The VSL is only a 5 team league with the top two teams going to the championship. The Phillies took the first game from the Tigers but the Tigers took Game 2. A rain delay yesterday allow the VSL Phillies ace Ranger Suarez to take the hill today. Suarez is a diminutive LHP with a 78:1 K:BB rate on the year. The Phillies stakes him to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and Suarez stayed in control through the 7th where he hit a batter and an error by the shortstop allowed the Tigers to tie the game. Suarez worked a clean 8th giving himself a final line of 8 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 R 0 BB 6 K 1 HBP. In the 9th the first batter singled off reliever Reiwal Gonzalez, he was bunted over to 2nd base. The next batter was intentionally walked. Eliezar Castillo then hit a groundball to third baseman Alexander Perdomo who went to second for the first out, but second baseman Daniel Romero threw away the throw to first to complete the double play allowing Junnell Ledezma to come home and score the walk-off run for the Tigers.
The Phillies offense was paced by 17 year old Jesus Alastre who went 2-4 today, he was the Phillies best hitted this year with a .314/.409/.371 line to go with 13 stolen bases. It remains to be seen if any of these guys are real prospects and if they bring any over stateside this fall for Instructional Leagues, but it has been a ton of fun to follow the box scores for the team and especially Suarez this year.