The only one with the option of winning the five games in the weekly subseries, the Santiago de Cuba team put the Tigres on the ropes yesterday with a score of 7-4 and tied with their victim and Camagüey in fourth place in the standings.
The veteran Alberto Bicet is the Santiago team’s card for the Sunday game, while their opponents will depend on Luis Marrero in order to save their honor and also break the streak of five consecutive defeats.
Four matches will find definition today, among them those held by the leader Pinar del Río with Sancti Spíritus and Granma against Artemisa.
Gallos won the most recent presentation 15-6 against Vegueros, despite the 99th career home run by Alexei Ramírez in Cuba and the twelfth by Yaser Julio González, one behind the leader Alfredo Despaigne.
Cazadores signed their second victory over Granma (8-3) with the fifth success of Yunieski García, who shares the lead in games won with five other pitchers and established himself as the highest striker of the tournament (56).
The bilateral series between Camagüey and Cienfuegos and Industriales and Guantánamo also arrive on Sunday with a hug.
Camagüey international José Ramón Rodríguez achieved his fourth win of the season by blanking Southern Elephants 4-0 after eight innings in which he allowed four hits and struck out seven opponents.
Meanwhile, Indios del Guaso was better than Leones capitalinos (5-1) to force the decision in the fifth and final clash between both teams in the preliminary phase, close to consuming half of the 75-game schedule.
The other subseries did have a winner this Saturday after Las Tunas’ victories over Villa Clara (3-1), Matanzas’ super KO against La Isla (17-0) and Mayabeque’s success against Holguín (2-1 ).
Pinar del Río advances comfortably at the top with a balance of 25-11, followed by Las Tunas (20-11), Granma (21-15), Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila and Santiago de Cuba (20-16), Industriales (19 -17).
Next are Artemisa (18-18), Sancti Spíritus and Matanzas (17-19), Villa Clara (16-20), Mayabeque and Guantánamo (15-21), Holguín and Cienfuegos (14-22) and La Isla (12 -19).
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