Most of the sub-series that begin today in the Cuban baseball championship have two possible destinations: to clear or further complicate the race for postseason berths.
Havana, June 8 (PL) - Most of the sub-series that begin today in the Cuban baseball championship have two possible destinations: to clear or further complicate the race for postseason berths.
Seven of the eight scheduled duels directly affect the teams aspiring to animate the playoffs of what almost all experts qualify as the most evenly matched edition of the 62 national series held.
In the absence of two sub-series for each team and 29 games not yet played or sealed, the standings show options for 14 teams, although half of them look in better conditions to qualify and the other group seems to be more focused on the available place.
The clashes between the leader Las Tunas and Matanzas stand out, two old acquaintances whose matches in the last three post-seasons have always been dominated by the Cocodrilos, also winners of the historical balance by 95-77, but the Leñadores are now inspired with nine successes in their recent ten games.
In order not to fall out of the playoffs, the eighth-placed Tigres Avileños will have to beat the runner-up Santiago de Cuba, which has a wide advantage in the head-to-head for life (128-89).
The visit of Industriales to Mayabeque also generates much expectation, two teams in need of victories to avoid compromising their possible advance to the post-season; of the 42 games played between the two, the Leones won 29.
The team with the best sensations in the tournament, Artemisa, accumulates two wins more than their opponents (24-22), some Toros from Camagüey who, despite being in the second to last place, still have a slight chance of qualifying and, in order to materialize them, they practically have to sweep the pending games.
The same happens to the champion Granma, forced to confirm in the field its historical superiority, 113-90, over Sancti Spíritus, although the Gallos are currently among the top eight and the Alazanes in the eleventh place.
The lineup of key clashes is completed with the games between Pinar del Río-Holguín led by the Vegueros (94-58) and Villa Clara-La Isla, which has the Leopards ahead by 102-64.
With no other attraction than to scare away the basement, Cienfuegos and Guantanamo will face each other in a duel dominated by the former 92-72.
At the end of the thirteenth subseries, Las Tunas (35-25) holds the lead by win-loss average, escorted in the standings by Santiago de Cuba (37-27), Matanzas (35-27), Artemisa (33-27), Mayabeque (34-29), Sancti Spíritus (33-29), Industriales (34-30) and Ciego de Ávila (30-29).
Then come Holguín (31-31), Villa Clara (31-32), Granma (30-32), Pinar del Río (29-31), La Isla (28-31), Camagüey (27-32), Cienfuegos (23-39) and Guantánamo (21-39).
