Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2022-2023 offseason. A compendium from several sources Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Cionel Pérez and Bryan Baker are closer candidates for the club if Félix Bautista (shoulder, knee) isn't ready for the season. Bautista is currently on a shoulder strengthening plan after spending the offseason rehabbing a left knee sprain. It's too soon to tell if he'll actually be ready for the season, so Hyde is looking at the alternatives. Dillon Tate, another late-inning arm, will miss the start of the season with a forearm strain. Pérez posted an impressive 1.40 ERA in 66 appearances last season while Baker put up a 3.49 ERA in 66 appearances. Both could be late-round fliers in mixed leagues depending on how the spring shakes out. Néstor Cortés (hamstrting) threw a bullpen session Friday. Néstor Cortés (hamstring) felt no issues during his bullpen session Friday, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reported. The southpaw mentioned to Rivera after his workout that he has made "good strides and felt better," and that he was progressing faster than he initially thought. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Cortes tossed 24 pitches in the session and was operating at "70-75 percent" capacity after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that caused him to pull out of the World Baseball Classic. White Sox's Yasmani Grandal: Focusing on catching, not DH White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Friday that he wants Grandal to primarily focus on catching this year, per Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com. Grandal was limited to DH duties for stretches of time last season due to back and knee injuries, but he entered camp this spring at full health and the hope is that he can be a semi-everyday presence behind the plate throughout the 2023 campaign. "I haven't really thought about him as a DH," said Grifol. "That doesn't mean he's not going to. But he's our catcher."

The Cuban team's pitching was weak, and its starter Yoennis Yera left early In an exhibition game in the Japanese city of Okinawa, the Nippon-Ham Fighters of the second division of Japan professional baseball defeated the Cuban national team, preparing for the V edition of the World Baseball Classic, by a margin of 11-2. Cuba started lefty Yoennis Yera as a replacement for José R. Rodriguez, but the Japanese offense pounded him with six hits in 2 2/3 innings, including a triple, for five runs. Yera walked four, had no strikeouts, and threw a wild pitch. He took the loss. Box score As a result of Yera's departure, Yeudis Reyes, Javier Mirabal, and Franky Quintana saw action. But in general the Cubans' pitching was mediocre, some of them with strong arms but no sense of throwing. Cuban pitchers walked nine opposing hitters. In the sixth inning, Reyes gave up the only home run of the game, a two-run blast by outfielder Daiki Asama. In spite of the Cubans hitting 10 hits - Nippon-Ham hit 12 - they were not clutch offensively, which would have sealed the victory for the Japanese. During the game, Cuba only scored twice. The first run was scored by Cuba in the sixth inning. Roel Santos singled on a bunt, Yoelkis Guibert walked, and Alfredo Despaigne doubled to leftfield after Yurisbel Gracial's out. In the previous inning, the Cubans nearly opened the score when Dayán García doubled to leftfield with one out, but with Guillermo García at bat, Dayán was picked up via pitcher-shortstop, for the second out of the inning. Cuba would score one last time in the ninth inning, with a triple by Yadir Drake - it was a play where the center fielder almost caught the ball before it dropped - and a sacrifice fly to rightfield by pinch hitter Yendrys Pérez. Starter Kisei Yoshida was credited with the win. The Cuban team for this matchup was as follows: #1 Roel Santos, CF #7 Yoelkis Guibert, RF #27 Yurisbel Gracial, 3B #54 Alfredo Despaigne, DH #33 Yadir Drake, 1B #40 Ariel Martínez, C #44 Dayán García, 2B #15 Guillermo García, LF #8 Luis V. Mateo, SS #58 Yoennis Yera, P Here are some statistics about the Cuban offensive: Cuba's first hit came in the 3rd inning on a grounder by shortstop Luis V. Mateo The first extra-base hit for Cuba was Dayán García's double in the 5th inning. In the game, García went 3-4 In a positive note, veteran outfielder Alfredo Despaigne went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI Cuba's starting catcher, Ariel Martínez, had good contacts with the ball during the game, but still went 0-for-3 Yadir Drake, another player who seems destined to be a starter during the Classic at first base, finished 1-for-4 with a triple and a run. He was also victim to two stellar fielding plays, including one by the second baseman in the second inning Yurisbel Gracial had a terrible day, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Cuba's leadoff hitter, Roel Santos, had a 1-for-4 game with one run and a strikeout The second preparatory match will be played by Cuba this Sunday, February 19, at 12:30 am (ET) against the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Professional League. Tele Rebelde will broadcast the game.

The vice president of Cuba's INDER made the announcement at a press conference Omar Venegas, the vice president of INDER in Cuba, announced today at the organization's headquarters in Havana that the next Cuban national season, the 62nd National Series, will begin on March 22. This will be one day after the conclusion of the V World Baseball Classic. Venegas mentioned some key points, including: There will once again be 75 games per team during the regular phase of the tournament, which runs until June 3. There will be eight home subseries and seven away subseries for the first eight teams of the last Cuban National Series. There will be the possibility of holding night matches in some venues, primarily in the Latinamericano Stadium in the Cuban capital, José R. Cepero of Ciego de Ávila, Victoria de Girón of Matanzas, José A. Huelga of Sancti Spíritus, Julio A. Mella of Las Tunas, and Guillermón Moncada of Santiago de Cuba. During the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, scheduled from Sunday, June 25 to Saturday, July 1, there will be a break in the Cuban baseball season. Following the Central American tournament, the postseason of the 62nd National Series will begin in July. After the National Series and before the II Elite League of Cuban Baseball begins, the All-Star Game will be held. Cuban national baseball titles are awarded by the national tournament (La Serie Nacional), which was inaugurated on January 14, 1962, and Alazanes de Granma will attempt to regain their title, which they won last year in a thrilling comeback against Cocodrilos de Matanzas, 4-3, in the best of seven matches series. Once again, Matanzas and Granma will open the 62nd National Series at the Mártires de Barbados stadium in Granma. Now that all 16 shortlisted teams for the 16 participating teams have been announced, the largest baseball tournament on the island is only a matter of waiting until the Cuban team's performance in the nearby World Baseball Classic is complete.

—This was the sixth consecutive defeat for Agricultores in Gran Caracas. By Yirsandy Rodríguez Gran Caracas 2023 ended with another disappointing loss for the Cuban team: the Federales de Chiriquí defeated the Cuban Agricultores, 10-4, who said goodbye to the 65th Caribbean Baseball Series with a victory and six consecutive losses. Box score After a tournament to forget - for Cuban fans -, Gran Caracas' farewell match for both teams was delayed by 17 minutes. The 43-year-old left-hander, Leandro Martínez, who suffered injuries and had not pitched in previous games, was sent to the box by Cuban manager Carlos Martí. For the Federales de Chiriquí of Panama, right-hander Harold Arauz, who defeated the Cuban Leñadores de Las Tunas in the final of the 2019 Caribbean Classic, walked up to the mound. As for the Agricultores (1-6), a victory would have at least moved them out of last place, while the Federales (3-4) still sought to maximize their chances of qualifying for the semifinals. Therefore, 3 hours and 18 minutes later, Cuba's debacle in Gran Caracas was already over: the Federales of Chiriquí won 10-4 at Rinconada Stadium, making this Cuba's sixth consecutive defeat in the 65th Baseball Caribbean Series. In contrast to the 2019 final match between the Toros de Herrera and the Lenadores de Las Tunas, which ended 3-1, the pitching duel between Martínez and Arauz quickly became disproportionate. A five-run rally in the third inning helped Panama beat Leandro Martínez. An inning later, they added two more runs against the Agricultores' most vulnerable relievers. In spite of the fact that Cuba was 1-0 ahead in the opening inning, thanks to a triple by Yuniesky Larduet and a sacrifice fly by Raico Santos, they did not come back until the end of the seventh inning, when they scored three runs to close the gap 7-4. The Cuban team, however, was clearly deflated. In the event of routine ground balls, the hitters' effort running from home to first base became less intense. Even Cuban outfielders and infielders were not giving their maximum effort by the end of the second inning, when Panama settled on the scoreboard with five decisive runs. Arauz once again condemned the Cuban team, as he had done four years ago in a duel against right-handed Freddy Asiel Álvarez. During six innings, the 27-year-old right-hander needed 64 pitches, which indicates he threw less than 11 pitches per inning at an efficient pace. He had five consecutive zeros in his last two starts of his career against Cuba, allowing only two runs -for a 1.64 ERA-, both earned, with four strikeouts and just three walks. In the end, Cuba's predictable trends during the tournament remained the same: -With the exception of the right-handed César García, the starters failed to complete even a third of the game. -In his last three games, Guillermo Avilés was 12-0 and continued the trend for hitters used in the third spot of the lineup. -The defense allowed runners to reach additional bases as usual. In addition, there was a high hit margin on ground balls, and, most concerning of all, seven stolen bases were allowed by catcher Yosvany Alarcón and the pitchers on duty. It's unbelievable, but true! SEVEN: -Stolen bases: Santos 3 (3, 3rd base of Martínez/Yos. Alarcón, 2nd base of Martínez/Yos. Alarcón, 3rd base of Civil/Viñales); Orozco (1, 2nd base of Civil/Vinales); Valdez 2 (4, 2nd base of Civil/Viñales, 2nd base of Martínez/Yos. Alarcón); Wielansky (2, 2nd base of Castillo/Yos. Alarcón). -The most consistent hitters were once again Yordanis Alarcón and Yuniesky Larduet. Their final offensive lines in Gran Caracas are as follows: BA/OBP/SLG/OPS Yuniesky Larduet: .393/.414/.464/.878 Yordanis Alarcón: .407/.429/.407/.836 Both players led the team with 11 hits, but is there a common thread in their offensive slash lines? Yes, their slugging percentage is a bit low in comparison to their batting average and on-base percentage. Another interesting detail reveals the Cuban lineup's ineffectiveness at getting on base: Yordanis, who increased his production when he was removed from the third spot of the lineup, scored one run and drove in five. What about Larduet? Two RBIs and five runs scored. Against Panama, with the exception of left-handed pitcher Angel Sánchez, who pitched three innings with five strikeouts and allowed no runs, Agricultores' pitching allowed 11 walks and averaged 21 pitches per inning. Additionally, the Federales de Chiriquí had 15 hits, including four doubles, and 24 of their 40 at-bats were in scoring position.* *In spite of this, the 16 runners left on base indicate that the score could have been even higher after having put 28 men on base with 15 hits (15), 11 walks (11) and three dead balls (3) against Cuban pitching. The Agricultores closed the gap to 7-4 in the seventh inning, but the Federales de Chiriquí rallied to claim the victory with a decisive three-run attack in the top of the ninth inning. It was then that the Agricultores' debacle ended. Panamá 10, Cuba 4/Final: A review Final Numbers Panamá (3-4): 10-15-0 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Santos (2, Santana); Bishop (1, Santana); Wielansky (3, An. Sánchez); Santamaria (1, Castillo) RBI: Santos 3 (4), Orozco 2 (3), Bishop (1), Herrera (2), Deluca (1), Santamaria 2 (3) RBI 2 outs: Bishop GIDP: Santamaria Team RISP: 7-24 (Santos 1-1, Orozco 1-3, Bishop 1-4, Herrera 1-3, Deluca 1-4, Barria 0-3, Valdéz 0-1, Wielansky 0-1, Santamaría 2-4) Team LOB: 16 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: Santos 3 (3, 3rd base of Martínez/Yos. Alarcón, 2nd base of Martínez/Yos. Alarcón, 3rd base of Civil/Viñales); Orozco (1, 2nd base of Civil/Vinales); Valdez 2 (4, 2nd base of Civil/Viñales, 2nd base of Martínez/Yos. Alarcón); Wielansky (2, 2nd base of Castillo/Yos. Alarcón). -FIELDING- DP: 1 (Barria-Wielansky-Deluca) Cuba (3-2): 4-10-0 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 3B: Larduet (1, Arauz) RBI: Larduet (2), Yor. Alarcón (5), Santos 2 (2) RBI 2 outs: Larduet, Santos SF: Santos GIDP: Benítez Team RISP: 3-8 (Avilés 0-2, Larduet 1-1, Yor. Alarcón 1-1, De La Cruz 0-1, Al. Sánchez 0-1, Santos 1-2) Team LOB: 5 -FIELDING- DP: 1 (Yor. Alarcón-Benítez-Viñales) Assistances: Santos (Santamaría a Home) Performance of pitchers: -Leandro Martínez (P, 0-1): 2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K -Carlos Santana: 0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K -Yunier Castillo: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K -Alexander Valiente: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K -Ángel Sánchez: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K -Alberto Pablo Civil: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K -Yoel Mogena: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K HBP: Santos (by Mogena); Barria (by Valiente) Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: Martínez 8/14; Civil 4/7; Castillo 3/6; Mogena 1/3; An. Sánchez 11/15; Santana 2/3; Valiente 1/5 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: Martínez-10-0-2-8; Civil-6-4-5-4; Castillo-3-0-1-5; Mogena-2-0-4-2; An. Sanchez-14-7-5-7; Santana-2-1-0-3; Valiente-2-2-2-1 Ground balls and fly balls: Martínez 1-4; Civil 0-1; Castillo 1-2; Mogena 2-0; An. Sánchez 3-2 (Photos: CBPC/AP)

—Agricultores lost again, this time against Indios de Mayagüez, in another tough chapter in Cuba's Caribbean Series history. By Yirsandy Rodríguez Cuba 3, Puerto Rico 4: One out away from dreaming - or at least dreaming- of staying in Gran Caracas ahead of the Semifinal, Agricultores' advantage collapsed in the ninth inning: Indios de Mayagüez overcame their deficit with a sensational victory one strike away from losing. Box score After reaching the bottom of the ninth inning, the Agricultores' second baseman Carlos Benítez fumbled a leadoff connection by Indios de Mayagüez' Bryan Torres, concluding an already disappointing game. After six innings of work, where he had to use 96 pitches -four or more against 13 of his 23 opponents -, right-hander César García recorded a quality start. As García handed the ball to relief pitcher 'Andy Rodríguez', he hoped the right-hander from Havana would maintain the narrow margin of one run until the end. There wasn't a typo: you read "Andy Rodriguez", as some board member - it is unknown who - wrote in the Agricultores lineup. Cuba's official lineup card can be seen here: Of course, the name that should have been written down there was "Andy Vargas Lescaille" instead of "Andy Rodríguez", who has not been part of the national team since the last Pre-Olympic of the Americas, and today he is looking to fulfill the dream of debuting in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers. If you look closely, the only mistake is not Andy's last name, since confusion was also created with the Alarcón brothers, "Yosvany" being omitted for Yordanis. This type of oversight is not acceptable in a management body with a dozen members. Organizers of the tournament said if Cuba had won, their game would not have been confiscated. However, blunders of this magnitude leave much to be desired about a team's professionalism and approach. No other way to put it: it was disappointing, as has been the team's overall performance. While the Agricultores have lost four games by a margin of one run or less - the last three by one run -, they have been inconsistent and not very aggressive. The trends in each setback have exposed an endless number of deficiencies, and the most notable are precisely those that affect the National Series year after year: aging teams, pitchers without the ability to effectively pitch in events where hitters with professional experience will challenge them. It is also the case with Cuban hitters, who have swings used to sloppy pitching, a lack of audacious repertoires, and, most often, a total lack of command. Cuban baseball needs a complete overhaul in terms of quality and attitude. Cuban runners are often criticized for lacking aggression and having too little advantage, which is a common problem. Agricultores' fielders, regardless of physical errors, have demonstrated that getting an extra base can increase run expectations. Cuban teams play in the only national league in the Caribbean area where catchers get more than 50% of runners who attempt to steal bases, and the reason is obvious: given the poor pitching in the National Series today, it is rarely necessary for managers to risk runners in attempts to steal. Many will now argue that the Agricultores should have brought more reinforcements, which is absolutely reasonable. Nevertheless, was it not criticized in previous Caribbean Series editions that the Cuban champion team brought most of its players from other teams? Are you still able to recall those debates? Impossible to forget them! Unfortunately, no team from the last Cuban Baseball Elite League was prepared to compete at the level of the Caribbean Series without adequate reinforcements. Once again, the Agricultores scored all their runs in one inning, as they did in the fourth and sixth innings against Colombia, where they lost 5-4, and in the fourth inning against Mexico, a game they lost 6-5. Singles by Carlos Benítez, Yordanis Alarcón—who has been on fire hitting 6-for-7 after being moved out of the third turn in the lineup— and Alexquemer Sánchez's sacrifice fly allowed Cuba to score three runs as early as the second inning, in another nightmare for veteran starter Daryl Thompson against Cuba. Thompson, 37, was the right-hander that Frederich Cepeda mercilessly punished during the Semifinal of the Caribbean Series in San Juan, 2015, a Caribbean classic where the stellar leftfielder from Sancti Spiritus won the MVP award and the Vegueros de Pinar del Río were proclaimed champions under the management of Alfonso Urquiola. Thompson was hit hard with six hits and three earned runs in just 1.2 innings. To stop the momentum of Agricultores's hitters, left-handed Luis Leroy Cruz took the mound and literally handcuffed the Cuban lineup. After putting out the fire in that third inning, Cruz pitched from the third to the sixth without a single hiccup, throwing just nine balls in 43 pitches. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Roby Enríquez tripled, and leadoff Bryan Torres singled to close the score to 3-2. As a result, the ninth inning was tense. Leading off the inning, Daniel Ortíz singled, and pinch runner Bratt Rodríguez stole second base. Vargas capped off the rally by retiring the next two batters: Jesmel Valentine fouled out to third and Roby Enriquez grounded out to second, bringing Rodríguez to third base with the potential tying run. A walk by Brian Navarreto opened up the possibility of a force out at second. This is so often the case in baseball: Bryan Torres detonated a rocket on a 0-2 count when he seemed dominated by Vargas, and Carlos Benítez couldn't even handle the ball. Rightfielder Alexquemer Sánchez also missed the ball, which went into deep right field. Upon video review, the Cuban team breathed a sigh of relief, as the hit was declared a ground rule double. However, Emmanuel Rivera, Puerto Rico's third bat, adjusted his swing as he did when he first debuted in MLB last year with the Kansas City Royals. He delivered the decisive hit. The offense failed again, and this time the defense joined the misfortune in another game dominated by pitching. The Agricultores have lost their fifth consecutive game and are now one game away from saying goodbye to the 2023 Gran Caracas Caribbean Series. Puerto Rico 4, Cuba 3/Final: A review Final Numbers Cuba (1-5): 3-12-2 (R-H-E) -BATTING- RBI: Benítez (1), Yor. Alarcón (4), Al. Sánchez (1) SF: Al. Sánchez SH: Larduet; De La Cruz GIDP: Larduet Team RISP: 4-9 (Avilés 0-1, Benítez 1-2, Larduet 1-1, Yor. Alarcón 1-2, De La Cruz 1-1, Santos 0-2) Team LOB: 5 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: Yor. Alarcón (1, 2nd base of Webb/Navarreto) CS: Santos (1, 2nd base of Thompson/Navarreto) -FIELDING- E: Benítez (1, fielding); De La Cruz (3, throwing) DP: 3 (De La Cruz-Benítez-Viñales 2, Benítez-De La Cruz-Viñales) Puerto Rico (3-3): 4-10-1 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Ortíz (1, García) 3B: Enríquez (1, García) RBI: Enríquez (2), Rivera (2), Torres (4) RBI 2 outs: Rivera, Torres GIDP: Rivera; Torres; Castro Team RISP: 3-9 (Valentín 0-2, Navarreto 0-1, Enríquez 1-2, Rivera 1-1, Torres 1-3) Team LOB: 9 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: Rodríguez (1, 2nd base of Vargas/Yos. Alarcón) -FIELDING- E: Cruz (0, tiro); Navarreto (1, tiro) DP: 2 (Cruz-Machín, Valentín-Díaz-Machín) Assistances: Torres (Yor. Alarcón at Home) Notable Slash lines: Yordanis Alarcón is hitting better after being moved out of the third spot in the lineup. He was 3-for-3 against Colombia, and then against Puerto Rico he went 3-for-4, with a single and an RBI with RISP. Andrés De La Cruz had, once again, a hit, and Carlos Benítez (1-for-4, RBI, SF) and Alexquemer Sánchez (2-for-2, RBI, SF) produced runs in their debuts as starters. Performance of pitchers: -César García: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR -Andy Vargas: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR IBB: Castro (of Vargas). HBP: Navarreto (of Vargas) Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: García 11/23; Vargas 9/16 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: García-14-7-19-19; Vargas-9-5-9-7 Ground balls and fly balls: García 8-5; Vargas 2-5 How did victory escape?: This is the second time the offensive-defense duo has failed. Agricultores has scored in just four of his last 17 innings. Third-hitters have been 0-for-12 in their last three games, with Guillermo Avilés, who is 0-for-8, taking the largest hit of the slump. It would be 0-for-14 if combined with Raico Santos' performance (0-for-6). As a point of reference, we should keep the following in perspective: After the return to the Caribbean Series in 2014, the Cuban teams had a 4-1 record against the Puerto Rican teams, including the first victory in their return to the Caribbean Classic, 2-1, against the Indios de Mayagüez, led by the spectacular Vicyohandri Odelín of Camagüey, who used 132 pitches in a complete game. (Photos: Archivo CBPC/AP/Calixto L. Llanes)

—Again the Agricultores' offense came up short, dominated by the Vaqueros de Montería By Yirsandy Rodríguez Colombia defeated Agricultores de Cuba 5-4 in their first match in Caribbean Series history, displaying the talent of young players who will try to defend their 2022 title in Gran Caracas. Box score A few minutes before the first Caribbean Baseball Series matchup between Cuba and Colombia began, when the official lineups were announced, there was a noticeable difference between the Venezuelans and the Cubans. It wasn't even about statistical comparisons. This fifth day in Gran Caracas opened with the Vaqueros leading this Caribbean Series in doubles (10), slugging (.400), walks (23), stolen bases (12) and OPS (.771). However, the biggest difference was the promising future of most of its players. His lineup featured a mix of youth and talent. By looking at the ages of each player in the lineup this Monday to face Agricultores, it was easy to predict who team would be "unstoppable": Vaqueros de Montería -The average age of hitters is 22.8 years old -Younger hitters: Brayan Buelvas and Dayan de Jesús Frías, who turn 21 next June -Trend: Eight batters aged 25 or younger, including two 20-year-olds, three 22-year-olds and one 23-year-old -The oldest hitter: Dilson J. Herrera, 28-year-old Agricultores de Cuba -The average age of hitters is 34.7 years old -Younger hitters: Raico Santos (29-year-old) and Guillermo Avilés (30) -Trend: Eight hitters are 30 or older, including five who are 38 or older -The oldest hitter: 40-year-old Yordanis Alarcón As you can see, both timelines have considerable differences. This is not to say that youth is the only key to success for a baseball team. Youth and experience are often the most effective complements, but without a doubt, cohesion is the most influential factor. Aside from those fundamentals that strengthen Team Work, the trends of Agricultores and Vaqueros were set by two groups at separate times in their respective careers. The Colombian Professional Baseball League showed remarkable progress and a glimpse of what's to come. And Cuba? There are a few veterans who, as we have seen in Gran Caracas these days, haven't been able to maintain the winning rhythm. Furthermore, Agricultores has witnessed again - as they did with most Cuban teams in international competitions over the past decade — the game philosophy that only prevails today in Cuban baseball, driven by the regression of pitching to a substantial extent. That perspective led me to enjoy this morning's game at La Rinconada Baseball Stadium - and perhaps it did the same for you, dear reader. Despite my pessimism, I expected a reaction from the Cuban team. The Vaqueros de Montería came out ahead with a double by A's prospect Jordan Díaz, 22, against Jonathan Carbó, who also had issues in the third inning against the Dominican Republic. Cuba's offense responded with two runs in the top of the fourth inning, thanks to a single by Yordanis Alarcón. However, the Vaqueros were able to turn the tide quickly. The third time Carbó faced the Vaqueros lineup, he was unsuccessful: a single by Dayan Frías, Gustavo Campero's two-run home run and Francisco Acua's long shot sent Carbó back to the dugout. As Yoel Mogena threw pitches with more rotation than speed, Acua advanced to third base after a throwing error by Yosvany Alarcón. Vaqueros 5, Agricultores 2. Cuba had the eternal mission of starting over in every offensive inning of this Caribbean Series. Rafael Viñales' RBI double and Andrés De La Cruz' single closed the score, 5-4, after reliever Oscar Marcelino put two runners on - Denis Laza and Yordanis Alarcón. Despite having runners on the corners, Agricultores could not take the lead, the right-handed Samuel Burgos dominating Osvaldo Abreu and Yuniesky Larduet to end the inning. Two thirds of the game had gone down in history. Among the next nine Cuban hitters, only Yordanis Alarcón reached base in the eighth - Yordanis went 3-for-3 in the game - but after breaking his 0-for-16 drought in the sixth inning, Viñales grounded into a double play to put an end to the threat in that eighth episode. In the ninth, closer Jhon Peluffo posted Colombia's third consecutive bullpen zero to end the game. Agricultores fought again, there's no doubt about that, but they lost their fifth game in a row, the second by one run. In each of those games, the offense was criticized as lacking. This Monday, Agricultores opened the fifth day of the Caribbean Classic with the poorest OBP (.252) and OPS (.515), just one stolen base—it was from the leadoff, Yuniesky Larduet—and the worst negative strikeouts over walks ratio (-17, 22 K and 5 BB). When we analyze the offensive production, the Vaqueros de Montería doubled Agricultores' runs in the tournament, 24 to 12. It seems we agree once again on the first point I addressed in this column: any team can win a baseball game, but if it's about talent, Colombia has plenty of reasons to show off. * *One of the collective skills I found most impressive was their defense, particularly the skills of shortstop Dayan Fras, centerfielder Jess Marriaga, and second baseman Francisco Acua. Even so, Cuba pitched well enough to stop one of the tournament's most consistent lineups. Between the sixth and eighth innings, Yoel Mogena and lefty Miguel Paradelo held the Vaqueros to zero runs. During the last third, they retired 11 batters in a row. However, the offense could not respond, letting their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals in Gran Caracas fade away. Colombia 5, Cuba 4/Final: A review Final Numbers Cuba (1-4): 4-6-2 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Yos. Alarcón (2, Consuegra); Vinales (1, Marcelino) RBI: Vinales (1), Yor. Alarcón 2 (3), De La Cruz (4) RBI 2 outs: Yor. Alarcón 2 GIDP: Vinales Team RISP: 3-8 (Avilés 0-1, Abreu 0-1, Vinales 1-1, Larduet 0-2, Yor. Alarcón 1-1, De La Cruz 1-1, Laza 0-1) Team LOB: 6 -FIELDING- E: Yos. Alarcón (2, throwing); De La Cruz (2, throwing) Colombia (3-2): 5-8-0 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: J. Díaz (2, Carbó); Campero (4, Carbó) HR: Campero (1, 5o entrada ante Carbó 1 en base, 0 Out) RBI: J. Díaz 2 (9), Campero 2 (4), Marriaga (3) RBI 2 outs: J. Díaz 2 Team RISP: 2-6 (J. Díaz 1-2, Buelvas 0-1, Marriaga 1-2, Pertuz 0-1) Equipo DEB: 4 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: Acuña (2, 2o base de Mogena/Yos. Alarcón) -FIELDING- DP: 1 (Pertuz-Acuna-Herrera) Notable Slash lines: On a perfect afternoon, Yordanis Alarcón went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, and Andrés De La Cruz (1-for-3, RBI) added his fourth RBI in a clutch situation. Cuba's only extra-base hit in this Caribbean Classic came from Rafael Viñales (1-for-4, RBI). Performance of pitchers: -Jonathan Carbó (0-2): 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR -Yoel Mogena: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR -Miguel Paradelo: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: Carbó 16/20; Mogena 2/7; Paradelo 2/6 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: Carbó-11-9-14-15; Mogena-4-5-9-5; Paradelo-5-3-4-4 Ground balls and fly balls: Carbó 3-5; Mogena 0-5; Paradelo 3-1 How did victory escape?: For the second consecutive day, batters first through fifth in the lineup have been stopped. Yesterday, they went 2-for-19 (with the first three hitters going 1-of-16), and on Monday, they were 1-for-18. Based on the last two games, Yosvany Alarcón has been the only player to have at least one hit: Lineup order/Hitter 1- Yuniesky Larduet: 1-for-9 2- Raico Santos: 0-for-6 3- Yordanis Alarcón (0-for-4)/Guillermo Avilés (0-for-4): 0-for-8 4- Yosvany Alarcón: 2-for-8, 2B 5- Rafael Viñales (0-for-3)/Denis Laza (0-for-3): 0-for-6 What adjustments should they make?: Returning to the previous point. When five of the top hitters in the lineup don't produce in the first five at-bats, it's difficult for the last four to get enough offense in order to win. As a point of reference, we should keep the following in perspective: Agricultores' lineup has missed 67 swings (20.8%), almost double their 36 batted hits. (Photos: CBPC/AP)

—Agricultores' offense collapsed after a quick comeback in the second inning. The offensive chaos continues. By Yirsandy Rodríguez After allowing 20 runs and 25 hits to Leones de Caracas on Saturday, Agricultores' offense showed signs of life on Sunday against Cañeros de los Mochis. It was only a flash, however, as the Aztecs came back to win 6-5 in La Rinconada Stadium. Box score Beyond the internal shock generated by a loss as embarrassing as Venezuela's 20-3 thrashing of Cuba, there is always a chance for redemption in baseball. With this competitive approach, the Agricultores challenged the Cañeros, in a duel between the worst offensive teams so far in this Caribbean Classic: —Agricultores: Lowest OBP (.275) and OPS (.573) —Cañeros: Lowest BA (.204) As a result, a left-handed duel began that did not last beyond the first inning. After just 29 pitches, the Cañeros stalked Ángel Sánchez until he was expelled from the mound. Again, the lack of command and limited velocity of his fastball exposed his pitches to vulnerability. After two outs and two walks, Joey Terdoslavich's RBI double completed Mexico's 3-0 opening rally. As in the previous two games, the Agricultores started the game behind, and the burden of pitching fell to the relievers. After leading by three runs in the first inning, the Cañeros pitcher, Jeffrey Kinley, 30, retired the side without any issues. Only Yuniesky Larduet managed to reach base, getting his fourth hit in the last five at-bats, but Kinley caught him leading despite losing by three runs. The following two innings led to the match's decision. The Agricultores scored for the first time in the second inning during this Caribbean Series. In addition to Yosvany Alarcón's single, Rafael Viñales was walked and Guillermo Avilés' hit loaded the bases. Kinley's complications led to a five-run inning, but three of the runs were unearned when Mexico's defense failed. A pair of fielding errors by Rodolfo Amador and Roberto Valenzuela extended Kinley's inning and a hit by Andrés de La Cruz equalized the score, 3-3. After Osvaldo Abreu rolled to short, José Moreno unleashed an angry lashing because of a balk that gave Agricultores the lead. Even though the bullpen had the most responsibility in containing the Cañeros, the Cuban lineup emerged as a ray of hope. In a flash, that emotion was forgotten. Mexico came back with three runs in the third inning to take a 6-5 lead. We would be unfair if we didn't give credit to Agricultores right-handed Kelbis Rodríguez. With two runners in scoring position, and two outs, Rafael Viñales was unable to catch Jasson Arondo's fly ball to short left field. In subsequent innings, neither pitching staff gave more liberties to the opposition. Kinley silenced Cuba's offense by providing extensive and effective relief over 7 13.1 innings, paving the way for Andy Vargas in the ninth. Meanwhile, Kinley silenced Cuban hitters. He threw six innings retiring 23 consecutive Cubans. Rafael Córdova, Samuel Zazueta, and Jake Sánchez kept the one-run lead intact in the last three innings. With one out in the final inning, Guillermo Avilés hit Agricultores' first hit since the second inning's five-run rally. But in the end, after starter Ángel Sánchez left the game, Kelbis Rodríguez and Andy Vargas managed to stop the lineup of the Cañeros, but without offensive support, it is clear that the road to the Semifinals in Gran Caracas will be challenging for Agricultores. México 6, Cuba 5/Final: A review Final Numbers México: 6-10-2 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Atondo (1, Rodríguez); Terdoslavich (2, An. Sánchez) RBI: Amador (4), Atondo 2 (2), Ornelas (1), Terdoslavich 2 (3) RBI 2 outs: Amador, Atondo 2, Terdoslavich 2 Team RISP: 3-10 (Félix 0-2, Amador 1-1, Atondo 1-2, Cardona 0-1, Valenzuela 0-1, Ornelas 0-2, Terdoslavich 1-1) Team LOB: 8 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: Atondo (1, 2nd base of Rodríguez/Yos. Alarcón); Ornelas (2, 2nd base of Rodríguez/Yos. Alarcón) CS: Dean (1, 2nd base of Rodríguez/Yos. Alarcón) -FIELDING- E: Amador (1, fielding); Valenzuela (1, fielding) Cuba: 5-5-0 (R-H-E) -BATTING- RBI: Abreu (1), De La Cruz (3), Laza (1) Team RISP: 2-7 (Avilés 1-1, Abreu 0-1, Larduet 0-1, Yor. Alarcón 0-1, De La Cruz 1-1, Santos 0-1, Laza 0-1) Team LOB: 2 -RUNNING THE BASES- CS: Larduet (1, 2o base de Kinley/Félix) Picked Off: Larduet (1er base, Kinley) -FIELDING- DP: 1 (Yos. Alarcón-Yor. Alarcón) Notable Slash lines: Again, the bottom of the batting order stepped up in a clutch situation and drove in all three runs (3 Performance of pitchers: -Ángel Sánchez: ⅔ IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 HR -Kelbis Rodríguez (P, 0-1): 7 ⅓ IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR -Andy Vargas: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: Rodríguez 20/31; An. Sánchez 3/6; Vargas 4/4 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: Rodríguez-17-4-14-27; An. Sánchez-6-0-3-3; Vargas-5-0-7-3 Ground balls and fly balls: Rodríguez 10-9; An. Sánchez 0-1; Vargas 2-1 How did victory escape?: From the third inning on, 23 batters were retired in a row with just a one-run deficit. Agricultores' OBP (.275) inefficiency had given us a heads-up before the game, so this was just a continuation. What adjustments should they make?: In spite of their respective slumps, Raico Santos and Rafael Viñales continue to be key players for Agricultores. However, each of their slumps continues to affect the team: Viñales is 0-for-14, with three strikeouts and 12 non-contact swings. The most alarming thing about Raico's performance is the six strikeouts he has received, 40% of his 15 swing misses. Whatever the case, especially in short tournaments, a shift in the lineup or another variant would be reasonable. As a point of reference, we should keep the following in perspective: As strange as it may sound, Agricultores has done better with runners in scoring position (.267) than when accumulating them on base (.255). Getting runners on base is the first step to producing runs, regardless of numerical differences. (Photos: CBPC/AP/Calixto N. Llanes)

—Agricultores were devastated by Leones de Caracas' offensive attack By Yirsandy Rodríguez Despite starting the 65th Caribbean Baseball Series on the wrong foot as the most ineffective offense, the Leones de Caracas, the top winners of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League with 21 titles, mercilessly crushed the Farmers on day three. Box score In the first two games of this Caribbean classic, the host Leones de Caracas, regarded as a favorite, averaged just .191 on offense, which sounded really strange before the game. Even more alarming was the fact that only one of the team's 12 hits in the tournament reached the extra base category, a double by Wilfredo Tovar. There was, however, an overlooked statistical indicator in which the Vinotinto offense had surpassed Cuba by a considerable margin: innings of dominance with an advantage on the scoreboard. In contrast, the Lions, who beat Panama 5-2, held the lead in seven of the nine innings, but Agricultores only took control in one of the ten innings against Curaçao in Day 1 of the tournament. As both teams had a 1-1 record, a pitching duel ensued between right-handed players: For Cuba, Yoel Mogena, who was a key player in winning the Agricultores title in the Elite League of Cuban Baseball, while Guillermo Moscoso, a 39-year-old veteran, took the mound at the legendary Monumental Stadium in Caracas, Simón Bolívar, also known as La Rinconada Baseball Stadium. As the "Vinotinto" fans roared their support, Moscoso made a few mistakes, leading to the first Agricultores run in the first inning. Yuniesky Larduet led off the game with a single to center, stole second base, and made his way to third, taking advantage of Moscoso's throwing error. The Maracay pitcher used his experience on the hill to strike out a couple of Cuban hitters to avoid the first run of the game putting the inning in two outs. Then Moscoso made one of his only mistakes all night. As Moscoso tried to pitch ahead of the count to an aggressive hitter such as Yosvany Alarcón, the Cuban catcher doubled to right field. Agricultores led the board after two games without scoring a run before the fifth inning. But Moscoso remained calm and struck out Rafael Viñales to end the inning, extending Viñales slump to 0-for-9 since arriving in Gran Caracas. As the infield players from Cuba passed the ball around, the excitement grew before the Leones de Caracas took advantage of their first offensive opportunity. The Cubans' joy quickly faded after just six pitches, and the first inning quickly turned into a slaughterhouse of offense. Wilfredo Tovar's double tied the score at 1-1 after Ali Castillo singled to center. It was a different scenario for the Cuban starter, in contrast to what starters Cesar García and Jonathan Carbó did in the previous two games. In his case, the offensive barrage came as expected. Despite Mogena's slow pitching strategy, Venezuelan hitters quickly adjusted their swings. The Granma right-hander placed his slider in the outside corner, and instead of pulling, all Venezuelan hitters hit pitches to the opposite field. A single by Danry Vásquez (RF), a single by Hernán Alejandro Pérez (1B) and a single by José Gregorio Rondón (CF) sent Mogena back to the dugout. He was only able to dominate one batter, Carlos Rivero on a fly out to right. In his first relief appearance, Alexander Valiente was sent to the mound by Agricultores' manager Carlos Martí, but the "Vinotinto" lineup looked unstoppable: Francisco and Oswaldo Arcia walked and hit, respectively, and a new Cuban reliever, Yunier Castillo, completed the seven-run barrage with a force out on rolling to the shortstop - which could have been converted into a double play. Undoubtedly, opening down 7-1 was devastating. In the way the Venezuelan hitters acted, I was reminded of the legendary comment "turn off and let's go" used by ESPN analyst Candy Maldonado when the Yankees opened the bullpen door to welcome their star closer Mariano Rivera. As predicted, it was a great night for the Leones de Caracas, who slaughtered the Cuban pitchers with 11 more runs after the first third of the game: a rally of three runs in the fourth and five innings, a rally of one more in the sixth, and a rally of five in the eighth. After setting a new team record for Caribbean Series with 25 hits, Venezuela' starters, with the exception of leadoff Ali Castillo, had at least two hits in the game. We can appreciate the team's lineup offensive contribution if we divide it into two parts: —Between the 1st and 5th hitters: they batted 23 times, scored 10 runs, had 12 hits, doubled three times, homered once, and walked three times. —Between the 6th and 9th hitters: 20 at bats, 9 runs scored, 11 hits, 2 doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs, one walk, and one strikeout. They simply could not be stopped, and the Lions' negative 31.4% strikeout-to-miss ratio during the first two games of the tournament dissipated. Cuban pitchers, who tended to throw fastballs without authority and had weak repertoires, exposed their strengths. It's worth noting that the Leones de Caracas made contact on 49 of their 50 swings against Mogena, Valiente and Yunier Castillo. That's awesome! Despite only needing a few innings to achieve victory, the veteran delivered a superb performance in six innings without letting his guard down. The vast experience he has on the mound was basically put to good use. Eight of his 18 putouts were strikeouts, and he caused 22 swinging strikes without walking a single batter. To the delight of Venezuelan fans, the work resulted in another quality performance. Venezuela 20, Cuba 3/Final: A review Final Numbers Cuba: 3-9-3 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Yos. Alarcón (1, Moscoso) RBI: Yos. Alarcón 2 (2), Yor. Alarcón (1) RBI 2 outs: Yos. Alarcón 2 Team RISP: 3-10 (Yos. Alarcón 2-3, Avilés 0-1, Viñales 0-1, Yor. Alarcón 1-3, Da. Pena 0-1, Santos 0-1) Team LOB: 6 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: Larduet (1, 2o base de Moscoso/F. Arcia) -FIELDING- E: Avilés (1, fildeo); De La Cruz (1, fildeo); Millán (1, fildeo) DP: 1 (Abreu-Yor. Alarcón-Avilés) Venezuela: 20-25-1 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Pérez (1, Castillo); F. Arcia (1, Castillo); Rivero (1, Civil); Tovar (2, Mogena); Rondón (1, Castillo) HR: Vásquez (1, 2nd inning against Castillo none on base, 0 Out); Rondón (1, 8th inning against Civil 2 on base, 1 Out) RBI: Arcia 2 (2), Castillo (3), F. Arcia 3 (3), Rivero 2 (2), Vásquez 3 (3), Tovar (2), Rondón 6 (7) RBI 2 outs: Vásquez SF: Arcia; Rondón GIDP: Pérez Team RISP: 11-23 (Arcia 1-2, Pérez 0-2, Castillo 0-1, F. Arcia 2-3, Rivero 2-5, Reyes 1-2, Vásquez 2-2, Noriega 0-2, Rondón 3-3, Torres 0-1) Team LOB: 12 -RUNNING THE BASES- SB: F. Arcia (1, 2nd base of Valiente/Yos. Alarcón); Reyes (2, 3rd base of Valiente/Yos. Alarcón) -FILDEO- E: Moscoso (1, tiro) -The Leones de Caracas set new Caribbean Series records with a 17-run difference and 25 hits. Notable Slash lines: Yuniesky Larduet went 3-for-4 and scored three times as the leadoff hitter. After Yosvany Alarcón went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, the next six batters combined to hit 2-for-20. Performance of pitchers: -Yoel Mogena (P, 0-1): 0.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR -Alexander Valiente: 0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR -Yunier Castillo: 3 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR -Carlos Santana: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR -Alberto Pablo Civil: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR WP: Santana (4) HBP: F. Arcia (de Civil) Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: Civil 6/8; Castillo 7/17; Mogena 4/6; Santana 13/22; Valiente 1/3 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: Civil-5-6-9-6; Castillo-9-1-9-16; Mogena-1-0-4-6; Santana-12-7-7-17; Valiente-2-0-1-2 Ground balls and fly balls: Civil 1-2; Castillo 2-5; Mogena 0-1; Santana 3-8 How did victory escape?: During the first inning, when the Cuban pitchers could not get an out against the Venezuelan hitters. In games where a team trails 9-1 so early and the bullpen and offense fail to respond, the game is practically over. What adjustments should they make?: It appears that Cuba has no choice but to wait for the pitching to respond again. Thus far, that has been the way to win, even though there have been some defensive lapses. The Agricultores would be worst in run production and ERA if it wasn't for Curaçao's offensive drought, in which the team has scored four times in three games. As a point of reference, we should keep the following in perspective: Despite leading this Saturday against Venezuela, Agricultores have led only twice of their 28 offensive innings in the Caribbean Classic. (Photos: CBPC/AP/Calixto N. Llanes)

—Despite the Dominican roster being silenced by two relievers from Agricultores, the Cuban hitters failed to rally By Yirsandy Rodríguez For the second straight game, the Agricultores' offensive strength, which defined their path to Gran Caracas 2023, was limited. Cuba's offense collapsed against the Tigres del Licey on Friday afternoon, losing 3-1 to the Dominican team in the 65th Baseball Caribbean Series. Box score The Dominican left-hander Domingo Robles - the winner -, 24, dominated the Cuban team in five innings at the Jorge Luis García Carneiro stadium, in La Guaira. It was Dominican Republic's first victory in the 2023 Caribbean Series. The Cuban starter, right-handed Jonathan Carbó, left the mound in the third after giving up all three Dominican runs. Though one could have been avoided if a double play was completed, second baseman Yordanis Alarcón fell and threw wide of first. Despite the bases being loaded, Kelbis Rodriguez took the mound in that inning and held the Dominican roster scoreless until the seventh. Left-handed Miguel Paradelo finished the job in a similar fashion, but there was no offensive reaction from the Agricultores. During the fifth episode, there was controversy, but Agricultores scored its first run. Andrés de la Cruz doubled down the left field line, but the crew had to review the play after referee Carlos Leal called it in the foul zone. The double was validated, and Guillermo Avilés scored. Yennsy Díaz completed two episodes without issue for the Dominican Republic. Afterwards, Keury Mella gave up a single and a walk in the eighth. However, Jonathan Aro struck out both Alarcón's brothers and Jairo Asencio closed the game in the ninth. Licey had four players with two hits, while Guillermo Avilés did it for Cuba (2-for-4, one run scored). With the victory, José Offerman, the Quisqueyan manager, can breathe easier with the same 1-1 record as the Cubans. Dominican Republic 3, Cuba 1/Final: A review Final Numbers Cuba: 1-7-1 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: De La Cruz (1, Robles) RBI: De La Cruz (2) GIDP: De La Cruz Team RISP: 1-7 (Yos. Alarcón 0-1, Abreu 0-1, Larduet 0-1, Yor. Alarcón 0-1, De La Cruz 1-2, Santos 0-1) Team LOB: 7 -FIELDING- E: Yos. Alarcón (1, tiro) DP: 1 (Abreu-Yor. Alarcón-Viñales) Assistances: Larduet (Rojas Jr. at 3o base); Santos (Barrera at 3o base) Dominican Republic: 3-10-1 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Barrera (1, Rodríguez) RBI: Canó (1), Hernández (1) GIDP: Hernández Team RISP: 1-6 (Canó 1-2, Rivas 0-1, Hernández 0-2, Barrera 0-1) Team LOB: 6 -RUNNING THE BASES- CS: Gutiérrez (1, 2o base de Paradelo/Yos. Alarcón) CS: Gutiérrez (First base, Paradelo) -FIELDING- E: Rojas Jr. (1, fielding) DP: 1 (Canó-Núñez-Hernández) Notable Slash lines: The "6-7-8" tandem of Denis Laza (3-2), Guillermo Avilés (4-2, a run) and Andrés De La Cruz (1-for-4, double and RBI) were 5-for-11 combined, generating most of the short-lived reactions from Cuba. Performance of pitchers: -Jonathan Carbó: 2 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, SO -Kelbis Rodríguez: 4 ⅓ IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0, BB, 3 SO -Miguel Paradelo: 2 ⅓ IP, 2 H Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: Carbó 6/11; Paradelo 6/8; Rodríguez 10/17 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: Carbó-5-3-12-8; Paradelo-5-2-6-8; Rodríguez-18-4-11-13 Ground balls and fly balls: Carbó 2-4; Paradelo 4-2; Rodríguez 4-3 How did victory escape?: Against Dominican pitching, the first through fifth hitters, the team's most offensive players, were 2-for-20 with four strikeouts. With runners in scoring position, four of those inefficient at-bats occurred. What adjustments should they make: Changing the lineup? It would be reasonable in short tournaments, but the real issue has been the lack of quality at-bats: in the 19 innings they have played on offense, only three batters have reached base. As of now, 57% of Avilés' connections have been strong, while Viñales has gone 0-for-8 with two strikeouts and five non-contact swings. As a point of reference, we should keep the following in perspective: Cuba has led on the scoreboard only once in 19 innings. Even so, there have been chances for victories due to the pitching so far. (Photos: AP y Calixto N. Llanes)

—Analyzing the keys to Cuba's success against Curaçao By Yirsandy Rodríguez After three editions of absence, Cuba's Agricultores beat Curaçao's WildCats KJ74 3-1 in the 65th Caribbean Baseball Series this Thursday. It was in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Stadium Jorge Luis García Carneiro in La Guaira, Venezuela, claiming the first victory of the 2023 Caribbean Series. Box score In the end, it was a game controlled by pitching effectiveness and defensive efficiency by both teams. It took Curaçao seven innings to make its competitive debut at the Caribbean Classic under the hegemonic and tenacious repertoire of 29-year-old American right-hander Cody Mincey. WildCats KJ74 led 1-0 until the most sensational of hits appeared: the home run. In La Guaira, Andrés de La Cruz raised his arms, gazed towards the dugout and celebrated after hitting a fly ball to deep left field. This ball exceeded the stadium's limits. It was in the eighth inning, after two outs, when De La Cruz hit a panoramic home run that barely missed the sixth pitch from reliever Shairon Martis, giving Cuba a 1-1 tie. The outcome of the game would rest on the effectiveness of both bullpens following a seven-inning pitching duel between Cody Mincey, Curaçao, and César García, Cuba. Mincey's pitching performance had been virtually flawless before De La Cruz tied the score at 1-1 with one swing. Mincey was a colossus on the mound with just 78 pitches — an average of 11.1 per inning— and fine command that allowed him to record strikes at 76.9%: he struck out six of the seven batters who started the inning, started ahead in the count against 17 of his 24 opponents, walked none of Cuba's batters. On the other hand, for Cuba, César García's presentation exceeded expectations and, above all, dispelled the doubts surrounding his pitching mix, which had succumbed to a disconcerting .483 average (29-14) against 31 rivals from Portuarios in the last final of the Cuban Baseball Elite League. It was César who maintained control of the game against a fortified lineup from Curaçao (AA) National Champions KJ74. The most complicated situations came from the second matchup against the Curaçao lineup, led by the "3-4-5" hitters: Roger Bernadina, Jonathan Schoop and Wladimir Balentien, all with MLB experience at various levels. In spite of forcing Bernadina to ground into a double play at the end of the fourth inning, García walked Schoop and Balentien, putting a WildCats runner in scoring position. As a result, César did not push himself and closed the inning after dominating Juremi Profar in fly ball to left field. After that, César only allowed one run, which could have been prevented if the defense had been able to complete the double play on Darren Seferina's leadoff grounder. In the bottom of that eighth inning, after the score was tied, Agricultores' manager, Carlos Martí, sent Habana's reliever, right-hander Andy Vargas, to the mound to stop the WildCats offense. During Vargas' first two innings, he retired six of his seven opponents, allowing Agricultores to break the tie in the tiebreaker. The game was decided in the top of the tenth inning with the so-called "courtesy batter" rule for extra inning games. Rafael Viñales was at second base, when Guillermo Avilés with one swing erased his 0-for-3 day, including a strikeout. Martí chose to "play the rally" instead of bunting with one of the sluggers that has been key to Alazanes de Granma's recent Cuban National Series championships. In a 3-2 count, Guillermo Avilés delivered a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th against reliever Sharon Martis. Following 42 batters going to the plate in the colorful park of the Tiburones de la Guaira of Venezuelan Professional Baseball, Agricultores led 2-1 for the first time. Then Martis issued Curacao's first walk of the game to load the bases, and then reliever, Wendell Floranus, walked Yuniesky Larduet to allow Cuba's third run. Right-hander Andy Vargas pitched the final three frames for Cuba, including a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th to close it out. Cuba 3, Curacao 1/Final in 10 innings: A review Game MVP: César García, who dominated for seven innings and allowed just one run. Without his quality start, Andrés De La Cruz's home run would have happened in another context. Without Andy Vargas as the first reliever, and Avilés without his redemption at bat. Final Numbers Cuba: 3-9-1 (R-H-E) -BATTING- 2B: Santos (1, Mincey) HR: De La Cruz (1, 8th inning against Martis 0 on base, 1 Out) RBI: Avilés (1), Larduet (1), De La Cruz (1) SH: Da. Peña GIDP: Viñales; De La Cruz Team RISP: 2-6 (Yos. Alarcón 1-1, Avilés 1-1, Viñales 0-1, Yor. Alarcón 0-2, Santos 0-1) Team LOB: 7 -FIELDING- E: Abreu (1, fielding) DP: 2 (Yor. Alarcón-De La Cruz-Viñales, García-Yor. Alarcón-Viñales) Curacao: 1-6-0 (R-H-E) -BATTING- RBI: Seferina (1) SH: Ricardo GIDP: Balentien; Bernadina -Team RISP: 1-7 (Bernadina 0-1, Simmons 1-2, Loopstok 0-1, Seferina 0-1, Americaan 0-1, Didder 0-1, Profar 0-1) Team LOB: 8 -FIELDING- DP: 2 (Simmons-J. Schoop-Profar, Seferina-J. Schoop-Profar) Assistances: Bernadina (Yos. Alarcón at 2nd base) Notable Slash lines: Cuban catcher Yosvany Alarcón went 3-for-4, while Raico Santos (5-2, 2B) and Andrés De La Cruz (3-1, HR) each contributed one extra base. Performance of pitchers: -César García: 7 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 3 SO, 3 BB. -Andy Vargas: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, with an impressive 83% de strikes (20 strikes of 24 pitches). Strikes/Batters facing on the first pitch: García 17/28; Vargas 6/10 Strikes called-Strikes fanned-Foul balls-Strikes in play: García-15-11-13-21; Vargas-4-5-1-10 Ground balls and lofting balls: García 10-7; Vargas 5-4 The key to success was: Definitely Agricultores' sensational pitching, which left Curacao hitters with only six singles in 34 at-bats. They only got three outs via strikeouts, but allowed 15 ground balls to the infield. Unlike the lousy display earlier this week in a couple of preparation games against the Cuba team that will participate in the upcoming V World Baseball Classic, a few timely adjustments were enough: Andy and César combined consistently executed commands against 23 of 38 opponents to start the innings. That's remarkable! Furthermore, they also exhibited an efficient rate that revealed another key fundamental on the mound: being less predictable, more aggressive, and diligent, leaving their opponents with a high 13.0% swings without contact. Can you tell me what the average was when they tried to challenge Team Cuba in the two preparation games? It was a paltry 4.8%, with 12 missed swings on 246 pitches. With two arms this time, they were able to do it 19 times out of 181! (Photos: Aina Cubillos/AP) How could victory have escaped?: The offense continues to be Cuba's weakest point in Caribbean Series. It is reasonable, since today's National Series offense is overrated due to the decline of pitching at the Cuba national level. There is no doubt that talent is valued, but hitters will have to make quick adjustments in order to compete. They should make the following adjustment: I think it would be more beneficial if hitters could work on the counts. The Agricultores were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position during the game. What about leadoff hitters during innings? Aside from the fourth inning, when Rafael Viñales grounded into a double play, they failed to put runners on bases. They gave up the first out of the inning eight times. Here's a relevant statistic to consider: Three of Cuba's last four Caribbean Series debut games have been victories 2017: Won 4-0 vs. Tigres del Licey 2018: Lost 6-4 vs. Caribes de Anzoátegui 2019: Won 3-1 vs. Charros de Jalisco 2023: Won 3-1 vs. WildCats KJ74 As you can see, two of the last three victories were 3-1. Unfortunately, the Cuban teams have had trouble maintaining winning streaks during previous tournaments. This edition will present a greater challenge. (Photos: Aina Cubillos/AP)

Team Cuba defeated Agricultores in their first warmup match, and both teams will meet again on Monday at 1:30 pm (ET) The Cuban national team beat the Agricultores team 10-4 Sunday afternoon at Latinoamericano Stadium in Havana, in the first of two warmup games both have for the V World Baseball Classic and the 2023 Caribbean Series, respectively. The teams today used the following lineups. Agricultores Yunieski Larduet, CF Raico Santos, RF Yordanis Alarcón, 2B Yosvani Alarcón, C Rafael Viñales, 1B Guillermo Avilés, DH Denis Laza, LF Denis Peña, 3B Andrés de la Cruz, SS César García, RHP Cuba Roel Santos, CF Yoelkis Guibert, RF Yurisbel Gracial, 3B Alfredo Despaigne, DH Yadir Drake, 1B Dayán García, 2B Ariel Martínez, LF Andrys Pérez, C Luis V. Mateo, SS José R. Rodríguez, RHP With Yurisbel Garcia and Alfredo Despaigne on bases, Yadir Drake unleashed a three-run homer to right field against right-hander César García in the bottom of the first inning, putting Team Cuba ahead 3-0. Minutes later, Dayán Garca would extend the lead with a solo shot to left field. Cuba 4, Agricultores 0. When the score reached 8-0 an inning later, the match was practically over. Team Cuba added its ninth run in the fourth inning, this time through Mateo's double and Guibert's RBI single to right. Guibert would also contribute to the tenth run, as he doubled against right-handed Alberto P. Civil, and scored after Gracial singled to left. Guibert himself finished 3-4 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs for Cuba. Camagüey's J.R. Rodriguez started the game for Cuba and looked good with his characteristic equanimity, which has led to him climbing positions in Cuban baseball. Cuba's coach, Armando Johnson, sent Pavel Hernández to start the third inning with an 8-0 lead. Despite the fact that his fastball did not reach 92 miles, he retired six batters after accepting Larduet' single starting the inning. Pavel used 25 pitches to complete his two innings work. It was right-hander Roberto Hernández, who began the fifth inning for Team Cuba, who allowed the first two Agricultores' runs. In that inning, Peña, De la Cruz, and Larduet singled, while Raico Santos doubled to bring two runs. Franklin Quintana took the ball and ended the threat, retiring the Alarcón brothers, including Yosvani, with a strikeout. Quintana pitched one more inning, and despite loading the bases in the sixth, he finished scoreless in his first outing with the Cuban national team. The Agricultores' manager, Carlos Martí, used five pitchers during the game: César García, Leandro Martínez, Yoel Mojena, Yunier Castillo, Kelbis Rodríguez and Alberto P. Civil. Meanwhile, Team Cuba and manager Mandy Johnson gave work to José R. Rodríguez, Pavel Hernández, Roberto Hernández, Franklin Quintana and Yeudis Reyes. Mandy Johnson, Cuba's mentor for the World Baseball Classic, told the Cuban media after the match: "It was a preparation match. Since we are in our third microcycle, we didn't expect the boys to look like that. It is wonderful to see them playing so well, especially on offense. The youngsters we brought out for pitching did exceptionally well." Both teams will meet again at 1:30 pm on Monday. For Agricultores, right-hander Jonathan Carbó has already been announced to start the game.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and other Cuban Players News for the 2022-2023 offseason. A compendium from several sources MLB.com's Juan Toribio and Mark Feinsand report that Yandy Díaz and the Rays will extend their contract for three years and $24 million. In an apparent attempt to avoid arbitration, Tampa Bay agreed to long-term extensions with Jeffrey Springs and Pete Fairbanks earlier this week. In the past month, the on-base machine, who isn't eligible for free agency until 2025, has been unable to reach an agreement with the Rays, but appears likely to avoid arbitration. In 558 plate appearances last season, he batted .296/.401/.423 with nine home runs and three stolen bases. In a deal worth $3.75 million over one year, the Royals have official signed LHP Aroldis Chapman. It is expected that Chapman will be the Royals' closer this season. This should be an upset moment for Scott Barlow, given what he has done in the last few seasons. It's possible the 34-year-old left-hander could rebound and turn in a fine ninth inning, but it's more likely he'd be dealt to a contender in July if he does. In 43 appearances for the Yankees last season, he posted an inflated 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, along with 43/28 K/BB ratios. In the past week, Astros OF prospect Pedro León underwent surgery for a sports hernia. Following the procedure, León is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, potentially preventing him from taking part in spring training. He may make his major league debut sometime this summer as one of Houston's top prospects. Across 504 plate appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land, he hit .228/.365/.431 with 17 homers and 38 steals. It appears that the Marlins are no longer expected to sign free agent first baseman Yuli Gurriel, as reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. In addition to the Astros and Twins, Heyman mentions the Astros as potential landing spots for the veteran first baseman. This offseason, Houston added veteran slugger José Abreu, but a reunion would benefit both sides, especially if Gurriel is limited to a less prominent role this season. In addition to a disappointing 2022 season, the 38-year-old suffered a right knee injury during the World Series.