For the Leones de Yucatan, walking into Parque Kukulkan Alamo and other ballparks during the month of May has been anything but merry.
Twelve days and nine games into the season’s second month, the Leones de Yucatan have yet to win a game in May, riding a losing streak that started on April 28 and has now extended to 10 games.
Over the 10-game streak, the Leones have plummeted to the cellar in the Zona Sur, going from 7-4 on April 28 before a 6-2 loss to the Tigres de Quintana Roo, where they were in the hunt for first place, to dead last at 7-14, two games behind ninth-place Quintana Roo in 10th place. They’ve lost four one-run games. They’ve been shut out twice and they’ve lost by three or more runs five times.
You can’t win games if you don’t hit, and the Leones aren’t hitting. They’re last in the 20-team league with a .237 team batting average, last in the league with a .319 slugging percentage, and have a team OPS of .630, which is the worst in the LMB by .083. They’ve hit just eight homers all year, have the third-fewest triples with 21, and scored the second-fewest runs in the league with 81.
Over the 10-game skid, they’re 21-for-96 with runners in scoring position, a .219 batting average in the game’s most important scenario.
And not only do they not hit, but they also don’t get on base. They’ve got a last-in-the-league .311 on-base percentage, have racked up 174 strikeouts in just 21 games, which means they’ve averaged 8.28 strikeouts per game.
And to add insult to injury, the Tigres suffered two complete game shutouts in their weekend series against the Olmecas de Tabasco, with Evan Grills throwing a six-hit, six strikeout complete game in a 6-0 win on May 8 and Tyler Danish allowing five hits and two walks while striking out three in a 7-0 complete game win two days later.
Those are the only two complete games thrown in the LMB thus far this season.
The Leones have no one batting above .300 with more than 10 at-bats, and the top four on the club in RBIs – Henry Ramos (11), Edwin Rios (10), and Wynton Bernard and Yadir Drake (nine each) – have driven in half the team’s runs
And make no mistake, the blame for the slide lies with the Leones’ offense, because their pitching has been stellar.
Consider this: with a team ERA of 3.74, Yucatan is one of just two teams in the LMB with a team ERA under 4.00 – the other is Zona Norte leader Tijuana, which has a 3.37 mark. The Leones have allowed the fifth-fewest hits (191), the second-fewest earned runs (80), have the third-lowest WHIP at 1.320, and have issued the third-fewest walks, 63, in 21 games.
The Leones start a road series against the Piratas de Campeche tonight at 9 p.m. EDT, and with nearly a quarter of the season already over, they need to start winning soon to have a shot at securing one of the six playoff spots in the Zona Sur.
Big Matchups This Week – Midweek, the Rieleros de Aguascalientes (13-8) head to Monterrey to face the Sultanes (14-7) in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the Zona Norte. In the Zona Sur, the top two teams face off for three games when the Bravos de Leon (14-7) visit the Pericos de Puebla (13-8) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Over the weekend, the Charros de Jalisco (11-10) face the Acereros de Monclova (11-10) in the only weekend series, at least for now, that features two teams with winning records.
Where to Watch – All Liga Mexicana de Beisbol games are streamed live with a subscription on LMB TV, and a season subscription is on sale for MX$799 (about US$46) until April 30. Select games are streamed live on the YouTube page for Latin American network Claro Sports.
Photo: Yadir Drake has hit three home runs this season, and the Leones de Yucatan are struggling at the plate. (Photo courtesy of the Leones de Yucatan)
