DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE...

After finishing third in the Dominican Winter League Regular Season standings with a 26-24 record, the Tigres del Licey began the DWL Playoffs with a win in the first of five games they'll play against Aguilas Cibaenas(4), Azucareros del Este(2), and today's opponent in the Tigres(3) 14-4 victory, the Dominican League's Regular Season winners, the Gigantes del Cibao(1). 

Anderson Hernandez, DC's prospective starting second baseman, was in the lineup at second for the Tigres del Licey and Hernandez picked up right where he left off in the Regular Season, going 2 for 5 with a double, a walk, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Ronnie Belliard, starting at third for the Tigres, was 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI, and one of the newest Nationals, Jorge Sosa, who signed along with four other free agents right before the holidays, earned the win with 5.0 innings of 5-hit, 1-run work on the mound, during which he walked 3 and collected 6 K's. 

Anderson Hernandez ended the DWL Regular Second with the second highest average in the league at .365 after 50 games and 211 AB's, leading the league in Runs with 41, Hits, with 77, Doubles, with 20, and Triples, with 6, and Hernandez finished in the Top 10 in the Dominican Winter League in OBP, (.406), SLG, (.531) and OPS, (.937). Acquired from New York in the deal that sent Luis Ayala to the Mets, Hernandez has yet to really translate his Winter League success to the Major Leagues, however, where he's hit just .232 in 63 games and 168 at bats so far in his MLB career...

So it's probably a good sign that the 33-year-old Ronnie Belliard will be around to challenge Hernandez at second, or at least back him up and support him should the 26-year-old infielder fail to live up to what he's done in his last 292 AB's (with Washington/Licey combined), in which Hernandez has hit for a .356 AVG. with 24 doubles, 6 triples, 1 HR and 46 RBI's. Ronnie Belliard had 22 hits in 66 AB's for a .333 AVG with 3 doubles, 4 HR's, 16 RBI's, a .405 OBP, .561 SLG, and .966 OBP in 18 Regular Season games with Licey this Winter. 

Jorge Sosa, 31, finished the DWL season with with a (6-2) record in 10 starts and 1 relief appearance, allowing 51 hits, 16 ER's and 16 walks in 57.0 IP, over which he struck out just 24 and allowed opponents to hit for a .242 AVG. The former Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Braves, Cardinals and Mets' pitcher, signed with DC last week, along with LHP Gustavo Chacin, 27, formerly of the Blue Jays, C Gustavo Molina, 26, (who's played a total of 19 MLB games with the White Sox, Orioles and Mets), infielder Jose Castillo, 27, who split '08 with the Giants and Astros after having spent 4 years in the Pirates' infield, and outfielder Corey Patterson, 28, who broke into the big leagues with Cubs and has since played for the Orioles and Reds over 9 MLB seasons. 

UP NEXT...

Saturday night, the 27th of December, the Tigres del Licey take to the road to take on Azucareros del Este. 

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE...

The Criollos de Caguas welcomed the Leones de Ponce into Parque Yidefonso Sola Morales Friday night, and needed only the two runs they scored in the second to take a 2-1 lead in what would eventually be an 8-1 Caguas' win. DC prospects Justin Maxwell, who was the DH, and Garrett Guzman, who started in left, were a combined 0 for 7, with a run scored, an RBI, 2 walks and 3 K's between them, but the one run scored, (by Guzman, after he walked and crossed second on a two-RBI triple by Minor League free agent, Rob Cosby, which gave Caguas the 2-1 lead), turned out to be the Criollos' winning run.