East Leads in Cuban Baseball

HAVANA TIMES, Jan. 12.- The Eastern Division of the Cuban Baseball League continues to show its supremacy during the 2008-2009 Season. To date only two teams in the West are over .500 while five squads in the East are .567 or above.

Seven of eight of the weekend series were won by Eastern teams over the Western opponents.

Holguin (20-11) took a road sweep over struggling Industriales (15-15) by scores of 6-2, 7-3 and 3-1, while Santiago de Cuba (17-13) finally began to gel with 6-3, 5-3 and 15-4 wins over Sancti Spiritus (13-16).

Granma (11-20) traveled to Havana (18-10) to win two of three 10-6, 1-2, 2-1 against the Western Division leaders. Playing at home, Villa Clara (21-7), the Eastern leaders, won its series over Pinar del Rio (16-15) by scores of 0-5, 10-0 and 12-1. Ciego de Avila (20-11) swept Isla de la Juventud (13-16) by scores of 11-1, 4-3 and 12-2.

Las Tunas (14-15) won its series over Metropolitanos (13-18) by scores of 5-4, 3-13 and 4-3, while Guantanamo edged Cienfuegos 7-5, 4-3 and lost Sunday 6-8.

Matanzas (11-20) won two of three games 3-1, 0-6 and 13-3 over Camaguey (18-13) to save face for the slumping Western Division.

To date the Western teams have a combined total win-loss record of 106-132 while the Eastern teams are 133-107.

This weeks Tuesday-Thursday match-ups include another east-west showdown: Holguin plays on the road against Metropolitanos; Matanzas hosts Granma; Cienfuegos hosts Villa Clara; Sancti Spiritus is at home against Ciego de Avila; Industriales travels to Camaguey; Las Tunas is at home against La Habana; in a rematch of last season’s championship series Santiago de Cuba hosts Pinar del Rio, and Guantanamo hosts Isla de la Juventud.