SANTO DOMINGO, Feb 2 (acn) The Cuban team Ciego de Avila Tigers will look for a win on its debut today in the Santo Domingo 2016 Caribbean Baseball Series, in this city, when facing the Mazatlan Venados, champion of the Mexican Pacific League.
The representative of Cuba was bye on the opening day of the tournament while the monarchs of the Mexican professional baseball surprisingly beat 3-2 the favorite and local side of the Leones del Escogido.
The contribution of the aces Yuliesky Gourriel and Alfredo Despaigne, only players present in the previous two Caribbean Series with Cuban teams after returning to these contests in 2014, will be decisive in victory aspirations.
Speaking to ACN, Gourriel showed confidence in the quality of his squad, on which he said it comes in excellent condition, with an optimal balance between young players and experienced athletes.
With astronomical batting average of .500 in the current season of the National Series, including 15 homers and 51 RBIs, Yuliesky Gourriel predicted that this will be an extremely demanding tournament because all the teams arrive in good shape and have high quality players.
Meanwhile, the slugger Alfredo Despaigne said he is very focused on contributing the most to the cause of the Ciego de Avila Tigers from the role of designated hitter, but he could also play on the leftfield.
Announced to represent Cuba in the home run derby scheduled for Wednesday, Despaigne said he was physically fit after enjoying a few months off, following his participation in the 2015 Japanese professional baseball season, where he hit 18 homers.
Yuliesky Gourriel (2B) and Alfredo Despaigne (DH) will bat third and fourth, respectively, in the lineup announced to debut today by coach Roger Machado, preceded by Stayler Hernandez (RF) and Yurisbel Gracial (3B).
Yosvani Alarcón (C), Ariel Borrero (1B), Jose Garcia Adolis (CF), Yorbis Borroto (SS) and Lourdes Y. Gourriel (LF) will bat from fifth to ninth in that order, while the right-hander Vladimir Garcia will be the Cuban starting pitcher.
The other game today in the Santo Domingo 2016 Caribbean Baseball Series will be between the host Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
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