CPBL prepares for All-Star Game as league takes a rest

Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) goes to a three-day regular-season schedule this week as it prepares for the All-Star Game to be held at the Hsinchuang County Stadium tomorrow.

A "Future All-Star Game" will be added to the schedule, joining Home Run Derby and the Base-running Competition.

The Future All-Star Game, scheduled for tonight, will feature Team Red, consisting of the league's top rookies, and Team White, made up of minor-league amateurs.

Skipper Lee Lai-fa (李來發), the Silver Medal-winning coach of Taiwan's 1992 Olympic baseball team, will head up Team Red, while coach Tsai Sheng-fong (蔡生豐) leads Team White.

A home-run contest among the future all-stars tonight will send its winner to the preliminary round of tomorrow's Home Run Derby, where defending champion Chen Lien-hung (陳連宏) of the President Lions will take on the CPBL's other power hitters.

Wrap Up

The Lions extended their winning streak to seven games with a 3-1 win over the Bears, Tuesday.

Pitcher of the Month Jose Alberro of the Lions allowed only three hits in six innings.

The lone Bear run came on a solo blast by center fielder Tsai Jien-wei (蔡建偉) in the sixth inning, just before the game was handed over to set-up man Kao Long-wei (高龍偉) in the seventh.

Kao retired the side and closer Michael Garcia pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning for his league-leading 20th consecutive save.

The California native has not allowed a run in 37-2/3 innings.

Chris Wright issued five walks in a losing effort for the Bears. The American righty allowed three runs on six hits as he went the distance.

Bulls vs. Elephants

The Elephants were unable to overcome four fifth-inning runs as the defending champs lost their second straight game in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Bulls.

Chang Tai-shan (張泰山) and Cheng Jau-han (鄭兆行) each knocked in a pair of runs for the Bulls against Elephants veteran Yokota Hisanori, to give their team a 4-0 lead after five frames.

In the next inning, the Elephants scored three runs following hits by Peng Cheng-ming (彭政閔), Wang Jin-yung (王金勇) and Chen Rei-cheng (陳瑞振).

Newly acquired Bulls closer Brian Warren earned his first save of the season by securing the last six outs of the game.

Warren was able to get out of trouble following a couple of double plays.

Cobras vs. Whales

The Cobras overcame a deficit in their series opener against the Whales, which ended 7-7 on Tuesday, before their 12-4 trouncing of the Whales the following day.

Power slugger Hsieh Jia-shien (謝佳賢) led the Cobras offense with a 3-for-5 night and three RBI in Game 1, while teammate Francisco Morales picked up the slack in Game 2 with three RBI.

The catcher-turned-first baseman got his third home run of the year as the serpents lit up the scoreboard with a dozen runs, tying their season-high mark for the second time this year.

Huang Chin-chih (黃欽智) made his case for remaining in the starting rotation with another brilliant performance.

The former closer started in just his second game since returning from a month-long rehab assignment, yielded one run on two hits in five innings before being given a rest.