Caribbean Series 2016: Scores, Results, Standings and Schedule After Wednesday
The Caribbean Series continued Wednesday with a surplus of offense, and the semifinals of the round-robin tournament began to take shape.
Mexico topped Venezuela to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the standings, while defending champion Cuba clashed with Puerto Rico in the finale.
Here is a look at the updated standings after Wednesday’s action:
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| Mexico | 3-0 |
| Venezuela | 2-1 |
| Cuba | 0-2 |
| Puerto Rico | 1-1 |
| Dominican Republic | 0-2 |
| Venezuela vs. Cuba | 2:30 p.m. |
| Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico | 6:50 p.m. |
| Mexico vs. Puerto Rico | 2:30 p.m. |
| Cuba vs. Dominican Republic | 6:50 p.m. |
| Semifinal 2 | 2:30 p.m. |
| Semifinal 2 | 6:50 p.m. |
| Championship | 3 p.m. |
Mexico 6, Venezuela 4
Mexico rode three runs in the fourth inning and a strong outing from starting pitcher Ale Soto to a 6-4 win over Venezuela to secure a spot in the semifinal round by advancing to 3-0 in the tournament.
Venezuela struck first with a two-out RBI single by Adonis Garcia, the Atlanta Braves’ starting third baseman, but struggled to overcome the trifecta of runs Mexico countered with an inning later.
That inning, Alex Liddi led off with a triple, moved to second when Jorge Vazquez was hit by Venezuela pitcher Omar Bencomo then scored with Vazquez on a one-out double to left field by Yuniesky Betancourt, who also scored two batters later on a two-out RBI single by Erick Rodriguez that prompted a Venezuela pitching change.
Bencomo finished with a subpar outing, allowing the three earned runs on six total hits with three strikeouts in his 3.2 innings. Relievers Pedro Hernandez, Jose Flores and Gumercindo Gonzalez all allowed a run during their combined two innings of service.
Venezuela responded in the sixth when Hernan Perez lined a two-out grounder to center field that brought home Dariel Alvarez and then looked to be on the brink of a comeback in the eighth on a pair of critical blunders by Mexico.
A passed ball with no outs allowed Jose Martinez to score from third while advancing Perez to second. Perez then crossed home when second baseman Esteban Quiroz deflected a grounder that sent the ball to center field with one out.
But Mexico was able to get out of a jam with runners on first and second by forcing a 1-6-3 double play when Alex Romero grounded back to relief pitcher Arturo Barradas.
Venezuela had the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth but was abruptly halted when Perez flew out to center field to end the game.
Venezuela fell to 2-1 with only one game to play before the semifinals Thursday against Cuba. But it has to feel confident about its chances of reaching the next stage and still contending for the title after defeating the host and favorite, the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday then coming so close in Wednesday’s tilt against Mexico.
Mexico, meanwhile, punched its ticket to Saturday’s semifinal round and can take the top seed by defeating Puerto Rico on Friday with an off day in between.
Puerto Rico 12, Cuba 1
Puerto Rico cruised to its first victory of the tournament, 12-1, over reigning Caribbean Series winner Cuba, which is now on alert of missing the semifinal after falling to 0-2 halfway through the round-robin tournament.
Puerto Rico jumped to a 7-0 lead through the first three innings, scoring five runs in the third off Cuban relief pitcher Livan Moinelo, who only managed to retire one before he was supplanted by Dachel Duquesne.
Kennys Vargas, the Minnesota Twins’ slugging DH, blasted a three-run homer off Moinelo with one out in the third that opened the floodgates. Moinelo allowed three of the next four batters to reach before forcing his next out, but even then, it came on a sacrifice fly that allowed Henry Ramos to score. He got out of a bases-loaded jam when Ozzie Martinez grounded into a force out to end the inning.
Cuba finally got on the board in the fifth when centerfielder Yoelvis Fiss scored from second on a two-out RBI single by Yosvani Alarcon. Fiss singled with one out as the second batter of the inning, then advanced to scoring position when Netfali Soto grounded out to first, but Lourdes Gourriel Jr. fanned to end the inning while leaving Charles on first.
Fiss score was the lone run allowed by starting pitcher Andrew Barbosa, who picked up the win after going five innings with just three hits allowed, no walks and four strikeouts. Relievers Miguel Mejia, Chris Smith, Efrain Nieves and Alex Burgos each registered an inning of service, with a combined one hit allowed the rest of the way, coming in the ninth.
Puerto Rico tallied 11 hits, and only Ramos and Jorge Padilla had multiple, each finishing 2-for-3, with Padilla registering two RBI.
Vargas’ power proved encouraging given he’s hitting .125 in the Caribbean Series and was expected to have a breakout tournament as the team’s best bat. Leadoff man Ruben Sosa finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks to elevate his tournament average to a whopping .600.
Puerto Rico now sits at 1-1 heading into Thursday’s tilt with the Dominican Republic, who will be playing with everything to lose, now sitting in a gaping 0-2 hole. Another win, and Puerto Rico will qualify for the semifinals.
Cuba must recover quickly against stingy Venezuela, which is coming off a shootout loss to Mexico that should have it primed to recover quickly.
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