF Quincy Latimore in the top of the fifth. He caught a fly ball in foul territory, then made a good throw to first base that initially looked like a double play, but the runner on first (why was he off the bag when the batted ball was clearly foul?) was ruled safe. Two more good catches, by 3B Luis Medina and Latimore, became the second and third outs.
Bravos de León 10, Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 8
Written by Administrator - Sunday, July 22 2018The Bravos de León (10-6) defeated the Algodoneros (Cotton Farmers) de Unión Laguna (7-11) 10-8 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on July 22. This was the Bravos' sixth straight win, and they are in first place in the South Division of the Mexican League.
The game was scoreless for the first three innings, with the Bravos getting a double play in the top of the third inning, and leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the third. The shutout ended with an RBI single by 3B Eudor Garcia in the top of the fourth, and his single loaded the bases with nobody out. Bravos starter RHP Eder Llamas struck out the next batter, and the following batter hit a ground ball that resulted in a force out at home. Llamas was relieved by RHP Marco Quevedo, and he was greeted by a grand slam home run by CF Jonathan Jones. The Algodoneros added another run in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by C Daniel Mercado. They led 6-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, and it looked like the Bravos' winning streak was coming to an end.
Leones de Yucatán 6, Bravos de León 4
Written by Administrator - Sunday, June 03 2018The Leones de Yucatán (Mérida) (40-17, first place in South Division) defeated the Bravos de León (27-29, fourth place in the South Division) 6-4 at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on June 3. The win gives the Leones a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first round playoff series.
This game was almost all Leones until the eighth inning. They jumped on Bravos starter RHP Dustin Crenshaw for two runs in the top of the first inning. CF Ruben Sosa led off with a single, then stole second base. (The Leones stole three of them.) He scored on a double by DH Luis Juarez, and Juarez scored on a double by LF Jesus Valdez. They added two more runs in the third on a home run by 1B Art Charles Jr. The Bravos originally thought they got out of the third with a double play, but the call at first base was reviewed and reversed; RF Leo Heras was safe at first. However, he was then caught stealing to end the inning.
Crenshaw made one of the better defensive plays of the game in the top of the fourth, when he caught a hard-hit line drive by SS Everth Cabrera. The shutout ended in the bottom of the fourth when 2B Niko Vasquez hit an RBI single. However, CF Junior Lake, who reached on a double, also tried to score on the play, and was out on a close play at home, on a throw from Heras.