With just 15 games remaining for each team in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, most, but not all, of the league’s 20 teams are still alive for one of the six playoff berths in each of the LMB’s two divisions.
Below is a breakdown with each Zona Norte team’s remaining schedule and outlook towards the playoffs with a little over two weeks remaining.
Toros de Tijuana
Record – 51-24, First Place
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 at Jalisco, July 24-26 at Saltillo, July 28-30 vs. Union Laguna, July 31 to Aug. 2 vs. Monclova, Aug. 4-6 at Durango.
Playoff Outlook – With a 10-game lead in the Zona Norte, the Toros are going to make the playoffs with the top seed barring a historic and unfathomable collapse. Only six of their remaining 15 games are against teams with a winning record.
Caliente de Durango
Record – 42-35, Second Place, 10 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 at Chihuahua, July 24-26 vs. Aguascalientes, July 28-30 vs. Monterrey, July 31 to Aug. 2 at Jalisco, Aug. 4-6 vs. Tijuana.
Playoff Outlook – Durango hasn’t had a team make the LMB playoffs since 1978, though that streak of futility likely ends this year. The big question is whether the Caliente can hang on to home field advantage for the first round. Durango has only two of five remaining series against teams in the bottom half of the division, so it is possible that they could fall a few spots. The deadline additions of Jonathan Villar, Cristopher Escarrega, and Joe Corbett might be enough to get Durango a top-three seed.
Sultanes de Monterrey
Record – 41-36, Third Place, 11 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 vs. Saltillo, July 24-26 at Union Laguna, July 28-30 at Durango, July 31 to Aug. 2 vs. Chihuahua, Aug. 4-6 vs. Dos Laredos.
Playoff Outlook – The Sultanes added starting pitching at the deadline, getting Jared Wetherbee and Luis Patino. Twelve of their remaining 15 games are against teams who are not in playoff position. Expect Monterrey to finish in the top three, though second or third is most likely barring a disastrous collapse by the Toros.
Acereros de Monclova
Record – 40-38, Fourth Place, 12 1/2 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 vs. Union Laguna, July 24-26 at Jalisco, July 28-30 vs. Chihuahua, July 31 to Aug. 2 at Tijuana, Aug. 4-6 at Aguascalientes.
Playoff Outlook – Monclova sits in fourth place, and they have a better run differential than Monterrey. The Sultanes have a more favorable schedule down the stretch, as Monclova has to face Tijuana on the road, though the Acereros do have nine of 15 remaining games against teams out of playoff position. The Blue Fury should make the playoffs, and could pass Monterrey to get the third and final berth that comes with home field advantage. They added former MLB reliever Colten Brewer at the deadline, so they’re largely going with what they have down the stretch.
Charros de Jalisco
Record – 39-38, Fifth Place, 13 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 vs. Tijuana, July 24-26 vs. Monclova, July 28-30 at Dos Laredos, July 31 to Aug. 2 vs. Durango, Aug. 4-6 at Chihuahua.
Playoff Outlook – The Charros are in a similar spot to where they were a year ago, when they finished 46-46 and earned the sixth seed in the playoffs. Perhaps they’re a little better, especially with Willie Calhoun and Michael Wielansky back in the lineup, but they’ll again need to pull off an upset or two come playoff time to reach the Serie del Rey. With nine of their 15 games remaining against likely playoff-bound teams, it’s hard to see the Charros earning home field advantage, but Benji Gil’s club should be a tough out once the playoffs start.
Rieleros de Aguascalientes
Record – 35-39, Sixth Place, 15 1/2 games behind Tijuana.
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 vs. Dos Laredos, July 24-26 at Durango, July 28-30 at Saltillo, July 31 to Aug. 2 vs. Union Laguna, Aug. 4-6 vs. Monclova.
Playoff Outlook – The Rieleros play nine of their remaining 15 games against teams behind them in the standings, and a .500 record for the year would likely get them into the postseason. The series against Union Laguna that begins on July 31 could be what determines whether the Rieleros move on to the postseason or whether the Algodoneros steal the final playoff spot.
Algodoneros de Union Laguna
Record – 36-42, Seventh Place, 16 1/2 games behind Tijuana.
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 at Monclova, July 24-26 vs. Monterrey, July 28-30 at Tijuana, July 31 to Aug. 2 at Aguascalientes, Aug. 3-5 vs. Saltillo.
Playoff Outlook – The Algodoneros added former Cincinnati Red Ryan Hendrix and elite Cuban starter Roenis Elias at the deadline, but they have a tough schedule ahead of them to conclude the regular season. Twelve of the final 15 games are against teams in playoff position, so it’ll be an uphill climb, and while they’re only a game behind Aguascalientes, the Rieleros face a much easier schedule to conclude the year.
Saraperos de Saltillo
Record – 31-45, Eighth Place, 20 1/2 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 at Monterrey, July 24-26 vs. Tijuana, July 28-30 vs. Aguascalientes, July 31 to Aug. 2 at Dos Laredos, Aug. 3-5 at Union Laguna.
Playoff Outlook – Saltillo’s early-season struggles set the table for the final two weeks, where they’re going to need to win all five remaining series at minimum to have an outside chance at getting into the playoffs. Sweeping three of the five series would help. Former MLB infielder Thairo Estrada’s bat should provide a boost, but it’s hard to see that alone being enough to help the Saraperos climb into playoff position from five games out.
Dorados de Chihuahua
Record – 31-47, Ninth Place, 21 1/2 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 vs. Durango, July 24-26 vs. Dos Laredo, July 28-30 at Monclova, July 31 to Aug. 2 at Monterrey, Aug. 4-6 vs. Jalisco.
Playoff Outlook – Chihuahua went on a heater last week, winning six straight games, but they’ll need to do more than that down the stretch to make the playoffs from six game out of the last spot. Given that they were sellers at the deadline, it’s hard to see it happening.
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos
Record – 29-49, 10th Place, 23 1/2 games behind Tijuana
Remaining Schedule – July 21-23 at Aguascalientes, July 24-26 at Chihuahua, July 28-30 vs. Jalisco, July 31 to Aug. 2 vs. Saltillo, Aug. 4-6 at Monterrey.
Playoff Outlook – The Binationals sold off everything that wasn’t nailed down over the last three weeks. It’s not a one-out-of-a-thousand chance – it’s more like one-out-of-a-million chance that the Tecos make the playoffs this year. I’m telling you there’s a chance.
The LMB’s Unique Playoff Format – The LMB playoffs start with the top six teams in both the Zona Norte and Zona Sur making the playoffs. The first round is seeded as you would expect, with the regular season division winner facing the sixth-place team, the second-place club facing the fifth-place club, and the third and fourth-place teams each meeting in a best-of-seven series.
That, of course, means that three teams advance by winning the first-round series. It also means that a fourth team is needed for the second round, so the team that loses a first-round series but wins the most games also advances to the second round, where the top remaining seed plays the series loser that advanced. The other two series winners face off, again in a best-of-seven series. The second-round winners face off in the Serie Campeonato, which determines the division’s representative in the Serie del Rey, the league’s championship series.
Last season provided a good example of how the system works. The sixth-seeded Charros de Jalisco upset the Zona Norte regular season champion Sultanes de Monterrey twice, beating them four games to three in the first round. The Sultanes advanced because they won three games in the first round and finished ahead of the Acereros de Monclova, who also won three games in the first round but lost their series in the regular season. The Sultanes won their second round series, sweeping the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, then faced the Charros again, falling four games to one as the Charros advanced to the Serie del Rey.
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: Junior Lake is one of six former MLB players in the Toros de Tijuana’s regular lineup. (Photo courtesy of the Toros de Tijuana)
