The leader Las Tunas travels this Tuesday to Sancti Spiritus in search of becoming the first team to reach 40 victories in the Cuban baseball championship.
Havana, June 13 (PL) - The leader Las Tunas travels this Tuesday to Sancti Spiritus in search of becoming the first team to reach 40 victories in the Cuban baseball championship.
The matchup of the Leñadores with the so-called Gallos is one of the most attractive of the series starting on Wednesday, when Industriales-Matanzas, Pinar del Río-Villa Clara, Holguín-La Isla and Camagüey-Mayabeque will also face each other.
The lineup is completed with the clashes between Artemisa-Guantanamo, Cienfuegos-Santiago de Cuba and Granma-Ciego de Avila.
The Leñadores consolidated their position at the top of the standings after winning four of five games against Matanzas.
This Monday they consummated their successful visit to Matanzas by winning 5-3 with the twelfth game saved for Alberto Pablo Civil.
It was the eighth victory for the Tuneros in the last ten games.
For their part, Los Leones de Industriales, also with 8 wins in the last 10 games, could not finish off Mayabeque, losing 5-0 with impeccable relief by José Norbelis Betancourt (3.0 IP; 4K).
Pinar del Río preserved its mathematical possibilities by "silencing" the Cachorros Holguineros by 8-4, while Sancti Spíritus practically buried Granma's few options of revalidating its crown by defeating the champions of the last two years by 9-5.
The espirituanos' closer, Yanielquis Duardo, signed his 13th save and is the new leader in strikeouts of the season.
Villa Clara remained close to the middle of the standings after beating La Isla 6-4 and Camagüey also breathed a sigh of relief with a 4-0 victory over Artemisa.
In a game of pure formality, bottom-placed Guantanamo knocked out Cienfuegos 12-1.
Ciego de Avila and Santiago de Cuba could not start their match and it is the only sub-series so far suspended in its entirety among the more than 30 games not played or sealed.
Behind Las Tunas (39-26) are Santiago de Cuba (37-27), Sancti Spíritus (37-30), Industriales (38-31), Matanzas (36-31), Artemisa (34-31), Mayabeque (35-33) and Ciego de Ávila (30-29).
