Winter Leagues: Criollos fall to Cangrejeros; Series tied

Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME TWO

Santurce  6

Caguas     3

FINAL

Los Cangrejeros de Santurce Outlast Andrew Barbosa; Bullpen Fails Punchless Criollos.

Now that each team has lost at home, let the series begin...

Caguas got yet another stellar performance from their starting pitching, only this time it went for not.

Andrew Barbosa kept los Cangrejeros de Santurce scoreless through six full innings pitched, facing twenty batters, allowing a lone hit and two walks, while fanning four.

But with los Criollos clinging to a slim 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh, Caguas manager Luis Matos relieved Barbosa with Jake Newberry.  Four batters later, Newberry was out of the game, charged with four earned runs on three hits and a walk, and inevitably, the loss.

• While still pitching at the time for Mayaguez, Andrew Barbosa allowed los Criollos one earned run on five hits and a walk, and fanned four during Game Four of the semis.  He was then smartly selected by Caguas in the roster fortification process.  Barbosa joins Orlando Roman, Jose de la Torre, and John Brownell, in los Criollos starting rotation.

• This best of nine series is now tied at a game apiece.  After a day off on Monday, the series shifts back to Hiram Bithorn Stadium on Tuesday for Game Three.

Hiram Bithorn Stadium

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Parque Yldefonso Sola Morales

Caguas, Puerto Rico

!Mi Rieno por un Hit!

My kingdom for a hit...!

Caguas has now been limited to three or fewer runs in seven of their eight post-season games played to date.  Their lone offensive outburst came during Game Three of the semi-finals when they posted a 5-4 victory over los Indios de Mayaguez.  However, despite advancing through the semis in six games, Mayaguez outscored los Criollos by a 14-15 margin.  Over all, Caguas has been outscored by an 18-21 margin through eight playoff games, averaging just 2.25 runs per game.

And there's the rub...

Caguas is now 5-3 in these playoffs.  They are 1-3 in games during which they surrendered four runs or more, but are 4-1 when they limit their opponent to a run or less.

During Game One's victory over Santurce, los Criollos went a mere 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base.  They fared no better Sunday in Game Two, going 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position, and leaving another nine runners on base.  In six games against Mayaguez, los Criollos batted just .180 (9 for 50) with runners in scoring position, and left an average of eight men on base.  That makes them .171 (12 for 70) in the playoffs with runners in scoring position.