Venezuelan League: Games of December 21

Yohan Pino makes a less-than-stellar return to the Twins.  Aragua couldn't get runners past third.

ANZOATEGUI 6, MAGALLANES 5 IN MAGALLANES

Twins:  Eduardo Escobar (Anzoategui) was 0-for-4.

Anzoategui:  Cory Aldridge was 4-for-5 with a home run (his thirteenth), scoring twice and driving in three.  Jose Castillo was 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, his eighth.  Niuman Romero was 2-for-5 with a run.

Magallanes:  Alberto Callaspo was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run.  Mario Lisson was 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer, his fifteenth.  Orangel Arenas pitched 3.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with one strikeout.

The game:  Castillo's three-run homer in the first capped a four-run inning that put Anzoategui ahead 4-0.  Aldridge homered in the third to make it 5-0, and it looked as if Anzoategui would have an easy game.  In the fourth, however, Callaspo led off with a homer, Lisson hit a two-run shot, and Carlos Maldonado singled in a run to make it 5-4.  Aldridge provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth and Anzoategui needed it, because in the eighth, three singles cut the lead to 6-5 and put the tying run on second with two out.  That, however, was as close as Magallanes would come.

ZULIA 5, ARAGUA 0 IN ZULIA

Twins:  Oswaldo Arcia (Aragua) was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Yohan Pino (Aragua) started and pitched 3.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts.  Dakota Watts (Aragua) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks with one strikeout.

Aragua:  Yangervis Solarte was 1-for-3 with a double.

Zulia:  J. C. Linares was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run (his second), scoring twice.  Ender Inciarte (Arizona) was 2-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Alex Torres (Tampa Bay) struck out eight in 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and four walks.

The game:  Zulia took a 1-0 lead in the first on an error.  A Sandy Leon (Washington) homer and an RBI double by Inciarte made it 3-0 in the fourth.  Zulia added single runs in the fifth and sixth.  Aragua had runners thrown out at the plate in the first and third.

LARA 3, MARGARITA 2 IN LARA

Margarita:  Max Ramirez (Cincinnati) was 2-for-3 with a walk and two doubles, scoring once.  Edgar Duran (Philadelphia) was 2-for-4.  Omar Bencomo struck out five in five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk.

Lara:  Andrew Lambo (Pittsburgh) was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple, scoring once and driving in one.  Tomas Perez was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, driving in one.  Chris Jakubauskas pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

The game:  RBI singles by Wilfredo Tovar and Duran put Margarita up 2-0 in the second.  Lara tied it in the fourth on consecutive doubles by Paulo Orlando (Kansas City), Lambo, and Perez.  The game remained even until the eighth, when Mike Moustakis (Kansas City) drove in the go-ahead run for Lara with a single.  Margarita got a man on in the ninth but did not advance him past first base.

CARACAS 7, LA GUAIRA 2 IN LA GUAIRA

Caracas:  Ramon Cabrera (Detroit) was 3-for-3 with a double.  Gerardo Parra (Arizona) was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Franklin Morales (Colorado) pitched five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

La Guaira:  Carlos Sanchez (White Sox) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, driving in one.  Miguel Rojas (Dodgers) was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.  C. J. Retherford was 1-for-4 with a home run, his tenth.

The game:  Gregorio Petit singled in a run in the second and Jesus Guzman (Houston) hit a two-run homer in the third to give Caracas a 3-0 lead.  Each team scored once in the fourth and again in the fifth.  Caracas added two in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Australian League: Games of December 20

A big day for Logan Wade.  Joe Burns through the Sydney lineup.

BRISBANE 8, ADELAIDE 7 IN ADELAIDE

Twins:  Logan Wade (Brisbane) was 2-for-5 with a triple and a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.

Brisbane:  Marcus Bradley was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  David Sutherland was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  Mickey Jannis struck out six in six shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks.

Adelaide:  Jeremy Cresswell was 2-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Chris Jacobs (Dodgers) was 1-for-2 with two walks, scoring twice and driving in two.  Wilson Lee struck out six in 3.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk.

The game:  Brisbane got one in the first, then added six in the fourth to go ahead 7-0.  Wade had a two-run triple and Sutherland a two-run single in the inning.  Brisbane added one more in the seventh to go ahead 8-0, but then Adelaide began its comeback.  A two-run single by Brock Hebert (Seattle) capped a three-run seventh and two-run singles by Jacobs and Dylan Child (Pittsburgh) made it 8-7.  Adelaide had the tying run on third base with two out in the ninth.

MELBOURNE 6, SYDNEY 2 IN MELBOURNE

Sydney:  Guy Edmonds was 2-for-2 with two walks and a home run.  Trent Schmutter was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double.

Melbourne:  Ryan Casteel (Oakland) was 3-for-4 with two home runs (his sixth and seventh), scoring three times and driving in three.  Justin Huber was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run, his second.  Joe Burns (Texas) struck out seven in six innings, allowing one run on five hits and no walks.

The game:  Casteel homered in the second to give Melbourne a 1-0 lead.  A two-run single by Josh Davies made it 3-0 after four.  Edmonds homered to put Sydney on the board in the fifth, but Melbourne got the run back in the seventh on a Huber homer and added two in the eighth on Casteel's second homer of the game, a two-run shot that put the game out of reach.

CANBERRA 11, PERTH 7 IN CANBERRA

Perth:  Joey Wong was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer.  Corey Adamson (San Diego) was 3-for-5 with a walk and a triple, scoring twice and driving in one.  Tim Kennelly (Philadelphia) was 2-for-4 with a walk and a triple.

Canberra:  Casey Frawley was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in three.  Jeremy Barnes was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Jack Murphy (Toronto) was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

The game:  Brandon Tripp doubled in one and Matt Kennelly (Atlanta) singled in another to give Perth a 2-0 lead in the first.  Perth led 3-1 after two and a half, but Canberra took the lead with five in the bottom of the third.  A three-run double by Michael Wells was the key hit of the inning.  Wong's two-run homer in the top of the fourth pulled Perth within one at 6-5, but Canberra got both runs back in the bottom of the fourth to go up 8-5.  Perth closed to 9-7 in the top of the seventh, but an RBI single by Shane Opitz (Toronto) and a run-scoring double by Frawley put the game out of reach.

Mexican League: Games of December 20

Culiacan Cruzes to victory.  "I'll take care of things for Obregon," Said Guitterez.  Bankston deposited two homers to lead Navojoa.

CULIACAN 3, MAZATLAN 1 IN CULIACAN

Twins:  Brad Boyer (Culiacan) was 0-for-4.

Mazatlan:  Alberto Carreon was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.  Carlos Rodriguez was 2-for-3.  Remberto Romo pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout.

Culiacan:  Luis Alfonso Cruz was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run (his third), scoring twice and driving in two.  Mario Valdez was 1-for-3 with an RBI.  Andres Ivan Meza pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

The game:  Cruz hit an RBI double and Valdez a run-scoring single in the first inning to put Culiacan up 2-0.  Cruz homered in the third to make it 3-0.  Mazatlan's lone run came in the eighth when Carreon drove in a run with a double with none out.  However, the last six Mazatlan batters were retired.

OBREGON 2, GUASAVE 0 IN OBREGON

Guasave:  Gabriel Gutierrez was 1-for-3 with a double.  Jose Manuel Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with a walk.  James Avery pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Obregon:  Said Gutierrez was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his fifth.  Dan Robertson (San Diego) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.  Oscar Rivera pitched five shutout innings, allowing two his and one walk with four strikeouts.

The game:  Gutierrez hit a two-run homer in the fifth for the only runs of the game.  Guasave had the bases loaded with two out in the third and put runners on second and third with two out in the ninth.

NAVOJOA 8, MEXICALI 4 IN MEXICALI

Navojoa:  Wes Bankston was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third), scoring three times and driving in three.  Carlos Orrantia was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, driving in one.  Jose Guadalupe Chavez was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Mexicali:  Brad Snyder was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, driving in two.  Christhian Presichi was 1-for-1 with a double and a run.  Ramon Rios was 2-for-3.

The game:  Rolando Acosta had a two-run single in a four-run first for Navojoa.  Navojoa led 5-1 after five.  In the sixth, Snyder doubled in two to cut the lead to 5-3, but that was as close as Mexicali would come.  It was 6-4 after eight.  Bankston's two-run homer in the ninth put the game out of reach.

LOS MOCHIS 10, HERMOSILLO 4 IN HERMOSILLO

Los Mochis:  Yancarlo Angulo was 3-for-5 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in three.  Sandy Madera was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Jake Fox was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

Hermosillo:  Jose Aguilar was 4-for-4 with two doubles.  Daryle Ward was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Jonathan Aceves was 2-for-5 with two runs.

The game:  Ward's RBI double in the first and a run-scoring single by Heber Gomez in the third gave Hermosillo a 2-0 lead.  Angulo had a two-run single as part of a three-run fourth that put Los Mochis in the lead 3-2, but Hermosillo tied it in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI ground out.  Los Mochis took the lead for good in the sixth when Madera's two-run double made it 5-3.  Hermosillo got one back in the bottom of the sixth but Los Mochis scored four in the seventh to put the game out of reach.  Rodolfo Amador had a two-run double in the inning.

Puerto Rican League: Games of December 20

Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario have good days.

MAYAGUEZ 5, CAROLINA 1 IN MAYAGUEZ

Twins:  Kennys Vargas (Mayaguez) was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Eddie Rosario (Mayaguez) was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Daniel Ortiz (Mayaguez) was 0-for-4.

Carolina:  Enrique Hernandez (Houston) was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.  Anthony Garcia (St. Louis) was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Gaby Hernandez pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

Mayaguez:  Michael Taylor (Washington) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a home run (his third), scoring twice.  Irving Falu (Milwaukee) was 2-for-4 with a double.  Jonathan Albaladejo pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

The game:  Each team scored once in the first.  Mayaguez took the lead in the second on a wild pitch.  It stayed 2-1 until the sixth, when Taylor led off with a home run and Rosario hit a two-run homer with two out.  Carolina never threatened after that.

CAGUAS 4, SANTURCE 1 IN CAGUAS

Santurce:  Jose Morales was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Jeff Dominguez was 2-for-4 with a run.  Arik Sikula (Toronto) struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk.

Caguas:  Rey Navarro (Cincinnati) was 2-for-4 with a double.  Andy Gonzalez was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  John Brownell pitched seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks with six strikeouts.

The game:  Caguas took a 1-0 lead in the third on a balk, but Santurce tied in the fourth on Morales' RBI double.  Caguas took the lead back in the fifth on an Andy Gonzalez RBI single and a run-scoring double play.  Caguas added an insurance run in the sixth on a wild pitch.  Santurce brought the tying run up to bat in the seventh and eighth but did not score again.

Dominican League: Games of December 20

A good day for Jorge Polanco.  Lots of free baseball in Este.

LICEY 5, ESTE 4 IN ESTE (16 INNINGS)

Twins:  Dan Rohlfing (Licey) was used as a reserve and was 0-for-1.

Licey:  Emilio Bonifacio (Kansas City) was 4-for-8 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one.  Engle Beltre (Texas) was 2-for-5 with two walks and a double, driving in two.  Maikel Cleto (Kansas City) pitched four perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts.

Este: Eugenio Velez (Milwaukee) was 2-for-6 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Jose Constanza (Philadelphia) was 3-for-8 with a run.  Hector Neris (Atlanta) struck out four of the six men he faced in two perfect innings.

The game:  Este got a run on a double play in the fourth to go ahead 1-0.  RBI singles by Anderson Hernandez and Jim Murphy (Philadelphia) put LIcey up 2-1 in the sixth, but Velez doubled in the tying run in the eighth.  A two-run single by Beltre gave Licey a 4-2 lead in the eleventh, but Andy Vasquez (Pittsburgh) hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eleventh to tie it.  Bonifacio delivered an RBI single in the sixteenth to put Licey ahead 5-4.  Este went down in order in the bottom of the sixteenth.

CIBAO 6, ESCOGIDO 2 IN ESCOGIDO

Twins:  Jorge Polanco (Escogido) was 2-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring once.  Aderlin Mejia (Escogido) was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Cibao:  Francisco Peguero (Baltimore) was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fifth, scoring twice.  Leury Garcia was 3-for-5 with a triple and a run.  Dylan Owen pitched 3.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Escogido:  Gregory Polanco (Pittsburgh) was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Melky Mesa was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.  Julio DePaula pitched two shutout innings, allowing two hits and one walk.

The game:  Moises Sierra (Toronto) doubled in a run in the first to give Cibao a 1-0 lead.  Each team scored once in the fourth, leaving Cibao up 2-1.  It stayed there until the eighth, when Jimmy Paredes (Houston) singled in a run and another run scored on a squeeze bunt to make it 4-1.  Cibao added two more in the ninth to put the game out of reach.  Escogido scored one in the bottom of the ninth but did not threaten to get back into the game.

AGUILAS 7, ORIENTE 2 IN AGUILAS

Oriente:  Ed Rogers was 2-for-4 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one.  Jackson Williams (Colorado) was 1-for-3 with a double and a run.  Andrew Sisco pitched five innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Aguilas:  Alexis Gomez was 1-for-2 with a walk and a home run (his second), scoring twice and driving in two.  Juan Perez (San Francisco) was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  Carlos Martinez (St. Louis) struck out seven in 4.1 innings, allowing an unearned run on one hit and no walks.

The game:  Aguilas took a 1-0 lead on an error in the second, but Rogers circled the bases on a triple-and-error in the fourth to tie it at one.  Rogers singled in a run in the sixth to give Oriente a 2-1 lead.  Aguilas tied the score in the sixth on a bases-loaded hit batsman and took the lead later in the inning on a two-run single by Joaquin Arias (San Francisco).  In the eighth, a two-run homer by Andy Marte (Arizona) and a solo shot by Gomez cemented the victory.

Venezuelan League: Games of December 20

A walkoff in Caracas.  A walkoff in Magallanes.  I wish he was my Frank, but he's Yorfrank.

CARACAS 8, ARAGUA 6 IN CARACAS (10 INNINGS)

Twins:  Oswaldo Arcia (Aragua) was 1-for-5.  Edgar Ibarra (Aragua) pitched 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts.

Aragua:  Wilson Ramos (Washington) was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, his fourth.  Alex Romero was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.  Carlos Hernandez (Colorado) retired all seven men he faced, striking out three.

Caracas:  Bobby Abreu was 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run homer, his third.  Ramon Cabrera (Detroit) was 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run homer, his fourth.  Wilmer Font (Texas) struck out five in two innings, allowing no hits and one walk.

The game:  Ramos hit a three-run homer before anyone was retired in the top of the first to give Aragua a 3-0 lead.  Caracas got one in the second, but a pair of doubles and a single in the third made it 5-1 Aragua.  In the bottom of the third, however, Caracas tied it up at five on a three-run homer by Abreu and a solo shot by Alex Gonzalez.  A sacrifice fly in the fourth put Caracas ahead 6-5 and they stayed there until the eighth, when Ronny Cedeno (San Diego) singled in the tying run.  They went to an extra frame, and in the tenth Cabrera hit a two-run walkoff homer to win it for Caracas.

LA GUAIRA 8, ANZOATEGUI 3 IN ANZOATEGUI

Twins:  Shairon Martis (La Guaira) pitched four innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

La Guaira:  Carlos Sanchez (White Sox) was 3-for-5 with a double and a run.  C. J. Retherford was 4-for-5 with a run and two RBIs.  Yorfrank Lopez (Detroit) pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks with two strikeouts.

Anzoategui:  Oscar Salazar was 2-for-4 with a home run, his ninth.  Jose Castillo was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Niuman Romero was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

The game:  An RBI groundout and a Rene Reyes run-scoring single put La Guaira ahead 4-2 in the top of the third.  Salazar homered in the bottom of the third to cut it to 4-3, but that was as close as Anzoategui would get.  La Guaira added single runs in the fourth and seventh and scored two in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

ZULIA 14, LARA 1 IN ZULIA

Twins:  Miguel Sulbaran (Zulia) walked both men he faced but was charged with no runs.

Lara:  Mike Moustakas (Kansas City) was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, driving in one.  Guilder Rodriguez (Texas) was 2-for-4 with a run.  Luis Valbuena (Cubs) was 1-for-2 with a walk.

Zulia:  Jose Pirela (Yankees) was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fourth), scoring three times.  Ernesto Mejia (Atlanta) was 1-for-5 with a grand slam, his eleventh homer.  Austin Bibens-Dirkx (Toronto) pitched 5.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts.

The game:  It was tied at one through three and a half, but a Jose Flores double and a sacrifice fly gave Zulia a 3-1 lead in the fourth.  Pirela hit a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 5-1.  Zulia added four in the seventh and five in the eighth to make it a blowout.

MAGALLANES 6, MARGARITA 5 IN MAGALLANES

Margarita:  Nate Tenbrink (Seattle) was 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.  Junior Sosa (Pittsburgh) was 1-for-3 with two walks and a triple, scoring twice.  Carlos Monasterios pitched five shutout innings, giving up four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Magallanes:  Endy Chavez (Seattle) was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Frank Diaz was 1-for-2 with two walks and a double, scoring once and driving in one.  David Martinez (Houston) pitched four innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

The game:  Tenbrink tripled in a run in the first to give Margarita a 1-0 lead.  There was no more scoring until the seventh, when Wilmer Flores (Mets) and Tenbrink each singled in a run to make it 3-0.  Magallanes got it going in the eighth with a five-run inning capped by a two-run single by Chavez.  Runs also scored on an error and a bases-loaded walk.  Margarita tied it in the ninth when Flores and Breyvic Valera (St. Louis) delivered RBI singles.  in the ninth, with one out, a double, an intentional walk, a hit batsman, and a bases-loaded walk brought home the winning run.

Australian League: Games of December 19

There were no games scheduled in the Australian League on this date.